Mayor Steve Adler isn’t letting the year end without polishing his annual apples. In a press release Wednesday, he listed some 45 “accomplishments for 2016,” under the five categories. We won’t list them all, but here are a few selections. Your call on the merits. The whole list is available on the mayor’s blog, www.mayoradler.com.
Year of Mobility
• Crafted $720 million Smart Corridor mobility bond package that will decrease congestion on major arteries and increase safety
• Voted on CAMPO to prioritize overpasses on Loop 360, drawing down $204 million from Texas Transportation Commission to add to $46 million passed in mobility bond
• Despite departure of incumbent ridesharing companies, Austin gained multiple transportation network companies operating at scale with a real choice for fingerprinted drivers
Affordability
• Reached settlement in Austin Energy rate case, saving ratepayers $42.5 million
• 2% increase in homestead exemption to 8%, saving owners of a median home $22.95 a year
• Cut tax rate for second year in a row
Public Safety
• Voted for Sobriety Center
• Voted to fund police body cameras
• Voted to fund work that will address the rape kit backlog
Reform & Progress
• Passed Secret Money Ordinance, increasing accountability and transparency in Austin elections
• Continued C40/Climate Progress
Spirit of East Austin
• Created Task Force on Institutional Racism & Systemic Inequities
Sustainability
• Reached settlement in Austin Energy rate case, financing the shuttering the coal-fired Fayette power plant in 2022
• Represented Austin at C40 Cities Summit on Climate in Mexico City
This article appears in December 23 • 2016.
