* 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. [00:00:01] OKAY. I THINK WE HAVE QUORUM. ALRIGHT. UM, MS. JACKSON, IS IT OKAY IF I KICK IT OFF? WE GOOD, ABSOLUTELY. WONDERFUL. [CALL TO ORDER ] UM, WELCOME TO THE JUNE 7TH, 2021 MEETING OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN. I AM CHAIR REBECCA GONZALEZ. THANK YOU ALL FOR ATTENDING TODAY. UM, WE HAVE SOME CHANGES TO THE AGENDA, UNFORTUNATELY, TODAY DUE TO THE SPECIALTY CALLED CITY COUNCIL MEETING THAT STARTED AT ONE HOUR AGO. SO UNFORTUNATELY WE ARE GOING TO BE LIKED AND WE WILL BE CUTTING, UH, C UH, NEW BUSINESS C UM, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROP B TWO NEXT MONTH. UNFORTUNATELY WE LOST, UH, BO UH, DIANA GRAY FROM THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE, AND WE REALLY FELT LIKE THE CONVERSATION WAS GOING TO BE BEST SERVED WITH THE ENTIRE PANEL OF PEOPLE. SO, UNFORTUNATELY WE GOT THAT NEWS TODAY AND WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH C. SO I'M SORRY ABOUT THAT. COMMISSIONER IS IT'S GOING TO BE PRETTY LIGHT AS ALSO, UM, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER. UH, ARIANA WILL ALSO BE GIVING US AN UPDATE, BUT IT WILL BE, UM, HE JUST STEPPED OUT OF CITY COUNCIL, CITY COUNCIL MEETING TO GIVE US AN UPDATE. SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF TIMES TO TALK ABOUT AGENDA ITEMS AND THEN WE'LL LIKELY WRAP UP QUICKLY. SO, UM, BEFORE I FORGET, UH, WANTED TO WISH EVERYONE A HAPPY PRIDE MONTH, EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW THAT AUSTIN DOESN'T OFFICIALLY CELEBRATE PRIDE UNTIL AUGUST, JUNE IS OFFICIALLY PRIDE MONTH. AND, UH, WE ALSO KNOW IT'S AUSTIN BLACK PRIDE WEEK. THANK YOU VERY MUCH COMMISSIONER LANE FOR LETTING ME KNOW ABOUT THAT. AND WE ARE WISH HAPPY BLACK AUSTIN PRIDE WEEK TO ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE LGBTQ PLUS COMMUNITY HERE IN AUSTIN. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOU DO FOR OUR COMMUNITY. FANTASTIC. SO LET US, UH, START WITH OUR CITIZEN COMMUNICATION. UM, I DO BELIEVE YOU ALL HAVE RECEIVED SOME DOCUMENTS IN YOUR EMAIL FROM, UH, MR. CARLOS LEONE, WHO WILL, SHOULD BE ONLINE. MR. LEYLAND, ARE YOU THERE? ARE WE ABLE TO CONNECT OUR CITIZENS COMMUNICATION? WE, WE ARE, UM, WAITING FOR MR. LEON. OKAY. UH, IT LOOKS LIKE HE'S NOT WITH US TODAY. OKAY. UM, WONDERFUL. WELL, UM, I W BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO, I HAVE ONE MORE MINUTE, UM, COMMISSIONER AUSTIN, YOU HAVE NOT BEEN ON BEFORE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF. SO WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF OFFICIALLY ON VIDEO WHILE WE'RE HERE TODAY? I WOULD LOVE TO. THANK YOU. HELLO EVERYONE. MY NAME IS KWAME AUSTIN. UM, WAS THE AUDIO COMMISSIONER ALSO? GOOD. LOST AUDIO. CAN YOU HEAR US NOW? OH, LOOKS LIKE WE LOST YOU ON CONNECTIVITY. WE CAN SEE YOU NOW. I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN HEAR YOU THOUGH. HMM. YEAH, IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE HAVING SOME BANDWIDTH ISSUES. COMMISSIONER AUSTIN. I APOLOGIZE. WELL, HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO CIRCLE BACK TO COMMISSIONER AUSTIN, UH, TO HAVE HER INTRODUCE HERSELF PROPERLY. UM, IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE HAVING SOME BANDWIDTH ISSUES, SO I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT. UM, OKAY. WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, WE'RE GOING TO SKIP OVER THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FOR RIGHT NOW. [2B. Update on Hiring of New Austin Police Chief (sponsors: Commissioner Gonzales and Webber) ] AND WE'RE GOING TO ASK, UH, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, ARIANA TO COME ON AND GIVE US AN UPDATE ON THE HIRING OF OUR NEW POLICE CHIEF. THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN GONZALES. GOOD AFTERNOON. THE COMMISSIONER IS AGAIN, RAY ARIANO ASSISTANT [00:05:01] CITY MANAGER, UH, OVER THE PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS. IT'S MY PLEASURE TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE. AND CERTAINLY I'M VERY ANXIOUS TO GET THROUGH THIS PROCESS AND, UH, TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY WITH COMMUNITY, UH, WHO OUR NEXT POLICE CHIEF, UH, WILL BE, UM, AT THE END OF MARCH. SO I'LL JUST GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF A TIMELINE OF WHAT HAS OCCURRED AND WHAT WE ANTICIPATED OCCURRING IN THE NEXT MONTH OR SO, UH, YOU MAY RECALL THAT THE END OF MARCH OR RALPH ANDERSON ASSOCIATES WAS THE SUCCESSFUL CONSULTANT THAT WE ENGAGE IN ORDER TO, UM, DO THE WORK THAT WE USUALLY DO IN TERMS OF NATIONAL RECRUITMENT. AND IN FACT, I THINK CITY MANAGER WAS VERY OPEN TO POTENTIALLY, UH, INTERNATIONAL CONSULT, UM, CANDIDATES APPLYING AS WELL. UM, AND SO LET'S SEE HERE. IT WAS WHEN YOU MET WITH THE RALPH ANDERSON AT THE END OF MARCH, UH, BEGAN ESSENTIALLY STAKEHOLDER OUTREACH, UH, UH, STARTING AT THE END OF APRIL, UH, THROUGH THIS WEEK. SO, UH, ESSENTIALLY ABOUT 30 MEETINGS TOTAL HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED AND THAT WE, UH, ANTICIPATE AT THIS INCLUDES THAT OUR INTERNAL STAFF, AS WELL AS COUNCIL OFFICES, UH, COMMUNITY GROUPS, WE HELD, UH, FIVE OPEN COMMUNITY INPUT SESSIONS, AS WELL AS OUTREACH TO, UM, PERMISSIONS. WE HAD INPUT FROM, UH, FIVE SPECIFIC COMMISSIONS, UH, IN THAT, UH, PROCESS. UH, LET'S SEE HERE AND ALSO, UM, REACHING OUT TO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, UH, TO PROVIDE INPUT THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR THEM, MYSELF AND THE CITY MANAGER TO HELP SCREEN THE CANDIDATES