Newsletter Signup
The Austin Monitor thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Most Popular Stories
- New federal cash paves way for East Austin’s ‘wishbone’ bridge over Lady Bird Lake
- Austin’s airport is getting a new concourse and 20 more gates but not until the 2030s
- Judge rules city can’t use taxpayer money for South Central TIRZ
- Save Our Springs Alliance sues City Council over Open Meetings Act
- Democrats vs. Republicans: First election coming for Travis Central Appraisal District board
-
Discover News By District
The Austin Monitor thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Whispers
Friday, March 8, 2019 by Tai Moses
Assistance for Austin’s creative class
If you’re a member of Austin’s struggling creative class, you might want to sit up and pay attention to this one: The city’s Cultural Arts and Music & Entertainment divisions have fired up a joint funding initiative to help protect and preserve local music, arts and performance spaces. The Creative Space Assistance Program was created to provide direct financial support – in the form of up to $50,000 each – to creative organizations that face temporary or permanent displacement due to rent hikes, the need for facilities improvements or to defray the costs of moving to a new venue. Priority will be given to groups with immediate and critical needs. Nonprofits serving historically underrepresented communities are encouraged to apply. Learn more at upcoming informational meetings on March 19 and 25 from 2-3:30 p.m. at Austin City Hall in the Boards and Commissions Room. CSAP’s complete guidelines can be found here.
Friday, March 8, 2019 by Jo Clifton
Casar defends our right to party at parks
Council approved changes to city code related to park administration, fees, offenses, penalties, food and beverages at Thursday’s meeting. But some of the wording in the proposed code had Council Member Greg Casar worried that someone could be charged with an offense simply for having a birthday party in the park and not notifying parks administration. Casar noted in the proposed changes there’s a section that says, “a person can’t conduct a group activity” without notifying the department, “and I think the goal … was to make sure that an agency didn’t conduct a group activity. We wouldn’t want to unintentionally outlaw somebody showing up with 10 of their friends to swim in the pool. While I don’t think that our parks department would criminally charge somebody for doing that, I would rather that our law clearly reflect that.” The goal of that particular section was to make sure that someone defined as a “caregiver” not bring a group for an activity to a park or pool without notifying the Parks and Recreation Department ahead of time. No one objected to Casar’s amendment, so party on. Casar also made clear that individuals not associated with commercial enterprises could bring snacks to a park to sell.
Friday, March 8, 2019 by Tai Moses
Austin FC Academy seeks homegrown players
Austin FC’s development academy, Austin FC Academy, will launch in August with its Under 14 team, which will compete in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy 2019-20 season. Players born in 2006 or later are eligible and can complete a recruiting form here. Selected players will be invited to practice sessions in April and May to establish the team. Austin FC Academy will cover the costs of registration, uniform and travel fees for players and their families. All Major League Soccer clubs are required to operate developmental academy teams that compete at the highest level and offer top-tier training and coaching for aspiring young soccer players. Junro Narita, who has 12 years of soccer coaching under his belt, has been named head coach of the Austin FC Academy Under 14 team. Narita is the technical director at St. Stephen’s Soccer Academy and a former professional U.S. Development Academy and Japanese League coach. He said in the announcement, “Austin FC Academy will establish a clear playing identity that is attack-minded, possession-oriented, intelligent and creative. My personal belief is that soccer provides an outlet to youth to instill life lessons and values, and I look forward to starting a new journey with the most talented young players in the region.” For more information about Austin FC Academy, visit AustinFC.com.
Thursday, March 7, 2019 by Jo Clifton
Pantalion taking new job
Joe Pantalion, who worked for the city of Austin for more than 20 years, retired at the end of February. He told the Austin Monitor Wednesday that he is very excited to be taking a job as assistant city manager in a new city, though he could not tell us which one. He said the city is in the state of Texas and he expects it to make an announcement about his hiring today. The mayor and Council, colleagues and friends will honor Pantalion during the 5:30 p.m. proclamations at City Hall today. Pantalion began working for the city in the Watershed Protection Department in 1997. He managed the creation of the city’s watershed protection plan and when the Watershed Protection Department was combined with the Development Services Department, Pantalion was charged with reorganizing and streamlining development review. Toby Futrell, city manager at the time, then asked Pantalion to set up a one-stop shop for development review and inspection services, another difficult task. After that he became deputy director of the department and ultimately director. Interim City Manager Elaine Hart asked Pantalion to serve as an interim assistant city manager, which he did from August 2017 to January of this year. After City Manager Spencer Cronk announced his choices for assistant city managers, Pantalion returned briefly to the Watershed Protection Department.
