Austin Residents Launch Petition for Independent City Budget Audit
AUSTIN, Texas – A new petition is seeking an independent, complete audit of how the City of Austin spends taxpayer money. Organizers aim to trigger a charter amendment allowing for the selection of a firm to review departmental performance and recommend improvements. Approximately 20,000 signatures from qualified voters are needed to bring the proposal forward for consideration by the Austin City Council, or perhaps put it to a vote in the next election.
the effort is driven by concerns over transparency and accountability in city spending.”What we’re trying to do hear is try to have a serious firm that the city will select within the parameters of the charter amendment, take a full review of how our city spends money, of how all these departments are performing, and make serious recommendations on how we can improve things,” said petition supporter Mackowiak.
Attorney and Former Travis County Judge Bill aleshire emphasized the need for an independent review, stating, “If you want to restore trust, you have got to let this process work independently of the kind of political or selfish protection that the incumbents may have.You’re going to get more benefit for taxpayers if it’s done this way.”
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson acknowledged the importance of performance reviews, noting past audits of development, homeless, and police department spending.He also stated the city is already exploring hiring consultants to improve spending efficiency. However,Mayor Watson expressed reservations about the petition. “I don’t know that I support the petition. I need more time to look at what they do with that because what I don’t want…is the use of something that we all may agree we need to become political weaponry,” he said. ”Doing things like that is not an all or nothing sort of situation…and I need a little more time to look at that.”
The petition’s success hinges on gathering sufficient signatures and navigating the City Council’s response. The initiative arrives amid ongoing debate about fiscal duty and public trust in local government.
