It’s that time of year again! Austinites gather at Zilker Park with their pets, fold-out chairs and blankets for Blues on the Green. The next date in KGSR’s free concert series comes up tomorrow, June 14, starting at 8 p.m. Local Latin funk crew Grupo Fantasma headlines, with Hard Proof as the opener. Before heading over, take a look at street closures and neighborhood no-parking areas on the city’s website. If you can’t make Wednesday, there are two more dates this summer – July 12 and Aug. 2.

What kind of city manager does the public hope City Council hires? On Thursday, Council approved a plan to find out. The resolution, which passed unanimously, calls for the City Manager Search Advisory Task Force to conduct four public meetings over the next month and for Council members to elicit feedback from their districts. Originally, the resolution called for Council members to hold a public meeting in their district before the end of the month. However, Council Member Leslie Pool said that she might not be able to organize a meeting in that time frame. She suggested delaying approval of the meeting schedule but garnered little support from her colleagues, several of whom argued that the process needed to start as soon as possible. Council Member Alison Alter pointed out that some potential candidates for the job may not be interested if they aren’t able to get settled in Austin before the beginning of the school year. She even invited her colleague to “piggy-back” on the meeting she had set up in her district, which is adjacent to Pool’s. Council Member Jimmy Flannigan also didn’t view the tight schedule as a challenge, noting that he has a town hall meeting in his district every month. Nor did Council Member Ora Houston: She does four a month. In the end, Council unanimously accepted a small change to the resolution by Pool that substituted district “meetings” for district “input.” Based on the input it receives from Council members and the public, the task force will deliver a recommendation to Council on the ideal “profile” of the next city manager on July 19.

On Thursday, City Council approved a $480,000 contract with an architectural firm as part of the planned renovation of the Zilker Metro-Barton Springs Bathhouse. Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo wondered whether the funding, which is coming from the $306 million bond package approved by voters in 2012 for capital improvements, could have instead come from Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue. A representative of the city Law Department suggested that such a project would not be eligible for HOT funds, whose use is limited by state law to a narrow set of tourism-related projects. Council Member Ellen Troxclair suggested delaying approval of the contract so that staff could further investigate the matter, a suggestion that Tovo opposed, saying there was no HOT revenue left for the city to use this year. Council unanimously adopted the contract, although Tovo stressed that she would like staff to try as much as possible to identify projects in the future that might be covered by HOT revenue. Some city leaders have talked about whether HOT revenue can be used to cover the big police overtime costs that the city incurs during major events, notably South by Southwest.

Curious about the progress of the recently created Waste Management Policy Working Group? We have a small bit of information for you, courtesy of Council Member Leslie Pool and the City Council Message Board. In a Friday post Pool explains that the group has asked staff to move forward with the Organics by Gosh contract on the June 22 agenda. In March, Council postponed that contract to allow the new group time to dive into city policies. According to Pool’s post, the group will most likely have its recommendations on policy issues and contracts ready by the end of the month.

The Austin Transportation Department wants your help in figuring out what happened to recent safety improvements on Far West Boulevard. Several four-foot tall reflective delineator posts designed to steer cars over speed cushions, and away from the bike lane, have been cut down. According to a press release from the city, “This poses several potential safety risks as, not only will vehicles be able to once again speed, but the devices are now less visible at night which could cause vehicles or bicyclists to strike the devices, causing the risk of serious injury.” The transportation department is working with the police to figure out what happened, and asks that anyone who has knowledge of it being an intentional act contact the Austin Police Department through Crime Stoppers at 512-472-TIPS. You can also text “Tip 103” and a message to CRIMES (274637), or use the Crime Stoppers app.

City Council delayed action on a proposed ordinance reducing the number of days reserved for events at certain parks and changing parking policies, sound limits and hours of operation. The proposed ordinance would reduce the number of days available for special events at Zilker Park from 29 to 24, for Auditorium Shores from 20 to 17 and for Fiesta Gardens from 19 to 17. The postponement came after a lengthy and confusing conversation over whether to proceed on the matter. Mayor Steve Adler wanted to delay action until Council Member Ann Kitchen, who is absent due to a conference she is attending as a member of the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors, is present to partake in the discussion. Kitchen, whose district is adjacent to Zilker, had expressed particular interest in the matter.

