[00:00:04]
OKAY, LET'S GO AHEAD AND CONVENE THE WORK SESSION OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL.
THIS MEETING IS BEING HANDLED IN A HYBRID FASHION INSISTED WITH THE EMERGENCY RULES THAT AT THIS POINT THEY EXPIRE AT THE END OF THE MONTH.
UM, COLLEAGUES, UM, WE HAVE ON THE, A WORK SESSION AGENDA TODAY ONLY ONE POLL ITEM IS ITEM NUMBER NINE, FOUR BY COUNCIL MEMBER BULL.
WE HAVE, UH, THREE BRIEFINGS THIS MORNING, ONE ON ARTS, ONE ON, UH, UH, WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT AND ONE ON THE, UH, STORM GODS.
REMEMBER POOL FOR, FOR SCHEDULING PURPOSES TYPE YOU PULLED ITEM NUMBER NINE.
DID YOU, WAS THAT, UH, YOU HAD DISPLAYED THAT WOULD BE LENGTHY OR WAS THERE STAFF THAT YOU NEEDED FOR THAT? I KNOW THEY'VE GONE AROUND TO TALK TO THE COUNCIL OFFICES, I THINK.
UM, YEAH, I DON'T THINK IT WOULDN'T TAKE TOO LONG.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE PRESENTATION.
I THINK STAFF IS QUEUED UP AND READY TO DO THAT.
UM, THIS IS A PROJECT THAT, UM, OUR COMMUNITY HAS BEEN WAITING FOR A REALLY LONG TIME FOR.
AND SO I'M REALLY PLEASED AND PROUD TO BE BRINGING IT IN FOR THE STATE TO ARRIVE.
SO I'D LIKE TO ASK THE STAFF TO MAKE THAT PRESENTATION AND WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ASK THEM TO DO THAT MANAGER.
WAS THERE AN ORDER THAT, UH, UH, STAFF IS SET UP TO GIVE THEIR PRESENTATIONS MAYOR? IF IT PLEASES THE COUNCIL, WE WOULD PREFER TO DO THE CULTURAL ARTS, UH, BRIEFING FIRST.
WE DO HAVE OUTSIDE CONSULTANTS.
AND SO HAVING THAT, UH, WE CAN GO INTO THE PULLED ITEM, UH, AND THEN THE BRIEFING ON THE WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS AFTER THAT.
AND THEN, UH, FINALLY WE WOULD CONCLUDE WITH THE WINTER STORM TASKFORCE, JUST A COUPLE OF QUICK QUESTIONS, MAYOR.
I MISSED, UH, ARE WE HAVING AN EXECUTIVE SESSION TODAY? THERE IS NO EXECUTIVE SESSION TODAY JUST FOR BRIEFINGS.
AND I JUST WANT TO CHECK IN AND MAYBE MANAGER, YOU KNOW, THE ANSWER TO THIS, BUT WE, THE WINTER STORM BRIEFING IS OUR TASK FORCE MEMBERS.
AND SO ARE THEY, ARE THEY ANTICIPATING THAT IT'S GOING TO BE LATER OR ARE THEY ALSO GOING TO BE ON HOLD UNTIL WE TAKE, UNTIL WE TAKE THAT UP? IN WHICH CASE? I WOULD SUGGEST WE TAKE THAT UP AFTER CULTURAL ARTS, THEY WERE ANTICIPATING, IT WOULD BE A LATER IN THE YEAR.
ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO AHEAD AND BEGIN AND COLLEAGUES, I'M GOING TO NEED TO STEP OFF THE DYES TODAY AT ONE TO ABOUT ONE 30, I THINK.
AND THEN AGAIN AT THREE, UH, SO LET'S SEE HOW MUCH WE CAN, UH, MOVE THROUGH MANAGER.
IF YOU WANT TO START WITH THE CULTURAL ARTS BRIEFING.
[Dl. Cultural Arts Funding.]
THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCIL LAST WEEK COME TO MY BIRTH.QUINTAS REQUESTED A BRIEFING ON THE UPCOMING CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING PROGRAMS FUNDED BY THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX AND THE RESPECTIVE GUIDELINES FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN WORKING IN CONSULTATION WITH M J OUR PARTNERS, THE EQUITY OFFICE, AND THE CREATIVE COMMUNITY TO IDENTIFY CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE EXISTING SYSTEM, INCLUDING A LOOK AT HOW THE GUIDELINES COULD BE MODIFIED GOING FORWARD EDD, AND MJR HAVE UTILIZED AN EQUITY LENS WHEN CONDUCTING THIS WORK AND THEY WILL USE AN EQUITY LENS TO OFFER NEW APPROACHES AND HOW WE CAN CREATE A MORE EQUITABLE INVESTMENT OF HOT FUNDS TO STABILIZE GROW AND BUILD OUR LOCAL CULTURAL ARTS SECTOR.
I WILL NOW TURN THE PRESENTATION OVER TO SYNOVIAL HOLT, RAB ACTING DIRECTOR, MEGAN WELLS, CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION MANAGER, AND LAURA LAURA ODEGAARD CULTURAL INVESTMENT PROGRAM MANAGER FROM THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT TO PRESENT AN OVERVIEW OF THE CULTURAL FUNDING REVIEW PROCESS DIRECTOR, WHOLE REV.
UH, IF YOU COULD BRING UP MY PRESENTATION, PLEASE.
I ONLY HAVE A PRESENTATION FOR D TWO IN B ONE.
AND THEN, SO I'M LOOKING TO SEE IF THERE'S AN UPDATE ON THAT.
[00:05:03]
THANK YOU.CITY HALL, AVI AGAIN, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
SO THERE'LL BE A WHOLE RAB ACNE DIRECTOR AT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
AND I'M HERE TODAY WITH MY COLLEAGUES, MEGAN WELLS, CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION MANAGER, AS WELL AS LAURA ODEGAARD CULTURAL INVESTMENT PROGRAM MANAGER HERE TO PRESENT WITH ME TODAY.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE JUST WANT TO LET THE COUNCIL KNOW THAT WE ARE LEADING WITH EQUITY AND THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING, THE CITY STRATEGIC DIRECTION, 2023 STATES, THAT TO ADVANCE EQUITABLE OUTCOMES.
THE CITY MUST LEAD WITH A LENS OF RACIAL EQUITY AND HEALING RACE AS THE PRIMARY PREDICTOR OF OUTCOMES.
AND IT IS TIME TO RECOGNIZE, UNDERSTAND AND ADDRESS RACISM AT ITS VARIOUS LEVELS, PERSONNEL, INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURAL, AND SYSTEMATIC EQUITY.
HE IS THE CONDITION WHEN EVERY MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY HAS A FAIR OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE A LONG, HEALTHY, AND MEANINGFUL LIFE EQUITY EMBEDDED INTO AUSTIN'S VALUE SYSTEMS MEANS CHANGING HEARTS AND MINDS TRANSFORMING LOCAL GOVERNMENT FROM THE INSIDE OUT ERADICATING DISPARITIES AND ENSURING ALL AUSTIN COMMUNITY MEMBERS SHARE IN THE BENEFITS OF THE COMMUNITY PROGRESS.
OPERATIONALIZING EQUITY MEANS LOOKING AT WHO HAS BEEN AT THE TABLE AND FOR HOW LONG AND AT WHAT LEVEL, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
THE NEED FOR RACIAL EQUITY SHIFT IN OUR CULTURAL ARTS DIVISIONS FUNDING PROGRAM IS CLEARLY ILLUSTRATED THROUGH OUR OWN PROGRAM.
DATA DATA GATHERED FROM THE PAST AND CURRENT CONTRACT SHOWS A CLEAR DISPARITY AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS BETWEEN DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS, EVEN IN FY 21, WITH THE CREATION OF THE EQUITABLE ECONOMIC RESILIENCY FRAMEWORK, BLACK CULTURAL CONTRACTORS ACCOUNT FOR ONLY 9% OF THE TOTAL DOLLARS AWARDED AND OTHER BIPAP CONTRACTORS ACCOUNT FOR ONLY 28% WHITE IDENTIFY CULTURAL CONTRACTORS ACCOUNT FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE FUNDS AWARDED IT IS THIS DATA THAT REVEALS HOW OUR CULTURAL FUNDING SYSTEM HAS BEEN EXCLUSIONARY OVER TIME, THOUGH, WE LEAD WITH RACE, WE UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF INTERSECTIONALITY AND HOW WE ADDRESS OTHER HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES, SUCH AS THE LGBTQ I, A DISABILITY ACCESS.
NEXT SLIDE, LET US TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE DATA ORGANIZATIONS THAT WHO HAVE RECEIVED FUNDING FOR 10 YEARS OR LONGER.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE ARE DEFINING AS 10 YEARS ALONE.
OR IF AN OFFICER AND THE STATION IS LED BY AN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WHO IDENTIFIES AS BIPAP OR A BOARD WITH THE MAKEUP OF 51% OF MORE MEMBERS WHO IDENTIFY AS BIPAP RECONSIDERED, THEM BIPAP LED.
WE HAVE 144 LEGACY NONPROFITS RECEIVING CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING OF THOSE ONLY 35 ARE BIPAP LED WHILE THIS IS TELLING IN THE NEED TO INCREASE FUNDING, TO LEGACY ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE BIPAP LED.
WE ALSO HAVE MORE WORK AHEAD OF US TO PRIORITIZE THOSE BIPAP ORGANIZATIONS WHO HAVE NOT RECEIVED RELATIVELY LARGE INVESTMENT FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
FOR EXAMPLE, THERE'S A BIG DIFFERENCE AND RECEIVING $12,000 A YEAR FOR 10 YEARS VERSUS RECEIVING MORE THAN A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR 30 YEARS IN TERMS OF THE TOTAL DOLLARS SPENT IN THE LAST SIX YEARS, THE TOTAL CULTURAL ARTS INVESTMENT TO ALL LEGACY NONPROFITS IS APPROXIMATELY $105 MILLION INVESTMENT TO ONLY BIPAP LEGACY NONPROFITS IS ABOUT 23 MILLION.
I WILL NOW ASK MEGAN WELLS TO COME FORWARD AND DISCUSS MORE ABOUT THE CULTURAL FUNDING REVIEW PROCESS.
HELLO, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, AS MOST OF YOU KNOW, THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION HAS BEEN WORKING ON RE-IMAGINING THE CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRAMS FUNDED BY THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS IN CONSULTATION WITH MARGIE REESE, WHO WAS ON THE CALL WITH US TODAY AND HER TEAM WITHIN MJR PARTNERS AND IN COLLABORATION WITH THE COMMUNITY
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MUCH HAS HAPPENED IN THIS TIME.IT HAS PRESENTED UNPRECEDENTED CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO TACKLE TOGETHER.
OUR EQUITY LENS HAS HELPED US TO SEE OUR WORK DIFFERENTLY AND TO OFFER NEW APPROACHES AS TO HOW WE CAN CREATE A MORE EQUITABLE INVESTMENT OF CITY FUNDS TO BUILD STABILIZE AND GROW OUR LOCAL LOCAL CULTURAL SECTOR INTO THE FUTURE.
OUR PROPOSED NEW PROGRAMS ARE THE RESULT OF TWO YEARS OF WORK, WHICH IS SUMMARIZED ON THIS SLIDE.
NEXT SLIDE, THERE WERE FIVE STAGES OF THE CULTURAL FUNDING REVIEW, AND YOU CAN SEE HOW WE ENGAGE THE PUBLIC VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS AND ADVISORS IN OUR PROCESS AND HOW THE FEEDBACK WE RECEIVED AT EACH STAGE SUPPORTED THE PLANNING.
AND THE NEXT PHASE, WE REMAIN IN PHASE FOUR TODAY WITH THE RELEASE OF THE DRAFT GUIDELINES AND OUR PRESENTATIONS TO THE COMMUNITY.
AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO COLLECT FEEDBACK FOR VIRTUAL OFFICE HOURS.
A FEEDBACK SURVEY THAT IS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBPAGE ONE-ON-ONE COMMUNICATIONS WITH STAFF.
THE FEEDBACK WE GATHER THROUGH THE MONTH OF AUGUST WILL INFORM A FINAL REVISION OF OUR GUIDELINES THAT WE PLAN TO TAKE BACK TO THE ARTS COMMISSION AT THEIR MEETING IN SEPTEMBER.
I JUST WANT TO REITERATE THAT WE ARE STILL IN PROCESS.
WE ARE RECEIVING COMMUNITY FEEDBACK AND IT IS DELIVERED TO US IN VARIOUS WAYS, BOTH PUBLICLY AND PRIVATELY.
NEXT SLIDE WANT TO GO INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THE DETAILS OF THIS ENGAGEMENT FROM 2019 TO 2020, THERE WERE 1,160 UNDUPLICATED HOURS OF ENGAGEMENT TO COLLECT FEEDBACK FROM OVER 540 PARTICIPANTS IN 39 UNIQUE STAKEHOLDER LISTENING SESSIONS.
THESE RANGE FROM LARGE COMMUNITY EVENTS TO SMALL GROUPS, TO ONE-ON-ONE LISTENING SESSIONS, OUR PROCESS INVOLVED CONVERSATIONS WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, ADVOCACY UNIONS, FAITH FUNDERS, AS WELL AS INTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS LIKE AUSTIN, PUBLIC HEALTH CONVENTION CENTER STAFF, THE ANTI-GRAFFITI TASK FORCE, THE AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY, THE EQUITY OFFICE, THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERING PROGRAM, TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF POLICE, OTHER SET OVERSIGHT, AND OTHERS.
IT ALSO INCLUDED YOU AS COUNCIL MEMBERS AND YOUR POLICY STAFFS ARTS COMMISSIONERS, AND MORE, MOST IMPORTANTLY, CURRENT CULTURAL CONTRACTORS AND POTENTIAL FUTURE CULTURAL CONTRACTORS.
WE UNDERSTAND THAT EQUITY PLAYS A LARGE PART EVEN IN THE ABILITY TO PARTICIPATE IN AN ENGAGEMENT PROCESS.
SO WE MADE SURE TO ALLOW COMMUNITY VARIOUS PATHWAYS TO CONNECT WITH US WITH MGR PARTNERS, WITH THE ARTS COMMISSION, AND EVEN WITH US ANONYMOUSLY, WE OFFERED IN-PERSON GATHERINGS WHEN IT WAS SAFE, COMMENT CARDS, VIRTUAL CONVENINGS, AND FEEDBACK FORMS, AS WELL AS OPEN OFFICE HOURS WITH STAFF OFFSITE, COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS.
AND EVEN NOW THE ARTS COMMISSION IS HOSTING THEIR OWN DIALOGUES, NEXT SLIDE, AND THE COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT CONDUCTED IN THE EARLY PHASES OF THIS PROCESS AND JR PARTNERS SYNTHESIZED HUNDREDS OF HOURS OF FEEDBACK INTO SEVERAL KEY OBSERVATIONS.
MANY OF THEM STOOD OUT TO US THAT PERHAPS THE MOST CHALLENGING OF THOSE REVOLVES AROUND THE NEED FOR COLLECTIVE ACCEPTANCE, THAT HISTORIC INEQUITIES EXIST IN THE CITY AND IN OUR FUNDING PROGRAM.
AND THAT WE MUST BE INTENTIONAL IN STRENGTHENING OUR CULTURALLY SPECIFIC ORGANIZATIONS TO BUILD OUR ECOSYSTEM MORE EQUITABLY, OTHER FINDINGS FOCUSED ON THE NEED FOR EXPANDING CAPACITY GROWING THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS, EXPLORING OPTIONS FOR ACCESSIBLE CREATIVE SPACE AND PROTECTING NEIGHBORHOODS, DISTINCT CULTURAL AND HISTORIC RESOURCES.
OUR PROCESS WAS INFORMED BY THE, UH, THANK YOU.
