Sterilization on the first impoundment The Austin City Council will decide on the final reading of an ordinance that allows for the sterilization of animals on their first impoundment at the Austin Animal Center. The ordinance looks to help take pressure off the animal shelter, which has had issues in the past with available space. The sterilization ordinance will also help contain the amount of animal births in the city, which helps the city maintain its “no-kill” policy, which states 90 percent of the animals impounded at the shelter cannot be euthanized. There are some exceptions to the first impoundment sterilization policy. A sterilization will not occur if the surgery can hurt the health of the animal; if the owner, who comes to reclaim the animal prior to the expiration of the three-day hold period, objects to the sterilization; or if the surgery will require the animal to stay overnight and the shelter is at maximum capacity. Another provision of the ordinance says that if the animal is impounded twice, the owner cannot object to the sterilization and the animal becomes the property of the health authority. New Central Library project may get additional $5.5 million in funding Following a postponement of the item from last week’s meeting, the council will vote on authorizing the release of an additional $5.5 million for the construction of the new Central Library. The 200,000-square-foot, six-story library, located at 710 W. Cesar Chavez St., has been under development since 2006 when voters authorized the city to fund the construction. According to Courtney Black, a public information officer with the Department of Public Works, the $5.5 in question is not additional money, but part of the funds already allocated toward the project. She said with big projects like these, the city releases the money in increments. 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. City will bid on 10 parcels of surplus AISD land, hopes for affordable housing, spring protection and enhanced green space Earlier in the year, AISD identified 10 parcels of surplus land it would be putting on the market. The city of Austin, dealing with affordability issues, saw an opportunity. On Thursday, the council will vote to authorize the city to place a bid of $2.8 million for all 10 parcels of land. According to city documents, the land will be considered for the creation of permanent affordable housing, enhanced green space, the protection of natural drainage features and a spring. The council will also vote to support two affordable housing development proposals on two of these parcels. The first proposal is from Austin Habitat for Humanity, which is proposing to develop affordable and workforce housing on 12 acres of land directly adjacent to the AISD Service Center at 5101 E. 51st St. in District 1. The second proposal they will vote to support is from Foundation Communities, for the development of affordable housing on a piece of surplus property known as the Allan Center, located at 4900 Gonzalez St. The Lamar Beach Master Plan looks for an OK  In June 2014, the City Council initiated the process of drawing up a master plan for Lamar Beach at Town Lake Metro Park. On Thursday, the council will vote on approval of the master plan, drawn up by Design Workshop Inc. The master plan, which encompasses 64.5 acres of existing park land along the north shore of Lady Bird Lake between Lamar Boulevard and MoPac, lists a variety of improvements, from the creation of a larger waterfront park, enhanced buffer between the park and highway traffic, increased recreational amenities, a dedicated location for an animal services center, increased parking and better collaboration between youth groups, schools and animal organizations for programming opportunities. Public hearings on a number of zoning cases  There will be public hearings on 25 zoning cases during tomorrow’s council meeting. Among them, a District 5 property at 2413 Thornton Road is up for a rezone from general commercial services to multi-family residence, low density; A District 6 property at 9413 ½ Pearson Ranch Road will be up for a rezone from interim-rural residence to general office mixed-use; A District 7 property located at 16401 Bratton Lane is up for a rezone from single family residence to limited industrial services; and a District 9 property, located at 504 W. 7th St., known as the Bremond Carriage House, is up for a historic designation.