ATX Walk Bike Roll, a collaborative effort to improve the city’s sidewalks, urban trails and bicycle paths, is rolling right along. Representatives from the project met with the Environmental Commission last week to discuss how things are coming along as the second phase of the planning process begins to wrap up. With an equity focus […]
Willow Higgins
Posted inAISD
Poll suggests support for unions and sustainability in AISD
The Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees will vote today on the bond proposals they’d like to advance onto November’s ballot. While both of the bond proposal options the administration recently debuted include a number of improvements to local schools, a recent poll of AISD voters concluded that there is broad support for making […]
Posted inAustin
Proposal to audit animal shelter fuels debate about choice of auditor
Austin’s Animal Services Office, which runs the Austin Animal Center, will soon be audited, per a recent resolution approved by City Council. The Office of the City Auditor will report on the department’s effectiveness and bring in an expert on no-kill shelter policies to help advise the facility’s operations. Members of the public chimed in […]
Posted inCity Hall
Parks board passes guidelines for the sale of alcohol in parks
After much discussion, Austin’s Parks and Recreation Board has posted a set of guidelines that will help them decide when to approve conditional use permits that would allow for the sale of alcohol in city parks. With the recommended guidelines in mind, the board subsequently voted to approve a CUP allowing the sale of alcohol […]
Posted inParks
Dove Springs getting a new trail: Donde Corre el Agua
In the summer of 2020, in the heart of the Covid-19 pandemic, Dove Springs community members began to wonder how they could better use a section of the local greenbelt that had become neglected. The unmarked trail, which is overgrown and enclosed by a 10-foot flood wall, was once actively maintained and a go-to river […]
Posted inAustin
More public art is headed to the hike-and-bike trail
For the past several years, a moratorium has prevented the installment of any new public artworks in the vicinity of Austin’s hike-and-bike trail and Lady Bird Lake. With the expiration of that moratorium, the Trail Foundation, which has taken over management of the area, is making plans to incorporate more public art into the city’s […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
AISD debuts two draft bond proposals
Austin Independent School District hosted a series of four meetings last week to talk to community members about the bond planning process for the upcoming year. Over 200 stakeholders tuned in to the first meeting alone to better understand the process and provide their two cents on the first draft of the proposals. At the […]
Posted inPublic Health
Commission for Women supports the GRACE Act, abortion access
Austin’s Commission for Women passed a recommendation this week in support of the GRACE Act, which would de-prioritize abortion investigations and prevent city funds from being used to report procedures, which will soon be completely illegal in the state. While City Council is currently in recess, the GRACE Act will be discussed when Council convenes on […]
Posted inPlanning
Mercedes-Benz dealership nearing construction
A Mercedes-Benz dealership is one step closer to construction in South Austin after the Environmental Commission recommended a variance request last week, allowing private driveways to be built on the site in a critical water quality zone buffer. To comply with the Austin Fire Department’s regulations, the development needs to have two private driveways so […]
Posted inAustin
City working toward enhanced library cards as a form of ID
The city of Austin has begun working on a way to use a souped-up library card as a form of identification, which is a service that would be particularly helpful for those who might not have an official ID, like people experiencing homelessness or undocumented residents. Enhanced library cards, which are used in other Texas […]
Posted inPublic Health
City explores harm reduction strategies to address the overdose crisis
The Texas Harm Reduction Alliance addressed the Public Health Committee last week about the overdose crisis in Travis County. More than 300 people in the area died of a preventable overdose last year, and more than 100 of those deaths were from a fentanyl overdose – a 237 percent increase from the year before. The […]
Posted inPublic Health
Draft resolution targets opioid epidemic
City Council is set to consider a resolution this week that would declare opioid overdoses a public health crisis and increase support services needed to address the issue. Members of the Public Health Committee, all of whom are co-sponsoring the draft resolution, met last week to discuss the item as it will appear on Council’s […]