Green = +5% Yellow = Keep the same Red = -5% Credit: Source: City of Austin

City staff held 30 facilitated Budget in a Box instruction sessions, 80 groups participated in public sessions, and another 1,577 people participated online (over three times as many as last year).

The results reflect strong support for steady or additional spending for streets and infrastructure, parks and libraries, health and housing, and relatively low enthusiasm for spending cuts across the board.

The strongest support for reduction (34%) is for energy costs, and under the proposed FY 2016 budget, Austin Energy’s rate will be declining slightly.

This article appears in August 21 • 2015.

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