OUR PROCESS WAS INFORMED GREATLY BY THE CONVERSATIONS WE'VE HAD WITH THE COMMUNITY, AND IT'S ALSO SUPPORTED BY OTHER LOCAL AND NATIONAL DATA, INCLUDING THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISIONS OWN EQUITABLE ECONOMIC RESILIENCY FRAMEWORK RELEASED LAST SUMMER, WHICH CONTAINS NATIONAL AND LOCAL DIS-AGGREGATED DATA ON ECONOMIC CONDITIONS FOR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, HISTORICAL DATA OF OUR CULTURAL FUNDING AND PR PROGRAM, INCLUDING HOW MANY CONTRACTORS ARE FUNDED AT WHAT BUDGET AND AWARD LEVELS, DEMOGRAPHICS AWARD REQUESTS COMPARED TO CONTRACT AWARDS, FUNDING, MATRIX VARIABLES, NUMBERS, AND DEMOGRAPHICS OF NEW APPLICANTS AND OTHER DATASETS STUDIES BY THE CITY'S EQUITY OFFICE AND THE CITY'S OFFICE OF DESIGN
[00:15:01]
AND DELIVERY ON ADMINISTRATIVE EFFICIENCIES IN THE AREAS OF INSURANCE PAYMENT PROCESSING, CONTRACT MONITORING, AND COMPLIANCE RESEARCH, AND CURRENT CONVERSATIONS HAPPENING AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL AMONG ARTS FUNDERS, INCLUDING GRANTMAKERS IN THE ARTS AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS BLOOMBERG PHILANTHROPIES AND THE WALLACE FOUNDATION FOCUSED ON EQUITABLE CULTURAL PROGRAMMING FUNDING, AND GRANT MAKING OUR PEER CITIES WITHIN TEXAS, SUCH AS HOUSTON, DALLAS, EL PASO, FORT WORTH SAN ANTONIO, AND AROUND THE U S INCLUDING SAN DIEGO SACRAMENTO, CHARLOTTE AND PORTLAND, AS WE'VE MENTIONED, FEEDBACK FROM CONTRACTORS TO MJR PARTNERS AND AS ISSUED FORTH AS THE INTERIM REPORT IS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE AND CONTRACT FEEDBACK TO STAFF AT CA STACK CONTRACT ADMINISTRATORS, NOT JUST DURING THIS PARTICULAR REVIEW PROCESS, BUT FOR MANY YEARS, DIALOGUE DATING BACK AT LEAST 15 YEARS WITH THE ARTS COMMISSION AND FUNDING WORKING GROUPS OVER TIME AND LESSONS LEARNED FROM PAST PROGRAMS AND PILOTS.NOW I'LL HAND IT OFF TO LAURA ODA CULTURAL INVESTMENT PROGRAM MANAGER TO SHARE SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAMS WE'RE PROPOSING.
SO ON OCTOBER 7TH, 2020 M J R PARTNERS SHARED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A MORE EQUITABLE PATH FORWARD IN OUR CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRAMS. THESE RECOMMENDATIONS WERE BASED ON THE MANY, MANY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT LISTENING SESSIONS, WORKSHOPS, AND TOWN HALLS THAT WERE PART OF THE CULTURAL FUNDING REVIEW THAT MEGAN JUST MENTIONED.
THESE STRATEGIES HAVE BEEN THE GUIDING FORCE IN EVERY STAGE OF THE PROGRAM AND GUIDELINE DESIGN DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.
SO THE RECOMMENDATIONS WERE GROUPED INTO THREE CATEGORIES FIRST TO INVEST IN THE CREATIVE SECTOR TO NURTURE AND PROTECT THE ARTISTIC EXPRESSION OF AUSTIN'S RACIALLY AND CULTURALLY DIVERSE COMMUNITIES.
SECOND TO BUILD UPON AUSTIN'S EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE AND THIRD TO OPERATIONALIZE A POLICY-BASED PLAN TO REDISTRIBUTE CULTURAL FINANCIAL RESOURCES.
SO THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION STAFF THEN PROPOSED A SUITE OF PROGRAMS IN DECEMBER OF 2020 THAT ADDRESSED THESE RECOMMENDATIONS.
THOSE WERE ELEVATE THRIVE AND NEXUS.
HOWEVER, SINCE THAT TIME IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THE PROPOSED HOT BUDGET WOULD NOT SUPPORT A FULL ROLLOUT OF ALL THREE PROGRAMS AT THE SAME TIME, DUE TO BUDGET CONSTRAINTS, STAFF MADE THE DECISION TO TRY TO FIRST ROLL OUT THE PROGRAMS THAT MOST DIRECTLY IMPACTED HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES THRIVE AND NEXUS.
WE WERE STILL CONSIDERING THE POSSIBILITY OF LAUNCHING ELEVATE AT A LATER POINT NEXT YEAR.
SO WHAT ARE THESE? SO THE PROPOSED NEXUS PROGRAM WOULD BE 100 AWARDS AT A LEVEL OF $5,000 TO INDIVIDUALS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND UNINCORPORATED GROUPS THAT LEVERAGED INVESTMENTS THAT ENCOURAGE NEIGHBORHOOD-BASED ACTIVITIES BY SPECIFICALLY FUNDING COMMUNITY CENTERED COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS.
ADDITIONALLY, NEXUS IS A CLEAR EXAMPLE OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STRATEGY TO DISMANTLE THE CURRENT PROGRAMS AND TO REBUILD UPON THE PARTS THAT WORKED WELL AS NEXUS PULLS FROM THE MANY STRENGTHS OF OUR FORMER COMMUNITY INITIATIVES PROGRAM.
SO NEW AND EXISTING CONTRACTORS COULD APPLY TO NEXUS AND THEN THRIVE IS PROPOSED TO BE APPROXIMATELY 25 TO 45 AWARDS AT A LEVEL OF 30,000 TO $80,000 TO 5 0 1 C3 ORGANIZATIONS WITH A FIVE-YEAR HISTORY OF CULTURAL PROGRAMMING IN AUSTIN.
BY LEADING WITH RACIAL EQUITY, THE THRIVE PROGRAM WORKS TO PRIORITIZE, IDENTIFYING AND FUNDING A COHORT MODEL PROGRAM FOR CULTURALLY SPECIFIC PARTNERS AND CONTRACTORS.
AND THIS WOULD BE FOR ORGANIZATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS, AND IT WOULD INTENTIONALLY LEVERAGE FUNDS TO DEVELOP ARTS INSTITUTIONS OF COLOR AND INCREASE STABILITY OF EXISTING BIPAP LED ORGANIZATIONS ELEVATE AS PRELIMINARILY ENVISIONED WOULD BE FLEXIBLE, PROJECT FUNDING AND SUPPORT OF ORGANIZATIONS, INDIVIDUALS, BUSINESSES, AND UNINCORPORATED GROUPS THAT PRODUCE CULTURALLY VIBRANT AND ARTISTIC DIVERSE CONTENT FOR THE PUBLIC, WITH AN EYE TOWARD AMPLIFYING REACH, SEEKING INNOVATION AND BUILDING STRONGER CONNECTIONS BETWEEN ART PRODUCERS AND ARTS AUDIENCES.
WE INTEND TO FULLY EXPLORE THE PROGRAM ELEMENTS OF ELEVATE IN THE COMING MONTHS, BUT MOST NOTABLY, BOTH NEXUS AND THRIVE CENTER, THE ROLE OF COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS OVER MONETARY RESOURCES.
THIS MEANS THAT BOTH PROGRAMS WILL PRIORITIZE THE INVOLVEMENT OF COMMUNITY AT VARIOUS CROSS SECTIONS IN THE PLANNING PROCESS AND IN LEADERSHIP OVER APPLICANTS, EXISTING ACCESS
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TO FINANCIAL RESOURCES LIKE CASH MATCHES, WHICH ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED.THIS WILL EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY, VOICE AND REPRESENTATION THROUGH BOTH NEXUS AND THRIVE.
HERE'S THE PROPOSED TIMELINE OF WHEN WE HOPE TO ROLL THESE PROGRAMS OUT THRIVE, WHICH IS THE PROGRAM FOR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS COULD OPEN IN OCTOBER WITH APPLICATIONS DUE IN NOVEMBER, AND THEN REVIEW PANELS WOULD TAKE PLACE IN DECEMBER AND ACTIVITIES COULD START IN JANUARY.
NEXUS WOULD OPEN APPLICATIONS IN JANUARY AND CLOSED IN FEBRUARY.
ACTIVITIES COULD BEGIN AS EARLY AS MARCH.
AND IF FUNDING WAS AVAILABLE, WE COULD CONSIDER LAUNCHING ELEVATE IN THE SPRING.
AS A REMINDER, THIS PROCESS AROUND OUR STRUCTURALLY INEQUITABLE FUNDING SYSTEM STARTED BEFORE THE PANDEMIC AND THE PANDEMIC HAS ONLY MAGNIFIED THOSE INEQUITIES.
WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE HARD CHOICES WE HAVE TO MAKE TO BETTER SERVE MEMBERS OF OUR HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED, CULTURAL COMMUNITY.
SOMETHING WE HEARD FROM COMMUNITY THE COMMUNITY BACK WHEN WE STARTED THIS PROCESS WAS THAT WE COULDN'T, AND MAYBE WE SHOULDN'T FUND 99% OF ALL APPLICANTS.
ADDITIONALLY, WE DON'T HAVE $12 MILLION IN HOT FUNDS TO FUND 600 INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS.
THE HOT HEYDAY IS OVER FOR THE MOMENT.
AND WHILE IT BUILDS BACK, WE HAVE A UNIQUE CHANCE TO BE BRAVE AND INSTILL TRULY TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE IN OUR CULTURAL FUNDING SYSTEM.
WITH EQUITY, AS OUR GUIDE, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THERE ARE STARK CHOICES TO BE MADE.
SO WHO DO WE PRIORITIZE AND WHAT IS MOST IMPACTFUL FOR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR WITH OUR $3 MILLION? SO WE COULD FUND ONLY EXISTING CONTRACTORS AT $6,000 EACH, BUT THIS IS BOTH AN AWARD THAT IS NOT MEANINGFUL AND PERPETUATES THE SYSTEMICALLY RACIST ELEMENTS OF THE CULTURAL FUNDING SYSTEM.
INSTEAD, WE COULD FUND THE MOST ECONOMICALLY VULNERABLE AT A MEANINGFUL AMOUNT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
WE REALIZED THAT WHAT THE CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRAM CAN OFFER THIS YEAR IS NOT ENOUGH TO SERVE EVERYONE, BUT THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER RESOURCES AVAILABLE THROUGH THE DIVISION AND THE DEPARTMENT TO SUPPORT CREATIVES THROUGH ECONOMIC RECOVERY, AND MANY ORGANIZATIONS MAY HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED FUNDING FROM SOME OF THESE ALREADY OR MAY OFFER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FUTURE.
AND I THINK NOW I'LL HAND IT BACK TO SYNOVIA TO DISCUSS THE FUND SUMMARY AND WRAP UP OUR PRESENTATION.
AS LAURA MENTIONED, THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX TOOK A SEVERE HIT THIS YEAR DUE TO THE PANDEMIC, THE PROPOSAL FOR FYI 22, AS DISCUSSED DURING THE BUDGET PROCESS, THE TRANSFER AND OF $6.6 MILLION IS AN ESTIMATE.
AND IT'S A VERY EDUCATED ESTIMATE BASED ON ACTIVITIES, UH, HOTEL OCCUPANCY RATES AND THE FUNDING.
WE ARE THANKFUL THAT THE CITY MANAGER INCLUDED A ONE-TIME TRANSFER IN FROM THE BUDGET STABILIZATION FUND, A $4.8 MILLION.
WE ARE PROPOSING AGAIN THAT WE SPEND APPROXIMATELY $3.3 MILLION ON OUR PROGRAMS, UM, IN F Y 22.
AGAIN, WE KNOW THAT, UH, WE'RE DEALING WITH THE PANDEMIC.
WE WANT TO SWITCH TO A MODEL OF USING ACTUALS THAT WILL HELP US BETTER PREPARE AND FUND FUTURE PROGRAMS. AND SO NEXT SLIDE, OKAY.
IN CONCLUSION, JUST WANT TO RECAP.
WE'RE USING THE AVAILABLE FUNDS.
WE THINK WILL BE REASONABLE AND
WE WILL LAUNCH WHEN FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE.
WE ARE CONTINUOUSLY REVISITING THE ACT, THE, UM, THE TRANSFER THAT'S COMING IN, AND WE HOPE TO COME BACK WITH A MID-YEAR BUDGET AMENDMENT THAT WE COULD POSSIBLY USE FOR ELEVATE.
OUR INVESTMENT IS FUTURE LOOKING.
WE WILL NOT USE HOT FUNDS TO, WE WILL USE HOT FUNDS TO INVEST IN A STRONGER AND MORE RACIALLY DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE CULTURAL TOURISM
[00:25:01]
ECOSYSTEM.NEXT, WE ARE MOVING AGAIN FROM ESTIMATES TO ACTUALS OF HOT FUNDS, AND
AND THIS WILL MEAN LESS UNCERTAINTY IN PLANNING, A FUTURE PROGRAMMINGS.
NEXT, THE RULES ATTACHED TO THE FUNDING SOURCE ARE STILL, OH, OCCUPANCY TAX RULES.
OUR NEW PROGRAMS WILL BUILD UPON AND REFINE THE BEST PART OF OUR CURRENT PROGRAM DESIGN, NOT STARTING FROM SCRATCH.
AND FINALLY, AS LAURA AND MEGAN HAD MENTIONED, WE CANNOT SERVE EVERYONE WITH THESE PROGRAMS IN THE PAST, WE'VE FUNDED 99% OF THE APPLICATION, AND THIS WAS UNATTAINABLE AS THE DEMAND INCREASED EVERY YEAR.
AND THE AMOUNT OF AVAILABLE DOLLARS DID NOT GROW PROPORTIONATELY FEEDBACK FROM APPLICANTS AND FROM STAFF VOICE A NEED FOR A MORE RIGOROUS APPLICATION PROCESS REQUESTING THAT WE HOLD APPLICANTS TO A HIGHER STANDARD, AND THAT WE DO BETTER ALIGNING THE APPLICATION PROCESS APPROVAL WITH THE CITY'S GOALS.
THE SCALING BACK OF THE NUMBER OF FUNDED APPLICANTS WAS EMINENT.
WE DO REALIZE THAT THE ECOSYSTEM NEEDS ALL OF ITS MEMBERS TO SUSTAIN AND IS THE ULTIMATE GOAL FOR US AS A COMMUNITY TO WORK TOWARDS ACHIEVING THOSE GOALS.
I WANT TO THANK MIRA COUNCIL FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY, AND THIS CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION.
WE'RE HERE TO ANSWER ANY FROM OUR TEAM AND WE ARE PLEASED TO BE JOINED BY OUR CONSULTANT, MARGIE REESE OF MJR PARTNERS, AS WELL AS BRIAN OAKS, OUR EQUITY CHIEF EQUITY OFFICER, WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED WITH US FROM THE BEGINNING.
THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY, RIGHT.
AND THANK YOU SACK FOR THE REALLY THE GREAT PRESENTATION IS VERY THOROUGH.
I REQUESTED THIS BRIEFING TODAY TO EXAMINE THE CHANGES IN THE CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING.
AS YOU CAN SEE, IT HAS BEEN IN PROGRESS FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS, ACTUALLY, BEFORE THE PANDEMIC HIT OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, AND THE CHANGES THAT ARE BEING PROPOSED ARE SIGNIFICANT AND THEY CERTAINLY REQUIRE A CONVERSATION WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.
AND I BELIEVE ALSO WITHIN THE DEUS AS WELL THINK THAT THIS GIVES US TIME TO CONSIDER THESE GUIDELINES AND TO ALSO RESPOND TO THE FEEDBACK THAT WE'RE HEARING FROM OUR COMMUNITY, UH, CONCERNS WERE RAISED TO MY OFFICE ABOUT HOW THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WAS HELD AND CONDUCTED THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS.
AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE INTERIM REPORT DOES A REALLY GREAT JOB OF OUTLINING THE SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF HOURS THAT WAS DONE IN, IN CONSIDERATION OF THAT PROCESS.
UM, BUT WHAT THE INTERIM REPORT DOESN'T DO IS SHOW WHAT WAS THE ACTUAL DATA FROM THE PROCESS.
AND SO WE SEE A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT THE INPUT, UM, YOU KNOW, SUMMARIZES THE INPUT, BUT DOESN'T DETAIL WHAT THE ACTUAL INPUT INCLUDED OR TO THE EXTENT THAT IT WAS VOICED OR THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF FEEDBACK THAT WERE RAISED.
AND SO THE CONCERNS COMING FROM THE COMMUNITY IS THAT WE ARE ABOUT TO IMPLEMENT NEW GUIDELINES THAT ARE NOT BASED ON DATA THAT IS TRANSPARENT AND THAT THE PUBLIC HAS BEEN ABLE TO READ AND PROCESS AND TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON.
UM, PART, ANOTHER THING I WANTED TO FLAG IS THAT, YOU KNOW, TO BE CLEAR, MY CONCERN IS NOT WITH MOVING TOWARDS AN EQUITABLE MODEL.
I THINK THAT IS GREAT AND NEEDED AND APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN DOING THAT HAS BEEN DONE AND CONTINUES TO DO TO MOVE TOWARD THIS.
BUT THE QUESTION I HAVE IS IS THIS THE APPROPRIATE TIME FOR US TO BE MOVING TOWARD A MODEL THAT WILL LEAVE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE DEPENDENT ON THIS FUNDING TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, UM, IS IT AN APPROPRIATE TIME FOR US TO BE DOING THAT? WE MADE A COMMITMENT AS A COUNCIL AND WITH THE RESOLUTION THAT WE PASSED EARLIER THIS SUMMER, THAT CALLED FOR THE ALLOCATION OF OUR ARPA FUNDS TO GET OUT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, ACKNOWLEDGING THE NEED THAT WE HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND SO WE HAVE THESE ARPA DOLLARS ALLOCATED YET.
WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT THE FACT THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE CONTRACTORS WHO WILL NOT RECEIVE FUNDING AS SHARED PREVIOUSLY OVER 600 CONTRACTORS HAVE RECEIVED FUNDING FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO DO THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND WE'RE MOVING TO A MODEL BASED ON ACTUALS.
AND THAT MEANS THAT SOME ORGANIZATIONS WILL BE LEFT BEHIND.
[00:30:01]
WHAT IS CONCERNING IS THAT SOME ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDES OUR LEGACY ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE LED BY COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.AND SO WE REALLY DON'T, AS WE MOVE TO AN EQUITY EQUITABLE MODEL, WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE NOT LEAVING BEHIND INDIVIDUALS WHO, UM, HAVE HISTORY IN AUSTIN THAT ARE PART OF THE FABRIC OF WHAT MAKES AUSTIN AUSTIN.
AND SO I GUESS MY FIRST QUESTION, UM, IS THAT HAVE FOR STAFF IS, YOU KNOW, HAS CONSIDERATION TO WHAT EXTENT HAS CONSIDERATION BEEN GIVEN TO THE FACT THAT WHY DO WE NEED TO MOVE TO THIS MODEL AT THIS POINT, UM, GIVEN THE PANDEMIC, GIVEN THE NEEDS IN OUR COMMUNITY, UH, THAT HAVE BEEN VOICED, YOU KNOW, HAVE YOU ALL CONSIDERED DELAYING THIS TYPE OF, UH, MOVING TO THIS NEW FORMULA INTO A PROCEEDING OR A FOLLOWING FISCAL YEAR? THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER GWEN SAYS, UH, YOU ARE CORRECT.
UH, COUNCIL APPROVED ARPA FUNDING FOR THE ARTS COMMUNITY.
AND THE ARTS COMMISSION HAS FORMED A WORKING GROUP TO DETERMINE THE BEST USE OF THOSE FUNDS.
IN ADDITION, SOME OF THE ARTS ORGANIZATIONS WERE FUNDED THROUGH THE AUSTIN NON-PROFIT RELIEF RANT.
UM, BUT AS MENTIONED, IT WAS INEVITABLE THAT WE NEEDED TO SHIFT THE MODEL, UM, BASED ON OUR F Y T 19 EXPERIENCE.
AND SO WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDST OF HEARING FEEDBACK.
UM, NOTHING IS FINALIZED AT THIS POINT, BUT IT IS A MODEL THAT WE, UM, FEEL IT'S NECESSARY AT THIS POINT.
AND I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MEGAN TO PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK.
AND, UH, COUNCILMEN, WE WENT TO S YOU, YOU ARE CORRECT THAT WE ARE HEARING THAT THIS IS A HARD TIME FOR EVERYONE.
UM, I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE HOWEVER, THAT OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUITY WAS THE, THE, THE, THE GUIDING THE GUIDEPOSTS BY WHICH WE HELD OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE TO START THIS PROCESS.
AND IF WE WERE NOT TO MOVE THIS FORWARD, WHEN WE HAD THE SOONEST OPPORTUNITY, I BELIEVE WE WOULD BE, UM, NOT STANDING FIRM TO OUR COMMITMENT, TO, TO TAKING AN EQUITABLE STANCE AS A CITY.
UH, WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY PRESENTS ITSELF, WE'VE BEEN CONDUCTING THIS PROCESS FOR TWO YEARS NOW AND HAVING THIS CONVERSATION FOR MUCH LONGER.
UH, WE KNOW THAT MENTORS OF COLOR HAVE TYPICALLY NOT BEEN FUNDED AT THE LEVELS OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN OUR CITY.
AND WE FEEL THAT IT IS TIME TO, TO SHIFT THIS MODEL, UH, AS SOON AS WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY.
AND WE THINK THAT TIME IS NOW.
THANK YOU, COLLEAGUES FOR THE QUESTIONS GUYS OVER TOVO.
I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN HAD HER HAND UP EARLIER.
UM, I, UH, REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK OF STAFF.
UH, I KNOW THAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN DEDICATED TO THIS FOR QUITE SOME TIME AND REALLY TRYING TO RESOLVE AN ISSUE THAT WE'VE HAD, UH, WHICH IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.
UM, I DO THINK THOUGH THAT WE REALLY NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT AS WE TRANSITION, AND I'M NOT SEEING THIS DATA, OR AT LEAST NOT PRESENTED TODAY.
SO PERHAPS YOU CAN PUT ME TO WHERE IT IS IN YOUR REPORT, OR YOU CAN SEND IT TO ME.
I NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT ON OUR LEGACY.
UM, ORGANIZATIONS, MANY OF THEM ARE, ARE, ARE LED BY WOMEN, UM, AND ARE, ARE PART OF THE HISTORIC FABRIC OF OUR COMMUNITY.
I DON'T THINK OUR PLAN IS COMPLETE IF WE DON'T HAVE A TRANSITION PART OF THE PLAN.
SO I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND TO HOW YOU ALL HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT TRANSITIONING.
IN OTHER WORDS, UM, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE HERE AT A VERY BAD TIME, UH, FOR THE COMMUNITY.
UM, AND SO I HEAR Y'ALL'S CONCERN ABOUT MOVING ON WITH THIS NOW, BUT I'M NOT WHAT I'M NOT HEARING IS HOW CAN WE DO BOTH? HOW CAN WE MOVE ALONG THIS PROCESS, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, NOT LEAVE BEHIND OUR LEGACY ARTS ORGANIZATIONS, WHICH ARE CRITICAL TO OUR FABRIC OF OUR COMMUNITY, UM, AND, AND ARE NOT, YOU KNOW, ARTS ORGANIZATIONS ARE NOT, UH, ORGANIZATIONS THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, IN THIS PARTICULAR INDUSTRY, IT'S A DIFFICULT, UM, FIELD FOR PEOPLE.
SO WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT, UH, JUST LETTING GO OF SUPPORT SUPPORT
[00:35:01]
FOR GROUPS THAT THAT SHOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES.THAT'S NOT WHY WE HAVE THIS CULTURAL ARTS FUND IN THE FIRST PLACE.
SO, UM, SO I WOULD LIKE SOME MORE DATA ABOUT TWO THINGS WHO EXACTLY ARE WE IMPACTING BY HOW MUCH, AND WHAT IS, WHAT IS YOUR PLAN FOR ADDRESSING THAT DURING THE TRANSITION? THERE WAS A SLIDE THAT I THOUGHT WAS HELPFUL THAT SHOWED OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING, BUT IT DIDN'T GIVE ME ANY DATA ABOUT HOW MUCH IS IN THOSE OTHER, OTHER BUCKETS AND HOW THOSE OTHER BUCKETS MIGHT BE USED TO ACTUALLY HELP TRANSITION SOME, OUR LEGACY, UM, ORGANIZATIONS.
THERE'S ONE I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH.
IT'S BEEN A WOMAN LED ORGANIZATION FOR MANY YEARS IN OUR CITY.
IT'S NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AS IMPORTANT TO NOT JUST DROP.
SO, UM, SO I NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT.
SO LET ME ASK A QUESTION OF, AND, AND I, AND I JUST, YOU KNOW, I, I'M JUST VERY CONCERNED ABOUT, UM, ABOUT DOING THIS AT THIS TIME.
I'M ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT MOVING FROM, FROM PROJECTED TO ACTUAL, THOSE ARE THE RIGHT TERMS, UH, FOR USE OF THE HOT DOLLARS AGAIN AT THIS TIME.
SO VERY DIFFICULT TIME FOR THE COMMUNITY.
SO LET ME ASK YOU FIRST, WHAT IS THE TRANSITION PLAN OR IS THERE ONE, AND DO WE KNOW, I MEAN, HAVE YOU ALL HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO ANALYZE THE IMPACT ON THE LEGACY? UM, UH, THE, THE ARTS ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN WITH THIS FOR A LONG TIME AND HAVE, ARE IN NEED OF THESE FUNDS? YES.
WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT THE DATA AND WE CAN PROVIDE MORE DETAIL.
AGAIN, WE ARE WORKING WITH THE ARTS COMMISSIONS WORKING GROUP BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THE ARPA FUNDS WILL PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN TRANSITIONING.
UM, AND SO ONCE WE RECEIVED THAT INFORMATION, WE CAN PROVIDE A MEMO TO COUNCIL ON HOW WE WILL, UH, TRANSITION THOSE ORGANIZATIONS.
I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND THAT BEFORE YOU START THE JOB, IN OTHER WORDS, FOR A TRANSITION TO ACTUALLY BE EFFECTIVE, WE HAVE TO SEE A TIMELINE, UM, AND THE SPECIFICS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHICH ORGANIZATIONS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AND HOW THAT'S GOING TO BE DONE.
SO DOES IS THE TIMELINE YOU HAVE IN MIND ALLOW FOR THAT? YES, WE, OUR TIMELINE IS FLEXIBLE.
AGAIN, WE WANT TO HEAR FROM EVERYONE, WE WANT TO WORK WITH THE ARTS COMMISSION AND YES, WE WOULD LIKE TO LAUNCH, BUT UNTIL WE, UH, HAVE, UH, A CONCRETE PLAN THAT WE CAN PROVIDE THE ARTS COMMISSION, AS WELL AS COUNCIL, WE ARE OPEN TO, UM, THE DATE SHIFTING IF, IF THAT'S SOMETHING IN OTHER WORDS.
SO IN OTHER WORDS, THE DATE SHIFTING FOR THIS TRANSITION, WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT ONE LAST QUESTION? AND THEN I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS, BUT I'LL, I KNOW OTHERS DO TOO.
SO, UH, WHAT IS THE PLAN FOR THE EXISTING CONTRACTS? WELCOME, GO AHEAD.
LIKE FROM A TIMELINE PERSPECTIVE.
I JUST WANTED TO ADD A LITTLE BIT MORE TO COUNCIL MEMBERS QUESTION.
UH, WE, WE HAVE BEEN TRANSITIONING TO THIS NEW PROGRAM SINCE WE'VE HAD BRIDGE FUNDING IN PLACE FOR ALL THE CULTURAL CONTRACTORS FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS.
SO WE TYPICALLY HAVE A TWO YEAR FUNDING CYCLE SINCE WE'VE BEEN IN THIS REVIEW PROCESS.
WE HAVE CONTINUED FUNDING WITH THOSE CONTRACTS IN PLACE FOR THOSE CURRENT CONTRACTORS, I'LL BE AT DIFFERENT LEVELS BECAUSE OUR FUNDING HAS AS IT'S BEEN IMPACTED BY THE PANDEMIC.
UM, IF WE WERE TO GO FORWARD WITH ANOTHER BRIDGE YEAR, UM, IT WOULD BE, UH, SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER AWARDS THAN WHAT THEY CURRENTLY RECEIVE IN FY 21, BECAUSE OUR BUDGET IS SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER.
SO IF WE WERE TO LOOK AT THAT KIND OF, UH, EXTENSION TO THEIR CONTRACTS FOR ANOTHER YEAR, UM, WE WOULD BE LOOKING AT SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
IF WE APPLIED ALL THE FUNDING, WE HAVE TO EVERYONE, UH, IN THE, IN THE CURRENT POOL, IT WOULD BE, UH, ROUGHLY ABOUT $6,000 AWARDS TO EVERYONE IN OUR CURRENT POOL.
UM, OR IT WOULD BE IN ANOTHER WAY OF LOOKING AT THAT.
UM, IF YOU LOOKED AT JUST THE LEGACY ORGANIZATIONS THAT WOULD BE ROUGHLY ABOUT $20,000 EACH, UM, WITH NO, NO ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO ANYONE ELSE.
UM, AND WHICH DOES NOT FEEL LIKE A MEANINGFUL ASSISTANCE FORM OF ASSISTANCE IN TERMS OF OUR LONG-TERM COMMITMENT TO, TO OUR FUNDING FOR, FOR GROUPS THAT WOULD GET THEM TO ANOTHER STABLE PLACE IN THE FUTURE.
THAT'S WHERE WE'RE RELYING ON OUR ARPA-E FUNDS TO COME INTO THE, INTO THE PICTURE.
UH, WE DID HAVE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF FOLKS APPLY FOR THOSE AND RECEIVE THOSE THAT ARE IN OUR LEGACY GROUP.
SO THEY DID RECEIVE THAT AND WILL BE RECEIVING MORE BECAUSE COUNCIL HAS ALLOCATED MORE TO THAT FUND.
UM, BUT WE ARE ALSO, UM, LOOKING AT WAYS THAT WE CAN SUSTAIN OUR, OUR COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE IN
[00:40:01]
THE FUTURE, THROUGH THOSE VARIOUS DIFFERENT, UM, OPTIONS THAT WE LISTED ON THE SLIDE, WHICH WE CAN GIVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT.I'LL, I'LL PASS THIS ON TO OTHERS.
UM, UH, I HAVE THE SAME CONCERNS THAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER QUINTUS RAISED, UH, ABOUT THE TIMING FOR THIS.
I THINK IT'S REALLY, UH, IMPORTANT, AND I APPRECIATE HER EFFORTS ON THIS AND, UM, AND I THINK, AND I AGREE WITH HER.
I GOT A QUESTION ABOUT, UM, THE CRITERIA THAT WERE USED TO ISOLATE WHICH GROUPS WOULD AND WOULD NOT RECEIVE FUNDING UNDER THE NEW PROPOSED RUBRIC.
AND YOU ARE LOOKING THROUGH, AS YOU DESCRIBED IT, AN EQUITY LENS, AND WE'RE LOOKING AT THE LEADERSHIP ON, UH, ESSENTIALLY THE BOARDS AND THE STRUCTURE OF THE DIFFERENT GROUPS, LOOKING TO SEE WHAT SORT OF DIVERSITY WAS REPRESENTED ON THE BOARDS.
DID YOU ALSO LOOK AT THOSE SAME BOARDS AND THE AUDIENCES AND THE REACH AND THE COMMUNITY THAT THEY HAD? YES, THAT IS PART OF THE SCORING RUBRIC.
WE ARE LEADING WITH REPRESENTATION.
UH, HOWEVER, THAT THAT IS NOT THE, THAT'S NOT THE SINGLE CRITERIA THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
WE LOOK AT HOW THE COMMUNITY IS REPRESENTED, THE VOICE THAT COMES ACROSS IN THE PROGRAM AND WHO IS SERVED.
SO THAT IS PART OF THE RUBRIC.
AND SO WHAT IS THE RELATIVE WEIGHT THAT YOU GIVE TO THOSE TWO CRITERIA? UM, UH, THE DIVERSITY OF THE, AND THE LEADERSHIP VERSUS THE DIVERSITY AND REACH OF THE AUDIENCE, UH, CONSTABLE, OR I DON'T HAVE THAT HANDY, HOWEVER, IT IS ON OUR WEBSITE, SO I CAN PULL THAT UP OR GET THAT TO YOU.
SO I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THE MESSAGING THAT I'M HEARING OUT IN THE COMMUNITY IS THAT IT IS LESS IMPORTANT.
UM, IN THE STAFF'S ROLE OUT OF THE, THAT THIS STAFF'S RECOMMENDATIONS COMING FROM THE INTERIM REPORT ARE MORE FOCUSED ON THE BOARD MAKEUP, AS OPPOSED TO THE COMMUNITY SERVED.
AND, UH, THE LONG HISTORY OF THE CULTURAL CONTRACTS AND THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT'S INVOLVEMENT WITH THE ARTS IN THIS COMMUNITY HAS BEEN THE FOCUS ON THEIR COMMUNITY REACHED AND SERVED.
AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO URGE THAT THAT BE TAKEN INTO LARGER ACCOUNT SO THAT WHEN WE COME BACK AND LOOK AT THESE NUMBERS, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK I CERTAINLY AM NOT PREPARED TO ACCEPT THESE RECOMMENDATIONS TODAY, OR TO MOVE FORWARD ON ANY OF THE ACTIONS THAT THE STAFF HAS HAVE TEED UP UNTIL I HAVE, UH, I'LL ACTUALLY, WE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A PRESENTATION OF THE INTERIM REPORT.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THAT WAS NOT A COUNCIL, UH, DESIGNATED STUDY.
IT WAS A STAFF, UH, AUTHORED STUDY OR REQUESTED STUDY, BUT THE COUNCIL DID APPROVE THE FUNDING FOR THAT STUDY.
