AUSTIN — Save Austin Now submitted more than 20,000 signatures to place a city charter amendment on the November 2026 ballot. The proposed amendment would require regular outside audits of the city of Austin’s budget for the first time in city history.
The petition effort took six months and included multiple rounds of validation before organizers delivered the petitions to the city clerk. Save Austin Now provided the complete voter list used in the most recent validation round, showing that all signers are registered Austin voters.
If approved by voters, the audits would review city spending, utilities, and vendors every five years to identify cost-saving measures. Save Austin Now said the effort is modeled after an external audit conducted by the city of Houston this year that identified more than $120 million in suggested savings.
In February, the Austin City Council unanimously approved an ordinance to establish a recurring systemic audit of all city departments and operations. That ordinance directs the City Auditor's Office to contract with outside experts to examine management structures and contracting practices, with a goal of saving money and improving services. The audit must begin within 12 months, and its results and recommendations will be published online to increase transparency.
Critics, including Save Austin Now, argue that an ordinance alone can be too easily overturned without a vote of the people. Save Austin Now co-chair Matt Mackowiak said, "Austin taxpayers do not currently trust our city leaders when it comes to the city budget and city spending. For trust to be restored, now and in the future, we need an external performance audit to improve affordability and efficiency, as quickly as possible, and then regularly afterwards. We are confident a majority of Austinites will support this common-sense approach, and we hope the City Council chooses to enact this charter amendment, but if they do not, we will pass it in November 2026."
Bill Aleshire, local attorney and former Travis County judge who drafted the charter amendment language, said, "It is not enough that the mayor and council just try to restore trust they’ve lost from voters; the city government must be affordable, effective and efficient. This charter amendment will help achieve that."