How did the City of Austin decide which items to include in the proposed bond program?

In 2016, the Austin City Council formed a citizen-led Bond Election Advisory Task Force (Task Force) to identify, study, prioritize, and propose various projects for consideration of bond funding in a potential 2018 election. The Task Force, comprised of 13 Austin residents, convened 13 full task force meetings and 66 working group meetings. In total, the task force spent approximately 140 hours of public meeting time, with nearly 300 Austin residents participating in in-person and online bond-simulator exercises. Additionally, 12 community engagement sessions, reaching all 10 council districts, were held, and more than 900 online bond surveys were submitted and reviewed.

For nearly 24 months, the task force met with stakeholders, gathered input, and developed a proposal, focusing its $850 million recommendation to the City Council on reinvestment in current city infrastructure.

Following the conclusion of the work of the Task Force, taking into account the City Manager’s update to that recommendation and testimony received from the public at Council meetings, the City Council proposed amendments to the Task Force recommendation, ultimately voting on a $925 million bond program to go before the voters on November 6, 2018.