Rich DePalma

City Council, District 8

Campaign Website

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With Council’s decision to end CodeNEXT, how do you envision moving forward to update Austin’s land development code?

We need an updated land development code that provides allows the city to enact the vision of Imagine Austin, provide …

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How will you help address the affordability problems in Austin?

As the city continues to grow so do our affordability and housing needs. To start, we should: Update our land …

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How will you address Austin’s housing shortage? What regulations will you change to allow more housing where people want to live?

We are hearing of lifelong Austin residents having to move from their community as a result of affordability whether from …

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What is your vision for the future of high capacity transit in Austin?

The City of Austin has a duty to guarantee safe, efficient, and equitable transportation options. Transit ridership has a different …

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Moving forward, what role should dockless mobility play in Austin?

As we continue to pursue alternatives to our transit challenges and lessen our reliance on automobiles we need innovative options …

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What steps will you take to support modernization and digitization of operations within the City of Austin?

I’ve worked with Oracle, Accenture, Kony, RFD & Associates and many other technology companies over the years. I can’t wait …

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What do you see as the City’s responsibility toward addressing the digital divide in Austin, and what steps would you take to bridge that divide?

Broadband Equity – Leverage publicly owned utilities and infrastructure to expand wireless internet access with the ultimate goal of scaling …

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How can the City better work with Austin’s tech community to bring innovative approaches to civic challenges?

I feel that the city has taken great strides on this – creating many paths for inclusion in city projects …

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Affordability is discussed a lot in our community. How do you define affordability?

Besides housing costs, affordability means access to healthcare, food, utilities, childcare options, education, and employment opportunities for all. Additionally, I …

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Would you support a policy requiring the City’s Development Services department to achieve its goal of 90% permit review completion within 15 business days across all departments/disciplines by April 2019? (Y/N/Explain)

Yes. We need to continue the work of reforming the permitting process. Moving all the individuals who permit for the …

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Council adopted the Strategic Housing Blueprint last year, calling for 13,500 new units annually over 10 years. This gets us to break-even in terms of need. Would you support amending the City’s proposed Strategic Housing Plan to increase the number to at least 15,000 housing units per year for 10 years, keeping the breakout across income levels and including permanent supportive housing for those chronically experiencing homelessness? (Y/N; Explain)

Yes I do support amending the City’s proposed Strategic Housing Plan to increase the housing goal to 15,000 units per …

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Where should we be allowed to build multifamily apartment buildings? Should we allow it in more places in central Austin?

We need multifamily apartment buildings across the city to address our affordable housing crisis. The city has the opportunity to …

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Will you consult with us on appointments to the Planning Commission and Cap Metro Board of Directors?

Yes.

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Do you support more by-right zoning entitlements?

Yes.

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What is your position on homestead exemptions?

One of the biggest issues in District 8 this last year was the 100% increase across most of the area …

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How would you maximize the efficacy of the $250M affordable housing bond (assume that it passes)?

We maximize efficacy through accurate planning, improvement to city processes, a competitive RFP process, and awarding projects that leverage additional …

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What can the city do to lower average rents or at least decrease the rate of growth of average rents?

This is a problem we need to address in every district in the city. The solution involves increasing supply, reducing …

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How can we maximize transit ridership and decrease reliance on cars?

The City of Austin has a duty to guarantee safe, efficient, and equitable transportation options. Transit ridership has a different …

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What three items would you most like reform in our current zoning code?

Improve the compatibility set-back requirements Modify minimum on-property parking requirements/street parking requirements Create additional housing and environmental opportunities through the …

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Which bond Propositions on the November 2018 ballot do you support or not support? Check each that you support. Briefly explain your position.

Prop A Prop B Prop C Prop E Prop F Prop G Prop H Prop I I support all of …

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How can the City support the continued growth and success of Austin’s tech sector?

IT has evolved from standing for Information Technology to now being Innovation and Technology. I believe that redefining the field …

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In a recent poll, residents of Austin cited rising property taxes as a major issue they face, iconic business are having to close their doors and longtime residents are moving out citing rising property taxes. Some have also cited homelessness as an impediment to business. How would you slow or stop the increase in City property taxes, encourage other taxing entities to do the same, and balance the requests for more funding coming from the City Departments and the public? One example of the request of more funding is to expand social service contracts to meet needs, including to provide more supportive housing programs. How do you balance less taxes and increased demand for social services? Please explain.

