Southwest Austin | Dripping Springs - July 2022

CITY & COUNTY

News from Austin and Travis County

CITY HIGHLIGHTS AUSTIN On June 24, the Texas Supreme Court announced it will not consider a lawsuit from Austin residents requesting that all City Council seats be included in this November’s election. The decision ended a challenge that could have forced five incumbents into midterm races. In the lawsuit, plaintiffs alleged that Austin’s redistricting process of 2021 “disenfranchised” thousands of voters by shifting residents into a district where they had not voted for their own representative. Austin City Council elections are held on a staggered basis every two years, meaning people who were moved into certain districts in 2021 do not have the opportunity to vote for their council member until 2024. AUSTIN Local cases of monkeypox can no longer be traced to travel, Austin Public Health said July 13; instead the virus is moving through the community. As of July 14, nine cases have been confirmed in Travis County, while eight more are presumptive. Monkeypox is spread by contact with bodily fluids touching skin lesions or touching surfaces that have come in contact with the virus, such as bed linens, according to APH.

Austin proposes $5B budget

AUSTIN PROPERTY TAX RATE The proposed budget for fiscal year 2022-23 includes a tax rate decrease. The average homeowner will pay about $10 more a month due to higher fees. $0.4448 $0.4403 $0.4431 $0.5335 $0.541 $0.4519

BY BEN THOMPSON

AUSTIN On July 15, Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk proposed a $5 billion budget for Austin’s fiscal year 2022-23. While the tax rate would decrease for property owners, the city would raise about $20.29 million more than last year. Cronk said a top focus of his bud- get planning was addressing staffing vacancies. During his announcement of the budget, Cronk said he hoped to cor- rect the trend of Austin heading “in the direction of a crisis” related to its workforce as the city continues to

2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21

2021-22 2022-23 (proposed)

SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

face high vacancies and an increased cost of living. “The simple truth of the matter is that we do not currently have the staff that we need to deliver the services that we must,” Cronk said. The budget includes an increased minimum wage for employees from $15 to $18 and a one-time stipend of $1,500 for full-time employees with at least one year of service with the city.

The new tax rate would provide homeowners some protection from drastically increased property values. Austin’s tax rate would dip from the current $0.541 per $100 of property valuation to $0.4519 per $100, a more than 16% drop. Cronk said the typical resident can expect to pay around $10 more per month due to increased service costs and fees.

City leaders seek to limit local effects of abortion laws AUSTIN City Council could vote to reduce the local effects of the U.S. Supreme Court’s rollback of abortion rights by limiting the city’s role in related enforcement. BY BEN THOMPSON AUSTIN TAKES ACTION ON ABORTION June 16, 2021 Sept. 1, 2021 June 24, 2022 Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs abortion law to ban the procedure July 21 Austin to consider abortion measures.

MEETINGS WE COVER

Austin City Council Will meet July 26 10 a.m. and July 28 at 9:30 a.m. 301 W. Second St., Austin www.austintexas.gov/ austin-citycouncil

TBD

Law banning abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected goes into effect.

Supreme Court decision overturns Roe v. Wade. Council members announce plan to limit abortion enforcement.

The Texas abortion ban goes in place. SOURCES: CITY OF AUSTIN, TEXAS LEGISLATURE/ COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

The Supreme Court issued its 6-3 opinion overturning Roe v. Wade on June 24, paving the way for Texas to move forward with its near-total ban on abortion. On July 21, council will hold a special meeting requested to consider several measures related to reproduc- tive health. One item would update city policy to deprioritize investigations and enforcement related to abortion in

Travis County Commissioners Court Will meet July 26 and Aug. 2, 9, 16 and 23 at 9 a.m. 700 Lavaca St., Austin www.traviscountytx.gov/ commissionerscourt Dripping Springs City Council Will meet July 26, Aug. 9 and Aug. 23 at 5:30 p.m. and Aug. 16 at 6 p.m. 511 Mercer St., Dripping Springs www.cityofdrippingsprings.com

if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

Austin, as well as block the use of city resources for information sharing or surveillance tied to reproductive health decisions. Council will also consider measures

ensuring access to birth control including vasectomies through city health insurance, and exploring options for benefits supporting travel for reproductive health services.

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SOUTHWEST AUSTIN - DRIPPING SPRINGS EDITION • JULY 2022

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