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Austin watering restrictions loosened
It’s once again okay to water your lawn twice a week.
From a release just sent from the Austin Water Utility:
Austin Water Utility Lifts Stage 2 Watering Restrictions
Austin — Beginning Saturday, November 21, the Austin Water Utility (AWU) will lift Stage 2 Mandatory Watering Restrictions and implement Stage 1 Restrictions.
Stage 1 Restrictions are in effect from May 1 through September 30 or when conditions require additional restrictions to be implemented by the City Manager. Enacting Stage 1, which is more stringent than normal watering restrictions for this time of year, acknowledges the long-term effects of the drought while providing citizens with more flexibility in their use of water. Under Stage 1, the following restrictions apply:
Mandatory Watering Restrictions for Commercial and Residential o Commercial and Multifamily may water only on Tuesdays & Fridays o Single family homes have 2 watering days a week - Odd addresses: Wednesdays and Saturdays - Even addresses: Thursdays and Sundays
In all instances no outdoor irrigation is allowed between 10am and 7pm Hand Watering allowed anytime
With the onset of cooler temperatures and increased rainfall, drought conditions have improved significantly. As of today, Lakes Travis and Buchanan had a combined water storage level of 1,050,343 acre-feet, or 52 percent of capacity. The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) announced Wednesday, November 18, that they believe conditions have improved enough to allow the lifting of mandatory watering restrictions among firm water customers.
The City of Austin feels that even with markedly improved storage levels, an inflow deficit remains in these lakes. This deficit will not be overcome without the presence of above average rainfall. It is imperative that the community remain vigilant about water conservation and continue to adhere to mandatory watering restrictions.
“I am proud of our community’s response and overwhelming compliance with the watering restrictions. Austin serves as an example to other Central Texas communities of how citizens can dramatically reduce water demand under drought conditions and conserve water for the future. In addition to our current water conservation programs and our continued outreach encouraging the community to conserve water, I believe maintaining Stage 1 Water Restrictions will further highlight our commitment to protect our most priceless commodity,” said Austin City Manager Marc Ott.
Austin Water Utility customers have recognized the importance of water conservation and saved over 2 billion gallons of water in 2009. For more information on water conservation programs and opportunities to conserve water please visit www.WaterWiseAustin.com.
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City bills ACL organizers $25,000 for lawn cleanup
Austin City Limits organizer C3 Presents owes the City of Austin $25,529 in charges related to restoring Zilker Park’s Great Lawn, which was damaged during this year’s muddy three-day music festival.
The charges, which were included in a bill the city gave C3 Thursday, include:
- Time city employees spent helping to restore the lawn: $15,529
- Keeping the lawn closed Oct. 10-29 to revive the lawn: $10,000
The city listed other charges that were related to the festival but not to the grass:
- Austin Energy workers kept on stand-by during the festival, to deal with any electrical issues: $15,335
- Other staff time costs: $5,882
- Installing temporary ramps to get equipment and trucks into the park for the festival: $4,474
C3 will have 10 business to pay the city — Dec. 3. Also due will be a $1-per-ticket fee that is part of C3’s contract with the city. C3 is responsible for calculating the amount.
The bill does not include private crews and equipment that C3 paid for to restore the 46-acre Great Lawn. The Parks Department plans to replace an acre of the lawn this spring, at a cost of about $15,000. C3 would be billed for that when the work is done.
C3 had already paid the city $25,000 in fees to rent out Zilker Park before, during and after the festival.
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White House Web site features Manor’s technology initiatives
In a blog posting on the front page of whitehouse.gov, Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Open Government Beth Noveck writes about a couple of City of Manor initiatives: Manor Labs and Quick Response Codes.
Manor, an eastern Travis County city of about 6,000, has drawn worldwide attention for its innovative use of technology. The city’s chief information officer, Dustin Haisler, who also serves as Manor’s municipal judge, city secretary and finance director, also has been recognized.
