The day after the story broke that the city had disqualified its sole bidder from being a consumer advocate in the upcoming Austin Energy cost-of-service study due to a violation of its anti-lobbying ordinance, City Council opted not to do – or say – anything specific about the issue on Thursday. “Because the protest process […]
Tyler Whitson
Posted inEnergy
Committee backs low-income energy savings ideas
Low-income Austin Energy customers may receive some additional help in lowering their bills in coming years, based on a recommendation that a City Council committee made on Thursday. The Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee, which consists of the full Council but does not take official action, recommended directing city staff at a future Council meeting […]
Posted inWhispers
Committee supports parking district expansion
The City Council Mobility Committee voted unanimously on Wednesday to recommend that Council approve a request from West Campus business, institution and property owner group University Area Partners to expand a parking benefit district in the area. The expansion would add 315 paid parking spaces by increasing the district boundaries to include Rio Grande Street […]
Posted inTransportation
MoPac South public comment results pour in
Comments from the MoPac South public input period and open house are being tallied, and based on their projected volume, the proposal appears to have galvanized the community. The City Council Mobility Committee discussed the project and preliminary results on Monday with its sponsor – the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority – and public speakers. […]
Posted inDevelopment
County ponders first Public Improvement District
The Travis County Commissioners Court held a public hearing on Tuesday about a petition to create the Wildhorse Ranch Public Improvement District, which, if approved, would be the first development of its kind created by the county. Commissioners also provided direction to staff on crafting a broader policy for creating such districts that it will […]
Posted inPublic Safety
County applies for police body camera grant
The Travis County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to approve an application submitted by the Sheriff’s Office for a new statewide police body camera grant for a county body camera pilot program. The measure passed on a 4-0 vote, with Commissioner Brigid Shea absent. Alan Miller, a budget analyst with the county, wrote in a memo […]
Posted inWhispers
Southern Power buys Austin Energy solar project
Southern Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, announced in a press release Monday that it has purchased a controlling interest in the Roserock solar project, which Austin Energy contracted with solar developer Recurrent Energy to construct in May 2014. The 157.5 megawatt West Texas solar project is under construction as of early November – although […]
Posted inPublic Safety
APD outlines body camera policy in forum
Amid calls for increased scrutiny of law enforcement across the nation, City Council has decided that the city should purchase body cameras for the Austin Police Department in the coming months. What that rollout and the policies that govern it will look like were the subject of a public meeting that the department held Monday […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Police monitor talks body cameras on task force
As the Austin Police Department prepares to roll out a body camera pilot program in the coming months, city Police Monitor Margo Frasier and law enforcement experts from across the nation are tackling the ethical and legal questions that come along with the technology. Frasier, a former Travis County sheriff who heads a city office […]
Posted inTransportation
Cap Metro asks for more transit in spending plan
As City Council considers a plan to disperse the “quarter-cent fund” among transportation projects around the city, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority – the agency that initially contributed the funding to the city – is asking Council to prioritize more of its spending in a way that emphasizes public transit. “If those funds were general […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment, Public Safety
City may hire temp officers for SXSW season
As South by Southwest and the whirlwind of events that surround it loom large on the horizon, the city and the Austin Police Association are discussing ways to cover the festival season without pulling many officers away from their duties. One potential fix involves hiring temporary law enforcement from jurisdictions such as Travis County, Round […]
Posted inWhispers
Council approves Rocky Mountain Institute agreement
City Council agreed to sign a co-development agreement with Colorado nonprofit Rocky Mountain Institute on a 10-1 vote on Thursday, with Council Member Don Zimmerman casting the dissenting vote. The development agreement includes an in-kind match from the Austin community, but, according to city staff, does not require a budget amendment. It provides a basis […]