The Travis County Commissioners Court meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda here. The County Clerk’s office hosts a copy at its website. Items of interest for Commissioners Court include: 23. CONSIDER AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION ON A PROJECT PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT WITH THE U.S. […]
Resources
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TipSheet: Audit and Finance Committee
The Council Audit and Finance Committee meets at 11 am Wednesday. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda here. The city hosts a copy at its website. Items of interest for Wednesday’s meeting include: 3. Staff presentations on financial planning for each taxing jurisdiction in the City of Austin […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Resources
City Council closing in on a final budget
City Council didn’t pull any punches at the start of Tuesday’s budget session, setting next year’s tax rate before anyone’s coffee had time to cool. Council members voted unanimously to adopt the tax rate of 48.09 cents per $100 taxable value, which is in line with the budget proposed by City Manager Marc Ott. The […]
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Council debates Pitch and Putt contract
Though City Council members started out Tuesday intending to talk about the entire Parks and Recreation Department budget, most of their discussion Tuesday centered on the possibility that Butler Park Pitch and Putt could change management in the near future. Parks and Recreation Director Sara Hensley told Council her department will open the city-owned facility’s operating […]
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Electric Utility Commission approves AE budget
Austin residents can expect higher electric rates in the coming year, but low-income utility customers may get a few more breaks. The Austin Electric Utility Commission met Monday to approve the utility’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2015 and discuss ways to help customers who have defaulted on their payments get out of debt. The city […]
Posted inElections, Resources
No ballot question on Onion Creek buyout
The question of whether Austin should buy out 240 at-risk homes in the Onion Creek floodplain will not go before voters in November. During a special called meeting Friday, Austin City Council voted 5-1 against putting the buyout proposal on the November ballot via public improvement bonds. Council Member Chris Riley said the […]
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Austin Energy to cut planned 2015 fee increase
Austin City Council members are studying an Austin Energy plan to lower regulatory fees in 2015, which will cut the average monthly residential bill. Utility officials floated the plan Thursday at the Council Committee on Austin Energy. Austin Energy officials say the proposal would reduce a consumer’s portion of an Electric Reliability Council of Texas […]
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TipSheet: Austin City Council Budget Work Session
The Austin City Council meets Tuesday morning for another Budget Work Session. Highlights on this week’s agenda: Council members will consider adopting the maximum tax rate of 49.22 cents per $100 taxable value and set the date to adopt the FY2015 tax rate. The Council will also set public hearings on the tax rate and […]
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Council punts decision on AE reserves
The Austin City Council decided with a 4-3 vote Thursday to postpone a decision to transfer $30 million from Austin Energy’s Operating Fund to its Strategic Reserve Contingency Fund as requested by staff in order to bring the utility closer to complying with its own financial reserve policies. Council Member Laura Morrison made the motion. Joining her […]
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Austin Monitor Radio, Show 11: Water
Austin Water Utility Director Greg Meszaros joins the Monitor‘s Mike Kanin to talk drought, rates, and the future of water in Central Texas. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/163019200″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
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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 they will get a pay increase until budget markup in early September, when the Commissioners […]
Posted inEnvironment, Resources
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 in a report by the Water Resource Planning Task Force, a team that the Austin […]