The city council stuck with most of the proposed budget for 2011-12, but did make some adjustments in their vote yesterday. The extra money in city coffers (mostly gained from high energy use through Austin Energy this summer) meant that the city council could keep some things in the budget that had been suggested for cuts. more ›

Councilmember Mike Martinez has proposed a compromise on the extended downtown parking meter hours, which were originally set to kick in this month but had been delayed until September 6. Newly-elected councilmember Kathie Tovo and councilmember Laura Morrison had considered attempting to delay the meter changes even further, but Morrison has said that given this compromise, she'll withdraw her call to postpone implementation of the extended hours til 2012. more ›

The proposed budget presentation put together by the City Manager and being currently considered by the City Council is now posted online (in .pdf) . A few items of note suggested by the proposal: shaving ten hours off the Central Library's weekly schedule, implementing new fees for the Zilker Botanical Garden, converting Austin Recreation Center from a full service center to a lease/rental venue, bumping the APD cadet academy start date from this October to April 2012, and raising property taxes as well as water and energy rates (if the Council approves Austin Energy's rate increases). Public hearings on this budget proposal will be held in August, with the City Council making the final decision in September. [KVUE] more ›

With just over three weeks left in the 82nd Legislative Session, the Texas Senate on Wednesday passed out its version of the state budget--House Bill 1 ("HB1"), the appropriations legislation that will fund Texas for 2012-13. The House passed the initial draft on April 3, but as of Tuesday, Senate Finance Committee Chair Steve Ogden (R-Bryan) was still short the two-thirds majority that was needed to bring the senate version of the budget to the floor. No longer. more ›

After layoffs and the threat of school closures, AISD is looking to shore up the precarious 2012-2013 budget. Along with many other money-saving measures, the Trustees have been discussing raising property taxes 9 cents per $100 of assessed property value. more ›

• Libya: NATO friendly fire hits rebels
• Can't stop, won't stop, Ivory Coast ex-President still holding on, barely
• No headway in Fed budget stalemate

• China highlights 'fierce' military competition
• C.I.A operations in Libya may or may not be happening
• Microsoft cries antitrust at Google, or pot calling kettle...

Monday night's School Board meeting saw the official approval of the Reduction in Force job cuts. Though 361 staff members have avoided being laid-off by resigning, retiring or taking other positions, 490 employees are jobless; 302 are not under contract and will not be rehired. more ›

Timed fairly appropriately given this morning's weather, Tuesday afternoon Governor Perry gave his unenthusiastic thumbs-up to using the Rainy Day Fund for the current budget crisis. As per a press release, he agreed to "close out the Fiscal Year 2011 budget gap by implementing $800 million in cuts, using $300 million from increased sales tax collections over the last few months, and using a one-time draw not to exceed $3.2 billion from the state’s Economic Stabilization Fund, also known as the Rainy Day Fund." However, he clearly states this is not to be implemented for the forecasted shortages in 2012-2013. Later in the day, the House Appropriations Committee voted unanimously to move HB 275 to the floor. This substitute bill allows the state to take out about $3.1 billion from the Rainy Day Fund. It has to be passed on the floor by at least 90 votes. [Texas Tribune] more ›

At Monday night's meeting Austin School Board members opted to not vote on a proposal that would offer financial incentives for teacher resignations. While this plan seems to have had some success in Dallas, AISD is in a unique position, having already informed teachers of their impending lay-off. Offering a pay-out to already RIF'd teachers opens up the potential for double-dipping (taking the incentive and applying for unemployment benefits as well) and could end up costing AISD more than it would save. And, by the way, RIF'd (laid off due to a Reduction in Force) is quite the euphemism for what is looking to be a teacher massacre here in Austin. more ›

• The infamous abortion sonogram bill has passed the Texas House and is on its way to the Senate.
• With all the brouhaha over school district budgets, you might like to see the rundown of salaries for Texas district superintendents.
• Over the weekend, the Texas Nationalists rallied for secession at the Capitol.

As the Wall Street Journal reports, Texas Republicans and Democrats are "dueling" over $830 million in education funding currently sitting at the federal Department of Education. more ›

Just a few weeks after the Austin Independent School District voted to eliminate nearly 500 jobs, administrators are meeting today to discuss doubling those cuts. more ›

As the city reels from Monday's announcement by AISD that they would be eliminating nearly 500 jobs, the Austin Neighborhood Council met Wednesday night to discuss the potential school closures. more ›

Last night the Austin School Board met to muddle over how best to deal with a troubled budget. Suggested cuts have included the possible closing of schools and laying-off about 536 staff. The school board refrained from slashing the budget for school librarians -- that $600,000 will have to be found elsewhere -- but did vote to eliminate 485 other positions, a majority of which are teachers. These cuts will go into effect next school year. AISD expects to use about $28 million from savings to aid the budget, with teachers' merit pay reduced and no performance bonus for Superintendent Carstarphen. Unfortunately, school closings aren't off the table . . . they will be discussed as that AISD task force meets tonight. [KUT] more ›

• Final U.S. combat units leave Iraq, 56,000 troops remain
• Scottish Justice Sec. defends decision of Lockerbie bomber release
• Pew Research Poll: Belief that Obama is Muslim increasing

• Obama to propose three-year spending freeze. Wars exempted, natch.
• For those of you keeping score at home, the US budget deficit for this year will be $1.35 TRILLION.
• Obama tells Diane Sawyer he'd rather be a good one-term pres than a bad two-term one.

After months-long discussions over how to counter an estimated $30 million revenue shortfall, the City Council yesterday voted unanimously to approve the final Fiscal Year 2010 budget. more ›

Think you've got the chops to solve City of Austin's budget woes? They've put up a "Budget Simulation Exercise" that lists a slew of areas, from Library and Police to Watershed Protection and Health & Human Services, where sources of increased revenue are possible. The point of the exercise is to come up with at least $9.3 million in savings or new revenue, though even this falls well shy of the estimated $30-43 million shortfall that the current 2010 budget faces. more ›

Only about 4% of the $24 million recommended for Gov. Perry's office budget still remained after the House voted Friday. Democratic Rep. Jessica Farrar proposed using $4 million for veterans programs instead of that money going to Perry's office. A House Republican (Rep. John Davis of Houston) proposed taking $18.7 million from Perry's planned budget, to go instead towards community "crisis services" which aid the mentally ill. Both proposals passed the House with little debate. more ›

State agencies would need special approval to update their computers to Microsoft's Vista operating system under the terms of a proposed budget provision. more ›

City Manager Ott's budget shaving would cut library hours from 50 a week to 40. Spansion seized for $9 million owed in taxes. House committee assignments made today: Rep. Strama to chair the Technology, Economic Development and Workforce committee. Travis County authorities trying to get a 23-year-old woman extradited from Mexico for the videotaped sexual assault of two children. City Council says no to South Texas Nuclear Plant expansion. Lesbian couple tries to get a marriage certificate in Dallas County, taking part in National Freedom to Marry Day. Preservation Texas announces the most endangered historical buildings in the state. more ›