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RIGHT.[Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission]
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE WITH US THIS BEAUTIFUL SATURDAY MORNING IN DISTRICT SEVEN, I'M GOING TO HAVE VICE-CHAIR GONZALEZ.MY NAME IS CHRISTINA
DOES MY NAME IS LUIS GONZALES.
I'M THE VICE CHAIR OF THE INDEPENDENT CITIZENS REDISTRICTING COMMISSION.
THANK YOU FOR SPENDING ONE OF YOUR PRECIOUS WEEKDAYS WEEKENDS WITH US A SATURDAY HERE AT THE NORTHWEST RECREATION CENTER.
THANK YOU TO THE REC CENTER FOR WELCOMING US FOR OUR PUBLIC FORUM.
UM, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND FOR SUPPORTING THE WORK OF THE IMPORTANT WORK OF THE ICRC.
JUST TO WALK YOU THROUGH A LITTLE BIT OF OUR AGENDA TODAY, WE'RE GOING TO SHARE SOME BACKGROUND OF THIS BODY, THE ICRC, WE ARE GOING TO SHOW SOME MAPS AND PROVIDE SOME INFORMATION.
THE CURRENT MAP THAT WAS DRAWN IN 2013, SOME DEMOGRAPHICS, UH, BACK IN 2010, AND AS THEY STAND NOW IN 2019 AND 2020, WE'LL GIVE A LITTLE HISTORY OF THE TEN ONE, THE CURRENT TEN ONE MAKEUP OF THE CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS EXPLAINED WHY AS OF JULY 24TH, WE STILL DO NOT HAVE 2020 CENSUS DATA TO DO OUR WORK.
AND THEN GIVEN TURNOUT, UH, WE WILL, UH, PROVIDE SOME INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO BREAK OUT IN EITHER A SEPARATE GROUPS, OR WE MAY DO THE ACTIVITY.
YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED SOME MAP WORK SHEETS WHEN YOU ENTERED.
WE MAY DO THAT ON AN INDIVIDUAL, UH, LEVEL IF THE TURNOUT REMAINS HOW IT IS RIGHT NOW.
SO THANKS FOR BEARING WITH US.
UM, AS YOU KNOW, THE CITY HAS UNFORTUNATELY REENTERED STAGE FOUR, UH, RISK LEVEL OF THE COVID PANDEMIC.
SO WE DO ASK THAT YOU PLEASE REMAIN MASKED.
UM, AND AGAIN, IF YOU FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE REMAINING IN A SOCIAL DISTANCE ENVIRONMENT VERSUS GETTING INTO OUR GROUPS MORE THAN HAPPY TO ACCOMMODATE THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, JUST A LITTLE INTRODUCTION.
SO CHAIR PLAINTIFF AND I HAVE ALREADY INTRODUCED OURSELVES, BUT JUST TO GIVE A LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS YOU SEE UP HERE, UM, FROM DISTRICT ONE, WE HAVE COMMISSIONER AERO HARDIN.
WE ALSO HAVE COMMISSIONER SELENA, YE WHO COULD NOT BE WITH US TODAY.
SHE JUST COMMISSIONERS TO LENA YOU THANK YOU FOR JOINING, YOU KNOW, UH, FOR DISTRICT TWO, WE HAVE COMMISSIONER SAT AT UNESCO THAT ON FOR DISTRICT THREE, WE HAVE COMMISSIONER LONGLY AND WE ALSO HAVE COMMISSIONER BRIGHAM MORRIS DISTRICT FOUR COMMISSIONER DR.
I CAN SEE HIS NOT UNFORTUNATELY WITH US TODAY FOR OUR DISTRICT FIVE COMMISSIONER PRABHU CANNON FOR DISTRICT SIX, COMMISSIONER EUGENE SCHNEIDER FOR DISTRICT EIGHT.
WE HAVE COMMISSIONER JOSHUA BLANK, DISTRICT NINE.
WE HAVE COMMISSIONER SHAYNA KAMBO FOR DISTRICT 10 VICE-CHAIR LOUIS GONZALEZ AND COMMISSIONER AARON DEMPSEY, WHO COULD NOT BE WITH US TODAY.
I'M GOING TO INTRODUCE COMMISSIONER CAMELLIA, FEC ONE TO PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A INFORMATION AND INTRODUCTION ABOUT HERSELF.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING AND THANK YOU TO ALSO MY FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS WHO SHOWED UP TO SUPPORT.
I, YOU KNOW, I REALLY CARE ABOUT REPRESENTATION AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AND I'M JUST REALLY PROUD TO SERVE ON THIS COMMISSION AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF DISTRICT SEVEN.
I WILL BE SPEAKING A LITTLE BIT LATER IN MY CAPACITY AS A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT SEVEN, TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSIONERS ON BEHALF OF MY NEIGHBORS.
SO I'LL PROBABLY SHARE MORE THAN THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER FOCALIN.
I'M ALSO GOING TO ALLOW A CHAIR, CHRISTINA APPRENTICE SHARE A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HERSELF CHAIR.
UH, YEAH, I'VE LIVED IN DISTRICT SEVEN IN A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT PLACES.
AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN BURNET, UH, FROM JUST NORTH OF BREAKER THIS MORNING, I WAS THINKING ABOUT HOW MUCH OF MY LIFE I'VE SPENT IN THIS DISTRICT.
UH, YOU ALSO USED TO LIVE OFF OF SHOAL CREEK, BUT, UM, YEAH, SO I'VE BEEN IN AUSTIN FOR 11 YEARS AND I WENT TO UT I'M ACTUALLY CURRENTLY FINISHING UP MY MASTER'S DEGREE AT THE LBJ SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS.
AND I'M ALSO A FORMER PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER.
I TAUGHT AT LBJ EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL.
AND WHY AM I HERE ON THIS COMMISSION? UM, SIMPLY I THINK IT'S FOR DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION.
I THINK THIS IS WONDERFUL AND, UM, TO, FOR MAXIMUM RACIAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION.
SO I'M REALLY EXCITED TO BE CHAIRING THIS COMMISSION
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AND I'M EXCITED TO SEE ALL OF YOU HERE THIS MORNING.I FORGOT TO SAY NEXT SLIDE WHEN SHAREPOINT, THIS WAS INTRODUCING HERSELF.
I DON'T WANT THE AMAZING GRAPHICS THAT ARE, UH, COMMISSIONED HAS WORKED ON EITHER, UH, BE LOST, BUT THANK YOU FOR THAT CHAIR.
I JUST WANTED TO GIVE A LITTLE BACKGROUND ABOUT OUR COMMISSION IN 20 12, 60 1% OF AUSTIN VOTERS SET THE STANDARD FOR AN OPEN AND TRANSPARENT MAPPING OF OUR DISTRICTS, THE VOTE APPROVED OR REPLACING THE CITIES AT LARGE CITY COUNCIL SYSTEM THAT WE HAD THAT LACKED GEOGRAPHICAL AND RACIAL REPRESENTATION WITH THE CURRENT TEN ONE COUNCIL CONSISTING OF 10 SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS, UH, PLUS THE MAYOR.
SO SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS, PLUS THE MAYOR TO PREVENT GERRYMANDERING ON, ON BEHALF OF ANY ELECTED OFFICIAL, THE DISTRICTS WERE DRAWN BY AN INDEPENDENT CITIZENS REDISTRICTING COMMISSION, UH, BACK IN 2013, HISTORY WAS MADE ON NOVEMBER 18TH, 2013.
