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Jo Clifton is the Politics Editor for the Austin Monitor.
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- Firefighters to seek firing of Chief Baker
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Stories by Jo Clifton
Riverside PUD gains second-round approval
Although a neighboring property owner tried to prevent Thursday’s vote by seeking a postponement of the second and third readings on rezoning of a property at 200 E. Riverside Drive, attorney Richard Suttle convinced City Council to move forward with…
Zoning • By Jo Clifton • Mar 3, 2025
New convention center design revealed at Council
Trisha Tatro, director of the Austin Convention Center, promised during Tuesday’s City Council work session a “world-class design” and the “first net-zero carbon convention center in the world.” Katy Zamesnik, assistant director of the convention center, told Council that Austin…
Planning • By Jo Clifton • Feb 26, 2025
January reports show who’s got the money to run again
On Jan. 15, months after votes from the November election were tallied, all City Council members and candidates filed reports showing how much they had in their campaign bank accounts as of Dec. 31. Mayor Kirk Watson is clearly the…
Elections • By Jo Clifton • Feb 6, 2025
Save Austin Now to get rehearing on enforcement of Prop B
Save Austin Now, the group that pushed for and won an election to make the city enforce a ban on camping among homeless residents, has won a victory at the 3rd Court of Appeals. Save Austin Now filed suit in…
Courts • By Jo Clifton • Feb 4, 2025
Council OKs historic zoning for east side house on first reading
On Thursday, City Council approved on first reading only a historic designation for the Romo-Johnson House at 900 Spence St. in East Austin. However, three members of Council abstained from the vote, making it seem unlikely that it will finally…
Preservation • By Jo Clifton • Jan 31, 2025
Proposals to address wildfire dangers face opposition
Two items on today’s City Council agenda related to wildfire prevention have raised alarms among at least two community groups – the Save Our Springs Alliance and Community Not Commodity. The agenda indicates that the first item would allocate nearly…
Fire • By Jo Clifton • Jan 30, 2025
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Austin scrambles to assess local impact of federal grant freeze
President Donald Trump issued a directive on Monday ordering a sweeping freeze on federal grants, including money to state and local governments. This action caused an immediate uproar, as well as lawsuits to put the order on hold. A federal…
Austin • By Jo Clifton • Jan 29, 2025
Neighbors seek reversal of site plan approval for Bull Creek office building
It’s a case that never ends. The Champion sisters filed suit against the city in 1994 and again in 2004 over what they could and could not do with their property. At least one slice of that property is still…
Planning • By Jo Clifton • Jan 28, 2025
Objections arise over Project Connect’s plan to use parkland
Now that the Austin Transit Partnership has released its huge draft environmental impact statement for Project Connect, parks advocates are raising concerns about the proposed expropriation of city parkland by the rail system without the permission of Austin voters. Larry…
Transit • By Jo Clifton • Jan 22, 2025
City management cautions against 2025 bond election
A 2025 bond election would reduce available funding for a comprehensive bond election in 2026, according to a memo from Assistant City Manager Robert Goode sent to City Council through City Manager T.C. Broadnax. The memo offers reasons that Council…
Bonds & Propositions • By Jo Clifton • Jan 17, 2025
Changes coming to Audit & Finance Committee
With the retirement of City Council members Alison Alter and Leslie Pool, who served as the chair and vice chair, respectively, of the Council Audit & Finance Committee, as well as Council Member Mackenzie Kelly, who served on the committee,…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Jan 14, 2025
At citizens’ request, City Council reannexes land
Some property owners object to the rules and fees governing use of their land in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction and seek to escape from those rules. But their neighbors may not agree. City Council took action during their final meeting…
