Josh Rosenblatt

Council approved waiving $3.8 million in development fees Wednesday for a 1,000-room hotel on Congress Avenue between Second and Third streets, a hotel many say is badly needed in order to increase city tourism. In return for those waivers, White Lodging Services will have to comply with a construction timeline and wage and subcontracting guidelines. […]

If there was an unofficial theme to Tuesday’s City Council inaugural ceremony, then it was surely reconciliation. Following several divisive months at City Hall, highlighted by nasty emails and a split over endorsements in the Place 3 race, nearly every Council member mentioned the need to put aside past disputes and work together.   And […]

Nearly two months after the City Council Audit and Finance Committee learned that the company responsible for the Austin Convention Center’s catering and concession services had not been providing required annual audit reports, an independent auditor has issued an unqualified, “clean” opinion of Aramark’s financial statements.   In April, the city auditor’s office told committee […]

Last night, the City Council unanimously directed City Manager Marc Ott to negotiate contracts with 31 social service providers for the coming year. That’s 15 more than were originally recommended by staff but still a significant reduction in the number of agencies receiving city funding.   The negotiations will be an enormous leap forward in […]

Nearly three years after a heated dispute over the fate of Las Manitas ended with the beloved downtown Mexican restaurant closing its doors, the City Council is split over how best to handle the development of the site where it once stood.   On one side are those who support an ordinance that would waive […]

Council members got their first look Tuesday at route options for a proposed light rail system as part of a projected expansion of mobility options in Austin’s congested urban core. Austin voters could see an urban rail bond issue on the ballot as soon as November 2012.   However, many questions must be answered, including […]

Council members got their first look at what a city map might look like if a new single-member district proposal wins voter approval next November. And what it showed is just how difficult it would be to ensure African-American Council representation.   On April 28, Council passed a resolution calling for the development of amendments […]

Facing a tight budget and vocal criticism from some quarters, the Council Public Health and Human Services Committee voted yesterday to change the city’s social service Request for Proposal process. Those changes will go before City Council on June 23.   However, the committee voted against changing or waiving the city’s anti-lobbying ordinance, which had […]

Attorneys for former Austin firefighters Don Smith and Greg Nye have filed a motion for partial summary judgment in their racial discrimination case against the Austin Fire Department. According to those attorneys, the motion, which contains portions of the depositions of several high-ranking city officials, proves that AFD Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr made promotions in […]

The Mueller development will soon be home to a 1,200-seat performing arts center. At their meeting Thursday, City Council members voted unanimously to approve the sale of a 4.5-acre parcel at the corner of Mueller Boulevard and 51st Street by Mueller Master Developer Catellus Austin to the Austin Independent School District for the construction of […]

With criticism rising among some social service providers that the city isn’t concentrating enough on prevention in its assessments of prospective social service contracts, City Council approved a resolution Thursday transferring a total of $550,000 from the sustainability and general funds to the Health and Human Services Department for services for at-risk youth. The transfer […]

In an effort to create more full-time city jobs, Council voted last week to limit the length of a contract between the city and an employment agency to provide temporary staffing services for two of the city’s call centers. Staff had requested a one-year contract with AppleOne Employment Services with four 12-month extension options, but […]