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City solicits public input for community programs |
The City of Austin Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Office invites you to provide feedback on the Fiscal Year 2009-14 Consolidated Plan. The Consolidated Plan will be used to identify community priorities to fund housing, community development, economic development and public service needs.
The City encourages you to participate in one or all of the opportunities listed below to have your voice heard.
Public Hearings: For a complete list of public hearings, please visit the City's Web site at www.ci.austin.tx.us/housing/conplan_09-14.htm. This month, meetings are scheduled for Feb. 5 and Feb. 10.
Written Comments: Please send your written comments to:
Neighborhood Housing and Community Development
Attn: Kate Moore
P.O. Box 1088, Austin, Texas 78767
Surveys: Please fill out an online survey at www.cityofaustin.org/housing. Surveys are available in English and Spanish.
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City moves forward on Comprehensive Plan
The process of producing a new Comprehensive Plan for Austin is moving one step closer to beginning, and you’re invited to help shape it!
The new plan is needed to chart Austin’s near-, intermediate- and long-term future so as to preserve and enhance the community’s quality of life. Public participation in the process will be vital to creating the best possible future for Austin.
Check future issues of Austin City News for updates, including how to participate in the Comprehensive Plan opinion survey and announcement of the public kickoff, or visit www.cityofaustin.org/zoning/com_plan.htm for more information.
City to host forums on Hispanic quality of life
The City of Austin is organizing four community forums beginning this month to hear the concerns and challenges of the Hispanic community and to address key factors related to quality of life in Austin.
The first forum will be at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 24 at Austin High School with a focus on education. Spanish translators will be at each event, and upcoming forums will focus on economic development, health and cultural arts, including history and enrichment. Look for an announcement later this month with schedules for these events.
What’s your take on Zero Waste?
Earlier this year, by adopting the State’s first Zero Waste Plan for a Texas community, the City of Austin took an important step to move toward a more sustainable future. But every Austinite can contribute.
Our goal is to reduce the amount of waste Austinites send to the landfill by 90 percent by the year 2040, and we can’t do it without your participation. Whether you live in a single family home or apartment/multi-family complex, own a large scale company or manage a small business, the City wants your opinion on how we can improve City programs, facilities and outreach to make Austin a leader among Zero Waste communities. Take the Zero Waste Survey online at www.austinrecycles.com. The survey only takes about five minutes.
Austin Energy’s vision for the future
Austin Energy is developing its generation plan through 2020. That plan must meet the energy demands of our growing community and City Council goals for renewable energy and carbon reduction, while providing affordable electricity rates. An important component of the planning process is input from the community. To that end, AE is conducting a public participation process to inform and to receive input from all segments of the communities that AE serves.
Two meetings are scheduled in February:
Feb. 3, 2009
Town Lake Center – Assembly Room
721 Barton Springs Road
Feb. 5, 2009
Carver Branch Library
1161 Angelina
For more information about this initiative, visit www.austinsmartenergy.com.
Disaster Ready Austin Hazard Mitigation Plan meetings
The City of Austin will hold public meetings as part of Austin’s ongoing efforts to update the 2004 Hazard Mitigation Plan, "Disaster Ready Austin: Building a Safe, Secure, and Sustainable Community." Meetings will be held on Feb. 10 – 11 at north, south, east and west Austin locations.
The purpose of these open meetings is to update the community on the progress in developing the plan and to solicit information that can help the project team in identifying and analyzing hazards affecting residents, as well as recommending possible actions that can be taken to reduce the impact of those hazards.
For meeting times and locations, please visit www.ci.austin.tx.us/oem. If you cannot attend a public meeting, information about the planning process and a public participation survey are also available.
The goal of the updated Hazard Mitigation Plan for the City of Austin is to minimize or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from known hazards by identifying and implementing cost-effective mitigation actions.
Austin 3-1-1 presentations for your neighborhood meetings
Presentations can be tailored to address the specific concerns of your association in regards to 3-1-1. Presentation will include a brief history of how 3-1-1 got started and plans for the future. Your feedback is important to us especially as we move forward and continue to grow.
Please e-mail us at Austin311@ci.austin.tx.us with some possible dates, the time of your meeting and topics of interest. A Spanish speaker is available upon request.
Green Garden Festival
The City of Austin and non-profit organizations will have booths and talks to answer your questions on environmentally sound landscaping. There will be a special focus on trees and kids’ booths.
Feb. 22, 2009
Zilker Gardens
Noon to 4 p.m.
See Texas government on Austin television
City of Austin Channel 6 televises all Texas House of Representatives sessions live, except for Thursdays and Fridays when Travis County Television Channel 17 airs the sessions. Coverage of these sessions is a public service provided by the City to the State of Texas and Austin residents because the State does not have its own local cable channel. All regularly scheduled City meetings that are pre-empted by the House coverage will play back at a later date. Check www.cityofaustin.org/channel6 for the most current schedule.
Waller Creek Tunnel Project moves in to final design
The pre-design phase of the Waller Creek Tunnel Project, which included survey work, geotechnical studies, physical modeling and public outreach has drawn to a close, and the project has entered into final design. Over the next year, City consultants will begin providing the City’s project team with drawings and renderings for review and technical evaluation. Design of this large project is separated into distinct packages, which include a Parks and Recreation Department boathouse adjacent to Lady Bird lake, the tunnel itself, the inlet, the outlet, and two creek side inlets located between Fourth, Fifth, Eighth and Ninth streets. The design phase is expected to continue through January 2010 and will be followed by a bid and award phase, pending final approvals and permitting. Actual construction is anticipated to begin in 2010 and be complete in 2014. For more information, visit the project Web site at www.ci.austin.tx.us/wallercreek or contact Carolyn Perez, Public Outreach Specialist, at 512-974-7139.
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