A local political action committee pushing to enshrine a mandatory city spending audit in the Austin City Charter didn’t file its petition in time to ensure the measure appears on the May ballot, according to a city spokesperson.
Save Austin Now, the group that previously led a successful campaign against Proposition Q, has been working overtime to ensure a spring vote on its proposed amendment. Co-Chair Matt Mackowiak said the group planned to deliver more than 20,000 valid signatures — the minimum required from registered Austin voters — to the city clerk at some point this week and that it was confident it would qualify.
However, city spokesman Erik Johnson said the city clerk requires 30 days to validate petitions to ensure a sufficient number of signatures are from qualified voters — and the deadline for Austin City Council to call a May election is on Friday.
On Wednesday, Mackowiak told the American-Statesman his group would aim to get the item on the November ballot instead.
“We will be on the November ballot,” he said in a statement.
As of Wednesday morning, the PAC had not yet delivered the petition to the city clerk.
Save Austin Now’s proposed amendment would require an external audit of city spending every five years to identify potential cost savings. It also would prohibit the city from ordering a tax rate election — such as last year’s Proposition Q — unless an audit had been completed within the preceding 12 months.
Its delay is a win for Mayor Kirk Watson, who is separately pushing to pass a city ordinance requiring external audits.
Council most recently discussed that measure at a Feb. 3 work session, with a vote expected Feb. 26.
Watson has argued that an ordinance is preferable to a charter amendment because it can be revised as needed, offering greater flexibility to council. However, Save Austin Now has countered that a charter amendment is necessary to ensure sustained fiscal accountability, since changes to the charter require voter approval.
Save Austin Now raised roughly $210,000 during its campaign against Proposition Q last fall. As part of its latest petition drive, the group mailed petition forms with prepaid return envelopes to registered voters and used both volunteers and paid circulators to collect and validate signatures in hopes of making the May ballot.
The PAC previously used a similar strategy in 2021 to force a citywide vote that reinstated a public camping ban repealed by City Council.