Manor Labs is the city’s spin on the suggestion box. It’s Manor’s user-driven research-and-development division located online at manorlabs.org, where city staff members, residents — anyone — can submit ideas and solutions for the city’s betterment.
Quick Response Codes are posted at two dozen landmarks throughout town, including City Hall, the post office and Manor New Technology High School and along U.S. 290. They allow users to get information about that particular locale on their camera phones.
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Sponsors needed for scaled-back Trail of Lights
The city’s Parks and Recreation Department is looking for sponsors for the 2009 Zilker Holiday Tree Festival, the scaled-back version of the annual Trail of Lights.
Through a program called Trail Keepers, the department is seeking $500 and $1,000 sponsors whose names will be acknowledged on the trail of lighting displays and in the festival guide.
Those interested should call Sharon Yarbrough at 974-6723 or visit www.cityofaustin.org/tol/sponsoring.htm.
In the past, corporate sponsorships, parking fees and concessions have brought in about $250,000 a year for the Trail of Lights, which cost the city about $1 million to produce. Parks officials have lined up $24,000 in corporate sponsorships for this year’s event, which will be free to the public and is expected to cost $374,000 to produce.
The nine-day festival begins Dec. 13.
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Manor’s ordinance saying no to bicycling on Brenham Street alarms local cyclists
Local cyclists are opposing a City of Manor ordinance that prohibits bicycles on a city road, arguing that bicycles are vehicles too and the city is moving in the wrong direction.
The right direction, said Mark Stine, of BikeTexas, would be to put in place infrastructure, signs and education so that bicycles and cars can share the road.
Tom Wald, executive director of League of Bicycling Voters, said they’re against road closures for bicyclists.
“Bicyclists are regular citizens. It ends up treating bicyclists as second-class citizens if they don’t have access to go where they need to go,” Wald said.
On Oct. 21, the Manor City Council unanimously passed an ordinance prohibiting the use of bicycles on the city’s approximately half-mile portion of Brenham Street, also referred to as Blake Manor Road, east of FM 973. The ordinance includes any shoulder or right-of-way along the road, the ordinance says. Another portion of the road is located in Travis County, but in Austin’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, city officials said.
Enforcement will begin at the end of the month at the earliest, Manor City Manager Phil Tate said. Violating the ordinance could mean a fine up to $200, according to the ordinance.
The two-lane road is narrow, heavily traveled and in bad shape with cracks, Tate said. City officials are concerned about safety and liability issues, he said.
“It’s a poor place to be riding bicycles,” Tate said.
There are several other roads where bicyclists can ride, he said.
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County moves closer to finalizing interim HR director post
Travis County commissioners voted 4-1 today to approve tasks and qualifications of an interim human resources director.
Commissioner Ron Davis voted against the measure.
A group of county department heads presented commissioners with lists of six tasks as well as preferred qualifications, such as a master’s degree and 10 years of human resources experience. The interim director would have other duties as assigned, County Judge Sam Biscoe noted.
The group will review the job description and work on it with the human resources department staff.
Commissioners also voted 4-1 (Davis again voted no) that the interim human resources director report to the Human Resources Management Department subcommittee, which is comprised of Biscoe and Commissioner Margaret Gómez.
More than two months after firing human resources director Linda Moore Smith, commissioners earlier this month approved a $40,000 settlement with her.
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NAACP president speaks on police misconduct, community justice
Nelson Linder, president of the Austin chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, spoke to Travis County commissioners at their meeting this morning to urge them to get more involved in monitoring police misconduct and community justice issues.
Linder said NAACP Austin staff will meet with district attorney’s officials in the next 10 days. County Judge Sam Biscoe noted that commissioners oversee funding of the district attorney’s office and said he’d like to know how the meeting comes out.
Linder suggested that officials begin a conversation on these issues.
“I think you’re right,” Commissioner Margaret Gómez said. “I think the time has come to have this conversation.”
If the conversation does not take place, the issue will get worse, Linder said in an interview after his remarks to commissioners.
There needs to be checks and balances, Linder said. “They can provide one of the balances.”
