Why I am voting for Prop I
- I voted against Prop Q.
- I want the receipts.
- I'm a renter.
- I own a small business.
- I'm a retiree on a fixed income.
- I'm a Democrat.
- I want to stay in Austin.
- I want my kids to be able to afford Austin.
Austin voters come to Prop I for different reasons. They agree on one thing: City Hall should show it spends our money well before it asks us for more.
What Prop I does
Prop I amends the Austin City Charter to require an Independent Affordability and Efficiency Initiative: a professional, outside review of how the city spends money and delivers services. Austin residents put it on the ballot by petition.
- Affordability comes first. The charter makes the city's share of Austin's cost of living the review's top priority, measured against what residents and businesses at every income level can afford.
- It covers the whole city. The review includes every part of city government in the city's annual financial report, including Austin Energy, Austin Water and the airport.
- Audits before increases. The City Council cannot call an election to raise the city's operating property tax rate unless a review was completed within the year before that election.
- It runs on a schedule. The first review must be finished within one year of the contract. After that, it repeats at least every five years.
- Savings must exceed the cost. The outside reviewer must commit, by contract, to identify annual or multi-year savings greater than the cost of its services.
- The results are public. Drafts of the review and the information gathered for it are public information, available to anyone who asks.
- It stays independent. Austin's City Auditor selects the reviewer through a competitive process, and city officials and staff may not interfere with the work.
Audits before increases
Rent, property taxes, utility bills and city fees add up. Before City Hall asks Austin to pay more, it should show that it spends the money it already collects wisely.
Prop I makes that the rule. No completed independent review, no tax rate increase election.
Renters pay property taxes through their rent. Small businesses pay them on every storefront and office. Retirees on fixed incomes feel every increase. An outside review gives all of us the facts before the next vote.
Spend it where Austin lives
Money lost to waste, weak contracts or poor controls is money that never reaches the parks, pools, libraries and neighborhood services Austin depends on. Prop I helps find it, and the charter requires the review to make the cost of living in Austin its first concern.
Austin has asked for accountability
Voters have already told City Hall what they expect. Prop I turns that expectation into a standing rule.
Austin voters asked for the receipts
In November 2025, Austin voters rejected Prop Q, a city property tax rate increase of about 20 percent, by about 63 percent to 37 percent. Prop I answers that vote with a simple standard: show the receipts first.
Houston already did this
Houston Mayor John Whitmire, a longtime Democrat, commissioned an outside efficiency review of all 22 city departments. Houston released the results in February 2025, and city officials estimated potential savings of $113 million to $341 million. Prop I brings the same kind of independent review to Austin and writes it into the charter.
Straight answers about Prop I
Opponents have made several claims about Prop I. Here is what the charter amendment says.
Is Prop I Austin's version of DOGE?
No. Austin's own City Auditor selects a qualified, independent reviewer through a competitive process. The review produces recommendations, and its drafts and findings are public information. Prop I does not fire anyone, cut any program or privatize any service. The City Council and Austin voters still make those decisions.
Didn't the City Council already approve an audit?
Yes. In February 2026, the council approved an efficiency assessment by ordinance, and that work has started. The council can change an ordinance. Only Austin voters can change the City Charter. Prop I puts three requirements in the charter: a completed review before any tax rate increase election, a reviewer who commits to finding savings greater than its fee, and a new review at least every five years.
Will Prop I cut parks, libraries or pools?
No. Prop I does not cut any service. The review looks for waste, weak internal controls and contracts that underperform, so more of each dollar reaches the services Austin uses. Its top priority, written into the charter, is the cost of living for Austin residents and businesses.
What does the review cost?
The reviewer must commit, by contract, to identify annual or multi-year savings that exceed the cost of its services. Austin's City Auditor manages the selection and the contract.
Is Prop I a political move?
Prop I asks a nonpartisan question: is the city spending our money well? More than 20,000 Austin voters signed the petition that put it on the ballot. The charter keeps the review independent. The City Auditor selects the reviewer, and city officials and staff may not interfere.
Does a charter amendment make the review too rigid?
The charter sets the basic rules: independence, a schedule, public results and a review before any tax rate increase election. Austin's City Auditor writes the scope of work, sets the reviewer's qualifications and can phase the review in, starting with general city departments before Austin Energy, Austin Water and the airport.
Vote yes on Prop I
Prop I is one of ten City of Austin propositions on your ballot, listed as Props A through J. Find Prop I and vote yes.
- Early voting: Monday, October 19 through Friday, October 30.
- Last day to apply for a mail ballot: Friday, October 23. Your application must be received, not postmarked, by that date.
- Election Day: Tuesday, November 3, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Bring an accepted photo ID. See the ID options on VoteTexas.gov.
Find locations, hours and your sample ballot
Austin includes parts of three counties. Use the elections office for the county where you are registered.
