After quite a bit of back-and-forth about start dates and the proper placement of an asterisk, City Council approved a moratorium on short-term rentals at 1 a.m. during its Thursday meeting. Council voted to suspend issuance of Type 2 licenses for one year, with Council Member Ellen Troxclair voting in opposition. As amended, the moratorium will be in effect until March 2017 unless Council opts to extend it. During yet another lengthy discussion on the topic, Council determined that the ban would begin on Nov. 23, though it limited new license approvals to applications that were submitted prior to Sept. 17. The moratorium is intended to give the city some breathing room as it contemplates the bulk of the Short Term Rental Ordinance changes, which are now making their way to the Planning Commission.

This week, new street banners celebrating the Red River Cultural District will be waving downtown. The banners, which will be displayed between East Sixth and 10th streets, are part of the “Soul-y Austin” initiative, which is designed to help businesses form a merchants association. A press release from the city explains, “As stated in the Austin Music Census, a confluence of pressures is creating critical vulnerabilities for music venues, many of which call the RRCD home. Specifically, census respondents identified expensive leases, high operating costs, and short-term lease contracts as some of the existing pressures. Within the last year, two venues in the RRCD have closed their doors due to external pressures. The newly forming RRCD Merchants Association can assist in the promotion of their districts further strengthening Austin’s role as the ‘live music capital of the world.'”

Following a lengthy closed meeting, City Council adopted a new tariff Thursday that applies to Austin Energy’s largest industrial customers, with little discussion on the dais. “I understand, now, the staff’s rationale for creating this particular tariff for these customers, and I believe there are good policy reasons for doing so,” said Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo. Currently, only two customers, Samsung and Freescale Semiconductor, are large enough and consume energy consistently enough to qualify for the new tariff, although others could be in the future. Rates for these two customers will increase overall, because they will be replacing rates that were frozen in 15-year contracts. However, as an Austin Energy fact sheet notes, rates for the companies that qualify for the new tariff are “lower than those paid by other companies.” That same fact sheet states that the rates “reflect the cost of service” for providing energy to the new class of customers, which “use a lot of power consistently over time.” Council has been considering the new tariff for several months, discussing it most recently at an Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee meeting on Oct. 23 after having removed it from staff’s proposed Fiscal Year 2015-16 budget.

Civic leader Jo Anne Martin Christian, 79, has died. Christian is best known among arts activists for her leadership in making the Long Center for the Performing Arts a reality, along with her friends Jare Smith and Jane Sibley. Together they were known as the three J’s. Christian was the widow of the late George Christian, press secretary to President Lyndon B. Johnson. She also had the distinction of being one of only four women to enter the University of Texas School of Law in 1958. Along with her husband, she raised six children, including well-known public relations consultant Elizabeth Christian, the wife of former Mayor Bruce Todd. In addition to championing the Long Center, Christian was a cheerleader for the Blanton Museum of Art and the Austin Symphony Orchestra. She was also a founder of the Austin Lyric Opera. Mayor Steve Adler remembered her at last night’s City Council meeting, sending condolences to her family.

Austin Resource Recovery is promising a new, easy application process for its Zero Waste Business Rebate. The rebate is designed to encourage local businesses to get up to speed early with the Universal Recycling Ordinance by providing up to $1,800 in rebates for businesses that “start, expand or improve recycling, composting” or other diversion programs. A press release about the rebate reminds businesses that “Austin’s Universal Recycling Ordinance currently affects all commercial properties 25,000 square feet and larger and multifamily properties with 10 or more units. Affected properties are required to ensure employees and tenants have access to convenient recycling. By 2017, all properties in Austin will be required to ensure recycling is available to tenants and employees. By 2018, all food permit holders will be required to have an Organics Diversion Program in place.” More information about program requirements can be found online here or by calling 512-974-9727.

This week, StubHub and the Austin Independent School District announced a charitable partnership that includes $75,000 in grant funding intended to help get AISD’s newly constructed Performing Arts Center up and running with a box office operation. According to a press release, StubHub’s partner, AudienceView, will “provide the PAC a full online box office solution, as well as pro bono services to help train staff and launch the service. AISD’s director of Fine Arts explained, ‘Thanks to the generous grant from StubHub, we are able to develop an online box office that is as innovative and responsive as the facility itself. This box office is a vital piece in enhancing how we are able to serve our students and our community.'”

Today, the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority and the Texas Department of Transportation are holding a public hearing about the 183 North Mobility Project environmental study. The public hearing will feature information on the project and provide the interested public with an opportunity to speak with staff and provide feedback. Those unable to attend today’s meeting can also participate through a virtual public hearing online here. The online hearing will be available until the public comment period closes on Nov. 22. Today’s meeting will take place from 5 until 8 p.m. in the Westwood High School Cafeteria at 12400 Mellow Meadow Drive.

