Austin Council Mulls Over $3.1 Billion Budget - Hannah Kalan

During one fire, in this past summer, almost 1,500 homes were burnt to the ground in a fire started near Austin, making it one of the most devastating fires in Texas history with this number. This number, is also "likely to increase" according to one source.  

The Austin City Council is going through the details of a $3.1 billion dollar budget. If it's passed, property taxes could go up by an estimated average of $20 dollars a year, and some at City Hall, believe that a 2,2 percent tax increase on property is necessary to keep up with the growth of Austin. This budget however, does pay for the fire department and its services. 

One of the main issues is that funding for mitigating wildfire danger inside the city limits, is part of this budget. The Fire Fighters Union is asking for a division that will help to remove brush in large portions of west Austin, to stop wild fires before they begin. This way, the brush won't be able to catch fire, simply because it wouldn't be there, so that wild fires wouldn't expand as they had in the past. 

"We stopped many fires last year before they got to that point. But we can't run a program on luck,” Nicks said. “We have to have a fuel mitigation program to stop these fires before they get too large." 

The quote above is from Austin Firefighters Association President Bob Nicks when he spoke about the efforts needed, and given to avoid, and stop fire outbreaks like those from last year.

As of Monday, the 'Nicks' plan, a multi-million dollar plan is not included in the budget proposition. The council has until Wednesday to approve the final plan, hopefully, including the 'Nicks' Plan in its fine print. 

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