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Most Popular Stories
- Former Council Member and dedicated environmentalist Jackie Goodman has died
- Despite safety concerns, Council OKs new buildings above Shoal Creek
- As Acacia Cliffs rezoning is approved, Critics say Council has sold out on its affordability commitments
- A multi-family rezoning at the rugged edge of Northwest Austin
- Texas lawmakers finalize bill limiting property owners’ right to protest new homes nearby
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City Hall
Proposed police budget increase sparks community pushback
Interim City Manager Jesús Garza’s Fiscal Year 2023-24 city budget proposal would increase the Austin Police Department’s operating budget by $31.7 million, or slightly more than 7 percent, prompting pushback from police reform advocates. Some of the major cost drivers…
Budget • By Emma Freer • Aug 3, 2023
Garza says reorganization ‘will in no way diminish’ offices of Civil Rights, Equity
Interim City Manager Jesús Garza has clarified his plans for reorganizing a handful of city offices, including the Equity and Civil Rights offices, which will be located in different buildings despite being part of the newly created Community and Business…
Budget • By Chad Swiatecki • Aug 2, 2023
Proposed budget includes small changes at Austin Energy, Austin Resource Recovery
Citing Austin Energy’s critically low levels of cash reserves, the utility’s financial planners are proposing that it raise base rates by 2 percent, which will cost the typical residential customer about $1.04 per month, Budget Officer Kerri Lang told City…
Budget • By Jo Clifton • Aug 2, 2023
City manager delays controversial new telework policy
Interim City Manager Jesús Garza is delaying implementation of a controversial new telework policy that will require most city employees to work in the office at least three days per week. In a July 19 email, interim Human Resources Director…
City Hall • By Nina Hernandez • Jul 31, 2023
Airport hotel sees increased revenue, many staff vacancies
The Hilton hotel at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has experienced better-than-expected recovery since the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic and repaid the loan it received from the airport in 2021. Members of the City Council Audit and Finance Committee heard…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Jul 28, 2023
Audit finds inaccurate data on city portal
Unreliable data is a widespread problem for the city of Austin, according to an audit performed by the Office of the City Auditor. Francis Reilly, the auditor in charge, explained some of the city’s data problems to the City Council…
City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Jul 26, 2023
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Council gives final OK to Borden Dairy tract rezoning
City Council last week gave final approval for rezoning of the former Borden Dairy site in the Govalle neighborhood, allowing for its reconfiguration from an industrial site to a major mixed-use development. The vote was 8-1, with Council Member Alison…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Jul 25, 2023
Austin launches education and outreach initiative targeting hate crimes
The city of Austin last week launched the We All Belong Anti-Hate Initiative, an education and outreach campaign intended as a response to a string of hate crime incidents reported across the city. A group of leaders from the city,…
Austin • By Nina Hernandez • Jul 25, 2023
New rules for addressing City Council ‘postponed indefinitely’
At the beginning of Thursday’s City Council meeting, Mayor Kirk Watson announced that a plan to cut back on public input had been “postponed indefinitely.” Many speakers criticized rules originally proposed by City Clerk Myrna Rios, and they expressed hope…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Jul 24, 2023
Council greenlights change to reduce land size needed to build a home in Austin
The size of land Austinites need to build a home on is about to get smaller – as part of an effort to encourage developers to build smaller and cheaper houses. City Council on Thursday approved a resolution that will start…
City Council • By Luz Moreno-Lozano, KUT • Jul 21, 2023
Council OKs lawsuit settlements related to injuries, land
City Council agreed Thursday to settle five lawsuits, including paying $1.2 million to a protester who was injured during the protests outside the Austin Police Department in May 2020. Bomani Barton, who was shot by a police officer with three…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Jul 21, 2023
$9.1M emergency homeless shelter at the Marshalling Yard expected to open by end of August
City Council on Thursday approved a proposal to operate a $9.1 million temporary emergency homeless shelter at the Marshalling Yard, a city-owned facility located near the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The move comes as Austin sees 10 straight days of temperatures…
