JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE (JIC) RECOMMENDATION 20240327-002 AUSTIN BOARD AND COMMISSION BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS TRACKER Strategic Direction: Government that works for all Date: March 27, 2024 Subject: AUSTIN BOARD AND COMMISSION BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS TRACKER Strategic Direction: Government that works for all Motioned by: Commissioner Richard Bondi Seconded by: Commissioner Serita Fontanesi Recommendation Austin City Council approves the creation of and regularly updates of a publicly available, digital budget recommendation tracker for each fiscal year. This tracker will include a summary of each budget recommendation for that fiscal year from all of the boards and commissions, along with the status (submitted, in review, etc), and final outcome (edits, rejected, accepted, etc). The tracker can be as simple as an excel spreadsheet and as robust as the Texas Legislature Online Bill Lookup. Background and Rationale Every year Austin Boards and Commissions make budget recommendations to the city council based on commission priorities, community needs, and council goals. Commissioners spend countless hours meeting with council members, city departments, community members, and subject matter experts to craft well-informed and intentional recommendations. While board members and commissioners can follow up with council members for budget recommendations, this is not a sustainable method for update. Additionally, while the approved budget is publicly available and there are various reports shared each fiscal year about the progress various boards and commissions are making, there is no clear and central location for community members, or even commissioners to stay up to date on budget recommendations. Creating a publicly available, digital budget recommendation tracker will not only create more transparency across boards and commissions, the community, and council, it will also create a reference point for future budget processes. Board and commissions will be able to bring more efficiency to their budget recommendation process by having an easily accessible resource 1 available to review past recommendations. This tracker will also help retain institutional knowledge as board and commission members transition from year to year. As liaisons between the city and the community board and commission members will be able to easily direct community members to the tracker when questions related to the budget process and recommendation statuses arise. The goal of Austin’s boards and commissions is to create a space for community members to engage with the council and the city to make our city even better. By providing funding and resources to develop a budget recommendation tracker City Council can increase …
BOARD/COMMISSIONS RECOMMENDATION Joint Inclusion Committee Recommendation Number 20240327-003: Fiscal Year 2024-25 Funding for Collective Sex Crimes Response Model (CSCRM) Actions WHEREAS, the Joint Inclusion Committee (“JIC”) of the City of Austin (“City”) serves as an advisory body that advocates for and inspires the City Council (“Council”) and City Manager on issues pertaining to equity, diversity, and inclusion to promote close cooperation between Council, City Management, City boards, commissions, committees, and taskforces, and individuals, institutions, and agencies to increase and sustain equity, diversity, and inclusion in the city; and WHEREAS, in September 2019, the City Manager’s Office contracted the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), in conjunction with the Women’s Law Project and the Wellesley Centers for Women, to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the way sexual assaults reported to the Austin Police Department (APD) are investigated and processed; and WHEREAS, sexual assault lawsuits were filed and settlements were approved for Smith et. al. vs City of Austin and Senko et. al. vs City of Austin; and WHEREAS, on November 14, 2022, the final PERF report was released, Austin Police Department (APD) Review, Reported Sexual Assault Comprehensive Evaluation, and included comprehensive findings and over one hundred recommendations; and WHEREAS, the Austin Police Department worked with the Austin/Travis County Sexual Assault Response and Resource Team (SARRT) to address the PERF recommendations and take actions, including revisions to APD policies and procedures; and WHEREAS, the Collective Sex Crimes Response Model (CSCRM) was established in early 2023 to coordinate the full response to the PERF report, and includes representatives from APD, SARRT, nonprofit and community organizations, survivors and survivor advocates; and WHEREAS, the Commission for Women and Public Safety Commission formed a joint working group in 2023 to support and track the work of the CSCRM and report progress to their respective commissions; and WHEREAS, the work of the CSCRM is significant in scope, spanning multiple working groups, and has identified serious unmet funding requirements and additional needs for fiscal year 2024- 2025; and WHEREAS, funding has been allocated to support APD comprehensive sexual assault/trauma curriculum development and delivery, additional detective hours on misdemeanor and cold cases, the hiring of a CSCRM project manager, the implementation of a survivor survey and a stipend for volunteer project members, among others; and WHEREAS, law enforcement staffing shortages and hiring challenges are impacting support for survivors of sexual assault, and training and increased financial support and innovative approaches …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Inclusion Committee Budget 20240327-04: Recommendation Regarding Current Early Childhood Investments WHEREAS, the Joint Inclusion Commi that advocates for and inspires the City Counci equity, diversity, and inclusion to promote clo ent, City utions, and agencie boards, commissions, commi and sustain equity, diversity, and inclusion in t n Council, City Managem s to increase he city; and ttees, and task forces, and individuals, instit l (“Council”) and City Manager on issues pertaining t se cooperation betwee o ttee (“JIC”) of the City of Austin (“City”) serves as an advisory