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October 6, 2025

✅ Today's BG Reads include:

🟪 Austin ISD unveils plans to close 13 schools in 2026-27 school year (Community Impact)

🟪 Austin airport expects 35,000+ departures Monday after ACL Weekend One (CBS Austin)

🟪 Austin labor market shows continued strength against an uncertain backdrop (Austin Business Journal)

🟪 Parks Board wrestles with proposed criteria for ‘legacy’ concessions (Austin Monitor)

🟪 Texas stock exchange gets federal approval as state tries to compete with New York heavyweights (Texas Tribune)

🟪 Trump’s team hones message on economy: Just wait until 2026 (Wall Street Journal)

🟪  Government shutdown delays key monthly jobs report at a pivotal moment for the U.S. economy (NBC News)

 🟪 Trump explores bailout of at least $10 billion for U.S. farmers (Wall Street Journal)

READ ON!

[CITY OF AUSTIN]

🏛️ Austin Council Agenda - Thursday, 10.9.2025

🏛️ Memo: Austin Government Relations Office – Federal Legislative Update (9.24.2025)

🏛️ City Memo: Short-Term Rental Regulations – Upcoming Action Item (Development Services Department)

🏛️ 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 ISD unveils plans to close 13 schools in 2026-27 school year (Community Impact)

Austin ISD has proposed closing 13 campuses in the 2026-27 school year, seven of which have received three consecutive F ratings from the Texas Education Agency.

On Oct. 3, AISD announced the school closure plans alongside new attendance boundaries impacting 98% of campuses, changes to programming at some campuses and transfer policy updates. Superintendent Matias Segura said he will present his final school consolidation and attendance boundary recommendation to the board of trustees for approval at the Nov. 20 board meeting.

The sweeping changes come as AISD looks to address declining enrollment, lower a mounting budget shortfall and provide state-mandated intervention at 12 failing campuses.

AISD is planning to close and merge the following campuses next school year… 🟪 (READ MORE)

The full plan, along with an interactive tool parents can use to see how it affects them, is available here.

✅ Austin airport expects 35,000+ departures Monday after ACL Weekend One (CBS Austin)

The Austin airport is warning travelers to arrive early for their flights on Monday as officials expect thousands to depart from the Texas capital after the Austin City Limits Music Festival.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport says they expect over 35,000 people to depart from the airport on Monday after Weekend One of ACL draws to a close.

The annual music festival at Zilker Park expects to draw over 450,000 people over its two weekends this year… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Austin labor market shows continued strength against an uncertain backdrop (Austin Business Journal)

The most recent Texas jobs report shows a rise in Austin’s unemployment rate, but the metro still is one of the stronger labor markets in the state and the U.S. 

In August, the unemployment rate for the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos area rose to 3.9%, a jump from 3.5% in July but relatively steady from a year ago when the rate was 3.8%, according to a report from the Texas Workforce Commission. Austin's stats are below the Texas unemployment rate of 4.7% and the national rate of 4.5%. 

“Austin as a whole is looking stronger than Texas,” said Carola Binder, an associate professor of economics at the University of Texas’ School of Civic Leadership. “(Austin’s unemployment rate) is still a very low number.”

Statewide over the last year, 182,000 jobs were added to the service industry, 37,000 government jobs were added and 40,000 hospitality jobs were added, according to the data. All sectors saw gains in the Austin metro, which Binder noted is good because they already had a strong presence in Central Texas… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Austin police launch crime reduction effort targeting shopping center on East Braker Lane (KVUE)

The Austin Police Department (APD) on Thursday announced a new initiative targeting violent crime in northeast Austin, focusing on what officials described as one of the city’s most persistent trouble spots.

During a Sept. 26 operation at 900 E. Braker Lane, APD partnered with several agencies to implement a “Place Network Investigation,” a strategy designed to reduce crime in high-risk areas. They involve several law enforcement and city agencies that target specific locations in hopes of dismantling crime networks.

Police Chief Lisa Davis said the effort aimed to curb violence in a location long associated with shootings, stabbings and other community concerns.

"We're looking at the locations: What is it about this store, this place, this building that allows criminals to feel they can commit illicit activities and commit crimes in these locations?" Davis said.

