* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:04] IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE RARELY, I DON'T KNOW IF WE HAVE STAFF YET MORE THAN DOCTOR STAFF. WE READY TO GO. OKAY. THEN I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND CONVENE TODAY'S MEETING OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION. TODAY IS TUESDAY, JUNE 1ST, 2021, 9:09 AM. THAT MEETING IS BEING HELD VIRTUALLY CONSISTENT WITH THE, UH, THE EMERGENCY RULES. WE HAVE A QUORUM, ALEX, WE HAVE TONS OF STUFF TODAY ON THE AGENDA. WE'RE GOING TO FIND AND WORK AS, AS RAPIDLY AS WE CAN. UH, WE HAVE A ONE 30 AUSTIN ENERGY MEETING, OR I'M TRYING TO KEEP THE 45 MINUTES TODAY. UH, THE HOMELESSNESS, UH, BRIEFINGS ARE GOING TO BE THIS AFTERNOON. THAT'S A HOMELESSNESS BRIEFING THAT'LL ADDRESS. I THINK THE, UH, PROPERTY RESPONSE, AS WELL AS THE HOMELESSNESS BREATHING SEPARATE FROM THAT, THAT DEALS WITH THE, UH, ARPA, UH, DOLLARS, UH, WHICH RELATE TO THE, UM, 3000 PEOPLE IN THREE YEARS PLUS SYSTEM PLUS, UM, UH, PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE, UM, UH, SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE CONTINGENT ON PARTNERS JOINING US. UH, THE, UH, SO THAT'LL BE IN THE AFTERNOON WE HAVE TODAY, UH, PULLED ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO YOU. I HAVE ALSO PULLED THE, UH, TAX ITEMS ITEM 71 AND 72, UH, SO THAT, UH, WE'RE GOING TO LET STAFF AVAILABLE POTENTIALLY TO TALK ABOUT, UH, THOSE ITEMS AS WELL. UM, WE'VE GIVEN STAFF PRIME NOTICE ON THAT. SO I THINK THEY ARE READY. UH, THE, THE ITEMS THAT WE HAVE, UH, FOR US TO, TO DO HERE, WE HAVE A, UH, BRIEFING ON, UM, HEALTH SOUTH. WE ALSO HAVE A COUNCIL DISCUSSION, UH, COUNCIL MEETING, UH, OPTIONS, UH, AS WE MOVE INTO, UH, JULY, UH, WE ALSO HAVE A COUNCIL DISCUSSION ABOUT, UH, TIMELINES RELATED TO THE A E UH AEDC AND THEN WE HAVE, UH, TWO ITEMS, UH, TO CONSIDER IN THE EXECUTIVE SESSION, WHATEVER THE PURCHASE, UH, CHANGE LISA INTERESTED IN REAL PROPERTY OR TALKING VERSION STRATEGY, UH, AND THAT ALSO A TRANSFER OF LAND WITH THE MOVIE ALERT PROJECT, RIGHT? SO THAT'S OUR DAY. I WOULD SUGGEST THAT LET'S BEGIN WITH THE, UH, UM, THE HEALTH SOUTH AND THEN THE COUNCIL MEETINGS, AND THEN THE ADC. SO WE CAN GET THOSE DONE. THEN WE'LL MOVE TO POOLED ITEMS IF WE CAN, UH, EXECUTIVE SESSION AND THE HOMELESSNESS GRIEVANCE, WE DO NOT HAVE A JOINT MEETING TODAY WITH THE COUNTY BECAUSE THE COUNTY IS NOT MEETING TODAY, BUT IN LIEU OF THE COVID BRIEFING SO THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO WORK OVER THE HOLIDAY. WE'RE GOING TO GET A MEMO TOMORROW OR MORE HEALTH DEPARTMENT STAFF. THAT WOULD BE THE FUNCTIONAL EQUIVALENT OF A BRIEFING. SO WE'LL GET THAT DEMO, WHICH WILL BE PUBLIC TOMORROW. WE HAVE A HARD STOP AT FIVE O'CLOCK, UH, AND, UH, WE MAY, UH, WE HAVE A HARD STOP AT FIVE O'CLOCK, UH, ALISON ABOUT YOUR, IF WE LOSE YOU AT FOUR FOR GRADUATION, UM, NATALIE, CONGRATULATIONS TO NATALIE FOR THAT. UH, BUT, BUT LET US KNOW AS WE GET, UH, GET CLOSER ON THAT LAST WEEK, UM, MAYOR WITH REGARD TO THE ITEMS THAT ARE BEING PULLED FOR DISCUSSION, I THINK THE TWO, TWO OF THEM THAT YOU ARE BRINGING ITEMS 71 AND 72. UM, I HAD, UM, WANTED TO BE LISTED AS A CO-SPONSOR ON BOTH OF THOSE. GREAT, THANK YOU. YEAH, THANKS COULD BE LISTED THAT WAY. OKAY. [B2. Update on the Aspen Heights Negotiation (HealthSouth).] MANAGER, WE'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU FOR THE BRIEFINGS. THANK YOU, MARIN COUNCIL AND GOOD MORNING, UH, AS THE MAYOR INDICATED, IT'S GOING TO BE A BUSY WORK SESSION. UH, SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED WITH THE B2 BRIEFING, THE UPDATE ON THE HARASSMENT, ASPEN HEIGHTS, NEGOTIATION, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS HEALTH SOUTH. AND SO WE DO HAVE STAFF, UH, HERE TO PRESENT AND, UM, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENTS, SUZANA CARVEL HALL, GONNA START US OFF. GOOD MORNING, [00:05:01] MAYOR AND COUNCIL. I'M SUSANA ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. CAN YOU ALL HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. IT IS MY PLEASURE TO UPDATE YOU ON THE STATUS OF THE REDEVELOPMENT OF THE FORMER HEALTHSOUTH PROPERTY LOCATED AT 1215 RED RIVER AND SIX OH SIX EAST 12TH STREET. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UM, IB ONE, I DON'T SEE THE PRESENTATION FOR ASPEN HEIGHTS COMING RIGHT UP. THANK YOU. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. MAYOR AND COUNCIL. I'M FIRST GOING TO INTRODUCE YOU THE CROSS DEPARTMENTAL TEAM THAT NEGOTIATED ON BEHALF OF THE CITY. I WILL THEN FOLLOW WITH A BRIEF BACKGROUND ON THE SOLICITATION THAT US HERE TODAY AND SHARE WITH YOU SOME OF THE MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EXCLUSIVE NEGOTIATING AGREEMENT THAT WE ENTERED INTO WITH ASPEN HEIGHTS AND CONCLUDE WITH FOLLOWING NEXT STEP. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THE CROSS DEPARTMENTAL TEAM THEN NEGOTIATED ON BEHALF OF THE CITY WITH ASPEN HEIGHTS INCLUDED MANDY TAMAYO FROM THE HOUSING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT MAREK ISHA FROM OFFICE REAL ESTATE SURFACES. RON FROM THE LAW DEPARTMENT, THE LAW DEPARTMENT, MARGARET SHAW, AND MYSELF FROM THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, BACK IN 2018 AND OCTOBER COUNCIL PASSED A RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO DO TWO THINGS, INITIATE THE SUBSTATION FOR THE REDEVELOPMENT OF THE SITE WITH MIXED INCOME HOUSING, AS AN EMPHASIS WITH MULTI-CULTURAL HOUSING FOR HOUSEHOLDS EARNING AT OR BELOW 60% OF MFI. AND THE SECOND ONE IS TO ADDRESS THE CITY'S FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS. WOULD THAT RESOLUTION IN NOVEMBER OF 2019, THE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT ISSUED THOSE CITATION IN APRIL OF 2020, THE RFP CLOSED, AND WE RECEIVED FOUR PROPOSALS IN NOVEMBER OF 2020. PURCHASING ANNOUNCED THE PROPOSAL RANKINGS WITH ASPEN HEIGHTS RECEIVING THE HIGHEST TOTAL SCORE EARLIER THIS YEAR IN JANUARY COUNCIL AUTHORIZED STAFF TO NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE THE EXCLUSIVE NEGOTIATING AGREEMENT WITH ASPEN HEIGHTS, INCLUDING CERTAIN COMMUNITY BENEFITS THAT WERE ADDRESSED OR DISCUSSED AT THAT MEETING JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, THE PARTIES, BOTH THE CITY AND ASPEN HEIGHTS FINALIZED AND REACHED AN AGREEMENT AND EXECUTED THE EXCLUSIVE NEGOTIATING AGREEMENT THAT REALLY JUST BASICALLY LAYS OUT A FRAMEWORK, THE BASELINE FOR NEGOTIATING THE DETAILED TERMS FOR THE MASTER DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT. THE MASTER DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT WILL BE ACTUALLY THE DOCUMENT THAT WILL GOVERN THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION FOR THE DEVELOPER. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AS A REFRESHER, ASPEN HEIGHTS IS A LOCAL TEAM MADE UP OF ASPEN HEIGHTS AS A DEVELOPER STG DESIGN, AS THE ARCHITECT, SAVILLA TUDE, AS THE ENGINEER AND STUDIO BALCONIES AS A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT TOGETHER, THEY HAVE A COMBINED EXPERIENCE OF 40 YEARS OF DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN THE AREA WITH MULTI HOUSING AS ONE OF THEIR ACTORS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO NOW SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EXCLUSIVE NEGOTIATING AGREEMENT THAT THE CITY THAT THE CITY AND HAS BEEN HEIGHTS AGREED AND REACHED INCLUDES PROVIDING 25 TO 45% MIXED INCOME RENTAL HOUSING, FOCUSING ON MULTI ORIENTED BEDROOM, TWO TO THREE BEDROOMS, HOUSING FOR HOUSEHOLDS EARNING AT OR BELOW 60%, THEN IT WILL INCLUDE HIGH QUALITY AFFORDABLE CHILDCARE ONSITE. IT WILL ALSO OFFER A LIVE MUSIC AND ART VENUE SPACES PRIORITIZING HISTORICALLY DISENFRANCHISED ARTISTS. THE CITY AND ASPEN HEIGHTS WILL ALSO NEGOTIATE WHETHER TO PURCHASE AND OR LEASE THE PROPERTY FROM THE CITY. THE DEVELOPMENT WILL PROVIDE SOURCE OF INCOME PROTECTION BY ACCEPTING HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHERS. THE DEVELOPER IS ALSO COMMITTED TO RECRUITING AND LEASING LOCAL BUSINESSES, INCLUDING RETAILERS, GROCERIES, AND RESTAURANTS. IT WILL PROVIDE PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE VIEWING DECK AS WELL AS OPEN GREEN SPACE, WHICH MAY INCLUDE AN AQUATIC AMENITY. THE DEVELOPMENT WILL HAVE LEARNING SPACES, COMPUTER LABS, AND OTHER SPACES WITH TECH RESOURCES, OSHA [00:10:01] REQUIREMENTS, PREVAILING WAGE RATES, ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN, AND REST BREAKS WILL ALSO BE PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT. ONE OF THE COMMUNITY BENEFITS THAT THE PARTIES COULD NOT REACH INTO AN AGREEMENT IS THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT. IT WILL NOT BE AN A CONTEMPLATED USE AS PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. NOW THAT THE EXCLUSIVE NEGOTIATE AGREEMENT HAS BEEN FINALIZED AND EXECUTED, THE NEXT STEPS IS FOR THE CITY TEAM MADE UP ACROSS DEPARTMENTAL STAFF, UH, WE'LL CONTINUE OR COMMENCE NEGOTIATIONS WITH ASPEN HEIGHTS OR THE SPECIFIC TERMS THAT WILL GOVERN THE MASTER DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT. AFTER FINALIZING THE TERMS FOR THE MDA, WE WILL BRIEF THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION, THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION, THE DESIGN COMMISSION ON THE PROPOSED MDA TERMS THAT THE PARTIES REACHED. WE WILL ALSO SEEK PUBLIC FEEDBACK ON THE TERMS OF THE MDA AND THEN COME BACK TO COUNCIL TO PRESENT BEFORE WE EXECUTE THE MASTER DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT. THIS CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. OKAY. THANK YOU, COLLEAGUES. I THINK KATHY, YOU MAY HAVE ASKED FOR THIS PRESENTATION I DID, AND I HAVE, I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS THERE. I WAS JUST, UM, HOLDING BACK TO SEE IF ANYBODY ELSE HAD ANY FIRST. WHY DON'T YOU GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, UM, STAFF, AND AGAIN, APOLOGIES THAT WE WEREN'T ABLE TO TAKE IT UP THE FIRST DAY IT WAS SCHEDULED HERE. I'D LIKE DRILL DOWN ON, ON THE CERTAINTY OF SEVERAL OF THESE ELEMENTS, UM, AND READING THROUGH SOME OF THE TERMS OF THE, THE ACTUAL, UM, EXCLUSIVE, EXCLUSIVE NEGOTIATING AGREEMENTS. THERE WAS SOME LANGUAGE, UM, THERE WAS SOME LANGUAGE THAT I WANTED TO GET YOUR TAKE ON REALLY HOW THE NEGOTIATIONS ARE GOING WITH REGARD TO THEM BECAUSE THERE IS, THERE IS LANGUAGE, FOR EXAMPLE, ON PAGE FOUR OF THE AGREEMENT THAT TALKS ABOUT FOR THE, FOR THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING MANAGEMENT PIECE, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, IT SAYS TO THE EXTENT FEASIBLE, AND THEN LATER THE COMMUNITY BENEFITS INCLUDE THE SAME LANGUAGE TO THE EXTENT FEASIBLE. AND SO, BUT I'D LIKE TO GET A SENSE OF JUST AT THE OUTSET IS HOW FEASIBLE DOES ASPEN HEIGHTS BELIEVE THESE ARE GOING TO BE FOR THEIR PROJECT, BECAUSE THOSE ARE REALLY PRETTY CRITICAL COMMUNITY BENEFITS AND, AND WHAT I'M, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT I'M HOPING IN HAVING THIS CHECK-IN AND HOPEFULLY OTHERS AS WELL IS THAT WE CAN REALLY MAKE SURE THAT THE, THAT THE NEGOTIATIONS ARE ON TRACK WITH WHAT, WITH WHAT THE COUNCIL PASSED, UM, BACK IN JANUARY. BUT, BUT EVEN MORE SO, OR IN ADDITION TO THAT, YOU KNOW, BACK BACK WHEN WE FIRST ASKED YOU TO LOOK AT REDEVELOPING THIS PROPERTY FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AND THAT, I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT WAS THE PRIMARY THAT WAS DESIGNED TO BE THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THIS TRACT. GOOD MORNING, COUNCIL MEMBER. TOVO THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTION. SO WE HAVE NOT COMMENCED NON NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE TERMS OF THE MASTER DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT. UH, SINCE WE JUST REACHED AN AGREEMENT AND FINALIZE THE TERMS FOR THE EXCLUSIVE, UH, NEGOTIATED AGREEMENT, UH, WE WANTED TO REPORT TO COUNCIL, UH, BEFORE COMMENCING MDA NEGOTIATIONS, UM, THE, THE ITEMS AND THE TERMS AND COMMUNITY BENEFITS THAT ARE LISTED IN THE EXCLUSIVE NEGOTIATED AGREEMENT ARE, ARE IN THERE BECAUSE BOTH PARTIES HAVE IN GOOD FAITH, STRONGLY ADVOCATED, AND AGREED THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE WILL BE NEGOTIATING TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY INCLUDE IN THE PROPERTY, UH, TO THE EXTENT FEASIBLE LANGUAGE WAS INCLUDED BECAUSE WE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THESE COMMUNITY BENEFIT BENEFITS WERE NOT SPECIFICALLY, UM, MENTIONED IN THE RFP PROCESS. SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT, UM, THAT THE PROPOSAL DID A RESPONSE SPECIFICALLY TO THE RFP AND AFTER OUR ADDITIONAL COUNCIL, UH, FEEDBACK THAT WE INCLUDED THEM IN THE INCLUDE EXCLUSIVE NEGOTIATING AGREEMENTS, SO THAT WE ENSURE THAT WE, UH, DISCUSS THEM AND ENSURE THAT THEY'RE A PART OF THE MDA NEGOTIATIONS. I GUESS I'M STILL TRYING TO GET A SENSE OF, OF WHAT THE CERTAINTY IS. YOU KNOW, I THINK, LET ME ASK THEM SOME OTHER QUESTIONS, BUT LET ME JUST SAY, I, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S BETTER FOR ALL PARTIES, [00:15:01] IF THEY DON'T BELIEVE THEY CAN INCLUDE AFFORDABLE CHILDCARE OR THAT A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE HOUSING ON SITE VIA AFFORDABLE, YOU KNOW, THAT WE NOW RATHER THAN, RATHER THAN, UM, AT THE TIME WHERE THE MDA COMES TO COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION. ONE OTHER THING THAT I REALLY JUST WANT TO NOTE AT THE OUTSET IS THERE SEEMED, UM, AND MAYBE THIS IS A QUESTION TO MY COLLEAGUES, BUT WE KEEP TALKING ABOUT IT AS LEASE OR SALE. AND I THOUGHT THAT WE HAD A, UM, AT LEAST A STRONG, SOME STRONG, UM, SENTIMENT ON COUNCIL THAT WE WERE GOING TO LEASE IT AND NOT SELL IT. AND SO I'M, I'M JUST, IT SEEMS LIKE THAT MIGHT BE A DECISION EASIER TO MAKE, RATHER THAN HAVE YOU CONTINUE TO BALANCE THOSE, UM, POSSIBILITIES. AND THEN I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING LANGUAGE, BUT I MEAN, I'LL, I'LL PAUSE THERE AND JUST HEAR FROM, FROM MY COLLEAGUES OR FROM STAFF ABOUT WHY WE'RE CONTINUING TO BALANCE THE LEASE OR SALE. I MEAN, I KNOW THIS AS AN ATTRACTIVE PIECE OF PROPERTY AND LOTS OF FOLKS WANT TO BUY IT, BUT IT, WE HAD TALKED, UM, A LOT JUST IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS PROPERTY, BUT ALSO IN THE CONTEXT OF OTHERS ABOUT HOW VALUABLE IT IS FOR THE CITY TO HOLD ONTO THOSE ASSETS, ESPECIALLY IN AREAS WHERE WE KNOW THERE'S GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE A DEMAND FOR THEM. IT'S JUST IN THE CITY'S BEST FISCAL, UM, INTEREST IN MY OPINION, TO, TO HOLD ON TO THOSE PROPERTIES, NOT TO MENTION THAT IF WE WANT TO PRESERVE AFFORDABILITY THERE ON SITE AND PRESERVE THOSE OTHER COMMUNITY BENEFITS, THE BEST WAY TO DO IT IS TO CONTINUE TO OWN THE PROPERTY CAMERA WHILE YOU RESPOND JUST WHILE I'M GRABBING SOME APRIL MY PRINTER. OKAY. I THINK FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, THAT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING AS WELL. I THINK WE DISCUSSED THIS SO ABSENT SOME REAL EXIGENT CIRCUMSTANCE WHERE THE STAFF COMES BACK AND SAYS, ACTUALLY, THAT'S NOT A GOOD THING TO DO, OR IT'S INAPPROPRIATE, OR THEY'RE VIC HUGE LOSS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. I THINK THE CITY WOULD REALLY LIKE TO GET THEIR PROPERTY BACK IN 99 YEARS OR WHATEVER LONG-TERM BRADLEY'S WOULD BE SO THAT IT COMES BACK TO THE PUBLIC DOMAIN. AGAIN, THAT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING AS WELL. THAT WAS MINE TOO, WHICH IS WHY I'M JUST CONFUSED AND SOMEWHAT CONCERNED THAT WE CONTINUE TO SEE LANGUAGE IN HERE THAT SUPPORTS A SALE. UM, I JUST WANTED TO ADD MY VOICE TO WHAT BOTH OF YOU ARE SAYING, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, TAILBONE, AND MAYOR ADLER. I, UH, AGREE IN SUPPORT THE LEASE, BUT NOT THE SALE. AND SO I'M HEARING WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER TOBO IS ASKING FOR ME. PRIMARY REASON IS IF WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO PRESERVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT IS TO LEASE THIS PROPERTY, NOT TO SELL IT WISELY. YEAH. I'LL JUST ADD MY VOICE TO, I DON'T WANT TO LOSE ULTIMATE CONTROL FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN OVER THAT PROPERTY AT ALL. AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, UM, DO THE BEST WE CAN WITH THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING PIECE, BECAUSE YES, THAT WAS IN FACT, UH, UH, A KEY SELLING POINT, UH, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE. THANKS. OKAY. UH, YES, MCKENZIE AND NPO. THANK YOU. I, I SUPPORT WHAT MY COLLEAGUES ARE SAYING ABOUT KEEPING THE OPTION TO LEASE AND NOT TO SELL BANKS. MAYOR. I SUPPORT THAT, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE NEED TO HOLD ON TO OUR PROPERTY WHEN I WAS, UH, JOINING CAPITAL METRO AS A TRUSTEE. UH, WE MADE SURE THAT WE WENT INTO A LONG-TERM LEASE, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT, VERY IMPORTANT TO KEEP POSSESSION OF THE LAND, YOU KNOW, UM, I, I, I WISH THAT, UH, REBECCA BAILEY HAD DONE THE SAME THING, BUT THEY DIDN'T AND THEY SOBERED. AND, UH, AND NOW WE ARE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH US, SOME OF THAT DEVELOPMENT THAT THEY DID HERE IN, IN THIS . SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP CONTROL OF OUR LAND. OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE ON THIS PAGE, I'M ALSO SUPPORTIVE OF PURSUING THE OPTIONS, AT LEAST AT THAT, I THINK WE SHOULD BE KEEPING THE CITY ON LAND AND IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. OKAY. AND MAYOR, IF I MAY, I, I MIGHT, I'M STILL LOOKING FOR IT, BUT IT'S MY REMEMBERING THAT WE ACTUALLY HAD THAT IN THE DIRECTION THAT WE PASSED, THAT WE WERE INTERESTED IN THE LEASE, NOT THE SALE. SO I'M GOING TO FIND THAT HERE, IF WE NEED TO. BUT AGAIN, I THINK THAT, THAT IT WAS IN THE FIRST PARAGRAPH OF MY MOTION SHEET ON THAT, UM, ON THAT DAY. AND SO, UM, I GUESS I WOULD, I WOULD JUST ASK OUR CITY MANAGER, IF YOU WOULD, PLEASE, I THINK THAT CLOSED THAT QUESTION OF LEASE OR SALE. [00:20:01] SO, AND THEN AGAIN, MAY I DO HAVE SOME OTHER QUESTIONS, BUT I'M GOING TO, WHEN YOU, WHEN IT'S APPROPRIATE YEAH. MANAGER, ABSENCE, THE STAFF COMING BACK AND SAYING THAT'S A BIG MISTAKE SOME WAY, I THINK THE SEVEN MINUTE COUNCIL'S CLEAR ON THAT. WE HEAR THAT. THANK YOU. MA'AM THANK YOU, KATHY REWARD. SURE. UM, AND I'M, AND I'M REMINDED THANK YOU TO MY GREAT STAFF, UM, THAT IT WAS ALSO MAYOR PRO TEM IN YOUR, IN YOUR MOTION SHEET AS WELL. WE WERE ALIGNED. SO, UM, THE HOUSING, THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING PIECE. SO AS I LOOK AT NUMBER, UH, PAGE FOUR OF THE FLOORS ABOUT THE DESCRIPTION OF THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, IT SAYS DEVELOPER SHALL SEEK TO OFFER IN THE RANGE OF 25% TO 45% MIXED INCOME FOR RENT HOUSING, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON FAMILY ORIENTED, MULTI BEDROOM HOUSING AT, OR BELOW 60%. CAN YOU PLEASE CLARIFY FOR ME, ARE YOU SUGGESTING THAT 25 TO 45% OF THE HOUSING ON THE SITE WOULD BE AFFORDABLE OR JUST THAT IT WOULD BE MIXED INCOME? I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, YOU KNOW, AS I HAVE WATCHED PRO PROJECTS, UM, CITY-OWNED PROJECTS MOSTLY AS A COMMUNITY MEMBER, UM, GO THROUGH THE PROCESS. I, THAT SEEMS TO BE THE THING THAT WITH GREEN AND WITH SEAHOLM THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN THAT DEVELOPMENT HITS COUNCIL, IT DOES NOT MEET EXPECTATIONS FOR THE AMOUNT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UM, ON SITE. AND SO CAN YOU, CAN YOU PLEASE BE REALLY CLEAR WITH US ABOUT WHAT, WHAT THE EXCLUSIVE NEGOTIATING AGREEMENT IS ASKING IN TERMS OF THE PERCENTAGE OF HOUSING ON THAT SITE? THAT WOULD BE AFFORDABLE BECAUSE FOR ME THAT IS JUST A DEAL BREAKER. AND I THINK IT IS FOR MANY, MANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS AS WELL. AND THE LANGUAGE SEEMS TO BE SUGGESTING THAT THAT PERCENTAGE APPLIES ONLY TO MULTI BEDROOM COUNCIL MEMBER. I WOULD LIKE TO DEFER THAT QUESTION FROM THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. SUZANNA MANDY DE MAYO, UM, HOUSING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT AND COUNCIL MEMBER. THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION. THE ENA ESTABLISHES THE FRAMEWORK FOR FUTURE DISCUSSION, UM, AND FOUR SETS UP THE MASTER DEVELOPER AGREEMENT, THE CONVERSATION AND OUR UNDERSTANDING, UM, THUS FAR HAS BEEN THAT THIS WILL BE MIXED INCOME HOUSING, AND A MINIMUM OF 25% WILL BE AFFORDABLE IN TERMS OF RENTAL HOUSING AT OR BELOW 60% MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME. AND WE ARE IN DISCUSSION TO HAVE AT LEAST 25% AFFORDABLE UP TO 45% AFFORDABLE HOUSING. SO WE ARE, THE EXPECTATION IS MIXED INCOME HOUSING WITH A MINIMUM OF 25% AFFORDABLE, NOT JUST THE TWO AND THREE BEDROOM. THE EXPECTATION IS THAT THERE WILL BE TWO AND THREE BEDROOMS, BUT THERE WILL BE AN EMPHASIS ON A FAMILY FRIEND WITH HOUSING, BUT A MINIMUM OF 25%, UM, WILL BE AFFORDABLE AT, OR BELOW 60% MEDIAN FAMILY UP TO 20 UP TO 45%. OKAY, THANK YOU, MANDY. SO THAT, UM, SO THAT CLARIFIES THAT SENTENCE. IT WASN'T CLEAR TO ME THE WAY IT WAS WORDED, WHETHER THAT 25 TO 45% APPLIED TO THE AFFORDABLE UNITS OR APPLIED TO THE MULTI BEDROOM UNITS. AND WHAT I'M HEARING YOU SAYING IS THAT IT APPLIES TO THE AFFORDABLE UNITS. UM, I'LL HAVE TO GIVE SOME THOUGHT ABOUT WHETHER THAT'S I HAD HOPED IT WOULD BE CLOSER TO SAY 50 TO 75%. THAT'S KIND OF WHERE I WANTED TO SEE THOSE PERCENTAGES COME IN FOR A PIECE OF CITY ON LAND, WHERE WE CONTROL IT AND WE, WE HAVE THE LAND COSTS OUT OF THAT EQUATION. UM, SO LET ME JUST PUT THAT OUT THERE, UM, AND SEE WHAT THE REST OF YOU ALL THINK, BUT, YOU KNOW, IF, IF WE'RE EVER GOING TO GET AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UM, IN THIS AREA OR FRANKLY IN ANYWHERE AREA IN HERE, I THINK, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MANDATE THAT IT BE MORE THAN MORE THAN TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT. I APPRECIATE THAT IT GOES UP TO 45%, BUT AGAIN, I'D HOPE TO SEE THAT RANGE A LITTLE, A LITTLE HIGHER. OKAY. CAN YOU FURTHER DISCUSSION ON HOW SOUTH? OKAY. YES, LESLIE. WELL, I'LL JUST REITERATE WHAT I SAID A LITTLE BIT EARLIER. THE, UH, PROVISION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING AT THE LARGEST PERCENTAGE POSSIBLE WAS A KEY SELLING POINT FOR ME AND A KEY OPPORTUNITY FOR US, PARTICULARLY AT [00:25:01] THIS SITE. SO I WOULD JUST, AGAIN, AMPLIFY ONE COUNCIL MEMBER TYRONE WAS SAYING ABOUT THE PERCENTAGES OF AFFORDABLE UNITS. I ALSO SUPPORT THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING, BUT YET I UNDERSTAND THAT THAT'S A BALANCE BETWEEN HAVING A PROPERTY RETURNED, SOME KIND OF RETURN SO THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO THE AFFORDABLE STUFF. UM, SO I MEAN, ULTIMATELY THERE'S THAT BALANCE, BUT OBVIOUSLY WE WANT TO GET AS MUCH, YOU KNOW, AFFORDABLE AS WE CAN FURTHER DISCUSSION KATHY. YEAH. BUT A COUPLE OF LAST QUESTIONS. AND I DON'T KNOW IF COUNCIL MEMBER INTO RIO WANTS TO ADDRESS THE DAC, UM, PIECE BEFORE WE MOVE ON FROM THIS TOPIC, BUT I SAW SOME DISCUSSION AND I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS STANDARD LANGUAGE OR IF IT WAS WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH IT, BUT ON PAGE SEVEN, UNDER THE ZONING AND SUBDIVISION, IT TALKS ABOUT THE CITY COMING FORWARD AND INITIATING THE ZONING. BUT IT SEEMS TO, IT SEEMS TO CONTEMPLATE SUBDIVISION OF THE TRACT. CAN, CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY THAT PROVISION IS IN THERE? WHAT WOULD, WHAT WOULD BE SUBDIVIDED AND WHY AT THIS POINT, UH, ZONING MATTER HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED. UM, THE, UH, SO WE, SO WE JUST EXPLORING AND MAKING SURE THAT WE ALLOW FOR EVERYTHING THAT IS A POSSIBLE USE, BUT CERTAINLY IF THERE'S, UM, ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, UH, I WELCOME ANY OF MY COLLEAGUES TO PROVIDE, BUT AT THIS POINT, THESE ARE JUST BASIC STARTING POINTS FOR NEGOTIATION AND FOR THE MDA, NO SPECIFIC TERM HAS BEEN DETERMINED OR FINALIZE FOR MDA. SO IT'S, THERE'S NO CURRENT CONTEMPLATED USE FOR SPECIFIC ZONING AT THIS TIME. THAT WILL BE INTO THE ACTUAL MDA NEGOTIATIONS. OKAY. THANKS. I GUESS. I MEAN, YEAH, I DON'T, I UNDERSTAND THAT. I MEAN, I THINK THAT'S TRUE OF ALL THE TERMS RIGHT THERE. THEY'RE KIND OF, UH, IT'S UH, BASICALLY THE DIRECTION THAT WE PROVIDED IN THIS, IN THIS FORUM SAYING TO THE EXTENT, FEASIBLE, TRY TO INCORPORATE IT. SO WE, I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE REALLY IMPORTANT COLLEAGUES THAT WE GET SOME, SOME CHECKPOINTS, WHETHER THEY'RE IN EXECUTIVE SESSION OR IN FULL SESSION WITH OUR STAFF TO MAKE SURE THAT WE REALLY ARE PROGRESSING AND THAT THE DEVELOPER UNDERSTANDS HOW, HOW COMMITTED WE ARE TO MAKING SURE THAT THESE END UP IN THE FINAL AGREEMENT, BECAUSE AT THIS POINT THEY'RE NOT COMMITMENTS. IT'S, IT'S REALLY JUST A CODIFICATION OF THE DIRECTION THAT WE PROVIDED. UM, MANAGER. I NOTICED THAT THERE ARE SOME CONTEMPLATED LEASES OF THIS SPACE AND I, I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION IN LIGHT OF THE ITEMS THAT WE HAVE ON OUR AGENDA TODAY. I WON'T HAVE IT HERE, BUT I DO THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, IF, IF OUR CITY-OWNED BUILDING IS ABLE TO BE LEASED OUT IS IN THE CONDITION ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO BE LEASED OUT TO TWO OTHER PRIVATE ENTITIES. I, I WOULD JUST STRONGLY URGE YOU TO CONSIDER THE MANY, MANY USES WE HAVE FOR IT CURRENTLY, UM, AT THE CITY. AND SO THAT TOOK ME BY SURPRISE BECAUSE EVERY TIME I'VE SUGGESTED POTENTIAL USE FOR THAT PROPERTY, THAT WOULD MEET A NEED THAT THE CITY HAS IDENTIFIED. I'VE BEEN TOLD IT'S NOT IN GOOD ENOUGH SHAPE TO DO SO YET. WE'RE ABOUT TO ENTER INTO A LEASE AS I UNDERSTAND IT, TO RENT OUT SOME OF THE INTERIOR SPACE. SO, UM, JUST NOTE THAT THAT'S OF STRONG INTEREST TO ME, AND THEN I WOULD LIKE TO JUST GET BACK TO, AND THIS WILL PROBABLY BE MY LAST QUESTION, UNLESS SOMEBODY ELSE ASKS ONE THAT TRIGGERS SOMETHING FROM ME, BUT MAYOR YOU HAD ADDED AN AMENDMENT TO, TO, UM, EXPLORE HAVING A MUSIC USE THERE. AND I GUESS I'M STILL STRUGGLING WITH THAT IF WE WANT THIS PRIMARILY TO BE FAMILY ORIENTED HOUSING, UM, ONSITE CHILDCARE, BULK OF IT HOUSING. AND THAT DOES REMIND ME OF A QUESTION, UM, THAT I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT THE BALANCE OF USES ON THE SITE WITH OFFICE. ARE WE SURE THAT THIS IS THE RIGHT LOCATION FOR A MUSIC VENUE? AND, AND I'LL JUST, I KNOW THAT YOU, YOU HEAR TONS OF FEEDBACK FROM SOME OF OUR DOWNTOWN RESIDENTS WHO HAVE, WHO ARE LIVING ABOVE MUSIC VENUES. I KNOW WE'VE GOT DIRECTION IN HERE, UM, IN RESPONSE TO THE SUGGESTION TO HAVE A MUSIC VENUE I ADDED IN LANGUAGE ABOUT MAKING SURE WE'VE GOT GREAT SOUND MITIGATION, BUT AGAIN, I WOULD JUST ASK, IS THIS, IS THIS REALLY A PLACE WHERE WE WANT TO HAVE A MUSIC VENUE? IF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS ENCOURAGE HOUSING ON THIS SITE. I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY WE WANT, WE WANT BOTH, UM, THE CONCERN ABOUT THE BASIC VALUE IS THAT WE HAVE A, A RICH, UH, UH, CULTURAL HISTORY IN OUR RED RIVER DISTRICT AT NINTH AND 11TH. MY CONCERN [00:30:01] IS, IS THAT THOSE USES THAT ARE REPRESENT, UH, SOMEBODY THAT'S GOING TO BE ABLE TO BE SUSTAINED THAT EVENTUALLY THOSE, THOSE PLACES WHERE THOSE RELATIVELY SMALL CLUBS ARE, UH, THAT SERVE AS LIVE MUSIC, VENUES GET TORN DOWN AND SOMETHING TALL GETS BUILT IN THEIR PLACE. AND IF WE DON'T USE OUR LAND TO BE ABLE TO ESTABLISH THAT KIND OF USE, UH, I'M AFRAID WE'LL, WE'LL LOSE IT. UH, I DO BELIEVE THAT THE TECHNOLOGY EXISTS TO BE ABLE TO BUILD A SPACE LIKE THAT SO THAT IT DOESN'T CREATE SOUND TRANSFERS INTO BUILDINGS. AND I THINK A LOT OF THAT HAS THAT SHARED WALLS, UH, SO THAT THE SOUND CAN BE CONTAINED. AND THAT'S WHAT MY HOPE IS, IS THAT BETWEEN THE DESIRE TO MAKE SURE WE STILL HAVE MUSIC AND IN THAT CULTURAL DISTRICT OF RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT, THAT, THAT WITH THE CHANGES THAT WERE ALSO ADDED ABOUT DWIGHT'S MITIGATION, UH, THAT THOSE USES CAN BE COMPATIBLE, YOU KNOW, A DIFFERENT OUTSIDE ENTRANCE SO THAT IT DOESN'T ENTER OFF OF A, OF A RESIDENTIAL ENTRANCE. UM, I THINK THAT THOSE THINGS SHOULD BE ABLE TO, TO, TO CO-EXIST AND I THINK THEY KIND OF NEED TO, UH, OVERGROUND AND PERHAPS LOSE ANY OPPORTUNITY TO PRESERVE MUSIC IN THAT AREA. OKAY. IT'LL BE, IT'LL JUST BE REALLY IMPORTANT THAT THEY STICK TO THOSE STRONG PROVISIONS ABOUT SAND MITIGATION, JUST, YOU KNOW, A GRANT. I KNOW YOU HEAR LOTS OF, LOTS OF, UM, YOU HEARD THE SAME NOISE COMPLAINTS. I DO. AND, AND SO I JUST WANNA MITIGATE THOSE. I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MINIMIZING THOSE FOR FUTURE, FOR FUTURE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MAYORS DOWN THE ROAD, UM, AND HAVING LIVED ABOVE OR LIVE BELOW SKATING RINK OF ALL THINGS AND THAT THEY APPARENTLY USE 24 HOURS A DAY FOR ABOUT FOUR MONTHS. UM, THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT TOLL, UH, THAT THAT HEARING SOUND TRANSMISSION AT ALL HOURS OF THE NIGHT REALLY TAKES ON YOUR, ON YOUR, UM, ABILITY TO, TO GET UP THE NEXT DAY AND GET TO WORK. AND I, AND I, I REALLY APPRECIATED THE AMENDMENT THAT YOU HAVE TO ENSURE MITIGATE SOUND MITIGATION BECAUSE UNLESS YOU'RE DELIBERATE AND CONSCIOUS ABOUT IT, IT WON'T HAPPEN. IT WILL BE A PROBLEM. RODNEY RAISED HIS HAND. DID YOU REACH THAT? THANK YOU, MARY. I APPRECIATE IT. AND WE'LL BE GLAD TO FOLLOW UP WITH SOME MORE SPECIFIC INFORMATION TO COUNCIL REGARDING THE LEASE TO WILDLIFE CONSERVANCY. IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE A SMALL PORTION OF LEASE FOR SOME EQUIPMENT ONLY. SO NO OFFICING FROM A HEALTH SOUTH BAY EQUIPMENT STORAGE ONLY, UM, IT WAS A PARTNERSHIP, UH, TO OF COURSE, HELP THEM OUT WITH SOME EQUIPMENT SPACE STORAGE NEEDS. AND THEN OF COURSE, THEY'RE OF COURSE GIVING US SOME RENT REVENUE FOR THAT. UH, BUT WE'D BE GLAD TO FOLLOW UP WITH ANY MORE SPECIFIC INFORMATION TO HELP DELINEATE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE SMALL SHORT SHORT-TERM LEASE WITH WATERLOO CONSERVANCY, EVERYBODY ELSE, KATHY RPO. UH, YES. UH, I KNEW THAT WAS, UH, WE HAD SOME DISCUSSIONS, UH, ABOUT THE, UH, THE, UH, THE COMMUNITY COURT BEING LOCATED THERE. BUT I, I, BECAUSE WE WERE VERY CONCERNED THAT BECAUSE THEY WERE USING THE US LIBRARY, BUT THE STAFF CAME UP WITH, UH, THAT THEY WERE GONNA MOVE THEM UP TEMPORARY MOVING TO A CENSUS ONE. SO, UH, SO WE ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET OUR LIGHT BARRIER BACK BY THE END OF THIS MONTH IN JUNE. UH, UH, AND THEY'RE GOING TO, UM, THEY'RE, THEY'RE GOING TO LOOK FOR A PERMANENT LOCATION. DOWNTOWN IT'S MOST LIKELY MIGHT BE THE MUNICIPAL COURT, BUT THAT'S GONNA REQUIRE SOME TUNING UP IF THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN. BUT, UH, THAT'S I JUST WANTED TO LET MY COLLEAGUES KNOW THAT I KNOW THAT LORI WAS ON A DOWNTOWN COMMISSION FOR OVER 23 YEARS AND, AND THEY HAD DISCUSSED WHERE THEY WERE GOING TO PUT A PERMANENT SITE FOR THE DOWNTOWN CONDITIONING COURT COMMUNITY COURT. AND SO THEY, UH, THEY'RE LOOKING AT, UH, BUT THEY ARE GOING TO BE MOVING OUT UP TO THE US LIBRARY. THANK YOU, KEVIN. UM, SO MANAGER, IT WASN'T CLEAR TO ME THAT THAT WAS A CERTAINTY. AND LET ME JUST REMIND YOU THAT ONE TEXAS CENTER, WE BROUGHT FORWARD A RESOLUTION TO CREATE AFFORDABLE HOUSING THERE. SO BEFORE, BEFORE, UM, THE DECK TAKES UP OCCUPANCY AND ONE TEXAS CENTER, I WOULD EXPECT NUMBER ONE, SOME OUTREACH TO THOSE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY AND TO A REAL PLAN FOR WHERE IT'S PERMANENT LOCATION IS. THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY COURT BELONGS IN THE DOWNTOWN AND, [00:35:01] AND ONE TEXAS CENTER IS NOT DOWNTOWN AUSTIN. SO IF IT'S THE MUNICIPAL COURT SIDE IS GOING TO BE THE PERMANENT LOCATION, THEN I WOULD EXPECT THERE TO BE A FIRM PLAN TO DO SO. UM, AND, AND, AND ONE THAT THE COUNCIL HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO AFFIRM, BUT WE NEED TO MAKE A REALLY STRONG COMMITMENT ABOUT WHERE, WHAT THE, WHAT THE PERMANENT PLAN IS WITH REGARD TO, UM, THE DAC AND WHY, YOU KNOW, I'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS BACK AND FORTH ABOUT WHY, WHY IS HEALTH SOUTH NOT BEING UTILIZED? THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF, UM, WAYS IN WHICH WE COULD HAVE USED AND COULD CONTINUE USE, UM, HEALTH SOUTH DURING THIS PERIOD OF TIME WHERE IT'S NOT YET DESIGNED. I UNDERSTAND IT NEEDS SOME, IT NEEDS SOME WORK, BUT, YOU KNOW, IN ALL OF THIS TIME, ALL WE'VE BEEN LEASING HOTELS AND PUTTING MONEY INTO SOME REPAIRS AT HOTELS. WE COULD'VE PUT SOME OF THAT INTO OUR VERY OWN BUILDING AND USED IT FOR SOME OF THESE PURPOSES. SO I AM, I REMAIN CONCERNED ABOUT THAT, ABOUT THAT PIECE, BUT SINCE WHEN TEXAS CENTER HAS COME UP, CAN YOU PROVIDE US WITH SOME SENSE OF, UM, IS THAT A CERTAINTY? WHAT IS, WHAT IS THE PERMANENT PLAN FOR ONE TEXAS CENTER? I MEAN, EXCUSE ME, NOT FOR ONE TEXAS CENTER, WE'VE ALREADY GIVEN YOU A PERMANENT PLAN FOR ONE TEXAS CENTER. WHAT IS THE PERMANENT PLAN FOR THE DAC AND, AND WHAT IS THE DECISION-MAKING TREE AND HOW DOES IT INVOLVE COUNCIL? AND THEN I, MY LAST QUESTION ON HOW HEALTH SELF IS, UH, THE CONVERSATION THAT WE HAD ON THE DICE ABOUT OFFICE VERSUS RESIDENTIAL, BUT WE'LL STICK WITH THE DECK THERE FOR A MOMENT. UH, YES. UH, THANK YOU, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER. UH, SO YES, WE HAVE A SHORT TERM PLAN FOR BRINGING A DOWNTOWN AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT, UH, TO A FIRST FLOOR AT ONE TEXAS CENTER. THERE'S ALSO A PLAN TO REMODEL THE OLD AUSTIN MUNICIPAL COURT BUILDING, UH, FOR APPROXIMATELY THREE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS, WHICH WOULD PROVIDE, UH, UH, MID TO LONG TERM USAGE FOR THE MUNICIPAL COURT. AND THE TIMELINE IS APPROXIMATELY 18 MONTHS TO DO THAT. AND WE BELIEVE THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO HAVE DOC, UH, AT ONE TEXAS CENTER WITHIN 60 DAYS, THERE'S VERY MINIMAL WORK REQUIRED. AND, UH, THOSE PLANS SHOULD NOT IMPACT THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON THE SIDE OF ONE TEXAS CENTER, BECAUSE, UH, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE ONE TOWER THERE'S ALSO PARKING GARAGE AND THERE IS A SURFACE LOT THAT SURFACE COULD BE USED FOR THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING. OKAY. SO MANAGER, I WOULD EXPECT IF YOU'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH SUCH A PLAN THAT YOU WOULD GIVE US A REAL CONCRETE TIMELINE, BECAUSE I WOULD NEED TO PROVIDE ONE TO MY CONSTITUENTS WHO LIVE IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF ONE TEXAS CENTER, ABOUT HOW LONG THAT USE IS GOING TO BE THERE AND WHAT THE PERMANENT PLAN IS WHEN THE PERMANENT WORK STARTS ON THE MUNICIPAL COURT. AND WHEN IT'S INTENDED TO CONCLUDE ABSOLUTELY COUNCIL MEMBER AND BOTH YOU AND COUNCIL MEMBER OF RENTERIA ARE CORRECT. AND COUNCIL MEMBER RENTS, REIA PROVIDING THAT GENERAL DIRECTION OF HOW WE ARE PROCEEDING. UH, BUT TO YOUR POINTS, WE DO HAVE ADDITIONAL UPDATES THAT WE NEED TO PROVIDE COUNCIL, INCLUDING, UH, UH, ACTIONS THAT WE WOULD HAVE PUT BEFORE YOUR CONSIDERATION. AND SO, UH, THAT'S ON US RIGHT NOW, AND WE WILL BE, UH, WORKING TO PROVIDE THOSE UPDATES TO YOU. UM, AND I'LL HAVE TO ASK STAFF ON WHEN WE WOULD BE ABLE TO GET THAT TO YOU, BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE APPROPRIATE INFORMATION FOR YOU TO CONSIDER, UH, BEFORE WE MOVE ON. THANK YOU. AND ESPECIALLY IF, IF IT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, IF HEALTH SOUTH IS PROCEEDING ALONG A TRAIN TRACK, THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE DOCK USE. UM, BECAUSE AGAIN, CLEARLY IT, YOU KNOW, IT BELONGS THIS AS A USE THAT BELONGS IN, IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA. I THINK IT'S THE APPROPRIATE TO MOVE IT FROM THERESE LIBRARY. UM, BUT DOWNTOWN DOWNTOWN IS, HAS PARTICULAR BOUNDARIES. UM, AND WHEN TEXAS IS, IS OUTSIDE THEM, UM, CAN YOU ADDRESS THOSE WHO ARE NEGOTIATE ON THE NEGOTIATING TEAM? CAN YOU TALK ABOUT, WE HAD SOME CONVERSATION ABOUT THE OFFICE USE AND WHETHER SOME OF THAT OFFICE USE COULD BE CONVERTED TO RESIDENTIAL AND WHETHER IN TODAY'S, YOU KNOW, RE NEW NEW, UM, DECISION-MAKING ABOUT TELE TELEWORKING AND OTHER USES WHETHER, WHETHER THE DEVELOPER IS STANDING FIRM ON THE OFFICE USE, OR COULD BE PERSUADED TO LOOK AT SOME OTHER USES ON THAT SITE THAT MIGHT BETTER MEET THE NEED FOR HOUSING. SO WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS? SO, COUNCIL MEMBER, WE DID ADD IN THE EXCLUSIVE NEGOTIATING AGREEMENT, UH, THAT DEVELOPER WILL, UM, LOOK INTO CROSS-SUBSIDIZING OPPORTUNITIES, UH, IN CONJUNCTION WITH COMMERCIAL OFFICE SPACE. SO IT IS A DISCUSSION POINT [00:40:01] IN THE EXCLUSIVE NEGOTIATING AGREEMENT THAT WILL CARRY US THROUGH, UH, THE NEGOTIATIONS IN THE MASTER DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT TO DETERMINE WHAT IS THE, UM, UH, THE NEED, THE DEMAND, AS WELL AS THE USE OF THE PROPERTY FOR OFFICE SPACE AND OR RESIDENTIAL. SO THAT WILL BE PART OF THE DISCUSSION IN NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE MDA. OKAY. BUT NO CHANGE OF THERE'S NO, NO INDICATION AT THIS POINT THAT THE DEVELOPER HAS CHANGED THEIR MINDS ABOUT THAT USE. THEY'RE JUST, THEY'RE JUST AGREEING TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT, WHICH IS WHAT WE'VE ASKED THEM TO DO. CORRECT. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. WELL, WE'VE MOVED TO ABC. THANK YOU, MARIANNE. I APPRECIATE YOU RECOGNIZING ME. I JUST WANT TO SAY, I APPRECIATE THE CONVERSATION SO FAR, AND THIS IS AN ASSET IN DISTRICT ONE THAT WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING RIGHT, AS WE MOVE FORWARD. A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT I JUST WANTED TO THROW OUT THERE, INCLUDING AS THESE CONVERSATIONS ARE ONGOING, UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO US BEING CLOSER TO, UM, TO ALIGNMENT. UM, SO WE CAN REALLY START THINKING THROUGH PROGRAMMATIC EFFORTS AND, AND SOME OF THE OTHER ELEMENTS I, I DEFINITELY WANTED TO SPEAK TO MY COLLEAGUE'S CONCERN ABOUT A MUSIC THING YOU ON SITE. I DON'T SEE ANYTHING INHERENTLY, NOT FAMILY FRIENDLY ABOUT MUSIC VENUES. SO I FELT LIKE THAT WAS NECESSARY TO SAY, GIVEN THE DIRECTION THAT I PROVIDED, WHICH WAS PROGRAMMING, UM, PROGRAMMING AND A LIVE MUSIC VENUE SPACE THAT COULD BE LEASED TO LIVE MUSIC, VENUE OPERATORS, PRIORITIZING OPERATORS, REPRESENTING HISTORICALLY DISENFRANCHISED MUSICIANS. I WANT TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT I'M CLEAR ABOUT WHAT IT IS THE RATIONALE AND INTENT WAS THERE. AND IF, YOU KNOW, WE FIND OURSELVES IN A, UM, IN A SITUATION WHERE THE MAJORITY OF MY COLLEAGUES DON'T SEE THAT AS A VIABLE PROGRAMMATIC EFFORT MOVING FORWARD. I CERTAINLY HOPE THAT WE CAN SPEAK TO WHERE ELSE, UM, WE CAN PUT A PLACE WHERE DISENFRANCHISED MUSICIANS WOULD HAVE PRIORITY. UM, AND I ALSO LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUED CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE DECK I'VE EXPRESSED BEFORE AND CONTINUE TO BELIEVE THAT THAT IS NOT IN FACT, THE APPROPRIATE PLACE FOR THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT, BUT MY OPPOSITION IS NOT SO VEHEMENT THAT I'M, UH, THAT I'M NOT ABLE TO, TO REALLY CONTINUE TO EARNESTLY GO THROUGH THAT CONVERSATION WITH MY COLLEAGUES AND OUR STAFF. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. PARANTHETICALLY UH, JUST TO NOTE THAT, UH, IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS SITE SOUND AND NOISE HAS GOING TO BE AN ISSUE IF FOR NO OTHER REASON, THERE'S AN EXISTING OUTDOOR MUSIC VENUE ACROSS THE STREET AT, UH, WATERLOO, UH, THAT OBVIOUSLY IT'S GOING TO HAVE TO BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION WITH RESIDENTIAL USERS PROPERTY, UH, MITIGATING AGAINST THAT, UH, MUSIC CAN'T REMEMBER, SORRY. RIGHT. TWO POINTS, ONE ON MUSIC AND ARTS. UM, I THINK IT'S, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO RAISE AND REMEMBER, JUST BECAUSE I THINK WE BROUGHT IT UP AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC, THAT THERE IS UNUSED, UH, SPACE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE NEW PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER AT THE, UH, THE CITY'S NEW BUILDING THERE THAT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT FOR POTENTIAL, UM, ARTS OR THEATER SPACE FOR, UH, FOLKS THAT ARE, HAVE GET PRICED OUT OF THEIR SPACES AND ARE HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED, UH, WHERE POTENTIALLY MUSIC. SO JUST SOMETHING FOR, UM, AS WHERE WE HAVE ALL OF THE DIFFERENT MOVING PIECES FOR FOLKS TO BE AWARE OF, THAT WOULD BE A GOOD SPACE FOR US TO FILL. UM, AND THEN AS IT RELATES TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING, I AGREE THAT WE WANT TO TRY TO GET AS MUCH AS WE CAN GET. I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN IF THE STAFF CAN INCREASE THE PERCENTAGE. GREAT. UM, BUT ALSO IF YOU CAN INCREASE JUST THE RAW NUMBER OF UNITS. SO IF, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE IS A LITTLE BIT LESS OFFICE SPACE, UM, THEN YOU COULD POTENTIALLY GET MORE AFFORDABLE UNITS THAT MAY COME WITH WARM MARKET RATE UNITS. IT MAY NOT IMPROVE YOUR PERCENTAGE AS MUCH, BUT IF IT INCREASES YOUR OVERALL NUMBER OF UNITS, YOU HAVE PLANS THAT I THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE A STRONG SOLUTION AS WELL. SO, YOU KNOW, ONE THING WOULD BE TO ADD 40 AFFORDABLE UNITS AND THE PERCENTAGE GOES UP. ANOTHER THING WOULD BE TO ADD A HUNDRED UNITS, 50 OF THEM BEING AFFORDABLE. SO YOU GET MORE AFFORDABILITY, BUT YOUR PERCENTAGE MAY NOT IMPROVE. SO I WANT TO, I WOULD REALLY LIKE THE STAFF TO BRING BACK TO US AN INCREASE IN THE AFFORDABLE NUMBER OF UNITS, THE BEST YOU CAN. UM, AND THEN, AND THEN EXPLAIN TO US HOW THAT PLAYS WITH THE PERCENTAGE, BUT I'M ON THIS PROP IN SOME PROPERTIES, IT MIGHT MAKE SENSE FOR US TO FOCUS ON THE PERCENTAGE ON THIS PROPERTY. I'M MORE FOCUSED ON THE RAW NUMBER OF AFFORDABLE UNITS. YOU [00:45:01] CAN BRING INTO THIS PART OF TOWN BECAUSE THERE'S SUCH A DEARTH OF THEM THAT A, UM, THAT I THINK THE NUMBER OF LOWER INCOME AND WORKING CLASS FAMILIES, YOU CAN GIVE AN OPPORTUNITY AND DOWNTOWN BY GROSS NUMBER IS MORE IMPORTANT TO ME THAN THE PERCENTAGE COUNCIL MEMBER CASAR BEFORE I ANSWER AND DEFER TO, UH, MANDATE AND MIO TO HELP, UH, ANSWER THAT QUESTION. I DO WANT TO STAY THAT YES, UH, THE PARTIES WILL CONTINUE TO, UH, DISCUSS OPPORTUNITIES TO DECREASE OTHER SPACE AND INCREASE, UH, UNITS, UH, HOUSING UNITS. ONE THING THAT I DO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS UNDERSTOOD THAT 45% IS A HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF AFFORDABLE UNITS THAT THE DEVELOPER HAS COMMITTED TO DOING. IF IT IS COUNCIL'S WILL TO HIT A PERCENTAGE HIGHER THAN 45% AS A MANDATORY REQUIREMENT, UH, FOR THE, UH, MASTER DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT AND ANYTHING ELSE AS A MANDATORY REQUIREMENT, LIKE A DOWNTOWN AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT COUNCIL IS AWARE. IT IS CERTAINLY COUNCIL'S PREROGATIVE TO MAKE THAT NEW MANDATORY REQUIREMENT WITH A NEW RESOLUTION, WITH A NEW SOLICITATION. SO ANYTHING ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT IS THE FRAMEWORK THAT IS OUT IN THE EXCLUSIVE NEGOTIATE AGREEMENT WILL REQUIRE A RESOURCE CITATION, UH, WITH COUNCIL DIRECTION. AND WITH THAT, I WANT TO DEFER TO MANDY FOR ADDITIONAL COMMENT ON THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UM, UH, TOPIC. SURE. UH, THANK YOU, SUSANNA MANDY TO MAYO HOUSING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER CASSARA. THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION. WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO NEGOTIATION WITH ASPEN HEIGHTS, UM, TO INCREASE, UH, THE AFFORDABILITY. AGAIN, THE BASELINE IS 25% OF THE OVERALL, UM, UNITS WILL BE AFFORDABLE AT A BELOW 60% MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME. I AM, UH, LOOKING FORWARD TO DISCUSSIONS WITH THEM AND DIGGING INTO VARIOUS DIFFERENT SCENARIOS WITH PROFORMAS, UM, THAT WOULD DEMONSTRATE INCREASED NUMBERS OF UNITS OVERALL UNITS, WHICH WOULD OF COURSE INCREASE THE NUMBER OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS, INCREASED AFFORDABILITY IN TERMS OF DEEPER AFFORDABILITY, GOING LESS THAN 60% MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME. UM, WE'LL OF COURSE, BE PLAYING WITH THE UNIT SIZES, INCREASING THE NUMBER OF TWO AND THREE BEDROOM, THE FAMILY-FRIENDLY UNITS. UM, IT REALLY IS GOING TO BE A MATTER OF LOOKING AT A RANGE OF PERFORMANCE AND SEEING THE IMPACT, UM, IN TERMS OF SUBSIDY NEEDED, IT'S KIND OF THE TRADE OFFS THAT WE'LL BE EXPLORING. WILL THERE BE SUBSIDY THAT WILL BE REQUIRED IF WE INCREASE THE OVERALL NUMBER OF AFFORDABLE UNITS OR DECREASE THE AFFORDABILITY LEVELS? UM, WILL WE BE LOOKING AT THAT INTERPLAY BETWEEN OFFICE AND RESIDENTIAL, UM, WHAT THAT IMPACT WILL BE, UM, ON THE DEVELOPERS, UM, BOTTOM LINE, AND OF COURSE OUR DESIRE TO MAXIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF AFFORDABILITY, UM, ONSITE, I WILL SAY IN OUR PRELIMINARY CONVERSATIONS, IN TERMS OF, UM, HAMMERING OUT THAT E N A WITH THE DEVELOPER. ONE THING THAT WAS VERY CLEAR, UM, WAS THAT IF WE EXCEED THAT THE 45% IS KIND OF THE UPPER END, UM, REALLY GOING MAJORITY AFFORDABLE HOUSING OR CHOIR, UM, WE'LL WORK CHOIR, A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT KIND OF FINANCING. UM, AND THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE CLICKED ON AT RICHARD RAYMOND ON, AND THAT'S, WE HAVE THAT BANDWIDTH AT 25 TO 45%, UM, BANDWIDTH THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, UH, FOR THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING. AND WE, WE HEAR LOUD AND CLEAR COUNCIL'S DESIRE TO MAXIMIZE AFFORDABILITY, WHETHER IT'S DEEPER AFFORDABILITY, MORE FAMILY PLANNING UNITS, UM, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'LL BE WORKING WITH, UM, AS WE GO THROUGH TODAY AND DA, UH, PROCESS WITH THE DEVELOPER. THAT ALL MAKES SENSE TO ME. I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT MY COMMENT WAS IS THAT IF YOU ARE CHOOSING TO GO FROM 30% TO 35%, BY ADDING A FEW AFFORDABLE UNITS, OR YOU ARE CHOOSING TO STAY AT 30%, YOU COULD ACTUALLY GET MORE AFFORDABLE UNITS AT 30% IN ONE MODE, AND ONE VERSION OF A BUILDING. YOU COULD GET MORE HOUSING AT 30% THAN A 35%. I WOULD SH I WOULD CHOOSE IN THIS BUILDING JUST FOR ME, JUST SPEAKING AS ONE MEMBER HERE, I WOULD CHOOSE THE VERSION THAT BRINGS ME MORE AFFORDABLE UNITS, WHERE REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE PERCENTAGE IS A LITTLE BIT HIGHER OR LOWER, THAT'S THE ENTIRETY OF MY POINT THERE. [00:50:05] YEAH. AND JUST, UM, GREG, SOME OF WHAT YOU ARE SAYING, UM, UH, I, I, I JUST NEED TO PUSH BACK A LITTLE BIT ON, BECAUSE IF YOU STEP AWAY FROM PERCENTAGE OF UNITS AND INSTEAD GO TO THE NUMBER AND YOU PRIORITIZE A HIGHER NUMBER THAN A HIGHER PERCENTAGE, THEN WE MIGHT BE LOSING THE FAMILY-FRIENDLY UNITS BECAUSE THEY ARE, BY DEFINITION SHOULD BE MORE SQUARE FEET. SO MAYBE IF WE TALK ABOUT A PERCENTAGE, WE ALSO CONVERT THAT TO SOME KIND OF A SQUARE FOOTAGE NUMBER. I DO NOT WANT TO LOSE THE FAMILY FRIENDLY ASPECTS OF, OF THIS, UM, OF THIS PROJECT. IN FACT, FOR ME, THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT STUDIOS AND ONE BEDROOMS, NOT SO MUCH, WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO ATTRACT FAMILIES. SO WITH VETERANS, FOR THEIR KIDDOS, UM, IN THIS, IN THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT. SO I JUST WANTED TO, I DON'T KNOW THAT, THAT YOU WERE INTENDING TO SACRIFICE FAMILY-FRIENDLY UNITS IN ORDER TO HAVE HIGHER STUDIO OR SINGLE BEDROOM, NOTHING. I SAID SUGGESTED THAT IN MY MIND. OKAY. THAT'S HOW THAT CAN TRANSLATE FOR FOLKS WHO ARE DOING THE DEVELOPMENT. WE'RE GOING TO START FOCUSING ON HOW MANY UNITS VERSUS THE PERCENTAGE OF THE AFFORDABLE UNITS. THEN THEY COULD VERY EASILY SAY, WELL, WE'RE GOING TO GIVE YOU 15 INSTEAD OF 40, BUT NOW THOSE, THOSE ARE ALL, WE'VE JUST CONVERTED A NUMBER OF, OF, UH, MULTI BEDROOM UNITS INTO SINGLE AND STUDIOS. AND I WOULD NOT BE OKAY WITH THAT. SO I WANTED TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ELUCIDATE THAT JUST IN CASE THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS WHEN OUR STAFF GO BACK TO TALKING WITH THE ASCOM HEIGHTS DEAL. THANK YOU. SO I KNOW THAT WE GOT THE PRESENTATION THIS MORNING, BUT I NOTICED ON THE WEBSITE FOR THE WORK SESSION THAT THE PRESENTATION'S NOT POSTED. I WAS WONDERING IF STAFF COULD POST THAT SO THAT WE COULD GET INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY. ABSOLUTELY. COUNCIL MEMBER. THANK YOU, KATHY. UM, JUST LASTLY, AND THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY, AND I, I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THE WORK SESSION, UH, BACKUP, BUT IF IT DOESN'T INCLUDE THE MAY THE MAY 17TH MEMO, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT THAT BE THERE TO THE FULLER DISCUSSION. SO THANKS FOR THAT SUGGESTION, MACKENZIE, UH, COUNSELOR KELLY. UM, I JUST WANTED TO SAY, AND, UM, THE STAFF CAN FOLLOW UP ON WITH THIS, YOU KNOW, AT THE TIME THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, REDEVELOPMENT OF THE HIGHLAND MALL CAMPUS, WE HAD TALKED ABOUT HAVING A CHILDCARE FACILITY THERE AND THROUGH THE YEARS I'VE GONE BACK AND FORTH WITH THE STAFF ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT. AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT WAS THAT IN THE BUDGET, THEY SAID, DIDN'T ALLOW FOR THAT FOR THE CREATION OF CHILDCARE AT THAT SITE, THOUGH 44% OF, OF DSD EMPLOYEES SUGGESTED THEY WOULD USE IT IF IT WERE THERE. I SUSPECT THAT'S THE SITE THAT YOU JUST MENTIONED COUNCILMEN, BECAUSE SAR THAT'S NOW AVAILABLE FOR A MUSIC VENUE IS THE CHILDCARE, THE SITE, THE CHILDCARE SITE WE MIGHT HAVE HAD HAD THAT BEEN A PRIORITY IN TERMS OF THE BUDGET. SO LET'S, I WOULD, I HOPE THAT THERE'S STILL AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET THAT RIGHT. I THINK, UM, THINK, UM, AT SOME POINT AT THAT SITE, UH, AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN REALLY MAKE IT A PRIORITY FOR HEALTH SOUTH. WE DESPERATELY NEED A HIGH QUALITY EARLY CHILDHOOD FACILITY IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA, AN ADDITIONAL ONE. ALL RIGHT, ANDREW, LET'S MOVE ON TO THE ABC. OKAY. STAFF, [D2. Discuss actions and timeline related to the Interlocal Agreement with the Austin Economic Development Corporation and the scope of work and resources required to support efforts in line with Council Resolution No. 20201001-055.] THANK YOU. AND COUNCIL. THIS IS A COUNCIL DISCUSSION, AND I BELIEVE IT WAS REQUESTED BY COUNCIL MEMBER TOBO, BUT STAFF IS READY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. THIS ITEM IS ON YOUR JUNE 10TH AGENDA, AND THE BACKUP HAS BEEN POSTED ALONG WITH, UH, THAT, UH, CONSIDERATION, UH, LAST FRIDAY. AND SO, UH, WE ARE HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE AWARE OF THAT. UH, THE AEDC ITEM IS POSTED ON THE JUNE 10TH AGENDA, UH, AND THE BACKROOM WAS INCLUDED. OKAY. THANK YOU. SO ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS POINT OF ABC OF THE JUNE AGENDA? YEAH. OKAY. UH, SO, SO I TAKE IT, WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE A PRESENTATION. UM, I WAS THINKING THAT WE, YOU ALL WERE GOING TO PRESENT IT. SO I, I THINK WHAT I JUST HEARD IS THERE'S NO PRESENTATION AND IT'S JUST OPEN FOR QUESTIONS. IS THAT, IS THAT WHAT I HEARD? THIS, THIS WAS A REQUEST, UH, THE COUNCIL DISCUSSION, UH, ITEM FOR PRESENTATION. OKAY. WELL, COUNCILMEMBER TOBA MIGHT HAVE QUESTIONS. I WILL HAVE QUESTIONS TOO. I'M JUST PULLING [00:55:01] IT UP. SO MAYOR, IF IT HELPS, I CAN LAY OUT THE CONTEXT IN WHICH IT WAS OF CONCERN TO ME, UM, THAT WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. AND SO I POSTED IT FOR A CONVERSATION ON TUESDAY WELL TODAY, SO THAT WE WOULD GET AN UPDATE, UH, AND MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A CONCRETE TIMETABLE FOR MOVING FORWARD IN THE INTERIM. THE MANAGER HAS POSTED IT NOW FOR JUNE 10TH. SO THAT RESOLVES THAT CONCERN CONSIDERING I HAVEN'T HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE BACKUP MATERIAL, BUT PERHAPS, UM, ACM GONZALES OR SOMEONE CAN JUST GIVE US A ONE LINE SUMMARY OF WHAT WERE POSTED FOR ACTION ON, ON JUNE 10TH. AND THAT MIGHT ALLEVIATE THE CONCERN. I THINK THAT WILL ALLEVIATE BASED ON WHAT I KNOW. I THINK THAT WILL ALLEVIATE THE CONCERN I HAD, THAT WE'RE NOT PRESSING ON AND GETTING IT, UM, UP AND RUNNING AS SOON AS WE CAN. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER. AND WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO HAVE RATE SIX STATES. WE'VE DEVELOPED AN INTER-LOCAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND THE AUSTIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. THIS OF COURSE FOLLOWS THE PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION, WHICH WAS TO CREATE THE ATDC, UH, THROUGH THE ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION AND BYLAWS WE HAVE IN FRONT OF THE COUNCIL FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION OF WHAT WE BELIEVE IS A VERY GOOD AGREEMENT TO STAND UP THE AEDC AND WE'VE MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS ALONG THE WAY, WITH REGARD TO THE WORK OF THE AEDC NOT ONLY HAVE WE INSTITUTED A BOARD, WHICH THE COUNCIL HAS APPROVED, BUT WE'VE GOTTEN ALONG IN THE WAR COMPONENTS OF THE ABC. SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED. WE'RE COMMITTED OF COURSE, TO STANDING UP THE AEDC. UM, WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE MANY PROGRAMS UNDERWAY THAT THE COUNCIL IS VERY CONCERNED WITH AND WE WANT TO GET THOSE DONE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. SO ONCE AGAIN, UH, WE'RE GLAD TO REACH THIS POINT AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO COUNSEL'S CONSIDERATION OF THE AEDC INTER LOCAL AGREEMENT. THANKS MAYOR. BUT THAT ANSWERS MY CONCERN. THEN I'M GLAD TO SEE US MOVING FORWARD ON THE 10TH. OKAY. CANCEL OUR KITCHEN. YEAH. UM, I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THE BACKUP EITHER, BUT, UM, I WANTED TO TALK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT MY, MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT THIS REPORT WOULD SPEAK SPECIFICALLY TO, UH, TWO ITEMS RELATED TO, UM, UH, TO ARTS AND CREATIVE SPACES. ONE OF THEM IS THE USE OF THE QUEER SPACE BONDS. AND THE OTHER ONE IS THE USE OF THE DOLLARS RELATED TO THE ICONIC, UM, VENUE FUND. AND, UM, I'M JUST, I'M SKIMMING IT NOW, AND I'M NOT SEEING THOSE AND PERHAPS THEY'RE IN HERE AND I'M JUST NOT SEEING IT, BUT THERE IS A SECTION OF THE AGREEMENT THAT'S THAT SPEAKS TO, UM, INITIAL PROJECT SERVICES, THE AEDC AND THERE WAS SOMETHING FOR THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT DISTRICT, UH, IN CULTURAL PRESS. OH, I SEE IT HERE, CULTURAL TRUST PROJECT, AND THEN CULTURAL TRUST CITY FACILITIES PROJECT, WHICH IS A DENIM TWO AND THREE. IS THAT WHERE THOSE THROUGH REFLECTED THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER OF KITCHEN. AND WE'D BE GLAD TO OF COURSE HAVE, UH, OFFLINE DISCUSSIONS WITH ANY OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO GO IN DETAIL ABOUT THE INTER LOCAL AGREEMENT. BUT YES, THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING. UM, SO LET ME JUST, SO THESE ARE, I'M JUST GOING TO ASK A QUICK QUESTION AND THEN SET UP A ADDITIONAL CONVERSATION. OH, IS ADDENDUM TWO AND THREE ATTACHED. I'M PULLING UP THE AGENDA AS WE'RE ON A MINUTE, UH, ON SATURDAY. OKAY. I SEE IT IN THEM. NUMBER ONE. YEAH, IT MUST BE ATTACHED. SO LET ME JUST DOUBLE CHECK HERE. UM, YEAH, IT IS ATTACHED. OKAY. I'M GOING TO WANT TO DIG INTO THE DETAILS OF WHAT'S WRITTEN HERE IN TERMS OF THIS, UH, UM, AGREEMENT. SO I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST A BRIEFING BETWEEN TUESDAY AND THEN I'M GOING TO NEED TO PULL THIS FOR NEXT TUESDAY ALSO, UM, TO, TO TALK THROUGH IT. UM, UM, I'M ALSO WANTING TO UNDERSTAND SPECIFIC, OH, I WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE DETAILS OF THIS, THE SCOPE OF THE WORK AND, UM, AND ALSO THE, THE TIMELINES FOR ACCOMPLISHING THE WORK. UH, YOU KNOW, I'M PARTICULARLY CONCERNED OF COURSE, ABOUT THE, AND I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE TO DATE AROUND THE USE OF THE CREATIVE SPACE BONDS THAT WERE PASSED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO NOW, AND I'M REALLY WANTING TO GET THOSE, UM, IN PLAY. SO IF WE COULD SCHEDULE A BRIEFING, UM, BEFORE NEXT TUESDAY, I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. AND THEN I'M ALSO, I WANT TO PULL THIS ITEM FOR NEXT TUESDAY. THAT SOUNDS GOOD. AND ONCE AGAIN, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO REACH THIS STAGE, AND WE'RE MORE THAN GLAD TO TALK WITH [01:00:01] YOU INDIVIDUALLY, COUNCIL MEMBER, KITCHEN, AS WELL AS THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS ABOUT THE INNER LOCAL, AND WE WILL BE PREPARED FOR NEXT TUESDAY'S WORK SESSION. YEAH, THAT, THAT'S GREAT. I'M EXCITED ABOUT IT MOVING FORWARD, TOO, JUST WANTING TO MAKE SURE THE SCOPE IS ALIGNED AS WRITTEN WITH THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'VE HAD ARE MY UNDERSTANDING OF THIS CONVERSATIONS. AND ALSO, I REALLY WANT TO LOOK CLOSELY AT THE TIMELINE CAUSE WE NEED TO BE MOVING, UM, QUICKLY, UM, ON THESE, UH, ON THESE PROJECTS. SO, OKAY. I THINK THAT'S ALL ON THIS ITEM. I THINK THERE'S A QUESTION FROM COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY. I'M SORRY. THANK YOU. UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S A LOT OF HISTORY SURROUNDING THIS ITEM ON THE JUNE 10TH AGENDA. SO I SUPPORT GETTING A BRIEFING ON IT AND ALSO PULLING IT FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHENS SUGGESTED IN THE BACKUP, THERE'S A 49 PAGE DOCUMENT THAT I HAVE NOT FULLY REVIEWED. SO ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO ASK IS IF YOU COULD GIVE US A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORY SURROUNDING THIS SPECIFIC ITEM, BECAUSE MY UNDERSTANDING IS IT GOES AS FAR BACK AS TO 2014. SO MAYBE IF YOU COULD GIVE A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF THAT HISTORY REAL QUICK FOR US, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. WELL, YOU CERTAINLY CAN. AND I MAY RELY ON SOME OF THE STAFF TO, UM, ALSO HELP OUT WITH THAT HISTORY. IN 2015, I WAS OVER THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT AND NOT IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS FOR THE ADBC AND, UH, THE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT CREATING AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION DO GO BACK EVEN FURTHER FROM WHEN I WAS IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. UM, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION IS A TOOL THAT MS. VALDEZ CAN USE TO GET A LOT OF DIFFERENT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TYPE WORK DONE. AND IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT, UH, THE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT CREATING AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION GO BACK TO ALSO SOME BEST PRACTICES THAT WE'VE SEEN ACROSS THE COUNTRY, NAMELY IN, UH, NEW YORK CITY, UM, ATLANTA HAS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, OTHERS, UH, DO, UH, CREATE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONS AS A WAY OF, UM, HAVING, HAVING A BODY OF WORK, DO CERTAIN PROJECTS, UM, UNDER THE TERM OF UNDER LIKE AN EXPEDIENT MANNER AND HAVING SOME, UM, AUTHORITY THAT MS VALLEY'S MAY NOT AS WELL. AND CERTAINLY SOME FLEXIBILITY. UM, SO THAT'S SOME OF THE TIMELINE, UM, AND I WILL ASK EITHER AS DESIGNERS OR NOVIA, PERHAPS TO ADD ANY MORE ABOUT THAT HISTORICAL CONTEXT, GOING BACK TO 2015 AND WE CAN ADD THAT AS PART OF THE BRIEF TIMELINE OF WHEN WE STARTED. UM, JAY, COULD YOU SPEAK UP, PLEASE SAY THAT AGAIN, PLEASE. SO NEXT WEEK WHEN WE'RE AT A HISTORY, AS PART OF OUR PREVENTION, UM, FROM THE START OF THE CONVERSATION TO NOW, ALONG WITH THE TIMELINE OF THE PROJECTS, I BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT, SO NOW WE HAD SAID AS PART OF OUR BRIEFING NEXT WEEK, WE WILL ADD MORE CONTEXT ABOUT THE TIMELINE, UH, FOR COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY'S BENEFIT. AND AS WELL AS IT MENTIONED, WE'RE MORE THAN GLAD IT'S ONE-ON-ONE BRIEFINGS WITH COUNCIL, UM, FOR ANY MORE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS RELATING TO THE MATTER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT BRIEF OVERVIEW. I APPRECIATE IT. AND I'M SURE OTHERS WHO ARE NEW TO THE DIOCESE MAY APPRECIATE IT AS WELL. OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE ON THIS ONE WE'RE SET, THEN LET'S HAVE A CONVERSATION. THANK YOU, SIR. UH, WHAT ABOUT, UH, LET'S TALK NOW ABOUT, UH, COUNCIL MEETINGS. MAYBE THE CLERK CAN BE WITH US [D1. Discussion regarding Council Meeting options including hybrid meetings.] I'M NOT SURE WHO FROM THE CLERK'S OFFICE IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO JOIN US. UM, BUT WE DO HAVE STAFF FROM [01:05:02] LEGAL, UM, APH AND FROM, UM, CPM. BUT AGAIN, THIS IS A CONVERSATION AMONG THE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO TALK ABOUT, UH, THE TRANSITION BACK INTO, UH, HYBRID OR IN-PERSON MEETINGS. AND THERE WAS A MEMO THAT THE CLERK DISTRIBUTED, UH, OVER THE LAST A COUPLE OF WEEKS. AND SO WE'LL SEE IF ANYONE FROM THE CLERK'S OFFICE JOINS, BUT I STILL ENCOURAGE THE CONVERSATION TO TAKE PLACE IT COUNTS FOR A POOL. THANKS. AND, UH, THANKS TO THE CITY MANAGER AND ALSO TO OUR WONDERFUL STAFF IN THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE FOR BRINGING US UP A MEMO WITH SOME OPTIONS ON HOW WE CAN ALL, UM, KIND OF GENTLY REINTEGRATE. AND AS, AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD AND COMBATING THE VIRUS AND GETTING BACK TO IN-PERSON, UM, COUNCIL MEETINGS, I THINK THAT WILL BE A REALLY GRAND DAY WHEN, WHEN WE'RE ABLE TO GET BACK TO THE WAY THINGS WERE BEFORE THE COVID. UM, I WANTED TO LET FOLKS KNOW THAT I'M WILLING TO BE AS WE KIND OF WORK IN SORT OF A HYBRID STARTING IN JUNE AND MOVING FORWARD. UM, AS THE MONTHS PROCEED, I'M WILLING TO BE ONE OF THE FOLKS WHO IS EITHER IN MY OFFICE, WHICH I'D HAVE BEEN FOR SOME TIME NOW, BUT I'M ALSO LOOKING FORWARD TO COMING DOWN AND BEING ONE OF THE FOLKS WHO WOULD BE ON THE DYESS. IF WE ADOPT THE PROCEDURE THAT THE CITY CLERK HAS SUGGESTED, WHICH IS HAVING, UM, THE MAYOR AND FIVE OF US KIND OF SPACED OUT ON THE DIOCESE. AND THEN, UM, OTHERS BEING ABLE TO CONTINUE TO, TO, UM, PARTICIPATE REMOTELY UNTIL WE'RE ABLE TO GET BACK TO WHERE ALL 11 OF US ARE ON THE DAYAS. UM, I'M HAPPY TO TAKE UP ONE OF THOSE SLOTS. I WILL HAVE A PERIOD IN SEPTEMBER WHERE I WILL NEED TO BE ONE OF THE VIRTUALS, UM, UH, BUT OTHERWISE HAPPY TO BE HAPPY TO BE THE IN-PERSON AMONG THE IN-PERSON COHORT. AND AGAIN, THANKS TO, UM, JANETTE AND MYRNA AND THEIR WONDERFUL TEAM FOR HELPING US KIND OF GLIDE THROUGH THE HEAVY WATERS. IT'S BEEN A LONG YEAR AND A HALF. AND A LOT OF WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH IS IT IS LARGELY DUE TO THE LOGISTICAL SUPPORT AND THE REAL THOUGHTFULNESS, UH, FROM OUR CITY CLERK AND HER TEAM. THANKS. I'M HAPPY. YOU MENTIONED THAT, UH, AS THEY JUST CAUSE OF THE STAFF, THE CLERK'S OFFICE HAS DONE JUST AN ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE JOB OF MOVING THIS FORWARD DURING THIS PERIOD OF TIME, WHERE WE'RE THE FIRST OUT TO DO IT, THE WAY THAT WE'VE DONE IT. AND IT'S BEEN JUST A LOGISTICAL MOMENT. I DON'T THINK GET THAT DONE. I THINK COLLEAGUES WERE TALKING PRIMARILY ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS IF WE COME BACK IN JULY. I THINK THE ANTICIPATION AT THIS POINT IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO THE MEETING NEXT WEEK. SAME WAY WE DID THE MEETINGS THIS WEEK, SO WE CAN COME BACK NEXT WEEK. I THINK THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, PART OF IT DEPENDS ON WHAT THE GOVERNOR, UH, MAINTAINS THE EMERGENCY RULES, UH, OR NOT. UH, THE REAL DELTA WITH THE EMERGENCY RULES IS WHETHER OR NOT, UH, I HAVE TO BE PHYSICALLY PRESENT, UH, WHICH COMING BACK AT THE END OF, UH, WE GOT BACK IN JULY, I, I PLAN TO BE, UH, AND THEN THE OTHER ONE IS WHETHER OR NOT PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY, THE PUBLIC SPEAK, BUT UNDER THE EMERGENCY RULES, THEY'RE ALLOWED TO SPEAK, UH, JUST BY AUDIO, BUT AT THE EMERGENCY RULES GO AWAY THAN SOMEBODY WHO IS SPEAKING REMOTELY, UH, HAS TO BE, UH, BOTH VISIBLE AND AUDIO, WHICH ARE REQUIRED, HOW SOBER TO GO TO THE, TO THE LIBRARY, UH, AS WE HAD PREVIOUSLY PROVIDED, IF WE WANT TO GIVE PEOPLE THAT, UH, THAT OPTION, UH, FURTHER CONVERSATION ABOUT COUNCILLOR COUNCILLOR KITCHEN AREA, THAT COUNCIL BROTHER KELLY. UM, SO IF I'M UNDERSTANDING CORRECTLY, THE, THE PLAN IS FOR THE JULY MEETING TO COME BACK IN PERSON OR AT LEAST PARTIALLY IN PERSON. UM, UH, I AM PREPARED, I AM PREPARED AND WOULD LIKE TO BE ONE OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT COMES BACK IN PERSON IN JULY, UM, AS COUNCILMAN POOLE WAS SUGGESTING. UM, UH, AND I KNOW THAT THERE WAS, UH, SOME SUGGESTION ABOUT, UM, THE PLEXIGLASS BEING AN OPTION. I WILL SHARE MY PREFERENCES, UH, WITH THE STAFF PERSONALLY, DON'T THINK PLEXIGLASS IS THAT HELPFUL. UM, THAT AIRFLOW IS WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. UM, BUT THAT'S, I, I CAN SEE THAT THOSE ARE INDIVIDUAL CHOICES THAT ARE, I ALSO THINK IT'D BE HELPFUL TO EXPLORE THE CONTINUED OPPORTUNITIES TO BE VIRTUAL ON OCCASION. UH, I KNOW WE DID THAT ONCE OR TWICE IN YEARS PAST, UH, BUT THAT CAN BE VERY HELPFUL FOR PEOPLE IF THEY, IF [01:10:01] THEY HAVE A CONFLICT. SO, UM, I'D LIKE TO CONTINUE TO EXPLORE THAT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I HAVE BEEN DOWN TO THE DAYAS SEVERAL TIMES IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS, AND I NOTICED THAT THE PLEXIGLASS IS UP. I AGREE WITH COUNCILMEMBER KITCHEN, THAT PLEXIGLASS, I DON'T FEEL IS NECESSARY. IT DOES RESTRICT THEIR INFLUENCE. THAT ACTUALLY MAKES ME FEEL MORE UNCOMFORTABLE GIVEN THE FACT THAT I'M VACCINATED. AND I KNOW THAT OUR STEM HERE IS GREAT. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A SEAT ON THE DIOCESE AS WELL. I, I FEEL THAT THERE'S A LOT TO BE SAID FOR HAVING COUNCIL MEMBERS THERE IN PERSON, AND I'M LOOKING FOR IT VERY MUCH TO ALL OF US BEING BACK OTHER WAY. THE COLLEAGUES KNOW THE CLERK IS LISTENING TO US AND HOPING TO WALK AWAY WITH A KIND OF DIRECTION, UH, MAYOR PROGRAM AND COUNCIL MEMBER FOR THIS. THANK YOU CHAIR. I LOOK FORWARD TO RESUMING IN-PERSON MEETINGS AS WELL. THANK YOU. I JUST WANTED TO SHARE IT'S MY PREFERENCE. WE DO A FULL ON IN PERSON RETURN IN JULY. YOU KNOW, I THINK IT WILL GO AWAY IN OUR COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY KNOWING THAT JUST DOWN THE STREET, THE LEGISLATURE HAS BEEN CONDUCTING IN-PERSON THINGS, UM, AND THAT WE WERE REQUESTING FOR CITY STAFF TO REINTEGRATE. UM, ORIGINALLY I WOULD HAVE PREFERRED TO DONE A HYBRID APPROACH IN JUNE AND THEN DONE FULL IN-PERSON IN JULY. BUT, UH, BUT I UNDERSTAND WE'RE JUST NOT HAVING THIS CONVERSATION. SO, UM, SO JUST WANTED TO SHARE MY THOUGHTS THAT, UH, UH, FULL IN-PERSON, UH, APPROACHES WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE FOR US IN JULY. UM, AND ALSO I DO AGREE WITH KITCHEN ABOUT BEING SOME SORT OF VIRTUAL COMPONENT MOVING FORWARD FOR THOSE, UM, WHO HAVE CONFLICTS ARISE AS WELL. UH, GUEVARA ELLIS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I'M OKAY WITH EITHER OPTION, UM, I'M VACCINATED, SO I'M COMFORTABLE TO BE ON THE DIET SIDE. I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW THEY CAN COME IN, COMMUNICATE WITH US. UM, BUT I DO WANT TO BE MINDFUL ALSO THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF STAFF TOO, THAT YOU DON'T ALWAYS SEE ON THE DIETS. UM, AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO HAVE A LITTLE MORE SPACE IF THEY FEEL THAT'S NECESSARY, WHETHER THAT'S A V OR A CLERK'S OFFICE, OUR AMAZING STAFF MEMBERS, UM, FOR THE COUNCIL OFFICES. AND SO I DO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KNOW A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THAT. UM, BUT I'M, I'M COMFORTABLE TO BE ON THE DIET OR, OR VIRTUAL OR IN MY OFFICE. LIKE I AM TODAY. YOU ALSO REMEMBER KITCHEN. YEAH. I JUST WANTED TO ADD TO WHAT I MENTIONED BEFORE. IT'S THE AIRFLOW CONCERNS AS, UM, YOU KNOW, AS COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY MENTIONED AROUND THE PLEXIGLASS, AND I JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT THE, WHAT, AT LEAST WHAT I'M SEEING FROM RESEARCH IS THAT AIRFLOW IS WHAT'S KEY. AND SO JUST FOR, FOR MY COLLEAGUES, IF Y'ALL ARE INTERESTED, I HAVE, UM, I'VE PURCHASED AS AIR PURIFIERS FOR MY OFFICES, UH, AND ALSO HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL ONE THAT'S ABOUT THE SIZE OF A THERMOS, UH, THAT I INTENDED TO USE. UM, AND YOU KNOW, OTHERS MAY NOT FEEL LIKE THAT IS, THAT IS NECESSARY TO GO TO THAT EXTENT, BUT, UM, IT DOES PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL LEVEL OF, OF, UM, COMFORT WITH AIRFLOW. SO I'M HAPPY TO SHARE WITH IF ANY OF Y'ALL ARE INTERESTED IN UNDERSTANDING WHAT WE'RE DOING, JUST LET ME KNOW. AND I'LL SHARE THAT WITH YOU. SO THIS IS, IT SOUNDS LIKE IT SOUNDS LIKE LOTS OF COUNCIL MEMBERS, WOULD IT BE IN PERSON WHICH GIVES RISE TO THE QUESTION? CAN WE JUST GO BACK TO FULL COUNCIL AND DOES THAT WORK FOR STAFF OR PRESENT RISKS FOR STAFF THAT, UH, STAFF'S NOT READY TO TAKE, UH, AND, UH, FOR OUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT, UH, WOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH, UH, WITH OUR ROLES, UH, COUNSEL FOR HALTER ALLISON, THANK YOU. A COUPLE OF THINGS. SO, YOU KNOW, I'M COMFORTABLE MOVING BACK, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENS IN THE BROADER CHAMBER. UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S ONE THING FOR ALL OF US WHO I BELIEVE ARE ALL VACCINATED ON THE DIOCESE. UM, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, NOT ALL OF OUR STAFF MAY HAVE CHOSEN THAT AND NOT EVERYONE WHO COMES INTO THE CHAMBER. UM, AND I'M NOT SURE THAT I WOULD BE COMFORTABLE WITH A FULL CAPACITY WITH EVERYONE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE ROOM BEING ABLE TO BE FILLED TO THE SAME CAPACITY, UM, FOR THE SAFETY OF, YOU KNOW, THE STAFF WHO HAVE TO BE IN DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT PARTS. WE DON'T HAVE THAT, THAT CHARITY, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, POSSIBLY REQUIRING MASKS OF FOLKS WHO ARE NOT ON THE DIOCESE. UM, IF WE, IF WE HAVE, SINCE WE HAVE NO MECHANISM FOR ASSURING VACCINATION, AS I UNDERSTAND [01:15:01] IT, UM, SO I'D WANT IT TO MAKE THOSE COMMENTS. AND THEN I DID WANT TO CHECK, UM, VERY UNUSUAL FOR US TO HAVE A BUDGET PRESENTATION ON A FRIDAY IN JULY. UM, AND I'M WONDERING IF THAT IS MOVABLE TO THE NEXT MONDAY, IF WE'RE GOING TO BE MOVING TO IN-PERSON, I WON'T BE ABLE TO BE IN PERSON ON THE NINTH. I CAN DO VIRTUAL. UM, I, IT WAS A VERY UNUSUAL TIMING TO HAVE A PRESENTATION ON, UH, ON A FRIDAY. UM, AND SO I'M JUST WONDERING IF THERE'S SOME FLEXIBILITY, IF WE ARE MOVING BACK IN PERSON, AND IF THAT IS OUR FIRST PERSON MEETING, IF THAT CAN BE ON THE 12TH OR, OR, OR LATER, AND I KNOW THERE ARE SOME OTHER COLLEAGUES WHO HAVE A SIMILAR SITUATION FOR THAT, AND THAT'S NOT A COUNCIL MEETING, THAT'S JUST A BUDGET PRESENTATION. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WE BOOKMARK THAT FOR JULY 5TH, THE MONDAY, UM, BUT THERE CERTAINLY CAN BE FLEXIBILITY DEPENDING ON HOW MANY COUNCIL MEMBERS MIGHT BE ABLE TO ATTEND. UM, BUT WE'VE ALSO HAD A TRADITION IN THE PAST OF HAVING THIS IN VENUES, OUTSIDE OF CITY HALL, UH, WHICH WOULD ALSO ALLOW US TO, UH, YOU KNOW, HELP MITIGATE SOME OF THE SEATING CAPACITY, ET CETERA. SO WE'LL, WE'LL WORK INTERNALLY. WE'RE, WE'RE BEGINNING TO WORK INTERNALLY ON, ON THOSE FACTORS, AND WE'LL CERTAINLY BE INCLUDING YOU IN ANY UPDATES THAT WE PROVIDE. OKAY. THAT'S A FIRST, I'VE HEARD THAT DATA LOOK FORWARD TO MORE INFORMATION. THANK YOU. OKAY. IT'S ALSO THE FIRST TIME I HEARD ABOUT READINGS THE FIRST WEEK OF JULY. I'M NOT SURE I'M AVAILABLE THEN THAT'S WHEN WE BACK. AND I THINK THAT, UH, ONE THING THAT ALSO I WOULD BE WILLING TO CONSIDER IS WE WOULD COME BACK IF THERE WAS SOME STAFF MEMBERS THAT WOULD LIKE TO REPORT WE'RE TRULY, UH, IN PART TO KEEP THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE DOWN HERE. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I WOULD NOT HAVE CORRECTED IF WE HAD STAFF MEMBERS WANTED TO REPORT TO THE COUNCIL. RICHARD WAS SARAH . SO I'D LIKE TO ASK YOUR QUESTION MAY OR MAYBE MOST EXPLICITLY OF IT SEEMS TO ME THAT EVERY, YOU KNOW, I'VE SEEN ALL OF US HERE AROUND THE OFFICE AND LARGELY POTENTIALLY OPENING THE B YOU KNOW, LARGE NUMBER OF FOLKS SAYING THAT THEY ARE FINDING ON A DICE. SO MY QUESTION TO THE STAFF WOULD BE BECAUSE I COULDN'T TELL FROM THE MEMO, WHAT ARE THE, WHAT ARE THE POTENTIAL DOWNSIDES OR CONSIDERATIONS THAT WE SHOULD TAKE INTO ACCOUNT? IF THAT'S THE WAY WE WANT IT TO GO, MAYOR, THIS IS JEANETTE. I CAN TRY TO ADDRESS THAT QUESTION WITH MAYBE SOME, ANY ASSISTANCE FROM LAW. UM, WE ARE READY FOR YOU TO COME BACK, UH, IN PERSON, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR US LOGISTICALLY, UH, FULL IN-PERSON COUNCIL MEETINGS, UM, REDUCES OUR WORKLOAD AND OUR STRESS. SO WE'RE ACTUALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING YOU ALL BACK. WE CAN WORK WITH DR. ASCOT TO ENSURE THAT DEPENDING ON THE STAGE THAT WE ARE AT, WE LIMIT THE NUMBER OF RESIDENTS THAT ARE IN, AT THE, IN THE CHAMBER AT ANY GIVEN TIME TO ALLOW FOR APPROPRIATE SOCIAL DISTANCING FOR THEM. UM, IF COUNSEL PREFERS, WE CAN REMOVE THE PLEXIGLASS THAT HAS BEEN INSTALLED ON THE DIOCESE, UM, THAT IS STRICTLY FOR YOUR PREFERENCE AND YOUR COMFORT LEVEL. BUT IF YOU PREFER IT NOT BE THERE THAT CAN BE REMOVED AT ANY TIME. UM, OH, UM, THE STAFF THAT HAVE TO BE IN THE CHAMBERS, WE'RE ALL COMFORTABLE. UH, I HAVEN'T NECESSARILY ASKED ALL OF THEM, BUT I KNOW A NUMBER OF US ARE ALSO VACCINATED. UM, AND SO WE ARE GOOD WITH HAVING YOU ALL BACK IN THE CHAMBERS, THE STAFF THAT WOULD BE HERE TO ASK QUESTIONS COULD STILL BE VIRTUAL AND, OR BE STAGED THROUGH CITY HALL AND JUST COME IN WHEN THEY'RE ACTUAL AGENDA ITEM IS BEING DISCUSSED, IF THAT'S THEIR PREFERENCE, BUT WE CAN MANAGE THAT, UM, WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE TO ENSURE THAT ONLY THE STAFF THAT NEED TO BE PRESENT TO ANSWER QUESTIONS FOR COUNCIL ARE IN THE CHAMBERS AT ANY GIVEN TIME. THANK YOU FOR THAT. I MEAN, OF COURSE THIS IS A CONVERSATION WITH, WITH EVERYONE, BUT I JUST EXPRESSED THAT I, UM, HAVING A FEW OF US ON AND A FEW OF US OFF COULD BE OKAY, BUT I, IF THERE'S GONNA BE A FEW FOLKS ON THE DICE, MY SENSE IS THAT I WOULD WANT TO BE THERE. WANT TO BE THERE WITH YOU ALL. I THINK I WAS NEXT, THANKS CITY MANAGER. I WANT TO DRILL DOWN A LITTLE BIT, BECAUSE I THINK THAT FIRST WEEK [01:20:01] OF JULY, WE MAY BE GETTING A LITTLE, UM, FA FAR A FIELD FROM WHAT WE WERE ADVISED THE JULY NINE DATE, WHICH IS A FRIDAY, IS YOUR ANNUAL PRESENTATION OF YOUR CITY MANAGER'S BUDGET. IT'S NOT A MEETING PER SE. IT IS WHEN YOU COME AND PRESENTED OFFICIALLY. AND IT'S PRETTY CEREMONIAL IN THE SENSE THAT WE ARE THE AUDIENCE AND THERE IS NO, UM, IT'S NOT A MEETING. AM I REMEMBERING, IS THAT HOW YOU INTENDED THERE THIS YEAR? THAT'S HOW WE'VE DONE IT IN THE PAST. YES. AND THANK YOU COUNCIL FOR LETTING ME MAKE THAT CORRECTION BECAUSE AFTER GETTING THE COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR, I APOLOGIZE FOR GETTING THOSE DATES MESSED UP. JULY 5TH IS A HOLIDAY COLORBLINDNESS, THE JULY HOLIDAY CALENDAR. AND SO I GOT MY COLORS MIXED UP, BUT THE JULY 9TH IS WHEN WE HAVE A BOOKMARKED FOR THAT SOLE PRESENTATION OF THE PROPOSED BUDGETS. UH, WE ARE NOT LOOKING TO HAVE THAT EVEN WITHIN CITY HALL. AND SO AS IN THE PAST, WE WOULD HAVE THAT IN AN ALTERNATIVE LOCATION, BUT I'M ALSO HEARING THAT THERE MIGHT BE SOME SCHEDULING CONFLICTS. AND SO, UH, AFTER THIS DISCUSSION, WE MIGHT LOOK INTO OTHER DATES, UH, THAT FOLLOWING WEEK, UH, IF APPROPRIATE, BUT, UH, THAT WOULD BE A, UH, UNIQUE, UH, PRESENTATION AS OPPOSED TO A REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING. THERE WOULDN'T BE TESTIMONY FROM THE PUBLIC, ET CETERA. UH, SO THAT WOULD, UH, REALLY FOCUS OUR ATTENTION ON THESE IN-PERSON MEETINGS THAT WOULD INCLUDE PUBLIC TESTIMONY AND NOT UNTIL THAT JULY 29TH, UH, UH, COUNCIL MEETING AND MAYBE SEND OUT AGAIN THAT LIST OF THINGS THAT HAD BEEN CRAFTED FOR OUR BUDGET, UM, PROCESS FOR THIS YEAR. CAUSE IT GOES INTO SEPTEMBER WITH THE STANDARD THREE READINGS IN THE MIDDLE OF SEPTEMBER AND THE VARIOUS DEADLINES AND STUFF. AND I'LL JUST, I'LL JUST REITERATE, I, I WILL BE VIRTUAL ON JULY NINE AND IF YOU PUSH IT TO THE NEXT WEEK, I WILL ALSO BE VIRTUAL BECAUSE I HAD MADE SOME PLANS AROUND THE JULY BREAK AND 4TH OF JULY, BUT HAD FULLY INTENDED TO DIAL IN AND LISTEN, UM, BECAUSE I I'M VERY INTERESTED IN, AND OF COURSE THE PRESENTATION THAT YOU WILL BE MAKING AND IT MAY BE THAT OTHERS ARE IN A SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCE THAT, UM, HAVING THAT HOUR TO HOUR AND A HALF FOR YOU TO MAKE THAT PRESENTATION OR LESS, I THINK IT'S ONLY, IT'S BEEN LESS THAN AN HOUR IN PAST YEARS IS, IS FINE. I THINK, UM, I, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE ON JULY 9TH. THANKS, KATHY. YEAH. THANK YOU. SO THE MEMO THAT WE GOT, AND THIS MAY GET BACK TO SOMETHING COUNCIL MEMBER CASSARA WAS ASKING THAT JEANETTE, YOU HAD PROVIDED US WITH SCENARIOS THAT ONLY ACCOMMODATE FIVE ON THE DAYAS. AM I MISUNDERSTANDING THE OPTIONS THAT THAT IS CORRECT? THAT IS IF YOU WANTED, WE GAVE YOU AN OPTION. I THINK OPTION ONE WAS IN-PERSON FULL IN-PERSON OPTION TWO WAS A HYBRID, UM, THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR A NUMBER TO BE ON THE DIAS AND A NUMBER TO BE VIRTUAL. UM, AND THAT WAS BASED ON CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAD HAD EARLIER, UM, ABOUT COMFORT LEVELS AND WHAT STAGE WE MIGHT BE AT, ET CETERA. UM, BUT FROM WHAT I'M HEARING, THE MAJORITY OF COUNCIL IS INTERESTED IN, UM, COMING BACK IN-PERSON, UM, WE ARE PREPARED FOR THAT. UH, WE ARE ALSO PREPARED AFTER THIS LAST YEAR AND HOWEVER MANY MONTHS, UM, THAT IF A COUNCIL MEMBER NEEDS TO OCCASIONALLY BE REMOTE, WE HAVE ALL OF THAT TECHNOLOGY AND EQUIPMENT AND EVERYTHING IN PLACE. YOU'RE ALL VERY FAMILIAR WITH IT. AND SO THAT IS ALWAYS AN OPTION GOING FORWARD AS WELL. UM, ALL OF THAT IS IN PLACE. UM, I SEE ACTUALLY OPTION NUMBER ONE WOULD HAVE MORE THAN FIVE ON THE DAYA, SO, RIGHT. UM, YEAH. SORRY, MY APOLOGIES FOR NOT UNDERSTANDING THAT CORRECTLY. UM, I GUESS IT SOUNDS LIKE IT MAY BE IMPORTANT FOR US TO EACH PROVIDE YOU WITH OUR, WITH OUR INDIVIDUAL PREFERENCE, WITH REGARD TO THE PLEXIGLASS, BECAUSE IT WILL TAKE, IF YOU HAVE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO DO NOT WANT PLEXIGLASS, THEY'LL NEED TO BE SITUATED IN SUCH A WAY THAT, THAT IT DOESN'T IMPACT THE CHOICE OF, OF THE PERSON ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THEM. UM, THAT THAT WOULD BE GREAT. IF WE COULD FIND OUT THAT INFORMATION, THEN WE MAY KIND OF MOVE YOU AROUND ON THE DIETS FROM WHERE YOU WERE ORIGINALLY, UM, LAST YEAR, UM, SO THAT ANYONE WHO WANTED TO BE SEPARATED BY PLEXIGLASS, WE HAVE THAT IN PLACE, BUT FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THE PLEXIGLASS, WE HAVE YOU ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE DIOCESE TYPE OF SITUATION, JUST DEPENDING ON WHAT YOUR PREFERENCES WOULD BE, WE CAN ACCOMMODATE ANY OF YOUR PREFERENCE. UM, I'D LIKE TO, SORRY. [01:25:01] I HAD A COUPLE OF MORE THINGS I WANTED TO SAY. UM, ONE SUGGESTION, UH, THAT I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IS TO HAVE, I THINK THE, THE PROCEDURE THAT WE'VE BEEN USING OF HAVING THE AGENDA OFFICE CIRCULATE AMENDMENTS, I'D LIKE TO CONSIDER WHETHER WE COULD CONTINUE THAT. I THINK THAT CUTS DOWN ON THE NUMBER OF STAFF COMING IN AND, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVING TO DISTRIBUTE PAPERS ACROSS THE DIOCESE. SO THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THE AGENDA OFFICE CIRCULATE THOSE FOUR INDIVIDUAL COUNCIL MEMBERS. AND, YOU KNOW, I'VE FOUND IT A REAL, HUGE CONVENIENCE TO HAVE MY PRINTER RIGHT NEXT TO MY COMPUTER. SO TO THE EXTENT THAT WE'RE ABLE, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE, ARE WORKING THAT WAY TOO, BUT SOMETIMES WHEN WE GET AN AMENDMENT, I JUST SEND IT TO MY PRINTER. AND THAT, THAT TO, UM, CUTS DOWN ON, ON OUR USUAL PRACTICE AT CITY HALL, WHERE IF WE NEED SOMETHING PRINTED, USUALLY IT'S OUR STAFF MEMBERS BRINGING IT DOWN TO US ON THE DIOCESE. AND SO I JUST THROW THAT OUT THERE THAT I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THERE'S SPACE UNDER OUR DESKS FOR PRINTERS, FOR OF US WHO WANT THEM, OR IT'S POSSIBLE JUST IN THAT BACK HALLWAY TO HAVE A PRINTER WHERE WE COULD SEND THINGS TO, I KNOW THERE'S ONE, A LITTLE FURTHER AFIELD, BUT YOU REALLY HAVE TO GET, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO GET OUT AND DOWN THE HALLWAY AND TO THE PRINTER OFFICE, BUT JUST IN TERMS OF THINKING ABOUT SOME OF THE SOLUTIONS THAT MIGHT KEEP, KEEP, UM, JUST MIGHT LIMIT THE NUMBER OF STAFF WHO ARE COMING BACK AND FORTH TO THE DIOCESE MIGHT BE USEFUL TO, TO THINK THROUGH COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO I CAN GET WITH, UH, IT TO SEE IF THERE'S A PLACE, UM, EITHER RIGHT BEHIND THE DIOCESE. I DON'T KNOW IF THERE WOULD BE ROOM UNDER THE DESK, UM, PLUS THAT WOULD REQUIRE A PRINTER FOR EVERYBODY UNDER THE DESK, BUT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO PUT ONE DIRECTLY BEHIND THE DIAS OR JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR, LEADING TO THE BACK AREA. THAT WOULD BE A LITTLE EASIER FOR, UH, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO ACCESS. YEAH, THAT SOUNDS GOOD TO ME. I AGREE. I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE'S ROOM. I DON'T BELIEVE THERE'S A REMINDER THAT UNDER THE DESKS, BUT BEHIND THE HALLWAY IN THE HALLWAY OR, OR IN THAT AREA THAT YOU SUGGEST OUTSIDE THE DOOR MIGHT BE, MIGHT BE A REAL GOOD CONVENIENCE. SO I THINK COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE GOING TO CONTACT YOU ABOUT WHETHER THEY GOING TO BE A PERSON THEY'RE GOING TO CONTACT YOU ABOUT, UH, THE BITERS. UH, I THINK ONE OF THE QUESTIONS FOR US ALSO IS A PUBLIC. UH, DO WE LIVE UP TO, UH, THAT ASSUMES THE GOVERNOR KEEPS EMERGENCY ROOMS, RULES IN PLACE OR DOES NOT KEEP THE EMERGENCY RULES IN PLACE. SO HOW DO YOU HANDLE PEOPLE PHYSICALLY PRESENT? AND DO WE LET PEOPLE PARTICIPATE BY AUDIO IF THE GOVERNOR ALLOWS IT OR CERTAINLY AT THE LIBRARY, BOTH PHYSICALLY AND AUDIO, WHAT DO YOU THINK IN TERMS OF PUBLIC? UM, IF YOU'RE ASKING ME MAYOR, I THINK, UH, AS LONG AS THE GOVERNOR HAS THE, UH, EXEMPTIONS IN PLACE THAT ALLOWS US FOR AUDIO TESTIMONY, UM, IT WOULD BE EASY FOR US TO DO A HYBRID FOR THE RESIDENTS THAT ALLOWS THEM TO CHOOSE, UM, AUDIO OR IN-PERSON TESTIMONY. UM, VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID LAST YEAR FOR THE BUDGET PUBLIC HEARINGS THAT WE HELD. UM, SO WE COULD ABSOLUTELY DO THAT. IF THE EXEMPTIONS, UM, GO AWAY, THEN WE'RE BACK TO HAVING VIDEO TESTIMONY THAT IS LOGISTICALLY MORE DIFFICULT, AND WE WOULD NEED TO RELY ON THE LIBRARIES TO PROVIDE A SERVICE. AND THEY ARE NOT PREPARED FROM MY UNDERSTANDING TO DO THAT. STARTING IN JULY, THEY NEED TO GET SOME ADDITIONAL AND RESOURCES IN PLACE. UM, AND SO AGAIN, MY, MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE AS LONG AS WE CAN DO AUDIO, WE CAN EASILY DO A HYBRID IN PERSON AND AUDIO TESTIMONY. UM, IF THE EXEMPTIONS GO AWAY, THEN MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE THAT WE GO TO IN-PERSON TESTIMONY ONLY, AND THEN WE CAN WORK WITH BUILDING SERVICES AND BUILDING SECURITY TO MANAGE THE FLOW OF PEOPLE HERE INTO CHAMBERS SO THAT WE CAN ACCOMMODATE EVERYONE, UH, AND STILL ALLOW THEM TO BE SAFE AND DO SOME STAGES. I GET A BILL AND I GIVE IT TO THE OTHER QUESTION, COLLEAGUES, IF YOU WANT TO ADDRESS IT IS WHILE WE'VE BEEN IN THIS BOAT, WE'VE CALLED ALL THE SPEAKERS IN THE MORNING. I'VE HEARD BOTH PEOPLE, UH, DON'T LIKE THAT BECAUSE THEY WANT TO SPEAK FOR THEIR ITEM, BUT I'VE ALSO HEARD, UH, UH, UH, PEOPLE SAY THAT THEY LIKED THAT BECAUSE THAT MEANS THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO WAIT ALL DAY, [01:30:01] UH, THAT THEY GET TO SPEAK IN THE MORNINGS AREN'T GOING TO ISSUE, AND THEN I CAN MOVE ON. UM, SO THAT'S ANOTHER QUESTION FOR US TOO, IF I COULD, IF WE'RE GOING TO DO A HYBRID OF AUDIO AND IN-PERSON, UM, GROUPING THE IN-PERSON AND THE AUDIO, UM, BASED ON AGENDA ITEM WILL BE MUCH MORE DIFFICULT IN THAT TYPE OF ENVIRONMENT. UM, AND SO AGAIN, MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE FOR CONVENIENCE, TAKE THE AUDIO SPEAKERS AS A GROUP, LIKE AT 10 AND TWO, LIKE WE HAVE BEEN DOING, AND THEN IN-PERSON COULD BE, IT'S EASIER TO GROUP THEM BY AGENDA ITEM. UM, AND SO RESIDENTS COULD MAKE THAT CHOICE IF THEY WANTED TO SPEAK AT 10 O'CLOCK BECAUSE THEY KNEW THEY COULDN'T WAIT AROUND AT CITY HALL, THEY WOULD HAVE THAT OPTION TO PROVIDE AUDIO TESTIMONY. UM, AND IF THEY WANTED IN PERSON, THEN THEY COULD COME AND WAIT FOR THEIR ITEM TO BE CALLED UP. SO WHAT'S YOUR DAD, SO THAT I UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION. I CAN UNDERSTAND HOW IT'S EASIER AND BETTER TO DO THE, THE AUDIO REMOTE TESTIMONY IN BLOCKS. IS IT HARD TO DO THE SPEAKERS IN PERSON AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DAY AS WELL? FOR US, IT'S NOT A HARDER, IT WOULD JUST BE WHAT COMFORT COUNCIL'S PREFERENCE WOULD BE. RIGHT. I MEAN, THAT WOULD BE THE SAME EITHER AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DAY OR BY ITEM WHEN THEY'RE IN PERSON IT'S THE SAME TO YOU. UM, YEAH, I THINK YOU WOULD HAVE YOUR, YOUR OPTION FOR AUDIO. MY RECOMMENDATION IS WE WOULD DO IT AND THE BLOCKS LIKE WE HAVE BEEN DOING, UM, 10 AND TWO AND, OR IF THERE'S A SPECIFIC CALL-OUT TIME FOR A LARGE ITEM, UH, AND THEN IN PERSON, ALL I'D NEED TO KNOW FROM COUNCIL IS IF YOU WANT TO TAKE ALL OF THE SPEAKERS IN PERSON ALSO AS A BLOCK, OR IF YOU WANT MORE FLEXIBILITY FOR THE IN-PERSON TESTIMONY TO BE MANAGED THROUGH THE SPEAKER SIGN-UP SYSTEM, LIKE WE HAD PREVIOUSLY WHERE YOU CALL THEM UP BY BASED ON AGENDA ITEM. I UNDERSTAND. AND THEN THE LAST QUESTION I ASK IS HISTORICALLY PEOPLE HAVE HAD TO COME DOWN TO A KIOSK TO SIGN UP ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE HERE WITH PART OF THIS, AS PEOPLE GET A CHANCE TO BE ABLE TO GO ONLINE, TO SIGN UP, UH, IS THAT AN ELEMENT WE COULD KEEP GOING FORWARD? SO, UM, AGENDA KIOSK IS STILL CTM IS STILL WORKING ON FINDING A SAFE WAY TO POST IT, UM, WHERE PEOPLE COULD REGISTER, UM, REMOTELY THROUGH THE SPEAKER SIGNUP SYSTEM. WE HAVE THIS PAST YEAR USED A ONLINE REGISTRATION FORM. UM, MY PREFERENCE WOULD BE TO RELY ON THE SPEAKERS SIGN UP SYSTEM, UM, FOR IN-PERSON TESTIMONY, UM, VERSUS, UM, IF WE DO REMOTE AUDIO, WE COULD ALLOW THEM TO CONTINUE TO REGISTER, UH, REMOTELY. UM, BUT THOSE FORMS REQUIRE A LOT OF WORK AND PREP BEFORE A COUNCIL MEETING. UM, AND SO THE QUICKER WE CAN GET AWAY FROM RELYING ON THAT SYSTEM, UM, THE HAPPIER I DEFINITELY WILL BE BECAUSE WE SPEND HOURS GOING THROUGH AND CONFIRMING WHICH ITEM THE SPEAKER IS ACTUALLY WANTING TO SPEAK ON. UM, SO WE COULD FIGURE OUT HOW TO MANAGE THAT. UM, BUT IF THEY'RE IN PERSON, UM, THAT USING THE KIOSK ALLOWS US MORE FLEXIBILITY BECAUSE THEY COULD REGISTER AT ANY TIME DURING THE DAY BEFORE THE AGENDA ITEM WAS TAKEN. AND I KNOW THAT'S HOW WE'VE DONE IT HISTORICALLY. UH, HAVING PEOPLE SIGN UP AHEAD OF TIME, GIVES US CONSIDERABLY GREATER ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO MANAGE THE BD, UH, BECAUSE WE'D ALREADY PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE SPEAKING. SO WE'VE, I DON'T KNOW PREFERENCE OF COLLEAGUES, BUT I THINK IF PEOPLE JUST KNEW THEY HAD TO SIGN UP AT A TIME TO SPEAK, THAT HELPS US BE A LOT MORE EFFICIENT THAN IT IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE HAVE A BIG GOING REALLY LATE IN OUR, IN OUR BDS. AND IF THAT IS COUNCIL'S PREFERENCE, WE CAN FIGURE OUT A LONG-TERM SOLUTION TO THAT PROBLEM. OKAY. