Our last update: Everything you need to know
After a long history of covering City Hall, Travis County and the like, the Austin Monitor stopped publishing in October 2025 to pursue a new project: Austin Current. For the foreseeable future, the Monitor will live on as a searchable archive, open to anyone who needs it. We invite our longtime readers and casual fans…
Millennium seating setback spotlights uncertain future for East Austin hub
Nearly three years after the city approved funding to upgrade the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex, the project remains incomplete. The wait for new theater seating to complete the upgrade has been pushed back to at least summer 2026 amid departmental transitions and procurement delays. The delay extends a yearslong effort to modernize the sizable East…
Erosion issues persist in Zilker Park amid limited resources
In August of 2023, after three years of planning and many thousands of dollars, City Council was forced to scrap its comprehensive Zilker Park Vision Plan, amid a bitter battle waged by detractors and the park’s surrounding residents. But the million or so visitors to the park have not flagged in the years since, and…
Report shows pedestrian crash deaths in Austin have not decreased
Although Austin has fewer overall automobile crashes than other major Texas cities, the percentage of crashes involving serious injury or death of a pedestrian is still at the same rate — 27.9 percent– as other large Texas cities. That is one conclusion of the special report from the Austin City Auditor’s Office. Council members Zo…
City document reveals new details on $25 million boardwalk on Lady Bird Lake
Austin’s most famous trail is on track to get a $25 million upgrade. A new boardwalk is planned for the south shore of Lady Bird Lake, replacing a cramped section of the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail between South First Street and Congress Avenue. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is paying…
Downtown Commission rejects downtown height limits, supports housing funding shift
The Downtown Commission is asking City Council to reject new height limits for downtown towers and, instead, replace the city’s Downtown Density Bonus Program with a funding system tied to future property-tax revenue. Their recommendation, which was approved last week, contrasts with the Planning Commission’s call a day earlier to set a 700-foot cap in…
Travis County approves study on passenger rail between Austin and San Antonio
Between the I-35 expansion, MoPac construction, and the general growing pains of the metroplex beyond its transportation infrastructure’s capacity, Travis County Judge Andy Brown has long advocated for the need for commuter rail between Austin and San Antonio. On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court took its first step towards making that a reality, approving…
Will Austin embrace air taxis?
At their most-recent meeting, City Council’s Mobility Committee heard a presentation from Assistant City Manager Michael Rogerson the burgeoning air taxi industry, which Rogers framed as an emerging issue for city transportation. “As a matter of fact, we’ve had these (vehicles) here in Austin, at South by Southwest,” Rogers said, referring to test flights hosted…
Austin wasn’t warned that state police would be clearing homeless camps on city land, mayor says
Gov. Greg Abbott says he’s using state police to clear homeless encampments across Austin – including on parks and trails maintained and owned by the city. That was news to Austin Mayor Kirk Watson. Watson said Tuesday that the order from the governor came, partly, as a shock – and it came as Austin was rolling out…
Brown, Watson sign wildfire disaster declarations
Travis County Judge Andy Brown and Mayor Kirk Watson held a joint news conference Monday to announce that each had signed disaster declarations related to wildfire risk. “On Friday I signed a disaster declaration,” Brown said. “It will allow Travis County to proactively access resources, streamline emergency coordination (and) reinforce wildfire prevention efforts.” According to…
Planning Commission recommends multifamily upzoning in Hancock
A small parcel in the Hancock neighborhood may see more intense zoning in the future after winning an endorsement from the Planning Commission during their September 23 meeting. Property owners are seeking a change from multifamily residence-limited density, or MF-1, to multifamily residence-medium density, or MF-3, at 3305 and 3303 Duval Street and 501 and…
Early voting in Travis County has begun. Here’s what you need to know before you head to the polls.
