Colleagues,
For nearly a year, staff and the public Bond Election Advisory Task Force (BEATF) have been doing the critical work of identifying the greatest capital needs facing our City. This work has been incredibly thorough, and we want to thank the members of the BEATF for their time and dedication to identifying the needs of the community. This work combined with a renewed review of our financial policies, including the bond decision tree, will better position us to deliver any projects in a bond, should such an election be called in 2026.
As it currently stands, the BEATF will be providing their recommendations on May 4. Staff will subsequently take those recommendations and work to reconcile it with their $700 million recommendation made earlier this year. Our subquorum would like to take this opportunity to ask the BEATF and staff to prepare an alternate scenario for Council’s consideration with the following budgeted amounts:
• $250-$260 million for parks projects, not including any maintenance facilities
• $50-$60 million for community facilities, such as libraries and cultural arts
• $75-$80 million for active transportation projects*
*The funding levels for the active transportation projects should be for two-years’ worth of projects and all be eligible for Certificates of Obligation.
We believe such an option strikes the right balance of meeting the critical needs of today and the cost to taxpayers of less than $5/month, if approved. It is our intent to review this option through the process currently envisioned for any other proposal – including the bond decision tree. Should this option ultimately be pursued, we would then use the work of the BEATF and staff for the non-parks categories as the starting point for a 2028 bond discussion.
We look forward to the continued work and discussion around this critical issue.
Sincerely,
MPT Vela
CM Fuentes
CM Velásquez
CM Alter
CM Siegel
Supplemental Bond Proposal
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Ryan Alter
- Posts: 114
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2023 3:15 pm
Supplemental Bond Proposal
Council Member, District 5
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Julie Montgomery
- Posts: 66
- Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2019 1:26 pm
Re: Supplemental Bond Proposal
On behalf of CM Ellis and CM Laine:
Colleagues,
Thank you for the good discussion yesterday at Work Session regarding the 2026 Bond. We appreciate all the work done by the BEATF, staff, and community to get us to this point. Like our colleagues on the dais, we would like to put a responsibly-sized, community-focused bond package on the ballot this November. The funding need is significant, as is the need to maintain affordability for our taxpayers.
We would like to suggest using the $390M Staff Alternative Scenario as the starting point for the 2026 Bond. While there may be adjustments we wish to explore, we appreciate the extensive work that has gone into this proposal and view it as a strong, thoughtful foundation for our deliberations.
Our immediate capital funding priorities align with City programs that have efficiently spent their past bond dollars and are ready for further investment:
1. Parks: Given the amount of existing parkland that remains undeveloped, this bond presents an opportunity to prioritize park development and activation. We want usable, accessible, inviting park spaces that address current gaps in service and demonstrate responsible stewardship of our land, including restrooms, drinking fountains, and other basic amenities. Land acquisition efforts are also a prudent investment in the current real estate market and should remain strategic and targeted, placing a focus on expanding trails and greenbelts, which serve the dual purpose of increasing park access and strengthening connectivity across Austin. Investing in our pools and splash pads is of critical importance, too, as our summers get longer and hotter, and our recreation and senior centers are well-loved workhorses for our community that also need investment. We support the $250M recommended by staff.
2. Safe and Active Mobility: The scale of unmet need and its direct impact on safety, the environment, equity, and quality of life call for continued investment in a more connected, multimodal transportation network. We want to prioritize reliable, cost-effective, and deliverable projects, including bikeways, sidewalks, urban trails, Neighborhood Partnering projects, and targeted safety improvements. Within safety, we specifically highlight the Safe Routes to School program for its proven role in supporting families. However, the ACT Plan may not be fully shovel-ready, and a $12M allocation towards a project that could approach $1B in total costs feels premature. For that reason, we support $80M.
3. Community Facilities: As staff identified in their list of projects, the Hampton Branch Library is sorely in need of investment, so we are committed to protecting that $20M. We also support the improvements to the animal service center. However, we also must learn from the lessons of Prop Q. While there was significant discussion last year around funding for a Homeless Resource Center, bond funding is best reserved for shovel-ready, long-term capital investments with evident public support. As such, we are open to removing this item from the 2026 Bond package and instead exploring other funding mechanisms. If supported, that would bring the Community Facilities funding bucket down to $23M.
Ellis/Laine Proposal: $250M + $80M + $23M = $353M
Certificates of Obligation are another tool at our disposal, and we must be responsible stewards of their use. Given that, we believe CO expenditures should focus on core municipal functions or areas with direct life-safety implications. Pedestrians are being killed on our streets, and Austin's flooding risks threaten lives and property. Both demands are urgent, ongoing, and the kind of projects that COs are meant to support. For that reason, we ask our colleagues to consider the following:
1. Sidewalks: Year after year, our offices see persistent demand from constituents for sidewalk projects so they can move safely through their neighborhoods. The need is both significant and actionable; pedestrian network investments are among the most cost-effective ways to improve safety and accessibility. Maintaining a consistent funding pipeline allows our teams to continue this work efficiently. Without that consistency, we risk losing skilled crews and slowing progress. For that reason, we request that the City Manager include $15M in annual CO issuance for sidewalk construction, repair and rehabilitation, and other pedestrian network improvements in each year’s proposed debt program, subject to debt capacity review.