Too often the county is not part of the equation, Linder said. “We have to change that. This is the first step.”
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Save water to save money on wastewater bill in Austin
This news release just in from Austin Water Utility:
The Austin Water Utility (AWU) will begin the annual wastewater averaging cycle November 16th to arrive at the wastewater charges for customers for the 2009/2010 service year. AWU encourages customers to always conserve water but customers concerned about their wastewater costs should make special attempts to conserve water during the averaging months.
Between the start of the averaging period in November and the conclusion in March, each customer’s water use is measured for three consecutive monthly billing periods. The water usage for the two monthly billing periods with the lowest daily usage is averaged and is the basis of the wastewater average billing for the year. The month with the highest daily average water use is eliminated from the calculations. Monthly billing is based on the customer’s wastewater average or actual water use, whichever is lower. The new wastewater rate will be reflected beginning in the April 2010 statement.
AWU uses late fall and winter months to establish wastewater averages because less outdoor water is used during this time and measures more accurately indoor household water usage which is returned to the wastewater system.
Customers can go to www.cityofaustin.org/water and listed under wastewater averaging they will find the specific dates for their wastewater averaging period and for more details on wastewater averaging and reducing water and wastewater bills by conserving water.
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Detective fired in Sanders shooting investigation appeals termination
Former Austin police internal affairs detective Chris Dunn, who was fired for showing bias during an investigation into the police shooting of Nathaniel Sanders II, has appealed his termination.
Attorney Tom Stribling, who is representing Dunn, said his client accepts that his behavior while reviewing the actions of senior police officer Leonardo Quintana was unprofessional, but disagrees that he was partial in favor of Quintana.
“He does not feel that his actions warrant an indefinite suspension,” Stribling said.
He said Dunn would still accept a significant suspension without pay.
Police Chief Art Acevedo fired Dunn on Nov. 5 for violating a departmental policy requiring officers to show an impartial attitude. He said Dunn repeatedly showed favoritism toward Quintana and cited two e-mails, among other evidence.
Dunn wrote in one message to fellow investigators and supervisors that he thought they should review the background of Sanders and two other suspects and possibly make them the cause of the May 11 shooting, Acevedo wrote in a disciplinary memo.
Acevedo also cited another e-mail in which Dunn said he didn’t want to ask questions posed by a departmental attorney because, “I don’t want to give him ammo.”
Acevedo fired Dunn the day after he suspended Quintana for 15 days for not activating his patrol car camera in the moments leading up to the shooting outside the Walnut Creek Apartments on Springdale Road. Acevedo said that Quintana did not use excessive force and did not violate rules requiring officers to use good tactics.
Acevedo said he would have been surprised had Dunn not sought to have the firing overturned.
“Employees have a right to appeal the decision of the department, “ he said.
No date has been set for an a hearing before an independent arbitrator.
Sgt. Wayne Vincent, president of the Austin Police Association, said that he thinks Dunn’s punishment was too severe and that he looks forward to the outcome of the appeal.
“It caused embarrassment to the department, but it did not rise to the level of a firing,” Vincent said. “A suspension would have been in order. By all accounts, Dunn is a good detective, and to throw that resource away over a mistake is harsh,”
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Former Austin mayor Roy Butler dies
Roy Butler, Austin’s mayor from 1971 to 1975, died about 2:30 this afternoon from complications related to a fall last weekend, a family friend said.
Butler, 83, broke two vertebrae in the fall and had been in critical condition at University Medical Center Brackenridge, according to a spokeswoman for the Seton Family of Hospitals.
Butler served on the Austin school board for nine years before being elected mayor in 1971. He received almost 44,000 votes when he was re-elected to a second two-year term in 1973 — still the record for the most votes any candidate for Austin mayor has received.
Aside from his service on the council, Butler has owned several successful businesses, among them a Lincoln-Mercury car dealership, a beer distributorship and the KVET and KASE radio stations.
The City of Austin recently named a police training academy after Butler because of his longtime support of and advocacy for law enforcement issues.
He is survived by his wife, Ann, and three children.
