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IT IS 6:01 PM[Independent Citizen’s Redistricting Commission]
AND WE HAVE NINE OUT OF 14 COMMISSIONERS PRESENT.I'D LIKE TO CALL THE INDEPENDENT CITIZENS REDISTRICTING COMMISSION MEETING TO ORDER THIS WEDNESDAY, JULY 14TH.
AND MATT, CAN YOU PLEASE DO A ROLL CALL? YOU BET.
SO READY? JUST RAISE YOUR HAND AND SAY HERE.
SO WE GOT AN AUDIO AND A VISUAL, UH, COMMISSIONER CANNON MORRIS HERE.
PARDON? SCHNEIDER? NO DEMPSEY HERE.
GONZALEZ HERE, LANDS LEE CAMPBELL CALLED HER ON THE BLANK HERE AND THEN FALCONE HERE.
CAN YOU ALSO PLEASE TAKE US THROUGH TODAY'S AGENDA? YOU BET.
COULD YOU LET ME SHARE MY SCREEN SHOULD BE ABLE TO SHARE NOW, MATT.
SO THE MEETING GOAL FOR TODAY, PREPARING FOR THE FIRST PUBLIC HEARING, WHICH IS TOMORROW, THURSDAY, JUNE 15TH, AT 6:00 PM AND CITY HALL, UH, CITIZEN COMMUNICATION.
I DON'T BELIEVE ANYBODY'S SIGNED UP, BUT I SEE A FEW FOLKS THAT ARE ON SOME.
I WANT TO DOUBLE CHECK, UM, APPROVAL OF MINUTES.
ITEM ONE, ITEM TWO NEW BUSINESS, A PRESENTATION FROM DR.
HENRY FLORES B PRESENTATION ON CURRENT DISTRICT MAKEUP, SEE UPDATE FROM PUBLIC HEARINGS, WORKING GROUP, UH, C1, PHOTON PROPOSED PUBLIC HEARING DATES SAY TWO DISCUSSION ON PUBLIC HEARING STRUCTURE.
THEY UPDATE FROM COMMUNICATIONS WORKING GROUP, A UPDATE FROM FINANCE.
SO COMMITTEE AND THEN F ON FACE FROM CITY ONE UPDATE ON PUBLIC HEARING LOGISTICS TO UPDATE OUR EMPLOYEE CONTRACT TEMPLATE.
AND, UM, EVERYBODY, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'RE USING A DIFFERENT FORMAT THAN WE HAVE BEFORE WE'RE ON ZOOM THIS EVENING.
AND, UM, AND SO CITIZEN MIGHT LOOK A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, NOT, UM, COULD YOU MAYBE EXPLAIN TO YOUR BEST UNDERSTANDING HOW WE WILL NAVIGATE THIS TODAY? UH, FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK, YOU BET.
SO I DIDN'T SEE THAT ANY FOLKS THAT SIGNED UP, UM, BUT I MIGHT'VE, I MIGHT'VE MISSED SOMETHING.
I SEE A FEW FOLKS ON, UM, IT'D BE THE SAME PROCEDURES AND NORMAL MEETING IN PERSON OR THROUGH WEBEX OR EACH SPEAKER WILL GET THREE MINUTES TO TALK ON ANY AGENDA, ANY ITEM THAT'S NOT ON THE AGENDA.
UM, I MIGHT JUST ASK IF IT'S OKAY RIGHT NOW, IF ANYBODY WANTED TO SPEAK TO OUR CITIZEN COMMUNICATION, YOU MIGHT JUST CHIME IN.
I'M JUST HERE TO WATCH MATT THIS TIME.
THAT SEEMS LIKE AN INSANE THING.
SO, UM, I GUESS WHAT'S THAT IT LOOKS LIKE WE DON'T HAVE ANY FOLKS SIGNED UP FOR ASSISTED COMMUNICATION.
AND WE WILL MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM ONE, APPROVING THE MINUTES FROM THE JULY 7TH MEETING.
AND I'LL GIVE YOU JUST A MOMENT TO REVIEW THOSE MINUTES.
YOU SHOULD HAVE THEM IN YOUR EMAILS.
UM, MADAM CHAIR, COMMISSIONER COMBO.
UM, I, BEFORE THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES, I NOTICED THAT I'VE RECEIVED SOME MEETING ITEMS IN MY DELETED ITEMS FOLDER.
I'M NOT SURE IF THAT HAPPENED TO ANYBODY ELSE, BUT I NOTICED EVEN LAST MEETING, UM, SOME OF THE AGENDA ITEMS JUST TO GO STRAIGHT TO THE DELETED ITEMS. SO I DID NOT SEE THEM IN ADVANCE.
I SEE A COMMISSIONER FALCONE ALSO NODDING HER HEAD.
IS THAT THE CASE FOR YOU AS WELL? YES.
THANK YOU FOR POINTING THAT OUT.
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THAT ALLOWED ME TO LOCATE THEM IMMEDIATELY.I THINK WHAT HAPPENS IS IF YOU DELETE THE MEETING INVITATION, ANYTHING THAT IS REPLIED TO ON THAT WILL ALSO GO TO YOUR TRASH.
YOU, I DIDN'T KNOW THAT GOOD EDUCATION FOR EVERYBODY.
THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP.
UH, ARE THERE ANY CORRECTIONS TO THE MINUTES? OKAY.
IF THERE ARE NO CORRECTIONS, THE MINUTES ARE APPROVED UNDER NEW BUSINESS ITEM TWO A IS THE PRESENTATION FROM DR.
HENRY FLORES ON THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT.
AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH US THIS EVENING.
I KNOW THAT WE'VE HAD SOME CHALLENGES OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, UM, AND THE TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES TO JUST THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US THIS EVENING.
AND, UM, WOULD YOU LIKE FOR US TO SHARE OUR SCREEN OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE YOURS? UM, GO AHEAD AND SHOOT YOU.
YOU Y'ALL ARE THE ADMINISTRATORS GO AHEAD AND SHARE YOUR SCREEN? SURE.
AND THEN YOU CAN JUST SAY NEXT, WHEN YOU WANT TO GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, MATT, IS THAT ALL RIGHT WITH YOU? IF YOU SHARE YOUR SCREEN, SORRY.
LET ME LOOK AT THAT FILE AND I'LL PULL IT UP.
OH, YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT ONE.
UM, THERE'S SOME REASONS FOR, WELL, THANK YOU FIRST FALL FOR INVITING ME TO SPEAK AND I APPRECIATE THAT, BUT I'M NOT SURE I'M THE BEST QUALIFIED PERSON TO DO IT FOR MATTER OF FACT, SITTING ON IN THE AUDIENCE THERE IS, IS, UH, UH, ONE OF THE INDIVIDUALS THAT, THAT WAS THE FOUNDATION OF BRINGING SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS TO THE STATE OF TEXAS.
MR. KORBEL WAS THE LEAD ATTORNEY AND, UH, QUITE DEREGISTER WHAT, WHAT YEAR WAS THAT? GEORGIA? 19 74, 71 71.
AND, UM, IT WAS, UM, DALLAS AND, UH, HARRIS COUNTY AND NO HAIR DALLAS AND BEAR COUNTY.
AND, UM, UM, THEY WON THE CASE AND THE SUPREME COURT MANDATED SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS FOR THOSE, FOR THE STATE LEGISLATIVE DISTRICTS THAT HAD LIVED THROUGH OTHER KINDS OF DECISIONS.
IT WORKED ITS WAY DOWN TO, TO, UM, VARIOUS JURISDICTIONS THAT, UH, HAD A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE OF, OF, OF, UH, OF, UH, PROTECTED GROUPS LIVING WITHIN THEIR JURISDICTION, SUCH AS AFRICAN-AMERICANS OR HISPANICS, HISPANICS WERE ADDED.
AND, AND, AND, UH, LATER IN TWO, UH, 1974, UM, AND, UH, UNDER SECTION 2 0 3 OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT, UM, WHAT IT'S BASED ON IS, UM, THE CENSUS AS THE ONLY CONSTITUTIONAL MANDATE FOR THE CENSUS IS FOR REAPPORTIONMENT.
UM, THE FRAMERS, UM, DECIDED MANY, MANY YEARS AGO THAT THE WAY THEY WERE GOING TO BREAK UP OR DESIGN CONGRESS WAS ON A, ON A POPULATION BASIS WAS TO AS TRUE REPRESENTATION WAS DEVELOPER SOME SORT OF RATIO OF A, OF A, OF A REPRESENTATIVE TO THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE.
I THINK IT STARTED OUT ORIGINALLY WITH ONE TO 30,000 OR SOMETHING OF THAT NATURE, AND EVENTUALLY REACHED 435 REPRESENTATIVES AND THEY KEPT BUILDING THE CAPITOL LARGER.
AND THEY FINALLY DECIDED THAT IF THEY'RE GOING TO KEEP ADDING REPRESENTATIVES, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BUILD A MEGAPLEX TO HOLD THEM ALL.
SO THEY FLIPPED UP THE, THE RATIO OVER AND, UH, WENT FROM, MADE IT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.
IT KEPT THE PERMANENT NUMBER OF 435.
AND THEN BASED ON EACH STATE'S TOTAL POPULATION DEVELOPED THROUGH THE, EVERY DECENNIAL CENSUS, THE, UM, THE, UH, DISTRICTS WERE, UH, THE NUMBER OF SEATS WERE REALLOCATED EVERY YEAR FOR EVERY STATE.
SO THE STATES THAT INCREASED IN POPULATION RECEIVED ADDITIONAL CONGRESSIONAL SEATS, THOSE THAT, THAT DECREASED IN POPULATION, UH, LOST THE CEDAR TO, SO EVERYTHING THAT EVERY 10 YEARS THAT'S CALLED REAPPORTIONMENT.
SO THEY REDISTRIBUTE THE SEATS ACCORDINGLY.
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UM, SO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WHAT I SAID.THEY'RE NOT FOR THE CALM UNITED STATES CONGRESS IT'S THERE.
SO THERE'S GOTTA BE EXACTLY THE SAME NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN EVERY UNITED STATES, CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, BUT FOR OTHER TYPES OF SUB JURISDICTIONS, THE SUPREME COURT IS AS, UH, DEEMED THAT HE HAS GIVEN A DIP DEVIATION OF, OF A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE THAT YOU CAN, YOU CAN PLAY WITH.
IT GIVES YOU ROOM TO PLAY WITH YOUR DISTRICTS SO THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE THE PERFECT EXACT NUMBER IN EVERY DISTRICT.
YOU'VE GOT THE ABILITY TO, TO HAVE A LITTLE FLEXIBILITY THERE.
UM, SO THAT'S IT, YOU HAVE YOUR TOTAL C POPULATION DIVIDED BY THE NUMBER OF DISTRICTS THAT DETERMINES YOUR POPULATION PER DISTRICT.
I WAS LOOKING AT THE MAPS AND I GUESS THE, UH, THAT, THAT, THAT CAME WITH THE MINUTES.
UM, I PRESUME MR. KORBEL IS GOING TO SPEAK TO THAT MAP, BUT I NOTICED THAT THE TARGET FOR EACH CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT IS 79,783.
UM, SO THAT'S HOW THAT RATIO IS DETERMINED.
AND, UH, HE'LL SPEAK TO THE SPECIFICS OF THAT FROM HERE ON OUT, BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, ALL THE DISTRICTS ARE NOT PERFECT.
SOME ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN SEVEN INTO THE 79,000 TARGET AND SOME ARE A LITTLE BIT LESS.
AND SO, UM, I GUESS THAT'S SOMETHING YOU'RE ALL GOING TO HAVE TO VOTE ON AND DETERMINE IF THAT'S APPROPRIATE FOR YOUR NEEDS, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S YOUR DECISION.
AND THEN I GUESS LATER COUNCIL, THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
THIS IS WHAT AUSTIN LOOKS LIKE GENERALLY NOW.
UM, THE, UH, IN 2000, YOUR POP SEED POPULATION STOOD AT AT 6 89, 7 0 1.
IT INCREASED BY 13.7% IN 2010.
AND BY 2019, ACCORDING TO THE ACS AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY, UM, IT INCREASED ANOTHER 18.5%.
SO NINE YEARS, UM, IT REALLY, REALLY EXPLODED AND I I'M SURE IT'S OVER A MILLION NOW.
UM, SO YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE DEALING WITH ONE OF THE REASONS FOR REAPPORTIONMENT AND REDISTRICTING IS THESE POPULATION NUMBERS, UH, IN, PARTICULARLY IN A CITY LIKE, LIKE AUSTIN THAT HAS BECOME A ECONOMIC DYNAMO, UM, AND A TARGET FOR IT FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE MOVING THERE AND BUSINESSES MOVING THERE.
AND A LOT OF JUST, YOU KNOW, UM, DEVELOPMENT AND SO FORTH, YOUR POPULATION IS JUST GOING TO EXPLODE AND GET BIGGER AND BIGGER.
SO YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO WATCH THE REAPPORTIONMENT VERY CAREFULLY BECAUSE EACH DISTRICT CAN GET OUT OF ALIGNMENT VERY FAST AND MOVE BEYOND THAT, THAT 10% THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR.
SO, UM, YOUR BASIC PROBLEM REALLY IN AUSTIN IS YOUR POPULATION HAS JUST EXPLODED JUST PROBABLY FASTER THAN ANY OTHER CITY IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
THAT'S WHAT IT LOOKS FOR CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT AS A 2010.
THOSE ARE THE ONLY DATA WE HAVE, UH, BECAUSE Y'ALL, HAVEN'T REALLY, I HAVEN'T SEEN THE DATA FOR 2020, SO WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT'S GOING TO BE, AND THERE'S BEEN NO APPROVAL OF ANY NEW DISTRICTS YET, BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT IN 2010, EACH DISTRICT, ALMOST EVERY DISTRICT GREW SOME MORE THAN OTHERS, UH, AND ONLY DISTRICT NINE LOST POPULATION.
UM, AND LOOK AT DISTRICT SIX EXPLODED 51.1% INCREASE SO MANY JUST, UH, JUST HUGE NUMBERS IN SOME PLACES, BUT SOME ROADS REMAIN RELATIVELY THE SAME DISTRICT FOR NOW.
SO I HAVE NO IDEA WHO LIVES IN THESE DISTRICTS, RIGHT? I'VE GOT A GENERAL FEEL FOR ROUGH PERCENTAGES OF DIFFERENT RACIAL OR ETHNIC GROUPS IN THE DISTRICTS.
BUT IF YOU TELL ME IF YOU PUT ME ON SIXTH STREET OR THIRD STREET OR CAPITOL OR WHATEVER IT IS, I WOULDN'T, I COULDN'T TELL YOU WHAT DISTRICT I'D BE IN.
CAUSE I JUST DON'T KNOW AUSTIN THAT WELL, BUT THESE ARE FROM DATA.
UH, SO EXCUSE THE NOISE, MY CLOTHES DRYERS GOING IN THE BACKGROUND.
UM, UM, AND SO THAT'S IT THE NEXT TIME PLEASE.
THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
AS FAR AS MINORITY POPULATION IN THE CITY, THE WHOLE, UM, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE NON-HISPANIC WHITE POPULATION OR THE ANGLO POPULATION GROW MODERATELY BETWEEN 20, 20 10.
AGAIN, WE DON'T HAVE THE DATA FOR, FOR, FOR, FOR THIS, THIS CENSUS YET.
UM, THE BLACK POPULATION ACTUALLY DECREASED THE LIT LITTLE BIT ALSO MODERATELY
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THE HISPANIC POPULATION GREW BY 25% AND ASIAN POPULATION GREW BY 38.9%.SO THOSE ARE OUR TWO LARGEST GROWTH POPULATIONS.
UM, UH, AS A NOTE ON THE SIDE SAYS, UH, THAT I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM PROJECTION FOR 2019, BUT IT'S POSSIBLE THAT AUSTIN MAY BE A MINORITY MAJORITY CITY AFTER THE 2020 CENSUS IS RELEASED.
SO YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK CAREFULLY AT HOW YOUR DISTRICTS ARE, ARE DESIGNED.
SO I GUESS YOUR DECISIONS TO BE MADE AT THIS PARTICULAR POINT, AND YOU HAVE SOME VERY GOOD TALENT AT YOUR DISPOSAL TO THINK ABOUT THIS, AND THEN I'LL ENTERTAIN ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.
UM, YOU CAN REDRAW YOUR DISTRICTS USING THE NEW POPULATION RATIOS GENERALLY.
UM, THE PEOPLE WHO READ THE, DO THE ACTUAL DRAWING OF THE DISTRICTS OR THE ATTORNEYS, BECAUSE THE DISTRICT LINES ARE LEGAL MATTERS.
AND, AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE USUALLY GENERALLY THEY'RE OVERSEEN BY THE COURTS.
AND SO THE LAWYERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OVERSEEING THE WAY THE LINES ARE DRAWN AND IF, WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE THE POPULATION RATIOS ARE APPROPRIATE AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
UH, SO THEY'LL, SO THEY'LL ALIGN TO THE LAW TECHNICIANS LIKE MYSELF OR OTHERS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THIS BUSINESS.
SO WE JUST PROVIDE THE NUMBERS IN THE RESEARCH, BUT IT'S REALLY THE, THE LAWYERS AND THE STATE LEGISLATURE OR CITY COUNCIL, THE ELECTED OFFICERS THAT MAKE THE FINAL DECISIONS ON THESE THINGS.
YOU CAN REDRAW ALL THE DISTRICTS USING NEW POPULATION RATIOS, OR YOU CAN LEAVE THE DISTRICT BOUNDARIES AS THEY ARE.
AND ONE OF THE CONSEQUENCES AS YOU MAY GET SUED BECAUSE OF THEY'RE OUT OF PROPORTION ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, SOME GROUP MAY GET UPSET AND FEEL THAT THEY'RE BEING UNDERREPRESENTED AND THEY'LL COME AND, AND PETITION YOU TO, TO MAKE CHANGES.
AND IF YOU DON'T MAKE THE CHANGES, THEN YOU COULD GET HIT WITH A, UH, A VOTING RIGHTS LAWSUIT, UM, OR A CIVIL RIGHTS LAWSUIT BECAUSE IT'S, UH, THE ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE MANDATE IS NOT IN THE VOTING RIGHTS LAW.
IT'S IN THE CONSTITUTIONAL PROTECTION ON OUR, UH, ARTICLE, UH, THE 14TH AMENDMENT OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION.
SO THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE TO BE DEALING WITH.