Thursday, March 7, 2019 by Elizabeth Pagano
Public hearing anarchy
In the past, City Council public hearings have held a special place for all of us, and that place was any time past 4 p.m. This is no longer the case. As of today, public hearings can take place at any time during the regular City Council meeting. Of course, that could still be any time during the regular Council meeting, so it might not save time exactly, but it will eliminate having to stick around when all of the agenda is done early in the day yet nothing can be taken up until 4.
Thursday, March 7, 2019 by Tai Moses
City seeks feedback on fair housing report
The city’s Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department is asking the community to comment on its draft “Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice,” a report about housing discrimination and increasing access to housing for protected classes. The rather lengthy document is available on NHCD’s website. The 30-day public comment period runs from March 5-April 5. There will be a presentation and public hearing scheduled for the Community Development Commission on Tuesday, March 12, at 6:30 p.m. in the Boards and Commissions Room at Austin City Hall. Email your comments to NHCD@austintexas.gov or mail them to:
Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Office
Attn: Fair Housing Analysis
P.O. Box 1088
Austin, Texas 78767
Thursday, March 7, 2019 by Tai Moses
Own a small business? Do business with the city!
The city’s Purchasing Office contracts with hundreds of businesses each year for contracts of $50,000 or less for electrical services, training, consulting, safety equipment, and landscaping and technology, to name just a few. Currently, only a small percentage of contracts are awarded to small businesses, so the city wants to encourage more small business owners to apply to become vendors for city goods and services. The Purchasing Office is hosting a Small Business Contracting Forum on Tuesday, March 26, where representatives from different city departments will provide advice and information to help more local businesses identify opportunities to do business with the city and bid for those city contracts! The free event is from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Asian American Resource Center at 8401 Cameron Rd. Says James Scarboro, purchasing officer for the city of Austin, “If a small business owner has never entered into a contract with the city of Austin before, or if they’re not sure where to start, then this event is for them.” You can register for the event here. Naturally, refreshments will be provided.
Wednesday, March 6, 2019 by Chad Swiatecki
The death of live music?
“Sure is a nice Live Music Capital you’ve got there … be a shame if something happened to it.” That was the general tenor of a blog post from the Houston law firm Feldman & Feldman that made the rounds in Austin music circles over the weekend. Titled “Austin, The Live Music Capital of the World, Struggles With Noise Complaints,” the post recaps the city’s past three years of misadventures trying to create the so-called agent of change ordinance to address growing tensions between entertainment and nearby development. The law firm touts its own successes in “dealing with” noise complaint cases in the Houston area, noting that potential fines in Houston could reach $15,000 for violators. Some in the Austin music community have likened the bit of search engine optimized trolling as akin to ambulance chasing in a city sensitive to noise issues. It also serves as a reminder that the agent of change process appears to be crawling toward some finality later this spring.
Wednesday, March 6, 2019 by Jessi Devenyns
Sobering Center Austin gets its first statistics
After opening last August, Austin’s first sobering center is finally receiving its inaugural statistics. According to Jasper Brown, the EMS assistant chief, 90 percent of clientele are first-time users of a sobering center and most are brought in for overconsumption of alcohol. The average overnight resident is a 34-year-old male who was brought in by law enforcement for public intoxication. While Brown says he has not yet seen the facility at full capacity, he noted that staff is gearing up for South by Southwest, which is scheduled to begin next week. Commissioner Rebecca Bernhardt asked, “Is there any ongoing calculation on about how much it is saving?” Although there are no final calculations, Brown said he believes there have been meaningful savings in hospital and jail costs as well as officer time since the facility opened. Those numbers are coming through, he said. Commissioner Ed Scruggs noted that 40 percent of those who arrive in the sobering center say they will be walking home after they are released. “That just seems like an astounding number of people,” he said. While there are no requirements to prove one’s method of travel after release, Brown assured the commissioner that regardless of how people get home, they are only released from the center when they are sober enough to legally be on the streets. Of course, a visit to the center does not result in a criminal record, something the commissioners once again applauded. There are also no limit to the number of times an individual can visit the sobering center.
