Aug 05, 2021 City Council Budget Work Session

ALL RIGHT, MANAGER, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO START THEN WITH THE, UH, UH, WITH THE, WITH THE EXECUTIVE SESSION, I'M GOING TO NEED TO STEP OFF, UH, THE DIOCESE AT, UH, 10 30 FOR A HALF AN HOUR.

UH, MAYBE A TAD MORE, BUT I THINK ABOUT A HALF AN HOUR.

UM, BUT YOU ALL CAN PROCEED IN A BUNCH OF DISCUSSIONS HERE WITH, WITHOUT ME.

ALL RIGHT, MANAGER, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU.

THANK YOU, MARILYN CONSOLE AND

[1. Discussion about the fiscal year 2021-2022 proposed budget and tax rate.]

GOOD MORNING.

UH, THIS IS A CONTINUATION OF OUR BUDGET WORK SESSION FROM TUESDAY.

UH, WE HAVE UPDATED THE PRESENTATION AND SENT THAT TO YOU YESTERDAY.

UM, BUT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE OUR INTERIM BUDGET OFFICER JUST WALKED THROUGH, UH, THE AGENDA THAT IS BEEN POSTED AND WE'LL GET STARTED.

CITY MANAGER, CARRIE LANG, INTERIM BUDGET OFFICER.

UM, AND AS WE GET THE PRESENTATION PULLED UP, CAN YOU ALL HEAR HER? OKAY.

SO, UM, GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE PLEASE, CHAIR WHILE I CAN HEAR.

SO WE'RE GOING TO START TODAY'S DISCUSSION WITH THE UPDATE OF THE REVENUE FOR FISCAL YEAR 22.

UM, AND THEN WE'LL MOVE FORWARD WITH A PRESENTATION BY THE AUSTIN PARKS, UH, PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT BASED ON THE PARKS FOUNDATIONS, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND THEN HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICER WILL COME AND SPEAK ABOUT THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE, UM, HOUSING AND PLANNING, WE'LL DISCUSS DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION, DIVISION, UM, AND ACTIVITIES ACROSS THE CITY.

AND THEN, UM, APD WILL COME AND TALK ABOUT POLICE STAFFING AND FUNDING OVERVIEW.

FINALLY, WE HAVE A, UM, UPDATE ON THE FINANCIAL POLICIES, POLICY CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN APPROVED BY THE AUDIT FINANCE COMMITTEE.

UM, AND SO WE'LL GET STARTED RIGHT NOW WITH THE BUDGET OFFICE, UM, PRESENTING THE UPDATE AND OUR INTERIM BUDGET, OFFICER ERIC, UH, INTERIM DEPUTY BUDGET OFFICER ERIC NELSON WILL BE GIVEN THAT PRESENTATION MAYOR.

I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION.

SO ON OUR AGENDA FROM TUESDAY, WE HAD SCHEDULED TO GET A BRIEFING ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OR FROM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

NOW, THIS IS A CHART THAT WE JUST CALLED THE CHART AND THE BUDGET OFFICE.

AND, UM, I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT INCLUDING THAT IN MY EMAIL LAST NIGHT, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, UM, PROVIDED A DETAILED, UM, UM, RESPONSE TO A BUDGET QUESTION ABOUT THEIR BUDGET OVERALL.

AND WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT THE TIMELINE FOR, FOR TODAY AND, AND TUESDAY, WE DECIDED TO REMOVE THAT EDD, UM, OVERVIEW TO, UM, MAKE SURE WE HAD ENOUGH TIME TO COVER THE OTHER ITEMS. THANK YOU, ERIC.

HEY, GOOD MORNING EVERYONE.

I'M ERIC NELSON, INTERIM DEPUTY BUDGET OFFICER.

UH, IF WE CAN GO UP A SLIDE OR TWO, I JUST WANT TO PROVIDE A RELATIVELY BRIEF UPDATE ABOUT THE GENERAL FUND REVENUE SITUATION AFTER RECEIPT OF THE CERTIFIED TAX ROLLS AND DOING THE OFFICIAL TAX RATE CALCULATIONS.

UM, ALSO, UH, DO A LITTLE UPDATE ON SALES TAX TOWARDS THE END AS WELL.

UH, I BEGAN AS I USUALLY DO WITH THE GLOOM AND DOOM, BUT I PROMISE THAT IT WILL GET A LITTLE MORE OPTIMISTIC AS WE MOVE FORWARD.

[00:05:02]

NOW THAT YOU'RE PROBABLY ALL PRETTY FAMILIAR WITH, AND IT JUST SHOWS THE FIVE-YEAR FORECAST SITUATION FOR THE GENERAL FUND AS OF THE PROPOSED BUDGET, AS YOU'RE ALL VERY WELL AWARE, WE'RE GETTING SQUEEZED BY THE CHANGES TO THE STATE REVENUE CAP.

UM, THESE FIGURES ARE, UH, MUCH BETTER THAN THEY WERE AT FORECASTS, BUT WE'RE STILL PROJECTING BUDGET DEFICITS BEGINNING WITH NEXT YEAR AND, AND EXPANDING, UM, ON, INTO THE FUTURE.

AGAIN, PRIMARILY AS A RESULT OF, OF BEING SQUEEZED ON THE PROPERTY TAX SIDE.

IF WE GO, CAN WE GO TO THAT NEXT SLIDE? I'M TO DO I CONTROL THAT? OKAY.

UH, THIS SLIDE SUMMARIZES THE RESULTS AND THE CHANGES, UM, FROM THE RECEIPT OF CERTIFICATION FROM THE APPRAISAL DISTRICTS, I WAS THE FIRST COUPLE OF LINES SHOW.

WE WERE ACTUALLY VERY CLOSE WITH OUR PROJECTIONS ABOUT OVERALL TAXABLE VALUE AND, AND NEW CONSTRUCTION VALUE.

UH, THE NET EFFECT OF THOSE CHANGES TO DRIVE OUR PROJECTED TAX RATE DOWN A LITTLE BIT, WHICH HAD SOME POSITIVE EFFECTS FOR OUR TYPICAL TAXPAYERS, AS WE'LL SEE IN THE SUBSEQUENT SLIDE.

UM, WE DID COME UP A LITTLE BIT SHORT RELATIVE TO OUR PROJECTIONS FOR TOTAL GENERAL FUND PROPERTY TAX REVENUE, ALTHOUGH THAT'S PRIMARY FUNCTION OF, UH, WHAT I, WHAT I'VE BEEN CALLING THE MYSTERY ADJUSTMENT THAT THE STATE ADDED DURING LAST YEAR CERTIFICATION PROCESS AND WHICH CARRIE ADDRESSED IN THE COVER MEMO TO THE FIVE-YEAR FORECAST REPORT.

AND, UH, THIS ADJUSTMENT, UM, IS, UH, A FORECASTING NIGHTMARE, FRANKLY, BUT IT'S ALSO JUST DELETERIOUS TO OUR REVENUE.

AND, UM, IT'S DIFFICULT FOR THE CAZ TO CALCULATE IT AS WELL.

AND WE WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY CLOSE TO OUR ORIGINAL PROJECTION, BUT TEAK HAD MADE A LAST MINUTE CHANGE TO HOW THEY'RE HANDLING THAT ADJUSTMENT THIS YEAR.

AND, UM, SO THAT ERODED SOME OF, SOME OF OUR EXPECTED REVENUE.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

AS I SAID, THE, THE TAX RATE, HE DID GO DOWN A BIT FROM THE PROJECTIONS.

WE HAD VERY MARGINAL CHANGES TO THE, THE UNDERLYING, UM, TYPICAL HOME VALUES THEMSELVES.

SO THESE UPDATES ARE MAINLY JUST A REFLECTION OF THE TAX RATE, BUT WE HAVE BEEN PROJECTING, UM, THAT THE TYPICAL HOMEOWNER WOULD SAVE ABOUT $9 IN COMPARISON WITH THE PRIOR YEAR.

AND NOW WE'RE EXPECTING THAT TO BE OVER $33.

UH, THIS IS PRIMARILY A RESULT OF COUNCIL'S EFFORTS TO, TO GO TO THE FULL 20% GENERAL HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION BACK IN JUNE FOR OUR SENIOR AND DISABLED HOMEOWNERS.

IT'S ALSO GOOD NEWS, UH, CAUSE OF THIS LOWER TAX RATE.

UM, THERE ARE GOING TO EXPERIENCE SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS AND NOW THAT SAVINGS IS APPROACHING ALMOST $200 A YEAR.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

THESE CHANGES ALSO HAVE FAVORABLE IMPACT ON THE OVERALL SITUATION FOR OUR TYPICAL RATE PAYER.

UM, YOU KNOW, THE ONLY LINE ON HERE THAT'S CHANGED SINCE THE PROPOSED BUDGET IS THE PROPERTY TAX BILL, WHICH SHOULD TIE BACK TO THE PRIOR SLIDE, UM, THAT $33 OR SO YEARS, ABOUT $2 AND 79 CENTS A MONTH.

AND THE NET EFFECT HERE IS THAT THE WHOLE BASKET OF GOODS THAT OUR TYPICAL RESIDENT IS PAYING EACH MONTH IS, IS ONLY AN INCREASED BY A LITTLE OVER A DOLLAR THAT'S 0.3%.

UM, THAT'S SINCE WE STARTED TRACKING THIS ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO, THAT'S THE SECOND BEST, THE SECOND LOWEST IT'S EVER BEEN.

AND THE, UH, COMPARABLE THE ONLY LOWER YEAR WAS THE FIRST YEAR THAT, UH, COUNCIL INSTITUTED THE GENERAL HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION BACK IN FY 16.

I BELIEVE IT WAS NEXT SLIDE.

COULD YOU SPEAK UP A LITTLE BIT? SORRY.

AGAIN, UH, FOR ONE TIME PURPOSES.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

I AM RESPONSE TO COUNCIL MEMBER KOSSAR'S REQUESTS.

WE, WE TOOK A LOOK AT, UM, UH, WHAT THE TAX RATE INCREASE WOULD BE WHERE THERE'D BE NO IMPACT TO THE TYPICAL HOMEOWNER.

AND THAT WORKS OUT TO EXACTLY A 6% EFFECTIVE INCREASE.

AND AT THAT RATE, IT WOULD GENERATE AN ADDITIONAL $14.4 MILLION IN PROPERTY TAX REVENUE.

UM, AS I THINK WE'VE ADDRESSED IN OTHER CONTEXTS BECAUSE OF RECENT CHANGES TO STATE LEGISLATION, ANY REVENUE IN EXCESS OF THE THREE AND A HALF PERCENT INCREASE WOULD GET BACKED OUT IN A FUTURE YEAR.

SO WE'D STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT THAT ANY REVENUE GENERATED AND ACCESS OF THAT BE DEVOTED TO ONE TIME PURPOSES.

SO AT THAT $0 IMPACT LEVEL, IF YOU COULD GENERATE $14.4 MILLION AND, UH, UH, THE COUNCIL MEMBER ALSO ASKED FOR A NOMINAL INCREASE AND ACTUALLY AT THE FULL 8%, IT ONLY WORKS OUT TO ABOUT A $2 AND 9 CENT PER MONTH INCREASE FOR THE TYPICAL HOMEOWNER.

AND THAT WOULD GENERATE $25.4 MILLION

[00:10:03]

EXCELLENT, PLEASE.

UH, IN ADDITION TO LOOKING AT THE PROPERTY TAX, WE'VE ALSO BEEN TRACKING SALES TAX CLOSELY AND, UH, SO WE'VE REVISED OUR SALES TAX PROJECTIONS AS WELL SINCE WE FINALIZED THE NUMBERS FOR THE PROPOSED BUDGET, WE'VE HAD TWO PAYMENTS COME IN AND THOSE HAVE BEEN, UM, VERY STRONG.

I THINK A LOT OF THAT IS REFLECTING PENT UP DEMAND, UM, BECAUSE THEY REFLECT, UH, APRIL AND MAY SALES, WHICH IS WHEN THINGS ARE JUST FULLY REOPENING.

AND YOU ALSO HAVE THE EFFECT OF, I THINK, FEDERAL STIMULUS PAYMENTS.

SO I'M A LITTLE BIT HESITANT ABOUT THAT BEING A SUSTAINABLE TREND FOR THE LONGTERM, ESPECIALLY AT THE LEVELS WE'VE BEEN SEEING.

UM, WE'RE ALSO NOW FACING THE PROSPECT OF, UH, STAGE FIVE RESTRICTIONS RETURNING AND, AND, UM, THAT COULD HAVE, UM, THAT COULD TAMPER A SALES TAX GROWTH AS WELL.

SO IN LIGHT OF THAT, WE'VE, UM, RECOGNIZED THE EFFECT FROM THOSE TWO PAYMENTS.

AND WE'VE ALSO BUMPED UP OUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR, SLIGHTLY, THE NET EFFECT OF THOSE CHANGES THAT THERE'D BE AN ADDITIONAL $5.8 MILLION IN SALES TAX REVENUE EXPECTED FOR FY 21 THAT WOULD FLOW TO RESERVES AND THEREFORE BECOME AVAILABLE FOR ONE-TIME USE IN FY 22.

AND THEN LOOKING AT FYA 22 ITSELF, WE HAVE THE NEGATIVE TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS AS A RESULT OF PROPERTY TAX CERTIFICATION.

UH, REVISE THAT ESTIMATE FOR THE SALES TAX WOULD BE $5.6 MILLION IN REVENUE FOR A NET $3.1 MILLION IN REVENUE FOR FY 22.

NOW, TECHNICALLY THAT WOULD BE AN ONGOING REVENUE SOURCE, BUT IN LIGHT OF THE FIRST SLIDE, THE CHART SHOWING OUR ONGOING DEFICITS, WE'D URGE YOU TO, UH, DEVOTE THOSE FUNDS TO ONE TIME AS WELL.

SO IT NOT TO WORSE THAN THAT DEFICIT.

AND WE COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WHICH I BELIEVE IS JUST A DISCUSSION SIDE.

AND, UM, I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.

SO JUST TO SUMMARIZE IT AND MAKE SURE THAT I UNDERSTAND THIS, UH, BECAUSE OF THE CHANGES THAT CERTIFIED VALUE, YOU'RE SAYING THAT IF THE COUNCIL WERE TO, UH, ADOPT A TAX RATE THAT WOULD HAVE, THAT WOULD BE NEUTRAL TO THE TYPICAL HOMEOWNER OR WAS NOT RAISED TAXES AT ALL, THAT THERE'S A, UH, POTENTIAL AT THAT POINT FOR AN ADDITIONAL ONE TIME SPENDING RECOMMENDED BEYOND WHAT YOU INDICATED IN THE MANAGER'S BUDGET FOR THE COMBINATION OF THOSE THREE ELEMENTS, THE FIVE POINT DATE, THE 3.1 AND THE 14.4.

IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.

AND WHAT DOES THAT COMBINATION TOTAL TOO? I DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER SHE SUBTRACTED THE PROPERTY TAX OR ADD, BUT DOES THAT COME OUT TO LIKE 17, JUST OVER 17 MILLION? YEAH.

YOU COULD JUST ADD ALL THOSE FIGURES TOGETHER, BUT WHEN YOU ADD THEM TOGETHER, IT'S HIGHER THAN THAT THOUGH.

ISN'T IT? IT'S 14 FOUR PLUS THE 5.8 PLUS THE 3.1.

IS THAT CORRECT? I THINK IT WOULD BE, IS IT 23.3? SO WHAT I'M GETTING 23.3.

THE YEAR END ESTIMATE BY $5.8 MILLION.

COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, MAYOR PRO TAM AND THE COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER THAN COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

UM, I THINK WHAT I HEARD, EXCUSE ME, YOU SAID TREMENDOUS RESULTS FROM A PROJECTIONS PERSPECTIVE.

UH, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF THAT.

AND I THINK SOME OF OUR COLLEAGUES, UM, AND CONSTITUENTS ALSO DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANT.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT? I'M SORRY.

COULD YOU REMIND ME WHAT I WAS REFERRING TO? IT WAS EARLY ON, IT WAS LIKE THE THIRD SLIDE.

YOU SAID TREMENDOUS RESULTS TO OUR PROJECTIONS MOVING FORWARD SALES TAX REVENUE.

OH, IN SALES TAX.

I JUST MEAN THE, UH, THE, THE PAYMENTS WE'VE SEEN HAVE BEEN JUST INCREDIBLY STRONG AS WE SEE THE REBOUND FROM, UM, FROM, FROM THE RESTRICTIONS.

AND SO WE'VE SEEN SOME INCREDIBLY STRONG PAYMENTS AND THAT'S WHY WE WOULD BE INCREASING THE PAYMENT FOR FY 21 TO ABOUT

[00:15:01]

YOU HAVE TO FORGIVE ME.

I'M STILL NOT QUITE TRACKING WELL DURING THE, DURING THE PANDEMIC, OBVIOUSLY WE'VE HAD MONTHS WHERE WE'VE HAD YEAR OVER YEAR DECLINES IN SALES TAX, OR THESE, WE WE'VE STARTED TO EMERGE FROM THAT EARLIER IN THE YEAR.

BUT WITH THESE PAYMENTS, UM, THE YEAR OVER YEAR NUMBERS HAVE BEEN AN ACCESS OF 20%, SOMETIMES 30% BECAUSE THEY'RE IN COMPARISON WITH A MUCH LOWER BASE FROM LAST YEAR WHEN WE WERE AT THE VERY BOTTOM OF THE SORT OF IMPACTS FROM THE PANDEMIC, IF THAT'S HELPFUL.

THAT'S HELPFUL.

SO, UM, I HAVE THREE QUESTIONS.

ONE IS, CAN YOU OBVIOUSLY NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO DO IT RIGHT NOW, BUT CAN YOU GIVE US A CALCULATION FOR, UM, THE ONE TIME WOULD MEAN I'M NOT SURE THAT KEEPING IT AT A ZERO IMPACT IS THE RIGHT COMPARISON BECAUSE WE DID HAVE OUR PROPOSED BUDGET FROM OUR CITY MANAGER THAT WAS SAVING FOLKS $9 AND 6 CENTS.

UM, I'M NOT SURE THAT I WOULD BE COMFORTABLE GOING IN A DIRECTION THAT INCREASED THAT.

UM, BUT I WOULD BE CURIOUS TO SEE, UM, HOW MUCH REVENUE THAT WOULD GENERATE AND WHETHER THERE WERE, UM, SOME WAYS TO INVEST THAT THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE OVER THE LONG RUN FOR ADDRESSING OUR CHALLENGES.

WE COULD PROVIDE A BREAKDOWN FOR AN ENTIRE RANGE OF TAXPAYER SAVINGS AND IMPACTS ALL THE WAY FROM THE THREE AND A HALF UP TO THE FULL EIGHT, IF THAT'D BE OKAY.

I MEAN, I'M PARTICULARLY INTERESTED AT WHAT, WHAT IF WE WERE TO KEEP THE TAX BILL IMPACT AT THE NEGATIVE 9 0 6, RIGHT.

WHAT THAT WOULD GENERATE? AND I THINK THAT'S STILL LEAVES SOME ROOM TO CONSIDER WHAT WE MIGHT WANT TO DO THERE.

AND AGAIN, THIS IS NEW TO ME, SO I'M NOT SURE, BUT I WOULD LIKE THAT DATA POINT.

UM, AND THEN HOW IS IT THAT, UH, WE HAVE A FORMULA THAT WE HAVE INCREASED TAXABLE VALUATION, INCREASED NEW CONSTRUCTION VALUE.

UM, AND THEN WE END UP WITH A NEGATIVE ON OUR REVENUE.

LIKE I JUST DON'T UNDER, IS THAT JUST THAT THING YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT? THAT PECULIAR THING? IT JUST, IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.

YEAH, IT IS COUNTERINTUITIVE A LOT ABOUT THE TAX CALCULATION ENDS UP BEING COUNTERINTUITIVE.

SO YOU DON'T ALWAYS GET MORE REVENUE JUST BECAUSE USUALLY YOU SHOULD, IF NEW CONSTRUCTION IS INCREASING, BUT YOU DON'T ALWAYS, IF THE BASE VALUES ARE INCREASING BECAUSE WE REALLY HAVE A REVENUE CAP, SO OUR RATE WILL RATCHET DOWN IN RESPONSE TO HIGHER PROPERTY TAX GROWTH.

BUT, UM, IT STILL IS COUNTERINTUITIVE BECAUSE WE DID SEE THE INCREASE IN NEW CONSTRUCTION.

THERE'S A NUMBER OF ADJUSTMENTS THAT ALSO FLOW INTO THAT CALCULATION, BUT THE PRIMARY ONE THAT'S HARMING US IS THAT, THAT NEW STATE ADJUSTMENT AND, AND ALSO THE DIFFERENT WAY THAT TEAK HAD CHOSE TO TREAT IT VERSUS THE WAY THEY TREATED IT LAST YEAR.

SEE A DIRECT REVENUE BENEFIT, UM, AS A RESULT OF THAT NUMBER BEING SLIGHTLY HIGHER AT CERTIFICATION IN COMPARISON WITH THE NOTICE VALUES, BUT DON'T, YOU HAVE USERS.

CAN WE GET SOME INFORMATION ON THAT I DON'T EXPECT YOU TO, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE ELSE IS INTERESTED, BUT I CAN GO INTO THE GORY DETAILS.

I DON'T, I DON'T THINK EVERYONE NEEDS THE GORY DETAILS RIGHT NOW, BUT I AM INTERESTED TO UNDERSTAND SURE.

UM, THE DIFFERENCES THERE, UM, MYSELF, CAUSE I, I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW YOU CAN INCREASE BY 400 MILLION, YOUR, UM, NEW CONSTRUCTION AND END UP WITH LESS REVENUE THAT JUST DOESN'T, DOESN'T MAKE A LOT OF SENSE TO ME.

UM, AND THEN FINALLY, UM, SOME OF THIS HAS TO DO WITH, I THINK WITH THE NEW CONSTRUCTION.

I DON'T KNOW IF THAT ALSO MEANS THAT WE HAVE DIFFERENT ESTIMATES ON THE NUMBERS THAT WOULD THEN AFFECT THE REVENUE FOR OTHER OF OUR ENTERPRISE FUNDS THAT HAVE DIFFERENT KINDS, NON TAXABLE, NINE TAX REVENUE THAT THEY'RE GETTING.

UM, YOU KNOW, AS WE CONTEMPLATE, FOR INSTANCE, THE PROPOSAL THAT, UM, MR. COSAR PUT UP, UM, THAT ASKED ME SUPPORTING FOR A STIPEND, WE WOULD HAVE TO BE ABLE TO FUND THAT ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION.

SO I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND IF WE HAVE A CORRESPONDING AMOUNT OF FEES FOR OUR ENTERPRISE UNITS IN ANY WAY THAT ARE, ARE, ARE GOING UP AS WELL.

GIVEN WE HAVE SO MUCH MORE YOU CONSTRUCTION, OR IF THERE ARE ANY OF THOSE ESTIMATES THAT ALSO GOT REFLECTED SOMEWHERE JUST HAND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S REFLECTING VALUES AS OF JANUARY 1ST, SO THAT CONSTRUCTION WOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN BUILT.

AND SO THE MOST LIKELY PLACE TO SEE IT WOULD PROBABLY BE IN DSD, BUT I THINK THAT REVENUE WOULD ACTUALLY HAVE ALREADY BEEN BOOKED IN LARGE PART.

AND I CAN CONTINUE TO THINK ABOUT IT, BUT OFFHAND, I CAN'T THINK OF OTHER ENTERPRISE DEPARTMENTS THAT WOULD, WOULD

[00:20:01]

I MEAN, AREN'T THAT DOESN'T THAT REPRESENT INCREASED NUMBERS OF USERS.

SO LIKE WOULDN'T YOUR TOUGH GO UP OR YOUR BASIC ENERGY.

I KNOW YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOFT COST TO SERVE THEM, BUT I DON'T THINK THERE'S A ONE-TO-ONE TIE, UM, BECAUSE THIS IS REALLY JUST FOCUSED ON VALUE AS OPPOSED TO NUMBER OF UNITS.

AND, YOU KNOW, IT COULD BE LARGELY COMMERCIAL, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING I CAN LOOK MORE DEEPLY INTO AND TALK WITH ATD OR PUBLIC WORKS AND SEE IF THEY'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THAT.

I CERTAINLY HOPE THAT OUR COMMERCIAL UNITS ARE PAYING THOSE FEES AS WELL.

SO I JUST WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND THAT IF THAT CREATES SOME FLEXIBILITY, IF WE WERE TO TRY TO PROVIDE A STIPENDS, ADDITIONAL STIPENDS TO DO WHAT, THANK YOU.

UM, I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS.

UH, THE FIRST ONE, IF, IF YOU COULD PUT UP AGAIN, THE, THE SLIDE THAT SHOWS THE RATES AND FEES, UM, THIS IS VERY HELPFUL INFORMATION AND I APPRECIATE YOU GOING THROUGH IT.

IT MAY BE A LITTLE FAST FOR THE PUBLIC, AND I WANT TO GO OVER A FEW THINGS WITH YOU.

SO, UM, CAUSE WE HAVE, WE'VE GOTTEN SOME, UH, QUESTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC, UH, TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT NUMBERS WE'RE PLAYING WITH.

NOT, NOT THAT ONE, THE, THE PAGE THAT SHOWS, UM, ONE MORE PLEASE EAT THAT ONE RIGHT THERE.

SO, UH, A COUPLE OF THINGS THERE FOR EXPLANATION PURPOSES.

SO, UM, I I'VE, I'VE GOTTEN, I'VE RECEIVED QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT IS THE REASONING BEHIND THE INCREASE IN FEES FOR THE, UM, FOR THE TRANSPORTATION USER FEE, UH, IN PARTICULAR, AND THEN CONFIRMATION THAT THE INCREASE, UH, AND THE, UH, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY, WHAT THAT'S FOR.

SO CAN YOU SPEAK TO THOSE TWO AGAIN, THIS IS, UM, QUESTIONS MY OFFICE HAS GOTTEN IN.

THE OTHER FEEDBACK MY OFFICE HAS GOTTEN IS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS DO A GREAT JOB IN PUTTING A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION OUT FOR FOLKS, BUT SOMETIMES IT'S NOT AS EASILY TO, IT'S NOT AS EASY TO SOMETIMES THERE'S MORE DETAIL THEN IT'S NOT AS EASY TO GET THROUGH TO THE BOTTOM LINE.

SO CAN YOU JUST EXPLAIN, UM, UH, FOR THE PUBLIC, THE REASON FOR THE RAISE AND THE TRANSPORTATION USER FEE AND THE REASON FOR THE RAISE AND THE AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY FEE.

AND IF I MISSPEAK, UH, PLEASE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGERS COME UP AND CORRECT ME, BUT OFFHAND, I BELIEVE AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY IS JUST RESPONDING TO INCREASE COST DRIVERS.

AND SO THEY'RE INCREASING THEIR CART RATES.

UM, AS FAR AS THE TRANSPORTATION USER FEE ATD AND PUBLIC WORKS ALSO HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING COST DRIVERS, PUBLIC WORKS IN PARTICULAR, HAS NOT INCREASED THAT FEE IN SOME TIME.

AND SO THEY NEED TO DO SO TO AVOID, UM, CONTINUING TO DIG INTO ENDING BALANCES AND KEEP UP WITH THEIR FEES.

ATD IS ALSO, UH, ADDING A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF STAFF TO HELP SPEED PROGRESS ON A NUMBER OF RECENT TRANSPORTATION-RELATED BOND INITIATIVES.

UM, AND SO ARR IS NOT FOR ANY PARTICULAR PROGRAM WHERE THEY EXPANSION OF A PARTICULAR PROGRAM? UH, NOT TO MY KNOWLEDGE, I BELIEVE THAT'S MAINLY ADDRESSING JUST, UH, BASE COSTS.

AND THEN THE BOTTOM LINE FROM THIS SLIDE FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT THE C DOP 14 TIMES 12 IS, IS, IS WHAT THE ANTICIPATED, UM, NET INCREASE OR TOTAL INCREASE IS FOR SOMEONE WHO'S AT, UM, AT THE, UM, TYPICAL VALUE.

SO CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT AGAIN, WHICH I THINK YOU HAVE IS 3 99 YEAR.

CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT? SURE.

SO THAT $2 AND 79 CENTS, I THINK IT'S $33 AND 42 CENTS THAT'LL BE THEIR SAVINGS FOR, IT WOULD BE THE SAVINGS WHERE THE TYPICAL HOMEOWNER IN COMPARISON WITH THEIR ACTUAL PROPERTY TAX BILL THE PRIOR YEAR.

AND SO THAT'S MAINLY A FUNCTION OF THE WORK COUNCIL DID TO EXPAND THE GENERAL HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION TO THE FULL 20% BACK IN JUNE.

SO JUST, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE HEADLINE IS THAT THE TYPICAL AUSTIN HOMEOWNER WILL PAY LESS IN PROPERTY TAXES IN FY 22 THAN THEY DID IN FY 21.

AND 13 CENTS PER MONTH, WHICH IS ONLY A 0.3% INCREASE OVER THE PRIOR YEAR.

AND THEN, SO THEN JUST PLEASE EXPLAIN THE TOTAL LINE AND THEN TOTALLY, WE JUST LOOK AT THIS WHOLE BASKET.

UM, IT BASICALLY AFFECTS YOUR PROPERTY TAX BILL PLUS THE, THE USUAL FEE LINES AND, UH, UTILITY SERVICE LINES YOU'D SEE, ON, ON YOUR MONTHLY ENERGY BILL.

AND WHEN WE ADD THEM UP, WE GET A SORT OF A, A TOTAL, UM, TAX AND RATE BURDEN EXPERIENCED BY THE TYPICAL HOMEOWNER IN TOTAL.

WE'RE EXPECTING THAT TO ONLY INCREASE BY ABOUT $1

[00:25:01]

WELL, I JUST WANTED TO EXPLAIN THAT.

SO THE, THE, UM, AS YOU SAID BEFORE, THE HEADLINE THAT THE BOTTOM LINE FOR THIS IS THE, THE, UH, SAVINGS, UH, THAT PEOPLE WILL SEE AND THAT'S THAT THIS IS NON-SENIOR RIGHT.

SO THIS DOESN'T ACCOUNT FOR, UH, THE SENIOR EXEMPTION, CORRECT.

THIS IS OUR TYPICAL HOMEOWNER, WHICH IS DESCRIBED AS, UH, THE MEDIAN VALUE OF A HOMESTEAD NOT RECEIVING THE SENIOR DISABLED EXEMPTION.

AND I THINK YOU HAD ANOTHER SLIDE THAT SHOWED THAT IF YOU DID HAVE A SENIOR EXEMPTION, YOU MIGHT EXPECT TO SEE MORE YEAH.

SIGNIFICANTLY MORE.

AND THAT'S BECAUSE IN ADDITION TO BENEFITING FROM THE INCREASE TO THE 20% GENERAL HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION COUNCIL ALSO PASSED A $25,000 INCREASE TO A TOTAL OF $113,000 IN THE SENIOR AND DISABLED PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION.

AND THEN DID YOU HAVE A SLIDE THAT ILLUSTRATED THAT I THOUGHT YOU DID? OKAY.

CAN WE GO BACK ONE MORE SLIDE PLEASE? SO THAT SECOND LINE WOULD BE THE, THE REVISED IMPACT TO SENIOR AND DISABLED HOME HOMESTEADERS OR THE TYPICAL SENIOR AND DISABLED HOMESTEAD.

UM, NOW, THEN I JUST HAVE ONE LAST QUESTION.

AND JUST BECAUSE WE, WE KIND OF WENT PAST THIS PRETTY QUICKLY AND JUST FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, AND ALSO FOR THE PUBLIC'S UNDERSTANDING, WE TALKED ABOUT, UH, ADDING THE 5.8 WITH THE 3.1 WITH THE 14.4, UH, UH, CAN YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN THE SOURCE FOR EACH ONE OF THOSE THREE, 5.8 3.1 AND 14.4? SO CAN BE CLEAR FOR PEOPLE? SURE.

THE $5.8 MILLION WOULD ALL BE IN ADDITIONAL ESTIMATED FISCAL YEAR, 21 YEAR END REVENUE ATTRIBUTABLE TO A, UH, RE UPWARDLY REVISED SALES TAX PROJECTION.

THE $3.1 MILLION WOULD BE THE NET EFFECT OF, UH, AN UPWARDLY REVISED SALES TAX PROJECTION, AND A SLIGHTLY DOWNWARDLY REVISED FYI 22 PROPERTY TAX PROJECTION.

AND THE OTHER FIGURES ARE PERSPECTIVE INCREASES IN REVENUE, WHICH WOULD BE ASSOCIATED WITH COUNCIL TAKING ACTION TO INCREASE THE PROPERTY TAX RATE, UH, AND ACCESS OF A THREE-AND-A-HALF PERCENT EFFECTIVE INCREASE.

AND THAT'S WHERE THE 14.4 COMES FROM.

AND I BELIEVE YOU HAD A SLIDE FOR THAT.

YEAH, I THINK WE NEED TO GO FORWARD ABOUT THREE, MAYBE FOUR SLIDES.

AND THEN, CAN YOU EXPLAIN, UH, YOU ALSO TALKED ABOUT THIS BEING IF, IF COUNCIL WERE TO DO ANYTHING WITH REGARDS TO THIS THAT WE WILL BE THINKING IN TERMS OF ONE-TIME FUNDS AGAIN.

SO, UH, AS YOU ALL KNOW THAT THE GENERAL, UH, REVENUE CAP LIMIT NOW IS A THREE AND A HALF PERCENT PROPERTY TAX INCREASE, UH, IN THE ORIGINAL SB TWO IN THE 2019 SESSION, THE LEGISLATURE DID ALLOW FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF, UH, MUNICIPALITIES BEING ABLE TO GO TO 8% IN THE EVENT OF DISASTERS OR EMERGENCIES.

UM, WE DIDN'T TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT LAST YEAR, BUT, UM, WE, WE DO HAVE THAT FREEDOM THIS YEAR, HOWEVER, IN THE 2021 SESSION, UH, THE LEGISLATURE REVISED THE LAW.

AND THEY'VE NOW SAID, IF YOU DO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT PROVISION AND GO TO 8%, YOU ESSENTIALLY HAVE TO BACK IT OUT IN, IN THE SUBSEQUENT YEAR.

SO IT WILL NOT BECOME PART OF YOUR BASE.

AND SO FOR THAT REASON, UM, IT WOULD BE THE FISCALLY PRUDENT THING TO DO, TO TREAT ANY REVENUE ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASE ABOVE THREE AND A HALF PERCENT AS ONE-TIME REVENUE.

THAT, UM, THAT, UH, HELPS ANSWER MY QUESTIONS.

SO I THINK JUST TO CLOSE THE LOOP ON THE QUESTION THAT, UH, MY COLLEAGUE JUST ASKED ON PAGE SEVEN, IF YOU WERE TO TRY TO CALCULATE WHAT IT WOULD MEAN FOR SENIORS, I HAD DISABLED THAT $2 AND 79 CENT NUMBER REDUCTION.

WOULDN'T THAT BE THE 184.3, THREE DIVIDED BY 12.

UH, UH, REDUCTION FOR SENIORS AND DISABLED, UH, EVEN CONSIDERING ALL FEES PLUS PROPERTY TAXES.

YEAH, TH THAT WOULD ESSENTIALLY BE WHAT WE DO.

I, YOU KNOW, OFFHAND, I DON'T KNOW IF ANY OF THOSE OTHER LINES WOULD NEED TO BE ADJUSTED IF THERE ARE MEANINGFUL IN WHAT SENIORS PAY IN THEIR ENERGY OR WATER BILLS OR ANY OF THE OTHER FEES, BUT, BUT ESSENTIALLY THAT'S WHAT I WOULD DO.

JUST REPLACE THAT PROPERTY TAX LINE WITH THE SENIOR VALUE FROM THE PRIOR SLIDE, WHICH I THINK WOULD BE A NEGATIVE OF A $15 AND 36 CENTS, IF YOU JUST DO THAT MATH.

SO, UH, IT WOULD RESULT IN A NET,

[00:30:01]

YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

UH, COUNSELOR MEMBER POOL, THEN COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO THANKS.

I'M GOING TO, JUST TO CONFIRM ON TUESDAY WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE COMBINED FISCAL 22, UH, IMPACT THE INCREASE WAS 0.8%, BUT WITH THESE NEW NUMBERS COMING THROUGH AND THE UPDATES, WE'RE NOW LOOKING AT 0.3, THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.

AND THAT'S, THAT IS THE SPECIFIC BASELINE FOR THE ADDITIONAL REDUCTIONS THAT YOU'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT HERE.

GREAT.

I THINK THAT'S REALLY PRETTY SIGNIFICANT WHEN TO HIGHLIGHT THAT.

AND THEN I JUST WANTED TO GO BACK TO SOME OF THE CONFUSING ELEMENTS ABOUT THE TAX RATE, THE TAX REVENUE INCREASE THAT WERE PERMITTED WITH THE CAP.

AND IT'S COMPLICATED BY THE TWO DISASTERS, LIKE YEAR TWO THAT WE THOUGHT WE WOULD BE IN FROM THE PANDEMIC DISASTER IS ACTUALLY NOW YEAR ONE BECAUSE OF THE WINTER STORM.

YOU'RE A DISASTER DECLARATION, I THINK THAT'S RIGHT.

I THINK WE'RE IN YEAR ONE FOR BOTH OF THEM BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, YEAR OBVIOUSLY HAPPENED THIS YEAR, BUT THE GOVERNOR RENEWED THE DISASTER DECLARATION ASSOCIATED WITH THAT PANDEMIC EVERY MONTH, AT LEAST THROUGH MARCH, IF NOT LATER, BUT CERTAINLY INTO THIS CALENDAR YEAR.

SO WE'RE STILL IN YEAR ONE FROM PANDEMIC AND ALSO A NEW YEAR, ONE OR A YEAR, ONE FOR THE NEW DISASTER UNDERSTANDING.

THEN HOW, AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT AN INCREASE WITH, DOES THAT ONE HAVE TO GO TO THE VOTERS? IF WE GO ABOVE 3.5, IT DOES NOT.

UH, WE JUST HAVE TO BE CAREFUL TO REALIZE THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BACK IT OUT IN A PRIOR YEAR.

SO WE'D WANT IT TO BE ONE TIME, BUT NO, YOU CAN.

UM, BECAUSE OF, UH, ANOTHER ACTION YOU TOOK IN JUNE, YOU GAVE YOURSELF THE FREEDOM TO GO UP TO AN 8% INCREASE THIS YEAR.

UM, AND SO THAT WOULD NOT NEED TO BE APPROVED BY THE VOTERS.

AND, AND SO THE ADDITIONAL WRINKLE WAS, IT'S NOT A NEW BASELINE THAT'S RIGHT.

AND WITH THE NUMBERS THAT YOU ARE SHOWING US HERE ON PAGE, WE LOOKED AT IT EARLIER, THE 6%, THE ZERO EFFECTIVE PROPERTY TAX INCREASE OF 6% IS AS ZERO IMPACT ON THE TYPICAL HOMEOWNER PROPERTY TAX BILL COMPARED TO FISCAL 21, WHICH GIVES US AN ADDITIONAL ONE-TIME MONIES OF A LITTLE BIT OVER 14 MILLION, CORRECT.

PAGE EIGHT.

THANKS SO MUCH AS OUR TOA, I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS.

I'M BACK ON THE SIDE THAT COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN ASKED TO HAVE, UH, REPLAYED, THERE WAS ALSO A NOTE, A NOTATION THAT SHOWS, UM, THE CLEAN COMMUNITY FEE IS GOING UP BY 50 CENTS.

AND I'M TRYING TO DETERMINE WHERE THAT INCREASE IS GOING, WHERE I THINK IT'S GOING BASED ON THE PAGE 2 33 IN OUR BUDGET BOOK IS TWO ADDITIONAL FTES, BUT I'D LIKE TO GET SOME, I'D LIKE TO GET SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT IF WE HAVE ANY STAFF WHO CAN SPEAK TO WHERE THOSE, WHERE THOSE INCREASES ARE.

UM, I SEE SOME INCREASES IN TRANSFERS AND DEBT SERVICE THAT I'D LIKE TO BETTER UNDERSTAND.

AND I'D ALSO LIKE TO UNDERSTAND THE PURPOSE OF THOSE NEW OFFICERS.

AND LET ME JUST GIVE A HEADS UP.

I KNOW WE'VE BEEN ASKED TO GET OUR AMENDMENTS, UM, TOGETHER BY TOMORROW AND, AND YOU KNOW, MY UNPREPARED TO DO THAT ON SOME SCORES, BUT I'M GOING TO CONTINUE TO WORK OVER THE WEEKEND AND THERE MAY BE AMENDMENTS.

I WANT TO BRING FORWARD NEXT WEEK AS WELL.

AND IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT, YOU KNOW, LEGALLY WE CAN BRING AMENDMENTS UP UNTIL THE TIME WE HAVE VOTED.

SO, UM, A COUPLE OF THE AREAS, THIS IS ONE OF THE AREAS THAT I AM, I'M LOOKING AT MORE CLOSELY THE FEES.

OH, I'M SORRY.

I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY WHILE I WAS WAITING FOR THE, FOR Y'ALL TO COME BACK UP, UM, AS WE KNOW FEES, YOU KNOW, FEES HIT PEOPLE AS WELL, THOSE INCREASES.

AND SO WE NEED TO BE REALLY MINDFUL OF IT.

AND, AND, UM, ANYWAY, MS. SIM, UH, AS FAR AS THE QUEEN COMMUNITY, I'M NOT SURE IF WE HAVE ANYONE AVAILABLE IN THE CHAMBERS FROM, FROM CODE COMPLIANCE, BUT WE CAN WORK ON GETTING SOMEONE DOWN HERE TO ADDRESS THAT.

UM, AT SOME LATER POINT IN THIS SESSION, THAT WOULD BE SUPER, IT LOOKS LIKE THERE WERE SIX NEW FTES.

AND AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED, ABOUT A HALF MILLION DOLLAR INCREASE IN TRANSFERS AND DEBT SERVICE, AND THEN SOME DECREASES IN AREAS THAT I'D ALSO LIKE TO BETTER UNDERSTAND, INCLUDING, UM, A DECREASE IN INVOLUNTARY CODE ENFORCEMENT.

SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE UPSHOT.

I ALSO JUST WANT TO SAY, YOU KNOW, ALMOST YEAR AFTER YEAR, WE'VE ADDED

[00:35:01]

CODE CODE OFFICERS.

UM, I REMEMBER NOT THAT TERRIBLY LONG AGO.

I MEAN, THERE WAS SOMETHING LIKE SIX FOR THE WHOLE CITY, AND NOW WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, MANY, MANY, OBVIOUSLY SIX IS TOO FEW, BUT I AM SEEING YEAR AFTER YEAR ARE ADDING, ARE ADDING OFFICERS.

AND YET I CONTINUE TO, TO HEAR THE SAME CONCERNS FROM SOME OF OUR CONSTITUENTS ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY IN THE AREA OF SHORT-TERM RENTAL ENFORCEMENT AND ARE OUR REAL CHALLENGES IN ENFORCING OUR CODES ON THE BOOKS, UM, IN SUBSTANDARD HOUSING AND SOME OTHER AREAS.

SO I REALLY, I REALLY NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE ADDING ADDITIONAL CODE OFFICERS WHEN WE STILL SEEM TO HAVE CHALLENGES, UH, ENFORCING OUR CODE.

AND, AND I'M CONTINUING TO GET EMAILS FROM MY CONSTITUENTS AND SOME OF Y'ALL'S, UM, THAT WHEN THEY CALL CODE ON THE WEEKEND, UM, DURING SOME OF THOSE EVENING WEEKEND HOURS WHERE SOME OF THESE VIOLATIONS ARE TAKING PLACE, THERE AREN'T ANY OFFICERS ON STAFF.

SO THAT'S, UH, ANOTHER QUESTION I'D LIKE TO HEAR ADDRESS WHEN WE HAVE SOMEBODY FROM AUSTIN CODE, WHAT ARE THE HOURS, ESPECIALLY ON WEEKENDS AND EVENINGS, WHERE SOME OF THE VIOLATIONS ARE TAKING PLACE, AND WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE RATIONALE FOR ADDING ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL AT THIS POINT.

SO THANK YOU.

THAT'S WHAT I DROVE.

I WANT TO CONFIRM THAT YOU'RE RIGHT.

PEOPLE COULD OFFER A BEDROOMS RIGHT UP TO THE VERY END.

UM, UH, YOU KNOW, AS, AS JUST ALLOWED YOU COULD DO THAT.

WE'LL PROBABLY TRY TO KEEP WITH, UH, THE OLD PRACTICE THAT SAYS WE'LL CONSIDER FIRST THOSE THAT ARE THE EARLIEST THAT PEOPLE HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THAT I APPRECIATE IT.

YOU'LL BE WORKING OVER THE WEEKEND AS SOON AS YOU COULD POST ANYTHING THAT YOU HAVE SO PEOPLE CAN PREPARE FOR IT.

THAT WOULD BE REALLY, REALLY HELPFUL.

UH, I CERTAINLY INTEND TO DO THAT, BUT I THINK WE ALSO JUST NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT WE'RE ALL ON THE JOB.

YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN ALL ON THE DAYAS FOR TWO FULL DAYS.

UM, AND WE'RE ALSO GETTING INFORMATION BACK FROM THE QUESTION AND ANSWER THROUGHOUT THIS WEEK, AND THEN THE ANSWERS TO MY QUESTIONS, THE ANSWERS TO, TO YOUR QUESTIONS, UM, SOMETIMES PROMPT ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS.

SOMETIMES THEY PROMPT, UM, ADDITIONAL AREAS OF EXPLORATION.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, I CERTAINLY AM GOING TO SUPPORT MY, MY COLLEAGUES, UM, UM, NEED FOR MORE TIME AND SPACE TO THINK ABOUT AMENDMENTS THAT MIGHT COME FORWARD LATE, AND I'M GOING TO DO MY BEST TO GET THEM UP.

AND I'M GOING TO BE THAT MOST OF Y'ALL DO THE SAME THING TOO, BUT, UM, BUT THERE MAY BE, THERE MAY BE SOME, SOME THINGS WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO, TO THINK ABOUT AND DELIBERATE NEXT WEEK SOUNDS GOOD.

THE, UH, WHEN YOU HAVE THE, THE, THE SCREEN THAT'S FACING, I CAN'T SEE WHAT'S OUR EIGHT ATX ED, BUT WHEN YOU HAVE THAT EXTRA SIXTH BOX, THAT PROBABLY SHOULD BE THE ENTIRE DIOCESE.

IF YOU COULD DO THAT, RATHER THAN REPEATING THE INDIVIDUAL FRAMES OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE, THAT ARE THERE.

I JUST DON'T KNOW.

IT'S A PARAGON ATX I CAN'T REMEMBER.

ALICE, I THINK WAS NEXT TO THE COUNCIL.

RUBBER RENTER.

UM, I WANT TO MAKE SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING WHEN WE SAY, IF WE WERE TO GO OVER 3.5, WE HAVE TO BACK IT OUT NEXT YEAR.

WHAT WOULD THAT NUMBER LOOK LIKE? WOULD THAT MEAN TWO POINT SOMETHING? COULD WE KIND OF GET AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT, WHAT THAT EXACTLY IS FINANCIALLY? UH, SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU RECALL.

I THINK IT WAS FYI 20.

WE WENT UP TO THE 8% AND WE DEVOTED SOME OF THE FUNDS TO ONE TIME, BUT, UM, ONE POSITIVE EFFECT OF DOING THAT IS ALL THAT MONEY SORT OF BECAME PART OF OUR BASE FOR THE NEXT YEAR THAT WE GOT TO ADD THREE AND A HALF PERCENT TO.

AND WHAT THIS WOULD DO IS IT WOULD, IT WOULD TAKE ANY REVENUE THAT WE'RE ADDING IN ACCESS OF THE THREE AND A HALF PERCENT AND THE NEXT YEAR IT WOULD BACK IT OUT OF YOUR BASE.

SO THAT YOU'RE ONLY CALCULATING NEXT YEAR'S, LET'S SAY THREE AND A HALF PERCENT INCREASE FROM THAT LOWER BASE.

SO THERE'S NO COMPOUNDING EFFECT.

THERE'S NO CARRY THROUGH EFFECT FROM ANY OF THE REVENUE RAISE ABOVE THE THREE AND A HALF PERCENT THIS YEAR.

AND THAT, THAT MAKES SENSE.

THINGS BESIDES JUST HARD FIXED COSTS OR MAINTENANCE PROJECTS VERSUS STAFFING OR OTHER TYPES OF PROJECTS, IS THERE ANY GRAY AREA BETWEEN WHAT IS ONE TIME AND WHAT IS ONGOING? I DON'T WANT TO STEP ON THE LOT DEPARTMENT'S TOES.

UM, IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL FOR US TO HAVE SOME SORT OF REFERENCE OF WHAT THAT WOULD MEAN IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS TO BACK IT BACK DOWN, JUST IN CASE ANYONE'S THINKING ABOUT THAT, NOT AT THIS POINT, BUT I JUST THINK AS WE PROGRESS IN THIS CONVERSATION, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE SOME OF THOSE NUMBERS, UM, FOR REFERENCE THAT AS FAR AS ONE-TIME VERSUS ONGOING FUNDING, UM, YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD.

OBVIOUSLY ONE TIME MEANS IT'S NOT GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO IN A FOLLOWING YEAR, BUT ARE THERE ANY LEGAL STIPULATIONS AROUND WHAT YOU CAN AND CANNOT USE THOSE FOR? UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE FOR STAFFING, OBVIOUSLY YOU WOULD WANT US TO BE ONGOING COSTS THAT GOES OVER FOR, FROM YEAR TO YEAR.

SO THAT PERSON STILL HAS THAT POSITION THROUGHOUT THE NEXT FISCAL YEARS.

UM, BUT ARE THERE ANY OTHER

[00:40:01]

I MEAN, THERE'S, THERE'S CERTAINLY GRAY AREAS.

I THINK IN THE PAST ONE THING THAT COMES TO MIND IS COUNCIL HAS FUNDED NEW PROGRAMS ON A, ON A PILOT OR, YOU KNOW, UM, ONE YEAR BASIS WITH NO COMMITMENT OF CONTINUING FUNDING.

AND THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT IS FALLEN INTO A GRAY AREA.

THAT'S HELPFUL, ERIC.

AND I GO, OH YES.

UM, I ALSO WANT SOME CLARIFICATION ON WHEN, IF WE WERE TO X-RAY TO 6%, YOU'LL SEE A ZERO THERE, BUT ALL THAT SAYING IS THAT WE'RE NOT GIVING, THEY'RE NOT GETTING, THEY'RE NOT HAVING TO PAY LESS TAXES OTHERWISE, IT'S WE STILL, ONCE YOU KEY IN ALL THE FORMULA INTO IT AND TURN INTO FEED, THAT MEANS THE FEEDS ARE GOING TO GO UP THERE.

NO, MINUS TWO, YOUR FEED, IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH.

SO IF YOU WENT AT THAT 6% LEVEL, YOU'D LOSE THAT $2 AND 50 CENT 79 CENTS SAVINGS ON THAT COMBINED FEE CHART.

AND SO THAT DOLLAR AND $30 AND 13 CENTS WOULD INCREASE TO $3 AND 92 CENTS A MONTH.

AND THIS MIGHT BE A LEGAL QUESTION OBVIOUS THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, SOME TIMES WE DO A ONE-TIME FEE THAT WE PUT THAT, UH, FOR THREE YEARS AND SET THAT MONEY, JUST KNOWING THAT THAT PROGRAM IS GOING TO LAST FOR THREE YEARS AFTER THAT, THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE THE FUNDING SOURCE FOR IT.

UH, CAN WE DO THOSE KINDS OF THINGS WITH, UH, DOODLE TIME, UH, UM, PROJECTS WHERE IT'S JUST ONE TIME MONEY AND WILL THERE BE A PENALTY IF WE TRY TO DO IT THAT WAY AGAIN, I'LL DEFER TO THE LAW DEPARTMENT.

THEY CAN STOP ME AT ANY TIME.

ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT WE HAVE DONE SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN THE PAST, AND I DON'T THINK WE'D BE RUNNING A FOUL OF, UM, STATE LAW, BUT WE MAY BE STARTING TO RUN A FOUL OF SOME OF OUR, OF OUR OWN FINANCIAL POLICIES AND IN EXTREME CASES AGAINST THE CHARGERS REQUIREMENT THAT WE HAVE A STRUCTURALLY BALANCED BUDGET.

COULD I ASK MY COLLEAGUE TO REPEAT HIS QUESTION? I'M SORRY.

I HEARD THE RESPONSE, BUT I DIDN'T COMPLETELY, I DIDN'T COME TOO LATE HERE.

ALL OF THE QUESTION FROM COUNCIL MEMBER, ANDREA.

WELL, IN THE PAST THAT WE HAVE SET ASIDE ONE TIME MONEY FOR THREE YEARS, WE JUST ROLLED IT OVER.

AND NOW WE'RE JUST ASKING IF WE COULD DO THAT WITH THIS KIND OF MONEY.

IF WE DID GO OVER THE 3.5, KNOWING THAT WE'RE NOT, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE BASE OF 3.5, BUT IF WE SET ENOUGH MONEY FOR THIS PROGRAM TO FINANCE IT FOR THREE YEARS, CAN WE DO THAT? IF IT'S LEGAL.

THANKS FOR ASKING THAT QUESTION.

I WAS TALKING WITH ANOTHER COLLEAGUE ABOUT THAT THIS MORNING, AND I, I HAVE A FOLLOW-UP QUESTION ABOUT THAT WHEN IT'S MY TURN BACK.

AND HERE'S THE NICE TO COUNSEL.

I THINK ALL THOSE QUESTIONS ARE ABOUT ILLEGAL QUESTIONS.

THEY'RE POLICY QUESTIONS FOR, FOR US, UH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, ALTER THE ACCOUNTS OF EVERY KITCHEN THAT BACK TO COUNCIL MEMBER.