Casa de Luz will not be getting another shot at a parking variance that was denied unanimously by the Board of Adjustment last week. However, a request for reconsideration did raise larger questions for the board at its meeting on Monday night. Board Member Eric Goff said there was one good point that surfaced as a result of Casa de Luz’s request for consideration: During the last meeting at which the variance was considered, some of the key testimony came from a letter, not from someone who had been sworn in. “We’ve had this happen in the past,” said Board Member Michael Von Ohlen. “And what has been taken into consideration is: Would that testimony have changed anybody’s mind if they hadn’t heard it? … I wasn’t here, but I’ve been following this for a loooong time. And – it’s like I don’t have a personal life – but when I got back, I did watch the board meeting on Channel 6 so I could be up to speed.” Goff pushed for a reconsideration, given the fact that the case “relied heavily upon the letter in question” and was repeatedly mentioned by those who opposed the variance. His motion to reconsider failed due to lack of a second. Chair William Burkhardt pressed for a response from city legal about the larger question at hand. He said he was concerned that setting a standard that all testimony must be verified as sworn-in at the beginning of the meeting could be precedent-setting. He will get that answer next month.

This Saturday, as part of the East Austin Studio Tour, Austin’s first-ever Piñata Fest will be held. The event will take place at Edward Rendon Sr. Park from noon until 4 p.m., and it will center on a city-commissioned art instillation by David Goujon consisting of three large burros. The piece is a tribute to the Jumpolin piñata store that was demolished earlier this year and has become a symbol of east side gentrification. During the fest, event organizers will rig up piñatas for the crowd to break, and they say they have been crowd-funding “as many piñatas as possible from the owners of Jumpolin and other local piñateros.” A press release about the event explains, “In our view, Austin’s growth is a reality; but for Austin’s growth story to be considered a success, we believe the city must respect its past as much as it anticipates its future. The Las Piñatas art installation is designed to preserve the memory of Jumpolin so that Austinites, both old and new, will discover a shared responsibility in shaping the city’s expansion.”

Travis County is weighing its options after last week’s narrow electoral defeat of the proposed $287 million Civil & Family Courts Complex bond. County Judge Sarah Eckhardt told reporters last week that she is willing to take drastic, career-ending action to replace the aging, overcrowded Heman Marion Sweatt Courthouse. The Austin Monitor has learned that the window for what could be considered the nuclear option is still open for several more weeks. According to a new state law, local governments will be banned from voting to issue certificate of obligation bonds within three years of losing a bond election to fund the same project. That law, however, doesn’t take effect until Jan. 1, so Eckhardt could, in theory, try to push the CO bonds through Commissioners Court sometime before that deadline. However, Eckhardt’s chief of staff, Peter Einhorn, ruled out that scenario on Tuesday night. He told the Monitor, “The voters spoke. Issuing COs in the aftermath would be inappropriate.” It should be noted that the new law doesn’t preclude the voters from speaking again during the three-year ban. While the Commissioners Court won’t be able to issue its own CO bonds during the blackout period, it can still schedule a new election to have voters decide on alternative funding mechanisms. The commissioners received a briefing on their options from the County Attorney’s Office during executive session on Tuesday, but there’s no word yet on exactly what was discussed.

Annie’s List announced Tuesday the hiring of well-known political professionals Genevieve Van Cleve and Laurie Felker Jones. Van Cleve will serve as political director and will focus on races that are difficult to win, as well as on recruiting new candidates and training. Felker Jones plans to work on incumbent protection, according to a news release from the group. Annie’s List is a statewide organization that focuses on recruiting, training, supporting and electing progressive women in Texas. Van Cleve is returning to the organization, where she served as deputy political director from 2009 to 2013. Both Van Cleve and Felker Jones have extensive political experience. Van Cleve’s most recent campaign involved an effort to get Travis County voters to approve bonds for a new courthouse. Prior to that, she worked on the successful campaign to elect Sarah Eckhardt as Travis County judge. Felker Jones, who joined Annie’s List in April, has been active in political campaigns and lobbying on behalf of women’s causes for the past 20 years. Patsy Woods Martin, executive director of Annie’s List, noted that 2016 campaigns are well underway. “Annie’s List is committed to having the resources we need to advance candidates and those considering running to improve the lives of Texas women and our families,” Martin said.

Ahead of City Council’s consideration of a long-term plan for the Austin Convention Center on Thursday, Mayor Steve Adler posted a draft online Tuesday of amendments that he plans to propose prior to the vote. Those amendments state that, before asking Council to take any action to implement the plan after it is adopted, city staff should bring the Council Economic Opportunity Committee recommendations on several issues. These include “assessment of the long term viability of the convention and exhibition industry,” “other potential venue needs in Austin,” “use of open space and other facilities developed as part of the Convention Center expansion for free and meaningful community events and programs of interest to the Austin community” and “addition and enhancement of publicly accessible open spaces and green spaces within the Convention Center complex area.” Adler said at Tuesday’s work session that he drafted up the amendments in an attempt to address concerns about the impact of the proposed expansion, which the plan states is “best accommodated on the city blocks immediately west of the existing Convention Center.” Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo said that she’s heard concerns from residents “that the expansion of the Convention Center, if not done in a way that’s really sensitive, would create a dead zone in that spot.” She added that it’s “really critical to make sure that we have services, if (the center) is to be expanded.”