CITY & COUNTY
News from Austin & Travis County
COMPILED BY BEN THOMPSON
Austin City Council Meets Oct. 25, Nov. 1 and Nov. 15 at 9 a.m. and Oct. 27, Nov. 3 and Nov. 17 at 10 a.m. 301 W. Second St., Austin www.austintexas.gov/ austin-city-council Travis County Commissioners Court Meets Oct. 25 and Nov. 1, 8 and 15 at 9 a.m. and Oct. 27 and Nov. 10 at 1:30 p.m. 700 Lavaca St., Austin www.traviscountytx.gov MEETINGS WE COVER HIGHLIGHTS TRAVIS COUNTY Commissioners unanimously approved sending a letter to Hays County opposing the $2.5 million SH 45 project Sept. 13. The highway project would complete the approximately 3.7- mile “gap” of SH 45 SW between I-35 and FM 1626. Travis County leaders said the project would have a negative environmental effect. AUSTIN The city announced plans Sept. 14 to roll out up to six resilience hubs this year. The hubs, located in community spaces such as recreation centers and libraries, would serve as neighborhood resource centers during natural disasters. AUSTIN City and community representatives launched Texas Supportive Housing Institute—a training program for local homeless outreach groups—Sept. 14. Leaders said the training will help in the city-, county- and community-backed Finding Home ATX initiative to find permanent housing for 3,000 people experiencing homelessness in Austin through 2024. CORRECTIONS: Volume 1, Issue 6 On Page 8, Impact No. 7 should state that Debbie Kung is a doctor. On Page 19, the new grocery co-op from the city and Go Austin/Vamos Austin is the first city-owned co- op, but not the only grocery co-op in Austin.
First of 2 rate hikes OK’d for Austin Energy AUSTIN On Oct. 13, City Council approved an Austin Energy rate increase that will leave the average residential customer paying $15 more per month for power for the next three years ahead of an upcom- ing jump in AE’s base rate that could tack another $15 onto Austinites’ monthly bills. The rate hike stems from an adjust- ment to AE’s pass-through charges and will be effective in November. The utility said the increase was caused by several factors outside its control, including rising energy costs
Effect: $15 monthly increase to the average residential customer* PASS-THROUGH CHARGES
RAISING RATES An increase to Austin Energy pass- through charges was approved in October, while its extended base rate review continues.
Rate review timeline: September-October 2022, effective November 2022
BASE RATE Effect: $15.56 monthly
Rate review timeline: April-December 2022, effective January 2023
increase to the average residential customer*
*ESTIMATE BASED ON TYPICAL MONTHLY USAGE OF 860 KWH
SOURCES: AUSTIN ENERGY, CITY OF AUSTIN/COMMUNITY IMPACT
and congestion on the state electric grid, and was needed to recover tens of millions spent on power over the past year. Despite concerns about the effects on ratepayers, City Council voted 7-4 to approve the increase, citing a lack other viable options to cover the energy costs that AE had already spent. Utility representatives said delaying a pass-through adjustment beyond
October would cost Austin between $750,000 to $1 million every day. “To me, this isn’t really optional,” Council Member Kathie Tovo said. “Your publicly owned utility has already expended these dollars to provide you with electricity. ... It is a regrettable vote today.” Officials said they will also review possible relief on AE’s base rate increase before approving it this fall.
Austin affordable housing production remains off target AUSTIN The first four years of a 10-year plan to boost Austin’s housing stock have seen the city remain well short of its housing production goals, especially affordable units. A decadelong strategic targeted number of afford- able housing units had been built by the end of 2021, an annual blueprint progress Ten-year goal Units added, 2018-21 report released by the city and HousingWorks Austin on Sept. 20 showed. Despite the limited progress so far, the new report shows 6,961 income-restricted units are now under construction.
Affordable additions off target From 2018 through
1 2 4 3 6 5 9 8 7
housing plan passed in 2017 outlined a need for 135,000 new housing units to be created in Austin by 2028, including 60,000 spaces available at an affordable level—priced at or below 80% of the local median family income, or MFI. Just 12.67% of the
2021, no council district had met city Strategic Housing Blueprint goals for affordable housing additions, and most remained well off track. SOURCES: CITY OF AUSTIN, HOUSINGWORKS AUSTIN/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
10
0
2,000
4,000 6,000
8,000
10,000
Affordable housing units
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NORTH CENTRAL AUSTIN EDITION • OCTOBER 2022
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