Austin Monitor

If Tuesday’s Parks and Recreation Board meeting was any indication, the proposed Barton Spring Pool Master Plan is in for a bumpy ride on its way to the City Council sometime this summer.  The plan, up for preliminary consideration, drew fire from scientists, environmentalists, and even a faction of the Parks Board who want to […]

City Council members got an update last week on how some General Fund departments are cutting costs to save money during the current budget cycle. Staffers also presented the Council with information about some of the biggest costs facing those departments next year and a status report on how the city’s sales tax collections are […]

The City Auditor’s office presented some revisions to a recent audit of the city’s public safety operations to the City Council’s Audit and Finance Committee on Tuesday. While those revisions were made to account for new data at the request of Council Member Lee Leffingwell, he was not fully satisfied with the results.   “I […]

According to an email sent out by the Save Our Springs Alliance late Wednesday, the City Council “is considering making mandatory huge tax giveaways to the owners of the Domain mall. This could undermine the citizen initiative by Stop Domain Subsidies to change the city charter to outlaw such giveaways.”   However, Council Members Brewster […]

Campaign season has re-opened, but now there is just one City Council seat up for election. Laura Morrison and Cid Galindo will face off for the Place 4 seat on June 14, with early voting scheduled to start on June 2.   Morrison fired the first volley in the runoff Tuesday, criticizing the city for […]

The Historic Landmark Commission will hold a special meeting next week to deal with a demolition permit requested by the buyers of a home at 1115 Enfield Rd. The homeowners are requesting the permit to cover all of the work they say will be necessary for an extensive re-model and possible addition to the structure, […]

Following a surprisingly strong thunderstorm Wednesday night that pelted Central Austin with golf ball-size hail and ripped up massive trees across the area, Austin Energy crews are working steadily to restore power to thousands of customers. A line of heavy thunderstorms hit the Austin area about 12:30am, causing widespread wind damage and forcing the closure […]

The heads of Austin’s public safety departments are scouring their budgets for potential cost savings and keeping a close eye on expenses as the City Council searches for ways to close a projected $20 million gap between revenues and expenses next year. However, because the biggest expenses for police, fire, and EMS are personnel, it […]

A change in rules being considered for the McMansions ordinance helped a homeowner convince the Residential Design and Compatibility Commission last week to grant a variance for renovations to his home during the commission’s meeting. The complicated case involved homeowner Brad Benton, who came with both his architect and contractor to discuss the second-floor addition […]

Outside consultants told Travis County Commissioners Tuesday that erosion and sediment control failures at a subdivision four miles upstream of Hamilton Pool in western Travis County led to more than $2.3 million in damage to the pool and its tributaries. Hamilton Pool and its tributaries – Davis Creek, Cripple Creek and a number of smaller […]

Although she lost her bid for re-election on Saturday, Council Member Jennifer Kim still has a few things on her agenda before her term ends on June 25.   First, Kim said she would like to help the Families and Children Task Force craft some recommendations for Council policy. She said she is also looking […]

Following a long week of arguments over what promises the public safety unions might have extracted from challenger Randi Shade, Austin voters soundly rejected Austin City Council Member Jennifer Kim’s bid for a second term on Saturday.   Shade received a significant majority of the vote—64 percent compared to Kim’s 27 percent. Shade held a […]