Stories by Charles Boisseau
WWII vets fly to D.C. and get rousing send off
At sunrise on Tuesday, 25 World War II veterans sat in front of the ticket counter at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Nine gentlemen sat in wheelchairs, many others grasped canes and it seemed most listened with the help of hearing aids.…
Uncategorized • By Charles Boisseau • Jun 13, 2012
City wants to raise permit fees, hire staff to relieve bottleneck
Developers, business owners and home builders would all pay sharply higher fees under a proposal City Council will consider on Thursday to lessen a backlog of building permits awaiting approval from overburdened city staff. Along with the fee increases,…
Uncategorized • By Charles Boisseau • Jun 11, 2012
Protecting caves still an issue in Balcones Canyonlands Preserve
Can an environmentally sensitive cave coexist with the controversial plans to build State Highway 45 Southwest, which would cut a swath through southwestern Travis County to Hays County? That is emerging as a key issue City of Austin and…
Uncategorized • By Charles Boisseau • Jun 7, 2012
Election roundup: Doggett likely back to D.C., Dewhurst-Cruz in runoff
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett claimed victory over two challengers Tuesday night to become the Democratic nominee for U.S. House District 35. In other closely watched races: Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst led a crowded race to replace Kay Bailey Hutchison…
Uncategorized • By Charles Boisseau • May 30, 2012
Council debates merits of creating committee on economic incentives
In a lively discussion, City Council members on Thursday batted around a proposal to create a City Council Committee on Economic Incentives that would hold public meetings and investigate developing uniform contract terms for incentives provided businesses bringing jobs to…
Uncategorized • By Charles Boisseau • May 25, 2012
Officials drop plan to seek private operator for Zilker Garden
Reeling from an outpouring of negative comments, Parks and Recreation Department officials quickly backed off a draft plan to solicit proposals from private firms to operate Zilker Botanical Garden. Parks managers pulled the agenda item just prior to the…
Uncategorized • By Charles Boisseau • May 23, 2012
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Balcones Canyonlands Preserve poised to reach acreage target
After 16 years, Austin and Travis County are on the verge of reaching an environmental milestone for Balcones Canyonlands Preserve – one of the nation’s largest urban preserves. In 1996, the city and the county agreed to create the…
Uncategorized • By Charles Boisseau • May 17, 2012
Membership change means fewer variances at Board of Adjustment
Led by new members, the Board of Adjustment has denied nearly twice as many variance requests in the past six months than it did in the first seven months of 2009. The board denied just 14 variance requests, approved…
Uncategorized • By Charles Boisseau • Jan 20, 2010
When in doubt, Board of Adjustment postpones
Members of the Board of Adjustment have two primary choices when a property owner comes before them asking for approval for a variance from city zoning codes to add on to their homes, build a garage or a car port,…
Uncategorized • By Charles Boisseau • Dec 17, 2009
Economic recession slows trends impacting Austin
In mid-2007, City of Austin Demographer Ryan Robinson prepared a “Top 10 Big Demographic Trends in Austin” – a list of trends that he said were shaping Austin and would undoubtedly have a big impact on public policy for the…
Uncategorized • By Charles Boisseau • Dec 16, 2009
MBE/WBE Committee continues debate over ‘good faith’ efforts
Members of the city’s minority- and women-owned business advisory committee continue to debate proposed language to spell out “good faith efforts” that general contractors must make to include minority businesses in work for the City of Austin. Members of…
Uncategorized • By Charles Boisseau • Dec 11, 2009
Executives wage intense PR effort over city’s recycling contract
Recycling and waste-hauling company executives have engaged in intense public relations efforts – including exchanging charges of violations of a city contract and the city’s anti-lobbying laws – in advance of next week’s City Council vote on renegotiating the city’s…
