Council Member Pio Renteria has requested the resignation of his appointee to the Parks and Recreation Board, citing her lack of decorum during a tense discussion about the proposed Central Williamson Creek Greenway at the board’s May 25 meeting. The board member, Kate Mason-Murphy, responded with an accusatory email to Renteria, and copied her neighbors, […]
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TipSheet: City Council, 6.3.21
Though life appears to be getting back to normal in a post-pandemic Austin, City Council will continue to meet virtually for the time being (more on that soon). As usual, the meeting can be seen on ATXN or heard on 88.7 KAZI, and the entire agenda is online for your perusal. Today’s meeting promises to […]
Posted inCity Council
Council to increase homestead exemptions, tax rate ceiling
City Council plans to vote this week on three items affecting Austinites’ property taxes. Two measures would give homeowners modest property tax relief through increased homestead exemption rates. The third measure would effectively set a higher maximum property tax rate, allowing the city more flexibility as it decides what rate to set in August. All […]
Posted inAustin
Council to consider loan for Airport Hilton
When Austin’s airport lost 63 percent of its passengers last year due to Covid-19, the Airport Hilton lost 60 percent of its business. Now, Austin-Bergstrom Landhost Enterprises, or ABLE, the nonprofit corporation that operates the hotel, is asking for City Council approval to borrow up to $2.6 million from the city’s Aviation Department. The item […]
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City staff ask for more time, direction on Austin’s plan to set up homeless encampments
A preliminary plan to set up encampments on city-owned land in Austin has hit a snag. City Council directed city staffers to identify land for temporary camps last month after voters reinstated the ban on public encampments. The initial list was met with pushback, so staffers have asked to extend Thursday’s deadline to next month and begin setting up a temporary […]
Posted inAustin
Environmental Commission hears plans for Austin CCC
The Environmental Commission convened May 19 to discuss a variety of topics, among them an overview of the Austin Civilian Conservation Corps program. The Civilian Conservation Corps – or Triple C – was created by a City Council resolution that passed last year. Originally a Covid response program, Austin CCC was created to help Austinites […]
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Joint Sustainability Committee looks at trends during flooding and extreme heat
On Wednesday, researchers Patrick Bixler, Diana Joyce Ojeda and Jessica Jones presented an update on sustainability indicators – particularly the effects of flooding and extreme heat in the Austin area – to the Joint Sustainability Committee. The research focuses on the differences in how people experience extremes of weather depending on their ethnicity, their income […]
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Austin’s music and arts community to receive windfall from American Rescue Plan
The American Rescue Plan spells huge relief for Austin’s music and arts scene. In a resolution passed last Thursday, City Council proposed spending $25 million over a two-year period to revive the city’s creative industry, mostly using money from Austin’s $188.4 million cut of the $1.9 trillion stimulus package. While Austin’s creative sector has received some […]
Posted inCity Council
Council members worry water conservation efforts could make development more expensive
City Council advanced several initiatives at last Thursday’s meeting to make the city’s water supply more sustainable and resistant to drought. Some Council members, however, worried that new policies could increase development costs, thereby exacerbating the city’s affordability crisis. “I’m proud that as a city we led the way when it comes to environmental sustainability […]
Posted inCity Council
Black leaders say Austin’s list of proposed sites for homeless camps is inequitable
Black leaders in Austin called the city’s list of proposed sites for public encampments inequitable and criticized staffers for placing most of the locations east of Interstate 35. The group on Monday called for a revision of the plan, which is less than a week old, at a news conference hosted by the Black Leaders […]
Posted inBudget
Council to request maximum tax rate calculation
At next week’s meeting, City Council is expected to approve a resolution directing Chief Financial Officer Ed Van Eenoo to calculate the property tax rate for next year with an increase of 8 percent above the city’s current maintenance and operations rate. Van Eenoo told the Austin Monitor he is required to make the calculation […]
Posted inAustin
Austin’s homeless population remained steady during pandemic, survey shows
Austin’s homeless population has remained steady since last year, according to the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition’s annual count. All told, this year’s count found 3,160 people were experiencing homelessness in Austin, ECHO says. The agency says 2,238 people were unsheltered, while 922 people were in traditional shelters or staying in the hotel properties acquired by […]