CITY & COUNTY
News from Austin & Travis County
HIGHLIGHTS AUSTIN On June 24, the Texas Supreme Court announced it will not consider a lawsuit from Austin residents requesting that all City Council seats be included in this November’s election. The decision ended a challenge that could have forced ve incumbents into midterm races. In the lawsuit, plainti s alleged that Austin’s redistricting process of 2021 “disenfranchised” thousands of voters by shifting residents into a district where they had not voted for their own representative. AUSTIN As of July 13, Austin Resource Recovery is asking customers to place carts outside no later than 5:30 a.m. on their scheduled collection days throughout the rest of the summer. The change is to help sanitation workers start earlier and avoid the midday heat. ARR has also increased the number of mandatory breaks drivers must take from two to four. These breaks are intended as 15-minute rest periods for drivers to drink water and sit somewhere cool. AUSTIN On July 10, a veterinarian noti ed the city of Austin that a dog died around an hour after swimming at Barking Springs, a section of Barton Creek next to the Barton Springs Municipal Pool. The city is investigating the death and looking at toxic algae as a possible cause. Until the city can determine if the area is safe, it is advising against swimming in Barking Springs. AUSTIN The director of Austin’s O ce of Civil Rights remains on paid leave following an investigation backing up employee allegations of a hostile work environment and mistreatment, likely at a cost to the city’s anti-discrimination e orts. Civil Rights O cer Carol Johnson was placed on administrative leave months after multiple employees led a complaint about her conduct with the city, prompting the external investigation. Since early 2021, Johnson had “derailed” the o ce through manipulative management in a toxic environment that a ected employees’ wellbeing and work, according to sta testimony. The investigation was released to Community Impact Newspaper on July 13.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR Austin Public Health is warning residents to take precaution and watch out for symptoms. TRAVIS COUNTY Local cases of monkeypox can no longer be traced to travel, Austin Public Health said July 13; instead the virus is moving through the community. As of July 14, nine cases have been con rmed in Travis County, while eight more are presumptive. Monkeypox is spread through bodily uids, including intercourse, touching skin lesions or touching contaminated items, per APH. BY KATY MCAFEE & DARCY SPRAGUE Travis Co. reports community spread of monkeypox
AUSTIN PROPERTY TAX RATE The proposed budget for scal year 2022-23 includes a tax rate decrease, but the average homeowner will pay about $10 more a month due to higher fees.
$0.5335 $0.541
$0.4448 $0.4403 $0.4431
$0.4519
2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21
2021-22 2022-23 (proposed)
SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Austin proposes $5B budget AUSTIN On July 15, Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk proposed a $5 billion budget for Austin’s scal year 2022-23. While the tax rate would decrease for property owners, the city would raise about $20.29 is that we do not currently have the sta that we need to deliver the services that we must,” Cronk said. The budget includes an increased minimum wage for employees from $15 to $18 and a one-time stipend of $1,500 for full-time employees with at least one year of service with the city. The new tax rate would provide homeowners some protection from drastically increased BY BEN THOMPSON
million more than last year. Cronk said a top focus of his budget planning was addressing sta ng vacancies. During his announcement of the budget, Cronk said he hoped to correct the trend of Austin head- ing “in the direction of a crisis” related to its workforce as the city continues to face high vacancies and an increased cost of living. “The simple truth of the matter
Fever
Headache
Chills
property values. Austin’s tax rate would dip from the current $0.541 per $100 of property valuation to $0.4519 per $100, a more than 16% drop. Cronk said the typical resi- dent can expect to pay around $10 more per month due to increased service costs and fees.
Muscle aches and backache
Swollen lymph nodes
A rash that can look like pimples or blisters Exhaustion
SOURCE: AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
City leaders seek to limit local effects of abortion measures AUSTIN City Council could vote to reduce the local e ects of the U.S. Supreme Court’s rollback of abortion rights by limiting the city’s role in related enforcement. BY BEN THOMPSON AUSTIN TAKES ACTION ON ABORTION LAWS June 16, 2021 Sept. 1, 2021 June 24, 2022 Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs abortion “trigger July 21, 2022 TBD
Law banning abortions after six weeks goes into e ect.
Supreme Court decision overturns Roe v. Wade. Council members announce plan to limit abortion enforcement.
Austin will consider abortion measures.
The Texas abortion ban goes in place.
The Supreme Court issued its 6-3 opinion overturning Roe v. Wade on June 24, paving the way for Texas to move forward with its near-total ban on abortion. On July 21, council will hold a special meeting requested to con- sider several measures related to reproductive health. One item would update city policy to deprioritize investigations and enforcement related to abortion in
MEETINGS WE COVER
law” to ban the procedure if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.
Austin City Council Will meet July 26 10 a.m. and July 28 at 9:30 a.m. 301 W. Second St., Austin www.austintexas.gov/ austin-citycouncil
SOURCES: CITY OF AUSTIN, TEXAS LEGISLATURE COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Austin as well as block the use of city resources for information sharing or surveillance tied to reproductive health decisions. Council will also consider measures
ensuring access to birth control including vasectomies through city health insurance and exploring options for bene ts supporting travel for reproductive health services.
Travis County Commissioners Court Will meet July 26 and Aug. 2, 9, 16 and 23 at 9 a.m. 700 Lavaca St., Austin www.traviscountytx.gov
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NORTH CENTRAL AUSTIN EDITION • JULY 2022
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