Today’s Austin City Council meeting looks to be a rather tame affair, but we’re staying tuned nonetheless. As usual, the entire agenda is posted online, but we’ve read through and made our best guesses at what might be worth a deeper dive. Today’s agenda is also host to a number of items that will allow […]
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 inBudget
City facing a $33 million deficit for 2026
Given current conditions, the city’s budget analysts are projecting a $33 million shortfall in the city’s General Fund in Fiscal Year 2026, with that number increasing to $79.9 million by FY 2030. City Council heard the bad news from City Manager T.C. Broadnax and Budget Director Kerri Lang at Tuesday’s City Council work session. One […]
Posted inBudget
City looking to fill in gaps after spending or encumbering all ARPA funds
The city has spent or encumbered a total of $188.5 million that it received from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan Act. According to a memo to the mayor and City Council, the city met the Dec. 31, 2024, deadline to spend or encumber the money, which must be spent by Dec. 31, […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Austin’s redemption arc: The embarrassing recent failures and hard-fought reforms in our city’s response to sexual assault
April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. The city of Austin has garnered national attention for its prior failures to investigate cases and support survivors in their healing and, more recently, for its survivor-led reforms. The Austin Monitor took a look back at the recent challenges and victories in Austin’s sexual assault response system. […]
Posted inCity Council
City Council expected to implement requirements for residential air conditioning
The city is revising its technical building codes. As part of this process, City Council is slated to adopt changes to Austin’s version of the International Property Maintenance Code on April 10. Most notably, these changes will include a requirement that all Austinites can access air conditioning in their homes. Surprisingly, current statewide housing standards […]
Posted inAustin
Workshops helping city gear up business expansion, place-based incentive programs
Ahead of a planned rollout in May, the city is hoping a series of workshops this month will generate interest in its updated business expansion and upcoming place-based enhancement incentive programs. The programs, which were recently approved by City Council, are designed to assist small businesses and creative-sector tenants facing rising real estate pressures. Three […]
Posted inPlanning
A once-banned type of building is back in favor – and the Planning Commission approves
The Planning Commission approved several proposed amendments to an amendment of the city’s Technical Building Code during a meeting March 25, all of which address a peculiar kind of development called a “single-stair,” or “point-access” building. Point-access buildings are so named because they’re only accessible by a single point of entrance and exit. Small, single-stairway […]
Posted inPolice
APD gets temporary extension of license plate reader program
The Austin Police Department’s use of automated license plate readers as an investigative tool will continue through June, City Council decided last week. Later this year, Council will determine whether to make the pilot program a permanent feature, depending on the findings of the city auditor’s analysis to be presented to the Audit and Finance […]
Posted inElections
Ethics commissioners vote to hear campaign finance complaints from D7 election
The Ethics Review Commission voted unanimously this week to advance two campaign finance complaints to final hearings, determining that there are reasonable grounds to believe that violations of the city’s campaign finance rules may have occurred during a recent City Council election. Both complaints were filed by local advocate Adam Haynes and center on activities […]
Posted inWater
$1 billion expansion of wastewater treatment plant poised to break ground
With a major expansion on the horizon for Austin’s Walnut Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, Mayor Kirk Watson is working with city staff to ensure the $1 billion project goes off without a hitch. The project, which City Council approved last May, would expand the site’s processing capacity from 75 million to 100 million gallons of […]
Posted inParks
In rare move, Council delays decision on nominee’s appointment to the parks board
For the second time in less than a year, community member Ted Eubanks faced opposition to his nomination to the city’s Parks and Recreation Board. Eubanks, a 40-year parks professional who specializes in heritage and nature tourism, was one of more than 30 nominees on a list awaiting City Council approval Thursday to serve on […]
Posted inAustin
Council members celebrate unanimous defeat of bill that proposed putting Austin under state control
Austin City Council members celebrated the resounding defeat of House Bill 274 on Wednesday, a bill that would have created the “District of Austin” as the state’s official seat of government. “Our message is loud and clear: local leaders are best equipped to address local needs. The overwhelming rebuke from members of the state Legislature […]