City of Austin Council Message Board

Colleagues,

For the last couple of months, the Council has been discussing the threat of wildfires and assessing our fire safety resources at council meetings, work sessions, and committee meetings. I believe it is clear that the council is committed to addressing our wildfire needs and supporting the communities at high risk of wildfires.

On item 41, the 2024 Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Code update, I will offer a direction for an annual report to gain data on the implementation of the requirements. This direction is along the same lines of my past motions on code changes that draw a lot of community attention. The data will help us to see how many residents are applying for building permits in the WUI area and how well that process works for them. We’ve made a lot of improvements to our permitting process, and keeping track of the time and cost will help maintain that momentum.

I also added a direction to look for ways to get folks who aren’t doing major work on their homes to follow the WUI home-hardening methods voluntarily.

Motion sheet: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 173941.pdf

I look forward to our discussion tomorrow.

Thanks,
Kirk

On behalf of Mayor Watson

Thank you, Mayor, for your work and support of updating the WUI Code and map. An annual report quantifying the additional costs and resources needed to comply could provide valuable data for us going forward.

I especially appreciate your leadership in asking the City Manager to explore options to help incentivize and mitigate the cost of home hardening that we've come to understand is so critical to wildfire prevention and preparedness. Our office has been working hard to learn what other municipalities across the country are doing to find grant funding, incentives, and partnerships to help their residents prepare for wildfires. We look forward to working with you and the City Manager on this issue. 

-Marc

Thank you, Mayor, for bringing forth this direction. I look forward to supporting it today.

Paige Ellis

I strongly support this direction, which is a great example of data-driven public safety policy. Wildfire mitigation is an extremely complex issue which requires intensive study and communication, and I am grateful to you for your leadership on this topic.

Thank you,

Krista