Good Thursday morning --
Every week brings a new, terrible idea proposed by the worst City Council in Austin history.
Later today, with less than 36 hours notice, the Austin City Council will likely approve a 40% pay raise for themselves (taking their annual pay to over $116,000 beginning Oct. 1).
They want full-time, six figure pay for part-time work after a record of policy failure that rivals cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco.
We released this statement yesterday morning:
August 17, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Save Austin Now to Austin City Council: Proposed 40% Pay Increase for City Council is Outrageous, Unearned
Calls on All Council Members to Oppose Pay Increase
Nonpartisan Save Austin Now PAC today released a statement on a report in the Austin American-Statesman that City Council proposing a 40% pay increase (from $83,158 to $116,688) for themselves:
“Only the Austin City Council could be so stunningly tone deaf that they would propose a massive and unearned pay increase 90 days from an election and during a weak economy, an affordability crisis they have made measurably worse, historically high crime, a homeless disaster they continue to ignore, and infinite proposed tax and fee increases that hurt families and small businesses. City council members have been receiving cost of living increases since 2006. The Mayor and every council member should not pass this massive pay increase and if it does pass, they should decline to receive it in solidarity with taxpayers who are hurting in Austin. Serving on city council is a voluntary, part-time job, and council members are allowed to have other careers where they continue to work and earn compensation. If this outrageous pay increase passes, council members should become full-time employees and be prohibited from earning outside income. We should not ask Austin taxpayers to fund full-time salaries for part-time City Council members whose record of performance is so poor that 56% in the recent Austin monitor poll said that Austin is headed in the wrong direction. November is coming and voters have a golden opportunity to express their displeasure with this current City Council.”
To learn more about Save Austin Now PAC, please visit http://www.SaveAustinNowPAC.com.
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We will closely monitor the vote today.
I expect the in-cycle (on the ballot) incumbent council members to vote no even though they privately support and will accept the pay raise.
The arrogance of Mayor Steve Adler and pay raise author Council Member Ann Kitchen to do this now, with almost no public input whatsoever, is astounding.
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A few other updates ...
TAX AND SPEND -- TO INFINITY
We told you recently that the Council has proposed MASSIVE tax and fee increases in the proposed budget, which will likely pass tonight also.
From our previous update:
COMING SOON TO AUSTIN FAMILIES: TAX AND FEE INCREASES
Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk has released his proposed budget for the 2022-2023 fiscal year, and consistent with Council's stated views and past decisions, it will continue making Austin more expensive for residents.
Included in the proposed budget:
> MAXIMUM property tax rate increase (3.2%) for commercial properties
> MAXIMUM property tax rate increase for residential properties (hurting owners and renters)
> A 22% increase in Austin Resource Recovery bills
> A 18% increase in Austin energy bills
> Massive tax increases for combined utility fees, application fees for food trucks, temporary food permits for farmers markets, permit fee increases for taxicab drivers, fee increases for Austin Transportation fees (zoning, subdivision, site plan)
> An increase of UP TO 793% in minor veterinary treatment services
City Hall is directly making it more expensive to live in Austin, at a time when rising property values alone should be delivering a sufficient growth dividend for city government to be able to deliver adequate city services.
Are you worried about affordability?
TAKE ACTION: Email the City Council now and tell them to reject property tax rate and other tax and fee increases -- https://www.austintexas.gov/email/all-council-members.
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NO, YOU DON'T HAVE TO RAISE TAXES
It is absolutely clear that our City Council has an insatiable appetite to spend taxpayer dollars, refuses to measure the effectiveness of spending, and will crush small businesses with fee increases to fund their radical agenda.
Other government entities in central Texas have been more responsible:
From a recent Austin American Statesman story:
Williamson County's proposed property tax rate would decrease taxes by about $107 for an average homeowner with a homestead exemption, according to official figures.
The maximum proposed property tax rate of 37.5 cents per $100 valuation is about 6.6 cents below the current tax rate of 44.1 cents per $100 valuation. The Commissioners Court is considering the budget and could possibly lower the property tax rate again.
The maximum proposed tax rate for fiscal year 2022-23 is the biggest proposed reduction in the county's tax rate in more than 20 years, officials said.
The owner of an average home worth a taxable value of $332,724 this year will pay an estimated $1,247 with a homestead exemption under the proposed tax rate.
The owner of an average home valued at $307,244 last year paid about $1,354 with a homestead exemption.
If the county was to raise the same amount of tax revenue as last year, it would have to lower the tax rate to $34.1 cents per $100 valuation.
The total amount of the county's proposed general fund and road and bridge budget is $327 million, an 8.5% increase over last year's budget of $301.4 million.
The county is able to propose a lower tax rate because of an increase in existing property values. The county also is gaining revenue from new property added to the tax rolls.
Under the proposed tax rate, the county would gain $21.57 million in taxes from new property, said Larry Gaddes, the county's property tax-assessor collector.
Notice the two highlighted sections above:
1) In real terms, Williamson County residents' property taxes will REDUCE $107 next year compared to last year.
