The plot thickens. You can read more about the bond debate here. From the Hustle’s inbox:

LIVEABLE CITY URGES RECONSIDERATION OF PROPOSED 2010 TRANSPORTATION BOND

Liveable City, an Austin nonprofit organization, today urged the Austin City Council to reconsider a proposed 2010 city transportation bond election. In a memorandum submitted to the mayor and council members, the organization cited concerns about the current bond process and encouraged the city instead to focus on developing a “coherent, well-coordinated bond package that addresses community priorities identified with broad citizen participation.”

The memorandum (attached) cites specific concerns regarding a proposed November transportation bond election including:

•       Lack of public process and citizen participation in determining the focus of the bond package;
•       Limiting the bond to transportation without an examination of other community needs;
•       Insufficient time and research to support a rail component;
•       Potential impact of holding multiple bond elections in a short time period;
•       Creating a bond package before completing Austin’s Comprehensive Plan and Strategic Mobility Plan
•       Lack of alignment with recent federal transportation policies and livability principles;
•       Lack of broad community representation on the citizen bond review committee;
•       Insufficient time for the bond committee to provide thorough and meaningful review of the proposed package.

The memorandum further recommends that the Austin City Council develop and adopt binding written guidelines to ensure a well-defined public process for all future bond proposals to insure informed citizen support for major public investments.
“We believe a thoughtful, more transparent approach is important to gaining voter confidence for proposed bond investments, especially while our economic climate remains uncertain,” said Brian Donovan, Chair of the Liveable City Board of Directors. “We appreciate the city’s work on this and are submitting the memo in a spirit of collaboration with the City Council and city staff.”