City staff has been hard at work preparing its analysis on the benefits of the use of the publicly owned tract of land at McKalla Place as a Major League Soccer stadium. The resolution asking for this analysis, which City Council passed on March 22, also called for a community engagement process to collect the public’s thoughts on the matter. In response, staff has scheduled three information sessions. There will be two on May 8 at the Northwest Recreation Center, 2913 Northland Drive, one beginning at 6 p.m. and one beginning at 7 p.m., and one on May 10 at 7 p.m. at the Montopolis Recreation Center, 1200 Montopolis Drive. Staff’s report to Council is due June 1.

Every year in April, Austin’s environmental officer releases a report on the state of our environment to remind citizens that their tax dollars really do go to work to make a difference in the world they live in. One of the most noteworthy parts of this year’s report is the reappearance of the Barton Spring salamander. Long associated with Barton Springs, the Barton Springs salamander actually roams far and wide through the aquifers and springs of Central Texas and serves as a water quality indicator. At the last meeting of the Environmental Commission, Environmental Officer Chuck Lesniak said during his presentation of the report that this year, staff biologists documented the presence of this endangered species at four springs along Barton and Onion creeks where it had never before been spotted. A project that has been a boon for the endangered salamanders is the Eliza Stream Daylighting Project, which has restored approximately 250 square feet of salamander stream habitat. According to Lesniak, the results of the Watershed Protection Department’s efforts have been almost immediately apparent. Since the Eliza project was completed last September, “we’re starting to see mosses and invertebrates in that stream which are the salamanders’ food sources,” he said. Now that the population numbers are climbing, Lesniak said staff biologists are collecting DNA sequence data from salamanders to determine whether they migrate between different springs and watersheds and to help us understand them better as a species.

This whisper has been corrected to identify the salamander as the Barton Springs salamander.

Next week the city will receive an assessment of its efforts to increase transparency around issues such as homelessness, a tool to increase equity, public meetings, the Open and Smart Advisory Committee and an online project tracking tool. The city’s participation in the Open Government Partnership that includes more than 70 nations and more than 20 local governments spurred the push to improve accountability and transparency. The OGP conducted the independent assessment. There will be two public forums on May 8 to discuss the findings: 2:30 p.m. at Austin History Center and 6 p.m. at the city’s Office of Innovation. The events will also include an outline of the work of the Office of Innovation and a discussion with Open Austin about its work in the OGP process, and will serve as a kickoff for the next round of projects that will seek to increase transparency in other city departments and functions.

The city will give the public a look at the future of Colony Park, its next large-scale transit-oriented development project, later this month. The open house and preview at 6:30 p.m. on May 24 at the Turner-Roberts Recreation Center will include a video presentation from Catellus Development Corporation – one of the development companies on the short list for the Colony Park selection process – on the firm’s plans for the project, with attendees asked to score and give input on what’s ahead for the 208-acre development in Northeast Austin. Input will help in the selection of the final master developer. The city is hoping to turn the property into a hotbed of affordable housing units, retail and office space, a job training center and possibly a center for future mass transit. Catellus, which led the redevelopment of the Mueller Airport property more than a decade ago, is currently the only company on the short list for Colony Park after Stratus Properties Inc. asked to be removed from consideration earlier this year.

The 11th iteration of the Women’s Resource Fair, hosted by the Austin Young Lawyers Association, is this weekend. The fair offers a number of resources to Austin women and children in need of services such as legal assistance, job skills and financial counseling, medical care, haircuts, a clothing closet and more. Child care is provided on-site, as well as breakfast and lunch. All women and children are welcome, and there are no income qualifications or prerequisites for participation. The fair is this Saturday, May 5, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Schmidt-Jones Family Life Center, 1300 Lavaca St. Those who would like to volunteer or provide a service that’s not on the list can email womensresourcefair@hotmail.com. Resources in Spanish will be available.

As the Austin Monitor reported on Monday, the wheels are in motion for Austin to get a permanent police chief. Many have been speculating that City Manager Spencer Cronk would promote Interim Police Chief Brian Manley to the position. In a slight twist, however, Cronk has announced that Manley instead is simply a finalist – albeit the only finalist. Over the next few weeks, the sole finalist will share his platform in a number of public appearances, and after this, the city manager will decide whether to officially appoint him to police chief or open the playing field up to other potential candidates. As part of the engagement process, the city and KLRU-TV are co-hosting two public forums. The first is on Monday, May 7, 6-7:30 p.m. at the Turner-Roberts Recreation Center, 7201 Colony Loop Drive, and the second is on Thursday, May 17, 7-8:30 p.m. at the KLRU Studio, 2504-B Whitis Ave., on the University of Texas campus.

Kids in Austin will ride the bus for free this summer under a new pilot program announced Wednesday morning by Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority President and CEO Randy Clarke. The program is one of three the agency is branding together as its Summer Sun, Late Nights and Family Fun initiative set to run from June 8 to Sept. 1. Under current agency rules, kids younger than 5 years old already ride sans fare. The new program will extend that exemption to include all kids through high school seniors. Additionally, the agency is expanding weekend MetroRail service to include runs to Leander until 1:45 a.m. on Fridays and to Lakeline until 2:30 a.m. on Saturdays. MetroRail will also provide all-day Saturday service starting at 10 a.m. rather than 4 p.m. on June 9, July 7 and Aug. 4. “These pilot initiatives respond directly to what I have been hearing from customers and partners during our customer engagement events,” Clarke said. “They enable us to use our existing services and investments to increase ridership and provide community-focused mobility solutions.”

