[ad_1]
AUSTIN, TX – The Austin Firefighters Association is the latest organization to oppose Proposal A, a November ballot that would increase the staffing of Austin Police Department officials.
If the voting initiative is passed, the city would have to hire about 500 new police officers immediately, which would affect the budgets of other city departments, particularly Austin Fire.
Austin Firefighter Association president Bob Nicks said Friday that Save Austin Now co-founder Matt Mackowiak was trying to “manipulate” the association’s voting process.
Do you live in Austin? Click here to subscribe to our free breaking news, which will be sent to your inbox and mobile devices. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and download our free mobile app on Android or iPhone.
Save Austin Now, a local political action committee, pushed for the proposal back in August, citing that crime had increased since the city “began defusing the police force in 2019”.
The Pac pushed for Proposition B, which targets the city’s homeless, back in May. The proposal was voted on May 1st by the majority of the district voters.
The AFA’s statement on Friday is in response to the PAC’s recent argument in an open letter Thursday stating that the city can afford Prop A and that it will not affect Austin Fire’s budget.
“Firefighters love and support our cops, but don’t be fooled,” said Nicks. “The Austin Police Department has the resources to hire 229-300 cops today … They have a hiring problem, not a funding problem. We’d suggest they hire more cops as soon as possible.”
According to Austin’s budget for fiscal 2021-22, about $ 1.1 billion (2/3 of the city’s budget) will be used on public safety. Police will receive $ 360.8 million (most funding), Fire Department will receive $ 192.3 million, and ATCEMS will receive $ 75.5 million.
In total, the three departments account for $ 628.6 million, which is about 57 percent of the total security budget.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler released a statement Friday in support of the Austin Fire Association’s decision to oppose the November 2nd election proposal.
“We appreciate the Austin Firefighters Association’s willingness to speak directly to Austin residents about the real cost of Proposition A,” Adler said. “If passed, it would cut budgets for city services like parks and pools and positions like firefighters, paramedics and mental health workers. We know this has been a difficult and highly unusual endorsement for the Austin Firefighters Association, and we applaud their objective approach to this election. ”
No Way on Prop A, a counter-campaign launched in August, said on Friday that the fire service association had “taken a courageous, necessary stance and is even providing funds for defeating Prop A”.
“The Austin Firefighters Association knows that Prop A will make the Austinites’ safety more difficult, and so the association opposes this dangerous move,” said Carol Guthrie, executive director of AFSCME Local $ 1,624 million to hire up to 885 other unaccountable officials forcing cuts in essential city services and staff such as fire, ambulance and mental health services by channeling their funds to the police. ”
[ad_2]
