How accurate are the water meters that determine how much Austinites pay their city-owned utility each month? Past allegations of frequent misreadings came up again at City Council Thursday, when Council Member Ellen Troxclair suggested that the city is not demanding a high enough level of accuracy in a contract under consideration with the company […]
Austin Water Utility
AWU is the municipal utility that provides water service for the City of Austin.
Posted inRoads
Fixing street cut repair program to take time
City Council Member Ellen Troxclair said she was “really alarmed” when she read the Office of the City Auditor report showing that the city has a 3.6-year backlog in repairing potholes created by utility crews fixing water lines. That’s the number even if there were no new street cuts during that time. Members of the […]
Posted inResources
City utilities devise plan to help with unpaid bills
Austin’s two city-owned utilities are teaming up to help some of the city’s most indebted customers catch up on unpaid bills. Beginning this summer, the joint effort between Austin Energy and Austin Water will target 543 customers who participate in AE’s low-income customer assistance program and owe between $1,750 and $3,000 to the utilities. Those […]
Posted inCity Hall
Austin Water official resigns under cloud
The program manager for Austin Water’s Public Information & Marketing Office resigned in late December after an investigation by the Office of the City Auditor concluded that he had accepted a gift or favor from a city contractor and wasted city money in payments to that contractor. Auditors found that the employee, Jason Hill, “asked […]
Posted inWater
Austin Water in process of cost-of-service study
Austin Water, the city-owned water and wastewater utility, is currently in the midst of a lengthy cost-of-service study that will shape the rates it will charge Austin residents and businesses for water over the next decade. Unlike Austin Energy, the city-owned electric utility, Austin Water is not required by city ordinance to conduct a cost-of-service […]
Posted inCity Hall
Audit finds misuse of city resources
Two employees of Austin Water are facing possible disciplinary actions after an investigation by the Office of the City Auditor found that they used city computers for work on their secondary employment. Reports from both investigations demonstrate how difficult it may be for city employees with demanding jobs who have other jobs or careers to […]
Posted inCity Council
Pilot Knob could face yet another lawsuit
City Council is poised to move forward once again Thursday on the Pilot Knob/Easton Park planned unit development and affordable housing agreement that Judge Stephen Yelenosky voided in October. But Council members should know that the same civic activist who recently won a suit over the city’s failure to comply with the Texas Open Meetings […]
Posted inCity Council
Judge considers Rodgers’ Pilot Knob claims
How much notice should the City Council agenda provide to citizens who want to know what Council is doing that may impact their taxes and water rates? That’s one of the questions Judge Stephen Yelenosky will have to answer when he rules on Brian Rodgers’ lawsuit against the city of Austin. Yelenosky heard arguments on […]
Posted inWater
Commission OKs drainage discount for rain barrels
The city’s Environmental Commission endorsed a proposed ordinance last week that will give property owners the chance to lower their drainage fees if they make efforts to reduce runoff from their properties. Austin Water utility already provides a one-time rebate to homeowners who buy rain barrels and rain gardens, but the Watershed Protection Department decided […]
Posted inWater
Council approves permanent water restrictions
After an hour-and-a-half debate, City Council voted Thursday to approve an ordinance that will permanently restrict residents from using automatic sprinklers on their lawns more than once a week. “We should be really proud of Austin,” said Jennifer Walker, the water resources coordinator for the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. “I believe that […]
Posted inWater
Council debates water restrictions
Home car-washing may soon be coming back to Austin. If City Council approves Austin Water’s proposed reforms of water restrictions, homeowners will be able to spray down their cars in their driveways every day if their hearts so desire. That appears to be the concession the utility is offering customers who might otherwise be frustrated by […]
Posted inWater
Council moves to make major water investments
City Council voted Thursday for the city to apply for nearly $190 million in loans as part of a plan to make major investments in local water infrastructure in the coming years. The city will apply for a loan of roughly $86 million from the Texas Water Development Board in order to make improvements to […]