After nearly a month off the Austin City Council is getting down to business, with three major meetings this week.
The fun starts Tuesday, as the . in the wake of alleged open meetings act violations, normally Tuesday work sessions are a chance for members to vet topics they鈥檒l consider at their regular Thursday meetings. But this Tuesday鈥檚 meeting includes potential action on two long-simmering issues:
Discussion of November 2012 election matters and potential direction to staff.
This item could include matters related to the anticipated November bond election.
Mayor Lee Leffingwell is on record saying the bond amount 鈥� roughly how much the city can spend on bond projects without calling for a tax increase.
Approve 鈥� 聽an ordinance placing a charter amendment on the November 2012 ballot to provide for some council members to be elected from geographic single-member districts and some council members to be elected at large.
If approved, this item would place a 鈥渉ybrid鈥� scenario for the election of council members before voters this November: eight individual, single-member districts, with the mayor and two additional council members running citywide.
with 鈥檚 (AGR) 10-1 district plan 鈥� 10 single-member districts, with only the mayor running at-large. AGR has gathered signatures to get their plan on the ballot this November, and the council members behind the hybrid plan of acting out of self-interest. (When the hybrid item initially , Mayor Lee Leffingwell and council members Laura Morrison, Chris Riley and Kathie Tovo voted aye; Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole, and council members Mike Martinez and Bill Spelman voted nay. Any final election change, however, will be decided by voters.)
If Tuesday鈥檚 meeting isn鈥檛 enough, Wednesday the council holds a special-called for Fiscal Year 2012-13.
When a preliminary version of the budget was , it included a proposed 1.8 cent increase in the property taxes. But coming fought largely on issues of affordability, whether the tax increase is still in the cards is anybody鈥檚 guess.
Then on Thursday, the council convenes for its regular meeting 鈥� all worth. A would finalize new regulations for short-term rentals (STRs) 鈥� vacation rentals found on sites like HomeAway.
The issue has proved polarizing, with opponents of so-called 鈥渃ommercial鈥� STRs 鈥� properties that exists solely to be rented out 鈥� calling for stricter regulation, up to and including an outright ban.
Not that it needed any, but the city has inadvertently added more fuel to the fire: On Friday, was issued stating the city failed to publish notice of council鈥檚 in the Austin American-Statesman, as required by code 鈥� meaning that initial vote on STRs needs to be voided, and held again with a new public hearing.
But later that day, the city found the misplaced notice of publication 鈥� dashing the hopes of commercial STR opponents that the city would be forced to revisit the issue anew.
All meetings are at Austin City Hall, and can. Tuesday鈥檚 work session begins at 9 a.m.
