Live-Blogging the Budget Talks

Wow, is this gonna be as much fun as the title makes it sound? Let's hope so! Buckle up!

Whatever, we all know the real action is gonna be in an hour, "to receive comment on the profile of a new City Manager." I've prepared an interpretive dance to share my feelings on the matter with council.

Mike McDonald is giving an overview of budget changes, vis a vis last year – which I wrote up in today's column.

Slight decrease in public opinion on the quality of Municipal Court services? Dirty pool, I say! Dirty pool!

$40K "for a truck for the graffiti abatement program." The Krylon Krusher?

Lee Leffingwell's a little flummoxed about how graffiti services are spread out from department to department. Toby Futrell says H&HS do the actual abatement, are "the brain center …"

Public Safety and Emergency Management: Uhh, I totally missed that …

Fire: Man, that J.J. Adame cuts quite the grandfatherly figure, huh? Diversity recruiting efforts is getting a big push, for reasons self-evident.

Mike Martinez has questions about getting accurate staffing numbers on fire engines. Seems 2-per-1000 isn't the only whipping boy out there.

EMS: $775,000 for a station at Mueller Airport. Hopefully they'll be ped-friendly and walk to any critical incidents.

Police: Ooh, that Art Acevedo is sooooo dreamy! True story – he comes on, and the girls in the office (yes, I'm cheating and writing this from the bunker) start talking about how good he looks in his blues! The jokes start coming. Will Wynn says he has to start signing his High School fight song. Uhh …

AA talking about salary: should shrink once "we start using our overtime budget for what it's really meant for … unexpected circumstances."

All the Compstat talk is getting my inner public safety wonk all hot-and-bothered: The Wire is finally coming to Austin! (Well, hopefully not the urban squalor and drug epidemics, but still … )

And we're out. Time for the City Manger qualifications love-in. To the extent we can keep the nasuea down, we'll keep you posted.