Round two: Town hall budget battle

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The intensity over Austin's city budget cut backs picked up at the second town hall meeting Monday night. It was obvious people had more time to gear up for round two.

Brad Beam with Austin Pets Alive greeted citizens at the front door with a handout describing the potential budget cuts facing a free pet sterilization and microchipping program that currenlty costs the city $195,000. The city is suggesting funding the program that targets low-income and high-intake neighborhoods, with donations.

"It will set us back so far and we won't be able to regain our progress," said Amy Mills, executive director of Emancipet .

She showed up to warn her fellow citizens about what their decisions could mean to the pet population. She said she believes the move would lead to fewer sterilizations, more crowded shelters and more euthanizing.

However, current donations would cover the work going on, according to the city.

Trisha Reed walked in with hopes of saving the police cadet class. The city proposed a plan to postpone the September class for an entire year until 2010. Her friend's husband is in the class that has been pushed back three times, and Reed was able to get everyone at her table on her side.

"We completely reject the idea of getting rid of the cadet program, so we were very excited about that," said Reed.

Though city manager Marc Ott said he has not made a final determination on the future of the cadet program, he said opinions expressed in the town hall meetings will play into his budget-cut recommendations to the city council July 22.

"We're really going to think about the decisions they've made tonight and do our best to take that into account when making the tough decisions," said Ott.

It is a financial challenge he said he did not expect to face a year-and-a-half into his time as Austin's city manager. Those who are showing up to the town hall meetings seem happy to help.

"I think the budget we'll come up with in the end is one that really reflects the values of all Austinites, and I'm really excited about that," said Mills.

The third town hall meeting is Tuesday June 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Tony Burger Activity Center in South Austin. Ott said a fourth town hall meeting has been discussed, but it is not on the schedule yet.