AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Austin voters will make the final decision on Proposition Q Tuesday - a controversial proposal to increase the city's property tax rate by 20 percent.
If voters approve Proposition Q, the city's property tax rate will be $0.574017 per $100 of valuation. That's a full five cents over the "voter approval" tax rate, or the maximum that Austin City Council members could have raised taxes without seeking voter approval.
Last year, Austin's property tax rate was set at $0.4776 per $100.
City leaders say the additional funds - which add up to about $110 million - will be used to help fund homelessness reduction efforts, affordable housing, parks and recreation facilities, public health services, public safety expenses, and more.
City Council members voted to approve the city's $6.3 billion budget in August. The average homeowner, which the city says is an assessed value of about $495,000, will see an annual increase of $302 if the measure passes. If the measure fails, that same homeowner's taxes would go up by about $105.
Polls are open Tuesday from 7am until 7pm.