Time Warner To Move Access Channels to Digital Tier

Time Warner Cable will move several public access channels to a digital tier that is only accessible with a digital converter box from the cable company. The channels include AISD-TV (Channel 22), City of Austin (Channel 6), Travis County TV (Channel 17), Austin Community College's Instructional TV (Channel 19) and channelAustin's public access channels (Channels 10, 11 and 16).

If you have an analog or standard-definition television, you will only be able to view these Public, Educational and Government (PEG) channels on the digital converter box beginning Friday, October 1. Basic tier subscribers will not be charged for the box through December 31, 2015, while standard tier customers are eligible to receive the box free for one year if they request it before December 1, 2010.

The City of Austin channel is also available as a live webcast or video on demand at www.cityofaustin.org/channel6. Travis County TV is also available online at www.co.travis.tx.us/media_services/default.asp. Some of ACC's ITV programming is available for viewing at on-campus media centers and online as well.

Service is not affected for Grande Communications, Suddenlink or AT&T U-Verse customers. The providers of the affected channels have made it clear that they have objected to the change. If you have further questions about the move or about how to obtain a converter box, call Time Warner Cable at 485-6000.

City of Austin Approves $2.8 Billion Budget

The Austin City Council held an unusual Monday meeting today and unanimously approved a balanced $2.8 billion budget that will take effect on October 1.

A previously estimated $11 million to $28 million shortfall was made up in part by eliminating about 22 vacant positions in city offices and by cutting costs in what the council calls departmental "budget scrubbing."

Among the highlights from the approved budget, the city is adding an additional 48 police officers, 30 paramedics, and 10 firefighters. The council is also going forward with the no-kill plan for animal services, increasing staffing in the Planning and Development Review Department, and allocating an additional $500,000 to purchase library materials. However, $300,000 that would have funded the Trail of Lights is being reallocated to fund park maintenance instead of the city's annual holiday walk.

The new budget comes with increases in public service rates. Austin Energy customers will see their electric bill go up an average of 79 cents for residential customers. Residents who use 90-gallon garbage carts will have their bill increased by $1, but 60 and 30 gallon carts will remain the same. In addition, Austin Water customers will face an average increase of $3.84 to their bill.

In addition to approving the budget for Fiscal Year 2011, the city council held their first public tax rate hearing on a proposed property tax rate of 45.71 cents per $100 in assessed property value. Another public hearing will be held at 9:30 a.m. on September 29. The council expects to adopt the new tax rate on September 30.

For a detailed look at the approved budget, visit the City of Austin's dedicated budget website.

Public Golf Courses Closed Temporarily For Weather

The City of Austin closed their five public golf courses, Hancock, Jimmy Clay, Joe Balander, Roy Kizer, Lions Municipal and Morris Williams, due to inclement weather this afternoon at 3:00 p.m. The city's Golf Division is hoping to re-open the courses Wednesday morning, depending on weather and playing conditions.

Please call the Golf Division at 974-9350 if you plan to head to one of the courses in the morning. There will be staff on duty during normal hours, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Austin Hires Chief Service Officer

The City of Austin has hired their first-ever Chief Service Officer. Andy Mormon will fill the job, which is funded by a $200,000 Cities of Service Leadership Grant. Mormon will be charged with engaging more of Austin's people in service and getting volunteers involved in some of the challenges facing the city. He has lived in Austin for 10 years and is a longtime human resources executive, a former aide to Mayor Lee Leffingwell and has been an active volunteer in the community.

“I’m very pleased that Andy Mormon will be serving as Austin’s new Chief Service Officer,” said Austin City Manager Marc Ott. “We found a unique combination of skills in Andy’s background.”

The grant, which is funded jointly by the Rockefeller Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies, will cover all of Mormon's salary and benefits. Austin is one of the 10 recipient cities of the second round of grants. Ten other cities were awarded grants in January 2010.

Net Zero Subdivision Recognized at DIY Network Premiere

The DIY Network hosted a special screening of its new show, "This New House," at the Solutions Oriented Living (SOL) subdivision here in Austin this evening. The screening was part of a special event honoring the SOL subdivision as the first Net Zero energy housing development in the city.

The homes in the subdivision are 100% electric, and are capable of producing as much energy as they consume. They are also owned or being rented by lower-income Austin residents, falling below the Median Family Income in the city. Fourteen of the 16 homes are occupied at this time, with two still available to own.

