Despite persistent talk of the Austin Independent School District’s unfavorable financial situation, board members approved a 3 percent raise for AISD Superintendent Paul Cruz after a 7-1-1 vote, with District 2 Trustee Jayme Mathias against and District 1 Trustee Edmund Gordon abstaining at Monday’s regular meeting. This raise brings Cruz’s base salary to $294,580 annually. Board members reviewed Cruz’s work as AISD’s top executive at the meeting, releasing the first evaluation with plans of releasing future yearly reports every October. In its review, the board applauded Cruz for his role in completing the five-year district plan to “reinvent the urban school experience,” reorganizing administration, handling enrollment issues, completing a large portion of the facilities master plan and furthering AISD students’ academic progress. Under Cruz’s leadership, several top positions were cut and reorganized this summer. AISD will save about $840,000 over the next two years as a result, said Board President Gina Hinojosa. Since Cruz was appointed superintendent in January, AISD has accepted more than 100 out-of-district transfers, launched an aggressive marketing campaign to increase student enrollment, completed 84 bond renovation projects on time and on budget, hit its highest federal graduation rate ever (86.3 percent) and had all of its high schools – including Eastside Memorial High School, formerly Johnston High School – meet state standards (a first since 2002). Mathias, the sole dissenting vote, noted that 3 percent of a teacher’s salary – the recent board-approved raise that staff received this year – equated to much more when applied to an executive salary. He said a discussion regarding the board’s role in creating income gaps within the district would be welcome.

Travis County commissioners were warned on Tuesday to expect imminent legal drama thanks to revelations that a state crime lab was using outdated DNA testing protocols. District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg showed up at the commissioners’ regular meeting to discuss the anticipated fallout that could involve the review of thousands of cases dating back to 1999. The conversation ended up in the commissioners’ lap because they control the county budget, and the fallout will come with a price tag. Lehmberg told the court that convicted criminals doing time or waiting on death row will get a shot at taking their cases back to court, some with county-sponsored indigent defense lawyers. “Some will be represented by their previous attorneys; some attorneys think they don’t have an ongoing responsibility,” Lehmberg explained before revealing another potential cost. “This could have a temporary backup effect on our jury dockets because we have cases that were ready to go to trial, and now they’re not.” County Judge Sarah Eckhardt pledged to keep her eye on the situation. She said, “We should just hold tight and try and get as holistic a picture as we can as quickly as we can, so we can make some reasonable decisions about where we invest and when and how much.”

What makes people want to fly out of Austin? Formula 1, apparently. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport announced Tuesday that it has a new airport daily departure record. On Monday, Oct. 26, following a weekend packed with F1 events, a total of 23,164 passengers passed through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints. Worth noting: ABIA’s top four busiest departure days have all taken place on the Monday after F1.

Austin Police Department Chief of Staff Brian Manley told the City Council Public Safety Committee on Monday that the department plans to release a request for bids for police body cameras in “very early November.” Austin Police Department Chief Art Acevedo and several assistant chiefs, Manley said, were at a conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, where they were meeting with body camera vendors about available technology. “We don’t have a specific date yet, as we want to see what the feedback is we get when the chief returns,” said Manley. Council approved $3 million in funding for a police body camera pilot project when it adopted the current budget in September.

Yesterday, the membership of AURA threw its support behind the Travis County Courthouse Bond Proposition after members put the issue to a vote. A press release about the endorsement stresses the need to replace the current courthouse and the public transit options available to the proposed site. It reads, “Travis County’s Courthouse needs to be downtown. In Texas, County Courthouses are downtown, and Travis County should be no different. Being downtown allows visitors to be part of a vibrant downtown – with all the benefits of a compact and connected space. It allows nearby access for County workers, and eliminates a significantly underutilized parking lot. In addition, a dense private development on the parcel will benefit the project and the future of Austin.” The bond is on the Nov. 3 ballot, and early voting for that election is currently underway. The full text of AURA’s announcement is available here.

