What's happening
Voters are now considering a city tax rate election, or TRE, that'd increase Austin's property tax rate by 20% to fund a variety of city programs and services. The election is required after City Council passed a fiscal year 2025-26 budget with a tax rate that'd raise more revenue than allowed without voter approval under a state cap on such increases.
If Proposition Q passes Nov. 4, Austin's budget will stand as approved and the typical resident will pay several hundred dollars more in property taxes than last year, based on city estimates. If the ballot measure fails, council members would have to reconvene to reduce the budget based on a lower tax rate that's still about 10% higher than last year's. Regardless of the election outcome, typical utility charges and other city fees are expected to rise in the coming year as well.
Several political action committees, or PACs, are working to support or oppose Proposition Q this fall. Groups already spent tens of thousands of dollars on their campaigns as of late September. And based on new reporting released this week, that activity has ramped up with PACs for and against the proposition spending well over $400,000 in the past month.
The latest reports due Oct. 27 were the final financial updates available before the election. PACs' next required disclosures will be due Jan. 15, covering all activity through the second half of 2025.
The two committees representing most support for the TRE, Austinites for Equity and Love Austin, raised about $68,000 and spent more than $170,000 over the past four weeks. Austinites for Equity had more than $51,000 remaining as of Oct. 25, while Love Austin reported less than $3,500 still on hand.
Most spending by Austinites for Equity was on consulting services from Austin-based Y Strategy. The PAC's top donations included $5,000 from Our Fight Our Future, registered to an Austin post office box; $3,750 from the progressive political group Ground Game Texas; and $1,000 each from the Rutishauser Survivors Trust and consultant Megan Smith Field.
The PAC also received in-kind political donations from the New York-based Democratic Socialists of America for a voter file, and from the Austin Democratic Socialists of America for campaign literature and organizing software.
Equity Action, a PAC that's recently campaigned around public safety issues and backed some programs that'd be funded under the TRE, also registered in support of Proposition Q in its latest finance filing. Its only related spending was a $20,000 donation to Texas AFL-CIO, a labor group involved in the pro-Proposition Q Care Not Cuts Coalition, with all other spending reported for various PAC expenses.
While it received just one individual donation in September, it also reported the highest cash on hand total of all groups this fall with more than $190,000 remaining.
Those opposed
PACs working against Proposition Q reported stronger totals in the past month.
Top contributions included $25,000 from the Han USA Trust, $10,000 from the Susan Jeannette Ogden Property Trust and $5,000 from the I-290 Limited Partnership. Scores of individuals also sent between $10 and $15,000 each. The PAC had more than $36,000 remaining as of late October.
Tens of thousands of dollars were also sent to Restore Leadership ATX, which reported raising almost $68,000, spending over $72,000 and having $58,000 on hand ahead of the election.
Its top donations were $25,000 from the Austin-registered HBRE, LLC, $15,000 from Los Angeles-based Kilroy Realty, $10,000 from the Austin office of vcfo, $5,000 each from JHL Consulting and the BOMA PAC, and individual contributions of $300-$2,500. The PAC also noted an in-kind donation of campaign signs from Brown Distributing Co. CEO Laurie LaMantia.
The lowest totals of the opposition came from the conservative A Greater Republic, which first reported campaign activity in September. The PAC drew several donations led by $5,929.62 from the Austin-based Legacy PAC and two $1,000 individual contributions. Its top reported expense was a campaign event at the Balcones Country Club.
