Save Austin Now, the group collecting signatures to put a camping ban on the May ballot, announced Tuesday that it had collected more than 30,000 signed petitions and submitted more than 24,000 valid signatures to City Clerk Jannette Goodall. Petitioners need at least 20,000 valid signatures in order to place the item on the May ballot. According to a news release from the group, City Council has a Feb. 12 deadline to approve the ballot language. The group is seeking to reinstate city ordinances that make it a misdemeanor to sit, lie down or camp in downtown Austin or the UT area. It also would ban panhandling citywide from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. In July, the group, led by Travis County Republican Party Chair Matt Mackowiak and Cleo Petricek, turned in what it thought was a sufficient number of signatures to get the item on the November ballot. However, Goodall said there were not enough valid signatures. The group has since filed suit over the matter. In addition to the Save Austin Now petition, the clerk’s office is counting signatures on petitions from Austinites for Progressive Reform. That group is seeking a May ballot item to replace Austin’s current Council-city manager form of government with a strong-mayor form of government, among other things.

Several city departments, outside agencies and design professionals have been working with Austin Transportation staff for the last couple of years on updates to the city’s Transportation Criteria Manual. The TCM, as it’s known, is an important document that “defines the rules, requirements and technical guidelines for building mobility infrastructure in Austin.” At the initial public comment period in November/December 2020, staffers received over 1,200 public comments on a draft of the TCM. They are now working on incorporating some of that public feedback into the next draft. Interested Austinites may attend a public webinar where a panel of city experts will discuss the redesign process and what’s next for the TCM. Thursday, Jan. 28, noon-1 p.m. Register in advance or watch the livestream on Facebook.

If you haven’t had a chance to add your two cents to the ongoing city conversation known as reimagining public safety, there are still many ways to participate. Share your thoughts on police reform in Austin this Saturday, Jan. 23, from 11 a.m-1 p.m. at a public meeting open to all. RSVP here.

The last installment in Balcones Canyonlands Preserve’s Forest Restoration Series delves into the fascinating world of fungi and the critical role these organisms play in keeping natural systems in balance. This exploratory class led by Louis San Miguel “will cover what fungi are, their classifications, and how we can use them in our restoration efforts.” Monday, Jan. 25, 6-7:30 p.m. Register in advance here. Catch up on past episodes of BCP’s Forest Restoration Series on YouTube.

Austin City Auditor Corrie Stokes will conduct a random drawing at 10 a.m. this Saturday, Jan. 23 to select the first eight members of the city’s new Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. The drawing will be livestreamed on various devices, including Spectrum Cable channel 6 and Facebook. Stokes conducted a random drawing last October to select the three-member Applicant Review Panel – Abigael McClean, William Cooper and James Christianson – whose job it was to select the 60 most qualified applicants for the redistricting commission. Stokes said in a prepared statement, “I commend the excellent work of the Applicant Review Panel. Not only did they select a list of applicants that represent the diversity of Austin, but they also provided an equal representation from each of the city’s 10 Council districts.” Before the random drawing, Stokes will send a list of applicants to Mayor Steve Adler and City Council and give each Council member the opportunity to strike up to one person from the list. Stokes will select the first eight members of the commission and those commissioners will select the remaining six members for a total of 14. It will be their job to redraw the boundaries of the 10 current Council districts. They are expected to finish the job by the end of November so the districts are in place for an election in November 2022. All of this assumes that there are no radical changes to the city’s system of government, such as putting a strong mayor system in place and adding an 11th district.

The whimsically named nonprofit Hi, How Are You Project is teaming up with American Campus Communities to host a multi-day online fundraiser to encourage people to establish “happy habits” that promote mental wellness in their daily lives. Tom Gimbel, co-founder of the project, said in an announcement, “It’s so exciting to see that we already have participants from more than 20 countries registered to participate in this year’s alternative online event to help raise funds for and awareness of the importance of mental health. It takes courage to break down the stigma around mental health issues, so we hope that by sharing easy-to-follow activities and helpful tips, Happy-Habit-a-Thon participants will be inspired to live healthy, balanced lives and also regularly check in on others.” Register here to participate in the Happy Habit-a-Thon, which kicks off on Friday, Jan. 22, and runs until Saturday, Jan. 31.

