Post by Kirk Watson

#WatsonWire: The City of Austin is launching a Bond Survey. When I heard we were doing this, I was immediately excited. What a great thing. I really want to know who Austinites think has been the best Agent 007 over the years. Plus, I think it would be great to know who we all think should be the next James Bond. For my money, Sean Connery really has never been beat, and I love Pierce Brosnan’s suggestion of Tom Hardy as the next one. But then I was told that the Bond Survey was really a survey about the Bond election we will have in November of 2026. Well, okay. That’s fun, too. I guess. Austin’s biggest challenges are the by-product of success. And managing that success, so that we maintain and improve quality of life means keeping up with things like better roads, more parks, and upgraded flood and erosion improvements. We have long-term needs that must be met and those are generally funded through General Obligation (GO) Bonds. Cities like Austin use GO Bonds to fund long-term investments in public infrastructure. These bonds allow cities to borrow money for capital community projects like road improvements or more open spaces— without taking money away from everyday city services.