Nearly three months after most Austin City Council members first took their spots at the dais, the new 11-member council is reviewing how the city might be affected by bills proposed during this year's state legislative session.
By the March 13 deadline to file bills at the Texas Legislature, more than 6,000 bills had been filed, said Karen Kennard, interim governmental affairs officer and former city attorney, during the March 24 Austin City Council work session. Kennard presented priorities set by the previous council for this legislative session during the informal council meeting.
Governmental affairs city staffers and hired lobbyists help watch those priorities during the legislative session. Those priorities include any bills that might address financial changes, tax cuts, education entities, immigration policies, border security, transportation funding and gun control, Kennard said.
District 4 Councilman Greg Casar said he has sponsored two city resolutions that would support separate legislative bills that would reduce the cost for truckers to travel on Toll 130—and, in the process, ideally reduce traffic congestion on I-35.
Former Austin mayor Sen. Kirk Watson filed SB 270, which has an identical companion in the Texas House, directing the state to develop a program that would discount toll rates for vehicles with three or more axles while using Toll 130 in far East Austin. The bills in the House and Senate have not yet made it out of committee.
Casar's resolution seeks Austin City Council's endorsement for approving the bill. Large trucks make up 23 percent of vehicles traveling on I-35, according to language in the proposed resolution, and previous programs that have reduced tolls for larger vehicles on Toll 130 have increased their use of the toll road by 45 percent. The data suggests that past attempts to reduce tolls resulted in 1,000 large trucks per day redirecting from I-35 to Toll 130, according to the resolution.
The March 26 agenda has 51 items for consideration, 38 of which are on the consent agenda.
Consent agenda highlights:
- Austin Fire Department seeks approval to restructure its department by removing a battalion chief position from the wildfire department. The move caused concern from District 2 Councilwoman Delia Garza, a former firefighter who said she believes battalion chiefs are an important resource for the firefighters. She also said potential wildfires should be a top concern for AFD.
- Vacate and name a currently unnamed piece of land that is adjacent to 900 South First Street to First Street Highlands
- Extend a temporary ordinance that limits late-night concrete pours in downtown Austin.
