The Austin City Council was not swayed by the pleas of Lake Austin property owners who wanted a postponement of a vote to add more than 400 homes to the tax rolls that have been exempt for decades.
Council member Greg Casar said, at the end of the day, this is an issue of equity and fairness, “this isn’t about demonizing anyone. But its about fixing a status quo that has been broken for a long time.”
Council member Jimmy Flannigan said homeowners should be paying either an emergency service district tax or a city tax, but they have been paying neither.
The 400 Lake Austin properties have been exempt from property taxes for generations. According to a Statesman analysis of police response times, it took officers nearly twice as long to respond last year than in other areas. That supported the arguments made by property owners who said they do not receive the same level of service, and thus should not be taxed in the same way as the rest of Austin.
(Photo:Shutterstock/eamesBot)
