With three houses in their neighborhood slated for removal to make way for new construction, residents in Oakmont Heights are concerned. At their most recent meeting, Historic Landmark Commissioners voted 4-0 to postpone the release of the demolition permit for both 1819 and 1823 West 39th St. in order to allow the developers to discuss […]
City Hall
Posted inAustin, Budget, City Council, Local Politics
Audit calls Public Library’s equity into question
Despite not having a formal definition of “equity” available to the public, the Austin Public Library insists that it uses equity as a guiding principle in all decisions. The city’s public library system challenged a report presented last week at City Council’s Audit and Finance Committee meeting claiming that its performance-measure data, particularly in the […]
Posted inPremium Types
Tip Sheet: Austin City Council 11-4 & 11-6
The Austin City Council meets in a work session Tuesday and for its regular meeting Thursday. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda here. The City Clerk’s office hosts a copy at its website, here. We’ve posted these in chronological order. Where applicable, however, we’ve paired items that appear […]
Posted inPremium Types
Tip Sheet: Travis County Commissioners 11-4
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: 1. RECEIVE UPDATE ON VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC FEVER (EBOLA) AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION. (Backup) Monitor’s […]
Posted inAustin, Bonds & Propositions, City Council, Development, Local Politics, Resources, Water
Reporters Notebook: Rail bonds & fluoridated water
Discovering the flip side of Laura Pressley … Two separate local media outlets started digging deeper into District 4 City Council candidate Laura Pressley’s recent political past Thursday. The Chronicle struck first with a piece from Monitor political editor Jo Clifton that runs down a host of odd beliefs attributed to Pressley, including wide-ranging concerns […]
Posted inAustin, City Hall
Chief Animal Services Officer Smith to resign
The head of the City of Austin’s Animal Services is leaving to take a position in Kennebunk, Maine. Abigail Smith, who oversaw the majority of the city’s transition to no-kill status, will depart before the end of the year. Smith, who is from New England, told the Monitor that her new job affords her the […]
Posted inAustin, City Hall
Audit finds problems with performance measures
According to a recent audit, the city’s current performance measurement system could use some work. The audit, which covered the period of time between 2012 and August 2014, was conducted to determine whether the city’s current performance measure system provides “timely, accurate, and relevant information.” The Office of the City Auditor found some problems. The […]
Posted inAustin, City Council, City Hall
Policy could ban incentive recipients’ tax protests
On Monday, City Council Member Kathie Tovo told the Austin Monitor that she has asked city staff to prepare language for a policy that would have the effect of making recipients of City of Austin economic development incentives agree not to protest their property tax valuations for a period of time. The move comes on the […]
Posted inAustin, City Hall, Development, Planning
Bankruptcy scuttles Apple’s Arizona operations
PHOENIX — A multimillion-dollar deal put together last year for Apple to manufacture sapphire glass components in a suburban Phoenix factory has unraveled after Apple’s partner in the venture unexpectedly filed bankruptcy Oct. 6, according to court papers. Austin and Phoenix were in direct competition in September 2013 for the operation, which was projected to […]
Posted inPremium Types
Tip Sheet: Travis County Commissioners 10/28
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: 2. CONSIDER AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION ON ITEMS RELATED TO THE PROGRAM YEAR 2013 […]
Posted inPremium Types
Tip Sheet: Planning Commission 10/28
The City of Austin Planning Commissions meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday. In the interest of saving space, we will not publish the entire agenda here. It is available on the City’s website. Items of interest for Planning Commission include: 1. Plan Amendment: NPA-2014-0016.02 — Springdale Farm Location: 755 Springdale Road, Boggy Creek Watershed, Govalle/Johnston Terrace […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: Austin City Council 10/21 & 10/23
The Austin City Council meets in a work session Tuesday and for its regular meeting Thursday. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda here. The City Clerk’s office hosts a copy at its website, here. We’ve posted these in chronological order. Where applicable, however, we’ve paired items that appear […]