Council Preview: What Can We Afford?

Years of emotional debate, yelling matches, teeth-gnashing, and, finally, a last-minute compromise between feuding parties, led to City Council's unanimous approval last week of a grounds improvement plan for Barton Springs Pool. The friction largely centered on plans for the no-frills south grounds, with one of the chief sticking points centering on a proposed ADA pathway and overlook; before last week's meeting, Council Member Laura Morrison, arguing that an ADA path on the south side is "a civil rights issue," negotiated a settlement in which all sides agreed to relocate the path and overlook closer to the entrance. (Photo by John Anderson)

It's that time of year: City budget season opened Thursday, April 18*, with the initial staff budget preview to City Council, kicking off several months of departmental presentations and public hearings. We'll have more on the budget in next week's issue; in the meantime, you can certainly expect the perennial debate: Just how many cops does it take to police a tourist town? (See "Two, Three ... Many Festivals = How Many Cops?")

Council's next formal meeting is Thursday, April 25 (work session April 23), and the draft agenda offers a few items that could raise the City Hall temperature, although perhaps nothing yet as volatile as either the Austin Energy governance debate (see "Then There's This") or the Barton Springs Master Plan discussion from last week. (A couple of potentially contentious matters – revisions of the short-term rental regs, more revisions of vehicle and bicycle parking requirements, and a proposed rate increase from Texas Gas Service – are on the horizon, with public hearings to be set tentatively for May 9.)

Beyond that, until Council members add their two cents to the list later this week, a handful of items alert the radar. The regulating plan for the East Riverside Corridor zoning district may finally get its second and third readings, if ongoing compromise discussions among staff and stakeholders have indeed born fruit. And a public hearing is scheduled concerning affordable housing standards for the "University Neighborhood Overlay" (West Campus); the matter has been contentious for some time, and staff reports a successful "consensus-based process" among residents and property owners. The embattled Riverside and Lamar planned unit development (aka the "Taco PUD") is at least scheduled for a public hearing, a couple of days after it escapes the Planning Com­mis­sion. There will also be a public hearing on a still-controversial Parks Department proposal (call it the "Casa de Luz" proviso) to allow certain businesses to share nearby city park parking lots in return for park amenities; neighborhood advocates have been split on the idea, especially since what might work in one spot might founder in another.

The scheduled morning briefings are on staff recommendations for gray water uses, followed by an update on the staff's preparation for a potential affordable housing bond vote, perhaps this fall – we may get a feel for how Council members are leaning. While you're pondering that question yourself, get ready to celebrate Bike Month and Bike to School Day.

*Corrected: The original version cited an incorrect date.