Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir announced Monday that her office is on track to break the record of 31,000 ballots mailed in during the 2016 presidential election. According to a news release from her office, the elections division has already received more than 28,000 applications from people wanting to vote by mail. Under normal circumstances, she said, the office would have received 1,000-2,000 such ballot requests. DeBeauvoir has responded to the extraordinary level of requests by adding temporary staff and additional screening equipment. As of Friday, June 19, she said, “17,247 (ballot by mail) ballots have been mailed to voters, including to over 65, disability and out-of-county voters. We plan to continue at this pace until all current requests are processed.” The deadline for requesting ballots is July 2, which means the clerk’s office must receive those requests by that date in order to qualify for the July 14 election. The elections division is still looking for additional workers. To apply, fill out an online form or email erecruiting@traviscountytx.gov.

As everyone well knows, dining, drinking and shopping establishments have suffered serious financial setbacks during the Covid-19 pandemic. To support these businesses and help tempt customers back into the fold, the city has launched Shop the Block, a pilot program aimed at encouraging businesses to expand their operations in a safe and inviting manner. According to the city, “retail stores, restaurants and bars can expand their outdoor operational areas to sidewalk cafes, into their private or shared parking lots, and onto city right of way, including on-street parking spaces.” Eligible businesses may apply for Shop the Block permits through the Special Events Office, and the process has been accelerated to a 10-day turnaround time. The pilot runs from June 15-Dec. 15.

Bull Creek District Park is getting ready for its close-up – but first, the planned site improvements must be completed. Construction on the park trail, the restroom, and the picnic areas in the southwest corner of the park begins on Tuesday, June 23. The two parking lots that service Bull Creek park will be closed for about three weeks while construction work is being performed in the area. The parking lots servicing Bull Creek Greenbelt will remain open. According to the parks department, the intent of the improvements “is to preserve the park’s natural beauty and characteristics while providing long-term solutions to connectivity, wayfinding, creek access and waste management.” Find more details about the project here.

Citing a failure to follow its own policy, the Austin Police Department will delay release of video showing the police killing of Mike Ramos. According to a report by KUT and a statement by City Manager Spencer Cronk, the required Office of Police Oversight review of the video had not yet happened on Sunday, though the 60-day deadline to release the video is Tuesday. A statement from Austin Justice Coalition, Texas Fair Defense Project, Just Liberty, and Texas Appleseed reiterated a call for Chief Brian Manley to resign. “Let us be very clear. We support the release of body camera footage. However, we do not trust what Chief Manley is about to do by releasing a video without complying with his own agreed editing policies, and we object to retraumatizing the family and the community,” it read. “We do not believe this video release violation around the Ramos case is an accident.”

This week the Travis County Commissioners Court will discuss the associated economic development incentives meant to attract California car maker Tesla to construct its planned $1 billion “Gigafactory” in the far reaches of East Austin. The 5-million-square-foot plant will bring along 5,000 middle-skill manufacturing jobs with a $15 per hour salary. The project is anticipated to generate $7 million in tax revenue for the county over a 10-year period. Although the deal has not been sealed, the factory has been reported to be the future birthplace of the electric car maker’s Cybertruck, which Tesla CEO Elon Musk debuted last November in prototype. The car company is working with the state, the Del Valle school district and Travis County to finalize an incentive deal.

The Austin Independent School District will hold a virtual public meeting on its proposed budget and tax rate for the 2020-21 school year today. Those who would like to comment must call 512-414-0130 between 7:45 a.m. and 3 p.m. today, where they will be able to record 60-second remarks that will be aired during the meeting. The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. and will be broadcast live on AISD.TV and the AISD Facebook page. This year, among other budget issues the board will consider, the Austin Justice Coalition has issued a call to:

• Divest from strategies that contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline, including excessive funding for school police departments;
• Reallocate funds to district-wide implementation of culturally responsive restorative practices;
• Publish AISD Police Department budget information online;
• Publish AISD Police Department policies and data, especially use-of-force policy data, online;
• Develop key performance indicators for AISD Police Department, and hosting an annual Board Work Session for status updates;
• Publish School Safety and Security Committee information online.

The city has launched an online hub to connect volunteers and donors to local organizations responding to community needs created by Covid-19. The “How to Help” campaign brings together nonprofits, faith-based groups and government programs with volunteers and donors who want to contribute. Mayor Steve Adler said in a news release about the effort, “Frequently in our past, it’s the volunteers and donors that get us through uncertain times. Covid-19 is one of the biggest challenges we’ve ever had to face. By pooling resources together, everyone can be part of the response and recovery in ways that speak to them.” Council Member Jimmy Flannigan added, “So many of our citizens need help, right now. And so many willing and able nonprofit and faith-based partners want to help but need the resources to make it effective and safe. The city of Austin can be a bridge in the community: linking folks who want to help with our public service partners who can best meet needs.” The campaign comes at a time when Covid-19 cases in the region appear to be on the rise. According to CNBC, Austin is among the top five urban areas experiencing the fastest Covid-19 case growth in the past week. Community members who want to participate may visit the portal, review the listings from local organizations and sign up with one that matches their interests and abilities, or make a contribution online.

