Approved Minutes — original pdf

Approved Minutes

2026 Bond Election Advisory Task Force (BEATF) REGULAR CALLED MEETING MINUTES Monday, March 9, 2026 The 2026 Bond Election Advisory Task Force convened in a Regular meeting on Monday March 9, 2026, at 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Drive in Austin, Texas. Chair Hager called the 2026 Bond Election Advisory Task Force Meeting to order at 6:04 p.m. Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance: Mary Hager, Chair Frances Jordan, Vice Chair Charles Curry Richard DePalma JC Dwyer Andrew Kogler Garry Merritt Ben Suddaby Heyden Walker Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Tina Cannon Donald Jackson Luke Metzger Rachel Stone David Sullivan Kaiba White PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL • Matt Simon- Spoke to the Task Force regarding farmland preservation to be included in the bond package. • Sylvia Stinson- Spoke to the Task Force advocating that the Carver Museum project be included in the bond package. 1 • Imani Aanu- Spoke to the Task Force advocating that the Carver Museum project be included in the bond package. • Monica Guzman – Spoke to the Task Force about the need for a splash pad at the Garcia Recreation Center and to reconsider the splash as a critical need. • Cindi Reid- Spoke to the Task Force about the lack of investment and need for more equitable distribution of services for rapidly growing North and Northeast Austin communities. • Aubrey Reid – Spoke to the Task Force about having more trees, pools, splash pads, and recreational water facilities for North Austin community and families. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the 2026 Bond Election Advisory Task Force Regular Called meeting on February 23, 2026. The minutes were approved at the March 9, 2026, meeting on MEMBER Suddaby’s motion, MEMBER DePalma’s second on a (13-0) vote. MEMBERS Jordan and Kogler abstaining, MEMBERS Aguirre, Conley, Fiedler, Hendricks, Lugo, Miller and Standley absent. DISCUSSION ITEMS 2. Discussion of Initial Recommendations from Working Groups. Task Force reviewed the combined preliminary recommendations, which currently total about $962M—well above the anticipated bond capacity. Members discussed establishing a target range of $700–$750M and asked each working group to return with refined high/medium/low scenarios before the next meeting. Members also debated how to structure negotiations, including use of percentage allocations by category, identifying non-negotiable items, and the need for facilitated discussion. Clarification was requested on project readiness, costs, and alignment with ballot requirements. Staff answered questions regarding Carver Museum cost estimates and project timing. The group agreed to gather updated working-group input and explore additional methods to narrow the recommendations at future meetings. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 3. Approve revisions to the Bond Election Advisory Task Force Work Plan. The motion to approve the revisions to the BEATF Work plan was approved on an 8-6 vote. Those members voting aye were MEMBERS Sullivan, Jackson, Cannon, White, Walker, Suddaby, Chair Hager, Vice Chair Jordan. MEMBER Stone off the dais and MEMBERS Aguirre, Conley, Fiedler, Hendricks, Lugo, Miller and Standley absent. 2 FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance, please contact the Liaison or TTY users’ route through 711. A person may request language access accommodation no later than 48 hours before the scheduled meeting. Please call or email Nicole Hernandez at Austin Capital Delivery Services Department, at 512-974-7644 and nicole.hernandez@austintexas.gov, to request service or for additional information. For more information on the 2026 Bond Election Advisory Task Force, please contact Nicole Hernandez at 512-974-7644 or nicole.hernandez@austintexas.gov. Chair Hager adjourned the meeting at 7:43 p.m. without objection. The minutes were approved at the March 23, 2026, meeting on MEMBER Sullivans’s motion, Vice Chair Jordan’s second on a (12-0) vote. 3