There will soon be another autonomous vehicle company on Austin’s streets. Zoox, a subsidiary of Amazon, announced on Wednesday that it will expand its vehicle testing into Miami and Austin. Austin Business Journal reports the company has had employees driving its mapping cars throughout the city in recent weeks. More advanced testing is coming soon for the company using five Toyota Highlanders modified to operate autonomously, though safety drivers will be inside the vehicles to take over when needed. AV activity in Austin has slowed since the Cruise brand decided last year to pause operations nationwide, though it did restart service in Dallas this week. City staff and commissions are still grappling with how to incorporate the new technology into the local transportation system since state laws have limited the ability to regulate them.

Austin’s public safety departments have teamed up for the city’s first Autism Sensory Fair, which will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 8, at 4101 S. Industrial Drive, Ste. 260, Austin, TX 78744. The Austin Police Department, Austin Fire Department and Austin-Travis County EMS invite local families to join in “meeting your local first responders, local non-profits, observe outdoor traffic stop demonstrations, and enjoy face painting for the kids.” The event will also feature a de-stimulation room, for anyone who needs to decompress in quiet. This event is free and open to the public.

On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges affirmed the national right to same-sex marriage. And this year on June 22 through the end of the month, the Travis County Clerk’s Office and Travis County judges will be offering free wedding ceremonies in celebration of Pride Month and nine years of marriage equality. Last year’s inaugural one-day event proved to be popular, so this year’s celebration has expanded. Couples wishing to marry during the County’s Marriage Equality Week Celebration (June 22, 24, 26 and 28) must schedule an appointment via a form on the County Clerk’s website. And they must obtain a marriage license from the Travis County Clerk’s office in advance to comply with the 72-hour waiting period requirement. “In February 2015, the Travis County Clerk’s office issued Texas’s first marriage license to a same-sex couple,” Travis County Clerk Dyana Limon-Mercado said. “Amid ongoing extreme attacks on the LGBTQ+ community from the Texas State Legislature, our office remains committed to supporting and celebrating the rights of all Texans, including the right to marry who they love, regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression.”

The United Musicians and Allied Workers advocacy group is seeking performers who have at any point applied to participate in the South by Southwest music festival, in hopes of discussing the push for increased compensation for festival artists. The online meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Central time on June 7, with an RSVP required to participate in any decision-making regarding the Fair Pay at SXSW campaign. Artist compensation at SXSW became an issue leading into the 2023 event, with advocates calling the longtime compensation – $100 for solo acts, $250 for full bands, with the option to receive festival credentials in lieu of payment – far too low. The festival made a modest increase this year and has signaled it may institute further increases. In a related bit of controversy, dozens of acts who had been selected to play at SXSW 2024 opted to drop out as a sign of protest against the U.S. military’s involvement as a partner in the festival. Members of some city boards and commissions have called on the city to repeal all fee waivers and other assistance given to the festival until pay for artists is increased to an acceptable level.

This Friday, June 7, Austin Water Utility will distribute bottled water at Bowie High School for southwest customers impacted by waterline repair work. On Monday, the water utility announced it will be repairing a 48-inch water main on Friday, which will take it out of service for up to 12 hours. Work is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. While the line is out of service, customers are being asked to limit water use to only essential uses to help in maintaining water pressure. Water will be distributed from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Austinites can determine whether they will be in the affected area using this map.

Got any strong feelings, good or bad, about e-scooters, e-bikes and other micromobility devices? If so, the city would like to hear about it. An online survey is open now to help staff, relevant boards and commissions and City Council learn the public’s thoughts about how to regulate and manage the devices that have become an ingrained part of the local transportation ecosystem. Rules implemented in May brought some changes to how scooters and similar devices are handled by the city, with a limit of 6,700 total scooters allowed to operate. Also in May, the Urban Transportation Commission asked City Council to further rework the regulations to be more in line with the goals and mission of the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan. The survey is open until July 7.

The city has updated the numbers it uses to determine affordability in Austin. The median family income (MFI) for a family of four in the Austin-Round Rock area has increased about 3 percent over last year, from $122,300 to $126,000. That means that affordable rent for a three-bedroom apartment at 60 percent MFI would be $1,890. At 30 percent MFI, which is considered “deeply affordable” by the city, a three-bedroom apartment would be $945. The full chart and numbers are available online here.

