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- Democrats vs. Republicans: First election coming for Travis Central Appraisal District board
- New federal cash paves way for East Austin’s ‘wishbone’ bridge over Lady Bird Lake
- Austin’s airport is getting a new concourse and 20 more gates but not until the 2030s
- New rules in the works for electric vehicle charging stations
- Budget deficit looms over city this year and beyond
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Whispers
City budget process begins to take shape
While it could be argued that budget season is a year-round affair at City Hall, things are about to start in earnest. To get ready, Mayor Kirk Watson has posted a schedule for this year’s process, which will end in an adopted budget on Aug. 14, 15 or 16. According to Watson’s City Council Message Board post, the staff budget will be presented at a City Council work session on Friday, July 12, which will also launch the “Council Budget Questions” process that will be available online for the public to view. Council will hold additional budget work sessions on July 24 (which will include public comment) and July 30. The next month, a public hearing will take place at 3 p.m. Aug. 1, when a tax rate will be adopted, and work sessions are currently scheduled for Aug. 6 and 8. City Council voting on the budget will take place at one of the meetings scheduled Aug. 14-16. “Adopting the FY25 Budget is one of the most important decisions this Council will make. I hope by outlining the timeline and process, we can work in an efficient and collaborative manner while achieving our shared goal of making the City of Austin a great place to live, work and thrive for all members of our community,” Watson wrote.
Tuesday, April 23, 2024 by Beth Bond
New position will serve employees of the Travis County Sheriff’s Office
The Travis County Commissioners Court is seeking a person to join the three-member Civil Service Commission for Sheriff’s Office Employees, which serves the employees of the Travis County Sheriff’s Office. The Travis County Commissioners Court appoints one member of the Commission, the Travis County Sheriff appoints another and the Travis County District Attorney appoints a third. The court is seeking to fill its one appointed position on the commission. The commission was created to promote a quality office by establishing and enforcing rules and regulations that pertain to employee selection, advancement, benefits, rights and working conditions consistent with Sheriff’s Office needs and circumstances. The ideal board member would have knowledge, experience or specialization in one or more of the following:
- Employment law
- Grievance procedures
- Mediation
- Local/state government
- Diversity and inclusion
- Law enforcement
- Policy development
- Administrative hearing procedures
Applicants must be at least 25 years of age and have lived in Travis County at least three years immediately preceding the date on which their term will begin. The deadline for applications is 5 p.m. Friday, April 26. Find the application packet online at the county’s website or call (512) 854-4774.
HOME again, HOME again
City Council is poised to make another bundle of changes to the Land Development Code in an effort to make development easier and housing less expensive. Last week, the city scheduled two more open houses to help get the word out about those changes, which would reduce minimum lot sizes, change compatibility standards and create new development standards near future transit and in central South Austin, among other things. The new meetings will take place 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, May 6, at Anderson High School and 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 8, at the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center. The changes are on a fast-track back to Council, with meetings scheduled chockablock in the meantime. The amendments will be at Council on May 16 and May 30, with downtown parking and the ETOD amendment to Imagine Austin to be heard at the second meeting.
Monday, April 22, 2024 by Elizabeth Pagano
UNO!
Last week, City Council unanimously approved a resolution to amend the University Neighborhood Overlay (UNO). The resolution asks to expand the district, amend height limits and encourage grocery stores, among other things. “I’m happy to take action to build on the 20 years of successful design and development that UNO has brought to West Campus,” Council Member Zo Qadri said in a statement to the press. “These newest revisions focus directly on the needs expressed by students, workers, and other community stakeholders in the area. The improvements this resolution will bring to affordability, mobility, and safety are a direct result of the conversations we have had with advocates.” A press release from Qadri, who sponsored the resolution, said the resolution is “the first step of several more to come” with adoption of an ordinance that will enshrine the changes expected to take place next spring.
Friday, April 19, 2024 by Elizabeth Pagano
Council extends Marshalling Yard services for homelessness
In a unanimous vote, City Council approved an eight-month, $500,000 extension of a contract to continue Marshalling Yard emergency shelter operations for those experiencing homelessness. The contract will allow the yard to serve as an emergency shelter through March 2025. “The Marshalling Yard Emergency Shelter provides compassionate care to 300 clients daily and the rate of clients exiting the shelter successfully continues to climb,” Austin’s Homeless Strategy Officer David Gray said in a statement to the press. “Emergency shelter capacity is a critical piece of a multi-faceted approach to making homelessness brief, rare, and nonrecurring. As we meet those immediate needs, we must also focus on case management, access to mental health care, and creating more housing opportunities.” Though there was some question at the work session about whether the contract was the best way to spend funds addressing the issue, Gray explained that the city is still short 815 permanent shelter beds for individuals experiencing homelessness. In addition, 20 percent of those leaving the yard – which serves as an emergency stopgap shelter – are now exiting to move into housing, which has doubled since January of this year. “In addition to case management services, clients of the Marshalling Yard Emergency Shelter access daily transportation services, three healthy and nutritious meals per day, pet-friendly onsite boarding and pet food, onsite laundry services, onsite showering facilities, wellness activities and a patio for outdoor activities,” a press release from the city says.
Friday, April 19, 2024 by Elizabeth Pagano
Council actively endorses passive building
City Council unanimously approved a passive building pilot program Thursday, paving the way for more passive building design in the city. The resolution, sponsored by Mayor Pro Tem Leslie Pool, launches a program that will use building techniques that support energy efficiency and the use of fewer resources – first on four affordable housing projects, with an eventual goal of implementing passive building standards into the city code. “We know that conserving energy and decreasing demand is a key strategy in the Austin Energy Resource Generation Plan, and these building techniques could help us meet our energy and climate goals even faster,” Pool said.
