Austin City Council discusses budget and tax levy for 2021 at last regularly scheduled meeting

The Austin City Council discussed the city’s budget and tax levy for 2021 during a work session following last regularly scheduled meeting with City Administrator Craig Clark and Finance Director Tom Dankert.  KAUS spoke with Mayor Tom Stiehm who stated that the city’s levy for 2021 remains at 4%, but he added that if the city’s local government aid is unallotted, it would be back to the drawing board…

Stiehm went on to state that $1.927 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES Act funds the city recently received will go a long way toward improving the city’s budget situation for this year…

CARES Act funds are to be utilized for expenditures for responding to COVID-19 incurred between March 1 and Nov. 15, 2020, that were not accounted for in the original budget process.

The funding will primarily be allocated to offset the expenses for public safety, personal protective equipment, and other similar expenses incurred from the response to the coronavirus pandemic.