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Quote of the Day
“As someone who’s experienced homelessness and is now trying to bridge some of these gaps, I think that should be something that the Community Development Commission focuses in on, even if it’s a formal recommendation to City Council around day labor opportunities… That will help with some (dignity) for people experiencing homelessness and also in building income and being able to pay for their own hotel room, whatever the situation is.”
— Commissioner Lyric Wardlow, from Housing plan advances to Council as concerns grow over federal funding cuts.
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Housing plan advances to Council as concerns grow over federal funding cuts
From Chad Swiatecki
The Community Development Commission stopped short of endorsing the city’s annual federal housing funding plan at its meeting last week and instead used the opportunity to raise alarms about how looming federal budget cuts could worsen the city’s homelessness crisis. The FY25/26 Action Plan, which outlines the use of roughly $14 million in federal housing funds, now moves to City Council for review and possible approval on July 24.
Although the commission had the option to vote on the plan, no formal action was taken. Instead, commissioners centered their discussion on the need for a more expansive and flexible approach to homelessness and going beyond traditional shelter services to address the growing number of residents at risk of becoming unhoused due to economic instability.
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APD updates: 911 call center, crime statistics, and ICE agent impersonators
Austin’s long-understaffed Emergency Communications Center is now sitting at only 10 vacancies. APD Chief of Staff Robin Henderson delivered a staffing update as part of her quarterly report to the Public Safety Commission on Monday. “Fantastic work has been going on there. …So not only are we getting new emergency communications in the door, they’re actually staying,” Henderson said. APD’s other vacancies currently sit at 334 for sworn staff and 43 for professional staff. Two cadet classes are currently underway, with two more scheduled to begin over the next six months.
Chief Henderson also shared an update on the department’s response to a recent audit of their recruiting efforts. The African American Youth Harvest Foundation is hosting a grant-funded program for APD to build a youth recruiting model. Henderson said the goal is to develop a career pipeline for young people, but she also wants the program to improve community trust in APD.
The quarterly report included crime data from the first quarter of 2025. Most categories of crime showed little change from one- and five-year averages. However, narcotic offenses and kidnappings were 52 and 65 percent higher than the five-year average, respectively. Henderson said she would follow up with more context on these increases.
During the presentation, Commissioner Rebecca Bernhardt voiced concerns about the potential for individuals to impersonate peace officers, given the current political climate. Henderson said it is standard for other law enforcement agencies to notify APD if they are in Austin. “If there is a concern…(residents) can…first ask for their credentials, and then anything beyond that, they can call 911 and we can help verify,” she added.
Henderson also submitted APD’s responses to commissioners’ questions about the controversial (now inactive) Automated License Plate Reader program (anyone can view those here, beginning on page 3).
— Mina Shekarchi
Return of the carp
Despite previous issues with using grass carp to control hydrilla on Lake Austin, the city is bringing them back.
According to a press release from the city, later this week 350 sterile grass carp will be added to the lake at a “conservative stocking rate” of five grass carp per acre of hydrilla. Though hydrilla is not currenly impacting use of the lake, it can be found in five percent of the lake according to a recent Texas Parks and Wildlife survey.
“Hydrilla is an aquatic plant native to Asia that was introduced to the United States in the 1960s and first appeared in Lake Austin in 1999. At its peak in 2012 and 2013, it covered 500 acres, almost a third of the lake. City staff have learned much over the past 25 years and are proceeding with caution. The goal is to slow down the growth of hydrilla and reduce its density in the coves without having a negative impact on the lake’s environment. The City is acting now while the hydrilla is relatively contained,” explains the press release.
More information about hydrilla and other lake flora can be found here.
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ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS
The Texas GOP continues to push to redraw congressional districts.
KXAN reports that the city budget also includes some name changes for departments.
In some intrigue right up there with “biblical reasons” the Texas Newsroom, ProPublica and the Texas Tribune have teamed up to report that Gov. Greg Abbott is resisting release of emails to and from Elon Musk because they are too “intimate and private.”
Cedar Park is working to recruit life sciences companies with a “dazzling business hub,” according to the Austin Business Journal.
And, if you miss goofy stories about robotaxis, you are in luck.
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