BG Reads | News You Need to Know (April 29, 2021)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
BG Podcast EP. 139: Q1 20201 Review: COVID-19's Impact on the Built Environment with Michael Hsu
On today’s episode we speak with return guest, Austin-based Michael Hsu, Principal and Founder of Michael Hsu Office of Architecture.
He and Bingham Group CEO A.J. catch up from their June 2020 show, updating on impacts to the design/built environment sector through Q1 2021.
You can listen to all episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. New content every Wednesday. Please like, link, comment and subscribe!
[MEETING/HEARINGS]
[THE 87TH TEXAS LEGISLATURE]
LINK TO FILED HOUSE BILLS (5,829)
LINK TO FILED SENATE BILLS (2,669)
[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]
Travis County early voting turnout passes 13% with more than 103K ballots cast ahead of election day (Community Impact)
More than 13% of all Travis County voters eligible to vote in the May 1 election cast their ballots during the early voting period, representing the highest early voting turnout the county has tracked across recent May elections.
Overall, 103,832 of Travis County's 759,330 registered voters participated in early voting between April 19-27, according to information from the Travis County Clerk's Office. The majority of early voters chose to vote at one of the county's 19 physical voting sites, with 101,208 in-person ballots cast against just over 2,600 mail ballots.
The county's total number of early voters is many times higher than any recent May election not involving the city of Austin, and nearly double the participation seen in May 2016 when Austin's proposition on ride-hailing service regulations was rejected by voters.
This year's ballot in Austin is composed of eight propositions pitched to city voters covering topics such as firefighters' labor negotiations, criminalizing public camping and sitting, and several democratic items related to the city's leadership structure and elections practices. Other items on the ballot countywide include city council and ISD board elections and local propositions.The county saw its early voting turnout jump this year during the back end of the nine-day period—on a Monday and Tuesday—when almost 44,000 voters representing nearly 6% of those registered cast their ballots. The overall 13.67% turnout recorded across all nine days of early voting is several points above than the previous May early voting turnout high of 9.87% recorded in 2016.
Voters who did not participate in early voting can look ahead to election day to cast their ballots. Dozens of vote centers throughout Travis County will operate between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. May 1, and registered voters may vote at any location regardless of precinct… (LINK TO STORY)
Stephanie Hayden-Howard named Austin assistant city manager (Austin Business Journal)
Stephanie Hayden-Howard will be Austin's next assistant city manager.
Hayden-Howard began her career with the city 20 years ago and is currently the director of Austin Public Health, a critical role for the last year. Beginning May 10, she will step into the role of assistant city manager for health/environment and culture/lifelong learning, according to an April 27 announcement.
That means she will oversee the departments of Parks and Recreation; Austin Resource Recovery, which handles recycling among other duties; Austin Public Health; Austin Public Library and Animal Services — comprised of more than 2,600 employees and a $394.4 million budget, according to the announcement.
Those departments touch on plenty of business issues, from Covid-19 guidelines issued by APH to construction and demolition recycling rules from Austin Resource Recovery.
“I’m honored to be appointed as the City’s next Assistant City Manager for Health & Environment and Culture & Lifelong Learning and look forward to the challenges and opportunities in this new role to provide solutions that are cross-departmental in nature and involve collaboration with community stakeholders to meet the needs of area residents,” Hayden-Howard said in a statement.
According to the announcement, Hayden-Howard will schedule public meetings with community members in the coming months to discuss topics such as ways to improve community health, Austin's culture and the city's environment.
“Her experience in public health matters and management principles are crucial to driving the City’s programs to ensure services are provided equitably in our community,” City Manager Spencer Cronk said of Hayden-Howard in a statement.
The city started its national search for a new assistant city manager in December when former Chris Shorter resigned to become city administrator of Baltimore. Shannon Jones, former director of Austin Public Health, has served as interim assistant city manager since January.
A search for a new health director will begin in the coming months, and Austin Public Health Assistant Director Adrienne Sturrup will step into the role in an interim capacity.
