In the midst of budget season, the Travis Central Appraisal District is giving property owners a chance to review how proposed tax rates and elections will impact their 2024 property tax bills by visiting TravisTaxes.com. “Over the next few months, discussions on budgets, tax rates, bond elections, and voter approval tax rate elections could have a major impact on property tax bills. Travis County property owners can use TravisTaxes.com to see how these decisions will impact them and learn how to participate in these conversations,” TCAD Chief Appraiser Leana Mann said in a statement to the press. The site breaks down taxing authorities, lists upcoming budget hearings and has opportunities for feedback. The site allows property owners to compare bills to see how budget decisions will impact them. Anyone wanting to learn more about navigating the site is welcome to register for an Aug. 13 webinar.

Hours are changing at Austin Municipal Court’s main location, and its North Customer Service Center is moving across the street from its past location. Beginning on Aug. 12, Austin Municipal Court’s main location at the Bergstrom Tech Center at 6800 Burleson Road, Building 310, Suite 175 will operate 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, with extended hours on Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Civil parking hearings will be available at this location from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Phone hours will remain unchanged, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Operational hours and services offered at the City Hall location will not be affected. The North Customer Service Center will move from its former location at 12425 Lamplight Village Ave. to a new location across the street at 2121 West Parmer Lane, Suite 116. The new location will continue to serve as an in-person customer service center with service windows available. Operational hours at this location will be from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more details about court services, visit austintexas.gov/court.

Austin Community College trustees proposed a new tax rate that will keep the average property tax rate steady and called a special annexation election for the Lockhart ISD area at their Monday meeting. The annexation election will appear on this November’s ballot and, if approved by voters, residents in the Lockhart ISD territory will immediately become part of the ACC district and receive the associated benefits, like free tuition. In terms of property taxes, ACC has proposed a no-new-revenue tax rate at 10.13 cents per $100 valuation, which would mean that the average taxpayer’s bill would not increase (for ACC property taxes). Of that rate. 8.81 cents will go toward maintenance and operations, and 1.32 cents will go toward debt service. ACC adopted a $534 million budget in July. About 67 percent of that budget is funded by property taxes.

Members of the Public Safety Commission took quite a while Monday discussing a proposed budget amendment to add $328,000 to the city budget for SAFE (Stop Abuse for Everyone) to increase funding for the forensic nursing staff dealing with victims of sexual assault. Even though the Commission for Women had endorsed the resolution in April, members of the Public Safety Commission heard that the additional funds might not actually increase the number of nurses doing this work and that SAFE might not want to allocate the funds to that item. In the end, after a lengthy discussion, commissioners failed to reach agreement on a resolution.

City Council members Paige Ellis and Alison Alter are pushing for amendments to add staff to the Parks and Recreation Department for ongoing maintenance needs. Each of them have a number of other recommendations for budget amendments. Ellis wrote on her City Council Message Board post that she would like to add “$1.5M for 16 new Grounds & Maintenance Full Time Positions with a plan to add a comparable number in future Fiscal Years until level of service deficit is closed. I’d also like to request the one-time funding of $740k for Grounds Maintenance Capital Equipment. This one-time line item would likely not need to come from the General Fund. This proposal has broad community support.” Council members Vanessa Fuentes, José Velásquez, Chito Vela, Zo Qadri and Ryan Alter also expressed the need for increased parks maintenance. This is not the first inkling that parks maintenance staff needs to be increased.

A newly approved interlocal agreement will free two Travis County bulldozers to help prevent and fight wildfires. The Travis County Commissioners Court approved the agreement Tuesday, freeing the bulldozers to clear vegetation and fight wildfires with Travis County Emergency Services District 6 through Sept. 30, 2025. “Travis County has two bulldozers that it no longer uses, so this is the perfect way to repurpose the equipment rather than having them sit idle,” Brigid Shea, Travis County Commissioner for Pct. 2, said in a statement to the press.“The risk of wildfires keeps growing exponentially. Every step we take now to prevent and prepare for wildfires could save the lives of Travis County residents and their valuable property if and when the next emergency strikes.”

