[00:00:10]
WHOEVER ELSE THINGS THEY NEED TO BE DOING ON FRIDAY.
I WILL GO AHEAD AND CALL THE MEETING
[CALL TO ORDER]
TO ORDER A MONO OR OTHER ONE OF YOU ALL, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CALL A ROLE.VICE CHAIR, BRISTOL COMMISSIONER GOMEZ, CHAIR HARRIS HERE.
COMMISSIONER CANOPY, COMMISSIONER.
MS. COMMISSIONER, SERGEANT COMMISSIONER SHARES HERE.
I KNOW WE'RE ALL BLUE MELISSA COMMISSIONER.
UH, BEFORE WE MOVE TO ITEM ONE, I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR THEIR PATIENTS.
UM, I WOULD HOPE THAT AT SOME POINT IN TIME WITH THE COOPERATION OF THE CITY CLERK, WE CAN GET TO A MORE REGULAR MEETING TIME.
UH, WE WERE, UH, GIVEN VERY FEW OPPORTUNITIES AND WE NEEDED TO GET THIS MEETING ON THE AGENDA AND GET IT POSTED FOR, UH, FOR THE PUBLIC.
AND, UM, I DO APPRECIATE YOUR INDULGENCE.
PERHAPS ONE OF THESE DAYS WE'LL BE OFF OF WEBEX AND BACK IN CITY HALL.
UH, BUT FOR THE MEANTIME, UH, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE FLEXIBLE, UH, AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
UM, FIRST ITEM OF BUSINESS IS CITIZEN COMMUNICATION.
IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT WE HAVE NO ONE TO SPEAK THAT THAT'S CORRECT, MONA.
UM, OR, UM, THE SECOND ITEM APPROVAL
[2. Approval of Minutes of the June 17, 2020 Meeting Minutes Discussion and Possible Action (5 minutes)]
OF MINUTES OF THE JUNE 17TH, 2020 EATING, UM, HAS EVERYBODY HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THE MINUTES? DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY CHANGES THAT THEY'D LIKE TO SEE ME NOT HEARING ANY, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE JUNE 17TH, 2020 MEETING? I MOVED TO APPROVE MY SON BUCK.DO I HAVE A SECOND, SECOND ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE.
OPPOSED THE HEARING AND THE MOTION CARRIES THE NEXT ITEM OF BUSINESS IS THE
[3. Annual Internal Review Report Discussion and Possible Action (10 minutes)]
ANNUAL INTERNAL REVIEW REPORT.I BELIEVE THAT WE HAD IT CIRCULATED TEAM.
THERE WERE TWO, THERE WAS THE, THE REPORTS THAT WERE THE 1928 CALENDAR YEAR.
AND THEN WE WILL BE LOOKING AT THE 20, 21 CALENDAR YEAR AS WELL.
IS THAT CORRECT? MONA? THAT IS CORRECT CHAIR.
ARE WE ABLE TO POST IT FOR EVERYBODY TO SEE, UM, SAMMY? ARE YOU ONLINE BY CHANCE? PROBABLY NOT.
UH, HAS EVERYBODY HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW BOTH THE 1920 ANNUAL, UH, REPORT AS WELL AS THE 2021, 2020, THE 2020 THROUGH 2021? MY APOLOGIES.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY THOUGHTS OR QUESTIONS? WELL, I'M NOT HEARING ANYBODY.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY HAS A CHANCE TO SPEAK,
[00:05:03]
NOT HEARING ANY, UM, I'M GOING TO CALL FOR A MOTION TO APPROVE THE ANNUAL INTERNAL REVIEW.I'M SORRY, WHO MADE THE MOTION? DO I HAVE A SECOND, SECOND? I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND ALL IN FAVOR, OPPOSED HEARING NONE.
WE'RE GOING TO BE FINISHED FAIRLY QUICKLY HERE.
UM, THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA
[4. Public Safety Commission Downtown Commission Representation Discussion and Possible Action (10 minutes)]
IS, UH, THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION, DOWNTOWN COMMISSION REPRESENTATION.THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE DISCUSSED AT OUR MEETING, UH, AND WE, UH, TOOK ACTION AND CREATED A WORKING GROUP THAT WE'LL GET TO, UH, IN ORDER TO HAVE, UH, WE ARE AT OUR LIMIT IN TERMS OF, UH, COMMISSION MEMBERS.
