In the aftermath of Winter Storm Uri, numerous Austin renters found their homes uninhabitable due to water and the resulting mold. Many were forced out of their apartments as a result and the city experienced a surge in the number of complaints about mold. In May, City Council directed City Manager Spencer Cronk to come […]
Austin Code
Formerly known as Code Compliance, this is the city department that handles enforcement of city code violations. Its work is complaint-driven.
Posted inDevelopment
Uproar over update of plumbing, mechanical codes
Every four years, the city’s Development Services and Austin Code departments go through a process of updating their technical codes related to plumbing, heating and air-conditioning design, installation and inspection. And with those updates comes a renewal of the battle between proponents of two different codes in each area – the International Plumbing Code vs. […]
Posted inPublic Safety
City departments team up to fight human trafficking
Local officials continue to emphasize that human trafficking has no place in Austin, where the crime is officially recognized by the city as a “human rights concern impacting Austin residents, businesses and communities.” In a recent memorandum, the city laid out the various ways it is working to identify and address human trafficking. In addition […]
Posted inCity Hall
Audit and Finance considers Code Department’s present, with an eye toward the future
When City Council members voted to reduce the Austin Police Department budget, they promised to reassign some duties police have previously handled, but it was not clear which departments would take up those burdens. However, at least some Council members were considering the Austin Code Department to take over some law enforcement jobs. Last week, Council […]
Posted inCity Hall
Audit: Austin Code employee abused his position
After receiving an anonymous tip, investigators with the Office of the City Auditor discovered that a hiring manager in Austin Code’s finance division was using his position to try to advance a romantic relationship based on a promise to hire the love interest’s sibling. According to an investigative report released Tuesday, Franklin Fejarang, who left […]
Posted inAustin
Audit calls Austin’s ‘bad landlord’ program ineffective, says it doesn’t ensure safe housing
A city program intended to make sure landlords maintain safe apartments is failing to do its job, a new audit finds. The report released Wednesday by the Office of the City Auditor looks at the Repeat Offender Program within the city’s Code Department. Created by City Council in 2013 and paid for with a monthly […]
Posted inBudget
Public Safety budget discussion wrestles with demands to defund APD
Chief Financial Officer Ed Van Eenoo gave the Public Safety Committee a public safety budget overview at its meeting on Monday. Much of the discussion centered around the Austin Police Department budget. Community members and some City Council members have demanded that a portion of the budget be reallocated to other city departments. “We have […]
Posted inThe Code
City issues first notices of intent to suspend in Repeat Offender Program
The city announced last week its first notices of intent to suspend in the Repeat Offender Program, which is designed to ensure that property owners or their agents keep their properties in compliance with Austin city code. The two properties that received the notices were 2400 Wickersham Lane and 7929 Gault St. The notices outline […]
Posted inHousing
Austin landlords repeatedly cited for health and safety violations could get right to rent revoked
José Pérez and his family were afraid of their stove. It caught on fire when they tried to cook, so the family bought prepared food. They had other problems in their apartment, too: The air conditioning went out for a week one August, there was no hot water for a month, and mold grew in […]
Posted inHousing
City finds almost 7,000 unregistered short-term rentals, with enforcement on the way
A vendor hired by the city to determine the number of short-term rental properties active on platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO told the Austin Monitor there are close to 11,000 operators, with less than a quarter of them licensed to comply with city regulations and deliver Hotel Occupancy Tax money to local coffers. The […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: History lessons
Fighting for your government seems to run in families… With Independence Day looming on the horizon, not much was happening at the July 3 Zoning and Platting Commission meeting. In the spirit of patriotism, and to make everyone’s journey to City Hall worth their time, Jim Duncan, the vice chair of the commission, took the […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Collective concerns
No need to bug out… Word hit the street recently that the city was considering a rule that would require all homes to install insect screens. “Proposal would require homeowners to install insect screens,” said a KXAN headline. Buried near the bottom of the story is an important caveat: The proposed rule would only apply […]