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- Cap Metro to shelve 46 new electric buses for a year after manufacturer bankruptcy
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Happy Bike to Work Week!
This week Austin is celebrating Bike to Work Week, a holiday that is much as it sounds. The festivities culminate on Friday, with more than 40 fueling stations around town handing out coffee, snacks (like tacos and waffles) and free bike tuneups for bike commuters. (A map of the stations and more info on the celebration can be found here.) In addition, MetroBike will be offering free Friday day passes with the code “BTWD2023.” And, like all good Austin events, there’s even an afterparty at Central Machine Works, starting at 6. So be safe, plan your route, and have a happy bike week!
Opportunities open for visual artists
The city’s Art in Public Places Program (AIPP) is putting out a call to visual artists for a handful of opportunities with budgets that range from $64,000 to $3.5 million. The projects, which will be explained further at the AIPP open house event this Saturday, include three separate commissions on the Bergstrom Spur Urban Trail that is open statewide, projects at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center and airport open to local artists, and a $3.5 million nationwide call for artists. (More details on the projects as well as information in Spanish can be found here.) “Public art adds so much value to our city. From beautifying spaces and telling our community’s shared story, to creating jobs for local artists and making the enjoyment of art available to all,” said Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, director for the Economic Development Department that manages AIPP, in a statement to the press. “These opportunities support our continuous efforts to grow creative experiences for residents, businesses and tourists alike.”
Flooded in April? Report damage this month
Emergency management officials with the city of Austin are encouraging residents impacted by April 22 storms to report any damage incurred by June 1. If disaster thresholds are met, Travis and Williamson county residents could then qualify for disaster assistance loans. According to a press release about the push, “Residents can submit their damages online at damage.tdem.texas.gov. Once on the page, scroll down and click on Severe Weather April 22nd listed under the 2023 Incidents section. A Spanish version of the form is available by clicking on Tormenta de Clima Severo 22 de Abril. Tutorial videos are available in English and Spanish. Local and state officials will work to verify damage reported to homes and business owners through iSTAT to validate submissions and determine the state’s eligibility for the SBA loan program.” On Thursday, City Council approved a resolution requesting the city manager to identify resources to assist those impacted by recent storms and subsequent flooding and to clean up debris that could exacerbate their impact. During the discussion on that item, Council Member Chito Vela, who sponsored the resolution, asked those who experienced flooding during the storms at the end of last month to notify the city through 311 to help collect flooding data. Vela said that he understood about 60 homes flooded during the recent storm.
AAC overwhelmed by dogs, preparing for kittens
This Saturday, Austin Animal Center is getting ready for “kitten season” with a kitten shower that aims to inform about fostering and collect donations for the on-site nursery. The shower will be held in AAC’s conference room from 2-4 p.m., and city officials are asking for things like “gallon ziplock bags, meat-based baby food, baby blankets, hand warmers, and Kitten Milk Replacer,” according to a press release about the event.
But it’s not only cats that are crowding the city shelter. On Wednesday, Austin Animal Shelter received a seizure of 20 large dogs, pushing it well past its capacity, which is 272, into housing 344 medium or large dogs. To help alleviate the crowding, which forces dogs into crates and nonpublic kennels, the shelter is asking the community to consider fostering dogs for at least a month, or adopting. At the moment, adoption fees are $25 through Bissell Pet Foundation’s “Empty the Shelters” national adoption event and waived entirely for any dog that is in a crate.
Early voting numbers remain low
Today is the last day of early voting, which has continued at an abysmal clip. As of Monday night, 4.8 percent of Travis County voters (or 36,148 people) have cast their ballots in the election that features two propositions aimed at police oversight. The polls will remain open today until 7 p.m., and will reopen on Saturday, May 6 (election day proper), from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Anyone confused about the choices before them in this contest can head over to our Voter Resource, which breaks down the propositions and offers tips on heading to the polls.