The SOL project is the first example of the City of Austin's strategy to partner with the private sector to create sustainable developments that are also affordable options for housing. SOL’s affordable houses were made possible by a partnership between the city, Austin Housing Finance Corporation, Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corporation (GNDC) and the design builder KRDB of Austin.

For more information about this project, go to www.solaustin.com.

Let The Sun Shine: Austin Energy To Increase Solar Capacity

The hot Texas sun will generate more electricity for Austin Energy after the city council approved the utility's first solar supply agreement this week. Since prices have dropped on solar modules over the past two years, Austin Energy will purchase up to 2 megawatts (MW) of solar modules - as many as 8,500 modules - over three years.

When they have been purchased, the modules will produce enough electricity to power 270 average-sized homes in Austin for an entire year. Austin Energy says that's the equivalent of taking 400 cars off the road for a year, or planting 60,000 trees.

The solar panels will be installed at high profile locations such as city buildings, libraries and schools to increase public awareness about the advantages of solar power. Right now, 35 facilities that belong to the City of Austin have solar installations.

After the planned purchase of modules is complete, Austin Energy will have 2.4 MW of solar capacity, moving the city toward a goal of 200 MW of solar capacity by 2020.

City Manager Ensures Ethics Top Priority Following Tainted Audit

In light of recent findings from an audit that some Austin city employees padded their time sheets - in one case enough to double the salary - city manager Marc Ott sent a memo to Mayor Lee Leffingwell and members of the city council on the topic of ethics and integrity in the city work force.

As you know, I have personally made organizational and personal ethics and integrity a cornerstone of our approach to becoming a “best managed” city. In light of recent Audit findings relative to payroll records, I felt that it was important to provide you with an update on our progress.

As I’ve shared with you in our individual meetings, part of building an ethical culture is creating an environment where employees feel safe bringing their concerns forward, and giving them the confidence that any issue will be investigated and addressed once brought to light. We have several avenues for employees to do so, whether through their normal chain of command, our Human Resources Department, the Integrity Office or the City Auditor. This is a message that I’ve reinforced throughout the past two years, and it has been a core message of my seven “Straight Talk” sessions with city employees this year.

In the past year, we launched a citywide Integrity and Ethics training program designed to reach every City employee in two years. In conjunction with this, we conducted a full-day Ethics retreat with all City executives to reinforce the importance of the initiative. I’m proud to say that training has been completed by 98% of the employees targeted for the first phase of the program that began this spring.

In reference to specific issues raised in the past week regarding payroll processes, I assure you that we take any instances of fraud or abuse seriously, and are committed to addressing them swiftly and fairly. In terms of process controls, the Human Resources Department launched an initiative earlier this year to evaluate our current systems and develop a strategy for improving and upgrading our technologies.

With that said, I think it’s important to recognize that people are at the core of ethical decision-making. While technological upgrades may help us identify issues, any system is vulnerable to manipulation if someone is determined to do so. That’s why our sustained focus is on making sure that the people in our organization understand our expectations when it comes to ethics, that they feel safe to report possible violations, and that they understand the consequences of violating our contract of trust with the residents and taxpayers of Austin.

In an organization of nearly 12,000 employees, there will be unfortunate times where we have to address ethical lapses. The measure of our success will be that we handle them in an appropriate and transparent manner. I look forward to continued cooperation with the City Auditor in fostering a culture of trust and ethical decision-making for our organization.

Community Access Channels To Go Digital

Time Warner Cable customers have a little more time to prepare for the migration of Public, Educational and Government (PEG) access channels.

These channels will be moved to TWC's digital tier beginning October 1, 2010. This date marks a delay from the original August 5, 2010 date.

After Oct. 1, customers must have digital cable equipment in order to view the following channels:

• City of Austin Channel 6
• channelAustin - Channels 10, 11 and 16
• Travis County Television Channel 17
• ACC-TV Channel 19
• A.I.S.D. TV Channel 22

Standard service customers can get one free standard-definition digital set-top box and remote for 12 months by contacting TWC at 512-485-6000 within 60 days of the move date. If you have basic service only, you can get a free digital box through 2015.

City of Austin Channel 6 programming is available on-line at www.cityofaustin.org/channel6 and at www.youtube.com/austintexasgov.

