CITY& COUNTY
News from Austin & Travis County
Austin City Council Will meet May 5 and 19 at 10 a.m. and May 3 and 17 at 9:30 a.m. 301 W. Second St., Austin www.austintexas.gov/austin-city- council Travis County Commissioners Court Will meet April 26 and 28, May 3, 10, 12 and 17 at 9 a.m. 700 Lavaca St., Austin www.traviscountytx.gov/ commissionerscourt MEETINGSWE COVER CITY HIGHLIGHTS AUSTIN City Council members voted March 24 to fund a group of diverse chambers of commerce as part of a strategy to promote the regional minority and LGBTQ business scene. Four local chambers will receive $2.52 million in the coming years. AUSTIN On March 24, City Council approved a resolution supporting the creation of a trauma recovery center that could cost up to $500,000 over the next two years. The resolution asks sta to bring the issue back before council within the next two months. Trauma recovery centers provide free health services and support to victims and those a ected by community violence. TRAVIS COUNTY Of the 58 projects funded through the 2017 road and parks bond, 70% are expected to be completed or under construction by the end of 2022. However, 19 might not be completed by 2022 deadline due to supply chain issues and in ation, according to an April 12 Commissioners Court presentation. TRAVIS COUNTY Kirsten Siegfried, Health and Human Services, said she has seen a 339.24% increase in applicants for utility assistance since the start of the year. Siegfried said most of the disconnects are from Austin Energy, which serves the largest customer base.
East Austin jet fuel storage facilitymoves forward AUSTIN An e ort to pause a jet fuel facility at Austin-Bergstrom Interna- tional Airport failed April 7. Airport o cials say the planned BY BEN THOMPSON JET FUEL RESET VOTED DOWN come again to this particular com- munity, because you start o with
one tank, two tanks, three tanks, four tanks. That’s what’s proposed, and as the airport grows, so will the tank farm,” said Suzana Almanza, execu- tive director of People Organized in Defense of Earth and Her Resources. With a 5-5 vote, city council shot down a measure from District 2 Council Member Vanessa Fuentes that would have halted the airport’s plans for an expanded fuel storage complex and started a new search for alternative sites. The resolution from Fuentes would have also required additional envi- ronmental reviews and community engagement for the project, which o cials have said is an essential piece of long-term expansion plans to support the airport’s—and region’s— rapid growth.
Austin City Council denied a plan to consider other locations for a new 10.5-acre jet fuel storage facility April 7 amid pushback from residents. Current facility Proposed new facility
facility is necessary to keep pace with travel demand but nearby residents have raised concerns. Aviation CEO Jacqueline Yaft said the airport keeps just one to three days of fuel on hand, well below an industry standard of ve to seven days. If storage capacity is not expanded as planned, Yaft said, airlines could face logistical strug- gles and 80-plus ights could be forced to bring extra fuel into town every day. Concerns from the community centered on a lack of noti cation or opportunity for engagement about the proposal regarding potential envi- ronmental, health and safety risks. “We don’t want to see the harm
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Austin airport, Capital Metro lift maskmandate after federal ruling
BY CLAIRE SHOOP & BEN THOMPSON
to wear masks. However, both entities said they encourage individuals to continue taking health precautions, including masking. Following the court decision, the Transpor- tation Security Admin- istration announced it will no longer enforce its mask mandate on public transportation and in transportation hubs.
mask mandate exceeds the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statutory authority. The CDC previously said it would extend the mask mandate for public transportation through May 3. It was initially set to expire April 18. As of press time April 19, both Capital Metro and the Austin airport will not require travelers
AUSTIN Austin-Berg- strom International Airport and Capital Metro are no longer requiring masks following an April 18 decision by a federal judge to strike down the mask mandate for public transportation. In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle said the
On April 18, the mask mandate was lifted at ABIA. CLAIRE SCHOOP COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWPAPER
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NORTH CENTRAL AUSTIN EDITION • APRIL 2022
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