Travis County has decided to put a bond on the ballot this November. Since much of Austin falls within Travis County, this is an important issue and one that you should definitely be paying attention to.

Let’s dig a little deeper.
The Travis County commissioners (kind of like the City Council of the county) have decided to put a $185 million transportation and park bond on the ballot. As the Austin American-Statesman reports, the bond is estimated to cost the average homeowner about $24a year.

Projects that the bond aims to fund include:

• $23.5 million to build a new Bee Creek Sports Complex with synthetic turf fields, sports lighting, playgrounds, and a hike/bike/walking trail
• Just over $7 million to acquire parkland and make improvements for a 19-mile Gilleland Creek greenway between Northeast Metro Park and the Colorado River
• $16.6 million for conservation easements to protect water resources, working farms and ranches, wildlife habitat, and other environmental resources
• More than $20 million for bicycle safetyimprovements and bike lanes
• More than $7 million for pedestrian safetyimprovements and sidewalk construction
• More than $20 million for drainage improvements at dangerous low water crossings
• More than $30 million for road improvementprojects

You can look through the entire list of projects here>>

Wait I forgot…What’s a bond again?
A bond is essentially just a loan taken out by a local government agency. In taking out the bond, the county has to promise to pay back the money to the lenders, often by taxing its own citizens. That’s why it gets put on the ballot. Come November, it will be up to you to decide if this list of proposed projects is worth the cost.