* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission Public Hearing District 5] [00:00:10] POINT, AND I THANK YOU. UM, I AM THE CHAIR OF THE ICRC, UM, AND I'M GONNA HAVE THIS, UH, INTRO FOR, UH, LUIS GONZALEZ, OUR VICE CHAIR. HE WILL TELL US ABOUT OUR AGENDA FOR THIS EVENING AND A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THE COMMISSION GOT STARTED, UM, AND FORMED. THANK YOU SO MUCH, SHAREPOINT US. I WANT TO WELCOME EVERYONE THIS EVENING, UH, FOR JOINING AND OFFERING ONE OF YOUR PRECIOUS EVENINGS TO DISCUSS THE IMPORTANCE OF REDISTRICTING AND ITS IMPACT ON OUR CITY OF AUSTIN. I ALSO WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING AS WE NEEDED TO SHIFT OUR, SOME OF OUR PLANS FOR OUR FORUMS, GIVEN THE SEVERITY OF THE ONGOING PANDEMIC FOR US, FOR THE ICRC, IT'S BEEN A CONSTANT BALANCE BETWEEN THE PRIORITIES OF FAIR ACCESS TO THIS PROCESS AND PUBLIC HEALTH. SO AGAIN, THANK YOU. I'D LIKE TO BRIEFLY WALK YOU THROUGH OUR AGENDA FOR THIS EVENING. THE GOAL FOR TODAY IS TO WRAP UP BY 8:00 PM. ON THIS SLIDE, YOU WILL SEE SOME LINKS TO OUR WEB PRESENCE, OUR FACEBOOK OR TWITTER, OR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS, WAYS THAT YOU CAN STAY CONNECTED TO THE WORK OF THE ICRC LONG AFTER THIS EVENING'S FORUM. I ALSO WANT TO THANK, UM, SOME OF OUR LOCAL MEDIA PARTNERS, SUCH AS THE COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER. THE AUSTIN MONITOR THE AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN, AUSTIN CHRONICLE, THE AUSTIN BULLDOG, UH, TELEMUNDO AND RADIO STATION. UH, CO-OP 91.7 FOR THEIR RECENT ICRC COVERAGE AND SUPPORT AND PROMOTING OUR PUBLIC FORUMS. LIKE THE ONE YOU ARE ATTENDING THIS EVENING, SOME HOUSEKEEPING AS WE SHIFT INTO A VIRTUAL MEETING SETTING FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSION TONIGHT, I PLEASE ASK THAT YOU ENSURE YOUR NAME, YOU ENTER YOUR NAME, YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, AND THE DISTRICT THAT YOU RESIDE IN INTO THE CHAT FUNCTION OF THIS ZOOM MEETING. WE WILL BE USING THE CHAT FUNCTION SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF MONITORING AND CALLING ON THOSE WHO WISH TO GIVE PUBLIC TESTIMONY THIS EVENING. ANY OTHER COMMENTS IN THE CHAT WILL NOT BE CAPTURED FOR ANY WRITTEN COMMENTS WE ASK THAT YOU, UM, THAT YOU PLEASE EITHER COMPLETE THE MAP ASSIGNMENT THAT WE WILL TOUCH ON LATER IN THIS PRESENTATION OR THAT YOU EMAILED THE FULL COMMISSION AT ICRC DOT COMMISSIONERS AT AUSTIN, TEXAS.GOV. AND YOU CAN SEE THAT EMAIL ADDRESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS SLIDE HERE. YOU ALSO SEE A NOTIFICATION, A NOTIFICATION WHEN YOU ARE GIVEN PERMISSION TO SPEAK, UH, YOU WILL SEE THIS, UM, KIND OF POP UP BOX THAT YOU SEE ON THE SLIDE HERE THAT WILL ASK YOU TO EITHER STAY MUTED OR YOURSELF. OF COURSE, WE PLEASE ASK THAT YOU UNMUTE YOURSELF WHEN YOU WERE CALLED ON TO GIVE PUBLIC TESTIMONY DUE TO A SMALL, A TECHNICAL ISSUE. UH, THE CHANGE IN THE CHAT WILL BE IF YOU COULD RAISE YOUR HAND, IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK, AND THEN WE WILL GATHER YOUR INFORMATION, UH, DURING THAT TIME. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE UPDATE, JOHN. SO JUST AS YOU'VE HEARD, INSTEAD OF USING THAT CHAT FUNCTION, IF YOU COULD PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND AND LEAVE YOUR HAND RAISED, IF YOU WOULD WISH TO GIVE PUBLIC TESTIMONY THIS EVENING, UH, WE, WE WILL CAPTURE YOUR NAME ON THE BACK END AND WE WILL CALL YOU, UM, IN ORDER OF WHICH WE RECEIVED THOSE HANDS BEING RAISED. I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE ICRC FOR DISTRICT. ONE IS REPRESENTED BY COMMISSIONER ERROL HARDEN AND COMMISSIONER SILLY MCGEE FOR DISTRICT TWO IS REPRESENTED BY COMMISSIONER STATA, UNESCO ALVATON DISTRICT THREE IS REPRESENTED BY BOTH COMMISSIONER AT LONG LAKE AND COMMISSIONER BRING THEM MORRIS DISTRICT FOUR IS REPRESENTED BY COMMISSIONER STERLING LAMBS. DISTRICT SIX IS REPRESENTED BY COMMISSIONER EUGENE SCHNEIDER. DISTRICT SEVEN IS REPRESENTED BY THE VICE CHAIR, CHRISTINA EXCUSE ME, THE CHAIR, CHRISTINA OLYMPUS AND COMMISSIONER CHAMELEON. ONE DISTRICT EIGHT IS REPRESENTED BY COMMISSIONER JOSHUA BLINK DISTRICT NINE IS REPRESENTED BY COMMISSIONER SHAMAN. KAMBO SHE'S ALSO OUR STUDENT COMMISSIONER ON THIS [00:05:01] BODY. DISTRICT 10 IS REPRESENTED BY BOTH MYSELF. I'M VICE-CHAIR LUIS GONZALES AND COMMISSIONER ERIN DEMPSEY, AND LAST, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST. I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE COMMISSIONER PRABHU, NON RESIDENT OF DISTRICT FIVE, SO HE CAN GIVE A BIT MORE INFORMATION AND BACKGROUND ABOUT HIMSELF. COMMISSIONER. THANKS FOR SHARING LOUISE. I APPRECIATE IT. UM, HI EVERYONE. MY NAME IS PRABHU. UH, UM, IT'S REALLY, UM, IT'S BEEN AN EXPERIENCE BEING PART OF THIS COMMISSION AND BEING ABLE