My vision for District 5 is built on a foundation of strong community, effective support, and smart governance.

9a. {Optional Context}: While mandatory, court-ordered diversion programs can save lives during severe crises, long-term recovery succeeds best through accessible, structured, trauma-informed treatment models. It works if you work it. Many homelessness programs fail in Austin and other cities because they do not incorporate personal accountability, which is central to 12-step principles. Having completed a 12-step program myself, I witnessed accountable homelessness initiatives in Iowa—such as the Open Door Mission—achieve exceptional success rates by combining structured support with real accountability.

Thoughtful economic development is essential for District 5, balancing growth with the needs of all residents and workers.

On Austin’s Economic Development Policy The cornerstones of a winning economic policy must be built on the "Architect of Action" framework: direct relief for local operators, not bureaucratic hurdles.

On the 2024 Police Contract I would have voted YES on the 2024 police contract because public safety is non-negotiable for South Austin families.

On RECA's Role in Local Policy The Real Estate Council of Austin (RECA) should serve as a practical partner to City Hall, bridging the gap between growth and common-sense infrastructure.

To fix the housing crisis and make Austin affordable for real, hardworking residents—not just corporate insiders—I advocate for common-sense policy shifts under the Architect of Action blueprint:

Comprehensive solution to end housing discrimination against self-employed workers and entrepreneurs who fuel Austin's economy.

The Abraham Brighter Futures Initiative ensures biological equity for all humans—male and female—who can procreate, ages 10+. Universal access to family planning removes economic barriers.

Projected 10-year spike in local workforce retention. Applies to all family planning health, wellness, and all types of families for equity and inclusion.

Addressing the 60-90 day delay in VA benefits processing when veterans relocate to Austin, ensuring no one is left without care during transition.

As a survivor, implementing reforms that prioritize victim voices and ensure justice isn't delayed or denied.

From ending the 1099 mortgage trap to modernizing health systems for Veterans, it's time for Safety and Policy First Austin with family planning equity for all who can procreate.

Austin pilot programs can set precedents that transform policy nationwide. When we prove these models work locally, we create blueprints for cities across America.

Formal filing processed January 2026. Visit www.FarrahAbraham.com for full pilot program proposals and RSVP information. Learn more at MayorAbraham.Vote.

Your candidate, Farrah Abraham, answers critical questions on Austin's growth and sustainability. Read directly on key solutions for District 5.

Qualifications: What specific training and experience prepared you for this position?

Austin business owner, UT paralegal certified, mother, and policy advocate. 18+ years leading local business, civic ordinance reform, property tax relief, and equal opportunity for District 5 families

Public Safety: How do you plan to address issues related to public safety, keeping communities safe while preserving individual rights?

As a single mother and victim advocate, public safety is my highest concern. I will protect District 5 businesses and families using existing local tools: APD Safe Place partnerships, commercial crime prevention surveys, and multi-disciplinary crisis response like Austin FIRST. We must curb petty crime, defend civil liberties, and ensure every neighbor feels secure.

Infrastructure: How would you bolster infrastructure in regards to population growth, especially in traffic / transportation and housing?

Infrastructure must scale with growth using strict accountability. City audits show poor training wastes tax dollars, so I will mandate rigorous training, audit systems, and contractor oversight. To fix traffic and housing, we must adopt smart traffic technology and tech-driven management for multifamily housing, coordinating with local, state, and federal leaders to deliver.

Data Centers: What is your position on data center development, and what specific policies or regulations regarding natural resource usage would you support regarding data centers?

Austin has 50+ data centers bringing vital tech, trade, and engineering jobs to District 5. I support smart development with strict water protections: mandating closed-loop dry cooling systems that eliminate water waste, expanding reclaimed water networks, and requiring large facilities to protect municipal drinking water. We can grow our economy while preserving vital natural resources.