TOVA.

UM, SO IF I'M UNDERSTANDING THIS SHEETS, RIGHT, THEN THERE'S ABOUT 8.9 MILLION OF ONE TIME MONEY, IS THAT CORRECT? SO WE'RE ADDING THE FISCAL YEAR 21 ESTIMATE AND THE FISCAL YEAR 22 BUDGET, RIGHT.

WITH NO, WITH NO CHANGE TO THE PROPERTY TAX RATE.

UM, SO I WANT TO ASK, I UNDERSTAND THERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN SUBMITTED, EXPLORING THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL STIPEND TO STAFF.

UM, AND I BELIEVE THAT FOR THE MOST PART, THE, AT LEAST THE 500 THAT'S IN THE BASE BUDGET DOES NOT APPLY TO OUR FIRST RESPONDERS WHO HAVE CONTRACTS WITH US.

WANT US TO CONSIDER DOING THAT FOR THE FIRST RESPONDERS AS WELL.

SO, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO ADD TO THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE, IF YOU COULD PROVIDE THE NUMBERS, IF WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE, UM, A $500 STIPEND FOR THOSE FIRST RESPONDERS WHO ARE ON CONTRACT, UM, WHETHER THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE COULD CONSIDER, UM, THAT MIGHT BE PART AND PARCEL OF A PROPOSAL THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WITH RESPECT TO, UM, INCREASING THE $500 TO A THOUSAND, BUT JUST SORT OF LOOKING AT WHAT THAT, IF WE DID THAT, I WOULD

[00:45:01]

SO I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THAT COSTS THERE.

UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, PART OF THE DESIGN OF THE STIPEND THAT'S IN THE BASE BUDGET IS TO RECOGNIZE THE, THE HARDSHIPS OF THE LAST YEAR AND THE EXTREME EFFORT AND ALL OF THE HARD WORK THAT OUR EMPLOYEES HAVE DELIVERED TO OUR COMMUNITY.

UM, AND I CERTAINLY THINK THAT CONTRACTOR NO CONTRACT, UM, IF WE HAVE THIS AMOUNT OF MONEY TO CONSIDER THAT WE SHOULD ALSO CONSIDER LOOKING AT INCREASES, UM, ERR ON THIS ONE TIME BASIS.

SO I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THAT OKAY.

TO THAT.

UM, YOU KNOW, I, I, WHEN I FIRST READ THIS, I WAS THINKING WE HAD 3.1 MILLION, UM, WITH 8.9 MILLION.

I'M NOT, I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THE VALUE OF, UM, GOING ABOVE THE 3.5%.

UM, YOU KNOW, I, I DO THINK THAT WE DID THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS, ET CETERA, FOR A REASON.

AND, AND WE NEGATE THE SUCCESS OF THAT IF WE GO TOO FAR BEYOND THAT, BUT CERTAINLY THAT'LL BE PART OF OUR DISCUSSIONS.

THAT WAS WHERE OUR KITCHEN WAS NEXT.

CAN'T HEAR YOU.

SORRY, I JUST HAVE, UH, CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YES.

TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY WITH JUST SOMEBODY THAT KIND OF TRACKS THE PROCESS WE'VE USED IN THE RECENT PAST.

I WANT IT TO GO BACK TO THE PROCESS QUESTION JUST ABOUT, UH, HOW WE WILL PROCEED WITH OUR PROCEDURE, BECAUSE YOU STARTED TO TALK ABOUT THAT MAYOR.

SO, UM, I'D LIKE A LITTLE MORE CLARITY OR IF, OR IF IT'S, OR IF WE NEED TO DISCUSS IT, JUST TO KNOW WHAT BOTH DISCUSS IT TODAY.

SO YOU, BECAUSE YOU HAD MENTIONED THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GETTING OUR AMENDMENTS IN AND YOU HAD MENTIONED TAKING AMENDMENTS IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY WERE, UM, YOU KNOW, SUBMITTED, I THINK IN YEARS PAST ONE OF THE THINGS NOTED.

OH, THIS ONE, SORRY.

I WAS, I WAS TRYING TO REPEAT WHAT YOU SAID.

UM, SO MY, MY FURTHER QUESTION ON THAT IS THAT, UM, WHEN YOU'VE DONE IT IN THE PAST IS WE HAVE HAD A RUNNING TOTAL WHERE WE HAVE, UM, TAKEN UP, YOU KNOW, IN WHATEVER ORDER, UM, UH, AMENDMENTS TO AMENDMENTS THAT INVOLVED, UM, YOU KNOW, ADDITIONAL REVENUE AND WE'VE INCLUDED THEM ON A PAGE.

UM, AND THEN WE HAVE COME BACK SEPARATELY IN, I'M TRYING TO RECALL, I THINK THIS IS THE WAY WE'VE DONE IT.

WE'VE COME BACK SEPARATELY WITH AMENDMENTS RELATED TO, UM, AREAS THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED, PERHAPS FOR SOME, SOME CHANGES THAT THAT ALLOW FOR ADDITIONAL REVENUE.

IN OTHER WORDS, WE'VE, WE'VE GONE THROUGH, WE'VE GONE THROUGH AND DONE.

HERE'S WHAT WE THINK MIGHT BE AN ADDITIONAL COST.

HERE'S WHAT WE THINK MIGHT BE REDUCTION.

WE'VE PUT THEM ALL ON THE SHEET AND THEN WE'VE WORKED TO BALANCE IT.

UM, YEAH.

WOULD BE MY ATTEMPT TO DO IT THE WAY WE'VE KIND OF DONE IT IN THE PAST.

IT WILL POST SOMETHING TO THE MESSAGE BOARD AND PEOPLE CAN GET PROPOSE CHANGES TO IT, BUT IT'S TO GET ALL THE IDEAS OUT THAT PEOPLE HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT AT THE BEGINNING BEFORE WE START MAKING CHOICES SO THAT SOMEBODY COULD DEFEND THEIR IDEA, WHETHER IT'S THE FIRST ONE DISCUSSED OR THE 15TH DISCUSS BEFORE WE START MAKING CHOICES THAT PEOPLE CAN TALK ABOUT THEIR RELATIVE PRIORITIES, BUT TO HIT THAT GLOBALLY, AS YOU TALKED ABOUT, AND THEN TO GO BACK THEN TO THE BEGINNING AND KIND OF WORK OUR WAY THROUGH KIND OF IN AN ORDERLY WAY, WOULD THAT RUNNING NUMBER RECOGNIZING THAT ANY DECISION WE MAKE AT ANY POINT IN TIME IS SUBJECT TO BE CHANGED LATER ON IN, UH, IN THE CONVERSATION.

SO IN OTHER WORDS, WE'RE NOT BALANCING IT AS WE GO AND REQUIRING AND RUNNING OUT OF ABILITY TO BALANCE FUNDS.

THE REASON IN THIS DETAIL IS BECAUSE WE DO HAVE NEW MEMBERS ON OUR DIETS.

UM, AND WE DO, WE DO CHANGE OUR, YOU KNOW, WE DO CHANGE OUR PROCESS, UM, EVERY YEAR, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT, OR AT LEAST I WOULD LIKE TO, TO KNOW BEFORE WE GO INTO THIS PROCESS, HOW WE'RE GOING TO HANDLE IT.

UM, AND SO THAT'S WHY I'M JUST BRINGING THAT UP SO THAT WE CAN REFER IN TODAY'S OUR LAST DAY TO ACTUALLY TALK ABOUT, WELL, ACTUALLY, I'M NOT SURE.

WHEN IS OUR LAST DAY TO TALK AS A GROUP BEFORE WE ACTUALLY START VOTING? IS IT TODAY? TODAY'S OUR LAST CHANCE TO DO THAT.

AND THEN WE'LL START TALKING AS A GROUP.

UH, WE HAVE ONE TO THREE DAYS TO DO THAT.

WE ALSO HAVE THE MESSAGE BOARD, BUT WE'LL GO AHEAD.

I THINK HE'S REALLY GOOD POINT GOT TO OUR KITCHEN.

WE'LL GO AHEAD AND POST SOMETHING SO THAT PEOPLE HAVE SOMETHING THEY CAN, UH, LOOK AT OR, OR PROPOSE CHANGES TO OR WHATEVER,

[00:50:01]

WELL, MAYOR THAT, I APPRECIATE THAT, THAT DOESN'T GIVE US THE CHANCE TO TALK ABOUT IT AS A GROUP BEFORE WE ACTUALLY GO INTO THE PROCESS.

SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I SHOULD HAVE ASKED THIS ON TUESDAY.

I APOLOGIZE.

UM, BECAUSE WE COULD HAVE USED THE TIME TODAY.

UM, MAYBE THE THING MAYBE THAT MAYBE MY ASS WOULD JUST, IF YOU'RE PLANNING ON POSTING ON THE MESSAGE BOARD, THE SAME KIND OF PROCESS THAT WE DID LAST TIME, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S POSSIBLE FOR YOUR STAFF TO GET THAT UP TODAY.

IT MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE, BUT IF IT IS, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

AND THEN IF PEOPLE HAD, UM, ANY, AS STUDENTS HAVE A CHANGE TO THAT PROCESS, WE COULD TALK ABOUT IT LATER THIS AFTERNOON.

SO IT MAY BE THAT EVERYONE'S COMFORTABLE WITH JUST PROCEEDING THE WAY WE HAVE IN THE PAST, BUT IT HASN'T BEEN SPELLED OUT FOR OUR NEW MEMBERS.

AND I WOULD ALSO LIKE IT SPELLED OUT FOR MYSELF SO THAT I CAN MAKE SURE WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE.

UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER, I'M SORRY.

WAIT A SECOND.

CASPER TOGO.

I THINK I HAD RECOGNIZED YOU NEXT.

YOU HAD, THANK YOU JUST VERY QUICKLY.

UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, ANDREA MENTIONED SOMETHING, UH, THAT, AS I SAID, I WAS TALKING ABOUT WITH ANOTHER COLLEAGUE THIS MORNING, AND THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WE DID.

WE DID, UM, ONE TIME FUNDING INTO, INTO SOMETHING THAT WE CALLED.

I DON'T KNOW, THE COMMUNITY FUND TO ALLOW FOR THAT TO BE PAID OUT OVER A SERIES OF YEARS.

AND I THINK THE TIME PERIOD WAS, AS YOU SAID, UH, A BURNED AREA FOR THREE YEARS.

AND I, I AM THINKING THROUGH WAYS TO DO THAT AGAIN.

I KNOW THAT OUR STAFF, OUR FINANCIAL STAFF, WHEN I MET WITH THEM INDICATED THAT THAT FUND HAD JUST BEEN CLOSED.

AND I WANTED TO JUST ASK OUR FINANCIAL STAFF, WHETHER IT WAS CLOSED, JUST BECAUSE WE HAD USED ALL THE FUNDING OR WHETHER THERE WAS SOME REASON WHY, UM, WELL, IF YOU COULD JUST EXPLAIN WHY IT WAS CLOSED AND IF YOU HAVE ANY RESERVATIONS ABOUT, ARE RECREATING SUCH A THING.

I SEE THIS IN PARTICULAR AS A REAL GOOD STRATEGY FOR THOSE ORGANIZATIONS WHO MIGHT NEED MINI GRANTS TO SUPPORT RESILIENCE WORK, OR OTHER KINDS OF SMALL SCALE COMMUNITY PROJECTS THAT JUST AREN'T, AREN'T AT A LEVEL WHERE THEY'RE COMPETING IN OUR RFP PROCESSES OR OUR, UH, PUBLIC HEALTH RFP, OR SOME OF OUR OTHER, SOME OF OUR OTHER, UM, OTHER KINDS OF PROGRAMS. SO THAT QUESTION, I GUESS, IS FOR MR. NELSON.

UH, THE NAME IS ESCAPING ME AS WELL.

IT'S NOT LIKE THE NEW INITIATIVES FUND, BUT YEAH, EXACTLY.

WE DEPOSITED A BUNCH OF ONE-TIME REVENUE AND THE IDEA WAS TO EXPEND IT OVER A PERIOD OF TWO OR THREE YEARS ON SOME NEW INITIATIVES.

SO THERE'S CERTAINLY THE PRECEDENT FOR DOING THAT.

AND THE ONLY REASON WE'D BE CLOSING IT DOWN IS BECAUSE I BELIEVE IT WAS TWO OR THREE YEARS AGO THAT IT WAS ESTABLISHED.

SO THOSE FUNDS HAVE BEEN EXPENDED.

AND, YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T WANT TO KEEP PUBLISHING A FUND THAT WAS SHOWING ALL ZEROS.

GOT IT.

WELL, A COLLEAGUE SETS, UM, NOT AN AMENDMENT I'VE DISCUSSED BEFORE AND I HAVEN'T DRAFTED IT YET, BUT I'M GOING TO, I'M GOING TO BE BRINGING FORWARD AN AMENDMENT TO RE-ESTABLISH THAT WITH SOME SEED MONEY IN IT, PROBABLY FOR THE RESILIENCE WORK AND AS WELL, UM, LIKELY SOME OTHER, SOME OTHER, UM, POSSIBILITIES.

TOGETHER OF DIFFERENT FOLKS ASKS.

AND THEN YOU GO VISIT BEFORE WE GO TO THE NEXT HEADLIGHT, UH, CANCEL BIRTHER, UM, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S THE 8.9 OR IF FOLKS WANT TO CONSIDER THE OTHER TAXES, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW FROM OUR CITY STAFF OR CITY MANAGER, IF THEIR, UM, INVESTMENTS THAT WERE CHOICES THAT WERE NOT FUNDED AT THE LEVEL, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN IDEAL TO GET THOSE PROJECTS DONE, THAT WILL HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON OUR CITY.

UM, IF THERE'S A POT OF MONEY THAT WOULD BE NEEDED THAT COULD ROUND THOSE PROJECTS OUT SO THAT THEY COULD SPEED UP THEIR TIMELINE, BUT BE REALLY IMPACTFUL FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

I'M THINKING OF THINGS LIKE ELECTRONIC PAY SHEETS OR THE HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT OR THE WEBSITE, OR SOME OF OUR INVESTMENTS IN, UM, CYBER SECURITY OR OTHER THINGS WHERE IF WE COULD ACCELERATE SOME OF THAT FUNDING, WE COULD HAVE AN IMPORTANT IMPACT ON THE ENTERPRISE AND FREE UP FUNDING AND FUTURE YEARS, UM, FOR GREATER FLEXIBILITY, I WOULD WELCOME UNDERSTANDING IF THERE IS A LIST OF WHAT THOSE THINGS MIGHT BE, RATHER THAN CREATING A WHOLE LAUNDRY LIST OF NEW PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TROUBLE FUNDING, UM, IN THE FUTURE.

UM, I THINK THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO SMOOTH THINGS OUT A LITTLE BIT OVER TIME.

AND I THINK WE OUGHT TO KNOW THAT INFORMATION AS WE MAKE OUR DECISIONS.

I'LL GIVE THAT SOME THOUGHT AND COME BACK, COUNCIL MEMBER, CASAR MAYOR.

I, I'M JUST SEEING THE NUMBER JUST NOW I'M TRYING TO PUT A SPREADSHEET

[00:55:01]

I THINK THAT FRANKLY, LOOKING AT WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE ON THE, ON THE MESSAGE BOARD, UM, AND WHAT IT IS THAT'S PRESENTED TODAY, THERE IS I THINK THE REAL POTENTIAL FOR US TO FIND MANY OF THESE COMMUNITY PRIORITIES WITHOUT WHILE STILL HAVING A PROPERTY TAX REDUCTION.

I AM INTERESTED IN THE BUDGET OFFICES ANSWER TO COUNCIL MEMBER ULTRA'S QUESTION AROUND, UM, UH, TO HER QUESTION AROUND HOW WE COULD KEEP TO A SIMILAR REDUCTION IN WHAT THAT LEVEL WOULD BE.

BUT JUST LOOKING AT THE MESSAGE BOARD AND SITTING HERE.

NOW, I WANTED TO TYPE SOMETHING UP SORT OF FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES, SINCE BUDGET IS COMING UP ON WEDNESDAY.

SO AGAIN, THIS IS NOT A PROPOSAL FOR WHAT WE SHOULD DO WITH THE DOLLARS, BUT I THINK JUST REALLY LOOKING AT, I THINK EVERYBODY'S PRIORITIES THIS YEAR HAVE LINED UP SO WELL AND ARE REALLY STRONG.

AND SO I JUST WANTED TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT'S $20 MILLION WOULD LOOK LIKE, AND I POSTED THIS ON THE MESSAGE BOARD, BUT, UH, WHILE STILL REDUCING PROPERTY TAXES FOR THE AVERAGE HOMEOWNER, WE COULD DO $3 MILLION FOR PARKS FOR BOTH THE CHILDCARE PROGRAMS LISTED BY COUNCIL MEMBER POOL AND THE GROUNDS KEEPING AND MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS LISTED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS, WE WOULD HAVE, COULD EASILY HAVE $3 MILLION FOR SOME OF THE FIRE AND EMS AND MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS LISTED THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE.

I KNOW WE HAVE THEM COMING UP AT ABOUT A MILLION DOLLARS NEED, BUT WE COULD FUND THEM FOR ALL THREE YEARS FOR THE, DURING THE SUMMIT PLAN.

UM, IF WE JUST SET ASIDE $3 MILLION, $1 MILLION FOR EACH YEAR WORTH OF NEED, UM, I THINK OUR NCD WE'RE GOING TO HAVE AN ANTI-DISPLACEMENT DISCUSSION TODAY.

I THINK FINDING FUNDING FOR RIGHT TO STAY IN RIGHT TO RETURN IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

WE'VE HAD SOME DISCUSSION TODAY ABOUT THE REAL IMPORTANT NEED TO RECOGNIZE AND RETAIN OUR STAFF.

I APPRECIATE WHAT THE MANAGER HAS LISTED IN THE BUDGET WITH THE 2% AND THE STIPEND, BUT GETTING STIPENDS FOR A TEMPER EMPLOYEES WHO ARE GETTING A ZERO RIGHT NOW AND INCREASING THAT STIPEND FOR THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, ON THE FRONT LINE, YOU KNOW, SCRUBBING TOILETS AND PICKING UP TRASH AND FIXING POWER LINES, DOING SOMETHING FOR THEM, UM, ARE VITAL.

YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT VIOLENCE HAS INCREASED IN THE CITY AND WE HAD PRESENTATION ON OVP.

WE COULD ADD A MILLION DOLLARS THERE.

WE COULD DO A MILLION DOLLARS FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS.

IN ADDITION TO THE 500,000 IN THE BUDGET, UM, AS COUNCIL MEMBER, TOVO JUST MENTIONED, COMMUNITY RESILIENCY IS, IS SO IMPORTANT.

AND WE COULD DO MULTI-YEAR FUNDING.

WE COULD PUT A MILLION DOLLARS TOWARDS THAT AND NOT HAVE IT SPREAD OUT OVER MULTIPLE YEARS.

AND THAT STILL LEAVES.

THAT'S ONLY 17 MILLION THAT WOULD STILL LEAVE 3 MILLION.

IF I'VE HEARD FOLKS TALK ABOUT LIVE MUSIC AND ICONIC VENUES OR FOOD INSECURITY OR WORKFORCE FIRST.

SO THAT, THAT WOULD PUT US AT 20 MILLION STILL REDUCING THE TAX BILL FOR THE AVERAGE HOMEOWNER THERE'S 23.3 MILLION, WHERE THERE WOULD BE NO IMPACT.

SO, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT 17 OR 18 OR $20 MILLION, YOU'D STILL BE REDUCING THAT BILL WHILE POTENTIALLY NOT ONLY MEETING SOME OF THE NEEDS LISTED ON THE MESSAGE BOARD FOR THIS YEAR, BUT ALSO POTENTIALLY MEETING THOSE NEEDS OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT FEW.

SO AGAIN, THIS ISN'T A PROPOSAL, IT'S SOMETHING I JUST, BETWEEN THE TIME THAT HE ANSWERED THE QUESTION EARLIER THIS MORNING, AND ME REVIEWING MY NOTES FROM THE LAST FEW SESSIONS, I JUST THINK FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES, I THINK THAT MANY OF THE NEEDS THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT UP BY THE COMMUNITY AND THAT COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE RAISED, WE COULD, WE COULD GET THAT DONE NEXT WEEK.

AND SO I JUST WANTED TO HAND THIS OUT.

AGAIN, MANY OF THESE ARE NOT THINGS THAT I PUT AT THE, THAT I SUPPORT, BUT WE'RE WERE RAISED BY COLLEAGUES HERE AND I'VE POSTED ON THE MESSAGE BOARD FOR THOSE OF YOU AT HOME.

BUT I THINK THERE IS A REAL ABILITY FOR US TO RECOGNIZE AND RETAIN OUR STAFF, DO SOMETHING MORE FOR OUR STAFF WHILE INVESTING IN PARKS, HOMELESSNESS, UH, EMS WORKFORCE, FIRST, ALL COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS, ALL THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE HAVE.

UM, ANYTHING ELSE I MISSED ISSUE? YES.

SO I DO BELIEVE WE HAVE SOMEONE FROM CODE AVAILABLE TO, UM, ANSWER COUNCIL MEMBER TEBOW'S QUESTIONS.

IF WE CAN JUST GET A MOMENT TO HAVE THEM MOVE OVER INTO THE MEETING.

IT MAY, RIGHT WHEN IT'S TIME, I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION.

MAYBE WE SHOULD ALSO CONSIDER ADDITIONAL STIPEND THAT SPEAKS TO, UH, GIVING EMPLOYEES THAT HAD SAID, IF, IF THEY GET VACCINATED, WE WERE GOING TO OFFER THAT TO EMPLOYEES THAT ARE TO BE VACCINATED.

I'LL JUST MARK AS A, AS A DECIDE, ONE THING THAT I'VE, THAT I'VE SUGGESTED THAT WE CONSIDER AS WE'RE IN THE PRETTY DIRE PLACE IN THE COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW, WITH RESPECT TO THE COVID VIRUS.

AND WE'RE ASKING EMPLOYERS, UH, THE CITY TO HELP, AND CERTAINLY EMPLOYERS HAVE THE ABILITY TO, UH, TO REQUIRE MASKING OF THEIR BUSINESSES.

EMPLOYERS HAVE THE ABILITY TO SAY, WE REALLY ONLY WANT PEOPLE WHO ARE VACCINATED TO COME IN.

WE'VE ALSO HAD CONVERSATIONS OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS ABOUT ADDITIONAL INCENTIVES OR INCENTIVES FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE GETTING VACCINATED.

UM, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT STIPEND FOR CITY EMPLOYEES,

[01:00:01]

MAYBE WE ALSO GIVE IT TO THE EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE BEEN VACCINATED BECAUSE THEY'VE ALREADY STEPPED UP.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING, UH, GIVEN THIS SITUATION WITH AVAILABLE ONE TIME FUNDING THAT, THAT OUTAGE I'D LIKE YOU TO THINK ABOUT OR CONSIDER COLLEAGUES AS WELL.

WE READY WITH CODE, IF NOT, WE'LL GO TO ADD AND THEN COME BACK TO CODE.

I'LL BE QUICK.

SHOULD I GO AHEAD AND ADD? YEAH.

SO, UM, I'M GOING TO BRING THIS UP BECAUSE I PLAN TO RAISE THIS DURING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISCUSSION, BUT SINCE THAT'S NOT HAPPENING TODAY, I NEED TO RAISE IT FROM MY COLLEAGUES.

UM, I WILL BE PUTTING, UM, AN ITEM ON THE MESSAGE FORWARD, UM, RELATED TO, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, RELATED TO THE ICONIC VENUE FUND.

THE COUNCIL PASSED A RESOLUTION IN DECEMBER TO FUND, UH, THE DI WHICH PUT INITIAL DOLLARS INTO THE ICONIC VENUE FUND OF 2.4, BUT THEN COMMITTED, UH, ARE DIRECTED THE CITY MANAGER TO COME UP WITH A PLAN TO FUND ADDITIONAL AMOUNT OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.

UM, THAT THERE'S NO ADDITIONAL AMOUNT IN OUR BUDGET THIS TIME.

THIS IS ONE TIME FUNDS.

I'M GOING TO PROPOSE THAT WE PUT SOME DOLLAR AMOUNT IN BECAUSE WE NEED TO, WE CAN, THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF SOMETHING THE COUNCIL PASSED.

THAT'S NOT BEEN FUNDED.

SO, UM, I JUST WANT TO LET EVERYBODY KNOW THAT, UM, THAT I WAS GOING TO PUT THAT ON THE MESSAGE BOARD.

UM, I APPRECIATE COUNCIL MEMBER ULTRA'S QUESTION AND CITY MANAGER.

WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU BRING BACK YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT, I THINK IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT THAT YOU ALSO LOOK AT, UM, ITEMS THAT THE COUNCIL HAS PASSED THAT DIRECTED FUNDING THAT HAVE, DID NOT END UP IN THE BUDGET SO THAT WE CAN SEE THAT LIST ALSO, SORRY, COUNSEL FOR THIS.

AND THANK YOU, MAYOR.

JUST WANT TO ECHO, UM, SUPPORT FOR, UM, YOUR COMMENTS AROUND INCENTIVES FOR OUR WORKFORCE, FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN VACCINATED AND TO ENCOURAGE EMPLOYEES WHO HAVEN'T BEEN VACCINATED TO TAKE THE SHOT.

UM, ALSO WANTED TO JUST GET A COMMENT TO CONTENT, PRODUCERS, UM, MESSAGE POSTS THAT THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER COSAR.

I APPRECIATE YOUR LEADERSHIP.

THIS IS SUPER HELPFUL TO HAVE, UM, OUR PRIORITIES THAT WE VOCALIZED, UM, WANTING SUPPORT FOR LAID OUT IN THIS FORMAT.

AND, UH, ESPECIALLY WANTING TO NOTE THAT, UM, ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR LIVE MUSIC AND CONIC VENUES IN OUR CREATIVE SECTOR.

UM, I KNOW WE WERE NOT GETTING A PRESENTATION FROM THE, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, BUT I BELIEVE WE ARE STILL OWED A MEMO ON A RESOLUTION THAT WE PASSED BACK IN LATE MAY.

THAT CALLED FOR AN INVESTMENT IN OUR CREATIVE SECTOR, UH, UP TO 15 FOR CREATIVE ARTS, UP TO 10 MILLION FOR OUR MUSIC, UM, IN THE MEMO IS SUPPOSED TO OUTLINE THE DIFFERENT PATHWAYS OF FUNDING AVAILABLE AT ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT.

AND WE'RE STILL WAITING ON THAT SIDE.

LOVE TO HAVE AN UPDATE ON THAT IF WE CAN, UM, BEFORE THE END OF THE DAY.

UM, AND SO GETTING BACK TO THIS, UM, PRIORITY LIST, JUST WANT TO ECHO SUPPORT FOR A STRONGLY, UH, SUPPORT US CONSIDERING, YOU KNOW, THESE ONE-TIME, UH, USES TO FUND THESE PRIORITIES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY.

AND SO JUST WELCOME A FURTHER CONVERSATION ON IT.

THEY'RE AVAILABLE WHENEVER YOU'RE READY.

YOU'LL LET ME KNOW WHEN CODE IS AVAILABLE.

LET'S GO AHEAD.

AND GARRETT IS, HAS JOINED THE MEETING.

ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO AHEAD AND GET THE ACCOUNTS BY OCTOBER.

LAST QUESTION THEN WE'LL GET BACK TO THE DAY.

THANKS MERRILL.

I'LL ASK THOSE QUESTIONS AGAIN WHILE WE'RE JUST, UM, GETTING LORRAINE GARRETT ON THE LINE.

I WANT TO SAY, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE, WE HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL, AS WE'VE ALL BEEN TALKING ABOUT, WE HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL ONE-TIME FUNDING THAT WE DID NOT KNOW WE HAD.

UM, IT IS, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO REALLY MULL OVER HOW QUICKLY WE SPEND IT, BECAUSE WE DO HAVE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SOME OPPORTUNITIES HERE TO MAKE SOME, TO POTENTIALLY MAKE SOME SUSTAINABLE CHANGE.

UM, WE HAVE AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION THAT POTENTIALLY COULD USE SOME OF THIS AS SEED FUNDING TO ACTUALLY ACQUIRE, ACQUIRE, UM, BUILDINGS THAT WOULD HELP US SUSTAIN SOME OF THOSE LIVE MUSIC VENUES AND OTHER SPACES, OTHER ART SPACES OVER THE LONGTERM.

WE HAVE, UM, AS WELL AS POTENTIALLY ACQUIRING SOME STRUCTURES FOR OTHER KINDS OF USES.

WE HAVE.

SO, YOU KNOW, I HOPE, I MEAN, IT'S A LITTLE HARD ON TUESDAY KNOWING THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE VOTING ON THIS WEDNESDAY TO REALLY HAVE THE KIND OF THOUGHTFUL CONVERSATION AROUND WHAT WE DO WITH THAT ADDITIONAL ONE-TIME

[01:05:01]

FUNDING.

I AGREE.

IT CERTAINLY MAKES SENSE TO FUND SOME OF THE PRIORITIES THAT COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE ALREADY IDENTIFIED, BUT THERE'S ALSO THE OPTION OF TAKING A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME WITH SOME OF IT AND COMING BACK AND DOING THAT AS A BUDGET AMENDMENT.

UM, I ALSO WANT TO JUST THROW OUT THERE, I APPRECIATE THE CONTINUED SEE FOR THE LIVE MUSIC VENUE FUND I'VE, I'VE ALSO SPONSORED RESOLUTIONS, UM, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO ASSIST THE SECTOR.

AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT.

WE HAD SEVERAL AREAS THAT TOOK HITS WHEN THE HOTEL REVENUE, THE HOTEL MOTEL REVENUE, THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY, WHEN YOU DROPPED ONE WAS HISTORIC PRESERVATION.

I BELIEVE SOME OF OUR CITY PROJECTS ARE ON HOLD.

IT'S ALSO TO SOME EXTENT, WELL KNOW, TO AN EXTENT IMPAIRED OUR ABILITY TO BE SUCCESSFUL WITH SEVERAL ACQUISITIONS THAT HAVE BEEN PRIORITIES OF THIS COUNCIL FOR SOME TIME NOW.

UM, AND THAT IS NOT A CONVERSATION I WANT TO HAVE OPENLY ON THE DIOCESE, BUT, BUT IT IS A CONVERSATION RELEVANT TO THIS.

IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE LOOKING AT HOW BEST TO INVEST THOSE ONE-TIME DOLLARS.

SO JUST A FEW QUESTIONS, JUST A FEW, UM, POINTS TO THINK ABOUT.

SO MY QUESTIONS FOR CODE ARE, UM, MS. GARRETT, IF YOU COULD ADDRESS, IF YOU COULD ADDRESS A COUPLE, UM, SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE INTENDED INCREASES, AND THESE ARE COVERED BOTH ON PAGE 2 30, 3 OF, OF OUR BUDGET BOOK, BUT ALSO IN, I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ANSWERS THAT I RECEIVED TO QUESTION NUMBER TWO IN THE BUDGET Q AND A.

SO PERHAPS FIRST WE COULD ADDRESS THE CONTRACTUAL INCREASE.

SO IN BUDGET, QUESTION TWO, IT, THERE IS A CONTEMPLATED 220,000 ISH, UM, DOLLAR INCREASE PROPOSED FOR CONTRACTUALS.

COULD YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THAT SPORE PLEASE? YES.

ELAINE GARRETT WITH THE AUSTIN CODE DEPARTMENT, UH, THE CONTRACTUALS THAT WE ARE ASKING FOR, UH, RELATE TO, UH, SIX POSITIONS THAT WE'RE REQUESTING AND ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE REPEAT OFFENDER PROGRAMS, UM, OVERTIME BUDGET, UH, OUR ENTERPRISE FUND, IT RELIES ON REVENUES RAISED THROUGH A PORTION OF THIS CLEAN COMMUNITY FEE.

SO, UM, WE DO HAVE TO CHARGE INDIVIDUAL BUSINESSES THROUGH THE UTILITY BUILDING FOR THIS.

THIS WOULD, UH, INCREASE THE RATE TO ASSIST WITH, UH, COMPENSATING FOR THE $220,000 THAT'S REQUESTED.

I'M SORRY.

I NEED TO DRILL DOWN INTO THOSE DETAILS A LITTLE BIT, BUT THE COUNTRY, THE SPECIFIC $220,000 WORTH OF CONTRACTUALS IS FOR WHAT EXACTLY.

I MEAN, UH, SO ADDITIONAL, UH, POSITIONS, UH, THAT WOULD BE SUPPORTING TO THE STAFF.

UH, WHAT WE DID WAS WHEN WE HAD RE INCREASED, UM, OUR UNIFORM STAFF, OUR FIELD STAFF, UH, TWO YEARS AGO, OR A LITTLE BIT OVER TWO YEARS AGO, UH, IT LEFT US WITH HAVING TO COMPENSATE ON THE SUPPORT SYSTEM.

SO WE HAD, UH, TEMPORARY STAFF MEMBERS WORK IN THOSE POSITIONS.

AND SO NOW WE'RE ASKING FOR THAT TO BE COVERED.

I'M REALLY SORRY.

I'M JUST STILL NOT FOLLOWING I, SO I'M LOOKING AT BUDGET QUESTION TWO, THERE'S A LINE FOR PERSONNEL WHERE I ASSUME ALIGNED FOR PERSONNEL THAT'S, YOU KNOW, ALMOST A MILLION DOLLARS.

SO I'M ASSUMING THAT THAT'S WHERE THE ADDITIONAL STAFF ARE, ARE HAPPENING.

THEN THERE'S A LINE FOR CONTRACTUALS OF 220.

I'M WORKING MY WAY BACK TO PERSONNEL, BUT I WANTED TO START WITH THE CONTRACTUALS.

AND ARE YOU SUGGESTING THAT THE 220, UH, I HAVE, UM, UM, I'M SORRY, I'D HAVE TO RE UH, CONSULT WITH OUR FINANCE TEAM.

THAT SOUNDS GOOD.

UM, COMMODITIES ARE ALSO INCREASING, UM, BY ABOUT $54,000.

I'M INTERESTED IN KNOWING WHAT THAT INCREASES COVERING IS, IS PROPOSED TO COVER, UM, THE SAME WITH THE NON CIP CAPITAL.

THAT'S INCREASING ABOUT $103,000 FROM 84,000 TO 1 97.

SO THAT'S QUITE AN INCREASE.

UM, AND I'D LIKE, I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND THAT.

AND THEN IT SOUNDS AS IF WE MIGHT NEED MORE, WE MIGHT NEED SOME ADDITIONAL STAFF TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS, BUT PERHAPS YOU COULD ADDRESS, UH, ADDRESS THE PROPOSED $1 MILLION INCREASE IN PERSONNEL COSTS, PLEASE.

AND I'M SORRY.

MA'AM CAN YOU REPEAT WHICH, UH, WHICH ONE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT? WHICH NUMBER? SURE.

IT'S BUDGET QUESTION NUMBER TWO.

UM, PERSONNEL THAT ARE PROPOSED, HOW MUCH IS IT JUST FOR SIX POSITIONS? UM, I NOTICED, UH, IN THE BUDGET PAGE, IT'S A, IT'S AN INCREASE OF SIX POSITIONS AND, AND AGAIN, ALMOST A MILLION DOLLARS.

UM, SO I, SO WHEN WE GET SOME FINANCIAL STAFF FROM AUSTIN CODE, UM, I'D LIKE TO ASK THEM TO ADDRESS CONTRACTUAL AS COMMODITIES AND THE CAPITAL INCREASES THAT ARE PROPOSED.

UM, BUT IF YOU COULD PLEASE ADDRESS THE ALMOST $1 MILLION WORTH OF INCREASED,

[01:10:01]

SO IS THAT EQUIVALENT SIX POSITIONS? YES, IT WAS SIX POSITIONS AND THEN ONE WAS A REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL OVERTIME MONEY FOR THE REPEAT OFFENDER PROGRAM.

SO I'D BE INTERESTED IN HOW THAT BREAKS DOWN.

UM, HOW MUCH OF THAT ALMOST 1 MILLION IS OVER TIME TO ALORS AND HOW MUCH OF IT EQUATES TO THE FTES? I MIGHT BE ABLE TO FIGURE THAT OUT FROM THE BUDGET ITSELF.

UH, I, I REALLY, UH, I THINK I'M GOING TO SORRY THAT I'M NOT ABLE TO ANSWER SOME OF THAT.

THAT'S OKAY.

COULD YOU JUST ADDRESS THE GENERAL FROM A GENERAL PERSPECTIVE? CAN YOU ADDRESS WHY, WHY WE'RE ADDING, WHY WE'RE, WHY YOU'RE REQUESTING, I SHOULD SAY SIX ADDITIONAL FTES.

YES, MA'AM ALSO HOURS.

IF YOU COULD ALSO ADDRESS THE, FOR OUR CODE OFFICERS, BECAUSE WE HAVE HAD, AS I WAS MENTIONING BEFORE YOU WERE ON THE CALL, UM, I HAVE, I HAVE RECEIVED, UM, FEEDBACK FROM CONSTITUENTS AND ACTUALLY SOME OF THE CONSTITUENTS I HEAR FROM MOST ARE ACTUALLY NOT MY CONSTITUENTS, BUT, BUT THEY ARE EXPERIENCING A SITUATION WHERE THE CODE OFFICERS ARE NOT AVAILABLE TO RESPOND IN THE EVENINGS AND ON THE WEEKENDS WHEN ACTUALLY THE CODE VIOLATIONS ARE HAPPENING.

SO COULD YOU GIVE US AN UPDATE ON, ON WHAT OUR CODE OFFICER HOURS ARE AND WHY YOU'RE PROPOSING THE INCREASE OF SIX? HI, EDWARD, EDWARD, YOU TRYING TO SPEAK.

I WAS JUST GOING TO OFFER, AND I THINK ELAINE CAN RESPOND TO THE QUESTION ABOUT WHAT THE SIX NEW CODE OFFICERS WOULD DO, BUT WHAT IT'S GOING TO SUGGEST THAT STAFF COULD POST A REVISED RESPONSE TO BUDGET QUESTION NUMBER TWO, I THINK WE CAN QUICKLY PROVIDE ALL THOSE DETAILS.

PERHAPS EVEN BY THE END OF THE DAY, I CAN TELL YOU FOR THE PERSONNEL LINE ITEM, IT WOULD BE THE SIX POSITIONS OVER TIME AT PAY AND BENEFITS, INCLUDING THE, UH, THE PROPOSED WAGE INCREASE IN THE $500 ONE-TIME STIPEND.

THAT WOULD ALL BE IN THAT PERSONNEL LINE ITEM, BUT WE'D BE HAPPY TO BREAK OUT THOSE DETAILS FOR YOU AND GET THAT BUDGET QUESTION RE POSTED TODAY.

AND I APPRECIATE THAT.

AND I THINK I DEFINITELY, I I'VE ASKED YOU DESCRIBED IT.

I THINK THAT WORKS TO HAVE THE PERSONNEL TO HAVE THE PERSONNEL FTES SEPARATED OUT FROM THE OVERTIME, BUT I ALSO LIKED THAT TO BE PAIRED WITH A WRITTEN RESPONSE TO THE HOURS.

UM, I'M NOT SURE IF WE'RE PAYING OVERTIME FOR THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, HAVING THAT, UM, AS A CONTINGENCY FOR THINGS SUCH AS THE WINTERS, YOU KNOW, CODE AS WELL AS SO MANY OF OUR OTHER STAFF EMPLOYEES, YOU KNOW, INCURRED OVERTIME CHARGES OR WHETHER THE OVERTIME IS ACCRUING FOR OFFICERS THAT ARE WORKING THOSE EVENING AND WEEKEND HOURS.

UNDERSTOOD.

WE CAN DO THAT AS WELL FOR YOU.

SO THAT WAS GOOD.

THANKS.

BUT, BUT IF MS. GARRETT COULD, COULD RESPOND TO THE FTE QUESTION AND THE HOUR QUESTION NOW, THAT WOULD BE OKAY.

AND AS SHE RESPONDS COLLEAGUES, I WOULDN'T NEED TO STEP OFF THE DIET DAYS HERE.

I WAS GOING TO GIVE THE CHAIR TO THE BEAR PROTESTS.

UH, SO, UH, UH, COMES OVER OFTEN.

OR IF YOU WOULD TAKE THAT OVER, I'LL BE RIGHT BACK WHERE YOU FINISHED, UH, MAYOR PRO TIP.

DID YOU WANT TO SAY SOMETHING? I WAS JUST WAITING FOR A RESPONSE MAYOR PRO TEM.

DID JORDAN SAY SOMETHING? OH, OKAY.

THANKS.

I CERTAINLY DON'T WANT TO INTERRUPT, BUT I HAVE AN ADDITIONAL QUESTION.

UM, I THINK ALONG THE LINES OF WHAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TEMPO IS ASKING.

SO IF I COULD JUST BE CONSIDERED AFTER FOR THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR.

THE, UH, WE DO HAVE AN EXTENDED HOURS TEAM THAT WORKS TILL 8:00 PM.

SO IN RESPONSE TO THOSE SIX POSITIONS, UH, REALLY FIVE OF THE SIX POSITIONS ARE NOT, UH, THEY'RE NOT SCHEDULED TO BE PART OF THEIR SUPPORTS POSITIONS.

THEY'RE NOT FILLED POSITIONS.

UH, WHAT HAPPENED WAS, AS I SAID, WHEN WE INCREASED THE SUPPORT, UH, THE FIELD POSITIONS, UH, I BELIEVE IT WAS IN 2017.

UH, WE, UH, HAD TO HIRE TEMPORARY PHYSICIANS TO ASSIST WITH THE ADMINISTRATIVE PORTION OF IT, OF THE WORK THAT WE INTAKE, UH, THAT WAS INTAKE.

SO, UM, THIS IS, THIS PROPOSAL IS, HAS ONE FIELD POSITION, UH, INCLUDED INTO THIS.

UH, THE OVERTIME IS FOR THE REPEAT OFFENDER, UM, PROGRAM THAT NEEDED, UH, ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO ASSIST WITH THEM TO BE ABLE TO WORK EXTENDED HOURS OR EXTENDED INTO SOMETIMES WEEKENDS OR AFTER HOURS.

UH, THE HOURS OF THE STAFF VARY, UH, THEY DO RUN 7:00 AM TO 4:00 PM.

UH,

[01:15:01]

AND THEN OF COURSE WE HAVE THE SHORT-TERM RENTAL TEAM THAT HAS A DIFFERENT SET OF HOURS.

I I'M, I'M INTERESTED IN KNOWING EXACTLY WHAT THE SHORT-TERM RENTAL HOURS ARE, BUT I, I AM ALSO REALLY CONCERNED THAT WE HAVE CODE THAT WE HAVE SET A STANDARD WHERE OUR CODE OFFICERS, WE NEED TO BE AVAILABLE IN SOME CASES IN THE EVENINGS, BECAUSE MANY PEOPLE KNOW WHEN THE CODE OFFICERS STOP.

I APPRECIATE THIS INFORMATION.

AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE HAVE SOME OF THOSE CODE VIOLATIONS HAPPENING, UM, IN THE EVENINGS, PEOPLE CUTTING DOWN TREES OR DOING OTHER KINDS OF, UM, OTHER KINDS OF THINGS AFTER THE CODE HOURS.

AND I, AND I DON'T, I'M NOT SURE WHY THAT'S NOT BEING HANDLED THROUGH SCHEDULING VERSUS THROUGH OVERTIME.

SO I NEED TO REALLY UNDERSTAND BETTER THE DOLLARS THAT ARE BEING ALLOCATED TO THE DOLLARS THAT ARE BEING ALLOCATED TO OVERTIME AS I INDICATED, BUT ALSO THE NUMBER OF POSITIONS WE HAVE IN EACH OF THESE AREAS, THE NUMBER OF FIELD OFFICERS WE HAVE AND THEIR HOURS BY PROGRAM, UM, THE NUMBER OF OVERTIME DOLLARS ALLOCATED TO THIS.

BUT, BUT I REALLY I'M.

I GUESS I'M AN ANSWER AS TO WHY WE HAVE SCHEDULED, UM, WHY WE'VE SCHEDULED CODE OFFICERS FOR HOURS, WHERE THOSE VIOLATIONS AREN'T ALWAYS HAPPENING AND ARE RELYING ON OVERTIME TO COVER THOSE HOURS WHERE WE REALLY NEED THEM.

I, YOU KNOW, AS WE CONTINUED TO PUT MORE AND MORE AND MORE FUNDING INTO OUR CODE DEPARTMENT AND ADD MORE AND MORE OFFICERS, UM, I HAD ASSUMED, AND I, MAYBE I WAS THE ONLY ONE, BUT I'D REALLY ASSUMED WE WERE GOING, WE WERE DOING SO TO GET MORE COVERAGE.

AND FRANKLY, IF I WENT BACK TO SOME OF THOSE EARLIER COUNCIL BUDGET DELIBERATIONS, I'M PRETTY SURE WE HAD SOME OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS ON THE DYNAS THAT WOULD, BUT ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WE WERE HAVING IS COVERAGE ON THOSE WEEKENDS AND EVENINGS AND THE ADDITIONAL STAFF WERE SUPPOSED TO HANDLE THAT.

SO THIS IS, THIS IS OF, AT THE MOMENT, UM, COLLEAGUES, I, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO REALLY UNDERSTAND, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO REALLY BE CONVINCED THAT THIS IS THE RIGHT APPROACH BEFORE WE HAVE A 50 CENT INCREASE TO, TO EVERYONE WHO, WHO, UM, HAS A UTILITY COUNTS BUDGET, JUST GIVEN SOME OF THE CHALLENGES ON, UM, RAISING AND SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE CHOICES I THINK THAT ARE, ARE MAKING THIS NECESSARY.

UM, I'LL, I'LL DO MY BEST TO TRY TO COME UP WITH SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS, BUT IF YOU WOULD TREAT THE ONES THAT I'VE RAISED HERE AS, AS, UM, Q AND A QUESTIONS, THAT'D BE SUPER HELPFUL.

THANKS VERY MUCH MS. GARRETT.

YES, MA'AM.

THANK YOU FOR THOSE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS.

COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO MAY PROTON, AND THEN COME TO MIND.

HOW WOULD YOU JUST LIKE TO SAY AS AN ADDITIONAL MEASURE, UM, UH, FOLKS WHO PAID ATTENTION TO THE QUESTIONS THAT I RAISED ABOUT, UH, CODE UNIFORMS? UM, I, I STILL, HAVEN'T GOTTEN A RESPONSE TO MY QUESTIONS AROUND THE COST OF UNIFORMS. UM, AND SO LIKE VERY MUCH TO KNOW, UM, ALONG THE LINES OF, UH, WHAT, UH, EXCUSE ME, YOU GUYS, I'M SORRY.

COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO IS ASKING.

I'D LIKE VERY MUCH TO KNOW, YOU KNOW, IF, IF THERE'S SOME PARTICULAR CONSIDERATIONS THAT WE COULD MAKE AROUND MY UNIFORM QUESTIONS, UM, IT, AS WE ARE DISCUSSING THIS ADDITIONAL, UH, MEASURE OF INVESTMENT.

UM, SO IF WE COULD JUST ADD THAT TO THE LIST, THAT'D BE GREAT.

MAYOR PRO TEM COUNCIL MEMBER FOREIGN TO US, AND THEN CITY MANAGER.

WERE YOU TRYING TO SPEAK TO, DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO THIS ISSUE? OKAY.

IT HAS INCREASED TREMENDOUSLY AND NOW HAS 151 OFFICERS.

UM, COUNCILMAN BERTO, I JUST THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTIONS.

I, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M FOLLOWING HERE.

UM, BECAUSE I BROUGHT FORWARD A RESOLUTION RELATED TO, UM, CODE ENFORCEMENT AND, UH, AS WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE WINTER STORM AND PART OF THE MEMO WE RECEIVED BACK FROM STAFF INCLUDED THE DEDICATION, UH, MORE PERSONNEL TO SERVE AS COMMUNITY SERVICE COORDINATORS, UH, TO ENSURE THAT WE INCREASE OUR STAFF CAPACITY TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE AN INCREASED CALL LOAD AT CALL VOLUME, ESPECIALLY DURING TIMES OF EMERGENCY AND TO HELP INDIVIDUALS NAVIGATE TENANT RESOURCES AND ASSISTANCE, AND VERY HAPPY TO SEE THIS INCLUDED IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET.

SO I JUST WANTED TO ASK CONCEPT FOR TOBO.

IS THAT, ARE YOU SAYING WE NEED ADDITIONAL STAFF, UM, INCLUDED IN AUSTIN CODE? OR ARE YOU SAYING, ARE YOU, ARE YOU, IS YOUR LINE OF QUESTIONING MORE TOWARDS HAVING THE RIGHT PERSONNEL OR THE RIGHT TYPE OF ROLES IN THE DEPARTMENT? I'M REALLY, I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE'RE USING OUR, OUR EXISTING RESOURCES BEFORE WE ADD TO THEM.

UM, YOU KNOW, I'M LOOKING, AND I'M SEEING A DEPARTMENT THAT JUST IN THE YEARS I'VE BEEN WATCHING,

[01:20:01]

AND WHAT I THINK I'M HEARING IS THAT WHEN WE WANT THEM TO WORK OVERTIME AND WEEKENDS, LARGELY THAT'S BEING HANDLED THROUGH OVERTIME RATHER THAN THROUGH SCHEDULING.

AND SO I, I ABSOLUTELY, YOU KNOW, I HAVE ALSO SPONSORED, UM, RESOLUTIONS SEVERAL, INCLUDING INCLUDING ONE THAT, UM, REALLY DID SOME OF THE SAME, SAME WORK THAT YOURS DID, UM, IN ASKING OUR STAFF TO REALLY LOOK CAREFULLY AT HOW WE RESPOND TO SUBSTANDARD HOUSING ISSUES, UM, AND REPEAT OFFENDERS.

AND SOME OF THE OTHER ISSUES THAT WE KNOW ARE OF CONCERN FOR OUR CONSTITUENTS.

AND I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING WITH 151 OFFICERS, WE DON'T ALREADY HAVE THAT CAPACITY, SO IT'S NOT, UM, I, I THANK YOU FOR ASKING THAT QUESTION.

I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO CLARIFY THAT THE WORK, THE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE BY AUSTIN CODE, I THINK IS CRITICAL.

I MEAN, I'VE STOOD OUTSIDE AN APARTMENT WHERE THE BALCONIES HAD COLLAPSED AND SAW THE FAMILIES TRYING TO SCRIMP TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THEY WERE GOING TO SLEEP THAT NIGHT AND HOW THEIR KIDS WERE GOING TO GET TO SCHOOL AND, YOU KNOW, HAVE DONE, UM, HAVE PERSONALLY DONE SOME WORK ON THIS DIET TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT WE WERE, WE WERE DOING BETTER IN TERMS OF OUR RESPONSE THERE.

BUT, UM, I'M NOT, I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING WHY WITH THIS BUDGET AND THIS PERSONNEL, UM, WE AREN'T ABLE TO COVER THOSE AREAS BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE REASONS YEAR AFTER YEAR, THAT WE'VE ADDED TO THEIR BUDGET TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF, UM, THE NEED FOR REPEAT, TO SUPPORT OUR REPEAT OFFENDER PROGRAM, UM, TO SUPPORT OUR, OUR RENTERS WHO MAY BE IN UNSAFE SITUATIONS TO SUPPORT OUR SHORT-TERM RENTAL, UM, PROGRAMS. SO THAT, THAT THOSE SHOULD BE, YOU KNOW, THE AREAS WHERE WE'VE, WE'VE SHORED UP THE SUPPORT YEAR AFTER YEAR.

DOES THAT HELP? I'M SORRY THAT IT IT'S.

I HOPE THAT WAS, I HOPE THAT WAS CLEAR.

YES, NO, THAT WAS DEFINITELY HELPFUL.

AND I'M GLAD THAT WE BOTH ARE CHAMPIONS IN THIS AREA AND CAN CONTINUE THE COLLABORATIVE WORK TOGETHER.

AND CERTAINLY I ECHO COUNCILMAN , UM, CONCERNS THAT SHE'S RAISED.

AND WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM, FROM STAFF ON, UM, ON THE NEED THAT WE HAVE, AND JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING THE BEST THAT WE CAN WITH THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE AND WANT TO BE MINDFUL, UM, OF, OF ANY, UH, NEW ADDITIONS, IF IT, IF IT'S, UH, IF IT'S A CRITICAL NEED.

UM, CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, DURING THE WINTER STORM HEARING FROM, UM, TENANTS AND RESIDENTS ALIKE AND ALSO VISITING APARTMENT COMPLEXES IN THE DISTRICT, I'VE SEEN FIRSTHAND THE IMPACT THAT, UM, THAT HAPPENS DURING TIMES OF DISASTER.

AND SO, AND STAFF SHARED WITH ME THAT THEY NEEDED, UM, INCREASED SUPPORT.

SO I WOULD, WOULD WELCOME A FURTHER CONVERSATION ON LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE NEEDS AND, UH, AND TO GET TO COUNCIL MEMBER TOGA'S QUESTION THAT, THAT SHE RAISED.

SO I LOOK FORWARD TO THOSE RESPONSES AS WELL.

THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER .

UM, ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS ON THIS SECTION? I HAVE ONE THAT I WANNA TO JUST MAKE, FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO DONE A SECOND, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN'S REQUEST TO BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT WE'VE ALREADY FUNDED, OR WE'VE ALREADY REQUESTED AND IFCS THAT WE WERE NOT ABLE TO FUND PARTICULARLY THINGS THAT MIGHT BE ONE TIME FUNDING.

AND THEN, YOU KNOW, I WANTED TO THANK COUNCIL MEMBER COULD FOR PUTTING TOGETHER, UM, THIS ILLUSTRATION, BUT I ALSO WANT TO JUST SAY THAT WE STILL HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT WHAT THE POT OF MONEY IS THAT WE WANT AND ARE COMFORTABLE, UM, PUTTING FORWARD TO THINK ABOUT FOR ONE-TIME FUNDING.

