The operators of Austin B-cycle are planning for a bigger year at 2015’s South by Southwest. In 2014, Austin B-cycle recorded over 17,000 customer trips during SXSW and set a national bike-share record for the most checkouts per bike in a single day. This year, the group will be the official SXcycles program sponsored by Paramount’s Interstellar. There will be 46 B-cycle stations in operation, including a special station at the South Bites food court at Rainey and Driskell streets. Austin B-cycle will be offering a limited number of complimentary 24-hour B-cycle access passes for SXSW badge holders at the South Bites station. To handle the increased demand, there will be 100 more bikes in circulation than last year, and Austin B-cycle will staff the busiest stations to accept and make more bikes available. B-cycle officials say 24-hour access passes will be available at any station for $8 per pass. Seven-day access is available online at AustinBcycle.com for $25. You can find stations and real-time bike availability by downloading the free RideScout app.

City Council Member Ellen Troxclair has signed on as a co-sponsor to Council Member Don Zimmerman’s new resolution that would force the Code Compliance Department to pay a prevailing citizen when the department loses a case in Municipal Court. Zimmerman posted a resolution on the Council bulletin board last week that would direct the city manager to take money out of the Code Compliance Department budget to pay attorney’s fees for Austinites like Matthew Palmer, who was found not guilty by a Municipal Court jury. The department took Palmer to court over a fence he put around his recreational vehicle. Zimmerman found no co-sponsors for last week’s resolution. However, Troxclair signed on to the new proposal. They need two more co-sponsors to get the item on the Council agenda. Palmer continues to post stories on his Facebook page, That G*****n Fence, about other people who have had run-ins with the department.

Last week, the Texas Recreation and Parks Society designated Pease Park as a Lone Star Legacy Park at its annual Institute & Expo in Abilene, Texas. Currently, there are 27 designated parks in the state. Pease Park joins Zilker Park as the second park in Austin to receive the honor. City Council approved the Pease Park Master Plan in October 2014. The plan sets a long-term vision for the park, created through the cooperation of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department and the Pease Park Conservancy. Conservancy Executive Director Andy Gill issued the following statement: “We’re grateful that Pease Park was designated as a Lone Star Legacy Park, it’s certainly worthy of the honor. We all recognize that Austin is growing rapidly and as it does, it’s more important than ever to recognize and appreciate our City’s storied history. As we begin to make improvements recommended in the Pease Park Master Plan, we’ll be doing so in a way that not only improves the park for current and future patrons, but in a way that honors those who came before us.”

With a new document posted online, some blanks in City Council’s new committee meeting schedule were filled in Wednesday. Each Council committee will meet once a week, and unlike what was initially proposed, the meetings will not interfere with evening Boards and Commissions meetings. In alphabetical order: The Audit and Finance Committee will meet at 9 a.m. on the fourth Wednesday of the month; the Austin Energy Committee will meet at 9 a.m. on the fourth Thursday of the month; the Economic Opportunity Committee will meet at 2 p.m. on the second Monday of the month; the Health and Human Services Committee will meet at 4 p.m. on the first Monday of the month; the Housing and Community Development Committee will meet at 4 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of the month; the Mobility Committee will meet at 3 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month; the Open Space, Environment, and Sustainability Committee will meet at 2 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of the month; the Planning and Neighborhoods Committee will meet at 4 p.m. on the third Monday of the month; the Public Safety Committee will meet at 4 p.m. on the fourth Monday of the month; and the Public Utilities Committee will meet at 3 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month. More information, and a promise of more to come, can be found on the city’s website, here. There is no official word on when all of the committees will be up and running, but some meetings have been scheduled, and an Audit and Finance Committee meeting has already taken place.

