Austin city budget proposal falls short of $22 goal, would increase to $18

Chris O'Connell, Mysa.com

July 15, 2022 original article

Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk has released the proposed budget for 2022-23. In the proposal, delivered at Montopolis Recreation and Community Center, Cronk mentioned a 4% raise for city civilian staff, the largest in more than 20 years. That brings the minimum wage up from $15 to $18 per hour. That's still $4 short of the recommendation that City Council made to the City Manager last month.

City Council Member Vanessa Fuentes, who introduced the item in June, called the increase "a great start."

"It would be the largest wage increase in the city's history and position Austin as a leader with one of the highest living wages in Texas,"  Fuentes said in a statement to MySA. "This paves the way to our goal of $22/hr and further proves that Austin can respond to the moment and address rising costs, inflation, and unemployment. We must continue to deliver for Austinites so they not only survive — but thrive in the city they call home.”

Scott Cobb, a Barton Springs lifeguard who led the charge for the $22 increase amid a citywide lifeguard shortage, expressed dismay in the city manager's decision and has strong words for Cronk.

"He seems to have largely disregarded the heart-wrenching stories of all the people who spoke to City Council while standing right in front of him talking about how they are struggling to make ends meet," Cobb tells MySA. "$18 is what you get when the unelected decision-maker earns almost $400,000 while the lowest wage workers make $15 an hour. [It's a] total disconnect by the city manager on the struggles of low-wage workers."

Cobb says that they will be asking City Council to amend Cronk's proposal, notes that his group has a meeting set with Mayor Steve Adler on August 1, and reaffirms what he's been saying, loudly, for months: that the lifeguard shortage will continue until the city's minimum wage catches up with the rising cost of living. 

Cronk mentioned that city employees with tenure exceeding one year, even temporary ones, will receive a $1,500 "retention bonus" in their pay next month. The across-the-board increase in city employee pay, the city manager said, will not result in an increase in property taxes for residents. Even with the increase, homeowners should see a reduction of more than $100 next year, according to the city manager.

The budget did provide $1 million toward establishing a Trauma Recovery Center (TRC) in Austin. Fuentes sponsored a resolution to create the TRC to help victims of violent crime earlier this year. City Council voted unanimously to pass the resolution.

"The creation of a TRC in Austin reaffirms our commitment to public safety and will create new avenues for survivors to receive the resources needed to recover from traumatic experiences," Fuentes said. "This TRC would be the first in Texas and provide individualized case management, therapy, legal assistance, and more to our region's most vulnerable communities. These investments in our community will help redefine what we consider as public safety and pave the way to a more dignifying approach to care, equity, and justice.”

City Council Member Paige Ellis of District 9 is cautiously optimistic about the amount of money needed to establish the center.

"This $1M investment is a bold step forward in creating a public Trauma Recovery Center in Austin," Ellis tells MySA. "The work ahead includes staffing, an appropriate location for maximum impact, and resources to ensure its long term success. I am optimistic about the healing a Trauma Recovery Center like this will bring to our community."

Other budget highlights include funding for 55 new jobs to "increase customer support efforts" at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, a $79 million investment in affordable housing, a one-time funding of $5 million to help prevent homelessness, and $27 million for cultural arts, historic preservation, and live music. 

City Council will review and amend the proposed budget before adoption on August 17. City Council is hosting five city budget town halls before then.