The Texas Inaugural Committee, a state agency subject to the Texas Public Information Act, took in $5.3 million to throw parties for Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, according to information reported by The Texas Tribune. The publication also reported that the committee collected so much money, considerably more than Rick Perry or any of Abbott’s other predecessors, that after having paid for the parties they still had $800,000 left over. The committee evidently gave that money to charities, but refused to provide information on which charities received the money. In trying to find records about how the money was spent, Tribune reporters Jay Root and Shannon Najmabadi faced an exceptional array of roadblocks. As they reported, the Texas secretary of state attempted to dissolve the inaugural committee while official requests for information were pending and after the reporters had filed suit to obtain those records. Neither the secretary of state’s spokesman nor the executive director of the inaugural committee, nor the attorney handling the matter for the Attorney General’s Office, responded to the Austin Monitor‘s request for comment. Bill Aleshire, attorney for the reporters, said the case would be a test of whether the state can lawfully conceal public information by attempting to dissolve a state agency. “This is probably one of the first tests to see if SB 944” – a law that went into effect Sept. 1 – “actually helps us to avoid having records hidden or destroyed,” he said. That law speaks specifically to preservation of information by governmental bodies.

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If you’re wondering where your property tax bill is, it’s in the mail, says the Travis County Tax Office, which has mailed out more than 400,000 property tax bills. Electronic bills were sent out Nov. 1 and snail-mailed bills were sent in batches concluding Tuesday, Nov. 19. You may also view and print your bill from the Travis County website. Whether or not you receive your bill, the deadline for paying it is Jan. 31, according to state law. Bruce Elfant, the Travis County tax assessor-collector, said in a press release, “At this time of year, we receive numerous calls from property owners wanting to know when they will receive their tax bill. If you sign up for eBill you will always receive your bill much earlier than those waiting for us to prepare, stuff and snail-mail their bills. If you are one of the many anxious Travis County residents who want to see their bill as early as possible, the only way that can happen is if you sign up for email delivery.” Travis County urges property owners to pay their tax bills using the electronic payment method eCheck.

All Austin ISD offices and school campuses will be closed for the week of Nov. 25-29, to observe the Thanksgiving holiday. Regular business hours will resume on Monday, Dec. 2. View the entire AISD calendar here.

It’s been a busy year for the city auditor’s Integrity Unit. Brian Molloy, chief of investigations for the auditor’s office, told members of the Council Audit & Finance Committee Wednesday that the unit received 333 complaints during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, a 21 percent increase from Fiscal Year 2018 and the highest number of complaints in four years. Many of the allegations were outside the auditor’s jurisdiction, Molloy said. That included complaints about harassment, discrimination and retaliation, which were referred to the Human Resources Department or the HR person within other departments. Molloy noted that his unit completed 14 investigations during the past year, with nine complaints substantiated, one inconclusive, and four substantiated but determined to be de minimis violations. The department issued nine public reports as a result of the complaints. Those included three related to the HR Department (with one of those also related to the Public Health Department), two related to Austin Energy, one related to the Fire Department, one related to Public Works, one related to the Development Services Department and one related to the Parks and Recreation Department. The Integrity Unit currently has 13 open investigations across 11 departments, Molloy reported. Issues include waste, inventory theft, abuse of position and misuse of city resources as well as solicitation of a gift. Molloy said 71 percent of complaints received were from anonymous complainants. Twenty-three percent of those reporting used the whistleblower hotline and 42 percent used the online reporting form, demonstrating why the city needs the anonymous complaint system.

Artists interested in applying for the Parks and Recreation Department’s Artist Access Program have until Dec. 2 to apply for inclusion in the 2021 season. The program provides free or low-cost rehearsal and production spaces for selected artists at PARD facilities around the city. Participating venues include Dougherty Arts Center, George Washington Carver Museum, Asian American Resource Center, Zilker Hillside Theater and Oakwood Cemetery Chapel. Applicants must be registered as cultural contractors with the Cultural Arts Division and must be working artists living in the Austin area. The 2021 program season runs from Oct. 1, 2020, to Sept. 30, 2021, with selected artists able to use studio or performance space as available at participating venues.

A new style of vehicle joins the city’s family of dockless mobility options today. Wheels, a company formed by the founders of the on-demand dog walking app Wag!, obtained a permit earlier this month to put up to 500 of its mini electric “bikes” on city streets. The company is deploying a smaller fleet to start with and will be scaling up to 500 over the coming weeks. These bikes are approximately the size of the dockless scooters popularized by Lime, Bird, et al., but use a seat to give riders something closer to the familiar feel of riding a bike. Unlike most e-bikes though, these rely entirely on an electric motor and have pegs in the place of pedals. This alternative design prompted the city of San Diego to kick Wheels off the streets in July, saying the “motorized bicycles” aren’t in the same regulatory category as dockless scooters. Wheels, however, believes in the unique value of its product. With the low center of gravity, the seated position, and the larger wheel size, the company says the vehicles have a broad appeal for customers who wouldn’t feel quite comfortable on a stand-up scooter. Wheels says its ridership demographics back up the claim, women representing half and people over age 35 making up a third of total riders. Like the Revel mopeds that recently came to town, these mini-bikes have swappable batteries that allow them to stay on the streets instead of being packed up in trucks to be recharged overnight. The company says the small size of the batteries also means they can be easily replaced by riding the bikes to battery swap “hubs” instead of transporting batteries around town in a truck or van. Wheels says this plus a “modular” design means the bikes are theoretically more sustainable in the long term than other dockless products. The mini bikes will soon feature a smart helmet system that can be unlocked through the app and will be connected to some sort of sensor to encourage riders to actually use the helmet. In another smart feature, Wheels bikes have Bluetooth speakers to help calm the nerves and also prevent the use of headphones while riding in traffic. The bikes have a top speed of 20 mph and a range of 15 miles.

