Budget Your Time: It ain’t all soccer and land use at City Council. Following Wednesday’s amendment review and decision on Major League Soccer at McKalla Place (see “Council Approves Deal for Soccer at McKalla Place,” Aug. 17), members begin boning up on the FY 2019 budget proposal, along with overflow from the Aug. 9 session. Public comment is invited at the budget meeting Wednesday, Aug. 22 at 1pm; the next regular meeting is Aug. 23.
Expedite the Adoption: The Planning Commission just can’t quit CodeNEXT. During Tuesday’s meeting, Vice Chair Fayez Kazi and Commissioner Conor Kenny proposed a resolution urging the city manager to move forward with a land use code overhaul and “expedite the adoption of more manageable portions of code revisions.” A vote was postponed to PC’s next meeting, Aug. 28.
Make Rent Affordable: The Housing Authority will once again accept pre-applications for the Housing Choice Voucher Program waitlist, formerly known as Section 8. It’s been four years since the list was last opened – in 2014, the city accepted 2,500 of the 20,000 applications it received. This year, 2,000 applications will be randomly selected. The list reopens at noon, Sept. 17, and closes at midnight on Sept. 25. Applications are free and can be found at www.HACAapply.org.
Gutting Our Daily: As expected after GateHouse Media purchased the paper earlier this year, the Austin American-Statesman last Friday offered buyouts to its more than 200 employees. The paper will also end production of its award-winning Spanish-language paper Ahora Sí by Oct. 11.
Hutto’s Second Life? Immigration advocates are “outraged, but not surprised” that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued a Request for Information for a 500-bed detention facility near Austin, a likely attempt to keep open the T. Don Hutto detention center in Taylor. Williamson County Commissioners voted in June to end that county’s contract with T. Don Hutto, giving ICE until next January to figure out a Plan B. This may be that plan.
Go Grade Yourselves: The state of Texas won’t adequately fund public schools, but it will grade them like a middle school teacher. The Texas Education Agency posted a “B” overall for Austin ISD, but cited five schools for failing to meet standards, including Mendez Middle School for the fifth time. See “Austin ISD Receives ‘B’ Grade from Texas Education Agency,” Aug. 17.
Free Vaccination Here: Central Health and its partners will be offering free immunizations to children age 4-18 (with free backpacks and school supplies), providing all CDC-recommended vaccines at no charge. Friday, Aug. 17, 11am-2pm at Central Health Southeast Health & Wellness Center, 2901 Montopolis; and Saturday, Aug. 18, 10am-1pm at North Central Health Center, 1210 W. Braker. (Parents should bring immunization records.)
This article appears in Blaze Foley.