Austin Homeless Free for All Ordinance

[Guest Lobo]

they go off the rolls.  So that lost revenue has to be made up somewhere else.  Probably homeowners/businessowners like us.  

[Enchubben 5509]

Just now, Lobo said:

they go off the rolls.  So that lost revenue has to be made up somewhere else.  Probably homeowners/businessowners like us.  

100%. although hotels typically pay property tax based on occupancy rates and the amounts for 2020 and 2021 are drastically smaller anyways because of covid. Wont notice that big of a difference right away. 

[Guest Lobo]

4 minutes ago, Enchubben said:

100%. although hotels typically pay property tax based on occupancy rates and the amounts for 2020 and 2021 are drastically smaller anyways because of covid. Wont notice that big of a difference right away. 

yeah, they use that that weird algorithm based on rolling REVPAR and then the fixed amount of impervious cover they occupy (which is why hotels are getting smarter and not building as large of parking lots because spoiler alert-most tourists don't rent fucking cars anymore).   We went over it once with the council about 3 years ago during some due diligence in turning a condo construct into a Hyatt.  Luckily our analyst could do this shit in his sleep, but the first two years on the tax roll of the hotel would have been the two years of Covid-19 so I'm not sure how that would have married together.  

Anyway, this reshuffling of the deck chairs by Kitchen, et. al. is most amusing.  

[dcar00 14028]

25 minutes ago, Lobo said:

they go off the rolls.  So that lost revenue has to be made up somewhere else.  Probably homeowners/businessowners like us.  

I think you meant lottery winners

[Guest Lobo]

I won the lottery?  Holy shit.  Let's fucking party! 

[dcar00 14028]

1 minute ago, Lobo said:

I won the lottery?  Holy shit.  Let's fucking party! 

You didnt know? It should have been obvious from the home you own.

[Guest Lobo]

I wish I won the lottery.  It was a fucking beating liquidating enough assets to cover our property tax bill last week.  We barely made it under the wire.  Wife used to just sock away some money every month in a separate account but 2020 was just brutal for work so we had to rush to make up the delta (didn't help that it was about $5k more than last year).  Our business obviously pays in every month NNN, but of course Council and their sheep just think of that as this free money that we benevolently give each year after zero'ing out our books, not realizing we bake that in to everything we do---thus making Austin even more expensive to live in for others.  

I'm just glad the city has $90mm to spend on homelessness with $0 addressing the root causes, no citizen oversight of those funds, and the ability to call us heartless bastards anytime we dare question the Council's approach.  

Edited February 4, 2021 by Lobo

[Pasken 1309]

46 minutes ago, Paco said:

So what happens to the property taxes on these motels?

Jesus Christ... you guys are something.

[Pasken 1309]

 

[Guest Lobo]

That's great news.  8 months and 80 million dollars later, we have a couple dozen anecdotal stories like this.  We should keep doing what we're doing and not change course.

Sarcasm aside, I love stories like this.  Lashing out a people who question the way Council runs their budgets and efficacy of their programs and claiming they'd rather see people like this living in boxes in the woods only deepens the divide.  I think way more Austinites of all stripes than we realize want to combat homelessness in a serious and compassionate way.  Only problem is, just like this tweet, every fucking time we open our mouth...all we hear in reply is "You're a heartless asshole, give us more money or we'll take your home!"  It's a fucking beating.  It's like listening to bad_teammate and GRUhorn on a constant loop to nowhere.  

[dcar00 14028]

19 minutes ago, Pasken said:

Jesus Christ... you guys are something.

I'm hoping Adler and his wife take whatever they made over $150K or so this year and give it all to the homeless.  He can also sell any second or third properties he owns.

yeah $150K should be enough to live on for old Steve and fam although he might have to move out of the W.

[Paco 1926]

Jesus Christ... you guys are something.

So we should just ignore hidden costs like this?

I guess I shouldn't be surprised after you were trumpeting the "If we build more roads we'll just have more cars driving on them!" nonsense.

[Hpara759 1777]

On 2/3/2021 at 7:31 AM, Pasken said:

Who the fuck cares what Wilco thinks. 

