As Austin's proposed budget gets closer to being finalized, several east Austin groups are frustrated about an initiative that was left out of the draft.
"I know it's not final yet, but the money is not there," said NAACP Austin’s Nelson Linder.
A week has passed since the City of Austin first released its proposed budget, which was time enough for several minority groups to get fired up over what they say the plan is missing.
"We know that for the past 50 years, the money in the city went to four different zip codes west of I-35, and we pay for it," Linder said.
Out of the $3.9 billion in the budget, they are frustrated that there's none allocated to the Spirit of East Austin initiative. The program aims to revitalize communities east of I-35 by creating job opportunities, affordable housing and improving public safety.
"If you can find the money in these areas about homelessness, and I support that. If you can cater Downtown Alliance, why can't you cater to us?" Linder asked.
"Does that surprise anybody?” Austin City Council Member Ora Houston asked. "No funds have been allocated to that. We're still having conversations about it."
A city spokesperson said the initiative has hundreds of projects currently in progress, like the workforce master plan, police training and transit access. They are funded through the appropriate city departments. That's why city leaders say the Spirit of East Austin isn't an explicit budget item.
"As we keep going through the budget process, I'm not sure, but this is something the city of Austin has done to communities of color," Houston said.
The Spirit of East Austin was first introduced in 2015. Council will finalize the budget at the end of September.