This Monday, the Austin Monitor will be teaming up with our CodeNEXT Hub partners to talk about the Land Development Code rewrite, why it has become so contentious and how to move the city forward, together, despite the differing opinions about the massive undertaking. The discussion, “ATX Together: Decoding CodeNEXT,” will be live-streamed on Monday as well as broadcast on KLRU at a later date. The event is free and open to the public, which is invited to RSVP here. The taping will take place at KLRU’s Studio 6A from 7 p.m. until 8 p.m.

The Ethics Review Commission hearing to determine whether former police monitor Margo Frasier violated city ordinances or policies by using her city time and computer for activity related to her private consulting business has been postponed to March. A notice on the city’s website simply says the meeting, which had been scheduled for Tuesday night, has been canceled. But Nathan Wiebe, head of the investigative unit in the Office of the City Auditor, told the Austin Monitor that Frasier’s attorney, Perry Minton, had requested the postponement because he has not been able to get the evidence he is seeking. The commission subpoenaed the evidence, including the name of the whistleblower who first alerted auditors to the possibility that Frasier had violated city regulations. However, City Auditor Corrie Stokes objects to releasing the whistleblower’s name because it could have a chilling effect on other employees who might want to report wrongdoing. Council was scheduled to take up the matter at last week’s meeting, but the item was postponed to this week. There is not another Council meeting until February, but a March postponement should give it plenty of time to weigh in on the matter. Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo and Council Member Leslie Pool have both said they are concerned about revealing whistleblowers’ names. Although Wiebe responded to the subpoena with the information the commission was seeking, Wiebe said Sunday that he believes the city attorney’s office has not turned the information over to the commission.

On Thursday, City Council finally approved the somewhat slimmed-down version of the marketing plan for Visit Austin, formerly known as the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau. Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo objected to language in the plan because of its numerous references to reductions in the budget. Those reductions were the subject of several serious conversations back in the fall, which resulted in Council directing the group to lower its budget and stop spending money on alcohol and entertainment by non-Austin musicians. Tovo and Council Member Leslie Pool declined to vote for the budget on Thursday. Council Member Jimmy Flannigan, who referenced his past role as an executive in the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce, defended Visit Austin and its references to a reduced budget. Council members Ellen Troxclair and Delia Garza were out of town on city business. Troxclair was a major player in reducing the Visit Austin budget and redirecting its funds in the fall.

It’s a rare occurrence, but today is officially a snow day in Austin, Texas. Last night, Austin Independent School District officials made the call to cancel all Dec. 8 classes “to ensure the safety of students and staff,” given the forecast of freezing temperatures and the potential for black ice on roads. AISD advises the community to follow its social media accounts to stay up-to-date on the situation. City offices and facilities will have a delayed opening time of 10 a.m. Capital Metro buses will be staying off of overpasses until 9 a.m. The University of Texas will also remain closed until 10 a.m. Stay safe, everyone!

Mayor Steve Adler joined 57 other mayors and county elected officials yesterday in signing a letter opposing the Restoring Internet Freedom Draft Order. The proposal was made by Federal Communications Commission Chair Ajit Pai, who seeks to dismantle net neutrality protections put in place during the Obama administration. Pai was appointed to the FCC by former President Barack Obama in 2012 and designated chair by President Donald Trump in January of this year. The letter, which is addressed to Pai as well as the other four commissioners, states that Adler and the rest of the officials “strongly oppose the Commission’s proposal. It offers carte blanche to powerful service providers but little more than promises to consumers. The Commission’s approach puts those few companies ahead of millions of Americans, tens of thousands of businesses which depend on a free and open Internet, and local communities solving everyday problems Americans face.” An article yesterday in The Guardian states that “the main support Pai has for the rollback comes from the handful of powerful broadband companies that stand to benefit, including Comcast and his former employer Verizon.” Supporters of the repeal argue that the existing rules are government interference that discourages service improvements. However, polls have shown that the majority of Americans, regardless of political affiliation, support retaining the net neutrality rules in place, and activists and some senators have been trying to get the FCC to at least delay the vote in the wake of recent questions raised about possible fishiness in the proposal’s public comment process. A recent article in The Texas Tribune also warned about the negative effects a repeal could have on small businesses. The activist group Battle for the Net is urging those opposed to the proposal to call their Republican members of Congress to make their objection known. There were a number of protests at Verizon stores across the U.S. yesterday, and several more are planned before the scheduled FCC vote on Dec. 14.

