A doozy of a day… Council Member Ora Houston is a consistent advocate for citizen input. But that doesn’t mean she has to enjoy it. “Thank you Jesus,” she muttered to herself when City Council voted at 9:40 p.m. Thursday to approve a Hotel Occupancy Tax proposal after taking comment from scores of citizens on […]
Reporters’ Notebook
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Reporter’s Notebook: Field trips and missteps
Why extend the deadline when you can eliminate it?… During a budget work session on Wednesday morning, Council Member Ora Houston asked whether the deadline for submitting items to the budget concept menu was Tuesday night or Wednesday night. Don’t worry, she was assured, she still had until midnight to submit items. What followed was […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Lessons learned
A parking pittance… Members of City Council listening to a lengthy presentation on the Development Services Department budget Wednesday didn’t suggest any major changes to the way the department is running or spending its money. But a number of Council members were bothered by the parking policies the department has implemented at One Texas Center, […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Fine by APL
We’re thunderstruck… Into the apparent state Democratic vacuum for next year’s governor’s race steps Austin musician – and owner of an absolutely superb and bitchin’ beard – Thor Harris. The news came last week via Twitter when Harris, holding a rainbow flag, made a flat and deadpan announcement he’s going to run for the state’s […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Cool for cats?
It is in Austin!… During a discussion of the Aquatic Master Plan during a City Council work session last Tuesday, Council Member Delia Garza highlighted the dearth of public pools in her southeastern district, which includes parts of Del Valle. She noted that there are no existing pools in Del Valle and apparently no plans […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: We have questions
Not a priority… When it comes to more transit priority lanes, Austin Transportation Director Robert Spillar is not running any red lights. At the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Traffic Jam last week, Spillar talked about the tricky nature of dedicating right of way to buses and trains. “There’s four ways I know how to do […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Use your judgment
Judge judging the judge… It seems not everyone is a fan of County Judge Sarah Eckhardt’s iron-fisted management of Travis County Commissioners Court meetings. Her refusal last week to allow Commissioner Jeff Travillion to interject a question in the middle of a briefing on the DNA lab fallout led to the Precinct 1 representative’s brief […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Don’t say that
Yeah, OK, on the record, then… During the May 9 meeting of the Community Development Commission, commissioners took up the issue of developing Levander Loop with affordable housing. After a bit of misunderstanding, Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Assistant Director Rebecca Giello told commissioners that the city had every intention of moving forward with Levander […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Just mull it over
“Sanctuary cities” protests continue… Protesters interrupted a Cedar Park Fourth of July parade last week to protest Senate Bill 4. No one was arrested, but they were removed so the parade could continue. They told KVUE they were calling for a boycott of HEB so the state could see the economic impact of immigrants. James […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Good vibes
Worth getting up for… Sometimes in the course of covering events for the Austin Monitor there are moments when it seems like things are going to go off the rails. It happens pretty frequently during the public comment portion of a meeting – we still love you heavy metal egg lady! – when a citizen […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: What is equity, really?
There’s always a silver lining… If you only read the transcript of Mary Owens’ remarks to City Council during Citizen Communication on Thursday – and therefore could not hear the frustration and contempt conveyed by the tone of her voice – you might believe that she is hopelessly committed to believing the best about people. […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Best-laid plans
No two ways about it… yet… Like many, many other projects around town, the conversion of downtown’s Colorado Street to a two-way avenue will be delayed, albeit slightly. Crews have been reconstructing the street from the Governor’s Mansion on West 10th Street all the way down to Cesar Chavez Street in 2015. According to the […]