Category Archives: News Releases

The latest news releases from Mayor Adler’s office

#DOTSmartCity Update for April 20

Ce-oRgkUMAAS4I-Here’s the latest rundown of coverage on Austin’s bid for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Smart City Challenge!

“Where Innovation Leadership and Urbanization Collide”
By Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx
http://www.transportation.gov/fastlane/where-innovation-leadership-and-urbanization-collide

Beginning today, I will be participating in roundtables, presentations and panels that highlight transportation’s role in improving quality of life, economic development, and the environment. Continue reading →

Mayor Adler to DOT delegation: Austin moving ahead, no matter what

“Simply put, mobility is a life or death issue for Austin.” -Mayor Adler

Today Mayor Adler and officials from the Austin Transportation Department previewed their presentation to the delegation from the U.S. Department of Transportation that is in Austin for the Smart City Challenge. In his remarks, Mayor Alder promised to move ahead with the technological transformation of Austin’s mobility regardless of the outcome of the Smart City Challenge because doing so, he said, could create “an economic boom that lifted up the people who are usually left behind.”

Mayor Adler, along with ATD Director Rob Spillar and ATD Chief of Staff Karla Taylor, made the case that Austin, one of seven finalists for the $50 million competition to use technology to make mobility safer, cheaper, cleaner, and more effective for everyone, was the best choice for the Smart City Challenge.

“No city needs this more, and no city is better situated to take advantage of all the Smart City Challenge offers on mobility. What we can accomplish with mobility technology can provide ladders of opportunity for everyone in Austin as well as greater mobility for everyone in the country. You don’t get opportunities like this all the time, and we are going all out to win it,” said Mayor Adler. Continue reading →

Mayor Adler going to DC to pursue Smart City Challenge

Mayor Steve Adler will be in Washington, DC on Monday and Tuesday of next week to continue preparations for Austin’s final submission to the Department of Transportation Beyond Traffic: Smart City Challenge. The announcement of Austin’s inclusion as a finalist for the Smart City Challenge during the South by Southwest festival has energized our community, and Mayor Adler is seeking to capitalize on the momentum to realize the opportunity to become the city that shows the rest of the country how to use technology to make mobility safer, cheaper, cleaner and more effective for everyone.

“The Smart City Challenge is a rare opportunity to foster innovation where we need it most in the city that does it best,” said Mayor Adler. “No city is better suited to realize the potential of the Smart City Challenge, and no city needs the technology solutions more.” Continue reading →

Austin Becomes First Fair Chance Hiring City in the South

AUSTIN— On Thursday, March 24, the Austin City Council voted to approve a fair chance hiring ordinance for private employers in the City of Austin. The ordinance intends to give applicants a fair chance at employment by delaying inquiries into an applicant’s conviction history. This policy will apply to Austin employers with fifteen or more employees. Of the cities that have adopted fair chance hiring policies, Austin’s ordinance is one of the few that guarantees that a background check will only occur after a conditional job offer has been made. Continue reading →