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Austin, Travis get ready for 84th Texas Legislature

With the specter of dealing with a Texas Legislature that has become even more conservative — if that is possible — with the Nov. 4 election, the City of Austin and Travis County reviewed and approved their respective legislative agendas…

Land Development Code rewrite marches forward

A once-divided City Council got behind a compromise Thursday on how the city will approach the Land Development Code rewrite. Council Member Bill Spelman said the decision had been “clouded” by its framing, which had turned the choice between approaches…

Landmark Commission delays fate of Pine Street

The future of East Austin’s Pine Street Station will remain in limbo for at least another month after last week’s postponement of a grass-roots bid for historic landmark designation. Though the Historic Landmark Commission again discussed the buildings at Fifth…

Reporter's Notebook: Rules are rules

A no-endorsement endorsement, and other missives from the campaign trail . . .  Austinites for Equity, a political action committee for the local AFSCME organization, has supported numerous progressive and Democratic candidates. So observers were surprised when they noticed a…

Austin Monitor Radio, show 25: TNCs

Monitor reporter Tyler Whitson joins publisher Mike Kanin to talk TNCs with the City of Austin’s Gordon Derr and Carlton Thomas as well as UT Professor Kara Kockelman to talk transportation networking companies. The show is posted below:

Water worries derail Decker Lake golf course vote

Worries about water — and Central Texas’ persistent drought — have derailed, at least temporarily, plans for the Decker Lake golf course. After hearing concerns from Austin Water Utility Director Greg Meszaros, City Council voted 7-0 to postpone consideration of…

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Obama immigration plan may end city-county tiff

It may have taken an executive order, but President Barack Obama seems to have headed off a dispute between the City of Austin and Travis County. The long-standing controversy involving Sheriff Greg Hamilton’s participation in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s…

Coyote management plan passes despite concerns

The Austin City Council approved the contentious city coyote management plan Thursday evening, to a loud round of applause and a few woofs of approval from community members sitting in the audience. “This may not be the last word on…

Council sets overnight concrete pour ordinance

Following lengthy discussion and public input, City Council unanimously passed an interim ordinance Thursday that limits overnight concrete pouring in parts of downtown from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. and initiates a 60-day stakeholder process for a permanent solution. The…

Real estate reform comes from Bull Creek process

City Council members Thursday quietly passed a resolution that instructs Austin City Manager Marc Ott to “forward to Council any written communication received by the City Manager from the State of Texas, or any agency of the State of Texas,…

LCRA seeks more limits on downstream release

With an analysis predicting the possibility of record low storage levels in lakes Buchanan and Travis early next year, the Lower Colorado River Authority board of directors voted 11-2 Wednesday to ask the state for a fourth year to limit…

Council to consider new utility debt policy

City Council will likely consider a new utility debt policy soon, after learning from staff that customers have accrued about $76 million in electricity debt alone, mostly over the past three years. Staff also reported that customers owe more than…