Brent Bellinger, senior environmental scientist for Austin’s Watershed Protection Department, updated the city’s Environmental Board on the ways his team is monitoring water quality in Lady Bird Lake and Lake Austin. At the board’s regular June 3 meeting, Bellinger said his team is using more data-centric methods and broadening the scope of  material monitored in the annual water quality report, known as the Austin Lake Index. Bellinger said the city currently has five species cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, that are known to produce toxins harmful to humans but that the city does not test for in the lakes. The algae played a role in a 2014 Lake Erie situation, in which large algae blooms caused water quality to dip so low that residents were prohibited from drinking or swimming in Erie-based water. Bellinger was an environmental scientist in the area when this occurred.

Though City Council Member Greg Casar won his District 4 seat with almost 65 percent of the vote, continued protests by his opponent, Laura Pressley, have led to big legal fees for Casar. This Wednesday, his supporters are throwing a benefit to help offset his legal costs, which have added up to more than $100,000 to date. The event will take place on June 10, from 5:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Hangar Lounge. More information can be found on Facebook.

The CodeNEXT team is inviting Austin residents to come meet them tonight. The group will be available to answer questions and let interested Austinites know how they can get involved in the city’s rewrite of the Land Development Code. The meetup will take place at 5:30 p.m. at Scholtz Garten. More information about the CodeNEXT process can be found on the city’s website as well, but there’s no beer there.

City Council unanimously passed a set of measures Thursday that include revised taxicab regulations and renewed five-year agreements with the three existing franchise agreements. The new regulations create an opportunity for taxicab drivers and their respective franchises to resolve contractual disputes through independent mediation; remove a requirement for drivers to have their chauffeur’s licenses sponsored by franchises, meaning that drivers will be able move freely among franchises; require a taxicab driver to pick up a passenger if that driver is determined to be closest to the passenger through a dispatcher’s GPS; and make issuance of additional permits to franchises contingent upon those franchises meeting certain performance requirements. Council will develop those performance requirements in the near future. The franchise agreements award 50 new permits to each of the existing franchises in the first year of each agreement, ensure that future permit distribution is based on the new performance requirements, remove a cap on the number of permits that franchises can hold and require that franchises have a dispatch system that uses GPS technology. The three existing franchises – Yellow Cab Austin, Lone Star Cab and Austin Cab Company – together hold 756 permits, which will increase to 906 permits.

The Workers Defense Project’s Better Builder Program has a new partner: the developers of a hotel at 1207 E. Cesar Chavez. Cristina Tzintzún, executive director of the Workers organization, announced at a press conference Thursday that developers Brian and Bree Carrico have agreed to pay workers a minimum of $15 per hour and provide safety training for all construction workers on the project. Tzintzún said her organization and the Carricos share a common belief: “That the workers who build our city should be able to afford to live in it, and that workers’ families should know at the end of each workday that they can expect their family member to come home safely. But right now, that often isn’t the norm.” In addition to the higher wages and safety training, Tzintzún said all construction workers will have workers compensation insurance and that there will be monitoring of safety conditions to ensure the well-being of employees. Tzintzún said the Carricos chose to become part of the program because they understand the need to ensure that everyone benefits from Austin’s prosperity. According to The Austin Chronicle, not everybody is thrilled with the idea of a new hotel at that location. City Council Member Pio Renteria was quoted as saying, “I think it’s an infringement on the neighborhood.”

The University Hills Neighborhood Association and the Parks and Recreation Department are inviting Austin volunteers to join them next weekend in cleaning up and “re-beautifying” Dottie Jordan Park. The cleanup will take place on Saturday, June 13, from 9 a.m. until noon. If you’re interested in volunteering, sign up by contacting Joe Washington at 512-971-5708 or joe.washington@austintexas.gov.

As reported earlier this week, Austin’s newest sports venue will indeed be an inland surf park. The 160-acre NLand Surf Park will be located near the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and have the distinction of being the first inland surf park in North America. It is set to open in 2016. A press release about the park emphasized its eco-friendly nature. “We designed the park to tread lightly on the land and all its resources, especially water,” said NLand Surf Park Founder and CEO Doug Coors. “Even in the most challenging drought conditions, we will be capable of operating the lagoon with only rainwater. We partnered with Wavegarden, the Spanish engineering firm that invented the wave technology, because they figured out how to create incredible waves that are super energy efficient.” The press release also featured a statement from Travis County Commissioner Margaret Gómez, who touted the tax revenue and job opportunities the park will bring to Del Valle. The park, once open, will feature 300 “distinct waves” each hour, will have a surf school and will be the size of nine football fields.

