Government
BY BEN THOMPSON & CHLOE YOUNG
Austin begins new homeless encampment approach
Judge shares county initiative updates Travis County Judge Andy Brown shared updates on several major county initiatives at April’s State of the County Address. What happened A 2024 voter-approved tax rate increase for a ordable child care has now awarded more than $30 million, including $13 million for after-school care and summer programs and $4.1 million for small business child care assistance approved by county commission- ers in May. Looking ahead, Brown noted the largest addition to the county’s park system coming east of I-35, 1,300 acres on Wilbarger Creek. It’ll preserve the creek’s greenway from P ugerville to the county line, he said. Brown also said the county will create a new museum district centered around the historic Heman Marion Sweatt Courthouse downtown. That initiative stems from a partnership between The University of Texas School of Architecture and county Commissioner Je Travillion.
The scope and frequency of public homeless encampment clearings is increasing. The big picture Public camping is illegal in Austin under both Proposition B, a local ban reinstated by city voters in 2021, and a Texas law passed the same year. City enforcement ramped up after Proposition B’s passage and has continued since then, includ- ing a three-week Austin Homeless Strategies and Operations initiative last October. But widespread encampments and high public demand to address them outstripped available resources, leading to this spring’s recalibration. Austin elds more than 700 monthly 3-1-1 requests related to encampments, and the city’s management program was only active three days per week. The update Starting May 11, several dedicated encampment management teams began working citywide ve days a week. Most involve Austin Police Depart- ment o cers and other city department sta , and one Austin Parks and Recreation-led team focuses on litter removal. The city released a preliminary list of dozens of encampments to close in April and will continue to update the public about the status of those sites, as well as new areas being addressed. What else? Additional options for residents to submit service requests and track the city’s response are in the works. One change coming later this year is the
Encampment closures The city will only clear away encampments after advance noti cation and the o er of support services. Site identi ed through service requests or reports Step 1
Step 2 Site assessed for health, safety and environmental impacts
Step 3 Site prioritized based on public risks and city response capacity
Step 4 Outreach to individuals at encampment
Step 5 72-hour notice of planned encampment clearing
Step 6 Encampment cleanup and site restoration
“These investments in our downtown, in our parks and
in our people are how we build real economic resilience.” ANDY BROWN, TRAVIS COUNTY JUDGE
addition of a dedicated 3-1-1 service option for public encampments. And as previously directed by City Council, Austin’s homeless strategy o ce will also be launching an encampment manage- ment dashboard with mapping and other data available to the public.
Austin sta suggest bond election delay to 2028 Soon after proposals for Austin’s next bond were released in May, city sta advised against a 2026 bond election in favor of a vote in two years. The overview Months of bond development led a resident-led task force and city sta to propose di erent
Austin 2026 bond recommendations A ordable housing Watershed protection, drainage Parks, open space Transportation Public facilities*
With hundreds of millions of dollars from past bonds still unspent, sta suggested in May that a 2028 bond would be more appropriate under city nancial policies. Those guidelines are meant to avoid issues like those caused by “frequent, poorly coordinated” past bonds, according to Eric Bailey, deputy director of the city’s capital delivery o ce overseeing public project construction. City Council is debating a bond approach and could call an election this summer.
Bond task force recommendation City sta recommendation Bond task force alternative
City sta alternative
versions of a possible 2026 bond, ranging from less than $400 million to more than $760 million to fund a ordable housing, parkland, transportation, public facilities and ood protection projects.
*FACILITIES RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDE LAND ACQUISITION, ANIMAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH CENTERS, HOMELESS SHELTER, LIBRARIES, AND PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDINGS. SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN COMMUNITY IMPACT
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EAST AUSTIN EDITION
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