Callout: Today’s newsletter is supported by “Austin Parks Foundation’s Party for the Parks”
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Quote of the Day
“This is gonna be a big building, everything is gonna be done totally indoors. No trash sits there overnight, all trash will be removed every day… So this isn’t the final disposal facility, merely a transfer facility.”
— Austin Resource Recovery Director Richard McHale, from Austin wants to create a central hub for trash before it goes to landfills
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City fees will be higher for almost everything this year
From Jo Clifton:
Like so many other costs, city rates and fees are going up in the upcoming fiscal year, which starts in October. Overall, the projected yearly impact of all the fee increases will be $417 for the average homeowner in Austin.
Those increases include fees for water, trash service, drainage, the Clean Community Fee and the Transportation User fee. The monthly charge from Austin Energy will also increase slightly, but the utility is lowering the overall customer bill by reducing the amount per kilowatt-hour used.
Austin wants to create a central hub for trash before it goes to landfills
From Mose Buchele, KUT News:
Austin Resource Recovery has released new details on plans to build a central hub where city garbage and composting trucks transfer their loads to bigger trucks before the waste is hauled to out-of-town disposal sites.
Department officials said the hub, also called a transfer station, would help improve city services and reduce emissions from disposal trucks. But questions remain about the location and cost of the proposed facility.
Right now, when city waste collection trucks fill up on their routes, the drivers need to go long distances — sometimes more than 30 miles — to empty out at landfills and composting sites.
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Today’s newsletter is supported by “Austin Parks Foundation’s Party for the Parks”
Join Austin Parks Foundation for the 11th Annual Party for the Parks, featuring Passion Pit! This beloved event is happening under the lights at ACL in Zilker Park on Wednesday, October 8th.
Partygoers will enjoy delicious dining options, libations from Austin’s premiere beverage brands, games, a live auction and an intimate concert—all while helping raise funds for our city’s nearly 400 parks, trails and green spaces. Click here to get your tickets and join the fun!
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An update from the newsroom
Greetings, once again, from our nascent newsroom! This week, we’re continuing to assemble the team, and are honing in on someone to manage our community events and engagement. It’s an important role that will be pivotal in gathering feedback from you and the community-at-large as we consider the ways and directions we might grow.
We’ve already taken some steps towards understanding what you would like to see added to our normal coverage moving forward. Last week, we held a roundtable with a core group of Monitor readers to better understand the value we have in your lives and how to improve upon it. We’ll be asking those same questions in an upcoming reader survey, and hope to keep the lines of communication open as we continue to evolve. (Those lines of communication, by the way, stay open at info@austinmonitor.com – drop us a line at any time!)
We’re also taking a look at the local news landscape to see where we might fit in and collaborate in order to help Austinites become their most-informed, civically-engaged selves. We’ve started that work through our yearslong partnership with KUT, and by participating in things like the recent Austin PBS roundtable about the new city budget. And, in what is emerging as a theme, we’re eager to expand on that work. Thanks for coming along on the ride!
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Elsewhere in the News
Another crisis at Cheer Up Charlies has been resolved, with donations from the public quickly covering back rent for the queer venue.
In other LGBTQIA+ news, KXAN takes a look at what could happen to Austin’s rainbow crosswalks after the U.S. Transportation Department’s new push to remove political messages and art from the streets.
Texas’ new congressional map is already the subject of a lawsuit.
And, the Austin Chronicle takes a look at what’s up with the Texas Lottery, now that the legislative dust has settled.
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