Election
BY BEN THOMPSON
Austin leaders approved a budget for the upcoming fiscal year with a higher property tax increase that’ll require voter approval in a November election. City Council voted to adopt a $6.3 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2025-26 in a 10-1 vote Aug. 14, with council member Marc Duchen against. City Manager T.C. Broadnax proposed a balanced budget in July that closed a projected $30 million-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 Austin tax rate election called
What else?
Median annual tax bill
Austin voters will decide whether to fund a larger budget plan with a 20% tax rate increase this fall.
Austin won’t automatically revert to the base proposed budget if voters shoot down the tax increase this fall. Instead, city officials will reconsider the spending plan under a process set through a measure from council member Mike Siegel. If the November election fails, City Council will reconvene and could cut both base budget items and TRE-funded additions “as it determines necessary.” Siegel’s measure notes that affordable housing, emergency response, wildfire and flood preparedness, social services and homelessness response, and parks operations could be impacted after a failed TRE. The state capped annual tax revenue increases in 2020. Austin was among the first Texas cities to call a TRE under the new limit, and a nearly 9-cent tax increase for the Project Connect transit initiative passed with 58% approval in November 2020.
$3K
$2.9K
$2.5K
$2.6K
$2.4K
$2K
$0
2024-25 (current)
2025-26 (TRE approved)
2025-26 (TRE rejected)
NOTE: BASED ON A TAXABLE HOME VALUE OF $500,000
SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Kirk Watson said. If passed, Austin’s tax rate will jump from $0.4776 to $0.574017 per $100 in property value—a more than 20% increase, or a $420 increase annually for residents with a median-valued home and standard utility use. If a TRE fails, the base FY 2025-26 budget would cost the typical homeowner about $220 more.
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