Newsletter Signup
The Austin Monitor thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Most Popular Stories
- For the first time in 20 years, more people are leaving Travis County than moving in
- Austin’s giant troll is finally finished. Here’s where you can find her.
- Travis County approves ambitious ‘Marshall Plan’ for northeast planning district
- Environmental commissioners air concerns about waterfront district plan
- Council hears plan for another South Congress PUD
-
Discover News By District
The Austin Monitor thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Whispers
Wednesday, November 14, 2018 by Jack Craver
Robbins decries proposed gas rate change
Energy activist Paul Robbins is sounding the alarm about gas prices for Austin residents. The company that provides gas to city residences, Texas Gas Service, has proposed changing the way it charges customers to fund its conservation programs. Currently, households pay a little under 4 cents per 100 cubic feet of gas consumed. TGS is proposing simply charging every household a flat rate of $1.19 a month. Robbins has denounced the proposal as regressive and likely to raise prices for low-income households that currently try to cut costs by reducing energy consumption. City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the new rates Thursday, but on Tuesday Council members agreed at a work session to postpone the item to a future meeting.
Wednesday, November 14, 2018 by Chad Swiatecki
Music Commission withholds input on ‘agent of change,’ for now
The Austin Music Commission has opted to take a wait-and-see approach to the city’s latest attempt at creating an “agent of change” ordinance to smooth tensions over noise issues between new entertainment venues and new residential construction and hotels. At last week’s meeting, Commissioner Rick Carney advocated giving City Council a written outline of the commission’s expectations for the proposed ordinance, which was abandoned prior to Council consideration in mid-2017. Concerns over the lack of definitive expectations for new businesses entering a neighborhood stalled the ordinance, but last month City Council passed a resolution directing the city manager to propose a new ordinance by mid-February. Chair Gavin Garcia said it would be best to let newly elected Council members be seated in January and give their own input on the matter before the commission weighs in. Commissioners also said that advocacy groups Music Moves Austin and the Music Venue Alliance will be working behind the scenes to lobby and educate city leaders on the best policy points for live music venues and how to protect them from legal action by new businesses moving into their sound path.
Wednesday, November 14, 2018 by Jessi Devenyns
Board of Adjustment questions ‘house for a car’
On occasion, portions of the city code that are intended to regulate one issue end up becoming a loophole for another. “I’ve never seen (the code) exploited the way you are or the way your architect is (exploiting it),” Chair William Burkhardt said at the Nov. 9 meeting of the Board of Adjustment, referring to a variance case involving a lot in Hyde Park. Years ago, the lot was subdivided into a space too small for an ADU, but nevertheless, the owner wants to construct a new, detached, two-car garage with second-floor living space. The idea of constructing a living unit and labeling it a garage rankled board members. Ben Reid, who owns the property at 4214 Avenue B, explained that his “number-one priority is a garage,” and that if the commissioners were amenable to the idea he would forgo the living unit. The case was eventually postponed until the board’s next meeting. While the board members agreed that removing the living quarters would improve the likelihood of granting a variance, Board Member Rahm McDaniel lamented that amid Austin’s housing shortage, “we can find a house for a car, but not for people to live in.”
Tuesday, November 13, 2018 by Chad Swiatecki
Sick leave under fire
House Bill 222 is one that proponents of Austin’s paid sick leave policy will be watching and opposing when the Texas Legislature convenes early next year. That bill, filed by Rep. Matt Krause of Fort Worth on Monday, targets the paid sick leave policies recently passed in Austin and San Antonio and would prevent municipalities from requiring a business to give its employees paid sick leave. Austin passed its sick leave policy in February, but it was put on hold by state courts almost immediately. There was heated debate locally over the city ordinance, which would have required companies with 16 or more workers to provide 64 hours of sick leave per year. That total was adjusted down to 48 hours annually per employee for businesses with fewer than 16 employees.
Tuesday, November 13, 2018 by Chad Swiatecki
Whither Amazon?
For those tracking every turn of the speculative screw in Amazon’s quest to identify a new site for its second headquarters, it’s been a busy 10 days. News broke the day before the midterm elections that the e-commerce giant has altered its initial plan in favor of splitting more than 50,000 employees between two cities, in part because of concerns over being able to find enough talent in a single location. Austin, at various points rumored to be among the top three contenders for HQ2, now appears to have fallen back in the pack while the Queens borough of New York City and Crystal City, Virginia, are reportedly in advanced talks to finalize deals for the multibillion-dollar projects. The components of Austin’s bid to land HQ2 (or should we call it HQ3 now?) have been closely guarded by the Austin Chamber of Commerce, which has led the bid process since the competition opened last year. A final decision from the company is expected before the end of the year.
Tuesday, November 13, 2018 by Chad Swiatecki
Court case
The city’s plan to move Austin Municipal Court – currently located on East Seventh Street – has seen a shift that could see the eventual landing spot changed slightly from its assumed new location while the city saves more than $1 million over a 10-year lease. The Austin Business Journal reports that last month City Council approved a resolution opening up negotiations with the owners of Bergstrom Tech Center, located on Burleson Road almost adjacent to MetCenter II, whose owners appear to have secured the court relocation deal in May. The fate of the municipal court has become something of an odyssey over more than a decade, during which time the city has purchased multiple parcels for the explicit purpose of building a combination facility for the court and a police substation in Northeast Austin. Meanwhile, concern has grown over the court’s current location because of structural and safety problems and a lack of parking.
