#NEWS // BG Reads | April 28, 2023
[WEEK AHEAD]
Monday (5/1)
Tuesday (5/2)
Thursday (5/4)
[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]
City officials say no to bond elections before 2026 (Austin Monitor)
The city of Austin has promised voters it would build a wide variety of projects, ranging from roads to affordable housing to parks, libraries and health centers.
City financial advisers told the City Council Audit and Finance Committee on Wednesday that the total authorization for public improvement bonds is currently at $3.5 billion. But because the city has “an enormous amount of unissued debt – $1.8 billion,” in the words of interim City Manager Jesús Garza, it is not advisable to have another bond election until 2026.
There was agreement on that conclusion from the city’s financial staff, including Chief Financial Officer Ed Van Eenoo, Deputy Chief Financial Officer Kimberly Olivares and City Treasurer Belinda Weaver. The city has gone to voters for bond approval every other year since 2016… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Austin ISD considers 'aggressive' compensation increase that could cause $65.6 M shortfall (Community Impact)
On April 27, during an Austin ISD board meeting, Chief Financial Officer Eduardo Ramos and Chief of Human Capital Brandi Hosack presented potential compensation plans for the 2022-23 academic year.
The board will learn more about the plans during its May informational meeting and approve the budget in June.
Hosack said the staff and Education Austin, Austin ISD’s union, came to an agreement on the “most aggressive” scenario. The plan will have to be approved by the board… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Williamson County delegation travels to South Korea as Samsung suppliers eye space here (Community Impact)
On the top floor of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.'s new Pyeongtaek campus in South Korea, Bill Gravell — a Texas-drawl kind of politician from just north of Austin — had the biggest "pinch me" moment of a recent trip to Asia.
Framed prominently on the executive level of the largest active chipmaking plant in the world was the "Samsung Highway" road sign that Gravell and others gifted Samsung a few months ago.
"I looked around and there was nothing else on the wall. This was the centerpiece of the corporate floor," Gravell said. "It just really stood out to me that this partnership and this relationship was a big deal."
Gravell is county judge in Williamson County, the top elected position in the fast-growing locale at the north end of the Austin metro, rather than a judicial position. He and a handful of other officials spoke to Austin Business Journal after returning April 23 from a week-long trip to South Korea, organized by the Williamson County Economic Development Partnership, the Taylor Economic Development Corp. and Samsung — the latter of which is building a next-generation chipmaking facility in Taylor, about 40 miles northeast of downtown Austin. It's scheduled to open next year… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Southwest Airlines is expanding its presence at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (Austin American-Statesman)
Southwest Airlines — which has long been the dominant carrier in Austin — is expanding its presence at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
The Dallas-based low-cost airline is adding a provisioning center at the airport. The site handles distribution of everything that goes into a flight, such as beverages, snacks, paper products and more. The center will add 50 more jobs.
The center will be Southwest's third in Texas, following sites at Dallas Love Field and Houston Hobby.
"With Austin growing to one of our largest locations, we've been planning for provisioning for quite some time, and now construction is complete," said Chris Johnson, vice president of ground operations… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS NEWS]
Texas House OKs $5 billion for broadband, if voters give thumbs up (Texas Tribune)
The Texas House on Thursday moved one step closer toward investing $5 billion to expand internet availability across the state.
Filed by Republican state Rep. Trent Ashby of Lufkin, House Bill 9 and the accompanying House Joint Resolution 125 would ask Texas voters in November whether the state can spend that historic amount and create the Texas Broadband Infrastructure Fund.
The House approved Ashby’s bill 140-9 on Thursday. It now heads to the Senate… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
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Bill to remove ‘rogue’ district attorneys for not prosecuting crimes advances in Texas (Dallas Morning News)
A bill creating a path for removing district attorneys from office for not prosecuting certain types of crimes advanced in the Texas House on Thursday. The proposal, which seeks to rein in “rogue” district attorneys, was deemed a priority by both chambers of the GOP-controlled Legislature and Gov. Greg Abbott. It would allow for a Texas resident to file a petition against a district attorney if the top local prosecutor adopted blanket policies to not pursue certain crimes or politically-charged offenses. Such policies would be considered “official misconduct” under the proposal and could be grounds for removal. A previous directive from Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot to not prosecute thefts under $750, for example, would not be allowed. The bill is in part a response to various district attorneys across Texas saying they would not prosecute controversial offenses related to abortion, elections and gender-affirming care for minors.
