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City Hall
Austin requires all homes to have working air conditioning
Ahead of Austin’s scorching summer months, City Council members adopted a property maintenance code Thursday that requires all homes in the city to have functioning air conditioning. The new rule does not require property owners to have central air conditioning. But…
City Council • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Apr 11, 2025
Council OKs next steps in planning improvements to Sixth Street district
With early data suggesting the area’s safety can continue to improve, City Council approved a detailed resolution Thursday directing city staff to pursue a wide-ranging set of improvements and operational changes aimed at encouraging daytime activity in the Sixth Street…
City Council • By Chad Swiatecki • Apr 11, 2025
TipSheet: Austin City Council, 4.10.25
Today’s Austin City Council meeting looks to be a rather tame affair, but we’re staying tuned nonetheless. As usual, the entire agenda is posted online, but we’ve read through and made our best guesses at what might be worth a…
TipSheets • By Elizabeth Pagano • Apr 10, 2025
City facing a $33 million deficit for 2026
Given current conditions, the city’s budget analysts are projecting a $33 million shortfall in the city’s General Fund in Fiscal Year 2026, with that number increasing to $79.9 million by FY 2030. City Council heard the bad news from City…
Budget • By Jo Clifton • Apr 9, 2025
City looking to fill in gaps after spending or encumbering all ARPA funds
The city has spent or encumbered a total of $188.5 million that it received from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan Act. According to a memo to the mayor and City Council, the city met the Dec. 31,…
Budget • By Jo Clifton • Apr 8, 2025
City Council expected to implement requirements for residential air conditioning
The city is revising its technical building codes. As part of this process, City Council is slated to adopt changes to Austin’s version of the International Property Maintenance Code on April 10. Most notably, these changes will include a requirement…
City Council • By Mina Shekarchi • Apr 4, 2025
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Workshops helping city gear up business expansion, place-based incentive programs
Ahead of a planned rollout in May, the city is hoping a series of workshops this month will generate interest in its updated business expansion and upcoming place-based enhancement incentive programs. The programs, which were recently approved by City Council,…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Apr 4, 2025
Chief Animal Services Officer Don Bland to retire following administrative leave
The city announced last week that Chief Animal Services Officer Don Bland will retire, effective May 9, following his placement on administrative leave in early March. Bland, the director of the Austin Animal Center since 2019, was placed on administrative…
City Hall • By Madeline de Figueiredo • Apr 3, 2025
City to help preserve artworks threatened by convention center teardown
The city appears to have solutions to save a group of artworks installed in the Austin Convention Center that were in danger of being destroyed as the demolition and reconstruction of the facility moves forward. Late last month, artist John…
City Hall • By Chad Swiatecki • Apr 2, 2025
Council members celebrate unanimous defeat of bill that proposed putting Austin under state control
Austin City Council members celebrated the resounding defeat of House Bill 274 on Wednesday, a bill that would have created the “District of Austin” as the state’s official seat of government. “Our message is loud and clear: local leaders are…
Austin • By Madeline de Figueiredo • Mar 28, 2025
Tax rate election looks likely for Austin this year
Under state law, Austin is only allowed to raise its tax rate by 3.5 percent without asking voters for permission. That law has been on the books since 2019 without the city scheduling a regular tax rate election. But it…
City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Mar 28, 2025
UT hopes to play leading role in Austin’s evolving development scene
At Wednesday’s Urban Land Institute Austin breakfast discussion, interim University of Texas President Jim Davis offered a candid assessment of the university’s evolving role in Austin’s booming development scene. Once regarded as one of the city’s largest builders and employers,…
