After a lengthy hearing which ended shortly after midnight last Thursday, the city’s Ethics Review Commission dismissed a complaint against former Interim City Manager Jesús Garza. A motion aimed at dismissing the complaint failed, as did a motion to move…
Ahead of this month’s budget workshops, city staff have released estimates that it will take more than $100 million in additional funding to sustain and expand the local homelessness response system as the expiration of federal pandemic relief aid approaches…
The former director of the Economic Development Department authorized a handful of grant awards that violated city code restrictions, according to a new investigative report from the Office of the City Auditor. The report concludes that Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, who retired…
Sixty recipients of Austin’s Live Music Fund grants are currently in non-compliance with the city’s reporting requirements, leaving more than half a million dollars in hotel tax funds unpaid and effectively frozen, according to data presented at the June 16…
The Austin Monitor thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Austin is getting older, and its growing population of residents aged 65 and up is living proof. In fact, those between 65 and 74 represented the fastest-growing age group between 2010 and 2020, according to city reports. With that demographic…
The Economic Development Department says it supported more than 27,000 jobs and distributed over $54 million in community investments during fiscal year 2024, according to its recently released annual report. The report outlines the department’s evolving priorities, including the transfer…
Desnudo Coffee’s East Austin location serves hundreds of cups of coffee each day. But once a year the truck has to shut down for its annual health safety inspection. Closing for even a day can cost the business thousands of…
Jackie Goodman, 79, who served on the Austin City Council for 12 years starting in 1993, passed away on Tuesday. She had been hospitalized but had come home before her death. She served as Mayor Pro Tem for several years…
Downtown Austin is in a transitional period, with the latest “State of Downtown Austin” report highlighting diverging paths for public and private sector development. The Downtown Austin Alliance’s annual review, now in its seventh year, notes an increase in downtown…
The city has made some progress in handling discrimination, harassment and retaliation complaints by city employees, but some investigations still fail to follow basic rules for conducting such inquiries, according to an audit conducted by the City Auditor’s Office. Members…
At its meeting last week, the Community Development Commission learned about a newly-launched $5 million grant opportunity aimed at combating displacement and promoting economic mobility near Austin’s Project Connect transit corridors. Housing Department staff explained that the current $5 million…
During the City Council Audit & Finance Committee meeting Tuesday, Kerri Lang, director of the city’s budget office, laid out the steps the city would take in deciding whether to submit a request to voters for a property tax increase…
