The Texas Department of Transportation is hosting an open house on Tuesday, July 21, to share information and gather input about improvements proposed for the intersection of I-35 and Riverside Drive. Several projects are under consideration, including widening of the I-35 bridges over Lady Bird Lake, the addition of collector-distributor lanes under the Riverside Drive bridge, construction of bicycle and pedestrian facilities, replacement of crossings at Riverside Drive and Woodland Avenue, and other modifications. Among the projects’ goals are increased safety and improved traffic flow during peak hours. The meeting will be held in the Martin Middle School cafeteria, 1601 Haskell St., from 5:30 to 7 p.m. All public commentary submitted by Aug. 3 will be part of the official record. More information is available here.

At Tuesday’s Planning, Safety and Operations Committee meeting, members reviewed an upcoming agreement to provide charterlike bus services to Auditorium Shores during the 2015 Austin City Limits Music Festival. The $400,000 agreement uses CapMetro buses and services with assistance from Transco Livery Services Inc. According to the agreement, CapMetro will charge ACL event producers its full operating cost, which is $110 per vehicle hour. Dottie Watkins, vice president of bus and paratransit services for CapMetro, said the agency will no longer be in charge of volunteers. In the past, it has trained and offered volunteer support to the event shuttles. In sad news for some volunteers, CapMetro also will not provide free event tickets to compensate volunteers for their services. Watkins said the transportation entity usually is not allowed to offer charter services because of Federal Trade Administration laws regulating public/private competition. It has for years, however, because of lack of interest from the private sector. The contract is set for final approval at the board’s July 27 regular meeting.

City Council campaign finance reports were due by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, but as the Austin Monitor reported yesterday, not all reports appeared on the city’s website right away. Today, the report from District 10 Council Member Sheri Gallo became available, and according to its time stamp – at 4:14 p.m. – it was filed on time. The report shows that Gallo tallied $2,831.22 in total political expenditures, with $174 coming from personal funds. She has $7,471.90 remaining in her campaign account. As of Thursday evening, the report from District 5 Council Member Ann Kitchen had yet to appear on the city’s website. See yesterday’s story for more on the other Council members’ campaign finance reports.

After 14 years with the city of Austin, elections clerk Ann Franklin will be leaving her position. Friends and colleagues planned a cake-and-punch gathering at City Hall yesterday afternoon to bid adieu to the city veteran. According to an email from Myrna Rios of the Office of the City Clerk, Franklin “played a key role in coordinating with outside entities on Elections, prepared Council meeting minutes, and managed Mayor and Council and Executive financial reporting.” Those who could not make it to yesterday’s gathering still have time to say goodbye. Franklin’s last day will be July 24.

Following the death on July 14 of an 18-year-old man suspected to have been bitten by a cobra, a team of herpetologists will be joining with the Animal Protection Office to conduct a search for the snake. “We felt we needed to organize and conduct a proactive search in the interest of public safety,” said Animal Protection supervisor Mark Sloat. Beginning at 8 a.m. Friday morning, the team will be searching the area near the Lowe’s home improvement store at 13000 N. I-35. Although there have been no reports of the snake on the Lowe’s property, the store’s garden center will be closed during the search. According to a media advisory from the Austin Animal Center, the snake is “highly aggressive” with a “distinctive circle on its back and a tan underbelly.” Anyone who finds a snake of this description should avoid approaching it and instead call 911. Anyone with information about the circumstances surrounding this case or about the snake in particular, which reportedly belonged to the young man who died, is encouraged to call the APD Homicide Unit at 512-974-5210.

North Austin travelers can expect significant traffic delays beginning on Saturday due to several detours and closures along Shoal Creek, between Allendale Road (FM 2222) and White Rock Drive. The route will be closed entirely to northbound traffic, which will be diverted to Burnet Road, and a press release from the Austin Water utility recommends that drivers and cyclists avoid the area altogether if possible. A 4,700-foot wastewater pipe buried under Shoal Creek Boulevard is to blame for the road closure. Austin Water will be rehabilitating the pipe and expects the project to last about three weeks. In the meantime, area residents will have access to neighborhoods along the route, according to AW, and there will be no disruption to water and wastewater service.

