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TipSheet: Austin City Council, 3.3.22
Mayor Steve Adler will miss today’s meeting to attend the U.S. Conference of Mayors. That typically means dramatic things are put on hold out of respect, but nonetheless, the show – and this TipSheet! – must go on, so we…
TipSheets • By Elizabeth Pagano • Mar 3, 2022
Gómez wins tight race against Ledesma-Woody
Margaret Gómez, who has been the Travis County Precinct 4 commissioner for more than 27 years, was widely expected to win reelection by defeating opponent Susanna Ledesma-Woody in the Democratic primary on Tuesday. Ledesma-Woody and Gómez battled over this seat…
Elections • By Jo Clifton • Mar 2, 2022
Shea cruises to Precinct 2 win
Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea defended her eight-year commissionership last night, resoundingly winning the Precinct 2 primary – and de facto the entire election given the substantial Democratic majority in Travis County – by fending off progressive challenger Bob Libal.…
Elections • By Seth Smalley • Mar 2, 2022
Austin drops down to Stage 3 Covid risk guidance
Austin-Travis County has moved to Stage 3, the middle level, of Austin Public Health’s Covid-19 risk-based guidelines. The numbers of new coronavirus infections and hospitalizations continue to fall as the worst of the omicron surge subsides in the area. The…
Public Health • By Jerry Quijano, KUT • Mar 2, 2022
Austin, Travis County aim to add tens of thousands of new units to meet demand
As population and living demands explode in the greater Austin area, the Travis County Commissioners Court is grappling with the twin issues of affordable housing and housing needs. Seventy-thousand new units are needed in Austin and Travis County over the…
Housing • By Seth Smalley • Mar 2, 2022
Amid push to ban books, library commissioners brush up on the basics
With efforts to take books off library shelves ramping up in some parts of Texas, Austin’s Library Commission took the timely step of reviewing the city’s policies to see how our public collections are protected. The commission and the Austin…
Austin • By Willow Higgins • Mar 1, 2022
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Housing department provides update on 2018 affordable housing bond expenditures
As part of its efforts to ease the city’s affordability crisis, Austin’s Housing and Planning Department stopped by the City Council Housing and Planning Committee last Tuesday to brief members on the status of affordable housing programs. The briefing tracked…
Housing • By Kali Bramble • Mar 1, 2022
Planning Commission struggles with rare downzoning request
The Planning Commission, unsatisfied with a requested downzoning in Montopolis, voted Feb. 22 to postpone the case so that the applicant could add more units – including affordable units – to its proposal. The applicant, Alpha Builders Group, plans to…
Zoning • By Jonathan Lee • Mar 1, 2022
Street cut follow-up audit shows progress on repairs
When a team from the Office of the City Auditor examined street cuts in 2017, they found a significant backlog in repairing the damaged areas left behind on streets when utility work is done by the city. Those damaged streets have been…
Roads • By Jo Clifton • Mar 1, 2022
Parks board continues weighing Zilker Park outreach efforts
The fabled adage, “Please all and you will please none,” seems to be an apt description of many of the city’s community engagement endeavors, with the ongoing outreach around the Zilker Metropolitan Park Vision Plan serving as a timely example. …
Parks • By Amy Smith • Feb 28, 2022
Airbnb makes renewed push to reach STR agreement with City Council
Short-term rental platform Airbnb is pushing City Council to change its long-held stance against working with companies that help STRs to operate and, in the process, take business away from area hotels. A representative from Airbnb spoke to the Arts…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Feb 28, 2022
Auditors find few faults with utility bill assistance program
Austin Energy, which manages billings for city utility customers, provides reduced utility bills for more than 35,000 electric, water and wastewater customers with low incomes. The Customer Assistance Program offers discounts that average about $650 a year for residential customers…
