Resident objects to $260 million certificates of obligation for Austin Water; cites lack of project detail

A member of the public criticized a consent item that would authorize issuance of $260 million in certificates of obligation for Austin Water projects, saying the council’s backup materials did not provide adequate project-level detail.

Bill Bunch, executive director of the Save Our Springs Alliance and a longtime District 5 resident, told the council the notice and backup for the financing are “incredibly vague.” "There's not proper notice here. Neither the notice nor the backup lists any of the projects that you would be funding with this $260,000,000," Bunch said in public comment. He suggested a substantial portion could fund the Walnut Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion and urged postponement of large plant expansions in favor of conservation and recycling investments.

Context and concerns: Bunch framed his remarks around compliance with the Texas Open Meetings Act and called for more specific public disclosure when the city contemplates issuing large amounts of debt. He argued that greater investment in water reuse and conservation could reduce demand and the need for expanded wastewater capacity.

Council action: The consent agenda containing the financing item was adopted by the council in the meeting's consent vote. The meeting record did not include a detailed, item-by-item breakdown of the projects funded by the certificates during the public remarks reported here.

Ending: The public speaker asked the council to delay broad debt issuance until project specifics and reuse priorities were clearer; council members did not debate the item at length in the public portion of the meeting.