TipSheet: This week’s Council Committees

As part of our ongoing attempt to keep readers up to date with all that is going on at City Hall, we will now be offering weekly tip sheets for City Council committees. As usual, we will be offering highlights of the meetings, with links to the entire agenda.

City Council – Special Called Meeting

Tuesday, May 26. Agenda here.

1. Briefing and discussion on the voluntary flood buyout program and relocation policy.

Monitor‘s Take: While this is just a briefing, the ensuing discussion should be interesting. Although Council approved lower Onion Creek buyouts in March, it asked for more information on the program before moving forward with a Northwest Austin buyout.

2. Briefing and discussion regarding the possibility of filing a challenge petition with the Appraisal Review Board for the Travis Central Appraisal District relating to commercial property values set by the Travis Central Appraisal District.

Monitor‘s Take: Council discussed the challenge petition only briefly at its last meeting. But given the topic, which we covered earlier in the week here, it should be an illuminating discussion.

Public Safety Committee

Tuesday, May 26. Agenda here.

3. Discussion and possible action on an ordinance creating a camera-enforced civil offense for illegally passing a school bus.

Monitor‘s take: This deceptively simple-looking item provoked a long discussion when it was up at Council last month. We wrote about it in the Reporter’s Notebook then.

Housing and Community Development Committee

Wednesday, May 27. Agenda here.

3. Consider and develop recommendations on a resolution related to the use of homestead preservation districts and homestead preservation reinvestment zones to address affordable housing issues in Austin.

Monitor‘s Take: Though not much happened the last time this was discussed in committee, we are still interested.

5. Update on Resolution No. 20140925-090, related to the fee-in-lieu donation option for the affordable housing requirement for Planned Unit Developments.

Monitor‘s Take: This change to the city’s PUD ordinance would remove the fee-in-lieu option and require onsite affordable housing; require a significant portion of the affordable housing requirement to be provided onsite and allow a portion to be provided through fee in lieu; and consider an exceptions process for the onsite affordable housing requirement.

Audit and Finance Committee

Wednesday, May 27. Agenda here.

3. Staff briefing on the South Central Waterfront Initiative.

Monitor‘s Take: Council is scheduled to approve a consultant contract with the South Central Waterfront master plan’s financial framework at its June 18 meeting.

6. Consider and develop recommendations for proposed resolution regarding city vacancies

Monitor‘s Take: This item came up during the addition of City Council staff. If approved, it would free up some $8.5 million through a budget amendment that allows City Council to reallocate funding from any position that has been vacant for more than a year.

Open Space, Environment and Sustainability Committee

Wednesday, May 27. Agenda here.

10. Consider and develop recommendations for a resolution related to the 2015 Austin Community Climate Plan and steps necessary to implement it.

Monitor‘s Take: Honestly, this committee meeting agenda seems a little tame. But given recent climate talk at City Council, it could be fun?