TipSheet: Austin City Council, 2.29.24

Today, City Council will convene for its regular Thursday meeting. We’ve taken a look at the agenda and compiled our best guesses about what will be of interest below.

The biggest item on this week’s agenda might be one of its most dull – the lightning-quick revamp of new Vertical Mixed Use rules after an earlier revamp was voided in court. For those who need catching up, our recap of the work session discussion from Tuesday might be a good place to start.

An initiative to get rid of extra library fees for nonresident patrons could become law today. In addition, Council will look at a bunch of new rules for city parks. The rules prohibit things like unsanctioned geocaching, jumping from bridges and scattering cremated remains in parks as well as placing limits on rock-climbing, slacklining and remote-controlled devices.

Council will also be asked to clean up the city’s campaign finance rules to keep them in line with a recent court ruling. The code amendments clarify that a “voluntary campaign contract period” applies only to candidates who have chosen to participate in the also-voluntary limits and reference the most recent state reporting thresholds.

A resolution from Council Member Ryan Alter asks the city to invest in “sustainable procurement practices” and a pilot program that incorporates low-carbon concrete construction and green space maintenance that uses cleaner lawn care equipment in an effort to meet city climate goals.

Speaking of goals, a resolution from Council Member Vanessa Fuentes would designate Austin a “soccer city.” What does that mean exactly? Here’s the resolution, which basically makes Austin’s affection for soccer official and asks for resources to explore more facilities, access and upkeep on public land. 

Responding to requests for more support, Council Member Zo Qadri has brought forward a resolution to help fund the Red River Cultural District. (Here’s an article we wrote about what’s going on.)

And, from the Department of Small Intrigue, two items. Apparently, construction of the Zilker Metro Park Maintenance Barn Replacement has gone a bit off the rails and now will cost about two times as much to replace following the original contractor “declaring bankruptcy and failing to provide assurances that it would be able to complete the project according to the contract’s terms and conditions.” Council might also enter the fray (kind of) and approve a Qadri-led resolution that calls on Google to negotiate with the YouTube Music Content Operations Team union in a show of support for workers’ rights. (Here’s some background on that fight.)

In terms of zoning, our eyes are drawn to the one that has a valid petition against it – a rezoning of 6103 Sheridan Ave. The zoning would bring the pool contractor business into compliance, but at least one neighbor has complained because of the out-of-compliance use in the first place. In addition, Council could consider a host of rezonings with the potential to transform St. Elmo’s (again).

The Austin Monitor’s work is made possible by donations from the community. Though our reporting covers donors from time to time, we are careful to keep business and editorial efforts separate while maintaining transparency. A complete list of donors is available here, and our code of ethics is explained here. This story has been changed since publication to correct the sponsor of the “soccer city” resolution, which is Vanessa Fuentes.