City of Austin Council Message Board

Colleagues, I wanted to amend my previous post. I’ve been wanting to serve on the Community Advancement Network (CAN) but wanted to ensure I had the bandwidth to do so. In speaking with the Mayor, he expressed an interest in serving on the Housing Committee so I would like to amend my post to: REMOV...

Colleagues,
I would like to continue serving on the following committees;
• Housing and Planning Committee
• Public Health Committee
• Austin/AISD/County Joint Committee
Thank you,
Council Member Velásquez

Colleagues, Tomorrow, I will bring forward Item 71, relating to financial assistance for residential property owners who want to add a housing unit on their homesteaded property. I understand that the previous council has done continuous work to look for resources similar to the one I am proposing t...

Colleagues, I would like to pull item 40. I want to discuss this potential investment of $15 million to expand the pedestrian/bicycle crossing at Woodland Avenue and I-35 from 75 feet to 300 feet. Given that the $15 million will come out of Mobility Bonds for bicycle and sidewalk improvements, we sh...

Colleagues, Thursday October 19th is “Go Purple Day” / Purple Thursday This national day of action, recognition, and reflection around Domestic Violence Awareness Month is a meaningful opportunity for us to acknowledge the impacts of domestic violence, both as a Council and as a community. This is a...

Colleagues,  I look forward to budget discussions where we work to prioritize and address needs that will best support and advance our community. Thank you to the community members and leaders who have been taking an active role in shaping our city's budget over the past months, and to my colleagues...

Colleagues— Ahead of tomorrow's lengthy agenda, I am sharing the latest version of my draft resolution for your review. Below you will find a version 2 of my S.M.A.R.T. Housing resolution. The added language provides direction to the City Manager on how to list the waived fees under the program. If ...

Austin needs more AUSTIN police officers. In the absence of the Austin Police Association’s willingness to get more APD officers on the street, a partnership was struck between APD and DPS that proved to be out of step with what Austinites deserve from their police. It’s time to continue building a ...

Hi Colleagues,

I will be proposing the following amendment for Item 84. Version 1 was sent out earlier this morning, but here is Version 2, the most updated version, that I will be speaking to on the dais.

http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 101636.pdf

CM Qadri— I am excited to see these conversations surrounding parking mandates continue and evolve into a more comprehensive approach. I would also like to be added as a co-sponsor. Steep parking requirements means taking up additional space, adding unnecessary costs to construction projects, and ru...

Thank you, Mayor Watson, for submitting a formal request for a briefing at a May 22nd Special Called Meeting. However, my community feels targeted and deserves answers sooner rather than later. With that said, I would like to formally request a briefing from both APD and DPS leadership at our next w...

Colleagues— I am delighted to share the below V2 to my resolution for the April 13th council meeting prioritizing the development of deeply affordable housing at the city-owned property located at 4800 Bolm Road (Item 46). My office was recently notified by Austin Resource Recovery staff that, while...

Thank you, Council Member Vela, for making this request. I would also appreciate a briefing from staff on lifeguard recruitment and hiring.

Thank you,
José M.A. Velásquez

Dear Colleagues and City Manager, I would like to request a briefing on the Texas DPS Partnership with the Austin Police Department during the April 11th work session. As we move towards collaboration with the state to address staffing shortages, I believe we owe our communities transparency and ful...

Colleagues,

It seems there was an issue with the linked file in my initial post. Below is an updated link to the amendment draft—

http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 120955.pdf

Thank you,
CM Velásquez

Colleagues—

I will be offering the following amendment to Item 44. It adds language related to water quality controls and community response to the proposed I-35 expansion.

http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 13302.docx

Thank you,
CM Velásquez

Colleagues, After discussing with CM Kelly's office, we have incorporated some minor changes to the initial amendment draft. Below you will find a version 2 with clarifying changes to the first version highlighted in yellow. http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincouncilforum/2A-20230209121841.pdf Than...

Colleagues, Below you will find a friendly amendment to Council Member Kelly's IFC related to extreme weather shelters. This amendment directs the City Manager to provide recommendations on how to accommodate on-site or remote shelter registration. It also asks for recommendations on how to implemen...

I am happy to be a co-sponsor on this critical and pressing matter. This item can provide the much-needed time to ensure we reach the best possible outcome for our constituents and officers.

Thank you, Council Member Vela, for bringing this item forward.

Best,
CM Velásquez

Colleagues,

I will be proposing the following amendment at tomorrow's meeting and want to give everyone a chance to review before the meeting.

Language is proposed to begin on line 99.

http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 170948.pdf

Thank you,
José M.A. Velásquez

Hola,
I would like to serve on the following committees.
• Housing and Planning Committee
• City of Austin/AISD/Travis County Co Joint Committee
• Public Health Committee
• Regional Affordability Committee

- JMAV