Austin City Council is considering a mobility bond between $250 million and $720 million and whether to call a bond in 2016 and/or 2018.
City Council has until Aug. 22 to call a bond for the Nov. 8 election. The city’s bond capacity under the current debt tax rate is about $500 million for an eight-year bond program, according to city documents.
The council Mobility Committee voted 4-0 to recommend a resolution by Council Member and committee chair Ann Kitchen to the full council. She said the $300 million proposal is merely a starting point for discussion. Kitchen pointed out the largest mobility bond since 1998 was $195 million.
“Given the limited amount we can spend every year, this will make significant progress on corridors,” she said.
Kitchen said the amount would avoid raising property taxes and also preserve council’s ability to seek other bonds in 2018 to fund flooding mitigation, parks, library needs and other mobility improvements, such as high-capacity transit that could include rail.
Almost 30 residents provided about an hour and a half of public comment during the meeting, mostly in support for the city pursuing a mobility bond.
Realtor Aaron Farmer, who is president of the Austin Board of Realtors, encouraged council to be bold in pursuing a bond package and making a difference. He said he would not support any “Band-Aid” approaches or deferring any projects.
“The alternative of waiting two more years … is to continue to defer maintenance we know we need,” he said.
Council Member Leslie Pool discusses why she and Council Member Greg Casar proposed their own $720 million mobility bond proposal to support local needs.[/caption]Moving forward
On May 26, Mayor Steve Adler announced his $720 million proposal that prioritized roads the city has already conducted corridor studies on, including FM 969, Airport Boulevard, Burnet Road, North and South Lamar Boulevard, and Riverside Drive.
“The corridor plans have already been done. Each plan has had extensive public input. We’ve spent millions of dollars on them, and they’re sitting on a shelf. We need to take the plans off the shelf and do the work. To help with congestion alone, we need to do this work,” Adler said in a statement.
His plan would seek $300 million by issuing bonds and funding the remainder by raising the debt tax rate by 2 cents.
District 4 Council Member Greg Casar said the mayor’s plan focuses on the future but falls short.
On June 14 before the Mobility Committee meeting, Casar and District 7 Council Member Leslie Pool proposed an amended version of Adler’s plan that puts more dollars toward local projects instead of regional projects.
“While these projects will serve some Austinites, they are going toward the traditional strategy of single-occupancy cars because that’s how most of us currently get to work,” Casar said. “They do not focus on the future—a future where hopefully the majority of Austinites do not have to be trapped in single-occupancy vehicles on their daily routes to work.”
Pool said the goal is not how many miles of concrete the city can construct but providing spaces for people to meet, live and build relationships.
“I think that’s what we’re really talking about when we talk sidewalks, bike lanes and urban trails,” she said. “I believe any potential bond should prioritize these active transportation needs in our communities and on our corridors. I would say it’s not just an investment in mobility; it’s an investment in our neighborhoods as well.”
Several organizations support the duo’s plan, including Bike Austin, Bike Texas and Walk Austin.
Bike Austin Executive Director Mercedes Feris said she supports the city in making streets safer for everyone.
“Traffic deaths and injuries are a preventable public health issue," Feris said. "Any death is too many. People will make mistakes. The transportation system should be designed so mistakes aren’t fatal. This plan will benefit everyone.”
Proposed mobility bonds
Mayor Adler’s plan: $720 million
$100 million: regional projects
$500 million: corridor improvement projects
$120 million: local mobility projects for implementing the sidewalk and urban trails master plans, $85 million; implementing the bicycle master plan, $20 million; and for implementing the Vision Zero plan, $15 million
Council members Casar and Pool’s plan: $720 million
$220 million: local mobility projects to fund the sidewalk, trails, bicycle and Vision Zero plans
$420 million: corridor improvement projects
$80 million: for underserved neighborhoods for safer routes to schools, improved bus stops, sidewalks and pedestrian safety to daily necessities including transit stops
Mobility Committee starting point plan: $300 million
$46.5 million: regional projects on Loop 360, $30 million; and Parmer Lane, $16.5 million
$121 million corridor mobility projects: FM 969, $16 million; Airport, $15 million; Burnet, $19 million; N. Lamar, $18 million; Riverside, $30 million; S. Lamar, $23 million
$2.5 million: future corridor mobility projects on Anderson Mill Road, Colony Park Loop Road, East William Cannon Drive, FM 1626 and Manchaca Road
$14 million: transit enhancements
$25 million: safety and intersection improvements
$61.7 million: local mobility improvements for sidewalks, $39.7 million; bike facilities, $11 million; and trails, $11 million
$29.3 million: capital projects on Meadow Lake Boulevard, Cooper Lane, Circle S Road, Jain Lane and Spicewood Springs Road
This story has been updated to correct the date by which council has to call a bond election.