TO, UH, SERVE ALONGSIDE ALL OF THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROCESS. I THINK I'LL TRY TO TIME MYSELF TO ABOUT THREE MINUTES. SO, UM, I SET MY TIMER, SO I DON'T GO FOR, UM, I THINK, UH, THE BIGGEST PART FOR ME AND THE REASON I JOINED HERE WAS IT'S ALWAYS DRIVEN BY CURIOSITY. AND I THINK, UH, I WANTED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROCESS AND UNDERSTAND WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT, NOT THAT VOTING OR ANY ON THE ABOUT. AND I THINK HYDRATE LIKES THAT, BUT THE WHOLE PROCESS OF REDISTRICTING AND TRYING TO DRAW LINES, I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT IT WAS AN INTERESTING CONCEPT TO DRAW LINES, TO, TO HELP, UH, AT LEAST MY PAST EXPERIENCE. I GREW UP IN INDIA AND THE LAST TIME WE DREW LINES BETWEEN, I THINK WE CREATED TWO DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND THAT NEVER WORKED OUT FOR US. I THINK THAT WAS BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN. THAT THAT WAS NOT A FUN EXPERIENCE AT ALL. AND YOU KNOW, I HAVE A KIND OF FRIENDS WHO ARE PAKISTANI AND WE ALWAYS WONDER WHEN WE TALK, IT'S LIKE, WHY DID WE DRAW THIS TIME? PROBABLY THE WORST THING TO HAVE HAPPENED IN A WHILE. SO I WANTED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHY WE'RE DRAWING LINES AND I UNDERSTAND THAT LINES COULD BE IMPORTANT, BUT I ALSO WONDER IF WE COULD HAVE A COMPLETELY NEW AND REDEFINED PROCESS WITHOUT LINES, BUT THAT'S JUST ME. I GO OFF ON TANGENT SOMETIMES. SO, SO BEAR WITH ME. I THINK A BIG PART OF THIS HAS BEEN, AS WE'VE TALKED TO A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC, TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, AND I THINK EVERY COMMITTEE HAS DONE AN AMAZING JOB OF TRYING TO FIT ALL OF THIS TOGETHER. AND WE DEFINITELY HEARD SOME FEEDBACK FROM A LOT OF FOLKS TO SAY, WE COULD HAVE HAD MORE PHYSICAL ENGAGEMENT, MORE IN-PERSON EVENTS, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO, I DON'T THINK ANY OF US KNOW WHAT THE RIGHT THING TO DO IS SO IT'S A BIT OF A LEARNING CURVE FOR ALL OF US. AND I WANT TO THANK THE PUBLIC HEARING COMMITTEE AND EVERYBODY ELSE. AND I THINK FOLKS THAT HAVE HELPED EVANGELIZE FOR THESE EVENTS. SO THANK YOU ALL FOR PUTTING ALL OF THIS, BUT I THINK THE ONE THING WE'VE LEARNED OUT OF ALL OF THIS IS THAT EVEN THOUGH WE'RE ALL DIFFERENT, WE LIVE IN DIFFERENT DISTRICTS AND WE HAVE DIFFERENT PROBLEMS AT THE VERY CORE OF IT. IT'S THE SAME THING. REALLY. WE ALL WANT TO BE RECOGNIZED. WE WANT TO BE PART OF SOMETHING AND WE WANT TO CONTRIBUTE. WE WANT TO HELP YOU. SO THERE'LL BE ONE, A DECENT QUALITY OF LIFE AND THEY THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ALL TRYING TO AIM FOR. SO, UM, WE'RE GOING TO TRY AND REALLY SEE HOW WE CAN HELP GET HERE. AND I DON'T THINK THIS IS SOMEWHERE WHERE, UH, THIS IS ONE THAT'S PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION. I DON'T THINK WE'RE EVER GOING TO MAKE THIS PERFECT. SO THERE'LL BE A LOT MORE LEARNINGS. AND, AND HOPEFULLY THIS IS ONE STEP CLOSER TOWARDS HAVING A SYSTEM THAT HOPEFULLY WORKS BETTER. UH LONG-TERM AGAIN, IT'S BEEN VERY EYE-OPENING AND I, IT'S A PLEASURE TO HAVE BEEN SERVING ON THIS COMMISSION FEES, CONTINUE TO GIVE US FEEDBACK AS WE, UH, FORM SHAPE AND, AND DRAW THESE PROCESSES OUT. UH, THANKS EVERYONE FOR COMING. WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH, COMMISSIONER KANAAN IN 2012, 61% OF AUSTIN VOTERS SET THE STANDARD FOR AN OPEN AND TRANSPARENT MAPPING OF OUR DISTRICTS THAT VOTE APPROVED. REPLACING THE CITIES AT LARGE CITY COUNCIL SYSTEM THAT LACKED GEOGRAPHICAL AND RACIAL REPRESENTATION WITH A TEN ONE COUNCIL STRUCTURE THAT WE CURRENTLY SEE CONSISTING OF 10 SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS. PLUS OUR MAYOR, THIS VOTE DRAMATICALLY CHANGED THE CITY'S ELECTION SYSTEM AND PROVIDED A POTENTIAL MODEL FOR CITIES NATIONWIDE TO PREVENT GERRYMANDERING ON BEHALF OF ANY ELECTED OFFICIAL. THE DISTRICTS, AS WE SEE THEM TODAY WERE DRAWN BY THE INDEPENDENT CITIZENS REDISTRICTING COMMISSION. THE ICRC HISTORY WAS MADE ON NOVEMBER 18TH, 2013. WHEN AUSTIN BECAME THE FIRST CITY IN THE COUNTRY TO HAVE CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS, JOHN, THROUGH THE VOLUNTEERISM OF A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT GROUP OF NORMAL REGULAR RESIDENTS. THIS COMMISSION IS NOT SELECTED BY ANY POLITICIAN. THE WAY THAT OTHER REDISTRICTING COMMISSIONS MAY OPERATE. WE ARE VOLUNTEERS WHO APPLIED FOR OUR POSITIONS, NOT PAID 1 CENT FOR THE WORK WE DO. WE ARE PUBLIC SERVANTS. WE ARE AUSTIN RESIDENTS WHO CARE ABOUT THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS AND HOW IT IS MANAGED. SOME OF US HAVE FULL-TIME JOBS. SOME OF US ARE STUDENTS. OTHERS HAVE FAMILIES TO CARE FOR THE BODY BEFORE YOU IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR