Northwest Austin residents can provide their input Dec. 5 on Austin's potential bond for 2018. The city's Bond Advisory Task Force is hosting a public input meeting from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Spicewood Springs Library at 8637 Spicewood Springs Road, Austin. It is the sixth of seven meetings held throughout Austin as a chance for residents to provide input on details of the 2018 bond package and potential tax rate increases associated with its cost. Austin City Council directed the task force to consider potential bond projects that would not only address issues such as flooding, affordable housing, high-capacity transit, parks, libraries and existing infrastructure, but that could also be completed within a five-year period. Katy Zamesnik, a spokesperson for the city’s financial services office, said the task force is preparing to make a final recommendation to City Council by January. A January recommendation, Zamesnik said, would likely mean a bond election would occur in November 2018, although she did not rule out a May election. With a 2 cent tax rate increase, the 2018 bond package could reach $825 million, according to preliminary estimates put out by the city’s Bond Advisory Task Force. Other preliminary estimates show a 1 cent tax rate increase would earn the city an opportunity to ask the voters for $575 million, but the city could also fund a $325 million bond with no tax rate increase. The tax rate increase is measured in cents per $100 of assessed valuation. So a 1 cent tax rate increase for an Austin taxpayer with a median-valued home of $305,510 would mean an annual increase of $30.55, and a 2 cent increase would mean a roughly $61.10 annual increase. That tax rate increase would sustain through the life of the bond, which is typically 30 years, Zamesnik said. The task force needs public input before members make their final recommendation to council. Following the public meeting at Spicewood Springs Library, the task force will hold a final meeting at Austin Public Library’s Hampton Branch located at 2515 Convict Hill Road, Austin, on Dec. 7.