What the fuck is wrong with you, Austin?

[Orange&White 5,521]

Your favorite council member was rushed to the hospital during a budget meeting today. 
 

I’m sure everyone will send their condolences.

[ztejas 43,411]

8 minutes ago, Orange&White said:

Your favorite council member was rushed to the hospital during a budget meeting today. 
 

I’m sure everyone will send their condolences.

She unironically might actually be my favorite council member. 

[landman 559]

City was kind enough to remove 90% of one of the two east bound lanes of Far West between Doss Elementary and Murchison Middle School, and install some sort of parking mess.  Can't wait until school starts for the true cluster fuck this will be.

[ztejas 43,411]

The amount of roads and/or lanes going down major thoroughfares that are closed or intermittently blocked off right now is fucking preposterous. This city is ran by a bunch of nutless monkeys. And half of it is stupid, unnecessary lane "improvements" that fix nothing except giving everyone more curbs to run into.

The other half is construction closures so we can build more $1800 studio apartments for dickheads from Whiteville, USA to move into. 

Edited August 15 by ztejas

[PvilleStang 2,875]

I'm loving the "we need to make the pools more affordable, cap the entry fees or make them free" all while passing every tax increase possible without sending it to a vote.  Why do we let fucktards like Zo run the city?!

[Orange&White 5,521]

A few months ago we moved from Austin to a nearby suburb. 

It makes reading this thread far more entertaining and far less maddening.

[Texas Jeff 1,942]

15 minutes ago, PvilleStang said:

I'm loving the "we need to make the pools more affordable, cap the entry fees or make them free" all while passing every tax increase possible without sending it to a vote.  Why do we let fucktards like Zo run the city?!

Hey man, taxes are going to go up until we make this place affordable ... it's simple math.

When I was younger I thought that the city government really thought about this stuff and did the best they could to keep the place going.  Now that I am older I am more cynical.  It seems like there are thousands of groups that want to "do something" that in their worldview will improve the city, so they lobby the council, donate money to a politician, or get someone elected.  They use this influence to fund their pet projects.  This times a thousand causes budget bloat, and here we are.

Each taxing authority says "we are just raising our rate a tiny bit, it's only a small increase when you look at your overall tax burden" or presents the tax rate increase as the increase, ignoring the idea that property tax valuations are also increasing faster than inflation, and your tax bill is your tax rate times your valuation.

[PvilleStang 2,875]

38 minutes ago, Texas Jeff said:

Hey man, taxes are going to go up until we make this place affordable ... it's simple math.

When I was younger I thought that the city government really thought about this stuff and did the best they could to keep the place going.  Now that I am older I am more cynical.  It seems like there are thousands of groups that want to "do something" that in their worldview will improve the city, so they lobby the council, donate money to a politician, or get someone elected.  They use this influence to fund their pet projects.  This times a thousand causes budget bloat, and here we are.

Each taxing authority says "we are just raising our rate a tiny bit, it's only a small increase when you look at your overall tax burden" or presents the tax rate increase as the increase, ignoring the idea that property tax valuations are also increasing faster than inflation, and your tax bill is your tax rate times your valuation.

Taxes going up due to Appraisals is one thing, but increasing tax RATES to their max allowed yearly is fucking everyone even when the home values come back down.  This is how the city and county get you twice, they raise appraisals AND rates simultaneously.

[bolverk 29,644]

2 hours ago, Texas Jeff said:

Hey man, taxes are going to go up until we make this place affordable ... it's simple math.

When I was younger I thought that the city government really thought about this stuff and did the best they could to keep the place going.  Now that I am older I am more cynical.  It seems like there are thousands of groups that want to "do something" that in their worldview will improve the city, so they lobby the council, donate money to a politician, or get someone elected.  They use this influence to fund their pet projects.  This times a thousand causes budget bloat, and here we are.

Each taxing authority says "we are just raising our rate a tiny bit, it's only a small increase when you look at your overall tax burden" or presents the tax rate increase as the increase, ignoring the idea that property tax valuations are also increasing faster than inflation, and your tax bill is your tax rate times your valuation.

