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- Parks Board recommends vendor for Zilker Café, while voicing concerns about lack of local presence
- City leaders evaluate surprising ideas for water conservation
- Office slowdown sparks new downtown housing ambitions
- Audit: Economic official granted arts, music funding against city code
- Downtown Historic Resource Survey eyes seven new districts eligible for designation
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Pay raise for Travis County employees in limbo
Travis County elected officials will not get a pay raise next year, following a recommendation by the Planning and Budget Office that the Commissioners Court unanimously approved Tuesday. Other county employees, with few exceptions, will have to wait to find out whether…
Local Politics • By Beth Cortez-Neavel • Aug 13, 2014
Plan suggests shutdown of Decker power plant
The City of Austin is considering taking the Decker Creek Power Station offline in order to secure access to water from adjacent Lake Walter E. Long in the case of a future drought emergency. The idea is one of several key recommendations set forth…
Environment • By Tyler Whitson • Aug 12, 2014
Austin Energy pitches Council to restore its cash reserves
Austin Energy officials pressed Austin City Council members Tuesday to allow the utility to reconfigure its cash holdings to allow it to fill a series of neglected reserve funds. The move, according to utility representatives, would better position the utility…
Local Politics • By Michael Kanin • Aug 6, 2014
Austin Energy looks to get under affordability cap
Austin Energy General Manager Larry Weis told the Austin Monitor Tuesday that he and utility staff are working on a proposal that would keep the utility’s FY2015 budget revenue request under a 2 percent affordability cap on potential rate increases.…
Local Politics • By Michael Kanin • Aug 6, 2014
LCRA finalizes sale of 18 small water systems to Corix Utilities
The Lower Colorado River Authority has closed the sale of 18 of its former small water/wastewater systems to Corix Utilities Texas, a subsidiary of Vancouver-based Corix Utilities. Officials gave no price for the transaction. LCRA officials announced in 2010 that…
Resources • By Mark Richardson • Aug 5, 2014
Energy, water utility rates top Council concerns over 2015 budget
The Austin City Council took on next year’s budget in earnest Thursday. Of the $3.5 billion budget, members’ biggest concerns continued to rest with the city’s water and energy utilities. A proposal from Austin Energy to increase the fuel charge…
Local Politics • By Elizabeth Pagano • Aug 1, 2014
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Travis County renews affiliation with water policy resource group
Travis County Commissioners voted last week to continue participation in a Central Texas organization formed originally to purchase a section of small water utilities from the Lower Colorado River Authority. The vote came after the expression of some concern over…
Local Government • By Beth Cortez-Neavel • Jul 8, 2014
City hopes Eco-Industrial park will bring jobs
The City of Austin is planning to spend up to $10 million to create an eco-industrial park south of the city’s airport. Officials hope the park will lure dozens of businesses that specialize in manufacturing goods from recycled, reused or…
Development • By Mark Richardson • Jul 2, 2014
Despite ruling, city expects no immediate change to drainage fee
A judge’s ruling rendering a portion of the city’s Drainage Fee invalid could put millions of dollars worth of critical flood control and watershed protection programs at risk. State District Judge Amy Clark Meachum ruled Friday that the flat $9.20…
Development • By Mark Richardson • Jul 1, 2014
Council approves funds for buyout of 140 more homes in Onion Creek
Though some relief is on the way for Halloween Flood survivors, the fact that nearly 15 percent of the funds could be spent on consultants raised some eyebrows at City Council Thursday. Council members approved all four items related…
Development • By Elizabeth Pagano • Jun 27, 2014
Water task force recommends finding more ways to save water
After months of tedious and lengthy meetings, the city’s blue ribbon task force assigned to make recommendations on how Austin should deal with an ever-shrinking water supply unanimously approved a report to City Council Wednesday. The major message from…
