City Council
City Council
At homelessness forum, Council members challenge fears and ‘urban myths’ about shelters, revised law
Austin’s mayor and members of City Council tried to allay fears about the city’s revised rules on homelessness and its push to expand shelter space, at a forum hosted by the Downtown Austin Alliance.The brunt of Wednesday’s discussion focused on…
City Council
Austin looks to limit camping and resting in public as it pursues housing-first solutions
The Austin City Council provided some clarity Tuesday over where it will limit camping and resting in public, as well as its overall strategy to boost citywide, housing-focused initiatives and investments.Council members heard a briefing from city staff on a…
City Council
Debates continue over impacts, enforcement of new homelessness ordinances
Recent changes to ordinances covering camping and soliciting by homeless people continue to be a hot topic of debate at city meetings, with residents and special interest groups pushing for a reversal to the June vote, or significant changes in…
City Council
Council action would pave the way for $30M in private dollars to house the homeless
A resolution slated for consideration at next week’s City Council meeting could pave the way for foundations and other private sector entities to contribute to the estimated $30 million annual cost to provide housing for the city’s homeless population.The resolution…
City Council
Solution to boost revenue for transit leads to broad debate over city signage policy
The Austin City Council will be considering limited exceptions to a city ban on off-premise advertising at its Aug. 22 meeting in order to allow Austin public schools and the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority to display simple, non-electronic advertisements at…
City Council
City code to allow camping, solicitation, sitting in public areas, with conditions
City Council approved an ordinance early Friday morning amending city code to decriminalize certain behaviors that are often necessary consequences of living in homelessness.The changes mean that city policies prohibiting sitting, lying down and camping in public areas will only…