Senior/Disabled Property Tax Exemption Ordinance

[Colleen Pate]

Council:
I am writing to inform the Council of an agenda item that I am sponsoring that will be on the May 30th meeting agenda addendum.

As you may recall, the Finance Office sent Council a memo last week regarding the analysis of property tax exemptions for senior and disabled homeowners in Austin. Staff indicated in the memo that Council would need to act by May 30th if we would like to consider increasing the exemption.

Along with my co-sponsors, I am bringing an ordinance to increase the senior/disabled property tax exemption from the current amount ($124,000) to $154,000 to hold the annual property tax bill for the median senior/disabled homeowner flat. I have attached a copy of the ordinance to this message board post.

http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 115023.pdf

As we continue our efforts to make Austin an affordable city, I hope you will all join in this additional means of addressing affordability.

Thanks,
Kirk

On behalf of Mayor Watson

[Alison Alter]

Thank you Mayor Watson and your staff for moving quickly to place this important item on our agenda. I am pleased to be a co-sponsor and also want to thank our finance staff for regularly alerting us to the deadline. This action is an important piece of our efforts to allow our seniors to age in place.

Regards, Alison Alter

[Ryan Alter]

Colleagues,
I would like to thank City staff for keeping the Council updated on the timeline to approve a senior and disabled homestead exemption, and to the Mayor for acting quickly to get it on the Council agenda. Given the Council’s continued support of increasing this exemption to keep up with the increase in home values, I’ve prepared an amendment to this ordinance that would ask City Staff to automatically post this item annually for our consideration and approval. While Council would retain flexibility to change the specific amount exempted, this amendment would set the senior & disabled tax exemption at a level that holds those households harmless based on the prior year’s change in median home price and property tax rate (just as we are doing this year).

Amendment: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 163440.pdf
Staff Memo: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 163423.pdf

Ryan

[Colleen Pate]

Thank you, Council Member Alter. I have incorporated this amendment into version 2 of the ordinance. I have provided it as an attachment below.

http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 193327.pdf

Thanks,
Kirk

On behalf of Mayor Watson