City of Austin Economic Development staff briefed City Council members Thursday on a proposed new set of incentives aimed at creative industries such as film, television and computer gaming. The package, set for a vote May 1, would offer production companies as much as a 0.75 percent rebate for salaries paid to local production staff. […]
Local Politics
Posted inEnvironment, Local Politics, Transportation
Critics say taxpayers, not drivers will have to pay for SH45 SW
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority says a preliminary Traffic and Revenue Forecast for the planned State Highway 45 Southwest it released recently will stand as the final report, showing that the road project is financially feasible. But critics of the project say the numbers in the report just don’t add up. The Capitol Area […]
Posted inLocal Politics
Surprise Council mid-year evaluations of Ott, three others withdrawn
It seems that some City Council members were planning on giving City Manager Marc Ott – and perhaps others – a piece of their minds in private Thursday, but due to the absence of Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole, Mayor Lee Leffingwell was able to at least postpone that confrontation. The executive session agenda […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Politics
Council backs code amendment to require landlords to take vouchers
Austin City Council members Thursday initiated a code amendment process that could end in the approval of the inclusion of source of income as a protected class for the purposes of determining rental housing discrimination complaints. Staff is set to bring any proposed code amendment back to Council by Aug. 1. The action came […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Politics
Council postpones decision on former Austin State School property
With only six City Council members on the dais, the vote on a contentious West Austin zoning case was a draw Thursday night, pushing off further a decision that has been years in the making. Developers are asking for Multifamily (MF-2) zoning on their parcel at 3215 Exposition Boulevard. Staff is recommending a lesser […]
Posted inLocal Government, Local Politics, Public Safety, Uncategorized
Travis County seeks new way to appoint attorneys for poor defendants
Travis County is considering revamping its system to assign court-appointed attorneys. For years, its system was a model for defending the poor. But now, judges and staff are looking west for a new model to adapt to the county’s needs, to of all places, Lubbock County. They are also looking for grant funding in […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Public Safety
Morrison wary of adding private institutions to Intelligence Center
A proposal to include a handful of new police organizations as members of the Austin Regional Intelligence Center, called the ARIC, raised a red flag for Council Member Laura Morrison Tuesday. Morrison didn’t appear to have an objection to the inclusion of the Austin Community College, Texas State University, the City of Cedar Park, […]
Posted inLocal Politics
Council hears early report on future of boards and commissions
Austin City Council members appeared generally receptive to a host of potential changes to the structure of the city’s many – some say too many – boards and commissions. Still, as the Boards and Commission Transition Taskforce, which has become known as the Commission on Commissions, made its presentation at last week’s Council work session, […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Politics
Council ponders changes to SMART Housing beyond mass transit
Austin City Council members Thursday approved the initiation of a code amendment that could result in changes to the city’s SMART Housing regulations. Initially, the proposed change would have only addressed whether the city could support housing not located next to mass transit routes. Council Member Chris Riley authored the original resolution. However, Council […]
Posted inEnvironment, Local Politics, Resources
Riley proposes goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050
A resolution set for approval by Austin City Council members today would set a goal “of reaching net zero communitywide greenhouse gas emissions by 2050” – sooner if possible. The document, brought forward by Council Members Chris Riley and Bill Spelman and Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole, lays out a path to the establishment of […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Politics
Council continues debate on Riley’s SMART housing proposal
Austin City Council members continued to struggle Tuesday with a proposal from Council Member Chris Riley to update the transit portion of the city’s SMART housing ordinance. Though some of their discussion revisited issues raised at Council’s most recent Thursday meeting – when Riley first tried to initiate a code amendment to change the SMART […]
Posted inElections, Local Politics
Martinez tours all 10 Council Districts in announcing for mayor
In a show of support – physical and political – for Austin’s new City Council Districts system, Council Member Mike Martinez kicked off his campaign for mayor Saturday by visiting and hosting events in all 10 districts in just one day. The first stop, at Barton Springs Pool, was well-attended despite chilly temperatures and […]