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Austin postpones vote on pilot program to provide basic income to struggling families

Elected officials in Austin decided Thursday to delay a vote on a program that would have sent a monthly stipend to low-income families, no strings attached. City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly, who represents far Northwest Austin, first called for a postponement.…

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Community groups push for safety, public services in $73.5M budget request

More than 30 community groups and service organizations have created a list of recommendations for the next city budget, with 16 proposed expenditures focused around safety and public health totaling $73.5 million. Details on the Community Investment Budget were released…

Landlord misinterpretation prompts proposed amendment to help displaced renters

District 4 Council Member Chito Vela’s staff recently learned that renters in his Northeast Austin district were denied protections afforded to them under the Tenant Relocation Ordinance. Passed in 2016, the law established notification requirements for anyone seeking demolition permits,…

TipSheet: Austin City Council, 4.21.22

Welcome to another edition of the Austin Monitor’s TipSheet! As usual, this is a rough guide to some of the things that will be up at City Council today, with our best guesses at what will be most interesting. Those with…

Families could get $1,000 a month as part of Austin's first guaranteed income program

Government aid programs often come with a laundry list of do-nots. For example, if you receive SNAP benefits, more commonly known as food stamps, you can’t use them to buy to-go food, soap, vitamins or medicine. So, what if the…

Staff proposes continuing security guard contracts

City Council has been urging city staff since at least 2012 to hire more security guards as city employees, while city management and financial officers have pointed out the difficulties of doing so. Once again this week, Council will be…

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Minority chambers begin work on collective economic equity plan

The four minority chambers of commerce that have for years worked loosely together are moving forward with creating a five-year plan for how to ensure growth in Austin doesn’t bypass minority-owned small businesses. The Austin LGBT Chamber, Greater Austin Asian…

Tight rental market increasing wait times for city efforts to house the homeless

The city’s tight rental market is causing some delays in efforts to find housing for people who have recently been removed from homeless encampments as part of a program launched last year targeting those gathering areas around the city. At…

Off-leash dog group urges public action

The working group tasked with tackling off-leash dog issues in the city of Austin has dissolved, although the issue is far from resolved. “We’re kind of at the end of the road of what we can do,” said Animal Advisory…

Council candidates start getting ready for November

Although campaign season has not really begun, candidates have filed paperwork to run for every City Council seat officially up for election in November, as well as those not scheduled to be on the ballot. Mayor Steve Adler will have…

Council approves social services funding despite anticipating tightest budget in years

The pressures of anticipated budget constraints loomed large over City Council’s discussion of funding social services last Thursday. The conversation followed Council’s approval of Austin Public Health’s request for $6,727,158 across 17 15-month contracts with youth services providers, with four…

Airport plan for jet fuel tank farm can go ahead after narrow Council vote

Austin City Council narrowly blocked an effort to stop a massive new fuel storage facility from being built at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The facility will store up to 6 million gallons of jet fuel a few hundred feet from homes. “Our hearts…

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