As a Council Member, one of my most important roles is to be a good steward of tax-payer dollars. When I make decisions at Council, I keep the health, safety, and well-being of District 3 residents and Austinites in mind. The largest allocations of our general fund budget in fact do go to public safety but I would not consider the funds we use to address homelessness, protect our environment, provide health services, fund parks, libraries, and cultural centers, and support educational programs to be non-essential.

This year, the Austin City Council developed a strategic direction plan that articulates our shared vision for the future of Austin. We have a solid foundation and must work diligently to accomplish the goals that our community has embraced.

As an obligatory note, I have to emphasize that the heaviest tax burden that falls on most Austinites does not come from the City of Austin but from the Republican legislature’s abdication of their responsibility to our children and our schools. The state continues to take education money from our communities to help cover up the irresponsible Republican mismanagement of our state budget. School taxes continue to increase and will continue to cause displacement in our community. To make matter worse the state legislature is likely to consider a revenue cap on municipalities that would likely result not just in cuts to these programs but in lay-offs for our public safety personnel.

We have to organize to fight back against these attacks on our community.