City of Austin Council Message Board

Colleagues, After hosting a community conversation with APD Chief Davis about Federal Immigration enforcement activities, as well as several local stakeholder meetings and one-on-one conversations with residents, the message from our community is clear: Austinites expect their local officials to sta...

Colleagues, Tomorrow, I’ll be bringing a resolution to strengthen our City and County summer youth employment programs to better prepare our future workforce through improved coordination, expanding access to employment opportunities and increasing employer participation. This came from a recommenda...

Colleagues, The Public Health Committee is proud to recommend Item 56 to the full city council for adoption. The committee recommendation aims to provide guidance to the City Manager as he and City staff undertake the Social Service Contract reset and restructuring process. The guidance includes: -D...

Colleagues, We are looking forward to the opportunity to discuss the Manager’s new adjusted budget next week. We appreciate the addition of the work session on Wednesday to ensure the public has an opportunity to make their voices heard, as well as the extension of the amendment deadline. In anticip...

I appreciate the policy direction on this reform item. I'd also like to be added as a co-sponsor.

Vanessa

Thank you, CM Duchen. We've updated the resolution.

Please find version 2: https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/ ... ?id=457903

Colleagues, Item 98 on tomorrow's Council Meeting agenda sets to nominate members of our Council to the Board of Directors and Federal Advocacy Committees of the National League of Cities. I currently serve as Chair of the Transportation & Infrastructure Services Committee. Please comment on thi...

CM Ellis, Thank you for your message. As a fellow co-sponsor of CM Pool's Parks Funding resolution, I am also eagerly awaiting the recommendations from the working group. I support finding a dedicated revenue source for parks - our drop to 55th in ParkScore shows we can't keep doing things the same ...

Thank you, Mayor + colleagues, for bringing forward this resolution to initiate the process of amending DB90 and other density bonus programs. It's essential that we strengthen the effectiveness of these programs so they better serve our low- and moderate-income residents. As we consider updates, my...

Colleagues, I’m looking forward to another productive Public Health Committee meeting tomorrow! Our small, but mighty agenda includes two important items: -Briefing regarding a multi-year plan for the City’s Living Wage for future solicitations of social services. (Briefing update in response to Res...

CM Duchen, Thank you for offering your thoughtful amendment language to further clarify the intent of the resolution. AI is quickly becoming embedded into public services and local governments have the responsibility to protect our communities from the possible risks of AI technology deployment, esp...

Thank you, Councilmember. I appreciate your support!

Vanessa

Thank you, Mayor, for pulling these items for discussion. I also believe in the importance of highlighting our local artists through our public investments, especially at the airport where we welcome so many people to Austin. I'm concerned about the lack of local artists included this phase of the d...

Colleagues, I want to thank Council Member Vela for bringing forward Item 80 on the January 30th council agenda. The way the City responds to mental health crises and calls is an issue that I have been digging into for years, and I am thrilled to see this Item on the first council agenda of the year...

I am looking forward to a robust discussion on committee structures and appointments. Here are my service preferences: STAY: Public Health - Chair Audit & Finance – Member CAMPO- Executive Member JOIN: Economic Opportunity – Vice-Chair As the newly appointed Chair of the Transportation & Inf...

It is crucial that the City of Austin, the Austin Police Association, and the public are fully aligned on what its language means. Earlier this year, our community spoke clearly when they voted for the Austin Police Oversight Act and demanded greater accountability. We must honor that commitment by ...

Colleagues, At our June meeting of the Public Health Committee, HSO presented a brief update on the Marshalling Yard Emergency Shelter, including the Council authorized extension of operations through March 2025. On the upcoming 9/26 Council Agenda, Item 72 seeks approval to indefinitely operate and...

Colleagues, I will bring a resolution during the August 29th Council meeting to nominate members of our Council to the Federal Advocacy Committees of the National League of Cities. Councilmember Pool, Councilmember Kelly, and I currently serve on the Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Commi...

Colleagues, I would like to share the budget amendments I plan on bringing forward for consideration: Fuentes 1 - Flood insurance: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincouncilforum/6C-202408218163212.pdf Fuentes 2 - Family Stabilization Grant: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincouncilforum/6C-20240...

Colleagues, On behalf of CM Ryan Alter and myself, we wanted to flag several questions regarding our homeless response system to help frame our discussion for the work session next Tuesday, August 6. Addressing homelessness has been a top priority for Council and this has been apparent in our budget...

Colleagues, On behalf of myself, Councilmembers Velásquez, Vela, Ryan Alter, and Qadri, I would like to share some of our budget priorities for the FY 24-25 budget. These items reflect many of the outstanding needs Council has discussed throughout the last year or that have been posted to the messag...

Colleagues, As I mentioned during the May 30, 2024 council meeting, I will be proposing an alternative to the draft ballot proposition for Charter Amendment H (Item 96) regarding the City Attorney. My substitute would bring the reporting structure of the City Attorney in alignment with the overwhelm...

Colleagues, Time and time again, I hear from my constituents, community, and advocates about the urgent need to protect our city from the growing impacts of climate change. Oftentimes, it’s communities like the one I represent that face the brunt of climate-related disasters, such as the deadly and ...

Hello colleagues, Over the past few months, my office has met with constituents and advocates to discuss the upcoming land code amendments. I joined Council Members Velasquez, Vela, and Harper-Madison in hosting the East Austin Open House last week, where we had several conversations with residents....

Please count me in for $500. I am happy to support the Urban Cultural & Music Festival.

Vanessa