AND, AND FORWARD FOR FINAL INTERVIEWS, UH, IN THAT PROCESS, THE ACTUAL A WINDOW CLOSED TODAY FOR APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS, UH, CA THE CONSULTANT TELLS ME WE HAVE 36 IN HAND, UH, WITH ANTICIPATION OF, UH, SEVERAL MORE COMING IN. UH, NO, BUT, UH, GENERALLY SPEAKING FOR THESE KINDS OF HIGH PROFILE, UH, RECRUITMENTS THAT CA CANDIDATES TEND TO COME IN AT THE RELATIVELY LAST MINUTE OR WEALTHIER ROOMMATE LOOKING WINDOW PROCESS, JUST BASED ON, UM, PUBLIC INFORMATION ACTS AND SO FORTH TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR ORGANIZATIONS ARE AWARE OF THEIR POTENTIAL CANDIDACY IN ANY RECRUITMENT. SO WE HAVE 36, AT LEAST. AND IN THIS COMING MONTH IN JUNE, CONSULTANT IS GOING TO SCREEN ALL THE APPLICATIONS AND START TO IDENTIFY WHICH ONES MEET THE MINIMUM QUALS, WHICH ONES SEEMED TO BE WELL-QUALIFIED AND SO FORTH IN ORDER TO PRESENT THOSE RESUMES TO MYSELF AND THE HR DEPARTMENT, UH, AT THE, PROBABLY IN EARLY JULY, UM, IN THAT PROCESS, THEN WE'LL IDENTIFY PERHAPS I'LL SAY SIX TO 10, SIX PLUS, OR MINUS POTENTIAL CANDIDATES TO DO SOME INITIAL SCREENING. THEN WHITTLE THAT DOWN TO LET'S SAY TWO OR SO, TWO TO THREE FINALISTS THAT WE WOULD ACTUALLY BRING INTO THE COMMUNITY, UH, OR FINDING ALL THE INTERVIEWS, UH, AND INTERACTION WITH COMMUNITY. SO WE SEE THAT HAPPENING, UH, IN SPINAL INTERVIEWS PROBABLY LATE JULY, EARLY AUGUST. AND THAT'S THE TIMELINE AS WE CURRENTLY KNOW, AND YOU'RE NEEDED. DO YOU HAVE TIME FOR A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS? OF COURSE. WELL, UM, I KNOW THE FIRST QUESTION I HAVE ARE, ARE WE AWARE OF ANY INTERNAL CANDIDATES THAT HAVE SUBMITTED THEIR APPLICATIONS AS OF RIGHT NOW? NO, THAT HASN'T BEEN MADE AWARE TO ME. AND AGAIN, I'M WAITING TO HEAR FROM THE CONSULTANT TO SEE WHAT THE RENT, IF YOU WILL, OF CANDIDATES THAT HAVE APPLIED. OKAY. ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. OKAY. UM, I ALSO LET THE COMMISSION KNOW THAT I WAS, UH, ONE OF THE, UH, COMMISSION CHAIRS THAT WAS ON THE, UH, REVIEW WITH THE CON, UH, WITH THE CONSULTANTS. UH, WE HAD A GREAT CONVERSATION. WE, UH, BROUGHT UP SOME VERY SPECIFIC POINTS I WAS ON WITH, UM, UH, THE BLACK, UH, CITIZENS COMMISSION AND THE WOMEN'S COMMISSION AS WELL, THE CHAIRS FROM THOSE TWO ORGANIZATIONS. AND WE HAD A GREAT CONVERSATION REALLY. UM, I FEEL VERY CONFIDENT THAT, UH, THE CON THE CONSULTANT HAS REALLY HEARD US, AND WE'D BROUGHT UP SOME VERY SPECIFIC, UM, FEEDBACK AROUND, UM, THE ABILITY TO, TO TURN AROUND DEPARTMENTS, THE ABILITY TO HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH DEPARTMENTS, WITH MORALE ISSUES. IT WAS REALLY GREAT CONVERSATION BROUGHT UP. SO I'M VERY EXCITED AS TO WHAT I HEARD FROM THE, UM, UH, THE CONSULTANT, WHICH, UH, ACM ARIANO JUST ABSOLUTELY ROUND UP REALLY WELL. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THEY TOLD US. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE UPDATE. UH, COMMISSIONER RAMIREZ, PLEASE. UM, NOT SO MUCH A QUESTION [00:10:01] AS MUCH AS JUST A COMMENT. I'M, I'M JUST REALLY HOPEFUL THAT IN THE COUPLE OF MONTHS THAT COME, THAT THERE'LL BE ROOM IN THE PROCESS FOR, UM, LOOKING BEYOND GENERALISTS, LIKE WE REALLY WANT SOMEBODY THAT'S GOING TO BE ADEPT TO CHANGE THE GAME, AND SHE'S EXCITED FOR CHANGE, MAYBE EVEN HAS EXPERIENCE WITH CHANGE. UM, I KNOW THAT SOMETIMES IN THIS, LIKE HIRING BY COMMITTEE SORT OF PROCESS, WE TEND TO LOOK FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE GOOD IN LOTS OF DIFFERENT BUCKETS. UM, AND I THINK IT'S FAIR TO SAY THAT THE COMMUNITY, UM, WANTS, THERE ARE SOME BUCKETS THAT ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN OTHERS. UM, AND I THINK YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD THAT THROUGH A LOT OF THE CITIZENS' FEEDBACK AND STUFF. UM, SO I WON'T GET INTO ALL THAT, BUT, UM, I'M HOPING THAT THE ROOM FOR, FOR THAT IN THE PROCESS AND EVALUATING THAT, UH, VICE RIVERA IS YOU BRING UP A GOOD POINT. UM, THERE WAS LINES OPEN FOR CITIZEN COMMUNICATION AND CITIZEN FEEDBACK AROUND THE POLICE CHIEF, HAVE THOSE BEEN CLOSED OUT? DID WE HAVE ANY UPDATES ON HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE HEARD FROM OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? UH, THEY ARE NOT CLOSED OUT AND I, I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING SPECIFIC ON IN THAT REGARD, BUT I CAN FOLLOW UP. THAT'D BE WONDERFUL. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT HOW MUCH ENGAGEMENT WE HAD WITH THOSE, UM, WITH THOSE LINES. I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE DONE A LOT OF WORK ON GETTING THOSE NUMBERS OUT AND THAT INFORMATION OUT TO THE COMMUNITY TO GET FEEDBACK. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER LANEY, PLEASE BRIEFLY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING THIS TIME. I JUST WONDERED IF YOU COULD GIVE US A BRIEF UPDATE ON THE EMS CHIEF SEARCH, IF THAT WOULD LOOK SIMILAR OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, THAT YOU MIGHT GIVE US AN UPDATE ON A REAL QUICK. SO WE'RE JUST STARTING A PROCESS THERE. I MET WITH HR DEPARTMENT AND I BELIEVE HE, YES, WE'VE SELECTED A AND LEARNING THE PROCESS OF NEGOTIATING, WHO THE CONSULTANT WILL BE, UH, A TURN FROM DEPARTMENT PRESENTED WITH THREE POTENTIAL, UH, COMPANIES. AND SO THAT IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING FINALIZED. AND IT'LL BE SIMILAR TO POLICE CHIEF IN ANY DIRECTORS, UH, RECRUITMENT ROUGHLY PROBABLY A FOUR MONTH IS A TIMELINE IN ORDER TO GET THAT POSITION FILLED. LET'S SEE, IT'S JUNE LIKELY. I'LL MEET WITH WHOEVER THAT WE NEGOTIATE WITH FINALLY, AND THEN WE CAN SOLVE THAT EITHER