With the city’s next round of Nexus cultural arts grants open to applicants, members of the Arts Commission recently discussed how to improve the selection process for awardees so the program better serves emerging and disadvantaged artists. At last week’s meeting, the commission received a presentation from Zac Traeger, executive director of the Museum of […]
Chad Swiatecki
Chad Swiatecki is a 20-year journalist who relocated to Austin from his home state of Michigan in 2008. He most enjoys covering the intersection of arts, business and local/state politics. He has written for Rolling Stone, Spin, New York Daily News, Texas Monthly, Austin American-Statesman and many other regional and national outlets.
Posted inCity Council
Council OKs plan to remove, demolish artwork as part of convention center rebuild
Four large murals and art installations from local artists will be removed from the Austin Convention Center and destroyed ahead of the facility’s forthcoming demolition and reconstruction, despite calls from the artists and supporters to find a way to preserve the works. At Thursday’s meeting, City Council approved a plan for the deaccession of eight […]
Posted inWhispers
Ethics Commission supports lack-of-jurisdiction finding in complaint against Gary Bledsoe
At its meeting last week, the Ethics Review Commission affirmed chair Michael Lovins’ earlier determination that the commission lacks jurisdiction over a complaint filed in December by Jeb Boyt against recent City Council candidate Gary Bledsoe. The December complaint alleged violations of Chapters 392 and 393 of the Texas Transportation Code, Section 39.02 of the […]
Posted inAustin
Real estate leaders hear options for assisting Austin’s threatened creatives
Members of the Austin real estate and development community got a look Wednesday at how unstable many local arts and cultural organizations are – and how they are being threatened by the growth pressures in the city’s hot market for commercial space. Urban Land Institute Austin’s monthly breakfast panel was focused on how to preserve […]
Posted inWhispers
Study: Austin homebuyers need six years to save for typical down payment
Austinites need to save for six years to afford the typical $109,800 down payment on a single-family home, according to recent data from the real estate technology firm RealtyHop. That six-year wait was calculated based on the area’s median household income ($91,461) and median home price of $549,000, based on the company’s home listings in […]
Posted inWhispers
Austin/Round Rock unemployment level continues decline, to 3.1%
The Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.1 percent in December 2024, down slightly from 3.2 percent in November, according to data released earlier this month by the Texas Workforce Commission. The region continues its trend of maintaining a lower unemployment rate than both the Texas average of 3.7 percent and the national […]
Posted inCity Council
Council to consider first widespread changes to parking rules in 15 years
City Council will consider a series of amendments to the city’s parking and mobility regulations on Thursday that would represent the first citywide changes to parking management in 15 years. The proposed changes to City Code chapters 12-3 and 12-5 include updates to the definitions of parking meters and parking spaces, adjustments to rules governing […]
Posted inWhispers
Staff lays out public engagement plans for 2026 bond proposal
The city of Austin’s Bond Election Advisory Task Force has begun laying the groundwork for public engagement efforts for the proposed 2026 bond package. The engagement plan, presented during a recent task force meeting, emphasizes inclusive, multilingual outreach and a variety of strategies to connect with Austin’s diverse communities. Led by the Communications and Public […]
Posted inWhispers
Movability seeks proposals for September summit
The Movability nonprofit group has announced the call for session proposals for the 2025 Movability Summit, which will take place Sept. 19 at the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center on the University of Texas campus. The event coincides with National Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Week and is expected to attract 250 professionals and practitioners from […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Task force delays decision on possible 2025 environmental bond package
The Bond Election Advisory Task Force has postponed making a recommendation on a potential 2025 bond election focused on environmental projects, citing the need for additional preparation and clarity from city staff. The decision to table the discussion until February came during the task force’s Monday meeting, where members expressed uncertainty about the scope of […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
City moving ahead with adjusted scope, schedule for mobility projects funded in 2016
The city expects to move forward with $146 million in construction projects on major vehicle corridors in 2025, with improvements to Burnet Road and Slaughter Lane expected to go to bid as the next steps using funding from the 2016 mobility bond package. Other efforts planned to move forward include bike and pedestrian improvements along […]
Posted inElections
Laine, Ganguly to see no penalties for ethics violations over election filings
The Ethics Review Commission found that two candidates in last year’s City Council elections violated the city’s financial disclosure requirements, but commissioners opted to not pursue penalties for either infraction. At Wednesday’s meeting, the commission held final hearings for two similar cases: a complaint filed by new District 10 Council Member Marc Duchen against his […]