Ethics complaints are up and mental health pilots are on in Austin

Today’s newsletter is supported by Austin Energy and the Value of Public Power

Quote of the Day

“The city is always looking for holistic approaches to deal with mental health, deal with the unhoused crisis — all of those things. And this is it.”

— Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis from “Austin launches pilot for 911 response to mental health crises.”

City auditors see number of ethics complaints increasing

From Jo Clifton:

The number of complaints of fraud, misuse of resources and abuse by city employees continues to increase each year, according to Brian Molloy, chief of investigations for the Austin City Auditor’s Office. Molloy told the Council Audit and Finance Committee Wednesday that auditors received 404 complaints during fiscal year 2025, compared to 380 complaints in fiscal year 2024 and 316 in fiscal year 2023.

The City Auditor’s Integrity Unit Completed 11 investigations and one detection project, and published nine reports. Of those investigations, five resulted in the employee leaving the city, either voluntarily or as a result of being fired, he said.

Austin launches pilot for 911 response to mental health crises

From Olivia Aldridge, KUT News:

The city of Austin has begun dispatching a team that includes both mental health experts and police to address mental health emergency calls coming from the downtown area.

The Austin Field Integrated Response Support Team, or Austin FIRST, includes an Austin-Travis County EMS paramedic, an Integral Care mental health clinician and an Austin Police officer who has received mental health training. They will jointly respond to 911 calls that involve a person experiencing severe or complex mental health conditions and symptoms, including delusions and paranoia, as well as people at risk of self-harm.

A message from today’s sponsor, Austin Energy:

Public Power Works for You

Austin Energy is your community-owned electric utility, bringing power to our vibrant city for more than 130 years. Since 1895, we’ve been powering the greater Austin area—lighting up homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses—and now serve more than half a million customers every single day.

But we’re not just an electric utility. As community members, we care deeply about this ever-changing city we call home.

See how public power works for Austin at AustinEnergy.com/PublicPower

Flatten appointed BSEACD general manager

The Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District has appointed Charlie Flatten as its new general manager, effective October 13, 2025. Established by the Texas Legislature in 1987, the district oversees roughly 430 square miles across Travis, Hays and Caldwell counties. The organization serving a population of about 400,000 and works to conserve, protect, and manage groundwater from the Edwards and Trinity aquifers.

A native of the Hill Country, Flatten served five years as general manager of the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District, where he helped address rapid growth, drought and growing demand for groundwater. Before that, he led water-policy work at the Hill Country Alliance, promoting cooperation among local stakeholders, agencies and water districts.

Looking ahead, the district faces pressure from continued development, ongoing drought and the mission of sustaining the Edwards and Trinity aquifers while protecting Barton Springs and related ecosystems. Flatten takes the helm as the district is enforcing drought restrictions and participating in regional planning under Groundwater Management Area 10, which coordinates aquifer policy across Central Texas. Under his leadership, the board and staff plan to expand groundwater monitoring, refine aquifer models, and use new data to guide long-term water-management decisions.

— Chad Swiatecki

Austin reports progress in homelessness response

The city has reported notable gains in its response to homelessness in the 2024–25 cycle, according to the recent Ending Community Homelessness Coalition 2025 State of the System report. The annual analysis draws on data from the Homeless Management Information System to measure performance for the region’s Homelessness Response System.

This year, the data shows emergency shelter bed capacity has grown by 70 percent since 2022; permanent housing beds have increased 35 percent; and overall beds and housing units in the system have more than doubled with 108 percent growth since 2019. More than 3,000 people were moved into housing last year thanks to the combined efforts of service providers and funders. The average time between assessment and move-in also dropped about 25 percent.

The report also showed the count of individuals newly entering homelessness declined for the first time in five years, suggesting that prevention efforts are beginning to take hold.

Among the ongoing challenges, the system continues to see long waits, service gaps and demographic disparities. Black Austinites remain overrepresented in the homeless response system, and Austin’s rate of chronic homelessness remains higher than many peer cities. In addition, ECHO’s recently published mortality report showed that between 2018 and 2023, at least 1,010 people experiencing homelessness died, with a mean age at death of around 50 years old.

— Chad Swiatecki

****