The BG Reads
Posts
BG Reads 1.29.2024

BG Reads 1.29.2024

🗞️ Bingham Group Reads - January 29, 2024

January 29, 2024

View this email in your browser

Presented by:

January 29, 2024

Today's BG Reads include:

✅ Results of Austin’s experiment with giving people $1,000 a month

✅ Funding gaps and future needs eyed in analysis of bond spending

✅ Austin Council working to resuscitate VMU 2

Read on!

[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]

Austin experimented with giving people $1,000 a month. They spent the no-strings-attached cash mostly on housing, a study found. (Business Insider)

A guaranteed basic income plan in one of Texas's largest cities reduced rates of housing insecurity. But some Texas lawmakers are not happy.

Austin was the first city in Texas to launch a tax-payer-funded basic income program when the Austin Guaranteed Income Pilot kicked off in May 2022. The program served 135 low-income families, each receiving up to $1,000 monthly. Funding for 85 families came from the City of Austin while philanthropic donations funded the other 50.

The program was billed as a means to boost people out of poverty and help them afford housing. "We know that if we trust people to make the right decisions for themselves and their families, it leads to better outcomes," the city says on its website. "It leads to better jobs, increased savings, food security, housing security."

While the program ended in August 2023, a new study from the Urban Institute, a Washington DC-based think tank, found that the city's program did in fact help its participants pay for housing and food. On average, program participants spent more than half of the cash they received on housing, the report's authors wrote… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Funding gaps and future needs eyed in analysis of bond spending (Austin Monitor)

Members of City Council have started to show some of their priorities for the city’s next bond package that would address needs for parkland and cultural centers, among other city departmental resources. Another concern expressed at last week’s Audit and Finance Committee meeting was the likelihood that the city will need to assess where it has fallen short of its scope on some past bond projects, potentially needing more funding to fill those gaps.

Council Member Ryan Alter said he hopes the assembly process for the next bond proposal, likely to go before voters in 2026, will involve analysis of where the city has missed the goals of proposed projects because of rising costs or other factors.

“You have the plan and then you have what actually is delivered and there are oftentimes gaps, whether it’s because costs have increased or one maybe took longer,” he said, suggesting the city look at including gap financing to complete or enhance projects that came up short of their proposed scope… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Austin proposes density bonus zoning, notification rules to get VMU2-like program back in the hands of developers (Austin Business Journal)

A new opportunity may be available soon for Austin developers rebuffed from taking advantage of recent land-use changes because of a lawsuit against the city.

That's because City Council is moving to resuscitate revisions to the land development code that would have allowed taller building heights in exchange for on-site affordable housing in certain parts of the city. The previous program, which was known as the vertical mixed-use density bonus development program, or VMU2, was intended to move the needle for affordability and housing supply efforts before it was shot down by a Travis County District Court ruling late last year.

During its Feb. 1 meeting, the council plans to introduce a new density bonus zoning district program that would be similar to the VMU2 program (See, Item 54). Under the plan, developers could build up to 90-feet high on commercially zoned properties if they provide affordable housing. If approved, property owners would apply for the program through the city’s rezoning process… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Austin organizations file lawsuit, federal complaint over downtown I-35 expansion (KXAN)

Rethink 35 and several other Austin organizations have filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Transportation over its I-35 Capital Express Central project, which will widen eight miles of the interstate from U.S. 290 East to Ben White Boulevard and SH 71.

In addition to the lawsuit, the coalition filed a federal civil rights complaint to US Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and other federal officials, alleging “TxDOT has intentionally engaged in discrimination through its awareness of I-35’s racist past and inequitable impacts and its unwillingness to address those impacts,” according to a press release.

“This expanded project would bring 130,000 extra cars, extra vehicles through Austin every day,” said Adam Greenfield, Board President of Rethink35. “All the pollution that will bring will lead to worse air quality, worse water pollution — there’ll be more crashes. It will further entrench us in this unpleasant environment that nobody wants to be near.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

[BG Podcast Weekly Recap EP. 234]

On this episode Bingham Group CEO A.J. Bingham and Associate Hannah Garcia wrap up the week of January 22nd, 2024 in Austin politics.

Topics include:

✅ Austin Council reaction to Art Acevedo hire (continued)

✅ 2024 Mayoral election updates

✅ And more

LISTEN ON: SoundCloud, YouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify

Click here for this week’s Austin public meeting meeting times and agendas.

