Callout: Today’s newsletter is supported by “Austin Parks Foundation’s Party for the Parks”
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Quote of the Day
“It’s been challenging in recent years for residents of the city who wanted to access baseball and soccer fields, which require a fair degree of maintenance… The city had set up a variety of contracts with local organizations – some nonprofits, some for-profit, to maintain those fields in exchange for priority, and in some cases, exclusive access to use those fields, which made it more difficult for individuals who weren’t part of those organizations to get access to those fields.”
— Parks and Recreation Board Member Lane Becker, from Parks board aims to make city ball fields more accessible to community
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Parks board aims to make city ball fields more accessible to community
From Amy Smith:
The Parks and Recreation Board expects to vote later this month on a resolution that calls for greater public access to city-owned baseball, softball and soccer fields.
To accomplish the goals outlined in the draft proposal, the city’s Parks and Recreation Department would need to standardize and clarify the contract language with outside organizations that maintain and use the ball fields. The department is already in the process of standardizing language in its contractual agreements with outside groups.
The ball-field contracts, the resolution states, “were developed over many years to address specific localized needs and maintenance challenges, but have inadvertently created barriers to public access.”
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Today’s newsletter is supported by “Austin Parks Foundation’s Party for the Parks”
Join Austin Parks Foundation for the 11th Annual Party for the Parks, featuring Passion Pit! This beloved event is happening under the lights at ACL in Zilker Park on Wednesday, October 8th.
Partygoers will enjoy delicious dining options, libations from Austin’s premiere beverage brands, games, a live auction and an intimate concert—all while helping raise funds for our city’s nearly 400 parks, trails and green spaces. Click here to get your tickets and join the fun!
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Supreme Court asks city for response to ballot language lawsuit
The Texas Supreme Court has requested the city file a response to Jeffrey Bowen’s writ of mandamus seeking to change the proposed language for the November tax rate election. According to an email from Attorney Bill Aleshire, the high court has given the city until 4pm this Friday to respond. That should be pretty easy because the city’s lawyers have already successfully argued about the same issue at Texas Third Court of Appeals, which ruled in the city’s favor on August 29.
Bowen, one of four unsuccessful candidates who ran against Mayor Kirk Watson in the 2024 election, has told the courts that the proposed ballot language is “indefinite and vague,” and does not meet established legal standards.
Under state law, the city is required to ask voters for permission to raise property taxes more than 3.5 percent. Proposition Q on the November ballot will ask voters to approve a tax rate five cents higher than the current rate. Council approved the election in order to cover a $33 million shortfall projected for next year and to add funding for homelessness services, parks and public safety needs.
— Jo Clifton
Pension Board OKs Austin’s plan for firefighters’ pension fund
The Texas Pension Review Board has officially determined that the Austin Firefighters Retirement Fund’s plan to restore the fund to fiscal soundness “is in full compliance with state requirements.” That’s the word from Mayor Kirk Watson’s chief of staff, Colleen Pate, who posted a note on the City Council message board on behalf of her boss.
That’s good news for the city as a whole, not just for firefighters. Pate said the review board’s actuary confirmed the system is projected to reach 100 percent funded status by 2042, “well within the state’s 30-year funding period requirement.” Watson chairs the board of the retirement fund and so he was especially involved in securing changes that will insure solvency.
Pate also announced that “Fitch Ratings has upgraded the City of Austin’s bond rating from AA+ to AAA, citing the reforms enacted to the Firefighters Retirement Fund as a contributing factor. This is the highest possible credit rating a city can achieve. It means stronger long-term stability for our firefighters’ fund, and lower borrowing costs for Austin taxpayers.” In short, the changes to the firefighters’ pension fund should save taxpayers money. Negotiators for the city and firefighters continue to discuss a new contract. The current contract expires at the end of September, so negotiators should be focusing on the most difficult issues within the next three weeks.
— Jo Clifton
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Elsewhere in the News
Construction on the Convention Center has begun.
KUT reminds us that Covid booster shots are still available and, more importantly, lets us know where to find them.
And, the city appears to have settled on new spot for a homeless navigation center: East Oltorf.
And the Austin American-Statesman explains the unexpected connection between Uchi and Bobby Hill.
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