Public gets chance to weigh in on Travis County bond,
An advisory group has spent months looking at which Travis County road and park projects should be next in line for funding. Now it’s the public’s turn to weigh in.
Travis County commissioners will have a public hearing at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Travis County Administration Building in the Commissioners Courtroom at 700 Lavaca St. to get feedback on the proposed $144 million bond package. Here are five things to know about the plan:
1. It’s got two parts: A $58 million transportation proposition and a $73 million park proposition, including a $21 million Bee Creek Sports Complex. See the full list of projects in the agenda packet from the July 18 meeting by going to traviscountyclerk.org/eclerk and clicking on “Commissioners Court Meetings.” 2. Different precincts would
get different amounts: The advisory group said it recommended projects based on need. So 39 percent of the funding would go to Precinct 3, which covers the western part of the county, while about 17 percent would go to southeastern Travis County’s Precinct 4. Precinct 1 (East) and Precinct 2 (North-Central) would divide the rest. 3. Same tax rate but higher
tax bill: Officials have said the additional borrowing could be paid off without raising tax rates. Still, as properties increase in value, keeping the same tax rate would bring higher tax bills to property owners.
4.Andwait,there’smore: Officials propose an additional $90 million in safety-related projects using a different kind of bonds that don’t require voter approval. 5. De c ision days ahead: Commissioners will vote Aug. 8 on whether to put the $144 million bond package on the Nov. 7 ballot, where many voters will also see a $1.05 billion Austin school district bond package to rebuild several campuses and construct new schools.