[00:00:01]
YOU SAT THERE THROUGH THE FALL.
[CALL TO ORDER]
HAPPY NEW YEAR.UH, FIRST BOND OVERSIGHT COMMISSION MEETING HERE FOR THE YEAR.
UM, JUST DO A QUICK ROLL CALL COMMISSIONER.
DASGUPTA IF YOU COULD JUST RESPOND HERE, YOU GUYS, UH, COMMISSIONER COOK, COMMISSIONER NEATER, PRESENT COMMISSIONER SANDS, PRESENT COMMISSIONER MCNABB PRESENT.
UM, LET'S GO AHEAD AND HIT THE AGENDA HERE.
UM, THANKS FOR JOINING EVERYONE.
UH, ANY CITIZEN COMMUNICATION? NO, WE DID NOT RECEIVE ANY CITIZEN COMMUNICATION.
AND BEFORE WE MOVE ON, COULD YOU ALL FLASH YOUR CAMERAS? JUST TO GET THAT CONFIRMATION? WE NEED A CAMERA CONFIRMATION.
YEAH, JOHN, IF YOU COULD TURN YOUR CAMERA ON.
WE'LL JUMP RIGHT INTO THE FIRST
[1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
AGENDA ITEM OF APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE OCTOBER 21ST MEETING.UM, THOSE WERE PROVIDED IN THE BACKUP.
IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE MINUTES FROM OCTOBER 21? THERE'S SECOND COMMISSIONER NEATER, AFFIRMATIVE SECOND, UH, ALL IN FAVOR TO APPROVE.
UM, WE'LL MOVE TO ITEM NUMBER TWO, STAFF BRIEFINGS, UM, AUSTIN
[2a. Staff update from the Austin Transportation Department and Public Works Department about the 2020 Mobility Bond (Proposition B)]
TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS, UH, REGARDING THE 2020 MOBILITY BONDS STAFF.I'LL LET YOU TAKE IT AWAY THERE.
UH, I THINK IF WE COULD PULL UP THE PRESENTATION, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
COULD YOU GET CLOSER TO THE MIC PLEASE? YEAH, CERTAINLY.
UH HOW'S THAT, IS THAT BETTER? YES, MUCH BETTER.
UH, I AM THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS.
UM, I'M HERE WITH, UH, ANNA MARTIN TODAY, UH, TO PRESENT ON THE SUMMARY OF THE 2020, UH, ACTIVE MOBILITY BOND.
UH, I WANNA THANK, UH, THE COMMISSION FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT, UH, TODAY.
AND WITH THAT WE'LL, WE'LL MOVE THROUGH THE PRESENTATION.
UM, THIS IS JUST A QUICK OVERSIGHT, UH, A QUICK OVERVIEW OF THE, THE BOND OVERSIGHT COMMISSION, UH, VISION, MISSION, AND GOALS.
UM, SO WE'LL GO AHEAD TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
UH, AND AGAIN, THIS IS, HERE'S A SUMMARY OF BOTH ANNA AND I ARE OUR ROLES WITHIN, UH, ATD AND HOW IT WORKS, WHAT WE'RE PRESENTING ON TODAY.
UH, NEXT SLIDE NOVEMBER FOR THE BUTTERS AND AUSTIN APPROVED THAT $460 MILLION ACTIVE MOBILITY BOND, WHICH INCLUDED FUNDING FOR THE PLANNING, DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF SIDEWALKS, URBAN TRAILS, BIKEWAYS BRIDGES, ROADS, INTERSECTIONS, SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS, AND RELATED UTILITY AND DRAINAGE INFRASTRUCTURE.
UH, MORE INFORMATION ON THE PROGRAMS IN THE BOND IS AVAILABLE AT THE LINK SHOWN ON THE SLIDE.
NEXT SLIDE, TOTAL AMOUNT OF FUNDING PROVIDED BY THE 2020 ACTIVE MOBILITY BOND IS SHOWN HERE, AND IT INCLUDES $1 MILLION FOR NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERING, $80 MILLION FOR THE SIDEWALK PROGRAM, $80 MILLION FOR URBAN TRAILS, 40 MILLION FOR BIKE RACE, 20 MILLION FOR SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL, 19 MILLION FOR LOCAL TRANSIT,
[00:05:01]
65 MILLION FOR SAFETY VISION, ZERO 53 MILLION FOR SUBSTANDARD STREETS AND 102 MILLION FOR MAJOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT.ALL OF THESE REPRESENT A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN THE EXISTING MOBILITY PROGRAMS AND WILL REQUIRE AN ENHANCED MANAGEMENT AND COORDINATION TO EFFICIENTLY DELIVER ACROSS ALL PROGRAMS. NEXT LIKELY THERE ARE SEVERAL GUIDING DOCUMENTS FOR THE EXISTING PROGRAMS TO PROVIDE COORDINATION AND PRIORITIZATION, INCLUDING THE IMAGINE AUSTIN PLAN, STRATEGIC DIRECTION, 2023, THE AUSTIN AND STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN AND THE BICYCLE PLAN, URBAN TRAILS, MASTER PLAN, AUSTIN CLIMATE PLAN, AND THE SIDEWALK AND ADA TRANSITION PLAN.
