Stories by Vicky Garza
Committee pushes for regular HHS budget increase
City Council’s Health and Human Services Committee is asking City Manager Marc Ott to consider an annual increase of at least 3 percent for the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department’s budget. The move comes after Council increased the…
Public Health • By Vicky Garza • Jan 25, 2016
Planning and Neighborhoods Committee approves contact-team changes
City Council’s Planning and Neighborhoods Committee has voted unanimously to move forward on staff-proposed changes that would add oversight and compliance requirements to neighborhood-plan contact teams. The ordinance, which on Jan. 12 was also approved by the Planning Commission, would…
Development • By Vicky Garza • Jan 22, 2016
Council to soon consider public restrooms downtown
Everyone has to use the restroom, but sometimes it can be frustrating to find somewhere to go, especially if you are in downtown Austin. To help alleviate this problem, the City Council’s Health and Human Services Committee has directed the…
Austin • By Vicky Garza • Jan 15, 2016
Mandatory pet sterilization not recommended to help reduce number of animals in shelters
Austin animal owners should not be forced to spay or neuter their animals, said Chief Animal Services Officer Tawny Hammond in a briefing before the City Council Health and Human Services Committee. The presentation, which comes just as Austin is about…
Austin • By Vicky Garza • Jan 14, 2016
Onion Creek buyouts complicated by costs
The Austin real estate market is too hot. The city would like to speed up the Onion Creek home buyouts in order to move residents out of the floodplain as soon as possible, but it faces one major constraint –…
Austin • By Vicky Garza • Dec 18, 2015
Committee votes to close living wage loophole
City Council’s Economic Opportunity Committee approved a resolution at its meeting on Monday that would effectively close a loophole that allows some city contractors to avoid paying workers a living wage. Both Bob Batlan, of Austin Interfaith, and Emily Timm,…
Austin • By Vicky Garza • Dec 17, 2015
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Changes to park renaming rules advance
It may soon be harder to name a park or facility in Austin after a person. At the Tuesday meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board, members voted 6-0 to recommend a draft ordinance that adds restrictions to rules regarding…
Parks • By Vicky Garza • Dec 14, 2015
Commissioners envision co-working space for musicians
The Music Commission would like City Council to consider creating a centrally located hub for the Austin music industry comparable to what Austin Studios is for the film industry. The resolution discussed at the Music Commission’s Monday evening meeting is…
Austin • By Vicky Garza • Dec 10, 2015
Austin Habitat for Humanity celebrates new headquarters, CEO
2015 has been an eventful year for Austin Habitat for Humanity. With bright new headquarters and a new leader at the helm, the nonprofit has built itself up into a good position to further help with the issue of affordable…
Austin • By Vicky Garza • Nov 19, 2015
Chamber luncheon focuses on preparing students for jobs
Austin leads the nation in job-creation growth, and while this is good news, it puts pressure on the city and employers who are having a hard time filling some of those positions. Paul D’Arcy, senior vice president at Indeed, delivered…
Austin • By Vicky Garza • Nov 18, 2015
Mayor, community leaders unveil new facility for the homeless
A $14.6 million facility combining housing and services for Austin’s chronically homeless is expected to break ground in Central East Austin early next year with the support of Mayor Steve Adler, the Downtown Austin Alliance, various nonprofit organizations working to…
