As Mayor Steve Adler observed Wednesday, one way to fight Austin’s economic segregation is to help those with less economic advantage make more money. And job training in the tech sector is one obvious way that Austin can help make the city more affordable for more people. Adler joined with representatives of Microsoft, Google, Google […]
Austin
Posted inAustin
Occupancy limits made permanent
City Council on Thursday eliminated an expiration date from the occupancy-limits ordinance, making permanent a cap on occupancy in new single-family homes. Council voted to amend the ordinance in a 9-1-1 vote, with Council Member Ellen Troxclair opposed and Council Member Don Zimmerman abstaining. The original ordinance was passed two years ago and limited the […]
Posted inAustin
‘Library for the future’ soon will be a reality
A decade ago, Austin voters approved a $90 million bond to build a new central library that would better fit the growing city’s needs. Another $30 million later, the “library for the future” is nearly complete. The 200,000-square-foot facility – with a rooftop garden, 300-seat outdoor amphitheater, art gallery, restaurant, cooking demonstration area and a […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Weekend update edition
Don’t miss the omnibus… On Friday, Mayor Steve Adler unveiled what he is calling “the Austin Music & Creative Ecosystem Omnibus Resolution.” In short, the resolution directs the city manager to take a look at some options for aiding the city’s creative sector and to come back in three months with priorities and an action […]
Posted inAustin
State of the City: Adler pushes “big things”
It’s been just over a year since Mayor Steve Adler took office, and on Tuesday night, he delivered his second “State of Our City” address to a packed Zach Theatre. The speech was different in tone than the one given last May, which remained focused firmly on the future. Though Adler praised his fellow City […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Drive crashes
All4Nothing… South Austin, for better or worse, has long been considered the bastion of Austin of Yore. From hippies to low-slung bungalows to grimy music clubs, South River City keeps it weird. One hallmark of local heritage to which it will not hark back, however, is our lost tradition of municipal elections in May. It […]
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Council supports “Muny” golf course preservation
When the average American thinks of activities that promote diversity, golf is probably not the first one that comes to mind. But on Thursday, City Council unanimously endorsed a resolution that seeks to recognize the Lions Municipal Golf Course as a historic site, largely because of the unique role that “Muny,” as it is affectionately […]
Posted inAustin
Updated: Ethics complaints filed against petition PAC
While the city clerk still has not received a promised petition seeking the recall of Council Member Ann Kitchen, the Texas Ethics Commission has received four complaints filed against the group behind the alleged effort. Austin attorney Fred Lewis filed the four complaints on Friday morning. They name Austin4All PAC, Rachel Kania, Tori Moreland, and […]
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Grant project spurs crime drop on Sam Rayburn Drive
Antonio Mancinas, 68, leans against a tree in his front yard. He lives in a house with his wife at the end of Sam Rayburn Drive in the Rundberg neighborhood. Despite having spent roughly a quarter of a century on the street, he thinks back just a few years. “Just imagine,” Mancinas prompted in Spanish. […]
Posted inAISD, Austin, Uncategorized
AISD teacher appraisals impetus for possible new salary structure
In a unanimous vote Monday, the Austin Independent School District board of trustees gave the green light to its new teacher appraisal system, which ties teacher appraisals to student performance on standardized tests. Kimiko Krekel, AISD’s executive director of educator quality, said the new appraisal system was also built with a second step in mind: revamping […]
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TickTock: Austin City Council Meeting 1.28.2016
TickTock is the sortable-by-item-number transcript of Austin Monitor publisher Mike Kanin’s Twitter feed from City Council. Click on the item number to scroll to the corresponding tweets. ITEMS 8 9 10 13 21 31 35 50 64 65 66 67 68 70 73 79 80 85 86 89 91 92 96 Tick Tock Participants: MKanin […]
Posted inAustin, City Council, Monitor News & Media, Radio, Uncategorized
Kanin on Council: January 29, 2016
Austin Monitor publisher Mike Kanin talks with KUT’s Jimmy Maas about Austin City Council action from Thursday, January 28, 2016. Post is embedded below: [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/244438643″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]