Stories by Amy Smith
Search for new EMS chief still under wraps
As with last month’s meeting of the Public Safety Commission, Assistant City Manager Rey Arellano had little to report regarding the nationwide search for a new chief of Austin-Travis County Emergency Services. At Monday’s commission meeting, Arellano reported there were…
EMS • By Amy Smith • Dec 7, 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
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
New water-saving requirements take effect Dec. 1
Starting Dec. 1, eligible new developments in Austin will need to include water-conservation measures. The new requirements are in response to City Council actions and subsequent code amendments adopted in recent months. Once the new terms take effect, developments submitting…
Water • By Amy Smith • Nov 24, 2021
South Central Waterfront financing plan expected next month
After many years of vision planning and discussions, two major redevelopment projects – the South Central Waterfront and the Colony Park Vision Plan in Northeast Austin – are showing some degree of progress in relation to how the projects would…
Planning • By Amy Smith • Nov 19, 2021
EMS makes progress on billing backlog
Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services is chipping away at a billing backlog that started with a demanding learning curve associated with a new patient records system implemented in 2019. Additional billing delays carried over into 2020 as city staffers started…
EMS • By Amy Smith • Nov 16, 2021
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Austin Pets Alive! poised to stay at Town Lake site
City Council overwhelmingly approved a resolution Thursday that appears to give Austin Pets Alive! greater leverage in negotiating a new license agreement with the city to replace the existing deal that expires Nov. 23. The two sides had reached an…
Austin • By Amy Smith • Nov 5, 2021
Public Safety Commission frowns on marshal office proposal
While it took no action on a proposal to create a marshal office within the Austin Municipal Court, the Public Safety Commission largely gave the plan a thumbs-down on Monday. Last month, City Council heard concerns from residents about the…
Courts • By Amy Smith • Nov 4, 2021
Parks board unhappy with PARD’s handling of parkland fee dustup
In mid-September, the Parks and Recreation Board heard a briefing from staffers that included a video extolling the benefits of the city’s Parkland Dedication Ordinance, which requires developers to dedicate on-site parkland or pay a fee-in-lieu toward the acquisition and…
City Hall • By Amy Smith • Oct 29, 2021
Council denounces 'false choice' of pitting parkland against affordability
More than two months after City Council passed a new budget that took effect Oct. 1, city management now wants to freeze one of the adopted fee schedules as it relates to the amount developers pay toward parkland acquisition and…
City Council • By Amy Smith • Oct 26, 2021
Chacon gives progress report on making Sixth Street safer
After decades of discussion about the culture and safety of the Sixth Street entertainment district, a team of city staffers from multiple departments is making headway toward carrying out City Council-directed measures to ensure the public’s safety. Council adopted a…
Public Safety • By Amy Smith • Oct 19, 2021
Legislation addresses fire safety at kennels
A Williamson County lawmaker has filed a bill that would require all Texas kennel operators to have a fire-safety system in place to prevent another tragedy like the one that occurred last month at a Georgetown pet boarding facility. Seventy-five…
