Tightening the Purse Strings
Dear Editor,
Austin City Council’s January 22 vote on office spending made one thing clear: Ryan Alter still hasn’t learned the lessons from his office spending problems in 2025 [“Council Tightens Rules on Office Budget Spending,” News, Jan. 30].
At a moment when public trust is fragile, Alter voted to block a common-sense cap on how much unused Council office money can roll over year to year – even as the mayor and multiple colleagues warned that accountability and fiscal discipline were at stake. The proposed $50,000 limit would have aligned Austin with standard practices in other cities and returned excess funds to the General Fund. Instead, Alter sided with keeping looser rules for Council offices, despite voters having already sent a clear warning about spending and trust when they rejected Proposition Q.
That vote comes just months after Alter was at the center of public scrutiny over how Council office funds were being used. Reporting revealed taxpayer dollars spent on a $2,500 lifetime membership in the Texas Bar Foundation, sponsorships and event tables for advocacy groups, and other discretionary expenses that raised questions about what truly counts as a public purpose. While some expenditures were later reimbursed or refunded, the broader issue was judgment – and Alter himself acknowledged that perceptions mattered and that tighter policies were needed going forward.
This isn’t about whether Council members can support parks or community needs in their districts. It’s about learning from mistakes, setting clear guardrails, and respecting the reality that a few hundred or a few thousand dollars is not trivial to the people paying the bills. Leadership means responding to voters’ concerns with stronger rules, not weaker ones. On this vote, Ryan Alter showed that when given the chance to restore confidence, he chose not to.
David Weinberg
Blurred Lines
Dear Editor,
On the campaign trail, Brigid Shea has been taking credit for expanding access to justice through counsel at first appearance. That claim leaves out important context.
Travis County did not voluntarily create a system guaranteeing counsel at first appearance. That reform came only after the ACLU sued the county for failing to provide attorneys at a critical stage of the criminal process. For years, people appeared before magistrates for bail decisions without legal representation. The current system exists because litigation forced compliance with constitutional requirements, not because county leadership chose to lead.
That same blurring of timelines and authorship shows up in how the public defender office is discussed. None of this diminishes the importance of expanding legal representation.
But make no mistake: Important time, money, and other resources had to be directed toward Shea and other commissioners to force these changes. Travis County deserves a county Commissioners Court that does right by its residents the first time around. It deserves a Court with commissioners who understand the vital urgency of real reform of our criminal legal system. At a time when our rights are being stripped away by our national and state governments, we can’t afford commissioners who think there’s time to waste when expanding access to justice at the local level.
Amy Kamp
Finger on the Pulse
Dear Editor,
I appreciate the hard work of your reporters and have read some good articles by Brant Bingamon, but lately he has come up short by not adequately representing the community. In his coverage of Proposition Q leading up to the election, he assumed that it would pass, and that only a relatively small number of people on the right opposed it. There was considerable opposition throughout the community, and other news outlets covered it much better than the Chronicle.
Similarly, with his coverage of the caps over I-35 [“I-35’s Cap and Stitch Is Getting Messy,” News, Jan. 30], he is not adequately covering the opposition in the community. He makes a sweeping statement at the beginning of the article that social justice advocates and the business community support the caps. The link with that statement goes to the Downtown Austin Alliance; no social justice group is referenced. Many advocates in the community oppose the caps; Susana Almanza of PODER has spoken publicly against them. Mr. Bingamon spoke to one community member who supports the caps, Ms. Walker, but did not speak to any community members who oppose them. He needs to get out in the community and get a pulse on what is happening among community members. It is not enough for him to interview the City Council members and only supporters of a particular policy.
Susan Pantell
Sluggish Staples
Dear Editor,
The first two things when I pick up a new Chronicle are to: 1) remove the staples, and 2) check the slugline (or whatever you call it) on the cover. Maybe my print copy of the January 30, 2026 (Vol. 45, No. 22) edition is a misprint, but mine does not have a slugline. Bummer. Hope this is not a permanent change, as I find them usually punny and clever.
On the positive side, thanks for reducing the staples to just one instead of two. Saves me time, and hopefully you save a little expense.
As always, thanks for all y’all do. We need you more than ever these days.
Fondly…Tex
Pretty Foolish
Dear Editor,
In your excellent story “I-35’s Cap and Stitch Is Getting Messy,” you cited UT Professor Emeritus Sinclair Black as an early proponent and supporter of the project. You did not mention that Black has since changed his tune.
Interviewed and broadcast by FOX-7 on September 30, 2024, at the unveiling of the project’s design, Black stated, “I think it’s the biggest disaster Austin has ever faced. It’s a terribly expensive mistake. It doesn’t deal with climate change, the tax base, equity, environment, anything. It just doesn’t do it.”
The “terrible” expense he mentions is not only the over $1 billion for construction, 30% more than the entire slate of essential projects referred for a 2026 bond election, but also the annual $48 million for perpetual maintenance, over one-quarter of the entire Parks and Recreation budget.
Pretty is one thing. Pretty foolish is another. Sinclair saw the difference.
Laura Templeton
This article appears in February 6 • 2026.