WHEN THE CITY OF AUSTIN BECAME THE FIRST CITY IN THE COUNTRY TO HAVE CITY COUNCIL, JUST TO DISTRICTS DRAWN THROUGH THE VOLUNTEERISM OF A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT GROUP OF REGULAR RESIDENTS.
THIS COMMISSION THAT YOU SEE HERE IS NOT SELECTED BY ANY POLITICIAN.
THE WAY OF THAT OTHER REDISTRICTING COMMISSIONS MIGHT OPERATE.
WE ARE AUSTIN RESIDENTS, JUST LIKE YOU, WHO CARE ABOUT THE PROCESS AND HOW IT IS MANAGED.
UH, WE ARE NOT PAID 1 CENT FOR THE WORK THAT WE ARE DOING TODAY.
THIS BODY THAT YOU SEE BEFORE YOU IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE NOW FOR PRODUCING THE NEW CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT MAPS, NOT THE CITY COUNCIL, NOT THE MAYOR OR THE CITY MANAGER, NOT THE STATE.
WE'RE INDEPENDENT WITH THE CAPITAL.
I, WE ARE CONDUCTING OUR DIFFICULT YET VITAL WORK UP AGAINST A VERY TIGHT DEADLINE SOLELY WITH THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND ITS RESIDENTS IN MIND.
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR HISTORY AGAIN, UP THERE, BUT I WANT US TO FOCUS ON, UM, THE SELECTION PROCESS FOR THE ICRC REAL QUICK, OVER 300 APPLICATIONS WERE RECEIVED FOR PLACEMENT ON THE ICRC OVER 89% OF THOSE APPLICATIONS, UH, MET THE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECTION.
AN APPLICANT REVIEW PANEL THEN SELECTED 60 OF THOSE APPLICATIONS AS THE MOST QUALIFIED THROUGH A RANDOM JOIN SYSTEM THROUGH THE CITY AUDITOR'S OFFICE.
THE, THE OFFICE SELECTED EIGHT COMMISSIONERS, UH, THROUGH THAT, UM, FROM THE QUALIFIED POOL.
AND THEN THOSE RANDOMLY EIGHT SELECTED COMMISSIONERS CHOSE THE SIX ADDITIONAL COMMISSIONERS THAT MAKE UP THE 14 THAT YOU HAVE TODAY.
THE 14 COMMISSIONERS WILL THEN WORK TO REACH ALL THE DISTRICT BOUNDARIES.
IT'S JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR SELECTION PROCESS.
SO WHAT IS IT, WHY ARE WE HERE? THE COMMISSION WOULD DECIDE ON NEW BOUNDARIES THROUGH AN OPEN AND TRANSPARENT PROCESS WITH MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC INPUT.
THAT IS WHY YOU ARE HERE TODAY.
THROUGH OUR CHARTER, WE ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE ONE PUBLIC FORUM WITHIN EACH OF THE 10 CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS.
WE CURRENTLY ARE IN DISTRICT SEVEN IN ORDER TO DRAW THE BOUNDARIES COMMISSIONERS NEED INPUT FROM RESIDENTS THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS.
AND AGAIN, THAT PROCESS INCLUDES HOLDING PUBLIC FORUMS IN EACH ONE OF THE 10 CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS COMING UP WITH AN INITIAL DRAFT OF THOSE BOUNDARIES, GOING OUT FOR FOUR MORE PUBLIC FORUMS, ONE IN EACH OF THE COUNTY PRECINCTS.
AFTER THOSE FINAL MAPS ARE PROPOSED.
WE HOPE TO MORE PUBLIC FORUMS, ONE NORTH AND SOUTH OF LADY BURKE, LATE LADY BIRD LAKE.
THEN WE VOTE ON THOSE FINAL MAPS AND WE HAVE TO ADOPT A FINAL PLAN BY NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 1ST, 2021.
SO KIND OF GIVES YOU A SENSE OF THAT TIGHT DEADLINE THAT WE'RE UP AGAINST, ESPECIALLY SINCE WE DON'T HAVE THE 2020 CENSUS DATA, UH, THAT DOES A BULK OF THE WORK FOR US.
UM, THE HIGHLIGHTED THAT YOU SEE ON THE SLIDE AGAIN IS WHY YOU ARE HERE TODAY.
I'M NOT GOING TO PASS THE MIC OVER BACK TO SHAREPOINT US TO SPEAK ON WHY THIS ENTIRE REDISTRICTING PROCESS MATTERS TO THOSE INTENDANT IN ATTENDANCE TODAY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH SHAREPOINT US.
IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT THAT FEEDBACK? OKAY, THERE WE GO.
UM, SO WHY DOES REDISTRICTING MATTER? I'LL KEEP IT SIMPLE.
LET'S SEE IF THIS IS ANY BETTER.
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YOU.LET'S SEE IF THAT'S ANY BETTER.
SO OUR REDISTRICTING PROCESS MATTERS BECAUSE IT'S DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO FAIR REPRESENTATION.
AND AS I HAD MENTIONED EARLIER, AND THAT WAY YOU CAN ALSO SHARE THIS DISTRICT WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE SIMILAR CONCERNS TO YOURS AND WHOSE CAUSES YOU WANT TO ADVOCATE FOR MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THIS SYSTEM IS THE ANTIDOTE TO GERRYMANDERING PRACTICES THAT WE SEE AT THE STATE LEVEL AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHERE POLITICAL DISTRICTS ARE DRAWN FOR THE PURPOSE OF POLITICIANS TO GET REELECTED RATHER THAN TO ENSURE THIS FAIR REPRESENTATION AND INCREASED DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION THAT WE SEE HERE.
OUR PROCESS MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR RESIDENTS TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE FOR A CANDIDATE OF THEIR CHOICE.
THIS IS SOMEONE WHO YOU BELIEVE WILL FIGHT FOR YOU WHEN THEY GET TO OFFICE.
ONE CHALLENGE FOR THIS COMMISSION IS ENSURING THAT OUR POOL OF APPLICANTS WILL ACCURATELY REFLECT THE DEMOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY OF AUSTIN'S ENTIRE POPULATION WHILE ALSO HAVING NO TIES TO CITY OR STATE POLITICS OR POLITICAL PARTIES.
UM, AND ALSO HAVING LIVED AND VOTED IN AUSTIN FOR AT LEAST FIVE YEARS.
AGAIN, THE INDEPENDENT WITH THE CAPITAL.
I LIKE VICE-CHAIR GONZALEZ SAID A LITTLE HISTORY FOR Y'ALL IN 2015, THE SUPREME COURT AFFIRMED THAT VOTERS HAVE FOR THE RIGHT TO ESTABLISH INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSIONS.
AND AT A TIME WHEN POLITICIANS ELICIT DISTRUST CITIZEN REDISTRICTING CAN PROVIDE A TRANSPARENT AND TRANSFORMING ALTERNATIVE TO POLITICS.
AS USUAL, THIS MOVEMENT INVITES THE INVOLVEMENT OF ANY AND ALL RESIDENTS.
OUR WORK CANNOT HAPPEN WITHOUT PUBLIC FORUMS LIKE THIS ONE AND WITHOUT ALL OF YOU HERE TODAY.
SO THE NEXT SLIDE 2013 INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING OF ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES WAS A GRASSROOTS FROM THE GROUND UP INITIATIVE AND THE 2021 COMMISSIONERS HOPE TO DO THE SAME THIS YEAR BECAUSE WE BELIEVE REPRESENTATION IS THE BACKBONE OF DOMO.
