Tagged: mike martinez

A debate over two Austin City Council proposals to track problem rental properties continued into the early hours of the morning.

After hearing from many Austinites about the issue, council members voted unanimously to pass an effort to create a registry for properties with a history of violations. A similar move to track all rental properties in certain parts of the city passed 5 to 2.

City employees will soon be able to take 30 days of paid parental leave.

Austin City Council members will hear from residents today about the city’s budget and the proposed property tax rate.

The proposed tax rate is up approximately 2 cents from last year – making it a little over 50 cents per $100 of taxable property value.

Council members are scheduled to adopt the city’s budget next month, in a series of meetings starting Sept. 10. Today’s public hearings are scheduled to start at 10 a.m. in the council chambers, and as always, you can watch the action online.

Council member Bill Spelman is expected to return today, after a medical absence to remove a tumor from his pancreas.

A re-election rally held today for City Council member Mike Martinez focused on the long debated Gentlemen’s Agreement.  For decades, that unwritten, unenforceable agreement among Austin’s political players has stipulated that two seats on the City Council be reserved for one black member and one Hispanic member.

Martinez is one of four council members up for re-election in May; although neither Martinez or his surrogates mentioned his opposition in Place 2 by name, the incumbent is being challenged by Laura Pressley, an Anglo woman. Place 2 incumbent Sheryl Cole, the council member serving in the African-American seat “reserved” under the Gentlemen’s Agreement, is also being challenged by an Anglo candidate, Shaun Ireland.