Economic Development

Through Opportunity Austin 2.0, the Austin Chamber supports the use of performance-based economic development agreements as approved by the City of Austin and Travis County that result in new jobs and prosperity for Central Texas.

Transportation

The Austin Chamber supported the successful City of Austin Proposition 1 on the November 2010 ballot. The voters authorized $90 million for a variety of multi-modal mobility and public works projects.

As Travis County prepares for a possible November 2011 bond election and the City of Austin prepares for a possible November 2012 bond election, the Austin Chamber works with the region's transportation leaders to improve mobility and reduce congestion in Central Texas.

Energy

On April 22, 2010, Austin City Council approved an updated resource, generation, and climate protection plan. Also, Austin City Council directed Austin Energy staff to develop and adopt an affordability goal for rates and services for all classes of customers.

The Austin Chamber of Commerce advocated for the following priorities as part of the consideration of the updated generation plan:

•Establish affordability goals and metrics across all ratepayer classes;

•Create a public process that identifies the most cost-effective methods that reduce CO2;

•Develop an annual plan performance review to track progress compared to initial expectations;

•Identify opportunities to exceed the current goals of conserving 800MW of power; and

•Eliminate rebate caps to provide the most conservation at the lowest cost.

Water

The Austin Chamber supports a comprehensive strategy to plan for future water needs including conservation, increased use of reclaimed water and construction of Water Treatment Plant 4.