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Quote of the Day
“The concern we had there was with some of the language that may have inadvertently suggested that we were asking them to maximize the development potential in this part of town… And we wanted to send a more development-neutral message.”
— Commissioner Lonny Stern, from Zoning and Platting recommends planning process west of Loop 360
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Zoning and Platting recommends planning process west of Loop 360
From Miles Wall:
As the Austin Monitor has previously reported, the Zoning and Platting Commission was considering recommending that the city initiate a planning process for the area west of Loop 360 on the north side of the Colorado River. Well, on August 5, the commission passed a motion making just such a recommendation by a 7-1 vote, with chair Hank Smith as the lone ‘nay.’
“I’m gonna oppose, not strongly,” Smith said. “I think this is something that needs to be looked at in the overall comprehensive plan and looked at on a more broad basis to give us the guidance with the budget constraints we have now.”
The idea came from a 2023 recommendation from the Planning Commission that former Planning Commissioner Jennifer Mushtaler spoke about during the meeting we covered back in June.
“We felt that the lack of a regulatory plan, as this area is growing, could result in human and property damage,” she said.
Commission rejects resolution opposing Austin Energy’s revenue plan
From Jo Clifton:
Under Austin Energy’s proposed budget for the 2025-2026 year, utility customers will, on average, see a drop in their monthly bill of $4.89. Low income customers on the Customer Assistance Program, also known as CAP, will see a $7 decrease on average.
After hearing a briefing on the utility’s plan for increasing revenue while lowering customers’ bills, members of the Electric Utility Commission on Monday declined to adopt a resolution opposing Austin Energy’s proposed increase in the monthly fee paid by most customers.
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Does your business (or one you admire) deserve the spotlight? This is your chance to make it happen! 🏆
The Greater Austin Business Awards (GABA) is the largest and most prestigious business event in our region, and nominations for the 2025 ceremony are now open.
Celebrate companies, like yours, across Central Texas who are making a difference whether through leadership, tech innovation, workplace excellence, or community impact.
It costs $0 and less than 30 minutes to apply. Self-nominations are encouraged. And, you don’t need to be an Austin Chamber member to participate!
Submit your nominations here: https://my.reviewr.com/s2/site/GABA_2025
Winners will be recognized at the 2025 GABA event on November 19th at the JW Marriott Austin.
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Council consensus forming around a 5 cent tax election
City Council members have formed a tentative consensus on how much to ask Austin voters to raise their property taxes this November, clinched by a proposal from Mayor Kirk Watson in a Tuesday Council message board post. Prior, two coalitions of at least four Council Members each had advocated 5.75 cents and one at 6.75 (with the exception of CM Mark Duchen, who had opposed any TRE, and Watson, who had originally advocated a more conservative 3.5 cent increase). But in an attempt to meet the mayor halfway, the 5.75 crowd led by Council Member Zo Qadri came down to 5 cents, “with the goal of building a proposal that can win a strong supermajority of Council support,” Qadri wrote Monday.
After saying on Thursday that he would axe his own proposal in favor of consensus (though he said he’d probably vote against the budget even so) the mayor reluctantly followed up with his own 5-cent proposal on Monday, writing, “I did not and do not want to go to 5 cents on a TRE. That is not my first choice. However, I’m willing to try to achieve consensus.” That means fully funding the Homeless Strategy Office Plan – but one compromise Watson is not willing to make is funding any services outside of that plan: “I’m willing to consider going above my initial 3.5 amount only if the money goes to basic services.”
The 6.75-cent crowd, consisting of Council Members Ryan Alter, Chito Vela, José Velasquez and Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes, responded late Tuesday night with a new proposal on the message board post coming down to 5 cents as well, that “incorporates the Mayor’s 5 cent proposal and adds items included in other council members proposals. We offer this as a base motion for our debate tomorrow, understanding that there will of course be changes and amendments.” Watson responded on the message board that “if this is what we use, it would only be as a starting point. It would not be intended to gain any advantage over any other proposal. It is something that will allow us to have a primary motion, some structure for proposed amendments, and discussion,” adding that others would still be able to “argue for their positions.”
That means, should CMs agree, 5 cents will be the base motion which all amendments will build upon. Council will discuss the budget today at 10am and take a vote by the end of this week.
— Lina Fisher
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Elsewhere in the News
KUT has the story on the North Austin Target shooter.
The Austin Chronicle looks at efforts to regulate autonomous vehicles locally.
KXAN dives into APD’s latest “talking to people” effort.
The Statesman has the lowdown on a massive overhaul of Old Settlers Park in Round Rock.
The state Public Utility Commission is looking to block information about how much energy cryptocurrency consumes.
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