BG Reads | News - August 17, 2022
[BG PODCAST]
Today's episode (161) features?Ed Latson , CEO,?Austin Regional Manufacturers Association .
Ed and Bingham Group CEO A.J. discuss the recent of the?CHIPs and Science Act , and the economic implications for Central Texas.
The bipartisan bill includes more than $50 billion in incentives for manufacturers of semiconductors, or chips, to build domestic semiconductor plants.->?EPISODE LINK
Enjoyed this episode? Please like, share, and comment!?Follow?Bingham Group on LinkedIn !
[AUSTIN METRO]
County acknowledges lag on monkeypox vaccine supply (Austin Monitor)
As of yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control is reporting 992 confirmed cases of monkeypox in Texas, 88 of which are in Travis County (nine confirmed and 79 “presumptive”). On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court voted to approve a continued declaration of disaster related to the virus.
“While they’re labeled as presumed cases, pretty much nine out of 10 times they turn out to be monkeypox,” said Pilar Sanchez, county executive for Travis County Health and Human Services. “It was 72 yesterday and 79 today. So that number has gone up.”
HHS has received 3,000 vaccines and put in an order for 5,000 more, but has yet to receive them, reportedly because the state is still waiting on a second allocation from the federal government.
“Frankly, we don’t have enough vaccines,” Travis County Judge Andy Brown said. “But we do have, it looks like, the infrastructure to give out the vaccines as we get them,” he said, referencing the residual vaccine dispersal infrastructure established during the coronavirus pandemic.
So far, Austin Public Health has?responded to the outbreak ?by:
requesting medical countermeasures from state and federal partners, including preventive vaccines or treatments for positive cases
submitting collected specimens to the state lab for testing
conducting “disease investigation” for those with symptoms
monitoring those who have been exposed
coordinating with medical providers and local officials for future collaboration…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Ahead of budget approval, Austin City Council funding requests center on increased pay, public safety and parks (Community Impact)
On Aug. 17, City Council will begin its final round of deliberations during what could be a multiday review of the fiscal year 2022-23 budget.
Much of the approximately $5 billion spending plan is unlikely to change significantly from the draft?released ?by City Manager Spencer Cronk last month. Council members have since forwarded dozens of tweaks and funding requests they would like to see included in the final budget—covering topics, such as city staffing, homeless response, disaster preparedness and parks.
During a recent budget work session, city financial staff told officials they could have more than an additional $20 million to work with, thanks to improved tax projections, some of which could now be used on council's funding wish list.
The city’s full draft budget may be viewed?here , and dozens of council questions about spending and city operations may be viewed?here …?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
'We won't be the quiet school': Huston-Tillotson president shares vision for university (Austin American-Statesman)
As the new president of Huston-Tillotson University, Melva K. Williams has an “aggressive agenda” to help Austin’s only historically Black university succeed.
Williams was?named the president and CEO ?of Huston-Tillotson on Friday after?the retirement of former President Colette Pierce Burnette ?on June 30. Williams previously served as the vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment management at Southern University in Shreveport, La., which is also a historically Black university.
Williams previously held multiple positions within the Southern University System, including executive associate to the chancellor and assistant vice chancellor at SU-Shreveport, vice chancellor at SU-New Orleans and the system's chief of staff. She also has served as a professor, board member and associate dean at various other colleges and universities.?
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During a news conference Monday attended by a crowd of community members, Williams said she planned to continue to build on the work that Burnette — the institution’s first female president — had done during her seven-year tenure. She said the school’s history of being the first university in Austin meant that it needed to continue being “first” and doing “firstlike” things…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Austin housing market continues improvement trend in July, ABoR says (KVUE)
Austin's housing market continues to improve.
In its?July 2022 Central Texas Housing Market report , the Austin Board of Realtors said the Austin-Round Rock area is seeing the most housing inventory in almost three years.
The median price of homes also went up 8% last month to $515,000. This is the first time growth has been in the single digits since June of last year.
