Best of the worst: Austin debt totals $3,000 per household

[Geee]

Watchdog.org:

Austin’s reputation for big government spending took a bit of a hit in a new report showing it has the lowest taxpayer debt of any large Texas city.

 

Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, El Paso and San Antonio all carry proportionately higher debt loads, according to Truth in Accounting, a nonpartisan think tank that analyzes public-sector financials.

 

Among America’s 20 largest cities, Austin had the fourth-lowest taxpayer burden.

 

Though Austin looks weirdly good by comparison, TIA says the city is no model of fiscal restraint.

 

Factoring in all pledged liabilities, TIA found that Austin has not fully funded $1.3 billion in city pension payments and has no funding earmarked for $1.4 billion in retiree health-care benefits.