One of the most liberal, if not the most liberal, cities in Texas has begun its descent into chaos after its mayor and Democratic city council voted to defund the police department, and now they can’t even attract enough officers to fill a yawning gap in vacancies.

And now, some of those city council members are speaking out about it.

According to Fox News, “members are speaking out about the police department’s vacancies and ongoing problems at the 911 call center after a chaotic scene unfolded downtown on Saturday night.”

The report added, “Street racers took over an intersection at South Lamar Boulevard and Barton Springs Road, drifting in the middle of the street and setting off fireworks as throngs of people looked on at the mayhem. One law enforcement officer was injured and several police cars were damaged in the fracas.”

“Imagine for a moment that the incidents last night happened with large scale events going on,” Council member Mackenzie Kelly noted on Sunday, according to the outlet, adding that she’s “increasingly concerned about our police vacancies.”

“The possibility of a catastrophic cascading failure due to lack of support from our police department puts the city, its residents, and visitors at risk of danger,” she noted further.

According to a statement from Council Member Alison Alter to the Austin American-Statesman, she encountered a street takeover incident and attempted to call 911 for assistance. However, Alter reported that she was put on hold for a total of 28 minutes before being able to speak with a dispatcher.

The incident highlights concerns over the responsiveness of emergency services in similar situations, which can pose a risk to public safety. The issue of response times for emergency services has been a topic of debate and concern in many cities, with calls for increased funding and resources to address the issue.

For several months, the emergency communications division of the Austin Police Department has been experiencing a staffing crisis. As a result, the 911 call center has lowered its minimum staffing requirements since August due to high vacancy rates.

The impact of this crisis on the 911 service has been significant, with average hold times for 911 calls in October exceeding two-and-a-half minutes. Additionally, only around two-thirds of 911 calls were answered within the recommended 15 seconds that month, which is significantly lower than the national standard of 90 percent, Fox News noted.

“Austin policy makers are directly responsible for the overall safety of their citizens & visitors. Looks like they failed to make the right decisions & continue to defund, destroy, & demoralize public safety. Austin was one of the safest cities, NOT anymore,” said an early Sunday morning tweet from the Austin Police Association containing a video clip of the chaos.

Austin policy makers are directly responsible for the overall safety of their citizens & visitors. Looks like they failed to make the right decisions & continue to defund, destroy, & demoralize public safety. Austin was one of the safest cities, NOT anymore. @Austin_Police https://t.co/j6OTTQE1ct

— Austin Police Association (@ATXPOA) February 19, 2023

“Kelly and Alter were the only two council members this week to vote against a one-year contract extension between the city and the Austin Police Association,” Fox News reported, adding: “Nine other council members voted in favor of the one-year extension on the current contract, which will expire at the end of March.”

The police association was against the contract extension and wanted a four-year deal, but that negotiations appeared to fall through after the city dismissed City Manager Spencer Cronk last week.

“We can improve reasonable police oversight. Accountability is critical to maintain the bonds of trust between police and the community,” Council member Kelly, who is in favor of the four-year contract, said.

“But the simple fact is that we need more police officers in this city, patrolling our streets, downtown, and major events. We need more police responding to calls for service. We need more police to reinstate specialized units. This must be an urgent priority for the new mayor and the city council,” Kelly added.