NEXT SLIDE LATER, THE CITIZENS ON THIS COMMISSION WILL HAVE ACCESS TO 2020 CENSUS DATA.
THE COMMISSIONERS WILL USE THIS DATA AND PUBLIC INPUT TO DECIDE HOW TO DRAW THE NEW DISTRICT BOUNDARIES AND BEST REFLECTS AUSTIN'S CHANGES AND GROWTH ADHERENT TO SECTION THREE E OF THE CITY CHARTER, THE COMMISSIONERS MUST DRAW EACH DISTRICTS BOUNDARIES USING THIS CRITERIA YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN.
AND, UM, NUMBER FOUR IS HIGHLIGHTED HERE, BECAUSE AGAIN, THIS IS WHY Y'ALL ARE HERE TODAY.
THIS IS THE PART WHERE CITIZEN COMMUNICATION COMES INTO PLAY WITH HOW WE DRAW OUR MAPS.
SO THE GEOGRAPHIC INTEGRITY OF LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS OR LOCAL COMMUNITIES OF INTEREST SHALL BE RESPECTED IN A MANNER THAT MINIMIZES THEIR DIVISION TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE WITHOUT VIOLATING THE REQUIREMENTS OF ANY OF THE PRECEDING SUBSECTIONS WHAT'S PRECEDING HERE IS THAT WE ARE MAKING SURE THAT OUR DISTRICTS HAVE A REASONABLY EQUAL POPULATION FOR EACH ONE, UH, THAT WE'RE COMPLYING WITH THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT AND THAT OUR DISTRICTS ARE GEOGRAPHICALLY CONTIGUOUS.
SO THIS IS KIND OF AN ORDER OF PRIORITY IN WHICH WE HAVE TO DRAW OUR DISTRICTS.
A LOT OF WHAT DICTATES OUR WORK HERE WITH THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS IS PRETTY CUT AND DRY.
AND FROM THE DATA, I REALLY THINK THE MAGIC SAUCE IS THAT PUBLIC INPUT.
ALL RIGHT, THIS GRAPH HERE SHOWS THE POPULATION BY COUNCIL DISTRICT FROM THE 2010 CENSUS DATA.
THIS IS HOW THE DISTRICTS WERE BROKEN UP.
SO THE GOAL IS THAT EACH DISTRICT AT THE TIME HAD 79,000 AND THIS WAS BASED ON THE POPULATION OF 790,390.
WE HAVE TO CREATE DISTRICTS AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO EQUAL, RIGHT? SO 0% DEVIATION, UM, AND THE NUMBER IS DIFFERENT.
NOW, YOU'LL SEE THAT REALLY SOON HERE.
UH, LOOK AT DISTRICT SEVEN, WE HAD AT THE TIME, UM, 80,924.
SO A LITTLE OVER THAT 79,000 MARK, UH, 1.4, 3% HIGHER.
ON THIS GRAPH, YOU SEE THE RAPID AND PRECIPITOUS GROWTH IN AUSTIN'S POPULATION THROUGH THE YEARS.
AND I THINK THAT IT'S REALLY INTERESTING TO SEE IT GO ALL THE WAY BACK TO 1870 AND IT PAINTS THAT PICTURE.
UM, SO THAT'S ABOUT A 25% INCREASE FOR, UM, FROM THE 20 10 20 20.
THE ESTIMATE FOR AUSTIN'S POPULATION JUST LAST YEAR WAS AT 995,480 FOR THE IDEAL CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT
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NOW WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY 99,500.WE HAVE SURELY SURPASSED A MILLION PEOPLE IN 2021, BUT WE WILL OF COURSE DRAW THE DISTRICTS BASED ON THE DATA FROM THE 2020 CENSUS AND A PORTION APPROPRIATELY.
THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT MAP.
SO AS WE SAW EARLIER, AUSTIN HAS GROWN BY OVER 200,000 PEOPLE SINCE 2010.
THIS MAP SHOWS THAT THE GROWTH IS CONCENTRATED IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE CITY.
AND SO THAT DARK BLUE COLOR SHOWS WHERE THERE'S MORE CONCENTRATED GROWTH AND THE WHITE AREAS THAT YOU SEE IN THE MAP, THERE'S EITHER NO CHANGE OR EVEN A LOSS IN THOSE AREAS.
SO IN SOME CASES, WE SEE THAT AGAIN, THE DARK BLUE, I KNOW IT'S KIND OF SMALL AND IT'S GREATER THAN 3000 RESIDENTS OF GROWTH THERE.
AND SO THIS UNEQUAL GROWTH MEANS THAT THE DISTRICT BOUNDARIES WILL HAVE TO CHANGE NEXT LINE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR RACE AND ETHNICITY COMPOSITION FOR OUR CITY.
THIS IS DIFFERENT THAN THE REST OF THE STATE.
THE POPULATION THAT IDENTIFIES AS WHITE IN AUSTIN IS 49% ABOUT WHILE ABOUT 32% IDENTIFY AS LATINO.
WE HAVE ABOUT 8% THAT IDENTIFY AS ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER, WHICH IS HIGHER THAN THE SHARE OF THE STATE POPULATION.
A LITTLE MORE THAN 7% OF OUR POPULATION IDENTIFY AS BLACK, WHICH IS LOWER THAN THE SHARE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS AS A WHOLE STATEWIDE.
THE BLACK POPULATION IS 11% AND THE ASIAN POPULATION IS 5%.
WE HAVE CLOSE TO 3% THAT IDENTIFY WITH TWO OR MORE RACES AND SMALLER SHARES IDENTIFYING AS AMERICAN, INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE.
AND I'LL SHARE JUST A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THE CONTRAST BETWEEN TEXAS AND AUSTIN'S POPULATION CHANGE.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE CONTRIBUTION OF EACH OF THESE RACIAL, ETHNIC GROUPS TO THE TOTAL CHANGE IN THE DECADE, WE SEE THAT THE BIGGEST DRIVER IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS BEEN THE NON-HISPANIC WHITE POPULATION HERE IN AUSTIN.
THIS IS CLOSE TO 50% OF THE TOTAL CHANGE.
AND THIS SETS US APART FROM THE REST OF TEXAS, WHERE THE WHITE POPULATION IS CONTRIBUTING ONLY ABOUT 13% OF THE TOTAL CHANGE.
AND 53% IS ACTUALLY DRIVEN BY LATINOS ACROSS THE DECADE, UM, STATEWIDE.
SO THE TEXAS LATINO POPULATION IS AT 40% WHILE THE NON-HISPANIC WHITE POPULATION IS 42.
AND AGAIN, I KNOW IT MIGHT BE HARD TO SEE HERE, BUT YOU'LL SEE, IN 2019 FOR AUSTIN, THE LATINO POPULATION IS AT 32.5 WHILE THE WHITE POPULATION IS AT 48.8 AND THE ASIAN IS AT 8.1, BLACK IS AT 7.4.
JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE Y'ALL COULD SEE THAT ON THE GRAPH THERE.
I DID ALSO WANT TO MENTION, WE ARE AWARE OF THE WAY THAT BLACK AND LATINO COMMUNITIES IN AUSTIN HAVE BEEN PUSHED TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE AREA FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS, INCLUDING HOUSING AFFORDABILITY.
SO WHY DON'T WE HAVE THE 2020 CENSUS DATA YET? WE ALL KNOW WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR WITH THE PANDEMIC AND OTHER INTERRUPTIONS.
