Austin City Hall just circulated a memo promising every regular employee a 4 % pay bump, a new higher base hourly wage, richer HSA deposits, and zero increases to health‑plan premiums. That covers roughly 16,500 workers. The same budget slashes $9 million in police OT and hikes on your utility bill. Austin is raising its own payroll above private sector rates while telling working taxpayers to brace for higher fees and slower police response times.