Council Member Mike Martinez sponsored an item adding support for any legislation repealing House Bill 2 to the City of Austin legislative agenda, and calling for a study of the impacts HB2 has on access to women’s health services in Austin. The measure — passed in the second special session of the 2013 Legislature — […]
Mark Richardson
Mark Richardson is a multimedia journalist, editor and writer who has worked in digital, print and broadcast media for three decades. He is a nationally recognized editor and reporter who has covered government, politics and the environment. A journalism graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, he was recently awarded a Foundation for Investigative Journalism grant and has three Associated Press Managing Editors awards for excellence in reporting.
Posted inLocal Politics, Resources
Adler releases plan to solve Austin water crisis
Austin mayoral candidate Steve Adler, who has already issued extensive position papers on affordability and education, got his feet wet Wednesday with a new plan to deal with Austin’s water crisis. He issued an “agenda paper” that primarily opposes buying and shipping new water from elsewhere, preferring to emphasize conservation, reuse and a restructuring of […]
Posted inWhispers
Travis County approves 2015 budget
Spending is up but tax bills are down in FY2015 in Travis County. Commissioners made final approval Tuesday of a $911 million budget on a 5-0 vote. Commissioners also voted to set the tax rate at 45.63 cents per $100 in taxable value. That is lower than this year’s tax rate, but because of rising […]
Posted inResources
HHS panel wants more information from agencies
Members of the Council Health and Human Services committee heard from more than a dozen representatives of social service agencies Monday during a called meeting that was a continuation of the panel’s regular meeting last week. A number of social service agencies, many who have been receiving funding from the city for years, say Austin’s […]
Posted inWhispers
ATXN nominated for 6 Lone Star Emmys
Austin’s city-operated government television channel ATXN has received a record six nominations from the Lone Star Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, aka the Lone Star Emmys. Nominations include a documentary on teen drunken driving, a feature on EMS Communications employees, and the popular 122nd Cadet Class series, which follows a […]
Posted inPremium Types
Tip Sheet: Travis County Commissioners 9.23
The Travis County Commissioners Court meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda here. The County Clerk’s office hosts a copy at its website. Items of interest for Commissioners Court include: 10. CONSIDER AND TAKE APPROPRIATION ACTION REGARDING PROFESSIONAL EARLY CHILDHOOD SERVICES PROGRAM AS FOLLOWS: […]
Posted inWhispers
District 3 keeps up the mudslinging
The bickering continued in District 3 on Thursday, when candidate Shaun Ireland called out opponent Jose Valera for not voting in Austin. Ireland said the lack of voting is “disappointing.” In a news release, Ireland said that Valera has only voted twice as an adult, and not in any of Austin’s local municipal or bond elections. […]
Posted inDevelopment, Elections, Environment, Local Politics
Whispers Roundup: The ANC Mega-Forum
Whispers Roundup is a weekly column of items from our reporters’ notebooks. ANC plans mega-forum next week … The Austin Neighborhoods Council will hold its candidate forum next week. Following the forum, ANC will vote on its endorsements, which will be announced Sept. 29. Those of you with some (or a lot) of time on […]
Posted inLocal Politics
City Hall remodeling 80 percent complete
Officials with the city’s Public Works Department said Thursday that renovations to the first and second floors of City Hall are between 70 and 80 percent complete, and should be usable by late October. Construction began in July on the Council Chambers and the Executive Conference Room to accommodate the new 11-member City Council that […]
Posted inWhispers
Elfant counts 50,000 new voters
Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector Bruce Elfant said Thursday his office has counted 49,800 new voter registrations this year, but because they are behind in processing, he expects the number to go well above 50,000. He said registrations are high for a midterm election year. He noted that in 2012, Travis County had 635,000 registered voters. After the […]
Posted inDevelopment, Environment, Local Government, Resources
County seeks public input on development plan
Counties in Texas have few powers to regulate development in their jurisdictions, but that is not stopping Travis County from trying to make the best use of what tools they have. County officials are seeking public input on a Land, Water and Transportation Plan — developed over the past two years by the Transportation and […]
Posted inEnvironment, Local Government
Travis Commissioners endorse LCRA water plan
Travis County Commissioners approved a letter Tuesday endorsing the Lower Colorado River Authority’s latest Water Management Plan, saying that while the plan was the product of some “tough calls,” it does the best job of protecting the water supply in Central Texas. The LCRA board of directors will vote on the Water Management Plan today, […]