City Council on Thursday approved a temporary waiver of the city’s anti-lobbying ordinance for companies and individuals who wish to talk to the Council working group on solid waste issues. The vote was 7-1-1, with Council Member Ellen Troxclair voting no, Council Member Ora Houston abstaining and Council members Greg Casar and Alison Alter absent […]
City Hall
Posted inAustin
Austin Police tout results of homelessness engagement program
As part of a new initiative to combat homelessness, a small group of cops, mental health specialists and medical personnel have been taking to the streets to engage directly with Austin’s homeless. The Homeless Outreach Street Team has had a big impact on the lives of many of the city’s homeless population since it began […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: City Council, 4.6.17
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. 5. Authorize negotiation and execution of an amendment to the professional […]
Posted inCity Council
Here’s how Austin wants to solve institutional racism
In November, Mayor Steve Adler announced the formation of a group of local leaders tasked with suggesting city policy that could begin to ensure equity throughout the city. On Tuesday, the Mayor’s Task Force on Institutional Racism and Systemic Equities published its nearly 70-page final report. Co-chaired by Austin Independent School District Superintendent Paul Cruz […]
Posted inCity Council
Troxclair’s legislative speeches criticized
During a legislative briefing at Tuesday’s City Council work session, Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo criticized Council Member Ellen Troxclair for testifying against the city’s position on three hot topics at the Texas Legislature. “I need to express my grave disappointment that a member of this body would go to the Legislature and ask that […]
Posted inAustin
Looking for history: Austin’s public squares
From Lyndon B. Johnson announcing his first Senate campaign in Wooldridge Square to Booker T. Washington speaking there in 1911, some of Austin’s most historic moments and stories are set to be preserved in the city’s three original public square parks. The program known as Our Austin Story is a partnership between the Austin Parks […]
Posted inCity Hall
City still dealing with retaliation, harassment
The appearance of two witnesses – one employee and one former employee of the city of Austin – at Wednesday’s City Council Audit and Finance Committee added a sense of urgency to the findings of an outside auditor’s report on the city’s practices in investigating harassment, discrimination and retaliation in the workforce. The audit, conducted […]
Posted inCity Hall
Can Austin innovate itself out of long meetings?
Given the recent tilt toward performance art at City Council meetings – those poor eggs! – and running times that are the longest among major cities in Texas, it seems like the last thing Austin needs is more citizen participation on civic matters big and small. But changing the paradigm for how residents and stakeholders […]
Posted inAustin
Austin parks groups propose new uses for hotel tax funds
Several groups made their cases for funding last night at a meeting of the Visitors Impact Task Force. The board is charged with exploring new uses for hotel tax revenue before a decision by City Council. Board members heard from Kim McKnight with the Parks and Recreation Department. “While the promotion of amenities paid for […]
Posted inCity Council
Construction of new Central Library overdue, again
City Council members learned last week that the completion of the new downtown public library has been hit with delays, again. “I do think that it is getting very close, but I don’t have a specific date that I can give you quite yet,” Toni Lambert, interim director of Libraries, told Council members at a […]
Posted inAustin
Decision on unmarked graves, chapel at Oakwood Cemetery coming in April
Austin officials plan to have an idea next month of how to move forward with construction work on the chapel at Oakwood Cemetery that was halted in November when unrecorded burial sites were discovered under the building. Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department, which manages five city cemeteries, is working to learn more about the remains […]
Posted inAustin
CodeNEXT tech talk focuses on familiar topics
Planning consultant Peter Park picked an apt way to describe Austin’s current building code while talking to a room full of technology entrepreneurs and stakeholders at Austin’s Capital Factory. “The (operating system) is kind of broken, and to get the city you want is kind of an arduous process,” Park said of the ongoing reveals […]