In addition to Mayor Steve Adler, five City Council members are up for re-election this November. In three of those races – District 9, District 5 and District 3 – nobody has yet declared their intention of running against the incumbent, although challengers will most likely emerge eventually. The one race that is attracting a […]
Elections
Posted inBonds & Propositions
How big of a bond will Austin voters support?
This November, Austin voters going to the polls to vote for mayor, governor and a variety of other city, state and federal positions will likely be asked to approve a bond package worth hundreds of millions of dollars that will go toward infrastructure, drainage improvements, facilities maintenance, new parks and low-income housing. It remains far […]
Posted inElections
Former Council Member Laura Morrison to run against Adler for mayor
Austin Mayor Steve Adler has his first official challenger in the race for mayor in November. Former City Council Member Laura Morrison announced in an email Monday that she will run against Adler for the city’s top elected position. “I’m running for mayor to reset that path that Austin is on, so that our future […]
Posted inElections
Community activist launches campaign for District 1 seat
Council Member Ora Houston is the first representative of the city’s first district and she’s also the first incumbent to draw a serious challenger in the 2018 election. Last Monday afternoon in East Austin, community activist Lewis Conway Jr. announced his bid for Houston’s District 1 seat. “In order to serve the people of District […]
Posted inElections
Should city elections be moved to odd years?
Some political leaders and activists in Austin believe the city would be better off if elections for City Council did not coincide with higher-profile campaigns for president, governor and Congress. At a meeting of the Charter Review Commission on Nov. 13, Commissioner Matt Hersh floated the idea of changing the city charter so that Council […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
AISD and Travis County bonds win easy victories
AISD Voters resoundingly supported the Austin Independent School District bond, which maintained a wide margin of victory all Tuesday evening. In the end, 72.06 percent voted in favor of the bond. Austin ISD posed a $1.05 billion bond question to do improvements to all the district’s schools. For some schools, this will mean repairs or […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
AISD board and east side group dispute bond tax rate
The Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees has hedged its bet on passing the largest bond in the district’s history by asserting that it will not raise the tax rate. At its Sept. 25 meeting, however, the board was confronted by many non-believers who accused the district of intentionally misleading the public about the […]
Posted inAISD
East versus West: Who wins with the Austin ISD bond?
The Austin Independent School District has a $1 billion bond that voters will be asked to approve this November. The bond would pay for projects at schools all over the district, but there’s a difference between funding for schools on the east side versus the west. If approved, some campuses would receive money to do […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Housing advocates want a bigger housing bond
With Austin facing an affordable housing crisis, city leaders are hoping that taxpayers will OK tens of millions of dollars to fund the construction of low-cost apartments and houses as well as repairs to homes for Austin’s low-income and working-class population. Right now, the figure proposed is $85 million. That’s what city staff presented to […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Crucial uncertainty remains after Commissioners Court chooses bond projects
After a morning and afternoon marked by high pique and dudgeon, the Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved a $280 million slate of transportation, parks and drainage projects to be funded by taxpayer-backed bonds. The list is split between projects of high urgency and those that can afford to wait for voter approval. The […]
Posted inRoads
Daugherty set to ruffle feathers with Reimers-Peacock push
Tuesday could be a bumpy ride for Reimers-Peacock Road. The long-planned connector between Hamilton Pool Road and State Highway 71 is set to play a featured role in the Travis County Commissioners Court’s expected final discussion of project recommendations for a November bond vote. The staff-endorsed list of recommendations – which includes roadway, bicycle, sidewalk, […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Proposed bond includes big money for parks
The Austin parks system is looking to win big from a major bond that voters will likely be asked to approve in 2018. A citizen task force is currently in the process of drafting a general obligation bond to fund affordable housing projects, stormwater infrastructure, libraries and a variety of other upgrades to municipal facilities. […]