Bond task force directs working groups to target $750 million and return allocation scenarios

The Bond Election Advisory Task Force voted to ask its working groups to revise their project lists to target a $750,000,000 bond package and to present allocation scenarios illustrating different percentage splits across categories.

Chair (speaker 1) framed the decision as a practical step to get the task force “to the next layer of discussion,” saying the working groups should return with low/medium/high proposals and suggested percentage models to help mix priorities across the five category groups. Members discussed ranges between about $650 million and $750 million before settling on $750 million as the marching order for the next round of committee work.

Vice Chair Frances (speaker 14) had urged a facilitated conversation and recommended establishing some “nonnegotiable” projects to anchor the package while negotiating the remainder. Members debated whether to allocate named projects or to fund programmatic buckets with a ballot-language supplement naming priority projects.

The motion was presented as guidance to staff and working groups, not a final council recommendation. The chair took a preliminary roll-call-style count; members recorded eight yes votes of 14 present and the group confirmed the instruction would move forward. Task force members emphasized flexibility: the 15/20/25% figures were intended as planning tools to show tradeoffs across categories, not as immutable mandates.

The task force directed working groups to submit revised small/medium/large (low/medium/high) scenarios by the March 23 meeting, with further discussion to occur in two April meetings and a May 4 meeting scheduled to produce the deliverable for council consideration. Council is expected to consider task force input later in May.

What happens next: working groups will rework priorities with the $750 million target and percentage guidance, staff will provide clarifications where needed (including project readiness and cost estimates), and the full task force will reconvene to negotiate a final recommendation to forward to the mayor and city council.