Sixth Street Situation: According to KXAN, over 50 Austin organizations have signed off on a letter urging City Council to add protected bike lanes on Sixth Street. The letter comes as the city continues to work on the Sixth Street Mobility and Revitalization Project, which aims to improve safety and walkability in Austin’s downtown core. Spearheaded by Safe Streets Austin, a nonprofit that champions safe and accessible transportation, the letter notes that the 2023 Bicycle Plan that was approved by Council included the possibility of safe bike lanes that would cover over a mile of Sixth Street. This past weekend, the city opened Sixth Street to car traffic and blocked off street parking to allow for more pedestrian walkways as a test. On Monday, Dec. 29, Transportation and Public Works announced that city staff recommend the third alternative for the street’s development, which focuses on increased sidewalk paths for the high-density area, lacking any bike lanes.
Travis County Issues Burn Ban: The Travis County Fire Marshal’s Office issued a burn ban in unincorporated areas of Travis County on Monday, Dec. 29, effective through Tuesday, Jan. 6. As New Year’s celebrations continue, and with drier winter conditions expected, the office is encouraging Travis County residents to “make “fire-wise choices by not shooting off their own fireworks at home.” According to the National Fire Protection Association, more than 32,000 fires in 2023 were caused by fireworks.
Certain Schools May Be Excluded From Vouchers: With applications for the state’s newly established school voucher program recently opening, Comptroller Kelly Hancock is now wanting to exclude certain schools from eligibility. According to The Texas Tribune, Hancock has approached the AG’s Office with the idea of barring schools that have connections to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a nonprofit Muslim civil rights organization, or alleged connections to China. The notion comes after Gov. Greg Abbott designated CAIR as a terrorist organization and launched criminal investigations into East Plano Islamic Center’s proposal for a Muslim community development in the Dallas area. Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the group earlier this month.
Austin Animal Services Announces New Director: On Tuesday, Dec. 30, the city of Austin announced that the new director of Austin Animal Services will be Monica Dangler, who has over 15 years of experience in the field, most recently having served as an executive leadership consultant at the Riverside County Department of Animal Services in California. “Austin is a national leader in lifesaving and community engagement, and I look forward to working alongside staff, volunteers, partners, and residents to build on that foundation through thoughtful, data-driven strategies that support our teams and improve outcomes for animals and the people who care about them,” she said in the press release. Dangler is set to take over as director on Feb. 2.
Transparent Council Spending: With all eyes on Austin’s budget, Mayor Kirk Watson has proposed a draft policy that would make City Council spending more transparent, allowing Austinites to see how their taxpayer dollars are being used, according to KXAN. The draft would prohibit the use of funds to make donations to nonprofits and transfers to other Council offices. The draft comes after Statesman reporting exposed certain spending from Council offices over the summer and Austin attorney Bill Aleshire filed a Texas Public Information Act request for city credit card expenditures, then posted the findings on X. Watson wrote that the draft aims “to craft a single policy that compiles and incorporates information from the numerous administrative bulletins and governing policies that relate to office budgets and staff spending,” as well as “to provide more precise definitions and greater clarity on permissible and impermissible uses of funds.”
Supreme Court Halts TX National Guard: Following Trump’s call to send the Texas National Guard to Chicago, the Supreme Court blocked the deployment in a 6-3 order. The president’s request comes on the heels of protests at a Chicago immigration facility. Local state and city officials argued that it was an “unprecedented intrusion” on state rights, with the Supreme Court coming to an agreement. Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and Neil Gorsuch dissented, stating that the deployment was necessary due to evidence that ICE agents were under threat. The Supreme Court’s decision comes after two lower courts ruled to block the Texas National Guard’s deployment in Chicago from early October to mid-November.Â
Downtown CapMetro Station Temporarily Closed: CapMetro’s downtown station at Fourth and Neches will be temporarily closed between Friday, Jan. 2, and Monday, Jan. 5, the organization announced. The rail’s service will be suspended during this time to accommodate Austin Convention Center construction. The end-of-line station will be Plaza Saltillo Station during this time, though Austinites can instead hop on a CapMetro bus that will transport them Downtown.
