Nine months after Austin lost the federal Smart City Challenge to Columbus, Ohio, the vision of a data-enhanced urban future is still alive and well. Top officials from Mayor Steve Adler to Austin Transportation Director Robert Spillar took time during South by Southwest 2017 to publicly address the city’s efforts to leverage data collection into […]
City Hall
Posted inAustin
Austin, UT could play in battle for telecom millions
Austin and the University of Texas have the potential intellectual and research firepower needed to compete for a portion of $100 million in National Science Foundation and private tech industry money and in-kind services aimed at creating city-scale advancements in using wireless data in everyday life, and improving the infrastructure that data requires. The award […]
Posted inAustin
Short-term rentals under scrutiny as SXSW kicks off
The Austin Code Department has started its annual tradition of stepped-up monitoring and enforcement of regulations covering short-term rental businesses, the official policy name for homeowners who rent out extra rooms to tourists visiting for the South by Southwest festival. The lucrative practice, which is aided by websites such as Airbnb and the Austin-based HomeAway, […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ethics Review Commission weighs campaign finance proposal
Members of the city’s Ethics Review Commission are considering a number of potential changes to Austin’s campaign finance rules in the wake of a federal court ruling that blocked enforcement of certain restrictions on candidate fundraising. In a ruling last year prompted by a lawsuit by former City Council Member Don Zimmerman, U.S. District Judge […]
Posted inAustin
Adler speech calls for optimism, hard work ahead
Mayor Steve Adler warned the crowd at the Real Estate Council of Austin luncheon Thursday that the CodeNEXT maps showing all the new zoning classifications for the entire city to be released on April 18 will be “wrong,” but the solution is for everyone to take a deep breath and get to work. It’s not […]
Posted inThe Code
Commission asks Council to delay CodeNEXT mapping
In an act of defiance to the momentum of the CodeNEXT juggernaut, the Zoning and Platting Commission passed a resolution at the closing of its March 7 meeting calling on City Council to direct Planning and Zoning Department staff and consultants to delay the April 18 release of the CodeNEXT mapping until a “cohesive and unified […]
Posted inAustin
Parks conservancies making their case for hotel tax dollars
Local parks advocates are stepping up their efforts to direct revenue from the city’s fast-growing Hotel Occupancy Tax toward the long-term capital needs of parks and recreation facilities throughout Austin. Projects such as a master plan for Barton Springs as well as ambitious renovations of the spring’s historic bath house and the Beverly S. Sheffield […]
Posted inCity Hall
Council debates process for hiring city manager
The firm hired to find Austin’s next city manager said it hopes to get the job done by this summer. At a Feb. 28 City Council work session, Steve Newton of Russell Reynolds Associates Inc. said the firm would take about six weeks to search for candidates and allow 10 weeks for interviews to take […]
Posted inPremium Types
TickTock: Austin City Council meeting 3.2.2017
TickTock is the sortable transcript of @austinmonitor Tweets from the most recent Austin City Council meeting. ITEMS 25 32 34 38 40 61 70 77 78 TickTock for Friday, March 3, 2017 Participants: austinmonitor 178 cubbie9000 2 TopherJNeely 1 breathesgelatin 1 muelleratx 1 DanKeshet 1 hoffberger 1 brennangriffin 1 Thursday, March 02, 2017 9AM City’s […]
Posted inCity Council
Plaza Saltillo survives near derailment
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Plaza Saltillo development survived a harrowing journey at City Council on Thursday night, but just barely. Council eventually voted early Friday morning to approve the zoning request sought by the developer, Endeavor Real Estate Group, after a protracted discussion that featured two impassioned and opposing monologues from Council members Ora […]
Posted inCity Council
Council OKs rules for expedited permitting
Working with advocates for developers and construction workers, City Council Member Greg Casar carefully negotiated the details of an ordinance requiring developers of large commercial projects to pay a living wage and follow other rules set forth in the Better Builder Program in order to qualify for expedited permitting. The ordinance applies to commercial projects […]
Posted inCity Hall
Hensley appointed interim assistant city manager
Interim City Manager Elaine Hart has named Parks and Recreation Department Director Sara Hensley interim assistant city manager upon the retirement of Sue Edwards on March 17. Hart announced Hensley’s promotion, as well as rearrangement of some staffing assignments, in a memo to the mayor and City Council. “As Interim City Manager, I reconfirm that […]