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Turning from toll roads, CTRMA eyes gondolas

A high-flying idea to provide an alternative to driving through Austin could soon get off the ground. Sort of. On Wednesday morning, members of the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority board of directors gushed over a proposal to install an…

Neighbors, ARG Bull Creek still fighting over Grove

Neighborhoods surrounding the proposed Grove at Shoal Creek – a huge, mixed-use planned unit development slated for the area around 45th Street and Shoal Creek – have worked mightily to prevent it, even accusing some city staff members of hijacking…

OSHA threatens two city-employed firms with six-figure fines

The United States Department of Labor has targeted two companies hired by the city of Austin with more than $121,000 in fines. On Tuesday, the department announced that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has determined that Austin Constructors LLC…

Public Safety Commission calls for $5.6M to clear DNA backlog

The Public Safety Commission upped the ante Tuesday, calling for an additional $5.6 million to tackle a backlog of DNA cases that continue to accumulate while the city’s lab remains shuttered. With a week left to pass the city’s budget,…

District 2 candidates debate for first time

Beneath a basketball net and a shut-off scoreboard at the Dove Springs Recreation Center, two City Council candidates for Austin’s District 2 squared off against each other and against the incumbent, Council Member Delia Garza. The forum, hosted by KUT,…

$720 million mobility bond could feature hidden costs

The price tag of Austin’s second-largest transportation bond proposal ever has been pegged at $720 million, but extra costs could pile as high as $20 million if voters approve the package in November. The central piece of the plan calls…

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Council OKs WildHorse Ranch PID

A major mixed-use development planned in eastern Travis County cleared an important hurdle Thursday, when City Council voted 8-2 not to object to the first-ever public improvement district created by the Travis County Commissioners Court. Key to approval of the…

City budget: Austinites say their piece

In just about a week, City Council will approve its Fiscal Year 2016-2017 budget. After hours of public testimony, it is clear that there are a lot of tough decisions left to make. Council closed the public comment portion of…

Reporter's Notebook: Same as it ever was

Remember your dais voice… City Council members and city management are increasingly pushing back on Council Member Don Zimmerman’s tirades against city staff. It started at a Council budget work session Wednesday, when the cantankerous conservative expressed outrage that a…

Austin Monitor Radio: Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo

Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo joins Austin Monitor publisher Mike Kanin to talk about policing in Austin against the backdrop of current national concerns.

Council OKs worker protections with expedited permit review

City Council acted to increase protections for construction workers and speed up the building permit process for some at last night’s meeting. Council members strongly supported a proposal that would allow developers to pay an extra fee in order to…

Hart named interim city manager

City Council on Thursday appointed the city’s chief financial officer, Elaine Hart, as interim city manager. Hart, who began her service with the city in 1980, will take over management of the city upon the departure of City Manager Marc…