Stories by Audrey McGlinchy, KUT
Mobile home park residents facing eviction in South Austin can stay a bit longer, judge rules
Roughly a dozen families living at a mobile home park in South Austin who received 60-day notices to leave will be able to stay for the time being after a Travis County judge issued a temporary restraining order Monday. Residents…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Sep 6, 2022
Neighbors protested housing for homeless Austinites. Then, they (sort of) changed their stance.
Austin’s Planning Commission meets every other Tuesday in the cavernous chambers of City Hall. Members assemble virtually and in person to hear requests and pleas from the public about what should be built in the city. Plot by plot, these…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Aug 29, 2022
Austin officials are deciding what property tax bills will look like. Here are some terms to know.
Later this week, the Austin City Council is expected to adopt its budget for the coming fiscal year, which includes how it plans to tax property owners. Some institutions that collect property taxes, like the Austin Independent School District, have…
Budget • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Aug 18, 2022
Austin builders are starting a lot of new homes. Finishing them is not so simple.
Alexandra Spurlock bought a new three-bedroom home in Hutto, about a half-hour drive north of downtown Austin. When she signed the papers last summer, the home was nothing more than a plot of dirt. The builder said the house would…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jul 13, 2022
Austin struggled to hire summer employees. Then, it failed to pay some on time.
At least 34 employees with Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department, including some who care for children as part of city-run summer camps, went as long as a month without pay because of a clerical error. At least one employee’s paycheck…
Parks • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jun 30, 2022
'I'm just in shock': Austinites react to Supreme Court decision ending the constitutional right to abortion
Dawn Hennessey said she was going to cry. “Honestly, I’m just in shock,” Hennessey, who owns a bakery in South Austin, said. “I’m appalled. It’s a setback. We’re gonna have an underground railroad next thing you know. It’s horrifying.” Austinites…
Public Health • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jun 27, 2022
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How tall should buildings be when they're near single-family homes?
There’s a building on South Lamar that looks like a stepladder. Well, maybe a stepladder if you laid it on the ground. Or, maybe just a set of stairs – for a giant. “As you move across Lamar, you’re literally…
Land Development Code • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jun 9, 2022
Alamo Drafthouse owners bought an old school and promised affordable housing. Years later, there is none.
For a moment, the possibilities for a former school building in one of Austin’s most coveted neighborhoods seemed endless. A contemporary arts center with space for restaurants. What about a community theater? The 4-acre spot in Hyde Park, several groups…
Austin • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • May 20, 2022
Austin votes to ban no-knock warrants and decriminalize small amounts of weed, initial results show
By a sweeping margin, voters in Austin appear to have approved a proposition to sanction small amounts of marijuana and ban the use of no-knock warrants by police. Nearly 85% of voters were in favor of Proposition A, according to initial…
Bonds & Propositions • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • May 7, 2022
The value of your Travis County home has gone up a lot. That doesn’t mean your property taxes will.
People who own property in the Austin area recently received new valuations from the local appraisal district. This number, known as your appraised value, estimates what your property would currently sell for in Austin’s record-breaking housing market. The appraisals are…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Apr 28, 2022
Austin postpones vote on pilot program to provide basic income to struggling families
Elected officials in Austin decided Thursday to delay a vote on a program that would have sent a monthly stipend to low-income families, no strings attached. City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly, who represents far Northwest Austin, first called for a postponement.…
City Council • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Apr 22, 2022
Families could get $1,000 a month as part of Austin's first guaranteed income program
Government aid programs often come with a laundry list of do-nots. For example, if you receive SNAP benefits, more commonly known as food stamps, you can’t use them to buy to-go food, soap, vitamins or medicine. So, what if the…