body WHEREAS, in the City of Austin, 31% of children under age 6 live in households with low income; and WHEREAS, 90% of the children in households with low income under age 6 are children of color; and decades WHEREAS, world because children birth-weight, at school; and of research prove that disadvantage s begin the moment childre n come into the born into poverty and children of color are disproportionately at low born early, or with chronic illnesses, and are less likely than their peers to be ready for, or successful investments WHEREAS, current City the Austin/Travis designed coordinated table acce systems for equi to coordinate improve child and family ss; and County Success By 6 Strategic efforts, in early childhood programs align with the goals and strategies of Plan - a robust, data-driven plan and as well as build more efficient community strategic outcomes WHEREAS, programs workforce; the federal, state, are expiring and and local economic recovery worker wage stipends funds invested for the early childhood in early childhood systems and in 2024, including essential Child Care Scholarship is closed, WHEREAS, no new funding enrollment amount of time a family applying they could expect through is available for a scholarship to be outreached for enrollment programs time will likely at that and is 24 months; at this time, and as of March 2024, the estimated remain on a wait list before Workforce Solutions Capital Area are at capacity, WHEREAS, region's skilled and trades; the skilled the City of Austin's recently announced Infrastructure is intended to expand the trade sector and access to child care is an obstacle workforce, including Academy for the existing WHEREAS, the Early Childhood Workgroup, and GAVA, all calling sector. Council has had input fro for significantly increased m Success By 6, The Childre n's Funding Project local government investment in the Childcare NOW, THEREFORE, …
BOARDCOMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Inclusion Committee Recommendation Number: (20240327-005): Support for GO Repair Program WHEREAS, the Joint Inclusion Committee (“JIC”) of the City of Austin (“City”) serves as an advisory body that advocates for and inspires the City Council (“Council”) and City Manager on issues pertaining to equity, diversity, and inclusion to promote close cooperation between Council, City Management, City boards, commissions, committees, and task forces, and individuals, institutions, and agencies to increase and sustain equity, diversity, and inclusion in the city; and WHEREAS, those aged 65 years and older, represent the fastest-growing age group in Austin, expanding from 55,695 (7.0% of 2010 population) to 91,733 (9.5% of 2020 population), and growing at a rate of 64.7%; and WHEREAS, the Age-Friendly Austin Community Feedback Survey indicates that 74% of older city residents surveyed want to age in-place for as long as possible and respondents cited needing increased assistance for home repairs and maintenance in order to stay in their homes; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin has funded the GO Repair program with General Obligation bonds that helps low-income homeowners fix serious structural issues like accessibility accommodations, electrical and mechanical repairs, drywall, flooring, siding repairs and more, allowing homeowners to safely stay in their homes with the repair assistance channeled through area nonprofits; and WHEREAS, the current year’s funding of $5 million will assist over 200 households and will run out before the year is over because of strong demand for the program (current wait list top 250). NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Joint Inclusion Committee encourages the Austin City Council to allocate continued General Obligation bond funding and explore all available additional funding avenues to fund the GO Repair program at a more adequate level that will allow the program to continue uninterrupted for all of FY25 ($10-15 million). Date of Approval: March 27, 2024 Record of the vote: 9-0, Commissioners Vargas and Gordon absent (ECC) Attest: _____________________________________________ Vice-Chair
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Inclusion Committee Recommendation Number: (20240327-006): Pedestrian Signaling WHEREAS, the Joint Inclusion Committee (“JIC”) of the City of Austin (“City”) serves as an advisory body that advocates for and inspires the City Council (“Council”) and City Manager on issues pertaining to equity, diversity, and inclusion to promote close cooperation between Council, City Management, City boards, commissions, committees, and task forces, and individuals, institutions, and agencies to increase and sustain equity, diversity, and inclusion in the city; and WHEREAS, persons aged 65 and older represent the fastest-growing age group in Austin, expanding from 55,695 (7.0% of 2010 population) to 91,733 (9.5% of 2020 population), and growing at a rate of 64.7%; and WHEREAS, the Age-Friendly Austin Community Feedback Survey indicates 23% of respondents were living with disability, including persons with physical issues, persons who are deaf or hard of hearing, and persons with; and persons with psychiatric or mental health issues, etc; and WHEREAS, Leading Pedestrian Interval signals (LPIs) adjust traffic signal timing to allow pedestrians to enter the cross walk five (5) to seven (7) seconds before vehicles get a green signal, allowing drivers in turn lanes to better identify the pedestrians before vehicles are allowed to turn; and WHEREAS, in 2019, the Austin Transportation Department (ATD), through collaboration with ATD Vision Zero staff, traffic signal engineers and public information staff installed LPIs at 110 intersections in Austin’s downtown/Central Business District to improve pedestrian safety in the city’s most active pedestrian zone; and WHEREAS, ATD conducted a survey following implementation to gauge early project feedback on the LPI installations and found that, “87% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that they felt safer crossing streets because they had a head start due to the LPI and 60% agreed or strongly agreed that they are more likely to use a crosswalk knowing that it has an LPI.” WHEREAS, Audible Pedestrian Signals (APSs), pedestrian hybrid beacons and countdown clocks provide important feedback to pedestrians, making them aware of the remaining duration of a walk light and enabling them to make better determinations on completing a safe crossing; and WHEREAS, City of Austin staff have cited up to a 25% crash reduction at certain intersections that received countdown clocks. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Joint Inclusion Committee recommends that the Austin Transportation Department continue data driven approaches and inter-department collaboration to identify and implement Leading Pedestrian Interval signals …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Inclusion Committee Recommendation Number: (20240327-007): Parks & Recreation Funding WHEREAS, the Joint Inclusion Committee (“JIC”) of the City of Austin (“City”) serves as an advisory body that advocates for and inspires the City Council (“Council”) and City Manager on issues pertaining to equity, diversity, and inclusion to promote close cooperation between Council, City Management, City boards, commissions, committees, and task forces, and individuals, institutions, and agencies to increase and sustain equity, diversity, and inclusion in the city; and WHEREAS, persons aged 65 and older represent the fastest-growing age group in Austin, expanding from 55,695 (7.0% of 2010 population) to 91,733 (9.5% of 2020 population), and growing at a rate of 64.7%; and WHEREAS, Austin’s Age Friendly Action Plan includes an Outdoor Spaces component, indicating people need public places to gather — indoors and out. Green spaces, seating, and accessible buildings (elevators, zero-step entrances, and ramps) can be used and enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities. Age-friendly communities might require buildings to follow Universal Design Guidelines, a relatively new concept meaning building for people of all abilities including wheelchair users; and WHEREAS, Austin’s Age Friendly Action Plan includes a Social Participation component, indicating that Parks and Recreation Departments as well as local libraries are often the champions of social participation, recreation, and engagement for every community. These two agencies provide multi- generational programs as well as programs geared for specific ages. Their programs are critical for those who may feel the debilitating effects of isolation. Loneliness can be combated by creating opportunities to socialize and the availability of accessible, affordable, and fun social activities; and WHEREAS, Austin’s Age Friendly Action Plan includes a Work and Civic Engagement Spaces component, indicating that an age-friendly community encourages older people to be actively engaged in community life and has opportunities for residents to work for pay or volunteer their skills and that city parks are an excellent location for civic engagement and community engagement; and WHEREAS, the Austin Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) has been the steward of the City of Austin’s public lands since 1928. As such, PARD protects and maintains parkland, preserves trails, and offers a variety of sports, recreation, educational enrichment, arts programs, cultural opportunities, nature and aquatic activities; and WHEREAS, additional funding is crucial to avoid diverting resources from core programs and ensure compliance with safety regulations (NFPA 10, Texas Fire Code); and WHEREAS, increased …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Inclusion Committee Recommendation Number: (20240327-008): Outreach for Emergency Preparedness WHEREAS, the Joint Inclusion Committee (“JIC”) of the City of Austin (“City”) serves as an advisory body that advocates for and inspires the City Council (“Council”) and City Manager on issues pertaining to equity, diversity, and inclusion to promote close cooperation between Council, City Management, City boards, commissions, committees, and task forces, and individuals, institutions, and agencies to increase and sustain equity, diversity, and inclusion in the city; and WHEREAS, persons aged 65 and older represent the fastest-growing age group in Austin, expanding from 55,695 (7.0% of 2010 population) to 91,733 (9.5% of 2020 population), and growing at a rate of 64.7%; and WHEREAS, feedback most often received is that Austinites, including older adults lack knowledge about where to find information related emergency preparedness, and often find themselves unprepared; and WHEREAS, in recent years, the winter storms and their aftermath raised concerns about reaching the "harder to reach" older citizens with timely information and assistance, indicating the need for a multi- modal approach to sharing information with older adults and their family caregivers; and WHEREAS, a multi-modal approach to communication would require print, digital and face-to-face communications with attention to language access and access to individuals with disabilities. And in order to be effective, this approach would require earmarked funding for the Age Friendly Coordination team at Austin Public Health; and WHEREAS, the Commission on Aging has identified emergency preparedness as a key priority requiring ongoing multi-modal outreach and communication multiple times each year to ensure consistent messaging and timely public awareness of essential programs and services related to preparedness for older individuals and family caregivers; and WHEREAS, community engagement with older individuals during Older Americans Month and needs assessment activities are essential to the overall public awareness of the growing population of older Austinites and their needs will require additional funding; and WHEREAS, existing effective multi-modal outreach campaigns cost approximately $5,000 per campaign, proposed funding needs will be $30,000 for multiple emergency preparedness campaigns, Older Americans Month, and ongoing community needs assessment activities. