The Austin Independent School District wrapped up leveling in September, a process in which teachers from underenrolled schools are moved to overenrolled schools to help relieve overcrowding. According to district data on Sept. 21, AISD has experienced an estimated 1,090-student drop in enrollment compared to the same time last year. The district has lost the majority of its students, about 820, at the elementary school level, and the total enrollment to date is about 83,690. The district budgeted for 84,021 students, which is a key number because total enrollment affects the amount of state funding it receives. AISD moved a total of 20 teachers this year, sometimes despite protests from schools. Dusty Harshman, a parent from Maplewood Elementary School, thanked trustees at Monday’s board meeting for handling the leveling issues. However, he noted that communicating with the district about leveling using normal channels had no effect. It was not until “torches and pitchforks” came out in protest that Maplewood’s problem was solved, he said. AISD was going to move a sixth-grade teacher from Maplewood to Blackshear Elementary School. If it had gone through with the move, it would have left Maplewood with a single sixth-grade teacher instructing 29 students in all four academic areas.

This week, the City Council Mobility Committee is meeting … and that’s it! Those interested can find the committee meeting agenda here. Looking over the agenda, it looks like the committee will be tackling the recently announced agreement with the Rocky Mountain Institute, projects on South MoPac and 183, transportation network companies and the city’s five most dangerous intersections. We’ll be there!

All city building inspectors completed the training required by the state to renew their licenses and certifications last week, causing a bit of a backlog in inspections. But building inspection division manager Jose Roig assures the Austin Monitor that his inspectors “should be all caught up” by the middle of this week. Roig said via email, “Although we had several carryovers of inspections from the previous days,” inspectors are “making every effort to complete the inspections, and some are even working overtime.” As of Sept. 20, Roig reported, “We had performed 237,039 inspections for the fiscal year of 2014/15. Inspections are scheduled for the next business day, and we perform an average of 93 percent of inspections on-time.” Roig provided a chart showing the number of inspections performed in residential and commercial categories as well as the average number of inspections performed by each inspector, buildings receiving completed inspections within 24 and 48 hours and inspections completed after 48 hours. The chart shows that 93 percent of inspections are performed within 24 hours, with another 4 percent performed within 48 hours and a final 3 percent performed after 48 hours. According to the chart, inspectors performed 153,849 residential inspections within the past year and 83,190 commercial inspections during the same time period. Building inspectors performed an average of 178 inspections per week, or about 37 inspections per inspector per day between Aug. 10 and Sept. 20, according to Roig, with an average of 13 inspectors working each week. An average of 28 percent of inspections resulted in a failing grade during that same time period.

From Oct. 8 until Oct. 11, Jackson Avenue will be closed between West 39th and West 40th streets. According to a city press release, the closure will allow crews to work on the MoPac 42-inch Water Transmission Main Project. “During the street closure, northbound Jackson Avenue traffic will be detoured east on West 39th Street, north on Oakmont Boulevard, west on West 40th Street, and back to northbound Jackson Avenue. Southbound Jackson Avenue traffic will be detoured east on West 40th Street, south on Oakmont Boulevard, west on West 39th Street, and back to southbound Jackson Avenue. … The City’s subcontractor will maintain driveway access at all times to the affected property owners. Please follow all work zone traffic signs, cones and flaggers to help direct you. Drivers are encouraged to use caution while traveling around the work zone.”

It probably comes as no surprise that City Council voted unanimously to accept $2.4 million from White Lodging on Thursday for fee waivers previously granted to incentivize construction of the downtown JW Marriott hotel. Those waivers were granted on a condition that workers would be paid a prevailing wage. When it was determined that workers had not been paid a prevailing wage, the city asked for its money back. Years later, the matter is finally settled. Council Member Greg Casar, who was instrumental in getting the money back through his work with the Workers Defense Project, took a moment to celebrate from the dais. “I think today proves that no matter how big or powerful someone is, if they break their promises to the people of the city of Austin and to Council, we should hold our ground,” said Casar. “Even though a watered-down version of the agreement was offered, the Council decided to stick to their guns, and today we reap the benefits of that.”

Yesterday, the Austin Water utility put residents on notice that a “naturally occurring algae bloom” in Lake Austin could cause an unusual taste and odor in the city’s tap water. It might be a little icky, but the utility assures Austinites that it does not affect the safety of the water – everything is fine. From the press release on the subject: “Austin Water’s routine sampling and testing of our raw water supply has detected elevated blue green algae levels that may lead to concerns of a ‘musty’ taste and odor. The taste and odor is a result of a record setting blue green algae bloom. The water is safe to drink but as the algae complete the bloom it releases compounds that impart a grassy, earthy, musty taste to the water. … To minimize the impact, Austin Water has been adding activated carbon into the treatment process, and increased the carbon addition today. The activated carbon adsorbs the compounds released by the algae that create the taste and odor in the water. By introducing activated carbon in advance Austin Water expects to minimize the impact of any potential taste and odor issues. However, there is still a chance the taste and odor issue may not entirely be eliminated.”

