On April 11, the Zero Waste Advisory Commission welcomed Council Member Ellen Troxclair’s District 8 appointee, Phil Howry. Howry has lived in the District 8 Lost Creek neighborhood since 1981 and has been an active but unofficial voice since this southwestern part of the city was annexed in December 2015. Notably, he recently argued against Austin Resource Recovery overtaking the neighborhood trash routes, claiming that his bill was five times as expensive as it was before annexation. Now he has an official spot through which he can help improve waste recovery efforts in the city of Austin.

Earth Day is on April 22, but the Austin Parks Foundation is dedicating the whole month to promoting giveback events and volunteerism in support of Austin parks. For those who have a little extra time to donate, the foundation has a complete list of volunteer opportunities on its GivePulse page. Giveback events begin April 19, when the Austin Parks Foundation and the Trail Foundation will receive 5 percent of all sales at all Austin Whole Foods locations. Then, on April 20, the Austin Parks Foundation is part of the Give 5 day, where a group of local businesses have pledged 5 percent of their profits to nine local nonprofits. Finally on Earth Day, April 22, at 11 a.m., yoga instructor Lizzie Aguirre will be leading a class at Native Hostel “filled with intention, laughter, yoga and live music,” followed by “mindful cocktails from Juice Society and a nourishing brunch.” This event is free, but those who donate are guaranteed admission, which is limited. Reserve here.

A major issue artists in Austin are facing is finding (and keeping) affordable places in which to create, show and perform their works. When the Economic Development Department released its 68-page report response to the Music and Creative Ecosystem Omnibus in June 2016, it named affordable space a priority for the creative community. Last year, the Art Space Assistance Program was created to provide emergency financial assistance to groups facing problems with rent and maintenance on their properties. An total of $200,000 was granted to the program in the Fiscal Year 2017-18 budget, which was allocated to 11 groups in amounts ranging from $9,000 to $35,000. In an April 12 memo, Interim Economic Development Director Rebecca Giello updated the mayor and City Council members on the progress of the program, so far. All of the organizations except the Vortex theater “are using their grants to reduce rent expense,” Giello says. The Vortex “is using its grant to reduce building code compliance related expenses.” The memo also gives some specifics on how the agencies are using their money. The Tapestry Dance Company, which received $9,065 from ASAP, reported that it was able “to retain their current roster of professional artists,” the memo says. In addition, the funds gave the company the ability “to continue offering performances and education that otherwise would have been cut or reduced.” The Austin Visual Arts Association received $4,000, which, the memo reports, “allowed the agency to keep their space and enter into a new 3-year agreement with their landlord.” The grant money also helped the association “stabilize their finances following unexpected rent increases during the summer of 2017 and allowed the agency to continue programming without having to raise fees or rents of their artists.” The ASAP funding was a one-time allocation, and the department is currently reviewing the program to determine whether it should continue in the future.

Travis County employees and officials now have new guidance regarding the solicitation of and accepting of gifts. The Commissioners Court approved the new gift policy last Tuesday, and it will go into effect on June 1. “The public expects County officials and employees to devote their time and energies to the service of the people, and not to self-enrichment in any form,” said the county’s Intergovernmental Relations Officer Deece Eckstein, chair of the Ethics Policy Workgroup that was tasked with creating this policy. “With the adoption of this new gift policy, the Court has provided a clear and enforceable standard which will serve the needs of the Court’s workforce and reassure the public of the Court’s commitment to integrity and transparency.” During the yearlong process of creating the policy, the workgroup looked at gift policies of other urban counties around the U.S. While the policy only applies to the Commissioners Court and departments directly under its control, at the meeting, commissioners expressed confidence that it could be beneficial in the offices of other elected and appointed officials in the county as well. “I am confident this newly adopted policy will … set a high standard for the Court’s conduct, an example which will ripple throughout the organization,” Eckstein said.

Planning Commissioners voted unanimously to stick with their current slate of officers Tuesday. Stephen Oliver will remain chair, Fayez Kazi will stay on as vice chair, James Schissler will be parliamentarian and James Shieh will continue as secretary of the commission. “While we are in CodeNEXT right now, I’ll just say, ‘keep the same hands on the wheel, and you guys are doing a great job,’” said Commissioner Greg Anderson. He was backed by his fellow commissioners, who did not seem to buy claims that Oliver has inappropriately mingled commission work on CodeNEXT with his own interests. “I don’t always agree with everything the officers have to say but I’ve been very impressed by the fairness and the way the commission has been run,” said Commissioner Conor Kenny. “I look forward to continuing fair and transparent leadership.” Commissioners voted 9-0 to elect the officers to a one-year term. Oliver and Commissioners Angela De Hoyos Hart, Tom Nuckols and Trinity White were absent for the vote.

