As the city of Austin has informed us, it’s pretty easy to recycle your Christmas tree. Just set it out by the curb on your trash pickup/recycling day or take it to the polo fields at Zilker Metropolitan Park this weekend. But the Austin Monitor wondered what to do with that evergreen wreath that’s not […]
Jo Clifton
Jo Clifton is the Politics Editor for the Austin Monitor.
Posted inCity Council
Leslie Pool remembers high, low points of 2019
District 7 Council Member Leslie Pool is proud of the contributions she and her colleagues made toward helping the homeless in 2019, calling it “a pretty amazing year.” Still, she thinks some things could have been done better. For example, the city wasn’t really ready to deal with the consequences of Council’s vote repealing the […]
Posted inCity Council
Tovo reflects on a year of challenge and success
As she looks back on 2019, Council Member Kathie Tovo can count some major victories, including passage of her expansive resolution directing enhancements to a lengthy stretch of downtown parkland leading up to Palm School, direction to begin creation of a Mexican American heritage corridor, and authorizing renovation and expansion of the convention center. “That […]
Posted inCity Council
Delia Garza recalls 2019 as a good year
The year 2019 has been a good year for Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza. The former firefighter pushed hard for new fire stations for her District 2 constituents, and she got a great birthday present on June 5 when the city broke ground on a new station for the Del Valle/Moore’s Crossing area. “It was […]
Posted inWhispers
Alter gains an opponent
Activist and attorney Pooja Sethi has announced that she intends to unseat incumbent District 10 Council Member Alison Alter in November 2020. Sethi is an immigration lawyer who touts her Democratic Party credentials, including being named 2019 Activist of the Year by the Travis County Democratic Party. She is also a member of the city’s […]
Posted inAustin
Friends remember Walter Timberlake
Friends and family shared reminiscences of longtime labor leader and dedicated Democrat Walter Timberlake Monday. Timberlake, 89, passed away Sunday after a long struggle with various health problems, including diabetes. Timberlake was a major force in the Texas Democratic party for decades. A statement from the Travis County Democratic Party said the party “mourns the […]
Posted inCourts
Activists sue city over zoning code rewrite
Nineteen local property owners filed suit against the city of Austin Thursday, alleging that the city has deprived them of their right to protest under state law as the city adopts changes to zoning classifications throughout the city. City Council voted 7-4 Wednesday to adopt the new code on the first of three readings. The […]
Posted inWhispers
TCAD may reinstate informal hearings
After its expensive decision to end informal in-person meetings between property owners and appraisal district employees during the 2019 protest season, the Travis Central Appraisal District is now asking the public for feedback on the possibility of reinstating those hearings. TCAD is encouraging people to voice opinions on its Facebook page. As attorney Bill Aleshire […]
Posted inPublic Health
Audit: Social services contract rules need update
The city auditor’s team studying the city’s social services contracting process found that even though Austin spends millions of dollars on social services contracts, the city “does not have an explicit definition of ‘social services’ and lacks a formal social service procurement policy.” Members of the team reported their findings to the Council Audit & […]
Posted inWhispers
Amy Smith retiring from Pool’s office
Amy Smith, who has served as District 7 Council Member Leslie Pool’s chief of staff for the past five years, will be retiring from the city in early January. Smith worked as a reporter for The Austin Chronicle for 18 years prior to leaving that job in 2014. After that, she worked in Pool’s campaign […]
Posted inPlanning
Industrial lot wins mixed-use zoning on second reading
Although Council Member Pio Renteria pushed for more affordable housing on a Southeast Austin site that is currently industrial, he made the motion to approve the compromise offered by attorney David Hartman at last week’s Council meeting. Before the vote, Jerry Rusthoven of the Planning and Zoning Department reminded Council that state law prohibits it […]
Posted inLocal Politics
Lawyer says Garza should follow city finance rules
Within hours of signing up to run in the March Democratic primary for Travis County Attorney, Delia Garza had an opponent whose name will not be appearing on the 2020 ballot. Bill Aleshire, who retired from his job as county judge at the end of 1998, sent a letter via email to Garza urging her […]