BG Reads | News You Need to Know (May 24, 2022)
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[AUSTIN METRO]
Austin area hits lowest unemployment rate since pandemic began (CBS Austin)
The unemployment rate in Austin is the lowest it has been since the pandemic started.
Two years ago, in May of 2020, the unemployment rate in the Austin-Metro area was 11.4% due to challenges and layoffs from the pandemic. But workforce leaders say the Austin unemployment rate has made a comeback and is now 2.5%, which is the lowest it has been the entire pandemic.
Jameson Cardenas, the senior director of marketing and communications at Workforce Solutions Capital Area, says the hot job market is great for people looking for work, as they have a lot of options, but it is a challenge for employers.
He says employers should consider sign-on bonuses, increasing wages and having opportunities for growth within the company in order to hire people on.
“I think what we've been seeing, and what we expect to continue to see, is that all industries right now are hungry for talent,” said Cardenas.
From March 2022 to April 2022, the industries that saw the biggest increases in workers were professional business services, leisure and hospitality, and manufacturing.
Workforce Solutions say that in the last 12 months, 34,344 companies in Austin MSA posted jobs, the top 10 including Dell Technologies, University of Texas, Apple, Austin ISD, City of Austin, IBM, Texas State University, H-E-B, Round Rock ISD and Amazon.
The job market has been growing significantly for the past few years. Workforce Solutions says that from 2016 to 2021, jobs increased by 13.7% in the Austin MSA. This change by far outpaces the national job growth rate of 0.7%… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Downtown Commission proposes stricter regulation of Austin’s scooter onslaught (Austin Monitor)
Calls for firmer regulation of the dockless scooters, mopeds and e-bikes scattered about the city may hit the desks of City Council in coming months, as a recommendation from the Downtown Commission makes its way to the agenda.
The recommendation proposes stricter requirements for providers to remove devices blocking sidewalks, crosswalks and other rights of way and increase fees for subsequently impounded vehicles. The proposal also calls for implementing a ticketing system for riders who violate municipal traffic code or state law.
Since 2018, the steady influx of electronic scooters has left Austin’s Transportation Department scrambling to integrate the devices into city infrastructure. As of this year, companies Bird, Lime, LINK, and Wheels collectively operate a total of 14,100 micromobility devices, many of which are concentrated in Austin’s urban core.
“I walked out of my office at Sixth and Congress today at noon and counted 65 scooters laying on their side,” Texas Monthly founder Michael Levy said in a public comment. “It looks like a war zone.”
Critics of the exploding scooter market cite incidents of devices blocking pedestrian walkways for days on end. Under the commission’s proposal, improperly discarded devices would be subject to impounding within two hours, with the time limit reduced to one hour in the downtown area. A $100 release fee along with a $5 per day storage fee would go toward investment in infrastructure solutions, such as augmenting the 25 existing parking corrals throughout the city…(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Austin Convention Center reveals redevelopment plan (The Real Deal)
The Austin Convention Center’s executive team revealed plans to revamp the facility, promising a boost in revenue once the redevelopment is complete.
The plan is expected to generate more than $250 million in additional annual revenue for the Austin Convention Center, located at 500 E Cesar Chavez St. The center revealed a proof of concept for the redevelopment of the downtown economic engine that hosts more than 300,000 visitors annually, according to the Austin Business Journal.
The plan aims to keep the city competitive with convention destinations across the country, according to Austin Convention Center Department Director Trisha Tatro.
Tatro and Chief Administrative Officer Katy Zamesnik told members of the Austin Tourism Commission the redevelopment is expected to take four years and cost between $1.2 billion and $1.4 billion, according to the publication, and that it would be funded by the center’s own revenue as well as the city’s hotel occupancy tax, which was increased in 2019.
The department estimates that the expansion will have a total annual economic impact of $753.8 million, up from its current estimate of $468.8 million, and create 1,622 jobs, according to its report… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Austin public safety leaders' plan to combat staffing shortages calls for hundreds of new hires (Community Impact)
As Austin's three public safety branches continue to see widespread vacancies, police, fire and EMS officials have released detailed plans calling for hundreds of new positions to be added to their departments over the coming years.
As of this spring, Austin-Travis County EMS is short 22.44% of its budgeted sworn staff positions; the Austin Police Department is down 10.5%; and the Austin Fire Department has a vacancy rate of 8.59%. Between those three departments, around 450 total budgeted first responder positions are now unfilled—in addition to dozens of unsworn civilian staff.A May 19 memo from Assistant City Manager Rey Arellano included those findings and detailed reports from AFD, APD and ATCEMS officials covering their vacancy situations and future staffing outlooks. The spring update was released as a result of City Council's call for a formal plan to fill vacancies proposed earlier this year by District 6 Council Member Mackenzie Kelly.
