Austin leaders kicked off their review of a trimmed city budget as they move to approve the plan within the next week, with a focus on securing funding for emergency medical services and homelessness response.

The setup

City Council adopted Austin's fiscal year 2025-26 budget in August with more than $100 million in added spending for homeless housing and services, public safety, parks upkeep and other priority items. That extra funding was tied to a higher tax rate beyond the voter-approval level, requiring a tax rate election.

However, voters rejected a larger tax hike under Proposition Q , leading to this fall's downward revisions to the FY 2025-26 budget. City financial staff shared recommendations for a smaller general fund in early November that's in line with City Manag

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