A tan brick and metal auditorium building with a curved roof behind a budding tree and a parking lot — Doris Miller Auditorium in Austin, photographed in 2016. Proposition A lists it among projects with priority. (Photo: Larry D. Moore / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0)

November 3, 2026 · 2 min read

Austin Voters Decide Today on $295 Million in Park and Library Bonds

Austin's Propositions A and B would borrow $260 million for parks and $35 million for libraries. The city estimates the most each would add on a $100,000 homestead at $8.14 and $1.10 a year.

Election Day preview: Austin voters decide today, Tuesday, Nov. 3, whether the city may borrow $295 million for parks and libraries. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The City Council called the bond election in Ordinance 20260806-002, passed Aug. 6, 2026, according to the city's notice of bond election. Both propositions carry the state-required words "THIS IS A TAX INCREASE."

Proposition A: $260 million for parks

The notice lists the projects that would get priority. They include building work at the Gus Garcia Recreation Center, Doris Miller Auditorium and Mayfield Park, and trail and park work at Williamson Creek Trail, Evergreen Cemetery, Zilker Metro Park, Circle C Metro Park and Mt. Bonnell Park, among others. It also names an all-abilities playground at Onion Creek, park electrification across the city, upgrades at four city pools, and money to buy new parkland, with priority for infill parks in areas short on parks, greenbelts, land along the Colorado River and land for a new recreation center in District 6.

Proposition B: $35 million for libraries

Proposition B would pay for library buildings, with priority for the existing Hampton branch at Oak Hill and a new Colony Park branch.

A one-story library building with a green roof and a red accent panel, with U.S. and Texas flags out front and oak trees on both sides

The Hampton Branch at Oak Hill of the Austin Public Library, photographed in September 2026. Proposition B gives it priority. Photo: Larry D. Moore / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

What it would cost

The voter information documents attached to the notice assume a 6 percent interest rate. For Proposition A, they estimate $193,357,500 in interest, for a total of $453,357,500. The document leaves the number of years for Proposition A blank. For Proposition B, they estimate $26,026,500 in interest over 20 years, for a total of $61,026,500. By our math, both together would cost about $514.4 million to repay.

The city estimates the most a $100,000 homestead would pay each year is $8.14 more for Proposition A and $1.10 more for Proposition B, assuming a $20,000 homestead exemption. That is $9.24 a year for both, by our math. The city says those figures use cautious assumptions and assume the bonds are sold in a single series.

The city already owes $2,378,150,000 in principal and an estimated $963,306,343 in interest on existing debt, the notice says. Its debt-service tax rate is $0.113735 per $100 of value.

How to vote today

Austin spans Travis, Hays and Williamson counties, according to the ordinance, and each county runs voting for its residents. Travis County's current election page lists Election Day hours as 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., says voters may vote at any polling site in the county and links a list of Election Day sites. Austin voters who live in Williamson County can check the Williamson County elections page, and those in Hays County should check with the Hays County elections office.

For more on local tax questions this fall, read about Garland's tax rate vote and Bastrop ISD's tax election.

Our view

Parks, playgrounds and libraries are good for families, and a park in a neighborhood that has none can be a real blessing. But borrowing always costs more than the sticker price, and Austin already carries more than $3.3 billion in debt and interest. Voters should ask whether each project is a need or a want, and remember that every new bond is a promise their children help keep.