Currently, there are only two candidates running for the District 10 seat on City Council, currently occupied by Council Member Alison Alter, who is retiring at the end of this year. They are Ashika Ganguly and Marc Duchen. Ganguly’s campaign website identifies her as the former legislative director for Rep. John Bucy, a Williamson County Democrat. According to her website, Ganguly, 28, found working at the Texas Legislature frustrating because of issues such as inclusion efforts, LBGTQIA+ rights, school finance and local control. Duchen, 45, has some heavy hitters supporting him from the Democratic Party. These include Travis County Precinct 2 Commissioner Brigid Shea and former Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector Cecilia Burke, who is hosting a party for Duchen at her house on Saturday. Another candidate filed an appointment of campaign treasurer, but then decided to support Duchen instead. Idona Griffith was surprised to learn that she needed to file a report of contributions and expenditures for her campaign even though she did not collect or spend any money. Griffith is supporting Duchen. Sunday is the deadline for collecting contributions for the next reporting period, so many of the candidates are dialing for dollars. Alter, who is retiring from her District 10 seat at the end of the year after two terms, filed her July 15 campaign finance report before either of the contenders for office. The report, filed on June 15, unsurprisingly shows no funds collected, no political expenditures and no loans outstanding.

People who live above the Barton Creek greenbelt have been complaining for a while about a specific encampment in the greenbelt. They were particularly worried about the possibility of a wildfire since the encampment had a grill. This week, the Parks and Recreation Department moved in to clean up the site. Neighbors on the Barton Hills Neighborhood listserv described their fear of what might happen if a fire got out of hand.

Another neighbor wrote, “Campers on the greenbelt have been an issue for decades. What’s different now is how the city deals with the problem. 25 years ago, when I first started spending a lot of time on the greenbelt, there was a zero-tolerance policy for campers. PARD had staff that was dedicated to greenbelt maintenance and the Park Police dept. still existed. When a camp was reported, it was usually gone within a week.” But without the Park Police, there was much less attention to the problem, he noted.

A PARD spokesman told the Austin Monitor via email, “The Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) cleans up small and medium scale abandoned encampments in parks and greenbelts. Staff do not engage if individuals are present when they arrive to clean up a site that had been previously identified as an abandoned encampment. The Homeless Strategy Office (HSO) is notified for any active camps and provides further direction. The encampment cleaned up this week in the Barton Creek Greenbelt near Barton Springs Pool was identified as being abandoned. PARD has a team of four temporary staff funded through Fiscal Year 2024 dedicated to cleaning up abandoned encampments. From January to May 2024, 156 abandoned encampments have been cleaned up.”

As of Tuesday, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has a new onsite option for enrolling in and renewing PreCheck through the Transportation Security Administration to expedite wait times during security screening. The platform CLEAR now offers TSA PreCheck enrollment at its enrollment kiosks located by TSA Checkpoint 1. No appointment is needed for enrollment in either the CLEAR or TSA PreCheck programs at these kiosks. Since a consolidation earlier this year, all TSA PreCheck and CLEAR users are currently screened at Checkpoint 2 West. For travelers deemed low risk by the TSA, the benefits of PreCheck include keeping your shoes and belt on through the security screening process, not removing your laptop or liquids from your carry-on bag during screening, and screening via walk-through machines rather than full-body scanners. Enrolling passengers must provide an original or certified copy of identity or citizenship status documentation from the approved identification list. TSA PreCheck costs $78 or $85, depending on the enrollment provider, and lasts for five years.

Passenger numbers are in for May 2024, and it turns out to be Austin-Bergstrom International Airport’s busiest month on record. Passenger traffic growth for May was up 4.37 percent compared to May 2023, with 2,068,404 passengers flying during the month. That surpasses the previous record set in July 2023 by an additional 27,423 total passengers. Air cargo in May 2024 totaled 26,434,406 pounds, up 10.22 percent compared to May 2023. Air Services transferred 51,194 pounds of mail, down 83.99 percent, and 3,344,519 pounds of belly freight, up 37.75 percent. As for aircraft operations, general aviation operations totaled 3,431, down 13.25 percent. Combined operations (including commercial and military) totaled 22,966, down 3.68 percent.

Selena Xie, president of the Austin EMS Association, announced Tuesday that the union has endorsed Mayor Kirk Watson for reelection. The announcement came from the Watson campaign, which included a statement from Xie that said, “While most people know us for responding to life and death situations, EMS personnel are also on the front lines of some of the biggest challenges facing our community, including homelessness, mental health issues, and substance abuse. And we’re part of our community’s health care network providers.” The EMS union endorsed Watson, saying the incumbent “has demonstrated over and over that he places the highest priority on public health and safety, and has the ability to get things done that help first responders like us help our community.” Xie said the union is helping Watson raise money for the election and asked those receiving the email to contribute. Former City Council Member Kathie Tovo, Watson’s best-known opponent, also sent out an appeal for contributions on Tuesday. All the serious campaigns are focused on fundraising this week because the deadline for the next contribution report is June 30. The Austin Monitor asked Xie whether her organization had endorsed other City Council candidates. She said the group has endorsed all the incumbents running for reelection – Council members Vanessa Fuentes, Chito Vela and Mackenzie Kelly, running in Districts 2, 4 and 6, respectively. Bob Nicks, president of the Austin Firefighters Association, said his group has not yet made any decisions about endorsements. He said he expected that to happen in July or early August.

