Austin Independent School District

The time has arrived when AISD will be making a decision on whether to participate in Austin's Landmarks program.   Austin will not have a meaningful Landmarks program without AISD's participation, despite the judicious decisions by the City of Austin, Travis County, and the Healthcare District to invest in safeguarding our valuable historic resources through the tax incentives for Landmarks.

The Heritage Society of Austin can not overstate the importance that AISD Trustees receive an outpouring of messages from the community stating that historic preservation matters not just to you, but to the well-being of our community. The Trustees need to understand that it is critical to the mission of our public schools to educate our youth about the role our historic fabric has played and continues to play in the development of Austin, as we prepare these students to lead our city in the future. Our landmarks can serve as a critical tool for educating students and making numerous subjects come alive.

AISD Trustees will vote on Monday, May 21 on whether to continue historic incentives for landmark properties.  Please send them a message and come to the meeting on Monday evening to show your support .

Please immediately contact the Trustees and the Administration of the District at  
Trustees@austinisd.org

To contact an individual trustee, send a message to Elaine.Hopkins@austinisd.org  with subject line "For Board Member xxx." 

AISD Board of Trustees Meeting
Monday, May 21, 7:00 p.m.
AISD Headquarters
1111 West 6th Street, Room B-100
Austin, Texas, 78703.

 AISD Citizen Communications Policy

Members of the community are invited to address the AISD Board during the public comment period at regularly scheduled Board meetings. Each speaker is limited to two minutes, with a limit of 30 speakers. Those wishing to speak must sign up on the day of the meeting at the Superintendent's office during regular office hours (7:45 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.) or at the meeting location from 4:45 p.m. until the meeting begins.
Speakers are assigned in order on a first-come, first-serve basis. When signing up to speak, each person must provide the following information: name, address, telephone number, the subject to be addressed and, if applicable, the group or organization the person represents. An individual may not sign up for another person or exchange or yield time to persons who have not signed up to speak.

Austin Community College

The Austin Community College (ACC) Board of Trustees is slated to consider on Monday, February 6th whether it will continue offering tax incentives under the City of Austin's Historic Landmarks Program. For 2010 and 2011, the ACC Board voted to suspend historic tax incentives until the program could be reformed. The Austin City Council last month approved a number of these reforms, ensuring that the landmarks program will be stronger and more fiscally sound.

We need your help. Tell the ACC board members that historic preservation is a vital community goal and they must continue to support it. AISD and other taxing jurisdictions all have voted to maintain their participation in the program. It's critical that ACC continue its support of a key incentive that promotes the maintenance and existence of Austin's character and history.

Click here to send a message to all the ACC Trustees

or

Click here to send a message to individual Trustees via Rhonda Fenner

Also, please attend the meeting and let your voice be heard by enrolling to speak during Citizens Communications. You must get on the speakers schedule in advance and will be allowed 3 minutes to speak. See below instructions for getting on the schedule.

ACC Trustees Meeting
Monday, February 6 at 6:00 p.m.
5930 Middle Fiskville Road
2nd Floor Board Room (Room 201)

Getting on Speakers Schedule:
Individuals who wish to speak before the Board should notify Rhonda Fenner at rfenner@austincc.edu in advance. Citizens who are scheduled to address the Board should sign-in prior to the 6:00 meeting, or the declared start time for the meeting. The sign-in sheet is usually available from 5:30-6:00 p.m., in the Board Room, with the Assistant to the Board. For more information regarding citizens' communications, please call 223.7613.



City of Austin

On August 11, 2011, Austin's City Council passed a resolution that kept a meaningful Landmark program, as well as made some enhancements to the wider preservation program. Read the resolution here.

Travis County

On June 28, 2011, the Travis County Commissioners affirmed the value of preservation to our community by voting to maintain the current Historic Landmark tax incentives for the coming tax year. Rather than putting these historic treasures at risk with interim measures, they instead intend to work together with the City of Austin over the next year to develop an improved landmarks program with thoughtfully structured incentives.