travis county commission Archives

Keep Mopac Local

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Linda Curtis • 0 Comments

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, delivers pollution to Travis County neighborhoods, and takes scarce county funds away from higher-priority transportation and community needs.

So who benefits from the new road? Hays County developers and long-distance haulers–at the expense of each and every Travis County taxpayer and Mopac driver.

We need to say NO to Hays County’s giveaway road proposal and spend our limited transportation dollars on projects that improve traffic, not make it worse. Take a minute to go here and send a message to the Travis County Commissioners Court and Austin City Council to Keep Mopac Local:

http://www.keepmopaclocal.org/take-action

PS Our friend, Bill Oakey, just submitted this information on the rate hikes that Austin Energy has in store for Austin ratepayers.

Better get organized, y’all — and we need smaller geographically representative districts — to rein in the perpetual hogs at the public trought, aka the growth lobby!

You can lead officials to millions, but…

Posted on July 28, 2009 by Linda Curtis • 0 Comments

..you can’t make ’em blink.

Brian Rodgers at the County Commissioners Court, July 16

The Short Story
The Travis County Commissioners Court has so far refused to call for a full audit and to file a formal challenge to the under-valuations of commercial properties in Travis County. But some smaller taxing authorities (who, will remain anonymous at the moment) have contacted us and are preparing to go after the money they’ve been missing from the big developer boys. Meanwhile, the City of Austin just released its proposed budget and — guess what — it contains a property tax increase!

Will Travis Co. Listen to the Little Guy & Gal?

Posted on July 20, 2009 by Linda Curtis • 1 Comment

10:30 a.m. tomorrow (Tuesday), Brian Rodgers will address the Travis County Commissioner’s Court along with Chief Appraiser, Patrick Brown.

Rodgers, ChangeAustin.org co-founder, founder of CostofGrowth.com and a longtime commercial real estate investor himself, will discuss the under-valuation of large commercial properties in Travis County. Brown will respond and Rodgers will have an opportunity to rebut.

ChangeAustin.org Meets County Commissioner Sarah Eckhardt & Staff

Posted on January 22, 2009 by Linda Curtis • 0 Comments

From left to right, Peter Einhorn, Brian Rodgers (CA.org), Loretta Farb, and Commissioner Sarah Eckhardt (oh yeah, and Richard Nixon bowling)

ChangeAustin.org had the pleasure of sitting down with Travis County Commissioner Sarah Eckhardt and staff today to discuss how we might work together. The hot topic — economic incentives. Sarah, and the entire County Commission, are revisiting this issue. We’ll have all the dish at our next meeting scheduled for Saturday, February 14th, 3 to 5 pm (location to be announced — check our calendar on the front page.)

It seems that both the Austin City Council and the County Commission are starting to take a re-look at incentives AND the concerns that have been raised repeatedly by Austin City activists for a more transparent and open government. You might read about it in today’s Statesman here.

Obviously, the devil is in the details of these new policies as they develop, but there can be no substitution for an organized electorate that can spring in to action. That’s us, folks!

We have teams that are working now on Research, Speaking, Administration, and most important, Community Organizing.

WE NEED YOU! CALL US AND GET INVOLVED and be sure to sign up as a member so you can vote on our endorsements.– 512-383-8484