At 1 p.m. today, City Council will consider and most likely approve an ordinance honoring former Council Member Chris Riley, who has spent years advocating for Austin’s trails and greenbelts, as well as for the safety of those who use them. The resolution directs the city manager to name and prepare signage for the segment […]
Jo Clifton
Jo Clifton is the Politics Editor for the Austin Monitor.
Posted inCity Charter
Charter changes might include city attorney appointment
This November, Austin voters will have plenty to ponder as they look at the city’s portion of the ballot. Every Austin voter will have a chance to vote on mayoral candidates, and voters in Districts 2, 4, 6, 7 and 10 will be choosing a City Council member to represent them for the next four […]
Posted inCity Hall
Transportation official’s movie rental with city credit card was fraud, audit finds
Acting on a request they received last August, members of the Office of the City Auditor’s investigative team uncovered a trail of fraudulent behavior by Transportation and Public Works Department superintendent Michael Collier. In an audit report released last week, they said Collier falsified records related to his use of a city credit card. As […]
Posted inCourts
SOS sues city to stop Statesman PUD
The Save Our Springs Alliance has sued the city in an attempt to stop construction of the Statesman Planned Unit Development that Council approved in December 2022. Specifically, the environmental organization seeks to stop any “permit approvals, city fee waivers, and ‘other development subsidies’ contained in the final ordinance.” The Statesman property, previously the home […]
Posted inParks
Council members are looking into need for increased funds for parks maintenance
Austin’s parkland acreage is growing along with the population – however, staffing for maintenance of those parks has not kept pace, according to a report discussed Wednesday among City Council’s Audit and Finance Committee. After comparing the number of parks maintenance workers in 2014 to the current number, analysts at the Parks and Recreation Department […]
Posted inCity Hall
Audit points out deficiencies in city’s criminal background checks
Although the city has improved its processes for conducting criminal background checks on prospective employees being considered for sensitive positions, a report from the city auditor’s office shows some gaps in the Human Resources Department’s process that could result in “legal, financial, and reputational risk for the City.” That’s one of the conclusions from an […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Auditor’s report points out difficulties with 911 call taking
As a result of complaints citizens made about problems they had connecting with the city’s 911 service during emergencies, City Council members Alison Alter and Vanessa Fuentes requested that the Office of the City Auditor look into how the Austin Police Department’s 911 service operates. Alter chairs the Audit and Finance Committee, and Fuentes is […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Council adopts ordinance for electric vehicle charging stations
After adopting ordinances that promise to provide more housing on smaller pieces of land and changing compatibility requirements to allow taller buildings to be built closer to single-family housing, City Council quickly adopted changes to the city Land Development Code to allow some properties to be used for electric vehicle charging stations. The vote came […]
Posted inCity Council
Pro and con: HOME 2 brings out the speakers
The May 16 City Council meeting promised to be a long one, with four controversial changes to the city’s development rules and one much less controversial but important proposal creating rules for placement of electric vehicle charging stations. Many of those who signed up in support or opposition of the various aspects of HOME 2 […]
Posted inCourts
Lawsuit over bonds that would pay for Project Connect is taking a longer route
Although lawyers for the city of Austin and the Austin Transit Partnership were looking for a way to validate bonds needed to build Project Connect, the city’s proposed rail system, they have run into opposition from the Texas attorney general’s office as well as individual citizens opposing ATP’s plans. In addition to pushback from Attorney […]
Posted inLand Development Code
As Council moves to adopt HOME 2, groups call on Council to reject it or make major changes
At Tuesday’s work session, City Council discussed proposed amendments to the Land Development Code labeled HOME 2, as well as Equitable Transit-Oriented Development, citywide compatibility standards and rules for electric vehicle charging stations. But the majority of discussion was about the proposed set of rules designed to make it easier to build more housing on […]
Posted inWhispers
Rewild ATX seeks audit of parks nonprofits
Rewild ATX, which describes itself as a citywide network of volunteers working on climate mitigation, water protection, biodiversity and keeping parks open for all, has issued a press release raising concerns about Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department’s nonprofit policies. According to Rewild ATX, those policies “feature blanket and unexamined agreements with The Trail Conservancy and […]