Travis County bush

Travis County turns down partnership with Austin to address homelessness

On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court rejected a proposal to form an interlocal agreement with the city of Austin. The agreement would have put $400,000 toward a $2 million strategic analysis of local efforts to address homelessness. Commissioners chiefly…

Fresh details on Austin's light-rail plans emerge as officials chase federal cash

Lee esta historia en español Austinites curious about the city’s light-rail future are being offered fresh details as the Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) launches an in-depth environmental review in a bid to qualify for billions in federal cash. The new…

Council OKs ordinance on police pay, benefits

City Council on Thursday approved an ordinance extending pay and benefits for Austin police officers in line with the ordinance passed last year, including extra pay for longevity, for field training officers, bilingual officers, officers with mental health certification and…

City Council updates code to address animal shelter overcrowding, safety

City Council voted on consent at its meeting on Thursday to amend the city code regarding animal services, heeding recommendations from a recent audit that found the Austin Animal Center in far East Austin was struggling to maintain quality of…

Austin gave families $1,000 a month for a year. Most of the money was spent on housing.

People who received $1,000 a month from the city of Austin for a year spent the bulk of the cash on housing, according to a new study. Cities across the country, including Cambridge, Mass., and Ann Arbor, Mich., have begun…

EDD previews changes to Cultural Arts funding programs ahead of consultants' reviews

The Economic Development Department is moving ahead with a handful of adjustments to its pilot programs for Cultural Arts grants, with more changes likely to result from a comprehensive review from three outside consultants. At this week’s Arts Commission meeting,…

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Concert venue planned near Edwards Aquifer spurs neighbors to prepare for legal fight

Residents in Hays County and a southwestern portion of Travis County hope the possibility of a civil case against a California development company will stop plans to construct a 5,000-seat concert venue on a two-lane country road near Dripping Springs.…

Critics say Austin Energy's proposal to pivot toward hydrogen could do more harm than good

As Austin Energy drafts an update to its Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan, industry watchdogs are doing their homework, investigating a controversial proposal to construct a brand-new gas plant designed to burn carbon-neutral green hydrogen. Among those asking questions…

Cap Metro looks forward to new electric era for city’s bike-share system

Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority has launched an ambitious program to expand its bike-share program with the city of Austin. The transit company has announced a partnership with PBSC Urban Solutions Inc. aimed at replacing and expanding 80 MetroBike stations, 1,000…

TipSheet: Austin City Council, 2.1.24

City Council will meet today for its regular meeting. As usual, there are a few agenda items that we are keeping our eye on, which are detailed in this TipSheet. The entire agenda (also as usual) is available online here,…

Austin wants to add more money to a program that helps crime victims. Here's what it does.

Austin is expanding the resources it offers to crime victims. The Austin Police Department, which runs a victims fund, has a $30,000 budget to help people with immediate needs like a new pair of glasses or prepaid cellphone. The money…

Austin Energy, advisory group move toward presenting plans to Council

Austin Energy has seemed to be at odds with environmentalists over its updated power generation plan. And it is likely that the working group tasked with helping the utility come up with a new plan for fueling Austin’s electricity needs…