Item 3: Draft Recommendation — original pdf

Backup

COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Inclusion Committee Recommendation Number: 20260325-003: Priorities, Focus Areas, Safeguards, Controls & Community Engagement for Social Services Funding WHEREAS, the Austin City Manager announced on December 17, 2025 a 10% retroactive cut to social service contracts1; and WHEREAS, these cuts impact social services, social service contracts and social service grants2; and WHEREAS, Kerri Lang, Director, Austin Budget & Organizational Excellence and Daniel Culotta, Assistant Director, Austin Budget & Organizational Excellence presented at the Joint Inclusion Committee (JIC) meeting on February 26, 2026 asking for JIC’s input on prioritizing cuts and funding3; and WHEREAS, the following JIC member commissions had representatives in attendance at the February 26, 2026 meeting: • African American Resource Advisory Commission • Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission • Commission on Aging • Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission • Human Rights Commission • • Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities; and LGBTQ Quality of Life Advisory Commission WHEREAS, six of those seven member commissions met since then (all but the African American Resource Advisory Commission); and WHEREAS, the deadline for all commissions to submit budget recommendations is March 31, 2026 and member commissions have been focused on this effort which had already strained the resources of the JIC member commissions; and WHEREAS, reducing the amount of City funding already published and awarded: • Erodes the public confidence in the City’s ability to budget, • Puts the jobs of non-profit employees at risk, 1 Social Services Funding Update, December 17, 2025 2 Social Services Framework, Austin Budget & Organizational Excellence, page 5 3 Agenda Joint Inclusion Committee, Special Called Meeting, February 26, 2026 Page 1 of 3 • • • Jeopardizes the future of Austin’s non-profit organizations, Increases competition for non-City grants and philanthropic funding, Leaves Austin’s most vulnerable populations even more vulnerable; and WHEREAS, with the decrease in federal funding and increase in government persecution of marginalized communities, the numbers in the at-risk communities across all demographics are growing; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Joint Inclusion Committee recommends that the Austin City Council direct the City Manager, to direct the Austin Budget & Organizational Excellence to focus on the following Service Categories for funding social services: • Basic Needs - Food Access, Utility & Rent Assistance, Survivor Support, • Health Equity - Services prioritizing marginalized communities to address health disparities, • Community Planning - Stigma Index, Regional Planning contracts. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Joint Inclusion Committee that the Austin City Council direct the City Manager, to direct the Austin Budget & Organizational Excellence to add these areas to the Service Category of Basic Needs: Internet Services, • • Caregivers Supports, to include Respite Care, Caregiver Education, Resource Navigation, Support Groups, Mental Health, and Financial Support for Unpaid Caregivers. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Joint Inclusion Committee recommends that the Austin City Council direct the City Manager to: 1. Establish a temporary moratorium on further reductions to City-funded human services and community programs, excluding Police, Fire, Emergency Medical Services, and Transportation/Roadway infrastructure, until the stakeholder engagement and review process described below is completed; 2. Convene a structured, multi-stakeholder engagement and review process to explore how we maintain a strong social sector infrastructure, leverage strengths and assets and support our community that includes: • Members of the public and service recipients from impacted communities, Nonprofit organizations and for-profit contractors delivering human services, • Central Health, Integral Care, Travis County Health and Human Services, • Relevant City departments and leadership, philanthropic leaders, and • Boards and commissions represented on the Joint Inclusion Committee; 3. Review and assess the impact of the 10% reductions from the December 17, 2025 City Manager memo; 4. Conduct a systematic review of City-funded human services programs and contracts, Identification of redundancies and service overlap, including: • • Evaluation of program effectiveness, outcomes, and reach, • Assessment of whether certain programs are no longer critical or are of lower priority relative to current and emerging community needs, and Page 2 of 3 • Review of administrative structures and contracting practices to improve efficiency and clarity; 5. Use the findings of this stakeholder-informed review to guide necessary budget adjustments, ensuring decisions: • Advance the City’s sustainability, equity, age-friendly, and public health goals, • Maximize benefit to Austin residents, • Minimize unintended harm to vulnerable populations, and • Support long-term stability and effectiveness in Austin’s human services infrastructure. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this moratorium is intended to ensure that any necessary fiscal adjustments are implemented in a thoughtful, equitable, and outcome- driven manner— grounded in the City’s adopted planning framework and informed by meaningful engagement with impacted communities and providers. Date of Approval: _____________________________ Record of the vote: Attest: _____________________________________________ Page 3 of 3