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Budget
How much do Council members spend on travel?
Late last Wednesday, as City Council neared the end of its wrangling over the Fiscal Year 2017-18 budget, Council Member Ellen Troxclair made what she framed as a modest request of her colleagues. The budget presented by staff included a…
Budget • By Jack Craver • Sep 20, 2017
First progress and then postponement as Central Health returns to Commissioners Court
The Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday signed off on Central Health’s proposed $238 million budget for Fiscal Year 2017-18, but came up short on reaching an accord between the hospital district and activists who demand more transparency from it.…
Budget • By Caleb Pritchard • Sep 20, 2017
Council approves $3.9 billion budget
Twelve hours after kicking off its final day of budget deliberations, City Council gave approval to a roughly $3.9 billion budget, including approximately $1 billion of General Fund spending. Council approved a 7.9 percent tax rate increase, just below the…
Budget • By Jack Craver • Sep 14, 2017
Council faces hard choices on final budget day
City Council went through another meandering, confusing and at times tense all-day budget discussion Tuesday and still has tough decisions left to make today, when it is scheduled to give final approval to the Fiscal Year 2017-2018 budget. The Council…
Budget • By Jack Craver • Sep 13, 2017
Budget Day 1: Lots of talk, little action
Budget • By Jo Clifton • Sep 12, 2017
Council begins final slog through budget today
After hours and hours of budget work sessions, including two such sessions last week, today City Council must at least start to make the hard decisions of what to fund and what to leave for another year. Today is the…
Budget • By Jo Clifton • Sep 11, 2017
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Austin sales tax revenue lower than expected
City Council has known for months that it would struggle to come up with the money needed to cover many of the programs its members hope to put in place in the coming year. However, the most recent data on…
Budget • By Jack Craver • Sep 6, 2017
Central Health discussion once again dominates Commissioners Court meeting
Central Health’s annual budget presentation to the Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday brought with it a fresh round of familiar complaints from activists about the level of transparency displayed by the hospital district. Freshly installed President and CEO Mike…
Budget • By Caleb Pritchard • Aug 24, 2017
City Budget: Austin weighs in
For the past month or so, City Council has been working through the details of this year’s proposed budget. At their most recent meeting, Council members heard from Austinites in a 2 1/2-hour public hearing that focused on the shape…
Budget • By Elizabeth Pagano • Aug 21, 2017
Council moves toward tax swap with AISD
In an effort to help the Austin Independent School District lower its tax rate and send fewer dollars to the state under the so-called Robin Hood plan, City Council voted 6-4 Wednesday to begin consideration of raising the city’s property…
Budget • By Jo Clifton • Aug 10, 2017
Adler bashes Texas over 'state property tax'
During Wednesday’s budget presentation to City Council, Mayor Steve Adler spoke passionately about the state’s system for funding public schools, calling the current system a “state property tax.” It is not city taxes that are out of line, Adler said.…
Budget • By Jo Clifton • Aug 3, 2017
Budget proposal would raise Austin property taxes, increase permitting capacity
Austin homeowners could see higher property tax bills next year. Under the city’s proposed $3.9 billion budget, most residents with a median-value home ($305,510) would pay an additional $118 in property taxes compared to last year. Utility fees would rise,…
