Item 40 - Cold Weather Shelters Amendment

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Alison Alter
Posts: 211
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2017 3:52 pm

Item 40 - Cold Weather Shelters Amendment

Post by Alison Alter »

Council Member Kelly,

Thank you for bringing this item (#40) related to our cold weather shelters forward for our consideration. I’d like to offer a friendly amendment that will memorialize some other related activities that should be in progress.

At the December Audit & Finance Committee meeting, we received and discussed the “Emergency Shelters for Dangerous Temperatures Audit" prepared by the City Auditor’s Office - the written report is available here https://bit.ly/3I9a5XG and the video is here: https://bit.ly/40DRPwW. The recommendations in the audit included that the City Manager should clarify and communicate the roles and responsibilities of each group/entity involved in the City’s’ cold weather shelter activities and should determine which services and provisions will be provided for extenuating circumstances like power failures. The audit also recommended that the director of the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management work to update the City’s Cold Weather Shelter Operations plan and the Special Operations Plan for Heat Emergencies.

I would propose the following language and will submit it to the agenda office for distribution tomorrow. Please let me know if you have questions.

Insert at Line 8:
Whereas, on December 13, 2022, the Austin City Council Audit & Finance Committee accepted and discussed the “Emergency Shelters for Dangerous Temperatures Audit" which included three recommendations related to role clarification and service delivery at cold weather shelters, and updates to City of Austin operational plans; and

Insert at Line 40:
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
The City Manager is also directed to continue to implement the recommendations contained in the 2022 “Emergency Shelters for Dangerous Temperatures Audit" and to coordinate that implementation with the other directives contained in this resolution.
Council Member, District 10