[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6566738,"mediaKeyId","3203229-c80c5c2a3ac3386c68189cd20c772d33","parentId",3203229,"title","Austin committee adopts framework to guide potential tax-rate elections; recommends policy to full council","audioSeconds",2550,"startMs",670644,"endMs",3220730,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3203229-c80c5c2a3ac3386c68189cd20c772d33&start=670&end=3220","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3203229-c80c5c2a3ac3386c68189cd20c772d33/thumbnail_670644.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6566738/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Austin-committee-adopts-framework-to-guide-potential-tax-rate-elections-recommends-policy-to-full-council","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6566738-1e16e98c08966411e0d783a1dd568bbd/orig.mp4?Expires=1771160541&Signature=e0JyDBEz2XQpDK0mPHT9Ju8agBAVCKbUlp7LRLWOfl5b8h67jpoKxgqiVesEjXhc5--5JNN~YKM3OerDjqxvPtP5YAxuzwbz64sqOL-z2J-uGZ8n2aNc3XYzDGySXDX8IaDebj3PeDO4kSU6682ULcAK~N~q23dUKv2iVVFMAC6Fo4uALkIP~~a0PYgL21i5iq3EdMVE7GePpwVZvO3rx5ie2Q02yLVpCxjKKMtgYiUOzywF0RIx25xIPLPjFZd-~w~Jb72BgrX3VAPnO7xme-ypa9IQcYMPrrwIkV48C-9T~0Z-SDLk~nCypgorcoUj6agc5Dey9NToxBuEzp6VNg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Austin","date","2025-05-06T00:00:00Z","article","The Audit and Finance Committee unanimously recommended to the full Austin City Council a policy framework and decision tree for pursuing a tax-rate election (TRE).

Council Member Ryan Alter moved to recommend a TRE policy consistent with staff presentation and the committee’s decision tree; Council Member Vela seconded. The committee adopted the motion without objection.

Carrie Lang, director of the Budget and Organizational Excellence Office, presented staff recommendations and the decision tree. Lang said the city’s five-year financial forecast showed a $33,400,000 deficit in fiscal year 2026 and noted a projected voter-approval rate of 57.01 cents per $100 of taxable value as shown in the forecast. Lang also said American Rescue Plan Act funds must be spent by the end of calendar year 2026 and that staff had identified $18,100,000 in programs that departmental staff recommend be continued as ongoing funding, primarily in homeless services and some public health and economic development programs.

Staff put forward four primary policy recommendations:

1) The city manager shall present a proposed operating budget each year that is balanced at a property tax rate equal to or less than the projected voter-approval rate; the city manager may periodically conduct a comprehensive analysis of general fund programs and services to identify areas for potential TRE funding.

2) A TRE should occur no more frequently than once every four years, except when a TRE is needed to respond to a financial emergency caused by sustained economic conditions, a natural disaster, or a significant and unexpected reduction or limitation in funding from federal or state action that cannot responsibly be addressed with general fund emergency or budget stabilization reserves.

3) The city shall clearly identify the level of programming or services that additional revenue above the voter-approval rate would fund and provide an accounting of expected service levels should the election fail. Staff recommended that TREs not be used to cover baseline cost drivers but may be proposed to address identified service gaps and new or expanded services.

4) A proposed TRE should include a balance of one-time and ongoing expenditures to sustain investments over the medium term while also funding one-time start-up costs tied to expanded operations.

Lang illustrated how staff would build possible TRE packages, describing comprehensive and strategic approaches. Staff used forecast figures to show that a 1¢ tax-rate increase would generate approximately $21,000,000 and a 2¢ increase approximately $42,000,000 based on that forecast; Lang noted those figures would change as the proposed budget is finalized.

Discussion by committee members touched on enforcement of attendance rules (separate item), whether the policy requires a comprehensive package versus a targeted package, the timeline for putting a TRE on the ballot (the group noted that a TRE must be timed with the November uniform election because it sets the tax rate for the next fiscal year), and how staff will scrubs budgets and identify program priorities before asking voters for additional revenue. Council members expressed interest in transparency about the services that would be funded and what would be cut if a TRE failed.