 

[Guest Lobo]

Yeah, I avoid Wilco as often as possible, but facts of the matter are that significant parts of Austin are located in Williamson and Hays counties.  Not large numbers, yet...but those two tranches represent the fastest growing portions of the City of Austin.  They should have some say in this.  

Kinda like when we talk about public education in Austin.  Everybody just goes on and fucking on about AISD.  40% (and growing!) of the City of Austin residents (myself included) are not zoned into AISD.  So we need to have some fucking say in K-12 public ed that doesn't constantly revolve around AISD and their buckets of incompetence.  

[Pasken 1309]

3 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Yeah, I avoid Wilco as often as possible, but facts of the matter are that significant parts of Austin are located in Williamson and Hays counties.  Not large numbers, yet...but those two tranches represent the fastest growing portions of the City of Austin.  They should have some say in this.  

Kinda like when we talk about public education in Austin.  Everybody just goes on and fucking on about AISD.  40% (and growing!) of the City of Austin residents (myself included) are not zoned into AISD.  So we need to have some fucking say in K-12 public ed that doesn't constantly revolve around AISD and their buckets of incompetence.  

To be clear, I would say the same if Travis County tried to put in. The counties never spend a dime inside the cities. All they do is funnel our tax dollars to unincorporated projects. If they want a say, they can commit tax money to the solution. If not, keep building rural roads with our money. 

[Guest Lobo]

Oh, I totally agree with you on that point about Travis County.  

[Wally Pryor 5243]

3 hours ago, Lobo said:

That's great news.  8 months and 80 million dollars later, we have a couple dozen anecdotal stories like this.  We should keep doing what we're doing and not change course.

Sarcasm aside, I love stories like this.  Lashing out a people who question the way Council runs their budgets and efficacy of their programs and claiming they'd rather see people like this living in boxes in the woods only deepens the divide.  I think way more Austinites of all stripes than we realize want to combat homelessness in a serious and compassionate way.  Only problem is, just like this tweet, every fucking time we open our mouth...all we hear in reply is "You're a heartless asshole, give us more money or we'll take your home!"  It's a fucking beating.  It's like listening to bad_teammate and GRUhorn on a constant loop to nowhere.  

 

No need to inject common sense into the discussion.  But because you've tried and want fiscal responsibility, transparency and supportable policy making to somehow coexist while addressing the homeless issue I think you really are a heartless bastard (and probably with 666s imbedded in your scalp).   

Living in a tent on the corner of Manchaca and Ben White under a bridge doesn't work for the city or the homeless.  Neither does kicking them out to the woods.  What it does mean is policymakers having a real plan. And, again, if these hotels are the answer, then have at it city council.  But so far your messaging has sucked, royally.  Explain how the hotels will work, explain the goals, measurements for the goals and everything else that a well thought-out idea entails.  I'm guessing (hoping) most of you would understand that the taxpayers and stakeholders should expect all of that.  Maybe not the fiscal responsibility piece.  But at least the overall concept of having a plan and being able to support it, the latter especially important.  Or maybe it's like expecting Mack Brown to understand good clock management.  In other words, never going to happen.

Good for Mr. Fleishman and best wishes to him.  And the other hand, the person who tweeted that comment can fuck off. 

[blacklab 11843]

1 hour ago, Pasken said:

To be clear, I would say the same if Travis County tried to put in. The counties never spend a dime inside the cities. All they do is funnel our tax dollars to unincorporated projects. If they want a say, they can commit tax money to the solution. If not, keep building rural roads with our money. 

[CooterBrown 17901]

I’m pretty sure counties can’t do shit inside cities by statute. 20 years ago, everything they did had to be related to county roads. All subdivision ordinances related to lot sizes were based on the county only being able to control the distance between driveways on county roads.

[Pasken 1309]

Just now, CooterBrown said:

I’m pretty sure counties can’t do shit inside cities by statute. 20 years ago, everything they did had to be related to county roads. All subdivision ordinances related to lot sizes were based on the county only being able to control the distance between driveways on county roads.

They can contribute if they want to. The city has to spend millions to upgrade state highways like S. Lamar, Burnet Rd, N. Lamar, Airport Blvd, MLK/969 etc. It's called an interlocall agreement. If the city can pay to upgrade state roads then the county can pay to help upgrade shit in the city. They choose not to.

