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Audio: The UT Dell Med School and its impact on the City of Austin

This is the full audio from the Monitor’s April 2015 UT Dell Med School panel discussion. Guests for the evening were Med School dean Clay Johnston, Austin Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo, Travis County Central Health President and CEO Trish…

Council tentatively extends large energy contracts

Austin Energy is stuck between a rock and a hard place, with the rock being the Texas Legislature and the hard place being the utility’s exhausted reserve funds. City Council is now working to wriggle the municipal energy provider out…

West Austin home demolition moves forward

In accordance with the owners’ wishes, the demolition of a West Austin home built in 1939 will be moving forward. “I think this is simply a case of a house that’s being demolished because it doesn’t fit somebody’s needs,” said…

Hays County home appraisal values up for 2015

Hays County residents started seeing their annual notice of home appraisals in the mail this week. The Hays Central Appraisal District started sending out the notices — more than 76,000 of them — May 1. And some homeowners are not…

Reporter's Notebook: Au revoir, RDCC

That’s one set of appointments no one has to worry about … Last Thursday, City Council dissolved the Residential Design and Compatibility Commission. The RDCC initiated the process, passing a resolution to dissolve itself in February due to the decreased…

Council formally weighs in on MoPac South plan

After weeks of mounting tension over what many call a “double-decking” of MoPac Expressway over Lady Bird Lake, City Council has formally asked the regional transportation planning body to modify a proposal to add four express lanes to a section…

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Council gives initial approval for Ace Salvage deal

City Council gave first-reading approval Thursday to an ordinance that will eliminate an auto salvage business above Bull Creek, remove contamination in the critical water quality zone and add to the trail system for that area. In return, owner Roy…

Council again questions Zimmerman appointments

Facebook posts did them in. As City Council members nixed two of Council Member Don Zimmerman’s appointees — some citing comments made on social media pages — they debated Zimmerman’s judgment following what they said has been a string of…

Council approves rules for Mueller commission

There was a time when just about anyone could get an appointment to the commission that advises City Council on the Mueller development. That time has passed. As part of the city’s commission transition, Council voted Thursday to limit the…

Council mulls smaller homestead exemption

As candidates, many of the current City Council members promised constituents a 20 percent homestead exemption. As Council members, they looked at the numbers Wednesday and weighed the benefits of a more cautious approach. At a budget work session, Mayor…

Council begins to define budget priorities

Despite needing to fill a 5 to 6 percent hole to bring the city’s revenue in line with what it spends, City Council members continued to bat around a mix of ideas Wednesday about how to generate that money. At…

Council may revise Mueller Commission eligibility

Though residents of any Austin neighborhood can currently join the commission that guides City Council on the Mueller development, a proposed ordinance would limit membership to those who live in that community and 24 surrounding neighborhoods. Council members debated the…