City staff outlines Phase 3 engagement: four tentative open houses and a Jan.26–Feb.16 survey

Austin Communications and Engagement Department staff presented the task force with plans for Phase 3 community engagement tied to the 2026 bond process, describing a series of open houses and a complementary second survey intended to deepen community input.

Staff said Phase 3 will include four tentative open houses — one virtual — selected to reach areas with lower past participation, and that each open house will be a walk‑up, interactive experience with large display boards, subject‑matter experts, tablets and QR codes for on‑site survey completion. The department emphasized that city staff and task force members should remain neutral when engaging the public and use pre‑approved promotional language rather than personal edits.

The survey in development will complement the initial survey by asking questions about confidence in proposed projects, perceived feasibility and project prioritization; staff gave a tentative launch date of Jan. 26 and a close date around Feb. 16 and said survey results could take up to three weeks to analyze. The staff presentation said materials will explain bond basics (debt service, tax impacts) and that the survey and materials will be posted on the public input page for broader access.

Task force members asked whether citizen‑promoted projects could appear at open houses, how outreach metrics and advertising will be calibrated, whether sites include south-of‑river locations and school campuses, and whether the survey will be broadly available online (staff said yes, the survey will live on the public input page). Staff said they would provide follow‑up information by email about outreach metrics and baseline numbers from previous years.