Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Austin's $6 Billion of Spending Needs a Hard Look. This November, you can change that.
Vote YES on Proposition I on November 3 for recurring, independent, public reviews of City spending.
The public record Why Austin's $6 billion budget needs a hard look
Austin's city government spends far more per resident than comparable cities — and taxes, fees, utility bills, and rent are where local families feel those budget choices. Prop I would create a recurring, independent review of where that money goes, keep the work public, and require the firm to identify savings greater than the review's fee.
Austinites struggling to make ends meet are hit twice: first, high public spending can add pressure to taxes, fees, rent, and the cost of living; second, weak accountability can waste resources that should be helping the people who need them most. Recent public audits and local reporting make the accountability question concrete: about $980,000 paid to fictitious vendors at Austin Energy; a $1.08 million City brand program; taxpayer-funded solo meals, high-end dinners, and upgraded flights; $279 million in consultant spending alongside audit-sample gaps in needs assessments and performance review; and nonprofit contracts reimbursed under a model that did not tie payment to measured outcomes. See the five documented stories below.
These examples cover different departments and spending categories. Together, they show why Austin deserves regular independent review, clear performance standards, and findings every resident can see.
$6,560 spent per resident — about 64% more than Dallas.
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Watch: Why Austin Needs Prop I
Five stories that explain why Austin voters stopped trusting City Hall with their money.
Audits, expense records, and the city's own paperwork do not describe an abstract “budget challenge.” They describe years of sloppy controls, vanity spending, and contracts that paid out whether anyone delivered or not—while leaders asked residents for more taxes.
A former Austin Energy employee routed roughly $980,000 to fictitious vendors.
Auditors said weak purchasing controls and supervisors who signed off anyway let it run for about six years. Taxpayers funded the scheme. The city only caught up after the fact.
Read the City Auditor reportCity Hall spent $1.08 million on a new brand whose most visible product was a new logo—rolled out as the city pleaded poverty and asked voters for a tax hike.
Officials later canceled the planned “public-awareness campaign” over uproar. Hundreds of social media posts by Austinites showcase excellent logos designed exclusively with ChatGPT for $0.
See the City's cost breakdownA Statesman review of city cards found City Manager T.C. Broadnax charged roughly 150 solo lunches—about $3,300—in his first year, plus high-end dinners and upgraded flights across top offices.
Policy has long restricted that kind of personal dining. After the story landed, he said he would reimburse $3,780.
Read the Statesman investigationAuditors found the city often could not show why it needed outside consultants at all.
Spending jumped 25% from FY 2023–2025. In a 28-contract sample, nearly 40% had no documented needs assessment, about 82% never recorded whether city staff could have done the work, and about 71% closed with no formal performance review. Hundreds of millions left the building with thin paperwork behind them.
Read the City Auditor reportOn 25 contracts worth about $30 million, providers missed 67 of 151 measured expectations.
Nineteen of the 25 contracts missed at least one target. Bills were paid whether the work hit the numbers or not.
Read the City Auditor reportFigures above summarize the linked public audits, City materials, and reported expense records. Links open the underlying sources for full context.
“I want local government that lives up to our city. Save Austin Now has given us a non-partisan way to hold it accountable for exactly that.”
Be ready to vote on November 3.
Prop I is officially on the ballot, but it only becomes law if Austin voters know what it does and show up.
- Vote YES on Prop I for recurring, independent reviews of City spending.
- Keep the findings, data, and recommendations open to the public.
- Help your neighbors know what is at stake before November 3.
Austin Voters Made These Wins Possible.
Neighbors from every part of town organized, signed, and voted for safe shared spaces, responsible taxes, and honest numbers. Now Prop I carries that same practical work to the November 3 ballot.
Prop I: The Independent Audit
More than 21,000 Austinites — above the 20,000 required — signed to put recurring, public reviews of City spending on the ballot. The amendment is officially Proposition I on the November 3 ballot.
Prop Q
109,375 Austinites voted against a 20.2% one-year tax increase, stopping it 63–37 and sending a clear message: show the value before asking for more.
Prop B
Neighbors from every part of Austin organized, gathered signatures, and voted 58–42 to restore safe, shared parks, trails, and sidewalks.
A YES on Prop I would make City Hall open its books, show its work, and identify savings before calling a tax-rate increase election.
The Independent Audit is officially Proposition I on Austin's November 3, 2026 ballot.
Read what a YES vote on Prop I requires
What Prop I Does Helps Lower the Cost of Living
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Independent professionals selected through open competition by the City Auditor — not by City Council.
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Forensic accounting to flag waste, fraud, conflicts of interest, and weak controls.
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Public by law: drafts, data, and findings stay open to Austinites.
Austin won't get more affordable until the numbers add up.
What City Hall spends lands somewhere — in rents, taxes, and the everyday cost of living. Prop I would require Austin to compare spending, staffing, and results with peer Texas cities and with what local families and businesses can afford before asking voters for more.
Outside experts — not City insiders
Follow every dollar
Measure results, not promises
A Practical Vision for Austin
Since 2020, Austinites have sent a clear message at the ballot box: public order, affordability, and accountable government are not partisan. They are the basics of keeping Austin a place our neighbors can afford to call home.
Restoring order with compassion Prop B showed Austin wants compassion with common sense
Putting affordability at the center Prop Q showed Austin wants value before higher taxes
Turning wins into permanent oversight Prop I would put independent oversight in the Charter
Legally required oversight of City Council.
See the four requirements in Prop I
Prop I — the Independent Affordability & Efficiency Initiative — is not a one-time audit. If approved, it would create a recurring legal process for measuring affordability, waste, and real-world performance.
Questions from Austin Voters.
When is the vote, and how do I make sure I can vote?
What exactly does Prop I do?
How would Prop I protect taxpayers before a tax-rate increase election?
Is Prop I just another internal audit?
Who must cooperate with the Prop I review?
Will the findings be public?
How often does Prop I require a review?
The City of Austin spends $6 Billion a year with no public audits. This November, you can change that.
Over 21,000 Austinites put the Independent Audit on the November 3, 2026 ballot. Get the campaign and election updates you need before Austin votes.
Be ready to vote on November 3.
Sign up for campaign updates and important election reminders from Save Austin Now PAC.
You're in.
Vote November 3. Donate now to help us build the campaign we need to win.
Watch: Why Austin Needs Independent Audits
What is on the ballot: a recurring, independent review of City Hall spending with public findings, public data, and recommendations Austin residents can see.
“I want local government that lives up to our city. Save Austin Now has given us a non-partisan way to hold it accountable for exactly that.”
Save Austin Now is the Largest Grassroots Organization in Austin’s History