Austin Neighborhoods Council

Austin Neighborhoods Council
Established in 1973 -- Strength through Unity

ANC General Meeting
(usually the 4th Wed of each month)
Next Meeting:
NOTE: Different day, time, and location for the May meeting!!!

Thursday, May 24, 2012
Austin City Hall
301 W. 2nd Street
6:00 p.m.

The Austin City Council is holding a public hearing on the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan at its May 24, 2012 meeting. There may be a public hearing on Commercial Short-Term Rentals at the same meeting. To reduce the scheduling demands on the ANC membership, the monthly ANC meeting for May will instead be held on Thursday, May 24 at the Austin City Hall. Please come show that there is Strength Through Unity among our neighborhoods! Read an interesting history and suggestions for improving the comprehensive plan from Mary Arnold of the West Austin Neighborhood Group.

ANC City Council Candidate Endorsements

The ANC sincerely appreciates the 12 candidates who participated in the 2012 City Council Candidates Forum held on 28 March. The candidates completed the ANC pre-forum questionnaire (responses posted below) and responded to additional questions from the ANC moderator during the forum. After hearing from all the candidates at the forum, ANC members met in private to discuss endorsements. The approved ANC endorsements are::

Place 2: Dr. Laura Pressley
Place 5: No Endorsement
Place 6: Sheryl Cole
Mayor: Brigid Shea

Read the Endorsement Statements for details of why these candidates won the endorsement of the ANC membership.

We planned to show the ANC Forum via live stream and, subsequently, a video link. Unfortunately the videographer, Somos Tejanos, Inc., encountered technical difficulties and could not produce the forum video.

ANC 2012 Candidates Forum Guidelines
ANC 2012 Candidates Questionnaire (blank)

Places 2 and 6 Candidate Questionnaire Responses
Place 5 Candidate Questionnaire Responses
Mayoral Candidate Questionnaire Responses

To see how the incumbents previously answered, review the responses from Lee Leffingwell as mayoral candidate in 2009 and Place 1 candidate in 2008, Mike Martinez as Place 2 candidate in 2009, Bill Spelman as Place 5 candidate in 2009, and Sheryl Cole as Place 6 candidate in 2009.

Important Municipal Election Dates
30 April—First Day for Early Voting
8 May—Last Day for Early Voting
12 May—Municipal Election

Highlights of previous ANC Membership meetings:

The April 2012 general membership meeting included guest speaker Richard Shultz on the topic of Cellular Mass Transit (CMT). See http://www.cmt4austin.org/ for details. You also can download the presentation and script that Richard presented at the meeting. Send an email to Richard if you'd like to schedule a presentation for your neighborhood.
22 February general meeting: the ANC adopted a resolution regarding the Montopolis Recreation Center. Molly Scarbrough, Program Consultant for the Capital Planning Office, provided a presentation on the bond development process.
30 November general meeting: Austin Energy rate discussion was held, with Director Mark Dreyfus presenting for Austin Energy (see rates webpage) and Executive Director Carol Biedrzcki presenting alternate proposals from Affordable Energy for Austin (see resources, background, & consumer issues). Also approved an ANC Resolution Regarding Short Term Rentals. See the STRs issue page for additional background information.

Resolutions Pending and Approved from October General Meeting:
Funding 12th Street Improvements (final resolution)
Support for Single Member Districts (additional info)

ANC Executive Committee Meeting
(2nd Wed of the month)

Next Meeting
Wed, 9 May 2012 6:30p.m.

Both the ANC General and the Executive Committee meetings are held at:
Austin Energy Building, 721 Barton Springs Rd.
(Free parking behind building) map