The Center for Austin’s Future is accepting applications for its 2020 ATXelerator program until midnight on Dec. 9. The three-month program trains participants “on the nuts and bolts of Austin city government and matches each member of the 25-person cohort with a mentor — most of whom are current or former elected officials.” The ATXelerator culminates in a competition in which class members pitch “a policy platform that they would advocate in a hypothetical city council race. Nine Pitch finalists compete in a live, public event known as the Center4ATX Games before a panel of expert judges, resulting in gold, silver and bronze medal winners.” Find more details and an application here.

The Austin Transportation Department is holding a listening session today to let community members get information and offer input on the improvements needed for Cameron Road and Dessau Road from 51st Street to Parmer Lane. Those roads were designated for funding in the city’s 2016 mobility bond, which was aimed at making safety and mobility improvements for major corridors throughout the city. Safety concerns for those roads, which provide access for the Walnut Creek greenbelt and an assortment of local schools and commercial centers, were identified in the Vision Zero Input Map, the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan and the Walk and Bike Talks process. The session also marks the opening of an online survey that runs through Dec. 22, to help decide how to make the best improvements. Attend the listening session today, 6 to 7 p.m., at the Gus Garcia Recreation Center, 1201 E. Rundberg Lane.

Austin Fast Start, a partnership between the Economic Development Department and Austin Young Chamber, will close its application process on Sunday for consumer packaged goods startups interested in receiving a cash prize and an assortment of business resources. CPG companies based in Austin that are in the early revenue stage and less than two years old are eligible to enter into the pitch competition. Each quarter, Fast Start focuses on a different sector in the city’s startup community, with the intent to assist young entrepreneurs looking to fuel growth for promising companies. The pitch competition will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 9 at the Eastside Tech Hub on East Sixth Street. Four finalists will be selected from eligible entrants, with a five-minute pitch and a question-and-answer session used to determine the winner of $2,500 and more than $4,000 in in-kind services.

The North Lamar International Merchants Association is holding a ribbon-cutting to introduce the community to their new food forest-style community garden. An announcement from the merchants association says, “The North Lamar International District Food Forest will be open to the community to enjoy as a green space and, once the plants are mature enough to produce, anyone is welcome to harvest their fruit, free of charge. The goal of the food forest is to address the critical need for every person, regardless of income, to have access to fresh, healthy, organic food, and to contribute to the beauty of the community.” Of course, food forests don’t grow overnight, and this one was the result of a collaboration with the city’s Economic Development Department and the Community Tree Preservation Board with support from TreeFolks, the Austin Parks and Recreation Department, Austin Park Rangers, and the Downtown Austin Community Court. Ribbon-cutting happens Saturday, Nov. 23, 1-2:30 p.m., 1310 Kramer Lane.

An incredible variety of bird life inhabits the lakes and meadows of the Hornsby Bend water treatment plant. According to the city, “more species have been found at Hornsby Bend than at any park in Austin.” To celebrate six decades of bountiful birding at the facility, Travis Audubon and Austin Water – with help from Eldorado Cafe, Land Sea & Sky Co. and the Sierra Club – are hosting a day of festivities on Saturday, Nov. 23, that includes a daylong bird survey, guided birding walks, information tables and activities in the Austin Water Center for Environmental Research. The evening program starts at 4 p.m. and includes dinner and a photography presentation by Greg Lasley. See the full schedule of events and the location.

Most people have heard of the gender pay gap – data from the U.S. Census Bureau has found that women make about 82 cents on the dollar compared to men. But Latinas experience an even more drastic pay gap, earning only 54 cents on the dollar compared to men – yet Latinas are often the sole providers for their families. Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza and other Austin leaders are trying to draw attention to this inequity by holding Latina Equal Pay Day today, Nov. 20. Said Garza in a press release, “The Latina pay gap is not an abstract concept. Families in Southeast Austin are living it every single day.” She continued, “When you combine lower incomes with a stagnant minimum wage, preemption on paid sick leave, and numerous other policy issues, you understand how these compound the impact on families and on the Latino community.” Garza and others invite community members to wear black clothing with red accessories today and to post pictures on social media with the hashtags #LatinaEqualPayDayATX and #BlackOutPayInequality.