Southwest Austin residents heard updates on public safety, affordability and other issues from local Austin City Council members during a forum Aug. 25 organized by the South Austin Neighborhood Alliance at the Onion Creek Club.
Attendees spoke to council members about flooding, a recent increase in area burglaries and other issues that matter to Southwest Austin residents.
Many area residents felt as if they did not have a voice until the city introduced its 10-1 system in November, through which 10 geographic areas of Austin are represented by their own council member as well as the council as a whole, SANA President Ken Jacob said.
Part of the purpose of the forum was to find common ground and bring South Austin residents together with council members who represent areas south of Lady Bird Lake—known as “the river”—and learn about council members’ priorities.
“These are our friends and our representatives; they’re not outsiders from across the river,” Jacob said. “Let’s work with them.”
Mayor Steve Adler said the council has made many changes, including creating a new committee structure and making changes that have allowed citizens to share input while ordinances are being written rather than after they are fully formed.
Transportation has been a major focus for the council, he said.
Improving transportation is among the priorities of Council Member Delia Garza, who represents District 2 in Southeast Austin. She noted she aims to expand Capital Metro service.
“Families [have] to have two cars to be able to get around Austin, and if we had a better transportation system then maybe we wouldn’t have to depend on [cars],” Garza said.
She added she co-sponsored a resolution to determine how to distribute the Quarter Cent Fund for transportation projects, which will be a way to get extra funding to districts, she said.
“Attention has been directed to developing and implementing a [transportation] plan for South Austin, which we haven’t had in the past,” Jacob said. “We have problems with our east-west traffic on roads such as Slaughter [Lane], William Cannon [Drive and] FM 1626 as well as major arteries such as Pleasant Valley Road, Hwy. 290 in Oak Hill,” he said.
Council Member Ann Kitchen, who represents District 5, said the council is beginning planning for a citywide strategic mobility plan, which will include a focus on South Austin.
Another potential funding source is the transportation impact fee, which could help with development’s effect on residents, Kitchen said.
District 8 Council Member Ellen Troxclair said each council member has a different affordability outlook.
“We are not always on the same page, but we are having healthy discussions of what is the best way to address affordability,” she said, citing raising minimum wage, lowering tax rates and enacting homestead exemptions as examples of options.
Sabino “Pio” Renteria, who represents District 3 in Southeast Austin, said one of his major goals is to make housing more affordable in the city so that lower-income families are not forced to move out of the city. Fees for drainage and wastewater have increased, which presents another challenge to affordability, he said.
Troxclair said she is working to help the council develop a city taxpayer impact statement—a one-page document that would outline in dollar amounts what homeowners would need to pay in taxes, factoring in costs such as utility costs as well.
“It’s really hard to understand what your total tax burden is, which means it’s really hard for you to understand how to properly budget to pay your bills next year,” she said.
More than 220 residents attended the event, according to Jacob. The goal is to host similar events every three to four months in different locations in South Austin, he said.