LATE THIS MONTH OR EARLY NEXT MONTH. AND THEN FROM THERE, YOU ESTIMATE FOUR MONTHS TO GET THAT BILL FOUR MONTHS TO FOUR MONTHS TO GET IT FILLED. UM, THE POSITION OF THE, THE CONSULTANT, NOT THE CHIEF POSITION, CORRECT. IT WOULD BE FOUR MONTHS TO GET THE CHIEF'S POSITION, AT LEAST IDENTIFIED WHO THAT INDIVIDUAL MIGHT BE. AND THEN AGAIN, DEPENDING ON WHERE HE OR SHE IS COMING FROM, UH, WOULD BE THE PLUS OR MINUS IF YOU WILL. UM, AND THEY, UH, AT THAT DEPARTMENT ARE FEELING PRETTY SUPPORTED RIGHT NOW IN THIS FOUR MONTH PROCESS. YOU THINK, UH, OVERALL, AS FAR AS THE PEOPLE THAT ARE TRYING TO FILL IN RIGHT NOW, WHILE WE'RE DOING THAT, YOU THINK THAT EVERYTHING'S OKAY THERE, YOU KNOW, THE ANSWER'S YES. AND IN FACT, UH, CHIEF OF STAFF JASPER BROWN NOW IN, FROM, UH, EMS CHIEF IS HERE PRESENT IN THE, IN THE, UH, COMMISSION MEETING. AND I HAVE ALL THE CONFIDENCE IN A ROLE THAT HE CAN CERTAINLY STAND IN AS, UM, AS THE INTERIM CHIEF. UH, CERTAINLY AS WE, AS, AS VACANCIES ARE DEVELOPED, UH, PEOPLE STEP INTO THE VACANCIES ON AN INTERIM BASIS. AND, YOU KNOW, IN MANY WAYS, UH, CHIEF RODRIGUEZ DID A GREAT JOB IN, UM, SUCCESSION PLANNING. CERTAINLY THERE'S ALWAYS AREAS WHERE AS PEOPLE LEAVE THE ORGANIZATION, WE'LL, WE'LL FIND THESE OPPORTUNITIES, UH, WHERE WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE GAPS ARE FILLED AND SO FORTH. AND I LOOK TO YOU, UM, INTERIM CHIEF, UH, BRING IT HOME TO LET US KNOW WHAT THOSE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE, THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I SECOND YOU, I BELIEVE, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO INTERIM CHIEF BROWN REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE YOU STEPPING UP AND THANK YOU. I SECOND THAT THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR WORK AND THANK YOU FOR THOSE ANSWERS. UM, COMMISSIONER AUSTIN, SINCE I CANNOT SEE YOU, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COME OFF MUTE AND, AND, UH, SPEAK UP IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. UH, THANK YOU. UM, UH, CINCINNATI CITY COUNCIL MEMBER, ARIANNA. WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. I KNOW YOU HAVE TO HEAD BACK INTO THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING. I APPRECIATE YOU STEPPING OUT FOR US. THANK YOU SO MUCH. CERTAINLY YOU'RE QUITE WELCOME AND LOOKING FORWARD TO FURTHER COMPENSATIONS THAT YOU GET. WONDERFUL. THANK YOU. [1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – May 3, 2021 3:20pm-3:25pm ] OKAY. UH, WE WILL TAKE A STEP BACK TO OUR FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA, THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE MAY 3RD, UM, MEETING. DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION AROUND THE MAY 3RD MEETING? NOPE. ALL IN THAT THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS OR A DISCUSSION I WILL DEEM THOSE MINUTES APPROVED ALL WORK. [00:15:02] COMMISSIONER CHAIR. YES. UM, COULD WE JUST HOLD ON TWO MINUTES, WE'RE TRYING TO GET MR. LEON ON THE LINE BEFORE WE GO INTO THE QUARTERLY STATS. OKAY. THANK YOU. I THINK HE'S TRYING TO DIAL IN CURRENTLY AS, AS WE SPEAK. GREAT. UM, AND IF YOU GUYS WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT ON, BE HAPPY TO, UH, GO OVER SOME OF MY NOTES ON WHAT WE DISCUSSED ABOUT THE, UH, POLICE CHIEF QUALITIES, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT INTERESTS YOU ALL GREAT. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID MENTION, UH, ASSISTANT, I'M SORRY, VICE CHAIR DID ADDRESS CHANGE ON A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT LEVELS AND NOT ONLY, UM, BE SUPPORTIVE OF CHANGE, BUT THE EXPERIENCE WOULD CHANGE AND BE A SOMEONE THAT COMES WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF DOING A HUGE MORALE SHIFT, DOING A HUGE SHIFT IN GENERAL, AROUND POLICING. UM, WE ALSO SAID, UM, HAVE EXPERIENCE, UM, WHAT DID WE SAY, BASICALLY TAKING LEADERSHIP AND ACTUALLY LOOKING AT PEOPLE PLACED IN ROLES AND ASSESSING IF THEY ARE THE CORRECT PEOPLE IN ROLES. SO A LOT OF CHANGE, A LOT OF THINGS ALONG THAT, UH, POINT, I ALSO MENTIONED BEING VERY DATA-DRIVEN AND WORK AROUND EVIDENCE-BASED POLICING. AND THE OTHER THING THAT WAS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT FOR US IS, UM, SOMEONE THAT HAS WORKED WITH MULTIPLE POLICING, UH, ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN A, UH, CITY. SO WE HAVE TO INTERACT WITH, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, ALL OF THOSE THINGS. SO THESE WERE ALL, UH, KEY POINTS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT AND CHANGE AND, UM, TRANSPARENCY TO THE COMMUNITY. SO I THINK WE COVERED A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE HAVE ASKED IN OUR MEETINGS. I'VE ALWAYS TAKEN NOTES WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THIS. SO I THINK WE DID A PRETTY DECENT JOB, UM, POINTING OUT THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT HERE ON THE COMMISSION. SO I WAS, I WAS, LIKE I SAID, I FELT REALLY, UM, UH, REALLY SUPPORTED BY THE CONSULTANT AND THEY WERE, THEY WERE LOOKING VERY THOROUGHLY. AND ALSO VERY SPECIFICALLY, ONE OF THE THINGS WE ASKED IS IF IT WAS POSSIBLE TO HAVE A CIVILIAN, UH, CHIEF, AND BECAUSE OF THE RULES SET BY THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE AND THE STATE OF TEXAS, UM, THE CANDIDATE DOES HAVE TO HAVE CERTAIN LICENSING UNDER CLEAT AND UNDER, UH, SO THE, I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT PLATE STANDS FOR. I APOLOGIZE, BUT IT'S THE, UH, STATEWIDE POLICING ORGANIZATION. YEAH. I THINK YOU'RE ON MUTE, UH, COMMISSIONER LANE, BUT YEAH, SO