A major reason for our high property taxes in Austin is the broken public school funding formula which needs to …

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Do you support a budget at the effective tax rate so home and business owners continue to benefit from the “growth dividend” and pay the same amount in property taxes as in the previous fiscal year? How do we balance this strategy with meeting the needs of people struggling to access services due to a lack of service capacity? How do you prioritize additional funding? Where would you look for efficiencies? (Y/N; Explain)

No I support the preliminary budget discussion starting at the effective tax rate but I do not support a blanket …

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Do you support maintaining affordable utility costs across Austin Energy and Austin Water that adheres strictly to the City’s affordability goals for Austin Energy, which require AustinEnergy rates to be in the bottom half of Texas ratepayers and minimizes increases to two percent per year for each rate class? (Y/N Explain)

Yes, I support maintaining affordable and competitive utility costs that adhere to the City’s affordability goals and limit rate increases.

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What is your collaborative vision when working with other governmental entities (Travis County, State of Texas, Central Health, etc.)?

Data and collaboration are the foundation of my policy development framework. In all my roles – Vice-Chair of the Parks …

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Solutions to homelessness exist – they require scaling up social services and housing programs, including the pathways from shelter to housing. To date, Austin has not identified adequate funding to address this challenge. How would you work to identify the funding needed?

I support traditional and innovative funding solutions to address transitional and permanent housing needs with the goal of long-term stability. …

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Many low-income families and persons experiencing homelessness have debt to the utility companies, which are now barriers to their ability to securing housing. Would you support increasing debt forgiveness programs for 3-4 years to help more people access housing? (Y/N/Explain)

Debt is one of the most systemic attributes of poverty. We should do more with our city owned utility while …

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Austin has long since been perceived as a town of creative innovators. Given the City’s recent regulatory attempts with the sharing and gig economy (Uber, AirBnB, Scooters), what is your position on how the City should handle emerging technologies and emerging markets? What is your view, generally, on the conflict between consumer demands and government interests? Similarly, when non-profits secure grant funding for innovative social solutions that requires a local match, what is your view on city funding being available for the match?

Austin thrives because of our talent and creative solutions. We also have the talent that identifies problems and pragmatic solutions. …

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Austin has experienced growth but some constituencies have been left behind. What is your vision for the City’s role in funding/supporting the nonprofit network that provide much needed social services? What is your plan for addressing disparities and inequities in our community?

The city has a significant role in leveraging our communities nonprofit network to accomplish the organizational missions of our departments …

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Council has passed 2 resolutions supporting an annual increase of about 2-3% for social service contracts in order to ensure that service agencies can keep up with rising costs of doing business and maintain service capacity. Would you direct the City Manager to include this annual increase in the budget for contracts meeting their performance targets? (Y/N/Explain)

Yes. I would ask for the inclusion of the 2-3% annual increase so the data can be included in planning. The …

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One of the best ways to make Austin more affordable is to ensure we have a diverse set of industries which provide local, skilled and the hard-to-employ talent the opportunity to compete for jobs that have a career ladder. The Austin City Council is considering adopting a revised economic incentive policy, expanding the previous one-size-fits-all policy. If the Austin Chamber of Commerce presents a company that meets the criteria for an incentive as set by City Council policy, will you vote to support incentivizing jobs for both small operators and large in our city? How will you monitor success with the provision requiring employment of the hard-to-employ?

I will support the adopted revised economic incentive policy designed to improve job opportunities for lower-wage and middle-skilled workers. If …

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How will you coordinate with regional partners to meaningfully address our increasing traffic level? What is your long-term vision for addressing traffic in Austin, and what would be the immediate first actions you would champion as a City Council Member to address the crisis?

The City of Austin has a duty to guarantee safe, efficient, and equitable transportation options. I have relationships with members …

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Transportation is the second highest family cost. When it is difficult to move freely around Austin, access to services and economic opportunities are limited; time spent commuting leaves less room for family obligations and socializing; and Austin becomes a more frustrating place. Do you support the items below? (Please mark each one you agree with)

Agree: Improve high-capacity transit to make it a more convenient, reliable alternative to single occupancy vehicles Support improvements for South …

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Why do you identify as a Democrat?

I’m a lifelong Democrat and it has been the Democratic Party that best matches my values. I believe every person, …

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Please share your experience and involvement in the Democratic Party in Travis County.

I’ve been an active member of the Democratic Party for my entire adult life. The day! moved to Travis County …

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Affordable housing is a major problem in Austin. Large numbers of people who work in Austin cannot afford to live in Austin. Many families are moving outside the city to find affordable housing. Do you have any ideas to help create more affordable housing or to make existing housing more affordable?

As the city continues to grow, so do our affordability and housing needs. There are a number of ideas about …

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Although Austin has remained a relatively safe city, there have been far too many shootings of African American men. What kind of changes would you institute at APD to reduce the number of officer-involved shootings and reduce the degree of mistrust that exists between the African American community and the police?

