| The Imagine Austin comprehensive plan "vision statement"... |
| By Lee on 8/25/2010 |
At tomorrow's meeting, the Austin City Council will consider approval of the Imagine Austin comprehensive plan "vision statement." This document was crafted through a collaborative process involving extensive public input, many meetings of the Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Task Force, and input from the city's Planning Commission. The vision statement follows after the jump...
Read more... |
| Mayor Leffingwell welcomes President Obama to Austin... |
| By Mark on 8/10/2010 |
President Obama: "I just love Austin, Texas. I do. Every time I come here I like the people, I like the food, I like the music. I like that there are a bunch of Democrats here. I like that, too. It is wonderful."
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| Statement regarding the Nathaniel Sanders II settlement... |
| By Lee Leffingwell on 7/30/2010 |
Last night the Austin City Council voted 4-3 to allow the legal case surrounding the death of Nathaniel Sanders II to proceed to trial. I joined the majority in voting against the proposed settlement.
This was perhaps the most difficult decision that this Council has faced over the past year, and it’s easy for me to see how reasonable people would disagree about the best path forward. I don’t condemn anyone's point of view, or their vote.
This was a tragedy for the Sanders family, and a tragedy for Austin as a whole. Unfortunately, nothing that we do is going to change that. That much is simple.
But the facts of the case are complex, as evidenced by the different conclusions that different people and groups have reached after reviewing the facts as we know them.
I think it was reasonable, from the taxpayer's perspective, for the city’s legal team to have recommended a settlement that they believed could be less than the possible cost to taxpayers to move forward with litigating the case. I understood the business case.
I also understood the emotional appeal of settling. Some have argued passionately that this settlement would have helped to heal the Sanders family, and I do not discount the importance of that. My heart goes out to this family. If there was something meaningful that I could do to make this situation better for them, I would do it.
But ultimately, after thinking and talking about it for many months, I believe that what's most important in all of this is to understand as best we can exactly what happened that night, so that we can then do everything possible to prevent it from happening again.
It would be a huge failure on our part not to learn from this tragedy. That should begin with determining, as completely and as impartially as possible, exactly what happened. I believe the most appropriate place to do that is in the courtroom, in front of a jury.
I’m fully aware that my decision was hurtful to some in the community, and I regret that. I would like to have been able to make a decision last night that would have perhaps provided some immediate relief to people who I know are suffering.
But I believe that our larger and longer-term responsibility – as difficult as it may be emotionally – is to make a full, fair and final determination about exactly what happened, so that we can then get on to the work of trying to keep it from happening again. |
| Willie Nelson Boulevard street signs go up on Second Street... |
| By Mark on 7/1/2010 |
The Public Works Department has just finished installing the Willie Nelson Boulevard street signs on Second Street between Trinity and San Antonio. Viva Willie.
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| Austin wins grant to hire Chief Service Officer for two years... |
| By Mark on 6/30/2010 |
Mayor Lee Leffingwell and City Manager Marc Ott announced today that the City of Austin has been selected by the Cities of Service coalition of mayors to receive a $200,000 grant to fund a full-time Chief Service Officer position for the next two years.
Cities of Service is a national bi-partisan coalition of mayors focused on promoting community service. The coalition was founded in New York City in September 2009 in response to the historic call of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act to find new and innovative ways to harness the power of volunteers to help confront pressing challenges at the local level.
At the invitation of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Mayor Leffingwell joined the Cities of Service coalition in December 2009, and applied for the Cities of Service “Leadership Grant” in April. Leffingwell and Ott learned on Monday that Austin was one of 10 cities selected to receive the grant, jointly funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
The other recipient cities are Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Baton Rouge, LA; Chula Vista, CA; Houston, TX; Little Rock, AR; Orlando, FL; Pittsburgh, PA; and Richmond, VA.
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| Thoughts on Austin after a year in the mayor's office... |
| By Lee on 6/23/2010 |
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And rightfully so. I’m a hometown boy, so you may choose to take my view with a grain of salt, but cities just don’t come much better than ours. Why? Because every day, in every part of our community, the passionate spirits, creative minds and caring hearts of Austinites are hard at work.
Even in a time of recession and economic uncertainty, Austinites are still starting and growing businesses. Even in a time of global environmental challenge and crisis, Austinites are still fighting to keep our air, our water, and our energy clean. Even in a time of war and deep political divides, Austinites are still coming together to seek mutual understanding, help those in need, and plan for a better future.
Whenever I’ve been asked what makes Austin such a special place, the answer I’ve always given is this: it’s not the place, it’s the people. After a year in the mayor’s office, I can say with even greater conviction than ever before that what makes Austin one of America’s truly great cities is – you.
I hope you won’t take that responsibility lightly. As I said a year ago today, Austin is only what we make it, together. The challenges and opportunities before our city now can only be fully overcome and seized upon with your active participation.
And opportunities abound for you to play your vital role. Volunteer for or donate to a community group. Serve on a city board or commission. Help a neighbor in need. Or simply make your voice heard as local elected officials debate issues of the day.