Photo gallery: Roy Butler through the years
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Trail of Lights to be changed, scaled back
The Zilker Park Trail of Lights will be replaced this year with a different, scaled-back version of the popular holiday event, featuring nightly performances but fewer lighting displays along a shorter walking path. The newly named 2009 Zilker Tree Holiday Festival will last nine days instead of the usual two weeks but will still have free admission.
The Parks Department had considered hiring a private vendor to run the event, which in the past has cost the city nearly $1 million a year to produce. The city sought proposals three separate times since July, but some of the applications were incomplete and there was not time left to pick a vendor and negotiate the details of a contract for this year, Parks Director Sara Hensley said. The city will produce the event this year, but begin seeking more proposals from private vendors in January for the 2010 trail, Hensley said.
The parks department and City Council had considered charging trail visitors 11 years and older a $5 admission fee. That idea was nixed because the festival will be cheaper to produce than the full trail, Hensley said: $374,000. She hopes the bulk of the cost will be covered by corporate sponsorships, which along with parking fees and concessions, brought in about $250,000 in past years. The rest of the cost will be covered by having staff members from a wider array of city departments set up and dismantle the lighting displays, work that has previously been done mostly by parks crews, Hensley said.
“We know the economy has hit everyone hard, so we felt that charging an admission fee would not be appropriate,” Hensley said. “It will still be a quality community event.”
The festival will last from Dec. 13 to Dec. 21, and will have a half-mile walking path with lighting displays, nightly entertainment on two stages, concessions and a Dec. 16 concert from a yet-to-be-announced performer. “The full-scale Trail of Lights … will not be part of this year’s holiday festivities,” the city in a statement today. Setup for the event will start immediately.
The festival will be held near the Zilker Tree, a 152-foot-tall pole strung with lights, and the Zilker Hillside Theater, both located on the south side of Barton Springs Road. The trail has traditionally been located on the Great Lawn, on the park’s north side. The tree will be lit at a 6 p.m. ceremony on Dec. 6 and nightly through Dec. 31.
The reconfigured trail will feature about half of the existing lighting displays, and possibly some new ones, Hensley said. The fun run that always accompanies the trail will still take place Dec. 12.
Parking for the festival will be $10 per vehicle, down from $15 in previous years. And Barton Springs Road will be closed to through traffic from Stratford Lane to Robert E. Lee Boulevard from Dec. 13-21.
City Council Member Mike Martinez said he’s pleased with the festival plan but hopes the city will continue to seek a private vendor to help produce the trail next year.
“We can’t continue to spend a million dollars every year on the trail so we’ll have to figure out a plan,” he said. “I think a combination of the city working jointly with a private production company could work but we need to have more detailed conversation about it.”
To read the proposal sent to the mayor and City Council, click here.
Twitter poll: Should the city keep the Trail of Lights free or keep it the way it was?
Photo gallery: Scenes from last year’s Trail of Lights
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Pflugerville narrows city manager search to three
The City of Pflugerville announced this afternoon that there are three finalists for the City Manager position: Paul Hofmann, of Kerrville; Steven Norwood, of Prescott, Ariz.; and Brandon Wade, of Galveston.
All three have experience working as either a city manager or deputy city manager of Texas cities and hold advanced degrees in public administration or urban affairs, according to a news release. They were selected from a pool of 89 applicants.
Interviews and site visits are scheduled this month. The new city manager is expected to begin work in early 2010.
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Detective in Sanders internal affairs investigation disciplined
Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo today has fired an internal affairs detective involved in the investigation into the fatal shooting of Nathaniel Sanders II by a police officer, officials said.
Detective Chris Dunn sent an e-mail to fellow investigators and supervisors two days after the May 11 shooting that suggested they review the criminal histories of Sanders and two other suspects and possibly make the histories the cause of the shooting.
“I am so smart I scare myself,” Dunn wrote, according to sources familiar with the e-mail.
Independent investigators cited the e-mail in concerns that the investigation into the shooting by senior police officer Leonardo Quintana was biased.
