Mandates 3rd Party Audit of City Hall Spending + Performance
Make Austin’s government transparent, efficient, and affordable.
This City Charter amendment needs your signature. It will finally require a recurring, independent review of Austin City Council's billions of dollars in spending, their performance, and their staffing — and it must identify savings that at least exceed the cost of the review itself.
No gimmicks. Just independent spending audits written into the City Charter.
What this amendment does
Lowers Austin's Cost of Living
Before tax increases
Independent review required
Council can’t call a tax-rate increase election unless a full Initiative has been completed in the last year.
Net impact
Savings > Cost
The contractor must commit to finding annual or multi-year savings that exceed their own fee.
-
✓Independent professionals, competitively selected by the City Auditor — not City Hall.
-
✓Forensic accounting to reveal fraud, waste, conflicts of interest, and weak internal controls.
-
✓Full transparency: all drafts, data, and findings are public information by law.
Why this matters
Austin can’t become more affordable without honest numbers.
The cost of City government directly affects the cost of living. This amendment requires the City to benchmark its spending, staffing, and outcomes against what residents and businesses can actually afford — and against similar Texas cities — instead of asking for more taxes without proof of efficiency.
Independent, professional analysis
The City Auditor must hire an outside firm with a track record of this exact work — independent of City Hall
and selected through open competition.
Forensic review of spending
Every fund, department, and enterprise is in scope. The Initiative examines capital assets, revenues, and
expenditures and flags waste, fraud risks, and weak controls.
Performance & accountability
The City and its contractors must be measured on workload, costs, and outcomes — with payment and oversight
tied to clear performance metrics.
AUSTIN'S CITY GOVERNMENT SPENDING PER RESIDENT
Annual city government spending per resident vs. similar cities is a staggering blow to affordability. This regular Audit requirement will help Austinites understand "why".
How it works
Built-in oversight, repeated every five years.
The Independent Affordability & Efficiency Initiative isn’t a one-time study. It’s a recurring, legally required process that forces the City to measure what matters: affordability, efficiency, and real-world performance.
Every 5 years
Before any tax-rate increase election
Whole government in scope
1
City Auditor selects an independent firm
Within 120 days of passage, the City Auditor defines the scope and runs a competitive process to choose
a qualified, independent contractor.
2
Full affordability & efficiency review
The contractor benchmarks Austin against peer cities, analyzes staffing and management structures, and
identifies spending that can be reduced or eliminated.
3
Forensic accounting & transparency
Forensic analysis highlights fraud, conflicts of interest, and waste. Every draft and data set is public
information — no hidden reports or sealed files.
4
Results: savings and accountability
The contractor must identify savings that exceed their fee. The City then uses the performance metrics
and findings to manage departments and future contracts.
Frequently asked questions
What Austin residents are asking.
What exactly does this amendment do?
It adds a new section to the City Charter requiring a recurring, independent Affordability & Efficiency
Initiative. The Initiative examines all City funds and departments, including capital assets, revenues,
expenditures, and key performance metrics — and it must identify savings greater than its own cost.
How does this protect taxpayers before taxes go up?
The City Council is prohibited from ordering a maintenance-and-operations tax rate increase election unless
an Initiative has been completed within the previous year. In other words, City Hall must show its work
before asking voters for more money.
Is this just another internal audit?
No. The standard audit function remains separate. This Initiative uses external professionals, selected by
the City Auditor, to conduct a broader, deeper review focused on affordability, efficiency, performance
metrics, and forensic accounting.
Who has to cooperate with the Initiative?
The City Manager, all City departments, contractors, and component enterprises must promptly provide any
information requested. Interfering with the Initiative or its independence is expressly prohibited under the
Charter language.
Will the findings be public?
Yes. All drafts received by the City Auditor and all information gathered by the contractor are public
information. Residents can request and review the work at every stage.
How often will this review happen?
The Initiative must be repeated and completed every five years, at minimum, or more often if needed to
support tax-rate elections or other requirements in the Charter.