Austin's Tax and Budget Nibbles

[Updates below.]

News8Austin: Austin City Council weighs tax and rate hikes

Austin property owners face a potential increase in their property taxes as well as hikes in utility rates and addtional fees to offset a city budget gap.

The city council will be considering these proposals this week as they spend the next several days finalizing the budget.

The city must close an almost $20 million budget gap.

Copyright ©2004TWEAN News Channel of Austin, L.P. d.b.a. News 8 Austin

You can view the city's proposed 2004-2005 budget here. Out of the $448.9 million in proposed spending:

• 64.8% ($290.8 million) is for "public safety"
  Broken down (and I don't know why it doesn't add up):
  
  • $181.4 million for the Police Department
    
  • $94.2 million is for the Fire Department
    
  • $31.5 million is for EMS
  
  
• 13.7% ($61.4 million) is for "transfers and other"
  
• 6.2% ($27.8 million) is for "parks and recreation"
  
• 6.0% ($26.9 million) is for "public health"
  
• 3.8% ($17.0 million) is for "library"
  
• 2.7% ($12.1 million) is for watershed protection and development review"
  
• 2.0% ($8.9 million) is for "municipal court"
  
• 0.8% ($3.5 million) is for "neighborhood planning and zoning"

The total appropriated revenue is estimated to be $449.1 million. Break that down, and you get:

• $263.3 in taxes
  
• $28.5 million in franchise fees
  
• $16.9 million in fines, forfeitures, and penalties
  
• $14.5 million in licenses, permits, and inspections
  
• $22.5 million in general charges for service use
  
• $8.2 million in interest
  
• $94.9 million in transfer revenue from Austin Energy, etc.

The PDF file I'm getting this data from can be confusing. For example, it lists the above amount for "parks and recreation" at ober $27 million. Yet, if you dig into the "Recreation and Culture" section and read the "Budget Highlights" in it, you see a total budget of $43.4 million. You can figure it out for yourself if you have the patience.

Personally, assuming I would be allowed to just axe the whole damn city of it's funding and had to pick a few things to cut, here's what I'd slash:

• The aforementioned Parks & Recreation budget;
  
• the $17 million spent on public libraries;
  
• the $51 million spent on Health and Human Services;
  
• the $19 million spent on Neighborhood Housing and Community Development;
  
• the $3 million spent on Neighborhood Planning and Zoning.

That comes to more than $90 million in savings that I'd immediately use to cut taxes. If we are to have government imposed upon us, it has no business engaging in those activities, as well as many others I did not mention.

As I did for the City of Austin's 2003-2004 budget priorities, I'll crudely recreate the 2004-2005 priorities here:

City of Austin, Texas
City Council Priorities
2004-05

Youth, Family, and
Neighborhood Vitality

Public Safety

Sustainable Community

Affordability

Again, not surprising "affordability" is last on the list.

UPDATE 9/15/2004 9:52am
News8Austin: Austin City Council approves new fiscal-year budget

The city of Austin has approved a $2 billion budget for the next fiscal year.

They hiked various fees and taxes.

Posted by Drizzten at September 13, 2004 04:42 PM