Horns Down to City Council
Last Friday at 2:30 a.m., the Austin City Council made a 6-1 initial vote to limit the number of unrelated persons allowed to live in a single-family home, an attempt to crack down on the “stealth dorms” that many Austin residents find intrusive and which many UT students call home. In six weeks, the council will reconvene to discuss the results of a study on the economic impact the change would have on Austin and to take a final vote on whether to adopt the changes to the city code. While we appreciate the council’s decision to conduct a study before making a final decision, we’re dismayed that they elected to conduct the study over a period of six weeks, rather than eight, as was suggested by Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole. With an issue as contentious and multi-faceted as stealth dorms, there shouldn’t have been such a push to rush the analysis.
