Stories by Josh Rosenblatt
City reaches agreement with group to keep Town Lake animal site open
This past Saturday morning, Mayor Lee Leffingwell grabbed a pair of ceremonial scissors and officially opened Austin’s brand-new animal shelter. The moment came fewer than 48 hours after city staff and animal rescue group Austin Pets Alive came to an…
Uncategorized • By Josh Rosenblatt • Nov 14, 2011
New provisions for anti-lobbying ordinance up for Council review
Council will be considering amendments to the city’s anti-lobbying ordinance today but it remains to be seen if new language staff has written to accommodate the Ethics Review Commission’s concerns will solve the problems some Council members have with the…
Uncategorized • By Josh Rosenblatt • Nov 10, 2011
Council members debate alternatives to CURE zoning in Downtown Plan
With the finish line of Austin’s nearly four-year Downtown Plan development process in sight, Council members are still scrambling to address the issue of density management in a way that both encourages downtown development and ensures affordable housing. At Tuesday’s…
Uncategorized • By Josh Rosenblatt • Nov 3, 2011
Council members debate changes to public participation rules
How much authority does City Council have over citizens’ participation in Austin’s legislative process? That’s the question Council members began to tackle at Tuesday’s work session, engaging in an hour-long debate in an attempt to figure out how best to…
Uncategorized • By Josh Rosenblatt • Nov 2, 2011
Audit uncovers serious lapses in oversight of social service contracts
Social service contracting in Austin is turning out to be a messy business. This week, City Auditor Kenneth Mory’s staff informed the Council Audit and Finance Committee that the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department has not been adequately…
Uncategorized • By Josh Rosenblatt • Oct 28, 2011
Council OKs amendments to lobbying ordinance on first read
City Council is one step away from amending the city’s Anti-Lobbying Ordinance to make competitive processes for social service funding exempt from the law. However, several Council members remain unconvinced those changes will do enough to silence the complaints that…
Uncategorized • By Josh Rosenblatt • Oct 27, 2011
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Council committee to consider fluoride statement on utility bills
More than six months after opening the door to debate over the issue of fluoridation of the city’s water supply, the Council Public Health and Human Services Committee continues to deal with the fallout of that decision. For an hour…
Uncategorized • By Josh Rosenblatt • Oct 21, 2011
Long-term drought would have severe and wide-ranging effects on city
The state’s current drought could have long-lasting and far-reaching effects on Austin’s environment and economy, not to mention nearby agricultural production, if it continues for much longer. At the City Council work session yesterday, Austin Water Utility Director Greg Meszaros…
Uncategorized • By Josh Rosenblatt • Oct 19, 2011
Urban Transportation Commission votes to back electric vehicle program
Members of the Urban Transportation Commission have thrown their support behind a pilot program to bring electric low-speed vehicles (ELSV) to downtown. If Council approves a measure amending city regulations to allow for the operation of such vehicles on second…
Uncategorized • By Josh Rosenblatt • Oct 18, 2011
Council approves pilot program to use electric vehicles
Two years after Capital Metro discontinued free Dillo service downtown, City Council approved two measures at their Thursday meeting to fill in service gaps along or near two former Dillo routes with low-speed electric vehicles. The first measure amends city…
Uncategorized • By Josh Rosenblatt • Oct 11, 2011
Council will decide election date at special Friday meeting
The contentious debate over whether or not to move elections from May to November next year won’t be resolved before Friday, when Council will hold a special called meeting to give the item a third and final reading. Council was…
Uncategorized • By Josh Rosenblatt • Oct 5, 2011
Committee OKs more funding for four social service agencies
Last Friday the City Council’s Health and Human Services Committee voted unanimously to divvy up more than $360,000 in unallocated social service funding to four social service agencies — Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, Austin Community College Teacher TRAC, the…
