AISD debuts two draft bond proposals

Austin Independent School District hosted a series of four meetings last week to talk to community members about the bond planning process for the upcoming year. Over 200 stakeholders tuned in to the first meeting alone to better understand the…

Watson had help from bundlers, but not that much

In his campaign to become Austin’s next mayor, Kirk Watson has already gained the title of the city’s most prodigious fundraiser for a political race. He raised more than $997,000 in time for the July 15 report. Although he had…

Capital Metro hosts groundbreaking ceremony for its new station outside of Austin FC stadium

On Monday evening, following a compelling rendition by the Austin FC marching band of Camila Cabello’s “Havana” (singing “McKalla, ah la-la” instead of “Havana, ooh na-na”) state and local officials and Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority staff participated in a groundbreaking…

Hancock home to Tom Miller and Emma Long to become historic landmark

In a brief respite from demolition cases, the Historic Landmark Commission is celebrating a likely contender for landmark designation at 803 Park Blvd. in North Central Austin. The Miller-Long house was built in 1929 in the heyday of the early…

Phil Brual, the UT Austin student running for mayor

On Nov. 8, Austin will elect a new mayor, and already a number of high-profile candidates have entered the race.  And among those candidates is Phil Brual, a 21-year-old University of Texas student born and raised in Austin.   In many…

Community Development Commission pushes for affordability at Statesman project site

The Community Development Commission has asked City Council to require significant affordable housing be located on-site for the planned unit development for the former Austin American-Statesman property that is being led by Endeavor Real Estate Group. The commission voted unanimously…

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Historic Preservation Office aims to replace 40-year-old preservation plan by next fall, with a focus on equity

Austin’s Historic Preservation Office has taken on a new project to tackle equity issues, with ambitions to overhaul the city’s preservation plan for the first time since 1981. In a briefing to the Historic Landmark Commission, staff reported that the…

Planning Commission postpones decision on parkland fees for commercial development

Should new commercial developments contribute land and/or money for new parks? If so, how? These were the questions the Planning Commission considered last Tuesday related to a proposed rule that would make offices, retail, hotels and industrial buildings include on-site…

front of City Hall

First financial reports offer a glimpse into City Council campaigns

It’s that time of year again. Candidates for city elections late last week shared how much money they’ve raised so far in accordance with the city’s campaign finance reporting deadline on July 15. Here, we’ll break down the results from…

Commission for Women supports the GRACE Act, abortion access

Austin’s Commission for Women passed a recommendation this week in support of the GRACE Act, which would de-prioritize abortion investigations and prevent city funds from being used to report procedures, which will soon be completely illegal in the state. While…

Proposed $5B city budget leans on fees, less on property taxes, amid a boom in sales tax revenue

Austinites may not see as steep a hike in property taxes next year. Still, they could see an increase of 2.7% under a budget proposal released Friday. City Manager Spencer Cronk’s proposed $5 billion budget for 2023 leans more heavily on…

Notley/Monitor Poll: Austinites value local news but disagree on quality

Nearly seven in 10 Austinites believe that local news is important to them personally, but only 36 percent rate highly the quality of local news reporting, according to a June survey of 507 likely voters commissioned by Notley and conducted by Change…