On Thursday, City Council approved a resolution directing City Manager T.C. Broadnax to find funding to continue use of the Marshalling Yard emergency shelter for homeless people in Austin. The resolution specifically directs staff not to use money already allocated to the homeless response system. While 10 members voted for the resolution put forth by […]
Austin City Council
The Austin City Council is the body with legislative purview over the City of Austin. It offers policy direction, while the office of the City Manager implements administrative actions based on those policies. Until 2015, the body contained seven members, including the city’s Mayor, all elected at-large. In 2012, City of Austin residents voted to change that system and as of 2015, 10 members of the Council are elected based on geographic districts. The Mayor continues to be elected at-large.
Posted inPreservation
City taps Rally Austin for funds to buy historic cultural spaces
The city plans to give Rally Austin control over an estimated $11 million designated to purchase historic properties that could enhance tourism and cultural uses. Thursday’s City Council meeting saw passage on consent of a resolution that directs staff to work with the economic development group and other relevant entities to develop a plan for […]
Posted inTipSheets
TipSheet: Austin City Council, 9.26.24
Today, City Council will convene for its regular meeting, and we’ve taken a look at the agenda to piece together some educated guesses about what the most interesting things on said agenda are. As evidenced by today’s edition of the Austin Monitor, we’re pretty excited to see how the new work session rules shake out, […]
Posted inPolice
Austin’s police union, city agree to a $218 million, five-year labor contract
Austin’s police union and the city agreed in principle Monday to a five-year labor contract. The $218 million deal, which comes after years of occasionally contentious negotiations, would give police officers a 28 percent raise over the next five years. The complete details have not yet been made available to the public. City Council is […]
Posted inCity Council
Incentive programs, cultural district framework headed back to Council after postponement
City Council appears set to vote on a trio of Economic Development Department programs that were postponed from the Sept. 12 meeting because of concerns that Council members hadn’t had enough time to review and suggest changes. The delay was due in part to the recent trend of canceling work sessions on the Tuesday prior […]
Posted inCity Council
Watson, Council members refine direction in push to keep Marshalling Yard shelter open
Mayor Kirk Watson and other members of City Council want to give city staff specific directions and benchmarks in their work to keep the Marshalling Yard Emergency Shelter open indefinitely and keep other city shelters from becoming overwhelmed with the number of experiencing homelessness. In a recent posting on the City Council Message Board, Watson […]
Posted inCity Council
‘A ticket home’: New Austin city law will require pets to be microchipped
The city of Austin will soon require people to get microchips for their pets. Microchips are small grain-like trackers that are implanted under a pet’s skin that can be used to trace the animal back to its owner. Essentially, it’s a ticket home. City Council could approve a change to city rules this week that […]
Posted inZoning
Major upzoning in Zilker neighborhood draws opposition
On Sept. 12, City Council approved a zoning change for a 0.42-acre property in the Zilker neighborhood that will allow the developer to build to 90 feet, falling under the Density Bonus 90 category. The property at 2130 Goodrich Ave., currently the site of a one-story office building, is about 100 feet from South Lamar […]
Posted inBudget
Fuentes airs budget concerns over move to keep Marshalling Yard shelter open indefinitely
City Council Member Vanessa Fuentes has signaled her concerns with a resolution scheduled for next week’s meeting that could result in keeping a 300-bed emergency shelter open far longer than it was originally budgeted for. The resolution directs the city manager to find the estimated $9 million it would cost to keep the Marshalling Yard […]
Posted inPlanning
City Council puts South Central Waterfront Plan on ice
Following the lead of Mayor Kirk Watson, City Council unanimously approved an indefinite postponement of the South Central Waterfront Combining District and Density Bonus Program at its most recent meeting. “The South Central Waterfront area is very crucial. We all know how crucial it is to our downtown development. And the development regulations in this […]
Posted inElections
Watson collects the most endorsements among mayoral candidates
Campaigns for City Council and mayor are heating up just as the weather is cooling a bit, by Austin standards at least. Mayor Kirk Watson is touting his many endorsements, with a full page devoted to the 14 unions that have indicated their support, starting with the Austin Firefighters Association and the Austin-Travis County EMS […]
Posted inCity Council
Postponements spark talk of examining Council work sessions
The lack of City Council work session meetings in recent weeks appears to have played a large role in the postponement of a trio of programs pushed by the Economic Development Department that had been up for a vote at last week’s full Council meeting. The three programs in question were: a place-based economic incentive […]