It’s official: As of Tuesday, Austin native and Texas state Rep. Donna Howard is running for re-election to the Texas State Legislature in House District 48, which she has represented since 2006. For the last two legislative sessions, Howard has sat on the House Appropriations Committee, the Higher Education Committee and the House Administration Committee. In a press release sent out Tuesday, Howard touted her legislative accomplishments during the last session: securing funding to provide Texas military-connected children with counseling and support service in public schools, requiring the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to develop recommendations for work-study partnerships between community colleges and the private sector, and passing into law policies increasing access to Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARCs), which, in Texas, sounds like some kind of miracle. “By virtually any measure, this past legislative session was my most effective,” Howard said in the release. “If re-elected, I will continue to use my understanding of the budget process and to work collaboratively with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to represent the House District 48 values of healthy families, equal opportunity, and responsible government.”

Earlier this week, City Council Member Ellen Troxclair allocated $30,000 from her personal office budget to the Parks Department for improvements to Dick Nichols Park, which is located in the heart of Troxclair’s District 8. The money, which Troxclair says represents approximately 10 percent of her total office budget, will be used to replace the 152-acre park’s fitness stations and improve the condition of its trails, equipment and amenities. In a press release sent out yesterday announcing the allocation, Troxclair wrote, “I have worked since my inauguration to not only be fiscally responsible with taxpayer dollars in our city wide spending, but also in running my own council office in order to accrue this savings. This money represents about 10% of my total office budget, and donating these unused dollars to the park is one way for me to provide a return on investment to my constituents.”

In the name of making sure that we all get there on time (as well as, you know, journalistic integrity), we’d like to note that we incorrectly reported that the Sept. 29 CodeUPDATE event would start at 8 p.m. The actual start time is 7 p.m. Please plan accordingly.

The Austin Monitor‘s annual survey is here, and we want to hear from our readers how our coverage has been over the past year (or so). To take the survey, visit here, and let us know how we are doing! As an exciting incentive, one respondent will win a free five-day pass to Wanderlust yoga studio. The survey closes in three weeks.

Although the November CodeNEXT workshop is still two whole calendar pages away, anyone eager to get involved with the effort will at least get a preview next week. CodeNEXT is the city’s initiative to revise the Land Development Code, “which determines how land can be used throughout the city – including what can be built, where it can be built, and how much can (and cannot) be built,” according to the CodeNEXT website. In the fall, a series of interactive public events will coincide with a weeklong workshop (Nov. 16-21) during which the CodeNEXT team will be working on draft development standards. Data gathered that week will then become part of the administrative and public draft codes. The event next week, CodeUPDATE, will provide a “sneak peek” at the November workshop and explore its “purpose and desired outcomes,” according to an announcement from the city. The event will take place Sept. 29, 87 p.m., at the Dougherty Arts Center, 1110 Barton Springs Road.

Last night, state Sen. Kirk Watson received the Texas Municipal League’s Legislator of the Year award. He was presented with the honor in San Antonio at the Municipal League’s annual conference. As an organization that advocates for the interests of Texas cities, the Municipal League praised Watson’s support of local decision-making during the 84th legislative session. According to an announcement from the organization, Watson – formerly mayor of Austin as well as a past chair of the Austin Chamber of Commerce – was “a consistent defender of local control and continually played a key role in defending and protecting municipal authority.”

Tonight, the city of Austin and Austin’s Atlas are hosting a downtown “walkshop” in which people of all ages are invited to “embark on foot in search of natural and man-made objects that tell a story about the life of Austin’s South Central Waterfront,” according to an announcement from the city. “From feathers to leaves, granite to bark, torn posters to crushed water bottles, each specimen will be documented, ID’d, and organized.” The event is part of an ongoing series of interactive gatherings tied to the South Central Waterfront initiative, which will create a 20-year guiding framework for development of a 97-acre stretch of land downtown, on the south shore of Lady Bird Lake. The events are designed so that participants will ultimately produce a “people’s field guide” to the area. The walk begins at 6 p.m. under the First Street Bridge’s south side, east of Auditorium Shores. There will be snacks for all, prizes for the best finds (judging begins at 7:15 p.m.) and drinks afterward at the Hyatt Regency Austin patio.

At relatively quick last, the Capital of Texas Media Foundation is nearing completion of its purchase of In Fact Daily from the Austin American-Statesman. For newer readers: In Fact Daily is the former name of this publication, which was rebranded in December 2013. With a final check mailed yesterday, CoTMF completes a process that began in mid-2013. We have it on good authority that Monitor Publisher Mike Kanin and the CoTMF board of directors are pleased as punch and looking forward to what should be a very good 2016.

Yesterday, an Austin Water utility employee was shot while removing a meter on the 5900 block of Manor Road. According to a statement to the press about the event, the shooting took place early Tuesday morning during the course of an alleged robbery. According to the Austin American-Statesman, the employee’s wallet was stolen, as was the wallet of someone waiting at a nearby bus stop. The 69-year-old employee, who has worked for AW for 20 years, was treated and released from University Medical Center at Brackenridge. The statement to the press further explains, “The work was being performed at this time of day to avoid any water service disruption to nearby businesses. … Over 1,000 Austin Water employees proudly work at all of hours of the day and night to deliver safe, reliable water service to Austin, and have for more than 100 years.”

On Monday, the Planning and Neighborhoods Committee once again tackled the issue of accessory-dwelling units. This time, the committee heard the “controversial” aspects of the regulations, and their recommendations will now move on to deliberation by the full City Council. Committee members voted 3-1 to allow ADUs larger than 850 square feet, with a floor-to-area ratio of up to 0.15. Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo voted in opposition. They also recommended one parking spot per ADU, with grandfathering for older homes that do not have parking (with Tovo abstaining), and lowering the minimum lot size to 5,750 square feet (with Tovo voting in opposition). The committee also voted to look into a “preservation bonus” that would require anyone building an ADU to retain the front structure, with Council Member Sheri Gallo abstaining from the vote.

The Planning Commission had its first Austin Independent School District member join yesterday, when AISD trustee Jayme Mathias accompanied commissioners on the dais as an ex officio (non-voting) member. “This has been a long-awaited arrival,” said Chair Stephen Oliver. “We’ve been asking for a long time for the opportunity to collaborate more and have the input of AISD.” Mathias expressed gratitude for being included in the commission and explained that school board President Gina Hinojosa had asked him and Beth Wilson from the AISD Facilities Department to represent her. “We’ll look forward to joining you on a regular basis and having representation for our district, which represents 84,000 students and 12,000 employees on 130 campuses throughout this city.” The Planning Commission has three ex officio positions: the Board of Adjustment chair, the director of the Public Works Department and a representative from AISD. Up until very recently, the AISD position was for the president of the AISD board of trustees, but that restriction was relaxed to encourage participation from the school district.

In a vote of 3-0-1, the Planning and Neighborhoods Committee selected Dave Sullivan as its appointment to the CodeNEXT Advisory Group. Sullivan is the current chair of the group (in addition to being the former chair of the Planning Commission and serving on many other city commissions). Though Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo didn’t vote against the appointment, she abstained from the vote. “I probably would have preferred to take a little more time to evaluate the names we had before us and give it consideration over the next month,” said Tovo, who explained that her abstention was “certainly not out of any lack of confidence in Dave Sullivan. … I certainly have a lot of respect for his viewpoints.” Tovo had three of her own nominees: Jeff Jack, Nuria Zaragoza and Jim Duncan, all of whom are also current members of the group.