City staff members have expressed concern to City Council over direction to put together a bond proposal for the November election that would look to generate $750 million to fund sidewalks, trails and other “active transportation” improvements. Last week Council approved on consent a resolution directing the city manager to give Council a plan to […]
Bonds & Propositions
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Council members consider merits of separate safe mobility bond
Responding to a concerted push from local mobility advocates, City Council has opened up the discussion about placing active mobility funds on the November ballot alongside the $7 billion-$10 billion public transit system Project Connect. Five weeks ago, a coalition of 36 organizations called Austin Outside launched a petition calling for a $750 million bond […]
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Group says it has enough signatures to put Austin’s homelessness ordinances on the November ballot
A GOP-backed group says it’s collected enough signatures to put a reversal of the city’s homeless ordinances on the ballot in November. Save Austin Now, a coalition led by longtime strategist and Travis County GOP Chair Matt Mackowiak, announced Monday it has turned in 24,087 signatures for its petition to reinstate bans on camping, panhandling […]
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PAC readies to oppose rail bond
The political action committee Our Mobility Our Future, whose backers plan to oppose a proposition on the November ballot to fund the Project Connect transit system, reported this week that they had collected more than $98,000 during the reporting period that started in January. The PAC also reports $75,000 in pledged contributions. City Council has […]
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Parks advocates push $750M bond proposal to add sidewalks, trails throughout city
Parks and transportation advocates hope to put a $750 million bond proposal on the November ballot that would fund many construction projects centered around “active transportation” found in the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan. The effort, led by the group Austin Outside, is focused on the call to improve sidewalks, bike lanes, urban trails and safety […]
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City may begin evaluating creative spaces bond sites in June
The city expects to use real estate and economic development professionals from the Texas Facilities Commission to broker the acquisition of what may be multiple properties for local artists and musicians to use. An April 3 memo spells out the steps that will be taken to purchase creative spaces using $12 million in bond funding […]
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Activist-led transportation bond vision adjusted and finalized
The team behind the Wheel Deal, a community-led concept for a 2020 transportation-focused bond, released its final plan Wednesday after making several adjustments to its initial plan based on public input. While the group sharply cut proposed funding in a number of areas, including the active transportation and improved local bus service components, new estimates […]
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Arts, music groups target underserved communities with $12M for creative spaces
The first draft of guidelines for how the city will allocate $12 million in bond money for creative spaces shows that priority will be given to historically underserved communities and groups that have a track record of working with marginalized people. The public got a look at the long-expected recommendations Saturday at a joint meeting […]
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Music advocates seen as key in defeat of Proposition B
Updated: 12:20 a.m.: Austin voters have defeated a ballot measure that sought to restructure how the city spends its Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue, and would have forced a public vote on a proposed expansion of the Austin Convention Center. The vote count just after midnight on Election Night showed a clear loss for the Proposition […]
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Travis County opts to ‘Energize the Expo,’ but it could be years away
Updated: 10:48 p.m.: Travis County voters have decided to energize the expo. More specifically, residents voted in favor of County Proposition A, which authorizes the county to levy up to a 2 percent tax on hotel guests to fund a renovation of the aging Travis County Exposition Center on Decker Lane. Unofficial results posted at […]
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Voters overwhelmingly reject Proposition A
Updated: 10:21 p.m: Austin voters on Tuesday resoundingly rejected city Proposition A. With the final tally complete, more than 64 percent of those voting cast ballots against the proposition, which began as a reaction to the city’s decision to lease McKalla Place for a 20,000-seat Major League Soccer stadium. Mayor Steve Adler, who worked against […]
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Austin and Travis County voters will decide the future of hotel tax revenue: Here’s what that means
Expansion of the Austin Convention Center and the Travis County Expo Center could be on the line with two local ballot propositions this November. At the center of those two propositions is tax revenue from hotel stays – and how it’s spent locally. Both propositions are born out of Austin City Council’s decision to expand […]