Austin ISD facilities plan, 'new' Travis County Courthouse, proves value of defeating bonds....

"So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God."
Romans 14:12

About a month ago, we had some modestly positive comments to make about Austin ISD's new facilities plan; they recently announced the next step in the process:

We need your input as we continue to plan for our #AISDFuture with the Facility Master Plan (FMP). During these meetings, AISD will present the Facilities and Bond Planning Advisory Committee’s (FABPAC) FMP update, including updates on preliminary options, and receive feedback from the public. Each meeting will focus on a different vertical team, though anyone can attend any meeting.

Email us: future@austinisd.org
Call direct: 512-414-9595
Upcoming Meeting Locations:
* January 24 McCallum HS – Cafeteria, (6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.) | Vertical Teams: McCallum & Special Campuses
* January 25 Crockett HS – Cafeteria, (6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.) | Vertical Teams:Akins & Crockett
* January 26 Garcia YMLA – Cafeteria, (6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.) | Vertical Teams: LBJ & Reagan
* January 31 Martin MS - Cafeteria, (6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.) | Vertical Teams: Eastside Memorial & Travis
* February 1 Burnet MS - Cafeteria, (6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.) | Vertical Teams: Anderson & Lanier
* February 2 Gorzycki MS - Cafeteria, (6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.) | Vertical Teams: Austin & Bowie

More information online at www.AISDFuture.com

During Community Engagement Series #3, AISD will present the FABPAC's FMP update, including updates on preliminary options, and receive feedback from the public. The FABPAC will review and use public input as they continue to work with consultants to refine the FMP draft and eventually formulate recommendations to modernize our district over the next 20-25 years.

But while we're on the subject of fallout from the bonds we've helped defeat over the years, check out the latest on the Travis County Courthouse front:

The federal government has approved Travis County’s application to utilize the old U.S. courthouse for its probate court offices.

Travis County commissioners were handed the deed to 200 W. 8th Street on Thursday morning. The courthouse – built in 1936 – has been vacant since the new federal courthouse on West 5th opened in 2012. The U.S. General Services Administration declared the building surplus, and the county applied to take ownership of the property.

....

Officials have been looking for remedies to the overcrowding at the Heman Marion Sweatt Courthouse since voters in 2015 narrowly rejected a $287 million bond that would have paid for a new civil courthouse. The county said they will need to renovate and restore the building before they will occupy it in 2020.

These solutions might not be perfect, but they're both light years better than what the respective governmental entities were proposing in 2013 and 2015.

Indeed, as much as it kills us to admit this, Mayor Adler's "corridor" bond that passed last year was (for all its flaws) still substantially less terrible than the rail bond that was defeated in 2014.

Bottom Line: It's amazing how often Plan B costs less while doing a better job accomplishing the task the governmental entity in question says they want to accomplish.

Zimmerman poised to test "Konni Burton Theorem"

"Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord,
But a just weight is His delight."
Proverbs 11:1

We have recently developed an informal hypothesis.  We've dubbed it the "Konni Burton theorem."  It goes like this: In swing districts, credible advocates for limited government win where kumbaya-style moderates lose.

In 2014, Konni Burton was elected to a Texas Senate seat in a Tarrant County swing district that was previously held by Wendy Davis (yes, THAT Wendy Davis).  During that year's general election, Burton was such a strong advocate for limited government that she refused to endorse the Texas "Medical" Association's monopoly over liability insurance.  Burton was successful in a district where moderates Mark Shelton and Kim Brimer had recently lost.

We mention Konni Burton as a long winded introduction to the fact that we attended Don Zimmerman's Austin City Council re-election campaign kickoff party last night and we sense a similar phenomenon.

Obviously, Zimmerman has been an unapologetic advocate for economic liberty and tax relief during his time on Council.  He leveraged his position on the dais to defeat the Travis County Courthouse bond.  He also stopped a hostile annexation for the first time in city history.