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Joint Inclusion Committee encourages the Austin City Council to allocate $30,000 to support Age Friendly Plan activities, to be allocated to multiple public awareness and educational outreach events related to informing older adults in the Austin area of emergency procedures and ongoing emergency preparedness planning for older …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Inclusion Committee Recommendation Number: (20240327-009): Gus Garcia Recreation Center Temporary Expansion Space WHEREAS, the Joint Inclusion Committee (“JIC”) of the City of Austin (“City”) serves as an advisory body that advocates for and inspires the City Council (“Council”) and City Manager on issues pertaining to equity, diversity, and inclusion to promote close cooperation between Council, City Management, City boards, commissions, committees, and task forces, and individuals, institutions, and agencies to increase and sustain equity, diversity, and inclusion in the city; and WHEREAS, persons aged 65 and older represent the fastest-growing age group in Austin, expanding from 55,695 (7.0% of 2010 population) to 91,733 (9.5% of 2020 population), and growing at a rate of 64.7%; and WHEREAS, the Asian American population was the fastest-growing race/ethnicity group among the Austin older population. The Asian American older population more than doubled from 2,051 in 2010 to 4,829 in 2020; and WHEREAS, the Gus Garcia Recreation Center currently serves a large percentage of Asian American older adults, aged 65 and older; and WHEREAS, 20231 participants at of all ages have increased significantly at the Gus Garcia Recreation Center over pre-pandemic levels: • Youth Programs 107%+ over 2019 levels • Teen Programs 433%+ over 2019 levels • Adult Programs 612% over 2019 levels • Older Adult Programs 295% over 2019 levels; and WHEREAS, the physical space at the Gus Garcia Recreation Center is filled to capacity, with classes frequently having to occur in the lobby or programs being cancelled; and 1 These are incomplete counts for 2023 program participants at the Gus Garcia Recreation Center. WHEREAS, due to space limitations, the older adult activities are severely curtailed during the months when the Summer Youth Programs are in operation, preventing expansion of adult and older adult programs that enrich the lives of adults and older adults; and WHEREAS, PARD is recommending expansion of the Gus Garcia Recreation Center to accommodate the vibrant and ethnically diverse older adult community that currently utilize the location; and WHEREAS, any permanent expansion will require a bond issue, which will likely delay opening of an expanded facility until 2028 at best. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Joint Inclusion Committee encourages the Austin City Council to allocate $30,000 annually for a 12’ x 60’ temporary space at the Gus Garcia Recreation Center to continue to encourage the participation of the diverse older adult community at that location. …
. BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Inclusion Committee Recommendation Number: (20240313-010): Expansion of Emergency Housing and Rental Assistance Program WHEREAS, the Joint Inclusion Committee (“JIC”) of the City of Austin (“City”) serves as an advisory body that advocates for and inspires the City Council (“Council”) and City Manager on issues pertaining to equity, diversity, and inclusion to promote close cooperation between Council, City Management, City boards, commissions, committees, and task forces, and individuals, institutions, and agencies to increase and sustain equity, diversity, and inclusion in the city; and WHEREAS, those aged 65 years and older, represent the fastest-growing age group in Austin, expanding from 55,695 (7.0% of 2010 population) to 91,733 (9.5% of 2020 population), and growing at a rate of 64.7%; and WHEREAS, Austin continues to face a housing affordability crisis, particularly impacting renters that have seen multiple years of rental increases, and WHEREAS, the Age-Friendly Austin Community Feedback Survey indicates that older city residents want to age in-place for as long as possible and respondents who are experiencing unstable housing cited this was due to lack of affordability and gentrification; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin has provided funding for the RENT program, now referred to as “I Belong in Austin” which has successfully provided renters emergency assistance for rent, moving, and storage/relocation to prevent eviction, displacement, and homelessness; and WHEREAS, I Belong in Austin served a significant number of Austin individuals over 60 (14% of the total served) and continues to have an extensive waitlist, over 800 people when the program began this year and quickly grow to 4,000 before being capped indicating the continuing need for assistance. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Commission on Aging encourages the Austin City Council to allocate $15 million to support I Belong in Austin in the next fiscal year based on an evaluation of the program’s effectiveness in mitigating the affordability crisis and accomplish strategic goals related to housing stabilization, economic opportunity, and affordability. Date of Approval: March 27, 2024 . Record of the vote: 8-0, Commissioners Vargas and Gordon (ECC), Commissioners Davis and Aslam (Human Rights) absent Attest: _____________________________________________ Vice Chair Type text here
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Inclusion Committee Recommendation Number: (20240327-011): Equity Office Funding WHEREAS, the Joint Inclusion Committee (“JIC”) of the City of Austin (“City”) serves as an advisory body that advocates for and inspires the City Council (“Council”) and City Manager on issues pertaining to equity, diversity, and inclusion to promote close cooperation between Council, City Management, City boards, commissions, committees, and task forces, and individuals, institutions, and agencies to increase and sustain equity, diversity, and inclusion in the city; and WHEREAS, persons aged 65 and older represent the fastest-growing age group in Austin, expanding from 55,695 (7.0% of 2010 population) to 91,733 (9.5% of 2020 population), and growing at a rate of 64.7%; and WHEREAS the latest City of Austin Planning Department show Austin residents are 48% white, 32% Hispanic/Latina/o/x, 8% Asian/Asian American, 7% Black/African American, and 4% Multiracial; and WHEREAS, a recent survey by the City of