AUSTIN, Texas — Austin City Council members are weighing whether to ask voters this fall to approve a $390 million bond package that would fund major investments in parks, transportation and other city needs — or delay the proposal until 2028 to ease the tax impact on residents.

The proposed bond package, which would go before voters in November if approved by council, would direct $250 million to parks, $92 million to transportation projects, and the remainder to homeless shelters, city facilities and animal services.

City estimates show the average homeowner would eventually pay an additional $81.13 each year if voters approve the bond package, a cost that has become central to the debate over timing.

During Monday’s Audit and Finance Committee meeting, council members focused less on the projects themselves and more on whether now is the right time to ask voters to take on additional costs.

Mayor Kirk Watson argued for delaying the bond election.

“We should wait and have a bond election in 2028,” Watson said. He said the city’s proposed budget makes this the wrong time to seek more from taxpayers. “I feel even more strongly about that now that we have had a draft budget put out by the City Manager and the impact that that would have on the typical taxpayer,” Watson said.

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Mayor Pro Tem Jose “Chito” Vela pushed back on waiting, saying the city needs the investments sooner.

“We can’t wait that long between capital improvements and injections into our park system,” Vela said. He noted the time since the last parks bond. “It will have been eight years since our last parks bond. If we wait till ’28, obviously it’s 10 years since our last parks bond,” Vela said.

Councilmember Ryan Alter, who represents District 5, said he is weighing the cost against the benefits.

“I want to weigh that against the benefits and really decide if now is the right time to be asking this of people if people can afford it,” Alter said.

Councilmember Krista Laine of District 6 said her concerns go beyond timing and focus on the package itself.

“I am currently a no on this proposal,” she said. “The $390 million proposal does not adequately take into account equitable distribution across the city.”

City Council is set to review the proposal during Tuesday’s work session before voting Thursday. If approved, the city would move forward with plans for a November bond election. If not, leaders would likely wait until 2028.