And, at least based on last night's turnout, Don has struck a chord in district 6.  Several dozen people showed up over the course of the event, though we didn't think about doing an actual body count until after the fact.  At a minimum, Zimmerman should have no trouble finding volunteers.

As we wrote about Burton and Zimmerman back in January: "Burton and Zimmerman are the most prominent voices in their respective legislative bodies in opposition to corporate welfare and other forms of cronyism and rent-seeking (*).  Both represent districts that are competitive in a general election.  Burton and Zimmerman's success proves that disgust with rent-seeking for purposes of "economic development" extends beyond Republican primary voters into the general electorate."

Bottom Line: We'll see what happens, but if Don Zimmerman ultimately wins re-election (especially in this climate), it will provide a lesson in how to win swing districts that others would be wise to emulate.

REPUBLICAN Travis County Commissioners Court (Precinct 3) candidates Face Off....

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan."
Proverbs 29:2

This past Monday, the two Republican candidates for Travis County Commissioners Court Precinct 3 (Western Travis County), small businessman Jason Nassour and decade long incumbent Gerald Daugherty, squared off in their first debate; this video speaks for itself:



Highlights:

• Question #1: Affordability/Property Taxes.
• Daugherty: I'm not sure it's going to get better.
• Keep Spending under control (even though he supported the courthouse)
• Nassour: KNEW THE SIZE OF THE BUDGET
• Against Certificates of Obligation.
• Move civil cases to criminal courthouse that sits empty all afternoon.
• Sell county property within city limits and build big county facility FOR CASH in unincorporated area.

• Question #2: Eastside Courthouse.
• Daugherty: Downtown lawyers want the courthouse downtown
• Author's Note: YES, he actually SAID THAT!!!
• Author's Note II: Who cares what the downtown lawyers want?!?
• Certificates of Obligation "are necessary" if used "judiciously."
• Nassour: Great idea to build east.
• "I would not acquiesce" to downtown lawyers.
• "We have assets we can liquidate."

• Ronnie Earle Building: Daugherty tries to deny he made the motion to approve the funds.  Nassour calls BS.  Nassour points out he's posted the public record to his Facebook page:

Posted by Jason Nassour for Travis County Commissioner Precinct 3 on Thursday, January 28, 2016

• Courthouse: Daugherty tries to claim he's a hero for sending it to the voters in the first place.

• Question 3: County Jail and ICE.
• Nassour: ICE is fine there.
• "If they are unlawfully in this country" we need to detain them.
• Daugherty: Only supporter of Greg Hamilton on current court.

• T.J.: Why haven't we seen you at GOP events?!?
• Daugherty: Attacks TJ and gets defensive.
• Nassour: I was running my business up until a few months ago when I decided to run for office; pledges to attend as many local Republican events as possible in the event he's elected.
• Daughery uses the Bob Bennett excuse to prove his conservative bona fides.

• Our Question: SH 45.
• Daugherty: Ribbon cutting soon.
• Nassour: Gerald's done a good job with that one specific project, but we need a much bigger transportation expansion.
• Should have been an outside lawsuit sooner.

• Final question: Why you?!?
• Nassour: Energy, Drive, Passion
• Daugherty: Experience.

Workman FLIP-FLOPS; will now DEBATE Wiley

"So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth."
Revelation 3:16

[Author's Note: Readers can familiarize themselves with the relevant recent history here.]

Well, we suppose that's progress:

As the only Republican State Representative elected from Travis County, I am used to taking on the liberal Democrat machine. And just as I am proud to stand up to liberal Austin (*), I am proud to stand up and defend my conservative record. That’s why I have agreed to participate in at least two debates. The details will be finalized after the filing period closes and all candidates for this race have been announced.

According to the Latino Limbaugh, at least one of those debates will take place on an upcoming Trailer Park Show:

Gabriel Nila

21 hrs

James Ritter and I are proud to announce that we are in the process of having a Workman-Wiley debate on The Trailer Park Show! The Workman campaign has agreed in principle to have the debate moderated my Michael Lee, James, and myself. We will work out the final details with both Workman and Wiley on this.

