Residents who have surplus prescription medications piling up in their medicine cabinets will be pleased to learn that Travis County is partnering with the Drug Enforcement Administration “to allow the public to safely dispose of expired, unused or unwanted prescription drugs” on Saturday, April 30, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Simply bring the medications to constable precincts 1, 2, 4 or 5 and drop them off in the collection box. No questions will be asked and the service is free and anonymous. Find out what items are accepted here. Travis County residents may also dispose of unwanted prescription medications year-round in the drop-off kiosk in the lobby of Travis County Pct. 5 Constable Carlos B. Lopez. According to the DEA, improper disposal of unwanted prescription drugs “is a growing problem nationwide and threatens local water supplies.”

After some debate, City Council has approved the appointment of Greg Anderson to the Planning Commission, once again. Council voted on the appointment following an executive session where they discussed whether Anderson’s presence on the board would invite another lawsuit from the Texas attorney general. Texas AG Ken Paxton has sued the city more than once over a provision in the city charter that requires that “a minimum of two-thirds of the (commission) shall be lay members and not directly or indirectly connected with real estate and land development.” Anderson, who works for Habitat for Humanity, was named in both suits as a real estate professional. Despite that, Council Member Chito Vela, who made the appointment, maintained he was not and pointed to Anderson’s application as proof. “He is a lay member within the meaning of the charter,” he said. “I don’t want the city of Austin to be bullied by the attorney general of Texas into deciding who we can or can’t appoint. I just think that we should stand up for the independence and judgment of the citizens of Austin.” Council Member Ann Kitchen, who voted against the appointment, said she respected Vela’s position, but could not support the nomination. “We were involved in a lawsuit before, and this particular individual was named in that lawsuit,” she said. “From my perspective, it’s too much of a risk, and I don’t want to move forward with this.” Anderson’s nomination was approved in a vote of 6-4, with Council members Kitchen, Kathie Tovo, Mackenzie Kelly and Mayor Pro Tem Alison Alter voting in opposition. Council Member Leslie Pool was absent.

Starting today, Austinites will get a chance to cast their ballots for (or against) decriminalizing weed and banning no-knock warrants under the petition-driven Proposition A. Early voting starts Monday and will run through Tuesday, May 3. Election day is May 7. Travis County residents may cast a ballot at any early voting location – all of which are listed on the county’s clerk’s website – from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and Sunday from noon-6 p.m. A number of elections are taking place in the area. The League of Women Voters Austin Area has put together a guide detailing those contests and outlining what voters should (and shouldn’t!) take to the polls.

Those looking for summer lifeguarding jobs in Austin now have an even greater incentive to slap on the sunscreen: a bonus of up to $1,250. Temporary summer camp staffers are in line for up to $750 in bonuses, depending on the position. The Austin Parks and Recreation Department is hoping the offer of extra money will tempt “teenagers, college students, teachers on summer break, and retirees looking for a fun way to earn extra money,” as the announcement says. The pay starts at $15/hour for entry-level positions and increases with experience. Paid sick leave, free bus passes and flexible scheduling are also part of the package. You’ll find all the info you need about the jobs and the bonuses here.

Children and their parents will be thrilled to learn that the Kids Block Party is returning in-person to the Austin Central Library after last year’s all-virtual event. This Library Foundation indoor/outdoor event “celebrates children, literacy and learning through play, with indoor and outdoor activities for kids aged toddler to tweens.” Along with musicians and yoga, the party features storytelling, arts and crafts, “friends from Austin Spurs, goody bags, and more.” The block party marks the launch of the library’s summer experience program for kids and adults called Austin Completely Booked, which includes “reading challenges and other experiences throughout the community over the summer. Attendees will be able to download an app or receive paper forms for logging summer reading and tracking challenge completion to earn prizes.” Find a full schedule of events here. Saturday, May 14, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Austin Central Library, 710 W. César Chávez St.

City Council has approved a $65,000 grant to fund a study on coronavirus in cats. The Austin Humane Society and Austin Animal Center, partnering with Texas A&M and the Texas Department of State Health Services, will examine whether there are coronaviruses “circulating or mutating among animals that could potentially pose a risk to humans.” AHS’ Dr. Katie Luke said in a news release, “There is still a lot we don’t know about coronavirus and how it mutates, so we hope this study will help to identify best practices moving forward, and help understand potential sources of mutated viruses that affect human health.” How will it work? “The subjects for the study will come from Travis County’s Community Cats program, and will only contribute a throat swab during their spay/neuter procedures. After that, “The samples will be sent to Texas A&M, where experts will determine if coronavirus is present. If the virus is detected, they will run more specific tests to identify whether it’s feline coronavirus, SARS CoV-2, or a different coronavirus. Positive samples for SARS CoV-2 will be sent to the National Veterinary Diagnostic Lab for confirmation and gene sequencing to identify if there are mutations. Finally, the Texas Department of State Health Services will assist in reporting the findings to the CDC.”

