Austin has a lot to say. A new report suggests City Hall could say it cheaper.

A new city report suggests City Hall could say it cheaper by tightening its communications; the Austin review describes a sprawling, decentralized system spanning 28 departments and 176 staffers, with more than $10.4 million in marketing and communications spending over two fiscal years. It is part of City Manager T.C. Broadnax's Shared Services Optimization initiative to deliver city functions more consistently and cost-effectively. ACE leads citywide policy and supports 13 departments without dedicated staff, while 21 departments have one to three staff and nine departments run larger teams. The report notes that departments led over 200 public-facing communications and marketing initiatives in fiscal years 2024 and 2025.

The report notes that annual marketing and communications budgets total about $10.38 million, excluding one-time grants or intergovernmental funds. Spending is concentrated in five enterprise departments, which account for about $6.9 million of the total. Although it does not propose layoffs or quote a savings figure, the analysis argues that centralized purchasing and shared services could reduce duplication and stretch advertising dollars as Austin faces a projected $26 million budget shortfall.