Council Member Pool's Priority Budget Initiatives

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Michael Gaudini
Posts: 12
Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2015 10:46 am

Council Member Pool's Priority Budget Initiatives

Post by Michael Gaudini »

Here are a select number of Council Member Pool’s high-priority budget initiatives, including investing:

• About $210,000 to repair the cracked and dangerous decks of Northwest Pool, one of Austin’s most-used pools;

• About $356,000 to return Austin Public Library hours back up to the level of service it had before the 2008 recession;

• In unmet needs that the Parks and Recreation Department has identified as high-priority, including:
o About $1.5 million in new staff and equipment needed to adequately inspect, repair, and maintain Austin’s many parks and playgrounds;
o About $108,000 in new staff to keep Austin’s recreational and cultural facilities safe and clean; and
o About $375,000 in new Park Rangers to patrol and monitor the city’s parkland and enforce park rules during all hours in which the city’s parkland is accessible to the public;

• In three key strategies that would take the first steps toward a broader ongoing commitment to provide access to healthy, affordable food in underserved areas by targeting communities where local stakeholders have already built support for healthy food initiatives -- the strategies in this program include:
o $150,000 to help local corner stores offer healthy food;
o $100,000 to support farm markets at schools and community centers; and
o $100,000 to expand an existing non-profit incentive program that matches the money low-income families spend on healthy foods (up to $20 per week); and
o One full-time employee to administer these grants;

• About $3,800 to ensure that important meetings on rewriting the city’s land use regulations are videotaped and made available for public viewing; and

• About $250,000 to hire a green infrastructure consultant to advise on how to rewrite the city’s land use regulations in a way that protects Austin’s natural resources.

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You can find more information on each of these items at the following link: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 190837.pdf

Additionally, Council Member Pool would also like Council to consider the many different specific park-related needs she and other Council Members have recognized as important to communities across the city.
Policy Aide
Office of Leslie Pool, District 7