WE HAVE NOT HEARD FROM THE CITY MANAGER, IF THEY'RE ONE TIME, UM, EXPENSES THAT WOULD HELP US SMOOTH OUR FINANCIAL, UM, CHALLENGES OR STRUCTURAL DEFICIT OVER TIME IN SOME WAYS.

AND I THINK THOSE ARE ALL IMPORTANT FOR US TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION AS WE APPROACH, UM, THIS MONEY.

WE ALSO HAVE MANY, MANY OUTSTANDING Q AND A QUESTIONS, WHICH IS UNDERSTANDABLE AT THIS POINT IN TIME, BUT IT IS, IS I WOULD HESITATE TO MAKE ANY COMMITMENTS AS TO WHAT WE ARE FUNDING AND AT WHAT LEVEL WE ARE, UM, TAXING FOLKS AT THIS POINT IN TIME, THIS IS RELATIVELY NEW INFORMATION AND, UM, IT'S GOOD INFORMATION, BUT IT'S IN POSITIVE INFORMATION, BUT, UM, I THINK THERE'S A HOST OF A HOST OF QUESTIONS AND THAT'S A INTERESTING ILLUSTRATION, BUT I THINK THERE'S A LOT WE AS A COUNCIL NEED TO ANSWER AND THINK ABOUT AS WE MOVE FORWARD.

THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER.

AND JUST TO NOTE THAT IN OUR, A MEMO ON THE BUDGET FORECAST, WE INCLUDED, UH, THE LIST OF UNFUNDED, UH, IFCS OR RESOLUTIONS, BUT WE WILL UPDATE THAT, UH, BASED ON THIS CONVERSATION AND PUT THAT INTO THE Q AND A GREAT THANK YOU.

UM, IF THERE ARE NO OTHER QUESTIONS WE CAN MOVE ON

[01:25:01]

TO THE NEXT QUESTION.

THANK YOU FOR CALLING IT OUT FOR ME.

COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.

SORRY.

I DIDN'T KNOW IF SHE COULD SEE ME.

UM, SO IT'S BACK TO PROCESS.

SO CITY MANAGER, WOULD YOU, I THINK YOU JUST SAID THIS, BUT I WANT TO BE SURE IF YOU DON'T MIND RESENDING OUT THAT LIST TO US, THAT'D BE HELPFUL.

YOU KNOW, THE LIST YOU JUST REFERENCED IN TERMS OF, UM, ITEMS THAT WE HAD PASSED, UH, THAT, THAT WEREN'T FUNDED YET.

THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.

AND THEN, UM, JUST ANOTHER, JUST HOUSEKEEPING QUESTION.

UH, AND I APOLOGIZE, I SHOULD KNOW THIS, BUT, UM, THE F THE FORMAT FOR OUR BUDGET DIRECTION AND BUDGET AMENDMENTS, UM, I HAD THOUGHT THAT THE BUDGET OFFICE HAD SENT THAT OUT AND I'M NOT SEEING IT.

SO IS THERE A PARTICULAR FORMAT THAT WE ARE TO BE USING WITH OUR, UM, AMENDMENTS AND DIRECTION? YES, MA'AM.

UM, THEN WE SEND AN EMAIL WITH THE ACTUAL AMENDMENT DOCUMENT, UM, BUT WE CAN GET THAT SENT OUT AGAIN, IF YOU, IF YOU NEED US TO, WE CAN GET THAT SENT TO YOUR OFFICE.

I APOLOGIZE.

I THOUGHT YOU HAD, I'M JUST NOT FINDING IT.

SO IF YOU COULD DO THAT, AND THEN, UM, THE RELATED QUESTION THERE IS, UM, WELL THOUGH, D CAN, CAN YOU EXPLAIN FOR THE, UH, FOR THE PUBLIC, WHAT WILL BE DONE WITH THOSE IN TERMS OF WHERE THE PUBLIC CAN SEE THEM ALL WILL, UH, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WE YOU'RE, YOUR, YOUR REQUEST WAS FOR US TO SUBMIT THOSE, AND WE'LL ALL BE SUBMITTING THEM, AND WE'RE ALL POSTED ON THE MESSAGE BOARD, BUT, BUT THE ACTUAL MEMBERS THAT WE WERE SUBMITTING TO YOUR OFFICE, WILL THOSE BE POSTED SOMEPLACE FOR THE PUBLIC TO SEE? YES.

SO WHAT WE WILL DO IS WHEN THOSE, UM, THOSE AMENDMENTS ARE PRESENTED OR SUBMIT IT TO THE BUDGET OFFICE, WE WILL COMPILE THEM BY DISTRICT AND THEN, UM, PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION TO THE COUNCIL, UM, PRIOR TO THE BUDGET READINGS ON WEDNESDAY.

GOOD MORNING, COUNCIL MEMBERS.

AND THEN FINALLY, I WOULD JUST SAY, I DO WANT TO, UM, SAY THAT I APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORTS, COUNCIL MEMBER, CASSARA PUTTING TOGETHER THAT ILLUSTRATION.

UM, THIS IS WE'RE AT THE POINT IN THE BUDGET CYCLE WHERE WE'RE STARTING TO, TO KIND OF COME TOGETHER AND UNDERSTAND WHAT PEOPLE'S OR, UH, INTERESTS ARE AND PUTTING IT ON A LIST LIKE THAT IS HELPFUL.

UM, IF YOU COULD PULL UP THE SLIDES AGAIN, THE NEXT DEPARTMENT WOULD BE THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, UM, RESPONDING TO THE AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION RECOMMENDATIONS.

IT JUST TOOK A MOMENT FOR ME TO MOVE OVER, UM, AS A, JUST A POINT OF CLARIFICATION, PLEASE KNOW THAT THE AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION HAD SUBMITTED TO YOU AS WELL AS OTHER ENTITIES HAVE SUBMITTED THROUGH VARIOUS CHANNELS, DIFFERENT ADVOCACY, THINGS THAT THEY WANTED TO ADVOCATE FOR.

AND THIS SPECIFIC PROPOSAL THAT YOU WERE INTERESTED IN HEARING ABOUT, PLEASE KNOW THAT THERE WERE A NUMBER OF ITEMS THAT, UM, HAVE BEEN, HAVE ALREADY BEEN BUDGETED THROUGH OUR, THROUGH THE MANAGER'S BUDGET PROPOSAL AND, UH, IN, IN FORUMS THAT ARE ALLOWING US TO ACTUALLY FULFILL SOME OF THEIR ADVOCACY REQUESTS.

SO NEXT SLIDE, THESE ARE SOME SPECIFIC THINGS THAT YOU ASKED US ABOUT THAT WE WANTED TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE HIGHLIGHTS.

AND SO ONE OF THOSE QUESTIONS WAS ABOUT THE PARK RANGER PROGRAM, UM, BY WAY OF A HISTORY, PLEASE KNOW THAT I THINK PARK HAVE BEEN ON THE TOP OF MIND OF MANY INDIVIDUALS BECAUSE THEY'RE THE INDIVIDUALS THAT HELP US, UH, PATROL THE PARK SYSTEM.

THEY PROVIDE INTERPRETIVE PROGRAMMING ABOUT FLORA AND FAUNA.

THEY ALSO HELP US WITH VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE, AND THERE ARE TWO INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE DEDICATED WITH THEIR TIME TO HELP US ADDRESS THINGS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.

THIS PARTICULAR PROPOSAL THAT YOU SEE IN FRONT OF YOU, THAT THE PARKS FOUNDATION ADVOCATED FOR IS SPECIFIC TO WHAT WE WERE CALLING A TRAIL SIDE PARK RANGER EXPANSION, WHICH MEANS IT WOULD BE INDIVIDUALS WHO WOULD BE PART OF A UNIT, TWO SEPARATE UNITS THAT WOULD BE ABLE TO HELP US PATROL PARKS AND TO BE ABLE TO SEEK VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE AND HELP INDIVIDUALS UNDERSTAND HOW TO SAFELY AND APPROPRIATELY USE THE PARK SYSTEM.

SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THINGS LIKE HOW TO USE OUR TRAIL SYSTEM IN A WAY THAT, UM, PEOPLE LEAVE NO TRACE AND THAT, UH, THE TRAILS ARE UTILIZED, UM, SAFELY FOR EVERYONE IT'S DOGS ON LEASH.

IT'S BEING ABLE TO HELP PEOPLE

[01:30:01]

UNDERSTAND WHY SMOKING IS NOT APPROPRIATE, WHERE PARKING IS APPROPRIATE.

AND THEN, UH, WHEN, WHEN, WHEN ABLE TO PROVIDE SOME EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING WITHIN THE PARK SYSTEM, UM, THAT INCLUDES FUNDING FOR OUR 12 FTES THAT IS INCLUSIVE OF A SUPERVISORY STAFF PERSON, WHICH WOULD BE NEEDED IN THIS PARTICULAR, UH, THIS PARTICULAR SITUATION IN ORDER FOR US TO NOT TO, UH, EXTEND THE, THE SPAN OF CONTROL TOO FAR.

AND THEN ONE TIME FUNDING.

PLEASE.

LET ME JUST TELL YOU, I THINK I GOT A LITTLE CLUE THAT YOU ARE INTERESTED IN SOME OF THE DETAILS.

AND SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE ONGOING FUNDING, UH, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT APPROXIMATELY 400 AND I BEG YOUR PARDON, 847,000,930.

NO, YEAH.

EIGHT HUNDRED EIGHTY EIGHT, A HUNDRED AND FORTY $7,932.

AND THAT IS FOR OVERTIME, UH, UNIFORM UPDATES, OFFICE SUPPLIES, EDUCATIONAL SUPPLIES.

AND IT ALSO INCLUDES $200,000 FOR TEMPORARY STAFFING.

SO WE CAN STAFF UP AT TIMES WHEN OUR COX SYSTEM IS USED HEAVILY.

AND THEN IT ALSO INCLUDES A $490,000, WHICH WOULD JUST BE ONE TIME FUNDING.

AND THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH VEHICLES, OUR RADIOS THAT ALLOW US TO HAVE COMMUNICATION BIKES, UH, THE INITIAL SET OF UNIFORMS, COMPUTERS, AND SAFETY SUPPLIES, UH, THE INITIAL, UH, SET OF SAFETY SUPPLIES.

UM, JUST SO THAT, YOU KNOW, WHY THIS, UH, THIS IS IMPORTANT IS BECAUSE WE HAVE OUR RIGHTS IMPORTANT TO OUR ADVOCATES, UH, IS THAT THERE IS 21 RANGERS RIGHT NOW THAT COVER APPROXIMATELY 300 PARKS, UM, AND APPROXIMATELY 17,000 ACRES OF LOAN.

AND I DO WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THE NUMBER OF PRODUCTS THAT WE HAVE IS EVER EVOLVING AS WE BRING NEW, NEW, WE ACQUIRE NEW LAND AND WE BRING NEW SPACES ONLINE.

THE SECOND THING THAT OUR ADVOCATES CONDUCT CONTACTED YOU ABOUT WAS THE PARK DEVELOPMENT SERVICES POSITION.

AND THIS POSITION IS TO HELP US A CAD TECHNICIAN THAT WOULD HELP US WITH DRAFTING DIFFERENT SORTS OF THINGS THAT SUPPORT PROJECTS WITHIN OUR SYSTEM RELATED TO BUILDING RENOVATIONS AND ADA ACCESSIBILITY.

AND IT WOULD REDUCE THE, OUR RELIANCE ON CONSULTANTS.

UH, 35, 70 5% OF THE MONEY WOULD BE, WE WOULD PROBABLY LIKELY BE ABLE TO, FOR A SALARY FOR THIS PERSON TO BE ABLE TO CHARGE THAT TO THE CAPITAL PROGRAM OR CIP PROGRAM.

AND THEN THE OTHER 30, ABOUT $30,000 WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY FOR THE GENERAL FUND.

UM, I DO WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO, WITHIN THE PROPOSED BUDGET, THE CITY MANAGER HAS BEEN ABLE TO HELP THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, UH, REALLOCATE FUNDING SO THAT WE COULD DO THINGS JUST LIKE THIS.

HOWEVER, UH, WE HAD TO PRIORITIZE POSITIONS AND WHILE THIS ONE IS IMPORTANT, BUT I DO WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT IN THE PROPOSED PROJECT, THERE'S OTHER POSITIONS THAT THE PROXIMATE RECREATION DEPARTMENT PRIORITIZED AS BEING, UM, THE THINGS THAT WE WANTED TO TRY TO RESOLVE THIS BUDGET YEAR.

SO THIS IS AN ADDITION TO THOSE THAT HAVE ALREADY HAVE ALREADY BEEN SUBMITTED AND ARE ALREADY IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

THIS IS ABOUT THE INCREASE IN AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS, AND YOU ALL MIGHT REMEMBER, I BELIEVE THIS COUNCIL HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS AND SUMMER PROGRAMS LAST YEAR.

AND I APOLOGIZE, UH, WE, WE USE THE WORD OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME PROGRAMMING.

AND SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME PROGRAMMING, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS AND SUMMER CAMP PROGRAMS. AND SO THE FUNDING THAT'S BEING REQUESTED HERE IS FOR US TO BE ABLE TO EXPAND PROGRAMS AT KEY LOCATIONS WHERE WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE PHYSICAL CAPACITY, BUT WE WE'VE LACKED THE FINANCIAL CAPACITY TO BE ABLE TO INCREASE THE PROGRAMMING.

UH, WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE AN INCREASED DEMAND BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT OUR PROGRAMS, A QUALITY PROGRAM AND PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING, AND WE JUST DIDN'T HAVE THE RESOURCES AT THIS TIME TO BE ABLE TO EXPAND BEYOND WHAT WE'RE ALREADY, UH, WHAT WE'VE ALREADY BEEN, UM, THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS THAT WE'VE ALREADY BEEN SERVING.

AND SO THIS ISN'T A NEW THING.

I DON'T THINK THE COUNCIL, THIS IS NEW TO THE COUNCIL.

THIS HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL HAVE.

UM, WE HAVE HEARD ABOUT, UH, PROBABLY FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS, AND THIS IS JUST A REITERATION OF THAT CONTINUED OUR ADVOCACY FOR THIS PARTICULAR NEXT LIFE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE IS ANOTHER ITEM THAT I DON'T BELIEVE THAT IS NEW TO YOU, RIGHT? THIS IS SOMETHING THAT YOU PROBABLY HEAR ABOUT OUR ADVOCATES COME TO YOU ON AN ANNUAL BASIS.

AND THEY TALK TO US ABOUT OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE, AND THIS PARTICULAR REQUEST WOULD COVER 7.5 FTES.

UM, AND THE REASON WHY I BELIEVE OUR ADVOCATES WERE INTERESTED IN HAVING SOMETHING CONSIDERED THIS YEAR FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING OUTSIDE OF WHAT THE PROPOSED BUDGET ALREADY PROVIDED TO OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE WAS JUST BECAUSE WE HAVE A 107 ACRES OF PARK LAND, UH, THAT WERE SCHEDULED TO A PRIOR IN THE FUTURE.

AND WE ALSO, UM, HAVE BEEN RENOVATING

[01:35:02]

THROUGH THE 2018 BOND PROGRAM, OR WE'VE BEEN RENOVATING A NUMBER OF BUILDINGS AND A NUMBER OF SPACES HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED THAT WILL, UH, WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO, WE ARE, WE WILL BE A, WE WILL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO TAKE CARE OF THOSE, BUT HAVING THE ADDITIONAL FTES WILL CERTAINLY, UM, MAKE THAT, THAT WORK A LITTLE BIT EASIER AND WILL ALSO HELP US MEET THE EXPECTATIONS AND RESPOND TO THINGS MORE QUICKLY THAN PERHAPS WE'RE RESPONDING RIGHT NOW.

YOU'LL SEE THAT THERE'S A LIST OF THE DIFFERENT PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS THAT ARE COMING ON BOARD, UH, THAT, THAT OUR ADVOCATES ARE AWARE THAT THAT MADE THEM PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN ADVOCATING FOR AND BRINGING THIS, UH, THIS PARTICULAR, UH, PROPOSAL FORWARD.

AND WITH THAT, UH, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, COLLEAGUES, ANY QUESTIONS? I CAN'T SEE A FEW KINDS OF MUMBRELLA.

THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING ME, UM, REALLY APPRECIATE THAT UPDATE DIRECTOR MCNEIL, COUNCILMAN BARELAS.

CAN YOU SPEAK UP JUST A LITTLE BIT, PLEASE? IT'S A LITTLE HARD TO HEAR YOU.

UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU GOING THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION WITH US.

UM, I DID HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS JUST CAUSE I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHICH OF THESE ITEMS WERE ALREADY INCLUDED IN A CITY MANAGER'S PROPOSAL AND WHICH ONES ARE ADDITIONAL.

UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE CAD TECHNICIAN IS NOT INCLUDED.

UM, BUT I DO KNOW SOME OF THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROJECTS ARE.

AND SO I'M STILL TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHICH ONES, NONE OF THAT, NONE OF THESE PROPOSALS THAT ARE HERE ARE CURRENTLY INCLUDED IN THE, IN THE CURRENT BUDGET.

AND I APOLOGIZE IF I, IF I CAUSED CONFUSION, THE POINT THAT I WAS MAKING IN THE BEGINNING OF THE PRESENTATION IS THAT YOU WOULD HAVE, YOU PROBABLY RECEIVED A LIST OF ADVOCACY, ADVOCACY ITEMS AND OF THOSE ADVOCACY ITEMS. MANY OF THEM HAVE ALREADY BEEN INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET, BUT THE ONES THAT ARE PRESENTED TO YOU TODAY HAVE NOT BEEN INCLUDED.

IF WE'RE SPECIFICALLY LOOKING AT THE O AND M UH, THE BUDGET WOULD HAVE BEEN, UH, NUMBER 37 IN THE SLIDE DECK THAT TALKS ABOUT OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE.

WE WERE SIMPLY TRYING TO HELP THE COUNCIL UNDERSTAND WHY OUR ADVOCATES MAY HAVE BROUGHT FORWARD, UH, A DESIRE TO INCREASE THE ONGOING FACILITIES AND GROUNDS MAINTENANCE INDIVIDUALS IS BECAUSE OF THESE PROGRAMS THAT ARE BEING, OR THESE PROJECTS THAT ARE BEING COMPLETED AND BROUGHT ONBOARD.

SO I APOLOGIZE FOR THE MISCOMMUNICATION.

THAT'S ALL RIGHT.

I KNOW THERE'S QUITE A FEW GOOD DETAILS IN HERE.

SO I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU RUNNING THROUGH THESE.

UM, I HAD ASKED THE BUDGET OFFICE AND WE'LL SUBMIT INTO THE OFFICIAL Q AND A, UM, SOME OF THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROJECTS.

IT'S HARD FOR ME TO TELL BASED ON THE LIST I'M WORKING ON AND THE WAY IT'S LISTED IN THE BUDGET, IF SOME OF THESE PROJECTS ARE THE SAME, THERE'S SOME THAT MAY BE FOR THE SAME RECREATION CENTER.

AND IT'S HARD FOR ME TO TELL IF WHAT IS BEING ASKED FOR HERE IS THE SAME AS WHAT IS IN YOUR FIVE-YEAR PLAN, OR IF, IF THERE'S ADDITIONAL WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE, THAT WE NEED TO IDENTIFY.

DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA ON THIS LIST, WHICH OF THOSE, SO IN THIS LIST, WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR ANY LISTS, THIS LIST IS NOT ASKING FOR ANY ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR CIP.

THIS IS SPECIFICALLY ASKING FOR ONGOING FUNDING THAT WOULD HELP TO MAINTAIN AND OR OPERATE, UH, THOSE THINGS THAT ARE BRINGING BROUGHT ON BOARD.

AND IF THERE'S A SPECIFIC QUESTION ABOUT CIP, WE'RE HAPPY TO TAKE THAT BUDGET QUESTION, OR WE DID ANSWER A CIP BUDGET QUESTION THE DEPARTMENT DID, BUT PERHAPS WE COULD EXPAND ON IT OR PROVIDE DIFFERENT DETAILS.

IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN SUBMITTING THAT ROLE, WE'LL GET ON THAT RIGHT AWAY AND GET THAT THOSE ANSWERS TO YOU.

BUT THERE'S NOTHING IN THIS PROPOSAL THAT HAS ANYTHING TO DO, OR THIS THING THAT IS BEING BROUGHT FORWARD, THESE, THIS ADVOCACY, UH, THAT IS BEING BROUGHT, OR THAT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH CIP, IT'S SIMPLY A LISTING OF THE CIP PROJECTS THAT ARE BEING BROUGHT ON BOARD, WHICH THEN PROMPTED OUR ADVOCATES TO THINK ABOUT WHY THEY WOULD WANT US TO HAVE MORE FACILITIES AND MAINTENANCE FOLKS AVAILABLE.

SO I THINK THAT WAS TWO SEPARATE QUESTIONS.

HAPPY TO ANSWER THE CIP QUESTION, BUT THAT'S NOT PART OF THIS PRESENTATION.

SO THE LIST THAT THE, UH, PARKS FOUNDATION HAS, NONE OF IT IS REFLECTED IN YOUR FIVE-YEAR CIP PLAN YET.

ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE PRESENTATION? I JUST TALKING ABOUT THE PIECE OF PAPER THAT THE AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION PROVIDED YOU.

I THINK WE MIGHT BE TALKING ABOUT TWO DIFFERENT DOCUMENTS.

WHERE THERE'S DOTTIE JORDAN RECREATION CENTER, RESTROOM REHABILITATION, IT IS, IT IS INCLUDED.

I'M, I'M ASKING ABOUT THE PARKS FOUNDATION RECOMMENDATION.

SO IF YOU COULD JUST GIVE ME ONE SECOND, I WILL FIND THAT PIECE OF PAPER AND I CAN SPECIFIC WE'LL LET YOU KNOW THAT PIZZA ITEMS IN THAT PARTICULAR DOCUMENT, UM, THAT WAS, THAT ARE TAKEN CARE OF.

SO ONE OF THOSE THINGS

[01:40:01]

UH, ANOTHER THING WAS THAT, UH, TURNER ROBERTS ANNEX ROOF, UH, THAT WAS A CIP AND WE ARE INVESTIGATING THAT IT WAS NOT IN THE, UH, FYI 2022 BUDGET BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW THAT IT NEEDS TO BE BECAUSE WE'RE INVESTIGATING A PARTICULAR FUNDING SOURCES NOT ASSOCIATED WITH CIP.

UH, ANOTHER PART OF THAT CONVERSATION THAT WAS SPECIFIC TO CIP WAS BALL FIELD MAINTENANCE THAT HAS BEEN INCLUDED IN THE MANAGER'S PROPOSAL.

ANOTHER IS COURT RESURFACING THAT HAS BEEN INCLUDED IN THE MANAGER'S PROPOSAL.

I'M ONLY READING TO YOU THE CIP FUNDED PROJECTS AND OTHER CIP FUNDED PROJECTS WAS FULL FUNDING EQUIPMENT AND FURNISHING REPLACEMENTS AND COURT RESURFACING.

AND THAT'S FOR OUR SCHOOL PARK RELATIONSHIP WITH AISD THAT HAS BEEN SELECTED AND IS PART OF THE 22 BUDGET.

UH, ANOTHER IS THE MILLENNIUM YOUTH ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX FOR THE ROOF AND THE HPAC REPLACEMENT, WHICH IS A TOTAL OF APPROXIMATELY $750,000.

AND THAT HAS BEEN INCLUDED IN THE MANAGER'S PROPOSAL.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST THAT LIVES LAST, BUT NOT LEAST.

THERE ARE NO OTHER CIP PROJECTS THAT THEY HAVE LISTED.

SO I HAVE THE NUMBER THAT THEY LISTED.

THERE WAS ONLY ONE THAT WAS NOT INCLUDED AND IT WASN'T INCLUDED BECAUSE THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT BELIEVES IT HAS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THAT AND MAKING THAT REFERRAL.

THAT IS REALLY GRATEFUL.

UM, I'M GRATEFUL TO YOU FOR GOING THROUGH THAT WITH ME.

UM, I HAVE ONE OTHER QUESTION, UM, AND THAT IS JUST ABOUT SOME OF THE, UM, UNEXPECTED DAMAGES THROUGH WINTER STORM URI.

I KNOW THERE'S, UH, QUITE A FEW POOLS THAT YOU'RE CURRENTLY WORKING THROUGH TRYING, UM, TO, TO GET THOSE REPAIRED.

UM, CAN YOU TELL ME THE STATUS OF THOSE OR IF THIS NEEDS TO BE IN THE Q AND A, UM, TO HAVE A MORE DETAILED ANSWER.

I'M CURIOUS JUST TO MAKE SURE YOU'VE GOT THE RESOURCES YOU NEED GIVEN THAT THAT WAS UNEXPECTED ON MANY LEVELS.

UM, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE TOOLS AND RESOURCES.

YOU NEED TO GET THOSE BACK ONLINE IN A TIMELY FASHION.

UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF THE SCOPE AND COST OF WORKING THROUGH THOSE REPAIRS TO BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU THE SPECIFICS OF THE SCOPE AND COST? I WILL NEED A LITTLE MORE TIME TO BE ABLE TO FIND THAT FOR YOU, BUT WHAT I CAN ASSURE YOU AND THE REST OF THE COUNCIL IS THAT WE HAVE SUFFICIENT FUNDING TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THOSE, UH, REPAIR ISSUES THIS YEAR.

WE'RE NOT ABOUT NOT HAVING SUFFICIENT FUNDING.

IT WAS ABOUT SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES.

IT WAS ABOUT HAVING AVAILABLE CONTRACTORS FOR SPECIALTY REPAIRS, AND IT WAS ABOUT LEAD AND ASBESTOS ABATEMENT AND, UH, THE, THE SUPPLY CHAIN OR THE AVAILABILITY OF INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE LOTS OF INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE COMPETING FOR THAT, THOSE EXACT SAME SERVICES.

AND SO THEREFORE IT WAS HOW WE WERE LINING UP IN THE PRIORITIZATION OF, OF GETTING THOSE THINGS DONE.

SO WE DO HAVE, I WANT TO ASSURE EVERYBODY, WE DO HAVE SUFFICIENT FUNDING.

IT WAS THE, THE ISSUES WERE MORE ABOUT SUPPLY CHAIN OR MORE ABOUT AVAILABILITY OF CONTRACTORS, AND THEN LET HIM ASSESS THIS TESTING.

OKAY, THAT'S HELPFUL.

AND I REALLY HOPE THESE, UM, EXTRA ITEMS THAT, UH, WE CAN FIND A WAY TO APPROPRIATE THE DOLLARS TO MAKE SOME OF THESE OTHER THINGS HAPPEN.

I KNOW WE ALL KNOW AND LOVE OUR PARKS SYSTEM VERY MUCH, AND YOU AND YOUR TEAM WORK EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE THESE SPACES GREAT FOR EVERYONE.

UM, AND SO WE REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TAKE CARE OF THAT FOR YOU.

UH, WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE FUNDING MECHANISMS THROUGH PARKLAND DEDICATION, WHICH IS REALLY HELPFUL.

UH, WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THESE SPACES CAN BE EXPANDED AND PROGRAMMED AND AVAILABLE FOR, FOR PEOPLE ALL ACROSS TOWN.

THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY COMES FROM OUR POOL MAYOR PRO TEM.

AND THANK YOU FOR THAT INFORMATIVE PRESENTATION.

UM, I DID HAVE A QUESTION ON ONE OF YOUR SLIDES.

YOU HAD MENTIONED THAT THERE'S AN INCREASING DEMAND FOR SUMMER CAMP ATTENDANCE.

I THINK THAT'S GREAT.

OUR SYSTEMS NEED TO BE UTILIZED MORE.

UM, BUT MY QUESTION WAS RELATED TO, UM, HOW STAFF WAS MEASURING THAT INCREASE OVER WHAT TIME, AND IF COVID FROM LAST YEAR MAY BE A FACTOR IN THE REASON FOR THE INCREASE NOW.

KNOW THAT WE'RE WE'RE IN DEMAND.

SO, UH, COUNSEL KELLY, I COULD ABSOLUTELY PROVIDE YOU SOME VERY SPECIFIC STATISTICS, WHICH I DON'T HAVE IN FRONT OF ME, BUT IN GENERAL, WE HAVE, WE KEEP TRACK OF WAITING LISTS FOR EACH YEAR.

SO WE UNDERSTAND YEAR OVER YEAR, HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS ARE ON A WAITING LIST THAT ARE UNABLE TO MAKE IT INTO A PARTICULAR CAMP, UH, DUE TO THEIR, UH, DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE HAVE MORE OF A DEMAND THAN WE DO HAVE AVAILABLE SLOTS.

AND SO I DON'T HAVE THAT SITTING IN FRONT OF ME, BUT I COULD ABSOLUTELY MAKE THAT AVAILABLE TO YOU.

AND WE COULD GIVE YOU A, UH, A YEAR OVER HERE PROBABLY FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS AT A, AT A MINIMUM.

SO THAT'S HOW WE

[01:45:01]

AND THE SECOND THING THAT THE SECOND QUESTION ABOUT COVID IS THAT I WILL ADMITTEDLY THIS YEAR, UH, WE WERE NOT ABLE TO TAKE AS MANY CHILDREN INTO OUR PROGRAM FOR SUMMER CAMP BASED UPON OUR COVID PROTOCOLS AND WORKING WITH APH AND MAKING SURE THAT WE WERE PROVIDING, UM, A SAFE AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT TO OFFER SUMMER CAMP THAT WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE CDC AND WITH THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT.

HOWEVER, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE THIS AS AN ANOMALY THIS YEAR AND THE FIGURES AND THE INFORMATION THAT I WOULD PROVIDE YOU WOULD BE FOR REGULAR YEARS, NOT FOR THIS PARTICULAR COVID YEAR.

SO I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY, THANK YOU SO MUCH WAS A MAYOR PRO TEM, I THINK WAS NEXT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CLARIFYING THAT.

I WOULD BE VERY INTERESTED TO SEE THOSE DOCUMENTS AND, AND TO LOOK AT THE NUMBERS AS A WHOLE.

THANK YOU AGAIN.

THANKS.

AND, UM, THANKS STRICTER MCNEELY FOR ALL THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

I WANTED TO ASK A QUESTION ABOUT AN ITEM THAT I HAD BEEN, UH, INTERESTED IN SEEING, UH, UH, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT ACQUIRE IN THE PAST, AND THAT WAS THE EQUIPMENT THAT WOULD READ CHLORINE LEVELS REMOTELY AND ALLOW THEM TO BE ADJUSTED.

CAN YOU CATCH ME UP ON THE STATUS OF THAT? I, I JUST CAN'T REMEMBER WHERE WE LEFT IT BACK IN 2019.

THAT'S A MEMBER I WILL HAVE TO.

THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION IS, IS THAT WE DO HAVE THOSE SYSTEMS IN CERTAIN AREAS IN CERTAIN SWIMMING POOLS, BUT I CANNOT TELL YOU EXACTLY WHICH SWIMMING POOLS AND I DON'T, I WON'T BE ABLE TO TELL YOU THE EXACT NUMBER.

SO IF HE WILL ALLOW ME TO PROVIDE YOU THAT INFORMATION IN, IN THE FUTURE, I'LL BE HAPPY TO DO THAT.

I HAVE, I'VE JUST WRITTEN THAT DOWN TO THE EXCELLENT THAT'S.

THAT'S GREAT.

AND, UH, YOU CAN SHARE IT WITH EVERYBODY.

MAYBE GIVE US A REPORT ON THE ACQUISITION OF THE EQUIPMENT, HOW IT'S PERFORMING, UH, WHETHER IT HAS HAD, UH, WHAT KIND OF IMPACTS IT'S HAD ACROSS THE BOARD AND WHETHER, IF IT'S WORKING, WHETHER THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN EXPAND.

UM, I APPRECIATE THE, UM, 1.2 MILLION FOR ADDED CHILDCARE CAPACITY AT THE CITY RECREATION CENTERS.

UM, THE OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME I'M BRINGING THAT AS, UM, ONE OF MY BUDGET RIDERS AS WELL.

SO I THINK I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS THE SAME ITEM THAT WE'RE BOTH TALKING ABOUT.

IS THAT RIGHT? UH, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THE ANSWER IS YES, THE, THAT A BUDGET WRITER IS CONSISTENT OR AT LEAST WHAT YOU'VE COMMUNICATED TO ME IS CONSISTENT WITH, WITH THIS PARTICULAR ADVOCACY ASK, RIGHT? YEAH.

FROM THE PARKS FOUNDATION.

THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT.

ALSO, I ALSO WANTED TO DRAW EVERYBODY'S ATTENTION TO THE ADDITION, THE ADDITIONAL NEED OF SIX VANS IN ORDER TO MOVE THE STUDENTS AROUND THE CITY AND THAT MR. DENINO, I THINK WE HAD TALKED WITH YOU AND, AND MS. LANG ABOUT USING CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION FOR THAT PURCHASE.

THE 300,000 AND THESE ITEMS ARE ON THIS KIND OF GRAY COLORED SHEET OF PAPER THAT I'VE PASSED OUT ON THE DICE, BUT IT IS ALSO UP ON THE MESSAGE BOARD.

UM, BOTH OF MY RIDERS ARE POSTED UP THERE IF ANYBODY WANTS TO PULL THOSE UP.

SO THE CERTIFICATE OF OBLIGATION CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS.

UM, AND I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS THAT IF WE BUY THOSE VANS, WE ACTUALLY END UP SAVING MONEY BECAUSE THE RENTAL ON THEM, UM, EXCEEDS THE 300,000 AFTER JUST LIKE TWO TO TWO AND A HALF YEARS.

SO WE WOULD BE WELL AHEAD OF THE GAME IF WE WERE ABLE TO PURCHASE THOSE.

SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.

AND THEN I'LL ALSO JUST DRAW EVERYBODY'S ATTENTION TO THE, UM, THE FOUR SPECIFIC REC CENTERS THAT IN MY MIND WOULD SEE THE UPTICK IN CHILDCARE CAPACITY.

IT'S THE DOLORES DUFFY REC CENTER IN DISTRICT ONE, THE TURNER ROBERTS REC CENTER IN DISTRICT ONE DOVE SPRINGS REC CENTER IN DISTRICT TWO AND GUS GARCIA REC CENTER IN DISTRICT FOUR.

WE, WE HAD THIS INCREASE, I BELIEVE LAST YEAR WE EXPANDED THE PROGRAM IN THOSE AREAS AND IT HAS BEEN REALLY SUPER SUCCESSFUL.

AND, YOU KNOW, IN RETROSPECT, GIVEN THE PANDEMIC AND EVERYTHING, I THINK IT WAS, UM, A REALLY WISE INVESTMENT FOR THE COUNCIL IN THE PAST.

UM, AND THEN THE LAST THING I WOULD, I WOULD JUST POINT TO THE LAST BULLET ON THIS PAGE.

IT TALKS ABOUT THE LEARNING LOSS THAT WE'RE SEEING IN OUR, IN OUR STUDENTS.

AND IT'LL BE PERNICIOUS, I THINK, AND EXPAND ACROSS THE BOARD AND ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING WE CAN DO ALONG THESE LINES TO HELP STAVE THAT OFF AND, AND RESTORE THE LEARNING CAPACITY FOR OUR STUDENTS WILL, WILL REALLY PAY MASSIVE DIVIDENDS IN THE FUTURE.

SO THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR YOUR SUPPORT ON THIS PARTICULAR RIDER.

AND THANK YOU, UH, DIRECTOR MCNEELY, COME TO MY POOL.

THIS IS AN AMENDMENT, NOT A RIDER, CORRECT.

I'M USING THE TERMS INTERCHANGEABLY, BUT YES, JUST, JUST FOR A NEW COLLEAGUES.

SO WE DON'T ADD ADDITIONAL CONFUSION TOO CONFUSING.

[01:50:01]

AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBER FUNDUS.

AYE, AYE.

TURNS OUT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER POOL SAID HALF OF THE THINGS THAT I WAS INTERESTED IN SAYING, THE TWO THINGS THAT I'D LIKE TO ADD ARE NUMBER ONE.

UM, WHERE IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION? UM, I STILL DON'T QUITE UNDERSTAND LIKE HOW THE MECHANISM WORKS.

UM, HOW DO PEOPLE CONTRIBUTE MONEY TO, AND HOW CAN IT BENEFIT SOME OF THESE CARD, UH, OPPORTUNITIES? UH, I STILL DON'T QUITE GET IT.

AND I, I HONESTLY, I THINK MY CONSTITUENTS DON'T GET IT EITHER.

UM, CAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIKE, HEY, I WOULD LIKE VERY MUCH TO, BY WAY OF, YOU KNOW, MY ALTRUISTIC PURSUITS, I WOULD LOVE TO CONTRIBUTE, BUT I WANT IT TO GO TO THIS SPECIFIC THING.

IN WHICH CASE I WOULD LIKE DIRECTOR MAYBE, IDEALLY, IF YOU CAN HELP ME WITH THAT.

UM, AND THEN I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY, THANK YOU, BY THE WAY, FOR THIS LAST COUPLE MONTHS, YOU AND I HAVE HAD TO HAVE A LOT OF CONVERSATION AND, AND I JUST, I REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE, YOU KNOW, YOU AND YOUR STAFF BEING SO ATTENTIVE.

UM, BUT THAT PART IS A QUESTION I HAVE.

AND THEN, UM, ONCE WE GET THROUGH THAT PART, THEN I HAVE AN ADDITIONAL QUESTION.

SO I I'M, PART-TIME, I'M UNABLE TO ANSWER SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE EDD CORPORATION, BUT I, AND THE BUDGET OFFICE MAY BE ABLE TO ADD A LITTLE BIT TO WHAT I'M ABOUT TO SAY, BUT THERE IS A MECHANISM THAT WE HAVE IN THE LAW IN THE PAST CALLED TRUST AND AGENCY, AND WE MAY CALL IT A DIFFERENT, A DIFFERENT NAME.

AND THAT IS THE ABILITY FOR A DEPARTMENT TO TAKE A DONATION, PLACE IT INTO OUR BUDGET AS A DONATION AND AIR MARKET FOR A VERY SPECIFIC PURCHASE.

AND THEN THEREFORE BE ABLE TO OFFER, UH, EITHER A PROGRAM OR BE ABLE TO OFFER, UM, UH, BY SOMETHING LIKE, LIKE BY WAY OF EXAMPLE OF SOMETHING THAT, THAT COUNCIL MEMBER COOL MENTIONED A VEHICLE, RIGHT? SOMETHING OF THAT NATURE.

I'M GOING TO TALK OFF.

I CAN SEE, YOU CAN HEAR ME.

ONE OF THE CONCERNS ABOUT BEING ABLE TO PUT MONEY INTO TRUST AND AGENCY, UH, FOR A PROGRAM IS THAT IF WE DON'T RECEIVE A DONATION OF EQUAL AMOUNTS IN THE FOLLOWING YEAR, THEN WE WOULD HAVE TO THEN FURTHER, WE WOULD HAVE TO, WE WOULD INCREASE OUR PROGRAM.

AND THEN UNFORTUNATELY WE WOULD REDUCE OUR PROGRAM, RIGHT? BECAUSE IF THAT MONEY WAS NOT AVAILABLE THE FOLLOWING YEAR, THEN IT JUST BECOMES.

SO USUALLY WHEN WE HAVE TRUST IN, WE DO PURCHASE THINGS THAT INDIVIDUALS ARE SAYING ARE IMPORTANT TO THEM, BUT WE USUALLY DO THEM AS ONE TIME PURCHASES AS TO NOT, UH, INCREASE OUR EXPECTATIONS AND THEN UNFORTUNATELY DECREASE THEM THE FOLLOWING YEAR.

SO I HOPE THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION.

AND I ALSO GIVE IT UP TO THE BUDGET OFFICE IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR IF I MISSPOKE ABOUT TRUST AND AGENCY.

AND IF I MAY REAL QUICK, JUST TO MAKE SURE TO THEM BE IN REAL CLEAR.

UM, SO FOR EXAMPLE, UH, THE MILLENNIUM, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO RECOGNIZE LIKE THIS IS ONE OF THE LAST VESTIGES OF OLD BLACK AUSTIN.

LIKE THIS IS ONE OF OUR LAST THINGS WE HAVE TO MAKE THE INVESTMENT.

AND DO YOU WANT WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE FROM AN INFRASTRUCTURAL PERSPECTIVE? AND SO THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO WERE SAYING, HEY, I'LL GIVE YOU MONEY, BUT HOW DO I DO IT? UM, YOU KNOW, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER POOL MENTIONED TURNER ROBERTS.

UH, LIKE THERE ARE, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WOULD LIKE TO MAKE INVESTMENTS PERSONAL, PRIVATE, PHILANTHROPIC DOLLARS INVESTMENT, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO TELL THEM TO DO IT.

SO THE TRUSTED AGENCY, AGAIN, I'M GOING TO GIVE IT UP TO YOU THAT, TO, UH, TO OUR BUDGET OFFICE, THAT THAT IS A MECHANISM WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM, THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENCE, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A LOCAL GOVERNMENT CORPORATION, I'M SORRY, A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AND ACTUALLY THE CHAIR, COURTNEY ROBINSON AND DR.

COURTNEY ROBINSON AND MYSELF ARE ACTUALLY TALKING THROUGH HOW CAN DONATIONS BE ACCEPTED.

AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THE OPPORTUNITY OF CREATING, OR RE-ESTABLISHING A 5 0 1 C3 AS PART OF THAT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.

AND WE'RE WORKING WITH THE LAW DEPARTMENT AND WE ARE, WE ARE HALFWAY THROUGH THAT PROCESS, BUT WE CONTINUE THOSE CONVERSATIONS.

IN THE MEANTIME, IT'S THE OTHER MECHANISM THAT I BELIEVE I EXPLAINED, BUT THE MILLENNIUM MAY HAVE A DIFFERENT OPTION IN THE FUTURE.

AS WE WORKED THROUGH THAT PROCESS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, ED VANDITO, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, THE ONLY THING I WOULD ADD TO THAT IS THE AUSTIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION IS GETTING STOOD UP.

THE, UH, THE NEW BOARD IS MEETING REGULARLY.

UM, UM, RECRUITMENTS FOR KEY STAFF ARE CURRENTLY UNDERWAY.

AND SO ABSOLUTELY ANTICIPATE THAT IN THE NEAR FUTURE, THE AUSTIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, LIKEWISE WILL BE,

[01:55:01]

UM, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR, UH, PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AND FOR PEOPLE TO DONATE FUNDS TO THAT AGENCY AND SUPPORT OF SPECIFIC INITIATIVES ACROSS THE CITY, BUT EVERYTHING, UM, DIRECTOR MCNEELY SAID ABOUT TRUST AND AGENCY ACCOUNTS, UM, IS ACCURATE.

UM, WE CAN CERTAINLY FOLLOW UP WITH YOUR OFFICE IF YOU HAVE FOLKS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN DONATING TO PARKS, UM, WE'D BE HAPPY TO GET IT SET UP SO WE CAN ACCEPT THEIR FUND.

THANK YOU, MAYOR PRO TEM.

IF I CAN ALSO JUST ADD, UM, ASK THEM PARKS FOUNDATION HAS MANY, MANY FRIENDS IN PARTICULAR PARKS ARE OR CENTERS THAT DO RAISE FUNDS.

THAT'S A GOOD OPTION.

IF SOMEONE WANTS TO DONATE A SMALLER AMOUNT WHERE I TRUST AN AGENCY APPROACH MIGHT NOT MAKE SENSE.

WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE AN ORGANIZATION LIKE THE PARKS FOUNDATION, THAT FACILITATES GROUPS THAT WANT TO RAISE MONEY FOR A PARTICULAR PROJECT IN A PARK.

THEY WORK VERY CLOSELY IN TURN WITH OUR CITY STAFF IN THE PARKS DEPARTMENT.

UM, SO THAT IS ANOTHER ROUTE THAT'S ALREADY SET UP FOR MANY OPPORTUNITIES.

AND IF ANYONE'S TRYING TO RAISE MONEY FOR A PARTICULAR GROUP, THAT IS ANOTHER WAY TO DO IT.

IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT SMALLER DONATIONS, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER FUNDUS, THANK YOU, UH, DIRECTOR MENEELY.

I HAD THANK YOU FOR I COLLEAGUES.

I ASKED A QUESTION ON OUR Q AND A REGARDING THE CIP SPENDING PLAN FOR THE HEALTH ENVIRONMENT PORTION.

AND I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I AM READING THIS RIGHT, AND ALSO UNDERSTANDING THIS, UM, SPENDING FRAMEWORK AND THE OVERALL VIEW OF THE PARKS DEPARTMENT BUDGET FOR THIS UPCOMING YEAR.

SO OF THE 32.5 MILLION THAT'S DEDICATED TO THE PLANT HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT CIP.

THERE'S NOT A SINGLE DISTRICT TO PARK LISTED OUT OF THE 50 PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED FOR CIP FUNDING FROM THE PARKS AND REC DEPARTMENT.

AND THEN PER YOUR PRESENTATION, WHEN IT COMES TO THE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE BUDGET, IT ALSO DOES NOT HAVE A D TWO PARK IDENTIFIED FOR LAND ACQUISITION FOR THIS BUDGET.

SO I JUST WANT TO KNOW, I'M JUST UNCLEAR IF THE INVESTMENTS IN PARKS AND D TWO OR IN ANOTHER PART OF THE BUDGET, OR IF YOU COULD JUST, IF YOU COULD SPEAK TO, UM, THE DISPARITY IN INVESTMENTS.

SEE IN THE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH BUDGET.

SO COUNCIL MEMBERS PLEASE KNOW I'M GOING TO MEET TO LOOK OVER, I HAVE A DIFFERENT SCREEN.

SO I'VE JUST, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THE SIDE OF MY FACE BECAUSE I CAN, I HAVE ALL OF THAT INFORMATION, UH, CALCULATED OR PUT SOMEWHERE ELSE ON.

I JUST NEED TO READ MY COMPUTER SCREEN.

SO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER PUENTE'S, WE SENT THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION OVER, I BELIEVE YESTERDAY.

SO YOU PROBABLY HAVE NOT YET TO RECEIVE THAT, BUT THE FIRST THING THAT IT TALKS ABOUT IS THAT PARKLAND ACQUISITIONS ARE NOT PART OF THE CIP BUDGET.

AND SO, UH, PARD CONTINUES TO ACQUIRE LAND AND INFIELD PARKS THAT ARE CONNECTIONS TO BRENE BELTS ALONG, UH, D TO SOME VERY RECENT INVESTMENTS IN 20 20, 20, 21 AND 2021 OR WILLIAMSON CREEK GREENBELT EAST, THE BROOK CRESTON NEIGHBORHOOD PARK AND THE COOPER NEIGHBORHOOD PARK.

SO BOTH OF THOSE, THOSE HAVE JUST RECENTLY HAPPENED ONE IN 2020 AND THE OTHER TWO IN 2021.

AND THEN WE ARE PURSUING AND LOOKING AT SIGNIFICANT ACQUISITIONS ALONG THE COLORADO, COLORADO RIVER AND WILLIAMSON CREEK.

WE DON'T TYPICALLY TALK ABOUT WHAT WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE NEGOTIATING OR WHO WE ARE TALKING WITH, BECAUSE THAT COULD, UH, UH, THAT COULD IMPACT THE INTEGRITY OF OUR, OF OUR ACQUISITION.

AND SO IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO TELL YOU IT'S BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IF WE'RE GOING TO MAKE THAT REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT, THAT WE, WE KEEP THE INTEGRITY OF THAT CONVERSATION.

ALSO, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, UM, NEW ACQUISITIONS THAT ARE COMING, COMING THROUGH PLD, SO YOU, THE CAUTION, THAT'S IT, THE THINGS THAT ARE IN THE, UH, THE BUDGET THAT THE MANAGER BROUGHT FORWARD ARE SPECIFIC TO THE CIP PROGRAM, WHICH IS USUALLY ABOUT THE 2018 BOND, BUT THERE IS ALSO, UM, PLD MONEY.

SO JUST PLEASE KNOW THAT WE APPLY OUR METAL LEAD TARP IN 2021 THROUGH PLD AND VISTAS PARK IN 2018, THAT WAS A, UH, A LATER ACQUISITION.

AND WE'RE ALSO IN PROJECTS ON SOME OTHER SUBDIVISIONS.

I'M HAPPY, YOU'LL SEE THAT IN THE, UH, IN THE BUDGET, UH, BUDGET RESPONSE, BUT THOSE INCLUDE EASTERN PARK BRADSHAW CROSSING, COLTON BLACK, AND THEN PARKS WITHIN GOODNIGHT RANCH AND THE CODA POD.

SO THOSE ARE ALL THINGS THAT ARE ACTIVELY BEING, UH, CONSIDER.

AND THEN ANOTHER, ANOTHER PART OF YOUR QUESTION WAS, UM, HOW ABOUT, UM, HOW ABOUT THOSE INVESTMENTS? HOW COME WE DON'T SEE ANY CIP PROJECTS, UH, THIS YEAR IN THE 2018 BONDS.

SO PLEASE KNOW THAT WE HAVE, UH, THE PROJECT THAT'S ONBOARD, THAT'S COMING FORWARD, THAT YOU'LL ACTUALLY

[02:00:01]

AND THAT IS FOR THE DOVE SPRINGS PARK.

AND IT'S GOING TO INCLUDE A PLAYSCAPE AND SOME FIELDS IMPROVEMENTS, BUT IT'S NOT ATTRIBUTED TO THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT BECAUSE IT'S ABOUT A PROJECT THAT'S BEING BUILT THERE.

I KNOW YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THAT.

AND THEN WE ARE ALSO INVESTING IN THE BUB SPRINGS BATH HOUSE.

UH, THAT PROJECT HAS BEEN DELAYED.

IT WAS TO HAVE BEEN DONE THIS YEAR, BUT IT WILL BE COMPLETED IN THE NEXT, IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.

TO INVEST IN THEM BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, FOR SO MANY FAMILIES IN OUR COMMUNITY SUMMER, SUMMER CAMP PROGRAMMING AND AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMMING IS A, IS A HUGE EXPENSE.

AND IT IS FOR THE BACK HOUSE OF THE DOVE SPRINGS RECREATION CENTER.

THE PROJECTS THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN THE, IN DOVE SPRINGS.

AND I'M SORRY, IN DETROIT, WE GOT INTO SPRINGS, UH, INCLUDE THE, I MEAN, CREEK METRO PARK, A YARDI EVENT THAT WAS COMPLETED IN 2019 AND 2020.

WE HAVE THE ONION CREEK METRO PARK, BUT THAT'S SPRINGS RECREATION CENTER EXPANSION THAT DOES SPRINGS GYM FLOOR AND HPAC WAS REPLACED, UH, IN 2020 AND 2019.

WE ALSO HAVE CONCIERGE NEIGHBORHOOD PARK THAT WAS REDEVELOPED.

UH, WE HAVE THE GOLF COURSE THAT WE'RE INVESTING SOME FUNDING IT.

AND THEN WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SCHOOL PARKS, PLEASE KNOW THAT THE WILLIAMS SCHOOL BUTTON PARK WILL BE, HAS SOME INVESTMENTS IN 2021 AND THE WILLIAM WILLIAM AND CREEK GREENBELT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH, UH, UH, AMERICAN YOUTH WORKS IS BEING TAKEN CARE OF THROUGH CLEARING AND IT WAS TAKEN CARE OF THROUGH CLEARING AND 2021 THAT MADE THAT ACCESSIBLE.

AND THEN ALSO WE ARE, UH, WE HAVE A SPENDING PLAN THAT IS INCLUDING PROJECTS THAT FUNDED BY PARTNERS.

SO THEY'RE IN D TWO, IT'S JUST THAT WE'RE WORKING AND WITH OUR PARTNERS TO FUND THAT.

AND THAT'S ARMIDALE ON NEIGHBORHOOD PARK AND NATURE, PLAY DEVELOPMENT AND KENDRA PAGE, NEIGHBORHOOD PARK, AND NATURE PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, AND TRAIL.

I HOPE THAT PROVIDES YOU THAT'S A LOT, BUT IT'S ALL IN WRITING THAT WILL BE FORWARDED TO YOU, UH, THAT WILL HELP YOU HELP DISTINGUISH, UH, HOW INVESTMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE IN D TWO IN THE PAST.

AND WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW.

SUPER THANK YOU, DIRECTOR MCNEELY.

I THINK YOU HAVING THAT KIND OF HISTORICAL BREAKDOWN AND ALSO THE TIMELINE AS WELL.

I REALIZED, YOU KNOW, NOW KNOWING THAT THE CIPS FROM A BOND, THE 2018 BOND THAT'S HELPFUL, UM, ANY OTHER CONTEXTS YOU COULD PROVIDE THAT WOULD ALSO BE HELPFUL.

UM, CAUSE I WANT TO BE SURE THAT I'M ABLE TO SH YOU KNOW, WHEN I'M MEETING WITH CONSTITUENTS, I CAN TALK ABOUT HOW THEIR TAX MONEY IS BEING INVESTED IN THIS UPCOMING BUDGET CYCLE AS IT COME AS IT RELATES TO PARKS.

SO, SO I WOULD APPRECIATE THAT INFORMATION, BUT THANK YOU FOR THAT CONTEXT.

VERY WELCOME.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO AND THEN I HAVE A QUESTION.

UM, THANK YOU, CHAIR.

I, UH, I'M SORRY.

I GOT A LITTLE, I MEAN, AND HOW I SHOULD REFER TO YOU.

UM, IN ANY CASE I WANTED TO JUST, UM, SAY COUNCIL MEMBER POOL.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, FOR YOUR AMENDMENTS, UH, OR YOUR INTENDED AMENDMENTS.

I AM CERTAINLY SUPPORTIVE.

