The early morning lines at Austin’s airport are gaining notoriety even among NPR game show hosts. “I fly a lot, and I often take early flights. I have never anywhere been in an airport that crowded that early in the morning,” Peter Sagal, host of the weekly news quiz Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!, said after […]
City Hall
Posted inCity Council
Ethics commission dismisses complaint over Adler’s real estate disclosures
The city’s Ethics Review Commission has voted to dismiss a complaint against Mayor Steve Adler related to information disclosed on personal financial forms about his real estate holdings in recent years. The complaint, brought by former real estate broker Loree Misch, centered on forms completed between 2018 and 2020 by Adler and his wife Diane […]
Posted inAustin
St. Edward’s students lead effort to tackle food accessibility in Austin
Students at St. Edward’s University’s Civics Lab are seeking to bring a class project to fruition this year, even if the work extends far beyond the classroom. Following a year of policy development and advocacy led by political science professor Dr. David Thomason, student Benjamin Alford addressed the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors […]
Posted inCity Hall
City joins effort to end hair-based discrimination
The city of Austin and its Office of Civil Rights are initiating a discussion about how to prevent race-based hair discrimination, which is most commonly experienced by women of color. The CROWN Act, which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, is a piece of legislation that prohibits discrimination based on […]
Posted inCity Council
Council halts move of downtown court, seeking study of future needs
City Council has changed course on its plans to relocate the Downtown Austin Community Court to a historic municipal building on West Eighth Street, directing city staff to conduct an analysis of the court’s future needs with the possibility of keeping its existing space in One Texas Center. At last week’s meeting, three items on […]
Posted inAustin
Abandoned rental cars and TSA lines out the door. What’s going on at Austin’s airport?
When Carmen Ortiz arrived at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) on Monday morning, two hours before departure as recommended, the line to get through security stretched down the Barbara Jordan terminal, outside the building and back down the entire length of the terminal. “I’ve never had to wait in a security line outside the airport,” Ortiz […]
Posted inAustin
Business leaders see continued growth with airport’s expansion plans
Even with expansion plans somewhat scaled back because of the financial impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, local business leaders see the continued growth of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport as vital to the region’s long-term economic prospects. At a recent panel held by Urban Land Institute Austin, airport executives laid out the revised scope and schedule of […]
Posted inCity Hall
Council cautiously supports city’s look into blockchain, crypto
City Council members want city staff to move very deliberately if a pair of resolutions are passed today that encourage exploration into the use of blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies in the coming years. At Tuesday’s work session, discussion on the resolutions put forth by Mayor Steve Adler and Council Member Mackenzie Kelly focused on how […]
Posted inCity Council
TipSheet: Austin City Council, 3.24.22
Having regrouped from a quick spring break that included the return of South by Southwest, Austin City Council will convene today for its regular meeting. As usual, a number of items struck our fancy, and they are duly noted on this TipSheet. However, completist readers will find the entire agenda posted online and ready to […]
Posted inAustin
Animal center struggles to quell public concern over out-of-state transfers
Animal Advisory commissioners continue to question the shelter’s transfer of animals to partner shelters, but thus far are still waiting for answers. The conversation began last month, when commissioners issued a resolution to more closely monitor out-of-county and out-of-state transport of animals in a 7-2 vote, with commissioners Jo Anne Norton and Lotta Smagula against. […]
Posted inAustin
Downtown court relocation plans draw mounting criticism
Resistance appears to be growing to a slate of resolutions on the agenda for Thursday’s City Council meeting that would lead to the permanent relocation of the Downtown Austin Community Court to a circa-1800s municipal building on West Eighth Street. The resolutions would follow action taken in February on the proposed move, allocating $27 million […]
Posted inCity Hall
Civil rights office could take over enforcement of city’s ADA regulations
The city may fold enforcement of all concerns related to the Americans with Disabilities Act into the Office of Civil Rights, a change that would take those responsibilities away from human resources staff. A resolution was passed unanimously at this month’s meeting of the Mayor’s Committee for People With Disabilities that asks for the reorganization. Commissioner Robin […]