A dispatch from the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, or AUS, reveals that passenger traffic continues to remain lower than normal, thanks to the seemingly endless Covid-19 pandemic. The airport’s public information office reports, “November passenger traffic decreased by 65% compared to November 2019 with 509,400 passengers flying during the month.” Air cargo numbers, however, are doing better, “up 26.9% compared to November 2019.”

Austin Public Health has opened a pre-registration system designed to distribute its allocation of Covid-19 vaccines. Though the site immediately had technical issues upon launching, it will allow residents without other means of obtaining the vaccine to pre-register this week for the state allocation, which stands at 12,000 (less than 1 percent of the area’s population). Pre-registration for the vaccine is taking place for those in groups 1A (front-line health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities) and 1B (those 65 and older or people with a chronic health condition that puts them at high risk of illness from Covid). If individuals are registered, meet the criteria and there are appointments available, they can then move on to making an appointment. If there are no appointments available or they don’t meet the requirements, they will be put on a waitlist. Appointments are required to receive the vaccine. Residents with private insurance are encouraged to call their pharmacy or primary care physician about obtaining the vaccine.

A new livestream video podcast puts the spotlight on the African American experience in Austin. The Pivot, hosted by T.J. Owens, who manages the Economic Development Department’s African American Cultural and Heritage Facility, will offer a “virtual conversation space” as well as highlight “the ways that local businesses, the creative community and Austin culture can be collaborative.” Each episode also features a musical performance. Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, acting director of the EDD, said in a news release, “We are excited to add this new dimension in our efforts to continue to tell the story of the African American experience in Austin. These are critical times for communicating and storytelling. Adding this opportunity to tune in virtually continues our efforts to share vital information with residents and receive community feedback about city programs and services.” Owens adds, “With the African American Cultural and Heritage Facility inoperable for most of 2020 due to the pandemic, our team sought a way to still serve the community who needs it the most. The Pivot ensures we stay connected to our East Austin neighbors and provides useful information to the community as the pandemic continues.” Catch The Pivot the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 7 p.m., starting in February, on Facebook.

Austin’s Point in Time count of people experiencing homelessness will not take place this year due to concerns about Covid-19. The PIT count is a federally required count necessary for obtaining federal funds to fight homelessness. This year, ECHO, the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition, asked for and received an exemption from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development “due to safety concerns around the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.” Instead of sending volunteers out on Jan. 28 to count the number of unsheltered people living on the streets, ECHO plans to use data from the Homeless Management Information System to estimate and measure the number of unsheltered individuals in the community. Read more about the change at AustinECHO.org.

The Development Services Department has proposed several amendments to the section of the Environmental Criteria Manual that deals with trees and the preservation of natural areas. The proposed amendments, according to the DSD, “clarify existing rules, strike content that does not further code implementation, and update department and procedural terms.” While all that may sound rather dry and dull, we say if it’s good for the trees, it’s good for everyone. As always, feedback is welcome and encouraged. You may review the proposed updates on SpeakUp Austin and provide input and suggestions or ask questions.

Passengers wait to board a bus from a ZICLA platform in Charlotte, N.C. (Photo: Charlotte DOT)

Capital Metro is teaming up with Austin Transportation to test a new “curb extension device” intended to enhance bus riders’ experience at one of the city’s busiest bus stops on Guadalupe Street. The green-and-white striped platform, made of recycled rubber by the Spanish company ZICLA, “will enable Capital Metro buses to meet the sidewalk and curb without pulling out of a travel lane, as well as provide separation from the roadway for people walking, biking and boarding transit at the intersection,” according to the news release from ATD. The platform will be installed this month and the pilot program will run for six months as the agencies decide whether to make the change permanent.