[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6549630,"mediaKeyId","5442471-9fd1e80208fb1851bfc3af5e5db863d4","parentId",5442471,"title","City legislative director summarizes 89th Legislature outcomes; special session will focus on flood response, tax and housing issues","audioSeconds",987,"startMs",1336000,"endMs",2323000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5442471-9fd1e80208fb1851bfc3af5e5db863d4&start=1336&end=2323","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5442471-9fd1e80208fb1851bfc3af5e5db863d4/thumbnail_1336000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6549630/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/City-legislative-director-summarizes-89th-Legislature-outcomes-special-session-will-focus-on-flood-response-tax-and-housing-issues","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6549630-77c66d76bda3f174731c011f9bcbc992/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437598&Signature=LtoXJKc910yDA0uXtQdg4CDAciRgIxNNxCk8nUoemkP~vqgzOxQDSGMHXUpc5AgKRyiggOjEr5WdyPDF2tHXMq-gnSmE3fEX7-QDIlvEbP5eEHQUxB4HC8pDFydCoH7qoqa4AAe5x-xxAo7jGMJeP74MoCm-6jtNoiH9FsWhkOFjPY0wf~TKhEFw6VOlhqm-TWJ-LjzPJzHYtN2QFIe2eszZB~DyylRxkSMaSFW7I5kz27mK5p4fYVydwVQ0~1aKgZnfBGjY3a~edAHzrdh5XfOWbGhIjAFmkwFQwDvBEZsuD4qvU76h7SrWdMIJtz-XMiragmcci50Qiz1KgkxERQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Austin","date","2025-07-22T00:00:00Z","article","Carrie Rogers, legislative director for the City of Austin, briefed the council on July 22 about major outcomes from the regular session of the 89th Texas Legislature and the start of a governor-called special session.

Rogers told the council the city tracked about 1,500 bills out of roughly 9,000 filed during the regular session and that about 26 bills were vetoed by the governor. She said the city’s priorities included preserving local authority, fiscal responsibility and public safety, and that staff worked to build relationships with legislators to improve or mitigate bills that could affect Austin.

Rogers highlighted several specific outcomes discussed during the briefing: work on firefighters’ pension reform carried by Representative Busey and others that the city supported and which the governor signed; a bill affecting collective bargaining for firefighters (identified in the briefing as Senate Bill 77); preemption measures that affect local food-service regulation; and a legislative focus on water infrastructure that produced Senate Bill 7 and House Joint Resolution 7 in modified form. Rogers also noted housing-related bills that passed, including House Bill 21 (eliminating so-called traveling housing finance corporations) and House Bill 24 (notice process for rezoning), plus a measure to allow office-to-residential conversions in some commercial areas (identified in the briefing as Senate Bill 840). Austin Energy-related reporting requirements — including wildfire mitigation reporting to the Public Utility Commission — also passed, Rogers said.

Rogers told the council that a proposed Senate bill addressing county-level mental health crisis service centers (described in the briefing as Senate Bill 2487) did not reach final passage once associated funding was removed, but lawmakers told city staff they intend to revisit mental-health responses in future work.

The legislative director also previewed the governor’s special-session call. Rogers said items on the call include flood response and emergency communications, citing Kerr County as the example regulators are using to develop best practices and potential targeted funding. She said the special session began July 21, is limited to the topics named in the governor’s proclamation and may last up to 30 days.

A member of the public who spoke during the work session, Jen Robicheaux, identified herself as a South Austin resident and urged the council to apply Texas laws to homelessness. \"SB 617 supports integrating homeless individuals back into the community through community guided rapid rehousing,\" Robicheaux said; she also cited \"SB 1164 and the health and safety code\" and urged council to combine permanent supportive housing with intervention services as called for under those state laws.

