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- A plan to end night swimming at Barton Springs is over before it ever began
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- City to postpone UNO vote to consult with UT
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OSHA fines Central Library contractors $88K for excavation hazards
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration has cited construction contractors working on the new Central Library with fines totaling $88,000. According to the citations (here and here), on March 4, four employees were installing rebar in the rain in a…
Austin • By Elizabeth Pagano • Sep 4, 2015
Demand charge change could cost $7 million
As the deadline closes in for City Council to decide whether to increase the demand charge threshold for small commercial Austin Energy customers as part of the city budget, utility staff has released figures that may impact that decision. Austin…
Energy • By Tyler Whitson • Sep 4, 2015
HousingWorks breaks down Austin's affordability
For the second year, HousingWorks Austin has taken a close look at the city’s household affordability crisis in each City Council District. The study has found some startling disparities. Perhaps the greatest contrast is the difference in distribution of subsidized…
Housing • By Elizabeth Pagano • Sep 4, 2015
Confusion reigns over Zoning and Platting Commission's duties
The Zoning and Platting Commission’s attempts to work more closely with the Planning Commission continue to encounter confusion and pushback from commissioners, city staff and City Council. For starters, Chair Gabriel Rojas is still smarting over Council’s decision last month…
The Code • By Jack Craver • Sep 4, 2015
Google gears up for new self-driving car in Austin
Austinites who have spotted Google’s self-driving Lexus in the past couple of months will have a new rarity to keep an eye out for in the next week or so – the company’s “prototype” autonomous vehicle. Built for the task…
Transportation • By Tyler Whitson • Sep 3, 2015
Tovo proposes budget adoption process
Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo on Wednesday signaled that she would like City Council to use a budget adoption process similar to the one used by the previous Council over the past two years. Council Members Delia Garza and Leslie…
Budget • By Jo Clifton • Sep 3, 2015
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Commission opts to proceed with complaint against Historic Landmark commissioner
Few members of the Ethics Review Commission indicated at a Monday hearing whether they believed that ArijArif Panju, a member of the Historic Landmark Commission, violated city conflict-of-interest rules over votes he took on a policy affecting his neighborhood. The…
City Hall • By Jack Craver • Sep 3, 2015
Korean church rezoning inspires competing petitions
Last week, the Planning Commission gave its blessing to a new set of plans for redeveloping the former site of the Korean United Presbyterian Church in Crestview. The case will now head to City Council with neighborhood supporters, a list…
Development • By Elizabeth Pagano • Sep 3, 2015
Council gauges interest on proposed budget items
City Council inched closer to adopting the city’s Fiscal Year 2015-16 budget at a work session on Tuesday when it took a “straw poll” – in the words of Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo – of the concept menu items…
Budget • By Tyler Whitson • Sep 2, 2015
Travis County reduces proposed tax rate
Crucial new data has given Travis County’s budget writers a little extra leeway to lower the proposed property tax rate in the next fiscal year. A Planning and Budget Office staff presentation before the Commissioners Court on Tuesday revealed that…
Budget • By Caleb Pritchard • Sep 2, 2015
Ethics Commission begins to examine proposed lobbying changes
The Ethics Review Commission is under pressure to deal quickly with proposed changes to city lobbying rules. On Monday, City Council Member Leslie Pool, the chief backer of a resolution directing the city manager to draft a substantial revision to…
The Code • By Jack Craver • Sep 2, 2015
AISD avoids dipping into savings
The Austin Independent School District board of trustees unanimously passed the Fiscal Year 2015-16 budget at Monday’s regular meeting, and thanks to a record increase in certified property values, the district will most likely avoid dipping into its contingency funds. This year’s…
