After a months-long process and nearly 40 applicants, the Travis County Commissioners Court appointed Cynthia Valadez and Sherri Greenberg to the Travis County Healthcare District Board of Managers yesterday. Last week, commissioners interviewed the finalists for the positions in their work session, and those interviews are available on the county’s website. In a statement to the press, County Judge Sarah Eckhardt expressed her thanks, saying, “We were lucky to have an extraordinary group of citizens apply for these important positions. … I want to thank everybody, including my fellow members of the court, for participating so effectively in the process.” Valadez’s term will expire on Dec. 31, 2015, and Greenberg’s on Dec. 31, 2018.

This week, the City of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department announced that its Cemetery Master Plan Draft is available for community review. Until March 6, the department will be accepting feedback about the plan as it addresses “historic preservation, tree care, management and policy as well as heritage tourism and educational programming.” The plan covers Austin’s five historic municipal cemeteries, which are: Austin Memorial Park Cemetery, Evergreen Cemetery, Oakwood Cemetery, Oakwood Cemetery Annex and Plummers Cemetery. The full draft plan, along with information about the plan, can be found on the city’s website.

A memo, from City Manager Marc Ott to Austin city employees:

As we approach the end of our first month under a new, district-based Council structure, I wanted to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for the patience, professionalism and flexibility you have demonstrated as we navigate this historic change.

I recognize that with change comes uncertainty, and sometimes uncertainty can lead to apprehension. Let me personally assure you that our focus remains the same – providing best-managed service to our community.

I can tell you that each of the newly elected officials is a passionate advocate for maintaining the quality of living that we have established for our residents. It’s clear that they bring new energy and ideas that give all of us an opportunity to take a fresh look at the work we do, and the services we provide.

Of course, a new Council office will have lots of questions about what we do, how we do it, and why. That’s part of the process, and shouldn’t be perceived as challenging our work ethic or competence to meet the needs of our community. This is a learning process for all of us, and one I encourage you to embrace.

As I’ve said often, our employees are our most vital asset. The work you accomplish every day makes me proud to say that I’m your City Manager. I can’t thank you enough for that.

cc: Mayor and Council

Yesterday, Austin’s Capital Planning Office revealed online interactive charts showing the spending status of the city’s general obligation bonds. According to a statement to the press from the city, “The charts include bond funds that have already been invested in capital improvements projects from the 2013, 2012, 2010 and 2006 bond programs as well as funds that are under contract and what’s left remaining. The data will be updated quarterly.” For those who prefer raw data, the city has also made the information available through its data portal. And for those interested in bond spending distribution, interactive maps detail the city’s recent bond projects. The treasure trove of information can be found on the city’s Capital Improvements Visualization Information and Communication (CIVIC) website, which is located at this link.

The Public Safety Commission on Monday postponed discussing the criteria for sending the fire department with emergency medical services to respond to medical calls. Medical Director Paul Hinchey committed more than a year ago to re-examine which medical calls warrant a response from both EMS and AFD. Vice Chair Mike Levy told the commission last month that sending AFD on every call was a drain on gasoline and time. Levy also emphasized the need for benchmarks to other cities, noting that most cities do not send their fire departments on every call. The commission will discuss the item at its next regular meeting March 2.

On Wednesday, Feb. 4, the League of Women Voters of the Austin Area is holding a reception for the region’s newly elected officials. The league has invited the 10 new members of City Council, Mayor Steve Adler, the Travis County Commissioners and County Judge Sarah Eckhardt. The reception will take place at the Austin City Hall Atrium from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and is open to the public.

Though the Parks and Recreation Department will hold a meeting for public input on Battle Bend Park, that meeting will not take place on Tuesday, Feb. 10. The meeting has been postponed to an unknown date.

The four minority members of the Austin City Council, with District 4 Council Member Greg Casar in the lead, have placed a resolution on next Thursday’s special called meeting agenda directing the city manager to stop the current request for proposal for a process to hire new firefighters and negotiate with the Austin Firefighters Association. Casar, along with Council Members Ora Houston, Delia Garza and Pio Renteria, are asking their colleagues to let the firefighters try to reach an agreement during bargaining that would lead to hiring firefighters in accordance with a consent decree between the city and the U.S. Department of Justice. The goal is to hire more minority firefighters, who are in short supply, and to satisfy the union’s demands for an appropriate professional yardstick for new applicants. If no agreement is reached within a timeframe that would allow full compliance with the federal agreement, the resolution says, the city manager is directed to bring forth a new RFP to the Council for its approval. The resolution appears to satisfy a request from the Austin Firefighters Association for another chance to have input into the hiring process. City management has not been receptive to the idea of continuing to negotiate on this item. However, it seems likely that it will pass, because the firefighters gave strong support to most of those now seated on the dais. In addition to the firefighters item, Council is scheduled to approve the appointment of its members to Council subcommittees and other intergovernmental bodies. Mayor Steve Adler is making the appointments, but needs approval of his colleagues for the appointments to take effect. Council will also have a briefing on land-use issues, the Comprehensive Plan and housing matters.

Though City Council was scheduled to hold one of its policy lessons during Thursday’s meeting, Council members opted to call it a night after live music and proclamations instead. During the meeting, Council members clarified that it wasn’t one of the 24 scheduled “deep dives,” or two-day deep-dive retreats, but rather a briefing on “land use issues, including issues related to transportation and environmental matters” that was not held. Council Member Leslie Pool said she would like time to read through the briefing and discuss it during this week’s agenda, and Mayor Steve Adler said he would “roll it into one of the deep dives” with a warning. “If we are going to get through the kind of topics we want to get through in the time frame we do, as a group we are really going to have to extend ourselves this month, or we are never going to be able to get through these things in a timely way,” said Adler. “If (it’s) the group’s desire, then we will not extend past music and proclamations tonight, and we will celebrate not being here until 3 a.m.”

Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District’s board of directors discussed an agreement concerning environmental standards related to the construction of State Highway 45 Southwest at its Thursday meeting. BSEACD and the Texas Department of Transportation have been operating under the provisions of a 15-year-old consent decree. The new agreement, proposed by TxDOT, is intended to strengthen protection of the Edwards Aquifer. At the meeting, Kelly Davis of Save Our Springs Alliance argued that the agreement gives TxDOT the power to decide whether it is in compliance and offers BSEACD no power to dispute TxDOT’s authority. The board is scheduled to discuss and possibly take action on the agreement at its Feb. 12 meeting.

The Capital of Texas Media Foundation, the parent organization of the Austin Monitor, announced late Friday that it had been awarded 501(c)3 tax-exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. CoTMF purchased the then-In Fact Daily from the Austin American-Statesman in October 2013. It had been operating under the fiscal sponsorship of the Online Journalism Project. Everyone at CoTMF is grateful for the support of that organization, as well as the efforts of Hughes, Vanderburg, Williams, & Bartoletti, who prepared the foundation’s application.

In addition to the handful of items that City Council approved at its first official meeting, it also created a Regional Affordability Committee. Council Member Don Zimmerman voted against the committee, noting that all of the appointing entities would “benefit, in one way or another, from the increase in taxes.” Council Member Delia Garza, who sponsored the item that created the committee, said that she hoped to serve on the committee as a representative of taxpayers and was sure that other members would, too. The committee will consist of appointees from the Austin City Council, AISD, the Travis County Commissioners Court, the Austin Community College board of trustees, the Capital Metro board of directors, the Central Health board of directors, the Del Valle ISD, the Pflugerville ISD, the Williamson County Commissioners Court, the Round Rock ISD and the Leander ISD. The three Council members who will serve are Garza, Ann Kitchen and Ellen Troxclair.