Austin has a herculean trial ahead of itself as it tries to reach 65 percent renewable energy by 2027. Thankfully, one new proposed project may make that goal achievable. Despite making up only 4 percent of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas market, Austin Energy’s renewable energy contribution is noteworthy. With its latest proposed project, the […]
Jessi Devenyns
Posted inWhispers
Another resignation from the Electric Utility Commission
Longtime commissioner Shudde Fath was not the only one to step down at the Electric Utility Commission meeting on Dec. 11. Following the formal farewell extended to Fath, the recently retired longest-serving member, ever, of the Electric Utility Commission, Commission Chair Karen Hadden announced that she too would be stepping down from her position as […]
Posted inWhispers
Do we need more robust long-term proposals to promote gender equity?
In a long-studied response to Austin City Council’s Gender Equity Resolution, on Nov. 27 Commissioner Ashley Normand presented a comprehensive recommendation to improve long-term gender equity in Austin to the Human Rights Commission. “I went to the census survey and found some real disparities (between men and women),” said Normand. “I think that’s important that […]
Posted inUncategorized
Human Rights Commission finds the naming of Austin public spaces inequitable
In Austin, streets have their names changed from time to time. City parks, however, rarely seem to undergo name changes, but the Human Rights Commission wants to change that. On Nov. 27, the Human Rights Commission considered amending its previous recommendation to City Council’s Gender Equity Resolution to require a more gender-neutral approach to the […]
Posted inWhispers
Austin will have the first plaque in Texas to acknowledge state’s history of lynching
At the Nov. 27 meeting of the Human Rights Commission, Commissioner Ashley Normand announced that Dec. 16 at the Wesley United Methodist Church in East Austin, the NAACP will install the first plaque in the state of Texas to remember those in Travis County who were victims of the rash of lynchings that took place […]
Posted inEnergy
Changes in the Texas wholesale energy grid may increase prices
In August 2017, City Council made a commitment to providing 65 percent renewable energy to its residents by 2027. This aggressive energy plan is, according to Robert Cullick, director of communications and marketing at Austin Energy, the only one of its kind in the country. At the Nov. 13 meeting of Council’s Austin Energy Utility Oversight […]
Posted inWhispers
PARD’s Town Lake concessions will be continued one more year
Every year the city’s Parks and Recreation Department presents the Environmental Commission with a financial overview of the concessions in Butler Park (formerly Town Lake Park) with which it holds current contracts to determine whether to continue or terminate the existing agreements when they come up for renewal. This year at its Nov. 15 meeting, […]
Posted inPlanning
Request for lakefront bulkhead variance creates new questions
It’s not often that a request for a variance from the city’s code has no predecessors against which it can be compared. At the Environmental Commission meeting on Nov. 15, this unlikely scenario became reality. Janis Smith, civil engineer and representative for the owner of 4213 Waters Edge Cove, came to the Environmental Commission seeking […]
Posted inEnergy
Energy efficiency rebates not impacting rent
The Austin Energy MultiFamily Rebate Program was launched in 1991, but only since 2013 has it been the focus of a data tracking initiative with the aim of investigating the possible effects of participation on rental prices. Liz Jambor, a data analytics and business intelligence manager at Austin Energy, came to the Austin Energy Utility […]
Posted inParks
Aquatics task force says in all scenarios, Austin pools need more money
After several months of scrutiny by both the public and the City Council-appointed Aquatic Master Plan Task Force, the 150-page Aquatic Master Plan is getting the final touches to be presented to Council in December. The redesign of Austin’s aquatics system is a monumental undertaking that in every proposed permutation seems to require a lot […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Environmental Commission defers CodeNEXT 2.0 recommendation
With the third draft of CodeNEXT slated to be presented to the public on Nov. 28, Watershed Protection Department staff hoped to receive a recommendation of approval from the Environmental Commission for the completed second draft on Nov. 1. However, after a long and contentious debate, the Environmental Commission voted unanimously to recommend that “the […]
Posted inResources
City composting may soon expand, go high-tech
A month after select Austin residents received their green compost bins to expand the city’s composting pilot program, the time has come to assess the success of the program’s reception. On Nov. 8, Emlea Chanslor, Austin Resource Recovery acting division manager, came to the Zero Waste Advisory Commission meeting to present preliminary findings from the […]