The Real Estate Council of Austin - 2012 Bond Election Advisory Committee page

Austin City Council members approved a resolution which will establish the 2012 Citizen Bond Election Advisory Task Force at their meeting on Thursday, October 6, 2011. The committee will have 15 members, and will be appointed no later than Thursday, November 10, 2011. Each Council Member will have two appointments, and the Planning Commission will have one appointment.

Per the resolution, the task force will be "established to identify and prioritize bond funding for projects that will advance the vision identified by the Imagine Austin planning process."

Austin City Council Members made their final appointments to the 2012 Citizen Bond Election Advisory Task Force at their meeting on Thursday, November 10, 2011. Here is a complete list of appointments:

On Thursday, December 8, 2011, the Austin City Council approved the following set of guiding principles to be used by the task force in evaluating and developing the next bond election proposal.

During the first two 2012 meetings of the Citizen Bond Election Advisory Task Force, City staff presented informational presentations regarding the Capital Improvement Program, debt capacity, budget considerations, and transportation initiatives. The Capital Planning Office is responsible for steering the task force through the bond development process. In preparation for developing a potential bond package, City staff conducted a capital needs assessment. City departments were asked to identify capital improvement project needs that could be implemented within a five to seven-year timeframe.

At the Monday, February 16, 2012 meeting, the Citizen Bond Election Advisory Task Force received a Needs Assessment Projects and Programs from Mike Trimble, Capital Planning Officer for the City of Austin. This report contains the results of the needs assessment and lists of proposed projects for each department. Also included in the report is detailed information for each project.

Austin Public Library                                                        $8,042,000
Austin Transportation Department                             $274,500,000
Economic Growth & Redevelopment Services            $2,000,000
EMS                                                                                  $3,788,000
Fire                                                                               $138,815,000
General Facilities                                                        $105,758,000
Health & Human Services Department                       $12,991,000
Neighborhood Housing & Community Development $91,100,000
Parks & Recreation Department                               $141,300,000
Planning & Development Review Department       $300,750,000
Police                                                                           $142,870,000
Public Works                                                               $220,744,000
Watershed Protection Department                            $50,000,000

At the Wednesday, February 29, 2012 Bond Election Advisory Task Force meeting, City staff provided an additional description of the Guiding Principles, their related criteria, and the process staff used to apply the criteria to projects and programs in the capital needs assessment. Additional topics discussed included: staff briefings on the Community Engagement Process, as well as Committee Updates. The task force has formed four subcommittees: Affordable Housing, Transportation/Mobility, Parks and Open Space, and City Facilities. The subcommittees will prioritize projects in their respective categories. Staff anticipate the subcommittees will make a recommendation to the full task force at their Monday, April 23, 2012 meeting.

The 2012 Bond Election Advisory Task Force has met February through May 2012 and held two special-called Community Forums on Wednesday and Thursday, May 2 and 3, 2012. All meetings were open to the public. The meetings were televised on Channel 6 the next day. Click here for agendas, minutes, and presentations from meetings.

Click here for information provided to the Transportation/Mobility subcommittee on Tuesday, March 27, 2012, which includes a description of projects by category along with the cost associated with each project.

On Monday, May 14, 2012, the Bond Election Advisory Task Force (BEATF) approved a $575 million recommendation for Austin City Council. RECA President Scott Flack participated in citizen communication advocating for 50 percent of funds to be allocated toward critical infrastructure projects and for the importance of affordable housing. Task Force members also began to work toward a $400 million recommendation, a conversation to be continued at their next meeting on Monday, May 21, 2012.

The $575 million package includes:

•   Affordable Housing: $100.5 million
•   City Facilities: $98.8 million
•   Parks and Open Space: $150 million
•   Transportation: $208.7 million
•   Community-based projects: $17 million

In addition to the $575 million package recommendation, the Task Force will work toward trimming down to a $400 million package, which would not yield a tax increase (as long as urban rail is not added to the ballot). Preliminary discussion indicates that the Task Force is looking at $400 million package that is broken down as follows:

•   Affordable Housing: 19 percent (approximately $76.8 million)
•   City Facilities: 17 percent (approximately $66.3 million)
•   Parks and Open Space: 28 percent (approximately $113.7 million)
•   Transportation: 35 percent (approximately $138.6 million)
•   Community-based projects: 1 percent (approximately $4.6 million)

Click here for the most up-to-date City information on the bond development process.