City Council Notebook

From the Chronicle newshovel to you, a look at what's up this week…

Re: City Council Agenda, Thursday, January 11, 2007

9:55 Invocation from the Church of Scientology. Xenu applauds.

4. $30,000,000 in grants for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport from the FAA and others. (*Cues Chris Tucker voice* "Daaammmn!")

13. $67,680 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bulletproof Vest Program. Timed with the Future Weapons premiere on Discovery Channel?

22. Letting TxDOT construct part of the Lance Armstrong Bikeway; city chips in $70,300.

29. Establishes a maximum speed limit of 25 mph on residential streets in Hyde Park. Also known as the "Tandem Recumbent Bicyclists" ordinance.

53. Approve an ordinance creating a homestead preservation district in east Austin, largely parallel to the central business district, and bound by I-35, Airport, Town Lake and 38th Street. Working in tandem with legislation from Eddie Rodriguez.

55. Directing the City Manager to provide that the City may buy down the cost of owner-occupied units in vertical mixed use buildings that meet affordability requirements. Brewster's Yin to Mike Martinez's aforementioned Yang. Eewww, that sounds wrong.

56. Directing Futrell to gear up the Congress Avenue Retail Retention and Enhancement Fund, known around city hall as the "Migas to Go" item.