Palmer Events Center
Supporting Prop. 2
RECEIVED Tue., April 25, 2006
Dear Editor,
I swim in Barton Springs and I've noticed that in the afternoon there's a ton of algae floating in the water. I believe the algae is due in no small part to "grandfathering," where developers demand – and the city of Austin gives – exemptions from the Save Our Springs Ordinance. Some developers don't want to comply with the law passed by Austin voters 14 years ago. We told them the "rules of the game," and yet 14 years later, they want special treatment to allow them to maximize profit at the expense of our springs.
When the city approved Advanced Micro Devices' plans for a major office complex over the watershed – without a single City Council public hearing or vote – I knew I had to start doing something again. The AMD plan doesn't come close to meeting SOS pollution removal standards. AMD falsely says they're complying with the SOS ordinance, and no one on council even stood up to publicly oppose the move.
So I'm supporting Prop. 2, the Save Our Springs charter amendment, so the city will stop giving exemptions to our water quality laws when they don't have to and will at least hold a public hearing on developers' "grandfathering" requests – a big change from the current "behind-closed-doors" approval "process."
And companies (and their spin-offs) that move major employment centers to the fragile Barton Springs Watershed don't get city subsidies – our tax dollars – if we approve Prop 2. AMD's spin-off Spansion has already requested hundreds of millions of tax dollars in subsidies from the Del Valle Independent School District and will probably come to City Council as well.
Prop. 2 gives voters the opportunity to speak clearly to both council and developers that we care deeply about Barton Springs, and they should respect our vision for Austin.
I swim in Barton Springs and I've noticed that in the afternoon there's a ton of algae floating in the water. I believe the algae is due in no small part to "grandfathering," where developers demand – and the city of Austin gives – exemptions from the Save Our Springs Ordinance. Some developers don't want to comply with the law passed by Austin voters 14 years ago. We told them the "rules of the game," and yet 14 years later, they want special treatment to allow them to maximize profit at the expense of our springs.
When the city approved Advanced Micro Devices' plans for a major office complex over the watershed – without a single City Council public hearing or vote – I knew I had to start doing something again. The AMD plan doesn't come close to meeting SOS pollution removal standards. AMD falsely says they're complying with the SOS ordinance, and no one on council even stood up to publicly oppose the move.
So I'm supporting Prop. 2, the Save Our Springs charter amendment, so the city will stop giving exemptions to our water quality laws when they don't have to and will at least hold a public hearing on developers' "grandfathering" requests – a big change from the current "behind-closed-doors" approval "process."
And companies (and their spin-offs) that move major employment centers to the fragile Barton Springs Watershed don't get city subsidies – our tax dollars – if we approve Prop 2. AMD's spin-off Spansion has already requested hundreds of millions of tax dollars in subsidies from the Del Valle Independent School District and will probably come to City Council as well.
Prop. 2 gives voters the opportunity to speak clearly to both council and developers that we care deeply about Barton Springs, and they should respect our vision for Austin.
Ray Goodrich