Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo raised concerns during a Thursday City Council meeting over a street closure for White Linen Night, an annual event and fundraiser organized by the Second Street District. Tickets to the event, which was held on Saturday, cost $50. The proceeds of the event always benefit one local nonprofit; this year […]
Jack Craver
Posted inCity Hall
Council to consider changes for waste disposal contracts
A series of recommendations made by a City Council working group seeks to address concerns from environmentalists and private waste haulers about how the city chooses the companies it pays to pick up and dispose of waste generated by its own employees and departments, from wastepaper bins at City Hall to giant piles of sludge […]
Posted inHousing
Council struggles against displacement and segregation
“I believe that part of our role as a community and as a government is to provide protections against immoral market forces,” said Council Member Greg Casar, describing his efforts to increase affordable housing and fight economic segregation. If Casar sees some market forces as immoral, however, he doesn’t argue that city government’s duty is […]
Posted inParks
Council wades nervously into pools plan
City Council delivered decidedly mixed reviews of the Parks and Recreation Department’s recently unveiled Aquatic Master Plan, with some Council members decrying what they fear is a plan to shut down neighborhood pools and others bemoaning the unequal distribution of facilities throughout the city. Acting Parks and Recreation Department Director Kimberly McNeeley kicked off the […]
Posted inWhispers
Who gets a peek at city manager finalists?
City Council decided earlier this year that it was more likely to attract high-quality candidates for the now-vacant city manager position if it could promise applicants that their names would not be made public until and unless they accept the job. The idea was proposed by both the consultant hired to direct the search as […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Proposed bond includes big money for parks
The Austin parks system is looking to win big from a major bond that voters will likely be asked to approve in 2018. A citizen task force is currently in the process of drafting a general obligation bond to fund affordable housing projects, stormwater infrastructure, libraries and a variety of other upgrades to municipal facilities. […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Clarksville meeting displays fear of CodeNEXT and density
On Wednesday night the pews at St. Luke United Methodist Church in Clarksville were packed with nearby residents who had come to hear about how their surroundings would be impacted by CodeNEXT, the proposed rewrite of the city’s Land Development Code. The meeting, which had been advertised for weeks by signs throughout the area alerting […]
Posted inParks
Austin pools face major problems
Austin pools are in big trouble. In a presentation to the Parks and Recreation Board Tuesday night, Acting Department Director Kimberly McNeeley described a system of aging pools that are on life-support due to a lack of investment in maintenance and upgrades. Commercial pools have a typical lifespan of 25 to 30 years, said McNeeley, […]
Posted inLand Development Code
The many balancing acts in Austin’s quest for affordable housing
When it comes to providing housing that is affordable to Austin’s poor and working-class residents, city leaders have very few tools at their disposal. The city is barred by state law from implementing the types of regulations that other major cities have used to create cheaper housing, notably rent control and inclusionary zoning. This spring […]
Posted inWater
City looks to bond to protect water, reduce flooding
The city needs to do a lot more to protect its water supply from contamination and its residents from flooding, officials from the Watershed Protection Department told members of the Environmental Commission Wednesday. They believe that a bond package that is currently being reviewed by a city commission offers the best opportunity for the city […]
Posted inWhispers
The impact of homelessness on water quality
The head of the city’s Watershed Protection Department told the Environmental Commission at its meeting Wednesday that he takes “very seriously” the issue of human waste and other pollutants resulting from homeless encampments in the greenbelts. However, explained Director Joe Pantalion, the issue underpinning the water quality problem demands a response far greater than his […]
Posted inAustin
For whom is Austin a great ‘bang for your buck’?
Austin and its city government are not perfect, but they both deserve some respect. That seems to be the gist of the 2016 Year in Review recently released by the city manager. “I often feel like the unforgiving pace of ‘what’s next’ blurs our view of the vast list of achievements and progress we’ve made,” […]