UM, SO THERE'S JUST THAT FOR FIRST OFF, UM, THE CITY CHARTER SET THIS DEADLINE OF NOVEMBER 1ST FOR THE FINAL REDISTRICTING PLAN TO BE ADOPTED.
THIS IS A TIGHT TURNAROUND CONSIDERING WE CANNOT FORMALLY START THE MAPPING PROCESS UNTIL WE HAVE RECEIVED THE CENSUS DATA.
SO AS YOU SAW EARLIER, BETWEEN WHEN WE RECEIVED THE DATA FROM THE CENSUS BUREAU AND THE NOVEMBER 1ST DEADLINE, WE WILL NEED TO DRAW PRELIMINARY MAPS, PRESENT THEM TO THE PUBLIC IN EACH TRAVIS COUNTY PRECINCT AND TAKE PUBLIC INPUT.
WE HAVE TO REVISE THE MAPS, PRESENT THE FINAL MAPS TWO MORE TIMES AND TAKE PUBLIC INPUT AND THEN ADOPT THE FINAL PLAN.
AND I WILL PASS THE MIC BACK TO VICE-CHAIR GONZALEZ.
IT'S KIND OF THE GROUP ACTIVITY THAT I ALLUDED TO EARLIER, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU STEPPED INTO THE ROOM, YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED A NAME TAG, UM, THAT HAD A COLORED DOT ON IT.
WE WERE GOING TO BREAK OUT INTO GROUPS BASED ON THOSE DOTS, GIVEN WE CAN STILL DO THAT, BUT WE CAN ALSO, UH, YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED A MAPPING WORKSHEET THAT HAS THE DISTRICT SEVEN MAP, UM, BECAUSE WE AREN'T WITHIN DISTRICT SEVEN TODAY AND THEN A ADDITIONAL MAP THAT HAS THE ENTIRE CITY COUNCIL MAP LAID OUT.
UM, SO WHETHER WE DO THAT IN GROUPS OR WHETHER WE DO THAT INDIVIDUALLY, WE WOULD ASK THAT YOU USE THIS MAP TO MARK AREAS OF INTERESTS AREAS IN YOUR DISTRICT THAT MATTER THE MOST TO YOU, YOU COULD IDENTIFY WHETHER IT'S A GROCERY STORE OR YOUR DOCTOR, YOUR CHILD'S SCHOOL, MAYBE MARK THOSE AREAS WITH A STAR OR A DOT, AND THEN CIRCLE THE AREA THAT SURROUNDS THOSE POINTS.
THAT IS THE PUBLIC INPUT THAT WE WERE REALLY HOPING FROM ALL OF YOU TODAY.
WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT PARTS OF YOUR DISTRICT MATTER THE MOST TO YOU WHEN WE'RE DRAWING THOSE DISTRICT BOUNDARIES.
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NEW DISTRICT LINES.IDEALLY WE WOULD NOT WANT TO CUT THROUGH NEIGHBORHOODS THAT MATTERED THE MOST TO THE RESIDENTS OF AUSTIN.
UM, SO MAYBE SHARE, MAYBE SOMEONE COULD GIVE ME AN IDEA HERE.
THERE IS A DECENT AMOUNT OF PEOPLE WE COULD BREAK OUT INTO A COUPLE OF GROUPS, BUT GIVEN AGAIN, TURNOUT AND THE STAGE FOUR OF COVID AND MAYBE PEOPLE ARE MORE COMFORTABLE WITH KEEPING SEPARATE.
WE ARE HAPPY TO GO EITHER WAY WITH THIS ACTIVITY TODAY.
JOE REYNOLDS, I'VE GOT A QUESTION.
YOU GUYS ARE LOOKING FOR THIS INPUT, AT LEAST IN ALLENDALE, THE NOTICE OF THIS COMMITTEE WAS, OR THIS MEETING WAS NON-EXISTENT AND I FOUND OUT ABOUT IT FROM AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL AND I FOUND OUT ABOUT IT LAST NIGHT.
BUT, BUT NOBODY WAS, NOBODY WAS ALERTED AND NOBODY WAS DOING ANYTHING.
SO THE QUESTION IS, DO YOU NEED THIS STUFF TODAY? OR CAN WE ORGANIZE GROUPS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO HELP WITH THIS OVER THE NEXT THREE TO FIVE DAYS? THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION, SIR.
WE WOULD APPRECIATE THAT THESE MAPS THAT YOU HAVE TODAY WOULD BE FILLED OUT IN TODAY'S FORUM, BUT THERE ARE WAYS, AND WE CAN, WE WILL GO THROUGH THAT ONE AND GO THROUGH SIDE WHERE WE WILL BE RECEIVING ADDITIONAL INPUT.
WE HAVE EMAILS, WE HAVE SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS.
UH, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR FOLKS TO DRAW THEIR OWN MAPS AND SUBMIT THEM TO US.
WE'RE ALL INTERESTED IN GETTING THIS DONE, RIGHT? YES, SIR.
THE OTHER THING THAT YOU GUYS DO IS THAT YOU COORDINATE WITH THE COUNTY BECAUSE THE PRECINCT BOUNDARIES IMPACT YOUR STUFF.
AND SO THE COUNTY HAS GOT TO DO THE SAME THING THAT Y'ALL HAVE TO DO.
SO THERE'S GOING TO BE COORDINATION THERE.
AND I CARE ABOUT THE PRECINCTS BECAUSE I'VE BEEN AN ELECTION JUDGE AROUND HERE FOR A LONG TIME.
I WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.
I THINK THAT THAT'S MOST PEOPLE, SO THAT'S FINE.
UM, WE WILL HAVE THE MAPS JUST DONE AT YOUR SEAT AND WE'LL GIVE YOU ALL ABOUT 20 TO 25 MINUTES.
UM, AND THEN AFTERWARD WE CAN GO THROUGH THE PUBLIC TESTIMONY PART FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO SIGNED UP TO SPEAK AT THE MIC.
UM, AND SO THAT'LL BE AFTER WE'RE FINISHED WITH THIS, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, FEEL FREE TO JUST COME UP AND ASK, UM, IF YOU NEED CLARITY ON AGAIN, HOW TO COMPLETE THIS WORKSHEET.
CHAIR POINT IS THAT'S PUBLIC SCHOOL, UH, INSTRUCTION, UH, WHILE WE'RE DOING THAT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, UH, BEING ACCOMMODATING AND FILLING OUT THESE SHEETS ON AN INDIVIDUAL INDEPENDENT BASIS.
THERE IS A BACK OF THE PORTION THAT YOU COULD WRITE AS MUCH, OR AS LITTLE AS YOU WANT IN TERMS OF PUBLIC COMMENT.
I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU ALL A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SHEETS.
SO IN THIS SESSION, WE ARE FOCUSING ON SECTION FOUR OF THE ICRC CHARTER.
SO THAT'S KEEPING THE GEOGRAPHICAL, UH, INTEGRITY OF YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS IN YOUR COMMUNITIES, INTACT, UM, YOUR PUBLIC TESTIMONY AND THE WORKSHEETS THAT YOU WERE WORKING TO COMPLETE WILL GIVE US A BETTER SNAPSHOT OF WHAT MATTERS TO VOTERS.
WHAT WE'VE HEARD OF OF COURSE, WHERE THERE'S A LOT OF COLLABORATION THAT IS NECESSARY NOT ONLY ON THE COUNCIL LEVEL, BUT ON THE COUNTY AND EVEN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT LEVEL.