IF YOU FEEL THAT YOUR, THAT THE POPULATION RATIO IS TOO LARGE AND NOT MANAGEABLE BY THE NUMBER BY, BY, UH, 10 CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, AND CAN'T GET THE RIGHT PROPORTIONS, YOU MIGHT WANT TO THINK ABOUT ADDING ADDITIONAL DISTRICTS AND TRY TO RECONFIGURE THOSE.
UM, YOU CAN GO TO, UM, THE FOURTH OPTION IS YOU COULD CHANGE YOUR WHOLE SYSTEM AND GO MIX.
MAYBE HAVE A COUPLE OF AT-LARGE DISTRICTS COMBINED WITH SOME SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS OR AN AT-LARGE PLACE SYSTEM.
UM, THAT LATTER ONE THOUGH IN AUSTIN, UM, MIGHT DRAW, UH, VOTING RIGHTS OR CIVIL RIGHTS LAWSUIT AS, AS MIKE, UH, MIXED THAT LARGE SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICT.
BUT I'VE SEEN THOSE AS, UH, I'VE SEEN THE, THE, THE, THE, THE, THE FIRST ONE, THE MIXED DISTRICT BECOME MORE OF A, A SETTLEMENT TYPE OF, UM, OUTCOME WHEN IT COMES TO ANY KIND OF, UM, TENSIONS BETWEEN, UH, VOTING ACTIVISTS AND ELECTED BODIES.
SO, UM, THERE MAY BE OTHER OPTIONS YOU COULD, YOU COULD, UM, NO, I'M NOT GOING TO GO INTO OTHER OPTIONS, BUT I MEAN, YOU COULD, IF YOU GO TO THAT TO THE AT-LARGE SYSTEM, YOU MIGHT WANT TO THINK OF, UM, A VOTING SYSTEM LIKE NEW YORK JUST WENT THROUGH, UM, UM, THAT WOULD BE MORE, MORE PUT EQUAL WEIGHT ON EVERY VOTE.
AND SO IT TAKES A LITTLE BIT LONGER TO, UM, TO CALCULATE AND THE COMPUTER ALGORITHMS TAKE TIME TO RUN, TO REALLOCATE VOTES OF ALL THE, OTHER OF ALL THE OTHER CANDIDATES TO THE WINNERS, BUT EVENTUALLY, UM, UH, YOU'D HAVE A MUCH MORE CLEAR CUT WINNER AND, AND THE VOTERS WOULD FEEL LIKE THEIR VOTES HAVE COUNTED BECAUSE EVERY ONE OF THEM IS PLACED ACCORDINGLY.
UM, AND SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME, I'LL BE HAPPY TO, TO ANSWER ANYTHING YOU HAVE, MS. CALDERON, HEY PROFESSOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD MAYBE SHED SOME LIGHT ON HOW THE
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GRAPHS, HOW THE STIPULATIONS FOR LIKE A HISPANIC, SPECIFICALLY IN TEXAS AND SPANISH LANGUAGE HAS EVOLVED WITH THE BRA AS THE BRA HAS KIND OF, OR THE PARTS OF THE VRA THAT ARE APPLICABLE TO THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING HAVE EVOLVED AS WELL.UM, AND WHAT, YOU KNOW, YOU MIGHT THINK WE, UH, WE'RE IN FOR HERE.
UM, WITH REGARD TO THAT SPECIFICALLY, YOU KNOW, I BECAME A, UH, AN EXPERT WITNESS IN VOTING RIGHTS IN 1985 OR SIX, AND THE ATTORNEY WHO TOOK ME UNDER HIS WING AND SHOWED ME HOW TO BECOME AN EXPERT, ACTUALLY TOLD ME CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WAR.
UM, THERE'S AT LEAST 215 JURISDICTIONS WAITING TO BE SUED IN THE STATE OF TEXAS FOR POOR ELECTION STRUCTURES AND SYSTEMS. AND I DIDN'T BELIEVE HIM, BUT SINCE ALL THOSE YEARS, AYE, AYE, AYE, AYE, AYE.
I'VE LOST TRACK OF HOW MANY CASES HAVE GONE BEFORE THE CAKE, THE COURT IN TEXAS ALONE WHEN JUST THE LATINO VOTING RIGHTS.
UM, AND, UH, BUT ALSO AFRICAN-AMERICAN VOTING RIGHTS.
UM, TEXAS IS PROBABLY THE MOST NOTORIOUS STATE IN THE UNION FOR DENYING VOTERS, THE VOTE.
UM, IF YOU, IF YOU GO TO THE, TO THE, TO THE, TO THE, UM, CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION AND THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE IN WASHINGTON DC, YOU'LL SEE THAT THERE WERE MORE SECTION FIVE OBJECTIONS AND SECTION TWO LAWSUITS FILED AGAINST THE STATE OF TEXAS FROM SCHOOL BOARDS ALL THE WAY TO THE CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS THAN ANY OF THE STATE IN THE UNION.
UH, AND, UH, AND IT, THEY RUN THE GAMUT OF EVERYTHING FROM, UM, UM, MALLOW PORTION DISTRICTS TO, UH, UM, AT LARGE ELECTION SCHEMES THAT, UH, DON'T ALLOW FOR, FOR, FOR THE ONE MAN, ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE KIND OF REPRESENTATIONAL STRUCTURE THAT COVERS NOT JUST WHITE VOTERS, BUT ALL VOTERS.
AND SO PEOPLE OF COLOR ARE GENERALLY LEFT OUT OF THE EQUATION WHEN THEY RECALCULATE THOSE THINGS.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, IT, IT, IT, THERE'S ALL KINDS OF OTHER THINGS, UH, MOVING POLLING PLACES, UH, UH, UH, CHANGING ELECTION DAYS.
I MEAN, YOU JUST NAME IT AND TEXAS HAD WRITTEN A BOOK ON IT.
UM, SO, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN, IN, IN, IN, UH, IN THE MINORITY COMMUNITIES THAT BOTH THE NAACP AND, UH, THE LATINO VOTERS, UH, MALDEF SPECIFICALLY ARE, ARE, ARE VERY COGNIZANT AND VERY WATCHFUL OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
AND, UM, BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN A, JUST A, A RICH HISTORY OF, OF DENYING MINORITY GROUPS TO VOTE IN THE STATE.
AND SO, UM, I THINK THAT'S ONE THING YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER, I THINK WHEN YOU'RE, WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO UNDERTAKE YOUR, YOUR REDISTRICTING PROCESS, I HOPE DID THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? YES, SIR.
YOUR PRESENTATION IS VERY USEFUL.
UM, AND I'M KIND OF TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE WONDER YOU HAD A FEW OPTIONS LAID OUT IN ONE OF YOUR SLIDES FOR RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND ONE SAID ADDING A NEW DISTRICT, UM, W WHAT ARE SOME KEY THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN ADDING A NEW DISTRICT? AND I KNOW ONE OF THE THINGS WAS WITH THE BUILDING OR BUDDING OF AUSTIN BERBER GROWING SIGNIFICANTLY THAT WE HAVE THIS LEVY OF B PLUS MINUS 10% AND EACH DISTRICT, WHAT ARE SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER IF WE WERE TO LOOK AT ADDING THIS TERM WITH AN AUSTIN COMBINATE FROM THE NEW, WELL, I MEAN, THERE'S A DO THE, WHAT ARE CONSIDERED TRADITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF DISTRICTS.
UH, THAT'S A, THAT'S A TERM THAT THE COURTS USE, BUT NO ONE'S EVER REALLY DEFINED WHAT THOSE ARE, BUT THEY GENERALLY INCLUDE THINGS LIKE COMPACTNESS OR CONTIGUOUSNESS.
SO YOUR DISTRICT SHOULD BE, LOOK REASONABLY LOGICALLY CONFIGURED.
IT SHOULDN'T LOOK LIKE, UH, I THINK ONE CONGRESSWOMAN SAID THAT HER DISTRICT LOOK LIKE SOME SORT OF DISEASE KIND OF SPREADING ALL OVER THE MAP.
I MEAN, THERE'VE BEEN SOME REALLY CRAZY CRAZILY DRAWN DISTRICTS.
YOU SHOULDN'T, YOU SHOULD TRY TO KEEP THEM AS COMPACT AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN, MAKING SURE THAT ALL PARTS OF THE DISTRICT HAVE THE SAME, UM, WITHOUT GOING OUT TO LITTLE SPAGHETTI STRINGS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE TO GRAB NEIGHBORHOODS THAT YOU THINK ARE COMPATIBLE WITH THE DISTRICT, UH, YOU MIGHT WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU TRY TO INCLUDE, UM, AS MANY COMMUNITIES OF INTEREST AS POSSIBLE.
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I REMEMBER EVERY, EVERY DECADE, THIS WILL BE MY FOURTH ROUND OF STATEWIDE REDISTRICTING THAT I'M GOING TO BE INVOLVED IN.AND EVERY DECADE, THE SAME MAYOR, THE SAME LITTLE CITY IN SAN ANTONIO, JUST INSIDE SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS SHOWS UP THAT HOLDS UP A PRETTY BATTERED MAP OF A PLACE CALLED CASTLE HILLS, TEXAS.
THAT'S BEEN GERRYMANDERED AND SLICED ALL OVER THE PLACES.
AND HE PLEADS WITH HIM JUST TO LEAVE HIS TOWN IN ONE CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
AND NOBODY PAYS ATTENTION TO THE POOR GUY.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A GREAT EXAMPLE OF SOMEBODY THAT IS PLEADING TO KEEP A COMMUNITY OF INTEREST TOGETHER, AND THEY DON'T, YOU, YOU SHOULD TRY TO DO THAT AS MUCH AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN, SOMETIMES YOU CAN'T DO IT.
UH, UH, AND THEN THERE'S THE NATURAL KINDS OF CONFIGURATIONS OR NATURAL KIND OF BOUNDARIES, ROADS, AND RIVERS, AND THINGS THAT, THAT, THAT, UH, PROVIDE YOU A NATURAL BOUNDARIES THAT YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO USE, UH, INTERSTATE 35, FOR INSTANCE.
UM, BUT EVEN INTERSTATE 35 MIGHT FLY.
SOME, SOME COMMUNITIES ARE REALLY BELONG TOGETHER.
SO YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER THAT AND BE VERY CAREFUL HOW YOU DO THAT, YOU KNOW? YEAH, NO, THANKS FOR THAT.
AND THEY THINK SOME OF THE DOGS HAD TO BE INTERNET, I GUESS, IS EVEN THINGS LIKE A ROAD AND INFRASTRUCTURE HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY CONTROLLED BY PEOPLE IN POWER.
SO EVEN USING SOME THINGS, LIKE, I THOUGHT IF I COULD BE SKEWING SOME OF THIS, BECAUSE WHO DECIDED THAT, BUT I THOUGHT IF I WERE TO WATCH, RIGHT, IT'S JUST A, IT'S A HARD THING.
LIKE I SAID, THAT'S ALL Y'ALL'S DECISION.
I DON'T REALLY KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING YOU ALL TO DISCUSS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, JUST ONE THING TO ADDRESS, UM, CONDITIONER, I'M SORRY, YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR NAME ON YOUR ZOO.
UM, POINT, I BELIEVE THAT IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, WE ARE PROHIBITED FROM ADDING A NEW DISTRICT BECAUSE, UM, IT WAS THE ELECTION THAT WE HAD AND IT WAS NOT PASSED.
SO TO MY UNDERSTANDING, THAT'S NOT A THING.
SO, UM, JUST SO OUR, OUR OTHER COMMISSIONERS, UM, DON'T GET EXCITED ABOUT THAT AND FULLY APPRECIATE THAT YOUR PRESENTATION WAS, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF GLOBALLY AND NOT TO OUR SPECIFIC SITUATION.
MY OTHER QUESTION WAS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED THERE RATIOS, UM, THAT WE AIM FOR AND WITH THE GROWTH OR DECLINE USING THAT 10%, IS THERE GUIDANCE ABOUT THOSE FLUCTUATIONS WITH REGARD TO THE ETHNIC IDENTITY? SO IF THERE'S A FLUCTUATION OF, LET'S SAY, YOU KNOW, HISPANICS OR ASIAN OR BLACK, LIKE, DOES THAT EVER COME TO CONSIDERATION EITHER FROM A LEGAL PERSPECTIVE OR FROM A KIND OF BEST PRACTICE, OR THIS IS WHAT WE DO PERSPECTIVE.
I THINK MR. KORBEL COULD ANSWER THE LEGAL PART OF THAT.
I, I'M NOT SURE I CAN'T ANSWER THAT ONE, BUT, UM, IN MY EXPERIENCE, WHICH IS, IS, IS, IS, IS LIMITED TO ONLY ABOUT 50 OR SO INSTANCES THAT I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN.
THERE MAY BE SOMEPLACE, BUT I HAVEN'T HEARD THAT.
IT'S GENERALLY JUST, UH, THE, THE BEST GUIDANCE I CAN, I CAN GIVE YOU IS TO TRY TO CONSIDER AMONG YOURSELVES WHAT YOU THINK WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR YOUR COMMUNITY IN ORDER TO ALLOW A MINORITY GROUP TO HAVE, UH, WHAT THE, WHAT THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT CALLS A, UM, UH, AN OPPORTUNITY TO ELECT THE CANDIDATE OF THEIR CHOICE, BUT THAT'S A NEGOTIATED PERCENTAGE.
IT VARIES FROM JURISDICTION TO JURISDICTION.
THAT'S THE BEST ANSWER I THINK I CAN GIVE YOU AT THIS POINT, GEORGE.
CAN YOU ADD ANYTHING TO THAT, GEORGE? UM, WELL, UM, TWO THINGS, UH, ONE THING BEFORE, WAY BEFORE I ANSWER THAT.
AND, UM, UH, 20 YEARS AGO IN SAN ANTONIO, WHEN WE WERE, WHEN WE WERE REDISTRICTING SAN ANTONIO, WE WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE BLACK POPULATION DECLINING IN CONCENTRATION, AND I'M ACTUALLY MOVING OUTSIDE OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
AND THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE COUNCIL IS YOU CAN EITHER HAVE A CHARTER REVISION COMMISSION ELECTION, WHICH AUSTIN HAD, AND I THINK IT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL OR, OR YOU CAN ACTUALLY, WHAT WE DID WAS WE HAD THE ORIGINAL STATUTE, UM, UH, CREATING THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
MY RECOLLECTION IS WE DID IT THIS WAY.
WE HAD THAT AMENDED SO THAT SAN ANTONIO CAN
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ADD THREE COUNCILMAN, UM, AT THE DECISION OF THE CITY COUNCIL GOING HAVE TO GO THROUGH ANOTHER, UM, A CHARTER REVISION COMMISSION ELECTION TO ADD THOSE THREE COUNCILMAN.WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FOR THE LAST TWO DECADES TO BE ABLE, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE EAST SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO, WITH THE BLACK COMMUNITY TO ELECT THE REPRESENTATIVE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE CHOICE.
UM, AND SO WE HAVEN'T HAD TO USE THAT, BUT THAT, THAT IS AVAILABLE.
AND THAT MAY BE SOMETHING AT SOME POINT IN TIME, AUSTIN MAY WANT TO CONSIDER IT'S.
THE DAD IS NOT REALLY AVAILABLE NOW, UH, SO THAT I CAN TELL WHETHER OR NOT, UM, IT'S GOING TO BE POSSIBLE TO CREATE A DISTRICT WHERE, UM, UH, AFRICAN-AMERICANS CAN ELECT THE REPRESENTATIVES OF A CHOICE.
UM, WE WON'T REALLY SEE THAT UNTIL, UM, UNTIL THE CENSUS COMES OUT IN AUGUST.
SOMETIME WE CAN ANSWER IF WE CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION THEN.
THE ONLY DISTRICT I SAW THE HEAD OF SIGNIFICANT AFRICAN-AMERICAN POPULATION, AS FAR AS DENSITY WAS CONCERNED, WAS DISTRICT, WAS IT ONE YES.
DISTRICT ONE AND IN 2010, THAT WAS ONLY 28.2%.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT OBVIOUSLY GONNA CHANGE SOME, AND THAT WAS A DECREASE FROM, FROM 20, FROM THE YEAR 2000.
SO I'M NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED THERE.
UM, MR. BLANK HAD A QUESTION LAST YEAR, SPEAKERS ADDRESS BOTH OF MY QUESTIONS.
AND ALSO HAS HER HAND UP, I'M SORRY TO CUT ANYONE OFF.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE Y'ALL SAW THAT.
UM, LET ME SAY SOMETHING ABOUT, ABOUT THE DR.
HE IS, UM, HE'S THE BEST EXPERT THAT I'VE EVER USED.
AND IF YOU ASK ANY LAWYER THAT USES EXPERT WITNESSES, A LOT, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT THEY STICK.
IN OTHER WORDS, THAT THEY COME UP WITH AN OPINION AND THEY STICK ON IT AND HE DOES THE BEST JOB OF ANYBODY, UM, IN STICKING.
AND HE'S GONE THROUGH, HE'S GONE THROUGH THE, UH, THE BEST CROSS EXAMINATION I'VE EVER SEEN ON A POLITICAL EXPERT, AND HE HAS HE'S ARGUED SO AND STUCK.
AND I'VE TOLD HIM THAT BEFORE TO MAKE THAT COTTON VERY MUCH MS. CALEDONIA COMMISSIONER CALLED IT ON ARE Y'ALL.
I DIDN'T WANT IT TO, UH, UH, POINT OUT THAT A COMMISSIONER COMBO HAD A QUESTION.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO QUICKLY, UM, ASK YOU ABOUT HOW FORWARD THINKING ARE WE TRYING TO BE REGARDING SOME OF THESE STATISTICS.
I KNOW WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE LOOKING BACKWARD IN THE SENSE THAT WE'RE TAKING SOME OF THE CENSUS DATA, HOWEVER, LIKE CONSIDERING THAT AUSTIN IS NOW THE FASTEST GROWING MAJOR CITY IN THE US, UM, THAT'S SORT OF MY QUESTION, LIKE, ARE WE THE STATISTICS TRYING TO PROJECT MORE, UM, AROUND THIS TIME TO REALLY ADDRESS THOSE TRENDS THAT WE'RE NOW STARTING TO SEE, YOU KNOW, TH TH THE PROBLEM WITH CENSUS, UH, DATA IS THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE REALLY ESTIMATES.