PRODUCING THE NEW CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT MAP, [00:10:01] NOT THE CITY COUNCIL, NOT THE MAYOR OR THE CITY MANAGER, NOT THE STATE. WE'RE INDEPENDENT WITH THE CAPITAL. I, WE ARE CONDUCTING OUR DIFFICULT, TOUGH YET VERY IMPORTANT WORK UP AGAINST A TIGHT DEADLINE SOLELY WITH THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN. AND AS RESIDENTS IN MIND, JUST A, A LITTLE HISTORY, UH, THAT I MENTIONED ON THE TOP OF THE SLIDE THAT YOU NOW SEE IN FRONT OF YOU, UH, AT THE BOTTOM, UH, SOME BACKGROUND ABOUT THE SELECTION PROCESS ITSELF TO FOR PLACEMENT ON THE ICRC OVER 300 APPLICATIONS WERE RECEIVED BY THE CITY AUDITOR'S OFFICE OVER 89% OF THOSE APPLICATIONS MET MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS SUCH AS HAVING LIVED AND VOTED IN AUSTIN FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS AND WERE IDENTIFIED AS NOT HAVING ANY CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. AN APPLICANT REVIEW PANEL MADE UP OF THREE CPAS THEN SELECTED THE 60 MOST QUALIFIED APPLICANTS THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING SYSTEM. THE CITY AUDITOR'S OFFICE THEN SELECTED EIGHT COMMISSIONERS FROM THAT QUALIFIED POOL OF 60. THOSE RANDOMLY SELECTED EIGHT COMMISSIONERS THEN HAD THE DIFFICULT TASK OF CHOOSING SIX ADDITIONAL APPLICANTS, UH, FROM THAT QUALIFIED POOL TO ENSURE THAT THE COMMISSION REFLECTED THE DIVERSITY OF AUSTIN, THAT WORK LED US TO THE FINAL NUMBER OF 14, THE 14 COMMISSIONERS WHO WILL WORK TO REDRAW THE CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT BOUNDARIES. AGAIN, WE WANTED TO ENSURE THAT THE COMMISSION REFLECTED THE DIVERSITY OF AUSTIN WHILE WE PRIMARILY WANTED TO ENSURE THAT ALL DISTRICTS WERE REPRESENTED ON THE ICRC. AND WE'RE HAPPY TO SAY THEY ARE RACIAL, ETHNIC, AND GENDER DIVERSITY ALSO PLAYED A ROLE IN THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS. I'M EXTREMELY PROUD TO SAY THAT THE MEMBERS OF THE ICRC ARE WONDERFULLY DIVERSE AND LIVED AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE, AGE, RACE, AND ETHNICITY. SOME OF US COME FROM ENGINEERING AND TECH BACKGROUNDS. OTHERS HAVE JOURNALISM BACKGROUNDS. SOME OF US WERE EDUCATORS. SOME COME FROM THE GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS SECTOR. WE HAVE A LAWYER AND A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER. WE HAVE A PASTOR, WE HAVE AN ARMY VETERAN. WHAT ALIGNS US ALL THOUGH, IS THAT EACH ONE OF US CALLS AUSTIN, OUR HOME, THE COMMISSION WILL DECIDE ON THE NEW BOUNDARIES FOR OUR CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS THROUGH AN OPEN AND TRANSPARENT PROCESS WITH MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC INPUT, SUCH AS THE FORUM THAT YOU'RE ATTENDING THIS EVENING IN ORDER TO DRAW THE DISTRICT BOUNDARIES, COMMISSIONERS NEED INPUT FROM ITS RESIDENTS THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE PROCESS. AND THAT PROCESS, AS YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN HOLDS INCLUDES HOLDING PUBLIC FORUMS IN EACH OF THE 10 CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS. THIS VIRTUAL FORUM IS A FOCUSED FORUM. THEN WE COME UP WITH THE INITIAL, UH, AN ADDITIONAL INITIAL DRAFT OF THE MAP BOUNDARIES. AFTER THAT, WE'D GO OUT FOR FOUR MORE PUBLIC MEETINGS, ONE IN EACH OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY PRECINCTS. THEN WE GO FOR TWO MORE PUBLIC MEETINGS AFTER PROPOSING FINAL BOUNDARIES, UH, ONE PUBLIC FORUM NORTH OF LADY, BIRD LAKE, AND ONE SOUTH OF LADY BIRD LAKE. WE THEN VOTE ON FINAL BOUNDARIES ALL IN THE HOPES OF HAVING A FINAL MAP APPROVED, UH, AND ADOPTED NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 1ST, 2021. SO PLEASE KEEP THAT DATE IN MIND, NOVEMBER 1ST, 2021, THE HIGHLIGHTED BULLET POINT THAT YOU SEE ON THE SLIDE HERE. THAT IS WHY YOU HAVE JOINED US THIS EVENING. AND I MAY SOUND LIKE A BROKEN RECORD, BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US. I'M NOW GOING TO PASS THE MIC BACK OVER TO CHAIR, QUINTUS, TO SPEAK ON WHY THIS ENTIRE REDISTRICTING PROCESS MATTERS TO THOSE OF YOU IN ATTENDANCE THIS EVENING CHAIR. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. SO WHY DOES REDISTRICTING MATTER? OUR REDISTRICTING PROCESS IS PRETTY UNIQUE AND, UM, I THINK THIS IS DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO OUR FAIR REPRESENTATION. YOU CAN ALSO SHARE A DISTRICT WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE SIMILAR CONCERNS AND WHOSE CAUSES YOU WANT TO ADVOCATE FOR IT. AND MANY OF US BELIEVE THAT THIS IS THE ANTIDOTE TO GERRYMANDERING PRACTICES THAT WE'VE SEEN AT THE STATE LEVEL AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHERE POLITICAL DISTRICTS ARE DRAWN FOR THE PURPOSES OF POLITICIANS TO GET REELECTED RATHER THAN TO ENSURE FAIR REPRESENTATION AND INCREASE DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION. OUR PROCESS MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR RESIDENTS TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE FOR A CANDIDATE OF THEIR CHOICE. SOMEONE YOU BELIEVE WILL FIGHT FOR YOU WHEN THEY GET INTO OFFICE. BUT WHEN CHALLENGED THIS COMMISSION WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS POOL OF APPLICANTS ACCURATELY REFLECTED THE DEMOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY OF THE CITY'S ENTIRE POPULATION, WHILE ALSO HAVING NO TIES TO CITY OR STATE POLITICS OR POLITICAL PARTIES, AND HAVING LIVED AND VOTED IN AUSTIN FOR AT LEAST FIVE YEARS, AS VICE GONZALEZ SAID INDEPENDENT WITH A CAPITAL I BACK IN 2015, THE SUPREME COURT AFFIRMED THAT VOTERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO ESTABLISH INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSIONS. SO AT A TIME WHEN POLITICIANS ELICIT DISTRUST CITIZEN, REDISTRICTING CAN PROVIDE A TRANSPARENT [00:15:01] AND TRANSFORMING ALTERNATIVE TO POLITICS AS USUAL. AND THIS MOVEMENT INVOLVES ALL OF YOU. UM, OUR WORK CANNOT HAPPEN WITHOUT PUBLIC FORUMS LIKE THIS ONE. AND WITHOUT YOU AND ATTENDANCE TODAY AND HEARING YOUR VOICE, THE 2013 INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING OF ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES WAS A GRASSROOTS FROM THE GROUND UP INITIATIVE. AND THE 2021 COMMISSIONERS ARE FOLLOWING SUIT BECAUSE WE BELIEVE REPRESENTATION IS THE BACKBONE OF DOMO. NOW, HOW DO WE DRAW THE MAPS? IT'S, IT'S PRETTY CUT AND DRY. WE USE THIS SECTION FROM THE CITY CHARTER TO DRAW EACH DISTRICT'S BOUNDARIES. THIS IS AN ORDER OF PRIORITY FROM TOP TO BOTTOM, AND WE MUST CREATE REASONABLY EQUAL POPULATION IN EACH CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT. WE MUST COMPLY WITH THE FEDERAL VOTING RIGHTS ACT. DISTRICTS MUST BE GEOGRAPHICALLY CONTIGUOUS. AND FINALLY, WHAT YOU SEE HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW. NUMBER FOUR, IT SAYS THE GEOGRAPHIC INTEGRITY OF LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS OR LOCAL COMMUNITIES OF INTEREST SHALL BE RESPECTED IN A MANNER THAT MINIMIZE THEIR DIVISION TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE WITHOUT VIOLATING THE REQUIREMENTS OF ANY OF THE PRECEDING SECTIONS. AND SO THIS IS WHY YOU ARE HERE TODAY. THIS MONTH, THE CITIZENS ON THE COMMISSION WILL HAVE ACCESS TO USABLE 2020 CENSUS DATA SO THAT WE CAN BEGIN THIS MAPPING PROCESS. SO THE COMMISSIONERS ALONG WITH OUR MAPPING AND REDISTRICTING SPECIALISTS WILL USE THIS DATA AND PUBLIC INPUT TO DECIDE HOW TO DRAW THE NEW DISTRICT BOUNDARIES AND BEST REFLECT AUSTIN'S CHANGES. SO AS YOU JUST SAW, EACH DISTRICT SHOULD HAVE A REASONABLY EQUAL POPULATION WITH OTHER DISTRICTS. AND THE STANDARD IS AS CLOSE TO 0% DEVIATION AS POSSIBLE FROM EQUAL SIZES. BACK IN 2010, THE POPULATION WAS 790,000. SO THE IDEAL POPULATION PER CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT WAS 79,000. UM, DISTRICT FIVE, IF YOU CAN SEE HERE ON THE, ON THIS GRAPH, UM, HAD ABOUT 80,675. UH, SO JUST A LITTLE OVER THAT, UM, 79,000, THIS GRAPH, YOU SEE THE RAPID AND PRECIPITOUS GROWTH AND AUSTIN'S POPULATION THROUGH THE YEARS. AND ACCORDING TO THE RECENTLY DROPPED 2020 CENSUS DATA JUST CAME OUT AUGUST 12TH, AUSTIN'S POPULATION LAST YEAR WAS 961,855. AND THAT'S ABOUT A 21% INCREASE SINCE 2010. SO BECAUSE THERE ARE 10 CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS, THE IDEAL DISTRICT SIZE WOULD BE ONE 10TH, THAT TOTAL POPULATION, OR APPROXIMATELY 96,200, WE WILL HAVE TO DRAW THE DISTRICTS AND A PORTION BASED ON THE DATA FROM THE 2020 CENSUS, EVEN THOUGH AUSTIN'S POPULATION HAS PROBABLY SURPASSED A MILLION PEOPLE BY NOW. SO AS WE JUST SAW, AUSTIN HAS GROWN BY ABOUT 172,000 PEOPLE SINCE 2010. THIS MAP SHOWS THAT THE GROWTH IS CONCENTRATED IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE CITY AND SOME CASES AREAS OF AUSTIN LOST POPULATION OR REMAINED THE SAME AS YOU CAN SEE IN WHITE AND THE LIGHTER COLORS WHILE OTHERS GREW BY MORE THAN 3000 RESIDENTS, AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE DARK BLUE. SO THIS UNEQUAL GROWTH MEANS THAT DISTRICT BOUNDARIES WILL HAVE TO CHANGE THIS DATA IS FROM THE CITY COMPARING DEMOGRAPHICS FROM 2010 TO 2019. WE DON'T HAVE THE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA FOR CITY OF AUSTIN JUST YET. YOU MAY HAVE SEEN SOME DATA FROM THE STATE LEVEL, BUT THE CITY WILL TAKE JUST A LITTLE MORE TIME TO COMPILE THAT. UM, BUT AS I SAID, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN, UH, THE EARLY NEWS THAT PEOPLE OF COLOR MAKE UP 95% OF TEXAS POPULATION GROWTH, UH, AS OF 2019, THE POPULATION THAT IDENTIFIES AS WHITE AND AUSTIN IS AT 49%, WELL, 32% IDENTIFY AS LATINO. WE HAVE ABOUT 8% THAT IDENTIFY AS ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER, WHICH HAS