City auditor unveils new online tracking system for audits

The Office of the City Auditor is advertising a new tool to let any member of the public see how different departments are doing in response to audit findings. That tool is a new online dashboard that tracks recommendations from…

City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Oct 26, 2023

Rural schools near Austin say they feel left behind as governor pushes for vouchers

For Randy Willis, public schools are crucial to rural communities. “I think the rural schools are the heart of Texas. They’re the backbone of Texas,” he said. Willis is the executive director of the Texas Association of Rural Schools, which represents…

Education • By Becky Fogel, KUT • Oct 26, 2023

Council’s plans to change housing rules upset some neighborhood advocates

Austin’s “single-family neighborhoods are in jeopardy of losing big” with the proposed changes to the city’s zoning regulations, according to Ana Aguirre, president of the Austin Neighborhoods Council. While housing advocates have praised City Council Member Leslie Pool’s HOME initiative,…

Land Development Code • By Jo Clifton • Oct 25, 2023

Cap Metro board hears results of first post-pandemic Origin & Destination survey

Besides interrupting Capital Metro’s transportation services, the pandemic also interfered with its process of measuring its ridership, typically done every five years. On Monday, for the first time since 2015, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors heard a…

Transit • By Nina Hernandez • Oct 25, 2023

Artists decry delay in city grant payments, putting some projects and events at risk

Arts commissioners have joined local artists in criticizing the city for the prolonged rollout of one of its newer grant programs, which has left some recipients without funding ahead of events they’d organized with expectations of using the city funds.…

City Hall • By Chad Swiatecki • Oct 25, 2023

Vision Zero analysis reveals drugs or alcohol involved in higher percentage of traffic fatalities than state data shows

An analysis by Austin’s Vision Zero initiative found that the presence of drugs or alcohol among Travis County traffic fatalities is higher than previously thought. Vision Zero Analytics is a series of white papers by the Austin Transportation and Public…

Transportation • By Nina Hernandez • Oct 24, 2023

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Green Pastures gets to keep three-year site plan extension

Despite pleas from several neighbors, City Council declined Thursday to overturn a ruling from the Planning Commission granting a three-year extension to a site plan for redevelopment of the historic Green Pastures restaurant and surrounding gardens. The vote was unanimous,…

Development • By Jo Clifton • Oct 24, 2023

Public, private measures seen as key to increasing resilience against extreme weather, natural disasters

Local developers and planning leaders learned recently about the impacts that increasingly severe weather and natural disasters will have on their projects, and how public and private efforts can work together to reduce the damage. Among the areas of focus…

Public Safety • By Chad Swiatecki • Oct 24, 2023

Tourism Commission wants more transparency on hotel tax funding decisions for arts groups

Members of the Tourism Commission have signaled they want more transparency from the Economic Development Department regarding how Hotel Occupancy Tax dollars allocated for music, cultural arts and historic preservation programs are used. At its most recent meeting, the commission…

City Hall • By Chad Swiatecki • Oct 23, 2023

A campaign is underway to rename Austin's airport after LBJ

Could Austin’s gateway to the world be renamed after a Texas political titan? Yes, if the LBJ Foundation has anything to say about it. The Austin organization has quietly begun a campaign to rename Austin-Bergstrom International Airport after President Lyndon…

Transportation • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Oct 23, 2023

Landmark commission delays demolition of North Campus bungalow

The Historic Landmark Commission could soon be going to bat for historic designation of a North Campus bungalow, following the last meeting’s turnout to oppose its demolition. The home, which sits at 701 Sparks Ave. across from Eastwood Park, was…

Preservation • By Kali Bramble • Oct 23, 2023

Council pushes for pause on I-35 expansion, citing air quality concerns

Citing concerns over possible environmental and air quality impacts, City Council wants to delay the start of the reconstruction of Interstate 35. By a 7-3 vote, Council approved a resolution Thursday that asked the Texas Department of Transportation and Capital…

Roads • By Chad Swiatecki • Oct 20, 2023

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