Breaking Down Austin's 2026 Ballot Propositions

This story was reported in partnership with The Austin Current.

There’s plenty of things to be scared of this Halloween season–clowns, spiders, ghosts, vampires and, of course, the language of propositions on ballots.

Early voting is currently underway and, along with positions for seats like Texas senator and governor and, in some districts, local seats for city council, Austinites will also see 10 propositions on the ballot this year. It can be overwhelming and, frankly, a little scary to see.

We’ll break down three big ones: two bond measures that would build libraries and renovate parks and Prop I, a charter amendment that would require an audit of city spending.

You can watch the spooky version of this story here. The Decibel news team partnered with Austin Current goverment reporter Sam Stark to break some of these props down in a haunted house.

Proposition A

Prop A is asking voters to approve a $260 million dollar bond, or loan, for parks, public pools, infrastructure improvements and various upgrades to parks and pools around the city.

That money will be split amongst different projects across different areas of Austin, but priority will be given to certain projects.

According to city documents:

• $65.5 million dollars would go to improving and renovating several park and recreation facilities across the city, including upgrades to the Gus Garcia Recreation Center in Rundberg to construct a senior wing.
• $65 million would go to improving various parks, greenbelts and community gardens across the city.
• $29.5 million would go to improving park infrastructure, like parking lots, trails and roadways,at multiple parks and trails.
• $65 million is allocated for improving existing pools, including Big Stacy, the Walnut Creek Municipal Pool and others.
• $35 million would go to acquiring parkspace for areas that are lacking, green belts to help connect trails and land for a new aquatic facility in District 6.

Proposition B

Prop B is asking for $35 million dollars for libraries, including upgrades to old ones and building a new one.

The money would go to:

• $20 million for improvements at the Hampton Branch Library at Oak Hill. Improvements would also go to expand the library.
• $15 million to build a new library in Colony Park, a neighborhood in northeast Austin. The city also plans on having the library act as a public health center. According to city documents, Colony Park has been a historically underserved area with the closest library being more than eight miles away.

Bonds are meant to be years long projects, so while you might not see developments now it could mean changes in the future. For example, the upgrades to Brownie Park in Rundberg were made possible by a 2018 bond that voters passed.

You can track how much progress the city has made with other bond money on their dashboard online before deciding.

Tax Payer Cost

The city pays back a bond through increasing property taxes over time, or during the lifecycle of these bonds. But that won’t start until 2027.

To pay for these bonds, the city will raise the property tax rate by $0.011024 cents, or 1.1024 cents, per $100 of property value.

If both bonds are approved, a home-owner with an valued home of $471,603 could see an increase of about $40 more on their annual property tax bill. That can change depending on your home's appraised value. In Rundberg, homes are closer to $350,000, so it would be a little less, around $35 more. View how much your estimated impact would be online.

Propositions C Through J

Then there’s eight more propositions: Props C through J.

These props are asking if it’s okay to make changes to the city’s charter. The city’s charter is like its own mini constitution outlining the rules and regulations for city council to follow. Some props are asking voters if it’s okay to make language changes to charter, like fixing typos or deleting rules that have been superseded by court rulings or state law. Other props, however, are asking voters if rules established in the charter can change

Proposition I

Since making it's way on the ballot, Proposition I has made noise. Supporters have called it a "necessary," look at city hall spending while opponents have called it Austin's own “DOGE,” a nod to the now-dissembled Department of Government Efficiency, the goverment entity led by Elon Musk tasked with cutting government spending.

But what is it?

To understand Prop I, we have to go back to last year's Proposition Q, the tax rate election that would have increased property taxes to help fund a host of city programs, proposed last year. When it failed, many Austin residents and city leaders felt it was time to take a closer look at city spending.

This sparked the tale of two audit proposals.

Proposition I is the result of a petition drive that ultimately collected 20,000 signatures. It's a proposed city charter amendment that would require an independent efficiency audit of all city operations every five years. The company hired to conduct the audit would also have to identify enough savings to cover the cost of its services.

However, the Austin City Council has already approved its own independent audit process, which would require a review of city operations every three years. In fact, the city has already hired a company to conduct that review.

So why are we voting on Proposition I?

Supporters of Prop I have argued that putting the requirement in the city charter would make it permanent. Unlike an ordinance, which future councils could change or repeal, a charter amendment could only be changed with voter approval.

But opponents have raised concerns about the requirement that the auditor find enough savings to pay for itself. They worry it could lead to recommendations for cuts to city services, even if those cuts aren't in residents' best interests and have said Proposition I is Austin’s own DOGE.

Visit The Austin Current to learn more about Prop I and other city wide elections.

Early voting ends on October 30 and Election Day is on November 3. You can find polling places near you here.