CURRENTLY THE 2021 DRAFT MOBILITY ANNUAL PLAN IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW AND COMMENT THROUGH FEBRUARY 7TH, 2021.
NEXT SLIDE, THE SIDEWALK PROGRAM WILL RECEIVE $80 MILLION IN BOND FUNDING, WHICH WILL FOCUS ON HIGH AND VERY HIGH PRIORITY SIDEWALKS.
WITHIN ONE QUARTER MILE OF SCHOOLS, BUS STOPS AND PARKS, WHICH ADDRESS 1% OF THE IDENTIFIED ME BOND FUNDING WILL BE SPLIT BETWEEN NEW SIDEWALKS AND REHABILITATION OF EXISTING SIDEWALK.
NEXT SLIDE, THE URBAN TRAILS PROGRAM WILL RECEIVE $80 MILLION IN BOND FUNDING FOCUSING ON THE CONSTRUCTION.
30% OF THE CITY'S TIER ONE URBAN TRAILS AS IDENTIFIED IN THE URBAN TRAILS MASTER PLAN.
AND WE'LL PROVIDE THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF TIER TWO URBAN PREP.
THE PROJECTS WILL ADDRESS BARRIERS TO THE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION NETWORK.
NEXT SLIDE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERING PROGRAM WILL RECEIVE $1 MILLION TO WORK ON COMMUNITY LED PARTNERSHIPS OR ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION MOBILITY PROJECTS, WHICH WILL INCLUDE A PROPORTIONAL MATCH FROM THE COMMUNITY TO DELIVER THE PROJECT.
SO YOU FOR OUTS TO SCHOOL RECEIVED $20 MILLION IN BOND FUNDING, THE FOCUS ON HIGH AND VERY HIGH PRIORITY PROJECTS ADVANCING HUNDREDS OF LOW COST.
I VALUE ADDRESSING APPROXIMATELY 8% OF THE NEED ON HIGH AND VERY HIGH RATED PROJECT.
I'D LIKE TO HAND OFF TO ANNA MARTIN WITH ATD TO REVIEW THE REMAIN PROGRAMS FUNDED BY THE 2020 BOND.
SO CONTINUING ON AND OUR 2020 BOND PORTFOLIO, UM, THERE'S ADDITIONAL 65 MILLION FOR SAFETY ENVISION, ZERO PROJECTS.
THIS BUILDS UPON INVESTMENTS THAT WE MADE WITH BOTH THE 2016 AND 2018, UM, BONDS, UM, FOR OUR GROUP GROUPS TO, UM, CONTINUE ON, CONTINUE ON AND EXPAND THE GREAT WORK THEY'VE BEEN DOING.
UM, THIS PROGRAM WILL TACKLE SAFETY THROUGH SEVERAL APPROACHES, UM, THE RECONSTRUCTION OF MAJOR INTERSECTIONS LOOKING FOR, UM, REDUCTION IN HIGH RISK, SPEEDING ON OUR MATERIALS, UH, SYSTEM-WIDE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS AND RAPID RESPONSE PROJECTS ON OUR HIGH INJURY ROADWAYS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED THROUGH THE 2019 ASM P UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
SO THE 2020 BOND, UM, AS 40, UM, FOR CONTINUED BUILD OUT OF OUR BICYCLE NETWORK, UM, THIS IS THEN BUILDING ON A PROGRAM THAT WAS ESTABLISHED WITH THE 2016 MOBILITY BOND, UM, THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON DELIVERING.
UM, THE 40 MILLION WILL BE USED FOLLOWING THE PRIORITIES IDENTIFIED IN THE 2014 BICYCLE PLAN AND THE 2019 ASM P WE ANTICIPATE THAT THIS FUNDING WILL COMPLETE APPROXIMATELY 70% OF THE ALL AGES AND ABILITIES BICYCLE NETWORK.
AND A HALLMARK OF OUR BIKEWAYS PROGRAM IS TO WORK IN CLOSE COORDINATION WITH OUR TRANSIT AND OUR PATREON SAFETY PROGRAMS TO DELIVER SAFE AND COMPLETE STREETS FOR EVERYONE.
SO LOCAL TRENDS IS A NEW PROGRAM.
THAT'S BEING ESTABLISHED THROUGH FUNDING WITH 2020 BOND, AND IT'S GOING TO BUILD UPON, UM, INVESTMENTS IN A WORKING RELATIONSHIP WE'VE BUILT BETWEEN THE AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT AND CAPITAL TROUT.