UM, YOU CAN'T GET AN ACCURATE HEAD COUNT BECAUSE POPULATIONS ARE SO MOBILE THERE'S BIRTHS AND DEATHS EVERY DAY THAT HAD TO BE CALCULATED PEOPLE MOVING IN AND OUT OF THE JURISDICTION, AND AUSTIN IS MOVING SO RAPIDLY THAT YOU COULD PROBABLY BE OUT OF, OUT OF PROPORTION REAL FAST, YOU KNOW, UM, I MIGHT EVEN LOOK AT IT AGAIN, FIVE YEARS AFTER YOU, AFTER YOU MAKE THIS ROUND OF REDISTRICTING, JUST TO LOOK AT YOUR, YOUR DATA AND SEE IF YOU NEED TO MAKE SOME OTHER ADJUSTMENTS DOWN THE LINE.
THERE'S NO FIXED RULE THAT YOU'RE ONLY LIMITED TO REDISTRICT REDISTRICTING EVERY 10 YEARS.
IF YOU DO IT IN FIVE, YOU CAN DO IT, YOU KNOW, POPULATION SURVEY.
SO CENSUS DATA IS DATA DATE, UH, FOUR YEARS OUT AFTER THE CENSUS, BECAUSE THE POPULATION HAS CHANGED SO DRAMATICALLY IN UNITED STATES.
SO STARTING IN THE FIFTH YEAR AFTER THE CENSUS, WE STARTED USING STATISTICAL ESTIMATES TO, TO TAKE US TO THE END OF THE DECADE FOR THE MOST PART.
BUT RIGHT NOW WE CAN'T, DOES THE COUNCIL BEEN DONE, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S BEEN, IT WASN'T NECESSARILY, UH, UH, VERY WELL, UM, METHODOLOGICALLY DESIGNED COUNT.
SO IT, I'M NOT SURE HOW ACCURATE IT WAS.
[00:35:01]
THE STATISTICIANS THAT WHO ARE RACIAL MINORITY GROUPS ARE UNDER COUNTED, UH, DRAMATICALLY THIS TIME AROUND.UM, AND, UM, SO, BUT IT'S THE BEST NUMBER WE'VE GOT AND IT'S ALL WE HAVE TO WORK WITH AT THIS POINT.
UH, AND MR. CORPORAL RECORD POINTED IT OUT.
YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SEE THE NUMBERS TILL THE CENSUS NUMBERS.
AREN'T GOING TO BE OUT TILL WHAT, SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER GEORGE NIGGA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OUT IN AUGUST, BUT WE DON'T KNOW FOR SURE.
SO THE 20 NUMBER THAT I USED BEFORE WAS A STATISTICAL ESTIMATE THAT THE US BUREAU OF THE CENSUS DOES EVERY, EVERY, UH, FIVE IS BASED ON A FIVE-YEAR, UH, STATISTICAL ESTIMATE.
DOES THAT, DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? YES.
DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS FOR MR. FLORES BEFORE WE LET HIM GO? THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH US.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HAVING ME THIS EVENING.
IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN, GEORGE.
THE NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS IS TO BE, AND MR. KORBEL WILL, UM, PRESENT ON THE DISTRICT MAKE-UP AND, UM, AND I IMAGINE THIS WILL BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT AS WELL.
UM, THAT WE'RE COMFORTABLE ASKING, YOU KNOW, IN THIS, IN THIS PUBLIC SPACE.
SO, UM, WE ARE GOING TO SHARE A SCREEN AGAIN, MATT, IF THAT'S ALL RIGHT WITH YOU.
AND, UM, AND WE HAVE THE MAP OF THE 10 COUNCIL DISTRICTS.
UM, SO W WHEN I LOOK AT A, UM, A CITY LIKE AUSTIN, AND WE'RE GOING TO REDISTRICT THE CITY, UM, I LOOK AT THE, UM, SHAPE OF THE, OF THE CITY AND ALSO THE, UM, AREAS WITHIN THE CITY THAT AREN'T PART OF THE CITY.
IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT I CALL THE SWISS CHEESE, BECAUSE AN AWFUL LOT OF THE DECISIONS YOU MAKE, AND THE DECISIONS THAT WERE MADE IN THE PAST ARE BASED ON THE LOCATION OF THAT SWISS CHEESE AND THE LOCATION OF THE BOUNDARY, OUTER BOUNDARIES OF THE CITY.
AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S, IT'S, UM, FAIRLY WHAT APPEARS TO BE FAIRLY IRREGULAR, UM, AT THE, UM, UH, THE OUTSIDE.
AND MOST OF, AS I SAY, MOST OF THE, MOST OF THE DECISIONS WILL BE BASED ON THE SHAPE OF THE, OF THE CITY.
THE, WHAT WE, WHAT WE TRY TO DO IS TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL GROUPS HAVE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY TO ELECT EQUAL OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE FOR THE CANDIDATE OF THEIR CHOICE.
AND, UM, WITH HISPANICS, THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY IS GROWING QUITE FAST.
THE BLACK COMMUNITY IS, IS NOT.
UM, BUT IF WE LOOK AT THE ELECTION STRUCTURE OVER THE YEARS, YOU KNOW, AUSTIN, AND, UM, UH, BOTH IN THE CITY COUNCIL AND OUTSIDE THE CITY COUNCIL, WE CAN SEE THAT AFRICAN-AMERICANS, UM, ARE ABLE TO ELECT AT A, USUALLY AT A, UM, A SMALL, MUCH SMALLER PERCENTAGE THAN WE WOULD EXPECT THE SPANISH TO BE ABLE TO ELECT YET.
AND THE, THE, UM, BUT WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL OF THE, UM, THE POPULATION, THE BLACK POPULATION, UH, LOOKING AT THE BLACK POPULATION HERE.
UM, NORMALLY, UH, NORMALLY THEY SAY THAT, UH, UH, THESE DISTRICTS, WHICH ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE LESS THAN A 10% DEVIATION, UM, THAT'S A LAWSUIT THAT I LOST 50 YEARS AGO.
UM, BUT THE SUPREME COURT NOW SAYS THAT THAT'S NOT WHAT THAT LOSS SAID, BUT THEY NOW SAY WHAT THE LAWSUIT SAID IS THAT WE'VE GOT TO, UM, SHOOT AT ZERO DEVIATION.
AND IF THERE ARE SOME REASONS THAT WE, THAT WE CAN'T HIT ZERO DEVIATION, THEN WE CAN JUSTIFY THOSE, THOSE, UM, UM, DEVIATIONS, IF, UH, ROADS, FOR EXAMPLE, HIGHWAYS, UM, ARE A GOOD EXAMPLE.
UH, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND ALSO CITIES IN TEXAS THAT AREN'T TOTALLY CONTIGUOUS.
AND SO THOSE ARE OTHER EXAMPLES OF SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO GO ABOVE 10%.
UM, BUT MOST, MOST OF ALL, WE'RE GOING TO TRY AND GO TO AS CLOSE TO 0% AS CAN, UM, AND STILL MAINTAIN, UM, UH, THE, UH, COMMUNITIES OF INTEREST.
[00:40:01]
THAT WE WOULD NORMALLY ATTEMPT TO USE THE VOTING PRECINCTS THAT ARE GOING TO BE ADOPTED, BUT THE VOTING PRECINCTS ARE GOING TO BE ADOPTED AFTER YOUR NOVEMBER DUE DATE.SO, UH, VOTING PRECINCTS PROBABLY WON'T BE ADOPTED UNTIL SOMETIME IN JANUARY.
UM, I, WE PROBABLY CAN, UH, ATTEMPT TO WORK WITH THE COUNTY TO DO AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, UH, SO THAT WE CAN KEEP YOUR, UM, VOTING PRECINCTS TOGETHER.
BUT IF YOU RECALL, 10 YEARS AGO, BUT THE STATE DID TO AUSTIN WAS THEY CUT A HUNDRED VOTING PRECINCTS, A HUNDRED OF YOUR VOTING PRECINCTS.
AND SO IT WAS A DISASTER TRYING TO DRAW A NEW VOTING PRECINCTS.
UM, AND IF THE, AND IF THE STATE DOES SOMETHING LIKE THAT AGAIN, THIS YEAR, AND LORD KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO, UM, IT W IT WILL BECOME VERY DIFFICULT TO, UM, UM, NOT HAVE SPLIT PRECINCTS AT THE BOUNDARIES OF YOUR, UH, CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS AND YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
AND THAT BECOMES A PROBLEM BECAUSE COUNTIES DON'T ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION TO, UM, CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS OR, UH, OR, UM, UH, SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
SO, UH, HOPEFULLY WE WILL BE ABLE TO WORK WITH AUSTIN AND, OR WORK WITH TRAVIS, KANYE, I SHOULD SAY, AND DO AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO KEEP YOUR TOGETHER LOOKING.
BUT, UM, DID YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I'LL BE GLAD TO ANSWER THEM.
UM, THE SUPREME COURT HAS SAID CONSISTENTLY IS THAT WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT ELECTING BLACK OR HISPANIC OR ASIAN, UH, UH, CITY COUNCIL PERSONS WERE TALKING ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THE VOTERS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ELECT THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE CHOICE.
AND IF THE POPULATION IN AUSTIN, FOR EXAMPLE, AFRICAN-AMERICANS WAS 10% AND YOU HAVE 10 DISTRICTS, YOU WOULD IMAGINE THAT, UM, IF THERE WAS NO RACIALLY POLARIZED VOTING OVER THE YEARS, BLACKS WOULD REPRESENT 10% OF, UH, THE CITY COUNCIL.
AND, UM, THAT'S SORT OF THE ANALYSIS THAT I THINK THAT THE COURTS ARE STILL GOING THROUGH AS FAR AS, UH, RE RATING THESE DISTRICTS.
NOW, IT'S ALSO POSSIBLE THAT THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT SECTION FIVE OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT MAY APPLY AGAIN, IF THE JOHN LEWIS ACT THAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT IN WASHINGTON IS PASSED.
IF THE JOHN LEWIS ACT IS PASSED, THEN IT'S, THEN IT'S, UM, THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WILL BE ABLE TO WHAT'S CALLED PRE CLEAR ALL ELECTION CHANGES SO THAT THEY WOULD SECOND GUESS YOU, AND THEY WOULD SECOND GUESS EVERY OTHER, UM, REDISTRICTING IN THE STATE.
AND, UM, EVERY OTHER CHANGE IN ELECTION PROCESS, EVERYTHING THAT EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON IN THIS SPECIAL SESSION WOULD BE SUBJECT TO PRE-CLEARANCE AND, UM, UM, LIKELY HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEMS BECAUSE OF THE WAY IT'S BEEN HIM, BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN, BUT I'M RECOMMENDING TO THE JURISDICTIONS THAT I'M WORKING WITH IS THAT WE ACT AS IF IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AND THAT WE TAKE ALL STEPS THAT WE WOULD HAVE TAKEN.
AND SECTION FIVE OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT STILL BEEN IN EFFECT.
MR. CORBELL WOULD YOU MIND, UM, AND YOU'VE ALREADY, YOU TALKED ABOUT PRE-CLEARANCE, BUT WOULD YOU MIND BREAKING DOWN A LITTLE FOR THE JOHN LEWIS AND THEN ALSO SECTION FIVE OF THE VRA? SURE.
THE, THE, THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT VOTING RIGHTS CHECK WAS SET UP IN, IN, UM, UH, BACK IN THE EARLY SIXTIES.
AND IT WAS SET UP BASED ON, UH, TURNOUT PERCENTAGE IN, UM, UH, IN THE STATES.
AND IT WAS ALSO SET UP POLITICALLY IN A CRASS SORT OF WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT TEXAS WAS NOT INCLUDED BECAUSE IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO PASS THE PASS THE, UH, THE BILL IN CONGRESS, THEY COULDN'T HAVE ALL OF THE TEXAS CONGRESSMAN AND BOTH OF OUR SENATORS AGAINST, SO TEXAS FOR A, UM, UM, FOR A POLITICAL REASON IS GENERALLY BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED IN 1965.
AND, UM, MALDEF HAD A LAWSUIT BACK IN THE, IN THE VERY EARLY SEVENTIES IN WHICH, UM, THE CLAIM WAS THAT LANGUAGE WAS, UH, WAS A TEST OR DEVICE, WHICH WOULD HAVE BROUGHT, UM, TEXAS UNDER THE, UNDER THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT.
UM, AND WE LOST THAT WALLET, LOST THAT LAWSUIT, UH, WHY USED TO WORK FOR WALMART.
[00:45:01]
BUT THAT BECAME THE WAY WE BROUGHT TEXAS UNDER THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT IN 1975, IS WE, THE TEST IS WHETHER OR NOT THERE, UM, UH, ELECTIONS WERE BEING HELD IN SPANISH IN 19, UH, IN 1972 AND IN TEXAS, THEY WEREN'T.SO THAT'S, THAT'S HOW IT TEXAS CAME UNDER THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT.
AND ONCE I KNEW THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT, THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT LOOKS AT EVERYTHING THAT THE STATE DOES INVOLVING ELECTIONS AND MAKES A DETERMINATION IN ADVANCE WHETHER OR NOT IT, UM, DISCRIMINATES.
AND, UM, IT WAS LOOSELY BASED ON WHAT THE IDEA OF RECONSTRUCTION WAS AFTER THE CIVIL WAR RECONSTRUCTION OF COURSE ENDED DISASTROUSLY AFTER THE CIVIL WAR, BUT THIS WAS, THIS WAS CONSIDERED TO BE THE EXTENSION OF RECONSTRUCTION.
AND, UM, IN EVERY STATE, TEXAS HAD, UM, MANY, MANY, MANY VOTING RIGHTS OBJECTIONS, UH, IN ALL OF THE SOUTHERN STATES THAT WERE COVERED BY THE BOARDING RIGHTS ACT, HAD MANY VOTING RIGHTS OBJECTIONS.
SO THE LAWS WERE PREVENTED FROM GOING INTO EFFECT.
UM, AND, UH, THAT WAS THE WAY WE WERE ABLE, ONE OF THE WAYS WE WERE ABLE TO FORCE HOUSTON AND SAN ANTONIO INTO SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS, BECAUSE THEY HAD, UM, LARGE, LARGE NUMBERS OF ANNEXATIONS AND THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT LOOKED AT THAT AND SAID, YOU CAN'T HAVE THOSE ANNEXATIONS BECAUSE THEY FURTHER DILUTE THE MINORITY POPULATION.
AND SO IN TEXAS, UH, WITHOUT, IN THOSE DAYS, AT LEAST WITHOUT ANNEXATIONS, THE CITIES COULDN'T FUNCTION.
AND AS A RESULT, HOUSTON AND SAN ANTONIO HAD TO GO TO A SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS.
WE ALMOST WERE ABLE TO DO THAT IN AUSTIN, BUT, UM, YOUR ANNEXATIONS, UH, PROCESS HAD BEEN SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT THAN HOUSTON AND SAN ANTONIO.
AND WE WEREN'T ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THAT IN AUSTIN BACK IN THE EARLY SEVENTIES.
UM, SO, UM, UNDER SECTION FIVE, IF YOU MAKE ANY SORT OF A CHANGE, INCLUDING MOVING A POLLING PLACE ACROSS THE STREET, OR CHANGING THE HOURS OF VOTING, ANYTHING LIKE THAT, REDISTRICTING, EVERY CHANGE IN ELECTIONS HAS TO BE GIVEN JUSTICE DEPARTMENT PRE-CLEARANCE.
SO INSTEAD OF, INSTEAD OF FOLLOWING UP ON LITIGATION AND REDISTRICTING, UM, AND, AND THESE CASES THAT WE HAVE TO FILE THAT TAKE 10 YEARS TO HAVE A SOLUTION, WE DEAL WITH THIS THING UPFRONT BEFORE THE PROBLEM TAKES EFFECT.
AND THAT WAS WHAT THE IDEA OF THE, UH, SECTION FIVE OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT.
WE LOST THAT IN THE OLDER OPINION, OLDER OPINION IS, UM, ONE OF THE WORST, UM, OF CRAFTED, UH, SUPREME COURT DECISIONS OF ALL TIMES, UH, THE CONGRESS HAD PASSED THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT IN THE SENATE.
IT PASSED 98 TO NOTHING 98 TO NOTHING AND THE SUPREME COURT WITHOUT HOLDING A SINGLE HEARING SECOND GUESSED CONGRESS AND DECIDED THAT CONGRESS WAS GONE IN ALL OF THE HEARINGS THAT HAD HELD IT'S UNIQUE AMONG ALL, UM, UH, JURISPRUDENCE IN THE SUPREME COURT.
I THINK THEY ONLY, I THINK ONLY 17 HOUSE MEMBERS VOTED AGAINST.
UM, AND, UH, WE, WE LOST THAT IN 2013.
AND SO AS A RESULT OF THAT, UH, THE STATE AND LOCAL JURISDICTIONS HAVE BEEN MAKING CHANGE AFTER CHANGE, AFTER CHANGE, WHICH HAVE BECOME REAL PROBLEMS, INCLUDING, UM, UM, VOTER ID, VOTER ID PROBLEMS. WE HAVE, UH, WE'RE CHANGING POLLING PLACES NOW ALL THE TIME.
WE'RE REDUCING THE NUMBER OF POLLING PLACES, CREATING THESE, THESE, UM, MEGA, UM, POLLING PLACES.
UM, SO THE WAY YOU REGISTERED A VOTE NOW HAS DONE ESSENTIALLY UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE DPS.
AND THAT'S WHY THEY'VE CREATED THESE MEGA, UM, CENTERS, UH, FOR US WHERE YOU GET YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE.
UH, ALL OF THAT STUFF PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED FROM GOING INTO EFFECT AND SECTION FIVE OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT CONTINUED.
AND, UM, BUT THE UNDER THE UNDER THE WAY IT'S UNDER THE PROPOSAL, BUT SECTION FIVE IS SET UP UNDER NOW.
IT'S GOING TO BE, THE TEST WILL BE WHETHER OR NOT THERE ARE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF FINDINGS OF ELECTION IN UNCONSTITUTIONAL OR ILLEGALLY ELECTION DISCRIMINATION, UM, UH, UH, OVER A PERIOD OF 10 YEARS AND TEXAS BY AN OVERWHELMING AMOUNT WOULD FALL UNDER WHAT WOULD BE COVERED BY THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT AND WOULD BE, AND TELL THE WAS REPEALED WOULD BE COVERED IN PERPETUITY
[00:50:02]
BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY, WE'VE HAD SO MANY ELECTION PROBLEMS AND THE STATE IS SO LARGE THAT THEY'RE ELECTION PROBLEMS. THERE'S SO MANY PLACES TO FIND GOOD ELECTION PROBLEMS. THAT IS, THAT, DOES THAT DO IT? YES.UM, MR. CORWELL, UM, QUESTION FROM, UM, ONE OF OUR STAFF, CHRISTINA NOVELS, UM, AND THEN I, I BELIEVE FOLKS ARE RAISING THEIR HANDS.