As Austin grows, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport traffic does too: 2017 saw a record 13.88 million travelers. The ABIA 2040 Master Plan is being developed to ensure adequate expansion to accommodate all these passengers. An important component of the plan is a continued focus on preserving the airport’s “Austin atmosphere,” and the master plan team is gathering community input for ideas on how best to do that. The second public workshop will be on April 19, 6-8:30 p.m., at 2716 Spirit of Texas Drive. There will be a presentation at 6:30 p.m., informational displays, and a Q&A session with consultants, planners and engineers from the plan team.

Texans face some unique challenges, but from April 28 until April 30, we can face some of those tax-free. During the upcoming tax holiday, emergency preparation supplies can be purchased without sales tax. For the purposes of the holiday, emergency supplies include things like batteries, flashlights, generators and hurricane shelters. A complete list of qualifying items is online here. Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar’s office estimates Texas emergency preppers will save more than $1.5 million during the tax holiday, which was approved during the state’s 2015 legislative session. “The severe weather we had last year  particularly Hurricane Harvey – was a stark reminder that Texans should be prepared for emergencies at all times,” Hegar said. “This tax holiday allows people to save money while ensuring they have the supplies they need before an emergency situation occurs.”

The photography exhibit “We’ll Just Rock for Ourselves: Selections from the Lisa Davis Photograph Archive” opens next week at the Austin History Center. Davis took the photos in the early 1990s to capture and document Austin’s lesbian and queer music community at that time. A University of Texas graduate, Davis worked as a staff photographer for the Associated Press and on a freelance basis for many other publications such as The Austin Chronicle, Rolling Stone and OUT Magazine. She was also an activist and chronicled her participation in several protests. After struggling with depression, Davis took her own life on July 14, 1995. She was 32 years old. The center received her collection in 2010, and this show marks the first time these pictures have been in an exhibition. Local musician Gretchen Phillips will perform at the opening, which takes place on Tuesday, April 24, at 6:30 p.m. in the David Earl Holt Photo Gallery at 810 Guadalupe St. Light refreshments will be available. The exhibit is free and will run through July 22.

It’s hard for gardeners to know exactly what kind of nutrients are in their soil. That’s why Brownfields Revitalization Office, a division of Austin Resource Recovery, is offering free soil testing at the Soil Kitchen this weekend. Christine Whitney, program manager for the office, said, “Soil testing is an important start for preparing garden beds before planting. Understanding what is actually in the soil provides gardeners with the information they need to successfully grow healthy crops for their families.” While there, gardeners can also attend the East Austin Garden Fair, where there will be demonstrations on how to build raised beds and get started with home composting, and expert gardeners on hand to answer any and all gardening-related questions. Testing will be available on April 14 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and April 15 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center. To ensure quality soil sampling, attendees are urged to view the office’s instructions on the Soil Kitchen website.

With Council Member Ellen Troxclair out on maternity leave, City Council will be considering adding Council Member Alison Alter to the list of appointees to the Audit and Finance Committee. In order to do that, the seven Council members expected to be in attendance at today’s meeting will waive the section of city code that limits membership of the committee to four persons. The new section is expected to state that the limit on membership is waived temporarily “to permit the appointment of five Council members on the committee.” It is unclear whether the ordinance will include language stating that the waiver is in effect only during the term of Troxclair’s absence. Council Member Leslie Pool objected to inserting her colleague’s name into the ordinance and initially objected to making the waiver temporary. However, Mayor Steve Adler said some other members of Council had wanted the word “temporary” in the ordinance. Pool said, “In the spirit of massive cooperation on (the Audit and Finance item), I’d split the baby,” and drop her objection to the word “temporary” if Adler would drop the reference to Troxclair’s absence. At any rate, the mayor said he expects that there will be a new ordinance on the makeup of committees at the April 26 Council meeting. The next Audit and Finance Committee meeting is currently scheduled for April 25. With Troxclair gone, Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo will become chair and Pool will be vice chair.

The Board of Adjustment voted unanimously to retain its current slate of officers Monday. That means William Burkhardt will remain chair and Melissa Hawthorne will continue on as vice chair for the time being. “We’ve got good leadership right now,” said Board Member Michael Von Ohlen. “So we’ve got a motion to maintain the status quo.”

Council Member Ellen Troxclair gave birth Monday to a baby girl she and her husband, Caleb, have named Margaret May, according to well-informed City Hall sources. This is the second daughter for the Troxclairs. Their first daughter, Juliette, was born in 2016. Troxclair, who represents District 8 in Southwest Austin, has said she plans to run for re-election in November.