After City Council voted on June 4 to adopt the 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, staffers began working to incorporate the revisions into the Building Criteria Manual so the code can be implemented on Sept. 1. The proposed changes to the code are available for review and feedback on the city’s SpeakUp platform, which includes a summary of the draft updates to the manual. “Proposed changes address application submittal, a requirement for third-party inspections of new residential pool construction, and appropriate treatment and handling of water discharge. The proposals also clarify the role of Registered Design Professionals and City Departments,” according to a news release from the Development Services Department. Stakeholders are asked to review the proposed updates and share any feedback by Aug. 3.

While it does not appear that the state is loosening its requirements for mail-in ballots, a proclamation from Gov. Greg Abbott has extended early voting for the Nov. 3 election. The proclamation will allow early voting to begin Tuesday, Oct. 13, and continue through Friday, Oct. 30. “As we respond to Covid-19, the State of Texas is focused on strategies that preserve Texans’ ability to vote in a way that also mitigates the spread of the virus,” Abbott said in a press release. “By extending the early voting period and expanding the period in which mail-in ballots can be hand-delivered, Texans will have greater flexibility to cast their ballots, while at the same time protecting themselves and others from Covid-19.”

In light of protests that began in May, the city of Austin extended a public survey on budget priorities, and that report is now in and available to the public. As anticipated, there were a record number of survey results this year – 37,006 people completed the survey in full. From the report: “For most services, we observe that no change in budget has the strongest support, with the exception of the Police Department: 91.6% of the respondents requested some level of reduced allocation, with 48.6% requesting the maximum permitted reduction of 5% of their current budget.” In light of the 5 percent cap on reductions to any department, Austin Justice Coalition conducted its own budget survey and released the results of its #WeFund budgeting tool last week. The AJC survey found 95.8 percent of respondents supported reducing the public safety budget with the average cut to APD’s budget 54.4 percent, or just over $236.7 million. The budget presented by staff currently cuts the police budget by about 2 percent. City Council will meet for its work session today and is expected to discuss the budget for the first time since the budget suggested by staff was released.

Ryan Robinson, who served as the city of Austin’s demographer from 1995 until the present, has retired after 30 years of service to the city. Jerry Rusthoven, Robinson’s boss, said Robinson had planned for some time to retire when he hit the 30-year mark on July 1. Rusthoven said the city is certainly going to need a new demographer to work with census data and help a city task force formulate new district maps next year. Although the city is currently under a hiring freeze, Rusthoven said he has put in the paperwork to start looking for a replacement for Robinson. Robinson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

City departments have been busy making maps and have three new maps to share with the public. The newly updated Austin Bike Map helps cyclists find the best route for their next two-wheeled excursion. Recent additions to the map include the Shoal Creek, Wickersham Lane and Zach Scott Street bikeways. The map includes information about the comfort level of different routes and also when helpful sidewalks are present. The bike map may be viewed online, and hard copies can be found at many local bike shops. Also fresh off the presses is the Austin Urban Trails Interactive Web Map, which depicts existing paved urban trails throughout the city as well as proposed trails from the Public Works Department’s Urban Trails Program. The new web map is based on the 2014 Urban Trails Plan, “which identified 407 miles of urban trails to be built throughout the city. In 2019, the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan identified urban trails as an integral part of the transportation network needed to achieve the goal of a 50/50 mode share by 2039.” That goal is for half of Austinites to be using alternative transportation methods instead of driving alone in their cars. The two transportation maps join Austin Public Health’s interactive Covid-19 testing locations map, released earlier this month, which shows APH-operated sites along with other testing options for those who have insurance or a primary care provider. The map includes testing site operating hours, how to make an appointment, the type of test performed, and which lab the company uses for processing the tests.

With all the kerfuffle about the pandemic, you might be wondering: How’s the U.S. Census 2020 count going? Jeff Engstrom, a senior planner with the Planning and Zoning Department, created this map to answer that very question. The map, which is updated every weekday with data from the U.S. Census Bureau, shows how many households in Austin have responded to the census. The census tracts are colored in shades of orange and blue: Dark orange represents low response rates, light colors represent response rates near 50 percent and dark blue represents the highest response rates. The boundaries of City Council districts are also depicted. Census 2020 started on April 1 and continues through October. If you haven’t yet filled out the census form online, please take 10 minutes out of your day and do it now. Every person really does count.

The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and Austin Public Works’ Urban Trails Program invite the community to attend a new virtual open house “to share input on potential urban trail and transit concepts for the Bergstrom Spur corridor, a former rail line located in south Austin stretching roughly six miles, from Vinson Drive in Southwest Austin to US-183 near Austin Bergstrom International Airport.” Visitors to the open house will find “a video presentation of potential urban trail and transit concepts for the western, central, and eastern segments of the Bergstrom Spur.” Ann Kitchen, Austin Council member and vice chair of the CAMPO Transportation Policy Board, said in a news release, “As an urban trail and possible transit route, this former rail line has so much potential to improve connectivity in South Austin.” Some of the ideas presented so far for the hub include “outdoor exercise stations, landscaping, outdoor art, space for programming/events, outdoor dining spaces, small parklets, and opportunities for small businesses.” The open house, which includes a survey and an opportunity to leave feedback, is the second phase of community outreach for the project and will close on Aug. 14.

