When Debt Meets Public Approval

Key Findings Public referenda on bond packages affect: • The size of the bond package • The content of the bond package • The administration of the bond package Potential implications for growth management and closing the “infrastructure gap” Presentation Outline • Overview: Municipal Bonds in the U. S. • Case Study: San Antonio, Texas • Demographic, political, and fiscal overview • Infrastructur [...] A.” • 10 Districts • Mixed Economy • Council-manager • Population= 1.4M+ and government growing quickly • No party system for local • Large Hispanic population politics. [...] History of Bond Elections in San Antonio • Rapid growth spurs major bond issues in the 1920s • Tension in 1930s-1950s, bond measures overturned • Political divisions and fragmentation • Annexation politics • Race • 1955-1977: Good Government League (GGL) political coalition able to get bond measures passed, but serves “a limited set of public purposes”. [...] The administration of the bond • Citizens committees • Timely project completion “Those basics are still what everyone thinks about and we need to take care of them.