Austin Chamber of Commerce

Austin Community College

Austin ISD

Austin Travis County Integral Care

Capital Metro

Central Health

Capital City African American 

Chamber of Commerce

City of Austin

City of Pflugerville

Community Justice Council

Del Valle ISD

Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce

Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Huston-Tillotson University

interfaith Action Central Texas

Manor ISD

One Voice Central Texas

Seton Healthcare Family

St. David's Foundation

St. Edward's University

Travis County

United Way for Greater Austin

University of Texas at Austin

Workforce Solutions - Capital Area

Local city and county governments are in the final rounds of adopting budgets for the coming year.  Final budgets and tax rates will be adopted in September for fiscal years that begin October 1st. 

The proposed City of Austin budget of $3.3 billion includes expenditures that are 3.4% higher than this year's budget.  In a budget highlight document, the finance department estimates that the impact of increased property taxes and fees for the "typical" resident will be about $14.39 a month, an increase of 4.8%. Public hearings on the proposed budget will be held this Thursday, August 22nd and next Thursday, August 29th at 4 p.m. at City Hall.

Travis County Commissioners are considering a budget that will increase spending by $30 million to a total of $844.3 million next year.  The proposed tax rate of 49.46 per $100 assessed value is less than this year's tax rate, but with rising property values, the median annual tax bill will increase by about $20. Public hearings will be held on August 17th, 20th and 24th with anticipated final approval on August 24th.

The City of Pflugerville's proposed budget totals $62.2 million. Due to growth and higher property values, a slightly lower tax rate of 57.86 cents per $100 valuation will bring in additional city revenues while leaving the tax bill for the average homeowner unchanged.   

The City of Austin was awarded a federal grant to provide financial education and matched savings accounts to low-income residents.  For every $1 saved, the City of Austin will provide a match of $3.  The maximum amount that a family can contribute to the program is $2,000 which, with the match, becomes $8,000.  The matched savings can only be used for the purchase of a home, for a small business investment or to pay for secondary education.  Legal residents of the City of Austin who earn no more than 60% of the Median Family Income ($43,920 for a family of four) are eligible to participate.  Participants must also complete 16 hours of financial education and may participate for no more than two years.  For more information, contact  the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Office at 512-974-3100.

A new report by Nonprofit Vote and Tufts University reports that nonprofits are especially suited for increasing voting among populations least likely to go to the polls.  Can Nonprofits Increase Voting Among Their Clients, Constituents, and Staff? reports that even among demographic groups known for lower turnout, those engaged by nonprofits voted at higher rates than all registered voters. The report examines the challenges nonprofits faced and strategies that worked to incorporate voter engagement into ongoing programs and services. The report highlights the ability of nonprofits to close participation gaps and expand the electorate through the personal contact they already have with the people they serve and engage every day.