The committee’s vote forwards the policy framework to the full council for consideration.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Austin - Special Audit and Finance Committee - May 06, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Audit and Finance Committee unanimously recommended to the full Austin City Council a policy framework and decision tree for pursuing a tax-rate election (TRE).","taxTitle","Austin, Travis County, Texas","taxId",2819,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6566742,"Audit and Finance Committee sends proposed Immigrant Affairs Commission bylaw changes back to commission",600,54664,655410,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3203229-c80c5c2a3ac3386c68189cd20c772d33&start=54&end=655","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3203229-c80c5c2a3ac3386c68189cd20c772d33/thumbnail_54664.jpg","/articles/6566742/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Audit-and-Finance-Committee-sends-proposed-Immigrant-Affairs-Commission-bylaw-changes-back-to-commission","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6566742-38debf1dc02a11e4b3b037d34f98c5c3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771160541&Signature=HwETr0WEluHHe0yXelDQJrDT2lHAnPBHZ0OWTU8K0x3l9WG-udqTLK1QJcSHwT5gIFDrjtCF9x2sZLOwj9me-0WByx8oYH-TaMBFFLA5hsXCewgdw~LRCEvvCpjUnMj5-N0GWnC~zu5svhqdmSxvNmi~LfE5JVVAktC0IcTxLUVxGKIHfWl7wW7xe~M03igpiSRg~UzAYG3nZkZq97MQKRnQmJaTGhy-HfDrX6N1EalD54EbxcNCBcOmsxaqTYei7OlNEkGngwiLSqikyj0tfHiJlflB10cTjFhV4KG8QyF3rLxC4QscsO51yfRy3RJE93j~VTvbok2IG1Zy0WvuKQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Audit and Finance Committee of the Austin City Council voted to refer proposed amendments to the Commission on Immigrant Affairs bylaws back to that commission for consideration.

Council Member Ryan Alter moved to send the language back to the commission; Council Member Vela seconded the motion. The motion passed 4–1, with the mayor pro tem recorded as the lone dissenting vote.

Alter read the proposed edits aloud during the special-called meeting, saying the amendments would add three “nonvoting stakeholder members” appointed by the commission. “The 3 nonvoting stakeholder members serve in an advisory capacity only and may participate at board meetings, but may not vote or bring a motion and do not count towards calculation of a quorum or any other minimum vote count required by city code or state law,” Alter said as he read the draft.

Supporters of the change said the additional seats were intended to increase representation of immigrant communities that might not be reflected among council-appointed members. Council Member Vela described the idea as modeled on a similar structure used by the Austin Asian American Quality of Life Commission and said the nonvoting seats would allow the commission chair to identify gaps in representation from different immigrant communities.

The mayor pro tem said they objected to the proposed amendment, citing concern for the immigrant community amid “unprecedented attacks” and expressing support for the recommendation from the Immigrant Affairs Commission. Council Member Duchin asked whether the change was meant to address quorum shortfalls; Alter responded that the change was intentionally not designed to alter quorum calculations but to expand community participation.

A staff member explained Austin code provisions for vacancy due to attendance, saying automatic vacancy can occur after three consecutive absences or a third of a rolling period but council may waive that and restart the attendance clock. The staff member said outreach to council offices has improved and that offices are generally responsive when staff contacts them about attendance concerns.

Next steps: the committee’s referral sends the draft amendment back to the Commission on Immigrant Affairs for its consideration and recommendation to the full council.","The Audit and Finance Committee voted 4–1 to refer proposed bylaws amendments for the Commission on Immigrant Affairs back to that commission for consideration. The proposal would add three nonvoting stakeholder seats that can participate in meetings but would not count toward quorum or vote.","actionData","errors"]

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Austin committee adopts framework to guide potential tax-rate elections; recommends policy to full council

Audit and Finance Committee sends proposed Immigrant Affairs Commission bylaw changes back to commission