Thursday, April 18, 2024 by Jo Clifton
Save Our Springs wins an order to increase speaking time
Things might be a little different at today’s City Council meeting. Last week, after getting only two minutes to address Council on a variety of items, Save Our Springs Alliance Executive Director Bill Bunch said Mayor Kirk Watson was violating the Open Meetings Act and the Austin City Charter. At that point, Bunch said he would sue on that issue. He subsequently filed suit. Late Wednesday, Travis County District Judge Madeleine Connor ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and granted a temporary restraining order that requires Council to give each speaker three minutes to speak on each item they have indicated they wish to speak about. Watson was giving speakers only two minutes to speak, regardless of how many items they wished to discuss with Council. In a statement to the press, Bunch said, “Every resident deserves the opportunity to address the council on matters that affect our community.” He added that he was pleased with the “court’s acknowledgment that Austin taxpayers make an investment in democracy, and they deserve to be heard.” That same statement said SOS expects a hearing to extend the injunction on April 25.
Grow green, grow strong
Austin is currently in that time between plants being dead from a freeze and plants being dead from the sun, which can be an inspirational (and costly) time of year for anyone with a green thumb or a dream. It’s also a time that the city wants residents to be aware of the many resources it offers to gardeners through its Grow Green program. According to a press release reminding us all about the program, its educational materials include:
- 23 Grow Green fact sheets on big-picture and pest-related topics
- Rebates, free stuff and grants to help your garden grow
- Landscape design, installation and maintenance information, including demonstration gardens and design templates
- Native & Adapted Plant Guide for Central Texas
- List of Grow Green landscape professionals who have completed the training series
- Pest information (integrated pest management)
- Drainage solutions
“As spring breathes new life into our gardens, the Grow Green program stands ready to support Austinites in their quest for sustainable, vibrant landscapes,” Denise Delaney, environmental program coordinator for the Watershed Protection Department, said in a statement. “Our diverse educational resources and community engagement initiatives aim to empower individuals to become stewards of our environment while creating beautiful, resilient gardens that thrive harmoniously with nature.”
Explore the outdoors with a city-by-city nature challenge
For a bit of motivation to explore nature in your immediate surroundings, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Nature Trackers program encourage people to document their local biodiversity April 26-29 as part of the City Nature Challenge. It’s a chance to get outside – just out your front door, in your yard or anywhere nature is found and can be safely and responsibly explored – and enter your observations of plants, animals and fungi on the free mobile app iNaturalist. This global, community-based, scientific effort is co-organized by San Francisco’s California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Texas Nature Trackers encourages use of the hashtag #CityNatureChallenge on social media or as a tag in iNaturalist. In 2023, Texas metropolitan areas joined more than 400 other cities in a worldwide celebration of the resilience of urban nature that logged more than 1.8 million observations of more than 58,000 species by nearly 70,000 people. In Texas, 93 counties logged more than 174,000 observations, with 7,500 species recorded by more than 6,000 observers. Check out the City Nature Challenge online to find links to Texas projects and learn more. Free training can be viewed online. Participants can also contact TNT biologists Craig Hensley and Wendy Anderson with the Texas Nature Trackers program at tracker@tpwd.texas.gov.
Pop in for safety
The city’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is hosting a preparedness pop-up today at the Little Walnut Creek Branch Library. The event, which will take place from 4 to 7 p.m., will educate attendees about preparing for severe weather and flooding, among other things, with tips from Public Safety and HSEM representatives. In addition, the first 25 households will receive an emergency supply kit. Austin is currently in a season when severe weather and flooding is a distinct risk. To learn more about regional emergency preparedness outside of today’s event, visit ReadyCentralTexas.org.
Clean up with Travis County Parks and the Colorado River Alliance
Volunteers are needed for Travis County Parks and the Colorado River Alliance’s inaugural Spring Cleanup from 9-11 a.m. Saturday, April 20. You can help remove and recycle litter across seven parks in eastern Travis County: Northeast Metro Park, East Metro Park, Webberville Park, Barkley Meadows Park, Richard Moya Park, Onion Creek Greenway and Southeast Metro Park. “These waterways are our source of drinking water and it’s essential that we all pitch in to keep them clean,” said Travis County Commissioner for Precinct 2 Brigid Shea. “It’s especially important for our downstream neighbors.” This event helps raise awareness that litter travels, emphasizing the importance of keeping our parks, river and creeks healthy and clean. Reserve your spot to help keep our vital drinking water source clean and flowing for generations to come.
Tuesday, April 16, 2024 by Elizabeth Pagano
Guzmán enters the District 4 race
Monica Guzmán, who is a familiar face around City Hall due to her long-standing community advocacy, has declared her candidacy for the District 4 City Council seat. “Citywide, Austin residents have asked if I’m running for council,” said Guzmán in her press release. “Community voices have been and are being silenced; there is a critical need for transparency, accountability, and centering residents in planning and policy making processes. District 4 needs a council member who is rooted in community, represents their constituency, and ensures decisions large and small are resident-centered.” She went on to say that Eastern Crescent residents are looking for more effective leadership when it comes to things like “affordability, displacement/gentrification, education, climate resiliency/disaster preparedness, and economic stability.” Guzmán was the runner-up in the 2022 election won by Council Member Chito Vela, who intends to keep his position. Jade Lovera, who also ran against Vela, is running again this year.