FY23 Proposed Budget Released, Town Hall on August 4th

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Subject: FY23 Proposed Budget Released, Town Hall on August 4th

Dear Neighbors,

The creation and passage of the annual City budget is one of my greatest responsibilities. The budget governs Austin’s priorities and programming for the upcoming fiscal year, and I encourage you to be involved in the process.

In this newsletter, I highlight several opportunities for you to learn more about the Fiscal Year 23 budget and get involved as the process continues through the week of August 17th. I look forward to your feedback and I hope to see you on August 4th for my budget town hall.

FY 22-23 Budget Process

Today, the City Manager released his budget proposal, and my staff and I will begin reviewing the proposal in detail. You may find the City Manager’s remarks, budget highlights, and more top level documents on this page. The full length document is available here. As next steps, my colleagues and I will deliberate on the proposed budget at upcoming public hearings, work sessions, and Council meetings. The budget adoption timeline is as follows:

July 15- City Manager's Proposed Budget Presentation to Council
July 27- First Community Budget Input Meeting
August 2- Second Community Budget Input Meeting
August 9- Council Budget Work Session
August 11- Council Budget Work Session
August 17- Budget and Tax Rate Adoption by Council

You can sign up to speak at the public input sessions here. Throughout the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) budget process, you can view presentations, materials, and opportunities to engage at speakupaustin.org/budget-2023.

To view Council-submitted FY23 budget questions, visit https://www.austintexas.gov/budget/cbq/index.cfm.

Budget Town Hall

I invite you to join me for an in-person budget town hall on Thursday, August 4th at 6:30 pm at the Jewish Community Center (7300 Hart Ln. 78731). The agenda will include a presentation from City budget staff, a discussion of my budget priorities, and time for questions. You do not need to RSVP in order to attend. We are expecting a large group, so please try to respect the masking and personal space preferences of others.

If you are not able to join us in person, I invite you to tune into the town hall live stream on my Facebook page. To join, you simply need to visit my Facebook page at 6:30 on the 4th.

If you are not able to attend or view the town hall live stream and/or have budget questions, email the City budget staff at budgetqa@austintexas.gov. For questions and feedback, I encourage you to reach out to my office at District10@austintexas.gov.

In the remainder of this newsletter, you will find an update on summer pool openings, safety tips for the hot weather, and more.

Regards,

Alison Alter

Mayor Pro Tem

Council Member, District 10

Table of Contents

City News and Services

Extreme Heat Resources and Energy Conservation
Support Registry for the Medically Vulnerable
Curbside Pickup Schedule Update
Drought Stage 1 Continues

Announcements and Service Opportunities

Summer Pool Openings Update
Austin Transit Partnership Board Opening
Volunteer Host Family Opportunities for 2022-23 School Year
Solar Rebates Available
Summer Events at Waterloo Park

Safety Tips and Updates

Save a Life–Safely Store and Lock Firearms
Wildfire Safety Tips

Extreme Heat Resources and Energy Conservation

As Texas continues to experience a wave of extreme heat, you can find heat safety tips, as well as the locations and hours of City cooling centers at this link. Please be especially cautious if you are responsible for pets, young children, or elderly/medically vulnerable relatives.

Unfortunately, ERCOT is once again asking all Texans to voluntarily conserve power, as increased air conditioning usage is taxing the state power grid. If possible, ERCOT recommends turning up your thermostat a degree or two and postponing running major appliances or pool pumps during afternoon peak hours. Find updates on grid conditions here.

Support Registry for the Medically Vulnerable

City of Austin Utilities is maintaining a registry and case management for Austin’s medically vulnerable. During potential power outages, these services will be especially beneficial for those on medical machines. To join the registry, call 512-494-9400. Please have ready the name and number of the customer’s physician, and the type of medical equipment in the household. Learn more about eligibility here.

Curbside Pickup Schedule Update

Austin Resource Recovery (ARR) is asking us to put our carts out by 5:30 am on collection days, so that workers can avoid pickup during the hottest time of day. ARR is also implementing more mandatory breaks for drivers. Please show our drivers patience during this hot weather! As a reminder, you can sign up for curbside reminders and updates via the Austin Recycles app (free on iOS and Android).

Drought Stage 1 Continues

Austin Water reports that the water supply in our Highland Lakes remains below 1.4 million acre-feet, and Drought Stage 1 Regulations are still in effect. These regulations place limits on watering and irrigation times. See restrictions and updates here.

Summer Pool Openings Update

I’m pleased to share that Ramsey Pool is now open, with another round of summer lifeguard training underway to open additional pools. For a complete list of open pools and splash pads, along with hours, visit this page. If you know someone who is interested in serving the City as a summer lifeguard, encourage them to visit lifeguardaustin.com.

Austin Transit Partnership Board Opening

The Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) Board of Directors is seeking a new board member. ATP is a local government corporation tasked with guiding and implementing Project Connect, in partnership with CapMetro and the City of Austin. This position will provide expertise in planning and/or sustainability, topics that are key to the implementation and further development of the Project Connect high-capacity transit program.

Applications are due by 5 p.m. on August 12, 2022. For more information on the application process and requirements visit atptx.org/board-vacancy. To learn more about the ATP Board of Directors, visit atptx.org/atp-leadership.

Volunteer Host Family Opportunities for 2022-23 School Year

The nonprofit Education, Travel & Culture is seeking volunteer host families for exchange students during the 2022-23 school year! Do you think your family or a family you know might be a good fit? Check out the student profiles at www.edutrav.org, and contact jkrauss@edutrav.org for more info.

Solar Rebates Available

Did you know that Austin Energy offers rebates for using solar power? You can earn a $2,500 rebate by completing a solar education course and installing a qualifying solar photovoltaic (PV) system. You will also earn a Value of Solar credit on your monthly bill for every kilowatt-hour of electricity your solar PV system generates. Learn more about your rebate options here.

Summer Events at Waterloo Park

Waterloo Greenway has announced a series of free summer events at Waterloo Park in downtown Austin. These programs include guided park tours with experts on local history and ecology, STEM activities for kids, and outdoor film screenings. Learn more and check out the event schedule at waterloogreenway.org/summer-programs-2022/.

Save a Life–Safely Store and Lock Firearms

In 2020, I was proud to help create the Office of Violence Prevention (OVP). This year, the OVP is partnering with Lock Arms for Life to spread awareness about safe gun storage. With firearm ownership comes responsibility. Keeping guns locked and out of the hands of children does more than prevent accidental injury – it can stop a suicide attempt before it starts. To learn more, or to request a free gun lock, visit lockarmsforlife.org.

Wildfire Safety Tips

Summer is the peak of wildfire season, and the high temperatures and dry weather we are seeing this year mimic the conditions of the 2011 Bastrop fires. Follow these tips to keep your family prepared:

Visit ReadyCentralTexas.org to sign up for emergency alerts

Bookmark this page to track wildfire risk and modify your behavior based on the daily wildfire danger rating

Call 311 or email firewildfire@austintexas.org to request a home assessment by a Wildfire Division member

Check out the Austin-Travis County Wildfire Coalition’s Ready, Set, Go! guide for emergency preparedness and evacuation tips

CONTACT US!

District10@austintexas.gov

(512) 978-2110

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