[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-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],{"_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",6493208,"mediaKeyId","5682395-4961a3b22d020398a1be1c1548607282","parentId",5682395,"title","Council debates Zilker Café contract after single bid, staff to revisit alcohol and procurement approach","audioSeconds",6056,"startMs",174000,"endMs",6230000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5682395-4961a3b22d020398a1be1c1548607282&start=174&end=6230","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5682395-4961a3b22d020398a1be1c1548607282/thumbnail_174000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6493208/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Council-debates-Zilker-Café-contract-after-single-bid-staff-to-revisit-alcohol-and-procurement-approach","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6493208-4c12e94f09a35a0cda5d020067518f29/orig.mp4?Expires=1770454054&Signature=X8XMbS9ZTQm1z~uQ81xe~PAPBv3Jb3wBTApKv86aOaHX-CHdPyS1~wzce7SCM4iiLzjN1UnWgCMXdoGZYgudhDEn8HJPjCNjz~YM5nDTYiVBe0IDts2oJrUpS0WDvBR3IKqlEunh2aLe2e-KWlxMLfYawRXUczRV8~vRssameuydG37a4~tpOIme1XdUoM7J0WdTD6HWGyGjPC~yMBDuozLOKZBWYbs08IdprKh-jWXvBE4PGq5d-av3SQkCcqP7ksuRD-EIXgTGAYUwEJrIjMQyo7-Q4Zi2SIWLuU3k~xLVF4lnGSlM3NSuEuDzqQAVbtnhqok2H9TqbMz1gSCrWw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Austin","date","2025-08-26T00:00:00Z","article","Austin City Council members opened an extended discussion on Aug. 26 about the Zilker Café concession after staff reported the solicitation produced a single compliant offer and procurement and parks staff recommended the contract for approval.

\"This is a revenue generating contract, so it's not an expenditure of public funds,\" James Scarborough, the city’s chief procurement officer, told the council while describing the solicitation process. Scarborough said the solicitation was published online, notified 427 registered vendors, included three commodity codes (vending/concessions, food management services, and a miscellaneous services code), and lasted 39 days with a pre-offer conference and site visit. He said one offer — from Legacy Hospitality and Entertainment — was received and that the Parks and Recreation Department’s board recommended approval.

Multiple council members raised concerns about why other vendors did not bid and whether requirements or restrictions discouraged local small businesses from applying. Councilmember Paige Ellis — who had pulled the item for discussion — and others pressed staff on outreach, commodity codes used, and the solicitation’s preference language for local products.

Denisha Cox, from contracting, said the solicitation included a preference for operators that \"support local diverse family and cooperative owned small and mid-sized agricultural and food processing operations.\" Cox added that bidders were required to submit a proposed menu subject to Parks review, but the menu preference was not a mandatory numerical threshold.

A recurring reason cited by prospective vendors for not bidding was the prohibition on alcohol sales at the café, Scarborough said. He said other concerns included the site’s seasonality, operational disruptions from major nearby events (such as ACL), and the minimum monthly fee and revenue-share requirements. Councilmembers said those constraints reduce interest from local operators and make it harder for locally owned businesses to compete.

Resident Chris Flores, who said she swims at Barton Springs and Deep Eddy, raised environmental concerns during public comment before the briefing. \"My reason for coming to you today is about the Zilker cafe,\" Flores said, describing sewer and grease incidents near Deep Eddy Pool in 2023 and asking that the contract address environmental protection for salamander habitat near Eliza Spring.

Councilmember Ryan Alter and others urged patience to get the terms right for a long-term relationship at a high-profile public site. Treasury and procurement staff and the city CFO discussed alternatives: Ed Mannino, the city’s chief financial officer, suggested that some concession arrangements be treated as real-estate transactions (a leasing model) rather than the formal procurement process the city used. Mannino said real-estate treatment could allow more flexibility to market and structure agreements to prioritize local businesses.

City Manager T.C. Broadnax told council staff would reconvene with procurement, finance and Parks to evaluate next steps, including the possibility of withdrawing the item from the Aug. 28 agenda. \"We will reconvene, discuss how we may wanna move forward, consider what we wanna do with the item that is currently scheduled for Thursday, and then follow back up with the council on next steps,\" Broadnax said.

Council debate also covered conditional-use permitting and past denials. Staff said a conditional-use permit request for alcohol at the site was denied by the planning commission in 2021, which councilmembers said has limited vendor interest. Councilmembers who supported allowing limited beer-and-wine sales said it could make the business financially viable and expand the pool of competitive bidders.

