Austin, TX
Austin City Council to evaluate employment of City Manager Cronk in wake of ice storm
Lack of catastrophe plan in Austin for winter storm
The Austin metropolis supervisor’s job is on the road after 1000’s of residents stay with out energy on Monday, making it six days in the dead of night.
AUSTIN, Texas – Austin Metropolis Council will take up an emergency agenda merchandise this Thursday to guage the employment of Austin Metropolis Supervisor Spencer Cronk within the wake of the ice storm that left practically 200,000 folks with out energy.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson tweeted Monday afternoon, “To all our Austin residents who’re livid concerning the ongoing energy outage, you are proper. There have to be accountability.”
He says he added the emergency agenda merchandise this morning as a result of “the administration of this case and the shortage of clear, well timed and correct communication has left our group in the dead of night.”
Council Members Alison Alter, Chito Vela and Vanessa Fuentes co-sponsored the emergency merchandise.
“The town failed to reply in a well timed and efficient method to yet one more catastrophe. We should transfer to rebuild confidence and restore belief,” Council Member Alter stated.
“The Metropolis’s insufficient response to this ice storm is past irritating. My colleagues and I are taking motion and can do no matter it takes to rebuild our group’s belief, together with assessing our Metropolis Supervisor’s efficiency. It is time for options and accountability, not excuses,” Council Member Fuentes stated.
On Wednesday, round 40% of the town was with out energy. Noon Monday, round 4% of the town is with out energy, which continues to be over 20,000 clients.
The remaining clients left in the dead of night had been not too long ago informed through textual content from Austin Vitality saying they count on to revive energy to almost all remaining clients by Sunday, February 12. That timeline is just not set in stone as a result of forecasted inclement climate may change that timeline.
Metropolis Supervisor Cronk didn’t reply to any direct requests to touch upon council member feedback. He did maintain two press conferences to handle the continuing efforts to revive energy to these remaining clients and added the town should do higher to arrange itself.
“Our sole focus is on this response to this historic winter occasion, and we won’t relaxation till we have now each single one in all our clients with energy once more. That is an occasion that we have now by no means seen earlier than, and we have to help our crews,” stated Metropolis Supervisor Cronk.
The Metropolis Council dialogue evaluating Cronk’s job efficiency might be held in govt session.
Since Feb. 2, Mayor Watson has repeatedly stated that he is “pissed off” by the ability outages and the shortage of communication from the Metropolis.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson says he is ‘pissed off’ by energy outages, communication
At a information convention, Mayor Kirk Watson expressed his frustration over the ability outages and the communication regarding the winter storm in Austin and Central Texas.
“Our metropolis allow us to down. Completely. There is not any query about it, and if I used to be within the place of a few of our leaders, I would really feel ashamed of myself to be trustworthy,” stated Bakari Yancy, Austin Vitality buyer.
Yancy says he’s pissed off and mentally drained after being with out energy for six days.
“Been fairly robust,” he stated.
He says it began for him Wednesday morning. He says he has been in the dead of night ever since.
Yancy says he has not had a lot communication from Austin Vitality besides from the textual content message he and plenty of different clients obtained revealing energy needs to be restored to almost all remaining clients by Sunday.
“That was completely devastating to get up to,” he stated.
FULL VIDEO: Austin Vitality supplies replace on ongoing energy outages in wake of ice storm
Greater than 20,000 Austin Vitality clients stay with out energy. Metropolis of Austin will present an replace on restoration efforts.
Fortunately, Yancy’s lights got here on after virtually every week with out energy, however 1000’s nonetheless stay in the dead of night.
“I have been fortunate sufficient to have a generator. I purchased a generator after the final time we had the massive freeze in 2021,” stated Grant Scanlen, who says he discovered his lesson.
Like so many different Austin residents, Scanlen has been with out energy since Wednesday.
“Devastated, deflated, damaged. [Austin Energy] have stated that they’ve repaired all the primary outages, and but this neighborhood has 550 clients that also do not have assist. I’d say that is a serious outage,” he stated.
The Austin Metropolis Council assembly will happen Thursday, February 9.