Government
BY BEN THOMPSON
Scores of Lake Austin properties move to disannex from city
Scores of properties along Lake Austin are leav- ing the city’s full jurisdiction under a new state law, following years of complaints over lacking public services and taxation by Austin in that area. The tracts have been subject to jurisdictional questions stretching back to the late 1800s when some land along the shoreline was rst added into city limits. Over the past hundred-plus years, properties have been added, removed and added back to Austin’s tax rolls while residents faced public safety and infrastructure service issues. Owners sued over a 2019 City Council vote to resume taxing hundreds of waterway-adjacent properties, litigation that remains in progress. And under Senate Bill 1844, passed this spring, they’re now able to petition for disannexation from the city. Residents testifying at a March legislative hearing reported public safety problems ranging from lengthy 911 response times to confusion over which agencies should be involved. They also said they’ve been forced to install their own infrastructure systems after the city declined to extend wastewater service to the far West Austin lots, citing high costs. Chris Johns, a property disputes attorney representing many of the petitioning Lake Austin residents, said this year’s outcome follows years of frustrations with the city over service issues and the disputed annexation process. Zooming in Dozens of property owners pursued removal from Austin under SB 1844 this year. More than 150 petitions were approved by council in Novem- ber and December.
Senate Bill 1844 disannexation petitions: 150+ properties*
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RIVER HILLS RD.
WESTLAKE DR.
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*AS OF DEC. 11
Johns said working with city sta on the petitions has been a relatively smooth process so far, although a few tracts seeking to disannex were contested by Austin. He said those, and many more properties, could be handled in future petitions. One more thing The new state law doesn’t end residents’ lawsuit against the city over the 2019 taxing vote, which Johns said has yet to be decided on the merits. Further review may also still be needed to address the millions of dollars in property taxes paid under Austin’s “illegitimate” jurisdiction claims along the western waterway, he said.
Disannexation details
• Average just over 1 acre and $1.87 million in city taxable value • Total over 155 acres and $288.5 million in city taxable value Properties up for disannexation approval this fall:
SOURCES: CITY OF AUSTIN, TRAVIS CENTRAL APPRAISAL DISTRICT COMMUNITY IMPACT
Residents may not be eligible for reimbursement from the past several years when service issues were raised under an SB 1844 provision barring tax and fee repayments after disannexation.
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