The city is set to move forward with the $87 million purchase of 107 acres of East Austin property that formerly served as the North American headquarters for Tokyo Electron Ltd. The purchase, which is on the agenda for Thursday’s City Council meeting, would allow the city to convert two existing buildings to a technology and emergency communications center, along with providing space for future city offices. Austin Business Journal reports Tokyo Electron wants the option to lease back the two buildings until the end of this year, with possible month-to-month extensions through next May. The company moved its HQ to a space in a downtown tower south of Lady Bird Lake, with plans to secure another 140,000 square feet in the Austin area.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday filed a scathing rebuke to the city of Austin and Austin Transit Partnership over an attempt by those entities to have a Travis County court validate bonds that ATP wants to issue to fund Project Connect. In its response, the AG’s office declares that Proposition A, which voters approved in 2020 to finance the light-rail system, is invalid. Additionally, the attorney general said that the funding agreement between the city and ATP is invalid. If the courts agree with Paxton, ATP will have to hold another election and the city will have to stop collecting the additional taxes it currently collects to pay for Project Connect. The attorney general’s position aligns with that of arguments made by attorney Bill Aleshire on behalf of his clients – the long-standing Guadalupe Street burger joint Dirty Martin’s, Travis County Commissioner Margaret Gómez, former Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos, former Council Member Ora Houston and east side activist Susana Almanza. Aleshire told the Austin Monitor via email, “You are seeing the beginning of the end of the biggest con job ever perpetrated on the taxpayers of Austin. When all is said and done, I expect the final court decision to result in a rollback of the almost 21 percent Austin property tax increase being used to (fund) Project Connect and a refund of hundreds of millions of those dollars that ATP has on hand, unspent.” Late Friday afternoon, a city spokesperson told the Monitor, “The City just received the AG’s pleading. We disagree with the AG’s assertions and are certain the court will allow the City and ATP time to file responses.” There was no immediate response from ATP. Aleshire said, “We believe there is consensus that this case will go to trial on May 28th for two days.”

This week, Austinites will have two more opportunities to weigh in on changes to how Austin’s South Central Waterfront will be developed. Today at 6 p.m., the city will host an in-person meeting at Austin Central Library to gather feedback on a draft regulations. Then, on Wednesday, the city will host a virtual meeting at 10 a.m. (would-be participants can register here). Anyone who can’t make those meetings is also welcome to offer up opinions via the SpeakUp Austin survey. The draft changes, which can be found here, are expected to be taken up by City Council this May.

For a dozen years, the Austin area has been the nation’s fastest-growing large metro – and now it’s slipped into second place, according to new estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. They show the remaining fastest-growing and largest-gaining counties in the Dallas, Houston and San Antonio metros. The slower growth rate in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) can be attributed to historically low domestic migration, defined as migrants moving into the area from other parts of Texas and other U.S. states. Even though international migration was the highest it has been in more than 10 years and natural increase remained relatively consistent, the declines in domestic migration resulted in a slower growth rate for the Austin metro area. Travis, Williamson and Hays counties saw lower net migration between 2022 and 2023, but the steepest declines were seen in Travis County, which more people are leaving rather than moving into. The Austin MSA added more than 50,000 residents between 2022 and 2023, growing at a rate of 2.1 percent. Although migration continues to be a major driver of growth in the Austin region, migration from other states and other parts of Texas made up a smaller share in 2023. For more information, visit austintexas.gov/demographics.

Austin Animal Center has launched a finder-to-foster program, which allows community members who find a lost pet to register them with the shelter so they can receive intake vaccines, other necessary medical care and a microchip and be listed as a found pet in the shelter database. A related ordinance change was approved by City Council on Feb. 1. The pet will not have to stay at the shelter for the entire 72-hour stray hold. Instead, the hold will occur while the pet is in the finder’s home. If an owner does not come forward in that time, the shelter can provide foster and adoption support. “We have so many wonderful community members who want to help a stray animal,” said Mary Brown, customer service manager at AAC. “I’m excited that we’re able to offer this option for animals to get the full support of AAC foster program resources while also giving a dog a chance to be reunited with their owner, not having to be stressed in a shelter kennel setting.” The program will be for animals found within the city of Austin or unincorporated Travis County. Participating finders must:

• Live within one hour of the shelter
• Commit to helping reunite the animal with the owner
• Provide food and supplies for the foster pet
• Have up-to-date rabies vaccinations for all animals already living in their home
• Be able to access email regularly and provide transportation to and from AAC
• Follow all policies and procedures of the AAC Foster Program

If you’re interested in participating, you can learn more and submit a Finder to Foster request.

Plans for a fancy new city pool in Montopolis are moving forward, though the current pool will remain open for the upcoming swim season that starts on June 3. In the meantime, according to a parks press release, “The project team continues to work through permitting nuances… and anticipate the Site Plan Permit to be issued by the end of the summer. Because of this timeline, the team is now expecting construction to begin in the fall of 2024.” The adjusted timeline means the pool will be closed for only one swim season, in 2025, and will reopen in the summer of 2026. In addition, the nearby playground now has a new concept with renovations to include new play equipment, enhanced drainage, new paths and shade structures. Community engagement results are now posted on the playground project website, with images to follow on April 1.

