Cronk tries to scuttle police oversight
This is the real reason Spencer Cronk has overstayed his welcome.
99.58%: That's where the power restoration is at as of 1:15 pm. There are only 2,268 customers left without power.
City must pay $90M to shut down South Terminal: A panel of special commissioners appointed by Travis County Probate Court rules that the city must pay $90 million to evict the company that currently operates the airport's South Terminal, where budget airlines Allegiant and Frontier operate. That is 46 times what the city offered to pay Lonestar Airport Holdings to leave before the 30-year contract was up to make way for an expansion of the main terminal. Since the airport is an enterprise fund (not supported by tax dollars), I would hope the payment will not come from the city's general fund, but I haven't been able to get an answer from the city yet. This is one of number of recent legal defeats that suggests the city of Austin really needs better lawyers but probably can't afford them. Good lawyers cost a lot upfront but can save you big bucks in the long run...
A look at a major development in South Austin: The Statesman looks at a planned mixed-used development on 43 acres of land at roughly S. Congress & Dittmar, south of William Cannon. 1,218 multi-family units, 200,000 square feet of office, 136,000 sq ft of retail and 13 acres of parkland. The article notes that it is along the planned Orange Line route, but it will probably be a long time (2045 or so) before the Orange Line actually extends all the way down there. The first segment terminates at Stassney and frankly it might not even go that far south as they trial to dial back costs. Of course, the more dense development we put on these corridors, the easier it will be to justify extending the Orange Line in the coming years. Regardless, the development will be served by frequent bus service that will connect to the Orange Line.
Council v. Cronk on the police contract
If not for the power outages, the police contract would be the biggest issue at tomorrow Council's meeting. Ironically, this issue likely offers even greater evidence of why we need a new city manager than the storm.
