PAC Files Petition To Put Austin Convention Center Expansion To A Public Vote

The city’s proposal to expand the Austin Convention Center could be on the ballot in November. A group opposing the City Council’s decision to build out the center says it submitted a 30,000-signature petition calling for a referendum that would force a public vote as the city moves ahead with the plan.

A political action committee called Unconventional Austin argues the city-levied hotel occupancy tax revenue that largely pays for the convention center could be better spent toward the city as a whole. The PAC’s petition also calls for a drastic reduction in the revenue that currently goes toward the center – cutting it down to 35%.

The city clerk’s office must validate the signatures before it’s put on a ballot.

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