On June 19, Buda residents will have an opportunity to offer input on a potential bond, what projects to recommend and what the amount should be.

The meeting, taking place at Elm Grove Elementary School at 6:30 p.m., will be the last chance for the broader public to provide their thoughts on what infrastructural improvements the growing city should pursue and weigh in on what kind of property tax hike they would support.

At a June 18 budget workshop, the City Council listened to a presentation by Jeff Barton, a consultant from Gap Strategies, which was procured to organize the bond recommendation process.

The Buda Bond Advisory Committee, composed of council-appointed community members, has whittled down a list of possible projects to $49.65 million in "core" capital improvements and another $10.5 on the "cusp."

"I like the way it's structured," Mayor Todd Ruge said. "I'm really curious to see the reaction [at the community meeting], and I think that's how I'm going to base [my decision.]"

Among the projects in consideration is a new municipal complex which would combine a city hall, library and police station into one building. Downtown, roads, drainage and wastewater services and parks and trails could all be addressed in a bond package.

The bond advisory committee will convene once more on June 25. It will take input from the meeting and finalize the recommendation that it is slated to present to council on July 1.

City Council has until Aug. 18 to call a bond election.

The dollar amount that the committee is considering has grown from an initial range of $10 to $40 million, which drew concern among council members at a June 17 meeting.

Council was unaware at that time that the committee increased the possible amount because the city's financial advisor revised the city's bonding capacity based on more realistic property valuation and sales tax assumptions, Colin Strother, an advisory committee member, said.

"Once the financial assumptions were brought back to reality, the price of the bond in terms of what homeowners and business owners would pay was substantially smaller then the initial projections," Strother said. "Therefore, we could afford to have a larger bond package without increasing the cost to property owners."

Jennifer Douglas, the financial advisor, said the tax implications were still based on conservative estimates.

Should voters approve a $40 million bond, a home valued at $100,000 would see an increase of up to $101.40 to its annual tax bill, according to the figures. Homes worth $200,000 and $300,000 could see annual increases of $202.80 and $304.20, respectively. The average home in Buda is valued at $158,000.

Under a $60 million bond, the maximum annual tax increase for a property worth $100,000 would be $213.12. A $200,000 home could face as much as a $426.24 annual tax hike and a $300,000 home would pay up to $639.36 in additional property taxes, the presentation states.