City Council Considers a November Bond Election

Mayor Kirk Watson definitely does not want a bond election this November. It looks like it might happen anyway. 

In one of its last votes before heading out on summer break, Austin City Council approved a measure on May 28 that changes city policy to make an election on a new bond possible. Council also directed city staff to put together a bond package of projects costing $390 million and present it for consideration at a meeting in late July. The new bond, if Council decides to put it on the ballot, would mostly finance improvements to parks and transit projects. Only the mayor and Council Member Marc Duchen have stated a firm opposition to such a proposal.

CM Ryan Alter, who led consideration of the measures, characterized Council’s votes as simply allowing for the possibility of a bond election, not guaranteeing one. “Basically, [let’s] build the menu and let us come back in July and have that ultimate discussion of, ‘Should we do this?’” Alter said. 

The bond proposal that comes back will almost certainly mirror one that city staff unveiled in mid-May. That $390 million proposal, one of several offered by staff, suggested allocating $200 million to build and renovate park infrastructure: $65 million of that figure would go to aquatics, i.e., swimming pools; another $50 million would go toward parkland acquisition. The May proposal also included $92 million for transit projects, including $52 million for sidewalks, trails, and bike paths. Another $23 million would be spent on renovations of the Hampton Branch at Oak Hill library and the Austin Animal Center headquarters, and $25 million would go toward building a new homeless shelter. 

Council’s instruction to staff asked them to consider making money available for improvements to several cultural institutions as well, including the Mexic-Arte Museum, Paramount Theatre, Austin Film Studios, and Umlauf Sculpture Garden. Sylvia Orozco, co-founder of Mexic-Arte, spoke during the bond discussion, saying that providing money for the museum would “complete the construction of a beautifully designed building that will be the pride of Downtown Austin, showcasing local artists as well as international exhibitions.” 

Fleetwood Jacobs, executive director of nonprofit Zilker 351, urged Council to provide more money for parks – particularly the area below the Barton Springs spillway, known as Barking Springs, which she said is in “active ecological decline.” “Years of flooding, stormwater runoff, erosion, invasive species, and intense public use have destabilized the shoreline,” Jacobs said. “Tree roots are exposed, soil is collapsing into the creek, and trails have narrowed to the point that they’re unsafe for children, seniors, and people with limited mobility.” 

The fact that Council is still thinking of holding a bond election this November is somewhat surprising, given that staff at the Austin Financial Services Department have twice recommended that the city delay any bond consideration until 2028. The first such recommendation came in January, as AFS Director Kim Olivares told Council that the average property owner’s annual tax payment on city debt will climb over the next several years from $450 to $614 a year – and that’s if no further bonds are approved. AFS’s second recommendation came in mid-May, and seemed, to some observers, to settle the matter.  

Watson and Duchen both strongly criticized the idea of considering a bond seven months after the defeat of the tax rate election known as Proposition Q. Prop Q would have raised taxes for increased spending on homelessness, parks, and other needs, but it lost in a landslide. Discussing the bond on May 28, Duchen said the question of whether to go forward with it came down to “can versus should.” He reiterated his arguments to the Chronicle, saying city leaders need to take a pause before asking voters to approve more bond projects, having persistently asked voters for money every two years, besides in 2024. 

“Austin has asked voters for sizable bonds every two years going back to 2010,” Duchen said. “That approach might be workable if the city reliably delivered on those bond projects, but we have not. Instead, we’ve created a short-term system that’s increasingly influenced by outside special interest and advocacy groups.” 

At the May 28 vote, Watson warned Council that they were discounting the lessons of Prop Q and risked alienating voters after working to regain their trust by passing ordinances that create an ongoing audit process for city departments and providing stronger oversight for consulting contracts, among other things. 

“Public trust isn’t restored simply by passing new policies,” Watson said. “It’s restored by proving we have discipline. And that discipline is especially important after voters clearly expressed concern. … I don’t believe we’ve yet done enough to justify asking voters this quickly for additional debt.”  

But a majority of Council was not persuaded. CM Mike Siegel said he disagreed with the idea that proposing a bond would create a financial or political risk. CM Zo Qadri told us he is interested to see what projects city staff include in the bond proposal. CM Krista Laine said it’s well known that she has strong reservations about putting a bond on the November ballot, but that Austin’s population has grown since residents last voted on a bond in 2022 and the growth is straining our infrastructure. She said she would look more favorably on a bond proposal if it delivered immediate quality-of-life improvements, particularly to her constituents in District 6. 

CM Chito Vela is the only Council member who has explicitly endorsed putting a bond on the November ballot. At the meeting, Vela offered his particular support for using bond money to improve Barking Springs because people bring their dogs – and kids – to swim in the chilly water for free. 

“It’s a beautiful area,” Vela said. “Thousands of people go there. It’s another of the many parts of Zilker Park that have been loved to death – but Barking Springs maybe more than any other individual spot. It really does need some safety and accessibility improvements. And I think the plan put together by the supporters is excellent.”

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