Austin City Council returns on today after a month-long break and will take on a lengthy agenda for its second-to-last regular council meeting of 2017. The meeting is the first regular council meeting since Nov. 9. The city’s lawmakers are set to take on a range of topics from contentious airport concession contracts, long-awaited park development and controversial sewage discharge into one of the city’s main tributaries, to gun control and progress in the city manager search. Here are some items to watch for:
Item 9: Contentious concessions
Council will decide on eight concession contracts at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Among the contracts is one with Host International, which looks to open airport locations for 24-Diner and Parkside. However, the operator of Black's BBQ and Threadgill’s believes they should have received the contract instead and is expected to protest on Thursday.
Item 21: Construction contract for the Onion Creek Metro Park
City Council is expected to award a $2.6 million contract to Solis Constructors Inc., for the first phase of park improvements at the 550-acre Onion Creek Metro Park. The improvements include parking, lighting, water connection, play fields and hike-and-bike trails.
Item 29: Dripping Springs sewage discharge into Onion Creek
Last year, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issued a permit to Dripping Springs to allow the city to discharge a maximum of 995,000 gallons of sewage into a main tributary of Onion Creek. Austin is set to discuss the issue and what steps to take moving forward.










