Austin News

Voters in Austin on Election Day will decide on two ballot measures that will fund transportation improvements. One includes a new property tax for transit expansion and the other will allow the city to borrow funds for sidewalk and street repairs.

Proposition A will add a new property tax to fund an expansion of transit service in Austin, which includes two new light rail lines, a new commuter rail line and bus line, KUT.org reported. A new downtown transit tunnel will also be built, and park and rides will be added. The new project, called Project Connect, will raise taxes. For a home valued at $400,000, the estimated annual impact would be an increase of $350. 

Proposition B allows the city of Austin to borrow $460 million to pay for new sidewalks and street repairs, and a 2 cent-increase in residents' tax rates would be phased in by fiscal year 2026, KUT reported.

The funds will pay for project that includes $102 million for work on the Longhorn Dam Bridge, the South Pleasant Valley Corridor and the Congress Avenue Urban Design Initiative, $80 million for new sidewalks and repairs, $80 million for urban trails, and $40 million for bikeways among others.

Opponents and supporters of the ballot measures have made their position clear.

The nearly $10 billion Prop A measure is supported by some council members, including Greg Casar who is running to hold onto his District 4 seat. His opponent, Ramesses II Setepenre, also supports it. 

“We could actually have a real mass transit system that we deserve that is fully electric, that gets you in the middle of rush hour," Casar told KUT.org. "… You won't have to sit in traffic and [will be able to] get downtown from District 4 in 20 minutes and out to the airport in not that much longer than that. That's what a big city needs. It's badly what our essential workers need, and it’s the right thing for our city to do.”

Setepenre told KUT.org he favors Prop A, but does have reservations on its funding. 

"The principal reason why I live in Crestview Station is that I have access to a MetroRail, as well as express buses," he said. "And for years I used to take the Metro buses. However, the train was the fastest route downtown and elsewhere because it doesn't stop. So, yes, I'm in favor right now. However, I do have reservations about the funding of it, and I don't have high hopes of it being passed by taxpayers."  

A political action committee, Our Mobility, Our Future, opposes Prop A and states on its website, "We're a group of business owners, taxpayers, homeowners, renters, parents, community activists, current and former elected officials, data nerds, and transportation policy wonks concerned for the future of transportation, mobility, safety, and affordability in our growing city. We have nothing to gain, personally or otherwise, from rejecting Project Connect's rail plan. We simply believe Austin could be better served by smarter investments and new mobility solutions. Nearly $10 billion is an unprecedented spend for our community, let's move forward - not backward."