Quick heads up: the last chance for public comments before the Capital Metro board meets to approve increasing fares is right around the corner. Monday, September 17, 5 pm is last public hearing on fare hikes, at the Capital Metro Board of Directors meeting, Capital Metro Administration building, 2910 E. 5th Street. Bus riders: The Silver Dillo, lines 17 and 300 all run out there.

For more info, check out the Bus Riders Union.

Just one thought on the president's speech last night – or more accurately, on the media coverage of the president's speech last night, effectively keeping American forces in Iraq through the end of his presidency, and returning the "surge" troops under the auspice of reducing troop levels – never mind the fact that they were always destined to be brought home at that time.

Surely, I won't be the only to note it, but while the main three networks billed the Bush speech as a "special report," "presidential address," or somesuch, at the bottom, FOX had "Iraq: Moving Forward." Hmm … Then they segued straight back into "Don't Forget the Lyrics," while NBC, ABC and CBS carried the Dem response. Not terribly shocking, but more bald-faced than usual? Signs of desperation all around …

The thankless souls comprising the Charter Revision Task Force are meeting tonight to discuss possible single-member district setups for future City Council elections. (Currently, it's an entirely at-large system critics says don't give sufficient voice or accountability to Austin's citizens.) As Kimberley Reeves' article for us a week or so back made clear, without enough community buy-in, it runs the very-real risk of running into the ground again.

The city must have the same worries, so they're encouraging peeps to show up tonight. Here's their presser:

Charter Revision Committee encourages public input

The public is encouraged to attend and provide feedback at the next Charter Revision Committee meeting at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13, in the Boards and Commissions Room at Austin City Hall, 301 W. Second St.

The Charter Revision Committee is charged with reviewing and reporting on the advisability of a charter amendment proposing single-member districts or a combination of single-member and at-large seats for Council member elections. Currently, the City of Austin uses an at-large system.

“It’s very important that the Committee receive as much public input as possible as we move forward with making a recommendation to Council,” said Committee Chair Gus Garcia, a former Mayor. “We’re open to reviewing any suggestions you may have about the future of Austin’s framework for Council member elections.”

Garcia stressed that committee members seek public participation and input at all Charter meetings scheduled through January 2008.

The Charter Revision Committee was established by vote of the Austin City Council on April 5, 2007. Each Council member has appointed a representative of the community to serve on the committee.

Following completion of its review, if the Charter Revision Committee recommends any change to the current election system it will then be presented and considered by the City Council for a Charter Amendment ballot. An election could be conducted as early as May 2008.

Information regarding the Charter Revision Committee, its work and information presented at previous meetings can be accessed on the City of Austin Web site at www.cityofaustin.org/charter.

The Committee meets tonight at 5pm in Council chambers; more dates below the fold.

Eclipsed by City Council's adoption of the Fiscal Year 2008 budget on Monday was another item of no small importance. Before the 11th-hour social services spend-a-thon marking the budget passage, the dais unanimously passed an item from council allocating $40,000 for "executive search and recruitment services" in the city's search for Toby Futrell's replacement as City Manger, and a companion item funding it out of the city's one-time funds.

Mike Martinez, who has no love lost with Futrell, called the incident "another joke." "It should've never had to be an item from council," Martinez told Chronic. "It was a directive from the City Manager: 'Mayor, Council, you guys are owning the search [with this item.]' That's fine, the way she portrayed it. But the bottom line is under her administrative authority she wasn't going to add an item looking for her successor. And to say we had to take it from one-time expenditures – there's enough in HR budget." As the City Manager's office is the one preparing the council agenda, it's interesting if she wouldn't put the item up of her own volition. Hell, we probably wouldn't either, but that's probably why we're not in public service.

See Beside the Point in tomorrow's Chronicle for more with Martinez regarding fallout from his Futrell flame-war. Things sound very tense at City Hall right now. "I don't know but I can tell you the sentiment is growing among staff; council members are talking about it," says Martinez. "If things continue to go in the manner they have, they'll have to be some changes."

Lee Leffingwell writes in regarding funding for the Austin City Store, which we discussed in our live-blog of the budget adoption Monday. (We said, "Leffingwell's iterating that no tax dollars were used to subsidize snowglobes, just mainly hotel taxes. Wait, that's a tax …") The council member says:

One thing: On the City store deal - what I said was '...there was never any Austin taxpayer money involved..." (very careful in that choice of words.) Of course it was "taxpayer money", but no Austin taxpayers paid it - unless they were in the "doghouse" and had to go spend the night in a hotel and therefore paid the hotel tax for a room there.

