AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) - Voters went to the polls Tuesday to decide on a tax rate election that would raise the City of Austin's property tax rate by more than 20 percent - and in early voting returns, those voters appeared to be strongly against the proposal.
Early voting totals from Travis County, including some mail-in ballots, showed 67% of voters against the measure. According to results from the Travis County Clerk's office, more than 85,000 ballots were cast during early voting.
While much of the City of Austin lies within Travis County, portions of the city stretch into parts of Hays and Williamson Counties - meaning final vote totals will include those tallies as well.
The Travis County Clerk's office reported more than 99,000 ballots had been cast in-person as of 6:20 p.m. on Tuesday; it's not clear how many of those would potentially be City of Austin voters.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, in an edition of his "Watson Wire" newsletter released Tuesday night, conceded what appears to be a likely defeat by voters against Prop Q.
"Voters prioritized affordability. They’re worried about their finances, their grocery and utility bills, their property taxes, and more," Watson said. "They’re concerned about the stability of all levels of government, including city government. We need to give voters reason to trust us—to trust that we will strike the right balance between services and the funding needed to provide those services."
Watson says the next step will be for City Manager T.C. Broadnax to bring council members a revised budget proposal, which can still raise property tax revenue by as much as 3.5 percent under state law without needing voter approval.
"The voters have told us they want us to do more, and they want us to not add to the problem of affordability," Watson said. "We should hear them, learn from this election, and trust our voters."