By Rachel Engel
AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin-Travis County EMS Association released a statement in opposition of an upcoming ballot measure that union officials believe would hurt funding for EMS and other city services.
If passed, Proposition A would increase the Austin Police Department’s staffing by “a few hundred additional officers,” and could cost nearly $600 million over the next five years, KXAN reported.
“Austin EMS Association fears that Prop A will create an irreversible escalation of police costs that will cannibalize Austin’s EMS and other city services for many years to come,” said Selena Xie, president of the EMS Association, in a released statement. “We are asking Austin voters to look past the divisive politics that have intensified the conversation around Prop A and simply consider its implications for sound fiscal management of our city.”
The Austin Firefighters Association (AFA) and the local American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) have also come out in opposition against the measure. A statement by Bob Nicks, president of the AFA, said that “Prop A is a poorly written law and will shift at least $75 million from the Fire and EMS budgets, as well as other essential city services.”