The Brief
Austin City Council voted Thursday to approve maximum tax rate allowed under state law
This could mean an increase of 7 cents per $100 property valuation
AUSTIN, Texas - Austin voters may have to decide on a property tax increase in November after the Austin City Council voted Thursday to approve the maximum tax rate allowed under state law.
What they're saying
The City of Austin has been building its budget for the next fiscal year, which includes a $33 million shortfall.
Some city council members say a higher tax rate is needed due to state and federal funding cuts, and a higher tax rate will help maintain the quality of the city's programs and services.
READ MORE: Austin City Council continues to work through proposed budget with $33M deficit
That could mean an increase of seven pennies per $100 property valuation.
However, critics argue Austin leaders continue to add programs and spending has gone unchecked.
By the numbers
The proposed budget is set at $6.3 billion, with $1.5 billion for the general fund.
To fix the shortfall, the city is proposing moving $14 million from the budget stabilization reserve fund, plus cutting $19 million from these areas: less funding for animal services emergency surgeries, a reduction in EMS medical software, less funding for fire inspection services and a reduction in small tools and travel training.
$9 million would be cut from police overtime by restructuring patrol officers. $500,000 would be saved by moving the Blue Santa warehouse to a city building.
What's next
The city council has two more work sessions on the proposed budget set for next week (August 5 and 7) and is expected to vote on the final adoption of the budget and tax rate the following week (August 13-15).
The Source
Information in this report comes from the Austin City Council and previous reporting.
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