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Whispers
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.
Monday, September 24, 2018 by Katy McElroy
The science of safe riding
Last summer, 12 intersections in Central Austin got new bicycle signal faces: Third and Brazos streets, Third and Colorado streets, Third Street and Congress Avenue, Third and Guadalupe streets, Third and Lavaca streets, Fourth and Red River streets, 24th and Rio Grande streets, Airport and Wilshire boulevards, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Rio Grande Street, Morrow Street and North Lamar Boulevard, W. Cesar Chavez Street and B.R. Reynolds Drive, W. Cesar Chavez Street and Sandra Muraida Way. The Austin Transportation Department would now like cyclists to register their feedback on the signals through a short survey before Oct. 5. The survey data will be compared with data from a survey conducted before the signals were installed, as part of a study that is gauging how much public perception and knowledge regarding bicycle signals and safety has changed in the past year.
Monday, September 24, 2018 by Chad Swiatecki
That means the nice weather is here, right?
Zilker Park’s Great Lawn and other related areas are closed to the public beginning today to accommodate the beginning of the load-in for the Austin City Limits Festival. The preparation for the event will affect assorted parts of the park and surrounding roads until the beginning of the festival on Oct. 5. The Austin Parks and Recreation Department has prepared a schedule of how the load-in is expected to impact various areas and neighborhoods in the coming weeks. The park will undergo post-event maintenance from Oct. 20 to 26 and transition back to normal activity through Oct. 31. Following ACL Fest, the park’s next big events will be the Trail of Lights Fun Run on Dec. 1, and the opening of the Trail of Lights on Dec. 10.
Monday, September 24, 2018 by Chad Swiatecki
Join TCAD?
The city of Austin and Austin Independent School District are seeking applicants to fill two open seats on the board of directors for the Travis Central Appraisal District. That board’s primary responsibility is developing the annual appraisal roll used by local taxing units in imposing ad valorem property taxes in the district. The city and school district have a shared seat that is open on the board and AISD has another open seat of its own that is open. Applications for the two seats are available here and here. Other responsibilities of the board, which meets the first Monday of each month, include hiring the chief appraiser and approving the annual budget for the appraisal district and setting all TCAD policies. The applications are open until Sept. 28.
Friday, September 21, 2018 by Jo Clifton
City honors Capital City Men’s Chorus
Mayor Steve Adler welcomed the Capital City Men’s Chorus to City Hall Thursday, reading a proclamation in their honor and noting that City Council needs the music. Although Thursday’s meeting ended early, adjourning before 4:30 p.m., the mayor noted that most Council meetings go well past 5:30 p.m., and “we break it up with music. It’s important given the vigorousness with which people debate on this dais actually separating everybody at 5:30 and bringing in a little music. And sometimes I am convinced that we wouldn’t ever actually have people come back after the break if they didn’t have music,” he said. The Capital City Men’s Chorus, which is Austin’s oldest men’s chorus, is celebrating its 30th year with two performances this weekend at the Rollins Studio Theater at the Long Center.
Friday, September 21, 2018 by Jack Craver
City debates releasing land to Dripping Springs
Once the city acquires land, it is exceedingly rare that it gives it up. However, that’s essentially what city staff has recommended Council do with two parcels of land (totaling 33 acres) on both sides of U.S. Highway 290, between Austin and Dripping Springs. The land is currently part of Austin’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, but under the proposal by staff, it would become part of Dripping Springs’ ETJ. “The product of several years of discussions and meetings with officials from Dripping Springs,” the agreement transferring the land “will accomplish legitimate public purposes of both cities and should be approved as a continuing process in regional coordination and cooperation with our neighboring jurisdictions,” says a memo from city staff. Staff argued that the land would operate under similar environmental standards if it was part of Dripping Springs’ ETJ, but Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo was nevertheless concerned by the fact that the land would no longer be subject to the city’s Save Our Springs Ordinance. She asked that the measure be postponed until Council’s Oct. 4 meeting, a request that Council unanimously approved.
Friday, September 21, 2018 by Katy McElroy
Grants for a greener future
The city’s Office of Sustainability is now accepting applications for a grant program that will provide up to $3,000 to school-based sustainability projects, funded by Austin Resource Recovery, Watershed Protection, Public Works, Austin Transportation and Austin Energy. All Austin Independent School District and Austin area charter and private schools, as well as schools in cities that use use Austin Energy, Austin Water Utility, or Austin Resource Recovery services, such as Round Rock or Pflugerville, are encouraged to apply. Anyone representing the school, including teachers, parents, nonprofit organizations, students and administrators, can submit the application for a Bright Green Future Grant. Selected projects will be innovative and inspire students to a lifetime of caring for the environment. The projects should also feature hands-on learning, for example an organic garden, rain garden or bicycle academy. The application window will close on Oct. 1: Find the application here and a list of past winners here.
Friday, September 21, 2018 by Katy McElroy
Bye-bye burn ban
It’s been pretty wet lately out there, and all that rain has made it possible for the Parks and Recreation Department to announce today that the burn ban been lifted. Fire ’em up!