“In every aspect of our market REALTORS? are seeing positive signs that Austin’s housing market continues to normalize,” said Cord Shiflet, 2022 ABoR president. “On top of rising housing inventory, home price growth is much closer to the 4-5% annual growth that is typical for a healthy market. In addition, homes sold slightly below list price for the first time since December 2020, proving that buyers are gaining negotiating power in the market.”…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Demand for skilled workers drives District 1 jobs training program (Austin Monitor)
With job growth in Austin stronger than ever, and most analysts naming the region as one of the?best job markets ?in the nation, Workforce Solutions Capital Area is trying to make traditionally underserved communities aware of the job training and employment opportunities available to those looking for a career change.
The organization will spread the word about its recently launched Hire Local plan with a?community engagement session ?at Greater Mt. Zion Church this?Saturday, Aug. 20. East Austin’s District 1 was selected to reach more people of color, whose communities have a disproportionately large population with lower education, correlating to more recipients of unemployment benefits.
The event will offer information on training programs and other assistance available, with special attention paid to the group’s four focus areas of information technology, health care, advanced manufacturing and skilled trades.
With major employers such as Samsung signaling that they plan to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in new fabrication and other facilities locally, the demand for properly trained workers will continue to grow, said Yael Lawson, chief operations officer of Workforce Solutions…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
Pablo Vegas, a utility executive in Ohio, named ERCOT’s new CEO (Texas Tribune)
Pablo Vegas, a utility executive who lives in Ohio, will be the new leader of Texas’ main power grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. ERCOT’s board announced Vegas’ hiring Tuesday.
Vegas becomes ERCOT’s first permanent chief executive in 16 months, since former CEO Bill Magness was?fired in the aftermath ?of the February 2021 power grid disaster, when a strong winter storm left millions of Texans without power for days after freezing temperatures shut down natural gas facilities and power plants, which rely on each other to keep electricity flowing. Hundreds of?people ?died.
Following the deadly blackouts, Texas politicians lambasted ERCOT’s board of directors because some of them did not reside in Texas, and many of them resigned. At the time, a bipartisan?chorus from state lawmakers ?expressed frustration and disbelief that many ERCOT board members, despite extensive energy industry expertise, lived outside the state…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
ERCOT names Pablo Vegas as new CEO during 'urgent' closed-door meeting after name leaked to media (San Antonio Express-News)
ERCOT’s board of directors on Tuesday named Pablo Vegas, a utility industry veteran and executive at an Indiana utility, to lead the state’s beleaguered power grid manager, still recovering from the catastrophic failures of the February 2021 winter storm. Vegas will assume leadership of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, when public confidence in ERCOT remains low and the power grid is challenged by growing demand, tight supplies and a lack of investment in power plants and transmission. He will succeed Brad Jones, who has served as interim CEO for more than year following the ouster of former CEO Bill Magness in March 2021. “Everything about Pablo is exceptional. He has an exemplary track record at major organizations, and a highly technical background that will serve this organization well,” said Peter Lake, chairman of the Public Utility Commission, which oversees ERCOT. “Pablo is the right leader at the right time to address the complex grid we have and the dynamic mix of resources we have.”
Vegas, who was selected from a field of more than 100, according to ERCOT officials, is vice president of NiSource, an Indiana-based utility that operates in six states. He has worked in the utility industry for 17 years, including a two-year stint with American Electric Power in Texas. ERCOT did not disclose Vegas’ salary, but his contract said he could receive up to $500,000 in reimbursements for relocation expenses. He is scheduled to begin his new job Oct 1. Vegas’ selection process, however, was not without controversy. He was named the new CEO during an “urgent” closed-door meeting. On Monday, the board called a meeting and went immediately into a closed executive session, before emerging about an hour later to say members would ratify what was discussed when they convened for their regular meeting on Tuesday. It was unclear whether the board took a vote during the closed session, which would be illegal under the Texas Open Meetings Act. As a private nonprofit, however, ERCOT is not subject to the law, even though it is responsible for managing the flow of electricity to 90 percent of Texas…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
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