Wednesday, March 6, 2019 by Tai Moses
Chamber announces Austin Gives keynote and awards finalists
The Austin Chamber of Commerce has selected Jeff Thomas, senior vice president and general manager of HEB Central Texas Region, to receive the Bobby Jenkins Philanthropic Leadership Award and keynote the seventh annual Austin Gives Generous Business Awards luncheon. The chamber also announced the finalists for its Generous Business Awards, which honor businesses that have pledged 1 percent of pre-tax earnings, products or volunteer time to the community. In a press release, the chamber’s Beth Krueger said, “Austin Gives looks to honor all of the job creators and employers that make giving back to the community a part of their business model. Each year special recognition is given to those businesses that are giving back in meaningful and impactful ways. We receive a multitude of deserving nominees and are confident Austin will once again bring forth the best stories of how businesses are making a difference through their philanthropy.” Buy tickets or tables for the Generous Business Awards luncheon, held at the Austin Hilton on April 12, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., here.
Wednesday, March 6, 2019 by Jo Clifton
Code rewrite: Don’t hold your breath
For all of those who are anxiously awaiting the rewrite of the Land Development Code, it might be a while. At Tuesday’s work session, City Manager Spencer Cronk told Council that staffers would produce a memo on the code rewrite before the next work session, probably within the next two weeks. The next work session is not until March 26 because of SXSW and spring break. Cronk warned Council members that they would not receive a detailed map of how staff, Council and the public will work together to craft the new code. But they will have to do some work before he can give them the road map they’re looking for. “I can’t put forward a broader process until I have some policy guidance from this Council,” Cronk said. He wants Council to make decisions about various key policy areas such as parking, compatibility, density, “and even the scope of the revisions, so I will tee up some of those key questions. They should be relatively straightforward so both the Council and the community can understand them and then really be asking for the policy guidance before anything further is released to the public.” Council Member Kathie Tovo told Cronk she thought a simple up-or-down vote on the items he listed would be difficult. She said she hoped the process would give Council, boards and commissions a chance to explore those issues before they launch into another code revision. However, Council Member Jimmy Flannigan is not looking forward to spending a lot of time on the details. “We’ve got to not throw away all the work that we’ve done,” with all the meetings held in various parts of the city. “I don’t know that repeating all the same conversations, where the meetings are the same and the comments are the same,” would be helpful, he said. “We can say up front without having to dive so deep into a specific property or a specific policy or one page out of a 1,000-page document,” this is what Council wants “and these are the types of policies that we are ready to move forward on. So I’m incredibly excited and grateful, city manager, to hear that this memo is going to be coming out and I’m excited to dive into this and get things moving.”
Tuesday, March 5, 2019 by Tai Moses
Rise, shine, eat breakfast
It’s National School Breakfast Week, and the Austin Independent School District wants to make sure every kid starts the day with a healthy meal. New data suggests that making school breakfast available after the bell ensures that more kids will actually eat a nutritious breakfast. So the school district will be offering free breakfasts – served in the classroom – to over 25,000 students daily. The menus at Austin school cafeterias feature many items cooked from scratch such as organic granola and breakfast pastries, and at least three times a week, locally baked bread and tortillas and fresh fruit. Anneliese Tanner, AISD executive director of nutrition, said in the press release, “A healthy breakfast is a great way to ensure students are getting the best education they can. National School Breakfast Week is the perfect time for us to further educate parents and students about the benefits, like higher test scores and better attendance records, of good nutrition.”