 

1 hour ago, PvilleStang said:

Taxes going up due to Appraisals is one thing, but increasing tax RATES to their max allowed yearly is fucking everyone even when the home values come back down.  This is how the city and county get you twice, they raise appraisals AND rates simultaneously.

Property tax RATES in Austin seem pretty fucking reasonable in comparison to the other big cities and the local area.

• In 2023, the property tax rate for the City of Austin was less than all its big city peers in Texas and is in the middle of the pack when it comes to Austin and its immediate surrounding suburbs.
• Travis County's rate was a bit high compared to the core counties of other major metros, but it was the lowest in the local area.
• Austin ISD has lower rates than all big city ones and its local suburban competitors.

 

Cumulatively, Austin homeowners pay the lowest rates of the bunch when combining City, County, and ISD together. Of course, there are other special districts that can also add up, but the "core rate" in Austin looks pretty damn good.

All data pulled from here: https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/property-tax/rates/

 

Of course, home valuations are another beast. We like them high when it's time to sell, but that naturally sucks when buying or maintaining a residence. Given that more than half of your property taxes from the core entities go to school districts, maybe we ought to reconsider how funding is collected, formulated, and allocated by the STATE.

[PvilleStang 2,875]

9 minutes ago, bolverk said:

 

Property tax RATES in Austin seem pretty fucking reasonable in comparison to the other big cities and the local area.

• In 2023, the property tax rate for the City of Austin was less than all its big city peers in Texas and is in the middle of the pack when it comes to Austin and its immediate surrounding suburbs.
• Travis County's rate was a bit high compared to the core counties of other major metros, but it was the lowest in the local area.
• Austin ISD has lower rates than all big city ones and its local suburban competitors.

 

Cumulatively, Austin homeowners pay the lowest rates of the bunch when combining City, County, and ISD together. Of course, there are other special districts that can also add up, but the "core rate" in Austin looks pretty damn good.

All data pulled from here: https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/property-tax/rates/

 

Of course, home valuations are another beast. We like them high when it's time to sell, but that naturally sucks when buying or maintaining a residence. Given that more than half of your property taxes from the core entities go to school districts, maybe we ought to reconsider how funding is collected, formulated, and allocated by the STATE.

Now factor in MUDs and utilities.  Some areas pay MUD taxes and pay small utility bills, while others have low MUD taxes but pay a premium for those same services.  Austin Energy / Water is another HUGE piece of that puzzle, as seen here:

 

[sidis 9,819]

1 hour ago, PvilleStang said:

Now factor in MUDs and utilities.  Some areas pay MUD taxes and pay small utility bills, while others have low MUD taxes but pay a premium for those same services.  Austin Energy / Water is another HUGE piece of that puzzle, as seen here:

 

i would like to know who...based on that image...is paying only $1,969 in property taxes anywhere near central texas in 2025.

that may be the stupidest thing i have seen in my life.

[PvilleStang 2,875]

30 minutes ago, sidis said:

i would like to know who...based on that image...is paying only $1,969 in property taxes anywhere near central texas in 2025.

that may be the stupidest thing i have seen in my life.

It's the City of Austin portion of your property taxes.  which is roughly 1/5 of your annual property taxes.  Leave it to city of Austin to try and distort the damages done to the property owner.

[texasdago 7,562]

bUt thEy deFunDIng ThuH PoLIcE!!?!

Sorry... had to point it out because idiots keep repeating this completely inaccurate line

AUSTIN, Texas — Wednesday afternoon, Austin City Council heard public comments about the proposed $5.9 billion city budget.

Earlier, members looked closer at what is in the budget – including the Austin police budget proposal, set at $496 million, an increase of about $18 million.

This comes as the city narrows its search for a new permanent police chief.

[sidis 9,819]

30 minutes ago, PvilleStang said:

It's the City of Austin portion of your property taxes.  which is roughly 1/5 of your annual property taxes.  Leave it to city of Austin to try and distort the damages done to the property owner.

duh, my bad.

