City Manager Spencer Cronk welcomed a new addition to his family this week. Nina Roman was born on June 20, weighing 7 pounds, 8 ounces, and was immediately welcomed by sister Lauren and Cronk’s partner, Brendan. City Attorney Anne Morgan has been appointed acting city manager during Cronk’s paternity leave and will remain in the position until his return, which is expected to be Aug. 26.

A proposal to allow the Austin Police Department to use license plate readers once again has been put on hold until later this summer. Council Member Mackenzie Kelly, who sponsored the resolution, offered to postpone the item until July 28 and to make it part of the city’s upcoming budget process. “My commitment is, and will forever be, to those that risk their lives each day to keep our city safe. But I also want the community to be able to fully understand how this tool is going to be utilized,” she said. Chris Harris, the policy director at Austin Justice Coalition, also supported the delay, saying that the return of the devices “should be subject to a broader community conversation.” Harris added, “We understand that automated license plate readers enable – particularly if used improperly – a vast amount of surveillance. They enable increased criminalization, depending on how hot lists and other things are set up. They can be a tool that has some benefits, but also has extreme risks.”

Amid increasingly hot, dry conditions, the sale of fireworks will be limited for the upcoming July 4 holiday. The Texas Pyrotechnics Association has voluntarily agreed to halt the sale of fireworks that go up in the air or explode in Travis and Williamson counties. Both counties currently have burn bans in effect due to the drought, but have not yet banned fireworks. “I appreciate the Texas Pyrotechnics Association recognizing the elevated fire risk due to drought conditions and applaud their voluntary agreement to not sell stick rockets and missiles with fins or rudders in Travis County,” Travis County Judge Andy Brown said in a statement to the press. “I urge the public to be extra cautious while celebrating the Fourth of July holiday. With drought conditions only worsening, we must do everything we can to protect our community. Our fire marshal and his deputies will continue monitoring conditions and patrolling our county, ready to enforce any and all applicable laws.” Fireworks officially go on sale today, though not all fireworks are legal within city limits.

Editor’s Note: Andy Brown is on the board of the Capital of Texas Media Foundation, the parent nonprofit of the Austin Monitor.

You may already be seeing Public Works crews in your area, working on seasonal street maintenance in neighborhoods around the city. The annual sealcoat treatment is intended to improve “hundreds of lane miles of neighborhood streets in every Council district around Austin,” according to the news release, in an effort to “help preserve Austin’s streets and extend their life span.” Residents will be notified in advance with door hangers that ask vehicles to be temporarily parked off the street. Sealcoat has to be applied in warm, dry weather, so the work is usually done throughout the summer and into the early fall. Check out the map to see which streets are scheduled for preventive maintenance next.

Following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation that kids 6 months through 5 years get vaccinated for Covid, Austin Public Health is expanding its vaccination program to include this age group. Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County health authority, said in a news release, “This vaccine expansion comes at a critical time when we’re dealing with new subvariants and high community transmission. These vaccines will help to protect your children from severe Covid-19 symptoms and being hospitalized.” APH staff who have special training to administer shots to babies and young children are offering Moderna and Pfizer vaccines at Shots for Tots clinics and through the Mobile Vaccination Program. APH Director Adrienne Sturrup said, “The expanded availability is another milestone in building our community’s resiliency and protection from Covid-19. Families with little ones can visit their doctor’s office or APH to get the vaccine and stay up to date on boosters. Vaccines at our clinics are free and do not require identification, insurance, or proof of citizenship.”

In a desperate bid to get animals out of the overcrowded shelter and into their forever homes, the Austin Animal Center is waiving its adoption fees “until further notice.” The space crisis at the shelter, which has 1,081 dogs and cats currently in its care, has become so dire that 23 dogs don’t even have kennels and are being housed in crates in the shelter’s conference room, according to a news release from AAC.  Spokesperson Kelsey Cler said that the shelter “even rented an air-conditioned construction trailer to put crates in. Unfortunately all of those spaces are now full and our only option is to house dogs in crates outside in front of evaporation coolers.” The shelter hopes that several upcoming adoption events will move Austinites either to adopt or volunteer to foster a shelter pet. On Friday, June 24, the shelter will stay open until 9 p.m. “for adoptions and a glow stick party.” On Saturday, June 25, the shelter will hold its annual KittyPalooza event, with over 30 kittens available for adoption starting at 8 a.m. And on Saturday, July 2, from 9 a.m.-noon, Travis County residents can bring their pets in to get microchipped and vaccinated for rabies.

