City bond propositions would improve trail, libraries, public safety facilities

The office divides Austin into planning districts. Its definition of Southwest Austin includes areas west of I-35, north of FM 1626 and east of FM 1826 and Hwy. 71. Its northern border includes Oltorf Street and some areas north of Southwest Parkway and Loop 360.

City of Austin officials estimate that $47,937,000, or 12.45 percent of the $384,948,000 total, could go to projects entirely contained in Southwest Austin if voters approve all seven propositions.

The total benefit to Southwest Austin may be higher. Several Southwest Austin improvements are included in projects that affect multiple planning districts. For example, Proposition 16 includes $3,788,000 to expand ambulance truck bays, including money for a truck bay on Manchaca Road.

More than half of all proposition projects are citywide. If the propositions are approved, staff will prioritize projects and take feedback on how to spend the money, Trimble said.

He said the bond package contains language such as "may include" or "not limited to" in order to help the city move forward on projects.

"The flexibility comes in if the city is unable to move forward with a project," he said. "We do have the ability to spend the [bond] money on a similar project."

The propositions were shaped by the Bond Election Advisory Task Force, a group of 15 citizens appointed by Austin City Council and the Planning Commission in October 2011.

Some Southwest Austin residents said they hadn't followed the task force's proceedings closely and did not know which local projects were included.

Longtime activist Nan Clayton said she was still learning about the propositions.

"I still haven't seen too much, but one of my concerns is [that] I can't really tell how much is coming to South Austin, and, consequently, are we getting our fair share?" she said.

Crafting the propositions

Austin City Council asked the task force to identify and prioritize bond funding for projects that will advance the vision identified by the Imagine Austin planning process.

City staff provided the task force with a needs assessment and recommendations for funding priorities. Trimble said the guiding principles were infrastructure, new initiatives, mobility, sustainability, cost-effectiveness and a balanced approach. He added that the task force spent a lot of time discussing project geography.

The task force met from December 2011 to May 2012, Trimble said. The task force recommended $575 million and $400 million packages. City Manager Marc Ott proposed $200 million, $300 million, $385 million and $400 million packages.

The council used Ott's

$385 million proposal and the task force's $400 million package as a basis to craft the final propositions.

"We did a financial analysis and determined that we could issue a $385 million bond without having to increase the debt service portion of the tax rate," Trimble said.

Task force Chairman Frank Fernandez said it was difficult to whittle down $1.5 billion in identified needs to what became the final $385 million package.

"The finished result does not address all needs, but it definitely makes improvements," he said. "The propositions are a good, diverse mix of transportation, facilities, parks and housing. I'm happy with the propositions on the ballot. They will make a significant impact on helping Austin remain viable and affordable."

Local reactions

South Austin Democrats and the Austin Chamber of Commerce have endorsed the propositions.

Chamber Chairman Clarke Heidrick said he did not think it was pertinent to look at the propositions in terms of a single neighborhood or area of town, but rather from a citywide perspective. He said that voters should trust the process to have put forward the most-needed propositions.

Many neighborhood associations and local groups are staying neutral on the ballot questions. The South Austin Civic Club and Oak Hill Association of Neighborhoods have not taken positions.

Clayton noted that in the past, SACC has only endorsed widely supported measures, such as Ben White Boulevard improvements.

Speaking as a resident, SACC Secretary Colleen Nance said she would "tend to want to say yes to almost all of the seven bond propositions, but, like most of the others I have spoken to about this, we are a bit distrustful that the money earmarked for these propositions will actually be spent that way."

In an email, OHAN President Jim Schissler wrote the association's position on past bond propositions is that there are few, if any, projects listed for funding that fall within OHAN's member homeowner associations, "so therefore there is no incentive to support the bond propositions other than for the 'greater good' of the city."

"The small number of bond projects that benefit the OHAN area do not reflect the amount of taxes paid by the residents that OHAN represents," he wrote of past propositions.

Additional reporting by Amy Denney