[demos 3,002]

Apparently there’s a real serial killer now:

https://www.chron.com/news/article/austin-serial-killer-19659087.php

[Deej 76,748]

He's gonna fuck around, run into Nicole, and end up in the lake. 

[B00M 6,413]

I’m sure this is all money well spent! These people are all very smart and have our long term best interests in mind!

 

[bolverk 29,644]

6 hours ago, PvilleStang said:

Now factor in MUDs and utilities.  Some areas pay MUD taxes and pay small utility bills, while others have low MUD taxes but pay a premium for those same services.  Austin Energy / Water is another HUGE piece of that puzzle, as seen here:

I'm not going to try to add up all the various fees for water/wastewater, electricity, and all the other annual fees for all the other big cities and Austin's suburbs. I did check out the water alone (no wastewater) and it looks like Austin is more on that end. As for MUDs, that's an entirely different beast since they're under different governance and, really, it's on you if you choose to live in one.

The following annual water rates were calculated based on a 5/8 inch residential water meter with usage at 8,000 gallons per month, so, yeah, Austin's more expensive than all the others on water (Houston is in the ballpark).

AUSTIN: $1017.22 per year
https://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Water/Rates/ResidentialPublicRates_2024.pdf

HOUSTON: $936.12
https://www.houstonwaterbills.houstontx.gov/ProdDP/CalculateConsumptionrate/CalculateConsumptionrate

FORT WORTH: $562.92
https://www.fortworthtexas.gov/departments/water/rates#:~:text=Wastewater Volume Rates-,Volume rates are per 100 cubic feet.,3-inch

SAN ANTONIO: $399.72
https://www.saws.org/service/water-sewer-rates/residential-water-service/

DALLAS: $380.04 per year
https://dallascityhall.com/departments/waterutilities/Pages/dallas-water-calculator.aspx

 

[drt 638]

Why the fuck is San Antonio that low when they have more water scarcity problems than Austin?

[Cap33 384]

On 8/14/2024 at 8:06 PM, ztejas said:

The amount of roads and/or lanes going down major thoroughfares that are closed or intermittently blocked off right now is fucking preposterous. This city is ran by a bunch of nutless monkeys. And half of it is stupid, unnecessary lane "improvements" that fix nothing except giving everyone more curbs to run into.

The other half is construction closures so we can build more $1800 studio apartments for dickheads from Whiteville, USA to move into. 

I swear the city waits until August to do most road construction projects.

[texasdago 7,562]

13 hours ago, drt said:

Why the fuck is San Antonio that low when they have more water scarcity problems than Austin?

Right?  And why is Houston so high since they have so much water (but maybe because it is all polluted)

[Orange&White 5,521]

You also have to factor population density and topography

Lower density equals more pipes in the ground equals more maintenance.

More terrain elevation means more pumping. More rocky terrain equals higher cost to install.

Another interesting thing to look at would be the amount each utility is required to transfer to their respective City General Fund. I think Austin Water is required by Council to transfer like $60M a year to the General Fund. AE is sending like $150M/year to the General Fund.

And lastly, just good 'ol fashion government stupidity and graft.

Edited August 16 by Orange&White

[crash_davis 23,094]

Recapture is a hot topic as AISD will be asking for more money. But wait....the extra tax money will also be subject to recapture. Watch the video.

Fuck this state. Fuck Hotwheels Abbott for trying to ruin public education.

https://www.kvue.com/article/news/education/schools/texas-recapture-austin-isd-school-funding/269-e064acdd-3bcf-4455-b628-ca56d2066dae

 

[Steel Shank 9,421]

Breathtaking

[Deej 76,748]

1 hour ago, crash_davis said:

Recapture is a hot topic as AISD will be asking for more money. But wait....the extra tax money will also be subject to recapture. Watch the video.

Fuck this state. Fuck Hotwheels Abbott for trying to ruin public education.

https://www.kvue.com/article/news/education/schools/texas-recapture-austin-isd-school-funding/269-e064acdd-3bcf-4455-b628-ca56d2066dae

 

AISD just need to convince Abbott, Paxton, and Patrick that they will teach the kids that all women are whores, and offer up 5th grade boys to Dan Patrick for his sexual fantasies in order to keep their money. 

