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Whispers
Thursday, September 27, 2018 by Jo Clifton
Cultural arts contract monitoring lauded
The Office of the City Auditor found little to criticize when it audited the administration of cultural arts contracts by the Economic Development Department’s Cultural Arts Division. The division monitors contracts between the city and cultural arts contractors. The City Council Audit and Finance Committee was pleased to accept the audit report on Wednesday indicating that the division generally follows best practices. The audit was not related to the more controversial question of who gets funding, but auditors did say that the division does not document its process for selecting contracts to review. “Without a consistent risk-based process for selecting contracts, the division may not monitor higher-risk contracts,” auditors noted. Division staff told auditors that they do consider risk factors, such as whether a contractor is new to the program. Auditors also noted that the division does not require its staff “to verify the accuracy of the information provided in the final reports and expense reports.” In addition, auditors said that the department reports audience numbers provided by the contractors as a measure of performance, as opposed to verifying those numbers. Auditors also said that three of the programs are not using a contract template developed by the Law Department, causing some concern that the city’s interests might not be protected, particularly if the city wanted to terminate the contracts. Management agreed with the audit’s findings and has plans to implement changes.
Thursday, September 27, 2018 by Jessi Devenyns
Travis Duncan thinks the future is in hemp
On Sept. 17, Austin mayoral candidate Travis Duncan came to the Electric Utility Commission to offer his thoughts on clean energy – a key focal point of his platform called “ecological wisdom.” Duncan suggested that the commission should focus on sequestering carbon emissions. “I think that we should sell our stake in Fayette (Power Plant) and use those hundreds of millions of dollars to plant hemp,” he said. Not only did he explain that hemp plants were an excellent choice for mitigation, but he also encouraged the commission to look into powering the city with 100 percent renewable energy. “We could be 100 percent renewable in six months if we got our act together,” he explained, making reference to new technologies on the market, like Langenburg Technologies, which claims to “process contaminated and biologically unsafe water and transforms it into clean, highly purified drinking water as well as provides clean energy on a large scale.” Duncan said that the solution to clean energy is going to be found outside the box. “Listen beyond the experts, who are unfortunately a little bit ignorant,” he said. “I never knew it was that easy,” commented commission Chair Cary Ferchill.
Thursday, September 27, 2018 by Jessi Devenyns
There’s no holiday for the EMS
Every month the Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services chief of staff comes to the Public Safety Commission to present monthly stats on what the EMS has been experiencing in terms of call volumes. On Sept. 4, Chief of Staff Jasper Brown told the commission that in August, they had received just over 9,300 calls. On an average month, he said 300 to 400 of those are priority one, and August was right on target. “Can we expect to see these numbers rise or fall as we go into fall?” Commissioner Ed Scruggs asked the chief. Unfortunately, we won’t. According to Brown, “There’s not really a big spike season to season” because summertime heatstroke calls are replaced with flu-related emergencies, and outdoor-related injury calls remain high because Austin is an outdoor city year-round. However, Brown did note that the call volumes are increasing year over year and downtown’s District 9 consistently receives the highest number of calls. Austin-Travis County EMS is currently working to fill its 62 vacant field positions to help respond to the increasing demand for its services.
Wednesday, September 26, 2018 by Katy McElroy
Pool fees going up
Effective Oct. 1, Austinites will pay a little more to use city aquatics facilities. The Parks and Recreation Department estimates the fee increase will raise over $1 million in additional revenue. This money will be used toward general maintenance and operations, as well as upgrades and repairs to the existing facilities, as per City Council direction following the approval of the Aquatic Master Plan.
Barton Springs Pool
Municipal Pools
Wednesday, September 26, 2018 by Katy McElroy
Former CEO of Cap Metro joins national transportation hall of fame
A nonprofit international association of public and private sector organizations has added the former director of the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority to its hall of fame. Fred M. Gilliam was appointed president/CEO of Capital Metro in 2002 and retired in 2009. He has nearly 50 years of transportation management and operations experience in the field. The 1,500-member American Public Transportation Association annually bestows its Hall of Fame Award on those who have shown great leadership and innovation in public transportation in North America, and Gilliam was one of five professionals honored this year. Aside from his tenure in Austin, he has worked in transportation systems in cities throughout the U.S. including Houston; New Orleans; Denver; Memphis, Tennessee; and Tulsa, Oklahoma, and he has held positions on APTA’s executive committee, board of directors, and the American Public Transportation Foundation. He also contributed to the development of Leadership APTA, a professional advancement and training program where he provided invaluable advice and mentorship to rising leaders in the field, before and after his retirement.
Wednesday, September 26, 2018 by Chad Swiatecki
Music Moves makes moves
Music Moves Austin, the recently formed political activism nonprofit organized around Austin’s music industry, has started circulating a questionnaire for candidates in November’s mayoral and City Council election. Questions focus on support for a “live music venue” land use designation in the city’s land use code, the agent of change concept, allocation of Hotel Occupancy Tax funds, tax relief for live music venues, actions to preserve the Red River Cultural District, city support for musician health and quality of life services, use of the city’s revised business incentive agreements, providing affordable housing for musicians, and equity and diversity measures related to live music. The nonprofit will hold forums for the mayoral and Council races on Oct. 1 and 2 at Antone’s nightclub. It is also pushing to register 2,500 new voters in time for the midterm election.
