AUSTIN, Texas — A large group of bond propositions will be waiting for voters at the bottom of the ballot November 6.
Advocates with Austin Ending Community Homelessness Coalition, or Austin ECHO, support Props A and E. Those propositions focus on affordable housing and a health clinic in far southeast Austin. With Prop A's $250 million for affordable housing, nonprofits can use the money to keep families in Austin and allow older Austinites to live at home.
"An alternative is that folks have to move to a nursing home or something," Ann Howard, director of Austin ECHO said. "That's expensive, and lots of folks don't want to do that."
Ted Siff is with Austin Together PAC, a group founded to advocate for the City Council-approved bond propositions.
"They make great improvements in the city overall," Siff said. "They keep the things that we like about Austin up to snuff."
The $925 million in projects are broken into the following ballot propositions:
- Proposition A - $250 million for affordable housing
- Proposition B - $128 million for libraries, museums and cultural centers
- Proposition C - $149 million for parks & recreation
- Proposition D - $184 million for flood mitigation, open space
- Proposition E - $16 million for health & human services
- Proposition F - $38 million for public safety
- Proposition G - $160 million for transportation
Additionally, voters will have to decide two charter amendments and two signature-backed petitions. We will delve into those next week, as we further explore what's on the ballot.
"These are all big capital improvements from first responder facilities--fire and EMS--to road repairs," Siff said. "But also, (they include) improvements to the sidewalks and the roads that we all travel."
If voters approve all seven propositions, the owner of a $500,000 home can expect to pay $100 more a year in city property taxes.