Eight months after the school opened to students in August 2021, East Austin’s Sánchez Elementary School is celebrating its grand opening today with a parade and a tree planting in honor of Earth Day. The new, modernized $25 million campus was funded by the 2017 bond program. According to AISD, “The school was one of the district’s first to introduce two-way dual language education – fitting because the school’s namesake, George Sánchez, was a pioneer in bilingual education.” Friday, April 22, 8:30 a.m. parade, 9:30 a.m. grand opening ceremony, Sánchez Elementary, 73 San Marcos St.

On Wednesday, the board of directors of the Austin Transit Partnership chose Greg Canally as interim executive director. Canally, the agency’s current CFO and chief development officer, will take over May 2 from Randy Clarke, Capital Metro president and CEO, who has been serving as ATP’s first executive director. In a news release, Veronica Castro de Barrera, chair of ATP’s board of directors, praised Canally, saying, “Greg will provide the steady leadership and smooth, effective and efficient transition that ATP – and all of Austin – need as we work to implement voters’ vision for this program. This will be a critical year for ATP, along with our partners at the city of Austin and Cap Metro, as we all work together to deliver on the promise of Project Connect.” The board also approved a resolution requesting that City Council and the Capital Metro board consider amending ATP’s articles of incorporation to add Capital Metro’s president and CEO or their designee as a non-voting ex officio board member “to foster and promote enhanced collaboration and communication among the parties.” The resolution also asks Castro de Barrera and ATP Board Member Tony Elkins to work with ATP staff to develop a recommendation for the board on how to pursue a leadership search for the permanent executive director.

Maybe you’ve heard (or maybe not), the city of Austin has a special called election coming up on Saturday, May 7. There is only a single proposition on the ballot and that is Prop A, which asks: “Shall an initiative ordinance be approved to 1) eliminate enforcement of low-level marijuana offenses; and 2) ban the use of ‘no knock’ warrants by Austin police?” Early voting for the election starts Monday, April 25 and ends May 3. Your last day to request a ballot by mail is Tuesday, April 26. Remember, in order to vote by mail in Texas you have to be out of the country on election day; sick or disabled; 65 or older; or incarcerated but otherwise eligible to vote. (Sorry, we don’t make the rules.) Here’s a list of early voting polling locations in Travis County. Before heading to the polls, brush up on voter identification laws to make sure you have the required ID.

A group of seasoned multimodal advocates have joined up to create a new nonprofit aimed at building “a movement to transform Austin’s streets, bikeways and trails into safe, vibrant and equitable places for people of all ages and abilities to walk, bike, roll and gather.” The group, named Safe Streets Austin, is the result of merging Bike Austin, Walk Austin and Vision Zero ATX into one group that will advocate for safe, multimodal transportation in Austin. The group announced itself earlier this week, saying, “Austin is widely recognized as a dynamic, world-class city. As it grows in size and complexity, the need for a resilient, responsive transportation system has become a necessity. Austin, like most American cities, is largely automobile-centric, creating undue challenges for many community members, especially those that lack economic resources. A robust and safe active transportation system would offer better choices for all Austinites.” Find more information about Safe Streets Austin on its website.

As we all bitterly know, Austin Resource Recovery suspended its large brush and bulk collection back in February because of staffing shortages brought on by Covid. Since then, Austinites have been waiting impatiently for the service to resume, as pieces of shrubbery and tree limbs and old freezers and other embarrassing things pile up behind their houses. ARR is still coping with a shortage of drivers (ARR is hiring drivers!), but thanks to help from a contractor, the agency is resuming bulk/brush collection starting Monday, May 2. Those who missed a collection during the suspension will be first in line to get a pickup. Curbside customers will receive a notification postcard in the mail a couple of weeks before their next collection is scheduled. You may also visit the online calendar of scheduled services or download the Austin Recycles app. If you’ve gotten used to disposing of your own bulky stuff at the Hornsby Bend plant, by all means continue using that method. And of course, if you have unwanted items that don’t seem to fit any other collection criteria, you can always consult ARR’s handy What Do I Do With… tool. Unlike most things these days, it has an answer for everything.

Though not yet in use by the city of Austin, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has released its 2022 Income Limits. The median family income for the Austin-Round Rock MSA is now $110,300, up from $98,900 in 2021. Why is this important? Aside from being another indicator of Austin’s frenzied growth, the city and the county both use MFI to calculate affordability for housing. So, somewhat affordable housing for those earning 80 percent MFI would be built for a family of four with an income of $88,250, which is now considered “low income” by HUD. A family of four at 50 percent MFI, or $55,150, is considered “very low income” for the area. That said, the city and county have yet to adopt the new numbers. That might take a few weeks.