Tuesday, November 13, 2018 by Tai Moses
Parks and Rec shares its vision for Givens District Park
Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department is holding an open house to share information and seek input from the public on the proposal for improvements for Givens District Park in East Austin. Informational exhibits and maps of the planned developments will be on view. At three previous community meetings held this summer and fall, Parks and Rec staffers introduced the master plan project and discussed the 40-acre park’s history and the current state of its facilities. Residents were also invited to share their ideas for improvements to the park. The open house will be held at Givens Recreation Center on Tuesday, Dec. 4, from 6-8 p.m.
Monday, November 12, 2018 by Elizabeth Pagano
Veterans Day, observed
Today, the Austin Monitor will be joining most of the city in observing Veterans Day. See you Tuesday!
Friday, November 9, 2018 by Jessi Devenyns
Hot tempers at City Hall over Jeff Sessions dismissal
On Thursday, Nov. 8, the front plaza of City Hall was packed with protesters, calling for President Trump to reconsider his decision to push Jeff Sessions out of his position as attorney general. A speaker orating to the crowd was barely audible above the roar of cheers and horns honking. What began at 5 p.m. lasted for hours as dozens and dozens of Austinites cheered, shouting their opinions so loudly their voices could be heard echoing inside the walls of City Hall. The protest was organized by MoveOn.org in conjunction with other groups around the country. Austin resident Roger May said that the intent of the demonstrations was to keep Trump from “firing his way to safety.” May explained that pushing Sessions out of office was “crossing a line,” and that he hopes the protests will help to persuade the government to keep the Mueller investigation going. A few followers of the far-right conspiracy website InfoWars made an appearance at the rally to share their views about why they support the status quo.
Friday, November 9, 2018 by Jo Clifton
Ethics Commission rejects complaint
The Texas Ethics Commission has rejected a complaint filed against District 1 candidate Natasha Harper-Madison, but the attorney who filed the complaint indicated Thursday that he would rewrite his complaint and submit it to the commission next week. Harper-Madison will face Mariana Salazar in a Dec. 11 runoff to represent the Northeast Austin district. The commission notified attorney Matt Tynan by mail that his allegations against Harper-Madison were insufficient and encouraged him to re-file the complaint with additional information. The commission wrote that one of the allegations Tynan made against Harper-Madison, as well as against another District 1 candidate, Vince Harding, were not violations. According to the commission’s letter, “Your complaint alleges the respondent did not properly disclose political contributions or the total amount of political contributions accepted during a reporting period in violation of (the Election Code) … . However, the Commission filing software automatically applies the un-itemized contribution total to the A1 subtotal on Cover Sheet Page 3. When that software feature is accounted for, there is no discrepancy.” Tynan said Thursday, “At this point there’s still information missing. And ultimately it comes down to just one single issue, and that is where the contributions are.” While Tynan acknowledged that there may not be a problem with Harper-Madison’s filings, he is still not convinced they are accurate. Tynan said he has not yet received a letter from the commission concerning a similar complaint he filed against Harding. However, it seems likely that the software issue also caused confusion with Harding’s filings.
Friday, November 9, 2018 by Elizabeth Pagano
ATA makes a change
The Austin Tech Alliance announced the departure of founding executive director David Edmonson yesterday and has launched a search to fill the position. Edmonson will remain in the role until Nov. 23, when ATA program manager Sarah Ortiz Shields will serve as interim director. In a press release about the change, ATA co-founder Dan Graham said, “We’re thankful for David’s dedication and energy, and we know we’ll find an executive director who will continue to drive ATA’s growth and impact. … Dynamic candidates who are excited to lead a growing nonprofit that sits at the intersection of tech, policy and civic engagement should reach out and apply.” More information on the executive director position is available here.
Thursday, November 8, 2018 by Elizabeth Pagano
Gordon loses AISD seat
Last night’s election saw a number of upsets, including that of Austin Independent School District’s District 1 rep, Ted Gordon. Parent and elder caregiver LaTisha Anderson beat Gordon with 61 percent of the vote. She will join Kristin Ashy, who was running to fill the open District 4 seat, as a new AISD trustee. The third open seat remains unclaimed. The at-large position vacated by former board President Kendall Pace is headed for a runoff between Carmen Tilton, who won 40 percent of the vote, and Arati Singh, who got 36 percent. Gordon, who has been outspoken about inequalities at AISD during his tenure serving the East Austin district, released a statement following his defeat. It read, in part, “I am proud of the fact that I was able to create a district-wide and community-wide discussion about equity in AISD. Particularly as it relates to the wide academic achievement gaps of low socio-economic status black and brown students. This discussion has gone on for far too long and immediate action is required because all students deserve access to high-quality and equitable education opportunities.” Anderson’s campaign also highlighted the need to address disparities across the district.