Divisions within City Council over spending on social services were put into sharp relief Thursday as the Health and Human Services Department asked city leaders to approve a 6 percent boost in funding for nonprofit agencies with which the city contracts for a variety of services. The immediate effect of the funding boost, which Council […]
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Posted inCity Council
Council votes to retain vacant positions, for now
How big of a problem is an unfilled position in city government? Is it even a problem at all? A brief City Council debate on Thursday illustrated some strong differences of opinion among city leaders on the issue. Prompting the discussion was a proposed ordinance that would have reappropriated funds allocated for seven city positions […]
Posted inDevelopment
Travis Dems target Capital Metro with labor resolution
The Travis County Democratic Party has thrown its weight behind the effort to provide rigorous protections for construction workers hired to build a massive infill project on land owned by the Capital Metro Transportation Authority. At the party’s annual convention on Saturday, delegates approved a resolution calling on all elected officials to insist that all […]
Posted inUncategorized
AISD looks into becoming “innovation” district
On Monday, the Austin Independent School District board of trustees heard a proposal that could provide the district with more flexibility in its establishment of school hours, student-to-teacher ratios and teacher benefits, among other things. According to AISD Superintendent Paul Cruz, the move – pursuing designation as a “District of Innovation” – could give AISD […]
Posted inUncategorized
Public Safety Commission wished for input in TNC talks
Although the issue long ago passed them up, members of the Public Safety Commission on Monday discussed the implications of City Council’s controversial vote in December imposing new regulations on ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft – also known as transportation network companies, or TNCs. Members failed to come to a consensus on what […]
Posted inUncategorized
County pulls plug on charging-station proposal, for now
A proposal involving an alternative to petrochemical-powered transportation lurched into a temporary ditch at Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday. County Judge Sarah Eckhardt postponed the vote on whether to install an electric-vehicle charging station at a county-owned parking lot after two commissioners voiced their opposition. The proposal’s controversy was somewhat belied by its relatively […]
Posted inTravis County, Uncategorized
County puts housing authority official in the hot seat
Travis County Commissioners Court is on the verge of pushing out a top local affordable housing official over thousands of dollars’ worth of travel expenditures. The court voted unanimously on Tuesday to send a letter to Melvin Wrenn, chair of the Housing Authority of Travis County board of commissioners, to let him know that the […]
Posted inCity Council, Uncategorized
Council ponders changes to committee rules
Last year, when City Council adopted its sprawling and time-consuming committee system, it used a model similar to one used by the Texas Legislature. Council members Ann Kitchen and Ellen Troxclair and Mayor Steve Adler had worked in that system and were comfortable with it. But because it is very time-consuming, it has put considerable […]
Posted inAISD, Austin, Uncategorized
AISD teacher appraisals impetus for possible new salary structure
In a unanimous vote Monday, the Austin Independent School District board of trustees gave the green light to its new teacher appraisal system, which ties teacher appraisals to student performance on standardized tests. Kimiko Krekel, AISD’s executive director of educator quality, said the new appraisal system was also built with a second step in mind: revamping […]
Posted inAustin, City Council, Monitor News & Media, Radio, Uncategorized
Kanin on Council: January 29, 2016
Austin Monitor publisher Mike Kanin talks with KUT’s Jimmy Maas about Austin City Council action from Thursday, January 28, 2016. Post is embedded below: [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/244438643″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
Posted inAustin, City Council, Transportation, Uncategorized
Little clarity in TNC debate
Where there was once a clear path for City Council to revise rules for transportation network companies, there is now a plethora of possibilities. Council voted last month to require fingerprinting background checks of TNC drivers, and it is set to lay out a system of incentives and disincentives for the companies at its next meeting, Jan. […]
Posted inLocal Government, Travis County, Uncategorized
One year in, Eckhardt looks forward to new challenges
As 2015 came to a close, the first woman elected to wield the gavel at Travis County Commissioners Court surveyed her historic first year on the job with confident satisfaction. “It was really good, I think. I think we achieved a lot of our objectives,” County Judge Sarah Eckhardt told the Austin Monitor during a […]