Housing Access Now Over 5,000 people experience homelessness in Austin every night. Meanwhile, the City of Austin hasn’t built enough affordable housing for the lowest income people and housing developments can still deny applicants based on criminal history, eviction history, and source of income. The dearth of deeply affordable units is not a new issue; in 2014 the City identified a shortage of 48,000 deeply affordable rental units (primarily those renting for less than $500/month) for renters earning less than $25,000 per year. In 2017, Austin adopted a Strategic Housing Blueprint, which included plans to build 20,000 homes that people earning less than $25,000 could afford (30% MFI), and 1,000 new permanent supportive housing (PSH) units. However, by 2022 – halfway through their 10-year timeline – developers had only built 363 units for 30% MFI and only 321 PSH units for people exiting homelessness. With federal funding cuts, the end of ARPA dollars, and the failure of Prop Q in 2025, the gap is only growing – despite homelessness being declared a top City priority. “I’m here today to talk about permanent supportive housing, which is badly needed in our city. Roughly 72% of people on the streets receive a severe mental health diagnosis. I’ve been through the situation of being on the streets for ten years, and coming into housing - I can tell you these wraparound services are so badly needed when trying to readjust to living in housing. I thought I would be perfectly capable of bouncing back to life, but realistically it took me months to adjust.” -Barry Jones, VOCAL-TX Leader

1. What would it actually take to prioritize permanent housing for Austinites experiencing homelessness and if elected/re-elected, what would you reallocate from the current budget to fund it?

A Strategy to Prioritize Permanent Supportive Housing: To deliver deeply affordable PSH units and wraparound services, city strategy must focus on three core policy levers: Streamline Procurement & Service Contracting: Fast-track the distribution of unspent service funds to non-profit providers so that completed units immediately come online with full mental health, case management, and recovery support. Prioritize PSH in Capital Bond Planning: Direct a dedicated proportion of future infrastructure funding, including allocations considered by the 2026 Bond Election Advisory Task Force, toward 30% MFI and PSH developments. Reform Tenant Screening & Land Use: Expand local incentives and protections to discourage blanket rejections based on source of income or past eviction records, while using density bonuses to maximize deep affordability.

2. If elected/re-elected, how would your housing solutions meet the needs of different groups of unhoused Austinites – including people who use drugs, people coming home from being incarcerated, and working poor Austinites?

Similar to my above strategy to fix the gaps in support for the district 5 community members meeting the diverse needs of unhoused Austinites requires tailored, evidence-based solutions that recognize different pathways into—and out of—housing instability. People Who Use Drugs: Expanding low-barrier "Housing First" options is essential. By pairing permanent housing with voluntary, harm-reduction-focused wraparound services—such as peer support, recovery coaching, and medical case management—individuals can achieve housing stability without strict precondition barriers. Re-Entering Individuals: Returning citizens often face systemic barriers due to conviction histories. Partnering with re-entry organizations, utilizing rapid re-housing funds, and offering landlord incentives can open up property access. Furthermore, adopting fair-chance housing policies prevents blanket denials based on past criminal records. Working Poor Austinites: Preventing displacement requires robust eviction-prevention initiatives, short-term rental assistance, and workforce support. Programs like the First Steps Housing Displacement Prevention Program and the local ECHO Right at Home Initiative focus on keeping low-income workers stably housed before they fall into homelessness. Expanding "missing middle" housing zoning also creates more options affordable to working families.

Access to Shelter & Improving Shelter Conditions While the City has made progress in opening up more shelter beds in recent years, we have nowhere near enough to meet the need. At the same time, residents of existing shelters have long reported frequent discharges — regardless of time of day, weather conditions, or circumstances — and lack of appeals processes. Residents have organized to win basic improvements, including hot water in showers, cleanliness, communication, nutritious food, health care access and more. Other people choose to live on the streets to avoid these conditions, stay with their partners, or keep their pets. “I started to get really depressed and spent more time in bed. In these cases, I get in deep pain and my patience gets very short. I got into an argument with staff and threw some food on the ground. They accused me of assaulting a staff member. Security handcuffed me and dragged me across the floor, leaving me in handcuffs until APD arrived. I insisted APD check the cameras because I never touched anyone. I was kicked out of the shelter. This never would have happened with access to my medication.” - Barry Jones, VOCAL-TX Leader

1. Residents often share concerns about the conditions in shelters and treatment they receive by staff in shelters. If elected/re-elected, what would you do to improve shelter conditions system-wide?