LikeCommentShare

Bottom Line: Good for Workman for changing his mind (we suppose), but the fact that we had to pull teeth to get him to appear in the first place epitomizes Paul Workman's lukewarm representation over the past half-decade....

-----

* -- While we're on the subject of standing "up to liberal Austin," we'll simply point out that Jay Wiley was a vocal opponent of the recent Courthouse Bond while Paul Workman was conspicuously silent.

Big Cities provoke Conservative BACKLASH across Texas!!!

"There are many plans in a man’s heart,
Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand."
Proverbs 19:21

Yesterday, the Dallas City Council passed a bathroom ordinance similar to the one voters in Houston JUST shot down.  This adds Dallas to the list of urban governments that have recently made myopic decisions.  This will have long-term consequences that are not yet understood.

It's often noted that, while the rural and suburban areas are OVERWHELMINGLY red, urban areas in Texas lean towards blue.  Since 2013, however, local governments in Texas' cities have overreached in ways that undermine their long-term viability.  The issues vary, but they point in the same direction.

Consider the following:

• Austin -- In 2013, the school bond failed.  In 2014, the rail bond failed.  In 2015, the courthouse bond failed.
  
  Austin has been in a property tax REVOLT for the past two years.  That revolt has already killed the three bonds listed above and put Don Zimmerman and Ellen Troxclair on the Austin City Council.  Conservatives didn't create the climate, but it's easy to exploit.  Furthermore, the status quo crowd shows no sign of heeding this lesson.  Unless incumbent elected officials change course next year (which they won't), Austin's tax revolt will grow DRAMATICALLY in 2016.
  
  Property Taxes.  Property Taxes.  Property Taxes.  Property Taxes.  Property Taxes.  Property Taxes.  Property Taxes.

• Dallas -- Dallas had been lagging, but yesterday's city council vote is likely to produce the same backlash we saw in Houston.

• Houston -- The bathroom ordinance got the most press, but Houston's fiscal CRISIS deserves equal billing.  Houston now has more debt than Detroit.  Those issues combined to produce a conservative tsunami on election night that knocked out an alleged 'rising star' of the Texas Democrat party.
  
  Bill King, the conservative candidate likely to win Houston's mayoral runoff, has pledged to fix the pension situation.  Structural fiscal reforms will permanently reduce the footprint of municipal government.  That's terrible news for statists and their rent-seeking enablers.
  
  The soon-to-be third largest city in the U.S. is about to elect a Scott Walker-style reformer as mayor and radical homosexual activists have only themselves to blame.

• San Antonio -- During Julian Castro's final term, voters belatedly woke up.  In 2014, after Obama gave Castro a face-saving exit, the council elevated a Castro antagonist to Mayor.  In 2015, Ivy Taylor won a full term thanks to conservatives.
  
  Furthermore, turnout in the 2015 election was twice the 2013 total.
  
  Now the City of San Antonio is playing with fire over annexation; woe unto them if they're stupid enough to move forward.

Bottom Line: Across Texas, big city governments have provoked grassroots rebellions.  While the triggering issues vary, the underlying dynamics are identical.  This will have long term consequences no one has considered.

Eckhardt to voters: Drop Dead!!!

"He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck,
Will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."
Proverbs 29:1

[UPDATE: Austin Affordability has a fantastic write up here.]

In what has to be one of the all-time great acts of political chutzpah, last night Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardy (D) gave the following speech following the defeat of the Travis County Courthouse bond:



Highlights:

• "Back in saddle" in 48 hours.

• "Low voter turnout" wasn't "rejection of the project" or the location.
• Author's Note: YES, it was.

• "It was a lack of interest in our democracy."

• Yadda, yadda, "justice."

• BTW, we LOVE the fact that Michael King of the Austin Chronicle was standing immediately behind Eckhardt.

Bottom Line: The tax revolt that sprung up in Travis County a couple of years ago won't go away until our local elected officials address the underlying issues.

Texas Conservatives' SPECTACULARLY TERRIFIC night!!!

