Statesman reporting led to local government reform, changes

Austin American-Statesman journalists, in 2025, chronicled the most significant news in Central Texas – from the historic floods that struck the Hill Country and suburban Austin over the July 4 weekend to the passage of new laws with dramatic implications for the University of Texas, to an Austin police announcement that they solved the 34-year-old yogurt shop murders.

But our reporters also went behind the news to deeply examine some of the most important issues in our community, and we discovered and investigated topics that had previously received little or no scrutiny.

Much of that work resulted in positive reforms and changes in government policy and other responsive action by officials.

Among the examples:

Austin City Council addresses spending concerns

In the lead-up to a tax increase election for Austin residents, the Statesman published a series of reports about questionable spending among city leaders, prompting efforts to establish more rules and oversight.

The Statesman's reporting revealed some of the city’s top leaders were using city credit cards with little regard to the city’s loose spending rules. We found that City Manager T.C. Broadnax, one of the highest paid municipal executives in the country, routinely expensed solo lunches during his first year on the job at a cost to taxpayers of about $3,300. Council Member Ryan Alter likewise spent about $1,200 on taxpayer-funded meals. Both agreed to pay the money back.

The Statesman later exposed additional questionable public money expenditures in Alter’s office, including donations to charities, political organizations and advocacy groups. Other council members hired personal career coaches, purchased artwork and furniture, and traveled internationally during a budget crunch.

Following the Statesman’s reports, Alter is leading an effort alongside Mayor Kirk Watson to bolster what experts said are some of the weakest municipal spending policies in Texas. The City Council is expected to approve a new council spending policy, which would include a more explicit definition of permissible expenses, early next year.

Residents and political observers said the Statesman’s coverage played a key role in the defeat of November's controversial Proposition Q ballot measure, which was not supported by about 63% of voters.

Travis County district attorney adheres to indictment deadline

An eight-part, ongoing investigation examined how Travis County felony prosecutors did not secure timely indictments hundreds of times in 2024 in cases involving jailed defendants — often resulting in them remaining in jail longer than a state-imposed timeline.

Under a 50-year-old state law, a jailed defendant must be released if prosecutors do not bring an indictment in felony cases within 90 days.

The consequences rippled throughout the local criminal justice system. Defendants and victims said the delays eroded their confidence in seeing justice done. In some of the most troubling cases, missed deadlines meant alleged violent offenders could not be held accountable because federal authorities deported them before prosecutors took action.

Though his explanations evolved sharply, District Attorney Jose Garza defended his performance throughout our reporting. Ultimately, though, he implemented stricter internal reviews and new checkpoints for prosecutors, resulting in no defendants remaining in jail beyond 90 days without an indictment.

The Texas Judicial Council, the state’s policymaking body for judges, also adopted a rule requiring courts to track how often defendants are released because prosecutors missed indictment deadlines, adding transparency to an otherwise opaque occurrence.

Travis County acknowledges communication gaps after flooding

In the aftermath of the July 4 and 5 catastrophic flooding across Central Texas, the Statesman examined Travis County officials’ response.

Reporters found a disconnect between how flood victims thought officials responded and the steps authorities actually took as the disaster unfolded. However, the resulting report was one of the first times Travis County Judge Andy Brown acknowledged flaws in the county’s early communication with residents and promised improvements — an admission that helped clarify the disconnect between survivors and officials on the county’s response.

The investigation provided accountability in an under-covered area of flood response and spoke directly to the community’s concerns and questions, and it gave clarity to lawmakers who were confused about the difference in testimonies from residents and county officials during a summer hearing.

Georgetown school district keeps librarian

In March, the Statesman was the first to report on a brewing issue in Williamson County in which the Georgetown school district had threatened to fire librarian Susan Cooper after she refused to remove 150 books rated "adult" from the shelves.

The list of books included several award-winning titles, from “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel to Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” sequel, “The Testaments.”

District officials said they wanted the books removed because of HB 900, a 2023 state law prohibiting "sexually explicit" books.

After the Statesman’s report, community members circulated a petition demanding that the school keep Cooper on staff and return books to the shelves. The petition garnered more than 1,400 signatures.

The school later renewed Cooper's contract for the 2025-26 school year.