Craig Smith, who sits on the board of the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, is home from the hospital after undergoing a quadruple heart bypass last week. Smith, a Travis County assistant attorney, has served on the aquifer board since 1998. Because no one filed to run against him, the district has canceled the November election for his seat and named him to another term. Smith missed last week’s board meeting because of the surgery but seems to be recovering quickly and intends to be at the next meeting in October. His wife, Mary Ann Neely, who serves on the city’s Environmental Board and is an active Democratic precinct chair, said Sunday that she is encouraged by Smith’s progress.

Capital Metro’s board of directors will consider adopting the agency FY2015 budget proposal today at noon. During the 2015 fiscal year, CapMetro will implement the second half of its fare restructuring, and single fares will rise from $1 to $1.25. Day passes will increase to $2.50 from $2, and monthly passes will now cost $41.25 instead of the current $33. Included in the restructuring is an elimination of MetroRail’s zoned fare structure.

Beginning in about a week, most commercial and multifamily properties will be required to offer recycling as part of the next phase of the city’s Universal Recycling Ordinance. The 2012 ordinance sets out minimum recycling standards for commercial properties to ensure convenient recycling is available to employees and tenants. By Oct. 1, 2017 all businesses in Austin will be required to recycle. City officials are taking steps to notify newly affected businesses of the requirements, including direct mailings, working with business organizations, conducting site visits and providing free training. For information about how to comply with the new regulations, including a series of free lunches and seminars at local restaurants in October, go to austinrecycles.com.

Facing a long discussion on ride-sharing, a proposal for historic zoning for the house at 3805 Red River Street was postponed until City Council’s Oct. 16 meeting. Though historic zoning for the International House is supported by members of the preservation community and fans of the distinctive red and white house, the owners are seeking a demolition permit. The owner, 95-year old Gwen Shive, purchased the house in the 1960s in order to stave off the commercial zoning that threatened the neighborhood and fears selling the house would result in just that, despite assurances from potential buyers to the contrary. In order to approve historic zoning against the owner’s wishes, six or more City Council members will need to vote in its favor.

Council members approved a number of appointments to citizen boards and commissions Thursday. Council appointed Council Member Kathie Tovo’s nominee, Dennis Mick, to the Robert Mueller Municipal Airport Implementation Advisory Commission and Mayor Lee Leffingwell nominees Granyon Perry and Alejandro Delgado to the Community Development Commission. Low-Income Consumer Advisory Task Force appointees include Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole nominee Cyrus Reed, Chris Riley nominee Kelly Weiss, Bill Spelman nominee Chris Strand, Mike Martinez nominee Lanetta Cooper and Tovo nominee Tim Arndt.

Council Member Mike Martinez sponsored an item adding support for any legislation repealing House Bill 2 to the City of Austin legislative agenda, and calling for a study of the impacts HB2 has on access to women’s health services in Austin. The measure — passed in the second special session of the 2013 Legislature —  places extreme restrictions on abortion procedures, providers and facilities. Portions of the bill are still being challenged in the courts. Council Members Laura Morrison and Bill Spelman were co-sponsors of the item, which passed unanimously.

The Mike Martinez mayoral campaign issued a news release claiming that fellow candidate Steve Adler had contributed nearly $10,000 to Republicans through his law firm, Baron & Adler, LLC.  Martinez campaign manager Bo Delp wrote, “The facts speak for themselves: Steve Adler has intentionally, repeatedly, and systematically supported the Republican Party by contributing thousands upon thousands of dollars to Republican candidates.” Adler campaign manager Jim Wick responded to the allegations, saying it was “another desperate political attack from the Mike Martinez campaign.” Wick wrote in an email, “Obviously, Steve’s a Democrat, and donations from his law firm don’t establish otherwise. He’s recently been endorsed by the University Democrats, the Central Austin Democrats, the Austin Progressive Coalition, the North by Northwest Democrats, and the Stonewall Democrats. He helped found Progress Texas and has spent much of his life working on behalf of Democrats.” Wick attached a record of Adler’s donations, which shows almost $200,000 in donations to Democratic candidates and organizations. Wick added that partisanship isn’t going to solve Austin’s problems.

A push for positive support of the Urban Trails Master Plan has gathered some steam, at least on Facebook. When the plan was last before City Council Aug. 29, no one spoke in its support. This time, Bike Austin has promised to take to social media to keep supporters updated and coordinate attendance. The plan, which is the last item on today’s rather long agenda, will be taken up some time after 4 p.m. Those who oppose the plan worry about environmental impacts of paved urban trails and what they fear is an unclear public process for trail approvals.

Tuesday night’s Ethics Review Commission meeting moved from a preliminary hearing to a final hearing in the case of District 3 candidate Fred McGhee. Opponent Shaun Ireland had accused McGhee of advertising his campaign through a book promotion mailer, without the proper campaign disclosures required by city and state law. Commissioners found McGhee guilty of the infraction, and issued a letter of admonishment about the ethical lapse. McGhee told the Monitor that he would not make the mistake again, and pointed out that a lot of other candidates could be accused of the same thing. “But that’s no excuse,” said McGhee. “I accept full responsibility and am sorry. I apologize. It wasn’t my intent to do it.”

Spending is up but tax bills are down in FY2015 in Travis County. Commissioners made final approval Tuesday of a $911 million budget on a 5-0 vote. Commissioners also voted to set the tax rate at 45.63 cents per $100 in taxable value.  That is lower than this year’s tax rate, but because of rising property values, will generate about 6 percent more revenue than in 2014. That means that the average Travis County home, valued at about $240,000, will incur a $1,095 tax bill from the county, about $5 less that what was due this year. Travis County is only one of five main taxing authorities that make up average tax bill in the Austin area. The others include the City of Austin, Austin Independent School District, Austin Community College and Central Health. Some areas also have smaller taxing districts, such as MUDs or Emergency Services Districts.

The Austin Heritage Tree Foundation has endorsed candidates in three of the 11 City Council races. According to its website, AHTF endorsed these candidates based on their “demonstrated genuine concern for preserving heritage trees and protecting the environment (creeks, trees and wildlife), and for their continuous support throughout the last years.” Apparently, this criteria fit only mayoral candidate Sheryl Cole, District 4 candidate Greg Casar and District 9 candidate Kathie Tovo.

On Monday, San Antonio Water System officials revealed a draft contract to buy up to 16.3 billion gallons (or 50,000 acre-feet) of water annually for 30 years. The water will be piped from Carrizo and Simsboro Aquifers in Burleson County — leased from about 3,400 property owners and brokered by the Vista Ridge Consortium — beginning as early as 2019. If approved, it would be the largest water deal in San Antonio’s history, providing enough water to supply 162,000 households. A news release from the water authority stressed that it would also protect the water supply of the Edwards Aquifer. SAWS estimates that the average residential water bill will increase about $12 per month because of the deal. WOAI News reports that the water will cost about $2,247 per acre-foot, including infrastructure costs. If approved, the deal could serve as a benchmark for similar contracts in the region. The SAWS board of trustees is scheduled to vote on the contract Sept. 29.