During yesterday’s budget work session, Council members Sheri Gallo, Ora Houston and Ann Kitchen all mentioned their interest in pursing a tax levy freeze for seniors and the disabled. Following the session, a member of Gallo’s office followed up that conversation with a post on the City Council Message Board explaining that those three Council members and Council Member Ellen Troxclair were currently at work on drafting a resolution that would do just that. The posting reads, in part, “As we continue to talk about Austin’s affordability issues, my hope is to provide much needed assistance to members of our community who are living on fixed incomes in a city with ever rising property valuations and tax bills. This resolution will be placed on the June 11th agenda for consideration.”

It’s official. James Nortey is running for Travis County commissioner in Precinct One. Though it’s been an open secret for a while now, Nortey officially threw his hat into the ring on Tuesday, and announced that he will be running to replace retiring County Commissioner Ron Davis. In a statement to the press, Nortey said, “Too many people feel like they’re barely holding onto their community and their homes. I’m running because we need smart, innovative, energetic approaches to government that protect and enhance the quality of life of our current neighbors and lay the groundwork for expanded opportunity for future generations.” Nortey has served on the city of Austin Planning Commission, as chair of the Mueller Neighborhood Association, as president of the Black Austin Democrats, and as vice chair of the Capital Area Progressive Democrats, among other things. Professionally, he is an associate at Duggins Wren Mann & Romero LLP.

The City Council Mobility Committee voted 2-1 Wednesday to recommend three proposed taxicab franchise renewal agreements and an ordinance that would substantially change the way the city regulates taxicabs to Council ahead of today’s votes on all four items. Council Member Don Zimmerman voted against the motion, saying that he couldn’t support it due to concerns with some of the proposals, but that he hopes Council will be able to address them before voting on the items. Council Member Ann Kitchen, who chairs the committee, said there are a couple of provisions that she will likely propose amendments to before Council votes. The regulatory changes, as written, would increase accessibility requirements for taxicab fleets, remove a requirement that permit holders be sponsored by a taxicab franchise and make issuance of future permits to franchises contingent on those franchises meeting certain performance measures, among other changes. The proposed five-year franchise agreements would require that the franchises use a computerized dispatch system, provide fifty additional chauffeur’s permits to each franchise in the first year of its agreement and remove the current limit on the number of permits franchises can hold, among other changes.

This year, the city is asking Austinites about their budget priorities through something they are calling “Budget in a Box 2.0.” The exercise, which is designed for groups of six to 10 people, takes about an hour. According to the city, “The Financial Services Department will mail as many Budget in a Box kits as needed directly to homes, groups or churches/religious organizations. To order a kit(s), go to their website. Alternately, interested residents can watch a video about the exercise. The city is also hosting a series of guided sessions at various locations around town through June 11.

Mayor Steve Adler, City Manager Marc Ott and Austin Energy General Manager Larry Weis were among the Austinites attending the Global City Teams Challenge Expo in Washington, D.C., Monday and Tuesday of this week. Cities from around the world sent delegates to discuss the future of smart devices and the Internet of Things in order to promote cooperation among those cities in dealing with new technologies. Austin was asked to discuss leveraging mobile devices for real-time data and resident feedback to enhance urban planning and address civic priorities, according to the website for the conference, which was sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and US Ignite. Asked to describe what type of devices Austin Energy was using that might fit with the theme of the conference, AE spokesman Robert Cullick said, “There’s an app from Austin Energy that will let you know when you’re moving into second and third tier” of electric use, which triggers higher prices. In addition, Cullick said, “Everything talks to us on a real-time basis. When a streetlight starts to go out, it communicates to a nearby streetlight,” so that the first streetlight can be repaired. In addition, Cullick pointed out that the city “can increase the lumens on our streetlights on 6th Street when it’s closing time.” Also, Austin has a 3-1-1 app that allows citizens to report things like potholes from their phones. Presumably, Austin will be sharing information about those technologies and receiving information from other cities on new uses of technology. A spokesman for the mayor’s office said that Adler would be back Tuesday night.