[TKthunder2 4,985]

2 hours ago, crash_davis said:

Recapture is a hot topic as AISD will be asking for more money. But wait....the extra tax money will also be subject to recapture. Watch the video.

Fuck this state. Fuck Hotwheels Abbott for trying to ruin public education.

https://www.kvue.com/article/news/education/schools/texas-recapture-austin-isd-school-funding/269-e064acdd-3bcf-4455-b628-ca56d2066dae

 

Not an Abbott fan, but serious question /nocr how does he control recapture, I thought that was required due to a court ruling a while back? Is it the implementation over it or something I’m missing?

Edited August 21 by TKthunder2

[crash_davis 23,094]

5 minutes ago, TKthunder2 said:

Not an Abbott fan, but serious question /no r how does he control recapture, I thought that was required due to a court ruling a while back? Is it the implementation over it or something I’m missing?

The state doesn't know where the excess recapture money goes. It goes into the general fund so it can get spent anywhere.

There's a $4.5B school funding bill already passed in the lege. Hotwheels won't sign it because he wants vouchers included, you know, gut public schools.

Edited August 21 by crash_davis

[Deej 76,748]

Gotta make sure only the white kids get educated. 

[crash_davis 23,094]

18 minutes ago, Deej said:

Gotta make sure only the white kids get educated. 

It's worse. He and the other idiots want taxpayers to pay for religious schools which can teach a 6000 yr old Earth, dinos didn't exist, women are baby factories subservient to men, and all kinds of bullshit. If you want to your dipshit kids to learn that bullshit, it's your prerogative. Just don't expect me to pay for that bullshit. Oh and take money away from public schools while they are at it.

[Deej 76,748]

Oh, you'll be paying for it.

[PvilleStang 2,875]

13 hours ago, crash_davis said:

Recapture is a hot topic as AISD will be asking for more money. But wait....the extra tax money will also be subject to recapture. Watch the video.

Fuck this state. Fuck Hotwheels Abbott for trying to ruin public education.

https://www.kvue.com/article/news/education/schools/texas-recapture-austin-isd-school-funding/269-e064acdd-3bcf-4455-b628-ca56d2066dae

 

Dude, you realize the DEMS are the ones that passed recapture when they last controlled the lege?  Fuck off with that CR bullshit.

No one in their right mind wants to touch it because it's political suicide to try and rebalance the recapture.  La Joya et al is sucking the coffers dry while Austin is going in dry on every property tax payer.

https://www.kxan.com/investigations/aisd-points-to-20m-water-park-as-proof-robin-hood-formula-doesnt-work/

[crash_davis 23,094]

7 minutes ago, PvilleStang said:

Dude, you realize the DEMS are the ones that passed recapture when they last controlled the lege?  Fuck off with that CR bullshit.

No one in their right mind wants to touch it because it's political suicide to try and rebalance the recapture.  La Joya et al is sucking the coffers dry while Austin is going in dry on every property tax payer.

https://www.kxan.com/investigations/aisd-points-to-20m-water-park-as-proof-robin-hood-formula-doesnt-work/

You're the only one who thinks it's CR. Bullshit is bullshit, regardless of party affiliation. No one is saying the recapture isn't needed. But the state has long had an excess of what is paid to schools. The excess money is not returned to the ISDs. It's put back into the general fund which the state leaders used to "balance" the budget. AISD people have a legit fucking gripe since we pay 3xs more than anyone else. Give the excess back to the ISDs. 

And Hotwheels is the fucking dipshit holding up $4.5B in school funding because vouchers. Fuck off with giving out elected officials a pass because of team politics bullshit.

[Eskimohorn 5,629]

Dude, you realize the DEMS are the ones that passed recapture when they last controlled the lege?  Fuck off with that CR bullshit.