Rogers and council members said the city will continue to monitor regular-session outcomes and the special session and that law and relevant departments are already working to operationalize new statutory requirements. The legislative office said it will keep council informed as the special session proceeds.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Austin - City Council Work Session - Jul 22, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Carrie Rogers, the City of Austin’s legislative director, briefed the council on July 22 about outcomes from the regular 89th Texas Legislature and the governor’s newly convened special session, highlighting firefighter pension changes, preemption measures, housing and water bills, and a planned focus on flood response.","taxTitle","Austin, Travis County, Texas","taxId",2819,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6549634,"Austin council to post agendas earlier after change to Texas Open Meetings Act",451,357000,808000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5442471-9fd1e80208fb1851bfc3af5e5db863d4&start=357&end=808","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5442471-9fd1e80208fb1851bfc3af5e5db863d4/thumbnail_357000.jpg","/articles/6549634/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Austin-council-to-post-agendas-earlier-after-change-to-Texas-Open-Meetings-Act","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6549634-bb26958e5f990ee17472080e25c49810/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437598&Signature=T0eE-zr4hJJb6ukO6ryH5UheqZgrwaDVyPJHV-aa1yuvhwwmzmex3naeu0JJepB-RcQzy4Tan53FCEa00GsTWUDCr-mbl9J8xGSa9hbheOewxU-Z3dVrjXE1Q716xdX-1iHzz5kUBZ9inAP4RKrq2ggeiZOu81jJ1CKQyBqnjI2oiZxU0QqN74Yq7AWI88Q4ui59ur9DuS-dVnb6oRq1fFoAX063QtA6M2Unh3WAtZFyAljODKtid2YOsYeq8-3-J0VpRVVr9IbEgY5y1n8MNUJe54u32PJnkMtXUrYhD8IV5MblMdgORlGD-mFqXJa-CVNjbwhedVSiYf5BoVuYhQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mayor Pro Tem Fuentes and city staff told the Austin City Council on July 22 that a change to the Texas Open Meetings Act will require the city to post meeting agendas earlier and adjust internal deadlines.

Genesis Covino, chief of staff to the city manager, told the council that pulled agenda items will now be due on a Wednesday instead of a Friday. \"What is changing as mayor pro tem indicated is that pulled items are due on a Wednesday now as opposed to a Friday,\" Covino said, adding that offices will still receive a draft agenda about 13 days before the meeting and that Q&A content can be added up until the day before the meeting.

Neil Falgo of the law department explained the change in statutory language. \"The Texas Open Meetings Act had stated that the agenda needs to be posted 72 hours before the time of the meeting. That has been revised to state that the agenda must be posted 3 full business days before the date of the meeting,\" Falgo said, giving the example that a Tuesday work session would need the agenda posted for Thursday, Friday and Monday to count as the three full business days.

Council members raised concerns that the earlier pull deadline will compress the time council offices and staff have to review long agendas and to respond to public input. Council Member Veil said the change shifts what had been decisions made the morning of a work session to roughly eight days before the actual council meeting, and urged staff to look for ways to reduce postponements. \"I'm honestly, I'm just kind of trying to think through this as we confront this,\" Veil said.

City staff also said they will require presentation files be submitted by 5 p.m. the day before a meeting so the information technology team can perform a basic security screening and pre-load presentations into the meeting queue. Covino described the change as driven by cybersecurity concerns and operational efficiency: handing unscanned thumb drives directly into city computers creates a risk and delays meeting flow.

Staff said the revised posting practice will take effect Sept. 1 under the new law, and the city will test the new calendar in August to work out operational issues. Council members asked staff to return with clarifications about holiday weeks, possible earlier distribution of draft agendas, and how the city will minimize the risk of pushing items to the council meeting because of the earlier pull deadline.