While the departments are each facing shortfalls of more than 100 positions, their situations do not stem from the exact same causes. However, officials did find common links through the departments' recruitment processes and the city's capacity to effectively train new recruits. With overlapping cadet classes and a noted lack of space at the Public Safety Training Center in Southeast Austin, scheduling and instruction also remain top concerns.
“The existing facilities at [the] Public Safety Training Center along with availability of operational sworn staff to augment assigned training staff are the major limiting factors to increasing the capacity to graduate cadets," Arellano wrote… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Chamber doesn't look far for new CEO in fast-growing industrial hub north of Austin (Austin Business Journal)
Shontel Mays has been named the new president and CEO of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce, effective July 25.
Mays, who previously was the president and CEO of the Pflugerville Chamber of Commerce, will be tasked with acting aa a liaison for nearly 1,000 businesses in the fast-growing city north of Austin.
The Georgetown Chamber had been looking for a new leader — in charge of advocacy, education and collaboration with the business community — since Jim Johnson left his post in May 2021 for a similar job in Pearland, near Houston.
"The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce is a remarkable organization serving a diverse and fast-growing population," Mays said in a statement. "I’m excited about the collaboration that exists among key stakeholders and Cornerstone organizations and look forward to supporting and building on those efforts."… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Argo AI launches driverless autonomous vehicle testing in Miami, Austin (Tech Crunch)
Argo AI, the autonomous vehicle technology company backed by Ford and Volkswagen, is launching driverless testing operations in Miami and Austin, a significant milestone for the startup that illustrates its progress toward commercialization.
Argo’s announcement Tuesday follows a period of consolidation within the industry that has left just a handful of large, capital-rich companies in the U.S. — all creeping toward driverless commercial-scale operations. While a number of competitors such as Cruise, Waymo and Zoox are fixated on San Francisco (Waymo also has a driverless operation in Phoenix), Argo has turned its attention to other cities like Austin and Miami, where the regulatory environment is less restrictive and commercial partners, tech and talent resources are still plentiful.
Argo said it will be running its driverless operations in Miami and Austin during “daytime business hours.” Those hours will extend over time, and eventually include evening, as testing continues, according to a spokesperson. For now, the service is limited to company employees, who will have access to the service via an internally developed Argo app… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Art of Banksy comes to Austin in immersive event with signature secrecy (CultureMap Austin)
Street artist Banksy has always been known for his secrecy, and Austin will get a taste of that when the new immersive art exhibition, Banksyland, comes to the city for a brief stint, July 22-24.
Taking place in a secret location somewhere in Austin that will be revealed to ticketholders only two weeks before the opening of the event, Banksyland is an international touring exhibition that immerses audiences in the works of the elusive artist, according to the event website. As of now, the only hint we have is an Austin ZIP code: 78712, which encompasses parts of the University of Texas campus.
The exhibit, also scheduled to be in the Dallas Arts District, June 24-July 4, and Houston, August 12-14, features more than 80 pieces and installations, including original and studio works, salvaged street artworks, and never-before-seen immersive installations… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
'The great unknown': Texas high school coaches address name, image and likeness concerns (Austin American-Statesman)
Texas high school coaches may not like the idea of name, image and likeness deals filtering down into the high school ranks, but that won’t stop them from being prepared. That was the message sent out by the Texas High School Coaches Association on Monday, when the largest coaches association in the country announced a partnership with Eccker Sports to help navigate high school students and their families through the confusing world of NIL that has wreaked havoc on the collegiate athletic landscape. “Understanding NIL can be a real challenge for high school coaches and educators,” THSCA executive director Joe Martin said. “It is essential to have up-to-date information on this quickly evolving issue." Eccker Sports officials joined Martin, a handful of prominent high school football coaches, journalists and other THSCA officials on a video conference call on Monday to discuss how high school coaches can stay informed on the ever-changing NIL rules.
Texas state law currently prohibits high school athletes from benefitting financially from NIL deals, but coaches know that could change as soon as 2023, when the Texas Legislature reconvenes for its biennial session. Martin made it clear that Texas high school coaches do not support the legalization of NIL deals in the state, but he also stressed that his organization needs to be prepared for the possibility of NIL deals becoming approved by lawmakers. “We are not promoting NIL at this point,” Martin said. “This is not what we want to do, but we want to have as much information as we can to help our coaches. We will follow the Legislature in January.” That’s welcomed news to the coaches, who worry about the influence of what Converse Judson football coach Mark Soto called “street agents that are trying to take advantage of (student-athletes') talents.” “We have a lot on our plate already”, said Soto, a former head coach at San Marcos. “And we have to be thinking about a high school kid that may not be ready to handle the kind of money that may be coming. “Parents trust coaches. And we need to have the most accurate information that we can to help them out.”… (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