Attorneys for the city of Austin and groups suing the city over creation of the South Central Waterfront Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, or TIRZ, will meet in court today. Taxpayers Against Giveaways, the Save Our Springs Alliance and three taxpayers – former City Council Member Ora Houston, former state Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos and Austin homeowner Faye Holland – filed suit last April to stop the city from diverting tax money into a fund to develop the former Austin American-Statesman site on Lady Bird Lake. City Council, under former Mayor Steve Adler, voted to take $354 million in property taxes over 19 years from general revenue to pay for development on the site. Both sides have filed motions for summary judgment. It will be up to Travis County District Judge Jessica Mangrum to sort out the arguments and decide whether to issue a summary judgment for either the plaintiffs or the defendant city of Austin. She could also reject both arguments and direct the parties to bring in evidence to support their positions.
Jo Clifton is the Politics Editor for the Austin Monitor. More by Jo Clifton