BG Reads // July 16, 2025

Author

A.J. Bingham
July 16, 2025

Presented By

✅ Today's BG Reads include:

🟪 Death toll from Texas floods hits 133, 97 people missing in Kerr County (Texas Public Radio)

🟪 APD chief proposes major reorg to get more officers on street (Austin American-Statesman)

🟪 ACC board of trustees approve $568M budget (Community Impact)

🟪 Q&A with Kyle's mayor after resignation (Austin Business Journal)

🟪 Developer finds loophole to Austin's zoning code for mixed-use project on West Sixth Street (Austin Business Journal)

🟪 As Trump looks to net five GOP seats through Texas redistricting, Democrats grasp for response (Texas Tribune)

[CITY OF AUSTIN]

[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]

✅ APD chief proposes major reorg to get more officers on street (Austin American-Statesman)

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis is planning a sweeping reorganization of Austin Police Department personnel that would reassign dozens of officers from specialized units to street patrol, according to an email obtained by the American-Statesman.

The primary aim of the plan is to relieve the Police Department’s chronic shortage of patrol officers, according to a June 25 email Davis sent to department staff, though she also noted it would free up homicide detectives and other staff who have been covering entry-level patrol shifts on overtime.

The reorganization would slash overtime spending by millions at a time when the city is facing a significant budget shortfall. A draft budget City Manager T.C. Broadnax presented to the City Council Tuesday includes $9 million in over time savings from the reorganization.

Though Broadnax asked department heads to identify possible cost savings to include in his spending plan, Davis told the American-Statesman Tuesday the budget “wasn’t even on my mind” when she devised the plan.

“The plan is about getting more officers back on patrol to improve community safety,” Davis said in an interview.

Davis said she is hopeful that increasing patrol staffing will improve response times, which has been a top priority for the Police Department in recent years… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Developer finds loophole to Austin's zoning code for mixed-use project on West Sixth Street (Austin Business Journal)

One developer has found a loophole in the city's zoning code to build taller in West Austin.

Manifold Development aims to rezone 1.2 acres along West Sixth Street to add almost 300 residential units and about 21,000 square feet of retail space to the area through a project called 6th & Walsh. The development team is seeking a light industrial designation for the site because it would allow new construction to reach 120 feet tall, according to documents filed with the city.

It may seem like an interesting approach. The city documents indicate that, if the industrial zone change is approved, the allowed uses for the project would include residential, restaurant and cocktail lounge uses. Most industrial and commercial uses would be prohibited.

The loophole is just one example of how developers and property owners get creative with Austin's outdated land code.

“Our zoning tool box is pathetic and outdated,” Greg Anderson, a member of the Austin Planning Commission, who has long advocated for Austin to overhaul its 1980s land development code, said in an interview. “(This light industrial zoning) is just a zoning tool to allow for housing. But that's how backwards things are in Austin, Texas, when it comes to zoning sometimes, because we quite literally have to zone something industrial just to allow housing.”… 🟪 (READ MORE) 

✅ ACC board of trustees approve $568M budget (Community Impact)

The ACC board of trustees approved a $568 million balanced budget during a regular meeting July 7.

The budget includes a pay raise for employees, maintains the college’s minimum wage, keeps tuition and fees unchanged, and factors in an increase to employee benefit rates, according to a news release.

The $10 million compensation package includes a 3% raise for all current ACC employees. ACC is also undergoing a market study for staff positions, and preliminary results show a small percentage of staff will need salary adjustments. Consequently, $1 million was allocated for possible adjustments and reclassifications of staff salaries.

Tuition and fees will also stay the same for the 12th year at ACC. Tuition for in-district students is $67 per credit hour, or $85 per credit hour factoring in fees, while the out-of-district rate remains at $201 per credit hour. The approval of tuition and fees comes as ACC’s fall enrollment is trending up 15% for 2025, compared to fall 2024… 🟪 (READ MORE) 

✅ Q&A with Kyle's mayor after resignation (Austin Business Journal)

Kyle Mayor Travis Mitchell, who has led the city south of Austin as it went from an upstart bedroom community to one that's on the radar for some of the world's biggest businesses, is stepping down.

Mitchell, who moved from council member to mayor in 2017 and is the longest tenured mayor in Kyle's history, will officially vacate the seat in November, one year before the end of his third and final term, he said, adding that he felt it was the right time to step down after accomplishing his goal of elevating the city from an organizational and development standpoint.

"I never intended to be a three-term mayor," Mitchell said. "I would be lying if I didn't say that I didn't consider resignation every single year ... because of how difficult the job is. But I always persevered because of the calling and because of what we were trying to accomplish."

It can be a tear jerker of a job, he said, like the time in 2020 when Mitchell ordered businesses to close because of the pandemic, and after he had to pull over on the side of the road to weep.

