On Aug. 30, United States District Judge Robert Pitman signed an order granting the wish of Save Barton Creek Association, Save Oak Hill and affiliated groups to enter supervised mediation with the Texas Department of Transportation over its plans for the Oak Hill Parkway. Despite TxDOT’s objection that the groups “lack new ideas for discussion,” […]
Courts
Posted inCourts
Kinder Morgan sued over drilling fluid spill in Blanco County
The pipeline company Kinder Morgan violated the Safe Drinking Water Act when it spilled tens of thousands of gallons of drilling fluid into Blanco County groundwater, according to a new lawsuit from local landowners and groundwater conservation groups. In late March, Teresa Albright turned on the faucet in her Blanco home and saw the water […]
Posted inElections
Court order that opens up mail-in voting in Texas stays in effect for now, appeals court rules
Voters who don’t want to risk exposure to the coronavirus may use mail-in ballots during upcoming elections as a legal battle moves through the courts, a Texas appeals court ruled Thursday. The 14th Court of Appeals ruled a trial court order from April will stay in place until the appeal has concluded, Beth Stevens, voting […]
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City declares broad equity goals for pretrial services
In the middle of a pandemic that has led to a sharp decrease in the Travis County Jail population, Austin City Council plans to leverage its influence to keep the jail population low by reserving use of pretrial detention for cases where it is necessary to ensure public safety. The city has a limited role […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Judge throws out City Council votes on new Austin land code, putting rewrite in jeopardy
In a ruling that could derail Austin’s rewrite of its Land Development Code, a Travis County district judge voided two votes City Council has taken so far on the changes. The city has spent nearly eight years and more than $10 million trying to rewrite its land code – the rules that determine what can […]
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Habitat for Humanity, Environment Texas weigh in on land code lawsuit
Travis County District Judge Jan Soifer heard arguments Wednesday from attorneys for 19 Austin homeowners who sued the city over the new Land Development Code. The homeowners filed rezoning protests, but the city denied their requests for a hearing. The plaintiffs claim that by filing a rezoning protest they can force City Council to hold a […]
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The city’s rewrite of its land use code heads to court (again)
Lawyers representing a group of Austin homeowners will argue in court this week that landowners have the right to formally protest the rezoning of their property under a citywide land code rewrite. If the court sides with them, it could mean that a portion of the city’s land would be exempt from a broad rewrite […]
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Municipal court cases linger longer these days
Four years ago, the Austin Municipal Court generally took under 190 days to close cases. The number of days has since gone up to roughly 215 days, due to Senate Bill 1913 passed by the Texas Legislature in 2017, said Mary Jane Grubb, Austin Municipal Court clerk, at the Feb. 10 City Council Judicial Committee […]
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Lawsuit claims TCAD hiding sales price information
Protax, which represents property owners who are protesting the property values assigned to their homes, and 10 of its employees have sued the Travis Central Appraisal District alleging the agency has violated the Texas Public Information Act. According to the lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday, “TCAD has an automated pool of evidence it uses to […]
Posted inCourts
Taxpayers sue over lack of appraisal hearings
One hundred and thirty-eight Travis County property owners have sued the Travis Appraisal Review Board and the Travis Central Appraisal District for failing to provide timely hearings on the property owners’ protests of their 2019 appraisals. The two agencies are responsible for deciding the value of Travis County properties and taxpayers’ arguments about those appraisals. […]
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Community court touts data showing sharp drop in recidivism among clients
The city’s Downtown Community Court on East Sixth Street has released data showing a drastic reduction in recidivism among its clients, thanks to the social services and case management the court offers. The analysis of data from the 2018 fiscal year showed that the court’s 59 clients had accrued more than 1,500 offenses of all […]
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Supreme Court passes on Boise camping ban case, opening up Austin’s rules to lawsuits
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to a ruling that found a ban against camping in public in Boise, Idaho, is unconstitutional. The case against Boise’s ban on camping inspired, in part, the city of Austin’s decision to scale back its bans on camping and resting in public earlier this year. The […]