Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell was on hand today to meet with President Barack Obama and will be on hand throughout the day. The Mayor will travel with the motorcade throughout today's events, including a rally at Gregory Gym on the University of Texas campus.
"This is an opportunity for us to highlight what is great about Austin," said Mayor Leffingwell. "I want to thank the President for his support of many local projects and the stimulus funds that have created jobs. Austin is a symbol of our national economic recovery, and we owe much of that to the Federal partnerships we have created".
Rick Perry will simply hand the President a letter about border security in Texas and will likely ask for an increase in federal support in either troop support or federal money since he has totally, mismanaged the border and budget. Bill White is on the campaign trail today.
Since last Saturday's election, Tamala Barskdale has received several high-profile endorsements as she prepares for the June 12 runoff against Julie Cowan.
In what promises to be an extremely low turnout runoff, these endorsements could prove to be very beneficial. Barskdale had already been endorsed by the Austin Chronicle, ACC teacher's union, nearly every Democratic club (with the exception of the Tejano Democrats, whose endorsed candidate came in third place) and Burnt Orange Report.
Update: In the runoff for ACC Board of Trustees Place 5, Davis Jones, who finished fourth last Saturday, has endorsed David Reiter. Reiter will face Vic Villarreal, who led the four-person race.
With a 7-0 vote yesterday, the Austin City Council passed a landmark energy plan that sets our city on a path to a cleaner, greener future. By 2020, 35% of our energy will be produced from renewable sources. In the process, our home-grown Austin Energy will become one of the greenest, most sustainable utilities in the country.
The Statesman has a comment from Mayor Leffingwell on this great step forward for Austin:
"I believe that Austin has in the past shown leadership on environmental initiatives," Mayor Lee Leffingwell said. "And I think that we should keep ourselves in the forefront, recognizing that global climate change is, in my opinion, the environmental challenge of our time. This is a global problem, but the sum of local policy is global policy."
This plan demonstrates that our city government is thinking both short- and long-term in its approach to the major challenges facing Austin. The economic downturn has folks watching every penny, so the increase in cost is certainly an issue. Council is on top of this, however -- the plan won't go into effect until specific cost-containment goals are adopted before year-end. It's also worth noting that potential increases in energy costs from renewables -- estimates run as high as a 20% increase -- don't factor in likely long-term increases in costs of natural gas and oil. (Or, might I add, the cost of cleaning up after our dirty sources of energy.)
Our entire planet needs to address climate change, declining fossil fuel stores, and environmental needs now, to prevent greater cost later on. We can invest today in a cleaner future, or pay dearly when our current sources of energy run out. Austin's green energy plan is a great way to accomplish all of these goals.
Burnt Orange Report also received a statement from the Sierra Club praising the landmark plan:
"While the resolution passed by Austin City Council isn't perfect, it sets up a process with the public to examine additional issues -- like how Austin can legally, economically and technically get out of our dependence on the Fayette Coal Plant and how we can create a local power plant through solar on roofs. The Sierra Club and its members will continue to be constructively involved in this discussion on affordable, clean, reliable energy." -- Cyrus Reed, Conservation Director, Lone Star Chapter, Sierra Club
Until we have enough alternate sources of energy, many experts think that the City of Austin can't afford to sell off the polluting coal plant -- otherwise at peak energy times (like 5:30 p.m. when folks return from work and turn on their air conditioners) -- we might end up in the dark. Currently, only 12% of our energy comes from renewables. This move to 35% over 10 years is ambitious and achievable, and will give Austin much more room to make the most sustainable energy decisions in the future.
So kudos to our City Council for giving Austin one of the best Earth Day presents possible: a cleaner, greener energy future.
I've been sitting on writing this post for nearly a week but I wanted to be sure to post this since the future of the City of Austin's website has been a topic of discussion here before. The following is from a memo from Mayor Leffingwell regarding the first stages of the website overhaul.
As the first phase of our website redesign project finally gets underway, I wanted to briefly reiterate some of my personal priorities for the City's new website, which I've expressed on numerous occasions over the past several years.
PAYMENT CENTER: Austin citizens should be able to pay City and utility bills online via a single payment center. Payments that are not currently web-enabled - for example, various development-related fees and fines - should be brought online as soon as possible on a prioritized basis, with the ultimate goal of web-enabling all payments.
FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY: I've previously referred to this as "putting the City's checkbook online." Austin citizens should be able to easily track all City revenues and spending on a basis that is as close to real-time as we can reasonably get. A good model for spending transparency on City contracts is Houston's "E-Catalog" product.