Systemic accountability must accompany every municipal dollar. To elevate shelter safety, dignity, and operations, I will champion the following measures: Operation policies of 12 step trauma informed accountability to stop transferring trauma to those in need of shelter. Independent Resident Ombudsman & Appeals Process: Establish an independent oversight body outside of shelter operators to review resident grievances, investigate wrongful discharge accusations, and create a transparent, standardized appeals process before involuntary discharge. Mandatory Staff & Trauma-Informed Training: Require all city-funded shelter staff and contract security personnel to undergo mandatory, regular training in trauma-informed care, de-escalation, behavioral health management, and peer-support protocols. Contractual Performance & Health Standards: Enforce strict health, hygiene, and nutrition benchmarks across all contracted facilities—including guaranteed hot water, clean facilities, dietary accommodations, and direct access to essential medications. Transparent Video & Incident Audits: Require standard, audited security footage reviews for any escalated physical intervention or police involvement inside city-funded sites to prevent false accusations and protect resident safety. Improve multifamily housing tech and facilities housing audits monthly.

2. Right now, there are nowhere near enough shelter beds for the amount of people that need them. If elected/re-elected, what would you do to ensure everyone that needs shelter gets access to it?

I've seen crisis systems lag, support teams need automated intake forms and tracking to hold intake staff accountable, expanding emergency shelter capacity requires combining rapid facilities, modernized rules, and long-term capital strategy: Expand Low-Barrier & Specialized Beds: Fast-track low-barrier shelter models that keep families, couples, and pet owners together, ensuring individuals are not forced to choose between safety and their loved ones or pets. Accelerate Emergency & Micro-Shelter Sites: Utilize underutilized city properties and prefabricated structures to expand emergency, non-congregate crisis beds rapidly. Strategic Budget & Capital Investments: Support the Homeless Strategy Office's expansion goals by prioritizing capital funding for shelter bed expansion in upcoming municipal bond packages and leveraging matching private/philanthropic funding. Streamline Diversion & Rapid Exit: Fund robust front-door diversion programs and short-term financial bridge support so individuals at risk of homelessness never enter the emergency shelter system, freeing up beds for those in immediate crisis. I look forward to helping senior housing as well.

Homes not Handcuffs :

Encampment sweeps are not an effective or humane response to homelessness. They disrupt access to healthcare; result in the loss of critical belongings like medications, identification, and survival gear; increase instability and trauma, making it harder for people to secure services; undermine trust between vulnerable communities and service providers; and place additional strain on already overburdened systems. On May 11th the Homeless Strategy Office (HSO) launched a new encampment clearing strategy — daily encampment sweeps led by APD and Austin Resource Recovery, not outreach workers. This new strategy was not paired with additional shelter beds or housing. In June, HSO reported sweeping 127 camps and getting just 35 people into shelter. No cost estimates have been shared publicly about the new plan, but we know the previous 3-week surge in November carried a price tag of over $800,000. “The police had come and confiscated everything: food, water, dog food, my propane tank, my generator, my heater, and my clothes and blankets. They took my tools, my motorized bike, and my family heirlooms — even my mom’s and husband’s ashes… They’d done it throughout the camp. And a young man I knew died that November night, on Thanksgiving, after the cops had taken everything he had to keep him warm. I nearly froze myself in my empty, metal bus.” - Carrieann Smith, VOCAL-TX Leader

1. Do you believe daily encampment sweeps are an effective use of public funds? If elected/re-elected, would you do anything different? No, daily law-enforcement-led sweeps without paired shelter beds or housing connections are an inefficient and costly use of taxpayer funds. Sweeps simply displace unhoused individuals from one block to another, forcing municipal departments to continuously spend resources without reducing the unhoused population. If elected, I will pivot from reactive, enforcement-heavy sweeps to direct, housing-focused resolution. I will require that any site abatement be paired directly with available emergency shelter capacity or rapid re-housing placements. Furthermore, I will redirect municipal funds into street outreach, mental health caseworkers, and expanding low-barrier shelter capacity so public dollars go toward permanent exit strategies rather than perpetual shuffling.

