Austin’s Homeless Strategy Office is proposing a funding package totaling just under $101 million for homelessness response efforts in the city’s next budget, with about one-third allocated toward maintaining existing programs, one-third for new city investments, and one-third for initiatives expected to be funded by partner organizations. The spending plan laid out in a presentation […]
City Hall
Posted inBudget
City leaders have renewed hope for federal funds for local projects in the 2026 congressional budget
An array of local projects that lost millions of dollars in federal funding in March may secure a second chance in the next congressional budget cycle. That’s the word from the city’s intergovernmental relations office, which notified the mayor and City Council last week that the same funding requests, along with several new ones, will […]
Posted inCity Hall
Austin Energy General Manager Bob Kahn retiring
Bob Kahn, who has served as general manager of Austin Energy for nearly two years, is officially retiring at the end of June, but he will be leaving his post on April 30. City Manager T.C. Broadnax has announced that Stuart Reilly will serve as Interim General Manager beginning on May 1. Reilly, whose current […]
Posted inTipSheets
TipSheet: Austin City Council 4.24.25
The Austin City Council will convene today for their regular Thursday meeting. We’ll be watching and, after reading over the full agenda, here are a few things that we’ll be watching closely. The Council will consider its second artificial intelligence resolution in recent memory with an agenda item from the office of Mayor Pro Tem […]
Posted inCity Council
Council looks to expand AI policies, examine energy and water needs for data centers
Later this week, City Council will consider a substantial expansion of the city’s artificial intelligence oversight, incorporating detailed guidance on workforce protections, public transparency, and the environmental impacts of growing AI infrastructure. The resolution on Thursday’s agenda builds on a policy passed in February 2024, but goes further by requiring audits, defining acceptable AI uses, […]
Posted inCity Hall
Animal Center gets interim leaders to help with five-year improvement plan
The city is moving forward with new leadership at Austin Animal Center, following a memo from city manager T.C. Broadnax announcing the appointment of an interim leadership team. As of last week, Rolando Fernandez took over as interim chief animal services officer, bringing nearly two decades of city government experience to the role. Melissa Pool […]
Posted inAustin
Downtown Commission looks at partnerships, philanthropy to address homelessness
The city is establishing new partnerships with homelessness relief organizations and could announce new philanthropic partners later this month, while continuing to improve programs already in place to address the needs of the area’s growing homeless population. The most recent meeting of the Downtown Commission featured a presentation from the Homeless Strategy Office that highlighted […]
Posted inAustin
Fed spending cuts delay city’s workforce, infrastructure training plans
City staff are seeking additional time to develop a comprehensive plan for funding and implementing the city’s workforce development program, in part due to federal funding delays and broader budget uncertainties. A recent memo to City Council from the city’s Economic Development Department notes that efforts to secure federal funds for that purpose have been […]
Posted inCity Council
Austin requires all homes to have working air conditioning
Ahead of Austin’s scorching summer months, City Council members adopted a property maintenance code Thursday that requires all homes in the city to have functioning air conditioning. The new rule does not require property owners to have central air conditioning. But owners are required to have some form of air conditioning equipment, such as window units, […]
Posted inCity Council
Council OKs next steps in planning improvements to Sixth Street district
With early data suggesting the area’s safety can continue to improve, City Council approved a detailed resolution Thursday directing city staff to pursue a wide-ranging set of improvements and operational changes aimed at encouraging daytime activity in the Sixth Street Entertainment District. The resolution, approved in its fourth version as part of the consent agenda, […]
Posted inTipSheets
TipSheet: Austin City Council, 4.10.25
Today’s Austin City Council meeting looks to be a rather tame affair, but we’re staying tuned nonetheless. As usual, the entire agenda is posted online, but we’ve read through and made our best guesses at what might be worth a deeper dive. Today’s agenda is also host to a number of items that will allow […]
Posted inBudget
City facing a $33 million deficit for 2026
Given current conditions, the city’s budget analysts are projecting a $33 million shortfall in the city’s General Fund in Fiscal Year 2026, with that number increasing to $79.9 million by FY 2030. City Council heard the bad news from City Manager T.C. Broadnax and Budget Director Kerri Lang at Tuesday’s City Council work session. One […]