Commission deadlocks on new police proposal for impounding cars

The Public Safety Commission deadlocked on a proposal to expand the Austin Police Department’s ability to impound a car when the driver does not have a driver’s license. The proposed ordinance, put forth by the Austin Police Department, would allow…

Parks and Rec Board hopes to make golf courses self-sustaining

Worried that Austin’s municipal golf courses are sucking money away from the city’s already underfunded parks, the Parks and Recreation Board is investigating how to make the courses pay for themselves. The city’s municipal golf courses have been operating at…

Brentwood flag lot prompts density debate at Planning Commission

A short debate during a Tuesday meeting of the Planning Commission about a subdivision in the Brentwood neighborhood was a fitting example of the conflicting views on development at the center of city politics. Commissioner Karen McGraw voiced concern about…

Nightclub developer wins suit against city

City Council will consider on Thursday whether to pay $126,400 to the developer of an east side nightclub whose fiscal surety was released to the wrong person. The case made its way through the courts, the nightclub owner won, and…

Judge considers Rodgers' Pilot Knob claims

How much notice should the City Council agenda provide to citizens who want to know what Council is doing that may impact their taxes and water rates? That’s one of the questions Judge Stephen Yelenosky will have to answer when…

AISD backs off city amendment, for now

A potential disagreement between the city and Austin Independent School District board of trustees and staff was put on hold at the AISD board’s regular Monday meeting last week, when a motion to send a letter of opposition to City…

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As city overhauls development code, Central Austin neighborhood works on its first plan

The city of Austin is working with people who live in the North Shoal Creek area to develop their first-ever neighborhood plan. The effort could help determine the future of that part of Austin and the rest of the city.…

Reporter's Notebook: Butterflies but not rainbows

Hersh the homeowner… Pay enough attention to local politics, and you’ll eventually notice a collection of commonly repeated phrases and cliches: “There are many tools in the toolbox,” “We can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good,” “That…

Austin Monitor Radio: Alison Alter

City Council District 10 candidate Alison Alter joins Austin Monitor publisher Mike Kanin to talk about her campaign. Post is embedded below:

Activists seek to 'reboot 10-1'

Several activists who led the charge to create single-member City Council districts have begun a campaign aimed at further reform. On Wednesday night, a group of just over 30 people gathered at Austin Energy headquarters on Barton Springs Road to…

Tovo, Garza to help fund downtown toilet project

Downtown Austin has scores of restaurants, bars and shops, but what it does not have is strategically located public toilets. That deficiency has proved problematic for any number of people, including the homeless and late-night visitors on the streets after…

Tovo pushes alternatives in lieu of fees-in-lieu

Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo is pushing ahead in her efforts to steer the city’s density bonus programs in a new direction. Near the end of last year, she initiated a staff review of the current programs, suspecting that there…