Save Austin Now

LAST CHANCE: THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL WILL VOTE TODAY ON ATP’s OUTRAGEOUS TAXPAYER-FUNDED $19.5M DOWNTOWN OFFICE

ACTION ALERT FOR ASAP THIS MORNING: Demand the Austin City Council Reject the Austin Transit Partnership’s Outrageous Budget Request for $19.5M in Downtown Office Space

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This past Monday morning, the board of the Austin Transit Partnership, which was created to implement the voter-approved Project Connect urban rail project, UNANIMOUSLY approved a proposal for a $19.5M downtown office for 60-65 employees. The City Council will consider the proposal, and likely approve it, ATG TODAY’S CITY COUNCIL MEETING.

TELL CITY HALL: NO $19.5 MILLION DOWNTOWN OFFICE DEAL

Austin Transit Partnership is back with another downtown office request.

And their Board of Directors UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED this plan. Now City Council will likely RUBBER STAMP another outrageous waste of taxpayer dollars unless we RISE UP TO OPPOSE THIS.

They dressed it up as “cheaper than last time.” It is still a taxpayer raid.

Here’s what was on the ATP board agenda that passed on Monday, ahead of today’s Austin City Council meeting:

Item 3.11 — Lease 54,000 square feet at 201 and 203 Colorado Street for 48 months, not to exceed $13.5 million, with WC 3rd and Congress, LP.

Item 3.12 — Pay CBRE up to $6 million to finish out, improve, and equip that same space.

Total: $19.5 million. For about 60 employees.

That is 900 square feet per person and roughly $83,000 per employee, per year.

The rent alone is about $62 per square foot per year ($40 rent + $20 operating + $2 commission) — before the $6 million remodel. The City of Austin leases space outside downtown in the $20–$30 range. ATP wants to pay double to triple that rate, on property-tax money sold to voters as trains.

They do not need to be downtown. They should be in existing City or CapMetro space. Mayor Watson already told them that. But now he’s on board with this office plan, and voted to approve it as ATP Board vice chair.

Kill items 3.11 and 3.12.

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THIS IS THE SAME MOVIE. NEW PRICE TAG.

In April, ATP tried to lease Class A space at 100 Congress: $32 million lease + $15 million build-out = $47 million. Watson called it “inappropriate.” Council Member Paige Ellis called it “tone-deaf.” Public pressure killed it.

Five months later they are not in CapMetro’s unused offices. They are not in cheaper city-owned space. They are asking to stay downtown, expand into the building next door, and spend another $19.5 million so a 60-person shop can occupy a floorplate built for a corporation.

Do the math they hope you won’t:

54,000 sq. ft. ÷ 60 employees = 900 sq. ft. each (a typical public-sector desk is a fraction of that)

$19.5 million ÷ 4 years ÷ 60 people ≈ $81,000–$83,000 per employee per year just to house them

At a normal $25/sq. ft. city-suburban rate, that same 54,000 feet would cost about $5.4 million over four years — not $13.5 million, and not another $6 million to CBRE

Project Connect already takes about 21% of the City’s operations-and-maintenance property tax. FY26 that stream is roughly $186 million. That money was promised for rail. It is being spent on downtown desks, operating expenses, and a broker finish-out.

ATP’s own adopted budget funds 65 full-time positions. They do not need a 54,000-square-foot downtown campus.

WHAT WE DEMAND

1. City Council should REJECT ATP’s EXTRAVANAGT TAXPAYER-FUNDED OFFICE. No $13.5 million Colorado Street lease. No $6 million CBRE build-out.

2. Park ATP in unused CapMetro or City-owned space before another dollar of Project Connect tax is spent on private downtown landlords.

3. Publish the alternatives analysis Watson asked for in April and again in August — CapMetro HQ, the Guadalupe Transit Store, other city inventory — with real per-employee costs.

4. Cap ATP administrative real estate. Put the savings into the project voters were sold, not into 900-square-foot desks.

