As Austin faces a dire shortage of housing for its poor and working-class population, City Council is looking for every way to get developers to build units that rent at well below market rate. In many cases, developers offer to provide affordable units in exchange for entitlements that Council would otherwise be reluctant to grant, […]
Jack Craver
Posted inCity Council
Council debates best use of HOT dollars
Some City Council members are clearly more convinced of the role that the Austin Convention Center plays in driving the city’s tourism industry and economy than others. The day after several Council members signaled support for a proposal by Council Member Ellen Troxclair that would slightly reduce the amount of Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue dedicated […]
Posted inWhispers
Affordable developer says permitting rules and land restrictions a problem
During a City Council Housing and Planning Committee meeting Tuesday, Megan Lasch, a development project manager for Saigebrook Development, an affordable housing developer, told Council members that the city’s lengthy permitting process was a challenge for developers seeking to build affordable housing projects by taking advantage of state-administered 9 percent tax credits. In particular, she […]
Posted inEnergy
Council approves ambitious renewable energy goals
City Council overwhelmingly approved a plan Thursday that sets big goals for Austin Energy, the municipally owned electric utility, to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels over the next decade. The update to the Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan builds upon the goals set when the plan was first approved in 2014 […]
Posted inCity Council
Council to tackle two displacement resolutions today
While Mayor Steve Adler is touting a new task force on gentrification as a fresh opportunity to come up with ideas to address economic displacement, some of his City Council colleagues stress that it will only be a worthwhile effort if it is followed by meaningful action from city leaders. Council is poised to approve […]
Posted inCity Hall
City employees likely to see raise in 2018
Good news for city employees: City staff wants to give them a raise, and some members of City Council are interested in pushing for an even bigger pay hike. On Wednesday, the city’s human resources director told Council members that she is recommending a 2.5 percent across-the-board pay raise for all permanent city employees. In […]
Posted inWhispers
Casar proposes two new lawsuits against state
Council Member Greg Casar is proposing two resolutions at Thursday’s City Council meeting in response to state laws passed during the recent legislative session. The first resolution authorizes the city manager to take the state to court over Senate Bill 267, which bars municipalities from passing ordinances that ban landlords from refusing to serve tenants […]
Posted inAustin
Report shows compensation for nonprofit leaders
A report provided by city staff sheds light on how much top executives of Austin nonprofits get paid. The document was prepared in response to a budget question submitted by Council Member Ora Houston, who wanted to know how much the leaders of organizations that receive city funding earn per year. The salaries reported were […]
Posted inEnergy
Environmentalists swarm City Hall in push for carbon-free electricity
In what was clearly the largest turnout for a City Council meeting yet this year, hundreds of activists showed up at City Hall Thursday night to speak out on Austin Energy’s proposed update to its resource plan. Following a rally in front of the building, green-clad environmental activists streamed into Council chambers until the room […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ethics panel reluctantly approves final hearing for former police monitor
The city’s Ethics Review Commission voted Wednesday to move to a final hearing over whether former police monitor Margo Frasier violated city ordinance by using her city computer for activity related to a private consulting business she ran. The commission voted 8-3 to find that there were “reasonable grounds” that Frasier violated a section of […]
Posted inParks
Unhappy with pools plan, Council members push for a new task force
Unsatisfied with an Aquatic Master Plan that they say endangers many of Austin’s most beloved pools, some City Council members are pushing for a new pools task force to explore ways the city could raise more money to preserve its existing aquatics system. Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo told colleagues on Tuesday that she plans […]
Posted inWhispers
Council to vote on city manager search recommendations
On Thursday, City Council is scheduled to vote on adopting a number of recommendations made by the task force appointed to guide the selection of the next city manager. The central recommendation is the “candidate profile” crafted by the City Manager Search Advisory Task Force, which outlines the characteristics and experience Council should seek in […]