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER POOL, AND COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, KELLY WITH COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, YEAH, I LIKE BEING ABLE TO OFFER THE, UM, FLEXIBILITY TO THE COMMUNITY, BUT [01:35:01] THE THING ABOUT THE KIOSK THAT HAS BEEN A CONCERN IN THE PAST IS IT DID GET HACKED A FEW YEARS AGO. AND SO WE HAD TO BRING ADDITIONAL, UM, CONTROLS ONTO IT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE LINK WASN'T SHARED TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND HAVE PEOPLE SIGNING UP WHO BACK IN THOSE DAYS WERE NOT ACTUALLY INTENDING. AND SOME OF THEM MAYBE WEREN'T EVEN IN AN AUSTIN. SO I REMEMBER KIND OF THE, JUST THE VAGUE OUTLINES OF, OF WHAT HAPPENED. AND SO I WOULD SAY WITH REGARD TO THE KIOSK, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS A SECURE INTERFACE AND I WOULD RELY ON OUR IT FOLKS AND OUR CITY CLERK FOLKS TOO, TO MAKE SURE THOSE INSURANCES ARE IN PLACE BECAUSE WE DON'T, WE DON'T WANT THAT TO, UM, FALL PRIOR TO, UM, UM, TO HACKERS. AND THEN, UM, I, I THINK WE'RE IN A, AN ADJUSTMENT PERIOD, BUT I DON'T EXPECT THE ADJUSTMENT. AND I THINK THAT THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE PIONEERED OVER THE LAST 18 MONTHS THAT WE WILL CARRY FORWARD WITH US INTO THE NEW NORMAL, BUT I ALSO AM, UM, REALLY KEENLY AWARE THAT WE ARE IN ANOTHER ADJUSTMENT PERIOD. AND SO SOME OF THESE THINGS WILL TAKE US OVER A PERIOD OF MONTHS MAYBE, BUT WON'T NECESSARILY BE LONG-TERM. SO WE CAN ALSO, I KNOW IN MY MIND, I'M KIND OF FRAMING OUR REINTEGRATION AS HOW WE GET TO THAT, UM, BACK TO THE NORMALITY THAT, THAT WE'RE ALL ANXIOUS FOR. SO IT HELPS ME KIND OF, EVEN IF IT'S A LITTLE BIT STILL, A LITTLE BIT AWKWARD, IT HELPS ME GET OVER THAT AWKWARDNESS BECAUSE I KNOW THAT EVENTUALLY WE WILL BE PAST THAT AND GET BACK TO WHERE WE RECOGNIZE OUR PROTOCOLS AND OUR, WHERE WE BECOME COMFORTABLE AGAIN WITH THEM. THANK YOU. UM, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS FOR ME IN THIS ROLE IS THE EDUCATION AND OUTREACH ON HOW TO GET PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY INVOLVED IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT. AND SO I WOULD, I WOULD HOPE THAT WHATEVER WE DO DETERMINE MY OFFICE AND OTHER OFFICES CAN GET A CLEAR OUTLINE OF THE NEW PROCEDURES THAT WE HAVE SO THAT WE CAN START THAT EDUCATION AND OUTREACH TO GET PEOPLE INVOLVED IN SPEAKING AND COMING TO MEETINGS AND HAVING THEIR VOICES HEARD. I WILL SAY THAT ONE OF THE BIGGEST COMPLAINTS THAT I GET WHEN I DO TALK TO GROUPS OF PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT PARTICIPATING IN COUNCIL MEETINGS AND THINGS IS THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT IT USED TO TAKE TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK AND HOW THEY WOULD HAVE TO PUT THEIR ENTIRE DAY AWAY OR TAKE OFF OF WORK OR HAVE TO FIND CHILDCARE IN ORDER TO SPEAK AT MEETINGS. SO I WOULD BE MORE AMENABLE. IT WOULD BE MY PREFERENCE IF WE HAD THOSE SPEAKERS IN BLOCKS OF TIME, SO THAT IT WAS MORE PREDICTABLE ABOUT WHEN PEOPLE SPEAK AND I BELIEVE IT WOULD ENCOURAGE MORE PARTICIPATION IN OUR MEETINGS. SO WE COULD HAVE A MORE DIVERSE PERSPECTIVE OF WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE COMMUNITY AND WHAT THEIR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS AREN'T RELATED TO OUR AGENDA ITEMS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, SO I HAD, UH, A COUPLE OF SOME OF THE QUESTIONS, SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT THE CLERK RAISED. SO I'M GOING TO BACKTRACK A LITTLE BIT HERE, UM, WITH REGARD TO SPEAKER SIGNUP AND SPEAKER SPEAKER TESTIMONY. I HOPE THAT WE CAN BE FLEXIBLE I'M I'M AGREEING WITH COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY AND THAT PROVIDING, PROVIDING, UM, POINTS OF ACCESS FOR PEOPLE TO THE COUNCIL MEETING, I THINK HAS, HAS HAPPENED IN NEW WAYS DURING THIS PANDEMIC. AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN CONTINUE THEM. SO I PERSONALLY, I FIND AS A COMMUNITY MEMBER TESTIFYING IN FRONT OF BOARDS, AS WELL AS, AS A COUNCIL MEMBER, I FIND IT MOST HELPFUL TO HAVE THE TESTIMONY THAT RELATES TO AN ITEM HAPPEN IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THAT COUNCIL CONVERSATION AND DECISION. AND SO I HOPE THAT WHATEVER SYSTEM WE LAND ON WILL LOOK, CONTINUE TO PRESERVE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO PROVIDE TESTIMONY RIGHT BEFORE, UH, THE COUNCIL TAKES UP AN ITEM. YOU KNOW, THERE ARE MULTIPLE TIMES WHEN WE'RE IN IN-PERSON SESSIONS WHERE WE'VE ASKED A COMMUNITY MEMBER TO COME BACK AND ADDRESS, ADDRESS, UM, ANSWER A QUESTION AND, AND THAT CAN'T HAPPEN IF THAT PERSON IS GONE OR THAT PERSON IS OFF THE TELEPHONE. SO I DEFINITELY WANT FOR THOSE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO HAVE THE ABILITY TO INVEST THE TIME AND STAY OR COME DOWN TO COUNCIL AND PARTICIPATE AT THE TIME WHERE THEIR ISSUE IS BEING TAKEN UP, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO DO SO. NOW THAT BEING SAID, UM, YOU KNOW, I'M FINE IF, IF THEY'RE COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND I KNOW WE'VE DONE THIS FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS, IF THERE ARE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO WANT TO PROVIDE THEIR TESTIMONY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE, UH, OF THE DAY OR AT THE BEGINNING OF AN ISSUE, AND THEN, AND THEN NOT BE THERE FOR THE COUNCIL DISCUSSION, THAT'S FINE TOO. I THINK WE CAN ACCOMMODATE BOTH, BUT I, I DO WANT TO HAVE AS MUCH [01:40:01] AS POSSIBLE, UM, SLOTS FOR PEOPLE TO TALK RIGHT BEFORE THAT ISSUE IS TAKEN UP AGAIN, SO THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY HAVE A DIALOGUE IF WE NEED TO HAVE ONE WITH THOSE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. AND ALSO, I JUST THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, AS A COMMUNITY MEMBER I'VE SEEN, I'VE SEEN, UM, A GREATER IMPACT FROM THAT TESTIMONY WHEN, WHEN THE INFORMATION IS CONVEYED TO THOSE DECISION-MAKERS AT THE TIME, AT THE TIME THAT THEY'RE ABOUT TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. SO THERE'S THAT, UM, I HOPE, I HOPE THAT, UM, OUR DECISION MAKERS AT THE STATE, THE GOVERNOR PRIMARILY REALLY SEES SOME OF THE ADVANTAGES OF, OF THE FLEXIBILITY THAT WE'VE HAD THROUGH THIS PANDEMIC. UM, IT HAS CERTAINLY ALLOWED PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR COUNCIL MEETINGS AND IN OTHER BODIES OF GOVERNMENT WHO WOULD NOT OTHERWISE HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT EASY. THEY HAVE TO STAY ON, ON THE PHONE A LONG TIME, BUT THE FACT IS THEY CAN BE AT THEIR JOB, UM, AND HOP ON, UH, YOU KNOW, AT LUNCHTIME, IF THEY'RE SIGNED UP FOR CITIZEN'S COMMUNICATIONS, THEY DON'T NEED TO COME DOWN AND PHYSICALLY BE PRESENT AT CITY HALL OR PHYSICALLY PRESENT AT A PUBLIC LIBRARY. AND IT IS, IT IS A GREAT ADVANTAGE. AND I THINK IT REALLY MAKES CITY HALL ACCESSIBLE TO MORE PEOPLE TO HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY PERSIST. AND SO I, I, I REALLY JUST WANT TO CALL ON, UH, THE LEADERSHIP OF THIS STATE TO PRESERVE THAT OPPORTUNITY. I'VE ALSO SEEN, UM, I SERVE ON THE SOBERING BOARD, AS YOU ALL KNOW, AND WE HAVE, UH, FIVE, FIVE O'CLOCK OR FIVE 30 IN PERSON MEETING. IT IS REALLY CHALLENGING EVEN COMING FROM DOWNTOWN, GOING TO ANOTHER PLACE IN DOWNTOWN. IT IS SUPER HARD TO GET THERE ON TIME. AND WE HAVE SOMETIMES CHALLENGES WITH OTHER BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE COMING FROM DIFFERENT PLACES, HOSPITALS, AND OTHER PLACES TO DOWNTOWN GETTING THERE ON TIME. WE HAVE HAD GREAT ATTENDANCE AND GREAT START RATES, UM, THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC BECAUSE EVERYBODY CAN JOIN ON VIA ZOOM. AND I, I KNOW THAT'S TRUE. I'M JUST GIVING THAT EXAMPLE, BUT THAT'S CERTAINLY BEEN TRUE OF, OF OTHER BOARDS AND OTHER THINGS I'M PART OF, UM, THAT WE, WE SOMETIMES HAVE. IT'S JUST, IT HAS BEEN AN EFFICIENCY THAT I HOPE WE DON'T LOSE. AND SO TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN PRESERVE SOME OF THAT OPPORTUNITY OR A LOT OF THAT FLEXIBILITY, BOTH FOR OUR, FOR OUR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, AS WELL AS FOR BODIES THAT NEED TO MEET, INCLUDING OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. I THINK THAT WOULD BE DYNAMITE WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT, YOU KNOW, LIVE IN-PERSON MEETINGS LIVE IN PERSON, PUBLIC COMMUNICATION, I THINK IS STILL, IS STILL, IS STILL BETTER, UM, IN SO MANY WAYS, BUT HAVING THAT FLEXIBILITY DOES MAKE ALL OF THOSE PROCESSES MORE, MORE, UM, OPEN TO OUR PUBLIC. ALL RIGHT. FURTHER DISCUSSION. I IS PROBABLY SOMETHING WE ALL NEED TO THINK ABOUT THESE ELEMENTS. UH, MAYBE, UH, I CAN WORK TO WORK WITH THE CLERK, UH, TO IDENTIFY THE OUTSTANDING ISSUES AND GET THAT INTO MOBILE AFRICA CLERK OR POST SOMETHING ONTO THE MESSAGE BOARD. UH, YOU KNOW, I LIKE, I LIKE HOW WE'VE BEEN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABLE TO JUST KIND OF SET THE, THE MEETINGS TO WORK EFFICIENTLY. UH, I'VE ALWAYS BEEN BOTHERED WHEN WE HAVE MEETINGS OR I'M REALLY LATE. CAUSE I THINK THAT, UH, THAT UNFORTUNATELY LIMITS PEOPLE'S ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO, TO PARTICIPATE. SO THERE ARE SOME ELEMENTS THAT WE'VE USED OVER THE LAST YEAR THAT I THINK HAVE MADE MEETINGS MORE PREDICTABLE AND TIMELY AND HELP US AVOID THE AWKWARDNESS AT 10:00 PM WHEN SOME VOTE CONTINUING SOME DON'T. ALRIGHT. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION HERE? DID IT HURT? DO YOU NEED ANYTHING ELSE FROM US RIGHT NOW? I DON'T THINK SO. I THINK WE HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE YOU WENT TO GO AND I WILL SEND YOU A LIST OF THE THINGS THAT I DO NEED, LIKE IF YOU WANT TO BE ON THE DIAS, YOUR PREFERENCE FOR PLEXIGLASS, UH, ET CETERA. OKAY. THAT SOUNDS GOOD. THANK YOU. [A. Pre-Selected Agenda Items] THAT ACCESS GO TO, UH, PULL THE ITEM THEN LET'S SEE HOW MANY OF THESE WE CAN HANDLE. UH, THE POOL ITEMS TODAY ARE SIX, SEVEN, 1440 71 AND 72, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER. YOU PULLED ITEM SIX. YES. THANK YOU. IS THIS LAYING OR MR. BETINO I'M THE ONE THEY ARE. I'LL JUST TAKE ONE MINUTE TO GET THEM MOVED OVER. [01:45:16] WE HAVE STAFF HERE. IT COMES TO MEMBER. OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, MR. VINO, I WANTED TO, OR MS. LANG, I'M NOT, I'M NOT, I DIDN'T SEE YOU ON THERE FOR A SECOND IF, UM, EITHER OF YOU COULD PLEASE, UM, HELP US TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ITEMS X DOES, UM, AND WHY WE'RE BEING ASKED TO DETERMINE THIS AT THIS POINT IN TIME. GOOD MORNING, COUNCIL MEMBER, CARRIE LANG, INTERIM BUDGET OFFICER FOR THE CITY. UM, AND YES, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. SO WE ARE PRESENTING THIS ITEM AT THIS TIME BECAUSE WHEN THE STATE LEGISLATURE CHANGED THE LAW BACK IN 2019, THEY REQUIRED THAT THE IN ORDER FOR THE, UM, TAX APPROVAL RATE TO BE CALCULATED, WE NEEDED TO COME TO COUNCIL BEFORE JUNE 30TH. AND THIS IS ONLY TO CALCULATE THE RATE. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE RATE WILL BE APPROVED AT THIS TIME. THIS IS JUST THE PROCESS THAT THE STATE LEGISLATURE HAS REQUIRED IN ORDER FOR A HIGHER TAX RATE TO BE CONSIDERED. SO I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THIS THOUGH IS TO SET THE RATE AT WHICH WE WOULD HAVE TO GO TO THE VOTERS TO HAVE TO NEED A TAX RATE ELECTION IN ORDER TO RAISE TAXES ABOVE A CERTAIN RATE. SO THAT IF TODAY WE SAY WE CALCULATED AT 3.5%. IF WE DECIDE DURING BUDGET, WE WANT TO GO UP TO 5%, WE WOULD THEN HAVE TO GO AND ASK THE VOTERS TO APPROVE IT. IF WE SET IT AT 8%, WE'RE SETTING WITH THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE IS WE'RE NOT SETTING THE TAX RATE. IS THAT CORRECT? THAT THAT IS CORRECT. WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IS BECAUSE THE, THE, UH, GOVERNOR ACTUALLY, UH, DECLARED A DISASTER AND ALLOWS US TO GO UP TO THIS RATE WITHOUT DOING THE ACTUAL TAX RE-ELECTION. OKAY. SO THE CHOICE BEFORE US IS WHAT WE WANT TO PROVIDE DIRECTION TO THE STAFF AS TO HOW TO CALCULATE THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE, WHICH WILL BE THE THRESHOLD OVER, WHICH IF WE GO ABOVE THAT AS A COUNCIL, DURING OUR BUDGET DELIBERATIONS OR THE CITY MANAGER, THEN I HAVE TO GO AND GET A TAX RATE ELECTION. IF WE GO ABOVE THAT, AS OF THE DECLARATION, WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHOOSE TO GO ALL AS FAR AS 8% WITHOUT HAVING TO HAVE VOTER APPROVAL. IS THAT CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT. OKAY. I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND IF WE HAVE AN OPTION TO SET THAT AT SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 3.5 AND EIGHT, BECAUSE I AM NEVER GOING TO BE COMFORTABLE GOING TO 8% AT THIS POINT, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND FOR THE BUDGET, UM, OR I'M VERY COMFORTABLE WITH IT, UM, RUNNING UP TO 8%. AND SO I'M JUST CURIOUS IF WE'RE ABLE TO, UM, YOU KNOW, SET THAT VOTER APPROVAL RATE ABOVE, WHICH WE WOULD HAVE TO GO TO, UH, A TAX RATE AT, UH, SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN COUNCIL MEMBER, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER. YOU DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO CHOOSE THE SPECIFIC RATE HERE TODAY. YOU ONLY HAVE THE ABILITY UNDER STATE STATUTE TO SET THE VOTE OF APPROVAL, THE CALCULATION OF THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE AT THE THREE AND A HALF PERCENT LEVEL, OR AS ERIC MENTIONED, BECAUSE OF THE DISASTER ELECT PARE CURLY DECLARATION, YOU COULD DIRECT STAFF TO CALCULATE IT. THE LANGUAGE IS AT THE, AS, AS, UM, A SPECIAL DISTRICT WOULD CALCULATE IT AS SPECIAL DISTRICTS VOTER APPROVAL RATES ARE SET AT 8%. SO THERE'S NOT A DISCRETION TODAY THAT THIS PICK THIS SPECIFIC PERCENTAGE, YOU'RE SIMPLY DIRECTING STAFF TO CALCULATE IT AT 8%. AND THEN YOUR DECISION ABOUT THE SPECIFIC, UM, TAX RATE YOU WANT TO SET WOULD OCCUR IN AUGUST. OKAY. SO AGAIN, I'M STILL TRYING TO WORK THROUGH HOW I FEEL ABOUT THIS, CAUSE I'M VERY UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THAT HIGHER RANGE OF WHERE WE COULD LAND, UM, UNDER THIS SCENARIO. UM, BUT JUST TO REITERATE SO THAT WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE, THAT THERE'S CLARITY THAT ALL WE WOULD BE DOING IS SETTING THE RATE AT WHICH WE WOULD HAVE TO GO OUT TO THE PUBLIC FOR A TAX RATE ELECTION. WE ARE NOT SETTING WHAT THE TAX RATE IS. AND BY, BY, UM, APPROVING THIS ITEM, SHOULD WE VOTE FOR IT? WE ARE NOT COMMITTING TO GO UP TO THEM. GREAT. WE ARE LEAVING THE OPTIONS OPEN AS WE SEE HOW THE BUDGET UNFOLDS, GIVEN WHAT THE LEGISLATURE, UM, HAS HAS [01:50:01] DECREED DURING THE LEGISLATURE. CORRECT? THAT'S ALL CORRECT. OKAY. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. MY COLLEAGUES ASK THEIR QUESTIONS BECAUSE OF OUR ALTAR. I THINK IT'S REALLY HELPFUL THAT YOU PULLED THIS ITEM TO FOCUS ON THIS BECAUSE ALL WE'RE DOING IS ASKING STAFF TO CALCULATE A NUMBER FOR US. THE DANGER IS NOT IN THE PUBLIC, KNOWING WHAT WE DID, BUT IN THE PUBLIC THINKING WE DID SOMETHING THAT WE DIDN'T DO. UH, SO, SO, SO LONG AS THIS, EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS, IT'S REPORTED. IT'S UNDERSTOOD. WE'RE JUST ASKING FOR LIKE CALCULATION, WE'RE NOT SETTING A RATE, WE'RE NOT PREDICTING A RATE. UH, ANY OF THOSE THINGS, UH, ALL WE'RE ASKING FOR IS THE CALCULATION IS REQUIRED BY, BY THE, BY THE LAW, UH, IN ORDER TO, TO, TO NEED SOME, MAINTAIN SOME MEASURE FLEXIBILITY AS WE, AS WE MOVE FORWARD. SO THANK YOU FOR PULLING THIS ITEM TO MAKE THAT CLEAR COUNCILLOR KITCHEN AND THE COUNCIL MEMBER POOL. YEAH. SO THANK YOU FOR PULLING THIS COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR, BECAUSE THIS CAN BE VERY CONFUSING FOR THE PUBLIC, AND I APPRECIATE, UH, YOUR QUESTIONS TO GET THIS CLARIFIED FOR PEOPLE. UM, SO JUST TO REITERATE WHAT I HEARD TO MAKE SURE I HEARD IT CORRECTLY, UM, WE DON'T HAVE AN OPTION TO CALCULATE AT SOME NUMBER BETWEEN 3.5 AND 8%. SO EVEN IF WE FELT LIKE WE WERE GOING TO ONLY GO TO 4% OR FOUR AND A HALF OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, WE CAN'T DO THAT TODAY, TODAY. SO WE'RE NOT MAKING A DECISION AT ALL. IT'S GOTTA BE EITHER THE 3.5 OR THAT PERCENT. DID I HEAR YOU CORRECTLY ADD THAT'S CORRECT. COUNCILMEN. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND IF IT HELPS FOR THOSE OF YOU HAVE BEEN, WHO HAVE BEEN ON THE COUNCIL FOR SEVERAL YEARS, WE USED TO BRING AN ITEM TO YOU UNDER THE OLD TAX REGIME PRIOR TO SB TO ASSESS THE MAXIMUM TAX RATE IN THAT YOU NEVER HAD TO GO UP TO THAT MAX RATE, BUT YOU AS COUNSEL WERE REQUIRED TO SET A MAXIMUM TAX RATE, THIS IS EXTENSIVELY THE SAME THING THAT WE USED TO DO BECAUSE OF THE DISASTER DECLARATION. YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO, UH, DIRECT US TO CALCULATE THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE AT THE 8% LEVEL, WHICH WILL THEN BECOME THE MAXIMUM THAT YOU COULD GO TO WITHOUT VOTER APPROVAL. WHEN YOU SET THAT RATE IN AUGUST, THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER POOL, THEN COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY. THANKS. AND YEAH, I WANTED, UM, I'M I'M UM, THANKS FOR TALKING ABOUT THAT SETTING THE MAX TAX RATE, BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT WE HISTORICALLY HAVE DONE. UM, THIS TIME OF YEAR IT'S STANDARD, SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT RHETORIC SURROUNDING IT I'D ALSO POINT OUT WE DON'T YET. WE HAVEN'T YET SEEN WHAT THE CITY MANAGERS DRAFT BUDGET IS GOING TO BE. SO, UM, IN, IN FAIRNESS TO STAFF, I WOULD, I WOULD APPRECIATE THAT FLEXIBILITY THAT WE, THAT WE CAN HAVE THIS YEAR BECAUSE OF THE DISASTER DECLARATION, BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW YET HOW OUR PROGRAMS AND OPERATIONS WILL BE DEPLOYED WITH THE REVENUES AND THE NEW ASSUMPTIONS THAT WE'LL BE GETTING IN THAT CLEARER PICTURE THAT WE'LL GET ON OUR TAX, UH, OUR SALES TAX COLLECTIONS. AND WE'LL BE GETTING ALL OF THAT, I THINK IN A NICE PACKAGE AND ABOUT A MONTH. THANKS, SORRY, COUNSEL FOR KELLY. THANK YOU. UM, I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT. UM, SOME OF THE CONCERNS I'VE HEARD IN THE COMMUNITY, OTHERS HAVE HEARD AS WELL ABOUT BEING CONCERNED THAT WE ARE AUTOMATICALLY GOING TO VOTE FOR THE TAX INCREASE. HOWEVER, WE ARE JUST CALCULATING IT THAT SAID FOR THOSE OF US AT HOME WATCHING, WHO MIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND, COULD STAFF MAYBE TALK IT SORT OF AT A HIGH LEVEL OF HOW THIS, THIS WOULD BE CALCULATED. LIKE IF WE WERE TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF THIS ITEM, WHAT TYPES OF FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO ITS CALCULATION? AND THEN I HAVE ONE OTHER QUESTION AFTER THAT, , I'M HAPPY TO SPEAK TO THAT. AND, UM, ERIC, NELSON'S ALSO ON THE LINE WHO IS OUR, OUR CITY TAX EXPERT, BUT THE, UM, AT THE, AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL, THE, UM, THE, UH, THE TAX RATE IS THE RATE THAT WE CALCULATE IS IN TERMS OF THIS PERCENT CALCULATION IS THE PERCENT OF ADDITIONAL REVENUE THAT WE WOULD RECEIVE FOR OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE PURPOSES FROM PROPERTIES THAT ARE TAXED BOTH IN THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR. AND I'M SORRY, IN THE CURRENT TAX YEAR AND IN THE NEXT TAX YEAR. SO A 3.5% INCREASE WOULD MEAN THE CITY RECEIVES THREE AND A HALF PERCENT MORE REVENUE FOR OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE FROM THOSE PROPERTIES THAT ARE TAXED IN BOTH YEARS AT AN 8% LEVEL, IT WOULD BE A PERCENT MORE REVENUE. AGAIN, THIS IS NOT SETTING THE RATE. THIS IS SIMPLY SETTING WHAT THE VOTER APPROVAL RATES SHOULD BE CALCULATED AT. OKAY. THAT'S HELPFUL. THANK YOU. ALSO, ONCE THE RATE IS CALCULATED, WHATEVER PERCENT STAFF COMES UP WITH, DOES COUNCIL HAVE AN OPTION TO CHANGE THAT BASED ON WHAT RECOMMENDATION YOU COME BACK WITH BEFORE IT'S PUT ON THE BALLOT [01:55:01] FOR VOTER APPROVAL? UM, WELL, YOU WOULD ONLY GO TO THE, UH, THE BALLOT FOR VOTER APPROVAL THAT THE TAX RATE YOU ADOPTED WERE TO EXCEED THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE. UM, YOU DO HAVE THE ABILITY YOU WILL SET THE ACTUAL RATE IN, IN AUGUST. UM, BUT ONCE YOU TAKE THE ACTION TODAY TO DIRECT US TO CALCULATE THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE, UM, AT THE 8% LEVEL OR AT THE THREE AND A HALF PERCENT LEVEL, YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CHANGE THAT ONCE YOU GIVEN THAT DIRECTION. THANK YOU. OKAY, WALTER, THANK YOU. I JUST, I JUST WANT TO, YOU KNOW, WHAT I'VE JUST SAID WAS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE VOTING ON THIS TO SET WHAT THE VOTER APPROVAL LEVELS. SO WE'RE SETTING THE LEVEL AT WHICH WE WOULD HAVE TO GO TO THE VOTERS FOR ANY INCREASE ABOVE THAT IN TOUCH WITH, WE ARE NOT SETTING THE TAX RATE, BUT BECAUSE THERE'S THIS DECLARED EMERGENCY, WE HAVE AN OPTION OF HAVING THAT VOTER APPROVAL RATE WOULD BE WHAT IS NOW THE NEW DEFAULT OF 3.5%. WE'RE GOING UP TO THE OLD DEFAULT, WHICH IS 8% BECAUSE OF THE, UM, THE DISASTER. UM, BUT WE WOULD THEN DETERMINE DURING THE BUDGET PROCESS, WHAT TAX RATE WE THINK IS APPROPRIATE. UM, GIVEN WHAT WE SEE OF THE EXPENSES AND THE WHOLE PICTURE THAT WE HAVE AT THAT POINT IN TIME, UM, TO SEE WHAT THE NEEDS ARE. IF WE SET THE, IF WE DON'T MOVE FORWARD AT THIS AT 8%, WE WILL BE STUCK AT 3.5% AND UNABLE TO CONSIDER AN INCREASE TO 4% OR 5%. UH, WE ALSO WOULD BE UNABLE TO GO UP TO 8% IF WE SET IT AT 8%, UM, WE HAVE THAT FLEXIBILITY ANYWHERE IN THERE. IF WE WANTED TO, WHICH I DON'T FORESEE ANY SITUATION THAT WE WANT TO GO ABOVE 8%, WE WOULD THEN HAVE TO GO TO THE VOTERS. IF WE SET IT AT 3.5%, WE'D HAVE TO GO TO THE VOTERS. IF WE WANTED TO DO IT AT 5%, UM, IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT WE CAN'T SET THIS UP SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN WOULD BE A LOT MORE, UM, COMFORTABLE WITH THAT. THIS ISN'T ONE OF THE QUIRKS OF THE, UM, OF THE SYSTEM, THE WAY THAT PLAYED OUT BY, UM, THE LEGISLATURE. UM, BUT I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE THAT, THAT CLARITY ON, ON WHAT WE ARE VOTING ON. SO THANK YOU, RIGHT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. LET'S WHILE WE HAVE, UH, MR. BENITO HERE AND MR. DAWSON HERE AND MS. LANE HERE ACTUALLY BEFORE MAYOR PROTECTOR, HER HAND RAISED. YEAH, I THINK I'M ACTUALLY ABOUT TO DO WHAT YOU'RE ABOUT TO DO WHAT, WHILE WE HAVE THEM HERE. I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION. SO LAST, UM, BUDGET CYCLE WAS DIFFERENT THAN THE ONE PRIOR TO THE ONE PRIOR TO WE DID A LOT IN THE WAY OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND REALLY EDUCATING OUR CONSTITUENTS. UM, MY OFFICE DID PROBABLY FOUR OR FIVE BUDGET EVENTS. AND SO I JUST WANT TO KNOW THIS TIME AROUND, YOU KNOW, SINCE IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN 20, 20, 20, 21, WE MIGHT ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO DO SOME IN-PERSON EVENTS AGAIN. UH, IT, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU HELPED US WITH A LOT OF THOSE BY ATTENDING AND REALLY WALKING PEOPLE THROUGH SOME OF THE MORE TECHNICAL COMPONENTS. WOULD THAT BE MS. LANG THIS TIME? WOULD THAT BE A COMBINATION? AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, UM, THIS TIME AROUND. SO I'LL, I'LL TAKE LEAD ON THIS AND I WILL BE, UM, WALKING, BE AVAILABLE TO, TO, UM, PARTICIPATE IN ANY TOWN HALL MEETINGS AND WALKING THE CONSTITUENTS THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS TO HELP THEM BEDROOMS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT THEY UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT IT IS THAT'S HAPPENING, ESPECIALLY WITH SOMETHING AS IMPORTANT AS THE BUDGET. SO THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE IT. LOOKING FORWARD TO REACHING OUT OKAY. CARLY'S WELL, WE HAVE THESE THREE BUDGET PRO, WHICH IS I'M GOING TO CALL UP NOW ITEMS 71 72, WHICH ARE THE TAX EXEMPTIONS, UH, WHILE WE HAVE THESE FOLKS HERE. UM, AND I PULLED THESE ITEMS, UH, I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS, UH, WHEN WE HAVE DONE AND CONSIDERED EXCEPTIONS IN THE PAST, UH, IF LIVER COUNCIL CHOSE TO DO THEM, THEY CAME AT THE EXPENSE OF POTENTIALLY SPENDING ON SOCIAL SERVICES, UH, AND ALIKE. UM, SO WE HAD TO MAKE THAT KIND OF, OF CHOICE. UM, MY UNDERSTANDING FROM THE MEMO THAT WAS CIRCULATED, UH, FROM HIS LEG INDICATED THAT THE CONTROLLER NOW HANDLES THESE DIFFERENTLY. UH, SO, UH, WE DON'T HAVE TO MAKE THOSE KINDS OF FORCED CHOICES. NOW, IF WE GIVE EXEMPTIONS, IS THAT CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT. YES. OKAY. [02:00:02] SO IT'S VERY DIFFERENT CONSIDERATION, BUT WE, WELL, WE HAD IN THE, IN THE PAST, UH, THE 71 AND 72 71 WOULD, UH, INCREASE THE HOMEOWNER'S EXEMPTION UP TO THE SAME 20% OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY HAS A AND 72, WOULD THAT INCREASE THE SENIOR EXEMPTION FROM 88, UP TO ONE 13 OR ADDITIONAL 25? DO YOU KNOW, UM, IN THE, IN THE MEMO THAT CAME OUT, IF WE WERE TO DO THE HOMEOWNERS EXEMPTION AT THE A HUNDRED PERCENT, UM, IF WE WERE TO DO THREE AND A HALF PERCENT TAX RATE INCREASE FOR THE TYPICAL, UH, HOMEOWNER MEDIAN OWNER, WHAT'S THE REDUCTION IN TAXES, UM, THAT WOULD BE ACHIEVED VERSUS BEING AT THAT SAME TAXPAYER, IF WE WERE AT A THREE AND A HALF PERCENT WITHOUT THE HOMEOWNERS EXEMPTION, I'M GOING TO TURN TO OUR DEPUTY BUDGET OFFICER ERIC NELSON. YEAH. SO COMPARING FYI 22 PROJECTED TAX BILL AT THREE AND A HALF PERCENT, WITHOUT THE INCREASE TO THAT SAME SCENARIO WITH THE INCREASE, THE TYPICAL HOMEOWNER WOULD SAVE $141 AND 6 CENTS PER YEAR. OKAY. AND THEN SIMILARLY, MR. NELSON, MY QUESTION, IF WE INCREASE THE SENIOR EXEMPTION, HOW MUCH WOULD THE SENIOR OR DISABLED PERSON GET IN TAX SAVINGS? ALSO AT THE SAME TYPICAL, IF WE WERE AT THREE AND A HALF PERCENT, WHAT WOULD THE SAVINGS BE WITH THE CHARACTER FROM THE 20% GENERAL HOMESTEAD, THEY WOULD SAVE A BIT MORE, I'M SHOWING THEM THAT $150, 87 CENTS. OKAY. IS THAT ALL OF THEM COMBINED THAT WOULD INCLUDE THE EXHIBIT, THE FACT OF THE EXISTING SENIOR EXEMPTION OF $8,000 AND A PERSPECTIVE INCREASED TO 20% OF THE GENERAL STUFF. I GUESS THE QUESTION IS WHAT IS THE TAX SAVINGS? IF WE WENT FROM THE 88,000 UP TO THE, THE ONE 13 FOR THE TYPICAL SENIOR DISABLED HOMEOWNER, WHAT WOULD THE SAVINGS BE AT THE 300, IF YOU DID A $25,000 INCREASE IN THE SENIOR EXEMPTION? UH, THEY WOULD SAY $121 AND 88 CENTS PER YEAR VERSUS MY CURRENT PROJECTORS THOUGH FOR THEM FOREVER 22. OKAY. AFTER THAT. RIGHT. AND WHEN SOMEONE, SO IT WAS 140 106 FOR THE GENERAL, THERE WAS 121 88 FOR THE SENIOR DISABLED. IF SOMEONE ENTITLED TO GET BOTH OF THOSE EXEMPTIONS, IF, IF THEY WERE BOTH PASSED, YES. THEN YOU APPLY THEM IN THE ORDER. THAT'S MOST FAVORABLE THAN THE TAXPAYER. OKAY. UM, COLLEAGUES HAVE A COUPLE OF THINGS. I JUST WANTED TO SAY REALLY QUICKLY ON THESE. UH, BUT BEFORE I DO, I WANT TO GIVE EVERYBODY A CHANCE TO ASK THE QUESTIONS OF THE STAFF THAT WE HAVE WITH US. YES. COUNCIL MEMBER, KEVIN. I DON'T EXACTLY HAVE A QUESTION, BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE A STATEMENT. AND AFTER READING THESE TWO ITEMS, I BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD WELCOME EVERY TOOL AT OUR DISPOSAL TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE, PARTICULARLY OLDER INDIVIDUALS AND THOSE WITH DISABILITIES TO STAY IN THEIR HOMES. THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN AUSTIN ARE WHAT MAKES OUR CITY WONDERFUL. AND THEY'RE OUR MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCE. AND AS SUCH, I WOULD LIKE TO BE ADDED AS A CO-SPONSOR ON ITEM 71 AND 72. OKAY. SO NOTED. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. COUNCILMEMBER KITCHEN. OKAY. UH, YES, MA'AM THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THESE, UH, FORDHAM POLICE TO BE A CO-SPONSOR OF THOSE. UM, I THINK IT, I THINK BOTH OF THESE, UH, CONTINUE OUR, OUR PLEDGE, UH, TO THE CITY WITH REGARD TO INCREASING OUR LEVELS OF HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, AND ALSO RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF USING ALL THE TOOLS THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR US, FOR SENIORS AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. SO I THINK THAT, UM, ADJUSTING OUR EXEMPTION FOR SENIORS IS REALLY CRITICAL, UM, AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE BEING A CO-SPONSOR ON, ON THESE ITEMS. UM, DISTRICT EIGHT HAS MANY FOLKS THAT IF, IF THESE WERE NOT TO PASS, THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEIR NEXT MOVE WOULD BE. THERE ARE, THERE ARE MANY NEIGHBORHOODS IN MY DISTRICT THAT PEOPLE ARE ON FIXED INCOMES OR THEIR HOME PRICES HAVE SKYROCKETED OVER THE YEARS, UM, INCLUDING THIS PAST YEAR IN PARTICULAR. AND THERE ARE MANY, MANY FOLKS THAT NEED THIS PARTICULAR TYPE OF RELIEF. UM, AS WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE A LOT OF [02:05:01] RELIEF FOR RENTAL PAYMENT ASSISTANCE, UM, BUILDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING, EVICTION MORATORIUMS OVER THE PAST YEAR, UM, HAVE REALLY HELPED A LOT OF PEOPLE STAY IN THEIR HOMES. AND SO THERE ARE MANY CONSTITUENTS OF MINE THAT HAVE REACHED OUT, AND THEY'RE GLAD TO SEE THIS ON THE AGENDA, UM, TO REALLY HELP THEM STAY IN THEIR HOMES AND AGE IN PLACE NEAR THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY, UM, AND THEIR SOCIAL NETWORKS, LIKE THEIR CHURCHES AND THEIR DOCTORS. UM, SO I REALLY APPRECIATE BEING A CO-SPONSOR ON THIS AND THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS ITEM, THESE ITEMS. OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S OVER ALTAR. THANK YOU. I'M ALSO PLEASED TO BE A CO-SPONSOR OF THESE ITEMS. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE PROVIDE RELIEF TO OUR TAXPAYERS WHEN WE CAN, UM, GIVEN SOME RECENT CHANGES AT THE STATE LEVEL ON CALCULATIONS OF HOMESTEAD, THIS BECAME FEASIBLE IN A WAY. IT WASN'T, UM, FEASIBLE IN THE PAST. AND I'M EXCITED THAT WE ARE BEING, BRINGING IT UP TO THE MAXIMUM, YOU KNOW, 20% FOR THE GENERAL HOMESTEAD, UM, WHICH I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND WHERE, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR CONSTITUENTS ARE ASKING US TO BE, UM, WE HAVE PROVIDED, UM, SOMETHING AROUND $50 MILLION IN RELIEF FOR RENTERS THROUGH THE PANDEMIC, BUT HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO FIND WAYS TO BE ABLE TO DO THE SAME FOR OUR HOMEOWNERS. AND SO I THINK THIS IS AN IMPORTANT STEP FOR US TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE SOME OF THAT RELIEF TO OUR WINNER. SO THANK YOU MAYOR FOR BRINGING THESE FORWARD AND I'M PROUD TO COME SPONSOR. THANK YOU, PAUL. THANKS. I JUST WANTED TO REITERATE THAT I HAD EARLIER, UM, REQUESTED TO BE ADDED AS A KIND OF SPONSORED JUST TO MAKE SURE THE CITY CLERK HAD GOTTEN, GOTTEN ADDITION. THANKS. I APPRECIATE THESE TWO ITEMS TOO. THANK YOU, KELLY. I'VE ASKED TO BE ADDED, UH, COUNCILMEMBER THREE. YEAH. UH, YES. THANK YOU, MARY. I REALLY WANT TO THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. UM, I AM ALSO PROUD THAT I'M A CO-SPONSOR ON THIS ITEM. YOU KNOW, NOTHING, NO NEIGHBORHOOD HAS BEEN HIT IN THE HEART AS IT'S INSIDIOUS AUSTIN. UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE LAND VALUE INCREASING AND THE HOUSE PRICES OF BOOMS INCREASING, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GETTING, UH, AN EXTRA HIT THERE BECAUSE OF THE VALUE OF THE PROPERTY NOW, AND YOUR VALUE OF THE HOUSE HAS GONE UP SIGNIFICANTLY. SO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS GOING TO BE A RELIEF FOR NOT ONLY OUR SENIORS, BUT THE REST OF US, UH, HERE IN NEW SOUTH WALES. SO I'M REALLY PROUD TO BE PART OF A CO-SPONSOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. ONE QUESTION AND THEN SOME COMMENTS, UM, FOR THE STAFF, WHAT IS THE, YOU KNOW, IN THE PAST, UNDER THE OLD WAY, WE WOULD DO THIS, THERE WAS SORT OF A COST TO THE BUDGET, BUT NOW UNDER THE NEW CALCULATION, THERE IS NO COST. WHAT IS THE, WHAT IS THE, UH, AMOUNT OF, OF SHIFT THEN? BECAUSE ULTIMATELY WHAT THIS IS, IS A VOTING ON A SHIFT FROM NON-HOMESTEAD PROPERTIES TO HOMESTEAD. SO WHAT IS THE DOLLAR FIGURE OF THE SHIFT? YEAH, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. AND THE WAY I CALCULATE IT, IT'S ACTUALLY EASIER TO TRANSLATE IT INTO THE IMPACTS TO THE SPECIFIC HOMEOWNER IS ON THEIR VALUES. SO I DON'T HAVE THE AGGREGATE NUMBER. I CAN TRY TO WORK TO BACK INTO IT FOR YOU. UM, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. THAT WOULD BE REALLY USEFUL FOR ME. UM, AND THE SOONER YOU ALL CAN GET US THAT THAT'D BE HELPFUL. UM, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT HERE ON THE FLY UNLESS YOU ALREADY GOT NO, I WOULDN'T DARE. BUT TO THAT END, I THINK MR. NELSON, I THINK WHAT YOU TOLD ME WAS IT WAS ABOUT A $20 PER A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS VALUATION. HERE'S THE TRANSCRIPT AND THAT'S, THAT'S CORRECT. $20 AND 80 CENTS IS WE'RE NOT PROJECTING A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS DILATION FOR OTHER CATEGORIES. UNDERSTOOD. UM, THAT, THAT, THAT BACKED IN NUMBER WOULD BE HELPFUL TO ME. UM, I WANT TO MAKE IT REALLY CLEAR. I THINK THAT THIS, UH, THIS CHANGE AT THE STATE LEVEL IS, IS GOOD AND IT ADDRESSES WHAT HAS BEEN, I THINK BY FAR, FOR ME, THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE WITH THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, THE WAY WE'RE ALLOWED TO DO IT, THE SECOND BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS THAT WE ARE, HAVE TO DO IT A PERCENTAGE BASED RATHER THAN A FLAT RATE. UM, I HAVE STATED LOTS OF TIMES THAT I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY GOOD IF IT WERE A FLAT RATE. I THINK THAT WOULD MAKE IT MUCH EASIER FOR PEOPLE ACROSS THE CITY TO, TO BE INCREASING IT LIKE THE SENIOR EXEMPTION, WHICH IS WHY WE'VE, UM, VERY OFTEN, UH, VOTED TO INCREASE [02:10:01] THAT SENIOR EXEMPTION. AND I, I ALREADY FEEL VERY SETTLED ON, ON SUPPORTING THAT SENIOR FLAT EXEMPTION INCREASE, UH, ON THE, ON THE PERCENTAGE BASED EXEMPTION. NOW THAT IT IS NOW THAT THE, THE MOST TROUBLESOME PART OF IT IS GONE. UM, THE CONTINUED TROUBLESOME ISSUE IS, UM, THAT THERE IS THAT THE FOLKS THAT ARE STRUGGLING THE MOST, UH, THAT OUR HOMEOWNERS GET THE LEAST RELIEF MOST LIKELY BECAUSE IT'S, PERCENTAGE-BASED RATHER THAN FLAT. BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS IF YOU WANT GET, IF WE WANT TO GET SOME REDUCTION FOR PEOPLE WITH A LOWER VALUE HOME, THEN YOU'VE GOT TO DO THAT. YOU'VE GOT TO DO THAT PERCENTAGE BASED EXEMPTION. SO I, UM, I'M GOING TO CONTINUE TO CONSIDER HOW TO, HOW TO HANDLE IT UNDER THE NEW, THE NEW CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT ULTIMATELY AS FAR AS I CAN TELL THIS AS, UH, A SHIFT FROM HIGHER, UH, VALUE COMMERCIAL PROPERTY, SORRY, FROM HIGHER VALUE HOMES TO HIGHER VALUE COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES IS, IS THE PRIMARY THING THIS VOTE DOES NOW BECAUSE OF THE CHANGE, UM, WHILE UNFORTUNATELY PROVIDING PROBABLY TOO LITTLE REDUCTION FOR LOWER VALUE HOMES COMPARED TO WHAT WE WANT, UM, AND POTENTIALLY SOME IMPACT ON, ON SMALLER LANDLORDS AND SMALL BUSINESSES. SO I WANT TO SORT OF BE CONSIDERING THAT PART AS WE, AS WE HEAD INTO THURSDAY, I DO APPRECIATE WHAT WE'VE DONE FOR RENTERS AND RENTAL RELIEF. I STILL WORRY THAT WE'D HAVE, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TO ADDRESS THE POTENTIAL, UH, THREAT OF EVICTIONS THROUGH THE YEAR, BUT I KNOW WE'RE GOING TO BE WORKING ON THAT. I ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS CLEAR THAT WE HAVE DONE SOME, SOME REALLY IMPORTANT WORK IN THE PANDEMIC FOR HOMEOWNERS AS WELL. UM, MANY OF THE RECIPIENTS OF THE RISE FUNDS, FOR EXAMPLE, IN MY DISTRICT, I KNOW WHERE LOW-INCOME AND STRUGGLING HOMEOWNERS, AND I APPRECIATE THE MAYOR AND THE COUNTY JUDGE HAVING PUT IN, UH, A MORATORIUM ON FORECLOSURES, UH, FOR A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THE PANDEMIC FOR HOMEOWNERS. SO I DO THINK THAT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, UM, SINCE WE ALL REPRESENT BOTH HOMEOWNERS AND RENTERS FOR US TO FIND WAYS TO HELP BOTH. UM, AND AS I CONSIDER HOW IT IS THAT WE BEST HANDLE THIS UNDER NEW CONDITIONS, I WANT TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE BOTH REALLY TRY TO TARGET OUR RELIEF TO THE HOMEOWNERS THAT ARE STRUGGLING THE MOST, AS WELL AS THE RENTERS THAT ARE STRUGGLING THE MOST. SO THAT, THAT INFORMATION, UH, FROM YOU, MR. NELSON, WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR ME, UM, AS WE, AS WE WIND UP FOR OUR DECISION HERE TODAY. BUT I APPRECIATE THAT THE PART OF THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION DEBATE THAT GAVE ME THE MOST PART BURN, WHICH WAS THAT WE WOULD LOSE FUNDING THAT WE COULD USE TO TARGET THE PEOPLE MOST IN NEED, AND THAT IT COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE FISCAL PROBLEMS FOR KEEPING OUR SERVICES GOING AND KEEPING OUR EMPLOYEES PAID, BUT THAT HAS LARGELY BEEN ADDRESSED. AND NOW WE'RE JUST GRAPPLING WITH, UM, UH, UH, UH, HOW THAT THE INEFFICIENCIES IN A PERCENTAGE BASED SYSTEM WITHOUT A FLAT SYSTEM. AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT I HAVE TO SORT OUT IN MY HEAD BETWEEN HERE AND THURSDAY AND HOW WE TAKE CARE OF BOTH, UM, YOU KNOW, KEEP RENTERS IN THE CONVERSATION AS WELL. I WANT TO ASK OUR STAFF A QUESTION. UM, THERE WAS SOME LANGUAGE INCLUDED IN OUR MEMO AND IN AN AND CITED HERE TODAY IS THIS ACTUALLY WAS THIS NEW INTERPRETATION AND DECISION OF THE CO THE STATE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE DIRECTLY IN RESPONSE TO THE WORK THAT OUR CITY STAFF DID. UM, THERE WERE SOME REFERENCE TO, TO THE WORK OF OUR BUDGET OFFICE IN COMMUNICATING WITH THEM THIS WEEK. THIS WAS THE WORK OF, UM, DEPUTY BUDGET OFFICER, ERIC NELSON, A LOT OF WITH, UM, UH, WITH THE, THE FIRE SIDE, THEY WORKED VERY HARD TO ADDRESS THESE CONCERNS WITH THE CONTROLLERS. WELL, I JUST WANT TO APPRECIATE THAT. I WANTED TO BE SURE I WAS UNDERSTANDING IT CORRECTLY, THAT THAT CAME DIRECTLY AS A RESULT OF OUR CITY STAFF. THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT CHANGE, AND I TOO, I'M GOING TO BE CONSIDERING, UM, BYPASS CONCERNS WITH, WITH INCREASING THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION AGAINST THIS REALLY SUBSTANTIAL SHIFT, UH, THAT YOU'VE JUST DESCRIBED, BUT THANK YOU TO OUR CITY STAFF WHO WORKED ON THAT, THAT REALLY IS, IS, UM, GREAT. AND EVERY TIME WE TALK ABOUT HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS, WE TEND TO GET A FLURRY OF EMAILS ASKING FOR JUST, JUST THE THING THAT COUNCIL MEMBER COSAR JUST TALKED ABOUT, A FLAT RATE VERSUS A PERCENTAGE, AND JUST KNOW, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S, I KNOW WE ALL KNOW THIS, BUT IT'S JUST WORTH SAYING IN PUBLIC, WE DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO THAT HERE IN THIS STATE OF TEXAS, IT HAS BEEN A LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY FOR OUR, OUR CITY. IT'S ALWAYS IN OUR LEGISLATIVE AGENDA. I BROUGHT A RESOLUTION WAY, WAY, WAY BACK, UM, ASKING THAT IT, THAT, UM, WE CONTINUE TO PUSH FOR IT. AND I KNOW OUR CITY STAFF DO CONTINUE TO PUSH FOR THAT. WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY YET IN THIS STATE TO DO, UM, FLAT RATE EXEMPTIONS. [02:15:03] I THINK THAT'S, IT'S, IT'S GOOD AND HELPFUL. AND I ALSO WANT TO THANK MR. NELSON AND, AND OUR LEGAL STAFF, UH, FIRESTONE FOR THAT WORK. AND IT'S BEEN LIKE SIX YEARS, AND THAT'S JUST MY TIME PERIOD. YOU GUYS MAY HAVE BEEN WORKING ON IT EARLIER THAN THAT, BUT I KNOW THAT THIS ISSUE, UH, HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP, UH, EACH OF THE LAST SIX YEARS AS WE WRESTLED WITH, UH, THE HOMESTEAD, UH, UH, ISSUES. UH, AND JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS I WOULD JUST LIKE TO, JUST TO, TO NOTE ABOUT IT, COUNCIL ROCKSTAR. I THINK THE ISSUES THAT YOU RAISED I THINK WERE ACCURATE, UH, BOTH, UH, PROS AND CONS. IT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE COULD DO FLAT AS COUNCIL MEMBER DOVAN SAID, UH, BUT, UH, LEGISLATURE, UH, IN FACT, THERE'S BEEN ATTEMPT TO GET THE LEGISLATURE TO DO THAT OVER THE LAST, AT LEAST 30 YEARS. UH UH, FOR US AS SOMEONE THAT'S BROUGHT THAT, UH, TO THE LEGISLATURE AND, AND, UH, HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF THAT. I HAVE DONE WHAT THAT MEANS. I THINK AS YOU CORRECTLY POINTED OUT, IS THAT IN ABSOLUTE TERMS, THE GREATEST ABSOLUTE DOLLARS FROM AN EXEMPTION, LIKE THE GENERAL FROM SET EXCEPTION, WE'LL GO TO A HIGHER INCOME OR HIGHER HOME VALUE LOADERS. IF YOU AGGREGATE ALL OF THE DOLLARS. I THINK YOU'RE ALSO RIGHT THAT THE BURDEN AS THE, AS THE CASE GETS REALLOCATED WILL TO HIGHER INCOME OWNERS AND USERS OF A LARGE BUILDINGS EXEMPT, WE HAVE DOWNTOWN AND INDUSTRIAL PROPERTIES. AND THE THING I THINK THAT IS THE MAIN IMPACT, THERE WOULD BE AN IMPACT. AND I THINK THAT A LOT OF QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN RAISED ABOUT, UH, UH, TENANTS. UM, I HAD ABOUT A, I DON'T KNOW, I AGREE THAT, UH, WE NEED TO ADDRESS THAT AND I'M GOING TO DO THAT JUST REAL QUICKLY. UM, WE HAVE GIVEN A LOT OF REALLY RIGHT. YOU CAN PUT IT TO TWO TABLETS. SOME OF THAT'S BEEN AVAILABLE TO THE TWO. I HAVE LOWER TINNITUS AS WELL. I HOPE THAT WE CONTINUE TO GIVE ADDITION TO TENANTS, UH, AS PART OF BEING A PART OF THE DOLLARS, IN FACT, LITTLE TO , BUT I THINK WE DO NEED TO ALSO REALLY HELP THE HOMEOWNERS ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE TYRA THAT HAVE THEY BEEN FOR A PERIOD OF TIME. I NOW THEIR TAX PAPER IS, IS WHY BELIEVE THEIR, THEIR MORTGAGE PAYMENT, RIGHT? THE CITY TAX PORTION OF THE TAX BILL IS ALREADY ABOUT 20%. SO WE'RE A SMALL PORTION OF THE OVERALL TAX BILL, BUT WE NEED TO USE ALL THE TOOLS THAT WE DO HAVE, UH, IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO, UH, TO HELP. AND WHILE THEY AGGREGATE TOTAL DOLLARS, DOESN'T GO HOME TO LOWER INCOME FOLKS. THE, THE PERCENTAGE OF INCOME THAT LOWER INCOME PEOPLE HAVE TO USE TO PAY THEIR PROPERTY TAX IS A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF THEIR INCOME. THAT IS THE PROPERTY TAX COMPONENT, THAT HIGHER INCOME PEOPLE PAY. SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT ABILITY TO PAY, IT HURTS LOWER INCOME PEOPLE, A LOT MORE, THAT'S THE DEFINITION OF PROGRESSIVE VERSUS REGRESSIVE. SO IN THIS INSTANCE, EVEN THE PERCENTAGE TAX THAT WE'RE DOING, UH, IS GIVING RELIEF TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO PAY LOW, HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF THEIR UNIT GOVERNMENT TO PAY PROPERTY TAXES, WHICH IS WHY THIS RELIEF IS SO IMPORTANT. IT'S ALSO REALLY SMALL. IF, UH, IF YOU TAKE A $1,400 RENT APARTMENT IT'S WITH RENT APARTMENT AND $1,400 A MONTH, PROBABLY WORTH ABOUT $200,000, WHICH MEANS THAT THE ADDITIONAL TAX, IF IT WERE JUST FOCUSED ON THAT APARTMENT, UM, WOULD BE, UH, ABOUT $3 AND 40 SOME-ODD SETS. I THINK IF YOU GAVE A, UH, APARTMENT OWNER, A BREAK, A TAX BREAK OF $3 AND 40 CENTS, UM, AT 1400 A MONTH, APARTMENT THAT APARTMENT, OWNER'S NOT GOING TO CUT THE RENT TO $1,396 AND 60 CENTS. IT'S JUST NOT GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE MARKETPLACE, NOR DO I THINK THAT THIS ADDITIONAL $3 AND CENTS WILL RESULT IN RENTS GOING UP TO 1400 FROM, FROM 1400 TO $1,403 AND 40 CENTS. BUT IF A LANDLORD CAN CHARGE 14, 25 OR 1450 IN THE MARKET, THEY WOULD ALREADY BE DOING THAT. AND I JUST THINK THAT'S WHAT DRIVES THE RENT, ALL THINGS BEING CONSIDERED. THIS IS NOT PERFECT. UH, AS A BRAG, YOU POINTED IT OUT. I MEAN, THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT GETTING THE BENEFIT WE WOULD ORDER TO GET OR GET LIKE A BIRD. WE WOULDN'T WANT THEM TO GET, UH, BUT ON BALANCE, [02:20:02] UH, I THINK THIS IS PROVIDING REALLY IMPORTANT RELIEF TO PEOPLE THAT, UH, THAT RELIEF CUTS OVER ALTAR. THANK YOU. I TOO WANTED TO, TO ACKNOWLEDGE MR. NELSON AND THE GREAT WORK THAT HE AND HIS TEAM, UM, DID IN GETTING THESE CLARIFICATION'S AT THE STATE LEVEL AND APPRECIATE THE STATE, UM, YOU KNOW, SEEING HOW THIS IS ALLOWING MANY CITIES AND COUNTIES TO INCREASE THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION AND REALLY IMPORTANT WAYS TO PROVIDE RELIEF. UM, AUSTINITES WHO LIVE IN WILLIAMSON COUNTY. I BELIEVE THAT WILLIAMSON COUNTY HAS ALREADY VOTED, UM, TO INCREASE THEIR HOMESTEAD TO THE MAXIMUM THIS YEAR. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TRAVIS COUNTY IS PLANNING. UM, SO THERE'S WORK THAT OUR STAFF DID, UM, YOU KNOW, AND TRYING TO, TO, UM, IMPACT HOW, HOW THINGS WERE SET UP REALLY DOES HAVE AN IMPACT TO REDUCE TAXES, NOT JUST FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN, BUT ALSO FROM, UM, OTHER ENTITIES THAT ARE IN THE ABILITY TO, UM, USE A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION. SO I THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, JUST REALLY WORTH NOTING SO THAT AT THE VERY LEAST THE WILLIAMSON COUNTY FOLKS WILL HAVE THAT ADDITIONAL, UM, RELIEF COMING AS WELL. UM, I THINK IT WOULD BE INTERESTING AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH OUR NEXT, UM, LEGISLATIVE AGENDA. UM, AND TO BE THINKING ABOUT HOW DOES THE FACT THAT WE WOULD BE AT THE MAXIMUM RATE IMPACT OUR ABILITY TO ADVOCATE FOR FURTHER RELIEF FOR HOMEOWNERS, YOU HAVE HOMES THAT ARE LOWER LENNON AND AT LOWER LEVELS, SO THAT THE LAW RIGHT NOW IS SET UP AS A 20% MAX. UM, AND THE RESISTANCE TO THE FLAT RATE IS A FEAR THAT YOU WOULDN'T BE PROVIDING RELIEF, UM, TO THE HOMES THAT ARE AT THE HIGHER LEVEL. BUT I BELIEVE THAT WE COULD, NOW THAT WE ARE AT THE HIGHER LEVEL OF THE 20%, IF THIS PASSES, WE WOULD THEN BE IN A POSITION TO HAVE OUR LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION GO IN AND SAY, HEY, CAN WE GET LOWER LEVELS OF RELIEF? UM, YOU KNOW, WHERE IT'S X AMOUNT OR A PERCENTAGE, WHICHEVER IS HIGHER, YOU GET THE CHOICE, UM, TO USE. UM, AND THAT MIGHT BE A MECHANISM THAT WE COULD USE THAT, UM, MIGHT RESONATE IN THE, THAT ABSENT BEING AT THE 20% RATE WE COULD NOT ARGUE FOR. UM, SO I THINK IT COULD BE WHICHEVER IS HIGHER, MIGHT BE AN OPTION, UM, FOR US TO, TO CONSIDER MOVING FORWARD UNDER THESE NEW RULES. AND I DON'T KNOW, I'D LIKE IF SOMEBODY CAN TELL ME AT SOME POINT, WHETHER WE HAVE TO CHANGE THE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA, I THINK ABOUT THAT, WE CAN ASK THAT QUESTION OR BRING CONCERNS, CONCERN, ACTUALLY, I'LL, I'LL PROBABLY SAVE THE COMMENT FOR OUR ERP DISCUSSION. OKAY. UH, ANYTHING ELSE ON THESE ITEMS LET'S MOVE ON NEXT POOLED ITEM IS ITEM SEVEN. I DID. THANKS. SO THIS'LL BE PRETTY QUICK. I THINK WHAT I REALLY WANTED TO ENSURE IS THAT WE HAVE VERY LITTLE INFORMATION IN THE BACKUP OTHER THAN, OTHER THAN THE AWARDING OF THE PROPOSED AWARDING OF THE BID TO THE PROPOSED VENDOR. AND SO I, I WANT TO ASK STAFF WHETHER, WHETHER THEY ARE STILL, UM, PROCEEDING, WHETHER WHOEVER WE AWARD THE CONTRACT TO IS STILL PROCEEDING ALONG THE SAME, THE SAME, UM, RENOVATION PROCESS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT WITH THE SAME PURPOSE ON THE SAME ATTENTION TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION. SO MY GUESS IS THAT THIS WOULD BE MOST APPROPRIATELY DIRECTED TO DIRECTOR MCNEELY, WHO I SEE IS NOW ON THE CALL. OKAY. DIRECTOR MCNEELY. I BELIEVE YOU'RE MUTED. WE CAN'T HEAR YOU. I'LL TRY TO MAKE THE LINK IT'S MAYBE CALLED IN. I DUNNO, UH, DR. FERNANDEZ, ROLANDO, IF YOU WANT TO AT LEAST PROVIDE SOME CONTEXT. YEAH, YEAH. YOU'RE MUTED AS WELL. HOW'S THAT RIGHT THERE BETTER. WELL, GOOD MORNING. MARION COUNCIL OF CITY MANAGERS, PRONK ROLANDA, FERNANDEZ, CAPITAL CONTRACTING OFFICER. UM, I DON'T KNOW, SPECIFICALLY REGARDING THE DIRECTION THAT WAS GIVEN TO STAFF ABOUT IT REGARDING THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION. I WILL SAY THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF ATTENTION GIVEN TO THE SCOPE OF WORK AND THE EVALUATION PROCESS, OR WE IN FACT LOOKED AT THE EXPERIENCE OF THE, OF THE CONTRACTORS WHO WERE GOING TO BE BIDDING THIS PROJECT TO [02:25:01] PROVIDE US THEIR EXPERIENCE ON A HISTORIC WINDOW PRESERVATION, FOR EXAMPLE, AND OTHER AREAS OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION, UH, SCOPE OF WORK. UM, AND SO THAT WAS CERTAINLY IN FACT, AN AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY THAT WE LOOKED AT IN TERMS OF THE SCOPE OF WORK. I DON'T REMEMBER THE SPECIFIC DETAILS, BUT CERTAINLY WE PUT A LOT OF EMPHASIS ON THAT HISTORIC PRESERVATION EXPERIENCE ON OUR EVALUATION CRITERIA AND EVALUATION TOOL WHERE THE EXPERT PANEL MEMBERS, UH, DROVE THE EVALUATION BASED ON THAT, UH, COMPETENCY OF WORKING ON HISTORIC PRESERVATION PROJECTS. SO THANK YOU. I THINK I HAVE, IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE SEAHOLM INTAKE BUILDING, SO YOU'VE REACHED IS USING THE SCREENING SERVICE FROM GOOGLE AND WE'LL GET A TRANSCRIPT OF THIS CALL. THAT'S NOT ME. UM, SO I DON'T REMEMBER IF WE APPROVED, UH, UM, COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR A SEA HOME INTAKE OR WHATNOT. BUT WHAT I WOULD ASK IS THAT IF THERE ARE ANY DOCUMENTS OF THAT SORT, THAT THEY BE EMBEDDED WITHIN OUR ACTION ON THURSDAY. SO THAT IT'S REALLY CLEARLY THAT WE'RE, THAT WE ARE, UM, MOVING FORWARD WITH APPROVING, APPROVING THE CONTRACTOR, WHICH I'M THRILLED THAT WE'RE AT THAT STEP TO RENOVATE THE BUILDING FOR THE PURPOSES, TO WHICH WE DISCUSSED, YOU KNOW, THAT, AND THAT GOES BACK TO STUDIO GANG'S DESIGN, UM, DESIGN OF KIND OF AN OPEN, FLEXIBLE SPACE THAT IS ALSO A HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND, AND DESIGNING AND DESIGNING A SPACE THAT CAN BE USED FOR PUBLIC PROGRAMMING. AND I SAY THAT IN PART, BECAUSE WE HAD SO MANY, WE HAD NOT SO MANY, BUT WE HAD A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT PATHS THAT WE WERE TAKING, UM, ON THIS PROPERTY, ON THIS PROJECT. AND I WANT TO BE SURE THAT WE'RE REALLY CLEAR AS A COMMUNITY ON WHICH, WHICH PATH WE'RE TAKING AT THIS STAGE. YES. MA'AM. WE CAN WORK WITH A STAFFING DEPARTMENT THAT PARKS TO MAKE SURE WE PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION. YOU KNOW, IT'S CERTAINLY THE NEXT STEP AFTER COUNCIL CONSIDERS THIS ITEM ON THURSDAY, THAT'D BE FOR US TO NEGOTIATE THE CONTRACT AND GET THAT WORK GOING IN PLACE, BUT WE CAN SORT OF PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION BEFOREHAND. YEAH. LET'S JUST PAUSE ONE SECOND TO SEE IF A DIRECTOR MCNEELY HAS JOINED US VIA PHONE DIRECT TO MCNEILLY, YOU'RE STILL ON MUTE. ARE YOU ABLE TO HEAR YES. YES. OKAY. YAY. UM, SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO, WE ARE FOLLOWING THE COUNCIL DID APPROVE OF THE HOME VISION PLAN AT THE TIME IT WAS CALLED A MASTER PLAN, BUT WE'VE SINCE CHANGED THOSE LANGUAGE TO VISION PLAN. AND YES, WE ARE FOLLOWING THE VERY FIRST PHASE OF THIS IS, UH, BEING ABLE TO MAKE READY. SO TO BE ABLE TO MAKE READY THE PARTICULAR SPACE IN ORDER FOR US TO LEVERAGE OTHER FUNDING FROM PARTNERS OR OTHER FUNDING FROM CONCESSIONAIRES, AND YES, WE CAN PROVIDE THE LINK OR THE BACKUP TO THE ORIGINAL, UH, DOCUMENT THAT THE COUNCIL HAS APPROVED SO THAT YOU CAN, UM, VIEW THAT PRIOR TO, TO YOUR VOTE ON THURSDAY. IF I MISS SOMETHING ELSE, PLEASE, IF YOU JUST, RE-ASK THE QUESTION, I THINK I CAN ANSWER IT. NO, THAT'S VERY HELPFUL. IF, IF YOU COULD INCLUDE THE VISION PLAN AND THE BACKUP, AND THEN WE CAN MAKE, UM, I'LL, I'LL THINK ABOUT HOW I MIGHT BE ABLE TO MAKE A MOTION THAT MAKES SURE TO EMBED WITHIN THE ACTION THAT WE TAKE ON THURSDAY. UM, THE EXPECTATION THAT, THAT IT IS FOLLOWING THE VISION PLAN. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? OKAY, WELL, SO MUCH. THANK YOU. OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE, KATHY? OKAY, LET'S GO TO THAT NEXT, PULL DOWN ON THAT FOR REVENUE BAND. THAT WOULD BE NUMBER 14. THANK YOU. SOMEONE FROM DSD HERE. THANK YOU. PARSED OUT. THEY ARE, AND THEY'RE GOING TO MOVE TO OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS. THANK YOU. UM, SO THIS IS AN ITEM THAT WOULD INCREASE THE NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED STAFF BY 41 FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT POSITIONS TO SUPPORT, UM, FURTHER STAFF AND DSD. UH, THIS IS COMING, YOU KNOW, BUDGET. UM, SO I DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS. I WANT TO GET SOME CLARITY ON THE SITUATION THAT DSD IS EXPERIENCING, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF THIS ITEM. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, RODNEY GONZALEZ HERE, AS WELL AS DSD DIRECTOR, DENISE LUCAS. OKAY. SO WHOEVER IS MOST APPROPRIATE. UM, PLEASE, UM, RESPOND. UM, SO IN 2018 WE ADDED, I BELIEVE SOMETHING AROUND 50 POSITIONS TO THE DEPARTMENT IN THE BUDGET. AT THE TIME WE WERE TOLD THAT THE PERMIT [02:30:01] VOLUME HAD INCREASED BETWEEN 2013 AND 2017, WHICH JUSTIFIED THE POSITIONS. UM, THERE WERE A LOT OF FEE INCREASES THAT WENT ALONG WITH THAT. AND I SUPPORTED THAT ASK, UM, WE'RE NOW BEING ASKED TO INCREASE BY ANOTHER 41 POSITIONS. THE DEPARTMENT IS OUTSIDE OF THE BUDGET CYCLE. UM, SO I REALLY LIKED TO UNDERSTAND BETTER THAN WHAT WAS PROVIDED IN THE RCA, WHY THIS ASK IS COMING NOW. ABSOLUTELY. AND I CAN, AND I CAN START BEFORE, UH, DSD DIRECTOR, DENISE LUCAS, AND, UH, FIRST I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND APPRECIATE COUNCIL'S SUPPORT OF THE POSITIONS IN FISCAL YEAR, 2018 AS PHYSICIANS WERE, UH, SOILING SORELY NEEDED, AND THEY HAVE HELPED US OF COURSE GET RIGHT-SIZED, UM, TO OUR AMENDMENT, UH, FOR PERMITTING REVIEW AND INSPECTION TIMES. SO WE GREATLY APPRECIATE THAT. UM, MORE RECENTLY, UH, WE'VE EXPERIENCED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN HOUSING, UH, PERMIT APPLICATIONS, AND WE'RE NOT ALONE. UH, THIS IS IN THE AUSTIN REGION. SO OTHER CITIES IN THE REGION HAVE EXPERIENCED IT AND OTHER REGIONS IN THE COUNTRY HAVE EXPERIENCED IT AS WELL. UM, IT'S A PHENOMENON THAT HAS CATCHING A LOT OF US BY SURPRISE POST PANDEMIC. UM, IT IS OF CONCERN TO US AND THAT'S WHY WE VIEW IT AS AN EMERGENCY. AND THEY'RE COMING FOR A MID-YEAR BUDGET ADJUSTMENT, BUT I DO WANT TO TURN IT OVER TO DSD DIRECTOR, DENISE LUCAS, WHO CAN ALSO TALK ABOUT, UH, NOT JUST THE NEED FOR THE RESOURCES, BUT WHAT WE'VE DONE IN AN INTERIM TO BECOME MORE EFFICIENT IN THE WORK THAT WE DO, WHICH IS ALWAYS A CONTINUAL PROCESS FOR US INCUBATION AND COUNTING AND WE'RE ALTAR. UM, WE'RE EXPERIENCING A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF GROWTH IN OUR RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL AREAS. KEEPING IN MIND THAT ANY PROJECT THAT HAS THREE OR MORE RESIDENTS IS CONSIDERED COMMERCIAL. SO WE HAVE A LOT OF MULTIFAMILY, BUT WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF SINGLE FAMILY, UH, REMODELS AND ADDITIONS THAT ARE ALSO HAPPENING IN OUR AREA. WE ARE AT OUR MAXIMUM THROUGHPUT AND REVIEWING AND PERMITTING THOSE, UM, THOSE PROJECTS SO THAT WE'RE NOT ABLE TO MEET OUR FORECASTED VIEW TIMES WITH THE CURRENT STAFF THAT WE HAVE. WE'VE MADE SEVERAL CHANGES TO, UH, BRING SOME IMPROVEMENTS. FOR EXAMPLE, ON RESIDENTIAL REVIEW, WE TAKE EVERY FIGHTY AND WE'RE ONLY ON, UH, CLEARING COMMENTS TO GET THOSE PROJECTS OUT AND BACK TO THE DEVELOPERS FASTER. WE ENJOYED THE TWO WEEK, UH, REDUCTION AND OUR REVIEW TIME THAT ONLY LASTED TWO WEEKS BECAUSE THEN VOLUMES ACCELERATED AGAIN. AND SO WE'RE NOW BACK OUT TO THE EXTENDED VIEW TIME, WHICH IS UNACCEPTABLE TO, TO OUR CUSTOMERS. OTHER THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE IMPLEMENTED COMBINATION INSPECTORS. SO WHEN INSPECTOR CAN GO TO A SITE AND PERFORM MULTIPLE INSPECTIONS, THIS IS A GREAT TIME-SAVER FOR OUR CUSTOMERS, AS WELL AS AN EFFICIENCY. AND IT HELPS, UH, CONTRIBUTE TO REDUCING THE CARBON FOOTPRINT AS WELL. WE'VE ALSO LOOKED AT, UM, ADDING TEMPORARY STAFF WHERE WE NEEDED TO HANDLE SOME OF THE, UM, SPIKES AND VOLUMES, BUT WE HAD REALIZED THAT THESE SPIKES ARE NOT SPIKES AT ALL, BUT IT'S CONTINUOUS AND CONSTANT GROWTH. AND SO WE DO NEED ANOTHER STRATEGY IN ORDER TO HAVE A SUSTAINED RESPONSE TO THE INCREASED, UH, CONSTRUCTION IN OUR AREA. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. UM, YOU KNOW, PART OF WHAT I'M STRUGGLING WITH THIS IS THAT, YOU KNOW, AS CHAIR OF AUDIT AND FINANCE, WE HAVE CONVERSATIONS ON A PRETTY REGULAR BASIS. UM, AND WE'VE HAD SEVERAL AUDITS, UM, WHERE WE'RE WORKING TO IMPROVE WHAT'S GOING ON IN DSD. AND, YOU KNOW, JUST SEEMS RATHER SURPRISING THAT WE ARE HEARING FOR THIS HEARING ABOUT THIS JUST NOW AND THAT THIS HASN'T BEEN RAISED TO COUNCIL AS AN ISSUE, UM, EARLIER. AND SO, UM, I WOULD LIKE YOU TO PROVIDE IN THE Q AND A, AND ASSUMING YOU DON'T HAVE IT NOW, SOME OF THE DATA ON THE RESPONSE TIMES AND ON THE VOLUMES THAT WILL HELP US TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION THAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH AND WHAT'S GOING ON. UM, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTAND AND, AND HOW, HOW THIS IS HAPPENING AND WHAT IS, UM, AFFECTING THINGS. UM, AND THEN I'D ALSO LIKE TO HAVE SOME OF THAT INFORMATION FOR BEFORE AND AFTER THE, UM, THE 50 POSITIONS WERE ADDED BEFORE SO THAT WE CAN SEE THAT THOSE MADE IT MADE A DIFFERENCE. UM, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT QUESTIONING THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO ADD, UM, YOU KNOW, ADDITIONAL POSITIONS TO MEET THIS PARTICULAR DEMAND, BUT THIS, THE CHALLENGES IN DSD HAVE BEEN AN ONGOING FRUSTRATION IN THE COMMUNITY. UM, AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE TRANSPARENCY ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON AND THAT WE'RE NOT ONLY USING, UM, THE NUMBER OF, UM, STAFF AS OUR ONLY TOOL TO GET US TO THE RIGHT [02:35:02] SPACE. UM, THE OTHER QUESTION THAT I HAVE IS, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE ANTICIPATE THIS ACTION WILL IMPACT THE FEE SCHEDULE AND THE COST TO CONSUMERS? WE BELIEVE THAT IT WILL HAVE A MUTUAL IMPACT. UM, AS, AS WE UNDERSTAND HOW THE FEE CALCULATOR WORKS, THE GREATER OUR VOLUMES, UM, THAT WE GENERATE, WE WERE ABLE TO COVER THE COST OF SERVICE FOR DSD. AND SO FROM OUR CALCULATIONS, WE BELIEVE THAT WE CAN ADD THESE POSITIONS NOW AND PAY FOR THEM THROUGH F WHAT WE DO WITHOUT HAVING ANY NEGATIVE IMPACT ON OUR FEES AND COUNCIL MEMBER ARTHUR, UH, JUST TO RESPOND TO SOME OF YOUR CONCERNS AS WELL. DENISE DOES HAVE A FAIRLY, UH, GREAT PRESENTATION. IT'S A LITTLE BIT LENGTHY TO GIVE MORE CONTEXT FOR COUNCIL, AS FAR AS LIKE SOME OF THE METRICS THAT WE TRACK, IT'S ABOUT A 20 TO 25 MINUTE PRESENTATION. WE COULD CERTAINLY SPEND SOME TIME GOING THROUGH THAT PRESENTATION, OR WE COULD PROVIDE IT TO COUNCIL AS BACKUP. AND IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ITEM, WE COULD CERTAINLY THEN ANSWER THEM IN BETWEEN NOW AND THURSDAY OR THURSDAY'S COUNCIL MEETING AS WELL. UH, WE WERE PREPARED TO PROVIDE COUNSELORS AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE, AND I DO, UH, CONTACT KNOWLEDGE. YOU'RE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS COMING RELATIVELY QUICKLY. UH, THIS IS A PHENOMENON THAT HAS HIT, UH, JUST ABOUT EVERY CITY, UH, VERY RECENTLY WITHIN THE LAST FOUR, FOUR TO SIX MONTHS IN WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS GET AHEAD OF THE CONCERN, BUT WE DON'T WANT TO DO IS COME TO COUNCIL WITH A SEVERE BACKLOG AND THEN SAY, OH, YOU KNOW, W WE HAVE A BACKLOG, WE NEED POSITIONS. WE WANT TO GET AHEAD OF THE CURVE, WHICH IS WHY WE'RE COMING TO GET TO, UH, COUNSEL FOR THE POSITIONS. UH, AND AHEAD OF THAT, OF COURSE, IS DENISE HAS MENTIONED, WE'VE DONE A NUMBER OF EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS TO TRY TO ADDRESS THIS WITHOUT, UH, HAVING TO GO TO RESOURCES AS A FIRST STEP. I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO END UP ADDING MORE FEES. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO COME BACK IN AUGUST AND SAY, WE HAVE TO INCREASE OUR FEES IN ORDER TO COVER THE COSTS OF THESE ADDITIONAL POSITIONS, WHICH WE'RE ALSO HEARING FROM FOLKS THAT THERE'S A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE FEES. IF IN FACT THE VOLUME HAS INCREASED AND THERE'S NO ADDITIONAL FEE INCREASES THAT ARE HAPPENING, AND THIS IS LEADING EFFICIENCIES, UM, THAT'S ONE SCENARIO, BUT WE HAVE ALSO SEEN IN THE PAST WHERE WE'VE THEN HAD TO PICK UP, UM, THE COSTS. AND SO THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET SOME TRANSPARENCY HERE AND BETTER UNDERSTAND. UM, I'M NOT GOING TO BE COMFORTABLE RAISING FEES IN AUGUST COVER COSTS THAT I TOLD OUR VOLUME FUNCTION. UM, AND SO THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE SOME MORE DATA AND INFORMATION FOR US TO SEE THAT THIS IS IN FACT WHAT'S GOING ON, WHICH I BELIEVE YOU IT IS. BUT I THINK IN TERMS OF TRANSPARENCY, UM, WE, WE NEED, WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO HAVE THAT. UM, THE THING THAT I WANTED TO ASK AND THEN I'LL LET MY, UM, COLLEAGUES, UM, GO IS, CAN YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN THE FISCAL NOTE REFERENCE TO DEFICIENCY OF THE $0.8 MILLION? IT DOES. UM, THIS WAS A NUMBER THAT WE SUBMITTED IN MAY, 2020. AND AT THAT TIME, ALL OF OUR INFORMATION AND RESEARCH SAID THAT CONSTRUCTION WOULD SLOW DOWN AND ALMOST STOPPED. AND SO WE BASED OUR BUDGET ON THAT RESEARCH INFORMATION AND REALITY THAT STOPPAGE FOR DOWN DID NOT HAPPEN. AND CONSTRUCTION CONTINUED TO GO ON FROM JUNE TO CURRENTLY NOW AT RECORD VOLUMES. AND SO WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THE 2.8 DEFICIT, THERE WAS A VERY CONSERVATIVE NUMBER BASED ON WHAT WE BELIEVED WAS HAPPENING IN THE MARKETPLACE FROM RESEARCHERS. WHAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING NOW IS JUST THE OPPOSITE, WHICH IS WHY WE WON'T HAVE THAT DEFICIT. WE WON'T NEED TO PAY, RAISE FEES TO COVER THE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES. AND WE ALSO BELIEVE THAT THAT WOULD BE TRUE IN . AND SO SHOULD THIS BE APPROVED? UM, OUR BUDGET REFLECTS THAT, UH, WE WILL BE COST OF SERVICE. WE WILL NOT BE ASKING FOR ANY INCREASE IN FEES, UH, TO COVER THIS ASS. SO IF, IF OUR, UM, I'M NOT FINDING THE, THE DOCUMENT RIGHT, RIGHT NOW, BUT IF WE CAN, UM, GET THAT FISCAL NOTE THEN UPDATED TO SEE NOT JUST WHAT WAS IN THE BUDGET, BUT WHERE WE'RE AT NOW. UM, BECAUSE I WOULD BE CONCERNED IF, UM, IF READING THAT WE ARE IN THAT DEFICIT SITUATION WHERE WE ARE YEAR TO DATE, AS OPPOSED TO, UM, THAT JUST BEING WHAT YOU PREDICTED GIVEN THE PANDEMIC. I THINK THOSE ARE TWO DIFFERENT SCENARIOS TO BE CONSIDERING THIS UNDER. SO IF WE COULD GET AN UPDATED PHYSICAL APPROPRIATELY, OR, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING IN WRITING TO ADDRESS THAT 2.8 MILLION, IF I'M NOT ASKING THE QUESTION APPROPRIATELY, SINCE I DON'T HAVE THE FISCAL NOTE, UM, EASILY ACCESSIBLE, I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN UPDATE IT IN A DOCUMENT. I THINK THAT THE FISCAL NOTE IS TIED DIRECTLY TO WHAT WE SUBMITTED AS OUR BUDGET. UH, SO I'M ASKING IF YOU CAN DO MAYBE ANOTHER COLUMN THAT GIVES US YEAR TO DATE, UM, SO THAT WE [02:40:01] HAVE THAT SENSE AS OPPOSED TO, UM, JUST WHAT WAS THE BUDGET. I UNDERSTAND YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE NUMBER THAT WAS IN THE BUDGET, BUT YOU CAN TELL US WHERE THAT, WHERE THAT DEFICIENCY LINE IS AT THIS POINT IN TIME, OR ABSOLUTELY. GREAT. THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION. AND I'LL LOOK FOR THAT FORWARD TO THAT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IN THE QA. OKAY. THAT'S OUR KITCHEN. UM, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS HERE. UM, SO, UM, UH, MY FIRST QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH THE RELATIONSHIP WHAT REALLY, UM, AS, AS, AS YOU RAISE THIS NEED, AND AS I'M READING THE, UM, THINKING BEHIND IT IS, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO IS, UM, IMPACT, AND, AND THEY, UM, OUR GOALS IN THE STRATEGIC BLUEPRINT AND OUR ABILITY TO, TO MOVE MORE QUICKLY, IF I'M UNDERSTANDING CORRECTLY, IS THAT THAT'S ONE OF THE GOALS THAT IS CORRECT. YOU KNOW, THE HOUSING BLUEPRINT HAS SOME TARGET HOUSING NUMBERS, AND IF THE PERMIT APPLICATIONS COME THROUGH DSD AND WE DON'T WANT TO IMPEDE OR SLOW DOWN OUR VIEW, UH, BECAUSE OF THE VOLUME THAT'S COMING THROUGH. AND SO WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS RIGHT-SIZE OUR RESOURCES TO MASS, THE VOLUME THAT WE SEE COMING THROUGH. OKAY. SO MY QUESTION RELATES TO THE, UM, THE STAFFING THAT WE NEED FOR OUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UH, WHICH I THINK IS, IS, UM, NOW PART OF