“Austin has spent decades building a reputation as an innovative city, but our new City Council’s confusion about (the) issue is destroying our reputation and driving away investment capital,” according to Capital Factory Executive Director Joshua Baer. In the Medium post, Baer is reacting to recent actions by Council placing occupancy limits on short-term rentals, […]
City Council
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Council enacts changes to committee system
Just before the close of its meeting Thursday night, City Council made changes to its committee system. City Council voted 8-3 in favor of Council Member Greg Casar’s resolution, which was intended to streamline the sometimes cumbersome committee system adopted just over a year ago. Council members Don Zimmerman, Ellen Troxclair and Ora Houston voted […]
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TickTock: Austin City Council meeting 3.3.2016
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 7 13 15 19 20 21 24 30 31 34 36 37 38 43 44 Tick Tock Participants: MKanin 410 cubbie9000 4 eraycollins 3 brianjkelsey 2 ATXRail […]
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Updated: Petition to Recall Council Member Kitchen Deemed ‘Insufficient’
From KUT News: A petition submitted by a political action committee attempting to recall Austin City Council member Ann Kitchen has been deemed “insufficient” by the City Clerk. The PAC Austin4All failed to get the petition notarized, which was required to attest to the validity of the statement at the top of each petition: “The […]
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Council starts Pilot Knob amendments
City Council voted 10-1 Thursday to start the amendment process on the affordable housing portion of the zoning ordinance that created the Pilot Knob planned unit development in Southeast Travis County. Council Member Don Zimmerman voted no. Council initiated the amendments, which relate only to affordable housing and waiver of city development and water utility […]
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The nitty-gritty of a Pilot Knob reconsideration
City Council members will decide today whether to revisit an affordable housing deal approved by vote in December. And how they might re-table the deal is a bit mystifying. Council Member Ellen Troxclair is proposing an amendment that would initiate a second look at the deal. (Council members Leslie Pool, Ora Houston and Don Zimmerman […]
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Council might ban the box as part of hiring mandate
Sometimes, a potential law goes by two names. But other times, it goes by one – while confusion breeds alternative monikers. City Council members have spent the past year chewing over hiring requirements for private employers. But recently, Council Member Ellen Troxclair expressed some confusion about what to call this: “ban the box” or a […]
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Rosewood Courts’ historic zoning back in play
It was far from clear what had happened after a flurry of amendments and votes. But when the dust settled, the question of historic zoning for Rosewood Courts remained open. City Council voted 8-0-3 to initiate historic zoning on Rosewood Courts, with Council members Don Zimmerman, Sheri Gallo and Pio Renteria abstaining. That vote will […]
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Zimmerman, Lewis fail on Ott resolution
Conservative City Council Member Don Zimmerman and liberal attorney Fred Lewis don’t have much in common, but they both seem bent on replacing City Manager Marc Ott. Nonetheless, they failed on Thursday to persuade any of the other 10 members of Council to hold an open performance evaluation, with input from the public, for Ott […]
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Council adopts new regulations for short-term rentals
City Council on Tuesday passed, on a 9-2 vote, new regulations governing short-term rentals that aren’t owner-occupied. Council also adopted plans to phase out all of the so-called STR Type 2 properties in residential zones by 2022. Council members Ellen Troxclair and Don Zimmerman opposed the new rules, many of which become effective in 10 […]
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Austin4All, Council members reflect on recall petition
When word first broke that a local political action committee calling itself Austin4All had enough signatures to recall City Council Member Ann Kitchen, most of her colleagues came out in force to show their support for her. Standing outside City Hall on Feb. 1, some Council members joked they would be next. But now that […]
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Oak Creek affordable housing debate just starting
A developer seeking state tax credits to fund an affordable housing complex in North Austin got a boost from City Council on Thursday, despite loud objections from a large group of neighbors as well as familiar criticism of housing subsidies from the most conservative member of Council. Council voted 9-2 to endorse Saigebrook Development LLC’s […]