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The City of Austin has joined the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District and others in requesting a contested case hearing before the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) on Jeremiah Venture LP’s request for a new Texas Land Application Permit.   The partnership proposes to build 1,377 homes on 607 acres at 6327 FM […]

Travis County Commissioners recognized outgoing District Attorney Ronnie Earle with a proclamation on Tuesday, declaring it “Ronnie Earle Day”. Earle will step down at the end of this month from the position he has held for the past 32 years. Last night, friends celebrated his retirement with a party at Stubb’s BBQ.   Joining Earle […]

With the help of five Austin philanthropists—including Mickey and Jeanne Klein and Julie and John Thornton, plus one anonymous art lover—the Arthouse at Jones Center announced a capital campaign challenge on Monday to raise another $1 million toward the expansion of the downtown arts space.   The Arthouse, located in the 700 block of Congress […]

Because they rejected a contract approved by city management and a team from their union, Austin firefighters are not expected to receive either a raise or additions to their pension fund in the near future. The contract, which union members rejected overwhelmingly, included a one percent payment to the pension fund for this year and […]

Last night, the board of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) approved a controversial funding method for the US 290 East toll project, also known at the Manor Expressway. The plan would allow the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority to use toll revenues from one of its other toll roads, US 183A, as collateral […]

The Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District has agreed to join the Save Our Springs Alliance in filing for a contested case hearing concerning the controversial Jeremiah Ventures development.             The proposed development plans 1,377 homes on 607 acres at 6327 FM 967. Developers asked for authorization of 330,000 gallons of treated domestic wastewater per […]

Members of the Solid Waste Advisory Commission – after several long meetings – have hammered out an initial recommendation to the City Council to begin implementation on a Zero Waste plan. The recommendation approved last week contains a list of priorities that city can begin implementing immediately, along with some longer term guidelines.   The […]

It was inevitable someone would eventually raise the question: Have the Urban Renewal Agency and Urban Renewal Board outlived their purpose? Developer Michael Casias, a sometime opponent of the Austin Revitalization Authority’s plans on East 11th Street, raised the issue at this week’s meeting. Casias is the buyer and developer of Block 19, at the […]

The City of Austin’s rebate programs for property owners who install low-flow and energy-efficient fixtures is having an impact on the city’s overall water consumption. Figures presented to the city’s Water Conservation Implementation Task Force show the new fixtures installed as a result of those rebates contributed to a peak-day reduction of 838,052 gallons this […]

As Austin firefighters vote this week on a new union contract, they are getting competing recommendations on whether or not to approve the proposed deal. The conflict is not over pay scales, but over the race and gender-based hiring goals the city wants in the new contact.   Former Austin Firefighters Association President and current […]

The process of forming a Homestead Preservation District and Reinvestment Zone to provide for long-term affordable housing and preserve family homesteads in East Austin is a step closer to completion. A report at last week’s Council meeting indicated that final approval could come by the end of the year.   Margaret Shaw, director of the […]