The city and the Austin Emergency Medical Services Association have reached a tentative labor agreement that moves the needle on medic salaries. The city announced Monday that both sides have agreed to a deal that, if approved, would give current Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services employees a 4 percent raise or more, depending on their […]
Nina Hernandez
Posted inPublic Safety
Public Safety Commission hears update on regional emergency response coordination efforts
The Public Safety Commission heard an update on the city’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and its collaboration with other public safety entities at the commission’s regular meeting on Aug. 7. The briefing was presented by HSEM Director Ken Snipes, who took over the role in June. In the presentation, Snipes addressed a […]
Posted inPlanning
Planning Commission recommends airport master development plan update
The Planning Commission voted Tuesday to recommend an update to the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport’s Master Development Plan Ordinance. The airport’s Master Development Plan Ordinance must be updated every 10 years. It allows the city to look at the site comprehensively, and for a streamlined construction process on future projects. This version will replace the last […]
Posted inRoads
CAMPO board OKs amendments to I-35 expansion project without votes from 3 Council members
The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Transportation Policy Board voted last week to approve amendments to its highway improvement plans, which will pave the way for the latest version of the Interstate 35 Capital Express project. It did so without the votes of three City Council members appointed to the board. The 22-member board considered […]
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro updates financial forecast, returns $130 million to contingency fund
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Finance, Audit and Administration Committee heard an update on the agency’s financial status at its meeting on Aug. 14. Catherine Walker, chief financial and risk officer, presented a financial report as of the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2022-23. According to the presentation, sales tax remittances received as of May are […]
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro to launch free fare program to serve riders experiencing homelessness
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority is preparing to launch its new fare program for individuals experiencing homelessness in Austin. The HMIS Pass program will distribute passes to unhoused Austin and Travis County residents who are receiving services through the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition’s Homeless Management Information System, or HMIS. Capital Metro is currently finalizing pass parameters […]
Posted inWater
Residents concerned proposed private dam on South Llano River could affect Austin’s drinking water supply
Residents of Llano and Edwards counties are fighting a pending Texas Commission on Environmental Quality permit that could have implications on Austin’s drinking water supply. An application filed by Waterstone Creek LLC seeks authorization to “construct and maintain a dam and reservoir on the South Llano River, Colorado River Basin, impounding 12.02 acre-feet of water […]
Posted inEnvironment
Austin’s Blackland Prairie reforestation project underway
The work to restore Austin’s heavily degraded Blackland Prairie floodplain has begun with the help of local urban forestry nonprofit TreeFolks. The Environmental Commission heard an update on the results of the city’s Blackland Prairie ecoregion study at its regular meeting Aug. 2. The study was intended to expand the Watershed Protection Department’s understanding of […]
Posted inBudget
Equity Action slams budget proposal as ‘throwback to the ’90s’
Some community advocates are decrying interim City Manager Jesús Garza’s budget proposal as a “throwback to the ’90s.” Garza released his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2023-24 in July. The $5.5 billion budget represents what Garza calls a “Back to Basics” approach to city government that focuses on core city services and reorganizes the city’s […]
Posted inParks
Environmental Commission can’t agree on Polo Fields parking solution
After a lengthy discussion, the Environmental Commission this week tabled an item that would recommend the Parks and Recreation Department end vehicle parking on the Zilker Park Polo Fields. The discussion happened at the commission’s Aug. 2 regular meeting, and the recommendation was written by Commissioner Richard Brimer. As the recommendation notes, the parks department […]
Posted inTransit
Disability advocates raise safety, accessibility concerns with Cap Metro board
A member of Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Access Advisory Committee is calling for monthly safety briefings from the board after the organization failed to address multiple instances of sexual harassment on the part of a MetroAccess driver. Audrea Diaz was appointed to the committee in January 2019. She requested the briefings during the board’s citizen […]
Posted inCity Hall
City manager delays controversial new telework policy
Interim City Manager Jesús Garza is delaying implementation of a controversial new telework policy that will require most city employees to work in the office at least three days per week. In a July 19 email, interim Human Resources Director Rebecca Kennedy announced the policy’s start will be delayed to Jan. 1. “As the City […]