Austin school district administrators are hammering out the details of a plan to close some schools and consolidate others. No specific schools have yet been named for closure, though the district will likely target historically under-enrolled schools. By doing so, AISD hopes to close its yawning deficit by as much as $55 million over the next several years. AISD Superintendent Paul Cruz is quick to emphasize that the overarching goal of the school closure plan, which he aims to have approved by the board this month and finalized by summer, is to give students the benefits of renovated facilities. “It’s (about) having 21st-century learning spaces for our kids,” Cruz said. “Making sure they are in fully modernized high-tech environments, because we believe that’ll prepare them for their futures.” Read more here.

Despite 35-degree temps and a persistent drizzle, Mayor Steve Adler came out to Austin’s second annual Far East Fest to celebrate the cultures and cuisines of the city’s Asian inhabitants. In typical Austin fashion, the food festival had lines snaking from booth to booth as people gobbled down warm samples and watched belly dancers and K-pop cover groups. In between the acts, Mayor Adler came onstage to deliver some brief remarks about Austin’s growing Asian population and its influence on the city. He mentioned the importance of promoting cuisine as one of the gateways to culture and the benefits of new experiences for those who might not be so familiar with the cultures represented at the dozens of booths in the parking lot of H Mart. Most importantly, he encouraged the crowd to keep eating, not only because the food was delicious, but because eating is a great way to stay warm.

Yesterday’s City Council meeting kicked off differently than most, with distinguished service awards (and plants) honoring interim assistant city managers Sara Hensley and Joe Pantalion for their service. After a restructuring of the city’s executive team by City Manager Spencer Cronk, both will now return to their previous positions – Hensley as director of the Parks and Recreation Department and Pantalion as director of the Watershed Protection Department. “They both deserve incredible credit and thanks for the seamless leadership they provided,” said Cronk. “They are incredible examples of the professional depth we have here at the city.” Pantalion and Hensley served as interim assistant city managers from April 2017 to the present.

At the end of December, the Lower Colorado River Authority temporarily lowered the level of water in Lake LBJ in order to allow for the repair and maintenance of docks and other structures that were damaged during the severe flooding in October. The lake was lowered about 4 feet. Now, say elected officials in surrounding communities, it’s time to fill the lake back up. The refill was originally set for mid-March, but at the request of the communities, LCRA has shortened the timetable for refilling Lake LBJ. The refill is now scheduled to begin Sunday, Feb. 24, and should be finished by Wednesday, Feb. 27. Water was also released from Lake Marble Falls, lowering that lake about 7 feet. The Marble Falls refill will take place on the original timetable, beginning March 18. For more information on lake and river lowerings, visit LCRA.org.

After a bit more discussion, a sublease at the Recycled Reads store at 5335 Burnet Road was postponed yet again. Council will take up the proposed sublease at its March 7 meeting, a decision that was made after a chorus of pleas for more information on the future of the used bookstore, which could be tied to the proposed lease of the space to Austin Creative Reuse. Many were caught off guard by the idea of winding down operation at a central location of Recycled Reads in favor of book sales that would be dispersed throughout Austin Public Library branches. City Manager Spencer Cronk assured Council members that clarity on the future of Recycled Reads when the sublease returns in March was a “clear takeaway” from the past weeks’ discussions.

Deputy Chief Financial Officer Ed Van Eenoo was the bearer of bad news Tuesday at a City Council work session. Council should not expect the budget process this year to be as easy as it was last year, he said. That would be the case even if the state Legislature does not impose the stringent local government revenue restrictions that Gov. Greg Abbott and other GOP leaders have promised. Under the proposal backed by Abbott, local governments would be allowed to collect a maximum of 2.5 percent more in property tax year-over-year, down from the current maximum of 8 percent. Any increase above 2.5 percent would need voter approval. Council members agreed that the community must speak out against the measure, which they said would devastate city services while providing very little tax relief. They also agreed, however, that the city needs to brace for tough times. Council Member Jimmy Flannigan said it would be even more important for Council to make tough decisions about how to allocate dollars, including by disappointing groups or stakeholders that have come to expect funding for certain programs. Council Member Pio Renteria said that the city might have to pull back on incentives for businesses, suggesting that move might force Republican legislative leaders to reconsider their decision. Council Member Greg Casar said the “forced austerity” from the state means the city would be focused on “mitigating hurt” to existing programs, rather than doing more to help those in need.

The Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department is hoping to entice developers to submit proposals for the Rental Housing Development Assistance Program and the Ownership Housing Development Assistance Program in line with the new development assistance calendar. The new calendar aims to streamline the process and help boost the construction of affordable housing in the city. Project applications can be submitted at any time, and will be reviewed quarterly. Both RHDA and OHDA are critical programs for affordable housing in the city: RHDA promotes housing development construction for low-income households while OHDA funds private and nonprofit developers in purchasing, rehabbing or constructing affordable homeownership opportunities for low- to moderate-income homebuyers. James May, NHCD community development manager, said in the announcement, “Our goal is to establish the clearest and most efficient means for processing these applications in a timely manner. We ask that applications be detailed as to all stages of the development process, so the city’s AHFC (Austin Housing Finance Corporation) Board can consider the entirety of the project.”

City Council will vote Thursday on two items related to the future of Lions Municipal Golf Course, the historic West Austin course that is operated by the city and owned by the University of Texas. One item will extend the termination of the current leasing agreement until May 2020, giving the city more time to try to negotiate a deal with the university to prevent all or part of the land from being leased to a more profitable tenant, such as a commercial developer. Council will also vote on a proposal from staff that would allow the city to negotiate a trade of sorts with UT: If the city forfeits control of part of Red River Street – which UT wants to realign to make way for a new arena – the city will get a certain amount of credit toward the purchase of Muny. On Tuesday some Council members voiced concern about this proposal, saying that they wanted to consider what else the city could get from UT besides Muny.

According to our report yesterday, District 1 Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison had designs on removing four commissioners from city service. That may have been the plan, but city charter restrictions whittled that number down to three (a fact that was discovered following publication of our story). As a result, Board of Adjustment Member Bryan King will not be up for removal on Thursday, and is likely to continue his impressively long service on the quasi-judicial board.

Last year was a banner year for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, with 15.8 million people passing through the airport and setting a new annual passenger traffic record. This number tops the previous 2017 record-setting mark of 13.8 million travelers by nearly 2 million. This is the ninth year in a row that ABIA has set a new annual passenger record. “It’s an eye-popping number,” Walter Zaykowski, a senior director of the Austin Chamber of Commerce, told the Austin Business Journal. “There’s just a lot of interest in Austin,” he explained. “The economy being as strong as it is in addition to the tourism factor.” Apparently, Austin had better get used to all those visitors, since even more travelers are expected in the coming year. “I don’t see those numbers slowing down,” Zaykowski said.

The Watershed Protection Department is scheduled to begin erosion repair work along Shoal Creek Trail near 12th Street. The trail that runs alongside Shoal Creek Boulevard, between 12th and Lamar, is badly eroded and the problem is rapidly worsening. This week the trail will be detoured to the sidewalk by House Park Stadium. In the following weeks, the trail will be closed during the week and open on most Fridays and weekends. The work will include the removal of invasive plants that are choking the stream and inhibiting the growth of native plants. A new limestone block wall will be built to serve as a retaining wall for 100 feet of stream bank. Since the trail repair work is being done in the creek bed, all work is weather permitting. Once this section of trail is repaired, the crew will begin work on Shoal Creek Trail near Sixth Street. 

Autonomous car technology is such a rapidly advancing field that the Texas Department of Transportation has decided to form a task force to be a one-stop resource on all related advancements, investments and initiatives in the state. The Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Task Force will host industry forums and encourage collaboration in the field of mobility technology. The city of Austin is a leader in smart mobility, with several pilot projects in the hopper for 2019, following on the heels of its successful signal-phasing project with the U.S. Department of Transportation that deployed short-range communication technology at five Austin intersections. In 2017, the state passed a law allowing self-driving cars on public roads. TxDOT hopes the CAV task force will encourage further innovation and investment in autonomous vehicles in the interest of improving highway safety.