[TEXAS NEWS]

Texas Gov. Abbott's vow to 'eliminate rape' draws scrutiny after study on rape-related pregnancies (Houston Chronicle)

Gov. Greg Abbott’s vow that Texas would work to “eliminate rape” has drawn renewed attention after a newly published study estimated more than 26,000 rape-related pregnancies in Texas in the 16 months since the state outlawed abortion. The governor’s comments came days after a 2021 Texas law took effect banning abortion starting around six weeks of pregnancy, when many people do not yet know they are pregnant. Asked about the bill’s lack of exceptions for rape, Abbott said Texas “will work tirelessly to make sure that we eliminate all rapists from the streets,” stating that “goal No. 1 in the state of Texas is to eliminate rape.” The study, published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, highlights the difficulty of reaching Abbott’s goal for a crime that goes unreported to police in nearly four out of every five cases, according to federal statistics.

The vast majority of reported rapes are committed by a perpetrator who knows the victim, often in domestic settings, further complicating Abbott’s approach to target rapists by “aggressively going out and arresting them and prosecuting them and getting them off the streets.” Democratic state senators said the new findings “should outrage all of us.”

“Women and girls across our state are enduring unwanted pregnancies, suffering from life-endangering complications in desired pregnancies and fleeing the state for medical care,” the upper chamber’s 13 Democratic lawmakers said in a Thursday news release. “We cannot allow this to be the new norm.” Abbott’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment; the governor is abroad this week on a trip to India. A year after his initial comment, when Texas’ current and more stringent abortion ban took effect, Abbott told a Dallas TV station that he wants to ensure rape victims “can access health care immediately” so they can “get the Plan B pill that can prevent a pregnancy from occurring in the first place.” The emergency contraceptive only works if taken within a few days and carries a $50 price tag that could make it inaccessible to low-income Texans… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Attorney General Ken Paxton must testify in whistleblower case, judge again rules (Dallas Morning News)

A judge has denied Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s latest attempt to avoid testifying in a whistleblower lawsuit filed by four former top deputies who were fired after accusing Paxton of bribery and other misconduct. State District Judge Jan Soifer of Travis County rejected a request Wednesday to cancel a court order requiring Paxton and top aides to answer questions under oath in the lawsuit. Soifer also denied Paxton’s bid to end the lawsuit. Soifer’s ruling was the latest in a series of legal maneuvers that began when Paxton unexpectedly conceded on Jan. 18, saying his agency will no longer fight allegations that the four former employees were improperly fired and will accept any damages awarded by the judge.

Despite the concession, Paxton was ordered to answer questions from whistleblower lawyers in a deposition set for Feb. 1. Get the latest politics news from North Texas and beyond. Paxton’s office called the ruling a display of “shocking bias” by a Democratic judge. “It is not possible for the Attorney General, his agency, or his staff to expect a fair trial,” a statement from the attorney general’s office said.

“Travis County has established itself as an unfair venue where litigants’ fate is predetermined by the court’s political leanings.” The agency, arguing that depositions were unnecessary because the concession left no issues to litigate, had asked the judge to end the lawsuit by issuing a judgment and damages award. Lawyers in the case were notified of Soifer’s decision by email Wednesday evening. The judge also denied a request from the attorney general’s office for an emergency hearing on the matter… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Mayor Whitmire begins major department head reshuffle, starting with planning and neighborhoods (Houston Chronicle)

Mayor John Whitmire has reshuffled the city’s leadership deck, appointing senior officials from within the Department of Planning and Development and the Department of Neighborhoods to run their respective departments. The planning department monitors the city’s land development, sidewalk construction, historic preservation and transportation planning, among other efforts. The neighborhoods department works with local organizations to beautify streets and organize community events, while providing services to youth, new immigrants and other groups. It also has an inspection team tasked with identifying code violations and addressing nuisance complaints in neighborhoods. Margaret Wallace Brown, appointed by former Mayor Sylvester Turner to lead the planning department in 2019, retired after nearly four decades of work at the city.

