Budget Priorities for Districts 6, 7, 8, and 9

[Krista Laine]

Colleagues,

The Council Members for Districts 6, 7, 8, and 9 have identified an initial set of shared priorities for the FY26 budget. As we all know, this is a particularly challenging budget cycle. We believe it’s especially important to prioritize shared values and goals as we make funding decisions in a difficult budget year.

To that end, our preliminary priorities are organized into three main categories: Public Safety, Community Support, and Parks & Public Spaces. As representatives of districts ranging from the central core of Austin to the neighborhoods on the city limits, we are exposed to a wide variety of resident concerns. The categories below reflect not only the stated values of the full Council, but also the common threads we see within the urgent needs communicated by all of our constituents.

1. Public Safety

- EMS Basic Life Support units (BLS)
- EMS Street Medicine Team
- Wildfire mitigation
- Mental Health First Response
- Austin/Travis County Mental Health Diversion Center Pilot
- Youth bike and water safety education

2. Community Support

- Progressive Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for CoA Employees
- Harm reduction services
- Support for community-based shelters and service providers
- Rental assistance
- Displacement mitigation
- Immigrant and Refugee Emergency Fund
- Food access facilitation through public schools

3. Parks & Public Spaces

- Parks maintenance
- Living Streets program
- Trail connections
- Equitable pool and aquatics programming access
- Tree maintenance through the Austin Civilian Conservation Corps

Over the next few weeks, our subquorum will publish detailed budget amendments related to many of these priorities. We may also identify further priorities based on feedback from the community through our upcoming District Town Halls. We welcome your feedback and collaboration as we work together to craft a budget that reflects Austin’s values, protects our most vulnerable residents, and positions our city for long-term sustainability—despite the tough fiscal environment ahead.

Krista Laine
Mike Siegel
Paige Ellis
Zo Qadri