Where are we now?

May 9, 2008
Keep Austin Affordable supports better way to go green
City of Austin officials, notably Mayor Will Wynn, have criticized the Keep Austin Affordable campaign for opposing a proposal that, they say, doesn’t exist. What does exist is a city task force to mandate energy efficiency upgrades to Austin homes. The charter for that task force stipulates all recommendations made must be enforced at the "point-of-sale." This dictates a bad approach to a worthy goal. We oppose punitive, mandatory point-of-sale upgrades and support an alternative that will incentivize more Austin homeowners to actually help the environment. Read what’s wrong with point-of-sale and what’s right with the alternative.

May 7, 2008
Alternatives to point-of-sale measure presented to task force
Today, Charles Porter, Past Chairman of the Austin Board of REALTORS® and member of the Energy Efficiency Retrofit Task Force, presented an alternative proposal to his fellow task force members to promote energy efficiency in Austin without requiring expensive mandates enforced when Austinites buy and sell homes.
Read the alternative proposal

May 6, 2008
Statesman reports on home-affordability issue
The Austin American-Statesman today reported on the Keep Austin Affordable campaign. Obviously we disagree with the characterization of the campaign presented in the story. We also stand behind the accuracy of all our communications. However, we're glad more Austin residents are becoming aware of this issue. The Statesman quoted Austin Board of REALTORS® Chairman Socar Chatmon-Thomas, who said this about the campaign: "It's not scaring the public; it's informing the public." Our goal is to focus the eyes and ears of Austinites on this issue. Through public awareness and open, honest discussions, we hope that Austin homeowners will be able to give input to the city, before any proposal is adopted, to achieve both energy efficiency and affordability.
Read article

May 2, 2008
KVET radio examines accuracy of campaign
KVET 98.1 FM morning show hosts Bucky Godbolt and Bob Cole yesterday discussed the “point of sale” mandates being considered by the City of Austin. The show co-hosts explored the accuracy of the message delivered in the Keep Austin Affordable campaign and called attention to the potential costs involved in a homeowner requirement to upgrade homes. Listen to audio clip

May 1, 2008
News 8 Austin story asks who will pay?
News 8 Austin asks a legitimate question: Who is going to pay for these upgrades? If the sellers do, some may have to take out loans just to sell their homes. If buyers do, some families may be forced to finance their upgrades on a home they can barely afford to begin with. Read article

April 29, 2008
Local news station runs story on Keep Austin
Affordable campaign
Austin’s NBC affiliate, KXAN, broadcast a story today about Keep Austin Affordable’s efforts to inform local citizens of a possible new regulation that could make buying a home more expensive—perhaps even putting homeownership out of reach of some. The TV station interviewed Mayor Will Wynn who, along with some Austin City Council members, has favored an ordinance requiring all homes to be retrofitted with energy-efficient upgrades at the point of sale. The reporter said that Wynn and some other council members claim the ads are misleading since a task force has just started discussing what the ordinance will say. In the interview, though, Wynn offered specifics on what he thinks the task force will recommend. He believes the ordinance will require buyers to pay for any required upgrades within a certain time frame after buying the home. Austin’s homeownership rate in the fourth quarter of 2007 was 66.4%, more than a full percentage point behind the national average according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Read article

April 24, 2008
Appraisals increasing throughout Central Texas
Today, the Austin American-Statesman reported that economists expect double-digit increases in property appraisals in 2008. Market conditions like these make it even more important that Austinites do everything we can to keep Austin homes affordable, especially for those struggling to keep up with rising property taxes already. Read article

April 22, 2008
KeepAustinAffordable.org launches
The Coalition to Keep Austin Affordable, led by the Austin Board of REALTORS®, has launched KeepAustinAffordable.org. Designed to inform Austin homeowners about the potential impact of the proposed “Point of Sale Ordinance” before the Austin City Council, this site will keep consumers up-to-date about this important issue. The site’s goal is to support energy efficiency in Austin through positive means, such as strong incentives and consumer education, while supporting homeownership opportunities for Austinites.

April 18, 2008
Concern grows among Austinites
Established late last year, the City of Austin’s Energy Efficiency Retrofit Task Force is now forming a proposal for mandatory energy efficiency requirements for existing homes. Having already determined that these requirements will be enforced at the “point of sale” (meaning a homeowner must complete the upgrades and gain permission from the city before they’re able to sell their home), Austinites are estimating the proposed guidelines will cost homeowners anywhere from $1,500 to $15,000.

December 13, 2007
City Council creates task force
Today, the Austin City Council voted on Resolution No. 20071213-064 to create the Energy Efficiency Retrofit Task Force to “make recommendations for development of an ordinance relating to energy efficiency upgrades and retrofits for existing homes and buildings.” Because of the way it’s crafted, this resolution requires that – whatever energy efficiency requirements are proposed by the task force – they must be enforced when a homeowner attempts to sell an existing home. That means homeowners seeking to sell must shoulder the financial burden of costly upgrades and will, inevitably, be forced to pass these costs on to homebuyers. Read resolution (PDF format)

February 15, 2007
Climate Protection Plan launched
Austin Mayor Will Wynn released the Climate Protection Plan with the goal of making Austin the greenest city in the country. The plan has several goals, one of which is to “implement the most energy efficient building codes in the nation and aggressively pursue efficiency retrofits and upgrades to existing building stock.”