This article gave me chills, in the sense of explaining some of the disconnect I have noticed—in myself and definitely in others—as the pandemic washes over us all.
Almost 90,000 dead and no hint of national mourning. Are these deaths not ‘ours’? 5/15/20 https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/national-mourning-coronavirus/2020/05/15/b47fc670-9577-11ea-82b4-c8db161ff6e5_story.html
As always, my Covid-19 page has links to articles added daily, on all aspects of the pandemic.
In Texas
Last week, the state attorney general attacked local officials for promoting social distancing and wearing masks, despite their orders scrupulously following the governor’s ludicrous mandate of no penalties allowed. As Travis County and Austin officials noted, sickness and death in the community is penalty enough to encourage reasonable people to avoid reckless behavior and instead take precautions. AG Paxton also appealed a court order that allowed those vulnerable to infection by COVID-19 to vote by mail. So, pending a decision by the Texas Supreme Court, people will have to decide if voting is worth the risk. The next election is a primary run-off in July, but the big issue will arise with the presidential election in November.
Here in Lakeway….
Suddenly, the fact that the lion’s share of city revenue comes from property tax, as opposed to sales tax, is a huge boon, instead of the problem certain pro-development officials tried to make it in the past. Budget projections at the last Council meeting were quite rosy. The city will benefit from stable revenue, compared to places like Bee Cave which live off of sales tax and will suffer major revenue losses. Maybe Lakeway officials will remember this lesson and not rush to approve more and more retail, office and restaurant space we do not need and cannot support.
Also, going back to the Charter Review Committee’s presentation at the May 4 Council meeting (discussed in detail in last week’s blog)…. Chair DeOme seemed vexed that certain council members questioned the committee’s decisions. Personally, I was surprised the term “decisions” was used, as opposed to “recommendations.” The committee has no power to decide anything and is purely advisory; its mandate was to review the Charter and suggest changes to Council. As for the most important issues raised (all involving election rules), my take is we fix the fact our charter currently violates the Texas constitution, by reverting to 2 year terms in at-large elections. The alternative of changing to 3 year terms (as the committee “decided” we should do) requires adopting a meaningless and easily gamed place system that would make Lakeway’s elections even more fraught than they already are. Plus, that requires changing from plurality results to majority required, with the distinct possibility of an expensive run-off election each time. Those evils far outweigh the small benefit of stability that comes with 3 year terms.
Also, as to timing, Lakeway should switch to November for local elections, in order to encourage voter turnout and end the old guard’s control of the results. (The city attorney confirmed this would be a SEPARATE ballot issue, so there is no worry it would confuse voters on the primary goal of bringing our charter into compliance with the Texas constitution.) As a bonus, the city would save money by holding just 1 election each year, instead of 2. Plus, with terms starting in November, new council members would have 7 months to acclimate before facing budget season, as opposed to 1 month for anyone elected in May. And, anyone who thinks Lakeway’s elections are not ALREADY tainted by partisan politics isn’t paying attention.
Finally, the charter should be amended on a couple items relating to committee appointments. First, having been sanctioned for an ethics violation should disqualify someone from serving on a committee; even volunteers should be held to that minimal standard. Second, committee appointments seem to be handed out as thank yous for campaign contributions; that needs to stop.
Council meets Monday night, May 18. If you want to comment, you must arrange it beforehand, per the instructions at the top of the agenda. Go here for the agenda and meeting packet—https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/archive.aspx
Go here to watch online, live or after the fact—https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/1062/Videos—Meetings-Events
Back to me….
My build-a-bookcase project is DONE!
This week, I will work on spring cleaning and hope to start another painting project.
Today is Peanut’s 4th anniversary of joining the family. Catnip was enjoyed by all….
Perspective is key, and it helps to see what changed in the last week.
A week ago (May 10), there were 4,180,137 confirmed cases and 283,852 deaths. As of today, there are 4,798,135 confirmed cases and 316,507 deaths.
In the US, a week ago there were 1,367,638 confirmed cases and 80,787 deaths. Today, there are 1,526,816 confirmed cases and 90,973 deaths.
In Texas, a week ago there were 38,869 confirmed cases and 1,088 deaths. Today, there are 47,784 confirmed cases and 1,336 deaths. Note that on Saturday, Texas had more new cases than ever reported (1,801). And, on Thursday and Friday, the daily death counts were the highest ever (58 and 56).
In Travis County, a week ago there were 2,127 confirmed cases and 60 deaths. Today, there are 2,459 confirmed cases and 77 deaths.
A week ago, we had 33 confirmed cases in Lakeway’s zip codes of 78734 and 78738. Today, we have 38 confirmed cases.
Things I wonder about:
–By how many years (decades?) will the 620 widening project through Lakeway be delayed?
–Instead of the much-publicized Thunderbird flyover, wouldn’t donating the funds spent on that stunt (perhaps toward PPE, medical costs of personnel who caught COVID-19, and scholarships for kids of personnel who died from it) have been a far more useful homage to medical workers?
–If it is so safe to open up businesses and restaurants (even gyms and pools in Texas as of May 18) and with people officially encouraged to be out and about now, why are all government buildings still closed tight, with officials attending meetings safely from home?