HIGHER THAN THE SHARE OF THE STATE POPULATION. A LITTLE MORE THAN 7% OF OUR POPULATION IDENTIFY AS BLACK, WHICH IS LOWER THAN THE SHARE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS AS A WHOLE STATEWIDE. THE BLACK POPULATION IS THAT 11% AND THE ASIAN POPULATION IS AT 5%. AND WE HAVE CLOSER TO 3% THAT IDENTIFY WITH TWO OR MORE RACES WITH SMALLER SHARES, IDENTIFYING AS AMERICAN, INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE. THE RACE ETHNIC COMPOSITION OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS DIFFERENT FROM THE REST OF THE STATE. WHEN WE LOOK AT THE CONTRIBUTION OF EACH OF THESE RACIAL, ETHNIC GROUPS TO THE TOTAL CHANGE IN THE DECADE, WE SEE THAT THE BIGGEST DRIVER IN THE CITY HAS ACTUALLY BEEN THE NON-HISPANIC WHITE POPULATION HERE IN AUSTIN. IT'S CLOSE TO 50% OF THE TOTAL CHANGE. THIS SETS US APART FROM THE REST OF TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE LATEST CENSUS DATA, NON-HISPANIC WHITE TEXANS HAVE SHRUNK TO 39.8% OF THE STATE'S POPULATION [00:20:01] WITH ONLY A 1.6% INCREASE SINCE 2010. WHILE THE SHARE OF HISPANIC TEXANS HAS GROWN TO 39.3% AT AN OVER 20% GROWTH IN THE SAME PERIOD. SO THE CENSUS DATA WAS IN FACT DELAYED, UM, A LOT OF DIFFERENT REASONS YOU CAN SEE LISTED IN THAT FIRST BULLET POINT. UH, BUT WE DO HAVE THE DATA NOW, AT LEAST THE STATE DOES, AND THE CITY'S WORKING TO CLEAN ALL OF THAT UP SO THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE LIKE US CAN USE IT. UM, SO GREAT EFFORTS WERE MADE JOINTLY BY THE CITY COUNTY AND COMMUNITY GROUPS TO GET AN ACCURATE CENSUS COUNT SINCE KNOWING OUR EXACT POPULATION IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR FEDERAL FUNDING FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS. AND OF COURSE IT MATTERS FOR THIS PROCESS FOR POLITICAL REPRESENTATION AS WE DRAW THESE COUNCIL DISTRICT BOUNDARIES STILL, UM, I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS MAY BE AN UNDERCOUNT, ESPECIALLY OF HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES. UH, THE CITY CHARTER SET THIS DEADLINE OF NOVEMBER 1ST FOR THE FINAL REDISTRICTING PLAN TO BE ADOPTED. SO BETWEEN NOW AND THE NOVEMBER 1ST DEADLINE, I KNOW VICE-CHAIR GONZALEZ WENT OVER IT, BUT I WANT TO REITERATE, WE'RE GOING TO DRAW THESE PRELIMINARY MAPS, PRESENT THEM TO THE PUBLIC AND EACH TRAPS COUNTY PRECINCT AND TAKE PUBLIC INPUT. THEN GO BACK AND REVISE THE MAPS, PRESENT FINAL VERSIONS TWO MORE TIMES AND TAKE PUBLIC INPUT AND THEN ADOPT THE FINAL PLAN. THIS GIVES US ABOUT TWO MONTHS TO COMPLETE THE PROCESS, A SIMILAR TIMELINE TO THE PREVIOUS COMMISSION THAT THROUGH OUR CURRENT DISTRICTS, AGAIN, WE INVITE PUBLIC INPUT AT EVERY POINT IN THE PROCESS. I WANT TO COME BACK TO THIS SLIDE, WHICH UNFORTUNATELY IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE DOING THINGS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOU SEE HERE. I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT. UM, SO, UM, ACCORDING TO OUR, UM, THE PERSON WHO'S MANAGING OUR ZOOM THIS EVENING, YOU WILL RAISE YOUR HAND WHEN, IF YOU WANT TO SIGN UP TO SPEAK AND THEN OUR ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER, CHRISTINE GRANADA, WE'LL TAKE YOUR NAMES IN THE ORDER THAT SHE SEES THEM AND CALL ON YOU, UM, TO SPEAK. SO I WILL PASS THE MIC BACK TO VICE CHAIR, UH, GONZALEZ, AND HE WILL EXPLAIN THE REST. THANK YOU SO MUCH CHAIR. UM, AND AGAIN, ATTENDEES, PLEASE BEAR WITH US AS WE'RE GOING TO SHARE OUR SCREEN AT THE MOMENT. UM, EARLIER IN THE PRESENTATION, I ALLUDED TO WHAT I'M CALLING MAP HOMEWORK. UH, PLEASE DON'T BE NERVOUS. UH, WE WON'T BE TAKING A QUIZ OR A TEST AFTERWARDS, BUT THESE, IN ADDITION TO, UH, THE FORUM THAT YOU'RE ATTENDING THIS EVENING, THERE ARE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TOO, FOR THE ICRC TO RECEIVE YOUR PUBLIC INPUT, YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT. UM, SO THIS FORUM IS ONE AVENUE. WE ARE ALSO AVAILABLE VIA EMAIL, AND I MENTIONED THAT EMAILS, ICRC DOT COMMISSIONERS AT AUSTIN, TEXAS.GOV. RIGHT NOW WE WANT TO TAKE YOU THROUGH SOME MAP WORKSHEETS THAT ARE AVAILABLE ON THE ICRC WEBPAGE VIA THE CITY'S WEBSITE. SO ALL YOU WOULD HAVE TO DO IS IN A WEB BROWSER. MOST PEOPLE USE GOOGLE, UM, BUT ANY WEB BROWSER WOULD BE FINE JUST TYPE IN AUSTIN ICRC, AND IT SHOULD BRING UP THE ICRC IS PAGE ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE AS YOUR TOP RESULT ON THAT CITY WEBPAGE SCROLL DOWN INTO UC VIEW MEETINGS, DOCUMENTS THAT IS WITHIN THIS CUTE LITTLE FOLDER ICON ON THE LEFT HAND OF THE SCREEN, YOU WOULD JUST CLICK THAT. AND UNDER THIS EVENING'S MEETING NOTICE FOR AUGUST 17TH, YOU SHOULD SEE A BACKUP DOCUMENT ENTITLED ICRC WORKSHEET D FIVE. YOU COULD CLICK ON, UH, THAT BACKUP DOCUMENT. OKAY. AND IT WILL BRING YOU TO THIS MAP WORKSHEET NOTES. YOU CAN ALSO, YOU WILL, YOU COULD DOWNLOAD, UH, THIS MAP TO YOUR COMPUTER VD VIA PDF FILE. ON ONE SHEET, THERE IS A MAP OF DISTRICT FIVE. