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

What happened

Proposition Q , the ballot measure to cement a property tax rate above the city's voter-approval limit , failed in the Nov. 4 election with more than 63% opposition. That result 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, as opposed to the $300 annual increase projected under Proposition Q. Utility bills and other city charges are also e

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