Austin leaders consider new resident utility fee to fund lagging parks maintenance, investments
Austinites may soon be charged a new utility fee to support parks maintenance, as local leaders look for more funding to keep pace with the needs of the city's thousands of acres of public open spaces.The setupUnderinvestment in Austin's hundreds of community parks has been a topic of concern among residents and elected officials for years, as the Parks and Recreation Department has contended with surging parks service needs for the city's growing population.The parks department currently operates on a $180 million budget that that goes toward maintaining and improving...