Choose your location
Austin Monitor
Paxton sues to overturn vote on U.S. budget
Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed suit against the federal government alleging that the final vote to approve the U.S. budget by the House of Representatives last December was illegal because not enough members were physically present. The suit, filed in federal court in Lubbock, attacks not only the manner...
Austin Police revert to decentralized traffic enforcement approach
The Austin Police Department’s staffing shortages are leading it to take a decentralized approach to traffic enforcement, the city’s Public Safety Commission learned during a traffic enforcement and management update on April 3. Most of the crashes that happen on Austin roads every year occur on highways such...
Drained from emergency debris collections, Austin Resource Recovery prepares for a squeeze this budget cycle
As it continues to pick up the pieces of Winter Storm Mara, Austin Resource Recovery is preparing to weather financial challenges thanks to the $20 million relief effort. Four months out from budget season, Director Ken Snipes and Finance Division Manager Victoria Rieger stopped by the Zero Waste Advisory Commission last week to begin charting the course ahead after the costly cleanup job. While FEMA is likely to reimburse as much as 75 percent of expenses, the process can take up to two years.
Austin is short lifeguards every year. One problem is the application process.
Austin consistently struggles to fully staff its public pools. A report out last week from the Office of the City Auditor suggests part of that struggle is due to an overly complicated – and unreliable – application process to become a lifeguard. To fully staff its 34 pools,...
Planning Commission discusses whether city should preserve industrial areas
A case at the Planning Commission on March 28 sparked discussion about whether the city should try to preserve remaining industrial areas or encourage their redevelopment. In question is a 13-acre property at 5010 Burleson Road in Southeast Austin. The property owner requests a change from industrial to commercial use on the site’s Future Land Use Map, or FLUM.
Central Health demographic report finds ‘no escape’ from regional cost-of-living crisis
Austin’s cost-of-living crisis has spread into a regional issue impacting Travis and surrounding counties, according to Central Health’s 2022 Demographic Report. The report, key findings of which Central Health staff discussed in a community conservation last week, found that Austin remains a key access point for health care, affordable housing, public transportation, and social services while areas outside of the city limits that were once affordable are no longer.
Austin Energy’s general manager, Jackie Sargent, steps down
Austin Energy General Manager Jackie Sargent has retired – effective immediately – according to a memo from interim City Manager Jesús Garza. Sargent served as the public utility’s top executive for nearly six years. Sargent was the highest-paid city employee, earning a base salary of $403,374 a year.
Conservation Corps sees success, and possible expansion, in city memo
An evaluation of the city’s Civilian Conservation Corps program shows that nearly 200 people have been placed in city jobs in areas that had been historically difficult to fill. A memo released last week by Kimberly McNeeley, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, gave a comprehensive progress report...
Audit claims fraud by contractor for city health department
In a report released Thursday, the Office of the City Auditor detailed its investigation into allegations that a nonprofit contractor for Austin Public Health “committed fraud by misrepresenting over $1.1 million in financial transactions across three contracts” with the health department between December 2020 and September 2021. The...
Austin launches displacement prevention pilot program
Austin will soon have a network of displacement prevention organizers connecting vulnerable communities with the city programs and resources they need to stay in their homes and communities. The city announced the program’s launch on March 30, during a press conference featuring City Council members Vanessa Fuentes and Natasha Harper-Madison....
Redevelopment of East Austin dairy plant gets Planning Commission approval
A dairy plant in East Austin could soon be redeveloped into a massive mixed-use project, pending the outcome of a zoning change request. Developer Endeavor Real Estate plans to build 1,400 multifamily units, a 220-room hotel, 411,500 square feet of offices, 66,000 square feet of restaurant space and 40,000 square feet of retail on the 21-acre Borden dairy plant site at 71 Strandtman Cove in the Govalle/Johnston Terrace neighborhood.
A new plan for libraries calls for expansion
City Council approved a plan for Austin Public Library last Thursday that features a new set of strategic goals and calls for the expansion of libraries across the fast-growing city. In early 2022, a Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) started assessing both external and internal factors affecting Austin’s library community.
Council approves review of historic preservation incentives, with eye on equity
City Council wants incentives connected to historic preservation to be used more equitably, and has directed the city manager to review and suggest changes to city policies that could result in more historic designations in East Austin. Last week Council passed the resolution as part of its consent agenda, opening...
Parks board delays SXSW fair pay action until June
The Parks and Recreation Board has signaled it will ask City Council to require fair pay standards to be included in all future contracts with South by Southwest, including its use of Auditorium Shores for free concerts for the public. At its Monday meeting, the board was set to consider...
Austin Monitor
4K+
Posts
2M+
Views
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.
The leading platform for local news and information.
By using cutting-edge technology that learns users’ preferences to curate tailored content for them, NewsBreak gathers community-focused news and information from over 10,000 sources in a timely, accessible, and easy-to-use way at no cost to users.
NewsBreak does not allow any content that expresses hate or promotes false information. Instead, we strive to give businesses, communities, and users accurate and reliable local news and information. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.
For more information, please see our Terms of Use and Community Standards.