UH, AND WE HAVE OUR LIAISONS FROM A NUMBER OF OTHER COMMISSIONS.
IF WE WERE TO ADD THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION TO AS A REP SCANNING REPRESENTATIVE ON THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION, WE WOULD HAVE TO AMEND OUR BYLAWS, WHICH MEANS GOING TO CITY COUNCILS, AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE.
UM, WE HAVE WITH US TODAY, REBECCA WEBER, WHO IS THE VICE CHAIR AND INTERIM CHAIR OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION.
WE SURE WOULD LIKE YOUR INPUT AS WE DELIBERATE THIS PARTICULAR ACTION.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IT MEANS IS THAT, UM, IN MAKING A CHANGE TO OUR BYLAWS, ASSUMING THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION WE'D LIKE TO BRING A REPRESENTATIVE TO OUR MEETINGS IS THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO ELIMINATE ONE OF OUR OTHER LIAISONS AND IN VISITING WITH STAFF, UM, WE HAVE TRIED FOR YEARS AND YEARS TO HAVE THE, EXCUSE ME, THE MUSIC COMMISSION REPRESENTATIVE, UM, ATTEND.
AND THEY HAVE, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, THEY HAVE NOT APPOINTED ANYONE TO ATTEND OUR MEETINGS SINCE THEY WERE INCLUDED, UM, PRISTINE, UM, UH, IF EITHER ONE OF Y'ALL WOULD COMMENT ON THAT, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT.
AND, AND, UH, MONA, PLEASE CHIME IN.
BUT I DO REMEMBER THAT, YES, IT'S BEEN A REPEATED ATTEMPT AND, UH, TO BE QUITE HONEST, IT'S IT WAS THE TIMING OF THE MUSIC.
WELL, YOU KNOW, NOW IN COVID I PRE COVID, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH OUR MEETINGS IN THE EVENING OF, ON A WEDNESDAY EVENING, UM, WHICH IS THE NORMAL TIME FOR DOWNTOWN COMMISSION, IT WAS HARD FOR THOSE WHO ARE VENUE OWNERS OR PROPERTY OWNERS OF THAT ARE IN MUSIC, UM, RELATED TO THE DOWNTOWN TO FIND TIME OUT OF THEIR WORK SCHEDULE.
THEY, UH, TO ACTUALLY ATTEND FULLY THE MEETING.
AND SO IT WAS CHALLENGED AND THAT WAS A CHALLENGE.
SO, UM, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT CHAIR IF WE WERE TO SUBSTITUTE.
UM, I THINK THE, THE, THE ONGOING CONCERN WE HAVE IS THAT, UH, THE MUSIC COMMISSION WOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY AT THE VERY LEAST TO PRESENT TO US ON A REGULAR BASIS.
SO WE, AS THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION REMAIN INFORMED ON THE ISSUES AT HAND FOR THE INDUSTRY AND THE MUSIC COMMUNITY.
UH, SO BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN UNABLE TO T TO ATTEND, THEY'RE THE MOST LIKELY CHOICE TO BE REPLACED BY THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION.
UM, THAT'S FOR YOU AS A BODY TO DECIDE, BUT THAT'S THAT BASED ON OUR DISCUSSIONS IS KIND OF WHERE THINGS APPEAR TO BE GOING.
UH, NOW, REBECCA, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND TELLING US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON, YOU GUYS HAVE HAD YOUR HANDS FULL, UH, AND
[00:10:01]
WE APPRECIATE THE TIME THAT YOU'RE GIVING TO US THIS MORNING.UM, BUT WE'D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR END ON THIS AND A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION.
UM, SO THE FIRST THING TO KEEP IN MIND, I MEAN, I THINK THIS IS IT'S VERY APPROPRIATE TO HAVE SOMEONE FROM PUBLIC SAFETY, UH, ON YOUR COMMISSION, ESPECIALLY GIVEN HOW MUCH OUR COMMISSION TALKS ABOUT, UM, CRIME DOWNTOWN, UH, POLICE TACTICS DOWNTOWN, AND THEN, UH, THE WAY THAT THE CITY HAS, UH, APPROACHED SERVICES TO PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.
SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF OVERLAP, BUT HERE'S, WHAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW.
