Advocates of two-wheeled and two-footed transportation alternatives are building momentum in their campaign to put millions of dollars in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure improvements on the November ballot. More than a dozen people testified in favor of funding the city of Austin’s Bicycle Master Plan and Urban Trails Master Plan at the Bond Oversight Commission’s […]
Caleb Pritchard
Posted inWhispers
Travis County challenges Paxton
The Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday voted to challenge in court an opinion issued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office regarding information requested by a local activist. The ruling, handed down last month, declared that the county’s attempt to withhold the names of businesses participating in the county Justice Planning Department’s Workforce Development […]
Posted inTravis County
PID problems aired at Commissioners Court
Two Travis County commissioners are each keeping a wary eye on the slow creation of the county’s first-ever public improvement district, or PID. Commissioners Brigid Shea and Gerald Daugherty took time during the Commissioners Court’s weekly voting session on Tuesday to air concerns about the specific PID before them, as well as PIDs in general. […]
Posted inRoads
Transportation Department rolls with punches at polka-dotted intersection
A small Austin Transportation Department project that attracted worldwide headlines earlier this year has had a bumpier road than originally anticipated. The polka-dotted intersection at East Sixth and Waller streets in East Austin became a minor sensation when crews first put it together back in January. The colorful design scored plaudits for keeping Austin weird […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: Travis County, 4.19.16
The Travis County Commissioners Court meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda here. The County Clerk’s office hosts a copy at its website. 1. Consider and take appropriate action on an order concerning outdoor burning in the unincorporated areas of Travis County. (Judge Eckhardt) […]
Posted inWhispers
Bike Austin rolls out new campaign
Several members of City Council, including Mayor Steve Adler, joined Bike Austin on the front plaza of City Hall on Thursday morning to highlight the advocacy group’s new report calling for more investments in bicycling and pedestrian infrastructure. The seven-page “Pathways to Equity” report sketches out a data-rich argument demonstrating how so-called active transportation projects […]
Posted inWhispers
Transit riders to benefit from Republic Square Park upgrades
The long-awaited Republic Square renovation project will bring a few extra amenities to the thousands of Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority riders who pass through the downtown Austin park each day. On Wednesday, the transit agency’s Operations, Safety and Planning Committee unanimously approved a share of funding for the project that will breathe new life into […]
Posted inWhispers
Cap Metro close to packing up Pine Street Station
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority is on the verge of busing a historic building away from the spot it has called home since possibly the 1920s. On Tuesday, the agency’s Operations, Safety and Planning Committee unanimously voted to relocate a portion of the Pine Street Station building from 414 Waller St. to 979 Springdale Road. […]
Posted inTravis County
County raises worker standards on North Campus project
The Travis County Commissioners Court handed the Workers Defense Project another victory on Tuesday in the organization’s quest to ensure better treatment for local construction workers. In a 4-1 vote, the court approved a measure that will require the eventual developer of the county’s North Campus redevelopment project to adopt the WDP’s Better Builder standards. […]
Posted inWhispers
New details for sobriety center pour forth
It’s nearly last call for the committee working on plans for a sobriety center that could soon operate in downtown Austin. Roger Jefferies, Travis County executive of justice and public safety, told the Commissioners Court on Tuesday that next month, he and his team will present the framework for an interlocal agreement to create the […]
Posted inTravis County
Commissioners Court renovates housing agencies
The story of two struggling affordable housing agencies in Travis County has turned into a stirring tale of redemption. After years of teetering on the brink – pushed there by leadership vacuums, a dire assessment by the Office of the City County Auditor and controversy over board member travel expenditures – the Housing Authority of […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: Travis County, 4.12.16
The Travis County Commissioners Court meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda here. The County Clerk’s office hosts a copy at its website. 3. Consider and take appropriate action regarding the issuance of a Mass Gathering Permit for Levitation to be held April 29 […]