HELLO DISTRICT 5! COUNCILMEMBER RYAN ALTER DISTRICT 5
It’s hard to believe summer is already over! This past year has been a big one. The City has seen real progress on affordability. We hired a new City Manager. Crime is down, our 911 call center is fully staffed, our pools are open, and we’re ramping up efforts to keep our parks clean and safe.
On a personal note, it has been a big year for our family Rita and I welcomed our son Alistair last winter, Aurora and Atticus continue to grow like weeds, and just started school together at our local elementary school Everyone is happy and healthy, and our hearts (and hands) are always full
Looking forward, I plan to build on the successes we’ve seen in the city I remain steadfast in my determination that everyone who wants to live in Austin should be able to afford to do so. It shouldn’t take a Herculean effort to be able to make it in Austin.
I am committed to making Austin a livable city for all its residents You should be able to stroll to your neighborhood park, drive on roads that are usable, and walk or bike around the city without risking your safety These values will always guide my actions on your behalf at City Hall. You deserve to have a city government that prioritizes you, and that’s what I will continue to do while fortunate enough to serve on the City Council.
Should you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Sincerely,
COUNCIL ACTION
Whether it’s purchasing decisions, rebates, energy, or green infrastructure, we can and must do more to address our climate crisis. This year, I focused on improving City policies to be more sustainable. Here are just a few items we passed.
Sustainable Purchasing: The City spends nearly $1 billion per year on goods and services annually To reach our community climate goals, we must make sustainable choices with our dollars My item moved the City towards more sustainable purchasing practices including procuring low-carbon concrete and using environmentally-friendly lawn care
Electric Lawn Care Exchange: Every year, gas-powered lawn equipment in the U.S. produces as much pollution as 234 million cars. It’s filthy. This item expanded the existing Austin Energy rebate, and created a new incentive to trade in gas-powered equipment for a clean, electric alternative – a “cash for clunkers” for lawn care equipment!
Commercial Demand Response: Buildings account for 50% of total emissions in Austin, and using less power – especially during times of peak demand – is a huge opportunity to be more sustainable. By enrolling City buildings in Austin Energy’s Demand Response program, we will save money and power, and set a strong example for our community
Trees: Austin lost 10 million trees – 1/3 of our total canopy – during 2023’s Winter Storm Mara. To help replace these trees and achieve our Climate Equity Plan goal of 50% tree coverage by 2050, I passed items to initiate a comprehensive tree survey and invest more in tree planting and maintenance.
Preservation: Home demolitions produce 25% of the solid waste in our landfills In the past year, I am proud to have sponsored two items to encourage preservation of older housing stock in Austin – not just to reduce carbon emissions, but to preserve our history and keep naturally affordable housing in place. With this work, we’ll ensure house relocation is a viable alternative to demolition, and properly incentivize the preservation of older, more affordable homes
HOUSING UPDATE
City Council accomplished a lot during my first full year in office, and it shows!
Median rent in Austin decreased faster than all other large cities in the country because we made it easier to build the housing we need!
HOMELESSNESS SOLUTIONS
Addressing homelessness continues to be a top priority. Despite being one of the most difficult challenges facing Austin and District 5, we are making progress. We can and must do more to bring solutions to our community.
More Navigation Centers
Sunrise does amazing work, but it’s unfair to the neighborhood and the unhoused for just one location to provide such a disproportionate share of services for the entire city. That’s why I am working diligently with my colleagues and the Homeless Strategy Office to bring additional navigation centers online.
To that end, I championed a resolution that will expand the Downtown Austin Community Court, which helps resolve criminal issues and provides navigation services for the unhoused. This action will lead to new locations in north and south Austin that will ultimately allow for a shift away from the current operation at Sunrise and a more robust, more efficient delivery of services to those who need it.
Sanctioned Camping
State law dramatically limits where sanctioned camping can occur, but I have been working with the Homeless Strategy Office, APD, and community partners to expand our shelter capacity, identify land where we can legally establish camping, and implement best practices from other cities This is a long-term effort that will take significant resources, and I am dedicated to working towards a solution while also doing all I can to alleviate immediate issues in District 5.
Better Mental Health Response
The City of Austin has taken steps to improve our response to mental health crises, including adding a specific mental health option to 9-1-1, but we must have trained staff available to answer the call and respond quickly It doesn’t make sense for our police to respond to non-criminal calls when a mental health professional will achieve better results That is why I championed a budget amendment to strengthen our partnership with Integral Care to fund the Expanded Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (EMCOT) to operate 24 hours per day. We have seen incredible results from the current program that only operates during limited hours, and it is time to expand this operation to be available anytime a crisis occurs
ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTMENT
The more we continue to feel the impacts of climate change, the more pressing it is to build a more resilient and sustainable city.
In recognition of this need to act now, we passed a resolution I authored to identify and prioritize the most urgent investments that the City should make to address the increasing impacts of climate change This is the first time that the City has taken seriously the need to invest specifically in our climate, and I am excited to see overwhelming support from the community and Council to do so.
An important next step is the work that will be done by our recently created Bond Advisory Task Force. This group will evaluate and prioritize the most impactful investments the City can make, and ultimately make recommendations for putting these critical environmental investments on the ballot as early as 2025.
While I’m proud of this ongoing work, I’m not sitting on my hands in the meantime. As part of the recently approved 2025 budget, I carried amendments that:
1. Increased funding for tree planting
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Created a $50M land acquisition fund for parks, flood control, and other environmental needs
2 Strengthened Austin Energy’s home weatherization program, which lowers energy consumption for households, and decreases total energy usage when the power grid is experiencing peak demand
I am also working to increase the amount of solar generation on City buildings, reduce local flooding, better maintain our parks, and create places families and communities can enjoy when it’s too hot or cold to be outdoors
We always enjoy It’s My Park Day!
Climate change is here. We can proactively invest in resilient infrastructure to minimize its impacts or sink money into cleaning up the damage. I choose to act now.
BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS
In a time of limited resources and tough choices, the City Council passed a budget that puts people first, prioritizes our most vulnerable neighbors, and strengthens Austin’s long-term financial security. I am proud of the critical investments in the budget that will make Austin:
SAFER
Expands our non-police response program for those experiencing a mental health crisis to operate 24/7
Enhances EMS Communications to better respond to emergencies
Adds an additional fire cadet class to provide firefighters the time to recover mentally and physically
Funds the Mental Health Diversion
Pilot to treat those experiencing a mental health crisis instead of putting them in jail
Adds additional security cameras for Zilker and Garrison parks
MORE AFFORDABLE
Authorizes over $120 million for affordable housing
Provides rental assistance to prevent people from being evicted
My amendments
MORE LIVABLE
Invests over $250 million in roads, sidewalks, and trails
Funds more parks employees and equipment to keep our parks clean and usable
Adds new staff to clean up abandoned homeless encampments in our parks
Establishes an off-leash dog area at Longview park
REDUCE HOMELESSNESS
Prevents nearly 1,000 families from entering homelessness
Funds hundreds of new permanent supportive housing units to help the most vulnerable stay housed
Maintains our emergency shelter beds
so we can continue to help people in camps move into housing
Provides needed services for families experiencing homelessness
Expands rapid rehousing to quickly get people experiencing homelessness off the street and into a home