[Pasken 1309]

50 minutes ago, blacklab said:

fixed:

 

...is this going to get me banned?

Edited February 5, 2021 by Pasken

[TKthunder2 4980]

7 hours ago, Pasken said:

It's not a bad spot because it's not a shelter. 

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/i-won-austinite-exiting-homelessness-after-8-month-stay-at-city-owned-hotel/?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=t.co

Serious question...why is it not a shelter?  I’m a big proponent of actually addressing the homeless problem, but it needs to be actually with a goal of moving people out of homelessness even if it against their will (like they are doing in San Antonio).  It needs to provide both support and balance that out with enforcement.  You can’t simply give people a rent free place to go home to at night while they panhandle for their drug/booze money at major intersections during the day and claim you’re solving the problem.

So what is the purpose of purchasing the hotels other than simply providing shelter?  Is there a work or educational requirement?  Is their any restrictions or checks on drugs/alcohol or enrollment in addiction services/programs?  Is there a requirement to enroll or utilize physical or mental health services?  Do they have to regularly meet with social workers and make concrete steps towards ending their homelessness?  Do they lose their room if they make no efforts at all?

From what I recall the answer to the above is NO across the board but I would be very happy to be wrong.  However if my memory holds true then this truly is just a shelter, and while most shelters have success stories like the one you posted, a single success doesn’t justify the cost nor does it prove that these hotel shelters work.

There are many people that want to end their homelessness (like the one in your story) and this could help them and this is the how the city is viewing the problem.  But there are also many people who choose to be homeless and this will only enable and likely increase the numbers of that population.  This is the side of homelessness that city never acknowledges.  They are treating this as purely a housing issue which extremely negligent.

[BradInATX 9208]

The funniest part about FitLump's district being up in arms is the lack of self awareness. They actually believe homeless people can make northwest Austin worse. It's a soulless boring shithole that Austin should renounce and allow Leander or Round Rock to annex.

A homeless shelter would make that area better.

[Armybrat 40710]

16 hours ago, Lobo said:

Yeah, I avoid Wilco as often as possible, but facts of the matter are that significant parts of Austin are located in Williamson and Hays counties.  Not large numbers, yet...but those two tranches represent the fastest growing portions of the City of Austin.  They should have some say in this.  

Kinda like when we talk about public education in Austin.  Everybody just goes on and fucking on about AISD.  40% (and growing!) of the City of Austin residents (myself included) are not zoned into AISD.  So we need to have some fucking say in K-12 public ed that doesn't constantly revolve around AISD and their buckets of incompetence.  

Haven’t you heard? Choady is gone, sulking in his Avery Ranch Golf Course McMansion preparing his defense for his criminal trial.

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

I wonder if Kitchen, Alter, Gregario and others are open to camping in their yards after the 5/1 ballot initiative passes 65-35

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/06/us/homeless-utah-front-yard-trnd/index.html

 

This Utah man invited homeless people to live in his front yard

 

About 15 people live in tents in this suburban yard near Salt Lake City.

(CNN)Less than five minutes' drive from downtown Salt Lake City sits the quiet neighborhood of Fairpark. The area hosts an annual state fair, a regional campus of Utah State University and modest homes with small yards.

On one of those yards sits a random group of tents where people experiencing homelessness have set up camp. They are there at the invitation of homeowner Darin Mann. He lets the people camp on his tidy third of an acre, use a bathroom in his house and volunteer at a community garden Mann runs at a nearby public park.

 

Tents in the front yard

"The goal is to de-stigmatize how people view homelessness," Mann explains. "Every person deserves to be treated with dignity and helped when they need it."

 

 

The local activist opened up his impromptu tent area, dubbed "Village Camp," in mid-January. Some 15 people live there right now. Mann tells CNN that the residents came from other camps in Salt Lake City that were shut down.

"We wanted to show that to solve this problem we have to address it as a community and not be afraid of it."

Mann points out how Village Camp's residents help pull their weight in the community, especially at the urban garden he maintains.

"They are helping me clean the garden and get it ready for the season. They keep the camp clean and are helping to be a positive example of working with unsheltered people"

 

 

Darin Mann, an activist and homeowner in Salt Lake City, opened his front yard to shelter the homeless. Authorities have given him two weeks to close the camp.

