City of Austin’s tax levy for 2021 to remain at 4%

The Austin City Council discussed the city’s budget and tax levy for 2021 with City Administrator Craig Clark and Finance Director Tom Dankert during a work session following their regularly scheduled meeting Monday evening in the city council chambers.  KAUS spoke with Mayor Tom Stiehm during the “Meet the Mayor” segment of “Wright Here, Right Now,” and Stiehm stated that the city will be able to keep next year’s levy at 4%…

The proposed tax levy for the city of Austin for 2021 will total $7,436,000, and the 2021 levy must be approved by the end of September.  After that point, the levy can be lowered, but not raised until it is approved at the city’s Truth in Taxation hearing in mid-December.  Dankert stated to the council in a memo that local government aid for the city for 2021 remains a concern as due to a nearly $5 billion budget deficit caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the city’s local government aid dollars could be unalotted by the state to help balance the budget.