Bond task force to sort through, identify priority projects
City of Austin staff have identified $1.5 billion in capital improvement projects, or enhancements to roads and buildings, and now it is up to a 15-member citizen task force to parse through and prioritize the projects for a bond package that could go before voters in November.
Projects in Central Austin that ranked high based on a scoring matrix used by city staff include infrastructure upgrades, such as new wheelchair lifts, at the Austin History Center and replacing Austin Central Fire Station No. 1 at 401 E. 5th St. with a new Austin Fire Department and EMS headquarters. The Bond Election Advisory Task Force is using the city-appropriated score to inform the selection process, but it is not the only factor, Capital Planning Officer Mike Trimble said.
The task force has also been instructed to choose projects based on greatest need, timing and those that further the vision set out in the city's new comprehensive plan, Imagine Austin, which is still in the works but would likely go before City Council for approval in spring.
Members of the task force were recently assigned to committees—such as transportation and mobility and affordable housing—and are going to come up with packages worth $400 million, $300 million and $200 million, Trimble said.
