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January 28, 2026

✅ Today's BG Reads include:

🟪 City of Austin employees raked in $143 million in overtime last year (KUT)

🟪 Austin City Council, police chief to hold discussion on APD’s immigration policies (Spectrum News)

🟪 Austin sees over 50% drop in park vehicle break-ins with camera pilot program (KVUE)

🟪 Austin slips again on respected list of 'best performing' cities (Austin Business Journal)

🟪 Austin leaders target vacant land for 1,900-unit affordable housing plan (KVUE)

🟪 Internal review contradicts White House narrative of Pretti's death (NPR)

🟪 U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats have done little to stop the flow of illegal drugs (NPR)

🟪 More ‘No Kings’ protests planned for March 28 as outrage spreads over Minneapolis deaths (Associated Press)

🟪  ‘It’s not like the SS are coming’: Italy bids to quell ICE furor before Winter Olympics (Politico)

READ ON!

[FROM THE FIRM ]

🟪 [Events] Bingham Group was proud to participate in Building Beyond Austin – Central Texas Edition, organized by Glenn Hart (LinkedGlenn). The event brought together 14 economic development organizations from across Central Texas for a timely conversation on regional growth and collaboration.

As shared in my remarks, Bingham Group is Austin-based with a Central Texas focus, and we value opportunities to engage with partners working to strengthen the region’s economic future.

If you’re interested in engaging on issues shaping Central Texas, we’d welcome the opportunity to connect. Message me here.

🟪 [Podcast] Also, check out my recent feature on the Austin Eras Podcast. Host Adam Flagg and I discuss my path into community leadership and the lobbying profession, growing up in Austin, and what’s shaping the future of Central Texas.

🟪 Book Review - The Austin–San Antonio Megaregion: Opportunity and Experience

[CITY OF AUSTIN]

🏛️ City of Austin Memos:

• 2026 Bond Initial Draft Project Recommendation (January 21, 2026)

[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]

✅ City of Austin employees raked in $143 million in overtime last year (KUT)

Austin workers were paid more than $143 million in overtime last year, according to city payroll data obtained by KUT News.

The payouts are nothing new, but show the city has relied more and more on overtime spending over the last few years, particularly for police, fire and emergency medical services.

That spending could come under a harsher focus this year as the city vows to cut its spending after the failure of Proposition Q — and as it gears up to ask voters to OK bond funding to pay for services.

Five departments regularly round out the top payments by the city to its employees.

Police account for the lion's share of overtime — more than 580,000 hours of the 1.7 million overtime hours billed in 2025.

Austin spent nearly $53 million on police overtime last year, compared to just $22.6 million paid out to Austin's firefighters.

And, as in previous years, dozens of officers racked up millions in overtime, some doubling their take-home pay.

Seventy-eight police officers earned six figures in overtime in 2025. On average, those top-earners pulled in $133,778 in overtime payments by clocking in more than 1,300 overtime hours.

All told, eight of the top 10 city workers who earned the most overtime were Austin police officers, while the top two earners were Austin Energy supervisors… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Austin City Council, police chief to hold discussion on APD’s immigration policies (Spectrum News)

Following a controversial deportation involving a 5-year-old, Austin City Council members and the city’s police chief will hold a community conversation to discuss the police department’s immigration policies.

On Thursday, Feb. 5, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis, Mayor Pro Tem José “Chito” Vela and Councilmembers Vanessa Fuentes and José Velásquez will host a community conversation on “APD’s policies that impact our immigrant community.” It was originally scheduled for Jan. 26, but it was moved due to icy roads.

The discussion is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. at Govalle Elementary Cafeteria, 3601 Govalle Ave. Spanish interpretation services will be provided. Those interested in attending virtually can RSVP here to receive a Zoom link.

This comes after an Austin mother and her 5-year-old child were deported after the mother called 911 from her home. APD officers called Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the mother after seeing an “administrative warrant” in a federal database. Following the incident, Austin City Council members released a statement condemning the actions of APD, and APD said they would update their ICE policy… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Austin sees over 50% drop in park vehicle break-ins with camera pilot program (KVUE)

Austin city officials say recent efforts to lower crime in local parks have been successful.

