Austin City Council—Aug. 28

City Manager Marc Ott has been directed to seek recommendations on making Barton Springs Spillway an area for swimming and to lift the on-leash policy for dogs.

City staff will begin searching for partners to conduct a wage disparity study in Austin and will return the recommendations and results of the study to council when completed.

Ott is directed to draft a homestead property tax exemption and return it no later to council than Dec. 1. The exemption would not allow a home to receive a tax break more than $5,000.

Council recommends the final construction stage for Oak Hill at Hwy. 290 that would include a non-tolled and non-elevated parkway design with minimum frontage roads.

Ott will develop a plan for Parking Enterprise to gain control of all or some of the city-owned parking facilities.

A resolution to determine a standard temperature in all city office buildings to create energy savings.

These items in this list were passed with all council members voting "yes."

City Council cracks down on distracted driving

(Posted 3:20 p.m.)

Austin City Council unanimously approved a distracted driving ordinance stricter than existing law.

The ordinance would allow texting while driving, or other uses of a portable electronic device by hand, only if the vehicle or bicycle being operating is at a complete stop.

The city's original distracted driving ordinance was changed to allow the use of a portable electronic devices after some members of council, including Councilman Bill Spelman, voiced concern that banning the use of cell phones altogether could cause more danger. He gave the example of drivers who utilize a GPS while stopped to make sure they safely reach their destination.

Other council members voiced concern on how best to enforce such an ordinance at an Aug. 5 council work session. Austin Police Department Assistant Chief Brian Manley told council that educating the community about the new law would be of utmost importance.

"This is not an issue that we're going to resolve through enforcement, it would be through voluntary compliance," Manley said.

He also said in the beginning police officers would only warn those in violation of the ordinance to help spread the word and educate community members.

Some council members brought forward concerns from pedicab operators who said the ordinance would hurt their business. Spelman pointed out the commercial bike drivers may still use their phones to conduct business as long as they utilize the hands-free function.

Pedestrians would not be subject to the ordinance.

Vote: 7 "yes" and 0 "no"

Contentious park finally receives name

(Posted 3:55 p.m.)

A park along Del Curto Road has officially been named after much debate.

The park has been dubbed Tom Lasseter-South Lamar Neighborhood Park in an attempt by Councilman Mike Martinez to create a compromise between the South Lamar Neighborhood Association and Lasseter's daughter, who proposed naming the park after her father.

The name became an issue earlier this summer between community members become divided whether to name the park after Lasseter, who purchased the land and cleared way for the park in the 1960s, or the South Lamar Neighborhood Association.

"The Lasseter family, along with many respected community leaders and residents who live close to the park, all ask that council members preserve this history, preserve the meaning ... by naming it after a person who contributed so much," Lasseter's daughter Carrie said.

Tom Lasseter was a Navy veteran and architect of many buildings in Austin. He died in 2011 at age 85 a few short years after purchasing the park property. The property now includes a playground, basketball court and pavilion.

South Lamar Neighborhood Association members opposed naming the park after Lasseter. The association instead asked to have the park named after the South Lamar neighborhood.

Vote: 5 "yes" and 2 "no" with Mayor Lee Leffingwell and Councilman Bill Spelman voting "no"

Austin may receive more revenue from 'iconic' local business

(Posted 6:15 p.m.)

A bigger share of Butler Pitch and Putt's revenue could go to Austin in the near future.

Austin City Council passed a resolution to negotiate with the Kinser family, operators of the par-3 golf course, on how much of the business's revenue should go to the city than what is already agreed upon.

The business has been owned- and operated by the family for more than 50 years, and the Kinslers wish to continue doing so. Butler Pitch and Putt's contract with the city has not been reviewed since the business first opened, the city said. The Pitch and Putt website said the business has been open since 1949. There has since been no discussion to revisit how much customer revenue should go back to the city, Sara Hensley of Austin's Parks and Recreation Department said.

City Manager Marc Ott is also directed, per the resolution, to improve landscaping on the grounds and to provide ADA accessibility to the Butler Pitch and Putt clubhouse.

Councilman Bill Spelman voiced concern that the grounds are not properly maintained.

"It looks the same as it did 50 years ago," Spelman said.

New youth programming and additional concessions will also be considered as will resolving current obstacles for pedestrian and bicycle to gain access to the pitch-and-putt golf course.

The city will also study parking meters along Lee Barton Drive to decide if revenue created from on-street paid parking could be directed toward improvements to the business.

Vote: 5 "yes" and 2 "no" with Mayor Lee Leffingwell and Councilman Bill Spelman voting "no"

City Council moves to bring more solar energy to Austin

(Posted 10:30 p.m.)

Austin City Council unanimously approved a resolution on Aug. 28 that would create enough solar energy for 100,000 homes.

Councilman Chris Riley introduced the resolution that is co-sponsored by Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole and Councilman Mike Martinez.

"We can still make significant progress on renewable energy while keeping our rates affordable," Riley said at a news conference Aug. 26. "To the extent we've been seeing price spikes lately, it's not so much because of renewable energy, it's actually been due in large part to our dependence on fossil fuels."

The resolution has been dubbed by Riley as the "affordable energy resolution" because more renewable energy options could equal more savings for Austin residents, he said.

A cost analysis study by Public Citizen, a consumer watchdog group, found that the solar energy proposed in the resolution would save Austin consumers between $12.6 million and $32 million a year compared to building a new natural gas-fired power plant, according to a news release.

Per the resolution, Austin Energy's Decker Plant will be phased out in favor of a 600-megawatt solar-powered plant. Plans to shut down the Austin Energy plant have been in the works for some time because Decker Plant has nearly met its life expectancy, Riley said.

The solar panels would not go in place of the Decker Plant but instead would likely end up in West Texas on property already owned by Austin, the councilman said.

Austin Energy sent out a news release on Aug. 26, the same day Riley announced the resolution, that stated Decker still has many years of life left in it.

"Notwithstanding any analyses we may conduct in the future, I can tell you that replacing Decker with solar power contracts would be an economic disaster for ratepayers," Austin Energy General Manager Larry Weis said in a news release. "Austin Energy made $44 million from Decker in 2011. We cannot afford to lose that income without replacing it with rate increases or elimination of programs that do not produce income."

Replacing Decker with solar power would not be an equal exchange because solar can only be used when the sun is shining and Decker can be operated day or night and is only operated when it lowers cost for ratepayers, according to the news release.

Vote: 5 "yes" with Mayor Lee Leffingwell and Councilman Bill Spelman off the dais.