Austin City Council reviews $6.6B proposed budget: taxes, fees, and key dates
Austin TX – Proposed $6.6B budget includes a $0.57953 property-tax rate; typical homeowner +$14.49/month. Tax-rate hearing July 30, adoption Aug. 12-14.
Austin City Council is moving the city’s proposed $6.6 billion operating budget into the public-debate stage—along with a proposed city property-tax rate and projected changes tied to both taxes and city service fees.
City Manager T.C. Broadnax presented the framework on July 16, 2026. It is a proposal, not a final plan—Council can amend it before final adoption in mid-August.
Taxes first: the proposed city property-tax rate
The City of Austin’s proposed property tax rate for the coming fiscal year is $0.57953 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation.
Using the city’s “typical homeowner” assumptions, the city’s portion of the annual property tax bill would rise by $14.49 per month (or $173.87 per year).
The bigger bill: taxes plus city rates and fees
The city’s budget release also projects higher costs tied to Austin’s rates and fees—specifically naming electricity, trash service, water, drainage, and the clean community fee.
For a “typical” Austin tax-and-ratepayer, the projected increase is $28.83 per month (or $345.95 per year), according to the city’s proposed taxpayer impact materials.
KUT News, citing the city’s taxpayer model, reported that the owner of an average-value home of $487,907 would pay an additional $173 in property taxes next year, and nearly $350 more when taxes and fees are combined.
What the proposal says it will fund (and what it says it will cut)
The city describes its approach as reshaping how departments operate—aiming to protect core services while also making reductions and targeted changes. The City of Austin’s budget highlights list includes examples on both sides of that tradeoff.
- Park maintenance and pools: $1.2 million in additional funding for parkland and facility maintenance, and operational costs for refurbished pools.
- Animal shelter safety and security: $275,000 in one-time investments.
- Convention Center expansion capital: $643 million in planned capital spending for the Convention Center Expansion project.
- Technology support reduction: a $5.8 million reduction in funding for software and information technology support tied to savings from ONE-ATS application rationalization and information technology centralization.
- Efficiency audit: $1.5 million to conduct a City-wide efficiency audit.
- Housing-related funding: $7.8 million toward local housing vouchers, plus $6 million more for permanent supportive housing wrap-around services, and $2.3 million in one-time emergency rental assistance funded through the House Our People Endowment Fund.
Austin Current reported that Council’s early public discussion repeatedly returned to the word affordability, with members signaling priorities ranging from restoring cuts to social services to improving security in local parks, while also responding to proposed higher fees for services like trash, water, and electricity.
The timeline: where residents can weigh in before adoption
Over the next several weeks, Austin City Council will host community input meetings and work sessions. The city’s proposed budget release lists the following key dates residents can attend and comment on:
- July 22, 2026
- July 28, 2026
- July 30, 2026 – Tax-rate public hearing (on the budget)
- August 4, 2026
- August 6, 2026
- August 12–14, 2026 – Budget Adoption
If residents want to influence where cuts land—or what Council treats as protected or expanded—they have the best near-term window during this late-July and early-August public process, plus the July 30 tax-rate public hearing. Final numbers are not locked until Council adoption in August.
Where to check the details before you comment
To understand how the “typical homeowner” and “typical tax-and-ratepayer” numbers are calculated, Austin residents can review the city’s proposed budget documents. The City Budget page for FY 2026–27 lists the proposed Typical Tax and Ratepayer Statement and Taxpayer Impact Statement, along with other documents tied to Council’s budget questions.
Sources
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