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Employees at Integral Care, Travis County’s mental health agency, want to unionize
Employees at Integral Care, the nonprofit that manages mental health care across the Austin area, intend to unionize. A group of more than 20 employees gathered at Integral Care’s South Austin headquarters Monday morning, dropping off a letter to the…
Travis County • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Dec 7, 2021
Austin bird initiative takes flight
Bella Ramos is a birder. While she acknowledges that there may be more experienced and knowledgeable birders, she says she is “obsessed with birds.” Ramos and her bird-loving friends had even been turning off their lights to protect migrating birds years…
Environment • By Jackie Ibarra • Dec 7, 2021
Staff reports on relocating Waller Creek Boathouse
When construction of new transit lines gets underway, buildings, streets and other parts of our urban environment will naturally be torn down. One structure that needs to make way for the Project Connect Blue Line is the relatively new Waller Creek…
City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Dec 7, 2021
Land use commissions worry move from City Hall will hurt public participation
In a rare joint meeting, three land use commissions frustrated by an unwelcome move from City Hall grilled city staff last Monday about why meetings will soon be held in the new Permitting and Development Center. The staffers, after hearing…
City Hall • By Jonathan Lee • Dec 6, 2021
Resolution promises further development at Onion Creek park
Southeast Austinites can look forward to renovations at District 2’s Onion Creek Metropolitan Park, thanks to a resolution passed by City Council this past Thursday. The resolution, sponsored by Council Member Vanessa Fuentes, calls upon city management to explicitly outline…
Parks • By Kali Bramble • Dec 6, 2021
Parks board takes long view toward managing watercraft on Lady Bird Lake
Concession operations at Town Lake Metropolitan Park, which includes recreational spots along Lady Bird Lake and Zilker Park, provided about $750,000 in revenue to the city’s General Fund in 2021. That’s due in large part to Austin’s population surge as…
Parks • By Amy Smith • Dec 6, 2021
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Council approves creation of civil rights office
The city has created an office to handle civil rights issues tied to existing ordinances covering fair chance hiring, sexual harassment and protections against discrimination. City Council voted unanimously Thursday to create the Office of Civil Rights, with Council Member…
City Hall • By Chad Swiatecki • Dec 3, 2021
Parks board supports Pease Park Conservancy's programming plan
Eeyore’s annual birthday party and park closures for private events were among the top concerns from some Parks and Recreation Board members Tuesday when the Pease Park Conservancy presented its 2022 programming plan for Kingsbury Commons at the park. The…
Parks • By Amy Smith • Dec 3, 2021
How sound permits regulate the Austin music scene
In the Live Music Capital of the World, sound and noise policy is critical both to those who enjoy the entertainment industry and those who live within earshot. On Wednesday, the city’s Environmental Commission was briefed on the different types…
Music & Entertainment • By Willow Higgins • Dec 3, 2021
Texas Railroad Commission takes a step toward safeguarding some energy infrastructure
On Tuesday, one day before a state-mandated deadline, regulators at the Railroad Commission of Texas approved a rule outlining which Texas natural gas suppliers need to be ready to operate during energy emergencies. The vote begins to address a weak…
Energy • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Dec 3, 2021
To boost housing supply, Council to allow residential use in commercial zones
Of all the policies to arise from City Council’s decreed Austin Housing Affordability and Supply Week, the most substantial is allowing residential use in commercial zones, a move that could open up capacity for tens of thousands of new homes. “Allowing…
Housing • By Jonathan Lee • Dec 2, 2021
County to temporarily halt applications for rental assistance, pending Treasury response
There was no shortage of confusing acronyms and numbers being batted around during Tuesday’s discussion of the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Option One, Option Two, ERAP 3, ERAP 2, the aggregate of ERAP 1 and ERAP 2. “Can we refer…