According to the city of Austin website, other assistant city managers under Cronk are Rey Arellano, with a focus on safety; Rodney Gonzales, with a focus on economic opportunity and affordability; and Gina Fiandaca, with a focus on mobility. Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde is deputy city manager… (LINK TO STORY)
Senate OKs bills to let Lost Creek neighborhood leave Austin, let large customers appeal Austin Energy rates (Austin American-Statesman)
The Texas Senate approved two Austin-directed bills Wednesday that would allow the Lost Creek neighborhood to disannex and let large retail electric customers appeal Austin Energy rates.
Both bills, by Sen. Dawn Buckingham, R-Lakeway, were supported by all Republicans and opposed by all Democrats in identical 18-13 votes.
Senate Bill 1499 would let Lost Creek, a Southwest Austin neighborhood of about 1,200 high-dollar homes that was annexed in 2015, leave Austin after residents complained that police and fire coverage was inadequate and trash service cost more but delivered less.
Under the bill, the neighborhood would be allowed to leave Austin if a majority of registered voters in Lost Creek approved disannexation in a Nov. 2 election.
Sen. Sarah Eckardt, D-Austin, urged senators to oppose the measure, saying it meddles in a local dispute over local issues and imposes actions on Austin that senators have not applied to other Texas cities.
"Colleagues, this is a slippery slope," Eckhardt said. "I came to the Senate to work on statewide issues, not to armchair quarterback your cities or even my own cities."
Eckhardt also complained that Buckingham rejected her proposed amendment related to the disannexation election, drawing a rebuke from the Republican, who said the amendment was offered late and contained inflexible language that she had not agreed upon… (LINK TO STORY)
These 2 Austin high schools rank among America's best, says U.S. News & World Report (CultureMap Austin)
It’s report card time, and two Austin high schools have made the grade, earning top 100 spots in this year’s prestigious U.S. News & World Report rankings of the Best U.S. High Schools.
Austin's Liberal Arts and Science Academy earns the No. 41 spot in the nation and is the fourth highest-ranked Texas school on the list. It received an overall score of 99.77 and also ranks No. 60 nationally among schools that specialize in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).
It's followed by the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, which ranks 98th in the U.S., 12th in Texas, and earned an overall score of 99.45. Both schools are part of the Austin Independent School District.
Statewide, the top 10 highest ranking schools were:
The School for the Talented and Gifted (TAG), Dallas
Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School, Dallas
Science and Engineering Magnet School (SEM), Dallas
Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA), Austin
Carnegie Vanguard High School, Houston
DeBakey High School for Health Professions, Houston
Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet, Dallas
DEA Frontier College Preparatory, Brownsville
Challenge Early College High School, Houston
Health Careers High School, San Antonio
So, which school throughout the country ranks as this year’s valedictorian? Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia was deemed the best in the country, as well as among magnet schools. Read the full report and search for schools here… (LINK TO STORY)
Pflugerville lures Austin-based GT Distribution to town (Austin American-Statesman)
An Austin-based company that specializes in law enforcement supplies is moving its headquarters to Pflugerville.
The City Council on Tuesday night approved a five-year agreement between the Pflugerville Community Development Corporation and GT Distribution that gives the company a grant of up to $300,000 if it invests $11.2 million and brings 105 jobs. The distributing company will also provide discounts for the Pflugerville Police Department on ammunition, uniforms, specialized equipment and waive shipping fees for five years.
"We welcome GT Distributors as the newest member of our business community and look forward to their continued growth in Pflugerville," said Amy Madison, the city's community development corporation executive director. "Since 1985, the company has had a presence in the Austin region and we are pleased to keep them here providing needed products and ammunition to the Pflugerville Police Department and other first responders, as well as military and public safety professionals."
The distributor specializes in law enforcement, military products, and fire and public safety supplies.
City officials said GT will relocate all corporate operations from a 31,000-square-foot facility at 2545 Brockton Drive in North Austin to a new 70,000-square-foot facility at 828 Meister Lane in the Springbrook Corporate Center in Pflugerville.
