While individuals and departments shone in their dedication to the city and its people during the cascade of calamities caused by Winter Storm Uri, City Manager Spencer Cronk still has a lot of questions to answer when he releases the much-anticipated after-action report. City Council gathered online Tuesday afternoon to hear from Cronk and leaders […]
City Hall
Posted inAustin
Downtown vacancies eyed for arts activations, tenants with new pilot program
Vacant storefronts in downtown Austin could become temporary homes for arts and creative organizations beginning this summer thanks to a pilot program under development by the Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation. The foundation is currently working on a lease agreement with the AMLI Residential real estate company to temporarily take over up to three vacant spaces […]
Posted inCity Council
Council commits to designated campsites, approves more funds for housing
City Council ramped up its fight against homelessness Thursday, passing a resolution to set up temporary designated campsites for people experiencing homelessness and authorizing new funds to homeless service providers for housing. The passage of Prop B, which reinstates bans on public camping and other behaviors linked to homelessness, along with the likelihood of a […]
Posted inCity Hall
In push to raise funds, History Center makes a bid for formal partnership with the city
The Library Commission has postponed the decision to officially recognize the need for an agreement between the Austin History Center Association and the city of Austin. According to the proposed agreement from the association, the group would have a seat at the table with the city when it comes to fundraising for the history center […]
Posted inPublic Health
With tenants still enduring mold damage caused by Uri, Council pushes for more landlord regulation
Though it has been several months since Winter Storm Uri damaged infrastructure and homes across the city, some apartment residents are still dealing with severe mold damage that landlords have failed to fix. Worse, when some tenants asked the city for help, their landlords deemed the homes unlivable and forced the residents to leave. “We’ve […]
Posted inBudget
PARD requests budget increase for security, staffing and program expansion
Last week, the Parks and Recreation Board unanimously voted to approve recommendations for budget increases for the 2021-22 fiscal year. According to the recommendation, Austin’s parks system has experienced an increase in off-leash dog violations, illegal parking, notifications of homeless encampments, alcohol in parks and “inappropriate behavior in greenbelts.” Because of these issues, along with […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: City Council, 5.6.21
Today, Austin City Council will hold its regular Thursday meeting. With 117 people signed up to speak on the agenda, the meeting won’t be quick, but it has the potential to be a reasonable length, if one views it through the optimism of spring. As usual, the entire agenda can be found online, but we’re […]
Posted inAustin
EDC eyes push to make more city properties available for music, arts uses
The city’s new economic development corporation will make a push this summer to identify city properties that could be repurposed into music venues or creative spaces, and has started to assemble the financial models for creating two arts spaces in the redevelopment of properties just south of the Congress Avenue Bridge. During a presentation at […]
Posted inAustin
Council committee delves into ACE finances
Jolsna Thomas, who serves as secretary/treasurer of the board of Austin Convention Enterprises, which oversees financial matters related to the downtown Hilton Hotel, asked members of the City Council Audit & Finance Committee Wednesday to work on getting City Council to appoint an additional two members to the board. With a full complement, the board […]
Posted inAustin
Austin Pets Alive! provides neonatal care for kittens in kitten season
It’s kitten season, the time of year when the population of kittens explodes in communities across the country. Kitten season begins in the spring and peaks during the summer, lasting until the fall months. During this period, thousands of kittens are born, putting pressure on municipal shelters and animal rescue groups to keep up with the flood […]
Posted inCity Hall
Convoluted audit tale shows conflicts of interest, but no harm
Two city employees violated city conflict-of-interest rules when one of them routed funds meant for the city through a nonprofit he set up. However, according to an audit conducted by the Office of the City Auditor, the funds were sent on to the city and neither the employees nor the nonprofit made money from the […]
Posted inAustin
Downtown leaders map out pandemic recovery amid construction boom
Downtown Austin leaders painted a mixed but promising picture of the city’s core on Wednesday, with large-scale construction projects accelerating and helping the area shake off the slowdown of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Downtown Austin Alliance presented its annual State of Downtown report as well as its post-pandemic Roadmap to Recovery at a virtual press […]