Stories by Jack Craver
Council greenlights new pedestrian mall on Congress Avenue
City Council paved the way Thursday for a major state project that will transform three blocks of downtown from roadway into a grass-covered pedestrian mall. Council voted to give the Texas Facilities Commission the OK to seize control of city…
Development • By Jack Craver • Dec 15, 2017
Council divided over $124M pools proposal
City Council appears divided over a nine-figure bond that the Aquatic Master Plan Task Force has said is necessary to repair, upgrade and expand Austin’s pool system. The bond proposal comes four months after the Parks and Recreation Department unveiled…
Parks • By Jack Craver • Dec 13, 2017
By outsourcing, APD has made major progress on sex assault kit backlog
The Austin Police Department’s embarrassing backlog of sexual assault kits will hopefully soon be a thing of the past. APD told members of the Public Safety Commission Monday that there are 856 kits from the backlog left to be analyzed,…
Police • By Jack Craver • Dec 12, 2017
Austin's two city manager finalists: Howard Lazarus and Spencer Cronk
The seemingly interminable search for Austin’s next city manager has finally been winnowed down to two applicants for the job. On Thursday, Stephen Newton of consulting firm Russell Reynolds Associates, which City Council hired to lead the candidate search, recommended…
City Council • By Jack Craver • Dec 8, 2017
Council drills down on Capitol plan
An ongoing effort by the state of Texas to move much of its workforce downtown has City Council members wondering what, if anything, the city can get out of the project. The state is planning on getting started with implementation…
Development • By Jack Craver • Dec 6, 2017
Public Safety Commission endorses police union contract
Rejecting the pleas of police accountability activists, the Public Safety Commission voted Monday night to recommend the approval of the proposed new union contract between the city of Austin and the Austin Police Association. Both Police Chief Brian Manley and…
Police • By Jack Craver • Dec 5, 2017
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Cyclists, motorcyclists get committee to postpone update to Balcones conservation plan
Dozens of mountain bikers, motorcyclists and others who enjoy using trails within the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve showed up at City Hall Friday ready for a fight over an update to the preserve management plan that they said endangers their access…
Parks • By Jack Craver • Dec 4, 2017
A sick leave ordinance is coming, but details are unclear
A coalition of city leaders and advocacy groups is pushing for Austin to join many of the nation’s largest cities in requiring employers to provide employees with a certain number of paid sick days. On Nov. 15 at the People’s…
Austin • By Jack Craver • Nov 28, 2017
Should city elections be moved to odd years?
Some political leaders and activists in Austin believe the city would be better off if elections for City Council did not coincide with higher-profile campaigns for president, governor and Congress. At a meeting of the Charter Review Commission on Nov.…
Elections • By Jack Craver • Nov 22, 2017
Is it time for Austin to have a 'strong mayor'?
It’s a common refrain in city political debates: Austin is a big city and it’s time it started acting like one, whether that means building mass transit, allowing taller buildings or adopting single-member City Council districts. For Roger Borgelt, a…
City Hall • By Jack Craver • Nov 16, 2017
2nd Street gets another five years of free parking
For at least another five years, patrons of businesses located in the downtown Second Street District will continue getting two hours of free parking in the City Hall parking garage. After a lengthy debate Thursday, City Council voted to renew…
City Council • By Jack Craver • Nov 10, 2017
Council welcomes idea of Major League Soccer
City Council members are intrigued by the prospect of Austin welcoming its first professional sports team, but so far none of them are suggesting the city offer the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer anything but a warm, Texas welcome.…