The Austin Independent School District Science team, along with nonprofit JASON Learning and the Watershed Protection Department, is hosting a hackathon for elementary and middle school students this Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students from AISD and surrounding districts will be guided by mentors to use the MIT App Inventor to develop applications focused on raising social awareness about, tracking and providing action steps for alleviating water pollution in the Austin area. The event will be held at the AISD Science and Health Resource Center, 305 N. Bluff Drive. Contact AISD Innovation and Design Specialist Christopher Martell at Christopher.Martell@austinisd.org or call 219-743-3682 for more information.

The City of Austin Digital Services Team is giving www.austintexas.gov a makeover, and it needs your help to test it out. First, fill out this five-minute survey, then sit back and wait. Not everyone who fills out the survey will be chosen as a tester because the city is going to create a panel of testers with a range of backgrounds. However, all those who are willing to participate are encouraged to complete the survey: No prior knowledge of software development or city policy is needed. If you’re chosen, you will receive an email with a choice of testing sessions for you to attend. And bonus! All testers will receive a $30 HEB gift card for helping out.

Austin Public Health is in the process of reaching out to Austin for input and ideas about services at the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless (ARCH) downtown. To that end, the department will be holding three forums that will give attendees the opportunity to learn more about the ARCH and offer their ideas about services for those experiencing homelessness in the area. The first forum will take place on Saturday, Dec. 16, from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at the Manchaca Branch of the public library. The second forum will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 9, from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. at the Virginia L. Brown Recreation Center. The final forum will take place on Friday, Jan. 19, from 1:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. at the Rosewood-Zaragosa Neighborhood Center gymnasium.

The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s slow-motion initiative to add new stops along its existing MetroRapid routes took a small shuffle forward on Wednesday. The board of directors’ Operations, Planning and Safety Committee unanimously approved a request from staff to negotiate an agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation to install four new pairs of stops along the state agency’s right of way. Three of the pairs would augment the No. 801 route. Two of those will sit on North Lamar Boulevard, one pair at Parmer Lane and the other at Fairfield Drive. The third pair of stops is targeted for South Congress Avenue at Slaughter Lane. Meanwhile, the deal would also add a new set of No. 803 stops at Burnet Road and Rutland Drive. Capital Metro is planning to add another four pairs of new MetroRapid stations to sections of the two routes along city of Austin-owned roadways. The plan was first revealed in July 2016. Since then, the agency acquired new buses to accommodate the new stops, the federal government gave its approval and the board of directors signed off on the construction budget. Work is not scheduled to begin until next fall. The full board of directors is set to validate the committee’s vote at its next meeting on Dec. 18.

Next Tuesday, the Austin Parks Foundation will be celebrating the last of the Movies in the Park series with a holiday screening of “Elf” at the Austin Trail of Lights in Zilker Park. The screening of the film, and general admission to the trail, will be free and open to the public. Things kick off on Tuesday, Dec. 19, with an animated short at 7:30 p.m. “Elf” will start at 8 p.m. Today, City Council will waive $200,000 in fees for the Trail of Lights.

Travis County is putting its wildlife management in the mostly non-lethal hands of the city of Austin. A divided Commissioners Court voted on Tuesday to end its arrangement with the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension’s Texas Wildlife Services in favor of the city’s Animal Services Office. The county already has an existing interlocal agreement with the ASO, but Tuesday’s action will add an extra $41,500 to that to hire a new full-time employee to keep a handle on coyotes and other critters in unincorporated areas. The city’s approach to coyotes favors a humane touch, with emphasis on community education, tranquilizers and paintballs. According to the city’s official coyote management policy, “lethal responses (coyote removal) shall be considered only after Assigned City Staff determines that the preponderance of evidence from evaluation of coyote behavior reports, field investigations, consultations with appropriate wildlife professionals, and any other documentable evidence identifies a specific animal or group of animals that pose the threat.” County staff had recommended utilizing both the city and TWS, a suggestion moved by Commissioner Gerald Daugherty and seconded by County Judge Sarah Eckhardt. However, Commissioner Margaret Gómez offered the substitute motion to simply go with the city, an effort that prevailed over Daugherty and Eckhardt’s opposition with the support of commissioners Brigid Shea and Jeff Travillion.

District 8 Council Member Ellen Troxclair has had a happy secret for several months, but now it has become impossible to hide and she said the Austin Monitor could let everyone in on the news. Troxclair and her husband, Caleb, are expecting their second child in early April. Their first child, Juliette, came along in 2016. Troxclair says she and her husband do not know the gender of the baby that’s coming, but that’s the way they like it. Elected with a very slim margin in 2014, Troxclair has been collecting money for her re-election ever since a federal judge ruled that Austin’s campaign finance laws regulating when money can be donated to candidates were illegal. She will just have a couple of months with the baby before she needs to get out on the campaign trail in earnest.