The battle for the Democratic nomination for the Travis County Tax-Assessor Collector has become even more strident, with challenger Glen Maxey accusing incumbent Nelda Wells Spears of refusing to use a law that allows counties to block the registration of vehicles belonging to parents who owe child support. In turn, Spears supporters are calling Maxey […]
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.
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Brushy Creek board considering options for intake, pipes
A lot more is known about the specifics of the proposed water treatment plant designed to serve Leader, Cedar Park and Round Rock after Tuesday night’s Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority Board meeting. However, residents form the areas that would be most affected by the project’s pipelines and water intake – Volente and the Trail’s […]
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Stop Domain charter election OK’d for November
Almost as quickly as they began celebrating having their signatures being certified Tuesday, the folks behind the Stop Domain Subsidies (SDS) charter amendment drive ran into an unexpected brick wall: the election cannot be held until November. According to the Texas Secretary of State’s office, a city charter can be amended only every two […]
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Brushy Creek board to hear from public tonight
The board of the Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority (BCRUA) is re-evaluating several aspects of its planned regional water treatment plant in the North Lake Travis area following feedback from area stakeholders. BCRUA engineers are now studying seven possible sites for the water intake, which was originally planned in the Volente area. BCRUA Board […]
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Council likes first look at downtown plan
After making the rounds of boards and commissions for several weeks, Phase One of the Downtown Austin Plan written by ROMA Design finally made its way to the City Council on Thursday. Council members praised the work that went into it, and instructed city staff to begin developing some “what-if” numbers based on some of […]
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Council wants to prevent wastewater ‘pump and haul’ subdivisions
The City Council will consider a resolution Thursday to put an end to almost all future “pump and haul” agreements in new subdivisions in the city. Council Members Sheryl Cole and Lee Leffingwell are sponsoring the measure that would require new subdivisions to be hooked up to wastewater lines before they city will approve them. […]
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Environmental Board rejects Villa Muse request for ETJ release
The city’s Environmental Board voted last week to recommend against a request by the developers of the Villa Muse project in East Travis County to be exempted from Austin’s extraterritorial jurisdiction. Board members generally praised the project and its potential to boost Austin’s economy, but in the end said they simply did not have enough […]
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West Austin group worries about more medical offices
An architect’s desire to build a new office on West 35th Street ran afoul of the Oakmont Heights Neighborhood Association at last week’s Zoning and Platting Commission meeting. However, with a prohibition on housing medical offices at the site, the Commission granted the zoning change request from SF-3 to LO-CO. The neighborhood was not […]
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Developer tries new tactic to deal with impervious cover rules
Years ago, just before new development regulations were put into effect, in the Bull Creek and Panther Hollow watersheds, developers scrambled to submit their site plans to the city so that, under state law (Local Government Code Chapter 245), they could avoid more stringent development regulations. Now one developer says he may be willing to give up a grandfathered […]
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District Attorney candidates talk about the issues
While the debate among the four candidates to replace Ronnie Earle as Travis County District Attorney produced few fireworks Monday night, the candidates did stake out their positions on drug arrest diversion programs, APD violence, the death penalty and other issues. Candidates First Assistant DA Rosemary Lehmberg, Assistant DA Gary Cobb, Assistant DA Mindy […]
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Council worries that water tower cost could hurt conservation efforts
Several City Council members, particularly Lee Leffingwell, expressed concern last week over the high cost of building a “designer” water tower for the city’s Water Reclamation System, fearing that it could diminish the cost advantage of reused water as a conservation method. The location for the first water tower is the Mueller Airport Redevelopment […]
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Council finds no easy answers in historic zoning case
It may take a Solomonic decision by Council members to resolve the issues that confront them in the zoning case of the Colley-Hays House in West Austin. The city’s Historic Landmark Commission is seeking to give the early-1900s-era Deep Eddy home an historic designation, despite the owner’s plans to move the structure to Liberty Hill […]