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City Council
Legislative agenda passes with Kelly opposed
City Council approved a lengthy legislative agenda Thursday night, with only Council Member Mackenzie Kelly voting no. Though she had proposed an additional task for the city’s legislative team just a few minutes earlier, Kelly voted against adopting the agenda.…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Sep 20, 2022
Austin OKs an automated license plate reader program
Lee esta historia en español. City Council approved a revival of a police department program to use license plate scanners on police cruisers and at fixed points throughout the city. Council agreed Thursday on a one-year pilot program to reinstate…
City Council • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Sep 19, 2022
Amid rising housing costs, Austin increases (slightly) park fees charged to builders
Following a conversation that pitted the amount of parkland in Austin against housing affordability, City Council members on Thursday voted against doubling park fees charged to residential developers. Instead, they opted to raise these fees by 10 percent. The vote…
City Council • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Sep 16, 2022
Council to decide on police oversight ordinance
At the end of a packed agenda today, City Council will face a choice of adopting the Austin Police Oversight Act or calling a May 2023 election on the proposal. At Tuesday’s work session, Council Member Chito Vela and Mayor…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Sep 15, 2022
Council seeks to incentivize new creative spaces
The city will look for ways to incentivize developers to build creative spaces such as galleries and theaters into new projects in the coming years, building on a decision last month to incentivize new live music venues. At last week’s City…
City Council • By Chad Swiatecki • Sep 8, 2022
Council postpones vote on controversial license plate reader resolution
Nearly 40 people showed up at the City Council meeting last Thursday either to voice their concerns or show their support for the re-implementation of the Austin Police Department’s automated license plate reader program, which has proven to be an…
City Council • By Samuel Stark • Sep 6, 2022
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Council opposes book banning, adopts Freedom to Read resolution
Council unanimously adopted a resolution Thursday promoting the American Library Association’s Freedom to Read declaration and opposing book banning. According to the resolution, the city supports the Austin Public Library’s materials selection process, recognizing the work of the library and the…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Sep 2, 2022
TipSheet: Austin City Council, 9.1.22
A peek at today’s City Council agenda reveals what promises to be a very long meeting ahead. We’ve done our best to condense things, with a look at the items that are most likely to attract our attention during the day…
City Council • By Elizabeth Pagano • Sep 1, 2022
ANC calls on city to improve public participation, ethics rules
The Austin Neighborhoods Council has issued a call for City Council to reform its rules for public participation, calling the current procedures for taking public input “anti-democratic practices that undermine public participation and trust,” according to ANC President Ana Aguirre.…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Aug 31, 2022
Mayor celebrates mobility, equity and housing wins in final State of the City
Austin Mayor Steve Adler lauded the 10-1 City Council system and the headway Council has made on mobility, equity and housing issues during his eighth and final State of the City address, delivered to a packed City Hall on Thursday.…
City Council • By Emma Freer • Aug 26, 2022
City eyes September start for guaranteed income program
The city’s taxpayer-funded guaranteed income program is expected to begin sending payments to its enrollees in September, marking a major step in the first-of-its-kind initiative by a Texas city. A city memo released Monday detailed the progress made since May,…
City Council • By Chad Swiatecki • Aug 4, 2022
City faces tough choices in managing homeless shelter
City officials were not satisfied with the way the nonprofit organization Front Steps was running the homeless men’s shelter at 500 E. Seventh Street commonly known as the ARCH. Officials notified the organization that all contracts with Front Steps would…
