In the first major test of voters' faith in City Hall spending since last year's decisive defeat of the tax rate election, unofficial results show Austin voters approving $295 million for parks and libraries.
Approval of both propositions will allow the city to fund $260 million in park improvements, pools and land acquisition and $35 million for libraries. While the result will ultimately lead to a modest property tax increase of about $40 over the next several years for the city's average homeowner, the outcome affirms voters were willing to accept the additional financial burden to invest in parks and libraries.
Final unofficial results showed just over 61% of the votes cast were in favor of Prop A, and a little more than 60% of voters approved Prop B.
If the propositions were rejected, it "would have been dramatic. There are pools that would have been closed because of their need for new equipment," said Ted Siff, the treasurer for Austin Outside, a coalition of nonprofits and businesses advocating for Austin's parks. "They'll not just be fixed up, but the operating costs of them will be dramatically lower because they don't need to be patched up with Scotch tape in the future."
The election is the culmination of several years of bond planning and debate over whether the city should even hold an election. The ups and downs underscore a major tension at City Hall, where leaders have attempted to balance financial restraint with funding for projects community members say are long overdue.
The bond planning process kicked off in 2024 when the Austin City Council formed a bond advisory task force to sort through various potential bond projects to form a package for the November ballot. City financial staff had identified more than $4 billion in capital improvement needs, but said a 2026 bond election should be limited to $750 million because of the city's financial outlook.
What will the bonds fund?
Proposition A:
- $65.5 million for park buildings and facilities, including those for Gus Garcia Recreation Center, Doris Miller Auditorium and Mayfield Park; $65 million for parkland improvements at Jamestown Neighborhood Park, Bolm District Park, Walter E. Long Metro Park, Lantana Neighborhood Park, Community Gardens, Old Lampasas Pocket Park, Cooper Neighborhood Park, Wooldridge Square, Onion Creek Metro Park, Guitar Land, Grand Meadow and Commons Ford Park.
- $29.5 million to improve park infrastructure at Williamson Creek Trail, Evergreen Cemetery, Onion Creek Playground, Brentwood Neighborhood Park, Riata Neighborhood Park, Springwoods Park, St. Edward's Greenbelt, Zilker Metro Park, Commons Ford, Circle C Metro Park, and Mount Bonnell, as well as improvements to electric infrastructure for parks citywide.
- $65 million for Garrison Municipal Pool, Big Stacy Neighborhood Pool, Walnut Creek Municipal Pool and Civitan Neighborhood Pool.
- $35 million for infill parks in park-deficient areas, greenbelts and greenways to increase trail connectivity and parkland acquisition, including land for a new southeast recreation center.
Proposition B:
- A $20 million renovation and expansion at Hampton Branch at Oak Hill Library.
- $15 million for a new library in Colony Park.
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