1. In search for new city manager, city of Austin employees report dissatisfaction with culture The city of Austin has a culture issue that city employees hope the new city manager will address, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the firm responsible for the city manager search. Interim City Manager Elaine Hart has been in the position since October. A city manager search firm has been hired to help find a permanent replacement. 2. Meet the finalists for Austin's director of libraries Residents are invited to attend a town hall in which candidates up for the new director of libraries will give a short speech of three to five minutes each and then take audience questions. Afterward, an informal meet-and-greet will give members of the public an opportunity to speak with the candidates on a more personal level. The town hall is on Thursday from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Carver Branch, 1161 Angelina St., Austin. The finalist will fill the spot of Brenda Branch, who retired on Dec. 31 after 40 years. The director of libraries oversees all 21 library branches in Austin, including the New Central Library. After the town hall, Interim Assistant City Manager Sara Hensley will decide which one or two candidates will go forward to a final interview with Interim City Manager Elaine Hart for a final interview on July 28. 3. Austin gets its own 'Chopped' competition West Sixth Street's Parlor & Yard is looking for its next full-time chef and is having a competition to fill the position. The sports bar is partnering with Austin's first monthly dining club Taster's Table Club to hold its own "Chopped" competition, in which local chefs are invited to cook over several rounds and compete for the job. Preliminary rounds take place on Aug. 7, 8 and 14, and the final round of the competition will take place on Aug. 15. The kitchen takeover could be completed as soon as Aug. 28. Interested parties should contact Matt Wolski at [email protected]. 4. Austin's parks get more than $240,000 in improvements Several of Austin's parks are getting new community pavilions, improved playscapes, park irrigation systems and improved trails thanks to more than $240,000 in grants from the Austin Parks Foundation and the Austin City Limits Music Festival Park Grants Program. The following parks received grant money:
  • Wooten Park ($70,000): New community pavilion
  • Hartford Park ($50,000): New park development
  • Oak Springs Elementary School Park ($50,000): Playscape equipment to replace East Austin school playground recently destroyed in a fire
  • Wright Field ($12,950): Irrigation system to support little league fields at Zilker Park
  • Cunningham Elementary School Park ($8,000): New water fountain at South Austin park
  • Spyglass Trailhead at Barton Creek Greenbelt ($50,000): Redeveloped trailhead for the Barton Creek Greenbelt
5. Austin-Round Rock MSA sees lowest unemployment rate of the month A new report by the Texas Workforce Commission released Friday showed for the 12th consecutive month, Texas' economy expanded with the addition of 40,200 seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs. Texas’ annual employment growth outperformed the previous two years with 319,300 jobs added over the year, bringing the state’s annual growth rate up by 0.4 percentage points to 2.7 percent, according to the report. The metropolitan statistical areas of Austin-Round Rock and Amarillo recorded the lowest unemployment rates of the month at 3.4 percent.