Posting Language
Title
Adopt the Austin/Travis County Food Plan, which was co-created with the community to set clear goals and strategies to move toward a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient food system.
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Lead Department
Office of Sustainability.
Fiscal Note
This item has no fiscal impact.
Prior Council Action:
June 10, 2021 - Council passed Resolution No. 20210610-039, related to Food Resiliency directing the City Manager to initiate a planning process and multi-lingual engagement strategy for the creation of the Austin/Travis County Food System Plan.
June 10, 2021 - Council approved Resolution No. 20210610-077, authorizing $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to be used for food planning.
September 8, 2021 - Office of Sustainability staff provided an update to the Mayor and Council on the progress made on the food plan, including an update on the process and timeline.
For More Information:
Zach Baumer, Chief Sustainability Officer, 512-974-2836.
Council Committee, Boards and Commission Action:
May 23, 2023 - Parks and Recreation Board; no action taken.
May 24, 2023 - Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission; no action taken.
June 7, 2023 - African American resource Advisory Commission; no action taken.
June 21, 2023 - Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission; no action taken.
June 22, 2023 - Joint Sustainability Committee; no action taken.
June 25, 2023 - Equity Action Team; no action taken.
June 27, 2023 - Human Rights Commission; no action taken.
July 11, 2023 - Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Queer Quality of Life Advisory Commission; no action taken.
July 13, 2023 - Commission on Seniors; no action taken.
July 27, 2023 - Joint Inclusion Committee; no action taken.
August 3, 3023 - Commission for Women; no action taken.
August 10, 2023 - Zero Waste Advisory Commission; no action taken.
August 12, 2023 - Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities; no action taken.
January 8, 2024 - Austin Travis County Food Policy Board no action taken.
February 20, 2024 - Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission; no action taken.
February 27, 2024 - Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission; no action taken.
March 25, 2024 - Park and Recreation Board; no action taken.
March 27, 2024 - Recommended by the Joint Sustainability Committee on a 13-0-4 vote with Commissioners Suarez, Houser, Delgado, and Bazan absent.
April 10. 2024 - Zero Waste Advisory Commission; no action taken.
April 17, 2024 - Commission on Veterans Affairs; no action taken.
May 1, 2024 - Public Health Commission; no action taken.
June 10, 2024 - Recommended by the Austin Travis County Food Policy Board on a 7 - 0 - 0 vote.
June 10, 2024 - Recommended by the Travis County Commissioners Court on a 7 - 0 - 0 vote.
June 18, 2024 - Asian American Quality of Life Commission; no action taken.
Additional Backup Information:
The future of Austin and Travis County’s food system and its impact on each of us is guided by the actions we take today. Planning helps us prioritize and coordinate the activities we take as a community to strengthen our local food system. A food system plan defines a vision and outlines interconnected, forward-thinking activities designed to strengthen a community’s food system.
The food planning process provides an opportunity for local government to co-create a vision and actionable goals for the local food system alongside community members, farmers and farmworkers, food retail and service workers, students, small business owners, and other partners. While the City of Austin and Travis County will “own” some plan strategies and support initial organizing on others, this plan is intended to be a community plan, owned and implemented by Austin and Travis County community members and other key food system stakeholders. Importantly, many goals and strategies in this plan build on existing actions and initiatives already underway and supported by non-profit and community-based organizations, grassroots and mutual aid efforts, the private sector, philanthropic entities, academic institutions, and others.
What the Austin/Travis County Food Plan Is:
● The community's vision and core values for our local food system.
● A set of priorities developed by City- and County-wide partners from a variety of backgrounds across the food system.
● A “plan of plans” - a plan that honors where local agencies and actors have previously identified promising strategies to advance our food system and highlights that the implementation of those strategies is critical to achieve our food plan vision.
● An active, living document that will serve to ignite and mobilize a local food movement centered around the implementation of the food plan.