Austin’s Historic Preservation Office has taken on a new project to tackle equity issues, with ambitions to overhaul the city’s preservation plan for the first time since 1981. In a briefing to the Historic Landmark Commission, staff reported that the Equity-Based Historic Preservation Plan is halfway through its two-year development period. To complete its second […]
2022
Posted inDevelopment
Planning Commission postpones decision on parkland fees for commercial development
Should new commercial developments contribute land and/or money for new parks? If so, how? These were the questions the Planning Commission considered last Tuesday related to a proposed rule that would make offices, retail, hotels and industrial buildings include on-site park space or pay a fee to fund new parks nearby. The push for commercial […]
Posted inElections
First financial reports offer a glimpse into City Council campaigns
It’s that time of year again. Candidates for city elections late last week shared how much money they’ve raised so far in accordance with the city’s campaign finance reporting deadline on July 15. Here, we’ll break down the results from every race. While a strong financial report doesn’t mean a candidate is bound to win […]
Posted inWhispers
Council to convene Thursday for special called meeting focused on abortion
Though there’s technically a week left in their summer hiatus, City Council will convene Thursday for a special called meeting that is centered on the city’s reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. On the City Council agenda is the GRACE Act, which establishes the city will not fund […]
Posted inPublic Health
Commission for Women supports the GRACE Act, abortion access
Austin’s Commission for Women passed a recommendation this week in support of the GRACE Act, which would de-prioritize abortion investigations and prevent city funds from being used to report procedures, which will soon be completely illegal in the state. While City Council is currently in recess, the GRACE Act will be discussed when Council convenes on […]
Posted inWhispers
ATP seeks community expert
The Austin Transit Partnership is currently looking to fill a vacancy on its board. Specifically, the board is looking for an expert in “community planning or sustainability” to help guide the Project Connect transit overhaul and to serve as board liaison to the Planning, Sustainability, Equity and DBE Advisory Committee (PSEC). According to the group’s […]
Posted inBudget
Proposed $5B city budget leans on fees, less on property taxes, amid a boom in sales tax revenue
Austinites may not see as steep a hike in property taxes next year. Still, they could see an increase of 2.7% under a budget proposal released Friday. City Manager Spencer Cronk’s proposed $5 billion budget for 2023 leans more heavily on city fees for services like electricity and trash pickup – not on property taxes, as it […]
Posted inMission Note
Notley/Monitor Poll: Austinites value local news but disagree on quality
Nearly seven in 10 Austinites believe that local news is important to them personally, but only 36 percent rate highly the quality of local news reporting, according to a June survey of 507 likely voters commissioned by Notley and conducted by Change Research for the Austin Monitor. When broken down by party identification, the importance of local news […]
Posted inAustin
Notley/Monitor Poll: The data
In a poll commissioned by Notley for the Austin Monitor, Change Research surveyed 507 likely voters in Austin, Texas, from June 24-29, 2022. Over the course of the past week, we’ve published a series of stories examining the data. Now it’s anybody’s turn. Read on for the complete results of our survey and more information about the methodology […]
Posted inThe Code
Divided Board of Adjustment rejects site plan appeal
A divided Board of Adjustment on Wednesday rejected a site plan appeal organized by the Windsor Park Neighborhood Association related to the redevelopment of the Windsor Village shopping center at 5900 Westminster Drive. What was once a small shopping center offering neighbors a chance to walk to shops and restaurants will now be transformed into […]
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro budget talk raises concerns of a looming recession
A potential recession has many industries feeling wary going into the 2023 financial year, which begins on Oct. 1. At its finance committee meeting Wednesday, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority executives discussed the agency’s budget for the upcoming financial year and concerns they have about a recession affecting sales tax revenue, which funds 69 percent of […]
Posted inWhispers
Watson sets fundraising record with $995K
Today is the first campaign finance reporting deadline for candidates running to serve on Austin City Council. On Thursday, mayoral candidate Kirk Watson was ready with the announcement that his campaign had raised a record-breaking $995,000 since declaring his intention to run in late February. The record was previously held by Mayor Steve Adler’s 2014 […]