Voting season. It’s here, y’all. Whether you’re voting early or heading to the polls on Tuesday, November 5th, we’ve created this helpful guide to make your trip a success! Added bonus: you can make a difference with your vote for both Texas State Parks as well as parks, trails and green spaces in the city of Austin! Not sure where …
You’ve likely heard of the ill-fated effort known as CodeNEXT or heard the words “Land Development Code.” Unless you’re a professional in the field of land use, terms like setbacks, parking minimums, and density bonuses can seem like a foreign language. It’s that last piece that has Austin Parks Foundation paying attention. We are big believers in the power of …
On Tuesday, September 10, the Austin City Council formally adopted a budget for the City’s upcoming fiscal year beginning on October 1st. The budget process, which kicks off in earnest with community engagement in the spring and the release of the City Manager’s proposed budget in early August, saw significant increases for parks from beginning to end. Why is that, …
Each August, City Hall watchers are treated to City Council returning from recess and beginning arguably their most important task. What’s that, you might be asking yourself? The answer is crafting and adopting the upcoming fiscal year’s budget. Early each August, the City Manager presents to City Council and the public their proposed budget. This stage is both the culmination …
May 21, 2019 – The Trust for Public Land just released their rankings of the 100 largest cities’ parks. Austin moved down to 43rd from 42nd in 2018. Austinites will agree that our parks are one of their favorite parts of living in Austin, but the reality is our parks are vastly underfunded. Our parks don’t meet the needs of …
Memorial Day is just around the corner, and that means it’s time for picnics in the park, hanging by the pool, and all the outdoor fun that summer brings. To have all of that fun though, our parks and pools need to be taken care of. A perfect example is the Barton Creek Greenbelt, an Austin favorite, that will be …
Simply put, House Bill 2 & Senate Bill 2 (or HB 2 & SB 2) are bad news for Austin’s public parks. In exchange for small property tax relief for homeowners estimated at a few dollars per month, municipalities will face a budgetary crisis. The bill will cause an out-sized negative impact towards their ability to provide services central to …
Bills Propose Sporting Goods Sales Tax Be Directed to Parks as Intended Up at the Capital, legislators are considering bills (SB 26, SJR 24, HJR 39, and HR 1214) that would amend the Texas Constitution to ensure that sales tax collected from the sale of sporting goods is dedicated to Texas State Parks and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department …
Our parks and Austin Parks Foundation need your help! The City of Austin’s annual budget process is kicking off with a series of community budget forums hosted by City Commissions throughout March. Commissioners will hear what’s important to the public, and how we’d like to see funding prioritized in next year’s city budget. They will then incorporate the feedback into recommendations …
By Elizabeth McGuire We’ve all heard this before: one person can make a difference. But really, how? One person can make a difference because one voice can amplify others. One person can inspire dozens. One effort can snowball into action and eventually lead to change. This is how our community improves. So goes the philosophy of Sally Baulch, who has …
