Austin voters overwhelmingly reject tax increase for homeless [View all]

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https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/02/us/austin-tax-vote.html

https://archive.ph/PhwdU

Austin Asked Voters to Raise Taxes for the Homeless. It’s Not Going Well.
A proposed tax hike before the city on Tuesday has become a referendum on governance in the fast-changing Texas capital.
By J. David Goodman
Published Nov. 2, 2025

A referendum in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday to raise taxes for city services partly to address homelessness has set off a surprising backlash in the deep blue city.

“We’re just one step from becoming homeless” ourselves, said Susana Almanza, the director of PODER, a social and environmental justice nonprofit based in East Austin. “And so we feel like this additional increase will really hurt.”

For some, the tax hike proposal is a slap in the face from city leaders who have lost the trust of voters after years of increasing spending — epitomized by the creation of a new city logo, developed at a cost of more than $1 million. For others, it is a chance to reject the pro-growth, anything-goes ethos associated with the Austin area’s new wealthy technology elite, which includes residents like Elon Musk.

“Everybody loves Austin, but only some people can afford to stay here,” said Ms. [Robin] Rather, a lifelong Democrat, environmentalist and the daughter of the former CBS News anchor Dan Rather.

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