Paige Ellis, the top vote-getter in the Nov. 6 race for City Council District 8, announced Tuesday that her two Democratic opponents in the race, Rich DePalma and Bobby Levinski, had endorsed her. Ellis will face Republican Frank Ward in the runoff on Dec. 11. In a news release, Ellis said, “During the course of […]
City Hall
Posted inAustin
Debate over convention center, hotel tax funds spreads to Music Commission
A recently created music activism group has been thrown into the fray of the debate – largely playing out in meetings of the new Tourism Commission – over how to spend money the city generates through its roughly $100 million portion of the Hotel Occupancy Tax, and the larger issue of possibly expanding the Austin […]
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TipSheet: Travis County, 11.13.18
To help our readers stay informed, each week we offer a selection of interesting items from the Travis County Commissioners Court voting session agenda. The full list of items can be accessed at Travis County’s website. 1. Receive comments regarding a resolution of no objection for Lakeway Apartment Homes to be located at Storm Drive […]
Posted inAustin
City taps UT incubator to meet 2040 zero waste goal
The city and the Austin Technology Incubator at the University of Texas are turning to startup companies to help find a solution to dramatically reduce waste headed to landfills from Austin. ATI’s new Circular Economy Incubator, which launched last month, has a handful of enrolled startups and is seeking more by offering investment, mentoring and […]
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TipSheet: Travis County, 11.6.18
To help you stay informed, each week we offer a selection of interesting items from the Travis County Commissioners Court voting session agenda. The entire agenda can be found at the Travis County website. 1. Receive comments on petition to create the Turner’s Crossing Public Improvement District (PID) in Precinct Four. (Commissioner Gómez) Monitor’s Take: […]
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At long last, Council approves biosolids contract
On Thursday, City Council put an end to two and a half years of squabbling over a lucrative contract to manage biosolid waste generated by the city water utility. Council voted 10-1 to award the contract to Synagro of Texas-CDR Inc., which has been providing the service to the city for years. The contract is […]
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Council: What to do about boards and commissions?
City Council members seem to all agree that something should be done to make the city’s dozens of citizen boards and commissions more efficient and effective. At a Council work session Tuesday, Council members discussed whether the city should embark on yet another review of the volunteer panels, which are tasked with analyzing and recommending […]
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TipSheet: City Council, 11.1.18
Welcome to this week’s TipSheet. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire City Council agenda, but here are the items we have our eye on today. The Office of the City Clerk posts a copy on its website, here. Item 4: Approve a resolution declaring the City of Austin’s official […]
Posted inCity Council
Council seems ready to OK biosolids contract
The latest chapter in the city’s quest to sign a new contract for handling biosolids at the Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant appears to be nearing its end after two and half years of struggle. With Council Member Alison Alter leading the charge at Tuesday’s work session, Council appeared ready to finally approve a new […]
Posted inAustin
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport plans expansion as air traffic soars
Take all the people who live in New York City. Multiply that by two, and you’ll get the number of passengers who are expected to travel through Austin’s airport this year: 16 million. That’s a lot. By 2040, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport staff estimate, that number will nearly double, and ABIA will begin processing more than […]
Posted inCity Hall
Council plans additional post-mortem review of water crisis
Although last week’s crisis has passed and Austinites once again have clean drinking water in their homes and offices, City Council still has much work to do. In anticipation of the questions that would arrive in the aftermath of the boil water notice, last Thursday, Council Member Ellen Troxclair drafted a resolution requesting a review […]
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TipSheet: Travis County, 10.30.18
Travis County Commissioners Court will meet Tuesday at 9 a.m. for their weekly voting session. In the interests of time and space we have listed a handful of items from the agenda below. The full agenda can be found on the Travis County website. 1. Approve proclamation designating November 1, 2018, as “Adoption Day” in […]