Trailers with security cameras were placed in the parking lots of 15 city parks between 2022 and 2025. Over the course of the pilot program, officials said they saw more than a 50% reduction in vehicle break-ins.

At Barton Creek Greenbelt, burglaries fell from 100 in 2022 to just 21 last year, and at Mayfield Park, they dropped from 80 to just 18.

Of the 15 parks that participated in the pilot program, nine experienced a decrease in reported incidents during or after the placement of security cameras. Several of those parks showed a lasting reduction in crime even once the camera trailers were removed, city officials said. Those included Barton Creek Greenbelt, Mayfield Park, Northwest District Park, Turner Roberts Recreation Center, Roy G. Guerrero Park and Zilker Park.

Meanwhile, Redbud Isle and St. Edwards Park recorded declines in crime while the security camera trailers were present, but crimes increased again once the trailers were removed.

Across the sites, all types of crime were reduced, including drug violations, assaults and vandalism, though the most significant decreases were with vehicle break-ins… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Austin leaders target vacant land for 1,900-unit affordable housing plan (KVUE)

Austin city leaders are looking into the possibility of turning vacant land into affordable housing.

They're looking at eight sites covering about 38 acres that could deliver between 1,200 and 1,900 units total.

Three of those parcels are located on South Congress Avenue, Bolm Road and Menchaca Road. They believe those properties have the potential to add up to 800 units by themselves, but they'd still need between $27 million and $50 million in gap funding.

Officials say relocating some public facilities to share land on the same parcels as the new housing is also a possibility, which could help shave between $4 million and $5 million off the total cost.

Seven of the eight sites are owned by the Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC), while the Bolm Road site is owned by the city of Austin.

The eight potential sites include… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Austin slips again on respected list of 'best performing' cities (Austin Business Journal)

The Austin area dipped again in a key national ranking of the top performing cities for economic growth. 

Austin fell to the No. 9 spot in the Milken Institute’s 2026 Best-Performing Cities report for large metros with over 275,000 residents. It was No. 6 last year and was No. 1 in 2024 and has hovered among the top three for at least a decade.

This annual report looks at cities across the U.S. and ranks them based on how effective they are at promoting employment, wages and key industries as well as access to economic opportunity.

Austin has long been in the top 10 cities in this report. The metro has stout higher learning institutions like the University of Texas that keeps the local workforce highly skilled, plus there's an impressive collection of tech companies and innovation here across all sectors, and usually there's an almost unparalleled increase of jobs and residents.

But growth has slowed to more sustainable rates, and the city has other issues Milken researchers noticed. For instance, Austin has been hampered by a large income inequality and ranks 160th in the category nationwide, and the metro struggles with housing affordability and ranks 124th with 67% of households having affordable housing costs, according to the report… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ New agreement between city of Austin, Round Rock ISD could speed construction, save tax dollars (Community Impact)

A new interlocal agreement between the city of Austin and Round Rock ISD will expedite permitting timelines and allow the school district to exclude turf stadiums from calculations of impervious cover.

The agreement could save the school district a significant amount of money as it works its way through millions of dollars in bond-funded projects on campuses within the city of Austin.

The 25-year interlocal agreement between the city and school district was approved at recent meetings of the Austin City Council and RRISD board of trustees in January.

The interlocal agreement allows the school district to develop its property within the city of Austin in a streamlined administrative process. RRISD must still follow all technical codes, such as building and fire codes.

Both the city and school district will have liaisons to communicate and mediate any disputes regarding the agreement.

RRISD has around 20 campuses within the city limits, with several slated for bond-funded improvements in the coming years… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Businesses open on Rainey Street as district enters its next era (Austin Business Journal)

The final phase of the Rainey Street Historic District is in its last stretch as construction cranes move on and openings begin.

