Rally Austin has identified $259 million in projects and initiatives to be funded through the city’s 2026 bond election, with plans to expand programs supporting cultural venues, legacy businesses and affordable workspace. There appears little chance that total amount of funding will be included in the final bond package, which is expected to top out […]
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 inAustin
City, DAA among partners for new homelessness task force
The Downtown Austin Alliance and the city of Austin have launched a new task force aimed at reducing homelessness in the downtown core. Formally convened on Aug. 6, the Downtown Homelessness Task Force will meet through the end of the year to develop strategies for reducing the number of people entering homelessness and increasing successful […]
Posted inCity Hall
Staff to deliver recommendations for city boards and commissions in October
The city will present preliminary recommendations next month about whether to consolidate or eliminate several of its advisory boards and commissions, marking the first use of a formal evaluation framework adopted earlier this year. The results will be shared at the Oct. 15 meeting of the Audit and Finance Committee. They are based on a […]
Posted inCity Hall
Council to weigh new placement, funding rules for public art
Austin City Council will consider changes in September to the Art in Public Places program. The changes could expand where publicly-funded artwork can be located, apply new requirements to some public-private partnership projects and allow more flexibility in using funds for maintenance and relocation. The Art In Public Places (AIPP) program, created in 1985, allocates […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ethics Commission opts to end complaints against Harper-Madison
Austin’s Ethics Review Commission opted last week not to advance a complaint filed by Tiffany Washington against Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison, ending a months-long process over allegations that Harper-Madison violated multiple provisions of the city’s ethics code. The complaint, filed in two parts earlier this year by Tiffany Washington, accused Harper-Madison of violating five sections […]
Posted inParks
City, parks boards weigh funding options to stem expected shortfalls
The city could consider new user fees, expanded partnerships, naming rights and even the creation of a regional park authority as part of a broad effort to close a growing funding gap in the parks system, according to a consultant report released last month. Commissioned by the Parks and Recreation Department, the report outlines short- […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Residents back tax hike for 2026 bond projects, survey shows
More than two-thirds of Austin residents say they’re willing to support a tax increase to fund the city’s next bond package, with housing, transportation, and parks emerging as the most widely shared priorities among the 2,002 people who responded to a recent public survey. Those findings were presented at Monday’s meeting of the Bond Election […]
Posted inDevelopment
Council OKs new convention center, as downtown opponents push petitions
City Council has approved two measures related to Convention Center development. One item advances the multibillion-dollar reconstruction of the downtown Austin Convention Center, while the other enables the construction of a privately financed convention center and resort hotel near the Circuit of the Americas to qualify for state tax rebates. Council voted to authorize an […]
Posted inAustin
Arts commissioners question new structure for grant programs
The Arts Commission took a close look at significant changes proposed for the city’s grant programs for artists and creative organizations on Monday, raising questions about how new eligibility rules, scoring criteria and funding structures would affect the city’s diverse cultural ecosystem. Commissioners and staff from the newly formed Department of Arts, Culture, Music and […]
Posted inHousing
Housing plan advances to Council as concerns grow over federal funding cuts
The Community Development Commission stopped short of endorsing the city’s annual federal housing funding plan at its meeting last week and instead used the opportunity to raise alarms about how looming federal budget cuts could worsen the city’s homelessness crisis. The FY25/26 Action Plan, which outlines the use of roughly $14 million in federal housing […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Live Music Fund reforms see improved compliance among local musicians
City staff told members of the Music Commission on Monday that nearly all recipients in the current cycle of the city’s Live Music Fund grant program are in compliance with reporting requirements — a marked improvement from the program’s pilot year, when dozens of musicians failed to complete necessary documentation. Staff attributed the stronger performance […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
With cap of $687M, bond task force to weigh $4.4B in city needs
Over this summer, the Bond Election Advisory Task Force will begin to evaluate a narrowed list of capital needs for the City of Austin’s 2026 bond election, following the delivery of a $4.4 billion needs assessment from city staff later this month. The task force, which has met regularly since October 2024, will begin reviewing […]