Community Not Commodity, a group that describes itself as advocating to protect Austin neighborhoods from changes that may come due to CodeNEXT (particularly more density), sent a message to supporters on Wednesday warning them of recent activity by activists associated with Evolve Austin, a group campaigning to develop a code that promotes a denser and […]
Jack Craver
Posted inBudget
Council approves $3.9 billion budget
Twelve hours after kicking off its final day of budget deliberations, City Council gave approval to a roughly $3.9 billion budget, including approximately $1 billion of General Fund spending. Council approved a 7.9 percent tax rate increase, just below the 8 percent “rollback rate” that would allow taxpayers to challenge the rate via referendum. As […]
Posted inBudget
Council faces hard choices on final budget day
City Council went through another meandering, confusing and at times tense all-day budget discussion Tuesday and still has tough decisions left to make today, when it is scheduled to give final approval to the Fiscal Year 2017-2018 budget. The Council debate has generally not centered on major changes to the roughly $4 billion budget proposed […]
Posted inCity Council
Austin explores a new approach to helping the homeless
Austin leaders are considering whether to try out a simple strategy for helping the homeless: give them jobs. The idea is based on a program in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that has gained national attention and been credited with connecting homeless people in that city to services and long-term employment. The program is pretty straightforward: A […]
Posted inHousing
Council members concerned about fees for ADUs
Council Member Delia Garza is worried that proposed increases in building fees are going to hit middle-income homeowners who are seeking to build accessory dwelling units the hardest. At a Thursday City Council meeting over the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, Garza pressed the head of the Development Services Department on the fee […]
Posted inBudget
Austin sales tax revenue lower than expected
City Council has known for months that it would struggle to come up with the money needed to cover many of the programs its members hope to put in place in the coming year. However, the most recent data on sales tax revenue suggests things might be even worse than anticipated. In June, the most […]
Posted inCity Council
Council supports reducing HOT funds for convention center, visitors bureau
After a lengthy public hearing featuring scores of public speakers on all sides of the issue, City Council unanimously adopted a resolution Thursday night in support of diverting millions of dollars generated by hotel occupancy taxes from the Austin Convention Center and Visit Austin (formerly the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau) to historic preservation efforts. […]
Posted inZoning
Council delves into liquor politics
A proposed liquor store in Northwest Austin still faces long odds due to intense opposition from surrounding neighbors, but it won a key procedural victory Thursday when City Council voted to give the property owner another chance to make his case in favor of the necessary zoning change. Council voted 7-4 to rescind its previous […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Housing advocates want a bigger housing bond
With Austin facing an affordable housing crisis, city leaders are hoping that taxpayers will OK tens of millions of dollars to fund the construction of low-cost apartments and houses as well as repairs to homes for Austin’s low-income and working-class population. Right now, the figure proposed is $85 million. That’s what city staff presented to […]
Posted inWhispers
Colony Park marches forward
The city’s Economic Development Department is about to begin the process of selecting a master developer of Colony Park, a proposed development in Northeast Austin that has been in the works for more than five years and was spurred by a $3 million grant from the Housing and Urban Development Department’s Sustainable Communities Challenge. The […]
Posted inWhispers
Austin takes in Harvey refugees
As of Tuesday morning, there were 563 people fleeing Hurricane Harvey in four Austin shelters, reported Juan Ortiz, the city of Austin director of homeland security and emergency management, at an emergency meeting held by City Council early Tuesday. A certain number of displaced people are being lodged at the University of Texas J.J. Pickle […]
Posted inCity Council
Council looks to Waller Creek TIF for homeless funds
City Council is looking to tax increment financing, a tool designed to address urban blight, as a way to address homelessness in downtown Austin. Council is considering extending the life of the Waller Creek Tax Increment Financing Reinvestment Zone for an additional 12 years (from 2029 to 2041) as well as its boundaries in the […]