The Parks and Recreation Department is hosting a public meeting tonight regarding improvement projects at Zilker Park. The department is seeking feedback on improvements to a variety of park facilities, including the Bathhouse, the Barton Creek Trailhead, the Beverly S. Sheffield Zilker Hillside Theater, the Eliza Spring, Zilker Cafe, the Zilker Zephyr miniature train, the Zilker playscape, the Caretaker’s Cottage and the Pecan Grove Picnic Area. According to an announcement from the city, “The project goals strive to improve user experience by providing enhanced pedestrian experiences and connectivity, improved signage for pedestrians and vehicular circulation, enhanced parking opportunities and upgrades to existing park amenities.” The meeting will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. at Zilker Botanical Gardens. Those who can’t make it are welcome to submit feedback through an online survey, which will be available until 4 p.m. on Oct. 30.

Starting Wednesday, transportation leaders and practitioners from across the country will converge in Austin for the Designing Cities Conference hosted by the National Association of City Transportation Officials. The conference will run through the weekend, and although some events are limited to conference attendees, others are open to the public. Details can be found on the Better Streets Week ATX Facebook page.

The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority is losing two of its top officials. Deputy Executive Director Mario Espinoza is retiring at the end of December, and General Counsel Andy Martin has announced that he will be retiring in January. Both men have told the Austin Monitor that they will be looking for new career opportunities. Martin was city attorney for the city of Austin from 1994 to 2001 and held the same post for the city of San Antonio from 2002 to 2005. He returned to Austin in 2005 and worked for the Brown McCarroll law firm until 2010, when he went to work for the CTRMA. Espinoza’s career started with Price Waterhouse. From there he went to the city of Austin and worked in government relations before going to Austin Energy, where he became vice president of government relations. After more than 11 years with the city, Espinoza went to the Lower Colorado River Authority, and from there he joined the CTRMA in 2005. The agency has already hired Jeff Dailey, who will become deputy executive director upon Espinoza’s departure. According to his resume, Dailey comes to CTRMA with 32 years of experience in directing transportation and other infrastructure programs, including both public and private sector jobs. Dailey has served as chief engineer of the Illinois Tollway and assistant executive director of the North Texas Tollway Authority.

On Tuesday, construction will begin on a reclaimed water project that will bring 10,500 linear feet of reclaimed water main to Austin. Mayor Steve Adler, Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea and Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros will be on hand to celebrate the groundbreaking and the project itself, which will help conserve the drinking supply by utilizing reclaimed water for things such as irrigation and cooling. Construction is expected to be completed sometime in 2017.

Inspired by our recent story on the city’s Parkland Events Task Force? Get involved! The group is now looking for public input on how the city manages events in the city’s parks, and it is asking Austinites to weigh in either online through SpeakUpAustin.org or by texting the word “events” to 512-643-5627. Input will be taken through November, and the task force is scheduled to make recommendations to City Council early next year.

The Austin Water utility has reported a wastewater overflow at the Lake Creek Lift Station, which is located at 8605 West Parmer Lane, adjacent to Lake Creek. The overflow, which occurred due to heavy rains, is estimated to be more than 50,000 gallons. Though the overflow does not affect Austin Water customers’ drinking water, those using private water supply wells located within a half-mile of where the overflow occurred should use only distilled water or water that has been heated to a rolling boil for at least one minute when using water for personal uses. In general, the water utility advises the public to avoid contact with “waste material, soil or water in the area potentially affected by the overflow.”

The numbers are in for the first week of early voting for the Nov. 3 election. Early voting started on Monday, Oct. 19, and as of Thursday night, an underwhelming 1.15 percent of registered Travis County voters – 7,395 – had cast ballots. So far, the busiest voting center has been the Ben Hur Shrine Center, which is located at 7811 Rockwood Lane, with 505 votes cast. In contrast, Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center at 2608 Gonzales St. has seen only 38 votes cast so far. A complete list of polling locations is available on the county clerk’s website.