The city’s Law Department notified the Austin Monitor on Wednesday that it would not provide a copy of a nondisclosure agreement signed by any city official or employee regarding the location of Amazon’s HQ2 offices. Austin is one of 20 cities competing to become Amazon’s second headquarters, where the company is expected to invest more than $5 billion and hire perhaps as many as 50,000 employees. The city and other Central Texas governmental entities are working with the Austin Chamber of Commerce to submit a proposal. The Monitor’s request, along with a similar request from attorney Bill Aleshire, was referred to the Texas Office of the Attorney General for a ruling on whether the city may keep the nondisclosure agreement confidential. The Monitor specifically stated that the request was not about negotiations or incentives that may have been discussed with Amazon. It was simply a request to see what the city and Amazon said when the parties agreed not to disclose any terms of the agreement. The city claims in its letter that disclosing such information “would give advantage to a competitor or bidder.” Aleshire said the fact that the Law Department has asked the attorney general for a ruling indicates that there is, in fact, a nondisclosure agreement that some city official has signed, because if there were no such agreement the city would simply tell those requesting the documents that they did not exist. Aleshire has been battling the city for quite some time over open records and open meetings. He observed that the new request for secrecy from the attorney general “is the standard of transparency from the city of Austin we are becoming accustomed to. How bad have things gotten at the city that they even keep secret their written promise to Amazon to keep their discussions secret?”

Evolve Austin has mixed feelings about the third draft of CodeNEXT. The group, which is backed by a coalition of environmental groups, nonprofits focused on affordable housing, and real estate interests, is pushing for a code that facilitates New Urbanist principles of dense and transit-oriented development. In a statement released Wednesday, the group noted some improvements in the third draft, including an increase in properties allowed to add accessory dwelling units, a reduction in minimum lot size, reduced regulations for small residential developments and a reduction in parking requirements. However, the proposed code still does not allow enough housing, the group said. Evolve would like to see more areas of the city that allow “missing middle” housing, such as townhouses and small multifamily complexes. It also calls for fewer rules around transit corridors that would inhibit density, such as height limits, and “more robust incentives” to entice developers to participate in the city’s SMART Housing program.

Though City Council was scheduled to discuss, and possibly act on, using city-owned land (including parkland) for a Major League Soccer stadium and practice fields, that discussion has been put on indefinite hold. A Feb. 2 memo from Acting Parks Director Kimberly McNeeley explains that staff needs more time to “commence with a robust community engagement” before they can figure out when the item will return to the agenda. “A robust community engagement is estimated to take approximately three (3) months,” wrote McNeeley, who added that, of course, Council members can choose to schedule the discussion for a specific time if it is their prerogative.

Gentrification and displacement continue to dominate political talk in Austin. This month, the city is offering an official chance to weigh in on the topics at a community forum held by the city of Austin’s Anti-Displacement Task Force. The task force, which was formed by City Council in order to take a closer look at displacement in the city, is looking for public feedback on things like affordable housing and preserving cultural assets. The forum will take place on Saturday, Feb. 24 at the Conley-Guerrero Senior Activity Center, 808 Nile St., from 1 to 4 p.m. More information, and the opportunity to RSVP, is on Facebook or can be obtained by emailing the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department at NHCD@austintexas.gov. Linguistic and hearing impaired translation services, child care and refreshments will be available.

Council is set to add more than $220,000 to a contract for Sorenson Forensics to help the city finally eliminate the backlog of sexual assault kits waiting for testing. Acting Police Chief Brian Manley said that the city currently has a backlog of 497 kits. Of those, 215 will go to Sorenson, with the rest already assigned to other labs. Manley said he wanted to increase funding for Sorenson because it currently has “increased capacity” to take on additional kits. “The expectation is that we will have the kits out by the end of May,” he said, adding that the turnaround time would be 60 to 120 days, so the backlog should be eliminated and the kits tested by the end of September.

The National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program and Asakura Robinson, an urban planning firm based here in Austin, have been working on the master plan for improvements for the Little Walnut Creek Greenbelt. The greenbelt covers 206 acres in East Austin near the intersection of 51st Street and U.S. Highway 183. The area is largely undeveloped, and the goal of the master plan is to make it an attractive recreational space. The National Park Service would like to begin the process by collecting public feedback through a survey and several public meetings. The first such meeting will be Sunday, February 25, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Givens Recreation Center, and will consist of a presentation followed by open discussion, where attendees can share their thoughts on the state of the land today and what they would like to see happen with it in the future.

Hot on the heels of the news last week that the Austin Center for Events is getting close to cutting off applications for special events during South by Southwest, today comes one honey of a list of every event that has thus far applied for a special permit during “spring festival season.” There’s a multitude of uses for a list like this: identifying the parts of the city that will cause especially nightmarish traffic and crowding, figuring which parties look especially attractive to try to score an RSVP or credentials for, or just peeking in on what big global brands are (and aren’t) planning to plant a flag in Austin for most of a week. Noteworthy names missing from the list include Apple Music, Amazon Music and Spotify, though it’s worth noting that events included there are only those that need some kind of special use of public resources like traffic closures, noise limit rollbacks or capacity increases. If Apple were to, say, rent out ACL Live for the better part of a week booked with exclusive shows, that’s not an event that would necessitate a special use permit. Also of note: Fader Fort is back, now moved to East Seventh Street. What we’re really wondering, though, is what in the world is involved in the 12 Burning Dress Water Art displays that will be set up around various points within the downtown core (more or less) beginning on March 10.