APD Northeast Sector Cmdr. J.J. Schmidt said the decision to focus on the shopping center on East Braker stemmed largely from activity at two businesses, Diablas and Michelobos. Since Michelobos opened in March 2023, APD said officers have responded to 430 calls, made 78 arrests, investigated 10 incidents of gunfire, seized 30 weapons and recorded one homicide.

"That's a tremendous load for any sector, but for a police department that really has to manage our resources, this is a concern," Schmidt said. "It's repeatedly calls out there for not just minor violations, but for major incidents – shootings, stabbings, assaults, aggravated assaults and sex crimes."… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Austin city council will decide whether to buy new building for housing navigation Thursday (KXAN)

Thursday, the Austin City Council will vote on whether it will allow the city’s Homeless Strategy Office to purchase a property in southeast Austin that could eventually serve as the city’s new housing navigation center.

“We believe strongly that this is a great location for this property,” Austin’s Homeless Strategy Officer, David Gray, said. “It’s bringing critical resources to a neighborhood where many families struggle to maintain their housing and it’s also an area where we have a lot of opportunity to get people back into housing.”

The property, at 2401 S. I-35 Frontage Road, was formerly a motorcycle dealership and is currently leased to a gaming lounge, according to the city of Austin.

The navigation center would serve as a hub for people experiencing homelessness — or at risk of becoming homeless — and would provide services like: helping people apply for affordable housing, crisis response services for “the day-to-day survival needs of individuals experiencing homelessness,” and helping people find resources that would help them stay in their homes.

The purchase could alleviate pressure on a south Austin community that right now has the only navigation center in the city — which is run by Sunrise Community Church, not the city of Austin.

Last year, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against that group “for operating as a common nuisance in violation of Texas law,” KXAN previously reported.

“With only one walk up housing navigation center in Austin, especially at a facility that is not big enough, we are not meeting the current need,” Austin City Council Member Ryan Alter said. “This acquisition will start to address that need.”

But some people who live near the proposed new location are not on board with those services relocating to their neighborhood. And city council is not unanimous on how they may vote.

“My office is still working through our own questions with City staff, and while I want to get to a place where I can support this, if a vote were held today, I would not be able to do so,” Austin City Council Member Zohaib “Zo” Qadri said. “Homelessness has been a priority for me since day one, and I want to ensure any path forward reflects lessons learned and supports both housed and unhoused neighbors with transparency and accountability.”… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Millions of dollars sought to avoid significant decline in Austin parks access (Community Impact)

With Austin's ability to add new parkland to keep pace with population growth greatly limited under a new state law, local parks leaders are now eyeing millions of dollars in new land acquisition to ensure adequate access to green space around town.

“Moving forward, [Austin Parks and Recreation] will rely more heavily on bond funding to keep up with Austin’s desired level of park service or watch our park level of service plummet in a rapidly densifying city, changing the nature of Austin itself," parkland acquisition planner Robynne Heymans told City Council in September.

Parkland expansion in Austin is typically funded through one of two main sources. Voter-approved bonds have provided tens of millions of dollars for buying up land to serve as new parks, trails and greenbelts over the past several decades. Additionally, the city's parkland dedication system has required housing developers to offset the impact of new residents by contributing either land or fees for future recreational spaces as new construction takes place.

But dollars from past bonds are almost gone, with $31 million of $45 million approved for acquisitions in 2018 already spent and the city in active negotiations for land with the remaining amount. And Austin's ability to bring in parkland dedication payments has taken a significant hit after Texas lawmakers passed House Bill 1526 two years ago. That legislation limits cities' ability to require green space contributions from developers, a change that's left an uncertain outlook for parks growth in line with Austin's rising population… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Parks Board wrestles with proposed criteria for ‘legacy’ concessions (Austin Monitor)

How many years should it take for a concession in city parks to gain legacy status? City staff are proposing 30 years, but some Parks and Recreation Board members say that number is too high.

After deliberating whether to recommend lowering the threshold, the board ultimately voted to ask City Council to weigh how women and minority-owned businesses might factor into the legacy designation.

The new designation is part of a package of proposed revisions to the Parks and Recreation Department’s concession guidelines, which have not been updated since 1998.

The item had been set for City Council’s Oct. 9 agenda but has since been withdrawn, possibly in response to the board’s questions about the legacy criteria.

