City Council members received an early look at some of the difficult budget decisions they could face this summer thanks to an expected decline in sales tax revenue and the end of federal funding related to the American Rescue Plan Act. The presentation from budget and finance staff at Tuesday’s work session was also a […]
City Hall
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TipSheet: Austin City Council, 2.29.24
Today, City Council will convene for its regular Thursday meeting. We’ve taken a look at the agenda and compiled our best guesses about what will be of interest below. The biggest item on this week’s agenda might be one of its most dull – the lightning-quick revamp of new Vertical Mixed Use rules after an […]
Posted inCity Hall
City nixes $2M McKinsey homelessness study, signaling poor cooperation among partners
City Manager Jesús Garza has canceled a potential $2 million contract with consulting giant McKinsey & Company to perform an analysis of efforts to address homelessness by the city, Travis County, Integral Care and Central Health. Garza released a memo Thursday morning that suggested there was a less-than-ideal chance of the needed collaboration and financial […]
Posted inAustin
Austin Justice Coalition slams city in State of Black Austin Address
Nearly 16 years ago, the city released its African American Quality of Life Final Report, which detailed 56 initiatives underway to improve the quality of life for Black residents. On Wednesday, the Austin Justice Coalition hosted a State of Black Austin Address at Stateside Theatre, excoriating what it described as the city’s lack of meaningful […]
Posted inAustin
Downtown Commission hears SXSW safety preparedness report
No one likes to think about worst-case scenarios turning large public events into devastating havoc, but such is the business of planning for major festivals like South by Southwest. Lessons learned from past events – the 2020 pandemic, the 2014 vehicular tragedy and various crowd-control incidents in other years – have helped shape a system […]
Posted inAustin
Tourism Commission considers how to grow hotel taxes beyond convention business
The Tourism Commission has turned its attention to how tourist attractions throughout the city could work collectively to increase the average hotel stay, which would gradually lead to substantial increases in Hotel Occupancy Tax revenues. At last week’s meeting, the commission heard a presentation from Matt Patton, director of research for Angelou Economics, who performed […]
Posted inAustin
MACC funds not cut, Council member reports
A report to City Council that funding was cut for the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center turned out to be a misunderstanding. Larry Amaro, a member of the MACC board, told Council at Thursday’s meeting that a number of planned events this spring would have to be canceled because of a reduction in […]
Posted inCity Council
Council votes to aid Blues on the Green, explore more event sponsorships
The city has stepped forward to revive the Blues on the Green concert series held annually in Zilker Park and will look at how to support or possibly co-sponsor other music festivals or cultural events throughout the city in the future. At last week’s meeting, City Council voted 10-0, with a recusal from Council Member […]
Posted inCity Council
Council approves climate funding and telework policies
Austin’s environmental activists don’t always agree with one another on local policy issues, but they spoke with one voice Thursday in support of a resolution to beef up funding for the city’s many ambitious climate plans. As expected, City Council passed the resolution, which sponsoring Council Member Ryan Alter modified to incorporate several amendments. The […]
Posted inAustin
Lacking a sense of cultural belonging, many Black Austinites are relocating
Lack of community bonds, cultural offerings and business opportunities play a large part in the continuing decline in Austin’s Black population, based on analysis and anecdotes shared by a number of local leaders at a recent discussion on the demographic trend. Wednesday’s breakfast panel for Urban Land Institute Austin looked at possible solutions for retaining […]
Posted inTipSheets
TipSheet: Austin City Council, 2.15.24
City Council will, once again, meet for a regular meeting today. And we, once again, have gathered some highlights from today’s agenda to get you excited for the bonanza of public policy that will soon be upon us. For even more information, the entire agenda is posted online here. Following approval of a stopgap measure, […]
Posted inCity Council
Council to weigh how the city will fund climate projects
Over the last decade, City Council has put forth several ambitious climate-related plans, building on the work of previous councils. But without a clear road map for financing and prioritizing projects to reduce carbon emissions and safeguard the city against natural disasters, Austin lags behind other cities that have funding mechanisms in place. Council Member […]