by Daryl Slusher | Sep 20, 2023 | City Council 2023
Well, folks there’s just too much going on in local government and politics for one person to really be able to keep up and report on it. This week I’m picking one Council item from the flood of items roaring by. And, that’s Mayor Kirk Watson’s initiative to give...
by Daryl Slusher | Aug 8, 2023 | City Council 2023, Land Development Code/Zoning
Council Member Leslie Pool’s proposal to change zoning definitions and criteria on single family housing could affect up to an estimated 171,944 “parcels” or properties. That estimate was provided by City staff in response to an inquiry from the Austin Independent....
by Daryl Slusher | Apr 17, 2023 | City Council 2023, Police
Some very preliminary results are in from the deployment of DPS (Texas Department of Public Safety) troopers in Austin to help the understaffed Austin Police Department (APD). Data on the first week of the partnership runs contrary to the longtime assertions of police...
by Daryl Slusher | Apr 4, 2023 | City Council 2023, Land Development Code/Zoning, Texas Legislature
We haven’t brought it up much in these pages, but the Texas Legislature has been in town since late January. So we probably need to take a look at proposed bills that would target Austin. In a fairly recent phenomenon, many of the bills are written to target...
by Daryl Slusher | Feb 21, 2023 | City Council 2023
‘Cause they said it really loud, they said it on the air On the radio, whoa-oh-oh-oh On the radio. . . Donna Summer, On the Radio Being a City Manager is a really hard job, but it usually comes with a very good severance package. Both of those elements...
by Daryl Slusher | Feb 2, 2023 | City Council 2023, Land Development Code/Zoning, Police
Austin housing prices have made the national news in a new way recently, but there has been a paucity of local coverage about it. According to multiple national media outlets, the financial giant Goldman Sachs predicted that Austin will be one of four metropolitan...
by Daryl Slusher | Jan 6, 2023 | City Council 2023
Three Austin City Council Members leave office early this evening, Friday January 6. As you probably know, that’s Kathie Tovo, Ann Kitchen and Sabino “Pio” Renteria. I know that being on the City Council is a really hard job. Council Members and their staffs do all... by Daryl Slusher | Jan 5, 2023 | City Council 2023
The excitement never ends during the Steve Adler era, even as that era draws to a close on Friday. Yesterday, attorney and former Travis County Judge Bill Aleshire filed criminal complaints against Mayor Adler for using City resources to endorse Council...
by Daryl Slusher | Jan 3, 2023 | City Council 2023
On January 6 Mayor Steve Adler and three Council Members leave office. The Council Members are Kathie Tovo, Pio Renteria and Ann Kitchen. They all attended their last Council meeting on December 8 and a good bye party has already been held in the City Hall lobby. All...