Travis County elections officials estimate only about 25% of registered voters will cast a ballot this fall, keeping with the trend of lower voter turnout on off-year elections. But, that doesn’t mean there aren’t important issues to weigh in on. This guide is here to help inform you about what is on your ballot and…
Austin-San Antonio region selected for climate resilience accelerator
Last week, Travis County announced that the Austin-San Antonio region has been selected for a two-year program to facilitate the region’s climate change resilience efforts. “Government boundaries may define jurisdictions, but they don’t define the lives of our residents — people don’t care who is responsible, they care that we get it done,” said Travis…
Age-friendly services require more funding, Austin Public Health says
Austin has fallen behind cities of a similar size when it comes to caring for its elders. It’s no longer in AARP’s top 10 cities to live in for older adults as of 2022. In fact, last year, it didn’t even make the top 25. That might not be top of mind, as the median…
Austin launches pilot for 911 response to mental health crises
The city of Austin has begun dispatching a team that includes both mental health experts and police to address mental health emergency calls coming from the downtown area. The Austin Field Integrated Response Support Team, or Austin FIRST, includes an Austin-Travis County EMS paramedic, an Integral Care mental health clinician and an Austin Police officer…
City auditors see number of ethics complaints increasing
The number of complaints of fraud, misuse of resources and abuse by city employees continues to increase each year, according to Brian Molloy, chief of investigations for the Austin City Auditor’s Office. Molloy told the Council Audit and Finance Committee Wednesday that auditors received 404 complaints during fiscal year 2025, compared to 380 complaints in…
A decade of Vision Zero shows progress on crashes and injuries, not on deaths
On Monday afternoon, city leaders and transportation policymakers gathered to celebrate the unveiling of Vision Zero’s 10 Year Report on Austin’s progress toward making traffic deaths a thing of the past. “Traffic crashes aren’t accidents. They are preventable,” said Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes during the press conference Monday. “They are a public health crisis,…
East 11th cocktail lounge plan met with opposition, no recommendation
The owner of a site in East Austin’s Rosewood neighborhood is asking for a zoning change that would allow future development to include a bar. So far, that request has been met with opposition from neighbors and city staff, over nine months of postponement and, most recently, ambivalence from the Planning Commission during their Sept.…
‘We need more time’: Austin parents, teachers and staff voice concerns over school closure plan
Parents, staff and community members took the mic one after another for the first time last week to express how they felt about the Austin Independent School District’s school consolidation plan. Some worried about the social and academic continuity of their children, others about layoffs. Many mentioned the possible impact on low-income communities and emerging bilingual…
Travis County invests $21 million in affordable child care
County commissioners have taken their biggest step yet towards getting families tangible access to child care following a voter-approved tax increase to fund sweeping investment in that sector last November. Of the $75 million approved last year, the county has awarded $21 million in two contracts with Workforce Solutions Capital Area to provide direct scholarships…
Austin faces a 30-day deadline to remove its Pride crosswalk, ‘Black Artists Matter’ roadway art
Austin’s roadway art, including the rainbow crosswalk at Fourth and Colorado streets and the “Black Artists Matter” painted on 11th Street could soon be gone. Gov. Greg Abbott ordered cities and counties Wednesday to remove displays like these or risk losing state and federal money for road projects. He said this order will comply with a federal…
Council OKs purchase of site for new homeless navigation center
City Council voted 8–3 on Thursday to purchase a commercial property on South Interstate 35 to serve as the city’s first housing navigation center for people experiencing homelessness, following hours of debate and neighborhood opposition. The votes against the purchase came from Council members Marc Duchen, Zo Qadri, and José Velásquez. The 1.39-acre site at…
Almost $300 million in public property is at stake as Austin ISD looks to close 13 schools
If the Austin Independent School District closes 13 schools as planned, what happens next could remove some of the most valuable public land nestled among residential neighborhoods across the city. The Austin ISD board — made up of nine elected officials — meets Thursday for the first time since staff unveiled the school consolidation plan last Friday. AISD leaders…
Commission calls for full audit of police training academy
Members of Austin’s Public Safety Commission approved a resolution on Monday calling for a full audit of the progress made on police training academy reforms. In November, 2020, the city hired Kroll Associates to review and evaluate the Austin Police Department (APD) on the extent to which discrimination, racism and bigotry are present in…
Council looks to serve up more neighborhood coffee shops
Coffee and cafes are on the City Council menu this week. This Thursday’s meeting will include a resolution that directs city staff to study how small hospitality businesses can open in residential neighborhoods more easily. The proposal from District 5 Council Member Ryan Alter asks the city manager to conduct review of existing city codes…
Proposition Q campaigns heat up on both sides
In an expensive city like Austin, it’s a tough time to raise property taxes — especially on top of rising gas bills and a county tax hike to fund disaster relief for the July floods. Yet that is what the City is asking the voters to approve this November in order to help make up…
A new era: Austin Monitor to become the Austin Current
We have written several exciting new chapters this year, but this one might be the biggest: The Austin Monitor will become the Austin Current. The Austin Current is a bold, new local newsroom built to keep pace with Austin’s explosive growth. Our mission is simple: deliver journalism that is innovative in approach, uncompromising in standards…
Parks Board wrestles with proposed criteria for ‘legacy’ concessions
How many years should it take for a concession in city parks to gain legacy status? City staff are proposing 30 years, but some Parks and Recreation Board members say that number is too high. After deliberating whether to recommend lowering the threshold, the board ultimately voted to ask City Council to weigh how women…
Commission approves permit for Austin Resource Recovery center near Colony Park after misgivings, postponement
A conditional use permit requested by the city was approved by the Zoning and Platting Commission during their Sept. 2 meeting. The permit was nearly rejected, and eventually postponed, during an earlier meeting of the commission. The approval will allow redevelopment of 8301 Johnny Morris Road in Northeast Austin into a 131-acre, $253.5 million hub…
Austin ISD to release school closures list on Friday
A long-awaited list of which Austin Independent School District campuses will close for the 2026-2027 school year will be released to parents at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. In an Instagram video, Austin ISD Superintendent Matias Segura said the late-in-the-week announcement is “very very intentional.” “I know 5:30 p.m. on Friday isn’t the best time to receive…
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