Newsletter Signup
The Austin Monitor thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Most Popular Stories
- Austin’s airport is getting a new concourse and 20 more gates but not until the 2030s
- New rules in the works for electric vehicle charging stations
- Judge rules city can’t use taxpayer money for South Central TIRZ
- Budget deficit looms over city this year and beyond
- Save Our Springs Alliance sues City Council over Open Meetings Act
-
Discover News By District
The Austin Monitor thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Whispers
Friday, July 23, 2021 by Tai Moses
Public forum highlights downtown safety
City Council Member Kathie Tovo and Downtown Austin Alliance President Dewitt Peart are hosting a virtual public forum focused on “efforts to ensure safety in downtown Austin, including current systems and procedures, interagency communication and coordination, tools and resources.” Leslie Rhode will moderate a panel composed of interim Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon, Travis County District Attorney José Garza and Travis County Attorney Delia Garza. Monday, July 26, 9-10 a.m. RSVP here. The event will take place on Zoom.
Thursday, July 22, 2021 by Jo Clifton
New members coming to ACE board
City Council’s Audit & Finance Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend two city employees to join the Austin Convention Enterprises Board of Directors. Attorney Lee Crawford serves as general counsel division chief in the city attorney’s office, and Kimberly Olivares is the city’s deputy chief financial officer. Council Member Leslie Pool, who nominated the pair, said Olivares and Crawford would be “really brilliant additions” to oversee the important work that board does. The nominations will now go to City Council for its approval.
Thursday, July 22, 2021 by Tai Moses
As cases surge, APH reopens test sites
With Covid cases and hospitalizations on the upswing, Austin Public Health is reopening two neighborhood testing sites to provide free testing, no questions asked or insurance required. As APH interim Director Adrienne Sturrup explained, “Community-based sites help protect those most at risk. APH staff have been incredibly dedicated to doing everything they can to lessen the impact of the virus. With the presence of the Delta variant, access to free testing will be an important tool to catch disease early.” The test site at George Morales Dove Springs Recreation Center at 5801 Ainez Drive opens today, with services available Tuesday-Friday, 1-7 p.m., and on Saturday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. The St. Johns testing site at 7211 N. I-35 opens July 29, with services Tuesday-Friday 1-7 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. “Patients may arrive by foot, on a bicycle or motorcycle, or in a vehicle. All individuals are required to wear a face covering when arriving for testing.” No appointment is necessary, although scheduling a test in advance may save time.
Wednesday, July 21, 2021 by Jo Clifton
Interfaith group calls for immediate action on homelessness
Members of Central Texas Interfaith are asking the city to spend the funds City Council set aside a few weeks ago to alleviate homelessness in Austin – now. At a virtual news conference Tuesday, members of the group also urged Travis County to come up with $100 million to match what the city might provide. Austin intends to spend at least $84 million on solving homelessness, mostly from its federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, to help with the effort. However, the city’s commitment is conditional on major investments from the county and private foundations. County staffers have recommended spending only $325,000 on homelessness in next year’s budget. Speaking for the group, Rev. Michael Floyd said, “We’re tired of waiting and we believe that most Austin citizens are too. Austin citizens of every political persuasion share our desire for the city of Austin to act immediately to implement a comprehensive plan to end homelessness. That’s what we’re advocating today because the city’s efforts to assist those without housing have again been put on hold.” Council has set those funds aside and Mayor Steve Adler told the Austin Monitor that the city would know in four to six weeks how much funding to expect from private foundations. Asked why that time frame was too long, Carlota Garcia of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church said, “Four to six weeks is a timeline that we’ve heard over and over again over the past few years that homelessness has been such an issue. We welcome the identification of partners in this collaboration in putting up some hard money to construct shelters and we hope that the timeline can move more quickly. Summer is here now. The people’s needs exist now and so that’s why we’re calling on our city and county officials to start mobilizing that money now.” In response to a question about the recently announced plan to build shelters on two city properties, the group responded, “City Council is sitting on an $84 million contingency fund for homelessness that they should be spending right now to build emergency and permanent housing. While we haven’t looked at those campsite locations yet, we think the city should spend the money it has now to find those experiencing homelessness a dignified place to live.”
Wednesday, July 21, 2021 by Tai Moses
Redistricting commission hosts public forums
The Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission invites community members to attend two in-person public meetings about the work being done to redraw the new City Council district maps. According to the news release from the ICRC, “Along with census data, publicly submitted comments will be used to assist the commission when it begins drawing district boundaries between March 2021 through November 2021. The focus of public testimony is to receive information about the unique characteristics of communities of interest from those most familiar with their neighborhoods to help the commission determine areas that should remain intact and/or be grouped together in districts. The goal is to have a new district map approved for the November 2022 election.” The first forum, focusing on District 10, will take place from 6-8 p.m., Thursday, July 22, at Dell Jewish Community Center, 7300 Hart Lane. Another public comment forum focused on District 7 is scheduled for Saturday, July 24, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Northwest Recreation Center, 2913 Northland Drive.
