Phased Approach Proposal
Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2019 2:02 pm
This post is from CM Tovo, CM Kitchen, CM Casar and Mayor Adler.
We would like to thank all of our colleagues for weighing in and participating in this discussion regarding the City’s Camping and Obstruction ordinances. Thank you, in particular, to CM Ellis and CM Flannigan for urging us to focus on clarifying the Council’s actions on June 20th, as the City Manager’s recent memo challenged us with doing.
We recognize that some areas that are not the safest for people to camp in are also are the places where our neighbors experiencing homelessness have chosen to be. Considering this, we propose, except where there is an imminent or serious public health or safety threat, or an unreasonable impeding of public space, a phased-in approach that provides housing and services to individuals first, before enforcing prohibitions.
Each of us supports this approach. We believe we have come together on the vast majority of provisions in this ordinance. We also hope that our colleagues who have graciously offered to sign on as cosponsors will review this proposal and share their thoughts. This continues in the spirit of everyone’s work so far.
http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 135357.pdf
You’ll see in the draft linked below that there are sections labeled “alternatives” that reflect the remaining differences between the proposals so far. However, those differences are only in a few areas:
- how sidewalks are treated,
- distance from shelters,
- distance from creeks,
- wildfire areas,
- whether category 3 items are only approved on first reading now and third reading when we achieve effective zero homelessness, or if we consider on third reading now, but it is only enforceable at effective zero homelessness.
- whether to grant the City Manager versus department heads more authority in determining areas of risk
We look forward to the public hearing tomorrow and discussing this with you this week.
Mayor Steve Adler
Council Member Greg Casar
Council Member Ann Kitchen
Council Member Kathie Tovo
We would like to thank all of our colleagues for weighing in and participating in this discussion regarding the City’s Camping and Obstruction ordinances. Thank you, in particular, to CM Ellis and CM Flannigan for urging us to focus on clarifying the Council’s actions on June 20th, as the City Manager’s recent memo challenged us with doing.
We recognize that some areas that are not the safest for people to camp in are also are the places where our neighbors experiencing homelessness have chosen to be. Considering this, we propose, except where there is an imminent or serious public health or safety threat, or an unreasonable impeding of public space, a phased-in approach that provides housing and services to individuals first, before enforcing prohibitions.
Each of us supports this approach. We believe we have come together on the vast majority of provisions in this ordinance. We also hope that our colleagues who have graciously offered to sign on as cosponsors will review this proposal and share their thoughts. This continues in the spirit of everyone’s work so far.
http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 135357.pdf
You’ll see in the draft linked below that there are sections labeled “alternatives” that reflect the remaining differences between the proposals so far. However, those differences are only in a few areas:
- how sidewalks are treated,
- distance from shelters,
- distance from creeks,
- wildfire areas,
- whether category 3 items are only approved on first reading now and third reading when we achieve effective zero homelessness, or if we consider on third reading now, but it is only enforceable at effective zero homelessness.
- whether to grant the City Manager versus department heads more authority in determining areas of risk
We look forward to the public hearing tomorrow and discussing this with you this week.
Mayor Steve Adler
Council Member Greg Casar
Council Member Ann Kitchen
Council Member Kathie Tovo