Acevedo has since removed Dunn from internal affairs and opened an internal affairs investigation into his actions. Austin police policy requires investigators to maintain an impartial attitude.
Acevedo is expected to discuss his decision in a news conference later today.
His decision comes the day after he suspended Quintana for 15 days for not activating his patrol car camera before approaching Sanders.
“We are outraged,” said Sgt. Wayne Vincent, president of the Austin Police Association. “We understand that punishment was in order, and the e-mail was inappropriate. However, firing this officer makes this more of a scapegoat.”
Previous story: Officer involved in shooting suspended 15 days
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Officer suspended for violating rules in Sanders shooting
Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo today suspended Senior Police Officer Leonardo Quintana (pictured at right) for 15 days for events leading up to the May 11 fatal shooting of Nathaniel Sanders II.
Quintana was found to be in violation of the department’s patrol car camera policy. However, he was not disciplined for any tactical violations or for using excessive force.
During a news conference, Acevedo said Quintana’s use of deadly force was “objectively reasonable based on the totality of the circumstances.” He said although he might have approached Sanders differently, “I cannot simply replace his judgment with my own. I have to use a reasonable officer standard.”
Acevedo encouraged people in the community who might be unhappy with his decision to review the investigative files on the shooting. Such information is expected to be released by the city in the next couple of days.
Also Wednesday, Acevedo announced a more specific policy for when officers must activate their patrol car cameras, and increased the punishment for officers who fail to do so. For example, an officer can now be fired if he or she intentionally fails to turn on the camera during an incident in which the officer fires a weapon.
Acevedo’s decision concludes the internal affairs case investigation into the shooting, which prompted an angry response from on-lookers in an East Austin apartment complex parking lot, where the incident happened about 5:30 a.m.
Police officials are expected to release a disciplinary memo today describing more reasons for the suspension.
Quintana had not activated his patrol car camera before approaching Sanders, in violation of a departmental rule requiring officers to videotape all traffic and pedestrian stops
A second officer who was at the scene also was suspended for three days for failing to activate his patrol car camera, according to the city.
Officials have said that Quintana fired after a struggle during which Sanders, who had been asleep in the back of a car, reached for a weapon that had been at his waist.
Sources have said that an internal affairs investigation initially concluded that Quintana violated no departmental policies in his tactics leading up the shooting, a finding that was overturned by department leadership.
The city in August hired independent investigators to review Quintana’s actions and the internal affairs inquiry.
Those investigators were critical of an e-mail from a case detective who proposed reviewing the criminal histories of Sanders and two other suspects and possibly using that information to justify the shooting.
A Travis County grand jury in August declined to indict Quintana on any criminal charge.
Acevedo today could have fired Quintana or taken no disciplinary action on him.
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Austin Energy to propose rate increase
Austin must raise electric rates or the city’s electric utility could start losing millions by 2011, according to a report released today.
Austin Energy could be $9.1 million in the red in as little as two years and $177 million in the hole 2013, largely because of rising operations costs and increased state fees, general manager Roger Duncan told his City Council member bosses during a presentation this morning.
A rate increase would probably take effect in 2012. Duncan said it is too early to tell how exactly it would affect homeowners and businesses.
“We have got to cut expenses at Austin Energy just to get to” a rate increase, Duncan said.
The immediate shortfalls could be exacerbated over the long term by fundamental changes in the electric industry, unless Austin Energy changes some business practices and redefines its relationship with customers, Duncan said.
Austin Energy has said since 2007 it will need a major rate increase some time early next decade. But the stark financial figures are nonetheless surprising because Austin Energy is commonly perceived as the city’s cash cow. For most of the last decade, the utility has collected about $200 million-plus annually from its customers than it has spent operating and maintaining the city’s electric grid, according to Duncan’s presentation.
But the utility’s operating costs have risen, mainly because it’s gotten more expensive to expand the grid to meet Austin’s growing energy demand, Duncan said.
