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Report: City Employee Accused of Taking Bribes to Speed Permitting

A City of Austin employee is suspected of taking bribes to expedite permit requests.

The Austin American-Statesman reports a city employee, Edward D. Vigil, is suspected of taking $200 payments from parties seeking to have their construction permits approved, in the midst of a months-long backlog at the city. The backlog was finally cleared in April of this year.

A police investigation is underway, and according to emails obtained by the daily, a case is set to be presented to a grand jury. Vigil tells the Statesman the poor management and accountability caused the backlog, and that a supervisor told him “this is how we do things here.” 

Vigil left the Planning Department after a suspension. You can read more from the Statesman.

Wells has been a part of KUT News since 2012, when he was hired as the station's first online reporter. He's currently the social media host and producer for Texas Standard, KUT's flagship news program. In between those gigs, he served as online editor for KUT, covering news in Austin, Central Texas and beyond.