Instead of enjoying the spring weather (through a haze of pollen), the city’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management has seized the opportunity to remind Austinites that one of our prettiest seasons is also a time for severe weather. In a Monday press conference, officials urged residents to prepare for hail, thunderstorms and flash flooding, all of which are at high risk in the springtime. This week, in fact, is Flooding Preparedness Week, which is typically marked by preparing for flooding. An extensive list of tips, best practices and resources can be found here or heard by watching Monday’s press conference here.

Today through April 19, people with active warrants can have fees waived if they take part in the 2024 Warrant Amnesty Program. During this period, no officers will be sent to take defendants into custody, and those who voluntarily go to an Austin municipal or community court location will not face arrest. Instead, the Austin Municipal Court and Downtown Austin Community Court are offering options to those who can’t pay right away. Those options include payment plans, community service and waivers for people experiencing financial hardship. During a series of walk-in dockets (listed here) no appointments are necessary. Under last year’s Warrant Amnesty Program, more than 2,300 outstanding warrants and delinquent citations were cleared.

The stats from Austin Police Department’s spring break DWI enforcement and “No Refusal” initiative are in. The operation totaled 55 DWI arrests. Of those, 19 were made via blood search warrants, 24 via consent breath samples and 14 via nonconsent breath samples. In addition, enhanced charges were issued for 11 consent breath samples with a blood alcohol level of over 0.15, one felony DWI with a child passenger and one intoxication manslaughter. “No refusal” is an enforcement strategy that enables jurisdictions to obtain search warrants for blood samples from drivers who refuse breath or blood tests.

Waterloo Park will soon host a free festival celebrating Texas parks, wildlife and the people that help preserve them. Called the “Our Texas, Our Future Wildlife & Environmental Festival,” the event is being held by HEB and the Waterloo Greenway Conservancy. It will feature a screening of HEB’s environmental docuseries “Our Texas, Our Future,” interactive exhibits, STEM and art workshops and guided garden tours. Visitors who bring plastic bags (to recycle) will be entered to win prizes from sponsors. The fest will take place noon to 4 p.m. April 21.

Attorney Bill Aleshire, former Travis County judge and tax assessor-collector, never shy about voicing his opinion on city government, has a multitude of questions about the city’s proposed purchase of the Tokyo Electron property on today’s agenda. As Aleshire points out, records from the Travis Central Appraisal District show the appraised value of the two parcels the city plans to buy is a little more than $49.3 million. (These numbers are frequently lower than the price paid by a buyer.) The city plans, according to the agenda, to pay a total amount not to exceed $87,045,000 including closing costs. That same agenda shows that the money for the property will come from bonds, although it is not clear from the agenda exactly which bonds will be used. Kimberly Moore of the Financial Services Department told the Austin Monitor via email, “The proposed acquisition is supported by a combination of certificates of obligation ($60 million) and Project Connect Anti‐Displacement funds ($27 million).” A city spokesperson has said that the site, which is close to a planned light-rail line along Riverside Drive, might provide “greatly needed space for a second Combined Technology and Emergency Communications Center,” as well as other city office space. Mayor Kirk Watson has a much grander vision for the site, which he has compared to the Mueller development.

Adoption fees are currently waived at the city’s animal shelter, which is dealing with extreme overcrowding. Animal Services officials are asking for help finding fosters and adopters to deal with the crisis. “Our capacity limit takes into account doubling up dogs in the larger kennels, and half of our nonpublic building that should really be used for court cases, quarantines, owner incarcerations and hospitalizations, etc.,” Chief Animal Services Officer Don Bland said in a statement to the press on Wednesday afternoon. “Currently we have zero open kennels for any incoming dogs, including emergencies. We just received notification that 12 dogs from a cruelty case are on their way and we need space for them.” According to that press release, staff will be on hand to process fostering from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day this week. Those fostering medium and large dogs are being asked to foster for a minimum of two weeks. In addition, area rescues that can take on medium and large dogs could receive a monetary incentive if they have the capacity. Those rescue centers can email animal.rescue@austintexas.gov for more information.

