Last week, the Council Public Health and Human Services Committee took a closer look at the local impacts of Texas House Bill 2. After local outcry and international attention last year, the bill passed during a special session of the 83rd Legislature and changed the way Texas regulates abortion procedures, providers and facilities. In September […]
Austin
Posted inAustin, Elections, Local Politics, Monitor News & Media
Adler maintains lead in new Austin Monitor poll
According to a poll conducted this week among 942 likely Austin voters, mayoral candidate and attorney Steve Adler maintains a commanding lead over his runoff opponent, City Council Member Mike Martinez. When asked who they would be likely to vote for in the Dec. 16 runoff election, 56 percent of respondents said Adler, compared to […]
Posted inAustin, Development, Parks
Anti-lobby complaint filed on Long Park golf plan
A complaint filed Thursday with the City of Austin alleges violations of the city’s No-Contact Rule between the developers of the proposed Walter E. Long Park golf courses and city employees. Community activist Brian Rodgers filed the complaint after obtaining copies of emails between the developers and city staff through a public information request. Rodgers, […]
Posted inAustin, City Council, Energy, Environment, Resources
Austin Energy, activists agree on generation plan
After three months of intense negotiations, officials with the city’s electric utility and members of environmental groups — including, most prominently, the Sierra Club — have reached agreement on a proposed 2025 generation plan for Austin Energy. That plan includes ramping down use of the coal-fired Fayette Power Plant in 2020 with an eye to […]
Posted inAustin, City Council, Local Government, Public Health
Central Health board reappointment stirs passions
The reappointment of Katrina Daniel to the Central Health board of managers turned unexpectedly heated at last week’s Council Public Health and Human Services Committee meeting. Ultimately, committee members unanimously recommended Daniel’s reappointment. The full City Council will consider the nomination at its Dec. 11 meeting. “I believe that experience matters,” said Council Member Mike […]
Posted inAustin, Environment, Resources
City reveals new drainage fee structure
Austin Watershed Protection Department staff publicly presented its proposed restructure of the drainage fee for the first time Wednesday, saying that it is fairer and more equitable to customers than the current flat fee. Watershed Protection Director Victoria Li told the Environmental Board that the proposed structure is based on the impact that each property […]
Posted inAustin, Local Politics, Public Safety, The Code
Venues ask for guidance on sound ordinance
Conflicts between downtown music venues and residents continue to fester. At this week’s Austin Music Commission meeting, venue operators and musicians asked for more clarity and consistency in the city’s sound enforcement. In response, the commission formed a working group with the intention of clearing up the rules and eliminating some of the confusion that […]
Posted inAustin, Environment
Plan for local recycled product market advances
Austin’s processed recyclable materials are often shipped overseas to be remanufactured into new products, but a plan by the Austin Resource Recovery Department to convert a plot of land into an eco-industrial park called the Austin (re) Manufacturing Hub could change that. The Zoning and Platting Commission enthusiastically approved a request Tuesday to rezone 391 […]
Posted inAustin, Local Government, Transit, Transportation
Panel dusts off plans for Green Line rail
With the rail bond defeat in the rearview mirror, this week the City Council Comprehensive Planning and Transportation Committee took a look at a long-planned but almost forgotten rail line that could connect Austin will communities to the east. The proposed Green Line would connect Elgin, Manor, Decker Lake and downtown Austin. The route, which […]
Posted inAustin, Development, Elections, Local Politics, Transportation
Candidates debate development in District 7
Two North Austin City Council candidates, who will face off in a Dec. 16 runoff election, say the city is growing rapidly and that the District 7 Council member must make sure the area stays affordable. District 7 candidate Leslie Pool, 59, is an executive assistant for Travis County Constable Carlos Lopez. She sailed ahead […]
Posted inAustin, Development, Housing, Resources
Consultant outlines affordable housing study data
Affordable housing advocates and residents gathered at City Hall on Monday to weigh in on the findings and recommendations of a July report that outlines Austin’s affordable housing needs and fair choice impediments. According to the 2014 Comprehensive Housing Market Study, the city has lost a significant amount of affordable housing since 2000, though it […]
Posted inAustin, Roads, Transportation
City switches downtown streets to slow traffic
Plans to convert downtown’s Seventh, Eighth, Brazos and Colorado streets from one-way to two-way streets are underway. On Monday, City Council’s Comprehensive Planning and Transportation Committee heard a presentation on a timeline for the change from acting Transportation Department Assistant Director Jim Dale. “A lot of cities have gone through this process, of being two-way […]