News from Austin & Travis County CITY & COUNTY $5.5 billion budget, property tax rate increase passes
Austin City Council meets Aug. 31, Sept. 14 and 21 at 10 a.m. at Austin City Hall, 301 W. Second St., Austin. 512-974-2250. www.austintexas.gov/department/ city-council Travis County Commissioners Court meets Sept. 12 and 19 at 9 a.m. at the Travis County Administration Building, 700 Lavaca St., Austin. 512-854-4722. www.traviscountytx.gov MEETINGS WE COVER HIGHLIGHTS AUSTIN Police Chief Joseph Chacon will retire in early September, he announced Aug. 21. Police Chief of Staff Robin Henderson will take over on an interim basis while a search for a permanent chief takes place. Chacon first became the APD’s chief on an interim basis in spring 2021. TRAVIS COUNTY On July 25, officials voted to split the Justice & Public Safety Department into the Community Legal Services Department and the Data, Policy, and Performance Management Department to expand programs, boost data collection and improve diversion efforts.
BY ELLE BENT
COST TO TAXPAYERS
The average Austin homeowner will see over a 6% increase on their tax bill due to rising property values and an over 3% increase in the property tax rate from last year.
AUSTIN A $5.5 billion budget for fiscal year 2023-24 was passed by council Aug. 16. The budget was adopted 10-1, with Council Member Mackenzie Kelly voting against it. The overview: Mayor Kirk Watson said that the key priorities for this budget include homelessness, public safety, resiliency, quality of life and affordability. The budget includes base wage increases for city employees and an increase in the Austin Police Depart- ment budget by $32.4 million, or by about 7% from FY 2022-23. Under the adopted budget, property tax rates will be $0.4458 per $100 valuation for 2023-24, a 3.4% increase from FY 2022-23. Due to tax, rate and fee changes a typical ratepayer will see an increase of 3.6%, or an additional $172 per year.
Property tax rate of $0.4458 per $100 valuation for fiscal year 2023-24, a 3.4% increase from FY 2022-23. 3.6% increase from the combined projected impact of tax, rate and fee changes—equivalent to an increase by $172 per year, or $14.31 per month, for the owner of a median valued home and typical rate-user.
SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN/COMMUNITY IMPACT
capital budget including $1.6 million in planned spending. The budget includes: • $2 million for a mental health diversion center • $1.3 million for a family stabilization grant program • $80.9 million for homelessness response • $1 million for Austin Energy to conduct a study to move the distri- bution system underground • $2.6 million for incentives for police cadet recruitment
• $87.2 million in planned capital spending for affordable housing Quote of note: “Spending money is not an accomplishment,” Council Member Ryan Alter said. “Getting results for the community is. That’s the hard work we started and I look forward to working with my col- leagues and staff to do just that.” What’s next? The budget will go into effect Oct. 1, and last until Sept. 30, 2024.
The breakdown: The general fund budget is $1.4 billion, with the
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