Austin Tax Sale Relief Debate 1883
• Attendance enforcement: The council fined three aldermen $1 each for missing the meeting, and the mayor sent the marshal to fetch absent members.
• Mayor's tax relief veto: Mayor Thayer rejected an ordinance offering relief to property owners whose land was sold for unpaid city taxes, arguing an existing 1880 ordinance already covered the issue.
• Veto override fails: The council attempted to pass the tax relief ordinance anyway despite the mayor's rejection, but the vote failed with seven aldermen voting against it.
• New ordinance introduced: The council introduced a revised tax relief ordinance for properties sold due to unpaid taxes where at least two years had passed since the sale, though details were deferred.
Full Transcript
293 Called Meeting of the City Council Austin Tex April 20, 1883. Hon W A Saylor Mayor Presiding Roll call present Aldermen Kinney Ramsey Thurber and Plath absent aldermen Metz Lawrence Schuber Brueggerhoff Heupertz & Wilson On motion of Alderman Plath the council was called and the marshal sent after the absentees
Aldermen Brueggerhoff and Metz came in and answered to their names.
On motion the Call of the Council was suspended
A fine of one dollar was entered against Aldermen Lawrence schuber & Heupertz, for non attendance at this meeting.
The Mayor presented the following His message in an ordinance passed April 16th 1886
Mayor office Austin, Tex April 20 1886 To the Honorable City Council of the City of Austin Gentlemen I return herewith an ordinance entitled an ordinance for the relief of persons, whose property has been sold for taxes, and bid in by the City passed by your honorable body April 16 1886 without my approval to the same The ordinance passed Dec 16 1880 and now in force covers the same object and renders this unnecessary while the object in the present ordinance sought to be covered can only be done by an ordinance that will not invalidate an ordinance providing for the sale of real estate which has not been redeemed within two years as prescribed by ordinance passed January 1881 I respectfully recommend, the passage of an ordinance herewith submitted permitting persons the real estate sold for Taxes
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294 to the City of Austin Very Respectfully W S Thayer Mayor
The question being will the Council upon recon sideration agree to pass the ordinance not with standing the veto of the Mayor it was lost by the following vote nays Aldermen Metz Kinney Bruggerhoff Radkey Morsberg Plath Griesmond
An ordinance was introduced for the relief of persons whose real estate had been sold for City Taxes where two years had expired since date of sale The ordinance was read first time. On motion the Council adjourned J L Purcell City Clerk