Dear Neighbors,
The City Manager has released his Fiscal Year 24 Budget, and my staff and I will begin reviewing the proposal in detail. The annual budget establishes city priorities and invests in programming for the upcoming year. As a council member, its creation and passage is one of my most important responsibilities. In this letter, I will share several ways for you to get involved in the budget process. I look forward to hearing your feedback, and I hope to see you at my summer office hours, my budget town hall, or at City Hall!
FY23-24 Budget Process
Starting next week, my colleagues and I will deliberate on the proposed budget at upcoming public hearings, work sessions, and council meetings. You can read the full length document here. The budget adoption timeline is as follows:
Wednesday, July 19- City Manager’s Presentation of Budget Proposal to Council Wednesday, July 26- a Council Budget Work Session related to the City’s General Fund. The meeting will begin with public comment at 10:00 a.m. Public comment is not limited to the General Fund, but can be about any aspect of the budget. Tuesday, August 1- Council Budget Work Session related to the Enterprise Fund. We will conduct a public hearing regarding the maximum tax rate and a public comment period regarding any element of the budget at 3:00 p.m. We will also set the maximum tax rate at this meeting. Thursday, August 3- Held for Potential Council Budget Work Session Tuesday, August 8- Held for Potential Council Budget Work Session Thursday, August 10- Council Budget Work Session Wednesday, August 17- Budget and Tax Rate Adoption by Council
You can sign up to speak at the public comment sessions on July 26 and August 1 here. Livestream and videos of work sessions and meetings can be found here.
To view Council-submitted FY24 budget questions, visit City of Austin – Council Budget Questions | AustinTexas.gov.
| | | | Budget Town Hall & Resource Fair
Save the date! I’m hosting a Budget Town Hall at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 27 in Huffman Hall at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church (8134 Mesa Dr.). The agenda will include a presentation from city budget staff, a discussion of my budget priorities, and time for questions. I’ve also invited several city departments and partners to provide resources at the town hall and answer specific questions you may have about city services, including:
Austin Water Austin Energy Austin Fire Department's Wildfire Division Austin Homeland Security and Emergency Management Austin Resource Recovery Austin Transportation and Public Works Cap Metro Austin Transit Partnership Workforce Solutions Capital Area
The town hall will also include a virtual attendance option. You can tune in at this link, or by calling 1-408-418-9388 or 1-844-992-4726 (the U.S. toll free number). You will be asked to provide the following information:
Webinar Number: 2484 350 1009 Webinar Password: 3108
If you are not able to attend the town hall virtually or in person, I will share a recording on my Facebook page. If you have specific budget questions, you can email the city budget staff at budgetqa@austintexas.gov.
| | | | I also will be holding July office hours from 12:30-1:30 on Tuesday, July 25 at 5280 Burger Bar (7032 Wood Hollow Dr.). I’ll be in the meeting room behind the sliding glass doors to the right of the host stand.
In the remainder of this letter, you will find updates on mobility improvements in District 10, a new tool for wildfire preparedness, and more. I hope to see you in person later this month, and I wish you a wonderful rest of the summer.
Regards, | | Alison Alter Council Member, District 10 | | My Position on Proposed Amendments to Single-Family Zoning Featured District 10 Greenspace: Visit Ramsey Park!
Council Member Alter in the Community
City Services Updates Safe Routes to School Projects in District 10 Congrats to Austin-Travis County EMS Cadet Class 0423! Summer Resources from Austin Code Department
Service and Public Input Opportunities
Safety Tips Safety Tips for Record Heat Wave Austin Energy Shares Power Outage Preparedness Tips New Tool to Assess Your Property’s Fire Risk
| | My Position on Proposed Amendments to Single-Family Zoning Many District 10 constituents and Austinites across the city have written to me about Item 126, a resolution to initiate amendments to minimum lot size requirements and maximum number of dwelling units for properties that are zoned “Single-Family.”
This item contains many provisions which I cannot support. The item is scheduled to be voted on during the July 20th Council meeting. Initiating changes of this magnitude without having had sufficient time to hear from constituents regarding their questions also makes me uncomfortable.
Former Austin City Council Member Daryl Slusher has written an article about the proposal. As a long-standing community leader and environmental steward, his local journalism continues to be a tremendous resource to us all. | | | | Featured District 10 Greenspace: Visit Ramsey Park! I had a great time celebrating the Fourth of July at Ramsey Park! I got my start in Austin politics as the chair of the Ramsey Park Renovation Committee, and it’s still one of my favorite parks in Austin.
Located in my home neighborhood of Rosedale, this five acre park features a pool, tennis, basketball, and baseball courts, two playgrounds, an amphitheater, and picnic/barbecue areas. | | | | | Serving as Grand Marshall of the NWACA Fourth of July Parade It was an honor to serve as the Grand Marshall for the Northwest Austin Civic Association (NWACA)’s annual Fourth of July parade! Thank you to the many volunteers that make this beautiful community tradition possible. | | | | | | Safe Routes to School Projects in District 10 You may have noticed City crews already hard at work on previously identified Safe Routes to School improvements to help students walk and bike to school in preparation for the upcoming school year.
Construction begins July 17 for the new shared use path on North Hills Drive from East Hill Drive to Mesa Drive. This project will include pedestrian islands, curb extensions, and new bus stops. The Sidewalk Program will be doing repair work for the rest of North Hills Drive to Balcones Drive.
| | | Congrats to Austin-Travis County EMS Cadet Class 0423! Congratulations to Austin-Travis County’s newest EMS medics, Cadet Class 0423! Thank you for choosing careers in public service.
Find info on applying to be a medic yourself here. | | | Summer Resources from Austin Code Department Austin Code is sharing summer resources for renters and homeowners to help with lawn care, home maintenance, fire prevention, heat and water safety, and more. Find code compliance tips and tools at austintexas.gov/department/summer-ready-austin-code. | | | | | | | Organize a Fall It’s My Park Day Event! Mark your calendar! The next It’s My Park Day–Austin’s semi-annual day of parks volunteering–is on Saturday, November 4. If you’re interested in organizing a volunteer project at your neighborhood park, Austin Parks Foundation will post instructions at austinparks.org/impd. | | | | | | | Safety Tips for Record Heat Wave Austin is experiencing a record heat wave this summer. City libraries and rec centers will serve as daytime cooling centers throughout the summer, and some are offering extended hours. Find locations and info at austintexas.gov/alerts. Cap Metro is offering free rides to anyone traveling to a cooling center.
Austin Energy has crews on standby 24 hours a day to respond to outages. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), has issued a voluntary conservation notice requesting all Texans to reduce electricity use from 4-8 p.m., if safe to do so.
Visit ReadyCentralTexas.org for heat safety tips, and sign up for emergency alerts from Warn Central Texas. Being prepared and knowing how to respond to heat-related illnesses can save lives.
Note: the City of Austin is currently under Stage 1 watering restrictions. Drought response updates will be posted here.
| | | Austin Energy Shares Power Outage Preparedness Tips As Austin Energy continues to prepare for future severe weather events, they are sharing the following preparedness tips: Learn how Austin Energy teams prepare for and repair outages. Know how Austin Energy communicates during an outage. And, get info about tree trimming. | | | |
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