South by Southwest grows, evolves

In a ritual as punctual as the festival itself, organizers of South by Southwest Music, Film and Interactive Festival announced that its economic impact on the city of Austin continues to grow. This year, South by Southwest contributed more than…

City may grow by 2 square miles this year

When Austinites talk about the city’s rapid population growth, they are often referring to people moving into town. Land annexation also contributes, though, and City Council is wrestling with a plan that could add 2 square miles to the city…

Committee moves short-term rental discussion on to Council

Proposed regulations for short-term rentals will be on City Council’s agenda Thursday after a Council committee hearing displayed consensus from members and staff that the city needs to more strictly regulate the short-term rental market. The committee did not vote…

Pay raises for Ott, other appointees likely this week

City Council is likely to vote this week to give 3 percent pay raises to City Manager Marc Ott and three other employees whom Council appoints directly. For Mayor Steve Adler, it’s only fair. After Tuesday’s work session during which the…

Cap Metro hires plan consultant despite confusion

Following a discussion that shed some light on how the organization functions, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority board of directors voted unanimously at a special called meeting Monday to hire a consultant for its 10-year service plan in spite of…

Junk Yard Dogs answers city's TCAD lawsuit

Junk Yard Dogs LP, the owner of a commercial property at 8322 Cross Park Drive, on Monday responded to the city’s lawsuit against the Travis Central Appraisal District and all owners of commercial and vacant property in the county. The…

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Ban the box ordinance moving forward

The proposal to ban the box that requires job applicants to say whether they have a criminal history is moving forward, but proponents – including City Council Member Greg Casar – hope to move slowly so as not to alarm…

Colorado nonprofit partners with city on mobility

Austin leaders announced a partnership Monday morning between the city and Colorado-based nonprofit Rocky Mountain Institute to develop “innovative mobility solutions” to the transportation woes that frustrate many Austinites. Jeruld Weiland, managing director of RMI’s Mobility Transportation program, told those…

PUC calls for order to reset certain water rates

The Public Utility Commission of Texas started a process Friday that could ultimately require Austin Water to reset water and wastewater rates for a group of customers that has challenged the city. The commission approved, with some exceptions, a proposal…

Tarrytown subdivision delayed over questions about area flooding

A planned subdivision in Tarrytown has been delayed to allow Planning Commissioners to take a closer look at neighborhood concerns about flooding and learn more about what the city has planned for the area. City staff has determined that the…

Reporter's Notebook: The lighter side of budgets?

Tuesday morning quarterback… Despite Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt’s recent attempts to rein in off-topic monologues, the public communications portion of the Travis County Commissioners Court’s weekly meetings remains a source of colorful commentary. Last week, one rather notorious local communicant…

Video: Kanin budget wrap, or the taco index, 9.11 (KXAN)

Monitor Publisher Mike Kanin heads to KXAN for his weekly Council wrap. This week: The budget. Clip is embedded below.