2. People that report being swept share stories of losing vital documents, medications, survival gear, and more. If elected/re-elected, how would you make sweeps less harmful?

To eliminate trauma and property loss during municipal site clearings, I will implement strict operational protocols: Mandatory Advance Notice: Require clear, multi-day written and verbal notice provided directly by non-profit outreach workers—not law enforcement—prior to any scheduled site abatement. Document & Medication Safe Harbor: Require staff to identify, catalog, and immediately safeguard vital records (IDs, social security cards, birth certificates), medical equipment, and essential prescription medications. Property Bag-and-Tag System: Mandate a standardized, secure "bag-and-tag" storage system with free city transit vouchers so individuals can retrieve personal belongings from a centralized storage facility within 30 to 90 days. On-Site Peer Support & Social Workers: Lead operations with mental health professionals and trauma-informed peer support specialists to manage de-escalation and assist with logistics, keeping police officers strictly focused on outer-perimeter safety.

3. If elected/re-elected, will you work to stop daily camp sweeps and work with unhoused people to develop strategies that work?

Yes. I will vote to restructure the current daily enforcement sweep strategy and rebuild a collaborative approach to public space management. I will advocate for establishing an Unhoused Community Advisory Council—working directly alongside individuals with lived experience, grassroots advocates, and neighborhood organizations—to co-design local encampment resolution strategies. We must replace uncoordinated clearings with dedicated, service-led programs (like an expanded HEAL Initiative) that prioritize public safety and environmental health while guaranteeing a direct, dignified path into shelter and supportive housing.

Billionaire Backers of Hate :

Austin is home to some of the richest and most powerful billionaires in the country – and they are helping drive Trump’s agenda that is making people homeless, hungry, and sick. From funding politicians like Trump and Abbott to pushing policies that criminalize poverty, underpay workers, destroy our environment, and separate our families, these billionaires are shaping a future where everyday people are pushed to the brink – while they profit. That’s why VOCAL-TX launched Austin’s Backers of Hate: a campaign to expose the billionaires in our own backyard who are funding and driving this hateful agenda, and to build the power to stop them. “I’m not doing anything wrong, I’m just homeless. We matter and have a right to exist just as well as everyone else. Our city should help us and stand up for us in these moments. This city has always stood up for us and been a place to offer help and services to the needy and homeless. Now billionaires have infiltrated it and I don’t recognize it anymore. People like Joe Lonsdale are investing in and profiting off high-tech surveillance and detention of our people. They are creating policies against the homeless and criminalizing us to keep us away.” - Puma, VOCAL-TX Leader and unhoused Austinite.

1. Have you accepted money from billionaires? Will you commit to not taking money from billionaires, corporations, and PACs?

I have not accepted funding from any source. Because the district city council seat is a W-2 compensated position, collecting or taking campaign funds is entirely unnecessary. Consequently, this inquiry is irrelevant to the role.

2. If elected/re-elected, what policies would you support to ensure billionaires pay their fair share and limit their influence on our policies and elections?

When a question aims to create inequality or exclude any specific individual or entity, it amounts to suppression and stonewalling. I refuse to participate in breaking laws or fostering prejudice against any person, group, or organization. Every voice deserves to be heard without government exploitation or restriction, as our community demands full transparency, fairness, and equity. Because this question is designed to have a negative impact—something I will not support—the individual responsible for writing it should be removed from the VOCAL-TX board for bringing negative influence upon our local communities.