UM, IF YOU'LL REMEMBER THE BIG REFORMS THAT COUNCIL HAST IN THE WAKE OF THE, UM, THE INJURIES AGAINST THE INJURIES AGAINST PROTESTERS IN LATE MAY, ONE OF THOSE REFORMS WAS TO FORM A COUNCIL COMMITTEE FOR PUBLIC SAFETY.
AND, UM, I DON'T KNOW, NOT IF Y'ALL LIKE, IF I'M TELLING YOU STUFF YOU ALREADY KNOW, OR SHOULD I KEEP GOING ON THIS CHAIR, PLEASE DO.
UM, SO I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL RECALL A CERTAIN, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER ZIMMERMAN, UM, HA THERE HAD BEEN UNDER HIM A PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE.
I THINK IT WAS HIM, UH, LESLIE POOL, I THINK, RIGHT.
CAUSE OUR WAS ON THERE AND IT WAS JUST LIKE A COMPLETE FARCICAL MESS.
UM, IT NEVER REALLY ACCOMPLISHED ANYTHING.
COUNCIL MEMBER ZIMMERMAN CLASHED PUBLICLY WITH R W THE THEN CHAIR OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION, UH, DR.
KIM ROSSMO, WHO IS A CRIMINOLOGIST FROM TEXAS STATE.
AND I THINK, UH, IN THE END, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL JUST DECIDED LIKE, JUST DO A WAY WITH THEIR COMMITTEE RATHER THAN, UM, DEAL WITH THOSE PERSONALITY CONFLICTS.
UM, SO FOR A WHILE THERE WAS SOME OVERLAP WITH CITY COUNCIL.
THEN IT WAS JUST THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS.
AND THEN AS THESE ISSUES HAVE BECOME MORE AND MORE CRITICAL AND MORE AND MORE CENTRAL TO, YOU KNOW, WHAT AUSTINITES CARE ABOUT, UM, ESPECIALLY BUDGET ISSUES AND HOW WE SPEND OUR PUBLIC SAFETY MONEY, UM, COUNCIL, AS PART OF THOSE REFORMS LAST MONTH STARTED UP THEIR, THEIR COUNCIL COMMITTEE AGAIN.
AND IT IS, UM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER FLANAGAN IS THE CHAIR COUNCIL MEMBER CASAR IS THE VICE CHAIR, NATASHA HARPER MADISON IS ON THERE.
AND I CANNOT REMEMBER THE FOURTH COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, MIGHT BE KATHY TOVO.
UM, SO NOW WE'RE KIND OF IN THIS SORT OF SETTLING IN PHASE WHERE WE'RE WAITING TO HEAR FROM COUNCIL, YOU KNOW, ARE WE REDUNDANT OF YOU? ARE THERE CERTAIN THINGS THAT YOU WANT US TO LOOK AT? CAN WE HELP YOU OUT BY, YOU KNOW, HEARING FROM CITIZENS AND VETTING THINGS BEFORE THEY COME TO YOU, BUT IT'S ALL KIND OF IN FLUX RIGHT NOW.
AND I ACTUALLY HAVE A MEETING HERE LATER THIS AFTERNOON WITH, UM, FLANAGAN'S STAFF TO TALK ABOUT ALL OF THIS.
UM, I AM OF THE OPINION THAT THESE ISSUES ARE TOO IMPORTANT, HONESTLY, TO ABDICATE TO A VOLUNTEER COMMISSION, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE OUR COMMISSION IS NOT, UM, A COMMISSION THAT HAS POWER.
WE'RE JUST AN ADVISORY COMMISSION.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT THIS COMMISSION IS SHARE.
WHAT, WHAT IS YOUR, WHERE WE'RE IN THE SAME POSITION YOU ARE? YEAH, SO I MEAN, 40% OF THE CITY'S BUDGET, YOU KNOW, IS PUBLIC SAFETY.
AND IN MY OPINION, COUNCIL HAD, BECAUSE OF THOSE PERSONALITY CONFLICTS WITH A PAST COUNCIL HAD KIND OF ABDICATED SOME OF THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT.
AND, YOU KNOW, OUR COMMISSION WAS DOING THE BEST WE COULD, BUT IT'S WAY MORE IMPORTANT THAN TWO HOURS A MONTH, YOU KNOW? SO IT'S ALL KIND OF INFLUX.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE'LL SEE IT WORK OUT HERE.
EVERYONE'S FOCUSED ON THE BUDGET RIGHT NOW THROUGHOUT AUGUST, RIGHT.
