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Firefighters call for more cadets to address safety, mental health needs

The Austin Firefighters Association is seeking more attention to the safety issues facing its membership, which were discussed in part last week during City Council budget sessions. The AFA had planned to hold a press conference Monday to publicize issues…

Budget • By Chad Swiatecki • Jul 30, 2024

Chris Riley, former Austin City Council member and urbanist, dies at 60

Chris Riley, who served as a City Council member from 2009 to 2015, died Sunday after a battle with cancer. A native Austinite, Riley was known as a fierce advocate for bike infrastructure and denser housing at a time when…

City Council • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Jul 30, 2024

Tourism Commission looks at how city can welcome more major events

The Tourism Commission has indicated it may ask the city to be more hospitable toward major events that can bring large numbers of visitors to the area. Areas they could focus on include the availability of major gathering areas in…

City Hall • By Chad Swiatecki • Jul 29, 2024

Audit finds gender disparities in city hiring

A report released earlier this month by the Office of the City Auditor found that women are still underrepresented in the city workforce as city agencies work to improve their gender gap in hiring. A 2021 audit said that Austin…

City Hall • By Dylan Ebs • Jul 29, 2024

money

Council will face tough budget decisions on parks, animal services and homelessness

City Council is anticipating a tight budget ahead and will have to balance funding for the Parks and Recreation Department as well as the Austin Animal Center, the Homeless Strategy Office and Human Resources. The Austin Animal Center is over…

Budget • By Jo Clifton • Jul 26, 2024

Cap Metro stops shift to all-electric bus fleet

Capital Metro is slamming the brakes on an ambitious goal of transitioning to an all-electric bus fleet, citing problems with the range of battery-electric buses. Austin voters were promised a transit system with exclusively electric vehicles when they authorized a…

Transit • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Jul 26, 2024

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Parks board to ask Council to explain why it bypassed public input on a Lady Bird Lake boat rental concession

Members of the Parks and Recreation Board said Monday they will ask City Council to reexamine a 2019 ordinance that circumvented public input to allow an adventure excursion company to operate a boating concession on Lady Bird Lake. The request…

Parks • By Amy Smith • Jul 26, 2024

Audit committee wants to keep a close eye on upcoming bond packages

The City Council Audit and Finance Committee wants staff to deliver quarterly updates to all relevant City Council committees on all projects being considered for Austin’s next bond package – mainly related to climate change and the effects of severe…

Budget • By Chad Swiatecki • Jul 26, 2024

Staff lays out public safety budget choices for City Council

Looking ahead to a tough budget year, City Council will have to choose between spending on firefighters, emergency medical services, parks maintenance, homeless outreach and improving animal services, among others. Wednesday’s budget presentation did nothing to alleviate budget concerns, with…

Budget • By Jo Clifton • Jul 25, 2024

Council OKs bond money to preserve Museum of Human Achievement arts space

City Council has allocated $5.1 million of bond money to the Rally Austin economic development entity, which is expected to use some of the money to purchase and preserve the Museum of Human Achievement (MoHA) arts space in East Austin.…

Music & Entertainment • By Chad Swiatecki • Jul 25, 2024

Downtown Austin safety team increases patrol in response to APD staffing shortage

Austin has been grappling with a serious police understaffing problem, making patrolling the downtown area harder. In an effort to fill that gap, the Downtown Austin Alliance created a new safety team to hit the streets. The DAA, a nonprofit…

Police • By Lucciana Choueiry, KUT News • Jul 25, 2024

The Austin area will see cooler temperatures this week. But it's not as 'crazy' as you think.

Temperatures in Central Texas will trend below average with highs only in the 80s in most areas this week, according to the National Weather Service. Normally, high temperatures this time of year range in the high 90s. The cooler weather is…

Environment • By Kailey Hunt, KUT • Jul 24, 2024

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