Water Saving Challenge

I randomly filled out the city of Austin's online form to estimate how much water my family uses a day.  The chart takes into account showers, baths, loads of laundry, toilet flushes, minutes washing dishes, and dishwasher cycles per day.  With my guesses (how am I supposed to know exactly how many times we flush the toilet a day?!) the chart said we use 89 gallons a day.  Overtime, the numbers add up to about 2,500 gallons monthly, and more than 32,000 gallons yearly.

That's a lot.  So the city is pushing a challenge for people to save 10% of water every day.  Maybe that means one less load of laundry or dishwasher cycle.  (Does that also mean less work?!  I doubt it, unfortunately).

But what I think this boils down to is a lifestyle change.  The 3C Challenge encourages people to commit, calculate and conserve and that each person saving 10% will save 13 million gallons a day.  Calculate your own use and, if you'd like, sign the pledge.

Austin Chock Full of Weekend Fun

Austin is known for its non-stop events.  Isn't it great?  The to-do lists of fun activities are endless!

This weekend, they won't be stopping for anything, and drivers beware!  Below is a list of several events, details about them, and maps of event locations. 


Taco Shack 5K and Kids Triathalon

Motorists traveling in the area of Shoalwood Avenue and Ramsey Park should expect delays between 4 a.m. and 12 noon Saturday, June 5 for the Taco Shack 5K and Kids Triathalon.  Full road closures will take place along the event route starting at 44th St. and traveling south on Rosedale Ave. and Burnet Rd., west along 40th Street, north along Sinclair and Shoalwood avenues to 49th Street, then loop back to Shoalwood Ave. via Woodview Ave.

Officers will be on hand to guide the flow of traffic across intersections and ease delays.  For those traveling in the area, alternate routes are recommended including north and south along Lamar Blvd. and Mopac, and east and west along 38th Street and North Loop Blvd.

For a complete list of street closures, click here.  For a map of street closures, click here.

Pride 5K and The Austin Gay and Lesbian Parade

The Pride 5K will take place Saturday, June 5 between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. and road closures will take place along the same route as the parade Saturday evening between 7:30 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Full road closures will take place during these times along S. 1st Street from Riverside to Cesar Chavez, and W. 4th from Congress Ave. to Colorado Street.  The closure on W. 4th Street will take place from 6 p.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday.

Partial closures will also be in place along the event route, which travels from S. 1st Street to Cesar Chavez, north on Congress Ave., west on 4th Street, and south on Guadalupe Street.  Officers will be on hand to guide the flow of traffic and ease delays. For those traveling in the area, alternate routes are recommended including north and south along San Jacinto Blvd. and Lamar Blvd., and east and west along Barton Springs Road and 6th Street.

Shuttles will operate from several locations around town and cost $2 per passenger. For a complete list of transportation options including shuttle services, taxi services and parking garages, please visit the Austin Pride website.  For a complete list of street closures, click here.  For a map of street closures, click here.

Night of the Bat

The Night of the Bat celebration will take place Sunday, June 6 and travelers should be aware of a full road closure along Ann Richards Bridge (Congress Avenue) from Cesar Chavez St. to Barton Springs Rd., from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.

To avoid delays for travelers in the area, alternate routes are recommended including north and south along 1st Street and Lamar Blvd. Parking will be available in the City Hall Garage at 2nd Street and Lavaca.

For a complete list of street closures, click here.  For a map of street closures, visit this page.

Austin Organizations Serve Up Lunch All Summer Long

Breakfast is served.  Lunch is ready.  But now that school's out for summer, meals for thousands of children in central Texas may not make it into mouths of the hungry.

According to the Texas Department of Agriculture, 2.1 million Texas school children rely on school breakfasts and lunches to stay fed.  As classrooms go empty for summertime fun, state leaders hope the stomachs of kids won't be empty.

Summer food nutrition programs are once again picking back up.  The Texas Department of Agriculture, along with the Austin Independent School District, are spreading the word now so that parents know options are available.

Austin ISD officials announced Tuesday its Summer Food Service Program for Children is available to all children in attendance, no matter what their household income is.  Parents do not need to apply for the program.  All children, ages one to 18, are eligible to receive breakfast and lunch free of charge.  To find out locations and times for the food service, click here.
 
The Texas Department of Agriculture is also partnering with resources in each community, like the Capital Area Food Bank.  Last year in Travis County, more than 381,000 meals at 92 sites in Travis County helped keep children fed during the summer.  With help like this, children can focus on having fun instead of wondering about their next meal.

