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WHAT IS SRCC, ANYWAY???

PART ONE


by Sarah E. Campbell, Spring 2009

 

 

Hello, SRCC neighbors,

 

Many of you know what SRCC is, although some have no idea, while others have only some vague notions.  As the newly elected President who would love for more people in the neighborhood to get involved, I thought I'd take a stab at describing what the organization is and does.

 

I'll be sending additional PART's before it's all over, but I don't want to bog anybody down with too much too soon.

 

BACKGROUND & AUTHORITY/WEBSITE & LIST SERVE

 

SRCC is the South River City Citizens Neighborhood Association, formed in 1972 by Jean Mather and Harriet Buxkemper -- both of whom still live in the neighborhood -- primarily in anticipation of a city-wide comprehensive planning effort and as a way of being heard at City Hall.  

 

SRCC is formalized by our bylaws, which you may access, along with lots of other information, via the following website: http://www.srccaustin.org/.  The web site is owned and managed by Jane Kellogg, not the association.  This related list serve is also owned by Jane, not SRCC.  Both have served SRCC very well for years, with Jane at the helm.

 

MEMBERSHIP & DUES

 

SRCC is a 100% volunteer organization of the residents, by the residents and for the residents.  Anyone who lives within the SRCC boundaries is eligible for membership.  Participation and meeting attendance is open to everyone within the boundaries, member or not.  However, voting on issues is limited to members.  You may bring an issue of concern to one of our meetings (see more on Meetings & Agendas, PART TWO), and SRCC may vote on it and even take some action in your support without your ever being a member, although your membership is appreciated.

 

Membership dues are quite reasonable and have traditionally been used to pay for such items as production of the newsletter that comes out 3-5 times a year and should be delivered to your door; to participate in certain issues like trenching to stop the spread of oak wilt; to help fund the annual Fourth of July parade and picnic; to pay for occasional legal assistance; and to help fund our annual potluck dinner meeting for the election of officers each March.

 

REPUTATION

 

SRCC has an excellent and long-standing reputation with the City of Austin, which means that members of various City Boards and Commissions as well as City staff and City Council members will oftensuggest or insist that we be contacted by any person or group wishing to do anything in the neighborhood that requires City approval or other action.  Our opinions on any such actions usually carry weight, and we often prevail.  Over time, neighborhood influence waxes and wanes depending upon the makeup of City Council, so we can never really relax our vigilance. 

 

BOUNDARIES

 

SRCC's boundaries are S. Congress on the west, the Lake on the north, Ben White on the south, and IH 35 to Woodland to Parker on the east.  By no means is SRCC limited just to Travis Heights, as some think.

 

Over the past decade, the City of Austin has conducted a Neighborhood Plan process City-wide.  Very confusing for us.  SRCC was City-designated as the Greater South River City Combined (GSRCC) Neighborhood Plan Area minus our area east of IH 35, which was City-assigned to the East Riverside/Oltorf Combined (EROC) Neighborhood Plan Area.  This is an unfortunate bureaucratic decision.  For purposes of SRCC, we still include our east-of-IH 35 area, although

occasionally there are issues which threaten our solidarity.

 

I tell you this only in an attempt to clarify the situation in advance of sure confusion when one tries to distinguish among all the named groups.  The official City Neighborhood Plans have official Contact Teams whose members must act occasionally when the City or a private interest wants to amend the Plan.  Many of GSRCC's and EROC's Contact Team members are also active in SRCC, which helps us all stay on the same page.  Fortunately, most day-to-day business involving the City and our neighborhood is conducted at the SRCC level, rather than that of GSRCC.

 

PART TWO coming soon!


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WHAT IS SRCC, ANYWAY???

PART TWO

 

Hello, SRCC neighbors,

 

Here I am again with Part Two, a continuing attempt to de-mystify SRCC (South River City Citizens), our local neighborhood association and to get more residents involved.

 

HOW WE OPERATE

 

          MEETINGS

 

SRCC holds a regular monthly meeting on the first Monday of every month except occasionally when a holiday (such as the 4th of July or New Year's Day) conflicts.  Meetings start at 7pm and are held in the basement activity room of  Grace United Methodist Church located at 205 E. Monroe at Nickerson one block east of S. Congress Avenue.   

 

The Executive Committee (see more below) also holds a meeting every 3rd Monday in the conference room of the Church to discuss upcoming agenda items and to vote on time-critical issues when necessary.  These meetings begin at 6pm.  


          AGENDAS & POSTINGS

 

The agendas are put together by the President with input from the Executive Committee, residents, and others in search of neighborhood approval of some action.  Anyone may request a place on an agenda by contacting an officer or other member of the Executive Committee.  Per our bylaws, agendas must be made available to the membership at least 72 hours before the meeting.  I aim to post a final agenda no later than Friday afternoon before the following Monday evening meeting.  The agenda has already been through an internal review by the Executive Committee, and so has been in process for several days before final posting.  Posting is on the list serve.  We try to remember to do a reminder post the day of the meeting. 

 

 

          OFFICERS & EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

 

The Officers of SRCC include President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary, elected annually at the potluck dinner meeting in March.  The bylaws do not address the issue of vacancies during the year, so I assume elections any time of the year to fill vacant posts is permitted.  It is not uncommon to have co-officers to share the duties.  Presently, we have Co-Secretaries.  One takes minutes at the regular monthly meeting and the other at the Executive Committee meeting.

 

SRCC is divided into geographical Areas 1-8.  Areas 3 and 4 are further divided into 3A & B and 4A & B, for a total of 10 areas.  Each of these Areas has at least one, if not two, Area Coordinators.  These people are your local points of contact for any neighborhood concerns.  They also are responsible for distributing the newsletters within their areas. Anyone may contact an Area Coordinator or an officer with an issue that may need to be put on an agenda for discussion and/or action.

 

The Executive Committee includes the Officers and Area Coordinators.  You can find a list of all of us at the www.srccaustin.org website.  Click "officers" in the top "FIND IT" section, then "more information."  We are also listed on the back of the newsletters, along with a map showing all 10 Areas.  A new newsletter will come out in plenty of time to announce the annual 4th of July parade and picnic.

 

 

 

PART THREE coming out very soon, to help you locate projects for which you might be interested in volunteering, and contacts for you to call or email.



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