Prop I fails with 55% voting no. The city's own outside audit of every department keeps going

Austin voters turned down Proposition I, the petition-driven charter amendment that would have required an independent affordability and efficiency audit of city government on a recurring schedule. In unofficial results, about 55% voted against it and 45% for it, roughly 189,000 votes to 155,000, KUT reported in a story updated at 8:47 a.m. Wednesday.

The no side was larger in early voting. Community Impact's tally of early ballots, posted at 10:20 p.m. Tuesday, had 58% against; by its 7:58 a.m. update, with Election Day ballots included, it was 55%, Community Impact reported.

The results are unofficial until the council canvasses them.

What Prop I would have done

Prop I would have written an outside audit into the city charter, reported as every five years, and required one before any election to raise the property tax rate above the state limit. The contractor would have had to find savings larger than the cost of its own contract. Because it would have been in the charter, only another public vote could change it. Our pre-election explainer has the full background.

What each side said Tuesday night

Matt Mackowiak, a co-founder of Save Austin Now, the PAC that led the petition drive, said, "Tonight the voters did not choose the intelligent path," KUT reported. He told Community Impact his side lost because opponents had misrepresented the proposal. Bill Aleshire, the attorney who drafted Prop I, said voters had been "duped," according to Community Impact.

Opponents, including Mayor Kirk Watson and most of the council, had argued the measure duplicated an audit already underway and would be locked in place. Council Member Vanessa Fuentes said, "They know that this service will be locked in the city charter," KUT reported.

What our records add

The audit that continues. The council approved an efficiency audit ordinance unanimously in February, and in August approved a $5.23 million, three-year contract with the firm Public Works LLC, with 20 departments covered in the first year, CBS Austin reported. Tuesday's vote does not touch that contract.

Who it covers, and when. The City Auditor's 2027 plan, which the Audit and Finance Committee sent to the council on Oct. 21, lays out the schedule. According to the plan document, 2027 covers departments that serve residents directly, including Animal Services, Development Services, public safety, Housing, Parks, Public Health and the Library. Support departments, the airport, the Convention Center, Transportation and Public Works and Watershed Protection follow in 2028. Austin Energy, Austin Resource Recovery and Austin Water come in 2029. The auditor said the plan holds placeholder "flex" projects for risks the assessment turns up outside its scope. Our story on the plan lists the auditor's own 10 new audits.

The key difference. The current assessment rests on an ordinance, which a future council could change or repeal by majority vote. Prop I's backers argued for a charter rule for that reason, CBS Austin reported. After Tuesday, the audit's future stays with the council.

How it got on the ballot. Prop I was the only citizen-initiated measure on the city ballot. The council's Aug. 6 ordinance included it as a petitioned amendment that the motion said was certified sufficient on June 22. The council debated where to list it. Mayor Watson said that although he disagreed with the petition, he was not sure the council should relegate it behind the council's own items. The ordinance passed unanimously.

A related change that passed. Voters approved Prop G, which requires future citizen-initiated elections, for ordinances and charter amendments alike, to be held in November of even-numbered years. City lawyers told the council on July 30 that the rule would apply to both kinds of petitions. Our charter story covers it.

The money. Committees on both sides filed reports through Oct. 24. Our story on those reports lists what each raised and spent. We report those figures for context; they do not explain the result.

What's next

• Canvass: The council canvasses the results, likely in mid-November based on last year's timing.
• The audit plan: The 2027 audit plan, sponsored by Mayor Watson and Council Member Ryan Alter, goes to the full council for a vote.
• First findings: The first year of the Public Works assessment covers 20 departments, CBS Austin reported. Its findings will come to the council through the City Auditor's office, which oversees the contract, according to the audit plan.