Austin ISD faces unpopular options to fix budget: Closing schools and redrawing boundaries

It’s time for the Austin Independent School District to do something drastic to improve its financial situation, says a member of a task force studying its budget. On the table: closing schools and changing boundaries. “There are some really key…

Council approves 18 townhouses in Northeast Austin

In spite of opposition from neighbors who fear flooding and increased traffic, at its Nov. 15 meeting City Council overwhelmingly approved a rezoning to allow the construction of 18 new homes on a vacant lot at 10300 Dessau Road. The…

Austin explores options for new pedestrian bridge over Lady Bird Lake

There are enjoyable ways to walk or bike across Lady Bird Lake, but the Pleasant Valley Bridge is not one of them. A narrow sidewalk, a chain-link fence and low guardrails are all features that make the East Austin crossing…

Ethics Review Commission declines to weigh in on city anti-discrimination and harassment policy

City Council recently asked the Ethics Review Commission to review its proposed amendments to the anti-discrimination/anti-harassment portion of the City Code, which includes language such as “No City official or employee shall engage in conduct or use language that is…

City seeks grants, partnerships to implement tech solutions for homeless

The city’s Innovation Office has applied for a $400,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, with the goal of directing the money toward implementing a suite of blockchain technology solutions to help the city’s homeless population. The grant application…

Berkman zoning sparks quiet argument

Council Member Ora Houston joined her colleagues Thursday in a unanimous vote to rezone properties on Berkman Drive, but she was clearly conflicted about it. The decision will allow a developer to build 40 rental units and assorted retail in…

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Play me I'm yours piano

With $12M for creative spaces, arts/music group starts shaping allocation process

With $12 million for acquisition of creative space approved by voters earlier this month, members of the city’s music and arts commissions will spend the rest of November generating ideas for how to best use the money for saving and…

Lanier

Austin school board, communities clash over names for Confederate-named schools

The Austin Independent School District’s Board of Trustees will vote next Monday on what to rename four schools currently named after members of the Confederacy. The board will decide between honoring the schools’ wishes, which in some cases means no name…

hemphill

A 'dire need' for student housing convinces Board of Adjustment to approve variance

This month the Board of Adjustment approved a variance request for a multifamily unit located just behind the Drag, after postponing it in September for being “ugly.” At its Nov. 8 meeting, the Board of Adjustment reevaluated whether the lot at…

Reporter's Notebook: Carrying on

A bump in the road… As long expected, the state’s Austin-based 3rd Court of Appeals voided the city’s paid sick leave ordinance on Friday. The 24-page opinion by the three-judge panel found that the ordinance – which was passed in…

tcad

TCAD not giving taxpayers timely hearings

Faced with an unprecedented number of property tax protests, the Travis Central Appraisal District is scheduling formal hearings through the month of December – months after the appraisal roll was certified and tax bills set. Attorney Bill Aleshire told the…

police car lights

Council approves labor contract with police after a year without one

Officers with the Austin Police Department are getting a new labor contract. After nearly a year of negotiations, City Council members unanimously approved a four-year and $44.6 million contract between the city and the local police union. Police reform activists…