I WANTED TO NOTE THAT THIS 19 MILLION IN LOCAL TRANSIT FUNDING IS SEPARATE
[00:10:01]
AND APART FROM PROPOSITION A, UM, WHICH YOU ALL I'M SURE ARE AWARE.THAT'S A LARGE TRANSIT INVESTMENT, A LIGHT RAIL INVESTMENT.
OUR COMMUNITY ALSO PASSED IN NOVEMBER.
UM, BUT THIS PROGRAM, THE 19 MILLION IN PARTICULAR LOCAL TRANSIT WILL FOCUS ON IMPROVING THE SPEED AND RELIABILITY OF LOCAL TRANSIT SERVICE, UM, MEANING LOCAL BUSES THAT ARE SORT OF THE BACKBONE OF OUR, UM, TRANSIT SERVICE TODAY.
UM, ANOTHER GOAL OF THIS OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO ENHANCE ACCESS TO TRANSIT AS WELL.
SO THIS WILL INCLUDE AN EXPANSION OF OUR MICRO MOBILITY FLEET, UM, AND PARKING FOR THOSE, UM, MICRO MOBILITY DEVICES, AS WELL AS, UM, INVESTMENTS IN COMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY.
NEXT SLIDE, 20 BOND, UM, GIVES 53 MILLION TO SUBSTANDARD STREETS.
UM, AS MANY OF YOU ALL MIGHT REMEMBER, THERE WAS SOME SEED FUNDING IN THE 2016 BOND THAT NAMED NINE SUBSTANDARD STREETS.
UM, WITH THAT FUNDING, WE COMPLETED PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING REPORTS TO IDENTIFY, UM, THE NEEDS, WHETHER IT BE TRANSPORTATION IN DRAINAGE OR OTHERWISE TO UPGRADE THOSE STREETS TO CURRENT CITY STANDARDS.
UM, THE 53 MILLION AND THE 2020 BOND IS TO BUILD UPON, UM, THOSE STUDIES THAT WERE COMPLETED, UM, AND THE COUNCIL ASSETS TO PRIORITIZE IMPROVEMENTS TO JOHNNY MORRIS ROAD AND ROSS ROAD.
UM, AND THERE ARE SEVEN OTHER STREETS AS WELL.
AND SO ONE OF THE ACTIVITIES THAT STAFF WILL UNDERTAKE IN THIS FIRST YEAR IS TO PRIORITIZE AMONGST THE NINE STREETS, UM, THAT WE HAVE STUDIES PREPARED FOR TO SEE HOW WE CAN DISTRIBUTE THE 53 MILLION, UM, TO BUILD OUT THE PRIORITIES AS PER THE COUNCIL.
AND THEN FINALLY WE HAVE 102 MILLION FOR CAPITAL MAJOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS, AND THERE ARE FIVE NAMED PROJECTS WITHIN THIS BUCKET.
UM, THE FIRST IS THE LONGHORN DAM BRIDGE AND, UM, THE FUNDING AND THE BUCKET WILL CONSTRUCT A NEW PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE BRIDGE ADJACENT TO THE PLEASANT VALLEY CROSSING THE LONGHORN DAM.
UM, WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU'VE EVER, UM, WALKED OR WRITTEN ACROSS THERE AS EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE? UM, RIGHT NOW, SO THIS IS A PROJECT THAT I THINK A LOT OF FOLKS ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT.
ANOTHER INVESTMENT WILL BE, UM, TO BUILD OUT A PHASE OF THE CONGRESS AVENUE, URBAN DESIGN INITIATIVE, AND THIS WILL TAKE PLACE REALLY IN THE HEART OF CONGRESS AVENUE, FROM THE LAKE UP TO THE CAPITOL.
THE THIRD NAME PROJECT IS THE BARTON SPRINGS ROAD IMPROVEMENTS.
AND THIS IS FOCUSING ON, UM, THE BARTON SPRINGS ROAD, A BRIDGE THAT CONNECTS, UM, I GUESS I WOULD CALL THE RESTAURANT DISTRICT OVER TO ZILKER.
UM, SO WE'LL BE STARTING WITH A PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING STUDY TO ASSESS, UM, THE NEEDS AND THE NEEDS AND CONDITIONS OF THE EXISTING BRIDGE.
THE FOURTH NAME PROJECT IS THE SOUTH PLEASANT VALLEY CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENTS.
AND AGAIN, THIS, THIS INVESTMENT ALSO BUILDS ON WORK THAT WAS COMPLETED IN 2016 WHEN WE PREPARED A CORRIDOR STUDY FOR SOUTH PLEASANT VALLEY ROAD.
UM, THE INTENTION WITH A PORTION OF THIS MAJOR CIP BUCKET IS TO CONNECT A SECTION OF THE SOUTH PLEASANT VALLEY.
THAT'S CURRENTLY DISCONNECTED, UM, JUST NORTH OF BEN WHITE.
UM, AND THIS IS INTENDED TO, TO AGAIN, FILL IN THE GAP IN THE CURRENT ALIGNMENT, UM, WHICH WILL GREATLY BENEFIT THE PLANNED BUS RAPID TRANSIT LINE, UM, ON SOUTH PLEASANT VALLEY.
