BG Reads | News You Need to Know (July 22, 2020)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
BG Podcast Special Episode - Discussing the FY2021 City of Austin Budget Talk #1 (SHOW LINK)
Note: Show also available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Sound Cloud, and Stitcher
BG Blog: RE Petition Drives and Austin’s Low Threshold for Signatures
To propose a new law, petitioners in Austin must collect either signatures from 20,000 voters or 5% of voters, whichever number is smaller. Twenty-thousand signatures is currently about 3% of Austin voters and will continue to be a lower percentage as the city grows. Of particular note, this is a relatively low threshold compared to Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Only El Paso has a smaller signature requirement… (Read more)
[AUSTIN METRO]
UT Austin says it will allow 50% capacity at Longhorn football games this fall (KUT)
Texas Longhorns football plans to return to the Forty Acres this fall.
UT Austin has announced it will move forward with a 50% seating capacity for football games at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
The continuation of home games is in line with Gov. Greg Abbott's emergency order, which allows live sports to continue at 50% capacity during the pandemic.
The stadium holds just over 100,000 people, although that figure was going to be reduced slightly this season because of renovations in the stadium's south end, the Associated Press reports.
The school says it can properly space fans and allow all season ticket holders to see every home game. Athletic Director Chris Del Conte sent a note to season ticket holders that they can opt out of going to 2020 games without losing their regular seats going into 2021…(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Some Covid-19 economic recovery programs see progress while others stagnate (Austin Monitor)
While six of the city’s 11 Covid-19 economic recovery programs have received or are about to receive applications for their grants and loans, the rest have yet to move on from the development stages.
Austin’s economic recovery programs are designed to distribute CARES Act funds to specific groups in need of financial assistance during the pandemic. The Economic Development Department is in charge of giving City Council a progress report every two weeks, following a five-step plan from development to deployment of funds to analysis of program effectiveness.
The new memo released Friday now includes updates on three more programs: the Economic Injury Bridge Loan Program, the Music Disaster Relief Fund and the Creative Space Disaster Relief Program, along with updates for the programs mentioned in the previous update.
The memo from two weeks ago featured eight assistance programs, all of which had yet to open, and five of which had not yet moved past phase one, the development stage that outlines program guidelines and administration.
None of the programs that were in phase one two weeks ago have moved to the next stage, including the Creative Sector Relief Grant, Commercial Landlord Relief Grant, Workforce Development Relief Program, Technical Assistance Program, and Worker and Customer Safety Program. The Creative Sector Relief Grant will move to phase two in the coming days, as it still needs to draft final guidelines and interview third-party administrators.
The two largest relief programs, the Small Business Relief Grant (formerly the CLEAR fund) and the Nonprofit Relief Grant Program (formerly the ANCHOR fund) have moved from phase three to phase four, with applications open until July 24. So far, the $16.5 million program to help small businesses has received 1,044 applications for approximately $29.5 million in requested funds. The $6.35 million Nonprofit Relief program has received 29 applicants requesting $480,000 in total, mostly from arts- and culture-related nonprofits… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
County to identify funding source for implementing permanent teleworking (Austin Monitor)
Following a successful emergency rollout of teleworking capabilities in response to Covid-19 this spring, the Travis County Commissioners Court voted in May to make the digital work environment permanent for 75 percent of eligible county employees.
On Tuesday, commissioners took the next step in this transition process and directed staff to identify a funding source to hire a consultant to advise on this dramatic change to the county’s workplace. County staff estimated that hiring a consultant will cost $250,000. In conjunction with the funding, the Commissioners Court also told staff to create a scope of work listing the measurable objectives the county wants to achieve through the shift to teleworking.
The consultant will be responsible for crafting a pathway for the 479 county employees who are capable of shifting their duties into a digital environment. An analysis presented by the Teleworking Task Force found the vast majority of employees in the Auditor’s Office, Health and Human Services Department, Technology and Operations Department, Transportation and Natural Resources, and the Commissioners Court are eligible to telework between one and five days a week. Under Covid-19 stay-at-home orders, 2,300 county employees were telecommuting in May.
“Generally, I would be very leery about signing up for a quarter of a million dollars, but I think that if we do this correctly, this will be money really well spent,” Commissioner Gerald Daugherty said. He noted that in the long run, migrating a portion of the county workforce to a digital workspace has the potential to save on building costs and other expenditures associated with physically hosting employees in an office.
Paul Hopingardner, the CIO with the county’s Technology and Operations Department, told commissioners that over the past several years the county has invested in a large portion of the necessary technology to make remote work feasible. However, he noted that overhauling the workplace to be accessible from home is not just a technology-focused project. Successfully implementing a permanent strategy will require a framework that addresses employee safety and satisfaction, has an equitable distribution of resources, and mitigates liability and legal risk. “This is a fundamental change to the way we do business,” he said… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Austin ISD names Dallas ISD's Stephanie Elizalde as lone superintendent finalist (Community Impact)
After a five-month search for its next superintendent, Austin ISD announced Stephanie Elizalde as the lone finalist for the position.