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS MAP MAY NOT INCLUDE SOME NEWLY ANNEXED PORTIONS OF AUSTIN. WE APOLOGIZE ABOUT THAT. UM, AND ON THE OTHER SHEET, THERE'S THE ENTIRE CURRENT CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT MAP. WE WANT IT TO PROVIDE THIS MAP JUST IN CASE YOU'RE JOINING THIS EVENING. AND YOU ARE NOT A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT FIVE. UH, YOU MAY WANT TO PROVIDE A COMMENT ON YOUR PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT, YOUR FAVORITE PARK, OR YOUR FAVORITE GROCERY STORE STORE. SHOULD THEY BE OUTSIDE OF THE DISTRICT FIVE BOUNDARIES? SO JUST AN EXPLANATION ON WHY WE ALSO INCLUDED THE FULL CITY, THE FULL CITY MAP. WE ASK THAT YOU EXAMINE BOTH OF THESE NAPS FOR COMMON AREAS OF INTEREST, UH, YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS, YOUR LOCAL SCHOOLS, AGAIN, YOUR LOCAL GROCERY STORES, UH, TO MARK THESE AREAS OF THE MAP WITH A DOT OR A STAR, AND THEN DRAW A CIRCLE AROUND THOSE UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUR DISTRICT THAT YOU BELIEVE SHOULD REMAIN [00:25:01] INTACT. AS WE BEGIN OUR REDRAWING WORK ON THE BACK OF EACH OF THESE MAPS, UH, IS PLENTY OF EMPTY SPACE WHERE YOU CAN LEAVE WRITTEN COMMENTS. AND WE ASK THAT YOU PLEASE DO, UH, SHARE SOME DETAILS ON WHY THOSE DOTS AND STARS ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU. IF YOU PREFER TO WRITE YOUR COMMENTS IN A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH, PLEASE DO. SO WE DO WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU, AND THEN YOU CAN SUBMIT THESE MAPS AFTER YOU DOWNLOAD THEM TO YOUR COMPUTER AND COMPLETE THEM. YOU COULD SUBMIT THESE NAP WORKSHEETS TO THAT APP FOR MENTIONED ICRC DOT COMMISSIONERS AT AUSTIN, TEXAS.GOV EMAIL ADDRESS, OR YOU CAN ACTUALLY PHYSICALLY MAIL THEM TO US AT ATTENTION ICRC PO BOX 1 0 8 8, AUSTIN, TEXAS 7 8 7 6 7. AND YOU CAN SEE THAT A MAILING ADDRESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN ON YOUR RIGHT HAND SIDE, THESE DOCUMENTS WILL BE SAVED. THEY DO BECOME PART OF PUBLIC RECORD FOR THE PURPOSE OF REJOIN MAPS. I'VE SHOWED YOU THESE MAP, THIS MAP, HOMEWORK, THIS MAP WORKSHEET. I ALSO WANT TO SPEND SOME TIME, UM, UM, GOING THROUGH ONE ADDITIONAL OPTION FOR PUBLIC INPUT, AND THAT IS THROUGH THE SPEAK UP AUSTIN.ORG WEBSITE. SO AGAIN, YOU CAN JUST TYPE UP, SPEAK UP AUSTIN THROUGH ANY WEB BROWSER AND THE SPEAK-UP AUSTIN SITE WOULD BE YOUR TOP RESULT. ONCE YOU'RE ON THE WEBPAGE, THE ICRC PROJECT SHOULD BE THE TOP A CLICKABLE LINK ON THIS WEBPAGE. YOU JUST CLICK VIEW PROJECT. AND ONCE YOU GET TO THE ICRC AUSTIN PAGE, IF YOU SCROLL DOWN, YOU SHOULD SEE AN EVENT FEEDBACK. UM, CLICKABLE LINK WILL BE AFTER OUR FIRST KIND OF ANNOUNCED OUR MOST RECENT ANNOUNCEMENT, BUT YOU'LL EVENTUALLY SEE EVENT FEEDBACK. I WILL NOTE THAT IN ORDER TO USE THIS PUBLIC INPUT, UM, VENUE, YOU WILL HAVE TO REGISTER WITH AN EMAIL AND CREATE A PASSWORD TO ACCESS. WELL, WHY DON'T YOU DO THAT? YOU SHOULD SEE THE SURVEY AND IT IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO SUBMIT A PUBLIC INPUT TO THE RCRC. THAT SURVEY. IT LOOKS SIMILAR, VERY SIMILAR TO THE MAP WORKSHEETS THAT I SHOWCASED ON THE AUSTIN WEBPAGE. AND IT INCLUDES, UH, QUESTIONS SIMILAR TO THIS NEXT SLIDE THAT WE ARE GOING TO SHOW YOU, THOSE QUESTIONS ARE AGAIN, WHERE DO YOU GO TO, UH, YOUR, THE DOCTOR, UH, HOW DO YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE AND YOUR COMMUNITY? WHERE ARE THE CHURCHES MOSQUES AND TEMPLES THAT YOU ATTEND WITHIN YOUR DISTRICT? UM, SO AGAIN, VIA THE SPEAK-UP AUSTIN.ORG SITE, JUST ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR THE ICRC TO RECEIVE YOUR PUBLIC INPUT. SHOULD YOU NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ATTEND A FORUM LIKE THE ONE YOU'RE AT THIS EVENING, ALL OF THE STAFF HOMEWORK, EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE SHOWED YOU TODAY, WE ARE FOCUSING ON ICRC CHARTER PRIORITY. NUMBER FOUR, AGAIN, THAT IS KEEPING THE GEOGRAPHIC INTEGRITY OF YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITIES INTACT YOUR PUBLIC TESTIMONY. AND THESE WORKSHEETS WILL GIVE THE COMMISSION A SNAPSHOT OF WHAT MATTERS TO THE VOTERS, THE RESIDENTS, AND THE COMMUNITIES OF DISTRICT FIVE. AGAIN, THESE QUESTIONS ON THE SLIDE, UH, THE PRESENTATION, THE MAP WORKSHEETS COULD BE FOUND ON THE ICRC WEBPAGE AT THE AUSTIN'S A WEBSITE. IF YOU WISH YOU CAN ALSO TESTIFY TO FUTURE PUBLIC FORUM, UM, OR AT AN ICRC GENERAL MEETING. OUR NEXT GENERAL MEETING IS WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18TH, TOMORROW AT 6:00 PM. AND WE ACTUALLY MEET EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 6:00 PM. WE HAVE WEEKLY MEETINGS. ALL YOU WOULD HAVE TO DO IS CALL IN, IN ADVANCE AND