The average Cedar Park homeowner is now paying roughly $500 more per year to their city council than they did just six years ago, and with Saturday’s election results, residents could find themselves paying even more.
On May 4, Cedar Park citizens voted to elect three city council members, including two incumbents who have already demonstrated the kind of decisions they would make in office—including raising taxes and using that cash to make corrupt special deals with hand-picked businesses.
Council members Anne Duffy and Heather Jefts won re-election Saturday, and both have already voted for higher taxes both of the years they’ve been on the dais. The third candidate elected, Tim Kelly, ousted longtime incumbent Stephen Thomas, who also had an extensive record of tax raises.
However, the election results are not quite final yet: Jefts won by only one vote—2,871 to 2,870—and her opponent, Rodney T. Robinson, said he’ll be seeking a recount.
“It’s just one vote, so the possibility of an error is definitely there,” he said. “I had a feeling it was going to be close, but I didn’t realize it was going to be this close.”
If Robinson were to join newly elected Kelly on the dais, it could help shift the makeup of the council to lean more pro-taxpayer, as both campaigned on fiscal responsibility. Unfortunately, in last year’s election, the three candidates who campaigned as conservatives and won have all turned around and voted to raise taxes and give citizens’ money to privileged businesses. However, if citizens hold their new and current city council members accountable to their campaign promises, there may be a different outcome.
Otherwise, citizens can expect their city tax bill—now $500 more expensive—to climb even higher.
