Although gentrification is a well-recognized problem in Austin, the Human Rights Commission believes it has reached crisis level and is pushing City Council to take concrete action. The commission passed a recommendation that Council recognize gentrification as a human rights issue at its meeting on June 27. After months of discussion, in which the commission […]
Cate Malek
Posted inLand Development Code
Council reaches compromise on charter school land use debate
Last week, City Council voted to apply the same development standards to charter schools that were already required of local public schools, ending months of emotionally charged debate on the issue. In a 7-1-2 vote, with Council Member Ellen Troxclair opposed, Council members Sheri Gallo and Don Zimmerman abstaining and Council Member Delia Garza off […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ethics complaints over free SXSW tickets dismissed
Complaints against two city officials alleging that they used their positions to acquire free tickets to the South by Southwest Interactive Festival were dismissed quickly by the City Council Ethics Review Commission on June 22. The commission determined that although the high cost of the tickets — over $1,000 each — raised some eyebrows, neither official […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Council approves $17M contract for police body cameras
Despite lingering questions about the technology involved, City Council passed two contracts adding up to over $17.2 million to purchase body cameras and iPhones for the Austin Police Department at its meeting on Thursday. The purchase of the cameras has been the subject of debate since March. Community activists have raised ongoing concerns over the […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Charter school agreement held up by environmental dispute
A debate over development standards for charter schools is close to being resolved, but reaching a final agreement hinges on finding a solution to a dispute over environmental regulations. The city has been working to close a loophole that effectively means that charter schools built in Austin haven’t had to follow the same development guidelines […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ethics Review Commission overhauls complaint requirements
The process for bringing a complaint before the Ethics Review Commission will become more complicated, but hopefully more transparent, if City Council passes a recommendation to overhaul the commission’s ethics complaint requirements. Commissioners want to address common and long-running problems with the citizen complaints they receive. Their goal is to make the process clearer and […]
Posted inPolice
Council delays purchase of police body cameras
Expressing concern that they were moving too fast, City Council members voted 7-1 to delay the purchase of body cameras for the Austin Police Department for two weeks. At their meeting on June 9, Council members cited concerns with transparency when it came to who would be able to view footage from the cameras, as […]