Austin approved its FY 2023 budget last month, and as in other large cities, has seen property taxes increase, adding some money to the operating budget, according to the proposed budget documents. In a cover letter, City Manager Spencer Cronk states that the city was able to maintain its budget, city services levels and staffing during the past three years due to strong financial footing.
The CTP provides IT to the city and regional partners, including:
- Communications and technology management
- Combined transportation, emergency and communication center and public safety IT support
- Wireless communications services
- Support services
- Transfer, debt service and other requirements
The city’s budget is based on recent strategic planning and has six pillars. CTP expenditures grouped under the “Government that Works for All” strategic outcome:
- Additional funding to upgrade its MS Office 365 government plan: $3.7 million.
- Increased funding for managed and professional services for the Office 365 transition: $1.7 million.
- Increased funds to support an enterprise cybersecurity tool: $933,300.
- PC refresh and related software support and services: $388,332.
Two under the safety strategic outcome:
- Transferred funding to support radio network operations: $2.2 million.
- Transferred funding for “critical technology replacement to meet end-of-life radio and wireless equipment”: $1.3 million.
The budget has technology-related allocations in other departments including Communications and Public Information, which plans to hire two new content strategists and a digital graphic designer for the city website. The budget also lists two video production specialists to support virtual and hybrid meetings. These positions are budgeted at $442,857.
The Austin Public Library, which includes 20 branch locations, will receive expanded funding for collection development and for IT contracts. The allocations are $518,459; the library’s total budget is $15.7 million.
The city’s budget runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30; the city’s Finance Online pages include procurement practices and information on doing business with the city.