These questions followed testimony from Rowing Dock owners Susan Goldberg and her daughter, Kate Aoueille, who urged the board to lower the threshold to 20 years, and to consider women- and minority-owned businesses as part of the criteria… 🟪 (READ MORE)

[TEXAS/US NEWS]

✅ Texas stock exchange gets federal approval as state tries to compete with New York heavyweights (Texas Tribune)

The Texas Stock Exchange on Tuesday crossed its latest hurdle toward becoming a direct competitor to the dominance of the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq.

The announcement that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had approved the Dallas-based startup to operate as a national exchange was met with celebration by Texas lawmakers, including Gov. Greg Abbott, who declared “Texas is swiftly becoming America’s financial hub.”

The hype around the Texas Stock Exchange, or TXSE (pronounced Tex-ee), has been building since the June 2024 announcement that the exchange intended to launch with $120 million in backing from investment large firms like BlackRock and Citadel Securities, making it one of the most well-funded attempts at a new national exchange in decades.

TXSE officials say the strength of the Texas economy made the move possible, noting the many Fortune 500 companies that have come to the state, drawn by favorable regulatory and taxation policies… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ San Antonio police chief blasts media outlets for detailed reports on mayor's security staff (Texas Public Radio)

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus is blasting local media outlets for sharing too much information about the mayor's security detail. TPR was not one of those media outlets to report on the mayor's security arrangements. McManus said those recent media reports disclosing internal details of the mayor’s executive protection arrangements "pose a serious threat to the safety of the Mayor, her security team, and the integrity of our protective operations" "In consultation with the City Manager, I have directed Internal Affairs to open a thorough and immediate investigation to determine how these sensitive details were leaked to the media and who is responsible," a statement from McManus read… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Trump’s team hones message on economy: Just wait until 2026 (Wall Street Journal)

President Trump’s advisers are counseling him to refine his economic message with a pitch to voters aimed at easing their anxiety about weak jobs growth and stubborn inflation. Their new mantra: Just wait until next year. In private conversations with the president, Trump’s advisers, rather than dwell on shaky economic data, have painted a rosy outlook, insisting that data will begin to improve in the first quarter of 2026, according to people familiar with the matter, including senior administration officials.

After a report showing only 22,000 new jobs in August, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Trump he believes the employment numbers will start to tick up once policies from his “Big Beautiful” tax-and-spending law are fully implemented heading into next year, according to a person close to Bessent.

Earlier, at a closed-door gathering in the Oval Office, other advisers told Trump it was up to him how to publicly address the weak jobs data and he could just breeze past the information by pointing to the future, according to a senior administration official. They assured him the economic indicators will show improvements as 2025 comes to a close, the official said. Trump himself has changed his tune. Though the economy was instrumental in his successful re-election campaign, he now seems to prefer to focus on immigration, crime and settling scores with his perceived enemies. During a recent event about autism, the president waved off questions from reporters about the economy.

“I’d rather not talk about some nonsense on the economy. I will say this: The economy is unbelievable,” Trump said at the time. In a statement, White House spokesman Kush Desai said the administration “is focused on pushing supply-side reforms, securing trillions in manufacturing investments, and implementing historic trade deals that will revive America’s industrial dominance.” When Trump does talk about the economy, he often refers to the stock market and points to next year, at the earliest, when voters will start to feel his policies. “Our big year won’t be really next year—it’ll be the year after,” Trump recently told reporters… 🟪 (READ MORE) 

✅ Legal experts condemn Apple bowing to White House's request to remove ICE tracking app (NPR)

Apple and Google on Thursday removed apps that alert people when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are nearby following pressure from Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Critics of the tech giants capitulating to the Trump administration say it shows the sway President Trump has over Silicon Valley in his second term.

Apple said it yanked an app called ICEBlock from its app store after the "safety risks" of the app were made known to the company. The anonymous, crowd-sourced app describes itself as "Waze but for ICE sightings," and claims to serve as an early warning system informing people when ICE agents are nearby.

The app was launched in April and garnered hundreds of thousands of downloads, but it was only after Attorney General Pam Bondi put Apple on notice, demanding the app be pulled from the App Store, that the company made it unavailable.

"We reached out to Apple today demanding they remove the ICEBlock app from their App Store — and Apple did so," said Bondi in a statement to Fox News.

The Justice Department did not respond to NPR's questions about its request.

Since the app never had an Android version, it was not on Google's Play Store. Still, a company spokesperson told NPR that it, too, "removed similar apps for violations of our policies," falling in line with Apple's actions… 🟪 (READ MORE)

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