Bond Election Advisory Task Force

The Austin City Council formed the Bond Election Advisory Task Force (BEATF) in August 2016.  It is composed of 13 members- 11 appointed by the City Council and the Mayor, 1 appointed by the Planning Commission, and 1 appointed by the Zoning and Platting Commission.  The BEATF was tasked with identifying and prioritizing bond funding for projects to be included in a 2018 Bond Referendum.

• Creation Resolution

• Member Directory

• Meeting Portal

• Final Report

Bond Election Advisory Task Force Working Groups

The BEATF has created 5 working groups to deliberate on and make recommendations to the full Task Force regarding the 2018 Bond. 

Per City Code 2-142, a Working Group is not subject to the requirements of the Texas Open Meeting Act, nor is it required to keep minutes of the meetings. You may access the Code here.

*Some dates and times differ, see individual Pages

2018 Bond Public Testimony Opportunities

The Bond Election Advisory Task Force scheduled a series of interactive town halls and listening sessions to receive feedback from the public regarding the community's priorities for a potential 2018 bond.  Below is the historical information related to these town halls/sessions.

Listening Sessions

Following on the successful town hall meetings in 2017, the Task Force has scheduled four additional opportunities for the public to comment on the 2018 bond development program. Below are the dates, locations, and times of the meetings. The public will be given 3 minutes each to address the Task Force directly.  Sign up will be available at the beginning of each meeting.

To access the meeting materials online: CLICK HERE

Provea sus comentarios sobre el paquete de bonos para el 2018

La Ciudad de Austin ha programado en enero cuatro reuniones adicionales para escuchar el testimonio del público sobre un paquete de bonos para el 2018. En las reuniones, cada miembro del público contará con tres minutos para hablar. Solicite la asistencia de un intérprete en español llamando al (512) 974-1380 al menos 24 horas antes de la hora de inicio de la reunión a la que desea asistir.

Interactive Town Halls

While the Task Force continues to develop its recommendation to Council on a 2018 bond package, the members of the Task Force want to better understand what City infrastructure needs are more important to Austin residents.  Toward that end, the Task Force has created several community engagement opportunities to receive direct input from the public.  The Task Force has scheduled a series of interactive town halls throughout the City, launched a short survey regarding citizen priorities for the bond, and created a bond simulator. The town halls are designed to allow the public to interact one-on-one with members of the Task Force, "spending" bond dollars on the five bond categories, while discussing bond projects and programs with the Task Force members. 

2018 Public Input Bond Survey: CLOSED

2018 Bond Simulator: CLOSED

Simulador de Bonos 2018 en Español: CLOSED

Community Updates

Information related to public outreach / Council updates / publications

• April 4, 2017: City Council Presentation on the 2018 Bond Program Development Timeline

• June 13, 2017: City Council Presentation on the 2018 Bond Program Development

• June 16, 2017: Bond Election Advisory Task Force Presentation on the 2018 Bond Program Development

• Sept 28, 2017: Presentation to Austin Neighborhoods Council by BEATF members Nuckols and DasGupta

• Oct 11, 2017: Resolution passed by the Commission on Seniors regarding 2018 Bond Proposals

• Nov 9, 2017: Press Release on Bond Election Advisory Task Force Requested Public Input

• Jan 8, 2018: Press Release on further opportunities for public testimony on the 2018 Bond Development Process

• Jan 10, 2018: Presentation on the 2018 Bond Development process to the Early Childhood Council

• Jan 17, 2018: Presentation on the 2018 Bond Development Process at the District 2 Town Hall Meeting 

In order to ensure the best strategic allocation of bond funds a team was formed to help facilitate this bond package. Each department submitted their list of needs in priority order. After cross referencing with other departments and City staff the Bond Development team constructed a list of which projects with highest priority.

• June 16, 2017: Initial Staff Recommended Starting Point
• December 2017: Tax Rate Increase Survey Results by District
• January 2018: Bond Requests- Equity Assessment Results
• February 2018: Equity Survey Results

• February 23, 2018:  Final 2018 Bond Recommendation

• March 9, 2018: Final 2018 Bond Recommendation Report