D3’s Velásquez says: ‘We’re doing exactly what we set out to do’

For District 3 City Council Member José Velásquez, this past year’s theme was accessibility and constituent relations.

“We’re doing exactly what we set out to do, which was make the office as accessible as possible and make the person sitting in the chair as accessible as possible,” Velásquez told the Austin Monitor. “That hasn’t always been the case. That hasn’t always been the case at City Hall, period. And so our main charge outside of the work that we got done was to ensure that the community knew: You can pick up the phone, you email, you can text and we’ll be there.”

Velásquez thinks he and his staff set a high bar for constituent relations and offering one-on-one assistance to community members in need.

“Regardless of how people feel about a certain issue, when you really get to sit one-on-one with folks, it creates a more welcoming atmosphere for folks to speak about the issues that are really important to them,” he said.

Velásquez was new to the job when the city experienced the February ice storm that shut down power in parts of the city for 12 days. The botched communications response led to the ouster of the city manager and prompted a revision of emergency response protocols that is still ongoing.

“One of my main things is, do we have one place where people can go so they’re not having to scatter to look for different resources to be able to stay alive or keep the lights on or keep food on the table?” Velásquez said. “Last year, we did a piss-poor job. To me, if we’re not improving our communications, we’re not improving our response. And I think we have improved our communications.”

Another issue Council faced this year is the changes in the rail plans in Project Connect, which is also the subject of a lawsuit by Austin homeowners who claim the new plan is different from what voters approved in 2020.

“I’m excited about the line, especially the Blue line coming through District 3,” Velásquez said. “I think it’s going to provide a lot of opportunity for us to bring affordable housing – more affordable housing and deeply affordable housing – to the district. I’m really hoping and will be pressing to ensure that it goes all the way to the airport because I think that is a huge missed opportunity if we don’t connect it all the way through.”

Velásquez was also part of the pro-housing majority that made strides in land use reform. In addition to the removal of parking minimums and occupancy limits, Council also passed the HOME initiative, which allows for up to three units on lots in single-family neighborhoods.

“Somebody said that we’ve done more for housing in the first 10 months than the past Council did in four years,” Velásquez said. “That’s not a knock on them, but it’s the reality. I think we met the expectation with regard to housing. There’s never going to be enough with how we’re growing, but we’re continuing to work and put a focus and premium on affordable and deeply affordable housing.”

Council also approved $9.1 million for an emergency homeless shelter known as the Marshalling Yard Project, which drew criticism from community groups that characterized the process as opaque.

“I will always press us as a city to be better with our engagement, but anybody who wants to sit down and chat with me one-on-one or wants to have a meeting, we are more than open to sit down and chat about it,” he said. “When we’re talking about the Marshalling Yard, it’s not perfect. But trying to get 300 people off the street immediately was paramount. We can talk about the best options and the perfect options, but we also can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”

He continued, “And we can always tweak it. If the services aren’t being rendered to our expectations, then we’ll go in and fix it.”

In 2024, Velásquez said the community can expect to see an expanded communications strategy, which will get a boost from a dedicated communications staffer. His policy priority will be anti-displacement initiatives.

“You realize growing up here that there is a deep disparity between the haves and the have-nots, but you don’t realize how far we are behind when it comes to quality-of-life issues,” he said. “I didn’t realize how deep that was until we got in that building. The disparities continue to grow, and just to be able to catch up to where some of our West Austin counterparts are – it’s going to take a lot of policy and still maintaining and juggling all the things the city needs.”

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Posted In: City Council, District 3