[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6482804,"mediaKeyId","5811814-f35e5a843e301de5dff8f05bcc86a10f","parentId",5811814,"title","City staff outline $4 billion needs, $700 million likely cap for 2026 bond package","audioSeconds",388,"startMs",2089000,"endMs",2477000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5811814-f35e5a843e301de5dff8f05bcc86a10f&start=2089&end=2477","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5811814-f35e5a843e301de5dff8f05bcc86a10f/thumbnail_2089000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6482804/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/City-staff-outline-4-billion-needs-700-million-likely-cap-for-2026-bond-package","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6482804-39a05996d0cc0b44f1da1166394aad3e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770438087&Signature=ejgHSzj1o4xXKzemQBxbi~17NmY6Kyn2Vr92hlL0PlW44dFOc2DuOkzbPlQ6uZEvpiEWCun8QSx~K02hSZxY1DHn9nrCg0oruEuBnaRakCTpbvpoI49k85wKtAxI2Ji9OHELlZIp0X~i5XNyqhqy8cTnC64K4GOrj6RIAR-RpDVPq2qqO6z1i-l-FC82fYf3lxol-eFVE-ruZLmnz0PK5wpCR0td-N9HpbplOI6utu7gjup9Wk6vwY35RMmja28Q1idZkT7SqKTtdyKr0Exipb8FZUfRTUsd7tSy7fnlATJbmxOREF9C4RkvUUNLMrj~w6mVJMswZ~bfiO-5fNVxug__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Austin","date","2025-09-22T00:00:00Z","article","Eric Bailey, deputy director of Capital Delivery Services, presented the Arts Commission with an overview of the city's 2026 general obligation bond development process and timeline, emphasizing a change in approach: departments will now develop detailed project scopes, schedules and budgets before bond propositions are put before voters.

Bailey said the initial needs assessment the city has compiled totals roughly $3.9 billion to $4.0 billion across library, parks, streets, housing, flood control, city facilities and land purchases. He said the city's finance office currently estimates available capacity near $700 million if the city wants to avoid downward pressure on its bond rating — roughly 17% of the assessed total need.

\"What we're doing is moving project planning down into the how we're doing it now, before the bond election actually takes place,\" Bailey said. The goal, he added, is to present voters with vetted, realistic scopes and budgets so projects can be delivered more efficiently after a successful election.

Bailey described the interdepartmental convening that produced the needs assessment: more than 40 meetings among directors, program managers and integrated teams since May 2024, plus a Bond Election Advisory Task Force that began meeting in October 2024. Departments have developed scoring matrices tied to the citywide strategic plan and to departmental technical criteria; project charters will be used to refine priorities.

Upcoming milestones Bailey listed include public outreach through 2025 and early 2026, additional board and commission briefings, a staff recommendation and a final report to council in 2026, and a council call for the bond election in summer 2026. He said the Bond Election Task Force will meet twice a month during winter 2026 to refine the needs list down to what can be proposed to voters.

Why it matters: The 2026 planning process frames capital priorities for Austin for many years. The city's stated need far exceeds its likely borrowing capacity, making prioritization and transparent public engagement central to whether projects considered essential receive voter support.

