District 4 Outreach for Quarter Cent Funds

[Greg Casar]

Dear colleagues,

I’m posting to provide some information on the outreach plan that my office developed after the Quarter Cent Funds resolution was passed in June. We saw a unique opportunity to involve directly affected people in the process of developing mobility projects in District 4.

First, we created an online survey of District 4 transportation project packages, based off data provided by our Austin Transportation Department. The survey, provided in English and Spanish, asked participants to rank the packages based on what would bring the most benefit to their neighborhood. At the time of this posting, the highest-ranking package was “High Impact & Equity Blend” – a package prioritizing areas where the highest-ranked projects overlap with the highest rates of poverty in District 4.

Next, based off the initial survey results, we created a more specific list of actual improvement projects that fit the criteria of “High Impact & Equity Blend.” We block-walked and phone-banked residents in the areas where the improvements would take place, completing more than 200 surveys. We found that the neighbors echoed the preference for high-impact, grouped improvement projects in their neighborhood. We also heard that sidewalk extensions, pedestrian hybrid beacons and speed bumps were the most important improvements for their neighborhoods.

Through our efforts thus far, we have received input from more than 600 residents.

Last, we’ll hold a community meeting for District 4 neighbors on Wed. Sept. 30th for the community to vote on specific improvement projects they’d like Council to support. Our team will present the results of the survey and seek further input from the neighbors before they cast their ballots. To date, we’ve received more than 100 RSVPs for the meeting.

This outreach project was a powerful tool for making clear which of the projects rated by ATD as highest-priority would most improve our residents’ safety and mobility. I look forward to sharing the results with the Mobility Committee and the full Council soon, as we work together to craft a final, citywide funding proposal.

Thanks,
Greg