Subject: District 10 News - The Budget Issue

Summer is here! After an eventful spring, our office is looking ahead to the debate over the City of Austin's annual budget. My colleagues and I will be deciding how to spend your tax dollars in the wisest way possible, so your input is crucial!

Here are a few ways to get involved:

The city has projected increasingly large deficits going forward, decreased sales taxes, and significant declines in property values, particularly when it comes to commercial properties that are overbuilt.
Concerned residents should fill out the city’s Budget Priority Survey. Your feedback is confidential and will help shape local spending.
Plan on joining me at our office’s District 10 Budget Town Hall, set for August 6. Location and other details are on the way, so watch you inbox for an invitation!

Scroll down for more District 10 news and events. As always, don't hesitate to reach out to us at district10@austintexas.gov if you have any questions or if we can help you and your neighbors!

Sincerely,

CONTENTS | The Budget Issue

Upcoming Events
June Community Listening Session
Budget Town Hall

Budget
Planning for the City's Next Budget

"Cap and Stitch" Costs, My Vote, and What's Ahead

Council Considerations
Austin Housing Opportunity Fund
Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs)
Saving Tax Dollars with Solar

D10 Parks & Libraries
Honoring Don Baylor

Great Hills Neighborhood Park Cleanup

Out & About
A Gathering in Great Hills

Firewise Ice Cream Social
Baseball Game Winners!
Recap: Older Adults Town Hall

Community Notes

Pet of the Month, new Zilker Shuttle, Mobility Survey, and more

JOIN US!
Upcoming Events

June Community Listening Session | YMCA Tomorrow Academy - Four Points

We had a great discussion at last month's community events, and I'm looking forward to hearing more from constituents this month. Please join us for another get-together!

WHEN: Monday, June 30, 6 - 7:30 PM

WHERE: YMCA Tomorrow Academy - Four Points at 8300 N FM 620

REGISTRATION: Kindly RSVP here

August 6 | District 10 Budget Town Hall

At the end of the summer, the City Council will approve a new budget for Fiscal Year 2025 - 2026. Our office has already begun reviewing budget proposals, and your input is important to us! Please mark your calendar for the evening of August 6, and stay tuned for location and registration details.

BUDGET FOCUS

My Approach to Austin's 2025-26 Budget

I'll be approaching the budget process with a combination of wariness and creativity. Whereas prior councils enjoyed surpluses, we are facing numerous financial challenges. We receive valuable input everyday from local residents, city departments, and interest groups. In addition to identifying citywide needs, I want to ensure that I champion District 10's priorities and concerns during the budget process. Finally, we need to find innovative budget solutions (especially if there may be ways to avoid a tax rate election), such as exploring new revenue sources or identifying programs that can be cut back or retired because they provide little value.

Spotlight on Financial Responsibility:
My "Cap and Stitch" Vote and What's Ahead

The I-35 "Cap and Stitch" project has been one of the City Council’s most hotly debated topics in recent memory, and with good reason: Its costs compete with Austin's core public services at a time when the city's financial outlook is increasingly grim.

The project is designed to cover a sunken portion of the highway near downtown with a series of decks (or "caps") that might one day be covered by parkland plazas. Its supporters sought as much as $400 million for a series of columns designed to support the caps.

On May 22, the City Council approved a slimmed-down proposal, committing $104 million for roadway elements to support future caps from Cesar Chavez through 7th Street, at 11th and 12th Streets, and a pair of smaller "stitches" from 41st Street to the Red Line Parkway Trail along Airport Boulevard.

Even though the Council succeeded in reducing the size of the plan, I chose to vote against this expenditure. I made my decision after analyzing data from city staff and hearing from hundreds of concerned District 10 residents. While the concept of reconnecting downtown and East Austin may be a worthy goal, I believe Cap and Stitch puts our community’s current parks, public health initiatives, and other priorities at risk.

The City of Austin must now determine how to fund the rest of the plan, including construction of the caps, the proposed parks, their maintenance, and any cost overruns.

Regardless of how this project moves forward, Austin's taxpayers have no business being its sole funders. Private investment should play a far larger role, as the City of Dallas pursued when it completed Klyde Warren Park, its equivalent to Cap and Stitch. As we become a world-class city, Austin must begin developing mutually beneficial public-private partnerships to help fund major capital endeavors.

Your Voice Matters:
Speak Up on the City of Austin's Bonds and Budget

The city's budget planning for Fiscal Year 2025 - 2026 is happening now. Be sure to attend our District 10 Town Hall on August 6 and/or relay your budget concerns to us at district10@austintexas.gov.

