奥斯汀选民将表决2.95亿美元债券：2.6亿美元投公园、3500万美元投图书馆
德克萨斯州奥斯汀选民将在11月3日的选票上表决一项总额2.95亿美元的债券，KUT在10月13日的报道中介绍，该债券分为两项独立提案：2.6亿美元用于公园，3500万美元用于图书馆。报道指出，此次提出债券，距奥斯汀选民否决一项名为Proposition Q的重大房产税上调提案仅一年。支持者表示现在应当为公园和图书馆投资，反对者则担忧在通胀和生活成本持续上升的情况下，房主的财务负担会加重。
在公园部分，2.6亿美元将用于公园建筑与设施、基础设施、公共泳池以及新公园和步道。奥斯汀公园基金会的Alyssa Vargas表示，市预算主要用于维护现有公园用地，余力有限，而包括南奥斯汀的Garrison Pool和Zilker Park在内的许多公园和泳池都有待修缮。她说：“If we want to continue to use them and enjoy them in the way that we do, we must sustain them and fund them.”
在图书馆部分，3500万美元主要用于两个项目：约2000万美元用于翻修和扩建位于Oak Hill的Hampton Branch Library，余下1500万美元用于在奥斯汀东北部较新的社区Colony Park新建一座分馆。奥斯汀公共图书馆之友基金会执行主任Tim Staley表示，Hampton分馆是全系统使用率最高的分支之一，设施老化，不仅需要翻修，也需要扩容，以增加儿童和成人活动空间。他还表示，该市过去几年增长迅速，图书馆系统未能跟上，许多奥斯汀居民无法获得公共图书馆提供的服务和设施。报道还介绍，若债券获选民批准，一套价值49.5万美元的普通住宅的业主每年房产税将多缴约40美元。市工作人员此前曾建议再等两年才把这一决定交给选民表决，市长Kirk Watson对此表示同意。奥斯汀此次选举的提前投票将于10月19日开始。
（资料来源：KUT Austin《Austin Signal》2026年10月13日文字稿）
Austin Voters to Decide $295 Million Bond: $260 Million for Parks, $35 Million for Libraries
Voters in Austin, Texas, will decide a $295 million bond on the November 3 ballot, according to an October 13 report by KUT. The bond is divided into two separate propositions: $260 million for parks and $35 million for libraries. The report noted that the proposal comes one year after Austin voters rejected a major property tax increase known as Proposition Q. Supporters say it is time to invest in the city's parks and libraries, while opponents are concerned about the financial burden on homeowners as inflation and the cost of living continue to rise.
For parks, the $260 million would support park buildings and facilities, infrastructure, public pools, and new parks and trails. Alyssa Vargas of the Austin Parks Foundation said the city budget mainly pays to maintain current parkland and leaves little room for much else, and that many parks and pools are in need, including Garrison Pool in South Austin and Zilker Park.
For libraries, the $35 million would fund two main projects. About $20 million would go to renovating and expanding the Hampton Branch Library at Oak Hill, and the remaining $15 million would go toward building a new branch in Colony Park, a newer neighborhood in northeast Austin. Tim Staley, executive director of the Austin Public Library Friends Foundation, said the Hampton Branch is one of the most heavily used branches in the system and that the aging facility needs both renovation and expansion, including more space for children's and adult programming. He also said the city has grown quickly in recent years and the library system has not kept up.
If voters approve the bond, the owner of an average-valued home of $495,000 would pay about $40 more in annual property taxes, the report said. City staff had previously recommended waiting another two years before putting the decision before voters, and Mayor Kirk Watson agreed with that recommendation. Early voting begins on October 19.
(Source: KUT Austin Signal transcript, October 13, 2026)
图片来源：奥斯汀公共图书馆 Hampton 分馆外观（资料图）。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons · Larry D. Moore 摄，CC BY 4.0 授权
