City Council made several changes to its meeting rules that the city hopes will improve public engagement and transparency. The changes adopted Thursday follow a Travis County judge’s ruling in May that found the city had violated the Texas Open Meeting Act by not allowing people enough time to speak during the public comment period […]
City Hall
Posted inCity Council
Council tells staff to find funds for continued use of Marshalling Yard
On Thursday, City Council approved a resolution directing City Manager T.C. Broadnax to find funding to continue use of the Marshalling Yard emergency shelter for homeless people in Austin. The resolution specifically directs staff not to use money already allocated to the homeless response system. While 10 members voted for the resolution put forth by […]
Posted inCity Council
Council work sessions slated to resume, with some changes
It looks like City Council work sessions may be resuming soon. After three consecutive cancellations, there was some speculation that work sessions might be eliminated, or only utilized for necessary Council briefings. However, today, Council will vote on a proposal from City Manager T.C. Broadnax to restructure work sessions beginning in October. Work sessions are […]
Posted inBudget
Travis County approves 6.5% tax rate increase for Central Health budget amid financial controversy
Travis County commissioners unanimously approved a 6.5 percent tax rate increase and a $888 million Fiscal Year 2025 budget for the county’s health care district, Central Health, on Tuesday – amid uncertainty about a potential conflict between Central Health’s mission and exactly how the district spends its tax dollars. Last week, the Commissioners Court postponed […]
Posted inTipSheets
TipSheet: Austin City Council, 9.26.24
Today, City Council will convene for its regular meeting, and we’ve taken a look at the agenda to piece together some educated guesses about what the most interesting things on said agenda are. As evidenced by today’s edition of the Austin Monitor, we’re pretty excited to see how the new work session rules shake out, […]
Posted inCity Council
Incentive programs, cultural district framework headed back to Council after postponement
City Council appears set to vote on a trio of Economic Development Department programs that were postponed from the Sept. 12 meeting because of concerns that Council members hadn’t had enough time to review and suggest changes. The delay was due in part to the recent trend of canceling work sessions on the Tuesday prior […]
Posted inCity Council
Watson, Council members refine direction in push to keep Marshalling Yard shelter open
Mayor Kirk Watson and other members of City Council want to give city staff specific directions and benchmarks in their work to keep the Marshalling Yard Emergency Shelter open indefinitely and keep other city shelters from becoming overwhelmed with the number of experiencing homelessness. In a recent posting on the City Council Message Board, Watson […]
Posted inCity Council
‘A ticket home’: New Austin city law will require pets to be microchipped
The city of Austin will soon require people to get microchips for their pets. Microchips are small grain-like trackers that are implanted under a pet’s skin that can be used to trace the animal back to its owner. Essentially, it’s a ticket home. City Council could approve a change to city rules this week that […]
Posted inBudget
Fuentes airs budget concerns over move to keep Marshalling Yard shelter open indefinitely
City Council Member Vanessa Fuentes has signaled her concerns with a resolution scheduled for next week’s meeting that could result in keeping a 300-bed emergency shelter open far longer than it was originally budgeted for. The resolution directs the city manager to find the estimated $9 million it would cost to keep the Marshalling Yard […]
Posted inBudget
Travis County commissioners postpone tax rate increase for Central Health amid financial transparency concerns
After last week’s confusing and concerning audit report on Travis County’s health care district Central Health, the Commissioners Court this week put off voting on the district’s budget and a 6.5 percent tax rate increase for Fiscal Year 2025 amid more concerns from the community – including from Central Health’s own board of managers and […]
Posted inAustin
Arts Commission weighs sizes of grants to aid underserved groups
Members of the Arts Commission want the city to show how effective new grant programs have been at reaching arts organizations from underserved communities, out of concern that large award amounts for the Thrive grant program may result in too few awards available to include newer recipients. At Monday’s meeting, Commissioner Gina Houston spelled out […]
Posted inAustin
Tourism Commission considers consequences of decaying Dougherty Arts Center
Local arts leaders and members of the Tourism Commission hope to bring City Council’s attention to the lack of action on the deteriorating Dougherty Arts Center, which has been caught in a sort of planning and budgetary limbo for more than a year. At last week’s Tourism Commission meeting, Laura Esparza, executive director of the […]