Welcome to another edition of the Austin Monitor’s TipSheet! As usual, this is a rough guide to some of the things that will be up at City Council today, with our best guesses at what will be most interesting. Those with trust issues are welcome to read through the entire agenda, or watch the whole thing on […]
City Hall
Posted inCity Council
Families could get $1,000 a month as part of Austin’s first guaranteed income program
Government aid programs often come with a laundry list of do-nots. For example, if you receive SNAP benefits, more commonly known as food stamps, you can’t use them to buy to-go food, soap, vitamins or medicine. So, what if the government stepped back? What if it offered people cash without stipulations? That’s the question Austin […]
Posted inCity Hall
Staff proposes continuing security guard contracts
City Council has been urging city staff since at least 2012 to hire more security guards as city employees, while city management and financial officers have pointed out the difficulties of doing so. Once again this week, Council will be considering contracts with five security guard companies. The item authorizes negotiation and execution of five […]
Posted inAustin
Minority chambers begin work on collective economic equity plan
The four minority chambers of commerce that have for years worked loosely together are moving forward with creating a five-year plan for how to ensure growth in Austin doesn’t bypass minority-owned small businesses. The Austin LGBT Chamber, Greater Austin Asian Chamber, Greater Austin Black Chamber, and Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce – which previously worked […]
Posted inAustin
Tight rental market increasing wait times for city efforts to house the homeless
The city’s tight rental market is causing some delays in efforts to find housing for people who have recently been removed from homeless encampments as part of a program launched last year targeting those gathering areas around the city. At last week’s meeting of City Council’s Public Health Committee, Homeless Strategy Officer Dianna Grey revealed that […]
Posted inAustin
Off-leash dog group urges public action
The working group tasked with tackling off-leash dog issues in the city of Austin has dissolved, although the issue is far from resolved. “We’re kind of at the end of the road of what we can do,” said Animal Advisory Commissioner Jo Anne Norton, who served on the working group and presented to the commission […]
Posted inCity Council
Council candidates start getting ready for November
Although campaign season has not really begun, candidates have filed paperwork to run for every City Council seat officially up for election in November, as well as those not scheduled to be on the ballot. Mayor Steve Adler will have served for eight years when his term expires at the end of December and he […]
Posted inCity Council
Council approves social services funding despite anticipating tightest budget in years
The pressures of anticipated budget constraints loomed large over City Council’s discussion of funding social services last Thursday. The conversation followed Council’s approval of Austin Public Health’s request for $6,727,158 across 17 15-month contracts with youth services providers, with four additional 12-month extension options totaling $5,577,331. Of particular concern was a direction put forth by […]
Posted inCity Council
Airport plan for jet fuel tank farm can go ahead after narrow Council vote
Austin City Council narrowly blocked an effort to stop a massive new fuel storage facility from being built at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The facility will store up to 6 million gallons of jet fuel a few hundred feet from homes. “Our hearts are heavy, because this isn’t the outcome that we wanted,” said City Council Member Vanessa […]
Posted inCity Council
Council starts process to charge park fees for office buildings
City Council unanimously approved a resolution Thursday directing city staff to bring back amendments to the city’s parkland dedication ordinance that would require new office, commercial and industrial developments to provide parkland or pay into the city’s parkland dedication fund. Currently, only new residential developments are required to pay such fees. Mayor Pro Tem Alison […]
Posted inTipSheets
TipSheet: Austin City Council, 4.7.22
It’s Thursday and another City Council meeting is upon us. Mayor Steve Adler, who has tested positive for Covid-19, is expected to join the meeting virtually. In a contrasting move back to “normal,” today marks the return of live music to City Hall, with an in-chambers performance by Nané at 5:30 p.m. Other than that, […]
Posted inAustin
Council facing challenge in solving jet fuel storage
While the number of passengers traveling through most of the nation’s airports is growing at roughly 4 percent a year, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport traffic is growing at 8 percent a year, AUS Director Jacqueline Yaft told City Council at Tuesday’s work session. Yaft urged Council to move ahead with the planned airport expansion, including the […]