District 6 City Council Member Don Zimmerman got to fulfill what we can only assume was one of his fondest wishes Tuesday by voting against annexation of a property, albeit imaginary. It was part of the new Council’s mock meeting. In the script, Council Member Leslie Pool was assigned the task of moving in favor of the annexation, and Zimmerman was assigned to provide the second. He wanted to make sure he was not committed to voting for the item, and asked Mayor Steve Adler if he could still vote against it. Adler assured him that he could, and the vote proceeded with Zimmerman casting the only “no.” In order to prevent members of the public who happened to tune in on the city’s ATXN station (previously Channel 6) from being alarmed, Adler made an announcement at that point referring to the “War of the Worlds” 1938 radio broadcast that frightened thousands of radio listeners who believed that the show about the arrival of Martians on Earth was real. As a result of annexation, residents of the Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District #1 were paying both city taxes and MUD taxes simultaneously. As president of the MUD, Zimmerman instigated a lawsuit to end the collection of both taxes. As a result, the MUD was dissolved and taxpayers only had to pay city taxes.

Until very recently, the Austin Neighborhoods Council message board was a great resource for neighbors and snoops alike to learn what was agitating some of Austin’s most active citizens. It has been much quieter than usual since Jan. 12, though, as higher-ups have suspended most conversation for a retooling of the site. A message from moderator and ANC member Mary Rudig reads, “Last year, ANC embraced a vision statement. This year, we are working to ensure ANCtalk also supports our vision statement. We are placing ANCtalk on a brief hiatus while we work to achieve this. ANCtalk moderators can still post to ANCtalk if you have something critical you need to share with our members. Thank you for being patient with our progress!”

Zoning and Platting Commissioner Rahm McDaniel said during last night’s regular meeting that there is an increasing scarcity of median-income housing available in the city. “Median affordability is becoming a real problem, and we can’t just look at affordability as a low-median income problem in Austin,” he said. “I…and I think others, would like to see more units dedicated to those that are earning the median income.” McDaniel made the comment before the commission approved an item on consent to recommend rezoning a piece of property on West Gate Boulevard so that Songhai Development Company, LLC, can build a moderate-high density, multifamily residence. Songhai plans to comply with the city’s Safe, Mixed-income, Accessible, Reasonably-priced, Transit-oriented — or SMART — Housing Program and ensure that 14 percent of its housing, or 20 units, is available to those making 60 percent of the median family income or below, in exchange for 25 percent waivers of certain city-imposed fees. Agent John Donisi of the Drenner Group said the units are required to remain affordable for 40 years. McDaniel has made similar comments about the “missing middle” in the past.

Leah Bojo, who served as an aide to former City Council Member Chris Riley, has joined Land Use Solutions, the firm founded by lobbyist Michele Haussmann. The firm does work in Austin, San Antonio and other Central Texas cities. Bojo, a graduate of the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the UT graduate program in community and regional planning, said her new title is entitlements and policy manager. You may email her at lbojo@landusesolutionstx.com.

Today, the Austin City Council will hold its long-awaited mock Council meeting. The main order of the day, according to the agenda, will be the “new Council orientation addressing city administration and governance, including a mock Council meeting.” But the meeting will also feature a discussion on future policy sessions and a briefing on the fundamentals of zoning. The Council’s first “real” meeting will be Jan. 29.

This week, the Lone Star Rail District begins the environmental review process for the Lone Star Regional Rail Project, with six open house meetings in the region. The Austin open house will take place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Carver Museum and Library, 1165 Angelina St. Meetings will also be held in Georgetown, San Marcos, Elgin, San Antonio and Seguin. More information about those meetings, the rail project and the environmental review can be found at this website. Input can also be submitted online, using the form at this link before Feb. 27.

The Ethics Review Commission plans a public meeting next week to solicit comments about city regulations limiting contributions and expenditures in mayoral and City Council campaigns. The campaign finance limits apply to candidates who sign a campaign contract with the city. Candidates who sign the contract agree to participate in forums arranged by the Ethics Review Commission and also become eligible for possible disbursements from the Austin Fair Campaign Finance Fund. The public input session will take place at 7 p.m. on Jan. 27 at City Hall. The ERC will also consider input through the city’s online discussion forum, Speak Up Austin.

Whether you are taking part in the official celebration or celebrating the life and works of Dr. King your own way, we at the Austin Monitor wish you a happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We will return to our full content on Tuesday.

On Thursday, City Council will hold a public hearing to consider proposed changes to the way Council does business and engages with the public. That meeting will take place at City Hall at 5:30 p.m. Simultaneously, Council will hold a “virtual town hall” meeting, where citizens watching via Channel 6 or an online stream are invited to tweet the city using the hashtag #myatxgov or call 1-888-400-1932 (en Español: 1-888-400-9342) during the meeting. Austinites will also be able to continue the conversation about the changes already taking place on the city’s website or by calling 3-1-1.

If you are planning to be in downtown Austin Tuesday afternoon, be prepared for some traffic snarl — or just settle in and enjoy the Texas Inauguration Celebration. It’s all part of the festivities following the swearing-in of Gov. Greg Abbott on the south steps of the State Capitol at noon. Following the inauguration, you can grab some barbecue (several tons of it!) on the Capitol lawn for just $10, followed by the Inaugural Parade down Congress Avenue at 2 p.m. The parade will include several floats, the Texas Aggie Marching Band and lots of politicians. Check here for planned street closures. If you’re not in the mood to go home early, you can attend the Inaugural Ball at 8 p.m. at the Austin Convention Center. Tickets are $75, and the entertainment is headlined by Lady Antebellum.

The City of Austin will close its administrative offices and most other municipal facilities Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The closures include City Council offices, City Hall and all Austin Public Library locations. Recreation centers, senior centers, museums and cultural arts centers will also be closed. Barton Springs Pool, Deep Eddy Pool, Bartholomew Pool and Big Stacy Pool will be open. Trash, recycling and yard trimmings collection for Austin Resource Recovery customers will remain the same. The Annual MLK Community Celebration and March will take place Monday at 9 a.m. For information about the event, transportation options and a map of the march route, visit the city website.

Austin has adopted regulations requiring all businesses to install gender-neutral signs for single-user public restrooms, including restrooms accessible only to employees. Officials say the adoption of these new regulations are the result of a national campaign by the National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer/Questioning organization to bring attention to gendered restroom facilities, “which can present uncomfortable and dangerous situations for the gender nonconforming community.” City officials say a single-user restroom is one whose primary entry door is lockable and that is available for use by an individual with or without assistance. Enforcement of the ordinance will be on a complaint basis. Persons wishing to report noncompliance by a business may call 3-1-1 to file a formal complaint. Violators could be subject to a Class C misdemeanor.