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BG Reads 2.6.2024

BG Reads 2.6.2024

🗞️ Bingham Group Reads - February 6, 2024

February 06, 2024

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Bingham Group Reads

Presented by:

February 6, 2024

Today's BG Reads include:

🟣 Doug Greco, former director of Central Texas Interfaith, enters race for Austin mayor

🟣 Suspended Montana city manager disparages Austin, alleges $475,000 city manager role

🟣 BG Podcast (Ep. 236): City of Austin Artificial Intelligence (AI) Guidelines

🟣 Nearly 70% of Texans have ‘low trust’ in ERCOT, power company survey finds

Read on!

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

[BG BLOG]

✅ NEW - Five City of Austin Issues to Watch in 2024

🟣 Economic Development Incentives

🟣 Impacts of the HOME Initiative

🟣 Short-term Rentals

🟣 A 2024 Bond Proposal

🟣 Autonomous Mobility

✅ NEW - City of Austin org chart red line (as of 1/31/2024)

[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]

Doug Greco, former director of Central Texas Interfaith, enters race for Austin mayor (KUT)

Doug Greco, the former lead organizer and executive director of Central Texas Interfaith, has announced his bid to become Austin mayor.

Greco was head of Central Texas Interfaith for 12 years; he stepped down from his role Monday. The nonprofit addresses issues that impact the well being of families, such as homelessness and affordability.

Greco joins former City Council Member Kathie Tovo and East Austin community organizer Carmen Llanes Pulido, who announced their bids last month. Mayor Kirk Watson has not formally said he is running, but that he intends to. Candidates have until Aug. 19 to file… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

HealthSouth redevelopment scenarios spell out options for affordable housing downtown (Austin Monitor)

The Housing Department has presented City Council with the four scenarios most likely to spur redevelopment of the former HealthSouth site on the eastern edge of downtown.

A memo from Housing Director Mandy DeMayo spells out for Council the findings of Economic & Planning Systems Inc. in its analysis of how the city can adjust levels of affordable housing, subsidies and density to bring different kinds of mixed use to the parcels located at 1215 Red River St. and 606 E. 12th St.

The city had an agreement with the Aspen Heights development company to bring a mix of affordable housing and other uses to the site, but that project failed when market conditions changed such that Aspen Heights said it could deliver only 65 affordable units. The Economic Development Department recommended last summer that the city terminate the Aspen Heights deal and look for new ways to develop the property… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Suspended Montana city manager disparages Austin, alleges $475,000 city manager role (CBS Austin)

Bozeman, Montana's city manager is in hot water tonight over a series of comments he made during a video conference call he thought was private, including some choice words about the City of Austin and its open city manager position.

In what he thought was a "secret" recording, Jeff Mihelich told a colleague he was contacted by a recruiter searching for Austin City Manager candidates. Not only did he then disparage the City of Austin and its form of government, but he also alleges he was told it would pay a salary of $475,000... (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Aerospace manufacturer south of Austin eyeing $40M expansion (Austin Business Journal)

CFAN Co., a longtime aerospace parts manufacturer that's one of San Marcos' largest employers, wants state incentives for a potential $40 million expansion, according to city documents.

The San Marcos City Council on Feb. 6 will consider nominating CFAN's possible expansion as an enterprise project under the Texas Enterprise Zone Act. If the state approves, the designation would enable the company to apply for refunds of future state sales and use taxes that it pays.

The company was founded in 1991 as a 50-50 joint venture between Ohio-based GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines of France, two of the world’s leading aerospace companies. CFAN's roots were planted in San Marcos in 1993, and the company now operates a 270,000-square-foot facility at 1000 Technology Way where it produces the blades that go into airplane jet engines. Boeing is a big customer, according to CFAN's website… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

[BG Podcast]

BG Podcast Episode 236

BG Policy Watch - City of Austin Artificial Intelligence (AI) Guidelines

On this episode the Bingham Group CEO A.J. and Consultant Chris Stewart, former Austin Chief Information Officer (2020 to 2023) discuss Item 24 on the Austin City Council's February 15th agenda.

The item calls for the City Council to, "Approve a resolution regarding transparent and ethical citywide artificial intelligence guidelines and procedures, accountability strategies, and workforce considerations."

Among other directives to the City Manager, the resolution calls for the guidelines to include (but are not limited) to the following principles:

🟣 Innovation and Collaboration

🟣 Data Privacy and Security

🟣 Transparency

🟣 Explainability and Interpretability

🟣 Validity and Reliability

🟣 Bias and Harm Reduction

✅ Learn more here - BG Blog: Policy Watch - City of Austin Artificial Intelligence (AI) Guidelines -> tinyurl.com/b9k29s9u

LISTEN ON: SoundCloud, YouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify

[TEXAS NEWS]

House Speaker Dade Phelan, enemy of the far-right, faces toughest reelection yet (Texas Tribune)

If past is prologue, Dade Phelan’s return to the Texas House would be all but guaranteed. Over five terms, he has never once drawn a reelection opponent, ascending to become the first House speaker from Beaumont, leading the lower chamber as it drifted further to the right.

