Dear Neighbor, The Austin City Council will consider three police-related items tomorrow that will have far-reaching effects on law enforcement in our community. Every public safety decision by city leaders is now even more consequential. The impact of budget cuts and canceling police cadet classes is evident. The Austin Police Department currently has 278 operational vacancies, creating… Read more »
In the News
Neighborhood Network
August 11, 2022
Dear Neighbor, The Austin City Council will adopt a budget for the upcoming fiscal year starting next Wednesday. Public safety spending has declined in recent years. In 2015, public safety was 72 percent of the General Fund. The proposed budget lowers it to 62 percent. That reduction represents $422 million less in public safety spending as a percentage of… Read more »
Neighborhood Network
July 18, 2022
Dear Neighbor, After two rewarding years, my term as the twelfth president of the Greater Austin Crime Commission recently ended. Board members elected Eddie Margain to lead the organization in its twenty-fifth year, and a future focused on public safety training resources. Eddie and his family have made Austin their home for more than a decade. He… Read more »