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Jo Clifton is the Politics Editor for the Austin Monitor.
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Most Popular Stories
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Stories by Jo Clifton
Report finds Hill Country suffering the demands of rapid growth
Wide open spaces, vistas of wildflowers, dark night skies full of stars, and the charms of country living have all led to unprecedented population growth in the Texas Hill Country. That growth, and the growth that will inevitably follow, have…
Environment • By Jo Clifton • Mar 9, 2022
Commission recommends moving APD forensics lab
With little fanfare, Austin’s Public Safety Commission voted unanimously Monday to ask City Council to move the Forensic Science Bureau out of the Austin Police Department, making it independent both in structure and budget. Commissioners signaled last month that they…
Public Safety • By Jo Clifton • Mar 8, 2022
After razor-thin loss, Ledesma-Woody says she’ll seek a recount
After losing to incumbent Margaret Gómez by just 219 votes out of 21,677 cast in the Travis County Commissioner Precinct 4 race, challenger Susanna Ledesma-Woody announced Wednesday that she would seek a recount. During most of Tuesday night’s ballot counting,…
Elections • By Jo Clifton • Mar 3, 2022
Gómez wins tight race against Ledesma-Woody
Margaret Gómez, who has been the Travis County Precinct 4 commissioner for more than 27 years, was widely expected to win reelection by defeating opponent Susanna Ledesma-Woody in the Democratic primary on Tuesday. Ledesma-Woody and Gómez battled over this seat…
Elections • By Jo Clifton • Mar 2, 2022
Street cut follow-up audit shows progress on repairs
When a team from the Office of the City Auditor examined street cuts in 2017, they found a significant backlog in repairing the damaged areas left behind on streets when utility work is done by the city. Those damaged streets have been…
Roads • By Jo Clifton • Mar 1, 2022
Auditors find few faults with utility bill assistance program
Austin Energy, which manages billings for city utility customers, provides reduced utility bills for more than 35,000 electric, water and wastewater customers with low incomes. The Customer Assistance Program offers discounts that average about $650 a year for residential customers…
Energy • By Jo Clifton • Feb 28, 2022
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Zoning for east side brewery wins final approval
City Council gave final approval Thursday for zoning to allow construction of a huge development, including a new brewery and 275-foot-tall building at 6705 and 6501 Regiene Road on the city’s east side. The plan for the 16-acre site includes…
Zoning • By Jo Clifton • Feb 25, 2022
Who will help Austin enforce its traffic laws?
Although Austin continues to address dangerous driving behaviors through engineering and educational efforts, traffic fatalities continue to happen. The issue “remains a critical one for the city to analyze and address moving forward,” according to a follow-up audit presented to…
Transportation • By Jo Clifton • Feb 24, 2022
Ledesma-Woody says she's still in county commissioner race
Susanna Ledesma-Woody, who is running to unseat Margaret Gómez, the incumbent Travis County commissioner for Precinct 4, has erroneously filed a form indicating she does not intend to accept any future political contributions or make any expenditures. Ledesma-Woody told the…
Elections • By Jo Clifton • Feb 23, 2022
Downtown court location decision postponed again
Responding to pleas from downtown residents and business owners, City Council has once again put off a decision about the new location of a court that primarily serves Austin’s homeless community. City staffers have recommended that the Downtown Austin Community…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Feb 18, 2022
Water utility chief answers questions about boil-water notice
Following an unexpected boil-water notice not related to a winter storm, Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros announced his resignation last week from a job he has held for nearly 15 years. Several City Council members took the opportunity to praise…
Water • By Jo Clifton • Feb 16, 2022
Community weighs in on governance of ATP, Cap Metro
At least 165 community members participated Tuesday night in the first of two virtual meetings designed to gather feedback about the future of Austin’s Project Connect, which is currently in the design stage. In addition to specific questions about where…
