An attorney working on revisions to the city’s lobby registration ordinance has accused opponents of the change of refusing to negotiate in order to prevent the process from moving forward. Fred Lewis, the major architect of the proposed changes, told the City Council Audit and Finance Committee on Wednesday that opponents to the revisions – […]
Austin City Council Audit and Finance Committee
A sub-group of the Austin City Council whose members are charged with oversight of city fiscal operations and anything that falls under the purview of the Office of the City Auditor. Reports and documents for the committee can be found here.
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TipSheet: This week’s Council committees
As part of our ongoing effort to keep readers up to date with all that is going on at City Hall, we present our tip sheet for Austin City Council committees. As usual, we will be offering highlights of meetings, with links to entire agendas. Public Safety Council Committee Monday, Oct. 26, 4 p.m. 2. […]
Posted inAustin
Courthouse proposal gets shut down in committee
A city proposal to relocate the county courthouse from downtown to East Austin didn’t gain any traction at the Audit and Finance Committee on Wednesday, but it did spark a heated conversation. Though City Council Member Ellen Troxclair moved to approve the resolution, she did not receive a second. The resolution will not move on […]
Posted inThe Code
Committee gets preview of lobby registration fight
Two things became clear Wednesday when the Audit and Finance Committee heard a brief presentation and two speakers on proposed revisions to the lobby registration ordinance: First, the proposed changes will be controversial. Second, City Council Members Ellen Troxclair and Don Zimmerman are prepared to fight – along with members of the engineering, architectural and […]
Posted inThe Code
Ethics Commission begins to examine proposed lobbying changes
The Ethics Review Commission is under pressure to deal quickly with proposed changes to city lobbying rules. On Monday, City Council Member Leslie Pool, the chief backer of a resolution directing the city manager to draft a substantial revision to the city lobbying ordinance, urged the commission to set up a public hearing on the […]
Posted inDevelopment
Committees fail to agree on Whisper Valley deal
A relatively small change in an agreement between the city and the developer of the Whisper Valley and Indian Hills Public Improvement Districts has failed to win approval from two committees charged with making such decisions and passing them on to the full City Council. Representatives of the Austin Water utility as well as city […]
Posted inCity Hall
Lobby rules move forward despite objections
After hearing expressions of both support and concern, the City Council Audit and Finance Committee voted Wednesday to send Council Member Leslie Pool’s resolution to alter city lobby regulations to the Ethics Review Commission for further vetting. The vote was 3-0-1, with Council Member Ellen Troxclair abstaining. Members of the land use professions expressed dismay […]
Posted inCity Hall
Pool proposes changes to rules for lobbyists
If City Council Member Leslie Pool and her cadre of ethics reformers have their way, any number of people who are currently working to persuade city officials to take action, or not, will have to register under a revised city lobby ordinance. And there may be a shakeup at city commissions as well. At a […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: This week’s Council committees
As part of our ongoing, tireless attempt to keep readers up to date with all that is going on at City Hall, we present our tipsheet for Austin City Council committees. As usual, we will be offering highlights of meetings, with links to entire agendas. Note that this week, Council will meet on Thursday as the […]
Posted inCity Hall
Auditor to report on budget scrutiny options
In response to a request from Mayor Steve Adler, City Auditor Corrie Stokes and her team are preparing a report on how the City Council could scrutinize the budgets of various city departments and their programs throughout the year. In a memo to Stokes, Adler wrote, “A department and program review process would be outside […]
Posted inCity Hall
Campaign finance database likely on the way
If a plan that City Council has initiated pans out by campaign season, local watchdogs will have a new, convenient tool on their hands for monitoring political contributions in the next election. Council adopted a resolution Thursday that directs city staff to return with an ordinance in August that would require candidates, officeholders and political […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: This week’s Council Committees
As part of our ongoing attempt to keep readers up to date with all that is going on at City Hall, we will now be offering weekly tip sheets for City Council committees. As usual, we will be offering highlights of meetings, with links to entire agendas. Public Safety Committee Monday, June 22. Agenda here. […]