In the aftermath of the Memorial Day weekend floods, City Council has postponed a briefing and discussion about staff’s proposed voluntary flood buyout and relocation policy that was scheduled for Tuesday morning. Mayor Steve Adler noted in Tuesday’s Council work session that Real Estate Services Officer Lauraine Rizer, who would have participated in the briefing, was “flooded in” in a nearby area outside of Austin and would not be able to make it. “We wish her the best. She’s OK, just can’t get here,” he said. “And the rest of the watershed management folks, I might imagine, are dealing with watershed management issues this morning,” he added, referring to the Watershed Protection Department staff, who have been involved in crafting the proposal. Rizer has also been heavily involved in the $60 million Onion Creek flood buyout program and is helping Council prepare for the similar $18 million Williamson Creek buyout, which Council will consider on June 4. The proposed policy is not meant to relate to the two major buyouts, but would guide future decisions on the issue.

City Council’s Public Safety Committee is sending a new resolution up for full Council consideration that would let school districts hand out tickets to drivers caught on camera blowing past the stop signs that are on school buses. Council originally directed city staff to write the proposed ordinance in April. If passed, it would allow any of the four districts that overlap Austin’s municipal boundaries to install the cameras, write tickets and assess fines for alleged violators. The language of the ordinance specifically states that it does not “create an expense or obligation for the City.” Before the vote, one activist spoke against the proposed ordinance and played for the committee a video of an investigative news report in Dallas that exposed significant issues in a similar program in Dallas County. Staff from AISD told the committee that the district is aware of those problems and indicated that those issues were related to the specific camera system vendor. The committee approved the measure 2-1, with Council members Ora Houston and Leslie Pool voting in favor and Council Member Don Zimmerman voting against. Council Member Greg Casar was absent.

Attorneys for former candidate Laura Pressley and City Council Member Greg Casar will return to court this morning – perhaps for the last time – to argue about whether Pressley has reasonable grounds to continue her election contest against Casar. Casar won the Dec. 16 runoff by a margin of 1,291 votes, or approximately 65 percent to 35 percent. Casar’s attorney, Chuck Herring, said of Pressley in his motion for summary judgment, “Her campaign continues with unsupported, conspiratorial allegations in a demand that this court discard Travis County’s entire electronic voting system and revert to paper ballots or adopt some other entirely new system. Pressley’s claims are frivolous and her election contest should be dismissed.” Visiting Judge Dan Mills, who is overseeing the case, ordered Pressley’s lawyers to file a new amended petition describing her claims. In response to that order, her attorneys have filed a 5,000-page document, which is almost unheard of, even in the most complex litigation. In addition, Casar’s lawyers report that Pressley’s attorneys filed a 3,000-page response to their motion for summary judgment. Casar’s motion is a mere 12 pages. If all goes as planned, Mills will hear from both parties beginning at 9 a.m. today in Room 506 of the Travis County Courthouse. If the case is not dismissed, the judge will hear several discovery motions from Pressley’s lawyers.

Central Texas was battered repeatedly throughout the Memorial Day weekend with heavy storms and large hail, followed Monday by tornado sightings and touchdowns that persisted throughout the day. With nearly all creeks overflowing their banks, Austin experienced the worst flooding since the 1981 Memorial Day floods. Reports of water rescues continued throughout the weekend, as did evacuations of several areas. On Monday, a dam at Bastrop State Park ruptured, prompting warnings to area residents to seek higher ground. As of Monday evening, all Tuesday classes in Bastrop County have been canceled. The Austin Chronicle has compiled a comprehensive list of resources for those impacted by the weekend’s storms.

On Saturday, May 30, the Austin Animal Center will host a free event to bring awareness to the issue of lost pets in the city. Last year, the shelter took in 12,972 lost dogs. “Don’t Drop the Ball ATX” will provide further context about that number and feature pet-welfare information booths and free pet ID tags and collars. The event will take place at Mueller Lake Park at 2 p.m.

During the first weekend in June, Austin will hold its third annual “ATX Hack for Change.” Billed as the city’s largest hackathon for civic and social good, the event is open to the public and will take place at St. Edward’s University, June 5-7. More information can be found online, here.

On Monday, most city offices and facilities will be closed for Memorial Day. These include: City Council offices, the Small and Minority Business Resources Department’s offices and Plan Room, the Entrepreneur Center of Austin, the Business Solutions Center, recreation and senior centers and cultural centers, the Elisabet Ney Museum, the O. Henry Museum, George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, Dougherty Arts Center, Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, Recycled Reads, Austin Public Libraries, Austin History Center, Watershed Protection Department, EMS administrative offices and Austin Utility Walk-In Payment Centers. Garbage collection will remain on schedule, and pools, golf courses, tennis centers, Zilker Botanical Garden, the Austin Nature & Science Center and the Austin Animal Center will remain open on the holiday.

Tawny Hammond is the city’s new chief animal services officer. Hammond comes to the city via Fairfax County, Virginia, where she was the director of an animal shelter that served a 400-square-mile area. According to a press release about the appointment, the Fairfax County shelter became the largest jurisdiction in the United States with a live-release outcome rate greater than 90 percent during Hammond’s tenure. “We’ve seen a revolution in animal sheltering over the past decade, and Austin has been on the forefront, leading the way,” said Hammond. “I cannot wait to live in a community that puts such a high value on the bond between people and animals.” Her appointment is effective starting June 15.

The Parks and Recreation Department is asking Austinites to weigh in on its strategic direction. A survey, available here, will “provide the Department with a road map to guide decision making, resource allocation and service delivery for fiscal years 2016-2021,” according to PARD’s statement.

Unlike many city offices and facilities (see below), the Austin Monitor isn’t closing for the holiday – but we are running an abbreviated issue. Enjoy, and have a great Memorial Day!

Yesterday, the Real Estate Council of Austin released its annual tally of the tax burden on Austin families. The study found that in 2014, local taxes increased 5.5 percent, while the median income for a family of four increased 3 percent. All told, Austin families pay 9.7 percent toward local taxes. RECA calls that number “astonishing.” In a press release about the report, 2015 RECA Board Chair Michael Cooper notes that since RECA began indexing local taxes and incomes, the percentage that each family contributes has grown. “This trend, combined with rising property values caused by a lack of housing supply, conflicts with the goal of keeping Austin an affordable community,” said Cooper. “In addition to property values, setting tax rates is the most important part of the property tax equation. … Unless the local budget process and increased government spending are addressed, property taxes will continue to rise.” The combined taxes paid to the city of Austin, Travis County, Austin Community College, Central Health and Capital Metro cost the average family $7,320.98 in 2014, and the median family income was $75,200.

A new nature preserve near Buda will open formerly private land to the public, thanks to a Hays County lease agreement believed to be the first of its kind. The county will lease a 384-acre tract of private land that overlays a conservation easement and make it available for limited public access. The tract, which is part of a ranch belonging to the Dahlstrom family, will be outfitted with walking trails to “encourage hiking, birdwatching and nature tours,” according to an announcement released by the county. The initial lease will last for five years and may continue in five-year increments for up to 20 years. Although no opening date has been set, the preserve — to be known as the Gay Ruby Dahlstrom Nature Preserve — could open by the end of the year. Describing the land, Gay Dahlstrom said, “If you want a good sermon, walk out into this country. That is where things come together.”