AND THEN FINALLY, UM, CORNER PLACEMAKING.
SO WITH THE 2016 MOBILITY BOND, WE HAD A LARGE PORTION OF THAT FUNDING GOING TOWARDS IMPROVEMENTS ON NINE MAJOR CORRIDORS.
AND, UM, ONE OF THE, UH, ONE OF THE CONSIDERATIONS AND, UM, SORT OF AN INNOVATIVE IDEAS WITH THAT PROGRAM IS TO ESTABLISH IT PLACEMAKING PROGRAM AND DEVELOP THESE PLACES ALONG EACH OF THE CORRIDOR IS UNIQUE TO EACH CORRIDOR.
AND SO THERE'S ADDITIONAL FUNDING AGAIN WITH THE 2020 BOND TO BUILD UPON THE WORK THAT'S ALREADY BEEN DONE IN THE, IN THE CORRIDOR PROGRAM TO EXPAND THE REACH OF THE PLACE-MAKING GROUP, NEXT SLIDE.
AND SO FINALLY, WHERE, WHERE ARE WE NOW AND WHERE ARE WE GOING HERE? UM, AS WE ALL KNOW, UM, VOTERS APPROVED PREP THE IN NOVEMBER AND THE DECEMBER AND JANUARY TIMEFRAME, WE'VE BEEN DOING BRIEFINGS, UM, TODAY AT THE ON-DEMAND SITE COMMITTEE TOMORROW, WE'LL BE TALKING TO THE MOBILITY COMMITTEE.
UM, WE'VE BEEN ALSO GOING THROUGH AN EXTENSIVE RESOURCE PLANNING.
UM, THIS IS A LARGE BOND, UM, BUILDING, UM, WORK WE'RE ALREADY DOING FOR 2016 AND 2018.
SO JUST BETWEEN ATD AND PUBLIC WORKS, JUST UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE NEEDS AND THE RESOURCES ARE OF HOW WE CAN DELIVER THIS.
[00:15:02]
UM, NEXT MONTH IN FEBRUARY, WE WILL BE DOING A COUNCIL BRIEFING.UM, AND WE HAVE PROPOSED ACTION THAT COUNCIL ON FEBRUARY 18TH, UM, FOR MID-YEAR BUDGET AMENDMENT TO GET OUR WORK STARTED THROUGHOUT THE SPRING.
UM, AND THE LATTER HALF OF 2021, UM, WE PLAN ON DOING SEVERAL THINGS, UM, ONBOARDING ADDITIONAL STAFF TO HELP US RAMP UP FOR OUR KEY DELIVERY ERRORS.
UM, AS WELL AS REALLY LOOKING AT OUR PRIORITIZATION CRITERIA, THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT COUNCIL FOCUSED ON, UM, WITH THE CONTRACT WITH THE VOTERS IS JUST MAKING SURE WITH THIS 460 MILLION THAT WE'RE INVESTING IN COMMUNITIES THAT, UM, MIGHT'VE LACKED ADEQUATE INVESTMENT OVER THE YEARS.
SO THAT'S SOME SOMETHING THAT WE'RE, UM, THAT I DIVE INTO THIS YEAR, UM, AND MAKE THAT PART OF OUR ANNUAL MOBILITY ANNUAL PLANNING PROCESS, AND THEN WE'RE TEEING UP.
UM, AGAIN, THE, THE REST OF THE CALENDAR YEAR WILL REALLY BE RESOURCE PLANNING, CAPACITY BUILDING, UM, AND THEN ALLOWING FOR PROJECT DELIVERY TO OCCUR BETWEEN 2022 AND 2027.
UM, THE COUNCIL RESOLUTION ASKED US TO, UM, IMPLEMENT THIS PROGRAM WITHIN SIX YEARS.
UM, SO WE'LL START THAT CLOCK IN 2022.
AND FINALLY, JUST TO WRAP UP, WE HAVE A LOT OF RESOURCES ONLINE.
WE'VE TRIED TO BE, UM, REALLY GOING BACK TO 2016, JUST INCREDIBLY TRANSPARENT, UM, WITH ALL THE WORK WE'RE DOING.
UM, AND SO THERE ARE LINKS HERE TO ALL OF OUR INDIVIDUAL PROGRAMS, AS WELL AS SPECIFIC PROJECTS.
UM, AND THEN LAST SLIDE, PLEASE.
UM, AGAIN, ERIC AND I THANK YOU FOR THE INVITATION TODAY AND, UM, WE'LL BOTH HANG ON FOR ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE.
WELL, THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, I HAVE A QUESTION, UM, ON THE, THE ACTUAL, UH, PROPOSITION LANGUAGE THAT WAS SHOWN, I DIDN'T SEE THE COMPLETION DATES OR DUE DATES ON THAT.
