City of Austin Council Message Board

Council:

Here is my proposed schedule for our Council Work Session tomorrow.

We’ll begin with an Executive Session on item 99. Following the Executive Session, we’ll take up items pulled for discussion. Currently items 55, 99, 101, 102 and 103 have been pulled.

Following discussion on pulled items, we will hear the four briefings prepared by staff.

After the briefings are completed, we will adjourn the Work Session and Council Member Pool will call to order the Austin Energy Oversight Committee.

I will need to leave the dais at 10:45 am tomorrow. Mayor Pro Tem Ellis will preside in my absence.

ITEM 55

Regarding item 55, I posted a Watson Wire last week related to this. If you missed it, you can see it here: https://bit.ly/LDCWire

One of the things I said is “More communication about what’s going on with LDC changes than is customary — maybe even more than is necessary — will only help this process as we address a formidable challenge. Frankly, greater communication is the least we should do to ensure a credible community discussion of an issue that will define Austin’s future.”

The goal of this item is to exceed minimum notice requirements of the law with broad, full, robust notice. I look forward to our discussion on this item and appreciate the chance to make sure all of our residents are aware of potential actions of this importance.

See you all tomorrow.

Thanks.

Kirk

On behalf of Mayor Watson

Mayor, thanks for highlighting item 55. I share your stated interest in increasing public notice on amendments the Council is proposing to the Land Development Code. It just makes sense.

The intent of item 55 is to increase notification and public hearing opportunities. Yesterday, I restated my support for expanded notice in a separate Message Board post, and offer my support again here for the public's easy reference:
---------
This week, item 55 presents an opportunity for a unique approach to public notice and public input for several LDC amendments coming this fall.

One of my main concerns about past efforts to update the LDC is how residents would be notified about big changes, and how they would be heard about those changes. I wholeheartedly support a citywide, individual notification, and have publicly supported that approach for many years from the dais, in the media, and at LDC town halls and neighborhood gatherings. It just makes sense. It also makes sense to give folks more public input opportunities, which the joint meeting does, before PC considers their recommendations and council finally deliberates.

Under state law, council may set a joint public hearing with the Planning Commission when considering LDC amendments and may adopt methods of notification for the hearing and subsequent council and commission meetings to deliberate on those amendments.

Citywide notification may be expensive, but it's the right thing to do in the case of the amendments that are coming this fall.

It’s my understanding three of our recent council initiatives, including three units in single family residential districts, Tiny Homes, and changes to the occupancy limits, will be part of this notification.

I look forward to our discussion on this item.

Leslie