Leaders at the Austin Convention Center have set their sights on building a new hotel or a multifamily residential project as part of the forthcoming reconstruction of the downtown site. The timeline for the solicitation of developers was among the details shared during Tuesday’s City Council work session, with convention center representatives sharing their 40-year […]
City Hall
Posted inCity Hall
Possible Austin city manager candidate causes ‘s—show,’ but also sheds light on recruiting process
Austin’s been without a permanent city manager since Spencer Cronk was fired a year ago. The search for his replacement began in earnest this year, and it took a pretty messy turn when a possible candidate for the position called Austin a “- – – -show.” In a leaked recording of a Zoom call, Jeff Mihelich, the city […]
Posted inCity Council
Public Health Committee weighs Marshalling Yard complaints, McKinsey homelessness study
Members of Vocal-TX, a grassroots organization that represents low-income people directly impacted by homelessness, and other Austin residents raised concerns about City Council’s handling of homelessness at the Public Health Committee meeting on Wednesday. Their concerns centered on Marshalling Yard, the city’s new temporary emergency homeless shelter, and a recently approved $2 million contract with […]
Posted inCity Hall
Charter Review Commission suggests more transparency in petition process
The city’s Charter Review Commission continues to take a close look at the petition process in Austin in anticipation of putting changes on this November’s ballot. At the most recent meeting, commissioners discussed a new “letter of intent” that aims to add transparency to a process that is somewhat shrouded in secrecy until signatures are […]
Posted inAustin
Travis County turns down partnership with Austin to address homelessness
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court rejected a proposal to form an interlocal agreement with the city of Austin. The agreement would have put $400,000 toward a $2 million strategic analysis of local efforts to address homelessness. Commissioners chiefly objected to the city’s employment of consulting powerhouse McKinsey & Company as the project’s third-party […]
Posted inCity Council
City Council updates code to address animal shelter overcrowding, safety
City Council voted on consent at its meeting on Thursday to amend the city code regarding animal services, heeding recommendations from a recent audit that found the Austin Animal Center in far East Austin was struggling to maintain quality of animal care because of overcrowding and other issues. The code changes include: Replacing the current […]
Posted inCity Council
TipSheet: Austin City Council, 2.1.24
City Council will meet today for its regular meeting. As usual, there are a few agenda items that we are keeping our eye on, which are detailed in this TipSheet. The entire agenda (also as usual) is available online here, for those who want to decide what’s interesting for themselves. After a few years of […]
Posted inCity Hall
Despite micromanaging concerns, the city’s telework policy advances
After a debate on how granular the policy should be, the Planning Commission has given its blessing to a series of amendments that will help shape the city’s telework policy. The amendments were initiated by the Planning Commission last year as a change to Austin’s Strategic Mobility Plan. During the height of the pandemic, the […]
Posted inCity Hall
Funding gaps and future needs eyed in analysis of bond spending
Members of City Council have started to show some of their priorities for the city’s next bond package that would address needs for parkland and cultural centers, among other city departmental resources. Another concern expressed at last week’s Audit and Finance Committee meeting was the likelihood that the city will need to assess where it […]
Posted inCity Hall
Proposed changes to the city’s ethics commission falter
A proposal to reenvision the city’s ethics commission as an independent entity appears to be on ice at the Charter Review Commission after a motion to form a working group to look into the issue failed without any support. Commissioner Betsy Greenberg, who made the motion to form an ethics commission working group, presented her […]
Posted inCity Hall
Fleet Services moves forward with fuel efficiency, reducing emissions
Although mileage put on city vehicles has continued to grow over the last five years, Austin has been able to reduce the amount of fuel used during that same time period, according to a report Wednesday to the City Council Audit and Finance Committee. Fleet Mobility Services Assistant Director Rick Harland explained a variety of […]
Posted inCity Charter
Charter Review Commission continues to wrestle with petition process
As the Charter Review Commission works to prepare its recommendations to City Council, a discussion at the most recent meeting showed that its members are still struggling with what changes they will recommend for the city’s petition process. Currently, any citizen or group can get their suggested policy change on the ballot by collecting 20,000 […]