Austin residents didn’t just vote down a tax hike last year, they delivered a warning shot to City Hall.

Voters in November overwhelmingly rejected Prop Q, a measure that would have raised property taxes to pay for city services. The defeat exposed skepticism about how Austin manages taxpayer dollars and sent a message that trust is fraying, and voters want proof their money is being spent wisely.

After the votes came in, Mayor Kirk Watson signaled he understood that message. In response, he has rolled out a trio of proposals aimed at restoring public confidence: recurring efficiency audits, tighter rules on city council spending and a framework to guide decisions on a potential 2026 bond.

Watson said maintaining public trust is a top priority, and he believes the new measures can make it stronger. However, some critics assert the efforts don’t go far enough, saying they lack independence, permanence and the kind of restraint Austinites want as they grapple with a rising cost of living.

“Mayor Watson has been in damage control since Proposition Q got defeated,” said Brian Smith, a St. Edward’s University political science professor. “When we see one example of wasteful spending, we believe that it goes all the way up and down the chain,” he continued.

With the proposed three items, Watson is “making good on his promise to get the city’s books in order,” Smith said.

On Friday, Watson posted a draft ordinance to the City of Austin Council Message Board that would implement recurring “efficiency assessments,” or audits, of city operations. If approved, the measure would direct the city auditor to hire an independent consultant to review Austin’s services, programs, policies and management structure for effectiveness and cost efficiency. The mayor’s office isn’t sure yet about the audit’s cost, but since it would touch multiple departments, “it would cost a pretty penny,” said Rebecca Szeto, a spokesperson for the Mayor’s office.

According to the ordinance, the consultant would review all city departments, with at least three years between audits. The review would also include comparing the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of Austin’s departments with those of peer cities.

“I’m dedicated to making sure that we get the best value possible when we’re providing city services and we live within our means,” Watson said.

Some critics said restoring trust requires taking the power out of the council’s hands altogether.

“The fundamental problem is it’s an ordinance,” said Bill Aleshire, an attorney and local government watchdog who previously served as a Travis County Judge. “The council can amend or repeal that audit ordinance, unlike the charter.”

Aleshire said a charter amendment is the best way to ensure regular audits remain in place long term, beyond the reach of future councils.

He drafted a proposed charter amendment in November, modeled after one adopted by the city of Houston. The amendment would require the city to hire an “experienced auditor” tasked with identifying ways the city can save money. Aleshire said it would also mandate an audit be completed within a year before the city could call a tax rate election.

The Save Austin Now political action committee launched a petition to place the proposed charter amendment in front of Austin voters in May. They need to secure 25,000 valid signatures before this can happen, according to its website.

Aleshire questions the mayor and City Hall’s commitment to accountability because of the decision to pursue an ordinance instead of a charter amendment.

“There’s a very sick system, in my opinion,” Aleshire said. “They should stop spending so much, and I don’t think that notion sunk in yet… They should agree that they’re going to stop funding programs or projects for which they do not currently possess efficiency and effectiveness measures.”

In the weeks following Prop Q’s failure, Watson unveiled new guidelines for how city council offices may spend taxpayer funds. Watson said his two primary goals with the new guidelines are to make them more accessible to the public and to better clarify what city council offices are allowed to purchase.

“The goal is to safeguard public confidence and make sure that it’s easy to do the right thing,” Watson said. City Council is set to vote on these new guidelines on Jan. 22, Watson said.

Maintaining public confidence will be especially important this year, as Austin voters are likely to consider a bond package in November.

In the name of transparency, Watson proposed using a “decision tree” to guide the City Council as it assembles the potential bond package.

“By having a decision-making framework like this, I think it makes it more transparent and more understandable for the public,” Watson said.

Watson said he would be pushing these accountability measures forward regardless of whether a bond election materializes, but agreed bolstering public confidence is especially important if one does.

“Who wants to go into an election where you’re asking for people to support a program and you don’t feel like you have their confidence?” he said.

The Austin City Council Audit and Finance Committee is set to discuss the ordinance at its Wednesday morning meeting. Watson has targeted Feb. 5 for a full City Council debate and vote on the measure.