"if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away[a] his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."
Revelation 22:19

How are you supposed to describe going 5 for 5  on election night as anything other than a SPECTACULAR win?!?

Consider this round of local elections.

This website cared about five issues statewide: Annise Parker's bathroom ordinance, Bill King's performance in the Houston mayoral race, the Travis County Courthouse bond, the San Marcos fluoride ban, and Laura Fillault's performance in the Woodlands.  Speaking honestly, this website is SHOCKED we won five for five

That being said, Cahnman's Musings' going 5 for 5 should tell EVERYONE where voters stand.

No, seriously: 5 for 5.

What are you supposed to say about that except for the fact that you produced more votes than the pro-spending crowd for the third time in three years?!?

Bottom Line: When push came to shove, Travis County Repubilicans won.

LOL, the BEST campaign since BATTLEGROUND TEXAS!!!

"His own iniquities entrap the wicked man,
And he is caught in the cords of his sin."
Proverbs 5:22

Having already reduced themselves to childish name-calling, the pro-Travis County Courthouse PAC is back today with a couple more GEMS!

First, on their Facebook page, they compare themselves to Afghan women:

Pictured below are voters from Afghanistan (women only), India, Zambia, and Florida. What you have in common with all of...
Posted by New Courts for Families on Friday, October 30, 2015

Because a boondoggle for 1200 rich downtown lawyers is TOTALLY the same thing as women voting in Afghanistan (which, as a sidenote, is looking GREAT)....

But when you can't defend the $287 MILLION cost (closer to $600 million once you factor in interest and cost overruns), the lack of sufficient parking, or removing one of the last open lots downtown from the tax rolls...CLEARLY you need to use your LGBT high horse to launch an ad hominum:

New Courts For Families (Travis County) View this email in your browser

Don Zimmerman is at it again... Time to Shut Him Down. Hi friend,  Don Zimmerman compared gay marriage to pedophilia and now he is leading the charge to defeat the new Travis County courthouse. We have to vote to stop him! Don Zimmerman needs to go, and we can start by defeating him this week by voting for the courthouse. Early voting through Friday (October 30th), Election Day next Tuesday (November 3rd).  Your vote is critical. If Zimmerman wins it builds his effort to be re-elected.  VOTE FOR THE COURTHOUSE AND SEND A MESSAGE TO ZIMMERMAN -- HIS DAYS ARE NUMBERED! To read more about why we need the courthouse go to our website.  And click here for voting information.  Thanks! Sara Goodfriend & Rich Bailey Share Tweet Forward

Copyright © 2015 New Courts For Families, All rights reserved. Pol. Ad. Pd. for by Community and Family Courthouse PAC

Sarah Goodfriend is a homosexual activist who, earlier this year, used a probate court to usurp the marriage laws of the state of Texas.

Bottom Line: With election day not until next Tuesday, there's still time for a wheelchair ad!!!

Pro-Travis County Courthouse PAC is reduced to CHILDISH Name Calling

"There is desirable treasure,
And oil in the dwelling of the wise,
But a foolish man squanders it."
Proverbs 21:20

This is hilarious:

Bamboozle Alert The opponents to the New Courthouse have begun rolling out of the clown car. They are a dangerous mix of Austin Tea Party members,CM Don Zimmerman supporters, anddowntown developers. Each has their own agenda:  WHACKY: Councilman Zimmerman doesn't believe in government. So, regardless of the need, the age of the building, or the reasoned plan to replace it - he's suggested, on the record, it should be built out of WOOD.  NON-SENSICAL: The Austin Tea party is peddling the idea that if the Courthouse was moved, it would be cheaper. There's no evidence to suggest this, but when did the Tea Party ever concern itself with facts? When the facts don't match their narrative, they simply make it up. SHORT-SIGHTED: The Real Estate Council of Austin (RECA) has, at the last minute and behind closed doors, voted to oppose the Bond. A majority of their membership was unaware that the Board took a position. For a group dedicated to job creation and sensible development for the entire community, this seems to be an ill advised departure from their mission.

