Dear Neighbors,
Did you know Austin’s wildfire risk is one of the highest in the nation? Wildfire experts warn that for Austin, it is not a matter of if but when. Mitigating our wildfire risk, raising awareness, and improving our preparedness is one of my top priorities as your council member. I invite you to join me on Wednesday, August 25th, for a virtual Wildfire Preparedness Town Hall that I am co-hosting with Commissioners Brigid Shea and Ann Howard and Council Member Mackenzie Kelly. The Wildfire Town Hall will include a panel of experts who will provide valuable information to help you better understand wildfire risks in your area and what steps you and your neighbors can take to protect yourselves.
Please join us at 6:30 p.m. on August 25th using this link.
I believe that coordination and cooperation across jurisdictions is critical to our efforts to protect our community from wildfire. Earlier this summer, I was proud to host a dinner with retired CalFire wildfire experts, where they were invited to share their experiences with major national wildfire events (e.g. Paradise, Camp Fire) and how to apply their lessons learned here in Austin. Joining us were elected officials from Austin and Travis County’s highest wildfire risk areas along with representatives from the Austin Fire Department, Austin Firefighters Association, and county and city emergency management leadership.
The retired CalFire experts were in Austin training 24 firefighters in the “Responding to the Interface” wildfire training created by the International Association of Firefighters and convened by the Austin Firefighters Association and the Austin Fire Department. I had the opportunity to observe a wildfire operational training event in the Jester neighborhood in District 10, wherein firefighters participated in a drill of how to respond to a wildfire in the Wildland-Urban Interface. Thank you to the Jester neighbors and Austin’s Firewise Alliance for helping facilitate this exercise! Read more about this training and Austin’s wildfire risk in this Austin American-Statesman article. | | As you may recall from my last newsletter, I successfully advocated and secured funding for several wildfire preparedness and risk mitigation efforts in the city budget: $22.8 million to support vegetation management near power lines to lower wildfire risk and improve electric reliability in District 10 and around the city Community-wide emergency preparedness planning and a cross-departmental analysis of potential wildfire evacuation routes Wildfire operational readiness training for all AFD personnel The construction and design of the Loop 360/Davenport Fire and EMS station, which will improve response times and contribute to our wildfire mitigation efforts
Preparing for and responding to wildfires must be a community-wide effort. Please join us for the town hall on August 25th if you are able, and share this event and information with your friends and neighbors. You also can find more information at wildfirecoalition.org and wildfire-austin.hub.arcgis.com. In the balance of this newsletter, you will find important opportunities to hear from the three finalists for Austin’s Chief of Police, a call for volunteers from Meals on Wheels, and more.
Regards,
Alison Alter Council Member, District 10 | | | Meet the Finalists for Austin’s Chief of Police COVID-19 Update Call the Code Connect Line Meals on Wheels Needs New Volunteers! Permitless Carry Signage for Businesses from Moms Demand Action Lights Out Texas! Dark Skies for the Birds Become a Shade Tree Mechanic Keep Your Pets Safe This Summer Project Connect Virtual Open House Available Through August 27th Provide Input on the I-35 Improvement Project
| | | Meet the Finalists for Austin’s Chief of Police
Meet the finalists for Austin's next police chief! Today and Thursday (August 18 and 19), residents can tune in live on www.ATXN.TV, Cable TV Ch. 6, U-Verse Ch. 99, or KAZI FM 88.7. The Palmer Events Center will have in-person availability capped at 100 people. The in-person seating will be first-come, first-served, so we encourage residents to tune in virtually.
Find more information at https://www.speakupaustin.org/yournextpolicechief. | | |
Yesterday the Austin City Council and the Travis County Commissioners Court were briefed on the current COVID-19 situation in Travis County. I invite you to watch the briefing here. We remain at Stage 5 COVID Risk Guidelines.
Please get fully vaccinated to help protect our community from this surge. Vaccines are our greatest tool in the race to defeat this pandemic. Getting vaccinated protects you, and, critically, it protects the more vulnerable members of our community, such as children under the age of 12 and individuals who cannot get vaccinated for medical reasons. Vaccines and testing are offered for free at locations across the city.
