Motivated by the high demand for plumbers brought on by last month’s severe winter storms, local job training organizations have increased their push to enroll students in a variety of skilled trades programs, including electrical and heating/ventilation/air conditioning. Skilled plumbers were in short supply even before the storms caused widespread water line breaks, damaging homes and […]
City Hall
Posted inAustin
Presentation on city’s racist history explores why Black Austinites are leaving
A joint commission consisting of the bicycle and pedestrian advisory councils fielded a presentation Tuesday from the Equity Office on the history of racism in Austin. Topics ranged from redlining and gentrification to the schism between Austin’s stated values and contradicting realities. Kellee Coleman with the Equity Office drew attention to discrepancies between some of […]
Posted inAustin
Shelter logged record-setting number of animal distress calls during ‘snowmageddon’
The weeklong winter “snowmageddon” that stretched from February 16 to 21 also affected the city’s ability to respond to animal distress calls. Pounding sleet, icy roads and temperatures as low as 10 degrees in Austin made the roads dangerous for animal rescue trucks as well as staff traveling to and from the shelters. Austin 311 […]
Posted inCity Hall
Animal Advisory Commission recommends adopting ordinance to close bull hook loophole
The Animal Advisory Commission has made a unanimous recommendation to City Council to amend the city code in order to close a loophole created by the bull hook ban. “We are confident that enacting (the ordinance) accomplishes the most good for the most animals and in no way authorizes or condones any cruelty to livestock,” […]
Posted inAustin
Rescue plan gives Central Texas $500 million
According to U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin), Travis County is set to receive $247.08 million and the city of Austin an estimated $195.8 million under the American Rescue Plan, approved by Congress and signed yesterday by President Joe Biden. The money for states is generally determined by population, while also using unemployment as a criteria. […]
Posted inAustin
Texas is lifting its mask mandate and Covid restrictions on businesses. Here’s what that means.
Lee esta historia en español. Texas is reopening 100 percent, ending the statewide mask mandate and lifting Covid-related restrictions on businesses. Here’s a rundown of Gov. Greg Abbott’s order and what it means for local officials, schools and businesses. What does the order do? It pretty much does what you think it does – lifts […]
Posted inCity Council
Some Council members object to Flannigan’s new role at ACE
City Council approved a resolution last week granting consent for Austin Convention Enterprises to apply for a federal loan to help front-line employees working at the downtown Austin Hilton Hotel. Assistant City Attorney Lee Crawford made it clear that if the Paycheck Protection Program loan is approved, the city would have no liability for payment. […]
Posted inAustin
City’s efforts to educate seniors about reducing property tax delayed
The city of Austin has been working on finding ways to educate seniors about opportunities to reduce their property tax. The city is also developing a volunteer program that would allow seniors to offset a portion of the tax. But the pandemic and the severe winter weather in mid-February slowed down the effort. A 2019 City […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: Travis County, 3.9.21
The Travis County Commissioners Court meets every Tuesday at 9 a.m. To help our readers stay informed, each week we offer a selection of interesting items from the voting session agenda. The entire agenda is available at the Travis County website. The meeting will be streamed live on the Travis County website and the Travis County YouTube channel. Item 1: Public Hearing Monitor’s […]
Posted inAustin
Council bans declawing of cats
City Council has voted unanimously to ban the declawing of cats, a move also adopted by many other cities, states and countries to protect cats from a practice widely seen as damaging to the animals. “Declawing is a painful and unnecessary surgical procedure in which the cat’s toes are amputated at the last joint, often […]
Posted inCity Council
City Council apologizes for Austin’s systemic racism, vows to invest in a Black embassy
Austin City Council has formally apologized for its role in perpetuating racist policies that contributed to historical equity, health and wealth gaps that persist for Black Austinites. A resolution, which passed unanimously Thursday, directs the city to quantify the impact of systemic racism in real dollars and invest in an effort to build a Black […]
Posted inCity Council
Council makes Planning Commission appointments this week
City Council is making clear to those concerned – including Attorney General Ken Paxton – that it will absolutely abide by a city charter provision that requires two-thirds of all planning commissioners to be lay members. Paxton has sued previous members of the commission on two separate occasions, charging that their presence on the 13-member […]