With the secret of how to require masks now revealed, Travis County Judge Sam Biscoe has followed the lead of other municipalities and issued an order that “all commercial entities in Travis County that provide goods or services directly to the public must develop and implement a health and safety policy related to Covid-19. The Health and Safety Policy must require, at a minimum, that all employees and visitors to the commercial entity’s business premises or other facilities wear face coverings when in an area or performing an activity which will necessarily involve close contact or proximity to co-workers or the public where six feet of separation is not feasible.” The order, which is effective as of 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, June 18, is embedded below. Unless modified, it will expire Aug. 15.

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The city has issued a precautionary warning that toxic algae blooms at Lady Bird Lake that sickened and killed several dogs last summer could return again this year. The risk is low at the moment, but with temperatures on the rise, the danger is expected to increase. The city will be tracking lake temperature and flow, which are ways to evaluate the risk of the harmful blue-green algae blooms. According to the city website which tracks that data, in summer and fall the city will “conduct weekly sampling of algae to identify species and the presence of toxins at four locations. Locations include Red Bud Isle, Barton Creek between Barton Springs and the lake, Vic Mathias Shores and Festival Beach. Testing may occur twice a week if conditions warrant.” Along with the website, which will continue to provide information about the algae, the city has issued safety guidelines in English and in Spanish.

The Arts Commission approved the prospectus for a new art installation at the site of a new Austin Convention Center warehouse and marshaling yard in Montopolis as part of its Art in Public Places program. AIPP uses 2 percent from capital improvement project budgets to commission local artists to create public artworks. The Austin Convention Center Department initiated the construction of the warehouse and marshaling yard for off-site storage and to alleviate downtown traffic after City Council approved the land acquisition in 2017. AIPP is now seeking a local artist to create a permanent art installation on the outside of the warehouse or elsewhere on the site. The prospectus states that only low-maintenance, durable projects will be considered. The total artist contract awards $100,000 for the project, which comes from 2 percent of the Convention Center Department’s capital improvement budget for the warehouse and includes the fees for design, fabrication, installation and other project-related costs. Artist submissions close in September and the Arts Commission’s tentative schedule expects for the project to be installed in July 2021.

Today, the Austin City Council Public Safety Committee will meet at 1 p.m. to discuss recently passed and anticipated reform measures intended to repair systemic racism in the police department. As part of that meeting, the committee is expected to hear from City Manager Spencer Cronk, who has been criticized by some Council members for the passive public role he has taken in response to police violence at local protests and calls for change from the community and the dais. As a preview, Cronk released a memo Wednesday titled “Reimagining Public Safety for the City of Austin.” The memo is embedded below.

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The entire Austin City Council and Mayor Steve Adler have signed an online pledge to “reject political donations from the Fraternal Order of Police.” A growing list of local candidates and elected officials have signed the pledge, including, at press time, the following:

Margaret Chen Kercher, Candidate for County Court Judge, Austin, Texas; David Chincanchan, City Council Candidate, Austin, Texas; Vanessa Fuentes, City Council Candidate, Austin, Texas; Pooja Sethi, City Council Candidate, Austin, Texas; Alison Alter, City Council Member, Austin, Texas; Greg Casar, City Council Member, Austin, Texas; Paige Ellis, City Council Member, Austin, Texas; Jimmy Flannigan, City Council Member, Austin, Texas; Ann Kitchen, City Council Member, Austin, Texas; Leslie Pool, City Council Member, Austin, Texas; Sabino Renteria, City Council Member, Austin, Texas; Kathie Tovo, City Council Member, Austin, Texas; Natasha Harper-Madison, City Council Member, Austin, Texas; Mike Siegel, Congressional Candidate, TX-10, Texas; Candace Valenzuela, Congressional Candidate, TX-24, Texas; Laurie Eiserloh, County Attorney Candidate, Travis County, Texas; Valinda Bolton, County Commissioner Candidate, Travis County, Texas; Ann Howard, County Commissioner Candidate, Travis County, Texas; Lisa Prewitt, County Commissioner Candidate, Hays County, Texas; Jose Garza, District Attorney Candidate, Travis County, Texas; Steve Adler, Mayor, Austin, Texas; Delia Garza, Mayor Pro Tem, Austin, Texas; Eddie Rodriguez, State Representative, District 51, Texas; Sarah Eckhardt, State Senate Candidate, District 14, Texas; Stephanie Gharakhanian, Trustee, Austin Community College District, Texas; and Julie Oliver, U.S. House Representative Candidate, TX-25, Texas.