The Watershed Protection Department will host a virtual public meeting on Feb. 14 on its proposed ordinance to expand erosion protections along the Colorado River south of the Longhorn Dam after the approval process for the ordinance was delayed last month. The Monitor previously reported on the details of the ordinance, which would expand a 100-foot erosion hazard zone on either side of the river to 200 feet and require developers to evaluate whether any new construction in the area would fall within the new EHZ. Readers can find more information and register for the virtual meeting at this link on the Watershed Protection Department website.

At its Jan. 28 meeting, the Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit requested by the Parks and Recreation Department that would allow alcohol sales at the Waller Creek Boathouse. The issuing of the permit is part of a wider project by Parks and Rec to bring alcohol sales operating within parks into compliance with the city code, which the department discovered would be necessary during a 2020 review of then-current vendors. The change may not mean buzz for boaters, though: Perch Cafe, which had sold beer and wine along with coffee and foodstuffs at the boathouse, permanently closed last year. No other vendor has stepped in so far.

The Planning Commission voted to support historic landmark zoning designation for 610 Baylor St., also known as the Perry House, to City Council at its Jan. 28 meeting. The Monitor previously reported on the case, advanced by homeowners Hayes and Jessica Barnard through an LLC, which would add certain preservation protections and responsibilities for the Barnards in return for a property tax abatement. Planning commissioners approved the petition on the consent agenda for the meeting. Commissioner Felicity Maxwell of District 4 abstained from the vote. “I appreciate the historic preservation and fully support the work that’s been done on this house, but have strong concerns about the related tax abatement, specifically for our school district, which as we know is chronically underfunded,” Maxwell said during public comments on the consent agenda.

Though a freeze on federal grants is itself frozen for now, it’s safe to say that the landscape has changed, though the need for help funding infrastructure has not. In a moment indicative of this change, City Council moved forward with a grant request from the U.S. Department of Transportation that could award $25 million to the Bergstrom Spur Trails to Transit project, with one key difference. “Delete the words ‘Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity’ and add the words ‘Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development,” said Mayor Kirk Watson, striking the former name of the discretionary grant program from the resolution.

Despite pleas from about two dozen people to reject the two items, City Council voted unanimously on Thursday to authorize an agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station to conduct a study of wildland fire fuels on properties managed by the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. The agreement relates to an update to a study done by Baylor University in 2009 on those properties. Council allocated up to $198,467 for the project for a term of three years.

Council also authorized contracts with four companies “for vegetation management for wildfire mitigation.” Although the agenda indicates that the total contracts will not exceed $7.5 million, only $200,000 is available in the Parks and Recreation Department’s operating budget. “Funding for the remaining contract term is contingent upon available funding in future budgets,” according to the agenda. The prescribed burns done by these contractors are far more controversial than the study.

Austin ISD student testing scores are returning to prepandemic levels and are higher than the state, peer-districts and the nationwide average, according to results from a reading and math assessment given to a sample of fourth and eighth grade students nationwide. The National Assessment of Educational Progress “results are an encouraging sign that Austin ISD has a strong academic foundation and learning is on the rise,” a news release from the school district said. Specifically, it pointed out, “The district scored significantly higher than the state in eighth-grade math and both reading levels. Austin ISD was significantly higher than national public schools in fourth-grade math. The district was significantly higher than the larger cities grouping and all Texas peer districts (Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth) in all grades and levels tested.” However, marginalized and economically disadvantaged students still have lower scores. “The council applauds large city schools for their improvement in academic performance and the progress they are making in turning to pre-pandemic levels thanks to target investments that have addressed setbacks and driven recovery,” said Ray Hart, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools. For more details on the results, click here for the district’s report.

At its meeting last week, the Ethics Review Commission affirmed chair Michael Lovins’ earlier determination that the commission lacks jurisdiction over a complaint filed in December by Jeb Boyt against recent City Council candidate Gary Bledsoe. The December complaint alleged violations of Chapters 392 and 393 of the Texas Transportation Code, Section 39.02 of the Texas Penal Code and Section 4 of the city charter. Lovins decided that the alleged violations did not fall within the commission’s jurisdiction, which is limited to specific sections of the city code and charter. During public comments at the start of the meeting, Boyt said Bledsoe had accepted $61,000 in city funds as part of the Austin Fair Campaign Chapter and had used the money to print oversized signs that were placed in public right-of-way areas. The commission was required to review the decision and voted unanimously to uphold, emphasizing that the complainant bears the responsibility to identify specific violations that fall within the commission’s jurisdiction. Commissioners noted that the dismissal does not prevent Boyt from refiling a more specific complaint in the future.

