The annual Flood Safety Video Contest put on by the Watershed Protection Department is underway, with students in grades 6 through 12 invited to compete by submitting their own short public service announcements. The theme centers on the concept of “turn around, don’t drown” that encourages drivers to avoid flooded roadways that are the leading cause of death during flash floods. Winners will receive a $100 gift card, swag bags and possible coverage on a local news station. PSAs should be 30 seconds long and are due by March 31, 2024. Entries will be judged “based on creativity, clarity in messaging, and overall impact,” according to a press release about the contest. Winners will be announced in April. “With the increasing challenges posed by extreme weather events, it becomes crucial to educate and inform young minds about the importance of flood safety,” Jorge Morales, Watershed Protection Department director, said in a statement to the press. “Through this contest, we hope to inspire students to drive change and make a positive impact in their communities.”

The Red River Cultural District has stepped up its call for city assistance to help cover festival programming and operational expenses for the downtown cluster of music venues and restaurants. On Tuesday, the RRCD issued a press release chronicling the challenges facing music venues, including substantial increases in liability insurance costs, and listing how the district would use an annual payment of between $150,000 and $300,000 that other cultural districts receive. One of the deliverables would be a comprehensive economic analysis to document the business impact delivered by festivals and other programming in the district throughout the year. Earlier this month, the Music Commission voted to support the RRCD’s request, with the hope of including it in midyear budget amendments. If not taken up in the coming months, the request would have to wait until possible inclusion in the city’s next budget that goes into effect in the fall.

Austin Independent School District’s first set of electric school buses will be officially unveiled Thursday. In September 2022, the AISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved a resolution to convert to electric buses to avoid the harmful effects of diesel school bus pollution. At the Thursday press conference, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, Austin ISD interim Superintendent Matias Segura, Austin ISD Board of Trustees President Arati Singh and others will formally recognize the $6.25 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency for the district to purchase an additional 25 electric buses. The district aims to transition to an all-electric fleet of buses by 2035.

This year’s Woofstock is ready to kick off, and this Saturday is a chance for Austinites to score tickets to the Feb. 16 Grace Potter concert. Each donation from noon to 1 p.m. at Austin Animal Center will mean a pair of tickets, distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. According to a press release from Austin Animal Center, they are in need of:

• Fleece blankets
• Non-rawhide dog bones
• Kongs
• Dog and cat toys
• Training treats for dogs
• XXL dog sweaters and coats
• Peanut butter
• Churu
• Cat treats

Woofstock was created in 2015 as a way for Austin City Limits Radio staff to support local animal shelters. Instead of purchasing tickets, attendees are encouraged to make a donation to a local shelter.

Dianna Grey, who was most recently the city’s homeless strategy officer, will be taking the position of interim executive director for the Strategic Housing Finance Corporation of Travis County. Grey has been working for the group since Jan. 3. “Affordable housing has become the number one issue facing most urban communities in America today, including Austin-Travis County,” Travis County Housing Authority CEO Patrick B. Howard said in a statement to the press. “It is paramount that area housing providers be focused, creative and resourceful to address the issue of housing insecurity adequately. Dianna Grey, in her new role as SHFC Interim Executive Director, will continue to advance the expansion and preservation goals of affordable housing for this community as she has done very effectively for more than 25 years.” The Strategic Housing Finance Corporation is a local government corporation created in 2004 that works to preserve and expand affordable housing in the region.  “I am quite grateful to be entrusted with the role of SHFC’s Interim Executive Director,” Grey said in a statement to the press. “I’m thrilled to be joining SHFC at this dynamic juncture, and I will work hard to position our organization to deliver increased high-quality affordable housing for our neighbors in Travis County.”

More people are flying out of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, according to a news release. Total passenger traffic for November 2023 was up 3.57 percent compared to the previous November, with 1,911,494 passengers flying during the month. Air cargo was down by 2.54 percent year to year, totaling 24,412,283 pounds, but international air cargo was up 11.7 percent.

From Feb. 15 through April 21, a solo exhibition by Austin photographer Leta Harrison will be on display at The Gallery at Central Library. In “Black Girls Don’t Wear Red Lipstick,” she trains her camera on Black women who use self-expression as a form of activism. The show is curated by Keyheira Keys and Whitney Hamilton of the arts alliance Of Color Atx. In Harrison’s joyous, bold photographic prints, she showcases women reclaiming their power, challenging oppressive beauty standards and stifling stereotypes. An opening reception that’s free and open to the public is set for 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 15, with a spoken word performance by Christa Brown and music by DJ Lauren Light. And a Black History Month celebration is planned for 1 to 3 p.m. Feb. 24, with an inspiring spoken word event and a thought-provoking writing workshop.