WAS THAT, WAS THAT, UH, IS THIS THE FULL PROP IN THE SLIDE? NO, THERE'S A, THERE'S A COMPANION CONTRACT WITH THE VOTERS, UM, THAT WAS PUBLISHED AND I'M HAPPY TO SEND THE LINK OUT, BUT THAT'S WHERE IT SPECIFIES THE COMPLETION TIMELINES.
AND THAT ALIGNS WITH WHAT YOU GUYS HAD ON SLIDE, I'M ASSUMING.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSION? YOU'RE ON WE ME, IF YOU'RE OKAY.
I DON'T KNOW A BUNCH OF QUESTIONS, SO WHY DON'T WE EVERYBODY ELSE GO AHEAD AND THEN I'LL COME ON.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? YEAH, I THINK IT'S ALL YOU.
YOU HAD THESE GUIDING PRINCIPLES YOU TALKED ABOUT.
OH, I DIDN'T SEE ANY MENTION OF EQUITY LENS.
WAS THAT ALREADY ACCOUNTED FOR THAT'S ONE QUESTION? AND THE SECOND THING IS YOU TALK ABOUT, UH, ALL THIS, UH, UH, IN THE BIKING LANES, ET CETERA.
YOU CYCLISTS ALSO HAVE TO FOLLOW TRAFFIC LAWS.
THAT'S WHAT I TAUGHT TODAY, BUT I'VE SEEN TOO MANY OF THESE BICYCLISTS PILATE TRAFFIC LAWS AS THEY COME TO AN INTERSECTION.
AND HOW ARE YOU GOING TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT THEY ALSO ADD TO THE SAFETY AND NOT TAKE AWAY FROM IT.
A THIRD QUESTION IS WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE BARTON SPRINGS, BRIDGET, BRIDGET ENHANCEMENT, WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU MEAN? AND THE LAST QUESTION IS WHAT IS PLACEMAKING.
I'LL, I'LL TAKE ON THE EQUITY LENS QUESTION.
UM, THAT'S REALLY GOING TO BE DISCUSSED IN THOSE PLANNING DOCUMENTS.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN ASKED TO SORT OF, UH, RE-LOOK AT, AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH PLANNING AND PROJECT PRIORITIZATION IS FOCUSING WITH THAT EQUITY LENS.
AND LIKE ANNA WAS SAYING EARLIER, UM, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES AND WORK THAT INTO THE PRIVATE PROJECTS PRIORITIZATION.
SO IN THOSE INDIVIDUAL GUIDING DOCUMENTS, THAT'S WHERE THAT EQUITY DISCUSSIONS TAKING PLACE AND WHERE THE PRIORITIZATION.
WE, WE ASKED BICYCLISTS TO FOLLOW ALL TRAFFIC LAWS, JUST LIKE WE ASKED DRIVERS TO FOLLOW ALL TRAFFIC LAWS.
UM, IF EVERYONE'S DOING WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING, THEN IT'S PREDICTABLE AND IT KEEPS EVERYONE SAFE.
UM, SO THAT IS OUR PHILOSOPHY AND THAT'S, UM, THAT'S THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE CONSISTENTLY HAVE WITH THE COMMUNITY,
[00:20:02]
UM, FOR THE BARTON SPRINGS ROAD BRIDGE PROJECT.UM, IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THAT VERY SHORT BRIDGE, UM, THAT GOES FROM, I GUESS, RIGHT BEFORE, AS A MORTON OVER TO THE PARK, IT'S INCREDIBLY SUBSTANDARD RIGHT NOW.
UM, WE HAVE BIKE LANES ON BARTON SPRINGS ROAD THAT DROP OFF RIGHT AT THE BRIDGE.
AND THEN THERE'S A VERY NARROW SIDEWALK.
UM, I BELIEVE ON BOTH SIDES AND A VERY SH SORT OF A SHALLOW RAILING AS WELL, PROTECTING PEDESTRIANS AS THEY WALK ACROSS, I BELIEVE IN, UM, ERIC CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, I DON'T WANT TO STEP INTO YOUR TERRITORY, BUT I BELIEVE THAT THE BRIDGE IS ALSO STRUCTURALLY COMING TO THE END OF ITS LIFE.
UM, AND SO THERE'S A, THERE'S A NEED RIGHT NOW OR IN THE NEAR FUTURE TO PLAN FOR ITS REPLACEMENT.
WHEN WE PLAN FOR THAT, HOW DO WE MAKE THE BEST USE OF THE SPACE CONSIDERING ALL OF THE DEMANDS ON THE BRIDGE? UM, WHETHER IT BE DRIVERS OR BIKES OR STRAINS.
YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S RIGHT THERE, THERE ARE SOME STRUCTURAL DEFICIENCIES, UM, BRIDGES GET RATED, UM, ON A, ON A REGULAR BASIS.
UH, NOT TO SAY THAT THE BRIDGE IS GOING TO FALL DOWN TOMORROW OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT IT, THERE ARE ALWAYS SOME ISSUES.
