City of Austin Council Message Board

Colleagues, First, I want to thank Council Member Troxclair for her leadership in developing this resolution to ensure we have a code that works and achieves the goals of Imagine Austin. I’d like to offer the following amendments to this item: • Change part (1)(b) to specify that proposed recommenda...

CM Houston, I greatly appreciate the thorough work you have done to build this sensible package. I do have some items I don’t see addressed within and will be ready to respectfully engage in conversation of the possibility for their inclusion when we get to this item. I am also pleased to see CM Kit...

Dear colleagues, I would like to thank Council Members Casar and Renteria for bringing this item through the Housing and Planning Committee. I believe this resolution will help better connect people in need of affordable housing with available inventory. Following clarifying questions asked during t...

CM Houston,

I agree that it would be useful to discuss the cost and tax impact early in the bond discussion tomorrow. I also share your desire to be in a position to make the investments our city needs at this time via successful bond propositions.

Regards,
Alison Alter

Mayor, I would like to see us spend some significant time on Tuesday discussing the proposed bond. Given how the timing played out for our last meeting, as a whole council, we have not had an opportunity to discuss our goals on the size of the bond nor the particulars. I believe that public testimon...

Colleagues,

I am planning to fly to El Paso tomorrow afternoon and will join the delegation to bring attention to this critical issue on Thursday. I appreciate the invitation and fully condemn this inhumane policy.

Regards,
Alison

Colleagues, I appreciate the opportunity to begin discussions on the MLS proposal and would like to thank staff and the consultants for their work on this item. I share many of the concerns outlined by Council Member Pool and have many of the same questions that were raised today during the work ses...

Colleagues, We would like to focus on the following topics at our next meeting(s): Transition Zones & Compatibility By-Right Entitlements & the Affordable Housing Bonus Program Timeline and Testing for the Land Development Code Before Effective Date Public Input Opportunities in Code For eac...

Dear Colleagues, During Thursday's meeting, I promised to contribute some topics for our upcoming Codenext deliberations. I would like to suggest the following: - Compatibility standards - Transition zones - McMansion standards - Uses (Especially alcohol-related uses, etc.) - Parkland, civic space, ...

Dear Colleagues, I intend to offer amendments to Item 6 at Thursday's meeting - see link below. The current language prohibits a customer who **applies** for a bill adjustment under the high volume water bill section from applying for an adjustment under the section covering water leaks. My amendmen...

Colleagues,

Below is the amendment that I distributed at work session on Tuesday. I still intend to offer it at tomorrow's meeting.

Link to amendment: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AmqT4f ... sp=sharing


Regards,
Alison Alter

Dear Colleagues, I am sponsoring a resolution to facilitate the implementation of projects approved in the recent AISD bond. This resolution streamlines the site development plan process for AISD schools by promoting collaboration between City staff and AISD project teams to review site plan applica...

Dear Colleagues, I have revised my proposed amendments to Option B. The link to the new version is posted below. This document continues to be redlined distinguishing my proposed changes to the staff drafted resolution. https://drive.google.com/file/d/17yoUIgIvbH9Jk1Z0zgwDO0f5KZao14Fz/view?usp=shari...

Dear Colleagues, For Item 10, I intend to propose amendments to Option B at tomorrow’s Council meeting. Please find a link to a redlined version of the proposal below. The purpose of these amendments is to provide greater clarity and create a removal mechanism to bring the composition of the Plannin...

Dear Colleagues, At work session we agreed to a late start for our council meeting this Thursday. As this is not our normal practice I thought it might be helpful to share some additional logistical information via the Message Board. I am hopeful that we can begin promptly at 11:30 a.m. I intend to ...

Dear Colleagues, As promised, below you will find a link to the letter from Stanford Professor Roger Noll outlining the information he believes we need to evaluate the proposed stadium project. Dr. Noll has studied sports economics for decades and is a recognized expert. I think we will find his sug...

As promised today in work session, I am posting my proposed amendment to the first bullet of the "Be It Resolved..." for item #99. - An economic analysis of direct and indirect benefits, "opportunity costs, potential liabilities and substitution effects"; [quotation marks indicat...

Thank you, Council Member Pool, for bringing this opportunity to Council. Gun violence is a serious and devastating issue that demands immediate action. I will proudly join you in supporting the fee waivers. In addition to challenging current laws allowing largely unrestricted access to high-capacit...

I also want to bring to your attention the recent letter from One Voice. I will be passing out the letter in its entirety when we return to the dais. Below, I've included the letter's closing, which further clarifies the purpose and intent of my proposed amendment. "As we support the ordinance ...

Colleagues, Thank you for the work that you’ve all put into creating a paid sick leave policy for Austin. Our nonprofits are dedicated to furthering social good and helping those in our communities that are the most in need. Many 501 (c)(3)s depend on fundraising to meet their financial needs and pl...

Dear colleagues, I am glad that we were able to set aside the 13th to hear public testimony and consider the police contract on a single day. I understand that we set a start time of 3 PM to allow those who cannot attend in the evening to speak to us before traffic gets bad. On the flip side, I am h...

Mayor, thank you for raising this issue. I think adding a special meeting on the 13th devoted to the police contract is a good idea.

Dear colleagues, In reviewing item 17, our proposed meeting calendar, I wanted to suggest that we consider holding one or both of our budget hearing sessions separate from our regularly scheduled council meetings in August. It was unfortunate this year that we did not get to hear from the public reg...

At our meeting tomorrow, I will be requesting a one week postponement of Item 19, the audit plan. This will allow us to have a conversation in work session with Corrie Stokes, the auditor, present. She was out of town this week at a conference. I had a chance to speak with her today and she indicate...

Dear Colleagues, At last week’s Audit and Finance Committee meeting I shared with the committee a handful of audit topics that I hope make the list for the FY18 Audit Plan. I am posting them here so that you also may have access to them. For your context, each item on my list was identified as a pot...