Proposed amendment to Short-Term Rental Resolution

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Amy Smith (D7)
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2015 3:35 pm

Proposed amendment to Short-Term Rental Resolution

Post by Amy Smith (D7) »

Council Member Pool offers the following amendment (context added for Message Board purposes) to Council Member Gallo's STR resolution (see CM Gallo's Friday, August 7 post). Special thanks to CM Pool's policy aide Michael Gaudini for his extensive research on this issue.
Amy Smith
Council Member Pool, District 7

Providing Neighborhood Advocates to Strengthen Code Enforcement Collaboratively

Council Member Pool’s amendment would:
• Direct the City Manager to develop and implement a Neighborhood Advocate pilot program, which would strengthen code enforcement, address problem properties, and improve quality of life in neighborhoods.

Neighborhood Advocate programs are a best practice for proactively addressing neighborhood public safety and code enforcement issues, such as short-term rental issues.
• Neighborhood Advocate programs allow prosecutors to collaborate proactively with the community and other stakeholders to identify, prevent, and solve problems on the front end, in addition to their duties prosecuting cases.
• Prosecutors in these programs work in neighborhoods to build long-term relationships and serve as the neighborhood’s “problem-solvers,” addressing code, nuisance, and quality of life issues.
• A recent University of Texas Law School report on repeat offender properties in the city recommended that the City of Austin adopt a Neighborhood Advocate program.

Peer cities have successfully implemented similar programs.
• A number of other cities have successfully implemented larger Neighborhood Advocate programs that could serve as a model for Austin, including: Seattle, Dallas, and San Diego, among others.
• The Travis County District Attorney currently has a small-scale version this program, focused exclusively on downtown Austin.
Policy Advisor
Office of Leslie Pool, District 7
Amy Smith (D7)
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2015 3:35 pm

Re: Proposed amendment to Short-Term Rental Resolution

Post by Amy Smith (D7) »

And here's the actual text of the proposed amendment:
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
The City Manager is directed to develop and implement a Neighborhood Advocate pilot program through which the City Manager will establish an interdisciplinary team involving at least a City prosecutor and a code inspector to operate exclusively in a targeted geographic area and work with community stakeholders and other city officials to proactively identify and resolve quality-of-life issues in the area, including code enforcement and nuisance issues.

Amy Smith
Policy Advisor
Office of Leslie Pool, District 7
Amy Smith (D7)
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2015 3:35 pm

Re: Proposed amendment to Short-Term Rental Resolution

Post by Amy Smith (D7) »

For more information on Council Member Pool’s proposed “Neighborhood Advocate” pilot program, please see the following resources (note: in these resources, the program is called the “Community Prosecutor” program):

2013 report on dangerous properties by Heather Way (pgs. 33-34)
http://www.greendoors.org/advocacy/docs ... st2013.pdf

City of Dallas’ successful Community Prosecutor program:
http://www.dallascityattorney.com/Com_P ... phome.html

Amy Smith
Council Member Pool
Policy Advisor
Office of Leslie Pool, District 7
Ann Kitchen
Posts: 294
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2015 4:04 pm

Re: Proposed amendment to Short-Term Rental Resolution

Post by Ann Kitchen »

I will participate. Thank you for bringing forward
Ann Kitchen
Council Member District 5
Taylor Smith
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2015 5:04 pm

Re: Proposed amendment to Short-Term Rental Resolution

Post by Taylor Smith »

Council Member Gallo would like to co-sponsor your “Neighborhood Advocate” pilot program resolution.
Senior Policy Advisor
Office of Council Member Flannigan, District 6
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