Scores of musicians, artists and patrons of the creative economy filled a room at the Marchesa Hall & Theatre on Tuesday to share their thoughts on how the city can better support the arts. The occasion was a joint meeting of the Arts Commission and the Music Commission. Members of the two city panels acknowledged […]
Jack Craver
Posted inWater
Austin’s summer likely won’t be a hot mess
Bob Rose, the head meteorologist for the Lower Colorado River Authority, has some good news. “I was thinking this was going to be a really hot, dry summer,” he told press attending the LCRA’s annual “Meteorologist Day” at the Redbud Center. But looking at weather models in recent weeks, Rose has reassessed his projection for […]
Posted inWater
Council moves to make major water investments
City Council voted Thursday for the city to apply for nearly $190 million in loans as part of a plan to make major investments in local water infrastructure in the coming years. The city will apply for a loan of roughly $86 million from the Texas Water Development Board in order to make improvements to […]
Posted inWater
Zimmerman proposes funding for climate change skeptics
City Council Member Don Zimmerman, a self-described advocate for taxpayers, is not proposing that the city nix spending $116,000 to assess the impact of climate change on local water systems. But he is unhappy that all of the money in the proposed 36-month contract would go to ATMOS Research & Consulting, a firm led by […]
Posted inEnergy
Controversial pilot energy programs don’t make it far
Austin Energy planned to run three pilot programs this year aimed at finding new ways for the city’s ratepayers to pay for electricity, but so far those programs haven’t gained much traction. One of the programs was designed to test the employment of “time of use” rates. Under this system, customers would pay more for […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin Energy has wire problems
Austin Energy’s poles are overcrowding. Providers of telephone, cable and internet services have a right under state law to attach their wires to city-owned utility poles (at a nominal $10 fee), but a dramatic increase in the number of attachments in the past five years has led to concerns about companies making improper attachments that […]
Posted inWhispers
Samsung, NXP challenge Austin Energy revenue requirement
Of the 23 individuals, groups and businesses that have signed on to be “intervenors” in the Austin Energy rate review, perhaps none is as large as Samsung or NXP Semiconductors, which submitted a joint brief outlining what they believe the outcome of the review should be. In a memo sent to City Council on April […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Could it be … Satan?
The devil is in the details… It may be a while before City Council members are willing to accept amendments offered to their resolutions by Council Member Don Zimmerman, no matter how inoffensive they appear at first glance. On Thursday, a discussion over a symbolic resolution to declare Austin a “compassionate community” was prolonged significantly […]
Posted inCity Council
Council OKs resolution encouraging high wages for green-biz hub
City Council approved a resolution Thursday prodding companies that seek to participate in a soon-to-be-constructed hub for green businesses to pay good wages and respect the right of workers to unionize. The measure, introduced by Council Member Greg Casar, was criticized by opponents for being sprung on Council without prior public input from citizens or […]
Posted inPreservation
Planning Commission debates historic significance of Pemberton home
Now that it has won approval from two key city commissions, a bid to confer historic landmark status on a $1.4 million home in Pemberton Heights appears poised to succeed. The Planning Commission recommended Tuesday that City Council approve $8,500 a year in tax abatements for the 85-year-old house at 1502 Hardouin Ave., five weeks […]
Posted inWhispers
Council approves campaign finance rule changes
City Council voted Thursday to approve most of the changes to city campaign finance rules proposed by the Office of the City Clerk. However, the clerk’s proposal to align the reporting deadlines with those of the state was nixed by an amendment offered by Council Member Ann Kitchen, who said that she did not want […]
Posted inPreservation
Littlefield and Dabney-Horne homes to be preserved together
Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo could not bring herself to support moving the historic Dabney-Horne house away from its birthplace at 507 West 23rd St. “Looking at the site again was part of it,” she said Thursday as City Council deliberated on a deal struck between developer David Kanne and preservation advocates, in which Kanne […]