Managing water and air-conditioning use when it’s about a gazillion degrees outside can be tough, and Austin utilities feel your pain, kind of. Last week, utility directors took a minute to explain that complaints about utility bills, like many things, are seasonal. In a July 27 memo to the mayor and City Council, Austin Energy General Manager Jackie Sargent and Austin Water Utility Director Greg Meszaros detailed their public education campaigns designed to educate the public about cutting their bills. However, they explained, “The 2015 water use spike changed customer behavior. Now, some customers go directly to news media to express their concerns and seek relief. KVUE broadcasted a story Thursday, July 20, based on a single water customer who, though receiving (under new rules) a 50 percent reduction in what he considered an excessive water bill, believed he should not have been held responsible for any of the bill.” That 2016 change by the city allows customers to seek adjustment to their bills and they report the system is working as a measure of last resort and “has been utilized by 384 out of 204,500 customers. The 384 customers have received $96,174 out of $166 million billed to all customers since the process went into place.” However, they noted, “A few customers still tell the news media their bills are ‘unexplained.’ That will always be the case. The City of Austin can point out irrigation system settings that are out of sync with conservation regulations, test meters and help detect leaks, but it cannot explain how individual customers use water.”

Earlier this month, we previewed the PR and marketing workshop series the city’s Cultural Arts Division is hosting. The series is aimed at helping the creative community with PR, marketing, social media and audience engagement. The first in the series of three sessions is next week, on Wednesday, Aug. 2, at the Mexican-American Cultural Center. Beginning at noon, participants will learn “essential public relations and marketing strategies to help them promote their projects.” Keep an eye out for two more sessions (Sept. 5 and Oct. 4) later this fall.

Last week, the Travis County Commissioners Court put out an open call for applicants to fill two appointments to the Integral Care Board of Trustees. The board is responsible for policymaking decisions for the nonprofit, which leverages a budget of $72 million to provide mental health care to Central Texans. Applications are due Aug. 25, and the two trustee spots officially open up Oct. 1. Visit the county’s website for the application packet and other helpful information. Call 512-854-4774 with any other questions.

Last week, the Austin Police Department pulled its fleet of more than 400 Ford Explorers due to carbon monoxide poisoning, as was widely reported and explained by Interim Police Chief Brian Manley in a memo. On Friday, Council Member Ellen Troxclair issued a statement of support for the move, emphasizing that the “safety of our police officers and staff should be the highest priority of the city.” She continued, “The City of Austin deeply values our police officers. I am grateful for the City Manager’s action to remove all potentially harmful vehicles from the city’s fleet. My thoughts and prayers continue to be with our officers who may have been harmed by elevated levels of carbon monoxide. My commitment is to ensure the city does everything within its power to support our officers who have been affected by this situation while the investigation into this problem, its exact cause, and any resulting health issues are ongoing.”

To the surprise of pretty much no one, a new study on the Austin housing market shows the area’s cost of living outstripping the earning power of many residents, and getting more expensive every day. The study – Innovative Solutions To Address the Affordable Housing Crisis – comes from Glasshouse Policy and the University of Virginia’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, and finds that 69 percent of renters spend more than 30 percent of their annual income on housing costs. It also found that in 2012, 52 percent of renters were forced to forgo a basic necessity such as health insurance or food to pay for housing. The study’s policy recommendations include transitioning existing rental assistance programs to a voucher-only system, developing community land trusts, and restructuring regulations on land use, zoning and construction. The goal of the study is to advise growing cities such as Austin on strategies to combat rising costs of living that impact low-income and middle-class residents.

Austin’s Community First! Village will soon be adding up to 30 new homes thanks to a $2 million grant from the Downtown Austin Alliance. The tiny home community provides supportive housing for people experiencing chronic homelessness. Dewitt Peart, president and CEO of the Downtown Austin Alliance, said this is the largest grant the community has received to date. It could fund about 30 new homes. “We hope that our pledge of support will inspire others to contribute, resulting in many more of Austin’s chronically homeless finding a community they can call home,” Peart said. “Together we will work to help those who are in need for the betterment of all of Austin.” The property in Northeast Austin spans 27 acres and features tiny homes, RVs and small cottages. The community currently houses more than 100 residents. Alan Graham is co-founder of Mobile Loaves and Fishes, the nonprofit that runs the Community First! He said the population is expected to grow to 200 next year, bringing the community to full capacity. “We have micro-homes here that are limited to one person because they’re relatively small, but these RVs that you see behind us can accommodate two people, so we have several couples that live in the community,” Graham said.

Yesterday, Mayor Steve Adler once again dove into a national debate, releasing a statement on the current health care debate taking place in the U.S. Senate. “As mayor, I focus on practical solutions, not politics. The Senate should do the same. Mayors are on the ground, every day, closest to people. That’s why I support having a bipartisan group of mayors, governors and Senators to focus on fixing our health care system. That’s the results-oriented leadership Austin, Texas, and America deserve,” he said. Earlier this week, Adler signed a letter drafted by the United States Conference of Mayors that called for a bipartisan working group to “fix the healthcare system.”

