City of Austin spends most lobbying the leg

That's right. City Council members are right here in town - they could walk to the Capitol. But they are spending as much as over $1 MILLION on lobbyists. Elise Hu at KVUE is breaking the story. Here's her blog:

http://www.beloblog.com/KVUE_Blogs/politicaljunkie/2009/02/city-of-austins-lobbyists-8300.html

This is from the article:
"Taxpayer watchdog group Americans Prosperity has long opposed taxpayer-funded lobbying, largely because of instances where the taxpayers are footing the bill for priorities against their own interests (i.e. opposing appraisal caps).

"We believe the whole idea of taxpayer funded lobbying distorts the process. We believe our elected officials should be talking to one another. We elect them to do just that. We don't elect lobbyists and we shouldn't be paying for them," said Peggy Venable, AFP's State Director."

But you need to check out the full blog to see the jaw-dropping facts and figures Elise Hu provided!