Overdose Prevention & Invest in Harm Reduction Preventable overdose continues to take the lives of Austinites every day. Overdose is the leading cause of death among people experiencing homelessness in our community. Between 2019 and 2024, preventable overdose deaths increased by 68%, while homelessness more than doubled. Meanwhile, Texas is one of only a dozen states that has not authorized harm reduction programs. The State continues to criminalize the possession of drug paraphernalia (including fentanyl test strips, syringes, and smoking kits) and small, personal use amounts of cannabis and controlled substances. In Austin, people who use drugs and their allies have organized for years for investments in harm reduction, understanding that it keeps people alive, prevents disease transmission, and connects people to long-term care and community. “On February 21st, my oldest son died of a fentanyl overdose. If we had not been homeless, I know he would still be alive. If we want to get serious about ending overdose, we have to get serious about talking about the things people actually need to survive. Where is our housing for people on the streets? Where are the services people need? People use drugs for many reasons – some people use them to cope with trauma in their lives. So why are we continuing to arrest people for drugs if it is a public health problem?” - Ms Carolyn Williams, VOCAL-TX Leader

1. Do you support harm reduction even though some harm reduction tools like fentanyl testing strips remain illegal under Texas state law?

Yes. Public health and saving human lives must always come first. Overdose is a preventable health crisis, not a moral failure or a purely criminal justice issue. Harm reduction is an evidence-based medical strategy that keeps our neighbors alive, prevents disease transmission, and provides a bridge to long-term recovery and housing stability. While navigating Texas state legal constraints, I fully support expanding all permissible, life-saving harm reduction measures. I support city initiatives that provide continuous access to free, low-barrier overdose-reversal medications like Naloxone (Narcan), expanding public health education, and working alongside frontline advocacy organizations like the Texas Harm Reduction Alliance. At the same time, I will advocate at the state level alongside local public health officials to fully decriminalize basic health safety tools, ensuring Austinites have access to every resource necessary to prevent tragic loss of life.

2. If elected/re-elected, how would you support our community in stopping overdose deaths?

To stop preventable overdose deaths in Austin, I will champion a multi-pronged, public-health-centered strategy: Expand Low-Barrier Naloxone Vending & Street Outreach: Partner with Central Health and local non-profits to scale anonymous, 24/7 self-serve Narcan distribution units across high-risk zip codes, shelter facilities, transit hubs, and community health centers. Fund Peer Support & Mobile Crisis Response: Direct municipal opioid abatement funds to expand peer recovery specialists, street-based outreach teams, and integrated mental health crisis responders who meet unhoused Austinites directly where they are. Expand Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Access: Enhance city and county partnerships with entities like Integral Care to fund immediate access to suboxone and methadone treatment—ensuring cost, lack of insurance, or housing status are not barriers to receiving medical care. Pair Housing with Support Services: Recognize that housing security is overdose prevention. I will prioritize Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) models that pair stable shelter directly with voluntary behavioral health, trauma recovery, and harm reduction support services.

CAFA & Class C warrants:

In July 2024, we joined the ACLU of Texas as plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against Travis County for lack of representation at magistration. We won progress through Counsel at First Appearance – but the City’s continued reliance on Class C warrants still disproportionately harms BIPOC residents, specifically Black Austinites. According to city data, of the over 66,000 active Class C arrest warrants, 25% affect Black people despite Black residents making up about 8% of the population. Further examination of the data shows how Class C misdemeanors punish people for being poor, and target people of color and people with mental health and substance use disorders.Thousands of warrants are for sleeping outside, public intoxication or theft less than $100. “Being homeless made it easier to be arrested and then kept me in jail. If I had not been arrested for a low level offence and had representation at first appearance, I would not have lost all my things, had to start all over; I would still have had a job; I would not have as many charges on my record which are preventing me from finding suitable employment to remain housed; I would know my rights before speaking to a magistrate and not have criminalized myself; I would have been released sooner if I would have had options and not feeling in the dark; More so I would have had the medical treatment I needed! The fact that I was homeless affected my outcomes.” - Alfredo Reyes Jr., VOCAL-TX Organizer

1. If elected/re-elected, will you support efforts to clear the 66,000 outstanding Class C warrants?

Yes. Accumulating Class C misdemeanor warrants for fine-only offenses—such as sleeping outside, public intoxication, or minor property offenses—creates an unproductive cycle that penalizes poverty rather than advancing public safety. Outstanding warrants trap working-class families, unhoused residents, and low-income individuals in endless legal barriers, making it significantly harder to secure employment, stable housing, or essential services. I support comprehensive municipal warrant forgiveness initiatives, amnesty programs, and community service diversion options to clear low-level, fine-only Class C warrants. By shifting away from incarceration and arrest cycles for minor infractions, Austin can clear court backlogs, reduce administrative costs, and allow city resources to focus strictly on serious public safety threats.