UM, THIS GROUP, THIS ACTIVITY WILL GIVE US, UH, THE UNDERLINING UNMEASURED VARIABLES THAT WOULD HELP US KEEP THE INTEGRITY OF YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, WHILE WE'RE REDISTRICTING.
IF YOU COULD CHANGE THE SLIDE, PLEASE.
UM, WE THOUGHT THAT THIS SLIDE WILL ALSO HELP AND WE'LL LEAVE IT UP ON THE SCREEN.
AS YOU'RE COMPLETING THIS EXERCISE.
THESE ARE JUST QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER WHEN IDENTIFYING ON THESE MAPS, WHAT MEANS THE MOST TO YOU? UM, THESE QUESTIONS ARE ALSO ON THE VERY BACK OF YOUR WORKSHEETS ON THE VERY LAST PAGE OF THE WORKSHEET.
THAT IS WHERE YOU COULD FIND THESE QUESTIONS.
AND AGAIN, YOUR DOCTOR, WHERE DO YOUR KIDS GO TO SCHOOL? WHAT ARE THE RACIAL AND ETHNIC COMPOSITIONS? UM, WHAT, WHAT IS THE LANGUAGE PREDOMINANTLY SMOKING SPOKEN IN DISTRICT SEVEN? THESE ARE ALL QUESTIONS THAT YOU CAN CONSIDER AS YOU'RE MARKETING ON YOUR SHEETS ARE LEAVING US PUBLIC COMMENT.
WE'RE HAPPY TO LEAVE YOU TO IT 20 MINUTES.
AND WE ARE HERE FOR ANY QUESTIONS IN THE MEANTIME, AND I'M SURE THE CHAIR AND I WILL WALK AROUND JUST TO INTRODUCE YOURSELVES.
WE'RE GOING TO MOVE INTO, WHICH IS TAKING SOME PUBLIC TESTIMONY.
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ORIGINALLY.WE HOPED THAT WITH ALL THE GROUPS, WE COULD HAVE IDENTIFIED A SPEAKER IN EACH GROUP AND EACH SPEAKER WOULD HAVE FIVE MINUTES.
WE DID NOT BREAK OUT INTO GROUPS.
SO THE PLAN B IS THIS PUBLIC TESTIMONY ASPECT.
IF YOU SIGNED IN AT THE BEGINNING, WHEN YOU ENTERED AT THE REGISTRATION DESK, THAT YOU MAY HAVE NOTED THAT YOU WANTED TO SPEAK TODAY.
EACH SPEAKER WILL BE LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES.
AND AGAIN, WE ARE INTERESTED IN GATHERING DATA ON YOUR VIEW OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS, THE NEW MAPS AND OUR REDISTRICTING PLAN.
THAT IS WHY, WE'RE WHY WE'RE HERE TODAY.
UM, EVERYONE IS ASKED TO ABIDE BY THESE GUIDELINES.
SO THE PUBLIC FORUM PROCESS CAN PROCEED SMOOTHLY AND ALL WHO WISH TO SPEAK, HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO TODAY.
SO I'M GOING TO HAVE CHRISTINE WHO MAY HAVE GOT SOME NOTES FOR WHO WANTED TO SPEAK TODAY, KIND OF RUN THIS PORTION.
UM, AND YOU WOULD JUST COME UP TO THE MIC HERE AND WE'RE ALL EARS.
AND CAN EVERYONE HEAR, I CAN HEAR MYSELF, UM, GARY, CAN I CALL YOU UP? ARE YOU READY? DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK? AND I'M TRYING TO WIPE OFF THE MICROPHONE COMMISSIONERS.
MY NAME IS GARY BROWN AND I LIVE IN DISTRICT SEVEN UP IN MILLWOOD.
AND, UM, THE THING I'VE WANTED TO START WITH IS I REALLY LOVE HOW DISTRICT SEVEN ENCOMPASSES ALL OF THE BURNETT ROAD CORRIDOR.
SO THE OTHER THING THAT I REALLY WANT TO, UM, ALERT YOU ALL TO IS THE NEW APPLE CAMPUS THAT IS BEING BUILT AT MCNEIL AND PARMER.
NOW THE TRAFFIC ON PARMER IS ALREADY KIND OF CRAZY.
NOW WHEN THE, UM, W TH TH AT THE FULL BUILD OUT OF THE APPLE CAMPUS, THEY'RE EXPECTING 15,000 EMPLOYEES THERE.
SO IF DISTRICT SEVEN HAS TO CHANGE, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO EXTEND DISTRICT SEVEN, AT LEAST TO, UM, ANDERSON MILL ROAD TO THE WEST.
SO, UH, ALL OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WILL BE IMPACTED BY THE, BY THE GROWTH OF, UM, NOT JUST THE APPLE CAMPUS, THAT'S BEING BUILT RIGHT THERE, BUT ALL OF, UM, UH, THE ROBINSON RANCH THAT IS BASICALLY GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, THE THIRD DOWNTOWN FOR AUSTIN, RIGHT? SO, UM, BECAUSE ALL THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS ALONG THE PARMER CORRIDOR ARE GOING TO BE IMPACTED GREATLY, UH, WHEN THAT CAMPUS FINALLY OPENS AND THAT'S, THAT'S GOING TO OPEN HERE NOT TOO MUCH LONGER.
SO, UM, I WOULD REALLY ENCOURAGE ALL TO DO THAT.
AND THAT'S THE ONLY CHANGE THAT I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, IN DISTRICT SEVEN.
THE NEXT PERSON I HAVE TO SPEAK IS DONALD NEELY.
THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING THIS FORUM.
UH, IN 2013, THE FIRST GENERATION OF REDISTRICT KING HAD MY NEIGHBORHOOD, WHICH IS ABOUT CONEY WOODS, UM, WHICH UNDER THE SAME HOA, BY THE WAY, UH, WAS UNDER DISTRICT SIX.
AND THEN AT THE VERY LAST ITERATION, IT WAS MOVED OVER, WAS ACTUALLY SPLIT, UH, BETWEEN DISTRICT SIX AND DISTRICT SEVEN.
IT'S DILUTING THE VOICE OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
UH, SO I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND, UH, AND THE, BY THE WAY, THE APP WAS THE, AFTER THE FACT THEY EXPLAINED IT WAS FOR BALANCING POPULATIONS BETWEEN THE DISTRICTS.
SO WHAT IS THE ICRC GOING TO DO TO REWRITE MY NEIGHBORHOOD UNDER A SINGLE DISTRICT? SO WE HAVE A COMMON VOICE.
THAT WAS THE FIRST QUESTION I HAVE.
THE SECOND ONE IS, YOU KNOW, MY NEIGHBOR IS MORE, MY NEIGHBORHOOD IS MORE ATTUNED TO THE KIND OF DEVELOPMENTS AND HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE IN DISTRICT SIX, AS OPPOSED TO DISTRICT SEVEN, WHICH HAS A VERY DIVERSE AND, AND SOUTH AS WELL AS NORTH AND THEN WEST.
WHAT, HOW DOES THE ICRC TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT IN TERMS OF TRYING TO, UH, COLLECT OUR DISTRICT IN TERMS OF COMMON INTEREST? THANK YOU SO MUCH, SIR.
IS JAVIER A FORT HERE, BONNIE? BONAFONT SORRY ABOUT THAT.
HI, MY NAME IS JAVIER BONAFONT.
UM, AND, UH, I LIVE IN A WALNUT CROSSING, UH, NORTH PART OF, UH, THE DISTRICT.
