Keeping an eye on local government
Get updates on happenings in and around Austin, Texas with The Austin Independent.
Topics include Land Development Code, Local Elections, the Presidential Election, Corona Virus updates and more
Most Recent Entry
Mayor Leads As Council Passes Budget
The rejection of Prop Q by Austin voters appears to have had an impact on City Council Members, who heretofore seemed to only feel the need to answer to “progressive” activists. Really, that has been the case since the first 10-1 district Council took office in 2015....
Does Prop Q Failure Mean Budget “Cuts?” Plus Eating on the Dais, Restoring Trust and Texas Ds Buck National Trend
I am going to begin this week with something I imagine most readers don’t expect. That is a discussion of etiquette; specifically the eating habits of the Austin City Council during their meetings. I decided to speak out on this topic after seeing a few people...
Prop Q Meets Its Fate
Mayor Kirk Watson was well prepared on election night, with a pre-written concession speech. It was an unprecedented defeat for Watson and the entire Council, except for Marc Duchen who refused to go along with the crowd. Duchen voted against putting Prop Q on...
Prop Q Heads to the Finish Line
OK folks, this is our final Prop Q pre-election coverage. It’s long, but I’ve broken it up into reasonably sized sections. First of all, there was a surprise plot twist as the campaign headed into the final stretch. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton — displaying...
The “Inherent Tension” Between Taxes and Affordability – Plus a Look at Campaign Contributions in the Prop Q Election
As the election on a City property tax increase (Prop Q) nears, opponents are beginning to hammer the point that the increase will affect the “affordability of Austin” — particularly for residents already on the verge of not being able to afford to live within the...
The Silence of the Shams
I can’t put it off any longer. It’s time to begin our coverage of the Prop Q election. That’s the election item on whether to raise the City of Austin property tax to the tune of $201 more per year on the “typical homeowner.” That $201 comes on top of a $268.23...
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