2) Williamson County is using the GROWTH DIVIDEND (a phrase I've been using for a while) to reduce the tax burden. Existing property taxes and new residents and bringing an INCREASE in county tax revenue, which is allowing them to be more fiscally responsible.
Fiscally responsible leaders in Williamson County are fighting for taxpayers. Here in Austin, City Council does everything they can to make it MORE EXPENSIVE to live here.
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AUSTIN JEWELRY STORE OWNER: FOUR STORES ROBBED BY THE SAME INDIVIDUAL, CAN'T REACH APD
Watch this short video posted by Save Austin Now co-founder Cleo Petricek. Please share it.
An Austin business owner says that one man robbed four stores, including his own and he has been unable to get a response from the woefully understaffed and underfunded Austin Police Department so he can file an insurance claim.
From the KTBC Fox 7 story:
The owners of four Austin businesses believe the same man has broken into, or attempted to break into, their stores this month.
They said they haven't seen much action by Austin police after reporting the crimes.
There is surveillance footage of the man, and he even left behind a receipt with a name on it for tools he used for one of these break-ins at a shop.
Still, owner Daniel Schwieterman said he hasn't been able to get a response from police.
"I mean, people rely on us to keep their stuff safe. And when you have somebody break in, and makes us kind of look bad, and even though we're not completely covered on everything, but, you know, the customer sees that, and they'll be like, 'well, I'm not taking my stuff there,'" said Aaron Jamison, watchmaker.
Schwieterman said he got an alert around 7 a.m. Sunday that the business alarm was going off.
"A gentleman, pulled up in the parking lot in his BMW, got out with tools, walked past our front door, went to a window that was sealed real quick with a screwdriver, pulled the seal out, busted the window and tried to break into the bars," said Schwieterman.
When the thief couldn't get inside, he went next door to a dentist's office where he had better luck.
After contacting the local jeweler's committee, Schwieterman learned the man broke into three other shops, even leaving behind a receipt for tools with a name on it.
"I mean, it's super frustrating. We've tried telling them, one what the gentleman's name is. And I have video of him with the mask on and without it, we have it at three other stores with his mask on and with the receipt now and nothing," said Schwieterman.
Schwieterman said he has been unable to get in contact with a detective.
"That's rough. You know, when the city you grew up in, and love kind of turned your back on you?" said Jamison.
More than a week has passed, and the business hasn't been assigned a case number. Because of this, Schwieterman said they haven't been able to make an insurance claim for the damage.
FOX 7 Austin contacted the Austin Police Department, they acknowledged the request, but have not provided a response.
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THEY HAVE THE NAME OF THE ASSAILANT and APD is so understaffed that they cannot get a detective assigned.
This is why we pushed so hard for Prop A. It is why we will continue to fight for public safety in our city.
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PROP B LAWSUIT
Save Austin Now and four local business owners are suing the City of Austin for their failure to fully enforce Prop B, despite it passing in May 2021 by a 58%-42% vote. The lawsuit is pending and we are waiting on city attorneys to confirm the first procedural hearing for Sept. 22. If we prevail, we will move to discovery quickly.
If you have specific examples of illegal public camping inside the City of Austin, you can email us photos, video and explanations here. Please provide as full an explanation as possible, including when/where and what happened. Please also include your contact information. If you are interested in becoming a plaintiff to our lawsuit, please email Matt.
Our lawsuit will take some time and while we have excellent, committed lawyers, this battle will require resources. You can donate to our legal effort here. If you wish to send a check to ("Save Austin Now PAC" and mail to 807 Brazos Street Suite 202, Austin, TX 78701).
If there's an encampment in your residential neighborhood or near your office: First, contact your council member. Then, call 311 and report. Then call the Texas Department of Public Safety to report. Do this every few days.
NOVEMBER IS COMING: FILING DEADLINE IS AUG. 22
We need to elect solution-oriented, non-ideological people to City Council: This fall, five City Council seats will be on the ballot. Every incumbent seeking re-election refuses to demand full enforcement of Prop B and continues to support radical policies that harm standard of living for Austin families.
The filing deadline for Mayor and City Council is Aug. 22. There is more information about filing here.
We are reviewing the qualifications, experience and vision of candidates now. If you are interested in exploring running for City Council, please fill out our candidate interest form here.
SUPPORT OUR WORK
You can support our efforts to hold city leaders accountable for their decisions here. If you wish to send a check to ("Save Austin Now PAC" and mail to 807 Brazos Street Suite 202, Austin, TX 78701).
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As we have said before, we have only begun to fight!
Thank you!
-Matt Mackowiak & Cleo Petricek
Co-founders, Save Austin Now PAC
> Questions? Email Matt.
> Learn more: http://www.SaveAustinNowPAC.com
Will you please support our efforts now?
You may donate to our legal effort here: https://secure.anedot.com/save-austin-now-pac/save-austin-now-pac-legal-fund-c4cfa533f8ab98c9da232.