City of Austin Council Message Board

Colleagues, We received some last minute but helpful input from community members regarding item 41 (condemnations) and have updated the version posted in backup to reflect that feedback. V3 Clean: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincouncilforum/AC-20260385104337.pdf V3 Redline: http://assets.austi...

Colleagues, I’m attaching the amendments to AHSO’s Strategic Plan that I spoke to on the dais on Tuesday. Director Gray and I have conferred on these amendments, and he is supportive of the changes. With funding uncertainty at both the federal and local level, I’m not comfortable setting numerical t...

Mayor, I want to thank you for your leadership on this effort and voice support for this process. This budget is going to be very difficult. It’s going to require prioritizing what we can and should be funding and what we simply cannot. To your point in your newsletter, this decision making requires...

Colleagues, I support the ordinance regulating engine and motor noise (item 38). As mentioned at work session on Tuesday, I have additionally been working with law on some added direction to the City Manager that I believe can address similar nuisances from non-vehicular noise and explores enforceme...

Colleagues, I believe Item 50, establishing the efficiency assessment program, is vitally important and I look forward to supporting it. This ordinance is responsive to the critical needs of our current financial situation and creates an ongoing process to improve service delivery and identify poten...

Colleagues In advance of our discussion of an efficiency assessment ordinance (item 45), I wanted to share a few minor amendments that I’ve developed with staff. As I noted at the Audit & Finance Committee, I support this effort and believe it will be essential to maintaining effective public se...

Mayor, Thank you for these draft policies governing Council Office Budgets. It is very thorough and well thought out. I would propose one change as it relates to transfers to other City departments. Currently, the "General" category states a transfer to another City department is prohibite...

Mayor, Thank you for taking the lead on this. I agree that looking systemwide at how we can operate more effectively and efficiently is something that we should absolutely do. At a time when we find ourselves in state-created budget deficits, we are going to have to do more with less and this is one...

Thank you, Mayor. I support your suggested allotment to ensure the maximum benefit to our nominees.

Ryan

Colleagues, We all knew this budget process would be tough, and it has been. But I’m encouraged that we’re united on the basics: protecting EMS so medics can keep saving lives, not going backward on our work to reduce homelessness, and making sure people in crisis get help through EMCOT instead of b...

Thank you for proposing this reform initiative. I would like to join you as a co-sponsor for this item. I believe it's an important step in building trust and transparency for the public.

- Ryan

Colleagues, I agree. These past few weeks, we’ve seen the danger of encampment response without compassionate outreach. I’ve long supported the work for a Homeless Encampment Management Dashboard, which provides necessary transparency to service providers, advocates, and the public. Council Member V...

Thank you Mayor for putting together this plan with a clear vision for how we can show who we are as a city. I look forward to seeing the work of the task force and agree that we can and will emerge from this pettiness stronger than ever.

- Ryan

Mayor Watson,

Thanks for bringing this forward. I’d be happy to join as a cosponsor as well.

Thanks,

Ryan

Thank you Mayor for this opportunity. I look forward to working with the other board members to keep the AFRF financially sound.

Sincerely,

Ryan

Below is an updated version of Alter Motion 4 that makes the dates in the resulting amendment consistent.

Alter Motion 4 V2: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 130103.pdf

Colleagues, I would like to offer an amendment to CM Duchen's amendment to Item 12. I am concerned that the current "safe harbor" date of December 10, 2025 is too early as it will likely precede the date on which the license portal will go live. If we want to essentially grandfather existi...

Colleagues, Tomorrow we are set to consider changes to our short-term rental regulations that we first set in motion earlier this year. I want to thank City Staff for their work on this ordinance as well as fellow members of our sub-quorum, including Mayor Watson, Mayor Pro Tem Fuentes, CM Velasquez...

I would like to express my great appreciation to CM Velásquez for bringing items 46 and 47 regarding homestead preservation districts. These items and your work on them are critical to fighting displacement within our community and increasing the availability of affordable housing. I am proud to be ...

Colleagues, As we work through the budget amendment process, we would like to propose an alternative that is simpler, cleaner, and more transparent. Below you can find a substitute motion for the staff reconciliation document that has been labeled “Budget Addition 1.” This document is based on the p...

We agree with this approach. As individual offices and sub-quorums prepare their own TRE scenarios, it makes the most sense to focus our time and attention on those and not confuse the public with the original staff scenarios. To that end, as we will be laying out the various Council-developed TRE s...

Colleagues, Austin is facing a critical moment. The federal government is slashing our social safety net, cancelling infrastructure improvements, and threatening that these cuts are just beginning. The state, despite having record surpluses, continues its refusal to meet its basic obligations to the...

Colleagues, As we move through the budget process, we must preserve our ability to meet the many needs our community faces. While the state and federal governments increasingly abandon their responsibilities to the public, Austin remains focused on serving its residents. To do that, we are going to ...

Thank you CM Qadri and fellow colleagues for organizing this letter. Please add my name to this important message from the Austin community to our federal government.

- Ryan

CM Ellis and MPT Fuentes, Thank you for jump starting this conversation on our parks funding early in the budget process. I am also eagerly awaiting the full working group report with recommendations from City staff, parks non-profits, and community advocates. Investing in our parks and greenspace i...