The Economic Development Department is examining ways to expand the use of its Music Venue Assistance Loan Program so that thin-margined venues can use the city dollars for uses that grow their businesses. Currently, the low-interest micro program that was made permanent by City Council in 2013 can only be used to pay for sound mitigation equipment or structures. But city staff are in the beginning stages of researching and consulting with venue owners for ways to help those businesses grow their revenue. Ideas that were discussed at Monday’s meeting of the Music Commission include aiding things like installation of a kitchen to offer food, or adding an indoor sprinkler system for fire suppression, which would let a venue increase its legal capacity. To date only four venues have used the program, primarily because sound mitigation is a low priority for clubs and it adds expense without growing revenue. Under the 2013 ordinance Council provides $100,000 per year to the loan fund until it reaches a $750,000 balance. Because of the low participation to this date Council voted earlier this year to use $475,000 from the fund to pay for measures outlined in the Music and Creative Ecosystem Omnibus. With another $100,000 due to arrive with the passage of the next budget, the fund is expected to have just over $200,000 available, with individual loan amounts capped based the length and a maximum of $50,000 over three years.

This weekend is the 2017 Republic of Texas Biker Rally. Beside the parade and other associated fun, the rally brings the traditional detours and traffic to downtown Austin. Starting tonight at 6 p.m. and stretching through Saturday, June 10, at midnight, Congress Avenue will be closed. The ROT parade starts at 7:45 p.m. at the Travis County Exposition Center on Decker Lane, eventually making its way downtown. Congress and its side streets will be closed between Brazos and Colorado streets at 6 p.m. Fifth and Sixth streets will stay open until 7:30 p.m. At that point, Sixth Street from Red River to Congress will close. Cars on Congress will be towed starting at 4 p.m. today. Anyone missing their vehicle should call Southside Wrecker at 512-441-7094.

Yesterday, the city of Dallas announced it would join San Antonio, Austin and the other plaintiffs in their “sanctuary cities” lawsuit against the state of Texas. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings made the pledge in the afternoon, saying in a statement, “(Senate Bill 4) is unconstitutional and would infringe upon the city’s ability to protect public safety.” Austin City Council Member Greg Casar, who was arrested during a protest of the bill, thanked Dallas for joining the cause. The same afternoon Austin Mayor Steve Adler tweeted that the case would begin with a preliminary injunction hearing on June 26.

Although most people left Tuesday’s work session under the impression that City Council Member Delia Garza was attending to Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority business, she was, in fact, in Washington, D.C. Garza is at our nation’s capital on city business, representing the city of Austin in the 2017-2018 class of the Equitable Economic Development Fellowship. It’s the second year of the fellowship for Austin, which is run by the National League of Cities, PolicyLink and the Urban Land Institute in an effort to help cities balance growth with things like inclusivity, equitable access and transparency.

The state’s municipal development on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard will need to find a new anchor tenant. That’s because legislation to create a long-proposed museum showcasing the history of Texas music failed to gain passage in the Texas Legislature this session. For a while the matter led in part by Austin Sen. Kirk Watson seemed to be on a glide path toward passage from both houses. The legislation would have created the foundation needed to raise funds for the multi-floor museum and helped to give it an eventual home in the $550 million two-building complex that will be constructed next to the Bullock Texas State History Museum and across from the Blanton Museum of Art. The measure was ultimately done in by objections from a network of smaller, regional music museums from around the state, who refused to collaborate on the project and argued that an official state museum would likely put them out of business. That means the effort gets shelved again until 2019, unless it somehow makes its way onto the docket of an already loaded special legislative session.

As we noted on Wednesday, Rosewood Pool has unfortunately closed due to an “unexpected maintenance issue.” Yesterday afternoon, the Parks and Recreation Department elaborated on the extent of the problem. Essentially, paint on the bottom of the pool is mixing with the water and making it hard for city lifeguards to see. Since the community has to wait for the pool to reopen on Saturday, June 17, the department decided to open the Dottie Jordan Pool, 2803 Loyola Lane, earlier than it originally planned. And, though Dottie Jordan is normally closed on Wednesdays, it will be open on June 14 to compensate for the Rosewood closure. Find pool hours and more on the city’s website.