City of Austin Approves $2.8 Billion Budget

The Austin City Council held an unusual Monday meeting today and unanimously approved a balanced $2.8 billion budget that will take effect on October 1.

A previously estimated $11 million to $28 million shortfall was made up in part by eliminating about 22 vacant positions in city offices and by cutting costs in what the council calls departmental "budget scrubbing."

Among the highlights from the approved budget, the city is adding an additional 48 police officers, 30 paramedics, and 10 firefighters. The council is also going forward with the no-kill plan for animal services, increasing staffing in the Planning and Development Review Department, and allocating an additional $500,000 to purchase library materials. However, $300,000 that would have funded the Trail of Lights is being reallocated to fund park maintenance instead of the city's annual holiday walk.

The new budget comes with increases in public service rates. Austin Energy customers will see their electric bill go up an average of 79 cents for residential customers. Residents who use 90-gallon garbage carts will have their bill increased by $1, but 60 and 30 gallon carts will remain the same. In addition, Austin Water customers will face an average increase of $3.84 to their bill.

In addition to approving the budget for Fiscal Year 2011, the city council held their first public tax rate hearing on a proposed property tax rate of 45.71 cents per $100 in assessed property value. Another public hearing will be held at 9:30 a.m. on September 29. The council expects to adopt the new tax rate on September 30.

For a detailed look at the approved budget, visit the City of Austin's dedicated budget website.

Dive Team Inspects Aging Longhorn Dam

Divers are heading underwater to check out the condition of Longhorn Dam along Lady Bird Lake this morning.

Austin Energy has maintained the dam since 1959, when it was first built to create a cooling reservoir for the steam generators at the Holly Power Plant and ensure that the plant always had enough water to operate.


While commercial divers are inspecting the structural integrity of Longhorn Dam below the surface, the City of Austin Police and Fire Dive Team will conduct a training dive to learn how to navigate the dam as well.

Austin Energy says the 51-year-old dam is not in any danger of failing at this time, but is beginning to show signs of old age. The utility plans to make necessary replacements or upgrades to equipment over the next two years, including an already-planned upgrade to the hydraulic systems that move the two gates in the center, as well as replacing the dam's analog controls with modern digital equipment. Austin Energy will also discuss turning over responsibility for Longhorn Dam over to the Lower Colorado River Authority, which already manages the Colorado River.

Let The Sun Shine: Austin Energy To Increase Solar Capacity

The hot Texas sun will generate more electricity for Austin Energy after the city council approved the utility's first solar supply agreement this week. Since prices have dropped on solar modules over the past two years, Austin Energy will purchase up to 2 megawatts (MW) of solar modules - as many as 8,500 modules - over three years.

When they have been purchased, the modules will produce enough electricity to power 270 average-sized homes in Austin for an entire year. Austin Energy says that's the equivalent of taking 400 cars off the road for a year, or planting 60,000 trees.

The solar panels will be installed at high profile locations such as city buildings, libraries and schools to increase public awareness about the advantages of solar power. Right now, 35 facilities that belong to the City of Austin have solar installations.

After the planned purchase of modules is complete, Austin Energy will have 2.4 MW of solar capacity, moving the city toward a goal of 200 MW of solar capacity by 2020.