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City Council
City rolls out bridge loan program to assist businesses impacted by Covid-19
Small businesses now have another option for financial assistance in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, in the form of a new loan program from the city that will provide up to $35,000 per recipient. On Wednesday the city announced…
City Council • By Chad Swiatecki • Apr 23, 2020
Adler urges Austinites to stay at home despite state rollback
When Gov. Greg Abbott announced last week that he would gradually begin to reopen the state, confusion began to mount about what that means for daily life. Is the stay-at-home order lifted? Should we begin to go back to life…
City Council • By Nina Hernandez • Apr 22, 2020
'A big deal': Austin approves $15 million relief fund that includes cash assistance for residents
Austin City Council members have approved a $15 million relief fund to aid residents affected financially by the Covid-19 pandemic. “I think this is a big deal and I’m really proud of this council,” Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza said…
City Council • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Apr 10, 2020
City financial forecast better than many
According to the city’s economic consultant, Jon Hockenyos, a quarter of a million workers in the Austin area will lose their jobs as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. “We’re just at the beginning of seeing the economic implications of…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Apr 8, 2020
Judicial Committee members call for efficient quick release process at county jail
On any given day, the majority of individuals held in the Travis County Jail have not yet had a trial or been convicted of the crime that landed them there, yet they cannot afford to pay the bondsman’s fee or…
City Council • By Ryan Thornton • Apr 8, 2020
Garza, Casar lead plan to use $15M in city reserves for Covid-19 relief programs
The city is expected to expand its contracts with social service organizations in order to begin deploying a portion of Austin’s budget reserves to residents facing financial peril due to the spread of Covid-19. Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza and…
City Council • By Chad Swiatecki • Apr 3, 2020
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No rest for contractors hauling city waste, recycling
Council gave the official nod of approval last week for short-term contracts for collection, processing and disposal of trash, as well as recycling services and disposal of brush and compostable materials, to Central Waste and Recycling and Texas Disposal Systems.…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Apr 2, 2020
Council adopts anti-eviction ordinance: Tenant advocates call it a 'Band-Aid solution'
City Council adopted a 60-day suspension on evictions Thursday that will buy tenants two months before a landlord can seek to evict them for missed rent payments. Many renters and local advocates, however, say the ordinance only kicks the can…
City Council • By Ryan Thornton • Mar 27, 2020
City Council to vote on anti-eviction ordinance Thursday
City Council will vote Thursday on establishing a 60-day grace period for renters in an emergency ordinance released Monday. The ordinance, which is sponsored by Council members Greg Casar, Kathie Tovo, Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza and Mayor Steve Adler…
City Council • By Elizabeth Pagano • Mar 24, 2020
Council widens scope of how to lessen COVID-19's economic impact
A City Council resolution intended to assist small businesses and employees impacted by the cancellation of South by Southwest has been expanded in recent days to include aid for child care services and health care providers for senior citizens, with…
City Council • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 23, 2020
Council enters new territory with online participants
Under normal circumstances, Council chambers would be packed with city staff, observers and people wishing to comment on various agenda items. Today, under national, state and local emergency declarations, COVID-19 has made these times anything but normal. According to a…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Mar 23, 2020
City looks for funds, including hotel tax, to cushion COVID-19 economic impact
City staff and members of City Council have fine-tuned their plans for assisting small businesses and employees facing financial difficulties from the cancellation of South by Southwest and other fallout from the COVID-19 outbreak. Council Member Jimmy Flannigan posted a…
