Council Member Chris Riley offers a broad frame for the 2013 Austin City Council. “Trying to look at it from a perspective of how this year will be viewed historically, I think the most notable thing about it may well be that it will be viewed as the last full year of regular operation of […]
2014
Posted inLocal Politics
Remembering highlights of 2013
As we begin 2014, the Austin Monitor is taking a look back at 2013 in the thoughts and words of City Council members and City Manager Marc Ott. For most of them, 2013 was an important year with many major issues. We asked them to talk about what they thought were the most important events […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Politics
Austin’s continuing success biggest story for Leffingwell
Mayor Lee Leffingwell likes to point out that Austin, by most measures, has an extremely successful economy, gets high marks for job creation and has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation—4.7 percent, according to numbers released late last month. In December it was rated the top performing city in the United States […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Politics
Cole cites affordable housing bonds’ approval as major event of 2013
Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole lists a set of familiar responses as milestones for her 2013 Council year. And though she clearly sees the importance of such items as the start of the Land Development Code rewrite, wage floors, and the potential coming of Urban Rail, she quickly focuses on what to her was the […]
Posted inElections, Local Politics
Martinez sees 10-1 Council Districts as 2013’s biggest event
For Council Member Mike Martinez, one of the most important things to happen in city government in 2013 didn’t have anything to do with the current City Council. “If you want to ask me what I think was one of the most significant events of the year, as it relates to city government, it’s […]
Posted inDevelopment, Elections, Local Politics, Resources, Transportation
Looking back at 2013
No doubt one of the most significant events over the past year was the drawing of Austin’s first geographically-based single-member City Council districts. In November 2012, Austin voters approved a charter amendment to create 10 single-member districts in the city. Those Council members will be elected this upcoming November and, as of last November, we […]
Posted inDevelopment, Environment
Environmental Board worries about subdivision above Barton Springs
The Environmental Board has taken the unusual step of weighing in on a case not formally before them, letting the city know exactly what its members think about a subdivision planned to sit on Little Zilker Creek. The board, though not officially included in the process, was so concerned about a proposed subdivision on Robert […]