Austin City Council to vote on APD cuts today

protesters

Austin City Council could vote today on  up to $150-million cuts to APDs budget.

Council is considering reallocating those police dollars toward other offices, divisions and departments like Austin Travis County EMS. EMS Association President Selina Xia said they could really use more funding, “Right now we don’t really have the resources to even manage the call volume that we are experiencing.”

City leaders are pointing to ATCEMS as a better option than police for certain 911 call like mental health calls. Xia retorts, “If the city wants us to look at more things from a health lens, then they do need to provide more resources for us to that”

But some Austinites are still fearful of what there world will look like with less police in it. Advocates of victims of sex trafficking say even with today’s current police force, they’ve had to wait for help as they try to rescue children from their abusers. They say, these cuts are a danger to the city’s most vulnerable kids.

During the public comment period of the budget talks, support for the cuts are overwhelming. Some residents have called APD white supremacist, incompetent, or at least ill-equipped for the jobs the city has tasked them with.

But others like former Austin Councilmember Ora Houston and other community members instead say the city should not cut APD funding in favor of other critical needs. Instead they ask the city fund both, believing there is the money, if only there was the political will.

Austin City Council could take a vote on the 2020-21 budget today, or as late as Friday.

Share this Posts

Related Posts

Loading...