The Arts Commission has given City Council a three-part recommendation for how to improve collections of Hotel Occupancy Tax from thousands of unlicensed short-term rental properties operating throughout the city. At last month’s meeting, the commission approved a recommendation that is estimated would net an additional $3 million per year for programs related to live music, cultural arts and historic preservation. The recommendation asks Council and the city manager to implement a streamlined, tiered licensing system to differentiate between owner-occupied STRs and those operated by nonresidents. It also pushes for an agreement with STR platforms that would see the city’s hotel tax revenue automatically levied and remitted in a timely manner. The third component calls for creating an “opt-out” sustainability fee on STR bookings, with the revenue used for a new Cultural Sustainability Fund to promote arts and music preservation. Also this year, the Tourism Commission and Music Commission have approved similar recommendations regarding STRs and improved hotel tax collection.

Former City Council Member Kathie Tovo, who served on Council from 2012 to 2023, will be hosting a mayoral campaign kickoff at 6:30 p.m. at El Mercado Restaurant on South First Street. Tovo, who served as mayor pro tem for four years, stresses her “proven record of standing up for women, workers, immigrants, and the LGBTQIA+ community.” Her campaign announced the party stating, “Tovo will celebrate her strong start in the race, share plans to deliver transparency and accountability at City Hall and outline ways to get involved in the campaign.” Other applicants for the middle seat on the dais include incumbent Mayor Kirk Watson, Go Austin/Vamos Austin Executive Director Carmen Llanes Pulido and Doug Greco, former executive director of Central Texas Interfaith.

Recent rainfall has had a positive impact on the region’s water supply, as evidenced by the Lower Colorado River Authority’s recent declaration that we have moved from Stage 2 to Stage 1 of its drought response. On May 1, lakes Buchanan and Travis were at 42 percent  capacity. As of yesterday, that has increased to about 56 percent capacity, or more than 1.11 million acre-feet of water. At this stage, LCRA asks that water customers reduce water use by 10 percent. Firm water customers (like businesses and municipalities) are asked to impose water restrictions. Under the separate metric of Austin Water’s watering restrictions, the city is currently in Stage 2. “We encourage everyone to cut back water use when possible,” John Hofmann, LCRA executive vice president of water, said in a statement to the press. “We’re heading into another hot, dry summer when the amount of water in lakes Buchanan and Travis typically drops because of increased water use and evaporation.” If the lakes reach 1.2 million acre-feet (which is 60 percent capacity) LCRA will exit Stage 1.

Starting this Friday, June 7, Austin Water customers in the southwest parts of the city are advised to limit consumption to only essential water use during repairs to a major water line. This includes refraining from outdoor watering, power washing and washing cars; turning off irrigation systems; and postponing washing clothes and dishes. A leaking 48-inch water line must be temporarily taken out of service, which may cause low water pressure and service disruptions. While customers may not experience any impacts, Austin Water is notifying the community out of an abundance of caution so that customers can have water for essential uses on hand, should a service disruption occur. The repair is estimated to last up to 12 hours but may exceed this time frame, depending on field conditions. Austin Water will offer free cases of bottled water at a location convenient to customers in the affected area beginning at 7 a.m. Friday. Customer notifications about specific water pickup locations will go out later this week. Austin Water also urges customers to store water for essential uses, 1 gallon per person per day, by no later than Thursday, June 6, by filling containers in advance of repair work. Customers can refer to the affected area map or interactive map at austinwater.org to determine if their address is in the affected area and for detailed location-specific information during the repair. If you have service concerns or questions, contact Austin Water’s 24/7 Customer Service Contact Center at 512-972-1000 and select option 1 for immediate assistance.

As part of the We All Belong citywide anti-hate initiative launched last summer, the city is hosting the Party at the People’s House, a free event open to the public to celebrate “belonging and the eclectic mix of cultures that make Austin such a weird and wonderful place to live,” according to a news release from the city. The event, curated and produced in partnership with Almost Real Things, will showcase local food vendors, musicians, art, family activities, city departments, community organizations and more, with the goal of making people feel inspired and empowered to end hate in Austin. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP. It’s set for 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 22, at Austin City Hall, 301 W. Second St.

The city is also releasing a new public service announcement featuring the mayor, mayor pro tem and City Council members, encouraging people to report acts of hate using streamlined reporting tools and resources on the We All Belong information hub, austintexas.gov/againsthate. The site also features a new interactive community data dashboard that explores hate crime reports in Austin and how acts of hate impact community’s sense of trust and safety. Visitors can also learn more about attending or hosting We All Belong pop-up events held year-round in collaboration with local organizations, and download message toolkits to share with family and friends. The toolkits are available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Burmese Chinese (simplified), French, Hindi, Korean, Pashto and Vietnamese in the “spread the word” section of the site.