• Southwestern Telephone Company Expansion Approved: The council unanimously passed an ordinance allowing the Southwestern Telegraph & Telephone Company to install underground conduits for their wires in downtown Austin, specifically running from Congress Avenue through an alley between Congress and Brazos Street.
• Special Meeting Called for Infrastructure Decision: Mayor R.E. White convened this special Friday evening session specifically to address the telephone company's franchise amendment, demonstrating the importance city leadership placed on expanding telecommunications infrastructure.
• Quick Unanimous Vote: All 10 aldermen present voted in favor of the ordinance without opposition, suggesting broad agreement that modernizing the city's telephone infrastructure was beneficial for Austin's development.
Full Transcript
60 called meeting of the City Council Austin, Texas, July 10, 1903 Hon R.E. White, Mayor presiding, Roll Called. Present Aldermen Haynes Macken Maddox Milton Nitschke Schneider Shelley Shumate Smith Wileit 10 Absent Aldermen Crooken Hume. Wood Redd 4 The following Call of the Council was read Austin, Texas, July 9th 1900 Called Council To the members of the City Council of the City of Austin A special meeting of the City Council of the City of Austin is hereby Called to Convene in the Council Chamber at the City Hall in Said City at Six o'clock P.M. on Friday July 10th 1900, for the purpose of Considering, and taking such action as to the Council may seem proper on a Certain ordinance Amending the franchise of the Southwestern Telephone Company R.E. White Mayor L.M. Crooken J.M. Shumate I.F. Shelley H.L. Haynes J.A. Smith P.M. Maddox Wm Wileit J.B. Nitschke H.E. Redd H.A. Miller Joe Macken Austin, Texas, July 10th 1900 I, Harry Montgomery, City Marshal of the City of Austin, Texas, do hereby Certify, that the following Named Aldermen have been served with the above Call by having it read to each of them in person, Viz Aldermen Crooken, Shumate, Shelley, Haynes, Smith Woode, Schneider, Maddox, Wileit, Nitschke, Redd Miller and Macken, and that Alderman Hume has been Served by having a true Copy of Same left at his place of business, he being out of the City Harry Montgomery City Marshal. Ordinance By Alderman Shumate An ordinance to Authorize SW Tel Co the Southwestern Telegraph & Telephone Company to to put in conduits to Construct underground conduits for laying and Conducting its wires from the Northeast Corner of the underground Construction of Said Company at the Corner of Congress Avenue and trough alley between Said avenue & Brazos Street, act. The ordinance was passed under suspension of the rules by the following Vote Yeas Aldermen Haynes Macken Maddox Miller Nitschke Schneider Shelley Shumate Smith Wileit 10 Nays None On motion the Council, adjourned J.C. [illegible] City Clerk.