As a reminder, Austin/Travis County recently issued mask mandates for schools and other public buildings. Our Stage 5 guidelines also recommend that all individuals wear masks when around others who are not a part of their household. | | | Need the Code Department? Call the Code Connect Line The Code Connect line is a program that allows residents to contact the Austin Code Department and talk to an experienced code inspector who can help them with general code questions, provide resource guidance, and give updates on their existing cases. For help with code issues, call (512) 974-CODE (2633). | | | Meals on Wheels Needs New Volunteers! Meals on Wheels Central Texas needs your help! They currently have over 50 open volunteer meal delivery routes in North Austin that we need to fill. You can help fight senior hunger and isolation by committing just an hour of your time per week. Volunteer to deliver meals, safety checks and friendship to homebound seniors in our community by filling out their online volunteer form here. To learn more, visit: bit.ly/MOWCTX-Volunteer. | | | Permitless Carry Signage for Businesses from Moms Demand Action
In June, Governor Abbott signed into law House Bill 1927. The new law, which goes into effect on September 1st, will allow residents to carry a handgun legally without a license, unless they are prohibited by state or federal law from possessing any firearm. With the elimination of the license to carry requirement, eligible Texans are no longer required to submit fingerprints, complete a training course, or pass written and shooting proficiency tests in order to carry a firearm.
Included below is information to help businesses and their customers stay informed on how the new legislation may affect them. While gun owners are no longer required to obtain a permit to carry a handgun in public, owners of private businesses or private property can still prohibit guns from being carried on their private property if they choose.
The new law will require property owners to post a 30.05 sign in a clearly visible spot at all entrances in order to prohibit people from carrying firearms without a permit on posted property.
For businesses that wish to prohibit a person with a License to Carry from carrying firearms, you will still be required to post the 30.06 (prohibiting concealed carry) and 30.07 (prohibiting open carry) signs in the same manner described above. Please note Texas law requires the lettering on all 30.05, 30.06 and 30.07 signs to be at least one inch tall.
Thank you to the Texas Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America for providing the signage links and to the Austin area Moms Demand Action Groups for helping to keep us informed on all things gun safety related. If you would like more information regarding signage requirements, please contact us district10@austintexas.gov. | | | 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. | | | Become a Shade Tree Mechanic
The Pollution Hotline gets more than a thousand pollution complaints per year - nearly 20% of which are automotive related. The Shade Tree Mechanic program is designed to reduce pollution commonly caused by home car repair by helping home mechanics enjoy their hobby and save money while also complying with city regulations aimed at preserving our creeks and waterways. Participants will receive a free oil change bucket specially designed to capture waste oil and secure for transport to any used oil drop off location.
Become a Shade Tree Mechanic by requesting an onsite evaluation of their current practices by contacting Patrick Kelly, Environmental Compliance Specialist Sr. with the Pollution Prevention Reduction Team via email or at 512-974-2230. | | Keep Your Pets Safe This Summer
Summer can be a challenging time for dogs in Texas. Keep your pup safe from heat stroke, hot asphalt, and harmful algae with the tips below from Austin Veterinary Emergency and Specialty! Read this article from Austin Pets Alive! for more information about protecting your dog from the heat. | | | | Project Connect Virtual Open House Available Through August 27th
Join Project Connect for an on-demand virtual open house for the latest about the Orange and Blue Line projects, two light rail lines that will serve North, South, and East Austin, with connections to the airport. Provide feedback on each of these projects through August 27th. | | | Provide Input on the I-35 Improvement Project
Provide your feedback on the I-35 Capital Express Central project! A virtual open house will be hosted through Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021 and comments must be submitted by that date to be included in the official record. The project is located in the central region of the Austin metropolitan area for a distance of approximately 8 miles along I-35 between US 290 East and SH 71/Ben White Boulevard, with additional flyovers at I-35 and US 290 East. The proposed improvements include the removal of the existing I-35 decks, lowering the roadway, and adding two non-tolled high-occupancy vehicle managed lanes in each direction along I-35 from US 290 East to SH 71/Ben White Boulevard, with additional flyovers at I-35 and US 290 East. The project will also reconstruct east-west cross-street bridges, add pedestrian and bicycle paths, and make additional safety and mobility improvements within the project limits. View the fact sheet here. |
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