For more information on AISD's program, contact the district's Central Food Service Department Office at 414-0251.  People who are eligible to participate in the program must not be discriminated against because of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, religion, or political belief.

APD Wants Guns for Groceries

The Austin Police Department will exchange guns for vouchers at grocery stores this weekend in East Austin.

The "Guns for Groceries" event aims to get guns off the street and keep them out of the hands of those who might use them to commit violent acts.

Participants will receive grocery vouchers that range in value from $10 for a toy gun, air gun or BB gun to $100 for a handgun or rifle and even $200 for assault weapons. APD asks that unloaded guns be brought in bags, with the ammunition in a separate bag.

Guns can be turned in anonymously and no IDs will be checked; however, the weapons will be checked to see if they may have been used in a crime.

The exchange, funded by the Greater Austin Crime Commission and APD, will happen on Saturday, June 5, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Austin Cornerstone Church at 1101 Reinli Street, north of Capitol Plaza.


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Chief Sustainability Officer Semifinalists Announced

The City of Austin has announced six candidates for the newly-created position of Chief Sustainability Officer. This person will develop, coordinate and administer various environmental programs, both within the City of Austin as an organization, and with the people who live here.

The candidates were chosen from a pool of 185 applicants after the process started in February and will be interviewed in the coming week by management and staff from the city.

Lucia Athens is Senior Sustainable Futures Strategist with CollinsWoerman architecture, a planning and interior design firm in Seattle. She has former Austin ties as well, having received her master's degree from UT and assisting in developing the City of Austin's Green Builder Program.

Brandi Clark is the founder and Chief Inspiration Officer of Austin EcoNetwork, and the founder of Citizen Gardener. She grew up in Austin and received a B.A. in Sociology with Political Science from Yale University, and is a graduate of Leadership Austin.

Natalie Marquis is the General Manager of Habitat Suites Hotel and Executive Director for the Texas Solar Energy Society here in Austin. Habitat Suites Hotel conducts its business while adhering to green practices, such as using solar power and natural, nontoxic fertilizers, pesticides, and cleaners.

Dennis Murphey is the Chief Environmental Officer of the City of Kansas City, Mo. He heads the office of Environmental Quality for the city and reports directly to the city manager there. Murphey has 30 years of environmental management experience.

Beth Pratt is the Director of Environmental Affairs for Xanterra Parks & Resorts at Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. She has worked in various environmental roles for almost twenty years.

Matt Watson left Austin in 2009 to become an Energy Policy Specialist with the Environmental Defense Fund in Washington, D.C. He was an aide to former Mayor Will Wynn, with responsibilities that included environmental and sustainability initatives.




Two or three of these candidates will advance to the next step in the hiring process - meeting with the public. Two question and answer sessions are scheduled for Thursday, June 3rd from 2:30-4 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. at the Town Lake Center. Free parking will be available in TLC garage as well as across the street in the Palmer Events Center garage.

The hiring decision will ultimately be made by City Manager Marc Ott.

ABIA Travel Advisory for Memorial Day Weekend

from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) News

This Memorial Day weekend, air travelers are advised to be at the terminal of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport 90 minutes prior to their departure time.  During peak travel times, airport security lines alone can be as long as 40 minutes.  Usual peak times are typically 5:30-7:30 a.m. and 3:30-5:30 p.m. daily.

There are more flights at Austin’s airport this May compared to May 2009.  This means the potential for more travelers and more passengers at security screening checkpoints.  Passenger traffic is up at Austin-Bergstrom by 6.5% year-to-date compared to 2009.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is ranked as the best in customer service in North America and second among airports its size around the globe by the Airports Council International (ACI) Airport Service Quality Survey.  Austin-Bergstrom has nonstop service to 37 destinations in the U.S. and served 8.2 million passengers in 2009.  A complete listing of all nonstop flight destinations from Austin and the airlines that serve them is available on www.abia.org, click on ‘airlines & flights.’

Celebrate Earth Day In Downtown Austin

The Austin Nature and Science Center invites families to come out for Earth Day on April 24th, for an interpretive hike at the Zilker Nature Preserve's trails. Staff will introduce families to some of the resident wildlife, help participants search for frogs and toads, and enjoy the woods and meadows at the center.

Activities will be ongoing from noon to 4 p.m. If you plan on going, wear comfortable shoes and bring an item from nature to trade at the Naturalist Workshop.