Unpaid parking tickets or other citations weighing you down? The Austin Municipal Court and Downtown Austin Community Court are offering warrant amnesty right now through March 4. That means that you can “take care of your unpaid citations, have your warrant fees on outstanding warrant cases waived, and have your active warrants cleared,” without fear of arrest. No need to make an appointment, just walk into the court locations at 700 E. Seventh St. and 719 E. Sixth St. You can also visit the substations at 12425 Lamplight Village Ave. and 5700 Manchaca Road if you know you don’t need to speak with a judge. And don’t worry if you don’t have the funds to pay right now: The courts are providing options to set up a payment plan, request community service or apply for a waiver. In addition, there will be providing four free information sessions from 4 to 7 p.m. at the following locations:

• Feb. 13: Willie Mae Kirk Library Branch, 3101 Oak Springs Drive
• Feb. 14: Old Quarry Library Branch, 7051 Village Center Drive
• Feb. 20: Cepeda Library Branch, 651 N. Pleasant Valley Road
• Feb. 27: Pleasant Hill Library Branch, 211 E. William Cannon Drive

Warrant amnesty only applies to charges filed in the Austin Municipal Court or Downtown Austin Community Court. View the flyer here for docket hours and more information (click here for the Spanish version).

The Austin Transportation Department has hired Jason JonMichael to serve as its new assistant director of smart mobility. A press release announcing the news touts JonMichael as “a transportation technology expert with specialized experience in connected, automated, and electric vehicle research, deployment, and program development.” He apparently gained some of this experience at his most recent gig as a national technology leader for HNTB Corp., the engineering firm that, among other things, served as the consultant for Project Connect’s failed light rail proposal in 2014. In his new role, “JonMichael will lead a cross-functional team of mobility, technology, policy, data, and user experience specialists to deliver outcomes that improve mobility, safety and access to Austin residents,” the city’s press release declares. In other words, he will help implement the vision laid out in the city’s Smart Mobility Roadmap, the City Council-ordered document that serves as a keystone of sorts for a potential future of shared electric autonomous vehicles. “I’m excited about the opportunity to leverage my expertise, passion and experience in the transportation industry to provide meaningful mobility improvements to my hometown of Austin,” JonMichael said.

The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Transportation Policy Board added a brand-new title to Mayor Steve Adler’s business card on Monday evening. With a unanimous vote, the board tapped Adler to serve a two-year term as its vice chair. He replaces Bastrop County Commissioner Clara Beckett, who had served in the role since 2014. A CAMPO committee had previously recommended returning Beckett for another term. On Monday, Chair Will Conley announced that Beckett was out sick but had stressed to him that she would be comfortable with any decision made by the board. Burnet County Judge James Oakley then motioned to accept committee’s recommendation and scored a second from Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty. However, before the board could vote, Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt offered a substitute motion in Adler’s favor. Chair Will Conley asked Adler how he felt about the idea, to which the mayor simply said, “I’d be honored to serve.” Ahead of taking a vote on Eckhardt’s substitute motion, Conley praised the CAMPO region’s diversity but also underscored the virtues of unity in the face of “spirited discussions” with state leadership. Declaring himself “more than comfortable” with Adler taking the vice chair role, Conley added, “I, of course, am a non-voting member of this organization at this point in time, but that does not mean I cannot share my opinion.” The board then unanimously voted to select Adler to serve as its vice chair, a role that the board’s bylaws enshrine as the preferred – though not required – successor to the chair.

Today is the day, folks. The third draft of CodeNEXT comes out today, and now the real debate can begin. Draft three is the official city staff policy recommendation, and it will be presented today at City Hall at 5 p.m. Following the presentation, city staff will answer questions from the public at a community open house in the atrium, until 7 p.m. A Feb. 8 memo explains the process from there. After the release of the draft, it explains, there is ample room for public comment. Comments can be submitted on the draft text and map at codenext.civicomment.org and codenext.engagingplans.org, respectively. The city will also be taking general comments through email (CodeNEXT@austintexas.gov), at commission meetings (austintexas.gov/codenext) and, starting on Feb. 15, Austinites can make an appointment to talk about the drafts in person by calling 512-974-3583. And, if you are eager to read a bunch about CodeNEXT right NOW, you can go check out what Mayor Steve Adler and Council members Ann Kitchen and Alison Alter have to say. On Friday, the trio dropped a list of more than 50 goals for the Land Development Code rewrite on the City Council Message Board.

This whisper has been corrected. The phone number for feedback on CodeNEXT will be a means to make appointments, not a hotline to talk about the rewrite.

Time is getting tight for event planners looking to get in on the citywide hoopla that comes with South by Southwest. On Friday, the city of Austin’s Center for Events announced it is nearing capacity for processing and approving applications for special events taking place around the 10-day stretch of panels, concerts and other attractions that make up “spring festival season,” in City Hall parlance. As of Friday, the office had received 156 applications for temporary use permits, temporary event sound permits and temporary change of use and occupant load permits. Event organizers whose applications would require minimal examination or whose overall impact on city resources would be small could still receive a review, but those looking to throw large or multiday events may have already missed their window. Friday’s announcement said ACE staff expects to close acceptance of all spring festival applications by the end of this week. Information on the permitting process is available at www.austintexas.gov/department/venues.