"...with priority given to (i) building improvements at the Gus Garcia Recreation Center, Doris Miller Auditorium, and Mayfield Park..."
That clause comes from the ordinance the Austin City Council passed on Aug. 6 to call this Tuesday's Nov. 3 bond election. It's part of the measure's text in the ordinance. Proposition A asks voters to authorize up to $260 million for parks, recreation, aquatics and open space. Proposition B asks for up to $35 million for libraries. Mayfield Park is one of three District 10 sites in the priority list. Mt. Bonnell and Commons Ford are the other two.
All three are well-known destinations. None of them is a neighborhood park inside Northwest Hills. Bull Creek District Park, Allen Park, Stillhouse Hollow and the Spicewood Springs Branch Library don't appear anywhere in the named list. To see what the bond would mean close to home, you have to look past the names to the part of the money that has no names attached.
The District 10 items, by bucket
City staff presented a project breakout to council on Aug. 4. It tags each prioritized project with its council district and places it in one of five spending categories. Four line items carry the D10 tag:
| District 10 project | Category | Category total under Prop A |
|---|---|---|
| Mayfield Park Facility Rehabilitation and Security Enhancements | Buildings | $65.5 million |
| Mt. Bonnell Improvements and Security Enhancements | Infrastructure | $29.5 million |
| Commons Ford shoreline improvements | Infrastructure | $29.5 million |
| Commons Ford Park Improvements and Security Enhancements | Parkland Improvements | $65 million |
The category totals come from the city's proposed allocation. The rest of the $260 million is $65 million for aquatics and $35 million for land acquisition. The aquatics list names four pools: Garrison, Big Stacy, Civitan and Walnut Creek Municipal Pool. Walnut Creek, in District 7, is the closest of the four to the north side.
Each District 10 project shares its bucket with projects in other parts of the city. Mt. Bonnell, for example, shares the $29.5 million infrastructure category with the Williamson Creek Trail, Zilker Metro Park, the Onion Creek all-abilities playground and seven other line items.
A name on the list comes without a price tag
The ordinance names priorities, but it doesn't assign a dollar amount to any single site. Community Impact reported that itemized project costs weren't available when council called the election. The city's own project list also says its descriptions and amounts may change and aren't meant to create a contract with voters.
The detail that matters most for Northwest Hills is in the Aug. 4 breakout's two column headers. Proposition A divides into $177.8 million for prioritized projects and $82.2 million for funding programs. So nearly a third of the parks measure sits in program lines, not in the named projects. Every category has a share:
- Buildings: $43.5 million prioritized, $22 million programs
- Parkland Improvements: $56 million prioritized, $9 million programs
- Infrastructure: $18.3 million prioritized, $11.2 million programs
- Aquatics: $50 million prioritized, $15 million programs
- Acquisition: $10 million prioritized, $25 million programs
The city describes these programs in broad terms. The infrastructure program covers playscapes, trails, parking lots, roadways, athletic fields, golf facilities and cemeteries. The parkland program covers development of existing parks, greenbelts and downtown squares. Acquisition gives priority to infill parks in park-deficient areas, greenbelts and greenways that connect trails, and destination land such as property along the Colorado River. Parks and greenbelts inside Northwest Hills aren't on the named list, so this program money is the only part of the measure that isn't already committed elsewhere.
Mayfield shows what "rehabilitation" can mean
The bond documents don't spell out the work at any of the four District 10 sites. Records from Mayfield give a sense of the condition behind the line item.
The Mayfield Park Community Project describes the cottage and grounds as a City Historic Landmark listed on the National Register. The group also says limited city funds and staff make volunteer work central to caring for the park. In its October 2025 update, the group reported new turf and irrigation repairs. It also said there wasn't enough money that year to fix a collapsed rock wall below the gate to the volunteer garden plots. According to the same update, the Parks and Recreation Department took over cleaning and monthly maintenance of the historic ponds after October 2024. Those reports are a year old, and whether the wall has been repaired since isn't documented.
The Historic Preservation Fund is a separate city funding source. In April 2026, its recommendations included $450,000 for a "Mayfield Gutsch Cottage at Mayfield Park and Nature Preserve: Rehabilitation Schematic Design Phase" and $50,000 for "Wayfinding: Mount Bonnell at Covert Park." That money isn't part of Proposition A. It does mean design work on the Mayfield cottage is already on the city's agenda apart from the bond.
The city's Commons Ford Ranch page describes the park as a significant cultural landscape with historic ranch buildings, a boat dock, a picnic area and a swimming area. The page doesn't describe the shoreline work the bond would fund.
Proposition B goes to two branches outside the area
The library measure is more specific. The ordinance gives priority to the existing Hampton Branch at Oak Hill and a new Colony Park branch. The city's proposed split is $20 million to renovate and expand Hampton and $15 million for the future Colony Park library. KUT's Oct. 15 explainer describes the same two projects.
That means Proposition B commits nothing to the Spicewood Springs Branch at 8637 Spicewood Springs Road or the Yarborough Branch at 2200 Hancock Drive. The $35 million is spoken for by the two named branches.
What the bonds would add to a tax bill here
KVUE's ballot guide reports the city's estimate. If both propositions pass, the city expects to raise the property tax rate by 1.1024 cents per $100 of taxable value over the life of the bonds. For a homeowner with $500,000 in taxable value, that comes to about $55.12 a year, or $4.59 a month. The city would issue the bonds in installments starting in 2027.
The increase is a rate, so it scales with taxable value. At the same 1.1024 cents per $100, a homestead with $1 million in taxable value would pay about $110 a year. Many Northwest Hills homes carry taxable values well above the $500,000 example, so the city's headline figure is likely low for them. The city's 2026 bond election guide has more breakdowns on page 9. This is general information, not tax or financial advice. Check your own taxable value and exemptions with the Travis Central Appraisal District or a tax professional.
Where to vote nearby before Tuesday
Early voting started Oct. 19 and ends Friday, Oct. 30. On Thursday, Oct. 29 and Friday, Oct. 30, Travis County early voting sites are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. These nearby sites are on the county's official list:
- Northwest Recreation Center, 2913 Northland Dr.: early voting and Election Day
- Northwest Hills United Methodist Church Youth Center, 7027 Hart Ln.: Election Day, Nov. 3
- Yarborough Branch Library, 2200 Hancock Dr.: Election Day, Nov. 3
Spicewood Springs Branch Library isn't a polling place in this election. Propositions A and B are two of 10 city measures on the ballot. The other eight are charter amendments.
Whatever happens Tuesday, we'll keep following how program dollars are assigned and what the bond means for Mayfield, Mt. Bonnell and Commons Ford. If you'd like to talk through how city spending and tax rates show up in what you pay to own a home in Northwest Hills, Living Well in Austin is glad to help. Schedule a discovery call and get private access to Austin listings.
