Troxclair: 'Everyone wins' when SXSW waivers are denied

City Council member Ellen Troxclair will soon become the last conservative standing on the Austin City Council. But that doesn't mean she's ready to back down and start cutting deals on leftist policies. Troxclair remains a voice calling for greater affordability and fairness in terms of how local government levies taxes and fees.

Case in point: Troxclair pointed out in an Austin American-Statesman column today that the City of Austin waives $1.5 million in fees for the SXSW festival -- costs a cash-cow of an event could easily afford.

It is unfair to ask Austinites to put up with these inconveniences [traffic, crowding, etc.] year in and year out — and then be forced to pay for it, too. Our already property tax-burdened residents should not foot the bill for the ever-increasing public safety costs associated with these special events. ...

... According to the city’s calculations, the property tax burden for the median-value home has risen 29.2 percent since 2012. Over that same time period, the median-family income has only risen 3.7 percent. This proportion is wildly unsustainable.

Read more, including a possible alternative, at:
http://www.mystatesman.com/news/opinion/troxclair-taxpayers-shouldn-foot-the-bill-for-sxsw/cQIu0yYPecDWyEBO9jsgkK

Troxclair, the representative of Southwest Austin (District 8), will become the only conservative on the Austin City Council in 2017, with the defeat of incumbents Don Zimmerman (District 6, Northwest Austin) on Nov. 8 and Sheri Gallo (District 10, Far West, etc.) on Tuesday.