It looks like City Council work sessions may be resuming soon. After three consecutive cancellations, there was some speculation that work sessions might be eliminated, or only utilized for necessary Council briefings. However, today, Council will vote on a proposal from City Manager T.C. Broadnax to restructure work sessions beginning in October. Work sessions are […]
Bill Aleshire
A former Travis County judge, Aleshire has since been involved in a host of causes. These include the 2011 controversy over what Travis County Attorney David Escamilla eventually found to be Austin City Council violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act, as well as a law suit over City of Austin historic property tax exemptions.
Posted inLocal Politics
Lawyer says Garza should follow city finance rules
Within hours of signing up to run in the March Democratic primary for Travis County Attorney, Delia Garza had an opponent whose name will not be appearing on the 2020 ballot. Bill Aleshire, who retired from his job as county judge at the end of 1998, sent a letter via email to Garza urging her […]
Posted inCity Council
Neighbors win Open Meetings suit again
Once again, the city of Austin finds itself on the losing end of a legal battle over public information. Last week, the 14th Court of Appeals sided with the Lake Austin Collective, which sued the city for failing to give adequate notice of an agenda item changing the terms of development regulations for the Champion […]
Posted inCourts
Taxpayers sue appraisal district, chief appraiser
Two companies who employ appraisers to represent residential and commercial property owners to challenge appraisals before the Travis County Appraisal Review Board and 159 of their clients have sued the review board and Chief Appraiser Marya Crigler in her official capacity. The lawsuit, which was filed on Monday by attorney Bill Aleshire, alleges that the […]
Posted inCourts
City facing two suits over ballot wording
On Friday afternoon, attorney Bill Aleshire filed suit on behalf of a voter against the city of Austin over language City Council adopted to describe the proposition on the November ballot related to CodeNEXT or any other rewrite of the city’s Land Development Code. The suit was filed with the Texas Supreme Court for Allan […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Reagan going to court over sign rule secrecy
Billy Reagan, the owner of Reagan Signs, the best-known billboard company in the city of Austin, is looking forward to going to court later this month to try to find out why the city won’t let him see communications between CodeNEXT consultants and members of the city’s Law Department. And more importantly, what’s in those […]
Posted inCourts
Who is being sued in city’s appraisal suit?
In its lawsuit challenging the Travis Central Appraisal District’s valuations of commercial property and vacant land, the city of Austin has sued the owners of numerous tax exempt properties, including the Salvation Army, the Congress Avenue Baptist Church, the Faith United Methodist Church on South Lamar, the Austin Independent School District, the University of Texas […]
Posted inCourts, Elections
Aleshire files criminal complaint against Zimmerman
District 6 City Council Member Don Zimmerman may be headed back to court, but this time as a defendant in a criminal prosecution. On Thursday, AleshireLAW PC attorney Bill Aleshire filed a criminal complaint against Zimmerman with the Travis County District Attorney and the Texas Ethics Commission. Aleshire’s complaint centers on Zimmerman using $2,000 in […]
Posted inLocal Politics
Martinez, Adler bicker over homestead exemption
Mayoral candidate Mike Martinez staged yet another battle in the ongoing war over homestead exemptions Thursday, holding a news conference to attack candidate Steve Adler’s plan and reveal details of his own proposal. “If Steve Adler has his way, the average middle-class renter in Austin will see their cost of living increase by $80 each […]
Posted inDevelopment, Environment, Local Politics, Transportation
Travis Commissioners vote to spend $15 million on SH45 SW
The Travis County Commissioners Court approved spending $15 million in county funds Tuesday toward a plan to extend the southwest portion of State Highway 45 from the end of MoPac Boulevard to FM 1626. The vote fulfilled Travis County’s part of a plan to accelerate construction of the road by the end of this year […]
Posted inLocal Politics
City Ethics Commission clears Almanza of conflict of interest
An emotional battle between a business shut down by the city and an Austin Parks and Recreation Board member came to an official end Wednesday. The fallout may be felt for some time, perhaps even into the next election cycle. The city’s Ethics Review Commission voted unanimously that Susanna Almanza, a Parks Board member […]