Austinites need to save for six years to afford the typical $109,800 down payment on a single-family home, according to recent data from the real estate technology firm RealtyHop. That six-year wait was calculated based on the area’s median household income ($91,461) and median home price of $549,000, based on the company’s home listings in the third quarter of 2024. The study found Austin had the 40th-longest saving period of the 100 metro areas studied, with Dallas ranking 31st for its 6.33 years of wait time. Houston came in 45th with 5.8 years, with Arlington’s 5.35 years giving it the 58th spot and Irving’s 5.02 years ranking 66th. Would-be homebuyers in Plano (67th), El Paso (69th), Corpus Christi (73rd), San Antonio (76th), Fort Worth (79th), Garland (81st), Laredo (89th) and Lubbock (95th) all could expect to need less than five years to save for a typical down payment on homes in those markets.

One of the nine gates at Longhorn Dam failed in the open position on Tuesday afternoon during routine work. As of Tuesday afternoon, the cause of and solution to that failure was still under investigation, with Lady Bird Lake’s water level down 1 foot as of 2 p.m. Though the problem was not impacting water and wastewater service, it did impact the Pleasant Valley Road Bridge, which was closed while repairs were underway.

The Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.1 percent in December 2024, down slightly from 3.2 percent in November, according to data released earlier this month by the Texas Workforce Commission. The region continues its trend of maintaining a lower unemployment rate than both the Texas average of 3.7 percent and the national rate of 3.8 percent. The Austin metro added 3,200 jobs between November and December, closing the year with an annual growth rate of 1.7 percent, equivalent to 22,700 new jobs since December 2023. Key industries driving December’s job growth included trade, transportation, utilities, professional and business services, and financial activities. Sectors showing job declines for the final month of 2024 included government, leisure and hospitality, and private education and health services. Over the year, the mining, logging and construction sectors posted the most significant growth (+5.9 percent), while the information sector saw the largest decline (-3.1 percent). Travis County also saw a slight drop in unemployment, with the rate decreasing from 3.1 percent in November to 3 percent in December, representing 26,573 unemployed residents.

The city of Austin’s Bond Election Advisory Task Force has begun laying the groundwork for public engagement efforts for the proposed 2026 bond package. The engagement plan, presented during a recent task force meeting, emphasizes inclusive, multilingual outreach and a variety of strategies to connect with Austin’s diverse communities. Led by the Communications and Public Information Office (CPIO), the engagement process will include event tabling at community gatherings, neighborhood association meetings, church events and other accessible locations. Additionally, four town hall meetings are required under a City Council resolution to solicit input on proposed projects and to collect ideas for additional bond priorities. CPIO Chief Jessica King underscored the importance of meeting residents “where they are” and tailoring outreach strategies to overcome barriers such as language, transportation and time constraints. Digital engagement will play a major role, with tools like online surveys, interactive content through the Speak Up Austin platform and social media campaigns. The engagement schedule calls for a road map and decision on outreach tools to be decided in February and March. In April and May the process will begin, with data analysis taking place in June. The four town hall events will take place in August, with a comprehensive report scheduled for release next spring.

The Movability nonprofit group has announced the call for session proposals for the 2025 Movability Summit, which will take place Sept. 19 at the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center on the University of Texas campus. The event coincides with National Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Week and is expected to attract 250 professionals and practitioners from across North America. The summit aims to promote collaboration and innovations in TDM and mobility, with representatives from public and private sector employers, transportation providers, universities and nonprofit organizations in attendance. Movability is seeking proposals related to building TDM-friendly cities, shared and active mobility in the private sector, equitable access to multimodal transportation, marketing’s role in shifting travel behaviors and emerging innovations in TDM. Submissions for individual presentations, panels, group discussions and deep dives are open until April 15. Full details on the submission process are available online.