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District 9 challenger says no to rail proposition
Erin McGann, a challenger to two current City Council members vying for the District 9 position, made her stance clear as early as possible on Monday night. The forum in the Ballot Boxing series was sponsored by the Monitor with partners KUT,…
Elections • By Alex Dropkin • Oct 8, 2014
Cole, Martinez respond to Adler spending
With the release of Monday’s campaign finance reports, Council Member Mike Martinez and Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole got a look at the kind of money that mayoral opponent Steve Adler is raising and spending. Adler, a newcomer to politics,…
Local Politics • By Jo Clifton • Oct 8, 2014
Biscoe grudgingly delays medical examiner project
County Commissioners, pushing to build a new Travis County Medical Examiner’s office to replace the current cramped and outdated facility, ran into a speed bump in moving the process forward Tuesday. Commissioners Court was set to approve a $2 million…
Development • By Mark Richardson • Oct 8, 2014
Ballot Boxing: The District 9 Forum, video
Video of the Ballot Boxing: District 9 forum is below, courtesy of our partners at KXAN.
Elections • By Michael Kanin • Oct 7, 2014
Council candidates file campaign financial reports
(Monday was the deadline for all 78 candidates for Austin City Council to file their 30-day-out Contribution and Expenditure Reports with the City Clerk’s office. Here is a summary from the mayor’s race and all 10 Council districts. To save…
Elections • By Jo Clifton • Oct 7, 2014
Public Safety panel punts on Special Events regs
A vote, or more specifically, a non-vote, by the Public Safety Commission on the proposed Special Events Ordinance proved anticlimactic Monday night. Rather than vote on the proposed ordinance as a whole, commissioners voted only to approve a definition change…
Public Safety • By Gene Davis • Oct 7, 2014
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City Council OKs parking garage in floodplain
Despite concerns from staff, City Council unanimously approved a variance last week that will allow a downtown developer to build condominiums with parking in the floodplain. Mayor Lee Leffingwell said the key point for him was that there was egress from…
Development • By Elizabeth Pagano • Oct 7, 2014
Proposed Buda bonds could triple city’s debt
Buda will hold its first-ever bond election this November. And if voters greenlight the proposed improvements, the city’s debt could more than triple to $80 million. Buda Council members approved a $55 million bond election and its breakdown into five…
Local Government • By Andy Sevilla • Oct 7, 2014
Publisher's Note: One Year/One Month
A note from Monitor publisher Mike Kanin: As of last Wednesday, it has been one year since we acquired what was formerly In Fact Daily from the Austin American-Statesman. Somehow, the occasion got a little lost. This probably had something…
Uncategorized • By Michael Kanin • Oct 6, 2014
City's rental registration program off to slow start
In January, it will have been one year since the city established its rental registration program, and it has only registered 12 properties as repeat offenders so far. That number came out in City Council’s budget session last month, raising…
Development • By Elizabeth Pagano • Oct 6, 2014
Council initiates 'Private Party' code amendments
City Council members Thursday OK’d a set of code amendments that, when finalized, could carve out a bit of extra technical leeway for some private events, particularly parties that happen in the West Campus area. Final language is due back…
Local Politics • By Michael Kanin • Oct 6, 2014
Carport turned garage still out of code in Zilker
An attempt to expand the McMansion ordinance in the Zilker neighborhood fell flat at City Council last month. David Cancialosi was representing the owners of 903 Ethel St., who were appealing the denial of a waiver at the Residential Design…
