The Bingham Group, LLC’s Post

BG Reads | August 1, 2024 Today's BG Reads include: 🟣 Austin Energy makes a case against giving more to the city’s General Fund (Austin Monitor) 🟣 Even with tax increase, Austin ISD will need significant spending cuts (Austin Chronicle) 🟣 Austin airport faces 'concerning' staffing struggles as major expansion program continues (Community Impact) ✅ Check out all of today's curated BG Reads here-> https://lnkd.in/gqbE_69c ✅ Subscribe to the daily BG Reads email here -> https://lnkd.in/gAXh9t9B... The Bingham Group, LLC #austintx #texas #GovernmentRelations #GovernmentAffairs #lobbying #lobbyist #NewsUpdate

BG Reads | January 14, 2025 ➡️ Today's BG Reads include: 🟪 City outlines proposed code changes to regulate short-term rentals (Austin Monitor) 🟪 135 Central Texas first responders join the fire lines in Los Angeles (CBS Austin) 🟪 Austin looks to 2026 for next major bond vote; more than $1B in approved debt unspent (Community Impact) 🟪 The Texas Legislature is back. Here’s what we’re watching. (Texas Tribune) 🟪 Texas lawmakers will have $194.6 billion to spend for the next budget, comptroller projects (Texas Tribune) ✅ Check out all of today's curated BG Reads here-> https://lnkd.in/gjTYCtUP ✅ Subscribe to the daily BG Reads email here -> https://lnkd.in/gAXh9t9B... The Bingham Group, LLC #austintx #texas #GovernmentRelations #GovernmentAffairs #lobbying #lobbyist #NewsUpdate #atxgov

Damon Linker is right: it’s time to start an honest conversation about what’s gone wrong in America. And these are great places to start: ”It means talking honestly about the surging and unsustainable national debt and what it will take to begin reining it in. It means trying to help government function better, including a concerted effort to increase state capacity, eliminate regulations that constrain the nation’s housing supply and build on the administration’s attempts at permitting reform to streamline or remove regulations that slow down and increase the cost of private as well as public development. https://lnkd.in/eBtDsBXZ

I recall that James Carville, famed political advisor to Bill Clinton, once opined that if reincarnation were a fact then he hoped he would return as the bond market. This is because - as you can see from this US data (from the Manhattan Institute thinktank) - it shapes or controls everything. It certainly shapes construction and residential activity in the US and - I'm here to tell you - Australia and the UK too. The idea that anything as piddling as the NSW planning system would have anything like the profound impact of the bond market and thus interest rates on housing activity would be laughable if it weren't taken so catastrophically seriously. Not understanding this deep and international real world in which our development sector works damages the credibility and effectiveness of public policy in this space. Planning is a necessary but not sufficient contributory factor in the Anglosphere housing crisis: there's so much more going on around money, both macro-economically and within the developer model, than is dreamt of in YIMBY-land and by the PR teams of the lobbyists.

Kevin O'Hare, a Tampa native who has been instrumental in shaping our city’s development through his work with the Westshore Alliance, recently announced he’s taking on a new role as Deputy White House Liaison at the U.S. Department of Transportation. This move is significant for Tampa, especially when it comes to addressing our ongoing transportation challenges. In his interview with the Tampa Bay Business Journal, Kevin highlighted a critical issue: “What will it take to truly address the transportation needs in Hillsborough? It will require some kind of referendum on transportation to garner the funds necessary to address the needs all over Hillsborough County. It’s a very big county with many different constituencies; they are all growing and have different needs.” Kevin’s new role will give him the opportunity to advocate for federal support on projects that could make a real difference here at home. Better public transit, reduced traffic, and improved connectivity are essential if we want Tampa to reach its full potential. While nothing’s guaranteed, having someone who understands our local needs pushing for these issues at the national level is a step in the right direction. If we want Tampa to keep growing, we need to make sure our infrastructure keeps up. Quotes attributed to Kevin O'Hare via the Tampa Bay Business Journal. #TampaGrowth #Transportation #Infrastructure #RealEstate #CityPlanning Pic from Tampa Bay Times

Here's a local-interest angle on national politics (about the steel plant in Middletown, 25 miles from Dayton). Biden's climate bill provides significant funding for updating and "greening" the plant, which -- climate benefits notwithstanding -- is a significant investment by the Democratic Party in the economic base of a mostly Republican-leaning community. I think politicians and parties should focus on impactful policies first and worry about electoral benefit second, so I don't necessarily think it's unexpected or a problem that Democrats don't seem to be reaping immediate political reward. And if the party was expecting any kind of short-term vote gain with this, maybe there's a lesson here: You can't hand out money to big corporations and expect voters to give you credit.

We explore the key differences between Section 106 Agreements and the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) on planning and property development in the UK, looking at the implications of each on planning obligations and financial contributions https://loom.ly/uqyPej0

A year into her tenure as CLA President, Victoria Vyvyan highlights how the CLA is lobbying the UK Government to challenge the issues facing all rural enterprises and communities - large and small. There is more to be done if the full potential of the #RuralPowerhouse is to be unleashed, but working together we can empower the rural economy. #RBC24

Worth considering nationwide, not just Florida. "Low-density suburban development does not produce enough tax revenue per acre to pay for its infrastructure liabilities. This form of development is fiscally insolvent over the long term. In contrast to the above, denser, walkable, mixed-use development patterns produce far more tax revenue per acre than is needed to pay for their associated infrastructure." from https://lnkd.in/e6kJ3wpT