Burnt Orange Report

Austin City Charter Propositions

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Save Our Springs Alliance is collecting signatures on petitions for calling an election on two propositions. Pay is 75 cents per valid signature of a City of Austin registered voter. (Voter signs both petitions and you make $1.50). Work any hours, any place. Door to door or tabling.

For information call Glen Maxey 443-2004 (o) 656-6337 (cell) OR Nate Walker (680-8438). Petitions can be picked up and information at: Glen Maxey Consulting, 512 E Riverside Ste 203, Austin TX 78704 Call 443-2004 to make sure someone is at the office. Usually here 1 pm to 6 pm / Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Information email: Glen at RepGMaxey-AT-aol.com

The ballot propositions are listed in the extended entry. One is a Save Our Spring Charter Amendment to close loopholes being used to get around the landmark SOS ordinance when it was first passed. The other is an Open Government Online measure.

Grits has some thoughts on the Online measure, which would force open some APD police records.

UPDATE: The official charter campaign website is here.

Summary of “Save Our Springs” Charter Amendment

General Purpose: Upon approval by the voters of the City of Austin, the Amendment would make it the official policy of the City of Austin to protect the quality and quantity of water flows in the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer and to take actions in support of this policy, as summarized below:

Key Elements:

Recognizes Scientific Consensus -- In 1997 more than 35 Central Texas scientists, environmental engineers, and urban planners wrote and endorsed a policy paper entitled “Protecting the Edwards Aquifer: A Scientific Consensus.” The Charter Amendment would require the City to follow the key recommendations of this scientific consensus.

Directs Development Downstream – Requires the city to direct development to the east and downstream of the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer in its development of roads, water and sewer investments, economic development efforts, etc.

Limits Development Subsidies – Prohibits the City from offering tax abatements or other economic development subsidies to companies or their close affiliates that seek to build in the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer, and requires those companies receiving economic development subsidies to refrain from future development in the watershed.

Minimizes Grandfathering -- The City’s overly lax reading of state law has allowed massive amounts of development in the Barton Springs watershed as “grandfathered” from the 1992, Austin voter-approved Save Our Springs ordinance. The charter amendment would require the City to narrowly define “grandfathered development” under state and federal law.

Summary of “Open Government Online” Charter Amendment

General Purpose: The Amendment would open Austin City Government to public scrutiny by requiring most of City business to be carried out online, in real time, and with full right of public access and public input. Current internet technology makes it possible for local governments to carry out most of their business online, including permitting, contracting, project and policy development and management, broadcast of council and board and commission meetings, disclosure of meetings and correspondence with lobbyists, etc. And just like with businesses, doing so reduces costs and increases competition in the market place of ideas, so that better decisions are made. By opening city government to public scrutiny and to the ideas, information and participation of everyone who cares about Austin, we can make a better future for Austin and establish Austin as a leader in open, online and participatory democracy.

Key Elements:

Require Open, Online Government for Efficiency –Using internet technology to manage permitting, contracting, and public information disclosure, the City can save time and money. Rather than spend staff time responding to public information requests, most City information would be automatically disclosed requiring no time at all. Most of this information is in electronic format already – its just not accessible to the public.

Require Open, Online Government for Accountability—It’s long been recognized that shining light on government is the best disinfectant against waste, abuse, and malfeasance. By forcing City Government to be accessible online and in real time, we can assure far greater accountability of both elected officials and city management.

Require Open, Online Government for Participatory Democracy – Austin is best when it invites, considers, and responds to the questions, information and opinions of everyone who cares about our city. The Open Government Online Amendment would allow interested citizens into the city decision making process by requiring that development permitting and project and policy development be done through webpages that automatically post comments of interested citizens within the same process of considering proposals and applications by developers, contract bidders, and other commercial interests. Also, by requiring full public disclosure of how and with whom elected officials and top management spend their time, the Amendment would create a powerful incentive for balancing lobbyist access with citizen access.

Require Open, Online Government for Equal Access and Fairness – Too much of city decision making is cloaked in shadows and springs forth whole, the decision already made well before interested citizens even know there’s an issue. The recent $30 million tax abatement giveaway for Samsung (a company that admitted to felony price-fixing charges and a $300 million fine) is a perfect example. By forcing disclosure of virtually all correspondence with commercial interests – and specifically requiring all corporate welfare packages be negotiated in public – the Open Government Online Amendment will make Austin city government much more fair to the average interested citizen.