The Daily Hustle: 5/7/10

Image courtesy Flickr user Kate Barton, via Creative Commons

On the road again: Willie lands on Second Street, while the City Council prepares for their next meeting. TDH blazes up below the fold.

… You woulda thought the perfect material was stone, but yesterday the city announced plans to honor legendary musician come toker Willie Nelson with a bronze statue. The statue, to be posted outside the new Austin City Limits studio on Second Street, behind City Hall, is a creation from the fine folks at Capital Area Statues, Inc. (CAST), who previously created the Philosophers' Rock statue at Barton Springs, and the Angelina Eberly cannon statue at Sixth. Moreover, the stretch of Second will also be honorarily christened Willie Nelson Boulevard.

Sez Lee Leffingwell, sponsor of the proposal along with Mike Martinez and Laura Morrison: “These tributes reflect the deep love and appreciation that so many in Austin have for Willie Nelson and his music, and are intended to honor Willie’s singular influence in making Austin the live music capital of the world. … CAST’s generous contribution of the Willie Nelson statue to the city will give Austin another iconic sculpture to enjoy, and the honorary naming of Second Street will be a fitting tribute for someone who looms as large as Willie Nelson does in the cultural life and history of our community.”

The item is slated for a vote May 27.

… As for this May 13's council meeting, the draft agenda has firmed up somewhat. Council's Arizona boycott is on the list, along with interesting looking items looking at taxi cabs (pulled), the Citizens’ Water Conservation Implementation Task Force, and another intriguing item that would direct City Manager Marc Ott "to recommend options for achieving the City’s regional multi-modal transportation goals being discussed as part of the City’s on-going transportation planning while preserving debt capacity for a general obligation bond election in 2013, adhering to all City financial polices and maintaining a consistent tax rate.” The item seemingly reflects the item's sponsors' (Morrison, Sheryl Cole, and Chris Riley) concerns about the number of bonding initiatives coming before council (transportation bond for 2010, rail for 2011, and a possible general bond election soon after), a conversation that seems to be slowly coming to a head behind the scenes. The Hustle will have an extended agenda rundown next week.

… Auditors need all the help they can get, right? The city announced two new assistant city auditor appointments this week. Cue the press release:

City Auditor Kenneth Mory … this week announced the appointment of two Assistant City Auditors, Nicolleta (Niki) Raggi and Rachel Snell.

Raggi, who holds degrees from the University of Genova, Italy, and the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, is a Certified Government Auditing Professional and a Certified Internal Controls Auditor. A member of the Institute of Internal Auditors and the Institute of Internal Controls, she has worked as an auditor for the State of Texas and for the private audit, tax and advisory firm, KPMG.

Prior to accepting this position, Raggi was an Auditor III for the City of Austin.

Snell’s experience includes having served as a Senior Auditor/Project Manager for the State of Texas, and a Neighborhood Planner and Police Planner for the City of Austin. She has worked in both the private and public sector and served as the District Office Manager for a U.S. Representative in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Snell holds a Master of Public Administration from Arizona State University. She is a Certified Internal Auditor and a Certified Fraud Examiner and is a member of the Institute for Internal Auditors and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

What the hell else is happening?

On the city calendar: Live From the Plaza features Charanga Cakewalk. That's at City Hall plaza, 301 W. Second 12pm.

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