- The BG Reads
- Posts
- BG Reads 9.13.2024
BG Reads 9.13.2024
🗞️ Bingham Group Reads - September 13, 2024
Bingham Group Reads
Presented by:
www.binghamgp.com
September 13, 2024
Today's BG Reads include:
🟪 Actions taken by the City Council during the September 12, 2024 meeting
🟪 Austin’s airport set to move ahead with $865 million terminal expansion (Austin Monitor)
🟪 Korean ambassador touts Williamson County as 'top destination' for foreign investment (KUT)
🟪 Michelin Guide identifies 8 Austin hotels as among world's best under new rating system (Austin Business Journal)
🟪 British Airways to almost double number of flights from Austin beginning in March (KXAN)
Read On!
[BINGHAM GROUP]
🟪 We are proud to represent and have represented a wide range of clients in the Austin Metro and Texas Capitol at the intersection of government and business.
🟪 Learn more about Bingham Group’s experience here, and review client testimonials here.
[CITY OF AUSTIN]
🟪 The Austin Council has seven (6) regular meetings left in 2024.
đź“ş City Council Candidate Forum: District 7 - Video (9.5.2024)
District 4 - September 19th
City of Austin Permitting and Development Center, Room 1405, 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Drive, Austin 78752
District 2 - September 25th
Dove Springs Recreation Center, 5801 Ainez Drive, Austin 78744
District 10 - September 30th
Dell Jewish Community Campus, Epstein Family Community Hall, 7300 Hart Lane, Austin 78731
Mayor - October 3rd
Austin City Hall Council Chambers, 301 W. 2nd St. Austin 78701
District 6 - October 7th
Hope Presbyterian Church, 11512 Olson Drive, Austin 78750
âś… All candidate forums will are scheduled from 6:30pm to 8pm.
âś… All forums will be streamed live and archived on ATXN.
[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]
Austin’s airport set to move ahead with $865 million terminal expansion (Austin Monitor)
A centerpiece of the largest-ever expansion of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is on a glide path to obtain final approval for design and construction. City Council will vote on the project this month as ABIA strains to handle far more passengers than it was designed to accommodate.
If approved, the 370,500-square-foot extension of the Barbara Jordan Terminal – an area about the size of three Costco stores – will push the terminal north through the Red Garage and establish a new front door to Austin’s airport.
The new structure, dubbed the “Arrivals and Departures Hall” (A/D Hall), will serve as the primary pickup and drop-off point for passengers. The building will house airline check-in counters, domestic baggage claim, and concessions like stores and cafes.
Construction on the $865 million project is expected to be mostly complete by December 2029, according to city solicitation documents… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Developers face new rules if they want to build homes, hotels near Austin music venues (KVUE)
The Austin City Council took action by approving an ordinance that helps developers understand the sound levels in their area.
The ordinance requires new residential and hotel development projects within 600 feet of an establishment with an outdoor music venue permit, or within 300 feet of a performance venue, to conduct a sound assessment.
Officials will also create a mapping tool that helps future residents learn about nearby businesses that are music-related… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
âś… See Council Item 5 (9.12.2024) Approved on Consent
Michelin Guide identifies 8 Austin hotels as among world's best under new rating system (Austin Business Journal)
In the wake of an announcement this summer that the esteemed Michelin Guide would be expanding its restaurant star ratings to Austin and a handful of other Texas cities, it now has identified local recipients of its new "Michelin Key" ratings for top hotels globally.
The Michelin Key system — which was established in April and rates top hotels on a scale of one to three keys — has recognized the Commodore Perry Estate with a score of two keys. That rating, along with one-key ratings for seven other Austin hotels, comes after the prestigious guide that's published by the French tire company announced on July 16 that it would highlight restaurants in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio for the first time.
The Michelin Key system for hotels is intended to advise travelers on hotels that stand out because of unique hospitality concepts, distinctive character, a “warm welcome” and a high level of service… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Korean ambassador touts Williamson County as 'top destination' for foreign investment (KUT)
Williamson County was touted as the "top destination" for foreign investment from South Korea during a recent visit from the country's lead diplomat.
Hyundong Cho, South Korea's ambassador to the U.S. and Philip Goldberg, the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, stopped by Taylor High School on Wednesday to discuss the area's semiconductor industry and economic development.
"Texas has become the major trading partner [of] Korea, and also, Texas has become the top destination of Korea's investment in the United States," Cho told reporters during the visit.
Over the past 10 years, companies from South Korea have invested more than $48 billion in 47 projects throughout state, according to the Texas governor's office.
One of those projects is Samsung's new, $17-billion semiconductor manufacturing plant that is currently being constructed in Taylor… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Georgetown council gives initial approval to short-term rental ordinance starting Oct. 15 (Community Impact)
Georgetown City Council members gave initial approval to a short-term rental ordinance at its Sept. 10 meeting.
By adding an STR ordinance, Georgetown officials hope to streamline rental property information throughout the city, with Oct. 15 being the effective date for the ordinance, according to an email sent to Community Impact.STRs are units used for residential purposes during a 30-day period or less, according to city documents. Rentals are commonly listed on websites like Airbnb and Vrbo.A new permit program outlined in the ordinance will be administered by the Downtown & Tourism Department and the Convention & Visitors Bureau office, allowing staff to track a rental property’s taxes, customer complaints, owner details, pricing information and more… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Prime real estate in downtown Austin hits the market (Austin Business Journal)
Two tracts on Congress Avenue have hit the market and could be the location of the next sky-high development in downtown Austin.
The two properties — 422 Congress Ave. and 101 W. Fifth St. — currently house the Shiner’s Saloon, and they have major redevelopment opportunities thanks to unlimited height restrictions, according to a property advertisement.