SOCIAL MEDIA & WEB TOOLS: While I'm pleased with the City's recent utilization of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, our relaunched website should make these social media tools even more central to our communications strategy. I would also like to see the new website make use of web-based tools like Google Maps and Google Earth.
DATA PORTAL: Washington DC, New York City, Boston, Vancouver and other cities have recently launched initiatives to make a broad range of raw data generated by City departments available to the public online, and to encourage citizens to make creative use of the data. I know our staff has taken some initial steps in this direction; I hope we can get a data portal project launched before, or in conjunction with, our new website.
CONTACTS DIRECTORY: Austin citizens with questions or concerns should be able to more easily locate the appropriate City department and staff person to assist them. The current pull-down "services" menu on our home page and the current FAQ page are both serviceable, but not sufficiently comprehensive, in my view.
LANGUAGES: Finally, our website should offer more content in other languages. Currently our site only offers Spanish-language content, but the Census Bureau estimates that over 100 languages are spoken in Austin. Over time, our goal should be to provide content in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, German, French, Korean, Hindi, and Arabic, at a minimum.
Thanks for the hard work that's already been done to improve our current site and to move the redesign forward, and thanks in advance for the work that remains to be done to bring these efforts to fruition. Don't hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns.
There's a lot of good stuff in there. There's not excuse for not being able to pay more city bills online and efficiently in this day and age. And just being able to put more data out there is a huge step forward. If you want to talk about some good government websites, check out Utah.gov. Or maybe the city could offer a phone application to report road and neighborhood problems directly to city departments like they do in Boston.
After all, our City of Austin website is such an eyesore. Now that we have Austin based developers working on it, I look forward to moving forward for the last time. What would you like to see improved or added to the city website offerings? Post it in the comments and I'll make sure that I circulate this post to staff!
After Mayor Leffingwell's introductions, including the statement,
"All of us on Council believe that global climate change is the issue of our time..."
Dr. Lynne Carter, of http://southernclimate.org/ , and Mr. Karl Rabago, VP of Distributed Energy Services for Austin Energy and "boss" of the Austin Climate Protection Program (ACPP) http://coolaustin.org/ spoke at length. (More on those presentations, next post.)
The group's first major task was to come up with a big picture goal for Austin's climate protection, by the year 2050. . . That gives 40 years to work with; safe distance and inspiring when you think back to Austin life in 1970. Collectively, we came up with:
"In the year 2050 Austin has achieved net zero greenhouse gas emissions by creating an integrated, locally-sourced, green lifestyle that is affordable and accessible to all."
Like it. Note, however, that during the process Karl's team made a pretty big edit. Those present voted for the mission statement that Austin would become a net "carbon sink" -- meaning our community would absorb more carbon than it produces, by the year 2050. Maybe that's unrealistic? I'm not sure (things like cell phones and ubiquitous connectivity sounded crazy 10 years ago...). Eitherway, in the spirit of collaboration no one objected to the ACPP's rewording.
Note also that everyone present agreed "carbon" is an acceptable metaphor for broader idea of "greenhouse gasses."
For the rest of the charrette's day and half, we broke into small groups and set to work on better-defining goals in six, predetermined focus areas. Below are each of those focus areas and some of the goals voiced, via this citizen-driven process:
I. LAND Primary Goal > Coordinate all efforts to create a comprehensive network of engagement groups that can focus on land development in relation to climate change
Highlights · preserve riparian areas, critical habitat, and recharge areas
· combine land goals with mass transit goals
· create network of urban & regional gardens and farms, resulting in sustainable local food production and related jobs
· develop policies, incentives, and guidelines for land conservation, restoration, and development
· prevent sprawl via a regional design approach that emphasizes high quality of life and staying within natural resource limitations
II. ELECTRICITY Primary Goal > Achieve net zero carbon emissions related to electricity use in Cen Tx, by 2050
Highlights · provide affordable green energy for as many households as possible
· institute k-12 and community energy education programs
· replace coal with non-carbon emitting resources
· use expanded life cycle cost analysis in energy purchasing decisions
· heavily incentivize community efforts for carbon reduction
III. TRANSPORTATION Primary Goal > Achieve net zero carbon emissions related to transportation in Cen Tx, by 2050.
Highlights · increase use of alternative fuels
· increase availability of carbon neutral transportation options
· develop "right-sized" neighborhoods to reduce vehicle miles traveled (i.e. walkable neighborhoods)
· heavily incentivize no/low-carbon transportation options
IV. WATER Primary Goal > Reduce peak demand in water use over the next 40 years at a rate that is better than the average of "dry states." (Conserve to stay below system capacity.)
