Voters on Nov. 6 will be asked to approve seven propositions to devote $385 million of bond money to capital improvement projects, or enhancements to roads, parks and buildings, as well as new initiatives including design for a new police substation in Northwest Austin and a fire station in the Onion Creek area of South Austin.
"We are addressing our most pressing needs, and they will be met," Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole said. "At this point, I simply ask the citizens to give us their full support because this is a package that deserves approval at the ballot box."
Austin City Council approved Aug. 17 the projects to be included in the bond package, wrapping up an eight-month process to cut $1.5 billion of citywide needs to a smaller package that would not result in an additional property tax rate increase.
The council is currently considering a 2.08 cent increase to the property tax rate, making it 50.29 cents per every $100 in assessed property value for 2012.
To help whittle down the needs assessment to a smaller package, the council appointed a 15-member citizen task force and charged it with producing packages of $400 million, $300 million and $200 million. Because of the amount of need, however, the task force recommended a $575 million package and a $400 million package.
City Manager Marc Ott put forth a $385 million package, and city staff readied an alternate $400 million package as well as $300 package and a $200 million package. Download a summary of the packages here.
The council used Ott's $385 million package as the basis for the package that was approved Aug. 17 with additional attention paid to the task force's $400 million package.
Click here to download a full list of projects to receive funding if the 2012 bonds are approved.
The propositions that will appear on the ballot are:
Proposition 12: Transportation and Mobility ($143,299,000)
Proposition 13: Open Space and Watershed Protection ($30,000,000)
Proposition 14: Parks and Recreation ($77,680,000)
Proposition 15: Housing ($78,300,000)
Proposition 16: Public Safety ($31,079,000)
Proposition 17: Health and Human Services ($11,148,000)
Proposition 18: Library, Museum and Cultural Arts Facilities ($13,442,000)