Mayor Steve Adler took the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge this week in support of the National Wildlife Federation’s effort to cultivate supportive habitats for Monarch butterflies. According to an announcement from the city, Adler is the first to join the new campaign, which is working with local governments around the country to stem a 90 percent decline in the Monarch population over the last two decades. Participating mayors will commit to at least three of 25 different actions that will help Monarchs. Adler has committed to 16, including the cultivation of native milkweed plants – an important Monarch food source – in open spaces and on city-owned properties around the city. “This is an effort to continue Austin’s legacy as the No. 1 city for wildlife,” said Adler, referring to a recent honor conferred by the NWF.

The city’s Economic Development Department and Parks and Recreation Department have officially declared October to be “Austin Creates!” month. According to an announcement from the city, the proclamation recognizes that the “arts, culture, and creative industries” are an “important economic force in Austin, accounting for over $4.35 billion in economic activity and almost 49,000 jobs.” Both departments do their part to support those industries, according to the city. EDD provides funding for 260 artists, nonprofits and related initiatives through its Cultural Arts Division, while PARD operates nine museums and cultural centers through its Museums and Cultural Programs Division. Nonetheless, they are going above and beyond in October, which coincides with the national Arts and Humanities Month, by promoting special events throughout Austin all month long.

As part of the vision plan for Emma Long Metropolitan Park, the city’s Parks and Recreation Department will be holding three public meetings and two focus groups to get input. In an attempt to attract as many people as possible – including families – the Parks Department will be hosting “exciting kid and family friendly activities” during the meeting. A press release from the city clarifies that those activities will tentatively include park ranger sharing, “Leave No Trace” activities and the Colorado River Alliance rolling exhibit. The first meeting will be held on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Emma Long Metropolitan Park, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. More information can be found on the project Web page.

Yesterday, Assistant City Manager Bert Lumbreras was elected to a three-year term as Mountain Plains regional vice president of the International City/County Management Association. According to a press release about the election, “ICMA’s mission is to create excellence in local governance by promoting professional management worldwide and increasing the proficiency of appointed chief administrative officers (i.e., city, town, and county managers), assistant administrators, and other employees who serve local governments and regional entities around the world. The organization’s more than 10,000 members from 37 countries also include educators, students, and other local government employees. … As one of 18 Vice Presidents, three of whom are elected from the organization’s Mt. Plains Region (which includes Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming), Mr. Lumbreras will represent ICMA to state associations of local government management and maintain relationships among other affiliated organizations. The Mt. Plains Region is one of five ICMA regions in the U.S.; three Vice Presidents are also elected from countries outside the U.S.” Lumbreras has been an assistant city manager in Austin since 2006, and has served in various local governments for more than 30 years.

The Austin Police Department and Travis County Sheriff’s Office are teaming up to hold a town hall addressing domestic violence this Saturday, Oct. 3. The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature a presentation by law enforcement and a question-and-answer session aimed at educating the community about family violence prevention and reporting. The event will be hosted by APD Assistant Chief Patrick Ockletree, Commander Michael Eveleth, Lt. Francisco Rodriguez, Sgt. Richard Ellsworth and the Region 3 District representatives. Special guests will be speakers from APD Victim Services, APD Family Violence Unit and SafePlace. It will take place at the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex from 1:30 until 3 p.m.

Both former state Sen. Wendy Davis and Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton last night for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination. Eckhardt is the first female Travis County judge and was a county commissioner for six years prior to her election. Davis, of course, recently lost the Texas gubernatorial election, after attracting national attention for her 13-hour filibuster against Senate Bill 5, when she was a Texas state senator. The news of the endorsements was met with an immediate response by Texas GOP Vice Chair Amy Clark, who said in a statement, “Texans should not be surprised that Wendy has thrown her support behind Hillary Clinton. This endorsement is a reflection of how out-of-touch the values were that drove her failed campaign in 2014 – including her unwavering support for Planned Parenthood and late-term abortions. Texas voters delivered a clear message to Davis and her party platform by overwhelmingly rejecting her candidacy. When Wendy Davis lost the vote of Texas women by nearly 10% it was clear she doesn’t speak for us. Hillary Clinton can expect the same results in our state when the votes are counted in 2016.”