It will either be a late celebration of New Year’s Eve or an early celebration of the arrival of spring — take your pick. The city was forced to cancel its annual New Year’s festival because of bad weather, so officials are planning a three-day series of alcohol-free, family-friendly events to celebrate the change of seasons. The “Step Into Spring” series, set for March 22, 25 and April 1, will feature bands, performers and hands-on activities. All events will take place at Mueller Lake Park in East Austin. Many of the performers had been scheduled for the New Year’s celebration. For more information, click here.

On Friday, state Sen. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood) filed SB 1048 at the Texas State Legislature. If approved, the legislation would prohibit local governments and subdivisions from using Federal Transit Administration money for mass transit passenger rail projects. According to Government Executive, such a bill could stop rail expansion plans underway in Houston and Dallas right in their tracks, and also stymie any future plans in Austin and elsewhere to develop rail. According to the website, Hall generally espouses a variety of right-wing and tea party issues. Observers don’t give the bill much chance of passing.

The Animal Planet network and the Austin Animal Center are joining forces to sponsor a local free pet adoption event as part of the national “Road to Puppy Bowl” tour. The second annual Austin event will be from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, when Animal Planet will pay for all adoption fees for animals from the center. There will be photos and giveaways in addition to animal adoptions. Each February, Animal Planet hosts the Puppy Bowl to coincide with the NFL Super Bowl. Puppy Bowl has led to hundreds of adoptions over the past 11 years and is a key leader in Animal Planet’s ongoing mission to highlight the importance of animal adoption and responsible pet ownership. Those interested in adopting Saturday can register to be eligible for the waived adoption fees. The event will be at the Austin Animal Center, 7201 Levander Loop.

Stephanie McDonald has gone to work for the Austin Chamber of Commerce as vice president of public policy, according to chamber Senior Vice President Jeremy Martin. McDonald, a previous aide to former Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole, has also served as executive director of the Waller Creek Conservancy. She will be working with Martin on a variety of policy issues related to local government.

The Austin Energy City Council Committee, which is a committee of the whole, will meet for the first time March 26. Chair Sheri Gallo posted information on the Council message board Monday on some of the topics that will be covered, and asked for input on other topics. As of now, the committee will take up: financial foundation, refunding high-cost debt and reserves, demand-side management issues, arrearage and deferred payment plan management, and the utility’s Customer Assistance Program.

A group of citizens from across Texas will gather in the State Capitol rotunda today to read an open letter to state officials seeking to preserve local control for Texas cities. The group, Local Control Texas, will release the letter calling on Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Speaker Joe Straus and legislators to oppose efforts to strip power from cities and counties. “We need to stand against legislative efforts to undo these good works,” Daren Hodges, Mayor Pro Tem of Fort Stockton, said. “This effort brings together Texans from across the political spectrum, and from every corner of our state. It’s about standing up for one of our core values — local control.” Among the group’s members is Byron Friedrich, a Caldwell County homeowner and opponent of a landfill proposed for just outside of Lockhart, who will point out how weakening local governments makes it easier for population centers to dump on smaller communities. The group will gather in the Capitol rotunda at 10:30 a.m. today. For more information, go to LocalControlTexas.org.

The National Wildlife Federation is honoring Austin as the top city in the country with the strongest commitment to wildlife — and we’re not talking Red River Street here. As part of its celebration of National Wildlife Week 2015, the agency released its list of the Top 10 Cities for Wildlife. The National Wildlife Federation ranked America’s largest cities based on three important criteria for wildlife — the percentage of parkland in each city, citizen action to create wildlife habitat and school adoption of outdoor learning in wildlife gardens. The agency cited the city’s Wildlife Austin program as an example of how Austin protects its wildlife. The agency also noted that, among the cities reviewed, Austin has the most Certified Wildlife Habitats (2,154), the most Backyard Habitats per capita and the most Schoolyard Habitats (67). Other major cities in the Top 10 include Portland, Oregon; Atlanta; Baltimore; Washington, D.C.; Seattle; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Indianapolis; Charlotte, North Carolina; and New York City.