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Stories by Chad Swiatecki

Music Commission shows support for STR agreement but delays recommendation to Council

The Music Commission voiced support Monday for the city to enter into an agreement with short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb, but opted to gather more information from staff and held off on making a recommendation to City Council over…

Ethics commission dismisses complaint over Adler's real estate disclosures

The city’s Ethics Review Commission has voted to dismiss a complaint against Mayor Steve Adler related to information disclosed on personal financial forms about his real estate holdings in recent years. The complaint, brought by former real estate broker Loree…

Improvements, hiring at Austin Water likely remedies for boil-water notice

The city appears likely to approve a special budget item that will pay for more than a dozen new hires and operational software improvements at Austin Water. City Council’s Austin Water Oversight Committee voted unanimously Thursday to support the recommendations of…

Report IDs Austin Water staff missteps that preceded Feb. boil-water notice

The city has completed its investigation into the cause of an early February boil-water notice and concluded that staff at the Ullrich Water Treatment Plant failed to take actions to address escalating equipment problems on an overnight shift. Through a…

Council halts move of downtown court, seeking study of future needs

City Council has changed course on its plans to relocate the Downtown Austin Community Court to a historic municipal building on West Eighth Street, directing city staff to conduct an analysis of the court’s future needs with the possibility of…

Business leaders see continued growth with airport's expansion plans

Even with expansion plans somewhat scaled back because of the financial impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, local business leaders see the continued growth of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport as vital to the region’s long-term economic prospects. At a recent panel held…

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Council cautiously supports city's look into blockchain, crypto

City Council members want city staff to move very deliberately if a pair of resolutions are passed today that encourage exploration into the use of blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies in the coming years. At Tuesday’s work session, discussion on the…

Downtown court relocation plans draw mounting criticism

Resistance appears to be growing to a slate of resolutions on the agenda for Thursday’s City Council meeting that would lead to the permanent relocation of the Downtown Austin Community Court to a circa-1800s municipal building on West Eighth Street.…

Civil rights office could take over enforcement of city's ADA regulations

The city may fold enforcement of all concerns related to the Americans with Disabilities Act into the Office of Civil Rights, a change that would take those responsibilities away from human resources staff. A resolution was passed unanimously at this month’s…

Resolutions push city to look toward future use of crypto, blockchain tech

Payments for city services via cryptocurrency could become a reality in the near future, as could storage and processing of paperwork using blockchain ledger technology. Those are two of the possible outcomes from a pair of resolutions set for consideration…

Council to consider equitable funding levels for minority chambers of commerce

The city appears to have struck a bargain with four niche chambers of commerce to more equitably distribute each of their annual funding allocations from the city budget. Discussions have been ongoing for years about how to “normalize” the city’s…

Commissioners want business, tech funds to support creative sector

The Austin business community, particularly the technology companies flocking to the area, will likely be asked this year to increase their support for a creative sector that is being squeezed by the rising cost of living across the city. Members…

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