The Austin Police Association (APA) and the city meet at 10 a.m. today to continue negotiations on the terms of the Austin Police Department meet and confer agreement. In negotiating a long-term contract, their goal is to address community concerns, navigate current legal challenges and earn City Council approval.  The meeting will be livestreamed here.

The Wells Fargo Foundation has contributed $500,000 to the Mobile Loaves & Fishes nonprofit group that will help to fund the creation of homes in partnership with Austin housing technology startup ICON. The donation is part of the Initiative 99 plan to create small affordable homes at a cost of $99,000 or less. A competition with teams from more than 60 countries sought designs for the best home concept, which will be available for several new 3D-printed units in the Community First! Village that provides housing to people experiencing homelessness in Austin. “We are grateful for this extraordinary gift from Wells Fargo which will enable us to continue building some of the most innovative homes for the population we serve – men and women who are transitioning out of chronic homelessness,” Alan Graham, founder and CEO of Mobile Loaves & Fishes, said in a prepared statement. “Vulnerable individuals typically aren’t at the top of the list to access leading-edge anything in our country. But now, because of the innovation and generosity from groups like ICON and Wells Fargo, you have individuals once pushed to the fringe of society who have an opportunity to live in some of the most unique homes ever built. Put simply, this is what ‘being the goodness in our community’ is all about.”

A new report from the Transportation and Public Works Department details advancements made in 2023, which include completion of the mobility bond-backed sidewalk initiative with 56 miles of projects last year, improved mobility access, a budget overview and a new $22.8 million grant aimed at improving traffic-related safety and reducing fatalities and serious injury. The report also updates data on Vision Zero and Safe Routes to School programs and information about projects completed last year. Read the full report here.

A ribbon-cutting at Duncan Neighborhood Park, 900 W. Ninth St., is planned for 11 a.m. Saturday, April 13, when enhancements to the park will be unveiled, including a wetland feature with an overlook area created by the removal of 420 cubic yards of soil, which was later added to the BMX section of the park. Additional improvements include an ADA-accessible path from Ninth Street to 10th Street, an enhanced connection to the Shoal Creek Hike and Bike Trail, new picnic tables, a drinking fountain, park benches and new trees. Two meadow planting areas were also added to the grounds to enhance the natural setting and provide biodiversity. Wildflower areas were established to reintroduce native ecosystems, and native landscape plant materials were used to improve water quality. The 2012 Prop 14 Park Bond and the 2018 Prop C Park Bond funded the projects. The ribbon-cutting ceremony is open to the public. Visit the the Duncan Park Improvements page for more information.

A new study from researchers at UT Austin’s Dell Medical School has found that air pollution in Austin is linked to more asthma-related trips to emergency rooms, particularly in neighborhoods with higher populations of people of color. The study, which was published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, looked at five counties in the Austin metro area. “We are exploring the connections between the neighborhood environment and lung health so that people can understand the risks they face when they live in places with consistently poor air quality,” Sarah Chambliss, lead author of the study and a research associate in the Department of Population Health at Dell Med, said in a statement to the press. “But beyond understanding personal risks, this is also a critical piece to the puzzle of why Black and Latinx Austinites suffer a greater burden of asthma. We know the placement of highways and industry in East Austin contributes to greater local air pollution, and this research points to the consequences that may have for racial and ethnic health disparities.” For more information, the study can be read here.

The data continue to roll in showing Austin’s rental market is becoming more affordable and friendly to those seeking a new residence. Real estate technology company RentCafe’s recent analysis of housing markets across the U.S. found that Austin is still the most competitive market in Texas, despite what it called “a staggering increase in new apartments in recent months.” The company’s Rental Competitivity Index measured factors such as average days vacant per unit, the amount of occupied apartments, number of prospective renters per unit, lease renewal rate and share of new apartments, most of which moved in a direction indicating greater slack and less competition among renters than at the same time in 2023.