Austin is known as a progressive city, but there’s more we can do to ensure every member of our community …

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A respected University of Texas study has found that Austin is the only high-growth city that is losing African Americans, both in terms of numbers and percentage of the total population. Do you consider this a problem? If so, what would you do to reverse or stabilize the decline?

This is definitely a problem. When I moved to Austin from Oakland, California, I was surprised at the stark lack …

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Rising property taxes are a growing concern. There are a number of people who believe taxes are high because the city provides not only essential city services (police, fire, etc.) but non-essential services (social service contracts, education funding, etc.) If elected, how would you prioritize what is or is not an essential city service?

I have spent my entire career working with municipalities in improving the solutions and services to accomplish their organizational mission. …

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Which Democratic value speaks to you most?

In the traditional framework of democratic values – equality is one speaks to me the most. Without equality, how can …

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What policies do you support to make Austin a more affordable place to live for all residents?

Affordability is a concern for many and we need to enact a comprehensive but common sense strategy to address the …

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What are the most critical issues in your district and how will you address them?

The critical issues affecting District 8 are 1) affordability 2) improving traffic 3) addressing public safety & 4) reviewing where …

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What is your top environmental concern and how would you address it?

My top environmental concerns are water quality, conservation, and stormwater protection. I want to work to address redevelopment in high …

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Explain what important aspects of the land development code revision you support.

The next land development code revision must reflect the vision of Imagine Austin. I support 1) providing clarity on land …

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Many Austin residents experience barriers to access to city services offered over the Internet. What do you see as the city’s responsibility regarding digital inclusion, and what steps would you take to address that concern?

I addressed some of this in question #1. I believe that before we can address Digital Inclusion, we need to first …

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How do you think the city should use technology to engage the public and share information about complex policy proposals such as Imagine Austin and CodeNext?

I believe that technology affords so many new options for civic engagement – from polling or sending messages to government leaders …

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How should we measure the success of the city’s Open Government policy?

Open Government exists for greater transparency, civic participation and government accountability. A few ways that I believe Open Government can …

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Are you in favor of publishing lists of City Council members’ votes on actions taken by the council?

Yes, and if elected I am already on the record for planning to publish my own votes on my District 8 …

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What policies will you advocate to address the increasingly unaffordable housing, transportation, and utility costs that are economically segregating our neighborhoods?

Affordability is a concern for many and we need to enact a comprehensive and common-sense strategy to address the challenges. …

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What policies will you advocate to accommodate and welcome the full abundance and diversity of people who aspire to live in Austin’s neighborhoods?

Austin doubles in size between every twenty and thirty years. As we grow, we must move toward our housing challenges …

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How will you resolve policy issues and cases that come before you when the wishes of some incumbent residents in a neighborhood conflict with the interests of other residents and the larger, city-wide community?

My campaign slogan is solutions not politics. My policy approach on the Parks and Recreation Board and on the AISD …

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What policies and approaches will you advocate to promote neighborhood improvement, and avoid neighborhood protectionism, as Austin changes and grows?

I support updating our neighborhood plans and FLUMS to reflect a new land development code. Our current plans were created …

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Do you consider parks an important community asset? Why?

Parks are a critical community asset for physical and mental health (the physical activity, fresh air, and personal reflection), protection …

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Ensuring equitable access to quality parks for all Austinites is a key priority for Austin Parks Foundation. How might you work as a decision-maker for both your district and the city as a whole to move the needle on equitable access to quality parks?

Equitable access to quality parks can be measured multiple ways. One way is whether there is a public park within …

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What’s your favorite park in Austin? Why?

I know our park system well. For over three years I have served as the Vice-Chair of the Parks and …

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Parkland dedication fees are one mechanism by which the city funds park acquisition and improvements. What is your stance on parkland dedication fees, and are you in favor of maintaining them during the Land Development Code updating process?

I helped pass the current parkland dedication ordinance. It was done by bringing diverse interests together. This was not easy …

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Austin Parks Foundation is continuously involved in community engagement to ensure that our projects and work align with community values and needs. What is your philosophy on community engagement, and how would you engage with the community to ensure that their needs around parks and open space are appropriately addressed?

Shoal Creek Conservancy is leading on community engagement. The engagement focus is in the community impacted. There is a clear …

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What do you believe the role of private partners should be in maintaining and improving public parks? What actions would you take to strengthen and improve public-private partnerships?

Private partners play a major role through either direct or indirect investment of funding or volunteers. A great example is …

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The City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department faces $125 million in deferred maintenance each year, ranging from playground maintenance and aquatics needs to mowing and servicing trash and recycling receptacles. What would be your strategy for addressing this need?

I served on the Aquatics Master Plan Task Force and we developed a range of ideas to explore from public …

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