Dear Neighbors,
At our most recent Council meeting, my colleagues and I approved the 2021 Austin Climate Equity Plan, which outlines strategies and goals to accelerate our net-zero goal by a decade to 2040. The plan sets more aggressive interim targets for reducing emissions and addresses the disproportionate impacts of the climate emergency on low-income communities and communities of color.
As a companion to the Climate Equity Plan, I led on an implementation resolution to ensure the success of the plan. The resolution was cosponsored by the majority of my colleagues and outlines the Council’s expectations for increased accountability, leadership, transparency, equity, and public engagement in how the City addresses and mitigates the climate emergency.
The Climate Equity Plan is the result of hundreds of community members coming together to produce the plan over the course of many months, stewarded by the city staff in the Sustainability Office and the Austin Climate Equity Plan Steering Committee. You may view a recording of the rally celebrating the passage of the plan here. | | Net-zero is possible, and we must be deliberate in how we get there. I am proud that Austin has set an aggressive emission reduction goal of 2040 while developing strategies to achieve a just and equitable transition. The next steps are critical in shaping our ability to build a sustainable future.
We are in a climate emergency and must mobilize together to meet the threat. In the coming months and years, I invite you and every Austinite to take an active role in our city’s response to the changing climate.
Last week Council also voted to confirm Chief Joseph Chacon as our police chief on a 9-2 vote. After hours of deliberation and many conversations with community members, advocates, colleagues, and Chief Chacon, I voted against Chief Chacon’s appointment because I have serious concerns about his willingness to prioritize sexual assault response and his ability, as an internal hire, to lead the change we need in many areas. Reforming Austin’s sexual assault response system is a top priority of mine and I believe it also must be a top priority for our police department. I look forward to working with Chief Chacon to keep Austin a safe city and to ensure survivors of sexual assault are listened to, believed, and protected.
In this newsletter, you will find a call for applicants to serve on a city board or commission, information on COVID boosters and flu shots, new details about toxic algae in Austin waterways, and more.
Regards,
Alison Alter Council Member, District 10 | | Council Recap Austin Water and Austin Fire Department Partner to Minimize Wildfire Risks Call for Applicants: District 10 Boards and Commissions Apply to Be a City of Austin Employee Retirement System Trustee Apply to Serve on the Austin Police Retirement System Board of Trustees Get Your Flu Shot! COVID Vaccines, Boosters, Third Doses and Mobile Clinic Zilker Park Vision Plan Virtual Community Meeting #3 Toxins Detected in Barton Creek at Sculpture Falls Free Austin Public Library Cards for Students Attending Travis County Schools Project Connect Virtual Community Design Workshop Veterans Arts Festival ICRC Austin City Council Preliminary District Map Approved Lights Out Texas! Dark Skies for the Birds
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At last week's Council meeting my colleagues and I deliberated on 165 agenda items that ranged widely in scope and nature. In addition to approving the Climate Equity Plan and Chief Chacon's appointment, Council approved several contracts to support our parks and pools including contracts for the Montopolis and Northwest District Pools, as well as contracts investing in children and youth through wrap-around school-based services such as mentoring, tutoring, and afterschool services. Council also approved a number of contracts to extend long-term housing and stabilization for individuals experiencing homelessness. We also funded mental health services and substance abuse services as well as workforce development programs through Goodwill, Workforce Solutions and others.
In the bullets below, you can find more information about additional items Council approved. Water Forward (Item 117): Council adopted several regulatory changes recommended by our integrated water resource plan related to requiring water benchmarking, onsite water reuse, and requiring large developments to connect to the city’s purple pipe system. These requirements will be phased in between 2021 and 2023. This was done in tandem with Item #3 which extended a pilot program and incentives during Fiscal Year 2021-2022 for alternative onsite water reuse systems for new commercial and multi-family developments. Capital IDEA renewal (Item 91): Council authorized a contract renewal with Capital IDEA, an organization that provides workforce development services. This renewal will enable 150 program participants to graduate into jobs in nursing, IT, and other roles. Community Health Workers Grant (Item 54): Council approved the acceptance of grant funding from the CDC to fund the hiring of 8 additional Community Health Workers over three years who will focus on the treatment and prevention of chronic disease and its relation to COVID risk. Electric Vehicles (Item 106): I cosponsored Council Member Pool's resolution directing the City Manager to develop a strategy to encourage electric vehicle adoption by City of Austin Employees, in support of the city’s mobility electrification goals. Reproductive Rights (Item 111): I also cosponsored Item 111, led by Council Member Ellis, which renews the City of Austin's consistent support for the reproductive rights of individuals who are capable of becoming pregnant, encouraging the business community to join the City in opposing the implementation of SB 8, and directing the City Manager to provide legal resources to support the current lawsuits that challenge SB 8.
| | | Austin Water and Austin Fire Department Partner to Minimize Wildfire Risks
Austin Water and Austin Fire Department have partnered for years to mitigate wildfire risks on the 40,000+ acres managed by Austin Water’s Wildland Conservation Division. Over the next 8 months, a ten-person crew from the Austin Civilian Conservation Corps will boost these efforts with work on projects aimed at producing fire-resilient forests and reducing potentially hazardous fuels across Austin Water’s conservation lands.
