In what is basically a formality at this point, Jan. 15 has been set as the date to announce that Austin will be the site of the newest Major League Soccer franchise. The announcement, which will take place at the Rustic Tap pub on West Sixth Street, makes it official that the Austin FC professional soccer team will occupy a 20,000-seat stadium slated to open in 2021 on the city’s McKalla Place parcel in North Austin. Last month the city finalized a 20-year lease agreement for the property with Precourt Sports Ventures, the group that operates the Columbus Crew MLS team and had initially planned on relocating that team to Austin. Instead, it appears an Ohio group will purchase the Crew, which caused MLS to create a new team in Austin. The team has moved ahead with administrative needs including hiring executives and securing office space in North Austin. There are still procedural steps in planning and other city departments ahead for the stadium, along with potentially lingering legal and political issues, such as a recently completed petition drive seeking a May ballot measure on the city’s approval of the lease deal. In addition, last year Travis County Commissioners Court asked its legal team to investigate options for challenging the tax-exempt status on the McKalla Place property that is expected to contain a stadium worth more than $200 million.

The Public Safety Commission requested an update on the status of Austin Police Department headquarters on Eighth Street at its Jan. 7 meeting after Commissioner Rebecca Webber explained that the building’s condition resembled that of the 1970s-era Municipal Court, “which is basically falling down as we speak.” APD Chief of Staff Troy Gay acknowledged that the patrol building had issues, and that while the department is working with city management and Real Estate Services to determine if there is an alternative building suitable for headquarters, there are some cosmetic repairs underway. “This building was built in 1976. If you went into it you would know it was built in 1976,” he said. “I do think the (improvements) are overdue.” One recently completed improvement was a repair to the building’s sewer pipes, which were leaking gas. “We have repaired those sewer pipes as well as all the bathrooms on the second, third and fourth floor (which) are being updated,” Gay explained. He said the department was considering updating the locker rooms at headquarters, but that decision has not yet been finalized.

Have any tree-related questions for the city? Starting Jan. 2, the Development Assistance Center has changed the walk-in hours for tree consultations. Walk-in hours are now Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. until noon, on the first floor of One Texas Center, 505 Barton Springs Road.

Austin is on the verge of adopting a new Special Events Ordinance, but there is still time to make comments on the new rules, which were years in the making. The Austin Center for Events is set to adopt the new rules on or after Jan. 19, but comments from the public that are submitted before Jan. 19 will be considered. Those comments should be submitted by mail to: William Manno, Corporate Special Events Program Manager, Austin Center for Events, 505 Barton Springs Road Ste. 1070, Austin, Texas 78702; by phone at 512-850-4477; or via email at ACE.SEORules@austintexas.gov. The rules are posted online here.

At the Jan. 7 meeting of the Public Safety Commission, Police Monitor Farah Muscadin introduced her team’s two new community engagement specialists. “It’s going to be really important that we get out to the community ASAP,” she said. To assist in her community outreach mission, she noted that “we’ll also have two college students that will work with (the new hires) on the community engagement team.” The goal is to provide the community with more information than they were receiving under the Office of the Police Monitor – now known as the Office of Police Oversight. In the new office, Muscadin said that in an effort to review cases, “we’re going to do a preliminary review of every external complaint … we’re going to be able to look at the police reports and any videos.” Additionally, per the new city ordinance, the new office will report on processes and results of investigations, APD policies and procedures, make recommendations to the police chief for discipline, conduct random assessments on the use of force and body cameras, and report findings annually to the public and to City Council. “I’m hoping the days of not knowing about (the Office of the Police Monitor) are over,” she said.

Yesterday, Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir announced that Geetha Lingham will serve as division director for the Elections Division of the County Clerk’s Office, effective Jan. 16. “Geetha Lingham is a veteran of the elections field and I am proud to ask her to continue serving the residents of Travis County in a new role as director of my office’s Elections Division,” said DeBeauvoir in a statement to the press. Lingham has worked as assistant director of the Elections Division since 2016, coming to Travis County after over 20 years in the Cook County Clerk’s Office. According to a press release from the county clerk, “Since 2016, in the Travis County Clerk’s Office, Assistant Director Lingham has worked as part of a leadership team that implemented key changes to the voting process. In particular, she has been focused on harnessing technology to increase efficiency and improve the voter experience in fast-growing Travis County.”

As long as there is no additional flooding (an unlikely prospect), Barton Springs Pool is set to reopen today at noon. According to the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, the pool will remain open on Thursday, its normal cleaning day. Stalwart Deep Eddy Pool will resume normal operating hours on Thursday, Jan. 10.

Wildfires are a very real threat in Central Texas, and after the devastation experienced this fall in Malibu and Paradise, Calif., the Austin Fire Department’s Wildfire Division wants to make sure the public knows exactly how dire the threat is. Justice Jones came to the Jan. 7 meeting of the Public Safety Commission to share that AFD has rolled out an online simulation of wildfire risk in the county. Jones explained that the department has the capability to use that data to replicate how fires spread depending on where they begin. “We can simulate wildfire in any square in Austin and Travis County,” he said. According to him, approximately 647 miles within Austin city limits is at risk. The areas most at risk are in the wildland urban interface, the transition zone between human development and unoccupied land. While there is no foolproof way to predict fires, Jones said he hopes to use the data to better understand where vulnerable populations are and how they can recover after wildfires. He encourages all Austinites to join the Firewise Program to learn how to protect themselves and their property against a potential blaze.

Assistant City Manager Rodney Gonzales, who just started his new job this week, has appointed Deputy Director Denise Lucas as acting director of the Development Services Department, effective Jan. 6. Lucas, who began her employment with the city in 2010, has served as deputy director of Development Services since November 2017, managing building plan reviews and inspections. Prior to joining DSD, she was the deputy chief information officer for Communications and Technology Management and deputy purchasing officer for the Purchasing Office. Gonzales said in a statement that he was “confident in Ms. Lucas’ ability to continue advancing the department’s customer service and technology enhancements.” Lucas will serve in this capacity until a permanent director is found.

In less headline-grabbing news, Austin’s new soccer club, Austin FC, finalized its office space yesterday, signing a lease for space near the Domain. According to a press release about the move, “The club anticipates moving staff into the leased space in February 2019 after the suite is prepared for occupancy. Austin FC will begin operations in the space with approximately 15 full-time employees and will eventually grow to a staff size of approximately 100 full-time employees once the team begins play in Major League Soccer.” The club will be moving into a 15,600-square-foot space near the intersection of Kramer Lane and Metric Blvd., but the press release notes that this is just until permanent offices are constructed. Stay tuned!

Two levels of a spiffy new parking garage have opened up at the Austin airport, luring travelers with the promise of 1,900 more parking spaces. The Blue Garage, located on the former Lot A location, is adjacent to the car rental facility. When the garage is completed in early 2019, it will offer nearly 6,000 parking spaces as well as an up-to-the-minute detection system that helps guide motorists to available parking spaces. The new parking garage is part of the $250 million airport improvement project.

As Council Member Ora Houston moves on to other adventures, her staff has moved on, too. Beverly Wilson, who served as Houston’s chief of staff for four years, has landed a job as executive assistant to Joel Baker, Austin’s new fire chief. Genoveva Rodriguez, who held the position of constituent liaison as well as chief of communications for Houston, will be doing communications and media work for the recently renamed Office of Police Oversight.