Passage of a little-known bill, Senate Bill 932, which establishes a $100 maximum fee for food sales permits at farmers markets, will cost the Austin Public Health Department about $4,000 in the current fiscal year and an estimated $41,485 in Fiscal Year 2019-20, department director Stephanie Hayden told Council during Tuesday’s work session. Hayden explained […]
Jo Clifton
Jo Clifton is the Politics Editor for the Austin Monitor.
Posted inWhispers
Austin Water loses assistant director
City employees who knew Chris Chen, the assistant director of engineering services at Austin Water, are mourning his sudden loss. Chen died on Tuesday as a result of a fall this past weekend. Austin Water released a statement Wednesday saying that Chen was surrounded by his wife Amy, his sons Justin and Bryan, and other […]
Posted inWhispers
New voting machines provide paper trail
Travis County voters will have a chance this November to use a brand-new voting machine that creates a paper record – which county voters have been seeking for “a very long time,” Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir told Council at Tuesday’s work session. Not only did she discuss the machine, she brought several with her […]
Posted inBudget
Updated: Cronk proposes $4.2 billion budget, more help for homeless
“This year, our mission is to build on these successes while at the same time bracing our city’s budget against the future impacts of the state’s decision to lower the cap on local property tax revenue growth,” City Manager Spencer Cronk said, explaining the city’s plan to go to the 8 percent rollback rate for […]
Posted inWhispers
Dallas sick leave ordinance challenged
The idea of requiring paid sick leave has caught on in Texas as workers band together to convince their city authorities to pass ordinances requiring such time off. Austin, San Antonio and Dallas each passed mandatory sick leave ordinances, but business groups in each city have filed suit to prevent the ordinances from taking effect. […]
Posted inCourts
SOS, Save Oak Hill sue TxDOT, other agencies
Two different lawsuits were filed Monday seeking to change the Texas Department of Transportation’s plans for the Oak Hill Parkway. One suit emphasizes protection of endangered species; the second seeks to change the design of the parkway, not only for environmental protection but for the good of the surrounding neighborhoods. The Save Our Springs Alliance […]
Posted inFire
Two firefighters fired over ‘theft’ of exam
Fire Chief Joel Baker has fired two firefighters, Nicholas Schroeder and Anthony Stewart, who were attending classes on handling hazardous materials, after Schroeder allegedly stole a copy of the final exam and Stewart took photos of it. The class was required because Schroeder and Stewart had been assigned to the department’s special operations division, where […]
Posted inWhispers
San Antonio puts off sick leave ordinance
Like Austin City Council did, the San Antonio City Council passed a paid sick leave ordinance, and like Austin, San Antonio was sued by businesses that objected to the city imposing such requirements. San Antonio’s ordinance is currently very much like Austin’s ordinance, which was recently struck down by the 3rd Court of Appeals. Unlike […]
Posted inParks
Golf study recommends changes at Hancock, Muny
A study from the National Golf Foundation recommends that the city consider revamping the aging Hancock Golf Course at 41st and Red River streets and transforming it into a modern golf learning center. This is just one of several recommendations in a lengthy report commissioned by the Austin Parks and Recreation Department to address the […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Cronk announces new timeline for code rewrite
City Manager Spencer Cronk announced this week that Council should expect to first vote on the new Land Development Code in early December – not October, as proposed by Council in May. According to the newly released timeline, Cronk has set Oct. 4 for public release of the new code draft and zoning map. Although […]
Posted inElections
Democrat Howard touts cash for Precinct 3 run
Although he hasn’t made an official announcement, a number of Democrats have made it clear that they plan to run for Travis County Precinct 3 Commissioner Gerald Daugherty’s seat. Daugherty said Tuesday he would announce his plans by mid-August, possibly clearing the way for one or two Republicans to run for the seat as well. […]
Posted inWhispers
Who wants to run for District 2?
When the committee formed to support Mayor Pro Tem/District 2 Council Member Delia Garza in her run for Travis County attorney, political people started wondering: If Garza wins the Democratic primary next March and therefore gives up her spot on the ballot as a Council candidate, who will be ready to run for her seat […]