THEY'RE, THEY HAVE TO HAVE CERTAIN, UM, CREDENTIALS THAT UNFORTUNATELY ONLY COME OR THAT COME FROM HAVING BEEN A POLICE CHIEF. SO THEIR SIBLING OVERSIGHT IS NOT, UM, SOMETHING THAT CAN HAPPEN WITH THE CURRENT LAWS OF THE STATE OF TEXAS. SO THAT'S, THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT WE COVERED. I'M HAPPY TO, UM, TO DISCUSS WITH ANYONE OR IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS. I THINK OVERALL IN, IN SOME OF THE PUBLIC SESSIONS, I PARTICIPATED IN SOME OF THE CITIZEN SORT OF COMMUNICATION SESSIONS. AND I JUST, I HEARD A LOT ABOUT JUST NEEDING TO REESTABLISH TRUST, UM, THAT THAT WAS ECHOED THROUGH VARIOUS DIFFERENT MEETINGS AND STUFF. SO I'M HOPING THAT I DO THINK THAT THE CONSULTANTS SEEM TO BE REALLY IN A LISTENING MODE. I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE THEY WERE DRIVING, UM, CONVERSATIONS IN ANY WAY. SO I WAS ENCOURAGED BY THAT AS WELL. VERY GOOD CHAIR. I'LL JUST SAY IT'S CLEAT STANDS FOR COMBINED LAW ENFORCEMENT ASSOCIATION OF TEXAS, AND THEY HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY HELPFUL TO, ESPECIALLY ME AS A PARAMEDIC, BUT I KNOW MANY PEOPLE ARE OUT THERE WORKING HARD, SO I WANT TO, YEAH. SOMETIMES WE FORGET WHAT ALL THOSE ACRONYMS STAND FOR CAUSE WE SEE THEM. SO THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE IT. UM, MS. JACKSON, HOW ARE WE LOOKING WITH THE, UH, CONTACT MR. LADLE? IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE WORKING ON GETTING HIM IN NOW. UM, SO IT SEEMS TO HAVE SOME KIND OF TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY. OKAY. UH, SHE'S TELLING ME, WE JUST NEED TO GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON FOR A BIT. UM, AND WE'RE GOING TO KEEP TRYING TO SEE IF WE CAN GET THEM IN. GREAT. ALL RIGHT, PERFECT. WE ONLY HAVE ONE MORE THING TO GO OVER, SO I THINK WE'LL HAVE PLENTY OF TIME. [2A. Public Safety Organizations Quarterly Report – Austin Fire Department (sponsors: Commissioner Hausenfluck and Gonzales) ] SO, UH, NEXT ITEM IS THE PUBLIC SAFETY ORGANIZATIONAL FOUR REPORT WITH AUSTIN FIRE. DEPARTMENT'S VERY [00:20:01] OWN CHIEF VIRUS. GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN AND COMMISSIONERS. WE APPRECIATE THE TIME TO VISIT WITH YOU TODAY ABOUT OUR QUARTER TO QUARTERLY REPORTS. SO THEY'RE PULLING UP THE POWERPOINT AS WE SPEAK. AND IF WE COULD GO TO SLIDE NUMBER TWO, WE'LL GET THIS GOING. UM, QUARTER TWO WAS VERY ADVENTUROUS WITH THE WINTER STORM. AND WITH THAT, UH, YOU SEE THAT OUR CALL VOLUME INCREASED BY APPROXIMATELY 24% FOR ALL INCIDENCES COMPARED TO LAST YEAR'S QUARTER NUMBER TWO, AND A GOOD PORTION OF A SHARP INCREASE WAS BECAUSE OF THE STORM IN FEBRUARY. UH, IN FACT, UH, HIGHLIGHTED HERE, YOU'LL SEE THAT OUR DISPATCHERS RECEIVED MORE THAN 5,800 PHONE CALLS IN THAT, THAT WINTER STORM WEEK. NORMALLY IN THAT SAME TIMEFRAME IN A WEEK'S TIMEFRAME, THEIR NORMAL CALL VOLUME IS ABOUT 2000, SO THREE TIMES AS MUCH IN THERE. AND IF YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THE BOTTOM, UH, THE MAJORITY OF OUR, OUR CALLS THAT CAME IN WERE BROKEN WATER PIPES UP BECAUSE OF THE FREEZE ALARM, UH, ISSUES AGAIN, BECAUSE OF THE PRE'S AND THEN REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE EMS, UH, IN ORDER OF, OF, UH, THE MOST CALLS THAT WE GOT. SO THE, UH, THE STORM REALLY DID PUT US FOR A LOOP. OUR DISPATCHERS DID A PHENOMENAL JOB. WE STAFFED EVERY ONE OF THE DISPATCHING STATIONS THAT WE HAVE ACCESS TO AND EVEN QUEUED UNIT ACUTE CALLS. SO THINGS LIKE THE BROKEN WATER PIPES AND THE ALARM ACTIVATIONS, WITHOUT ANY OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT A MORE SEVERE SITUATION LIKE A FIRE OR A MEDICAL PROBLEM, THOSE GOT STACKED IN QUEUES AND RESPONDED TO, UH, AS, AS UNITS BECAME AVAILABLE. SO WE PRIORITIZED OUR CALLS AND TOOK CARE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ONES FIRST, BUT DID MAKE SURE WE TOOK CARE OF ALL THE CALLS THAT WE GOT. IF WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND OVERALL, YOU JUST SEE THE, THE INCREASE FOR INSTANCE, ACROSS THE BOARD. SO IT WASN'T ANY ONE AREA IN THE CITY. IT WAS THE CITY AT LARGE. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND YOU'LL SEE HERE THAT EVEN, UH, FROM QUARTER TO QUARTER TWO OF 2020 TO QUARTER TWO OF 2021, THERE WAS, UH, AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF MEDICAL CALLS HERE, HIGHLIGHTED IN GREEN, BUT OVERALL, THE GREATER NUMBER OF PERCENTAGE OF CALLS INCREASED WERE FOR YOUR FIRE, YOUR OTHER, WHICH IS GONNA BE YOUR BROKEN WATER PIPES, YOUR LAW, YOUR, YOUR ALARM SYSTEMS AND STUFF LIKE THAT, UH, ACROSS THE BOARD. SO THOSE OTHER CALLS REALLY DID TAKE A LOT IN GORE, UH, OF OUR, OUR RESOURCES TO GET THOSE RESOLVED. AND AGAIN, WAS DONE IN A VERY CALCULATED FASHION, MAKING SURE WE TOOK CARE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS. FIRST, WE COULD GO TO SLIDE NUMBER FIVE, PLEASE. AND SO SPEAKING AGAIN JUST OF, OF THE WEEK OF THE STORM HIGHLIGHTING THINGS JUST DURING THAT WEEK OF FEBRUARY 14TH AND FEBRUARY 20TH, UH, WE HAD 1800 EMERGENCY INCIDENCES AND HAD AN OVERALL 90TH PERCENTILE RESPONSE TIME OF 30 MINUTES AND 14 SECONDS, WHICH IS NOWHERE NEAR WHERE WE'D WANT TO BE ON A NORMAL DAY OR NORMAL TIME, BUT THAT WASN'T THE NORMAL DAY NORMAL TIME, WHAT A NORMAL WEEK TO SAY THE LEAST. UH, AND THE REASONS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THAT INCREASED RESPONSE TIME IS THE HIGH, UH, NUMBER OF CALLS THAT WERE RECEIVED, UH, UNIT AVAILABILITY IS CALLS STACKED UP AGAIN. WE DID PRIORITIZE THOSE TO TAKE CARE OF THINGS, THE ICY ROADS, SO THAT OUR ABILITY TO, TO, TO GET AROUND, UH, AND THEN THE