I HAVE TO LOOK OVER EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE, BUT I WANT TO JUST TALK ABOUT THE OUT OF SCHOOL TIME AMENDMENT FOR A MOMENT, YOU KNOW, IN PAST BUDGET CYCLES, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL ADDITIONAL FOR SOME OF OUR OUT OF SCHOOL PROGRAMS AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS IN PARTICULAR, THAT HAPPENED THROUGH SOME OF OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS AT, AT DIFFERENT SCHOOL CAMPUSES.

AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT WORK, AND THOSE ARE GREAT PROGRAMS AND THAT'S REALLY AN IMPORTANT NEED.

AND IT WAS ESPECIALLY AN IMPORTANT NEED IN THOSE YEARS WHERE THOSE PROGRAMS WERE GOING TO BE CUT.

AND WE KNEW, UH, STUDENTS AT THOSE SCHOOLS WERE NOT GOING TO HAVE THAT AFTER-SCHOOL OPTION WHERE WE NOT TO COME FORWARD WITH THAT ADDITIONAL FUNDING.

AND SO I FEEL GREAT ABOUT THAT WORK, BUT I, I DID, UM, ALWAYS THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE DON'T, WE HAVEN'T BEEN ADDING MONEY TO OUR OWN PARKS PROGRAMS IN THESE PAST YEARS.

AND SO THANK YOU FOR BRINGING FORWARD THAT BUDGET AMENDMENT, AS I INDICATED IN MY PRIORITIES, THAT'S A PRIORITY TO ME TO SUPPORT.

AND SO YOU HAVE MY SUPPORT NUMBER, LIKE GLAD TO SEE IT.

AND, UM, OF REMEMBER KELLY, I THINK THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION TO SEE HOW THAT, HOW THAT, HOW THE PANDEMIC HAS SHIFTED THINGS.

UM, BUT I JUST WANTED TO SAY ANECDOTALLY, YOU KNOW, I, I AM NOT THE ONLY PARENT IN THIS TOWN WHO HAS, UH, BEFORE WE WENT TO DIGITAL, DIGITAL, ONLINE REGISTRATION THROUGH OUR CITY OF AUSTIN PARKS SYSTEM.

UM, IT USED TO BEING A WEIGHTING SYSTEM.

AND WHEN I GOT THERE AT EIGHT IN THE MORNING, OUTSIDE THE DOOR OF THE ART CENTER, THERE WOULD BE A HUGE LINE OF PARENTS.

AND WE WAIT ONLINE SOMETIMES FOR HOURS TO TRY TO GET A SLOT.

THE PROGRAMS AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN THROUGH OUR PARKS DEPARTMENT ARE TERRIFIC.

THEY ARE REALLY WELL-PRICED AND THEY'RE JUST FUN.

AND, UM, VERY HIGH QUALITY PROGRAMS. WE HAVE A LOT TO BE PROUD OF IN OF OUR, OUT OF SCHOOL PROGRAMMING AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN, FROM THE DOOR TO THE ART CENTER, TO THE NATURE AND SCIENCE CENTER, TO THE, THE FREE, UM, SUMMER RECREATION PROGRAMS THAT TAKE PLACE AS WELL AS THE CAMPS.

AND THEY'RE REALLY POPULAR.

AND THEY'RE HUGE WAITING LISTS.

THE LAST TIME WE TRIED TO GET IN THERE, THE ONLINE ONE, I THINK ONE DAUGHTER GOT IN AND THE OTHER DAUGHTER WAS LIKE 182 ON THE WAITING LIST.

SO THEY ARE, THEY HAVE BEEN HUGELY POPULAR FOR YEARS, AND I'M SO GLAD WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE

[02:05:01]

AND OUR, OUR CITY PROGRAMS PROVIDE A REALLY GOOD VALUE.

AND IT'S JUST AN IMPORTANT, A VERY IMPORTANT PROGRAM THAT WE CAN OFFER.

UM, DIRECTOR MCNEELY ASSUME THAT WE ARE STILL DOING THAT WE STILL HAVE IN PLACE A SYSTEM THAT PROVIDES DIFFERENT LEVELS OF COST, UM, FOR OUT OF CITY RESIDENTS WHO DO NOT SUPPORT THESE PROGRAMS WITH THEIR TAX DOLLARS, AS WELL AS PROVIDING SCHOLARSHIPS.

AND I JUST WANTED YOU TO CONFIRM THAT THOSE, THAT THOSE, UM, DIFFERENTIAL PRICINGS ARE STILL IN PLACE.

AND IF YOU COULD SPEAK TO PRIORITIZATION OF CITY RESIDENTS OVER OUT OF CITY RESIDENTS, UM, WHETHER THAT, I CAN'T REMEMBER ANYMORE, I KNOW THAT WE DID, WE DID MAKE SOME CHANGES.

SOME POLICY CHANGES AS A COUNCIL TO, TO THE PRICING STRUCTURE, BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER IF CITY RESIDENTS HAVE A PRIORITY IN TERMS OF ADMISSION TO THOSE PROGRAMS, TO THOSE POPULAR PROGRAMS, WHICH IS JUST ABOUT ALL OF THEM.

YES MA'AM.

SO YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.

THERE IS A PRICING DIFFERENTIAL.

I'D HAVE TO ACTUALLY PHYSICALLY LOOK AT THE REVENUE SCHEDULE TO UNDERSTAND THAT PRICE IN RESIDENTIAL.

I DON'T HAVE IT, BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU, THERE IS A PRICING DIFFERENTIAL.

AND WHEN WE ARE USING, WHEN YOU SIGN UP FOR PROGRAMS ASSOCIATED WITH AFTERSCHOOL AND SUMMER CAMP, UH, FIRST OF ALL, WE DO NOT OPEN SUMMER CAMP TO NON-RESIDENTS AND WE HAVE, I'M SORRY, LET ME JUST REPHRASE THAT.

WE OPEN UP REGISTRATION FOR RESIDENTS AT A CERTAIN POINT IN TIME.

WE DO NOT ALLOW NON-RESIDENTS TO REGISTER REGISTER UNTIL, UH, AFTER A DESIGNATED AMOUNT OF TIME THAT, UH, THAT ARE, THAT ARE CITY RESIDENTS ARE ABLE TO, AND WE, WE MONITOR THAT THROUGH, UH, ADDRESSES AND, UH, WE WERE ABLE TO PUT THAT INTO OUR SYSTEM TO HELP US, UM, DISTINGUISH THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOMEONE WHO IS IN SYDNEY VERSUS SOMEONE WHO WAS AT A SAUDI CITY AND WITH REGARDS TO PRICING STRUCTURE, UH, WE ALREADY HAVE A SUBSIDIZED PROGRAM.

AND SO, UH, I'M HAPPY TO SHARE WITH THE COUNCIL AT A DIFFERENT TIME, BUT MANY OF YOU MIGHT REMEMBER WE HAVE A, A SCALE OR A SLIDE OR THAT WE EXPLAIN WHEN A PROGRAM HAS FOR THE BETTER, THE GREATER GOOD OF THE COMMUNITY OR A BEGINNING LEVEL PROGRAM.

IT IS ALREADY HIGHLY SUBSIDIZED BY THE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT THAT'S AN IMPORTANT SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY.

AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE HAVE FREE OR REDUCED LUNCH ARE ABLE TO, UH, APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS AND, UH, THERE'S EVEN OTHER FOR THE SWIM PROGRAM AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO I JUST WANT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM IS ACROSS THE BOARD AND IT'S BASED ON FREE OR REDUCED LUNCH.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO SIGN OUT, SIGN UP ANOTHER APPLICATION.

YOU JUST HAVE TO BE ABLE TO BRING US THE FREE OR REDUCED LUNCH INFORMATION.

HOWEVER, IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE HOMESCHOOLED, WE DO HAVE A MECHANISM BY WHICH INDIVIDUALS CAN APPLY AND BE ABLE TO BE ACCEPTED INTO THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.

THE AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION REGULARLY CONTRIBUTES TO THAT.

AND ALSO YOU MIGHT, IF YOU ARE AN A E A CUSTOMER YOU MIGHT SEE ON THE, UH, A BILL THAT INDIVIDUALS ARE ABLE TO DONATE TO THAT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM, AND THAT MONEY GOES DIRECTLY TO THE INMATE ABLE TO SERVE THOSE KIDS.

UM, CAN WE DON'T PUT A CAP ON OUR SCHOLARSHIPS? UM, WE, WE, WE MAKE IT WORK.

IF IT'S SOMEBODY NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO HAVE, UH, ADDITIONAL SUBSIDIZATION, SO ATTEMPT TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR PROGRAM, WE FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE IT WORK.

THAT'S REALLY TERRIFIC.

AND I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT WORD TO GET OUT TO THE COMMUNITY.

SO AGAIN, COLLEAGUES, I THINK THIS IS AN IMPORTANT AREA TO INCREASE OUR INVESTMENTS IN AND, AND, UM, DIRECTOR MCNEELY.

I APPRECIATE YOU GETTING ALL OF THOSE CHANGES IN, AND THEN REMINDING US ABOUT THE PRIORITIZATION I'D FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE REGISTRATION.

SO THANK YOU FOR THAT SUGGEST, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A CONVERSATION, BUT I THINK IT PROCEEDED SOME OF OUR COLLEAGUES, OUR NEWER COLLEAGUES ON THE DAYAS ABOUT THE NEW SITE THAT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT ROLLED OUT RECENTLY, OR I'M NOT SURE IF IT'S NEW OR IT'S JUST REALLY ENHANCED AND IT LOOKS, IT ALLOWS, UM, MEMBERS OF IT.

IT ALLOWS ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO LOOK AT WHERE THE BOND INVESTMENTS HAVE BEEN WITH REGARD TO PARKLAND, WHERE THERE ARE A PARKLAND, DEDICATION FEES AND OTHERS AND MANAGER.

UM, AND, UH, THIS IS DIRECTED TO THE MAYOR.

I DON'T THINK HE'S BACK ON THE AGENDA, UH, BACK ON THE DAYAS I THINK IT MIGHT BE USEFUL.

SOME OF US HAVE HAD INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATIONS WITH GOING THROUGH THAT WEBSITE, BUT WE'VE NEVER REALLY HAD A FULL COUNCIL CONVERSATION ABOUT IT, ABOUT HOW IT WORKS AND, AND ITS FEATURES.

AND I'D LIKE TO SUGGEST THAT ONCE WE GET PAST BUDGET, THAT THAT MIGHT BE INAPPROPRIATE WORK SESSION BRIEFING TO JUST HAVE A, YOU KNOW, 20 MINUTE PRESENTATION ABOUT HOW THAT SITE WORKS, UM, AND THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION THAT'S AVAILABLE ON IT.

CAUSE IT, IT REALLY IS A GOOD RESOURCE FOR THE PUBLIC.

THAT'S A GREAT SUGGESTION COUNCIL MEMBER AND WE'LL WORK ON SCHEDULING THAT.

I THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO MAY I WAS GOING TO SPEAK AND THEN I'LL

[02:10:01]

HAND IT OVER TO YOU.

UM, I HAD TWO QUESTIONS.

UM, FIRST I REALLY APPRECIATE THE ADVOCACY OF OUR AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION.

UM, I CAME ON COUNCIL AND IN PART, BECAUSE I WANTED TO ADVOCATE FOR PARKS.

SO I REALLY DO APPRECIATE THEIR SUPPORT IN, IN INCREASING RESOURCES TO, UM, OUR PARKS.

I DID WANT TO ASK DIRECTOR MCNEELY IF SHE HAD TO CHOOSE AMONG THESE, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ONGOING FUNDING FOR ALL OF THESE, UM, FROM A DEPARTMENT BUDGET PERSPECTIVE WHERE YOUR PRIORITIES MIGHT BE.

SO THIS IS LIKE ASKING ME WHICH CHILD DO I LOVE MORE? SO, UM, I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THAT IF I'M PRESSED FOR THIS, UH, AFTER SCHOOL AND PARK RANGERS REALLY ARE THE TOP TWO AFTERSCHOOL BECAUSE OF MY LOVE AND MY BACKGROUND OF TAKING CARE OF CHILDREN AS A PREVIOUSLY, AS MY UNDERGRAD, AS A TEACHER, I THINK THAT, UH, THAT'S A GREAT SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY AND KNOWING THAT CHILDREN HAVE A PLACE TO, TO BE ABLE TO GO AND TO BE SAFE AND TO BE MENTORED.

UH, AND WE HAVE A VERY QUALITY PROGRAM.

I BELIEVE THAT WE DO, UH, I WOULD SAY THAT WOULD BE ONE A AND ONE B WITH THE ARCOP RANGER PROGRAM, BECAUSE I RECOGNIZE THE USE OF OUR SYSTEM AND THAT, UH, INDIVIDUALS, THE MORE AND MORE THAT PEOPLE USE OUR SYSTEM, THE MORE AND MORE THAT THEY TAKE LIBERTIES IN THOSE USES, AND THAT WE, UM, IT'S IMPEDING THE ENJOYMENT OF OTHERS TO BE ABLE TO, UH, TO BE ABLE TO USE A PROXY SYSTEM IN A WAY THAT IS CONDUCIVE TO RELAXING RECREATION.

AND OUR PARK RANGERS ARE ABOUT VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE AND THEY'RE ABOUT EDUCATION.

AND THERE ARE ABOUT BEING ABLE TO HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO USE THE SPACE IN A DIFFERENT WAY, WHY IT'S ENVIRONMENTALLY INFORMED, WHERE IT'S IMPORTANT SOCIALLY AND HOW, WHAT IT, HOW IT BENEFITS THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.

SO I WOULD PUT THAT AS ONE B AND THEN, UM, OUR MAINTENANCE, WE CAN ALWAYS USE MORE MAINTENANCE FOLKS TO BE ABLE TO HELP, UH, UH, MEET THE EXPECTATIONS OF HOW PEOPLE WANT TO SEE OUR PARKS TAKING A LOOK.

IF YOU, IF YOU DO TAKE A LOOK AT THE COMMUNITY SURVEY, WE DO HAVE PRETTY, UM, PRETTY CONSISTENTLY, UH, RESPONSE RATES IN THE 70% FOR, FOR ALL OF THOSE THINGS.

SO IF YOU'RE ASKING ME TO, TO CHOOSE WHICH KID I LOVE THE BEST, I JUST GAVE YOU THAT THE TOP THREE IN ORDER.

I KNOW THAT'S A DIFFICULT DECISION.

WE HAVE A LOT OF PARKS NEEDS, AND I WOULD LOVE FOR US TO BE ABLE TO FUND ALL OF THEM.

UM, I KNOW ON THE, THE MAINTENANCE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE FIELDS THAT HAVE BIG HOLES IN THEM THAT PEOPLE ARE TWISTING THEIR ANKLES, AND THERE ARE SOME, YOU KNOW, REAL SERIOUS ISSUES THERE ON BASIC MAINTENANCE THAT I HOPE WE CAN, UM, CONTINUE TO MAKE INVESTMENTS IN ADDRESSING, MOVING FORWARD FOR THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS OUR PARKS.

UM, THE SECOND IS, IS A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A REQUEST TO THE CITY MANAGER AND THE BUDGET OFFICE.

UM, WE HAD A CONVERSATION, WE HAD OPPORTUNITY TO GO OVER THE PART BUDGET IN DETAIL WITH DIRECTOR MCNEELY AND I BELIEVE, UM, MS. LANE, YOU WERE THERE AS WELL.

UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT IS WAYS THAT WE COULD IMPROVE THE INTERFACE BETWEEN THE CIP PROCESS AND THE MAINTENANCE NEEDS FOR PART, UM, IN THE BUDGET PROCESS.

UM, SO WE HAVE A LOT OF THINGS THAT ARE COMING ONLINE, HAVE BEEN INVESTED IN WITH RESPECT TO, UM, OUR BOND AND OUR PLD, YOU KNOW, EXPENSES, BUT THE, UH, O AND M PIECES OF THAT ARE NOT NECESSARILY REFLECTED FAST ENOUGH WITHIN OUR REGULAR BUDGET.

SO OUR GENERAL PRACTICE HAS BEEN, IF WE BOND PURCHASED SOMETHING THAT WE PLAN IN OUR BUDGET, MOVING FORWARD FOR THE PROGRAMMING STAFF OR THE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE, I THINK THAT COULD BE MUCH IMPROVED FOR THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, AND THAT WOULD RELIEVE SOME OF THE TENSION AND ALLOW US TO, UM, RENOVATE AND CREATE THESE WONDERFUL PARK AMENITIES WITH THE CONFIDENCE THAT THEY WILL BE MAINTAINED MOVING FORWARD.

SO WITH THAT, I WOULD ASK THAT AS YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AHEAD FOR THE NEXT BUDGET THAT YOU REALLY THINK HARD ABOUT HOW WE IMPROVE THAT CIP PLANNING PROCESS, PARTICULARLY WITH RESPECT TO THIS DEPARTMENT.

UM, I THINK THERE ARE SOME REAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOME IMPROVEMENT THAT WOULD REALLY REFLECT THE KINDS OF INVESTMENTS THAT OUR COMMUNITY HAS ASKED US TO MAKE AND VOTED TO MAKE, AND THOSE BONDS THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE FUNDING.

TO SPEAK TO, UH, RICH CHARTS.

COLLEAGUES BE READY TO, UH, LET, UH, DIANA LEAD ON THE NEXT PRESENTATION.

LET'S SEE IF WE CAN GET THE PRESENTATION BEFORE WE BREAK FOR LUNCH, WE'RE GONNA STOP HARD STOP AT 1155.

THERE'S A PRESS CONFERENCE, UH, THAT STARTS AT NOON TO,

[02:15:01]

UH, SO IT STOP AT 1155.

UH, WE CAN MAKE A DECISION RIGHT BEFORE THAT, WHETHER WE WANT TO DO EXECUTIVE SESSION AND LUNCH TOGETHER, OR WHETHER WE WANT TO TAKE A BREAK AND COME BACK AT ONE, UH, PROBABLY BACK OUT HERE TO TEACH YOU THE BUDGET CONVERSATION.

DID YOU SAY THE PRESS CONFERENCE WITH THEM? WHAT DID YOU SAY THE PRESS CONFERENCE WAS ON IT? HEY, UH, IT'S ON RISK CHARTS AND RISK LEVELS WITH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, PUBLIC HEALTH PRESS CONFERENCE.

SORRY I ADD, ARE YOU WITH US? I AM GOOD AFTERNOON.

MAYOR, MAYOR PRETEND COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, WHILE WE ARE BRINGING UP THESE SLIDES, I'LL SIMPLY SAY THAT, UM, WE'LL BE GIVING A QUICK OVERVIEW OF THE CURRENT STAFFING LEVELS OF THE HOMELESS STRATEGY DIVISION, UH, AS WELL AS WHAT WE ARE PROPOSING FOR, UH, AN ADEQUATE STAFF STAFFING PATTERN FOR THE DIVISION, THE COMING YEAR.

AND I KNOW THAT THERE ARE OTHER ITEMS THAT COUNSEL WISHES MAY WISH TO DISCUSS RELATED TO THAT.

UH, BUT THE PRESENTATION ITSELF WILL FOCUS, UH, NARROWLY ON THE BUDGET ITEMS. WE CAN GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

PLEASE SPEAK UP.

ADDITIONAL OR TWO PERMANENT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT POSITIONS THAT LEAVES FOUR OTHER POSITIONS, AND THEY ARE, UH, SPLIT BETWEEN ESSENTIALLY A DAILY PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, UH, PROGRAM DELIVERY.

UM, SO CAN YOU HEAR ME ADEQUATELY NOW? YES, YES.

EXCELLENT.

SO THE FISCAL YEAR 22 PROPOSED BUDGET, UH, FOR THE GENERAL FUND IS, UH, JUST OVER $800,000.

UH, THAT IS A SLIGHT CHANGE, BUT IT IS NO CHANGE IN THE NUMBER OF FTES FOR THE DIVISION AT THE DIVISION IS CURRENTLY, UH, EQUIPPED WITH SIX FULL-TIME REGULAR POSITIONS.

WE DO HAVE VACANCIES IN THOSE, UM, THE, THE POSITIONS WERE LEFT VACANT UNTIL I JOINED THE CITY IN JANUARY.

AND SO WE'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH SOME PROCESS AROUND RECLASSIFICATION OF THE THREE VACANT POSITIONS.

ONE OF THOSE PLANNER POSITIONS IS CURRENTLY POSTED, AND THEN WE ARE STILL LOOKING AT POTENTIAL RECLASSIFICATION OF A PLANNER SENIOR POSITION, UH, AND AN ADMINISTRATIVE POSITION, WHICH ARE VACANT WHILE WE HAVE THOSE VACANCIES.

WE ALSO ARE WORKING WITH TEMPORARY STAFF AT, AT PRESENT.

AND SO WE HAVE A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST, A PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM MANAGER, ONE, UH, WHO, UM, IS, HAS COME ON BOARD BOTH TO HELP US WITH HEAL AND WITH THE MOBILIZATION OF THE BRIDGE SHELTERS THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY BE A HAVE STOOD UP AND ARE STANDING UP, UH, PRESENTLY WE HAVE, UM, I BELIEVE THAT IS, UH, THREE, UH, 3.5 FTES FOR THE COVID-19 RESPONSE, UH, IN THE PRO LODGES AND ASSOCIATED ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.

THAT NUMBER HAS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AS WE HAVE CONSOLIDATED THEIR, UH, THE PRO LODGES.

BUT I WILL ALSO SAY THAT WE NOW, UM, ARE PENDING THE HIRE OF ABOUT SEVEN ADDITIONAL TEMPORARY EMPTIES RELATED TO THE BRIDGE SHELTER.

SO, UM, THAT IS, UM, A, UH, A MORE FLUID NUMBER, BUT WE CAN TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES.

WHEN I TALK ABOUT THE, THE STAFFING PATTERN GOING FORWARD, THE PUBLIC INFORMATION FUNCTION FOR THE DIVISION HAS BEEN, UH, HISTORICALLY HANDLED THROUGH CPIO, UH, AT PRESENT THAT IS COVERED THROUGH ONE FTE TEMPORARY POSITION, UH, WITHIN CPIO.

UM, AND WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE POTENTIAL, UH, WHAT WE ARE PROPOSING IS TO TRANSFER THAT FUNCTION TO WITHIN APH NEXT SLIDE.

SO WE ARE PROPOSING A TOTAL OF, UM, OF SEVEN NEW POSITIONS, UM, AND THESE ARE LARGELY COVERING FUNCTIONS THAT ARE CURRENTLY HAPPENING, UH, FOR THE DIVISION, UM, WITH TEMPORARY STAFF, BUT ALSO, UH, REALLY TO ADEQUATELY RESPOND TO THE DEMANDS AND NEEDS OF THE CITY.

UM, MORE BROADLY IN TERMS OF PLANNING AND STRATEGY AND PROGRAM MANAGEMENT.

SO OF THOSE THREE OF, EXCUSE ME, OF THE SEVEN POSITIONS, THE BOTTOM SECTION HERE IS THAT COMMUNITY COMMUNICATIONS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FUNCTION, UH, THAT IS SO CRITICAL.

WE WOULD BE PROPOSING TO BRING THE PUBLIC INFORMATION SPECIALIST POSITION, UH, WITHIN APH, RATHER THAN SITTING WITHIN CPIO.

UH, AND THEN, UH, BOTH, UH, HAVE WE HAVE HAD A TEMPORARY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST.

WHO'S DONE A FANTASTIC JOB, BUT IS NOW REALLY ABSORBED IN PROGRAM WORK.

UH, AND I THINK, UH, IN RELATION TO ME, THE CONVERSATIONS WE'VE HAD WITH COUNCIL AND, AND COMMUNITY ARE PROPOSING TWO

[02:20:01]

SO AS AN EXAMPLE, MANAGING THE HEAL INITIATIVE, UH, COORDINATING DAILY WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS AROUND CLEANUPS AROUND NEEDS FOR OUTREACH, UH, AND ISSUES AS THEY MAY ARISE, AND THIS DIVISION WOULD ALSO BE RESPONSIBLE, UM, OR THE UNIT WITHIN THE DIVISION FOR MANAGING THOSE TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES THAT I REFERRED TO PREVIOUSLY.

SO WHEN WE NEED TO MOBILIZE, UH, ON A PROJECT, SUCH AS STANDING UP THE BRIDGE SHELTER AS WE'RE DOING NOW, UH, THESE TWO POSITIONS, UM, WOULD BE, UH, CHARGED WITH, WITH OVERSEEING THAT STAFF AND THAT PROCESS.

AND THEN WE ARE ASKING FOR TWO POSITIONS, WHICH REALLY WOULD RESPOND TO THE ONGOING, UH, PLANNING AT A HIGH LEVEL WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, UH, AS RELATES TO INITIATIVES LIKE THE SUMMIT, BUT ALSO TO THE MANY REQUESTS, UM, FROM COUNCIL AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS FOR ANALYSIS AND PLANNING, UH, THINKING STRATEGICALLY ABOUT HOW WE AS THE CITY CAN, UM, SUSTAIN OUR, UM, EFFECTIVE SERVICES LONG-TERM AND ENSURING THAT THE SERVICES THAT WE DO PROVIDE ARE BOTH EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT.

SO THE TOTAL COST, UH, LOADED COST OF THOSE SEVEN POSITIONS WOULD BE AN ADDITIONAL $842,000 PER YEAR.

UH, AND THEN I THINK THE FINAL PIECE THAT I'LL CLOSE WITH IS THAT WE ARE, OF COURSE, HAVING THIS CONVERSATION IN THE CONTEXT OF THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET, UH, FOR FISCAL YEAR 22, THESE POSITIONS COULD BE COVERED VIA THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT FUNDS DEDICATED TO HOMELESSNESS, UM, BUT WANTED TO RESPOND TO, UH, THE REQUESTS FROM COUNCIL TO TALK ABOUT THE OVERALL STAFFING OF THE DIVISION, UH, AND RESOURCING THEREOF WITH THAT.

I WILL PAUSE AND TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE COLLEAGUES.

THIS IS, UH, UH, OBVIOUSLY THIS IS THE, UH, THE BUDGET WITH RESPECT TO THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE, BUT THE CONVERSATION WE CAN HAVE ON HOMELESSNESS AND THE BUDGET OBVIOUSLY EXTENDS BEYOND THIS, TO THE, UH, OTHER CONVERSATIONS THAT, UH, CONCERN THIS.

UH, THERE WERE A LOT OF OTHER ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS, THAT MISS JUST THIS BUDGET COUNCIL MEMBER TOBO MAYOR.

I JUST WANT TO, I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS, UM, BUT I WANT TO JUST BE MINDFUL OF OUR TIME.

DID YOU SAY WE'RE BREAKING AT 1135? SO IS THERE, CAN WE, WE CAN HAVE THIS CONVERSATION WITH MS. GRAY AFTER WE COME BACK AS WELL? YEAH.

WHEN WE COME BACK, THIS IS WHERE WE'LL BE GOING AGAIN.

SO SHOULD WE FOCUS OUR CONVERSATION RIGHT NOW ON JUST WHAT WE WERE PRESENTED AND THEN, AND THEN BRIDGE BEYOND IT? I THINK TWO THINGS WOULD BE IN ORDER RIGHT NOW, THINGS WE PRESENT TALKED ABOUT IN THIS PRESENTATION WOULD BE FIRING.

IF YOU ALSO WANTED TO DAYLIGHT IN PARTICULAR, INITIALLY YOU WANTED TO TALK ABOUT RIGHT AFTER LUNCH, DAYLIGHT, BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT THOSE OTHER ISSUES UNTIL AFTER LUNCH, BUT DAYLIGHT IT THAT WAY DIANA WILL KNOW THEY'RE COMING AND THE COUNCIL AREN'T COMING.

SO IT SEEMS LIKE MOST OF THE PRESENTATION REALLY TALKED ABOUT STAFFING, AND I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT AND MY COLLEAGUES MIGHT.

SO I'M GOING TO DEFER MY QUESTIONS.

I DO HAVE QUESTIONS THAT I WANT TO ADDRESS AFTER LUNCH ABOUT, UM, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ARPA FUNDING AND THE GENERAL FUND, UM, PROPOSED EXPENDITURES.

I'D LIKE TO TALK MORE SPECIFICALLY ABOUT WHAT ELEMENTS OF ARPA FUNDING HAVE ALREADY BEEN ALLOCATED.

WE, WE ARE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE GOTTEN SOME FEEDBACK ABOUT, UM, WELL, I JUST WANT TO KNOW HOW MUCH YOU HAVE ALREADY ALLOCATED FROM THE ARPA FUNDING.

AND THEN I WANT TO TALK COLLEAGUES ABOUT THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS THAT SEVERAL OF US HAVE BROUGHT FORWARD.

MARY, YOU BROUGHT FORWARD, YOU MENTIONED STAFFING.

I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN HAS WORKED ON AN AMENDMENT RELATED TO STAFFING.

I HAVE ONE ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH, UM, RESOURCES.

AND SO IF WE COULD PENCIL IN SOME TIME TO TALK ABOUT THE ALLOCATIONS OF OUR, PRE-FUNDING, HOW OUR BUDGET AMENDMENTS RELATE TO THAT, ARE WE CONTEMPLATING DOING IT THROUGH ARPA FUNDING OR THROUGH GENERAL FUND? AND THEN I HAVE, AND THEN I WOULD LIKE TO RE-ENGAGE THE CONVERSATION WE HAD ABOUT GENERAL STRATEGIES AND ENCAMPMENTS.

QUESTION HER QUESTION ABOUT BUDGET SOURCE WAS NOT ONLY ABOUT STAFFING, BUT IT WAS ABOUT GENERALLY, UM, SERVICES THAT WE MIGHT CONTRACT OR DELIVER.

I HAD ANY ORDER OF ADDRESS THE QUESTION OF BUDGET SOURCE FOR THIS, SINCE IT RELATES TO THIS.

SO, YES, ALTHOUGH I, I WANT TO MAKE SURE BECAUSE AS I UNDERSTOOD COUNCIL MEMBER, TOGO'S

[02:25:01]

SO DO YOU WANT ME TO RESPOND TO THE QUESTION AROUND STAFFING OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD DISCUSS AFTER LUNCH FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE COUNCILMEMBER TOVA? OH, I WOULD, I WOULD PROBABLY DELAY IF IT WERE UP TO ME, I WOULD DELAY THAT CONVERSATION ABOUT SOURCES UNTIL AFTER LUNCH.

AND JUST NOW FOCUS RIGHT NOW ON A STAFFING QUESTION.

LET'S HOLD ON TO THAT THEN, BUT I DO APPRECIATE, I KNOW BOTH YOU AND COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN AND OTHERS EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IS TO, TO SUPPORT AND HELP WITH THE STAFFING OF THIS ISSUE, AS WELL AS THE, THOSE OTHER ITEMS THAT YOU'VE MENTIONED, CASPER TOVO.

AND, UH, I WOULD WANT THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO JOIN WITH, UH, YOU AND OTHER COLLEAGUES IN THAT AS WELL.

COUNCIL MEMBER, KITCHEN, AND THEN THE MAYOR PRO TEM.

UH, YES, I'LL KEEP MY QUESTIONS SPECIFICALLY TO THE PRESENTATION RIGHT NOW ON THE STAFFING.

UM, AND, AND THANK YOU, MAYOR, APPRECIATE, UM, UH, YOU'RE POSTING ON THE MESSAGE BOARD, UM, UH, IN SUPPORTIVE OF STAFFING AND LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING TOGETHER ON THAT AS WELL AS WITH A COUNCIL MEMBER.

UH TOBO AND OTHERS.

SO SPECIFICALLY, UM, ON THIS, UH, MISSTEPPING QUESTION, UM, IT IS THE, UH, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING.

SO THE CURRENT BUDGET IS, IS THIS FUNDING IN THE CURRENT BUDGET OR NOT? NO COUNCIL MEMBER.

WE ARE AT LEVEL FUNDING IN THE CURRENT BUDGET.

SO THE FIRST SLIDE THAT SHOWS THE EXISTING FTE HE'S, UH, IS, IS UNCHANGED, UH, MENTALLY FOR FISCAL YEAR 22.

SO, SO WHAT'S IN THE CURRENT BUDGET IS THE EIGHT HUNDRED AND SIX, SIX OH SIX OR THE 7 27 34.

I'M SORRY, I'M JUST WONDERING, WE MAY, I MAY NEED TO PULL THE SLIDE UP.

IT SAYS SIX SAYS SIX FTES, CORRECT.

THAT'S IN THE CURRENT BUDGET, RIGHT? THAT'S RIGHT.

AND SO WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED IS AN ADDITIONAL SEVEN THAT'S ACCURATE, THAT'S ACCURATE.

AND THE 806,000 IS SIMPLY A SLIGHT, I THINK SALARY ADJUSTMENT OR CHANGING COSTUMES, SAME, SAME FTES, BUT YES, THE 840 PLUS IS FOR AN ADDITIONAL SEVEN ACQUISITIONS.

AND THEN DOES IT, UM, DOES THIS FOR TAKING YOUR WELL, I KNOW YOU HAD SOME TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES THAT WE WANT TO MAKE PERMANENT, IS THAT IN THE EXISTING BUDGET OR DOES THAT NEED TO OCCUR AS PART OF THE SEVEN FTES? SO THE ROLES THAT ARE CURRENTLY TEMPORARY, THAT WE WOULD CREATE PERMANENT POSITIONS AROUND FOOD, THE PUBLIC INFORMATION SPECIALIST, THE COMMUNITY, WE HAVE CURRENTLY HAVE ONE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST.

AND I WOULD SAY WE CURRENTLY HAVE A PROGRAM MANAGER ONE, AND THAT IS DEDICATED IN PART TO SUPPORTING THE HEAL INITIATIVE.

AND WE CERTAINLY FEEL THAT IF WE CONTINUE ALONG BOTH THE LINES OF THE HEAL INITIATIVE AND SIMILAR, WE NEED A PROGRAM MAN, A PERMANENT PROGRAM MANAGER ON THAT FRONT.

SO, UH, AND SO MAYOR JUST THE REST OF MY QUESTIONS, I CAN WAIT UNTIL AFTER LUNCH AND JUST TO SURFACE WHAT THERE'LL BE ABOUT.

UM, I DO WANT TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE SOURCE OF FUNDS, UH, AND JUST TO LET Y'ALL KNOW, I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT THE FUNDING FOR THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICER BE PERMANENT, UH, OVER TIME.

AND SO I'M GOING TO BE INCLINED TO THINK IN TERMS OF IN OUR EXISTING BUDGET.

UM, I ALSO REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE THE, UH, SUGGESTION AND THAT SUGGESTION PROPOSAL THAT THE PUBLIC INFORMATION SPECIALISTS BE IN THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICER OFFICE THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.

UM, AND THEN FINALLY BROUGHT MORE BROADLY SPEAKING.

I KNOW WE HAVE A NUMBER OF THINGS TO TALK ABOUT HOMELESSNESS, MORE BROADLY SPEAKING.

I'M GOING TO WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE TIMELINE FOR, FOR TALKING ABOUT THE NEXT STEPS ON THE ARPA FUNDING AND THE BUDGET RELATED TO THAT.

AND ALSO I AM, UH, DEPENDING ON HOW WE SUSS OUT THESE CONVERSATIONS, IT IS MY INTENT TO REQUEST THAT WE NOW TAKE THE NEXT STEPS, OR WE BEGIN THE NEXT STEPS ON THE, THE, UH, PHASE TWO FOR THE HEAL INITIATIVE.

UH, AND SO I'M GOING TO WANT TO UNDERSTAND IF THERE'S ADDITIONAL FUNDING OR WHAT ADDITIONAL MIGHT NEED TO HAPPEN IF THERE IS ANYTHING ADDITIONAL THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN TO MAKE THAT OCCUR.

YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'VE ALREADY SHOWN QUITE A BIT OF SUCCESS FROM THE HEAL INITIATIVE.

AND I JUST WANT TO SET US UP SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE A GAP BETWEEN COMPLETING THE FOUR PILOT LOCATIONS AND STARTING, UH, ADDITIONAL HEAL INITIATIVES.

SO LET'S JUST, UH, AND THEN OF COURSE I WANT TO HEAR THE CONVERSATION THAT OTHERS HAVE ABOUT, UM, THE OTHER ASPECTS OF HOMELESSNESS THAT I KNOW WE WANT TO DISCUSS.

SO THANK YOU.

[02:30:01]

I THINK WHEN I COLLEAGUES REALLY TOUCHED ON EVERYTHING THAT I OTHERWISE WOULD HAVE SAID, HOWEVER, I WILL SAY THIS.

UM, I, I STILL, LIKE I EXPRESSED DURING THE COURSE OF OUR, UM, COMMITTEE MEETING YESTERDAY, I, I WOULD LIKE VERY MUCH, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TOPO IS GOING TO BRING FORWARD.

BUT I THINK US HAVING A CONVERSATION AROUND UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS THAT DOESN'T HAVE A VERY DISTINCT AND ROBUST CONVERSATION THAT IS ADDRESSING, UM, THE DISTINCT NATURE OF, UH, MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, UM, AS IT PERTAINS TO UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS, I, I JUST, I HOPE MY HOPE IS THAT SOMETHING GETS PRODUCED AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER TURBO IS PRODUCING.

UM, BUT MY HOPE IS THAT WE ARE FULLY PREPARED TO HAVE, UH, A BIGGER, MORE ROBUST CONVERSATION AROUND THAT.

SO JUST WANTED TO PUT IT OUT THERE.

I KNOW IT'S NOT NECESSARILY A PART OF THIS BUDGET TO HAVE TO STATION NECESSARILY.

UM, BUT I WONDER IF IT SHOULD, SO YEAH, THAT'S ALL.

THANK YOU, COUNCILOR POOL.

THANKS MAYOR.

I WANTED TO POINT EVERYBODY TO THE SECOND AMENDMENT THAT I PASSED OUT.

THIS ONE WOULD FUND AN ADDITIONAL, UH, STAFFING TEAM, A CREW TO HELP THE OTHER ONE'S FOUNDATION IN THE WORK THAT, UM, THE GOOD WORK THAT THEY ARE DOING WITH CLEANUPS AND, UM, AND CAITLIN CLEANUPS, VEGETATIVE MANAGEMENT.

AND IT'S ALL UNDER, THIS HAS DONE THROUGHOUT THE CITY UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF PARD STAFF AND THE OTHER ONE'S FOUNDATION.

SO, UM, YOU WILL SEE ON AGAIN, THIS IS ALSO AVAILABLE FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE VIRTUAL IT'S UP ON THE MESSAGE BOARD, THE SECOND AMENDMENT, UM, FOR WORKFORCE FIRST PROGRAM FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, YOU WILL SEE THAT THE FUNDING THAT WE RECEIVED IN THE PAST FROM PARKS AND REC PUBLIC HEALTH WATERSHED PROTECTION AND AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY WILL CONTINUE WITH THE, UM, REALLY IMPRESSIVE ADDED SUPPORT FROM WATERSHED PROTECTION THIS YEAR THERE, UM, NEARLY DOUBLING THE AMOUNT OF INVESTMENT IN THIS PROGRAM, UH, AND IT COMES OUT TO AN ADDITIONAL $316,000 IN A LITTLE BIT OF CHANGE.

SO I WANTED TO THANK OUR STAFF FOR DIGGING DEEP ON THAT, RECOGNIZING THE IMMENSITY OF THE NEED AND THEIR ABILITY TO HELP WITH ROTATING CREWS, UM, AND ALSO TO THE OTHER ONE'S FOUNDATION FOR THEIR CONTINUED EXCELLENT SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY.

UM, AND SO THIS IS THE SECOND I HAVE TWO, UH, BUDGET AMENDMENTS, AND THIS IS THE SECOND ONE I'M BRINGING.

THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR.

UM, I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE USING THE VACANT MONEY FOR RIGHT NOW IS THAT FUNDING, THE TEMPORARY POSITIONS THAT'S ACCURATE.

MONTHS BEYOND THAT IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO GO THROUGH THE HIRING PROCESS.

AND THEN THIS PROPOSAL COMBINED WITH THE VACANCY WOULD REQUIRE YOU TO HIRE 11 PEOPLE ON TOP OF EVERYTHING ELSE THAT YOU'RE DOING.

HOW QUICKLY WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO GET THOSE FOLKS ON BOARD? SO, UM, THE PROPOSAL WOULD REQUIRE US TO HIRE, I GUESS, NINE PLUS ONE THAT IS IN PROCESS.

UM, WE CERTAINLY HAVE SOME CANDIDATES AMONG THE TEAM THAT HAS BEEN WORKING WITH US AS TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES AND HAVE BEEN, UM, YOU KNOW, PUTTING FEELERS OUT.

WE WILL NEED SOME SUPPORT, BUT I THINK THAT, UM, THIS WOULD BE A HUGE PRIORITY.

AND SO MY HOPE WOULD BE THAT WE COULD, UH, IF GIVEN, UM, THE NOT TO MOVE AHEAD WITH THESE POSITIONS, THAT WE WOULD BE HIRING UP PRETTY CONSISTENTLY OVER THE NEXT YEAR.

SO YOU THINK THAT YOU'D BE ABLE TO FILL ALL OF THOSE 11 POSITIONS BY OCTOBER OR WITHIN THAT MONTH.

I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IF WE NEED TO BUDGET FOR THE FULL YEAR FOR THOSE POSITIONS OR NOT.

AND YOU CAN TELL I DO I DO.

AND IF NOT, I MEAN, AGAIN, WE HAVE TEMPORARIES IN PLACE WHO ARE UTILIZING SOME OF OUR EXISTING VACANCY MONEY.

SO, UM, WE CAN, WE CAN PROVIDE AN ANALYSIS OF THAT IF WE NEED TO COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR, BUT I BELIEVE WE ARE POSITIONED TO MOVE FORWARD QUICKLY, UM, AND WITH THE ART, BUT DEPENDING ON THE SOURCE OF FUNDS, UH, THE ARP OF COURSE, IT'S ONE TIME MONEY.

SO I WOULD LIKE TO CHIME IN A LITTLE BIT.

SO THE FUNDING THAT WOULD BE AVAILABLE, WOULDN'T BE AVAILABLE IN TOK TOBAR ONE TO THE NEW FISCAL YEAR.

AND SO WE WOULD PROBABLY DO THREE

[02:35:01]

UM, BUT WE WOULDN'T EVEN HAVE THE POSITIONS AVAILABLE UNTIL OCTOBER ONE.

UM, I LIKED THE PROPOSAL THAT WE WOULD HAVE THIS OVER MULTIPLE YEARS, LINING THAT UP, PERHAPS WITH OUR, UM, WITH OUR SUMMIT SUMMIT PLANS, BUT I APPRECIATE THE ADDITIONAL INPUT.

AND THEN, UM, FINALLY JUST WANTED TO ASK THE CITY MANAGER TO HELP FACILITATE THE RECLASSIFICATION PROCESS.

I'VE SPOKEN WITH SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS AT VARIOUS TIMES WHEN THEY'VE HAD TO DEAL WITH THAT PROCESS.

THAT CAN TAKE A REALLY LONG TIME.

UM, THIS IS THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY FOR THIS COUNCIL.

AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU HELP EXPEDITE THAT REQUEST SUFFOCATION PROCESS FOR MS. GRAY SO THAT SHE CAN GET THE FOLKS HIRED THAT SHE NEEDS TO INTO THE RIGHT POSITIONS TO GET THE WORK DONE THAT WE'VE COMMITTED TO ABSOLUTELY COMES TO MY MIND.

I WOULD JUST ADD TO THAT IF THE NEED IS THERE, AND IF SHE'S ABLE TO FILL THOSE POSITIONS, WHICH IS NOT, NOT A REASON TO WAIT FOR IT OVER, CAUSE WE COULD MOVE MONEY TO DO THAT.

THAT'D BE GREAT.

ALL RIGHT, COLLEAGUES, UH, IT'S 1155 WITH THE QUESTION.

I'M SORRY.

GO AHEAD, COUNSEL.

RALLIS IT'S 1155, SO PLEASE MAKE IT QUICK.

I'LL BE FAST.

UM, I APPRECIATE THAT.

I KNOW MY VOLUME ISN'T REALLY WORKING TODAY VERY WELL.

UM, BUT I DID WANT TO MAKE SURE WE PUT A FLAG ON THE CONVERSATION AROUND ENCAMPMENTS.

UM, THAT COUNCIL MEMBER TOGO HAD BROUGHT UP.

UM, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING.

I BELIEVE THAT WE HAD DEDICATED SOME ARPA FUNDING TO DO THOSE.

AND SO I THINK THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICER MAY NEED OUR POLICY DIRECTION AND IF WE STILL WANT TO APPROPRIATE THAT MONEY AND WHAT THAT PATHWAY WOULD LOOK LIKE, I KNOW A COUPLE OF US HAVE VOICED CONCERNS OVER THAT, UM, THAT PROCESS AND THAT STRATEGY, UM, AS HAS CITY STAFF IN PREVIOUS YEARS.

SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, UH, DON'T, DON'T FORGET TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION AT SOME POINT SOON.

UM, BUT I ALSO JUST WANTED TO ECHO WHAT MY COLLEAGUE COUNCIL MEMBER POOL WAS SAYING.

UH, WE OBVIOUSLY KNOW AND LOVE THE OTHER ONE'S FOUNDATION, UM, WHICH HAS ITS ROOTS IN DISTRICT DATE.

AND I'M VERY EXCITED TO HAVE LED IN PREVIOUS YEARS ON THE CLEAN COMMUNITY FEE WORK THAT RESOURCE RECOVERY AND WATERSHED PROTECTION ARE DOING, UM, WHICH WORKS VERY MUCH HAND IN WITH, UM, PUBLIC HEALTH AND PARKS AND RECREATIONS USE OF THE OTHER ONES FOUNDATION WORKFORCE FIRST AS WELL.

SO I JUST WANTED TO ECHO MY CONTINUED APPRECIATION FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THAT CONVERSATION AS WELL.

UM, AND JUST A REMINDER AS WE MOVE INTO OUR LUNCH BREAK, UM, A COUPLE OF US WANT TO TRAVEL TO CITY HALL, SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE MAKE SURE TO HAVE TIME FOR US TO GET THERE AND HAVE LUNCH AS WELL.

WE'LL BREAK ALL THOSE THINGS UP AFTERWARDS.

REMIND COLLEAGUES, THERE WAS A PRESENTATION THAT I WAS GREAT PRESENTED LAST WEEK, UH, ON SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS IN CASE YOU WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT FOR WE COME BACK, WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN AGAIN AT ONE O'CLOCK WITH, UH, WITH MS. GRAY AT THREE OF THESE QUESTIONS.

MY QUESTION IS, DO YOU WANT TO BREAK FOR LUNCH NOW? WE'LL COME BACK AT ONE OR DO YOU WANT TO TRY TO DOUBLE UP LARGE AT EXECUTIVE SESSION? I'M SEEING KNOW THE ANSWERS TO THAT.

SO, UH, HERE AT, UH, DID YOU ASK HER, YOU WERE SAYING BEFORE WE BREAK, I JUST WANTED COUNCIL TO KNOW THAT I NEED TO LEAVE AT FOUR 30 TODAY.

THANK YOU COLLEAGUES AT 1157, WE'RE GOING TO RECESS THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING.

WE'LL BE BACK HERE AT ONE.

O'CLOCK SEE YOU THEN AND RECONVENE THE, UH, AUSTIN, UH, BUDGET WORK SESSION HERE ON AUGUST 5TH, 2021.

TIME IS ONE 17.

WE'LL GO AHEAD AND PROCEED MANAGER.

THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCIL AND WHERE WE LEFT OFF, UH, AFTER, BEFORE BREAK, UH, WAS A DISCUSSION AROUND HOMELESSNESS.

AND SO WE HAD OUR HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICER AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS ALONG WITH OUR BUDGET STAFF.

AGAIN, I'LL JUST NOTE THAT WE DO HAVE A FULL AGENDA TODAY.

WE WANT TO GET THROUGH AS MANY TOPICS AS POSSIBLE.

UH, WE DO WANT TO SPEND CONSIDERABLE TIME ON THIS TOPIC, UM, BUT THE MORE THAT WE CAN FOCUS IT ON BUDGET RELATED, UH, ITEMS, THE BETTER OFF WE'LL BE TO MANAGE OUR TIME TODAY.

BUT WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT BACK TO THE COUNCIL FOR QUESTIONS.

SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO.

DO WE WANT TO START WITH, UH, WITH SPECIFIC QUESTIONS, COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO YOU WANT TO START US OFF? UM, THANK YOU, MAYOR.

I, I THINK THAT, UM, I THINK IT MIGHT BE GOOD JUST TO GET A PLAN, A SCHEDULE.

I COULD PROBABLY ASK ABOUT FOUR HOURS WORTH OF QUESTIONS, WHICH WOULD LIKELY THROW UP THE REST OF OUR DAY.

SO I WONDER IF WE COULD JUST, WHAT IS OUR, I DON'T HAVE THE AGENDA UP IN FRONT OF US, UM, TO KNOW HOW MANY MORE TOPICS AND HOW LONG AT WHAT TIME WE WANT TO BREAK FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION.

SO I THINK WE SHOULD PLAN ON TRYING TO BREAK FOR A SECOND SESSION ABOUT THREE, TO SEE IF THAT'S

[02:40:01]

UH, AND WE HAVE AT THE PACE THAT WE'RE GOING MORE TOPICS AND WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO HIT, UM, CAUSE WE DIDN'T MOVE THROUGH VERY MANY THIS MORNING.

UM, SO WE HAVE FOR TODAY, WE WENT THROUGH PARKS, THIS IS HOMELESS.

WE HAVE DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION, DIVISION POLICE, STAFFING, AND FUNDING OVERVIEW AND THE FINANCIAL POLICY CHANGES.

SO LET'S SEE IF WE CAN MOVE EXPEDITIONS, THEY GET TO THE THREE.

SO THIS ONE MAY BE THE ONE THAT GENERATES THE MOST.

SO LET'S SEE IF WE CAN DO THIS IN AN HOUR AND SEE AND SEE HOW THAT WORKS.

GREAT.

SO I THINK THAT WHAT I'D LIKE TO, UM, TALK ABOUT AS WE, AS WE TALK THROUGH ALL OF OUR AMENDMENTS IS WHERE THE FUNDING, WHERE THE FUNDING SHOULD BE ALLOCATED FROM.

AND SO I DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS, UM, MS. GRID ABOUT, ABOUT YOUR PROPOSAL.

UM, I JUST WANT TO BE SURE I UNDERSTOOD SOME FIRST, QUICKLY, JUST WANT TO BE SURE.

I UNDERSTOOD SOMETHING THAT YOU SAID.

SO YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE TEMPORARY STAFF, QUITE A FEW TEMPORARY STAFF WORKING WITH YOU NOW.

AND AS I UNDERSTAND, UM, THOSE STAFF, THE THREE VACANCIES YOU HAVE NEEDS EVEN BEYOND THE THREE VACANCIES THAT'S ACCURATE COUNCIL MEMBER.

SO IT'S ALSO MY UNDERSTANDING THAT PILOT PROGRAM THAT, THAT THE CITY FUNDED, UM, AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES THROUGH THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT.

THIS WAS A PROGRAM THAT THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE PROPOSED.

WE HAVE, UH, AT THAT TIME THERE WERE QUITE A LARGE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS, MORE THAN A HUNDRED, UM, INDIVIDUALS, POSSIBLY A LOT MORE THAN A HUNDRED.

I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBER UP IN FRONT OF ME WHO WERE ON THE WAIT LIST FOR MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN PROVIDED SOME FUNDING, WHICH WAS, WHICH WAS SUPPORTED BY THE DA'S INVESTMENT.

UM, THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE HAS ALLOCATED FUNDING FOR NEXT YEAR, BUT IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT WE DON'T HAVE THAT ADDITIONAL FUNDING IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET.

AND SO I'M NOT SURE I DON'T, I'VE TALKED ABOUT IT IN OUR MEETINGS, BUT I DON'T THINK I POSTED IT IN MY JUNE BUDGET PRIORITY LIST, BUT IT IS, IT IS AN AMENDMENT I PLAN TO BRING.

UM, BUT CAN YOU JUST CONFIRM MY UNDERSTANDING MS. GRAY, THAT, THAT ADDITIONAL FUNDING IS NOT IN THIS YEAR'S PROPOSED BUDGET.

SO I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO TURN TO BUDGET TO SPEAK TO THAT BECAUSE IT DOESN'T SIT WITH AN HSD, SO I'LL LET KAREN RESPOND.

AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE PETE VALDEZ HERE FROM, UM, THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT, SO HE CAN SPEAK TO IT DIRECTLY.

THAT'S GREAT BECAUSE I HAVE A QUESTION FOR HIM TOO, ABOUT THE DECK FUNDING.

MY VIDEO'S NOT WORKING, SO I'M GOING TO TURN IT OFF.

WE SHOULD MAKE TO THE EXTENT THAT WE ARE MAKING SOME DECISIONS ABOUT HOW WE WANT TO SPEND THE ARPA FUNDING.

IT WAS WORKING, YOU WERE JUST UPSIDE DOWN, WHICH I'VE NEVER SEEN HAPPEN AND ALL THIS TIME.

SO IT WAS KIND OF SURPRISING AND A GOOD CHANGE OF PACE.

SO ACTUALLY PERHAPS WHILE PETE, UM, GETS RIGHT SIDE, I CAN GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT.

UM, SO W AND THIS ACTUALLY RELATES TO SOME OF THE COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS THAT MAYOR PRO TEM, UH, POSED EARLIER AS WELL AROUND MENTAL HEALTH, UH, AND THE WORK THAT IS CONTEMPLATED UNDER THE SUMMIT WITHIN THE OVERALL SUMMIT SPENDING PLAN.

IN ADDITION TO THE CORE HOUSING SERVICES, MANY OF WHICH ARE CASE MANAGEMENT THAT MIGHT BE PROVIDED BY INTEGRAL CARE OR ANOTHER PROVIDER TAILORED TO PEOPLE EXPERIENCING, UH, CHRONIC BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CONDITIONS.

THERE'S A SEPARATE, UH, LINE ITEM, IF YOU WILL, FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES TO INCLUDE MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER SERVICES, EXCUSE ME, OF ABOUT $9 MILLION OVER THE THREE YEARS.

