BG Reads | News You Need to Know (July 17, 2023)
[BG PODCAST]
EPISODE 205 // Bingham Group Associate’s Hannah Garcia and Wendy Rodriguez with CEO A.J. review the week in Austin politics and more.
The discussion covers:
• Texas Legislature reaches deal for property tax cuts → www.kxan.com/news/18-billion-de…in-states-history/
• City of Austin ends APD-DPS partnership after community backlash and an alarming incident over the weekend → www.austinchronicle.com/daily/news/20…id=4f22e5507c
• City Boards and Commissions recommend Telework policy for city employees → www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2023/0…ity-employees/
• Local organizations call for quicker turnaround on Land Development Code Amendments → www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/202…date=2023-07-12
• All 32 City of Austin pools are open after several years of staffing issues → www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2023/0…f-swim-season/
• Some AustinISD Teachers were paid $2000 in error and must pay that back to AISD → communityimpact.com/austin/southwes…ocessing-error/
>>> SHOW LINK <<<
Also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
[AUSTIN METRO]
Austin interim city manager puts forward $5.5 billion budgeT (KXAN)
City of Austin Interim City Manager Jesús Garza released his proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year on Sunday, which forecasts a combined projected increase of 2% in local fees for the typical ratepayer.
In his message included in the budget, Garza said the budget is “Back to Basics.”
“The FY 2023-24 Budget we are proposing is Back to Basics in the sense that we are refocusing on the core services our residents need and expect,” Garza said. “To ignite and foster a Back to Basics culture, I moved quickly to evaluate and fundamentally shift the organizational structure of the City. We went beyond an organizational chart – we carefully and critically assessed issues that represent our most significant community challenges, like emergency response, capital project delivery, homelessness and affordability, defining the City’s role, as well as the roles of partner organizations.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
The 'Great Migration' isn't dead, but it's evolving — and so is its housing impact (Austin business Journal)
The Sunbelt cities that benefited from the Covid-19-fueled “Great Migration” are still seeing an influx of people — but no longer an accompanying surge in home prices.
The analysis, from Bank of America Corp. anonymized customer transaction data, gives additional insight into where Americans are moving, with data through the first quarter of 2023. And while the growth has certainly slowed, people are still on the move.
Austin, which saw a 5% net inflow from the first quarter of 2022 compared to the first quarter of 2020, saw a 1.5% increase between the first quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023. Tampa, Orlando, Dallas, Charlotte, Houston, Phoenix and Las Vegas all saw net inflows of people. Cleveland saw a big net inflow, as well.
Cities that struggled with migration during the pandemic, such as San Francisco, San Jose, New York and Boston, continued to see people leave over the last year, according to Bank of America's data... (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Plan for ‘gentle’ density in Austin neighborhoods up for first council vote (Community impact)
Today, Austin's land use rules mandate most new homes, ranging from single-family residences to townhomes and duplexes, can only be built on pieces of land that are at least 5,750 square feet or larger. For the lowest-density “large lot” zoning designation, that lot size minimum is 10,000 square feet.
Additionally, city code caps the number of homes in areas zoned as single family at two units, regardless of lot size.
Noting such regulations are “not conducive to smaller-scale homes” and out of line with how many other cities treat their housing development restrictions, a new proposal from Council Member Leslie Pool could end up slashing Austin's minimum lot size and permitting three or more units per property. The changes are inspired by some of the unique zoning rules established for the Mueller neighborhood, which features smaller homes and townhouses allowed under its redevelopment master plan… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
Ken Paxton’s defense and prosecution fight over pretrial impeachment procedureS (KXAN)
With less than two months before the start of the Senate impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton, attorneys defending and prosecuting the case are taking their arguments over pretrial rules public. On Wednesday morning, Paxton’s defense attorneys made a motion for pretrial scheduling order or conference with proposed discovery deadlines ahead of the trial. Discovery is the process in which legal parties exchange information about the case, in order for both sides to have an awareness of what witnesses and evidence might be presented or who will during trial. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, who will preside as the judge in the case, complied with the request from Paxton’s legal team, issuing a discovery order late Wednesday evening.
