Austin: A Financial MESS.

I am SO glad we didn't move into Austin proper when we came to Central Texas.

Austin is looking at a $28M shortfall in the budget this year. That's down from $40M+ last year, but still not great. So what is the radio news saying the City is considering? Well, there's a choice between not giving raises to some employees, or hiking taxes to pay the raises.

. . .

Cutting spending to make up for being $28M shy is apparently somewhat lower on the priority list.

This, by the way, at a time when A.P.D.'s union (yes the voters of Austin let the city Police unionize in a right-to-work state) is saying they are 500 officers short of a full compliment, and anything less than Priority 1 calls to the Police are getting pushed off the back of the back side of the back burner.

Aaaaaand . . .

Capital Metro (known locally for their inability to run a profitable enterprise of any sort, and for repeatedly taking more tax dollars than projected to do a worse job than expected) has been found (again) mis-spending taxpayer money. This time, that co-incides with the report of a few railroad bridges they speak for, which may be unsafe. But surely, if we give them more money (again) they will promise (again) to do it right this time . . . and if y'all would be so kind as to make that "give us more" money not come from the $51 Million CapMetro owes to the City of Austin, that'd be great.

What a mess this place is. Higher priority: turning streets into bike lanes and building a recycling center.