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Austin Monitor
Travis County voters approve bond propositions aimed at roads, parks
On election night, Travis County voters overwhelmingly approved a bond package that will bolster roads and parks. Proposition A includes $233,060,000 in road bonds that will pay for safety projects, acquiring land for right of way, road drainage, bike lanes, side walks, shared use paths and other projects. Proposition B...
Aggrieved citizens sue over funding Project Connect
A group of prominent citizens has filed suit against all members of City Council and members of the Austin Transit Partnership Board of Directors, claiming that ATP may not legally spend city property taxes or issue debt needed to build Project Connect because what is being built is drastically different from what was promised to voters in 2020.
Austin airport’s safety is under scrutiny after a string of near misses
A disturbing string of dangerous incidents at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport – including near misses and two tarmac deaths this year – has elected officials clashing with city staff over safety at an airport where passenger volumes have more than doubled in the last decade. Now, some of those...
Music commissioners consider how to steer more grants toward working musicians
The city’s Music Commission may consider a proposal from a local advocacy group to designate a specific portion of grants from a new city grant program to be awarded to working musicians, who are increasingly finding it harder to afford living in Austin. At Monday’s meeting, the commission heard...
Three consultants enlisted to fix city’s arts, music grant programs
Amid criticism over problems with the rollout of new grant programs for artists and musicians, the Economic Development Department has hired three outside consultants to study and recommend how to improve their performance. A memo released last week by Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, director of EDD, detailed plans for improving the experience...
Reclaimed water issue stops PUD from getting final approval
With only six members of City Council voting Thursday in favor of changing plans for the West Parcel of the Hyatt Planned Unit Development at Riverside Drive and South First Street, the developer will have to come back for a third vote. The change won approval on first reading last month, and Mayor Kirk Watson seemed confident that it would win final approval on Thursday as he read off the list of cases they were considering. But there were not seven votes in favor.
Three City Council members join “Wider Won’t Work” rally against I-35 expansion
Three City Council members spoke Sunday at the Rethink35 “Wider Won’t Work” rally against the Interstate 35 Capital Express project. Those in attendance at Sanchez Elementary School included Mayor Pro Tem Paige Ellis, who is chair of Council’s Mobility Committee, as well as Council members José Velásquez and Zo Qadri. The speaker lineup also featured Save Our Springs Alliance Executive Director Bill Bunch, former state Rep. Celia Israel and U.S. Rep. Greg Casar.
Panelists debate potential housing supply impacts from HOME initiative
Advocates for more housing options in Austin see hope in recently passed changes in city land use policy intended to increase density, but still hope for more progress in increasing the overall supply of housing available for middle- and lower-income residents. Last week’s A Home for Everyone panel discussion brought together leaders from a variety of stakeholder groups to discuss the impacts of the Home Options for Middle-Income Empowerment (HOME) initiative, which was approved by City Council in July.
Austin ISD hits key milestone to reduce backlog of special education evaluations
The Austin Independent School District this week met a key requirement outlined in a state-ordered plan to improve its special education services. The Texas Education Agency’s corrective action plan required Austin ISD to complete all overdue special education evaluations for which parental permission was obtained before the 2022-23 school year by Oct. 31. AISD also needed to complete evaluations for which parental permission was obtained between June 30, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2022. A TEA spokesperson confirmed in an email to KUT that the district had met the deadline for each of the requirements.
Council votes to eliminate off-street parking requirements
City Council voted Thursday to eliminate requirements for minimum amounts of off-street parking on new construction projects, marking a shift in the city’s push to increase the amount of housing stock while decreasing development costs. The amendments to the city’s building code passed 8-2, with Council members Alison Alter and Mackenzie Kelly voting against.
Austin wants to make relocating a home easier to reduce waste and create affordable housing
In a move to create more options for affordable housing while also reducing waste, the city of Austin is trying to make it easier to relocate homes. When a builder comes in to redevelop a lot, the existing home is often demolished because it’s easier and cheaper than relocating it. Those materials then end up in the landfill.
County contract to help more residents avoid eviction
The Travis County Commissioners Court approved a new contract Tuesday with nonprofit El Buen Samaritano to help more Travis County families stay in their homes. The contract is one part of the county’s response to rising eviction rates. In addition to supporting El Buen Samaritano – also known as El Buen – the county offers rental assistance and works with the Austin Tenants Council and Texas RioGrande Legal Aid for eviction mediation, counseling, legal representation and referrals.
Environmental Commission recommends code variances for Old Lampasas Dam modernization project
At its meeting on Wednesday, the Environmental Commission voted to approve a set of Land Development Code variances to accommodate the Watershed Protection Department’s Old Lampasas Dam #3 Modernization Project. The Northwest Austin dam was built in the early 1980s and is classified by the Texas Commission on Environmental...
Better Builder Program provides oversight for construction sites in Travis County
County construction site monitors have uncovered a range of safety violations – including a child operating heavy machinery, the Travis County Commissioners Court learned Tuesday. While most issues found by monitors in the Travis County Better Builder Program are not immediately dangerous, director of Contract Compliance and Better Builder...
City considering capital projects, private development as sites for underground power lines
Austin Energy and various city departments are studying how to bury selected sections of overhead power lines underground to reduce the impact of extreme weather disasters. The burying of lines, which in many cases also serve equipment for private communications companies or other utilities, is one of the solutions suggested after the February winter storm that caused widespread power outages that lasted more than a week in some areas.
City official explains need to fix Barton Springs Road bridge
There is an urgent need to move forward with repairs and expansion of the Barton Springs Road bridge leading into Zilker Park, Eric Bailey, acting deputy director of Capital Delivery Services for the city, told City Council’s Mobility Committee last week. The bridge was built in 1926 and expanded...
TipSheet: Austin City Council, 11.2.23
Anyone who watched this Tuesday’s work session is probably already prepared for what looks to be a smooth meeting today. Though there are a number of items on the agenda that caught our attention, it’s telling that none warranted further discussion on Tuesday. We’re guessing that might lead to a (now typical) meeting that will be over at a reasonable hour.
Council has its eyes set on preparing for 2024 total solar eclipse
With Austin in the direct path of a rare solar eclipse that will take place April 8, 2024, city departments will soon begin preparing for many thousands of astronomy tourists who are expected to travel to Central Texas to get the best view possible. With the eclipse not expected to reoccur in the area for another 400 years, public officials are bracing for a truly once-in-a-lifetime tourist event.
Students voice solidarity, outrage as conflict in Palestine escalates
As the sun set in Texas last Thursday, a somber crowd gathered beneath the university’s clock tower to mourn casualties of the escalating conflict between Israel and Palestine. The vigil, led by the University of Texas at Austin’s Palestinian Solidarity Committee, was the second since Hamas’ breaching of Israel’s southern border in a deadly attack that shocked the world and launched the long-simmering conflict into a full-blown war.
Application period still open for Project Connect anti-displacement Community Advisory Committee
There is still time to apply to join the citizen committee that will advise the city of Austin, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Austin Transit Partnership on anti-displacement and equity matters related to Project Connect. The city’s $7 billion investment in Project Connect included $300 million for anti-displacement...
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