The point was that there would be no benefit to Austin taxpayers by closing the store -- the money saved could not be used (by state law) for any other purpose.

Remember kids, the company store closes Sept. 29. Don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya …

Passed along without comment from Chronic's inbox:

A news story featured on Nightline and World News Tonight has made its way to your local area. A Walmart store in your area is currently selling an entire line of Christian Toys called Tales of Glory. This is the first time that a national retailer like Walmart is carrying Christian toys. You have a rare opportunity to cover the story from a local level and get video or pictures of the toys on the shelves at Walmart, something that has not been done.

This toy line includes a Talking Jesus Doll that speaks Bible verses such as John 3:16. The Jesus Doll in particular is selling incredibly well and based on current sales will be sold out before Christmas. Is the Tales of Glory Jesus Doll this years "Tickle Me Elmo"?

To find out which store in your area has Tales of Glory visit our Wamart Store Locator at www.one2believe.com.

And their coda: The Battle For The Toy Box Is On!

Here’s a tip: If you want to haul a large stash of pot from the border up to Austin, it would probably be a good idea to have a driver’s license, to have a front license plate on your car, and to obey the posted speed limit. And, hell, it’d probably be smart to have a good cover story in place too. (Just a thought.)

Case in point: On Sept. 5, Travis Co. Sheriff’s Office Deputy Brett Hellerud spied a black Chevy Camaro (sans front plate) speeding northbound on IH-35. He pulled the car over only to find that 20-year-old driver Frank Gabriel Martinez didn’t have a driver’s license – but he did have a female passenger, and a lame story to tell. In an affidavit for Martinez’s arrest, Hellerud wrote that Martinez told him that he was driving to Austin from Brownsville to see his girlfriend’s suicidal brother. But when Hellerud asked Martinez’s female passenger (traveling with her two-year-old child) where the two were headed she said they were on the way to Houston to “just hang out.” (Apparently she lacks a keen sense of direction and, quite possibly, any sense of fun – hanging out in Houston? Yikes.)

It used to be that the future of transport was going to be atomic-powered jet packs strapped to our foreheads. Now it's corridors.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has decided that as part of its Corridors of the Future project, to solve what it calls "national congestion relief," it's going to spend $17 billion in federal funds on six major highways. Big chunks of two of these roads run through Texas: I-69 (aka the infamous Trans-Texas corridor) and I-10 from California to Florida, running parallel to the Mexican border from El Paso to Orange. Texas is on-line to get $6 billion of the I-69 cash, plus potentially part of another $8.6 billion for easing up congestion on I-10.

According to the Texas Department of Transportation, they're expecting total travel on the whole length of I-69 to be 23 million vehicle miles per day by 2015. Just a thought, but any possibility of some of that de-congestion cash going on, say, investing in long-distance rail freight?

Well, of all the complaints you can make about the city, message discipline ain't one. Minutes after a motion from Brewster McCracken shitcanned the Austin City Store – the gift shop in City Hall requiring subsidies to stay afloat (this after it was revealed the city's since-departed Chief Financial Officer's wife landed a consulting gig opening the place – how hard was it to line up some plush armadillos and Leslie magnets?) – the city sent out a press release announcing the store will close its doors forever Sept. 29. Can this be the beginning of the end of Enron on the Colorado?

The presser:

The Austin City Store will formally close its doors following normal business hours on Saturday, Sept.29. The store’s closure follows a unanimous vote today by the City Council to eliminate funding for the store in the Fiscal Year 2008 Budget.

Through the end of this month, the City Store will work to sell its existing inventory of Austin-focused items. When the store closes its doors, the remaining inventory will be sent to the Austin Convention Center where items will be sold at kiosks during major events.

The Austin City Store, located at the northwest corner of Austin City Hall (301 W. Second Street), has operated in the thriving Second Street Retail District since December of last year. Featuring more than 1,400 square feet of shopping space, it was designed to spotlight products that promote City services and Austin’s history, cultures and environment.

The Austin City Store is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Customer parking is available in the Austin City Hall parking garage.