City Council Member Chito Vela, the lead sponsor of a resolution discouraging Austin police from investigating allegations concerning abortion, said Monday he expects City Council to consider the resolution at a special meeting held the week of July 18. In addition to Vela, sponsors of the resolution so far include Mayor Steve Adler and Council […]
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton
Posted inCourts
Adler, Brown say they won’t back down as Paxton threatens suit
Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a letter to Mayor Steve Adler and Travis County Judge Andy Brown Wednesday threatening a lawsuit if Austin and Travis County do not rescind rules devised by Austin’s health authority to slow the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Those rules include the requirement that adults wear face masks when entering […]
Posted inCity Council
Council makes Planning Commission appointments this week
City Council is making clear to those concerned – including Attorney General Ken Paxton – that it will absolutely abide by a city charter provision that requires two-thirds of all planning commissioners to be lay members. Paxton has sued previous members of the commission on two separate occasions, charging that their presence on the 13-member […]
Posted inCity Council
Council passes changes to consumer lending policies
On Thursday, City Council adopted changes to a city ordinance governing Registration of Credit Access Businesses to ensure that city regulations on consumer lending also apply to credit service organizations like payday and auto title lenders. The change, passed on the consent agenda, creates an offense and penalty and adds an application fee for those […]
Posted inElections
Federal appeals court temporarily halts expansion of mail-in voting in Texas
An expansion of Texas’ vote-by-mail program during the pandemic is on hold, again. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday temporarily blocked a lower court ruling from a day earlier that opened up mail-in voting to people under 65. Texas has one of the strictest vote-by-mail programs in the country. It’s open only […]
Posted inElections
Court order that opens up mail-in voting in Texas stays in effect for now, appeals court rules
Voters who don’t want to risk exposure to the coronavirus may use mail-in ballots during upcoming elections as a legal battle moves through the courts, a Texas appeals court ruled Thursday. The 14th Court of Appeals ruled a trial court order from April will stay in place until the appeal has concluded, Beth Stevens, voting […]
Posted inAustin
Texas attorney general warns some Austin-Travis County Covid-19 orders are ‘unlawful’
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a letter to Austin Mayor Steve Adler and outgoing Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt on Tuesday saying some of the requirements in their local public health orders are unlawful and “likely to confuse residents.” Paxton sent similar letters to leaders in Dallas County, Bexar County and the city of […]
Posted inCity Charter
Paxton files suit against planning commissioners
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is once again challenging the makeup of Austin’s Planning Commission. In a suit filed Tuesday, Paxton asks to remove Fayez Kazi, James Shieh, Greg Anderson, Claire Hempel and/or Patrick Howard from the Planning Commission “because one or more of them unlawfully hold a position on the Commission.” The suit is […]
Posted inCourts
Legal fight over Planning Commission likely to continue
The city of Austin does not appear any closer to resolving a legal challenge from Attorney General Ken Paxton over the composition of its Planning Commission. So far, nobody on City Council has proposed removing any members in response to Paxton’s claim that the commission has too many real estate professionals. Last year, in response […]
Posted inCourts
AG tells Cedar Park no deal on tax exemption
Attorney General Ken Paxton has ruled that the city of Cedar Park is not allowed to set its minimum property tax exemption at $10,000 but must use the $5,000 minimum set by state law. Last spring, the Cedar Park City Council approved an ordinance granting residential property owners a $10,000 exemption on their homesteads. However, […]
Posted inCourts
State court puts Austin’s paid sick leave rules on hold
As the city has stepped up work to inform and prepare workers about their rights under the city’s passed-but-not-yet-implemented paid sick leave ordinance, a state appeals court has put the measure on hold while it reviews the legal case against it. On Friday, Texas’ 3rd Court of Appeals blocked the ordinance from going into effect […]
Posted inCity Hall
Here’s why Ken Paxton wants to kick members off Austin’s Planning Commission
A city statute that governs the makeup of Austin’s Planning Commission is at the center of a legal challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office. Paxton is taking legal action to remove eight members of the 13-member commission, citing a rule that limits how many commissioners can have some sort of affiliation with real […]