AUSTIN, Texas — The new budget year for the City of Austin starts Thursday, Oct. 1, and this includes the recent changes to the Austin Police Department's budget.
In August, the Austin City Council voted to cut some funds from APD as the city reimagines public safety. A total of $150 million from APD's budget will be reallocated, which is roughly 34% of the department's $434 million total budget.
RELATED: City council votes to slash $150 million from Austin Police Department, approves city budget
Where is the money going?
About $21 million will go toward things such as violence prevention and permanent housing services. Under this category, money that would have been used for three APD cadet classes, overtime, filing officer vacancies and some equipment will instead be used to hire more mental health response teams and other social services from workforce development to housing services for the homeless.
Almost $80 million of the cuts will separate certain functions from APD, such as the 911 Call Center and Special Investigations Unit.
The remaining $49 million in cuts will defund APD units including mounted patrol, traffic enforcement and lake patrol. That money would be put on hold as council members "reimagine" public safety over the course of a year.
These are some of the police department units that were cut or reduced during the budget approval:
- 911 Call Center - $17.7 million
- Forensic Sciences - $12.7 million
- Support Services - $14.1 million
- Community Partnerships - $2.5 million
- Victims Services - $3.1 million
- Internal Affairs - $4.5 million
- Special Investigations - $1.8 million
- Special Events - $4.4 million
- Mounted Patrol - $2.1 million
- Traffic Enforcement - $18.4 million
- Austin Regional Intelligence Center - $2 million
- Park Police - $5.8 million
- Lake Patrol - $1.4 million
- Organized Crime/K-9 - $1.2 million
- Nuisance Abatement - $312,000
- Canceling 3 Cadet Classes - $2.2 million this year
- Officer Overtime - $2.8 million
- License Plate Readers - $133,000
MORE APD BUDGET CUT COVERAGE: