Austin City Council members Thursday approved an immediate increase of impact fees for public infrastructure to just below the maximum allowable rate. Those are the fees that the Austin Water Utility assesses to help offset the cost of extending water and wastewater utility lines. The move, which came by unanimous vote, sets the fees to […]
Elections
Posted inLocal Politics, Transportation
Council reluctantly votes to end overnight access to bicycle trails
City Council members voted Thursday to end the pilot program that had opened portions of the city’s urban trails to bikes overnight, though many members expressed frustration about the position the issue put them in. Council members had the options of either leaving the trails open or consenting to remove officers from the city’s […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Politics
Council OKs prevailing wage as part of economic development deals
The City Council on Thursday voted to make Austin the second city in Texas to mandate prevailing wages for construction workers as part of its economic development process. Mayor Lee Leffingwell was the only Council member to oppose the measure. The discussion and vote, a four-hour conversation, solidifies what has become an automatic late […]
Posted inAustin, City Charter, City Council, Elections, Local Politics, Uncategorized
Second Council district map emerges as critics pan ICRC’s first effort
A preliminary map drawn by the members of Austin‘s charter election-born Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission is now not the only proposed single-member district Council outline drawing criticism. A map dubbed by its architects as a “Compact District Map” emerged over the past week and quickly drew fire from the group behind the election-day passage of […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Politics
Council to hear proposals linking wage rules to development deals
Council members remain at work on potential amendments to a proposal from Council Members Mike Martinez, Kathie Tovo, and Laura Morrison that would link wage requirements to city economic incentive deals. It was unclear as of Wednesday afternoon just what form those amendments might take. An up or down Council vote is expected as part […]
Posted inLocal Politics
Council scrutinizes details of proposed Special Events Ordinance
Austin City Council members will have the opportunity to take action tonight on what Council Member Laura Morrison on Tuesday called the “much discussed, monster ordinance on special events.” At the work session, Council discussion focused on a host of issues surrounding the Special Events Ordinance, including the process – or lack thereof – […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Government, Local Politics, Transportation
Travis Commissioners finally endorse SH45 SW
Many of the same Austinites made the same arguments they’ve made for decades, but this time, the result was different. At the behest of Pct. 3’s Gerald Daugherty, the Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday endorsed construction of the controversial SH45 Southwest roadway. Just three years ago, a somewhat different group of Travis County […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Transportation
Council members concerned over funding issues for Lone Star Rail
Austin City Council members are calling for more in-depth discussion about a potential interlocal agreement with the Lone Star Rail District. The agreement, if approved, would govern the partnership between the city and a potential rail agency for a line that could run from Georgetown to San Antonio. It is one of several such agreements […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Government, Local Politics, Transportation
Despite opposition, Daugherty aiming to get SH45SW back on track today
Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty hopes to take a major step today to get his fellow Commissioners to endorse building the controversial SH45 Southwest roadway between South MoPac Boulevard and FM 1626. The roadway has been in the planning stages for almost 30 years, but has faced repeated roadblocks and delays. The major issue so […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Politics
Council to update density benefit regulations for Rainey Street area
Austin City Council members Thursday OK’d the start of a process that will result in a set of changes to the way that developers can exchange extra project density for community benefits in the area in and around Rainey Street. The new rules, once codified, are designed to bring Rainey’s development rules into alignment with […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Transportation
Council again postpones action on 24-hour access to hike-and-bike trails
A battle over whether three segments of the City of Austin’s hike-and-bike trails should remain open will last at least another week, after City Council members postponed a vote on an ordinance that would end the pilot program. However, that didn’t mean that there wasn’t any action. Though the item was quickly dispatched Thursday, […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Politics
Council looks at compromise on Rainey Street density bonus plan
Austin City Council members returned Tuesday to the question of how to calculate public amenities associated with density bonuses for projects located in the Rainey Street neighborhood downtown. As part of the discussion – postponed from Council’s last agenda – Council Member Laura Morrison offered a potential compromise. Morrison’s proposal would adopt the Downtown […]