Tuesday, July 20, 2021 by Jo Clifton
Gómez tops opponent Woody in fundraising
In a campaign filing last week, Travis County Precinct 4 Commissioner Margaret Gómez reported raising more than $26,000 this year in her quest for reelection in November 2022. Her Democratic opponent, Susanna Woody, raised $7,292 and had $6,611 left in her campaign account, according to Woody’s campaign finance report. The Gómez campaign put out a press release touting the longtime commissioner’s support, as evidenced by her fundraising. Gómez will hold her first fundraising event on July 30. Woody, who serves on the board of the Del Valle Independent School District, has the support of Austin City Council members Natasha Harper-Madison and Vanessa Fuentes and Austin Community College Trustee Julie Nitsch. Gómez, who has served as commissioner since 1995, has support from former Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos, Sen. Judith Zaffirini, state Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, and constables George Morales III and Stacy Suits. Precinct 2 Commissioner Brigid Shea has no announced opponent in the Democratic primary or the general election next year. Shea’s campaign reported last week that she had raised more than $122,000 so far this year and after expenses maintained about $111,000. Travis County Judge Andy Brown, a Democrat with no announced opponent so far in the Democratic primary or the general election next year, collected nearly $297,000 between Jan. 1 and June 30, according to his campaign finance report. Brown still had more than $370,000 in the bank as of July 15 and has no outstanding loans.
Editor’s Note: Andy Brown is on the board of the Capital of Texas Media Foundation, the parent nonprofit of the Austin Monitor.
Tuesday, July 20, 2021 by Tai Moses
Richard Moya Bus Plaza opens
A former truck parking lot at the intersection of East Fifth Street, Cesar Chavez Street and Shady Lane has been transformed into a multimodal transportation hub. According to the Transportation Department, the new Richard Moya Bus Plaza in East Austin “links four Capital Metro routes with nine Capital Area Rural Transportation System routes, provides access to Capital Metro’s bike-sharing service MetroBike, offers paratransit services and connects riders with Capital Metro’s on-demand service called Pickup.” The bus plaza is named for Richard Moya, the first Mexican American elected to public office in Travis County. Moya served as county commissioner from 1970-1986 and was the founder of CARTS as well as its first board chair. The new bus plaza features native landscaping, rain gardens and a “new indoor facility for transit riders to enjoy while waiting.”
Tuesday, July 20, 2021 by Tai Moses
Help Austin get around better
Community members are invited to attend the first virtual public meeting for ATX Walk Bike Roll, which the city describes as “a project to update three existing plans that guide sidewalk, urban trail and bikeway projects in the city.” The effort, a partnership between Public Works and the Transportation Department, is aimed at creating “more accessible and interconnected ways for people to travel,” which basically means it will give more people more choices in how they get from place to place. As the city’s announcement explains, “Austin has grown since the sidewalk, urban trails and bikeway plans were published over five years ago. The plans were created prior to the voter-approved 2016, 2018, and 2020 bonds, which allocated a combined $306.5 million to the Urban Trails, Sidewalk and Bikeway programs. Public input is needed to help the city determine when and where to build these transportation networks.” Sign up here to attend the virtual meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 11, from 7-8 p.m.
Monday, July 19, 2021 by Tai Moses
It’s city budget time again!
Next week the city will hold the first of two community budget input meetings on Thursday, July 22, at 4 p.m at Austin City Hall – the first in-person City Council meeting since March 2020. The coming weeks will be laser-focused on community input and budget work sessions and residents are encouraged to get involved in the process. City Manager Spencer Cronk’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2021-22 would “maintain high-quality services and invest in critical infrastructure while utilizing the smallest increase in tax and fees in the past five years,” according to the budget summary. Sign up here to offer public comment at the meeting, either at City Hall or remotely via telephone. Council members will be reviewing and discussing amendments to the proposed budget before final adoption, which is scheduled for Aug. 11. Learn more about the budget process here.
Monday, July 19, 2021 by Tai Moses
Utility conducts prescribed burn
Don’t panic if you see smoke on the horizon today: Austin Water will be conducting a prescribed burn on 210 acres of the Water Quality Protection Lands. According to the utility’s announcement, “Smoke may be visible south (of) State Highway 45, east of FM 1826, west of Brodie Lane, west of FM 1626, and north of FM 967 from 10 a.m. to sunset.” Luke Ball, with Austin Water’s Wildland Conservation Division, explained that controlled burning is “one of the strategies used to manage these lands and protect groundwater in Central Texas. Prescribed burns improve the resiliency of our land when they are used as a planned seasonal management tool.” Sign up here if you’d like to receive periodic notifications of prescribed burns taking place on Austin Water wildlands.
Monday, July 19, 2021 by Tai Moses
DSD proposes change to Change-Out Program
The city’s Development Services Department is inviting customers and stakeholders to offer feedback on proposed rule changes that would expand timed inspection options for the Change-Out Program. According to a DSD announcement, “The expanded program will allow more people to benefit from time-specific inspections, an option now provided only for HVAC and water heaters. Upon adoption, residential customers will be able to request time-specific inspections for windows, siding, roofing, and more. Some commercial inspections also will be eligible.” If you’d like to weigh in, you have until July 30 to offer feedback on the proposed rules. Visit the project page on SpeakUp Austin to learn more.
Friday, July 16, 2021 by Tai Moses
Get vaccinated this weekend at a pop-up clinic
With Covid once again on the rise and hospitalizations increasing, Austin Public Health is redoubling its efforts to provide quick, convenient opportunities for residents to get vaccinated. City and county health officials are partnering with local community organizations to offer pop-up vaccination clinics in many locations around the county this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. No pre-registration or appointment is necessary. See the full list of locations, dates, times and vaccines on offer here.