Members of the city’s Commission on Seniors have asked that their group be renamed the Commission on Aging. Stephanie Hall from the Office of the City Clerk presented the proposed name change to the City Council Audit and Finance Committee, noting that the term “seniors” is falling out of use when describing older adults. The […]
Jo Clifton
Jo Clifton is the Politics Editor for the Austin Monitor.
Posted inCity Hall
City seeks to extend $20 minimum wage to some contractors
Although increasing the minimum wage for city employees to $20 an hour was good news for city workers, the increase did not automatically apply to contract workers. The previous minimum for city employees was $15 per hour, which the city adopted for the Fiscal Year 2019 budget. As James Scarboro, the city’s chief procurement officer, […]
Posted inPreservation
Castleman-Bull house resolution OK’d with changes
City Council approved a resolution from Council Member Kathie Tovo last week directing City Manager Spencer Cronk to study questions about restoring the interior of the historic Castleman-Bull House, which has sat vacant since the Austin Convention Center acquired and moved it to its current location at 201 Red River St. The building has sat […]
Posted inWhispers
Clean Water Action endorsements revealed
The environmental group Clean Water Action revealed its choices in a variety of City Council races on Monday. The group has endorsed Kirk Watson for mayor, Ken Craig for the District 5 Council seat, incumbent Paige Ellis to retain her District 8 Council seat, and Linda Guerrero for the District 9 seat. David Foster, who […]
Posted inCity Council
Legislative agenda passes with Kelly opposed
City Council approved a lengthy legislative agenda Thursday night, with only Council Member Mackenzie Kelly voting no. Though she had proposed an additional task for the city’s legislative team just a few minutes earlier, Kelly voted against adopting the agenda. On Monday, she was visiting Salt Lake City with the Austin Chamber of Commerce, but […]
Posted inPlanning
Council gives final OK to East 11th and 12th street district changes
After months of delay, City Council finally concluded passage of a revised urban renewal plan for Central East Austin on Thursday. Despite pleas from residents of the East 11th and 12th street corridor not to allow additional cocktail lounges in their neighborhood, Council adopted the latest plan for the district, including allowing more establishments that […]
Posted inCity Council
Council to decide on police oversight ordinance
At the end of a packed agenda today, City Council will face a choice of adopting the Austin Police Oversight Act or calling a May 2023 election on the proposal. At Tuesday’s work session, Council Member Chito Vela and Mayor Steve Adler both revealed that they had signed the petition sponsored by Equity Action and […]
Posted inWhispers
Long day(s) ahead at City Council
Looking forward to a very long day with numerous controversial items, including parkland dedication fees, license plate readers and police oversight, Mayor Steve Adler said Tuesday that he would allocate just one minute per speaker at today’s meeting. According to the city clerk’s office, a total of 178 people have signed up to tell Council […]
Posted inPreservation
Tovo pushes renovation of historic convention center house
For 22 years the city has owned the historic Castleman-Bull House, which sits vacant and unused at 201 Red River St. across from the Austin Convention Center’s service yard entrance. Now City Council Member Kathie Tovo hopes to push through a resolution this week that would start the process of renovating the interior and returning […]
Posted inElections
November is coming, and endorsements for mayor are rolling in
’Tis the season for endorsements in races for Austin mayor and City Council seats for the Nov. 8 election. So far, all of the major labor organizations that are endorsing have endorsed Sen. Kirk Watson, a former Austin mayor. Groups backing Watson include the AFL-CIO Central Labor Council and AFSCME Local 1624, Austin Firefighters and […]
Posted inParks
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 in line with a recommendation from the city’s Parks and Recreation Board. Council Member Leslie […]
Posted inCity Council
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’s Library Commission in their work to protect the right to read. “The freedom to […]