City staff outlines community‑engagement plan for 2026 bond; task force asked to help reach underrepresented neighborhoods

Jessica King, the City of Austin’s chief communications director, told the Bond Election Advisory Task Force on Jan. 9 that the Communications and Public Information Office (CPIO) will lead a joint communications team to coordinate outreach for the 2026 bond program. King said the office intends to use multiple tools — event tabling, community meetings, surveys, Austin 311, targeted e‑newsletters and Speak Up-style project pages — rather than relying on a single method to gather public feedback.

“This is the slide where you’re gonna hear me talk mainly, and I hope I can just have a conversation,” King said, adding that the team’s goal is to return to the task force in February with an updated community‑engagement plan.

Why it matters: The task force will use community feedback to inform recommendations about bond projects that will later be considered by the City Council. King told members the city’s founding resolution for the task force calls for a minimum of four public town‑hall meetings and requires the team to summarize and deliver community input for the task force’s consideration.

City staff outlined how…