2. If elected/re-elected, what policies would you fight for to stop the criminalization of homelessness, mental illness, and poverty?

To ensure municipal policy prioritizes health, justice, and effective public safety, I will champion the following policy reforms:

Expand Counsel at First Appearance (CAFA): Fully support and fund public defense representation at initial magistration hearings across Travis County and the City of Austin to protect constitutional rights, eliminate arbitrary pre-trial detention, and ensure fair release conditions.

Pre-Arrest Diversion & Mobile Health Teams: Direct non-violent, mental health, and substance use crisis calls away from law enforcement into expanded multidisciplinary response units, such as the Austin FIRST program and mobile crisis outreach teams, connecting individuals with care rather than jail cells.

Citation-in-Lieu-of-Arrest Ordinances: Strengthen city ordinances that mandate citations instead of arrests for minor Class C infractions, preventing unnecessary booking and job loss due to minor infractions.

Grace Periods & Legal Aid Support: Expand municipal court diversion pipelines that convert fine-only Class C citations directly into housing navigation, job training, or community service opportunities before warrants are issued.

Budgets

Every year we see more money go to APD, while thousands of people experience homelessness, are impacted by overdose, and need support they are not getting. Austin’s budget reflects what and who the City chooses to prioritize. “The City Council should reallocate money from APD and put it towards housing, services, and care for people. Don’t double down on funding police at the expense of shelter beds, rapid rehousing vouchers, services for PSH and many critical other programs that help people. These are the programs that helped me. And these are the things that we need funding for right now.” Alfredo Reyes Jr. VOCAL-TX Organizer

1. What are your top budget priorities?

Give us concrete examples of where you think money should go. My top budget priorities center on addressing the root causes of community instability: housing, behavioral health, and essential infrastructure. Rather than relying solely on crisis response, municipal dollars should be invested in proactive community care: Permanent Supportive Housing & Rapid Rehousing: Expand capital and operational funding for 30% Median Family Income (MFI) units, land banking, and wraparound social services to create long-term housing exits for unhoused residents. Overdose Prevention & Behavioral Health: Direct funding to self-serve Naloxone distribution, mobile crisis intervention teams, harm reduction outreach, and low-barrier substance use recovery services. Youth & Community Infrastructure: Invest in shaded playgrounds, green schoolyards, community centers, and local business support across South Austin neighborhoods to promote equal access and opportunity.

2. Every year for the past five years, Council has voted to increase APD’s budget, which can’t ever be reduced due to state law. Do you agree with continued increases to APD’s budget?

No. Continually inflating the police budget at the expense of social safety net programs creates an unsustainable financial imbalance. However, under Texas state law (House Bill 1900), any city with over 250,000 residents that reduces its municipal police department budget faces severe state penalties, including property tax freezes, sales tax diversions, and annexation restrictions.
JAM Broadcasting Because state law mandates that APD's base budget cannot be reduced below previous levels without trigger penalties, I oppose automatic or unexamined budget expansions beyond statutory compliance. Instead, I support optimizing public safety expenditures by decoupling non-policing municipal services, expanding civilian mental health response teams, and auditing police spending to ensure every tax dollar directly delivers measurable community safety.

3. If you disagree with the Mayor or City Manager’s positions, have you/would you stand up to them? If so, how?

We're transforming data centers from land-competing footprints into assets that protect water, scale better infrastructure and economic growth safely and support family farms.

Addressing community concerns around data centers—such as resource scarcity, unconsented land use, and rural strain—requires moving away from speculative development toward structured, community-centered infrastructure. Bridging grid technology with local agriculture and regulatory guardrails transforms data centers from land-competing footprints into assets that protect water and support family farms. I also voted so "local communities have a vote and say in Ai Data centers", alike it goes with local city counsel seat duties to help nurture income, education, and economic development and bring my entire community with and win together. District 5 is very much in the city and a great location to embrace taking part in growth as growth is enevitable for our next generations.

