Austin resoundingly approved an expansion of police oversight on Saturday. About 80 percent of voters in the city approved Proposition A, while the same percentage of voters shut down the opposing proposition, Prop B. Now comes the hard part. City leaders will have to fold Prop A’s expansion of the city’s Office of Police Oversight into a labor contract […]
Andrew Weber, KUT
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Election results: Voters overwhelmingly support civilian oversight of Austin police
Austin voters have decided the future of police oversight of the Austin Police Department. Proposition A, which would expand oversight, cruised to victory Saturday: 70 percent of voters supported the measure, according to unofficial voting numbers. Proposition B, which would curtail citizen oversight, was voted down by 80 percent of voters. The two propositions were […]
Posted inPolice
A month into Austin patrols, state police are disproportionately arresting people of color
New data from the Travis County Attorney’s Office shows Black and Latino people have been disproportionately arrested by state police in the last few weeks. The data provides a look into the first few weeks of the Austin Police Department’s partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety – and raises concerns about racial profiling. A […]
Posted inPolice
Police chief says Austin has seen a big drop in violent crime since state troopers started helping out
Austin’s police chief says the department has seen a 25 percent drop in violent crime since a partnership with Department of Public Safety troopers began late last month. At a news conference Friday, APD Chief Joseph Chacon said the partnership so far hasn’t resulted in a spike in arrests by state troopers, but that their […]
Posted inParks
Austin is short lifeguards every year. One problem is the application process.
Austin consistently struggles to fully staff its public pools. A report out last week from the Office of the City Auditor suggests part of that struggle is due to an overly complicated – and unreliable – application process to become a lifeguard. To fully staff its 34 pools, Austin Parks and Recreation says it needs at least 860 lifeguards […]
Posted inHousing
Salvation Army’s downtown shelter is closing, leaving gap in services for single women
Maria Pérez heard she was weeks away from homelessness from an unlikely source. It wasn’t a case manager or anyone from the administrative staff at the Salvation Army downtown shelter, where she’s been staying for weeks. “I heard it from the lady that cleans,” she told KUT. Pérez had been struggling to hold down an […]
Posted inCity Council
Council members signal they could fire City Manager Spencer Cronk
Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk could be on his way out. City Council is slated to vote on the employment and a possible severance package for Cronk at its meeting on Feb. 15. Council initially planned the Wednesday meeting to discuss the city’s contract with the Austin police union, but over the weekend added two items to discuss Cronk’s […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin Energy customers can expect (another) increase on their electricity bills next year
Eight months, more than 260 document filings and countless hours of grueling negotiations later, Austin Energy has new electricity rates. If you’re a customer of the public utility, your bill is going up. The plan, which Austin City Council passed on a 7-4 vote Thursday, raises electricity rates overall and increases a flat-rate monthly charge from $10 […]
Posted inPolice
Austin approves $1.75 million settlement in lawsuit over police conduct during 2020 protests
City Council has approved a nearly $2 million settlement in a lawsuit related to police use of force during racial justice protests in 2020. In his complaint, José “Joe” Herrera said Austin police shot him in the leg with a “less-lethal” round, causing lasting nerve damage and triggering PTSD related to his military service in […]
Posted inPublic Health
Travis County secures nearly 10,000 doses of life-saving overdose drug naloxone
Travis County has secured a bulk order of the life-saving drug naloxone in an effort to prevent opioid deaths. The shipment comes after the county issued an emergency declaration triggered by a record-high number of overdoses related to fentanyl last year. At an announcement Monday, Austin Public Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes said the county had secured […]
Posted inEnergy
Starting next month, Austin Energy customers can expect a $15 increase on bills
Lee esta historia en Español If you’re an Austin Energy customer, your bill is going up soon, but City Council members passed a proposal Thursday to lower some increases – at least for now. On an 7-4 vote, Council members approved a proposal to lower a planned increase for average customers of $20 a month starting […]
Posted inEnergy
Are you an Austin Energy customer? Expect a $20 hike in your monthly bill starting Nov. 1.
Austin Energy says customers should expect to pay an extra $20 a month for their electricity starting in November. In a memo to City Council, the publicly owned utility said the increase is due to the rising cost of natural gas, among other factors. Council members are expected to sign off on the rate increase next week. […]