Read the whole thing here.

Bottom Line: Don't kid yourself, this vote is going to be incredibly close.  But this has GOT to be a good sign.  Get out and vote.

-----

Learn about everything on the ballot here.

Zimmerman proposes Travis County #VOTEBOMB this THURSDAY!!!

Council Member Zimmerman illustrating how his presence on Council has diluted red ink into pink.

"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins."
Mark 2:22

Scholz Garten -- At tonight's meeting of Texans for Accountable Government, Austin City Council member Don Zimmerman came up with an idea we wish he'd thought of two months ago.  Where Ron Paul's campaign created the concept of the "moneybomb," Zimmerman proposes a #VoteBomb where supporters of Uber and Lyft, opponents of the Travis County Courthouse proposal, and supporters of Property tax relief (State of Texas Prop 1) vote en masse on this Thursday.  It's VERY late in the game, and we don't expect much from this, but it's a shot worth taking:



Highlights:

• Right now, turnout in Travis County for the Texas Constitutional amendments and the Travis County Courthouse is about 1,500 votes.

• What would happen if just the Uber/Lyft supporters who showed up at last week's council meeting came out to vote on the same day?!?

• Bureaucrats are pushing Uber/Lyft restrictions the public doesn't want.

• A #VOTEBOMB would send more of a message than "10,000 emails [that] have had no effect."

Local Activist Trent Pool also discussed the Courthouse Bond:

Highlights:

• "Travis County voters have a chance to vote against the Travis County Prop.1 bond."

• The location was "set in mind" without a genuine discussion of location.

• Not enough parking.

• "Don's proposal to build it on the East Side makes a lot of sense."

• "No furniture included in the bond"...will cost another $50 million.

Bottom Line: We understand it's late in the game.  We understand saying "use your vote on an unrelated courthouse bond to express your position on Uber/Lyft" is a longer soundbite than most voters can handle.  That being said, if you're liberty minded and have yet to vote in the Texas' Fall 2015 election, THURSDAY would be a GREAT day to vote.

Real Estate Council of Austin Opposing Courthouse

"There is desirable treasure,
And oil in the dwelling of the wise,
But a foolish man squanders it."
Proverbs 21:20

MAJOR news from the Austin Business Journal:

The Real Estate Council of Austin aims to deal a fatal blow to the $287 million Travis County courthouse bond proposal that will go before voters next month.

The 1,750-member nonprofit trade organization issued a statement Thursday opposing the measure to build a new facility near Third and Guadalupe streets — a thriving area with the redevelopment of the former Seaholm Power Plant and the Green Water Treatment Plant along with other office and residential projects in the pipeline.

"The proposed courthouse is the right idea but in the wrong location," said RECA President Ward Tisdale in a written statement. "The proposed location is the last undeveloped and unrestricted block in downtown Austin, and this would not be the best use of the land."

Tisdale also cited the cost to taxpayers. He noted that the city is in the midst of an affordability crisis with rising housing costs, and that additional taxes to pay for the bonds would be an unnecessary burden to residents.

Tisdale said the Travis County Commissioners Court and staff should take a more thorough look at alternatives.

"There are other options available to the county that likely have the infrastructure and ample space for new courthouse facilities," Tisdale said. "They should, at the very least, look into those and report back to the community."

RECA's board of directors includes some of Austin's most influential real estate leaders — and some of those represented companies could have a big stake in what happens at that location. It's unknown if the resolution opposing the courthouse bonds was unanimously supported among RECA's leadership.

Read the whole thing here.

Bottom Line: The Real Estate Council of Austin is as insider of an organization as they come.  They even supported last year's rail bond.  For the Real Estate Council of Austin to engage in this type of CYA move means the Courthouse bond is even more unpopular than we'd thought.

