The Daily Hustle: 4/16/10

Let TDH be your designated driver down the draft agenda.

… City Council's draft agenda for their April 22 meeting keeps filling out. The centerpiece for next Thursday's meeting is the adoption of Austin Energy's "Resource, Generation, and Climate Protection Plan," the one that's generated turbine-churning amounts of hot air from Carole Keeton Strayhorn and friends.

But aside from the CPP's Earth Day adoption, there's some other interesting items just beneath the surface. Take Item 3, a seemingly innocuous clean-up of the city's role with regards to businesses seeking a liquor license. It strikes pages of requirements calling for code compliance, Health and Human Service visits, and even attention from the chief of police to "investigate the applicant's moral character."

While the requirements may have merit, a legal question has arisen as to whether the city has the power to enforce them. Agenda backup states "The City’s role is to verify that the location of the building is in a 'wet' area and meets all local zoning requirements" – and apparently no more than that, as the state, in the form of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, handles license applications. A little more dryly, backup says the item "creates a more efficient review process and brings Austin into alignment with other Texas cities."

The item was originally up for adoption last council meeting, but was postponed by the request of Laura Morrison. Will the neighborhoods' champion raise a ruckus about slackened liquor applications, even if all the item (apparently?) does is align city code and state law? We'll see … 

… And speaking of permitting fun, we see Guero's owner Rob Lippincott is signed up to speak during nootime Citizen Communications, on the topic "Music Permit." Now what could that be about? UPDATE: There is none. Lippincott's name left the draft agenda before it got finalized. (Guess that's why they call 'em draft agendas.)

The Hustle will hit you with an extended agenda rundown Monday. Until then … 

What the hell else is happening?

On the city calendar, not a damn thing B&C wise. Ska rockers The Bandulus hold down this week's Live From the Plaza music series at City Hall, 301 W. Second, at noon (weather permitting, we assume).

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