In a rather unorthodox kickoff to Inauguration Day, the District 4 recount will, indeed, be taking place. Though there was some question whether Laura Pressley would come through with the $13,600 deposit required for the recount, she showed up with the deposit just a hair before the (extended) 5 p.m. deadline. (The Austin Monitor ran into her in the City Clerk’s office at 4:55 p.m.) Pressley lost by about 30 percentage points to Council Member-elect Greg Casar in the Dec. 16 runoff. In her petition for a recount, Pressley is requesting a “manual recount of the results using the actual, stored ballot images. In addition, in the recount, the voter’s name associated with the ballot image must be reconciled with the voter’s registration number and the corresponding voter’s signature on the combination form used at the polling locations to ensure accurate accounting.” The recount will take place at 11 a.m. today at the Travis County Elections Division Office, 5501 Airport Boulevard. Election officials say they should have the recount completed in time for today’s 6 p.m. inaugural ceremonies.

A practice City Council meeting designed to familiarize new members with meeting procedures has been scheduled for Jan. 20, according to the City Clerk’s office. The meeting will run through various cases that Council members might be faced with and allow them to have a rehearsal before the big event on Jan. 29, in the hopes that their meetings will run as smoothly as the previous Council’s right off the bat. Though we at the Monitor remain torn about attending (and whether skipping it would mar an otherwise perfect attendance record), we are very, very interested in the promise of staff acting out the Citizens Communication portion of the meeting.

Over the holidays, the Austin Monitor will join our readers in taking a little time off to enjoy the season. During these last weeks of 2014 and first weeks of 2015, join us in looking back on the past year and toward the next year (or so). We will return to our regular content in January, rested and ready to tackle Austin’s City Council shift in the way that you’ve come to expect. Until then, happy holidays!

In December, Austin solidified its first single-member district City Council. Its inaugural meeting will take place on Jan. 29, with members sworn in to office on Jan. 6. At that time, five members will randomly be selected to serve two-year terms, and the other five will serve four-year terms. On Dec. 30, the city will canvass the runoff election results. Austin’s new City Council is, for reference:

Mayor:Steve Adler, District 1 :Ora Houston, District 2:Delia Garza, District 3:Pio Renteria, District 4:Greg Casar, District 5:Ann Kitchen, District 6:Don Zimmerman, District 7:Leslie Pool, District 8:Ellen Troxclair, District 9:Kathie Tovo, District 10:Sherri Gallo

As of Jan. 1, Austin’s new Distracted Driving law will be in effect, and enforced. The ordinance prohibits the use of hand-held devices while operating a vehicle or bicycle. While drivers (and cyclists) will continue to be allowed to use hands-free systems and affixed GPS systems while driving, the following are prohibited under the new law:

• cellphones
• PDAs
• portable music players
• e-books
• laptops
• pagers
• handheld navigation systems
• gaming devices
• other portable computing devices

According to the city’s website, distracted driving includes texting, “using a cellphone for any reason,” eating and drinking, talking to passengers, grooming, reading maps, using a navigation system, watching a video and adjusting the radio.

The controversial Austin Oaks PUD was postponed indefinitely at the Zoning and Platting Commission on Tuesday night. Planning and Development Review Department’s Jerry Rusthoven explained that the planned unit development was a complex one, and developers and staff were still in negotiations. “A PUD has to reach a level of superiority, or at least superiority in the eyes of City Council,” said Rusthoven. “At this point, staff is not prepared to make a recommendation.” Rusthoven added that, in his experience, working out the details and approving a PUD takes about a year. He said the department was asking for an indefinite postponement because it was not sure when it would be ready to bring the case forward. Neighbors asked that the postponement be limited to 60 days, and while commissioners were not prepared to grant that request, they did ask for an update at their Feb. 17 meeting.

Next month, the city will hold its final Austin Cemetery Master Plan community meeting. At that meeting, cemetery master planners will present an overview of the proposal and its findings and recommendations, and also will accept input from the public. A news release from the city did not address whether the meeting will tackle the findings of a recent city audit that revealed some disturbing things about the Parks and Recreation Department’s management of the city’s municipal cemeteries. The meeting will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 24 at the Carver Branch of the Austin Public Library, 1161 Angelina St. The full plan will be available in mid-January.

Starting in 2015, those driving Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority’s 183A and 290 toll roads will see increased costs. Tolls will increase by 1.78 percent as part of an inflation adjustment. The increases will vary, though the chart below should help clue you in to the impact.

In what was by far the closest race in Tuesday’s City Council runoff elections, District 8 candidate Ed Scruggs finally conceded the contest to Ellen Troxclair late Wednesday. Scruggs, a Democrat, lost by just 57 votes out of more than 12,000 cast. On his Facebook page he wrote, “Out of respect for the process, the voters of District 8 and so many who have given so much time and effort, we spent the day examining the returns and consulting with elections officials. It is very clear the result withstands scrutiny and the outcome will not change.” Troxclair, one of three Republicans elected to the new 10-1 Council, wrote on her Facebook page, “I am so humbled and overwhelmed by the incredible outpouring of support, and cannot wait to get to work for District 8.” The new mayor and 10 Council members will be sworn in on Jan. 6.

Austin Energy staff will brief the Electric Utility Commission at its Jan. 26 meeting about the automated screening process that is allegedly giving wealthy residents utility discounts intended for low-income residents. Austin Energy local government relations division director Jeff Vice said that there were no staff members prepared to comment at Monday’s EUC meeting. “I did want to assure you, though, that we’re aware of this issue,” he said. Activist Paul Robbins told the Monitor on Wednesday that he cross-checked property appraisal records and found, based on preliminary results, that more than 1,100 of 19,000 Customer Assistance Program participants studied resided in homes valued at more than $300,000. Robbins said Monday that customers are automatically enrolled in the program if they live at the same address as someone who is enrolled in one of seven other financial assistance programs such as the Children’s Health Insurance Program. “Foster children are automatically enrolled in CHIP, but, as you know, not every person that takes in a foster child is poor,” Robbins said. “I’m really here to urge Austin Energy to come up with a plan next month to give to the new City Council to change this so that the money is going to the people that need it.”

Austin Mayor-elect Steve Adler visited multiple media outlets Wednesday, just after he collected a significant victory over opponent and City Council Member Mike Martinez. Among other themes, Adler noted that he was already working with other Council member-elects to get the ball rolling on what will be a very tight post-holiday turnaround. Adler and his new colleagues will be sworn in on Jan. 6 — when the unlucky two-year termers and a mayor pro tem will also be selected. The first Council meeting is Jan. 29.

On Sunday, birders and bird enthusiasts are invited to take part in the Fourth Annual Lost Pines Christmas Bird Count. The count will take place from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Lost Pines Resort, though volunteers are not required to stay the whole time. The event is part of a nationwide bird count and one of 50 counts taking place in Texas. The resort is in a region that is home to about 250 bird species. Last year, volunteers counted 122 different species among the 9,843 birds tallied. Online registration closes today, but birders can continue to register by phone. The count is a collaborative effort among the Lower Colorado River Authority’s McKinney Roughs Nature Park, Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa, Bastrop County Audubon Society, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Lost Pines Master Naturalists, and the National Audubon Society. More information can be found here.