BG Reads | News You Need to Know (April 21, 2022)
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[BG PODCAST]
Episode 156: Managing Growth in the City of Leander with Mayor Christine DeLisle
Today’s episode (156) features City of Leander Mayor Christine DeLisle. She and Bingham Group CEO A.J. discuss the growth and associated challenges with one the fastest growing cities in the nation.
Elected Mayor in May of 2021, Mayor DeLisle previously served a three-year term as Place 4 on the Leander City Council.
Located just 30 minutes northwest of downtown Austin, Leander has experienced substantial growth in its population over the past decade. In May 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau announced Leander, Texas was the fastest-growing large city in America between 2018 and 2019 -> EPISODE LINK
[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]
Community groups push for safety, public services in $73.5M budget request (Austin Monitor)
More than 30 community groups and service organizations have created a list of recommendations for the next city budget, with 16 proposed expenditures focused around safety and public health totaling $73.5 million.
Details on the Community Investment Budget were released to members of City Council and staff on Wednesday, ahead of budget talks that will carry on through the spring and summer.
The biggest priorities in the package include $19 million to increase wages for city workers, $16 million to increase pay for Emergency Medical Services staff and fill more than 100 open positions, and $15 million in additional rental assistance, shelter for inclement weather and eviction protection. Other items include a guaranteed income pilot program ($7.5 million), improved safety and maintenance in local parks ($5.5 million) and additional funding for workforce development ($2.5 million).
Members of the group, which include leaders from organizations such as Austin Area Urban League, Texas Fair Defense Project and Workers Defense Action Fund, said the city’s increasing cost of living is putting more pressure than ever on vulnerable populations and threatening to reduce the availability of some basic city services, including emergency response… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
48-story tower to proceed next to Republic Square (Austin Business Journal)
Another office tower is set to rise in downtown Austin, with an equity partner and an undisclosed tenant on board.
After years of planning, developers plan to break ground this quarter on The Republic. Lincoln Property Co. and Phoenix Property Co. are co-developers, while an April 20 announcement said Divco West Real Estate Services LLC, aka DivcoWest, is on board as equity partner. The building is set to rise 48 stories and total 833,000 square feet at 401 W. Fourth St., currently home to a surface parking lot just south of Republic Square. Floor plates are expected to average 29,000 square feet.
The "major tenant" was not identified although the announcement suggested The Republic “is prime for new corporate headquarters or companies looking to expand into the Austin market.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
‘Surreal’ neon light show enchants Zilker Botanical Garden this month (KXAN)
For two weekends this spring, the Zilker Botanical Garden will transform into an immersive, neon art exhibit for visitors to explore.
Designed by Sharon Keshishian and the Ion Art team, The Surreal Garden is a “botanical-themed neon surrealism” art display that will include interactive sculptures visitors can engage with, along with food, craft cocktails, live music and dancing.
The Surreal Garden will open to the public with a VIP event Thursday evening. General admission for the exhibit runs Friday and Saturday this week, with a final weekend on display April 28-30.
This is the first Surreal series Ion Art has put on since the start of the pandemic and its first time collaborating with the Zilker Botanical Garden Conservancy, Keshishian said. She added she’s excited to help put a spotlight on both the beauty of neon art and the botanical garden — a place she dubbed the “jewel” of downtown.
“We have high hopes to help the garden and support arts,” she said. “We feel like this is the perfect partnership — I mean, it support arts in Austin, and it’s supporting this little jewel of a garden that’s here in downtown Austin that so many people don’t know about right now.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Landlord misinterpretation prompts proposed amendment to help displaced renters (Austin Monitor)
District 4 Council Member Chito Vela’s staff recently learned that renters in his Northeast Austin district were denied protections afforded to them under the Tenant Relocation Ordinance. Passed in 2016, the law established notification requirements for anyone seeking demolition permits, and in some cases, relocation assistance requirements for displaced tenants.
“There is no question about whether tenants in this case are covered, but because the language was twisted in the way that it was, they had to reach out (to the city) for clarification,” a spokesperson in Vela’s office said.
As a result of this case, and others across the city since the ordinance took effect, Vela has sponsored an amendment to the ordinance. If approved, the amendment would clarify the ordinance’s applicability to renters who are permanently displaced not only by demolition but also by remodeling, renovation and repairs. It would also declare an emergency, given the number of “Austin residents at risk or already in the process of losing housing,” according to draft language.
City Council will consider the proposal at its Thursday meeting.
In a Monday post to the City Council Message Board, Vela wrote that the amendment would not substantively change the ordinance – no additional renters would be covered by it, for example – but instead clarify it to fulfill its original intent.
