State Bills Threaten to Undo McKalla Place Deal for Austin FC

Bills filed in both chambers of the Texas Legislature could upend the deal behind McKalla Place, the new $225 million Major League Soccer stadium scheduled to begin construction in North Austin this fall. “This legislative attack, directed at Austin and no other city (this bill will not impact stadiums around the state) is a competitor’s effort to keep major league soccer out of Austin,” Mayor Steve Adler said in an emailed statement. “That would be a shame … The legislature should leave us alone and actually fix school finances to lower taxes.” State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, authored Senate Bill 1771, which would would allow taxing entities such as Travis County and Austin ISD to carry properties subject to economic development deals made by cities on their tax rolls. Click to read more at //communityimpact.com/.