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ZAP rejects neighborhood’s plea to keep new traffic off their street

The Zoning and Platting Commission heard a plea from a group of South Austin residents to keep traffic from a proposed development off their street, but the panel said no to their concerns.   Most of the neighbors who spoke…

Capping I-35 could provide substantial economic benefit for city

A study commissioned by city staff shows that one plan floated recently to cut traffic congestion – taking a portion of Interstate 35 underground through central Austin – could bring the city millions of dollars in new property tax revenues,…

Demographer says city’s rapid growth a complex statistical issue

Austin’s growth has received a lot of attention over the past few years. The pace of that growth certainly warrants attention – but are we seeing it clearly? The Austin Monitor sat down with City Demographer Ryan Robinson to try…

Travis County Commissioners Court spending for June 3, 2014

Here is a detailed look at how much money Travis County Commissioners spent this week:   •Approved $1,489,967.60 for reimbursement to United Health Care for claims paid for participants in the Travis County Employee Health Care Fund for May 16-22.…

TxDOT engineers plan small steps before major expansion on I-35

Traffic engineers with the Texas Department of Transportation know how they want to spruce up the Travis County corridor along Interstate 35, but they aim to start small. At a media workshop Tuesday, officials went over TxDOT’s short- and long-term…

Despite criticism, Planning Commission reviews CodeNEXT rewrite

Though the process continues to draw criticism, the CodeNEXT code rewrite moves forward, and the Planning Commission looked at its latest benchmark last week.   Planning and Development ReviewUrban Planner George Zapalac  presented the Planning Commission with a draft of…

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Code Compliance making slow progress solving rental problems

One city department that unexpectedly made headlines last year was Code Compliance. The City Council heard details about how the department is dealing with problems that have plagued apartment dwellers for years during last week’s budget session.   Council Member…

District Attorney tells Commissioners new law adding to workload

District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg asked the Travis County Commissioner’s Court Tuesday for extra funding to help manage attorney workloads under the state’s new Michael Morton Act.   The act, passed by the Texas Legislature during the 2013 session, requires all…

Austin Monitor Radio, Show 1

The inaugural edition of the KOOP show! Veteran political consultants Mark Littlefield and David Butts join the Monitor‘s Mike Kanin and Elizabeth Pagano to talk 2014 Council elections.

Public Safety Commission calls proposed APD budget inadequate

Public Safety Commissioners did not attempt to hide their displeasure Monday with the proposed FY 2015 Austin Police Department budget.   APD’s budget plan calls for $307.6 million, which is a $12.2 million increase from FY 2014 and adds funding…

Travis Commissioners may petition TCAD to level tax assessments

The Travis County Commissioner’s Court held a rare Monday meeting to discuss filing a petition with the Travis Central Appraisal District in response to the public’s anger over a steep rise in residential property taxes.   The petition would address…

Hays County Commissioner says plans for SH 45 SW ‘done deal’

Construction on the estimated $100 million State Highway 45 Southwest toll road connecting northern Hays County to southwest Austin is expected early next year. “It’s been in the works for 26 years now,” Hays County Pct. 2 Commissioner Mark Jones…