Austin-based hotel developer Merritt Development Group previously aimed to develop the properties, and even though it no longer is involved with them its plans stand as an example of what could be built there. Merritt had planned to build a 36-floor, $170 million hotel at the site… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
British Airways to almost double number of flights from Austin beginning in March (KXAN)
British Airways will almost double the number of flights it operates from Austin to London beginning in March 2025.
Currently, the airline operates one flight daily between AUS and London Heathrow. That will increase to 13 flights a week beginning March 31, with daily flights operating Monday-Saturday.
Flights currently leave Austin daily at 6:05 p.m., arriving in London at 9:35 a.m. the following day. The new flight will take off at 10:15 p.m. and arrive in London at 1:40 p.m. the next day.
Return flights will leave London at 4:05 p.m., arriving in Austin at 8:20 p.m., in addition to the existing service which leaves LHR at 11:50 a.m. and arrives at AUS at 4 p.m.
“After 10 years of flights between Austin and London, we’re thrilled to be making it even easier for y’all to hop across the pond,” Neil Chernoff, chief planning and strategy officer for British Airways, said in a press release from the airport… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS NEWS]
Odessa’s mayor ran to help the West Texas city “repent.” Now he wants a second term. (Texas Tribune)
In Texas, a city’s charter spells out how much power its nonpartisan mayor holds. There are “strong” mayors who oversee the daily operations of the city as an executive. And there are “weak” mayors who have ceremonial duties with the day-to-day business run by an appointed city manager. Odessa has a “weak” mayor system.
Unlike most city council members who run to represent specific parts of town, mayors run citywide, affording them the authority to shepherd discussions in city hall and establish priorities.
Gloria Cox, an associate political science professor at the University of North Texas, said despite local government’s nonpartisan charge, most elected officials have some sort of allegiance to a party.
“We all know the party affiliation of most of the people in government, particularly mayors,” Cox said.
Ray Perryman, a local economist, believes the City Council’s overemphasis on partisan and social issues has resulted in disorder.
“These are certainly important topics throughout the country but are not within the purview of city governments and go far beyond the core functions related to providing infrastructure and supporting local economic success,” he said... 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[US and World News]
67.1 million people watched Harris and Trump, outdrawing last debate (New York Times)
There is a new most-watched moment of the 2024 presidential campaign. Tuesday’s televised clash between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J. Trump drew 67.1 million live viewers, according to Nielsen, outdrawing Mr. Trump’s debate in June with President Biden by 31 percent.
Mass cultural events are rare in a polarized, choose-your-own-news era, but presidential debates still have pull. And the Nielsen data did not include likely millions more who followed along on social media and a variety of websites and streaming platforms.
The debate, hosted by ABC News in Philadelphia, fell short of cultural touchstones like the “Seinfeld” finale in 1998 (76.3 million), but viewing habits have shifted since then. The TV audience for the Harris-Trump matchup was roughly comparable to Mr. Trump’s second debate with Hillary Clinton in 2016, and President Barack Obama’s first meeting with Mitt Romney in 2012.
Younger and early-middle-age viewers in particular helped drive up the television audience on Tuesday. Roughly 50 percent more adults between the ages of 18 and 54 watched Ms. Harris and Mr. Trump, compared with the June debate, according to Nielsen. The big ratings winner of the evening was ABC News — about 19.1 million people watched on ABC alone. The debate was simulcast on more than a dozen channels, with Fox News drawing 9.1 million viewers, the largest audience of any cable network on Tuesday.
CNN, which hosted the June debate, had the lowest total viewership of the seven biggest networks, a reversal from June, when it had the highest. Executives in the television industry had expected Tuesday’s debate to bring in higher viewership than the Biden-Trump meeting in June. That debate was held far earlier in the calendar than usual, when many Americans were away on vacation. Television use is also higher in the autumn than in the summertime… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
GOP race to replace McConnell heats up (The Hill)
The leadership race to replace retiring Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) is heating up as Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.) announced Tuesday that he will transfer $4 million to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) to overcome the Senate Democrats’ growing cash advantage.
Thune’s contribution is the largest by a senator to the Senate Republican campaign arm in history, breaking the previous record of $2 million, which he himself set back in 2016. Thune made his gift from a campaign war chest of more than $18 million, and he will still have more than $14 million in his campaign account going forward. He’s made more than $9 million in direct transfers to the NRSC during his time in the Senate. Thune’s top rival, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), is making his own moves to win the support of GOP colleagues.
He says he’s on track to raise $25 million for Senate Republican candidates this cycle and circulated a letter Monday laying out his leadership vision for 2025 and beyond. Cornyn pledged to oppose efforts to scrap the Senate filibuster and to get back to the habit of passing an annual budget to set spending priorities and limits. “With the election rapidly approaching, it is only prudent to think broadly and boldly about our goals. With a Trump presidency and a Republican majority in Congress, our opportunities in Congress will only increase,” he wrote.
McConnell says he will step down from leadership at the end of the year but plans to finish the rest of his current Senate term, which runs through 2026. He says he will focus on building up national defense and taking on isolationists in his own party.
With McConnell stepping down, fundraising is becoming a growing concern of many GOP senators as they’re falling behind Senate Democrats in this year’s money chase. Senate Republicans say they expect to be outspent by Democrats in battleground races around the country. This makes Thune’s $4 million transfer to the party committee and Cornyn’s access to big donors in Texas major selling points in the leadership race… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
_________________________
We are proud to represent and have represented a wide range of clients in the Austin Metro and Texas Capitol at the intersection of government and business.
Learn more about Bingham Group’s experience here, and review client testimonials here.
⬇️
Copyright (C) " target="_blank">unsubscribe