This Labor Day, a group of community advocates and leaders gathered to celebrate the holiday with a push for more progressive employment legislation in Austin. The group, led by Council Member Greg Casar, issued a call for City Council to pass an ordinance that would give all Austinites access to paid sick days. “Nobody should […]
City Council
Posted inCity Council
Council supports reducing HOT funds for convention center, visitors bureau
After a lengthy public hearing featuring scores of public speakers on all sides of the issue, City Council unanimously adopted a resolution Thursday night in support of diverting millions of dollars generated by hotel occupancy taxes from the Austin Convention Center and Visit Austin (formerly the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau) to historic preservation efforts. […]
Posted inCity Council
Council looks to Waller Creek TIF for homeless funds
City Council is looking to tax increment financing, a tool designed to address urban blight, as a way to address homelessness in downtown Austin. Council is considering extending the life of the Waller Creek Tax Increment Financing Reinvestment Zone for an additional 12 years (from 2029 to 2041) as well as its boundaries in the […]
Posted inCity Council
Council debates best use of HOT dollars
Some City Council members are clearly more convinced of the role that the Austin Convention Center plays in driving the city’s tourism industry and economy than others. The day after several Council members signaled support for a proposal by Council Member Ellen Troxclair that would slightly reduce the amount of Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue dedicated […]
Posted inCity Council
Troxclair: Hotel tax plan separate from Adler’s ‘downtown puzzle’
Today’s City Council budget work session will almost certainly feature discussion about a proposal from Council Member Ellen Troxclair that seeks to reallocate money from the city’s Hotel Occupancy Tax to pay for more expenses for Austin’s parks, which she argues will free up money from the General Fund budget that can pay for historic […]
Posted inCity Council
Memo identifies preliminary locations for temporary homeless shelters
As part of a recent push to help Austin’s homeless, the city has been looking into using city-owned buildings to help ease overcrowding in downtown shelters. Last week, the Parks and Recreation Department provided a list of recreation centers that could work as temporary shelters, though that use could interfere with existing programming. The Aug. […]
Posted inCity Council
Taxes from unregistered short-term rentals sit unused
Millions of dollars in tax revenue from unregistered short-term rental properties sits unused because the city cannot collect it, according to Visitor Impact Task Force Chair James Russell. In 2016, City Council passed an ordinance to phase out Type 2 short-term rentals, properties that owners rent out without living there and for less than 30 […]
Posted inCity Council
Council to tackle two displacement resolutions today
While Mayor Steve Adler is touting a new task force on gentrification as a fresh opportunity to come up with ideas to address economic displacement, some of his City Council colleagues stress that it will only be a worthwhile effort if it is followed by meaningful action from city leaders. Council is poised to approve […]
Posted inCity Council
Initiative to rename Robert E. Lee Road moves forward
Cities across the country, including Austin, are swiftly making strong statements following the recent clash in Charlottesville over removing a Confederate statue, which ended in a woman’s death and a response from President Donald Trump some deemed lukewarm. Council Member Ann Kitchen during City Council’s work session Tuesday took up the challenge launched by Council […]
Posted inCity Council
A Council member wants to officially rename Robert E. Lee Road. What would it take to do it?
Following a deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville over the weekend, Austin City Council Member Greg Casar is calling for the renaming of Robert E. Lee Road in South Austin and Jeff Davis Avenue in North Austin. Over the weekend, someone spray painted over street signs for Robert E. Lee Road. The city said it […]
Posted inCity Council
Flannigan races ahead in fundraising
Council Member Jimmy Flannigan has raised more than $9,200 so far this year, according to his campaign finance report, which was filed on Monday. Reports show that Council Member Ellen Troxclair was the only other City Council member to solicit and accept campaign contributions since Jan. 1. But she raised only $1,325 during the six-month […]
Posted inCity Council
Council approves workforce training audit
It took a while for City Council to wrap its collective head around the concept, but after an hour and a half of discussion it overwhelmingly approved a study that will try to assess the effectiveness of some area workforce development efforts. The resolution approved by Council June 22 authorized city staff to negotiate and […]