04 Aug ACTION necessary! August 6th Public Hearing at City Council

The budget affects all of our issues, and we can talk about a variety of priorities that night. The City’s REAL priorities are what gets funded. Let’s speak up for funding a Sustainable Austin! If you do not wish to speak, you can still sign up and donate your speaking time to someone else. 3. WATER! – The water utility wants the City Council to choose a contractor and dole out $6 million for the proposed Water Treatment Plant 4 on August 6th, and we say no! The most affordable supply of water is conservation, not construction of an $849 MILLION new water treatment plant proposed for Lake Travis, which is near all-time lows during this drought. Let’s be stewards of our water and conserve it. Tell the City Council to say YES to water conservation and NO to this Boondoggle! Help Make A Difference – Sign Up to Speak Out or Give Your Time to Another Wear Something Blue or Bring a Photo of Your Favorite Water in Central Texas That You are Concerned About! We will hold a Teach-In and Briefing on the Budget Process at 5:30pm in the lobby, where we’ll orient people to the Road Map for Change and prepare for the hearings. We’ll have copies of the Road Map for Change that will be helpful in making public comments to the Council Members. Participatory Democracy only works if we show up. Together we can shift Austin’s spending to promote sustainability, environmental justice, water stewardship, alternative transportation, clean energy, zero waste, local organic food, and responsible land use. What a great lesson for the kids, too! On June 25th, around 300 people participated in the Eco-Change Exchange. August 6th is our chance to speak directly to the City Council on our vision for a sustainable Austin. Please come back to City Hall, bring at least one other person or your whole family on August 6th, and make sure our voices are heard. In solidarity, Austin Eco-Change Exchange