SIGN UP FOR CITIZEN COMMUNICATION INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO DO THAT CAN BE FOUND WITHIN OUR MEETING. AGENDA IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE CITY WEBSITE. AND NOW WANT TO, AGAIN, UH, WE'RE DOING A LITTLE THINGS. WE'RE DOING THINGS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY TODAY, AS THE CHAIR MENTIONED, WE DO APOLOGIZE, BUT IF YOU COULD RAISE YOUR HAND, UM, UH, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSIONERS TONIGHT, OUR ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER, CHRISTINE WOULD CALL ON YOU IN THE ORDER THAT SHE RECEIVES THOSE RAISED HANDS. I'M GOING TO GIVE HER A FEW MINUTES TO JUST GO AHEAD AND CAPTURE THOSE NAMES SINCE WE CHANGED THINGS ON HER TODAY. UM, BUT THEN SHE'LL JUMP ON THE SCREEN AND SHE'LL PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION ON HOW THE PUBLIC TESTIMONY PORTION OF THIS EVENING'S FORUM, UM, WILL OCCUR. SO LET'S GIVE IT A MINUTE OR TWO, AND THEN I'LL HAVE CHRISTINE POP-UP ON THE SCREEN TO HANDLE THE PUBLIC TESTIMONY PORTION. [00:30:16] OKAY. HI EVERYBODY. I'M CHRISTINE. AND I SEE THAT WE HAVE, WE'VE LOST SOMEONE, BUT I WILL CALL ON YOU IN THE ORDER YOU SIGNED INTO THE EVENT AND EVERYONE WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK AND JUST PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR COMMENTS ARE PERTAINING TO THE MAPS AND REDISTRICTING. AND AT THE TWO MINUTE 32ND, MARK, I WILL FLASH THIS YELLOW NOTEBOOK TO LET YOU KNOW THAT YOUR TIME WAS ABOUT TO EXPIRE. AND AT THE THREE MINUTE MARK, I WILL SAY YOU'RE AT TIME. SO THE FIRST PERSON WHO'S READ OR WHO REGISTERED TO SPEAK IS JL BOWEN. MR. BOWEN, YOU MAY ADDRESS THE COMMISSION. WELL, THANKS. UM, I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE MAP, BUT I DO HAVE A QUESTION IN REGARD TO SOME OF THE TERMINOLOGY THAT WAS BEING USED. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S ACCEPTABLE TO ASK THAT QUESTION OR NOT. THAT'S FINE. GO AHEAD. SO, AND I'VE NOTICED THIS IN A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT ARTICLES THAT HAVE BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT THIS PROCESS, BUT ALSO TONIGHT THE WORD GERMAN. AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND BECAUSE, UH, NONE OF THESE POSITIONS OR DEMOCRAT REPUBLICAN OR WHATEVER THE CASE IS, I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE USAGE OF THOSE TERMS OF GERRYMANDERING, UH, THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS. SO THAT'S MY QUESTION. IS THAT ALL MR. BOWEN? THAT'S IT. OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, WE'RE NOT GOING TO ADDRESS QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME, BUT WE'RE HAPPY TO REACH BACK OUT TO YOU IF YOU WANT TO LEAVE US YOUR CONTACT. OKAY. THE NEXT PERSON REGISTERED TO SPEAK IS JERRY PATTERSON. MR. PATTERSON, YOU CAN ADDRESS THE COMMISSIONER. OKAY. HOW ABOUT, CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? IS THAT AN AFFIRMATIVE? YOU CAN HEAR ME NOW. IS THAT CORRECT? YES. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. I THINK YOU TOLD US US, BUT AS I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU SAID, THE TARGET NUMBER FOR THE 10 DISTRICTS IS 96,200. UH, WHAT, UH, WHAT IS DISTRICT FIVE SHORT ARE OVER? WHATEVER THE NUMBER IS THAT 96,200. AND WHERE CAN WE? AND YOU MAY HAVE PRESENTED IT ALREADY AND I MISSED IT. WHERE CAN WE SEE THE BALANCE OVERAGE UNDER POPULATION IN THE OTHER NINE DISTRICTS? THAT'S MY QUESTION. THANK YOU, MR. PATTERSON, IS THAT ALL? OKAY. UM, JUST LIKE I SAID TO MR. BOND, UH, HAPPY TO REACH OUT TO YOU WITH ANSWERS AT A LATER DATE. THANK YOU. OKAY. AND YOU HAVE MY EMAIL BECAUSE I HAD TO GIVE IT TO YOU WHEN I SIGNED IN. GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALL RIGHT. SURE. QUINTUS, WE HAVE NO MORE SPEAKERS. IS THAT, SO I THOUGHT I MIGHT'VE SEEN ANOTHER PAN. MAYBE THEY CHANGED THEIR MINDS. OKAY. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WISHING TO SPEAK TO THE COMMISSION TONIGHT BEFORE WE END THIS PORTION OF OUR FORUM? AND IF SO, JUST RAISE YOUR HAND, USE THE, RAISE YOUR HAND FEATURE. THE RAISE HAND BUTTON IS GOING TO BE AT THE VERY BOTTOM OF YOUR SCREEN. UM, I BELIEVE THAT, UM, MR. YOUNG HAS MAYBE HE'S RAISING HIS HAND AND TAKING IT DOWN. SO I'M NOT SURE IF, IF HE WANTS TO SPEAK, BUT I'VE SEEN HIS HAND GO UP A COUPLE OF TIMES. SURE. THANK YOU. UH UM, MR. YOUNG, IF YOU STILL ARE INTERESTED IN SPEAKING TONIGHT, PLEASE CLICK ON THE, RAISE YOUR HAND FEATURE, JUST SO WE CAN CONFIRM THAT. AND THEN, UM, OUR MANAGER CAN UNMUTE YOU. OKAY. PEG, YOU CAN ADDRESS THE COMMISSION. I WAS BEING A CITIZEN [00:35:01] OF DISTRICT FIVE. UH, ONE OF THE THINGS I'M WANTING TO POINT OUT IS THAT A FIVE IS A INTERESTING DISTRICT AND THAT IT GOES FROM AN AREA THAT IS THE SECOND OLDEST IN, UH, THE