Austin leaders are alarmed about legislation they say could slash the city's budget and result in higher property taxes — but the bill's author, a Republican state lawmaker from Georgetown, says that's not his goal.
Driving the news: Senate Bill 1110 would in some cases prevent cities from taking revenue from electric utilities they own or operate.
State Sen. Charles Schwertner filed the bill after widespread power outages in Austin last month, as some key ratepayers complained about their electric bill payments supporting other important city services.
Context: As much as 9% of city-owned Austin Energy's revenue is shuffled into Austin's coffers, according to Ed Van Eenoo, chief financial officer of the city of Austin.
To view the full story visit https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2023/03/27/state-lawmaker-proposal-could-slash-austin-budget