SO I THINK THAT THERE SHOULD BE A, UM, UH, MORE OF A DIRECT CONNECTION WITH THE DIOCESE ON WHAT THOSE FINDINGS ARE, BECAUSE THAT WE NEED TO BE VERY COGNIZANT OF ANY CHANGES THAT ARE HAPPENING IN OUR ARTS COMMUNITY.
WE KNOW HOW THEY'RE STRUGGLING, AND IT HAS REALLY NOT ABATED MUCH.
SO ALONG WITH, UM, MY REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ON THE COMMUNITY'S REACHED, I'D ALSO LIKE TO DIG IN ON THE TOPIC THAT MY, UH, PREVIOUS, UH, COLLEAGUES HAVE MENTIONED, AND THAT'S THE LINEUP OF WHICH ARPA FUNDS ARE GOING TO WHICH ORGANIZATIONS AND AT WHAT LEVEL, SO THAT WE CAN SEE WHAT THE FUNDING, UM, UH, SUCCESS IS FOR THOSE APPLICANTS.
SO THAT WOULD BE THE SECOND PIECE OF INFORMATION I WOULD LIKE TO SAY.
AND THEN LAST, I WOULD ALSO NOTE THAT, UM, WHEN THE STAFF RECOMMENDED A FEW YEARS AGO AND THE FOCUS FOR CULTURAL CONTRACTS SHIFTED AWAY FROM SMALLER COHORT OF PEOPLE RECEIVING THE FUNDS TO TRYING TO GIVE MONEY TO EVERYBODY WHO APPLIED.
THAT'S ONE REASON WHY YOU HAVE SO MANY APPLICANTS IT'S BECAUSE IT WAS AN OPEN DOOR, WHICH IS NOT A BAD THING.
WE NEED TO GIVE A HELPING HAND TO FLEDGLING GROUPS.
THERE'S I HAVE NO QUARREL WITH THAT AT ALL, BUT AT SOME POINT THERE DOES NEED TO BE SOME ASSESSMENT, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS WHAT THE CULTURAL, UH, ARTS, UH, ONE FOCUS WITH THE ARTS COMMISSION, WITH THE CULTURAL ARTS CONTRACTS TO WORK THROUGH HOW THE DIFFERENT ARTS ORGANIZATIONS ARE, UM, SUCCEEDING AND PROSPERING AND EXPANDING THEIR REACH.
AND SO THAT THE FUNDING THAT WE GIVE TO THROUGH THESE CONTRACTS, TO THE COMMUNITY GROUPS IS A REFLECTION OF THEIR SUCCESS AND THEIR DRAW IN THE COMMUNITY AND THEIR, YOU KNOW, THEIR, THEIR RELATIVE PROSPERING.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S BEEN LOST.
SO I WOULD ASK YOU TO GO BACK AND GIVE US SOME SENSE OF HOW, HOW THAT HAS, HOW THAT HAS, UM, UH, IMPROVED,
[00:45:01]
BECAUSE JUST ON THE BOTTOM LINE, IF WE ARE GIVING AWARDS TO EVERYBODY THAN WE ARE DILUTING, UM, THAT BOTH THE AMOUNTS THAT WE GIVE, AND ALSO PROBABLY ABOUT THE FOCUS, CERTAINLY IN THE, IN THE UPPER REACHES FOR LONGER TERM ARTS GROUPS THAT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO LAST FOR EIGHT YEARS OR 20 YEARS OR 50 YEARS, HERE'S A VERY DIFFERENT CALCULUS THAT SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO BEAR VERSUS THE ONES THAT ARE RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX.AND IN FLEDGING, WE SHOULD BE GIVING THEM ATTENTION AS WELL.
UM, BUT I, I THINK THAT THERE SHOULD BE SOME CLEAR DELINEATIONS IN THE CATEGORIES FOR, UM, SO THAT WE ACTUALLY CAN, CAN REACH THE LEGACY GROUPS THAT WE COUNT ON AND DEPEND, UH, TO BRING ARTS EDUCATION AND EXPOSURE TO THE BROADER COMMUNITY.
SO STAFF THAT THAT'S THREE THINGS THAT I'M LOOKING FOR WHEN THEY PLEASE.
I HAVE, I HAVE QUITE A FEW QUESTIONS.
I'LL TRY TO NARROW THEM, BUT AS I UNDERSTAND, WE HAVE THE CONSULTANT ON THE PHONE, IS THAT CORRECT? UM, TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE INTERIM REPORT, CAUSE I DO HAVE SOME, I WANT TO JUST START BY SAYING, I AGREE WITH, WITH, UM, NEARLY ALL OF THE COMMENTS THAT MY COLLEAGUES HAVE MADE.
UM, THE ONLY POINT OF EXCEPTION I THINK IS, IS THE ONE ABOUT MOVING FROM ABOUT, ABOUT POTENTIALLY MOVING FROM ACTUALS.
I AM, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THAT AND STILL AM FALLING SOLIDLY ON THE STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION THAT WE USE ACTUALS AND, AND REVISIT IT IN A FEW MONTHS.
UM, IF THAT SEEMS APPROPRIATE, I JUST WANT TO BE REALLY CAREFUL ABOUT NOT SETTING FINANCIAL EXPECTATIONS THAT WE MAY NOT MEET, BUT I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES, COUNCIL MEMBER FONTAS AND KITCHEN AND POOL.
UH, AND, AND THE COMMENTS YOU RAISED SO FAR, AND I, I WANT TO UNDERSCORE A COUPLE OF THOSE POINTS.
ONE IS I TOO AM CONCERNED ABOUT, ABOUT THE IMPACT ABOUT, I WANT TO REALLY UNDERSTAND ONE I'M CONCERNED ABOUT, ABOUT MUCH THE SAME THING ABOUT IMPACTING ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE ALREADY REALLY REELING FROM THIS, UH, PANDEMIC.
AND I WANT TO PROCEED ONLY AFTER WE REALLY WELL UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT IMPACT IS GOING TO BE.
AND I DON'T AT THIS POINT, UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT IMPACT IS.
AND I, I WONDER TOO, IF WE COULD REALLY FOCUS ON MORE OF A TRANSITION PLAN HAS ALSO CAME UP IN, IN MY COLLEAGUES EARLIER COMMENTS, AND MAYBE THAT TRANSITION RELIES ON SOME OF THOSE OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING, BUT IT, UH, RIGHT NOW, JUST IN LOOKING AT THE INFORMATION THAT WE'VE RECEIVED, I DON'T SEE, YOU KNOW, IF I WERE AN ARTS ORGANIZATION, UM, I WOULDN'T NECESSARILY SEE THAT PATH IN THIS TRANSITION TIME.
AND SO I THINK THAT REQUIRES SOME MORE FOCUSED WORK OF FIGURING OUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR THOSE ORGANIZATIONS.
BUT LET ME START BY ASKING A COUPLE QUESTIONS THAT I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING AT THE MOMENT.
SO THERE WAS SOME GOOD INFORMATION IN, IN THE PRESENTATION THAT WE JUST RECEIVED ABOUT REALLY STRIKING DATA.
AND I THINK, UM, I'M NOT SURE IF THIS WAS IN DIRECT ARRIVES YOUR PRESENTATION OR IN MEGAN WELLS, YOUR PIECE, BUT IT WAS, I BELIEVE ON PAGES THREE AND FOUR OF THE SLIDE PRESENTATION, THERE WAS SOME VERY SPECIFIC PERCENTAGES OFFERED OF FUNDING IN THE PAST.
AND I WANTED TO GET THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR THAT.
SO CAN YOU TELL ME WHERE THAT EXISTS IF I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT THOSE ORGANIZATIONS ARE? UM, AND I DON'T THINK THERE, I DON'T THINK THE PRESENTATION IS LABELED, BUT LET ME JUST SEE IF I CAN GET BACK TO THAT PAGE.
IF I WANTED TO SEE WHAT THOSE ORGANIZATIONS WERE THAT HAD RECEIVED THE 37 MILLION AND WERE, UM, WHITE LED, AS I UNDERSTAND THIS DESIGNATION, THESE WOULD BE ORGANIZATIONS WITH AN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OR A MAJORITY OF BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE WHITE.
AND SO THESE DESIGNATIONS, IF I WANTED TO UNDO THESE DESIGNATIONS, JUST FOLLOWING UP ON COUNCIL MEMBER POOLS, QUESTION, THESE WOULD BE ORGANIZATIONS WHERE THE ASSESSMENTS THAT ARE SHOWING ON THIS PAGE ARE NOT ABOUT PROGRAMMING OR THE ARTISTS FEATURED AT THESE INSTITUTIONS, BUT THESE ARE LOOKING AT, UM, LEADERSHIP STRICTLY.
SO THIS DOES NOT FACTOR IN THAT POINT ON THE MATRIX THAT, THAT YOU WERE JUST DIALOGUING WITH COUNCIL MEMBER POOL, ABOUT WHERE SOME OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS MAY BE LISTED AS WHITE, BUT MAY FEATURE A MAJORITY OF, OF ARTISTS WHO ARE BIPAP, BUT NOT, BUT NOT HAVE, UM, REPRESENTATION ON THEIR BOARD OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS OR, UM, AMONG THEIR EXECUTIVE.
AS AN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THERE IS A PLACE FOR US TO RECEIVE INFORMATION FROM APPLICANTS ABOUT THE ARTISTS THAT THEY WORK WITH.
UH, HOWEVER, THIS IS HISTORICAL FUNDING LOOKING BACKWARDS, SO THAT THAT REFINEMENT WILL BE FEATURED IN OUR NEW, UH,
[00:50:01]
PLANNING RUBRIC A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE WE WANT, WE DO WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THE ARTISTS THAT ARE BROUGHT ON TO DO THE PROGRAM.UM, BUT THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY, OKAY.
I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU WERE SAYING.
THAT'S NOT THAT'S AS WE LOOK AT HISTORICAL INEQUITIES, THAT INFORMATION IS NOT BEING FACTORED IN TO, UM, THESE, THESE, RIGHT.
NOT PRIMARILY TO THE, TO THE DATA WE SHOWED, ALTHOUGH WE DO HAVE THAT DATA IT'S IN VARIOUS FINAL REPORTS THAT TYPICALLY LOOK AT EVERY YEAR, BUT I CAN ALSO GET THE NAMES OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WENT INTO OUR, OUR DATA.
THAT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL IF I COULD, I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND KIND OF WHICH OF THOSE, I MEAN, THAT WOULD, AGAIN, I THINK HELP US ALL UNDERSTAND WHAT THE IMPACT IS, NOT JUST ON THOSE ORGANIZATIONS, BUT SOME OF THE ARTISTS AND PERFORMERS WHO ARE, WHO ARE, UM, WORKING WITH THOSE ORGANIZATIONS.
SO IF, IF YOU CAN EITHER POINT US TO ONE OF THOSE EXISTING REPORTS OR, OR MAKE THAT AVAILABLE TO US, I THINK THAT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL.
THERE ARE SOME REALLY IMPORTANT ELEMENTS IN THE INTERIM REPORT THAT I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT.
UM, I THINK THE FOCUS ON CAPACITY BUILDING AMONG ORGANIZATIONS IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
UM, I THINK I'M SENSING, AND THEN THERE WERE ALSO SOME OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS THAT REALLY HAVEN'T GOTTEN A LOT OF FOCUS IN SOME OF THE EMAIL WE'RE GETTING, BUT I THINK ARE ALSO IMPORTANT SUCH AS, UH, LOOKING AT THE ROLE OF OUR ARTS COMMISSION IN PARTICULAR AND, AND THINKING ABOUT WAYS THAT THAT CAN BE SUPPORTIVE OF THESE EFFORTS AND THAT TOO, IT'S, IT SOUNDS LIKE FROM THE REPORT IS REALLY BEING RECOMMENDED, UM, FOR, UH, A TRANSFORMATION.
AND SO I HOPE THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS, WHAT I THINK I SENSE FROM THIS REPORT AS A RECOMMENDATION, AN UNDERLYING RECOMMENDATION THAT WE AS A CITY, UM, BECOME LESS OF A LONG-TIME FUNDER AND IT, I DON'T BELIEVE IT WAS EXPLICITLY STATED IN THAT WAY.
AND SO I JUST WANT TO CHECK THAT WHAT I'M READING AS AN UNDERLYING ASSUMPTION IS ACCURATE.
UM, AND SO I, I WONDER IF THE CONSULTANT OR OUR STAFF COULD SPEAK TO THAT.
THAT, THAT IS A CORRECT ASSUMPTION.
UM, BUT I WILL ALSO HAVE MARGIE RAISED AT ANY OF HER INSIGHTS AS, AS OUR CONSULTANT.
THANK YOU, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, AND MEGAN, YES, THAT IS AN UNDERLYING RECOMMENDATION THAT I THINK IS WELL WORTH CONVERSATION FOR THE CITY.
UM, AS FAR BACK AS, UH, WE HAVE PROVIDED FUNDING IN THIS COUNTRY FOR THE ARTS, UH, THE, THE COMBINATION OF IN FACT, THE FOUNDING DOCUMENTS THAT ESTABLISHED THE NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES ACT IN 1965 TALKS ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE AND THAT IT IS PRIMARILY, UM, A FUNCTION OF PRIVATE SECTOR FUNDING TO SUPPORT THE ARTS IN OUR COUNTRY.
NOW THAT SAID, UM, CITIES HAVE THROUGH THE USE OF THE SAME FUNDING SOURCES THAT, UH, AUSTIN USES HOT TECHS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY, UH, DESIGNATED SOURCES OF FUNDS, WHICH, UM, AS WE MOVE INTO THIS ERA OF THINKING ABOUT EQUITY AND INCLUSION, UH, MANY OF THE CITIES LARGER LIKE YOURS ARE SEEING THAT THE, THE, UM, THE ONGOING, CONSISTENT HIGH LEVEL FUNDING BY GOVERNMENT IS TURNING OUT TO BE A DETRIMENT, BOTH TO THE ORGANIZATIONS THEMSELVES WHO HAVE DEPENDED ON AND HAVE ON PUBLIC FUNDING AND HAVE NOT BEEN AS AGGRESSIVE IN SEEKING PRIVATE SECTOR FUNDS TO EITHER MEET THE MATCH OR TO, TO CONTINUE TO HELP WITH THE GROWTH.
IT IS ALSO HAD A DETRIMENTAL EFFECT ON ARTISTS AND ORGANIZATIONS OF COLOR WHO HAVE NOT HISTORICALLY BEEN A PART OF THAT DELIVERY PROCESS AND SIMILAR TO THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'RE STRUGGLING WITH.
UM, TODAY GETTING INTO THAT PROCESS IS MORE AND MORE DIFFICULT BECAUSE OF THE HISTORICAL FUNDING THAT BEEN OFFERED TO A SET OF ORGANIZATIONS OVER TIME.
AND SO TRANSITIONING AWAY FROM THAT STRUCTURE IS PAINFUL AS WE'RE GOING THROUGH NOW AND HAVING TO, UM, ALMOST FIND A WAY TO FUND NEW CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS, ARTISTS THAT REPRESENT DIFFERENT CULTURES, COMMUNITIES, AND LIFESTYLES.
AND SO TIMING HERE IS NOT ON YOUR SIDE.
I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, BUT IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO THINK ABOUT IF NOT NOW, WHEN AND HOW DO YOU BEGIN TO ADDRESS THOSE INEQUITIES.
UM, AND SO THAT IS A RECOMMENDATION THAT WE STRESS TAKING A LOOK AT, UH, WHERE YOU HAVE ORGANIZATIONS WHO LITERALLY SAID TO US IN THE PROCESS, AND, AND I TAKE FULL,
[00:55:01]
FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR NOT INCLUDING EVERY SINGLE SENTENCE OF, OF THE INTERVIEWS THAT WE HEARD.UM, WE HAVE THOSE THAT, THAT DATA, AND WE PROMISED THOSE IN OUR CONVERSATIONS THAT THEIR COMMENTS WOULD BE, UM, HELD WITHOUT AUTHORSHIP.
UM, BUT YOU, YOU, WHAT I CAN SAY TO YOU IS THAT THERE ARE, UM, INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS AND SMALLER ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE THEMSELVES LEGACY ORGANIZATIONS.
THEY HAD TO HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS WHO ARE, WE'RE SEEING AN OUT MIGRATION FROM THE CITY OF THOSE ARTISTS, BECAUSE THEY CANNOT GET INTO THE SYSTEM IN A WAY THAT WOULD PROVIDE THEM WITH THE KIND OF RESOURCES, UH, AS WE SAID, TO NOT ONLY HELP GROW THE RICHNESS OF THE CULTURAL OFFERINGS IN YOUR CITY, BUT ALSO TO STABILIZE THEM.
AND I THINK THAT'S PART OF THE RECOMMENDATION FOR TAKING A LOOK AT, UM, HOW DO YOU SAY TO THOSE LEGACY ORGANIZATIONS OVER TIME, UM, THAT THERE WILL BE A NEED FOR THEM TO DIVERSIFY THEIR FUNDING SOURCES SO THAT THE CITY CAN BE CONTINUED TO REALLOCATE AND REDISTRICT DISTRIBUTED AND GROW THE CULTURAL SECTOR.