Texas Rural Health Care to Receive $281 Million: Through the Rural Health Transformation Program, Texas is set to receive over $281 million in 2026, the largest amount of any state. Created through the One Big Beautiful Bill, the $50 billion program is aimed to strengthen rural health care through a variety of initiatives around the nation. According to The Texas Tribune, Texas’ lump is about $80 million over the asking price from the state’s application. But with the most rural residents of all 50 states, Texas is scheduled to obtain around $60 per rural resident, which is the lowest in the country.
$34 Million in Disaster Cost Recovery Reclaimed: Austin Emergency Management announced that it has recovered $34.7 million during FY25 associated with COVID-19, Winter Storm Uri, Winter Storm Mara, and the 2015 floods. Following disasters, AEM tracks city expenses associated with the catastrophic events to ensure that Austin is reimbursed from the state and federal governments. Austinites can submit damage reports to the state through the Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool, with the possibility of receiving reimbursement through federal grants or low-cost loans.
Austin Energy Seeks Development Guidance: Last week, Austin Energy announced that it is urging qualified companies to help assist in the development of local energy resources. Through the request for proposals, Austin Energy is hoping to get expertise on renewable energy, carbon-free facilities, battery storage facilities, natural gas generation, and other ways to develop sustainable energy. Proposals must be submitted to energysupply@austinenergy.com by Jan. 23 at 5pm. “We know for a fact we do not have enough local power generation capacity to meet Austin’s projected growth,” said Stuart Reilly, general manager of Austin Energy. “This RFP is an important early step in executing Austin Energy’s Resource, Generation, and Climate Protection Plan to 2035, obtaining the resources necessary to serve our customers affordably and reliably.”
Texas A&M to Not Reinstate Fired Lecturer: After a video of Melissa McCoul teaching college students about gender identity went viral in the fall, Texas A&M University terminated the educator. Now, despite a unanimous conclusion by a faculty appeals panel that her termination was not justified, the university has declared that it will still not reinstate McCoul, according to The Texas Tribune. Initially, university President Mark Welsh III chose not to fire McCoul. However, after the video garnered backlash from conservatives, the president decided to terminate the teacher’s employment before he would go on to resign from the position. The Texas A&M Board of Regents approved a new policy that prohibits lecture material from “advocating race or gender ideology, or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity” on Dec. 18.
Kyle Man Saved Through Rapid Life-Support Protocol: After Nick Gegen fell into cardiac arrest back in mid-August, he was transported to Ascension Seton Hays in Kyle. The Ascension Seton Medical Center, located in Austin, provides extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to patients in need throughout Central Texas. The previous standard was for the team at ASMC to travel to the patient’s hospital to provide this care, which could end up being two to three hours of travel, depending on traffic. However, according to the Austin American-Statesman, three hospitals, including Ascension Seton Hays, have been designated to execute a new protocol, where health officials begin prepping patients for the ECMO care before the team from ASMC arrives. This expedited process helped save the life of Gegen, the first patient to undergo the new protocol.
Downtown Condo Construction Delayed: At West 14th and Guadalupe, a 35-story, 400-foot-tall condo called Luminary was scheduled to break ground in late 2025. Now, the developers say that they are pausing operations as they “await more stable market conditions.” President and COO Tony Kaleel said that a permit for site development has been obtained and that development will begin “when the timing is right.” According to the Austin Business Journal, elevated vacancies, increased construction costs, slowed migration to the city, and more have delayed project developments in Austin.
Austin Population Fourth Among Texas Cities: Although Fort Worth surpassed Austin early last year as the state’s fourth-largest city in terms of population, ATX reclaimed the position this year, according to Statesman reporting. Austin falls behind Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas. The January 2025 population estimate sits above 1,050,000, with a 9.6% increase between 2020-25. Travis County remains the fifth-largest county in the state with a January 2025 population estimate just under 1,400,000.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“This is an important step in curbing the Trump Administration’s consistent abuse of power and slowing Trump’s march toward authoritarianism.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to block the deployment of the Texas National Guard
This article appears in January 2 • 2026.