Austin Journal

News from August 2023


City of Austin Housing Finance Corporation Board of Directors met Aug. 16

City of Austin Housing Finance Corporation Board of Directors met Wednesday, Aug. 16


City of Austin Water Oversight Committee will meet Aug. 23

City of Austin Water Oversight Committee will meet at 1 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 23


City of Austin Audit and Finance Committee will meet Aug. 23

City of Austin Audit and Finance Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 23


UT forms West campus revitalization program: 'Reviving and restoring the West Campus neighborhood is essential'

On Aug. 7, the University of Texas at Austin (UT) announced the formation of the West Campus Ambassadors pilot program, which seeks to revitalize one of the flagship university’s neighborhoods. The program will provide cleaning services to the West Campus neighborhood.


Abbott touts small businesses as part of Texas' economic growth: 'Texas continues to rank as the Best State for Business and is the nation’s top state for small business job growth'

Gov. Greg Abbott attributed Texas’ consistently strong jobs economy to small businesses during the Governor’s Small Business Summit in McAllen on Aug. 10. As keynote speaker, Abbott, a Republican, said small businesses are a reason the Lone Star State is a national economic leader.


Austin moves to second stage of water contingency plan

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson is asking citizens to conserve water as the city moved toward the second stage of its drought contingency plan on Aug. 15. The city warned that the combined storage level of water in Lakes Travis and Buchanan could fall below this week.


City of Austin Housing Finance Corporation Board of Directors will meet Aug. 18

City of Austin Housing Finance Corporation Board of Directors will meet at 10:30 a.m., Friday, Aug. 18


City of Austin Mueller Local Government Corporation Board of Directors will meet Aug. 18

City of Austin Mueller Local Government Corporation Board of Directors will meet at 10 :30 a.m., Friday, Aug. 18


City of Austin City Council will meet Aug. 18

City of Austin City Council will meet at 10 a.m., Friday, Aug. 18


Gov. Abbott: 'Today, I am signing a law that will ensure more than $18 billion in property tax cuts—the largest property tax cut in Texas history'

During an event in the Houston suburb of New Caney on Aug. 9, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ceremoniously signed the $18 billion tax cut package for Texas property owners, nearly three weeks after he officially signed it into law. The package promises to deliver the largest property tax cut in Texas history.


Nominations open for annual Governor's Volunteer Awards

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and First Lady Cecilia Abbott, in conjunction with the OneStar Foundation, recently announced that they are currently accepting nominations for the 40th Annual Governor's Volunteer Awards. The awards are the state’s way of recognizing individuals who engage in exemplary service and volunteering in their communities.


Texas finishes in the bottom third of states in new livability ranking

Texas ranks 37th among the 50 states in a new WalletHub study that measured livability metrics such as housing prices, personal income data, educational attainment, recreational facilities and health care quality.


Abbott helps UT System, MD Anderson announce partnership to build new campus hospital

Gov. Greg Abbott helped the University of Texas (UT) System Board of Regents on Aug. 14 deliver an announcement of a partnership between UT Austin, the flagship campus, and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center to construct a new campus hospital in the state capital, according to a new press release.


UFCU: Jason Qunell named associate VP of business banking

Austin's largest locally owned financial institution, University Federal Credit Union (UFCU), revealed the promotion of Jason Qunell on Aug. 9 to the newly established role of associate vice president of business banking, according to a press release. With nearly three decades of experience in commercial real estate and finance, including roles at Wells Fargo and Capital One, Qunell brings his eight-year tenure at UFCU to the position.


City of Austin Public Health Committee met June 14

City of Austin Public Health Committee met Wednesday, June 14


ERCOT data shows that wind generation in Texas is down almost 6% in the first six months of 2023

Data from ERCOT, the electric grid manager for most of Texas, for the first six months of 2023 shows that generation of electricity from wind turbines is down almost 6 percent from last year. This calls into question the ability of wind to contribute to grid reliability.


City of Austin Audit and Finance Committee met May 24

City of Austin Audit and Finance Committee met Wednesday, May 24


City of Austin Public Health Committee met May 10

City of Austin Public Health Committee met Wednesday, May 10


Austin finishes 7th in ranking of best places for renters to raise a family

Austin ranked in the top 10 of the nearly 140 U.S. cities analyzed for their appeal to renters with children, according to a new study by the apartment-search website RentCafe.com.


City of Austin Housing Finance Corporation Board of Directors met June 8

City of Austin Housing Finance Corporation Board of Directors met Thursday, June 8