People experiencing homelessness can now work for the city of Austin. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department, along with Austin Public Health, The Other Ones Foundation and City Council Member Ellen Troxclair, highlighted the pilot program Monday in South Austin. Joe Pacheco, 51, who’s been living on the streets, is currently working for the program. […]
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City seeks grants, partnerships to implement tech solutions for homeless
The city’s Innovation Office has applied for a $400,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, with the goal of directing the money toward implementing a suite of blockchain technology solutions to help the city’s homeless population. The grant application is the next biggest hope for continued progress for the apps and digital platforms created […]
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Debate over convention center, hotel tax funds spreads to Music Commission
A recently created music activism group has been thrown into the fray of the debate – largely playing out in meetings of the new Tourism Commission – over how to spend money the city generates through its roughly $100 million portion of the Hotel Occupancy Tax, and the larger issue of possibly expanding the Austin […]
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City taps UT incubator to meet 2040 zero waste goal
The city and the Austin Technology Incubator at the University of Texas are turning to startup companies to help find a solution to dramatically reduce waste headed to landfills from Austin. ATI’s new Circular Economy Incubator, which launched last month, has a handful of enrolled startups and is seeking more by offering investment, mentoring and […]
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Austin-Bergstrom International Airport plans expansion as air traffic soars
Take all the people who live in New York City. Multiply that by two, and you’ll get the number of passengers who are expected to travel through Austin’s airport this year: 16 million. That’s a lot. By 2040, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport staff estimate, that number will nearly double, and ABIA will begin processing more than […]
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Anti-displacement recommendations take broad approach to combat gentrification
The task force convened late last year by City Council to study strategies for reversing Austin’s growing affordability and displacement problem has released its initial set of recommendations. Those recommendations include a mix of taxing mechanisms, social services and bond sales among the more than 70 suggested solutions. The Anti-Displacement Task Force will hold its […]
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Here’s what to expect when eight floodgates open on the Mansfield Dam
It’s never happened before, but the Lower Colorado River Authority will likely open eight floodgates on the Mansfield Dam above Lake Austin by noon Thursday. So, what can you expect if you live in Austin? Flooding On Some Streets When eight gates are open, 50,000 cubic feet of water per second will flow from the […]
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More homes, services on the way for homeless with Community First! expansion
A Northeast Austin community constructed in recent years to provide permanent housing to Austin’s chronically homeless has announced its plans for a second phase that will nearly double its physical footprint to 51 acres and, when complete, serve nearly 800 people. At a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday for the Community First! Village, a mix of […]
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Convention center fate looms as Tourism Commission scrutinizes Visit Austin budgets
The most recent meeting of the city’s still-new Tourism Commission followed what could become a regular dynamic for the group: detailed “in the weeds” parsing of budgets and policies related to Austin’s tourism industry, with the proposed expansion of the Austin Convention Center looming over everything. Monday’s meeting bore that out during an hour-plus analysis […]
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Homeless services would get a boost from recommended budget earmarks
A budget amendment expected to go before City Council later this month would seek to direct up to $1 million in new money toward improvements to Austin’s downtown homeless shelter and provide other resources to move people out of homelessness. A recent memo from Interim Assistant City Manager Sara Hensley spells out how the $1 […]
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Downtown restroom contract OK’d
On Thursday City Council directed staff to execute a contract with Blue Chem Inc. for waste removal services at a city-owned portable toilet downtown. The initial two-year contract is for $330,000, but if the contract is extended to five years the total will be $775,000. Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo, who represents District 9, including […]
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Small progress, but Austin still lags in enabling 5G adoption
A pair of efforts to bring 5G telecommunication technology to portions of Austin is welcome news to proponents of the smart city capabilities available with widespread use. But the city still lags far behind other Texas cities in installation of the street-level “cells” needed to enable the standard that tech experts expect will start becoming […]