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Budget
Citizens simply ask for more at budget hearing
A significant majority of those who spoke at Wednesday’s public hearing on the city’s Fiscal Year 2018-19 budget seemed pleased with the money city staff had recommended allocating to their specific interest. Several praised City Council and City Manager Spencer…
Budget • By Jo Clifton • Aug 23, 2018
Lower public safety bill cuts tax growth
Austin taxpayers will catch a break from the typical sharp escalation of city taxes, utility bills and other fees, so that the owner of a median priced home of $332,366 will pay only about $78 more in 2019 than they…
Budget • By Jo Clifton • Aug 6, 2018
AISD budget task force begins tackling $30M deficit
At the Monday night meeting of the AISD Budget Stabilization Task Force, the 31-member group focused on establishing priorities and procedures as it begins the process of developing recommendations to balance the district’s budget. The task force, made up of…
AISD • By Samantha Zern • Jul 18, 2018
What do Austinites want the city budget to prioritize?
In the process of crafting its annual budget to present to City Council, city of Austin staff held 11 events throughout the city in an effort to hear what Austinites think about how their tax dollars should be spent. In…
Budget • By Jack Craver • Jul 16, 2018
City to help Cap Metro fund studies
City Council at its June 28 meeting voted to use money the city collected from the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority last decade to help pay for the transit agency’s ongoing Project Connect initiative. The move will reallocate $6 million from…
Budget • By Caleb Pritchard • Jul 10, 2018
Safety, transit planning among priorities at start of budget input sessions
If the opinions expressed during the second of the city’s 11 community budget input sessions is any indication, City Council members will be considering sizable shifts in public safety resources later this summer before adoption of the city’s next $3.9…
Budget • By Chad Swiatecki • May 17, 2018
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Council braces for another tight budget cycle amid threats from Legislature
City Council will have to raise property taxes by 5 percent in the Fiscal Year 2018-19 budget just to continue funding existing programs, according to a financial forecast prepared by the city budget office. In a presentation to Council members…
Budget • By Jack Craver • Apr 5, 2018
Split Commissioners Court endorses higher exemption for some homeowners
The Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday took a preliminary step toward enlarging the property tax exemption for homeowning residents over the age of 65 or living with a disability. The court voted 3-2 to direct Planning and Budget Office…
Budget • By Caleb Pritchard • Feb 28, 2018
Council tries 'outcome-based' budgeting
Last year, City Council talked about the idea of doing “outcome-based” budgeting. 2018 is the first year that it is giving it a try. The idea is based on six strategic outcomes that Council developed last year: Having economic opportunities…
Budget • By Jack Craver • Feb 23, 2018
Council OKs reduced budget for Visit Austin
Visit Austin, formerly known as the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau, will no longer be paying for alcohol to entertain would-be Austin conventioneers with city Hotel Occupancy Tax collections. The group promised the mayor and City Council that in the…
Budget • By Jo Clifton • Oct 13, 2017
Capital Metro board approves new budget
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority will cruise through its next fiscal year with a budget of $419 million. The agency’s board of directors approved that budget with a unanimous vote – minus an absent Board Member Terry Mitchell – during…
Budget • By Caleb Pritchard • Oct 2, 2017
Lower county tax rate will bring higher bills
In its last regular voting session before the deadline, the Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved a $1.04 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2017-18. And, despite the court adopting a nominally lower tax rate, property owners will pay slightly…
