After two years in office, City Council Member Ann Kitchen, who represents District 5’s long stretch of South Austin, is happy with what she has accomplished for her district and the city but says that Council could stand to improve the way it operates in a few key ways. Kitchen is the only member of […]
City Hall
Posted inCity Council
Casar cites work on labor issues for 2016
Greg Casar was re-elected to his District 4 City Council seat in November with only token, underfunded opposition – and that fact did not even make it onto the list of highlights he shared with the Austin Monitor. From his post at the Workers Defense Project, Casar was first elected in 2014 as a champion […]
Posted inCity Council
Renteria’s issues: affordability, protecting tenants
For District 3 City Council Member Pio Renteria, Council’s big accomplishments, and his own, revolve around housing affordability in 2016. That includes passage of a tenant relocation ordinance with provisions to protect mobile home park residents and funding of affordable housing through a homestead preservation district. In 2015, when Council started working on an ordinance […]
Posted inCity Council
Houston eyes community engagement in 2017
Before taking a look back over the past year, City Council Member Ora Houston wanted to make one thing crystal clear. “I consider myself a public servant, not a politician,” she said. “So I don’t talk like, I don’t do like, I don’t think like the expectations of a politician.” Houston starts the conversation where […]
Posted inCity Council
Housing, public health priorities for Garza in new year
City Council Member Delia Garza describes Council’s past year as “productive.” Specifically, Garza is pleased to report that she has begun to tackle some of her priority issues in earnest (all while handily winning re-election to the District 2 seat with more than 65 percent of the vote). “I think, overall, it was a good […]
Posted inAustin
Animal Services to take community-centered approach to lost pets
In some parts of Austin, runaway pets are likely to stay lost. That’s what an analysis by the city’s Animal Services Department has found. While roughly one animal for every 100 residents gets brought into a shelter citywide, three ZIP codes in East Austin – 78702, 78724 and 78617 – have intake rates two and […]
Posted inPremium Types
TickTock: Austin City Council, 12.15.16
ITEMS 6 10 46 59 60 64 66 67 71 72 73 74 76 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 TickTock for Monday, Dec. 19, 2016 Participants: MKanin 235 DanKeshet 3 nanieneavel 1 slyarak 1 SomewhereinATX 1 cynth 1 Pschmandt 1 mpusto 1 Thursday, December 15, 2016 9AM Checking […]
Posted inCity Council
Council reopens path to chauffeur’s permit for many criminal offenders
City Council took action on Thursday that could help put some disqualified taxi and transportation network company drivers back on Austin roads. The amendment to the city code tweaked an existing ordinance that Council passed in June that restricted many current and potential drivers with criminal records from qualifying for a chauffeur’s permit. Under the […]
Posted inCity Council
Council votes to fund immigration legal fees
Half a dozen posters depicting that British hit band the Beatles color the walls of Justin Estep’s office on Rutherford Lane in North Austin. It brings some levity to an otherwise tense space. “Anxiety … and just basic fear,” said Estep, describing the emotions of many of his clients in the wake of Donald Trump’s […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: City Council, 12.15.16
Hey, remember last year’s last meeting of the year? The one with the TNCs? This meeting might be a little like that, but sub “The Grove” for “Uber/Lyft.” 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 […]
Posted inPremium Types
TickTock: Austin City Council meeting 12.8.16
ITEMS 2 8 9 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 39 40 41 42 43 44 46 47 48 49 TickTock for Monday, December 12, 2016 Participants: MKanin 115 DanKeshet 1 cubbie9000 1 Thursday, December 08, 2016 9AM Checking in […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Austin Monitor Radio: CodeNEXT update
CodeNEXT Citizens Advisory Group Chair Jim Duncan and Vice Chair Dave Sullivan join Austin Monitor publisher Mike Kanin to chat about the rewrite of Austin’s Land Development Code. Sponsored by Austin Water. Post is embedded below. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/297387360″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]