What Will Austin City Councilmember-elect Troxclair Do about Affordability in District 8?
Councilmember-elect Ellen Troxclair emphasized two issues during the campaign for District 8’s council seat: affordability and Austin’s budget priorities. Concerning affordability, she emphasized the fact that District 8 has the highest rate of homeowners among the 10 districts, that many homeowners are dismayed by their increasingly high property taxes, and that the increasing property taxes threaten the ability of homeowners to stay in their homes and live in District 8. In a forum during the runoff election campaign, she stated that property taxes had increased by 40 percent in the last six years. To deal with the issue, she advocated an immediate 20 percent homestead exemption, which was also advocated by other council and mayoral candidates. Furthermore, she suggested that tax rates should be cut to maintain the effective tax rate (the rate that would produce the same revenue as the previous year). Is this true, and what can she and other council members do to reduce th...