CITY, LITERALLY TO THE EDGE OF TOWN WHERE I LIVE, UH, WHICH IS SOME OF THE NEWEST PARTS OF THE CITY. UH, THAT'S ONE OF THE PHENOMENON OF, OF DISTRICTING PERIOD IS THAT TO PUT TOGETHER ENOUGH POPULATION, YOU END UP WITH PEOPLE OF ALL DIFFERENT KINDS AND OF ALL DIFFERENT, ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF NEIGHBORHOODS INVOLVED AND THAT'S UNAVOIDABLE. UM, IT'S AN INTERESTING MIX, UH, AS A COMMUNITY AND AN INTERESTING MIX OF NEIGHBORHOODS. AND, UH, I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO FIND WHEN YOU GET YOUR INFORMATION BACK FROM PEOPLE, UH, A VARIETY OF APPROACHES, THIS IS THE AREA THAT INCLUDED THE FOLKS WHO WANTED TO MAKE A ZIP CODE INTO A DISTRICT, WHICH WAS TOO LARGE, AN AREA TO BE A DISTRICT, UH, UH, IN OH FOUR, WHICH IS ONE OF THE OLDEST PARTS OF TOWN. UH, SO, UH, AND I DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW THE SIZE OF THESE DISTRICTS IN THE CURRENT POPULATION, HOW THIS DIFFICULT, FAIR, BUT YOU DO NEED TO BE AWARE OF, YOU'VE GOT SOME OF THE NEWEST RESIDENTS OF THE CITY, AND YOU'VE GOT HOMES THAT LITERALLY DATE BACK TO THE LAST CENTURY AND AT THE NORTHERN EDGE OF THIS AREA. SO IT'S ONE OF YOUR MORE UNIQUE DISTRICTS. THAT'S MY ONLY COMMENT. THANK YOU, MR. YOUNG. THANK YOU. WE HAVE SOME MORE SPEAKERS, ANNA. PATALA YOU CAN ADDRESS THE COMMISSION. HI, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN. OKAY, GREAT. UM, SO I UNDERSTAND THAT THE CENSUS NUMBERS WERE RELEASED ON THE 12TH AND THAT IT WAS GOING TO TAKE ABOUT NINE OR SEVEN TO 10 DAYS FOR Y'ALL TO BE ABLE TO, I DON'T THAT'S. WHAT I WAS CONFUSED ABOUT IS I SAW THAT THERE WAS A SEVEN TO 10 DAY, UM, TIMELINE. AND IS THAT WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO GET THE NUMBERS OR BECAUSE THE STATE HAS THE NUMBERS, OR IS THAT WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO BE AVAILABLE TO TALK ABOUT THE NUMBERS THAT YOU'VE RECEIVED? SO I WAS CONFUSED ABOUT THE 7, 10, 10 DAY AFTER THE 12TH TIMELINE IS WE HAD RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM, UM, COMMISSIONER CALDERON. AND I WASN'T, I DIDN'T QUITE UNDERSTAND WHAT THE STATEMENT WAS IN THAT. SO I WAS JUST CURIOUS AS TO WHEN, UM, Y'ALL WERE GOING TO BE AVAILABLE TO SPEAK ABOUT THE NUMBERS. THANK YOU, MS. PATELLA, IS THAT ALL? YES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THE NEXT PERSON TO SPEAK TO THE COMMISSION IS DANIEL RUTLEDGE. YOU CAN ADDRESS THE COMMISSION, UH, FIRST, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND VOLUNTEERING TO HELP LEAD THE CITY IN THIS. MY COMMENT IS THAT WHILE YOU'RE LOOKING AT ESTABLISHING AN EVEN DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION ACROSS THE DISTRICTS, UM, ONE THING I WOULD LOVE TO SEE AFTER THE FACT IS HOW, UH, GREEN SPACES ARE CONTINUED TO, UM, BE EVENLY DISTRIBUTED AMONGST THE DISTRICTS AS WELL. I THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I DON'T SEE ANY MORE HANDS UP. IF ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS SEE, HANDS UP, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. THAT SHOULD CONCLUDE OUR SPEAKING PORTION OF THE FORUM. THANK YOU SO MUCH, CHRIS. GRANADA'S UH, SO WE ARE GOING TO FINISH OFF HERE. I WILL SHARE MY SCREEN ONE LAST TIME WITH YOU ALL. I WANT TO JUST POINT YOU TO OUR FINAL, UH, OPPORTUNITIES TO SPEAK TO THE COMMISSION, UH, PRIOR TO CREATING THE PRELIMINARY MAPS. SO WE HAVE A VIRTUAL OPPORTUNITY, THE, UH, ALL BOATS CITYWIDE, ONE VIRTUAL OPPORTUNITY THIS SATURDAY, AUGUST 21ST, STARTING AT 10:00 AM, SAME PROCESS AS THIS ONE, YOU WOULD JUST REGISTER AND THEN GET THE LINK SENT TO YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS. AND THEN A SECOND ONE ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 27TH, STARTING AT 11:00 AM. ALSO ON ZOOM, SAME PROCESS. YES. [00:40:03] THE ONE SAY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ATTENDING THIS FORUM. I WILL TELL YOU BRIEFLY, WE ARE WAITING ON DATA FROM THE STATE. AND, UM, SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, UM, A DATE THAT WE CAN BEGIN, WE ARE LOOKING FOR THAT DATE TOO, FROM THE STATE. UM, SO THAT WILL GO OUT. YOU KNOW, THAT INFORMATION WILL GO OUT AS SOON AS, UM, IT IS AVAILABLE TO US. SO, UM, JUST KIND OF A LAST LITTLE NOTE THERE, SINCE THAT WAS MENTIONED, I WANT TO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING TONIGHT. IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY TO ALL 14 COMMISSIONERS, UH, YOU CAN EMAIL US. I KNOW YOU'VE SEEN THIS EMAIL A FEW TIMES TONIGHT. I CRC DOT COMMISSIONERS AT AUSTIN, TEXAS.GOV. AND YOU WILL HEAR BACK FROM, UM, OUR ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER, CHRISTINE GRENADA'S, WHO YOU SAW HERE TONIGHT. SO HAVE A GREAT EVENING EVERYONE AND TAKE CARE AND I'LL SEE YOU AGAIN SOON, AND WE CAN STOP. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.