Stories by Jo Clifton
Council rejects renaming Pan American park but adds plaque to honor Castillo
Toward the end of its Thursday meeting, City Council decided not to add the name of Tony Castillo to Pan American Neighborhood Park in East Austin, but to honor him with a plaque at the park instead. That vote was…
Parks • By Jo Clifton • Sep 7, 2022
Council opposes book banning, adopts Freedom to Read resolution
Council unanimously adopted a resolution Thursday promoting the American Library Association’s Freedom to Read declaration and opposing book banning. According to the resolution, the city supports the Austin Public Library’s materials selection process, recognizing the work of the library and the…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Sep 2, 2022
Arguments continue over parkland dedication fees
City Council members will have a series of knotty problems to solve at today’s meeting, including who should pay parkland dedication fees and how much those fees should be. In addition, they will be looking at perhaps the most controversial…
Development • By Jo Clifton • Sep 1, 2022
ANC calls on city to improve public participation, ethics rules
The Austin Neighborhoods Council has issued a call for City Council to reform its rules for public participation, calling the current procedures for taking public input “anti-democratic practices that undermine public participation and trust,” according to ANC President Ana Aguirre.…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Aug 31, 2022
Austin loses advocate for the environment and people
Jack Goodman, who worked to convince the Texas Legislature to create a conservation district to help protect Barton Springs and the Edwards Aquifer and then served on that district’s board for 22 years, died Aug. 24 after a lengthy illness.…
Austin • By Jo Clifton • Aug 30, 2022
Council postpones deliberation on parks fees, plate readers
At the urging of Mayor Steve Adler, City Council members put off consideration of two controversial items from this week’s budget agenda. Council will now consider reinstatement of the license plate reader program for the Austin Police Department, as well…
Budget • By Jo Clifton • Aug 19, 2022
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Council set to modify, adopt city budget
Mayor Steve Adler is proposing a raise for City Council members and the next mayor starting in 2023 after he has left office. His proposal will be considered as part of the City Council budget adoption process, which starts tomorrow…
Budget • By Jo Clifton • Aug 16, 2022
Kitchen seeking more funding to house the homeless
It’s budget time, and although City Manager Spencer Cronk’s team has put together its proposed budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year, each City Council member will be presenting their ideas for making the city a better place in the form…
City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Aug 9, 2022
Harper-Madison argues against increasing parkland fees
Austin’s residential parkland dedication fees, which the city uses to buy parkland, more than doubled last year as the price of land increased. Now city budget writers are proposing to double those fees again for 2023. Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison…
Development • By Jo Clifton • Aug 4, 2022
Speakers urge Council to increase community services budget
City Council heard from about two dozen speakers Tuesday, the majority of whom urged Council members to put more money into the upcoming budget for community services such as helping the homeless, helping people pay their rent and building more…
Budget • By Jo Clifton • Aug 3, 2022
Council rejects historic zoning for East Seventh Street house
Lacking the nine votes needed to overcome the property owner’s objection, City Council denied a request last week from the Historic Landmark Commission to designate “a good example of folk Victorian architecture” as historic. The Carlson-Colunga house at 902 E.…
Preservation • By Jo Clifton • Aug 2, 2022
Council OKs bidder for low-income and homeless housing
Although the city’s housing staff expressed a great deal of enthusiasm for an Austin Housing and Finance Corporation contract to provide affordable multifamily housing on city-owned property at 3515 Manor Road, several neighbors urged City Council Thursday to reject the…
