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Major gas bill hike to be contested by city this fall

You might have a much higher gas bill next year, pending an upcoming decision this fall by the Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees the state’s oil and gas industry. Texas Gas Service proposed a rate hike this year that could…

Mexic-Arte pushes for state cultural district while museum reconstruction awaits

Leaders from the Mexic-Arte Museum downtown are at work gathering public input and indexing the cultural organizations along Fifth Street that could help to enhance the area that they hope will receive state recognition as a cultural district for the…

American Airlines cuts five Austin flights as options shrink at ABIA

Lee esta historia en español American Airlines plans to eliminate five nonstop flights from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport this fall. The Fort Worth-based company, which has the second-largest presence at ABIA after Southwest, had already slashed 21 routes from its Austin…

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…

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…

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…

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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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…