Bill McCann

A two-acre, city-owned tract tucked into the Homewood Heights neighborhood in East Austin is by all outward appearances a friendly neighbor to the homes around it. The property is wooded and has its own natural spring. It is listed on city books as being used for drainage and potential park use, although there are no […]

The Planning Commission has unanimously endorsed city code changes that would allow the city to use a large crane to remove a growing gravel bar in Barton Springs Pool.   At last week’s meeting, the Planning Commission joined the Environmental Board and the Parks and Recreation Board in supporting the pool maintenance project, which was […]

If the Planning Commission is in a fowl mood tonight, roosters could be another endangered bird in Austin.   The commission is scheduled to consider a city code amendment that would prohibit residents from keeping roosters. Raising hens – as long as they are kept in a pen – would be okay.  The amendment was […]

A city staff report supporting continued use of fluoride in Austin’s tap water to prevent tooth decay got some biting criticism from anti-fluoride activists and from members of the Environmental Board on Wednesday.   Fluoride critics and some board members complained that the report failed to address a number of key questions, including the dangers […]

A super-sized sewer that will accommodate continued growth in and around downtown Austin for the next 50 years is on the City Council agenda for approval Thursday at nearly half the initial estimated cost.   The Austin Water Utility is seeking approval of a $32 million contract (plus a $3.2 million contingency) with the low […]

Michael Ager lives in California but is one of Austin’s biggest cheerleaders when it comes to toilets. Ager has been busy convincing apartment owners to take advantage of Austin’s water-saving toilet program. A growing number have responded. Ager is project coordinator for Free Toilet Replacements, Inc., a Santa Monica-based company that works with commercial and […]

Austin Energy’s top official has issued a red alert on the financial and operational future of the city-owned utility.   At a City Council work session on Wednesday, Austin Energy General Manager Roger Duncan pronounced the utility financially sound, but said the Council will need to make some hard decisions on several issues, including transmission […]

City of Austin and Hill Country Conservancy staffs have negotiated a draft agreement needed to begin transforming the planned Walk for a Day regional trail from a long-held vision to the real thing.   The trail, which has received widespread praise and support, is envisioned to extend about 35 miles from the Barton Creek Greenbelt […]

As expected, by a thin 4-3 majority the Austin City Council voted Thursday to take a major step in constructing the controversial Water Treatment Plant 4 in Northwest Austin.   But it was obvious from comments of the three dissenting Council Members as well as community members who opposed the plant that the controversy is […]

Plans for Water Treatment Plant 4 took a step forward this week, in advance of a key vote by the Austin City Council next week on the controversial plant.   The city’s Water and Wastewater Commission on Wednesday recommended that the Council approve a $3.1 million contract with Ranger Excavation, LP of Austin to excavate […]

South Austinite Daniel White is on a one-person crusade against poison ivy. He wants to wipe out the nuisance plant on any city lands where people may be exposed to it.   But to the city’s environmental and parks staffs, White’s efforts, while sincere, are misguided. And they are dismayed that White has taken matters […]

Austin Energy General Manager Roger Duncan is dimming the lights on a storied career at the City of Austin. Duncan, widely regarded as the architect of Austin’s nationally known renewable and energy efficiency programs, announced today that he will retire on March 1. Duncan, 62, has played a key role in shaping Austin’s energy policy […]