BY BEN THOMPSON
New policy for voter- approved tax hikes Austin leaders adopted a new policy meant to guide city planning for a tax rate election, or TRE, when local officials move to seek voter approval for a tax hike in the future. What’s happening Under Texas law, cities typically can’t increase their property tax collections by more than 3.5% year over year. However, local governments do have the ability to go beyond that limit if they earn voter approval to increase taxes beyond that limit, up to an 8% annual revenue jump. Austin hasn’t yet used a TRE for general budgeting purposes since the 3.5% cap was imposed by state leaders in 2019. Officials on May 22 approved a new blueprint to be used before calling a TRE.
Pushback prompts housing program reform An Austin development program created last year will be revised and potentially expanded, after city officials acknowledged unintended effects tied to new construction under the policy. How we got here Austin’s DB90 program is a density bonus allowing mixed-use projects up to 90 feet tall, requiring at least 10% of new housing to be afford- able based on the local median family income. A resolution from Mayor Kirk Watson approved June 5 kicks off DB90 amendments and calls to create similar new bonus programs set to varied building heights, affordability requirements and commercial activation. Watson said his proposal aims to create “density tiers” after DB90 pro- duced a mixed bag of results and public pushback as Austin’s only citywide affordable bonus program.
Approved affordable bonus program rezonings in Northwest Austin 1 Allandale Car Wash Redevelopment 2 8200 & 8300 North MoPac Expressway 3 7500 Burnet Road
4 9012 Research Boulevard 5 Burnet Road & US 183 DB90
6 2100 Polaris Avenue 7 Far West Multifamily
2
5 4
183
6
POLARIS AVE.
MOPAC
7
3
1
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SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN/COMMUNITY IMPACT NOTE: AS OF JUNE 5
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