Plans to convert downtown’s Seventh, Eighth, Brazos and Colorado streets from one-way to two-way streets are underway. On Monday, City Council’s Comprehensive Planning and Transportation Committee heard a presentation on a timeline for the change from acting Transportation Department Assistant Director Jim Dale. “A lot of cities have gone through this process, of being two-way […]
City Hall
Posted inAustin, Elections, Local Politics, Transportation
Under scrutiny, District 4 candidates debate
On first day of early voting, the two remaining candidates in District 4 sat down to debate. Even though both focused on their plans for keeping North Austin affordable, their differences were apparent. Greg Casar, 25, a community organizer, led the election on Nov. 4 with 39 percent of the vote. His opponent, Laura Pressley, […]
Posted inAustin, City Hall, Local Politics
Boards & commissions transition marches onward
Before it hands over the keys to City Hall, City Council has a few loose ends to tie up. One of the heftier items left to draft concerns how the city’s boards and commissions will handle the shift from the seven-member to the 11-member Council. Early last month, Council members worked out most of the […]
Posted inAustin, Elections, Local Politics
Two-page ad attacks political consultant Butts
A two-page color ad in Sunday’s Austin American-Statesman, headlined “Invisible man controls the Austin City Council,” attacks political consultant David Butts and calls on voters to reject some candidates Butts supports in the Dec. 16 runoff election. The ad says, “Did you ever wonder why, no matter how much we vote for change in the […]
Posted inAustin, Development
Oak Hill residents stay late to warn against project
Though both sides recognized the threat of floods in the area, an Oak Hill project that some worry could make floods worse got an initial approval from City Council at its last meeting. Developers are seeking a zoning change from Limited and General Office Use to Multifamily and Mixed Use, and to change the Future […]
Posted inPremium Types
Tip Sheet: Travis County Commissioners 12-2
The Travis County Commissioners Court meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda here. The County Clerk’s office hosts a copy at its website. Items of interest for Commissioners Court include: 3. RECEIVE PUBLIC COMMENTS REGARDING THE PROGRAM YEAR 2013 CONSOLIDATED ANNUAL PERFORMANCE EVALUATION REPORT […]
Posted inCity Hall, Music & Entertainment, Public Safety
City puts kibosh on new downtown special events
Downtown Austin’s two favorite activities — construction and special events — may have finally pushed each other too far. Tuesday, city staff issued a memo that declared a moratorium on new downtown street events, effective immediately, due to the large number of construction projects taking place in the city. As explained in the memo, the […]
Posted inCity Council, City Hall, Parks
Audit finds trouble at city cemeteries
A report by the city auditor’s staff found that the Parks and Recreation Department’s Cemetery Operations Group has demonstrated a “general lack of oversight” in managing certain aspects of the city’s municipal cemeteries. Among other issues, the October audit revealed five instances between April 2013 and June 2014 in which Cemetery Operations Group staff sold […]
Posted inCity Council, Development
Token hearing held for controversial Marshall PUD
City Council members and neighbors both had concerns about a proposed Planned Unit Development in Southwest Austin last week, despite the fact that neither group actually has a say in what will happen with the development. As part of the PUD ordinance, city staff presents a development assessment to the Council for all proposed PUDs. […]
Posted inCity Hall, Development
Scheduling delays affordable housing approval
An affordable housing project in North Austin will have to wait a little longer for official city approval. Though the Austin Housing Finance Corporation board of directors seemed poised to approve the project last Thursday, a procedural absurdity held up that approval for another month. At the most recent City Council meeting, Council Member Laura […]
Posted inCity Council, Local Politics, Public Health
Council approves 2016 social services contracts
The Austin City Council approved the next round of the city’s social services contracts Thursday, apportioning far less money than most agencies said they needed to serve their clients. For Fiscal Year 2016, the city received requests for more than $30 million but was only able to fund about $16 million. The process for determining […]
Posted inPremium Types
Tip Sheet: Travis County Commissioners 11-25
The Travis County Commissioners Court meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda here. The County Clerk’s office hosts a copy at its website. Items of interest for Commissioners Court include: 4. APPROVE MODIFICATION NO. 12 TO CONTRACT NO. 4400000375, (HTE CONTRACT NO. IL070171RE), AUSTIN […]