Stories by Josh Rosenblatt
Drought-ravaged Lake Travis faces grim economic outlook
With Central Texas in the midst of a historical drought, a report released yesterday confirmed many people’s worst fears about the resulting economic impact on the Lake Travis area: that low lake levels can, and most likely will, have a…
Uncategorized • By Josh Rosenblatt • Sep 30, 2011
Council denies zoning for new Sixth Street bar east of I-35
City Council weighed in on the thorny issue of development in the budding East Sixth Street “entertainment” district at its meeting Thursday, voting unanimously to deny the construction of a cocktail lounge in a neighborhood that has seen an explosion…
Uncategorized • By Josh Rosenblatt • Sep 28, 2011
Bureaucratic confusion mars social service contracting process
The city’s social service contracting process hit another snag this week when staff informed Council that they will have to make changes to two items on today’s agenda. As of Wednesday night, staff had yet to resolve the confusion. A…
Uncategorized • By Josh Rosenblatt • Sep 22, 2011
Austin firefighters to vote on proposed new hiring agreement
The leaders of the Austin Fire Department and the Austin Firefighters Association (AFA) have signed off on an agreement to alter the process the department uses to hire new cadets. Their nearly yearlong dispute could be over as early as…
Uncategorized • By Josh Rosenblatt • Sep 20, 2011
Council committee approves social service funding recommendations
Nearly a year after Council voted for a new competitive social service contracting process, the Public Health and Human Services Committee has approved a staff-recommended funding list for three-year contracts with 30 agencies. The committee also approved divvying up $380,000…
Uncategorized • By Josh Rosenblatt • Sep 16, 2011
Proposed water utility ‘sustainability’ fee draws public criticism
A little more than a week away from the start of their official deliberations on the proposed FY2012 budget, City Council members spent Wednesday afternoon hearing from some of their constituents on the matter, and one thing was made very…
Uncategorized • By Josh Rosenblatt • Sep 2, 2011
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Council, bypassing restrictive covenant, OKs Bouldin Creek rezoning
The age-old Austin issue of city zoning versus private restrictive covenants reared its head again at last week’s City Council meeting. At issue was a property located in a prime real estate spot just east of South Congress Avenue that…
Uncategorized • By Josh Rosenblatt • Aug 31, 2011
Spelman skeptical of request for more officers in APD budget
As the city inches closer toward adopting its FY2012 budget, City Council Member Bill Spelman and Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo remain at odds over how best to fund the Austin Police Department. The two men continued their debate on…
Uncategorized • By Josh Rosenblatt • Aug 25, 2011
Panel recommends changes to Third Party Agreement
After nearly a year of deliberation, a city advisory committee has recommended changes to the Council’s Third Party Agreement Resolution. At a meeting of a Council committee on minority contracting, members of city staff and the Law Department gave their…
Uncategorized • By Josh Rosenblatt • Aug 25, 2011
Council shortens paid parking hours but leaves northern boundary
City Council voted Thursday to amend a controversial extension of paid parking hours downtown. The new guidelines, which are slated to go into effect Sept. 6, will limit the number of hours paid parking will be in effect on certain…
Uncategorized • By Josh Rosenblatt • Aug 19, 2011
Council to consider fewer paid parking hours for downtown
It looks like Council members may have found a way out of their stalemate over the extension of paid parking hours downtown. A proposal put forward by Council Member Mike Martinez and co-sponsor Mayor Lee Leffingwell responds to the concerns…
Uncategorized • By Josh Rosenblatt • Aug 17, 2011
Travis County courts feel impact of Legislature’s budget cuts
With the Texas Legislature signing off on a FY2012-13 budget in May that will include $15 billion in cuts, Travis County will feel the belt-tightening, as the Commissioners Court found out at a budget meeting Wednesday. Generally the county gets…