Austin Office of Police Oversight indicated 22% of respondents identified as part of the LGBTQIA+ community; and WHEREAS, the Age-Friendly Austin Community Feedback Survey indicates 23% of respondents were living with a disability; and WHEREAS, while not an all-inclusive list, all of the demographics specified above are at risk for discrimination and being targeted, generally the older adults in those populations are the most vulnerable; and WHEREAS, in the last twelve months, the City of Austin has seen an increase in discrimination, targeting and persecution of multiple ethnicities; and WHEREAS, the Equity Office mission is “To provide leadership, guidance, and insight on equity to improve the quality of life for Austinites and achieve the vision of making Austin the most livable city in the nation for ALL;” and WHEREAS, the City of Austin Equity Office is currently operating without a permanently appointed Equity Officer; and WHEREAS, there are initiatives within the City of Austin to consolidate the Equity Office with other group(s). NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Joint Inclusion Committee encourages the Austin City Council to act to maintain the Equity Office and further, to ensure adequate funding to hire and maintain a Chief Equity Officer, and to designate adequate resources to Austin residents who may be experiencing discrimination, marginalization, hate crimes or persecution;and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Joint Inclusion Committee encourages the Austin City Council to support the Equity Office’s ongoing work to address the needs of Austinites and continue to convey that equity in …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Inclusion Committee Recommendation Number: (20240327-013): Additional Immunization Funding WHEREAS, the Joint Inclusion Committee (“JIC”) of the City of Austin (“City”) serves as an advisory body that advocates for and inspires the City Council (“Council”) and City Manager on issues pertaining to equity, diversity, and inclusion to promote close cooperation between Council, City Management, City boards, commissions, committees, and task forces, and individuals, institutions, and agencies to increase and sustain equity, diversity, and inclusion in the city; and WHEREAS, persons aged 65 and older represent the fastest-growing age group in Austin, expanding from 55,695 (7.0% of 2010 population) to 91,733 (9.5% of 2020 population), and growing at a rate of 64.7%; and WHEREAS, Austin Public Health Immunizations Unit aims to provide a vaccine safety net for vulnerable Travis County Residents; and WHEREAS, Adults - in particular older adults, as noted the fastest growing age group in Austin, with the Asian older population exhibiting the fastest growth--have limited options for free and low-cost vaccinations in Austin/Travis County; and WHEREAS, the Adult Safety Net (ASN) program removed the shingles vaccine (Shingrix) in September of 2021 due to lack of funds; and WHEREAS, the ASN program removed the pneumococcal pneumonia vaccine (PCV20) in August of 2023 due to lack of funds; and WHEREAS, both of these vaccines are primarily recommended for older adults, with Shingrix being recommended for adults over 50 only; and WHEREAS, the APH Immunizations Unit purchased and administered over 900 shingles vaccines at a cost of approximately $180,000 including 300 shingles vaccines purchased so far in FY24 at a cost of $59,360; and WHEREAS, since August 2023 the APH Immunizations Unit purchased and administered over 170 doses of pneumococcal vaccine for a total of $44,465; and WHEREAS, the above purchases of these two vaccines have all been administered, the APH Immunizations Unit no longer has quantities available as a safety net for vulnerable residents; and WHEREAS, after the above dosages were administered, there’s an additional estimated unmet need of 3,500 Shingrix doses annually, representing 1,750 clients annually (Shingrix is a two-dose series); and WHEREAS, after the above dosages were administered, there’s an additional estimated unmet need of 2,200 Pneumococcal vaccine doses annual, representing 2,200 clients annually; and WHEREAS, pricing for Shingrix vaccine is $1,862.19 for 10 doses as of 3/4/24; and WHEREAS, pricing for the PCV20 vaccine is $2,437.18 for 10 doses as of 3/4/24. NOW, THEREFORE, BE …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Inclusion Committee Recommendation Number: (20240327-014): LGBTQIA+ Affirming Mental Healthcare WHEREAS, the Joint Inclusion Committee (“JIC”) of the City of Austin (“City”) serves as an advisory body that advocates for and inspires the City Council (“Council”) and City Manager on issues pertaining to equity, diversity, and inclusion to promote close cooperation between Council, City Management, City boards, commissions, committees, and task forces, and individuals, institutions, and agencies to increase and sustain equity, diversity, and inclusion in the city; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin’s 2021 LGBTQIA+ Quality of Life Study identified that the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown metropolitan area had the 3rd largest percentage of LGBTQIA+ people in the United States, with about 5.0% or 90,000 people identifying as LGBTQIA+; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin currently has an estimated 475-person waitlist for LGBTQIA+-focused mental health services; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin’s 2021 LGBTQIA+ Quality of Life Study found that respondents are at high risk for serious mental health issues, including 42% for depression and 12% for suicidal ideation; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin’s 2021 LGBTQIA+ Quality of Life Study respondents reported having to put off getting health-related services in the past 12 months because of the cost of dental care (29%), mental health care (21%), medical care (18%), and gender-affirming care (9%) among the top services avoided due to cost; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin’s 2021 LGBTQIA+ Quality of Life Study respondents were asked about how they rate their overall mental health since the pandemic, more than half (52%) of the 1,882 respondents rated their mental health as fair, poor, or