A conservative lawmaker wants to dissolve the state’s capital city, saying officials there have ‘failed the city’ with too-liberal policies.

A long-shot bill proposed by a Texas state representative would dissolve the city of Austin and create a new district that would report directly to the lieutenant governor and speaker of the House of Representatives, reports Cayla Harris in the Houston Chronicle. An article in the Dallas Morning News adds that under the proposal, “All city money, contracts, leases and property, including records, would be transferred to the district.”
The proposal comes from a conservative legislator who disagrees with the city’s “San Francisco wannabe policies.” State Rep. Jared Patterson, a Republican from Frisco in North Texas, says that “Record high taxes and crime are pushing folks out of the city,” the article notes.
Meanwhile, other state lawmakers have called the proposal a “brazen attack” on local control. According to the article, the idea is unlikely to reach the state house floor, but echoes similar proposals from the past.
FULL STORY: Texas Republican files longshot bill to dissolve the city of Austin

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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