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Dear Neighbors,
Thank you for sharing your views with us throughout the budget process for Fiscal Year 2019. This was my first full budget cycle on Council and the city’s first budget guided by our recently adopted Strategic Direction 2023. I am proud that we succeeded in making important investments in our city while remaining fiscally responsible. I believe this budget addresses many of the issues I heard prioritized by District 10 residents. With regard to public safety, nearly half of the Austin Police Department's budget is dedicated to the Neighborhood-Based Policing program. This initiative includes patrol, community partnerships, event planning, and – as I have heard many folks request – increased traffic enforcement activities. We also took an important step towards addressing the need for more public safety personnel, funding 33 new police officers and 16 new firefighters. Protecting our environment is one of my top priorities on Council. Given the topography of west Austin, reducing the threat of wildfire and flooding is of particular concern. I helped secure money in the budget for brush collection services and advocated for enhanced flood mitigation projects. Additionally, we increased funding for parks maintenance, our aquatics system, and the City's urban forestry program. I also would like to thank Council Member Leslie Pool for working with me to expand recycling to all City parks. This budget is focused on improving the quality of life for Austinites and invests directly in our community. To that end, we increased our capacity to create and preserve affordable housing, added positions to streamline the permitting process, enhanced our mobility efforts, financed deferred maintenance of city facilities and reallocated Hotel Occupancy Taxes so we can renovate beloved historic parks and buildings across the city. We also listened to our city commissions and, for instance, expanded the resources of the City's Equity Office and funded an LGBTQ quality of life survey. What’s more, after collaborating with my colleagues to find common ground across priorities, during budget adoption I successfully offered an amendment to further increase our investments in AISD, workforce development, homelessness programs, victim services and mental health crisis outreach efforts. I am pleased that we were able to accomplish all of this while simultaneously keeping the tax rate at the lowest level since 2009 and reducing or keeping steady most broad-based fees, such as water and electric services. If you are interested in learning more about the adopted budget, please visit this link. Regards,
Alison Alter
Council Member, District 10
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Table of Contents - Honoring Carol Lee
- District 10 Office Hours – Sept. 26 & 27
- Loop 360 Public Input Meeting – Sept. 20
- Community Forums on Police Oversight – Sept. 19, 22, & 25
- PARK(ing) Day – Sept. 21
- Floodplain Risk and Regulation Meetings – Sept. 22 & Oct. 2
- National Night Out – Oct. 2
- City Regulations Review - Retrospective Pilot Program
- People's Gallery Call for Artworks – Oct. 17 Deadline
- Citizen Communication via Videoconferencing
- District 10 Artist Feature – Call for Artists
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| | | | On Wednesday, we learned that Carol Lee, our dear friend and community advocate, passed away. Carol devoted her energy, intellect, and thousands of hours to improve Austin. She was tireless in her dedication and commitment to protect the environment, improve our parks, and enhance our community. Carol served Austin in many capacities: Parks and Recreation Board, Lake Austin Task Force, Special Events Task Force, Public Safety Commission, President of Austin Neighborhoods Council, Lake Austin Collective, President of CONA, and in countless other ways. My staff and I will miss her presence and strive to honor her in the actions we take to improve the quality of life across Austin. May her memory be for a blessing.
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| | District 10 Office Hours – Sept. 26 & 27
Come by and talk to District 10 staff about the issues that matter most to you! Members of my staff will be in the district on Sept. 26 and Sept. 27 to listen to your comments and concerns and help connect you with the appropriate City resources. These will be walk-in office hours, and my staff will be available first come, first served during the hours detailed below.
Wednesday, Sept. 26 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. Mozart's Coffee Roasters 3825 Lake Austin Blvd.
Thursday, Sept. 27
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Stinson's Bistro
4416 Burnet Rd.
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| | | Loop 360 Public Input Meeting – Sept. 20
The Loop 360 Project is beginning the design phase, with improvements planned for nine intersections along the 14-mile corridor. The Westlake Drive intersection, located within one of three Loop 360 sections listed on the state’s most congested roadways list, is the first project to move forward. In order to gather input from folks about the Westlake Drive project, TxDOT is holding a public meeting on Sept. 20. Improvements to this intersection include removing the signal on the main lanes and adding either an overpass or underpass.
Thursday, September 20, 2018 4-7 p.m. Riverbend Church 4214 N. Capital of Texas Hwy
Other intersections on the project list include Spicewood Springs Road, Lakewood Drive, RM 2222, Courtyard Drive, Walsh Tarlton Lane, Lost Creek Boulevard, Westbank Drive and RM 2244. To keep folks up to date, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has launched a new website, www.loop360project.com. Please check the site for new updates and information about the Loop 360 project.
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| | | Community Forums on Police Oversight – Sept. 19, 22 & 25
The Office of the Police Monitor and the Police Oversight Advisory Working Group have been analyzing data and evaluating best practices in order to make recommendations to enhance Austin’s current police oversight system. These recommendations will seek to improve the effectiveness, transparency, and efficiency of our current police oversight system. The Police Advisory Working Group is now asking for community input on the draft recommendations. You are welcome to attend one of three Community Forums on Police Oversight hosted by the City of Austin. Wednesday, Sept. 19 6-7 p.m. Our Lady Of Guadalupe Parish 1206 E 9th St.
Saturday, Sept. 22 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Gus Garcia Recreation Center 1201 E Rundberg Lane
Tuesday, Sept. 25 6-7 p.m. Greater Mount Zion Baptist Church 4301 Tannehill Lane
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| | | (PARK)ing Day – Sept. 21
The Austin Transportation Department invites you to celebrate Park(ing) Day! PARK(ing) Day is an annual open-source global event where citizens, artists and activists collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into “PARK(ing)” spaces: temporary public places. Folks can by participate by transforming parking spots into temporary miniature parks, or “parklets.”
