According to the Austin Animal Center website, there are about 100,000 free-roaming cats in Austin. That number is a conservative estimate, noting that cats can be impregnated as young as 5 months old and have one to three litters a year, with three to five kittens in a litter. The Animal Advisory Commission heard public […]
City Hall
Posted inCity Council
Reflections and celebrations with outgoing City Council members
The city honored outgoing City Council members Mackenzie Kelly, Leslie Pool and Alison Alter with a special event in advance of their final Council meeting this Thursday. City staff, former Council members, local elected officials, plus family and friends gathered in Council chambers on Tuesday after the work session to celebrate and share remarks. Kelly, […]
Posted inTipSheets
TipSheet: Austin City Council, 12.12.24
Today’s City Council meeting is the last of the year, which always makes for a packed agenda. This Thursday is no different, so there’s a lot we have our eye on. It’s also the last meeting for Council members Alison Alter, Leslie Pool and Mackenzie Kelly, who said goodbye in a ceremony on Tuesday. The […]
Posted inAustin
PARD memo eyes expected 2026 bond package to complete new Dougherty Arts Center
The Parks and Recreation Department is looking toward an expected 2026 bond package to obtain the funding needed to complete the new Dougherty Arts Center, which is slated to be built in two phases in the coming years at a total cost of $50 million to $60 million. A memo published last month by interim […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ryan Alter and colleagues propose revision of boards and commissions
Austin may be known as the Live Music Capital of the World, but it could also be known as the boards and commissions capital. In fact, our city has more than 90 commissions, boards, task forces and other advisory bodies, some of which are very active and others of which are dormant. City Council Member […]
Posted inAustin
This fall might’ve been Austin’s warmest. The city says it’s ready now for record cold.
Austin and Travis County leaders said they are prepared for potentially record winter weather despite the warm fall. At a news conference Wednesday, Mayor Kirk Watson and Travis County Judge Andy Brown said the city and county have several mechanisms in place to ensure residents have power and water, and that the roads are safe. […]
Posted inCity Council
Council to see requests for Marshalling Yard extension, ECHO’s $350M homelessness plan
The Public Health Committee has recommended adopting the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) long-term forecast for addressing homelessness, signaling a commitment to spend an estimated $350 million over the next decade to fill gaps in the city’s homelessness response system. The recommendation asks City Council to direct the city manager to seek out additional funding […]
Posted inAustin
Local housing, child care costs remain high as analysts expect strong economy overall
With analysts expecting the U.S. economy to remain strong in the year ahead, local leaders returned to common concerns – housing costs, child care and wages – as the biggest issues facing the Austin economy headed into 2025. The Austin Chamber of Commerce’s annual Economic Outlook gave attendees some clear indicators of what’s ahead globally […]
Posted inAustin
City-owned Austin Studios found to have generated $2.6B in economic impact
After a quarter century of operation, the city-owned Austin Studios facility on the site of the former Robert Mueller Municipal Airport has generated more than $2.6 billion in economic impact, according to a recent study. Last week, Austin Film Society (AFS) released its 2024 Creative Workforce Report, which focused on the economic impact of the […]
Posted inCity Hall
Council OKs $5.5M contract for website redesign, expected in late 2026
City Council has approved a six-year contract, valued at up to $5.55 million, for the redesign of the city’s website, AustinTexas.gov. The contract, awarded to TW Lrw Holdings LLC, doing business as Material Holdings LLC, has an initial three-year term for $3.52 million, with three optional one-year extensions each valued at $676,698. City staff told […]
Posted inAustin
Austin is making it easier to open overnight cold weather shelters
The city of Austin is changing how and when it will open cold weather shelters this winter to make shelter more frequent and predictable for people, city officials said. When temperatures dip to near freezing, the city opens overnight shelters for people who are experiencing homelessness, but previously, there were several other criteria the weather […]
Posted inAustin
Arts Commission joins call for bond money to replace Dougherty Arts Center
The Arts Commission wants City Council to commit to including funding for a new Dougherty Arts Center in the city’s next bond package, likely to go before voters in 2026. At its most recent meeting, the commission unanimously approved the recommendation proposed by the Friends of the Dougherty Arts Center advocacy group that has been […]