BUT I FIGURE IN THE EARLY FALL, IT'LL GET WORKED OUT.
HOW ARE THE, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN US, THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION HELP THE WORK OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE? AND SO THAT IS CURRENTLY WHAT IS GOING ON WELL, AND GIVEN OUR INTEGRATION WITH PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUES, UM, OBVIOUSLY WE WOULD WANT TO BE VERY INVOLVED IN THAT DISCUSSION AS WELL.
UM, YOU KNOW, I'D BE HAPPY TO COME BACK AND REPORT ON WHAT'S GOING ON OR SHARE.
I COULD SEND, YOU KNOW, AS THESE ISSUES START TO GET WORKED OUT, I COULD SEND YOU ALL AN UPDATE, BUT IF OUR COMMISSION CONTINUES TO EXIST AND COUNCIL CAN CARVE OUT A ROLE FOR US,
[00:15:01]
I THINK IT IS HIGHLY APPROPRIATE THAT WE COLLABORATE WITH YOUR COMMISSION.DO YOU, DO YOU HAVE SOMEBODY IN MIND THAT YOU WOULD APPOINT, OR THAT WOULD BE INTERESTED IN SERVING AS AN ADVISORY COMMISSIONER TO THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION? BECAUSE IT REQUIRES CHANGING OUR BYLAWS.
I MEAN, I WOULD BE CERTAIN, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO SERVE, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I NEED TO THROW IT OUT THERE TO THE REST OF THE COMMISSIONERS.
UM, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT YOU WOULD WANT FOR, UM, PARTICIPANTS WHO CARE AND WHO ARE WILLING TO DEVOTE THEIR TIME.
I MEAN, WE HAVE A REALLY GOOD GROUP ON PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION RIGHT NOW.
IT'S PEOPLE ARE VERY INVESTED IN THESE ISSUES.
UM, COMMISSIONERS, UH, THOUGHTS.
WELL, I'M NOT HEARING ANYTHING.
WE REQUEST AUDIT AND FINANCE, UM, THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE OF CITY COUNCIL TO APPROVE CHANGING ARTICLE THREE, SECTION A B TO SUBSTITUTE THE PUBLIC SAFETY, A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION FOR A MEMBER OF THE MUSIC COMMISSION.
DO I HAVE A SECOND? I SAID COMMISSIONER MEISENBACH WITH A SECOND.
DO I HAVE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION HEARING? NONE.
I KNOW WE'RE, WE'RE OPERATING REMOTELY, MY WEBEX, AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY'S GOT A CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE AND THEY'RE NOT BEING THERE.
THEY'RE NOT FORGETTING TO TURN THEIR MICS ON WHEN THEY HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY.
OKAY, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.
UM, AND, UM, WE'LL GET THEIR APPROVAL GOING FORWARD, REBECCA, THEN WE'LL YOU'LL KNOW WE'LL BE IN TOUCH AND STAFF WILL BE IN TOUCH ABOUT COORDINATING THE NEXT STEP.
[5. Working Groups A. Safety and Policing Working Group Discussion and Possible Action (5 minutes)]
IS AS A RESULT OF THE LAST OF LAST MONTH'S MEETING, UM, WE HAD THE CREATION OF THE SAFETY AND POLICING WORKING GROUP, UH, AND, UH, I TALKED TO, UH, COMMISSIONER SCORNING AND, UH, BRIEFLY EXCHANGE AN EMAIL ON IT.UM, I DISCUSSED WITH HER THE POSSIBILITY OF CHANGING THE NAME OF THE GROUP TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY AND POLICE WORKING GROUP, RATHER THAN JUST THE SAFETY AND POLICING WORKING GROUP.
UH, I KNOW IT'S SEMANTICS, BUT I THINK THEY'RE IMPORTANT.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE A THOUGHT ON THAT? WELL, THEN I, I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND MAKE THE MOTION.
I THINK MEGAN TRIED TO SPEAK THERE AND THEN ANDREW, I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T HEAR WHAT YOU SAID.
I THINK, UH, COMMISSIONER MEISENBACH.
SHE WAS TRYING TO SAY SOMETHING.
MINIMIZING BOT, WHERE YOU TRYING TO SAY SOMETHING YOU'RE MUTED.