The site selection was based on Pflugerville's positive business climate and accessibility to major highways, company officials said... (LINK TO STORY)
What is the Dog's Head? Will it be home to next huge commercial district? (Austin Business Journal)
Thousands of acres a short distance from Tesla Inc.’s under-construction gigafactory are being eyed for new development by some of the area's most influential real estate professionals.
The land — tucked between U.S. Highway 183 and State Highway 130 in far East Austin — faces distinct development challenges due to its history as a sand and gravel mining hub. But its proximity to both downtown and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport offers substantial allure. Tesla’s thunderous arrival in the summer of 2020 only added to the intrigue.
Legal entities have been formed in recent months pointing to an overarching plan for the area. And earlier this month, a bill was filed in the Texas Legislature to create a municipal utility district, a crucial first step to boost infrastructure. It could take years to develop this land, which is about 5 miles from the city center, but pieces are now moving to create the foundation for a potentially large-scale project.
If you’re not familiar with the Dog’s Head, you soon will be.
The name refers to roughly 3,000 acres in the city of Austin's extraterritorial jurisdiction where the Colorado River forms the shape of a dog’s head. Parts of the Dog's Head are just a couple of miles from where Tesla Inc. is building its $1.1 billion electric vehicle plant.
Family-owned ranches span about 2,100 acres of the Dog’s Head and exude untapped development potential. A handful of residences are tucked behind overgrown foliage lining dirt roads, and bright orange and pink surveying markers can be spotted in the greenery. Those survey flags are often a sign of development activity.
It’s also hard to miss the various mining operations that leave the area laden with truck activity. The Dog’s Head is still rather quiet, except for the occasional roar from airplanes that fly to and from the nearby airport.
Multiple sources said Austin-based Endeavor Real Estate Group has been eyeing the area for several years now and has tied up thousands of acres in agreements. Endeavor Managing Principal Andy Pastor, who is in charge of Endeavor’s efforts in the Dog’s Head, would not confirm if the firm intends to acquire land in the area. Pastor said Endeavor is helping mining families “figure out what’s next” in the area, which is nearing the end of its useful life for mining purposes.
“This thing is going to be years,” Pastor said. “First the mining has got to stop, and then the reclamation has got to take place.”
He added: “This thing could be interesting in the future, but not in the near future.”
While Endeavor’s plans in the area remain unclear, the creator of big developments such as Southpark Meadows and The Domain — the latter of which is often called Austin's second downtown — certainly has the pedigree to pull off a significant development on the east side. It has essentially cashed out of The Domain, and over the past decade Endeavor has shown a willingness to work on projects that will take years to come to fruition, such as the Austin American-Statesman tract just south of downtown.
Land in the Dog’s Head is also the centerpiece of a bill filed April 19 with the Texas House of Representatives that would create a municipal utility district to govern the reclamation of the land and finance utility infrastructure. That would literally lay the groundwork for big-time development. Sources said the bulk of the Dog’s Head does not have access to city utilities and has long relied on well water and septic tanks… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS NEWS]
Texas releases $11 billion of $18 billion in federal stimulus money for public schools (Texas Tribune)
Texas’s top state leaders announced Wednesday they are releasing $11.2 billion out of nearly $18 billion available in federal pandemic relief funding that has been dedicated for the state’s public schools.
The announcement comes as education advocates and Demcratic lawmakers have been urging officials in recent weeks to release the money that was set aside by Congress for Texas’ public schools to address learning loss and cover pandemic-related education expenses.
It’s unclear how the state plans to spend the remaining $7 billion in stimulus money, which was allocated through multiple aid packages in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. That funding could not be immediately released due to federal requirements, state officials said.
"The State of Texas is ensuring that our public schools have the necessary resources to help Texas students recover from learning loss related to COVID-19," said Gov. Greg Abbott in a press release.
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, criticized state leaders, calling the announcement "belated."
