Taking a cue from City Council members, Austin Energy has shifted its position and now supports recovering the full costs of extending power lines to new customers starting in October. Utility officials plan to take the new proposal to the Council Committee on Austin Energy for consideration next week. Austin Energy officials publicly announced the […]
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Posted inResources
Task force hears water options, some likely unpalatable
With lake levels dropping and no end in sight for the current drought, Austin Water Utility officials are putting some creative strategies on the table designed to add to and maximize the city’s water supplies. It seems likely that the utility will have to utilize some of them, with cost being a major consideration. […]
Posted inLocal Government, Resources
Despite hurdles, Hays County, Forestar move ahead with water deal
Hays County Commissioners are moving forward with a massive water supply contract, despite not clearing a legal hurdle called for by the water reservation and purchase agreement. Last October, Hays County officials entered into a contract with Austin-based Forestar Real Estate Group to secure the reservation and purchase of 45,000 acre-feet of water per year […]
Posted inLocal Government, Resources
Western Travis still Wild West of groundwater with no district in sight
A decades-old plan to put an unprotected area of western Travis County into a groundwater conservation district, or GCD, appears to have been killed with the stroke of a pen recently by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The most recent effort to create a district for the area or to merge it with […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Resources
Mayor criticizes use of Austin Water funds to pay for general fund expenses
The Austin Water Utility came under scrutiny at last week’s budget session, as City Council members took a closer look at rate increases proposed by the utility. In fact, Mayor Lee Leffingwell called for “truth in budgeting,” telling AWU officials that he thinks there are expenses they could cut to avoid raising rates. The […]
Posted inResources
Committee debates options for rate increase for water customers
Leaders at Austin Water Utility are pushing back on the recommendations of a committee tasked with finding alternatives to a water rate increase of more than 10 percent. The Joint Committee on Austin Water Utility’s Financial Plan met May 7 to discuss a possible rate increase for customers caused by the city’s drought. Water […]
Posted inLocal Government, Public Safety, Resources
Community group seeks organized assistance for flood victims
A community organization called the Travis Austin Recovery Group (TARG), formed in the aftermath of the historic 2013 Halloween floods, is noting the six-month anniversary of the event with the release of a Draft Recovery Plan for the people and businesses affected by the disaster. Though copies of the plan were sent to officials […]
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Facing financial losses, Austin Water considers 15.2 percent rate hike
With the Austin Water Utility projected to lose another $27 million this fiscal year, David Anders, the utility’s assistant director of finance and business services, said customers could potentially see a 15.2 percent rate hike in their water service bills next year. Under the proposed water and wastewater service rate hike, the average customer […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Resources
Council members push plan for AE to recover cost of line extensions
A resolution from Council Members Kathie Tovo, Laura Morrison, and Mike Martinez on Thursday’s Council agenda would instruct City Manager Marc Ott to “plan for full cost recovery of (Austin Energy) line extensions” beginning Oct. 1. Though the Council members included some provisions for the exemption of certain affordable housing” entities, the measure would […]
Posted inDevelopment, Resources
Austin Energy to build $67 million office building in East Riverside area
Facing continued cramped quarters and a big-dollar lease, Austin Energy officials say they hope next week to take a major step toward construction of a new office building for the city’s electric utility. Austin Energy officials plan to ask the City Council May 1 for approval to negotiate a design-build agreement with Turner+Page, a […]
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 inResources
Austin Water officials share concerns over bond downgrade
At the most recent meeting of the Joint Committee on Austin Water Utility’s Financial Plan, utility officials shared concerns about the fate of their bond rating. Due to similar financial circumstances, Ft. Worth’s Tarrant Regional Water District was recently downgraded by rating agencies. Assistant Director of Finance and Business Services David Anders was worried […]