Presented By

November 5, 2025

✅ Today's BG Reads include:

🟪 Navigating Central Texas Land Use: A New Practice at Bingham Group

🟪 Austin voters reject Proposition Q, a tax rate increase to fund city services (KUT)

🟪 Prop Q's defeat could push Austin City Council to tighten reins on its spending (KUT)

🟪 Austin City Council Agenda — Thursday, November 6 at 10:00 AM

🟪 Austin ISD to hold off on 3 school closures, delay boundary changes (Community Impact)

🟪 All 17 Texas Constitution amendments on verge of approval (Texas Tribune)

READ ON!

[FIRM NEWS]

Bingham Group is proud to announce the launch of our Land Use & Entitlements Practice, expanding our ability to support clients navigating policy, development and permitting challenges across Central Texas.

The practice is anchored by Senior Consultant Anaiah Johnson, who brings two decades of land development and urban planning experience, including senior leadership at the City of Austin’s Development Services Department and private-sector entitlement management for one of the nation’s largest homebuilders.

For nearly nine years, Bingham Group has represented clients ranging from Central Texas–based firms to national and international companies before municipal governments in the region.

With this new practice, we now provide integrated support across both the political and technical aspects of moving land use policy and development projects forward.

Learn more about Bingham Group’s new practice — and review all of our services here: binghamgp.com/services

[CITY OF AUSTIN]

🏛️ Austin City Council Meeting // Tomorrow @10AM - AGENDA LINK

🏛️ City Manager Executives and Advisors Staff Visual Chart

🏛️ City of Austin Org Chart (as of July 2025)

💰 2026 City of Austin Bond - Public Input

ℹ️ 2025 Essential Resources for Navigating the City of Austin

[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]

✅ Austin voters reject Proposition Q, a tax rate increase to fund city services (KUT)

Austin voters have rejected Proposition Q, the controversial city-backed plan to raise more than $100 million in property tax revenue to pay for homeless services and other city projects.

Preliminary results show 63% of Austinites voted down the measure as of 12:14 a.m. on Wednesday. Just 37% of voters supported the property tax increase, according to Travis, Williamson and Hays county election officials.

"Voters prioritized affordability," Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said in a statement. "They’re worried about their finances, their grocery and utility bills, their property taxes, and more. They’re concerned about the stability of all levels of government, including city government. We need to give voters reason to trust us—to trust that we will strike the right balance between services and the funding needed to provide those services."… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Prop Q's defeat could push Austin City Council to tighten reins on its spending (KUT)

Austin voters soundly rejected Proposition Q, the controversial city-backed plan to raise more than $100 million in property tax revenue to pay for homeless services and other city projects.

Taken at face value, the measure was simple: It asked Austinites to voluntarily increase their city property tax bills to pay for what the city deemed essential services. But that was a tall order for some.

The measure was a lightning rod in a typically sleepy off-year election cycle, with more than 100,000 voters casting ballots on Election Day alone.

Now, Prop Q's failure could push Austin City Council to temper its spending habits.

Save Austin Now, the primary political opponent of the measure, organized a broad coalition of Austin voters to reject Prop Q. The political action committee argued it would make Austin less affordable for property-owners workers, renters and businesses.

At a campaign watch party Tuesday night, Austin attorney Adam Loewy, who gave $10,000 to the campaign and donated a billboard to Save Austin Now, said the measure's failure proves "enough is enough," and that citizens want City Council members to pare back spending. Loewy cited recent expenses on a $1.1 million logo and recent trips abroad by council members, among other expenses… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Austin ISD to hold off on 3 school closures, delay boundary changes (Community Impact)

The Austin ISD board of trustees will no longer vote to close Palm, Bryker Woods and Maplewood elementaries in November.

Additionally, the district will postpone any proposed attendance boundary changes until next year, excluding those related to intervention at failing schools, Superintendent Matias Segura announced in a letter to families on the evening of Nov. 4.