UM, AND I WAS ALSO PART OF THE 2013 PROCESS THAT DREW THESE, UH, ORIGINAL MAPS.
AND SO GENERALLY I'VE BEEN PRETTY HAPPY WITH THE DISTRICT SEVEN, UM, RESULT, UH, THEN AS NOW THOUGH, UH, I THINK WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, KIND OF ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE IS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE IN THE, UH, NORTHWEST RECREATION CENTER, WE'RE IN THE NORTHWEST RECREATION CENTER, AND IT IS AT THE FAR SOUTHERN TIP OF DISTRICT SEVEN.
IT IS LIKE 15 MINUTES DUE SOUTH OF WHERE I LIVE.
AND IT'S THE NORTHWEST DISTRICT, WHICH KIND OF POINTS OUT TO LIKE THE DISPARITY, LIKE, YOU KNOW,
[00:30:01]
THE, THE NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, THAT ANYTHING LIKE NORTH OF ANDERSON LANE IS DIFFERENT FROM SOUTH OF ANDERSON LANE.I MEAN, I LOVE ALLENDALE AND I LOVE PRESSED VIEW AND I, I LIVE HERE IF I COULD, BUT, UH, IT'S A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ERA AND GROWTH PATTERN AND THE DEVELOPMENT ISSUES ARE DIFFERENT, UH, THAN ONCE YOU GET LIKE, YOU KNOW, NORTH OF ANDERSON AND NORTH OF 1, 180 3, WE HAVE WAY DIFFERENT ISSUES THAT ARE GOING ON DOWN HERE.
UM, AND IF THESE, THESE NEIGHBORHOODS WERE SOMEWHERE ELSE, IT WOULD POINT UP TO THE FACT THAT THE REAL DISTRICT SEVEN UP THERE HAS NO REC CENTER.
YOU KNOW, IT KIND OF SKEWS WHAT OUR DISTRICT IS LIKE WHEN YOU INCLUDE THESE MORE CENTRAL NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, CAUSE WE, YEAH, WE WE'VE GOT NO OTHER PLACE TO MEET.
WE'VE GOT TO COME ALL THE WAY DOWN HERE.
UM, SO THAT'S MY ONLY COMMENT REALLY IS THAT I THINK THAT THE SOUTHERN, UH, LOGICAL BORDER OF DISTRICT SEVEN IS AROUND, UM, WEST ANDERSON LANE.
UH, AND THAT WAS MY VIEW IN 2013.
YEAH, I WAS THINKING MAYBE WE COULD LET EVERYONE FINISH AND THEN ARE WE DONE? NO, JUST RESPONSIVE.
HIS COMMENT IS THAT ALONE? YES.
AND I KNOW THAT JEAN ALSO WANTED TO RESPOND TO A COMMENT AS WELL.
I JUST WANTED TO ADDRESS YOUR, ONE OF THE STATEMENTS YOU'VE MADE ABOUT BEING IN THE NORTHWEST RECREATION CENTER.
I WAS ON THE, THE COMMITTEE THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WHERE WE MEET.
AND WE DID RECOGNIZE THAT WE IN THE FAR SOUTH OF THE DISTRICT, UNFORTUNATELY WITH COVID, WE WERE VERY LIMITED ON WHERE WE COULD MEET.
SO I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND STATE THAT WE DID TRY TO ACCOMMODATE THAT.
SO I JUST APPRECIATE YOU SAYING THAT NOW, JUST TO APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENT AND TO LET YOU KNOW THAT WE DEFINITELY WOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING DIFFERENT IF WE WEREN'T IN PANDEMICS.
THE LAST SPEAKER WE HAVE IS JOE RENNA.
THANK YOU, CHRISTINE SHORT, IF ANYONE ELSE HAD A COMMENT, I THINK THAT WOULD BE FINE.
COME ON UP AGAIN AGAIN, THAT YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK.
AND THEN IF THE COMMISSIONERS HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR RESPONSES TO ANYTHING YOU HEARD TODAY, I WOULD SAY AFTER THIS, GENTLEMEN, IF YOU WANT TO JUMP IN STARTING WITH, UM, MR. SCHNEIDER, THANKS.
UH, ADAM HAYNES, DISTRICT SEVEN, I'M IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE DISTRICT, UH, UH, NOT GOING TO ADDRESS THE GENTLEMAN'S COMMENT, BUT POINT OUT, UM, THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE DISTRICT, UH, ALLENDALE, BRENTWOOD, CRESTVIEW, UH, WE SHOP, UH, WE, WE GO TO SCHOOL, WE WORSHIP AND WE SHOP MORE IN THE ARBOR, WALK THE DOMAIN, THE ARBORETUM THAN WE DO DOWNTOWN.
I'M GLAD OBVIOUSLY HERE IN THE, IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE, OF THE DISTRICT, BUT, UM, LAMAR LAMAR MIDDLE SCHOOL GOES ALL THE WAY UP THE DISTRICT, UH, LAMAR MIDDLE SCHOOL'S REACH IS, AND IT REACHES SOME OVER TO THE DISTRICT ONE, BUT, UH, CERTAINLY LAMAR IS CRUCIAL AND THEN MACALLAN.
UH, NOW, NOW DISTRICT SEVEN IS PROBABLY SPLIT BY, UH, WHATEVER LINEAR IS NOW.
UM, THE VIKINGS, UM, AND MCCALLUM, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, A LARGE PART OF, OF OUR DISTRICT IS ALSO, UH, UH, SER SERVED BY MCCALLUM.
AND SO, UH, THOSE ARE CRUCIAL TO US.
AND THEN, UH, WE HAVE SEVERAL LARGE, UH, CHURCHES AND OBVIOUSLY, UM, TWO OF THE LARGEST SYNAGOGUES THAT, THAT ARE HOUSED IN OR ARE VERY CLOSE TO, UM, DISTRICT SEVEN, UH, BOTH OF WHICH SERVE THE POPULATION NORTH AND SOUTH.
SO, UM, I WOULD URGE YOU TO KEEP, UH, ALLENDALE AND CRESTVIEW AND BRENTWOOD, UH, LINKED WITH THEIR DOMAIN.
UM, I WAS LOOKING AT THE MAP WITH A COUPLE OF Y'ALL AND REALIZE THAT AS YOU GET UP TO WELLS BRANCH PARKWAY, UM, AS YOU GET UP TO, TO PALMER LANE AND THEN HOWARD LANE, AND THEN GOING ON UP THE, THE, UM, INTERSTATES, UM, IT, IT, IT'S GOING TO BE HARD TO PUT THAT TERRITORY INTO ANOTHER DISTRICT.
I, I JUST, YOU KNOW, PHYSICALLY UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD CUT SOME IN MAYBE LINCOLN TO ONE,
[00:35:01]
BUT, YOU KNOW, IF THAT HAS TO STAY IN DISTRICT SEVEN BECAUSE OF GEOGRAPHY, UM, IT LOOKS LIKE IT LOOKS LIKE SEVEN IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE CENTERED AS A KIND OF A NORTH SOUTH TRUE DISTRICT.I, I GET THAT AND I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT, UM, THE IDEA THAT THE THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SOUTHERN PART AND THE NORTHERN PART.
I, I, I, I, I DISAGREE WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, AGAIN, I, I TRAVELED WITH DOMAIN AND I WORKED DOWNTOWN.
I TRAVELED WITH DOMAIN AS MUCH AS I TRAVELED DOWNTOWN.
SO, UM, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, BURN IT IS, IS OUR LIFELINE MOPAC IS OUR LIFELINE.
