City Manager Spencer Cronk has proposed an $11 million cut in next year’s police budget, representing a 2.6% decrease from the current year’s budget of $434.4 million.
The proposal comes just weeks after the City Council directed Cronk to prepare a budget that eliminated sworn officer positions that the department couldn’t “reasonably fill” by September 2021, and allocate those funds to other health and safety programs.
Council members are divided about how far to cut, but in a unanimous resolution June 11 they agreed generally that the 40% share of the budget that goes to the police is too much.
Some council members want a $100 million cut — nearly a quarter of the budget — as demanded by the Austin Justice Coalition, an advocacy group involved in the recent Black Lives Matter protests.
Most of the $11.3 million cut that Cronk is proposing would come from eliminating 100 already vacant staff positions. Delaying a scheduled cadet class would result in an estimated $1.5 million reduction. Another $400,000 in savings would come from delaying replacement of duty weapons, and $200,000 in savings would stem from a structural reshuffle.
Under the plan, the Austin Center for Events would be moved to the Development Services Department, “in order to consolidate and further streamline the City’s event permitting process,” the draft budget says.
Funding from these savings would be reallocated to “alternative public safety strategies and public health services,” including mental health first response and family violence programs. Additional funds are earmarked for the new Civil Rights Office, Equity Office, and Office of Police Oversight.
Within the police department’s remaining budget, Cronk also proposed some changes. He wants APD to partner with the city’s technology department to replace the current 15-year-old records system with a cloud-based solution, at a cost of $2.4 million.
Cronk also wants to allocate $900,000 for “targeted training related to trauma-informed response, unconscious bias, and racial and cultural sensitivity.”
In his forward to the 924-page budget proposal, Cornk wrote, “This Budget opens the door to a broader discussion about how we resource ourselves with public safety in mind.”
“Reimagining public safety is an important endeavor for both our community and our officers. There are many responsibilities currently shouldered by police officers that could be taken on by others, allowing officers to focus on their core mission – to protect and serve everyone.”
City Council Member Greg Casar responded to Cronk’s proposal saying it was a step forward but still inadeuate. Casar, a Democratic Socialist, said, “I stand with those calling for a $100 million reallocation. Time to get to work.”
Chas Moore, Executive Director of the Austin Justice Coalition said, “We are disappointed in Spencer Cronk’s budget, released today, which comes nowhere near the $100 million in cuts to the police budget that we think are appropriate.”
Another critic, Kathy Mitchell of Just Liberty, said that Cronk’s proposal represented a “minimalist reading of Council’s directive” in June. She said that the city shouldn’t just eliminate officer positions but should look into savings from cutting operations.
“We must open up all APD operations for discussion, from traffic enforcement to the horse patrol to event security. Non-police violent crime prevention strategies should be a part of the puzzle. And we should take those big steps right now,” Mitchell said.
The City Council has until the end of September to amend and approve the budget.
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