IS THAT A WAY TO, UM, GET YOUR ATTENTION? LET'S GO AHEAD AND STOP SHARING SCREEN AND, UM, JUST A FRIENDLY REMINDER TO EVERYONE THAT THE CHAIR WILL ADDRESS ANYONE WHO HAS THEIR HAND UP.
UM, SO IF ANYONE DID HAVE A QUESTION, PLEASE DO.
SO I SEE COMMISSIONER FALCO AND, UM, VERY QUICKLY THE TWO, UH, COMMISSIONER CALLED AT ELLEN'S POINT, UH, OUR ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER, CHRISTINE GRANADA'S HAD LEFT A QUESTION IN THE CHAT.
UM, I DO WANT TO SECOND WHAT, UM, COMMISSIONER FALCONS HAS SAID ABOUT NOT USING THE CHAT, BECAUSE THIS IS A PUBLIC MEETING.
UM, BUT CHRISTINE'S QUESTION IS, DOES REDISTRICTING CONSIDER SOCIAL ECONOMIC STATUS OF A POPULATION AS A FACTOR WHEN RECONFIGURING DISTRICTS? UM, UH, YES.
UM, UM, UH, IN THE, IN THE LITIGATION, ONE OF THE WAYS WE SHOW THEM THAT A, UM, AN ELECTION PROBLEM IS, IS, HAS AS A RACIAL OR ETHNIC EFFECT, IS BY LOOKING AT THE CENSUS DATA AT THE, UM, SOCIOECONOMIC SOCIOECONOMIC DATA.
AND WE CAN SEE THAT THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN A TURNOUT RATE FOR IT TO BE EXPECTED.
FOR EXAMPLE, IN, UM, NON HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES IN HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES, SCAN, HISPANIC SUFFERED GREATLY, AND THAT, UM, THE, UM, LANGUAGE BECOMES A MAJOR PROBLEM IN ELECTIONS, EVEN WITH, UM, UM, HAVING THE BALLOTS TRANSLATE.
UM, LANGUAGE IS STILL A MAJOR PROBLEM.
UM, INCOME IS PROBABLY THE BEST PREDICTOR OF VOTER TURNOUT, AND WE CAN SEE THAT AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND HISPANIC PRIMARILY, AND TO A LESSER EXTENT, ASIAN INCOMES ARE MUCH, MUCH LESS THAN THE, THAN THE GENERAL POPULATION AND CERTAINLY LESS THAN THE ANNUAL POPULATION.
SO YES, ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE, WILL BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION.
AND WHEN YOU START LOOKING AT DRAWING YOUR DISTRICTS, THOSE ARE CERTAINLY THINGS THAT YOU CAN CONSIDER IN DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT, OR WHERE TO PUT THE LINES IN THE DISTRICTS.
AND I DID SEE THAT COMMISSIONER.
YES, I HAVE THE SAME QUESTION.
SO I APPRECIATE YOUR ANSWER JUST ESPECIALLY GIVEN THAT AUSTIN'S GROWTH HAS BEEN IN PROFESSIONAL INDUSTRIES.
I WOULD IMAGINE THAT WE WOULD SEE THAT GROWTH IN HIGHER INCOME BANDS.
AND I KNOW THAT THE CENSUS DOES RECORD THAT.
SO, UM, I'D JUST BE INTERESTED FOR US TO LOOK AT WHEN WE DO GET THE DATA ONE DAY, UH, JUST WHERE THE GROWTH CAME FROM AND HOW, UM, YOU KNOW, SPECIFICALLY, MAYBE THE GROWTH IN OUR TRADITIONALLY UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES MAY HAVE, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE LOOKING ETHNICALLY OR RACIALLY, WAS THAT GROWTH PROPELLED BY PEOPLE MOVING TO AUSTIN FOR THESE, UM, YOU KNOW, HIGHER INCOME JOBS.
THANK YOU FOR ASKING RICHARD DECIDED TO ADD A LITTLE BIT MORE TO THAT.
AND I MIGHT SAY ACTUALLY THE, UM, THE, UH, MOST RECENT CENSUS PROJECTIONS ON INCOME AND POPULATION, THOSE ARE ACTUALLY AVAILABLE NOW.
AND, UM, UM, UH, EARLIER TODAY I HAD, I HAD THOSE PULLED AND IF YOU WANT ME TO, I CAN PUT TOGETHER A SHORT MEMORANDUM DESCRIBING WHAT IT IS IN THE CITY AS A WHOLE.
WE WON'T BE ABLE TO DO A VERY GOOD JOB OF SAYING WHAT IT IS IN EACH ONE OF THE DISTRICTS BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE CENSUS PUTS THE INFORMATION TOGETHER.
UH, BUT IT'LL GIVE YOU A PRETTY GOOD IDEA AT THE SOCIOEC SOCIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES, WHICH I SUSPECT WILL PROBABLY BE IN EXCESS OF WHAT THEY WERE FOR THE LAST STUFF FOR THE LAST FEW DISTRICTS.
YES, PLEASE, PLEASE DO PUT THAT TOGETHER FOR US.
AND I SEE THE COMMISSIONER CALLED IT ON AND HAS A QUESTION.
SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I WAS READING THIS MAP THAT YOU WERE SHARING EARLIER CORRECTLY.
THE SPACES THAT DON'T HAVE COLORS IN THEM ARE UNINCORPORATED UNINCORPORATED AREAS.
UM, IS THAT IS MY UNDERSTANDING OF THAT CORRECT? OR ARE THEY OTHER MUNICIPALITIES? AND THEN YOU DID BRING UP AN EXPRESSION.
AND I WAS MY UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT ANNEXATION IS THAT UNDER THE OLD SECTION FIVE OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT, ANY ANNEXATIONS THAT WOULD DILUTE OR SUBSTANTIALLY CHANGE A VOTING
[00:55:01]
DISTRICT WOULD HAVE TO BE PRE-CLEARED.UM, BUT THAT NOWADAYS THESE ANNEXATIONS, UH, WE'LL JUST MOVE FORWARD AND COULD POTENTIALLY ALSO ALTER, UM, THE CHARACTER LET'S SAY OF A DISTRICT.
IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.
UM, THE, UH, YES, THE AREAS THAT ARE THE SWISS CHEESE THAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, SOME, SOME OF THOSE ARE, UM, SMALL, SMALL CITIES THAT ARE WITHIN THE, WITHIN THE EXISTING CITY.
SOME OF THEM ARE, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, BUSINESSES THAT HAVE BEEN EXCLUDED.
AND I THINK THAT BASE FOR YOUR, UM, FOR YOUR TEXAS, THE TEXAS GUARD, I THINK IS, IS ONE OF THOSE SWISS CHEESES.
UM, BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, GETTING AROUND THE SWISS CHEESES TO DRAW A DISTRICT, UH, WELL SOMETIMES MAKE YOUR DISTRICTS LOOK REALLY VERY STRANGE AND BECOME IMPOSSIBLE.
HI, I'M SO, MR. CORBELL, I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE, UH, REPORT THAT YOU WILL GENERATE SHOWING INCOME.
UM, YOU SAID YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO PROVIDE US A VIEW OF, UM, I GUESS, INCOME ACROSS THE CITY, WOULD IT AND POSSIBLY NOT BY DISTRICT, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO SHOW, SAY BY ZIP CODE OR, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT THAT COULD GIVE US A GEOGRAPHIC SENSE OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH? BECAUSE IT WAS VERY INTERESTING TO SEE IN LAST, IN OUR LAST MEETING, THE, I GUESS, INTEGRATION THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING RACIALLY ACROSS THE CITY.
UM, IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO SEE IF THERE IS THAT EQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH GEOGRAPHIC, GEOGRAPHICALLY.
UM, OH, I WILL, I WILL DO THE BEST JOB I CAN.
THE, UH, THEY, THEY DON'T ACTUALLY BREAK IT DOWN IN THE SAME WAY THAT, UM, THAT YOUR DISTRICTS ARE BROKEN DOWN.
UM, BUT ALSO WHAT, I I'LL SEE WHAT I CAN DO.
AND I SEE COMMISSIONER FALCO HAS ANOTHER QUESTION.
I WAS JUST GOING TO ALSO ADDRESS THAT I'VE WORKED WITH CENSUS DATA A LOT AND THEY DON'T ACTUALLY GO TO THE ZIP CODE LEVEL.
SO I'M GOING TO FORGET THE, WHAT THE ACRONYM STANDS FOR, BUT THAT ACTUALLY WAS ONE OF OUR INTERVIEW QUESTIONS.
WHAT I WOULD HIRE ANALYSTS, JUST LIKE, WHAT WOULD YOU DO IN THE ABSENCE? SO, UM, JUST WANT TO PUT OUT THERE THAT PERHAPS WE COULD LOOK AT THAT CSA.
WE DON'T WANT TO CREATE EXTRA WORK FOR YOU, MR. CORVO WHEN WE KNOW THAT IT'S BROKEN DOWN IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
SO IT'S ALSO POSSIBLE THAT THE, UM, THAT THE STATE MAY, THE STATE DOES A PRETTY GOOD JOB OF DOING PROJECTIONS AND THE STATE MADE THIS YEAR.
SO, UM, IF THAT'S THE CASE, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO GET THERE.
UM, I HAD ONE QUESTION FOR YOU AND YOU MENTIONED TRAVIS COUNTY AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
WHEN DO YOU THINK IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO INVITE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE COUNTY TO, UH, ONE OF OUR MEETINGS SO THAT WE CAN HASH THAT OUT.
UM, AND, AND IS THAT ALSO SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAPPEN WITH THE VARIOUS SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT, UM, FALL WITHIN OUR CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS? BECAUSE I KNOW THERE'S MORE THAN JUST AUSTIN ISD.
WELL, UM, WELL WE DO HAVE THE, WE DO HAVE THE BOUNDARIES SHOULD SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
UM, AND, UM, SO WE WILL BE ABLE TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE BOUNDARIES FOR THE SCHOOL, BUT AUSTIN BECOMES, I MEAN, TRAVIS CONNIE BECOMES IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY DRAW THE VOTING PRECINCT.
AND, UM, IN MY EXPERIENCE, UM, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE BIGGEST, UM, UH, PROBLEMS FOR TURNOUT IS CHANGING VOTING PRECINCTS.
AND SO THE MORE THAT'S, WHICH IS THE COURT, THAT'S THE REASON THAT THE LEGISLATURE 10 YEARS AGO, UM, CUT A HUNDRED VOTING PRECINCTS IN TRAVIS COUNTY SIMPLY TO MAKE A DIFFICULT, LOW, LOWER TURNOUT.
SO SHOULD WE ARRANGE TO MEET WITH SOMEONE FROM TRAVIS COUNTY TO DISCUSS? I THINK, I THINK THAT THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE.
UM, I'M NOT SURE WHO IS GOING TO BE DOING THEIR REDISTRICTING.
I DON'T THINK THEY CHOSEN ANYONE YET, BUT, UM, I CERTAINLY WOULD BE ABLE TO COORDINATE WITH THEM AND WE CAN SET UP THOSE SORTS OF MEETINGS.
I WAS INVOLVED IN, UM, PARIS COUNTY, EXCUSE ME, THE TRAVIS COUNTY REDISTRICTING, UM, 10 YEARS AGO.
AND I'M NOT SURE WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE GOING TO BE INVOLVED IN THAT AGAIN.
SO I SEE THAT MR. YOUNG HAS HIS HAND UP.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE A COMMENT.
UH, I I'VE TALKED TO THE COUNTY AND THEY'RE GOING TO DO THEIR ENTIRE THING IN HOUSE.
THEY HAVE A LARGE STAFF THEY'VE CREATED OF MAPMAKERS
[01:00:01]
AS WHATEVER THE JARGON IS FOR THEM LIKE GEORGE AND I USED TO, I USED TO HAVE GEORGIA STILL HAS ON HIS TEAM AND THEY'RE DOING IT THROUGH THEIR, UH, VOTER REGISTRATION OFFICE.SO IT WOULD BE A VERY GOOD IDEA PROBABLY TO TALK TO THEM.
UH, I AM AWARE THAT THEY ARE THINKING ABOUT GOING TO, UH, SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND PERHAPS EVEN TO THE CITY TO OPENING A PRO TO POTENTIALLY PROVIDING SERVICES TO, UH, US AND OTHERS, UH, TO DO THE MAP PART BECAUSE THEY HAVE A LARGE ENOUGH OPERATION.
AND FOR THE REASON GEORGE BROUGHT UP THAT WITH THE COUNTY DRAWING ELECTION PRECINCTS, IT WOULD BE TO THEIR BENEFIT TO COORDINATE, UH, BACK AND FORTH.
SO THEY DON'T END UP WITH, HEY ASH, UH, YOU KNOW, 3 0 2, A, B, C, AND D AMONG LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, BECAUSE THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE LEGISLATURE, BUT THEY CAN AVOID THE AMOUNT OF DESTRUCTION THAT CAN BE DONE BY LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENTITIES.
AND THIS TIME FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 60 YEARS, THEY HAVE IN-HOUSE CAPACITY.
GOD, THANK YOU ALL TO KNOW THAT YOU WOULD TALK TO BRUCE ALFON TAXES AS A COLLECTOR, BELIEVE IT OR NOT RUN VOTER REGISTRATION.
I THINK IT WOULD BE THE PLACE TO START.
I JUST WANTED TO PUT THAT IN BECAUSE THAT'S A BRAND NEW THING, GEORGE AND I BOTH DONE THIS FOR THE COUNTY AND THERE'S NO NOT GOING TO BE A BIDDING PROCESS AS JAM TO GO.
THEY HAVE ALL THE CAPACITY IN HOUSE.
ARE THERE ANY MORE QUESTIONS FOR MR. PORTERVILLE BEFORE WE LET HIM GO AND MOVE ON WITH OUR AGENDA? OKAY, GREAT.
SO WE WILL MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS.
THIS IS TO SEE THE UPDATE FROM THE PUBLIC HEARINGS WORKING GROUP, AND WE WILL VOTE ON PROPOSED PUBLIC FORUM DATES AND RUN THROUGH THE PUBLIC FORUM STRUCTURE AS WELL.
AND, UM, AND THAT IS IN PREPARATION FOR TOMORROW.
UM, AND VICE CHAIR GONZALEZ WILL PROVIDE THESE UPDATES AS THAT ALL COMMISSIONERS COULD IMAGINE.
THERE HAD TO BE SOME RESHUFFLING, SOME DAY CHANGES TO OUR PROPOSED PUBLIC.
SO WE DID VOTE ON SOME DATES AT THE LAST MEETING.
UH, PUBLIC HEARINGS WORKING GROUP GOT TOGETHER.
WE FEEL LIKE WHAT WE'RE GOING TO PROPOSE TODAY IS SET.
UM, UH, SO WE WOULD APPRECIATE, UM, YOUR REVIEW AND THEN TO VOTE ON THESE DATES.
PLEASE TELL ME WHEN Y'ALL CAN SEE MY SCREEN.
AND I'M JUST GOING TO DO A QUICK RUNDOWN OF THESE DATES.
SO AS WE'VE STATED BEFORE, OUR FIRST STARTS WITH, UM, OUR PUBLIC FORUM WITHIN DISTRICT NINE, THAT IS THURSDAY, JULY 5TH, FROM SIX TO EIGHT AT CITY HALL.
COUNCIL CHAMBERS FOLLOWED UP A WEEK FROM NOW A WEEK FROM TOMORROW.
UM, WITHIN DISTRICT 10 THURSDAY, JULY 22ND, FROM SIX TO 8:00 PM AT THE DELL JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER WITHIN DISTRICT SEVEN SATURDAY, JULY 24TH FROM 11:00 AM TO 1:00 PM AT THE NORTHWEST RECREATION CENTER DISTRICT EIGHT TUESDAY, JULY 27TH, FROM SIX TO 8:00 PM AT THE LBJ WILDFLOWER CENTER DISTRICT FOUR SATURDAY, JULY 31ST FROM TWO TO 4:00 PM AT THE GAZELLE GARCIA, UH, RECREATION CENTER DISTRICT SIX TUESDAY, AUGUST 3RD, SIX TO 8:00 PM, SPICEWOOD SPRINGS, BRANCH LIBRARY DISTRICT THREE SATURDAY, AUGUST 7TH, ONE TO 3:00 PM AT THE LOUISE BRANCH LIBRARY.
WE HAVE DISTRICT TWO TUESDAY, AUGUST 10TH FROM SEVEN 30 TO 9:30 PM.
THE DITMAR RECREATION CENTER DISTRICT ONE SATURDAY, AUGUST 14TH FROM ONE TO 3:00 PM AT THE GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER MUSEUM.
AND FINALLY DISTRICT FIVE TUESDAY, AUGUST 17TH, SIX TO EIGHT AT THE BIN SHAKA ROAD BRANCH LIBRARY.
I DO WANT TO NOTE, WE HAD, WE DO STILL PLAN FOR A VIRTUAL PUBLIC FORUM OPTION.
THAT IS A DATE THAT IT WILL STILL BE TBD.
UH, IT COULD FALL BETWEEN THESE DATES.
UH, IT COULD STILL FALL BETWEEN AUGUST 17TH, BETWEEN AUGUST 17TH AND AUGUST 31ST.
THE WORKING GROUP WILL PROVIDE, UH, TO THE COMMISSION AT A LATER DATE.
THAT'S THE UPDATE, UH, IN TERMS OF VOTING ON THESE NEW PROPOSED PUBLIC ONE, HOW MUCH, AND I KNOW THAT THIS WAS SOME REALLY HEAVY LIFTING ON THE WORKING GROUPS PART.
SO THANK YOU TO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU FOR, FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE, UM, TO, TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THIS POSSIBLE.
AND WE DO NEED TO VOTE ON THESE, UH, PUBLIC FORUM DATES.
[01:05:01]
ADVISED, UH, JUST FOR EVERYONE'S KNOWLEDGE, UH, BY MR. KORBEL TO CALL THESE PUBLIC FORUMS FROM HERE ON OUT.UM, I DID INCLUDE THAT IN MY EMAIL, BUT I WANT TO SAY THAT HERE AS WELL.
