BG Reads | News You Need to Know (October 25, 2022)
[AUSTIN METRO]
Draft recommendation suggests EUC will push back on Austin Energy rate case (Austin Monitor)
With the end of the year steadily approaching, schedules are packed and the city is at full throttle preparing for a ruling on Austin Energy’s controversial rate review case.
Last week, the Electric Utility Commission spent its meeting deliberating a draft resolution that would ask City Council to substantially deviate from Austin Energy’s proposed revenue requirement and rate design. As the only commission charged with a formal recommendation before Council’s vote this December, members opted to push the final call to Nov. 14 in hopes of reaching greater consensus and more definitive alternatives.
Austin Energy’s proposal to increase revenues by $35.7 million has generated robust debate, particularly among residential customers who earlier this month saw Council pass a $15 increase to fuel cost fees on monthly bills. While the utility says adjustments are needed for its financial health, critics are skeptical of the urgency, and concerned that the proposed 150 percent increase to fixed monthly charges (from $10 to $25) could be devastating for low-income residents already in the midst of an affordability crisis… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
How Lockhart lost Micron and what’s next (Austin Business Journal)
Caldwell County Judge Hoppy Haden can tell you the exact moment he found out Micron Technology Inc. was going to build its multibillion-dollar semiconductor factory in upstate New York instead of Central Texas.
It was the evening of Oct. 3 and he was attending a dinner alongside local government leaders for the 100th Annual County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas Conference at the Lost Pines Resort in Cedar Creek… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Federal government awards $500K in safety funding to Austin schools (Austin American-Statesman)
Less than a week before voters go to the polls during the early voting period to decide on a $2.4 billion bond package that would drastically improve the security of many Austin schools, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it is directing $500,000 to the Austin school district to improve safety and mental health resources.
While district officials still aren't sure how they'll use the money, they said the money is a welcome addition to the district's planned security upgrades and emotional health learning, district officials said.
Austin's allocation is part of the $190 million the agency's Office of Justice Programs and Office of Community Oriented Policing Services plan to send to schools across the country for school violence prevention programs, training for employees and students, and threat assessments… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Austin's jobless rate ticks down again: What you need to know (Austin American-Statesman)
The Austin metro area's unemployment rate fell slightly in September, putting it back below 3% for the first time in four months, according to figures released Friday by the Texas Workforce Commission that haven't been adjusted for seasonal factors… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
Texas students’ math scores saw a sharp decline during pandemic (Texas Tribune)
Texas elementary and middle school students saw big drops in math scores during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a national report released Monday.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress, an exam given to a sample of fourth and eighth grade public school students every other year, measures how states’ students are performing in reading and math over time compared with a national average. It also provides a national snapshot of the impact of the pandemic on student achievement.
Texas’ math scores on this exam dipped significantly between 2019 and 2022; math scores fell by 7 points for eighth graders and 5 points for fourth graders. The math declines, which follow nationwide trends, bring student achievement down to levels last seen in 2003… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Rising transportation impact fees in Fort Worth could stifle housing development, says trade organization (Dallas Business Journal)
A potential increase in impact fees could put Fort Worth homebuilders in a bind, stifling development and adding to growing affordability issues in the city, said the president of the Greater Fort Worth Builders Association.?
Every $1,000 increase in a home’s price cuts out 20,000 families from the buyer pool, said Eason Maykus, president of the Greater Fort Worth Builders Association and president of Maykus Homes and Neighborhoods, a boutique building company based in Grapevine. The potential increase in transportation impact fees could add to deepening affordability issues within Fort Worth.
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“I know $1,000 on a $300,000 house doesn’t seem like much,” he said. “But in these communities, that $1,000 increase… has a huge repercussion.”?
The city of Fort Worth is considering raising transportation impact fees on residential and commercial development. While the potential increase would help bolster vital services in the city, critics have argued the sharp rise in fees could stifle development and make end-result products like housing more expensive for residents… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Proposed development code revisions do not address affordable housing, local expert says (San Antonio Business Journal)
The San Antonio City Council will vote Nov. 3 to amend the city's unified development code to increase its supply of affordable housing.
Several sections of the city code covering accessory dwelling units – secondary homes on a property which can include casitas, garage units and basement apartments – are slated for revisions which officials believe should make it easier to build ADUs on a property. Changes under consideration include an increase in the maximum size of an ADU from 800 to 1,600 square feet; allowing different construction materials between the primary residence on a property and the ADU; and allowing ADUs to have their own separate meters for utilities… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Spurs balancing tightrope at home as team courts Austin (San Antonio Business Journal)
As the San Antonio Spurs tip off their 50th?season in the Alamo City the NBA franchise is doubling down on efforts to expand its market reach from Northern Mexico to Central Texas, with a keen eye on Austin.
That courtship of the Capital City could win the Spurs more business outside of San Antonio. But if that relationship becomes too cozy, it could cost the organization supporters here at home.
The Spurs are making a calculated business decision that, on the surface, makes perfect sense: Reach out to build up. Other teams have done it for years, some more successfully than others… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[HEARINGS/MEETINGS]
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[BG PODCAST]
Today's episode (168) features a discussion on entrepreneurship and lobbying with Mustafa Rashed, Founder and President, of Philadelphia-based Bellevue Strategies.
He and Bingham Group CEO A.J. also discuss current municipal issues in the Philadelphia market.
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