This November, voters will get the chance to decide whether the Lockhart ISD territory will join the area served by Austin Community College. Tonight, ACC trustees will discuss the pro and cons of joining the district and their proposed service plan in a public hearing. The annexation hearing will take place at 5:30 p.m. at the Lockhart Independent School District Gerry Ohlendorf Performing Arts Center and will be livestreamed on the college’s website. In return for paying taxes to ACC, residents will have much lower costs for attending the college. During tonight’s public hearing, ACC officials aim to inform the public about their options and answer questions about annexation. According to a press release from ACC, “The college proposed a service plan for Lockhart ISD designed to grow with the community and meet changing workforce needs. This plan includes providing expanded career and technical training, working with the school district in support of its early college high school, occupying a short-term workforce and general-education space located in close proximity to Lockhart High School, and ultimately developing a permanent ACC presence in the community after deep consultation with the community on their future economic and educational needs.” Trustees will officially add the issue to the November ballot in August. More information from ACC, including the service plan and tax information, can be found here.

The installation of new security lighting has necessitated a detour on the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail this week. The construction, which started on Monday, is anticipated to last at least a week, and will impact the trail from East Avenue at the boat ramp to the corner of East and Cummings streets. Here’s a map from the city’s Parks and Recreation Department:

District 4 City Council Member Chito Vela plans to kick off his reelection campaign at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Knomad Bar, 1213 Corona Drive. Vela, who won a special election to replace Greg Casar when Casar was elected to Congress, was reelected in January 2022 with more than 59 percent of the vote. Vela prevailed against opponents Monica Guzmán, who came in a distant second, and Jade Lovera, who came in third. Both Guzmán and Lovera have designated campaign treasurers again this year to run against Vela. Vela has worked with other Council members to change Austin’s zoning and housing policies. Some community members, such as his opponents in this race, do not agree with those policies, while others applaud them. In January, he reported raising more than $63,000. The next report is not due until July 15, but every candidate is hoping for more funds to show they have momentum at that point. Vela is an attorney who specializes in criminal and immigration law. He served on the Planning Commission before his election to Council.

The city’s Parks and Recreation Department will hold its third annual Midsummer Festival this upcoming Saturday, June 29, at the Old Bakery and Emporium downtown from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. The festival is free to attend and will feature Swedish treats, a flower crown-making station, a Swedish maypole, hair braiding and face painting and (of course) live music. In addition to the festival proper, the event will also be the setting for the unveiling of a new mural painted by Ruben Esquivel. The mural is part of the Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation’s Writing on Walls program and the city’s parks department and is the first to be painted on the historic Old Bakery and Emporium. “As part of the Old Bakery and Emporium’s Midsummer Festival, the Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation is excited to celebrate the mural installation,” said Raasin McIntosh, VP of Active Urbanism, Downtown Austin Alliance. “The Foundation is honored to work with the Old Bakery Emporium to bring a mural to life honoring the rich history of the area. Writing on the Walls is dedicated to creating art in public spaces in downtown Austin, and we look forward to celebrating the mural with everyone at the Midsummer event.”

The Economic Development Department is gearing up for the application process for the next round of Thrive and Elevate grant programs, offering $13 million in awards for local artists and arts organizations. Elevate awards range from $15,000 to $80,000 for arts groups, individual artists and creative businesses. Applicants must have at least one year of cultural or arts programming experience in the Austin-Round Rock area. Thrive grants provide $85,000 to $150,000 to help sustain and grow local arts organizations. Approximately 35 grants are expected to be awarded. Applications open on June 25 and must be submitted by July 23.

The city’s Urban Trails Program has some fun summer updates, with news that the Austin to Manor Trail is expected to be complete and open this summer. Phase 2 of the trail, which connected Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park to Ben E. Fisher Park, began in April 2023. When finished, the trail will be 5.5 miles long and link up to the Southern Walnut Creek Trail. Travis County Park plans call for it to ultimately connect to the proposed Gilleland Creek Greenway in Pflugerville.

In other urban trail news, Phase 2 of the MoKan Trail is now underway, with an expected completion next month. When complete, the trail will connect the bike path on Pedernales Street to the Walnut Creek System. It is being constructed in five phases, as seen below.

The search for Austin’s next police chief is underway after a year with the permanent role unfilled. According to the Austin American-Statesman, the pool of 32 applicants includes high-ranking officials from across the country as well as officers from nearby cities – but no one from the Austin Police Department. Candidate screening and evaluation by the search consultant Mosaic Public Partners is in progress, and City Manager T.C. Broadnax will choose the top candidates before the interview process begins in late July. The selection process began with two surveys sent to community members (with more than 1,200 responses) and to APD employees (with close to 550 responses). Next will come interviews with panels representatives from city departments and the city manager, then meetings with the mayor and City Council members, plus participation in a community event. Feedback from the mayor and Council members will inform Broadnax’s decision, and they must confirm his selected finalist.