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County renews agreement for substance use treatment services
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court approved and ratified an amendment to the substance use disorder managed services agreement for the 2022 fiscal year. The interlocal agreement between the city, the county and Integral Care is aimed at contracting…
Public Health • By Seth Smalley • Dec 16, 2021
Council extends masking rules to June
After hearing from Dr. Desmar Walkes, health authority for Austin-Travis County, at a joint meeting with the Travis County Commissioners Court Tuesday, City Council voted to extend the current health authority rules until June 10, 2022. Commissioners also acted to…
Public Health • By Jo Clifton • Dec 15, 2021
Council to allow ADUs in more places
In response to rising housing costs, last Thursday City Council proposed several changes to allow accessory dwelling units in more neighborhoods and to make them easier to build. ADUs are set to become legal in Single Family Residence-Large Lot (SF-1)…
Land Development Code • By Jonathan Lee • Dec 15, 2021
Austin continues to explore bus access on the future Lady Bird Bridge
Austin’s Urban Transportation Commission, which advises city departments on transportation-related matters, met last week and continued discussions around the possibility of expanding the modes of transportation accessible on the future Lady Bird Bridge. The topic was also discussed at an…
Transit • By Willow Higgins • Dec 15, 2021
Council opts to pursue settlements in police brutality suits, puts limit on legal spending
City Council has chosen to pursue settlements in two lawsuits stemming from protests last summer outside the Austin Police Department headquarters. Council last week unanimously approved two resolutions to cap legal spending on the cases brought by Justin Howell and…
Courts • By Chad Swiatecki • Dec 14, 2021
Austin ISD will make cuts at Central Office instead of reducing class periods at middle and high schools
The Austin Independent School District said it will not reduce the number of class periods at the middle and high school levels next year – a proposal floated as a way to save money. “I wanted to lower everyone’s anxiety and…
AISD • By Claire McInerny, KUT • Dec 14, 2021
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Council debates path forward on paid family leave for emergency services employees
City Council weighed the implications of significantly expanding benefits for emergency services employees this past Thursday in a resolution that calls for a new family leave policy for the city’s EMS, police, and fire departments. The resolution, sponsored by Council…
Public Safety • By Kali Bramble • Dec 14, 2021
Moving encampments off public streets has made it more difficult to provide medical support to Austin’s unhoused
The camping ban set back years of progress local emergency services made in serving people experiencing homelessness, making it harder and more expensive to respond to an increase in emergency calls, according to a top emergency services official. The ban…
EMS • By Samuel Stark • Dec 14, 2021
Fuel site for airport expansion put on hold to allow for more community input
The city has stepped in to address the concerns of residents who live close to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and directed city staff to conduct a deeper analysis of the possible effects of a fuel tank farm proposed as part of…
City Council • By Chad Swiatecki • Dec 13, 2021
Amid affordability crisis, Austin will consider studying what it costs to build new housing
Austin City Council members on Thursday asked city staff to look into what it would cost to analyze how much it, well, costs to build new housing. The study, if given the green light early next year, would also focus…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Dec 13, 2021
City partners up to monitor particulate matter in the air
Austin has begun working to better monitor the quality of its air. The Clean Air Force of Central Texas is working in partnership with the city of Austin’s Office of Sustainability and the Austin Independent School District to install PurpleAir…
Environment • By Willow Higgins • Dec 13, 2021
Public Safety Commission hears update on police academy after reset
This week the Public Safety Commission heard an update on the Austin Police Department’s first cadet class since pausing cadet training to restructure the curriculum to align with the city’s reimagining public safety process. Dr. Anne Kringen, who joined APD…