Ending: Bailey encouraged public input and said the city's bond development website will list projects and upcoming meetings.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Austin - Arts Commission","oneSentenceSummary","Capital Delivery Services presented a new pre-election planning approach intended to vet scopes, budgets and schedules before the 2026 bond goes to voters; staff said citywide needs total about $3.9–4.0 billion while finance estimates bond capacity near $700 million to preserve the city's credit rating.","taxTitle","Austin, Travis County, Texas","taxId",2819,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6482808,"Red Salmon Arts director urges city to protect small cultural groups amid ACME funding reset",655,178000,833000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5811814-f35e5a843e301de5dff8f05bcc86a10f&start=178&end=833","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5811814-f35e5a843e301de5dff8f05bcc86a10f/thumbnail_178000.jpg","/articles/6482808/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Red-Salmon-Arts-director-urges-city-to-protect-small-cultural-groups-amid-ACME-funding-reset","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6482808-33de562be863abe0319b5690d47fa766/orig.mp4?Expires=1770438087&Signature=YcpH9hrvxkiFvy2ae9AKMazKNaQOBb6fUy06zuW4p10gaD5-TNre7D7cEg0O5HZ213YrMi6r1m~gkgb1OcnNF-TeUcFouMLHOpiCo8utQmkNp4XgYWx8V4b2w8q3Wfqd6F6~fMG2PPchLU0l~IhWq2buDtkC7CSbN67t8wuE6rEcopiJPiFiNbmqIqZbbmfS2-kQNH4Ie5zNxD2qWM0SZ9OzhSS9CS54MXWDyeQBsMow9ikmhfPCfR~qyOvdKod8gSJ9ns0ZWb3PiTEXYLUYyCG-gD1HMvUYtIZEhw3udiULx9YReMVDgNEckCw-R~y-ExeB2~JDHxONAjr2Bjv3PA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dr. Lilia Rosas, executive director of Red Salmon Arts, told the Austin Arts Commission on Tuesday that the city's Creative Reset (ACME) and recent grant changes have left small, community-rooted cultural organizations \"severely underfunded.\" She said Red Salmon Arts was initially a Thrive recipient but was later moved to an Elevate tier and that the shift felt driven by applications being judged on revenue or tourism value rather than community impact.

\"I am worried that we are now with the next reset creating conditions where we continue to ask arts organizations across the spectrum ... to commodify ourselves,\" Rosas said, adding that Red Salmon centers Chicano/Chicana/Chicanx, Latino/Latinx and Indigenous cultural work and strives to keep programs free while paying artists. \"The culture is not for sale,\" she said.

Rosas told commissioners she and other cultural workers want the city to prioritize equity over tourism metrics and to allow legacy organizations room to continue community-facing work in neighborhoods she described as among the city's poorest. She said the organization's small staff deliberately kept equal pay among three part-time workers when it received Thrive funding, and that the demotion to Elevate under the new process undermined that model.

Commissioners and staff responded with information and questions. One commissioner noted that the Creative Reset funding uses hotel occupancy tax (HOT) revenue in part and asked what \"established\" meant under new guidelines; Rosas said she defines it by longevity, sustainability, ongoing outreach and accessibility. A commissioner recommended changing the term from \"established\" to \"legacy,\" citing chamber definitions that use a 20-year threshold.

Commissioners and staff also gave Rosas application timing for ACME programs. A commissioner said eligibility forms open on Sept. 29, the application opens Oct. 21, and the deadline is Dec. 1; staff later provided slightly different dates in other remarks (see related coverage). Rosas and several commissioners urged better outreach and technical assistance so smaller organizations can meet new application requirements.

Why it matters: Rosas' remarks reflect a broader debate the city faces as it reshapes cultural funding: whether to prioritize organizations that generate measurable tourism revenue or to preserve the smaller neighborhood-based groups that provide free programming, cultural preservation and local education. Commissioners said they will advocate to council and staff as the Creative Reset is finalized.

Rosas' remarks and follow-up questions appeared during the commission's public comment and agenda discussion; she was introduced by Commissioner Garza as a guest. The commission did not take a formal vote on the issues Rosas raised during the meeting.

Ending: Rosas said she would continue to advocate and to follow up with council offices and ACME staff; commissioners said they would press for outreach and clearer guidance to help legacy and small organizations apply under the new system.","Dr. Lilia Rosas, executive director of Red Salmon Arts, told the Arts Commission she and other small cultural organizations worry the city's Creative Reset (ACME) will favor tourism-driven metrics over equity, and she urged commissioners to advocate for funding rules that preserve legacy, pay artists, and avoid commodifying culture.","actionData","errors"]

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City staff outline $4 billion needs, $700 million likely cap for 2026 bond package

Red Salmon Arts director urges city to protect small cultural groups amid ACME funding reset