THAT WAS EXACTLY THREE MINUTES, ALEX SCARBOROUGH.
UM, COMMISSIONERS JUST FIRST WANTED TO SAY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR VOLUNTEERING YOUR TIME ON THIS IMPORTANT PROJECT.
IT'S AS THE CITIZENS, WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU, UM, PUTTING THE EFFORT IN, UM, SO I WORK IN TRANSPORTATION, DEMAND MANAGEMENT.
UM, SO MY JOB, I FOCUS A LOT ON CARPOOLING, VANPOOLING TRANSIT, BIKING, UM, TELEWORK, ALL OF THOSE GREAT THINGS THAT ARE SOMETHING OTHER THAN DRIVING ALONE IN OUR SINGLE OCCUPANCY VEHICLES.
UM, AND I JUST WANTED TO MENTION, I ALSO LIVE IN CRESTVIEW STATION.
UM, SO I'M KIND OF ON THE SOUTHERN SORT OF PART OF THE DISTRICT.
UM, BUT I JUST WANTED TO PUT A PLUG IN FOR THE IMPORTANCE OF TRANSPORTATION, UM, AND LOOKING AT THESE DISTRICTS, UM, AS WELL AS SPECIFICALLY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION BIKEABILITY AND WALKABILITY.
UM, SOMETHING THAT I LOVE ABOUT LIVING IN CRESTVIEW IS THAT IT IS VERY WALKABLE.
IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE PAID MORE TO BE DOWN HERE, WHICH I KNOW NOT EVERYBODY HAS THE LUXURY OF DOING, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I LOVE.
AND I SEE, ESPECIALLY LIKE IN DISTRICT FOUR AND, YOU KNOW, RIGHT ACROSS LAMAR FROM WHERE WE ARE, WE CAN PRETTY MUCH SEE DISTRICT FOUR, LIKE FROM OUR HOUSE WOULD SAY, UM, IT'S IN CHARACTER.
AND I THINK WHAT A PREVIOUS SPEAKER WAS SAYING ABOUT, UM, THE ISSUES AND CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE I THINK ARE ALSO VERY SIMILAR.
UM, SO I JUST WANTED TO PUT THAT KIND OF UNDER CONSIDERATION THAT I THINK IN TERMS OF WHEN THE NEIGHBORHOODS WERE DEVELOPED, THE DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS AND HOW THAT TRANSLATES TO, UM, THE TRANSPORTATION CHOICES THAT WE HAVE AS WELL.
I THINK BURNET, THE BURNET CORRIDOR IS VERY IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF TRANSIT, UM, AS WELL AS DENSITY, WE LOVE HAVING THAT IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND I THINK THAT, UM, CONNECTS US A LOT MORE TO A SOUTHERN DEVELOPMENT PATTERN AND A MORE CENTRAL COMPACT AND CONNECTED DEVELOPMENT PATTERN AS WELL.
I DON'T THINK I HAVE ANY MORE SPEAKERS.
I, UH, LIVE RIGHT ON THE BORDER OF DISTRICT 10 DISTRICT SEVEN, AND JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT DISTRICT SEVEN IS ONE OF THE MORE UNIQUE DISTRICTS IN THE COUNCILS THAT 10 ONE'S BEEN REALLY GOOD, BUT I'VE NOTICED THAT WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR ACTUAL MAP, WE EITHER HAVE URBAN CORE DISTRICTS OR WE HAVE SUBURBAN DISTRICTS.
I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR OUR COUNCIL TO BE ABLE TO REPRESENT BOTH TYPES OF DEVELOPMENT.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN SEE MY CIRCLES, BUT, AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT DISTRICT SEVEN, THE MIDDLE OF DISTRICT SEVEN IS THE DOMAIN HIGH DENSITY URBAN CENTER, UM, WELL-DEFINED AND LOWER BAND.
WE HAVE URBAN CORE, AND THEN WE HAVE OUR SUBURBAN AREA FOR OUR COUNCIL MEMBER TO REPRESENT ALL THREE OF THESE AREAS.
IT'S BEEN VERY, A VERY GOOD EXPERIENCE.
SHE'S HAD TO DEAL WITH ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF PRESSURES ON HER DISTRICT.
AND I DON'T THINK THAT'S TRUE OF THE DISTRICTS THAT ARE EITHER ALL SUBURBAN ARE ALL URBAN CORE.
SO PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT REPRESENTING DIFFERENT TYPES OF AREAS IS AS IMPORTANT AS THE DIVERSITY IN THOSE AREAS.
CAN YOU TELL US YOUR NAME ONE MORE TIME? I'M SORRY IF I MISSED IT, IT'S LIKE RALEIGH THAT HAS AN EXTRA HAND IN IT RANDOMLY.
DOES ANYBODY ELSE WISH TO SPEAK IT BACK TO YOU? LUIS?
[00:40:01]
THANK YOU SO MUCH, CHRISTINA.THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO SHARED THE COMMENTS WITH US TODAY.
I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO TURN IT BACK TO SHAREPOINT.
WHO'S GOING TO KIND OF CLOSE OUT OUR FORUM TODAY AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR SHOWING UP.
AND, UM, BEFORE WE CONCLUDE, I KNOW THAT THERE WERE A COUPLE OF COMMISSIONERS THAT WANTED TO ADDRESS COMMENTS AND SPEAK ON BEHALF OF DISTRICT SEVEN.
AND DID YOU HAVE ANY OTHER COMMENTS? YES.
UM, I WANTED TO STEP OUT OF MY COMMISSIONER ROLE FOR A MOMENT AND ADDRESS THE COMMISSIONERS AS A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT SEVEN.
SO AS YOU KNOW, UM, I AM FAMILIA FALCON.
I ALWAYS DESCRIBE MYSELF AS A HALF AUSTINITE BECAUSE I HAVE FAMILY HERE, BUT I WAS ACTUALLY MY MOTHER'S FROM AUSTIN.
I DID MY FIRST DRIVE HERE, 21ST BIRTHDAY HERE.
UM, BUT I W I WAS RAISED IN HOUSTON, WHICH I'M ALSO VERY PROUD OF.
I CHOSE MY PLACE IN DISTRICT SEVEN BECAUSE IT WAS CLOSE TO MY FAMILY WITH AN ELDERLY GRANDMOTHER AND WITH A SMALL NIECES AND NEPHEW.
IT PROVIDED QUICK ACCESSIBILITY TO THE PEOPLE MOST IMPORTANT IN MY LIFE, BUT I ALSO WANTED THE NEIGHBORHOOD, PHIL, I AM A SINGLE WOMAN.
UM, BUT YET I STILL WANTED TO HAVE CHILDREN WHO WOULD COME KNOCK AT MY DOOR AND WHO WOULD PASS BY, UM, AND JUST KIND OF HAVE THAT FAMILY FEEL.
WE FIX EACH OTHER'S PLACES, ESPECIALLY DURING THE STORM.
PEOPLE HAVE COME OVER TO TAKE OFF MY HOSE ATTACHMENTS AND THEN STAYED FOR A BOTTLE OF WINE.
KIDS DO KNOCK ON MY DOOR TO TELL ME ABOUT THEIR DAYS, UM, TO ASK FOR VARIOUS THINGS, TO BORROW MY HOSES AND JUST TO SAY, HELLO, WE DELIVER COOKIES TO EACH OTHER WHEN WE ARE GRIEVING.
