City Manager

Austin City Council set to move forward on vote to remove City Manager

Cronk's position is under review after a winter storm slammed Central Texas this month.

Courtesy of KVUE

The Austin City Council will move forward with a vote to fire City Manager Spencer Cronk following his response to this month's winter storm, District 4 council member Chito Vela confirmed to KVUE.

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and three council members have placed on their agenda paying Cronk a severance of a one-year salary and will discuss a "transition plan for an interim city manager."

"I am Austin's city manager and no actions have been taken by the mayor and city council to change my responsibilities or role," City Manager Cronk said in a recent statement. "I continue to be focused on serving this community and leading our dedicated workforce."

KVUE is independently reaching out to each council member's office for an indication of their intentions in any upcoming vote, but none have been willing to reveal their position. Sources in multiple council members' offices indicate to KVUE there is support to proceed with Cronk's firing.

Cronk's position is under review after a winter storm slammed Central Texas this month and left hundreds of thousands of customers without power for over a week. The majority of people who had lost power were Austin Energy customers.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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Outdoor Learning

53 Austin schools receive city funding for sustainability projects

Photo by Angèle Kamp on Unsplash

Kids across Austin will learn about gardening, taking care of trees, riding bikes, and more.

A sustainability-focused city office, Austin Climate Action and Resilience, has announced funding to 53 local schools for projects that "advance climate action," according to a city newsletter. The funding totals $136,000, which will be split across 65 projects via the Bright Green Future Grants Program.

The newsletter explains that more than half of the recipient schools have a high percentage of students from low-income families and qualify for Title 1 funding. Almost all schools had projects accepted, and every Austin City Council District is represented among them; 55 schools submitted 140 applications. Grants in this program cap at $3,000.

“When students have the chance to learn sustainability by doing, the impact lasts far beyond the classroom,” said Austin Climate Action and Resilience director Zach Baumer in the newsletter. “These small but powerful projects show what’s possible — and give us real optimism for the future.”

Austin Climate Action and Resilience provided a list of projects awarded grants:

Outdoor classrooms: Govalle, Mills, and Northwest Elementary Schools, Lamar Middle School, Eastside and Bowie High Schools, and the St. Francis School.
Bicycle clubs: Blackshear, Blanton, Guerrero-Thompson, Harris, Maplewood, Oak Springs, Odom, Ortega, Perez, Purple Sage, Reilly, Russel Lee, Sanchez, Summit, and Winn Montessori Elementary Schools, Gus Garcia Young Men’s Leadership Academy, and Kealing Middle School.
Rain garden and water conservation projects: Boone, Langford, Perez, Reilly, Rodriguez, Russel Lee, St. Elmo, Walnut Creek, and Zilker Elementary Schools, Kealing Middle School, Magnolia Montessori for All, and the Kirby Hall School.
School gardens: Campbell, Nan Clayton, Pickle, Sanchez, and Smith Elementary Schools, Dailey Middle School, UT Child Development Center, Capitol Complex Child Development Center, Brodie Child Development Center, Growing Imaginations Learning Center, Academia Preescolar, and the Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program.
Recycling and composting programs: Students at Odom, Ortega, and Winn Montessori Elementary Schools, Ashley’s Playhouse, Austin International School, Harmony Public School, and Austin ISD Food Services.
Planting and caring for trees: Barron, T.A. Brown, Govalle, Mathews, and Norman-Sims Elementary Schools, Burnet Middle School, Austin Micro School, and Angels Learning Center.
Aquaponics garden and solar-powered bird feeders: Summit Christian Academy.

“Our school is grateful to receive a Bright Green Future Grant, which will allow our students to learn about environmental care through regenerative agricultural practices,” said Burnet Middle School educator Calvin Clary. “We’re looking forward to putting this money to the best and highest use.”

Formerly the Office of Sustainability, Austin Climate Action and Resilience founded the program in 2012 and funds it through collaboration with other city departments. They include the office itself and its Urban Forestry Team, plus Austin Resource Recovery, Austin Transportation and Public Works, Austin Water, and Austin Watershed Protection.

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