City Council is anticipating a tight budget ahead and will have to balance funding for the Parks and Recreation Department as well as the Austin Animal Center, the Homeless Strategy Office and Human Resources. The Austin Animal Center is over capacity, with a shelter population of 123 percent of capacity for kittens and cats, 129 […]
City Hall
Posted inBudget
Audit committee wants to keep a close eye on upcoming bond packages
The City Council Audit and Finance Committee wants staff to deliver quarterly updates to all relevant City Council committees on all projects being considered for Austin’s next bond package – mainly related to climate change and the effects of severe weather. At Monday’s meeting, members of the committee said they would prefer a “parallel collaborative […]
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Staff lays out public safety budget choices for City Council
Looking ahead to a tough budget year, City Council will have to choose between spending on firefighters, emergency medical services, parks maintenance, homeless outreach and improving animal services, among others. Wednesday’s budget presentation did nothing to alleviate budget concerns, with some explanations only highlighting the city’s need to spend money to continue basic services and […]
Posted inCity Hall
Audit cites lack of progress on homelessness strategies issued five-plus years ago
A new report from the Office of the City Auditor has found the city is still working toward accomplishing five recommendations to address homelessness that were suggested at least five years ago. The report, which was issued earlier this month, is the latest follow-up on the results of four analyses from 2017 to 2019 that […]
Posted inBudget
Parks board recommends beefing up funding for city parks maintenance
With increasing challenges in maintaining grounds within Austin’s busy parks system, the Parks and Recreation Board voted Monday to recommend that City Council allocate an additional $2.62 million to the Parks and Recreation Department budget for the new fiscal year. Of that amount, the board requested that $2.24 million be allocated toward parks maintenance, including […]
Posted inAustin
Chamber group touts $1M small business loan program ahead of regional plan
Ahead of an in-progress comprehensive plan slated for completion later this year, Austin’s Diversity and Ethnic Chamber Alliance (DECA) has secured a commitment from two local banks to loan $1 million to member small businesses. The loans, which will be issued by Business & Community Lenders and Wells Fargo, are tied in part to the […]
Posted inCity Council
Council OKs 13 proposed charter amendments for November ballot
Voters will decide on 13 potential amendments to the city charter in November, with two of the most significant potential changes affecting the number of signatures needed to recall a City Council member, and requiring elections for citizen-led ballot initiatives and charter amendments to take place in large even-numbered election years. At Thursday’s meeting, Council […]
Posted inCity Hall
Officials update Animal Advisory Commission on strategic plan process
City officials updated the Animal Advisory Commission last week on the strategic plan for the Animal Services Office as the city works to improve the relationship between the Austin Animal Center and key stakeholders, including the commission. Assistant City Manager Stephanie Hayden-Howard said officials held a planning meeting on June 25 that was attended by […]
Posted inCity Council
Council votes to follow traditional process before calling a climate bond election
After one of the most robust deliberations City Council has had in recent history, a resolution on a comprehensive climate bond election moved forward Thursday, but without the immediacy that some Council members would have preferred. Nevertheless, those who favored holding a bond election this year – namely Council members Ryan Alter, Vanessa Fuentes and […]
Posted inCity Council
Council seeks information on creating a public bank
City Council on Thursday approved a resolution by Council Member Zo Qadri directing the city manager to research the question of the city of Austin starting a “public bank.” Unlike commercial banks, public banks are required to operate in the public interest. The cities of Philadelphia, San Francisco and Los Angeles have filed legislation requesting […]
Posted inAustin
Arts group blasts memo blocking city from purchasing historic church space
The nonprofit Austin Creative Alliance has pushed back against a memo from city staff that appears to have derailed an effort by City Council members to preserve a pair of East Austin properties that serve as the group’s headquarters and cultural space. For more than a year, ACA leaders had discussed with city staff and […]
Posted inAustin
Off-leash dogs are everywhere in Austin. What are the rules?
There are few things that bring dog owners more joy than watching their furry friend run toward them with tongue out and ears flapping. But, for nonlovers of dogs or other pet owners, this might not be as joyful. For some, it might even be scary. Austin is a pet-friendly city, and it’s common to […]