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Austin Monitor
Public parking at Zilker confounds parks board
Members of the Parks and Recreation Board struggled with the many facets of public parking at Zilker Park this week, finally postponing a vote until July 24. After a lengthy discussion, board members failed to adopt a resolution asking City Council to eliminate most parking at the environmentally sensitive Polo Fields and direct cars to other lots.
Austin Public Library prepares for First Amendment auditors
The Austin Public Library is busy with summer reading programs, passport services and book ban resistance. Newer to the list? Trying not to go viral. Library staff recently received a briefing on First Amendment audits, in which citizen journalists and activists film government employees in public spaces as a test of their constitutional rights – or to uncover possible violations.
Austin ISD school board approves deficit budget as recapture payment nears $1 billion
The Austin ISD Board of Trustees has adopted a deficit budget for the next fiscal year, which starts July 1. The vote happened a little before 1 a.m. Friday. The deficit was not a surprise. Back in May, the board approved significant salary increases for district employees. The compensation package requires the district to spend up to $52.25 million of its reserve funds to cover the cost. Interim Superintendent Matias Segura said the budget reflects the district’s values.
Parks board wants SXSW artist pay included in negotiation for use of city facilities
In response to a call for higher compensation for South by Southwest showcase musicians, the Parks and Recreation Board on Monday voted unanimously to ask the city to negotiate for fair pay for artists performing at its parkland facilities, such as Auditorium Shores. The recommendation, which will be forwarded to...
Mayor expresses opposition to amphitheater, parking garages in Zilker Park Vision Plan
Mayor Kirk Watson on Tuesday expressed strong opinions about the Zilker Park Vision Plan, particularly areas of the plan that have already caused controversy. Watson wrote in his “Watson Wire” email that he was opposed to putting a proposed 5,000-seat amphitheater on the Great Lawn, which would replace the aging Hillside Theater.
Animal Services chief addresses overcrowded shelter after alarm from Kelly
Weeks after City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly expressed alarm at finding “dogs housed in temporary crates at the truck port” behind Austin Animal Center with scorching temperatures on the way, Chief Animal Services Officer Don Bland has responded. A subsequent memo from Kelly asked interim City Manager Jesús...
Incarcerated Travis County residents at drastically higher risk of accidental overdose death
People who have been incarcerated in Travis County die of accidental overdoses at drastically higher rates than the overall population, according to new data. On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court held a news conference in conjunction with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office and county public health experts to address a new report released by the county’s Justice & Public Safety data and research team.
Former City Hall and One Texas Center eyed as possible arts and music spaces
The city once again appears to be willing to make a high-profile downtown building available for cultural and creative uses, along with a handful of other city-owned properties under consideration for use by local musicians and artists. A memo released last week regarding a number of initiatives related to the...
Study calls for formalizing partnership between parks department and foundation
Local parks advocates want the city and the Austin Parks Foundation nonprofit group to come to a formal agreement spelling out the roles and responsibilities between the two entities, with the hope of better addressing equity issues across the city’s massive span of parks facilities. That recommendation was one...
Effort to reimagine Congress Avenue hits design benchmark
The city’s Downtown Commission heard an update on the Congress Avenue redesign project at its regular meeting last week. The Congress Avenue Urban Design Initiative is a partnership between the city of Austin and the Downtown Austin Alliance to reimagine the stretch between Riverside Drive and 11th Street known as the “Main Street of Texas.”
Commissioners OK one more mixed-use site on tiny South Austin street
Members of the Planning Commission on June 13 voted unanimously to recommend changing the zoning on two small properties at 1705 and 1707 Evergreen Avenue, just off South Lamar Boulevard, to accommodate business uses and workforce housing. If approved by City Council, the two lots, which currently have single-family residences,...
ECHO says permanent supportive housing is the only way out of Austin’s homelessness crisis
Austin’s Ending Community Homelessness Coalition joined City Council’s Public Health Committee this month to break down the nonprofit’s latest point-in-time count, which in late January found 2,374 Austinites experiencing some degree of homelessness. While that figure is down from 2020, Executive Director Matt Mollica said it will take years of sustained effort to truly address the crisis.
Community groups demand permanent end to APD-DPS partnership
Community groups are denouncing the city’s decision to resume its controversial policing partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety. Groups including the Austin Justice Coalition, Grassroots Leadership and the Texas Harm Reduction Alliance are calling for a permanent end to the Austin Police Department’s partnership with DPS.
Austin officials urge precautions to prevent new mpox surge
Austin Public Health is warning residents to be vigilant about preventing the spread of mpox, concerned about the potential for a resurgence of the virus. After months without any new cases detected, the health department confirmed a single new case in late May. Additionally, several clusters of mpox have emerged...
Parks board to consider SXSW fair pay measure
A coalition of groups will rally on Monday at Austin City Hall to demand the city require fair pay standards in all future contracts with South by Southwest. The 5 p.m. protest is being organized by local advocacy nonprofit Austin Texas Musicians, the Austin Federation of Musicians AFM Local 433 and United Musicians and Allied Workers. It will be held before a meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board.
Downtown Commission greenlights new Sixth Street barriers
The Downtown Commission on Wednesday voted unanimously to recommend City Council adopt a $509,000 contract to install 65 new barriers bordering the Sixth Street Historic District as part of a broader effort to improve safety. Similar to safety interventions undertaken during South by Southwest, the Austin Police Department would install...
State troopers are going to patrol Austin streets again starting next month
State troopers will resume patrols on Austin streets July 2, the city said Thursday. The Austin Police Department partnered with the Department of Public Safety in late March to help out with patrols, but the deal ended after complaints from Austinites and a reassignment to the border. The police department...
Austin Energy rolls out updates to renewable energy and storage program
As Austin Energy continues to refine its renewable energy and storage network, customers using solar panels or electric vehicles can look forward to some system upgrades. Richard Genece, vice president of customer energy solutions, and Tim Harvey, renewable solutions manager, stopped by last week’s Electric Utility Commission meeting to present a number of developments in the utility’s microgrid technologies. Microgrids are systems able to “disconnect from the traditional grid to operate autonomously and locally,” according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity.
What Austin and Travis County learned about rental assistance during the pandemic
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Austin and Travis County had no overarching infrastructure in place for distributing rental assistance or otherwise supporting low-income families at risk of eviction. Then, millions of people across industries lost their sources of income overnight. In an effort to stem a tide of...
‘Stay hydrated, stay cool and stay safe’: Austin, Travis County officials warn of heat risks
Austin has been under an excessive heat warning since late last week, putting residents – especially those most vulnerable – at risk for heat-related illnesses. Temperatures have been at or near 100 degrees, and with no end in sight, Austin and other cities in the area have offered places like rec centers and libraries as cooling centers to give people some relief.
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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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