Austin Firefighters Association Opposes Proposition A

Austin TX

01 October, 2021

2:05 PM

Description

AUSTIN, TX — The Austin Firefighters Association is the latest organization to oppose proposition A, a November ballot measure that would increase the staffing of officers at Austin Police Department. If passed, the ballot initiative would require the city to immediately hire somewhere around 500 new police officers, which would impact the budgets of other city departments, especially Austin Fire. Austin firefighter Association president Bob Nicks said Friday Save Austin Now co-founder Matt Mackowiak is trying to "manipulate" the association voting process. Live in Austin? Click here to subscribe to our free breaking news alerts delivered 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 proposition back in August citing that crime has risen since the city "began defunding the police department in 2019." The pac also pushed for Proposition B, which targets the city's homeless, back in May. The proposition was voted by a majority of county voters on May 1. AFA's statement Friday is in response to the PAC's latest argument in an open letter on Thursdaythat states the city can afford for Prop A and that it won't affect Austin fire's budget. "Firefighters love and support our police officers, but don't be mislead," Nicks said. "The Austin Police Department has the available funds to hire 229-300 police office officers today ...They have a hiring problem, not a funding problem. We would suggest that they hire more officers as soon as possible." According to Austin's 2021-22 fiscal year budget, about $1.1 billion dollars (2/3 of the city's budget) will go to public safety. Police will receive $360.8 million (the most funds), fire will receive $192.3 million and ATCEMS will receive $75.5 million. Altogether, the three departments make up $628.6 million, which is about 57 percent of total safety budget. Austin mayor Steve Adler released a statement Friday in support of the Austin Fire Association's decision to oppose the Nov. 2 ballot proposition. "We appreciate the Austin Firefighters Association's willingness to shoot straight with the residents of Austin about the true cost of Proposition A," Adler said. "If passed, it would lead to budget cuts to city services like parks and pools and positions like firefighters, paramedics, and mental health care responders. We know this was a difficult and highly unusual endorsement for the Austin Firefighters Association to make, and we applaud their objective approach to this election." No Way on Prop A, a counter campaign launched in August, said Friday the firefighters association has taken a "bold, necessary stance and is even dedicating funds to defeating Prop A." "The Austin Firefighters Association knows Prop A will make it harder to keep Austinites safe, and that's why the association is opposing this dangerous measure," said Carol Guthrie, business manager of AFSCME Local 1624. "Prop A would force the City to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to hire up to 885 more officers with zero accountability, forcing cuts to essential services and City employees like Fire, EMS, and mental health care by diverting their funding to the police department."