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By YES! group's fundraising YES! collects 10 times the money of NO Campaigns for and against the four Travis County bond propositions are busy working to turn out the vote for both early voting and Election Day. Howard Falkenberg, the volunteer spokesman for YES! Travis County Bonds Committee, said he gave the campaign $5,000 in […]

Study on Hays County water line All scenarios show increased population, pollution The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) yesterday released a long-awaited environmental impact study of the water line the agency is building to serve Hays County. The LCRA agreed to do the study with oversight from the US Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) because […]

Changes to billboard regulations Hybrid ordinance recommended Reagan National Advertising has been fighting with its smaller competitors through city boards and commissions, at the City Council and in court for months. (See In Fact Daily June 19, July 10, July 23, Aug. 14, 2001.) Results have been mixed, but Reagan lost its battle with Acme […]

Funds for North Mopac row Mopac neighbors did not oppose funding The City Council went ahead with plans Thursday to set aside $23.5 million to help cover the costs of right-of-way and utility relocation for extending Mopac (Loop 1) from FM 734 to the proposed intersection with SH 45 North. The extension had been recommended […]

Keep more zoning cases New ordinance could slow down development review Members of the Zoning and Platting Commission have sent a message that they are not happy with proposed changes in the jurisdiction of ZAP and the Planning Commission. That proposal stems, at least in part, from changes in the Neighborhood Planning process. Staff and […]

Hit top of pay scale Commissioners agree on 5 percent lump sum payment The number of Travis County employees who reach the top of their pay category is expected to almost double in each of the next three years, forcing Travis County Commissioners to take a hard look at whether they should adjust pay ranges. […]

hospital within hospital idea Other proposals seek to ensure high level of care for all The Brackenridge Hospital Oversight Council (BHOC) has finally issued its recommendation on reproductive services at the hospital and that recommendation goes against what city staff has recommended But BHOC is also submitting a series of backup recommendations should the City […]

Jim Walker, neighborhood advocate By David Ansel Jim Walker’s stock-in-trade is consensus building. As president of the Austin Neighborhoods Council (ANC), Austin’s only citywide neighborhood coalition, he summarizes his approach to consensus building by saying, “Consensus has no endpoint. It’s the process of decision-making, not a decision. To maintain consensus, you have to figure out […]

Need 14 single-member districts New commission grapples with population changes Ryan Robinson, demographer for the City of Austin, laid out a surprising picture for members of the Charter Revision Commission this week. Because of integration of neighborhoods that once were heavily African-American and tremendous growth in the city’s Hispanic population, the city would need to […]

Square off over bonds Affordability, sprawl questions divide opponents With just a few days until the start of early voting for the November 6th election, officials with the Real Estate Council of Austin and the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce lined up to encourage voters to support all four propositions on the Travis County bond […]

His own announcement Stand-ins include Nelson Linder, Marcos DeLeon About a dozen supporters of former City Council Member Eric Mitchell were joined by nearly as many reporters on the steps of City Hall Tuesday evening for Mitchell’s mayoral campaign announcement—only Mitchell was unable to attend. Instead, Nelson Linder of the NAACP and former Travis County […]

Street closure rules for films Angry neighbors face film industry boosters The Urban Transportation Commission last night postponed a vote on new guidelines for closing downtown streets for film productions, preferring instead to have representatives from the film industry and local businesses meet with city staff to revise the proposed changes within the next 60 […]