City Council will convene today for its last regular meeting in February. It also marks the first official Council meeting with interim City Manager Jesús Garza, who has taken back his seat following the near-unanimous firing of Spencer Cronk. A helpful programming note from Mayor Kirk Watson states that Council intends to hear public testimony […]
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Posted inAustin
Chamber partnership looks to strengthen connection to startup community
The Austin Chamber of Commerce has extended its reach to become directly involved with launching startups in the city, bringing the business incubator Founder Institute Austin into its offices downtown. The one-year pilot program allows the institute, which has chapters in 200 cities and 100 countries, to hold in-person courses in Austin for the first […]
Posted inCity Council
Notley/Monitor Poll: Austinites feel disconnected from Council on city priorities
As a new City Council continues to adjust to its roles and responsibilities, new data show a large portion of Austin residents feel disconnected from the priorities and concerns of their elected leaders. Those were some of the conclusions from a January/February poll of 429 voters commissioned by Notley and conducted by national pollster Change […]
Posted inAustin
Notley/Monitor Poll: The need for local leadership and deeper understanding
In the second installment of our Notley/Monitor poll series, commissioned by Notley and conducted by national pollster Change Research, Austinites clearly expressed the desire for stronger local leadership and show areas where they are divided and unsure of how to proceed. A majority of Austinites (53 percent) do not believe that City Council cares about […]
Posted inAustin
Notley/Monitor Poll: Digging into the data
In a poll commissioned by Notley for the Austin Monitor, Change Research surveyed 429 voters in Austin, Texas, from Jan. 28 to Feb. 1, 2023. Over the course of the past week, we’ve published a series of stories examining the data. Now it’s our readers’ turn. Read on for the complete results of our survey and more information […]
Posted inAustin
Notley/Monitor Poll: Austinites want reinstated camping bans on the homeless enforced
Austin residents feel the city isn’t doing enough to manage the effects of homelessness throughout the area, according to a January/February poll of 429 voters commissioned by Notley and conducted by national pollster Change Research for the Austin Monitor. Homelessness has remained as one of Austin’s most hot-button issues in recent years. The poll found that, […]
Posted inCity Council
Council fires City Manager Spencer Cronk in wake of winter storm response
Austin City Council members have fired City Manager Spencer Cronk, the city’s chief executive. The vote Wednesday followed criticism of his leadership during an ice storm that left hundreds of thousands without power earlier this month. “I ran (for mayor) saying I was going to shake things up at City Hall,” Mayor Kirk Watson, who […]
Posted inCity Council
Council members signal they could fire City Manager Spencer Cronk
Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk could be on his way out. City Council is slated to vote on the employment and a possible severance package for Cronk at its meeting on Feb. 15. Council initially planned the Wednesday meeting to discuss the city’s contract with the Austin police union, but over the weekend added two items to discuss Cronk’s […]
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Council OKs tree trimming audit in lieu of larger study
In response to complaints from the public about Austin Energy’s response to the extreme ice storm that knocked out electric power for at least 173,000 AE customers, City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly asked her colleagues Thursday to approve a resolution directing City Auditor Corrie Stokes to perform an extensive audit. Ultimately, the other members of […]
Posted inCity Council
Council to make zoning variances more accessible to low-income homeowners
City Council passed a resolution Thursday to make it easier for low-income Austinites to seek zoning variances from the Board of Adjustment. The proposed program would help low-income and other qualifying residents put together an application and pay application fees. Jessica Cohen, chair of the Board of Adjustment, said low-income homeowners rarely seek variances. “I […]
Posted inAustin
Austin opens centers for people impacted by the winter storm to get help
Lee esta historia en español. Austin residents recovering from last week’s winter storm can now access free resources and support at different locations across the city each day this week. At a news conference Wednesday, Austin Public Health Director Adrienne Sturrup said the whole community is feeling the effects of this disaster, but Black and […]
Posted inTipSheets
TipSheet: Austin City Council, 2.9.23
Does everyone remember how boring (but efficient!) Council’s last meeting was? Well, this one promises to be much more exciting. Unfortunately, a lot of that excitement is likely to be expressed behind closed doors during the emergency executive session called to discuss City Manager Spencer Cronk’s employment and future in Austin. (As a programming note, though, […]