I'M NOT SURE THAT I SAW THAT AS CLEARLY IN SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS AROUND THIS.
AND SO THANK YOU FOR REALLY UNDERSCORING THAT POINT.
WHAT DO YOU SEE AS DO YOU HAVE A RECOMMENDATION ABOUT WHAT A TYPICAL FUNDING LENGTH, UM, WOULD BE? AND SO I GUESS, YOU KNOW, AS IF WE MOVE FORWARD IN A, WITH A PROGRAM AT SOME POINT THAT RESETS THAT EXPECTATIONS, THAT THERE WILL BE, YOU KNOW, LONG-TIME FUNDING OF PARTICULAR ORGANIZATIONS, WHAT IS A REASONABLE PERIOD? UM, IS IT SOMEBODY MOVES FROM KIND OF THE MINI GRANT PROGRAM TO THE, AND I'M USING THAT TERM INTENTIONALLY BECAUSE I LIKE PROGRAMS THAT SORT OF HAVE NAMES THAT ARE VERY TRANSPARENT AND I'M ALREADY STRUGGLING WITH NEXUS AND THRIVE AND ELEVATE AND HOW THOSE DIFFER.
AND I'M JUST WONDERING IF COMING UP WITH REALLY CLEARLY NAMED PROGRAMS MIGHT BE, MIGHT BE MORE AUDIENCE FRIENDLY, BUT IF IT IS THE EXPECTATION THAT AN ORGANIZATION MIGHT GET ONE OF THOSE SMALL GRANTS, ONE OF THE MINI GRANTS AND THEN MOVE INTO THE MIDDLE CATEGORY AND, AND THAT IT WOULD BE KIND OF ONE, ONE OF THE FIRST AND MAYBE TWO YEARS OF FUN, I GUESS THERE ARE TWO YEAR FUNDING PERIODS BEING RECOMMENDED, RECOMMENDED.
AND THEN AFTER, YOU KNOW, AFTER A TWO YEAR PERIOD WITH THAT MEDIUM LEVEL GRANT, YOU'RE EXPECTED TO, TO RELY ON MORE DIVERSIFIED FUNDING SOURCES, OR I GUESS IF I COULD JUST THROW THAT QUESTION OUT THERE, WHAT IS A REASONABLE TIMEFRAME OR RECOMMENDED TIMEFRAME? THE TIMEFRAME IS CERTAINLY FLEXIBLE.
ONE OF THE OTHER, UM, RUBRICS FOR MAKING THAT DETERMINATION AS TO FALL BACK TO THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS AWARDING GRANTS THROUGH A CONTRACTUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ORGANIZATIONS.
AND SO WITH EACH ORGANIZATION LOOKING AT WHAT THE CITY IS REQUIRING OR IS CONTRACTING WITH THOSE ORGANIZATIONS TO DO SO IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING BUT CULTURAL SERVICE, UM, THE, THE THERE'S ALSO CONSIDERATION FOR THE REACH INTO THE COMMUNITY BASED ON AS YOU'VE INDICATED AS A PRIORITY BASED ON THEIR EQUITY GOALS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THAT DIRECTION.
UM, SO I THINK THERE ARE A NUMBER OF FACTORS.
I CERTAINLY DON'T THINK THERE IS ANY CITY, UH, THAT I'M AWARE OF THAT HAS A CUTOFF PERIOD, BUT DOES HAVE A WAY EVERY YEAR, EVERY TWO YEARS, I'M WORKING WITH THE ORGANIZATION TO SAY ON THESE AREAS YOU WERE SUCCESSFUL AND IN THESE AREAS YOU WERE NOT.
UM, AND SO THE CONTRACT, THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING WILL SHIFT MORE ORGANICALLY THAT WAY THAN JUST A TIMED, UM, A TIME TO CUT OFF.
BUT I THINK THOSE ARE EXERCISES AND CONVERSATIONS THAT CERTAINLY CAN BE HAD WITH ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN RECEIVING CITY FUNDING FOR UPWARDS OF 20 YEARS.
I DIDN'T, AND IT IS NOT GOING TO BE AN EASY CONVERSATION IF WE MOVE IN THAT DIRECTION AND IT IS, IT'S JUST, UM, IT'S A VERY DIFFERENT PATH.
I MEAN, WE, WE ARE, WE KNOW THAT THESE ORGANIZATIONS ARE IN NEED OF THAT FUNDING.
AND SO SOME WILL, SOME WILL LIKELY, UM, NOT SURVIVE IF, IF THAT FUNDING IS NOT IN PLACE OR WE'LL HAVE TO CUT BACK THEIR PROGRAMMING.
SO IT'S, IT'S, UM, IT'S JUST A DIFFERENT PATH.
DO WE USE, YOU KNOW, DO WE USE OUR FUNDING TO KIND OF SUSTAIN IN, UH, TO SUSTAIN MORE ORGANIZATIONS
[01:00:01]
OR DO WE, DO WE USE IT TO CAPACITY BUILD? I MEAN, THERE, THERE ARE JUST A LOT OF QUESTIONS I THINK THAT YOUR REPORT HAVE, HAS REALLY HIGHLIGHTED.UM, AND I JUST, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK AGAIN.
I, I DO THINK WE NEED MORE OF A TRANSITION, BUT I REALLY APPRECIATE THE ELEMENTS THAT YOU'VE RAISED.
ONE OTHER ASSUMPTION THAT I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I'M, I'M UNDERSTANDING.
AND I WONDERED IF YOU COULD SPEAK A BIT ABOUT IT WAS THE FISCAL FISCAL SPONSORSHIP.
SO I, I REALLY UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE A LOT OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT SEEM TO BE ABOUT HOW DO WE MAKE OUR PRO OUR PROGRAMS MORE ACCESSIBLE TO ORGANIZATIONS THAT DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE BIG INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT GRANT, UH, GRANT WRITING.
I THINK THAT'S REALLY CRITICAL AND I'M EXCITED TO SEE THAT DIRECTION.
HOWEVER, IT, I DID HAVE TO ASK MYSELF THE QUESTION, ESPECIALLY AS IT WAS TALKING ABOUT INSURANCE, UM, AND MAYBE MAKING LARGER AWARDS TO SMALLER ORGANIZATIONS TO HELP THEM COVER THE COST OF INSURANCE.
I WONDERED IF, IF THAT'S THE MOST, IF THAT EXAMPLE IS KIND OF THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY OF DOING, OF USING OUR DOLLARS, WOULD IT BE MORE EFFICIENT TO HAVE SAY, A CITY INSURANCE POLICY THAT ORGANIZATIONS CAN TAP INTO, OR TO CONTINUE TO USE THAT FISCAL SPONSORSHIP MODE THAT ALLOWS SMALLER ORGANIZATIONS TO COMPETE AND TO ACCESS SOME OF THOSE SOURCES, UM, WITHOUT PROVIDING THEM THEMSELVES, IF WE CAN DO WHAT YOUR REPORT SUGGESTS OF MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE REALLY RECRUITING AND, UM, SUPPORTING FISCAL SPONSORS THAT ARE BIPAP.
SO I WONDER, UM, COULD YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE RECOMMENDATION ABOUT FISCAL SPONSORSHIP AND, AND I'M SENSING IN THE REPORT CONCERNS ABOUT THAT KIND OF MODEL AND A SUGGESTION TO SHIFT FROM IT? UM, WITHOUT FULLY UNDERSTANDING ONE, I WANT TO CHECK THAT THAT ASSUMPTION IS THAT I'M READING THAT UNDERLYING RECOMMENDATION CORRECTLY, AND ARE THERE SOME BENEFITS OF FISCAL SPONSORSHIP THAT WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT BEFORE WE MAKE SUCH A CHANGE, RIGHT? THERE ARE DEFINITELY REASONS TO ABOUT THE FISCAL SPONSORSHIP MODEL AND THAT THAT RECOMMENDATION COMES AFTER CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE STRUCTURE OF THE FISCAL SPONSORSHIP MODEL IN YOUR CITY.
OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, THERE ARE ORGANIZATIONS THAT, UM, MAY NOT CHOOSE TO BE AN INDEPENDENT ORGANIZATION.
UM, THERE THEY PRODUCE ONE OR TWO EVENTS A YEAR.
AND SO THE FISCAL SPONSORSHIP STRUCTURE WORKS FOR THEM, UH, TAKING AWAY A LOT OF THE BURDEN OF RISK OF, OF, UM, THE RESPONSIBILITIES REQUIRED BY THE CITY.
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT RECOMMENDATION, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER IS THE LIMITATIONS THAT PARTICULARLY SMALLER ORGANIZATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS OF COLOR WHO ARE QUOTE LEGACY ORGANIZATIONS.
THEY ARE KEPT IN A CATEGORY OF RECEIVING FUNDING AND CAPPED IN TERMS OF THEIR ABILITY TO GROW TO INSTITUTION STATUS.
AND SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE ROSTER OF CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS IN AUSTIN, UM, THERE ARE LATINO BASED THERE AREN'T ORGANIZATIONS OF COLOR, ET CETERA, BUT ARE, THEY ARE LIMITED IN NUMBER.
AND SO IF WE'RE GOING TO MOVE TOWARD EQUITY, WE'VE GOT TO REMOVE THAT CAP.
AND THAT'S THINKING THAT STRUCTURE THAT ALMOST PREVENTS THOSE ORGANIZATIONS FROM ACHIEVING INSTITUTIONAL STATUS.
AND THEY'RE JUST A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES OF WHAT THAT INSTITUTIONAL STATUS MEANS.
IT MEANS ABILITY TO LEAD AND GROW THEIR ORGANIZATIONS INDEPENDENTLY.
IT MEANS HAVING ACCESS TO PERMANENT AND LONG-TERM FACILITIES SO THAT THEY'RE NOT NOMADIC TRYING TO FIND A SPACE TO DO THEIR EVENT AND NOT ABLE TO SECURE AN AUDIENCE BASE.
IT ALSO MEANS THEIR ABILITY TO ATTRACT PUBLIC FUNDING, UM, ROWING TO A POINT WHERE NOT ONLY ARE THEY MORE SUCCESSFUL IN SECURING, UM, FUNDING FROM THE CITY, BUT ALSO FROM THE STATE AND OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES, THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS BEING ONE OF THOSE AND ON A PARALLEL TRACK, THEIR ABILITY TO ATTRACT PRIVATE SECTOR DOLLARS.
SO THEY DON'T HAVE NAME RECOGNITION IN THE PHILANTHROPIC WORLD.
THEY DON'T HAVE LEADERSHIP RECOGNITION AS LONG AS THEY STAY UNDER THAT UMBRELLA OF BEING A SPONSOR.
AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS YOU'LL SEE IN SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT.
[01:05:01]
WHERE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ALL BOATS RISING HERE.AND SO FOR THOSE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE WILLING HAVE AN INTEREST IN GROWING, UM, WE'RE GIVING THEM A PASS ALMOST BY KEEPING THEM UNDER THAT FISCAL SPONSORSHIP UMBRELLA.
I THINK WE NEED THOSE KINDS OF STRUCTURES TO GET LAUNCHED.
AND AT SOME POINT THE STAFF, THE COMMISSION, THE ORGANIZATIONS THEMSELVES WILL HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR US TO GROW SO THAT THE ROSTER OF LEGACY ORGANIZATIONS IN YOUR CITY BEGINS TO LOOK LIKE, FEEL LIKE THE MOST DIVERSE REPRESENTATION OF INSTITUTIONS THAT YOU CAN SUPPORT OVER TIME.
I THINK I NEED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND, UM, OUTSIDE OF THE CONTEXT OF THIS MEETING, HOW THE PROGRAM, IT SOUNDS LIKE WHAT YOU'RE SUGGESTING IS THAT THE PROGRAM ITSELF MADE CERTAIN CAPS FOR ORGANIZATIONS THAT WERE BEING, THAT WERE UNDERNEATH ANOTHER FISCAL SPONSOR.
UM, SO I THINK, I, I THINK I NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE INTERPLAY OF THAT.
UM, THAT'S, THAT'S A VERY INTERESTING POINT I WASN'T AWARE OF.
I HAVE A COUPLE OTHER QUESTIONS, BUT I'LL, I'LL DEFER CAUSE I'VE ASKED A LOT AND IF, IF I COULD BE ON THE NEXT CYCLE, BUT, UM, THANK YOU, MS. REESE, THIS IS REALLY, REALLY INTERESTING AND, UM, IMPORTANT WORK.
AND I ESPECIALLY APPRECIATE YOUR REFERENCE TO THE NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES ACT.
UM, THAT VERY RARELY WE HAVE THAT KIND OF CONVERSATION HERE IN, IN THE CHAMBERS.
SOMEBODY WHO WORKED FOR THE NATIONAL HUMANITIES, UM, STATE COUNCIL HERE, IT'S ALWAYS EXCITING TO TALK ABOUT THAT WORK.
THIS IS A HARD CONVERSATION, AND IT'S GOING TO BE ONE, UH, BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LIMITED RESOURCES AND NEED, UH, THAT, THAT EXCEEDS THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE, TRY TO GET EVEN HARDER CONVERSATION TO HAVE, BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REALLOCATING FUNDS IN THAT SITUATION, IT'S GOING TO GET EVEN A HARDER CONVERSATION TO HAVE, BECAUSE SOME ORGANIZATIONS HAVE REALLY BECOME DEPENDENT ON THE DOLLARS THAT COME FROM THIS IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO, TO DO THEIR WORK.
AND THEY'VE BEEN WORKING WITH A MODEL THAT HAS BEEN REPEATED AND IS NOW CHANGING.
SO YOU'RE DEALING WITH EXPECTATIONS AND THEN IT'S GOING TO BE AN EVEN HARDER CONVERSATION TO DEAL WITH BECAUSE ALL OF THIS IS HAPPENING AT A TIME WHEN THE FUNDING THAT IS AVAILABLE IS LESS THAN WHAT THE FUNDING WAS AVAILABLE A YEAR AGO.
AND ALL THOSE THINGS PILE UP TO MAKE THIS A REALLY HARD CONVERSATION AND A ONE WHERE IT'S GOING TO BE HARD TO FIND A SOLUTION WHERE EVERYBODY WINS AND EVERYBODY ENDS UP WITH, WITH WHERE IT IS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO, TO, TO END UP, UM, UH, THIS IS GOING TO HAVE TO COME BACK TO THE COUNCIL MANAGER.
I'M NOT SURE THAT AT THIS POINT WITH AS MANY QUESTIONS THAT ARE BEING ASKED, THAT THERE'S A PATH THAT HAS THIS JUST BEING IMPLEMENTED.
SO YOU'RE GOING TO NEED TO BRING IT BACK TO, TO, TO, TO US.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT AS IT COMES BACK TO US, THAT WE TRY AND FIGURE OUT A WAY TO DO THAT WHERE THE COUNCIL IS NOT, COUNCIL IS NOT PICKING VENDORS ARE WINNERS AND LOSERS FROM THE, FROM THE DAYS, UH, THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH THIS AT A, AT A HIGHER KIND OF POLICY KIND OF LEVEL OR BROADER RULE KIND OF LEVEL, UH, BECAUSE IF IT DEVOLVES INTO, UH, PEOPLE ON THE DAY IS TRYING TO PROTECT ORGANIZATIONS THAT THEY'RE PARTICULAR FANS OF, OR CONSTITUENTS THAT ARE FANS OF, UH, IT'S GOING TO GET, UH, JUST, JUST NEAR IMPOSSIBLE.
UH, I WANT TO, I WANT TO JUST MENTION, AS AN ASIDE, I ALSO AM SUPPORTIVE OF USING ACTUAL DOLLARS AND MOVING AWAY FROM A SYSTEM THAT HAS US ALLOCATING FUNDS.
WE DON'T RECEIVE, UH, BECAUSE WE CAN'T GUARANTEE PERFORMANCE.
AND JUST LIKE WE EXPECT PEOPLE TO PROMISE PERFORMANCE FOR US IN EXCHANGE FOR GETTING RESOURCES.
WHEN WE TELL PEOPLE WE'RE GOING TO GET THEM A CERTAIN AMOUNT, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DELIVER ON THAT.
SO I ALSO BELIEVE WE SHOULD HOLD ON TO THAT TRANS THAT TRANSITION TO THAT PROGRAM.
UH, I ALSO, UH, FULLY SUPPORT THE DIRECTION THAT THE COUNCIL HAS TAKEN OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS AND MORE, I THINK, UH, TO, TO REALLY MAKE SURE THAT THE FUNDING THAT WE'RE SPENDING IS, UH, IN ALL THINGS BEING SPENT WITH AN EQUITY LENS AND CREATING OPPORTUNITIES AND RECOGNIZING THAT THE PAST SYSTEMS HAVE NOT BEEN FAIR.
