Travis County voters will decide how to fund child care expansion

A proposal that would raise Travis County property taxes to fund affordable child care appears headed for a hefty victory as election results come in.

According to the Travis County Clerk's findings, support for Travis County's Proposition A is 60% to 40%.

“It looks like Prop A passed,” Travis County Judge Andy Brown told KUT. “This means thousands of children here in Travis County will have access to affordable child care that didn’t exist before.”

“It’s really exciting that Travis County voters trust Travis County government to do this,” he said.

Data from the Travis County Clerk's office showed that central counties favored the measure and the outer eastern and western areas of the county generally opposed it.

“(I am) relieved and truly excited about the opportunities this presents for the future of our children and families in Travis County,” said Cathy McHorse, coalition manager for Affordable Childcare Now.

“Our child care system continues to be in crisis, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic,” she said.

Proposition A would add 2.5 cents per $100 of property valuation. The tax rate increase would cost the average homeowner in Travis County an additional $126 per year.

The tax would raise about $75 million in the first year. Travis County estimates the money could fund nearly 6,000 spots in daycare or after-school and summer programs. These spots would be reserved for children from families earning 85% or less of the median family income. That equates to an annual income of about $100,000 for a family of four.

The tax revenue would also be used to incentivize companies to make child care an employee benefit by reimbursing employer contributions.

Keep checking back for the latest numbers.

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