City Budget Hearings Begin Today

City Council's public hearings on the proposed 2006-07 budget begin today, Thursday, with departmental presentations at 11am and hearings for the same departments at 6pm. Today's grouping includes five departments labeled "Community Services": Parks and Recreation, Library, Health and Human Services, Neighborhood Housing and Community Development, Solid Waste Services. Citywide increases are included for every department, including pay for performance, salary market adjustments, and anticipated increases in health care costs across the board. Some proposed big-ticket departmental increases and highlights, from budget documents available on the city Web site (www.ci.austin.tx.us/budget), include the following:

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Library: $21.2 million

• Expansion of the Spicewood Springs branch library (two full-time employees [FTEs], $93,000)

• Additional personnel in security, circulation, human resources, and accounting (five FTEs, $204,000)

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Solid Waste Services: $56.7 million

• New solid-waste personnel due to annexations and growth (four FTEs, $172,000)

• Additional garbage carts and recycling bins ($207,500)

• Implementation of All-in-One recycling program ($860,000)

• Litter-abatement personnel (2.5 FTEs, $188,000)

• Fleet maintenance and fuel-cost increases ($231,500)

• Legal support for code enforcement (attorney salary and benefits, $235,000)

• Computer hardware and vehicle GPS hardware ($422,000)

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Neighborhood Housing and Community Development: $30.1 million (NHCD funding originates from a variety of sources, especially federal grants)

• Housing development (various forms of affordable-housing assistance) will serve an estimated 4,287 households in 2006-07, down from an estimated 6,230 in 2005-06.

• Reduction in a federal grant for support service administration requires an additional city expenditure of $625,000.

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Parks and Recreation: $31.4 million

• Zilker Botanical Gardens, for renewed maintenance and security (six FTEs, $222,000).

• Three new facilities are budgeted to open next year: Mexican American Cultural Cen-ter ($450,000), Turner Roberts Rec. Center ($63,000), Town Lake Park ($314,000).

• Increased maintenance and security at other rec centers (five FTEs, $206,000).

• Conversion of 27.5 FTEs from temporary to permanent status ($510,000).

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Health and Human Services: $30.9 million

• Health promotion and disease prevention, and community outreach personnel, both pursuant to the African-American quality of life initiative (two FTEs, $128,000)

• Expanded graffiti-abatement-program personnel and resources (one FTE and supplies, $125,000)

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The remaining budget presentations and hearings are scheduled for Aug. 24 (Public Safety) and Aug. 31 (Major Utilities/Infrastructure and Growth Management).

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Proposed General Fund Expenditures, showing increases in millions

These are the overall departmental expenditures (as grouped by the city), showing the staff-proposed increases over last year's budget for each. The increases reflect expenditures recommended by city staff; council will consider its own changes.

(deptartment: 2006 / 2007 / Increase)

Public Safety: 318.0 / 345.7 / 27.7

Parks & Library: 46.8 / 52.4 / 5.6

Health: 29.5 / 30.9 / 1.4

Planning/Zoning & Watershed/Dev.: 16.9 / 18.9 / 2.0

Municipal Court: 9.4 / 10.1 / 0.7

Transfers/Other: 60.9 / 67.1 / 6.2

Totals: 481.6 / 525.3 / 43.7