A new report from the Office of the City Auditor concludes that, while the city has made notable progress in preparing for extreme heat, challenges in coordination, funding and measurable planning continue to undermine long-term resilience. The audit, released this week, evaluates whether the city is adequately planning for heat-related risks to public infrastructure. The […]
Public Safety
Posted inPublic Health
City intensifies efforts to encourage vaccination amid state’s worst measles outbreak in decades
Last Thursday, Austin city leaders marked the 30th anniversary of a program that provides free vaccines to children as Texas faces its worst measles outbreak in over three decades. Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease that can spread through coughing, sneezing and contaminated surfaces and can lead to complications such as pneumonia and swelling […]
Posted inPolice
APD gets temporary extension of license plate reader program
The Austin Police Department’s use of automated license plate readers as an investigative tool will continue through June, City Council decided last week. Later this year, Council will determine whether to make the pilot program a permanent feature, depending on the findings of the city auditor’s analysis to be presented to the Audit and Finance […]
Posted inPolice
APD publishes first annual sexual assault case review
The Austin Police Department has released its first annual review of cases investigated by the Sex Crimes Unit. The annual case review is one of several commitments APD has made as part of an ongoing, survivor-led effort to reform Austin’s sexual assault response system. This initial case review focuses on cases the Sex Crimes Unit […]
Posted inPublic Health
Central Health opens long-awaited Del Valle Health Center
Last week, Central Health announced at a Travis County Commissioners Court meeting that it has finally opened its Del Valle Health Center, the long-awaited collaboration with CommUnityCare that will expand access to health care for low-income Eastern Travis County residents. The new facility has been a long time coming, with many frustrating delays – last […]
Posted inFire
Austin has had 5 high-risk wildfire days this month alone. Why are there so many red flag warnings?
As Texas becomes hotter and drier, and urban sprawl grows, the state could see more days with an elevated risk for wildfires. So far this year, Austin has had five of these days, also known as red flag warning days, and all of them have been in March. Texas State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon said over […]
Posted inPublic Health
City IDs progress, funding needs to carry out area food plan
A pair of recent city memos shows progress and the need for additional funding sources to implement the first comprehensive food plan for the Austin area. The two memos were released last week, outlining nine goals and 61 strategies aimed at strengthening the local food system, addressing food insecurity and improving food resilience. The plan, […]
Posted inFire
As wildfire anxiety grows, Austin plans to designate half the city as at risk of fire damage
Austin plans to greatly expand the amount of land, and therefore homes, considered at risk of wildfire damage. City Council members are scheduled to discuss updating rules surrounding Austin’s WUI, or Wildland-Urban Interface, later this month. This is the area where wilderness and development meet, and where there is a higher risk that a fire […]
Posted inPublic Health
Council adds funding to bolster Integral Care’s mental health efforts
Responding to the need for more mental health workers to staff Integral Care’s Expanded Mobile Crisis Outreach Team, City Council on Thursday voted to allocate additional funding to the program. The action will inject more than $1.4 million into the diversion program, drawing dollars from the city’s 2025 budget stabilization reserve fund. Council initiated the […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Early data suggest opening Sixth Street to traffic has improved public safety
Early data from the Austin Police Department suggests that a new public safety initiative aimed at reducing crime and violence on East Sixth Street is yielding positive results. The changes, which took effect in December, reintroduced vehicular traffic on weekend nights for the first time in decades, reversing a long-standing pedestrian-only policy in the entertainment […]
Posted inPolice
Public Safety Commission ‘concerned and excited’ about progress from Office of Police Oversight
On Monday, the Public Safety Commission heard an update on the Office of Police Oversight’s implementation of the Police Oversight Act, as well as its vacancies and hiring processes. The OPO operates separately from the Austin Police Department, and its mission is to enhance public transparency and accountability through impartial oversight of APD. As part […]
Posted inPublic Health
Travis County outlines the next year of opioid overdose prevention strategy
Even as the Trump administration attempts to gut every kind of federal grant bolstering local services, from transportation to public health and beyond, Travis County is still managing to continue its long-term investments in opioid recovery services and harm reduction. It’s largely aided by a national settlement with the producers of opioids, from which the […]