AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- A local political action committee is looking to ask voters whether the City of Austin should conduct regular, independent audits of its spending every few years.
Save Austin Now PAC unveiled its latest petition effort Friday morning, which will push to mandate a comprehensive, independent audit of Austin's entire city budget.
The group is seeking to place the audit requirement on the May 2026 ballot, with a goal of gathering 25,000 petition signatures by February 1, 2026.
"We belive that outside auditing ought to be a regular function of a city as large as Austin. It has not been a regular practice," said Matt Mackowiak, a Republican strategist who leads Save Austin Now.
According to the proposal, the city would be required to engage with an independent contractor within 120 days. That contractor would have up to a year to complete its work. The contractor would be required to identify financial savings that exceed the cost of their work.
The proposal would require the city to conduct an audit every five years, or within one year prior to any future tax rate election.
According to Save Austin Now, if this measure is implemented, it would be the first time the entire city budget is examined, contrasting it with prior limited department-specific audits.
This push for accountability comes shortly after Austin voters rejected Proposition Q on November 4. The defeated measure would have indefinitely increased residents' property tax rates by five cents per every $100 in value, intended to mitigate Austin's $33 million budget deficit.
Save Austin Now co-chair Matt Mackowiak stated that previous internal audits, "controlled by the people who are making the bad decisions," fail to expose the full extent of waste. Co-chair Steven Brown echoed this sentiment, arguing, "This isn't about politics; it's about accountability." He asserted the group simply wants the City Council to "embrace an independent audit so we can finally see where we can be more efficient and make our city more affordable."
Thursday evening, city council members approved a revised city budget that cut more than $95 million in spending in order to meet the revenue requirements tied to Prop Q's failure.