| Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell told members of the Transit Working Group on May 10 that the urban rail plan could be completed in early 2014 and potentially put before voters in a 2014 election. “We talked about setting a tentative wrap-up date of mid-February, which would enable the City of Austin, if it chooses to do so, to put this on the ballot in May election,” he said. “It's not necessarily my preference. ... November is the other option, and I know that gives us a lot more flexibility. I think it would be good to set that target and timetable to achieve that target.”
Leffingwell spoke with Kyle Keahey, urban rail lead for Project Connect, before he was hired about the possibility of meeting that timeframe. The TWG is a group formed by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization to evaluate and provide input on regional transportation plans. The TWG has been meeting over the past two years to lay out the framework of the Project Connect regional transportation plan, which includes urban, and commuter rail as well as the MetroRapid express bus system that Capital Metro is rolling out in 2014. Keahey said the next step in the urban rail plan is to look at a range of alternatives for rail alignment and to explain where it would be more expensive to put rail and where ridership would improve. |
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| With the start of the City of Austin's 2014 budget season, city officials are looking to engage the public about what programs and services residents find to be a priority.
“The one thing you need to understand about the city's budget is that it's large and it's complex,” Deputy Budget Officer Ed Van Eenoo said. “We're a big city, we have over 30 operating departments, we have a budget of about $3.1 billion and we understand that that's very difficult for the general members of the public to approach because it is so large.” |
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| Market Value change is not the same for all areas.
According to the Austin Board of Realtors, the median sold price for single family homes in the Austin area rose 9.1% in March 2013 compared to March 2012. The increase in the median price indicates competition is increasing among buyers as the inventory of homes continues to shrink. Although an overall increase was seen throughout the Austin region, changes in value vary significantly from one MLS area to the next. For example, area 1B (in Travis County) saw a 25.1% increase in March compared to the previous year, and nearby area 9 saw a decrease of 1.1%. Also, there are many other factors that contribute to the market value of each individual home besides the market changes in your home’s area. Use the information below as a guide to determine whether your tax appraisal is a fair assessment.
Why is tax-assessed value different than market value?
The tax-assessed value is what your county believes your home or condo is worth. The county attempts to set their values at market value. However, they do not evaluate comparables, nor do they perform an individual market analysis on every home. The county simply values your home according to the area, not the house, meaning the value may be too high or too low, depending on the size, location, amenities and condition of the specific home. |
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1. Cirrus Logic, Inc.
2. St. David's HealthCare
3. Whole Foods Market
4. Starwood Hotels & Resorts
5. Accenture
6. The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies
7. Bazaarvoice
8. eBay Inc./ PayPal
9. Teacher Retirement System of Texas
10. Austin Radiological Association |
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| When you want to purchase a home with an FHA guaranteed home loan, the property you want to buy must be appraised to determine its eligibility for the loan.
A home that does not meet FHA minimum property requirements may not necessarily be ruled out for an FHA loan–an appraiser may note certain corrections that should be made to bring the home up to standard. In such cases, the loan may be approved contingent on those corrections being made. But can the expense of those corrections, when not paid by the seller, be included in the FHA loan amount?
FHA loan rules provide for this, stating under what circumstances repair or improvement costs can indeed be added to the loan. According to HUD 4155.1 Chapter Two, “Repairs and improvements may be added to the sales price before calculating the mortgage amount when the repairs and improvements are
• required by the appraiser as essential for property eligibility, and
• paid by the borrower, and
• sales contract or addendum identifies the borrower as responsible for payment, and completion of the repairs.” |
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| Gear up for the 19th Annual ROT Motorcycle Parade and Downtown Party held on Friday, June 14th, 2013! In 2006, the Guinness Book of World Records certified the ROT Parade as the "Longest Parade of Motorcycles Known to Mankind." The 11-mile Parade is escorted by Austin Police Department and stages at 7:00 PM and leaves promptly at 7:30 PM from the Rally grounds.
The Parade ends at the capitol building on Congress Avenue where thousands of spectators await your arrival for the ROT Congress Party. Thanks to the APD, the entire trip only takes 30 minutes. They efficiently close off side streets and control intersections, ensuring a safe and speedy trip to the downtown biker party. The 2013 ROT Parade is going to be bigger and better then ever - so saddle up and come ride in the Worlds Longest Biker Parade! |
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| Gayle Reaume calls herself a reluctant entrepreneur. Eight years ago, she started the Money Academy because she wanted her then-9-year-old daughter to get some hands-on, real-life experience with money. From one camp in 2006, the Money Academy offered 15 camps in Austin last summer as well as in-school clubs. This summer, 20 camps will be offered. The Money Academy has re-envisioned itself as Moolah U and started franchises that will spread out from Central Texas to San Antonio and Houston and beyond.
Today, in our second week of our Camp Guide, we look at the success of Moolah U and at a new, growing camp, Sherwood Forest Camp, which transports kids back in time to 1192 and the forests where Robin Hood and his Merry Men ran wild. Last week, we took you to Chef Camp at Faraday’s Kitchen Store and Phoenix Arising Aviation Academy, as well as gave tips on how to pick the perfect camp.
Moolah U teaches children the value of saving to invest and how to start their own business. We featured the camp in its early years in the Camp Guide. Full disclosure: both of my children have attended the camp.
At each weeklong camp, which is held at locations such as BookPeople, Gatti Town and Brick Oven, students learn about ways to grow money, hear from experts and then start their own business. A week of camp costs $275 to $325 depending on if it includes lunch at a restaurant location.
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| That's the word handed down Thursday from the Climate Prediction Center when it released its official 2013 Summer Forecast. The forecast, while disappointing, was not unexpected. It follows the pattern established over the past five years which all were in the top six hottest summers on record dating back to 1885.
And who can forget what happened two summers ago? If you're new to the area, or have a short memory, take a look back to the summer of 2011:
• It was the hottest summer on record. That means the hottest July on record, the hottest August on record and tied for the hottest September on record.
• The highest temperature that August was 112. The average high that month was 105.
• There were 90 days when the temperature topped 100, and 27 of those days were in a row.
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Complete and submit your Buyer’s Representation Agreement to ensure that you will receive your rebate.
