There was sympathy on the dais, but last week District 10 residents lost a City Council appeal against a building constructed without a permit. Though some Council members openly expressed regret about the decision, they voted 6-3-1 to deny the appeal. Council Members Leslie Pool, Ora Houston and Ann Kitchen voted in approval. Mayor Pro Tem […]
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 inDevelopment
Council changes impervious cover deal
City Council on Thursday approved two changes to an impervious cover transfer agreement for property at 6308 Spicewood Springs Road, meaning the item will have to come back for a third and final reading. The property, owned by Roy Cavanaugh, is home to Ace Salvage Yard and Ace Discount Glass & Door and abuts Bull […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: gates, pies and tracheotomies
Council ponders homestead exemption, pie… City Council members may have been craving pie Wednesday afternoon, having tossed the metaphor around while discussing ways to fairly distribute the costs and benefits of a proposed homestead tax exemption on residents. Council Member Leslie Pool took the concept to levels of abstraction that may have had members of […]
Posted inDevelopment, Zoning
Korean church rezoning fails without a motion
By declining to take action, City Council quickly scuttled a developer’s plans Thursday to build 70,000 square feet of office space and approximately 10 apartments in the Crestview neighborhood. Developer David Kahn purchased the site at Justin Lane and Cullen Avenue that was currently occupied by the Korean United Presbyterian Church for redevelopment. But with […]
Posted inCity Hall
City learns how to deal with angry women, men
An ill-advised city training session designed to teach staff how to deal with female City Council members has most of Austin talking, angry and wondering how it happened in the first place. That includes Council members. During the session, which took place in March, Jonathan K. Allen alleged that women ask a lot of questions and […]
Posted inCity Council, Texas State Legislature
Council debates city’s state legislative policies
With the 84th session of the Texas Legislature set to end June 1, the city’s Government Relations Office has kicked its lobbying efforts into overdrive. At the same time, City Council has opened a discussion about how the city determines its legislative program and makes decisions on which bills to support or oppose. A legislative […]
Posted inDevelopment
Council to consider Crestview valid petition case
On Thursday, City Council will be considering its first valid petition case in which the neighborhood opposes any zoning change for the property in question. Developer David Kahn is proposing to build a project of just under 70,000 square feet, including an office building and a small amount of residential development, in the Crestview neighborhood on […]
Posted inEnergy, Texas State Legislature
Council tentatively extends large energy contracts
Austin Energy is stuck between a rock and a hard place, with the rock being the Texas Legislature and the hard place being the utility’s exhausted reserve funds. City Council is now working to wriggle the municipal energy provider out of its predicament without serious damage. Acting essentially as Austin Energy’s board of directors, Council […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Au revoir, RDCC
That’s one set of appointments no one has to worry about … Last Thursday, City Council dissolved the Residential Design and Compatibility Commission. The RDCC initiated the process, passing a resolution to dissolve itself in February due to the decreased number of cases coming before the commission. “They felt the need not to exist,” explained […]
Posted inPremium Types
Tick Tock: Austin City Council Meeting 5.7.2015
Tick Tock is the sortable-by-item-number transcript of Monitor publisher Mike Kanin’s Twitter feed from Council day. Simply click on the item number to scroll to the corresponding. Votes are color-coded: Green for yeas, red for nays, et cetera. It’s embedded below. ITEMS 11 22 23 24 26 27 28 33 40 46 Tick Tock Participants: […]
Posted inRoads, Transportation
Council formally weighs in on MoPac South plan
After weeks of mounting tension over what many call a “double-decking” of MoPac Expressway over Lady Bird Lake, City Council has formally asked the regional transportation planning body to modify a proposal to add four express lanes to a section of the highway in its upcoming plan. Council passed a resolution Thursday requesting that the […]
Posted inDevelopment, Zoning
Council gives initial approval for Ace Salvage deal
City Council gave first-reading approval Thursday to an ordinance that will eliminate an auto salvage business above Bull Creek, remove contamination in the critical water quality zone and add to the trail system for that area. In return, owner Roy Cavanaugh will have the right to trade about 230,000 square feet of impervious cover credits […]