| Dear Neighbors,
Thank you for sharing your views with us throughout the budget process. Last Tuesday, my colleagues and I approved the City’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2019-2020 budget, which for the second year was guided by Strategic Direction 2023.
Since entering office, I have advocated for investments that improve our community and strengthen our city’s long term financial health. I was pleased to vote for a budget that makes important strategic choices and addresses issues prioritized by District 10 residents in my many meetings with you all.
This year’s budget includes 30 new police officers, a new Fire/EMS station, and historic spending for programs to help those experiencing homelessness. Included in the police budget are new victim services counselors, additional detectives in the Sex Crimes Unit, and funding for DNA kit testing to improve the justice process for victims of sexual assault.
I believe that wildfire poses real dangers to our community. In this budget, I secured a 35% increase in funding for AFD’s Wildfire Division, which will increase our fuel mitigation efforts and provide new staff to assist with data analysis, program management, and community outreach. The budget also funds land management plans for our preserves and Emma Long Metropolitan Park, an important step in mitigating our wildfire risk.
Once again, I successfully advocated for additional funding for Austin’s parks, including much needed deferred maintenance projects, recycling, and cleanup programs.
Other budget highlights include funds for relationship violence crisis intervention, workforce development, after-school programs, pre-k classrooms, census outreach, expanding curbside composting, and programs to improve Austin’s mental health first response system. We also made significant investments in affordable housing and city facilities maintenance.
You will find the City Manager’s summary here.
The City's budget process is extensive and challenging, and I am grateful for the time and effort dedicated by the community, my colleagues, City Manager Cronk, City staff, and board and commission members. I also would like to thank all the neighbors and organizations who reached out to me, attended D10 office hours, or came to speak at budget hearings.
As we head into the fall, I will offer numerous opportunities for constituents to stay engaged and have your voices heard. My staff will host several upcoming office hours, where you can come and talk to us about the issues that you care about most. Please join us.
As always, please feel free to contact my office with any questions or comments at District10@austintexas.gov. We look forward to hearing from you.
Regards, Alison Alter
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Table of Contents - Homelessness/Public Order Ordinances Update
- District 10 Office Hours – Sept. 27
- Land Development Code Revision Town Hall – Oct. 21
- Curbside Composting Expansion
- Exposition On-Demand Circulator
- New Sustainable Transportation Website – GetThereATX.com
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| | | Homelessness/Public Order Ordinances Update
During the event, I was able to hear from community members with a wide array of perspectives and experiences who shared their voices with me both verbally and through written feedback. If you were unable to attend, or if you did not share your comments on Saturday but would still like to communicate with my office, I invite you to download and fill out this feedback sheet and send it back to April.Brown@austintexas.gov.
We shared several documents including staff memos released in August and a resource guide for providers and services in the city. Please find each of those documents linked below:
As a council and as a city, we are trying to forge a path forward for Austin that best addresses the needs of all our residents, housed or not. As I shared on Saturday, this process has been less than perfect for a variety of reasons, and I continue to share many of your frustrations. Though this has been messy, I do not believe that we can allow homelessness to be a wedge issue for our community. Instead, we can and should come together to advance solutions that reflect our shared community values.
NEW COUNCIL PROPOSALS ON ORDINANCE CHANGES
With this message, I also want to bring to your attention a new development. Council now has before us two proposals for ordinance revisions and two related council resolutions which address issues related to camping, sitting and lying in public. These changes will be discussed next week, with a public hearing happening on Wednesday, September 18th at 1 p.m., and a possible vote occurring that day. Council is also posted to meet on Friday, September 20th for a possible vote if action is not taken Wednesday.
I acknowledge that this is short notice, and I want to make clear that I have serious reservations about the timeline and process for these possible revisions. However, it is critical that we engage in this conversation, and I invite you to read through the different proposals and share your insights and comments with me by emailing my office at District10@austintexas.gov.
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| | | District 10 Office Hours – Sept. 27
Stop by and talk to us about the issues that matter most to you! District 10 staff will be available on September 27th to listen to your comments and concerns and help connect you with the appropriate City resources. These will be walk-in office hours operating on a first come, first served during the hours detailed below.
Friday, September 27 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Rudy's BBQ 11570 Research Blvd. |
| | | Land Development Code Revision Town Hall – Oct. 21
Following the policy direction approved by a majority of Council in April, Council and city staff are continuing to work on revising the land development code. I encourage you to revisit the newsletter I sent before the direction was voted on, as well as the update I sent after detailing why I voted against the document.
City staff is expected to release a draft code and draft zoning maps on October 4. According to the timeline issued by the Land Development Code Revision team, staff will host public events for community members to learn more about the draft code on October 19 and 23. While locations and event format are still being finalized, the following dates and times have been confirmed for two public events, with more detail to come. - Saturday, October 19 – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Location TBA
- Wednesday, October 23 – 3 to 8 p.m., Location TBA
Additionally, we will be hosting a District 10 Town Hall on the Land Development Code Revision on October 21 where staff will present the proposals and take questions and feedback. We hope to see you there.
Monday, October 21 7-9 p.m.
Highland Park Baptist Church (Sapp Hall)
5206 Balcones Drive |
| | | Curbside Composting Expansion – September 23
Beginning the week of September 23, Austin Resource Recovery (ARR) will expand its Curbside Composting Collection Program to include an additional 53,000 households in Austin. The expansion will bring curbside composting to new areas in District 10 including Rosedale, Northwest Hills, Great Hills, and others.
Customers in the program collect food scraps, yard trimmings and food-soiled paper in their green carts. The material is then collected by the City and converted into nutrient-rich compost.
ARR plans to extend the service to all remaining curbside customers by 2020 if funds are available. To check if your household is included in the September expansion, learn more about composting, and see a service area map, please visit austintexas.gov/austincomposts.
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| | | Exposition On-Demand Circulator
Capital Metro has rolled out an on-demand ride service to the Exposition area. The service, called Pickup, will take users from their front doors to any location within its service zone. You will be able to request a ride directly from your phone, either through the app or by calling our Pickup Service Center.
With the Pickup app, you will be able to arrange on-demand transit service between the hours of 7 a.m.-7 p.m. from your home to a doctor's appointment, a shopping trip or anywhere within its service zone. For your reference, please see a map of the Exposition service zone below.
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| | | | New Sustainable Transportation Website – GetThereATX.com
The Austin Transportation Department launched a new website – GetThereATX.com – that will serve as a resource for transportation information about sustainable options for residents, employees, employers and visitors.
To help achieve the goal of a 50/50 mode share by 2039 set in the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan, half of all Austin commuters should choose transportation modes that are more sustainable than drive-alone trips. Bikes, transit, walking, shared rides and micromobility options can help manage congestion by using street space more efficiently.
GetThereATX.com provides materials for those interested in taking more sustainable trips, but who may be intimidated by trying a new transportation mode or who don’t know where to start. The site consolidates information on the different mobility options available in Austin as well as specific trip details.
The Get There ATX website also includes educational resources about Austin’s transportation system, the programs and policies that will shape the system in the future and partnerships that provide specific solutions for residents and visitors to get around Austin. Check out GetThereATX.com to learn more and plan your next trip. |
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