CITY & COUNTY
News from Austin & Travis County
Austin leaders push for stronger gun laws
CITY LIVING WAGE HISTORY Austin is looking to increase minimum wage for city workers as the cost of living rises.
BY DARCY SPRAGUE
AUSTIN HOMICIDES In 2021, 80% of 110 homicides in Travis were committed with rearms. In the U.S. , 79% of murders involved a rearm, per the Pew Research Center.
AUSTIN On June 16, Austin City Coun- cil asked City Manager Spencer Cronk to determine how the city might be able to raise the age to purchase semiauto- matic ri es from 18 to 21. It also passed a resolution pushing to update local violence-prevention e orts and appeal to state and federal legislators to take further action on gun-related policy. O cials signaled their intention to focus on gun violence at a public town hall held June 8. The event highlighted current resources for addressing gun violence and testimony from survivors. O cials also provided loose insight into the tone and general plans discussed at the hourslong closed-door summit that preceded the public event and included more than 65 city and county represen- tatives, Austin ISD leaders and local law
Austin living wage
Texas minimum wage
$16/hr $14/hr $12/hr $10/hr $8/hr $4/hr $0/hr $2/hr $6/hr
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SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Asphyxia 1 Poisonings 1
O cials seek $22 per hour minimum wage for city sta
SOURCE: TRAVIS COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINER’S OFFICE COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
enforcement. On June 9, council proclaimed June as Gun Violence Awareness Month.
BY BEN THOMPSON
are experiencing burnout due to extra work brought on by sta ng issues at the city. “I have to work extra days, which causes me to have to pay more in day care. So I’m losing on both ends,” said Rodney Sutton, a trash collector with Austin Resource Recovery. “I’m not bene ting from this at all, and I love my job.” Supporters of the new proposal to increase pay say that, despite a large, one-time jump, the city should immediately con- sider o ering its employees $22 an hour given factors including rising una ordability and the lingering e ects of the COVID-19 pandemic. City sta estimate a $22 pay oor could cost between $18.2 million and $22.8 million in the next budget.
AUSTIN O cials asked to push the minimum wage for city employees up to $22 per hour this year, a more than 46% increase—although how the move ts into the Austin’s upcoming budget planning remains to be seen. City Council voted unan- imously June 16 to work on rolling out a living wage hike from the current level of $15 per hour. The change would apply to Austin’s thousands of civilian, sworn and temporary positions. Council’s vote came after o cials heard testimony from dozens of residents and city employees who spoke to a need for higher pay in the face of Austin’s rising cost of living and other nancial stressors. Many employees also said they
Council approves new cameras for 6th Street
been set, and funding will come through the city's Tourism and Promotion Fund. “We want people to feel safe when they visit Sixth Street to socialize and enjoy the entertainment district,” said District 9 Council Member Kathie Tovo, who represents the downtown area, in a press release. “The additional cameras can help police respond quickly to criminal activity and to hold account- able individuals who may come down to Sixth Street to engage in crime and cause trouble.” Additionally, city sta will ask Sixth Street bar managers their interest in using hand-held metal detector wands for added security at bar entrances. Sta will report back by July 15 with a cost estimate and survey results.
BY KATY MCAFEE
AUSTIN On June 9, City Council approved purchasing new cameras as part of the Safer Sixth Street plan that was introduced last summer in response to a June 2021 fatal shooting. Austin City Council approved a motion to purchase 13 new high activity location observation cameras, or HALOs, on East Sixth and Rainey streets, two of Austin’s downtown entertainment districts. The area will have a total of 60 cameras now. The timeline for installation has not
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