Three Austin City Council members have sent a letter to members of Congress and the Texas Legislature, urging the passage of the Women’s Health Protection Act and the repeal of House Bill 2. Council Members Bill Spelman, Laura Morrison and Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole signed the letter, which was dated Jan. 7. The […]
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 inLocal Politics
Remembering highlights of 2013
As we begin 2014, the Austin Monitor is taking a look back at 2013 in the thoughts and words of City Council members and City Manager Marc Ott. For most of them, 2013 was an important year with many major issues. We asked them to talk about what they thought were the most important events […]
Posted inLocal Politics
Riley cites heavy lifting in 2013 to get ready for 10-1 Council
Council Member Chris Riley offers a broad frame for the 2013 Austin City Council. “Trying to look at it from a perspective of how this year will be viewed historically, I think the most notable thing about it may well be that it will be viewed as the last full year of regular operation of […]
Posted inLocal Politics
Spelman wants to leave city in good shape for new 10-1 Council
For his part, Council Member Bill Spelman likes Council Member Chris Riley’s “clearing the decks” metaphor for the past year in Council activity. “I like the frame of clearing the decks,” he began. “It’s something that’s been on my mind – I think it’s something that’s been on all of our minds in the last […]
Posted inElections, Local Politics
Martinez sees 10-1 Council Districts as 2013’s biggest event
For Council Member Mike Martinez, one of the most important things to happen in city government in 2013 didn’t have anything to do with the current City Council. “If you want to ask me what I think was one of the most significant events of the year, as it relates to city government, it’s […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Politics
Austin’s continuing success biggest story for Leffingwell
Mayor Lee Leffingwell likes to point out that Austin, by most measures, has an extremely successful economy, gets high marks for job creation and has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation—4.7 percent, according to numbers released late last month. In December it was rated the top performing city in the United States […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Politics
Council approves metered parking plan at Butler Shores park
After a City Council vote last week, plans to meter parking at the Butler Shores Ball Field parking lot in South Austin are moving forward. Council approved the plan in a 6-1 vote, with Council Member Kathie Tovo voting no. Tovo argued that there were reasonable alternatives to installing the meters, including enforcing […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Government
Council postpones hearing, vote on Holly Shores Park to Jan. 30
City Council members postponed a planned public hearing and vote last Thursday on the redevelopment of Festival Beach on Lady Bird Lake into the Holly Shores/Edward Rendon Sr. Park at Festival Beach. The hearing and vote were postponed until Jan. 30 after neighbors of the planned park complained loudly that they were only given […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Politics
Council moves ahead on plans to overhaul Auditorium Shores
Despite talk of postponing their decision in the face of public scrutiny, City Council members moved forward with plans to rehabilitate Auditorium Shores Thursday night. “Delays into January, when work is supposed to start this month, it triggers a domino event for all of those events where we have specifically timed them in the […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Transportation
Council endorses Lone Star Rail but hangs on to the money
Lone Star Rail will move forward with the backing of the Austin City Council, though not with any of the city’s money just yet. In a 6-1 vote, the City Council authorized the city’s participation in the Lone Star Rail District. But it set its funding for the project temporarily at zero. The plan […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Transportation, Uncategorized
Council endorses Highland Mall-East Riverside Urban Rail route
Austin City Council members Thursday night endorsed a plan by transportation officials to pursue an urban rail line that extends south from the Highland Mall region, through the city center, and east out East Riverside Drive. The move begins a process that could end in a multi-million dollar bond election over rail for the city […]
Posted inLocal Politics
Mayor nominates police intelligence agency for free Google Fiber
A pitch from Mayor Lee Leffingwell to include the Austin Regional Intelligence Center, or ARIC, on a list of sites that will receive free access to Google’s new ultra-high speed Internet service met with some amount of skepticism from his colleagues Tuesday. At their regular work session – the last one of 2013 – […]