But a tumultuous 2023 exposed deep fissures within the Republican Party, exacerbated by the House’s impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton and refusal to pass a school voucher program favored by Gov. Greg Abbott.

Now, Phelan is the No. 1 enemy of Texas’ far-right conservatives.

Paxton and his ally Donald Trump want Phelan ousted. So do the state’s lieutenant governor, agriculture commissioner, the chair of the state Republican Party and its executive committee. Abbott has declined to publicly back the speaker while campaigning against incumbent House Republicans Phelan is trying to protect… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Nearly 70% of Texans have ‘low trust’ in ERCOT, power company survey finds (San Antonio Express-News)

Nearly 70% of Texans have low trust in the statewide electric grid operator and the stability of the system it oversees, according to a poll by a Dallas-Fort Worth power company. Beyond emotional distress, that lack of confidence leads to Texans spending more to prepare for severe weather.

Payless Power, an electric company providing service in 400 communities across the state, conducted the survey to determine how Texans responded to and prepared for January’s arctic blast. While the Electric Reliability Council of Texas kept lights and heaters on during the freeze, respondents made it clear they’re still harboring fears from the near collapse of the grid during the winter storm of February 2021. One in three Texans said they still experience major anxiety about past winter storms and their aftermath. The 2021 deep freeze caused dayslong mass power outages, disrupted and crippled water supplies, and led to the deaths of 246 Texans.

“While Texans continue to adapt to and overcome these harsh weather conditions, the importance of a robust, trustworthy energy infrastructure has never been more apparent,” Payless Power, which is known for its prepaid billing options, said in a statement.

“This leaves us wondering about the future of energy reliability in Texas and the role each citizen plays in this evolving narrative.” Only 11% of respondents said they had high trust in ERCOT to do its job; 19% said they were neutral. After the 2021 storm, ERCOT got a new CEO, appointed a new board of directors and increased oversight from a reformed board of state utility regulators.

Since then, the grid has been adding more supply, including a rapid increase in solar energy, which has provided a needed cushion during peaks in demand. Still, as ERCOT headed into January, its own analysis found that a deep freeze brought a 20.6% chance for a grid emergency that could lead to blackouts. Such weather in February brings an 11.4% chance of emergency conditions.

Beyond their lingering concern, nearly 60% of respondents in the survey said they spent more money to be better prepared for last month’s freeze than they had for previous winter cold snaps or storms. Texans who made purchases to prepare for the storm spent an average of $168, the survey found. The vast majority, 73%, said they bought food and water; 45% said they bought heating supplies such as space heaters or firewood; and 36% said they bought emergency power equipment such as generators to keep the heat on during a blackout... (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Mayor Whitmire announces new leader of Houston Airports as part of sweeping, city-wide change (Houston Chronicle)

Mayor John Whitmire announced Friday that Houston Airports Chief Operating Officer Jim Szczesniak will replace longtime Director Mario Diaz, marking another step in the mayor's citywide overhaul of top-level officials. Diaz has been head of Houston Airports since 2010 and has overseen the city’s three-airport system that covers George Bush Intercontinental Airport, William P. Hobby Airport and Ellington Airport, a military use airport.

Together, they serve tens of millions of passengers per year. The system’s director, a mayor-appointed position, oversees all aspects of the airports’ operations. Besides daily management, the director also is responsible for leading massive renovation projects and monitoring lucrative airport concession agreements. The director is also one of the highest-paid city employees in Houston. Diaz received total compensation of $292,447 in 2023, the fifth highest in the city… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

[US/WORLD NEWS]

US labor official says Dartmouth basketball players are school employees, sets stage for union vote (Associated Press)

A National Labor Relations Board regional official ruled on Monday that Dartmouth basketball players are employees of the school, clearing the way for an election that would create the first-ever labor union for NCAA athletes.

All 15 members of the Dartmouth men’s basketball team signed a petition in September asking to join Local 560 of the Service Employees International Union, which already represents some other employees at the Ivy League school in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Unionizing would allow the players to negotiate not only over salary but working conditions, including practice hours and travel.

“Because Dartmouth has the right to control the work performed by the Dartmouth men’s basketball team, and the players perform that work in exchange for compensation, I find that the petitioned-for basketball players are employees within the meaning of the (National Labor Relations) Act,” NLRB Regional Director Laura Sacks wrote.

The NCAA and universities across the country have been steadfast in insisting their athletes are students, not employees. College sports leaders have even lobbied Congress for a federal law that would codify that classification as the NCAA faces a federal lawsuit in Pennsylvania on the subject… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Ukraine, Israel aid in jeopardy amid Biden-GOP border battle (The Hill)

Congress has no clear path to approve aid to Ukraine and Israel amid intense GOP opposition to a Senate border security deal and few apparent fallback options.

The upper chamber this week unveiled legislation combining tougher border security measures with military aid for Ukraine and Israel, among broader foreign assistance. But before the ink was dry on the long-anticipated Senate bill text released Sunday night, House Republican leadership stuck a knife in it, declaring that it would not get a House vote — even if it can clear the upper chamber.

Instead, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said the House will vote only on billions of dollars for Israel — considered by some to be a less urgent component of the Senate package, but also the most politically popular within Johnson’s divided GOP conference… (LINK TO FULL STORY)