Last week, City Council’s Public Safety Committee heard a presentation on a report from AH Datalytics, paid for by the Austin Justice Coalition, assessing the Austin Police Department’s 911 calls for service. Overall, the report asserts that many of the calls APD receives could be handled by an alternative resource. According to the report, only 21 […]
Nina Hernandez
Posted inPlanning
ZAP tweaks proposed merger of housing and planning departments
The Zoning and Platting Commission on Tuesday discussed the potential merger between the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development and the Planning and Zoning departments. After multiple commissioners expressed concerns about the measure, they voted unanimously to include three recommendations to the proposal, which appears in City Manager Spencer Cronk’s Fiscal Year 2020-21 budget. News of […]
Posted inHousing
City prepares to launch second round of rental assistance in August
City Council’s Housing and Planning Committee heard an update Tuesday on the city’s next round of Covid-19 rental assistance, known as the RENT program. The Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department hopes to help even more households and cover a bigger proportion of back rent than in the program’s first go-around. The $17.7 million commitment […]
Posted inBudget
Public Safety budget discussion wrestles with demands to defund APD
Chief Financial Officer Ed Van Eenoo gave the Public Safety Committee a public safety budget overview at its meeting on Monday. Much of the discussion centered around the Austin Police Department budget. Community members and some City Council members have demanded that a portion of the budget be reallocated to other city departments. “We have […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin Energy Covid rates could revert as soon as November
During an Austin Energy budget presentation on Friday, the Electric Utility Commission learned that the rate cuts the utility put into place this spring as part of its Covid-19 recovery efforts will expire at the end of this fiscal year. The utility cut rates for all customers earlier this year due to the pandemic and the city’s […]
Posted inZoning
Planning Commission approves rezoning for MLK property despite concerns over process
The Planning Commission voted at its Tuesday meeting to recommend a zoning change for 5201 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. from Family Residence (SF-3) to Multifamily Residence – Medium Density (MF-3). The applicant initially requested Multifamily Residence – Highest Density (MF-6), but staff recommended MF-3 because the property is not on a highway or […]
Posted inZoning
Planning Commission postpones long-dormant Nuckols Crossing case
On Tuesday night the Planning Commission yet again postponed consideration of a rezoning at 4500 Nuckols Crossing against the wishes of the applicants and their representatives. The applicants’ agent, Victoria Haase, told the commissioners that the applicants urged them to hear the case that evening. “The professionals have weighed in that these are safe solutions […]
Posted inElections
Ann Howard wins Democratic primary runoff in county commissioner Precinct 3 race
Ann Howard won Tuesday night’s Democratic Party primary runoff to decide who will compete to replace Gerald Daugherty in representing Precinct 3 on the Travis County Commissioners Court. “I’ll just start doing some hard work to get to know even more voters, so that I win in November,” Howard told the Austin Monitor on Tuesday. […]
Posted inHousing
City evaluates rental assistance program, prepares for round two
Back in May, the city’s Relief of Emergency Needs for Tenants program disbursed $1.2 million in emergency rental assistance to 1,680 families across the city. This week, the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department, in conjunction with the Housing Authority of the City of Austin, revealed more about the people the program actually helped. In a July […]
Posted inZoning
ZAP approves East Austin zoning change with condition
At its Tuesday evening meeting, the Zoning and Platting Commission voted to recommend a zoning change at 5601 Nixon Lane. The commission voted in favor of the 4.67-acre property, at the corner of Nixon Lane and FM 969, changing from Community Commercial to Neighborhood Commercial, with a provision excluding service stations from the list of possible […]
Posted inAustin
Animal advocates decry Austin Animal Center intake policy changes
In a video making the rounds on social media, a woman is standing near the entrance to the Austin Animal Center with a medium-sized dog on a leash. She’s telling a staff member she cannot keep the dog, who is a stray, and that she has already completed the online form to schedule an appointment to bring […]
Posted inThe Code
City issues first notices of intent to suspend in Repeat Offender Program
The city announced last week its first notices of intent to suspend in the Repeat Offender Program, which is designed to ensure that property owners or their agents keep their properties in compliance with Austin city code. The two properties that received the notices were 2400 Wickersham Lane and 7929 Gault St. The notices outline […]