Still more questions than answers approaching Austin Energy rate case vote

City Council appears far from resolved heading into today’s vote on Austin Energy base rates, leaving last Tuesday’s work session with the case’s biggest questions still unanswered. On the top of the list is the issue of revenue requirement, with…

Council working on rules for city-owned property

City Council Member Kathie Tovo has been working on resolutions intended to ensure that city staff follow certain policies when renting or selling city property. The policies relate to the requirements for construction projects, living wage, minority and women-owned business…

Events task force delivers recommendations for managing major gatherings

The city will likely begin collecting and publishing comprehensive information on major events and music festivals in the coming years as part of a widespread revision to the special events ordinance that regulates large gatherings impacting communities and city services.…

TipSheet: Austin City Council, 12.1.22

As the clock winds down on this iteration of City Council, there is a certain amount of pressure on Council members who are on the way out to cement their legacies and tie up any loose ends before handing over…

Austin leaders brace for state lawmakers to take up bills restricting library content and resources

After Texas lawmakers placed limitations on how Texas teachers approach lessons on history and racism and passed anti-trans legislation in recent sessions, Austin leaders are preparing for further action on these fronts when the Legislature convenes for its 88th session…

Lengthy delay predicted for some environmental rules

Environmentalists looking forward to changes in city regulations requiring new developments to include more green infrastructure may be disappointed to hear that the final piece in that project may be delayed until mid-2024. City Council adopted some of the rules…

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City reverses decision, granting variance from compatibility in storage unit case

City Council is set to consider the topic of compatibility on a larger scale Thursday. Meanwhile, the Board of Adjustment took a second swing at the issue on a more granular level, voting at its last meeting to overturn a…

County gets creative to counter 'staggering' number of fentanyl deaths

In the first half of this year, from January to June, 118 people in Travis County died from an overdose of fentanyl. This equaled the number of fentanyl-related overdoses from the entirety of last year. The outsized opioid-overdose figures spurred…

November delivered more rain than usual to Austin, but not enough to shake the drought

It’s been a wet November in Central Texas, with cold, rainy days through the week of the Thanksgiving holiday. That weather might have affected your plans, but was a welcome break from continuing drought. It was also another unusual twist…

Environmental Commission recommends Concordia sports complex variance

Earlier this month, the Environmental Commission recommended a variance for Concordia University’s sports complex project in North Austin. Concordia is working on a number of improvements to upgrade its sports facilities in compliance with NCAA rules, including an artificial turf…

It's been a pivotal year

One year ago we removed our paywall and set a new course for our organization. For a small nonprofit news organization, this was a big change.  We knew our in-depth and independent reporting would be the throughline and engine for…

Austin's program to sell homes to people affected by gentrification off to slow start

The city of Austin has not yet sold one of the two dozen homes it began marketing six months ago to low-income families affected by displacement and the influx of wealth into neighborhoods. This is the city’s first attempt at using…