City of Austin Council Message Board

Mayor, thanks for the updated draft. I especially appreciate the additional Whereas around the Bond Election Advisory Task Force. Creating that community task force is a key element of this effort. I would very much like to lead on bringing the resolution creating the BEATF that our legal staff is r...

CM Qadri, your item 88 to explore possibilities and potentials of a public bank is intriguing and I support investigating the concept.
I would like to be added as a co-sponsor. Thanks for bringing this item.

Leslie

Mayor, please add me as a co-sponsor as well. Thanks for bringing this IFC.

Leslie

Thanks, Mayor. I agree with the concerns you, Austin Outside, and many others I’ve talked with are expressing around the wisdom of galloping forward to place a large dollar proposition on the November 2024 ballot without having engaged in the necessary and careful assessment our fiduciary duties req...

Colleagues, I appreciate our discussion today about the LDC changes, and the thorough information from our Planning, Housing, and Economic Development staff. Here are motion sheets for the amendments that I brought up today. ETOD Overlay code amendment, Item 5 Pool Motion #1 – Residential affordabil...

Colleagues, it was important to me to have a thoughtful, inclusive process with plenty of opportunity for City staff and public input, and I’m grateful to the two final candidates - TC Broadnax and Sara Hensley - for their professionalism and clear passion to serve Austinites. Both interviewed and p...

I’m in for $500, too!

Thanks 👍🏻

Leslie

Colleagues, I’ve asked staff to pull this item for discussion at work session. I'd like to share some thoughts here on this resolution that proposes to develop an environmental investment plan to add to our efforts to counter the effects of climate change. Implementing the Austin Climate Equity Plan...

We look forward to working closely with you on the committee, Mayor - welcome!

Leslie

Colleagues, for Thursday’s meeting, I’m posting an amendment related to the effective date of the HOME ordinance and giving the City departments enough time to develop their processes to support the program. The Planning Commission recommended a 60-day period to allow for that process development, a...

My heart aches for the family of our fallen officer this morning, and I send my prayers for the wounded officer’s swift recovery. APD officers and leaders, first responders and their families, and those affected by the violence have my strong support as we respond collectively to this tragedy. Thank...

Natasha, I wish you all the best as you take the time needed to heal. Please know that my staff and I are here to support you and your team. I have seen you get through extremely challenging times in the past.

Take good care.

Leslie

Mayor, thanks for highlighting item 55. I share your stated interest in increasing public notice on amendments the Council is proposing to the Land Development Code. It just makes sense. The intent of item 55 is to increase notification and public hearing opportunities. Yesterday, I restated my supp...

Colleagues, The Service Extension Request item on the August 31 agenda is my resolution to restore technical decisions to expert staff on water and wastewater SERs and establish cost-sharing for projects outside of the City’s jurisdiction and within the Drinking Water Protection Zone. After discussi...

Colleagues, on this week’s agenda, I’m pleased to introduce Item 126, an initiative I am calling HOME (Home Options for Middle-income Empowerment). HOME is intended to benefit middle-income households by encouraging smaller single-family homes and to provide options for existing homeowners in the fo...

Thank you, CM Kelly, for detailing your experience of the critical conditions at Austin Animal Shelter. I share your concern, particularly with the rising temperatures. As I understand it from conversations with our staff, emergency measures are underway to alleviate the overcrowding and we will be ...

thanks to everyone! We have 10 signatories now to this important international declaration! My staff is teeing up a press release to issue next week once the document is officially presented in Denver at the Cities Summit. I sure do appreciate all y'all, and grateful to be able to carry our message ...

got it! and thanks so much, MPT Ellis and CM A Alter! Everyone, please do let me or Atha know if you'd like your names/titles added to the official declaration of concern and intent around resilience and sustainability. The Cities Summit of the Americas is the first-ever convening of parties from th...

Colleagues, I want to thank Council Member Kelly for her support of both the items I’m bringing this week, and I appreciate her posting her proposed amendments here. Regretfully, I will not be able to support them. I have outlined some of the issues they present below: Item 24: Amendment 1 - this re...

Colleagues, I want to thank Housing & Planning Director Rosie Truelove and her staff for providing the summary memo of the eTOD Policy Plan earlier today, and for joining Project Connect Mobility Officer Annick Beaudet at the work session to answer our questions about the plan. The memo points o...

Colleagues, Tomorrow will be our first official Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee meeting of the year. We have a couple of items to dispense with at the top of the 9 a.m. hour, then we will hear from any speakers. Austin Energy will then lead a 45-minute briefing on Winter Storm Mara. The me...

CM Kelly, I appreciate your intention with this IFC, but I cannot support your item and its approach at this time. As the mayor and I have communicated, we have agenda items for all affected departments to provide us with status and progress reports and to answer questions from the dais. We will hav...

Colleagues, I appreciate and concur with the offers Mayor Watson, MPT Ellis, and CM Ryan Alter have made to work through the last few issues relating to committees: > CM R Alter to be vice chair of Planning & Housing, and > CM Qadri to be appointed to Visit Austin. After reviewing the mayor's an...

morning, Mayor! Thanks for posting the committee lists and gathering our inputs. Couple details for our new colleagues as you're deciding what committees you'd like to be on: > Committees should have at least four members, with no upper number limit. > The Austin Energy Oversight Committee is a comm...

CM Kitchen, thanks for drafting this resolution to expand the ATP board. Adding two new members to that board has been a focus of discussion for a while now, particularly among those most closely focused on Project Connect. I support adding a member appointed by the City Council, and as a member of ...