Good Wednesday evening --
Just a few updates today:
- THE MATH IS INDEFENSIBLE: Rather than cut government spending to eliminate the $33M budget deficit for 2024-2025, the City of Austin is advancing THE LARGEST PROPERTY TAX INCREASE in city history (20.2%). So that would mean it would raise $33M, right? Wrong, the proposed Prop Q property tax increase will raise $110M if it passes! That’s more than 3x what they need to close the budget deficit.
- HOMELESSNESS IS HOW MUCH???: A recent Austin Chronicle story on Prop Q included these two admissions by Mayor Watson: “The city’s homelessness problem is the principal reason Watson is asking Austinites to vote to raise property taxes. This summer, he and nine of the 10 City Council members passed a budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year that calls for a tax rate election in November ... but about half of the additional money – $51.5 million – would go to getting homeless people off the streets.”
** So let me get this straight: City Hall is proposing THE LARGEST PROPERTY TAX INCREASE IN CITY HISTORY to put $51.5M/year toward homelessness in a city that has already spent WELL OVER $250M since 2019 on homelessness and for a population that the city estimates is ROUGHLY 6,000 people.
** A blank check in perpetuity for homeless spending in a city that refuses an outside audit to measure performance, identify waste and fraud, and eliminate duplication is FISCAL INSANITY.
3. HAVE YOU HEARD OUR RADIO? Because of your support, we have active radio ads on 3 stations in Austin, with plans to expand with additional funding support. You can listen here to our 30 second radio ad right now. We have now purchased radio ads on KLBJ 590am, Talk 1370am and 95.9 FM (Bob Cole’s excellent new country station). Our ads currently run through Friday, Oct. 3. But we need to REALLY NEED run them through Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 4). And we’d REALLY like to expand to include sports talk and some FM stations as well, which are more expensive. We also have a 60 second version of the ad, which generally doubles spot prices. You can help us air this radio ad here.
4. SAVE AUSTIN NOW INTERVIEW WITH BOB COLE: Save Austin Now co-director Matt Mackowiak appeared on 95.9 FM with Bob Cole and Eric Raines recently for a great ten minute segment. You can listen to it here. Please share the link on your social networks!
5. FIRST DEFEAT PROP Q FUNDRAISING EVENT: We have a fundraising event in a beautiful private home in SW Austin on Monday, Oct. 6 from 5:30-7:30pm. Email Lauren for details. Former Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty will be our guest speaker!
6. HIGHWAY SIGNS & YARD SIGNS ARE IN: You can show your support for our effort to DEFEAT PROP Q here:
- YARD SIGNS: We pre-ordered HUNDREDS of yard signs (after getting a large number of requests) and you can reserve yours here. We began deliveries this past weekend and are continuing them this week. There are pick up and delivery options. We will continue with additional pick up options this week, likely Friday). You can reserve any quantity you want! We will order more as needed. If you have questions about pick up or delivery of yard signs, email Leland here.
- HIGHWAY SIGNS: We purchased 50 (!) large 4x8 highway signs and after an immense effort this weekend, 25 are now up around Austin. We still need an additional 25 locations. If you have a high traffic location for a 4x8 sign in Austin, email here with the subject line (Sign Location) and we will come put one up very soon. Below is a picture of our first deployed highway sign!
P.S. I hope you read respected former East Austin City Council Member Ora Houston as she posted why she is opposing Prop Q here.
What’s next?
- As we get 25 more highway sign locations, we will deploy the remaining 25 signs we have to deploy.
- We are continuing yard sign deliveries every single day.
- We have THOUSANDS more text messages going out this week.
- We have a new website in the works (should be done this week).
- We need to fully fund digital advertising and a mail program to start around Oct. 5.
- We can win this campaign and defeat the LARGEST TAX INCREASE IN AUSTIN HISTORY.
But we need your help.
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With your help, we will EFFECTIVELY fight and defeat Prop Q.
We are actively raising money to do this, so we can educate voters about this indefensible 20% Property Tax increase, and let them know how, where and when they can vote against Prop Q.
** Early voting is Oct. 20-31. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4.
HELP US FIGHT THIS TAX INCREASE
To everyone who has already supported our effort to defeat Prop Q, THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Ways to support us:
1) You can SUPPORT our campaign with a secure donation made here.
2) You can mail a check made out to “Save Austin Now” and mail it to: Save Austin Now, 807 Brazos Street, Suite 306, Austin, TX 78701
3) For wire instructions, please email matt@saveaustinnow.com.
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As we have said before, WE HAVE ONLY BEGUN TO FIGHT!
THANK YOU.
-Matt & Steven
Pol. ad. paid for by Save Austin Now PAC. Leland Bickers, Treasurer. SaveAustinNowPAC.com