In a move toward more transparency, the city of Austin will begin broadcasting its negotiations for new public safety labor agreements. Streaming on YouTube begins today at 9 a.m. as the city’s Labor Relations Office commences talks with the Austin EMS Association. Negotiations with fire and police unions will begin after the new year, and the dates of those negotiations can be found on the Labor Relations Office website. “While this will be a challenging time to negotiate from both a fiscal and Covid-19 standpoint, we remain committed to transparency and fairness,” Deven Desai, the city’s chief labor relations officer, said in a statement to the press. The three labor agreements that are currently in place are set to expire on Sept. 30, 2022, though there is a provision that will allow for a six-month extension on the APD contract if the parties cannot come to an agreement by that date.

Community members seeking large reclaimed logs for art or furniture-making projects are in luck: The parks department’s Urban Forestry Unit is holding a reclaimed log pickup. It’s not a free-for-all, however; there are a few guidelines to keep in mind. Community members must load and haul their own wood, though parks staff will kindly cut logs down to size if needed. Participants must sign a liability waiver, which will be available at the site. And don’t get grabby: one log to a person. Friday, Dec. 3, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., John Treviño Jr. Metro Park, 9501 FM 969.

The city’s Economic Development Department has been approved for a $500,000 American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Arts “to help the arts and cultural sector recover from the pandemic.” Ann Eilers, NEA’s acting chair, said, “These grants recognize the vital role of local arts agencies and will allow them to help rebuild local economies and contribute to the well-being of our communities.” Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, EDD’s acting director, said, “We are grateful to be approved for this funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. Our local arts organizations are critical to the foundation of Austin’s creative culture. We are proud to extend funding through the Cultural Arts Division to support arts education and make a lasting impact towards economic recovery.” The EDD plans to use the $500,000 award to create sub-grants for eligible arts education organizations and teaching artists “with a focus on underrepresented artists and organizations led by and actively serving communities of color.” The money will be distributed in the latter half of 2022.

The city is updating the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan, the “comprehensive transportation plan that guides Austin’s short- and long-term projects,” and wants the public to weigh in with their thoughts and opinions about Austin’s street network. You can review the proposed changes here. The city has also set up a short online survey asking for input on three policies that are proposed for the ASMP. According to the Transportation Department, the new policies “were based on recent global and local events, such as transportation resilience, that affect the mobility needs of our community.” The survey will take about 10 minutes to complete and is open until Dec. 31. Take the survey. 

In observance of Thanksgiving, the Austin Monitor will be taking Thursday and Friday off. We’ll resume our normal publishing schedule bright and early Monday morning. Joining us on the holiday weekend will be the bulk of the city’s offices and facilities, as outlined in this news release. Notably, trash and recycling pickups originally scheduled for Thursday will slide to Friday. Austin Public Health Covid testing and vaccine sites will be closed Nov. 25-28, and the Covid dashboard will not be updated until Monday. Questions about city services can be directed to 311, which will remain in operation. Have a safe and happy holiday!

Anyone with an interest in smart cities is welcome to attend the Texas Smart Cities Summit, a daylong conference assembling “leaders from local government, industry, academia, nonprofit organizations and more to share information on the leading practices in smart cities efforts, to share ideas and experiences, and to discuss and plan new efforts to accelerate smart cities development in Texas and across the world.” Participants in the summit will discuss successful solutions and “collaborate on how to improve and implement them into our communities.” This hybrid event takes place partly in-person at Austin Central Library at 710 W. Cesar Chavez St. and partly online. Get tickets here. Thursday, Dec. 2, 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

An underused tennis court in a Montopolis park has been transformed into a state-of-the-art mini-pitch, thanks to a partnership between Austin FC and the U.S. Soccer Foundation and the Parks and Recreation Department. The Civitan Neighborhood Park mini-pitch “will provide local families and residents with free and safe recreation space to gather, play soccer, and stay active and healthy,” according to a release from the city, which notes that the new facility joins two other mini-pitches in the greater Austin area installed by the 4ATX Foundation. Community members are invited to check out the brand-new mini-pitch at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 7, 2-3 p.m., at 513 Vargas Road.

Jose “Chito” Vela, who was the first to jump into the race to replace Council Member Greg Casar, who is running for Congress, now has some competition for the spot. Monica Guzmán, policy director for GO! Austin/VAMOS! Austin has designated Randy Teich as her campaign treasurer. Guzmán, who holds a BA in political science from St. Edward’s University, has several years of organizing experience. Also joining the race is Amanda Rios. Her treasurer is Natalie Cuccia, who is closely aligned with Save Austin Now, the group that sponsored last spring’s successful reinstatement of the anti-camping ordinance and this November’s failed attempt to force the city to spend many more millions of dollars to hire more police officers. Rios wrote on Facebook that “Austinites must stand up on a bipartisan basis and fight back for our beautiful city. That’s why Austinites formed Save Austin Now and that’s what we’re fighting for. And we’re just getting started.” The special election for District 4 is slated for Jan. 25. Whoever is elected will serve through the end of 2024.

In accordance with recommendations from a committee of legal advisers, the City Council Public Safety Committee has recommended eight full-time judges for the Austin Municipal Court, not including Mitch Solomon, who has served on the bench for more than a quarter-century. It was not clear why the lawyers did not recommend him. However, Solomon took the unusual step of appearing at the committee meeting on Monday. He told Council members he would like to speak to them during executive session if they had any questions. No one took him up on the offer. When they came back from that session, committee Chair Mayor Pro Tem Natasha Harper-Madison read off a list of those being recommended to the full Council, including presiding Judge Sherry Statman; Michael Coffey, who serves as judge of the Downtown Austin Community Court; and associate judges Barbara Garcia, Alfred Jenkins, Patrick McNelis, George Thomas, Stephen Vigorito, and Tanisa Jeffers. The part-time or substitute judges include Ferdinand Clervi, Brian Guerra, Christyne Harris-Schultz, Belinda Herrera, Stanley Kerr, Ron Meyerson, Olga Seelig, Pamela Sigman, Ryan Turner, Kenneth Vitucci, and John Yeager. The full Council will vote on these recommendations this month for terms starting in January.

This whisper has been changed since publication to correct a typo.

The Barton Springs/Edward Aquifer Conservation District Board of Directors has appointed Lily Lucas to serve as an interim director for Precinct 3, filling a seat left empty after the resignation of Blake Dorsett in July. According to a press release from the conservation district, Lucas lives in Buda and has been a volunteer water quality tester with the San Marcos River Rangers following her graduation from Texas A&M. “Serving on the board allows me to be an active steward to the aquifers and springs that supply our rapidly growing communities,” Lucas said in a press statement. “My goal is to maintain our aquifers’ water quality and availability. We will achieve this by taking data-driven approaches and educating the residents within the district on the importance of their water source.”

We know you get a lot of invitations this time of year, but here’s one more: You’re invited to participate in the MoPac South Environmental Study, an in-depth look at a problematic eight-mile stretch of MoPac (Loop 1) Expressway. You can help by attending the virtual open house organized by the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority and Texas Department of Transportation, and reviewing and commenting on the materials you see there. The team “is working to identify a solution that improves safety and mobility for drivers, transit riders, bicyclists and pedestrians in a manner that promotes environmental stewardship and sustainability.” The open house is available now through Jan. 7.