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Tax rate election seems likely this November

During the City Council Audit & Finance Committee meeting Tuesday, Kerri Lang, director of the city’s budget office, laid out the steps the city would take in deciding whether to submit a request to voters for a property tax increase…

City leaders have renewed hope for federal funds for local projects in the 2026 congressional budget

An array of local projects that lost millions of dollars in federal funding in March may secure a second chance in the next congressional budget cycle. That’s the word from the city’s intergovernmental relations office, which notified the mayor and…

City facing a $33 million deficit for 2026

Given current conditions, the city’s budget analysts are projecting a $33 million shortfall in the city’s General Fund in Fiscal Year 2026, with that number increasing to $79.9 million by FY 2030. City Council heard the bad news from City…

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City looking to fill in gaps after spending or encumbering all ARPA funds

The city has spent or encumbered a total of $188.5 million that it received from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan Act. According to a memo to the mayor and City Council, the city met the Dec. 31,…

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Technology Commission approves FY 26 budget recommendations to address digital equity

Austin’s Technology Commission unanimously approved five recommendations for the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, based on a digital needs assessment, to address digital equity in Austin including funding for affordable devices, expanded public internet access and increased digital skills training for…

Austin ISD announces hiring freeze as budget deficit grows to $110 million

Lee esta historia en español Austin ISD will institute a districtwide hiring freeze on March 1 as the school district tries to claw its way out of a financial hole that has grown deeper since the 2024-25 budget was approved in…

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Travis County passes budget with a focus on justice reform

Last week, the Travis County Commissioners Court passed the Fiscal Year 2025 budget, totaling almost $2 billion – investments in the county’s mental health care services and legal defense apparatus mean the average homeowner will see an increase of about…

Travis County approves 6.5% tax rate increase for Central Health budget amid financial controversy

Travis County commissioners unanimously approved a 6.5 percent tax rate increase and a $888 million Fiscal Year 2025 budget for the county’s health care district, Central Health, on Tuesday – amid uncertainty about a potential conflict between Central Health’s mission…

Fuentes airs budget concerns over move to keep Marshalling Yard shelter open indefinitely

City Council Member Vanessa Fuentes has signaled her concerns with a resolution scheduled for next week’s meeting that could result in keeping a 300-bed emergency shelter open far longer than it was originally budgeted for. The resolution directs the city…

Travis County commissioners postpone tax rate increase for Central Health amid financial transparency concerns

After last week’s confusing and concerning audit report on Travis County’s health care district Central Health, the Commissioners Court this week put off voting on the district’s budget and a 6.5 percent tax rate increase for Fiscal Year 2025 amid…

Central Health sends 2025 fiscal year budget to Travis County for final approval

Central Health leadership gave preliminary approval Wednesday to a $884 million budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year. The budget will go before Travis County commissioners for a final vote in September. As Travis County’s public hospital district, Central Health is…

Taxes are rising, as are charges for city services

Money paid by city of Austin taxpayers and Austin residents who pay monthly bills for water and wastewater, electricity, trash and recycling collection (as well as a drainage utility fee and a clean community fee) will see their cost-of-living increase…

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