Why the City of Austin needs a full scale audit

"So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, 'Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.' "
John 6:12

Latest from Citizens for Tax Relief Now:

You wouldn't buy a business without first looking at the books, right? Neither should the new 10-1 City Council start business at City Hall without first checking the City's books.

That's why the No. 1 item in the Citizens for Tax Relief Now pledge is to perform an independent operational and financial audit of the City of Austin. It's going to be impossible to turn the affordability ship around without knowing exactly what spending and hiring policies of the City have led to this current untenable situation.

And it can't be an inside job either. We're calling for a specialized audit that will track down every expenditure from origin to final destination by a forensic auditor who is not affiliated with the City. It's the only way to guarantee a neutral, clear-eyed assessment of the state of the City's business.

We're also calling for an operational audit similar to the one conducted for Travis County this year, which concluded our county government is "dysfunctional."

With early voting happening now in eight of the 10 district races, including the mayor's race, we'd like to know where the candidates stand on this issue.
Three of the City Council races contain candidates who have signed the Citizens for Tax Relief NOW pledge:

Laura Pressley (Dist. 4)
Don Zimmerman (Dist. 6)
Ellen Troxclair, (Dist. 8)

You can count on these individuals to make transparency, accountability and affordability their top priorities once elected.

VOTE. MAKE SURE YOUR FRIENDS VOTE.

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Look up your local polling locations (listed HERE).

By signing the Citizens for Tax Relief NOW pledge, Pressley, Zimmerman and Troxclair have promised to:

1. Audit the City of Austin
Support and advocate for an independent operational and financial audit of all city departments and functions.

2. Enact a 20% Homestead Exemption
Support and advocate for immediate tax relief for homeowners by implementing the full 20% Homestead Exemption.

3. Budget at the Effective Tax Rate
Support and advocate for annual operating budgets that do not exceed the effective tax rate and for zero-based budgeting for all operations.

If you want City Hall to be more accountable, if you want the City you love to be more affordable, then you've got to help turn out the vote for these runoff elections. Please, share this message with your friends, family and other Austin voters.

Together, we can make Austin affordable, right NOW!

Thank you, and God bless!

Cindy Mallette
Organizer, Citizens for Tax Relief NOW
www.citizensfortaxreliefnow.com
cindymallette@gmail.com