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Hays County is looking at way to provide incentives to encourage homeowners to install rainwater collections systems, and has asked a group of county staff member to come up with some ideas.   On Tuesday, County Commissioners heard from Grants Administrator Jeff Hauff who gave an update on the progress made by his informal staff […]

In a suit filed in Travis County district court, relatives of Austin real estate attorney John M. Joseph Sr. have accused him of fraud and breaching his fiduciary duty in actions related to the sale of land slated to be the site of Austin’s Water Treatment Plant 4. The relatives and related trusts are seeking […]

Despite some saber rattling earlier in the week, Council members approved a resolution Thursday directing City Manager Marc Ott to hire outside counsel to assist the city in reversing course on an agreement with BFI Waste Services related to expansion of its northeast Austin landfill—without specifying which firm to hire.   The situation arose over […]

The City of Austin has reported its first sales tax figures for FY2009, a 1.4 percent decline for the month of October. Comptroller Leslie Browder noted in a memo today that the city “received $12.2 million this month compared to $12.4 million” for October of last year.   The city’s budget is based on a […]

City Council named San Antonio-based Lake/Flato Architects and Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott on Thursday as the team to design the city’s new Central Library.   Three firms had been selected as finalists out of 22 applicants after a rigorous screening procedure that included a focus on gathering public input and experience with similar library […]

The City of Austin has reported its first sales tax figures for FY2009, a 1.4 percent decline for the month of October. Comptroller Leslie Browder noted in a memo today that the city “received $12.2 million this month compared to $12.4 million” for October of last year.   Round Rock saw a 3.3 percent decrease […]

A resolution on today’s Council agenda to direct City Manager Marc Ott to hire an outside legal firm to assist in “un-doing” an agreement between the city and landfill operator BFI could spark some spirited discussion. One element of the resolution, sponsored by Council Members Mike Martinez, Laura Morrison and Lee Leffingwell, is to direct […]

A wide variety of supporters, more than 100 strong, braved the cold temperatures last night to show support for the re-election of Place 6 Council Member Sheryl Cole.   Cole told the crowd gathered at Primizie Osteria on East 11th Street, “The past three years have taught me so much and the guidance and support […]

Capital Metro’s Red Line is on track to begin its commuter rail service from Leander to Downtown at the end of March. The Red Line route is beginning to see progress, in pictures, made at the various stops along the line: the piano keys in the pavement and the musical notes overhead on the rail […]

The Executive Director of the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality recommended Wednesday that Travis County, among others, be added to the list of counties in Texas that are in non-attainment of federal standards for ozone. The three-member Commission adopted the director’s recommendations.   Information on the actions was released by the TCEQ late Wednesday.   […]

California-based Spansion announced Tuesday that it would be idling its Austin facility for three weeks. The Austin Fab on East Ben White Boulevard makes silicon chips used in flash memory cards, cell phones, digital cameras, and other portable electronic devices. The company’s approximately 1,100 local workers will be placed on furlough starting Saturday and will […]

Travis County Commissioners drew up the list of road projects Tuesday they would like to see Capital Metro fund out of sales tax dollars, but one commissioner warned that the transportation agency’s piggy bank may be running low soon. Capital Metro collects a one percent sales tax in Austin and the other communities in its […]