Item 3. Draft Recommendation — original pdf

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Whereas, the current backlog of authorized but unissued bonds resulting from delays in bond project completions has postponed voters benefitting from the construction of authorized projects and delayed scheduling a bond election while the need has accumulated as evidenced by the $3.9 B in needed capital projects identified by City staff, and Whereas, for the last several years City departments with approved bond projects have regularly presented the Bond Oversight Commission with estimates showing projects completed on time which proved to be substantially inaccurate, and Whereas, City Council annually approves a five year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) that lays out an estimated spending plan that would result in timely completion of bond projects, and Whereas, the Budget Office has now included quarterly reports on those spending plans in their quarterly City of Austin Financial Report that shows departmental spending falling approximately $247M short of the approved spending plan in FY2025 with eight reporting departments achieving less than 50% of their spending plan, and Whereas such shortfalls continue to contribute to the problematic accumulation of authorized but unissued bonds as well as delaying the benefit of completed bond projects, Now therefore be it resolved, that the Bond Oversight Commission recommends to City Council that the City Manager be required to produce a report outlining those departments whose spending was less than 75% of their estimated spending plan in 2025, what benchmarks in their projected plan they failed to meet and the cause for those delays so that the necessary steps can be implemented to improve performance of planned spending as well as timely project completion, and Be it further resolved, that such report be made available to City Council as they finalize decisions on the next bond election package. Note: Financial Services reported spending 986% of their approved spending plan (approved plan $19M; spent $184M) and was excluded from calculations. Note: There are additional sources of funding for projects in departments receiving public improvement bond funds.