Sign Petition/Letter to Austin City Council-No Tax/Fee Hikes!
Yes, it is totally true — the City wants to raise your energy, water and property taxes by an average of $265 per year. Sign this petition/letter to the 4 members of the Council up next for reelection — Mayor Leffingwell, and Councilmembers Cole, Martinez and Spelman. They must end unnecessary projects and the practice of the “growth lobby” (aka the big boy developers and the real estate lobby) offloading the costs of growth onto current residents. As we say at ChangeAustin.org, ‘welcome to Austin, but pay your own way’ and growth must pay for itself. Sign here and pass it on, folks, or forever hold your peace on Austin’s affordability.
You can ALSO print out the Petition-No Tax Rate Hikes 2012 City Budget here, take it around and mail it back to us by September 10th, before the City Council votes on September 12.
City Wants to Raise Your Taxes $265/year
Did you know that Austin City Council is being strongly advised by the City Manager to raise your energy, water and property taxes by $265 this year? That’s in addition to all the likely hikes from the county, the healthcare district and AISD.
Sign this letter/petition now! An immediate message is sent to Mayor Leffingwell and the three other members of the Council up for reelection next — Cole, Martinez & Spelman. Then send it to your friends across the city! (P.S. Mark your calendars to attend the first budget hearing on August 25th. More info soon.) You can also print the petition out (see below) and take it around in your neighborhood.
Petition-No Tax Rate Hikes 2012 City Budget (print out, take it to your neighbors and get it back to us soon!)
The Fight for Geographic Representation: Mark Your Calendars!
TheAustinBulldog.org constructed maps that pinpoint the residential location of every mayor and council member elected over the last four decades. It will tell you all you need to know about why citizen organizations, from across the spectrum, are coming together to push for a public vote on geographic representation. Read it here, share it, and consider a matching fund donation to the feisty (and hungry!) Bulldog to help counter the Statesman’s on-going efforts to stop us.
Meanwhile…please plan to join us at our next meeting of ChangeAustin.org.
What Citizens Must Do As the City Budget Hearings Begin Soon!
Come Find out!
Monday, August 15th, 6:30 to 8 pm
Manchaca Library, 5500 Manchaca (@Stassney)
Guest Speaker: Bill Oakey
Bill is one of the most effective citizen activists in Texas who got the Texas legislature to enact two bills into law. One was the over-65 freeze on school property taxes. The other was a “truth in taxation” law, which reformed the guidelines for public hearing notices on property taxes published by all statewide taxing entities. Currently, Bill is working on plans to address out-of-control property tax and utility rate increases in the Austin area.
For more information call us at 535-0989 or email us at Contact@ChangeAustin.org
Candidates Respond!
Thanks to all the Council candidates for responding.
This election is about 3 incumbents and the cost of growth as City leaders continue to fan the flames of out-of-control growth — with current residents shouldering the increasingly unbearable costs. The Austin American Statesman just reported Austin property taxes could rise next year.
Who will fight to keep your cost of living down? It’s up to you Austin – take charge before they charge you!
Go here to read, comment and share with your Austin voting friends.
6 Dynamite Candidate Questions
Thank you for your tremendous and thoughtful responses to our request for your questions to the Austin City Council candidates. We have sifted them down to 6 dynamite Questions for Austin Candidates 2011. Question #1 will tell you where all the money for schools and basic city services went and continues to go so far!
Candidate’s responses come next Tuesday. Then we’ll ask you to forward a message across the city.
We have posted a sampling of the remainder of your 2011 City Council Candidate Questions. Sorry we couldn’t include them all! The Austin Neighborhoods’ questionnaire answered many of these questions. Click here…and here.
Get out to the Candidate forums, y’all. Keep checking this site for upcoming forums: http://councilforums.wordpress.com/. (Thanks to Robert Singleton for doing this site.)
Bill Bunch Testifies Against Water Rate Hikes
Bill Bunch testifies to the Austin City Council on August 26, 2010 against water rate hikes and against Water Treatment Plant #4.
Desmond D’Souza Testifies Against Water Rate Hikes
Desmond D’Souza testifies to the Austin City Council on August 26, 2010 against water rate hikes and against Water Treatment Plant #4.
Lorri Michel puts Austin City Council on notice about unfair property tax breaks for mansions.
Lorri Michel, Austin appraisal attorney, speaks out for Austin’s middle and low income homeowners urging a halt on bogus historic property tax giveaways to Austin’s wealthiest.
Brian Rodgers testifies at City Council on historic property giveaways to Austin’s wealthiest
Brian Rodgers whistle blows on Austin’s historic property giveaways to Austin’s wealthiest.
Protests Due Tuesday, June 1!!
Reminder!
If you feel your home has been over-valued by your county Appraisal District, make sure you get your protest forms in the mail, preferably today or tomorrow by certified mail return receipt requested. If not, walk it in on Tuesday, and get a stamped copy. If not, mail it registered on Tuesday. If not, just mail it on Tuesday and take your chances!
You can include with that the “Request for Information” form here for Travis County (for Bastrop scroll to the bottom of this message), which will help you in preparation for your informal and formal hearings.
Then, please consider reviewing our slides shows on the left hand menu of our front page at ChangeAustin.org.
We now have two mock hearings scheduled below: (Note: if you want to do your own, we will help you!)
Property Tax Appraisal Protest Mock Hearing
Bastrop – location to be announced
Thursday, June 3rd, 6:30 pm
Reserve a free seat here.
Property Tax Appraisal Protest Mock Hearing
Carver Library, 1161 Angelina, Austin
Thursday, June 17th, 6:30 pm
Reserve a free seat here.
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