Austin Public Works has invited all sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders to enter its first annual Lights, Camera, Safety PSA (public service announcement) contest, and submissions are due Aug. 3. The contest, a brainchild of the Safe Routes to School educational program, asks middle schoolers to create a short cell phone video – anywhere from 30 seconds to two minutes long – depicting safe ways to walk, cycle or roll to school. Kids can enter the contest on their own or as part of a team and must follow the CDC’s social distancing guidelines while making the video. The winning videos will be broadcast in middle schools across the city and winners will receive gift cards to Alamo Drafthouse. To submit a video or learn more about the contest rules, visit the Lights, Camera, Safety contest website.

A new city web portal introduces Austinites to the concept of green infrastructure, collectively known as ecosystem services, which includes “parks, wildlands, water resources, the urban forest, landscapes, trails, green streets, agriculture, and habitat.” These natural systems are considered infrastructure because they are so critical to our quality of life. “In addition to giving us beautiful places to play and explore, green infrastructure helps to reduce flooding and erosion, combat rising temperatures, improve our health and well-being, support wildlife, and so much more.” The web portal catalogs each aspect of the city’s green infrastructure, explaining their numerous purposes and benefits, and includes ways residents can get involved and learn more about related programs and resources.

Last fall, the group Our Town Austin, led by activist Sharon Blythe, announced its intention to recall Mayor Steve Adler and the five City Council members not up for reelection in November: Natasha Harper-Madison, Pio Renteria, Ann Kitchen, Paige Ellis and Kathie Tovo. Petitioners were collecting signatures in January and February, but that became much more difficult once Covid-19 arrived in Austin and most people stopped gathering in public places. Asked whether the group was still collecting signatures on Monday, Francoise Luca, the group’s coordinator, said, “not actively at this time.” However, Luca said, “If anyone has any signatures they’re welcome to send them in.” According to the city charter, “A petition signature is invalid if the signer signed the petition earlier than the 180th day before the date the petition is filed.” The petitioners needed to round up signatures from 10 percent of registered voters in the city in order to recall Adler, and 10 percent of registered voters in each of the five districts in order to recall the five Council members. For example, to put the question of recalling Adler on the ballot, petitioners might have to collect signatures from more than 66,000 voters, based on the number of registered voters last November. However, as of Feb. 15, Travis County had more than 820,000 registered voters, according to news reports. Of course, some Austinites live in Williamson County and some of Travis County is outside the city of Austin. Petition backer Blythe expressed frustration with Council on a number of issues, but apparently the last straw was the repeal of the anti-camping ordinance. Another group may have addressed that issue anyway.

Two landowners and the Texas branch of the watchdog group Public Citizen filed suit Thursday against the Texas Railroad Commission over the commission’s decision to waive certain rules for oil and gas drillers. As a result of the waiver, rules that require the industry to plug oil wells and remediate oil and gas waste pits within a year of ceasing operations were suspended. The plaintiffs say the commission acted illegally when it suspended the rules on May 5, using the Covid-19 pandemic as a pretext. “Why is giving handouts to polluters a priority during a pandemic?” said Adrian Shelley, director of Public Citizen’s Texas office. “While Texans are preoccupied with Covid-19, the Railroad Commission waived rules for oil and gas drillers. Low demand for oil and gas has some experts predicting bankruptcies. This is the wrong time to waive requirements to clean up waste pits and inactive wells,” Shelley said. “If companies are let off the hook and don’t clean up their messes, taxpayers will.” Under the Texas Constitution only the Legislature can suspend laws, the suit says. According to the lawsuit, the Railroad Commission has acted in a way that effectively suspends the Texas Open Meetings Act, the Texas Administrative Procedure Act and the Texas Natural Resources Code. Austin attorney Jennifer Riggs is representing Public Citizen and the two Texas landowners. She said the railroad commissioners “think they are above the law. The harm threatened here is serious and irreparable. Once groundwater is contaminated, the harm cannot be undone. The land will never be the same.” Public Citizen is seeking injunctive relief from the commission’s actions. There are about 6,200 abandoned wells in Texas.

Photo by Ryan Hagerty, USFWS (CC0)

The dunes sagebrush lizard, a native species, has the smallest range of any lizard in the United States – a 655-square-mile habitat that occupies four counties in Texas and a small area in New Mexico. Already limited by its small habitat, the lizard’s future is uncertain due to territory threats from sand mining, oil and gas development, and climate change. Based on the habitat threats facing this species and its listing as endangered by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service submitted a petition on July 16 to list the lizard as a federally endangered species. According to USFWS, the rare lizard has been a candidate for this listing since 2001. Nearly two decades later, the petition will undergo a 90-day finding period, an early step in the rigorous process for listing. Following this, the petition to list the lizard will be scrutinized in a yearlong process. The public is invited to submit comments to assist the Fish and Wildlife Service in determining whether the dunes sagebrush lizard qualifies as an endangered species.