Whispers

Travis County Commissioners will consider action today on an agreement that would bring funding to the county for continued buyouts of flood prone homes in the Timber Creek neighborhood. County voters approved a $3.9 million bond to act as a county match for a $10 million federal buyout program in 2005. The U.S. Army Corps […]

Central Health, Travis County’s health care district, will bring its proposed Fiscal Year 2015 budget of $270.8 million to Commissioners Court today. The district will also present its proposed 12.64-cent tax rate, which is lower than last year’s 12.9- cent rate. Central Health’s Board of Managers is in charge of adopting a budget each year, but […]

Council members have a few items to chew on today during their work session ahead of Thursday’s Council meeting. That includes items from Council Members Kathie Tovo, Laura Morrison and Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole, who are sponsoring a resolution asking city management to bring back an ordinance by Dec. 1 that would establish a […]

Kerry O’Connor, the city’s new innovation officer, is seeking $180,500 to provide “end to end innovation management services.” According to the backup material for this item, the professional services contract with BrightIdea Inc. of San Francisco would help the chief innovation officer to “mobilize energy, create momentum and drive toward viable ideas and projects to […]

Council Member Laura Morrison has had a difficult time staying warm in the ice-cold Council Chambers. (And she’s not the only one.) So she is sponsoring a resolution “to promote energy conservation by establishing standard temperature settings during summer months in all city office buildings.” Morrison and Mayor Lee Leffingwell have disagreed about the temperature […]

AFSCME leader Jack Kirfman said Sunday that the local Central Labor Council had made endorsements in 10 of the 11 Council races on Saturday. Kirfman said the labor council interviewed 36 candidates in a daylong meeting. Like AFSCME, the larger group endorsed Ora Houston in District 1, Delia Garza in District 2, Sabino “Pio” Renteria […]

In his budget recommendations for Fiscal Year 2015, Austin Community Technology and Telecommunications Commission Chair Lemuel Williams told Council members Wednesday he would like to see more money in the Grants for Technology Opportunities Program. Williams asked the Council to increase annual funding from $200,000 to $300,000 to help boost the competitiveness of the grant funding […]

Thursday’s City Council agenda currently contains 150 items, including the frequently amusing Citizens Communications. We can expect to see candidates making an effort to present their issues on Channel 6 through this method for the next couple of months. This week, Council will hear from Susana Almanza, running for District 3, whose topic is “make […]

As different political clubs around town become engaged in planning for the November election, there’s bound to be a lot of heat and light. Glen Coleman, president of Central Austin Democrats, notes that his club endorsed the $600 million rail bond proposal Wednesday night after considerable discussion. Coleman said, “We had a spirited discussion which […]

Hays County Commissioners have proposed a tax rate of 0.4690 per $100 of assessed valuation for Fiscal Year 2015 and a county budget of $157 million, and have set hearing dates for public comment on both. The proposed tax rate is the same as the current tax year, but since more improved property is on […]

As part of its budgetary wish list given to the city’s Emerging Technology and Telecommunications Committee, Austin Public Library is hoping to get $3,000 for a bikemobile, a greener alternative to the commonly used bookmobile. The bikemobile would include a custom bike with a Wi-Fi hot spot that could both check out books and issue […]

As part of the budget process, Transportation Director Robert Spillar mentioned some new parking meter districts could be on the horizon. These districts come at the behest of neighborhoods, who asked the city to consider their areas for meters to address parking congestion. Spillar said his department is currently considering meters in near-East Austin between […]