Representatives with the Austin Fire Department, Austin Police Department and Austin-Travis County EMS presented their fiscal year 2022-23 budget forecasts to the Public Safety Commission on June 6. The three public safety branches made up nearly two-thirds of the city's nearly $1.2 billion general fund spending in fiscal year 2021-22, and are each requesting budget boosts of between $5.2 million and $9.3 million for the coming year.
The new budget outlooks from all three departments are based on direction from city management to "hold the line" on any spending increases beyond standard cost drivers this year, according to APD Assistant Director Michelle Schmidt.
City budget planning will stretch through the summer with an initial draft to be presented publicly mid-July ahead of City Council review in August. No budget decisions are final until approved by council.
While APD, AFD and ATCEMS are all contending with varying levels of staffing shortfalls—an issue city officials are seeking to correct over several years—significant staffing jumps and larger new initiatives may not make the cut for FY 2022-23 with just five additional sworn staff positions included across the three budget forecasts. Many other items have so far been set aside as unfunded priorities that council will consider backing this summer, although public safety leaders stressed an immediate need for some additional support. For example, APD will request several new positions on both the sworn and unsworn sides of the department to contend with an ongoing officer shortfall on the streets as well as civilian staffing issues affecting internal operations.
“We have a tremendous proportion of the civilian staff that works mandatory overtime, and burnout rates are going up," said Jonathan Kringen, APD's data and business technology manager.
In addition to growing its budget from $443.1 million to $451.7 million—a 1.94% increase—APD is also requesting an additional $4.1 million for nearly two dozen new civilian staffers, four new detective positions for the department's sex crimes unit and a replacement helicopter. Commissioners on June 6 voted to recommend most of those asks to City Council, with votes against the $1.5 million helicopter as well as six new civilian positions for evidence management estimated to cost around $491,000.
AFD's overall budget forecast calls for a 4.24% increase, from around $219.4 million to $228.7 million. The department's $9.3 million in unfunded requests includes operational support and equipment as well as more than 20 staff positions to address the expanding needs of the fire marshal's office.
"As we all know, there’s been an incredible amount of development in the city of Austin. The fire marshal’s office is responsible for preview plans and inspecting buildings as they’re constructed, and we have been doing that to the detriment of basic maintenance inspection of existing properties," AFD Assistant Director Ronnelle Paulson said.
A total of $5.16 million in unfunded priorities were listed by ATCEMS in addition to that department's 4.91% forecast budget increase to around $111 million. That group of additional requests includes staffing, data analytics and a continuation of the department's whole blood pilot program.
The commission voted unanimously for the lists of unfunded priorities from both AFD and EMS. The commission also supported recommendations included in the Community Investment Budget developed by more than 30 local organizations with items ranging from homeless services to workforce development and wage increases.
