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Austin tax audit headed to ballot
An audit of how the City of Austin is spending tax dollars is headed to the ballot.
AUSTIN, Texas - An audit of how the City of Austin is spending tax dollars is headed to the ballot.
The backstory:
The city clerk confirmed that a petition, driven by Save Austin Now, successfully certified more than 20,000 valid signatures.
The city's review found that 21,131 signatures were submitted and 20,051 were valid.
It will now lock in the "Outside Audit charter amendment" for the November election.
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PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Austin City Council to vote on audit ordinance
Austinites overwhelmingly voted against a tax rate increase last year and city leaders say they got the message. In the next month, they'll be voting on policies to rein in spending.
If approved by voters, the initiative mandates that the City of Austin must hire an independent, outside firm to audit every single city department and municipal utility.
Save Austin Now said the first outside audit must be completed within one year of the contract engagement and must be conducted every five years or no less than one year before any future tax rate election.
Supporters of the measure said this will help track down wasted spending and save taxpayer money.
What they're saying:
"The more than 20,000 Austin residents who signed our petition only want transparency, accountability and efficient spending for the high taxes that we pay," said Save Austin Now co-chair Matt Mackowiak. "We appreciate the work of the City Clerk’s office in certifying our petitions in 20 days. The campaign phase begins now. If Austinites want to see their tax dollars spent wisely and efficiently, then we must pass this outside audit charter amendment."
The Source: Information from Save Austin Now and the City of Austin