Monday Morning Report
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Today, May 11, Austin's Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization board will hold a public hearing regarding proposed Federal Stimulus Funding Package projects and one project under consideration is the Highway Emergency Response Operator (HERO) roadside assistance program. This is an effective congestion-management mitigation tool and we hope CAMPO members will support funding it.
Infrastructure
"Dewey Defeats Truman?" The Austin American-Statesman ran a story over the weekend headlining that rail relocation funding was dead in the Legislature for this session but we think the claim may be, as with Mark Twain's falsely-reported demise, 'greatly exaggerated.' Conference committees are continuing to meet, talks with legislative leadership are ongoing, 28 House members have written to Speaker Joe Straus requesting funding for rail relocation efforts and, well, it's not over until the Fat Lady sings. The San Antonio Express-News ran a great editorial last week calling on the Legislature to finance the Rail Relocation Fund. Statesman can be read here, and the Express-News editorial here.
The State Highway 45 Southeast toll road, designed to allow drivers to avoid I-35 traffic through central Austin, is officially open. Drivers now may travel nonstop from north of Georgetown to the Buda/Creedmoor area on the 55-mile toll road east of I-35. The newly opened portion links SH 130 to I-35, starting at US 183 near Mustang Ridge and ending at the intersection of I-35 and FM 1327 north of Buda.
Elections Wrap-up: Julian Castro won the mayor's race outright in San Antonio with 55% of the vote; Lee Leffingwell took 47% of the vote in Austin and Brewster McCracken will probably withdraw rather than face an expensive run-off; Leander mayor John Cowman has been forced into a run-off; Patty Eason won her Georgetown city council race with a stunning 83% of the vote; David DeOme is the new mayor of Lakeway. In Temple, voters approved the Temple Health and Bioscience Economic Development District´s desire to become a taxing entity, but Belton school district voters turned down the school district´s $38.9 million bond election.
Boerne faces a $1 million revenue shortfall and officials have decided to impose a hiring freeze and place plans to augment the city's volunteer fire department on the back burner. The hiring freeze is projected to save more than $442,000 this fiscal year.
Economic Development
There's a free half-day seminar, ConnecTexas, on Tuesday, May 12, from 1:30 to 5 pm at the Texas Hospital Association, 1108 Lavaca, in Austin. Agency attendees can learn how leaders in the public sector are using videoconferencing to reduce costs and work more efficiently. The seminar will feature the latest innovations in visual communication, implementation of best practices and real-time demonstrations. For more information and to view the agenda, click here.
Round Rock, hoping to become the Sports Capital of Texas, plans to build a 60,000 square-foot indoor sports facility, according to City Manager Jim Nuse. The complex is expected to cost $38 million, although the facility's size and design have not been finalized. If the city council approves, a majority of funding will be provided by the city's hotel occupancy tax revenue.
Mark your calendar: A conference is planned for September 24-25 in Houston called "Megaregions and MetroProsperity: Sustainable Economics in the Texas Triangle," which will consider growth issues in the Houston-Dallas-San Antonio triangle. We'll keep you posted on agenda updates.
TxDOT and Leon Valley are holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new IH 410 W/Bandera Road N ramp on Tuesday, May 12, 2009 at IH 410 W ramp to Bandera Road at 10:00 am. For more information: Maggie Rios (210) 615-5836 or Laura Lopez (210) 615-5839. Details here.
“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.”
~ Newt Gingrich