City Budget Crunch
Our discount 'menu'
By Wells Dunbar, Fri., June 26, 2009
General Fund Departments Totals and Highlights
Emergency Medical Services: $1,648,405
$250,000: Reduce overtime with flextime for uniformed positions.
$244,875: Reduce Austin Community College program by eliminating five vacant cadet positions and tuition reimbursement.
$129,889: Reduce overtime with new delivery model for continuing education for paramedics: more on-duty training and online resources.
Fire: $4,489,725
$1,234,975: Replace two engines with medical response units.
$460,530: Eliminate four unfilled investigator positions.
$118,080: Discontinue LBJ Fire Academy.
Health & Human Services: $2,912,846
$1,105,987: Reduce or eliminate unallocated funding to social service contracts.
$298,777: Transfer Summer Youth Employment Program to Workforce Solutions through federal stimulus funding.
$205,693: Close the second day-labor site.
$80,000: Use donations for feral cat sterilization and pet microchipping.
Library: $1,782,641
$354,762: Open branch libraries an hour later.
$351,855: Close branch libraries an hour earlier.
$155,292: Reduce the systemwide book budget.
$130,692: Reduce Faulk Central Library's operating hours by eight hours per week.
Municipal Court: $943,628
$400,000: Eliminate nominal, optional payment made to jurors.
$270,562: Increase early-parking fines by $5, from $15 to $20.
$205,914: Cuts to Downtown Austin Community Court, including substance-abuse services and Project Recovery.
$84,240: Reduce interpreter costs by appointing a Spanish-speaking associate judge for central booking.
Neighborhood Planning & Zoning: $388,305
$388,305 Transfer employees, eliminate vacant positions, and reduce office expenses.
Parks & Recreation: $2,757,739
$1,341,990: Recognize savings from recently annexed Anderson Mills to maintain and operate its own parks and recreation facilities.
$250,000: Offset Trail of Lights Festival expense with an admission fee.
$110,000: Eliminate supervised playground programs at 11 low-attendance sites near other supervised playgrounds.
$50,700: Close seven wading and "fill and draw" pools.
$36,000: Close two low-attendance public pools.
Police: $8,707,398
$5,231,933: Delay scheduled cadet training by one year, hold 10% vacancies in patrol, and backfill additional patrol vacancies with officers from specialized units.
$1,200,000: Reduce sworn overtime.
$120,000: Bill private promoter of South by Southwest for police services.
Watershed Protection: $1,073,541
$1,073,541: Reduce funding and eliminate several vacant positions.
General Fund Subtotal: $24,704,228
Other City Departments Totals and Highlights
Support Services: $4,177,224
$1,971,709: Financial & Administrative Services
$586,106: Human Resources
$575,264: Law
$335,136: Management Services
$197,878: Small & Minority Business Resources
$153,876: Communications & Public Information
$146,500: Office of the City Auditor
$124,202: City Clerk
$86,553: Government Relations Office
Other: $2,939,094
$2,669,359: Communications & Technology Management
$269,735: Fleet Services
Transfers: $5,947,248
$5,947,248: Reduce General Fund transfers to Capital Projects Management, Neighborhood Housing & Community Development, and Transportation Fund.
Corporate Cost Increases: $7,264,953
$3,700,000: EMS fees (increase approved by City Council).
$2,094,203: Reduce or eliminate service incentive pay.
$1,100,000: Employee furloughs (unpaid leave).
$370,750: Development fees (boost fees on development requirements like inspections, traffic impact analyses, and building plan reviews).
Other City Departments Subtotal: $20,328,519
+
General Fund Subtotal: $24,704,228
=
Total Proposed Cuts, Citywide $45,032,747
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