Austin Public Health is proposing a “micro food-distribution” program to bring fresh produce and select packaged foods into low-income neighborhoods that have limited access to groceries. The two-month program aims to prevent crowding in grocery stores while lowering the burden and risk of shopping during the pandemic for residents who may also lack access to […]
City Council
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City announces lottery rental assistance program
Last week, City Council and the Housing Authority of the City of Austin announced the Relief of Emergency Needs for Tenants (RENT) program, a lottery program that will help Austinites at risk of losing their rental housing due to the pandemic. “In the wake of this terrible virus are anxious families without money for rent […]
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Safe Routes to School infrastructure reports posted for each Council district
Austin Public Works has released its final Safe Routes to School reports and project recommendations totaling over $825 million in improvements to make it safe and easy for children and families to walk or bicycle to and from school. Austin’s Safe Routes to School program seeks to encourage more students to walk and bike to […]
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Council looks to assemble blueprint for federal Covid-19 assistance dollars
City Council is expected to lay down the guidelines next week for how to use money handed over from the federal government to assist with prevention and recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Council Member Ann Kitchen is among the city leaders working to assemble the blueprint for how to deploy money from the Coronavirus Aid, […]
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Council hears good news, bad news on coronavirus
Two researchers from the University of Texas Covid-19 Modeling Consortium told Council Tuesday that the orders from Mayor Steve Adler and County Judge Sarah Eckhardt to stay home and avoid spreading the virus have delayed and possibly even prevented a health care crisis in the region. Eckhardt and Adler issued the orders on March 17 […]
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Library Commission punts fine-free initiative amid Covid-19 uncertainty
The Library Commission pledged to keep working on its Fine-Free Libraries program Monday, with the understanding that it may take a year or more to win City Council’s approval due to the budgetary uncertainty caused by Covid-19. “I think there is somewhat of a sense that maybe now is not the time to continue this […]
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Council approves $2.5 million in aid to musicians, artists impacted by Covid-19
A pair of actions taken Thursday by City Council will direct $2.5 million toward financial assistance for local musicians and other creatives facing substantial losses of income due to the Covid-19 pandemic. An ordinance change passed on the consent agenda calls for $1.5 million to be withdrawn from the city’s emergency budget reserves and transferred […]
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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 the Austin Economic Injury Bridge Loan Program, which has total funding of $6 million and […]
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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 as it was before? Austin Mayor Steve Adler told the Austin Monitor on Monday night […]
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‘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 before the vote Thursday. The money will be funneled through nonprofits, some of which have […]
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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 the pandemic,” he told City Council at Tuesday’s work session. Hotel occupancy is down to […]
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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 cash bail amount needed to secure their release. Acknowledging the city’s limited authority in county […]