Stephanie Elizalde comes from Dallas ISD, where she has served as the district's chief of school leadership since 2015. According to DISD, she joined the district in 2011 as a director of the district's STEM program. Overall, she has 28 years of education leadership experience, with previous roles in San Antonio ISD and Southwest ISD.
Trustee Arati Singh said she was excited to welcome Elizalde, who showed a familiarity with AISD data and policies during the hiring process. Singh said Elizalde also spoke at length during the interview process about the importance of special education and discussed "rebranding and remarketing schools" that were at risk of closing.
“She had a track record as being one of those women who gets stuff done, and out of all the candidates I felt she would be able to hit the ground running,” Singh said.
Two trustees, Jayme Mathias and LaTisha Anderson, said they supported Elizalde but abstained from the final vote because they did not feel she was the best candidate the district had interviewed… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
Facing budget shortfalls, nearly 100 Texas mayors plead with Congress for coronavirus relief funding (Texas Tribune)
As Congress resumes work on a new coronavirus financial relief package, nearly 100 Texas mayors are pressing the state’s congressional delegation for more funding to address revenue losses incurred due to the economic downturn brought by COVID-19.
Texas received $11 billion in funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, which were distributed among the state, counties and cities. Some Texas mayors said these have to be spent before the end of the year and for expenditures related to the pandemic response — and don’t address government entities’ losses in anticipated revenues related to decreased economic activity. Others said there’s been conflicting information about how the money can be spent.
Since March, the economic slowdown has directly hit cities’ revenues. According to the state comptroller, local sales tax allocations for cities in June dropped by 11.1% compared with the same month last year.
“The budget calamity looming over local governments is real and it requires extraordinary measures,” said a letter signed by 97 Texas mayors and directed to members of Congress. “We therefore fear that state and local revenue is going to take time to rebound. We also fear that if we do not stabilize our economy, we could see a drop in property tax revenue next year.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Some Texas high schools can start football, volleyball practices as soon as Aug. 3 (Texas Tribune)
High school athletes who attend smaller public schools in Texas can start practicing volleyball and football as soon as Aug. 3. But bigger schools, which are more likely to be in more populous areas, will have to wait longer, according to new guidelines released by the University Interscholastic League on Tuesday.
Due to the continued coronavirus pandemic, the UIL, which is the organization that governs high school sports in Texas, created two separate calendars based on school size for resuming football, volleyball, tennis and cross country. Schools with the 1A to 4A designation can start meeting for games and meets in mid-to-late August. Schools in 5A or 6A, which are the biggest schools, will have to wait until September.
Marching bands across the state can begin their curriculums on Sept. 7.
The organization also issued guidance on face coverings, protocols for individuals exposed to COVID-19 and how to set up meeting areas like band halls and locker rooms…(LINK TO FULL STORY)
State Rep. Lorraine Birabil concedes after primary runoff defeat (Texas Tribune)
State Rep. Lorraine Birabil, D-Dallas, conceded Tuesday in the primary runoff for her seat, which she won less than six months ago in a special election runoff.
Birabil admitted defeat after updated results from Dallas County — the only county in the district — showed her trailing challenger Jasmine Crockett by 90 votes out of 10,252. Birabil was down 92 votes after election night last week, and her campaign had said it was waiting to see the results after more mail ballots came in.
"I want to congratulate Jasmine Crockett on her efforts and wish her luck," Birabil said in a statement Tuesday. "I look forward to continuing the necessary work on the issues that matter most, including affordable healthcare, quality public schools, voting rights, and criminal justice reform."… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATION]
Homeland Security chief says federal agents 'will not retreat' from Portland (The Hill)
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said federal agents in Portland “will not retreat” as law enforcement grapples with demonstrations and violent protests in Oregon’s biggest city.
At a press conference Tuesday, Wolf staunchly defended the Department of Homeland Security’s mission in Portland amid criticism over reports of officers in unmarked vehicles arresting demonstrators without identifying themselves.
“What is occurring in Portland in the early hours of every morning is not peaceful protesting,” Wolf said. “We have been forced because of local law enforcement presence to take measures such as arrests to protect our officials.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Airlines call for joint US-European testing scheme (BBC News)
The owner of British Airways and United Airlines are among the carriers that have signed a letter to US and European Union leaders.
Currently travel between Europe and the US is largely barred.
Carriers are struggling to survive as the coronavirus pandemic has severely disrupted global travel.
In a letter sent on Tuesday to US and European governments, major airline chief executives called for a US-EU testing programme for passengers making trans-Atlantic trips.
Signees of the letter include bosses of International Airlines Group (IAG) - which owns British Airways - American Airlines, United Airlines and Lufthansa.
“Given the unquestioned importance of trans-Atlantic air travel to the global economy as well as to the economic recovery of our businesses, we believe it is critical to find a way to re-open air services between the US and Europe,” the letter said… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
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