 

The neighborhood reacts

Not all of the neighbors share Mann's enthusiasm.

City officials have received complaints, served the activist with a code violation (camping for more than two days on residential property is illegal here) and given him a two-week notice to close down his camp.

Darrin plans to somehow keep his village going. He claims to have an open line of communication with his neighbors, several of whom cook food for the camp and donate clothing. Other neighbors have hired camp residents to work around their houses. For his residents, Mann espouses a zero-tolerance policy for violent behavior or drug use.

The people camping in Mann's yard say they feel welcome and secure.

"I don't have to deal with stress knowing I don't have to suddenly move," a man named Michael told CNN. "Being away from a lot of the bad influences has helped me quit some of the addictions I struggle with."

A resident named Brandy is grateful to Darin Mann. "To him I was a stranger he saw a few times, but he took a chance and stepped up to the plate to help us."

Setting an example

Mann believes the Salt Lake City government should do more for people with no place to call home. He says small homeless communities coupled with urban farming programs like his should play a role.

The activist has been meeting with high-level city officials in hopes of keeping his front yard village open beyond the next two weeks and setting an example for ways to help people living on society's margins.

"We hope that this new camp can be the genesis of something beautiful."

Edited February 7, 2021 by Gardner Barnes

[Parliament 14121]

Do they pick up their own poop?

[Armybrat 40710]

1 hour ago, Parliament said:

Do they pick up their own poop?

It says they use the bathroom in the owner’s house. 
 

[blacklab 11843]

I hadn't been along first street in a while and was shocked by what I saw yesterday. I thought camping was still banned in parks and I'm pretty sure we were told the town lake hike and bike trails wouldn't be affected. Hundreds of tents along town lake from congress to mopac. I could give a fuck about tents under the highway but could we clean up the area along town lake?

[bschoolprof 6232]

I'm sure APD will get right on that.  The city has their back.  

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

I hadn't been along first street in a while and was shocked by what I saw yesterday. I thought camping was still banned in parks and I'm pretty sure we were told the town lake hike and bike trails wouldn't be affected. Hundreds of tents along town lake from congress to mopac. I could give a fuck about tents under the highway but could we clean up the area along town lake?

They will be gone by 6/1. After that who gives a shit where they are shooting up and publicly shitting as long as they are gone.

[B00M 6280]

On 2/5/2021 at 7:30 AM, BradInATX said:

The funniest part about FitLump's district being up in arms is the lack of self awareness. They actually believe homeless people can make northwest Austin worse. It's a soulless boring shithole that Austin should renounce and allow Leander or Round Rock to annex.

A homeless shelter would make that area better.

2nd time you've made a post like this and it makes no sense. It's a low crime area with great schools and hills and lake travis. What exactly is it lacking? 

[BradInATX 9208]

It's a low crime area with great schools and hills and lake travis.

So is Plano.

Mostly at this point what it lacks is Austinites, though.

[Biff Tannen 45491]

8 minutes ago, BradInATX said:

 

 

So is Plano.

Mostly at this point what it lacks is Austinites, though.

 

Plano is flat and concrete as fuck. 

[dcar00 14028]

3 hours ago, B00M said:

2nd time you've made a post like this and it makes no sense. It's a low crime area with great schools and hills and lake travis. What exactly is it lacking? 

the best part is it lacks BradinATX.  the central austin snake oil salesman on the city council would never let it go to Cedar Park.  they need the tax dollars to continue their grift.

[BradInATX 9208]

the best part is it lacks BradinATX.  the central austin snake oil salesman on the city council would never let it go to Cedar Park.  they need the tax dollars to continue their grift.

You couldn't pay me to live north of Ben White. Central is full of yuppies and north is full of people like you. South Austin is the only place that still has any Austin left in it. The rest is a hodge podge of pool halls, California, and white people that watch cable news

[CooterBrown 17901]

My wife and kids went to Northwest Park around 4pm and two homeless guys were passed out on the sidewalk by the playground.

[Armybrat 40710]

South Austin is starting to look like California with the gentrification infecting the old neighborhoods with fugly modern boxes inhabited by white tech yuppies from California.

won’t be long until most of the weird Austinites are in Hays County.