Is the new City Council doing a good job? That’s not a rhetorical question. An online survey is gauging citizen satisfaction with Council members now that they’ve been in office seven months, and so far more than 700 people have participated. The poll, which was created by Austin Monitor board member Julio Gonzalez Altamirano, asks three simple questions: Are you satisfied with how Council is improving Austin, what are the top priorities Council should focus on next, and which Council member is most effectively improving Austin? As of Thursday evening, Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo of District 9 and Mayor Steve Adler were neck and neck for first place on that last question, while Council Member Greg Casar of District 4 was a close second – but there’s still time to sway the numbers. The poll closes at 5 p.m. today, July 17, and the results will become visible once the answers are sorted.

Travis County Commissioners Court candidate James Nortey announced Wednesday that his campaign for a Precinct 1 seat – representing Northeast Travis County – is raising money at a brisk pace. In just a little over a month, it has amassed more than $30,000. According to a statement released by Nortey’s campaign, it took six months for Commissioner Ron Davis, who currently holds the Precinct 1 seat, to raise that much money in previous campaigns. Davis, who was first elected to the Commissioners Court in 1998, announced in May that he plans to retire in December 2016. Nortey, a Democrat, will be running for his seat in the November 2016 election. Most of the donations to Nortey’s campaign – nearly 80 percent – have been small, at $100 or less. “Our main sources of financial support are grassroots Democrats and small-dollar donors who believe we need energetic and engaged leadership to tackle the neglected needs of Northeast Travis County,” said Nortey.

The Austin Police Department is joining with nonprofit Colin’s Hope to host two swim safety events for kids this month. Lifeguards from the Parks and Recreation Department will be on hand to teach children how to safely participate in water activities, how to prevent accidents and what to do in emergency situations. According to an announcement from the city of Austin, at least 43 children in Texas have died in drowning accidents this year. Drowning prevention and water safety are the primary focus of the events, which will take place at the Montopolis Recreation Center, 1200 Montopolis Drive. Sessions are scheduled for this week, Thursday, 10 a.m. to noon, and next week, Tuesday, July 21, 1 to 3 p.m.

Travis County Commissioners have named the new head of the Planning and Budget Office. County Judge Sarah Eckhardt confirmed on Tuesday that the court is giving the gig to current Budget Director Jessica Rio. Rio has served as interim county executive in charge of the PBO since March. She replaced Leroy Nellis, who himself was the temporary replacement for Leslie Browder. Browder left the county last year to serve as chief financial officer at Capital Metro. Rio has a Master of Accountancy from Texas State University and has worked for the county since 1997. In an email to the Austin Monitor, Rio said: “The Planning and Budget Office assists the Commissioners Court in managing County resources in order to meet the changing needs of the community in an effective manner. We ensure funding priorities are met and that the Court’s long term vision is furthered through our work. These efforts continue and I look forward to serving the Commissioners Court and the people of Travis County in this new capacity.”

During its first meeting, the new Planning Commission elected returning Commissioner Stephen Oliver as chair. Commissioners also elected new member Fayez Kazi as vice chair. City Council Member Delia Garza appointed Kazi to the board. He had previously served on the Zero Waste Advisory Commission as well as on the boards of the Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce and the Real Estate Council of Austin.

Although statewide sales tax revenue fell about 1.2 percent overall this month, Austin sales tax figures show continued growth for the city, according to figures released by Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar. The comptroller’s website says that Austin collected more than $15,540,000 this May, compared to about $14,128,000 in May 2014. So far this year, Austin is 6.58 percent ahead of where it was at this time last year. Data is released two months after taxes are collected, so the information released in July pertains to taxes collected in May. For this year so far, Austin has collected $112,496,736 compared to last year’s collection of $105,546,370. City financial planners had projected sales tax growth for the current fiscal year at 4.67 percent. The current financial forecast is that the city will end the year at 5.8 percent ahead of the budgeted growth, a city spokesman said. On the other hand, Round Rock sales tax collections fell by 5.6 percent over last year, according to the comptroller’s website.