What’s next: staff will meet across procurement, Parks and finance to report back with options — including treating the concession as a real-estate lease, revisiting alcohol/CUP approaches, or adjusting solicitation terms — and may remove the item from the on-deck agenda while they return with recommendations.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Austin - City Council Work Session","oneSentenceSummary","Austin City Council members opened an extended discussion on Aug. 26 after procurement staff reported just one compliant bid for the Zilker Café concession and council asked staff to revisit alcohol restrictions, local-preference language and whether the space should be handled as a lease rather than a standard procurement.","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},6493215,"Austin officials outline flood-readiness steps after July storms",3322,313000,3635000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5682395-4961a3b22d020398a1be1c1548607282&start=313&end=3635","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5682395-4961a3b22d020398a1be1c1548607282/thumbnail_313000.jpg","/articles/6493215/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Austin-officials-outline-flood-readiness-steps-after-July-storms","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6493215-e6a99c2aaa124538f404e7e715880771/orig.mp4?Expires=1770454054&Signature=OHZicI9K16U8fLHN1bEEX2IFx~WL7Ohj02oaICekvlidpNmrFUdGgp7zJWpGBY71pa7o6kagAX6msV9-QKQmpsDHWXl2XCRIbjBRDTtTIjHDq-5bhCAFSrCUZu0pY3AvdgTp6Nfuhg7UzjU93kpeFAFtgWefyuZH7FRww5WS---HHd1f~bUDdZO9wOONzClXwXhNzICcrarVBq-20PkGLR1elYopc6-AVxpPw9c4EPA1J1P96PTufpLOw2TzXkVxFn5A4k2lG~4cgQT3WF7b74JvHmNtRWFxQV8N5frn5xFyj53mC44LqrwVNESIBS8xwFxca1d5nyiDRmlbTndOBQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City officials told the Austin City Council on Aug. 26 that flood readiness remains a top priority after heavy storms this summer, outlining recent emergency responses, capital projects, regulatory work and public outreach aimed at reducing risk to lives and property.

\"This particular item, related to flood readiness, is very important, to us as well as our residents,\" Watershed Protection Department Director Jorge Morales said as he opened a briefing for council. Morales and Jim Redick, director of Homeland Security Emergency Management (HESAM), summarized preparedness and response work, including real-time monitoring, debris removal, infrastructure investments and community education.

The briefing came after intense storms this year that prompted the city to activate operations centers and field teams. Morales said crews closed low-water crossings, conducted reconnaissance and removed debris; he said the department had recovered more than 10,000 tons of debris from drainage infrastructure through June and removed over 1,000 tons after one May microburst. He noted the city has completed many capital flood projects — including the Waller Creek Tunnel and Onion Creek buyouts — and that those investments helped limit local impacts during recent events.

Redick described emergency-notification work and said the city is moving to become an authorized wireless alerting authority. \"I am proud, proud to say that we are becoming an alerting authority,\" Redick told council, adding the status will let the city issue life-safety wireless emergency alerts without routing requests through county or state partners.

Officials also outlined regulatory and planning work. Morales said the city is updating floodplain maps using ATLAS 14 precipitation data and will post draft map updates to regulate to before FEMA completes its longer review. He said roughly 10 percent of Austin’s land is in a floodplain and the city has more than 10,000 structures and 400 roads vulnerable in a 100-year event. The Watershed department is updating its strategic plan, called Rain to River, and Morales asked the public to participate in an online survey that closes Sept. 15.

Council members pressed staff on funding and prioritization. Councilmember Natasha Harper Madison asked about grant-seeking and how the city is advocating for federal funds after a missed FEMA grant; Morales said intergovernmental relations and a city grant coordinator are pursuing loans and grant opportunities, including Water Development Board programs. Council members also asked how many projects are \"shovel-ready\"; Morales replied many projects are in design and preliminary engineering and could advance if construction funding is available.

On historical and investment figures, staff materials and the briefing noted the city has completed dozens of storm projects since 2001 and cited roughly $600 million in completed projects to date while identifying an estimated $2 billion in overall capital needs for drainage and flood risk reduction.

Councilmembers and staff discussed outreach and the challenge of alert subscriptions. Redick and other staff emphasized multiple notification channels (wireless emergency alerts for life-safety messages and Warn Central Texas for subscription updates) and warned of \"alert fatigue\" when messages are not targeted. Redick said Warn Central Texas still requires opt-in by users, and that the city will continue public education and work with media and ATXN to boost awareness.

Councilmembers praised specific mitigation projects presented during the briefing. Councilmember Chido Vela and others highlighted the near-complete Little Walnut Creek (\"Smearns Metals\") and Mearns Meadow projects as examples where construction already delivered benefits during recent storms.

What’s next: staff will continue the Rain to River outreach, finalize draft floodmap updates for public posting, pursue grants and loans, and refine notification and evacuation guidance. Redick said a revised, more user-friendly evacuation/protective-action plan will be posted at the end of the month.

The briefing and question-and-answer session ended before the council moved on to other agenda items.","Watershed Protection and Austin Homeland Security & Emergency Management briefed council on flood history, recent storm responses, mapping updates, alerting authority and capital needs; staff reiterated outreach and grant-seeking while council pressed for bond and grant strategies.","actionData","errors"]

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Council debates Zilker Café contract after single bid, staff to revisit alcohol and procurement approach

Austin officials outline flood-readiness steps after July storms