Council members in Texas’ capital city have approved more than half a billion dollars in debt without obtaining approval from voters over the past three years.
As first reported by the Austin Current, the debt comes from three annual rounds of Austin certificates of obligation: $107.65 million in 2024, $308.50 million in 2025, and $150.12 million in 2026 for a combined $566.27 million.
These obligations are intended to cover a series of real estate transactions.
The 2024 round originated principally in an administrative office acquisition at 5202 East Ben White Blvd., approved in November 2023, plus new fire/EMS stations, repairs and renovations to existing stations, and smaller bridge, road, and Waller Creek projects.
The 2025 round was much larger and its authorization included roughly $136.7 million for administrative offices, $53 million for public safety offices, and $46 million for a public safety warehouse, alongside fire/EMS facilities, I-35 cap-and-stitch design, transportation, and parks projects.
The 2026 round continued those commitments. The tax-exempt authorization included $82.5 million for Northeast Service Center and University Park administrative facilities, $19 million for administrative/public safety improvements, $16.5 million for the combined public safety campus, $10 million for Colony Park infrastructure, and smaller fire/EMS, street, bridge, and parks allocations.
The revelations of these debt obligations come as voters are poised to consider an outside audit of municipal finances.
The ballot measure, Proposition I, would amend the city charter to require independent audits of municipal finances every five years.
Additionally, if the city council wants to pursue a future tax rate election, the proposed charter amendment would require the municipal government to complete such an audit before calling the election.
The City of Austin currently conducts various internal audits. The proposed charter amendment would supplement this process with regular external reviews.
The referendum follows the landslide defeat of Proposition Q last year, which could have enshrined hundreds of millions of dollars in municipal spending.
Proposition Q’s failure was the culmination of a series of record-setting municipal budgets.
The city council approved its most recent record-setting $6.6 billion budget in August 2026. This represented a nearly five percent increase from 2025’s previous record of $6.3 billion, a nearly 11 percent increase from 2024’s record of $5.9 billion, and a nearly 17 percent increase from 2023’s record of $5.5 billion.
For perspective, Austin’s budget was $4.5 billion in 2021 and $3.3 billion in 2013.
Austin’s municipal spending has long been a subject of criticism. This criticism has grown following an explosion of spending for vagrancy services in recent years.
A recent Texas Scorecard investigation also uncovered millions of dollars in public subsidies for groups that promote dangerous sexual activity.
A similar effort to require a municipal audit fell short in 2018. At the time, Austin’s municipal budget was $4.1 billion.
The audit referendum will appear at the bottom of the ballot, after federal, state, and local offices.
Legislation that would have abolished the Austin City Council received a committee hearing from state lawmakers in 2025 and is expected to return in 2027.
