It's Wednesday, the speed hump in the week's neighborhood side street.

☀️ Today's weather: Sunny with a high in the low 80s.

🎂 Happy birthday to our member Alison Dilly.

Today’s newsletter is 1,093 words — a 4-minute read.

A City Council race in Austin's urban core could have important implications for the direction of city housing policy.

Why it matters: The question animating the race is one that has concerned many American cities — how to increase density while preserving a city's character.

What's happening: Zohaib "Zo" Qadri, who is running for reelection, has argued that easing the way for denser construction makes housing more affordable.

• Challenger Rich Heyman, a former University of Texas lecturer, says council members have loosened rules at the behest of developers and corporate interests.
• Katie Kam, a civil engineer and former Austin city planner, and two other challengers are on the ballot.

What they're saying: Citing declining rent, Qadri tells Axios he and the City Council have delivered results by reforming the city housing rules.

• "I want to see an Austin that really works for everyone, where everyone has a chance," he says.

The other side: Heyman criticizes Qadri for approving "sweetheart deals," citing his May vote to approve a development agreement for a 2,600 acre southeast Austin known as Dog's Head, to be anchored by Amazon's robotics division. (In July, Qadri voted against creating a special tax zone for the area.)

• The council, he says, is composed of "well-meaning liberal-minded people who have been misled" by "right-wing, libertarian think tanks."

Zoom out: As Austin in recent years has reformed its housing rules, the city has been at the vanguard of the yes-in-my-backyard (YIMBY) movement.

The intrigue: The election is a test of the political clout of some of the old Austin neighborhoods of District 9, including Travis Heights, Bouldin and Hyde Park, which once dominated city politics, back when the City Council was ushered into office in at-large elections.

• The District 9 vote may pit households in those neighborhoods, many of them sporting Heyman signs, against voters in and around the University of Texas.

Between the lines: Qadri has the endorsement of the Austin American-Statesman, whose editorial board praised him for "advancing more housing, stronger tenant protections and expanded assistance for people experiencing homelessness."

• Heyman has the endorsement of the Austin Chronicle, which said it was "concerned about the pro-development tilt on Council."

Follow the money

Musicians can soon get $5 parking for gigs at some Austin venues in or near downtown.

Why it matters: As musicians move toward the suburbs, part of a broader affordability exodus from central Austin, expensive parking has been a deterrent to playing Red River and other downtown spots.

Driving the news: Metropolis Technologies, a company that operates parking lots around the country, announced Tuesday that it will offer $5 flat fee parking to musicians playing some venues, in a program it calls Park and Play.

How it works: Starting Nov. 2, musicians will access the special rate using QR codes provided by managers at a handful of Austin venues.

• The initial venues in the program include Antone's, Barbarella, Cheer Up Charlies, Elephant Room, Flamingo Cantina, Hotel Vegas, Kingdom Nightclub, Mohawk, Nica on 4th, Parker Jazz Club, Swan Dive and the 13th Floor.

What they're saying: Rising costs "are putting added pressure on the very musicians who make the city's live music scene so special," Andrew White, vice president of operations at Metropolis, said at a news conference on Tuesday. "By removing even one of those financial barriers, we hope Park and Play can make a small but meaningful difference."

• "This program is such a respite for all musicians" for whom parking can be a "nightmare," Benjamin Triesch, an Austin musician and secretary-treasurer of the Austin Federation of Musicians, said at the news conference at the 13th Floor.

Between the lines: Metropolis isn't getting a subsidy from the city of Austin to provide the cheaper parking, White tells Axios.

What Shinyribs says about $5 parking

⚖️ A former Flock Safety employee filed a lawsuit alleging a "boys club" culture at the company's Austin operations. (Austin American-Statesman 🔒)

🚭 Austin leaders are considering zoning changes aimed at keeping new e-cigarette and tobacco shops farther from schools. (Fox 7 Austin)

🏀 The University of Texas women's basketball team is ranked sixth in the Associated Press preseason poll. (AP)

👀 Texas backup quarterback KJ Lacey Jr. is getting more first-team reps in practice this week, following up-and-down play from starter Arch Manning. (ESPN)

👋 Nicole here. Last week, I asked whether you still own and use a printer at home.

Catch up quick: My mother is always shocked when I remind her that I don't have one.

• I actually haven't owned one since college at UT, and even then, it rarely worked.

Zoom in: Now, I head to my local library branch when I need to print twice a year.

Here's how y'all feel about printing from home.

Meg M. has three printers, "remnants of WFH," each with its own quirks.

• One reliably prints in black and white, another handles color but refuses to print if a cartridge is low, and the third sits unused. "Replacement printer cartridges cost about the same as a small SUV."

Brandi C.B. says: "We have a printer. It almost never works. We replaced it because the one before almost never worked. Aaargh."

Katie B. writes: "Yes, we don't use it a ton but love having our printer for random documents. I print checklists for packing or cleaning, print coloring sheets or activities for my kids."

BJ F. has neighbors who come over to print things, "since, of course, they don't have a printer. We consider our printer as a free public service!"

The bottom line: Those of us without printers know where to find one.

• As our Axios Dallas colleague Naheed Dharsi puts it: "I print at my parents' house like a true millennial."

Sure, it got into the 80s yesterday afternoon — but we spotted these workers (👆) wrapping holiday lights around trees by BookPeople.

Why it matters: We could all use that festive time of year.

Thanks to Bob Gee for editing this newsletter.

Editor's note: The first item has been corrected to reflect that Zo Qadri voted in favor of a development agreement for the Dog's Head tract (not a special tax zone).

🚁 Asher has the theme song of this 1980s shoot-'em-up TV show in his head.

🙃 Nicole took off her phone case and immediately dropped the phone and cracked her screen.