He said the city has also added numerous programs to Austin Energy’s budget in recent years. These have raised the utility’s expenses by about $50 million annually. They include: the city’s 311 call center, $8 million this year; $27 million in grants for customers to use electricity more efficiently; and $4.3 million in subsidies that helps homeowners pay for installing solar panels.
The utility also provides revenue to cover about 20 percent of the city’s spending on parks, firefighters, libraries and other “general government” services.
Council members gave limited responses during early parts of the presentation. Duncan told Council Member Randi Shade the utility already tries to maximize the dollars from its incentive plan; Council Member Mike Martinez said the economic-development office and some other programs Duncan mentioned are too important to cut but may be need to be paid for through other means.
Duncan’s presentation was focused on Austin Energy’s looming difficulties and did mention specific solutions to the projected shortfall and other issues. But Duncan proposed a general plan.
First, he said, Austin Energy should restructure its rates by 2012.
It’s not clear how that will play out. The restructuring will be a two-year process that requires state approval and a significant amount of number crunching. It’s not clear how new costs will be spread among customers — typical homes, businesses large and small, nonprofits, low-income families — but generally speaking, rates will have to go up, Duncan said.
In addition, Duncan said Austin Energy should add an extra monthly charge to cover the city’s share of $5 billion in state transmission lines that will carry electricity from West Texas wind farms.
Austin Energy paid $12 million in 2009 for the lines, and the utility owes $14 million in 2010. That figure will climb steadily, according to Austin Energy, which predicts the city could be on the hook for as much as $95 million in 2015.
But the City Council would not allow Austin Energy to add an extra fee this year for the transmission lines. The utility had to dip into its reserves and put some planned construction projects on hold to find the money, Duncan said.
Austin Energy has not dramatically restructured its rates since 1994.
Most homeowners have seen monthly fluctuations, and bills have gradually risen since 1994. But the higher bills are due to the rising cost of coal, nuclear rods, natural gas and other fuels that produce electricity, according to Austin Energy. The utility does not collect extra profit when fuel prices rise or fall.
Thus, as expenses have risen, revenues have not kept pace.
Duncan has championed the solar-rebate program, saying solar is a power source that one day could provide much of Austin’s electricity needs without greenhouse-gas emissions. He also designed energy-efficiency programs with the idea that homes requiring less electricity to heat or cool can keep the city from building an expensive new power plant.
Earlier this year Duncan presented a plan for Austin to get 35 percent of its electricity from wind, solar and other renewable energy by 2020. The city now gets 12 percent from these sources. The plan calls for heavy investment in energy-efficiency programs and rooftop solar power, and Austin Energy says it is the best combination of price and environmental stewardship. The council is scheduled to vote on it late this year or early next year.
Austin Energy expects the plan to raise monthly bills somewhat, although Duncan acknowledges determining how much is guesswork because of rapid industrywide changes in laws and technology.
“We’re speculating on what the market will do,” Duncan said after Martinez inquired about syncing up the rate increase and generation plan in the hope the city will have a more complete long-term picture.
Duncan says there are also long-term problems that must be addressed. He and other energy experts expect that people will, in the coming years, begin generating at least some of their electricity at their houses, storing it in electric-powered cars and living in homes that use power more effectively.
Some of the 900 Austin homes and business with solar arrays already generate excess electricity and sell it back to the city.
“We will soon have tens of thousands of buildings for whom we (the utility) are the customer,” Duncan said.
Those homes don’t pay for the poles and wires and substations the city operates. But they still rely on the grid to beam out excess electricity when the sun is shining, and to provide it when the sky is dark, Duncan said.
To deal with that issue, he said, the city will eventually have to institute a monthly charge that remains unchanged no matter how much electricity someone uses.
“My dream is that all of Austin’s buildings create their own clean, reliable, affordable energy,” said Duncan, a former environmental activist. But as a utility director, “My nightmare is that all of Austin’s buildings create their own clean, reliable, affordable energy.”
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Austin Energy to brief council on looming difficulties
The Austin City Council will hold a special workshop at 9 a.m. Wednesday to discuss challenges facing Austin Energy, including related to finances and the utility’s business model, according to a release from the city.