THIS NEW HOUSING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT, IF I'M REMEMBERING CORRECTLY, THAT DSD IS NOW PART OF IF I UNDERSTAND CORRECTLY. SO I'M WONDERING IF THIS STAFFING INCLUDES STAFF TO ASSIST, UM, WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING. I KNOW, I BELIEVE THAT'S AN AREA THAT MAINLY THE MAYO HEADS UP, OR AT LEAST SHE'S THE ONE THAT'S TALKED TO US ABOUT IT. I'M NOT SURE WHAT HER STAFFING IS, BUT DO, DOES THESE DO THESE 41 STAFF CONTRIBUTE TO THE EFFORTS THAT, UM, THAT HAPPENED IN THIS DEPARTMENT AROUND DEVELOPING AFFORDABLE HOUSING? AWESOME. SO IF I COULD MAYBE ANSWER THAT FIRST QUESTION, DSD IS NOT PART OF THAT DEPARTMENT, THAT DEPARTMENT IS THE HOUSING, IT WAS PREVIOUSLY PLANNING. YOU'RE RIGHT. I'M SORRY. I APOLOGIZE. THANK YOU EXACTLY. THAT GROUP HAS A SEPARATE SET OF DEPARTMENTS THAT WORKS ON, OF COURSE, THE VARIOUS AFFORDABLE HOUSING BONDS, UM, TO IMPLEMENT THOSE. AND SO OF COURSE WE DID HAVE SOME STAFFING INCREASES, I BELIEVE LAST YEAR OR THE YEAR BEFORE. AND WE CONTINUE TO LOOK AT OUR RESOURCES THAT ARE NEEDED, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF THE $300 MILLION RECENT BOND APPROVAL. UM, AND SO WE'RE ALWAYS CONTINUOUSLY LOOKING AT THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE IN THAT AREA. AND WE CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, IF IT SEEMS LIKE WE NEED MORE RESOURCES, WE'LL GO THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS AND ENSURE THAT WE'VE GOT THE RIGHT RESOURCES ALLOCATED TOWARDS THAT. HAVE THERE BEEN, IS THERE, IS THERE ADDITIONAL STAFF BEING REQUESTED FOR, UH, TO ASSIST AND HELP US MOVE FASTER ON DEVELOPING AFFORDABLE HOUSING? AND THAT'S NOT JUST RELATED TO BONDS. I MEAN, THERE'S SEVERAL ASPECTS OF THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, INCLUDING, UH, ANOTHER ASPECT. WELL, THIS IS NOT THE SAME THING, BUT SORT OF RELATED, WHICH IS THE 300 MILLION ANTI-DISPLACEMENT DISPLACEMENT DOLLARS. SO AM I WANTING TO UNDERSTAND IS THE EXTENT TO WHICH THESE 41 POSITIONS HELP WITH THAT? AND OR IF THERE IS ANOTHER REQUEST IN THE CITY MANAGER'S BUDGET THAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE THAT RELATES TO ADDITIONAL STAFFING FOR MORE QUICKLY DEVELOPING AFFORDABLE HOUSING? YES. SO IN PARTICULAR, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF STAMPED OR ADDED TO BRING FORWARD A THIRD EXPEDITED REVIEW TEAM. AND WE HAVE A NUMBER OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS THAT AVAIL THEMSELVES OF THAT SERVICE. UH, THEY LOVE THE SERVICE, HE GETS THEM, THEIR REQUISITE AND BUILDING PERMIT APPROVAL, UM, VERY QUICKLY. AND SO, UM, OR PLEASED TO ADD A THIRD TEAM AS PART OF THIS REQUEST. OKAY. AND THAT IS A THIRD TEAM FOR EXPEDITED DEVELOPMENT OF AFFORDABLE, STRICTLY FOCUSED ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING. SO JUST TO BE CLEAR, WE DON'T HAVE ANY CITY TEAM IN DSD THAT IS FOCUSED ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING. WE HAVE WHAT'S CALLED AN EXPEDITED REVIEW TEAM, AND WE HAVE A NUMBER OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS THAT AVAIL THEMSELVES OF THAT, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A SPECIFIC TEAM DEDICATED ONLY TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS THEMSELVES. AND WE'VE NEVER HAD, HAS THAT BEEN CONSIDERED AS PART OF, HAVE YOU ALL REVIEWED THE POSSIBILITY OF DOING THAT AND WHETHER THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL AND, AND, UM, UH, IF THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL OR Y'ALL LOOKED AT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CERTAINLY COULD [02:45:01] TAKE A LOOK AT? UM, IT WOULD TAKE SOME TIME, OF COURSE ONE WOULD WANT TO, OF COURSE, UM, LOOK AT IT BECAUSE IT'S, OF COURSE WE'D WANT TO GET A GOOD UNDERSTANDING FROM COUNCIL OF, DO YOU MEAN THE TRADITIONAL NONPROFIT AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS? DO YOU MEAN PERHAPS EVEN SOME PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS THAT HAVE AN AFFORDABILITY COMPONENT TO THEM? UM, YOU KNOW, IT COULD MEAN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT THINGS, AND WE JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR WITH COUNSELORS UNDERSTANDING OF, OF THE TYPES OF PROJECTS THAT YOU WOULD WANT THE TEAMS TO LOOK AT. WELL, I'M GOING TO BE, I WILL LOOK AT THE BACKUP INFORMATION FOR ITEM FOUR, THE ADDITION OF 41 ADDITIONAL, UM, STAFF I'M. I AM VERY RELUCTANT TO JUST ADD 41 ADDITIONAL STAFF, IF WE'RE NOT DOING SOMETHING TO DEDICATE STAFF FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND IMPROVING THAT PROCESS. AND I THINK MS TRUELOVE WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING, CAUSE I KINDA GOT ONE QUESTION THEN GOT OFF OF THAT. SO LET ME SEE HERE, WHAT SHE HAD WANTED TO SAY. GOOD MORNING, MARIN COUNCIL AT REGGIE TRAIL DIRECTOR OF THE HOUSING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT. UM, WE ARE IN THE PROCESS, AS RODNEY MENTIONED, WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF WORKING THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE EQUITY TOOL. AND THEN THROUGH THAT, UM, ONCE WE HAVE THAT FULLY DEVELOPED THAT WILL HELP ADVISE AND GUIDE HOW WE MIGHT NEED TO STAFF OURSELVES APPROPRIATELY TO BE ABLE TO DEPLOY THOSE DOLLARS, UH, EFFECTIVELY. UH, WE DO ANTICIPATE THE NEED FOR MORE RESOURCES. UM, BUT WE ARE WANTING TO BE COGNIZANT OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WILL BE COMING FORWARD THROUGH THE EQUITY TOOL. BEFORE WE BRING ANY, UH, STAFFING REQUESTS TO THE FULL COUNCIL. DO YOU EXPECT STAFFING REQUESTS IN TIME FOR THIS BUDGET? I THINK ACTUALLY WE'RE, WE'RE POTENTIALLY TARGETING MAYBE THE, THE JULY 29TH COUNCIL MEETING, UM, DEPENDING ON HOW THINGS PROGRESS WITH THE EQUITY TOOL AND WITH OUR WORK THERE. UM, WE JUST DON'T WANT TO BE PREMATURE AND MAKING ASSUMPTIONS BASED ON WHAT WE THINK WE NEED WITHOUT HAVING THE, THAT REALLY THE GUIDANCE OF THE EQUITY TOOL. OH, I, I UNDERSTAND THAT I DON'T WANT TO LOSE THIS BUDGET CYCLE, UH, BECAUSE, UM, I THINK WHAT I, YOU KNOW, I, I RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF A PERMITTING PROCESS, OF COURSE, THAT, YOU KNOW, HELPS US MOVE EXPEDITIOUSLY AND THAT HELPS US TO REACH OUR HOUSING GOALS. BUT I ALSO THINK WE NEED TO FOCUS IN SPECIFICALLY ON OUR GOALS FOR, UM, FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING, PARTICULARLY FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING AND HOUSING FOR HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS AND HOUSING FOR LOWER INCOME FOLKS. AND SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT AS PART OF APPROVING ADDITIONAL STAFFING, WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THAT. SO, SO OFF I COULD YOU, UM, UM, AFTER THIS, BUT I DO WANT TO KNOW HOW THE 41 INDIVIDUALS CAN HELP WITH THAT. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT WE CAN DO IN THE PERMITTING PROCESS TO SPECIFICALLY HELP WITH AFFORDABLE HOUSING. AND THEN MS. TRUELOVE, I'LL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO, TO Y'ALL'S THINKING, UH, IN TERMS OF, UH, UH, ADDITIONAL STAFFING FOR, UM, AND I, IF I'M HEARING YOU, RIGHT, I THINK I'M HEARING YOU SAY THAT'S BEYOND JUST WHAT'S NEEDED FOR THE 300 MILLION FOR ANTI-DISPLACEMENT, RIGHT. YOU'RE JUST, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING ACROSS THE BOARD? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE, WHAT YOU MEAN RIGHT NOW? THE ADDITIONAL, UM, THE, THE STAFFING REQUESTS THAT WE WOULD POTENTIALLY BE BRINGING FORWARD EITHER IN ADVANCE OF THE BUDGET PROCESS OR THROUGH THE BUDGET WOULD SPECIFICALLY BE LOOKING AT, UH, DEPLOYMENT OF THE 300 MILLION ANTI-DISPLACEMENT DOLLARS. UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE ALWAYS HAVE HIGHER NEEDS, UH, AND COULD UTILIZE MORE STAFF EFFECTIVELY. UM, BUT WE RECOGNIZE THE, THE BUDGETARY CONSTRAINTS THAT WE HAVE AS A CITY RIGHT NOW, UH, AND, AND WANT TO BE MINDFUL OF THAT. SO WE'RE, WE'RE BEING JUDICIOUS WITH OUR ASK FOR RESOURCES. WELL, I THINK THAT BECAUSE HOUSING IS A TOP PRIORITY FOR US, I, I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, BUT THAT'S NOT WHERE I'M AT. AS, AS A COUNCIL MEMBER, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE UNDERSTANDING WHAT STAFFING YOU NEED TO MOVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING BEYOND JUST BEYOND THE 300 MILLION DEFINITELY, BUT HORRIBLE HOUSING. WE NEED TO MOVE MORE QUICKLY. AND I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT STAFF IS NEEDED FOR THAT. AND I WANT TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION RATHER THAN THAT, NOT BE BROUGHT FORWARD. SO OUR FIELD OF OUR, OF OUR ITEMS. SO, BUT WHILE WE'RE HERE, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT. SO, SO, UH, IF YOU COULD, UM, SO MS. TRUELOVE, I'LL BE LOOKING FOR THAT TOO, NOT JUST THE STAFFING FOR THE ANTI-DISPLACEMENT FOLLOWERS. UM, AND THEN, UM, SO, SO THOSE ARE THE THREE THINGS THAT I'M LOOKING FOR, THE STAFFING FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING STAFFING RELATED TO THE ANTI-DISPLACEMENT DOLLARS AND HOW THE STAFFING FOR DSD AND THE PERMITTING PROCESS CAN, CAN HOW THOSE 41, UM, INDIVIDUALS CAN, AT LEAST IN PART BE FOCUSED, UH, WILL BE IN PART, NOT TOTALLY, BUT IN PART BE FOCUSED ON [02:50:01] MORE QUICKLY MOVING, UM, OUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING, BRADLEY YOUR RACE, YOU'RE HERE, AND COUNCIL MEMBER THINKING FOR IT. AND WE CERTAINLY ARE ALWAYS CONCERNED WITH AFFORDABLE HOUSING, NOT JUST ONLY THE HOUSING SHORTAGE, BUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING. UM, IN GENERAL, I DON'T WANT TO LOSE SIGHT THAT WE DO HAVE A PRIORITIZED, UH, PERMITTING REVIEW FOR SMART HOUSING PROJECTS. AND SO MAYBE WHAT WE TALK ABOUT ARE, UH, THAT PRIORITIZATION THAT WE PROVIDE TO THOSE AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS WHEN THEY RUN THROUGH THE PERMITTING SYSTEM, UM, AND HOW WE MIGHT, OF COURSE, CONTINUE TO PRIORITIZE THOSE AS WELL AS ANY OTHER PROJECTS, AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS THAT ARE OF CONCERN TO COUNCIL. SO THAT WAY THEY GET A PRIORITY WHEN THEY DO GO TO THE PERMANENT SYSTEM. UH, THE CONCERN OF COURSE, THAT MYSELF AND, UH, DSP DIRECTOR LUCAS HAVE FOR THE FTES THAT ARE NEEDED NOW ARE THAT AS TIME PROGRESSES, THE NUMBER OF VOLUMES OR THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS THAT WE RECEIVE CONTINUES TO INCREASE. AND WE DO FORECAST A BACKLOG SITUATION INEVITABLY WITHOUT THE TON OF RESOURCES. AND SO WE TIMING THIS REQUEST TO BRING ON BOARD THE FTES AND TO TRAIN THEM SETS BY THE END OF THE YEAR, WE WILL HAVE EVERY AVAILABLE RESOURCE TO ADDRESS THE INCREASE IN PERMIT APPLICATIONS. UH, BUT WITH ADDITIONAL RESOURCES THAT WILL WE'LL HAVE A GENERAL BACKLOG, NOT JUST FOR OUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS, BUT FOR EVERY SINGLE HOUSING PROJECT ACROSS THE CITY. I HEAR A TRUCK. YEAH. LET'S STILL WANT TO UNDERSTAND BETTER. THE THREE ITEMS THAT I SPOKE TO. ABSOLUTELY. YES, MA'AM. MY RECOLLECTION IS ALSO THAT WHEN, UM, WHEN THEY, THEY REQUEST THE FIRST PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT SERVICE DEPARTMENT YET, UH, THAT'S MY ARGUMENT WITH, WITH, UH, BROUGHT UP WHAT WE'RE HAVING TODAY ABOUT THE COSTS, THE COST AND THE RATE OF THE BEADS, AND IT DIDN'T DO THAT. AND WHAT HAPPENED IS WHEN WE TURNED DOWN THAT REQUEST THE FIRST TIME THEY DIDN'T, IT, WHAT HAPPENED WAS THAT HE COULDN'T GET ENOUGH PERMITTING AND INSPECTION TO COME BY TO YOUR DEVELOPMENTS. AND A LOT OF THESE SMALLER, AFFORDABLE NONPROFIT CORPORATION ARE HURTING BECAUSE THEY HAVE DEADLINES. THEY HAVE TO MEET, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TWO YEARS TO DO A DEVELOPMENT, A LOW-INCOME APARTMENT HOUSE, ESPECIALLY A TAX CREDIT YEAR. YOU'RE REQUIRED TO DO IT IN TWO YEARS, IF YOU DON'T, THEN YOU LOSE IT. SO WE, WE TURNED AROUND AND THEN REID HIRED. THEN WE DID, WE HIRED THE NEEDED PERSONNEL AT THAT TIME. AND WHICH, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE, WEREN'T A LOT OF COMPLAINTS FROM MY BURGLARS AND DEVELOPERS AND LOW-INCOME ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO MEET THAT DEADLINE. SO WE HIRED THEM AND, AND, AND IT REALLY HELPED OUT IT GOT THE, UH, OUR PORTABLE UNITS INSPECTED ON TIME BEING ABLE TO GET OUT ON TIME SO THAT, YOU KNOW, WE COULD HAVE MORE OF THEM. SO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, THIS IS A REALLY CRUCIAL PART FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE FOR CORPORATE NON-PROFIT CORPORATION THAT ARE BUILDING, UH, AFFORDABLE UNITS, BECAUSE THEY NEED TO GET THAT, MEET THAT DEADLINE THAT THEY'RE ALWAYS REQUIRED. AND DANIEL, IF WE DON'T, IF WE ASSIGN THEM FUNDING THAT THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE WHOLE BUDGET PROCESS AGAIN, YOU KNOW, SO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, THIS IS REALLY, UH, UH, REALLY HELPS OUT A LOT FOR, AND IT DIDN'T COST US ANYTHING. OKAY. SOUNDS GOOD. YOU REMEMBER ALICE? THANK YOU. I DIDN'T KNOW IF I WAS BLENDING IN OVER HERE. UM, I'M, I'M, I'M IN ALIGNMENT WITH, WITH RODNEY ON THIS ONE. UM, I THINK IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS ARE NOT GETTING HUNG UP IN THE PIPELINE, BUT I THINK THE SOONER WE CAN GET ALL HOUSING THROUGH THE PERMITTING PROCESS, THE BETTER WE GET ALL HOUSING THROUGH THE PERMITTING PROCESS. SO I, I LOOK FORWARD TO SUPPORTING THIS ITEM. IT'S AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION TO TRY TO MAKE SURE, UH, WE'RE MOVING APPROPRIATE PROJECTS THROUGH, IN A GOOD TIMELINE. UM, BUT I DO WANT TO MAKE SURE THE LONGER, EVERY SINGLE PERMIT TAKES TO GET THROUGH HIM FOR ANY TYPE OF HOUSING, THE MORE IT SLOWS DOWN THINGS THAT ARE, ARE MARKET RATE AFFORDABLE OR CAPITAL A AFFORDABLE HOUSING. SO I, I JUST WANT TO SEE ALL THE HOUSING PERMITS GET THROUGH QUICKLY. OKAY. THANK YOU. I THINK IT'S PRETTY REMARKABLE. WE CAN ADD 41 MORE PEOPLE BASED ON THE VOLUME WITHOUT ANY INCREASE IN FEES. I THINK THAT'S HIS REAL TALENT NUMBER, UH, COLLEAGUES IT'S AFTER NOON. WE HAVE ONE MORE POLL TO HIDE ON, UM, WHICH IS ITEM NUMBER 40. I'M GOING TO SUGGEST WE TAKE OUR LUNCH BREAK, BECOME BACK AT ONE O'CLOCK. UH, WE HANDLE THIS PULLED ITEM NUMBER 40. THAT GETS US TO ONE 30. [02:55:01] UH, WE'LL GO INTO THE AUSTIN MEETING TO TWO 15. WE'LL DO THE EXECUTIVE SESSION AT TWO 15 AND THEN COME BACK OUT AND HANDLE THE, UH, UH, APA CONVERSATION COUNCIL. WE'LL DISCUSS THAT. AND THEN WE'LL DO THE, UH, UH, THE, UH, PROB UH, THE RESPONSE ALMOST THIS CONVERSATION. ALL RIGHT. SO ONE O'CLOCK, UH, RECESS THE MEETING NOW AT 12 FOUR. SO YOU GUYS, I CAN HEAR YOU JUST NOW, JUST SO I KNOW IF WE'RE READY TO START UP, IF THE CAMERAS ARE ROLLING ON THE LAKE THANK YOU. SO WE'RE GOING TO RECONVENE HERE ON TUESDAY, JUNE 1ST, 2021 OF ONE OH FOUR, THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION COLLEAGUES, AS YOU RECALL, WE'VE DONE ALL THE PULLED ITEMS. ALL THE BRIEFING IS IN THE LIGHT, EXCEPT FOR THE ARPA, A RPA, UM, A RPA, A MAYOR. AND WE HAVE JUST THE TWO BRIEFINGS ABOUT ARPA-E AND THE, UH, UH, B. UH, BUT BEFORE WE DO THOSE TWO BRIEFINGS, WE'LL DO THE EXECUTIVE SESSION OF WHERE WE DO THE EXECUTIVE SESSION. WE'RE GOING TO FINISH ON ITEM NUMBER 40, AS I SAID, IT'S JUST, I COULD GO PULLED BY COUNCIL MEMBER, KITCHEN AND COUNCIL MEMBER, HARPER OF ADDISON. LET'S BEGIN. THERE THEY ARE. BUT FIRST COUNCIL MEMBER TAVO. DID YOU HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR THE MANAGER ABOUT THE MEETING COUNCIL MEETINGS? I DO. IT'S RELATED. IT'S NOT, UM, DIRECTLY IN RESPONSE TO THE COMP IT'S RELATED TO THE CONVERSATION WE HAD THIS MORNING, AND IT'S NOT A QUESTIONS TO WHICH I EXPECT ANSWERS TODAY, BUT I, I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL FOR US TO, AND I THINK WE MAY HAVE EVEN HAD A COUNCIL RESOLUTION ASKED DURING THIS TIME OF THE PANDEMIC ASKING YOU TO COMPILE THIS INFORMATION, BUT I AM INTERESTED TO KNOW WHAT KIND OF COST SAVINGS OUR CITY HAS EXPERIENCED THAT THROUGHOUT THIS LAST YEAR OF HAVING SO MANY EMPLOYEES TELEWORK, UM, FROM UTILITY SAVINGS TO OBVIOUSLY OUR TRAVEL BUDGETS, UM, TO EVEN SUPPLY BUDGETS. I KNOW MOST, MOST EMPLOYEES ARE PROBABLY DOING WHAT I'M DOING, WHICH IS PROVIDING MY OWN SUPPLIES BECAUSE WE'RE NOT IN THE OFFICE. AND SO I'M INTERESTED IN, YOU KNOW, AS WE TALK ABOUT WHAT KINDS OF TELEWORKING POLICIES WE WANT TO HAVE AS A CITY, AND WHETHER WE CAN USE THIS EXPERIENCE TO REALLY EXPAND OUR TELEWORKING, OUR TELEWORKING OPPORTUNITIES. AND NOW THAT WE'VE SEEN, IT'S REALLY POSSIBLE TO, TO BE, YOU KNOW, A HUNDRED PERCENT, A HUNDRED PERCENT EFFECTIVE OFF-SITE. UM, IF ANYTHING, I THINK MY STAFF AND I PROBABLY WORK LONGER HOURS THESE DAYS, UM, INSTEAD OF SHORTER HOURS, BUT I'M INTERESTED IN, AND FROM THE FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE, UNDERSTANDING HOW THAT, HOW THAT HAS LOOKED FROM THE CITY, YOU KNOW, AS, AS, UM, WE HAD A CONVERSATION EARLY, EARLY ON ABOUT WHETHER TO PROVIDE STIPENDS, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR EMPLOYEES AND RECOGNITION OF THE FACT THAT THEIR UTILITY BILLS MIGHT INCREASE. UM, WE NEVER, WE NEVER WENT THROUGH WITH THAT, UM, WITH THAT ELEMENT OF, OF ASSISTANCE TO OUR EMPLOYEES. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, UH, FROM THE CITY SIDE, WHETHER WE'VE EXPERIENCED ANY KIND OF SAVINGS. AND SO AGAIN, I THINK SOMEBODY IN THEIR RESOLUTION WAS AT COUNCIL MEMBER, AUTHOR HAD ASKED US, AND MAYBE SHE CAN SPEAK TO THAT. BUT, UM, I DON'T REMEMBER THAT WE'VE SEEN ANY RESPONSE TO THAT. SO I'LL, I'LL STEP OUT OF THIS AND SEE IF COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR HAS SOMETHING SHE WANTS TO ADD. I KNOW THE COUNTY HAS USED THIS TO EXPAND THEIR TELEWORKING, AND I THINK WE SHOULD REALLY LOOK AT DOING THE SAME. SO COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER, COULD YOU REMIND US? SURE. I'D BE HAPPY TO, UM, THANK YOU FOR RAISING THOSE TONS OF MEMBER TOMO. I THINK IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY, UM, THAT WE SHOULD NOT LET GO EASILY, UM, IN THE RESOLUTION WHERE WE ESTABLISHED THE US AND CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS, UM, BECAUSE IT WAS AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FOCUSED, UM, RESOLUTION. WE DID PROVIDE DIRECTION TO BE REVISING THE TELECOMMUTING POLICIES AND LOOKING AT THEM LONG-TERM TO SEE WHAT WE COULD, UM, IMPROVE IN TERMS OF OPPORTUNITIES TO TELECOMMUTE AND SAVINGS, ET CETERA. I DON'T HAVE THE EXACT LANGUAGE IN FRONT OF ME. UM, BUT THAT LANGUAGE WAS IN THERE. UM, I'VE HAD SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST YEAR, UM, WITH VARIOUS STAFF. UM, AND I TOO WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE US TO NOT LET THIS PERIOD SLIP AS WE TRANSITIONED BACK. UM, I KNOW THAT SOME DEPARTMENTS HAVE UPDATED KIND OF WHAT THEY'RE DOING, AND THE POLICY HAS GENERALLY BEEN A DEPARTMENT BY DEPARTMENT WIDE APPROACH. [03:00:01] UM, BUT I THINK THAT THE COUNTY'S EXAMPLE IS ONE THAT WE SHOULD BE FOLLOWING, WHERE WE HAVE, UM, A GOAL OF THE PERCENTAGE OF THAT CAN TELECOMMUTE. NOW WE HAVE, UH, WE PROBABLY HAVE A BROADER ARRAY OF TYPES OF WORKERS THAN THE COUNTY DOES JUST BECAUSE OF THE SCOPE OF THE CITY. UM, SO IT WOULDN'T BE EASY TO TRANSLATE IT. I MEAN, THEY HAVE A 75% GOAL OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, UM, FOR TELECOMMUTING. SO I THINK THAT WE, YOU KNOW, I, MY HOPE WHEN WE SET THAT OUT IN THE ORIGINAL RESOLUTION WAS TO GET ENOUGH INFORMATION SO THAT WE COULD SET A GOAL. UM, I DO NOT YET HAVE THAT. AND I DO KNOW THAT I'VE SPOKEN WITH OUR MOBILITY LEADERSHIP ABOUT THAT AND, AND LOOKED AT DIFFERENT WAYS TO THAT, TO THAT EFFECT, UM, AND WOULD VERY MUCH WELCOME THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT YOU HAVE JUST REQUESTED. THERE ARE ALSO, I WILL POINT OUT POTENTIAL ENORMOUS SPACE SAVINGS, UM, THAT HAPPEN. UM, WE HAD ALREADY DONE SOME FACILITY PLANNING TO MOVE FROM LEASE SPACE TO OWN SPACE THAT WAS GOING TO SAVE ABOUT $30 MILLION A YEAR, UM, TO MAKE ONCE WE MADE THAT OPERATIONAL ON O AND M. UM, BUT THE SAVINGS CAN BE MUCH LARGER IF WE CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE TELECOMMUTING AND INCORPORATE THAT INTO OUR SPACE PLANNING. WELL, THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, AND AS YOU MENTIONED, UH, THERE ARE A LOT OF LESSONS LEARNED FROM THOSE PAST YEAR AND A HALF, AND WE ARE ABSOLUTELY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE BENEFITED OUR ENVIRONMENTS AND OUR WORKPLACE. AND SO, AS YOU REFERENCED, THERE HAVE BEEN MORE SPECIFIC DISCUSSIONS AT THE DEPARTMENT LEVEL, UH, AROUND HOW THEY MIGHT BE LOOKING AT THEIR TELEWORK POLICIES. BUT WE HAVE ALSO HAD THAT AT THE ENTERPRISE LEVEL AS WELL, BECAUSE WE KNOW WE HAVE TO HAVE SOME STANDARD, UH, STANDARDIZATION OF THOSE POLICIES, UH, ACROSS THE BOARD FOR THE ENTIRE CITY ORGANIZATION. UH, I'LL LOOK TO THAT RESOLUTION AND MAKE SURE THAT WE PROVIDE AN UPDATE TO, UH, YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES, UH, IN THE SHORT TERM, BUT KNOW THAT THIS HAS BEEN A PRIORITY OF NOT ONLY MYSELF, THE CMO TEAM, HR, UH, OUR, OUR FOLKS THAT ARE REALLY WORKING TO MAKE THIS ADJUSTMENT BACK INTO THE WORKFORCE. UH, NOT JUST GOING BACK TO WHAT WE HAD BEEN DOING, UH, BUT REALLY, UH, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE LESSONS THAT WE LEARNED, UH, AND THE EFFICIENCIES THAT HAVE BEEN GAINED THROUGH THAT TIME AS WELL. SO THANK YOU FOR RAISING THIS AND WE'LL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU. I'M SORRY. DID YOU CALL ME YES. RIGHT. OKAY. THANK YOU. UH, THANK YOU, UH, CITY MANAGER, UM, YOU KNOW, I HOPE WE'LL GET SOME OF THAT INFORMATION. SOON. I HAD HELD OFF FROM SETTING A VERY SPECIFIC GOAL BECAUSE OF THE UNDERSTANDING THAT WE HAD A, A LOT OF VARIETY AND IT WOULD BE EXTREMELY HELPFUL, UM, IN THINKING ABOUT FASHIONING A SPECIFIC GOAL FOR US TO HAVE THAT REALLY BASIC INFORMATION, UM, SO THAT, THAT WE CAN BE INFORMED AS WE, AS WE SET THAT TARGET. UM, BUT THE LONGER WE WAIT AND THE LONGER IT TAKES TO GET TO THAT TARGET, UM, THE MORE WE MORE, WE MISS THIS WINDOW. SO I HOPE WE CAN HAVE SOME OF THAT INFORMATION SOONER RATHER THAN LATER. HEY, GREAT. THANK YOU. LET'S MOVE ONTO THE POOL ITEMS SET UP. REMEMBER 40, I WAS PULLED BY THE MAYOR PRO TEM AND ALSO BY COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN. HEY BRO. TAM, DO YOU WANT TO ADDRESS IT? THANK YOU, MAN. I APPRECIATE THAT. I REALLY JUST WANTED TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LAY IT OUT AND SORT OF TALK THROUGH SOME OF THE RATIONALE. UM, AND, UM, I GUESS OPEN IT UP TO COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHENS QUESTIONS. AND THEN I, I SUSPECT THAT THERE WILL BE, UM, SOME FURTHER DISCUSSION AFTER. UM, SO YOU KNOW, THIS RESOLUTION RESOLUTION IS INTENDED TO DO, UH, PRIMARILY FOUR THINGS, UH, DIRECT OUR STAFF TO COORDINATE WITH CAP METRO ON ITS ETO D STUDIES AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS, UM, AUGMENT THOSE COMMUNITY OUTREACH EFFORTS, SO THAT WE'RE BEING AS INTENTIONAL AS POSSIBLE ABOUT CENTERING THE FOCUS ON PEOPLE WHO, UM, HISTORICALLY HAVEN'T BEEN AT THE TABLE DURING THESE TYPES OF DISCUSSIONS, UM, AS STAFF TO PROVIDE US WITH A POLICY PLAN FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ANY RECOMMENDATIONS, INCLUDING ANY NECESSARY REVISIONS TO OUR TOD PROCESSES AND ORDINANCES, AND THEN FINALLY INCLUDE ANY POTENTIAL FUNDING NEEDS TO EXECUTE THIS RESOLUTION IN THE FYI 20, UH, 22 BUDGET. SO BASED ON THE CONVERSATIONS THAT I'VE HAD SO FAR, IT'S CRUCIAL THAT WE TRY TO KEEP OUR DIRECTION AS BROAD AS WE CAN. SO WE KEEP OUR MUTUAL COORDINATION AS COMPATIBLE AS POSSIBLE. THE ETO D PLAN, UH, ETO D POLICY PLAN IS INTENDED TO BE A FLEXIBLE LONG RANGE PLAN THAT CAN APPLY NOT ONLY TO THE CURRENT STUDY AREA, BUT THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE ORANGE LINE AND ALL FUTURE [03:05:01] HIGH CAPACITY TRANSIT PROJECTS, UM, ALLOWING STAFF THAT FLEXIBILITY TO COORDINATE WITH CAP METRO, TO PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WILL CREATE EQUITABLE PROCESSES AND EQUITABLE STRUCTURES WILL BE KEY TO DEVELOPING A LONG RANGE PLAN THAT WILL CREATE EQUITABLE OUTCOMES FOR ALL FUTURE TOD PROJECTS. UH, IT DOES NOT SUPERSEDE CAP METRO'S PROCESSES OR PREEMPT DECISIONS ABOUT HOW TO SPEND OUR ANTI-DISPLACEMENT FUND. THIS REALLY JUST ENSURES THAT WE DON'T WASTE TIME BY, UM, STACKING DUPLICATIVE PROCESSES AGAINST EACH OTHER. I BELIEVE WE'RE ABLE TO INCORPORATE THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS AND, OR, UM, THE INTENT PROPOSED AMENDMENTS, UM, THE INTENT RATHER OF PROPOSED AMENDMENTS INTO THE DRAFT. SO WHILE KEEPING IN MIND WITH THE RESOLUTIONS INTENT AND UPDATED DRAFT, AND I DON'T THINK, EXCUSE ME, UNRESPONSIVE THAT SOME OF OUR KITCHENS POST WAS POSTED TO THE MESSAGE BOARD THIS MORNING. THANK YOU. OKAY. UM, THANK YOU. THAT IS VERY HELPFUL. MY APPROACH, TIM. UM, I, UM, I, I THINK WE'RE ALIGNED ON THE INTENT THAT THE FOUR ITEMS THAT YOU MENTIONED IN TERMS OF THE INTENT OF THIS RESOLUTION IN TERMS OF, UH, COORDINATING WITH CAP METRO AND AUGMENTING, UM, OUTREACH TO, UM, UH, FOLKS WHO HAVE NOT BEEN, UH, INCLUDED TRADITIONALLY IN THE PAST, UH, THE POLICY PLAN FOR TODD UPDATING THAT AS WELL AS POTENTIALLY UPDATING OUR ORDINANCE, OUR E R TODD ORDINANCE, IT'S IN THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE RIGHT NOW, UM, AND INCLUDING THE FUNDING NEEDS. SO I'M ALIGNED WITH THAT. I APPRECIATE THE, UM, AMENDMENTS THAT YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO INCORPORATE. SO, UH, AT THIS POINT, UM, I NEED TO LOOK AT THOSE FURTHER, BUT I JUST HAVE A QUESTION OR TWO, UH, SO I THOUGHT I'D SURFACE THOSE QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW, AND THEN WE CAN GIVE THIS SOME THOUGHT. SO, UM, AND, AND THANK YOU FOR SPEAKING TO THE URGENCY AND THE IMPORTANCE OF ALIGNING WITH KAEPERNICK PROCESSES. MY CONCERN HAS BEEN AS, AND I THINK YOU, I THINK WE'RE ON THE SAME PAGE HERE TOO, AS YOU ARTICULATED IT. I DON'T WANT OUR LAND USE POLICIES TO LAG BEHIND CAT METRO'S PROCESSES FOR PLANNING, UH, FOR PROJECT CONNECT, UM, AS THEY NEED TO BE THEY'RE MOVING FAST, WHICH IS APPROPRIATE AND NECESSARY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT FEELS TO ME LIKE WE MAY BE MOVING A BIT SLOWER, UH, ON THE CITY SIDE, SOME OF THAT'S JUST BECAUSE OF THE WAY OUR PROCESSES WORK. SO FOR EXAMPLE, WE CAN'T MAKE ANY ZONING CHANGES OR SPECIFIC LAND USE CHANGES, UM, JUST BASED ON A TOD POLICY OR JUST BASED ON A STUDY THAT CAP METRO DOES, IF WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT, THEN OUR CURRENT PROCESS ANYWAY, IS THE, UM, STATION AREA PLANNING AND THE, UM, REGULATORY REGULATING PLANS FOR AREAS AFTER THEY'RE IDENTIFIED AS TODD'S, WE, WE I'M CERTAINLY OPEN TO, AND I KNOW THAT THIS PROCESS WILL PERHAPS PROPOSE SOME CHANGES TO OUR TOD PROCESSES. UM, BUT WE'RE NOT THERE YET. AND SO I'M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT, UM, ABOUT BEING BEHIND ON SOME OF THESE THINGS. SO ONE OF MY QUESTIONS IS FOR STAFF AND THEN ONE IS, IS, IS FOR YOU WITH YOUR INTENT MAYOR PRO TEM. SO FIRST I'LL ASK THAT QUESTION OF STAFF AND THEN I'LL TURN TO THE OTHER QUESTION. SO MY QUESTION FOR STAFF IS, UM, I'VE BEEN WANTING TO SEE SOMETHING THAT SHOWS ME, UM, HOW THE PLANNING PROCESSES ARE ALIGNED. YOU KNOW, I'VE, I'VE SEEN THE TIMELINES FOR THE, UM, CAT METRO'S, UM, ETOD, UH, PROJECT THAT THEY'RE WORKING ON NOW FOR NORTH LAMAR, UH, THAT ARE THE NORTHERN PART OF THE ORANGE LINE. AND I KNOW THAT THEY'RE APPLYING FOR, TO DO THAT KIND OF PLANNING FOR THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE ORANGE LINE. UH, SO THERE'S THAT PROCESS. THEY'VE ALSO GOT THEIR PROCESSES THAT THEY'RE GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, JUST FOR, UM, THOSE SPECIFIC, UM, PROJECT CONNECT LINES IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THERE'LL BE IMPLEMENTED. SO THERE'S TWO TIMELINES THAT KEPT METRO, OR THAT ATP IS PURSUING FOR PROJECT CONNECT, AND I'VE SEEN HOW THOSE ARE ALIGNING, BUT WE ALSO HAVE A PROCESS THAT'S ON THE LAND USE SIDE, UH, AND SPECIFIC TO OUR, UM, DEVELOPMENT OF NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL PLANNING, NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL STRATEGIES RELATED TO THE, UM, ANTI-DISPLACEMENT FUNDS. AND SO THAT DOESN'T COVER EVERY AREA. IT'S A OF THE AREAS THAT, UM, ATP IS FOCUSING ON, BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN IN WHAT I'D LIKE [03:10:01] TO SEE FROM STAFF IS JUST SOME, SOMETHING THAT SHOWS ME THE TIMELINE, BECAUSE MY WORRY IS THAT BY THE TIME WE GET TO WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL STRATEGIES FOR WHATEVER AREAS ARE IDENTIFIED AS AT RISK FOR GENTRIFICATION AND IMPORTANT TO INCLUDE THAT WILL BE AFTER, UH, ATP FINISHES THEIR PROCESSES THAT THEY'RE ENGAGED IN RIGHT NOW FOR PLANNING WHERE THE, UH, STATIONS ARE AND WHAT THE STATIONS MIGHT LOOK LIKE. SO I JUST NEED, I JUST NEED A VISUAL FROM OUR STAFF, AND IF YOU GUYS DON'T HAVE THAT READY TODAY, THAT'S OKAY. I SENT AN EMAIL ASKING FOR THAT VISUAL, BUT I REALLY, I REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE ALIGNED. AND I THINK THE LANGUAGE THAT YOU NOW HAVE MAYOR PRO TEM IN YOUR, UM, RESOLUTION, THE LANGUAGE I SUGGEST IN THE LANGUAGE THAT YOU'VE BEEN DEVELOPING AROUND, ALIGNING WITH, UH, THE CONTRACT WITH THE VOTERS AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL STRATEGIES. I THINK IT'S IN THERE NOW. SO I, I THINK IT'S IN THIS RESOLUTION, SO I'M NOT CONCERNED ABOUT THAT. SO THIS QUESTION IS JUST FOR STAFF, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE, UM, THAT THOSE TIMELINES ARE ALIGNED. SO, UM, ARE YOU, ARE YOU ALL IN, UH, AT THE PROCESS AT THAT, CAN YOU PROVIDE A VISUAL THAT SHOWS ME HOW THOSE PROCESSES ALIGNED FROM A TIMING PERSPECTIVE? LIKE ERIC HAS, LEKAS RAISING HER HAND. YES. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCIL MEMBERS, ERICA LEAK WITH HOUSING AND PLANNING. UM, SO WE DON'T HAVE A VISUAL TO PROVIDE AT THIS POINT, UM, LARGELY BECAUSE, UM, OF THE, THE TIMELINE RELATED TO THE ANTI-DISPLACEMENT FUNDS THAT, UM, DIRECTOR TRUELOVE MENTIONED THIS MORNING. SO, UM, THE, THE GROUP THAT HAS BEEN WORKING ON THE EQUITY TOOL HAS BEEN FINALIZING THAT, UM, AND THEN AS THAT IS FINALIZED, WE'LL BE ABLE TO CLARIFY THE TIMELINE RELATED TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL ANTI-DISPLACEMENT STRATEGIES. SO THAT IS VERY MUCH ON OUR MINDS. UM, BUT WE, WE REALLY NEED THE EQUITY TOOL TO BE COMPLETED TO GUIDE THOSE NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL ANTI-DISPLACEMENT STRATEGIES. OKAY. AND IS THAT TIMELINE? I THINK WE WERE TALKING EARLIER TODAY ABOUT MID JULY OR END OF JULY. I CAN'T REMEMBER THE TIMELINE. UM, IS THAT WHEN IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO SHOW US A TIMELINE FOR THE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COMMUNITIES, FOR THEM TO START THE PROCESS FOR, FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL STRATEGIES? IS THAT WHEN YOU YOU'LL HAVE IT READY? YES. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. WELL THAT, THAT, THAT'S FINE. THAT WORKS FOR ME. I, YOU KNOW, AS YOU ALL, I MEAN, DOES IT MAKE SENSE WHEN I'M ASKING, BECAUSE THERE'S, THERE'S NOT A ONE FOR ONE OVERLAP, BUT IF WE, YOU KNOW, IF, IF ATP IS ALREADY DONE THEIR PLANNING BEFORE WE EVEN GET HER, YOU KNOW, BEFORE WE START THAT, THEN THE, THOSE, THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE LIVING ALONG THE LINES THAT, UM, THAT HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BENEFIT FROM THE ANTI-DISPLACEMENT FUNDS WILL ALL THE DECISIONS OR A LOT OF THE DECISIONS WILL HAVE ALREADY BEEN MADE. SO YES, NO, IT ABSOLUTELY MAKES SENSE. AND, AND WE'RE VERY COGNIZANT OF THE NEED TO TRY AND ALIGN THOSE AS MUCH AS, OKAY, WELL THEN I WILL LOOK FOR, UH, UH, A GRAPHIC OR A VISUAL THAT SHOWS HOW THOSE TIMELINES ALIGN IN MIDDLE, MID TO LATE JULY. OKAY. SO THE SECOND THING I WANTED TO BRING UP THEN WAS, UM, OR, UH, WAS, UM, THIS IS A QUESTION FROM MAYOR PRO TEM. UM, I'M WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT I UNDERSTAND THE WORDING BECAUSE WE'VE BOTH BEEN, UH, PROPOSING SOME DIFFERENT WORDS AND I'M NOT SURE IF WE HAVE A DIFFERENCE OF APPROACH OR IF WE'RE JUST USING DIFFERENT WORDS. SO, UM, AND THAT HAS TO DO WITH WHERE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE TOD POLICY AND THE TODD ORDINANCES APPLY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, TODD'S, TODD'S HAVE APPLIED. THEY APPLIED TO STATION AREAS, UM, BECAUSE THERE ARE A TOOL TO LOOK AT THE, THE LAND USE, AS WELL AS THE ACTUAL, YOU KNOW, RAIL LINE OR WHATEVER, UH, AROUND STATIONS, BECAUSE THAT'S AROUND WHERE PEOPLE CAN GET ON AND WE WANT TO GET THE LEVEL OF DENSITY THAT'S IMPORTANT, UH, TO SUPPORT THE TRANSIT AND VICE VERSA. SO THE TERM THAT, UM, THAT I'M NOT CLEAR ABOUT IS THE TERM HIGH CAPACITY TRANSIT AREAS, WHICH I THINK IS, UH, A TERM THAT, UM, THAT YOU HAD. UH, SO YOU'VE GOT IN [03:15:01] MY AMENDMENT, ONE OF MY AMENDMENT TWO, YOU'RE USING HIGH CAPACITY TRANSIT AREAS. AND THEN YOU'RE SAYING NEAR TRANSIT CORRIDORS. SO I'M WANTING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THOSE MEAN, BECAUSE THE WORDS THAT I'VE BEEN USING HAVE BEEN A BIT MORE SPECIFIC THAN THAT, OR AT LEAST I'M TRYING TO GET MORE SPECIFIC BECAUSE I'VE TALKED IN TERMS OF AREAS DESIGNATED, AS TODD'S HAVE ALSO TALKED ABOUT ALONG PROJECT CONNECT, LIGHT RAIL, COMMUTER, AND METRO RAPID QUARTERS. SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ON THE SAME PAGE AND STAFF UNDERSTANDS WHAT WE INTEND WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE AREA. SO I GUESS MY QUESTION MAYOR PRO TEM IS WHAT, WHAT ARE YOU, WHAT'S YOUR THOUGHT AND WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, UM, HIGH CAPACITY TRANSIT AREAS AND ALSO THE TERM, UH, TRANSIT. SO CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND THAT? SO TERMINOLOGY THAT WE HAVE PRESENT IN THIS RESOLUTION ARE IT'S ALIGNED WITH, UM, DEFINITIONS IN OUR ASM P OKAY, WELL, THE S AND P USES TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK IS THAT, AND THE TRANSFER PRIORITY NETWORK IS THE TERM. I THINK THE S AND P USES IS THAT THE ASM USE IT IF I'M REMEMBERING CORRECTLY. AND I'M SORRY, I DON'T HAVE IT IN FRONT OF ME, BUT THEY USE A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT TERMS, BUT THE ONE I'M MOST FAMILIAR WITH IS TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK, WHICH IS THE SAME AS THE HIGH-FREQUENCY TRANSIT ROUTES, WHICH IS THE TERM THAT, UM, CAP METRO USES. SO ARE YOU, ARE YOU THINKING SOMETHING BEYOND PROJECT CONNECT? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE THINKING? MAYOR, PORT, TIM, UM, I'M THINKING WE WANT TO SUPPORT TRANSIT THROUGHOUT THE CITY. I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW THAT THE TERMINOLOGY IS INTENDED TO INDICATE ANYTHING BEYOND THAT. OKAY. OKAY. WELL, I WOULD LIKE TO BE MORE SPECIFIC. AND SO, UM, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK TODD'S ARE APPROPRIATE FOR ALL BUS LINES, SO THAT'S WHY I'M WANTING TO BE MORE SPECIFIC. UM, UH, AND THAT'S WHY I'VE BEEN THINKING IN TERMS OF USING THE LANGUAGE THAT TIE SPECIFICALLY TO THE SAME LANGUAGE THAT KEPT METRO USES, UH, FOR PROJECT CONNECT. SO I'LL LET OTHERS ASK QUESTIONS IF THEY HAVE ABOUT THAT. BUT SO YOUR INTENT OR PRO TIM IS TO KIND OF, WELL, LET'S SAY I'M STAYING, I DON'T THINK IT'S APPROPRIATE FOR ALL BUS LINES. SO CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE THINKING FIRST? I'LL ASK YOU A QUESTION. SO THE TWO, THE TWO THAT YOU'VE SAID WERE TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK, AND THEN HIGH-FREQUENCY, I'M SORRY, WHAT WAS THE, YEAH, THERE'S A, THERE'S A TERM, THE SMP AND, UH, YOU KNOW, STAFF CAN CORRECT ME IF I'VE GOT IT WRONG, BUT I THINK THE ASM, HE USES THE TERM TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK. AND THAT MAP FOR THE TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK IS THE SAME AS WHAT CAP METRO USES FOR THE TERM HIGH-FREQUENCY TRANSIT ROUTES. WHAT THAT MEANS IS EVERY BUS LINE THAT RUNS AT 15 MINUTES, THAT'S A LOT OF US LINES, SOME OF WHICH ARE APPROPRIATE FOR TODD AND SOME OF WHICH ARE NOT, THAT'S WHY I WAS TRYING TO, TO NARROW IT. AND THAT'S WHY I WAS ALSO THINKING THAT THERE, OUR PROCESS RIGHT NOW IS WE JUST, WE DESIGNATE AREAS THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR TODD'S. AND THAT WAY WE CAN BE SPECIFIC FOR WHICH, FOR WHICH, UM, WHICH OF THE TYPE OF CAPACITY, WHICH OF THESE, WHICH OF THESE, UM, I CAPACITY TRANSIT ROUTES ARE APPROPRIATE FOR TELEPHONE AND WHICH ONES ARE JUST, YOU KNOW, MORE BUS LINES THAT, THAT AREN'T REALLY, I DON'T THINK ARE WITHIN THE SCOPE OF CLUB. SO YOU SEE, SO YOU, DOES THAT MAKE SENSE TO, TO THE LANGUAGE I'M USING? I THINK I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, AND I THINK IT, MY RESPONSE TO THAT WOULD BE THAT IT'S WORTH EXPLORING OPTIONS FOR DIFFERENT LEVELS OF TOD FOR DIFFERENT LEVELS OF TRANSIT SERVICE. UM, DISTRICT ONE LOST SEVERAL BUS ROUTES BECAUSE OF LOW RIDERSHIP. OKAY. UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT THE TODD TODD'S ARE, ARE A TOOL FOR, I MEAN, PLUS LEWIN'S CHANGE, WHICH IS THE PROBLEM THAT YOU'RE POINTING OUT. UM, BUT TODD'S ARE ABOUT TOM'S ARE ABOUT, UM, HOW YOU BUILD AROUND STATION AREAS THAT TYPICALLY DON'T CHANGE. UM, BECAUSE THERE, THERE, THERE, THERE ARE ROUTES THAT ARE MORE, UM, SPECIFIC. SO I THINK I, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT WE MAY BE TRYING TO PUSH TOGETHER [03:20:01] TWO DIFFERENT KINDS OF PROCESSES. WE DO NEED TO TALK ABOUT DENSITY ALONG CORRIDORS, BUT THAT'S NOT THE SAME AS A TODD. I MEAN, TO ME, A TODD IS VERY SPECIFIC TO DENSITY ALONG OUR HIGHEST CAPACITY OR OUR HIGH CAPACITY TRANSIT LINES, NOT EVERY BUS LINE. SO THAT'S WHY I'M JUST TRYING TO, TO MAKE SURE WE'RE CLEAR ON WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THERE. WE MAY BOTH NEED TO THINK ABOUT THIS A LITTLE BIT MORE. I DON'T EXPECT YOU TO HAVE TO ANSWER TODAY. I'M JUST TRYING TO KIND OF EXPLAIN WHAT MY THINKING IS. UM, SO AS WE GET CLEAR ON THAT, I JUST WANT TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT, BECAUSE WHAT I'M HEARING YOU SAY SOUNDS LIKE TRANSIT ORIENTED DISTRICT, AS OPPOSED TO TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE SAYING THE SAME THING. WELL, AS WE, AS WE CONTINUE TO THINK THROUGH THAT, I JUST WANT TO MAKE CERTAIN WE'RE THE SAME. WELL, THE TODD ARE, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE TOD ORDINANCE AND I DON'T IN OUR TOD PROCESSES. AND I DON'T REMEMBER IF THAT'S DISTRICT CO-DEVELOPMENT, YOU KNOW, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DOING HERE IS UPDATING AND REVISING OUR, OUR, OUR TODD ORDINANCES, PROCESSES AND POLICIES. I MEAN, IT ALL IS A PACKAGE, YOU KNOW, WHICH NEEDS UPDATING. AND THAT'S WHAT I'M FOCUSING ON HERE. NOT OTHER THINGS THAT WE MIGHT ALSO DECIDE TO DO. SO, UM, THE THING ABOUT IT IS FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, AND THEN I'LL STOP AND LET OTHERS TALK IS THAT, UM, TOD PLANNING IS VERY CONTEXT SENSITIVE AND SPECIFIC TO WHAT'S GOING ON IN THAT PARTICULAR, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, THAT'S HOW I UNDERSTAND YOU CAN GET THE BEST DENSITY AND THE BEST USE OF THE SPACE IN THOSE AREAS, BECAUSE IT'S SPECIFIC. SO WE CAN LEARN FROM THE TOD POLICY AND WE CAN LEARN FROM WHAT ATP IS DOING WITH THE ETOD STUDY, BUT THAT YOU CAN ONLY, THAT'S ONLY GOING TO TRANSLATE TO OTHER AREAS UP TO A CERTAIN EXTENT. YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE ACTUAL, SPECIFIC PLANNING PROCESS THAT INCLUDES STAKEHOLDERS IN THOSE AREAS TO GET SPECIFIC LAND USE CHANGES ALONG A A, AND THAT'S WHY THESE SYSTEM, THAT'S WHY THE ORDINANCE HAS SET UP THE WAY IT IS. IT COULD CERTAINLY USE STREAMLINING, AND IT COULD CERTAINLY USE SOME CHANGES TO GO FASTER, BUT THAT'S WHY IT INCLUDES A STAKEHOLDER PROCESS. THAT INCLUDES BUSINESSES. IT INCLUDES NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS AND, UH, CONTACT TEAMS AND EVERY OTHER STAKEHOLDER. SO IT'S NOT LIMITED TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S SOME, THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENCES ACROSS THE CITY IN TERMS OF HOW NEIGHBORHOODS ENGAGE. AND I'M NOT ATTEMPTING TO SAY THAT IT SHOULD BE ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, BECAUSE EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD IS DIFFERENT. UM, BUT THE POINT IS THAT PEOPLE LIVING IN NEIGHBORHOODS, NOT THE STRUCTURE THERE, BUT PEOPLE LIVING IN NEIGHBORHOODS NEED TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE. SO, ANYWAY, I DON'T KNOW IF OTHERS WANT TO WEIGH IN. I'M JUST TRYING TO, I'M JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DEFINE THE AREAS WE'RE TALKING, BUT YOU DO HAVE SOME OTHER PEOPLE WITH HANDS RAISED, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, PAUL, AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBER TOBO I THINK HENRY HAVE RAISED, I THINK WHAT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO HEAR IS TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE WAY CAP METRO HANDLES, UM, BUS LINES, UM, WHICH IS SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT. WELL, IT IS VERY DIFFERENT ACTUALLY TO WHEN WE GET PROJECT CONNECT ON THE GROUND WITH THE RAIL LINES, THEY'RE PERMANENT, THOSE RAIL LINES WILL BE PERMANENT. AND SO IT MAKES SENSE TO THINK IN TERMS OF, UM, HOUSING AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT OR IN A TOD, WHICH IS ADJACENT TO A TRANSIT STATION. UM, AND AN EXAMPLE IN MY DISTRICT IS CREST FEAR. AND WE'RE WORKING ON A TOD DEVELOPMENT AT THE RYAN DRIVE, JUSTIN LANE SITE, WHICH WAS THE OLD, UH, LAY DOWN YARD FOR AUSTIN ENERGY, COAL YARD. SO THERE'S SPECIFIC ELEMENTS ABOUT THAT DEVELOPMENT, WHICH RELATE TO THE FACT THAT THERE'S A TRAIN STATION LIKE LITERALLY THERE. UM, AND I KNOW FROM MY YEARS IN AUSTIN, THAT PREDATE HAVING A BUS AND NOW, AND THEN LISTENING TO FOLKS WHO ARE CONCERNED WHEN BUS ROUTES ARE ADDED OR SUBTRACTED FROM, UH, FROM THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS OR FROM THEIR DAILY, UM, THEIR, THEIR DAILY ROUTINES IS THERE'S AN IMPERMANENCE ABOUT THE ROUTES, THE BUS ROUTES. AND THEY MOVE AROUND BASED ON DIFFERENT CRITERIA. AND THAT'S WHAT KEPT METRO SPENDS A LOT OF TIME WORKING ON IS WHAT THEIR TRIP MAPS LOOK LIKE AND WHAT THEIR ROUTING LOOKS LIKE. UM, SO IT MAKES SENSE TO ME THAT WE WOULD HAVE TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT DESIGN AND A TRANSIT TYPE DISTRICT AROUND THE PERMANENCE OF A STATION, [03:25:01] FOR EXAMPLE, OR THE CONFLUENCE OF A NUMBER OF, UH, BUS STOPS. BUT THAT IS MAYBE IN A COMMERCIAL DISTRICT. THAT MAKES SENSE TO ME, BUT EXPANDING THAT ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE CITY, UM, EVERYWHERE WE HAVE ROUTES IS MAKES LESS SENSE BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW THIS YEAR, WHAT KIND OF ROUTE SYSTEM, UH, CAPITOL METRO WILL, UH, ANALYZE AND DETERMINE AFTER EVALUATION THAT WE WILL NEED 15 YEARS FROM NOW. BUT IF WE, SO THAT'S, THAT'S A PIECE AS FAR AS THE POLICY-MAKING PUZZLE THAT I THINK THAT WE, UM, THAT IS IMPORTANT TO KEEP AN, UH, TOP OF MIND. I DID WANT TO RE UP AND ASK THAT I HAD MADE OF OUR STAFF. AND I THINK MR WAS THE ONE WHO WAS GOING TO COME AND GIVE US A BRIEFING. UM, I'VE NEVER, UH, THE, THE CRESTVIEW TODD WAS IN PLACE BEFORE I CAME ON COUNCIL. AND SO, AND WE HAVEN'T DONE A TOD IN THE SIX AND A HALF YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN ON COUNCIL. SO I IMAGINE THAT ALL OF US COULD BENEFIT FROM SORT OF A, A HIGH LEVEL, UM, SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES KIND OF COMPARISON BETWEEN TODD'S AND PUDS. THERE ARE SOME ASPECTS OF THEM WITH REGARD TO DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT THAT MAY BE SIMILAR. AND THEN I THINK THAT THERE ARE OTHER CRITERIA THAT, THAT MAY, UM, MAKE THEM UNIQUE. AND SO I WAS HOPING, UM, THAT HAS, I SUBMITTED THAT AS A Q AND A, WHICH HAS BEEN POSTPONED BECAUSE THIS ITEM HAS BEEN POSTPONED. I THINK THE TIME IS REALLY RIGHT FOR US TO GET MAYBE A FIVE OR SIX MINUTE OR LESS. UM, MR. IS VERY ADEPT AT GIVING US A LOT OF INFORMATION IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, NOT TODAY, BUT I THINK WE WOULD ALL, UM, I CERTAINLY WOULD APPRECIATE, AND I THINK MY CONSTITUENTS WOULD VERY MUCH BENEFIT FROM HEARING DIFF SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PUDS AND FUNDS TO HELP KIND OF FRAME THIS CONVERSATION THAT WE WILL BE HAPPENING SCABBY WITH US. WE'LL COME BACK TO CATHY. OKAY. I AM HERE. I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION AT THIS POINT. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER THINGS ON THIS? YES. A PO AND THEN NOT BECAUSE I DON'T REMEMBER THE, IF WE EVER GOT A, UH, A BRIEFING ON THE RIGHT TO RETURN, UH, I KNOW THAT WE, WE WERE TRYING TO IMPLEMENT THAT AND, UH, THERE WAS SOMETHING IN THE, UH, EITHER FEDERAL LAW OR STATE LAW THAT KEPT US FROM DOING THAT, BECAUSE I'M ASSUMING THAT WAS BECAUSE OF FEDERAL DOLLARS. AND SINCE THIS IS OUR LOCAL DOLLAR, I WOULD LIKE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW THAT'S GOING TO WORK. I'M VERY INTERESTED IN THAT. CAUSE I, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE FUTURE PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE GOING ON AND HE SAW US AND, UH, WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO USE THAT TOOL. SO, UH, I WOULD, I WOULD LIKE TO ALSO JUST GET AN INFORMAL, QUICK BRIEFING ON WHERE WE'RE AT ON THAT RIGHT TO RETURN. YEAH. THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING. I'M SORRY. NEXT IT'S OKAY. COUNCIL MEMBER TOBO CAN SPEAK FIRST AND THEN I'LL GO. I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY. I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY COUNCIL MEMBER ENTRY. I BELIEVE THAT OUR STAFF TOOK THE RESOLUTION THAT I, I THINK YOU CO-SPONSORED, UM, I PAID AND WE'RE GOING TO DO THE RIGHT TO RETURN POLICY WITH OUR HFC POLICY, WITH OUR F A H F C PROPERTIES. AND IT WAS A PILOT PROGRAM THAT I THINK STARTED LAST SUMMER. SO IT WOULD BE REALLY, I ECHO THAT, UM, REQUESTS THAT IT WOULD BE REALLY INTERESTING TO SEE HOW THAT'S WORKING OUT IN OUR HFC POLICIES AND WHETHER IT'S APPROPRIATE TO EXTEND BEYOND THOSE. OKAY. THANK YOU. MY ANALYSIS OF THIS, AND FROM TALKING WITH STAKEHOLDERS ABOUT THIS RESOLUTION IS THAT THEY WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS. I TOO WOULD SUPPORT COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHENS, UM, AMENDMENTS IN NARROWING THIS RESOLUTION. MY BIGGEST CONCERN HERE IS THAT WE ARE GOING TO DEVELOP A LONG NON-FIXED RAIL LINES AND BUS ROUTES CAN CHANGE AGAIN, BASED ON DEMAND. AND SO MY CONCERN IS THAT IF WE WERE TO DO THAT, THEN RIDERSHIP WOULD CHANGE AND IT WOULDN'T GET US TO THAT, TO THAT GOAL IN THE BEST WAY. AND SO I'D BE INTERESTED TO NARROW THIS RESOLUTION AND AGAIN, FIND A WAY TO GET STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS. ANYTHING ELSE ON THIS SIDE OF THE ALTAR? NOPE. OKAY. THANK YOU. MAYOR PRO TEM. I THOUGHT I HAD HEARD, AND WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT [03:30:01] THIS OFF AND ON FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. SO I APOLOGIZE IF I HAVE THIS WRONG, BUT I THOUGHT I HAD HEARD THAT, UM, KEVIN HAD SUPPORTED YOU IN DRAFTING THIS, AND I WAS WONDERING WHO AT CAP NACHO, UH, WAS ENGAGED WITH THIS ERIC AND CHEYENNE. OKAY. AND, UM, I THINK IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL IF THEY'RE ABLE TO BE PRESENT ON THURSDAY OR SOMEBODY FROM CAP MACHO, IF WE HAVE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS. UM, AGAIN, I, I DO I SHARE SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED ABOUT HOW BROAD THIS RESOLUTION IS. I THINK THERE'S DEFINITELY VALUE IN OUR TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT PROCESS AND, AND TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION PROJECT CONNECT. UM, BUT, BUT I AM CONCERNED ABOUT HOW BROAD, UM, THIS COULD GO THAT'S KITCHEN. YEAH. SO, UM, UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR PRO TEM. I THINK I'M UNDERSTANDING BETTER NOW WHAT YOU WERE WANTING TO DO WITH THIS. AND LIKE I SAID BEFORE, I DO APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING IT. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, UH, TO DO SO. UM, WE JUST BOTH NEED TO GIVE SOME THOUGHT TO, TO HOW WE MIGHT, WHAT TERMS WE MIGHT USE FOR THE SCOPE OF IT. UM, AND, UM, UNLESS THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SAY RIGHT NOW, THAT'S WHAT I'LL BE DOING. AND I APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE OTHER AMENDMENTS. I THINK MS. THAT YOU TOOK WILL, WILL REALLY HELP, UM, REALLY HELPS ME CLARIFY AND UNDERSTAND IT BETTER. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. ALL RIGHT. WE READY TO GO TO AUSTIN ENERGY AFTER THAT WE WOULD THEN GO TO EXECUTIVE SESSION AND THEN BACK OUT THE CONCLUDE. ALL RIGHT. IF YOU'RE READY. UH, MADAM CHAIR, I'M GOING TO HEAR AT ONE 40, UH, RECESS, UH, THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL MEETING, TURN THE GAVEL OVER TO YOU COLLEAGUES, UH, RECONVENED THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION HERE TODAY ON JUNE 1ST. IT'S 2:28 PM. [E. Executive Session] UH, WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND GO INTO CLOSED SESSION TO TAKE UP, UH, TWO ITEMS PURSUANT TO FIVE, FIVE, ONE OH SEVEN ONE OH SEVEN TO THE GOVERNMENT CODE TO DISCUSS THE LEGAL ISSUES AND REAL ESTATE MATTERS RELATED TO ITEMS E TWO, WHICH IS THE PURCHASE EXCHANGE LEASE OF REAL ESTATE, UH, OR AN TRANSFER OF LAND WITHIN THE MUELLER PROJECT ISD. WITHOUT OBJECTION, WE WILL NOW GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION. LET'S GO STRAIGHT ON OVER AND I'LL SEE YOU GUYS. YEAH. CLOSED SESSION IS CLOSED SESSION. WE DISCUSSED REAL ESTATE MATTERS AND LEGAL MATTERS RELATED TO ITEMS E TWO AND E FOUR. IT IS FOUR 23 AND WE HAVE A LITTLE OVER A HALF AN HOUR BEFORE WE GET TO OUR HARD STOP AT FIVE. UH, RIGHT. THE MANAGER AND STAFF ARE JOINING US EDITOR. [B1. Update on homelessness related issues including potential ARP spending.] I THINK WE HAVE TWO LAST PRESENTATIONS. THE FIRST ONE'S CONCERNING THE ARPA FUNDING. AND THEN THE SECOND ONE, I THINK CONCERNS, UH, UH, SECTION CAMP AREAS AND, UH, THE PREPOSITION B UH, RESPONSES, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, AND OUR LAST BRIEFING TODAY, UH, WHICH DOES AS A MAYOR DESCRIBED COVERED TWO TOPICS THAT ARE REALLY CONTINUATION FROM OUR PREVIOUS WORK SESSION ON MAY 18TH. UH, AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED, BOTH THE RESOLUTION REGARDING SANCTION ENCAMPMENTS, AND THEN, UH, THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT, UH, STAFF PROVIDED, UH, REGARDING, UH, THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN FUNDING SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO HOMELESSNESS SERVICES. UH, SO WE DO HAVE OUR TEAM PREPARED FOR THIS. UH, WE WILL BE, UH, KICKED OFF BY ACM HAYDEN HOWARD, UH, AND THEN KIMBERLY MCNEALY. AND THEN WE HAVE DIANA GRAY TO, UH, FINISH THE PRESENTATION. UM, I THINK HAYDEN HOWARD IS SAM HADEN. HOWARD IS NOW WITH US. AND SO I WILL TURN IT OVER TO HER TO INTRODUCE THIS PRESENTATION. OKAY, SPENCER, GOOD AFTERNOON. MAYOR AND COUNCIL, STEPHANIE HAGAN, UM, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER. UM, WE WOULD LIKE TO COME BACK TODAY, UM, TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE TO THE RESOLUTION. UM, AS SEVERAL OF YOU ARE AWARE, WE'VE HELD, UM, SOME MEETINGS WITH EACH OF YOU JUST TO DISCUSS AND, UM, THE INITIAL LIST THAT WE PROPOSED TODAY, WE ARE COMING BACK, UM, TO REALLY ASK, UM, FOR A POLICY DIRECTION, UM, ABOUT THE CRITERIA [03:35:01] STAFF IS ALSO, UM, GOING TO, UM, PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN, UM, ACT FUNDS AND, UM, WHICH WILL KIND OF TEE UP STUFF FOR THE JUNE 10TH AGENDA. AT THIS TIME, I WILL TRANSITION OVER TO DIANA GRAY AND CAN REALLY MAKE REALLY GOOD AFTERNOON MARIN COUNCIL MEMBERS. UM, UH, SO TODAY WE WILL, AS ACT AS ACM, HAYDEN HOWARD SAID BE GIVEN TWO SEPARATE, UH, PRESENTATIONS, OR THEY ARE RELATED IN SOME WAYS, BUT, UH, WE'LL START ACTUALLY WITH THE PRESENTATION ON, UH, THE RESOLUTION RELATED TO SANCTION ENCAMPMENTS. SO WE ARE ABLE TO BRING THAT UP. THANK YOU. UM, SO, UH, LET'S GO AHEAD AND I THINK WE CAN GO TWO SLIDES IN, SO LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. SO OF COURSE, UH, THE RESOLUTION DIRECTING A CITY MANAGER AND STAFF TO EXPLORE THE FEASIBILITY OF DESIGNATED ENCAMPMENTS, UH, WAS PASSED BY COUNCIL ON MAY 6TH. UH, WE CAME BACK WITH A MEMO ON MAY 14TH AND SUBSEQUENTLY BRIEFED ON THE 18TH. THE NEXT REQUESTED FEEDBACK WAS, UH, FOR JUNE 1ST, WE HAVE DISTRIBUTED A MEMO TO MARIN COUNCIL TODAY AS WELL. UM, BUT WANTED TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK BOTH TO, UH, WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED AND THE WORK SO FAR RELATED TO DESIGNATED AND CAMP MINTS, AS WELL AS SOME POTENTIAL COMPLIMENTARY EFFORTS THAT WE THINK MAY BE IMPORTANT AS WE MOVE TOWARD OUR GOAL, WHICH IS PROVIDING ALTERNATIVES FOR SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO MAY BE IMPACTED DIRECTLY BY PROPOSITION B. SO WITH THAT, WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE AND I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO DIRECTOR KIMBERLY MCNEALY OF PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT. AND SHE WILL TALK THROUGH THE CRITERIA THAT WE'VE BEEN UTILIZING AND THE OUTCOME OF THAT ANALYSIS COUNCIL MEMBERS. ARE YOU ABLE TO HEAR ME? YES. OKAY. THANK YOU. I READJUSTED. SO THANK YOU. SO, UM, I WANTED TO JUST BE ABLE TO SHARE WITH YOU THE BASE CRITERIA THAT WAS ORIGINALLY, UM, AND THAT BASE CRITERIA, WHEN WE CAME TO THE COUNCIL, THE LAST TIME INCLUDED, UM, THE SPACE BEING AVAILABLE FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO YEARS UP TO TWO YEARS, TEMPORARY USE A PIECE OF LAND BEING A MINIMUM OF TWO ACRES THAT WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE OR ARE AVAILABLE FOR APPROXIMATELY 50 INDIVIDUALS WITH 108, I'M SORRY, WITH FOUR ACRES BEING MORE ACCEPTABLE FOR, UM, FOR UP TO A HUNDRED PEOPLE. WE ALSO APPLIED THE CRITERIA, THE CRITERIA THAT THERE WAS ACCESS TO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, OR THAT THERE WAS A WAY TO MITIGATE THE LACK OF ACCESS. THEN WE HAD A PARTNER THAT A WILLING PARTNER PERHAPS THAT COULD HELP US WITH TRANSPORTATION ISSUES. WE ALSO LOOKED AT ACCESS TO AMENITIES LIKE GROCERY STORES OR CONVENIENCE STORES TO ALLOW PEOPLE WHO WOULD BE STAYING AT THE ENCAMPMENT TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS THAT SERVICE. WE LOOKED AT WHETHER THE, UH, WE LOOKED AT THE WILDFIRE RISK ASSOCIATED OR THE FIRE RISK ASSOCIATED WITH THAT PIECE OF LAND. AND ALSO WHETHER OR NOT THAT FIRE RISK, IF IT WERE HIGH, COULD BE, UM, MINIMALLY OR WITH MINIMAL IMPACT WITH MINIMAL EFFORT BE MITIGATED. UM, AND THEN WE ALSO TOOK A LOOK AND MADE SURE THAT THOSE PIECES OF LAND WERE OUTSIDE OF THE FLOOD ZONE. AND THAT LEFT US WITH A NUMBER OF PROPERTIES, UH, THAT WERE UP FOR CONSIDERATION, WHICH WE RECEIVED AN ABUNDANCE OF FEEDBACK REGARDING THOSE PARTICULAR PROPERTIES. AND SO IN THE SECOND SET OF CRITERIA, I ADDED SOME QUALIFIER DISQUALIFIER. SO ITEMS THAT I BELIEVE WOULD DISQUALIFY IF INDEED THIS WORLD, THE DIRECTION OF THE COUNCIL WERE DISQUALIFIED PIECES OF LAND AND THAT INCLUDED ENVIRONMENTAL SENSITIVITY. SO BY WAY OF EXAMPLE, IF IT WAS A PRESERVE, IF THERE WAS AN ENDANGERED SPECIES THERE, THAT THERE WAS A CERTAIN WATER QUALITY ISSUE ON THAT PARTICULAR PIECE OF LAND, IF WE WERE AT RISK OF SPREADING INVASIVE SPECIES FROM PEOPLE MOVING IN AND OUT OF THAT PARTICULAR PIECE OF LAND. AND ALSO IF THERE WAS PARTICULAR WILD LIFE HABITAT THAT WE WERE CONCERNED ABOUT, THAT WOULD BE A DISQUALIFYING, UM, UH, DISQUALIFYING CRITERIA. ALSO IF YOU RESTRICTED PUBLIC ACCESS TO AMENITIES. SO IN SOME OF THE FEEDBACK THAT I RECEIVED, SOME INDIVIDUALS FELT AS THOUGH IN ORDER FOR US TO MITIGATE THE AMOUNT OF, UM, LET ME, LET ME JUST GO BACK. I APPLIED THESE TWO, THESE TWO AS DISQUALIFIERS, ONE BEING RESTRICTS, [03:40:01] PUBLIC ACCESS AND THE OTHER BEING ACCESS TO UTILITIES. SO IN THE FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED, SOME INDIVIDUALS LET US KNOW THAT INVESTING IN A LOT OF INFRASTRUCTURE TO BRING UTILITY INFRASTRUCTURE TO A PARTICULAR SPACE WAS SOMETHING BEYOND WHAT THEY THOUGHT WOULD BE, UM, AN INVESTMENT THAT, THAT A PARTICULAR COUNCIL OFFICE MIGHT WANT TO MAKE. BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, IF WE WERE TO UTILIZE SPACES THAT ARE ALREADY READILY HAD ACCESS TO UTILITIES, THOSE SPACES MAY VERY WELL RESTRICT PUBLIC USE OF THAT PARTICULAR SPACE. AND SO I CREATED A GIS MAP THAT ALLOWED ME TO TOGGLE BACK AND FORTH THROUGH THOSE PARTICULAR, UM, THOSE PARTICULAR ITEMS, THOSE PARTICULAR CRITERIA, WHICH WOULD MEAN THAT WE WOULD GET A DIFFERENT SET OF CRITERIA. AND THEN ALSO, UM, ACCESS I'M SORRY, PROXIMITY TO SCHOOLS. SO HOW CLOSE, UM, APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET, WE DID A REVIEW OF SCHOOLS THAT WERE WITHIN 300 FEET OF A PIECE OF LAND AND A THOUSAND FEET, A THOUSAND FEET OF A PIECE OF LAND, AND THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE HEARD NEEDED TO BE CONSIDERED, OR THAT WE NEEDED TO TALK ABOUT THE CAPITAL INVESTMENT REQUIRED. AND SO I TOUCHED ON THAT JUST BRIEFLY. UM, EARLIER WE NEEDED TO THINK ABOUT THE LEGAL OR THE FINANCIAL RISKS THAT MIGHT BE RELATED TO HOW THAT PIECE OF LAND WAS ACQUIRED TO BEGIN WITH WHERE THEIR OUTSTANDING IS. THEIR OUTSTANDING DEBT WAS THAT PARTICULAR PIECE OF LAND PURCHASE BEING USING FEES THAT WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THE UTILITIES, THE USER FEES. AND, UM, W THERE NEED TO BE CONSIDERATION AS TO, UM, THE AMOUNT OF RISK OF USING THE LAND FOR A PURPOSE. THAT WAS IT WASN'T ORIGINALLY INTENDED FOR, EVEN THOUGH IT WERE TEMPORARY, WE WOULD HAVE TO MITIGATE THOSE RISKS, OR AT LEAST TALK ABOUT WHETHER THAT WAS A RISK THAT THE COUNCIL OFFICES IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN WAS WILLING TO, UM, TO MOVE FORWARD WITH, UM, OTHER CONSIDERATIONS WHERE IF THERE WERE PARTICULAR ORDINANCE OR, UM, REGULATIONS THAT WOULD NEED TO BE CHANGED IN ORDER FOR US TO BE ABLE TO USE THAT PIECE OF PROPERTY. AND THEN THERE WERE ALSO ZONING CONSIDERATIONS THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT. AND SO, UM, IF I WERE TO APPLY ALL THE, THE BASE CRITERIA AND ALL THE SECOND SECONDARY CRITERIA, UM, IT WOULD SEVERELY LIMIT ALL THE OPTIONS AVAILABLE, UH, FOR CITY OWNED LAND. AND, UM, HONESTLY, WITH WHAT THE FEEDBACK THAT I HEARD, IT COULD GO EITHER WAY, WHETHER WE HAD ACCESS TO UTILITIES OR WHETHER THERE ARE, AND ACCESS TO UTILITIES, BUT EITHER WAY, UM, WE DID NOT HAVE PIECES OF LAND THAT REALLY QUALIFIED MEANING ALL OF THE CRITERIA THAT WE HAD HEARD IN THE FEEDBACK, WHICH BASICALLY ELIMINATED ALMOST ALL PIECES OF LAND, EXCEPT FOR MAYBE TWO PIECES OF LAND THAT COULD BE AVAILABLE. UM, NEITHER OF WHICH WERE, WERE PARKLAND. UM, I THINK THAT THERE'S ONE ADDED ITEM THAT WE DON'T HAVE THAT AS PART OF THIS PARTICULAR, UM, THIS PARTICULAR PRESENTATION, BECAUSE IT WAS JUST RECENTLY PASSED, BUT THAT'S THE PASSAGE OF HOSPITAL 1925, WHICH I BELIEVE, UM, THE GOVERNOR IS, IS SIGNALING THAT HE WILL, WILL SIGN. AND THAT PARTICULAR, THAT PARTICULAR BILL TALKS ABOUT SANCTIONED ENCAMPMENTS AND IT DISQUALIFIES PARKLINE ALTOGETHER. AND SO THEREFORE IF YOU WANT TO REALLY REMOVE PARKLAND FROM THIS CONVERSATION, THERE'S REALLY ONLY ONE PIECE OF LAND THAT EVEN SEEMS VIABLE AND IT WOULD REQUIRE, UM, SOME MITIGATION AND WE'LL REPORT FOR THAT PIECE OF PUBLIC LAND TO BE ABLE TO BE USED, UM, WITH YOUR INPUT BECAUSE YOU, YOU MAY BE ABLE TO GIVE US SOME FEEDBACK AND SOME INPUT THAT WOULD ALLOW ME TO, UM, MORE APPROPRIATELY APPLY THE CRITERIA TO THIS, THIS MAPPING SYSTEM THAT THE STAFF THAT ARE CREATED FOR US. UH, I COULD HAVE COME BACK WITH, UM, OTHER ALTERNATIVES, UH, BASED UPON THAT REFINED CRITERIA. WE, WE COULD CERTAINLY SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH YOU. AND IF ENGAGED, THERE WERE SOME CLEAR DIRECTION AS TO HOW WE WANTED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE CRITERIA, APPLYING THE CRITERIA AND, UM, PIECES OF LAND EMERGED AS BEING APPROPRIATE. THEN WE WOULD ABSOLUTELY NEED TO CONDUCT A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE PARTICULAR PIECES OF LAND, AND THEN COME BACK TO THE COUNCIL WITH, WITH A RECOMMENDATION. SO WITH THAT, I'M AVAILABLE TO TAKE QUESTIONS AND WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR MCNEELY. SO, KELLY, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? UM, I HAVE A QUESTION. THIS IS COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY. I KNOW THAT WE JUST GOT THIS PRESENTATION. COULD STAFF PLEASE PUT IT ON OUR WEBSITE WITH THE BACKUP INFORMATION SO THAT IT CAN BE SHARED WITH THE COMMUNITY? [03:45:03] YES, PLEASE POST IT. THANKS. ALL RIGHT. CAN YOU HEAR ME SO ACKNOWLEDGING THE COMPLEXITY OF, UM, AND THE CHALLENGE WE'VE EXPERIENCED THUS FAR IDENTIFYING