City Council took a crucial first step late Thursday toward presenting voters with one of the largest bond package in the city’s history. Just before 11 p.m., Council endorsed a $925 million general obligation bond that will include major pots of money for housing, transportation, parks, stormwater infrastructure and cultural facilities. The vote only instructed […]
November 2018 elections
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Council gears up for bond debate
On Thursday, City Council members will try to put together a bond package that a majority on the dais agree to and that they believe a majority of Austin voters will support at the polls in November. Whatever package Council approves on Thursday will lay out the biggest features of the bond, notably the dollar […]
Posted inCity Hall
Citizen petition demands city audit
This article has been updated. A spokesperson for Council Member Ellen Troxclair said that the proposed audit ordinance is not on the agenda for the next City Council meeting because one of the initial co-sponsors of the proposal withdrew support. A politically diverse group of activists is behind an effort to force the city of […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Council to hash out staff recommendations for proposed 2018 bond package
City Council is set to vote tomorrow on adopting the city manager’s recommendation for a 2018 bond package. Voters would decide on whether to approve the $816 million referendum this November. The proposal includes funding for transportation infrastructure, stormwater and open space, public safety, parks, libraries and cultural centers, health and human services, and affordable […]
Posted inRadio
Austin Monitor Radio: District 8 candidate Paige Ellis
In this week’s radio show, City Council candidate Paige Ellis joins Austin Monitor freelancer Caleb Pritchard and editor Elizabeth Pagano to talk about why she wants to represent District 8, and where she differs from her opponents on city issues. The whole thing is embedded below, so get to listening: The Austin Monitor’s work is […]
Posted inRadio
Austin Monitor Radio: Mayoral candidate Travis Duncan
On this week’s radio show, mayoral candidate Travis Duncan joins Austin Monitor freelancer Caleb Pritchard and editor Elizabeth Pagano to talk about why he’s running for office, what led him to the campaign trail, Ubuntu Contributionism and … other things. Listen in on the whole thing below. The Austin Monitor’s work is made possible by […]
Posted inRadio
Austin Monitor Radio: Bond Election Advisory Task Force
This week Bond Election Advisory Task Force members Rachel Stone, Sumit DasGupta and Jeff Smith join Austin Monitor freelancer Caleb Pritchard and editor Elizabeth Pagano to talk about what was – and wasn’t – in their $851 million recommendation for the November 2018 bond election. Hear all the details, embedded below. The Austin Monitor’s work […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Arts, culture groups joining forces for bond request likely to exceed $100M
Representatives from the city’s three ethnic cultural centers will join forces with members of the Arts and Music commissions to ask City Council for a bond package request that could add up to more than $120 million. At Monday’s meeting, the Music Commission voted unanimously to form a working group with members from the Emma […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Parks board talks MACC design, and cost
Recently, the advisory board for the the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center wrote a letter to City Council asking to be allocated the full project cost – $40 million – instead of the $15 million that was recently recommended for the center from the 2018 bond proposal for city infrastructure. However, at the April […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Parks board pushes for $62M for pools
Austin pools are in serious need of repairs. Everyone knows that, but the question is how much money the citizens are actually willing to pay to fix them. Currently, $33 million of the proposed 2018 bond package totaling $851 million is specifically dedicated to giving the construction equivalent of emergency surgery to Austin’s aging pools. However, […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Mobility Committee doesn’t not want Council to add Project Connect to November bond
After some brief dais drama on Tuesday, City Council’s Mobility Committee unanimously endorsed the idea of at least talking about putting $15 million in Project Connect seed money on the November ballot. The 4-0 vote nudged forward a request made by the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors last month aimed at funding preliminary […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Extra bond requests – $65M and counting – bring worry for cultural centers
Requests for additional funds for cultural and arts needs in a bond proposal expected to be voted on in November are causing worry from community groups that sticker shock could put much-needed funding at risk. Some of those concerns bubbled up at Monday’s meeting of the Arts Commission, during discussion on possibly linking requests from […]