very poor, a sizeable increase in mental health concerns; and WHEREAS, nearly half (45%) of respondents in the Austin-based QWELL Community Foundation’s 2021 survey rated their mental health as poor or fair; and WHEREAS, according to the 2022 Austin Public Health Community Health Assessment, there exists significant mental health needs including stigma and limited access to mental health care. Among Travis County residents, the suicide rate was 12.2 deaths per 100,000 population and highest among males (18.5 deaths per 100,000 population) and White residents (17.1 deaths per 100,000 population) in 2016- 2020. In 2020, a higher percentage of females (33.0%) compared to males (20.9%) reported poor mental health, and the prevalence of poor mental health days has increased by 7 overall for both genders. In the same year, a higher percentage of Hispanic/Latino adults (31.5%) …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Inclusion Committee Recommendation Number: (20240327-015): Emergency Housing Assistance WHEREAS, the Joint Inclusion Committee (“JIC”) of the City of Austin (“City”) serves as an advisory body that advocates for and inspires the City Council (“Council”) and City Manager on issues pertaining to equity, diversity, and inclusion to promote close cooperation between Council, City Management, City boards, commissions, committees, and task forces, and individuals, institutions, and agencies to increase and sustain equity, diversity, and inclusion in the city; and WHEREAS, Austin continues to face a housing affordability crisis particularly impacting renters that have seen multiple years of rental increases; and WHEREAS, the LGBTQ Quality of Life Study noted that the increased cost of rental housing was the highest-ranked domain of priority for participants in the town hall meetings; and WHEREAS, in the referenced Study, 10% of respondents indicated they had been homeless in the last 5 years, 65% of respondents spent 30% or more of their income on housing while 9% spent more than half of their income; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin provided funding for a program entitled “I Belong in Austin” to provide emergency assistance for renters in danger of losing their housing including short-term rental assistance as well as moving and storage expenses to lessen the impact of forced relocation; and WHEREAS, “I Belong in Austin” had over 800 people on the waiting list when the program began this year, and that waiting list quickly grew to 4,000 before being capped at that number indicating the continuing need for this assistance. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the LGBTQ Quality of Life Commission recommends that the Austin City Council approve continued funding in the next fiscal year based on an evaluation of the program’s effectiveness in preventing homelessness for diverse clients to mitigate the affordability crisis and accomplish strategic goals related to housing stabilization, economic opportunity, and affordability; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Joint Inclusion Committee recommends that the Austin City Council directs $300K annual funding for culturally appropriate free or low-cost LGBTQIA+ affirming mental healthcare, and/or peer support services. Additionally, we recommend the LGBTQ Quality of Life Advisory Commission be included in drafting the scope of work for the request for proposal process. Date of Approval: March 27, 2024 Record of the vote: 8-0, Commissioners Vargas and Gordon (ECC), Commissioners Davis and Aslam (Human Rights) absent Attest: _____________________________________________ Vice- Chair
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Inclusion Committee Recommendation Number: (20240327-016): Equity Office Data Analyst WHEREAS, the Joint Inclusion Committee (“JIC”) of the City of Austin (“City”) serves as an advisory body that advocates for and inspires the City Council (“Council”) and City Manager on issues pertaining to equity, diversity, and inclusion to promote close cooperation between Council, City Management, City boards, commissions, committees, and task forces, and individuals, institutions, and agencies to increase and sustain equity, diversity, and inclusion in the city; and WHEREAS, Data Equity for all of the communities represented by the JIC is a pressing issue that affects and informs the services we receive or do not. It is defined by the JIC as 1) inclusion and incorporation of community expertise and research expertise to 2) ensure equity in all stages and aspects of data and research, including: ● design and development ● collection, compilation, processing, ● analysis, dissemination, and preservation; and WHEREAS, the JIC has received various staff and program presentations since its creation and one of the leading trends we see is that there is very little data collection that speaks to the nuances of how or if the diverse communities represented by the JIC is served; and WHEREAS, a Data Analyst Associate FTE position is recommended to be added to the Equity Office to complement the work they are doing with a data analyst associate that can assist in helping the Equity Office stay up to date on national data equity trends, assist with data analysis that can provide deeper insight into systematic issues and trends in available City data, and/or consult with other departments on data equity models and trends. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Joint Inclusion Committee encourages the Austin City Council to allocate the amount of $95,000 is recommended to cover 1 Data Analyst Associate FTE. Date of Approval: March 27, 2024 Record of the vote: 8-0, Commissioners Vargas and Gordon (ECC), Commissioners Davis and Aslam (Human Rights) absent Attest: _____________________________________________ Vice- Chair
