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TipSheet: Austin City Council, 4.20.23
Today, City Council will once again convene for its regular meeting. Given the speed of the newest incarnation of our city government and the fact that this is the second such meeting in as many weeks, it looks like this…
TipSheets • By Elizabeth Pagano • Apr 20, 2023
TipSheet: Austin City Council, 4.13.23
Today City Council will convene for its regular Thursday meeting. As usual, anyone can read through the agenda, which is posted online, but we’ve done our level best to pick out the most interesting bits to make things a little…
TipSheets • By Elizabeth Pagano • Apr 13, 2023
Arts, music commissions to renew push for short-term rental tax collections
It appears arts and music advocates will likely ask City Council to reach an agreement with short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb and begin receiving millions of dollars in uncollected hotel taxes that could in part benefit the local creative…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Apr 11, 2023
Former airport CEO had conflict of interest, report shows
Jacqueline Yaft, who recently resigned her job as CEO of the Austin Aviation Department, had a conflict of interest beginning in June 2019 when she went to work for the city, according to an investigative report from the Office of…
City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Apr 7, 2023
Drained from emergency debris collections, Austin Resource Recovery prepares for a squeeze this budget cycle
As it continues to pick up the pieces of Winter Storm Mara, Austin Resource Recovery is preparing to weather financial challenges thanks to the $20 million relief effort. Four months out from budget season, Director Ken Snipes and Finance Division…
Austin • By Kali Bramble • Apr 4, 2023
Austin Energy's general manager, Jackie Sargent, steps down
Austin Energy General Manager Jackie Sargent has retired – effective immediately – according to a memo from interim City Manager Jesús Garza. Sargent served as the public utility’s top executive for nearly six years. Sargent was the highest-paid city employee, earning…
City Hall • By Haya Panjwani, KUT • Apr 3, 2023
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Conservation Corps sees success, and possible expansion, in city memo
An evaluation of the city’s Civilian Conservation Corps program shows that nearly 200 people have been placed in city jobs in areas that had been historically difficult to fill. A memo released last week by Kimberly McNeeley, director of the…
City Hall • By Chad Swiatecki • Apr 3, 2023
Audit claims fraud by contractor for city health department
In a report released Thursday, the Office of the City Auditor detailed its investigation into allegations that a nonprofit contractor for Austin Public Health “committed fraud by misrepresenting over $1.1 million in financial transactions across three contracts” with the health…
City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Mar 31, 2023
A new plan for libraries calls for expansion
City Council approved a plan for Austin Public Library last Thursday that features a new set of strategic goals and calls for the expansion of libraries across the fast-growing city. In early 2022, a Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) started assessing…
City Council • By Ava Garderet • Mar 31, 2023
Garza makes major changes to city organization
Interim City Manager Jesús Garza announced a series of major organizational changes in a press release late Friday, saying his “highest priority is to organize our people and our work so that we are operating cohesively and focused on problem-solving.”…
City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Mar 27, 2023
How realistic is the idea to bury Austin's power lines? Council wants to know.
At its regular meeting Thursday, City Council approved a pair of items aimed at exploring the possibilities for burying existing utility power lines as well as ones to be constructed in new capital projects such as Project Connect. The idea…
City Council • By Nina Hernandez • Mar 24, 2023
TipSheet: Austin City Council, 3.23.23
City Council’s abbreviated work session didn’t offer many clues to this week’s agenda, as most of it was spent behind closed doors in an executive session. However, reading through the posted agenda, there are a few things that stood out.…