UH, AND, AND, AND THERE'S NO WAY TO MAKE THEM FAIR, UH, WITHOUT CREATING DISRUPTION, UH, IN, IN SYSTEM.
AND, AND THAT IS JUST GOING TO HAPPEN AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WORK OUR WAY THROUGH THAT.
THAT SAID, I THINK THAT, UH, THE ONE ADVANTAGE THAT WE HAVE AT THIS POINT IS THAT THERE'S PERHAPS MORE FUNDING AVAILABLE OUTSIDE
[01:10:01]
OF HOT, UH, IN TERMS OF A RELIEF DOLLARS THAN WE WOULD ORDINARILY HAVE BECAUSE OF THE SITUATION THAT WE'RE IN.AND I THINK WE SHOULDN'T HAVE THIS CONVERSATION APP OUTSIDE OF THE CONTEXT OF THAT LARGER FUNDS AVAILABLE CONVERSATION.
IT'S ONE CONVERSATION, AND WE REALLY NEED TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS TOGETHER BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO BE IMPACT, UH, WHERE WE, WHERE WE ARE.
UH, I LIKE MOVING THE HOT FUNDING AND THE DIRECTION THAT IT'S GOING, AND I THINK IT NEEDS TO MOVE IN THAT DIRECTION.
I THINK THERE MIGHT BE OTHER FUNDING THAT'S AVAILABLE THAT CAN HELP WITH THE TRANSITION OF THOSE DOLLARS AND ALSO HELP IN THIS PERIOD OF TIME TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T LOSE, UH, REALLY IMPORTANT ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS CITY.
AND IN FACT, THEY, IF THEY ARE ABLE TO, TO BE ABLE TO SURVIVE.
SO AS YOU WORK THROUGH THIS AND YOU COME BACK TO THE, TO THE COUNCIL OF TRYING TO JUGGLE ALL THESE COMPETITIVE ENDS, THESE NO, I SUPPORT THE DIRECTION THAT YOU'RE GOING IN.
AND I THINK YOU TRIED TO TAKE THE HOT FUNDING DOLLARS AND MOVE THAT PROGRAM, UH, IN, IN WAYS THAT IT SHOULD BE MOVED TO AS YOU DO THAT.
AND YOU DEVELOP THAT PROGRAM, OR AS YOU TAKE LOOK AT OTHER RELIEF DOLLARS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO US, UH, HAVE BEEN DESIGNATED, I THINK THERE'S ALMOST LIKE 10 DIFFERENT FUNDING SOURCES AVAILABLE IN DIFFERENT PLACES RIGHT NOW THAT WHEN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT BYPASS OR SUPPORT BIPARTISAN SUPPORT, LED ORGANIZATIONS, A REAL IMPORTANT, UH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, YOU POINTED OUT THE, UM, UH, BOARD, YOU POINTED OUT THE COUNCIL MEMBER POOL, ALSO RAISED AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION, WHICH I THINK IS A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THAT AS WELL.
AND THEN ALSO, UH, EQUITY GOALS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
THERE ARE ORGANIZATIONS THAT FOR YEARS, UM, UH, HAVE BEEN PROVIDING AND HAVE COMMITTED TO PROVIDE REAL OPPORTUNITY, UH, AND ACCESS IN THIS CITY WHEN OTHERS WERE NOT.
AND THOSE ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAD THOSE PROGRAMS AND WERE INVESTING IN THOSE PROGRAMS THAT HAVE A LEGACY OF THAT INVOLVEMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY, OR A WILLINGNESS TO REALLY PRIORITIZE THAT AND PUSH THAT SHOULD BE ORGANIZATIONS THAT SHOULD ALSO, UH, BE RECOGNIZED UNDER THE EQUITY LENS AS SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO, UH, SUPPORT AND ACKNOWLEDGE IN THE COMMUNITY.
UM, AND THEN ULTIMATELY GIVEN THE WEIGHT OF THIS, I THINK IT IS GOING TO REQUIRE SOME MEASURE FOR STAFF TO DO SOME MEASURE OF INDIVIDUALIZED, UH, ANALYSIS, WHERE THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ORGANIZATIONS TO BE ABLE TO STEP FORWARD AND SAY, WE UNDERSTAND ALL THESE GOALS.
WE UNDERSTAND THE DIRECTION THAT YOU'RE HAVING OUR ORGANIZATION WILL FAIL AND, AND LET US SHOW YOU WHY IT IS THAT THAT'S TRUE.
THERE'S GOTTA BE A PLACE FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO GO, TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THAT HEARING OF THEIR INDIVIDUALS THAT SITUATION.
SO WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE MAKE THESE DECISIONS, WE UNDERSTAND THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE DECISIONS THAT WE'RE MAKING AND THAT THERE ARE NOT UNINTENDED OR UNSTATED CONSEQUENCES THAT, UH, HAVE, UH, HAVE ESCAPED US.
AND FINALLY, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO NOTE, AS YOU HAVE THAT THERE IS STILL A PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PROCESS THAT CONTINUES ON THIS ISSUE.
THESE ISSUES ARE GOING TO THE ARTS COMMISSION AND THE MUSIC COMMISSION THEY'RE WEIGHING IN ON THESE, UH, NUMBERS RIGHT NOW.
THERE'S STILL MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO BE ABLE TO, TO WEIGH IN AND THE PUBLIC SHOULD BE DOING THAT NOW, UH, SO THAT, UH, WE MAKE, UH, THE, THE, THE BEST DECISIONS WE CAN MAKE WITH THE FULLEST AMOUNT OF INFORMATION THAT'S, UH, THAT'S AVAILABLE.
AND I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT TO, TO REALLY PUBLICIZE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE COMMUNITY SO THAT THEY RECOGNIZE THEY STILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO, UH, UH, PARTICIPATE IN THE CONVERSATION AND ADD DATA TO INFORMATION WHERE THEY THINK IT DOESN'T EXIST.
UH, I KNOW THERE MIGHT BE SOME OTHER COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS, BUT I DID WANT TO ALLOW ACM GONZALEZ TO SAY A FEW WORDS AS WELL.
STATE MANAGER, RODNEY GONZALEZ, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, AND MAYOR.
THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT SUMMARY AND COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TEEING UP THIS CONVERSATION.
THESE ARE HARD CHOICES IN FRONT OF US, AND I DO BELIEVE THAT WITH US TALKING ABOUT THEM EARLY, WE CAN WORK COLLABORATIVELY TO GET TO A GOOD SOLUTION FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
AND YOU DO RAISE UP THE, THE VERY VALID QUESTION, WHICH IS, IS NOW THE TIME TO MAKE THE CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH GUIDELINES.
WHEN WE STARTED TWO YEARS AGO DOWN THIS PATH WHERE IT WAS PRE PANDEMIC, AND WE DIDN'T HAVE THE SIGNIFICANT REVENUE DECREASES THAT WE DO TODAY.
AND SO I APPLAUD STAFF'S EFFORT TO MOVE IN AN EQUITY EQUITABLE MODEL, WHICH IS IN ALIGNMENT WITH STRATEGIC DIRECTION, 2023.
THE DIFFICULTY THAT WE HAVE THOUGH, IS THAT WE HAVE HAD SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN OUR HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAXES.
SO WHAT MAY LOOK LIKE AN EQUITABLE MODEL HAS AN APPEARANCE OF NOT BEING FAIR BECAUSE THERE WILL BE A COST THE BOARD DECREASES.
[01:15:01]
AND I DID WANT TO MENTION, OF COURSE THE CHOICES OR ONE OF THE OTHER CHOICES THAT WE HAVE IS IF WE KEPT THINGS STATUS QUO, MEANING THAT IF WE DIDN'T MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THE GUIDELINES, WE WOULD STILL SEE ACROSS THE BOARD DECREASES FOR ALL OF OUR ARTISTS AND ARTS ORGANIZATIONS.AND WE HAVEN'T COME FORWARD WITH WHAT THAT INFORMATION LOOKS LIKE.
WE'VE DONE THAT IN THE PAST WHERE WE'VE MADE PROPORTIONATE DECREASES, BUT WHAT THE STAFF HAS TRYING TO RELAY IS THAT KEEPING THAT MODEL KEEPS THE INEQUITIES IN PLACE.
AND ALL IT DOES IS IT MAKES PROPORTIONATE DECREASES ACROSS THE BOARD.
AND SO FROM THE STAFF PERSPECTIVE, WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS TRY TO PRESENT THE BEST EQUITABLE MODEL THAT, THAT ALSO REFLECTS, OF COURSE, THE DECREASED REVENUES THAT WE SEE IN FRONT OF US WITH REGARD TO THE DECREASED REVENUES IN FRONT OF US, WE HAVE PROPOSED TO COUNCIL THAT WE USE ACTUAL INSTEAD OF PROJECTED AND THAT CONVERSATION.
I KNOW THAT THERE ARE SOME COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT.
PERHAPS WE TEE UP THAT CONVERSATION IN AN AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE, UH, DISCUSSION.
SO THAT WAY WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE RAMIFICATIONS, IF YOU, IF YOU WILL, OF, IF WE USE PROJECTED VERSUS ACTUAL, WE ARE PROJECTING THAT WE WILL COLLECT $6.6 MILLION IN HOTEL TAXES, BUT WE ARE ASKING COUNCIL AND THE PROPOSED BUDGET TO ONLY ALLOCATE 3.7.
SO THERE IS A DELTA THERE, AND RIGHT NOW WE DON'T HAVE THAT COMFORT LEVEL AND ALLOCATING THAT FULL 6.6, BECAUSE OF COURSE WE ARE IN STAGE FIVE.
WE DO HAVE THE DELTA VARIANT IN FRONT OF US.
WE ARE SEEING A NUMBER OF EVENTS CANCELED, WHICH MEANS THAT OUR HOTEL TAXES CAN BE IMPACTED YET AGAIN.
AND SO IT'S VERY CONCERNING FOR, FOR US FROM A FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE, UH, KEEPING UP WITH THE PROJECTED MODEL VERSUS AN ACTUAL MODEL.
THERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS ALSO RAISED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ARE WE OPENING UP THE PROGRAM TOO BROADLY TO TOO MANY ARTISTS AND ARTS ORGANIZATIONS THERE? AGAIN, THAT'S AN ANOTHER EQUITY CONVERSATION BECAUSE FOR TOO LONG, A LOT OF OUR ARTISTS AND ARTS ORGANIZATIONS WHO WERE SHUT OUT OF THE PROCESS IN AN INEQUITABLE MANNER, BUT IT IS A WORTHY QUESTION OF DO WE, WHAT, WHAT IS THAT RIGHT BALANCE OF OPENING UP THE PROCESS AS WELL? AND SO I JUST WANTED TO, OF COURSE, THANK COUNCIL FOR THE CONVERSATION.
WE'RE TALKING, TAKING ALL THIS FEEDBACK, WE'RE TAKING ALL THE COUNCIL QUESTIONS.
IT'S OBVIOUS THAT WE STILL NEED TO COME FORWARD WITH A LOT OF MORE, WITH A LOT MORE INFORMATION IN A VERY TRANSPARENT MANNER, NOT JUST TO COUNCIL, BUT TO OUR ARTS COMMUNITY WHO IS WATCHING AS WELL.
AND THE OTHER THING I WOULD LEAVE YOU WITH ALSO IS THAT YOUR ARTS COMMISSION MEMBERS ALSO REPRESENT YOUR VIEWS.
AND SO TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU CAN HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUR REPRESENTATIVE, PLEASE DO SO BECAUSE OUR STAFF WORKS DIRECTLY WITH THE ARTS COMMISSION MEMBERS.
AND SO WE ENCOURAGE YOU OF COURSE, TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR ARTS COMMISSION MEMBERS TO EXPRESS YOUR VIEWS TO THEM.
SO THAT WAY THEY, THEY, THOSE CAN ALSO BE PASSED ON TO US, BUT YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, MAYOR.
THEY, THESE ARE HARD CHOICES IN FRONT OF US.
THERE ARE NO EASY ANSWERS AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE HAVE FAR LESS REVENUE THAN WHAT WE DID PRE PRE COVID.
AND SO THAT BY ITSELF MEANS THAT THERE ARE GOING TO BE FINANCIAL CUTS ACROSS THE BOARD.
UM, WE HOPE OF COURSE THAT, UH, WE WILL GET THROUGH THE PANDEMIC AND SETS AWAY THAT EVENTUALLY OUR REVENUES WILL INCREASE TO PRE PANDEMIC LEVELS, BUT WE'VE STILL GOT A LONG WAY TO GO ELSEWHERE.
I APPRECIATE THAT SUMMARY OF THE CHALLENGE.
UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF TOUGH QUESTIONS BEFORE US.
UM, IT'S ALSO REALLY IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THAT THIS IS A DIRECT FUNCTION OF DIRECTION THAT WAS GIVEN BY COUNCIL TO PRIORITIZE EQUITY.
AND WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT, YOU KNOW, THE STEPS IN THE PROPOSAL BEFORE US IS AN ATTEMPT TO OPERATIONALIZE THAT, UM, MOVING FORWARD.
UM, THERE IS NO GOOD TIME TO RECALIBRATE THIS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ORGANIZATIONS WHO WILL NO LONGER GET FUNDING.
UM, THIS IS A CONVERSATION WE ALSO HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS.
UM, I REMEMBER, YOU KNOW, TWO YEARS AGO WE HAD THIS CONVERSATION AND THERE WAS A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW YOU DO THE TRANSITION AND WARNING WAS GIVEN BACK THEN THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE MAKING A TRANSITION.
UM, OBVIOUSLY THE COVID SITUATION COMPLICATES MATTERS AND RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT THE RIGHT PATH.
UM, BUT I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE RECOGNIZE THAT WHAT STOPS PUTTING BEFORE US COMES FROM A LOT OF WORK, A LOT OF ENERGY, A LOT OF REFLECTION, A LOT OF THINKING ABOUT COUNCIL DIRECTION, UM, TOWARDS EQUITY.
UM, SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT.
UM, I, I DO HAVE A, A QUESTION WHICH MIGHT LEAD TO A POTENTIAL PATH FOR A TRANSITION, WHICH IS WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE CULTURAL ARTS FUND THAT WE HAVE TO FOLLOW ALL THESE HOT RULES ABOUT HOW THE FUNDING IS WORKING.
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE TO DO
[01:20:01]
THAT AS MUCH THIS YEAR, BECAUSE WE PUT IN 4.8 MILLION OF BUDGET STABILIZATION RESERVE FUNDS, WHICH DO HAVE TO BE UNDER THE HOT, UM, REQUIREMENTS.WE ALSO HAVE FLEXIBILITY TO SWAP THOSE OUT FOR ARPA-E FUNDS, WHICH ARE EVEN MORE FLEXIBLE PERHAPS, UM, AT TIMES, UM, WHICH COULD OPEN UP A TRANSITION PERIOD THAT LOOKS DIFFERENT.
THAT MIGHT BE BETTER ABLE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR ECOSYSTEM AT THIS POINT IN TIME, BOTH IN TERMS OF EQUITY AND IN TERMS OF JUST THE HEALTH OF THAT ECOSYSTEM AS A WHOLE.
SO I WOULD ASK THE CITY MANAGER THAT AS YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT WHAT THE APPROPRIATE NEXT STEPS, AND AS WE HAVE THE CONVERSATION THAT THE MAYOR ALLUDED TO, THAT INCLUDES THE ARPA FUNDS AND THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE REALLY QUESTION, WHETHER OUR ASSUMPTION THAT THIS HAS TO HAPPEN UNDER THE CULTURAL ARTS FUND UMBRELLA WITH ALL OF THOSE RULES THAT I'M WITH THAT FOR THIS NEXT STEP, IS THAT REALLY FOR THAT 4.8 MILLION, IS THAT REALLY THE RIGHT WAY TO CONFINE THAT SPENDING AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME? AS I UNDERSTAND IT, YOU KNOW, THE HOT RULES ARE PRETTY ONEROUS.
UM, THEY REQUIRE PERFORMANCES, WHICH MAY BE CHALLENGING UNDER, UM, COVID CONDITIONS, ET CETERA.
AND WE MAY BE ABLE TO BETTER HELP OUR ORGANIZATIONS THRIVE IF WE TAKE A DIFFERENT APPROACH.
I WANT TO, UM, ALSO APPLAUD STAFF IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NONPROFIT, CULTURAL ARTS GRANT, WHERE THEY WERE ABLE TO, UM, PRIORITIZE EQUITY AND DIVERSITY IN THAT PROCESS.
UM, BECAUSE THERE WILL BE ADDITIONAL FUNDS.