Austin Civilian Conservation Corps activities will contribute to Austin Water’s efforts to conserve and protect land for our region. The Water Quality Protection Lands benefit the quality and quantity of water recharging the Edwards Aquifer, which provides water to both Barton Springs and to groundwater that feeds more than 60,000 wells in Hays and Travis Counties. The closed-canopy woodlands of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve provide endangered species habitat in our rapidly developing region by permanently protecting forests and caves in Travis County.
Austin Civilian Conservation Corps projects include the construction and maintenance of shaded fuel breaks where conservation land borders private property. Cut material will be processed into mulch at Austin Water’s Hornsby Bend facility and reused in ongoing restoration efforts. Conservation Corps crews will also help to prepare wildlands for prescribed burn treatment. Prescribed burns mimic the natural fire cycle in a way that can be planned and organized to limit fire intensity and can serve both natural landscapes and human communities by reducing the potential for destructive wildfires.
Additionally, Austin Water and Austin Fire Department will provide training in wildfire prevention techniques that the Conservation Corps will implement to mitigate wildfire risks. These mitigation activities will include chainsaw operation, FireWise home ignition zone audits, and the basics on the benefits and purpose of shaded fuel breaks. All Conservation Corps members will earn a living wage and gain skills that may support a transition into a new career.
The ACCC was created through my initiative last year. To learn more about or get involved with the Austin Civilian Conservation Corps, program applicants and potential community partners are encouraged to explore the Austin Civilian Conservation Corps website. | | | Call for Applicants: District 10 Boards and Commissions The District 10 office is seeking new representatives to serve on the Building and Fire Code Board of Appeals, the Commission on Immigrant Affairs, and the Integrated Water Resource Planning Community Task Force, which helps to oversee implementation of Austin Water's 100-year integrated water resource plan, known as the Water Forward Plan. If you are interested in volunteering for these commissions, please send your resume and a short memo with the following information to my office at district10@austintexas.gov: What is your assessment of the top three policy questions your commission will be dealing with over the next four years? A statement of the expertise and experience that you bring to these issues. A statement of what issues you anticipate emphasizing in your work supporting your commission.
Please share this opportunity with your friends and neighbors. | | | Apply to Be a City of Austin Employee Retirement System Trustee The City of Austin is seeking residents interested in serving as a trustee on the City of Austin Employee Retirement System (COAERS). This position, appointed by the Austin City Council, is a volunteer position with a four-year term which will expire on 12/31/2025. Pension system trustees are fiduciaries of the pension plan and fulfill the following responsibilities: oversight of investment decisions and asset allocation of the fund; with the assistance of professional staff including the executive director, investment officer and plan actuary, establish the actuarial assumptions and determine contribution requirements; hiring and evaluation of the executive director; approval of system consultants; approval of the budget; oversight of benefit payments; approval of disability retirement applications.
To qualify, applicants must have been city residents for the preceding five years and must not be City of Austin employees, former employees, or officers of an employer.
If interested, please submit a 500 word or less statement of interest and a current resume to: city.clerk@austintexas.gov. In the subject line please note: “City of Austin Employee Retirement System - Statement of Interest” no later than October 11, 2021. The City of Austin Employees Retirement System (COAERS) Board of Trustees provides guidance to the retirement system. | | | Apply to Serve on the Austin Police Retirement System Board of Trustees
The City of Austin is seeking residents interested in serving as a trustee on the Austin Police Retirement System (APRS). This position, appointed by the Austin City Council, is a volunteer position with a four-year term. Pension system trustees are fiduciaries of the pension plan and fulfill the following responsibilities: oversight of investment decisions and asset allocation of the fund; with the assistance of professional staff including the executive director, investment officer and plan actuary, establish the actuarial assumptions and determine contribution requirements; hiring and evaluation of the executive director; approval of system consultants; approval of the budget; oversight of benefit payments; approval of disability retirement applications.
To qualify, applicants must be registered to vote in City of Austin elections who is a resident and has been a resident for the preceding five years, must not be an employee of the City of Austin or a member of the system, and have demonstrated experience in the field of finance or investments.
