During its work session Monday night, the Austin City Council took the first steps toward its 2026 budget with Director of Administrative Services Tom Dankert laying out the timeline for the process as well as a request for direction from the council on where best to focus their efforts.

While nothing definitive is decided in these very early steps, Dankert did lay out a trio of questions for council to consider, which include staffing levels, fund balance usage and the 2026 tax levy.

Pertaining to the first question, the city is looking at an estimated increase in employee investment of a little over $1.185 million and includes wages and benefits, though Dankert in his presentation pointed out that the estimate does not include changes due to Compensation and Classification re-evaluatio

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