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Inclusion Committee Recommendation Number: (20240327-017): Austin Public Health Immigrant Legal Services WHEREAS, the Joint Inclusion Committee (“JIC”) of the City of Austin (“City”) serves as an advisory body that advocates for and inspires the City Council (“Council”) and City Manager on issues pertaining to equity, diversity, and inclusion to promote close cooperation between Council, City Management, City boards, commissions, committees, and task forces, and individuals, institutions, and agencies to increase and sustain equity, diversity, and inclusion in the city; and WHEREAS, the JIC strongly recommends continued funding for the Austin Public Health (APH) Immigrant Legal Services program in the FY 2024-25 budget. This program plays a critical role in supporting the well-being of Austin's immigrant population; and WHEREAS, APH Immigrant Legal Services currently has 2 contracts in place for American Gateways and 1 contract in place for Catholic Charities, all of which are set to expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The recent closure of Refugee Services of Texas has further reduced options for legal immigration assistance available in the community for refugees, many of whom are from Asian and Middle Eastern countries. Currently, we are aware that American Gateways does not have sufficient resources to serve those needing immigrant legal services and has a waitlist. We strongly recommend continued funding for the APH Immigrant Legal Services program at a level that allows it to meet the growing needs of Austin's immigrant population; and WHEREAS, contractors for this program provide critical legal assistance to immigrants in Austin. The program helps immigrants navigate the complex legal system, with a focus on areas like citizenship, deportation defense, and access to public benefits. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Joint Inclusion Committee encourages the Austin City Council to allocate funding of $700,000 is recommended to continue services currently being provided along with a suggested $150,000 increase to better meet community legal needs from the closure of nonprofits serving refugees in our community. Date of Approval: March 27, 2024 Record of the vote: 7-0, Commissioner Ortega Abstaining and Commissioners Vargas and Gordon (ECC), Commissioners Davis and Aslam (Human Rights) absent Attest: _____________________________________________ Vice- Chair
. BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Inclusion Committee Recommendation Number: (20240327-018): We All Belong Austin Against Hate Campaign WHEREAS, the Joint Inclusion Committee (“JIC”) of the City of Austin (“City”) serves as an advisory body that advocates for and inspires the City Council (“Council”) and City Manager on issues pertaining to equity, diversity, and inclusion to promote close cooperation between Council, City Management, City boards, commissions, committees, and task forces, and individuals, institutions, and agencies to increase and sustain equity, diversity, and inclusion in the city; and WHEREAS, July 2023, the City launched an anti-hate education and outreach initiative called “We All Belong” to streamline access to tools to report hate crimes and incidents, making it easier for community members to keep Austin safe. This was during a disturbing upward trend that has continued in hate crimes in the city that were anti-Semitic, racist, and homophobic and was as directed by council in a 2021 resolution; and WHEREAS, in February of this year, a stabbing attack in West Campus of a group of South Asians was classified as a hate crime after the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued a wide alert about the context around the crime and held a press release at City Hall following it. Prior to that, news reports did not mention the use of racial slurs and targeting of the victim, who is Palestinian American; and WHEREAS, the Joint Inclusion Committee sees the continued need for the We All Belong Austin against the hate campaign and wants to see it continue its reach to along with staying current and updated with current news communities targeted disproportionately for their race, ethnicity, or religion. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Joint Inclusion Committee encourages the Austin City Council to allocate $350,000 in funding is recommended to sustain the program and campaign. Date of Approval: March 27, 2024 Record of the vote: 8-0, Commissioners Vargas and Gordon (ECC), Commissioners Davis and Aslam (Human Rights) absent . Attest: _____________________________________________ Vice-Chair
JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION 20240327-19 Family Stabilization Program as a Mechanism for Promoting Housing Stability Date: March 27, 2024 Subject: FY25 Budget Recommendations Recommendation Motioned By: Commissioner Afifi Seconded By: Commissioner Sin Affordability is an issue that continues to come up year after year, and it was the most common issue expressed by residents at all three Quality of Life Townhalls. People continue to see increases in rent and housing costs. The family stabilization program offers more flexible access to housing support, accords more choice and dignity, reduces discrimination, and offers more efficient and cost-effective housing. The current pilot shows funds are primarily helping Latino/a/x and Black families in the Eastern crescent. Gentrification has pushed families out of the areas they have been living in, some for generations. These permanent funds help keep people in their communities. Additionally, the program is also helping families whose communication is in a language other than English. Spanish was the second most common language requested on enrollment forms. Description of Recommendation to Council ● Establish the Family Stabilization Grants as a permanent City of Austin program ● Expand funding to $3 million Rationale According to findings from a recent brief from the Urban Institute titled Guaranteed Income as a Mechanism for Promoting Housing Stability, unrestricted cash investment addresses gaps and deficits in policies designed to address America’s housing affordability crisis. The brief reported, “Insights from a research review and policymaker interviews suggest that strategically applied cash relief could accomplish the following: 1. Offer renters facing one-time or intermittent housing shocks more flexible access to housing support. 2. Accord more choice and dignity to any renter in need of housing support. 3. Reduce exposure to voucher discrimination and offer more housing choices to marginalized populations. 4. Provide increased housing access to excluded workers. 5. Offer more efficient and cost-effective housing help to those in urgent need now.” According to UpTogether’s Central Texas 12-Month Pilot of the Strength-Based Approach: Final Report, “Between July 2021 and March 2022 members decreased their reliance on government subsidies. Fewer members applied for subsidies, vouchers, or other similar housing assistance (from 27% to 19%). The percentage of members receiving any type of government housing assistance was cut by half (16% to 8%).” Cash is an efficient and equitable form of housing assistance. UpTogether uncovered on a previous report that only 16% of members were receiving housing assistance. Some of the highlighted …
JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION 20240327-20 Supporting Early Childhood Education and Development Funding Date: March 27, 2024 Subject: FY24 Budget Recommendations Recommendation Motioned By: Commissioner Afifi Seconded By: Commissioner Bondi Early childhood educators, caregivers and parents of young children deserve livable wages and affordable childcare: the two are not mutually exclusive. Local governments are crucial to investing/highlighting early childhood educators especially when state and federal governments are not. Childcare is a public good, it is economic infrastructure. Description of Recommendation to Council ● $1.5 M Austin Public Health multi-year allocation to Early Childhood Education and Development funding: ○ $500,000 Early childhood education and development scholarships ■ Directly dispersed to childcare centers & registered licensed to support parents with high needs ○ $500,000 Pilot early childhood mini-grants providing emergency financial relief for home-based licensed providers and Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) caregivers; Center Based Care ○ Earmark $250,000 to fund a future contract with a qualified nonprofit, selected through a competitive bidding process, to provide health insurance support and ACA website navigation assistance, specifically for the early childhood workforce. Support specific to Early Childhood providers can include, but is not limited to: ■ Education on required documentation ■ Ability to schedule appointments with Early Childhood providers when they are available ○ $250,000 to establish a no-cost lending library & EC resource center for child care providers and families (toys, curriculum, technology, etc) available at APH Neighborhood Centers and APL branch libraries. ● Recommend updating the eligibility focus to include home-based childcare providers (licensed and FFN). Rationale The cost of childcare is one of the biggest expenses families face. It is a daunting task to find affordable, high quality childcare. According to UT News, “The average cost for infant care in Texas is $777 per month, or $9,324 per year — nearly 14% of the state’s median household income of $67,321 and more expensive than a year of in-state tuition at a four-year public college.” Every child in Austin should be able to access high quality childcare without causing financial strain on the family. Childcare providers may encounter financial burdens that make it difficult for them to provide services on a consistent basis. Unexpected issues can derail childcare services. It can take time to navigate insurance claims while continuing to try and run a business. There are times the home-based childcare center may have to close as a result of the issues/damage. Emergency …
Joint Sustainability Committee RECOMMENDATION 20240327-006 Date: March 27, 2024 Subject: Joint Sustainability Committee Budget Recommendations (Part 2) Recommendations on the FY 24-25 Budget Description of Recommendation to Council 1. Low-Income Bill Discounts: Austin Energy customers pay a dedicated Customer Assistance Program fee to provide bill discounts for low-income customers. The purpose of this fee is to provide needed support in a transparent way. Forcing solar to pay for low-income discounts (as is the current structure of Austin Energy’s Community Solar program) only serves to slow the transition to clean energy. Low-income discounts are needed regardless of the source of energy. The Joint Sustainability Committee recommends that all bill discounts for lower-income residents be paid from the Customer Assistance Program fund, including bill discounts for low-income Community Solar subscribers. Motion: Christopher Campbell Second: Amy Noel Vote: 12-0 Yes: Kaiba White, Rodrigo Leal, Anna Scott, Jon Christopher Campbell, Richard Brimer, Charlotte Davis, Diana Wheeler, Chris Maxwell-Gaines, Craig Nazor, Jon Salinas, Amy Noel, Alice Woods, Chris Campbell Off Dais: Anna Scott Absent: Yure Suarez, Heather Houser, Bertha Delgado, Stephanie Bazan 2. Transmission Improvements: Improvements to Austin Energy’s transmission system are essential for mitigating local congestion that increases costs to the utility and customers and for enabling the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. Austin Energy commissioned a study that identified five recommended types of transmission upgrades. The Joint Sustainability Committee recommends that these recommended upgrades be implemented as quickly as possible, by 2030, and that sufficient funding be allocated to this need to ensure that that of funds is not a source of delay. Motion: Christopher Campbell Second: Amy Noel Vote: 12-0 Yes: Kaiba White, Rodrigo Leal, Anna Scott, Jon Christopher Campbell, Richard Brimer, Charlotte Davis, Diana Wheeler, Chris Maxwell-Gaines, Craig Nazor, Jon Salinas, Amy Noel, Alice Woods, Chris Campbell Off Dais: Anna Scott Absent: Yure Suarez, Heather Houser, Bertha Delgado, Stephanie Bazan 3. Fayette Coal Plant: Austin Energy and the Austin City Council have established that shutting down Austin Energy’s portion of the Fayette coal plant is a top priority. Investing in an asset that the utility is actively trying to shut down is not a prudent use of ratepayer or utility funds. The Joint Sustainability Committee recommends that the budget not include any capital investments in Fayette. The Joint Sustainability Committee also recommends allocating $175,000 to support water quality monitoring and remediation. Motion: Christopher Campbell Second: Amy Noel Vote: 12-0 …
