CM Ellis Budget Priorities

[Paige Ellis]

Colleagues -

I appreciate the dialogue we were able to have at yesterday’s Budget Work Session. Here are my priorities for the FY 24-25 Budget discussion:

MOBILITY, TRANSPORTATION, & PUBLIC WORKS
-Ensure the Transportation User Fee covers 35 new FTEs, including 25 positions to improve signal, sidewalk, and street maintenance and 10 positions for parking compliance positions. This would be an additional 85 cents above the proposed budget referenced on pg 33: https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/ ... ?id=427101
- TMSO ebike fleet for bikeway parking prohibition enforcement per https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/ ... ?id=426783
- City Leap Planning
- Living Streets Program investments (Equipment and FTEs): This already successful program has equipment needs including attractive street barriers, planters, and benches to address community safety & visibility concerns and to support program success. I also want to ensure any additional staff members needed to expand the program are assessed in order to support additional living streets activations citywide.

CLEAN AIR MONITORING
- Continuation of Clean Air Coalition membership dues through Capital Area Council of Governments

PARKS & RECREATION DEPARTMENT
- Maintenance $1.5M for 16 new Grounds & Maintenance Full Time Positions with a plan to add a comparable number in future Fiscal Years until level of service deficit is closed. I’d also like to request the one-time funding of $740k for Grounds Maintenance Capital Equipment. This one-time line item would likely not need to come from the General Fund. This proposal has broad community support: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 142139.pdf
- Park Ranger FTEs: Add FTEs to expand the Park Ranger program
- Park Security Cameras: Procure, install, and operate security cameras at PARD locations with high rates of vehicle burglary or other crime, preferably through a partnership with APD on a permanent basis. I have a Q&A submitted to better understand current usage and ongoing needs.
- District 8 Dog Park: Establish a dog park in District 8, potentially as a pilot if necessary. Many folks in Austin have been asking for more resources for off-leash dog park spaces. When such options aren’t available, people tend to let their dogs off-leash in places where it isn’t as appropriate. If we want to do our part to make adopting our medium and large dogs from the Austin Animal Center more feasible, we need to also think about where they can go to run out all their extra energy. Small dogs also need a safe place to play.

VETERANS SERVICES needs per our Commission on Veterans Affairs:
–Real-World needs assessment: (https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/ ... ntexas.gov)
The last time this needs assessment was done was in 2019. Many things have changed for our Veterans since then, and there has never been a resolution to the asks presented then.
–Creation of a Veterans and Military Affairs Office (https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/ ... ntexas.gov)

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE ACCESS
- Continuation of Reproductive Health Education and Service Navigation

GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION
–Free Gun Locks & Safe Storage Education Campaign: I will also be working to understand the current needs of this program that I have championed for many years. I worked on it closely with Delia Garza when she was on the dais. At yesterday’s work session, we learned that the amount funded for this program in the proposed budget has dropped $30k.
-Continuation of our Gun Surrender Program

Looking forward to our next discussions and public input soon,
Paige Ellis

[Paige Ellis]

Colleagues -

I look forward to furthering our discussion tomorrow.

Here is an update on my priorities and the amendments/IFC I plan to bring.

PARKS & RECREATION DEPARTMENT
- Maintenance $1.5M for 16 new Grounds & Maintenance Full Time Positions with a plan to add a comparable number in future Fiscal Years until level of service deficit is closed. I’d also like to request the one-time funding of $740k for Grounds Maintenance Capital Equipment. This one-time line item would likely not need to come from the General Fund.
Ellis-1/A. Alter-1: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 173934.pdf

Letter of Community Support: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 142139.pdf
This item is also listed in the Community Investment Budget.

- Park Security Cameras: Procure, install, and operate security cameras at PARD locations with high rates of vehicle burglary or other crime, preferably through a partnership with APD on a permanent basis. I have a Q&A submitted to better understand current usage and ongoing needs.

(I see this is in a previous message board post of a subquorum’s list of priorities, so I will wait and review that document and weigh if the needs we identified will be met, I may not need to bring this item)

- District 8 Dog Park: This will be started as a pilot program. If there are any other districts with this particular need, I’m happy to amend ours to include more locations.
Ellis-3: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 174043.pdf


MOBILITY, TRANSPORTATION, & PUBLIC WORKS
-The Transportation and Public Works Department has created operational efficiencies to cover some of the FTEs they need for signal, sidewalk, and street maintenance as well as 10 positions for parking compliance positions.
Ellis-2: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 173959.pdf

- City Leap Planning: I will bring this forward at a later date, if you want to work with us on the resolution, we are happy to work with more offices.

- Living Streets Program investments (Equipment and FTEs): This already successful program is receiving the needed investments through Manager Broadnax’s initial proposal. I will keep monitoring to ensure its success. There are exciting updates in store for the Living Streets program.


VETERANS SERVICES
I am turning this one into an IFC. The State of Texas is conducting a Veterans Needs Assessment, so my IFC will ask that an Action Plan be created for next steps after that report is finalized.
(Link to come)


GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION
–Free Gun Locks & Safe Storage Education Campaign: I will also be working to understand the current needs of this program that I have championed for many years. I worked on it closely with Delia Garza when she was on the dais. At yesterday’s work session, we learned that the amount funded for this program in the proposed budget has dropped $30k.
Ellis-4: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 174115.pdf


NEW:
Ellis-5: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 174129.pdf
Unmet Need Forensic Science-04: The Forensic Science Department is requesting a Firearms Examiner FTE in order to support an additional 160 cases per year, advance the City's goals to reduce violent gun crime, address the backlog for firearms services, and support validation and implementation of updated firearms methods and technologies (e.g. advanced 3D microscopy). This investment is needed because the Department has a firearms backlog of 180 cases, 84% of which are ≥90 days old, with a total average days pending of 780.

Ellis-6: Housing Policy Impact Analysis: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 174141.pdf


Ellis-7: Bike Bus Crew & Equipment: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 174155.pdf


- Continuation of Clean Air Coalition membership dues through Capital Area Council of Governments

-Continuation of Reproductive Health Education and Service Navigation

-Continuation of our Gun Surrender Program


Thanks,
Paige Ellis

[Paige Ellis]

Link to the IFC on a Veterans Needs Assessment Action Plan: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 183106.pdf