Austin’s activist community, along with criminal justice reform groups blast the city’s proposed budget for the amount of funding being dedicated to the Austin Police Department.
The City of Austin officials say Public Safety still takes up the bulk of budget dollars. As it comes to APD, officials say they needed to take into consideration the anti-defunding police law HB 1900 that the state passed last session. So in the current proposal, APD is getting $11.3 million less than their initial base budget, but still holds at $378.1 million.
Austin activists recognize, the impact HB 1900 has on the city, but continue to demand city leaders hold to the goals of the Reimagining Public Safety movement. They say the budget doesn’t go far enough in funding those goals. By their math the City is allocating alittle less than $2 million toward Reimagining Public Safety goals, while sending $8 million more than necessary to APD, than what HB 1900 would require.
Other Criminal Justice Reformers call on city leaders to try and hold onto ground gained through the reimagining process, chiefly the separation of the forensics lab and the police department. They ask the City apply for a wavier from the state, and Councilmember Greg Casar backed the idea, so that the lab could remain apart from APD.
