Austin Mayor Kirk Watson has released a “decision tree” to direct discussions of a possible bond election this fall.
In a post to the city council message board, Colleen Pate, Watson’s chief of staff, stated the proposal would “help guide our decision making while we think through the bond process.”
Pate said the document could produce “multiple potential positive outcomes,” including organizing “the thoughts and questions we should be asking as a Council about the items being considered” and public transparency.
The “decision tree” first focuses on high‑level threshold questions such as whether a bond election is actually needed, whether existing authorized but unissued bond capacity is sufficient, and whether proposed items are appropriate for one‑time bond funding rather than ongoing operating needs.
If those threshold questions are satisfied, the process then moves into project‑level evaluation and prioritization.
Discussion of a potential bond follows the landslide defeat of Proposition Q last November by Austin voters. Had it passed, Prop Q would have been the largest tax increase in municipal history.
Proposition Q’s failure was the culmination of a series of record-setting municipal budgets. The city council approved its most recent record-setting $6.3 billion budget this past August.
This represented a nearly seven percent increase from 2024’s previous record of $5.9 billion, and a nearly 15 percent increase from 2023’s record of $5.5 billion. For perspective, Austin’s budget was $4.5 billion in 2021 and $3.3 billion in 2013.
Austin’s municipal spending has long been a subject of criticism. This criticism has grown following an explosion of spending on vagrancy services in recent years.
Following Prop Q’s defeat, activist group Save Austin Now launched a petition drive calling for an amendment to the city charter requiring independent audits of municipal finances at least every five years. The proposed amendment would also require the city to complete such an audit before it could call for future tax rate elections.
Save Austin Now stated in a January 10 email update that it had collected approximately 10,000 signatures out of the 20,000 needed.
If successful, the audit amendment would be part of the May 2026 local election. The bond election alluded to by Pate would be held in November 2026.
If the council chooses to place a bond on the fall 2026 ballot, it would need to approve final language by late summer.
The city council’s audit and finance committee will discuss the matter further at its January 14 meeting.
