The city has announced two new cultural funding programs for local artists: Capacity Building Program and Cultural Heritage Festivals Program. The Capacity Building Program is open to nonprofit arts organizations located in Austin or its extraterritorial jurisdiction, and funds can be used to support things such as management, governance, financial resources and administrative systems. The Cultural Heritage Festivals Program is open to nonprofit organizations located in Austin or its ETJ. In order to qualify for this program, project activities must involve the marketing, production, presentation and funding of a culturally specific festival open to both residents and tourists. Interested applicants should visit www.austintexas.gov/department/cultural-funding to read the program guidelines and eligibility. Deadline for Capacity Building applications is March 23; deadline for Cultural Heritage Festivals applications is March 30. Both programs come from the city’s Cultural Arts Division of the Economic Development Department.

This weekend, spring break started early for the Austin Police Department. On Saturday, APD began its Impaired Mobilization Selective Traffic Enforcement, or STEP, initiative for Spring Break 2015. During the initiative, APD will have more officers enforcing DWI laws than usual. STEP will continue through March 22.

On Thursday, City Council members tied up the loose strings on the Garza Tract and approved a final trip limit with much less drama than when it heard the case last week. This time, Council voted 7-4 to approve a 13,000 gross daily trip limit for the development, which is less than the 13,000 net trips that were approved on first reading. Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo and Council Members Delia Garza, Ann Kitchen and Leslie Pool voted in opposition. Council also added a restrictive covenant on the tract that places a gate at Ben Garza Lane. Largely, though, Council members reiterated the positions they had stated during previous discussions. Council Member Sheri Gallo said, “The citizens of Austin have complained about and asked for more predictability in our city government decision.” Council Member Greg Casar, who voted against a similar “motion” when it was considered for first reading, explained his position. “I think this case is an example of how business should not be done here at City Hall,” said Casar. “That being said, we are stuck in the position that we’re now in. … Let’s move on, and I will do what is in my power in the future to make sure that this isn’t the way that business is done, especially in environmentally or socially vulnerable areas.”

During the Onion Creek buyout discussion, City Council took extra care to make sure the conversation was being understood. At the beginning, Council Member Greg Casar explained in Spanish that there would be both sign language interpretation during the meeting as well as simultaneous Spanish translation. Headphones were then distributed for those needing the latter. Though Council has discussed Onion Creek buyouts in the past, this is the first time that such measures were taken.

The Austin chapter of the American Institute of Architects announced Thursday that Ingrid Spencer will serve as its new executive director. According to a news release from AIA Austin, Spencer began her design career in New York as the managing editor of Contract Design Magazine, and then Architectural Record. Since moving to Austin, Spencer has continued to write for Architectural Record as a contributing editor, curated the Austin Modern Home Tour for seven years and worked on the Waller Creek Conservancy’s Creek Show installation series.

City of Austin government facilities will open at 1 p.m. today due to a forecast of winter weather conditions. The regularly scheduled City Council meeting will not begin until 1:30 p.m. The delayed openings include Austin Municipal Courts, Downtown Austin Community Court and the Public Library system. In addition, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport may be experiencing delays. Air travelers can check their flight status here. Austin Resource Recovery will not collect trash, recycling or yard trimmings today. The curbside collection schedule will slide one day this week. City emergency officials warn the public to avoid traveling unless absolutely necessary. Morning commuters should be alert for work crews and service trucks performing preventive measures on area roads. For up-to-date information about city operations, monitor city social media on Twitter or Facebook. The city will include #atxwx in most social media posts.

As reported by the Austin American-Statesman and at our own discussion series, “Beer, Brains and Betterment,” the city continues to refuse release of a draft report that recommends improvements to the Planning and Development Review Department. Neighborhood activists and media alike have been able to get only copies of the Zucker Report that have been extremely redacted, and the city has responded by seeking a ruling from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton about its right to withhold information. In the meantime, City Council Member Don Zimmerman has come forward with a plan of his own. On Wednesday, Zimmerman forwarded the following resolution on the Council message board, looking for co-sponsors:

“WHEREAS, the Planning and Development Review Department is a major component of the City of Austin; and,

WHEREAS, in 2014 the City of Austin hired Paul Zucker’s consulting firm Zucker Systems for $250,000 to recommend improvements to the Department and its processes; and,

WHEREAS, the first drafts of the report were turned into the City of Austin in December 2014; and,

WHEREAS, at the February 23, 2015 ‘Policy Deep Dive session’ on CodeNEXT, multiple questions regarding the Zucker Report were brought up, city staff indicated that the report could be released in four weeks to the City Council and to the public;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN:

The City Council directs the City Manager to release by March 31, 2015 all of the Zucker Report in non-redacted form, regardless of whether it is complete, or in draft, and the associated audit working papers.”