2. Watershed Protection: Watershed Protection has demonstrated strong performance in delivering and spending prior bond funds, and their work (drainage, flood mitigation, creek restoration, and more) is essential to keeping Austin residents safe from the flooding risks that threaten lives and property across our city. We are open to the BEATF's suggestion to explore scaling the Drainage Utility Fee (DUF) to support increased Watershed capital investments, while not ruling out the inclusion of Watershed projects in a 2026 Bond package.
As this moves forward, it is important that all districts, and by extension all constituents, see themselves reflected in the proposal. We look forward to continuing to work with you all and staff to both correct for historic underinvestment and ensure fair distribution across the City.
Best,
Paige & Krista
Colleagues,
Thank you for the good discussion yesterday at Work Session regarding the 2026 Bond. We appreciate all the work done by the BEATF, staff, and community to get us to this point. Like our colleagues on the dais, we would like to put a responsibly-sized, community-focused bond package on the ballot this November. The funding need is significant, as is the need to maintain affordability for our taxpayers.
We would like to suggest using the $390M Staff Alternative Scenario as the starting point for the 2026 Bond. While there may be adjustments we wish to explore, we appreciate the extensive work that has gone into this proposal and view it as a strong, thoughtful foundation for our deliberations.
Our immediate capital funding priorities align with City programs that have efficiently spent their past bond dollars and are ready for further investment:
1. Parks: Given the amount of existing parkland that remains undeveloped, this bond presents an opportunity to prioritize park development and activation. We want usable, accessible, inviting park spaces that address current gaps in service and demonstrate responsible stewardship of our land, including restrooms, drinking fountains, and other basic amenities. Land acquisition efforts are also a prudent investment in the current real estate market and should remain strategic and targeted, placing a focus on expanding trails and greenbelts, which serve the dual purpose of increasing park access and strengthening connectivity across Austin. Investing in our pools and splash pads is of critical importance, too, as our summers get longer and hotter, and our recreation and senior centers are well-loved workhorses for our community that also need investment. We support the $250M recommended by staff.
2. Safe and Active Mobility: The scale of unmet need and its direct impact on safety, the environment, equity, and quality of life call for continued investment in a more connected, multimodal transportation network. We want to prioritize reliable, cost-effective, and deliverable projects, including bikeways, sidewalks, urban trails, Neighborhood Partnering projects, and targeted safety improvements. Within safety, we specifically highlight the Safe Routes to School program for its proven role in supporting families. However, the ACT Plan may not be fully shovel-ready, and a $12M allocation towards a project that could approach $1B in total costs feels premature. For that reason, we support $80M.
3. Community Facilities: As staff identified in their list of projects, the Hampton Branch Library is sorely in need of investment, so we are committed to protecting that $20M. We also support the improvements to the animal service center. However, we also must learn from the lessons of Prop Q. While there was significant discussion last year around funding for a Homeless Resource Center, bond funding is best reserved for shovel-ready, long-term capital investments with evident public support. As such, we are open to removing this item from the 2026 Bond package and instead exploring other funding mechanisms. If supported, that would bring the Community Facilities funding bucket down to $23M.
Ellis/Laine Proposal: $250M + $80M + $23M = $353M
Certificates of Obligation are another tool at our disposal, and we must be responsible stewards of their use. Given that, we believe CO expenditures should focus on core municipal functions or areas with direct life-safety implications. Pedestrians are being killed on our streets, and Austin's flooding risks threaten lives and property. Both demands are urgent, ongoing, and the kind of projects that COs are meant to support. For that reason, we ask our colleagues to consider the following:
1. Sidewalks: Year after year, our offices see persistent demand from constituents for sidewalk projects so they can move safely through their neighborhoods. The need is both significant and actionable; pedestrian network investments are among the most cost-effective ways to improve safety and accessibility. Maintaining a consistent funding pipeline allows our teams to continue this work efficiently. Without that consistency, we risk losing skilled crews and slowing progress. For that reason, we request that the City Manager include $15M in annual CO issuance for sidewalk construction, repair and rehabilitation, and other pedestrian network improvements in each year’s proposed debt program, subject to debt capacity review.
2. Watershed Protection: Watershed Protection has demonstrated strong performance in delivering and spending prior bond funds, and their work (drainage, flood mitigation, creek restoration, and more) is essential to keeping Austin residents safe from the flooding risks that threaten lives and property across our city. We are open to the BEATF's suggestion to explore scaling the Drainage Utility Fee (DUF) to support increased Watershed capital investments, while not ruling out the inclusion of Watershed projects in a 2026 Bond package.
As this moves forward, it is important that all districts, and by extension all constituents, see themselves reflected in the proposal. We look forward to continuing to work with you all and staff to both correct for historic underinvestment and ensure fair distribution across the City.
Best,
Paige & Krista
Chief of Staff
Office of Council Member Paige Ellis, District 8
Office of Council Member Paige Ellis, District 8