BG Reads | News You Need to Know (May 8, 2020)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
BG PODCAST Episode 85: School District Land Use Talk with Tanya Birks, Director of Real Estate, Austin ISD (LINK TO SHOW)
She and Bingham Group CEO A.J. discuss the future potential of several district properties, and how the public can engage.
[AUSTIN METRO]
Council wants plan for how to spend $170M in federal aid for Covid-19 relief (Austin Monitor)
Later this month City Council will get the first estimate of how the city can best use just over $170 million in federal funds dedicated to relief from the Covid-19 pandemic.
As part of the consent agenda Thursday, Council approved a resolution directing city staff to prepare an initial framework by May 21 for how to use the money provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, as well as reimbursements that will come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for expenses related to the pandemic.
The resolution was in some ways tied to another item passed on consent, which asks staff to develop a program for the city to assist local nonprofit organizations that have seen their donations and volunteer numbers drop because of the pandemic. That assistance would also come from the federal money.
At Tuesday’s work session, Ed Van Eenoo, deputy chief financial officer, and other Budget Department staffers outlined how the CARES Act was designed and what it allows local governments to do with the aid.
In addition to the $170.8 million, which must be used for emergency response, public health or economic recovery, the city has received nearly $70 million in additional federal funds, including $58.7 million for improvements and debt service for local airports…(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Austin tenants who miss rent will be safe from eviction through July 25 (Community Impact)
Austin renters impacted by the economic devastation caused by the coronavirus received reinforced protections May 7 after City Council extended missed rent protections through Aug. 24.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler also signaled he would extend his own unilateral order to prohibit evictions through July 25.
City Council voted to extend protections it passed back in March, which gave renters throughout the city a 60-day grace period to pay back missed rent before a landlord could begin eviction proceedings.
For tenants who missed rent, the law requires landlords to notify them of a proposal to evict. The tenant then has 60 days, beginning the day after they receive the proposal to evict, to pay that month’s missed rent before a landlord can begin eviction proceedings. For example, if a renter missed rent April 1 and were given a proposal to evict April 6, they would have until June 6 to pay rent before the landlord could legally begin an eviction proceeding… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Dell Children's to build new hospital as part of $700M expansion (Austin Business Journal)
Dell Children's Medical Center will build a $191 million children's hospital in Williamson County.
The roughly 135,000-square-foot facility will be one piece of a massive expansion plan announced May 7 by Dell Children's, which is part of the Ascension Seton hospital network.
The campaign also includes a new four-story tower at the existing Dell Children's hospital campus a few miles north of downtown. The tower will complement a a previously planned $113 million specialty care facility called the Dell Children's Specialty Pavilion, which broke ground in March.
Between the new children's hospital in Williamson County, the new tower at the Mueller campus, the Dell Children's Specialty Pavilion and other programmatic improvements, Ascension Texas CEO Andy Davis estimated the hospital system will invest almost $700 million in Dell Children's by December 2023.
“This is our key investment in the state of Texas at the moment," said Davis, who took over as president and CEO of Ascension Texas in July 2019. “This is the first of many investments across Central Texas, but definitely the most significant in the last 24 months, for sure.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Pools In Texas Are Allowed To Reopen Friday. Is It Safe To Go Back In The Water? Well ... Maybe? (KUT)
Pools are among the facilities allowed to reopen Friday under Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s order loosening restrictions imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
For its part, the City of Austin is still considering when it will reopen city pools.
“The Austin Parks and Recreation Department's pools will reopen when they can do so in a manner that does not jeopardize the health and safety of its employees and the community it serves,” the department said in a written statement. “With the help of the City of Austin and Austin Public Health and its partner agencies, PARD will continue to monitor public health recommendations as they pertain to reopening City facilities and develop its reopening plan.”… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS]
Texas cities, counties abused their emergency power with COVID-19 restrictions, task force says (Houston Chronicle)
Local governments could find their emergency powers hemmed in during future emergencies under recommendations proposed by a task force that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick set up. State government needs an off-switch to end local disaster declarations if necessary and clarify what steps mayors, counties and school boards can take during an emergency, says the Texans Back to Work Task Force in its 114-page report. “The recent shutdown showed how the principles of representative government can be thwarted when mayors and county judges have too much power in making unilateral decisions without the agreement of the rest of the executive body,” the report says.
The report comes as public pushback against emergency orders is increasing at all levels of government, particularly from conservatives. Some coronavirus restrictions on businesses and individuals have been in place since mid-March. It is unprecedented for such sweeping orders to linger for so long. Adding to the frustration is confusion over contradictory orders from cities, counties and state government that have left people guessing about whether they have to wear a mask in public, whether they can visit parks and beaches, and which businesses can stay open. Even the judicial system has begun to look at emergency orders in a different light. The Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to directly weigh in on business closure orders, but seemed to sympathize with those challenging them… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Texas A&M is looking at Saturday and late-night options to reduce class sizes and comply with social distancing (Texas Tribune)
In an effort to reduce class size to comply with social distancing, Texas A&M University System officials are mulling a schedule in the fall that could allow class slots from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and include Saturdays, said John Sharp, system chancellor, during an online speaking event Thursday.
The chancellor’s remarks come exactly a week after he announced to all 11 university presidents in the system that campuses will reopen in the fall and be ready to play sports. The University of Texas System and Texas Tech University also announced that they intend to reopen in the fall.
The school system won’t finalize its fall reopening strategy until at least the end of May, when the university board is expected to call a special meeting. Changes proposed by the university committee working on its reopening strategy must receive board approval, system spokesperson Laylan Copelin told The Texas Tribune... (LINK TO STORY)
Businesses face threat of liability, 63 COVID-19 lawsuits filed in Texas (KXAN)
According to a COVID-19 lawsuit tracker developed by the law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth, 895 COVID-19-related complaints have been filed in the United States, including 63 in Texas.
Salons and barbershops in Texas can reopen Friday as part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to reopen the state’s economy. Retail stores, restaurants, and movie theaters were able to open last week with limited capacity.
David Coale, an appellate attorney with Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann, said businesses that follow public health guidelines carefully should be clear of liability but there is a risk to reopening.
Coale compared COVID-19 litigation to lawsuits that have come from the opioid epidemic and asbestos.
“This is new but it’s not uncharted anymore, we’ve got a lot of guidance out there,” Coale said. “The system has evolved to allow a lot of different people to come together in one suit and relieve them from some of the traditional requirements.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) is among a large group of Republicans in Congress pushing for liability protections for businesses that reopen, through 64% of Americans do not support liability protections for businesses, according to a poll by Hart Research… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATION]
Trump administration shelves detailed CDC guide to reopening the country (Time)
A document created by the nation’s top disease investigators with step-by-step advice to local authorities on how and when to reopen restaurants and other public places during the still-raging outbreak has been shelved by the Trump administration.
The 17-page report by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention team, titled “Guidance for Implementing the Opening Up America Again Framework,” was researched and written to help faith leaders, business owners, educators and state and local officials as they begin to reopen.
It was supposed to be published last Friday, but agency scientists were told the guidance “would never see the light of day,” according to a CDC official. The official was not authorized to talk to reporters and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.
The AP obtained a copy from a second federal official who was not authorized to release it. The guidance was described in AP stories last week, prior to the White House decision to shelve it... (LINK TO FULL STORY)
The Bingham Group, LLC is an Austin-based full service lobbying firm representing and advising clients on municipal, legislative, and regulatory matters throughout Texas.
PLEASE RESHARE and FOLLOW:
Twitter #binghamgp
Instagram #binghamgp