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TAKE ACTION ASAP (The ATP Board Meets This Morning, Council Will Consider This Week)

1. Email the Mayor and every Council Member.

TAKE ACTION: You can do so here (https://app.onevoiceapp.io/act/sanpac/austin-transit-partnership-you-don-t-need-a-9-5m-downtown-of) in less than 30 seconds.

We’ve developed 635 unique emails opposing this outrageous waste of taxpayer money so far. Can we get it above 1,000 by TODAY at 10am when the council meeting starts?

You can also call the offices, especially your own Council Member’s office:

Mayor Kirk Watson (ATP Board Vice Chair) — 512-978-2100
City Manager TC Broadnax — 512-974-2200
D1 Natasha Harper-Madison — 512-978-2101
D2 Vanessa Fuentes — 512-978-2102
D3 José Velásquez — 512-978-2103
D4 José “Chito” Vela — 512-978-2104
D5 Ryan Alter — 512-978-2105
D6 Krista Laine — 512-978-2106
D7 Mike Siegel — 512-978-2107
D8 Paige Ellis — 512-978-2108
D9 Zo Qadri — 512-978-2109
D10 Marc Duchen — 512-978-2110

2. Show up at City Council TODAY at City Hall at 10am. Speaker registration has now closed. But you can show up!

3. Forward this to five neighbors. Offices don’t ride the train. You pay for them.

4. Take this section of the newsletter and share it. Post it on LinkedIn. Post it on NextDoor. Post it on Facebook. Post it on X.

P.S. Our outside audit charter amendment (Prop I -- vote AYE for Prop eye) will require an outside performance audit of the Austin Transit Partnership. Visit ATXaudit.com for more info.

Our latest Save Austin Now email update:

> Grifter Establishment Panics (Smear Press Conference Today at Noon)
> Fight ATP’s $19.5M Downtown Office (Action Alert!)
> Our First Radio Ad on the Audit!
> Yard Sign Supply is Low!
> How We Will Pass the Audit
> 28 Days Until Early Voting

Read the email here: https://saveaustinnow.substack.com/p/save-austin-now-grifter-establino

Sign up for our emails here (230k+ Austinites can't be wrong!): saveaustinnow.substack.com

Learn more about and support our outside audit charter amendment: ATXaudit.com

NEW: The latest email update from Save Austin Now:

> Partial Victory: Travis County Commissioners Approve 6% Property Tax Increase (Not 12%!)
> Our New Radio Ad
> Action Alert: Demand Not Approve $19.5M Downtown Office Space for ATP
> Yard Signs Low!
> 33 Days Until Early Voting

Read the email here: https://saveaustinnow.substack.com/p/save-austin-now-partial-victory-travisg

Sign up for our emails here: http://saveaustinnow.substack.com

Support our efforts here: https://secure.anedot.com/save-austin-now-pac/externalauditnow

TONIGHT: Come learn about Prop I - I for Independent Audit - tonight in SW Austin (near Regents School) from 6-8pm and how you can help pass this critical ballot proposition.

Event Details, donate, and to RSVP: https://secure.anedot.com/save.../events/sept15swaustin

Even if you cannot come, we request you to give toward our effort so permanent audits will happen every few years despite who is in office. This ensures transparency for generations because it will amend the City Charter!

Questions? Email [email protected].

Heads up: I'm joining Todd & Oz on KLBJ 590am now to talk about our outside audit effort and other local news.

Tune into 590am or listen LIVE online here: newsradioklbj.com.

More on our effort: ATXaudit.com

The latest email update from Save Austin Now:
> Central Heath Board to Vote Today on Property Tax Hike (Action Alert Inside)
> Reserve Your Yard Signs
> Bumper Sticker Now!
> SW Austin Fundraiser 9/15
> 41 Days Until Early Voting

Read the email here: [https://saveaustinnow.substack.com/p/save-austin-now-central-heath-board-721](https://saveaustinnow.substack.com/p/save-austin-now-central-heath-board-721)

Sign up for emails here: [http://saveaustinnow.substack.com](http://saveaustinnow.substack.com)

AUSTIN RESIDENTS / TAXPAYERS: Come pick up your VOTE YES FOR PROP I (Vote Aye for Prop I) yard sign THIS WEEKEND!