DOWN ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS AND BROKEN WATER PIPES, JUST THE VOLUME OF THOSE ALL HAD THE IMPACT FOR THAT PARTICULAR WEEK. IF WE CAN PICK HER TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND, UH, THE, AS FAR AS THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE STUFF, YOU'LL SEE THERE THAT RELATIVELY AVERAGE ACROSS THE BOARD, UH, FOR CODE THREE RESPONSES, UH, YOUR BROKEN WATER PIPES IN YOUR ALARMS WITH A CODE THREES IS NOT GOING TO SHOW AN EFFECT ON THAT. IF WE COULD MOVE TO SLIDE NUMBER SEVEN, MOVING RIGHT ALONG AGAIN, OVERALL, YOU SEE, UH, A LITTLE BIT LESS A PERCENTAGE OR A NUMBER OF MEDICAL CALLS, A LITTLE BIT OF A GREATER INCREASE FOR ALL THOSE OTHERS. AS WE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE YOUR BROKEN WATER PIPES, YOUR BUYERS, THINGS RELATED TO THEM, TO THE WEATHER ITSELF, SLIDE NUMBER EIGHT, PLEASE. AND SO NOW TODAY, DIFFERENTIATE BEFORE I SHOWED YOU THAT FOR THE WEEK OF THE WINTER STORM, WE HAD A, UH, 90TH PERCENTILE RESPONSE TIME. THAT WAS 30 MINUTES. UH, AGAIN, ALL THOSE QUEUE, THOSE CALLS IN QUEUE DON'T GET CLEARED OFF UNTIL THEY'RE RESPONDED TO AND TAKING CARE OF WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS YOUR UNITED PERCENTILE RESPONSE TIME FOR THE ENTIRE QUARTER. SO INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT THE ONE WEEK DOES, NOW, IT LOOKS AT THE WHOLE QUARTER [00:25:01] AND ACROSS THE BOARD, YOU DO SEE AN INCREASE, UH, BY EACH COUNCIL DISTRICT. BUT WHEN YOU AVERAGE OUT, ESPECIALLY WITH THAT, FOR THAT ONE WEEK, THE IMPACT OF THAT ONE WEEK, YOU SEE THE INCREASES OF, OF COMPARED TO THE QUARTER TWO OF LAST YEAR, I CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. I WILL SPEAK TO SOME OF THE SPECIFIC EFFORTS DURING THE WINTER STORM. UM, SO AS WE TALKED EARLIER ABOUT THE, UH, WATER PIPES, UH, WHICH HANDLE YOUR SPRINKLER SYSTEMS AND ALSO YOUR ALARM SYSTEMS BEING DOWN, UH, OUR FIRE PREVENTION TEAM DID A FANTASTIC JOB OF BEING PROACTIVE ABOUT REACHING OUT WITH SAFETY TIPS AND FIREWATCH GUIDELINES FOR OUR APARTMENT COMMUNITIES. UM, THOSE THAT ARE ESTABLISHED THAT HAVE, UH, SPRINKLER SYSTEMS AND FIRE ALARMS, THOSE ARE THERE TO TAKE CARE OF FOLKS AND MAKE SURE THAT IF THERE WAS AN INCIDENT, WE CAN GET PEOPLE EVACUATED OUT OF THE BUILDING IN A TIMELY FASHION WHEN THOSE SYSTEMS ARE DOWN. OBVIOUSLY I'M NOT DOING THAT JOB. SO, UH, WE HAVE FIREWATCH GUIDELINES. WHAT THAT MEANS IS THERE'S GOTTA BE SOMEONE UP AWAKE AND WALKING AROUND AND KIND OF LIKE OLD SCHOOL TIME WHERE YOU'D HOLLER OUT WHEN THERE'S AN EMERGENCY, SO THAT FOLKS ARE NOTIFIED AND, UH, NOT ONLY NINE 11 CALLED FOR US TO RESPOND, BUT SOMEONE'S THERE ACTIVELY TRYING TO GET PEOPLE AWAY FROM, UH, WHERE THE DANGER MAY BE. AND OUR FOLKS AT FIRE PREVENTION, A GREAT JOB OF THAT. THERE WAS WELL OVER 200 OR EVEN HIGHER THAN THAT. I CAN'T REMEMBER THE EXACT NUMBER OF TOTAL SYSTEMS THAT WERE IMPAIRED DURING THE ACTUAL STORM. AND THEN AFTER THE STORM, THE, THE, THE SAME FOLKS THAT NEEDED TO FIX THESE ARE IN HIGH DEMAND, THE CITY. SO WE WORKED DILIGENTLY WITH, UH, THEM TO, TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE SYSTEMS ARE BACK IN CLICKS. AND EVEN AS OF TODAY, THERE ARE STILL 16 PROPERTIES THAT HAVE YET TO GET ALL THEIR SYSTEMS FULLY RESTORED AND REPAIRED. SO, UH, OUR FIRE PREVENTION FOLKS THAT ARE REALLY GOOD JOB OF STAYING ON TOP OF THAT AND MAKING SURE THAT FIRST AND FOREMOST, THE, THE, OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE, ARE, ARE BEING TAKEN CARE OF. AND, AND THAT THEIR SAFETY IS, IS BEING MINDED IN SOME FORM OR FASHION. SO KUDOS TO THEM. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND AMIDST THIS WHERE WE DID HAVE A STORM, WE WERE STILL, UH, IN THE PROCESS OF DEALING WITH, UH, COVID-19. AND, UH, FOR THIS QUARTER, WE, WHEN WE FINISHED LAST QUARTER, WE FINISHED QUARTER ONE, AS A REMINDER, WE HAD 98 PEOPLE IN QUARANTINE AT THE END OF DECEMBER, WE HAVE 98 PEOPLE IN QUARANTINE, AND, UH, THAT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE FOR US AS WE'RE WORKING ON BACKFILL. AND JUST THE MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF, OF THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF OUR MEMBERS. SO WE GOT THESE DAILY TESTS CALLED BINACA NOW, AND WE SET UP A SYSTEM TO WHERE, WHEN PEOPLE SHOWED UP TO WORK, THE FIRST THING THEY DID WAS A NASAL SWAB INTO A TEST KIT TO DETERMINE IF THEY WERE ACTIVELY SHEDDING COVID OR NOT. IF THEY WERE, INSTEAD OF HAVING TO QUARANTINE THE WHOLE STATION, WE JUST HAVE TO QUARANTINE THAT ONE PERSON, BECAUSE THEY HADN'T BEEN AROUND OR EXPOSED THE OTHER MEMBERS YET. AND BY THE END OF FEBRUARY, WE HAD THOSE, THOSE QUARANTINE NUMBERS DOWN TO NEAR ZERO. SO THAT WAS HUGE FOR US. UM, NOW WE'VE WITH THE, THE IMPROVEMENT OF COVID CONDITIONS. UH, THE BY NEXT TESTING IS NOW NO LONGER REQUIRED. IF YOU'RE VACCINATED AND FULLY VACCINATED, THE, THE DAILY TESTING IS NO LONGER REQUIRED. UM, AND HERE, UM, ON BULLET NUMBER TWO, IT SAYS MASK WERE IN AND FIRE STATIONS IS BEING REVIEWED SINCE THIS POWERPOINT WAS CREATED. UH, WE'VE ACTUALLY FALLEN IN LINE WITH DIRECTION OF CITY MANAGER, MASKS ARE NOT REQUIRED AT OUR STATIONS, THEY'RE ENCOURAGED, UH, BUT, UH, UH, AROUND THE STATION, THEY'RE NOT REQUIRED PROPER PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT TO INCLUDE FACE MASKS ARE REQUIRED FOR PATIENT CARE, BUT HANGING OUT IN THE STATION WHERE THEY WERE REQUIRED TO WEAR A MASK THE ENTIRE TIME THEY WERE ON DUTY, THAT IS NOW NO LONGER THE CASE. UM, OUR WELLNESS CENTER ALSO DONE A PHENOMENAL JOB THROUGH, UH, OUR COVID, UH, PANDEMIC IN HELPING TO, UH, TEST AND