If interested, please submit a 500 word or less statement of interest and a current resume to: city.clerk@austintexas.gov. In the subject line please note: “Austin Police Retirement System - Statement of Interest” no later than October 11, 2021. The Austin Police Retirement System (APRS) Board of Trustees provides guidance to the retirement system. | | |
Getting a flu vaccine every year is the best way to protect yourself and others from the flu, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone six months of age and older get vaccinated for the flu every year. Go to austintexas.gov/department/flu-austin-influenza to find places to get your flu shot. | | | Austin Public Health continues to offer free COVID vaccines! The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are currently authorized for those aged 18 and up. The Pfizer vaccine is currently authorized for those aged 12 and up. You can schedule a vaccine appointment with Austin Public Health over the phone or online, or you can go to a walk-up clinic without an appointment.
The Mobile Vaccine Program is available to homebound residents in Travis County. To get an appointment, call 3-1-1 or 512-974-2000. Caretakers and other family members can be vaccinated in the same visit.
Please note there is a difference between a "booster" and a "third dose"
Learn more about vaccines and how to get vaccinated at http://www.austintexas.gov/covid19-vaccines. | | | Zilker Park Vision Plan Virtual Community Meeting #3 You are invited to participate in the third Virtual Community Meeting for the Zilker Park Vision Plan, the first comprehensive planning effort in the park’s history. During the meeting, we will share design ideas related to the park, which aim to improve mobility and transportation, programming, environmental features, historical resources, and more. To help shape these ideas, we used feedback collected from previous input opportunities from over 6,000 community members. Please join us for this interactive meeting to learn about these various design concepts and share your thoughts.
Community Meeting #3: Design Alternatives
Tuesday, October 19, 2021, 6 p.m.
Zoom Registration
Also available on Facebook. ASL and Spanish interpretation will be provided.
| | | Toxins Detected in Barton Creek at Sculpture Falls
As of September 27, the City of Austin has detected concerning levels of a toxin called cylindrospermopsin in Barton Creek at Sculpture Falls, near MoPac and Loop 360. The samples were taken on September 9 after a report of a human illness and results were received on Sept 22. This toxin is produced by certain types of cyanobacteria or blue-green algae. The levels detected were above EPA guidance values for recreational use. People and pets should not ingest or swim in the water. The City of Austin has posted signs at access points to the Barton Creek Greenbelt near Sculpture Falls.
On Lady Bird Lake, the city found three different toxins in algae samples taken on September 13 from Cold Spring, between MoPac and Red Bud Isle, Auditorium Shores, South First Street bridge and the Festival boat ramp. Some sites had only dihydroanatoxin and some had both cylindrospermopsis and homoanatoxin-a. They found all three toxins in samples from Red Bud Isle. In general, we are seeing more mats of algae on the lake. They are often mixed in with other vegetation, especially an aquatic plant called Cabomba. On Red Bud, the algae is also growing on rocks. Boaters may want to be extra cautious on Lady Bird Lake and avoid contact with floating vegetation. Learn more here. | | | Free Austin Public Library Cards for Students Attending Travis County Schools
Any student enrolled in school in Travis County can now receive a free library card from Austin Public Library, even if they reside outside the city of Austin!
Austin Public Library Cards are free for all city residents, and any person who is not an Austin resident is able to receive a Non-Resident Library Card for a $30 quarterly or $120 annual fee. That fee will now be waived for any student who either lives in or is enrolled in a school in Travis County, including private school, daycare, charter, and home school students, until the completion of high school. The change to the Library’s fee schedule is the result of an updated budget for the Library approved by the Austin City Council in August.
A Non-Resident Austin Public Library Card functions the same as a Resident Library Card, and allows a cardholder to check out books, music, DVDs and more from 21 library locations in Austin. An Austin Library Card user can also remotely access online databases and download eBooks, audiobooks, and videos to your computer or tablet through the Virtual Library.
Library staff have begun working with multiple Travis County school districts and private schools to provide students library cards directly. Students can also apply for a library card with an adult parent/guardian cosigner at any Austin Public Library location that is currently open for limited capacity in-person Express Services, or online through the Austin Public Library Card Online Application. | | | Project Connect Virtual Community Design Workshop The Project Connect team invites you to join our series of upcoming virtual Community Design Workshops. These workshops will give you the opportunity to discuss preliminary station concepts with the Project Connect design team. The next Community Design Workshop will focus on the Blue Line’s Lady Bird Lake Bridge and is scheduled on Oct. 12, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. If you’d like to attend, register here!