No one in their right mind wants to touch it because it's political suicide to try and rebalance the recapture.  La Joya et al is sucking the coffers dry while Austin is going in dry on every property tax payer.

https://www.kxan.com/investigations/aisd-points-to-20m-water-park-as-proof-robin-hood-formula-doesnt-work/

The initial legislation was necessary due to massive inequity. That the formulas havent been adjusted in any meaningful way is absurd. More than districts being flush (most arent), the recapture excesses just sit in the general fund, then go to the rainy day fund.

Post less.

[Texas Jeff 1,942]

11 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

Not an Abbott fan, but serious question /nocr how does he control recapture, I thought that was required due to a court ruling a while back? Is it the implementation over it or something I’m missing?

He and the lege control it.

The state sets a value of wealth per child for each district.  It can be anything they want it to be.  School property tax on wealth above that value is "recaptured", i.e. sent to the state.  School districts have some other options other than doing this, things like merging with another poorer district, but most choose to write a check.  Lower the wealth per child or lower property tax rates and "recapture" goes down, meaning the amount sent to the state from the local property tax payer.

The state sets the amount of money a school receives per child.  It can be anything they want it to be.  If the school district does not raise enough money to cover that amount, the state covers the rest.  In theory this comes from the "recapture" fund, but in reality the state just cuts them a check.  Raise the amount of money a school receives per child and school funding goes up.  Lower it and it goes down.  Keep it it same during times of high inflation (and that is what we are doing now) and school funding goes down  ... inflation eats it away.

Right now, these amounts are set such that the state is collecting more money than they are distributing, so the excess recapture money goes to the general fund.  This general fund can be used for whatever the state wants.

The lege can pass legislation to change this but they need the governor also pass it, and he's not doing that.  He wants private vouchers to funnel public tax money into private schools.

In 2016, some school districts sued the state saying that this was bullshit.  They won.  It was appealed to the Texas State Supreme Court.  The court said no.   The court said that things were screwed up, but everyone was at the wrong venue.  The said everyone needed to work through this in the lege, don't take this to the courts.

And eight years later the lege and the governor are draining public education through inflation and inaction while building up the general fund for whatever.

[Saint Tacky 1,613]

12 hours ago, Deej said:

Gotta make sure only the white kids get educated. 

[Texas Jeff 1,942]

14 hours ago, crash_davis said:

Recapture is a hot topic as AISD will be asking for more money. But wait....the extra tax money will also be subject to recapture. Watch the video.

This will be a tough year for Austin ISD.  IMHO they have a top notch superintendent and the people implementing the bond that I have met have been fantastic.  Hopefully they are up to it.

In November, Austin voters will be asked to raise AISD taxes.  The new tax will raise about $170 million.  About $40 million will stay in the school district.  The other $130 million will go to the state.  Of the $170 million, about $17 million will go to teacher raises.  It's a difficult decision and I think it's reasonable to vote either way on this.

At the same time, the district will be considering cuts.  They have a goal of cutting about $78 million over two years to get to a balanced budget.  Last year they gave staff raises without new revenue to support the raises, which created a deficit budget.  They were using savings to cover this deficit, but the savings fund is now down to the lowest amount they must keep.  They have to get back to a balanced budget.

They are going to start working through cuts this fall, which may include school closures and cutting programs.  Trustees don't get elected to cut stuff, and many on the current board were elected on the heels of the last effort to close underutilized schools.  The community is going to pressure the trustees to cut someone else's program or school.

All of this is occurring with the school district under a state monitor for special education issues, which has the board under state guardrails for how they can behave.

[texasdago 7,562]

1 hour ago, PvilleStang said:

Dude, you realize the DEMS are the ones that passed recapture when they last controlled the lege?  Fuck off with that CR bullshit.

No one in their right mind wants to touch it because it's political suicide to try and rebalance the recapture.  La Joya et al is sucking the coffers dry while Austin is going in dry on every property tax payer.

https://www.kxan.com/investigations/aisd-points-to-20m-water-park-as-proof-robin-hood-formula-doesnt-work/

Imagine thinking Dems control things these days in the state.  Who cares who passed it.  Republicans have the power to fix it and they have Z E R O interest in doing anything that is in the best interests of the state.  It is all about grift, power and owning the libs.

No CR, of course.

