ATX-SWA: Impact 11/6/2025

Austin leaders are readying to adopt a downsized budget with potentially cuts to city services, after voters rejected a 20% tax rate increase to fund various public programs.

The impact: The failure of Proposition Q automatically lowers Austin's tax rate to $0.524017 per $100 property valuation—5 cents below the higher tax rate that was on the ballot, but still a nearly 10% increase over last year's $0.4776 rate. The owner of a median-valued home in Austin can now expect to pay just over $100 more in property taxes.

What's next: With less revenue coming in, City Council will now be tasked with reducing a budget they expanded by about $110 million this summer. Austin's final spending plan will now likely resemble the original fiscal year 2025-26 budget proposed by City Manager T.C. Broadnax in July, although changes are possible.

One more thing: The taxing proposition's defeat also prompted calls for a broad audit of city spending and service outcomes from both sides of the election debate.

Curis Functional Health, located at 800 Hwy. 290, Bldg. F, Ste. 500, has been serving the Dripping Springs community for 20 years.

While the clinic was originally operated under the name Family First Chiropractic Wellness, the team joined Curis in 2021. There are over 30 Curis Functional Health clinics across the country.

What they offer: Curis’s providers have a chiropractic-first approach to wellness, treating the body as a complete and interconnected system. The team offers chiropractic, mental health and nutrition services.

Meet the owners: Husband and wife duo Chae and Monya Tracy own Curis Functional Health. The two celebrated the clinic’s 20th anniversary on Oct. 15, along with members of the community.

• 800 Hwy. 290, Bldg. F, Ste. 500, Dripping Springs

Wondering what’s behind recent lane changes or detours? Several major road and pedestrian projects across Austin and Dripping Springs are reshaping local traffic and improving safety.

The details: In Dripping Springs, design work is underway for a southwest connection, a 2.4-mile, four-lane divided roadway that will link Mt. Gainor Road to RM 12—offering drivers an alternative route to Hwy. 290. The $1.4 million design phase is funded through Hays County certificates of obligation.

Along Slaughter Lane, construction continues between MoPac and Brodie Lane to expand the corridor to six lanes and add safety features for pedestrians and cyclists. The $23 million project, funded by 2016 Mobility Bonds and the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, is expected to wrap up in summer 2025.

Meanwhile, TxDOT’s Oak Hill Parkway overhaul continues transforming Hwy. 290 into a six-lane divided highway. Crews recently smoothed pavement near Circle Drive and raised Patton Ranch Road for flood prevention. The $677 million project is slated for completion in 2026.

Building height limits for high-rise projects downtown are now in place as Austin responds to a new state law meant to spur housing development across Texas.

The update caps most buildings in the city core at 350 feet, unless new towers participate agree to provide public benefits like streetscape improvements and fee payments for affordable housing. The changes approved in October are expected to be temporary ahead of wider revisions to city development policies and Austin's long-range plans for the downtown area.

While moving forward with a 350-foot limit in response to SB 840 this fall, city planners report the change could hurt Austin's affordable housing efforts due to declining participation in the density bonus program. However, taller projects may not be on the horizon for now given wider economic conditions.

The city's new height cap was also questioned in public reviews ahead of council's October vote, with some community members stating the change could constrain new construction and hamper city goals.