The complaint process can be overly burdensome for renters who are protected by the ordinance but lack its cover due to their landlords’ interpretation of the law.
“A lot of tenants who are affected by this are tenants who live in lower-income communities, who make much smaller incomes and who are often not native English speakers,” Vela’s spokesperson explained. “That leads to a massive uphill battle for them when it comes to making any kind of legal challenge.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS NEWS]
Harris County officials dismiss Abbott Astroworld task force findings as blame game continues
Harris County Fire Laurie L. Christensen on Wednesday rejected findings issued by a state task force that highlighted some county policies related to the Astroworld tragedy. Soon after November’s Astroworld concert, which ended with the deaths of 10 people and dozens of others injured, Gov. Greg Abbott created a state task force to study the incident and provide recommendations on how to make such events safer. On Tuesday, the group released findings that noted the event permitting process is “inconsistent” across the state, and can lead to forum shopping by event promoters. The task force recommended a universal permitting template with a standardized checklist for counties to consult before issuing permits.
But the findings again raise the issue of responsibility for the Astroworld tragedy: Since it occurred, city and county officials have sought to avoid blame for the fiasco. The task force pointed to two state laws that have permitting requirements — one related to mass gatherings, and one related to outdoor music festivals. Both refer to county events, because incorporated municipalities can create their own ordinances. Echoing other county officials who spoke to the Chronicle, Christensen said she had reviewed the task force’s findings, but that the task force cited statutes that “simply do not apply” to the Astroworld event. The laws, she said, apply “only to performances outside the boundaries of a municipality.” “The fact the Astroworld event occurred within the City of Houston along with the (memorandum of understanding) between Harris County and the City of Houston clearly shows Harris County lacked any jurisdiction for permitting the Astroworld event,” she said. “Our office will continue reviewing the recommendations over the next several weeks.” The situation is complicated by the fact that although the Astroworld Festival took place on Harris County property, that property lies within Houston city limits. The city approved all permits for the event, but Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña maintained that the city did not have ultimate authority over the event… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Houston council OKs security camera mandate for bars, convenience stores over ACLU objections (Houston Chronicle)
Houston bars, nightclubs and convenience stores must install security cameras outside of their buildings within 90 days in a citywide surveillance effort Mayor Sylvester Turner hopes will diminish violent crime in high-risk areas. City Council approved the measure in a 15-1 vote Wednesday after a lengthy discussion on the merits of cameras as a deterrent to robberies, shootings and other criminal activity officials say is concentrated at the nighttime businesses. The ordinance also applies to game rooms and sexually oriented businesses. The camera requirement is a minor component of the mayor's One Safe Houston agenda, which will funnel more than $44 million in federal relief funds to mental health and crisis intervention services over the next three years. It passed over objections from the American Civil Liberties Union, which opposed the plan to fine businesses for failing to turn footage over to the Houston Police Department upon request within 72 hours.
The ordinance, which also requires convenience stores to install enhanced lighting at their entrances, overcame skepticism from council members who worried it would penalize business owners and overburden police. Businesses could face a $500 citation if they fail to provide police with surveillance footage within three days of a crime. City Councilmember Mike Knox, a former police officer and the sole vote against the ordinance, offered contradictory explanations for his opposition, saying the ordinance goes too far by unfairly burdening bars and convenience stores and does not go far enough to stop crime where it occurs. Knox said he would prefer a voluntary camera program and one that includes apartment complexes. Police Chief Troy Finner thanked the council for passing the camera requirement Wednesday, calling it "a force multiplier" that will help his department solve more crimes. Finner said his department is crafting protocols to guide its collection of businesses' video footage following a crime. Police will be required to obtain a warrant in the event a business does not volunteer footage, officials said… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Justice Dept. to appeal order voiding travel mask mandate (Associated Press)
The Justice Department is filing an appeal seeking to overturn a judge’s order that voided the federal mask mandate on planes and trains and in travel hubs, officials said Wednesday.
The notice came minutes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked the Justice Department to appeal the decision handed down by a federal judge in Florida earlier this week.
A notice of appeal was filed in federal court in Tampa.
The CDC said in a statement Wednesday that it is its “continuing assessment that at this time an order requiring masking in the indoor transportation corridor remains necessary for the public health.”
It remained unclear whether the Biden administration would ask the appeals court to grant an emergency stay to immediately reimpose the mask mandate on public transit. An emergency stay of the lower court’s ruling would be a whiplash moment for travelers and transit workers. Most airlines and airports, many public transit systems and even ride-sharing company Uber lifted their mask-wearing requirements in the hours following Monday’s ruling… (LINK TO FULL STORY)