News
Energy Rate Hike Hearing Thurs. – y’all come!
This just in from our Austin Energy Ratepayer Watchdog, Bill Oakey who is urging you to come to the public hearing this Thursday at City Hall at 6 pm: (you might call or email Council too, see below) “Austin Energy’s latest “revised” proposal does nothing to reduce the utility’s spending, reduce fixed charges for residential customers, stop the shifting of costs from… Read more...
Are you ready to pay $25 per month to Austin Energy, before you even flip on a light switch? Had enough!? Show up at City Hall at 6 pm tomorrow, Thursday, January 12th and sign up against this and speak out! OR, email or, better yet, call the City Council and tell them to stop these unfair increases. (See email and phones of Council at the bottom of this email.) Read Bill Oakey’s article… Read more...
Holidays are the time to keep giving to Austin (and partying!)
City Charter Revision Committee Meeting: Thurs. (tomorrow), Dec. 1, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, Carver Library, 1161 Angelina. Party #1: Tomorrow! Thurs., Dec. 1, 6-9 pm, Victory Grill. Stop by after the meeting at the Carver. This is a funraiser for our friend, Richard Franklin, in his bid for Travis County Commission, Precinct 1. Though we have not yet endorsed in this race, we love competitive… Read more...
You may have heard that Hays County is asking Travis County to spend close to $20 million on a new road to connect South Mopac to FM 1626. Long term plans are to connect MoPac to IH-35. This will make MoPac gridlock even worse! http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2011-11-04/point-austin-buckle-up/ What’s in it for Travis County? The proposed road dramatically increases daily traffic on Mopac,… Read more...
Elections
The Fight for Geographic Representation: Mark Your Calendars!
TheAustinBulldog.org constructed maps that pinpoint the residential location of every mayor and council member elected over the last four decades. It will tell you all you need to know about why citizen organizations, from across the spectrum, are coming together to push for a public vote on geographic representation. Read it here, share it, and consider a matching fund donation to the feisty (and… Read more...
Sign the Petition/Voter Pledge – No Abusive Formula 1 Subsidies!
Sign the Petition/Voter Pledge to Abusive F1 Subsidies! The Austin City Council vote on the F1 subsidy was postponed to next Wednesday! Even if the Austin City Council manages to keep city money out of the deal (we doubt it), their vote will still trigger STATE tax dollars — at least $250 million. Please call the Council at 974-2000 on Monday or Tuesday and simply ask them to vote NO on F1.… Read more...
No time to rest on Tovo victory, Contact the council NOW – postpone the F1 vote!
Congratulations to Kathie Tovo and Austin voters. We don’t have time to rest on this victory folks! The Austin City Council is rushing the Formula 1 vote without allowing the public to see the documents.“It’s done in a week’s time to avoid public scrutiny, and that’s exactly the opposite of what would be in the public’s interest.” Bill Spelman… Read more...
You thought the political game at City Hall was rigged, right? Respected investigative journalist, Ken Martin, at the Austin Bulldog, has exposed the Austin City Council’s behind-closed-door meetings that have taken place (and possible violations of the Open Meetings Act) since Kirk Watson took the helm in 1997. The Statesman has just confirmed that the County Attorney is now investigating. … Read more...
Cost of growth
Sign Petition/Letter to Austin City Council-No Tax/Fee Hikes!
Yes, it is totally true — the City wants to raise your energy, water and property taxes by an average of $265 per year. Sign this petition/letter to the 4 members of the Council up next for reelection — Mayor Leffingwell, and Councilmembers Cole, Martinez and Spelman. They must end unnecessary projects and the practice of the “growth lobby” (aka the big boy developers… Read more...
This Monday night – Double Feature! Manchaca Library @ 6:30-8 pm
Bill Oakey: What Citizens Must Do About the City Budget Bill is one of the most effective citizen activists in Texas who got the Texas legislature to enact two bills into law. One was the over-65 freeze on school property taxes. The other was a “truth in taxation” law, which reformed the guidelines for public hearing notices on property taxes published by all statewide taxing… Read more...
Brian Rodgers wowed a crowd that gathered at McKinney Roughs Nature Trail on March 19th in Cedar Creek at the “Texas Water Wars: Is there a solution and who decides” conference sponsored by Independent Texans, Environmental Stewardship, Lost Pines Sierra Club and Neighbors for Neighbors. Here’s his 14 minute talk on water and the dangerous plans by the “growth machine”… Read more...
On Monday, September 13th, 2010, the Austin City Council raised water rates and property taxes in the midst of a recession, despite receiving thousands of petitions and phone calls. “Amid declining property values, Austinites will pay higher property taxes and utility bills under the 2010-11 budget the City Council passed Monday.” Austin American-Statesman. Council member Randi Shade… Read more...
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