Initiative Petitions

 No CodeNEXT Election in May

Four weeks after saying petitions would be
filed by mid-January, IndyAustin is punting

by Ken Martin
© The Austin Bulldog 2018
Posted Thursday January 18, 2018 7:33pm
Corrected January 18, 2018 9:31pm to remove
Robin Rather's name from list of sponsors per her request

Though still fired up about forcing an election that would give voters a loud voice in whether—or when—a major revision of Austin’s land development law could go into effect, petitioners are backing off the statement made December 21 that petitions would be filed with the City Clerk by mid-January to force a May 5 election.

IndyAustin petition organizer Linda Curtis said in an email today that the decision has been made to instead shoot for a November election.

Curtis provided three reasons for shifting the election to November:

First, the group wants to avoid costing the City an estimated $800,000 to have a May election when nothing else would be on the ballot and the City would have to bear the entire financial burden.

Second, Curtis said, there will be a far larger turnout for a November general election. That’s when U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, all U.S. representatives, Governor Greg Abbott, and many other elected officials will be on the ballot—including Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Council Members Ora Houston, Sabino “Pio” Renteria, Ann Kitchen, Ellen Troxclair, and Kathie Tovo, all of whom are up for reelection.

 Push for CodeNEXT Election May 5

Petitioners aim to file with City Clerk
by mid-January to trigger public vote

by Ken Martin
© The Austin Bulldog 2017
Posted 12:05pm Tuesday December 26, 2017
Corrected 11:15am Wednesday December 27, 2017 (to attribute statement to Michael Lavigne that was misattrubted to Chris Allen)

The Austin Bulldog reported IndyAustin’s launch of three petition drives September 12. Now organizers say they’re on track to file petitions with the Austin City Clerk in a few weeks to force an election on one of them: CodeNEXT, a complete overhaul of Austin’s Land Development Code that’s costing the City about $8.5 million.

The other two petitions, to restore the power of referendum and provide a new billboard ordinance, will be timed for the November 2018 election.

If the petition is successful in bringing about an election and voters approve its language, it would require both a waiting period and voter approval before CodeNEXT or any subsequent comprehensive revisions of the City’s land development laws become legally effective.

“This waiting period is to ensure voters can learn about the proposed comprehensive revisions and elect council members with sufficient time to amend or reject the prior council’s adopted comprehensive revisions before these laws go into effect,” the petition states.

Would require unprecedented level of public acceptance

 CodeNEXT Opposition Organizing in Earnest

Neighborhood activists launching efforts to
drum up support and raise campaign funds

By Ken Martin
© The Austin Bulldog 2017
Posted Tuesday October 10, 2017 7:13am

Central city residents are up in arms over perceptions that the work in progress called CodeNEXT, a complete overhaul of the City of Austin’s Land Development Code, will wreak havoc on their neighborhoods and way of life.

The Austin Bulldog previously reported on the three petition drives launched by IndyAustin, one of which if approved by voters would slow down CodeNEXT and put the matter to a public vote before it could be implemented.

The first get-together to rally support against CodeNEXT was held October 3 at the home of Charlotte Herzele, where several speakers addressed what they said are shortcomings in the plan that will have an undesirable impact on how the city is redeveloped.

Carmen Llanes Pulido, executive director of Go Austin/Vamos Austin and the host’s daughter, said CodeNEXT is based on the false premise that, “If we open the doors of development it will take care of the problems of East Austin, but I don’t believe the growth machine is so easily satiated.”

She said that density is not bringing affordability to East Austin and policy changes are needed to provide truly affordable housing.

“If we cannot ameliorate the effects of rapid growth we should not accelerate growth,” said Pulido, who was a member of the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission that drew the boundaries of the 10 geographic City Council districts implemented in the 2014 elections.

Former council member opposed

 IndyAustin Pushing Three Petitions

Grassroots group organizing to get
measures on the May 5, 2018 ballot

by Ken Martin
© The Austin Bulldog 2017
Posted Tuesday September 12, 2017 9:21am

Activists calling themselves IndyAustin formed a specific-purpose political action committee last month and they’re pushing to get 20,000 signatures on not one, not two, but three separate petitions.

They want to get several measures on the ballot that if approved by voters would bring about what they say are badly needed reforms.

Their overarching mission is to reinvigorate grassroots democracy and provide a mechanism to allow citizens of Austin to vote on matters of major importance.

Specifically they want to give voters the opportunity to:

• Approve sweeping revisions to the Land Development Code known as CodeNEXT—which may have far-reaching effects on private property rights throughout the city.

• Update the power of referendum bestowed by the Austin City Charter so that citizens once again have the ability to reverse City Council approval of ill-advised ordinances.

• Approve a new ordinance concerning regulation of billboards.

Push to head off boondoggles