Austin, Texas 2012-13 Approved Budget Volume 1 2012 - 13 APPROVED BUDGET VOLUME I Table of Contents Preface .......................................................................................................... A-1 Executive Summary ....................................................................................... A-3 Adopted Budget Reconciliation ...................................................................... B-1 All Funds Budget in Brief .................................................................................. 1 General Fund Budget in Brief .......................................................................... 17 Department Budgets Public Safety Emergency Medical Services ............................................................... 25 Fire ....................................................................................................... 49 Municipal Court .................................................................................... 73 Police ................................................................................................. 109 Community Services Animal Services ................................................................................. 141 Austin Public Library .......................................................................... 155 Health and Human Services .............................................................. 175 Neighborhood Housing and Community Development ...................... 211 Parks and Recreation ......................................................................... 235 Infrastructure Austin Transportation ........................................................................ 265 Planning and Development Review ................................................... 287 Public Works ...................................................................................... 317 Watershed Protection ........................................................................ 355 Utility/Major Enterprises Austin Convention Center .................................................................. 387 Austin Energy .................................................................................... 413 Austin Resource Recovery ................................................................. 443 Austin Water Utility ............................................................................ 475 Aviation .............................................................................................. 521 Code Compliance ............................................................................... 549 Economic Growth and Redevelopment Services ............................... 565 Financial Summaries Personnel ........................................................................................... 583 Funds Subject to Appropriation ......................................................... 585 Fund Summaries ................................................................................ 589 Reflective of the City’s desire to be responsible stewards of the planet’s resources, the City of Austin’s budget document uses paper made from 100% recycled post- consumer fiber, is acid- and lignin free, and Green Seal® and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified. Additionally, the typeface is Ecofont®, designed specifically to use less toner. The Office continues to look for ways to bring additional environmentally-responsible practices into the production of the Budget document. This Certificate of Excellence is presented to Austin, TX for exceeding the standards established by the ICMA Center for Performance Measurement™ in the identification and public reporting of key outcome measures, surveying of both residents and employees, and the pervasiveness of performance measurement in the organization’s culture. Presented at the 97th ICMA Annual Conference Milwaukee, Wisconsin 19 September 2011 Robert J. O’Neill Jr. David M. Childs ICMA Executive Director ICMA President Michael Lawson Director ICMA Center for Performance Measurement City of Austin City Manager’s Office P.O. Box 1088, Austin, TX 78767 (512) 974-2200, Fax (512) 974-2833 Marc A. Ott, City Manager [email protected] August 1, 2012 Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, and Members of the City Council: I am pleased to submit for your consideration the Fiscal Year 2012-13 Proposed Budget, which represents the culmination of more than eight months of sustained effort on the part of City staff. This document details a financial plan that: Is balanced and structurally sound, not only for the upcoming fiscal year but also over the long-term; Was developed through an open and transparent process that values the priorities and participation of Council, staff, stakeholders, and citizens; Maintains the world-class standard of service delivery that our residents, business owners, and visitors deserve and have come to expect; and Values and rewards our employees for the exceptional work they perform on behalf of the community each and every day. This Budget upholds a commitment to structural balance, in both the near- and long- term, and is the product of a comprehensive multi-year effort to ensure that we utilize the City’s resources in the most responsible and cost-effective way possible. Council and staff have approached the economic crisis of the past several years as an opportunity rather than an excuse. Through a combination of disciplined decision- making, creative problem solving, and simple hard work, we have maintained or expanded core service delivery while restraining spending growth, to become leaner, smarter, and more efficient as an organization, resulting in greater value for our citizens. Over the last three years, our efforts have included: Working proactively to improve the long-term financial health of the Employee Retirement System, including establishing a second-tier, lower-cost pension plan for new civilian hires; Implementing enhanced employee wellness programs, which has allowed us to hold year-over-year cost growth of health insurance to 3% in FY 2012-13, as opposed to 8% in the previous year; Renegotiating labor contracts with sworn personnel to reduce staffing costs; Postponing civilian market studies and associated pay adjustments for over two years and placing a moratorium on employee wage increases in FY 2009- 10; Implementing a rigorous hiring review process for non-public safety positions; Repurposing positions to higher-demand service areas and eliminating 178 non-essential vacant positions; and Cutting or eliminating $10.5 million in services, including library and pool hours, supervised after-school playground sites, funding for the LBJ fire academy, and the Trail of Lights. Three short years ago, the forecast for FY 2009-10 projected an annual budget shortfall of $29.6 million, even assuming adoption of the rollback tax rate, and the outlook for the out-years was similarly forbidding. As a result of the aggressive and proactive steps we have taken together, the accompanying document represents the third consecutive annual budget that includes a tax rate below the rollback threshold. Moreover, the outlook for the future is bright; for the first time in my tenure with the City, financial staff presented Council with a five-year forecast that did not project a short-fall in revenue. The City’s reserve funds are healthy and growing, putting us in good standing with the financial rating agencies that consistently reaffirm the City’s AAA credit worthiness. To our common credit, we have achieved this structural stability while avoiding a single employee layoff and while maintaining or expanding the core services most valued by our residents and stakeholders. It is City staff’s ongoing commitment to provide Council with extensive information and more opportunity for input, well in advance of decisions being made, in order to promote an open, inclusive, and transparent budget process. The $3.1 billion budget before you today was developed in accordance with this standard. Budget development began in October, when staff presented Council with the results of our Annual Citizen Survey. Incorporating this feedback from our community, the City’s annual business planning, conducted in December and January, resulted in several significant departmental reorganizations and other refinements. The City Council Policy Retreat, which took place in February, provided Council with the opportunity to define broad policy objectives on a number of timely and important topics. This was followed by the publication of the Annual Performance Report, City Dashboard, and an update to the Horizon Issues forecast in March, a comprehensive list of Unmet Service Demands in April, and a detailed Menu of Potential Budget Reductions in May. Finally, staff presented the annual economic outlook and five- year financial forecast to Council over the course of three work sessions in late April and early May. Each year, we strive to provide you with this high-quality and relevant budget information as early in the process as possible, in order to allow you a maximum of time and data in establishing funding priorities and policy guidelines. We likewise have an equally strong commitment to providing residents and other stakeholders with ever-greater access to and opportunity for participation in the budget process. Over the course of the spring, representatives from the City’s Budget Office and departmental staff presented budget forecasts at fifteen public meetings held by the City’s various Boards and Commissions