An updated audit has found the city has yet to implement most of the recommendations made five years ago related to improving workforce development programs within the Economic Development Department and Austin Public Health. The 2022 audit, which was discussed at Wednesday’s meeting of City Council’s Audit and Finance Committee, found that only two of […]
City Hall
Posted inAustin
HEAL Initiative for the unhoused turns one year old
About a year has passed since Austin City Council adopted the HEAL Initiative, which is designed to connect houseless people living in encampments to housing or shelter and supportive services. The Housing-Focused Encampment Assistance Link, or HEAL as it is known, is now well underway and the city has begun to collect preliminary data on the program. […]
Posted inCity Council
Austin joins growing list of cities eliminating library late fines
An ordinance eliminating late fees at the Austin Public Library has received unanimous approval from City Council, making Austin the latest of nearly 400 cities across the country to adopt such a policy. The ordinance, sponsored by Council Member Kathie Tovo, follows a recommendation issued last month by the city’s Library Commission, following a 2019 resolution […]
Posted inCity Council
Downtown court location decision postponed again
Responding to pleas from downtown residents and business owners, City Council has once again put off a decision about the new location of a court that primarily serves Austin’s homeless community. City staffers have recommended that the Downtown Austin Community Court be moved from its current temporary location at One Texas Center to 124 E. […]
Posted inTipSheets
TipSheet: City Council, 2.17.22
Austin City Council will once again convene for its regular meeting at 10 a.m. Of note today is the fact that this is Council Member Chito Vela’s first official meeting as the representative of District 4. Everything else of note that we have prognosticated is detailed below. For a more thorough read of the agenda, […]
Posted inAustin
Convention center’s closure for expansion could trigger bond default
The city may not move forward with the next steps in the Austin Convention Center expansion until an agreement is reached with current holders to rework some terms of roughly $163 million in hotel bonds. A memo discussed at Monday’s meeting of the Tourism Commission outlines why the request for qualifications for vendors on the […]
Posted inAustin
Animal Advisory Commission debates citywide microchip mandate
Members of Austin’s Animal Advisory Commission butted heads this past Monday over a proposal that would mandate the use of microchips for all pet owners in the city. Following a study by volunteer researchers at UT Austin, the commission’s microchip working group encouraged recommending the mandate to City Council. The ensuing debate suggested that the […]
Posted inThe Code
Tree division seeks to make enviro manual more user-friendly
The Environmental Criteria Manual, a book of rules used to help implement the city’s Land Development Code, hasn’t had a significant update in the past decade. But best practices for urban forestry have changed since then, and the manual is overdue to reflect those changes. The Community Tree Preservation Division of the Development Services Department […]
Posted inCity Hall
City anticipates legal challenges to race-based grants, including Live Music Fund
The city may need to roll back or adjust race-based considerations in some of its grant programs over concerns that the U.S. Supreme Court and lower federal courts may in the coming months rule against the use of such criteria. One of the city programs most under threat from that possibility is the long-planned and […]
Posted inCity Hall
Director of Austin Water resigns after three-day boil-water notice caused by ’employee error’
Lee esta historia en español. The head of Austin’s public water utility has resigned after an employee mistake at a water treatment facility resulted in residents having to boil their water for three days to ensure it was safe to drink. In a letter sent Friday to City Manager Spencer Cronk, Greg Meszaros said after […]
Posted inCity Hall
Alter wants outside audit to address boil-water incidents
Mayor Pro Tem Alison Alter wants outside experts to conduct an audit of Austin Water to find out what operational issues and internal processes may have contributed to the city experiencing three boil-water incidents since 2018. On Monday, Alter posted to the City Council Message Board and sent out a newsletter to her district calling […]
Posted inAustin
Austin’s legal bill to oust operator of airport’s South Terminal approaches $1 million
The cost of Austin’s legal fight to reclaim and demolish the airport’s South Terminal — where people catch Allegiant and Frontier flights — just grew to $847,000. The Austin City Council today approved paying corporate law firm Winstead PC another $600,000 on top of $247,000 it already committed. Lonestar Airport Holdings signed a lease in 2016 to run the South Terminal […]