Stories by Jessi Devenyns
Austin has a new Wildland-Urban Interface fire code
After years of planning and preparation, City Council unanimously adopted the Wildland-Urban Interface Code last Thursday. In addition to adopting the code, which focuses on regulating building codes to protect structures against wildfires, Council Member Alison Alter made a motion…
Fire • By Jessi Devenyns • Apr 13, 2020
City of Austin releases update on climate resilience plan
Resilience is a word that seems particularly relevant as Austin closes public spaces and dining institutions and limits gatherings in response to the spread of Covid-19. Although the city has yet to develop a holistic resilience plan that prepares the…
Environment • By Jessi Devenyns • Apr 13, 2020
Central Health to add additional drive-thru Covid-19 testing site
Travis County Central Health and CommUnityCare will announce the location of one new drive-thru Covid-19 testing site by the end of this week. “By the end of this week, at the latest, we’ll have a plan,” said Matt Balthazar, a…
Public Health • By Jessi Devenyns • Apr 9, 2020
County Commissioners Court looks toward economic recovery solutions
The financial figures representing the economic repercussions of self-isolation and shuttered businesses are beginning to surface in Travis County. Diana Ramirez, the director of Travis County’s Economic Development & Strategic Investments, told the Commissioners Court on April 7 that although…
Travis County • By Jessi Devenyns • Apr 8, 2020
Covid-19: Senior citizens at risk of food shortages and isolation
With Covid-19 upending daily life, many senior citizens in Central Texas are finding their access to food limited and their social isolation increased. “Food became the overall concern for everybody,” Patty Bordie, director of the CAPCOG Area Agency on Aging,…
Austin • By Jessi Devenyns • Apr 7, 2020
City clocks for zoning applications stopped ticking, state deadlines still in effect
A mayoral order issued March 17 effectively paused all deadlines outlined in city code until May 1; however, state deadlines remain in effect. For zoning cases, that means conventional rules are suspended – such as applications appearing before a land…
Development • By Jessi Devenyns • Apr 2, 2020
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Historic zoning, demolitions on hold for the time being
When it comes to zoning cases, the city has carved many different timelines into the code to keep cases moving forward. Those timelines are currently on hold. For historic zoning cases, non-administratively approved applications have been stopped in their tracks…
City Hall • By Jessi Devenyns • Apr 1, 2020
City works out logistics to allow boards and commissions to meet virtually
After nearly a month of meetings being on hold, City Council voted last Thursday to temporarily waive a local ordinance requiring a quorum of board or commission members to be physically present in order for a meeting to take place.…
City Hall • By Jessi Devenyns • Mar 31, 2020
Austin Water reports happier customers and over-budget expenses for first quarter
In a mixed start to the year, Austin Water reported expenses that were 14 percent above budget for the quarter and revenues that were 6.2 percent higher than projections. “We were above our (revenue) budget by $8.79 million,” Christina Romero,…
Water • By Jessi Devenyns • Mar 30, 2020
Council approves update to Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan
In spite of a slew of public speakers requesting that City Council postpone a vote on the Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection plan due to a lack of public engagement, Council voted to approve the update to the…
Energy • By Jessi Devenyns • Mar 27, 2020
APD’s curtailed operations could impact equity
Last week, the Austin Police Department announced changes to its daily operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While there will be no change to the department’s response to critical calls where life and safety are jeopardized, smaller offenses and…
Police • By Jessi Devenyns • Mar 25, 2020
Eckhardt to remain county judge until May 13
In yet another unprecedented decision linked to COVID-19, County Judge Sarah Eckhardt will not be stepping down from county government after all, despite her March 10 resignation. Eckhardt said at a press conference Monday that she could not have foreseen…
