By the looks of the new City Council committee assignments approved Thursday, the mayor and most Council members will continue serving in their same appointments – with a few changes. Incoming Council Member Chito Vela, who will be sworn in Monday, will serve on the Housing and Planning and Public Safety committees, succeeding outgoing Council […]
City Hall
Posted inCity Council
Council meeting will be delayed, may be canceled
If you’re planning to speak at today’s City Council meeting, don’t go to City Hall. That’s the word from Mayor Steve Adler, who announced on the City Council Message Board that today’s meeting will have a delayed start time of noon, and may be canceled entirely. Adler said he will confer with City Manager Spencer […]
Posted inTipSheets
TipSheet: City Council 2.3.22
Given the prediction of some pretty wild weather, today’s City Council meeting may be canceled. However, since that decision won’t be made until 10 a.m. (and since this TipSheet was already written), here are our predictions for today’s Council meeting, should it be held in a mostly remote manner. As usual, we’ve selected a few […]
Posted inAustin
Park renamed to honor civil rights legend Volma Overton Sr.
The 65 acres of northern waterfront at Town Lake Metro Park has a new name following a resolution honoring civil rights activist Volma Overton Sr. The park, formerly known as Lamar Beach, will now go by Volma Overton Sr. Shores. “Growing up in the Black community, Overton was a household name,” City Council Member Natasha […]
Posted inCity Council
Council moves to put a stop to wage theft
Austin is taking a step toward joining El Paso and Houston in punishing employers that engage in wage theft, with a resolution City Council approved unanimously on Thursday. A dozen people signed up to tell Council members to approve the resolution, which was sponsored by Council Member Ann Kitchen. The resolution directs City Manager Spencer […]
Posted inCity Council
Council appears ready to hit pause on downtown court relocation
City Council appears set to delay a decision on relocating the Downtown Austin Community Court to the former City Hall building on West Eighth Street. At Tuesday’s work session, Council Member Kathie Tovo said she planned to ask Council to delay action on three items related to the relocation for at least a week, with […]
Posted inTipSheets
TipSheet: City Council, 1.27.22
Today marks the first regular Council meeting of 2022, after an extended holiday break. Despite that, today’s agenda seems pretty manageable, though that may be the recharge of optimism from the extended break talking. As usual, this is just a rundown of the things your friendly neighborhood City Council obsessives find interesting, and the entire […]
Posted inAustin
Library Commission pushes for fine-free books
Austin librarygoers may be in luck: The Library Commission unanimously voted Monday to do away with late fees for overdue library books. While City Council still has to approve the resolution in order for fine-free libraries to become the new norm, the commission’s vote is a major step in a policy that has been a long […]
Posted inCity Hall
New job for Briseño as city announces promotions
City Manager Spencer Cronk has announced the appointment of Veronica Briseño as assistant city manager for the “Government That Works for All” strategic area, starting this week. Briseño has worked for the city for more than 20 years, including an early stint as an aide to Council Member Raul Alvarez. She began her employment with […]
Posted inCity Hall
Council expands virtual participation in city meetings
Due to the omicron variant disrupting in-person city meetings this month, City Council will allow boards and commissions to gather mostly virtually sooner than planned. Council is set to approve an ordinance today requiring that only one board or commission member be physically present, giving other members the option to participate via videoconference or in person. […]
Posted inCity Hall
Two EMS chief finalists introduce themselves to the public
Any day now, City Manager Spencer Cronk will announce his choice of two finalists to lead Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services. Interim Chief Jasper Brown and Robert Luckritz, chief operating officer of a multi-state organization in New England that handles EMS, medical transportation and public health, are the two candidates who rose to the top […]
Posted inCity Hall
Shorthanded shelter temporarily shuts down on Sundays
The Austin Animal Center, which provides shelter for more than 16,000 animals each year, announced this week that it will close its doors to the public on Sundays, beginning Jan. 23. Historically, the shelter has been open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily, a schedule it hopes to soon return to. But a staffing shortage has given the […]