Six months in, Vision Zero focuses on pedestrian safety

Holding back tears, Kathy Sokolic told roughly 30 people seated outside City Hall the story of a bruised heart. “On the evening of Sept. 12, our 9-year-old,” began Sokolic, before pausing to gather herself. “Our 9-year-old nephew, Ben, was hit…

Slow response to flood report frustrates some commissioners

The city does not have many options for supporting individuals who suffer loss or damages from flooding caused by a development upstream, based on an exchange at the Nov. 29 joint meeting of the Planning and the Zoning and Platting…

Capital Metro merges working group with city planning effort

The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the city of Austin have joined together to expand the scope of work for the group of residents and stakeholders deputized to weigh in on the latest iteration of Project Connect. The Project Connect…

Reporter's Notebook: Cheating? Deals? Numbers?

Cheating or just honest mistakes?… On Thursday, the first day of early voting for the Dec. 13 runoff elections for City Council District 10 and two places for the Austin Community College Board of Trustees, the Austin Monitor received a…

Austin Monitor Radio: Travis County Sheriff-elect Sally Hernandez

Incoming Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez joins Austin Monitor publisher Mike Kanin to chat about her goals for the office, including those that cover its immigration policy. Show is embedded below.

Critics: Council should aim higher in manager search

Although City Council has yet to see the names of executive search firms that might take on the task of helping it find a new city manager, two prominent critics are already saying the process is getting off on the…

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Oversight committee discusses making city carbon-free by 2030

“Can Austin be a carbon-free energy city by 2030?” was one of the more prominent questions up for debate Wednesday as the City Council’s Energy Utility Oversight Committee got its first update on the 10-year road map for Austin Energy’s…

Council approves Manley to head police department

City Council voted unanimously Thursday to hire Brian Manley, the chief of staff to outgoing Police Chief Art Acevedo, to be the Austin Police Department’s interim chief. Manley said he was “honored, proud and humbled” by both Council’s support and…

Austin's high-end apartment market closes some of its vacancy gap

High-end apartments have come to dominate the rental market in downtown Austin. A few years ago, those developments saw a sharp drop in occupancy as new units flooded the market. Now the market seems to be on its way to stabilizing.…

Speed limits going down on parts of Lamar and Parmer

The Texas Department of Transportation is moving to reduce speed limits on sections of two busy roadways in Austin. At least one City Council member, however, is hoping the city can go further than what the state agency put forward…

CTRMA advances park-and-ride plan

The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority is charting a path pocked with bureaucracy toward a set of brand new park-and-rides along its toll roads and express lanes. On Tuesday, the agency’s board of directors gave staff the green light to…

Union protests some new HR rules

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees has expressed concern about language in proposed amendments to the city’s policy regarding discrimination, harassment, retaliation and employee conduct. The rules opposed by the union, which represents city employees, include language…