“I support prosecutorial discretion and know it is a central element of our criminal justice system,” said Mansfield GOP Rep. David Cook, the bill’s author. The bill “makes it crystal clear the rule of law must be respected and enforced in Texas.” The proposal passed on a mostly party-line vote, 92-55. The Senate version, by Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, passed that chamber earlier this month and has already been referred to a House panel. Cook’s measure needs one more vote before it can be sent to the Senate. House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, declared Cook’s bill one of his priority bills for the session. In opening day remarks in January, Phelan criticized prosecutors for not upholding state laws. “If rogue district attorneys will not uphold the law, what progress are we really making?” Phelan said. “It is time to rein them in.” The bill parallels similar efforts in Missouri, Florida, Indiana and Georgia. Republican-led legislatures in those states allege that progressive-leaning prosecutors are not being tough on crime and have refused to prosecute types of offenses… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Spring Branch field trip canceled, theater faces complaints of 'cross-gender casting' in kid's play (Houston Chronicle)
The Spring Branch Independent School District recently canceled a scheduled field trip to see the play James and the Giant Peach, citing concerns about the play's "age-appropriateness."
The field trip's cancellation comes after Main Street Theater — the nonprofit organization founded in 1975 to produce plays for adults and children — received backlash on social media for the play's "cross-gender casting," along with concerns about the use of pronouns by one of the characters in the play.
It seems the initial concern can be traced back to a social media post that gained traction. An anonymous person behind the Instagram account @htxkidsfirst — which regularly posts content attacking the LGBTQ+ community with the stated purpose of protecting children — posted screenshots of messages purported to be from SBISD parents claiming they would keep their children home from the field trip due to concerns about a "drag queen's role in the show."… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Rubio warns against Florida going after companies for ‘political purposes’ (The Hill)
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Thursday warned against politicians going after companies for “political purposes” after Disney sued Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), the latest escalation in the ongoing standoff between the governor and entertainment company.
Rubio said in an interview on Fox News that Florida addressing an arrangement that gave Disney “governmental-type powers” is a “perfectly legitimate thing.” But he said it raises concerns that a business could face retribution for disagreeing politically with a state legislature… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Error, confusion plague review kicking millions off Medicaid (Associated Press)
Millions are expected to be left without insurance after getting a reprieve for the past three years during the coronavirus pandemic, when the federal government barred states from removing anyone who was deemed ineligible.
Advocacy groups have warned for months that confusion and errors will abound throughout the undertaking, wrongly leaving some of the country’s poorest people suddenly without health insurance and unable to pay for necessary medical care.
Medicaid enrollees are already reporting they’ve been erroneously kicked off in a handful of states that have begun removing people, including Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire and South Dakota, according to data gathered by the AP… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Jerry Springer, talk show host and former Cincinnati mayor, dies at 79 (NPR)
Jerry Springer, a broadcaster, author, politician, journalist, actor, lawyer and host of a daytime show so outrageous he once apologized by saying it "ruined the culture," died today at age 79 in his suburban Chicago home after a brief illness, according to a statement from his family.
Though he had a lot of high-profile jobs over his lifetime – including mayor of Cincinnati – Springer was best known as host of The Jerry Springer Show, a syndicated TV program which lasted for 27 years, featuring provocatively sensational topics and confrontations among the guests, sometimes degenerating into fistfights.
Springer started his talk show in 1991 as a more conventional affair. Dressed in a suit and tie with glasses, he looked like a younger version of talk-TV titan Phil Donahue, and questioned guests while roaming the crowd with a wireless microphone in the same way… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[BG PODCAST]
The discussion covers:
• A potential public re-vote on Project Connect. News link: bit.ly/3mVkbUp
• Council's approval Thursday (4/20) of a resolution directing the City Manager to create a plan and implementation schedule to transition the City to sustainable low-embodied-carbon concrete. Link to Resolution language: bit.ly/43UE5zx
• The Texas House's approval of HB 2127 (bill Link: bit.ly/40CN9Gi), a preemption bill aimed at city and county regulations. News Link: bit.ly/3oHUB5y
and
• Council's next meeting on Thursday (5/4) , including a Item 22 - Approve a resolution relating to parking requirements and accessible parking options; and initiating amendments to City Code Title 25 to modify parking requirements. Resolution Link: bit.ly/3H4Imqc
EPISODE 199
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