Austin has a bond election coming up in 2026. Help decide how a potential sum of $750 million in bond dollars could be invested. Take the 2026 bond survey and join this important conversation!

COUNCIL CONSIDERATIONS

My Work on the Austin Housing Opportunity Fund

I ran for City Council promising to preserve our community’s precious affordable housing and protect the vulnerable residents living within it. At the Council's June 5 meeting, I announced my work on the Austin Housing Opportunity Fund, an investment vehicle that will be able to meet that goal. I'm excited to have the help of Austin Assistant City Manager Dr. Eric Johnson on this project.

If approved, the Austin Housing Opportunity Fund will be a vital tool to help us prevent displacement of residents and preserve naturally occurring affordable housing. Density bonus programs like Austin’s year-old Density Bonus 90 (DB90) ordinance have proven to be problematic when new development is slated to replace existing multifamily homes. The Austin Housing Opportunity Fund would work in concert with the Texas Housing Conservancy to help the city to acquire and preserve affordable housing, a precious resource.

DB90 and similar programs can work in tandem with the new fund, but these ordinances still need increased scrutiny and revision. DB90 presents Council with a choice: redevelop with a modest amount of affordable housing and tenant benefits, or deny the zoning, leaving both the city and tenants with nothing. This choice is easier when light industry or vacant land is being redeveloped, but more challenging when existing naturally occurring affordable housing is involved. Residents are eligible for financial benefits if the Council approves the rezoning, but these benefits are often too meager to allow for their relocation within our increasingly expensive community.

Update on the Police Department’s ALPR Program

On June 3, Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax expressed concerns from local residents when he withdrew an item related to the city’s Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) program from the City Council's agenda.

During a yearlong trial period, the Austin Police Department (APD) has been using ALPR to scan car license plates to help solve serious crimes like murders, missing-person cases, and vehicle theft. Used carefully, these systems can help protect our community and save tax dollars at the same time. Ours appears to have worked, resulting in more than 200 arrests with a prosecution rate of roughly 80%.

Having said that, ALPR technology can be dangerous if it targets residents unfairly or if the data it gathers is shared inappropriately. The City Council must be very mindful of these risks and ensure appropriate guardrails are in place.

Since our city manager withdrew the item from review, my colleagues and I have additional time to make sure any ALPR system the APD deploys is provided by a responsible, thoroughly vetted vendor. Fortunately, there are many working in this space to which City Hall can turn.

Solar Power on City Buildings

On May 22, the City Council approved a resolution directing the city manager to create a plan for installing solar power systems on city-owned buildings, with the goal of providing clean, affordable energy. This resolution is part of a broader effort to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, and it makes good financial sense for both the city and taxpayers. Our ample roof space can be used generate power and significantly reduce the city's electricity costs, potentially saving millions of dollars a year.

D10 Parks and Libraries

Honoring Clarksville Legend
Don Baylor

My team and I were honored to bring forth an item renaming Westenfield Park after the late Don Baylor, an Austin native, Major League Baseball star, and civil-rights trailblazer.

A native of the Clarksville neighborhood, Baylor was born in 1949 and grew up in segregated Austin. As a young man, he was denied entry to Westenfield Park because of the color of his skin.

Baylor was undeterred, volunteering to be of the first Black students to integrate O. Henry Junior High School, now known as O. Henry Middle School. He went on to become the first Black athlete at Austin High, where he was a standout on the baseball team.

Baylor played for six major league teams, competed in three consecutive World Series, and became one of the league's first Black managers. He was known for crowding home plate as a batter and often led the league when it came to getting hit by pitches. He always refused to back down. "My first goal when I go to the plate is to get a hit," Baylor said. "My second goal is to get hit."

I'd like to thank Baylor's widow Becky, his son Don Jr., and Pastor Steve Manning of Clarksville's Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church, where the family remains active. We look forward to a celebration of his life and leadership later this year, when we unveil the park’s new signage. Stay tuned for details!

Construction Update:
Old Quarry Library Branch

The Old Quarry Library is slated for a long-awaited reopening this fall, after a major renovation! The building’s heating and air systems have been replaced, the roof and skylight are new, and the entire interior was carefully gutted to allow for the safe removal of vermiculite insulation.

A new, energy-efficient LED lighting system is also planned, connecting to the library’s building automation system and supporting smarter, more sustainable operations.

When the branch reopens, the community will also enjoy a new outdoor reading area and EV charging stations. I can't wait to enjoy the new improvements with neighbors. Stay tuned for information on the library's grand reopening!

