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BG Reads 2.8.2024

BG Reads 2.8.2024

🗞️ Bingham Group Reads - February 8, 2024

February 08, 2024

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Bingham Group Reads

Presented by:

February 8, 2024

Today's BG Reads include:

🟣 Lost Creek, five other areas to vote on leaving Austin

🟣 Austin’s HOME Initiative won’t change much — for now

🟣 Mexico overtakes China as the leading source of goods imported to U.S.

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

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]

Lost Creek, five other areas to vote on leaving the city (Austin Monitor)

Texas Republicans and Democrats will be going to the polls on March 5 to select their candidates for the November election. But another election is coming in May, and the only people who get a chance to vote in it are those who live in the Lost Creek Municipal Utility District or one of five other areas seeking to disannex from the city.

On Feb. 1, City Council approved an ordinance calling for an election in Lost Creek MUD (District 8), Blue Goose Road (District 1), Malone Preliminary Plan (District 5), Wildhorse/Webb Tract (District 1), Mooreland Addition (District 5), and River Place Outparcels (District 10). The Travis County Clerk’s Office confirmed that the county will be administering the elections.

Lost Creek resident Leslie Odom, an outspoken critic of the city of Austin, particularly with regard to police services, is actively promoting a “yes” vote. Another promoter of disannexation is Ryan Brannan, a state lobbyist serving as treasurer of a political action committee raising money to support a disannexation vote.

The city is forced to hold these elections because of the passage of House Bill 3053 last year… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Austin’s HOME Initiative won’t change much — for now (Austin Business Journal)

Infill housing developer Scott Turner, owner of Riverside Homes and Turner Residential, said HOME is a fundamental change but not a game changer.

"When you start looking at broad numbers of the city's housing needs, those are so high that (HOME Initiative) is going to do little to meet the total demand," Turner said.

Despite his excitement and ongoing support for the program, Turner said he does not plan to immediately begin submitting applications to participate.

The reason: HOME is expected to be challenged in court by attorney Douglas Becker of Austin-based Gray Becker PC. In December, Becker led a successful case against other land use changes that would have paved the way for bigger buildings in what is now America's 10th-largest city… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Charter Review Commission suggests more transparency in petition process (Austin Monitor)

The city’s Charter Review Commission continues to take a close look at the petition process in Austin in anticipation of putting changes on this November’s ballot.

At the most recent meeting, commissioners discussed a new “letter of intent” that aims to add transparency to a process that is somewhat shrouded in secrecy until signatures are collected and handed in to the city clerk for validation.

The letter of intent would give a heads-up to the city about when a petition was being circulated, allowing staff to prepare resources in advance. It could also standardize the format used to collect signatures, which is left up to petitioners currently.

“Essentially, right now there’s not a whole lot of transparency,” explained Cynthia Van Maanen, who is part of a working group looking at the issue. “You don’t have to identify who is funding a petition effort. You don’t have to identify who is initiating a petition effort. The people who are submitting those signatures – the actual people carrying the signatures to the clerk’s office – are not required to be residents of Austin.”… (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

[US/WORLD NEWS]

The Supreme Court weighs in on Trump being removed from the ballot (NPR)

When it comes to whether or not Trump should appear on presidential ballots, there are at least two questions to consider.

The first is legal — does the 14th amendment apply him?

The second is practical. What would happen if Trump WERE removed from the ballot?

How might his tens of millions of supporters respond?

At a rally last month, the former President suggested if he doesn't get what he views as "fair" treatment, the country is in big trouble.

This week the Supreme Court will weigh whether Donald Trump is constitutionally ineligible to be president… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Mexico overtakes China as the leading source of goods imported to U.S. (PBS)

For the first time in more than two decades, Mexico last year surpassed China as the leading source of goods imported to the United States. The shift reflects the growing tensions between Washington and Beijing as well as U.S. efforts to import from countries that are friendlier and closer to home.

Figures released Wednesday by the U.S. Commerce Department show that the value of goods imported to the United States from Mexico rose nearly 5 percent from 2022 to 2023, to more than $475 billion. At the same time, the value of Chinese imports imports tumbled 20 percent to $427 billion.

The last time that Mexican goods imported to the United States exceeded the value of China’s imports was in 2002… (LINK TO FULL STORY)