2015 Texas Constitutional Amendments Conservative/Libertarian Guide

"Commit your works to the Lord,
And your thoughts will be established."
Proverbs 16:3

Early voting began today for seven state of Texas Constitutional Amendments and various local questions around the state, Cahnman's Musings endorses the following positions:

State of Texas Constitutional Amendments:

• Prop. 1 -- FOR -- While the 84th legislature didn't do much to reign in property taxes, it did do this.  Prop 1 would increase the homestead exemption for school district taxes from $15,000 to $25,000.  It's not much, but it does move in the right direction.

• Prop. 2 -- NEUTRAL -- Prop 2 illustrates the peril of trying to carve out favorable tax treatment for certain groups, even groups we like.  In 2011, the legislature created (and the voters passed) an exemption from property taxes for the surviving spouses of 100% disabled combat veterans.  Unfortunately, the 2011 amendment included language that limited that benefit to veterans who died after 2010.  Prop. 2 would remove the 'after 2010' proviso.
  
  On the one hand, this epitomizes what happens every time you try to get cute with the tax code; on the other hand, the 2011 exemption isn't going anywhere, so it makes sense to remove the arbitrary cut off date.
  
  Flip a coin.

• Prop. 3 -- FOR -- Prop 3 would remove the requirement that statewide officeholders (except the Governor) reside in Austin; in a world with modern information technology, we see no need to require statewide officials to reside in Austin.

• Prop. 4 -- AGAINST -- When in doubt, vote no; we can't put our finger on it, but something about this proposition STINKS.  Prop. 4 would allow "charitable foundations" of professional sports teams to conduct "charitable raffles" for the benefit of said foundations.  To be honest, this just wreaks of the type of insider based cronyism that runs rampant at the capitol, the fact that Charlie Geren is the primary author of the amendment doesn't increase our confidence.

• Prop. 5 -- FOR -- [UPDATED] Prop. 5 would allow small counties to maintain roads constructed with private funds if doing so makes sense locally.  Living in Austin, this website has no desire how to instruct local entities to maintain roads we'll never see. We can find no reason why letting local counties make this decision for themselves would be considered objectionable.
• Correction: This is what we originally wrote for Prop. 5.  Apparently, we got the intent of the amendment backwards.  We apologize, though either way we see it as a matter of local control.
  

• Prop. 6 -- FOR -- Prop. 6 would add another level of protection should anti-Second Amendment forces or hardcore environmentalists come after Texas.  In a sane world, the second amendment would be all the protection we need.  Of course, we don't live in a sane world.
  
  While we commend the 84th Texas legislature for taking this proactive action on the Second Amendment, we wish they'd extended similar courtesy on issues related to religious liberty and the First Amendment.

• Prop. 7 -- NEUTRAL -- Prop. 7 would take a portion of the motor vehicle sales tax and dedicate it to transportation funding.  Transportation funding in Texas can best be characterized as robbing Peter to pay Paul.  Prop 7 would rob John to pay Peter.
  
  The fundamental problem with transportation funding in Texas is that 25% of the gas tax is diverted to education.  Prop. 7 does NOTHING to fix that.  It just creates yet another "dedicated" account.
  
  And that's before we get into the waste and bloat at TxDOT that the legislature hasn't lifted a finger to change.
  
  On the other hand, we have legitimate transportation needs, and Prop. 7 might be the best we can do given political reality.
  
  Once again...flip a coin.

Noteworthy Local Issues:

• City of Houston Prop. 1 -- AGAINST -- This is Annise Parker's famous bathroom ordinance, which led to the subpoenaing of the Houston 5's sermons.  This thing was supposed to make it onto the ballot A YEAR AGO, but the Houston City Attorney lawlessly declared thousands of signatures invalid.  The Texas Supreme Court has rebuked Parker and the City of Houston on two separate occasions.  This thing has been lawless and tyrannical from the get-go.  The time has come to drive a stake through the heart of this abomination of public policy.

• City of Pflugerville Prop. 1 -- AGAINST -- We haven't had a ton of time to look into this one, but multiple sources we trust inform us that this plan to float $10 million to build an animal shelter is a corrupt boondoggle.