Highlights · preserve wildlife and ecosystems
· improve efficiency of pumping and treatment systems
· increase education by reaching deeper into the Austin and central TX communities with strong branding, communication, and implementation strategies
· preserve and restore natural drainage infrastructures for wetland creation and carbon sequestration
· use less treated water, via utilization of on-site capture and reuse technologies, such as rainwater, grey water, and condensate.
V. MATERIALS Primary Goal > Achieve net zero carbon emissions related to waste disposal in Cen Tx by 2050, or sooner.
Highlights · achieve Zero Waste by reducing and reusing as much was as possible; make recyling and composting easy/accessible/cost-effective/mandatory
· leverage a Values Shift by implementing a campaign to educate companies, citizens, and consumers about the economic value of their choice
· develop the Green Economy by prioritizing local production of renewable materials
· expand Green Purchasing practices
VI. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS Primary Goal > To make the community sustainable, even in the event of climate change shocks, such as extensive drought, heavy storms, heavy influx of climate refugees, shut-down of food supplies from various parts of the world.
Highlights · engage disaster management community; have groups develop disaster management plans based on climate projections
· ensure local food security to meet needs under disaster conditions
· address climate change refugees' needs; increase capacity local support can manage
· encourage each community group and individual person to create their own climate preparedness plan
Check off yet another campaign promise fulfilled by Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell. This week, the Mayor--along with City Manager Marc Ott, Austin Independent School District Superintendent Meria Carstarphen, and AISD Board of Trustees President Mark Williams--formally launched AustinCorps, a civic education and leadership development program for local high school students. AustinCorps was a solid part of the Mayor's campaign platform to focus on the fundamentals and help the City thrive in the short and long term. It's great to see it come to fruition so quickly.
From The Office of The Mayor (emphasis mine):
AustinCorps will combine classroom curriculum focused on local government with a hands-on experience at City Hall. In the fall, students will meet twice weekly with city policymakers and administrators to become familiar with the functions of city government. In the spring, students will complete a mentored internship with the city, and work in small groups to plan and execute community projects.
Altogether, participants in the inaugural AustinCorps class will spend a total of 10,000 hours over nine months working at City Hall and in the community.
Mayor Lee Leffingwell, who proposed creating AustinCorps during his mayoral campaign last year, said the main objective is to promote community engagement among Austin students. "Our most valuable resource as a city is our young people," said Leffingwell. "If we can do more now to educate and engage Austin's students in local government and civic life, the entire community will ultimately reap the reward."
This program has the potential to be a huge boon for Austin's long-term economic recovery, by investing in the future of our community. Much solid analysis of the ongoing recession has focused on the brutal unemployment rate for teenagers, and the long-term consequences of failing to prepare our youths for successful careers. The New York Times reported on record-high unemployment amongst teens last summer:
This August, the teenage unemployment rate - that is, the percentage of teenagers who wanted a job who could not find one - was 25.5 percent, its highest level since the government began keeping track of such statistics in 1948. Likewise, the percentage of teenagers over all who were working was at its lowest level in recorded history.
When teens don't work, they can't save money for college, gain valuable professional experience to help them earn better jobs later on, and explore potential career paths. While unemployment has hurt everyone, it's worth pointing out that an unemployed 22-year-old with zero work experience will be kicking around much longer than a 55-year-old who has been let go only 10 years before his or her planned retirement. The fact is, the recession is hurting America's ability to train and develop the workers we need for the next 50 years.
Late last year, unemployment among black teens ages 16 to 19 was nearly 50 percent, and the unemployment rate for black men age 20 or older was almost 17 percent.
The two high schools which will participate in the pilot year of the program, Akins and Crockett, have significant minority populations. Given that Texas is now a minority-majority state, it is especially important that we make sure to create programs to help address the needs of our diverse population, especially those members who will suffer the most adverse effects of the recession.
What I like best about the program is its focus on service, inspiring and empowering our youths to pursue careers in the public interest that help all of Austin succeed together. AustinCorps is a great bulwark against stifling unemployment for teenagers and long-term economic perils of unprepared post-recession workforce. It's exciting for these kids to have this great opportunity now. I can't wait to see what they make of it--and do for the benefit of Austin--5, 10 years down the line!
