In August of 2023, after three years of planning and many thousands of dollars, City Council was forced to scrap its comprehensive Zilker Park Vision Plan, amid a bitter battle waged by detractors and the park’s surrounding residents. But the million or so visitors to the park have not flagged in the years since, and […]
Lina Fisher
Posted inTransportation
Travis County approves study on passenger rail between Austin and San Antonio
Between the I-35 expansion, MoPac construction, and the general growing pains of the metroplex beyond its transportation infrastructure’s capacity, Travis County Judge Andy Brown has long advocated for the need for commuter rail between Austin and San Antonio. On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court took its first step towards making that a reality, approving […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Austin-San Antonio region selected for climate resilience accelerator
Last week, Travis County announced that the Austin-San Antonio region has been selected for a two-year program to facilitate the region’s climate change resilience efforts. “Government boundaries may define jurisdictions, but they don’t define the lives of our residents — people don’t care who is responsible, they care that we get it done,” said Travis […]
Posted inAustin
Age-friendly services require more funding, Austin Public Health says
Austin has fallen behind cities of a similar size when it comes to caring for its elders. It’s no longer in AARP’s top 10 cities to live in for older adults as of 2022. In fact, last year, it didn’t even make the top 25. That might not be top of mind, as the median […]
Posted inTransportation
A decade of Vision Zero shows progress on crashes and injuries, not on deaths
On Monday afternoon, city leaders and transportation policymakers gathered to celebrate the unveiling of Vision Zero’s 10 Year Report on Austin’s progress toward making traffic deaths a thing of the past. “Traffic crashes aren’t accidents. They are preventable,” said Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes during the press conference Monday. “They are a public health crisis, […]
Posted inTravis County
Travis County invests $21 million in affordable child care
County commissioners have taken their biggest step yet towards getting families tangible access to child care following a voter-approved tax increase to fund sweeping investment in that sector last November. Of the $75 million approved last year, the county has awarded $21 million in two contracts with Workforce Solutions Capital Area to provide direct scholarships […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Proposition Q campaigns heat up on both sides
In an expensive city like Austin, it’s a tough time to raise property taxes — especially on top of rising gas bills and a county tax hike to fund disaster relief for the July floods. Yet that is what the City is asking the voters to approve this November in order to help make up […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Travis County emergency communications pilot yields promising results
After the catastrophic floods in July this year, Travis County officials told reporters that its emergency communications could have been better in terms of getting information to residents, many of whom felt abandoned and left to recover with only the help of their neighbors. Improvements to disaster communications were already in the works before the […]
Posted inParks
Parks and Recreation Department urges parkland acquisition in 2026 bond
In 2009, Austin City Council adopted the urban parks initiative, setting a goal to provide parks within a five- to 10-minute walk of all residents. As of 2025, only about 70 percent of Austin residents live within walking distance of a park. The Austin Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) wants to get that number to […]
Posted inHousing
Number of evictions in Travis County on track to surpass 2024’s record
Earlier this year, Princeton University’s Eviction Lab came out with a harrowing statistic: Austin’s eviction filings are the highest number they’ve been since 2020. During the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, Austin applied an eviction moratorium, but they returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2022 when the ban was lifted and have since continued climbing. […]
Posted inHousing
City Council committee considers tenant relocation protections
In 2016, Austin passed the tenant notification and relocation ordinance, meant to ensure that tenants receive adequate notice when there’s demolition or renovation of their home so that they can relocate successfully from development-induced displacement. Now the city is trying to figure out how to put the program into practice. Originally, the city had intended it […]
Posted inPublic Health
Travis County increases investment in harm reduction
One of Travis County’s most consistent investments over the last few years has been toward mitigating the opioid overdose crisis, partially funded by a national settlement with the drug companies that helped cause the crisis. In November of last year, the county invested $400,000 of those funds into harm reduction services, and on Tuesday, they […]