Brian Rodgers filed this lawsuit against the city yesterday for clear violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act on Pilot Knob.

The city failed spectacularly on the Pilot Knob agenda posting in what former County Judge Bill Aleshire calls,

“One of the grossest examples of failure to give sufficient notice – when they say they’re doing zoning and buried inside is an $81 million fee transfer from a struggling utility.”

The heart and soul of the Texas Open Meeting Act meeting notice requirement is that the notice itself must “sufficiently alert the general public to the topic to be considered.”

Meanwhile, the Mayor is quadrupling down on the ‘righteousness’ of his cause by calling for $400 million to be hijacked from the Austin Water Utility while the City Manager is busy practicing “management by hindsight”.

We are fairly stunned at the magnitude of this sophomoric mess.

The Mayor and City Manager should protect, not raid, the all-important impact fees designed to plug a hole in the sinking boat of affordability in Austin.

One way or another, we will not let the Pilot Knob $106 million diversion deal stand.

Let’s see what the Council does today.

If you want to help, send the Mayor a message that you don’t agree with his senseless plan to expand the hole in the boat, nor do you appreciate the Open Meetings violation.

PS Stay tuned for City Manager Ott’s review. It’s time for him — and some other senior management people to go.