Though the Council failed yesterday, hats off to the Statesman, and writer Marty Toohey, for this front page piece about yet another giveaway to the Austin real estate industry, on the Waller Creek (soak the taxpayer) project. Read it and don’t just weep, read Brian Rodgers’ letter to Council below, and get ready for some action, starting March 1st. Sign up for our emails and you’ll get the news first.
Dear Council Members:
The Waller Creek Tunnel Project was supposed lift downtown properties out of the flood plain and pay for itself with the new tax revenue. Fat chance. Projected new office buildings shrunk from 2.6 million square feet to 1 million square feet.
Now, the project is in a financial nosedive and once again, the taxpayer is the savior.
Austin citizens, are watching you, now that you are required to have open work sessions. The test tomorrow is whether you will clearly disclose the following:
– $55 million in new rate hikes hidden on your utility bill under “Drainage”
– Cooked book assumptions of 5% annual real estate appreciation until 2028
– Landowners along Waller Creek get massive public benefits for free
We at ChangeAustin.org are also watching you! We will not let you keep giving Austin residents the shaft. Be honest with us.
Yours truly,
Brian Rodgers, ChangeAustin.org
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DON’T FORGET! Bill Aleshire on the Texas Open Meetings Act
(Also brief agenda items — property tax protests, Formula 1 Foibles, Fair Representation for Austin, and the Del Valle School Board election)
Thursday, February 17 @ 6:30 pm!
Austin Energy Building (across from Palmer Auditorium)
721 Barton Springs Road, Assembly Room 130
Bill Aleshire will be our guest to speak on the Texas Open Meetings Act and the Texas Public Information Act.
Aleshire served as Travis County Judge from 1987-1998 and Travis County Tax Collector from 1980-1985. Now in private law practice, Bill is well known for his depth of understanding of local government, being a straight shooter, and his willingness to work with folks of all persuasions for the common good. (He even loves our pets!) In addition, he donates his time to the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas as a Legal Hotline Attorney.
Bring your questions for an informative Q&A. Have you ever been denied access to an open records request? What records can the government legally withhold? How can elected officials communicate with each other without violating the open meeting act? Do citizens have a right to read notes that city council members pass to each other during council meetings? You ask, he will answer!