WE WILL BE ABLE TO REACH EVEN MORE OF THE LEGACY ORGANIZATIONS WHO MAY NOT HAVE, UM, BEEN ABLE TO FALL UNDER THAT.
AND, AND I, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THE DATA.
I THINK THAT COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN OR COUNCIL MEMBER POOL ASKED FOR WHERE WE CAN REALLY SEE HOW THAT MATCHES UP WITH OUR CULTURAL ARTS CONTRACTORS, BUT I BELIEVE WE NEED TO HAVE THE FULLER CONVERSATION ABOUT ALL OF THE MONEY AND FIGURE OUT WHERE WE NEED TO MAKE THE INVESTMENTS NOW AND NOT BE WED TO THAT HOT FUND APPROACH.
UM, IN THE SHORT RUN, I ALSO BELIEVE WE NEED TO MAKE THE TRANSITION AND WE HAVE ALREADY BEEN TELLING OUR ORGANIZATIONS FOR TWO YEARS, THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN.
WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL ALSO THAT WE NAVIGATE THIS PROCESS.
UM, AS THE MAYOR SUGGESTED WHERE COUNCIL IS NOT CHOOSING PARTICULAR ORGANIZATIONS ON THE DIETS THAT WE HAVE A BROADER FRAME, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE SEE, UM, IN LOTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
I ALSO WANT TO SAY THAT I APPRECIATE MOVING TO ACTUALS.
UM, AND I THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT THAT WE DON'T PERPETUATE A SYSTEM WHERE ORGANIZATIONS RELY STRICTLY ON THE CITY AS THEIR MAIN FUNDING SOURCE.
UM, AND FINALLY, UM, RODNEY, IF YOU WANT TO TALK WITH MY STAFF, WE CAN TALK ABOUT HOW WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO BRING THIS BEFORE THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE, IF YOU WANT TO, UM, CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION THERE, OR IF THE DIOCESE WANTS TO DO IT AS A FULL COUNCIL, BUT YOU GUYS FIGURED THAT OUT, BUT WE CAN WORK OUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR GETTING ON THE AGENDA.
JUST A REALLY QUICK ASIDE WHEN I TALKED ABOUT OTHER FUNDING, THAT'S NOT JUST FUNDING THAT GOES THROUGH THE CITY.
A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS ARE ABLE TO GET SOME OF THE SHUTTERED VENUE FUNDS.
UH, I THINK PROBABLY $200 MILLION CAME INTO, UH, ORGANIZATIONS IN OUR CITY.
SO WE NEED TO, TO, TO BE, YOU KNOW, KEEPING TRACK OF THAT AS WELL.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN, UH, I'LL BE BRIEF.
I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT SOME ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS THAT I HAVE, UH, THAT, UH, PERHAPS YOU ALL CAN RESPOND TO, OR WE CAN TALK ABOUT OFFLINE.
UM, A COUPLE OF THOSE I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND BETTER, UM, BOTH WHAT OUR GOAL IS, UH, AND HOW WE'RE GOING TO MEASURE SUCCESS.
UH, AND YOU CAN POINT ME TO THAT, UH, AND REPORT, OR YOU CAN PROVIDE ME INFORMATION, BUT I WANT TO KNOW SPECIFICS FROM A DATA PERSPECTIVE, WHAT'S OUR GOAL FROM A TARGET TO, YOU KNOW, CAUSE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT TRANSITIONING AND IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS.
SO I WANT TO KNOW HOW WE'RE GOING TO MEASURE SUCCESS AND WHAT IS OUR GOAL AND WHAT IS OUR GOAL FOR EQUITY? UH, WHAT WILL TELL US THAT WE HAVE, UH, SUCCEEDED.
SO IF YOU COULD SHARE THAT, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO UNDERSTAND, UM, BETTER HOW, UH, THE CRITERIA THAT WERE THERE WE WERE WANTING TO MOVE TO FOR EQUITY PURPOSES TAKES INTO ACCOUNT LONGEVITY AND SUSTAINABILITY IN, IN THE, UM, CRITERIA AND ALSO HOW WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT, UM, UH, OTHER POPULATIONS THAT, UM, I BELIEVE ARE IMPACTED BY EQUITY, UNLESS THERE'S DATA THAT I'M NOT AWARE OF, BUT TRADITIONALLY AT LEAST IN, IN OTHER FIELDS, UH, WOMEN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND LDD
[01:25:01]
LGBTQ, UH, POPULATIONS HAVE BEEN IMPACTED.SO I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND HOW THOSE THREE POPULATIONS ARE ACCOUNTED FOR IN OUR EFFORT TO MOVE TOWARDS EQUITY.
UM, AND IF THERE'S A REASON NOT TO, UH, CONSIDER THOSE POPULATIONS BECAUSE THE, THE FIELD, BECAUSE THEY DON'T EXPERIENCE DIFFICULTIES IN THIS FIELD AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT DATA.
SO I THINK THAT WOULD BE IMPORTANT.
I'M REALLY CONCERNED, PARTICULARLY ABOUT WOMEN OF COLOR, FOR EXAMPLE, WHO MAY BE RECEIVING, WHO MAY BE EXPERIENCING BARRIERS FROM SEVERAL ASPECTS.
SO I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND, BECAUSE MY UNDERSTANDING RIGHT NOW IS THAT WOMEN ARE NOT FACTORED IN, UM, IN, UM, IN CONSIDERATION.
AND IF I'M WRONG ABOUT THAT, I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND THAT IS, IS THAT THE CASE THAT, THAT, UM, THAT WOMEN BEING A WOMAN IS NOT PART OF THE FACTORS THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT FROM AN EQUITY STANDPOINT AT THIS POINT, NOW WOMEN ARE FACTORED IN, IT IS JUST WITH AN EQUITY.
SO PRIMARILY WOMEN OF COLOR WOMEN WHO HAVE AN INTERSECTIONALITY WITH THESE OTHER MARGINALIZED GROUPS THAT YOU MENTIONED THOSE WITH DISABILITIES, THOSE WHO, UH, HAVE, UH, IDENTIFY AS LGBT UIA.
THOSE ARE ABSOLUTELY FACTORED INTO OUR INTERSECTIONAL EQUITY LENS.
OKAY, WELL, I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND BETTER HOW THE DATA, HOW THE DATA IS USED USED IN FACTORED IN THAT WAY.
IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE, UM, WHAT'S THE MEASURES AND THE METRICS AND THAT SORT OF THING.
AND I'D ALSO LIKE TO UNDERSTAND WHY, WHY, UM, WOMEN ACROSS THE BOARD ARE NOT CONSIDERED.
SO, UM, SO IF, IF WE COULD HAVE THAT CONVERSATION, I THINK THAT WOULD BE IMPORTANT.
UM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE DRIVEN BY DATA.
SO THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING THE QUESTION THIS WAY.
UH, BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND THAT IN SOME FIELDS, WOMEN ARE NOT A MINORITY, BUT IN OTHER FIELDS THEY ARE, UH, AND THERE ARE HISTORICAL BARRIERS FOR WOMEN IN SOME FIELDS AND NOT OTHERS.
SO I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND HOW, YOU KNOW, W WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN THE, IN THE ARTS COMMUNITY WITH REGARD TO THAT.
UM, AND THEN LET'S SEE, UM, ON AN, IN FINANCE, UM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, I'LL TRY AND FIND, YOU KNOW, IF THIS CONVERSATION THAT HAPPENS THERE, I WOULD JUST WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT, UH, SO THAT, UM, THAT I COULD PARTICIPATE IN, HAVE SOME OPTIONS TO PARTICIPATE.
UM, AND THEN FINALLY, UM, I THINK IT'S AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION TO TALK ABOUT THE ROLE OF, UM, THE CITY IN TERMS OF ONGOING OR LONG-TERM FUNDING FOR ARTS.
UM, I'M NOT CERTAIN, I, I THINK THAT'S A, THAT'S A REAL POLICY QUESTION THAT WE PROBABLY NEED TO HAVE MORE CONVERSATION ABOUT.
UM, AND THE REASON I'M ASKING THAT I'M JUST RAISING THAT, UM, IS BECAUSE IS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE, THE ROLE, I MEAN, TH THE ARTS COMMUNITY IS NOT NECESSARILY ONE THAT WE WOULD, UH, IN EFFECT, UH, UH, EXPECT TO BE TOTALLY SELF-SUFFICIENT FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR ALL THE TIME.
AND AS A GOVERNMENT ENTITY, WE SUBSIDIZE SOME THINGS ALL THE TIME AND WE NEVER EXPECT THEM TO BE SUBSIDIZED, OR WE NEVER EXPECT THEM TO BE SUSTAINABLE FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
SO I JUST WANT TO THINK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE FROM A POLICY PERSPECTIVE, I HEAR THE REASONS AND THE THINKING THAT PEOPLE ARE RAISING, BUT I WANT US TO BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT THAT.
I'M NOT SURE WE'VE HAD A FULL CONVERSATION FROM A POLICY PERSPECTIVE ABOUT THE, WHAT THE ROLE OF THE CITY IS IN SUPPORTING ARTS ORGANIZATIONS, UH, AND ARTIST, UM, OR CULTURE OF ALL TIME.
AND I WANT US TO HAVE MORE CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT BECAUSE FOR ME, IT IS NOT A GIVEN TO THINK THAT, UM, ALL CULTURAL ENTITIES SHOULD BE TOTALLY SELF-SUFFICIENT EVENTUALLY AT SOME POINT AND NEVER EXPECT ANY, UM, ANY PUBLIC DOLLARS.
SO THERE'S THAT, UM, THAT'S A LONGER CONVERSATION.
AND THEN FINALLY WORKING BACK TO, UM, I'M NOT SURE IF I, IF I HEARD THE ANSWER FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, UM, HOW, HOW HAS THAT FACTORED IN TO THE CRITERIA? THAT IS ONE OF THE FACTORS THAT WE TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION.
WE RECOGNIZE THAT THERE ARE ALSO A HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED GROUP.
SO IT IS IN THE RUBRIC WITH THE SCORING CRITERIA THAT ALIGNS WITH THAT.
IS IT INTERSECTIONAL, LIKE YOU MENTIONED BEFORE, OR IS IT A YES.
WELL, I'LL NEED TO UNDERSTAND THOSE, THOSE CRITERIA A LITTLE BIT BETTER, AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT, UM, OFFLINE.
I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS AGAIN, SINCE WE HAVE BEEN FOCUSING OUR CONVERSATION, TO SOME EXTENT ON THE INTERIM REPORT, I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ABOUT SOME ELEMENTS OF IT, THEN I CAN MAKE QUICK.
I THINK, UM, I AM INTERESTED AND I JUST WANT TO NOTE IT FOR MY COLLEAGUES
[01:30:01]
AND THEN ASK THAT WE KIND OF FOLLOW UP PERHAPS IN OUR CONVERSATION THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ABOUT, EXCUSE ME, THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND.I'M INTERESTED IN GETTING SOME MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE DATA POINT THAT WAS CITED ON PAGE NINE, UM, THAT THE HIGH NUMBER OF APPLICATION THAT WITHIN HERITAGE TOURISM, THERE IS A HIGH NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS ABANDONED BY APPLICANTS REPRESENTING COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
I'M NOT SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE HERITAGE TOURISM IS.
IS THAT HERITAGE TOURISM WITHIN THE CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING, OR ARE YOU ALSO REFERENCING THE HISTORICAL PRESERVATION FUNDING? THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO.
WE ARE REFERENCING THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION AS PART OF OUR ANALYSIS.
WHEN WE STARTED WITH THE CULTURAL ARTS REIMAGINING PROCESS, WE REALIZED THAT WE HAD TWO OTHER DIVISIONS THAT USE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX FUNDS.
AND SO WE NEEDED TO CENTER ALL THREE AROUND THE SAME PILLARS.
SO THAT'S WHY YOU'RE SEEING THAT INFORMATION.
SO OUR CONSULTANT HAS NOT ONLY WORKED WITH THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION, BUT WITH HISTORIC PRESERVATION, AS WELL AS MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT.
SO WHEN I SAY REFERENCES TO HERITAGE TOURISM THROUGHOUT THIS, IS THAT, IS THAT, ARE THOSE PROGRAMS OR, UM, APPLICATIONS FOR THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUNDING? YES.
UM, SO I SEE MOST OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND MOST OF OUR CONVERSATION HERE TODAY HAS REALLY DEALT WITH THE CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING RATHER THAN THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUNDING.
AND SO I HOPE THAT WE CAN, AGAIN, GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT NEI ABOUT THAT, ABOUT, ABOUT THAT GENERALLY, BUT, YOU KNOW, HOW ARE WE GOING? HOW IS THE CITY PROPOSING TO MAKE THE APPLICATIONS FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUNDING, MORE ACCESSIBLE AS WELL? THERE WAS A LOT OF ATTENTION TO, AGAIN, CULTURAL ARTS AND HOW WE MAKE THAT PROGRAM MORE ACCESSIBLE AND, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, REALLY PROVIDE SUPPORT TO ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE APPLYING FOR THE FIRST TIME.
BUT IT'S NOT CLEAR, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THAT DATA POINT, HOW WE'RE GOING TO ADDRESS THAT FINDING.
AND THEN LET'S SEE, I HAD ANOTHER QUESTION RELATED TO THAT AS WELL.
SO ON PAGE SEVEN IN THE INTERIM REPORT, THERE'S A, A POINT, UM, THAT YOU HEARD THAT ATTENTION WAS NEEDED TO BUILD CAPACITY FOR AUSTIN'S CURRENT AND NEXT GENERATION OF CULTURAL LEADERS IN THE ARTS MUSIC AND HERITAGE SECTORS.
AND AGAIN, I WAS WONDERING HOW IS HERITAGE SECTOR BEING DEFINED? THOSE ARE THE, THOSE ARE THE CONSTITUENTS THAT THE HARE, THE HERITAGE TOURISM FUND THAT THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND ADDRESSES.
SO THE APPLICANTS WITHIN THAT PARTICULAR SECTOR OF OUR COMMUNITY WHO WORK WITH HISTORIC ASSETS IN THE CITY.
SO THAT TOO IS ABOUT THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND.
AND, YOU KNOW, JUST A NOTE, I THINK IT KIND OF SPEAKS TO WHAT WE'RE, WHAT SEVERAL OF US HAVE MENTIONED HERE TODAY ON PAGE 18, THERE IS A PROPOSED STRATEGY FROM OUR CONSULTANT THAT TALKS ABOUT DEVELOPING INCENTIVES AND GOALS TO SUPPORT LONG-TERM CONTRACTORS, TO BECOME LESS DEPENDENT ON CITY FUNDING AND HAVE RESOURCES AND CAPACITIES TO SEEK ADDITIONAL FUNDING.
AND SO TO ME, THAT RECOMMENDATION IS REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE I THINK MANY OF US HAVE MENTIONED THAT, THAT IF THAT'S THE MODEL WE'RE GOING TO, AND I, YOU KNOW, I DO, UM, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF I GIVEN OUR LIMITED RESOURCES, UM, AND THE FACT THAT WE, YEAH, I THINK IT MAY BE APPROPRIATE TO REALLY SET THAT EXPECTATION THAT THE CITY FUNDING IS GOING TO BE THERE TO HELP ORGANIZATIONS REALLY BUILD THAT CAPACITY.
I AGREE THAT THIS SHIFT, UM, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL MEMBER, AUTHOR, I THINK YOU RAISED A GOOD POINT.
IT HAS BEEN SIGNALED THAT THIS CHANGE MIGHT BE COMING.
I WOULD HAVE TO REALLY REFLECT BACK THOUGH ON, ON HOW CLEAR, HOW CLEARLY WE SET THAT EXPECTATION WITH ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE RECEIVED FUNDING YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR, THAT THIS WAS GOING TO BE, UM, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY, UH, A VERY DRAMATIC SHIFT RATHER THAN A MORE GRADUAL PROCESS OF PHASING IN.
AND IT SEEMS TO ME, THE RECOMMENDATION ITSELF TALKS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW TO SET THOSE INCENTIVES AND GOALS TO HELP THOSE LONG-TERM CONTRACTORS TRANSITION AWAY FROM CITY FUNDING.
SO AGAIN, I HOPE WE CAN BE MORE, UM, WE CAN BE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT HOW THAT, HOW THAT HAPPENS.
SO AGAIN, I GUESS, LASTLY, JUST TO GET BACK TO THE HERITAGE TOURISM AND THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND, IF WE COULD, WHEN WE CIRCLE AROUND MANAGER TO TALK ABOUT THAT FUNDING PIECE OF THE BUDGET, WHICH WE AGREED TO TAKE UP OUTSIDE OF THE BUDGET PROCESS THAT WE FINISHED LAST WEEK, MAYBE WE COULD TALK ALSO MORE SPECIFICALLY ABOUT KIND OF WHAT SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE HERE AS THEY RELATE, HOW THESE RELATE TO THAT, THAT PARTICULAR.
