Last week, approximately 60 percent of Travis County voters approved Proposition A – a property tax increase that will expand access to affordable child care and after-school/summer programs for lower-income families. The tax increase ($0.025 per $100 valuation for a total ad valorem tax rate of 0.34 percent) will also support the development of child […]
Council Member Alison Alter
Posted inLand Development Code
Council hears plan to overhaul site plan review process
Few who have dealt with the city of Austin’s site plan review process would dispute that it’s cumbersome, time-consuming and expensive. But consulting firm McKinsey & Company, which analyzed the process and then outlined improvements for City Council at Tuesday’s work session, has offered statistics demonstrating just how convoluted the process is. For example: The […]
Posted inAustin
Austin launches education and outreach initiative targeting hate crimes
The city of Austin last week launched the We All Belong Anti-Hate Initiative, an education and outreach campaign intended as a response to a string of hate crime incidents reported across the city. A group of leaders from the city, Travis County and other parts of the community gathered at a Friday morning news conference […]
Posted inCity Hall
Alter wants outside audit to address boil-water incidents
Mayor Pro Tem Alison Alter wants outside experts to conduct an audit of Austin Water to find out what operational issues and internal processes may have contributed to the city experiencing three boil-water incidents since 2018. On Monday, Alter posted to the City Council Message Board and sent out a newsletter to her district calling […]
Posted inCity Council
Alter says resilience has been the theme of 2021
Reflecting on her fifth year serving District 10, City Council Member Alison Alter recalls confronting significant obstacles, but maintains that Austin has come out the better for it. “It’s been an incredibly challenging year, but we’ve set a lot of things into motion that I believe will make Austin a more resilient and sustainable place […]
Posted inCity Council
Alter highlights progress in public safety in 2019
Out of all the work she’s accomplished this year, Council Member Alison Alter is particularly proud of what she’s brought to fruition in the realm of public safety. Beginning in January, Alter posted a resolution calling for a third-party audit of the city’s deeply flawed sexual assault response system. She said the effort is now […]
Posted inCity Council
Council asks city staff for ideas on local Green New Deal, EVs
City Council unanimously approved its own Green New Deal resolution last week in response to the devastating consequences of the climate crisis, from record temperatures to the historic flooding seen in Austin and Central Texas over the last decade. Council Member Leslie Pool sponsored the resolution, while Council Member Alison Alter said the intent is […]
Posted inUncategorized
Development code vote kicked down the road
City staffers are not quite in the clear to officially start work drafting a new Land Development Code. City Council was preparing to make a vote this week that would provide direction to City Manager Spencer Cronk regarding the code, but that vote had still not come up by the time Council adjourned its meeting […]
Posted inCity Council
Alison Alter relishes academic approach to government
Two years into her tenure on City Council, District 10 Council Member Alison Alter said she remains focused on the reasons she ran for the seat against former Council Member Sheri Gallo. “I didn’t run as a political insider, nor because I craved the spotlight,” she said in an interview with the Austin Monitor at […]