The Austin Chronicle has Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell's full State of the City Address posted here and I encourage you to read it through in full. Austin truly is an amazing place to live and there is a lot to be proud of both in our past and current leadership. While I encourage everyone to read it in full, I've pulled a few choice sections out that I found particularly memorable, beginning with some classic Leffingwell humor. There is a lot more though talking about economy, jobs, incentives, water treatment, traffic, and energy which are not highlighted here. I was especially excited to see Austin Urban Rail mentioned multiple times.
I understand from Janice and Keith that we have a sold-out event here today. So in order to help RECA out a bit, I've agreed to be the keynote speaker at every monthly luncheon from now on. We all know that the reason I'm such a popular keynote speaker is my intense personal charisma and my dynamic and inspiring oratory. So in case you find yourself overcome with emotion during my speech, please, don't be embarrassed to weep openly.
...
I've spent practically my whole life in this city. I grew up just about a mile from here. Where we're enjoying our lunch today was - a hill. I went to Austin public schools, and graduated from UT. When I retired as a pilot, I became a full-time volunteer in Austin, for five years. Then I served on the City Council for four years before I became mayor.
After all of that, there's at least one thing I know about Austin. And that is that we do believe in the power a creative mind and a determined spirit to solve any problem. Austin is full of smart, driven people who make things happen. And lots of times, we even do it for the right reasons. That's exactly who's in this room around you right now. Look around. You're all a bunch of over-achievers.
So, if just for that reason - because we believe in Austin that we can solve any problem; because we believe that we can transform any challenge into opportunity - even during this monumentally difficult moment in history, the state of our city is strong.
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Folks, balancing your City budget this year was not a pleasant exercise for anyone. The bottom line was a $30 million funding gap in a $600 million budget. It's testament to the City management team, to the members of your City Council, but most of all to the 10,000 employees of City government, that we closed that gap and still maintained all core City services at their current levels.
Most significantly, there were no cuts to police, fire, or EMS services - which I promised there would not be. While our budget did include an increase in our tax rate and some utility charges, we still have the lowest municipal tax rate of any large Texas city. So - to beat a dead horse - we're proud of what we were able to achieve with this year's City budget. We can only hope to do as well next year.
...
Finally, everything happening with web-based services, mobile computing, and social networking also holds great promise for our city. This is where I believe we have a unique opportunity to marry our tech-savvy culture, and labor force, with the next generation of growth. In particular, I'd very much like to see some of the largest social media companies, like Twitter, establish a significant presence in Austin in the near future. Maybe Mike Martinez could get an internship there.
...
Austin is a diverse city. Much more so than it has ever been. We should be proud of that. We should celebrate it. And, we should be sure that it's always reflected in our decision-making, and our actions, as a community.
Austin is also a caring and compassionate city. A lot of people in this town wear their hearts on sleeves. That's a big part of what makes Austin special - and a big part of what we need to preserve to keep Austin special. The hungry, the poor, the homeless, the sick, the disadvantaged: They have a friend in a true Austinite. As Austin grows and changes, I hope and trust that we'll never lose what my friend Rev. Joseph Parker calls our "moral center" - our drive to do good, to be fair, and to be giving.
Let me end where I began. Friends, the state of our city is strong, even at this incredibly challenging time, because here in Austin, we believe in our own ability to make things better. We know we can create solutions to problems. In an uncertain world, these are our secret weapons: Our ingenuity and our conviction. Our creative minds, and our determined spirits.
If you want to play a role in shaping our best possible future - in protecting our quality of life for the next generation - then I encourage you to leave here today and go do what you do best: Create. Solve a problem. Do a deal. Be bold. Make a difference for somebody.
I can't stand up here today and tell you that the worst of what's happening around us is over. The truth is, it may not be. But, after a lifetime in this city, I know the fiber of Austin, Texas. I know the character of the people who live here. And I can stand up here today and tell you - with great confidence - that for us, the best is yet to come. Thank you very much.
Football has become synonymous with Thanksgiving. As the Longhorns and Aggies clash on the football field today, Austin Mayor Leffingwell and College Station Mayor White will have a friendly wager on the a game that could upset Longhorn dominance this season.
All that's on the line, is a little green for the winning season.
On Thanksgiving Day, however, a wager between the mayors of College Station and Austin means some extra green is on the line: The city of the losing team must present trees to be planted in the winning team's city.
"This is an easy opportunity for Austin to win some new trees," said Mayor Lee Leffingwell of Austin. "This will provide a shady spot for Austinites to lay underneath our winning trees and celebrate our 12-0 season."
