Government
BY ELLE BENT, KATY MCAFEE & BEN THOMPSON
ATCEMS lands $1.73M for nonemergency services A growing number of nonemergency calls to Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Ser- vices has prompted a $1.73 million funding boost from Travis County on Nov. 7 to nd alternative solutions to alleviate strain from paramedics and the county’s limited eet of ambulances. The details Only about 10% of the calls ATCEMS receives are for life-threatening situations, EMS Chief Robert Luckritz said. Many of the remaining 90% of calls are a result of a growing number of Austin and Travis County residents using 911 as a safety net, he said. “There is a huge subset of the community that utilizes 911 because they don’t have anyone else to call,” Luckritz said. “Whether it’s life-threatening or not, they need care. And so they rely on the 911 system and they rely on EMS.”
City creates Homeless Strategy O ce Austin o cials established a new stand-alone Homeless Strategy O ce to better focus the city’s work with the local unhoused community. The reorganization, eective Dec. 4, also came with the promotion of David Gray as Austin’s permanent homeless strategy o cer, who has served as interim in the position since September. The breakdown The city’s homeless strategy division orig- inally operated within Austin Public Health, a method which interim City Manager Jesús Garza said was not eective enough. The new o ce will handle multimillion dollar homeless service contracts, public space management, operations at city shelters and several other services.
Increased funding The $1.7 million for Austin and Travis County results in:
$693,322 for additional ambulance coverage $448,652 for a program directing patients to correct resources $588,728 for ongoing departmental costs, such as supplies and equipment
SOURCE: TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT COMMUNITY IMPACT
The impact He estimates the department could divert 35% of the calls EMS receives to an alternative responder, such as a licensed counselor, physician, or opioid use disorder paramedic; or the calls could be handled via telehealth. Commissioners approved increasing the coun- ty’s portion of the interlocal agreement with the city by 11% to $17.66 million. The funding increase equates to $1.73 million additional dollars for Austin and Travis County EMS.
Parking requirements eliminated for new projects New developments in Austin will no longer be required to include a set amount of parking after Austin City Council voted to strike parking minimums citywide Nov. 2. The gist In May, o cials moved to remove Austin’s Member Zo Qadri. He and supporters of the change said those rules, based on calculations for dier- ent projects across Austin, were an unnecessary barrier to new construction.
“[A parking minimum] gobbles up scarce land. It adds burdensome costs to developments that get
passed on to renters and buyers. It makes it harder for small businesses to get o the ground.” ZO QADRI, COUNCIL MEMBER
The update is expected to help with the cost of living at new developments, according to city sta. A analysis by city sta conducted ahead of coun- cil’s vote rated the changes as having a positive impact on aordability and closing equity gaps.
long-standing minimum parking mandates from city code based on a resolution from Council
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CEDAR PARK FAR NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION
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