A CITY PROPERTY THAT IS, UM, CLEARLY, UH, APPROPRIATE FOR THIS USE? UH, WE WOULD INTEND TO CONTINUE AS DIRECTOR INDICATED TO ASSESS SOME OF THE PROPERTIES AND WHETHER SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THERE ARE RESOLVABLE, BUT BECAUSE WE ALSO, UM, ARE COGNIZANT OF THE SENSE OF URGENCY AROUND, UH, THE UNSHELTERED POPULATION AND THE NEED TO PROVIDE ALTERNATIVES, UM, FOR, UH, FOLKS TO GO, UH, IF, AND WHEN THEY ARE ASKED TO MOVE OR SOMETHING NEEDED, ADDITIONAL SHELTER ARE PROPOSING TO COUNSEL THAT WE MOVE FORWARD ON A COUPLE OF OTHER TRACKS AS WELL. UM, WITH THE GOAL OF OVERALL INCREASING OUR CRISIS BED CAPACITY, IF YOU WILL, UH, IN THE SHORT TERM, UH, TO CREATE, UH, SOME RESOURCE WHILE WE ALSO WORK, OF COURSE, TO INCREASE OUR PERMANENT HOUSING CAPACITY AND REHOUSE PEOPLE PERMANENTLY IN SHORT FASHION. AND SO, BUT IN TERMS OF DESIGNATING AND ENCAMPMENTS, WE WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK AT CITY-OWNED PROPERTY AS WELL AS, UH, ANY PARCELS THAT WE HAVE BECOME AWARE OF. UM, BUT WE ALSO, UM, UH, WE'LL BEGIN TO ASSEMBLE, UH, INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED, UM, FROM DIFFERENT PARTIES REGARDING, UH, VENDORS THAT MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN PROVIDING, UH, WHETHER IT'S EQUIPMENT OR SOCIAL SERVICES OR OPERATIONS. BUT IN ADDITION, OVER THE NEXT MONTH, WE WOULD LOOK AND WORK WITH OUR HEALTH AUTHORITY CAREFULLY TO UNDERSTAND WHETHER WE MIGHT BE IN A POSITION TO RESTORE SOME OF OUR DIMINISHED SHELTER CAPACITY, UH, UNDER COVID 19. SO WE HAVE RECENTLY ENTERED INTO STAGE TWO AND, AND SO CERTAINLY ARE AT A LOWER RISK THAN WE WERE WHEN WE, UH, DENSIFIED OUR SHELTERS ARE REDUCING THEIR OCCUPANCY GUIDELINES. AND SO, UM, WOULD SEEK TO, UH, GET NEW GUIDELINES AS TO WHAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT TIMELINE MIGHT LOOK LIKE, WHAT WE WOULD NEED TO DO. UH, AND ALSO WHAT PROTOCOLS WOULD BE, UH, FOR, UH, DECREASING CAPACITY. AGAIN, IF WE NEEDED TO. SO A BIT MORE OF A DYNAMIC LOOK AT OUR SHELTER CAPACITY IN OUR EXISTING SHELTERS, UH, SUCH AS THE ARCH OR THE SALVATION ARMY THIRD, BECAUSE OF THE DECREASED COVID RISK. WE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF DEMOBILIZING OUR PROTECTIVE LODGES AS A PUBLIC HEALTH INTERVENTION. AND SO WE ACTUALLY HAVE A, ONE OF THE HOTELS HAS BEEN VACATED OF PROLOGUE GUESTS. AND SO WE PROPOSE UTILIZING OR SEEKING TO UTILIZE ONE OR MORE OF THOSE HOTELS, RARELY AS BRIDGE SHELTER, UH, DURING THIS TIME, UH, WOULD WE BE ABLE TO EXTEND THOSE LEASES AND SECURE OPERATORS? UH, THOSE CONTRACTS WILL BE ENDING, BUT WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE THE RELATIONSHIPS IN PLACE. AND SO WOULD SEEK OVER THE NEXT MONTH TO IDENTIFY WHAT WE COULD CONTINUE THERE. LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. IF I COULD PLEASE ADD TO WHAT DIANA HAS STATED. I DO WANT TO ASSURE YOU THAT I HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS AND OTHER INDIVIDUALS TO RUN DOWN THE LEADS THAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN. THOSE LEADS, BEING OTHER POTENTIAL PARTNERS, OTHER IDEAS FOR PIECES OF LAND THAT, UH, MANY OF YOU HAVE BROUGHT FORWARD, OR THAT WE HAVE SEEN, UM, RELATED TO THE, UM, UH, THE EMAIL ADDRESS THAT PEOPLE COULD PROVIDE FEEDBACK FOR, UM, PRIVATE LAND LEADS, AND THEN ALSO, UH, WORKING WITH SOME FAITH-BASED PARTNERS TO CONSIDER WHETHER OR NOT THAT MIGHT BE AN OPTION. SO I WANTED TO ASSURE YOU THAT WE HAVEN'T IGNORED THE, UM, ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT WE'VE RECEIVED. IT'S JUST THAT WE WERE WORKING ON A LITTLE BIT SHORTER TIMELINE, AND WE WEREN'T ABLE TO GET ANY CONFIRMATION FOR TODAY, BUT WE CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH THOSE, THAT PROCESS. EXACTLY. I APOLOGIZE. UM, IT'S, IT'S IT'S TIME FOR THE MAILMAN TO BE HERE APPARENTLY. SO THE DOG IS BARKING. UH, YES, TO KIMBERLY'S POINT, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING TO EXPLORE THOSE PROPERTIES. WE KNOW ABOUT IT AND THE VENDORS THAT WE ARE AWARE OF. AND SO WE ARE BUILDING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT SOME OF THOSE OPTIONS MIGHT BE, BUT AS WE LOOK AT THE POSSIBILITY OF NEEDING TO MATCH-MAKE, IF YOU WILL, BETWEEN PROPERTY OPERATOR AND, AND POTENTIALLY EQUIPMENT VENDORS, WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO IS TO ISSUE AN RFI IN JULY [03:50:01] THAT INVITES THOSE PARTNERS, UH, TO TELL US WHAT IT IS THAT THEY ARE INTERESTED IN DOING OR OFFERING. AND WE THINK THAT THAT'S IMPORTANT ALSO AS A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF LEVERAGE FOR CITY DOLLARS, UM, SO THAT WE ARE NOT ONLY COUNTING ON CITY LAND, UM, AS YOU KNOW, AND, AND, AND MONEY FOR CITY OPERATIONS, ET CETERA. AND THAT WAY, THAT PROCESS IS MORE PUBLIC. UH, WE WE'RE ENSURED THAT WE ARE AWARE OF THE FOLKS THAT ARE IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND MY WANT TO WORK WITH US, UH, FOR CONGREGATE SHELTERS, UH, IN JULY, WE WOULD CONTINUE. AND WE WOULD HOPE THAT AT THAT POINT, PRESUMING THAT WE CONTINUE MORE OR LESS WHERE WE ARE IN TERMS OF COVID RISK, WE COULD ACTUALLY, UH, IF NOT BEFORE THEN, UH, IMPLEMENT EXPANDED CAPACITY. AND THEN DURING JULY, WE WOULD BE, UM, FORMULATING ANY AGREEMENTS OR EXTENDED LEASES THAT WOULD BE NEEDED, UH, TO, UH, CONVERT ONE OF OUR PREVIOUS PROLOGIS INTO A BRIDGE SHELTER, UM, TARGETING IF POSSIBLE OCCUPANCY OF THAT FIRST HOTEL BY JULY 15TH, WHICH IS RELEVANT, I THINK BECAUSE YOU MAY RECALL THAT THE FIRST DATE, UM, OF, UH, ANTICIPATED ENFORCEMENT FOR AUSTIN PUBLIC POLICE DEPARTMENT UNDER PROPERTY, UH, CAMPING ORDINANCE IS AUGUST 8TH, NEXT SLIDE. SO, UH, IN AUGUST, WE WOULD HOPE TO, IF WE CAN IDENTIFY, UM, UH, VIABLE OPTIONS FOR CREATING DESIGNATED IN CANVAS, THAT WE WOULD, UM, SOLIDIFY THOSE AGREEMENTS FOR UP TO TWO YEARS. UM, AND WITH THE HOPE OF OPERATIONALIZING, AT LEAST ONE OF THOSE SITES, UH, SO THAT WE, UH, WE HAVE THAT AS AN OPTION FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT AT THAT TIME, UM, WILLING TO COME INDOORS. AND SO THAT WE UNDERSTAND BETTER THE COSTS AND THE OPERATIONAL, UH, CONSIDERATIONS, UH, CONGREGATE SHELTER CONTINUES AS BEFORE AND THEN LATE IN SUMMER, IF IT WERE FEASIBLE AND, UM, CONSISTENT WITH STAFF RECOMMENDATION AROUND, UH, FUNDING AND EFFICACY, WE MIGHT CONSIDER, UH, OPERATING OR OPENING, EXCUSE ME, UH, UH, AN ADDITIONAL BRIDGE SHELTER CONVERSION FROM ONE OF OUR, UH, EXISTING PROGRAM. NEXT SLIDE. SO THIS WILL HAVE A COST, AND OF COURSE WE ARE FACING A, UM, A PERIOD IN WHICH COUNCIL WILL BE OFF THE DAYAS FOR SOME TIME. AND SO IN ORDER TO, UM, TO MOVE FORWARD, THAT STAFF IS RECOMMENDING A BUDGET, UM, UH, A BUDGET ADJUSTMENT OF 4.7 MILLION THAT WOULD SET ASIDE $4.2 MILLION, UH, TO ALLOW FOR ESSENTIALLY A YEAR OF OPERATIONS AT THAT AT ONE HOTEL THAT WE WOULD NOT, UM, EXECUTE ANY CONTRACTS WITHOUT COUNCIL AUTHORIZATION. UH, BUT THE BUDGET AMENDMENT WOULD ALLOW FOR THAT PROCESS TO MOVE FORWARD. UM, WE, AGAIN, WOULD COME TO COUNCIL WITH ANY SPECIFIC FUNDING REQUESTS. IN ADDITION TO THAT $4.2 MILLION, WHICH IS IN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE TO, UM, UH, PROVIDING ADDITIONAL SHELTER OPTIONS. WE WOULDN'T BE REQUESTING $500,000 AS AN EARLY DOWN PAYMENT ON INVESTMENT IN THE WORK, UH, RELATED TO REALLY SCALING UP OUR SYSTEM AROUND THE GOALS THAT CAME OUT OF THE SUMMIT TO, UH, ADDRESS UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS. ONE OF THE PRIMARY ISSUES THAT WE IDENTIFIED THERE WAS THAT IN ORDER TO SCALE UP, WE REALLY NEED TO INVEST IN THE CAPACITY OF SOME OF OUR EXISTING NONPROFIT PROVIDERS, AS WELL AS BEGIN BUILDING THE ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY AND TECHNICAL SKILLS OF SOME PROVIDERS WHO HAVE NOT BEEN IN THAT SPACE PREVIOUSLY. SO WE WOULD LIKE OVER THE COURSE OF THE SUMMER, UM, TO, UH, HAVE A PROCUREMENT OR A PROCESS THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO TARGET SOME OF THOSE FUNDS, UH, TOWARD THE NEEDS OF THE NONPROFITS, WE WOULD ANTICIPATE BEING A KEY PART OF OUR OVERALL WORK GOING FORWARD. SO THAT BUDGET AGENDA AMENDMENT, EXCUSE ME, WOULD COME TO COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION JUNE 10TH. WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. SO THIS IS, I'M NOT GOING TO GO INTO THIS DETAIL, BUT THIS IS ESSENTIALLY THE BREAKDOWN BASED ON THE OPERATION OF A HOTEL AS A PROTECTIVE LODGE, WE ANTICIPATE THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO FIND SOME COST SAVINGS HERE, BECAUSE IT IS NOT AS CRITICAL FOR EXAMPLE, THAT PEOPLE BE IN THEIR ROOMS ALL THE TIME AS IT WAS WITH THE PROTECTIVE LODGES IN TERMS OF SOCIAL DISTANCING, ET CETERA. BUT THIS IS WHAT THAT 4.2 IS BASED ON. UM, SO THAT WE KNOW THAT THERE IS ADEQUACY THERE, UH, TO ACCOMMODATE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN IN THE HOTELS TO DATE. AND AGAIN, [03:55:01] WE WOULD LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES AS VACCINE IS MORE AVAILABLE, AND OUR RISK LEVEL GOES DOWN TO INCREASE THE OCCUPANCY, UH, IN SUCH A HOTEL, UH, FROM ONE PERSON TO TWO NEXT SLIDE. SO THEN I'D LIKE TO STOP HERE AND ALLOW FOR DISCUSSION ON THIS TOPIC, AND THEN TIME ALLOWING WE WILL GO INTO A VERY BRIEF OVERVIEW OF, UM, S SOME RECOMMENDATIONS AROUND THE ARP FUNDING JOURNEY. YOU'RE A PRO THANK YOU CHAIR. I APPRECIATE IT. AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. DIANA, I'VE JUST A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS THAT I'D LIKE TO ASK IN THIS FORUM, BUT I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS THAT I'M GOING TO ASK OUTSIDE OF THIS, INCLUDING, UM, FOR DIRECTOR MCNEELY AROUND, UM, HOW HARD IS RESPONDING WHEN FOLKS ASK, WHY ON EARTH DID YOU PUT OUT THIS LIST? IF YOU'RE GOING TO WHITTLE IT DOWN TO TWO AND SCARE EVERYBODY? UM, I I'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A REALLY GOOD ANSWER FOR WHY WE ENGAGED IN THAT EXERCISE. UM, THAT SAID, UH, I'M REALLY CURIOUS TO KNOW WHAT OUR THOUGHTS ARE AROUND CAPACITY BUILDING. I MEAN, WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, OH, OVERSEES THAT WHAT POINTS OF, OF, UH, PROFICIENCY ARE WE LOOKING FOR THESE ORGANIZATIONS TO ESTABLISH, TO BE, YOU KNOW, QUALIFIED OPERATORS? UM, I DON'T KNOW THAT I'M ASKING YOU TO ANSWER ANY OF THOSE QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW, BUT THAT'S INFORMATION THAT I'D LIKE TO HAVE. UM, WHEN WE ENGAGE IN THAT, THAT CONVERSATION, I THINK IT'S TOTALLY NECESSARY. AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF LARGE CITIES COUNCIL, PRESIDENT'S MEETING THAT I ATTEND. UM, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT OTHER CITIES ALSO POINT TO AS, UH, PROBLEMATIC, YOU KNOW, HAVING ENOUGH IN THE WAY OF CAPACITY AROUND OPERATORS. SO JUST CURIOUS ABOUT THAT, AND THEN YOU SAID SOMETHING ELSE, UM, ABOUT THE PRO LODGES, YOU SAID, IF WE CAN EXTEND THE LEASES AND THEN IF WE CAN SECURE OPERATORS, IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE NEED TO BUILD CAPACITY TO SECURE OPERATORS, I WONDER, UM, SORT OF WHAT THE LIKELIHOOD OF BEING ABLE TO FIND THE OPERATORS ARE. AND IF, IF IT'S, UM, NOT IDEAL, HOW DO WE INCREASE THE CAPACITY IN THE SHORT TERM? AND, UM, WHAT CHALLENGES ARE WE FACING WITH POTENTIALLY GETTING OPERATORS TO RUN THOSE PRO LODGES? SO LET ME SPEAK FIRST TO THE CAPACITY BUILDING QUESTION, AND I GUESS THE TWO QUESTIONS THAT, UM, THAT I CAN ANSWER, AND THEN, UM, LET DIRECTOR MCNEELY RESPOND TO THE QUESTION TO HER AROUND CAPACITY BUILDING. UM, YES, I THINK THAT ONE OF THE REASONS IT IS SO IMPORTANT IS THAT NOT ONLY ARE WE LOOKING TO SCALE UP IN TERMS OF THE ASSISTANCE PROVIDED, BUT THAT WE REALLY VERY MUCH NEED TO, UM, IMPROVE OUR DIVERSITY AND REPRESENTATION AMONGST OUR SERVICE PROVIDERS. AND SO THAT MEANS LOOKING AT THE ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE BOARD, UM, WE HAVE TO BE REALISTIC AND UNDERSTAND THAT IT, THAT GROWTH DOES REQUIRE, UM, SOME RESOURCES, BUT ALSO THAT WE MIGHT BE ASKING, UM, ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE VERY GOOD AT A LOT OF THE PROGRAMS THAT THEY THEY DO ALREADY, BUT WHO REALLY HAVE THEIR MISSION IS REALLY CONSISTENT WITH THIS WORK AND NEED TO SUPPORT THEM AS THEY COME INTO A SPACE THAT DOES HAVE SOME SPECIFICITY AROUND, UH, REGULATORY SPECIFICITY WITH HUD, ET CETERA, RIGHT. UM, AND SORT OF PROGRAM STANDARDS. SO IT IS BOTH, UH, OVERALL TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILDING. AND THEN IT IS SORT OF STRENGTHENING THE ORGANIZATIONS AND BRINGING NEW ORGANIZATIONS IN, UM, OUR HEALTH EQUITY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT UNIT WITHIN, UH, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH ALREADY DOES SOME CAPACITY BUILDING WORK. AND SO I THINK THEY WOULD BE CRITICAL, UH, PROBABLY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ECHO TO DETERMINE THE SHAPE OF THAT. UM, AND THEN, OH, I'VE LOST YOUR SECOND QUESTION. WHAT WAS IT? IT WAS ABOUT, WE WERE TALKING, I WAS TALKING ABOUT PRO LODGES, I SAID, AND IF THERE ARE SOME CHALLENGES, THANK YOU. I APOLOGIZE. SO BECAUSE THE PRO LODGES WERE, UM, WERE STOOD UP SO QUICKLY IN THE FACE OF THE PANDEMIC, UH, IN A HEROIC EFFORT, I WOULD SAY, UM, WE HAVE A COMBINATION OF OPERATORS AT THE DIFFERENT HOTELS, RIGHT? AND THOSE INCLUDE SOME OF OUR NON-PROFIT PARTNERS. THERE HAVE BEEN SOME TEMPORARY STAFF RESOURCES, EVEN SOME CITY OF AUSTIN STAFF AT THOSE HOTELS WHO CLEARLY CANNOT HAVE THAT AS THEIR JOB DESCRIPTION LONG-TERM. SO IT IS NOT THAT THERE AREN'T OPERATORS FOR THOSE, BUT THEY WERE, IT WAS NOT INTENDED AT THIS POINT TO [04:00:01] CONTINUE LONG INTO THE FUTURE. SO I, I, IT'S NOT THAT THERE AREN'T OPERATORS, BUT WE WOULD NEED TO VET, UM, THE ABILITY OF SOME OF THOSE TO CONTINUE. UH, AND WHAT THOSE, UH, WHAT THOSE AGREEMENTS MIGHT LOOK LIKE GOING FORWARD. IS THAT HELPFUL? IT IS. I THINK I'LL MAYBE, UM, TRY TO BEND YOUR EAR IN A SEPARATE MEETING TO REALLY JUST GET THE FULL BREADTH OF WHAT IT IS THAT WE NEED TO DO IN ORDER TO INCREASE CAPACITY IN THAT OPERATOR SPACE. I SUSPECT, YOU KNOW, AS WE CONTINUE TO GROW, UM, JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER CITY IN THE NATION, OUR, UM, FOLKS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING EXTREME POVERTY AND, AND SORT OF TEETERING ON THAT EDGE BETWEEN BEING SHELTERED AND NOT IS ONLY GONNA CONTINUE. UM, SO JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, PREPARED, UM, FOR THE FUTURE. UM, AND THEN I HAD ANOTHER QUESTION ABOUT, UM, YOU TALKED ABOUT BEING ABLE TO OPERATIONALIZE, IS THERE A TIMELINE ATTACHED TO, FOR THE, UM, HOTELS COUNCIL MEMBER OR FOR YES. SO WE WOULD HOPE IF WE NEED TO GO PUT THOSE, THE, UM, SLIDE DECK UP AGAIN. I BELIEVE THAT WE WERE HOPING THAT IN JULY, IF HERE, I THINK IF WE HAVE, UH, IN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO A POSITIVE RESPONSE FROM, UM, HOTEL OWNERS AND MANAGERS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO, UH, RENEW OR EXTEND THE LEASE. AND WE HAVE OPERATORS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN CONTINUING THAT WORK, AND WE CAN PUT THAT TOGETHER QUICKLY. WE COULD CONCEIVABLY OPERATE OPERATIONALIZE AS SOON AS JULY 15TH, OR BE READY TO DO THAT. UM, SO THAT, THAT WAS THE FIRST ONE, I MEAN, SO WE WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO OPERATIONALIZE ONE OF THE HOTELS IN, UM, IN JULY. UH, THAT'S A PRETTY AGGRESSIVE TIMELINE, BUT OF COURSE WE ARE, WE HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, AN ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH, UH, THERE IS URGENCY AROUND THE CHANGING OF THE ORDINANCES AND MAYOR PRO TEM. I JUST WANT TO ADDRESS YOUR FIRST QUESTION. YOU KNOW, THIS WAS BASED ON A RESOLUTION THAT STAFF HAS BEEN RESPONDING TO. AND SO IN VERY QUICK ORDER, UH, WE WERE ASKED TO COME UP WITH A LIST OF, UH, POSSIBLE SITES. UH, WE KNEW THAT WE WOULD ONLY BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT SO MUCH, UH, AROUND THOSE SITES, UH, GIVEN THE SHORT TURNAROUND, UH, WE'VE OBVIOUSLY LEARNED SOME LESSONS FROM THAT PROCESS, BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THIS WAS REALLY A RESPONSE TO A RESOLUTION. AND THEN, UH, AS THOSE SITES GET CONTINUED TO VET, UH, AND THE CRITERIA, UH, CONTINUES TO BE ESTABLISHED, UH, WE WILL CONTINUE TO ENGAGE WITH COUNCIL ON HOW TO BEST RESPOND TO THE RESOLUTION THAT WAS PRESENTED. I APPRECIATE THAT. AND, AND SINCE YOU BROUGHT IT UP, UM, I REALLY DO HOPE THAT SOME LESSONS WERE LEARNED ABOUT THE EXECUTION THERE, INCLUDING I, IT'S ALWAYS VERY FRUSTRATING AND I DON'T KNOW IF MY, MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES FEEL THE SAME SENSE OF FRUSTRATION. UM, ESPECIALLY SOME OF US WHO ARE NEWER AND I'M LESS THAN THREE YEARS. AND THEN I HAVE COLLEAGUES THAT ARE EVEN LESS THAN THAT. UM, IT IT'S TO FEEL LIKE I DON'T HAVE AN APPROPRIATE RESPONSE TO OUR CONSTITUENTS WHO SAY, WHY DOES IT FEEL LIKE YOU ALSO JUST FOUND OUT AND THE RESPONSE IN ALL HONESTY SOMETIMES IT'S CAUSE I DID JUST FIND OUT, YOU KNOW, SO I THINK IT'S, I DON'T THINK IT OFFERS OUR CONSTITUENTS MUCH IN THE WAY OF THE ABILITY TO BE CONFIDENT THAT WE ARE REPRESENTING THEM. WELL, WHEN IT'S PRETTY CLEAR THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE KIND OF CLEAR COMMUNICATION WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE THAT WE SHOULD HAVE. I MEAN, I, I SHOULDN'T FIND OUT THE DAY BEFORE, UH, BECAUSE EVEN IF, YOU KNOW, EVEN IF THERE ARE LESSONS THAT WERE LEARNED, I THINK TO PREEMPT SOME OF THE FALLOUT, UM, I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET IN FRONT OF IT AND REALLY POINT OUT HIGHLIGHT THIS IS JUST FOLLOWING COUNCIL'S DIRECTION TO PRODUCE X. AND SO THE CHANCES OF ANY OF THESE, YOU KNOW, I REALLY, REALLY WOULD HAVE LIKED TO GET IN FRONT OF IT. CAUSE I DON'T KNOW THAT, UM, THAT THEY GOT FULLY RECOGNIZED THAT ONCE THE DAMAGE IS DONE IN A LOT OF INSTANCES, IT'S TOO LATE TO GO BACK. I MEAN, I CAN'T RETROACTIVELY ASSUAGE PEOPLE'S FEARS. NOW IT'S ALREADY, YOU GET, WHAT'S THE EXPRESSION ABOUT PUTTING THE TOOTHPASTE BACK IN THE TUBE, YOU CAN'T DO IT. AND SO I WOULD JUST REALLY LIKE TO AVOID THAT MOVING FORWARD. AND GENERALLY JUST FEEL LIKE WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE BEFORE WE PRESENT INFORMATION FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO CONCERN. BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR RESPONSE COLLEAGUES. I DO WANT TO GET TO THE PRESENTATION. WE HAVE LITERALLY FIVE MINUTES LEFT AND I WANT TO GET THE OTHER PRESENTATION HARPER. WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE, UH, AGENDA THAT WE HAVE ON THURSDAY AND SEE HOW LIBERALLY WE CAN [04:05:01] OPEN UP THE BAIT ON THINGS LIKE THE TEXAS BUNGALOW, UH, CONTRACT WITH INTEGRAL CARE, SINCE THAT PLAYS INTO, UH, THESE, UH, THESE, THESE OTHER ITEMS. UM, WE MAY HAVE TO BE MOVING SOME OF THIS CONVERSATION OUT TO THE, TO THE MESSAGE BOARD ON THESE, BUT LET'S FINISH THIS PRESENTATION BEFORE WE ASK ANY QUESTIONS SO THAT WE GET IT OUT AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK WITH QUESTIONS, DIANA. YEAH, JUST VERY QUICKLY, VERY QUICKLY. THIS IS A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT CONVERSATION. WE'VE GOT TO FIND A TIME THAT WE CAN REALLY TALK ABOUT IT. SO WE GET THIS WEEK AND IT NEEDS TO BE THURSDAY. I DON'T KNOW HOW WE NOTICE IT ON THURSDAY, BUT AT THE VERY LEAST WE HAVE TO BE TAKING A LOOK AT, WE CAN CALL A SPECIAL CALL FOR FRIDAY 72 HOURS NOTICE, AND I THINK LEGAL SHOULD START TAKING A LOOK AT THAT. NOW WE HAVE TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION IF WE HOPE TO TAKE ANY KIND OF ACTION NEXT WEEK. SO IF WE COULD FIGURE OUT HOW TO, TO, TO DO THAT, DIANA, WHY DON'T YOU GO AHEAD AND GIVE US THE, UH, THE SECOND PRESENTATION? YES, MA'AM I BELIEVE I HAVE FOUR SLIDES AND I'LL TRY TO DO IT IN THREE MINUTES. SO AT THE MAY 18TH, UM, WORK SESSION, ECONOMIC RECOVERY RECOMMENDED, UM, UH, DEDICATING $84 MILLION OF THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN AT, UH, TO THE EFFORTS AROUND HOMELESSNESS. AND ONE OF THE REQUESTS THAT COUNCIL HAD, UH, WAS THAT WE HAVE SOME DETAIL ON THE OVERALL BUDGET, UH, AS WELL AS THE USES OF FUNDS. AND SO TODAY WE WILL BE SHOWING YOU HIGH LEVEL INVESTMENT CATEGORIES FOR THE OVERALL $515 MILLION TOTAL PROJECTED COST OF THE GOALS AROUND THE SUMMIT TO, UH, ADDRESS ON UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS. UH, IT'S A SUMMARY OF OUR PROJECTED COMMITTED, ANTICIPATED FUNDING TODAY. UH, WHAT THE GAP IS AND A PLACEHOLDER OF HOW THE CITY MIGHT, UH, SHOW, UH, OR UTILIZE, EXCUSE ME, THE RECOMMENDED $84 MILLION, ACKNOWLEDGING THAT IT WOULD BE CRITICAL TO HAVE $209 MILLION TO FILL THE REMAINING GAP FROM OTHER SOURCES. LET'S GO ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE. SO THE OVERALL BUDGET, UM, FOR ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE GOAL OF REHOUSING AND ADDITIONAL 3000 PEOPLE OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS ARE IN FIVE CATEGORIES. ONE IS CRISIS SERVICES. IN THIS CASE, THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE SHELTER, BUT DIVERSION, WHICH IS KEEPING SOMEONE FROM FALLING INTO HOMELESSNESS, REALLY AT THE DOOR OF THE SHELTER, IF YOU WILL, UH, AND STREET OUTREACH CORE HOUSING PROGRAMS, WHICH IS REALLY WHERE THE RUBBER RUBBER HITS THE ROAD. THIS IS A RAPID REHOUSING, WHICH IS MEDIUM TERM SERVICES AND RENT SUBSIDIES, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, WHICH WE KNOW IS SO KEY FOR THOSE EXPERIENCING CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS AND RAPID EXIT, WHICH IS MORE OF A SHORT TERM. UM, HOUSING, HOUSING, UH, SUPPORT OTHER SERVICES ARE THINGS LIKE SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER, EMPLOYMENT, ET CETERA, THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE PART OF THE CORE HOUSING PACKAGE, BUT WE KNOW SUPPORT PEOPLE'S STABILITY, UH, SYSTEM CAPACITY BUILDING. WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT A LITTLE BIT AND THEN OF COURSE, CAPITAL INVESTMENT, UM, TO CREATE SOME OF THE UNITS THAT WE WOULD NEED TO REHOUSE THAT NUMBER OF PEOPLE. SO YOU SEE HERE, THE BREAKDOWN, UH, BETWEEN, UH, THOSE CATEGORIES FOR THE TOTAL PROJECTED COST AND THEN THE COMMITTED OR ANTICIPATED AMOUNT THAT WE ARE PROJECTING BASED ON WHAT WE KNOW IS ALREADY BUDGETED COMMITTED OR IN REVENUE STREAMS, WE ARE CONFIDENT ABOUT. SO THAT'S ABOUT 222 MILLION LEAVING A GAP OF ABOUT $293 MILLION. WHAT WE ARE SHOWING IN THE LAST COLUMN IS SIMPLY SPREADING, UM, THE PROPOSED $84 MILLION OF CITY FUNDS ACROSS THESE CATEGORIES, PROPORTIONALLY. AND THE REASON FOR THAT AT THIS TIME IS THAT WE THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, UH, TO EMPHASIZE THAT THIS, THESE FUNDS, UH, ARE REALLY GOING TOWARD A MUCH LARGER EFFORT OVERALL AND WHERE THE FUNDS ARE EXPENDED EXPLICITLY, UH, MAY SHIFT OVER TIME. BUT OF COURSE THAT WOULD BE SUBJECT TO COUNTER AND RELATED TO THE COMMITMENTS. I WILL STOP THERE AND TAKE QUESTIONS. OKAY. AND IS THIS POSTED INTO BACKUP THIS POWERPOINT YOU JUST PRESENTED? IT SHOULD BE, SIR. WE'LL, WE'LL CONFIRM, JUST MAKE SURE IT IS WITH RESPECT TO THE FIRST PART OF YOUR PRESENTATION ON THE ENCAMPMENTS. UH, OBVIOUSLY WITH PROPERTY PASSING, [04:10:01] UM, AND WITH THE CALL TO MOVE FORWARD ON, UM, TEMPTING, UH, THE MANAGER'S GOING THROUGH HIS FOUR SCENARIOS, FOUR PHASES, RATHER, YOU KNOW, AND IN RELATIVELY SHORT ORDER, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE GIVEN, UH, UH, BEING ASKED TO, TO MOVE, UH, WITHOUT, UH, ADEQUATE PLACES FOR EVERYONE TO BE ABLE TO GO. SO WE'RE GOING TO BE RETURNING TO, TO A DEGREE, TO, TO WHERE WE WERE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. UH, I LIKED THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO FIND SOME SHELTERING EMERGENCY SHELTERING OR YOU CAN'T MINCE. I HOPE THAT WE PRIORITIZE THE PEOPLE, UH, SO THAT THOSE THAT ARE LEAST ABLE TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES OR THE FIRST WE, WE HELP APPLICATE SPECIFICALLY IN TERMS OF WOMEN, UH, SO THAT, UH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE KEPT IN A SAFER PLACE AS, AS POSSIBLE. UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO DO THE BALANCING, OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE SOME PROGRAMS THAT COUNCIL'S ALREADY INITIATED, LIKE HEAL, UH, WHICH I THINK IS BEING FUNDED IN DOLLARS AND WE'RE ALREADY IDENTIFIED AND SCALING THAT, GETTING FUNDED, HOPEFULLY AS PART OF THE GOAL TO GET 3000 PEOPLE HOUSED IN THREE YEARS AS WE SCALE THE, THE PRIOR WORK. AND THAT WILL BE GOOD. UM, SOME OF OUR EMERGENCY WORK WHERE WE'RE TAKING PEOPLE OFF THE STREETS, UH, WE HAD SET THAT GOAL AND YOU HAD INDICATED SOME NUMBERS, YOU KNOW, IT WAS SEVERAL HUNDRED IF I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE GOING TO BE MEETING THOSE GOALS. SO WE CAN REPORT THAT BACK TO THE COMMUNITY, PUT IN ANY EVENT, WE'RE NOT GOING TO REACH TO THE, TO THE TWO OR 3000 PEOPLE THAT WERE ON THE STREETS. AND I'M NOT SURE THAT WE TAKE ALL OF THE AVAILABLE FUNDING THAT WE HAVE AND PUT IT TO THAT EMERGENCY USE, BECAUSE IF WE DO THAT, THEN WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE THE MONEY TO ACTUALLY SET UP THE SYSTEM AT THE SAME TIME THAT, UH, THAT HOLDS US WELL. SO I HOPE THAT WE KEEP THE ARP FUNDING, UH, 84 OF THE 11, AND WE HOLD ON TO THAT AND DON'T, UH, UM, UH, TAKE OUT OF THAT MONEY FOR THE EMERGENCY, OUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE, AND THAT WE FIND A WAY AT, AT SOME APPROPRIATE LEVEL OUTSIDE OF THAT 84 POUNDS AND 11 TO DO THE PROPOSITION B RESPONSE SO THAT WE'RE STILL MAKING, GETTING THAT 3003 YEAR BUILDING A SYSTEM AND A PHYSICAL CAPACITY. AND THEN AS THE MAYOR PRO TEM RES THE CAPACITY BUILDING, WHICH IS A BIG PART OF THAT OTHER COMMENTS, KATHY, DID YOU HAVE A SUGGESTION FOR WHERE THAT MONEY FOR DESIGNATED ENCAMPMENTS WOULD COME FROM? IF NOT, THEN I THINK MAYBE FROM THE ARP, I NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE OVERALL ARP FUNDING THAT WE HAVE, UM, THE $190 MILLION, WHATEVER WE HAVE ON THAT. I KNOW THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHER THINGS WE WERE LOOKING AT TOO, BUT IT'S GOING TO CAUSE ME TO HAVE TO TAKE A, TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT. IF THERE ARE OTHER FUNDS THAT ARE AVAILABLE, IT'D BE INTERESTING TO MAYBE IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO BE ABLE TO BRING THOSE FORWARD, BUT OBVIOUSLY WE'RE DEALING IN A VERY LIMITED, VERY LIMITED UNIVERSE OF AVAILABLE FUNDS. AND WE JUST HAVE TO HAVE PLACES WE HAVE TO HAVE IMMEDIATE PLACES FOR PEOPLE TO GO. SO I DON'T, I DON'T SEE THAT AS AN OPTION REALLY AT THIS POINT. UM, IT WOULD BE INTERESTING. CAN YOU, YEAH, I'VE, I'VE CONCLUDED MY THOUGHTS FOR THE MOMENT COLLEAGUES, EVERYTHING ELSE. I THINK, I THINK IF WE CAN'T, WE SHOULD LOOK AT THE MEETING ON FRIDAY, WE NEEDED TO TALK TO LEGAL AT 72 HOURS THAT WOULD SET US LATE ON FRIDAY. I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT MONDAY, UH, SO THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE BRING THAT INTO PLAY HERE AS WELL. WE ACTUALLY WANT TO MAKE DECISIONS IN SOMETIME NEXT WEEK. WE'RE GOING TO NEED TIME TOGETHER TO TALK TO EACH OTHER AND TO REALLY ASK A LOT MORE QUESTIONS. AND MY HOPE, UH, DIANA IS THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO GET, YOU KNOW, MORE DETAILED ASSOCIATED EVEN WITH THE ROLL-UP SLIDES THAT YOU SHOWED TO US, UH, AND TO MEET INDIVIDUALLY WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT HAVE QUESTIONS, UH, TO PRESENT THAT. SO AS TO HELP KEEP THIS BALL MOVING FORWARD, KATHY, WERE YOU RAISING YOUR HAND? OKAY, GREG, I JUST WANT TO EXPRESS THAT IF THERE CONTINUES TO BE TROUBLE FINDING LAND, AS YOU LOOK FOR IT, I THINK EXTENDING A LEASE ON ONE OF THE PROLOGIS MAKES GOOD, QUICK SENSE TO ME, [04:15:05] KATHY, I GUESS I WILL JUST SAY I, YOU KNOW, THE, THE FACT OF THE MATTER THOUGH, IS THAT THOSE PRO LODGES HAVE ALREADY LOTS OF INDIA. WE JUST SIMPLY EVEN WITH THE PROLOGIS. AND I DO THINK THAT THAT'S, I SUPPORT THAT AS A STEP FORWARD. AND, UM, AS AN IMMEDIATE PLACE TO PROVIDE INDIVIDUAL SHELTER, WE'RE GOING TO NEED MORE OPTIONS, THOUGH, FOR ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO ASK US, WHERE CAN THEY GO? UM, ONCE ENFORCEMENT IS STARTING TO TAKE PLACE AND WE JUST SIMPLY, I THINK, ARE GOING TO NEED TO HAVE THOSE DESIGNATED CAMPING AREAS TOO. SO I, I'M JUST GOING TO CONTINUE TO ASK OUR COMMUNITY IF THEY CAN HELP US IDENTIFY SOME OF THE SPACES PRIVATE, PRIVATELY HELD, OR PUBLICLY OWNED, UM, WHERE, WHERE WE CAN SET UP DESIGNATED CAMPING AREAS FOR PEOPLE TO GO ABSENCE OF SHELTER, YOU KNOW, ABSENCE OF SHELTER, ABSENCE OF HOUSING, BECAUSE WE KNOW WE DON'T HAVE EITHER ENOUGH OF EITHER ONE OF THOSE OPTIONS, UM, AND YOU KNOW, PHILANTHROPIC HELP. YOU DON'T WANT THOSE THINGS TOO. IF WE TRY TO SET UP AN EMERGENCY SHELTERING FOR THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE OF THE CITY, THAT DON'T HAVE A PLACE TO GO, WE COULD SPEND ALL OF THE MONEY THAT WE HAVE FOR A TEMPORARY SOLUTION THAT DOESN'T BUILD US ANY LONG-TERM CAPACITY OR SYSTEM. AND WE'VE SEEN WHAT HAPPENS IN OTHER CITIES THAT TRIED TO DO THAT. UH, THEY DON'T MAKE ANY REAL GROUND ON DEALING WITH THE CHALLENGE OF HOMELESSNESS IN THEIR CITIES. AND THEY ENDED UP HAVING TO SPEND ALL THEIR MONEY ON SOMETHING THAT JUST BASICALLY PRESERVES AND WATCHES THEIR CHALLENGE GROW OVER TIME. WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO DO THAT HERE. WE'VE SEEN EXAMPLES OF THAT. UM, YEAH. WELL, THANK YOU MAYOR. I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT ALSO. I, I, I THINK WE'VE, WE'VE GOT TO KEEP OUR FOCUS ON, UH, YOU KNOW, ON, UM, ON CHANGING OUR SYSTEM OR REVISING OR, YOU KNOW, REFORMING OUR SYSTEM. REFORMING IS NOT THE RIGHT WORD. I MEAN, BUILDING UP THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT'S NEEDED IN OUR SYSTEM, UH, BECAUSE WE, WE CAN'T CONTINUE TO JUST WATCH THE PROBLEM GROW. WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO GET TO A POINT WHERE WE CAN BETTER, BETTER HELP PEOPLE GET CONNECTED TO HOUSING. YOU SAID IT BETTER THAN I DID, BUT I JUST WANTED TO REITERATE THAT I AM NOT INTERESTED IN PUTTING A LOT OF RESOURCES, DIVERTING A LOT OF RESOURCES INTO, INTO, UM, IN CAMPGROUNDS THAT IS NOT GOING TO GET US ON THE ROAD TO TO BETTER RESPONDING TO PROVIDING HOUSING FOR PEOPLE. OKAY. COLLEAGUES, IF WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE, UH, WE'LL ADJOURN TODAY'S WORK SESSION. ALL RIGHT. AT FIVE OH EIGHT. UH, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ADJOURN. SEE WHAT ALL OUR THURSDAY . * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.