The Animal Advisory Commission voted down a proposal last week that would have allowed animal shelter staff to spay or neuter an animal the first time it is impounded. Instead, the commissioners will wait for the results of a six-month study that will be conducted by Austin Animal Services. Discussion of the agenda item, which […]
Vicky Garza
Posted inElections
Daugherty wins Precinct 3 primary
Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty will be able to run again for his Precinct 3 seat in November. With 70.83 percent of the vote, he defeated attorney and businessman Jason Nassour to become the Republican nominee for a sprawling precinct that includes 12 cities in western Travis County as well as downtown Austin and West Campus. Daugherty received […]
Posted inPublic Health, Public Safety
Forum updates on community health initiatives
City and county health officials and health services organizations provided an update last Wednesday night on a five-year comprehensive community health planning initiative that will end in June. About 86 residents attended the community forum at the George Washington Carver Museum to learn about the Community Health Assessment/Community Health Improvement Plan, or CHA/CHIP, which outlines […]
Posted inDevelopment
Parkland dedication fees head to Council, again
The Open Space, Environment and Sustainability Committee voted on Wednesday to push forward on a long-overdue proposal to amend the city’s Parkland Dedication Ordinance after a one-month delay. During that time, Parks and Recreation Department staff added an additional amendment to what was presented at the Dec. 21 17 City Council meeting. The sixth amendment […]
Posted inPublic Health
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 department’s fiscal year 2015-2016 budget by more than $6.5 million in September. At the Jan. […]
Posted inDevelopment, Planning
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 change the city’s Land Development Code to clarify that a neighborhood-plan contact team’s bylaws must […]
Posted inAustin
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 Office of the City Manager to look into the feasibility of installing free, 24-hour public […]
Posted inAustin
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 to celebrate five years as a no-kill community, was requested by Mayor Steve Adler in response […]
Posted inAustin
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 – a lack of available homes in the Austin area. This makes it hard for the […]
Posted inAustin
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, deputy director of Workers Defense Project, spoke in favor of the resolution. “This is simply […]
Posted inParks
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 the naming of parks and facilities. The draft ordinance restricts both what they can be […]
Posted inAustin
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 a response to the Austin Music Census, a survey of over 4,000 musicians conducted last […]