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality gave the Lower Colorado River Authority permission Wednesday to limit the amount of water it releases downstream this year from lakes Travis and Buchanan for the fourth year in a row. Citing the persistent drought afflicting the two Central Texas reservoir lakes since 2008 — now officially the worst on record — the LCRA made the request Nov. 19  through two emergency orders. One asked to cut off water releases for most downstream irrigation in 2015, while the other asked to reduce the amount of water the TCEQ requires the LCRA to release in the spring to support the downstream habitat of the threatened blue sucker fish. Though TCEQ commissioners made some modifications to the emergency orders, LCRA spokeswoman Clara Tuma told the Austin Monitor that the nonprofit public utility is “very pleased” with the decision. The Lower Colorado River Basin Coalition, which represents downstream interests, asked in a news release for additional support throughout the river basin. Co-chair Kirby Brown said that “more intensive water conservation and enforceable drought management would spread the burden more equitably.”

Michael McGill, chief of staff for former Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole, has been working for the Office of the City Auditor as temporary staff since January. Now he has been hired as a senior auditor, according to acting City Auditor Cory Stokes. McGill worked for Cole for three-and-a-half years. Before that, he spent 10 years with Freescale Semiconductor. He is a graduate of Penn State University.

The city is seeking public input on its plans for the Montopolis Recreation and Community Center at a neighborhood meeting next week. The public can review how the city’s Request for Qualifications process for professional services consultant selection works and give input and feedback on the development of the RFQ; discuss the next steps in the process of designing the center and provide general feedback. The current facility has served as a center for recreation and community events for over four decades. City officials say the building, while providing a facility for sports and recreation, is in poor condition and can no longer meet the needs of the community. The meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 11 at the Montopolis Recreation Center Gym (2^nd floor meeting room), 1200 Montopolis Drive. For more information, contact the project manager at (512) 974-7225, call Austin 311 or visit the project website.

Another long work session Tuesday morning led to the first committee meeting of the new City Council to be postponed. Though the Audit and Finance Committee meeting was scheduled to take place at 2 p.m. Tuesday, the work session ran until 4:30 p.m., and Chair Kathie Tovo explained that committee members had other obligations. The committee was set to discuss Mayor Steve Adler’s staffing plans, which have been presented as something of an urgent matter. Though Tovo has indicated she is working to have another committee meeting the last week of March, she has also projected that discussion of the plans will require more than one meeting. No date has been set to reschedule Tuesday’s meeting. With Council facing several sticky topics, its work session ran longer than was typical under the former Council. It started later, too. Council members were scheduled to convene at 9 a.m. but did not do so until about 9:40, because they were getting their pictures taken.

This Friday, as part of their tireless search for policy knowledge, City Council members will tackle two more topics. From 9 a.m. until 11 a.m., they will discuss economic development. And from 12:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m., they will dive into “Cost of Living and Quality of Life in Austin: Issues and Collaborative Strategies.” The morning economic development speakers will be: Rodney Gonzales, deputy director of the Economic Development Department; Jon Hockenyos, economist and principal at TXP; Brian Rodgers, ChangeAustin.org; Meg Wilson, senior lecturer, Executive Master of Science, Technology Commercialization, IC2, UT Austin; Grover Bynum, Austin Technology Council; Martha Cotera, member of the Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission; Nakia Reynoso, artist and member of the Austin Music Commission; Bob Batlan, Austin Interfaith; Ceci Gratia, Austin Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce; Richard Halpin, First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin; and a yet-to-be-determined member of the Austin Chamber. In the afternoon, Council will hear from: Ryan Robinson, demographer for the City of Austin; Frances Deviney, Center for Public Policy Priorities; Erica Saenz, Community Action Network; Darryl Horton, African American Quality of Life Advisory Commission; Richard Jung, Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission; Diego Martinez-Moncada, Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Advisory Commission; Dr. Joyceia Banner, Huston-Tillotson University; Teddy McDaniel, Austin Area Urban League; Dan Pruett, Low Income Consumer Advisory Task Force; Emily Timm, Worker’s Defense Project; and a speaker from Austinites for Fair Taxes.