Welcome back to Ken Craig, who has returned to work on a part-time basis as senior policy adviser to District 5 City Council Member Ann Kitchen. Craig suffered serious injuries on Jan. 16 when his truck apparently hit ice on a Slaughter Lane overpass, went through a guardrail and fell 30 feet.  Craig told the Austin Monitor on Wednesday that he is still doing a lot of physical therapy. He said, “I’ve got the crew at St. David’s (hospital)” for physical therapy. “They’re fantastic.” For now, Craig said he is working three days a week.

Mike Kelly, a staunch liberal Democrat who lobbied not only for paying clients but also for people whose causes he believed in, passed away on Tuesday, just three days before his 73rd birthday. His death was caused by a pneumonia-related illness following treatment for cancer. Kelly used his political skills to help elect Democrats in Oklahoma at a time when Oklahomans would still vote for Democrats. He and his wife, Teresa, moved to Austin, where he worked at the Texas Legislature for then-Sen. Hugh Parmer and later as a lobbyist. State Rep. Donna Howard said via email: “I’ve had the good fortune of knowing Mike for many years. He helped steer me in my initial run as a state representative and has been a dear friend and source of witty counsel. I will miss him and am holding his family in my heart.” Other friends noted that he was always willing to help younger people understand the workings of the Texas Legislature. Most recently, he worked in Bastrop for property owner Robert Leffingwell. He also spent many hours in the last few months trying to help Eddie Wilson, the owner of Threadgill’s, to ensure that the restaurant would retain a spot on the current property after it is redeveloped. Journalist and political consultant Glenn W. Smith said he had known Kelly since Kelly came to Austin. “He’s always been engaged. … Mike has kept all variety of different groups of people in our political town in contact with each other because he got along with everybody. … He grew up in Houston not far from me, although he was older. He’s been a loyal friend, entertaining – a man about town. His friendships cross all kinds of different political groups and personalities. He always seemed to know what was going on everywhere. And he was honest to a fault, which you really appreciate in a political town.” Kelly is survived by his wife, their daughter Kate, one grandson and many friends. His family is planning private services this week, with a memorial celebrating Mike’s life to be held later this spring. In lieu of flowers, the family has established a memorial in Mike’s name at the Girls Empowerment Network, PO Box 3122, Austin, TX 78764 or http://www.girlsempowermentnetwork.org.

County Tax Assessor-Collector Bruce Elfant on Tuesday proposed to the Travis County Commissioners Court to rename the office he works in after his predecessor, Nelda Wells Spears. The first African-American in Texas to serve as a tax assessor-collector, Spears spent 20 years in that role before stepping down in 2011. She died in March at the age of 71. In order to consider the proposal to rename the building at 5501 Airport Blvd., the court unanimously voted to issue a general call for recommendations from the public. Residents can submit their proposals – which must include a biographical sketch of recommended individuals who have made a significant contribution to Travis County – to Facilities Management Director Roger El Khoury by June 11. However, based on statements from the dais, it’s clear that Spears is the clear front-runner for the honor. “It would be a wonderful way to memorialize her,” County Judge Sarah Eckhardt said. Commissioner Jeff Travillion added, “What she represents is so significant in this community: an L.C. Anderson (High School) grad, a person who grew up in the Greater Mount Zion Church, a true community person who lived an honorable life of public service.” The Commissioners Court is set to hold a public hearing on the proposed renaming at its June 19 regular voting session.

The Austin Water Utility has the rarest of good news for its retail customers. As of May 1, rates have gone down for residential, multifamily, commercial and large-volume customers. The average residential customer will see a monthly bill that is $2.40 lower. As a press release from the utility explains, “Refinancing and paying off loans early allowed the utility (to) keep the overall cost down and pass along the savings to ratepayers. Water usage rates were left unchanged in 2017 and then lowered mid-year in 2018. The new current low rates are expected to stay the same through 2018 and 2019.”

The Austin Independent School District has a new police chief. After an exhaustive hiring process that drew candidates from across the nation for multiple interviews and screenings, Ashley Gonzalez was appointed to the position at Monday’s meeting of the board of trustees. His first day on the job will be Thursday, May 24. “Based on his expertise, years of experience and accomplishments, Ashley Gonzalez’s name stood out among the candidates. Particularly, his ability to lead a department, his extensive training in school safety and his reputation as being trustworthy and transparent brought him to the forefront,” Superintendent Paul Cruz said. “We wanted to ensure we had the best person for the job and the best fit for Austin ISD.” Gonzalez was previously deputy chief of police of Norwalk, Connecticut, where he oversaw a $24 million budget. Before he was chief of police, he served as patrol officer, detective, sergeant and lieutenant at the Norwalk Police Department. His achievements throughout his career, such as expanding the School Resource Officer program and handling a program that resulted in reduced juvenile recidivism called the Greater Norwalk Juvenile Review Board, demonstrate his focus on serving the youth in his community. He has an associate degree in criminal justice and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, and he is currently working on a master’s in criminal justice.
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