THERE'S SOME STRUCTURAL ISSUES WITH IT, AS WELL AS SOME GEOMETRIC ISSUES THAT ANNA MENTIONED IN TERMS OF, UM, YOU KNOW, LANE WIDTHS AND BIKE LANES AND PEDESTRIAN ACCESS AND HERB HEIGHTS AND RAILING HEIGHTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT, THAT ARE ISSUES THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED WITH THAT BRIDGE TO, TO CONNECT, YOU KNOW, ZILKER INTO, YOU KNOW, THE SOUTH TOMORROW.
UH, THERE WAS SOME TALK ON ESSENTIALLY EXTENDING THE BRIDGE OUT.
SO YOU COULD HAVE AN OVERHANG ON EITHER SIDE FOR THE BIKE LANES.
IS THAT STILL UNDER CONSIDERATION OR IS THAT TOO MUCH WEIGHT TO THE BRIDGE? THE PRELIMINARY PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING REPORT IS CURRENTLY IN PROCESS AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S GOING TO BE FUNDED BY THE BOND PROGRAM HERE.
SO NONE OF THE DECISIONS HAVE BEEN MADE ABOUT THAT.
ALL THE OPTIONS ARE STILL ON THE TABLE AND WE'RE GOING TO BE GOING THROUGH WITH THAT PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING, CHECKING BACK WITH COUNCIL AND VARIOUS OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS ABOUT THAT ACTUAL DESIGN.
AND ONE LAST QUESTION WAS ABOUT PLACEMAKING PLACEMAKING COLDPLAY IS MAKING, UM, PLACEMAKING IS DEFINING SORT OF A, A FEEL OR YOUR PERSONALITY OR, UM, GIVING A ATTRIBUTES BACK TO THE CORRIDOR.
UM, IT COULD BE A PIECE OF ART, OR IT COULD BE A POCKET GREEN OR PARK-LIKE AREA BENCHES, SOMETHING FOR THE COMMUNITY TO GATHER AROUND, UM, AND TAKE OWNERSHIP OF.
SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE PLANNING TO DO ALONG ALL NINE ROADWAY AND RE REALLY WE WANT, UM, WE WANT EACH OTHER TO OWN, UM, IT HAS ITS OWN HISTORY.
SO WE WANT TO DRAW ON THAT AND REALLY WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY TO DEVELOP THESE PLACES WITH EVERYONE.
EVERYONE CAN IDENTIFY WITH LOGAN.
SO TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT, UM, WHAT'S THE ENGAGEMENT PROCESS OR VEHICLE THAT'S BEING USED TO GAUGE THE ACTUAL, YEAH, I'LL, I'LL, I'LL ATTEMPT TO ANSWER THAT AND THEN I'D BE HAPPY TO PUT OUR PROGRAM LEAD IN TOUCH WITH YOU BECAUSE THEY CAN SPEAK TO IT A LOT MORE, UM, THOUGHTFULLY THAN I CAN.
BUT, UM, I KNOW THAT THERE THERE'S A TEAM THAT'S AT THAT SEEKING OUT PLACEMAKING OPPORTUNITIES AND WORK WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY, UM, DEVELOP IDEAS AND CONCEPTS.
THEY ALSO HAVE PUT OUT A CALL FOR LOCAL ARTISTS, UM, TO PARTICIPATE IN DEFINING AND CREATING SOME THESE SPACES AS WELL.
UM, WELL WE HAVE A GREAT STAFF IN THE QUARTER PART OF MY OFFICE, AND I'D BE HAPPY TO PUT THEM IN TOUCH WITH YOU.
UM, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS REGARDING THE PRESENTATION FROM THE COMMISSION? OKAY.
WELL WE THANK YOU BOTH FOR JOINING.
I APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK AND, UH, WE'LL TALK TO YOU SOON.
[3a. Discussion and possible action on the City of Austin’s bond rating]
NUMBER THREE, UH, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON, UH, CITY OF BOSTON'S BOND RATING.UM, SO THERE IS A DOCUMENT THAT WAS PROVIDED, UM, FROM BRIAN RIVERA, DEPUTY TREASURER.
SEE IF YOU CAN GIVE, UH, A STAFF UPDATE THERE, DEPUTY TREASURER.
SO BACK IN AUGUST, WHEN WE WENT THROUGH OUR, UM, GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND SALE, WE DID GET DOWNGRADED BY ONE OF THE THREE CREDIT RATING AGENCIES, UM, THAT WE UTILIZE.
[00:25:01]
FITCH SMP IN MOVIES, UM, AND MOODY'S WAS THE ONE THAT DOWNGRADED US ONE NOTCH LOWER, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THEY CITED, UM, OR THE GROWING PENSION AND OPEB LIABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE CITY'S PENSION FUNDS.UM, BUT YEAH, I MEAN, I BELIEVE I PROVIDED THE MOON'S RATING REPORT.
