Precourt Sports Ventures, the group pushing to move the Columbus Crew professional soccer club to Austin, put some indirect pressure on city leaders Friday thanks to an endorsement from two local business groups in favor of the move. The support came from the Austin Chamber of Commerce and the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce, with the groups touting the economic and community benefits of Austin getting a Major League Soccer franchise. The main sticking point in the potential move is a decision on where to build a stadium with approximately 20,000 seats that PSV hopes can be built on city-owned property. The consideration of city parkland – now whittled down to just Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Metropolitan Park in addition to other non-parkland property owned by the city – has sparked objections from conservationist and other groups around the city. That friction has caused City Council and staff to not rush into any decisions on the issue. PSV, meanwhile, wants some certainty so it can move forward with negotiations on a temporary home for the team in time for the 2019 MLS season.

The Austin Transportation Department and Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority would like to invite the public to the latest installment of the Traffic Jam. The Traffic Jam workshop offers the chance for Central Texas residents to chat with transportation heavies about ongoing initiatives such as the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan and Project Connect. In addition, attendees will be able to “give input on preliminary street designs and proposed ideas, test concepts with hands-on activities, and visit the special Join the Movement Bus. Attendees will also have an opportunity to learn more about projects from other local transportation agencies and programs, such as the (Central Texas Regional) Mobility Authority and the City’s Smart Mobility Road Map.” Traffic Jam: Taking It to the Streets goes down Saturday, Feb. 24, at the Central Library, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. As always, jammers are encouraged to use public transportation: Capital Metro routes 3, 111, 171 and 803 go to the library.

The final draft of CodeNEXT will be released Monday. And, in preparation for that release, four City Council members have taken the unorthodox step of creating a blog about the Land Development Code rewrite. Council members Jimmy Flannigan, Delia Garza, Pio Renteria and Greg Casar, who comprise the “For All Austinites” coalition, released their first post on Thursday. The “joint op-ed” stresses the need to update the outdated code, which they say is only working to increase inequality in the city. It reads, in part, “Encouraging a diverse mix of housing across the city, not only in undeveloped parts of town, begins to bridge the gaps  –  not just between haves and have-nots but between homes and grocery stores and museums and bus lines and jobs. Making a fair and just code also begins to address the disparity of opportunity. Decades of operating under a broken code have created an environment where larger developers and affluent landowners and homeowners (who can afford the best lobbyists and contractors) may “game the system” and enjoy opportunities – in home buying, home renovation, and rental properties  – that the average homeowner and renter cannot. … Now is the time to fix the failed status-quo policies of the past and to create a land-development code for all Austinites. Now is the time for us to put aside community divisions, look at the big picture, and focus on our shared future.” City Council is currently expected to take up CodeNEXT in April, though that timeline could be delayed by discussion at the city’s land use commissions.

Mike Siegel, an assistant city attorney for Austin, has a new hobby. He is one of five Democrats competing in the March 6 primary to run against incumbent U.S. Congress member Michael McCaul in District 10. The district’s pretty safely Republican, but Siegel is doing well and reports that he has gotten an endorsement from just about every Democratic group he has asked. That includes the Austin Environmental Democrats; the Stonewall Democrats of Austin; the Capital Area Progressive Democrats, the Austin Central Labor Council; and the Austin chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The district stretches from Austin to Houston, and Siegel noted that he had picked up endorsements from Area 5 Democrats, the oldest Democratic club in Texas, as well as the Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, Houston AFSCME and Unite Here Local 23, which represents airport workers. He also said he has support from Council members Greg Casar, Pio Renteria and Delia Garza. He said he will continue to work his day job and campaign at night, during lunch hours and weekends and “I take leave when I have to.” He said if he gets the Democratic nomination he will have to talk to his boss about taking more time off. Siegel has handled some high-profile cases for the city, including the lawsuit against the state over Senate Bill 4, the anti-immigrant legislation passed by the state legislature in 2017.

Last Friday, Feb. 2, Nathan Wiebe completed his final day as the chief of investigations for the Office of the City Auditor. His new role is IT security consultant for the Office of the Chief Information Security Officer. Specifically, Wiebe will work in digital forensic investigations to support citywide inquiries. With his background in computer forensics, this job appears to be a natural transition. Wiebe told the Austin Monitor that as our world migrates more and more online, being able to investigate people in conjunction with their digital footprint is a pivotal skill set. Jason Hadavi, the deputy city auditor who is looking for a replacement for Wiebe’s position, told the Monitor that it is not, however, an easy skill set to find. The city is currently reaching out to candidates across the country and encouraging them to apply when the position opens officially. “If they can get one of these folks on board, I’m very, very comfortable it will be a smooth transition,” said Wiebe.

