Travis County Judge Shuts Down City Charter Election; Barton Springs Pool Closed for Repairs

On Thursday,  Travis County District Court Judge Maya Guerra Gamble ordered Mayor Watson and the Austin City Council to stop a November election on 13 proposed amendments to the Austin City Charter.  In granting Save  Our Springs Alliance request for a temporary injunction, Judge Guerra Gamble stated that the City Council's violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act in the course of calling the charter amendment elections were blatant and intentional.  Yesterday the City put out a press statement that they would not appeal the decision.  They will likely reschedule a charter amendment election for May or November of 2025.  

This was a huge win for open, transparent government and the rule of law.  We thank everyone who supported this effort.  We especially thank our lead attorney in this case, former Travis County Commissioners Court Judge Bill Aleshire and key consulting attorney, former SOS Board member Fred Lewis.  Read the Austin American Statesman story here .  And the Austin Free Press here for more on this case and the City Council's pattern of violating Texas' landmark open government law. 
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Meanwhile, Barton Springs pool is closed, hopefully only for a few days.  Pool staff report that an old, unused drain pipe under the pool collapsed.  They estimate a few days is needed to fill in, or stabilize, the pool bottom.  It's terrible timing with the holiday weekend upon us.  A much bigger problem:  Barton Springs flows are now at 22 cubic feet per second, less than half of long time average flows.  Our water supply Highland Lakes are at 55% of storage capacity.  With climate change, our reliable water supplies are substantially reduced.  Yet our major water utilities -- Austin Water and LCRA -- and most of our smaller water suppliers, are spending billions to expand our water and wastewater facilities when we should be investing in the opposite path: conservation, efficiency, and reuse.  ​

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