On Thursday, City Council indefinitely postponed two zoning cases that were envisioned as mixed-use developments with tall buildings that would offer housing for low-income Austinites. Because a Travis County judge has found that the city failed to follow proper procedures in approving the Vertical Mixed Use 2 ordinance, those cases cannot move forward at this point. District 5 Council Member Ryan Alter, whose district includes properties on Red Bird Lane and South Congress Avenue, said a new version of the ordinance needs to come back to Council, “sooner rather than later.” A few minutes later, Zoning Officer Joi Harden told Council that cases in Crestview Village and North Lamar would also be postponed indefinitely for the same reason. Mayor Pro Tem Leslie Pool said she wanted action on the ordinance so those District 7 properties could be built with the affordable housing envisioned by the VMU2 ordinance. City Attorney Anne Morgan responded, “We are committed to bringing that back to you sooner rather than later.” When Council approved the ordinance in 2022, they did so in part to facilitate creating more affordable housing. The VMU2 zoning would require somewhere between 224 and 305 affordable units for people with a median family income of 30 percent to 80 percent MFI.

Starting on Feb. 5, the city’s Development Services Department will begin accepting applications related to the newly approved HOME amendments designed to allow more housing on single-family lots in the pursuit of a more affordable Austin. A message from the department explains that more communication about the implementation will be forthcoming and that:

• Current regulations will remain in effect for single-family residential projects.
• Residential building permit (BP) applications with two- and three-dwelling units will be reviewed under HOME amendments if submitted on or after Feb. 5, 2024.
• Residential BP applications submitted prior to Feb. 5, 2024, will be reviewed under pre-HOME (current) regulations unless an applicant submits an update on or after Feb. 5 that specifically opts into HOME amendments. Updates for this purpose are permitted only for two-unit projects; three-unit projects will require a new BP application for consideration under HOME.

Applicants who wish to have projects reviewed under current regulation should complete the Fair Notice Application process, selecting the vested rights application. Information about the amendments and their implementation will continue to be updated on the city’s website.

The Watershed Protection Department’s 2023 annual report is out now, covering efforts to reduce the impact of flooding, erosion and water pollution – with some super local explainers included. Here’s an overview:

• Crews cleaned 76,748 feet of storm drain pipeline (the distance you’d drive from the Broken Spoke to the Domain) and installed or replaced 10,131 feet of storm drain infrastructure (the length of 33 UT Towers).
• Crews stabilized 7,174 feet of unstable stream channel, equivalent to about 191 MetroBuses lined up end to end.
• The Liberty Park Water Quality Pond Retrofits project prevented 7,900 pounds of pollution from entering the Barton Creek watershed – nearly the same weight as 253,000 Mexican free-tailed bats.

The full report is available at austintexas.gov/watershed/2023.

On Thursday, City Council will decide whether to authorize a $2 million contract with McKinsey & Company, Inc. to provide “a comprehensive review of homelessness strategies, programs, and services.” It is pretty much a foregone conclusion that they will approve the contract, but at Tuesday’s brief work session, Council Member Ryan Alter said analyzing the work of each entity involved in trying to help people experiencing homelessness is “an incredibly important scope of work.” He said the study would help “to ensure that we are not overlapping or wasting a precious resource, especially as it relates to homelessness.” In response to a question from Council Member Chito Vela, Mayor Kirk Watson said McKinsey would analyze the work done not only by the city, but also by Travis County and Central Health. According to meeting notes related to the Council agenda, “The objective of this comprehensive review is to assess the effectiveness of the strategies, programs, and services provided by the City of Austin and other partners, which may include Central Health, Travis County, Integral Care, and The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School (‘Healthier Austin Partners’ or ‘Partners’) to make homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring.”

The Other Ones Foundation will host a job fair for unhoused clients today in an effort to pair local businesses with people who might struggle to maintain employment. According to a press release from the homelessness nonprofit, the group “will host numerous corporate, government, and nonprofit agencies to promote their career opportunities across a variety of fields” today from noon to 3 p.m. at 3801 S. First St. “Members of the unhoused community experience many barriers to traditional employment: missing IDs or permanent address, difficulty with transportation or hygiene maintenance, and a lack of soft skills that have eroded over time from isolation and marginalization. Austin also has a highly competitive and saturated job market, rife with stigma towards individuals with job gaps, or who present as having experienced homelessness. TOOF’s supportive programs work with individuals on overcoming these barriers and preparing them to re-enter the workforce. Finally, we make a smooth handoff to our incredible partners who want to offer these folks a chance to work,” TOOF’s director of communications, Max Moscoe, said in a statement to the press. “Employment for people experiencing homelessness is important not only for the financial leverage it gives them, but for the feeling of empowerment and involvement that comes from engaging in community. These life-changing efforts are only possible with partnership from the hiring organizations and community support for TOOF programming.”