College Station Mayor Ben White has a different take on today's possible results.
"I can't tell you how excited I am at the thought of having some of Austin's finest oak trees planted in the heart of Aggieland," said College Station Mayor Ben White, whose grandfather was the former Austin city councilman for whom Ben White Boulevard is named.
This will be the 116th meeting of these two teams, but the first time that plant life has ever been at stake. Arrangements for the ceremonial presentation - wherever it may occur - will be arranged by the mayors' offices for the earliest date possible.
The Longhorns are heavy favorites in today's game.
Today, less than two months after Mike Villarreal's HB 1937 became effective, the Austin City Council will vote on a resolution to act upon the bill's intentions. Agenda Item Number 39, sponsored by Mayor Leffingwell, would order the City Manager to "study and evaluate the means of implementing a program under HB 1937 to finance the installation of energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy resources by property owners in the City of Austin, in a way that has no cost impact on the City government."
In other words, the the council can take the first step towards a plan that would allow solar panels added to homeowners' houses through property tax based loans. Council Members Randi Shade and Mike Martinez also co-sponsor the legislation, and hopefully the rest of the council will join in support. If passed, though, the council will still need to vote on the final implementation, which would probably occur in January. Regardless, the mayor sounds excited about the idea:
"If successful, it will help make solar energy accessible to many more local residents, help them save money on their home energy bills almost immediately, and continue to build on Austin's growing reputation as a national leader on renewable energy initiatives," Leffingwell said.
Leffingwell said the program could potentially allow the installation of solar panels and energy efficiency upgrades with no up-front cost. The loan would also be tied to the home and would convey when it is sold, the statement said.
Of course, the plan still has its kinks, too. I imagine the City Manager, the Mayor, and their staffs will be able to work them out.
Austin Energy General Manager Roger Duncan is an advocate of solar power but worries that if too many people install solar panels too quickly, the city could have trouble maintaining its grid unless it comes up with a new business model for the utility.
The city government has been promoting solar mainly by offering to pay part of homeowners' installation costs. That subsidy money comes from fees collected from all electric-utility customers.
But the subsidy, or rebate, has proven so popular that the city has had trouble keeping up with demand - $3.3 million of the $4 million the city budgeted for this fiscal year was already committed by Oct. 1, the start of the fiscal year.
Thankfully, a loan program like this, more useful to consumers than simple subsides, will can also save the city some money. Unlike those subsidies, the long-term budgeting implications would barely be effective under a solar panel loan program. Worst case scenario: I'd imagine the city could place a cap on the amount of loans it gives out per year. We might need such a restriction, because Austinites are certainly the type to jump on an opportunity like this.
At the current pace, Austin can set itself up to be the first Texas city with such a plan, which may serve as the impetus other cities need to follow through. Rep. Villarreal follows the issue on his blog, and he informs us, "The City of San Antonio and other stakeholders around town have been working to figure out how to implement the program in our community."
Perhaps Austin will show the way.
Update: The Austin City Council passed the resolution on a 7-0 vote.
I haven't been on the blog today because today is my 25th Birthday, although technically it won't be until very late tonight, within 10 minutes of midnight. I want to thank the like 75 people that have given birthday wishes on facebook and others on twitter. And if anyone has a desire to get a gift, I do have an Amazon Wishlist or my AIDS Walk page.
But I'm not the only one of note in politics today that has a birthday. Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell also has his birthday today and is turning 70. I've put a collection of his accomplishments so far in office below the fold. I only learned about his birthday yesterday- so how about a joint birthday party in 2010 or 2011 Mayor?
And one other political birthday is Glenn Bass, the gay Republican candidate running against Democratic Rep. Donna Howard. While I'll extend some birthday wishes, I'll stop short of congratulating him on any electoral success.
For those that have asked, I'm bad about organizing big birthday plans. I'm having dinner with some of the BOR staff tonight. Instead, I'm actually taking some time off in the coming weeks with trips to Kalamazoo, Michigan and spend some time with the One Kalamazoo campaign and then a trip to Nevada next month during Election Day. Don't worry, I'll still have time to early vote for a few days in the riveting 2009 Texas Constitutional Amendment elections.
AustinCorps will combine classroom curriculum focused on local government with a hands-on experience at City Hall. In the fall, students will meet twice weekly with city policymakers and administrators to become familiar with the functions of city government. In the spring, students will complete a mentored internship with the city, and work in small groups to plan and execute community projects.
