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September 18, 2023

In today's BG Reads:

🏠 City of Austin calling for compatibility height restrictions reduction

⚖️ Paxton lawyers, the trial was a “sham.” House managers say it exposed a “corrupt politician.”

➡️ As House Republicans bicker, the government shutdown threat grows

🎙️ Bingham Group content: Our city of Austin org chart red line (as of 9.12.23)

Read on!

[BINGHAM GROUP]

🆕  Listen: BG Podcast Ep. 216 

(Also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify).

Topics include:

✅ Is the city Austin back in play for economic development?

✅ Texas AG Ken Paxton's acquittal

✅ The battle to save Flo the tree

➡️ Check out our red lined City of Austin org chart.  The changes reflect the many changes in city leadership since February 2023.

➡️ You can view those here: BG Blog: Tracking City of Austin Leadership Changes (Updated September 1, 2023).

[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]

City could reduce compatibility buffers to 75 feet to encourage new housing (Austin Monitor)

City staff has recommended the city end building compatibility height restrictions at 75 feet from single-family homes that for decades have had a barrier of several hundred feet from tall buildings.

That recommendation is one of nine included in a new memo to Mayor Kirk Watson and City Council from Rosie Truelove, director of the Housing Department, and Lauren Middleton-Pratt, director of the Planning Department.

The memo, released earlier this month, is a response to a June resolution from Council that directed staff to examine how ending or greatly relaxing compatibility standards could add housing stock throughout the city, and especially in desired areas near transit corridors.

Council Member Chito Vela, who led the resolution, said the development community is ready to create more housing once the city decides on the exact new standards around compatibility… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

📺 What’s ahead: Austin City Council Regular Meeting (9.21.2023 Agenda)

And in other Austin Metro News:

➡️ City of Austin considers future of popular pecan tree ‘Flo’ (KXAN) -> LINK TO FULL STORY

➡️ NXP's potential $1M incentive deal with city of Austin to include child care fund (Austin American-Statesman) -> LINK TO FULL STORY

[TEXAS NEWS]

For Paxton lawyers, the trial was a “sham.” House managers say it exposed a “corrupt politician.” (Texas Tribune)

Opposing sides in Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial lashed out in the moments after senators voted Saturday to send the embattled attorney general back to his job.

“It was a joke for us to have to go through this,” said defense attorney Dan Cogdell, who derided the bipartisan House-led impeachment as “

a sham.” “This should have never happened.”

House impeachment managers who drove the effort to oust Paxton disagreed, saying in a separate Capitol news conference that it was the vote to acquit that deserved condemnation.

“Managers presented overwhelming evidence that Ken Paxton is the most corrupt politician in the state of Texas at this time,” said Rep. Ann Johnson, a Houston Democrat and vice chair of the House team. “And the Republicans in the Texas Senate just returned him to the office of top cop.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

And in other Texas News:

➡️ These 2 senators were the only Republicans to vote for Paxton impeachment articles (Texas Tribune) -> LINK TO FULL STORY

➡️ Texas AG Ken Paxton was acquitted at his impeachment trial. He still faces legal troubles -> LINK TO FULL STORY

[NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS]

As House Republicans bicker, the government shutdown threat grows (NPR)

Tensions among House Republicans came to a head Thursday morning, as Speaker Kevin McCarthy struggled to unite his narrow majority around a plan to avert a government shutdown at the end of the month — while protecting his job as speaker from far-right opposition.

Hard-line Republicans have spent the week explicitly tying McCarthy's political fate to the spending fight in a chaotic push for further control. The dynamic has ground the House to a standstill, just weeks before the deadline to fund the government or shut down.

McCarthy dared his critics at a Thursday morning meeting of House GOP members to stop talking about ejecting him from his job and start the formal process of doing it, saying, "'If you want to file a motion to vacate, then file the f****** motion,' " according to Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

OTHER NEWS:

➡️ UAW and automakers GM, Ford and Stellantis try to reach deal before strike widens (Reuters) -> LINK TO FULL STORY

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