Despite committee efforts and new cost projections, a conversation among City Council members Tuesday revealed that they still have some work to do on a proposal to increase staffing and resources for the mayor and Council offices ahead of a vote Thursday. “We’re two months, already, past January,” said Mayor Steve Adler, urging his colleagues […]
Tyler Whitson
Posted inLocal Government, Roads, Transportation
CTRMA stalls proposal to double-deck MoPac
A plan that could transform MoPac Boulevard now appears to be trudging rather than speeding along, though it still may reach its destination in due time. The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority announced Monday that it is delaying its proposal to add four tolled express lanes to a stretch of MoPac between Cesar Chavez Street […]
Posted inWhispers
Austin solar installations spike in 2014
According to the Environment Texas Research & Policy Center, Austin is 17th in the nation in terms of total amount of solar power installed within city limits. In a news conference outside of City Hall on Thursday, the environmental advocacy group’s director Luke Metzger applauded Austin for jumping from 13 megawatts in 2013 to 21 […]
Posted inAustin, City Council, Energy, Resources
AE to seek new solar contracts by mid-April
Since City Council adopted a set of goals last year that will shape Austin’s future energy portfolio, most discussion has focused on how to fill a 500-megawatt power gap in the plan. This week, the focus shifted to a goal that gets the city to shop for large solar investments. Responding to a request by […]
Posted inAustin, Transportation
Mobility Committee considers future of Lyft, Uber
Transportation network companies such as Lyft and Uber have come a long way since they launched outside of Austin’s regulatory framework last May. Still, they have more distance to travel before they can be considered a permanent part of the city’s transportation system. Transportation Department staff presented the City Council Mobility Committee with a set […]
Posted inAustin, Texas State Legislature
Council discusses legislation that targets Austin
With the Texas Legislature’s March 13 filing deadline behind them, city staff are busy tracking the 6,400 or so bills that state legislators have filed this session. They joined City Council at a work session Tuesday for an update on the bills making their way through the 84th Legislature that could directly affect Austin. Karen […]
Posted inWhispers
Adler weighs in on length of work sessions
Mayor Steve Adler opened Tuesday’s City Council work session by commenting on ways that Council and staff could shorten those meetings, which often spill over into the afternoon. “We have a lot of items that have been pulled from the agenda today. We also have some folks that are talking — longingly — about the […]
Posted inEnergy, Resources
EUC pushes for generation plan’s solar component
The Electric Utility Commission passed a resolution Monday urging that City Council direct Austin Energy to issue a request for proposal for 600 megawatts of utility-scale solar energy by April 15. “I feel like Austin Energy, in making their agreement to go forward with the generation plan as it was, owes the community the RFP,” […]
Posted inRoads, Transportation
Critics say CAMPO 2040 Plan doomed to fail
Those wondering what Austin-area roads might look like in 25 years need look no further than the 2040 Regional Transportation Plan. Many of those who have, it seems, do not like what they see. The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board heard mostly frustration from residents at a March 9 public hearing about […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature, Water
Austin Water reports on water-related legislation
As Central Texas continues to face its worst drought on record, state legislators are considering several bills this session that could affect water supplies in Austin and throughout the state. Austin Water Utility Legislative Coordinator Heather Cooke briefed the Water and Wastewater Commission Wednesday about some of the water-related bills making their way through the […]
Posted inHays County, Transit, Transportation, Travis County, Williamson County
CAMPO says buses should skip highway traffic
Most highway drivers resist the urge to cruise alongside a traffic jam on the route’s shoulder — it is illegal, not to mention rude. Some buses in Texas, however, may soon get a pass to jump the line. The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board narrowly recommended Monday that the Texas Legislature pass […]
Posted inBudget, City Council
Council funds AISD software, debates relationship
When it comes to using tax dollars to serve children in the Austin community, there can be a fine line between education and health and human services. Before passing an agreement Thursday to help fund truancy tracking software for the Austin Independent School District, City Council members had an impassioned discussion about the city’s role […]