VACCINATE OUR MEMBERS AND ALSO WORK ON A RETURN TO WORK PROGRAMS. SO KUDOS TO THEM FOR THE GREAT WORK THEY'VE DONE, UH, OVER THIS, UH, ENDEMIC, WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE. THIS, UH, THIS HAS THE DATA THAT WAS REQUESTED BY THE COMMISSIONERS HERE. UH, ESSENTIALLY A HUNDRED PERCENT OF OUR FOLKS THAT HAVE TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER WORKERS' COMP. UH, AS OF LATE, WE REALLY AREN'T HAVING ANY ISSUE WHATSOEVER. THE COUPLE OF EXPOSURES THAT WE HAVE HAD HAVE BEEN RELATED TO OFF OF POTENTIALLY OFF DUTY STUFF. SO, UH, THE MEASURES THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE TO TAKE CARE OF OUR MEMBERS, UH, IN THE STATION AND ON CALLS HAVE REALLY DONE A GOOD JOB OF TAKING CARE OF US. AND THAT BY NEXT TESTING THAT WE GOT FROM THE STATE WAS A HUGE GAME CHANGER FOR US IN [00:30:01] THE HEALTH WELFARE OF OUR FOLKS AND OUR STAFFING IN, IN MANAGING OUR QUARANTINES AS WELL. WE CAN MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, OUR VACCINATION EFFORTS, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT WELLNESS, TAKING CARE OF OUR FOLKS INTERNALLY, BUT WE ALSO, UH, AS A DEPARTMENT, UH, STEPPED UP AND ASSISTED, UH, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH WITH SETTING UP THE, UH, MASS VACCINATION CLINICS AT DELCO, AND ALSO AT THE BARKER CENTER, UH, WE HELP SET UP THEIR INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM AND THE PROCESS OF HOW TO DO IT. AND WE EVEN PULLED UP SOME RETIREES TO HELP, UH, MAKE SURE THERE WAS ENOUGH PEOPLE TO STAFF THINGS SO KUDOS TO OUR FOLKS, DUSTING OFF THEIR EMT SKILLS AND COMING BACK TO, TO HELP THE COMMUNITY. SO WE'LL DO APPRECIATE THE ALL HANDS ON DECK APPROACH FROM OUR FOLKS ACTIVE, OUR RETIREES AND ALSO APH AND THE GREAT WORK THEY DID AS WELL THERE. UM, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS AND, AND, UH, SHOUT OUT FOR THE GREAT WORK OF OUR RECRUITING TEAM. A COUPLE OF THINGS HERE, WE JUST STARTED CLASS ONE 31 TODAY. UH, BUT TODAY WAS THEIR FIRST DAY AND IS ACTUALLY 31 CADETS, NOT 32. UH, SO THEY'RE EMBARKING ON THAT. SO WE'LL NOT, WE NOW HAVE TWO ACTIVE CADET CLASSES GOING ON. UM, WE ALSO HAD A HIRING PROCESS. UH, WE, LAST TIME I VISITED GAVE YOU THE QUARTER ONE INFORMATION. I TALKED ABOUT OUR JOINT AFD.COM AND THE RECRUITING EFFORTS OF OUR TEAM, TRYING TO GET MORE FOLKS TO, TO, TO LOOK AT AND CONSIDER THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AS A CAREER. UH, WE RECEIVED, UH, THEY'RE IN OUR OPEN APPLICATION PERIOD, WELL, OVER 3000, UH, APPLICATIONS. AND, UH, THAT APPLICATION PROCESS HAS NOW CLOSE. SO THOSE ARE THE NUMBER OF FOLKS WE HAVE TO WORK THROUGH THE OTHERS. UH, OTHER STEPS OF THE HIRING PROCESS. THE NEXT STEP WOULD BE THE WRITTEN EXAM, WHICH IS, UH, COMING UP HERE JUNE 15 THROUGH 17. AND THEN AFTER THAT, THOSE FOLKS WILL THEN TAKE A STRUCTURAL ORAL ASSESSMENT PROCESS, WHICH IS KIND OF LIKE AN ORAL INTERVIEW, BUT IT'S TO, TO A CAMERA INSTEAD, AND THEN GRADED LATER. AND THAT'S UP HERE IN JULY AND THAT'LL THEM SET THE, THE RANK ORDER OF THE, THESE APPLICANTS AND WE'LL MOVE THROUGH THE OTHER PASS-FAIL OPTIONS AND HOPE TO HAVE OUR FIRST CADET CLASS FROM THIS GROUP IN, UH, JANUARY OF 2022, UH, AFTER THAT PROCESS RUNS ITSELF THROUGH MOST IMPORTANTLY TO HIGHLIGHT IN THIS IS THE GREAT WORK, OUR RECRUITING TEAM, AND YOU'LL SEE THAT MORE THAN 67% OF THOSE THREE 3,100 NUMBER I GAVE YOU, IT COMES FROM A DIVERSE POOL AND YOU SEE THE DEMOGRAPHICS LISTED BELOW THERE ON THAT SLIDE. AND WE'RE REALLY, UH, GRATEFUL FOR THE FANTASTIC WORK OF OUR RECRUITING TEAM UNDER A PANDEMIC WITH THE, WITH THE GREATEST, UH, DIVERSITY POOL OF APPLICANTS THAT WE'VE EVER HAD IN OUR DEPARTMENT. SO I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR THEM AND THE, THE HARD WORK THEY DID UNDER A VERY CONSTRAINED CONDITIONS. A LOT OF STUFF WAS DONE THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AND PARTNERING WITH, UH, SISTER CITIES AND THEIR APPLICATION POOLS THAT THEY HAVE SO GREAT WORK BY THEM. WHEN YOU GO ONTO THE LAST SLIDE HERE, EVEN THOUGH OUR RECRUITING EFFORT, UH, THIS TIME AROUND HAS DONE, WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR GREAT CANDIDATES TO CONSIDER THE, THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR THEIR FUTURE EMPLOYMENT. SO IF YOU'VE GOT FRIENDS OR FAMILY MEMBERS, OR THEY'RE JUST CURIOUS ABOUT MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND HAVE THEM COME VISIT US, JOIN AFD.COM. AND THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION FOR THE QUARTER TO WORK OF YOUR AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT. ANY QUESTIONS? WONDERFUL COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CHIEF. BUYER'S GREAT NUMBERS. I APPRECIATE YOUR UPDATES. THANK Y'ALL FOR LETTING ME SHARE THAT WITH Y'ALL APPRECIATE IT. HAVE A GOOD DAY. THANK YOU. [Citizen Communications ] COMMISSIONER FISH. YES, CHAIR. WE HAVE MR. LEYLAND AVAILABLE NOW, PLEASE FOR HIS COMMENTS. GREAT. GO AHEAD, MR. LEON, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES. SO HE, CARLOS LELAND FIRST AND FOREMOST, GOOD. I SAW THE ILLEST FOR LETTING ME EXPOSE CRIMINAL CAP. METRO BEING A PUBLIC SAFETY THREAT BY NOT COMPLYING WITH GOVERNOR ABBOTT'S EXECUTIVE ORDER 36 EXPLICATED BY MY ONLINE BACKUP MATERIAL, WHICH SHOULD BE IN FRONT OF YOU. NOW, CAT METRO IS A LOCAL PUBLIC GOVERNMENTAL UNIT WHOSE STATUS AND AUTHORITY ARE DERIVED FROM THE TEXAS CONSTITUTION OR TEXAS LAWS, PERFORMING ESSENTIAL PUBLIC FUNCTIONS FOR PUBLIC PURPOSES OF PUBLIC NECESSITY. THEREFORE, GOVERNOR ABBOTT'S EXECUTIVE ORDER 36 APPLIES TO CAP METRO. HIS ORDER SAYS NO GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY OR OFFICIAL MAY REQUIRE ANY PERSON TO WEAR A [00:35:01] FACE COVERING OR TO MANDATE THAT ANOTHER PERSON WEAR A FACE COVERING AND THAT IT SHALL SUPERSEDE ANY FACE COVERING REQUIREMENTS IMPOSED BY ANY LOCAL GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY OR OFFICIAL YET IN WRITING AND IN PRACTICE CAP, METRO CONTINUES REQUIRING PASSENGERS TO WEAR FACE MASKS TO RIDE OPENLY DEFYING THE ORDER THOUGH IT HAS THE FORCE AND EFFECT OF LAW. CAT. METRO SAYS IT'S FOLLOWING CDCS FEDERAL MASK REQUIREMENT FOR TRANSIT SYSTEM BASED ON BIDEN'S ILLEGITIMATE E OH ONE THREE NINE NINE EIGHT. HOWEVER, BECAUSE THE CDC ORDER RESTRICTS ITS OWN APPLICABILITY TO TRAVEL INTO THE UNITED STATES FROM OUTSIDE THE US OR FROM ONE STATE TO ANOTHER, IT DOES NOT APPLY TO CAT METRO'S INTERSTATE TRANSIT ENTIRELY WITHIN TEXAS. THEREFORE THE CDC ORDER DOES NOT SUPERSEDE GOVERNOR ABBOTT'S E O 36, YET MANY CAT METRO BUS DRIVERS, SUPERVISORS, AND SECURITY OFFICERS REFUSE TO SEE, HEAR OR FOLLOW THE LEGAL TRUTH. WHEN I SHOW AND TELL THEM CLAIMING THEY'RE DOING WHAT CAT METRO TELLS THEM LIKE GOOD GERMANS, TURNING A BLIND EYE TO CAT METRO'S CRIME, GOING ALONG TO GET ALONG FEARING PUNISHMENT OR JOB LOSS. IF THEY DON'T OTHERS LIKE BLACK MALE SUPERVISORS, T 52 AND T 54 WHITE FEMALE SUPERVISOR MICHELLE FOOT AND WHITE MALE, DETECTIVE HUTCHISON ARE BRAZENLY PUSHING AND ENFORCING IT DOCUMENTED WITH CAP METRO APD, OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT AND THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR SELECTIVELY AND INTENTIONALLY IGNORING MISINTERPRETING AND OR MISAPPLYING THE LAW BLATANTLY VIOLATES EQUAL PROTECTION UNDER THE LAW, TEARING DOWN THE CONSTITUTIONAL FOUNDATION OF TEXAS AND OUR REPUBLIC. PROTECTING US ALL FROM TYRANNY AND CHAOS FROM ONE BUS TO THE NEXT. YOU DON'T KNOW IF LAW AND ORDER WILL BE FOLLOWED BY THEN COME ALL IS UPSIDE DOWN. ANTI-AMERICAN ANTI REALITY. THAT IS THE TRUE BIG LIE EXPECT SIMILARLY DANGEROUS DENIAL OF AN ATTACKS AGAINST THE GROWING BODY OF REAL FORENSIC AUDIT EVIDENCE. SHOWING PRESIDENT TRUMP TRULY WON THE 2020 ELECTION, AND THAT REPUBLICANS ACTUALLY HELD THE SENATE, THE RIGHT SIDE REALITIES. WE MUST RECONSTRUCT TO A REPUBLIC ACT LOCALLY, MAKE CAP METRO COMPLY WITH EO 36. NOW IN JESUS' NAME. I PRAY. AMEN. THANK YOU, LORD. GOD BLESS TEXAS. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CONSTITUTIONAL LAW AND TRUTH AND ABOVE ALL PROMO COMPANY. GOD'S WORD. ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, MR. LEON. YOU GOT IT OUT. OKAY. OKAY. I BELIEVE THAT IS MOST OF OUR AGENDA. [4. Future Agenda Items ] THE FINAL AGENDA REHAB IS FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, BUT I ALSO WANTED TO TAKE THIS TIME, UM, TO POINT OUT THAT OUR NEXT MEETING IS JULY 5TH, WHICH IS THE DAY AFTER THE JULY 4TH HOLIDAY. SO I WANTED TO TAKE A POLL OF THE ATTENDING MEMBERS TO SEE IF THERE'S ANYONE THAT WILL HAVE AN ISSUE THAT WILL BE TRAVELING OR WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND ON JULY 5TH COMMISSIONER LIFE. I'LL HAVE TO LOOK INTO IT AND CONTACT YOU, UH, OFFLINE CHAIR. I THINK I MAY HAVE A CONFLICT, BUT THAT WILL BE MY FIRST MISS FOR US. SINCE THIS TIME, SINCE I'VE JOINED COMMISSIONER AUSTIN, YOU HAVE A COMMENT. UM, UH, I'LL BE, I'LL BE AVAILABLE. WONDERFUL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. DO WE KNOW IF THE IT'S THE FIFTH, THE ACTUAL OFFICIAL HOLIDAY DATE? I THINK I HONESTLY, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW. YEAH, I'M NOT SURE IF, UM, WHAT THE OFFICIAL DAY, I THINK IT MIGHT BE. I THINK IT MIGHT BE THE OFFICIAL OBSERVED DATE. SO MS. JACKSON, IF IT IS THE OFFICIAL OBSERVED DATE OF JULY 4TH HOLIDAY BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN, WOULD THAT BE AN ISSUE IF WE WENT AHEAD OR DO WE THINK THE FORUM WHERE WE'RE OPEN TO GOING AHEAD? I, I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE ADVICE IS FROM THE CITY. MY APOLOGIES CHAIRED THE OFFICIAL HOLIDAY. YES. YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HOLD A MEETING. UM, I'M PULLING UP THE, I'M SORRY, I'M GETTING SOME COMMUNICATION. IF I SOUND A LITTLE DISTRACTED TRYING TO ANSWER TWO QUESTIONS. UM, YES. MA'AM THIS IS CHIEF HENDERSON. I'M ON THE LINE AND YES, THE [00:40:01] OFFICIAL RECOGNIZED DATE IS GOING TO BE JULY 5TH FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN EMPLOYEE. OKAY. SO WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO HAVE THIS MEETING THEN OFFICIALLY ON JULY 5TH. SO WHAT WE WILL DO IS WE WILL TAKE IT OFFLINE. THANK YOU. UH, CHIEF ANDERSON. WE WILL TAKE IT OFFLINE AND SEND OUT SOME POTENTIAL DATES IN YOUR EMAIL. SO IF YOU WOULD PLEASE, UM, MONITOR YOUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS EMAIL, WE WILL TRY TO WRAP THAT UP, UH, BY MONDAY OF NEXT WEEK. SOUNDS GREAT. THANK YOU, CHAIR. OKAY. UM, SO LET US GO TO A FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. SO OBVIOUSLY THE PROP B CONVERSATION WILL MOVE, UH, TO THE JULY MEETING, WHATEVER THAT WILL BE RESCHEDULED. UM, AND THEN ANY OTHER, WE ALSO WILL HAVE, UM, I APOLOGIZE. WE ALSO HAVE SOMETHING THAT, OH, WE ALSO HAVE, UH, EIGHT CAN'T WAIT AND THE RE-IMAGINING PUBLIC SAFETY, WHICH I BELIEVE WILL BOTH BE PUSHED TO THE JULY, UM, JULY MEETING. OKAY. I ALSO BELIEVE THAT DURING THE LAST MEETING, WE HAD GOTTEN A REQUEST FOR A CADET ACADEMY UPDATE. SO IF WE COULD, UM, I KNOW THAT'S PACKING JULY, UM, IF JULY OR AUGUST MAKES THE MOST SENSE, JUST DEPENDING ON THE PROCESS, JUST TO SEE WHERE THEY ARE WITH, UH, MEETING ALL THE REQUIREMENTS, UM, AHEAD OF STARTING BECAUSE THEY'RE STARTING TODAY. UM, RIGHT. SO DEAD ACADEMY. PERFECT. ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY OTHER TOPICS THAT WE WANT TO DISCUSS IN FUTURE MONTHS? UM, CHIEF, UH, CHIEF BUYERS. I WAS THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING I HAD NEED TO FOLLOW UP WITH YOU ON THE WIFI CODE. UM, I DON'T KNOW IF WE'VE GOT THE OFFICIAL ANSWER, IF WE STILL NEED TO DO THAT QUARTERLY. DID HAVE YOU GOTTEN ANY FEEDBACK ON THAT? DON'T HAVE ANY FEEDBACK OTHER THAN I BELIEVE WE STILL NEED TO DO THAT IT'S TWICE A YEAR AND WE ARE, UH, AT A POINT TO, TO DO THAT WHERE WE DEAL WITH FOR THE RESOLUTION. SO LET'S, UM, LET'S PUT THAT ON AUGUST, CAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE JULY IS GOING TO BE A LITTLE OVER-PACKED SO IF WE COULD DO IT AUGUST AND THEN WE'LL DO IT AGAIN BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR IS THAT SOUNDS LIKE DOABLE. GOT IT. SO LET'S DO THAT ONE WAY CODE IN AUGUST. ANY OTHER, UM, TOPICS, ANY OTHER THINGS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT TO GET ONTO THE AGENDA? I'LL JUST, I'LL JUST FINTECH YOU TO THROW OUT THAT. I THINK I MENTIONED IT BEFORE. IT'S PROBABLY A GOOD TIME FOR US TO AT LEAST HAVE A CONVERSATION. I KEEP GETTING QUESTIONS ABOUT, UM, THE FACT THAT WE DON'T HAVE, UH, ANY KIND OF CENTER OF OPERATIONS FOR LGBTQ PLUS PEOPLE. SO THERE'S NO PRIDE CENTER HERE, THAT KIND OF THING. AND I KNOW WE HAVE ANOTHER BODY THAT TALKS ABOUT THAT, BUT NOW THE COMMUNITY IS SAYING THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT GENERAL SAFETY. SO I THINK IT'S A GOOD TIME TO MAYBE, UH, AT LEAST BRING ALL THAT IN BECAUSE THE COUNCIL IS ASKING, SOME PEOPLE ARE ASKING ME FOR INFO ON THIS THAT I DON'T HAVE, AND WOULD LOVE TO HAVE OPEN COMMENTS FROM THE COMMUNITY ON IT. AND TO, TO BE CLEAR, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT A SAFE SPACE FOR THE COMMUNITY ITSELF OR A SAFE SPACE FOR THE COMMUNITY THAT WORKS IN PUBLIC SAFETY? ALL OF THE ABOVE. OKAY, GOT IT. I HAD ONE MORE THING THAT DOESN'T NEED TO GO ON THE AGENDA NECESSARILY ANYTIME SOON, BUT I WANTED TO KIND OF SAY IT OUT LOUD, UM, IS JUST A LEGISLATIVE UPDATE ON THINGS THAT'LL APPLY TO PUBLIC SAFETY. THERE'S QUITE A BIT THAT HAPPENED, UM, UH, ESPECIALLY WITH REGARDS TO, UM, OPEN CARRY, UM, AND JUST HOW THAT MIGHT IMPACT, UM, POLICE PROCEDURE, UM, IN, YOU KNOW, EMT HOUSE CALLS. I MEAN, JUST EVERYTHING. UM, UH, SO I THINK I WOULD, I WOULD LIKE TO GET AN UPDATE ON THAT BOTH FROM THE LEGISLATIVE STAFF AND JUST ALSO FROM JUST OUR PUBLIC SAFETY CHIEFS. GREAT. THANK YOU. AND I THINK ALL THOSE GENERALLY GO INTO EFFECT START STARTING IN SEPTEMBER AFTER LEGISLATIVE SESSION. SO, YES, CORRECT. SO LET'S TRY THAT EITHER AUGUST OR SEPTEMBER MEETING FOR THAT. ALL RIGHT. COMMISSIONER, HOSS AND FLOCK FOR COMMISSIONER [00:45:01] SIERRA, OUR VOLUME, ANYTHING FROM YOU TOO. AND IF, IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING, THAT'S FINE. I DON'T MEAN TO CALL IT A NEW, BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE BEING HEARD. THANK YOU. I'M JUST GOING TO SAY, UH, IT'S SIMILAR TO WHAT NELLIE WAS SAYING. UM, I KNOW THAT THERE'S SOME BUDGETING THINGS THAT GO INTO THAT LEGISLATIVE UPDATE AS WELL. SO I DON'T KNOW IF EVERYTHING CAN BE DONE ALL AT ONCE OR WE NEED TO BREAK IT INTO A COUPLE, BUT, AND I THINK SOME OF THAT WILL START TO RESOLVE ITSELF AS WE LEARN MORE ABOUT IT. AND THERE'LL BE TWO SUBSEQUENT LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS TOO. SO MAYBE THERE SHOULD BE ONE IN AUGUST AND THEN MAYBE LATER ON IN THE FALL, ONCE WE FIGURE OUT HOW TO DEAL WITH IT, DEFUND THE POLICE. GREAT. ALL RIGHT. I THINK WE'VE GOT THAT ONE COVERED. UM, MS. JACKSON, DO HAVE WE MISSED ANYTHING? ANYTHING ELSE WE NEED TO, UH, REVIEW? I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TODAY. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. WELL, UM, APOLOGIES FOR THE, UM, SHORT MEETING. OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER OUR CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING. SO UNFORTUNATELY IT JUST HAPPENED AT THE WRONG TIME FOR OUR, UM, UH, MEETING. I FOR ONE WAS REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE PROPERTY CONVERSATION, BUT, UM, WE WILL JUST PUSH THAT TO NEXT MONTH. SO ON THAT NOTE, UM, I AM OPEN FOR A MOVE TO ADJOURN, ALTHOUGH THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER HOSPITAL. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? A SECOND? UH, BUT I DID WANT TO MENTION THAT WE DIDN'T COMMISSION COMMISSION AUSTIN. I WAS ABOUT TO, WHEN I NOTICED SHE WAS GONE. I THINK THAT SECOND THEN SECOND. SORRY, I JUST REMEMBERED IT WHEN I SAY EVEN SECOND YET. WOULD YOU DO THE ROLL CALL ON THAT PLEASE? YES. I'M ABOUT TO DO THAT, JEN. THANKS. ALL RIGHT. SO I'M STARTING TO ROLL CALL FOR VOTING ON THE ADJOURNMENT TODAY. I WILL START, I BELIEVE COMMISSIONER COMMISSIONER HOUSE AND FLOOD YOU, UH, COMMISSIONER RAMIREZ. YES. COMMISSIONER AUSTIN. YES. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER LANE. YES. AND COMMISSIONER HOUSE AND FLECK. THANK YOU VERY MUCH ON THAT. WE ARE ADJOURNED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. AND WE WILL TALK TO YOU NEXT MONTH. PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAILS. WE WILL BE SENDING OUT POTENTIAL DATES FOR THE JULY MEETING. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WELL, I USED TO BE A SHARPIE DRESSED IN THE LATEST STYLE. THE NOW I'M WALKING DOWN BROADWAY WEARING NOTHING BUT A SMILE. I SEE ALL KINDS OF LITTLE MAN, NEVER THERE. I TRIED TO PUSH A SUBWAY TRAIN AND . * 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.