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Homestead tax exemption moves forward

City Council kick-started a process Thursday that could lead to the city giving homeowners an increased tax exemption on their property tax bills later this year. Council unanimously adopted a resolution that directs city staff to complete a study on…

City Council • By Tyler Whitson • Feb 13, 2015

Council members challenge mayor on privately-funded staff positions

Austin’s new mayor is proposing to hire additional staffers to at no cost to taxpayers. But the idea doesn’t sit well with some council members, who voiced concern over paying for city employees using private funds, as well as the…

Austin • By Kara Nuzback • Feb 13, 2015

Transit priority lanes considered for the Drag

Close to half of all rush-hour travelers through the Drag may go by bus, and the busy corridor’s future may include dedicated bus lanes, commissioners learned at Tuesday’s Urban Transportation Commission meeting. The Austin Transportation Department is studying ways to improve…

Transportation • By Jenny Blair • Feb 13, 2015

Council swiftly adopts new salary rules

A change that will allow City Council members to shift their salaries in order to pay for extra staff passed with little opposition Thursday. The ordinance will allow individual Council members to waive their salaries each year and apply those…

City Council • By Elizabeth Pagano • Feb 13, 2015

For Council, Art is a $3 million word

Prompted by about $3.1 million worth of art-related contracts on today’s meeting agenda, City Council had a far-reaching discussion about art, spending and the local economy on Tuesday. Council Member Don Zimmerman referred to $3 million in contracts that would…

City Hall • By Tyler Whitson • Feb 12, 2015

Red Bluff Hotel project will get a second chance

At their most recent meeting, Planning Commissioners took the unusual step of rescinding their previous vote on the planned Red Bluff Hotel. The vote to rescind was unanimous, though commissioners made it clear that they may not support the variance…

Development • By Elizabeth Pagano • Feb 12, 2015

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Board rules Allandale Airstream can stay

At least one home in Allandale will remain weird, though the homeowner will have to work hard to obscure it if he doesn’t want to run afoul of city code again. Andrew Hutton was before the Board of Adjustment last December,…

Land Development Code • By Elizabeth Pagano • Feb 12, 2015

Commission powers remain unclear, residents remain agitated

On Tuesday, Planning Commissioners opted to postpone an item that should clarify whether they have the ability to approve a subdivision without requiring connectivity. But the sea of bright yellow t-shirts at the meeting made it clear that the issue…

The Code • By Elizabeth Pagano • Feb 12, 2015

Austin Monitor Radio: AFA President Bob Nicks

Austin Firefighters Association President Bob Nicks joins Monitor publisher Mike Kanin to talk about recent developments that put the union, looking for its first contract since 2012, back at the bargaining table with Austin City Management. Sponsored by Kerby Lane…

Fire • By Michael Kanin • Feb 11, 2015

Council considers homestead exemption timeline

Picking up on one of the most hotly debated campaign issues of the past election, City Council is grappling with what could be the first step in enacting a 20 percent homestead tax exemption. Council discussed a resolution at Tuesday’s…

City Council • By Tyler Whitson • Feb 11, 2015

Zimmerman struggles to stop subsidized housing

There are only two subsidized housing developments in City Council Member Don Zimmerman’s District 6, as compared to 47 in Council Member Ora Houston’s District 1 and 46 in Council Member Pio Renteria’s District 3, according to data compiled by…

City Council • By Jo Clifton • Feb 11, 2015

County Commissioners maintain toll appointment

An ordinary appointment to the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority Board of Directors during Monday’s Travis County Commissioner Court meeting turned into a debate over transparency and the economic burden of toll roads. Commissioners voted 4-0, with one abstention, to…

Roads • By Elizabeth Pagano • Feb 11, 2015

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