This week's City Council meeting does not have any review of the disastrous Homeless Camping Ordinance on the agenda.

So the policy will continue at least another week, and perhaps for the foreseeable future.

The Assistant City Manager sent a memo to the council late last week, with some good news and some bad news. The good news is they are recommending that campaign not be allowed in 'high pedestrian' areas. The bad news is that they will not be recommending a few specific places where camping will be allowed.

This was our best chance to see the camping ordinance rescinded. Rather than allowing homeless people to camp anywhere in public, the city could have identified a set number of specific locations where they could camp that would maintain public safety.

Here is The Austin American-Statesman story on the City Manager's office memo.

It is time for our fight to enter a new phase.

The Mayor and the City Council have until September 1 to rescind this disastrous policy, or we will launch a new organization focused on repealing this policy via ballot initiative at the next election, May 2020.

The ballot has already been certified for November 2019. So May 2020 is our next opportunity.

We will create a new nonprofit, in bipartisan fashion, that will collect signatures and educate residents about this policy.

In the meantime, I am asking you to consider three ways to help us keep the pressure up:

1) Social shares -- Please share SaveAustinNowPetition.com on NextDoor, Facebook and Twitter and urge your followers to sign and share.

2) Email Mayor Adler directly - We have set up an easy form for you so it will take less than 30 seconds. Click here to send your email.

3) Donate to help us grow our army - We are accepting donations here and we will be launching advertising very soon.

Sincerely,

Matt Mackowiak

Save Austin Now, Founder

(email: matt.mackowiak@gmail.com)