In their request for official deadlines, Paxton’s lawyers said “a scheduling order is necessary to ensure a full and fair trial,” because of the “House’s ongoing intransigence” and the “Senate’s unintentional oversight in not providing for a pretrial discovery schedule.” In a statement to Nexstar, Dick DeGuerin and Rusty Hardin — the prosecution team acting on behalf of the House managers — denied accusations that they were not sharing information and documents with the defense team. “We had already offered to voluntarily exchange information and documents with Paxton’s legal team but they ignored us, choosing to complain instead of to cooperate,” DeGuerin said in a statement to Nexstar. “We will happily comply with Lt. Governor Patrick’s discovery order and have started that dialogue.” Republican Rep. Jeff Leach, — who sits on the board of impeachment managers — echoed DeGuerin and Hardin’s statement in a tweet, calling for “the games to end so the evidence can speak.” “I am happy and eager to comply with this discovery order, which orders information that had already been offered by the House Managers and which would’ve been quickly disclosed,” the Plano representative said. “I’m also hopeful Attorney General Paxton will, without delay, be forthcoming with evidence required to be produced under the Texas Rules of Evidence.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
A&M faculty leaders decry “appearance of outside influence” in botched hiring of journalism professor (Texas Tribune)
An association of Texas A&M faculty on Friday condemned the university’s administration for its role in failed contract negotiations with renowned journalist, Kathleen O. McElroy, who walked away from an offer to reboot its journalism department.
In a letter obtained by The Texas Tribune, Tracy Hammond, speaker for the Texas A&M Faculty Senate, said the group’s executive committee “decries the appearance of outside influence in the hiring and promotion of faculty.”
The letter comes three days after the Tribune reported that McElroy ended contract negotiations with the university, which had previously celebrated her intention to leave a tenured position at the University of Texas at Austin to revive the A&M journalism department… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Aurora’s self-driving semis aim to be on Texas highways by 2024 (Texas PuBlic Radio)
In Texas, big rigs often overrun the highways from Austin to San Antonio to Dallas and Houston and major highways in between. One of the most popular of these routes, the Dallas-Houston route along I-45, is about to get a new kind of big rig. Aurora, an autonomous trucking company based in Dallas, has begun manned test drives on this stretch with a goal of full automation by the end of 2024. Until then, a driver still sits behind the wheel, ready to take over in case of emergency. Alexandra Skores, business reporter for the Dallas Morning News, joined one Aurora team on their Dallas-Houston trip. “I sat in the back seat, watched two drivers, you know, monitor the roads, looking for any objects in the way, any challenges to the technology. And overall, really just watched this very complex, but like large-scale technology, do the work of making one of these big rigs fully autonomous,” Skores said.
She said the ride went off without a hitch but that the company is always looking for ways to improve their safety features. “It was a pretty smooth ride, and by the end of 2024, that route could be completely driverless,” she said. “But they’re going to be testing all throughout this year, all throughout next year to make sure this technology is bulletproof. They want to make sure that they are putting the best possible technology out there on the roads to ensure that the average driver doesn’t feel like it’s unsafe.” That’s not unique to Aurora. Many other autonomous vehicle companies are testing their products on Texas roads, and all of them are doing so with safety in mind. And in a state that consistently ranks among the highest trucking casualties in the nation, reducing this number is a driving goal for Aurora. “We’re putting truck drivers, folks in their regular cars on the roads,” Skores said. “And, you know, we are seeing an uptick in those vehicles getting into crashes. But this is supposedly some sort of technology that can help end those sorts of crashes and just fatal issues. So what they’re really trying to accomplish here is to make sure that the roads are safe, but also doing it in a way that it’s predictable enough that folks can really feel kind of reassured that this technology can be more understanding of what’s going on on the roads.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATION]
Taiwan’s Vice President Plans Stop in the U.S. at a Delicate Moment (Wall Street Journal)
Taiwan’s vice president plans to visit the U.S. in August, less than five months after a similar trip by the island democracy’s president sparked an angry response from Beijing and accelerated a deterioration in Sino-American ties.
Lai Ching-te will stop in the U.S. on his way to and from attending the inauguration of Paraguay’s president next month, a top Taiwan Foreign Ministry official said at a news briefing on Monday. The official didn’t offer further information on Lai’s itinerary while he is in the U.S.
Such trips are often sensitive given China’s hostility to American support for Taiwan. This visit is particularly tricky for the Biden administration since Lai is campaigning for president and is deeply distrusted by Beijing.
Lai’s trip and his candidacy further complicate tentative attempts by Washington and Beijing to restore high-level contacts and stabilize ties after months of rancor. Taiwan, a democratic partner of the U.S. that is claimed by Beijing as Chinese territory, has been at the center of those tensions… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Israeli president to address Congress as Democratic divisions over Israel break out (The Hill)
Israeli President Isaac Herzog is scheduled to deliver remarks before a joint meeting of Congress this week, a speech that is putting Democratic divisions over Israel on center stage.
The speech on Wednesday is meant to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Israel’s statehood, and to reaffirm the U.S.-Israeli relationship. A number of progressive Democrats, however, announced last week that they would boycott Herzog’s speech in part as a protest against Israel’s policies towards Palestinians… (LINK TO FULL STORY)