Austin’s dumpster wars continue. The city’s contract with Waste Management of Texas expires Feb. 28. To avoid a public health crisis, City Council will vote tonight on whether to execute an emergency multi-term contract with the waste collector for up to one year and an amount not to exceed $1.06 million. Not all commissions are […]
City Council
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Faulk Library renovation opens conversation on Downtown Community Court
The Austin History Center downtown is ready to expand into the first floor of the adjacent John H. Faulk Library, but the building needs some work. City Council will consider a contract for design services Thursday to get the ball rolling on the expansion and renovation project, but some members of Council are concerned the […]
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Council may move forward with study of minority business contracting disparities
City Council will decide at its Jan. 23 meeting whether to approve a study – first requested in late 2018 – examining how well small businesses owned by women and minorities are represented in the city’s contract procurement process. The resolution will authorize the Small and Minority Business Resources Department to spend up to $1 […]
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Adler: 2019 saw action, and frustration, on city’s long-standing issues
Looking back on 2019, Mayor Steve Adler sees a year where a series of major issues came to inflection points on which he and City Council had to take decisive action – and then face the criticism that often follows such moves. From the June vote to decriminalize homelessness and the recent first-reading approval of […]
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Alter highlights progress in public safety in 2019
Out of all the work she’s accomplished this year, Council Member Alison Alter is particularly proud of what she’s brought to fruition in the realm of public safety. Beginning in January, Alter posted a resolution calling for a third-party audit of the city’s deeply flawed sexual assault response system. She said the effort is now […]
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Leslie Pool remembers high, low points of 2019
District 7 Council Member Leslie Pool is proud of the contributions she and her colleagues made toward helping the homeless in 2019, calling it “a pretty amazing year.” Still, she thinks some things could have been done better. For example, the city wasn’t really ready to deal with the consequences of Council’s vote repealing the […]
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Ellis looks at District 8’s place in transit, homelessness issues in reviewing 2019
Ask Paige Ellis about one of the first lessons she learned as a new City Council member and her answer is immediate: patience. The old adage that the wheels of government turn slowly takes on a whole new meaning for someone stepping into public service for the first time. Budgets, workload and the priorities of […]
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Tovo reflects on a year of challenge and success
As she looks back on 2019, Council Member Kathie Tovo can count some major victories, including passage of her expansive resolution directing enhancements to a lengthy stretch of downtown parkland leading up to Palm School, direction to begin creation of a Mexican American heritage corridor, and authorizing renovation and expansion of the convention center. “That […]
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Casar proud of victories in 2019, ready to prove value of progressive policy again in 2020
Council Member Greg Casar began the year defending several of the city’s workers’ rights ordinances at the 86th legislative session while pushing for adoption of Affordability Unlocked at City Council. Senate Bill 15 was known for its attack on the paid sick leave ordinance Casar authored in early 2018. The bill took aim at other […]
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Kitchen optimistic about work begun in 2019 but committed to finding real solutions
From where Ann Kitchen sits, 2019 was a productive year at City Hall. After years of stagnation on major issues from homelessness and transportation to our clunky land use code, the Council member says the city buckled down this year to solve some of its messiest problems. “I think we tackled a lot of big […]
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Fiscal questions on revenue caps, transit plan remain with Flannigan after 2019
Council Member Jimmy Flannigan likes to refer to himself as the “fiscally responsible progressive” on the Council dais, pushing for ambitious action supported by the operational discipline needed to make sure money isn’t wasted. In that light, he said 2019 left him with a lot of questions and concerns for the coming years that can […]
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Harper-Madison looks back on lessons and growth in first year on Council
Looking back on her first year representing Austin’s District 1 seat on City Council, Natasha Harper-Madison said her early motivations for running for office were largely personal. She wanted to address issues specific to her district and its people rather than grasping macro issues such as transportation, and abstract issues like “giving voice to the […]