Extension delays funding decision as Austin weighs legal risk and public safety dollars in ICE policy clash
Government
Local government decisions shape daily life in Austin—from policing and transit to housing, parks, and public health. We translate, scrutinize, and illuminate these decisions, ensuring residents understand how power works and who it serves. Questions, tips or ideas? community@austincurrent.org
East Austin advocates say city redirected community parking funding without input
Austin’s Parking and Transportation Management District program reinvests parking revenue into neighborhoods, but East Austin community leaders say up to $1M was allocated without their input.
Austin’s aging bridges need $90 million. Where will the money come from?
Austin must repair or replace three dozen bridges as officials weigh costs, aging infrastructure and uncertain funding.
Abbott threatens to withhold millions in funding from Austin over ICE policy
Gov. Greg Abbott demands rollback of APD ICE policy changes after January case sparked backlash, and threatens to rescind $2.5 million in grants.
Austin budget forecast includes millions in cuts to housing, job and education programs
Programs that help low-income families, people experiencing homelessness and survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault could face funding cuts in the city of Austin’s next budget. A first draft of what the budget could look like was released Thursday. The fiscal year 2027 forecast assumes what the state calls a no-new-revenue property tax rate, which means […]
Austin expands encampment clean-ups, as shelter shortage leaves few options
City of Austin ramps up encampment enforcement while officials concede there aren’t enough beds for those displaced.
First the city overpaid its employees. Then it threatened to sue them.
Austin workers say city repayment demands felt rushed and unclear after $1.4M payroll error affecting hundreds.
Texas AG Ken Paxton is investigating APD’s new policy on cooperating with ICE
The Austin Police Department says Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation into its cooperation with immigration authorities. APD defended its newly tweaked policies for how officers work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on certain arrest warrants for undocumented residents, and said Monday night that it would cooperate with the attorney general’s investigation. In a joint statement […]
Austin owns millions in parkland. Much of it sits unused
Though Austin has made headway in acquiring parkland in pursuit of green space goals, hundreds of acres sit untouched due to budget and time constraints.
APD revamps use-of-force tracking, raising new transparency concerns
After flaws were found in the Austin Police Department’s use-of-force tracking, the department overhauled its reporting, but advocates warn key details may be lost.


