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Austin Monitor
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Running a nonprofit news organization is both hard and easy in this day and age. On the hard side, I’m not exaggerating when I say that the media industry at large is in a transformative period that will ultimately lead to its evolution or extinction. Headlines abound every week about the loss of journalism jobs and entire news companies.
Disability commission to seek replacement of group home rules stricken from code
Advocates for people with disabilities are expected to ask the city to update recent building code changes that promote density but could make it easier for unregulated group homes to set up shop throughout Austin. At Friday’s meeting of the Mayor’s Committee for People With Disabilities, Zoning and Platting Commissioner...
Save Our Springs Alliance sues City Council over Open Meetings Act
As he threatened to do at last week’s City Council meeting, Save Our Springs Alliance Executive Director Bill Bunch has sued the city, the mayor and Council for alleged violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act, the Austin City Charter and Council’s own procedures for allowing the public to speak. The suit was filed in Travis County District Court.
Updated: Council and Planning Commission hear from public on proposed land use changes
With City Council all but certain to approve extensive revisions to Austin’s land use code next month, Thursday’s public hearing on the proposed changes lacked the fire-in-the-belly resistance demonstrated at last October’s hearing. Back then, the joint Council hearing with the Planning Commission lasted well into the...
Tourism Commission pushes Council for more equitable funding for arts groups, districts
Using Hotel Occupancy Tax dollars or General Fund budget allocations, the Tourism Commission wants the city to fund cultural districts and local arts groups that have historically been left out of consideration for ongoing city support. At its most recent meeting, the commission approved a resolution to maintain a category...
PARD updates plans for new Dougherty and for cultural center expansions
The city is moving forward with plans to replace the Dougherty Arts Center with a new multiphased facility located in the Butler Shores Park area. The Parks and Recreation Department plans to begin the permitting process for the new arts center soon, while also conducting community engagement sessions and getting support from relevant boards and commissions, according to a recent memo from PARD Director Kim McNeeley.
Travis County officials credit moderate eclipse traffic to planning and clouds
Monday’s total solar eclipse did not bring the massive crowds and traffic that some thought the Austin area might see. The cloudy weather might have been the reason, but it also could have been the monthslong preparation for the event. Several school districts canceled classes. Some businesses closed. And advice to stay home, or at least stay close to home, to experience the eclipse was heard.
HOME returns to Council and Planning Commission for public hearing
The second phase of the HOME initiative reemerges in the public spotlight this week, accompanied by a series of other proposed revisions to the Land Development Code. On Thursday, City Council and the Planning Commission will hold a joint hearing to receive public testimony on proposed changes relating to:. Properties...
Study raises questions about senior/child care center proposed for Nash Hernandez Building
A new study calls into question the feasibility of proposals to use the Nash Hernandez Building in East Austin as an activity center for older people and young children. The report on the legal and financial realities of the intergenerational resource and activity center (IRAC) has caused staff from the Austin Public Health Department and the Parks and Recreation Department to reconsider the scope of the proposed center and where it may eventually be located.
New federal cash paves way for East Austin’s ‘wishbone’ bridge over Lady Bird Lake
Facing a steep climb in costs for a long-planned pedestrian bridge on the eastern edge of Austin’s most popular trail, the city has finally found a path forward with a $4 million cash infusion from the federal government. The new money will close a budget shortfall and allow the...
City looks to land banks as additional option to curb displacement
The city will explore using the takeover of tax-delinquent properties as one additional strategy for creating more affordable housing and remedying the displacement of longtime residents who are being priced out of Austin. As part of the consent agenda at Thursday’s meeting, City Council approved a resolution directing the city...
County backs $7.2M SAFE Alliance housing in East Austin
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court dedicated $7.2 million toward a supportive housing development called the Lancaster, a 60-unit complex that will provide respite for people experiencing homelessness and survivors of domestic and sexual violence. The development is a project of the SAFE Alliance, a nonprofit serving survivors of...
Austin hires T.C. Broadnax as city manager with $470K salary
T.C. Broadnax will be making $82,000 more than his predecessor when he starts his job as Austin’s city manager next month. City Council on Thursday approved an employment agreement with a base salary of $470,000. Broadnax will also receive an array of fringe benefits, including a $5,000 per month housing allowance for six months to offset costs of a temporary residence, relocation and moving assistance; a cellphone stipend; and an “executive allowance.”
Council approves renaming bathhouse in honor of Joan Means Khabele
City Council on Thursday approved the renaming of the bathhouse at Barton Springs Pool in honor of the woman who, as a teenager, led the first “swim-in” at the segregated pool in an act of civil disobedience. With the unanimous vote, the facility officially becomes the Joan Means...
Panelists: Transmission lines, local generation needed to meet Austin’s energy demands
Keeping up with aggressive business and residential growth throughout the Austin area is a persistent challenge for those involved in supplying energy reliably to the city while also trying to move away from fossil fuel sources for generation needs. Speakers at a recent Austin Chamber infrastructure summit said the demand coming into the area means Austin Energy, the city-owned utility company, will need more transmission lines and related capacity components to prevent more widespread outages like those in early 2021 and 2023.
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Five days a week, we bring you the news from Austin City Hall, Travis County Commissioners Court, and multiple other civic entities that make key decisions for central Texas. We stick to the facts. We aim to be fair. When we err, we correct it fast.
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