Local government is important. It’s the branch of government that affects your life the most, and yet, many of us can barely remember the name of our mayor or City Council member. That’s why we break it all down for you in a way that’s clear, easy-to-understand, and even a little fun. No PhD in poli sci needed!
New to The Austin Common? Here’s two ways we suggest learning more about local government:
#1 – Get yourself a copy of “A Beginner’s Guide To Local Government: Austin Edition.”
#2 – Start reading our Civics 101 news stories, conveniently laid out for you below.
The dream of an Austin to San Antonio rail line appears to be dying, at least in its current form. The Lone Star rail line has been in the planning stages since 2003 and has received money and support from cities and counties up and
What’s going on with that transportation bond everyone was talking about back in June? Now that City Council is returning from its summer recess, things are heating up again, which means that now is a time for an update. If you remember, at the end
City Council has moved forward with Mayor Steve Adler’s $720 million bond proposal to improve mobility in Austin. Last month, by a vote of 8 to 3, City Council expressed approval of the mayor’s plan and directed city staff to prepare the exact language that
We’ve all heard that voter turnout in local elections isn’t great… but how low is participation, really? That’s the question we try and answer with our latest Civics 101 video, “What’s the Matter With Voter Turnout?”. In this video, we use visual demonstrations (and beer)
After a multi-month application process, Austin has lost the US Department of Transportation’s Smart City Challenge. Back in March, Austin was chosen as one of seven finalists for a $50 million grant to support technology-driven mobility solutions, electric vehicles, and other carbon-emission reduction strategies. The winning city is Columbus,
Will Austin have a transportation bond election this November? That is the question City Council is quickly trying to answer as it comes up against an August deadline for putting a proposal on the ballot. Last month, Austin Mayor Steve Adler released the details about his
Austin Mayor Steve Adler continues to advocate for his Mobility Bond proposal. Last month, the mayor first announced his $720 million bond proposal at a meeting of the Austin Chamber of Commerce, calling for the funding of smart corridors along North and South Lamar, Airport Boulevard, Guadalupe, Riverside, Burnet,
The results are in. After weeks of surveys, town hall meetings, and other public engagement efforts, Mobility Talks is complete and a report has been published. Mobility Talks was a city initiative launched this spring to learn about the community’s priorities for improving Austin’s transportation network. More than
At a Chamber of Commerce meeting last week, Adler announced his new plans for a potential mobility bond, and made the pitch that transportation improvements are necessary to improve affordability in Austin. Highlights of the mayor’s mobility bond proposal include: Building smarter corridors along North and South
This video and blog are part of our ongoing “Civics 101” series, designed to teach Austinites why local government matters and how to get involved. Let’s be honest. Budgets are not inherently the most exciting of topics. Why watch a video about how the city
Remember last month when President Obama came to town? The city feared his visit would bring along a traffic nightmare. The opposite happened. Austinites listened to the Mayor’s recommendations to work from home and the city saw astonishing reductions in traffic. Travel times on that
As part of our “Civics 101” project, the Austin EcoNetwork will also be partnering with in.gredients to host a summer happy hour series, dedicated to teaching City Hall newbies how to get involved. With this series we’ll be bringing the information to life, with inspiring