TipSheet: Austin City Council, 4.21.22
Welcome to another edition of the Austin Monitor’s TipSheet! As usual, this is a rough guide to some of the things that will be up at City Council today, with our best guesses at what will be most interesting. Those with…
TipSheets • By Elizabeth Pagano • Apr 21, 2022
VMU changes not happening anytime soon
Without taking a vote, City Council members decided during Tuesday’s work session that they would postpone Thursday’s vote on the most recent proposals to enhance affordability options within the zoning category known as Vertical Mixed Use, or VMU, and the…
Land Development Code • By Jo Clifton • Apr 20, 2022
Austin Energy wants to raise its rates. Here's how you can give feedback.
Residential customers could see a nearly $16 bump in their monthly electric bills under a rate hike proposed by Austin Energy. But before it can raise base rates, the city-owned utility must first go through a public input process. Austin…
Energy • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Apr 20, 2022
AISD Board of Trustees reckons with mounting constraints in preliminary budget outline
The Austin ISD Board of Trustees was up late last Thursday bracing for a challenging budget cycle in coming months. Chief Financial Officer Eduardo Ramos closed the marathon information session with a presentation outlining preliminary revenues and expenditures for the…
AISD • By Kali Bramble • Apr 20, 2022
Families could get $1,000 a month as part of Austin's first guaranteed income program
Government aid programs often come with a laundry list of do-nots. For example, if you receive SNAP benefits, more commonly known as food stamps, you can’t use them to buy to-go food, soap, vitamins or medicine. So, what if the…
City Council • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Apr 19, 2022
Staff proposes continuing security guard contracts
City Council has been urging city staff since at least 2012 to hire more security guards as city employees, while city management and financial officers have pointed out the difficulties of doing so. Once again this week, Council will be…
City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Apr 19, 2022
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Minority chambers begin work on collective economic equity plan
The four minority chambers of commerce that have for years worked loosely together are moving forward with creating a five-year plan for how to ensure growth in Austin doesn’t bypass minority-owned small businesses. The Austin LGBT Chamber, Greater Austin Asian…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Apr 19, 2022
Setback controversy delays East Austin townhomes
A developer planning to build seven townhomes in the Chestnut neighborhood ran into opposition April 12, as neighbors and members of the Planning Commission opposed a request to build closer to single-family homes than allowed by city code. Developer Urban…
Development • By Jonathan Lee • Apr 19, 2022
Travis County to make improvements to substandard county roads
There are about 108 miles of substandard, unmaintained and “often unpaved” roads in Travis County, according to a recently circulated county document. The Travis County Commissioners Court passed a resolution Tuesday to improve these roads, specifically by increasing funding for…
Roads • By Seth Smalley • Apr 18, 2022
Public Health Committee hears update on $11 million child care investment
Staff members leading city and county efforts to expand child care services gave City Council’s Public Health Committee an update last Wednesday on the impacts of last year’s budget cycle. Last summer, Council approved the investment of $11 million in…
Education • By Kali Bramble • Apr 18, 2022
Tight rental market increasing wait times for city efforts to house the homeless
The city’s tight rental market is causing some delays in efforts to find housing for people who have recently been removed from homeless encampments as part of a program launched last year targeting those gathering areas around the city. At…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Apr 18, 2022
The median sales price of a home in Austin has surpassed $600,000
The price of buying a home in Austin knows no other mode than acceleration, it seems. According to the latest numbers from the Austin Board of Realtors, homes in the city sold for a median price of $624,000 in March.…