WHAT ABOUT COMMISSIONER SCORN? SHE'S AGREEING WITH THIS TOO, RIGHT? IT'S A CHANGE IN THE TITLE OF THE WORKING GROUP AND SHE AGREED TO IT.
UM, WHAT WOULD BE HOME? THAT, THAT WAS THE LIMIT OF OUR CONVERSATION.
UM, SO I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO, UH, CHANGE THE NAME OF THE WORKING GROUP TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY AND POLICING WORKING GROUP.
DO I HAVE A SECOND, SECOND? I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND ALL IN FAVOR OPPOSED? NAY HEARING NONE.
UM, NOW THE NEXT ITEM, UH, I'LL HAVE, I'LL ASK MONA TO SEND AN EMAIL TO THE COMMISSION SO WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY HAS A CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE.
UM, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE ON THE, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY POLICE WORKING GROUP, UM, WOULD YOU PLEASE EMAIL, UH, MONA
[00:20:02]
AND CHRISTINE? SO WE HAVE A RECORD OF THAT AND THEN I KNOW, UH, COMMISSIONER CORNEA WILL BE PARTICIPATING AS WELL, BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY WHO WANTS TO PARTICIPATE ON THE WORKING GROUP HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO.UM, NEXT ITEM OF BUSINESS, UNLESS ANYBODY HAS ANYTHING ELSE TO SAY.
[5. Working Groups B. Austin Core Transportation Plan (ACTP) Working Group Discussion and Possible Action (5 minutes)]
IS THE UPDATE TO THE OFTEN CORE TRANSPORTATION PLAN.AND I CAN TELL YOU BEING A MEMBER OF THAT WORKING GROUP THAT WE HAVEN'T MET IN SOME TIME, AND THERE IS NO UPDATE, BUT IF THIS IS A PRIORITY ISSUE FOR THE COMMISSION.
AND SO WE'RE GOING TO BE KEEPING THIS ON THE AGENDA AND AS WE'RE ABLE TO, UM, GET MEETINGS AND GET BACK INTO FOCUSING ON THE AWESOME CORE TRANSPORTATION PLAN, WE'LL RING REPORTS BACK.
IT'S VERY, UH, THE NEXT ITEM OF BUSINESS
[6. Items from other Commissions Update from Commissioner Melissa Henao-Robledo on recent activities and actions taken by the Design Commission Update from Commissioner Ben Heimsath on recent activities and actions taken by the Historic Landmark Commission Update from Commissioner Cynthia Weatherby on recent activities and actions taken by the Urban Transportation Commission Update from Commissioner Felipe Garza and recent activities and actions taken by the Arts Commission Update from Commissioner Kimberly Taylor on recent activities and actions taken by the Parks and Recreation Board]
IS ITEMS FROM OTHER COMMISSIONS, UM, COMMISSIONER.NOW ROBLEDO DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD FOR US TODAY? NO, I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO MEET AT TWO 30, SORRY, BUT GOOD TO SEE EVERYONE.
UM, I DON'T BELIEVE COMMISSIONER HAIM STAFF IS ON THE CALL THIS MORNING.
I DON'T BELIEVE, UH, COMMISSIONER, WHETHER B IS ON THE CALL.
IF I'M MISSING ANYBODY, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
UM, COMMISSIONER GARSA WITH THE ARTS COMMISSION HAS RESIGNED OR IS IN PROMISES OF RESIGNING.
AND, UH, THE ARTS COMMISSION WILL BE TASKED WITH, UH, UH, IDENTIFYING A NEW MEMBER TO PARTICIPATE WITH US.
AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WHOEVER THAT IS.
IT'S JUST HAPPENED, UM, DURING THE COURSE OF THE WEEK, THIS WEEK.
UM, BUT, UH, HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE SOMEBODY NEW SEATED FOR THE NEXT MEETING.
UM, AND THEN LASTLY, UH, COMMISSIONER TAYLOR, PARKS AND RECREATION.
I'M JUST EXCITED TO BE PART OF THIS EFFORT WITH YOU ALL AND HOPEFULLY OUR NEXT MEETING.
UH, IS PEACE PARK PART OF OUR PURVIEW AS A DOWNTOWN COMMISSION? NO.
UM, OR WEST OF LAMAR, UM, OKAY.