PARK(ing) Day promotes public engagement and dialogue around the need for public, open spaces in urban areas. Austin residents have created numerous parklets of different shapes, sizes, and uses on PARK(ing) Days in the past, and Austin Transportation encourages the public to continue this creative dialogue this year.
Want to organize a parklet? Be sure to read the application packet for instructions on permit request and proper parklet setup. The deadline for submission is Monday, Sept. 17. More details can be found on the PARK(ing) Day Eventbrite page.
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| | | Floodplain Risk and Regulations Meeting – Sept. 22 & Oct. 2
Atlas 14, a historical rainfall study conducted by the National Weather Service, shows that Central Texas is more likely to experience larger storms and possibly more flooding than previously thought. To address this increased risk of flooding, the City is proposing changes to the current code. The Watershed Protection Department is hosting public meetings to discuss flood risk in Austin and the proposed code changes. Each meeting also will be available for viewing via designated webinar links included below.
Saturday, Sept. 22 10:30 a.m. Cepeda Branch Library (651 N. Pleasant Valley Road) Webinar ID: 477-557-603
MCC Austin - Freedom Oaks (8601 South First Street) Webinar ID: 370-706-011
To learn more about Atlas 14 and find your property's risk of flooding, please visit the Atlas 14 website. |
| | | National Night Out – Oct. 2
The Austin Police Department is collaborating with neighborhoods to host the annual National Night Out on October 2 from 7-9 p.m. National Night Out is a great opportunity for citizens and law enforcement to partner up against crime. During the event, residents in neighborhoods throughout Austin and across the nation are asked to turn on their porch lights, lock their doors and spend the evening outside with their neighbors, police officers, firefighters and EMS paramedics. Events such as cookouts, block parties and neighborhood walks will all occur simultaneously nationwide.
Come out to the event, meet your neighbors and commit to helping law enforcement reduce crime in your community. For more information about National Night Out, reach out to your neighborhood HOA or neighborhood association, visit the National Night Out website, or contact Office of Community Liaison Veronica Saldate at Veronica.Saldate@austintexas.gov.
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| | | City Regulations Review - Retrospective Pilot Program
As part of an ongoing effort to improve City operations and efficiency, the City has created a pilot retrospective review program for a regular, systemic audit to assess existing policies, reports, rules and regulations.
The regulations and rules will be reviewed to determine the following:
- Is there is a continuing need for them?
- Is there are possible conflicts between rules and regulations?
- Has the rule been affected by technology, economic, or other industry changes?
- Does it continue to service the original purpose?
- Does it serve that purpose in a way that is fair and equitable?
The community is invited to submit feedback about which rules and regulations should be examined. Ideas for review can be submitted at this link through Monday, Oct. 8. Once the submission period closes, the Office of Performance Management will compile all of the results and assign them to the departments responsible for their implementation to conduct further review and gather more information. Please visit the pilot program website for more detail about this program and the submission guidelines. |
| | | People's Gallery Call for Artworks – Oct. 17 Deadline
The City of Austin’s Cultural Arts Division invites Austin-area artists, galleries, museums, and arts organizations to apply for the 2019 People’s Gallery exhibition. Now in its 14th year, the People's Gallery showcases a variety of work by local artists throughout Austin City Hall and aims to encourage public dialog, understanding, and enjoyment of visual art. Applications for the exhibition are currently being accepted through October 17, 2018 for 2- and 3-dimensional artworks in any medium.
This year, the City is hosting an additional call: Install the Wall. Artists are invited to propose temporary, site-specific artwork installations for display in the Mayor’s second floor stairwell at City Hall for the duration of the 2019 exhibition. The total project budget is $3,000 and must include all materials, installation, and de-installation of the artwork.
Applicants to the 2019 People’s Gallery exhibition—which will run February 22, 2019 through January 1, 2020—may submit up to five artworks for consideration. Complete information on the call and a link to the online application system is available at http://tinyurl.com/peoplesgallery. Eligible artists must be 18 years or older and reside or work in Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays, Travis or Williamson Counties.
An artist information meeting was video-recorded and will be available on the Cultural Arts Division website soon. Complete guidelines for the program may be found here.
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| | Citizen Communication via Videoconferencing
Did you know that you don't have to drive down to City Hall to participate in Citizen Communication? Early last year, I was a proud cosponsor of a resolution directing the City Manager to analyze ways to expand library services offered to residents. This expansion included providing access to General Citizen Communication via videoconferencing, as well as facilitating teleconferencing by military families, community organizations and small business start-ups at local libraries.
Using the videoconferencing capabilities that our public libraries now possess is a great way to speak to Council about important issues without having to make the trek downtown, saving time, money and energy. Please note that you must plan in advance if you would like to take advantage of these new services. To ensure you are able to utilize the videoconferencing technology, contact your local library a few weeks before the date you would like to speak to Council and ask staff for assistance. |
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Do you know a local artist whose work you'd like to share with your neighbors? If you or someone you know have a knack for painting, drawing, photography, etc., we would love the opportunity to feature work from District 10 artists in the newsletter! To submit an artist/piece to be featured here, please email my Communications and Outreach Coordinator, April Brown, at April.Brown@austintexas.gov. If you are sending in your own work, please include a photo of the work you would like to share with your neighbors, the work's title, year, medium/materials, and a link to your website if you have one. Also encouraged is a bit of background info, such as:- What/who inspired the work?
- What do you hope its viewers will feel/think?
- Why did you choose the medium, subject matter, style?
Through these artist features, we hope to showcase some of the many talents and passions of District 10 residents and increase awareness of the importance of art in our communities. |
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