Speed limit ordinances on two main corridors will likely be postponed

The City Council is looking for a way to change traffic behaviors in the city on two main corridors—Parmer Lane and N. Lamar Boulevard—to make them safer. New speed ordinances for the two roads were set to be introduced on Thursday, but will be postponed after a work session discussion on Tuesday exposed changes that needed to be made. District 7 Council Member Leslie Pool said she would like to have a conversation with Texas Department of Transportation officials before changing the speed limits. District 1 Council Member Ora Houston said that it would be irresponsible for the city to change the speed limits without significant community outreach involved with the process.

City staff said when it comes to speed limit changes, it is common to have community outreach events about the changes, rather just make it obvious that the limits have changed and implement a grace period for people to get used to it.

The consensus of the council seemed to be that it was not about speed, but more so about road behavior. District 4 Council Member Gregorio Casar said he did not want to see people getting tickets, but rather wanted to see driving behavior change. Pool said she believed that a speed limit change would not solve all safety issues, but would be a first step in changing the behavior of drivers on certain roads.

Council will vote on the appointment of Austin’s interim police chief

On Nov. 17, Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo announced he took a job as Houston’s Police Chief, putting an end to a nearly 10-year career as chief in Austin. The following day, interim City Manager Elaine Hart named Assistant Police Chief Brian Manley as interim chief.

Before Manley officially takes office, his appointment must be approved by the council. During a work session Tuesday, Casar said Thursday’s vote will be important and that he anticipates a lot of public conversation on the matter.

New Central Library may get additional $5.5 million in funding

The council will vote on authorizing the release of an additional $5.5 million for the construction of the new Central Library. The library, at 710 W. Cesar Chavez St., has been in the works since voters approved the original $90 million budget in 2006.

If the funds are approved on Thursday, the budget from the library will increase to $126.6 million. The project includes the construction of a 2nd Street bridge, roadway and Shoal Creek Greenbelt improvements and construction of the Seaholm Substation Art Wall.

Bike sharing in Austin may get a lot bigger

The council will discuss expanding the city’s bike sharing program by authorizing a five-year, $805,000 contract with B-Cycle LLC. The new contract will allow for more stations to be added throughout the city to make the program more available to different parts of Austin.

The Austin bike sharing program has been growing in popularity. In 2015, the city used part of a $4 million federal grant to add four new B-Cycle stations. Last year, B-Cycle also introduced a new, reduced monthly membership program aimed at low-income families.

The Satanic Temple will not lead Thursday's invocation

When the agenda for Thursday’s meeting came out last week, there was an interesting start to the meeting that one would only expect to find in this weird city—Jeremy Galloway would be offering the meeting’s invocation on behalf of the Satanic Temple of Austin.

While it had many people curious, Galloway had to cancel his appearance because he was out of town, according to Austin City Clerk Jannette Goodall. City spokesperson Bryce Bencivengo confirmed that Rev. Dr. Mark Nuckols of the Saint Paul Lutheran Church will be leading Thursday’s invocation instead.

Galloway asked to be put back on the invocation rotation for an unspecified later date, according to Goodall. District 6 Council Member Don Zimmerman on Monday posted a draft ordinance on the city of Austin Council Message Board that only allows for people specifically invited by the mayor or council to offer the invocation. Galloway was not invited, but rather asked to be on the list and was accepted.