The city has stepped forward to revive the Blues on the Green concert series held annually in Zilker Park and will look at how to support or possibly co-sponsor other music festivals or cultural events throughout the city in the future. At last week’s meeting, City Council voted 10-0, with a recusal from Council Member […]
City Council
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Council approves climate funding and telework policies
Austin’s environmental activists don’t always agree with one another on local policy issues, but they spoke with one voice Thursday in support of a resolution to beef up funding for the city’s many ambitious climate plans. As expected, City Council passed the resolution, which sponsoring Council Member Ryan Alter modified to incorporate several amendments. The […]
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Council to weigh how the city will fund climate projects
Over the last decade, City Council has put forth several ambitious climate-related plans, building on the work of previous councils. But without a clear road map for financing and prioritizing projects to reduce carbon emissions and safeguard the city against natural disasters, Austin lags behind other cities that have funding mechanisms in place. Council Member […]
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Public Health Committee weighs Marshalling Yard complaints, McKinsey homelessness study
Members of Vocal-TX, a grassroots organization that represents low-income people directly impacted by homelessness, and other Austin residents raised concerns about City Council’s handling of homelessness at the Public Health Committee meeting on Wednesday. Their concerns centered on Marshalling Yard, the city’s new temporary emergency homeless shelter, and a recently approved $2 million contract with […]
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City Council updates code to address animal shelter overcrowding, safety
City Council voted on consent at its meeting on Thursday to amend the city code regarding animal services, heeding recommendations from a recent audit that found the Austin Animal Center in far East Austin was struggling to maintain quality of animal care because of overcrowding and other issues. The code changes include: Replacing the current […]
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TipSheet: Austin City Council, 2.1.24
City Council will meet today for its regular meeting. As usual, there are a few agenda items that we are keeping our eye on, which are detailed in this TipSheet. The entire agenda (also as usual) is available online here, for those who want to decide what’s interesting for themselves. After a few years of […]
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City seeks McKinsey’s $2M analysis of programs to address homelessness
Consulting giant McKinsey & Company could take up another study of the city, specifically how four local bodies including Central Health are working to address homelessness throughout the Austin area. At its meeting today, City Council will consider two items related to a proposed $2 million study that is expected to be delivered in the […]
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Busy Council day includes a call for cease-fire in Gaza
City Council will hear once again from a coalition asking Council as a whole to call for a cease-fire in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Council members Vanessa Fuentes, Zo Qadri and José Velásquez last month issued a statement in support of the cease-fire. According to a news release from the Austin for Palestine Coalition, the group […]
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Fuentes spent 2023 on program implementation
City Council Member Vanessa Fuentes continued her focus on working families and delivering community-focused policies in 2023, bringing forward 19 items and co-sponsoring another 80 resolutions. “We’ve been very active and collaborative with my colleagues on the dais,” Fuentes told the Austin Monitor. She is most proud of the measure she sponsored directing the city […]
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D3’s Velásquez says: ‘We’re doing exactly what we set out to do’
For District 3 City Council Member José Velásquez, this past year’s theme was accessibility and constituent relations. “We’re doing exactly what we set out to do, which was make the office as accessible as possible and make the person sitting in the chair as accessible as possible,” Velásquez told the Austin Monitor. “That hasn’t always […]
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Three Council members call for Middle East cease-fire
Responding to calls from the community seeking a City Council resolution supporting a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, Council members Vanessa Fuentes, Zo Qadri and José Velásquez released a statement Thursday calling for peace. The statement reads: “Whether it be Palestinians, Israelis or Austinites, innocent civilians deserve to live in peace. Our hearts break for […]
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Council to consider eliminating nonresident library card fees
City Council will consider an item this week directing the city manager to amend the fee and fine ordinance to do away with the nonresident library card fee for residents of the city’s limited-purpose and extraterritorial jurisdictions. Currently, Austin residents can get a free library card only if they live within what’s called the full-purpose […]