[7. Staff Updates Discussion of pending future agenda items i. Impact of Past Housing Bonds: Affordable Units ii. Wayfinding Initiative Update iii. Small Cell Initiative / Downtown Installation iv. Shoal Creek Restoration v. Palm School Future Recommendations vi. South Central Waterfront vii. Rezoning and Redevelopment of the Townlake YMCA viii. Overview of historic resources ix. Rainey Street Coalition and Proposed Future Development x. Red Line Parkway and Potential Biking Pathway xi. Brackenridge Campus and Future Development Plans xii. Micro Mobility Ordinance xiii. Pecan Streets Merchant Association and Activity on East Sixth Street]
MONA FOR SENIOR ALL OWN ON THE CLOCK.I HAVE NO UPDATE MONA, ANYTHING FROM YOU THIS MORNING.
I KNOW THEY'VE BEEN WORKING FOR YOUR CLAIM BECAUSE MINE, THE VOLUME OF EMAIL I'M GETTING AS FAST AS MATURITIES.
AND I THINK Y'ALL IN THESE DIFFICULT TIMES FOR YOUR HARD WORK.
IF THERE'S ANYTHING YOU NEEDED TO SAY STILL ON MUTE, THAT'S SORT OF THUMBS UP, PROTECT THE CAR ISSUES.
I'VE HAD TO GET CHEWED UP, GETTING AN UNMUTING IT'S REALLY STICKY.
SO WE'RE ALL APOLOGIES, BUT WE'RE GOOD.
WE'RE WORKING THROUGH IT TOGETHER.
UM, ANY, WE MOVE ON TO ITEM EIGHT, ANY
[Items 8 & 9: 8. Potential Future Agenda Items 9. Adjournment]
POTENTIAL FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? WELL, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO, TO ADD FOR A P EXCUSE ME, FUTURE POTENTIAL ITEM IS DOWNTOWN RESILIENCY.I THINK THAT PANDEMIC AND THE ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES HAVE SHOWN SOME, UM, FRAGILITIES IN DOWNTOWN.
WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, FOLKS REALIGNING, HOW THEY WORK AND WHERE THEY WORK, HOW THEY LIVE AND WHERE THEY LIVE.
IT'S CERTAINLY AFFECTING, UH, OUR RETAIL COMMUNITY DOWNTOWN.
IT'S AFFECTING OUR RESTAURANT AND BAR COMMUNITY DOWNTOWN.
IT'S AFFECTING OUR LIVE MUSIC COMMUNITY.
[00:25:02]
YOU SAW THE REPORT THE OTHER DAY THAT INDICATED THAT, UH, PERHAPS 90% OF, UH, OUR MUSIC LIVE MUSIC VENUES MAY CLOSE BY OCTOBER IF THINGS DON'T CHANGE.AND THAT'S A FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT IN WHAT DOWNTOWN LOOKS LIKE.
AND, YOU KNOW, THE QUESTION IS WHAT WILL REPLACE ALL OF THOSE THINGS MOVING FORWARD.
UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT POTENTIAL CHANGES TO TRANSPORTATION.
UM, THE, THE SHARING ECONOMY RIGHT NOW, UH, IS GOING THROUGH SOME MAJOR SHAKEUPS, HOW WILL THAT AFFECT DOWNTOWN? HOW WILL THAT AFFECT THE AUSTIN CORE TRANSPORTATION POINT? UM, A WHOLE HOST OF THINGS THAT, UH, ANOTHER ONE IS THE POTENTIAL EXPANSION OF THE CONVENTION CENTER.
THAT WAS A HOTLY DISCUSSED ITEM, UH, BEFORE THE PANDEMIC.
AND IT WAS PART OF MIRROR AD-WORDS, UM, UH, PUZZLE DOWNTOWN PUZZLE, BUT ARE, IS THERE GOING TO BE A FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT IN THE CONVENTION BUSINESS? UM, I'VE HAD TWO MAJOR, UH, STATEWIDE CONVENTIONS CANCEL AND THEY'RE LOOKING AT WAYS THEY GO FORWARD.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, IS IT A QUESTION THAT WE ACTUALLY NEED A BIGGER CONVENTION CENTER? WHAT DOES THE FUTURE OF THE CONVENTION BUSINESS LOOK LIKE? AND DOWNTOWN AUSTIN HAS SEEN A MAJOR SHIFT IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, EVEN THE LAST DECADE AND THE INCREASE OF, UH, HOTEL BED SPACE.
