While we, at the City, must accept the responsibility of keeping City property taxes as low as possible, the state’s broken school funding system currently accounts for the lion’s share of the property tax bill for every Austin household and commercial property owner, and is passed on to renters in the form of higher rents. Under the state plan known as “Robin Hood,” Austin taxpayers will be forced to give back a record $670 million property in taxes to the state this year – more than any other Texas district. As mayor, I will work with our Travis County delegation and a multi-city coalition to fix this broken system.

In addition, I will work for legislation at the state level to address the root causes of rising housing costs and enact sensible tools to improve access to affordable housing for all Austinites. Affordability problems are not unique to Austin, and Texas cities must stand together for positive change.