The City of Austin likes to spend money.
The latest example of local largesse comes from Austin’s Art in Public Places (AIPP) program, which is run by the city’s Economic Development Department. AIPP currently has three job openings for Art in Public Places Coordinators.
These new employees will be responsible for “recommend[ing], develop[ing], and assist[ing] with the facilitation of the procurement processes of public art”, as well as acting as a “liaison between artists, architects, contractors, [and] developers.”
According to the city’s website, the pay range for each position goes anywhere from $25 per hour up to $50 per hour, based on experience.
At a time when Austinites are reeling from skyrocketing tax bills, it’s fair to ask: why does the city continue to spend so much money on nonessential goods and services?
It’s this kind of spending too that exposes the fallacy that meaningful tax reform will somehow take away from public safety. There’s plenty of money in the system, as this example and others prove. It’s prudence and priorities that are in short supply.