UM, AND THAT HAS TO DO WITH, UM, JUST THINGS AROUND WHETHER WE WOULD NEED A QUORUM OR NOT, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING ON THE TERMINOLOGY.
SO, UM, SO WE WILL BE CALLING THEM PUBLIC FORUMS. UM, WITH THAT BEING SAID, LET'S GO AHEAD AND, UH, DO WE HAVE, DO WE HAVE ANY, UM, MOTIONS TO, TO VOTE HERE? THAT WAS A MOTION THAT WE ADOPT THE PROPOSED DATES FOR THE PUBLIC FORUMS. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? OKAY.
UM, IT'S MOVED AND SECONDED TO APPROVE OF THESE PUBLIC FORUM DATES.
SO IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S, IS THERE ANY DEBATE ON THIS? ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY.
SO THE QUESTION IS ON THE ADOPTION OF THE MOTION THAT WE APPROVE THESE PUBLIC FORUM, DATES THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION.
DO WE ALSO HAVE, UH, COMMISSIONER CANNON? YES.
WE ARE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THOSE PUBLIC FORUM DATES.
CAN YOU CONFIRM WHO SECONDED THE MOTION THERE? I'M SO SORRY.
I BELIEVE I SAW COMMISSIONER GONZALEZ HIS HAND FIRST MUCH.
UM, THE NEXT THING WAS TO RUN THROUGH THE PUBLIC FORUM STRUCTURE, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND AS WELL BY STRICT GONZALEZ TAKING US THROUGH THAT.
UM, AND, AND I WANT TO LEAVE PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITY FOR QUESTIONS, UM, AT THE END OF, OF, UM, QUISHA GONZALES'S PRESENTATION ON THIS.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A PRESENTATION OR IF YOU'RE JUST VERBALLY WALKING US THROUGH IT.
WELL, I WILL, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU CHAIR.
THANK YOU TO THE WORKING GROUP FOR THE WORK THAT THEY DID ON CONFIRMING VENUES AND DATES.
I REALLY APPRECIATE IT, CHRISTINE, PATRICIA, UM, AND EVERYONE THAT'S ON THE WORKING GROUP FROM THE COMMISSION.
AND I REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, YOUR WORK ON THIS.
UM, I DO HAVE THE AGENDA THAT HAS BEEN POSTED FOR TOMORROW'S, UM, PUBLIC HEARING AT CITY HALL.
SO I WAS GOING TO USE THAT AS THE BASE FOR, UM, WALKING THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION.
I'M GOING TO SHARE MY SCREEN ONCE MORE.
IF IT ALLOWS ME, GIVE ME ONE SECOND TECHNOLOGY, PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU CAN SEE MY SCREEN, YOU CAN SEE IT, APPRECIATE THAT.
SO THIS IS WHAT OUR TEMPLATE FOR OUR AGENDAS WILL LOOK LIKE MOVING FORWARD FOR ALL OF OUR PUBLIC FORUMS. UM, I THINK IT WOULD BE BEST, UH, CHAIR POINT TO US JUST TO GO THROUGH THE PURPOSE AND THEN COME BACK TO THIS FIRST PAGE TO WALK THROUGH THE ACTUAL AGENDA.
BUT I WANT THE COMMISSIONER'S ATTENTION ON THE FORUM PROCEDURE FOR OUR PUBLIC, OUR PUBLIC FORUMS WITHIN THE AGENDA, WITHIN ALL THE AGENDAS, WE'LL START WITH THE PURPOSE OF THESE PUBLIC FORUMS. AND THAT IS TO RECEIVE PUBLIC INPUT ON REDISTRICTING MATTERS PRIOR TO THE APPROVAL OF OUR PRELIMINARY PLAN.
THAT IS WHY WE ARE, UH, SCHEDULING 11, INCLUDING THE VIRTUAL OPPORTUNITY, 11 HEARINGS BEFORE THE SEPTEMBER 1ST SUGGESTED THAT MINE, UM, LOGISTICS.
THERE'S SOME LOGISTICS WITHIN HERE, UH, SOME ROLES FOR THE CHAIR, THE VICE CHAIR, SOME OF OUR STAFF AND THE COMMISSIONERS AS WELL.
IF YOU WANT TO REVIEW THAT AND THEN SOME PUBLIC RULES, UM, PUBLIC FORUM RULES FOR ANY ATTENDEES.
SO, UH, SPEAKERS WILL HAVE FIVE MINUTES AND I'LL ALLUDE TO THAT IN A LITTLE BIT LATER.
UM, AND THEN WE'RE HOPING THAT WE CAN MAINTAIN, UH, OR KEEP THE PUBLIC INPUT TO MATTERS ABOUT REDISTRICTING.
THEY'RE INTERESTED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, IT'S THEIR MAPS AND OUR REDISTRICTING PLAN.
SO THIS IS AVAILABLE ON ICR WEBSITE, WHERE MATT AND LISA USUALLY POSTS OUR AGENDAS FOR OUR WEDNESDAY MEETINGS.
FOR SOME FURTHER REVIEW, WE'RE GOING TO COME BACK TO SORRY FOR WHERE TO GO.
WE ARE GOING TO START WITH THE CALL TO ORDER.
WE WILL INTRODUCE AGAIN, USING THAT PROCEDURE.
WE'VE INTRODUCED THE PUBLIC FORUMS, UH, GO SOME LOGISTICS AND, UH, GOING OVER SOME RULES, WE HAVE CRAFTED A PRESENTATION THAT WE'LL GO THROUGH TO, UM, ITEMS TWO THROUGH FIVE ON THE AGENDA, THE
[01:10:01]
FIRST BEING, DEFINING WHO AND WHO WE ARE AS THE ICRC AND WHY WE ARE HERE TODAY.SO A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND, SOME HISTORY ABOUT 2012 AND THE PROPOSAL THAT PASSED THAT CREATED DISTRICTS, UM, AND THE PROCESS ON HOW WE WERE SELECTED, UM, ON THIS ITERATION OF THE IC ICRC, HOW MANY APPLICATIONS WERE SUBMITTED, UM, HOW MANY WERE DEEMED QUALIFIED AND THEN THE EIGHT RANDOM JOINS AND THE SIX THAT WERE SELECTED BY THE FIRST EIGHT, WE WILL HAVE SOME PRESENTATIONS BASED ON, UH, SOME SLIDES AND INFORMATION THAT WERE PRESENTED BY OUR CITY DEMO, DEMOGRAPHER, UH, LAILA, VALENCIA.
WE WILL GO OVER THE CURRENT MAP, UH, PRESENTS CURRENT MAPS, SIMILAR TO WHAT MR CORBELL DID FOR US TODAY.
AND A BRIEF EXPLANATION ON WHY WE DO NOT YET HAVE CURRENT, UH, 20, 20 CENSUS DATA.
AND THEN WE WILL GO INTO BREAKOUT SESSIONS.
SO THIS IS KIND OF WHERE I WANT.
SO MOST OF OUR ATTENTION TODAY, UM, INSTEAD OF CITIZEN COMMUNICATION, THREE MINUTES, THREE MINUTES, WE THOUGHT IT'D BE A GREAT USE OF EVERYBODY'S TIME IF WE COULD DO GROUP BREAKOUT SESSIONS.
SO EACH ATTENDEE WILL BE BROKEN UP INTO INDIVIDUAL GROUPS IN EQUAL NUMBERS.
THEY WILL HAVE A NAME TAG WITH A COLORED STICKER TO IDENTIFY WHAT GROUP THEY WILL BE IN.
WE HOPE THAT EACH COMMISSIONER WHO WAS ATTENDANCE, ONE COMMISSIONER COULD BE WITH EACH GROUP, UM, AND, AND LEAD THEM THROUGH THIS ACTIVITY.
THEY WILL RE EACH ATTENDEE WILL RECEIVE TWO MAPS.
ONE WILL BE A MAP, UH, SIMILAR TO WHAT MR. CORBELL SHOWED TODAY OF THE ENTIRE CITY AND HOW THE 10 DISTRICTS ARE BROKEN UP.
AND THEN FOR EXAMPLE, TOMORROW, SINCE WE WILL BE IN WITHIN DISTRICT NINE, THEY WILL ALSO RECEIVE A MAP OF SIMPLY IN DISTRICT NINE AND MAYBE SOME OF THE SURROUNDING AREA AROUND IT.
THE PURPOSE OF THESE MAPS ARE TO PHYSICALLY CIRCLE AND IDENTIFY AREAS OF INTERESTS, UM, AREAS THAT MATTER TO THEM MATTER TO THE COMMUNITY.
AND THAT COULD BE ENSURING THAT THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS ARE INTACT, ENSURING THAT THEIR FAVORITE PARK REMAINS WITHIN THEIR DISTRICT, UH, THEIR SCHOOLS OF THEIR CHURCHES.
UM, WE WOULD THEN GATHER ALL OF THOSE SHEETS AND THAT WILL BECOME PUBLIC RECORD.
UM, WE WILL THEN ASK ONE INDIVIDUAL TO BE IDENTIFIED, UH, FROM EACH GROUP AND THEY WILL SPEAK ON THEIR FINDINGS FROM WITHIN THE GROUP.
AND THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IDENTIFIED TO SPEAK WILL HAVE FIVE MINUTES TO REPORT OUT WHAT THEY LEARNED FROM THEIR GROUP.
THE, I ALSO WANT TO NOTE THE PURPOSE FOR A COMMISSIONER BEING WITHIN EACH GROUP IS TO ALSO EXPLAIN THE PRIORITIES AS IT, AS THE ICRC OF HOW WE WILL DRAW THESE MAPS.
SO AGAIN, THE PRIORITIES AS THEY RELATE TO OUR CHARTER IN SECTION THREE.
SO WE HEARD THAT IN OUR LAST MEETING, UH, WE, WE ARE CHARGED WITH ENSURING THAT THEY ARE EQUAL POPULATION IN EACH DISTRICT, UH, TO ABIDE BY THE VRA AND TO ENSURE THAT ALL DISTRICTS ARE, YOU KNOW, HAVE GEOGRAPHICAL BOUNDARIES AND ARE CONTINUOUS.
SO ANOTHER REASON TO HAVE EACH COMMISSIONER, UM, BRUSH UP ON, UH, SECTION THREE E UH, FOR THEIR GROUPS TOMORROW AND FOR THESE FUTURE MEETINGS, UM, THAT IS ABOUT IT.
SO I'M HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS.
UM, UH, IF, IF ANYONE SHOULD HAVE THEM AT THIS POINT OPEN TO QUESTIONS I WANT TO CLARIFY.
NO, NO, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY FINE.
I WANT TO CLARIFY THAT, UH, THAT WE HAD AN INTEREST IN, UM, BRINGING THE COMMISSIONERS, OUR, YOU KNOW, OURSELVES INTO THESE BREAKOUT SESSIONS, UM, IN SOMEWHAT OF A FACILITATING ROLE, BUT, UM, REALLY JUST TO BE ABLE TO LISTEN AND A LITTLE MORE OF A, YOU KNOW, A SMALL GROUP INTIMATE SETTING.
UM, AND I THINK I JUST WANTED TO MAKE CLEAR THE RECORD STRAIGHT HERE, UH, THAT WE CAN DO THAT.
UM, BECAUSE IT SEEMED THAT THERE WAS SOME QUESTION THAT WE COULDN'T.
UM, SO MR. POURABLE, SINCE YOU ARE STILL WITH US, UM, CAN YOU TELL US WHETHER THAT IS WITHIN THE BOUNDS, UM, TO, TO INVITE THE COMMISSIONERS INTO THESE SMALL GROUP SESSIONS IN OUR PUBLIC FORUMS? I'M SORRY.
AND YOU HAVE TO UNMUTE YOURSELF.
I HAVE TO UNSHARE MY SCREEN THERE.
FORTUNATELY, MR. CORBA, IF YOU JUST HIT THE SPACE KEY ON YOUR COMPUTER, YOU CAN TALK.
IT SEEMS LIKE MR. CORBELL IS NOW ON MUTED.
UM, THE WAY I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE PROPOSING, UM, I'VE DISCUSSED THAT WITH, UM, UM, UH, MR. RICHARDS AND WE DON'T QUITE UNDERSTAND WHY THERE WAS AN OBJECTION.
AND, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO TALK TO THE CITY ATTORNEY WHO
[01:15:01]
HAD SOME CONCERNS TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, WE'RE NOT MISSING SOMETHING OR THAT WE'RE, WE DON'T HAVE SOMETHING THAT'S LOST IN THE DEFINITION, UH, THAT WE CAN STRAIGHTEN OUT.UM, AND, UH, I, I THINK I SENT A, I THINK I SENT A, UM, UM, A PHONE CALL TO, UH, MATT EARLIER TODAY TO SEE IF WE COULD GET SOMETHING TOGETHER WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY SO WE COULD STRAIGHTEN IT OUT AGAIN.
I HAVEN'T, UM, I HAVEN'T HEARD BACK FROM HIM.
I HAVEN'T NOTICED THAT HE'S BEEN, HE'S GOTTEN BACK TO ME, SO I CAN'T, I DON'T, I DON'T SEE THAT THERE'S A PROBLEM, MR. RICHARDS, DOESN'T SEE, THERE'S A PROBLEM.
UM, UH, BUT MAYBE THERE'S SOMETHING THAT THE CITY SEES THAT WE DON'T SEE.
UM, AND IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THE PROBLEM THAT THEY SEE IS SOMETHING THAT COULD BE EASILY CORRECTED ON IS A WHOLE LOT OF WAYS WE CAN GO GET AROUND THIS, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO TALK TO THE CITY ATTORNEY THAT HAD, THAT HAD THE ISSUE.
AND I DO SEE THAT, THAT, THAT, UH, NEEDED HIMSELF.
SO YEAH, I DID HEAR BACK FROM CAROLINE WEBSTER IN THE STATE DEPARTMENT TONIGHT, BUT SHE WAS SAYING IF THERE'S, IF THERE'S LESS THAN A QUORUM OF COMMISSIONERS AT THE MEETING, THEN YOU ALL CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSIONS.
UM, AND THEN IF THERE IS A QUORUM, THAT'S GOTTA BE AN, A REGULARLY POSTED MEETING.
UM, SO MY UNDERSTANDING, READING HER EMAIL IT'S, IF IT'S, IF IT'S LESS THAN A QUORUM THERE AT THAT PUBLIC FORUM, IT'S GOING TO BE, IT'S GOING TO BE OKAY.
UM, AS FAR AS THE, UH, PUBLIC POSTING YOUR, UH, YOUR NOTICES THAT YOU'RE GOING UP, I DON'T WANT THOSE CONDOMS POSTINGS.
SO IT WOULD BE COVERED ALL THE WAY AROUND IT.
AND I WASN'T YOU FOR NOT GETTING BACK TO ME, THESE ARE, THESE ARE HARD DAYS FOR ALL OF US, BUT I'M GLAD WE GOT THAT STRAIGHTENED OUT.
AND I DO SEE A COMMISSIONER KNEE AND THEN CRUSHED HER BLANK.
SORRY, BUT MAYBE I'M JUST CONFUSED.
UM, SO FOR THE PUBLIC FORUMS, IF THERE ISN'T A QUORUM, IF THERE ARE LESS THAN NINE, THEN THE COMMISSIONERS CAN FACILITATE THE GROUP BREAKOUT SESSIONS.
OR ARE YOU SAYING THAT THERE ISN'T A QUORUM IN EACH BREAKUP BREAKOUT SESSION, THEN IT'S FINE.
UM, IF THERE IS LESS THAN A QUORUM AT THE MEETING AS A WHOLE, NOT JUST IN THE BREAKOUT SESSION, THEY CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSIONS.
UM, BUT THEY CANNOT COMMUNICATE WITH A QUORUM OR MORE UNTIL ON A REGULARLY POSTED OPEN MEETING.
UM, LIKE WE'RE SAYING THE SECOND GO, THIS IS, UH, THIS IS A POSTED, UH, MEETING FOR THE ICRC.
AND, UM, AND I DO SEE, YEAH, JUST, YOU KNOW, I THINK THIS IS INTERESTING PLANNING.
I JUST HAVE A FEW SMALL CONCERNS, I GUESS THAT ALL BOYS, BUT I'M NOT AGAINST, AGAINST THIS APPROACH.
I MEAN, I GUESS WHAT I WOULD WONDER, AND I JUST WANT PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT, AS WE PROCEED WITH THIS IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT PEOPLE WHO SHOW UP TO THESE MEETINGS WHO DON'T WANT ONE PERSON TO SPEAK FOR THEM.
I MEAN, WE'RE ASSUMING THAT EVERYBODY IS GOING TO ENJOY FULLY PARTICIPATE IN THESE GROUPS, MAYBE.
SO THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY GOING TO BE EVERYBODY.
I WOULD WORRY A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.
I THINK WE'VE BEEN TALKING A LOT ABOUT DEMOGRAPHIC REPRESENTATION AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
I THINK ONE OF THE NICE THINGS IS THAT, YOU KNOW, IF PEOPLE ARE SPEAKING TO THE WHOLE COMMITTEE, THEY GET TO SPEAK TO EVERYBODY.
PEOPLE WHO LOOK LIKE THEM, PEOPLE WHO DON'T, WHO COME FROM THEIR DISTRICT, WHO DO NOT.
WHEREAS IF SOMEONE COMING FROM DISTRICT EIGHT AND WE GO INTO PICK YOUR DISTRICT, NOW I'M A REPRESENTATIVE OF SOME GROUP OF BETWEEN THREE AND 10 PEOPLE LET'S SAY.
UH, SO I MEAN, THAT'S ONE SORT OF JUST A LITTLE, YOU KNOW, CONCERN I HAVE, I GUESS, UM, YOU KNOW, I'D ALSO ADD TO THAT IS, YOU KNOW, I WORRY ABOUT PEOPLE'S COVID CONCERNS AND GETTING INTO SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS WITH STRANGERS.
THEY DON'T KNOW, I'M NOT TRYING TO THROW OUT AGAIN, ANY SORT OF, I WON'T EVEN CALL IT A COVID CARD, BUT I JUST, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST WORRIED ABOUT PEOPLE NOT WANTING TO PARTICIPATE THIS WAY.
AND THEN THE ONLY OTHER KIND OF, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, SMALL CONCERN I HAVE IS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE BASICALLY, DIS-AGGREGATE THE INFORMATION GATHERING ACROSS ALL OF US.
AND THEN WE'RE ALL TRUSTING EACH OTHER TO COME BACK WITH, YOU KNOW, AN ACCURATE REPRESENTATION OF WHAT WE HEARD IN THESE GROUP DISCUSSIONS.
