This is the final day as a city employee for Kelan Robinson, who has served as constituent liaison for District 5 City Council Member Ann Kitchen. Robinson will join Michele Haussmann and Leah Bojo in Haussmann’s firm, Land Use Solutions, on Monday. Bojo, of course, worked as an aide to former Council Member Chris Riley. Robinson has also worked for former Council Member Bill Spelman and former Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole. Before that, he addressed land-use issues in the Public Works Department. His new title will be project coordinator. Robinson told the Austin Monitor, “Land use has always been a passion.” Robinson assures us that he will be hanging out at City Hall in his new post, but not behind the District 5 desk.

Yesterday, District 2 City Council Member Delia Garza announced that she will be joining the list of impressive panelists at the 2015 Texas Tribune Festival. Garza joins Mayor Steve Adler as the only Austin City Council representatives so far.

Though defeated City Council candidate Laura Pressley got about $100,000 in bad news from a recent court ruling, according to the Austin Chronicle, she has decided to move forward with her appeal. As per last week’s judgment, Pressley and her original attorney, David Rogers, risk further sanctions if they continue their litigation. Read Michael King’s full story here.

East Austin’s Tannehill Branch Creek, near Bartholemew Park, will be getting some sprucing up this month, thanks to the Friends of Tannehill Branch Creek. The group will be hosting a volunteer event – in partnership with Keep Austin Beautiful and Adopt-a-Creek – to clean up litter that has accumulated near the stretch of the creek that runs along Broadmoor Drive from Belfast Drive to Berkman Drive. The event will take place Saturday, Aug. 15, from 9 a.m. to noon. Volunteers will meet by the concrete ramp west of Belfast. RSVPs should be sent to FTBcreek@gmail.com. If you go, don’t forget to let the mayor know via #VolunteerATX.

In an effort to help curb the overwatering of lawns, the Lower Colorado River Authority and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service have teamed together to offer homeowners and businesses a new free tool. Called WaterMyYard, the Web-based program offers local recommendations on how long to run irrigation systems. Residents in Austin, Cedar Park, Dripping Springs, Lakeway, Marble Falls and Pflugerville can sign up to receive weekly updates from the free service by text or email. According to a press release about the program, “Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service developed WaterMyYard to simplify information from the TexasET Network – a network made up of 43 weather stations across the state that monitors evapotranspiration (ET), or the total amount of water plants need to grow and develop. As part of the program, LCRA modified six Hydromet gauges around Austin to provide localized information. The Hydromet stations have a new sensor – called a pyranometer – to measure solar radiation in addition to recording temperature, relative humidity and wind speed needed to calculate ET.” More information and the opportunity to sign up for personalized recommendations is available on the WaterMyYard website.

This Friday, the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center will host a free teen workshop led by cartoonist and “Bordertown” writer Lalo Alcaraz. At the workshop, which is open to teens aged 13 years and above, Alcaraz will share his experiences as an artist and show clips from his upcoming television show. The workshop will take place at 3 p.m., and interested teens can learn more about the program and pre-register here.

The Austin Transportation Department is seeking input on potential improvements to a short stretch of road on Wooten Park Drive, near the Wooten Neighborhood Park in North Austin. Upcoming routine maintenance – repaving and restriping – of the section from West Anderson Lane to Mullen Drive presents an opportunity for further improvements, such as installation of bike lanes. The Transportation Department is hosting an open house tonight to solicit input before finalizing any plans. The meeting will be held at North Village Branch Library, 2505 Steck Ave., from 6-7 p.m.

Today, City Council is set to tackle its budget process in earnest. Starting at 9:30 a.m., Council will hear the official budget forecast from the city’s Budget Office. Look for a special Austin Monitor budget story at 10:30 a.m. During this work session, Council will hear an overview of the General Fund Budget and discussion of major utilities and enterprise departments. Following that, budget staff will review the Capital Budget, tax rates and utility rates.

Austin Independent School District officials announced the death of school board member Robert Schneider, who passed away surrounded by his family Tuesday morning. Schneider was one of the longest-serving trustees on the current school board. He was elected to the board of trustees in 2002 and dedicated 13 years of service as the District 7 trustee. He served as chair of AISD’s Intergovernmental Relations Committee and the Ad Hoc Committee for Policy and Process Review for Site-Based Decision-Making. In 2013, he was elected to represent AISD as a member of the board of directors of the Texas Association of School Boards. Schneider retired from the University of Texas at Austin after 30 years of research in parallel computing systems. He was actively involved in the community, serving on numerous neighborhood, environmental and school committees and task forces. His primary interests included promoting academic achievement and studying models of board governance, according to a district press release. “AISD students and families were served well by Trustee Schneider’s vision and passion. Our school community has lost a great leader,” said AISD Superintendent Paul Cruz. Schneider is survived by his wife, Kathleen, and his four children, who graduated from AISD schools.

At their first meeting, Ethics Review commissioners opted to stick with what worked in the past and unanimously voted to elect Commissioner Austin Kaplan as chair and Commissioner Peter Einhorn as vice chair on Tuesday. Both Kaplan and Einhorn served in those capacities on the previous incarnation of the commission, and those who worked with them vouched for their continued service to the new members of the commission, who now make up a majority. “It’s not an easy job,” said Commissioner Donna Beth McCormick. “I think that all of you new members, your time will come. But you kind of need to see how it works.”

Like all of the incoming commissions, the Historic Landmark Commission took up the issue of officers at its first meeting Monday. But depleted ranks on the dais mean that it will do the same in the near future. Commissioner Arif Panju suggested that commissioners hold off on electing an official chair until all the members of the commission are appointed and present. The commission is currently two members short, and at Monday’s meeting, only six of the nine appointed members were present. Commissioners Terri Myers, Michelle Trevino and Grace McKenzie were absent. After a brief discussion, Panju’s fellow commissioners unanimously appointed returning commissioner Mary Jo Gallindo as acting chair for their first meeting, and they will address the matter again at the next meeting. As Historic Preservation Officer Steve Sadowsky pointed out, “You don’t know. Whoever is appointed acting chair tonight may never want to be the chair of this commission.” Commissioners also elected Commissioner David Whitworth as acting vice chair.

This Thursday, Neighborhood Housing and Community Development will hold a work session to discuss proposed amendments to the city’s Planned Unit Development Density Bonus Program. The work session is an opportunity for staff to work with stakeholders and one another on addressing the affordable housing part of the PUD Ordinance and considering how it might change to require affordable housing to be on-site. The city asks that participants come prepared to draft recommendations at the meeting. More info about staff recommendations and the information from the first meeting can be found here. Thursday’s meeting will take place at 11:30 a.m. at 1000 East 11th St., Room 400A. RSVPs to the meeting can be emailed to Jessi Koch at jessi.koch@austintexas.gov.