City Council will meet today for the last time before its summer break. Because the next meeting isn’t until July 18, one might expect the agenda to be overstuffed, but it’s really not that bad. As usual, we’ve done our optimistic best to guess at what might be most interesting. As we reported earlier this […]
City Hall
Posted inCity Council
As federal funds decrease, Council to consider future funding for homelessness
With the city nearly exhausted of the federal money dedicated to providing housing for people who are homeless, City Council will likely direct staff to adjust and improve processes, in coordination with Travis County, for short-term assistance and long-term housing and services. A recent joint meeting of the Public Health and Housing & Planning committees […]
Posted inCity Charter
Charter changes might include city attorney appointment
This November, Austin voters will have plenty to ponder as they look at the city’s portion of the ballot. Every Austin voter will have a chance to vote on mayoral candidates, and voters in Districts 2, 4, 6, 7 and 10 will be choosing a City Council member to represent them for the next four […]
Posted inCity Hall
Transportation official’s movie rental with city credit card was fraud, audit finds
Acting on a request they received last August, members of the Office of the City Auditor’s investigative team uncovered a trail of fraudulent behavior by Transportation and Public Works Department superintendent Michael Collier. In an audit report released last week, they said Collier falsified records related to his use of a city credit card. As […]
Posted inAustin
Wheatsville to close Guadalupe Street store that opened in 1981
Wheatsville Food Co-op – a local, member-owned natural food store operating in Austin since 1976 – plans to close its location on Guadalupe Street and focus on building smaller stores. In a special edition of Wheatsville’s newsletter, General Manager Bill Bickford acknowledged the store was facing financial struggles but said Austin’s voter-approved plan to build light […]
Posted inCity Hall
Audit points out deficiencies in city’s criminal background checks
Although the city has improved its processes for conducting criminal background checks on prospective employees being considered for sensitive positions, a report from the city auditor’s office shows some gaps in the Human Resources Department’s process that could result in “legal, financial, and reputational risk for the City.” That’s one of the conclusions from an […]
Posted inAustin
Vacant downtown storefronts eyed for arts, music activations to reverse downturn
Seeking to bring more foot traffic to an area with an increasing number of vacant storefronts, the Downtown Austin Alliance is working to partner local artists and musicians with property owners interested in exposing their spaces to new potential businesses. So far, two spaces have been named as participants in the Downtown Austin Space Activation […]
Posted inCity Council
Pro and con: HOME 2 brings out the speakers
The May 16 City Council meeting promised to be a long one, with four controversial changes to the city’s development rules and one much less controversial but important proposal creating rules for placement of electric vehicle charging stations. Many of those who signed up in support or opposition of the various aspects of HOME 2 […]
Posted inAustin
As downtown sees slowing of development, new programs aim to promote activity
In delivering its annual State of Downtown report that showed some slowdown in development efforts in the central business district, the Downtown Austin Alliance announced two new efforts intended to improve quality of life and bring more activity throughout the downtown area. The announcements were part of the group’s Future of Downtown event held Wednesday, […]
Posted inCity Hall
Animal Advisory commissioners examine threats of ‘euthanizing for space’ at city shelter
At their most recent meeting, members of the Animal Advisory Commission questioned whether the city’s new strategy for finding homes for difficult-to-place dogs is working as intended. The shelter’s urgent placement list, which was introduced in March, is designed to highlight the most at-risk residents at the shelter in hopes of placing them in homes. […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Red River music venues push Council on funding expected from February resolution
Leaders of the Red River Cultural District are pushing City Council members and staff to carry out a February resolution that was intended to secure annual funding to help planning and marketing efforts for the downtown cluster of live music venues. Earlier this week, the RRCD put out a call to its stakeholders and the […]
Posted inAustin
EDC seeks financial consultants to kickstart deal-making using city assets
With the Austin Economic Development Corporation still lacking control over substantial revenue-producing city assets, the organization has issued a request for proposals for consultants to advise on how to start putting its bonding authority and other financial tools to use. The RFP, which was issued May 1 and has a May 31 deadline for responses, […]