Or, just do what you do – but commit yourself to doing it even better. Expand your small business. Make great art or music. Invent something that changes the rules. Push yourself. Your determination and your ingenuity are the lifeblood of our great city.
After a lifetime in Austin – and 365 days in the mayor’s office – I believe I know the character of this city, and the character of the people who call it home. Yes, our challenges are every bit as big as our opportunities. For some, these are still extraordinarily difficult times. But knowing what I know about Austin, I can say with absolute confidence that our best days as a city are not behind us, but ahead – by a long shot.
Thank you for the privilege of serving as your mayor. |
| City of Austin launches the Online Contract Catalog... |
| By Mark on 6/22/2010 |
The City of Austin today announced the launch of a new web-based service that provides details on each of the City’s active purchasing contracts. The Online Contract Catalog (http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/contracts) allows users to search for specific City contracts or browse through City contracts by category, displaying vendor information, total authorized contract amounts, and total dollars spent to date.
Mayor Lee Leffingwell, who campaigned for mayor last year on a platform of making City Hall more transparent and inclusive, said the Online Contract Catalog is the first step in a larger process of delivering dramatically improved online access to the City's finances. The next effort will focus on delivering access to payments information, and improvements to the City's vendor registration system.
“This is an important milestone in our ongoing effort to put the City’s checkbook online, so Austin taxpayers can see exactly how their dollars are being spent, and with whom” said Leffingwell. “I’m very pleased with City staff's excellent work on this project, and look forward to continuing to work with them to give Austin citizens better access to more information online.” Leffingwell said the Online Contract Catalog was developed entirely by a team of City employees in the the purchasing, accounting and information technology offices.
One unique feature of the catalog is the “Spend-O-Meter,” displayed at the top of every contract page, which tracks the timeframe of each contract against allocated dollars already spent. The catalog is also integrated with other parts of the City website. For example, if a contract was awarded through City Council action, a link on the catalog will take users to the original Council agenda item, where additional information can be found.
Leffingwell said one of the important benefits of the Online Contract Catalog is allowing vendors to identify opportunties to puruse business with the City of Austin. "By making it easy to see exactly what the City is spending money on, exactly how much we are paying for goods and services, and exactly when our current contracts are expiring, we are creating opportunities for prospective vendors to win City business by meeting or beating the prices we're paying now, and potentially saving Austin taxpayers the difference." |
| November 2012: A game-changing election for Austin's future...? |
| By Mark on 6/16/2010 |
Mayor Lee Leffingwell said today that he will co-sponsor two resolutions at the June 24th Austin City Council meeting that could make the November 2012 election one of the most significant in Austin’s recent history.
The first resolution, co-sponsored by Council Members Sheryl Cole and Laura Morrison, will ask the City Council to support holding a future urban rail referendum in conjunction with the city’s next comprehensive bond election, and to schedule that bond election – currently planned for November 2013 – for November 2012.
The second resolution, co-sponsored by Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez and Council Member Sheryl Cole, will ask the Council to direct the City Manager to prepare a proposed city charter amendment changing the reporting structure for the City Attorney – a proposal that would also potentially go before Austin voters in November of 2012.
Read more... |
| At long last, flyovers under construction at I-35 and 290... |
| By Mark on 6/11/2010 |
Through a financing agreement with TxDOT, work has finally begun on the "missing" flyovers at I-35 and 290. Commuters rejoice.
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| Have your say about the 2010-2011 City budget... |
| By Lee on 6/10/2010 |
While Austin has been consistently recognized as having one of the strongest metropolitan economies in the United States this year, the fact is that our local economy has still suffered significantly as a result of the long national recession. This becomes abudently clear as we work to balance our City budget, which is funded in large measure by property taxes and sales taxes. While the former is a relatively stable source of revenue, the latter can fluctuate dramatically, based on the economy.
This year, mostly because of declining sales tax revenue, the City of Austin is anticipating a budget shortfall of between $11 million to $28 million, depending on revenue projections and the adopted tax rate for Fiscal 2011. This shortfall will make for difficult choices by the City Manger as he recommends a budget to the City Council, and difficult choices for the Council as we vote to adopt a final plan. That's why we want and need you to be an active participant in the decision making.
Earlier this week, City Manager Marc Ott and his budget team launched an innovative online tool to help you share your perspective about the City's 2010-2011 budget. By clicking here, you can vote on a list of unmet service demands, as well as a list of potential service reductions, to help us understand what your priorities are. You can also add your own suggestions to the list. The site includes links to budget documents, so your votes can be well-informed.
In addition, you are invited to attend an interactive Budget Input Forum, which will be held on Tuesday, June 15, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Austin Convention Center (500 E. Cesar Chavez Street). The results of the Budget Input Forum and the online surveys will be critical to the City Manager and the City Council as we work to finalize next year's budget. Budget briefings for the City Council will take place in July and August, with public hearings scheduled for July 29 and Aug. 5, 19 and 26. Final budget adoption is scheduled for Sept. 13-15. The City’s new fiscal year begins Oct. 1, 2010.
Please, be a part of this important discussion: Click here now. |
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