Doug Greco Speaks on Prop A at Austin City Council

In this 2-minute, 35-second video, Doug Greco, candidate for Austin mayor, addresses the Austin City Council about Prop A. He outlines its implications for the city and shares his vision for how it can shape Austin’s future.

Audio Transcript

Mayor and council members, I’m Doug Greco, candidate for mayor in this fall’s election.

Over three weeks ago, I proposed the city spend 40 million new dollars on education and workforce initiatives and followed up by proposing we pay for this and other social service priorities like those in the community investment budget through the existing budget, reserves, eliminating sweetheart utility rates for large industrial customers, and if necessary, at least discuss a TRE.

I also pointed out that by slow walking our $1.8 billion in unspent bond money, we have denied ourselves an economic stimulus that could have helped pay for these priorities.

Today, the conversation will essentially be about how to allocate just $11 million around badly needed programs which warrant five times as much funding. And let me be clear, these items are important priorities and should be funded, and I commend the Council members who brought them forward.

But even the availability of that $11 million has been called into question in the past few days by a lack of clarity in the proposed budget.

Mayor, this is the result of short-term thinking and playing small ball with our city’s future, specifically three things.

Number one, we failed to prioritize investments in human development like education and workforce initiatives that provide us with the best return on our investment in the long run.

Number two, we failed to prioritize spending down the nearly two billion in voter-approved bond funding in affordable housing, parks, libraries, and other priorities that could be improving the quality of life in our city now and could have been providing an economic stimulus to our tax revenue.

And number three, while Travis County and AISD got out early and proposed bold initiatives to increase funding in education, workforce, and child care, we were reactive and early on shut down discussions on things like a climate bond this year or a TRE.

I encourage you to fund as many of the priorities today and council members amendments. But let’s make no mistake, this is an austerity budget asking taxpayers and ratepayers to pay more in utilities and fees while their voter-approved priorities like bonds and police oversight continue to be slow walked.

Mayor, we need to be bolder, invest in our future, and follow the will of the voters. And at the very least, I call on everyone in office and running for office this fall to endorse the proposed measures by AISD and Travis County to fund education and childcare.

Thank you.