Mayor Steve Adler will hold his first State of the City address tonight. The event will take place at the Austin Independent School District Performing Arts Center and will also feature AISD Superintendent Dr. Paul Cruz, a musical performance by Max Frost, poetry by Christopher Michael and “A Vision for Austin’s Future” by AISD student Valentina Tovar. Though the event is free and open to the public, tickets are now only available for the waitlist. Of course, the Austin Monitor will be there to relay anything you might have missed. The AISD Center is at 1500 Barbara Jordan Boulevard.

District Senior Hydrologist and Aquifer Science Team Leader Brian Smith of the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District presented a study finding to board members Thursday, briefing them on the hydrological analysis associated with the Electro Purification wells headed to Hays County. Besides the findings, however, Smith also addressed rumors of acid fracking. He said the district has heard that plans to use the technique are in the works for Electro Purification because the company is trying to figure out ways to pump more water out of its seven wells. At the rates it is currently projecting, wells would pump 2.47 million gallons per day, but the company’s contracts are for 5.3 million. “So they’re either going to need more production out of these wells, more wells, or both,” Smith said. Acid fracking is a way to get more production. Much of it would be neutralized when the acid comes into contract with the limestone, but Smith was concerned about the activity occurring in a karst aquifer.

The city is planning a panel discussion Tuesday to give the public more information about Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs. Audience members may ask questions of the panel, which will comprise the chief appraiser of the Travis Central Appraisal District, the president of the Austin Neighborhoods Council, a builder of affordable secondary units and a University of Texas professor who specializes in secondary housing/affordability issues. The meeting is set for 5 p.m. Tuesday at Town Lake Center, 721 Barton Springs Road. Currently, the Planning Commission is scheduled to discuss ADUs at its April 28 meeting. The proposed code amendments it will consider are available online.

Starting Wednesday, AARP Texas will offer Austin residents opportunities to meet and talk with City Council members.  The “Meet Your Council Member” events aim to promote conversations about how Austin can become an even greater place to live for people of all ages. This week’s meeting will be with District 5 Council Member Ann Kitchen. Other meetings are set for May 20, with District 8 Council Member Ellen Troxclair, and May 29, with Austin Mayor Steve Adler. The events are free and open to the public, though seating is limited in most cases. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP by calling 877-926-8300. This week’s meeting will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the South Austin Senior Activity Center, 3911 Manchaca Road.

Mayor Steve Adler released a video April 3 accepting San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor’s open challenge to participate in the annual H-E-B Community Challenge, presented by health advocacy organization It’s Time Texas. Competing mayors must outline health-focused policies that their city councils have passed, take a wellness pledge and, of course, upload a challenge video. Individuals, schools, businesses, community organizations and faith-based organizations can also participate and win points. According to its website, the contest runs through Sunday and the communities that top each population bracket win a trophy, a street banner and a $1,200 grant for a local school. According to Taylor’s video, San Antonio has won first place in the metro category for two years running. The competition began in January and Austin is currently in second place, but trailing its neighbor to the south with a little over half the number of points. In his video, Adler appears determined while he does an unusual fitness routine and says, “We’re coming after that trophy!”

District 4 City Council Member Greg Casar is planning a community meeting Monday to discuss transportation issues. “I know our district has a growing list of transportation needs, and I want to make sure that improvements made to North Lamar, Rundberg Lane, 51st Street, Cameron Road and I-35 are being made with community input,” he said. “I’ve also received many requests regarding pedestrian safety and traffic calming in our neighborhoods, which will be discussed.” Casar said Monday’s meeting is the beginning of a series of community forums on important issues facing District 4 and the City of Austin. The meeting is set for 7 p.m. at Gethsemane Lutheran Church, 200 W. Anderson Lane. For information, call Casar’s office at (512) 978-2104 or email him at  Greg.Casar@austintexas.gov.

District 5 City Council Member Ann Kitchen will have a town hall meeting Saturday to speak with district residents and give updates regarding recent Council activities. While the program will be largely driven by the interests of District 5 residents, all are invited to participate. The session will begin with Kitchen’s report and an update of her policy priorities. Residents will have the chance to express their opinions on the challenges and opportunities on their blocks, in their neighborhoods, and across District 5 and the city. The meeting will be from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Ann Richards School Cafeteria, 2206 Prather Lane. For directions to the Ann Richards School, go here.

The city and other local agencies and employers are sponsoring a Career Expo on Tuesday. More than 100 employers will have job opportunities in information technology, engineering, manufacturing, banking and health care. Participants are encouraged to bring résumés and dress professionally for one-on-one meetings with potential employers. The event will take place from noon to 5 p.m. at the Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Road. Attendees may park for free in the center’s garage. A list of participating employers can be found here.

Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo is among those who will likely show up at this morning’s meeting of the Texas House Transportation Committee. Tovo plans to talk about HB2440, which would create state regulation of transportation network companies and eliminate local rules, such as those passed by Austin. Tovo told the Monitor, “I’ll be testifying on behalf of the city in opposition to the bill. Last fall — and after many hours of working groups, stakeholder input, and deliberation — the City Council adopted an interim ordinance that allows transportation network companies to operate within the City of Austin. The resulting ordinance reflects the input of many stakeholders, including the TNCs themselves. Austin and other cities should have the ability to craft regulations that meet the particular needs of their own communities. If passed, this bill would limit Austin’s ability to do just that: to protect the safety and welfare of our residents in the ways we deem best.”

Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill Wednesday authorizing the Summer X Games to apply for funding from the Texas Major Event Trust Fund. The legislation, SB 293, also allows NASCAR to apply for money from the same fund for races at the Texas Motor Speedway. The X Games will be held June 4-7 at the Circuit of the Americas. Richard Suttle, attorney for COTA, noted that the legislation became effective immediately after both houses approved it by more than a two-thirds margin. It was important to both events that the bill, which fixed an error in legislation approved in 2013, go into effect immediately so that they could be eligible for funding this year. The deadline for NASCAR to apply was Wednesday. The X Games has until April 16, according to Wayne Hollingsworth, a member of the Circuit Events Local Organizing Committee.

Austin Independent School District board member Paul Saldaña says he will propose that AISD sell its downtown administrative headquarters to cover all or part of the district’s looming budget shortfall. Saldaña made the comments to publisher Mike Kanin on the Austin Monitor Radio show (KOOP FM 91.7), which aired Wednesday. The show’s topic was the issue of the district’s planned equity self-assessment. He told the Monitor that the budget deficit is, in part, due to AISD’s shrinking student enrollment due to families finding it difficult to afford to live in Austin.  Saldaña said the district would assess itself on equity in education voluntarily after conversations with the Texas Civil Rights Project. He said the AISD board decided to take a “proactive” approach, deciphering the needs of its minority and economically disadvantaged students that, according to some, it has not adequately addressed in decades. He plans to make the proposal at an upcoming AISD board meeting.

The MoPac Improvement Project team says it will temporarily close a portion of the MoPac expressway in order to move the first piece of a 525-foot long bicycle and pedestrian bridge into place Thursday night. The bridge will be moved over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks south of Duval Road. Officials with the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority say the move will require the temporary closure of southbound MoPac between Parmer Lane and Braker Lane about 8 p.m. so the bridge can be transported from the MoPac median near Parmer Lane down southbound MoPac.  The bridge is part of a shared-use path that will run down the southbound MoPac frontage road from the Walnut Creek Trail to Capital of Texas Highway near the Arboretum. The remaining two sections of the bridge will be installed over the next few weeks as conditions allow. Officials plan to have MoPac completely reopened by 5 a.m. Friday.