Finance
Austin financial staff propose delaying bond to 2028
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The city of Austin has released its final bond recommendation to city council members and the mayor. It’s one of at least three base options city council is expected to consider later this month.
City staff ultimately recommended the city council not pursue a bond in 2026 — but rather in 2028 — citing the “decision tree” city council adopted earlier this year.
“Staff also recognizes that there are priority funding areas that will need to be considered in the FY 2027 budget process for programs within the existing bond propositions that have reached 90% of the funds expended,” staff wrote. Those areas include transportation, watershed protection and parks.
In a work session Tuesday, many city council members expressed they still wanted to move forward with a bond this year — especially one that focuses on parks.
“Parks are so central to the identity of Austin; they’re so valued by people here — almost uniquely — amongst so many communities that I know. They are essentially out of capital funds … and I do feel an obligation to continue to get them some capital dollars,” Mayor Pro Tem Chito Vela said.
The Bond Election Advisory Task Force proposal
There are at least two additional base proposals up for consideration: One from a task force that’s been working for roughly a year and a half to identify the city’s greatest needs and another from a group of five city council members that focuses on parks.
The Bond Election Advisory Task Force (BEATF) has identified a package that would cost the city roughly $767 million and would tackle major projects in affordable housing, parks, transportation and flood mitigation.
The BEATF proposal puts money in the following buckets:
- $200 million: Affordable housing
- $175 million: Parks and open space
- $106 million: Facilities (libraries, museums, the Austin animal center)
- $25 million: Homeless Strategy Office (helping fund a new 1,200 bed shelter)
- $147 million: Transportation
- $113 million: Storm and flood mitigation infrastructure
You can find the full list of recommended projects here.
The ‘parks’ proposal
Last month, a group of city council members proposed an additional 2026 bond idea, worth more than $400 million, but that also includes a second bond ask in 2028. The focus of that bond is parks.
In a message board post, five council members pitched the following for a 2026 bond:
• $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
“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,” the council members said.
The BEATF then reworked that additional option — which is not their preferred proposal, but satisfies the ask from some council members — that would come in at $436 million.
The breakdown is:
- $225 million: Parks and open space
- $106 million: Facilities
- $25 million: Homeless Strategy Office
- $80 million: Transportation
You can find the breakdown of that option here.
City staff also put forward a version of this scenario which would cost roughly $390 million.
The breakdown of that alternate proposal is:
- $92 million: Transportation
- $250 million: Parks and Recreation
- $48 million” Community facilities
What happens next?
Council members and the city will now need to narrow down which of these proposals — if any of them — will be the final proposal.
In a work session, council members suggested they would not be able to have a decision made by the end of the month (staff initially put a placeholder for that vote on the May 28 council agenda). Mayor Pro Tem Vela told staff he would like to see a vote happen in July.
The deadline to call an election is in August and voters would have the ultimate say in November.
How much would these cost you?
City staff previously said that for every $100 million in additional debt the city takes on, the average Austin homeowner will see their bill go up by $14.34 annually.
It’s worth noting that your property tax bill will go up over the next several years regardless of whether a bond is approved or not in 2026. City staff say the city still has more than $2 billion in outstanding debt.
Finance
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Finance
Protecting Bolivia’s forest watersheds with sustainable finance
Why financing matters for forest restoration
Over the past several years, Armonía and local communities have made significant progress restoring parts of the Tunari protected area. To date they have planted 1.25 million trees, with more than half of these planted in the Tiquipaya municipality. Community wildfire brigades have been strengthened, reservoirs built to secure water, and new systems created for communities to participate in watershed management.
One of the most important actions was strengthening the structure and function of a watershed governance body, known as Organismo de Gestión de Cuencas (OGC). This coordinates restoration activities and helps design sustainable development strategies for the communities living in the park, helping rebuild trust between them, park authorities and conservation organisations. Women leaders have played an important role in shaping this work.
However, a major challenge was highlighted – restoration takes decades, but most conservation funding arrives through short-term projects. Without stable long-term financing, restoration gains are difficult to maintain.
How the financing model would work
The proposed PES mechanism would collect small contributions directed into a transparent trust fund with independent governance. Resources would then be invested in three main areas:
- Forest restoration and protection – Communities would receive incentives for protecting existing forest and payments tied to successful restoration outcomes.
- Community sustainable development – Investments would support livelihood activities that reduce pressure on the forest, such as sustainable agriculture, water management and local enterprises.
- Strengthening park management – Funds would help support ranger capacity, wildfire prevention and long-term monitoring within Tunari National Park.
For communities, the system recognises their role as custodians of the watershed. For urban residents, it offers a practical way to support the ecosystems that provide their water. For public and private partners, it creates a transparent structure for long-term investment in landscape restoration.
Once fully implemented, the mechanism could generate an estimated £3 million per year for watershed protection and restoration.

Designing a Payment for Ecosystem Services mechanism
Over the past two years, Armonía has worked with municipalities, communities and regional institutions to explore how a PES mechanism could work in the Cochabamba region.
The PES concept is straightforward. Communities living in the upper watershed protect and restore forests that provide essential services such as water regulation, erosion control and biodiversity conservation. Downstream users who benefit from these services contribute financially to support that stewardship.
Through the Accelerator process, Armonía undertook studies, assessments and consultations across the Cochabamba metropolitan area’s seven municipalities. Many residents recognised that protecting the forest is directly linked to their water security. Based on these encouraging results, Armonía and their partners are developing a regional trust fund.
Building the institutions behind the mechanism
The financing system is only one piece of the puzzle – strong governance and community participation are also essential. With FIA support, Armonía is now helping communities develop ten-year sustainable development strategies that identify restoration priorities and income opportunities. A multi-stakeholder platform will oversee the initiative and guide decisions, while the park administration is also receiving support to strengthen monitoring, prevent wildfires and improve co-ordination.
A new model for watershed protection
The work underway in Tunari is about more than planting trees. It’s about building a durable system that links ecological restoration, community leadership and long-term financing. Once the mechanism is operational, it could transform how the Tunari watershed is managed. Instead of relying on intermittent projects, the region would have a locally supported financing system that rewards stewardship and protects the Kewiña forests that has supported life in the Andes for centuries.
Finance
Building a scalable finance function at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners
Implementing the “Future of Finance Academy”
KPMG in the UK worked with CCEP to co-create a comprehensive learning program for senior managers and associate directors in its finance function. We began by developing a strong understanding of the unique business context in which the company and its finance team operate.
This also helped us determine the best mode of delivery for its globally distributed finance function and identify opportunities to stretch CCEP’s ambitions further.
For example, the KPMG team proposed turning the final module of the course into a showcase presentation. Trainees applied what they had learned to real business challenges and presented their solutions to the board in a business pitch-style competition. Although this added to finance leaders’ already demanding workload, it proved to be one of the course’s most successful elements, enabling participants to put their new skills into practice.
Before work on the Academy began, KPMG developed a detailed plan setting out how the two teams would work together, ensure consistency across the learning modules, maintain quality assurance, and manage changes to scope.
KPMG professionals then collaborated closely with CCEP to co-create bespoke learning content, with CCEP’s senior finance leaders acting as subject matter experts alongside our own finance specialists.
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