Today, April 21, Council will consider a recommendation (Item 35), referred from the Housing and Community Development Committee last week, to direct the city manager to include mobile home residents in the Tenant Relocation Program, a proposed plan that asks developers to assist the often vulnerable and low-income residents of multifamily homes displaced by new projects. Look no further than the tenant displacement situation at Cactus Rose Mobile Home Park to see the need for such a program (“Future Uncertain for Cactus Rose,” March 25). The public hearing on the proposed Lenox Oaks apartment complex that would replace Cactus Rose has been postponed until May 12 at the request of staff.
They’ll also vote on a handful of water-related measures (Items 4-6; 10-12), including a resolution authorizing the city manager to apply for $86,980,456 in funding from the Texas Water Development Board to implement capital improvement projects with Austin Water‘s wastewater and reclaimed-water systems. It’s likely Don Zimmerman will pick at the fiscal impact of some of the water Items.
Other Items on the agenda include:
• Item 3: An ordinance amending the FY 2015-16 Austin Resource Recovery Fund Operating Budget to transfer out $1.2 million for FM 812 landfill repairs.
• Item 16: A resolution directing the city manager to include a partial property tax exemption for certain historically designated properties in budget creation.
• Item 25: An ordinance amending the FY 2015-16 Austin Transportation Department Operating Budget Special Revenue Fund to accept $100,000 in grant funds from U.S. DOT for the Smart City Challenge.
Could a short Tuesday work session (roughly an hour long) mean a short Council meeting on Thursday? Something tells us CMs are keeping their fingers crossed.
This article appears in April 22 • 2016.