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Quote of the Day
“If they added shade, it’d be damn near perfect.”
— Casey Hartsfield, from New MoKan Trailhead offers a rest stop along East Austin’s expanding trail network.
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Residents back tax hike for 2026 bond projects, survey shows
From Chad Swiatecki:
More than two-thirds of Austin residents say they’re willing to support a tax increase to fund the city’s next bond package, with housing, transportation, and parks emerging as the most widely shared priorities among the 2,002 people who responded to a recent public survey.
The survey, conducted as part of the city’s community engagement phase for the 2026 bond, asked residents to identify pressing needs, allocate a hypothetical $100 budget across issue areas, and indicate whether they’d support a property tax increase to fund new projects. In open-ended responses, 34 percent of participants named housing and homelessness as Austin’s most urgent issue, followed by 22 percent who cited transportation and mobility infrastructure.
When asked to allocate spending, respondents directed the largest shares toward transportation (19.8%), housing and homelessness (18.5 percent), and parks and parkland (16.3 percent). About 70 percent said they would support a tax increase, with the most common response being a willingness to pay an additional $10 per month.
New MoKan Trailhead offers a rest stop along East Austin’s expanding trail network
From Nathan Bernier, KUT News:
A dusty, neglected patch of land wedged between Bolm Road and Union Pacific’s train tracks has been converted to a trailhead, offering a place to sit and a fountain that can fill water bottles and offer dogs something to drink.
The triangular trailhead opened quietly this spring along the Mokan Trail, which runs parallel to a section of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas rail line and connects to the Southern Walnut Creek Trail. The site was previously an unmaintained parking area used by Union Pacific rail workers.
The project cost about $500,000. The money came from a 2016 voter-approved mobility bond. It’s part of the city’s effort to expand its urban trail network and make it easier for people to get around town without a car.
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New map illustrates impact of federal health cuts
As part of an effort to drive home the impact of federal cuts on local health initiatives, Austin Public Health has released a new map illustrating the potential local impact. According to a press release from the city, as of mid-July, the city had already lost or risked losing 9.5 percent of its total grant funding, throwing vaccine, emergency preparedness and testing services into peril.
“These changes pose serious challenges, and without additional resources, some essential services will be reduced or eliminated,” said Adrienne Sturrup, Director of Austin Public Health, in a statement to the press “That’s the reality we are facing. Still, Austin Public Health will do everything in our power to protect the health and safety of our community. We will not stop advocating for the support we need, even as we make tough decisions and adapt to these difficult circumstances.”
The map, and more information about the cuts and threatened cuts, can be found here.
Ledesma Woody among candidates for County Commissioners seat
Susanna Ledesma Woody, a longtime education advocate and community organizer in Del Valle, is running for Travis County Commissioner in Precinct 4. She formally launched her campaign at a public kickoff event held at Don Dario’s Cantina earlier this summer, where she called for a “people-powered” approach to county government.
She is among the candidates seeking to take the P4 seat that is being vacated by the forthcoming retirement of longtime commissioner Margaret Gómez.
Ledesma Woody currently serves as vice president of the Del Valle ISD Board of Trustees and is president of the Del Valle Community Coalition. Her campaign is focused on expanding infrastructure, housing affordability, and access to health care throughout East Travis County.
“As a lifelong advocate for working families, I’m running to make sure the voices of everyday people are not only heard, but prioritized,” she said in a statement.
A mother and project manager, Ledesma Woody has worked for years on public education and economic equity initiatives across Southeast Travis County. More information is available at her campaign page.
— Chad Swiatecki
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Elsewhere in the News
Austin police are investigating an attack on a transgender woman and her friends at Barking Springs on Saturday.
The Austin American-Statesman reports on the upcoming redevelopment of the Santa Rita Courts in East Austin
KVUE reports that the city is considering increasing funding for rental assistance.
Budget talks also continued to focus on potential staffing issues stemming from fire department budget cuts.
And NPR advises us to keep our eyes opened for shooting stars this week
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