After several years of construction that thwarted visitors and led to a steep decline in alcohol sales and activity — Rainey’s economy for years thrived on its bar-hopping culture — the district is beginning to take on its new form.

For the most part, the neighborhood is now walkable without having to dodge construction. New life is emerging on Rainey Street with fresh restaurants, bars and coffee shops, as well as an effort to bring communal activities. This is all part of the plan to turn Rainey into an 18-hour district where residents and tourists can grab breakfast tacos early in the morning, dine, work from third spaces, shop at a farmers market, run by the lake, party at night and still have a late-night bite at a food truck.

During the day, people can be seen running on Rainey Street’s trailhead, while others hang out at a newly minted coffee shop and passersby of varied ages walk the street. Social media influencers have also begun filming more content in the area as businesses debut.

Rainey is about 70% to its final form, said David Kanne, CEO of LV Collective, which recently opened the 48-story Paseo tower at 80 Rainey St. Kanne predicts the district will be 90% complete by September. It's come a long way from being a quirky strip of bars and restaurants — and an even longer way from its original status as a quiet Central Austin neighborhood with old and small homes… 🟪 (READ MORE)

[TEXAS/US NEWS]

✅ Census: Texas led U.S. in population growth in 2025, but immigration slowed (Texas Tribune)

Texas’ population growth slowed significantly last year amid a nationwide slowdown in the number of newcomers moving to the United States, but still topped the rest of the country for adding new residents, new U.S. Census Bureau data show.

Texas added 391,243 residents in 2025, the most of any state, according to census figures released Tuesday — bringing the state’s population to 31.7 million. But the Lone Star State grew by 1.2%, its slowest clip since 2021, after years of red-hot growth following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Part of that slowdown comes from a steep drop-off in the number of immigrants moving to Texas, driven in part by the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. The state added 67,475 newcomers from abroad in 2025. That’s a 48% decline from the previous year, when 319,569 immigrants, documented and undocumented, moved to Texas. The drop was not as staggering as the national decrease… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Whitmire, Lina Hidalgo host dueling freeze updates (Houston Chronicle)

Although the ice brought by this weekend’s winter storm is expected to soon recede, the relationship between County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Mayor John Whitmire shows no signs of thawing. In a series of dueling news conferences, the pair provided separate updates to residents as emergency resources were activated in response to the near-record-low temperatures. Hidalgo said that, despite multiple offers to host a joint event as a show of unity, the mayor’s office repeatedly declined to appear alongside the county judge. Hidalgo said her staff even offered to host the conference at a place and time of Whitmire’s choosing, which was declined.

A spokesperson for her office said they reached out ahead of Hidalgo’s Thursday news conference — one day prior to the mayor hosting his own news conference Friday afternoon.

“We invited his office to our press conference. And in fact, we said: ‘You pick the time and we will make it happen at that time,’” Hidalgo said during a Monday news conference at Lincoln Park Community Center. “So I can only speak for my side. But you know what, I'm happy that the community gets information.” The rift appears to exist only between Whitmire and Hidalgo, and does not represent a broader issue between city and county officials. Just 45 minutes after Hidalgo addressed residents, Whitmire and Commissioner Lesley Briones held a joint news conference 18 miles across the city at Bayland Community Center. Whitmire and Hidalgo hit an impasse shortly after he took office, and the pair have not reconciled since.

The pair did not hold a news conference together as floods decimated Kingwood, prompting concern about how they could work together during hurricane season. When the May 2024 Derecho swept across the region, the mayor and county judge eventually held their first joint press conference, where they sparred over Whitmire inviting Briones to the lectern to speak… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Internal review contradicts White House narrative of Pretti's death (NPR)

A preliminary government review contradicts the Trump administration's initial narrative of the shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti last week in Minneapolis.

Pretti's death at the hands of immigration officers escalated tensions surrounding the Trump administration's immigration enforcement surge, and has already prompted bipartisan calls for an investigation. Pretti was the second U.S. citizen killed by immigration officers in Minneapolis this month.