Council members and staff agreed to continue refining procedures and to use Q&A, technical assistance and earlier communication to limit the number of items that must be postponed at the dais. Staff emphasized they would continue to provide draft agendas and Q&A so council offices can get answers even after the pull deadline.","City staff explained a change in state law requiring agendas to be posted three full business days before meetings, which moves the deadline for council members to pull items earlier and requires presenters to submit materials a day in advance for cybersecurity screening.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6549625,"Austin launches ACME 'Creative Reset'; proposes simpler, tiered arts grant program and timeline for rollout",810,2766000,3576000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5442471-9fd1e80208fb1851bfc3af5e5db863d4&start=2766&end=3576","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5442471-9fd1e80208fb1851bfc3af5e5db863d4/thumbnail_2766000.jpg","/articles/6549625/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Austin-launches-ACME-Creative-Reset-proposes-simpler-tiered-arts-grant-program-and-timeline-for-rollout","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6549625-be6f67b12aa6dcaf7161f59c98266ccf/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437598&Signature=ilVN8HfuegMPjy~D1ZaU6moFksGpl7McVo2cBP2KfJLVyokD86c2SdeW7fQcbTP~V87VPk-bQbSbaMMPHu8YZ5r52eA9Y5mlXi87T-0O~359z1wsWFarbJ-GV1kbaPicChGeH7dwISjEToDkf3yiRULc-nEF~upeMFZklMd250RUprhEn~cAg-AcW8puEdwpxouNmiX-xnLy1lXvbF5iZDVTzKm6u6n5FckPDwbqtsaakuyApK6z3WCVfP1RPBYd4088UYB08-3gKsZw15maBUHAnShRvVYWn5hi5owLLYCahFncikMeN1-i0zRvXA78fwMMQ~PBhi~LcZd-Np9z2w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City of Austin’s new Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment office (ACME) presented a Phase 1 report and proposed changes to city arts funding programs at the council work session on July 22.

Angela Means, ACME director, said the office was stood up in February and that in four and a half months the team launched a \"Creative Reset,\" a yearlong strategic planning effort the office described as centering community input and simplifying the city’s arts funding programs. \"We found as we started talking to our members within our community that they really wanted us to listen and hear their stories so that we set our foundation on the needs of Austin,\" Means said.

ACME reported more than 1,200 responses to a 30-question community survey conducted between mid-May and July 20, plus focus groups and listening sessions. Based on that outreach, staff proposed program revisions that include simplified applications, the addition of microgrants, funding tiers, expanded eligibility to individuals, collectives, nonprofits and for-profit creative businesses, mentorship for first-time applicants and a universal appeals process.

Means described program-level changes to the city’s main grants: Nexus, Elevate and Thrive. Nexus was expanded from a single $5,000 award to a range ACME described as $2,500 up to $20,000 for entry-level support. Thrive remains aimed at longer-term operational support and would use a cohort model; ACME described Thrive awards as up to $250,000 (split as $125,000 per year in a two-year cycle). Elevate is intended for project-based scaling and audience-growth work. The office said funding sources for these programs come primarily from hotel-occupancy tax revenue, the city’s general fund and capital-project allocations tied to the city’s Art in Public Places program.

ACME said it will finalize guidelines and incorporate public and Arts Commission feedback by Aug. 1, publish application questions and hold technical-assistance workshops in the fall, and aims to distribute grant dollars in early 2026. The team said a program-evaluation phase will begin in September and that the full Creative Reset timeline covers four phases — strategic planning, program evaluation, resource development and implementation — over roughly 12 to 18 months.

Council members asked for clarifications and raised issues including whether award amounts would be tied to an organization’s operating budget, how scoring criteria would handle organizations that lost National Endowment for the Arts funding, and how ACME will prevent conflicts or grant \"double-dipping.\" ACME staff told council they would remove a proposed scoring preference for long-standing organizations after Arts Commission feedback, and that internal checks, transparency measures and staff training will be in place before the grants are rolled out.

Council members also discussed facility management and operations at the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex and asked ACME to treat cultural facilities holistically when evaluating capital and operational needs. ACME said it will examine facilities as districts and coordinate on resource development and capital planning.

ACME said it will provide regular updates to council as guidelines are refined and as internal controls and transparency tools are implemented.","The new Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment (ACME) office presented Phase 1 of a yearlong \"Creative Reset,\" proposing simplified applications, funding tiers, microgrants and expanded eligibility; staff reported 1,200 survey responses and said guidelines will be finalized Aug. 1 with a goal of distributing funds in early 2026.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

City legislative director summarizes 89th Legislature outcomes; special session will focus on flood response, tax and housing issues

Austin council to post agendas earlier after change to Texas Open Meetings Act

Austin launches ACME 'Creative Reset'; proposes simpler, tiered arts grant program and timeline for rollout