BG Reads | News You Need to Know (May 20, 2022)
Spring Cleaning Your Inbox? Subscribe to BG Reads on LINKEDIN
Spring Cleaning Your Inbox? Subscribe to BG Reads on LINKEDIN
[AUSTIN METRO]
Council endorses development bonuses near the Capitol (Austin Monitor)
A rule prohibiting tall buildings near the Texas Capitol may soon be relaxed, opening up a sleepy part of downtown to more development.
City Council passed a resolution Thursday that would allow properties currently under the Capitol Dominance Overlay – which limits building height within a quarter-mile of the Capitol – to participate in the Downtown Density Bonus Program, thereby granting more height (up to 400 feet for many properties) in exchange for community benefits like money for affordable housing. The resolution passed 10-0 with Council Member Kathie Tovo recused.
“This will incentivize more housing, jobs and other destinations along our busiest transit corridors which will soon host three separate light rail lines,” Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison, who sponsored the resolution, told the Austin Monitor in a statement. “It will absolutely move us towards our mobility, housing and climate goals while also increasing the tax base for vital city services.”
The purpose of the Capitol Dominance Overlay is “to protect the visual and symbolic significance of the state Capitol by keeping buildings in close proximity to the Capitol from dominating the structure.” The rule limits building height by creating an imaginary plane sloping upward at a 24-degree angle from the base of the Capitol dome, keeping maximum heights below approximately 200 feet.
The rule change would not impact Capitol View Corridors, which preserve views of the Capitol from various vantage points via height restrictions… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Car booted? You’ll be able to take it off yourself in Austin (KXAN)
Austin City Council passed an item to allow people to take parking boots off their cars themselves Thursday.
People who have their cars booted for violations will now be able to remove the boot after they pay the fee. A boot operator will send a code to the person’s smartphone to unlock it, and then the person can put the boot in an on-site receptacle. This eliminates a security deposit fee for the customer, the city said… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Note: Bingham Group was proud to assist client Capital Parking ATX (dba BitLock) in stewarding this code change through Austin Transportation, the Urban Transportation Commission and Mobility Committee, and Council.
Colette Pierce Burnette reflects on Huston-Tillotson CEO tenure, Austin's attempts to right historic wrongs (Austin Business Journal)
For roughly seven years, she's led Huston-Tillotson University, the oldest higher education institution in Austin and its only historically black university. She said Huston-Tillotson's mission "is to provide education as the great equalizer." The school traces its history back to 1875, and was formed through the combination of Samuel Huston College, which moved to Austin in 1878, and Tillotson College, which opened in 1881 — just a decade after Juneteenth marked the end of slavery in the United States.
"When I stop and think about that, and what our founders were up against in that era, that kind of strength and fortitude and persistence is still in the roots of who we are as an institution," Burnette said.
Since she took over as president and CEO of Huston-Tillotson in 2015, it has grown its endowment more than 55% and completed major facilities upgrades. The school has attracted the attention of major corporations who recognize its critical role preparing a diverse workforce — last year, Huston-Tillotson and Apple Inc. launched the African American Male Teacher Initiative to boost the number of Black men in education.
Burnette has also used her position to influence critical community conversations. She was co-chair of the Mayor’s Task Force on Institutional Racism and Systemic Inequities, which produced a 2017 report on the history of systematic racism in Austin and recommended steps to address it. That work continues to this day, and Burnette remains a member of many company and nonprofit boards. She was named 2021 Austinite of the Year by the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
Law to crack down on lobbyists ensnares two former Texas House members (Texas Tribune)
A 2019 law aimed at cracking down on the revolving door of lobbyists at the Texas Capitol is ensnaring two recent legislators and prompting state ethics regulators to address potential loopholes.
The law says former members of the Legislature cannot engage in activities that require them to register as a lobbyist if they have made a political contribution using campaign funds in the past two years. It is meant to prevent a situation where, for example, a lawmaker spreads campaign contributions around to colleagues, steps down or loses reelection — and then goes to lobby those same colleagues a short time later.
The law, House Bill 2677 by state Rep. Craig Goldman, R-Fort Worth, passed without any opposition in both chambers.
But redistricting has created more turnover than usual at the Legislature this year, creating a pool of former lawmakers who may want to join the lobby. Two of them — former state Reps. Eddie Lucio III, D-Brownsville, and Chris Paddie, R-Marshall — registered as lobbyists with the Texas Ethics Commission last week, despite using campaign cash for political contributions in the past two years. But after media inquiries, they decided to suspend their registration… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Sen. John Cornyn calls AG Ken Paxton’s legal woes an ‘embarrassment’ for Texas (Dallas Morning News)
Sen. John Cornyn called Texas attorney general Ken Paxton’s legal woes an “embarrassment” on Thursday, noting that the state’s top lawyer has been under indictment his entire time in office. “This is the chief law enforcement officer of the state of Texas and it’s a source of embarrassment to me that that has been unresolved,” he said. “As a former Attorney General myself, I’m embarrassed by what we’re having to deal with.” Paxton, vying for a third term, faces a felony fraud charges and an FBI investigation into accusations of bribery Cornyn served as a justice on the Texas Supreme Court and was the attorney general when he won his Senate seat in 2002. His comments came during a call with Texas reporters, when asked for his thoughts on Tuesday’s primary runoff between Paxton and Land Commissioner George P. Bush, whose latest ad calls the incumbent a “crook.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[BG PODCAST]
Episode 158: Managing Growth in the City of Kyle - A Discussion with Council Member Dex Ellison
Today’s episode (158) features City of Kyle Council Member Dex Ellison. He and Bingham Group CEO A.J. discuss the growth and associated challenges with one the fastest growing cities in Texas.
According to the U.S. Census, the city grew from a populations of 5,000 in 2000, to just over 52,300 (and growing) in 2020.
First elected to Kyle City Council in November 2019, Council Member Ellison was re-elected in November 2019. -> EPISODE LINK