SO WE DO HAVE SOME FLEXIBILITY BUILT INTO THAT OVERALL STRATEGY TO GET SPECIFIC ABOUT SOME OF THESE MORE CRISIS ORIENTED SERVICES OUTSIDE OF THAT CORE HOUSING STABILIZATION CASE MANAGEMENT.

UM, SO I JUST WANT TO HAVE THAT AS CONTEXT AND, UH, WE'LL SEE NOW WHETHER PETE IS DONE WITH HIS ACROBATICS AND READY TO RESPOND.

AND, BUT THAT HIGHLIGHTS KIND OF THE, THE QUESTION AND THE DELIBERATION PROCESS, I THINK BEFORE US.

SO WE KNOW WE HAVE APPROVED THE, AND WE APPROVED THE FRAMEWORK WITH THOSE BIG CORE CATEGORIES.

WE DON'T YET HAVE THAT MORE SPECIFIC PLAN.

THAT'S COMING BACK TO TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, EXACTLY WHERE THOSE INVESTMENTS WOULD BE.

SO IN MAKING THIS AMENDMENT TO PROVIDE FOR THIS FUNDING, BECAUSE I BELIEVE MR. VALDEZ IS GOING TO VALIDATE THAT, UM, THAT IT IS NOT CURRENTLY IN THE BUDGET I AM GOING, IT SEEMS APPROPRIATE FOR IT TO COME FROM THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT FUNDING, AND NO WE'RE APPROVING THE GENERAL BUDGET.

YOU KNOW, I LOOK TO YOUR COLLEAGUES, I THINK

[02:45:01]

IT SEEMS LIKE THOSE ARE APPROPRIATE AMENDMENTS FOR THIS PROCESS AS WELL, BUT IT IS MY EXPECTATION THAT THAT PROGRAM WOULD BE FUNDED THROUGH THE ARPA FUNDING.

AND THERE ARE A FEW OTHERS PEOPLE I'VE MENTIONED THAT I THINK ARE APPROPRIATELY FUNDED THROUGH THE OPERA FRAMEWORK BECAUSE ARPA FUNDING, BECAUSE THE FRAMEWORK SUPPORTS THAT.

UM, ANYWAY, MR. BELDEN ABOUT, UH, THE, THE PROGRAM THAT THE DAA IS FUNDING TOGETHER WITH US.

BUT IT'S, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING, UM, THAT IT, THAT IT IS NOT FULLY FUNDED.

IT IS NOT FUNDED AT THE SAME LEVEL.

UM, IN THIS NEST, IN THIS PROPOSED BUDGET, IS THAT ACCURATE? IT IS NOT IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET.

UH, WHAT WE DID IN THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR WAS WE FOUND THE MONEY TO FUND, TO FUND THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR.

UM, I DON'T KNOW IF WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO THAT ONGOING, UH, BUT IT DID NOT MAKE IT INTO THE PROPOSED BUDGET.

BEEN INCLUDED WITHIN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET AND COLLEAGUES, UM, THAT IT'S, IT'S SORT OF OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF TODAY'S CONVERSATION, BUT AS THE DECK PREPARES TO MOVE TO THE TERM FROM THE TORRES, THIS LIBRARY TO ANOTHER, YET ANOTHER TEMPORARY TEMPORARY PLACE, THE MANAGER HAS ANNOUNCED THAT THAT WOULD BE ONE TEXAS CENTER.

SO I REGARD THAT AS A REALLY CRITICAL FUNDING STRATEGY AND HOPE COLLEAGUES THAT YOU ALL WILL TOO.

MR. VALDEZ, CAN YOU TALK A BIT ABOUT, UM, WE HAD SUBMITTED A QUESTION NUMBER SIX IN THE PORTAL.

UM, AND SO, UM, I DON'T BELIEVE IT'S BEEN ANSWERED YET.

NO, I DON'T THINK IT'S NUMBER SIX.

LET'S SEE.

THERE IS A QUESTION IN THE PORTAL, UM, ABOUT THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT POSITIONS.

UM, IT LOOKS AS IF YOU HAVE SOME GRANT FUNDED POSITIONS THAT ARE SET TO EXPIRE, UM, ARE THERE STAFFING NEEDS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN, IS THAT ACCURATE OR THEIR STAFFING NEEDS AT THE DAC THAT ARE NOT FULLY MET IN THIS YEAR'S PROPOSAL? SO AGAIN, UH, THOSE SIX POSITIONS THAT YOU ARE REFERRING TO ARE RELATED TO THE COVID ESG PROGRAM, UH, WHICH IS A GRANT FUNDED PROGRAM OR, UH, CASE MANAGERS THAT ARE HOUSED AT THE, THE CURRENT PRO LODGES TO, UH, PROVIDE HOUSING AND SUPPORT TO THE INDIVIDUALS LIVING AT THE PROLOGIS.

THOSE POSITIONS WILL GO AWAY AFTER JULY OF 2022 AND THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR, UH, BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT FUNDED THROUGH THE ENTIRETY OF THE FISCAL YEAR.

AND SO LET ME SHARE, UH, LAST YEAR WE HAD ABOUT SOME OF THE PROPOSED EXPANSION FOR THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT.

AND THIS YEAR NOW, WHEN WE ARE ASKING EVEN MORE OF YOU THIS YEAR, BECAUSE THIS YEAR, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, ALL INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE CAMPING IN PUBLIC PLACE, UM, THE TENT, AS I UNDERSTAND THE MANAGER'S DIRECTION IS THAT THOSE INDIVIDUALS WILL BE BROUGHT TO THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT.

SO DOES THE PROPOSED BUDGET TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THAT POTENTIAL, UM, INCREASE IN CASELOAD? SO, SO NO, WE, WE DID NOT GET ANY INCREASES IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET.

SO, UM, TO THAT, WE DO, WE STILL HAVE A WAIT LIST FOR OUR ONGOING CASE MANAGEMENT, UH, WHICH IS AT THIS POINT A LITTLE BIT OVER 300 PEOPLE.

UM, BUT, BUT I ALSO WANT TO, UH, MAKE SURE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE SUPPORTING, UH, INDIVIDUALS AT THE PRO LODGES AND GETTING THEM INTO HOUSING, UH, NOT BEING ABLE TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THAT SUPPORT, UM, IS GOING TO BE DIFFICULT MOST IMPORTANTLY, TO THE INDIVIDUALS THAT THEY ARE SERVING, UM, BECAUSE WHAT WILL HAPPEN ONCE THOSE CASE MANAGERS GO AWAY IN JULY IS WE WILL HAVE TO ABSORB THOSE CASE LOADS INTO OUR REGULAR CASE MANAGEMENT, A PROGRAM THAT IS NOT GRANT-FUNDED.

AND, UH, AND THAT WOULD MEAN THAT THAT WAITLIST CONTINUES TO GO UNADDRESSED.

SO COLLEAGUES CARD, UM, I REGARD THESE AS REAL PRIORITY NEEDS.

AND SO THANK YOU, MR. VALDEZ.

I THINK I NEED TO GET SOME MORE INFORMATION FROM YOU.

I KNOW MY STAFF HAS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT IS NOT NECESSARILY IN FRONT OF ME HERE TODAY, BUT PERHAPS IN, IN CONVERSATION, UM, WE CAN TALK, I KNOW THE BUDGET, UM, WE HAD, WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT A VARIETY OF WAYS IN WHICH WE COULD CONTINUE TO USE AND ENHANCE THE SERVICES OF THE DAC, INCLUDING THROUGH HOST.

UM, THERE WERE SOME EXPANSION ESTIMATES THAT I BELIEVE YOUR STAFF WORKED WITH HOSTS TO PROVIDE US WITH, UM, AN UNDERSTANDING.

THOSE HAVE NOT BEEN, THOSE HAVE NOT

[02:50:01]

UM, I HAVE ASKED FOR A VARIETY OF THINGS TO, TO COME FORWARD, UM, AND, AND WE HAVEN'T YET RECEIVED THOSE.

AND SO I'M PREPARING AN IFC FOR OUR NEXT COUNCIL MEETING, THOUGH.

SOME OF IT WILL ALSO BE INCORPORATED AS BUDGET DIRECTION IN OUR, IN OUR BUDGET NEXT WEEK, IF YOU ALL PASS IT, IT STRIKES ME THAT WE REALLY NEED TO THINK ABOUT HOW THE DOC WILL FUNCTION IN THIS NEXT YEAR, YEAR OR TWO AHEAD.

UM, AS PROPOSITION B AS ENFORCED, WE HAVE INDIVIDUALS WHO WILL NOW BE COMING FROM ALL OVER THE CITY DOWNTOWN TO THE DAC, UM, FOR SERVICES.

AND I THINK WE, WE NEED TO ASK THE MANAGER TO, TO REALLY PROVIDE US WITH A PLAN ON MULTIPLE LEVELS, INCLUDING HOW THOSE INDIVIDUALS, WHERE THOSE INDIVIDUALS WILL BE TRANSPORTED TO ONCE THEY'RE DONE SEEKING SERVICES AT ONE TEXAS CENTER AND HOW THEY WILL, WHETHER WE PROVIDE IT FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR, UM, THE STAFF AND THE RESOURCES THAT WILL BE NECESSARY FOR, FOR ALL OF THOSE ELEMENTS THAT ARE NOW GOING TO BE ADDITIONAL TO THE WORK THAT, THAT THE DECK WAS ALREADY DOING AND WAS FRANKLY ALREADY UNDERFUNDED.

SO JUST, UM, HIGHLIGHTING THAT NEED NOT ALL OF WHICH WE'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE APPROPRIATE DECISIONS ABOUT THIS WEEK, BUT, BUT CERTAINLY THE CONVERSATION I JUST HAD WITH MR. VALDEZ, I THINK HIGHLIGHTS THAT THERE ARE IMMEDIATE NEEDS THAT WE CAN, THAT WE CAN PROVIDE FOR IN THIS BUDGET.

UM, AND I BELIEVE WE, WE SHOULD, SO I'LL LEAVE IT THERE FOR NOW.

I THINK THERE WAS SOMETHING ELSE I WANTED TO SAY ABOUT THE DECK THAT I HAVE NOW.

THAT'S THAT NOW SLIPS MY MIND.

BUT, UM, AGAIN, I'LL, I'LL LEAVE IT THERE FOR THE MOMENT.

UH, ALSO JUST TO SAY THAT I BELIEVE, YOU KNOW, THE DECK, UH, HAS BEEN OPERATING IN A TEMPORARY FASHION FOR AWHILE.

UM, THE OTHER PART OF MY RESOLUTION WE'LL ASK THE MANAGER TO, TO A TIMETABLE HERE VERY QUICKLY, UM, SO THAT WE CAN EMBARK ON, ON CONSTRUCTING THAT PERMANENT HOME ONE TEXAS CENTER, WHICH THE MANAGER HAS DECIDED WILL BE THE NEXT PLACE.

THE NEXT TEMPORARY PLACE FOR THE DECK, UM, WAS CONTEMPLATED.

WE ALL PASSED A RESOLUTION THAT I BROUGHT TO CREATE TO REDEVELOP THAT SITE FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.

THAT SHOULD STILL BE THE PLAN.

AND SO WE NEED THE MANAGER MANAGER.

WE NEED YOU TO, TO PROVIDE US WITH THAT TIMETABLE FOR, UM, IDENTIFYING WITHIN VERY SHORT NOTICE, UM, IDENTIFYING THE PERMANENT LOCATION FOR THE DOC AND THEN BEGINNING THE WORK OF, OF, UM, CONSTRUCTING IT.

SO I DON'T OR REDEVELOPING A SITE TO BE APPROPRIATE.

SO I'M NOT SURE WHETHER THAT WILL REQUIRE ADDITIONAL BUDGET, UM, ADDITIONAL FUNDING IN THIS NEXT FISCAL YEAR.

BUT, UM, I KNOW WE HAD SOME SET ASIDE FOR THAT PURPOSE, BUT IT IS, I'LL JUST NOTE IT AS A MOVING PART, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, AS WE TALK ABOUT WHAT TO DO WITH THIS ADDITIONAL ONE-TIME FUNDING, YOU KNOW, THAT IS YET ANOTHER, IT'S ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF A NEED THAT WE MAY BE FACING THAT IT'S NOT CURRENTLY ACCOUNTED FOR IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET.

ANYWAY, THANKS MR. VALDEZ, AND THANKS FOR THE WORK YOU DO.

I KNOW IT'S BEEN, IT IS, IT IS ALWAYS CHALLENGING WORK AND IT'S BEEN EVEN MORE SO DURING THIS PANDEMIC.

SO THANKS TO YOU AND YOUR STAFF.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH MANAGER.

AND THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER, WE ARE WORKING ON AN UPDATE FOR YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES AROUND THE FUTURE OF THE DAC.

AND SO WE WILL BE LOOKING TO PROVIDE THAT UPDATE AS SOON AS WE CAN, BUT I'LL, I'LL GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON THE TIMELINE FOR THAT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION MAYOR PRO TEM.

THANK YOU FOR THE RECOGNITION CHAIR UP JUST THERE BRIEFLY.

I, UH, I'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF REALLY HARD WORK, GETTING PEOPLE WHO OTHERWISE ARE NOT DOVE IN TO MUNICIPAL POLITICS TO GET THEM TO SAY, HEY, THIS IS YOUR CITY.

YOU GET TO BE A PART OF THESE CONVERSATIONS.

UM, AND I THINK SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, MUCH LIKE MY PREDECESSOR SAID, WE DO A DISSERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY.

WHEN WE SAY THINGS LIKE THE DECK, THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.

SO IF WE COULD JUST BE REAL CLEAR, UM, AND I THINK, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TOBO MIGHT BE ABLE TO MOST ELOQUENTLY SPEAK TO IT.

UM, WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT AT LIKE, IF WE CAN NOT USE THE ACRONYM AND SAY WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, JUST IF FOR NO OTHER REASON, I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT THERE ARE 19 YOUNG PEOPLE WHO DIALED IN TODAY, TIM, TO DO SO.

UM, AND I WANT THEM TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.

UM, SURE.

THANK YOU, MAYOR PRO TEM, THANK YOU FOR THAT REMINDER.

UM, NOT TO USE ACRONYMS, UM, AND I APOLOGIZE FOR DOING SO.

THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT IS THE DOC AND WHAT, UH, I'M TALKING ABOUT MULTIPLE DIFFERENT AREAS WHERE I THINK THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT IS

[02:55:01]

GOING TO NEED ADDITIONAL SUPPORT.

ONE IS, IS FOR THE PROGRAM THAT WE, WE, UH, THAT THE DAC THAT THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT WAS ABLE TO FIND ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR.

IT WAS THE, UM, TO PUT ADDITIONAL RESOURCES INTO THE MENTAL HEALTH, UM, UH, CASE SERVICES, MR. VALDEZ, YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO, TO, UM, YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO ARTICULATE THIS BETTER.

UM, BUT THERE ARE ALSO SEVERAL AS MR. BELDEN VALDEZ SAID THERE ARE SEVERAL GRANT FUNDED POSITIONS THAT ARE CURRENTLY CONNECTING INDIVIDUALS IN OUR PROTECTIVE LODGES TO HOUSING AND OTHER SERVICES THAT ARE SET TO EXPIRE IN JULY.

AND SO THAT IS YET ANOTHER NEED.

UM, AND THEN I HIGHLIGHTED A FEW OTHERS, UM, ALL, UH, ALL OF WHICH RELATE TO THE REALLY IMPORTANT WORK THAT THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT DOES AND THEY WORK WELL.

I'LL LET, I'LL LET MR. VALDEZ EXPLAIN, EXPLAIN ITS MISSION.

YES, MAYOR PRO TEM, THE COUNCIL MEMBER TOVA WAS REFERRING TO, UH, THE COVID ESG COVID PROGRAM AND THAT'S THE EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS GRANT, UH, THAT WAS ESTABLISHED IN JULY OF LAST YEAR, UH, SPECIFICALLY TO HOUSE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE LIVING AT THE PRO LODGES BECAUSE OF COVID-19.

UM, AND THOSE POSITIONS, THOSE SIX POSITIONS WILL GO AWAY AFTER JULY OF 2022, WHEN THE GRANT EXPIRES, UM, THE, THE SECOND, UH, REQUESTS OR THE, THE SECOND QUESTION WAS RELATED TO THE HEALTHCARE, UH, HOMELESSNESS, HEALTHCARE AND WELLNESS CENTER PROGRAM OUT OF INTEGRAL CARE, UH, WHO WE ARE JOINTLY, UH, FUNDING WITH THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE.

AND THAT PROGRAM, UM, IS ADDRESSING INDIVIDUALS WITH HIGH ACUITY, UH, FROM THE MENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVE, UM, WHO, WHO ARE ALSO ON OUR WAIT LIST.

SO BECAUSE WE'RE NOT ABLE TO ADDRESS THEIR NEEDS BECAUSE THE WAITLIST EXISTS.

WE CREATED THIS CONTRACT WITH TOGETHER WITH AN INTEGRAL CARE, SO THAT WE CAN WORK THROUGH OUR WAITLIST, UH, SPECIFICALLY, UH, AIMING AT SERVING INDIVIDUALS WITH A HIGH ACUITY.

AND THAT THAT FUNDING FOR THAT PROGRAM HAS ONLY EXISTED THROUGH THE END OF THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR.

IS THERE ANY POSSIBILITY THAT WAS A MATCHED CRAMPED? WASN'T IT? YES, SIR.

AND FOR COVID, UH, WAS, DID NOT REQUIRE MATCHING, UM, FROM THE STATE, FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, IT WAS PART OF THE CARES ACT.

UH, AND SO IT IS ONE TIME FUNDING, BUT NO MATCHES REQUIRED.

I WILL SAY THAT IT IS PART OF WHAT JACK IS DOING AS PART OF OVERALL DEPLOYMENT OF THOSE FUNDS IN THE COMMUNITY.

SO NOT ONLY IS DOWNTOWN AUSTIN, COMMUNITY COURT, A SOCIAL WORK, UH, STAFF PROVIDING SERVICES.

WE HAVE SERVICES THAT ARE BEING PROVIDED VIA A NUMBER OF NONPROFITS IN THE COMMUNITY AS WELL.

ELLIS, THANK YOU.

UM, DO YOU HAPPEN TO KNOW HOW, HOW MUCH FUNDING THOSE SIX POSITIONS WOULD COST IF WE WERE TO CONTINUE AT WORK? OKAY.

UH, I DO.

UM, SO TO GET THROUGH FROM, UH, THE END OF JULY TO THE END OF THAT FISCAL YEAR, IT WOULD BE $174,000, BUT THEN THOSE INDIVIDUALS WOULD NEED TO BE CONVERTED TO FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.

AND THEN IF YOU'RE SAYING END OF JULY TO END OF FISCAL YEAR, ARE YOU SAYING LESS THAN ONE YEAR OR MORE THAN ONE YEAR? SO, SO WHAT I'M SAYING IS THAT THE, THE GRANT ENDS IN JULY OF 2022.

UM, SO WE WILL HAVE TO HAVE FUNDING TO GET THEM THROUGH THE REST OF THAT FISCAL YEAR, BUT ON TOP OF THAT, THEY WOULD HAVE TO BE CONVERTED TO, TO BECOME FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES, AND THEN THEY WOULD NEED TO BE A PART OF RECURRING BUDGETS BEYOND THAT, TO KEEP THOSE POSITIONS ON STAFF.

AND IS THERE GOING TO BE A VOTE AND HOW CAN PEOPLE UNDERSTAND HOW THAT MONEY IS GOING TO BE USED AND WHAT THE COUNCIL'S POLICY DIRECTIVES ARE GOING TO BE? AND SO I THINK, UM, IF IT'S THE WILL OF THE DIOCESE, I THINK THAT COULD BE SOME MONEY THAT HOPEFULLY COULD BE ALLOTTED INTO OTHER PROJECTS AS WE SEE FIT.

I THINK, I THINK THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL AND I APPRECIATE YOU KIND OF RUNNING DOWN SOME OF THE INS AND OUTS OF THIS PROGRAM AND ALL OF THE BENEFITS THAT COME FROM IT.

UM, BUT ALSO DID APPRECIATE COUNCIL MEMBER.

TOBO KIND OF BRINGING UP THE IDEA OF, DO WE NEED TO DO ANY SORT OF FINE TUNING WITH THE FRAMEWORK THAT WE'VE APPROVED FOR THE RESCUE PLAN, ACT FUNDING, TRYING TO SPELL IT ALL OUT SO WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.

UM, BUT I'VE HAD PEOPLE REACH OUT ASKING, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT IS MOVING FORWARD ON ENCAMPMENTS OR NOT,

[03:00:01]

UM, IT SEEMS AT LEAST AMONG A FEW OF US, THERE'S, UM, A DESIRE TO LOOK MORE AT WHAT IS THE BEST USE OF OUR DOLLARS, AND IF IT'S NOT GOING TO BE TEMPORARY AND MEANS THAT WE HAVE TO CALL THAT WE HAVE TO PAY TO MOVE AGAIN AND AGAIN, UM, OVER THE YEARS, WOULD IT MAKE MORE SENSE TO TIE THIS INTO MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES, HOUSING PLACEMENT, AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE? SO I'M SUPPORTIVE OF THAT.

UM, BUT I KNOW WE HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO REALLY ALL, UM, TALK ABOUT THAT TOGETHER, UM, VERY OFTEN.

AND SO I JUST WANTED TO VOICE MY FAVOR FOR THAT.

AND I THINK THIS, THIS COULD BE THE TYPE OF FUNDING THAT IS APPROPRIATE AS LONG AS WE CAN FIGURE OUT THE MECHANISMS FOR ONE TIME FUNDING, YOU KNOW, AND TRYING TO GET EMPLOYEES ON FULL-TIME AND FUTURE YEARS.

I KNOW THAT WOULD BE A LONGER COMMITMENT THAN WHAT THE RESCUE PLAN DOLLARS WOULD ALLOW FOR US TO DO THIS THEN COUNCIL COUNCILMEMBER, KITCHEN.

AND THANK YOU, KATHERINE MARIE ELLIS, UM, KIND OF A FOLLOW-UP RELATED FOLLOW QUESTION THAT I HAVE IS PART OF THE RESOLUTION THAT WE PASSED AT THE JUNE 10TH MEETING RELATED TO THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN DOLLARS, UH, INCLUDED DIRECTION THAT CALLED FOR A FUNDING PLAN FOR THE, FOR THE GOAL OF REHOUSING 3000 INDIVIDUALS, UH, WITHIN THREE YEARS AND FOR A FUNDRAISING PLAN FROM THE SUMMIT.

AND I JUST WANTED TO SEE IF WE HAD ANY UPDATE ON, ON THOSE TWO CRITICAL PIECES FROM THAT RESOLUTION, AND ALSO WANTED TO FLAG.

IT DID ALSO LAY OUT DIRECTION FOR TWO COMMUNITY MEETINGS BY SEPTEMBER 1ST.

YES, I CAN PROVIDE AN UPDATE COUNCIL MEMBER.

SO WE PROVIDED A MEMO ON OR AROUND JULY 1ST.

I BELIEVE THAT ACTUALLY RECOMMENDED THAT WE, UM, THAT WE COMBINED THE REPORT BACK ON THE OVERALL SPENDING PLAN, AS WELL AS THE FUNDRAISING PLAN FROM THE SUMMIT LEADERSHIP.

UH, AND THAT, UH, THAT, UH, FUNDRAISING PLAN WAS REQUESTED, UH, BY ACM GONZALES, UH, ON JULY 15TH, ASKING FOR A RETURN, UM, A RESPONSE BY AUGUST 15TH.

SO THAT IS THE TIMEFRAME THAT WE ARE WORKING UNDER CURRENTLY.

UM, AND I THINK I FORGOTTEN THE SECOND PIECE.

OH, THE, THE PIECE AROUND THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT BY SEPTEMBER 1ST.

UH, SO WE DO NOT HAVE DATES FOR THAT YET, BUT WE'LL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.

AND I THINK JUST IN TERMS OF PROCESS, UH, AS WE'VE SAID, COUNCIL IS ANTICIPATING A MORE DETAILED SPENDING PLAN OF THE OVERALL $515 MILLION INVESTMENT IN THE SUMMIT.

COMMUNITY-WIDE.

UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, AS WE HAVE THAT, THEN WE ALSO HAVE THE, THE JOB AS THE CITY OF DETERMINING HOW WE UTILIZE OUR ROUGHLY $106 MILLION WITHIN THAT.

SO WE ARE CURRENTLY AT APH WORKING WITH THE CONTRACTING DIVISION, UH, TO SET OUT, UH, UH, AN RFP OR POTENTIALLY A SERIES OF REQUESTS FOR PROPOSAL, UM, THAT WOULD, UM, BEGIN TO GIVE SHAPE TO WHAT THOSE, UH, INVESTMENTS WOULD LOOK LIKE.

I WILL REMIND YOU THAT IN THE GUIDANCE AND THE DIRECTION THAT WAS GIVEN ON JUNE 6TH COUNCIL EXPLICITLY ASKED US TO INVEST $2 MILLION IN WORKFORCE.

AND SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT COUNCIL MEMBER POOL BROUGHT UP EARLIER, UH, THAT, THAT, THAT THOSE DOLLARS, EXCUSE ME, WERE, UM, APPROPRIATED AND AVAILABLE IN THIS FISCAL YEAR.

SO WE ARE MOVING FORWARD AND PLANNING ON THAT FRONT AND $500,000 IN BUILDING ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE DO WELL.

UM, WHILE WE BALANCE THE URGENCY OF GETTING THE DOLLARS, UM, INTO THE COMMUNITY IS THAT WE ARE DOING THIS IN A COLLABORATIVE WAY WITH OUR SERVICE PROVIDERS, WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS, WITH ECHO, ET CETERA, SO THAT WE ARE MAKING MOST STRATEGIC USE OF THE DOLLARS OVERALL AND SPECIFICALLY OF THE CITY'S DIRECT INVESTMENT IN THE WORK.

AS WELL AS I THINK ONE OF THE ASKS WAS AROUND THEIR GOVERNANCE BY AUGUST 15TH, WE HOPE TO DO, UH, COMPLETE THE SPENDING PLAN, A REPORT TO COUNCIL IN TANDEM WITH THAT WORK SO THAT THEY ARE CONSISTENT.

UM, THANK YOU.

I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.

UM, SO, UM, SO FOR, LET ME FOLLOW UP FIRST ON COUNCIL MEMBER, A QUESTION RELATED TO THE ARPA TIMELINE.

SO IS THE THINKING THAT AT SOME POINT, UM, THE COUNCIL WILL BE PRESENTED WITH A MORE DETAILED BUDGET OF THE USE OF THE, OF THOSE DOLLARS, PARTICULARLY THE CITY DIRECTED DOLLARS ACCURATE.

SO WE HAVE ASKED, UM, FOR SUMMIT LEADERSHIP TO PROVIDE A FUNDRAISING PLAN,

[03:05:01]

UH, WE HAVE NOT SET A HARD DATE FOR THE RESPONSE, I DON'T BELIEVE, BUT I WOULD ANTICIPATE THAT THAT WOULD BE BY END OF AUGUST OR EARLY SEPTEMBER.

UH, AND AT THAT POINT THEN I THINK WE WOULD BE POSITIONED, UH, AS STAFF TO LAY OUT HOW WE INTEND TO PROCURE FOR THESE SERVICES THROUGH ONE OR MORE RFPS FOR THE, THE PRIORITY AREAS.

AND I THINK I WOULD ALSO SAY, I THINK THIS IS RELEVANT TO SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS WE'VE BEEN HAVING.

UH, WE, UH, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED AND COUNCIL HAS IDENTIFIED THROUGH THEIR CONVERSATIONS WITH VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS AND PROVIDERS, CERTAIN PROJECTS WHERE FUNDING MAY BE, UM, RUNNING OUT, OR IT WAS ONE TIME FUNDING.

WE ARE COGNIZANT OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WERE MADE IN LAST YEAR'S INVESTING FOR RESULTS REPORT, AS WELL AS FEEDBACK FROM, UH, PROCUREMENT AND PURCHASING THAT WHILE WE CERTAINLY MAY HAVE INCIDENCES WHERE WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH A CONTRACT ON A ONE-OFF BASIS, WE REALLY WANT TO BE MOVING TOWARD A MORE ORDERLY AND TRANSPARENT PROCESS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING THE BEST VALUE FOR CITY RESOURCES.

AS A FOLLOWUP THEN.

SO, UM, I THINK, UH, MY QUESTION HAS TO DO, I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, UM, UH, UH, THE NEXT STEP FOR THE HEAL INITIATIVE.

SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO, UH, DESIGNATE FUNDING FOR THE HEAL INITIATIVE BECAUSE WE ARE, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

YOU AND THE ENTIRE TEAM, EVERYBODY THAT'S BEEN WORKING ON THIS, WE'RE NOW WORKING ON THE THIRD LOCATION AND IT'S BEEN A HUGE SUCCESS SO FAR.

SO, UM, YOU ALL WILL BE FINISHING THE FOURTH LOCATION IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE.

AND I WOULD LIKE TO AVOID A GAP BETWEEN, UM, COMPLETING THE, THE, UH, INITIAL LOCATIONS IN STARTING WITH, YOU KNOW, KEEPING THE PROJECT, GOING, KEEPING THE PROGRAM GOING.

SO, UM, I'M WANTING TO DESIGNATE DOLLARS FOR THAT.

UM, I DON'T, YOU KNOW, I DON'T HAVE A PREFERENCE ON WHETHER THEY'RE BUDGET DOLLARS OR AARP DOLLARS, BUT I WANT TO AVOID A GAP.

SO, UM, SO DO YOU HAVE A THOUGHT AT THIS POINT ABOUT WHETHER WE HAVE DOLLARS WITHIN OUR BUDGET TO DESIGNATE TO THAT, OR WHETHER WE NEED TO BE CLEAR THAT WE WANT TO USE ARPA DOLLARS FOR THAT? WHAT, WHAT IS, UM, WHAT'S YOUR THINKING? I DO HAVE THOUGHTS COUNCIL MEMBER.

I'M SURE WE'LL HAVE SOME OPTIONS, BUT I WILL TELL YOU WHAT I THINK IS THE MOST SORT OF OBVIOUS ROUTE FORWARD WITHIN THE $515 MILLION AS A, THE SUMMIT, UM, PLAN 42 MILLION OF THAT, UH, CORRESPONDS TO RAPID REHOUSING, WHICH IS THE PRIMARY, UH, VEHICLE WE'VE BEEN USING TO REHOUSE FOLKS THROUGH THE HEAL INITIATIVE.

SO I THINK IT WOULD BE WHOLLY APPROPRIATE FOR THE, THE CITY TO, UH, THE COUNCIL TO CONTEMPLATE UTILIZING SOME PORTION OF THAT 106 MILLION FOR THE RAPID REHOUSING RESOURCES NEEDED TO CONTINUE TO REHOUSE FOLKS THROUGH THE HEAL INITIATIVE.

OF COURSE THERE ARE SOME OTHER COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE INITIATIVE, BUT THAT IS THE LION'S SHARE OF IT.

AND SO I WOULD IMAGINE THAT THAT WOULD, WOULD BE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WOULD PRIORITIZE WITHIN THE CITIES, UH, INVESTMENT OF THE A HUNDRED, 6 MILLION.

HAD, AND DIANE, AND THEN THE STAFF COULD TALK TO US ABOUT THAT INTERPLAY BEFORE WE DO THE BUDGET ON 11TH, 12TH, AND 13TH, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.

AND SO IS IT YOUR THOUGHT THAT THE HEAL INITIATIVE SHOULD COME OUT OF ARPA AS OPPOSED TO THE CITY BUDGET? UM, I DO NOT BELIEVE WE HAVE IDENTIFIED ANY AVAILABLE, UH, DOLLARS WITHIN THE GENERAL FUND.

SO YES, I THINK THAT THAT IS ACCURATE.

YEP.

THAT'S FINE.

AND, UM, SO WHAT IS THE, I DON'T KNOW IF WE KNOW YET MAYOR WHAT THE PROCESS IS, UH, I'M UNDERSTANDING THAT WE WILL WE'LL GET BACK.

UM, I DON'T KNOW, MID AUGUST, EARLY SEPTEMBER, UM, THE BUDGET RELATED TO HEAL, I MEAN, RELATED TO THE ARPA FUNDS, RIGHT.

UM, I AM, I'M STILL CONCERNED ABOUT A GAP, SO I'M WANTING, SO I MAY, SO COLLEAGUES, I MAY GO AHEAD AND BRING FORWARD, UH, A, UH, UH, A BUDGET DIRECTION FOR SOME, SOME LEVEL OF DOLLARS FOR THE NEXT PHASE OF HEAL OUT OF OUR PUB.

UM, AS, UM, AS MS. GREAT, UH, NOTED.

WE ALREADY DID THAT TO SOME EXTENT WITH OUR PRO WE DESIGNATED THAT 2 MILLION FOR OUR WORKFORCE.

SO WE KNOW THAT WAS SOME SMALL, SOME PART OF THAT OUR PRO FUNDS WE'VE ALREADY DONE SOME DESIGNATION.

SO FOR THE COUNCIL TO CONSIDER, I'LL BRING SOMETHING FORWARD RELATED TO HEAL, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO WAIT AND I WANT IT, I DON'T WANT THERE TO BE A GAP.

SO, ALL RIGHT.

SO THAT ANSWERED THAT QUESTION.

THEN THE LAST ONE IS TO THAT QUESTION, I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL CAUSE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TOBY ASKED A REALLY SIMILAR QUESTION OF THE INTERRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ARPA FUNDING AND WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE.

NOW, IF YOU

[03:10:01]

THEN THE LAST QUESTION I HAVE IS ABOUT STAFFING, UH, FOR, UM, FOR YOUR OFFICE MS. GRAY.

UM, I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT TAKING THAT STAFFING OUT OF ARPA AND MY QUESTIONS RELATE TO, I'M WANTING TO, I'M WANTING TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT THE STAFFING THAT WE HAVE IS ALLOWS US TO HAVE PERMANENT EMPLOYEES AS OPPOSED TO TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES.

AND SO MY, MY, THAT LEADS ME TO CONCLUDE THAT THE STAFFING FOR YOUR OFFICE SHOULD COME OUT OF THE BUDGET AS OPPOSED TO ARPA-E.

BUT DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT? OR I THINK THAT, UM, OF COURSE WE WOULD FOLLOW THE WILL OF THE COUNCIL ON THAT FRONT AND THE ARPA FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE.

UM, SOME THERE WILL BE SOME STAFFING, I THINK THAT WOULD INCREASE OVER THE COURSE OF THESE THREE YEARS IN WHICH THE ACTIVITY WILL BE VERY INTENSE, THAT MIGHT NOT BE NEEDED LONG-TERM, BUT CERTAINLY WE WOULD ANTICIPATE ONGOING NEEDS.

SO IT MIGHT BE A COMBINATION OF ONGOING NEEDS AND TEMPORARY NEEDS.

WELL, I'D LIKE TO EXPLORE THAT WITH YOU LATER.

UM, WE CAN THINK THROUGH THAT.

SO COLLEAGUES AND MAYOR, I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN INTERESTED IN THIS AS HAS COUNCIL MEMBER TOBO AND OTHERS, EVERYBODY ON THE DICE, REALLY.

UM, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE CRAFT THE, UM, STAFFING FOR THE, UH, HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE, UH, IN A WAY THAT MAKES IT CLEAR THAT, UM, THAT WE CAN KEEP GOOD, KEEP OUR, OUR STAFF SO THAT THEY KNOW THEY'VE GOT A JOB GOING FORWARD SO THAT WE HAVE PERMANENT STAFFING.

IF THERE ARE, IF THERE IS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF THAT, THAT WE THINK COULD BE TEMPORARY, THEN I'D BE OPEN TO SOME ARPA FUNDING FOR THAT.

BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE THINK ABOUT THAT CAREFULLY BECAUSE MY CONCERN IS TAKING ALL OF THE ADDITIONAL STAFFING THAT'S NEEDED OUT OF ARPA-E, DOESN'T SEND THE RIGHT SIGNAL TO THE FOLKS THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE EMPLOYING.

UM, AND IT ALSO JUST LEAVES US KICKS THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD IN TERMS OF AN ISSUE OF MAKING SURE THAT WE'VE GOT THE STAFFING WE NEED.

SO I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE RIGHT BALANCE IS, BUT I'D LIKE TO THINK ABOUT THAT.

AND I'D LIKE TO WORK WITH YOU ON THAT.

WE HAVE SOME IDEAS THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP US THROUGH THAT.

SO WE'D LIKE TO WORK WITH YOUR BACK.

COUNSEL RIVER.

UH, KELLY, THANK YOU.

AND I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU AND YOUR OFFICE FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE TO MAKE THE HEAL INITIATIVE BECOME A REALITY ON OUR LUNCH BREAK, I WENT OVER TO THE CESAR CHAVEZ LOCATION.

I TALKED WITH CHARLES LOOSEN AND SOME OF THE OTHER MEMBERS FROM CITY STAFF WHO WERE DOWN THERE.

AND I'M JUST REALLY PLEASED WITH HOW HUMANE AND THAT PROCESS IS.

I KNOW IT'S NOT EASY AT ALL TO, TO PUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT TOGETHER, BUT THE RESULTS ARE LIFE-CHANGING FOR THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.

AND SO I VERY MUCH LOOK FORWARD TO BEING ABLE TO SEE THAT SCALE AND FOR, UH, DIFFERENT PHASES TO COME THROUGH AND MOVE FORWARD.

MY QUESTION IS ABOUT STAFFING THOUGH.

UM, I'M WONDERING IF, BECAUSE THE HOMELESS SITUATION IS ALWAYS EVOLVING.

UM, IF WE CAN, FOR THOSE EMPLOYEES, TWO FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES, DO YOU ENVISION THEM AS LONG-TERM, UM, IT'S, IT'S KIND OF DIFFICULT TO TRY AND UNDERSTAND FROM A 30,000 FOOT VIEW, THE SORT OF PERMANENT INFRASTRUCTURE WE NEED TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS IF THE GOAL IS TO END IT.

AND, UM, IF THERE'S FLEXIBILITY IN THOSE ROLES, SHOULD THINGS CHANGE SO THAT WE CAN RETAIN AND KEEP THOSE EMPLOYEES ON STAFF, MAYBE SPEAK TO THAT.

ABSOLUTELY.

SO COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE MENTIONED BOTH THE, YOU KNOW, UH, PERMANENT, REGULAR, PERMANENT POSITIONS AND TEMPORARY.

AND THEN OF COURSE THERE'S THE POSSIBILITY OF REGULAR BY GRANT FUNDED, UH, POSITIONS.

AND SO I DO THINK SOME COMBINATION, UH, IS VIABLE, UH, FOR US AND AT YOUR DIRECTION, WE'RE HAPPY TO, UH, PROVIDE A PROPOSAL THROUGH CITY MANAGER ABOUT WHAT WE THINK COULD BE A VIABLE APPROACH.

YOU'D GET IT.

COULD YOU GET US A COPY OF THAT PROPOSAL WHEN IT'S READY? OKAY.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

AND AGAIN, THANK YOU.

AND TO ALL YOUR STAFF, I KNOW IT'S NOT AN EASY LIFT AND TO SEE IT IN MOTION WAS REALLY INCREDIBLE.

I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

AND, AND PARTICULARLY, UM, WANT TO JUST REITERATE THAT, UM, THE STAFF, INCLUDING TEMPORARY STAFF ARE DOING INCREDIBLE WORK AND WORKING VERY HARD AND BEHALF OF OUR CITY.

THE REQUEST BY THREE TO AT LEAST COVER THE THREE YEARS OF THE SUMMIT.

THANK YOU, MAYOR ELENA.

AND I WANTED TO COMMENT ON THE SAME AS WE WELCOME THOSE FOLKS COMING OFF THE STREET INTO, UH, INTO THE HOTEL, UP, UP IN MY NECK OF THE WOODS.

SO I APPRECIATE THAT.

UM, I W I'M INTERESTED IN WHATEVER IDEAS YOU COME UP WITH, COUNCIL MEMBER, KITCHEN AND MAYOR, ET CETERA.

WHAT I HAD ONE IDEA THAT ON THE PIECE OF PAPER THAT I HAD HANDED OUT WAS THAT WE COULD USE, UH, ONE TIME DOLLARS AND MULTIPLY

[03:15:01]

AND, UM, AND I, AND WHILE IT COULD BE KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD, IT ALSO COULD PROVIDE US THE TWO OR THREE YEARS NECESSARY TO COME UP WITH WHICH ONES SHOULD BE FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES.

UM, IN LATER BUDGETS, WE MAY HAVE MORE FLEXIBILITY ON THE MNO SIDE OR IN ANY FUTURE TAX RATE ELECTION.

WE COULD DETERMINE WHICH ONES WOULD BE, UM, FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES VERSUS TEMPORARY.

SO, UM, IF WE TOOK ONE ON POTENTIAL PATH, AGAIN, I'M VERY OPEN TO WHAT THE DIASEND AND MS. GRAY THINK, BUT ONE POTENTIAL PATH WOULD BE TO TAKE YOUR ASK HERE, MULTIPLY IT BY THREE TO COVER, AT LEAST THE THREE YEARS, ANYBODY WE HIRE WOULD KNOW THAT THEY WERE FOR SURE, IN FOR THE TIME PERIOD OF THE, OF THE SUMMIT PLAN.

AND THEN WE COULD, I'M SURE WITHIN THOSE THREE YEARS FIGURE OUT WHAT WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT.

YEAH, SORRY.

I WOULD SAY THAT I WOULD HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT ON OUR RECRUITING AND OUR BILLING TO ATTRACT THE BEST FOLKS.

I KNOW THAT SOME OF THE FOLKS THAT WERE ASKING TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE OVERALL EFFORT ARE BEING ASKED TO DO IT IN THE NATURE OF A, OF A, OF A GRANT.

SO WE'RE ASKING OTHER FUNDERS TO COME IN AND FUND THINGS THAT ARE RECURRING EXPENSES WITHOUT AN OBLIGATION TO FIGHT PAST THE THREE YEARS.

I'M NOT SAYING WE SHOULD DO THAT HERE, BECAUSE I THINK THERE ARE MULTIPLE OPTIONS, BUT THERE ARE MULTIPLE OPTIONS.

AND I HAVE WORKED WITH THAT MODEL IN OTHER CITIES PREVIOUSLY.

WHILE WE HAVE DIANA HERE, ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ENCAMPMENTS OR OTHER KINDS OF THINGS? YES.

COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR, AND THEN IT COUNTS MEMBER TOVO.

UM, I HAD TO STEP OUT FOR A MINUTE, BUT I WAS STILL LISTENING.

I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN OR MS. GRAY, IF THAT'S MORE APPROPRIATE, BUT HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHAT ADDITIONAL MONEY IS NEEDED FOR Y'ALL AND WHAT YOU HAVE IN MIND.

I'LL LET MS. GRAY, UH, TALK, SPEAK TO THE COMPONENTS OF THE COST FOR HEEL, RIGHT? SO, I MEAN, I THINK THE PRIMARY INCREMENTAL COST OF HEAL IS THAT IT'S PROBABLY ABOUT $30,000 A YEAR PER PERSON, UM, REHOUSED.

AND SO $3 MILLION PER A HUNDRED PEOPLE IS A ROUGH ESTIMATE.

WE, OF COURSE, RIGHT NOW, UH, AS OF THE END OF THIS WEEK, WE'LL HAVE TWO OPERATING SHELTERS WHICH CAN SERVE AS BRIDGE SHELTER AT A FULL CAPACITY OF 140 PEOPLE, ONE PERSON PER ROOM.

UH, IF WE ARE REHOUSING FOLKS AT THE, AT THE RATE OF ABOUT ONE EVERY THREE MONTHS, THEY MIGHT HAVE A BRIEF STAY THERE AND BE REHOUSED.

THEN BY MY MATH, THAT GIVES US 400, UH, I BELIEVE, UH, 560.

I'D HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT'S CORRECT.

SO IT COULD BE THAT WE WOULD BE CONSTRAINED BY THE SHELTER CAPACITY, BUT RIGHT NOW I DON'T THINK THAT'S ACCURATE.

UH, WE REALLY JUST NEED TO MAKE A DECISION ABOUT HOW FAR WE WANT TO SCALE THE HEAL INITIATIVE IN RELATION TO THE OTHER KINDS OF INVESTMENTS AROUND SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, MENTAL HEALTH, ET CETERA, UH, WITHIN THE CITIES, UH, THE CITY'S INVESTMENT IN THIS AREA.

AND DIDN'T, WE HAVE $84 MILLION FOR ARPA THAT SOME OF THAT IS COVERING THE WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS COVERED WITH THAT.

I'M NOT SURE I FULLY UNDERSTOOD, BUT THE 106, UH, POINT, UH, EXCUSE ME, 7 MILLION MINUS THE 11.4, WHICH WAS, UH, THE, UH, HOUSING AND PLANNING DIVISION.

AND THE 4.2 THAT WAS SET ASIDE FOR CRISIS HOUSING IN RESPONSE TO PROP B LEFT US WITH 91.1.

SO IT WAS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT.

UM, SO WITHIN THAT, I THINK WE LOOK AT HOW MUCH OF THAT IT WOULD BE COUNCIL'S WILL TO DIRECT TOWARD SCALING THE HEAL INITIATIVE IN TANDEM WITH THE EFFORTS THAT YOU'D LIKE TO FUND.

SO, BUT, BUT I'M CORRECT THAT THERE IS A POT OF MONEY FROM WHICH THIS COULD BE DRAWN FOR OUR BUCK.

AND JUST TO CLARIFY, THAT'S WHEN I'M, WHEN I'M TALKING ABOUT PHASE TWO APPEAL, I'M TALKING ABOUT OUR RP DOLLARS AND, UM, AND, UH, LOOKING TO WORK WITH MS. GRAY AND MY COLLEAGUES, UH, IN TERMS OF THE SCOPE OF THE NEXT PHASE FOR HEAL.

I JUST WANTED TO MENTION AND SHARE MY SUPPORT FOR ALSO USING ARPA FUNDS FOR THE EXTENSION APPEAL FOR PHASE TWO OR HOWEVER YOU WANT TO FRAME IT.

I THINK IT'S A, IT'S A SUCCESSFUL INITIATIVE.

THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER, KITCHEN FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON IT.

AND I WOULD LIKE OUR COMMUNITY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SUCCESS AND HOW WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO REHOUSE INDIVIDUALS IN A COMPASSIONATE AND HUMANE WAY.

AND, UM, JUST WANTED TO SHARE AND REITERATE MY SUPPORT FOR USING THOSE DOLLARS FOR THE EXPANSION OF HILL.

CATHERINE TOVO I THINK WAS NEXT.

THERE'S DEFINITELY MULTIPLE PATHS WE CAN TAKE, BUT, BUT IT'S MY INTENT AND I JUST WANT TO RUN IT THROUGH, RUN IT, RUN IT AGAINST WHAT YOU JUST SAID.

BEFORE WE TO GET TOO FAR AWAY FROM THE BUDGET, I JUST WANT TO CONFIRM MS. GRAY.

WE'VE,

[03:20:02]

UM, I APPRECIATE, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT STAFF ARE STILL WORKING ON THE FUNDING PLAN AND WE'LL COME BACK TO US WITH, WITH THAT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

BUT AS, AND SO I, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING ABOUT NOT FUNDING, BUT MAYBE NOT EMPOWERED WITH ADDITIONAL CONTRACTS AT THIS POINT.

UM, GIVEN THE S MINT, THE INVESTING AND RESULTS REPORT, BUT AS I, AS I SEE IT, UM, IT, IT IS, THESE ARE SEVERAL OF THESE WOULD BE APPROPRIATE EXPENDITURES THROUGH OUR, THROUGH THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT DOLLARS, UM, OF THOSE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE HOMELESS PROGRAM, UM, THAT I INDICATED WOULD SEEM TO BE VERY SQUARELY WITHIN THE FUNDING PLAN FOR THAT WE APPROVED, UM, THE DAC GRANT FUNDED POSITIONS, UM, THE WORKFORCE ELEMENT THAT, THAT COUNCIL MEMBER POOL INTENDS TO BRING FORWARD AS AN AMENDMENT.

YOU KNOW, IT WAS SQUARELY MENTIONED WITHIN THAT, WITHIN THAT FRAMEWORK.

UM, ARE YOU, ARE YOU SEEING, DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS ON THAT? WHAT I WOULD SAY, UH, I'M SORRY, ONE MORE THING, PERHAPS SOME OF THE OTHER DECK MEATS THAT HAVE NOT YET BEEN MET, WE GOT, UM, LAST YEAR I HAD BROUGHT FORWARD SOME, SOME BUDGET DIRECTION RELATED TO HOST AND ISSUES RELATED TO THE DAC.

AND WE GOT BACK A VERY USEFUL MEMO THAT RELATES TO SOME OF THE CONVERSATION PETE AND I JUST HAD, UM, THAT ALSO, I THINK MIGHT BE VERY APPROPRIATE EXPENDITURES FOR OUR MEMBERS, FOR OUR ARPA FUNDING.

I'M SORRY, MS. GRAY.

I THINK THAT IT, MANY OF THE THINGS WE'VE DISCUSSED ARE ABSOLUTELY FIT WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK AND THE, THE, THE SPIRIT AND INTENT OF THE SUMMIT AND THE FUNDING THAT YOU ARE DEDICATING.

I THINK WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO S TO SUGGEST IS THAT WE BE REALLY CLEAR ABOUT ESTABLISHING A CLEAR PROCESS THAT'S TRANSPARENT, AND THAT KEEPS, UH, PROCUREMENT AND LEGAL, UH, SATISFIED THAT WE ARE MANAGING OUR RISK APPROPRIATELY.

UM, AND THAT WHEN WE MOVE FORWARD ON THOSE EXCEPTIONS, THEY ARE TRULY THAT THEY ARE EXCEPTIONS.

AND, AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT AS, AS YOU KNOW, IDENTIFYING OPPORTUNITIES WHERE WE NEED TO MOVE MORE QUICKLY, UH, I THINK IS APPROPRIATE IN SOME CASES, BUT REALLY ATTEMPTING TO MOVE OUR HOMELESS CONTRACTING SYSTEM, UH, TO A PLACE WHERE WE CAN BE VERY TRANSPARENT, VERY CLEAR ABOUT THE SERVICES WE'RE PURCHASING IN THE COMMUNITY AND WHAT WE'RE GETTING FOR THOSE DOLLARS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, ALICE.

AND I REALLY APPRECIATE A COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN BRINGING UP THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT THE HEAL INITIATIVE.

I THINK IT FITS REALLY WELL IN LINE WITH WHAT I WOULD SEE A BETTER USE OF OUR DOLLARS THAN TRYING TO DO, UM, TEMPORARY ENCAMPMENTS THAT ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE MOVED AROUND.

UM, SO IF WE ARE LOOKING AT RE ALLOTTING SOME OF THE ARPA RESCUE PLAN, UM, ACT DOLLARS, I WOULD CERTAINLY BE SUPPORTIVE OF US FOCUSING MORE OF OUR FINANCIAL RESOURCES INTO THE HEAL INITIATIVE, AND THEN OTHER THINGS THAT WILL HAVE TO BE MOVED AROUND AND, AND MANAGED, UM, A LOT MORE OFTEN THAN SOMETHING LIKE THE HEAL INITIATIVES THAT SEEMS TO BE GETTING OFF THE GROUND QUICKLY, IT'S SHOWING EARLY SUCCESS ALREADY.

SO I WOULD BE SUPPORTIVE OF, OF SUPPORTING THAT EFFORT FINANCIALLY INSTEAD.

SO I, AS I, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THE, THE WORKING HEEL IS, IS AS WITH A LOT OF WORK THAT THE SUMMIT WASN'T INVENTING NEW STUFF, THE SUMMIT WAS PULLING TOGETHER.

THE PLANS THAT THE COUNCIL HAS WORKED ON FOR A LONG TIME, THE POPPY REPORT HAD LOTS OF PARTNERS HAD, IT WAS IDENTIFIED WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE TO SET UP THAT SYSTEM.

AND PART OF THAT RESPONSE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ASK THE COMMUNITY TO SCALE UP IS EXACTLY THE WORK THAT THE COUNCIL OR ORDERED EARLIER IN THE YEAR WITH HEAL.

IS THAT RIGHT? YES, SIR.

SO IT ALL DOVETAILS.

SO SOMETIME IF YOU COULD HELP US ORDER THAT OR FRAME THAT AS WE HEAD INTO THE NEXT BUDGET, I THINK THAT'LL BE HELPFUL.

WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THE WORK GETS GETS DONE AND IT'S CONSISTENT WITH WHAT IT IS THAT LOTS OF PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY OR OUR COLLEAGUE TO HAVE HAPPENED.

THAT'S WHERE A KITCHEN, UM, UH, I FORGOT.

I TH THERE IS ANOTHER ISSUE I WANTED TO CLARIFY, AND THAT IS THE, THE ENCAMPMENTS THAT TEMPORARY ENCAMPMENTS.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT OUR PATH IS FOR MAKING A DECISION THERE.

UH, CAUSE WE HAVE TWO ON THE TABLE.

I UNDERSTAND.

AND I UNDERSTAND THERE'S BEEN SOME CONVERSATION ABOUT NOT MOVING FORWARD WITH THOSE.

UH, BUT THERE'S ALSO BEEN SOME CONVERSATION ABOUT MAYBE WE SHOULD MOVE FORWARD WITH THOSE.

SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PROCESS IS FOR MAKING A DECISION THERE AND I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE

[03:25:01]

A CONVERSATION ABOUT IT.

