Letter to the Honorable Mayor Watson and Austin City Council
RE: Updated Statement on the City of Austin FY25 Budget
Dear Mayor Watson and City Councilmembers:
In light of yesterday’s budget discussion on council amendments and the guidance on the limited funds provided by city staff, we want to reiterate our requests for your support of two budget amendments while also urging your support of four additional budget amendments. With the need for prioritization of amendments, we strongly believe that each of these amendments not only complement each other but they provide a system of services needed for those experiencing homelessness, mental health issues, and to improve public safety.
Unsheltered Homelessness: CM Qadri Amendment #3, Mayor Watson Amendments #1 & #2
Unsheltered homelessness has increased downtown after a sustained drop in previous years. It is imperative to have proactive, non-emergency resources actively engaging people living on the street, and if approved, Councilmember Qadri’s HEART amendment will expand this work across the Central Business District. Additionally, the deployment of these resources reduces the need for police response and provides essential connections to housing-focused resources whether that be emergency sheltering, family reunification, or simply food and water.
With that said, we are also in dire need of more emergency shelter so that everyone who is engaged by HEART has a place to go if they so choose. Therefore, we urge your support of Mayor Watson’s second amendment (Watson #2) related to funding for bridge and emergency shelter and first amendment (Watson #1) related to permanent supportive housing support services. Each level of the continuum must work in concert from pro-active outreach to shelter and if need be, permanent supportive housing.
Public Safety: CM Qadri Amendment #1, Mayor Watson Amendment #3, & CM Vela Amendment #3
The Mental Health Diversion pilot (“Pilot”) is a key aspect of a reimagining of policing. Once fully operational, the Pilot will not only give offenders experiencing mental health issues an option for mental health treatment, it will allow police to get back on the street quicker (due to booking procedures). Additionally, the Sobering Center has been a success at freeing up police officer times for booking by allowing them to drop off offenders who may just need time to sober up before going home. We request you support Councilmember Vela’s third amendment (Vela #3). At the same time, the needs for emergency services downtown, especially on weekends, often requires EMS resources to be diverted away from other areas of the city.
Mayor Watson’s third amendment (Watson #3) for a Downtown EMS Mobile Command will utilize existing infrastructure to provide triage services downtown, allowing EMS to be responsive and agile while freeing up resources for the rest of the city.
On behalf of the Downtown Austin Alliance, we ask you support these items and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for your service to the City of Austin.
Sincerely,
Dewitt Peart Whitney Knight
President & CEO Board Chair
Downtown Austin Alliance Partner, Allensworth Law
Cc: T.C. Broadnax, City Manager