Reserve a yard sign or bumper sticker here or we can take payment when you arrive: https://secure.anedot.com/save-austin-now-pac/auditorders.

If this weekend does not work for you, there are delivery options also available. All bumper stickers will be mailed.

Pick up times / locations:
NORTH AUSTIN
Bouldin Acres (1806 W. Braker Lane, Austin, TX 78758)
Sat., Sept. 5 – 11am-12:30pm
CENTRAL AUSTIN
Private home (6009 Bon Terra Drive, Austin, TX 78731)
Sat., Sept. 5 – 8am-11am
Sun., Sept. 6 – 12pm-2pm
Mon., Sept. 7 – 8am-11am (Labor Day)
SOUTH AUSTIN
Bouldin Acres (2027 S. Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704)
Sat. Sept. 5 -- 11am-12:30pm

More on our audit effort: ATXaudit.com.

Our latest email update from Save Austin Now:

> Travis County Commissioners to Vote on 12% Central Health Tax Increase on 9/15 (action alert inside)
> Yard Signs are In (Pickup Windows Inside)
> VICTORY! City Restores Adult Sports Leagues
> 45 Days Until Early Voting

https://saveaustinnow.substack.com/p/save-austin-now-travis-county-commissioners

Sign up to our email list: http://saveaustinnow.substack.com

TRAVIS COUNTY RESIDENTS: Make your voice heard by asking the Travis County Commissioners Court NOT TO APPROVE at 12% property tax increase when they vote on Sept. 15.

This increase DOES NOT REQUIRE VOTER APPROVAL.

It is primarily being used to shift homeless response from the City of Austin to Central Health, devised so that voters have no say.

We need to pass the audit in November (vote Aye on Prop I), complete the audit, have City Council implement efficiencies, especially in homeless spending, then we can consider tax policies at the local level.

There is FAR TOO MUCH WASTE, FRAUD, DUPLICATION and INEFFICIENCY in the City of Austin budget.

Taxpayers are at their breaking point.

> TAKE ACTION: Click here (https://app.onevoiceapp.io/act/sanpac/do-not-raise-property-taxes-for-travis-county-residents-12-t) to email the entire Travis County Commissioners Court. It will take less than 30 seconds.

TODAY’S EXAMPLE OF THE WAR ON TAXPAYERS: Central Health Proposes 12% Property Tax Increase (no voter approval required)

As KLBJ 590am host Todd Jeffries posted on X on Friday:

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Your appointed Central Health board just proposed the max tax rate — and Travis County homeowners will feel it. They’re asking for $0.135195 per $100, a ~12% jump on the average homestead ($72 more a year) and nearly $60 million extra in property taxes. The elected Commissioners Court still has to approve it. Public hearing Sept. 2.
Speak up: [email protected].
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Central Health’s taxing authority is for ALL OF TRAVIS COUNTY (Austin residents make up 67% of Travis County).

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD:
Public meeting TODAY 10:30am-1pm.
Event details
Monday, August 31, 2026
10:30 a.m.—1:00 p.m.
ACC Highland Campus, Presentation Hall
6101 Highland Campus Dr.
RSVP here: https://www.centralhealth.net/event/fy2027-budget-community-conversation/
Details here: https://www.centralhealth.net/event/fy2027-budget-community-conversation/

>> TAKE ACTION: Email the Travis County Commissioners Court and ASK THEM NOT TO INCREASE PROPERTY TAXES BY 12%!!!

Click here (https://app.onevoiceapp.io/act/sanpac/do-not-raise-property-taxes-for-travis-county-residents-12-t) to email them via our platform (it will take less than 30 seconds). Please change the email’s language somewhat to make it your own.

Please share!