THE TECH TEMPER-TANTRUM & LACK OF EDUCATION

1. Agrivoltaics: Empowering Farmers & Preserving Farmland Data center expansion often competes with agricultural land. Agrivoltaics—co-locating solar panels directly over active agricultural operations—bridges energy demand and farming viability:
American Solar Energy Society Dual-Income Security for Farmers: Leasing land for solar arrays while continuing to farm or graze provides long-term, stable cash flow for rural landowners, helping preserve family-owned agricultural acreage. Water Retention & Crop Protection: Solar panel arrays create microclimates that reduce soil evaporation by up to 30%, protecting shade-tolerant crops and vine crops during high-heat conditions.
American Solar Energy Society Soil & Habitat Restoration: Integrating pollinator-friendly native vegetation beneath solar installations improves local biodiversity, enhances soil carbon, and increases nearby crop yields.
Source: American Solar Energy Society

2. Protecting Water Resources & Local Health Unchecked industrial water usage causes psychological and economic scarcity anxiety in local communities. Sustainable infrastructure mandates strict separation between municipal drinking water and cooling operations: Zero-Potable Water Mandates: Data centers must utilize closed-loop liquid cooling, air-cooled dry heat exchangers, or direct-to-chip cooling, eliminating continuous evaporative water loss. Industrial Water Recycling: Connecting directly to municipal reclaimed water networks (such as Austin's GoPurple system) ensures industrial operations consume non-potable effluent rather than pulling from local aquifer or river supplies. Continuous Environmental Audits: Mandatory, public-facing reporting of water withdrawal and thermal discharge prevents hidden resource depletion and ensures accountability under state regulatory frameworks like the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT).
Source: The Cool Down.

3. Grid-Supportive Sourcing & Financial Protection To ensure large industrial loads do not cause blackouts or inflate residential utility rates: Microgrids & Behind-the-Meter Storage: Co-locating data centers with utility-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) allows facilities to draw from stored power during extreme grid stress, serving as grid-stabilizing assets. Demand Response Agreements: Mandatory automated load-shedding shifts heavy, non-critical processing workloads to off-peak hours when renewable energy is abundant. Developer-Funded Infrastructure: Under modern regulatory frameworks (such as Texas SB 6 standards), data center operators must fund 100% of their dedicated grid interconnects and substation upgrades, preventing costs from shifting to residential ratepayers.
Source: compass

Preventing Community Anxiety Through Consent & Notice Community stress and mental crisis tied to industrial growth stem largely from non-transparent site acquisitions, hate edited misinformation click-bate media, the community member not using ai platforms to research all their questions prior to get factual best practices for Ai Data center economic expansions, the community member not have education from school systems prior to meetings, and unannounced zoning changes. Establishing "Consent by Design" requires: Mandatory Public Notice & Buffer Zones: Setting strict setback requirements from residential zones, schools, and historic agricultural districts to eliminate noise pollution and visual disruption. Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs): Requiring binding agreements between data center developers, school districts, and local municipal boards to guarantee local hiring, trade apprenticeships, and direct contributions to local infrastructure before permits are issued.

Texas has great laws already in place, community notice in place, and as someone who has done construction it is rigorous to build, hard to get approval, mandatory site inspections, and mandatory for community notices already.

While some city council members love spreading confusion, increasing scarcity, and making your voice feel small so they can get a rise out of you. I operate to keep my community at peace, transparency, joyful, and flourishing on economic opportunities to empower us to move through each new opportunity to-the- next, to be as productive and happy as possible.

May all of your wildest dreams come true with safety, support and prevention so there is no more crises.

Farrah stands with all constituents to update zoning language to prevent commercial zoning of clustering small data centers and zoning for large data centers in city limits. Currently, District 5 has no land spaces that fit AI data center zoning, qualifications, or land plots that fulfill developers' needs.

This resolution is structured for formal adoption into the City of Austin Land Development Code (Title 25), providing clear definitions, prohibiting hyperscale facilities, and applying strict conditional land-use protections to safeguard residential neighborhoods like District 5. — Farrah Abraham, District 5 Candidate