Austin is currently in that time between plants being dead from a freeze and plants being dead from the sun, which can be an inspirational (and costly) time of year for anyone with a green thumb or a dream. It’s also a time that the city wants residents to be aware of the many resources it offers to gardeners through its Grow Green program. According to a press release reminding us all about the program, its educational materials include:

• 23 Grow Green fact sheets on big-picture and pest-related topics
• Rebates, free stuff and grants to help your garden grow
• Landscape design, installation and maintenance information, including demonstration gardens and design templates
• Native & Adapted Plant Guide for Central Texas
• List of Grow Green landscape professionals who have completed the training series
• Pest information (integrated pest management)
• Drainage solutions

“As spring breathes new life into our gardens, the Grow Green program stands ready to support Austinites in their quest for sustainable, vibrant landscapes,” Denise Delaney, environmental program coordinator for the Watershed Protection Department, said in a statement. “Our diverse educational resources and community engagement initiatives aim to empower individuals to become stewards of our environment while creating beautiful, resilient gardens that thrive harmoniously with nature.”

For a bit of motivation to explore nature in your immediate surroundings, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Nature Trackers program encourage people to document their local biodiversity April 26-29 as part of the City Nature Challenge. It’s a chance to get outside – just out your front door, in your yard or anywhere nature is found and can be safely and responsibly explored – and enter your observations of plants, animals and fungi on the free mobile app iNaturalist. This global, community-based, scientific effort is co-organized by San Francisco’s California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Texas Nature Trackers encourages use of the hashtag #CityNatureChallenge on social media or as a tag in iNaturalist. In 2023, Texas metropolitan areas joined more than 400 other cities in a worldwide celebration of the resilience of urban nature that logged more than 1.8 million observations of more than 58,000 species by nearly 70,000 people. In Texas, 93 counties logged more than 174,000 observations, with 7,500 species recorded by more than 6,000 observers. Check out the City Nature Challenge online to find links to Texas projects and learn more. Free training can be viewed online. Participants can also contact TNT biologists Craig Hensley and Wendy Anderson with the Texas Nature Trackers program at tracker@tpwd.texas.gov.

The city’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is hosting a preparedness pop-up today at the Little Walnut Creek Branch Library. The event, which will take place from 4 to 7 p.m., will educate attendees about preparing for severe weather and flooding, among other things, with tips from Public Safety and HSEM representatives. In addition, the first 25 households will receive an emergency supply kit. Austin is currently in a season when severe weather and flooding is a distinct risk. To learn more about regional emergency preparedness outside of today’s event, visit ReadyCentralTexas.org.

Volunteers are needed for Travis County Parks and the Colorado River Alliance’s inaugural Spring Cleanup from 9-11 a.m. Saturday, April 20. You can help remove and recycle litter across seven parks in eastern Travis County: Northeast Metro Park, East Metro Park, Webberville Park, Barkley Meadows Park, Richard Moya Park, Onion Creek Greenway and Southeast Metro Park. “These waterways are our source of drinking water and it’s essential that we all pitch in to keep them clean,” said Travis County Commissioner for Precinct 2 Brigid Shea. “It’s especially important for our downstream neighbors.” This event helps raise awareness that litter travels, emphasizing the importance of keeping our parks, river and creeks healthy and clean. Reserve your spot to help keep our vital drinking water source clean and flowing for generations to come.

Monica Guzmán, who is a familiar face around City Hall due to her long-standing community advocacy, has declared her candidacy for the District 4 City Council seat. “Citywide, Austin residents have asked if I’m running for council,” said Guzmán in her press release. “Community voices have been and are being silenced; there is a critical need for transparency, accountability, and centering residents in planning and policy making processes. District 4 needs a council member who is rooted in community, represents their constituency, and ensures decisions large and small are resident-centered.” She went on to say that Eastern Crescent residents are looking for more effective leadership when it comes to things like “affordability, displacement/gentrification, education, climate resiliency/disaster preparedness, and economic stability.” Guzmán was the runner-up in the 2022 election won by Council Member Chito Vela, who intends to keep his position. Jade Lovera, who also ran against Vela, is running again this year.

