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Most Popular Stories
- City eyes fund to preserve affordable housing, capitalize on overbuilt apartment market
- Austin ISD eliminating jobs at its central office to reduce budget deficit
- Dozens of city music grants stalled over missing final reports
- Council reaffirms its commitment to making Austin a more age-friendly city
- Planning Commission settles on recommendation in controversial doggy daycare zoning case
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Council looks back at 84th Legislative Session
At the conclusion of a Texas Legislative Session, Austin must inevitably sit back and lick its wounds. According to Interim Intergovernmental Relations Officer Karen Kennard, however, the city sustained far fewer direct blows to its local control this time around…
Texas State Legislature • By Tyler Whitson • Jun 10, 2015
Weis memo addresses AE bad-debt questions
Austin Energy’s bad-debt problem is not the result of a policy “that penalizes customers who are a day late or a penny short,” according to a memo to City Council and Mayor Steve Adler from Austin Energy General Manager Larry…
Energy • By Jo Clifton • Jun 10, 2015
BOA grants variances, effectively denies house
The Board of Adjustment granted variances for one East Austin homeowner Monday night, but that doesn’t mean he will be able to build the home he wants. William Scott Admire, who owns a house at 2012 Hamilton Ave., told the board that…
Development • By Elizabeth Pagano • Jun 10, 2015
Many boards and commissions seats still vacant
While City Council members have almost 300 spots to fill on commissions and boards before current membership expires on July 1, some groups have adjourned their June meetings still uncertain about who will be seated next month. With Commissioner Reynaldo Moreno…
City Hall • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jun 9, 2015
City inches Homestead Preservation Districts forward
Technically, Austin has had a Homestead Preservation District for years. Last week, City Council decided to do something about it. Council members voted 9-0-1 to move forward with actually using homestead preservation districts as yet another way of addressing Austin’s…
Austin • By Elizabeth Pagano • Jun 9, 2015
Adler pulls MoPac South express lane amendment
Without assurance that his proposed language change wouldn’t put the brakes on the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s 2040 Regional Transportation Plan, Mayor Steve Adler withdrew an amendment at Monday’s Transportation Policy Board meeting intended to clarify the description of…
Transportation • By Tyler Whitson • Jun 9, 2015
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Hyde Park area residents point to flooding causes
Flood maps in hand, several Hyde Park area residents pointed to poorly designed sewer drains and a blocked retention pond pipe as major contributing factors to the area’s Memorial Day flooding. Tanya Quinn and Mary Ingle, who live near the…
Austin • By Courtney Griffin • Jun 9, 2015
Austin Monitor Radio: The 84th Lege and local municipalities
TravCo IGR honcho Deece Eckstein joins Monitor publisher Mike Kanin to talk about the local municipal impact of laws passed (and not) by the just-ended 84th Texas Legislature.
Local Politics • By Michael Kanin • Jun 8, 2015
Board says no to SH45 SW
Austin’s Environmental Board is giving City Council a clear message: The State Highway 45 Southwest road project should not move forward. At the board’s regular meeting Wednesday, members passed a motion declaring that they “(did) not support the building of…
City Hall • By Courtney Griffin • Jun 8, 2015
Council approves East Austin land trusts
Affordability was in fashion at last week’s City Council meeting. In the midst of talk about homestead exemptions and homestead preservation districts, Council members also revisited another strategy the city has used to create affordable housing. And, as has been…
Austin • By Elizabeth Pagano • Jun 8, 2015
Reporter's Notebook: Penalty cards and petitions
Eckhardt deals a new hand from a new deck… Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt introduced last week a new method for dealing with citizens whose comments during public communications might stray outside of the Travis County Commissioner Court’s wheelhouse. Perhaps with…
Reporters' Notebook • By Austin Monitor • Jun 8, 2015
Council adopts six percent homestead exemption
Despite the fact that views among City Council members run the gamut as far as implementing a homestead tax exemption, they opted in a 7-4 vote to meet in the middle early Friday morning, approving a 6 percent exemption for…
