Council takes on pets, parks, pedals

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The Austin City Council convened Thursday to discuss everything from landfills to a no-kill shelter. The agenda was chock full of items and some are a little confusing. So, here is a rundown of what the council had on its plate and which items passed.

Landfills

The council was set to discuss the legal issues with the lateral expansion of Waste Management of Texas' landfill in Northeast Travis County. They also need to talk about the legal ramifications of the vertical expansion of the BFI Waste Systems of North America landfill in Northeast Travis County. If they find little issues with the expansions, the council will discuss possible actions on the expansions. Council will also address the legal issues with their various agreements with the Austin Revitalization Authority.

Music Memorial

Council approved a resolution naming the 2009 inductees to the Austin Music Memorial. In mid-2007, the council adopted the Austin Music Memorial Guidelines and inducted more Austin Music Memorial honorees. The council focused on the Austin Music Memorial's impact on the city as a cultural heritage site and tourist destination. The memorial, as a whole, displays the different styles, genres and talents that inhabit Austin.

Barton Springs Project

Barton Springs will be getting a facelift, if the city council has anything to do with it. The council voted and passed a master plan Thursday that includes improvements to facilities, grounds and water quality. Save Our Springs Alliance, however, opposes the plan. SOS is asking the public to have more input on how to spend $6 million. More than 450,000 people enjoy the pool every year.

Bike Lanes

With Austin constantly striving to to become more bike-friendly, it is no wonder why the city council passed a new bike facility proposal. The new bike facilities would include colored bike lanes and "bikes may use full lane" signs around the city. This initiative set up a contract with the University of Texas at Austin's center of transportation research to study the effectiveness and possible locations of initial shared lane markings as well as more signage. They also will research the use of bike boxes, which are pieces of colored pavement that are put at intersections to buffer cyclists and drivers.

No-kill Shelter

The Austin City Council approved a resolution urging the Animal Advisory Commission to recommend programs and policies that could reduce the killing of homeless animals. In 2008, the Town Lake Animal Center euthanized more than 12,000 animals. The problem is too many strays, lost and abandoned pets, and not enough people to adopt them.

Music Venues

Council approved the regulatory, operational and enforcement requirements for outdoor music venues. This adopted a take a temporary moratorium from issuing permits, because of confusion regarding the permitting process. The city has recently received an increase in complaints about outdoor music from neighborhood groups as a part of the Live Music Task Force process.

Saving Money Initiative

With the poor economy finally hitting Austin, the council had to look at a way for city employees to cut costs. Friday, City Manager Marc Ott plans to launch a new "dollars and sense" initiative which will offer city employees a platform to recommend ideas for potential cost saving.

"We're looking for innovative ways, probably even entailing changing how we do certain things," said Ott. "Such that the savings that accrue from those efforts are reoccurring."

Ott also said the savings could help employees save jobs within the city.

"That's sort of a last resort," said Ott. "But, these are difficult economic times as everyone knows, so we're looking at everything."