AND I WORRY A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE'RE ALL GOING TO GET A FRAGMENTED PICTURE OF EACH DISTRICT, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO COME BACK.
[01:20:01]
THE FINAL REPORT COMMITTEE THAT I WANNA LIKE SEE MORE.AND I'M USUALLY MR. EFFICIENCY.
IT SAYS, LET'S BREAK OUT, GO DO THIS.
WE DON'T WANT 150 PEOPLE EACH TALKING FOR FIVE MINUTES.
IT'S GOING TO BE THERE ALL NIGHT AT THE SAME TIME.
I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF CONCERNS ABOUT THIS, THIS APPROACH.
AND I THINK THOSE, I THINK THAT'S PRETTY MUCH MUCH IT, BUT I JUST SOMETHING I WANT PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, FACILITATING AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE EDGE CASES THAT WE MIGHT ENCOUNTER WHEN WE GET OUT THERE.
AND DO WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, A PLAN TO, UH, YOU KNOW, A BACKUP PLAN, I GUESS IF THAT DOESN'T WORK.
I MEAN, ANOTHER POSSIBILITY IS WHAT IF 700 PEOPLE SHOW UP? I MEAN, THAT'S NOT GOOD, NOT LIKELY TO HAPPEN, BUT AGAIN, THERE'S SOME NUMBERS ISSUES THAT COULD MAKE THIS DIFFICULT.
ALSO BOTH IN TERMS OF THE ABILITY TO FACILITATE A DISCUSSION, BUT ALSO LIKE PHYSICAL SPACE.
AND THAT'S GOING TO DEPEND ON EACH DISTRICT MEETING.
SO, UM, VICE CHAIR, GONZALEZ, DID YOU WANT TO ADDRESS THOSE QUESTIONS OR IT INTO CONSIDERATION? I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN ADDRESS THEM RIGHT NOW.
I WILL JUST SAY, UH, I W I WANT TO BE, UM, I UNDERSTAND THE COVID, UH, AT THE VERY LEAST I UNDERSTAND THE COVID THE CAUTION AROUND THE PANDEMIC RIGHT NOW.
I'M LOOKING AT A FEW OF THE SPACES.
UH, WE ENVISIONED THE GROUPS TO STILL BE SPACED OUT IN A WAY, AND EVEN THOUGH THERE'LL BE BROKEN OUT, STILL HAVE THAT SOCIAL DISTANCING SPACE.
UM, BUT YOU DO TAKE, YOU DO GET, UH, MAKE A GOOD POINT, COMMISSIONER BLANK.
IF, IF FOR EXAMPLE, IF THERE ARE 700 ATTENDEES AT ONE OF OUR PUBLIC FORUMS, I DON'T BELIEVE ANY OF THE VENUES THAT WE JUST VOTED IN PROPOSED ON WOULD BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE A GROUP OF 700.
SO WE WOULD BE, UM, YEAH, WE WOULD BE SPILLING OVER UNTIL TO THE OUTDOORS.
UM, THE RE THE REASON, AND JUST, I GUESS I COULD COMMENT ON THE FEAR, NOT THE FEAR OR THE CONCERN OF MAYBE EACH COMMISSIONER WHO MIGHT BE FACILITATING ONE OF THESE GROUPS TO COME BACK WITH A FRAGMENTED, UM, IDEA OF THAT CERTAIN DISTRICT.
AGAIN, I'M NOT IN, I'M NOT ENCOURAGING, UH, THE COMMISSIONERS TO MAYBE DIVE DEEPER INTO THAT CONVERSATION.
IT'S MORE OF TO EXPLAIN, UH, WHY WE ARE THERE AS, AS, AS THE ICRC AND TO JUST SPECIFY, UM, WHAT WE DRAW MAPS, WHAT THE PRIORITIES WILL BE.
WE WOULD BE GETTING, UH, THE SHEETS FROM THE ATTENDEES WHO ARE, UM, WILL BE AT PRESENT AND THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME ASSIGNMENT.
SO I FEEL LIKE ONCE YOU BRING ALL THOSE DOCUMENTS TOGETHER AND HOPE THAT THAT KIND OF ANSWERS THE FRAGMENTED, FRAGMENTED CONCERN, UM, YOU MIGHT BE SEEING SOME OF THESE SHEETS, UH, YOU MIGHT BE PARTICIPATING IN THEM.
SHOULD YOU CHOOSE? UM, I DON'T ADVISE FOR US TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ACTIVITY.
UM, BUT AGAIN, IT'S JUST TO FACILITATE, AND I HOPE THAT ANSWERS SOME OF THE QUESTIONS.
AND I DO SEE A FEW OTHER HANDS FIRST COMMISSIONER KAMBO.
UM, AND THEN I SAW
UM, SO FIRSTLY, JUST TO KEEP IT BRIEF, BUT FIRSTLY, UM, DO WE ALREADY HAVE A LIST OF WHO'S ATTENDING WHETHER OR NOT THAT CONSTITUTES A QUORUM? SO THAT WAY WE CAN DECIDE IN ADVANCE, UM, WHETHER WE HAVE, WE COULD HAVE THAT ISSUE.
UM, AND SECONDLY, UM, I IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT ATTENDEES WILL BE GIVEN A MAP.
WILL THEY ALSO BE GIVEN EITHER ON THE BACK ON A SEPARATE SHEET AWAY TO WRITE THEIR SUGGESTION TO MAYBE THEY CAN CIRCLE THEIR OWN MOB, RIGHT.
AND THEN IF WE PRESENT, WE'RE NOT PARTICIPATED IN THE DISCUSSION, WE'RE JUST READING THEIR WORDS.
SO ALL OF WHAT YOU JUST SAID IS, IS THE CASE, UM, THE, THE WORKSHEETS HAVE A MAP ON ONE SIDE AND PLENTY OF ROOM FOR COMMENTS ON THE OTHER SIDE, AS WELL AS, UM, SPACE, COMPLETELY VOLUNTARILY FOR PARTICIPANTS TO LEAVE THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION IF THEY, UM, ARE INTERESTED IN BEING CONTACTED ABOUT THEIR COMMENTS.
UM, AND YES, I THINK THAT THE VISION WAS THAT FOR, UH, FOR THE COMMISSIONERS, IF THEY'RE TO PARTICIPATE IN THESE SMALL GROUP SESSIONS, THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE THE ONES SHARING OUT, THAT WOULD BE ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO IS PARTICIPATING.
UM, AND THE COMMISSIONERS WOULD GO BACK TO THEIR SEATS TO JUST BE LISTENERS TO ALL GROUPS, UM, THAT PARTICIPATED THAT DAY.
UM, I DO ALSO WANT TO QUICKLY ADDRESS, UH, SOMETHING THAT COMMISSIONER BLINK SAID, AND THAT IS ABOUT DIFFERENT PARTICIPATION STYLES, ESSENTIALLY, I THINK IS HOW I UNDERSTOOD YOUR CONCERN.
UM, SO SOME PEOPLE MAY NOT BE COMFORTABLE OR PREFER TO,
[01:25:01]
UH, PARTICIPATE IN A SMALL GROUP.UM, OF COURSE I DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S ANY SINGLE, UM, WAY OF PARTICIPATION THAT'S GOING TO SATISFY EVERYONE.
UM, BUT IN MY EXPERIENCE, I'VE GONE TO VARIOUS COMMUNITY, UM, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC MEETINGS AROUND AUSTIN THROUGH THE YEARS.
AND I'VE SEEN THIS MODEL VERY SUCCESSFUL IN DIFFERENT, UM, CITY EVENTS, UH, PUBLIC, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC MEETINGS AND, UM, AND HAVING TIME TO THINK AND WRITE ON PAPER.
UM, I THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT MAYBE WOULDN'T HAVE SHARED THOSE THINGS IN A THREE MINUTE SPAN, UM, OUT LOUD, BUT THEY WILL SHARE IT ON PAPER.
UM, AND THEY COULD PERHAPS EVEN EXPLAIN MORE ON PAPER THAN THEY COULD HAVE IN A THREE MINUTE, UM, TIME PERIOD.
UM, SO, SO YES, IT'S, IT'S, WE MAYBE WON'T BE ABLE TO SATISFY EVERYONE, BUT I DO THINK THIS IS THE MOST INCLUSIVE WAY TO GET FEEDBACK FROM EVERYBODY.
UM, AND AS FAR AS COVID CONCERNS, I WANT TO ADD, UM, OF COURSE WE CAN'T MAKE ANYONE DO ANYTHING, BUT I'M GOING TO STRONGLY ENCOURAGE ALL OF US TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE AND WEAR MASKS TOMORROW AND ALSO ENCOURAGE OUR PARTICIPANTS TO WEAR MASKS.
AND, UM, I DO SEE YOUR HAND COMMISSIONER BLANK.
UM, IF IT'S ALL RIGHT WITH YOU, I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM EVERYONE ELSE FIRST AND THEN WE CAN COME BACK.
WELL, I JUST LIKE TO RESPOND TO THE ONE, ONE PIECE OF THAT, THAT YOU'D KIND OF DIRECTED AT AT ME.
AND I'LL, IT'LL BE VERY QUICK, WHICH IS WHAT I WAS LIKE, MY, MY BIGGER CONCERN.
I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU MET THE SOUTH.
MY BIGGER CONCERN ACTUALLY IS SOMEONE SEEDING THE TIME THAT THEY ASSUMED THEY WERE GOING TO GET ADDRESSING THE COMMISSION TO SOMEONE ELSE LESS SO THAN SOMEONE NOT BEING WILLING TO PARTICIPATE IN THE GROUP, I WOULD SAY IS MY BIGGER CONCERN.
UM, AND THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S IT.
AND I SEE COMMISSIONER KANAAN NEXT YOU'RE MUTED.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THE DISCUSSION AROUND THIS.
AND TO ME, I'M KIND OF, I KIND OF ECHO COMMISSIONER BLACK SENTIMENT IN THE SENSE THAT WE'RE THERE TO TALK TO PEOPLE AND THE PEOPLE ARE COMING THERE TO TALK TO US AND REPRESENT WHAT THEY WANT TO DO AND TARGET COMMITTEE.
SO IF WE WANTED THEIR INPUT, IT COULD BE DONE THROUGH A SURVEY PRECESSION FOR THEM TO FILL OUT INFORMATION SO THEY CAN SEND THAT TO US.
BUT AT THE SESSION, ALLOW PEOPLE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DIRECTLY ADDRESS THE ENTIRE COMMISSION AND GIVE US WHAT THEY THINK.
AND SO THAT ALL OF US CAN COLLECTIVELY LISTEN TO THEM AS OPPOSED TO SPLITTING INTO GROUPS.
SO THAT'S JUST MY 2 CENTS ON THE HOLDING.
I DO THINK THAT WE SHOULD KEEP THE WHOLE THING AND LISTEN TO THEM AS ONE FULL BODY, AS OPPOSED TO SPREADING THEM INTO DIFFERENT SESSIONS.
UM, I THINK NEXT WAS COMMISSIONER DEMPSEY.
I WANTED JUST CLARIFICATION AGAIN ON THE CHOOSING OF THE GROUPS, IS IT THEY HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON, IS THAT WHAT WAS STATED? VICE CHAIR GONZALEZ.
UM, UM, COMMISSIONER DEMPSEY, THE PLAN IS UPON REGISTRATION.
THERE'LL BE A REGISTRATION DESK OR ASSIGNMENT DESK AT THE ENTRANCE OF EACH VENUE.
THEY WILL RECEIVE A NAME TAG TO OF COURSE, WRITE THEIR NAME.
EACH NAME TAG WILL ALREADY HAVE A COLORED STICKER.
SO LET'S SAY BLUE, RED, YELLOW, GREEN.
AND THEN WHEN IT'S TIME TO BREAK UP INTO GROUPS THAT THEY WOULD BREAK UP DEPENDENT ON THE STICKER THAT THEY HAVE ON THEIR NAME.
IT'S NOT ISSUE-BASED IT'S COLOR.
CAUSE I WAS LIKE, THAT'S A COMPLEXITY LEVEL THAT I JUST CAN'T.
SO THEY'RE JUST IMMEDIATELY BROKEN INTO THE GROUPS BY VIRTUE OF SHOWING.
UH, COMMISSIONER, HE WAS SYNCED, UH, THIS IS KIND OF RELATED TO FINISH COMMISSIONER CABOS QUESTION AROUND, YOU KNOW, WHO WILL BE ATTENDING BECAUSE I, I THOUGHT THAT, UM, THE HOPE WAS THAT AS MANY CON COMMISSIONERS ATTEND EACH PUBLIC FORUM AS POSSIBLE IS THE GOAL NOW TO LIMIT THE NUMBER OF COMMISSIONERS THAT ATTEND EACH FORUM.
I THINK THAT THAT IS CHANGING, UM, YOU KNOW, IN THIS MOMENT BECAUSE WE JUST GOT NEW INFORMATION.
SO, UM, I SEE MR. GONZALEZ, HIS HAND AS WELL, IF YOU WANT TO JUMP IN ON THAT, I WAS, I WAS JUST GOING TO, I WAS GOING TO REPEAT THAT SHAREPOINT SO SORRY, BUT THEN ADD THAT IT WOULD BE MY IDEAL SCENARIO IF, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE GOING TO KEEP IT TO, WE HAVE TO ENLIST IN THE QUORUM.
UM, I WAS COMING INTO THIS MEETING, HOPING THAT EVERY COMMISSIONER COULD BE AT EVERY PUBLIC HEARING.
[01:30:01]
TO KEEP IT TO LESS THAN A QUORUM TO BE ABLE TO FACILITATE SOME OF THESE CONVERSATIONS, I WOULD AT LEAST ASK FOR THE COMMISSIONERS TO CONSIDER THAT IF THE PUBLIC HEARING IS WITHIN THE DISTRICT THAT YOU REPRESENT, THAT YOU AT LEAST ATTEND, UM, THAT ONE, WE WOULD LOVE TO SAVE THAT REPRESENTATION, BUT AGAIN, WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT QUORUM, NOT QUORUM AND WHETHER WE CAN PARTICIPATE IN THESE GROUP SETTINGS.SO I APPRECIATE THAT A QUESTION, COMMISSIONER, YOU AND COMMISSIONER CAMPBELL.
UM, AND I SEE COMMISSIONER
CAN I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE GETS TO SPEAK AT LEAST ONCE BEFORE WE GET BACK TO SOMEBODY WHO'S ALREADY SPOKEN.
I JUST WANTED TO, UM, LIKE SHARE A COUPLE OF THINGS.
SO FIRST THE BREAKOUT GROUPS DOES NOT PROHIBIT PEOPLE FROM ADDRESSING THE ENTIRE BODY OF COMMISSIONERS WHO ARE PRESENT WITH UNDERSTANDING WILL DECIDE IF A QUORUM OR NOT.
SO THERE'S STILL THE OPPORTUNITY AS I UNDERSTAND IT, TO SIGN UP AND ADDRESS THEM.
AND THAT'S AT THE BEGINNING OF THE AGENDA.
SO THE BREAKOUTS IS I UNDERSTAND AND WOULD GIVE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE WHO MAYBE DIDN'T WANT TO SIGN UP, TO SPEAK, TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS IT IN A SMALLER FORUM.
AND I AGREE WITH, UM, SHAREPOINT, THIS, THAT, YES, THIS IS VERY STANDARD IN COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND IT DOES GIVE REALLY GREAT OUTPUT.
SO I WANT TO RECOGNIZE HER LIVED EXPERIENCE OF THAT.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, ALSO ADD MY OWN LIVED EXPERIENCE AND SUPPORT.
UM, THE OTHER THING I WANT TO SAY IS THAT WE ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, GOING BACK AND FORTH A LOT ABOUT WHETHER WE WILL FACILITATE OR NOT.
AND I JUST WANNA BRING US BACK TO THE REASON WE'RE DOING THESE PUBLIC FORUMS IS TO HEAR PEOPLE'S PERSPECTIVES.
AND SO IF, IF THAT MEANS WE DON'T FACILITATE THEM, BUT THEY'RE SELF FACILITATED AND WE GET THE FEEDBACK ON THEIR WRITTEN FORMS, THEN I THINK I WOULD PROPOSE THAT AS A WAY TO GO, BECAUSE IT SEEMS THAT US FACILITATING ARE NOT, IS ADDING TO A LOT OF QUESTIONS.
AND SO I WOULD JUST PROPOSE THAT WE TAKE THAT OFF THE TABLE IF EVEN POSSIBLE, BECAUSE IT'S BEEN POSTED ALREADY AND THAT WE LET PEOPLE BREAK INTO GROUPS.
IF THEY HAVE QUESTIONS, THEY CAN MAYBE ASK THE EXPERT THERE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE PRECEDENT IS OR WHATEVER IT MAY BE.
UM, BUT YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT IN THE DISCUSSION, LIKE LET US BE LED IN OUR DECISIONS BY OUR PURPOSE OF HAVING THESE FORUMS AND ALSO LET US TRUST, UM, THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF OUR CHAIR.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER FALCON ON.
AND, UM, I DO WANT TO SAY THAT THAT WAS ANOTHER SUGGESTION, UM, IN THESE CONVERSATIONS WAS THAT, UH, THE PUBLIC COULD, YOU KNOW, RUN THESE THEMSELVES.
AND I THINK ANOTHER IDEA WAS THAT WE RECRUIT VOLUNTEERS, UM, POSSIBLY EVEN CITY STAFF TO FACILITATE.
I'VE SEEN IT DONE THAT WAY AS WELL.
UM, SO IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE THE COMMISSIONERS, UH, BUT THAT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST IDEAS THAT CAME UP.
UM, SO THAT WE'RE, WE ARE AS ENGAGED AS POSSIBLE THROUGH THE SMALL GROUP PROCESS.
BUT IF THAT IS POSING TOO MANY LOGISTICAL AND LEGAL ISSUES, THEN THAT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE THE ROUTE.
AND I DO ALSO SEE, UM, COMMISSIONER GONZALEZ.
DID YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO THAT QUICKLY BEFORE WE GET BACK TO CRUSHING YOUR ACCOUNT? UM, I JUST WANTED TO, UM, ADDRESS A CONCERN.
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT IT'S BEEN ADVERTISED, THE COMMISSIONERS WOULD ACTUALLY FACILITATE, SO I DON'T THINK WE'RE KIND OF, WE CAN CHANGE OUR MINDS BASICALLY TODAY.