Audubon Society opposes bill to cut city regulations on trees
Members of the Travis County Audubon Society plan to gather on the grounds of the state Capitol at 8 a.m. today to pass out fact sheets to members of the House about the dangers posed by House Bill 2239 by state Rep. Ellen Troxclair, R-Austin. The bill is scheduled to be considered by the House on Tuesday. The Audubon Society told its members in an email that the bill aims to “remove local protections currently in-place for the Ashe Juniper tree. This native Texas tree provides the only nesting habitat for the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler.” Troxclair served on the Austin City Council from 2014 to 2018. Audubon Society members say removing the trees from “local oversight poses a dangerous threat to the survival of the Golden-cheeked Warbler. Breeding habitat for this bird is limited to the Greater Texas Hill Country Region. Rapid development and clear cutting of Ashe Juniper tree habitat for nearly a century resulted in the warbler’s listing as an Endangered Species by U.S. Fish and Wildlife in 1990.” Troxclair told KXAN that some Texans “are already facing a complicated bureaucratic nightmare for just wanting to manage their own land. HB 2239 would let Texas’ private property owners make their own decisions about what grows on their property.” However, the only tree specifically targeted in the bill is the Ashe juniper.
AJC and UT team up for public safety listening session
The Austin Justice Coalition and the University of Texas Initiative for Law Societies and Justice will host a listening session this Friday for community members who have been impacted by “policing, DPS, CPS, incarceration or other parts of the criminal legal system.” The meeting will be a chance for people to share their experiences and perspectives on what should change. “With the return of ‘tough on crime’ rhetoric and policies, including the recent deployment of state troopers to Austin, we know that many in the community face even more distress, injustice and harm from the criminal legal system,” says Chris Harris, directory of policy at AJC, in a statement about the event. “We want to ensure that we’re hearing directly from folks impacted to understand the full extent of those harms and that we’re bringing resources and action to bear to try and remedy those harms.” The community listening session will take place Friday, April 28, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. at the Cherrywood Center. Anyone requiring interpretation, child care or other accommodations is asked to please email denise.miller@austin.utexas.
Early voting starts today
Early voting for the May 6 election starts today. Registered Travis County voters can cast ballots at any of the polling stations in the county. More information on polling locations, ballots and voter requirements can be found at VoteTravis.com. This election features two propositions that look very similar at first glance but, in actuality, will do very different things if passed. More information about the propositions on the ballot this election can be found here.
Early voting will run from Monday, April 24, to Tuesday, May 2, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday. The polls will open once again on election day, which is Saturday, May 6, from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
How to register for Monday’s public safety meeting
Next week, City Council’s Public Safety Committee will meet to address the possibility of a new license plate reader contract, among other things. Though the meeting is likely to attract public speakers, the system used to register speakers will be down for maintenance this weekend, prior to the Monday meeting. In an effort to make up for this, registration at kiosks in City Hall will remain open through 5 p.m. today (April 21). Speakers can also register by emailing juan.arispe2@austintexas.gov with their name, phone number, email address, the item number they will be speaking on, and whether they will be speaking in person or remotely. The full agenda for the meeting, which will be held on Monday, April 24, at 2 p.m., can be found here. The committee will convene again May 22 for a special called meeting to discuss the city’s partnership with the Department of Public Safety.
Austin’s civil rights office to hold Fair Housing Conference
Austin’s Office of Civil Rights has scheduled a Fair Housing Conference for April 26, at the Norris Conference Center on West Anderson Lane, intended to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the U.S. Fair Housing Act. The conference will include discussion of the city’s 1928 plan that codified segregated housing for communities of color. Other topics include current issues and developments in fair housing policies, the significance of the Fair Housing Act in the current climate, discussion of the affordability of homeownership in Austin, and how to create communities of opportunity. The keynote speaker for the conference will be Candace Valenzuela, southwest regional administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Free registration is available online through April 21.
Students engage!
Young Austinites aged 15 to 25 will have the chance to hear from and talk to local civic leaders next Thursday, April 13. Registration for the Young Austinite Civic Summit, hosted by St. Edward’s University, is free and open now. The event aims to provide local students with solutions they face in the city through panels and small group sessions focused on things like “Finding Your Voice” and “Civics 101 Training.” The event will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. at St. Edward’s University.
Sound off on Project Connect while you can
More than 500 people attended a March 21 Project Connect open house that offered a drastically scaled-back light rail plan. But transportation officials (and the Austin Monitor!) want you to know that open house was only the beginning of a six-week comment period currently underway. To take advantage of said comment page, visit Project Connect’s “get involved” page, register for a virtual open house, or attend a virtual community update on the evening of Thursday, April 6, via Zoom.