Community Investment Budget

The City’s budget is a reflection of our values. This year, Austin is navigating real fiscal constraints – but those constraints do not lessen our responsibility to meet the needs of our residents. Working families, low-income communities, and the historically underserved are facing increasing pressure from housing costs, economic instability, and gaps in essential services. The pressure Council feels to ensure the long-term stability of Austin as a whole pales in comparison to the pressure families feel day-to-day in this city as they seek out their own stability.

We expect that every budget decision be grounded in equity, safety, transparency, and a clear commitment to protecting the most critical services Austinites rely on. In recent years, the City has made important, though modest, progress in areas like worker pay and community-based safety programs. This is not the moment to reverse that progress. Instead, the City should prioritize maintaining those gains, avoiding harmful cuts, and ensuring that the well-funded Austin Police Department does not receive additional funding.

In a constrained year, the choices the City makes matter even more, and investing in community care is not just the right thing to do, it is the most efficient use of public dollars. Investments in housing stability, reentry support, justice-involved folks, workforce development, public health, sustainability, and violence prevention reduce reliance on more expensive emergency responses, decrease strain on public systems, and prevent crises before they occur. The Community Investment Budget invests upstream, where interventions are less expensive and more effective. Strategic investments in prevention and community-based services save money over time while strengthening public safety and community wellbeing. The City should reject the proposed $16.8 million reduction in social service contracts and maintain funding for programs that provide essential services to Austin residents. The Community Investment Budget is supportive of current ongoing efforts to protect social services.

We urge Council to focus on protecting essential programs, supporting City workers, and making targeted investments that address well-documented gaps in services. Austin’s budget should continue to move us toward a city that is more equitable, more resilient, and better able to meet the needs of all who call it home.