New District 6 City Council Member Jimmy Flannigan plans to maintain an office at City Hall as well as in the northwest Austin district, just like his predecessor, Don Zimmerman. Two of Flannigan’s aides, Marti Bier and Taylor Smith, have served in Council offices before. Bier, who will be Flannigan’s chief of staff, worked for […]
Jack Craver
Posted inWhispers
Gallo passes on end-of-year interview
As it has done the past two years, the Austin Monitor sought to interview every incoming and outgoing City Council member to get their thoughts on the past year of city politics and what they hope to accomplish in the coming 12 months. This year, all 11 people who will be on the dais in […]
Posted inCity Council
Alter wants Austinites to be ‘captains’ of city’s growth
Compared to City Council Member Sheri Gallo, the lifelong Austinite whom she is replacing on Council, Alison Alter is definitely a newcomer to the city. But these days, a person who has lived in town for five-and-a-half years is barely considered new in America’s fastest-growing city. “I do think that there are a lot of […]
Posted inCity Council
Zimmerman: “I’m out of here”
If City Council Member Don Zimmerman is unhappy about losing the seat he has held for two years, he’s not showing it. After losing re-election to Jimmy Flannigan – the same candidate he beat to earn his spot on the then-new 10-1 Council in 2014 – Zimmerman said he accepts the will of the voters, […]
Posted inCity Council
Flannigan brings new perspective on behalf of Austin’s northwest suburbs
Two years after losing narrowly in a runoff election to City Council Member Don Zimmerman, Jimmy Flannigan easily prevailed in a rematch with the incumbent. What changed? “Winning elections is luck and timing,” said Flannigan during an interview with the Austin Monitor. However, he added, “There’s a lot of preparation involved in luck.” The strong […]
Posted inCity Council
Kitchen hopes for longer budget process, shorter meetings in 2017
After two years in office, City Council Member Ann Kitchen, who represents District 5’s long stretch of South Austin, is happy with what she has accomplished for her district and the city but says that Council could stand to improve the way it operates in a few key ways. Kitchen is the only member of […]
Posted inWhispers
Council says goodbye to Gallo, Zimmerman
City Council bade farewell Thursday to Council members Don Zimmerman and Sheri Gallo, both of whom lost their bids for re-election, at the last meeting before their replacements are sworn in next month. Mayor Steve Adler took a few minutes to pay tribute to both of his departing colleagues. He credited Zimmerman, a vociferous critic […]
Posted inPlanning
Council moves toward Austin Oaks PUD approval
Shortly after approving the contentious Grove at Shoal Creek planned unit development on Thursday, City Council took an important step toward approving another West Austin development that has divided neighbors over concerns about traffic, environmental protection and neighborhood preservation. In the early morning hours Friday, Council voted to approve, on first reading, the Austin Oaks […]
Posted inDevelopment
Council approves Grove PUD
After more than two years of fierce debate among neighbors, a developer and City Hall leaders, City Council finally approved the Grove at Shoal Creek, a massive planned unit development to be built on 75 acres of vacant land at the corner of Bull Creek Road and 45th Street. The PUD approved by Council on […]
Posted inWhispers
Here’s what Austinites spend per year on essentials
Housing is the biggest expense for just about everybody in Austin, according to a presentation by Assistant City Auditor Niki Raggi during a City Council work session Tuesday, as part of an ongoing review by the Office of the City Auditor on affordability in the city. Renters spent an average of $12,430 in 2015 on […]
Posted inWhispers
Council to vote on first round of mobility bond funding
On Thursday, City Council will take its first vote on authorizing city staff to spend a portion of the $720 million transportation bond that voters approved last month. Staff is requesting that Council approve both a $20 million amendment to the Public Works Department Capital Budget aimed at sidewalks, urban trails and capital renewal projects, […]
Posted inZoning
Casar pushes for alternative to neighborhood deal on Grove PUD
The fight over the Grove at Shoal Creek, a massive mixed-use development that has sparked fierce debate in surrounding neighborhoods, may not be over after all. A number of City Council members signaled Tuesday that they are not committed to supporting an agreement announced earlier this month between the developer, ARG Bull Creek Ltd., and […]