Updated: Petition to Recall Council Member Kitchen Deemed 'Insufficient'

From KUT News: A petition submitted by a political action committee attempting to recall Austin City Council member Ann Kitchen has been deemed “insufficient” by the City Clerk. The PAC Austin4All failed to get the petition notarized, which was required…

Kanin on Council: Pilot Knob revisited

The Austin Monitor‘s Michael Kanin speaks to KUT’s Jimmy Maas about the Austin City Council’s decision to revisit an affordable housing deal that passed in December known as Pilot Knob and what the second go-round could mean for Austinites.

Council starts Pilot Knob amendments

City Council voted 10-1 Thursday to start the amendment process on the affordable housing portion of the zoning ordinance that created the Pilot Knob planned unit development in Southeast Travis County. Council Member Don Zimmerman voted no. Council initiated the…

Occupancy limits made permanent

City Council on Thursday eliminated an expiration date from the occupancy-limits ordinance, making permanent a cap on occupancy in new single-family homes. Council voted to amend the ordinance in a 9-1-1 vote, with Council Member Ellen Troxclair opposed and Council…

How should Austin fund its transportation needs?

The City Council Mobility Committee largely steered clear of discussing a potential bond election during a meeting Wednesday focused on how the city can finance its looming transportation needs. A bond election, said Council Member Ann Kitchen, who chairs the…

Municipal court judge: Our building is in shambles

Austin Municipal Court is so overcrowded that employees are working in closets throughout the building, which is filled with asbestos and is one technical glitch away from not functioning, according to courthouse staff. Presiding Judge Sherry Statman told City Council on…

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Pemberton bid for historic zoning raises questions about Austin’s racist past, historic future and policy on tax abatement

Is historic preservation honoring Austin’s racist past? That’s the question that came up at the most recent meeting of the Historic Landmark Commission during a sprawling conversation that ultimately landed on how the city manages its historic tax exemptions. In…

City Council set to untangle committees today

City Council is set to tackle reforms of its committee structure in earnest today. The conversation has been pending for quite some time now, as thorny issues were being addressed instead. But, given the tone of last week’s work session, which…

The nitty-gritty of a Pilot Knob reconsideration

City Council members will decide today whether to revisit an affordable housing deal approved by vote in December. And how they might re-table the deal is a bit mystifying. Council Member Ellen Troxclair is proposing an amendment that would initiate…

Hernandez narrowly avoids runoff to become new sheriff nominee in town

Constable Sally Hernandez did the unexpected on election night by winning a clear majority of the vote for the Democratic nomination for Travis County sheriff in a crowded field of four candidates. At her packed campaign headquarters inside a downtown…

Travis County bush

Travillion moves to runoff with major lead

A five-man race for the vacant Travis County Commissioners Court Precinct 1 chair narrowed to two on Tuesday night, after results showed Jeff Travillion finishing well ahead of the pack with 41.67 percent of the vote and Arthur Sampson finishing…

Daugherty wins Precinct 3 primary

Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty will be able to run again for his Precinct 3 seat in November. With 70.83 percent of the vote, he defeated attorney and businessman Jason Nassour to become the Republican nominee for a sprawling precinct that includes 12…