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Back-Up for CM Pool's Budget Items

Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 1:02 pm
by Michael Gaudini
Council Member Pool would like to provide back-up materials on the budget items she is carrying.

For a one-page summary of the information below: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 123541.pdf
For supporting documents and recommendations: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 123642.pdf

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IMPROVING HEALTH & EQUITY FOR AUSTIN CHILDREN

Item H-23: Access to Healthy Food in Public Schools.
• Invests a total of $100,000 in five grants to local schools to help them develop and implement strategies for increasing access to healthy food, including innovative delivery methods.
• Recommended by the Food Policy Board.

Item H-21: Access to Playgrounds for Children with Disabilities.
• Invests $1 million in improving Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance at 10 city playgrounds. The budget for this item can be scaled at a cost of $100,000 per playground.
• Implements part of PARD’s ADA Transition Plan.

For more information on these two items: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 123757.pdf

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EDUCATING RESIDENTS ON AUSTIN’S NATURAL ASSETS

Item C-27: Educating Residents on Tree Preservation & Conservation.
• Invests in a “Tree Education” position with the City Arborist that would engage residents at schools, community events, and elsewhere on the value of trees and the importance of conservation.
• This proposal would fund one FTE from existing and available resources within the Urban Forest Replenishment Fund.

Item H-22: Connecting Children with Nature in the Eastern Crescent.
• Invests $17,500 in building a marketing & media toolkit, including Spanish-language materials, to raise public awareness in Austin’s “Eastern Crescent” of the benefits of connecting to nature.
• Implements part of PARD’s “Cities Connecting Children to Nature Implementation Plan.”

For more information on these two items: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 123858.pdf

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ADDRESSING AFFORDABILITY AND DISPLACEMENT

Item E-18: Developing Policy Tools to Fight Gentrification and Displacement
• Invests $69,000 in an interlocal agreement with the University of Texas (UT) to study patterns of gentrification and displacement in Austin, map the city according to each area’s vulnerability, and recommend policy solutions.
• Implements Council Resolution #20170817-055.

Item C-29: Providing Affordable Creative Space for Local Artists
• Invests $240,000 in the expanded hours, equipment, and technical expertise needed to utilize four city-owned cultural centers as affordable creative space, including for arts events, performances, rehearsals, and productions, and workshops.
• Implements part of the Music and Creative Ecosystem Stabilization Report and part of the Parks and Recreation Department’s Strategic Plan.
• This item proposes to fund these investments through existing resources in the Cultural Arts Fund.

For more information on these two items: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 124010.pdf

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IMPROVING CITY OPERATIONS

Item S-13: Community-Led Graffiti Abatement Efforts.
• Invests $35,000 in nearly 900 abatement kits that communities can use to respond rapidly to graffiti and in marketing materials the city can use to raise public awareness about graffiti regulations and abatement resources.
• Recommended in the staff response to Council Resolution #20160804-056 and in the draft City of Austin Anti-Graffiti Blueprint for Graffiti Success.

Item G-15: Updating EMS Software to Improve Patient Outcomes.
• Invests in the first of six $400,000 payments to replace EMS’ outdated system for tracking patients’ medical records.
• Item S-105 (by CM Kitchen) identifies $175,000 in budget reductions that could be used to help fund the first year of this software update. Additionally, future payments could be partially offset by phasing out the old system, which currently costs roughly $115,000 per year in maintenance.
• Recommended by the Public Safety Commission and the IT Governance Board.

For more information on these two items: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 124046.pdf