Approved Minutes — original pdf

Approved Minutes

2026 Bond Election Advisory Task Force (BEATF) REGULAR CALLED MEETING MINUTES Monday, March 23, 2026 The 2026 Bond Election Advisory Task Force convened in a Regular meeting on Monday March 23, 2026, at 301 W. 2nd Street in Austin, Texas. Chair Hager called the 2026 Bond Election Advisory Task Force Meeting to order at 2:04p.m. Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance: Mary Hager, Chair Frances Jordan, Vice Chair Ana Aguirre Nicole Conley Richard DePalma JC Dwyer Donald Jackson Luke Metzger Kenneth Standley Ben Suddaby Rachel Stone David Sullivan Heyden Walker Kaiba White Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Garry Merritt Rachel Stone PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL • Marissa Bell – Spoke to the Task Force emphasizing the need to preserve agricultural land and noted the Food Policy Board’s recommendation for farmland preservation funding in the 2026 bond package. 1 • Cindi Reid- Spoke the Task Force and raised concerns about outdated meeting information and the need for more library resources in Northeast Austin. • Pamela Hall Vance- Spoke to the Task Force urging including the Carver Museum expansion in the 2026 bond, citing community support, prior approval, and concerns about its removal from draft project lists. • Imani Aanu -Spoke to the Task Force in support of adding the Carver Museum to the 2026 bond list, noting prior inclusion in earlier memos and stating that project scoring appeared higher than other projects still under consideration. • Katerina Harris- Spoke to the Task Force advocating for funding the replacement of Garrison Pool in the 2026 bond, noting the pool’s end-of-life status, its importance for heat relief and community use, equity concerns in South Austin, strong neighborhood support, and the cost-effectiveness of proactive replacement. • John Harris – Spoke to the Task Force asking for support in funding the Garrison Pool replacement, citing the pool’s age, its importance for community safety and heat relief, and strong neighborhood engagement. • Heather Van Dyke- Spoke to the Task Force asking for support funding the Garrison Pool replacement, highlighting its daily use by families, its importance for heat relief, strong community engagement, and concerns that the aging pool may close without investment. • Kaylee Stringer- Spoke to the Task Force supporting funding improvements to Garrison Pool, noting its daily use by families, its importance as an accessible space, and concerns about potential closure without investment. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the 2026 Bond Election Advisory Task Force Regular Called meeting on March 09, 2026. The minutes from the meeting of (3/09/2026) were approved on MEMBER Sullivan’s motion, MEMBER Jordan’s second on a (13-0) vote. Member Aguirre abstaining, Member Stone off the dais, and Members Cannon, Curry, Fiedler, Hendricks, Kogler, Lugo, and Miller absent. STAFF BRIEFINGS 2. Staff briefing regarding 2026 Bond Phase 3 Open Houses. Presentation by, Lucero Arechiga, Community Engagement Consultant, Austin Communications and Engagement. The presentation was made by Lucero Arechiga, Community Engagement Consultant, Austin Communications and Engagement and Andres Cantu, Acting Public Information & Marketing Manager, Austin Communications and Engagement. 2 DISCUSSION ITEMS 3. Discussion of the revised and updated Working Group recommendations. The Task Force discussed the updated working group recommendations but postponed the item due to incomplete submissions. 4. Discussion of the process for determining the Bond Election Advisory Task Force recommendations. The Task Force discussed the facilitation process for developing final bond recommendations. Members agreed that each working group will submit 15%, 20%, and 25% funding scenarios. The group will then walk through selection criteria, identify areas of consensus, discuss tradeoffs, and adjust the package as needed. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 5. Approve revisions to 2026 Bond Election Advisory Task Force Work Plan. No action revisions or action taken. 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 3:36 p.m. without objection. The minutes were approved at the 04/13/2026 meeting on MEMBER Sullivans’s motion, MEMBER Suddaby’s second on a (14-0) vote. 3