Wednesday’s meeting of the City Council Audit & Finance Committee was the final one for the chair, Council Member Alison Alter, and her vice chair, Council Member Leslie Pool. Alter started the meeting by announcing that they would not be considering dissolving the Commission on Immigrant Affairs. If a commission fails to meet for six months, then the question of dissolution automatically appears on the committee’s agenda. However, a representative of the city clerk’s office said the committee had met recently. Assistant City Clerk Stephanie Hall said seven of 12 committee members must attend for a quorum but that is difficult because of vacancies. The committee met in September, October and November but missed a number of meetings earlier this year. There is supposed to be a member appointed by Travis County, Hall said. The county did send a nominee a couple of months ago but that person indicated that he or she has been a registered lobbyist with the city and so cannot serve, Hall said. Alter said they did not need to take any action. She thanked those in attendance. “It’s always important for us to hear that our commissions are mattering. I will point out Council Member (Natasha) Harper-Madison has an item on Thursday’s agenda about education of commission members,” she said, adding that Council Member Ryan Alter has another related item looking at all the city’s commissions and judging their relevance. In addition, the committee decided not to recommend that the College Student Commission be dissolved.

In order to undergo renovations, the Elisabet Ney Museum will close Dec. 30, with an anticipated reopening in the summer of 2026. According to a press release from the city, the project “includes restoration of original exterior wood doors and windows, upgrades and replacement of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system, replacement of the exhibit and general lighting systems, and repairs to the roof, masonry, plumbing, and interior finishes. Exterior work includes replacing the pedestrian bridge across Waller Creek and installation of accessible pathways, to better connect the museum’s grounds. The site work also includes approximately 20,000 square feet of Waller Creek bank stabilization.” Funding for the project “is provided through 2012 Bond, Proposition 14, the Parkland Dedication Fund, the Historic Preservation Fund, Partners in Preservation through the National Trust, and contributions from the Friends of the Elisabet Ney Museum.”

Timed to celebrate a new sisterhood with Limerick, Ireland, City Hall has welcomed a new wayfinding landmark that marks its proximity to its many sibling cities around the world. The sign, which was erected in front of City Hall, was fabricated and installed by the Transportation and Public Works Department in recognition of the Economic Development Department’s Sister Cities Program that is designed to foster relationships worldwide and promote Austin’s culture. Currently, Austin has 13 Sister Cities, two Friendship Cities and five Emeritus Sister Cities.

As of today, the burn ban for the unincorporated areas of Travis County have been lifted, the county’s Chief Fire Marshal Gary Howell announced Tuesday. Outdoor burning is now allowed, and residents should contact their local fire department before beginning and follow the state regulations summarized here. You can call the Fire Marshal’s Office at 512-854-4621 to find out which fire department to notify. Naturally, the department advises always being careful and aware of fire danger when conducting outdoor burning, including having water nearby in case of a fire – and, of course, calling 911 immediately if a fire gets out of control. “Fire risks have decreased for now, thanks to recent rain, so the burn ban can expire as scheduled,” Howell said. “While outdoor burning will be allowed in the unincorporated areas beginning Wednesday, December 11, I urge the public to be extremely cautious. Travis County will monitor the conditions closely as we head toward the holidays and let the public know if the burn ban will be needed again.”

In October, City Council passed a resolution aimed at improving the city’s sound regulations when it comes to things like air conditioners and landscaping equipment. Until Dec. 20, the Development Services Department is looking to gather feedback on Austin’s current mechanical equipment noise regulations and has invited anyone with information or personal experience to share it through a survey.  Additional questions can be directed to dsdcommunications@austintexas.gov.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 10 and 11, residents can get help preparing for emergencies with information, demonstrations and giveaway items at the north and south locations of the City of Austin Utilities Customer Service Centers. The city is providing meter keys, hose bib covers, hand-crank flashlights, solar-powered device chargers, emergency preparedness kit materials and winter preparedness tip sheets. A number of city departments are getting in on the effort: Austin Energy will provide free solar phone chargers and info on staying safe during a power outage; Austin Water will have free water shutoff keys or insulated faucet covers help avoid property damage caused by freezing temperatures; and the Austin Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management will help folks build emergency preparedness kits. The city advises arriving early because quantities are limited.

