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Austin Monitor
Vacancies at public safety agencies drive overtime costs
Staffing shortages in the city’s police, fire and emergency medical services departments are driving record-high reliance on overtime. Following a request from the city’s Public Safety Commission, public safety officials provided data on overtime use, as well as some possible solutions, at the commission’s meeting on Monday.
Hotels adjust proposed new tax, giving city steady funds for homeless services
The city’s major hoteliers have agreed to adjust the terms of a proposed new tax that will provide the city consistent money to fund homelessness services even while tourism drops off during the forthcoming reconstruction of the Austin Convention Center. City Council members Ryan Alter and Vanessa Fuentes announced...
Austin delays removal of Flo, Barton Springs’ century-old tree
Flo, Barton Springs’ iconic leaning pecan tree, will live to see at least a few more days. Just last week, Austin Parks and Recreation announced they would cut down the tree this Thursday because of Flo’s deteriorating condition – but today the department said it will postpone Flo’s removal while it “reviews additional considerations.” A celebration of life, originally planned for Wednesday night, is also delayed.
Commission looks into how Austin creates street crossings
There’s a simple explanation for why Austinites may have noticed more signaled crosswalks in recent years: There are more. A recent discussion on the state of pedestrian hybrid beacons in the city caught up Urban Transportation Commission members on the state of their progress last week. The city didn’t...
Travis Heights “gingerbread house” on track for historic landmark status
Travis Heights preservationists had cause for celebration last week, as a proposal to landmark an iconic neighborhood home broke up the typical routine of demolition and disappointment. The case to rezone the property at 2101 Travis Heights Blvd., known among neighbors as the “gingerbread house,” received the unanimous endorsement of...
Qadri sets sights on closing ‘windowless-apartment loophole’
District 9 City Council Member Zo Qadri will sponsor a resolution “kick(ing) off the process to close the windowless-apartment loophole,” which in recent years has surfaced as a problem for students at the University of Texas at Austin and residents in West Campus. Qadri announced his plan during...
Central Health approves budget with a Hail Mary provision to halt layoffs at Integral Care
Travis County’s public hospital district, Central Health, voted Wednesday to approve its Fiscal Year 2024 budget, which includes a last-minute line item giving $7 million in emergency funding to Integral Care. Central Health’s budget still needs final approval from Travis County commissioners. Integral Care is the largest provider...
Life sciences, housing policy seen as keys for Austin’s five-year growth strategy
Business leaders see the life sciences sector as the next major piece of the Austin economy and expect it to grow quickly along with semiconductor and automotive manufacturing, financial services and national defense in the years to come. Focusing on those industries while addressing housing costs and the growing local...
Austin elected officials, community groups coalesce in opposition to I-35 expansion
At a town hall event last week, U.S. Rep. Greg Casar became the latest community leader to speak out against the Interstate 35 Capital Express project that is due to break ground next year. “Wider highways aren’t actually a traffic solution,” Casar said at his Aug. 31 event. “We are...
Austin grapples with arrival of autonomous vehicles
Autonomous vehicles are in Austin. According to a Sept. 1 memo from the Transportation and Public Works Department, the presence of autonomous vehicles has become an increasingly common sight over the past few months. “Currently, there are approximately 125 fully electric AVs in operation and we anticipate additional vehicles in...
East 12th Street rezoning wins first-round approval
At last week’s meeting, City Council voted unanimously to approve greater height and a zoning change for a property at 3117 and 3121 E. 12th Street for construction of 80 dwelling units, 10 percent of which would be affordable. The property is currently zoned Commercial but would become Mixed Use, allowing for construction of apartments and ground-floor commercial. In addition, Council agreed with staff’s recommendation that the current 40-foot height restriction be changed to 60 feet. Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison, who represents the area, made the motion to take action on first reading only.
Integral Care, Austin’s largest mental health care provider, approves 48 layoffs in next budget
Integral Care, the mental health authority for Austin-Travis County, voted Thursday to approve a budget that eliminates nearly 10 percent of its positions. Along with the 48 individuals who were identified for layoffs, 67 vacant positions were also cut. Employees in the union United Workers of Integral Care said layoffs...
Garza announces more changes at City Hall
A new memo outlines yet another shake-up at the city courtesy of interim City Manager Jesús Garza. City Council reappointed Garza interim city manager in February, following a vote that fired City Manager Spencer Cronk from the position. Since then, he has introduced a series of changes to the organizational structure of City Hall. The new memo, which was sent to Council members on Friday, explained the newest staffing changes would be in effect immediately.
City seeking developers interested in East 11th Street revitalization
The city is looking for developers interested in remaking two of the most high-profile blocks downtown, which could shape the future of the Black community in East Austin. Last month the Austin Economic Development Corporation (EDC) opened a request for qualified developers who could take on one or both of the blocks along East 11th Street just east of Interstate 35, known in local planning circles as Blocks 16 and 18. The first phase, which is open until early November, is intended to familiarize local developers with the area and the project that has gone through several visioning and community feedback processes since the city first made it a revitalization priority in the late ’90s.
Judge declares city campaign contribution blackout period unconstitutional
U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman on Wednesday declared an Austin regulation on campaign fundraising unconstitutional. The regulation prohibits candidates for City Council seats from seeking or accepting campaign contributions more than a year before an election. Pitman issued his ruling on a case brought by former candidate Jennifer Virden and one of her supporters, William Clark.
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