Another workshop will take place the following week Oct. 19, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. to discuss the design of the North Lamar Transit Center station on the Orange Line. If you’d like to attend, register here! Additional Community Design Workshops will be scheduled over the next few months. Zoom meeting links for these Community Design Workshops will be added to the Get Involved page soon. Live Spanish translation will be available. For other language accommodations, please call 512-904-0180. Requests must be made at least three working days prior to the scheduled virtual meeting date. | | | Austin Veteran Arts Festival The City of Austin will host several events at the Austin Veteran Arts Festival (AVAFest) this fall. Departments are involved with exhibits, presentations, and virtual experiences that aim to reduce Veteran suicide by unifying Veterans with their communities through the arts. Austin Parks and Recreation will be hosting the following events over the next few months:
Asian American Resource Center- “Filipino-American Navy” featuring Photographer, Sherwin Rivera Tibayan. On Display Oct. 11- Dec. 24 | Virtual Artist Talk 10/5 @ 6PM. Exhibit Information: bit.ly/39viDpJ. Zoom Link: bit.ly/3CDjbq2 Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center – Community Altars for Day of the Dead Honoring Latino Veterans. On Display Oct. 15- Nov. 27. View Exhibit: adobe.ly/3kBNB68 The Old Bakery & Emporium– “Art Heals Wounds”: An Exhibit featuring a performance by muralist, Raul Valdez. On Display Oct. 16- Nov. 13 | Performance 10/16 from 3PM-5PM. Exhibit Information: bit.ly/3CGfPmo “To Serve”: A Virtual Exhibit Honoring Veterans in Austin Municipal Cemeteries (feat. through Oakwood Cemetery Chapel). Exhibit Information: bit.ly/3i1z1D8 “Navigating Memory”: A Virtual Exhibit Featuring Chip Belton (feat. through George Washington Carver Museum). On Display Oct. 8- Nov. 20. Exhibit Information: bit.ly/39vKmGG “To Be Seen”: A Virtual Exhibit Celebrating Veterans or Active Service Members (feat. through Dougherty Arts Center). On Display Oct. 15- Nov. 27. Exhibit Information: bit.ly/3o8Yle2
The Austin Public Library is collaborating with the Veterans Suicide Prevention channel to give veteran authors the opportunity to introduce themselves, promote information about their books and where they can be purchased. To register to be a part of the AVAFest Veterans Book Fair - the date of which is still to be determined - authors should contact Sharon.herfurth@austintexas.gov by October 15.
For more information about the festival and events go to AVAFest.org. | | | ICRC Austin City Council Preliminary District Map Approved
Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (ICRC) commissioners have adopted a preliminary map of new Austin City Council district boundaries that will be shown to the public in the next round of public forums.
Beginning in July, the commissioners and their mapping specialist have spent eight hours in 12 public forums starting on July 15 through Aug. 27, 2021 discussing the mapping process and listening to public testimony. The ICRC hosted 105 attendees, listened to 48 speakers, collected 50 maps, over 100 emails and listened to two voice messages from the public.
After hearing public testimony and deliberating proposed changes to the draft map, 12 commissioners voted to approve the preliminary map on Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021 at the Permitting and Development Center (PDC), 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Dr., Austin, TX 78752.
After hearing from residents and reviewing public testimony from the five forums, the next step for commissioners and the mapping specialist will be to discuss potential revisions, incorporate those revisions and vote on a proposed final map in October. The ICRC will present a draft of the final map at three additional public forums to receive input from the public. The commissioners will redraw the final map with public testimony during the last week of October, have another vote on the map and present it to the Austin city council by November 1. Find information on public forums here. Submit feedback To submit feedback directly to the commission about redistricting please email: icrc.commissioners@austintexas.gov or write to: Housing and Planning Department, Attn: ICRC, P.O. Box 1088, Austin, Texas 78767.
Due to rapid changes in scheduling due to COVID restrictions, for the most up-to-date events information from the ICRC please refer to the following events page: https://www.speakupaustin.org/city-of-austin-redistricting.
Past meetings, agendas and map presentations can be viewed on the commission's website at www.austintexas.gov/cityclerk/boards_commissions/meetings/116_1.htm.
Interpretation and/or translation services will be available free of charge by advance request in Spanish, Chinese or Vietnamese. Call 311 or email matthew.dugan@austintexas.gov to request these services 48 hours in advance of a forum.
To find City Council Districts in Austin visit this link and type in an address: https://www.austintexas.gov/GIS/CouncilDistrictMap. | | | Lights Out Texas! Dark Skies for the Birds Let’s flip the switch for birds! Nearly two billion birds migrate across Central Texas skies each spring and fall, and many of them fly at night. Fall migration is already underway and we want to make birds’ journey as safe as possible. Artificial lighting can cause birds to collide with buildings, and these avoidable collisions kill up to one billion migratory birds annually in the United States.
The good news is that everyone can help. Let’s turn off all nonessential indoor and outdoor lighting from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. through November 30, but especially during peak migration from September 5 - October 29. Please shut off porch and garage lights, close your curtains and shades, and ask your office building management to shut off their lights at night, too. You’ll be protecting birds while also saving money on energy.
Learn more at https://travisaudubon.org/lights-out-texas. |
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