"State Republicans are hardly justified in patting themselves on the back for ending a blockade that should never have occurred," Doggett said. "After four months, Governor Abbott is still obstructing distribution of the remaining $5.5 billion, which Congress approved in December. Even today, he has failed to offer any justification for his delay and attempt to divert these funds from our schools. Our children’s future is not a place to cut corners and misuse federal aid to education for non-educational purposes.”
State officials had previously argued the reason they hadn’t allocated the one-time funding to the schools was because they were awaiting federal government guidance about whether the state would need to increase funding for higher education to make the K-12 funding available.
Last week, the federal government weighed in and clarified the state must maintain both higher education and public education funding at the same proportion to the budget as it was in 2017, 2018 and 2019 to tap into those dollars. Effectively, that means Texas would have to increase higher education spending by $1.2 billion to unlock the K-12 stimulus dollars… (LINK TO STORY)
'This is life or death.' Trans Texans, families worried as lawmakers target gender-affirming care (Austin American-Statesman)
Aaron Richie said when his son, Landon, came out as transgender, what scared him the most was the thought of a medical transition. After seeing Landon’s daily struggles with his body and consulting psychiatrists and pediatricians, Richie decided to help his then 13-year-old son begin the process of transitioning. “I thought to myself, ‘Why am I going to make him do this five more years?’ ” Richie said. “So that I feel better so that my parents feel better, so that when I tell other people they are not freaked out? It just became an indefensible position that this has to wait until 18.” Now, he helps other families come to terms with the idea of gender-affirming care as a support group leader in for parents and families of transgender children. He says the current wave of bills in the Texas Legislature aim to ban gender affirming care for minors, including puberty suppressants, hormone treatment or gender transition surgeries, would make this already difficult time even harder for transgender children and their parents.
Richie also testified against Senate Bill 1646, which would define providing gender-affirming care to children younger than 18 as child abuse. He said he met many parents who struggled with the fear that they will be harming their child with this decision. “I’ve watched it repeat over and over where this is such a difficult question and the parents just want to know, ‘Am I making the right decision?’ ” Richie said. “This bill in particular really gets at a part of our journeys that is already so difficult.” Denton County business owner Amber Briggle also has been making trips to Austin to testify at the Capitol against these bills. She says her family leads a normal life compared to other families, but recently they have been thrust into the bustle of activism. “We are not that scary trans-inclusive family with this terrifying trans agenda trying to ‘trans-up’ your kids,” Briggle said. “We are surrounded by love and not every trans-inclusive family has that. That is the reason why we feel so safe and partially obligated to advocate.”… (LINK TO STORY)
Texas lawmakers send Greg Abbott a bill that would allow Texans to purchase alcohol to go from restaurants (Texas Tribune)
The Texas Senate passed a measure Wednesday to permanently allow Texans to purchase alcohol to go from restaurants, advancing a shared goal of Gov. Greg Abbott and restaurateurs.
House Bill 1024, which cleared the lower chamber last month, would allow beer, wine and mixed drinks to be included in pickup and delivery food orders, securing a revenue stream made available to restaurants in the last year during the pandemic, intended to help those businesses when they closed their dining areas.
The Senate approved the legislation, filed by Republican state Rep. Charlie Geren, a restaurant owner in Fort Worth, in a 30-1 vote. The measure now heads to Abbott’s desk.
Abbott signed a waiver in March last year to allow to-go alcohol sales. The waiver was originally to last until May 2020, but it was extended indefinitely. As lawmakers began their work during the legislative session, expanding Texans’ access to booze picked up bipartisan support.
“Making tools for alcohol to go permanent will accelerate the industry’s recovery, supporting thousands of jobs and small businesses along the way,” said state Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, laying out the bill Wednesday. “Once this provision was placed in through the pandemic, we saw restaurants that were closed down open back up.”
The new, permanent alcohol-to-go option could benefit the restaurant industry after it was devastated during the pandemic. According to the Texas Restaurant Association, 700,000 restaurant employees in Texas lost their jobs in the early days of the pandemic, and thousands of Texas restaurants have closed.