WE CERTAINLY RELY ON THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX TO DO A LOT OF GOOD THINGS IN THE COMMUNITY AND DOWNTOWN, HOW WILL THAT BE AFFECTED? AND IT'S NOT TO SAY THAT IT'S DOOM AND GLOOM IT'S TO SAY, WE NEED TO FIND, FIGURE OUT, TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT DOWNTOWN'S EXPOSURE IS WITH OUR, OUR IMMERSION NEIGHBORS DOWNTOWN AND MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, TOWN HAS THE TOOLS FOR ITS RESILIENCY AND PLEX.
UM, SO THAT'S ONE THING THAT I REALLY WANT TO ADDRESS OVER THE COMING YEAR.
UM, I THINK ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT AND STAFF IS GREAT ABOUT SENDING UP, UH, UPDATES ON DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT THAT ARE, UH, PRODUCED LARGELY BY TOWERS.NET AND SOME OTHER OUTSIDE PROVIDERS.
BUT I THINK FOR US TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE TO COUNCIL, WE NEED A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT NEW PROJECTS ARE COMING FORWARD.
WHAT PROJECTS ARE ON THE TABLE, UH, WHERE PROJECTS ARE IN CONSTRUCTION.
UH, I'D SAY, UH, MR. SCORNING, AND SOME OTHER FOLKS HAVE BEEN VERY CONCERNED ABOUT HOW THE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS HAVE AFFECTED, UM, MULTIMODALITY, UM, IN TRANSPORTATION BECAUSE SIDEWALKS AND BIKE LANES AND GOOD BLOCK AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO I THINK HAVING A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, UH, DOWNTOWN WOULD REALLY HELP US PROVIDE GUIDANCE TO THE CITY AS IT'S APPLICABLE.
UM, BUT THAT, THAT'S WHAT I'VE GOT ON MY MIND AT THE MOMENT.
UM, IF ANYBODY HAS ANYTHING THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE ADDED TO FUTURE AGENDAS, UH, PLEASE DO LET US KNOW.
UM, ANY OTHER CLOSING COMMENTS FROM ANYBODY AUGUST? UH, ONE OTHER ITEM.
I THINK I, WE MAYBE WANT TO AT LEAST KEEP UP TO DATE ON IS THE CALM STREETS OR WHATEVER THAT INITIATIVE IS CALLED ON CONGRESS, WHERE, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW WE'RE DOWN THE FOUR LANES AND WITH NOBODY WORKING DOWNTOWN, IT'S NOT AN ISSUE, BUT WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA FOR HOW LONG THAT'S GOING TO BE THERE AND, AND, UH, WHEN IT'S GOING TO BE REMOVED OR MODIFIED AND HOW THAT FITS INTO THE URBAN DESIGN INITIATIVE, I THINK WE NEED TO KEEP ON TRACK AND BE TRACKING THAT BECAUSE I CAN JUST SEE DOWN THE ROAD WHEN PEOPLE START WORKING AGAIN DOWNTOWN, WHERE WE WILL HAVE SOME ISSUES WITH THAT CALM STREET AND TRAFFIC VEHICLE TRAFFIC AT THAT POINT IN TIME.
IS IT, IS IT CALM STREETS OR SAFE STREETS? I KNOW THERE'S A SAFE STREETS INITIATIVE, WHICHEVER ONE IT'S CALLED.
SO IT'S THE HEALTHY STREETS INITIATIVE.
AND WHAT YOU KNOW, AND WHAT THE CRITERIA ARE FOR MAINTAINING IT OR REMOVING IT OR MODIFYING IT.
[00:30:01]
ANYBODY ELSE? OKAY.WELL, I PROMISED THAT WE'D BE EFFICIENT, BUT I DIDN'T THINK WE'D BE THIS EFFICIENT, UH, THIS MAY BE THE SHORTEST DOWNTOWN COMMISSION MEETING ON RECORD.
UM, BUT I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY.
UM, UH, I WOULD LIKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT WITH EACH OF YOU, UM, TO TALK ABOUT YOUR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES AND, AND WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH OVER THE COMING YEAR OR YEARS, THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION.
AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU FEEL LIKE I'M LISTENING TO YOUR VOICES.
UM, SO I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH EVERYBODY AND, UH, UH, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? OKAY.
DO I HAVE A SECOND? IT'S 10:48 AM ON FRIDAY, JULY 17TH, 2020.