I MEAN, I GUESS THIS IS MORE OF A Q AND A SESSION.
UM, SO IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE DOWNGRADE, UM, FEEL FREE TO VOICE THEM.
WE ALSO, I ALSO HAVE BELINDA WEAVER CITY TREASURER ON THE LINE, UM, AND WE ALSO, UH, OUR FINANCIAL ADVISOR, UM, FROM PUBLIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, DENNIS WALEY, UM, LAKE ROBERT'S ON THE LINE AS WELL.
30 QUESTIONS FOR THE DICE REGARDING THIS TOPIC.
UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, IN GENERAL, WE WERE JUST WANTING TO GAUGE IF THERE WAS ANY MATERIAL IMPACT.
WELL, I MEAN, ON THE BOND SALE THAT OCCURRED BACK IN AUGUST, UM, RATES WERE, WERE, AND STILL ARE PRETTY LOW.
UM, AND WITH THAT, THE CREDITS BREADS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES PRETTY COMPRESSED AS WELL.
SO, I MEAN, WE DIDN'T REALLY SEE MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE ON THIS PAST ONSET THAN WHAT WE S WHAT WE'VE SEEN IN PRIOR YEAR BOND SALES, BUT THAT'S NOT TO THAT IN THE FUTURE.
ONCE RATES START TO INCREASE IN CREDIT SPREADS, WIDEN THAT WE MAY SEE A BASIS POINT OR TO, UM, INCREASE OUR INTEREST COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH ANY FUTURE SPONSORSHIPS.
AND THEN TO ADD, IS THERE, IS THERE, YOU KNOW, A PLAN TO REMEDIATE THAT AT ALL? OR IS IT JUST, YEAH, SO, UM, AND I'LL DEFER TO THE VENDOR AS WELL, BUT I KNOW THAT INTERNAL VIEW FINANCIAL SERVICES AND TREASURY, UM, WE ARE WORKING WITH, WITH VARIOUS PARTIES, UM, TO KIND OF COME UP WITH A PLAN TO BRING THOSE PENSION LIABILITIES DOWN, BRING THOSE OPEB LINES DOWN.
BUT I THINK ONE THING TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT THIS IS, UM, IT'S GOING TO BE A LONGTERM FIX OR KIND OF TRYING TO COME UP WITH A LONGTERM FIXED.
SO IT'S GOING TO TAKE AWHILE BEFORE, UM, ANY TYPE OF RESOLUTION ONE IS IN PLACE.
AND THEN TWO, WE START TO SEE THE BENEFITS OF, UM, WHATEVER RESOLUTION IS AGREED UPON.
SO KIND OF START BEARING FRUIT STUFF.
WELL, THANKS FOR THE FEEDBACK.
UM, IF THERE AREN'T ANY OTHER QUESTIONS I THINK WE CAN, WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ITEM.
[3b. Discussion and possible action on the Bond Oversight Commission 2021 Workplan Development]
B DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ITEM ON BOND COMMISSION 2021 WORK PLAN DEVELOPMENT.UM, SO TYPICALLY WE WOULD WORK WITH STAFF TO, UH, YOU KNOW, TO, TO ENGAGE THE CITY STAFF AND WHAT WE THINK, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD TRY TO FOCUS ON, I KNOW, IN THE LAST, THE LAST YEAR OR SO, WE FOCUSED MORE ON, UM, MORE, UH, BOND TYPES, PROJECT TYPES, AS OPPOSED TO PARTICULAR PROPOSITIONS BY YEAR.
UM, I THINK THAT THAT WORKED OUT WELL, CREATED SOME CONTINUITY THERE.
UM, IS THERE ANY FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMISSION ON THAT TYPE OF FORMAT? DID YOU GUYS ENJOY THAT OR, UM, DO WE NEED TO LOOK FOR A SWITCH BACK TO KIND OF THE FOCUS YEAR BY YEAR AND THE OPINIONS JUST FINE? OKAY.
SO I THINK, UM, PAGE, I NEED YOUR INPUT HERE, STAFF ON, ON, YOU KNOW, WE, WE CAN, WE CAN KIND OF MIRROR WHAT WE DID LAST YEAR, AS FAR AS, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, WHICH PARTICULAR, UH, BOND PROJECT UPDATES WE WANT TO ALIGN WITH THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
UM, AND WE SHOULD PROBABLY DO THAT SOONER THAN LATER, UM, AS WE HAVE THE, THE MEETING IT'S ALREADY ASSIGNED.
UM, AND SO IT LOOKS LIKE HERE'S WHAT WE'VE DONE THUS FAR.
THIS IS ACTUALLY A PROPOSED WORK PLAN.
THAT'S TOP HAS PUT TOGETHER, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO MOVE ANYTHING AROUND THAT YOU'D LIKE, BUT THIS IS WHAT WE SHARED WITH THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR BELIEVE LAST FOR LAST DATA.
