Government
BY HALEY MCLEOD & BEN THOMPSON
Costs limiting local internet access A recent local study found 69% of those without internet access countywide said they couldn’t afford it. The big picture Reyda Taylor, a Travis County employee and research fellow, said barriers remain despite widely available broadband infra- structure. She described a “mixed bag” of proposed solutions in a technology environ- ment leaving people behind via “uncoordi- nated exclusion.” Census data shows 23,381 households in Travis County don’t have internet access, including 8,836 children. Looking forward Austin is refreshing its Digital Inclusion Strategic Plan and the county will revisit the item in the future to offer more support. Meanwhile, billions in funding to expand access are suspended due to ongoing federal government realignment.
Austin remains off 10-year affordable housing goals Despite adding tens of thousands of homes and apartments, development in Austin from 2018-23 continued to lag behind ambitions set in the city’s Strategic Housing Blueprint. The big picture The blueprint was adopted in 2017 with goals to add 60,000 affordable units and 75,000 for all income levels over a decade. Austin was just over one-third of the way to its affordable housing goal as of 2023—the plan’s sixth year—according to new reporting by the city and nonprofit Housing- Works Austin. By the numbers While total affordable housing gains are behind the blueprint’s 10-year pace, almost 5,000 new income-restricted units were added citywide in 2023 alone led by communities in East Austin. Council districts east of I-35 were all roughly on track or ahead of their six-year benchmarks. On the other hand, central and western council districts remain behind target and have less new affordable development now taking place, continuing a persistent trend. Despite goals to produce thousands of spaces for extremely low-income residents, only a handful— just over 400 units—have been added in that range. The community was also off the mark for new permanent supportive housing for tenants exiting homelessness as of 2023, although hundreds of units have since opened or are in development. What’s next Given rising housing costs and rapid population growth, the city will update the housing blueprint supported by a federal planning grant. Local marijuana policy may be repealed Austin’s voter-approved ordinance limiting local marijuana enforcement could soon be overturned, after a Texas appeals court sided with a state challenge to the policy. The big picture Austinites approved Proposition A in May 2022,
Affordable housing production, 2018-23
Austin’s Strategic Housing Blueprint called for 60,000 new affordable housing units to be built in a decade, with different goals for districts.
10-year goal
Built
Under construction
District 1: 69% of goal met
District 2: 86% of goal met
District 3: 57% of goal met
District 4: 76% of goal met
District 5: 31% of goal met
District 6: 21% of goal met
District 7: 35% of goal met
Access barriers
District 8: 14% of goal met
Many survey respondents cited a need for better service and better provider options.
Price: 69% Other: 21%
District 9: 30% of goal met
Poor quality, service: 15% Internet not available: 13% Credit card or deposit: 7% Long-term contract: 7%
District 10: 0.9% of goal met
0
2k
4k
6k
8k
10k
Housing Units
SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN, HOUSINGWORKS AUSTIN/COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCE: TRAVIS COUNTY AND CITY OF AUSTIN IN-PERSON SURVEY/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
The case will now head back to the lower court. The court’s judgment came about a week after a similar outcome in Paxton’s challenge to a San Marcos ordinance; both cities argued their cases together before the 15th Court panel in February. The city hasn’t yet confirmed any changes in local policy. In early May, Austin attorneys filed for a rehearing and said the appeals court had incorrectly ruled on the case. No further action was taken as of press time.
stopping police from issuing citations or making arrests for most low-level marijuana misdemeanors. Austin is one of a group of Texas cities where residents voted for similar ballot measures. Attor- ney General Ken Paxton has sued several, includ- ing Austin, over the adoption of such ordinances by city officials after those elections. A district court judge ruled against the state in 2024, but Paxton appealed. On April 24, the 15th Court of Appeals reversed the lower court’s decision and sided with the state’s push for a temporary injunction to block Austin’s ordinance.
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