This is the Austin Nature and Science Center's 50th year. It's located at 301 Nature Center Drive on the western edge of Zilker Park.

A Little 'Too Casual' Friday: Spandex May Appear at an Office Near You

Some Austin city workers may be facing more than tight deadlines on Friday.

Council Member Chris Riley proclaimed the second Friday in April "Wear Spandex to Work Day." The day is to raise support for the Hill Country Ride for Aids on April 24th, for which the theme is "Spandex Saves."

It's not clear who will trade a suit for Spandex besides Riley. Let us know if one of your coworkers shows up in the snug fabric - we want to be able to provide you with the ultimate form of blackmail! 

Austin City Council Approves Pregnancy Center Sign Ordinance

The Austin City Council unanimously approved a controversial ordinance that requires limited service pregnancy centers, also known as crisis pregnancy centers, to post signs declaring what services they do not provide. The ordinance will take effect April 19.

The ordinance requires two signs, in English and Spanish, that read: "This center does not provide abortions or refer to abortion providers. This center does not provide or refer to providers of U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved birth control drugs and medical devices." The signs must be printed in black and white, in a minimum 48-point font, and must be at least 8 1/2 by 11 inches.

The ordinance does not require that limited service pregnancy centers offer any additional services or change the services they do provide.

While police officers will not enforce the ordinance and no arrests will be made for violations, pregnancy centers that don't comply can face a fine of $250 for the first offense, $350 for the second, and $450 or more for a third offense.

Abortion rights opponents expressed concern that the signs may discourage women from coming in for counseling. The Diocese of Austin wrote in a letter to Austin City Council, "There is no mistaking that the Gabriel Project Life Center does not provide or refer for abortion or FDA-approved birth control durgs and medical services. We seek to be entirely forthcoming with the services that we provide. It is even stated on our intake form, which every single client is given to read and sign, that we are not a medical facility and do not provide or refer for abortions. The concept of government-forced speech runs contrary to our notions of fundamental liberties."

Austin becomes only the second city to pass such an ordinance. Baltimore, MD was the first city. The Archdiocese of Baltimore filed a lawsuit last week challenging the ordinance there, saying it discriminates against groups opposed to abortion.

The City's Gone Batty: Austin Considers Bat for Official Animal

It may be the year of the bat in Austin.  Mayor Lee Leffingwell is making a proposal for the bat to fly high in the Capitol City as the official animal of the city.

In celebration, a free evening concert will be held on the Congress Avenue Bridge called "Night of the Bat" on June 6.  Adam West, the original TV Batman, will even attend the inaugural "Night of the Bat" complete with a matinee screening of the 1966 Batman movie at the Paramount Theatre.

Leffingwell, along with Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez, City Council member Chris Riley, representatives of the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau, Downtown Austin Alliance, Paramount Theatre, Run-Tex, and Bat Conservation International, will make the bid for the bat Tuesday, March 30 at 10 a.m.  The proposal will be held inside the media room of the Austin City Hall, 301 West 2nd Street.

City Council Passes Affordable Housing Resolution

Austin City Council Member Sheryl Cole brought the city's housing issues to the forefront last week when she brought forward a resolution to direct funds toward helping those in greatest need for affordable housing.

The resolution calls for permanent supportive housing, as well as housing that's within reach of poeple earning less than 30% of Austin's median family income.  It also asks the City Manager to work with community leaders to develop strategies to build 350 permanent supportive housing units during the next four years.

Cole was joined by Council Members Randi Shade and Chris Riley in developing the resolution, which will also allow the city to keep funding home repair and home ownership programs. The resolution passed with a unanimous vote.

(Map shows density of affordable housing in the Austin area in 2008.)

Traffic Flow Changes at 51st and Airport

The City of Austin will install traffic safety devices over the weekend due to safety concerns about the Capital Metro Red Line train crossing at 51st Street and Clarkson Ave., near Airport Blvd.

Currently, drivers are at risk as vehicles at the red light on Clarkson Ave. are stopping on the railroad tracks, despite warnings from police and signs around the intersection. The city will install flexible posts and signs this weekend, preventing northbound right turns and southbound left turns from Clarkson Ave. onto 51st Street.


The safety measures this weekend are only considered to be a first step. The city will continue to watch this intersection to determine if more restrictive measures are needed, such as making Clarkson Ave. a one-way street northbound and southbound away from the railroad tracks, installing a median barrier on 51st Street, or putting in a traffic signal at the intersection.