The millions of dollars the city of Austin promised to live music venues who ve been pummeled by the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to be delivered after two months, raising an already high degree of discomfort to clubs struggling to keep their lights on.
But the assistance is coming soon, the city insists, and it ll end up being more than originally planned through additional resources that at one time were thought to have been out of reach.
Last week, the Austin City Council threw a lifeline to venues by offering a tax reimbursement program that could make landlords think twice about proceeding with eviction for non-payment. The program will make use of Chapter 380 incentive agreements named for the portion of the state s local government code that authorizes them - to offer tax breaks to landlords who are willing to renegotiate lease agreements.