The Austin Monitor thanks its sponsors. Become one.

Council OKs contract for new AI wildfire tool

City Council on Thursday approved negotiation and execution of a contract for what Austin Energy describes as a powerful new tool to aid the utility in wildfire detection and response. The utility says it will use Pano AI technology to…

Fire • By Jo Clifton • Oct 6, 2023

Domestic violence task force reports milestones

Gathered to kick off its awareness month, the Austin/Travis County Domestic Violence Task Force reported important progress since the difficult days of 2020. After a record number of requests for protective orders during the pandemic – and a record number…

Public Safety • By Ken Chambers • Oct 6, 2023

There’s a new, 1,200-acre nature preserve north of Austin. Here’s how to visit.

Salado salamanders, golden-cheeked warblers and tricolored bats: These are just a few of the endangered species you will find at the Hill Country Conservancy’s new Pecan Springs Karst Preserve. The 1,205-acre nature preserve is located about 5 miles west of…

Parks • By Kailey Hunt, KUT • Oct 5, 2023

Developer of parking-free downtown apartments surrenders building to lender

A parking-free, 30-unit apartment building that gained attention as one of the first attempts to bring “missing middle” housing downtown has been turned over to its lender after failing to generate enough occupancy to operate successfully. Weaver Buildings, the company…

Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Oct 5, 2023

City continues to work on wildfire mitigation strategies

The public may not have noticed, but Austin-Travis County had 963 different brush and grass fire alarms in September, Assistant Fire Chief Andre de la Reza told members of the city’s Public Safety Commission on Monday. The department was able…

Fire • By Jo Clifton • Oct 5, 2023

TipSheet: Austin City Council, 10.5.23

Today’s regular City Council meeting promises to be a total snooze, with only 41 things on the agenda. We’ve done our best to highlight the most interesting of those things, though it’s pretty slim pickings, as illustrated by Tuesday’s work…

TipSheets • By Elizabeth Pagano • Oct 5, 2023

Subscribe to our newsletter

Subscribe

Report finds widespread action needed to prepare city for future weather emergencies

The city has received dozens of steps for staff at all levels to take to reduce the impact of future weather emergencies. The full after-action report for the February 2023 winter storm evaluates problems experienced during the freeze that disrupted…

City Hall • By Chad Swiatecki • Oct 4, 2023

Follow-up zoning case promises more housing for South Lamar

City Council on Thursday will consider two linked zoning cases that developers hope will result in tracts for multifamily uses under a unified zoning designation of MF-6, the highest density of multifamily zoning. Council approved the initial zoning for a…

Zoning • By Jo Clifton • Oct 4, 2023

City plans to remove Barton Springs tree ‘Flo’ this week

The city’s Parks and Recreation Department announced on Monday morning that they would be removing Flo, the nearly 100-year-old pecan tree that leans over Barton Springs Pool, before the pool opens on Thursday. In addition, the department invited members of…

Parks • By Jo Clifton • Oct 3, 2023

Mobility Committee airs financial, environmental concerns over I-35 expansion

City Council members expressed a variety of concerns about the Interstate 35 expansion through downtown Austin, including a desire that the state and Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization delay funding approvals on the $4.5 billion project until concerns over construction-related…

Transportation • By Chad Swiatecki • Oct 3, 2023

Airport unveils first-ever Environmental, Social and Governance Report

The Airport Advisory Commission heard a briefing on the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport’s first-ever Environmental, Social and Governance Report at its regular meeting Sept. 13. The report, which was published in May, is a review of the organization’s impact and performance…

Transportation • By Nina Hernandez • Oct 3, 2023

APD's 911 center seeing progress in filling dispatcher, call taker vacancies

Austin Police Department has made progress in filling vacancies and improving retention in its Emergency Communications Center over the past 12 months, with more new hires expected by the end of the year. A memo released last week from Robin…

Public Safety • By Chad Swiatecki • Oct 2, 2023

« Previous Page — Next Page »