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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

Council members get their assignments

On Monday, Mayor Steve Adler released a document naming the proposed City Council committee and intergovernmental body appointments, populating the 10 Council committees for the first time. The appointments are on the agenda for the upcoming Council meeting, and they…

City Council • By Elizabeth Pagano • Feb 10, 2015

Council discusses water scarcity

With the current central Texas drought showing no signs of abating, City Council sat down with staff and water experts on Monday to discuss the severity of the issue. Sharlene Leurig, who chaired the Austin Water Resource Planning Task Force,…

City Council • By Tyler Whitson • Feb 10, 2015

Mayor's foundation moves quickly to Council vote

Mayor Steve Adler’s plan to increase staff through a nonprofit foundation will be up for a vote this Thursday. The shift promises to be a radical one that could change how business is done at City Hall. Though the details…

City Council • By Elizabeth Pagano • Feb 10, 2015

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No-show is a no-go at the Board of Adjustment

The Board of Adjustment extended no favors to an East Cesar Chavez homeowner who failed to appear at its Monday night meeting. Instead, the board quickly voted against her request for a greater floor-to-area ratio than the McMansion Ordinance allows.…

City Hall • By Elizabeth Pagano • Feb 10, 2015

Subcommittee seeks help for ADU changes

The Planning Commission Codes and Ordinances Subcommittee met Thursday to discuss amendments to a city ordinance regarding accessory dwelling units — apartments located on the same property as a house. But city staffer Ming-ru Chu could barely read through the…

Austin • By Kara Nuzback • Feb 9, 2015

Decredentialing process gets public safety spotlight

Last week, the Public Safety Commission examined the continued tension between the city’s medical director and the Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services Association over decredentialing. Medical Director for Austin/Travis County EMS Dr. Paul Hinchey spoke to commissioners about the de-accreditation…

EMS • By Elizabeth Pagano • Feb 9, 2015

Doomed commission awaits marching orders

Urging its own demise, the Residential Design and Compatibility Commission took some time during its most recent meeting to see whether its dissolution had made headway over the past couple of months. City Council passed a resolution to dissolve the…

City Hall • By Elizabeth Pagano • Feb 9, 2015

Explainer: AFD, AFA, and the consent decree

Each week, the Explainer offers a closer look at stories we have been following. This week, we look at City Council action from last week that restarts negotiations between the Austin Firefighters Association and city management. It what amounts to…

Fire • By Michael Kanin • Feb 9, 2015

Council OKs restart of firefighter negotiations

As its first major action, the Austin City Council on Thursday approved a resolution directing city management to go back to the bargaining table with the Austin Firefighters Association. But it did not, as initially proposed, direct staff to stop…

City Council • By Jo Clifton • Feb 6, 2015

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