Though, in her estimation, it “wasn’t so much an event as it was a long, drawn out conversation,” Council Member Laura Morrison puts the Austin Energy governance discussions toward the top of her list of major 2013 events. She says the discussion between the Council and the community about the utility’s oversight was important, […]
Jo Clifton
Jo Clifton is the Politics Editor for the Austin Monitor.
Posted inLocal Politics
Ott says 2013 brought both personal, professional accomplishments
City Manager Marc Ott says that, for him, 2013 had a lot of highlights. Some were personal, like being the recipient of the Mark E. Keane Award for Career Excellence, which he received early in the year. That award came with a stipend, which he will donate to the city for something related to […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Politics
Austin’s continuing success biggest story for Leffingwell
Mayor Lee Leffingwell likes to point out that Austin, by most measures, has an extremely successful economy, gets high marks for job creation and has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation—4.7 percent, according to numbers released late last month. In December it was rated the top performing city in the United States […]
Posted inLocal Government, Local Politics, Resources
PUC: Non-city utility customers must pay legal fees
The Texas Public Utility Commission has dismissed a complaint filed by a group of non-City of Austin ratepayers against Austin Energy. That dismissal means that ratepayers who are not Austin residents will foot the $1.55 million bill for the utility’s legal fees related to a rate case settled earlier this year. So, those who […]
Posted inLocal Government, Public Safety, Uncategorized
City, county pour staff and materials into helping flood victims
On Sunday morning, In Fact Daily Editor Jo Clifton accompanied Council Member Laura Morrison on a drive to the flood-damaged Onion Creek Neighborhood. Residents of the hardest hit areas of this Southeast Austin neighborhood continue to sort ruined belongings from what may be salvageable after the devastating flood of Oct. 31. Meanwhile, 50 members […]
Posted inUncategorized
Holder vows to reinstate Voting Rights Act preclearance rules for Texas
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder declared his intention Thursday to intervene in the continuing battle over redistricting of Texas Congressional and state House seats, as well as the possibility of a challenge to Texas’ new voter ID law. Holder made the announcement before the National Urban League in the morning and filed a statement of […]
Posted inUncategorized
Council faces decisions on how to spend budget surplus
Austin Council members are set to make some hard decisions about what to do with a $14.3 million 2012 budget surplus as part of tomorrow’s work session. Staff has identified $12.3 million in one-time funding needs and another $3.5 million in possible recurring expenditures. These range from contributions to affordable housing to additional personnel […]
Posted inUncategorized
Tovo’s first full year on Council came with many changes, challenges
Kathie Tovo sat down with In Fact Daily at the end of the year to recall some of the achievements of 2012, including Austin City Council’s single most labor-intensive action of the year, adoption of a rate hike for Austin Energy customers. “We devoted a lot of time to sorting through those issues (and) […]
Posted inUncategorized
Mayor recaps ’12, enters final stretch on Council
Whether they knew it or not, Austin voters in November cut Mayor Lee Leffingwell’s final term by about half a year. Austinites not only approved a charter amendment to adopt single-member districts to elect future Councils, but they also made changes to municipal election cycles that would result in shortening Leffingwell’s mayoral term from the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Battle of single-member district plans raises plenty of questions
A bout between advocates of competing proposals to revise the City of Austin charter to create single-member City Council districts was on the menu Wednesday at a luncheon panel discussion. But if those attending expected a knock-down fight they would have come away disappointed, as much of the discussion centered on the confusion that […]
Posted inUncategorized
Open meetings saga winding down without prosecutions
Six current members of the Austin City Council and one former member have signed or are in the process of signing agreements with County Attorney David Escamilla that will end Escamilla’s pursuit of allegations related to possible violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act. Although there are different recitations in each of the seven […]
Posted inUncategorized
Mayor says he gained insights from Formula 1 trip
Just back from Silverstone, England where he met with officials and viewed preparations for its Formula 1 grand prix race, Mayor Lee Leffingwell told In Fact Daily the trip will serve as an important planning tool as Austin prepares for its own Formula 1 this November. “I have to say in all seriousness, when […]