SO WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE THINKING OR, OR DOES ANYBODY, I MEAN, LET ME BACK UP, DID, DID, DID THE STAFF MAKE A RECOMMENDATION? I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ALL MAY ACTUALLY MADE A RECOMMENDATION OR SO LAST WEEK, UH, WE, WE DID THE CLIFFSNOTES VERSION OF THE BRIEFING, AS YOU MAY RECALL, BECAUSE WE RAN OUT OF TIME AND OUR, UM, OUR COMMUNICATION TO COUNCIL WAS, UH, THAT BECAUSE OF THE, THE TIME, UH, FROM NOW, UNTIL WE MIGHT BE SUCCESSFUL IN REZONING AND PLACING PEOPLE IN THE ENCAMPMENT BECAUSE OF THE STAFF TIME, SIGNIFICANT RESOURCES, ET CETERA, WE REQUESTED EXPLICIT COUNCIL DIRECTION, IF YOU WOULD LIKE US TO CONTINUE THAT WORK.

SO THAT, SO I, SO WE NEED TO HAVE A CONVERSATION TO DETERMINE WHAT OUR DIRECTION IS AND WHAT IS OUR PROCESS FOR THAT MAYOR.

WE, WE, WE SAID IT THIS TIME TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THIS ISSUE, THIS ISSUE TODAY.

WELL THEN, UM, I DON'T KNOW.

I THINK WE SHOULD TALK ABOUT IT.

I, UH, MY PERSPECTIVE IS, UM, MY PERSPECTIVE IS THAT I AM INTERESTED IN CONTINUING WITH TAMPA CAMPING SIDES.

WE'VE GOT THEM DOWN TO TWO.

I THINK THAT THAT MIGHT BE FAST, THAT MIGHT BE APPROPRIATE GIVEN THE FACT THAT, UM, OUR WE'RE ADDING TO OUR BRIDGE SHELTER AND WE'RE PROCEEDING WITH THAT, BUT WE STILL HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL NEEDS.

SO I WANT TO KNOW WHAT MY COLLEAGUES THINK, BUT I AM, UM, I'M NOT READY TO TOTALLY TAKE IT, TAKE IT OFF.

HOW'S R KELLY, THANK YOU FOR THAT COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.

I'M NOT READY TO TAKE IT OFF THE TABLE EITHER, BUT I REALLY FEEL THAT WE SHOULD GIVE COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO THE ABILITY TO JOIN IN ON THIS CONVERSATION.

IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE SHE'S ON THE SCREEN AND I DON'T THINK SHE'S BEEN HERE FOR THE LAST PART OF THE DISCUSSION BECAUSE IT CAME OUT OF HER RESOLUTION.

I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT SHE SHOULD BE HERE FOR.

SO I DON'T KNOW IF SOMEBODY NEEDS TO CATCH UP I'M RIGHT HERE.

I'M SORRY.

I HAD TO, UM, I'M JUST TRYING TO PUT MORE PAPER IN THE PRINTER.

SO I HAD YOU ALL ON MY PHONE.

I WAS DOING THAT, BUT, UM, YEAH.

UM, THANK YOU.

AND I, I ABSOLUTELY WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CONVERSATION, SO THANKS FOR THE COURTESY AND I'M MAKING SURE I WAS HERE.

SO THIS CAME UP FOR YOU IN THE CONVERSATION AT THE, THE HEALTH, UH, UH, COMMITTEE COUNCIL COMMITTEE YESTERDAY.

YOU KNOW, IF, IF WE'RE LOOKING FOR DIRECTION OR SENTIMENT ON THAT, THE KIND OF A, AN IMMEDIATE SHELTERING FOR COMMUNITY, MAYBE THERE'S A PLACE FOR THAT.

AND WE NEED THAT IN OUR CITY TO THE SAME WAY WE NEED PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.

IF I UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE EDUCATED ME OVER THE LAST, UH, UH, PERIOD OF TIME, UH, MS. GRAY, UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT AS YOU BUILD OUT A SYSTEM, ALL THE PARTS NEED TO BE BUILT OUT IN SCALE TO ONE ANOTHER.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS OR WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.

YOU KNOW, THAT THAT WOULD ALSO FIT WITH THE OVERALL SYSTEM THAT, UH, THE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN WORKING ON.

AND IT HAS BEEN REPEATED AGAIN IN THE SUMMIT WORKS.

SO I WOULD SUPPORT DOING THAT COMPONENT OF IMMEDIATE SHELTERING IN SCALE TO THE SYSTEM THAT WE WOULD HAVE.

UM, I, AND, AND I RECOGNIZE WHAT THAT MEANS IS, IS THAT THERE'S NOT AN EMERGENCY SHOPPED RING TO BE BUILT NOW FOR, FOR 2000 PEOPLE OR FOR EVERYONE THAT HAS BEEN, UH, TENTING, UH, IN OUR CITY, WHICH MEANS THAT SOME PEOPLE WILL BE DOING WHAT THEY DID TWO YEARS AGO WHEN THE ORDINANCES WERE LASTED AT EFFECT.

I WOULD ASK THAT THAT WE'D TAKE A LOOK AT THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE MOST VULNERABLE OR MOST AT RISK.

UH, IF, IF WE GET THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY WOULD GET PRIORITIZED WITHIN WHATEVER SYSTEM DECIDES WHO WOULD BE FITTING IN THAT WORK TO, TO SCALE, BUT I WOULD ONLY SUPPORT DOING THAT KIND OF EMERGENCY SHELTER TO THE APPROPRIATE SCALE OF THE SYSTEM, BECAUSE I WOULDN'T WANT TO TAKE DOLLARS AWAY FROM THE ELEMENTS OF THAT SYSTEM THAT ACTUALLY KEEP PEOPLE OFF THE STREET AND HOUSING, PUT THEM IN A PLACE WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO MOST EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE WRAPAROUND SERVICES.

UH, SO FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, THAT WOULD BE THE DIRECTION THAT I WOULD SUPPORT ANYBODY ELSE WANT TO TALK ON THIS COUNCIL MEMBER TOMO.

UM, HERE ON THE DIOCESE, IT'S ALMOST BEEN FRAMED AS, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT TO, THERE MAY NOT THAT WE WOULD BE CONTINUING TO PURSUE DESIGNATED CAMPING AT THE EXPENSE OF OTHER AREAS OF FUNDING.

AND THANK YOU AGAIN, COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY, ASHER, APPRECIATE YOU MAKING SURE THAT, UM, THAT THE CONVERSATION DIDN'T HAPPEN WITHOUT ME.

I, YOU KNOW, I, I HAVE, UM, I THINK THIS IS DEFINITELY PART OF THE LARGER CONVERSATION.

I KNOW THAT A COUPLE OF TIMES IT'S COME UP,

[03:30:01]

I, I HAVE SAID EVERY, ALMOST EVERY TIME WE'VE HAD THIS CONVERSATION, MAYBE EVERY SINGLE TIME, THIS IS CLEARLY NOT, UM, IDEAL IN TERMS OF THE HOUSING SOLUTION.

IT IS NOT A HOUSING SOLUTION.

IT IS A STOP GAP SOLUTION, BUT IT IS A SOLUTION AND A STRATEGY THAT I CONTINUE TO BELIEVE WE NEED TO HAVE WITHIN OUR, OUR, UM, PORTFOLIO OF, YOU KNOW, AS I LOOK AT THE T AT THE TIME IT'S TAKEN TO SECURE HOTEL MOTELS FOR, UM, ACQUISITION AND FOR, FOR, UM, PERMANENT USE, NO, WE DON'T, IT IT'S TAKEN SOME TIME.

WE KNOW WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO BRING ON SEVERAL ADDITIONAL ONES VERY QUICKLY.

UH, THESE ARE CHALLENGING.

IT'S CHALLENGING TO FIND THEM.

IT'S CHALLENGING TO FIND THEM AT AN APPROPRIATE PRICE.

IT IS CHALLENGING TO FIND THEM, UM, AND TO GET A UNIVERSAL COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR THEM.

AND SO ALL OF THESE, ALL OF THESE ISSUES ARE GOING TO BE CHALLENGING AND ARE GOING TO TAKE TIME.

AND SO I CONTINUE TO SUPPORT, I SUPPORT CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION AROUND DESIGNATED CAMPING AREAS.

HOWEVER, KNOWING THAT WE'RE NOW AT VERY CLOSE TO THAT SEPTEMBER 1ST DEADLINE BY STATE LAW, I'M NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENS TO BE OUR PROCESS OF EVEN HAVING THAT OPTION, UM, BEGINNING ON SEPTEMBER 1ST, AS I UNDERSTAND IT.

AND MS. GRAY, MAYBE YOU CAN JUMP IN HERE.

UM, IT WOULD REQUIRE GETTING PERMISSION FROM THE STATE AND LOCATING THOSE.

AND SO PERHAPS YOU CAN, YOU CAN JUST ANSWER THAT QUESTION FOR ME.

AND AS I INDICATED YESTERDAY, I DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ACTUAL COSTS THAT GO INTO, INTO THE IT'S THAT YOU PROVIDED US WITH.

UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE, BUT IT, IT SEEMS A LITTLE BIT TOO MUCH OF A DEEP DIVE TO DO HERE TODAY.

UM, SO PERHAPS I'LL JUST LEAVE IT FOR NOW, BUT CAN YOU TELL US WHAT THE PROCESS WOULD BE AT THE, AT THE, WITH THE NEW STATE LAW THAT'S ACCURATE? SO HOUSE BILL 1925, WHICH INSTITUTED A STATEWIDE CAMPING BAN FOR PUBLIC LANDS REQUIRES THAT ANY, UH, DESIGNATED ENCAMPMENT OR SANCTIONING CAMP MINT ON PUBLIC LAND, UH, ESTABLISHED AFTER SEPTEMBER 1ST OF THIS YEAR, ACQUIRE APPROVAL FROM THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS, UH, THEY HAVE DRAFT, UM, GUIDELINES OUT OF WHAT THAT APPLICATION PROCESS MIGHT LOOK LIKE.

IT IS NOT FINALIZED YET.

AND WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING WITH TO, TO LOOK THROUGH THAT.

UM, BUT IT IS CERTAINLY ANOTHER, UH, ANOTHER STEP WE WOULD HAVE TO GO TO, UH, WE, OF COURSE, THE TWO SITES THAT WE HAVE CURRENTLY IDENTIFIED AS THE MOST VIABLE OUT OF THE CITY PROPERTIES WE ANALYZED, UH, WOULD NEED TO BE REZONED, UH, FOR INAPPROPRIATE USE.

SO I DON'T KNOW THAT IT IS FEASIBLE FOR US TO, UH, MOVE ON THOSE PROPERTIES, UH, ABSENT SOME, SOME BROADER MEASURE, UH, AND PUT THEM INTO PLACE BY SEPTEMBER 1ST, NOT TO MENTION THE NEED TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY.

US WHERE THOSE ASSETS ARE.

I UNDERSTAND THAT.

AND I WANT TO BE REALLY CLEAR THAT MY CON, MY, MY SUPPORT OF CONTINUING TO THINK ABOUT AN ENCAMPMENT STRATEGY, A STRATEGY THAT HAS DESIGNATED ENCAMPMENTS IS NOT AN ENDORSEMENT OF THOSE TWO SITES.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTOOD THE CONVERSATION THAT HAD TRANSPIRED ON THE DIOCESE.

IT WAS REALLY ABOUT THE STRATEGY ITSELF.

UM, AND AS I UNDERSTOOD MY COMP, MY COLLEAGUES, UM, PRESS, PRESS RELEASE THAT THEY SENT OUT.

IT WAS REALLY ABOUT THE STRATEGY ITSELF, RATHER THAN IT MAY HAVE ALSO BEEN IN ADDITION TO THOSE SITES.

BUT AGAIN, I'M TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHETHER, WHETHER WITHIN OUR PORTFOLIO OF STRATEGIES, WE HAVE AN ENCAMPMENT STRATEGY, OR IF YOU USE THE LANGUAGE OF HAVEN FOR HOPE, A COURTYARD STRATEGY, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, I CONTINUE TO THINK IT'S NECESSARY, BUT, BUT CERTAINLY I'M OPEN TO THE OPTIONS, UM, THAT MY COLLEAGUES BRING FORWARD.

OBVIOUSLY WE ALL CONSIDER PERMANENT PERMANENT HOUSING, THE BEST OPTION, BUT WE NEED OTHER SHORTER TERM STRATEGIES TOO.

AND, AND, YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO SAY AGAIN, WE NEED THEM IN EVERY PART OF THE CITY AND WE DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE THEM.

WE HAVE DISTRICTS WHERE, UM, WHERE WE HAVE VERY FEW RESOURCES, IF ANY RESOURCES, IN TERMS OF EMERGENCY SHELTER, IN TERMS OF, UM, BRIDGE SHELTER, IN TERMS OF ANY OF THE NEW ASSETS THAT WE'RE BRINGING ONLINE, THEY ARE, THEY ARE, THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, WHOLE DISTRICTS, UM, WITHIN OUR CITY THAT DON'T, THAT DON'T HAVE ANY OF THOSE ASSETS OR VERY FEW OF THOSE ASSETS.

AND I, WE KNOW WE HAVE INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

WE'VE MADE A COMMITMENT ON THIS DIOCESE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING RESOURCES THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

AND, YOU KNOW, I'M VERY INTERESTED IN THAT MAP THAT I HOPE WILL BE FORTHCOMING IN THE WEEKS AHEAD THAT SHOW

[03:35:01]

I DON'T BELIEVE THEY'RE GOING TO SHOW US A VERY GEOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSIFIED, UM, ARRAY OF RESOURCES IN EVERYONE'S DISTRICT.

SO I HOPE THAT THAT WILL, WHETHER THEY ARE DESIGNATED ENCAMPMENTS OR BRIDGE SHELTER, OR OTHER KINDS OF, OR EMERGENCY TEMPORARY EMERGENCY SHELTER OR OTHER KINDS OF SHORT-TERM STRATEGIES, I HOPE THEY WILL BE GEOGRAPHICALLY DISPERSED.

AND, AND I HOPE THERE WILL BE SOME IN THERE THAT ARE TRULY IMMEDIATE, UM, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TRULY IMMEDIATE RESOURCES.

AND IF THOSE ARE NOT, YOU KNOW, THE FIVE TO $10,000 INDIVIDUAL HOMES THAT CAN GO UP QUICKLY, UM, WITH SOME TEMPORARY RESTROOMS AND TEMPORARY SHOWERS, AGAIN, UNDERSTANDING THAT THAT IS NOT THE WAY WE WANT TO HAVE OUR, OUR NEIGHBORS LIVING OVER TIME, BUT THEY ARE, ARE, ARE BETTER OPTIONS THAN HAVING PEOPLE IN CREEK BEDS AND, YOU KNOW, FAR AWAY WOULD IT PLACES THEN, UM, I HOPE, WELL, I HOPE WE'LL CONTINUE TO, IN TERMS OF THE NEXT STEPS, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THOSE ARE, BECAUSE NOW WE'RE, AGAIN, WE'RE IN, WE'RE NOW FACING A STATE PROCESS THAT IS CUMBERSOME.

UM, SO I DON'T KNOW WHERE WE GO FROM HERE, BUT ANYWAY, THANK YOU STAFF FOR CONTINUING TO THANK YOU STAFF FOR HAVING EXPLORED THIS OPTION AND, UM, AND, AND ALL OF THE OTHER WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING.

SO IN TERMS OF THINKING THROUGH THOSE NEXT STEPS AND HOW COUNCIL, UM, UH, ENGAGES IN THIS DECISION-MAKING, I JUST WANT TO PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF FRAMING OUT OF THE ARPA FUNDS, IN ADDITION TO THE MONEY THAT WAS SORT OF ATTACHED TO THE SUMMIT CONCEPT, UH, COUNCIL SET ASIDE $4.2 MILLION FOR RESPONSE, IMMEDIATE RESPONSE TO THE, UH, UNSHELTERED, UH, ISSUE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE CAMPING ORDINANCE COMING INTO EFFECT.

WE CALCULATED THAT AMOUNT BASED ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT WE BELIEVED WE COULD GET A BRIDGE, ANOTHER BRIDGE SHELTER UP AND RUNNING.

UM, AS WE NOW ARE DOING, EVEN TODAY, WE INITIALLY IMAGINED, UH, OR WE'RE LOOKING AT AN OPTION THAT INVOLVED A LEASED FACILITY.

AND, UH, BUT EVENTUALLY DECIDED THAT UTILIZING, UM, THE COUNTRY IN WHICH WE ALREADY OWNED WAS A BETTER CHOICE BECAUSE OF THAT.

WE BELIEVE THERE WILL BE SOME SAVINGS, UH, UM, THAT THE COST WILL BE SLIGHTLY UNDER, OR, UH, THAT $4.2 MILLION LEAVING US, POTENTIALLY, JUST AS AN EXAMPLE, WHEN WE WILL CERTAINLY CONFIRM WITH YOU A MILLION DOLLARS OR SO THOSE ARE THE ONLY DOLLARS AT PRESENT SET ASIDE BY COUNCIL THAT WOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR EITHER A DESIGNATED ENCAMPMENT OR OTHER SHELTER STRATEGIES.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, WHICH I THINK IS ONE WAY FORWARD IS, UH, ISSUING, UH, FROM APH A REQUEST FOR INTEREST TO THE COMMUNITY FOR PARTNERSHIPS ON THIS FRONT.

I THINK WE MAY REALLY BE LEAVING, UM, SOME GOODWILL AND RESOURCES IN THE COMMUNITY ON THE TABLE, UH, BY MOVING FORWARD WITH A TOTALLY CITY DRIVEN APPROACH.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT WE'RE WE TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT THAT DOES NOT OBVIATE THE, THE POSSIBILITY OF A DESIGNATED ENCAMPMENT ON OTHER PRIVATE LAND, UH, BEING A SOLUTION THAT COULD EMERGE.

SO STAFF'S RESPONSE TO THE RESOLUTION WAS REALLY ABOUT THE, THE FEASIBILITY, THE COSTS, THE PROCESS ON THOSE EXPLICIT CITY-OWNED PROPERTIES.

I THINK THERE REMAIN SOME, SOME POSSIBILITIES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.

AND I DO LIKE THAT YOU MENTIONED A PRIVATE PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP THERE BECAUSE THEY THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT COMO, UH, COMPONENT TO HELPING FIX SOME OF THE ISSUES WE'RE EXPERIENCING WITH THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.

I WAS WONDERING A COUPLE THINGS, UM, JUST OUT OF WHAT YOU HAD MENTIONED, YOU HAD MENTIONED THAT THERE'S A DRAFT FORM OF THE APPLICATION TO HAVE THOSE, UH, SANCTIONED ENCAMPMENTS PUT UP.

COULD YOU SEND THAT TO COUNSEL JUST THAT WE CAN REVIEW IT? SO WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IN REGARDS TO HB 1925.

UM, I'M ALSO WONDERING IF YOU WILL NEED ADDITIONAL DIRECTION FROM COUNCIL AFTER SEPTEMBER 1ST, IF THAT REQUIRES A REVISION OF THE RESOLUTION THAT COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO BROUGHT FORWARD.

SO I WILL WANT TO, UH, LOOK CLOSELY AT THE RESOLUTION, BUT MY SENSE IS THAT WITH INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS THAT STAFF HAS PROVIDED TO DATE, WE HAVE ACTUALLY COMPLETED THE DIRECTION IN THE RESOLUTION.

ANY FURTHER WORK WOULD REQUIRE, YOU KNOW, EITHER A RECOMMENDATION COMING FROM STAFF, OR AS I HAVE MENTIONED DIRECTION FROM COUNCIL TO CONTINUE.

SO I'M NOT SURE WE WOULD NEED TO CHANGE THE RESOLUTION, BUT IF COUNCIL HAS, UH, EXPLICITLY, FOR EXAMPLE, WANTS US TO PURSUE ANY OF THOSE CITY OWNED PROPERTIES, THAT IS SOMETHING I THINK WE WOULD LIKE

[03:40:01]

A COMMUNICATION ON.

THANK YOU FOR CLARITY ON THAT.

COULD YOU EXPLAIN TO US WHAT A TYPICAL TIMELINE WOULD LOOK LIKE FOR SETTING UP A SANCTION CAMPSITE, MAYBE THE AMOUNT OF DAYS INVOLVED, SOME OF, I MEAN, YOU'VE SENT US THE COST, SO I DON'T NEED THAT.

I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AS FAR AS A TIME INVESTMENT GOES.

SO I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, AT THE END, THE, THE, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE, UH, MICRO SHELTERS OR STRUCTURES CAN BE QUITE, UH, RAPID SO WE CAN HAVE MOBILE HYGIENE, UM, UH, TRAILERS, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE ARE ANY NUMBER OF SMALL SHELTERS, WHETHER THEY ARE SOFT SIDED OR HAR SIDED THAT CAN GO UP IN 30 DAYS.

THE LEAD TIME IS REALLY WHAT IS TIME CONSUMING.

WE HAVE TO ENSURE THAT THERE ARE UTILITIES, OF COURSE, TO THE SITE.

UH, IF THERE'S UTILITY WORK TO BE DONE, THAT CAN BE TIME-CONSUMING.

AND I THINK WHAT STAFF IDENTIFIED, UM, AND I WILL SAY THAT JERRY RUST , UM, AND, UH, AS WELL AS DIRECTOR MCNEELY AND BETH CULVER FROM DSD ARE WITH US.

IF YOU HAVE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS IS IF WE HAVE TO REZONE SITE PLANNING, REALLY THAT ENTITLEMENT PROCESS, UH, IS WHAT WE IDENTIFY WAS LIKELY TO TAKE AT LEAST SIX MONTHS FOR THESE PARTICULAR SITES.

THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING THAT BACKGROUND.

I WANT TO SAY THAT I DO AGREE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO THE STRATEGY HERE IS ONE THAT I'D LIKE TO PURSUE.

THE INDIVIDUAL SITES ARE DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE NEED TO TAKE CONSIDERATION FOR HERE ON COUNCIL, ESPECIALLY WITH THE IMPACT THAT IT WOULD HAVE FOR THE COMMUNITY THAT SURROUNDS IT.

AND HOMELESSNESS IS VERY PREVALENT HERE IN AUSTIN, AND I FIRMLY BELIEVE WE NEED AN INTERIM SOLUTION, BUT I ALSO WANT TO ENCOURAGE THE COMMUNITY TO BRING FORWARD THEIR IDEAS AND TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH COUNCIL, BECAUSE ANY INPUT IS BETTER THAN NO INPUT AND THE MORE COMMUNITY BUY-IN THE BETTER IN THIS SITUATION.

AND SOMETIMES SOME OF THE BEST IDEAS COME OUT OF THE COMMUNITY.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

AND, AND I WOULD, UM, I'LL JUST RE KIND OF REITERATE WHAT I SAID DURING THE, DURING THE LAST DISCUSSION ON THIS TOPIC, WHICH IS I REALLY WANT OUR STAFF'S TIME TO GO TO, UM, TO THOSE THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO HELP AS MANY PEOPLE AS LONGTERM AS WE, AS WE CAN, AND IF TINY HOUSES AND THOSE THINGS CAN, CAN HELP HIM BE A PART OF IT.

UH, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT AND, AND, AND SEE OPPORTUNITIES THERE AT THE SAME TIME.

I THINK THAT THERE ARE WAYS FOR US TO MOVE FASTER WITH THE HOTEL STRATEGY THAN SOMETIMES WE HAVE IN THE PAST, IN THIS CASE, UH, THE COUNTRY AND IN, YOU WERE ABLE TO MOBILIZE THAT IN D FOUR FOR THE HEAL INITIATIVE IN THE MATTER AND A MATTER OF DAYS.

AND SO, IF WE ARE ABLE TO, WHETHER THAT IS AN EXISTING SHELTERS, AS WE SEE THE CURVE OF COVID CASES, HOPEFULLY BE BROUGHT BACK DOWN, WHETHER IT'S OPENING UP NEW ROOMS THERE, WHETHER IT IS LEASED FACILITIES, WHETHER IT IS PURCHASES, WHETHER IT IS RAPIDLY, REHOUSING PEOPLE OUT OF THOSE HOTELS TO IMMEDIATELY CREATE A NEW ROOM THE DAY YOU REHOUSE SOMEONE.

I THINK FOR ME, IT IS LESS A COMMITMENT TO A SPECIFIC TYPE OF SHELTER AND MORE GIVEN THE LIMITED RESOURCES AND TIME IN THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE.

I WANT TO SEE US, UH, BE AS SUCCESSFUL AS YOU, AS WE CAN BE WITH UNDERSTANDING THAT WE ONLY HAVE ONE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICER, AND YOU DON'T HAVE THAT MANY, THAT MANY STAFF.

SO I WANT THINGS THAT WE CAN GET DONE AND THAT WILL GET PEOPLE HOUSED.

AND I THINK AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT IS GOING ON THIS WEEK IS HOW, IF WE OPEN UP SOME ROOMS AND RAPIDLY REHOUSE, SOME PEOPLE, THEN WE HAVE SPACE AND WE CAN BE MOVING PEOPLE MORE QUICKLY THROUGH.

SO WHETHER THAT MILLION DOLLARS IS AN RFI, OR IF IT IS GETTING THOSE 65 PEOPLE THAT ARE GETTING MOVED INTO THE HOTEL AND THE HOUSING.

SO THEN YOU'VE JUST GOT YOURSELF 65 MORE ROOMS. UM, UH, I WOULD FOLLOW YOUR, YOUR ADVICE AND YOUR RECOMMENDATION ON WITH YOUR LIMITED TIME, HOW IT IS THAT WE CAN HELP THE MOST PEOPLE.

AND I REALLY THINK WE NEED TO LET THEM DO WHAT THEY DO BEST AND LET US FOCUS ON SOME OF THE BIGGER ITEMS RIGHT NOW.

UM, THOSE, THOSE, ALL THESE IDEAS HAVE, HAVE SAT PRETTY WELL WITH ME.

I KNOW EVERYBODY IS REALLY TRYING TO GET TO A PLACE WHERE WE HAVE A ROBUST ENOUGH SYSTEM TO BE ABLE TO ASSIST ANYONE THAT HAS A CERTAIN NEED AT A CERTAIN TIME, BUT WHAT'S REALLY DIFFICULT UNTIL WE HAVE THIS SYSTEM BETTER SIZED.

FOR WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS THAT WE'RE BEING ASKED TO TELL PEOPLE THAT THIS IS A TEMPORARY ENCAMPMENT, THAT THERE'S A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME THAT THIS MAY BE IN A LOCATION.

AND WE CAN'T COMMIT TO THAT.

WE DON'T KNOW THAT IN TWO YEARS, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE WHAT THE NEXT STEP IS.

I WOULD BE MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE WITH SPENDING OUR LIMITED FINANCES AND RESOURCES.

IN THE MEANTIME, ON THINGS WE KNOW ARE GOING TO GET PEOPLE INTO HOUSING AND THEN TRY TO FIGURE OUT SOME OF THE SMALLER STEPS ALONG THE WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY HAS WHAT THEY NEED, AND EVERYBODY HAS WHAT THEY NEED WHILE THEY'RE THERE.

UM, YOU KNOW, AS I'VE SAID EARLIER, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF NONPROFIT GROUPS THAT WE'VE EVEN TALKED ABOUT TODAY AND WHAT GREAT WORK THEY'RE DOING IN OUR COMMUNITY.

UH, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO FEE WAIVERS AND, AND OTHER SORTS OF THINGS THAT WE CAN DO AT THE CITY LEVEL TO HELP THOSE NONPROFITS.

[03:45:02]

AND I KNOW, ESPECIALLY WITH THE SITE THAT WAS, UM, IDENTIFIED IN MY DISTRICT, I'M NOT SURE HOW MUCH IT WAS ON FOLKS' RADAR, THAT THERE WERE TWO SCHOOLS AND TWO DAYCARES NEARBY.

SO IT WAS VERY EARLY IN THE VETTING PROCESS.

WE KNOW THE INFORMATION WAS GIVEN GIVEN OUT, UM, BUT IT WASN'T CONFIRMED THAT THESE WOULD BE LOCATIONS.

AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS PROCESS WOULD LOOK LIKE.

UM, BUT IT OBVIOUSLY HAS A LOT OF ANGLES AND ASSESSMENTS THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.

AND WE DON'T HAVE ALL THE TIME AND MONEY IN THE WORLD TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS.

OUR HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE WORKS VERY HARD AS YOU CAN SEE, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR USE AND THE DOLLARS THAT WE CAN ALLOT TO IT ARE USED RESPONSIBLY AND ARE USED IN WAYS THAT ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO HELP CONNECT PEOPLE INTO HOUSING RATHER THAN ENDING UP WITH A PRELIMINARY STEP THAT JUST GETS STUCK.

AND SO THAT'S WHAT I'M UNCOMFORTABLE WITH UNCOMFORTABLE WITH AT THIS POINT IN TIME.

UM, BUT I CERTAINLY KNOW WE ALL HAVE DIFFERENT ANGLES.

WE ALL HAVE PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IN OUR DISTRICTS, NO MATTER IF WE HAVE A LOT OF RESOURCES ALREADY OR NOT.

UM, AND SO IT IS, IT IS A COMPLEX PROBLEM.

AND SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT DOING A BANDAID TACTIC THAT JUST GETS STUCK THERE INSTALLS NOW.

AND THEN WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE NEXT STEP IS.

I THINK WE OWE IT TO THE COMMUNITY IF, AND WHEN THEY ARE ABLE TO STEP UP AND SUPPORT SOMETHING NEAR THEM AND COME OUT AND IDENTIFY WHETHER IT'S A PRIVATE BUSINESS THAT WANTS TO STEP UP, WHETHER IT'S A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT SAYS, HEY, WE'VE IDENTIFIED SOMETHING WE'RE COMFORTABLE WITH.

WE SHOULD BE LISTENING TO THAT.

UM, WHEN WE JUST DON'T HAVE ENOUGH OF THE STEPS ALONG THE WAY RIGHT NOW TO REALLY KNOW THAT WHAT WE'RE TELLING PEOPLE, IT WOULD LOOK LIKE IS ACTUALLY GOING TO PAN OUT THAT WAY OR THAT THOSE LOCATIONS WOULD EVEN END UP BEING SELECTED.

SO I THINK WE JUST REALLY NEED TO LOOK AT THIS COMPREHENSIVELY AND USE OUR TIME AND MONEY WISELY.

AND I, FOR ME, I DON'T SEE, UM, YOU KNOW, QUICK SET UP TEMPORARY ENCAMPMENTS AS SOMETHING THAT WILL ULTIMATELY END UP COST-EFFECTIVE AND TEMPORARY.

AND SO I REALLY NEED TO BE CONFIDENT OF THAT BEFORE ANYTHING MOVES FORWARD AND IN MY OPINION.

GREAT, THANK YOU.

AND TO BUILD OFF OF WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS IS SAYING, I TOO HAVE SOME RESERVATIONS AT, FOR A SANCTIONED ENCAMPMENT SITE STRATEGY.

I THINK EVEN IF WE WENT THROUGH AN RFP RFI PROCESS TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY WHO WOULD LIKE TO STEP FORWARD AND OFFER THEIR PIECE OF PROPERTY, THEIR PIECE OF LAND, UM, AND WE GO THROUGH THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, BUT WE STILL MIGHT HA HAVE NEIGHBORHOOD TOO EITHER DON'T WANT THAT IN THEIR AREA OR THE PROPERTY THAT IS OFFERED MIGHT BE NEAR SCHOOLS OR NEAR DAYCARE.

AND IT'S ALMOST LIKE WE'RE BACK HERE AT THE SAME PLACE.

UM, SO I WONDER IF OUR TIME AND INVESTMENT IS BETTER SPENT ON OTHER TYPES OF STRATEGIES THAT ARE PROVEN AND EFFECTIVE.

AN EXAMPLE THAT I WOULD LOVE FOR US TO CONSIDER IS THE COMMUNITY FIRST VILLAGE EXPANSION.

IT IS HAPPENING RIGHT OUTSIDE OF MY DISTRICT PHASE FOUR, THAT'LL BE IN SOUTHEAST AND THE ETJ PORTION ON COUNTY LAND, BUT I WOULD LOVE FOR US TO CONSIDER, UH, INVESTING IN THAT MODEL TO SEE IF WE CAN HELP ACCELERATE THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TINY HOMES AND THE SERVICES THAT THEY PROVIDE.

I THINK THOSE ARE OTHER STRATEGIES THAT WE SHOULD ALSO LAY OUT ON THE TABLE FOR US TO CONSIDER, UH, AND, AND SHOULD BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION AS WELL.

SO I WOULD, I WOULD ALSO ADD, UH, MS. GRAY, THAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR DIRECTION FROM THE COUNCIL.

UH, AND I THINK WE'RE ALSO LOOKING TO YOU TO THE MANAGERS OR PROFESSIONAL STAFF.

SO IF THERE'S AN INDICATED ACTION, ALL OF VARIABLES CONSIDERED THAT YOU THINK WE SHOULD FOLLOW, UH, PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT WE, THAT WE KNOW THAT I THINK YOU TALKED A LITTLE BIT MORE AT THE COMMITTEE HERE YESTERDAY IN TERMS OF WHAT YOUR SUGGESTED DIRECTION WOULD BE.

UH, BUT I THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE COUNCIL SHOULD ALSO SHOULD ALSO HAVE OTHER THAN JUST PRESENTING THE FACTS TO US AND ASKING US TO GIVE YOU GUIDANCE, BE ONE DIRECTION, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, READ THE AREA THAT COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO.

THANK YOU, MERIT DAN, UH, YOU KNOW, BEFORE WE WERE INTO A COVID SHUT DOWN, UH, WE WERE DISCUSSING WITH THE DOWNTOWN, UH, COMMISSION, UH, ABOUT BUILDING IN A, UM, A BARRICK TYPE THAT COULD HOUSE CLOSE TO 300 PEOPLE.

I WONDER, HAVE THAT GONE ANYWHERE, OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT JUST, WE LOST THAT OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED WITH COVID? SO COUNCIL MEMBER I'LL WANT TO REACH OUT TO DAA TO MAKE SURE THAT

[03:50:01]

THIS IS ACCURATE.

I KNOW THAT OBVIOUSLY THEY ELECTED NOT TO MOVE INTO THAT DIRECTION BECAUSE OF COVID.

I BELIEVE THAT SOME OF THE DOLLARS THEY HAD FUNDRAISED FOR THAT PURPOSE MAY BE PART OF WHAT THEY UTILIZE TO SUPPORT THE EXPANSION OF THE INTERNAL CARE AND DAK, UH, INTERVENTION THAT MOBILE MENTAL HEALTH TEAM.

UH, BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY CHECK IN WITH HIM TO SEE WHERE THEY ARE ON THAT FRONT.

I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, UH, THERE WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY AND A LOT OF THE HOMELESS PEOPLE WERE DOWNTOWN.

SO, UH, THEY WERE, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH THAT.

SO I'M TRYING TO FIND A SOLUTION TO THE, TO THE HOMELESS PROBLEM IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.

AND I'M VERY INTERESTED IN TO SEE IF THAT'S STILL AN OPTION, BECAUSE IT WAS ONLY GOING TO COST ABOUT THREE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS, UH, TO BUILD UP A BEAR TYPE SHELTER.

AND, UM, IF WE COULD DO THAT, THAT WOULD BE REALLY GREAT, KATHY TOE.

THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER RECTORY.

I APPRECIATE YOU.

I APPRECIATE YOU RAISING THAT.

AND I THINK IT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S CERTAINLY IMPORTANT CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR, FOR VARIOUS OPTIONS.

YOU KNOW, ALSO PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC, WE HAD TALKED ABOUT CREATING AN EMERGENCY SHELTER AND, YOU KNOW, WHILE I CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THE BEST PRACTICE ADVICE, UM, AND, AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEED TO NOT OVERLY INVEST IN THOSE EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS, WHAT WE'VE LEARNED IN THIS COMMUNITY IS THAT THAT DOESN'T ALWAYS PROVIDE THE RIGHT BALANCE.

I, I KNOW THAT WE NEED THOSE EMERGENCY OPTIONS AND APOLOGIES TO THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE IN YESTERDAY'S PUBLIC HEALTH MEETING.

CAUSE I'M PROBABLY GOING TO REPEAT MYSELF, BUT, YOU KNOW, AS A DISTRICT THAT HAD, UM, I MEAN, THERE WERE A COUPLE OF DISTRICTS THAT HAD VERY LARGE DESIGNATED UNDESIGNATED ENCAMPMENTS AS A RESULT OF, OF THIS COUNCIL'S POLICY DECISION.

AND SO I KNOW FIRSTHAND THAT THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH IDENTIFIED PLACES FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS TO GO AND WHAT, WHAT WE ARE NOW FACED WITH IT, AERATION WHERE THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUALS, SEVERAL THOUSAND INDIVIDUALS LIKELY ARE MOVING TO OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY AND WE'RE NOW TASKING, UM, APD AND, AND THE DECK WITH MANAGING THAT RESPONSE.

AND SO I HOPE THAT WE WILL ALSO KEEP IN KEEP TRACK OF WHAT THOSE EXPENSES ARE, UM, BECAUSE THE COSTS OF THOSE, YOU KNOW, THOSE HAVE A REAL COST AS WELL, AND IT'S NOT JUST A FINANCIAL COST, BUT IT'S OBVIOUSLY A REAL EMOTIONAL COST AND PROBABLY A PHYSICAL COST ON THE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE GOING TO NEED TO BE MOVED FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, AT THE END OF THE DAY, I APPRECIATE THE RESERVATIONS ABOUT HAVING DESIGNATED ENCAMPMENTS, UM, FROM A COST PERSPECTIVE, AS WELL AS, UM, SOME OF THE OTHER ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED, BUT WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T, UM, WE MUST ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE'S A COST TO NOT PROVIDING THEM AS WELL, BECAUSE WE KNOW WE HAVE SEVERAL, SEVERAL THOUSAND INDIVIDUALS, UM, WHO, WHO DO NOT HAVE A PLACE TO GO RIGHT NOW.

SO AGAIN, I APPRECIATE IT, STAFF.

I KNOW YOU'RE WORKING AS HARD AS YOU CAN TO CREATE THOSE PERMANENT PERMANENT HOUSING OPTIONS AND THE BRIDGE OPTIONS.

AND I THINK THE QUESTION BEFORE US REALLY IS, DO WE NEED THOSE OTHER EMERGENCY OPTIONS RIGHT AWAY? AND DO WE, DO WE WANT TO INVEST IN THEM? AND IF SO, WHAT DO THOSE LOOK LIKE? UM, DO WE HAVE THE RIGHT, DO WE HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS IN OUR TOOLBOX? SO DO WE NEED TO CONSIDER SOME OF THOSE OTHERS? AND I CERTAINLY SUPPORT CONTINUING, CONTINUING TO DO THE WORK THAT THIS COUNCIL HAS DONE AND INVESTING IN COMMUNITY FIRST.

I KNOW MANY, MANY IN OUR COMMUNITY SUPPORT THAT, AND I JUST WANT TO REMIND THE PUBLIC.

WE HAVE, WE HAVE, UM, SPONSORED FEW WAIVERS W THAT IS PRIMARILY BUILT THROUGH, THROUGH PRIVATE SUPPORT AND, UM, OTHER SUPPORT THAT COMMUNITY FIRST HAS GARNERED, BUT WE HAVE, AS A CITY PROVIDED, PROVIDED SOME FEE WAIVERS AND THEN OUR STAFF CAME FORWARD AND, AND, UM, PROVIDED MORE FEE WAIVERS.

SO THAT'S ABSOLUTELY A MODEL THAT, THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING.

WE'RE SUPPORTING A LOT OF GOOD MODELS HERE AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

I THINK THE QUESTION IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHETHER WE NEED TO LOOK, LOOK TO OTHER EMERGENCY OPTIONS AND INVEST IN THEM.

UH, WE HAVE TO GET TO SOME OF THE OTHER ITEMS, MAYOR PRO TEM I'LL BE BRIEF AND MUCH LIKE MY, MY COLLEAGUE JUST, UH, WE, WE COVERED A LOT OF THIS YESTERDAY AND THE, UH, IN OUR MEETING, UH, I, I WILL REITERATE, UM, UH, UNLESS SOMEBODY IS, UH, OPEN TO BEING CANDID ENOUGH TO SAY OTHERWISE, I'M PRETTY SURE I'M THE ONLY COUNCIL MEMBER THAT SITS ON THIS DIES.

THAT'S EXPERIENCED HOMELESSNESS ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, UM, THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF MY LIFE.

UM, THAT SAID, I, I CANNOT BE MORE PASSIONATE ABOUT THE SUBJECT MATTER.

UM, I, UNFORTUNATELY, I'M NOT FEELING

[03:55:01]

WELL.

UM, SO THAT SAID, I, AS MUCH AS I WOULD LIKE TO SAY ABOUT THE SUBJECT MATTER, UM, I'M GONNA, UM, BE MORE RESERVED, UH, WOULD LIKE TO SAY THIS, UH, LIKE WE DISCUSSED DURING THE COURSE OF OUR CONVERSATION BOTH YESTERDAY DURING THE COURSE OF OUR HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE MEETING.

UM, AND THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE CONVERSATION TODAY, I JUST CANNOT BE MORE DELIBERATE ABOUT SAYING IF WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE MENTAL HEALTH COMPONENT, I HONESTLY THINK WE'RE MISSING THE MARK.

UM, SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE TO, TO REITERATE THAT, UM, AND THERE ARE SEVERAL THINGS, BUT I CAN DO SO OFFLINE.

UM, BUT IF WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT PART, WE'RE MISSING THE MARK.

SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU NEED MORE DIRECTION FROM US.

SHE STARTED OUT ASKING YOU FOR DIRECTION.

IF YOU HAVE ALL THE DIRECTION YOU NEED, IF NOT, YOU NEED TO COME BACK WITH A SPECIFIC REQUEST, IF IT'S DIFFERENT THAN THE DIRECTION THAT YOU GOT, OR IF YOU'RE FOR GUIDANCE OR IF YOUR ADVICE OR SUGGESTIONS WOULD IN ANY WAY, BE DIFFERENT FROM WHAT YOU HEARD HERE TODAY, PLEASE GET BACK TO US WITH, WITH YOUR OPINIONS AND DIRECTION.

OTHERWISE, WE WOULD ASSUME THAT THAT WHAT WE SAID TODAY IS YOURS.

AND I WOULD JUST ASK, UM, I'M NOT SURE THAT I HEARD CLARITY ON WHAT OUR DIRECTION IS AND, UM, PERHAPS, UM, WELL, I WOULD JUST REALLY ASK THE CITY MANAGER IF IT'S NOT CLEAR, LET US KNOW, AND ALSO TELL US WHAT OUR DIRECTION WAS.

CAUSE I'M NOT SURE WE ALL HEARD THE SAME THING, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF WHAT OUR DIRECTION IS.

SO IT'S A GOOD POINT.

IF YOU COULD JUST LET US KNOW WHAT DIRECTION YOU'RE FOLLOWING, OR IF YOU DON'T THINK YOU HAVE SUFFICIENT DIRECTION, COME BACK TO US, BUT OTHERWISE LET US KNOW AND THE COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS THAT WE'RE DOING A LITTLE BIT.

THE DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION DIVISION.

THANK YOU, MANAGER.

HI GUYS.

LET'S GO TO THE NEXT, UH, UH, ELEMENT HERE.

SO I BELIEVE ROSIE TRUELOVE AND HER TEAM WILL BE JOINING US IF WE COULD PUT UP THE SLIDES FOR THE DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION UNIT.

AND I SEE ROSIE ON THE LINE, SO SHE SHOULD BE JOINING US.

DIRECTOR.

TRUE LOVE.

I DON'T MEAN TO CUT YOU OFF A CHAIR.

COULD I PLEASE? YES.

APPARENTLY SOMEBODY CALLED IT THE JUMBO-TRON.

SO I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT Y'ALL SEE ON YOUR ED, BUT MAY APPARENTLY LIKE SNEEZING AND WIPING MY NOSE.

IT'S DISGUSTING.

AND SO I'M JUST GONNA, I AM HERE, I'M PRESENT, BUT I AM GOING TO, I'M GOING TO MUTE MY CAMERA.

I UNDERSTOOD.

THANK YOU, ROSIE.

YOU WANT TO TAKE US THROUGH THE PRESENTATION? WE CAN'T HEAR YOU ROSIE.

IF YOU'RE TRYING TO TALK ROSIE MIGHT BE GOING OFF AND COMING BACK ON.

ROSIE IS GOING TO RETURN.

UM, I BELIEVE SHE WAS GOING TO BEGIN THE FIRST PORTION.

NEVER.

TD JACKMAN IS ALSO ON, UM, NEFERTITI.

WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO BEGIN? OR WAS ROSIE GOING TO BEGIN? SHE'S GOING TO BEGIN.

I WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU CAN HEAR ME CLEARLY THOUGH.

YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU.

YOU HAVE TO SPEAK UP THOUGH.

[04:00:01]

I'LL MAKE SURE I DO THAT.

I SEE ROSIE'S BOX.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YES, WE CAN.

I'M SO SORRY.

AND MY, MY OTHER COMPUTER FOR IT.

SO I SWITCHED DEVICES IN HERE.

I AM STARTING AGAIN.

UH, SO MY APOLOGIES FOR THAT.

UM, CAN I GET THE NEXT SLIDE ON THE PRESENTATION PLEASE? UH, SO I, I WANTED TO, ALL RIGHT, SO WE HAVE TROUBLE.

DO PEOPLE HAVE TROUBLE HEARING YOU ON THE DIET DESK? DID YOU GET CLOSE TO THE BREAK? UM, I AM AS CLOSE AS I CAN GET TO THIS PARTICULAR MICROPHONE.

KEVIN, CAN WE TURN UP THAT VOLUME? IS THAT ANY BETTER? YES.

AND, UM, AND HOW THAT LANGUAGE IS BEING INTERPRETED.

SO I'M HERE TODAY TO, UH, GO OVER SOME OF OUR DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION STRATEGIES THAT WE HAVE, AND IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, WE CERTAINLY WON'T GO THROUGH THE, ALL OF THE DIFFERENT 15 DIFFERENT STRATEGIC PRIORITIES THAT WE HAVE, BUT I WANTED TO SHARE THEM WITH YOU SO THAT YOU COULD SEE SOME OF THE PROGRESS THAT WE HAVE BEEN MAKING.

UM, THE HOUSING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT ADOPTED THESE PRIORITIES BACK IN 2019, UM, RESULTING FROM THE WORK OF THE ANTI-DISPLACEMENT TASK FORCE THAT OCCURRED IN 2018 AND, AND WORKING WITH THE INNOVATION OFFICE WHERE WE CONSOLIDATED 600 PLUS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MULTIPLE EFFORTS, INCLUDING THE MAYOR'S TASK FORCE ON, ON STRUCTURAL RACISM AND SYSTEMIC INEQUITIES, UH, THE PEOPLE'S PLAN AND THE ANTI-DISPLACEMENT TASK FORCE IN 20 19 20 20, WE CREATED OUR FIRST EVER DISPLACEMENT DIVISION AND, UH, HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HIRE AN FTE.

JACKMAN IS OUR FIRST DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION OFFICER, UH, WITHIN THE HOUSING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT.

UH, OUR COVID-19 FOCUSED EFFORTS HAVE BEEN ON TENANT STABILIZATION, INCLUDING EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE THROUGH OUR RENT PROGRAM.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO THIS CONTINUES OUR, UM, OUR 15 STRATEGIC PRIORITIES, IF I COULD GET THE NEXT SLIDE AFTER THAT.

UM, SO THIS IS SPECIFICALLY IN RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS THAT HAVE COME UP ABOUT, UH, PROJECT CONNECT AND OUR ANTI-DISPLACEMENT FUNDING.

UM, THE, AS AUTHORIZED IN THE CONTRACT WITH THE VOTERS BACK IN NOVEMBER, WE HAVE $300 MILLION IN ANTI-DISPLACEMENT FUNDING ASSOCIATED WITH PROJECT CONNECT.

AND THIS OF COURSE PRESENTS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE CITY TO ADDRESS DISPLACEMENT ISSUES THAT CAN RESULT FROM TRANSIT INVESTMENT.

THE CONTRACT WITH THE VOTERS ARTICULATE THE CITY'S INTENTIONS AND AFFIRMS THAT THE NEW EQUITY TOOL WILL GUIDE THE DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION, UH, INVESTMENTS.

WE HAVE WORKED IN CONCERT WITH THE EQUITY OFFICE AND THE COMMUNITY, SPECIFICALLY PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY DISPLACEMENT TO CREATE THE EQUITY TOOL.

AND THIS TOOL IS NOW, UM, COMPLETED.

AND WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF ROLLING IT OUT TO, UH, TO THE PUBLIC, TO COUNCIL, INTO CITY.

UM INTO CITY OFFICES.

UH, THE EQUITY TOOL WILL GUIDE OUR INVESTMENT INTO PROGRAMS IN REAL ESTATE OVER THE 13 YEAR PERIOD FOR TIMEFRAME OF THE PROJECT CONNECT PROJECT PRIORITY USES IDENTIFIED THROUGH THE PROJECT CONNECT TOOL.

CO-CREATION PROCESS INCLUDE A RANGE OF POTENTIAL PROGRAMS SUCH AS INVESTING IN BLACK INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF COLOR BUSINESSES, STRENGTHENING TENANTS, UH, CULTIVATING HIGH-QUALITY JOBS, INVESTMENT IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING, ALONG TRANSIT LINES AND FISCAL AND FISCAL YEAR 22.

UH, WE WILL BEGIN TO DEPLOY OUR FIRST TRAUNCH OF FUNDING AND CONFORMANCE WITH THE EQUITY TOOL AND IN CONSULTATION WITH THE COMMUNITY.

AND WE, UH, BUT TO DO THIS, WE WILL REQUIRE, UH, WE HOPE TO, UH, TO HAVE ADDITIONAL FUND, UH, STAFF TO DEPLOY THIS FUNDING EFFICIENTLY, EFFECTIVELY, AND TRANSPARENTLY AS HAS BEEN OUTLINED IN THE PROJECT, UH, CONNECT CONTRACT WITH THE VOTERS.

CAN I GET THE NEXT SLIDE PLEASE? SO CURRENTLY WITHIN OUR ANTI-DISPLACEMENT OR, OR DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION DIVISION, WE HAVE FOUR FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES AND FOUR TEMPORARY STAFF.

UH, ONE IS THE FOUR TEMPORARY STAFF.

ONE IS A FUSE FELLOW AND THREE ARE, UM, FUNDED TEMPORARILY OUT OF THE HOUSING TRUST FUND, UH, TO SUPPLEMENT THEIR SALARIES REALLY SPECIFICALLY PROVIDING PROGRAM SUPPORT AND ENGAGEMENT ALONG THE LINES OF IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR REC PROGRAM, WHICH AS YOU KNOW, IS FEDERALLY FUNDED.

UM, WE HAVE PUT TOGETHER A STAFFING PROPOSAL TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL 11 FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT, UH, TO HELP IMPLEMENT THE PROJECT CONNECT WORK, UH, FOR DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION.

UH, WE HAVE WORKED COLLABORATIVELY WITH THE, THE, THE LAW DEPARTMENT AND THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT AND THE, THE CURRENT RECOMMENDED SOURCE OF FUNDING FOR THAT, FOR THOSE, UH, FTES WILL BE THE 300 MILLION, UM, ANTI-DISPLACEMENT DOLLARS, UM, BASED ON HOW THE, THE, THE LANGUAGE OF THE CONTRACT WITH THE VOTERS

[04:05:01]

THAT IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE FUNDING SOURCE FOR THOSE FTES.

AND SO WE ARE WORKING COLLABORATIVELY WITH THE BUDGET OFFICE TO PREPARE, UH, A STAFF BUDGET AMENDMENT, UH, TO BE CONSIDERED NEXT WEEK WITH THE ADOPTION OF THE BUDGET THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO, TO BRING IN 11 ADDITIONAL FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES TO HELP, UH, IMPLEMENT THE WORK OF THE ANTI-DISPLACEMENT PROGRAM.

UM, THAT'S THE END OF THE SHORT PRESENTATION.

I KNOW THERE WERE QUESTIONS, AND SO I WOULD TURN IT BACK TO THE DIOCESE TO POST THOSE QUESTIONS, EVERY KITCHEN.

UM, UH, THANK YOU, MISS TWO LOVE.

YES, I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.

UH, FIRST, LET ME JUST ASK YOU, UM, UM, THIS IS A BIT OF AN ASIDE TO THE BUDGET, SO YOU CAN JUST TELL ME THE TIMING AND IN THE SETTING TO GET THIS INFORMATION.

I HAD ASKED A WHILE BACK FOR THE TIMELINE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ANTI-DISPLACEMENT STRATEGIES.

UH, AND I WANTED, I ASKED TO SEE THAT TIMELINE LINED UP WITH THE PROJECT CONNECT TIMELINE FOR THE DIFFERENT PROJECTS.

SO, AND I APOLOGIZE IF I'VE MISSED IT, BUT I HAVEN'T THAT YET.

AND SO IF YOU COULD, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN TELL ME OFFLINE, BUT, UM, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS AND ROLLOUT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL STRATEGIES WITH THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND WHICH NEIGHBORHOODS, BECAUSE AS WE ALL KNOW, PROJECT CONNECT IS THEY'VE ALREADY, THEY'RE ALREADY DOING A LOT OF PLANNING ALONG THE ORANGE LINE AND THE BLUE LINE, AND I SUSPECT THERE ARE AREAS ALONG BOTH OF THOSE LINES THAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR ANTI-DISPLACEMENT, UM, STRATEGIES.

SO I THINK, UM, I, I THINK I'D LIKE TO SEE, I'VE ASKED HER THIS BEFORE.

I NEED TO SEE A TIMELINE SO THAT I CAN UNDERSTAND HOW WE'RE IN SYNC SO THAT WE WON'T BE BEHIND THE CURVE, UH, IN TERMS OF THE ANTI-DISPLACEMENT STRATEGIES.

SO, UM, CAN YOU JUST TELL ME WHEN AND HOW WE COULD GET A BRIEFING ON THAT? UH, I'M HAPPY TO WORK WITH YOU OFFLINE ON THAT.

