Subject: Decoding Austin's Most Confusing Documents Preheader: Spoiler alert: It's not just about City Hall.
Hey Austin,
Yesterday, we introduced ourselves with a simple idea: the decisions with the biggest impact on your life are usually made right here at home.
Today, we're going to prove it by tackling one of the most confusing, frustrating, and universally dreaded pieces of mail an Austinite can receive: your property tax bill.
Whether you're a homeowner staring at the latest appraisal from the Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD) or a renter feeling the downstream effects on your lease, we all have the same questions: Why is this number so high? Where is all this money actually going? And is there anything I can do about it?
Let's examine how this works.
Untangling the Tax Bill: Who Gets a Slice?
The first thing to understand is that "the city" isn't one single entity sending you a bill. Your property tax is a pie cut into several slices, and you elect the people who decide how big most of those slices are.
Here are the main players taking a piece of your property tax pie:
Austin ISD (or your local school district): This is typically the largest slice of your bill, accounting for about 60% of what you pay. The AISD Board of Trustees, an elected body, sets the tax rate to fund our public schools—teacher salaries, campus maintenance, and educational programs.
City of Austin: This slice, set by the Mayor and City Council you elect, funds everything from road repairs and parks to police, firefighters, and library services. Their budget hearings are happening right now.
Travis County: Run by the elected Commissioners Court, this funds the county court system, sheriff's office, and public health services for the entire region.
Austin Community College (ACC): The publicly elected ACC Board of Trustees sets a rate to support our vital community college system.
Central Health: This elected board manages funding for healthcare services for Travis County residents with low income.
These local elections have direct financial impact.
The "So What?" – From Confusion to Control
Our mission at CivicIn7 Austin isn't to tell you if your taxes are too high or too low. It's to show you exactly how the system works so you can draw your own conclusions.
To put this in perspective: with Austin's median home price around $450,000, the typical annual property tax bill runs about $7,400. That breaks down to roughly $4,400 for schools, $1,400 for the city, and $1,600 split among county services, ACC, and Central Health.
While you can protest your home's appraised value with TCAD, homeowners also have another powerful tool: the homestead exemption. This one-time application with TCAD caps your home's annual appraisal increases at 10% and provides additional exemption value, offering significant long-term savings. Beyond these individual protections, you can only influence the tax rates themselves through your voice and your vote. The officials setting these rates are making decisions right now about next year's budget.
This is why we exist. We'll be tracking these decisions, translating the jargon from budget meetings, and giving you a clear, objective look at how your money is being put to work.
What do you want to know next? Reply to this email and tell us: What part of the city's budget—parks, police, transportation, something else—feels like the biggest mystery to you?
We're building this for you, and your curiosity will guide our focus.
Informed, Engaged, Austin.
– The Team at CivicIn7 Austin