AND, UM, COMMISSIONER CANNOT MEET YOURSELF PLEASE.
UH, I THINK, I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT THAT I THINK MR CORBELL AND, AND MATT
SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE A THAT'S HOW I UNDERSTOOD THAT.
AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT, I DO THINK THAT ALL OF US SHOULD GO TO ALL THESE MEETINGS WHERE POSSIBLE, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE SIGNED UP FOR.
AND I DON'T THINK WE SHOULDN'T LIMIT WHO GOES TO WHICH MEETING THAT JUST SEEMS TO DEFEAT THE PURPOSE OF WHY WE'RE ALL HERE.
SO, AND I DO THINK THAT THAT CONCERN OF US HAVING A CORUM AND NOT BEING ABLE TO DO THAT HAS BEEN NEGATED.
AND THAT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING BASED ON THE FIRST CONVERSATION BETWEEN MATTHEW AND MR. CORBELL.
SO I JUST WANT TO POINT THAT OUT.
I DON'T THINK THAT'S A PROBLEM ON THE SOMEBODY, CORRECT.
DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER COMMENTS? OH YES.
THAT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING, MAKING SURE THAT MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE SAME AS YOUR UNDERSTANDING,
[01:35:01]
AND IF THERE IS ANY, UH, ADDITIONAL FORMALITIES THAT THEY NEED FOR POSTING THAT WE ADD THOSE FORMALITIES FOR AT LEAST ALL THE REST OF THE MEETINGS, EXTRA GONZALEZ, JUST ONE LAST COMMENT.UM, ON THE PUBLIC HEARINGS WORKING GROUP IS LITTLE PLAN IS FOR MYSELF TO SEND OUT OUTLOOK CALENDAR INVITES, JUST LIKE I DID FOR TOMORROW'S, UM, CITY HALL.
NOW THAT WE HAVE CONFIRMED THE DATES I SENT OUT THE ONE TOMORROW BECAUSE IT IS TOMORROW.
UM, BUT NOW SINCE WE HAVE THEM ALL, UH, VOTED ON AND APPROVED AND WE'RE MOVING FORWARD, THAT IS AMAZING.
I WILL SEND OUT OUTLOOK CALENDAR INVITES AND I WOULD LOVE IF EVERYONE COULD RSVP YES OR NO, JUST SO WE CAN HAVE ATTENDANCE THAT WAY.
UM, AND I WILL DO THAT IF NOT THIS EVENING, DEFINITELY TOMORROW MORNING.
SO JUST BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THOSE, THEY MIGHT CROWD YOUR INBOX, BUT THOSE WILL BE SEND OUT THANK YOU TO YOUR FRONT DESK.
AND I WANT TO SAY QUICKLY THAT, UM, WE ARE GOING INTO THIS FIRST PUBLIC FORUM WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT, UM, WE'LL PROBABLY MODIFY AS WE GO BASED ON HOW THIS RUNS, RIGHT? LIKE, SO, UM, THIS DISCUSSION ABOUT WHETHER COMMISSIONERS WILL PARTICIPATE, IF WE WERE TO GO THAT ROUTE AND IF WE DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH CONTINUING THAT WE CAN CHANGE THAT.
UM, YOU KNOW, SO, SO I THINK THAT THERE, A LOT OF THIS IS NEGOTIABLE AND CAN CHANGE, UM, AND IMPROVE RIGHT AS WE GO.
UM, I DO FEEL THAT WE NEED TO, UM, DECIDE WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO FOR, YOU KNOW, HOW THESE SMALL GROUP MEETINGS WILL, UM, BE FACILITATED OR, OR WHETHER THAT'S THE PUBLIC DOING IT THEMSELVES, OR IF THAT'S US JUMPING INTO THE GROUPS.
UM, BEFORE THAT I DO SEE COMMISSIONER FROM HIS HAND.
UM, JUST REGARDING THE MAPS, WILL WE BE OPEN TO ALLOWING PEOPLE TO BRING IN THEIR OWN MAPS OR, UH, USING TECHNOLOGY FOR THE MAPS OR ASSISTING THEM IN THAT TECHNOLOGY, IF THEY WANT TO LOCATE A PARTICULAR, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE JUST QUESTIONS I HAVE BECAUSE IT, DEPENDING ON LIKE HOW MUCH WE'RE LOUD TO HELP THEM, FOR INSTANCE, LIKE, WILL THEY HAVE TECHNOLOGY, UM, WILL THAT BE SOMETHING THAT WE MAKE AVAILABLE FOR THEM OR ALLOW THEM TO USE DURING THAT TIME? UH, YES.
MAPS ARE ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, CAN ALWAYS BE SUBMITTED BY THE PUBLIC, ACTUALLY ON THE WORKSHEETS WE HAVE.
UM, HERE'S WHERE YOU CAN SEND THEM, UM, ON OUR WEBSITE, WE'RE PLANNING ON ADDING, UH, THE WEBSITE DISTRICT R.ORG, WHERE ANYONE CAN CREATE THEIR OWN MAP.
AS LONG AS THEY HAVE INTERNET ACCESS, THEY DON'T NEED TO DOWNLOAD ANY SOFTWARE IT'S TOTALLY FREE.
UM, AND IT'S VERY USER-FRIENDLY.
UM, SO WE WANT TO MAKE THAT KNOWN TO THE PUBLIC THAT THAT IS AN OPTION TO THEM AS WELL.
SO, UM, APOLOGIES ON MY PART, IF I AM MISUNDERSTANDING ANYTHING, UM, ARE WE ABLE TO GIVE IT A, TRY TO HAVE THE COMMISSIONERS, UH, BE INVOLVED WITH THESE SMALL GROUP BREAKOUT SESSIONS AT COMMISSIONER BLANK? CAN WE JUST ASK, I MEAN, WHO HERE IS COMFORTABLE MODERATING FOR BREAKOUT SESSION BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING IN GENERALITIES.
CAN WE JUST DO A SHOW OF HANDS OR SOMETHING? SURE.
I MEAN, HOW MANY OF US PRESENT TODAY WOULD BE COMFORTABLE FACILITATING A SESSION? OKAY, WONDERFUL.
IT LOOKS LIKE MOST OF US AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S OKAY.
IF, IF NOT ALL OF US ARE, I THINK THAT THAT'S ALSO FINE.
UM, SO, SO THAT'S, THAT'S ENCOURAGING THAT AT LEAST, YOU KNOW, UM, I THINK THAT WE COULD MAKE IT HAPPEN IF WE WANTED TO TAKE THAT ROUTE AND GIVEN THAT YOU ALL RAISED YOUR HANDS, UM, IS THAT AT LEAST SOMETHING YOU'D BE OPEN TO TRYING THIS FIRST TIME AND I SEE COMMISSIONER CANNON AGAIN.
I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT I THINK I'D BE WANTING TO, UM, HELP FACILITATE A SESSION, BUT I THINK IF WE CAN HAVE THAT FIRST SESSION WHERE IT'S AN OPEN MIC AND PEOPLE GET TO ADDRESS THE ENTIRE COMMISSION AND THEN JUST FOLLOW UP, I THINK THAT'S FINE.
I THINK THAT FORMAT WILL BE GREAT.
SO THE OPEN MIC PORTION DOES BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S HELPFUL FOR YOU IF, UM,
[01:40:01]
VICE CHAIR GONZALES RE SHARES THE AGENDA.SO YOU CAN SEE THAT ITEM ON THE PART.
SO HAVING THE BREAKOUTS DOES NOT NEGATE THE, THE PORTION FOR PEOPLE TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSION.
I THINK IF, AS LONG AS IT'S PART OF THE INVITE, I'M OKAY WITH THAT.
I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING AND IT'S CERTAINLY HARD TO SEE IN A LITTLE DINKY SCREEN, SO APOLOGIES IF IT WAS SHARED EARLIER.
UM, UM, I WILL SAY AS FAR AS HAVING THE PUBLIC SPEAK TO AN OPEN MIC, UM, I THINK THAT THAT WAS ALSO SOMETHING THAT WE HAD DISCUSSED.
UM, AND I THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE BETTER SUITED FOR, UH, FOLLOWING THE SMALL GROUP SESSIONS RATHER THAN BEFORE ANYTHING HAS BEEN EXPLAINED, BECAUSE I THINK THAT WE'RE OPENING THE POSSIBILITY OF A LOT OF COMMENTS THAT MIGHT BE MISDIRECTED TOWARD US.
JUST SPEAKING FROM WHAT I HEARD FROM MR. RICHARDS, UM, OUR LEGAL COUNSEL FROM HIS EXPERIENCE WORKING ON THE PREVIOUS ICRC, THAT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON OCCURRENCE.
AND SO IN EXPLAINING WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE DO, AND THEN GOING THROUGH THE SMALL GROUP SESSIONS, I THINK THAT WE WOULD LARGELY NEGATE HAVING, UM, YOU KNOW, IRRELEVANT COMMENTS DIRECTED AT US.
UM, AND ALSO I THINK IT WOULD ENHANCE, UM, ANY COMMENTS THAT PEOPLE DO MAKE TO US, UM, IN, IN THE OPEN MIC.
SO, UM, IF THAT'S ALL RIGHT WITH EVERYONE, UM, I THINK THAT THAT IS HOW WE WOULD PROCEED.
SO WE WILL TRY IT OUT WITH THE COMMISSIONERS FACILITATING AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT AGAIN AT OUR NEXT WEDNESDAY MEETING.
AND IF IT REALLY DIDN'T WORK WELL, WE CAN DISCUSS THAT.
AND, UM, AND WHERE TO GO FROM THERE.
AND WE ALREADY HAVE A COUPLE OF OTHER IDEAS OF WHAT WE CAN TRY, UM, PLAN B AND C.
UH, I THINK I SAW COMMISSIONER BLANKS HAND AT ONE POINT, DID YOU STILL HAVE A COMMENT? I'LL JUST, YOU KNOW, I'LL JUST ADD ONE THING BECAUSE I DO CONDUCT FOCUS GROUPS PROFESSIONALLY SOMETIMES, WHICH IS JUST, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE, YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE NOT FEELING COMFORTABLE, THE MAIN THING HERE IS, YOU KNOW, TELL ME MORE, WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR DISTRICT? RIGHT.
WHAT, YOU KNOW, IF I DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS, WHAT SHOULD, I KNOW YOU ARE A BLANK SLATE FOR THEM TO, YOU KNOW, PROVIDE INFORMATION? YOU ARE NOT A FOCUSED ATTENTIVENESS PIECE OF THIS.
THIS IS THE BEST SUGGESTION I CAN GIVE EVERYBODY.
IT'S ALWAYS A QUESTION IT'S ALWAYS, OPEN-ENDED GET MORE INFORMATION.
UM, AND ACTUALLY, UM, SINCE WE ARE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH, UM, HAVING THE COMMISSIONERS FACILITATE, UH, VICE CHAIR, GONZALEZ, I THINK THAT, AND CHRISTINE AS WELL, UM, I THINK THAT WE SHOULD, UM, COME UP WITH SOME SORT OF, NOT A SCRIPT, BUT JUST AN AGENDA OF MAKE SURE THAT LIKE EVERY GROUP IS HITTING THESE NOTES SO THAT WE HAVE THAT CONSISTENT FEEDBACK, UM, FROM ALL OF THE SMALL GROUP SESSIONS.
UM, AND SO WE CAN PREPARE THAT, UH, BEFORE TOMORROW.
I THINK THAT WE'RE READY TO MOVE ON UNLESS THERE ARE ANY OTHER COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM.
I JUST FEEL LIKE SOMETIMES AN EXTRA IDEA POPS IN MY HEAD.
UM, BUT I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE IN TERMS OF, ON THE TIMING OF EVERYTHING, I KNOW WHEN WE'RE PUTTING TOGETHER THE PUBLIC HEARINGS, WE WANTED TO EXTEND IT TO MAKE SURE WE HAD ADDITIONAL TIME IN CASE WE RAN OVER.
SO FOR THE BREAKOUT ROOMS, IT IS A SET TIME TO END.
BUT IN TERMS OF PUBLIC COMMENTS, LIKE IN FRONT OF A MIC, THERE IS NO SET END TIME, JUST SO I'M CLEAR, THAT IS ACCURATE.
UM, AND SO IF, IF WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY COMMENTS, LET'S JUST AS A HYPOTHETICAL, I THINK THAT THIS IS MEANT TO, UM, RUN ITS COURSE OVER TWO HOURS.
UM, NOW THE PUBLIC COMMENT PORTION, I'VE SEEN THE PREVIOUS COMMISSION IN ANY OTHER, YOU KNOW, UM, PUBLIC MEETINGS, SOMETIMES IT CAN RUN FOR, FOR SEVERAL HOURS.
UM, AND SO WE WERE TRYING TO MINIMIZE THAT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND, AND WE FEEL THAT DOING THESE SMALL GROUP SESSIONS WILL HOPEFULLY GIVE PEOPLE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY WHAT THEY WANT TO SAY SO THAT WE'RE NOT SITTING AND LISTENING TO, YOU KNOW, AN UNTOLD NUMBER OF HOURS OF, OF TESTIMONY THAT COULD HAVE BEEN CONDENSED, YOU KNOW, ON PAPER, UM, AND, AND JUST BE MORE EFFICIENT.
UM, BUT WE, AGAIN, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE THAT OPTION.
I THINK THAT WE'VE ALL AGREED ON THAT TONIGHT.
AND, UM, AND SO I THINK THAT WE SHOULD ALL BE PREPARED TO STAY BEYOND 8:00 PM.
I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHEN THAT WILL END, IT'S GOING TO TOTALLY DEPEND ON THE TURNOUT AND HOW MANY PEOPLE WANT TO SPEAK AFTER THE SMALL GROUP SESSIONS.
[01:45:01]
OKAY.THE NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS IS TO D UPDATE FROM THE COMMUNICATIONS WORKING GROUP COMMISSIONER CALLED IT ON.
UM, SO I WANT TO SAY THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF HEAVY LIFTING THAT HAPPENED IN THE COMMUNICATIONS WORKING GROUP THIS WEEK.
UM, EVERYONE DID A REALLY AMAZING JOB AND WITHOUT A LOT DONE, AND I'M EXCITED TO TELL YOU ABOUT IT.
SO, UH, WE DECIDED, UH, TO DRAFT OUR FIRST PRESS RELEASE ABOUT THE EVENTS WE'RE HOLDING THIS WEEK.
UM, UH, CHRISTINE DRAFTED THE PRESS RELEASE.
WE ALL KIND OF GAVE OUR INPUT.
AND THEN WITH, UM, PATRICIA SAGAS HELD, WE WERE ABLE TO DISSEMINATE THAT THROUGH THE CITY CHANNELS.
Y'ALL SHOULD HAVE ALSO RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM ME THAT, UM, INCLUDED, YOU KNOW, THESE DIFFERENT LINKS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, UM, TO ALL OF THE WORK THAT WE DID.
UM, LET'S SEE, UH, COMMISSIONER
SO IF YOU'RE NOT FOLLOWING INSTA, UH, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO SO.
UM, JUST TO KIND OF HELP GET THE WORD OUT, UM, COMMISSIONER FALCO, AND ALSO HAS DONE SOME INCREDIBLE HEAVY LIFTING ON CREATING SOME BEAUTIFUL GRAPHICS FOR USE IN THESE SOCIAL POSTS SPECIFICALLY FOR INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK.
UH, SHE WENT AHEAD AND CREATED A BUNCH OF FACEBOOK EVENTS, UM, FOR, UH, SOME OF THE, UM, PUBLIC FORUMS, UH, TO FACILITATE THAT KIND OF LIKE EVENT, UH, FOMO THAT HAPPENS ON FACEBOOK.
UM, UH, COMMISSIONER DENSITY ALSO IS COLLABORATING ON, UH, HELPING TO MANAGE THE INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK ACCOUNTS.
SO REALLY APPRECIATE THAT SHE AND COMMISSIONER FIVE ON WE'RE ABLE TO WORK THAT OUT SO QUICKLY, NOT ONLY DID, YOU KNOW, DECIDE TO COLLABORATE SO QUICKLY, BUT THEY ALSO SAT ON A CONTENT CALENDAR, WHICH IS GOING TO ENABLE US TO HIGHLIGHT NOT ONLY THE PUBLIC FORUMS, BUT ALSO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETINGS.
I THINK IF WE DID GET SOME MORE VARIED, UM, PUBLIC FEEDBACK, I CERTAINLY WOULD BE OPEN TO THAT ON THESE REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETINGS.
AND THEN ALSO WITH THE FACEBOOK EVENTS, UH, AS WELL AS I BELIEVE AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, COMMISSIONER IT'S LIKE GONE, BUT, UM, PATRICIA FAGEN HAS ALSO BEEN REALLY HELPFUL IN, UM, UH, ALLOWING THE FACEBOOK EVENTS TO BE CO UM, OWNED BY CERTAIN CITY FACEBOOK ACCOUNTS SO THAT WE CAN ALSO KIND OF TRY AND PROMOTE THROUGH THOSE CHANNELS AS WELL.
UM, AND I BELIEVE, UH, WE'RE ALSO, UH, SHARING OR TRYING TO TAG, UH, CERTAIN POSTS ON INSTAGRAM, THROUGH CITI CHANNELS AS WELL.
SO, UM, SELENA, UH, EXCUSE ME, COMMISSIONER YE, UH, AND, UM, UH, CHRISTINE AND ANOMALOUS HAVE BEEN COLLABORATING ON COLLECTING PERMISSION OR BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SO THAT WE CAN THEN CREATE SOME REALLY BEAUTIFUL, UM, CONTENT FOR THESE SOCIAL POSTS SPECIFIC TO EACH COMMISSIONER AND EVERY DISTRICT.
I HOPE Y'ALL EVERYONE HAD BLADE EVERS FALLING INSTA AND, UM, SAW THE REALLY COOL POST WITH A COMMISSIONER COMBO.
UM, I'LL BE SENDING OUT WEEKLY EMAILS TO THE COMMISSION WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, SOME OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE'LL BE SHARING THAT WEEK.
SO I REALLY DO ENCOURAGE Y'ALL TO PLEASE, YOU KNOW, SHARE ON YOUR NETWORKS, WHETHER THAT BE LINKEDIN OR TWITTER OR WHATNOT.
UM, YOUR PARTICIPATION IS DEFINITELY APPRECIATED.
