Visit Austin, formerly known as the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau, will no longer be paying for alcohol to entertain would-be Austin conventioneers with city Hotel Occupancy Tax collections. The group promised the mayor and City Council that in the future it would only use private funds for alcohol purchases. In addition, Visit Austin will […]
Jo Clifton
Jo Clifton is the Politics Editor for the Austin Monitor.
Posted inWhispers
Mayor launches new parks campaign
On behalf of the city of Austin, Mayor Steve Adler on Tuesday joined the Trust for Public Land, National Recreation and Park Association, and Urban Land Institute in launching the “10-minute walk” parks advocacy campaign. The goal of the campaign, joined by 134 mayors across the country, is to make sure that all Americans, including […]
Posted inCity Hall
AFSCME supports Hart as city manager
The city employees union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, has sent a letter to Mayor Steve Adler requesting that City Council consider hiring Interim City Manager Elaine Hart as Austin’s permanent city manager. In the letter, which was delivered to the mayor but not Council members last week, AFSCME Local 1624 […]
Posted inAustin
Clarke Hammond passes away at 66
Clarke Hammond, 66, a larger-than-life figure in the Austin community, died Saturday following liver surgery. His friend, former Mayor Lee Leffingwell, described Hammond as a man “who lived life large. He probably crammed more life into 50 years than most people do in 80.” “He did my very first fundraiser with a keg of beer,” […]
Posted inPreservation
Council OKs historic zoning for apartment house
City Council approved historic zoning on Thursday for the 1930s-era Tucker-Winfield Apartment House at 1105 Nueces St. Council Member Jimmy Flannigan voted against the designation and Council Member Ellen Troxclair abstained. Flannigan objected to the designation, at least in part, because the city’s historic preservation staff could not point to a particular historic figure associated […]
Posted inCity Hall
City to lease Ben White space for DSD, AE
Last week, City Council authorized negotiation and execution of a seven-year lease for a little less than 60,000 square feet at 5202 E. Ben White Blvd. The building will house about 100 employees from Austin Energy and 93 employees from the Development Services Department. During the Sept. 26 work session, Council Member Alison Alter wanted […]
Posted inWhispers
Hart promotes four acting directors
Interim City Manager Elaine Hart announced Tuesday that she has promoted four city employees to be the directors of their respective departments. Cora Wright, who has worked for the city of Austin since 1986 and has been interim director of the Austin Code Department since August 2016, is now the permanent director. According to a […]
Posted inWhispers
Immigration on the Council agenda
The Austin Environmental Justice Team (ATXEJ) on Monday called on City Council to support immigrants and oppose the border wall by amending the city’s federal legislative agenda to address immigration and border policy issues. Council members Greg Casar, Leslie Pool, Delia Garza, Pio Renteria and Mayor Steve Adler are sponsoring the resolution, giving it a […]
Posted inCourts
County sued over lease information
Even though Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has ruled that Travis County must provide a copy of the 99-year lease of 308 Guadalupe St. between the county and Lincoln Property Company, the county has not yet done so. In response, real estate broker Dani Tristan, who requested the information in July, filed suit Monday asking […]
Posted inCity Hall
Audit: Public Works skipped quality controls
The Public Works Department, which oversees the city’s capital projects, like the new Central Library and Water Treatment Plant 4, has failed to “consistently follow processes designed to contain costs and ensure the quality” of such projects, according to a report released by the Office of the City Auditor on Wednesday. City Council’s Audit and […]
Posted inCity Hall
Council puts off ethics rules vote
City Council postponed a vote on the proposed new ethics ordinance Thursday, raising questions about whether a new request for proposal for handling city biosolids might become the subject of lobbying. That was certainly not Council’s intent, according to Council Member Leslie Pool. Pool, chief sponsor of the new ethics ordinance, asked her colleagues to […]
Posted inFire
Council OKs firefighters’ contract 7-3
City Council approved a five-year contract with the Austin Firefighters Association Thursday on a vote of 7-3, after a heated exchange between Council Member Ora Houston and Austin Firefighters Association President Bob Nicks. Houston criticized the firefighters association for not doing more to increase the ranks of minority firefighters, particularly African-American firefighters. And despite changes […]