BUT YEAH, EVEN THOUGH THIS IS A GREAT EXPERIENCE AND EXACTLY WHAT I'VE WANTED, THE BAD SIDE HAS BEEN THAT I REALIZED HOW DISENFRANCHISED WHO WE ARE.
I LIVE IN CRESTVIEW STATION, THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBER CONTINUES TO DISENFRANCHISE US AT EVERY STEP.
THERE'S A SPY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF OUR BOUNDARY, WHO CHECKS IN AND LETS PEOPLE KNOW WHEN THERE ARE MODIFICATIONS MADE TO OUR FENCE, WHICH I'LL GET TO LATER, WE'RE CUT OFF FROM THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD IN VARIOUS PHYSICAL WAYS.
YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF THE PORK CHOP, WHICH KEPT RESIDENTS FROM HYLAND COMING IN TO THE CRESTVIEW STATION.
YOU MAY HAVE HEARD ABOUT THE GATE, WHICH I REFERENCED EARLIER, WHICH IS AT THE END OF MY DRIVEWAY AND PREVENTS US FROM GOING INTO THE REST OF THE CRESTVIEW NEIGHBORHOOD AS WELL.
THIS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION HAS ALSO PRECLUDED US FROM TALKING TO OUR COUNCIL PERSON.
UM, AT VARIOUS JUNCTURES, THEY HAVE FLAUNTED THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR COUNCIL PERSON ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
WHEN NEIGHBORS HAVE MADE COMPLAINTS ABOUT NOISE AND BEEN TOLD THAT THEY WERE NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH CITY COLD, SORRY, CITY CODE, THAT PERSON ON SOCIAL MEDIA HAS STATED GO AHEAD AND REPORT US.
OUR COUNCIL PERSON IS FREQUENTLY AT THE PLACE THAT PLAYS MUSIC AND THERE WILL BE NO REPERCUSSIONS.
I WANT US TO COME BACK TO THE GATE FOR A MOMENT.
UM, THERE IS A GATE AT THE END OF OUR, OF THE STREET THAT IS PERPENDICULAR TO MY HOUSE.
IT WAS PURPOSELY PUT INTO CODE BECAUSE, UM, THAT WOULD MAKE IT HARDER TO HAVE ANY SINGLE COUNCIL PERSON TAKE IT DOWN.
SO IT IS CODIFIED INTO CITY CODE.
I'VE REVIEWED THE MINUTES WHERE THIS TOOK PLACE.
AND I SAW THAT THERE WAS DEFERENCE GIVEN TO THAT PERSON BECAUSE QUOTE, SHE KNEW HER NEIGHBORHOOD AND FELT THAT THEY WOULD SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THEM.
THIS GATE PREVENTS ACCESS FOR US TO OUR PUBLIC SERVICES.
WE HAVE TO TAKE EXTRA TIME OUT OF OUR DAY TO GET TO SERVICES SUCH AS THE LIBRARY, THE EMS, OR FOR EMS TO COME TO US, TO GET TO OUR SCHOOLS, TO GO TO THE PARKS.
AND QUITE FRANKLY, IT'S JUST EASIER FOR US TO GET INTO DISTRICT FOUR.
WHEN I WAS ASKED, WHAT WAS MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT DISTRICT SEVEN? MOST OF THE PLACES WERE IN DISTRICT FOUR.
IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE TO US BECAUSE WE HAVE TO COME OUT ONTO LAMAR AND MAKE A LEFT THAT NOT PROTECTED.
UM, WE ARE NOT PART OF THE COMMUNITY.
I REALIZE I AM AT THREE MINUTES, IF THAT'S OKAY.
AND GO AHEAD AND FINISH IF IT'S NOT TOO MUCH MORE CHAMELEON.
UM, JUST TO SAY THAT WE'RE NOT A PART OF THE COMMUNITY THAT IS DISTRICT SEVEN, OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES ALSO FEEL THE SAME WAY.
THE PEOPLE IN DISTRICT SEVEN ARE NOT ABLE TO COME TO THEM AND GIVE THEM
[00:45:01]
BUSINESS AND REALLY PARTICIPATE IN THE SAME WAY.UM, I JUST, THE LAST THING I DO WANT TO SAY IS THAT PEOPLE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD HAVE TRIED TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE A VOICE BY RUNNING FOR CNA AND PEOPLE WHO ARE VETERANS AND WHO HAVE DONE MERGERS AND DONE OTHER VERY HIGHLY STRESSFUL THINGS HAVE SAID THAT IT WAS THE WORST EXPERIENCE OF THEIR LIFE.
SO WITH THIS, I JUST HUMBLY REQUEST THAT WE NO LONGER BE ASSOCIATED WITH CRESTVIEW.
UM, AND AGAIN, THESE ARE ME ASKING AS A CITIZEN OF CRESTVIEW STATION.
UM, WE'RE GONNA TAKE THESE COMMENTS JUST AS, AS ANYONE ELSE'S, SHE WON'T GET PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT IN HER COMMENT NECESSARILY IN ANY CITIZEN COULD HAVE SPOKEN ABOUT ANY ISSUE THAT MATTERS TO THEM ABOUT DISTRICT SEVEN.
I BELIEVE THAT COMMISSIONER SCHNEIDER ALSO HAD A COMMENT IN RESPONSE TO SOMEBODY ELSE'S.
I WANT TO THANK THE GENTLEMEN FROM BELL CONEYS WOODS.
I LIVE IN BELL CONEYS WOODS TOO, AND I'M IN DISTRICT SIX AND I'VE OFTEN WONDERED WHY ARE WE IN TWO DIFFERENT DISTRICTS? AND NOW I HAVE SOME UNDERSTANDING OF IT.
AND I ALSO WANT TO SAY THAT I'VE FOUND THIS ENTIRE EXPERIENCE, HIGHLY REVEALING TO ME.
I HAVE LIVED IN AUSTIN SINCE 2008, AND I STILL CLEARLY DON'T KNOW A GREAT MANY THINGS ABOUT THIS COMMUNITY AND I'D LIKE TO LEARN MORE.
SO THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE AND HELPING EDUCATE ME.
WITH THAT BEING SAID, WE'RE GOING TO GO TO THE FINAL SLIDE.
WE WANT TO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING THIS AFTERNOON.
IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY TO ALL OF US, THIS EMAIL THAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN, IT IS ICRC DOT COMMISSIONERS AT AUSTIN, TEXAS.GOV.
AND IF YOU WANT ACCESS TO THESE MAPS, I SPOKE TO SOMEONE EARLIER WHO WAS INTERESTED IN THAT ALL OF THESE DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING THIS PRESENTATION ARE AVAILABLE ON THE CITY SITE.
THEY'RE ALL PUBLIC INFORMATION AND PRETTY ACCESSIBLE.
YOU JUST HAVE TO GO TO OUR AGENDAS AND MEETING DOCUMENTS AND YOU'LL SEE TODAY'S DATE.
AND THEN YOU'LL SEE THOSE ITEMS LISTED THERE AND YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THEM AND PRINT THEM OUT AND DO WHATEVER YOU'D LIKE WITH THEM.
IF YOU WANT TO SHOW THEM TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS AND WHATNOT.
AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING MORE FEEDBACK FROM YOU.
AND AGAIN, REMEMBER, WE WILL BE BACK ON THIS SIDE OF TOWN WITH OUR PRELIMINARY MAPS IN SEPTEMBER.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE.
THANK YOU TO THE CITY FOR SETTING ALL THIS UP FOR US AND THANK YOU TO THE NORTHWEST RECREATION CENTER FOR HAVING US TODAY.