Short Term Rentals, Wildfire Updates, & Upcoming Events

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Subject: Short Term Rentals, Wildfire Updates, & Upcoming Events

Dear Neighbors,

I hope everyone is enjoying our beautiful spring weather! I hate to interrupt it, but I want to share a few updates regarding short-term rentals, wildfire prevention, and other issues that our office has been working on since you received our last newsletter.

Next Community Listening Session

I also want to invite you to our next Community Listening Session, which will be held on Friday, March 28, at Russell's Bakery & Coffee @ 2222 (NOT the Hancock location) from 4:30 – 6:00 PM. Please feel free to invite your friends and neighbors!

Prior sessions have been well-attended, and we plan on hosting these events at different locations and times of day to ensure all District 10 residents have an opportunity to attend. If you have a location you’d like to suggest, please contact us at district10@austintexas.gov and let us know!

Short Term Rental Update

Austin has roughly 2,200 legal and law-abiding short-term rentals (STRs) within its city limits, but at least five times as many that operate illegally. These outlaw STR owners refuse to pay hotel occupancy taxes, and many of their properties create noise, trash, parking, and other problems for those living nearby.

The City Council discussed this crisis at our February 27 meeting and will be using new technology to identify and bring all STR owners into compliance. My colleagues and I will revisit the issue again this summer, with further regulatory changes in mind.

I’d like to see STR rules improved in at least two ways:

Entire neighborhoods can be overrun by STRs. Last year, the council heard testimony from Austinites whose homes are surrounded by problematic STRs on six sides. This impacts these residents’ quality of life, area schools, and public safety. Other cities have implemented rules that limit the number of STRs and how close they can be to each other. Sadly, the City of Austin has failed to put rules like these into place. That’s why I plan on advocating for new regulations that ensure outlaw STRs don’t overtake our streets and neighborhoods.
The City of Austin’s staff has proposed the “de-platforming” of outlaw STR owners (essentially removing them from the industry’s most prominent websites). Unfortunately, outlaw owners would still be able to advertise on smaller platforms and websites, market themselves directly to their past customers, and skirt regulations in other ways. I plan on advocating for stronger enforcement across a wider array of channels, preventing outlaw owners from operating these businesses within Austin.

The City Council is gathering public feedback on STRs for the next three months. If you have ideas, frustrations, or personal STR stories (positive or negative), please contact us at district10@austintexas.gov and share them with me and my team.

In the rest of the newsletter, you’ll find updates on the Canyon Creek Fire Station, It's My Park Day, Wildfire Prevention and Preparedness, and a Cadet Class graduation. I've also included a list of upcoming events, including a Budget Town Hall with our City Manager, Coffee with a Cop (Baker Sector), and more.

Sincerely,

Marc Duchen

Council Member, District 10

Wildfire Prevention & Recent Action

(Smokey Bear has joined the team!)

When it comes to wildfires, Austin has had its share of high-risk days lately, and many District 10 residents have reached out with concerns. Our team continues to work with city staff, the Austin Fire Department (AFD), and its Wildfire Division to develop better risk-reduction strategies. They include:

Working with Homeland Security Emergency Management to roll out a regional evacuation plan this summer
Working with the AFD’s Wildfire Division to develop mapping and communication tools for managing emergencies including wildfires
Working with multiple departments involved in land management to pilot a “dead and down” fuel-mitigation plan for our parks, which would involve the removal of fallen, fire-prone trees
Update the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Code to expand the WUI area and the number of structures within it
Update the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), our strategic plan for addressing wildfire prevention
Continue to explore ways to incentivize wildfire preparedness, such as steps neighborhoods and homeowners can take to fire-proof their homes and landscaping

Please continue to use the ATXWildfirehub for wildfire risk updates and other key information.

APD Cadet Class Graduation

I’m proud to have taken part in the graduation ceremony for the Austin Police Department’s 153rd Cadet Class. Congratulations to the 33 officers who joined local law enforcement earlier this month!

It's My Park Day & Park Events

On March 1, my team and I joined our neighbors for It’s My Park Day at Bull Creek Bluff Park and Perry Park, cleaning the areas, removing invasive plants, laying mulch, and hauling away dead, fire-prone vegetation. I spent the next Saturday morning working in Reed Park doing the same.

These events had far more volunteers than organizers anticipated, even some from outside Texas! Austin will hold another It’s My Park Day later this year, and my office will make sure to send residents a reminder. If you and your neighbors would like to organize a cleanup of your local park in the meantime, please contact us at district10@austintexas.gov so that we can lend a hand!

Canyon Creek Fire Station Opens

On March 8, I joined former Council Member Alison Alter, AFD, EMS, and many others to open the city's newest fire station as part of a strategy to reduce emergency service response times. Former CM Alter led an effort to open five new stations in six years and Capitol Delivery Services is already reporting that response times have improved by nearly 2.5 minutes since the station opened.

Upcoming Events:

Community Listening Session
March 28 from 4:30 – 6:00 PM
Russell’s Bakery and Coffee Bar @ 2222
7300 Ranch Road 2222
Austin, TX 78730
“Your Budget, Your Priorities” Town Hall with City Manager T.C. Broadnax
April 3 at 6:30 PM
Northwest Recreation Center
2913 Northland Drive
Austin, TX 78757
Coffee with a Cop (Baker Sector)
April 9 from 9:00 – 11:00 AM
Starbucks Coffee
3706 Guadalupe Street
Austin, TX 78705
Free Spay/Neuter Clinic (pets must be at least two months old and weigh at least two pounds)
April 3-7 from 7:30 AM – 10:00 AM or until registration is full
Brodie Oaks Shopping Center
4115 S. Capital of Texas Highway
Austin TX, 78704

Please click here for important clinic event details!

Please contact my office at district10@austintexas.gov or call 512-978-2110 for questions and additional information. We have another council meeting coming up next week so look for additional updates soon!

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Subject: Short Term Rentals, Wildfire Updates, & Upcoming Events