An ethics complaint has been filed against Mike Siegel, who is running to take the District 7 City Council seat in the Dec. 14 runoff. Adam Haynes also filed an ethics complaint against a major urbanist group that has been campaigning for Siegel. The complaints were first reported Wednesday in The Austin Bulldog. Haynes supports […]
Jo Clifton
Jo Clifton is the Politics Editor for the Austin Monitor.
Posted inEnergy
Kirk Watson, Ryan Alter propose competing amendments to Austin Energy plan
Gearing up for a vote Thursday on Austin Energy’s Resource Generation Plan, Mayor Kirk Watson and Council Member Ryan Alter have each proposed amendments to a plan that has gone through a variety of iterations and gained the endorsement of the Electric Utility Commission and the Resource Management Commission. Both groups suggested changes that do […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ryan Alter and colleagues propose revision of boards and commissions
Austin may be known as the Live Music Capital of the World, but it could also be known as the boards and commissions capital. In fact, our city has more than 90 commissions, boards, task forces and other advisory bodies, some of which are very active and others of which are dormant. City Council Member […]
Posted inParks
Audit finds golf course employees violated city rules
Employees in the Austin Parks and Recreation Department’s golf division misused city resources in providing golf lessons to people for pay while on city time, according to an investigation conducted by the Office of the City Auditor. One employee also received payment for repairing golf clubs while on city time. Their supervisor approved the practices […]
Posted inWhispers
Early voting for Dec. 14 runoff starts today
Voters in City Council District 7 and those living within the boundaries of the Austin Independent School District will have the opportunity to vote early beginning today. The runoff election for the Council race and AISD at-large position 8 will be held on Dec. 14, but those who wish to cast their ballots early will […]
Posted inResources
City to seek new bids for compost processing
The question of which contractor or contractors will process compostable items is up in the air for now. Currently, those organic items are collected from customers’ green bins under a contract with Austin Resource Recovery. At last week’s Council meeting, Mayor Kirk Watson announced that Council would not be considering an item awarding a contract […]
Posted inCity Council
City celebrates federal aid to boost community court
District 1 Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison held a press conference Thursday to highlight City Council’s approval of funds from the U.S. Justice Department, which she called “a monumental step forward for the Downtown Austin Community Court.” Council approved acceptance of two grants totaling $1.45 million from the DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Assistance for the DACC’s […]
Posted inDevelopment
SOS sues utility to protect Barton Creek Habitat Preserve
The Save Our Springs Alliance has filed suit against the West Travis County Public Utility Agency and its board of directors, challenging the utility’s decision to condemn 2.685 acres of the Barton Creek Habitat Preserve in Southwest Travis County. SOS describes the preserve as “one of the most significant, untouched natural areas in Central Texas, […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin Energy proposes gas peaker units, not larger combined cycle plant
Austin Energy has been working for more than a year – collaborating with stakeholders and looking at a variety of technologies, “including energy efficiency, demand response, batteries, rooftop solar expansion and natural gas peaker units or combined-cycle generation and more” – in order to deliver the Austin Energy 2035 plan, according to Austin Energy Chief […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin Energy looking forward to using geothermal energy
While some environmentalists continue to argue against a new gas plant that would serve Austin Energy’s customers when the prices of electricity are at their peak, Mike Enger, the utility’s vice president for energy markets and resource planning, is looking forward to a new technology set to become part of Austin Energy’s carbon-free portfolio. Enhanced […]
Posted inZoning
Winding, narrow Thornton Road to get more housing
After two unsuccessful attempts to update the zoning on some commercial property on a narrow South Austin street, the owners succeeded in getting City Council approval to rezone the property at 2313, 2315, 2401 and 2413 Thornton Road at the Nov. 7 Council meeting. The new zoning will be MF-6 (Multifamily-Highest Density) with a conditional […]
Posted inWhispers
Siegel, Bledsoe announce new endorsements in D7 runoff
Former District 7 City Council candidates Adam Powell and Todd Shaw announced Thursday that they were endorsing Mike Siegel in the runoff election to fill the seat currently held by Mayor Pro Tem Leslie Pool. Powell received 11.2 percent of the vote and Shaw got 8.7 percent. Gary Bledsoe, who will face Siegel in the […]