Tree limbs at East Austin’s Martin Pool, 1626 Nash Hernandez Sr. Road, broke and fell during Sunday’s rainstorm, and the pool is closed for repairs until further notice. The limbs damaged the electrical pole for the entire pool facility. Staffers are in the process of getting a quote and timeline for the repairs. Meanwhile, Metz Pool and Parque Zaragoza Pool are operational through Sunday, Aug. 11, before they close for the season. Govalle Pool will remain open weekdays through Aug. 18, and weekends only through Sept. 2. For more information about all city pools, check out AustinTexas.gov/Pools.

Improvements along Trinity Street and San Jacinto Boulevard between East Cesar Chavez Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard are coming. They will introduce transit priority lanes intended to enhance bus operations for existing and future Capital Metro routes, add protected bike lanes and enhance pedestrian crossings, while also maintaining vehicle parking and access for drivers. Construction is planned to begin in mid-August and be completed before the end of 2024. Intermittent lane closures are expected during construction, so some delays will pop up along the construction route. For more information, check out the project fact sheet. The project is part of a partnership between the city and Capital Metro.

As part of an effort to provide resources to people subjected to sexual assault, the city and police department have launched a new website, atxbelieves.org. The website is part of a larger public service campaign done in partnership with Austin-Travis County Sexual Assault Response and Resource Team that stresses community resources available regardless of law enforcement involvement. “If you or someone you know are a survivor of sexual assault, we want you to find comfort in knowing that we’re here for you and we want to help,” Interim Police Chief Robin Henderson said in a statement to the press. “There are so many resources available and people who are ready to listen and help, many of whom are survivors themselves.” Last year, the Austin Police Department embraced a Collective Sex Crimes Response Model project aimed at overhauling its approach and making it more comprehensive and multidisciplinary. For emergencies, call 911 or reach out to SAFE at 512-267-7233 or text “SAFE” to 737-888-7233.

As part of a larger effort to nudge residents to embrace green landscaping equipment, the city has spent about $50,000 in incentives over the past year. Through September, some retailers offer $30 off electric lawn mowers and $15 off electric weed eaters. Austin Energy customers can also get $15 off electric leaf blowers. However, according to a memo from Chief Sustainability Officer Zach Baumer and Austin Energy General Manager Bob Kahn, the city is now looking to a program that better addresses equity and “will include offering low-income residents electric landscape equipment at a minimal cost in exchange for their gas-powered equipment through pop-ups or trade-in events in the community.” The city will also look toward converting commercial landscaping equipment, which city staff believes will have more of an impact. In order to make this switch, they will be funding a market survey, assessment and a pilot program to convert city equipment and city landscaping requirements. “Once this survey, assessment, and pilot program are complete, staff will have the data necessary to make recommendations for additional rebate programs and incentives,” the memo notes.

The 34th Austin Pride Parade is planned for Saturday, Aug. 10, starting at 8 p.m. with the theme “Queer Cabaret,” which the city describes as “full of glamor and glitz, celebrating and honoring LGBTQ+ members of our greater Austin community.” It will start at the Texas Capitol building and proceed south down Congress Avenue, ending at the Ann Richards bridge at Cesar Chavez Street. For more details, visit the city’s website or austinpride.org/pride-2024. Making plans for a safe ride home is recommended, either through public transportation, ride sharing or carpooling. Other options include:

• Parking south of downtown and use the Hike-and-Bike Trail (motorized vehicles are not permitted on the trail).
• Biking to the event.
• Using the CapMetro trip planner to find the best transit option into downtown.
• If driving, visit the Paid Parking page for downtown parking information.   

Road closures and/or lane reductions associated with the Pride Parade will start at 1 p.m. Aug. 10, with all streets scheduled to reopen no later than midnight. Click here for a detailed road closure map and table of closed streets.

Plans to relocate the Waller Creek Boathouse to the site of the South Lakeshore Youth Hostel continue to inch forward, according to a July 29 update from the parks department. The memo explains that a feasibility study of the new location has been divided into two components, with the city now studying environmental and architectural issues separately. Those studies will help determine next steps for the project, including financing and dock construction. Right now, the studies are expected to be done by this winter. Updates and information can be found on the Youth Hostel Boathouse Feasibility Study website in the meantime.