This whisper has been changed since publication. We originally reported there were permitting issues with floodplains and water quality ponds, but that was an error in the press release.

With the search now narrowed to two, Austinites will have the chance to meet the final candidates being considered for the position of city manager. T.C. Broadnax and Sara Hensley will attend a “meet the candidate” event 6 to 7:30 p.m. March 25 at the Planning and Development Center. The event will feature a moderated discussion, with questions solicited in advance through SpeakUp Austin or by calling 311 through March 20. After the discussion, audience members will have the opportunity to talk with candidates during a meet-and-greet reception. Following that, the candidates will talk to city staff and, the next day, City Council will conduct official interviews in a closed session. The goal, according to a message board post from Mayor Kirk Watson, is to take action in early April. “Depending on the interviews, and as indicated previously, we may invite one or both prospects back for activity/interviews on April 1st and/or 2nd. We will have posted Council action for the April 4th meeting. The posted action will be to direct our search firm to negotiate a contract with the specific person. I previously wrote that we might do this on April 2nd. But that would make it difficult to allow the required public comment on a council action item if, in fact, we bring someone back for more interviews. And waiting two days for a regular meeting is less rushed and just makes sense. We don’t have to take action on April 4th, but we will be posted and in a position to do so, if we want,” Watson wrote.

On Wednesday, the city of Austin and the Austin Police Association (APA) will start formal negotiations on a new long-term contract.  A news release from the city reads, “All parties agree that a long-term contract is in the best interest of the community and are committed to finding a resolution. The goal is for any agreement reached between the APA and the City’s bargaining team to address community concerns, navigate current legal challenges, and garner Council approval.” The meetings are open to the public, but attendees will not be able to speak or engage in the negotiations. They are set for 10 a.m. March 13 at the Human Resources Department (LRC), 5202 E. Ben White Blvd., Room 204 (Auditorium), Suite 500, and also at 10 a.m. March 20 at a location to be determined. The meetings will be livestreamed here.

At South by Southwest on Monday, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens was forced to leave a panel discussion at the Hilton hotel as a group of protesters shouted at him and unfurled a banner decrying the building of “Cop City,” a huge police training facility. Protesters accuse Dickens of being aligned with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who supports building the facility. The facility is planned for a large forest in South Atlanta, which protesters point out hosts a great deal of biodiversity and serves to prevent flooding. If built, the facility will provide a space for police to practice urban warfare tactics. Protesters have been trying to stop construction of the training center for more than two years. Dickens tried to explain his position during the panel discussion but was shouted down by protesters. Eventually, Dickens, along with the other panelists – Christian Menefee, county attorney for Harris County, Texas; Tishaura Jones, mayor of St. Louis; and Aftab Pureval, mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, stepped off the stage. The protesters were escorted from the room and Dickens left. The three remaining panelists returned to take questions from the audience about the difficulties faced by local elected officials when dealing with governors and legislators on the other side of the political aisle. Menefee responded to a question about how to get people to vote. He noted that because of gerrymandering, many elections are decided in the primary, discouraging people from voting in the November elections. He said it was very important to appeal to people on the issues that they care about, so they may go to vote for a sheriff candidate, for example, or for the county attorney. Menefee concluded, “We need nonpartisan redistricting commissions all across the country.”

After being closed for more than three months for repairs and upkeep, Deep Eddy Pool reopens today. Replacement of a damaged bulkhead and new deck lighting is now complete, with some financial help from the Austin Parks Foundation. The reopening coincides with a push to hire summer lifeguards. On Thursday, March 21, and Friday, April 5, that push will be accompanied by free pizza during lifeguard hiring open hours. The open hours will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Aquatic Division Office (2818 San Gabriel St.) where interested folks age 15 and up can apply and register for training. Applicants should have identification and a Social Security card in order to complete the requisite paperwork.

The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority is continuing to expand its MetroBike program and would like the public’s help in deciding what that expansion will look like. An online survey, which closes on March 22, asks the community to weigh in on where new stations should go. Capital Metro has stated that the expansion will focus on connections to other transit options, equity and sustainable options for the community while enlarging the current, small area serviced by the bikes. Participants will be entered in a drawing for a $75 gift card.

After a long break, the city and the Austin Police Association (APA) are poised to resume formal negotiations on a new contract on March 12. According to a post about the negotiations, details are being finalized and information about the time and location is still to come. “I have been saying for some time now that it was critical for the City to get back to the bargaining table with the Austin Police Association,” Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said in a statement to the press. “I’m pleased we’ve agreed to a date to begin those negotiations. Our police officers need to know that they’re supported, we need to fill vacancies, and the best way to show support and fill positions is by getting a long-term contract.” Last February, Council rejected a four-year contract that was championed by the since-fired City Manager Spencer Cronk and negotiations stalled. Since then, the police have operated under a stopgap plan that was recently extended with incentives to resume negotiations.