The Daily Hustle: 8/23/10

City Council's compact schedule of meetings continues this week, with a Thursday meeting packed with items of interest. Check out the meeting highlights in our agenda rundown below the fold.

Agenda highlights for Thursday, August 26:

Items 4, 5: Constructing a wastewater plant and running water out to the Whisper Valley subdivision, south of Manor but in the city's desired development zone, for a cost of $22.5 million. To be repaid via a public improvement district bond the area agrees to. Also related, items 18-23.

Item 7: Executing contracts with thee companies – including defense contractor KBR – for various construction and repair jobs. Contract estimated at $3 million between the three companies.

Item 9: $7.8 million contract for the South IH-35 Water/Wastewater Improvements Program’s Pilot Knob Pump Station undertaking.

Item 11: $1.6 million contract of the same program’s Bradshaw Road water main project.

Item 28: Ordinance designed to stem sales of stolen scrap metal and AC units, requiring out of town scrap purchasers to possess a city permit, licensing for AC professionals wishing to sell units, updated DPS reporting, and more.

Item 33: $2 million to consultants R. W. Beck, and $1 million to “environmental economists” J. Stowe & Co. to develop a “utility rate study to determine the cost of service for Austin Energy.”

Item 37: A $2.8 contract with Sherry Matthews Advocacy Marketing to develop and execute anti-tobacco campaigns and promote a federal “Safe Routes to Schools” initiative. Funded through grants, and scaled back from an $11 million proposal (including optional extensions) council postponed on August 5.

Item 38: $1.3 million contract with Alliance Work Partners to man the city’s Employee Assistance Program, offering “short-term counseling, employee and supervisor training, critical incident stress debriefings, mandatory substance abuse referral counseling, commercial driver’s license alcohol and drug training, smoking cessation, and an at risk youth mentoring program.”

Item 40: Redevelopment exception in the Barton Springs Zone at 2500 Walsh Tarlton for the Tarlton 360 condo project. The 54% impervious cover at the existing site is proposed to stand.

Item 43: Item from Laura Morrison, Randi Shade and Chris Riley urging Time Warner not to migrate Channel 6 and other public, education and government channels to higher station numbers requiring a digital cable box.

Item 44: Item from Sheryl Cole, Mike Martinez and Riley requesting changes to license agreements to private use of public property (construction easements and the like) to make them more transparent, review their fee structure, and examine potential “master license” agreements with a single entity, like the Downtown Austin Alliance. (Seriously, how long was the bus stop at Congress and Second closed for while they built the Austonian?)

Item 45: Item from Cole, Bill Spelman and Morrison “to amend the North Burnet Gateway Regulation Plan to allow legally non-conforming uses to continue on a project by project basis (as opposed to an occupant by occupant basis) …"

Item 50: 10:30am briefing from the Capital Area Council of Governments.

Items 55-58: Issuance of a approximately $150 million in various city of Austin bonds.

Items 59-82: The zoning agenda, including third reading on the North Lamar neighborhood plan, first read on the Tarlton condos, items relating to Domain rezoning for partners Endeavor and Simon allowing an impervious cover swap, and more.

Items 83-90: Public hearings and possible action, including possible approval of the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan Vision Statement, including possible additions, the proposed city budget, rate and fee changes for Austin Water customers, and more.

One final note: The Hustle will be far, far away from any computer terminal on Tuesday, August 24 to celebrate his birthday. See ya later this week!