Good Saturday morning --

Just a few updates this early Saturday morning:

• WE NEVER STOP WORKING TO DEFEAT PROP Q: Here’s a summary of the work we did YESTERDAY alone:

  • Raised significant new money, including at a fabulous fundraiser hosted by Marion and Robert Mayfield at their lovely home in North Austin

  • Distributed 100 yard signs (handed out at our first South Austin location and delivered)

  • Approved art and purchased a print ad in a major Austin print publication

  • Designed and approved additional mail

  • Reviewed survey research

  • Updated our website

  • Reviewed and completed a script for a new digital ad

  • Expanded our digital ads

  • Began preparing for Early Voting (which begins Monday, Oct. 20 and lasts through Oct. 31)

• COURAGEOUS CM MARC DUCHEN EXPLAINS WHY HE IS OPPOSED TO PROP Q:

Via his campaign email account, Council Member Marc Duchen sent a substantively solid, clear, thoughtful and helpful explanation for WHY he opposes Prop Q. Reminder: He was the only member of the City Council to oppose Prop Q. This is a MUST READ.

If You Love Austin, Vote Against Prop Q

City Hall has better options

On October 20, Austinites will head to the polls to vote on Proposition Q, the biggest property tax increase in city history.

I urge you to vote against it. Prop Q threatens to permanently raise our tax rate by 20% in a time of financial uncertainty and push scores of our community’s most vulnerable residents out of their homes.

Here’s the good news: If voters reject Prop Q, the Austin City Council will have an opportunity to reconsider this year’s record-breaking budget and look for ways to reduce spending, an alternative to raising taxes.

Voting Locations

Prop Q Worsens Homelessness

Prop Q could permanently raise property owners’ annual costs by $1,000 when combined with Travis County’s new tax rate, utility hikes, and other new fees. On top of that, City Hall is planning to present voters with a $700 million bond in 2026, which would raise taxes even further.

Renters aren’t protected from these costs, because landlords will pass them through to their tenants. For every $100 in rent increases, groups like ECHO and Caritas report that the local homeless population will grow by nearly 10%.

Roughly half of the funds raised by Prop Q would go to third-party contractors that provide homelessness services. That means Prop Q would create a