The Lower Colorado River Authority is inviting a wide swath of community organizations to apply for grants from its Community Development Partnership Program. While most of the grants are for $25,000 or less, there are several grants of up to $50,000. “Eligible organizations include volunteer fire departments, emergency responders, local governments, schools, libraries, civic groups, museums and other tax-exempt nonprofit organizations. The grants are not available to individuals, for-profit entities, professional associations, social service projects or limited-use facilities,” according to the news release from LCRA. Applications are available starting July 1 and must be submitted by July 31. Find out more details here.

Most Austinites have learned the bitter truth that parking at Barton Springs on the weekend is nigh on impossible. So the news of a free weekend shuttle service, starting this Saturday, June 25, should cause great jubilation within the populace. The shuttle bus – a pilot program from Parks and Recreation – will run every 20 minutes between the One Texas Center parking garage at 505 Barton Springs Road and Zilker Metropolitan Park. Two shuttles will operate from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday and during the Fourth of July and Labor Day holidays. Those who want to take advantage of the free shuttle service (and who among us doesn’t?) are advised to park at One Texas Center and get their parking tickets validated on the shuttle. In fact, “Parking tickets must be validated by the shuttle driver in order to not be charged the $10 parking fee at the parking garage.” So go forth and park and ride!

With renovation plans moving forward, the city is holding its first community meeting about the design of the Montopolis Community Pool tonight. Staff will share the project’s budget, schedule, conceptual designs and feedback from a recent community survey about the project. Those interested in participating may attend in person at the Montopolis Recreation & Community Center at 1200 Montopolis Drive or register on Zoom to attend virtually. The meeting will start at 7 p.m.

While Travis County’s Community Level is described as low, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s weekly update, the numbers are so close that Austin Public Health is asking community members to “err on the side of caution by following medium guidelines if you are at risk in order to drive down the case count.” The city health department explains, “A key determining metric for Community Levels, new cases per 100,000 population in the last seven days, alternated between 202.99 and 190.” Back in March 2022, Austin Public Health updated the local Risk-Based Guidelines to align with CDC Community Level designations. Updates on Community Levels can be found on APH’s Key Indicators dashboard, AustinTexas.gov/COVID19 or APH social media channels: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Austin City Council joined Travis County in declaring the opioid overdose crisis a public health emergency on Thursday. The resolution, which was approved unanimously by Council, asks the city manager to invest in harm reduction strategies, including increased access to naloxone kits as well as a comprehensive plan that explores prevention, treatment and services for substance use disorders. In response to the vote, Texas Harm Reduction Alliance’s Cate Graziani released a statement that read, in part, “We’re eager to see this resolution supported even further through the upcoming budget and millions of dollars coming down from opiate settlement funds. … For 50 years we have been funding war on drugs strategies. The results have left us with the worst overdose crisis our country has ever seen, and the impacts extend far beyond policing and incarceration. Austin is no exception – we see the impacts of the drug war on our streets every day. People are trapped in poverty, lose access to housing, health care, and so much more. If the city wants to address the overdose crisis in the long term, we must address deep underlying needs that drive deaths and harm.”

A number of city offices and public facilities will be closed Monday in observation of the Juneteenth holiday, which commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in Texas. Monday closures include city rec centers, senior centers, museums and cultural centers; Austin Energy customer service and call centers; Austin Public Health testing and vaccine sites; Austin Public Library branches, Central Library and the Austin History Center. There will be no changes to trash, recycling and compost collections or the schedule of the Austin Animal Center. The Austin Monitor will also be taking the day off, returning Tuesday. Exactly one year ago today, on June 17, President Joe Biden signed a bill making Juneteenth an official federal holiday. Learn more about Juneteenth, and how it’s being celebrated in Austin, here.