The city’s Art in Public Places program is looking for a Central Texas artist to create a piece of art for the Dove Springs Recreation Center. The artists, ideally based in Williamson, Travis, Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Burnet and Blanco counties, will have a $44,000 budget to “create an iconic artwork that heightens awareness of the facility,” according to a press release. Art in Public Places issued a request for qualifications yesterday, and the submission deadline is 5 p.m. on Sept. 14. Artists can learn more about the project at an information meeting to be held Aug. 8 at the Cultural Arts Division offices, 201 E. 2nd St.

The city’s Ethics Review Commission is scheduled to consider an ethics complaint against retired Austin Police Monitor Margo Frasier at its next meeting on Aug. 9. The chief investigator for the Office of City Auditor filed a complaint against Frasier in April, alleging that she used her city computer to work on her outside consulting jobs. Assistant City Attorney Cindy Tom said Wednesday that the commission had tried to schedule a hearing on the Frasier complaint earlier, but could not do so because of a conflict with Frasier’s attorney’s schedule. So, the commission meetings for both June and July were canceled. Since then, auditors have filed several more complaints, including one against Isabel Lopez-Aguilar, a member of the Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission and program coordinator at the Latino HealthCare Forum. That complaint alleged “that Lopez–Aguilar, in her capacity as a commissioner … appears to have participated in a vote on an agenda item that affected a nonprofit entity … in which (she) appears to have a substantial interest.” The commission is scheduled to hear that complaint on Aug. 9 also. Tom said the commission is tentatively scheduled to consider two other complaints. One is against former Austin Energy employee Stefan Sasko, who made decisions regarding Austin Energy contractor Pike Electric, even though he had two brothers working for the contractor. The other is against Clifford Gillard, a member of the African-American Resource Advisory Commission. The complaint states that Gillard initiated consideration of a funding proposal and participated in evaluating the proposal for the nonprofit Capitol View Arts. Gillard founded the organization and serves on the board of directors. In both instances, Nathan Wiebe, chief investigator for the auditor’s office, alleged a likely conflict of interest.

This week the Federal Emergency Management Agency released its proposed flood map updates for Dripping Springs and parts of Hays County. FEMA is now working to educate community members on those maps, how their risk of flood has changed since the last mapping and flood insurance. Notably, “some buildings in Hays County may, for the first time, be included in a high-risk flood zone,” the city of Dripping Springs noted in a press release Wednesday. The release also said some property owners could find their risk has decreased. A public open house is scheduled for Aug. 22 at the Wimberley Community Center. A host of representatives from the state, county, Dripping Springs and FEMA will be on hand to answer questions. Prepare for the meeting by reviewing the maps here.

This whisper has been corrected.

The LGBTQ Quality of Life Advisory Commission appointed its chair and vice chair, and nominated four new commissioners at its third meeting. Commissioner Victor Martinez was appointed chair and Paula Buls was appointed vice chair, both unanimously. Martinez then led the meeting, and commissioners picked their favorite applicants out of the pool of more than 80 to fill the four vacant commission seats. The commission narrowed their choices down to 10, keeping in mind each applicant’s work and voluntary experience, race, sexual orientation, gender identity and background for diversity. Commissioners had a mixed bag of different backgrounds, from veterans to activists to University of Texas administrators. One of the nominated commissioners was Kathryn Gonzales, the operations and program director of Out Youth, a nonprofit that provides LGBTQ youth with services such as therapy and counseling. Her spouse, Rodney Gonzales, is the director of the Development Services Department, posing a potential conflict of interest that the commission will have to double-check with the Office of the City Clerk. Gonzales told the Austin Monitor that, because commissioners must be 18 years or older, she hopes she can be voice for younger LGBTQ people in Austin as she has worked for them for 12 years. “Part of our job on the commission is not only taking care of Austin right now, but making sure we’re building an Austin for our future that meets the needs of our youth as we see them.” Another nominee, Tarik Daniels, seems a jack of all trades: a founder of Whatsinthemirror?, a nonprofit dedicated to providing mental health services to people of color and raising suicide awareness, as well as an actor, a writer and an activist. Brittany Kitchens was also nominated. The committee is made of representatives from each commission concerning minorities and diversity, such as the African-American Resource Advisory Commission. The LGBTQ Quality of Life Advisory Commission was only recently added to the committee because it was created in March, and so it did not have an opportunity to send a commissioner to represent it. Because Rough already serves on the committee, commissioners felt it was appropriate he is a commissioner as well to fulfill that role. The committee meets on the same days as the commission, and so Rough may not be able to take the role. Nominee Charles Curry, also a veteran, worked for the city’s Budget Office and is active in the elder LGBTQ community. All four nominees were approved unanimously by the commission.

This whisper has been corrected. Originally it identified Solis Rough as a nominee, not Brittany Kitchens.

The secretary of the Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees, Julie Cowan, is a master trustee. It’s a designation awarded to those who have completed the Texas Association of School Board’s yearlong Leadership program. She was one of 33 school board members in the class this year, which the district notes in a Wednesday press release “represents Texas school districts of all sizes and property wealth.” Additionally, Cowan is the new president of the Central Texas School Board Association. Cowan’s colleague on the board, Jayme Mathias, is also a master trustee. Fancy.