City-sanctioned land drones could be hitting a sidewalk near you by February 2018. That was the report Austin Transportation Department Chief of Staff Karla Taylor gave to the Urban Transportation Commission on Tuesday evening. Her briefing was an update on the development of a pilot program that would allow private companies to deploy electric-powered personal […]
Austin
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City’s homeless services not coordinated
Austin lacks a single coordinator to oversee all of its activities and expenditures relating to the homeless to make sure that they are operating efficiently, according to an audit released by the Office of the City Auditor on Monday. In addition, the city needs to coordinate with outside groups, such as the Ending Community Homelessness […]
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Leaders say Austin’s Amazon hopes hang on transit, permitting issues
While Amazon executives take the next few months or more to pick the location for a massive new second headquarters, Austin real estate and business leaders hope the national audition process has caused local leaders to think about much-needed improvements throughout the city. That was one of the recurring discussion points at a panel organized […]
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A sick leave ordinance is coming, but details are unclear
A coalition of city leaders and advocacy groups is pushing for Austin to join many of the nation’s largest cities in requiring employers to provide employees with a certain number of paid sick days. On Nov. 15 at the People’s Community Clinic in Northeast Austin, a group of small business owners assembled to lend their […]
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Public to meet manager candidates after all
After months of insisting on keeping the names of all city manager candidates secret, Steve Newton of Russell Reynolds Associates announced during Thursday’s City Council meeting that the names of the finalists would become public on either Friday or Monday. In addition, he said that the public would get to meet the last group of […]
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Council welcomes idea of Major League Soccer
City Council members are intrigued by the prospect of Austin welcoming its first professional sports team, but so far none of them are suggesting the city offer the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer anything but a warm, Texas welcome. “I don’t see the Council engaging in that decision about whether that team relocates,” said […]
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Campaign would raise $60M to house homeless
The Mobile Loaves & Fishes nonprofit announced plans to help reduce Austin’s homeless population over the next 10 years through a series of expansions of its Community First! Village project in Northeast Austin. The expansions will be paid for with a decade-long, $60 million capital campaign that will let the village provide housing and supportive […]
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Nonprofits ready to assist with open enrollment
Today is the first day of open enrollment for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Two Austin nonprofits are ready to help anyone needing assistance with the sometimes confusing process of getting health insurance. This year participants will have just six weeks to complete the process, and experts are urging people to get started […]
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Report: ‘No-kill’ policy an asset to Austin
An analysis prepared by researchers at the University of Denver argues that the benefits of Austin’s “no-kill” policy outweigh its costs. The decision to no longer euthanize stray dogs and cats has certainly cost city taxpayers, but those dollars do not disappear, according to the report “Legislating Components of a Humane City: The Economic Impacts […]
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Austin’s new Central Library opens Saturday. Will people use it?
Taylor Barnett, 24, hasn’t had a public library card since the 1990s, when she was a kid growing up in Victoria, Texas. She would frequent the local library with her grandparents, especially after they bought a computer with little idea of how to use it. “The library had computer classes,” said Barnett. “My grandmother really […]
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Auditors say city’s website needs improvement
The Office of the City Auditor has found that although the city’s website, AustinTexas.gov, offers residents numerous online services, the website does not meet accessibility guidelines, so it is difficult for people with certain disabilities to find and use those services. The audit findings were released and accepted at Wednesday’s City Council Audit and Finance […]
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City could look to public land for soccer stadium
Beginning next month the city could begin an inventory of available land that would be able to suit a new soccer stadium for a professional team’s proposed relocation to Austin. Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo told the Austin Monitor on Sunday she is working with other City Council members to draft a resolution for the […]