Mitchell said he is considering private sector positions. He said it's been difficult to simultaneously grow his career while leading the city. Mitchell was a small business owner before selling his business in 2017… 🟪 (READ MORE)

[TEXAS/US NEWS]

✅ Death toll from Texas floods hits 133, 97 people missing in Kerr County (Texas Public Radio)

At least 132 people have died in floods in the Hill Country and Central Texas — including at least 70 adults and 36 children from the Guadalupe River floods. 97 people are still missing in Kerr County, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. The San Antonio-based Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council (STRAC), which coordinates the EMS and hospital response to mass casualty events for a 22-county area, including Kerr County, reported this week that its emergency response to the July 4 floods grew to 130 units, including 61 ambulances. "We've had over 6,600 patient encounters and 182 patients that have been treated and 109 of those were transported to a hospital somewhere," said Eric Epley, the CEO of STRAC.

Epley said those figures are only for STRAC, a state coordination office for the Texas emergency medical task force, and seven other regional members. A ninth component oversees the entire statewide task force. Created and funded by the Texas Legislature, the task force has existed since 2010. He said local EMS transports are not included in the figures, and it's a summary total for the task force since the Fourth of July… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ As Trump looks to net five GOP seats through Texas redistricting, Democrats grasp for response (Texas Tribune)

Texas Democrats in Congress sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s plan to redraw their state’s political map in the middle of the decade, labeling it a threat to democracy — and warning their GOP counterparts that an aggressive gerrymander could come back to haunt them.

The Republican-controlled Texas Legislature is poised to consider a new set of congressional maps during a special session that kicks off next week. With their party locked out of power in Austin, Democrats from the state’s congressional delegation said they expect the new districts to continue Texas' history of violating the federal Voting Rights Act by diluting the votes of racial minorities.

“The scheme of the Republicans has consistently been to make sure that they mute our voices so that they can go ahead and have an oversized say in this,” Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, said at a news conference with House Democratic leadership and most Texas Democrats. “So I fully anticipate that's exactly where they're going with this map.”

Earlier Tuesday, Trump told Texas congressional Republicans that his political team is pursuing a map that would yield five new Republican seats, according to three people briefed on the call, which was first reported by Punchbowl News… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ With Epstein conspiracy theories, Trump faces a crisis of his own making (Associated Press)

As his supporters erupt over the Justice Department’s failure to release much-hyped records in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation, President Donald Trump’s strategy has been to downplay the issue.

“I don’t understand what the interest or what the fascination is,” Trump told reporters Tuesday.

His problem? That nothing-to-see-here approach doesn’t work for those who’ve learned from him they must not give up until the government’s deepest, darkest secrets are exposed.

Last week, the Justice Department and the FBI abruptly walked back the notion there’s an Epstein client list of elites who participated in the wealthy New York financier’s trafficking of underage girls. Trump quickly defended Attorney General Pam Bondi and chided a reporter for daring to ask about the documents.

The online reaction was swift, with followers calling the Republican president “out of touch” and demanding transparency.

Trump’s comments to reporters Tuesday while returning to Washington from a brief Pittsburgh trip were just the latest in a days-long campaign to quell the uproar. He called the Epstein case “pretty boring” and said “the credible information has been given.”

“I don’t understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody.” he said… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Mexico’s peso becomes unlikely winner in Trump’s trade war (Bloomberg)

Betting on Mexico’s currency has paid off for investors even amid Donald Trump’s trade war. The peso is up more than 11% this year, beating all regional peers, even as it dipped Monday following the latest tariff news — a threat of a 30% levy announced over the weekend. It is also one of the best performing in emerging markets. Mexico’s high interest rates and President Claudia Sheinbaum’s tempered approach toward Trump have helped lure in cash from investors reallocating money away from the US.

And after months of repeated delays on the implementation of tariffs, money managers have grown more complacent, with reactions to fresh announcements largely contained as they look past Trump’s threats to focus on the medium-term outlook. “Markets know the drill,” said Marco Oviedo, a senior strategist at XP Investimentos in Sao Paulo. “The only risk that I see is if the Mexican government fails to deliver something that Trump wants on drug control that might leave tariffs high for longer or negotiations in limbo.”

Mexico’s strong economic ties to the US have also worked in the peso’s favor. The US doesn’t intend to apply the 30% rate to USMCA-compliant goods, a White House official said on Saturday. The administration has previously said it will keep the exemption for Canada. Although Mexican officials were taken aback by Trump’s latest tariff threat, US Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson said Saturday in Mexico City that Sheinbaum and Trump have a “wonderful relationship” and no partnership should be easier than between their two countries.

Sheinbaum said Monday during her daily press conference that her government expects to reach a tariff deal with the US before an Aug. 1 deadline and has a plan if talks fail. She’s expected to meet later today with a Mexican trade negotiating team that was in Washington on Friday discussing the issue. The country’s rate differentials are another factor helping prop up the currency. The central bank has been cautious when lowering interest rates, keeping the peso on the radar of carry traders who borrow in lower-yielding currencies to buy those that offer higher yields.

One-week implied volatility in the peso, which spiked amid US elections last year and again in April amid tariff threats, has remained largely subdued. After delivering a half-point cut that left the key rate at 8% last month, Governor Victoria Rodriguez embraced the likelihood of smaller reductions going forward in a July 9 speech. That helped the peso inch higher last week, outperforming as developing-world currencies slipped amid the latest barrage of tariff announcements… 🟪 (READ MORE)

Have comments or questions? 📩 Contact me