City Council is facing yet another possible lawsuit over a vote it took that may not have complied with the Texas Open Meetings Act. City Attorney Anne Morgan confirmed Monday that she plans to discuss the matter with Council in executive session today. Attorney Bill Aleshire, representing the Lake Austin Collective, a group of citizens […]
City Hall
Posted inAustin
Convention center advocates taking pro-expansion message to community
A new coalition of Austin business, political and civic leaders is putting its support behind the proposed expansion of the Austin Convention Center and will be taking the message to local groups in the coming months. Known as A New Vision for Austin’s Convention Center, the coalition is operating with some assistance from the Austin Convention & Visitors […]
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TipSheet: Travis County, 4.18.2017
The Travis County Commissioners Court meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda here. The County Clerk’s office posts a copy at its website. 10. Consider and take appropriate action on adoption of the Travis County Juvenile Probation Master Plan. (Judge Eckhardt) Monitor’s Take: After […]
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TickTock: Austin City Council meeting 4.13.2017
TickTock is the sortable transcript of @austinmonitor Tweets from the most recent Austin City Council meeting. ITEMS 2 9 10 14 19 22 24 25 26 36 39 40 41 TickTock for Friday, April 14, 2017 Participants: austinmonitor 118 BuckBaccus 1 jareha 1 taygoldenstein 1 DanKeshet 1 MKanin 1 Thursday, April 13, 2017 9AM All […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ethics commission sets final hearing for former music department staffer
Austin’s Ethics Review Commission will hold a final hearing next month to determine whether a former music office employee attempted to inappropriately pay herself out of city coffers. The complaint against Ashley Buchanan, who worked as an employee in the Music and Entertainment Division for four years until 2015, is at the heart of the […]
Posted inCity Council
City approves Merck incentives, waits for decision on IT hub
Austin will provide up to $856,000 in economic incentives to pharmaceutical giant Merck Sharp & Dohme if the company chooses Austin as the site for a proposed information technology hub. By a 7-3-1 vote, City Council approved a Chapter 380 agreement that will pay the company $85,600 a year through 2026 – based on $200 […]
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TipSheet: City Council, 4.13.17
City Council will hold its regular meeting again today, and below is a list of items we’re watching. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda. The Office of the City Clerk posts a copy on its website, here. 2. Approve an ordinance amending City Code Chapter 2-13 related to […]
Posted inAustin
New UT arena slated for downtown, but questions linger
A big piece of downtown Austin’s future fell into place on Friday with the announcement that the arena that will replace the Frank Erwin Center will be located close to the current arena on the University of Texas’ eastern border downtown. University of Texas President Greg Fenves told the school’s development board that the new […]
Posted inAustin
Parking price jump almost certain as study heads to city officials
Increased pricing for street-front parking is almost a certainty in downtown Austin’s near future. That tactic was one of more than a dozen recommended by a consulting firm tasked with solving the parking crunch that plagues many areas of Austin’s downtown core almost daily. The plan from San Francisco-based Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates also calls for […]
Posted inCity Council
Pharma giant’s proposed incentives draw questions in first review
City Council members have tended away from using incentives packages in recent years, averaging one approval per year to lure large employers to the area. Based on questioning and feedback from an initial discussion last week, it appears that 2017’s approval could go toward a proposed information technology hub for the pharmaceutical and biosciences giant […]
Posted inAustin
Downtown drug crisis pushes Adler, Council to pledge increased support
Austin’s police and public health departments will have extra budget and other resources available soon to help them focus on ending an increase in the use of the synthetic drug K2 downtown. At a press conference Thursday, Mayor Steve Adler was joined by several City Council members and assorted city department heads who have already […]
Posted inThe Code
Code Department proposes higher fines for violations
Code violators will pay bigger fines for a number of offenses under a new ordinance that City Council is poised to approve. Under the proposed ordinance drafted by the Code Department, the minimum fine for a first offense related to property maintenance rises dramatically, from $20 to $250. The minimum for the second offense would […]