City of Austin Council Message Board

Colleagues,

I plan on making a motion tomorrow to postpone Item 17 regarding the navigation center property purchase for 30 days, per the request of several hundred community members whom we heard from over the last week.

The surrounding neighborhoods have logistical and safety concerns that I’m confident the city can better address with a postponement. I believe we’d all be better served taking the time to get this right and properly address those concerns. A recent Statesman editorial board sums it up better than I can:

“The city's first obligation is to its constituents, not the parties in a real estate deal. If Austin leaders are serious about building trust, they must take the time to do this right…It was clear that residents have compassion for those experiencing homelessness. They also bring legitimate concerns. They deserve clear answers on how the city will improve public safety in their neighborhood, whether or not a new homeless center is built. Austin can’t afford to choose speed over trust. Taking 30 more days to spell out safety plans isn’t a delay. It’s an investment in stronger community — the best way to ensure the center serves both unhoused people and the neighbors beside them.”

I look forward to a discussion on this motion on Thursday.

Thank you all,

-Marc

Colleagues:

I’ve seen Council Member Duchen’s post and his proposed motion to delay a vote on a navigation center that we all know we need. We need a city operated navigation center. Unlike the quote in the post, our highly professional staff and this Council aren’t putting “parties in a real estate deal” first. I believe people are putting the needs of our constituents first, and that includes constituents throughout Austin who expect us to make a difficult decision to better serve the needs of Austin when it comes to our homeless population. Unfortunately, there may be disagreement about what is best and how best to do things. Just because someone disagrees doesn’t mean they aren’t thinking about their constituents.

Hard decisions still must be made. We’re making significant progress in addressing homelessness. I firmly believe we can run a navigation center that considers the logistical and safety concerns of the neighborhood. I can’t support a postponement on this item. Kicking the can down the road doesn’t really make a hard decision any easier. No location will ever be perfect. I trust our HSO staff to responsibly manage this site’s potential impacts on surrounding areas. In fact, we should all demand it and hold people accountable. I believe we will.

I look forward to discussing this item on the dais tomorrow.

Thanks,
Kirk

On behalf of Mayor Watson