Amid a budget crunch, consultants hired by the city of Austin have floated selling naming rights to local playgrounds, pools and other park properties.

Why it matters: With money scarce, the cutting of city services has become a real possibility and city officials are trying to figure out how to raise revenue instead.

Catch up quick: Less-than-expected sales tax revenue and the cancellation of federal grants has driven a projected $33 million city budget deficit.

• The city engaged PFM Group Consulting and the Trust for Public Land to examine the needs, challenges and solutions for Austin's parks.

What they're saying: "PARD will have to either cut expenditures, receive additional funds from the city's general fund, or develop additional revenue sources to sustain its operations," the PFM consultants determined.

Zoom in: Among other options, the parks department "can issue naming rights in exchange for donations," the PFM Group consultants wrote.

State of play: Key councilmembers threw cold water on that idea.

• "We need to find new ways to provide the basics, like cleaning the bathrooms and taking out the trash, and ensure there is shade and the swings aren't broken," Austin City Councilmember Ryan Alter, chair of the council's parks committee, tells Axios.
• "I don't think we need to sell the names of parks to do this yet, but we must think creatively and explore other opportunities to sustainably fund our parks for generations to enjoy."
• "Naming rights is not something I'm open to and I won't propose that we seek sponsorships for any city parks," Councilmember Paige Ellis, vice chair of the parks committee, tells Axios. "I want to make sure we are appropriately maintaining our parks with our public dollars."

What's next: City officials will soon speak with counterparts at Travis County to discuss the possibility of setting up a new taxing district charged with raising money for parks — another suggestion by consultants — per a memo last week.

• But such an initiative may require approval of tax-shy state lawmakers.

Public TV and radio stations may find themselves with big holes in their budgets after Congress rescinded $1.1 billion in Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) funding, based on publicly available financial data collected by a former NPR staffer and shared with Axios.

Why it matters: Public media outlets serve essential community newsgathering and emergency roles, but the Trump administration and others on the right have long accused them of left-leaning bias.

Driving the news: For hundreds of stations with available data, CPB grants made up about 10.3% of U.S. public TV stations' overall funding as of fiscal 2023, and 4.1% for radio stations.

• That share is much greater for some specific stations — over 90% for KUHB in St. Paul, Alaska, and WVLS in Dunmore, West Virginia.

What they're saying: The map above shows "a very clear picture" of less-populated states "at risk of losing their public media station," Alex Curley, the former NPR staffer who has been tracking public media financing on his blog, Semipublic, tells Axios.

Between the lines: Public media stations in relatively populous, high-income cities tend to have better access to donors.

• But rural stations tend to be more reliant on federal dollars — while also serving key roles for local news and emergency broadcasts.

🚀 Cedar Park-based rocket maker Firefly Aerospace plans to raise up to $643 million in an initial public offering. (Austin American-Statesman 🔒)

🍣 Otoko, an omakase in the South Congress Hotel, is serving lab-grown salmon made from fish cells. (CultureMap Austin)

🎓 Johanna Moya Fábregas, the executive director of Con Mi Madre, the Austin-based Latina college prep nonprofit, is stepping down after describing the role as "the greatest honor." (KXAN)

Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Schlitterbahn New Braunfels will offer a joint pass with unlimited access to more than 40 amusement and water parks.

The big picture: The move marks the first anniversary of the Six Flags-Cedar Fair merger.

How it works: Gold and Prestige passes purchased or renewed between today and Sept. 1 will include admission to every Six Flags Entertainment park through 2026.

• A Gold Pass can be purchased through Six Flags Fiesta Texas ($6.99/month over 12 months with a $20 down payment, or $65 paid-in-full) or Schlitterbahn New Braunfels ($7/month for 12 months with a $26 down payment, or $89 paid-in-full).
• Access includes Texas destinations like Six Flags Over Texas, Hurricane Harbor Arlington, Schlitterbahn Galveston and Hurricane Harbor Splashtown — plus parks in Canada and Mexico.
• Perks include free parking and extra guest tickets.

The bottom line: It's the ultimate twofer for Texas thrillseekers.

"Love is Blind" put a casting call out for Austin this week.

The caveat: You must be "not presently involved in a committed, intimate or monogamous dating relationship" and cannot be "in the process of obtaining a divorce."

• You also can't be a candidate for public office.

Zoom in: Axios peeked at some of the application questions.

• "Do you want children in the future?"
• "What is something you wish your past romantic partners appreciated about you?"
• "Have you ever been judged in previous relationships for something superficial?"

Also, brutally: "Why do you think you are single?"