Austin City Council settles on $385M bond package for public improvements

"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)