[crash_davis 23,094]

3 minutes ago, Texas Jeff said:

This will be a tough year for Austin ISD.  IMHO they have a top notch superintendent and the people implementing the bond that I have met have been fantastic.  Hopefully they are up to it.

In November, Austin voters will be asked to raise AISD taxes.  The new tax will raise about $170 million.  About $40 million will stay in the school district.  The other $130 million will go to the state.  Of the $170 million, about $17 million will go to teacher raises.  It's a difficult decision and I think it's reasonable to vote either way on this.

At the same time, the district will be considering cuts.  They have a goal of cutting about $78 million over two years to get to a balanced budget.  Last year they gave staff raises without new revenue to support the raises, which created a deficit budget.  They were using savings to cover this deficit, but the savings fund is now down to the lowest amount they must keep.  They have to get back to a balanced budget.

They are going to start working through cuts this fall, which may include school closures and cutting programs.  Trustees don't get elected to cut stuff, and many on the current board were elected on the heels of the last effort to close underutilized schools.  The community is going to pressure the trustees to cut someone else's program or school.

All of this is occurring with the school district under a state monitor for special education issues, which has the board under state guardrails for how they can behave.

The bullshit is affecting tons of school districts. It's like the state leaders want the dumbest fucking population possible, as long as we pay for religious schools, sorry I meant vouchers.

I imagine this article applies to many school districts across the state.

https://www.kxan.com/investigations/most-central-texas-school-districts-face-budget-shortfalls/

[MonkeyDoughnut 10,226]

Charter school design magnifies the recapture because they are 100% state funded.  When kids drop out of public schools to attend a charter school, the wealthy district per student amount increases (recapture does in turn).  

Sadly though polls are now showing majority of Texans (almost 2/3) want vouchers, including majority of Repubs, Independents and also Dems... j

[crash_davis 23,094]

Per reddit, supposedly ABIA around Delta terminals are w/o power.

[BrazilHorn 6,586]

1 hour ago, crash_davis said:

Per reddit, supposedly ABIA around Delta terminals are w/o power.

Hopefully cleared up by tomorrow. Headed to Minneapolis

[hornian 5,210]

17 hours ago, crash_davis said:

Per reddit, supposedly ABIA around Delta terminals are w/o power.

 

16 hours ago, BrazilHorn said:

Hopefully cleared up by tomorrow. Headed to Minneapolis

My wife is there now and says it is super empty and took no time to get through security. 

[ztejas 43,411]

This is one afternoon of driving around South Austin. 

Edited August 22 by ztejas

[Steel Shank 9,421]

Icy cold

[Walser 1,109]

37 minutes ago, ztejas said:

This is one afternoon of driving around South Austin. 

That's South Austin's mom alright.

[PantsTent 2,002]

Good job on your registration renewal!

[ztejas 43,411]

7 minutes ago, PantsTent said:

Good job on your registration renewal!

You must be one of those sheep that gets it renewed every year. 

[Deej 76,748]

What kind of asshole still drives. Get on your bike.

 

Edited August 23 by Deej

[ztejas 43,411]

22 minutes ago, Deej said:

What kind of assholes still drives. Get on your bike.

 

Biking down S 1st in this weather.

[crash_davis 23,094]

How long before this asshole is back out on the streets? 

 

https://www.fox7austin.com/news/attempted-break-in-machete-attack-liberty-hill-texas

The man gets up, comes up the stairs, and pulls on the door. 

"I start running through the house. I lock every door as fast as possible, run upstairs. Luckily, I had a firearm here, so I grabbed my 9mm, unlocked it, ran down as fast as possible," Stevens said. 

The suspect climbed the fence and got on the upper deck where Stevens confronted him. 

"Told him he's got to leave or he's going to lose his life, you know? Luckily, after I did that, he dropped the machete," he said.

The video then shows the intruder climbing back down, and a gun pointing at him as he walks away. 

Stevens' wife had called 911 in the meantime, and deputies arrested 43-year-old Jerry Escamilla of Bertram. He is charged with criminal trespassing and failure to identify and is being held on a $10,000 bond.