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Austin Monitor
5 questions with Austin ISD’s new superintendent, Matias Segura
About one year after Matias Segura became the Austin Independent School District’s interim superintendent, he now has the permanent job. The school board unanimously voted to appoint him to the role. Austin ISD has not had a permanent superintendent for about 18 months. Segura took over for the previous...
City could step in to aid, revive Blues on the Green summer concert series
The city could step in to provide financial assistance, fee waivers or other resources to the Blues on the Green summer concert series, which organizers announced last month was canceled for 2024 because of rising costs. On Friday, Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison posted in the City Council Message Board that...
Travis County turns down partnership with Austin to address homelessness
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court rejected a proposal to form an interlocal agreement with the city of Austin. The agreement would have put $400,000 toward a $2 million strategic analysis of local efforts to address homelessness. Commissioners chiefly objected to the city’s employment of consulting powerhouse McKinsey & Company as the project’s third-party contractor. The commissioners voiced dissatisfaction with their limited role in the planning process and the absence of subcontracts with community organizations in the McKinsey-managed plan.
Fresh details on Austin’s light-rail plans emerge as officials chase federal cash
Austinites curious about the city’s light-rail future are being offered fresh details as the Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) launches an in-depth environmental review in a bid to qualify for billions in federal cash. The new information on the electrically powered 9.8-mile system isn’t nearly as revealing as the block-by-block...
Council OKs ordinance on police pay, benefits
City Council on Thursday approved an ordinance extending pay and benefits for Austin police officers in line with the ordinance passed last year, including extra pay for longevity, for field training officers, bilingual officers, officers with mental health certification and other stipends. Council members Natasha Harper-Madison and Zo Qadri abstained, with the rest of Council voting in favor.
City Council updates code to address animal shelter overcrowding, safety
City Council voted on consent at its meeting on Thursday to amend the city code regarding animal services, heeding recommendations from a recent audit that found the Austin Animal Center in far East Austin was struggling to maintain quality of animal care because of overcrowding and other issues. The code...
Austin gave families $1,000 a month for a year. Most of the money was spent on housing.
People who received $1,000 a month from the city of Austin for a year spent the bulk of the cash on housing, according to a new study. Cities across the country, including Cambridge, Mass., and Ann Arbor, Mich., have begun piloting these guaranteed income programs, also called universal basic income programs. Under the programs, low-income families generally receive a set amount of cash each month, sometimes via direct deposit to a bank account or on a swipe card. They can spend the money however they like.
EDD previews changes to Cultural Arts funding programs ahead of consultants’ reviews
The Economic Development Department is moving ahead with a handful of adjustments to its pilot programs for Cultural Arts grants, with more changes likely to result from a comprehensive review from three outside consultants. At this week’s Arts Commission meeting, staff from the Cultural Arts division gave an update on...
Concert venue planned near Edwards Aquifer spurs neighbors to prepare for legal fight
Residents in Hays County and a southwestern portion of Travis County hope the possibility of a civil case against a California development company will stop plans to construct a 5,000-seat concert venue on a two-lane country road near Dripping Springs. Traffic concerns are important for the Fitzhugh Neighbors group that has formed to fight the amphitheater proposed for nearly 33 acres on rural Fitzhugh Road, but the potential of improperly treated wastewater impacting nearby aquifers is the issue that has unified environmental and other groups in the fight.
Critics say Austin Energy’s proposal to pivot toward hydrogen could do more harm than good
As Austin Energy drafts an update to its Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan, industry watchdogs are doing their homework, investigating a controversial proposal to construct a brand-new gas plant designed to burn carbon-neutral green hydrogen. Among those asking questions is the city’s Electric Utility Commission, who hosted a panel...
Cap Metro looks forward to new electric era for city’s bike-share system
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority has launched an ambitious program to expand its bike-share program with the city of Austin. The transit company has announced a partnership with PBSC Urban Solutions Inc. aimed at replacing and expanding 80 MetroBike stations, 1,000 docks and 800 bicycles focused in downtown Austin, tripling the size of the bike-share system. The contract is an important part of the planned $20.6 million expansion for the bike-share program. The public can expect to see new bikes and stations beginning this summer.
TipSheet: Austin City Council, 2.1.24
City Council will meet today for its regular meeting. As usual, there are a few agenda items that we are keeping our eye on, which are detailed in this TipSheet. The entire agenda (also as usual) is available online here, for those who want to decide what’s interesting for themselves.
Austin wants to add more money to a program that helps crime victims. Here’s what it does.
Austin is expanding the resources it offers to crime victims. The Austin Police Department, which runs a victims fund, has a $30,000 budget to help people with immediate needs like a new pair of glasses or prepaid cellphone. The money also covers things like travel expenses to get a person to a safe place. Last year, the unit served around 182 clients – not including children of survivors.
Austin Energy, advisory group move toward presenting plans to Council
Austin Energy has seemed to be at odds with environmentalists over its updated power generation plan. And it is likely that the working group tasked with helping the utility come up with a new plan for fueling Austin’s electricity needs will be skeptical about the utility’s plan for reaching carbon neutrality by 2035.
Downtown Commission members suggest city pursue legal action against Union Pacific Railroad
Members of the Downtown Commission showed support for the city possibly using legal action including eminent domain against Union Pacific Railroad to acquire property eyed for improvements near the Seaholm District. This month’s meeting included a presentation on the improvements identified as highest priorities for the area using roughly $12...
Despite micromanaging concerns, the city’s telework policy advances
After a debate on how granular the policy should be, the Planning Commission has given its blessing to a series of amendments that will help shape the city’s telework policy. The amendments were initiated by the Planning Commission last year as a change to Austin’s Strategic Mobility Plan. During...
City hoping to fast-track some changes to land use code
The City Council Housing and Planning Committee last week approved a resolution urging the entire Council to move forward expeditiously with several amendments to the Land Development Code, particularly as they relate to Equitable Transit Oriented Development, called ETOD in city parlance. The resolution is part of proposed Land Development Code changes related to Project Connect as well as code changes to reduce minimum lot sizes for housing. Committee members discussed changes they want to see in the code in the near future. Those changes include several that Council will initiate at Thursday’s meeting.
Council to contemplate new bike parking rules this Thursday
Changes to the city’s bicycle parking requirements are headed back to City Council on Thursday with the blessing of the Planning Commission. Commissioners were updated on the code amendments at their most recent meeting. The recent elimination of parking requirements citywide did not impact requirements for bicycle parking. However, it did prod the Urban Transportation Commission to recommend a new set of regulations that were taken up by Council in November, with Council voting to initiate changes that would mandate a minimum of two spaces or 10 percent of motor vehicle spaces for commercial buildings; a minimum of five spaces or 10 percent for multifamily developments; no parking requirements for single- or two-family projects; and a minimum of one space or 10 percent of motor vehicle spaces for all other uses, deferring to the greater number of bicycle parking spaces in all cases.
A dozen affordable housing projects face tight race for state tax credits
On Thursday, City Council will consider plans for 11 housing developments across the city that could receive state money to fund the creation of affordable housing. Nearly 1,100 units are in the works for the projects, which if approved will compete for 9 percent tax credits from the state’s Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Program.
I-35 expansion sparks civil rights complaint and another lawsuit
Opponents of the Texas Department of Transportation’s plans to widen Interstate 35 from Ben White Boulevard to U.S. Highway 290 East are taking their fight to federal court. The legal complaint echoes calls heard at rallies and from local elected officials against one of the largest road projects in Austin’s history.
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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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