Austin Resource Recovery plans to collect a total of 260,375 tons of waste from curbside and drop-off center operations during Fiscal Year 2025, with an estimated 40 percent of curbside collected materials to be diverted from landfills, according to a recent report. That’s an increase from the 251,294 tons of waste collected from curbside and […]
Hunter Simmons
Hunter is a practicing attorney and freelance reporter who relocated to Austin from his home state of Arkansas. He most enjoys covering the intersection of business, politics, environmental issues and entertainment. Prior to joining the Austin Monitor, he reported for the Sidney Herald in Montana. Send tips to huntr.simms@gmail.com or follow him on Instagram at @hunto_simmo.
Posted inCity Council
Vela reflects on his first term and looks to the future
Chito Vela is about to complete his first term as District 4’s City Council member. Vela was re-elected in November for a second term, running on the issues of housing, transit and public safety. While reflecting on his first term, the first item on Vela’s mind was HOME Phase I and II. The “Home Options for […]
Posted inTransportation
Scooter update finds fewer riders and less clutter
Transportation and Public Works has a six-month update on changes to the Micromobility Program, which regulates scooter rentals in the city, reporting positive results stemming from changes that were implemented in May 2024. A cap was set on new micromobility vendor licenses, setting a limit of two vendors. The two current licensed operators are not […]
Posted inAustin
Critical volunteer hours for the Austin Animal Center are not being tallied
According to the Austin Animal Center website, there are about 100,000 free-roaming cats in Austin. That number is a conservative estimate, noting that cats can be impregnated as young as 5 months old and have one to three litters a year, with three to five kittens in a litter. The Animal Advisory Commission heard public […]
Posted inWater
Austin drinking water testing shows ‘forever chemical’ levels safer than EPA standards
Austin Water has reported that the city’s public drinking water contains little to no traces of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly called “forever chemicals” because of their persistence. The Water and Wastewater Commission received a briefing from water quality manager Kasi Clay on Austin Water’s drinking water testing and anticipated wastewater activities for PFAS […]
Posted inRoads
Mobility Committee hears public concern regarding expansion of MoPac
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) has proposed multiple plans to alleviate traffic along the 8-mile stretch of MoPac Expressway South from Cesar Chavez Street to Slaughter Lane. This decadelong project is nearing the end of the development process and will be entering the implementation phase in the near future. Members of the public […]
Posted inEnvironment
Tree ordinances continue to take root in Austin
Since 2020, Austin’s tree regulations and protections have preserved a total of 1,397,678 inches of trees within city limits. Thus far in Fiscal Year 2025, 4,670 inches of trees have been surveyed and 4,250 inches have been preserved, with 91 percent of inches surveyed being preserved. That’s what the Environmental Commission learned during a presentation […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Austin Watershed Protection Department proposes code updates to further protect the Colorado River
The Austin Watershed Protection Department held a public meeting on Monday, Oct. 28, at the Montopolis Recreation and Community Center to discuss proposed code updates regarding the Colorado River. In 2022, City Council passed a resolution directing the city manager to “address the equitable protection of the environment throughout the City of Austin as part […]
Posted inEnvironment
EPA’s Low Embodied Carbon Construction Materials Program funds research at UT-Austin
The Joint Sustainability Committee heard a presentation on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Low Embodied Carbon Construction Materials Program at its most recent meeting on Oct. 23. The briefing was an opportunity for committee members to learn about the program, which focuses on reducing embodied carbon in the market by focusing on construction materials and is […]
Posted inHousing
Austin Habitat for Humanity to build affordable homes for ‘community of tomorrow’
Habitat for Humanity International announced on Oct. 15 that Austin Habitat for Humanity will host the 2025 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project, an annual, weeklong home-building blitz that attracts thousands of handy volunteers. Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, last year’s Carter Work Project host, passed on the symbolic hammer to Austin Habitat during the […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Board of Adjustment approves variances in the interest of health and safety
The Board of Adjustment heard a presentation on Tuesday from David Webber, of the Webber + Studio architectural design firm, who requested two variances for increased impervious coverage and floor area ratio at a property in Old West Austin. The property, located at 705 Brownlee Circle, is owned by Brad Hoskins. Currently, there is a […]
Posted inElections
Incumbent Fuentes has just one challenger for the Council D2 seat
Austin voters living in District 2 will get to cast their ballots for Vanessa Fuentes or challenger Robert Reynolds in the upcoming City Council race. District 2 encompasses the neighborhoods of Dove Springs, Del Valle, Pleasant Hill, Dittmar, Easton Park and Goodnight Ranch. Additionally, it includes the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Circuit of the Americas racing […]