Council Member Leslie Pool is pushing to further delay a vote on CodeNEXT, the controversial rewrite of Austin’s Land Development Code that is already years behind schedule. In a message to fellow City Council members Monday evening, Pool suggested rethinking the April deadline that Council had informally set for final adoption of the new code. […]
Jack Craver
Posted inWhispers
Council resolution urges money for low-income solar efforts
On Thursday, City Council approved a resolution that directs Austin Energy to try to direct $500,000 toward helping low-income homeowners and tenants install solar panels. The resolution, authored by Council Member Greg Casar, also called on staff to deliver a progress report at the end of February on its efforts. Casar had complained in the […]
Posted inAustin
Council approves resolution condemning Columbus, celebrating indigenous peoples
City Council jumped into the long-standing debate over Columbus Day when it approved a resolution this week in favor of recognizing the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The vote was purely symbolic. Columbus Day has never been an official city holiday; city employees do not get the day off, nor will they […]
Posted inWhispers
Austin firefighters get a thank you from Houston brethren
On Thursday, Marty Lancton, president of the Houston Professional Firefighters Association, addressed City Council to thank Austin firefighters for their help during Hurricane Harvey. “From the moment we asked for assistance, President Bob Nicks answered the call,” he said, referring to the president of the Austin Firefighters Association. Two dozen Austin firefighters went to Houston […]
Posted inPolice
Police chief describes new community policing focus
The Austin Police Department is no longer recruiting new officers by promising them an action-packed thrill ride. In a presentation to City Council members on Tuesday, Interim Police Chief Brian Manley described the video that the department used as part of its hiring efforts. “It was the SWAT team, it was our bomb patrol, it […]
Posted inCity Hall
Council will soon interview city manager candidates
In the next month, City Council will likely interview six to eight finalists to be the next city manager during two meetings that will be closed to the public. In a Tuesday discussion with Steve Newton of Russell Reynolds Associates, the consulting firm tasked with finding finalists for the job, Council members expressed support for […]
Posted inFire
Firefighters union touts increased diversity
Austin is far from having a fire department that reflects the diversity of the city, but it’s made significant strides since the U.S. Department of Justice sued the Austin Fire Department over its hiring practices. Days after clashing with a City Council member over firefighter demographics, Austin Firefighters Association President Bob Nicks delivered an optimistic […]
Posted inAustin
Council voices concerns over Visit Austin spending on alcohol, events
A report that the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau (known as Visit Austin) has spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on jewelry, alcohol and meals at fancy restaurants prompted City Council to delay approval of the nonprofit agency’s marketing plan and budget. Council Member Leslie Pool, citing “significant questions about the spending of taxpayer […]
Posted inEnvironment
Austin risking federal sanctions over ozone levels
Despite a rapidly rising population, Austin’s air is significantly less polluted than it was 20 years ago. In a presentation to the Electric Utility Commission on Monday, Andrew Hoekzema, director of regional services at the Capital Area Council of Governments, said that Austin is the only major U.S. city that is meeting national standards in […]
Posted inWhispers
Julie Oliver running for Congress
Julie Oliver, the executive at St. David’s HealthCare who was controversially appointed by City Council to the Central Health Board of Directors in June, is gearing up a run for Congress against incumbent Rep. Roger Williams, a Republican who is in the middle of his third term representing the 25th Congressional District. The 25th district, […]
Posted inBudget
How much do Council members spend on travel?
Late last Wednesday, as City Council neared the end of its wrangling over the Fiscal Year 2017-18 budget, Council Member Ellen Troxclair made what she framed as a modest request of her colleagues. The budget presented by staff included a $6,000 increase in the office budget of every Council member and a $10,000 increase to […]
Posted inWhispers
Casar remains unconvinced by Trump
Political observers are having a hard time explaining President Donald Trump’s recent overtures to Congressional Democrats, first on a short-term increase in the debt limit and most recently on immigration. Trump’s announcement that he wants to make a deal with Democrats to allow more than 800,000 undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children […]