Edited February 8, 2021 by Armybrat

[BradInATX 9208]

My wife and kids went to Northwest Park around 4pm and two homeless guys were passed out on the sidewalk by the playground.

See, that's more culture than has existed up there in two decades. Thank your city council person.

[Wally Pryor 5243]

1 hour ago, BradInATX said:

 

 South Austin is the only place that still has any Austin left in it. 

 

Not really.  South Austin has as many California plates in it than any other part of the city.  Congress.  South 1st.  Especially, now, south of Ben White. I've lived in the '35 for 20+ years and drive SW Parkway every afternoon and every 7th or 8th plate is in from California.  Especially the unbridled dumb fucks who still don't know that's it a right turn only into Travis Country after 4P.

James White said that south Austin went to hell 15 years ago.  I'll defer to him.  So should everyone else.    

[BradInATX 9208]

14 minutes ago, Wally Pryor said:

Not really.  South Austin has as many California plates in it than any other part of the city.  Congress.  South 1st.  Especially, now, south of Ben White. I've lived in the '35 for 20+ years and drive SW Parkway every afternoon and every 7th or 8th plate is in from California.  

78735 is central Austin, which of course is full of yuppies. Impressive to have lived there for 20 years and still not realize that Southwest Parkway is north of Ben White. 

Only yuppies and Californians think Travis Country or SoCo are south Austin. Maybe @Armybrat because when he moved to Austin it didn't go past the river.

Edited February 8, 2021 by BradInATX

[Wally Pryor 5243]

Travis Country and Barton Creek aren't central Austin.   

Feel free to ask anyone else who lives in the city.   Not sure where you reside now.

[BradInATX 9208]

6 minutes ago, Wally Pryor said:

Travis Country and Barton Creek aren't central Austin.   

Feel free to ask anyone else who lives in the city.   Not sure where you reside now.

I was born and raised in south Austin and lived there for 40 years. Sit down kid. The only thing South Austin about Travis Country were the basketball games that we used to play there. It's nothing but a poor man's Westlake or Tarrytown.

Edited February 8, 2021 by BradInATX

[B00M 6280]

1 hour ago, BradInATX said:

 

You couldn't pay me to live north of Ben White. Central is full of yuppies and north is full of people like you. South Austin is the only place that still has any Austin left in it. The rest is a hodge podge of pool halls, California, and white people that watch cable news

 

Please, elaborate. I'm dying to know why South of Ben White has a monopoly on what defines Austin. 

[BradInATX 9208]

1 minute ago, B00M said:

Please, elaborate. I'm dying to know why South of Ben White has a monopoly on what defines Austin. 

Let's do process of elimination starting with districts that elected fitlump

 

[dcar00 14028]

2 hours ago, BradInATX said:

 

You couldn't pay me to live north of Ben White. Central is full of yuppies and north is full of people like you. South Austin is the only place that still has any Austin left in it. The rest is a hodge podge of pool halls, California, and white people that watch cable news

 

excellent, stay there.  south austin is just racist redneck North Hays.  we don't need you to cross the river to the free North.

[BradInATX 9208]

4 minutes ago, dcar00 said:

excellent, stay there.  south austin is just racist redneck North Hays.  we don't need you to cross the river to the free North.

I usually take my confederate flag off the truck when I go north of the river.

[Deej 76524]

4 minutes ago, dcar00 said:

south austin is just racist redneck North Hays.

 

[BradInATX 9208]

My bad for the threadjack though. I moved to somewhere between Wurstfest and a meth lab in Canyon Lake, so I'm out the Austin game anyway. Let's get this thread back to its original topic which is Wally Pryor telling us what an effective and outstanding leader FitLump is.

[89Horn 1492]

This discussion of what is considered south Austin reminds me of the great tug of war of 1987, North v. South Austin.  The geographical divisions were much simpler then, Town Lake divided north and south.  I remember it vividly because I moved from a Riverside apartment to a place at Balcones Woods right on 183 right before the tug of war.  I sat it out, but drank a beer and wine to balance out the allegiances. 

By the way, I had a place on William Cannon around 1988 and my buddies living in West Campus would characterize the location of my apartment as north San Antonio.

 

 

[Steel Shank 9409]

My buddies and I pulled for the South in the tug-o-war. Good times. Lot of shit talking going on leading up to the event.