Roger Duncan, Austin Energy’s general manager, has said the utility needs to change fundamental assumptions about the way it does business to avoid going bankrupt in the future. He predicts that Austinites will find ways to use less electricity without disrupting their lives and will gradually install more solar power on their homes. But both of those trends would cut into the revenue the utility needs to maintain its electric lines and substations.
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Audit: ARA, city to blame for redevelopment problems
The City of Austin and the Austin Revitalization Authority are both to blame for delays in redevelopment work along East 11th and 12th streets, a city audit has concluded.
The city formed the revitalization authority in 1995 to help redevelop those streets, which were dogged by crime and blight. The authority has built two retail-and-office buildings and restored two historic structures on East 11th, but has not turned dirt for a major project since 2004.
The city, the authority and an urban renewal agency are partners in the redevelopment effort. The audit presented this afternoon said the redevelopment work so far has reduced blight and crime along both streets.
But the roles and responsibilities of the three agencies have not always been clear, contributing to delays and problems, the auditors said. The city does not have a clear strategy for carrying out a 1999 master plan for the area, auditors said. And the ARA has a lot of debt and not enough revenue to support its work over the long term and to become financially self-sufficient, the auditors said.
The auditors stopped short of urging the city to continue or discontinue the redevelopment efforts. But they recommended nine things the city could do to make the redevelopment work go more smoothly, such as hiring a project coordinator to oversee it. City Council members have been waiting on the audit, initially due in May, to figure out what to do with the authority.
The City of Austin has spent about $23 million on the redevelopment work so far — a mix of grants, loans and things like reimbursements for utility work, the audit says. The city is also currently the authority’s biggest source of income, because the city’s housing office occupies about 26,546 square feet in an ARA building, paying the agency about $839,000 in rent.
The authority has about $13.5 million in debt, including loans from the city and bank loans. If the authority defaulted, the city would assume ownership of ARA buildings but would also be responsible for paying off $4.7 million in federal loans, the audit says. Auditors said the authority has had unrealistic and inaccurate long-term plans for its finances, and needs to find new sources of income to reduce the ratio of its debts to its assets — currently an eye-popping 27-to-1.
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Austin firefighters, city reach tentative labor agreement
Austin firefighters and city officials early today agreed on a tentative labor contract, nearly a year after firefighters rejected a proposed agreement.
The tentative agreement, which must go before firefighters and the city council for a vote, establishes a hiring process for new cadets and will give firefighters raises of 3 percent in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
It also will require Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr to establish criteria for the appointments of division chiefs and assistant chiefs.
“We are pleased with the way this turned out, and I commend the firefighters, especially on this long day that started at 8 this morning and finished at a 1 a.m.,” said Larry Watts, the city’s labor relations officer.
Fire union president Stephen Truesdell said, “We’re glad, after months of negotiations going to back to last year, (to) have reached a tentative agreement that we can take to our membership. I’m confident it is a good deal for the firefighters.”
Firefighters and city officials in August returned to negotiations, nine months after firefighters overwhelmingly rejected a tentative agreement.
Union officials have said that firefighters voted against that proposal in part because it gave the city too much flexibility in hiring cadets and no specific hiring policy was set.
Since then, city and union officials have traveled to Kansas City and Memphis, Tenn., to review their hiring process, which have resulted in more diversity. Without a contract, firefighters have been working under state civil service laws, in which firefighters are hired and promoted based on written-exam scores.
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City of Austin expands same-sex benefits
According to an announcement from Council Member Bill Spelman’s office:
Austin City Manager Marc Ott notified the Austin City Council today that COBRA-like benefits will be made available to the same-sex domestic partners of City employees. This benefit will make available healthcare coverage to same-sex partners of City employees in case of the employee’s termination, divorce, or death.
“I want to offer my deepest thanks to City Manager Marc Ott, the Human Resources staff, and everyone who worked hard so that we could extend this benefit to all our employees. I appreciate the way the staff recognized immediately that this was the right thing to do, and made it happen so quickly when I brought it to their attention,” said Council Member Spelman.
