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Stories by Andrew Weber, KUT

Council members signal they could fire City Manager Spencer Cronk

Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk could be on his way out. City Council is slated to vote on the employment and a possible severance package for Cronk at its meeting on Feb. 15. Council initially planned the Wednesday meeting to discuss the city’s contract…

Austin Energy customers can expect (another) increase on their electricity bills next year

Eight months, more than 260 document filings and countless hours of grueling negotiations later, Austin Energy has new electricity rates. If you’re a customer of the public utility, your bill is going up. The plan, which Austin City Council passed on a…

Austin approves $1.75 million settlement in lawsuit over police conduct during 2020 protests

City Council has approved a nearly $2 million settlement in a lawsuit related to police use of force during racial justice protests in 2020. In his complaint, José “Joe” Herrera said Austin police shot him in the leg with a…

Travis County secures nearly 10,000 doses of life-saving overdose drug naloxone

Travis County has secured a bulk order of the life-saving drug naloxone in an effort to prevent opioid deaths. The shipment comes after the county issued an emergency declaration triggered by a record-high number of overdoses related to fentanyl last year. At…

Starting next month, Austin Energy customers can expect a $15 increase on bills

Lee esta historia en Español If you’re an Austin Energy customer, your bill is going up soon, but City Council members passed a proposal Thursday to lower some increases – at least for now. On an 7-4 vote, Council members…

Are you an Austin Energy customer? Expect a $20 hike in your monthly bill starting Nov. 1.

Austin Energy says customers should expect to pay an extra $20 a month for their electricity starting in November. In a memo to City Council, the publicly owned utility said the increase is due to the rising cost of natural gas,…

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Austin OKs an automated license plate reader program

Lee esta historia en español. City Council approved a revival of a police department program to use license plate scanners on police cruisers and at fixed points throughout the city. Council agreed Thursday on a one-year pilot program to reinstate…

Austin-Travis County EMS, city OK new raises, contract for medical first responders

Austin-Travis County’s emergency medical personnel are getting a raise. The city of Austin reached a deal with EMS negotiators late last month, and City Council unanimously approved the one-year contract with medics on Thursday. The deal is a stopgap, but it…

Travis County's program to provide lawyers at its downtown jail is (still) on hold

The first court hearing is often the most crucial for people accused of a crime in Travis County. When defendants are booked downtown, they’re charged and given options on how to get out of jail. In some cases, the first…

Austin officials expect more doses of the monkeypox vaccine after U.S. declares a health emergency

Austin health officials say they expect more monkeypox vaccine doses to head to Central Texas after the Biden administration’s declaration of a public health emergency Thursday. Medical Director Desmar Walkes said Austin Public Health anticipates the extra doses next month.…

Texas has an official death count from the 2021 blackout. The true toll may never be known.

In Minal and Rajeeta Shah’s backyard, there once stood a cedar tree. The tall, broad canopy provided shade for the sisters’ garden below, a garden with sunflowers and tulsi and lemongrass. It’s a garden their mother, Manjula, pruned and nurtured…

Proposed $5B city budget leans on fees, less on property taxes, amid a boom in sales tax revenue

Austinites may not see as steep a hike in property taxes next year. Still, they could see an increase of 2.7% under a budget proposal released Friday. City Manager Spencer Cronk’s proposed $5 billion budget for 2023 leans more heavily on…

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