CITY & COUNTY County to seek bond in 2023
Top city & county stories to watch in 2023
Austin, Travis County focus on sta ng challenges
VOTER APPROVED FUNDS Travis County will ask voters to approve funds for capital and road projects in November. While the amount of the bond has not yet been nalized, here is how past county bonds have fared. Bond cost Purpose Vote
BY KATY MCAFEE
Acquired parkland, built new facilities and protected park resources Built new roadways, widened existing roadways and added lanes to roadways Would have been used to build a new Travis County Civil and Family Courthouse Acquired parkland, built new facilities and protected park resources Built new roadways, widened existing roadways and added lanes to roadways
$82.11M
TRAVIS COUNTY In 2023, vot- ers in Travis County can expect a November bond election that would go toward improving roads, parks and other facilities. The speci c projects and cost estimates for the bond will be determined by a 15-member court-appointed Bond Advisory Committee, which will meet weekly to determine the county’s most critical needs. “Travis County’s Citizen Bond Advisory Committee is a way for the public to let us know what they would like to prioritize in the next bond package,” Travis County Precinct 3 Commissioner Ann Howard said. “Whether it is transportation, the environment, facility planning, nance or health care, community involvement will shape Travis County’s future.”
BY KATY MCAFEE & BEN THOMPSON
$132.84M
AUSTIN In 2022, Austin and Travis County targeted job vacancies by increasing their minimum wage from $15 to $20. City Manager Spencer Cronk high- lighted the sta ng shortages as the priority for the scal year 2022-23 budget, after the vacancy rate reached nearly 16% of Austin’s budgeted positions in May. Applications for open positions jumped 43.67% when the new wage went into e ect, city o cials said. Still, the overall vacancy rate remained above 16% as of early December. As of Jan. 1, the Travis County Sheri ’s O ce’s vacancy rate ranged from 18%-32% by department. Public information o cer Kristen Dark said more than 100 applicants are going through the hiring process in January.
$287.28M
$91.5M
$93.45M
SOURCE: TRAVIS COUNTY COMMUNITY IMPACT
Each Travis County commis- sioner appointed three members to the bond advisory committee on Jan. 10. Travis County Judge Andy Brown appointed the committee chair, John Langmore, who also served as chair for Travis County’s 2017 bond committee. Those members will begin meet- ing in January and serve for about
eight months. Committee members are
required to be Travis County res- idents without delinquent taxes and not employed or associated with a business that will pro t from bond projects. All committee meetings will be open to the public and held after normal business hours.
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