City Council Notebook

For Thursday, August 9:

Item 2: Approving sprinkler and irrigation limitations proposed by Lee Leffingwell's conservation task force, including a prohibition on daytime watering and a switch to a twice-weekly watering schedule.

Item 3: Resolution adopting the rollback property tax rate – $0.4034 – as the highest possible proposed. Wait, in the budget week before last, it was $0.4120. OMG WTF?

Item 7: Ponying up $200K to outside legal council to represent the city in "Responsible Growth For Northcross, Inc. v. The City of Austin, Lincoln Property Company Commercial, Inc., and Lincoln Northcross, LTD."

Items 10-15: FEMA buyout of six floodplain parcels along Onion Creek.

Item 34: Setting public hearing on new City Manger search, August 23, 2007, 6pm. Pushed up from original date Neverary 12.

Item 35: Giving the CM 30 days to examine at the possibility of a regional water plant for Austin, Leander, Cedar Park and Round Rock – instead of Water Treatment Plant 4. One council member promises a big proposal.

Item 36: Also having Toby examine "the feasibility of providing comparable [changing] facilities for both men and women at each Austin Fire Department station." Please refrain from any "hose" or "pole" jokes, thank you.

Item 37: Creating an Austin Water Utility fund to reimburse customers who experience water/sewage/whatever damages from the utility doing their work, i.e., the "Rich Oppel, Please Shut Up" initiative.

Item 38: The BYOB ordinance.

Item 41: Setting public hearing August 30 on Save Our Springs' appeal on approval creating stormwater retention ponds at WTP4.

12pm Citizen Communication: Highlight, title wise: CarolAnneRose Kennedy's sure-to-be-illuminating missive, P E E I N G in rePUBLIC.CAN POOLS.

Executive Session: Council discusses legal and personnel matters related to Toby Futrell's replacement search, RG4N's lawsuit, and the city's pending LCRA water agreement.

2pm Briefing: Budget breakdowns for the Parks and Recreation Department; the Library Department; Health and Human Services; Neighborhood Housing and Community Development; and Solid Waste Services.

Items 55-57: Big ticket zoning item is adoption of University Hills/Windsor Park Combined Neighborhood Plan (IH-35 on the west, Highway 290 on the north, Highway 183 on the east and Manor Road and East 51st Street on the south).

5:30 Proclamations: Presenting Distinguished Service Awards to "Heroes of the 1966 UT Tower Incident" – not exactly as chipper as "Home Movie Day," which is also receiving props.