UH, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE WORKING ON CREATING RIGHT NOW, HAVING JUST REALLY IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, COMPLETED THE WORK ON THE EQUITY TOOL AND RECOGNIZING THAT, UM, THE EQUITY TOOL IS INTENDED TO GUIDE ALL OF THE DECISION-MAKING, UH, THAT IS THE NEXT ASPECT OF WHAT WE'LL BE LOOKING TOWARDS.

AND SO WE CAN PUT TOGETHER SOME, SOME INFORMATION AND SHARE THAT WITH YOUR OFFICE.

I THINK I'D LIKE A BRIEFING, SO, UM, WE WE'LL GET THAT.

WE'LL GET THAT SCHEDULED.

IF ANYONE WANTS TO JOIN ME, THAT WOULD BE FINE, BUT, UM, REALLY NEED TO SEE THAT TIMELINE.

SO, OKAY.

SO NOW BACK ON THE BUDGET THEN, SO A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.

SO THE IT'S, UH, DID I GET IT RIGHT AS A 11 ADDITIONAL STAFF THAT ARE NEEDED FOR THAT? THAT IS CORRECT.

SO, AND, UM, UH, CITY MANAGER, I AM GOING TO REQUEST A, UM, IN MAYOR AND REQUESTING AN EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS FROM A LEGAL PERSPECTIVE.

I UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, THAT THE REASON THAT THE 300 MILLION HAS BEEN, IS BEING LOOKED TO AS THE PLACE TO GET THE STAFFING IS BECAUSE OF SOME INTERPRETATIONS FROM LAW.

UM, I HAVE A LOT OF CONCERNS ABOUT THOSE INTERPRETATIONS.

I ALSO THINK THAT THIS IS A MATTER FOR THE COUNCIL TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT AS A WHOLE AND, UM, AND FOR THE COUNCIL TO CONCLUDE THE EXTENT TO WHICH WE EITHER ACCEPT OR FEEL LIKE WE, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK IT'S JUST AN INTERPRETATION THAT THE, THE COUNCIL NEEDS TO DISCUSS, UH, MY CONCERN ABOUT TAKING 11 STAFF POSITIONS OVER THE NEXT X NUMBER OF YEARS OUT OF THE 300 MILLION IS, IS WHAT IT DOES TO THAT ABILITY TO HAVE THOSE DOLLARS AVAILABLE FOR, FOR NEIGHBORHOODS TO, TO WORK ON ANTI-DISPLACEMENT STRATEGIES.

UM, BECAUSE, UH, AND I WOULD LIKE TO ALSO, SO LET ME ASK YOU THIS, UM, IS TRUE LEVEL.

WHAT IS THE TOTAL DOLLAR AMOUNT? THANK YOU FOR THAT.

I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT SAYING THAT EARLIER.

UM, WHAT WE ANTICIPATE RIGHT NOW, WHILE WE HAVE NOT FINALIZED THE EXACT, UM, TITLES, THIS IS, THIS HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT IS, HAS COME UP JUST IN THE VERY, THE VERY LAST COUPLE OF DAYS.

UM, WHERE WERE WE? WE ARE POSITIONED AT A POSITION WHERE WE CAN MOVE THIS FORWARD.

UM, WE'RE ANTICIPATING ABOUT $1.1 MILLION A YEAR FOR THE 11, UH, FTES.

UM, AND THAT, THAT WOULD EQUATE TO LESS THAN 5% MORE LIKE AROUND FOUR AND A HALF PERCENT OF THE TOTAL 300 MILLION IN IMPLEMENTATION COSTS.

SO THAT'S ABOUT YOUR, YOUR, UH, DETERMINING THAT OVER, OVER THE LIFE OF THE GRANT.

POSSIBLY MORE IN THE FUTURE.

OVER THE 13 YEARS OR THE 13 YEARS.

SO THAT'S ABOUT 13, 13, 14 MILLION

[04:10:02]

CAUSE THAT'S 1.1 THIS YEAR.

IT'S IN REALLY, I SHOULD'VE SAID COUNCIL MEMBER IT'S OVER 12 YEARS BECAUSE WAS ONE WAS CONSIDERED LAST YEAR.

SO IT'S, I'M, I'M ESTIMATING IT AT ABOUT 1.1 MILLION FOR 12 YEARS, WHICH IS ABOUT 4.6 RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, WITH ESCALATIONS, IT PROBABLY WOULD END UP BEING AROUND FIVE.

UM, BUT IT'S, YOU KNOW, GENERALLY WHEN WE LOOK ACROSS, UH, PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION, IT'S, IT'S ON THE LOW END FOR EXPENSE OF THIS NATURE.

IT MAY BE ON THE LOW END IN TERMS OF A PERCENTAGE, BUT THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING IN HOMES ALONG THESE LINES AND ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR ABILITY TO STAY IN THOSE HOMES.

SO, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, THIS IS NOT THE PLACE TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE INTERPRETATION.

WE'LL DO THAT IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.

UM, I THINK THERE'S A REASONABLE INTERPRETATION THAT, THAT THOSE STAFFING COSTS SHOULD COME OUT OF THE TOTAL TAX REVENUE FOR PROJECT CONNECT, UH, WHICH IS A MUCH BIGGER POT OF SEVEN SOMETHING BILLION DOLLARS.

SO RATHER THAN TAKING, TAKING MONEY AWAY FROM, UH, ANTI-DISPLACEMENT STRATEGIES FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE ABILITY TO TAKE THESE DOLLARS OUT OF THE WHOLE PROJECT CONNECT TAX REVENUE.

SO I JUST WANT TO LET MY COLLEAGUES KNOW THAT, UH, THAT THAT'S THE CONVERSATION THAT I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE AND UNDERSTAND WHAT MY COLLEAGUES THINK ABOUT THAT, UM, FOR PURPOSES OF THE BUDGET.

I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN RESOLVE THIS QUESTION FOR PURPOSES OF THE BUDGET.

SO, UM, I, WE CAN TAKE IT OFFLINE.

UM, WE OBVIOUSLY NEED THESE 11 FTES.

MY THOUGHT IS THAT THE, THE PAYMENT COMES OUT OF PROJECT CONNECT TAX REVENUE AS A WHOLE, NOT OUT OF THE 300 MILLION.

UM, BUT WE NEED SOME BACKUP IF THERE'S SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THAT.

SO I WILL BE CONSIDERING, UH, WHAT WE NEED TO DO FOR THIS BUDGET.

UM, IS YOUR THINKING, CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE RAMP UP? IS THIS 11 FTES TO HIRE IMMEDIATELY, OR WHAT'S YOUR THINKING ABOUT YOUR NEED FOR THAT? WE WOULDN'T WANT TO STAGGER BRINGING ON THESE, THESE POSITIONS? UH, WE WOULD LOOK THROUGH, UH, BASED ON THE, THE EARLY IMPLEMENTATION ASPECTS THAT WE ANTICIPATE, UH, FOR THIS COMING FISCAL YEAR.

AND WE WOULD WANT TO STAFF UP ACCORDINGLY RECOGNIZING THAT WE WOULDN'T GO OUT AND HIRE 11 FTES IN THE FIRST MONTH OF THE FISCAL YEAR THAT WE WOULD STAGGER IT SO THAT WE'RE ABLE TO, TO GET GOOD HIRING PROCESSES AND NOT OVERWHELM, UM, EVEN OUR HUMAN RESOURCES STAFF IN THAT PROCESS.

SO IT WOULD BE STAGGERED OVER THE COURSE OF THE FIRST, UM, HALF OF THE FISCAL YEAR.

COULD, COULD YOU JUST PROVIDE ME WITH A DOLLAR AMOUNT? UM, IF WE WERE TO CONSIDER, UM, OUR, OUR BUDGET AS A BACKUP, UM, AND WHAT THAT DOLLAR AMOUNT WOULD BE FOR THIS YEAR? I WILL, WELL, WHAT I PRINTED OUT, UM, CUT OFF THE DOLLAR AMOUNT.

AND SO I, YOU COULD USE, UM, 1.1 MILLION AS AN APPROXIMATE.

I THINK IT'S 1.1 MILLION AND SOME CHANGE.

UM, I HAVE TO GET THE EXACT DOLLAR AMOUNT THAT GOT CUT OFF ON MY SPREADSHEET AND THEN ACCOUNT, BUT THAT, I THOUGHT THAT WAS 1.1 EVERY YEAR FOR A FULL YEAR.

UH, BUT DO YOU NEED THE FULL YEAR FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR? UM, I WOULD HAVE TO GO BACK AND REALLY LOOK TO SEE, UH, IF WE WERE TO STAGGER HIRING, I DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION READILY AVAILABLE BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE TO CONSULT WITH THE TEAM.

WELL, I'M NOT, I'M NOT SUGGESTING THAT YOU NEED TO STAGGER HIRING.

I MEAN, YOU OBVIOUSLY WANT TO GET THE FOLKS ON BOARD AS SOON AS YOU CAN, BUT IF YOU, IF YOU ARE, IF YOU'RE THINKING OF SPACING, IT THAT'S WHAT I'D WANT TO UNDERSTAND.

CAUSE I WOULD WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE NEED IS FOR THE FIRST YEAR, FOR THIS YEAR, RIGHT.

FOR THIS YEAR, I WOULD WANT TO RECOMMEND BRINGING IN ALL 11 FTES, JUST STAGGERED OVER THE COURSE OF THE FALL OF THE FIRST FISCAL YEAR.

AND IF YOU STAGGER IT OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR, 1.1 IS THE AMOUNT THAT YOU WOULD NEED.

1.1.

AND IS THE ANNUALIZED AMOUNT.

AND SO WE WOULD LOOK AT A PERCENTAGE OF THAT 1.1.

THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT PERCENTAGE IS.

AND, AND I'LL, I'LL WORK ON GETTING THAT INFORMATION BACK TO YOU.

LET'S REMEMBER THAT WE HAVE A CONVERSATION OR EXECUTIVE SESSION.

I, IT WOULD BE WA IT'D BE GOOD TO, WELL, OKAY.

WE'LL JUST FIGURE IT OUT WHEN, WHEN, OKAY.

COLLEAGUES.

WHAT, WHAT ESTIMATED COSTS DO YOU HAVE FOR THAT KIND OF PROGRAM THAT WOULD LARGELY BE, UM, WOULD BE COST ASSOCIATED WITH MARKETING AND OUTREACH, UH, AND POTENTIALLY, UM, EMPLOYEES TO REALLY DIRECTLY CONCENTRATED FOCUS THAT OUTREACH? UM, I, I DON'T KNOW THAT I HAVE AN ESTIMATE OF THAT, UM, OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT I WILL CERTAINLY GET BACK TO YOU BY THE END OF THE DAY ON, ON WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE.

THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION DIRECTORS WHO LOVE AS FAR AS, UH, THE FUNDING NEEDED TO DO GOOD PROGRAMMING FOR RIGHT TO STAY IN RIGHT TO RETURN PROGRAMS. THAT IS THE OUTREACH TO THE COMMUNITY.

UM, UH, THE OTHER STAFFING COST TO MAKE THAT REALLY WORK BECAUSE I KNOW SOMETHING WE'VE LEARNED FROM OTHER CITIES THAT HAVE EXECUTED THESE PROGRAMS IS IT'S ONE THING TO SET ASIDE UNITS AS A PREFERENCE.

IT'S ANOTHER TO MAKE SURE YOU REACH OUT TO THE PEOPLE WHO NEED THE UNITS.

[04:15:01]

THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

AND THEN ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE'VE ALL WE ALL HAVE ADVOCATED FOR AND DEEPLY APPRECIATE THE 300 MILLION IN THE PROJECT CONNECT TO ANTI-DISPLACEMENT DOLLARS.

UM, THE, UH, OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE PROJECTS THAT AREN'T GOING TO BE AS CLOSE TO THE PROJECT CONNECT LINE, UH, THAT I THINK A LOT OF US REALLY WANT TO SEE MOVE FORWARD AND WE DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE SPECIFIC FUNDING TO SUPPORT RIGHT.

TO RETURN AND RIGHT.

TO STAY DEVELOPMENTS SPECIFICALLY.

OFTENTIMES WE OBVIOUSLY ARE SUPPORTING THEM THROUGH OUR CLTS AND OUR, AND OUR HOUSING BOND, BUT WE DON'T HAVE DOLLARS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY SET ASIDE TO SAY, THIS IS TO REALLY MAKE SURE THAT THOSE PROJECTS GET THE GAP FUNDING THAT THEY NEED.

WE DON'T HAVE SOMETHING SET ASIDE SPECIFICALLY FOR THAT PURPOSE.

RIGHT? CORRECT.

THEY WOULD BE FUNDED THROUGH OUR TRADITIONAL PROGRAMS, SUCH AS RENTAL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE.

UM, OUR, OUR COMMUNITY LAND TRUST PROPERTIES TEND TO BE ALREADY HEAVILY SUBSIDIZED THROUGH OUR EXISTING PROGRAMS, BUT WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING THAT IS SPECIFICALLY SET ASIDE FOR RIGHT TO RETURN, RIGHT.

TO STAY OTHER THAN A STAFF POLICY AND STAFF MEMBERS, UH, WORKING TO HELP ACHIEVE THAT.

AND I JUST KNOW THAT THERE ARE SO MANY PROJECTS THAT ARE SEARCHING FOR FUNDING THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT I CAN REMEMBER, WE HAVE A BACKLOG ON FOR PRESENT TAX CREDITS, WHICH USED TO BE THIS NON-COMPETITIVE THING.

NOW THOSE DO SEEM COMPETITIVE.

SO I WILL CIRCLE BACK WITH YOU BEFORE THE END OF THE DAY AND LIKELY POST SOMETHING MORE FORMAL.

I DID HAND PUT IT ON THE SHEET THAT I HANDED OUT, BUT I THINK THAT, UH, HAVING SOME DOLLARS SPECIFIC SPECIFICALLY SET ASIDE TO SUPPORT THOSE ANTI-DISPLACEMENT PROJECTS AND REALLY MAKE SURE THEY GET THROUGH, BECAUSE I KNOW G AND C HAS ALWAYS HAS PROJECTS COMING UP THAT DO THAT KIND OF WORK.

THE HOME DEPOT PROJECT THAT WE JUST APPROVED MAY NEED SUPPORT OTHER PROJECTS THAT HAVE, THAT MAY NEED ADDITIONAL GAP FUNDS TO REALLY WORK AND TO HAVE THE STAFFING AND PROGRAMMING IN YOUR OFFICE TO MAKE SURE THAT ONCE THOSE PROJECTS GET OFF THE GROUND, WE CONNECT WITH THOSE PEOPLE, I THINK WOULD BE REALLY IMPORTANT.

SO WHAT I HAD PENCILED IN ON THE SHEET THAT I HANDED OUT WAS A TWO AND A HALF MILLION, BUT COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN, I'LL ALSO GET TOGETHER WITH YOU AS YOU LOOK AT WHAT NEEDS YOU MIGHT SEE IN THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT.

UM, AS WE TRY TO FINALIZE SOMETHING, I KNOW THAT YOU MENTIONED YOUR STAFF THAT ARE WORKING THE WRENCH PROGRAM.

I DON'T WANT TO TAKE UP TOO MUCH OF OUR TIME, BUT JUST WANT TO THANK THEM FOR WORKING SO HARD.

UH, HERE OVER THE SUMMER, THE NUMBERS ARE REALLY, WE JUST GOT UPDATED ONLINE.

IT'S REALLY INCREDIBLE.

SO IT'S WORTH LOOKING AT THE DASHBOARD, BUT OVER 4,000 HOUSEHOLDS HELPED, THAT'S LIKELY AROUND 10,000 PEOPLE.

UM, UH, THE HOUSEHOLDS HAVE BEEN HELPED, ARE OVERWHELMINGLY HOUSEHOLDS HEADED BY WOMEN.

ALMOST TWO THIRDS OF THE HOUSEHOLDS ARE FEMALE HEADED HOUSEHOLDS.

UH, THE MAJORITY ARE HOUSEHOLDS WITH CHILDREN, UH, AND THE LARGEST NUMBER OF PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE UNDER 30% OF THE MEDIAN INCOME, UH, REALLY, YOU KNOW, STRUGGLING FAMILIES.

SO, UH, YOU EVEN HAVE INDUSTRIES ON THERE.

IT SHOWS HOW MANY PEOPLE IN THE ARTS AND IN FOOD SERVICE, UM, AND IN ENTERTAINMENT, UH, LOST INCOME AND THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO HELP.

SO I RECOMMEND EVERYBODY CHECK OUT THAT DASHBOARD, BUT THANKS TO YOUR STAFF'S WORK AND THE COUNCIL FOR DESIGNATING THOSE FUNDS, HELPING THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE STAY IN THEIR HOMES.

SO THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER.

I SEE HER UN-MUTED NEFERTITI.

AND FIRST I WANTED TO START OFF BY SHARING MY SUPPORT FOR COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN AND WHAT YOU LAID OUT IN WANTING THE PROJECT CONNECT.

ANTI-DISPLACEMENT FTES TO COME FROM THE OTHER POT OF, OF THE BUDGET FROM PROJECT CONNECT FROM THE OTHER REVENUE THAT WE'LL BE GENERATING.

I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND SHOULD BE TREATED AS PART OF THEIR OVERALL COMMUNITY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND NOT TAKEN FROM THE 300 MILLION THAT'S BEEN ALLOCATED FOR ANTI-DISPLACEMENT FUNDS.

SO I WELCOME THAT CONVERSATION AS WELL.

UM, UH, I GUESS ONE QUESTION I HAD BEFORE I HAVE SOME OTHER COMMENTS TO GIVE, IS THE EQUITY TOOL AVAILABLE? IS IT READY YET? I THINK IT WAS, UM, I KNOW IT WAS LAST, I HEARD IT WAS GONNA BE READY BY JUNE.

SO, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO OFFER AN OPPORTUNITY FOR NEFERTITI JACKMAN TO RESPOND TO THAT.

UM, NET FOR TD HAS BEEN WORKING AND LEADING THIS PROJECT WITH BRIAN OAKS AND THE EQUITY OFFICE.

AND, UH, THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR HER, TO, FOR YOU ALL, TO MEET HER.

IF YOU HAVEN'T MET HER, SHE IS OUR FIRST COMMUNITY, UH, DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION OFFICER.

AND I AM HOPING SHE'S

[04:20:01]

YES, ABSOLUTELY.

UM, GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY.

UM, THE EQUITY TOOL IS READY AND OF COURSE, WHEN YOU HAVE A NEW PRODUCT THAT YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH THE PUBLIC, WE UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT THIS TOOL WILL MEAN FOR, UM, COMMUNITIES, AS IT RELATES TO PROJECT CONNECT, WE ARE WORKING ON, UH, MAKING SURE THAT IT IS A PROCESS AND A TOOL THAT, UM, NOT ONLY THE PUBLIC CAN USE, BUT, UH, MOST IMPORTANTLY, OUR CITY LEADERS.

AND SO WE HAVE BEEN SHARING THE TOOL, UH, WITH CAP METRO.

WE CERTAINLY HAVE, UM, A SCHEDULE THAT WE WANT TO SHARE IT WITH BOTH THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE AND THE, UM, HOUSING COMMITTEE AS WELL.

SO WE'RE, WE'RE SORT OF OUTLINING THE STRATEGY TO ROLL IT OUT TO THE PUBLIC.

AND THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN REQUESTS WHEN WE, UH, SHARED THE TOOL IN THE CML, UH, MEETINGS THAT OTHER DEPARTMENTS UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE IT AND APPLY IT TO OTHER INVESTMENTS, INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

SO WE'RE WORKING ON, UH, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? UH, WE'RE DEVELOPING, UM, VIDEOS, HOW TO VIDEOS SO WE CAN EXPLAIN IT.

AND THEN ALSO, UH, WE HAVE HAD TO STAFF, BUT BECAUSE WE WERE SORT OF SHORT STAFF AS IT RELATES TO, UH, PUBLICITY, AND HOW DO WE PUBLICIZE THE USE OF THE TOOL? AND SO A LOT OF WORK HAS GONE OUT.

IT WAS READY IN, UH, WE WEREN'T QUITE READY IN JUNE, BUT IN JULY.

AND SO WE'RE JUST PUTTING SOME FINISHING TOUCHES ON THE REPORT AND YOU HAVE TO ALSO KEEP IN MIND, THERE'S A TRANSLATION SERVICES.

SO THERE'S A LOT OF PIECES TO THIS, EVEN THOUGH THE TOOL IS COMPLETE.

UH, AND WE CERTAINLY HOPE TO SHARE IT, UH, WITH COUNSEL, UM, AT YOUR REQUEST WHEN YOU'RE, WHEN YOU'RE READY.

AND THE GOAL IS OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE THE, UM, COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO HELPED TO INFORM THE DESIGN OF THE TOOL, BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE BRIEFING, UM, TO CITY COUNCIL.

SO, UM, WE ARE ALIGNING THOSE THINGS UP NOW.

THAT'S GREAT.

THAT'S WONDERFUL TO HEAR.

AND YES, I WOULD DEFINITELY WOULD LOVE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IT.

AND I'VE BEEN SO IMPRESSED WITH THE AMOUNT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND INVOLVEMENT IN THE DESIGN AND CREATION OF THE TOOL.

SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO LEARNING MORE ABOUT IT.

THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO MENTION IS, UM, PUTIN TO MY COLLEAGUES, UH, FOR US TO CONSIDER IS THE CREATION OF A PILOT DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR PROGRAM.

THESE ARE INDIVIDUALS WHO CAN BE PART OF, UM, OUR, THE CITY OF AUSTIN TEAM AND CAN HELP INFORM OUR COMMUNITY OF PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE WITHIN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

UH, CONTROVERT FACADE, YOU MENTIONED THE RIGHT TO STAY IN RIGHT TO RETURN EFFORTS.

THAT WOULD BE, UH, YOU KNOW, AN AREA THAT THEY COULD POTENTIALLY WORK ON AS WELL AS THE, UH, HOME REPAIR PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE FOR HOMEOWNERS, UH, AND THE WIDE ARRAY OF OTHER, UH, DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE.

UM, IT WOULD BE GREAT FOR US TO LOOK INTO CREATING THIS TYPE OF MODEL OF HAVING DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION, COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS, UH, TO HELP SUPPORT THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING, MS. JACKSON, UM, AND BUILD UPON OUR WORK OVERALL AND BELIEVE THAT THOSE ARE THE COMMENTS I HAVE.

UH, I AGREE OF COUNCIL MEMBER.

TOVO THE MAYOR PRO TEM COUNCIL MEMBER.

IT'S AFTER THREE O'CLOCK.

WE ALSO HAVE TWO OTHER PRESENTATIONS THAT WE WANT TO HIT IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO DAYLIGHT SOME ISSUES.

SO LET'S SEE HOW QUICKLY WE CAN WORK AS TAKE ME OUT OF THE QUEUE.

BECAUSE IT DOESN'T, IT DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE REFLECTED AGAIN ON THE BUDGET PAGE.

YOU GUYS WERE TOVO.

UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR.

I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUICK QUESTIONS.

MY FIRST, UH, RELATES TO THE FACT THAT STAFFING STAFFING, THERE ARE SEVERAL STAFF CONTEMPLATED TO COME OUT OF, UM, THE HOUSING TRUST FUND, THE HOUSING TRUST FUND.

SO I, I THINK I MAY REMEMBER THE FIRST YEAR THIS HAPPENED AND I THINK WE HAD A CONVERSATION AT THE DIETS ABOUT IT.

UM, JUST WANT STAFF TO SPEAK, SPEAK TO THAT WE HAD, I HAD CERTAINLY HOPED THAT THE HOUSING TRUST FUND WOULD REALLY ALSO BE PRESERVED, NOT FOR STAFFING, BUT FOR SOLUTIONS, UM, THAT WE NEEDED.

AND I DON'T SEE THIS.

AND I JUST ALSO WANT TO NOTE THAT IN MY ESTROGEN, IN THE Q AND A NUMBER 27, I SPECIFICALLY ASKED FOR SOME MORE DETAIL ABOUT HOW THE HOUSING TRUST FUND WAS GOING TO BE USED.

IT DIDN'T IDENTIFY STAFFING COSTS.

AND I DON'T SEE, UM, ON PAGE 4 46 OF THE BUDGET, I DON'T SEE HOW I DON'T SEE PERSONNEL, UM, NOTED IN THAT HOUSING TRUST FUND PAGE EITHER.

SO COULD YOU CLARIFY AS THE HOUSING TRUST BEING USED FOR STAFF SALARIES, UM,

[04:25:01]

IT DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE REFLECTED IN THE ANSWER TO MY BUDGET QUESTION.

AND IT DID SHOW UP IN YOUR PRESENTATION.

YEAH, WE, WE CURRENTLY ARE A FUNDING, UM, LIMITED TEMPORARY STAFFING OUT OF THE HOUSING TRUST FUND TO HELP US DEPLOY, UM, TO HELP US MEET THE NEEDS TO DEPLOY SOME OF THE FEDERAL PROGRAMS ASSOCIATED WITH OUR COVID RESPONSE.

UM, SO I CAN TELL YOU FOR THE LAST FISCAL YEAR, UM, THE YEAR THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY IN A FISCAL YEAR, UM, 2021, THAT WAS LESS THAN $200,000, AND THAT WAS SOURCED FROM, UM, OUR DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION LINE ITEMS. UM, WE, WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE DO NOT EVER INTEND TO USE THE HOUSING TRUST FUND AS A PERMANENT SOURCE OF FUNDING FOR, UM, FOR FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES.

HOWEVER, IN, IN THIS, THIS PAST YEAR, IN THE TIME OF, OF NEED THAT WE HAD, WE DID MAKE THE DETERMINATION THAT WE, IN ORDER TO BRING IN STAFF TO BE ABLE TO MEET THE NEEDS FOR DEPLOYING PROGRAMS LIKE RENT AND OUR TENANT STABILIZATION SERVICES, UM, THAT THAT WAS THE, UM, UH, POTENTIALLY GOOD SOURCE OF FUNDING.

UM, AS WE ALREADY HAD, UH, DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION ACTIVITIES EARMARKED FOR THE HOUSING TRUST FUND.

SO ARE THESE GOING TO BE REIMBURSED BY ANY OF OUR FEDERAL FUNDING, GIVEN THAT THEY WERE GIVEN THEIR, THEIR ROLE IN RESPONDING TO THE PANDEMIC? SO SOME OF THE COSTS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH, UM, WITH GRANTS THAT ARE BEING REIMBURSED, UM, BUT SOME OF THE EXPENSES ARE BEYOND WHAT, UH, WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE ELIGIBLE FOR REIMBURSEMENT THROUGH THOSE SPECIFIC GRANTS.

LIKE, UM, T WRAP IS AN EXAMPLE THAT THE TEXAS EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

SO IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE, THE FULL RENT PROGRAM, BUT SOME OF THE SMALLER GRANTS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED THROUGH THE STATE AND THE WORK ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE PROGRAMS. THANK YOU, UM, DIRECTOR TRULA WHERE THERE MAY BE SOME REIMBURSED COSTS FROM THE GRANTS.

WILL THOSE REIMBURSEMENTS FLOW BACK INTO THE AFFORDABLE TRUST FUND, AFFORDABLE HOUSING PLUS FUND? YEAH.

WHEN WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO, AND THIS IS AS AN EXAMPLE EARLIER, UM, PROBABLY LAST FISCAL YEAR WITH SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES THAT WE INITIALLY FUNDED THE FIRST, IF YOU RECALL, THE FIRST VERSION OF RENT THAT WE FUNDED WAS, UM, UH, A PILOT OUT OF THE HOUSING TRUST FUND, AND THOSE COSTS WERE REIMBURSED BACK INTO THE, UM, BACK INTO THE HOUSING TRUST FUND THROUGH AVAILABLE FEDERAL DOLLARS.

STAFF MEMBERS ARE WORKING ON.

WELL, THAT DOES GIVE ME SOME PAUSE.

I, AGAIN, I JUST DON'T LIKE TO SEE US FUNDING SALARIES THROUGH THAT, THROUGH THE TRUST FUND.

UM, AND I, AND I ALSO WOULD JUST ASK THAT WHEN THERE ARE EITHER THE BUDGET PAGE OR BUDGET QUESTIONS ASKING FOR THE BREAKDOWN OF THE BUDGET, THAT THOSE, UH, STAFFING COSTS BE HIGHLIGHTED IN AMIDST THE, THE OTHER INFORMATION.

I HAD A QUESTION ABOUT THE RIGHT TO RETURN POLICY, THE PREFERENCE POLICY.

SO THIS WAS, YOU KNOW, NUMBER ONE, LET ME JUST SAY, I AM SO DELIGHTED TO SEE THIS MOVING FORWARD.

UM, WITH THE NEW, WITH THE NEW UNITS, WITH THE EIGHT HOMES, THIS IS, I JUST WANT TO CALL OUT, UM, ASHLEY RICHARDSON ON MY STAFF.

SHE BEGAN WORKING ON THE PREFERENCE, LET'S SEE RESOLUTION THAT I BROUGHT FORWARD TO COUNCIL BACK IN, IN 2017.

SHE WORKED AND ALSO WANT, I CALL OUT TRISH LINK, UM, TRISH LINK AND ASHLEY MET FOR SEVERAL YEARS, UH, AND WORKED WITH NDC, UM, AS WELL AS THE CLINIC OVER AT UT LAW, UH, AND, AND A COUPLE OF WEEKS CO-SPONSORED THAT, UM, I'M VERY, VERY INTERESTED IN SEEING IT BE SUCCESSFUL.

AND I'M SUPER EXCITED TO SEE IT HERE.

I AM.

I WAS A LITTLE TAKEN ABACK BY SOME OF THE EXCHANGE HERE ON THE DIOCESE ABOUT THE, ABOUT THE FUNDING NEEDS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED, OR THAT IT SOUNDS LIKE WERE IDENTIFIED TO MAKE THIS PROGRAM SUCCESSFUL.

IN MY COLLEAGUE COUNCIL MEMBER.

KASAR JUST ASKED ABOUT THE NEED FOR MARKETING DOLLAR.

IT SOUNDS AS IF STAFF HAVE IDENTIFIED SOME NEEDS TO MAKE THAT SUCCESSFUL.

AND I JUST WANT TO DRILL DOWN AND ASK YOU WHERE YOU HAVE, YOU MADE US AWARE OF, OF THOSE FUNDING NEEDS FOR MARKETING, OR IT SOUNDS AS IF THERE MAY HAVE BEEN SOME DISCUSSIONS THAT HAPPENED OUTSIDE OF THIS FORUM OR ARE OFFICIAL MEMOS ABOUT, ABOUT THAT.

AND I WOULD JUST ASK YOU, UM, TO PROVIDE SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THAT, PLEASE, WE WILL CERTAINLY PROVIDE INFORMATION TO THE FULL DYESS, UM, IN, IN RESPONSE TO COUNCIL MEMBER KOSSAR'S QUESTIONS THERE.

I THINK THE PROGRAM WOULD BENEFIT FROM ADDITIONAL, UH, FUNDING FOR SOME STRATEGIC MARKETING EFFORTS.

WE HAVE FOUND THOSE TO BE HELPFUL IN WORKING THROUGH PROGRAMS LIKE RENT AND, AND THAT IF WE HAD FUNDING AVAILABLE, WE COULD DO SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE, UH, PERHAPS MORE IMPACTFUL THAN WHAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO DO WITHOUT, UM, WITHOUT TARGETED FUNDING THERE.

UH, ADDITIONALLY, AS, AS WE HAVE STAFF THAT ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH IMPLEMENTATION OF THESE POLICIES, UM, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, PART IT'S PART, A LARGER BODY OF WORK THAT THOSE

[04:30:01]

AND SO, UH, ANY OPPORTUNITY, UM, TO BRING IN ADDITIONAL STAFFING IS, WOULD BE, WOULD BE HELPFUL AS WE GROW THIS.

I MEAN, REMEMBERING WE'RE STARTING SMALL WITH, UH, WITH IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAM.

AND SO WE WOULD, WE WOULD WANT TO SEE HOW THIS WOULD GROW.

SO WE'RE NOT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT, THIS HASN'T NECESSARILY BEEN ON A HIGH ENOUGH RADAR TO REALLY HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT A LARGER NEED, UM, OUTSIDE OF, OF QUESTIONS THAT WERE JUST RAISED BY, BY THE COUNCIL MEMBER.

UM, BUT THEY ARE THINGS THAT WE'RE KEEPING OUR EYE ON, AS WE HOPE TO EXPAND THESE PROGRAMS, UH, FURTHER THAN THE INITIAL EIGHT HOMES THAT WE HAVE, WE HAD STARTED WITH A MUCH BROADER POLICY AND A MUCH BROADER, UM, A MUCH BROADER SCOPE, AS YOU MAY REMEMBER.

AND, AND THEN STAFF RESPONDED AND SAID, YOU WANTED TO START WITH A SMALL, WITH A SMALLER PILOT PROGRAM BEFORE EXTENDING IT TO SOME OF OUR OTHER AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROGRAMS. AND SO I GUESS THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S PART OF MY CONFUSION THAT WE HAD LOTS OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT SCALING IT BACK AND WHAT WOULD BE REQUIRED TO MAKE THAT SCALE BACK SUCCESSFUL.

UM, AND THESE NEEDS JUST DIDN'T GET IDENTIFIED.

UM, SO, SO YES, PLEASE DO PROVIDE IT.

UM, IF YOU COULD PLEASE PROVIDE THOSE ESTIMATES TO THE FULL DIOCESE THAT WOULD REALLY BE APPROPRIATE.

I WILL MAKE MY QUESTION QUICK.

UM, I WANTED TO CIRCLE BACK TO THE 300 MILLION ANTI-DISPLACEMENT OR PROJECT CONNECT POSITIONS.

UM, I VERY MUCH AGREE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN'S LINE OF THINKING, JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT 300 MILLION STRETCHES AS FAR AS IT POSSIBLY CAN.

UM, COULD YOU TELL ME A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT EXACTLY THOSE STAFF POSITIONS WOULD BE REGARDLESS OF WHERE IT'S FUNDED? WOULD IT BE ABOUT THE ID AND STATIONARY PLANNING, OR WOULD IT BE SOME OTHER ASPECT? THIS IS, I THINK A BIT MORE, LESS ON THE PLANNING SIDE AND MORE ON THE PROGRAM, UM, PROGRAM ESTABLISHMENT AND PROGRAM DELIVERY SIDE.

UH, SO WE WOULD LOOK AT, UH, THE WAY I CURRENTLY HAVE THE BREAKDOWN WE WERE LOOKING AT, UM, YOU KNOW, FIVE OR SIX POSITIONS WITHIN THE DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION DIVISION ITSELF TO HELP WITH ESTABLISHING NEW PROGRAMS AND SUPPORTING THOSE AND, AND TAKING THEM INTO PRODUCTION, UM, RECOGNIZING THAT WE ALSO HAVE A NEED ON THE REAL ESTATE SIDE AND THAT WE WOULD BENEFIT FROM SOLID COMMUNICATION SUPPORT, UM, TO REALLY GET THESE PROGRAMS UNDERWAY AND, AND HAVE THE PROPER ABILITY TO REACH THE IMPACTED COMMUNITIES.

AND I THINK ALSO INCLUDED IN THERE IS ADDITIONAL STAFF IN OUR FINANCE AREA FOR, UM, FOR REPORTING AND, AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.

AND WOULD COMMUNITY OUTREACH BE INCLUDED IN THIS OR IS THAT HAPPENING SOMEWHERE ELSE? THAT'S PART OF MY COMMUNICATIONS TEAM.

I THINK THAT'S HELPFUL, BUT I KIND OF, THE FIRST PART OF THE ANSWER WAS A LITTLE CONFUSING TO ME.

CAN YOU, AND YOU SAY IT IN MORE LAYMAN'S TERM.

WE, WE ANTICIPATE THAT THERE WILL BE A NUMBER OF NEW PROGRAMS THAT WILL NEED TO BE CREATED, BUILT, ESTABLISHED, ROLLED OUT, UH, AND, AND WE'RE GOING TO NEED STAFF TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT, UM, OR TO, AND SOME OF THEM WHILE, WHILE WE EXPECT SOME OF THEM WILL BE DONE IN HOUSE, SOME OF THEM MAY BE DONE THROUGH CONTRACTS, UM, WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, UH, AND, AND WE WILL HAVE A PROCESS FOR FOLKS TO EXPRESS AN INTEREST IN, IN WORKING ON THINGS OF THAT NATURE.

AND SO WE WILL NEED STAFF TO, UM, TO, TO HELP US GET THOSE CONTRACTS IN PLACE AND, AND TO WORK THAT PROCESS THROUGH AS WELL.

SO IT'S REALLY, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S DO THE WORK OF REDUCING THE PROGRAM.

SO IF WE, IF WE NEED TO EXPAND, SAY, UM, TENANT STABILIZATION SERVICES, UM, BEYOND WHAT WE HAVE, UM, THAT IS, IS, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW SOLIDLY TIED INTO AND WRAPPED UP WITH COVID RESPONSE, UH, THAT WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY, UH, AND THOSE THAT WORK IS LARGELY BEING DONE RIGHT NOW WITH TEMPORARY STAFF.

UM, IF WE HAVE, UH, SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD WANT TO DO WITH HOMEOWNERS OR WITH WANTING TO, UM, MAYBE PROVIDE AN EDUCATION CAMPAIGN ABOUT, UH, THINGS LIKE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, THEN THAT WOULD BE ANOTHER POTENTIAL AVENUE FOR PROTOTYPE WORK.

I UNDERSTOOD THAT SECOND ROUND A LITTLE BIT MORE.

I APPRECIATE YOU GOING INTO THAT WITH ME.

THAT'S THAT'S THE END OF MY QUESTIONS.

THAT WAS PROBABLY ALL ME MY APOLOGIES.

ABLE TO RESOURCE AND REALLOCATE FIVE OR SIX FULL-TIME POSITIONS, UM, TO OTHER DEPARTMENTS.

HI, THANK YOU GUYS.

AS A COUNCIL MEMBER, ALTAR, UM, DIRECTOR, TRUE LOVE WHILE YOU'RE HERE.

CAN YOU SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO THE, UM, COST SAVINGS AND EFFICIENCIES THAT WE MAY HAVE, UM, ENJOYED BY MERGING THE PLANNING AND HOUSING DEPARTMENT AND HOW WE'RE SEEING THOSE REFLECTED IN THIS BUDGET? UM, SO WHAT YOU WOULD, WHAT I WOULD PRIMARILY SAY IS, IS THOSE, THOSE, THOSE SAVINGS WERE, WERE MORE ACCURATELY REFLECTED IN LAST YEAR'S BUDGET, WHERE THROUGH THE MERGER OF THE TWO DEPARTMENTS, WE WERE

[04:35:01]

SO WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT WITHOUT AN IMPACT TO THE GENERAL FUND.

AND SO THAT PRIMARY SAVINGS WAS REALIZED LAST YEAR.

UM, AND THAT WAS THROUGH REALLOCATION OF VACANT STAFF FROM ACROSS THE DEPARTMENT, UM, PLANNING, PLANNING, TITLES, ADMINISTRATIVE TITLES, UM, I'D HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE COMPLETE LIST TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE.

UM, BUT THAT WAS THE PRIMARY, UM, THE PRIMARY PRIMARY BENEFIT THAT CAME LAST YEAR.

UH, WHAT I WOULD SAY THIS YEAR, UM, WHAT I AM, I AM I'M EXCITED TO SEE IS INCREASED COLLABORATION ACROSS, UH, THE WORK GROUPS AND HOW WE'RE ABLE TO, UM, WORK ON PROJECTS AND TACKLE THINGS SUCH AS THE DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION DIVISION ITSELF.

UH, THAT WAS ONE OF THE, THE OUTCOMES ARE BYPRODUCTS OF BEING ABLE TO MERGE THE DEPARTMENTS WAS THE ABILITY TO CREATE THIS MORE ROBUST STAFF TO REALLY FOCUS ON, UM, THIS, THIS REALLY IMPORTANT ISSUE THAT IS THAT OUR COMMUNITY HAS BEEN FACING AND HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR A WHILE.

UH, WITHOUT THE MERGER OF THESE TWO DEPARTMENTS, WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HAVE BUILT, UH, EVEN THE TEAM THAT WE HAVE TODAY THAT WE'RE, HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO EXPAND, UM, THROUGH IMPLEMENTATION AND PROJECT CONNECT.

ESPECIALLY AFTER OUR VERY RECENT EQUITY ORIENTED TRANSIT ITEM, I HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT HOW THIS CONVERSATION IS GOING.

UM, AND I WOULD JUST ASK THAT IF WE ARE GOING TO PROCEED WITH ANY ADDITIONAL DOLLARS IN THIS AREA, IF WE CAN HAVE GREATER CLARITY ON WHAT STAFF IS SAYING IS NEEDED.

I HEARING THAT THIS IS PERHAPS PREMATURE SET OF INVESTMENTS BEYOND, OBVIOUSLY WE NEED TO STAFF A DISPLACEMENT MONEY FOR PROJECT CONNECT, WHICH IS AS COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN, UM, MENTIONED PERHAPS A LEGAL CONVERSATION, BUT IT'S NOT CLEAR TO ME THAT WE AT THIS STAGE NEED TO BE ADDING ADDITIONAL MONEY IN HERE WHEN WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE PROJECT CONNECT STUFF TO GET OFF THE GROUND, ET CETERA.

WHEN WE ADD TOO MANY THINGS FOR STAFF TO GET UP AND RUNNING AT ONCE, THEN SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE MOST CARE ABOUT WHAT'S I WOULD SAY, UM, THE PROJECT CONNECT DISPLACEMENT WORK IS ONE OF THOSE.

THEY, THEY DON'T TRY AND AS MUCH AS THEY CAN.

AND SO I JUST THINK WE SHOULD BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT PUTTING A LOT OF MONEY INTO THIS RIGHT NOW, UNLESS WE HAVE A REAL CLEAR PLAN ON WHAT THAT'S GOING TO BE.

THAT'S HER KITCHEN, UM, JUST REAL QUICKLY.

UH, THANK YOU.

AND THANK YOU, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS FOR, UM, AND, UM, UH, MS. TRUELOVE FOR ARTICULATING, UM, SOME OF THE TASKS THAT WILL NEED TO HAPPEN WITH REGARD TO THE, UM, UH, PROJECT CONNECT TO ANTI-DISPLACEMENT STRATEGIES.

JUST WANTED TO ALSO EMPHASIZE THAT, UM, WHICH I THINK IS INHERENT IN WHAT YOU WERE SAYING WAS TRUE LOVE THAT, UM, THE CO THE CONTEMPLATION IN THE CONTRACT WITH THE VOTERS WAS, UM, CREATING WITH THE COMMUNITY, THE NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL STRATEGIES, WHICH IS A PLANNING COMPONENT, UM, WHICH HAS DONE WITH THE NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE THE, UH, ANTI-DISPLACEMENT DOLLARS WILL BE USED.

SO I JUST WANTED TO EMPHASIZE THAT ASPECT OF IT.

SO THERE IS SOME PLANNING THAT HAS TO BE DONE, NOT IN, UM, NOT IN THE WAY THAT WE USUALLY USE THE TERM PLANNING, BUT IN THE SENSE THAT, UM, THIS IS DIFFERENT THAN HOW WE'VE DONE THIS IN THE PAST, WHERE WE'VE JUST CREATED PROGRAMS AND THEN INVITED PEOPLE TO BE ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE.

THIS IS SPECIFIED TO BE DONE AT THE NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL WITH THE COMMUNITY, WHICH MEANS THAT PEOPLE LIVING IN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS, AND THAT IS ALSO ENVISIONED TO BE PART OF THE WORK THAT, UM, THE DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION STAFF WOULD BE UNDERTAKING.

OKAY, WE READY TO MOVE ON TO THE POLICE MIRROR? I WAS IN QUEUE, BUT I WILL DROP MY, MY QUESTION.

I WILL FIND OUT MS. TRUELOVE OFFLINE, WHETHER THE THINGS THAT COUNCIL MEMBER, WHEN DOES, AND I MENTIONED HOW MUCH OF THOSE ARE AN OVERLAP AS FAR AS THE STAFFING AND PROGRAMMING SIDE, BUT THEN APART FROM THAT, JUST TO BE CLEAR, I WAS ALSO TALKING ABOUT JUST GAP FUNDING FOR SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO FUND.

LIKE, AS FAR AS ACTUAL HOUSING, WE WOULD LIKE TO FUND THAT WE SOMETIMES HAVE TO REJECT BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH DOLLARS AND THAT'S NOT ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMATIC WORK.

THAT'S NOT NEW PROGRAMS. THAT'S JUST, WHEN WE TELL PEOPLE, HEY, WE'RE OUT OF MONEY.

SO WE CAN'T FUND YOUR ANTI-DISPLACEMENT HOUSING PROJECT BECAUSE WE'RE APPROACHING THE END OF THE 2018 BOND.

SO THAT WAS GOOD.

LET'S MOVE ON MAYOR, IF I MAY PLEASE, I KNOW YOU CAN'T SEE ME, BUT I JUST WANT TO JUST MAKE SURE TO PUT, UM, PUBLIC RECORD.

UH, I HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF CONCERN ABOUT SOME OF THE CONVERSATION THAT JUST TRANSPIRED AROUND PROJECT CONNECT.

ANTI-DISPLACEMENT UM, UH, I HAVE CONCERNS AND I WILL TAKE THEM OFFLINE.

I RECOGNIZE THAT WE HAVE A LIMITED FINITE AMOUNT OF TIME RIGHT NOW, BUT I,

[04:40:01]

SO I WILL TAKE THEM OFFLINE, BUT I HAVE CONCERNS.

IT CAME UP REGARDING AN APD, UH, MODIFIED CADET CLASS.

MARIN COUNCIL, OUR LAST TOPIC FOR TODAY'S WORK SESSION ON THE BUDGET IS AROUND POLICE, STAFFING AND FUNDING.

UH, WE DO HAVE ONE OTHER TOPIC AND I'LL JUST NOTE THAT IT WAS ON THE, UH, APPENDIX, UH, BUT IT'S JUST THE FINANCIAL POLICIES.

WE'RE NOT GOING TO COVER THAT, BUT UNLESS YOU WANT TO PROACTIVELY BRING THAT UP, BUT THEY ARE IN YOUR BACKUP ON THE SLIDE DECK.

UH, BUT AGAIN, THIS IS OUR LAST TOPIC.

AND THEN, UH, WE'LL STAND FOR OTHER QUESTIONS.

WE DO HAVE A INTERIM CHIEF TACONY, UH, WHO WILL START US OFF ON THIS TOPIC, CHIEF.

WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON, UH, MAYOR, MAYOR PRO TEM COUNCIL, UH, JOSEPH CHACO AND INTERIM CHIEF OF POLICE.

I'M GOING TO PRESENT A FEW SLIDES RELATED TO OUR, UH, POLICE STAFFING, UH, SOME QUESTIONS THAT HAD COME FROM COUNCIL REGARDING THE UPCOMING BUDGET PROPOSAL.

AND SOME OF THOSE ITEMS WILL ACTUALLY COVERED, UH, BY THE BUDGET OFFICE AS IT KIND OF GETS INTO, UH, SOME OF THE LINE ITEMS THAT, UH, THAT WERE REQUESTED.

SO IF I GET THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, SO BEGINNING WITH, UH, APD EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS, UM, THE QUESTION CAME UP REGARDING, UH, STAFFING SHORTAGES AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WHY THOSE ARE OCCURRING AND HOW OUR RETENTION EFFORTS ARE MOVING FORWARD.

SO I'M JUST GOING TO BEGIN BY, UH, TELLING YOU OUR FOR FISCAL YEAR 21, WE HAD A 212 AUTHORIZED POSITIONS, UM, 105 OF THOSE ARE NINE 11 CALL TAKERS, UH, 75 OR POLICE DISPATCHERS.

AND THEN WE HAVE DISPATCH, YES, THIS, UH, THIS GRAPHIC ACTUALLY, UH, SHOWS A NUMBER OF VACANCIES THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE.

AND, UM, IT, IT SHOWS THAT CURRENTLY WE HAVE 25 ACTUALLY THAT HAS INCREASED SLIGHTLY SINCE THIS GRAPHIC WAS PRODUCED.

UH, WE CURRENTLY HAVE 29 VACANCIES OF THE 105.

UH, IT SAYS WE HAVE 14 FOR DISPATCHERS, UH, THAT HAS IMPROVED JUST A LITTLE BIT.

WE ACTUALLY HAVE 13 VACANCIES HAVE FILLED ONE OF THOSE VACANCIES.

UH, AND THEN THE, UH, WE STILL HAVE ONE VACANCY IN THE DISPATCH BLEED CATEGORY FOR A TOTAL OF 43, UH, VACANCIES.

THERE REALLY ARE A, A NUMBER OF REASONS WHY, UH, THE VACANCIES EXIST.

UH, I WANT TO GIVE YOU JUST A LITTLE BIT OF PERSPECTIVE FROM THE LAST FEW YEARS ABOUT, UH, HOW MANY SEPARATIONS WE'VE HAD OUT OF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS.

UH, AND THESE ALL ARE BASED ON CALENDAR YEAR, NOT FISCAL YEAR.

SO IN CALENDAR YEAR, 2019, WE HAD A TOTAL OF 39 PEOPLE THAT SEPARATED IN CALENDAR YEAR, 2020, THERE WERE 37.

UH, AND THEN THIS YEAR, UH, YOU KNOW, AS I STATED, WE'VE HAD 43 SEPARATIONS SO FAR, UH, THROUGH THE END OF JULY.

SO, UH, WE ARE ON PACE, UH, RIGHT NOW FOR A LITTLE OVER 50, UH, TOTAL SEPARATIONS FOR THE YEAR, IF THIS TREND CONTINUES, UH, WHAT WE'VE SEEN WITH REGARDS TO THE REASONS THAT PEOPLE ARE SEPARATING.

UH, THE MAJORITY OF THOSE WHO HAVE, UH, SEPARATED, UH, I'M SORRY.

SO I SAID IT INCORRECTLY, UH, IN 2021, WE'VE HAD 30 SEPARATIONS, NOT 43, 43 IS THE, UH, THE NUMBER OF VACANCIES THAT WE'VE HAD THAT WE HAVE, UH, BUT ONLY 30 PEOPLE HAVE SEPARATED.

SO, UH, OF THE, OF THE PEOPLE HAVE SEPARATED OF THOSE 30 17, UH, SOUGHT OTHER EMPLOYMENT.

UH, SOME OF THOSE 17 TOOK JOBS IN OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS AND SOME, UH, LEFT THE CITY ALTOGETHER AND FOUND OTHER EMPLOYMENT.

UH, WE HAD TWO INDIVIDUALS THAT RETIRED, UM, BECAUSE OF THE STRESS OF THE JOB.

WE DO SEE A FEW THAT'S IN TIMES LEAVE FOR PERSONAL REASONS, INCLUDING THE, UH, THAT THEY FIND OUT THIS JOB REALLY IS NOT FOR THEM.

AND WE HAD FIVE THAT WERE IN THAT CATEGORY.

AND THEN FINALLY, WE HAD FOUR PEOPLE THAT, UM, THAT WENT AHEAD AND MOVED OUT OF THE AUSTIN AREA AND SEPARATED FOR THAT REASON.

SO IT, AS WE'VE SEEN IN PREVIOUS YEARS, THIS KIND OF FOLLOWS THAT, THAT TREND.

UM, AND, UH, I CAN CERTAINLY ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AS, UH, TOWARDS THE END OF THE PRESENTATION ON THIS SLIDE, BUT, UH, FOR, UH, BREVITY'S SAKE, I'D LIKE TO MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UM, THE QUESTION

[04:45:01]

UH, SO JUST FOR, UH, AGAIN, CLARIFICATION ON WHAT A MODIFIED CADET CLASS IS, A MODIFIED CLASS IS A CADET CLASS THAT WE BRING IN CURRENT PEACE OFFICERS, WHETHER THAT'S FROM TEXAS OR OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES THAT ARE ALREADY LICENSED, AND WE PUT THEM THROUGH A SHORTER AND SMALLER CADET CLASS.

UM, WHAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RECRUIT IN THE PAST, UH, IS ANYWHERE FROM 25 TO 30, UH, CURRENT PEACE OFFICER JUST TO MAKE UP THE CLASS.

AND GENERALLY WE GRADUATE ABOUT 25 TO, FOR INSTANCE, IF WE PUT 30 IN THE, IN THE CLASS GENERALLY ABOUT 25 OF THEM, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GRADUATE AND BECOME AUSTIN POLICE OFFICERS.

UM, JUST FROM A LOGISTICS STANDPOINT, UH, IT, IT, UH, WITH A 16 WEEK CADET CLASS, THE COST TO PUT ON A CLASS IS $703,000.

UH, THIS IS BASED UPON A 16 WEEK CLASS.

AND I WANT TO JUST KIND OF TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE RE-IMAGINED CADET ACADEMY THAT WE HAVE GOING ON RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS GOING THROUGH A CURRICULUM REVIEW.

UM, AND WE WOULD THINK THAT A MODIFIED CLASS WOULD DO THE SAME THING, UH, WOULD GO THROUGH A SIMILAR CURRICULUM REVIEW.

AND AFTER THAT CURRICULUM REVIEW, MAYBE A LITTLE BIT SHORTER, OR MAYBE A LITTLE BIT LONGER THAN 16 WEEKS.

SO RIGHT NOW, THIS IS REALLY JUST AN ESTIMATE, UM, OUR ABILITY, UH, TO, TO GO AHEAD AND START A MODIFIED CLASS WOULD BE BASED UPON, UH, THE TIMING OF THE TWO FULL CADET CLASSES THAT ARE IN THE MANAGER'S BUDGET.

UH, AND WE WOULD RECRUIT FOR A SEPTEMBER 20, 22 START DATE, IF I CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, UM, WITH REGARD TO APD VICTIM SERVICES, UH, THAT WE HAD, UH, AGAIN, A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ON THIS, UH, THE VICTIMS OF CRIME ACT HAS PROVIDED GRANT FUNDING, UH, FOR THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS FOR GRANT FUNDED VICTIM SERVICE POSITIONS, UH, YEAR OVER YEAR, UH, IT, FOR FISCAL YEAR 22, WE WERE NOTIFIED THAT APD WOULD NOT BE RECEIVING ANY GRANT FUNDING, UH, AND WHICH W UH, IS REASON WE PUT THOSE EIGHT VICTIM SERVICE GRANT FUNDED, UH, POSITIONS.