“Bars and restaurants in Texas have leaned on cocktails to-go throughout the pandemic as a lifeline to keep their doors open and generate revenue,” said Kristi Brown, senior director of state government relations for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. “Now, the legislature has taken action to make this critical measure permanent and provide long-term support for Texas businesses. We thank Governor Abbott for being a vocal supporter of cocktails to-go and encourage him to sign this bill as soon as possible and make the business- and consumer-friendly measure permanent in Texas.”… (LINK TO STORY)
How ‘defund police’ perceptions drove a political wedge in upcoming Dallas City Council elections (Dallas Morning News)
The Dallas City Council last fall voted to take $7 million from the police department’s overtime budget to spend on streetlights and hire civilians to replace cops working desk jobs. Now, the issue is driving a political wedge in Saturday’s municipal elections as candidates who oppose the decision are accusing those who supported the move of “defunding the police.” And Mayor Eric Johnson, who opposed the overtime cuts but is not up for reelection, has been the most vocal critic, throwing his public support behind two candidates challenging incumbents who supported the decision. “Whatever you want to call it, the City Council inexplicably took money away from a shrinking police department as violent crime was increasing,” Johnson said Tuesday. “That’s not putting public safety first.”
The claims of the Dallas Police Department being defunded are playing prominently in mailers to voters largely targeting three incumbents who voted to approve the overtime budget cut. The mailers have either been funded by public safety advocacy group, Keep Dallas Safe, or campaigns of two candidates endorsed by Johnson. Johnson has publicly endorsed council challengers Yolanda Faye Williams, a former Park Board member, in the District 5 council race against Jaime Resendez and Donald Parish Jr., a pastor, in the District 7 race against Adam Bazaldua. Johnson has also donated to both through his campaign and to incumbents Adam McGough in District 10 and Cara Mendelsohn in District 12.
“It’s all a lie, nothing was defunded,” said Dallas Council Member Lee Kleinman, who was one of 11 council members who voted in favor of the police budget reallocation. Kleinman, who has reached his term limit, is not up for reelection. The argument is also currently being taken up by lawmakers in Austin. Texas legislators are currently considering a bill that would require cities and counties to seek voter approval before stripping police budgets. The proposed law passed in the state senate on April 13. While the City Council in September cut police overtime, the department’s overall expense budget came in at $562 million — $15 million more than the previous fiscal year. City Manager T.C. Broadnax had proposed $24 million for police overtime — $2 million less than the previous year — but the council ultimately voted to cut $7 million and reallocate it. That vote was 11-4, with Johnson and council members McGough, Mendelsohn and Jennifer Staubach Gates voting no. Most of the funding, $3.85 million, was supposed to go toward hiring 95 civilian police staff and moving the same amount of sworn officers who currently fill those desk duty roles to patrol… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Full transcript: President Joe Biden delivers speech to joint session of Congress (ABC News)
President Joe Biden delivered his first speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night, just one day prior to 100 days in office.
The setting was very different from a typical address, though. Due to the pandemic, tickets were limited and social distancing rules were in place.
But the message from Biden was one of progress and a return to normalcy from more than a year under limitations… (LINK TO STORY)
Biden order to require new cybersecurity standards in response to SolarWinds attack (NPR)
The Biden administration is putting the final touches on an executive order aimed at helping the U.S. defend itself against sophisticated cyberattacks like the one Russian hackers recently leveled against Texas software maker SolarWinds.
The order, as now written, lays out a series of new requirements for companies that do business with the government. The initiative includes plans for more systematic investigations of cyber events and standards for software development. The idea is to use the federal contracting process to force changes that will eventually trickle down to the rest of the private sector.
"So essentially, federal government procurement allows us to say, if you're doing business with the federal government, here's a set of things you need to comply with in order to do business with us," Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology at the White House, told NPR in an exclusive interview.
She says the executive order will "set the goal, give it a timeline and then establish the process to work out the details" on a handful of cybersecurity initiatives, from setting up new ways to investigate cyberattacks to developing standards for software… (LINK TO STORY)