APD Senior Chaplain Rick Randall shared some noteworthy statistics with the Public Safety Commission at its Oct. 1 meeting. According to Randall, if the low morale at the Austin Police Department continues, in 20 years, officer divorce rates will hover around 80 percent, alcohol abuse will be 300 percent more likely, and suicide rates for […]
Jessi Devenyns
Posted inWhispers
City of Austin intergovernmental relations officer expects 2019 legislative session to be ‘worse’
Brie Franco, the city of Austin’s intergovernmental relations officer, came to the Oct. 1 meeting of the Public Safety Commission to give an overview of what the city should expect in terms of bills that will be on the floor during this upcoming legislative session. The No. 1 thing she noted is that there is […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Low morale in Austin’s public safety departments requires attention
The Public Safety Commission heard a variety of concerns at its Oct. 1 meeting in regards to the chronic low morale that public safety officers are experiencing within their respective departments. “It is pretty unanimous the officers are really getting tired of it,” said Commissioner Preston Tyree, who co-sponsored the discussion topic on the commission’s […]
Posted inPreservation
Temporary art project for Schneider Store building met with tepid enthusiasm
The J.P. Schneider Store building is the new target of an art installation called Inside Out/Vote intended to encourage voter participation and registration through reimagining civic engagement and unleashing the voice of America’s youth through art. Brought to the Sept. 24 meeting of the Historic Landmark Commission by artist Gabriel Rodriguez, who is working with […]
Posted inWhispers
Special events ordinance visits city legal for review
After six years of work, on May 10, City Council passed the special events ordinance, which revamps the city’s regulations covering special events. The ordinance was intended to replace portions of the city’s sound and traffic control code and create a streamlined process for planning and regulating events through the multi-department Austin Center for Events. However, […]
Posted inWhispers
Tuesday’s Parks Board was a no-show
For the first time in a long time, the Parks and Recreation Board adjourned after 30 minutes of casual chit-chat time. Due in part to traffic issues – which seem to be continually causing commissions to convene later than scheduled – only five commissioners showed up to the Sept. 25 meeting. Board Member Frank Ward […]
Posted inWhispers
Travis Duncan thinks the future is in hemp
On Sept. 17, Austin mayoral candidate Travis Duncan came to the Electric Utility Commission to offer his thoughts on clean energy – a key focal point of his platform called “ecological wisdom.” Duncan suggested that the commission should focus on sequestering carbon emissions. “I think that we should sell our stake in Fayette (Power Plant) […]
Posted inPreservation
A storybook-inspired home is not a fairy-tale ending for Clarksville neighbors
Sure, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but sometimes a desire for architectural continuity within a neighborhood trumps the desires of a homeowner. At 1002 Charlotte St. in the Clarksville neighborhood, there is a small one-story home built in the minimal traditional style of the mid-20th century whose future is uncertain. Those who […]
Posted inWhispers
There’s no holiday for the EMS
Every month the Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services chief of staff comes to the Public Safety Commission to present monthly stats on what the EMS has been experiencing in terms of call volumes. On Sept. 4, Chief of Staff Jasper Brown told the commission that in August, they had received just over 9,300 calls. On […]
Posted inWhispers
Boat docks on Lake Austin now need registrations
Lake Austin boat docks must now be registered with the city and display an address label that is easily visible to those using the lake within the vicinity of the dock. Although this new rule went into effect this July, Environmental Commission Chair Linda Guerrero explained at the Sept. 19 meeting of the commission that […]
Posted inLand Development Code
At the Environmental Commission, man-made islands get man-made variances
There are few undeveloped lots along Lake Austin. However, those that are find themselves uniquely positioned as a clean slate that is ideal for a new, modern home – except when the lot is the wrong shape. Just underneath Mt. Bonnell on a man-made island is one of these empty plots. The 0.55-acre lot at 4409 […]
Posted inPlanning
Camelback project narrowly receives Environmental Commission’s approval
After nearly four and a half hours of testimony and discussion, and two votes due to some confusion over the conditions attached to a motion, the Environmental Commission endorsed the environmental superiority of the Camelback PUD, the controversial planned unit development on a 145-acre plot of land that fronts Lake Austin just west of Loop […]