UM, WE WERE JUST NOTIFIED ON JULY 30TH.

SO JUST LAST WEEK, UH, THAT, UM, C D HAD RECOMMENDED, UH, THAT SOME GRANT FUNDING BE SENT TO, UH, THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AS WELL AS SOME OTHER CITIES, UH, FOR VOCA GRANT, UH, GRANT FUNDING.

AND WE'VE BEEN NOTIFIED THAT WE WILL, UH, RECEIVE A $596,000, UH, AS PART OF THAT GRANT FUNDING, THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR THOSE EIGHT VICTIM SERVICE POSITIONS WAS FOR A TOTAL OF $654,000.

SO THEREFORE, UH, OUT OF OUR GENERAL FUND, UM, BUDGETS, WE WILL STILL NEED $135,000 TO ABSORB, UH, TWO OF THE EIGHT POSITIONS.

UM, AND THAT WILL FREE UP $519,000 AS PART OF THE VICTIM SERVICE, UH, VICTIM SERVICES BUDGET, AGAIN, JUST TALKING ABOUT STAFFING.

UH, CURRENTLY WE ARE, UH, AUTHORIZED POSITIONS FOR 36, UH, VICTIM SERVICE COUNSELORS, 27 OF THEM, 27 OF THEM ARE AT THE COUNSELOR, UH, LEVEL.

WE HAVE THREE LEAD COUNSELORS, FIVE SUPERVISORS, AND ONE VICTIM SERVICE, UH, MANAGER.

WE CURRENTLY HAVE FOUR VACANCIES AT THE COUNSELOR LEVEL, UM, FOR A TOTAL OF 11.1%, UH, OVERALL VACANCY RATE IN THAT DIVISION.

AND MOVING ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE, I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND TURN IT OVER TO BUDGET TO GO AHEAD AND, UM, COVER A HOUSE BILL 19.

UH, THANK YOU, CHIEF, UH, CFO, UM, MAYOR AND COUNCIL HELPS BILL IN 1900 IS A NEW PIECE OF LEGISLATION PASSED BY THE LEGISLATURE, JUST, JUST THIS PAST SESSION.

IT IMPOSES TRULY DRACONIAN CONSEQUENCES ON CITIES THAT REDUCE THEIR POLICE DEPARTMENT BUDGET, UM, RELATIVE TO THE PRIOR FISCAL YEAR.

UM, THE SHORT VERSION OF THIS SLIDE IS THE BUDGET THAT STAFF IS PROPOSING TO YOU FOR FISCAL YEAR 22 IS FULLY COMPLIANT WITH THE, WITH THE NEW PIECE OF LEGISLATION, UM, IN THE FIRST YEAR OF ENACTMENT, WHICH WILL BE THIS YEAR.

IT'S NOT ONLY, UM, COMPARED NOT ONLY IS YOUR POLICE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET COMPARED TO THE PRIOR YEAR.

IT IS COMPARED TO THE PRIOR TWO YEARS.

AND OUR FISCAL YEAR 22 BUDGET NEEDS TO BE

[04:50:01]

HIGHER THAN THE GREATER OF THE PRIOR TWO YEARS BUDGET FOR US, THAT WOULD BE FISCAL YEAR 20 BUDGET WAS $434.5 MILLION.

SO OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT BUDGET WOULD NEED TO BE LARGER THAN THAT AMOUNT TO AVOID BEING TAGGED A DEFUNDING CITY.

THIS SLIDE KIND OF WALKS YOU THROUGH VERY HIGH LEVEL OF WHAT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BUDGET LOOKS LIKE.

UM, STARTING WITH THEIR FISCAL YEAR 21 AMENDED BUDGET APPROVED BY COUNCIL AT $309.7 MILLION.

UM, IN FISCAL YEAR 21, AS PART OF YOUR APPROVED BUDGET, YOU CREATED A DECOUPLE AND RE-IMAGINE SAFETY FUND.

THESE WEREN'T REDUCTIONS TO THE DEPARTMENT, BUT IT WASN'T AN ACCOUNTING CHANGE THAT MOVED THOSE OUT OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET.

AS WE WERE GOING THROUGH A PROCESS OF RE REVIEWING THOSE POLICE FUNCTIONS OR IN EACH OF THOSE TWO FUNDS, UM, DURING FISCAL YEAR 21, YOU THEN FURTHER AMENDED THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET, UM, TO ENACT A KIND OF A LONG ANTICIPATED AND LONG PLANNED MOVEMENT OF THE FORENSIC SCIENCES UNIT OUT OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO A STANDALONE DEPARTMENT, WHICH IS COMMON ACROSS MANY OTHER, UH, UH, POLICE DEPARTMENTS.

UM, AND THEN YOU FURTHER MOVED THE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS FUNCTION, UH, THE BUDGET FOR THAT FUNCTION OUT OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND MADE IT A STANDALONE DEPARTMENT, UM, IN COMPLYING WITH HOUSE BILL 1900, WE HAVE NEEDED TO MOVE ALL OF THOSE FUNDING SOURCES BACK INTO THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET.

THAT'S A TOTAL OF $107.4 MILLION.

SO THAT WAS THE BIGGEST PIECE OF GETTING US TOWARDS, UM, UM, THE TARGET DOLLAR AMOUNT WE NEEDED TO ACHIEVE.

UM, IN FISCAL YEAR 21, YOU DID PUT PAUSE ON CADET ACADEMY CLASSES, BUT IN THIS BUDGET, WE HAVE INCLUDED FUNDING, NOT ONLY FOR COMPLETION OF THE CURRENT CLASS, IT'S CURRENTLY UNDERWAY UNDER THE NEW TRAINING PROTOCOLS, BUT ALSO FUNDING FOR TWO ADDITIONAL CLASSES FOR A TOTAL OF $6.2 MILLION.

WE HAVE CONTRACTS A 2% WAGE INCREASE IS CONTRACTUALLY AGREED TO WITH OUR SWORN PERSONNEL.

UM, PLUS THERE'S A 2% WAGE INCREASE FOR OUR CIVILIAN PERSONNEL.

THAT'S A $6.2 MILLION INCREASE IN THE BUDGET.

UM, AS YOU'RE WELL AWARE, WE ALSO WERE SUCCESSFUL IN COLLABORATION WITH THE POLICE RETIREMENT SYSTEM BOARD AND GETTING, UM, SOME VERY IMPORTANT, UH, REFORMS APPROVED AT THE LEGISLATURE FOR OUR POLICE RETIREMENT SYSTEM.

UH, THE CITY'S SHARE OF THOSE FIXES, UM, WAS $6 MILLION INCREASE IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET.

UM, AND THEN FINALLY A VARIETY OF COST DRIVERS RELATED TO ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT, UM, OUR RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.

THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT COUNCIL CHOSE TO DELAY THE IMPLEMENTATION OF, UH, FOR ONE YEAR IN FISCAL YEAR 21.

UM, SO THERE'S A MILLION DOLLARS OF THAT OTHER CATEGORY THAT'S RELATED TO THAT SYSTEM.

AND THEN JUST A LOT OF SMALLER ITEMS SUCH AS RADIO MAINTENANCE, UM, THE CIVILIAN STIPEND, THE $500 ANNUAL CIVILIAN STIPEND AS PART OF THAT $7.4 MILLION LINE ITEM.

THERE WAS A, UH, THERE WAS A VICTIMS AGAINST WOMEN GRANT THAT WASN'T CONTINUED.

AND SO WE'VE MOVED THAT GRANT THAT GRANT THAT WE DIDN'T GET, WE'VE MOVED THAT INTO THE GENERAL FUND.

THAT'S ONE OF THOSE COST DRIVERS.

SO THOSE ARE ALL YOUR COST INCREASES IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BUDGET COMPARED TO, UH, FISCAL YEAR 21.

AND IT DOES GET US ABOVE THE FISCAL YEAR 20 BUDGET.

SO WE AGAIN ARE FULLY COMPLIANT WITH THE NEW LEGISLATION, UM, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, THERE'S A SAVES AUSTIN NOW, UM, BALLOT PETITION THAT, UM, CALLS FOR A VARIETY OF THINGS, UM, JUST KIND OF SUMMARIZE THEM HERE.

IT WOULD CALL FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO BE STAFFED WITH, UM, EMPLOYMENT OF AT LEAST TWO OFFICERS FOR EVERY THOUSAND RESIDENTS.

UM, THAT WOULD BE THE LARGEST COST DRIVER OF THIS BALLOT INITIATIVE IF IT WERE SUCCESSFUL, JUST, UM, SOMEWHAT ORDER OF MAGNITUDE IS WE CURRENTLY HAVE 1,809 AUTHORIZED OFFICERS IN THE CITY OF WHICH ABOUT 1,660 ARE CURRENTLY FILLED, OR WE'RE GETTING THOSE CADET CLASSES GOING AGAIN.

UM, AND, YOU KNOW, AT TWO OFFICERS PER THOUSAND, WE WOULD NEED AT LEAST 2000 OFFICERS WITH A POPULATION OF ROUGHLY A MILLION PEOPLE.

UM, SO IT'D BE A SUBSTANTIAL COST RELATED TO THAT.

UM, IT DOES CALL FOR THREE FULL TERM CADET CLASSES ANNUALLY UNTIL WE REACH FISCAL YEAR 2020 STAFFING LEVELS, UM, HAS ADDITIONAL TRAINING REQUIREMENTS AND THEN A WHOLE VARIETY OF STIPENDS, UM, THAT WOULD HAVE ADDITIONAL COST AND TENDED TO ENHANCE RECRUITING AND RETENTION STAFF IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON A COMPREHENSIVE FISCAL NOTE FOR THIS.

UM, WE'RE NOT PREPARED TO PRESENT THE NUMBERS HERE PUBLICLY TODAY, BUT SUFFICE IT TO SAY IT WOULD BE AN EXTREMELY SIGNIFICANT, UM, BUDGETARY IMPLICATION, UM, ONGOING BUDGETARY IMPLICATION IF THIS WERE, IF THIS WERE APPROVED ULTIMATELY BY THE VOTERS.

UM, AND THERE'S NOT FUNDING CURRENTLY PROJECTED IN OUR FISCAL YEAR 22 BUDGET, UM, FOR THIS, UH, BALLOT INITIATIVE THAT CONCLUDES OUR, UH, POLICE PRESENTATION AND CHIEF OF CONE AND I, AND OTHERS

[04:55:01]

WOULD BE HAPPY TO RESPOND TO ANY QUESTIONS.

UM, I HAD ORIGINALLY, UH, REQUEST, CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY WITH THE MASCOT? UM, I HAD ORIGINALLY REQUESTED THIS BECAUSE I WANTED TO, YOU KNOW, SPEAK TO SOME OF THE STAFFING CHALLENGES THAT WE WERE OBSERVING IN THE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT AND VICTIM SERVICES.

UM, I'VE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS, UM, INCLUDING WITH THE HEAD OF OUR HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT.

AND I'M PLEASED THAT WE HAVE A COMMITMENT FROM HRD TO CONDUCT A THIRD-PARTY COMPENSATION REVIEW FOR BOTH VICTIM SERVICES AND FOR OUR NINE 11 CALL TAKERS AND DISPATCHERS.

UM, AND WE'RE EXPECTING TO HAVE THOSE RESULTS IN OCTOBER OR NOVEMBER, SO THAT WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE PAY ISSUES AND REALLY GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THINGS.

I THINK IN BOTH INSTANCES, THERE ARE SOME COMPARISONS THAT HAVE BEEN HAPPENING TO DATE THAT DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT WHAT THE FOLKS IN THOSE DEPARTMENTS ARE DOING RELATIVE TO WHO THEY ARE BEING COMPARED WITH TO DATE THAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE STUDIES, UM, ADDRESS.

AND SO I MAY HAVE SOME BUDGET OR DIRECTION ALONG WITH, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY, FOR SOME OF THE PARAMETERS OF THAT STUDY THAT WE MAY PUT IN JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S HAPPENING.

UM, I DID WANT TO ASK A FEW QUESTIONS OF MS. CLARK, IF SHE'S ON THE LINE, I CAN'T SEE ON THE GREAT, UM, SO GOOD AFTERNOON.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

UM, AS MY COLLEAGUES KNOW, WE HAVE BEEN STEADILY TRYING TO INVEST, UM, IN VICTIM SERVICES OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS BECAUSE OF A VERY HEAVY WORKLOAD, WHICH I WISH WE DIDN'T HAVE FOR OUR VICTIM SERVICES.

UM, SO I WANTED TO ASK MS. CLARK, IF YOU COULD FIRST SPEAK TO US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE WORKLOAD, UM, AND THEN IF YOU'VE BEEN WHERE YOU ARE WITH RESPECT TO FILLING THE POSITIONS WE GAVE YOU IN PAST YEARS.

ABSOLUTELY.

UM, WE, AND I, IT IT'S LIKELY TO DID THE KSU.

AND GOOD AFTERNOON TO ALL.

THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME HERE.

UM, YEAH, SO WORKLOAD IS, UM, IT IS HIGH IT'S, UM, INCREASING IN CERTAIN AREAS.

UM, SO OUR COUNSELORS, UM, THAT WORK AND ARE AGGRAVATED ASSAULT, HOMICIDE AND ROBBERY UNITS HAVE SEEN A PRETTY LARGE INCREASE IN THE, UM, IN THEIR CASE LOADS.

AND, UM, WE HAD MADE A COMMITMENT SEVERAL YEARS AGO FOR OUR CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM COUNSELORS TO RESPOND TO SEX CRIMES CALLS ALONG WITH POLICE OFFICERS, BUT BECAUSE OF THEIR CALL LOAD, THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO RESPOND AT THE SAME TIME ALWAYS.

UM, SO, UM, AND THEN THE OTHER UNITS, UM, FOR OUR INVESTIGATIVE UNITS, THE OTHER, UM, CRIME TYPES, THE COUNSELORS HAVE HAD, UM, STEADY CASELOAD, SOME, SOME CASE, UH, CASE LOADS DECREASED, UM, DURING THE MIDST OF COVID.

UM, BUT THEY HAVE NOW, WE'RE NOW SEEING AN INCREASE IN MANY OF THOSE, OUR CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM COUNSELORS.

THESE ARE THE COUNSELORS THAT WORK ON THE STREETS WITH PATROL OFFICERS, THEY'RE RESPONDING TO, UM, THEY THEY'RE SUPPORTING VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS IMMEDIATELY AFTER SOMETHING TRAUMATIC HAS OCCURRED.

UM, THEY ARE, UM, PRETTY, PRETTY OVERWHELMED OUR OVERTIME OR OVERTIME BUDGET.

UM, WE'VE GONE THROUGH THE ENTIRE BUDGET AND THAT IS MOSTLY FROM THEM BEING HELD OVER THERE WORKING REALLY LONG HOURS BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE, UM, STAFF TO LEAVE THEM.

SO, UM, IT IS, IT IS BUSY AND THE POLICE OFFICERS ARE, ALL OF THE OFFICERS ARE, ARE FEELING IT TOO.

UM, SO, UH, THE POSITIONS THAT WE'RE GETTING, THE NEW POSITIONS THAT WERE GIVEN TO US IN OCTOBER, UM, WE HAVE NOT.

SO WE'VE RECEIVED FOUR AND IT'S WONDERFUL.

WE RECEIVED A SUIT, UH, POSITION FOR A NEW SUPERVISOR AND THEN THREE COUNSELOR POSITIONS, THE SUPERVISOR POSITION WE WERE ABLE TO FILL INTERNALLY, AND THAT HAS BEEN TREMENDOUSLY HELPFUL.

UM, JUST SO WE COULD, UM, SPREAD THE WORKLOAD OF THE OTHER SUPERVISORS, UM, AND THEY CAN PROVIDE, UH, SUPERVISORS CAN PROVIDE MORE SUPPORT AND CLINICAL GUIDANCE TO COUNSELORS.

UM, THE SUPERVISOR IS ALSO MANAGING OUR INTERN PROGRAM AND, UH, WE ARE HELPING MANAGE AND GROW OUR INTERN PROGRAM.

UM, BUT AS FAR AS THE THREE COUNSELOR POSITIONS, UH, WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FILL THOSE.

WE MAY HAVE FILLED THOSE POSITION NUMBERS THROUGH SOME INTERNAL SHUFFLING, BUT WE ARE STILL CARRYING THOSE VACANCIES AND HAVE BEEN HEARING THOSE HEARING THAT AT LEAST THREE VACANCIES SINCE OCTOBER.

SO WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO, UM, SORT OF EXPERIENCE THE, WOULD IT BE LIKE TO HAVE THREE ADDITIONAL COUNSELORS? UH, THEY WERE GOING TO BE ON OUR CRISIS RESPONSE TEAMS THAT WE COULD BETTER RESPOND TO, UM, ALL CALLS, BUT SEXUAL ASSAULT CALLS AND THEN INCREASE OUR PRESENCE ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CALLS AS WELL.

SO WE'VE HAD CHALLENGES IN HIRING.

[05:00:01]

WE'VE HAD APPLICANTS, WE'VE HAD TO REPOST POSITIONS SEVERAL TIMES.

WE'VE HAD APPLICANTS TURNED DOWN THE JOB AFTER MAKING OFFERS, UM, BECAUSE OF PAY.

UM, WE'RE ALSO NOW DEALING WITH, UM, WE'RE GONNA HAVE SOME MORE VACANCIES.

WE HAVE TWO EMPLOYEES LEAVING BECAUSE THEY FOUND HIGHER PAYING JOBS.

ONE IS GOING INTO PRIVATE PRACTICE.

ANOTHER, UM, INDIVIDUAL IS, UH, GETTING, DOING SIMILAR WORK IN A HOSPITAL SETTING AND THE EMERGE IN AN EMERGENCY ROOM AND WAS OFFERED $6 MORE AN HOUR.

UM, SO IT'S, UH, UH, PAY IS PROBABLY OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE RIGHT NOW.

UM, AND I AM HAD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT, UH, LOOKING AT OUR MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS.

WE DO REQUIRE A MASTER'S DEGREE IN THE MENTAL HEALTH FIELD AND TWO YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN CRISIS TORONTO WORK.

UM, AND WE IT'S JUST FELT SO NECESSARY TO HAVE, UM, INDIVIDUALS WITH THAT, THAT CLINICAL BACKGROUND, THAT TRAINING AND EDUCATION.

SO I, I WOULD REALLY, UM, IT WOULD PAY ME TO, UH, CHANGE OUR MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS.

I THINK IT WOULD CHANGE THE WAY WE PROVIDE SERVICES, UM, AND IMPACT THE, UH, THE WAYS THAT THE SERVICES TO SURVIVORS.

UM, I JUST WANTED TO ALSO, I WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT SOME OF THE FUNDS WE RECEIVED, UM, FOR INTERN STIPENDS REALLY QUICKLY, UM, THAT HAS BEEN WONDERFUL.

WE WERE ABLE TO BRING IN SEVEN INTERNS, UM, FOR THE SPRING SEMESTER, GRADUATE STUDENT INTERNS.

AND I THINK WE'RE ABLE TO GET SEVEN BECAUSE WE OFFERED A STIPEND AND WE'RE BRINGING I THINK, UH, FOUR MORE ON NEXT WEEK OR THE WEEK AFTER.

UM, AND SO THAT WILL HELP WITH OUR WORKLOAD.

THESE ARE GRADUATE STUDENTS THAT CAN TAKE ON DURING THEIR FINAL YEAR OF THEIR FIELD PLACEMENT AND CAN, CAN ASSIST WITH, UM, THE WORKLOAD.

AND THEN WE, THAT $15,000 WERE RECEIVED, UM, FOR EMERGENCY FUNDS FOR VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS.

WE GOT OFF TO A LATE START WITH THAT.

WE WEREN'T ABLE TO START USING IT UNTIL JANUARY BECAUSE WE HAD TO WORK OUT PROCEDURES, BUT THAT HAS BEEN, UM, I SO INCREDIBLY HELPFUL TO HAVE FOR, FOR, UM, SURVIVORS.

WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO BUY SOME, UH, GET PEOPLE, PLANE TICKETS, AND BUS TICKETS.

THEY COULD GET TO SAFETY, UM, PEOPLE, FOOD WHEN THEY WERE DISPLACED, UM, HELP WITH, UM, TRANSPORTATION.

SO, UH, VERY MUCH APPRECIATE HAVING, HAVING THAT, UM, FUNDING, THE SURVIVORS OF VIOLENCE IS A MAJOR FACTOR OF WHAT SETS AUSTIN'S, UM, VICTIM SERVICES DIVISION APART FROM OTHER CITIES.

CAN YOU PROVIDE SOME MORE INFORMATION ON THESE CLINICAL SERVICES AND THEIR IMPACT AS WELL AS THE KIND OF EXPERIENCE OR EDUCATION THAT IS REQUIRED FOR A COUNSELOR TO PROVIDE THESE SERVICES AND WHAT WE STAND TO LOSE? IF WE DO CHANGE OUR ABILITY TO PROVIDE CLINICAL SERVICES? YEAH.

SO VAST MAJORITY OF OUR STAFF ARE SOCIAL WORKERS.

UM, AND SO, LIKE I SAID, THEY'RE REQUIRED TO HAVE A MASTER'S DEGREE IN THE MENTAL HEALTH FIELD.

SO MOST, MOST OF OUR STAFF HAVE A MASTER'S IN SOCIAL WORK.

AND THE DIFFERENCE IS THEY JU THEY RECEIVE THE ADVANCED, LIKE CLINICAL SORT OF THERAPEUTIC TRAINING IN GRADUATE SCHOOL THAT YOU DO NOT RECEIVE WHEN YOU WERE, UM, IN THE UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM.

SO UNDERGRADUATE SOCIAL WORKERS DO AMAZING WORK.

UM, AND, UM, YOU CAN DO ADVOCACY IN CASE MANAGEMENT REFERRALS, UM, AND MOST VICTIM SERVICES PROGRAMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, VICTIM SERVICES PROGRAMS WITH A MOM ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, UM, THEY'RE, UH, VICTIM SERVICES.

THEY DO NOT REQUIRE THE MASTERS IN THE MENTAL HEALTH FIELD.

WE'VE BEEN DOING IT A LONG TIME.

WE'RE ONE OF THE OLDEST PROGRAMS I THINK, IN THE COUNTRY.

AND WE FOUND, UM, MANY YEARS AGO THAT IT WAS MORE, IT WAS VERY BENEFICIAL AND IT WAS MOSTLY BECAUSE WE WERE TAKING INTERNS.

WE DISCOVERED THIS BECAUSE WE WERE, WE WERE TAKING INTERNS FROM OUR, FROM A GRADUATE PROGRAM.

UM, AND, UM, THAT WAS VERY BENEFICIAL TO HAVE, UM, STAFF WITH THIS ADVANCED CLINICAL, UM, TRAINING.

THEY'RE DOING CLINICAL INTERVENTIONS IN THE OFFICE OR STAFF THAT WORK WITH, UM, CLIENTS.

THEY WORK WITH DETECTIVES, THEY WILL SEE CLIENTS FOR ONGOING COUNSELING, SO THEY COULD HELP THEM STABILIZE.

OUR COUNSELORS ARE REQUIRED TO DO PSYCHOLOGICAL, EMOTIONAL, COGNITIVE, PHYSICAL ASSESSMENTS OF INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING TRAUMA OR CRISIS SITUATIONS.

AND YOU'RE NOT REALLY ABLE TO DO THAT.

UM, UNLESS YOU HAVE THAT ADVANCED, UM, ADVANCED EDUCATION AND TRAINING.

SO YOU LEARN ABOUT THESE, THESE CLINICAL INTERVENTIONS WHEN YOU'RE IN GRADUATE SCHOOL.

UM, AND OUR, OUR STAFF ARE ALSO REQUIRED TO HAVE A COUPLE OF YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, UM, UM, WORKING WITH INDIVIDUALS WHO'VE EXPERIENCED TRAUMA OR CRISIS SITUATIONS PRIOR TO COMING IN.

UM, AND THEY'RE DOING CLINICAL INTERVENTIONS.

UM, SOME ARE ONGOING IN THE OFFICE, BUT ALSO THE, OUR CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM FOLKS ARE COUNSELORS ARE DOING CLINICAL INTERVENTIONS ON SCENE.

IT MAY NOT.

I MEAN, IT'S LIKE THEY HAVE A ONE-TIME INTERACTION

[05:05:01]

WITH, UM, INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED, YOU KNOW, OFTENTIMES ONE OF THE, YOU KNOW, ARE GOING THROUGH ONE OF THE WORST SITUATIONS OF THEIR LIFE.

AND SO, UH, COUNSELORS CAN COME IN AND HELP STABILIZE.

THEY CAN EVEN DO SOME EMDR TECHNIQUES ON CNR OR, UM, UH, SOME, SOME TECHNIQUES TO HELP INDIVIDUALS, UM, GET TO A PLACE WHERE THEY'RE ABLE TO GIVE STATEMENTS.

UM, THEY ARE MAKING ASSESSMENTS CONSTANTLY.

THEY'RE WORKING IN A VERY HIGH STRESS SITUATION AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE COMING IN TO, UH, THEY'RE NOT IN AN OFFICE SETTING, SO IT'S NOT CONTROLLED AND THEY'RE HAVING TO VERY, VERY QUICKLY ESTABLISH RAPPORT AND THEN START, UM, YOU KNOW, A SUSTAINING, UM, WITH, UM, LIKE COMING UP WITH SOME INTERVENTIONS TO ADDRESS THE TRAUMA.

AND THERE'S, THERE'S SOME RESEARCH OUT THERE THAT SHOWS THAT IT'S, IF YOU CAN INTERVENE AS CLOSE TO THE TRAUMATIC INCIDENT AS POSSIBLE, UM, IT WILL HELP, IT CAN HELP PREVENT A PROLONGED MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS.

AND THEY'RE DEALING WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE HAVING A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS, UM, AT THAT MOMENT.

SO, UM, THAT'S WHY WE FEEL IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO REQUIRE THAT ADVANCED FREEZE SO WE CAN, UM, CONTINUE, UM, PROVIDING THAT THE CLINICAL OR THERAPEUTIC SERVICES ON SCENE AND THEN THE OFFICE.

THANK YOU, MS. CLARK.

UM, SO COLLEAGUES, UM, YOU KNOW, IN MY VIEW, THE VICTIM SERVICES DIVISION IS STRUGGLING ON TWO FRONTS.

UM, THIS IS A DIVISION THAT HAS BEEN UNDERFUNDED AND UNDERSTAFFED FOR YEARS.

UM, WE'VE BEEN TRYING OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS TO MAKE UP GROUND BY BOLSTERING THE NUMBER OF STAFF AND THE VICTIM SERVICES TO HELP WITH THE WORKLOAD.

UM, THIS IS NOW BEING EXACERBATED BY A SECOND FRONT, WHICH IS, IT APPEARS THAT WE MAY BE UNDERPAYING, HIGHLY QUALIFIED COUNSELORS THAT WE DO HAVE, AND WE'RE SEEING THEM LEAVE FOR OTHER POSITIONS IN TOWN THAT PAY THEM MUCH MORE FOR THE WORK THAT THEY DO.

I BELIEVE THAT BOTH OF THESE ISSUES NEED TO BE ADDRESSED, AND I BELIEVE WE CAN TAKE SIGNIFICANT STEPS TO REMEDY THEM IN THIS BUDGET CYCLE WITH BOTH THE COMPENSATION REVIEW AND POTENTIAL ADJUSTMENT, AS WELL AS THE ADDITION OF NEW STAFF, AS I OUTLINED, UM, IN A MESSAGE BOARD POOREST EARLIER.

UM, SO YOU'LL SEE ON THE MESSAGE BOARD POSTS THAT I'M PROPOSING, THAT WE, UM, TRY TO ADDRESS THE EXTRA WORKLOAD THAT IS IN SOME PARTICULAR SECTIONS OF, UM, THE WORK THAT THEY DO.

AND THEN, UM, USING THE REST OF THE FUNDING THAT'S AVAILABLE FROM THE GRANTS THAT DID THANKFULLY COME THROUGH TO BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH ONE OF THE, UM, PROPOSALS OF THE RPS TASK FORCE, WHICH WAS HIGH ON, UM, THEIR LIST OF, OF LAWNS AND SPREAD THAT OUT OVER A FEW YEARS SO THAT WE'RE ABLE TO PILOT IT.

AND THEN, AND THEN, UM, CONTINUE WITH THAT WORK OVER A COUPLE YEARS.

UM, I THINK THAT THERE ARE THINGS THAT HAVE TO HAPPEN IN THE HRD COMPENSATION STUDY FOR BOTH DIVISIONS, FOR US TO BE ABLE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

UM, THERE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND IN EACH CASE EXACTLY WHAT IS THE PROBLEM THAT WE'RE TRYING TO FIX A LITTLE BIT BETTER.

AND I THINK, UM, MS. HAYES IS SOLUTION OF A THIRD PARTY.

EVALUATOR IS A GOOD NEXT STEP.

AND I UNDERSTAND BECAUSE OF OUR CONTRACTING PROCESS THAT WE HAVE, SHE WILL BE ABLE TO DO THAT RATHER QUICKLY, UM, IN THIS CASE.

UM, SO I HOPE MY COLLEAGUES WILL JOIN ME IN SUPPORTING THOSE EFFORTS.

UM, AND THEN FINALLY, UH, CHIEF DAKOTA, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU WERE LOOKING INTO THE STRUCTURE FOR VICTIM SERVICES, WHICH HAD BEEN RECOMMENDED TO REPORT TO THE CHIEF DIRECTLY, BUT HAS NOT YET HAPPENED.

IS THAT CORRECT? YES.

COUNCIL MEMBER.

I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THAT DISCUSSION, UM, AS WE MOVE FORWARD.

AND I THINK EVEN IF IT HADN'T BEEN DELIVERED EARLIER, YOU KNOW, WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT TO SEE WHAT THE VOTERS DECIDE BEFORE WE'D WANT TO DRASTICALLY ADJUST OUR BUDGET TO RESPOND TO IT.

AND THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER HALTER FOR BRINGING UP THE NEED FOR OUR VICTIM SERVICES UNIT TO, UH, BE LOOKED AT, I SAW YOUR MESSAGE BOARD POSTED.

I AM IN AGREEANCE WITH YOU, AND I'M GLAD THAT YOU BROUGHT THAT FORWARD.

I HAVE QUESTIONS FOR MR. VAN ENOU.

UM, YOU SAID SOME THINGS THAT, UH, I WANTED SOME FURTHER CLARITY ON IF THAT WAS OKAY.

YOU MENTIONED THAT THE PETITION HAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT FINANCIALLY, AND THAT YOU'LL BE BRINGING FORWARD A FISCAL NOTE TO COUNCIL.

WOULD THAT BE IN A MEMO OR A BRIEFING? THAT WOULD BE A MEMO TO COUNCIL.

OKAY, GREAT.

AND YOU ALSO SAID THAT THERE IS NO FUNDING FOR THE BALLOT MEASURE IN FISCAL YEAR 2022.

COULD YOU EXPLAIN FOR EVERYONE AT HOME WHO MIGHT BE WATCHING WHAT THAT MEANS AS FAR AS HOW IT WOULD BE FUNDED, JUST SO THAT THERE'S A FULL UNDERSTANDING? SURE.

WELL, THE, THE, THE PROPOSED BUDGET IN FRONT OF YOU WAS DELIVERED, UM, JULY 9TH, I BELIEVE.

SO IT WAS DELIVERED BEFORE THIS BALLOT INITIATIVE WAS EVEN PUT IN FRONT OF THE CLERK AND THE SIGNATURES WERE VERIFIED.

SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT IN THIS PROPOSAL.

[05:10:01]

IF IT IS APPROVED, WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO DO THAT.

WE WILL NEED TO BE BACK IN FRONT OF THIS, UH, UH, BODY TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE WOULD CHANGE OUR FISCAL YEAR 22 BUDGET, UM, TO COMPLY WITH THE, THE BALLOT INITIATIVE, IF IT'S APPROVED BY THE VOTERS AND IN COUNCIL CAN DO THAT.

COUNSEL CAN AMEND A BUDGET, ANY GIVEN THURSDAY.

AND JUST TO CLARIFY A LITTLE FURTHER, THAT WOULD MEAN TAKING MONEY OUT OF OTHER DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE CITY, OR WOULD THAT POSSIBLY EVEN MEAN RAISING TAXES? WELL, YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO RAISE TAXES AT THAT POINT IN FISCAL YEAR 22.

UM, UH, YOU KNOW, FROM MY INITIAL READ ON THE MAGNITUDE OF THE COST, UM, I THINK IT VERY LIKELY, VERY, VERY LIKELY THAT YOU WOULD NEED TO DO A TAX RATE ELECTION IN FISCAL YEAR 23 AND BEYOND TO COMPLY WITH IT.

AND THE ALTERNATIVE WOULD BE MAKING VERY DEEP CUTS TO THE REMAINDER OF OUR GENERAL FUND BUDGET.

IT'S NOT THE TOTAL BUDGET, IT'S ONLY THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET AND WENT ABOUT 40% OF THAT IS IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.

THAT MEANS YOU'RE NEEDING TO MAKE ALL OF THOSE REDUCTIONS FROM THE OTHER 60% OF YOUR BUDGET.

SO IT WOULD EITHER BE, UH, TAX INCREASES OR, OR, UM, STEEP REDUCTIONS TO THE REMAINDER OF THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET, FOR SURE.

DO YOU HAVE AN EXPECTED TIME WHEN THAT MEMO WILL BE TO COUNCIL? UM, I DON'T, BUT WE UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, THAT THE URGENCY I, UM, I WOULD, I WOULD HOPE IN THE NEXT WEEK TO 10 DAYS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

COLLEAGUES, WE HAVE ANYTHING ELSE.

FIRST TO THE, UH, TO THE ISSUES RAISED BY, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR.

I'M IN AGREEMENT ABOUT REORGANIZING THOSE MONEY WITHIN VICTIM SERVICES.

MR. RANDY KNEW I HAVE ONE MORE THING FOR YOU HERE.

UM, BUT I AM IN AGREEMENT WITH, WITH WHAT YOU'VE POSTED ON THE, ON THE MESSAGE BOARD, UM, AND, UH, WHAT WE'VE HEARD AT NINE 11 AND AT VICTIM SERVICES.

SO MANY OF US HAVE ALSO HEARD THAT RESOURCE RECOVERY, PUBLIC HEALTH.

AND SO I HOPE THAT, UM, INCREASING THE STIPEND FOR OUR EMPLOYEES ALSO HELPS, UH, RETAIN SOME OF THAT STAFF THAT'S BEEN WORKING SO HARD.

UM, AND THEN I DO LOOK FORWARD TO THAT FISCAL NOTE, MR. DENINO NO, BUT WHAT YOU WERE POINTING OUT IS THAT IF THE PETITION ORDINANCE WERE TO GO INTO EFFECT BECAUSE WE ADOPT IT, THEN IT WOULD HA WE W WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO RAISE THE TAX RATE.

WE WOULD JUST HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT THIS COMING YEAR, OR IF IT WERE PASSED BY THE VOTERS IN NOVEMBER, IT WOULD REQUIRE CUTS BECAUSE YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE TAX RATE AFTER WE PASSED THE BUDGET.

THERE'S REALLY NO OTHER WAY OTHER THAN THAT CUTS, RIGHT? OH, IN FISCAL YEAR 21, I MEAN, OF COURSE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK AT IT.

I MEAN, THERE HAS TO BE A PRAGMATISM ABOUT HOW WE WOULD EVEN COMPLY.

WE CAN'T JUST OVERNIGHT HIRE HUNDREDS OF POLICE OFFICERS.

AND THEN THERE'S THE ONE OTHER PART.

THERE, THERE IS A LINE IN THE CHARTER HERE THAT SAYS THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY RESERVED THE POWER OF DIRECT LEGISLATION BY INITIATIVE AND EXERCISE SUCH POWER MAY PROPOSE AN ORDINANCE EXCEPT AN ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING MONEY OR AUTHORIZING THE LEVY OF TAXES.

SO THAT, THAT LINE SOUNDS FAMILIAR TO YOU AS A LINE IN THE CHARTER THAT WOULD PROHIBIT, UH, UH, A INITIATIVE FROM, UH, APPROPRIATING MONEY OR AUTHORIZING OLIVIA OF TAXES.

YEP.

THAT'S IN OUR CHARTER.

SO THAT THAT'LL BE SOMETHING ALSO THAT WILL, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY WILL HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT AND THE COUNCIL HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT.

UH, ANYBODY ELSE IN THIS COUNCIL MEMBER? TOVO OKAY.

CAUSE I DON'T WANT TO GET IT WRONG HERE ON THE DIAS, BUT, UM, THE LARGEST CHUNK OF OUR GENERAL FUND IS PUBLIC SAFETY BUDGET.

UM, THANKS VERY MUCH.

COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR, THANKS FOR INITIATING THE REALLY IMPORTANT CONVERSATION ABOUT VICTIM SERVICES.

UM, AND I WANT TO THANK COUNCIL LA FOR YOUR QUESTIONS TO MR. VAN, YOU KNOW, ABOUT WHAT THE IMPACT WOULD BE OF, OF THE PROPOSITION THAT WILL BE BEFORE THE VOTERS, MR. CAMINO, IN YOUR, IN YOUR RESPONSE, YOU PROVIDED SOME, UH, GOOD RESPONSE ABOUT WHAT COULD BE REQUIRED IF IT DOES PASS.

UM, IT WOULD EITHER REQUIRE LIKELY, UH, TAXING A TAX RATE INCREASE, UM, THAT WOULD REQUIRE A VOTE OF THE PEOPLE AT OUR NEXT BUDGET TIME, OR IT WOULD REQUIRE DRASTIC CUTS TO OUR GENERAL FUND BUDGET.

AND I, I HOPE, UH, IN YOUR MEMO THAT COMES TO COUNCIL, THAT YOU'LL EXPLAIN WHY WE WOULDN'T LOOK TO ANY OTHER, ANY OTHER BUDGETS FOR THOSE CUTS.

YOU KNOW, I THINK, I THINK THE GENERAL PUBLIC DOESN'T ALWAYS UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT THOSE ENTERPRISE FUNDS HAVE ARE SELF CONTAINED.

THEY CAN'T BE TAPPED FOR NEEDS SUCH AS THIS ONE.

AND SO I JUST A REQUEST THAT WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU COME BACK TO US WITH THAT MEMO THAT YOU MAKE THAT DISTINCTION REALLY CLEAR.

AND ALSO, I KNOW IN SOME YEARS, UH, THERE'S BEEN A REALLY HANDY CHART AND THERE MAY BE THIS YEAR, TOO, THAT SHOWS HOW MUCH OF THE GENERAL FUND IS COMPRISED OF PUBLIC SAFETY BUDGET.

AND, AND TYPICALLY I THINK IT'S LIKE THE PROPERTY TAX AND THE SALES TOGETHER.

CAN YOU, CAN YOU, UM, HELP ME OUT HERE?

[05:15:01]

SO IF WE'RE LOOKING TO, IF WE WERE IN A POSITION WHERE WE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE CUTS TO OUR GENERAL FUND BUDGET, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE PRETTY DRASTIC INDEED.

SO, UM, JUST ASK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS HERE, BUT AGAIN, IF YOU COULD, IN THAT MEMO, JUST REALLY MAKE IT, MAKE IT CLEAR TO THE PUBLIC.

WHY, WHY WE WOULD NEED TO TAKE THOSE I'M SURE.

YOU KNOW, IF YOU, IF YOU JUST IMAGINE A PIE, RIGHT.

WHICH IS LIKE, LITERALLY IMAGINE A PIE AND THREE QUARTERS OF THAT PIE IS ENTERPRISE DEPARTMENT'S AIRPORT ELECTRIC UTILITY WATER UTILITY THAT CAN'T BE USED TO FUND GENERAL GENERAL PURPOSES.

25% IS THE GENERAL FUND.

SO YOU'VE GOT A QUARTER OF YOUR PIE LEFT, BUT ABOUT TWO THIRDS OF THAT SLICE THAT'S LEFT IS PUBLIC SAFETY.

AND SO IF THERE'S A DESIRE NOT TO MAKE ANY REDUCTION AS A PUBLIC SAFETY, IT JUST BECOMES A HUGE LIFT FOR THE REMAINDER OF YOUR GENERAL FUND BUDGET.

THAT THAT'S WHY I FEEL A TAX RATE ELECTION IS, UH, VERY LIKELY IF WE NEEDED TO COMPLY WITH, WITH THIS BALLOT INITIATIVE.

AND SO I THINK IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL IN THAT MEMO TO HAVE THOSE PIES, WHICH, UM, HAVE BEEN SO IN THE PAST AND ALSO A PIE ALONGSIDE IT.

AND OBVIOUSLY I'M, I DON'T GET TO DIRECT WHAT YOUR MEMOS LOOK LIKE.

THESE ARE JUST SUGGESTIONS, BUT A PIE NEXT TO IT SHOWING THE ORIGINS OF THAT GENERAL FUND MONEY.

UM, SO THAT, SO THAT PEOPLE CAN REALLY CLEARLY SEE WHAT PORTION OF, OF THAT FUNDING COMES FROM SALES AND PROPERTY TAX, WHERE THEIR SALES AND PROPERTY TAX CURRENTLY GO.

UM, BUT AGAIN, I THINK IT, I THINK THAT REALLY DRAMATICALLY, THAT WILL DRAMATICALLY ILLUSTRATE, YOU KNOW, WHERE ARE THEY OPPORTUNITIES ARE TO SEEK OTHER FUNDINGS BECAUSE THE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES ARE REALLY, REALLY SLIM.

AND IT WOULD MEAN DRASTIC CUTS TO THINGS LIKE LIBRARIES AND PARKS AND, UM, SOCIAL SERVICES.

SO ANY THANKS IT'S VERY MUCH FOR THE CONVERSATION.

ANYBODY ELSE, MEMBER KITCHEN? UM, I HAD ASKED SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, FORENSICS, UH, PARTICULARLY, UH, CAUSE WE HAD MOVED, UH, FORENSICS AND I THINK THE COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT.

AND SO BOTH OF THEM ARE NOW BACK IN.

SO, UM, I, I HAD ASKED ABOUT THE FEASIBILITY OF GOING AHEAD AND MOVING FORENSICS BACK OUT.

UM, AND THEN, UH, CONSIDERING THE FUNDING SUCH THAT THE, UM, APD, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, CONTRIBUTES A PORTION BECAUSE MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT, UM, THE FORENSICS COST IS AROUND 12 MILLION OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

UM, AND, UM, SO IF WE MOVE SOME, SOME OF, SOME OF THE 8 MILLION THAT'S OVER OUT OF THE APD BUDGET SO THAT WE COULD START THE PROCESS FOR THE FORENSICS, UH, LAB OR DEPARTMENT TO BE ON IT'S, UH, TO BE INDEPENDENT AS WE HAD WORKED TOWARDS OR INDEPENDENT DEPARTMENT, AS WE HAD WORKED TOWARDS, WE CAN START THAT DEPARTMENT AND JUST HAVE APD PAY INTO A PORTION OF IT OUT OF THEIR BUDGET.

SO, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THAT'S A DECISION THAT, THAT THE GROUP WOULD HAVE TO MAKE, I'M JUST LAYING IT OUT THERE, BUT WOULD, WOULD THAT WE COULD DO THAT.

UH, I GUESS MY QUESTION IS ASKING YOU TO CONFIRM THAT THAT LOGISTICALLY THAT COULD BE DONE, UH, CERTAINLY BUDGETARILY.

IT COULD BE DONE.

IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'S STAFF HAS RECOMMENDED.

IT'S NOT HOW WE, YOU KNOW, BUDGET OTHER DEPARTMENTAL FUNCTIONS OR THINGS.

WE DO UNDERSTAND THE DESIRE TO MOVE OUT THE FORENSIC SERVICES DEPARTMENT.

I THINK THERE CERTAINLY WILL BE OPPORTUNITIES AS SOON AS FISCAL YEAR 23, TO DO THAT WITHIN THE CONFINES OF, OF HOUSE BILL 1900.

BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE MANAGING THE BUDGET, IF YOU'RE THE HEAD OF THE FORENSICS DEPARTMENT, YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY YOU'D HAVE YOUR BUDGET IN ONE AREA AND THAT KIND OF PARCELED APART.

BUT, UM, CERTAINLY WE DO UNDERSTAND THE COMMUNITY'S, UH, UM, DESIRE AND COUNSEL'S DESIRE TO SEE SOME OF THESE UNITS MOVED OFF AS STANDALONE FUNCTIONS.

AND I THINK THAT'S STILL POSSIBLE WITHIN THE CONSTRAINTS OF HOUSE BILL 1900, JUST NOT IN FISCAL YEAR 22.

WELL, WHAT LET'S WORK ON THAT? I MEAN, WORK ON THAT, MY QUESTION, WE COULDN'T DO IT THIS YEAR.

UH, BUDGETARILY.

WE COULD, WE COULD DO IT AND THEN HAVE APD CONTRIBUTE THE DIFFERENCE.

THAT'S THAT WAS MY QUESTION THAT IT COULD BE DONE.

THE BUDGET WOULDN'T WELL, I GUESS I'M NOT BEING CLEAR.

I UNDERSTOOD YOUR QUESTION TO BE THAT YOU WANT IT TO MOVE OUT PART OF THE FORENSICS UNIT AND THE LEAD PART OF IT IN APD.

NO, I'M SORRY.

I WASN'T CLEAR WHAT I MEAN IS MOVE IT, MOVE IT OUT.

BUT APD HAS, UH, HAS, IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYING FOR SOME OF THE FUNCTIONS.

SO WHAT THEY WOULD BE DOING IS OUT OF THEIR OWN BUDGET OUT OF APDS BUDGET, THEY WOULD BE CONTRIBUTING DOLLARS TOWARDS THAT FUNCTION.

UM, I THINK IT WOULD LIKELY BE ALL OF IT.

SO YOU'D SEE THE,

[05:20:01]

SO, SO IT COSTS 12, 12 MILLION, RIGHT.

AND ALL OF THAT 12 MILLION IS IN THE APD BUDGET RIGHT NOW.

SO WHAT, WHAT YOU WOULD IN, IN, WHERE WAS IT BEFORE, BEFORE IT WAS MOVED BACK? IT WAS JUST A SEPARATE SEPARATE DEPARTMENT, SEPARATE DEPARTMENT WITH THE $12 MILLION BUDGET.

RIGHT? SO WHAT MY QUESTION IS, COULD YOU NOT TAKE THAT TAKE EIGHT OF THAT 12 MILLION THAT'S UNDER APD MOVE FORENSICS INTO ITS OWN DEPARTMENT, PUT THAT 8 MILLION AS THEIR BUDGET, AND THEN HAVE THE CONTRIBUTION FROM APDS BUDGET OF THE 4 MILLION TO PAY, UH, FOR THE SERVICES THAT, THAT, UH, FORENSICS DOES FOR THEM.

HOW'S OUR KITCHEN.

IF I COULD JUMP ON TOP OF THAT TOO, WE DO SOME COSTS THAT ARE FOR FORMATIONS THAT WORK FOR MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS.

WE DO THAT WITH A LOTS OF THINGS, AND THERE'S A, A PROPORTIONAL SHARE OF THAT.

THAT GOES TO THOSE DEPARTMENTS THAT SHARE IN IT.

THE FORENSICS LAB, I IMAGINE HAS OBVIOUSLY PUBLIC AWESOME HAS A HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICE FUNCTION WITH IT.

SO IT MIGHT HAVE FUNCTIONS THAT ARE IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS.

I GUESS, THE WAY THAT I HEARD THE QUESTION, AND I THOUGHT IT WAS A DISTRICT IS, IS CAD CAM MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE ALL RECEIVING BENEFIT FROM A FUNCTION LIKE HR, FOR EXAMPLE, COULD THAT BE A PORTION OF THE MOWGLI OFF THE DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH IT? YEAH.

AND I THINK WE COULD LOOK INTO THAT FOR YOU.

I MEAN, THE DIFFERENCE THERE IS SOMETHING LIKE HR IS NOT A GENERAL FUND DEPARTMENT.

IT'S SET UP AS A SEPARATE FUND AND THEN THEY CHARGE ALL THESE DIFFERENT ENTERPRISES, UM, WITH FORENSIC THE WAY WE AT LEAST SET IT UP INITIALLY AS IT WAS, IT IT'S A GENERAL FUND FUNCTION.

AND SO YOU KIND OF HAVE THE GENERAL FUND PAYING ITSELF AND IT BECOMES CIRCULAR, BUT, UH, AND I'M NOT ABLE TO SPEAK TO RIGHT NOW.

UM, IF WE WERE TO DO SOMETHING LIKE WHAT YOU'RE SUGGESTING, HOW MUCH WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO ALLOCATE TO THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT VERSUS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD ALLOCATE THE COST TO THE DEPARTMENT THAT'S BEING SUPPORTED.

AND I SUSPECT IT'S MOSTLY SUPPORTING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.

SO MOST OF THOSE COSTS ARE JUST GOING TO BE ALLOCATED BACK TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THEIR BUDGET WOULDN'T CHANGE, BUT YOU, BUT YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO DO IT THAT WAY.

I MEAN, THERE'S SOME, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE NEED TO GO AWAY AND FIGURE OUT WHAT THE MATH WOULD LOOK LIKE.

BUT, UM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO ASK THESE QUESTIONS BECAUSE A, IT GIVES US THE POTENTIAL TO MOVE FORENSICS INTO ITS OWN DEPARTMENT SOONER, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAD AGREED AND WE'RE WORKING FOR.

THE SECOND THING IT DOES IS IT WILL IMPACT IN FUTURE YEARS, THE AMOUNT OF APD BUDGET BECAUSE OF HOUSE BILL 1900.

WE DO HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT WE ARE SETTING THE FLOOR BECAUSE OF HOUSE BILL 1900 WITH THIS BUDGET THIS YEAR.

SO WE'RE NOT ONLY JUST LOOKING AT LAST YEAR'S FLOOR.

WE ARE CREATING A HIGHER FLOOR FOR OURSELVES BY LEAVING THE 8 MILLION IN THERE.

SO, AND WE'RE ALSO DELAYING WHAT WE HAD, WHAT WE HAD DECIDED WAS IMPORTANT, WHICH WAS TO, UM, TO CREATE THIS.

SO I JUST WANT, I WANT TO SEE THE MATH AND THEN, YOU KNOW, IT MAY BE THIS DYESS DOESN'T WORK, DYESS DOESN'T WANT TO DO THAT.

OR MAYBE THE MATH DOESN'T WORK OUT FOR SOMETHING I'M NOT REALIZING, BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE THE MATH.

I THINK HE RAISED AN INTERESTING QUESTION.

OBVIOUSLY WE WANT TO FULFILL BOTH THE SPIRIT AND THE ATTEMPT OF THE LAWS PASSED BY THE STATE LEGISLATURE.

UH, BUT LET'S SEE IF WE COULD CONSIDER THOSE THINGS IN THAT CONTEXT, KILTS OUR POOL.

I WANTED TO ASK MR. DENINO, UM, WHEN HE'S PUTTING THAT INFORMATION TOGETHER, THE NUMBERS TOGETHER, COULD YOU ALSO BE SURE TO ADD IN THE FACTOR OF JUST THE GROWTH, THE COST DRIVERS THAT GROW THEMSELVES BECAUSE OF, UM, WELL MORE EMPLOYEES AND A HIGHER CONTRIBUTION TO THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM AND OTHER THINGS BECAUSE THE BUDGET ITSELF WILL NOT BE STATIC, RIGHT? I MEAN, JUST ROUGHLY, I MEAN, IT'S A $430 MILLION BUDGET.

IT'S GOING TO GROW ABOUT 4% A YEAR, JUST COST OF DOING BUSINESS AS NORMAL WAGE INCREASES, HEALTH INSURANCE INCREASES CONTRACTS GO UP, FUEL COSTS GO UP, RIGHT? IF THE VEHICLES THAT NEED TO BE FUELED.

SO 4% INCREASE PER YEAR IS GOING TO BE ABOUT $18 MILLION A YEAR, JUST MAINTAINING STATUS QUO OPERATIONS.

AND IN THE EXAMPLE OF THE FORENSICS LAB, WHICH WAS 12 MILLION, IF WE WERE TO HANG ON WITH ITS CURRENT PLACEMENT THAN ACTUALLY OVER JUST THE COURSE OF A YEAR OR TWO, WE WOULD HAVE ADDITIONAL MONEY THAT THEN COULD FUND THAT, UM, THE FORENSICS LAB SEPARATELY, UM, INDEPENDENTLY WITHOUT HAVING TO PULL THAT MONEY FROM OTHER SOURCES BECAUSE IT'S BEING GENERATED WITHIN THAT DEPARTMENT IN AND OF ITSELF.

THAT'S OUR THING.

[05:25:02]

UM, YES.

AND MY POINT WAS OBVIOUSLY THE DIOCESE NEEDS TO DECIDE WHAT WE WANT TO DO ABOUT THIS.

BUT MY POINT IN MENTIONING THE FACT THAT WE'RE CREATING OUR FLOOR IS I THINK WE'RE ALSO TYING, TYING THE HANDS OF FUTURE COUNCILS, UH, IN TERMS OF WHAT THE APD BUDGET NEEDS TO LOOK LIKE.

THE MORE THAT WE CHANGED THE FLOOR, UH, WE CAN, WE CAN ALWAYS STILL UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE COST DRIVERS AND MAY CHOOSE TO PAY FOR ALL OF THOSE.

BUT, UM, WHAT HOUSE BILL 1900 DOES IS IT SETS A BUDGET FOR US AND REDUCES SOME OF OUR FLEXIBILITY IN TERMS OF HOW WE MIGHT CHOOSE TO SPEND THOSE DOLLARS.

ALL RIGHT, COLLEAGUES, ANYTHING ELSE? WE READY TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION ADD.