TipSheet: Austin City Council, 11.21.24

Austin City Council will convene for their regular meeting today and, per usual, there were a few things that caught our eye that we’ve detailed in this TipSheet. For more information, or to make your own decisions, the entire agenda is also posted online.

Though it’s unlikely to be controversial, one of the biggest items on today’s agenda comes in the form of an update to Water Forward – the city’s water resource plan. Last week, the Austin Water Oversight Committee endorsed the changes, which include increased conservation and expanded water reuse rules that will (hopefully) make up for a future of increased drought and population.

After winding its way through the various boards and commissions that make up City Hall, and receiving almost-unanimous approval, the Equity-Based Preservation Plan is finally on its last steps. The plan seeks to correct the implicit bias in the current policies that guide historic preservation in the city and implement a much more inclusive plan.

Council will also, probably, move forward with a $5.5 million revamp of its website. Tuesday’s work session ran long, so the planned briefing (City of Austin Website Redesign: Transforming Austin’s Digital Experience) will be heard today, too. 

The city’s composting contract is up for renewal, which is always a heated affair. This time, the competitors are TDS and Organics By Gosh, once again, and though staff is recommending the more expensive OBG contract due to the solicitation process, the Zero Waste Advisory Commission has recommended the opposite. We expect discussion today. Council will also consider updated rules for waste collection, which can be read here. 

Through U.S. Department of Justice grant funds, Council will also expand the operations of the city’s Downtown Austin Community Court. The money will go toward training programs and resources through the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program, which “is intended to support cross-system collaboration to improve public safety responses to and outcomes for individuals with mental health disorders or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders who come into contact with the criminal justice system,” according to documents related to the meeting agenda.

As a yearlong pilot program, the city is considering waiving some posting and application rules for hiring some positions in order to make recruiting at things like job fairs a bit easier.

Plans to expand the Red Line’s Plaza Saltillo Station at a cost of $5 million to the city could also move forward. The second set of tracks should make the train run more smoothly by allowing trains to run in two directions at once.

Council Member Leslie Pool has brought forward a resolution that asks the city to address parks funding through a regional approach. The resolution asks staff to look at things like park districts, tax increment financing, public improvement districts, park fees, public-private partnerships and more partnerships with nonprofits to help find money for park funding, acquisition and maintenance.

Pool also has a resolution that asks the city to get a move-on in implementing and spreading the word about regulations designed to protect migratory birds from development.

Speaking of the environment, Council Member Ryan Alter has a resolution that seeks to preserve trees that aren’t big enough to be preserved under code in order to protect and grow the city’s tree canopy. Specifically, the resolution would apply credits that would go toward HOME 1 development fees for preserved trees that have a diameter of between 8 inches and 18 inches. 

A new strategy to encourage the development of income-restricted senior housing and housing for people with disabilities is up for Council approval today after winning the recommendation of the Housing and Planning Committee in October.

And, in planning news, Council will hear public hearings on changes to the Land Development Code that will create new rules around the recently popular Planned Development Area zoning. The new rules will, among other things, create a density bonus program that will allow the city to ask for more affordable housing in exchange for more development rights.

In terms of zoning, there’s a slate of possible cases (and, as usual, we’re not quite sure what will be taken up). We’re certainly keeping our eyes on the Christ Church rezoning, the Alpha Seventh Day Adventist Church rezoning, the potential massive rezoning on 38th 1/2 Street that includes Cherrywood Coffeehouse, a rezoning on West Fifth that OWANA can’t support and a plan for a new Spec’s on West 35th Street.

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