[00:30:11]
RIGHT.AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT ALIGNING THIS WITH ALL THE BUDGET ACTIVITIES.
AND SO IT LOOKS LIKE THAT'S IN THERE IN JUNE, JULY, UH, NO MEETING THERE.
I CAN'T SEE WHAT THE ASTERIX INDICATES CAN READ.
MOSTLY TRY TO SEE PAGE IF WE HAD TALKED ABOUT GETTING, UM, JUST KIND OF A HIGH LEVEL, UM, OUTSTANDING BOND PROGRAM SPENDING TABLE.
I MEAN, WE'VE, WE'VE GOTTEN THIS IN PRIOR YEARS, UM, TO KIND OF JUST HAVE A GLOBAL VIEW OF ANYTHING THAT'S OUTSTANDING, UM, FROM A DASHBOARD KIND OF VIEW.
WE'D BE HAPPY TO SEND YOU SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
I MEAN, THIS LOOKS FINE FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, ANY OTHER CALL-OUTS OR OPINIONS ON IT? IT LOOKS PRETTY GOOD.
YOU KNOW, THINGS COME UP WHERE, YOU KNOW, TIMING IS GOING TO IMPACT, UH, THE REPORTING.
WE CAN ALWAYS ADJUST IF WE CAN.
COULD YOU SEND THAT SCHEDULE OUT? YES.
I'LL BE HAPPY TO SHARE THIS WITH EVERYONE.
UH, W WE DON'T NEED TO VOTE ON THAT, RIGHT.
I MEAN, IT'S PAID FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE.
[3c. Discussion and possible election of Officers through May 2021]
ITEM C DISCUSSION POSSIBLE ELECTION OF OFFICERS THROUGH MAY, 2021.UM, I THINK, UH, WHEN THIS GOT BROUGHT UP, UH, YOU KNOW, THINKING THE NEW YEAR, UM, AS OPPOSED TO THE FISCAL YEAR, AS OPPOSED TO WHAT'S IN OUR ACTUAL CHARGE DOCUMENTS.
SO OUR TERMS ACTUALLY RUN, I THINK, MAY TO APRIL, UM, WHICH IS WHY THIS IS THROUGH MAY, UM, TO MY RECOMMENDATION AS WE HAVE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE NEW COMMISSIONERS JOIN, UM, IS TO WAIT AND MOVE THIS ITEM TO POTENTIALLY, UH, MARCH OR APRIL AS WE GO INTO THE NEW, THE NEW MAY TERM.
UM, IS THAT, DOES THAT SOUND RIGHT PAGE? IF THAT SOUNDS GOOD, AS FAR AS THE TERMS GO, ANY, UH, FEEDBACK ON THIS ITEM GROUPS, ALL RIGHT.
[4. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, ANYTHING ANYBODY, UH, FEELS LIKE WE SHOULD ADDRESS COMING MEETING.UM, WE TALKED ABOUT THE ELECTION, UH, TO PUSH THAT OUT, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, IS THERE ANYTHING TO ADD? OKAY.
UH, WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT THE, UM, THE OVERALL, UH, OUTSTANDING, UH, BOND PROGRAM SPEND.
SO WE CAN ADD THAT TO FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS AS WELL.
I THINK THOSE ARE THE ONLY TWO ITEMS. UH, OKAY.
WELL, IF, IF THERE'S NOTHING ELSE, UH, WE CAN ADJOURN OR EARLY, UM, APPRECIATE EVERYBODY JOINING AND YES.
MR. SANDS, JUST A HEADS UP FOR YOU AMERICAN NEXT MONTH.
I ALSO WANTED TO MENTION THAT IF YOUR TERM IS ENDING NEXT MONTH, THEN THERE IS A 60 DAY PERIOD, UM, UNTIL SOMEONE IS REAPPOINTED OR APPOINTED
[00:35:01]
WHERE SOMEONE COULD BE THERE IN A HOLD OVER CAPACITY.IS THERE A PAGE, WHAT DOES THAT DO TO QUORUM? IF THERE'S, YOU KNOW, IF WE KNOW THAT THERE'S THAT 60 DAY WINDOW? YEP.
I BELIEVE THAT WE STILL NEED SIX PEOPLE TO REACH QUORUM DURING THAT 60 DAYS.
I KNOW OFF, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S ILLEGAL OR NOT.
I MEAN, IS THERE, IS THERE A POTENTIAL TO TALK TO THE CLERK ABOUT THAT OR IS THAT JUST A FIRM RULE THAT THERE ARE VACANCIES PENDING BILL? YOU KNOW, THAT WE'RE, WE'RE KIND OF STUCK AT THE SAME, SAME CORUM COW.
WE WILL CONFIRM WITH THE CLERK'S OFFICE, BUT STILL BELIEVE THAT THAT'S THE CASE.
UH, WE'LL TALK TO YOU FOLKS NEXT MONTH.
UH, HAVE A GOOD MONTH AND WE'LL TALK TO YOU SOON.