Wednesday, September 26, 2018 by Chad Swiatecki
Group creates guide to local politics
The creators of the “A Beginners Guide to Local Democracy” activity book and magazine will hold a launch party – 6:30 p.m., Oct. 2 at Gather Venues – that is intended to draw novices and newcomers to the local political process. The project was conceived by a group of local millennials who are disappointed in the low level of political participation in city government, especially among younger voters who vote and engage up to one-seventh as much as senior voters. The event will feature comedians, civic-minded art installations, appearances from City Council members Greg Casar and Delia Garza, and presentations from political leaders who have been successful in carrying out movements at the local level. The activity book is described as an “easy-to-read (and fun) guide (that) walks you through all the basics about how Austin’s local government system works.” Tickets for the event are $10, available here.
Tuesday, September 25, 2018 by Austin Monitor
Join us for our Election Primer
Tonight the Austin Monitor, KUT, Glasshouse Policy, Austin Tech Alliance and A Functional Democracy will be kicking off our series of Austin City Council candidate forums with our Election Primer event. The Election Primer starts at 6 p.m. on Sept. 25 at the North Door at 505 Brushy St. You’ll have a chance to talk one-on-one with candidates, get registered to vote, learn a little about how to exercise your right to vote, and enjoy a drink at the same time.
To RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/election-primer-tickets-49997910095
And be sure to keep an eye out for our candidate forums in October!
District 1 – Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. at Wesley United Methodist Church, 1164 San Bernard St. (RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/candidate-forum-city-council-district-1-tickets-50076722826)
District 3 – Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. at Tamale House East, 1707 E. 6th St., Austin (RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/candidate-forum-city-council-district-3-tickets-50076782003)
District 8 – Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, 4801 La Crosse Ave.
District 9 – Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. at Capital Factory, 701 Brazos St.
Mayor – Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. at Wesley United Methodist Church, 1164 San Bernard St.
Tuesday, September 25, 2018 by Jessi Devenyns
Boat docks on Lake Austin now need registrations
Lake Austin boat docks must now be registered with the city and display an address label that is easily visible to those using the lake within the vicinity of the dock. Although this new rule went into effect this July, Environmental Commission Chair Linda Guerrero explained at the Sept. 19 meeting of the commission that this address system is something the Lake Austin Task Force has tried to have Council implement for five years. Daniel Armstrong, a supervisor in the Austin Code Department, noted that the motivation for the change came from a recent tragedy on the lake. “There was a person who was enjoying recreational activities on Lake Austin and … needed immediate help. … They did not know where they were, which compromised public safety’s ability to reach them,” he said. The new dock addresses are meant to assist with public safety efforts. Whoever is in need “can look at the nearest dock and give a frame of reference to where they’re at,” said Armstrong. The Code Department is allowing registration to occur until Sept. 30. Inspections will begin Oct. 1, but those who are not registered will not be subjected to code enforcement fines until April 1, 2019. “We hope there will not be enforcement action. Compliance is always our goal,” said Armstrong. Only 10 applications have been received to date. Going forward, owners of commercial docks will have to renew their registration every two years and residential dock owners will have to renew every five years. The first year there will be no registration fee.
Tuesday, September 25, 2018 by Chad Swiatecki
Bond, rated
The city has received another “AAA” bond rating from the three U.S. financial rating agencies, with a stable outlook given to its ability to repay debt for long-term capital improvement projects. The rating represents the eighth year in a row that Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings have given Austin the highest bond rating possible, a distinction that gives the city a low borrowing cost to take out bonds. As an example, a round of tax-exempt public improvement bonds with a 20-year term were sold last week at a true interest cost of 2.77 percent. Those bonds are part of a portfolio of debt products the city recently undertook and they will be used to help support affordable housing projects. The high bond rating – which is calculated based on local economic strength, the city’s financial and administrative management, and a variety of debt ratios – will come into play in determining the borrowing costs to secure the bonds for whatever portions of a seven-part series of bond projects that voters will decide in November.
Tuesday, September 25, 2018 by Katy McElroy
Barton Springs University postponed due to flooding
Austin’s yearly day of educational activities related to Barton Springs, Central Texas waterways, and conservation in general has been postponed until further notice. The pool flooded on Saturday after the rain and had to be closed. Barton Springs University organizers held out hope that the event, which was scheduled for Tuesday, could still take place, but on Sunday night they received word that the pool will not be ready to reopen to the public until later in the week. There is no official reschedule date yet, but organizers are looking at the last two weeks of October, after the Austin City Limits Festival.
Monday, September 24, 2018 by Elizabeth Pagano
Central Health reverses Sendero decision
Over the weekend, Central Health board members voted unanimously to rescind a budget decision that threatened to shut down Sendero Health Plans. The vote came after last week’s discussion at the Travis County Commissioners Court, and a Saturday Central Health meeting that saw members of the public pleading to keep the nonprofit insurance company as an option for low-income residents.