• TRAVIS COUNTY Prop. 1 -- AGAINST  -- And this is the Travis County Courthouse.  It doesn't take a genius to know where we stand on this one.  Travis County is claiming this thing will cost $287 MILLION, though somewhere between $400 and 600 MILLION is probably where the final price tag will end up once you factor in interest and cost overruns.  The current proposal doesn't have enough parking.  It adds more cars to the rush hour bottleneck.  Moving the location to East Austin would save between 25 and 50% of the cost.  Everyone can oppose this thing for their own reason, but Travis County has said the only way they will consider a better alternative is if the current proposal fails.

Bottom Line: The State of Texas constitutional amendments are relatively inoffensive, but we wouldn't trust anything any local government is doing in this type of low turnout election.  Early voting began today and runs through next Friday, election day proper is Tuesday, Nov. 3.  These low turnout elections are when your vote REALLY counts; get informed about what's on your personal LOCAL ballot and go vote!!!

Travis County and the "Overcrowded" Court House

"There is desirable treasure,
And oil in the dwelling of the wise,
But a foolish man squanders it.
Proverbs 21:20

Heman Sweatt Couthouse -- Earlier this morning, we thought there was going to be a hearing in Wallace Hall's case against McRaven.  We've subsequently learned the hearing was rescheduled for November 9th.  This did, however, give us a chance to walk around the current courthouse at 9am on a Monday morning.

A central claim pro-Courthouse advocates make is that:

UNSAFE FOR CHILDREN & FAMILIES

We need to put the rights and needs of victims of domestic violence and child abuse over their abusers. The layout of the current courthouse forces victims into close interaction with their abusers, and there is no space for children to give private testimony. We must invest in the protection of victims of domestic violence and child abuse!

GROWTH DEMANDS

Travis County is one of the fastest growing communities in the country, and the current courthouse does not meet our needs today, nor will it in the years to come. It is badly overcrowded, and the Family and Child Protective Services dockets are exploding. The time for discussion is over. We must act now.

Which begs the next question, just how crowded is the current Travis County Courthouse at 9am on a Monday morning?!?

5th floor:

3rd Floor:

2nd floor:

\
But at least they've got a polling station on the first floor:

Bottom Line: That's quite the "overcrowded" courthouse to have this much empty space at one of the busiest times of the week.

Travis County Republicans UNANIMOUSLY Reject Courthouse Bond

"There is desirable treasure,
And oil in the dwelling of the wise,
But a foolish man squanders it."
Proverbs 21:20

Andy at Travis Tracker has the scoop:

The Travis County Republican Party voted unanimously to oppose a new civil courthouse bond Wednesday evening (Oct. 14), citing tax concerns and access as their reasons to be firmly against.

The county party received immediate media attention when it joinedTravis County Taxpayers Union as the primary forces dedicated to stopping the $287 bond proposal dead in its tracks. The gauntlet has been thrown.

We include the full text of the resolution -- including a related resolution opposing an opulent dog shelter bond proposal in Pflugerville, below (even the Mayor thinks its extravagant, at nearly $1,000 per animal).

Read the whole thing here.

Travis County Taxpayers Union hosts Courthouse Bond Press Conference

"There is desirable treasure,
And oil in the dwelling of the wise,
But a foolish man squanders it."
Proverbs 21:20

Austin City Hall -- The Travis County Taxpayers Union held a press conference this morning to discuss a better alternative to the current proposed playground for 1200 rich downtown lawyers:



Highlights:

• Travis County never seriously considered other alternatives.

• The only way to produce an alternative is to defeat this bond.

• "Bonds equal taxes, bonds equal rent increases."

• Travis County lying about the size of the tax increase.
• County figures doesn't included NON-VOTER APPROVED debt county used to "purchase" current proposed site.

• Building on the East Side would cost 25-50% less.
• Surface parking vs underground parking alone.

• East side location more accessible to county's poorest residents than downtown.

• East Austin has been promised various public facilities for five decades, it's time to deliver.

TCTU press release:

2015-10-13 TCTU