Prop I and Austin's seven other charter amendments: what's on the Nov. 3 ballot

Austin voters will decide eight changes to the city charter on the Nov. 3 ballot, Propositions C through J. One of them, Proposition I, has drawn the most attention, including rallies by opponents. Early voting is underway and ends Friday, Oct. 30. Here is what Prop I would do, what the other seven would do, and what our records add.

What Prop I would do

Prop I would write a recurring outside audit of city government into the charter. As KUT reported, it requires an independent affordability and efficiency audit on a regular schedule, reported as every five years. It also requires one before any election to raise the property tax rate above the state limit. The contractor would have to find savings larger than the cost of its own contract. Because the requirement would sit in the charter, only another vote of the people could change it.

Supporters led by the Save Austin Now PAC gathered more than 21,000 petition signatures to put it on the ballot, KUT reported. The measure's author argues that the audit the city is already doing rests on an ordinance the council could repeal, while a charter rule could not be dropped without voters, CBS Austin reported.

Opponents include the group Austinites for Equity, Mayor Kirk Watson, Council Members Vanessa Fuentes, Mike Siegel, Zo Qadri, Ryan Alter, José Velásquez and Mayor Pro Tem José "Chito" Vela, along with U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, according to KUT. They argue the measure duplicates an audit already underway and could cost more. Fuentes has argued that the consultant would effectively set its own price. Watson has called the proposal a political attack, KUT reported.

The audit already underway

CBS Austin reported that the council unanimously approved an efficiency audit ordinance in February. In August it approved a $5.23 million, three-year contract with the firm Public Works LLC, with 20 departments covered in the first year.

Our records show that work is already shaping the city auditor's plans. On Oct. 21 the Audit and Finance Committee approved sending the auditor's 2027 audit plan to the full council. The city auditor said the plan holds placeholder "flex" projects for risks the ongoing citywide efficiency assessment may turn up outside its own scope. The plan also lays out which departments the assessment will cover in each of its three years.

How the measures got on the ballot

The council ordered the charter election on Aug. 6. The ordinance covered proposed amendments plus a citizen-initiated amendment that the motion said was certified sufficient on June 22. The council debated the order of the propositions. Council Member Mike Siegel said he would have preferred to list the council's own amendments first. Mayor Kirk Watson disagreed. "I don't agree with that petition," he said, but added that he was not sure the council should relegate a citizen petition to a spot after the council's own items. The ordinance passed unanimously, with the letters in the order legal staff recommended.

The other seven charter amendments

KUT summarized the rest this way:

• C: clarifies the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission's independence and changes how members are picked and vacancies filled.
• D: removes the charter rule that the council meet weekly.
• E: drops the requirement that the council set its rules and order of business by ordinance.
• F: moves the yearly setting of campaign contribution and spending limits to Jan. 1.
• G: requires citizen initiative and petitioned charter elections to be held in November of even-numbered years.
• H: lets the council, not the city manager, appoint and remove the city attorney. A similar measure failed 51% to 49% in 2012.
• J: makes cleanup changes, such as fixing typos.

Propositions A and B, the $295 million parks and library bonds, are on the same ballot but are not charter amendments.

Money in the campaign

Our campaign finance page tracks itemized contributions to city committees since Nov. 1, 2022. Committees on both sides of Prop I appear there. These totals cover each committee's activity over that whole period, not only this election:

• Save Austin Now PAC: $4,048,630
• Austinites for Equity: $820,367
• Don't DOGE Our Austin: $97,053

These figures show how much each committee has raised. They do not show how any of it has been spent on Prop I.

What's next

Early voting runs through Oct. 30, and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polling places and sample ballots are on the Travis County Clerk's elections site.