The Austin Public Library and KAZI Book Review are hosting a free Celebration of Diverse Literary Voices of Texas, in honor of African-American History Month. Eight Texas authors and editors will be in attendance for readings and “panel discussions on cultural diversity, African American education, Mexican American literature and social justice in literature,” according to the news release. Books will be available for sale. Head to the Austin Central Library Living Room (on the sixth floor) on Saturday, Feb. 24, from 1 to 5 p.m.

It’s time for the State of the County address. Every year, Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt delivers a speech covering the previous year’s accomplishments and setting out goals for the next year. This year’s State of the County will be tonight at 6 p.m. at the Travis County Administration Building, 700 Lavaca St., first floor. Everyone is welcome.

Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr, who has served as the leader of Austin’s Fire Department since 2009, is returning to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she began her career as a firefighter 18 35 years ago. Interim City Manager Elaine Hart announced Wednesday that Kerr had accepted the position of fire chief at the Fort Lauderdale Fire-Rescue Department, where she started in 1983 before becoming fire chief in Little Rock, Arkansas, and then in Austin. Her retirement is effective July 1, which will give Austin’s new City Manager Spencer Cronk time to get his feet on the ground before choosing a new chief. When Kerr came to Austin, she was the first female chief and exemplified the city’s push to hire more female firefighters. She will also be the first female chief for Fort Lauderdale. Although the local firefighters union has voted to censure her twice, it has not stopped her from rising through the ranks in the International Association of Fire Chiefs. She served as president of that organization as well as president of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association during 2015-16. In Austin, Kerr established four-person staffing on all fire apparatus and started the first Wildfire Division. Kerr also helped to create the Austin Fire Foundation and expanded the department’s outreach to distribute free smoke alarms every year. Although the Austin department is considerably larger than Fort Lauderdale Fire-Rescue, the Florida city was recognized as having the busiest fire station in the nation in 2014.

Council Member Ann Kitchen has an update on Senior Policy Advisor Ken Craig and information on how to help. Craig was in a serious accident last month on the Slaughter Bridge during the ice storm. Kitchen said her office is collecting cards for Craig and has organized a blood drive for March 19 at City Hall. To donate blood in his name, visit the We Are Blood website and use the group code C874. In addition, people can spread the word about this drive using this poster, or donate blood using the group code at other We Are Blood clinics located at 4300 N. Lamar Blvd. and 3100 W. Slaughter Lane. Reservations at those clinics can be made by calling 512-206-1266.

Kitchen also relayed a message from Craig, which reads:

Thanks for the prayerful support of all of you. I have been able to complete the first stage of my recovery and am now engaged in inpatient rehabilitative care. Due to the virulent nature of this particular strain of flu in the area, this being cold season, and my compromised respiratory system, my ability to receive visitors will be extremely limited.

I will always be grateful for each of you. Thank you.

The city of Austin has been working on improvements to Anderson Mill Road between Spicewood Parkway and U.S. Highway 183. Last year, staff gathered community input and combined it with technical assessments to create a draft of “recommendations to improve mobility, safety and connectivity for all roadway users.” Now, the city would like some feedback on these recommendations. The feedback will be used to inform the preliminary engineering report, which is planned to be released in March 2018; the design phase should begin shortly after. To offer feedback, attend the open house this Saturday, Feb. 10, from 10 a.m. to noon at Hope Presbyterian Church’s Activities and Education Center (11559 Spicewood Parkway). District 6 City Council Member Jimmy Flannigan would love to see you there!

Noticed quicker travel times on Cesar Chavez Street recently? It’s not just a seasonal phenomenon. According to the Austin Transportation Department, the traffic signals on Cesar Chavez were retimed after the opening of the MoPac Express Lanes, and this appears to have resulted in reduced rush hour delays in the area. The news release mentions that the department has noticed reductions in both the morning and evening rush hours. Travel time reductions range from 25 to 30 percent, which means travelers are arriving at their destinations about 2 to 5 minutes faster than they were before the signal retiming. The department plans to continue monitoring travel times in the area to keep improving the experience for commuters.

If you’ve been meaning to get a library card but you are unable or can’t find the time to visit a branch, the Austin Public Library now has an option for you. Austinites aged 18 and older can now register for a library “eCard” completely online by submitting an application and uploading a copy of a valid (not expired) acceptable photo ID and proof of current residence address. Applications take two to three business days to process, and you can find the form here. Once approved, you will receive an email with your eCard number, which will provide you with access to all the electronic resources that are in the Virtual Library, such as streaming entertainment and e-books. If you decide one day that you’d like to check out physical books or movies, you can convert your eCard account to a full-access account by bringing your ID and residence documentation to any library branch. Note: You already have access to the full Virtual Library if you already have a library card.