Environmental Commission wants public engagement on airport development plan update

The Environmental Commission voted to recommend a proposed update to the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Master Development Plan at its regular meeting July 5. The original master plan ordinance passed in 1994 was designed as a blueprint for redevelopment of the…

Music Commission hears testimony and then delays vote on SXSW pay

The Music Commission delayed action on the matter of fair pay for South by Southwest performers, holding nearly three hours of discussion on the controversial topic Wednesday night before rescheduling possible action until next month. The delay on the SXSW…

Travis County to look at cost-of-living adjustments and pay increases for in-person workers

Travis County commissioners recently discussed whether the county can increase pay for its non-remote workers, as well as the possibility of cost-of-living wage increases. Todd Osburn of the county’s compensation office on June 27 briefed the Travis County Commissioners Court…

Austin ISD is getting federal money to install solar panels at more than a dozen campuses

The Austin Independent School District is one of two dozen school systems nationwide to get a new federal grant to make campuses more energy efficient. Austin ISD will receive nearly $15 million for its Solar for Schools project through the…

Interim city manager updates Office of Police Oversight procedures

Austin’s Office of Police Oversight has been in limbo in recent years. Its authority to investigate allegations of police misconduct was dismantled in 2021. Its director, Farah Muscadin, resigned in 2022. The city’s police labor contract expired – without a…

Memo details progress, plans for African American Cultural Heritage District

The city is preparing to solicit an outside consultant to create an action plan for development of the portion of East Austin known as the African American Cultural Heritage District. Economic Development Department Director Sylnovia Holt-Rabb last month sent a…

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Planning Commission urges quicker processing of Land Development Code amendments

With dozens of amendments to the city’s outdated Land Development Code currently in the works – many aimed at increasing supply and lowering costs for housing – City Council members and city staffers in recent weeks have discussed how to…

Resource Management Commission considers petition for oversight on gas utilities

The city’s Resource Management Commission may soon find itself a bit busier, with plans for a vote to add oversight of Austin’s natural gas utilities to its purview. Commissioner Paul Robbins, a longtime environmentalist, brought the proposal forth. It would…

Ethics Review Commission OKs pandemic-era changes to lobbying ordinance

The Ethics Review Commission last week voted unanimously to recommend changes to the city’s lobbying rules. The rules ensure phone calls and video conferences are properly recorded as appearances before a city official. The changes to City Code Chapter 4-8…

New building under construction on your block? Austin could change how you're notified.

East Austin residents flooded a City Council meeting last month for a vote on rezoning the Borden Dairy plant to allow mixed-use development. The 21-acre site will make room for apartments, hotel rooms and a mix of office, restaurant and…

Insufficient staffing revealed in audit of fraud and waste at Parks and Recreation Department

A former employee of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department fraudulently submitted timesheets stating she was working, according to a report from the Office of the City Auditor, and she collected paychecks for six months in 2021 – although she…

County gives final OK for millions toward low-income housing at Juniper Creek

The Travis County Commissioners Court on June 27 approved a measure funding an affordable housing contract for Foundation Communities, a nonprofit provider of affordable housing and subrecipient of the Juniper Creek development contract. The money is sourced from the Coronavirus…