$767 million bond could be coming to Austin voters in November

AUSTIN (KXAN) — After roughly a year and a half of work, the task force that’s been tapped to recommend a 2026 bond package to Austin City Council is out with its recommendations.

The task force 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.

It’s one of three options city council is expected to consider later this month. Another comes from a group of city council members who pitched a more than $400 million option that largely funds parks and recreation.

The third, a final proposal from city staff, is expected to be released later this month. Staff have already produced a draft proposal worth roughly $700 million.

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.

‘The needs … outstrip our debt capacity’

The city has identified far more needs than it can fund — with estimates ranging into the billions — while its bond capacity is only around $700 to $750 million.

The Bond Election Advisory Task Force (BEATF) set out to identify the most pressing of those unmet needs.

“The needs in our community outstrip our debt capacity. We have more needs, very deeply felt, than we can afford to do,” a member of the BEATF said during a Monday meeting.

In the end, the BEATF landed on a $766.5 million pitch with the following funding 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.

Council members pitch second option

Last month, Austin city council members asked the BEATF to consider an alternate option that would include a smaller bond in 2026 and potentially going back to voters in 2028.

In a message board post those 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.

In the end the BEATF put together a second option — which is not their preferred option, 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.