With City Council all but certain to approve extensive revisions to Austin’s land use code next month, Thursday’s public hearing on the proposed changes lacked the fire-in-the-belly resistance demonstrated at last October’s hearing.

Back then, the joint Council hearing with the Planning Commission lasted well into the evening hours. Thursday’s joint hearing was over by mid-afternoon, although it’s unclear whether the smaller number of speakers was caused by scheduling conflicts on a weekday morning or that many opponents have resigned themselves to what is likely inevitable. In any event, the majority of speakers’ remarks Thursday tilted in favor of the smorgasbord of proposed items slated for a May 16 Council vote.

Those who did speak in opposition voiced concern about a lack of infrastructure to sustain the additional capacity, the high costs and runarounds homeowners encounter when trying to modify their properties to age in place, as well as affordability worries and the absence of environmental protections in the proposed revisions.

Those who spoke in support of the proposed changes included students from the University of Texas at Austin, residents who moved to the U.S. from other countries, building and trade workers, and AURA members... (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Austin looks to restart $1K monthly payments to low-income families; AG fights guaranteed income (Community Impact)

A city program offering unconditional $1,000 monthly payments to dozens of Austin households could restart this year, while the legality of such guaranteed income programs is being disputed at the state level.

In an attempt to combat housing insecurity in Austin, city officials in 2021 proposed a pilot program that'd distribute monthly checks to eligible families with no strings attached. It followed a similar rental assistance measure created during the pandemic.The $1.14 million one-year pilot was formally outlined and approved by City Council in 2022 to support 135 low-income Austin households exiting homelessness, behind on rent or facing eviction.The city partnered with nonprofit UpTogether on the 2022-23 pilot, which was also monitored by the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based research firm. Participants ended up using most of their payments on housing costs and said they felt more housing-secure after enrolling, with many making progress on rent or mortgage payments and lowering their risk of losing housing.

Analysts who followed Austin's program also reported the payments helped many participants stabilize their careers, education, social networking, nutrition and mental health.

Council already funded a new round of a city income project in this fiscal year's budget. On April 18, officials will vote on a new $1.34 million contract with UpTogether to launch a similar program for dozens of households… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Austin ISD looking to cut $30 million from their budget next year (Texas Standard)

School funding and teacher pay were big topics of discussion during last year’s legislative session.

Some school districts were warning their budgets were already stretched thin and hoped that the Legislature would do more to step in and help them. Among the districts sounding the alarm was Austin ISD, which is now looking to cut at least $30 million from their budget next year.

Even with those cuts, the district is still expected to face a $30 million deficit.

Keri Heath, who covers education at the Austin American-Statesman, said the deficit comes from increased costs and inflation paired with the fact the state hasn’t increased the education funding formula since 2019.

“This year, (AISD is) really facing those pressures and are looking to cut from largely vacant positions,” she said. “Officials in the district have pledged that they’re going to try to keep cuts that would affect classrooms and students to a minimum and try to focus on administration, but they’re trying to make the cuts to vacant positions and also reduce their contract expenditures.”

Most of the district’s $976 million budget goes toward paying staff, Heath said… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

[TEXAS NEWS]

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick lists housing affordability, fighting antisemitism on campus among 2025 priorities (Texas Tribune)

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick put improving housing affordability, fighting antisemitism on college campuses and examining charitable bail organizations among 57 items on a to-do list for senators before the next legislative session begins in January.

Patrick, who oversees the Senate and wields tremendous power over bills passed into law, said the list was whittled from hundreds of ideas submitted from the state’s 31 senators, which the lieutenant governor reviewed with his staff.

“Come January 2025, the Senate will hit the ground running at the start of the 89th Legislative Session,” Patrick said in a statement. “The priorities of the conservative majority of Texans will be accomplished, including school choice, continued property tax relief, and strengthening the power grid.”

Patrick charged a Senate committee with tackling the state's housing affordability crisis as high home prices ice would-be first-time homebuyers out of the market and put pressure on renters. He wants them to study "issues related to housing, including housing supply, homelessness and methods of providing and financing affordable housing."… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Link to 2024 Texas Senate Interim Charges

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott positions himself as Trump's biggest cheerleader. Is he vying for VP? (Houston Chronicle)

Gov. Greg Abbott keeps downplaying his interest in being Donald Trump’s running mate, but his actions over the last few weeks tell a different story. Just blocks from Trump Tower in New York City last week, Abbott sounded like an unofficial Trump surrogate in a series of live interviews and a speech. The Republican governor tailored his comments to echo Trump's own language on crime and immigration.

He even doubled down on the former president's inflammatory comments about President Joe Biden perpetuating a "border blood bath." Abbott, 66, has no official role in Trump’s campaign. But his behavior likely shows why Trump has floated Abbott as a potential vice president in recent months, said Joel Goldstein, a St. Louis University scholar who has written books on the selection of vice presidents in American history.

Trump's move helps boost the Texas governor’s national visibility. In return, Trump is getting Abbott and other possible running mates like U.S. Sen. Tim Scott and former GOP president candidate Vivek Ramaswamy promoting his campaign.

“Trump is motivating these people to be out there doing this,” Goldstein said. While Abbott’s name percolated on some VP rumor lists, it took off in February when Trump told a national audience on Fox News that Abbott was absolutely on his short list of potential running mates. Trump praised Abbott’s work on the border and called him “a spectacular man.”

But now it’s gone beyond that single moment. Trump frequently mentions Abbott at rallies on the campaign trail even in other states without the Texas governor in the crowd. In January he touted Abbott to a Nevada audience and last month spent time in Greensboro, North Carolina talking about how good of a job Abbott was doing in Texas… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

[NATION/WORLD NEWS]

Civil War begins as Confederate forces fire on Fort Sumter (History.com)

Four of the bloodiest years in American history begin when Confederate shore batteries under General Pierre G.T. Beauregard open fire on Union-held Fort Sumter in South Carolina’s Charleston Harbor on April 12, 1861.

During the next 34 hours, 50 Confederate guns and mortars launched more than 4,000 rounds at the poorly supplied fort.

On April 13, U.S. Major Robert Anderson surrendered the fort. Two days later, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for 75,000 volunteer soldiers to quell the Southern “insurrection.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Another Boeing whistleblower says he faced retaliation for reporting 'shortcuts' (NPR)

Longtime Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour went public this week with alarming claims about two of the company's jets, including the 787 Dreamliner.

In a virtual meeting with reporters, Salehpour said Boeing was so eager to meet its production goals that it took "shortcuts" when it fastened together the carbon-composite fuselage of the 787. That could dramatically shorten the life of the plane, he warned, potentially causing it to break apart in mid-flight.

"I'm doing this not because I want Boeing to fail, but because I want it to succeed, and prevent crashes from happening," Salehpour said. "The truth is, Boeing can't keep going the way it is. It needs to do a little bit better, I think."… (LINK TO FULL STORY)