She was replaced by her deputy Jennifer Ostlind, who assumed the role of interim director Friday. Ostlind joined the department in the 1990s. She was promoted to assistant director in 2018 and deputy director in 2022. "Interim Director Ostlind has an excellent track record throughout her past 31 years at the City of Houston, and I am confident that she will continue to lead with the same dedication and quality she has shown over the past three decades of public service," Whitmire said in a memo to Houston City Council members Friday afternoon. "

For 37 years, Margaret has been a pillar of the Houston planning community, helping to shape the policies and physical look of our great city. I congratulate her on her retirement and offer my sincere appreciation for her dedication to Houston and Houstonians." TaKasha Francis, director of the neighborhoods department since her appointment by Turner in 2016, is also stepping down. She is currently running for judge of the 152nd Civil District Court. Herbert Sims, the department’s assistant director, will take over as the interim director, according to the Friday memo. Sims has worked for the city for two decades and in recent years has specialized in managing the department's budget and finance… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

[US/WORLD NEWS]

Biden urges Congress to embrace border bill. But House speaker suggests it may be 'dead on arrival' (Associated Press)

President Joe Biden on Friday pressed Congress to embrace a bipartisan Senate deal to pair border enforcement measures with Ukraine aid, but House Speaker Mike Johnson suggested the compromise on border and immigration policy could be “dead on arrival” in his chamber. The Democratic president said in a statement late Friday that the policies proposed would “be the toughest and fairest set of reforms to secure the border we’ve ever had in our country.” He also pledged to use a new emergency authority to “shut down the border” as soon as he could sign it into law. Biden’s embrace of the deal — and Republican resistance — could become an election-year shift on the politics of immigration. Yet the diminishing prospects for its passage in Congress may have far-reaching consequences for U.S. allies around the globe, especially Ukraine.

Senate Republicans had initially insisted that border policy changes be included in Biden’s $110 billion emergency request for funding for Ukraine, Israel, immigration enforcement and other national security needs. But the Senate deal faced collapse this week as it came under fire from Republicans, including Donald Trump, the likely presidential nominee, who eviscerated the deal as a political “gift” to Democrats. Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, on Friday sent a letter to colleagues that aligns him with hardline conservatives determined to sink the compromise.

The speaker said the legislation would have been “dead on arrival in the House” if leaked reports about it were true. A core group of senators negotiating the deal were hoping to release text early next week, but conservatives already say the measures do not go far enough to limit immigration. The proposal would enact tougher standards on migrants seeking asylum as well as deny asylum applications at the border if daily migrant encounters grow to numbers that are unmanageable for authorities... (LINK TO FULL STORY)

To build more homes, the U.S. first needs more workers (Governing)

The United States needs an estimated 7 million more homes to house everyone who needs shelter. But to build all those homes, experts say, America would need many more construction workers.

“The biggest challenge that the construction industry is facing, to put it tongue in cheek, is that people don’t want their babies to grow up to be construction workers,” said Brian Turmail, vice president of public affairs and strategic initiatives at the Associated General Contractors of America, an industry group that’s been calling for more workforce development.For decades, Turmail said, many educators and policymakers have been encouraging students to go to a four-year college, leading to a shortage of skilled tradespeople such as electricians and plumbers. Most of the tradespeople he knows, Turmail added, got into the business because of a personal contact. And now, following both the Great Recession of 2008 and the construction cutbacks of the COVID-19 pandemic, more workers are leaving the industry than entering it, according to the National Center for Construction Education and Research.

“If there are fewer workers available, construction takes longer,” said Lily Roberts, managing director for inclusive growth at the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank based in Washington, D.C. The construction industry says it is experiencing a workforce shortage and has been since well before the pandemic.

Employment isn’t growing fast enough, said Erika Walter, director of media relations for Associated Builders and Contractors, a national industry group. An analysis released earlier this month by the Associated Builders and Contractors found that at the end of November there were about 459,000 job openings in the industry. The 5.4 percent job opening rate was the highest since 2000. Several states have taken steps in recent years to boost their construction workforces. They’re funding apprenticeships, investing in community college programs and offering grants to benefit specific industries, all in hopes of building a domestic pipeline of skilled construction workers. In Montana, nearly 3,000 apprentices are now working through a state program that links students to industry sponsors.

“The big surprise in 2023 for me was that all of a sudden these governors did more than just pump money into the labor shortage problem,” said Karl Eckhart, vice president of intergovernmental affairs for the National Association of Home Builders. “We need to expedite this process so we can at least get shovels under the ground.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)