Austin, Monitored: Affordable housing showdowns, license plate readers and the future of I35 (again)

Audit flags oversight gaps in APD license plate reader pilot

From Chad Swiatecki:

A significant concern raised in the audit involved the city’s contract with the readers’ vendor, Flock Safety. The auditors flagged contract language that gives Flock a “non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual” right to use and share anonymized data for development and law enforcement purposes.

While APD maintains that the vendor deletes Austin’s data after seven days in accordance with city policy, auditors cautioned that vague definitions and lack of specificity around “anonymization” could expose motorist data to unintended use or disclosure.

Council members expressed alarm that the contract terms may not fully align with a 2022 City Council resolution explicitly protecting against the use of LPR data in ways that could compromise free speech, reproductive access or immigration status. City legal staff acknowledged the ambiguity in the contract and indicated they had previously raised concerns during contract review.

A proposed apartment demolition has some questioning Austin affordable housing program

From Luz Moreno-Lozano, KUT:

Density Build 90, also known as DB90, was created in February 2024 with the intention of creating different levels of affordable housing in places where it’s needed, including along commercial and transit corridors. The program allows developers to build taller and denser apartment complexes as long as a percentage of the apartments are offered at an affordable rate. But housing advocates argue the program has gaps that can actually further displace residents and destroy existing affordable housing, including what exists at Acacia Cliffs.

“The Austin City Council claims to be the national leader for housing affordability,” said Vianey Camorlinga, a resident and member of the tenant’s association. “But the level of affordability that DB90 adds to the affordable housing stock at 50% to 60% median family income does not begin to compare to the level of deeply affordable units that we have at Acacia Cliffs.”

WHISPERS

Some cap: Watson picks a team

Things got uncharacteristically feisty at Tuesday’s work session as Council tackled an upcoming vote on proposed “caps and stitches” that would span an expanded I35 downtown. The bridges would essentially bury the highway under parks and other amenities to mitigate the highway’s soon-to-be-larger footprint and, potentially, help heal a historic divide between East Austin and Downtown that is rooted in racism. 

Facing budget woes ahead that have only been exacerbated by iffy federal funding, Council will have to decide Thursday whether to prep for the full 26-acres initially proposed (at an estimated cost of at least $1.4 billion with about $47 million in yearly maintenance and operation costs) or to shoot for a scaled-down version instead.

The choice divided Council down the middle, with Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes and Council members Paige Ellis, Krista Laine, Mike Siegel and Marc Duchen pushing for a “common sense plan” of two caps: one from Cesar Chavez to Fourth street and one from 11th to 12th street.

Up until Tuesday, Mayor Kirk Watson’s position remained a mystery, but following the work session, he released a statement that indicated he would support the scaled-back staff recommendation of two caps, breaking the tie on the dais.

It remains to be seen whether the remainder of Council will fight out their position on Thursday, but anyone looking for a good old fashioned political brawl can always turn to ATXN, which has archived for posterity the back-and-forth between law school graduates Siegel and Council Member Ryan Alter and several impassioned speeches from Council Member Natasha Harper Madison.

“Happy birthday to Austin Energy, you don’t look a day over 75”  

Following the work session, Council took a quick break and came back as its alter ego: the Austin Energy Oversight Committee. Led by Council Member Chito Vela (who made the birthday quip above), the committee heard a few updates on the utility, and congratulated it on its 130 year anniversary. 

Of note, the utility seems to have bounced back from a supply chain “low point” that took place two years ago and has been doing a much better job of obtaining equipment like transformers. In fact, Austin Energy is now on the hunt to find adequate storage for all of the goods it has procured. The stockpile will help steel the utility against uncertain pricing and availability in a volatile market filled with uncertainty around things like tariffs and inflation.

Tariffs and supply chain problems have had a negative impact on a geothermal power generation project, however. A five megawatt geothermal pilot project is currently stalled due to these issues, though no one has given up quite yet and an update in the near future was promised. 

In better news, the power supply adjustment rate has been reduced five times this fiscal year, which is good news for ratepayers that like lower bills. In all, the rate is 23 percent lower than it was at the start of the fiscal year.

Austin Energy also took a minute to report on its production, noting that in this quarter 49 percent of its load was aggregate renewable production and 77 percent was carbon-free.

ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS

Is Austin’s “reign as a tech hub coming to an end”? The Wall Street Journal asks that question and comes back with a resounding “it might be.” (Whether that is welcome or scary news is up to the reader.)

Days after a fatal stabbing aboard one of its busses, Cap Metro reminds us that transit police are on the way.

Our hot spring will make way for a hotter summer, predicts KUT.

And, as weed fights, property tax cuts and kindergarten scholarships fly about during the waning days of the legislative session, we once again recommend this Texas Tribune bill tracker to help sort things out.

Thanks for reading!

eep

Austin Monitor | Make a Donation | Privacy Policy | Contact Us

• Facebook
• X

Copyright © 2022 Austin Monitor, All rights reserved.