Senior citizens who are retired but seeking to return to the workforce, or who have a job but want to try something different, may want to attend the city’s upcoming job fair focused on opportunities for the senior community. About three dozen employers will participate in the job fair, from public to private employers and […]
2022
Posted inCity Hall
Animal Advisory Commission dives into Robert’s Rules
The Animal Advisory Commission grappled with process questions at its regular meeting on Monday. Item 5 on the commission’s agenda was intended to be an explanation of Robert’s Rules of Order by the parliamentarian. But since the parliamentarian was absent, Chair Craig Nazor gave a brief presentation on two debate motions instead. He outlined the process […]
Posted inCity Council
Council to decide on police oversight ordinance
At the end of a packed agenda today, City Council will face a choice of adopting the Austin Police Oversight Act or calling a May 2023 election on the proposal. At Tuesday’s work session, Council Member Chito Vela and Mayor Steve Adler both revealed that they had signed the petition sponsored by Equity Action and […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Public Safety joins parks board effort to study crime in city parks
At its special called meeting Tuesday, the Public Safety Commission unanimously voted to send one of its members to a Parks and Recreation Board working group studying crime in city parks and tasked with coming up with recommendations for City Council. The call from the parks board is preceded by a memo PARD Director Kimberly […]
Posted inPublic Safety
County may start participating in national ballistics database
The first of three gun violence prevention briefings was held Sept. 8 at Travis County Commissioners Court, drawing a diverse crowd from police officials to intervention groups and diversion program advocates. The bulk of discussion focused on a firearms shell casing database program called the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, or NIBIN, which is aimed […]
Posted inWhispers
Long day(s) ahead at City Council
Looking forward to a very long day with numerous controversial items, including parkland dedication fees, license plate readers and police oversight, Mayor Steve Adler said Tuesday that he would allocate just one minute per speaker at today’s meeting. According to the city clerk’s office, a total of 178 people have signed up to tell Council […]
Posted inWhispers
City launches resilience hub pilot
You may have read about the city’s plan to sprinkle resilience hubs throughout Austin, to help the community prepare “for a range of threats including flooding, drought, extreme heat and wildfires, with a specific focus on vulnerable populations,” says a news release. Six pilot hubs will be activated later this year to form part of […]
Posted inParks
With new lakeside access, Lady Bird Lake trail is ‘finally fully complete’
The city of Austin has officially opened a new section of the hike and bike trail along Lady Bird Lake. The quarter-mile stretch of trail connects what officials said was the last remaining gap in the 10-mile lakeside loop. Before Wednesday, the trail along the lake’s northeast shore turned away from the water near the […]
Posted inTipSheets
TipSheet: Austin City Council, 9.15.22
Today City Council will convene for a regular meeting. As usual, we aim to give you an overview of the meeting, but those who want to dive into the details can check out the full agenda or tune in to watch the whole thing online starting at 10-ish this morning. First, a recap: Despite having […]
Posted inHousing
Majority of Austin’s short-term rentals operating illegally
As the city struggles to enforce short-term rental regulations, a large majority of Austin’s STRs continue to operate illegally, according to a Sept. 6. presentation from the Code Department to the City Council Housing and Planning Committee. There are anywhere between 9,000 and 11,000 STR listings in Austin, depending on the day, according to José Roig, […]
Posted inPolice
APD responds to concerns about LRAD crowd control measure
At the Public Safety Commission’s special called meeting Tuesday, the Austin Police Department answered follow-up questions about its ongoing use of long-range acoustic device, or LRAD, technology as a crowd control method amid concerns it could damage the hearing of protesters and officers alike. The commission learned about LRAD at an August discussion about the […]
Posted inPreservation
Tovo pushes renovation of historic convention center house
For 22 years the city has owned the historic Castleman-Bull House, which sits vacant and unused at 201 Red River St. across from the Austin Convention Center’s service yard entrance. Now City Council Member Kathie Tovo hopes to push through a resolution this week that would start the process of renovating the interior and returning […]