Monday Morning Report
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The Executive Committee meets this Wednesday, August 20 at 2:00pm in the Corridor Council offices located at 304 N. CM Allen Parkway in San Marcos. Please RSVP to Sarah@thecorridor.org if you plan to attend. (Note: this will be a brief meeting because of other staff and Executive Committee-member commitments later that afternoon.)
The Austin-San Antonio Corridor Council's Transportation Task Force will meet at 1:30 pm Tuesday, September 23, 2008 at the San Marcos Activity Center. Please contact Sarah@thecorridor.org or call 512-558-7360 for more information and if you plan to attend. An agenda is forthcoming.
Please join us in welcoming the newest employee to the Corridor Council staff, Donna Hurta. Donna comes to us with broad experience in accounting and finance. We’re glad to have you!
Corridor Council staff is doing commuter rail or rail relocation presentations this week in Austin (2) and New Braunfels this week. Email council@thecorridor.org for details.
Infrastructure
A recent survey finds that 88% of Hays County residents are “very concerned” about water supplies for new development. While other Central Texas counties have similar concerns, this survey says Hays County residents were “more pessimistic about water availability in their communities,” than their neighbors, with 36.2% responding they believe there is “probably” or “definitely” a shortage of water. Details here.
Slow down in New Braunfels.“Sixty percent of the people driving through the city are speeding,” said City Manager Mike Morrison in the Herald-Zeitung. “We need to address that.” A recent study showed that less than 40% of residents are obeying the posted speed limits and the local police are adding an enforcement unit.
Hutto residents could see their property tax rate increase for the first time in four years, amazing when you consider how their population has jumped to nearly 10,000. Since 2000, it has had a population growth of 665.76%. Details here.
Temple graduate Mike Hazle is an Olympic javelin thrower blogging for the hometown paper. With more than one billion people watching the event this week, he is surprisingly cool-headed and says he's treating it like just another track meet. His plan when it comes time to throw: “just push print.” Details.
Guadalupe County has commissioned final architectural drawings for the justice center it will create in the former Economy Furniture building in Seguin. There will be space for commissioner's court, county courts, the county clerk and the county attorney. No cost estimates yet. Details here.
The Express-News that US drivers drove 4.7% less in June than the same month last year, the largest decline in 66 years of gathering such data, according to the Federal Highway Administration report Pat Driscoll quotes. That's the eighth straight month of declines, thanks to gas prices. FHWA's report here.
North Texas planners, lawmakers and major employers are uniting around a plan to pay for a 250-mile commuter rail system. "The only way we’re going to get the authority we need is when the citizens stand up and say, 'We want rail,’" Ft. Worth city councilman Jungus Jordan, told about 300 people at a meeting in Irving. Officials spent about an hour explaining the need for rail, and described months of working with Texas Instruments and other companies that had opposed the plan. They'll offer state legislation in 2009. Details here.
Economic Development
Cox Enterprises Inc. is putting the Austin-American Statesman up for sale, along with community newspapers in three states. Cox says the decision to sell is part of the company’s ongoing strategy to streamline its portfolio and become more financially stable by paying down debt. Cox says it’s retaining its flagship newspapers, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Palm Beach Post and Dayton Daily News.
American Airlines flew 8.9 million international passengers during the first five months of the year – the most of any U.S. airline – while Southwest Airlines continued to dominate the domestic market according to the US Dept. of Transportation. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Corp. carried 42.8 million domestic passengers in the U.S. also during the first five months of 2008.
The NCAA says San Antonio is one of eight finalist cities in the bid to host the Women’s Final Four basketball championship in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, or 2016. The Alamo City hosted the 2008 NCAA Men’s Final Four in the Alamodome in April. It will host the 2010 Women’s Final Four.
IBC Bank – based in Laredo – has been ranked as the No. 1 Hispanic-owned business in Texas by Hispanic Business Magazine. The rankings, based on revenue and company size, are selected from a cross-section of more than 500 Hispanic-owned companies nationwide.
"The future will be better tomorrow.”
-Dan Quayle