OUT & ABOUT

Great Hills Neighborhood Park Pilot Brush Cleanup

We're thrilled to report that District 10 constituents turned out in droves to clear dead, wildfire-prone brush from Great Hills Neighborhood Park! This pilot project was initiated by our office to help us understand the costs of projects like these and to help model plans for other park cleanups.

More than 60 volunteers helped remove 2,700 pounds of fallen branches and other debris for use by Austin Resource Recovery, which chipped it down for the construction of new trails or conversion to "Dillo Dirt." We extend a huge thank-you to the Austin Parks Foundation, the city's Parks and Recreation Department, the fire department's Wildfire Division, and all of the residents who made this happen!

The project showed how community engagement can help prepare our neighborhoods for wildfire and other weather-related disasters, and it gave our office the info we need for future cleanup projects. The Great Hills cleanup also serves as an example of how neighborhood associations, volunteer organizations, and individual residents can work as co-stewards of their local green spaces.

OUT & ABOUT

City Beats County 11-4 in Baseball Game Benefiting Austin's Sobering Center

Organized by Travis County Judge Andy Brown, the county faced off with City of Austin staff in a May 18 baseball game benefiting Austin's Sobering Center! The competition raised $15,400 to support substance abuse recovery and safer streets. Photo courtesy of Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes.

Older Adults Town Hall

In May, Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes and our office co-hosted our first event focusing on Austin's older adults and seniors. The mayor pro tem, Council Member Duchen, and Nicole Howe from Age Friendly Austin fielded questions from more than 150 attendees. Take a look at some attendee questions and our team's answers!

COMMUNITY NOTES

Adoptable Pet-of-the-Month:
Sunflower Power

Awww, who doesn't love a little tabby cat? Sunflower Power is a five-year-old female weighing in at nine pounds. This sweet girl is in need of a fur-ever home! Learn about adopting your new kitty friend here.

Austin Mobility Hub Survey

The City of Austin recently recieved grant funding to support mobility hubs, which aim to bring together options like bus stops, bike share, shade, seating, and more. We want to hear from you as we plan these spaces. Your input will help ensure that mobility hubs truly reflect the needs of Austin residents. Take the survey here!

AISD Board of Trustees Seeking Members for PFC Board

In April 2023, the Austin Independent School District (AISD) approved the formation of the district's Public Facility Corporation (PFC). AISD is now seeking applications from qualified individuals for a pair of positions on the PFC's board of directors. District 10 values the participation of our community in this process, so please contact district10@austintexas.gov with nominations!

The Zilker Loop Is Open

The new Zilker Loop Aims to reduce weekend traffic jams in Zilker Park and Barton Springs. You can now park in the Stratford Lot (the rock lot) and catch the shuttle to Barton Springs. It runs on weekends every 15 - 20 minutes.

Tree Smart

Join experts from our community's Tree Preservation Division and other Austinites fighting protect our urban forest. The event takes place on Wednesday, June 18, from 12 - 1:00 PM. Click here to register.

Recycling Collection Now Includes Cartons and Coated Paper Products

Cartons (also known as aseptic or gable-top containers) are often used to package items like milk, juice, protein drinks, soup and creamers. Coated paper products include cups used for hot coffee and other beverages, paper plates, and takeout food containers. These items are now recyclable and should be placed in residents' blue recycling containers for curbside pickup.

Adopt a Storm Drain

Hurricane season is upon us, so please consider signing up for Adopt a Storm Drain! The service helps keep the storm drains in your neighborhood clear and helps prevent flooding.

Fire Safety: River Place Structural Ignition Zone Advisor Training

The River Place Firewise Committee, Austin Fire Department, and Spicewood Springs

Library are partnering to provide a FREE training class on how to advise homeowners on the hardening of home exteriors and landscaping, helping protect properties from wildfire.

WHEN: Saturday, July 26, 10:00 AM - 2:30 PM
WHERE: Spicewood Springs Library, 8637 Spicewood Springs Road
REGISTRATION: Email Ed Richburg at erichburg44@outlook.com

Leadership Austin Applications Now Open

Leadership Austin's Emerge and Essential programs are designed to challenge, inspire, and equip you with the knowledge and connections to drive real progress in your communities. Whether you are an experienced leader seeking to navigate complex regional issues through the Essential program or a rising leader looking to develop your skills and expand your influence through Emerge, you will gain invaluable insights and relationships that will shape your leadership journey. Click here to access the application hub.

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