Austinist: Austin City Limits 2009 Lineup

_Sean_

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:29:01 -0600

Spell it with an ass all you wish. So is that all you have to add?

leggyblonde

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:31:20 -0600

tax accessor?

_Sean_

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 07:52:30 -0600

Where the Hell do you get that?

_Sean_

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 20:19:34 -0600

That's what I figured bra... 'sa'll bueno... S.

YoYoMa

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:09:23 -0600

So, what you're saying is, you don't want to reply to any points anybody's brought up. You just want to exclude people from the conversation, but still trumpet some kind of woe is me, the lonely neglected taxpayer argument?

wattage

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:24:38 -0600

Touche, except that triplication is compliments of the submission process. It hung and when I came back from lunch, there were 3 of me (which is something we should all be excited about).

_Sean_

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:49:06 -0600

Real Property vs. Commercial vs. Multi-Family vs. Multi Family Residential and then of course the Tax Accessor has their say in who pays what as per the % differences. Non other than Real Property owners are taxed for AISD coincidentally enough. So yes there are variances, however not entirely off base. Oh and Wattage, apparently you're making a good point as for stupid people X 3! Way to go the distance to prove a point, congratulations.

trza

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:02:37 -0600

Sean, You are mistaken. Renters pay property taxes indirectly as part of their rent. This is one reason why rents tend to go up as property taxes increase. In fact, renters get screwed, because they do not have the benefit of the homestead exemption, appraisal caps, or mortgage interest deductions, all of which provide tax benefits to homeowners. In addition, renters (and everyone who spends money in Austin's city limits) pay sales taxes, a portion of which goes to support city services. Based on these facts, your premise that renters have no authority to have an opinion about how their tax dollars are spent is way off base.

wattage

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:35:39 -0600

You're right, people who rent don't pay property taxes indirectly. Their rent does not include a share of the property owners' tax burden and all the money just goes straight to the owners' profits! What if you own land, but you're a Canadian citizen? Then what? Since you don't have a right to vote, you shouldn't be able to complain about where your tax money is going, right? Apparently, everyone has a voice in this conversation, even stupid people with stupid voices.

wattage

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:35:05 -0600

wattage

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:34:34 -0600

_Sean_

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:48:25 -0600

Thanks Allen & Grape. On another note: You only get a voice in this argument if you own land here. If you don't then you have absolutely no reason to argue positively or negatively on the subject of "our tax payer dollars" and where they go nor how they are wasted since you are not contributing to those funds.

allenychen

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:17:22 -0600

@_Sean_, here's something we wrote way back in 2006. Ah, nostalgia... CSE Coughs Up Dirt So Your Momma Don't Have To

YoYoMa

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:42:52 -0600

First of all, so what if it were our money? You don't think park improvement for the city's key park that hosts tons of events year round is something worthwhile? Maybe you should hop in your car and drive on every inch of road in the city limits to feel like you're getting your money's worth there. News flash. Your money is "wasted" all over the place. And by "wasted", I mean spent on things that you'll never take advantage of. Secondly, ACL Fest has had extra fees specifically devoted to park maintenance since at least 2006. I think it was something like $5 a ticket the first year, but later they started going to their "all-inclusive" price, so who knows what the fees are now. I'm sure the city gets paid a substantial fee for what amounts to the park being off-limits for a month. You realize that the City probably spends a lot of money on SXSW too? Extra police being only the most obvious thing. Of course, both festivals bring IN a lot of money to the local economy as well.

Grape Ape

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:41:21 -0600

$2.5M, and btw, I never said they were footing the entire bill. If it doesn't cover all of it, it has to cover a substantial portion. http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/zilkerphase.htm

_Sean_

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 07:10:37 -0600

So where is this information as to our tax payer money not being used for this renovation and C3 actually footing the entire bill? All I can find is this (from the city's site): Located at 2100 Barton Springs Road, Zilker Metropolitan Park is considered "Austin's most loved park." This 351 acre park is home to a variety of recreation opportunities and special events for the individual or the whole family. Park Improvement Project The 42 acres of the north portion of the park (Lou Neff road) has not received major park improvements since its construction in the 1930’s. The Parks and Recreation Department has implement a multiple year improvement project to improve and maintain the turf , conserve potable water, and enhance the overall appearance of the park. These improvements will provide a durable, resilient turf that will serve to create a space that inspires visitors to play, imagine, rest and interact with nature and each other. Zilker Park Excavation Project In April of 2009 the City of Austin will sponsor an excavation focusing on the oldest deposits associated at Zilker Park. These archeological deposits are buried more than ten feet below the current ground surface and represent what archeologists term the Paleoindian period, which lasted from about 11,500 years B.C. to about 8,200 B.C.

_Sean_

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 07:08:05 -0600

So where is this information as to our tax payer money not being used for this renovation and C3 actually footing the entire bill?

Grape Ape

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:27:33 -0600

This isn't just for the event, it's to restore the grass for the park and the people who use it other ties of the year. You do know October is months away right? Damn, C3 puts a few million into making our park better and people just gripe about it.

paigemaguire

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:25:58 -0600

Eh. People will wear the bandanas and masks just to be cool, it's like a message to everyone at home on their computers. "Look how hard I'm working to blog about this. It's SARS out here." That's '09, baby.

cocobeware

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:42:00 -0600

laying down new grass for this line up is like renting out Versailles for a color me badd reunion. does anyone have deja vu? i think this festival was booked once before in 1998 somewhere in michigan. i would gladly pay the $200 for a mulligan. ps: my dad just texted me, and he's totally stoked.

sun dae

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:59:36 -0600

doh. "My understanding" is what I meant!

sun dae

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:58:27 -0600

My Understand is that ACL event organizers paid for the new grass installation. So its NOT our money and glad they are doing that for all of us to enjoy year round!

_Sean_

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:40:20 -0600

Our money btw. Public park, as many events as possible scheduled...

nickc

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:14:39 -0600

New grass, just in time to get trampled by Trustafarians and mooks. Fabulous waste of money.

Grape Ape

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:05:57 -0600

New grass is being rolled out (literally) as I type, it's been going in for a few days now.

_Sean_

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:27:46 -0600

True

YoYoMa

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:04:31 -0600

Well, Dust Bowl was 05, and I attended 06 and 07 and there weren't any dust problems that I was aware of then. After 05, they actually tried watering the grass, a novel approach. Last year they moved the date back a week or two and then moved it again this year. Also, as mentioned, Zilker is currently a big dirt pit as they're installing (or have recently installed) the new watering system.

zoopzootemelk

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:55:02 -0600

Have you seen Zilker lately? They're in the midst of installing a multi-million dollar underground watering system. I suspect plenty of green grass and absolutely no dust this year.

_Sean_

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:35:48 -0600

Hmmm possibly but I seem to recall photos from this last one with people running all over wearing masks and bandannas covering their mouths and noses. So to say that enough changes have been made seems far fetched.

YoYoMa

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:00:04 -0600

Dust Bowl was #4 and was 4 years ago. They've made several changes since then.

_Sean_

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:32:45 -0600

I gave up on this event after the third one; the Dust Bowl. However considering they've wised up, even if only due to renovations of Zilker, and are having this just a little later and into October I think I will have to reconsider.