WE ARE ALSO SENDING OUT A WEEKLY EMAIL WITH THE SOCIAL INFORMATION AND THE PRESS RELEASE INFORMATION TO COMMUNITY GROUPS THAT WE HAVE BEEN COMPILING AND THAT MR. MILES HAS BEEN HELPING US WITH.
UM, ALSO, UM, SEPARATELY, UM, UH, PATRICIA MEDINA HAS BEEN KIND OF SPEARHEADING THE EFFORT IN CONJUNCTION WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, SHAREPOINT THIS I BELIEVE.
AND, UM, VICE-CHAIR WITH OTHERS, UH, TO REVAMP THE WEBSITE SO THAT IT'S MORE REFLECTIVE OF OUR CURRENT STATUS, WHICH IS, UM, REDISTRICTING VERSUS RECRUITING.
SO, UM, I BELIEVE THAT SAID, UM, IT WAS A LOT AND IT WAS VERY EXCITING TO SEE EVERYONE WITH THEM TOGETHER TO GET ALL THAT DONE IN SUCH A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME.
IT REALLY WAS EXCITING IS EXCITING.
CONTINUES TO BE, UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH, COMMISSIONER FALCON, CHRISTIAN, OR ON CHRISTIAN OR GUNN C UM, AND CHRISTINE GRANADA FOR, FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE SO FAR AND, UM, AND COMMISSIONER YOU OF COURSE, TOO.
SO, UM, YES, I SEE COMMISSIONER CAVA SCANNED.
UM, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, YEAH, I THINK Y'ALL DID A REALLY GOOD JOB.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO QUICKLY ASK REGARDING SHARING INFORMATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
[01:50:01]
COMMUNICATION FROM THE PUBLIC? LIKE IF THEY WERE TO MESSAGE YOU ON FACEBOOK WITH SOME KIND OF QUESTION OR YOU ENGAGE WITH THEM AT THAT POINT, OR IS THAT WHAT YOU SHARED ON LINKEDIN? AND SOMEBODY ASKED ME A QUESTION, AM I ALLOWED TO JUST LIKE GO BACK AND FORTH AND TALK WITH THEM ABOUT SOMETHING? OR SHOULD I DIRECT THEM TO LIKE A SPECIFIC EMAIL ADDRESS TO TALK WITH THEM CALLED IT ON? DID YOU WANT TO ADDRESS THAT? UM, YES.UH, SO MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT, AND WHAT I HAVE BEEN DOING IS, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, ON LINKEDIN, IF I POST SOMETHING, I JUST COMMUNICATE WITH FOLKS SINCE I'M THE ONLY COMMISSIONER INVOLVED IN THAT, UH, COMMUNICATE.
I BELIEVE THAT MEANS THAT THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITH THAT.
UM, I THINK IF ALL 14 OF US OR NINE OF US JUMPED ON THE SAME LINKEDIN POST THAT PERHAPS MAY NOT BE, UM, OKAY.
BUT, UM, SINCE IN THESE CASES, I DON'T BELIEVE, I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY UNLIKELY THAT A QUORUM OF US HAPPENS TO BE ON THE SAME THREAD.
UM, I DON'T SUPPOSE THAT THERE WOULD BE ANY ISSUES WITH THAT AS FAR AS THE MESSAGING.
UM, I DON'T, UH, SINCE I'M NOT MANAGING THOSE DIRECTLY, UM, I DON'T REALLY HAVE AN ANSWER THAT BEING SAID, I'M SURE IF, UH, EITHER COMMISSIONER OR COMMISSIONER DEMPSEY RUNS INTO ANY ISSUES THAT WE MAY, UH, COMMUNICATE ABOUT IT IN THE WORKING GROUP AND GO FROM THERE.
DID THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? YES.
I WOULD ALSO ADD, UM, JUST FOR EVERYBODY TO KNOW, THERE IS AN EMAIL THAT, UM, MATT HAS ACCESS TO, AND I THINK THAT HE'S WORKING ON AND THAT YOU'RE FEEL FREE TO JUMP IN ON THIS.
I THINK HE'S WORKING ON GETTING US TO HAVING A FORWARDING FEATURE TO ALL OF US.
SO LET'S SAY THAT SOMEBODY ASKED YOU DIRECTLY QUESTION OUR COMBO, HOW CAN I REACH ALL OF THE, THE WHOLE COMMISSION? UH, YOU COULD TELL THEM THAT THERE'S THIS EMAIL ADDRESS AND IT'S LISTED ON THE CITY PAGE FOR OUR COMMISSION.
UM, BUT MATT, IS THERE ANY UPDATE AS TO WHETHER THAT'S ACTIVE? YEAH.
SO IT IS ACTIVE, IT'S UP AND IT'S LIVE.
UM, IT'S PARTLY WORKING AND THE EMAILS ARE GOING THROUGH, I COULD SEE THEM, BUT THE AUTOMATIC FORWARDING OF THE MESSAGE OR THE AUTOMATIC REDIRECTING OF THE MESSAGE TO ALL 14 OF Y'ALL IS NOT YET WORKING.
SO OUR IT FOLKS ARE TAKING A LOOK AT THAT AND FIGURING OUT WHY THAT'S NOT, WHY THAT'S NOT WORKING.
UM, SO HOPEFULLY IN THE NEXT DAY OR SO, YOU'LL GET AN EMAIL FROM ME THAT AS A SUBJECT LINE OF TESTS, AND IT'S ALREADY FIVE BACK TO THAT TO MAKE SURE IT'S GOING THROUGH THE L'S INBOXES.
UH, YEAH, I WOULD JUST LOVE, UM, AND I'M ASSUMING THAT THAT WILL BE THE CASE WHEN WE GET THE TEST EMAIL, IF YOU COULD ALSO INCLUDE, UM, WITH THE EMAIL ADDRESSES IN CASE WE WANT TO INCLUDE IT IN ANY FUTURE COMMUNICATIONS.
UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR DOING THAT BY THE WAY.
AND SO I JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT AS WELL.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS BEFORE WE MOVE TO THE NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS? OKAY.
WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO TWO E AN UPDATE FROM THE FINANCE SUBCOMMITTEE.
AND, UM, AND WHEN I SAY THAT, UH, PERHAPS, I MEAN, COMMISSIONER MORRIS FOR, FOR THE TIME BEING, WE'LL PROVIDE THE UPDATE, IF THAT'S ALL RIGHT.
UH, COMMISSIONER MORRIS, FEEL FREE TO JUMP IN THERE, BUT THE UPDATE FOR TODAY IS AFTER THE MEETING THAT WE HAD YESTERDAY AND KIND OF LEFT IN AN AMBIGUOUS STATE, UH, THE FINANCE SUBCOMMITTEE, UM, UH, AGREED THAT COMMISSIONER MORRIS, UH, WE WERE, FIRST OF ALL, SORRY, LET ME BACK UP A LITTLE BIT.
THE FINANCE SUBCOMMITTEE WAS THE ORANGE, UH, INITIALLY CHARGED WITH, UH, TRACKING AND MONITORING THE ICRCS, UH, BUDGET AND SPENDING.
UM, WITH THAT, WE DIDN'T FEEL THAT A MEETING WAS NECESSARY AT THE, AT THE TIME OR HAS BEEN NECESSARY AT THE TIME.
SO I HAVE ASKED COMMISSIONER MORRIS TO, TO TAKE THAT LEAD IN MONITORING OUR SPENDING AND TRACKING.
UH, HE HAS CREATED AN EASY TO FOLLOW OUT AMAZING, UH, TRACKING SPREADSHEET.
UM, AND HE WILL START TRACKING OUR SPENDING AS IT COMES.
THERE HASN'T BEEN MUCH, BUT YOU KNOW, THE PUBLIC HEARINGS, WE DO HAVE SOME VENUE FEES THAT ARE COMING IN.
UH, I KNOW LISA ON THE CITY END HAS BEEN PURCHASING SOME SUPPLIES, UH, FOR OUR PUBLIC FORUMS. UM, SO THOSE WILL START GOING THROUGH.
I HAVE ASKED LISA TO START SENDING ANY KIND OF INVOICES ON, ON THE SPENDING ON, ON THEIR END TO US.
SO COMMISSIONER HORDES CAN START TRACKING AND THEN YES.
UH, IF WE EVER NEED TO MEET AS A SUBCOMMITTEE, WE HAVE DECIDED THAT WE WILL FOLLOW THE RULES OF TOMA AND WE WILL GIVE 72 HOUR NOTICE AND WE WILL POST AN AGENDA AND ASK THE CITY FOR WEBEX WEBEX LINK.
SHOULD IT COME TO THAT? WE DON'T SEE IT, BUT THAT'S WHAT WE WILL DO.
AND HOPEFULLY AT THE, AT THE NEXT MEETING, NOT HOPEFULLY, BUT AT THE NEXT MEETING, COMMISSIONER MORTON WILL BEGIN, UH, DELIVERING SOME UPDATES FROM OUR SUBCOMMITTEE.
[01:55:03]
ANY QUESTIONS ON FINANCES OR COMMITTEE, COMMISSIONER MORRIS? I MEAN, THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT BY THE WAY, BUT, UH, JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS WE CAN COVER THEM FOR NOW.UM, I KNOW THAT THAT'S ALSO BEEN A WHOLE THING IN ITSELF.
WE'RE GOING TO GO TO THE NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS TO F THIS IS UPDATES FROM THE CITY ON PUBLIC FORUM LOGISTICS AND THE EMPLOYEE CONTRACT TEMPLATES.
SO MATT, THAT I'LL PASS IT TO YOU.
EMPLOYEE CONTRACT TEMPLATE GOT THE, UM, CONTRACT THAT, UH, MR. RICHARDS SENT TO YOU THAT YOU SENT US APPRECIATE THAT.
UM, I GOT THAT OVER TO, IT WAS ALL SENT TO THAT SHARED WITH CAROLINE WEBSTER.
UM, SHE IS WORKING ON USING THAT, MODIFYING THAT FOR A CONTRACT FOR THIS GO AROUND, UM, FOR BOTH, UM, LEGAL COUNSEL, AS WELL AS THE ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER.
UM, I GOT HERE THE, THE DETAILS OF THE, OF THE AMOUNTS AND OF THE, OF THE SCHEDULES AND TIMEFRAMES, UM, LATE YESTERDAY NOW.
SO SHE'S GOT THAT AND WORKING ON IT AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE, UH, HAVE SOMETHING BY THE END OF THIS WEEK.
UM, AND THEN AS FAR AS THE LOGISTICS GO FOR THE PUBLIC HEARINGS, UM, I BELIEVE THEY DON'T WELL, BUT AT LEAST IF YOU WANT TO JUMP IN AND SPEAK TO THOSE, UM, BUT I THINK SHE'S MADE THE PURCHASES, THAT'S PUT THEM UP AT, UM, AT OUR OFFICE AT THE ST JONES BUILDING.
AND I'M GOING TO GO DOWN THERE TOMORROW AND PICK THEM UP AND DELIVER THEM TO THE, UH, TO CITY HALL, ALONG WITH THE, UH, THE PLOT OF THE MAP WITH ALL 10 DISTRICTS AND THE WORKSHEETS.
SO, UH, THIS IS LISA, UM, MATT, I, THE, UH, SOME OF THE SUPPLIES ARE THERE WHERE WE AGREED IN MY CUBICLE.
UM, THE, THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECONFIGURING OF, OR COLLECTION OF SUPPLIES FROM ONE TEXAS CENTER.
DID YOU GET THAT DIRECTIVE? UH, I CAN CHECK ON THAT.
SO YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S A RUN TO OTC TO PICK UP MARKERS AND HIGHLIGHTERS AND ALL THAT SORT OF THING.
I'LL, I'LL BE THERE AS WELL TOMORROW, SO I'LL PICK THOSE UP.
THAT'S IN YOUR EMAIL, RIGHT? THAT'S THAT IS MY UPDATE, BASICALLY.
SO IS THAT ALL FROM YOU AS WELL, MATT.
CHECK WHAT THIS, I JUST WANTED TO OFFER MY SUPPORT TO MATT OR LISA IN CASE THERE NEEDS YOU NEED ANY SUPPORT IN TERMS OF TRANSPORTING SUPPLIES.
UM, MATT, YOU HAVE MY CELL NUMBER.
UM, JUST PING ME IF YOU NEED TO.
AND THEN I JUST WANTED TO NOTE THAT WE WILL BE IN CITY HALL TOMORROW, AND, UH, UNFORTUNATELY SOMETHING LIKE WATER OR BEVERAGES CAN NOT BE TAKEN INTO CHAMBERS.
SO WE ENVISIONED FOR FUTURE PUBLIC FORUMS THAT WE WOULD HAVE A SUPPLY, UM, BEING SNACKS AND WATER SNACKS, AND A BEVERAGE FOR FOLKS, BUT AT CITY HALL, WE CANNOT TAKE THOSE INTO THE CHAMBER.
SO I JUST WANTED TO NOTE THAT TO THE SMALL DETAIL.
THE FINAL ORDER OF BUSINESS IS FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS AND, UH, I DO HAVE A FEW AND THEN, UM, I WILL OPEN THE FLOOR TO THE REST OF THE CONDITIONERS.
IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD TO THE FUTURE AGENDA.
UM, FOR NEXT TIME, I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, JUST READ OUT THE VALUES AND NORMS DOCUMENT THAT, UM, THAT I SENT TO YOU ALL THAT WE HAD PRODUCED TOGETHER LAST WEEK.
UM, I WANT TO CONTINUE TO DISCUSS THE PUBLIC FORUM STRUCTURE, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THIS CONVERSATION, IT'S GOING TO BE, UM, SOMETHING THAT WE WORK TO IMPROVE WITH, UH, WITH EACH SUBSEQUENT, UH, FORUM AND, AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL LOCK DOWN A GOOD, UH, STRUCTURE AFTER A COUPLE OF THESE.
UM, I EVEN CONSIDERED, UM, MAYBE CREATING A SURVEY FOR ALL THE COMMISSIONERS TO SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS.
UM, UH, IF THAT'S THE BEST WAY OF, OF STILL STING THAT FEEDBACK FROM EVERYONE.
UM, I, I ALSO WANT TO MENTION, UH, FOR FUTURE AGENDA, WE SHOULD HAVE AN ITEM WHERE CHRISTINE SHARES OUT THE SUMMARY OF ALL OF THE DOCUMENTS THAT WERE SUBMITTED BY THE PUBLIC.
UM, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THE ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER WILL BE TASKED WITH IS, UM, TAKING ALL OF THAT FEEDBACK THAT THE MAPS AND THE COMMENTS AND CONDENSING THAT DOWN FOR PURPOSES OF THE FINAL REPORT AND ALSO FOR US TO KNOW, UM, SO I WOULD LIKE THAT TO BECOME PART OF OUR CADENCE, SO TO SPEAK IS THAT AFTER, UH, OR THAT EACH WEDNESDAY, WE GET THE SUMMARIES FROM THE
[02:00:01]
WEEKS, UH, PUBLIC FORUMS. AND THEN, UM, I ALSO WANTED TO, UM, PUT ON THE AGENDA A FINAL REPORT COMMITTEE UPDATE BECAUSE THE FINAL REPORT COMMITTEE WILL BE MEETING, UM, THIS WEEKEND.SO, AND THE FLOOR IS OPEN MISSIONARY.
SO FOR FEATURE AGENDA ITEMS, I'M NOT SURE IF I'M REMEMBERING, UM, INCORRECTLY, BUT I THINK IN THE HIRING WORKING GROUP, WE HAD DISCUSSED ON THAT ON THE 19TH, WE MIGHT, UM, DISCUSS THE MAPPING SPECIALIST.
SO THAT WILL BE ANOTHER THING FOR THE FUTURE AGENDA ITEM IS, UM, IS A UPDATE FROM THE HIRING WORKING GROUP REGARDING THE MAPPING SPECIALIST.
AND I ALSO SAW VICE CHAIR GONZALEZ HIS HAND.
JUST ONLY TO MENTION THAT IT MIGHT BE A WISE, UM, FOR US TO START, INCLUDING MAYBE A HOUSEKEEPING ITEM ON OUR AGENDAS, JUST, YOU KNOW, WE GET, WE GET A LITTLE BOGGED DOWN BY, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO HAVE THESE AGENDAS UP 72 HOURS IN ADVANCE.
UM, AND SOMETIMES WE'RE NOT ABLE TO TALK ABOUT CERTAIN ISSUES BECAUSE THEY MAY NOT HAVE MADE IT AT THE AGENDA.
I'M I'M WONDERING, AND THIS IS MAYBE FOR KORBEL OR MR.
SO, UM, NOTHING MAJOR, NO ACTION ITEMS, BUT I AGREE THAT WE NEED A HOUSEKEEPING ITEM JUST AT THE END OF OUR AGENDAS FOR THE FUTURE.
THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION.
ANYTHING ELSE FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? ALL RIGHT.
IS THERE ANY FURTHER BUSINESS? OH, I'M SO SORRY.
UM, I GUESS THIS IS REALLY FURTHER BUSINESS IT'S JUST REGARDING TOMORROW.
I JUST WANTED TO DOUBLE CHECK.
I KNOW, CITY HALL, WHEN YOU ENTER THIS LIKE SECURITY AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT, LIKE I'M ASSUMING MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE AWARE OF THAT, LIKE THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THEY CANNOT BRING IN, BUT WAS THERE ANY SORT OF NOTICE, LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T BRING THIS OR THAT INSIDE BEFORE IT CAUSES PROBLEMS LIKE FOR PEOPLE COMING IN ON BUSES AND THAT SORT OF THING.
I DON'T THINK THAT THERE HAS BEEN A NOTICE TO THAT EXTENT ON, UM, ON OUR AGENDA THAT WAS POSTED OR, UM, ON ANY OF OUR PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS, UM, COMMISSIONER FOXCONN OR MATT OR LISA, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG.
CAUSE I KNOW THAT Y'ALL HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH THAT KIND OF COMMUNICATION.
UM, YEAH, IT WASN'T PARTICULARLY PUT ON OUR PUBLIC NOTICE, BUT I WILL SAY THAT, UM, JUST GOING, I'VE HAD OCCASION TO BE THERE AND IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT'S NOT ALLOWED THERE'S SPACE TO HOLD IT.
SO, UM, I DON'T THINK IT'LL BE AN IMPEDIMENT TO PEOPLE ENTERING.
UM, IF THAT'S YOUR CONCERN, I CERTAINLY WANT TO ADDRESS THE CONCERN THAT YOU HAVE.
IS THERE ANY FURTHER RESULTS SINCE THERE IS NO FURTHER BUSINESS, THE MEETING IS ADJOURNED.