Austin voters decide fate on bond packages, No. 12 - 18

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Austin voters passed all but one bond proposal. Chief among them is the issuance up to $143 million for various transportation improvements throughout the city.

Of all the bond proposals put before the voters -- which included transportation, watershed protection, park improvements, public safety bond, health and human services, and library bonds -- just one of the proposals, having to do with low-income housing, did not pass. That Proposition 15 only had 49 percent of voters for it.

• View the full bond proposal results

Proposition 12 on the city of Austin ballot will provide:

• Funding traffic signals
• signal synchronization
• control systems
• Improving parts of Interstate Highway 35, MoPac, North Lamar Boulevard, East 51st Street and East Riverside Drive
• Reconstruction and renovation of streets, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, ramps, bicycle lanes, and drainage improvements
• Adding bikeways to some city roads and contributing to creation of the Violet Crown Trail, a 30-mile
  trail from Zilker Park to Hays County.

"I’m thrilled that voters decided to do that on Prop 12 and as a result over the next six years Austin will at least not slide backwards and hopefully get better," said Ted Siff, with "Love Austin" bond campaign.

The first of 50 projects is set to break ground in early 2013. Among the bigger chunks of money is $15 million for improvements on I-35.

"It's hugely important that Austin improves and maintains its infrastructure for the quality of life for every Austinite," Siff said.

With the green light, $35 million will go toward street reconstruction and $25 million for new sidewalks.

"Those projects will be contracted and built out and it won't happen overnight," Siff said.

Look for improvements on Lamar Boulevard, Burnet Road as well as Cesar Chavez and Red River streets exits on I-35.

Engineers said they hope these small fixes in critical areas will help ease the traffic flow until any significant projects can be put in place, such as highway widening that can cost hundreds of millions.

List of bond propositions

PASSED: PROPOSITION 12: TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY

Question: The issuance of $143,299,000 transportation and mobility improvement bonds and notes and the levy of a tax sufficient to pay for the bonds and notes. $143.299 million would be used for transportation projects, which could include:

• Funding traffic signals
• signal synchronization
• control systems
• Improving parts of Interstate 35, MoPac, North Lamar, East 51st St and East Riverside Dr.
• Reconstruction and renovation of streets, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, ramps, bicycle lanes, and drainage improvements
• Adding bikeways to some city roads and contributing to creation of the Violet Crown Trail, a 30-mile
  trail from Zilker Park to Hays County.

PASSED: PROPOSITION 13: OPEN SPACE AND WATERSHED PROTECTION

Question:  The issuance of $30,000,000 open space and watershed protection bonds and notes and the levy of a tax sufficient to pay for the bonds and notes. $30 million would allow the City to purchase land in the Barton Springs Watershed contributing and recharge zones to protect water quality. Purchase of this land would preserve open space in perpetuity and might provide opportunities for development of facilities for public access to open space land where appropriate. The City could also work with land owners by purchasing conservation easements.

PASSED: PROPOSITION 14:  PARKS AND RECREATION

Question: The issuance of $77,680,000 park and recreation improvement bonds and notes and the levy of a tax sufficient to pay for the bonds and notes. $77.680 million could be used for designing, constructing, acquiring, improving and equipping public parks, natural areas, trails, recreation centers, and related facilities. Funding could also allow acquisition and development of parkland in areas throughout the City. Representative Parks may include:

• Colony District Park
• Emma Long Metropolitan Park
• Gus Garcia Neighborhood Park
• Republic
• Brush
• Wooldridge Squares
• Rosewood Neighborhood Park
• Shoal Creek Greenbelt
• Veterans Pocket Park
• Waller Creek Trail and Park Improvements
• Zilker Metropolitan Park.

Facility Improvements may include: Barton Springs Bathhouse renovation; Dougherty Arts Center repair or replacement; Dove Springs Recreation Center expansion; Elisabet Ney Museum renovation; and Montopolis Community Building-Recreation Center.

DID NOT PASS: PROPOSITION 15:  HOUSING

Question:  The issuance of $78,300,000 housing bonds and notes and the levy of a tax sufficient to pay for the bonds and notes. $78.300 million would be used to fund the development of affordable rental and ownership housing, preserve existing affordable housing, and create transitional and permanent supportive housing for the
homeless.

To create both rental housing and affordable ownership homes, funding will be provided for grants and loans to qualified non-profit and for-profit developers.