Public Safety
Friday, November 1, 2013 by Michael Kanin
Public Safety
Austin, Central Texas to begin recovery from major flood event
People across the Central Texas region woke Thursday morning to a major flood that local officials say will likely go down as a record event. Some parts of South Austin and Hays County received almost 15 inches of rain,…
Monday, October 28, 2013 by Michael Kanin
Politics
Fleet Services says it needs more staff, bays to service vehicles
The head of the city’s Fleet Services Department told members on the Council Audit and Finance Committee last week that his department has numerous unmet needs, noting that department is short 60-80 repair bays for the city’s vehicles, including nearly…
Wednesday, October 16, 2013 by Michael Kanin
Politics
Council, police chief clash over district representative assignments
Austin City Council members continued to do battle amongst themselves and with Police Chief Art Acevedo Tuesday over lingering issues associated with the opening of three segments of city hike and bike trails to 24-hour traffic. It all comes against…
Wednesday, October 9, 2013 by Adam Schragin
Public Safety
Public Safety Commission criticizes Special Events Ordinance
Members of the Public Safety Commission, upset that they could not get information on the amount of money Special Events were costing the city, passed a resolution on Monday asking that the city monitor such expenses and seek reimbursement. …
Monday, September 30, 2013 by Michael Kanin
Politics
Cole, Morrison question use of employee criminal background checks
An audit designed to examine the effectiveness of the city’s approach to criminal background checks has raised the ire of two City Council members, who thought they had removed such checks from city hiring protocol in 2008. At last…
Thursday, September 26, 2013 by Michael Kanin
Public Safety
Audit: EMS personnel report high fatigue rate
An audit performed by the City Auditor’s Office suggests that Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Service rank-and-file employees are overly fatigued. The document also hints that a policy of allowing patients to decide which hospital they are delivered to adds to…