The announcement follows weeks of protesting from AISD parents, staff and students against the district’s initial plan to close 13 schools and rezone most campuses.

On Nov. 20, the AISD board will move forward with voting on the closure of 10 of the 13 campuses it initially proposed to close next school year… 🟪 (READ MORE)

[TEXAS/US NEWS]

✅ All 17 Texas Constitution amendments on verge of approval (Texas Tribune)

Voters in Texas seemed poised on Tuesday night to approve a series of tax exemptions and bans as well as new investments in state infrastructure and research.

All 17 constitutional amendments on the ballot held majority support Tuesday night, most of which restrict the creation of certain taxes or allow for new tax exemptions. Other amendments would create state investments in water infrastructure, dementia research and technical college funds… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Commissioner Adrian Garcia endorses Annise Parker for Harris County judge (Houston Chronicle)

Commissioner Adrian Garcia endorsed former Mayor Annise Parker for Harris County judge Monday, marking the first major endorsement of a candidate by a sitting commissioner for the November 2026 election. The endorsement further strengthened Parker’s position as the Democratic frontrunner for Harris County judge. Although Judge Lina Hidalgo held an impressive lead among Democrats, she lagged behind Parker among voters county-wide and has since announced her decision to not seek reelection. “I know Mayor Annise Parker to be an extremely competent leader with a backbone of steel – exactly what we need to stand up for Harris County families against Donald Trump and Greg Abbott,” Garcia said in a Monday news release. “I am proud to endorse Annise Parker for Harris County judge.”

Garcia and Parker have both come to occupy the moderate wing of the county’s Democratic party. The pair is aligned on issues ranging from support for the LGBTQ community to prioritizing disaster resilience and strengthening the county’s support networks in the face of increasing attacks from conservatives at the state and federal level. Parker said she and Garcia had a proven history of effective collaboration. The pair worked together both during Parker’s tenure as city controller and after she was elected mayor.

“Commissioner Garcia and I go way back,” Parker said. “I served as Houston’s city controller while he served on Houston City Council. I served as mayor while he served as county sheriff. Every step of the way, Adrian Garcia has been an outstanding public servant – and to have earned his endorsement today is an incredible honor.” Parker will face off against Houston City Council Member Letitia Plummer in the Democratic primaries in March before the November election. Houston fire union president and Republican frontrunner Mary Lancton has secured endorsements from several high-profile conservative figures, including Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale and Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Zohran Mamdani wins NYC mayor’s race, capping a stunning ascent (Associated Press)

Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City on Tuesday, capping a stunning ascent for the 34-year-old state lawmaker, who was set to become the city’s most liberal mayor in generations.

In a victory for the Democratic party’s progressive wing, Mamdani defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Mamdani must now navigate the unending demands of America’s biggest city and deliver on ambitious — skeptics say unrealistic — campaign promises.

With the victory, the democratic socialist will etch his place in history as the city’s first Muslim mayor, the first of South Asian heritage and the first born in Africa. He will also become the city’s youngest mayor in more than a century when he takes office on Jan. 1.

Mamdani’s unlikely rise gives credence to Democrats who have urged the party to embrace more progressive, left-wing candidates instead of rallying behind centrists in hopes of winning back swing voters who have abandoned the party.. .🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ California voters approve new US House map to boost Democrats in 2026 (Associated Press)

California voters approved new congressional district boundaries Tuesday, delivering a victory for Democrats in the state-by-state redistricting battle that will help determine which party wins control of the U.S. House in 2026 and, with it, the power to thwart or advance President Donald Trump’s agenda.

The approval of Proposition 50 gives Democrats a shot at winning as many as five additional seats, just enough to blunt Texas Republicans’ move to redraw their own maps to pick up five GOP seats at Trump’s urging. Texas’ move and California’s response have kicked off a flurry of redistricting efforts around the country, with Republican states appearing to have an edge. Deeply blue California is Democrats’ best opportunity to make up seats… 🟪 (READ MORE)

Have comments or questions? 📩 Contact me