Public commenters press Austin bond task force to fund farmland, Carver Museum, libraries and Garrison Pool

Marissa Bell, a member of the Austin Travis County Food Policy Board and assistant director of school food service at Lake Travis Independent School District, told the Bond Election Advisory Task Force on March 23 that the region’s food system is fragile and urged a $15,000,000 carve‑out in the 2026 bond to preserve farmland for local food production. "Without land, there is no supply," Bell said, describing supply‑chain disruptions during COVID‑19 and Winter Storm Uri and warning that local farmland is under intense development pressure.

Why it matters: Advocates said bond dollars could be used as seed funds to unlock federal programs and keep farmers in business, supporting local food access, jobs and climate resilience.

Pamela Hall Vance, a member of the George Washington Carver Ambassadors, asked the task force to reinstate the Carver Museum and Cultural Center expansion as a top recommendation and requested $17,000,000 to complete design and phases 1A/1B. "I think 17,000,000 is a small amount to fund a project that has already been approved by the City Council," she said, and provided a phase‑by‑phase cost breakdown that she said supports the request.

Several in‑person speakers from the Garrison Park neighborhood emphasized the urgency of replacing the aging Garrison Pool. Katarina Harris and John Harris described the pool as an essential heat‑relief and community resource; Heather Van Dyke explicitly requested a $25,000,000 investment to replace the facility and said the community expects closure within roughly a year without funding. Kaylee Stringer added that renovating the pool preserves an accessible public space for families and future generations.

Members also raised process concerns during public comment: a remote speaker identified as Miss Reed criticized inconsistent meeting scheduling information on the task force website and argued for faster responses to constituent inquiries; she also urged additional library investment north of 183 in Northeast Austin, citing a $4.64 return per dollar figure from the Texas State Libraries and Archives Commission.

What wasn’t decided: The task force did not adopt formal funding language for any of these items at this meeting. Public speakers asked staff and task force members to consider their requests as the working groups finalize 15/20/25% funding scenarios ahead of upcoming meetings.

Next steps: The task force moved from public comment to staff briefings and discussion of working‑group deliverables; members directed working groups to finalize their 15/20/25% scenarios and return them to staff so the committee can assemble mock bond packages for a facilitated review at upcoming April meetings.