According to the preliminary assessment, Customs and Border Protection officers said Pretti resisted arrest before two officers shot him.

But the assessment makes no mention of Pretti attacking officers or threatening them with a weapon — as the administration first described the incident. It also appears to more closely match multiple bystander video and witness testimony of the incident… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats have done little to stop the flow of illegal drugs (NPR)

Besides disrupting the lives of Colombian fishermen, the lethal strikes have outraged American allies. However, drug-seizure data suggest that the attacks are doing little to stop the flow of illegal narcotics into the United States.

President Trump claimed last week that the bombings have stopped 97% of all illegal drugs coming into the U.S. by water.

However, Adam Isacson, a defense and security expert at the Washington Office on Latin America, points out that most narco-boats drop off their cargo in Central America or Mexico with the drugs then taken overland to the U.S.

During the last three months of 2025 – when the U.S. bombing campaign was in full force - cocaine seizures at the U.S.-Mexican border amounted to 10,593 pounds, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. That's a 34% increase over the amount of cocaine seized during the same period in 2024 when there were no lethal strikes… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ ‘It’s not like the SS are coming’: Italy bids to quell ICE furor before Winter Olympics (Politico)

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government scrambled to contain the fallout Tuesday after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed its agents would assist with security at next month’s Winter Olympics in Italy.

Opposition parties reacted with fury after it emerged that the agency, which has been engulfed in controversy after deportation agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis in recent weeks, would be involved in security operations for the Games, due to begin on Feb. 6.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Tuesday that it was “not going to be those that are on the street in Minneapolis.” He added: “I have been harder than anyone else in Italy on [the ICE raids] … but it’s not like the SS are coming,” in reference to the notorious Nazi paramilitary outfit.

U.S. ambassador Tilman Fertitta was scheduled to meet Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi later Tuesday to clarify Olympics plans, Tajani said.

The controversy erupted Monday, when Attilio Fontana, president of Lombardy, one of the northern regions hosting the Games, wrongly suggested that ICE agents would merely assist with the security of U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who are scheduled to attend the opening ceremony at Milan’s San Siro stadium on Feb. 6… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ More ‘No Kings’ protests planned for March 28 as outrage spreads over Minneapolis deaths (Associated Press)

A third round of “No Kings” protests is coming this spring, with organizers saying they are planning their largest demonstrations yet across the United States to oppose what they describe as authoritarianism under President Donald Trump.

Previous rallies have drawn millions of people, and organizers said they expect even greater numbers on March 28 in the wake of Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, where violent clashes have led to the death of two people.

“We expect this to be the largest protest in American history,” Ezra Levin, co-executive director of the nonprofit Indivisible, told The Associated Press ahead of Wednesday’s announcement. He predicted that as many as 9 million people will turn out.

“No Kings” protests, which are organized by a constellation of groups around the country, have been a focal point for outrage over Trump’s attempts to consolidate and expand his power… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Trump’s embrace of weaker dollar fuels bets on new downtrend (Bloomberg)

President Donald Trump’s relaxed tone about the dollar selloff is fueling speculation the US currency is at the start of a longer-term decline.

The dollar suffered its deepest one-day drop since last year’s tariff rollout after Trump said on Tuesday he didn’t think the currency had weakened excessively. Bloomberg’s dollar gauge slid as much as 1.2% as the comments sapped the appeal of the greenback and US Treasuries — boosting what has become known as the debasement trade. 

For Stephen Jen, founder of Eurizon SLJ Capital, the Trump administration’s view of the dollar marks the start of a new phase of declines as they target an exchange rate that supports US exporters.

“This may very well be the beginning of the next leg lower in the dollar, and many may not be prepared for it,” Jen, a former Morgan Stanley currency strategist who developed the “dollar smile” theory, wrote in a note before Trump spoke. “There has been a generation of currency analysts accustomed to dealing with a strong dollar and a strong US economy, and unable to process the scenario of a weakening dollar and a strong US economy.”… 🟪 (READ MORE)

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