BG Reads 10.18.2023

🗞️ BG Reads | News - October 18, 2023

October 18, 2023

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October 18, 2023

In today's BG Reads:

âś… Council to consider city manager search firm this week

âś… Nearly a quarter of office space in Dallas, Houston and Austin sits empty

âś… Council considers timeline, partnerships ahead of vote on $1.2B contracts for convention center

Read on!

[BINGHAM GROUP]

Council to consider city manager search firm this week 🎙️ BG Podcast Ep. 222:

  • On this episode the Bingham Group CEO A.J. Bingham and Associate Hannah Garcia wrap up the week of October 9th in Austin politics.

  • The BG Podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

🔎 Jobs List

[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]

Council to consider city manager search firm this week (Austin Monitor)

Following a national search, City Council is poised to choose Mosaic Public Partners, LLC to help recruit a new city manager. Former City Manager Spencer Cronk was fired on Feb. 15, and Council immediately appointed former City Manager JesĂşs Garza as interim city manager.

Mayor Kirk Watson, who sat on the committee recommending the firm to help Council find a new manager, said during Tuesday’s work session that he and Council members Leslie Pool, Vanessa Fuentes, Chito Vela and Mayor Pro Tem Paige Ellis went through an extensive process to find the right agency. The city’s financial department has estimated the cost of the contract at $75,000 and added another $75,000 to pay for other items incidental to the search, including travel for candidates and for community engagement.

Watson said a request for qualifications was advertised in July and that 12 companies responded. The Council committee chose the four firms they thought were most qualified and then asked each of them to answer specific questions about their processes. He said two of the firms did well in answering specific questions the Council committee asked. The two others, not so much… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Council considers timeline, partnerships ahead of vote on $1.2B contracts for convention center (Austin Monitor)

City Council appears ready to move ahead with two major contracts that will officially kick off the process of demolishing and reconstructing the Austin Convention Center. On Thursday, contracts totaling nearly $1.27 billion could confirm LMN/Page as the design and engineering firms for the project, while JE Dunn/Turner would be the construction managers for the four-year span beginning in 2025.

Council heard the latest details of the expansion at Tuesday’s work session, with convention center staff explaining how the substantial increase in meeting and exhibit space is projected to bring far more events and conventions to the city.

The expansion, which was originally expected to include parcels to the west of the current footprint, will see the loading docks and much exhibit space located underground. Plans call for Second and Third streets to be be opened to pedestrians and possibly vehicle traffic, with additional features including a private development portion using increased building height… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Jet fuel supplier announces plans for new pipeline to Austin airport (KVUE)

A jet fuel supplier has announced plans to build a dedicated pipeline to supply fuel to the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS). 

According to Flint Hills Resources, Austin's is the largest airport in the nation that relies on daily truck shipments for its jet fuel supply instead of a pipeline… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

[TEXAS NEWS]

Nearly a quarter of office space in Dallas, Houston and Austin sits empty (KUT)

Major Texas  T like Houston, Dallas and Austin rank among the top places in the U.S. when it comes to office vacancies, according to reporting by Konrad Putzier.

He’s a reporter with the Wall Street Journal and he joined Texas Standard to talk about why so many Texas cities have empty offices. Listen to the interview above or read the transcript below... (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Defend Texas Liberty PAC names new president after leader met with white supremacist Nick Fuentes (Texas Tribune)

Former Rep. Jonathan Stickland’s name has been removed from the website of Defend Texas Liberty, a political action committee and major donor to top Texas Republicans, where he served as president.

Defend Texas Liberty's website now lists Luke Macias, who previously served as the group's director, as its president. Neither Macias nor Stickland could be reached for comment Tuesday evening… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

[US/WORLD NEWS]

Biden arrives in Israel after Arab leaders summit cancelled (BBC)

US President Joe Biden has arrived in Israel to express his solidarity and discuss war plans with its leaders.

He landed in Tel Aviv on Wednesday and was greeted warmly by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

But the high-stakes visit has been overshadowed by a blast at a crowded Gaza hospital in which hundreds are feared to have died.

The blast, which Palestinian and Israeli officials have blamed on each other, has further stoked tensions.

In a statement issued from Air Force One, Mr Biden said the US mourned "the patients, medical staff and other innocents killed or wounded in this tragedy" but he did not attribute blame.

Mr Biden had planned to travel from Israel to Jordan to meet Arab leaders, but that leg of the trip was cancelled after the deaths in Gaza on Tuesday inflamed tensions and sparked protests. 

Jordan cancelled the meeting and condemned what it called "a great calamity and a heinous war crime". The White House, meanwhile, said the decision had been "made in a mutual way" and Mr Biden would call the leaders of the Palestinian Authority and Egypt on his return flight to the US... (LINK TO FULL STORY)

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