Capital Delivery Services lays out framework for 2026 general-obligation bond program

Capital Delivery Services on Thursday presented the Bond Oversight Commission with the department's framework for developing the City of Austin's proposed 2026 general-obligation (G.O.) bond program.

Marcus Hammer, assistant director with Capital Delivery Services, told commissioners the department was created in 2023 to reduce project delivery time and to convene asset-owner departments so projects have realistic scopes, schedules and budgets. "We were created in 2023, really with the goal of reducing project delivery time," Hammer said.

The presentation summarized staff work completed over the last year: a citywide needs assessment initially totaling about $10.4 billion, department-level prioritization that produced a 6-year feasible list of roughly $4.4 billion and an early financial estimate from Financial Services that the G.O. program could be nearer $750 million for the 2026 cycle. "From that, we asked the departments to say, okay, now that we've got your big umbrella, how can we pare that back to what could potentially even be done within a 6-year bond cycle?" Hammer said.

Why it matters: General-obligation bonds fund large capital…