UCSC — North
8–11 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10, or while supplies last
8716 Research Blvd., Suite 115

UCSC — South
8–11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11, or while supplies last
1901 W. William Cannon Dr., Suite 100

For more information on preparing for emergencies, check out ReadyCentralTexas.org. The city also reminds people to tune in for emergency alerts by:

• Downloading the Ready Central Texas mobile app.
• Signing up for Emergency Alerts at WarnCentralTexas.org.
• Registering for Austin Energy’s Outage Alerts by texting REG to 287846
• Bookmarking COAUtilities.com, austinwater.org, austinenergy.com and outagemap.austinenergy.com.
• Signing up for Austin Water’ My ATX Water customer portal.

The city’s final collections for Hotel Occupancy Tax during last year’s fiscal year appeared to show a slight decrease of just under 1 percent from the 2023 fiscal year. That dip was brought to light at last week’s Music Commission meeting during a presentation on total revenues for the Live Music Fund, which receives a state-mandated portion of the city’s total hotel tax collections. The fiscal 2024 total was $4.445 million, compared to $4.472 million for the prior year. Some commissioners questioned what could have caused the decrease instead of a double-digit increase, since the local tourism industry has seen as strong rebound since the Covid-19 pandemic. Economic Development Department staff and commissioners who work in tourism-related fields said the numbers up with other data showing hotel revenues as being essentially flat, perhaps as a response to ongoing inflation concerns.

Workforce Solutions Capital Area is hosting a Mobility & Infrastructure Hiring Event on Dec. 11 at the organization’s branch on North Interstate 35. The event offers the chance to explore career paths in the rapidly growing transportation industry as well as major infrastructure projects needed to complete multibillion-dollar efforts such as Project Connect, and the expansion of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. With projections of 10,000 new jobs needed annually in the next 15 years, the event is intended to fill positions that are seen as essential for the local economy. Transportation stakeholders encourage attendees to learn about positions ranging from bus operators for the upcoming Capital Metro 800 and 837 Rapid lines to skilled trade opportunities vital to building the city’s infrastructure. Admission is free, with registration available online.

The McBee Family Foundation has given $1 million to Preservation Austin to forward its mission in the city. According to a press release from Preservation Austin, the gift will support “establishing the newly-named McFarland-McBee House, built in 1947, as Preservation Austin’s office and home base.” In a statement to the press, Robert F. McBee, president of the McBee Family Foundation and son of Austinites Sue and Frank McBee, explained: “The McBee Family Foundation is not huge and historically has given useful, but certainly not life-changing, grants to a number of well-deserving organizations. With this grant, though, we believe we can make a real difference for Preservation Austin. They need and deserve a real home. Our mother and father were both devoted to the preservation of historical buildings in Austin, mainly through the efforts of the Heritage Society, and so with this gift we are going back to our roots, so to speak. We look forward to watching how Preservation Austin grows and blossoms in its new headquarters.” The donation is the largest single gift given to Preservation Austin in its 71 years of operation.

An open call for exhibit proposals for the Dougherty Art Center’s Julia C. Butridge Gallery is now active, with applications being accepted through Jan. 26, 2025. Exhibit proposals for the 2026 gallery season can be submitted online now. Exhibits at the gallery are five to eight weeks long and include an artist reception and talk, with gallery demos and workshops available to exhibiting artists. There is no fee to submit a proposal, and all exhibits are free and open to the public.

Members of Plein Air Austin, local artists dedicated to painting on location, have been making paintings of Austin Fire Department stations in 2022, and this holiday seasons some of them are donating their station paintings to the department. The paintings will be presented at Austin City Hall at 10 a.m. Dec. 6, with remarks from Austin Fire Department Chief Baker and Plein Air Austin president Baron Wilson, and a selection of the paintings will be on display at the event.

The underwhelming totals are in for the first day of early voting in the Dec. 14 runoff election. They are, as expected, underwhelming, with 0.4 percent of registered Travis County voters. A total of 2,256 early and mail-in votes have been cast in the election so far, which will determine the City Council representative for District 7 as well as an at-large position on the Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees. Early voting runs through Dec. 10. More information about polling times and locations can be found here.