The irony abounds—and is continuing to cost Austinites.
On Thursday, the Democrat-run Austin City Council instituted a controversial new pilot program: hand out $1,000 straight-cash, no-restrictions checks to families each month for the next year.
But the checks will only go to 85 families handpicked by city hall.
The program will cost citizens $1 million.
The city council enacted the program to “help the poor” and those at risk of losing their homes, but ironically, the council constantly raising taxes over the past decade is part of what put many Austinites in this situation.
(For instance, imagine if a school bully took your entire lunch, then turned around and left you a crumb—and said they were helping you.)
Texas Scorecard previously chronicled the council’s backwards actions that have contributed to making Austin the second-worst livable city in the nation for minimum wage employees. Despite public outcry to city hall, the thought of lowering property taxes and relieving all Austinites has been out of the question.
The council will also be paying a California nonprofit organization $152,000 to manage their new program.
“Hey what about the working people paying outrageous property taxes to fund this nonsense?” tweeted one citizen.
“This welfare program effectively makes Austin more unaffordable for the 99.9% of those renters and residents who would not qualify for this program,” replied another. “Shame on you!”
“Lower the real estate tax rate instead,” wrote one.
“If you want to support families and people in tents make it MORE AFFORDABLE for people to live here,” another individual posted. “You’ve turned this city into a playground for high income earners. Unbelievable!!”