The partner of Spelman’s former employee raised the issue with Spelman after his partner, who was still a City employee, passed away. When his partner attempted to access COBRA benefits, he discovered he was ineligible. This is the first known instance of a same-sex domestic partner requiring COBRA benefits and being denied because of federal rules.
The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) is federal legislation requiring employers to extend health care coverage to employees and qualified dependents for certain qualifying events. Since COBRA is a federal program, it uses the definition of “spouse” from the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines “spouse” as a husband or wife of the opposite sex. Thus, COBRA coverage is not extended to same-sex domestic partners. The City will instead extend a similar benefit without using COBRA.
“Equality Texas applauds the City of Austin for fully extending equal benefits to its employees,” said Equality Texas Executive Director Paul Scott. “Once again Austin exhibits its understanding that its citizens should be treated equally and that doing so benefits the city and its economic environment.”
The City of Austin will be the first city in Texas to offer this benefit to its employees. The City of Austin has had domestic partner benefits since 2006.
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Zilker Park Great Lawn reopening
Zilker Park’s Great Lawn will re-open tomorrow, the Parks and Recreation Department announced today.
The 46-acre lawn was closed for restoration of the turf following the rain-drenched Austin City Limits Festival earlier this month.
Officials said an acre of turf will need to be replaced in the spring.
The lawn was closed earlier this year, through August, as parks staff installed a $2.5 million irrigation system and new turf, a Bermuda grass called Tifway. ACL organizer C3 Presents will reimburse the city the cost over the next five years, and is supposed to pay for any repairs to the grass.
Recent heavy rains have saturated some areas, and city staff are asking park patrons to avoid those areas to minimize damage to the turf. Crews will continue to work on restoring parts of the lawn, officials said.
Parks officials said the lawn looks different because the turf has started to become dormant because of cooler fall temperatures. They said the turf should return to its green lush state in the spring.
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Barton Springs Pool remains closed
Flooding and debris is keeping Barton Springs Pool closed for now, according to the Austin Parks and Recreation Department Aquatic Division.
Aquatic division staff has not been able to clean the debris and silt from the pool as flood water continues to pour in. After the water flow stops and a cleaning can be done, staff will decide when the pool can reopen.
Deep Eddy Pool nearby revised its schedule to accommodate Barton Springs swimmers. It will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. most days this week, the city said, except tomorrow, when it will open at 7 a.m.
For more information, go to the Parks and Recreation Department website.
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Latest comments
Cant’t believe no one has done this yet…….. Time city employees spent helping to restore the lawn: $15,529 Keeping the lawn closed Oct. 10-29 to revive the lawn: $10,000 (blah, blah, blah)
The look on Festival-goers faces when
... read the full comment by AusTexNative | Comment on City bills ACL organizers $25,000 for lawn cleanup Read City bills ACL organizers $25,000 for lawn cleanup
Its about time. People, we do not live in the desert, and yes I have a St. Augustine lawn. Such lawns cannot survive on watering just once a week, and there no need to impose such restrictions except in conditions like we experienced this summer. In
... read the full comment by Express43 | Comment on Austin watering restrictions loosened Read Austin watering restrictions loosened
I think they should be charging them more to use and repair the park, and pay for city workers’ time. When I read about budget shortages for the Trail of Lights at Zilker Park and plans to roll back the size of the Trail of Lights Festival and shorten
... read the full comment by Kevin | Comment on City bills ACL organizers $25,000 for lawn cleanup Read City bills ACL organizers $25,000 for lawn cleanup
Just the facts: The concern is that this trend will continue. The ACL fest needs to be held at Zilkerl…it would definitely not be the same anywhere else. But the rest of the city needs to have ample opportunity to enjoy the grounds as well. I think
... read the full comment by RC | Comment on City bills ACL organizers $25,000 for lawn cleanup Read City bills ACL organizers $25,000 for lawn cleanup
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