AUSTIN (KXAN) – Under the proposed city budget, homeowners will see an increase in property taxes.

Property taxes would go up more than $50 per year for a median-priced home, which the city says is $185,000.

In East Austin, an area where property values are on pushing higher and higher, the rising property taxes can take a greater toll.

“Mostly, the ones that lived here when I moved in are already gone,” said Vera Guzman. She bought her home more than 50 years ago for $7,500. $5,000 down, $50 a month after that.

She knew it would grow in value over the years, but the up tick in property values in her East Austin neighborhood make the tax payments tough.

“You only have a social security check and then you have to be paying taxes,” Guzman said. “More, every year.”

The story is the same for many families who have grown up in the area.

“My parents grew up here,” Alonzo Perez said. Now he is raising his family in East Austin.

He’s seen all sorts of changes, many of them good.

“The graffiti slowly died out,” he said. “And the gangs…crime period.”

Some changes were tougher to bear.

“Property taxes,” he said, “because of the monstrosities that are built next door to people that have been here for 30 to 40 years.”

The generations of families know how treasured and valuable the area is.

“You have the lake, and it’s central, and it’s walking distance from downtown,” Perez said.

Those luxuries are inviting further development and the growth is pushing some residents out.

“They’re forced to either sell,” he said, “or move.”

Many plan on going nowhere.

“We’ve been here 30 years,” said Paul Cortez. “I don’t think about leaving here. This is home. This has always been home. I think it will continue to be.”

The $3.3 billion city budget still has to get approval from council, which would come next month. The approved budget will go into effect October 1.