Government
BY BEN THOMPSON
Flood recovery prompts TravCo tax increase A one-time tax hike costing the average home- owner hundreds of dollars is planned to cover Travis County’s continuing response to July’s
Austin to revamp hate crimes response Austin ocials called to revamp the city’s hate crime response and available resources. The big picture Almost 300 hate crimes have been reported in Austin since 2017, more than half of which targeted Black, gay or Jewish people. With incidents and related concerns rising, City Council voted July 24 to pause the We All Belong public information and resource campaign, and recalibrate how bias incidents are addressed locally. The city will move to reshape the campaign and a hate crimes task force over the next year. “When someone in the community is targeted because of who they are and what they believe or who they love, we need to make sure that we can stand with survivors and build systems and prevent future harm,” council member Zo Qadri said.
severe ooding. The breakdown
Due to state and federal disaster declarations following the oods, the county can raise prop- erty taxes by a greater amount without needing voter approval. Normally, any increase that’d generate over 3.5% more revenue would require voter approval. The county took that approach last year with a tax rate election for child care funding, which was approved by voters. The county’s proposed scal year 2025-26 tax rate is over 9% higher than last year’s. The approved higher property tax rate for the scal year 2025-26 budget year is roughly three cents more per $100 of property value, at $0.375845 per $100 valuation. For the average homeowner—properties valued around $515,213—this means their county tax bill will go up by about $200, with around $72 of that tied to recovery costs from the July ooding disaster. “I think it’s important for people to understand this is necessary because of the unprecedented amount of damage that has occurred throughout Travis County, including the ooding in the Big Sandy Creek and Cow Creek areas,” Commis- sioner Brigid Shea said. “We are having to, in many cases, provide emergency repairs and draw from an emergency fund that we had set up. It’s just important for people to understand the cost
Local tax dollars may increasingly fund disaster recovery as federal aid faces funding limitations.
SAM SCHAFFERCOMMUNITY IMPACT
Travis County taxes The county won voter approval last year for a higher tax rate funding aordable child care, and may now increase costs again due to disaster response.
Tax rate (per $100 property value)
$0.4
$.375845
$.344445
$0.3
$.304655
$0.2
$0.1
Rising hate crimes More bias incidents are being reported to Austin police each year.
0
2024
2025
2026*
*PROPOSED SOURCE: TRAVIS COUNTYCOMMUNITY IMPACT
80 60 40 20 0
of these storms is signicant and is growing.” The increase would raise around $42 million set aside in a special reserve, according to the county. The county plans to lower the tax rate again in FY 2026-27 once the road repairs and recovery costs are covered, county sta said.
*THROUGH JULY
SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTINCOMMUNITY IMPACT
Austin budget approved, tax rate election called Austin leaders approved a budget for the upcoming scal year with a higher property tax increase that’ll require voter approval in a November election. What happened City Council voted to adopt a $6.3 billion budget
Tax rate decision
Austin voters will decide whether to fund a larger budget plan with a 20% tax rate increase this fall.
facing nancial constraints like growing decits through the 2020s. City Manager T.C. Broadnax proposed a balanced budget in July that closed a projected $30 mil- lion-plus shortfall. But most of the council agreed more money is needed going forward, and adopted an expanded spending plan backed by a larger tax hike—triggering the fall tax rate election, or TRE. “It is time for us to trust our voters,” Mayor Kirk Watson said.
Annual tax bill
$3K
2.9K
$2.5K
2.6K
2.4K
0 $2K Fiscal Year
for the upcoming scal year 2025-26 in a 10-1 vote Aug. 14, with council member Marc Duchen against. Ocials called this summer’s budgeting process the most dicult in recent memory while
2024-25 (current)
2025-26 (TRE approved)
2025-26 (TRE rejected)
NOTE: BASED ON A TAXABLE HOME VALUE OF $500,000 SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTINCOMMUNITY IMPACT
8
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