Community Corner
🌱 County Approves 2023 Budget + F1 Headliners + Old ATX Staple Closes
The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Austin.
Happy Thursday, friends and neighbors! It's Jessica back in your inbox this morning with your fresh copy of the Austin Daily – hot off the press and filled with the most important local news and community updates.
Grab your morning coffee while we dive into:
- Travis County commissioners approve the 2023 budget.
- The city's new corporation plans make big promises for the future of affordable housing.
- The remaining Formula One U.S. Grand Prix headliners have been announced.
- Line dancing lessons, free weekend concerts, comedy shows, art and much more ➡️
Today's weather and allergy report:
☀️ High: 92 Low: 60. Warm with plenty of sunshine.
🍃 Grass Pollen: low. Ragweed: high. Mold: low. Dust & Dander: extremely high.
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Here are the top stories in Austin today:
1) Travis County commissioners approved the 2023 budget. On Tuesday, county commissioners officially approved the $1.52 billion budget. Top line items include: reducing the average homeowner's property taxes by about $18 a year, adding funding for gun violence prevention programs, and increasing wages for county employees. Also, roughly $2 million was allocated to building affordable housing. Head to KUT to review a full breakdown of the 2023 budget.
2) The city's new affordable housing corporation hopes to double the number of proposed projects. The newly formed Austin Affordable Housing Public Facilities Corporation's sole focus is on securing bond funding for housing projects. Austin already has the Affordable Housing Finance Corporation that proposes projects to secure bond funding from a different account. According to Austin's Housing and Community Development Officer, James May, Austin only gets bond funding for maybe three or four projects each year. The newly formed group will meet for the first time this Thursday. Head to KVUE to learn more about the Austin Affordable Housing Public Facilities Corporation and its mission.
3) The remaining Formula One Aramco U.S. Grand Prix headliners have been announced! Post Malone and Interpol have officially been added to the lineup, joining Green Day and Ed Sheeran. Reminder: the Grand Prix runs from Oct. 21-23. KVUE's got the full scoop on the upcoming event and how to snag tickets.
4) Beloved Austin soda fountain and pharmacy, Nau's Enfield Drug, will close soon. One of our remaining "old Austin" landmarks, it's been a longtime fixture in the Clarksville neighborhood and a destination for burgers, milkshakes and all the sides. Subscription/The Austin American-Statesman has more on this developing story.
5) New workforce survey shows Austin Police Department officers are dissatisfied with department and city leadership. KXAN reports that APD employee sentiment was well below the citywide average in every measure, according to a Listening to the Workforce Survey. "Only 20 percent of responding APD employees said they felt their department was well managed, just 17 percent said they felt it was safe to challenge the way things are done and barely 11 percent indicated change is managed well by the city." APD told KXAN it has implemented several changes to improve the department. KXAN has more on the survey results and next steps from APD leadership.
Today in Austin:
- Planned Parenthood's: "A Night Under the Stars" at The Long Center. (5:30 p.m.)
- Harry Styles at The Moody Center. (6:30 p.m.)
- Immersive, Art Experience at The Eureka Room. (6 p.m.)
- Line Dancing Class at McKinney Falls State Park (6:30 p.m.)
- Russian Circles at Empire Garage. (7 p.m.)
- Michael Ian Black at Cap City Comedy Club (8 p.m.)
- Flipturn at Parish. (8 p.m.)
- I'd Really Like To See You Again with God Shell at Empire Control Room. (8:30 p.m.)
Community Chatter 💬 :
- 🏆 Local changemaker named to Time 100 List! Edgar Rico of Austin's Nixta Taqueria was named to Time 100 Next list 2022 – incredible! If you haven't already checked out the incredible menu at Nixta Taqueria, this is your reminder to go ASAP! (Austin American-Statesman)
- 🍺 Looking for a new watering hole? Tribeza has organized a list of essential dive bars in the Austin area! Check them out. (Tribeza)
- 🎵 Free concert alert: Legendary rapper Nelly will headline a free Longhorn City Limits concert on the stadium-adjacent LBJ lawn before the 'Horns face off against West Virginia on Saturday. Gates open at 3 p.m. at the LBJ Lawn, and Nelly is scheduled to hit the stage at 5 p.m. An opening act will be announced later in the week. (Austin American-Statesman)
- 🏛️ Ever been curious about the history of the architecture in Downtown Austin? Check out this incredible self-guided tour. (Downtown Austin Alliance)
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Thanks for following along and staying informed. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow with another update!
— Jessica Collins
About me: Jessica is happy to call Austin her home for the past 10+ years. She loves the outdoors, arts & cinema, dining, and all of the natural beauty that Central Texas has to offer.
Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Austin Daily? Contact me at DowntownAustin@patch.com
