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Stories by Jo Clifton

Council OKs rule changes for old Motorola site

Last week City Council gave preliminary approval for a number of changes to an existing land development agreement at the site of the old Motorola chip fabrication facility at 3443 Ed Bluestein Blvd., giving area residents hope for much-needed jobs…

APD community engagement audit finds some improvement but data lacking

Although the Austin Police Department has put considerable effort into improving its community policing efforts over the past four years and there have been some positive impacts, an audit by the Office of the City Auditor concluded there was insufficient…

Council OKs SOS amendment for Lantana tract

With the blessing of the Save Our Springs Alliance, City Council voted unanimously last week to approve a zoning change on the Lantana property at 7415 Southwest Parkway, allowing for the development of multifamily housing instead of the office complex…

City to exit driver's license hold contract with DPS

City Council voted unanimously Thursday to direct the city manager to discontinue the city’s participation in a state Department of Public Safety program that places holds on driver’s licenses when people fail to pay or miss payments on class C…

Opposition to RV park diminishes

Although members of the Lower Boggy Creek Neighborhood Association have opposed a zoning change that would allow construction of an RV campground, cafe and convenience store on Delwau Lane, it appears that they will accept the new development after negotiating…

UT, city start negotiating a development deal

In response to a City Council request in February, the University of Texas has presented the broad outline of an agreement for developing its Austin properties, including the Brackenridge tract, the Pickle Research Center West, Sematech in East Austin, and…

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Public Safety Commission gives EMS a boost, criticizes APD

On Monday the city’s Public Safety Commission unanimously recommended an additional $2.3 million for Austin-Travis County EMS to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, while rejecting almost every request from the police department for additional funding. The commission also voted to…

With businesses shut, Austin Water's revenues fall

Austin Water, which contributed an extra $5 million to the city’s utility customer assistance program and cut rates by 10 percent in an effort to help those affected by the coronavirus, has itself felt the impact of business closures on…

Delwau campground zoning moves forward

A zoning change that would allow property owners to open a campground for recreational vehicles, a convenience store and cafe at 7715 Delwau Lane took the next-to-last step forward last week, as Council approved General Commercial Services-Mixed Use (CS-MU) zoning…

Council rejects Texas Gas Service rate hike

City Council voted unanimously Thursday to reject new rates proposed by Texas Gas Service. The vote came as no surprise. The decision had strong support from a group of environmental and consumer advocates who wrote a letter to Council last…

Resolution seeks help to make Austin more resilient

Austin has long been recognized as a leader in green energy and environmental sustainability. Now, under a resolution sponsored by Council Member Leslie Pool, Mayor Steve Adler and Council members Kathie Tovo, Natasha Harper-Madison and Alison Alter, Council is asking…

TCAD stands out in not appraising property values this year

The Travis Central Appraisal District stands alone among six districts surveyed in its decision not to update property appraisals this year, according to a special report by the Austin city auditor. The failure to update property values has caused considerable…

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