City Council will consider a resolution to modify the University Neighborhood Overlay this Thursday. The resolution, which comes from District 9 Council Member Zo Qadri, is the result of a yearlong outreach process, according to a press release from Qadri’s office. “The student-centered improvements in the newest proposal, focusing on affordability and livability, include furthering requirements for windows in bedrooms, an expansion of UNO into adjacent areas, an expansion of the Inner West Campus subdistrict, amending height limits in line with Planning Commission recommendations and the Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (ETOD) overlay, an exploration of commercial options to promote healthy and accessible grocery options, and additional programmatic updates and mobility improvements,” it continues. The resolution, which can be read in its entirety here, is co-sponsored by Council members Natasha Harper-Madison, José Velásquez and Ryan Alter.

In a sign of the times, the city is retiring its Covid-19 dashboard. The dashboard, which had a devoted daily audience during the height of the pandemic, had “millions of views during its run” and was once a primary tool in making emergency operation, policy and personal decisions. Health care providers are no longer required by the state to report cases of Covid to Austin Public Health on an individual basis. However, APH will continue to respond to any outbreaks and continue outreach that includes vaccines for those who qualify. In addition, the health authority will continue to track the disease through wastewater surveillance, death records and outbreaks within at-risk communities. That data contributes to the still-running Texas Respiratory Virus Surveillance Report. The public should still employ safe practices, including keeping vaccines up to date and employing social distancing when ill. “This is the end of an era for Austin Public Health and the community we serve. We launched the dashboard at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has been invaluable to our work for the last four years,” Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes said in a statement to the press. “The dashboard highlighted ZIP codes and populations that called for additional outreach, it showed us the effectiveness of our immunization and prevention campaigns and it served as a stark reminder of those who were lost and the importance of our continued efforts to fight this virus.”

Sales tax allocations for Austin, as well as other cities in Texas, have grown over the past year, according to Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar. For Austin, February sales tax collections were up 7.55 percent over last year’s collections. Hegar reported that the city would receive more than $27.8 million, up from $25.9 million last year. Overall this year, Austin’s sales tax collections are 1.61 percent higher than a year ago, but that may not be enough. The city’s chief financial officer, Ed Van Eenoo, told City Council in February that the city may not receive 4 percent more than last year as projected by this year’s budget. So sales tax collections must continue to grow in order to meet budget expectations. Round Rock will be receiving 10 percent more in sales tax revenue this quarter than a year ago. This quarter, Round Rock will receive $8,879,280.38, as compared to $8,049,727.30 a year ago.

A new round of $5,000 Nexus Grants is open to local artists and art programs. The city’s Economic Development Department announced the newest round of funding for artists, which can be used to cover expenses for area-based applicants who have a one-year (or more) history of arts programming in the area. More information and application details are available online, and more information about the grants is available through a number of outreach events and workshops, detailed here. Applications are open now and will remain open through 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 14.

On April 16 and 17, the city will host a Fair Housing Conference that is free and open to the public. Anyone is welcome to join a host of experts in the field to share ideas and learn more about fair housing issues. The conference will feature panel discussions, housing resources and a tour of the Colony Park Sustainable Community. The 1968 Fair Housing Act, which was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, made discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability and familial status illegal. This is the second year for the city’s conference, which is put on as a cooperative effort between the city’s Office of Civil Rights, Housing Department and Economic Development Department. It will take place at Norris Conference Center and registration to attend can be done online here. “The 2024 Fair Housing Conference hosted by the City of Austin will span two full days, offering insightful discussions on legal updates, current fair housing issues, and strategies for fostering inclusive communities of opportunity,” Tamela Saldana, interim director of the Office of Civil Rights, said in a statement to the press.  “It’s an invaluable opportunity to reflect on our progress in advancing fair housing principles.”

Save Austin’s Cemeteries is an organization dedicated to preserving city-owned historic cemeteries through documentation, preservation and education and promoting them as local and state cultural resources. Its Spring Tour is a chance to learn about the cemeteries with drop-in history tours. Join in from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 20, at the Oakwood Cemetery, 1601 Navasota St. The event is free and open to the public and has ample free parking. The Oakwood Cemetery was established in 1839 and is a City of Austin Historic Landmark, a Historic Texas Cemetery and on the National Register of Historic Places. The Spring Tour coincides with a new digital exhibit by the Oakwood Cemetery Chapel, “To Fight Fires,” which details the history of the Austin Fire Department from the early 1800s to the present day. An Austin Fire Department truck will be on-site from 10 to 11 a.m.