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Courts
Judge throws out City Council votes on new Austin land code, putting rewrite in jeopardy
In a ruling that could derail Austin’s rewrite of its Land Development Code, a Travis County district judge voided two votes City Council has taken so far on the changes. The city has spent nearly eight years and more than…
Courts • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Mar 19, 2020
Habitat for Humanity, Environment Texas weigh in on land code lawsuit
Travis County District Judge Jan Soifer heard arguments Wednesday from attorneys for 19 Austin homeowners who sued the city over the new Land Development Code. The homeowners filed rezoning protests, but the city denied their requests for a hearing. The plaintiffs…
Courts • By Jo Clifton • Mar 12, 2020
The city's rewrite of its land use code heads to court (again)
Lawyers representing a group of Austin homeowners will argue in court this week that landowners have the right to formally protest the rezoning of their property under a citywide land code rewrite. If the court sides with them, it could…
Courts • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Mar 9, 2020
Municipal court cases linger longer these days
Four years ago, the Austin Municipal Court generally took under 190 days to close cases. The number of days has since gone up to roughly 215 days, due to Senate Bill 1913 passed by the Texas Legislature in 2017, said…
City Hall • By Areeba Amer • Feb 26, 2020
Lawsuit claims TCAD hiding sales price information
Protax, which represents property owners who are protesting the property values assigned to their homes, and 10 of its employees have sued the Travis Central Appraisal District alleging the agency has violated the Texas Public Information Act. According to the…
Courts • By Jo Clifton • Feb 13, 2020
Taxpayers sue over lack of appraisal hearings
One hundred and thirty-eight Travis County property owners have sued the Travis Appraisal Review Board and the Travis Central Appraisal District for failing to provide timely hearings on the property owners’ protests of their 2019 appraisals. The two agencies are…
Courts • By Jo Clifton • Jan 8, 2020
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Community court touts data showing sharp drop in recidivism among clients
The city’s Downtown Community Court on East Sixth Street has released data showing a drastic reduction in recidivism among its clients, thanks to the social services and case management the court offers. The analysis of data from the 2018 fiscal…
Courts • By Chad Swiatecki • Dec 19, 2019
Supreme Court passes on Boise camping ban case, opening up Austin's rules to lawsuits
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to a ruling that found a ban against camping in public in Boise, Idaho, is unconstitutional. The case against Boise’s ban on camping inspired, in part, the city of Austin’s decision…
Courts • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Dec 17, 2019
Activists sue city over zoning code rewrite
Nineteen local property owners filed suit against the city of Austin Thursday, alleging that the city has deprived them of their right to protest under state law as the city adopts changes to zoning classifications throughout the city. City Council…
Courts • By Jo Clifton • Dec 13, 2019
Council looks at legal options after appeals court throws out housing voucher challenge
Members of City Council have criticized a recent decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to throw out the city’s lawsuit against state Attorney General Ken Paxton over a state law passed in 2015 that prevents cities from…
Courts • By Chad Swiatecki • Dec 11, 2019
State appeals court strikes down Austin rules on short-term rentals
A state appeals court has declared some elements of Austin’s rules governing short-term rentals unconstitutional, including provisions banning non-owner-occupied rentals and occupancy limits. In 2016, the City Council passed sweeping new regulations of short-term rentals, like those you find through…
Courts • By Matt Largey • Nov 27, 2019
Austin joins legal fight against Permian Highway Pipeline
The city of Austin is signaling it intends to sue Kinder Morgan, the company behind the proposed Permian Highway Pipeline – a 430-mile natural gas line that has provoked major opposition in the Texas Hill Country. In filing its notice…
