Michael Mmay

The boathouse that sits at the mouth of Waller Creek on Ladybird Lake has been home to the Austin Rowing Club for more than two decades. But the construction of the Waller Creek tunnel means the boathouse will have to redesigned – and the Parks and Recreation Department has asked the Austin Rowing Club to […]

The City Council unanimously passed the Fiscal Year 2009-10 city budget on all three readings, breezing through the votes in record time – the meeting lasted less than an hour – with all the Council members taking the time to thank city staff, public safety unions and each other for coming together to pass a […]

Austin’s water conservation programs are saving more water then was initially expected, Council members learned at a briefing at yesterday’s meeting. The city projected saving 1.18 million gallons per day by now, but is actually saving between 6.4 and 10.4 million gallons a day.   Austin Water Utility Director Greg Meszaros gave an update on […]

Last week’s Board of Adjustment meeting provided a window into how city codes can be used as a weapon by neighbors who have other disagreements with each other — a practice that is tacitly encouraged by the city’s inconsistent code enforcement process.   A dramatic example of this came during last Monday’s meeting, when Linda Mackey Applewhite […]

As Austin and Travis County officials consider budget priorities, they’re facing smaller budgets and a significant increase in demand for social services.   And this doesn’t simply affect city and county programs. The local governments provide significant funding to nonprofit groups like Caritas and Lifeworks, which are on the front lines helping residents in need. […]

The Austin chapter of the Congress for New Urbanism held a forum last week where city leaders (including Council Members Randi Shade, Chris Riley and Bill Spelman), academics, planners and activists discussed ways to create new public open space in Austin, and to make the ones we have more interconnected and user-friendly.   There’s a […]

Austin NAACP President Nelson Linder spoke with members of the organization Tuesday at Ebenezer Baptist Church, first about the fatal police shooting of 18 year-old Nathaniel Sanders II, and then about the City Council’s postponement of a decision to allow Fire Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr to create a new assistant chief position. That change could […]

The City Council held a hearing on the updated bike plan on Thursday, but could not vote on it due to some technicalities. Still, the excitement over the plan gave the council meeting a celebratory feel. It was evident before you even walked into the Council chambers – there were rows and rows of bikes […]

The Parks and Recreation Department has been asked to cut its budget by 4 percent in 2010 – on top of the 4 percent it had to cut from this year’s budget.  And at last night’s meeting, the Parks and Recreation Board members were faced with a difficult choice: cut staff or figure out a […]

Fire Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr appeared before city council yesterday to ask for approval to hire five assistant fire chiefs. The department has been making do with only three chiefs since last year, although the department is already authorized to hire one more. Council, however, would have to give permission for another hire, which would […]

The Board of Adjustment on Monday denied a request by developers planning to put a rehabilitation hospital at 1600 West 38th Street. The developers requested five variances to increase the height of the buildings and build closer to single-family homes in the neighborhood.   It was the second time the project had come before the […]

The early voting numbers are in, and, unless there’s a huge turnout on Election Day, it seems likely that fewer voters will make it to the polls than have in the past two City Council elections.   And here’s why. Around 30,000 voters have gone to the polls in Travis County so far, and around […]