On Tuesday, June 30, the city’s Economic Development Department is hosting a community budget forum. Staff will provide an overview of the budget process and financial forecast, as well as offer information about “programs and services geared at increasing Austin’s prosperity and the City’s budget process,” according to a press release. The forum will take place from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m  at the Entrepreneur Center of Austin (4029 S Capital of Texas Hwy, Ste. 110.)

This Saturday, June 27, the George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center will present its newest permanent addition, the Juneteenth Memorial Monument, to the public. The presentation will also celebrate the 150th anniversary of Juneteenth. The dedication ceremony will begin at 11:00 a.m. and continue until 4:00 p.m.. According to a press release, the celebration will feature “games, food, vendors, crafts, and character interpretation” as well as offer Austinites a chance to learn a little history. More information about the event and the sculpture can be found here.

Today, the Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee is scheduled to meet prior to the regular City Council meeting. The committee meeting is scheduled for 9:00 a.m., with the Council meeting scheduled to convene at 11:00 a.m. Plan your day accordingly!

The Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department is currently investigating an outbreak of cyclospora, an intestinal illness caused by a microscopic parasite. According to a press release distributed yesterday, “(T)he department has 15 confirmed and probable cases and 11 new cases that are currently under investigation. Within the past week, 42 cases of Cyclospora infection have been reported to the Texas Department of State Health Services.” Also according to the press release, the infection is spread by people ingesting something that was contaminated with feces and is not frequently contagious. More information about cyclospora can be found on the CDC website, and health officials urge those who think they might be infected to see their health care providers.

Today, June 24, Austin Water Utility Director Greg Meszaros will take part in the Imagine Austin speaker series. He will talk, specifically, about “Breaking the Traditional Cycle of Water Planning in Our Region.” Meszaros, according to a Facebook invitation, will tackle questions of climate change, the drought, AWU water preservation and whether there is (and will be) enough water for everyone in the Central Texas region. The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. at Austin’s Boyd Vance Theater.

Austin Water Utility fans are going to have a tough time choosing between this and AWU Director Greg Meszaros’ talk, but today AWU is also hosting a budget open house. The event is designed to help familiarize water customers with the budget process and allow interested citizens to provide input. The open house will take place from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the Austin Water Utility’s main office on East 10th Street.

At a special called meeting Tuesday, City Council had a discussion about the three energy consultants that Austin Energy staff has selected as qualified candidates for an independent study on how the city should move forward with acquiring new energy sources. The top three candidates, according to the utility, are Pace Global with 86.05 points, Navigant Consulting with 84.88 points and LCG Consulting with 80.8 points. Austin Energy is recommending Pace Global, though Mayor Steve Adler noted that Navigant Consulting “received some support.” In addition, Council members called attention to the fact that LCG Consulting received two out of 10 points in the “local business presence” category, while the top two candidates received full points. Khalil Shalabi, the utility’s vice president of energy market operations and resource planning, said that all of the candidates are qualified to do the work the city has requested as part of the Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan to 2025. “We’re indifferent as to who you pick,” he said. Whichever company Council chooses will be in charge of analyzing the potential outcomes of constructing the 500 megawatt combined-cycle natural gas plant that Austin Energy staff has recommended over pursuing renewable alternatives. Council will meet Thursday morning as the Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee and will likely select a consultant at a regular meeting later that day.

In order to reduce costs, all Austin Independent School District campuses, including all schools and offices, will be closed this Friday and every subsequent Friday through Aug. 14. According to a Monday press release, the truncated weekly schedule “reduces energy, water and wastewater costs during the summer months” and saved the district about $716,000 last year. Offices will be open Monday through Thursday between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., with the exception of the week starting June 29, during which all offices and schools will be closed. The district will resume its regular, five-day workweek on Monday, Aug. 17, and classes will begin on Monday, Aug. 24.

The campaign to sell voters on Travis County’s proposed $291.6 million Civil and Family Courts Complex officially launched on Monday. A press conference was held at the Women’s Community Center in downtown Austin, a backdrop befitting the opening arguments for the project. While there is overwhelming agreement in the county that the current civil courthouse is overcrowded and inadequate for a growing community, supporters of the new project argue that the proposed facility’s high cost is necessary to ensure “safety and security for women, children, and families.” “At the courthouse in Travis County, we do not have ‘safe rooms’ where victims can wait separately from the person who has hurt them; there is not room to provide these spaces,” said Julie Spann, the executive director of SafePlace, a group focused on ending domestic violence. “At our current courthouse, it is almost inevitable that a victim will come face to face with the abuser in the hallway, the elevator or the courtroom. No wonder so many victims are too afraid to file charges or to go to court.” The proposed facility would include special separate sections to keep victims, the accused and court employees apart when they’re not in courtrooms. The total tax impact, according to the Austin Bar Association, will be about $42 per year on a $325,000 home. The Commissioners Court is exploring how much revenue the county stands to make from a second tower on the site that could be leased out to private businesses. The commissioners will take up on Tuesday an item to schedule that potential study.

This Saturday, June 27, City Council Member Don Zimmerman will hold a town hall meeting for his District 6 constituents. According to a press release from Zimmerman’s office, he will discuss the upcoming city budget. Additionally, Austin Police Department representatives will discuss and answer questions about property crimes. The city’s Transportation Department and TxDOT will also be on hand to discuss Parmer Lane expansion and light synchronization. The meeting will take place at 1:30 p.m. at the Neenah Avenue Lord of Life Lutheran Church.

Yesterday, the city announced that Austin residents and visitors will be able to weigh in on their South by Southwest experiences, officially, until July 9. The Austin Center for Events is currently conducting a comprehensive evaluation of this year’s festival, and the survey (located here) allows those who attended or were impacted to opine on topics like music programming, street closures and how city resources were used. The information gathered through the survey will help staff draft proposed recommendations that will then be presented to the city manager, mayor and City Council.

Those interested in attending our “Beers, Brains and Betterment” panel on the Economics of Imagine Austin will get another chance. Though the Austin Monitor had to cancel the original panel because of weather, the forum has been rescheduled for Monday, July 27. The event is free and open to the public. Click here for more information and to RSVP.