The Austin City Council convenes today, taking up . For y鈥檃ll following along at home, that鈥檚 actually pretty short by council standards. Still, there鈥檚 a few items that should inspire spirited discussion on the dais:
- Austin Energy鈥檚 Rate Revision: The duration of today鈥檚 meeting was undoubtedly shortened by the postponement of a second round of public comment on Austin Energy鈥檚 proposed rate increases. (Comment on the proposals lasted five hours .) Instead, they鈥檝e received on the rates, representatives from the city owned utility will to their initial rate-raising proposals. Council members will be certain to pepper the AE presenters with plenty of questions.
- A Sound Proposal: An initiative from council member Bill Spelman would create a $40,000 pilot program to to experiment with how clubs and condo residents could better cohabitate. If the trial run is successful, would fund a soundproofing loan fund to the tune of $750,000 annually.
- Mapping the Future: There鈥檚 a chance the council meeting will be over by 6:30 p.m., when the 2012 Charter Revision Committee begins its confab next door in City Hall鈥檚 Boards and Commissions room. It鈥檚 , and it鈥檚 expected to make a recommendation on what form of elections Austin should hold in the future. Seemingly garnering the most support is the 鈥�10-1鈥� plan: 10 single-member districts, with only the mayor running citywide. (Currently, all council members run citywide.) You can learn more about the different proposals .
The meeting starts at 10 a.m. and will be streamed on .
