The city of Austin’s Flood Mitigation Task Force established by Austin City Council presented its final report May 19 to City Council.
Two residents were appointed to represent each of Austin’s 10 geographic City Council districts and the mayor. Task force Chairman Matthew Rienstra, who resides in City Council District 8 in Southwest Austin, said the group believes the city should adopt a citywide flood-mitigation policy, and all subsequent flood-related decisions should be made through that framework.
Other recommendations the group identified included working with other governmental entities, establishing a citizen task force, possibly establishing flood-control districts, and focusing on the most important needs when planning the city budget, said task force member Ken Jacob, an upper Onion Creek resident.
“We’re in Flash Flood Alley here in Central Texas, but [flooding] doesn’t happen with such regularity. … It may happen once every five years, every 10 years, [and] it may only affect part of the city. So the funding part of the process is difficult to estimate because of that,” Rienstra said. “Depending completely on the drainage utility fees is not enough.”