[01:35:04]
AND SO OFTEN, UM, IN RECENT MONTHS, AND ESPECIALLY WITH REGARD TO THIS, I'VE BEEN REMINDED OF THE CREATE AUSTIN PLAN, WHICH HAS SOME GREAT RECOMMENDATIONS, AND WE SEEM TO BE HEARING SOME OF THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS AGAIN AND AGAIN, IN DIFFERENT PLACES, IN NEW REPORTS AND NEW ANALYSES.AND I JUST WANT TO REMIND US ALL OF THAT GREAT AUSTIN PLAN AND SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS MAY, OR I THINK YOU SERVED ON ONE OF THE COMMITTEES, MAYBE YOU WERE ON THE LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE.
I WAS AS A COMMUNITY MEMBER ON ONE OF THE COMMITTEES, BUT WE HAD SOME, SOME AMAZING, UM, COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED.
AND, AND AGAIN, LIKE WE'RE NOW SEEING SOME RECOMMENDATIONS POP UP THAT, THAT I HEARD FIRST AND LEARNED ABOUT FIRST IN THE CREATE AUSTIN PROJECT.
SO I THINK WE, WE WANT TO REALLY MIND SOME OF THOSE DOCUMENTS AND SOME OF THOSE ANALYSES THAT WE'VE, THAT WE'VE GOT, UM, IN SOME CASES, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THOSE IDEAS HAVE BEEN SITTING ON THE SHELF AND REALLY ARE, UM, COULD MOVE FORWARD.
YOU SHOULD RAISE CREATE AUSTIN.
I MEAN, THAT WAS A SIMPLER TIME BACK THEN, UM, THAT THANK YOU AND COLLEAGUES, I'LL BE BRIEF.
UM, THANK YOU ALL FOR THIS ROBUST CONVERSATION.
AND I WAS EXACTLY WHAT WE WERE HOPING TO DO TODAY IS JUST HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT THESE GUIDELINES CONCEPT FOR TOBO.
YOU RAISED AN EXCELLENT POINT THAT TO THE EXTENT THAT THE COMMUNITY WAS AWARE OF THE CHANGES THAT ARE GOING TO BE MADE, UM, IS STILL QUESTIONABLE.
AND THESE CHANGES THAT ARE PROPOSED BEFORE US ARE GOING TO BE ROLLED OUT IN OCTOBER.
SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SIX WEEKS, AND I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO HAVE MORE CONSIDERATION FOR THAT TRANSITION PLAN, ESPECIALLY KNOWING THAT WE HAVE ARPA FUNDS AVAILABLE.
UM, AND MIGHT'VE BECAUSE OF THE COMMENTS THAT WERE SHARED TODAY.
SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING MORE ABOUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT WAS NEWS TO ME HEARING TODAY ABOUT THE CONSIDERATION OF USING OUR BEFORE THE TRANSITION PLAN.
I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY NEWS FOR THE COMMUNITY AS WELL.
SO THEY PROBABLY WANT TO HAVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
AND I DO FOR THE, UM, CONSULTANT MS. REESE, IF I COULD HAVE A COPY OF THE FEEDBACK, THE INPUT THAT WAS SUBMITTED AS PART OF THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
YEAH, COUNSELOR ALTAR, OR THE COUNSELOR, OUR POOL.
WE NEED TO HAVE A FULLER CONVERSATION OF THIS, BUT I DO WANT TO UNDERSCORE THERE'S A NEED FOR HASTE AND GETTING MONEY OUT TO THE ARTS COMMUNITY.
UM, AND WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL THAT TRYING TO GET EVERYTHING PERFECT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE DON'T DELIVER, UM, FUNDING OUT THAT IS VERY MUCH NEEDED FROM OUR BOOKS, ET CETERA.
I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW WE, HOW WE DO THAT OTHER THAN TO, TO CONCENTRATE AND FOCUS ATTENTION.
AND I RECOGNIZE THAT SITUATIONS ARE CHANGING, BUT I THINK THAT, UM, IS IMPORTANT TO BALANCE WITH WHATEVER WE'RE DOING.
UM, AND THEN FINALLY, I WANTED TO ASK IF THERE'S ANY WAY WE CAN GET SOME OF THE DATA ON THE SHUTTERED VENUE OR ANY OF THE OTHER BIG ARPA OR CARES ACT PROGRAMS THAT HAPPEN THAT ARE SUPPORTING OUR VENUES, WHERE WE MIGHT NOT HAVE THAT INFORMATION.
I THINK IT'S REALLY RELEVANT IF CERTAIN VENUE, YOU KNOW, SO WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE TARGETING IN TERMS OF, OF THE GROUPS THAT MAY HAVE, UM, MISSED OUT ON THAT FUNDING OR ARE MAYBE STRUGGLING EVEN MORE.
UM, I THINK THAT WOULD BE SUPER HELPFUL IF STAFF CAN, CAN HELP US GET THAT FULLER PICTURE AS WE'RE MAKING THESE DECISIONS.
IN FACT, THERE'S A WEBSITE PORTAL, UH, WHERE THEY HAVE LISTED ALL OF THE ORGANIZATIONS IN AUSTIN THAT HAVE RECEIVED SOME OF THE SHUTTERED VENUES SPENDING.
IF YOU ALL COULD SEND THAT LINK OUT OR POST THAT LINK INTO THE BACKUP, I THINK THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL INFORMATION.
AND I'D JUST, UM, CLOSE BY SAYING THE INFORMATION THAT, UM, VARIOUS COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE ASKED FOR DO PLEASE STUFF, BE SURE THAT YOU SEND IT TO THE ENTIRE DIOCESE.
UM, WITH REGARD TO MOVING WITH HASTE, I AGREE.
I THINK WE'RE TALKING, THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT FUNDING SITUATIONS HERE.
ONE IS THE EXISTING FUNDING THAT WE WANT TO PROCEED WITH.
THAT'S ALREADY BEEN DETERMINED.
THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANY SLOWDOWNS OR HANGUPS WITH THAT.
UM, WE'VE BEEN, THE DIOCESE HAS BEEN PRETTY CLEAR ON MOVING FORWARD WITH THE, WITH THE FUNDS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN APPROVED, BUT AS FAR AS MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE A BUY-IN AND UNDERSTANDING IN THE COMMUNITY WITH ANY PROPOSED CHANGES THAT WE MAY APPROVE, THAT WE NEED TO TAKE THE TIME THAT'S NECESSARY FOR THAT I BELIEVE.
AND, UM, DO PLEASE SEND US FULL INFORMATION ON HOW MUCH MONEY, UH, FROM THE DIFFERENT FUNDS YOU ARE LOOKING AT.
AND, UM, IN PARTICULAR, THE POINT THAT WAS MADE EARLIER ABOUT ARPA-E IS DIFFERENT FROM HOT AND CAN BE HANDLED DIFFERENTLY.
I WOULD EXTEND, I WOULD ENDORSE THAT YOU ALL ARE PROBABLY ALREADY THINKING ABOUT THAT, BUT MAYBE NOT.
BUT THE OTHER THING I WOULD ASK IS DID THE DISASTER DECLARATION ALSO LIFT THE SPECIFIC CRITERIA
[01:40:01]
THAT NARROWED DOWN THE FUNNEL FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAXES? YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER THAT NOW, BUT IF YOU COULD LOOK INTO THAT AND WITH OUR ABL LEGAL STUFF, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.WE'RE GOING TO TAKE AN HOUR RECESS FOR LUNCH.
WE'LL BE BACK AT ONE 30 AT ONE 30 MANAGER.
LET'S DO THE REPORT ON, UM, ON, UH, FIRE.
COULD WE JUST THE ONE ITEM WHEN WE COME BACK, PLEASE, PLEASE TAKE UP.
SO WHEN WE COME BACK, LET'S DO CUTS, REMEMBER POOLS, UM, UH, ISSUE THAT'S COMING UP THIS WEEK FOR COUNCIL, THEN LET'S DO THE FIRE AND THEN LET'S DO THE COMMUNITY, UH, UH, REPORT.
UH, THEY'VE BEEN TOLD THAT, UH, UH, THAT WOULD BE THE ORDER THAT WE WOULD GENERALLY BE USING.
SO I'LL SEE YOU BACK HERE AT ONE 30.
MAYBE SOMEBODY IN CHAMBERS COULD GIVE ME A LITTLE CUE ONCE WERE VISIBLE.
YOU'RE GOOD TO GO MARATHON TIME.
SO THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL IS MEETING TODAY, AUGUST 24TH, 2021.
IF WE TOOK A SMALL BREAK FOR LUNCH, WE'RE GOING TO RESUME THE MEETING RIGHT NOW AT 1 39 WITH A SPLIT BETWEEN SOME FOLKS AT CITY HALL IN CHAMBERS, AND SOME OF US JOINING VIRTUALLY.
[A. Pre-Selected Agenda Items]
AND I BELIEVE THE FIRST ITEM UP FOR DISCUSSION IS ITEM NUMBER NINE ON OUR AGENDA.IT'S THE RYAN LANE SWIPE, UH, SITE.
AND I BELIEVE COUNCIL MEMBER POOL PULLED THIS ITEM, RIGHT? THANKS.
I WANT TO JUST TEE THIS UP A LITTLE BIT AND THEN MAKE A COUPLE OF COMMENTS.
OF COURSE, IT JUST GOT NOISY OUTSIDE.
SO WE'LL MOVE INTO ANOTHER LOCATION.
UM, SO I PULLED ITEM NINE BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND STAFF HAS THE PRESENTATION AND I KNOW WE'D ALL APPRECIATE SEEING THAT.
AND I WANTED TO LET EVERYBODY KNOW THAT I HAVE A MOTION SHEET THAT I PREPARED WITH THE COMMUNITY TO RESTATE SOME KEY PRIORITIES, UH, FOR NEGOTIATIONS AS THEY BEGIN.
AND BEFORE WE START, I WANT TO RECOGNIZE A FEW FOLKS FOR THEIR WORK ON THE PROJECT.
A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE, A LOT OF INDIVIDUALS AND NEIGHBORHOODS PUT YEARS INTO MAKING THIS REDEVELOPMENT POSSIBLE.
I'D LIKE TO START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO AND HER WORK IN THE PAST COUNCIL TO DEVELOP A COMMUNITY VISION FOR THIS PARCEL.
THOSE CONCERT CONVERSATIONS SPARKED THE BEGINNINGS OF CONSENSUS AROUND WHAT THIS PROJECT COULD MEAN FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOODS.
I WANT TO THANK THE RYAN DRIVE.
WORKING GROUP REPRESENTATIVES ON THAT WORKING GROUP WERE DRAWN FROM THE CRESTVIEW BRENTWOOD, CRISPY STATION AND HIGHLAND NEIGHBORHOODS.
THEY DEDICATED THEMSELVES FOR MONTHS TO ORGANIZING SERVING RESIDENTS, CRAFTING WHAT ULTIMATELY BECAME THE GUIDING DOCUMENT FOR THIS PROJECT, WHICH IS THE RYAN DRIVE WORKING GROUP REPORT.
AND I COMMEND THAT DOCUMENT TO YOU ALL.
UM, I'D ALSO LIKE TO GIVE A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR STAFF, JILL FAGAN IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, SEAN WILLETTE IN PURCHASING WHO'S SUCCESSFULLY ATTRACTED PROPOSALS TO REFLECT THE COMMUNITY AND CITY PRIORITIES.
THAT'S A REALLY BIG WIN FOR ALL OF US.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK ON THIS.
I KNOW THAT FOR MANY OF OUR STAFF, SO NOW RETIRED LIKE LORRAINE RISER.
THIS IS A CAPSTONE PROJECT AND IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT.
I'LL PUT MY MOTION SHADE ON THE MESSAGE BOARDS TODAY.
SO YOU ALL CAN SEE IT, UM, REALLY, REALLY QUICK, JUST SOME HIGH POINTS I WANT TO LET YOU KNOW WHAT WILL BE ON THERE.
UH, THE CITY MANAGER WILL BE DIRECTED TO UPDATE THE COUNCIL ON PROGRESS OF THE EXCLUSIVE NEGOTIATING AGREEMENT THAT WE APPROVE, UH, FOR THE RYAN DRIVE REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT AT AN UPCOMING COUNCIL WORK SESSION.
UH, ADDITIONALLY, THE CITY SHOULD ATTEMPT TO SECURE THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS IN AN EXCLUSIVE NEGOTIATE, AN AGREEMENT AND UPDATE THE COUNCIL ON THE PROGRESS OF THE NEGOTIATIONS I WANT TO.
AND ONE OF THOSE ITEMS IS TO CONTINUE TO POSITION THE RYAN DRIVE WORKING GROUP REPORT AS THE EXPRESSION OF THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES VISION FOR THE RHINE DRIVE REDEVELOPMENT STRIVE TOWARD OPTION B IN THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING PORTION, WHICH INCLUDES GAINING MORE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, PARTICULARLY FOR FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN TO POSITION THE RYAN DRIVE REDEVELOPMENT AS A MODEL THAT WILL HELP ACHIEVE THE CITY'S GOALS FOR INCLUSIVE HOUSING AND MAKES REAL PROGRESS ON OUR STRATEGIC HOUSING BLUEPRINT TARGETS.
WE WANT TO ENSURE TENANT PROTECTIONS AS CURRENTLY CONTAINED IN THE
[01:45:01]
CITY'S RENTAL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.WE WANT TO ALLOW FOR A PROFIT SHARING FOR THE CITY BEYOND A CERTAIN INTERNAL RATE OF RETURN.
ONCE COSTS ARE RECOVERED SO THAT ANY PROFITS RETURNED TO THE CITY WILL BE USED FOR A CITY IN COMMUNITY PRIORITY, LIKE THE CREATION OF VOUCHERS AND SERVICES FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY BE HOMELESS.
WE WANT TO COORDINATE TRANSIT ACCESS DESIGN WITH THE CITY AND OTHER PROJECT CONNECT PARTNERS TO LEVERAGE IMPENDING REDESIGNS OF THE NORTH LAMAR AIRPORT INTERSECTION.
THAT'LL FACILITATE BOTH THE RED AND ORANGE RAIL LINES, THE BRT AND AN IMPROVED TRANSIT HUB AT CRESTVIEW STATION.
THIS IS AFTER ALL ONE OF OUR TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT, UH, DESIGNATED PARTS OF TOWN.
WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON A LEASE OPTION RATHER THAN PURCHASE FOUR RYAN DRIVE WORK TOWARD A PARKS MAINTENANCE PLAN TO ESTABLISH THE ROLE OF THE CITY, THE DEVELOPER AND NONPROFIT PARTNERS TO MAINTAIN THE PARK AND AMENITIES IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY, STRIVE TO ACHIEVE LEED GOLD RATING FOR FOUR-STAR GREEN BUILDING STANDARDS AS POSSIBLE WHILE ACHIEVING OTHER COMMUNITY BENEFITS AND COMMIT TO MULTIPLE CITY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENTS AND COLLABORATE WITH THE RYAN DRIVE WORKING GROUP ON A VARIETY OF ISSUES THAT PERTAIN TO THE MASTER DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT, MORE FAMILY-FRIENDLY HOUSING, UH, OPTIONS FOR REPLACING PARKING SPACE.
WITH OTHER USES A DETERMINED CREATIVE SITE DESIGN OPTIONS TO IMPROVE EXCESS WORK, TO MAKE THE STUDIO AND PERFORMANCE SPACES FOR THE CREATIVE COMMUNITY, REALLY FLEXIBLE AND AFFORDABLE IN SHORT PARKLAND ACCESSIBILITY FOR RESIDENTS IN THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES AND ENGAGE THE RYAN DRIVE WORKING GROUP TO ASSIST WITH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES AND GUIDE THE VISION FOR THE PROJECT.
AND AS I, AS I LIST THAT, THAT REALLY LONG LIST FOR YOU ALL THAT WILL BE UP ON, ON THE MESSAGE BOARD.
I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT IN JUST ABOUT EVERY INSTANCE, UH, IN TALKING WITH, UM, MS.
IN ALL OF THESE, UM, ALL OF THESE ITEMS THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, THAT THESE ARE EITHER ALREADY INCLUDED IN THERE, UH, THE PROPOSAL AND STAFF'S INTENTION OR STAFF IS WORKING, UH, DILIGENTLY, UM, IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THEM.
SO THANK YOU FOR, UM, GIVING ME THAT OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF LAY ALL THIS OUT.
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TIME FOR DISTRICT SEVEN AND FOR ALL OF US, AND TO BRING THIS LATEST REDEVELOPMENT, UM, TO THE DIOCESE FOR YOU ALL TO LOOK AT.
AND I'LL TURN THIS OVER NOW TO STAFF.
THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, UH, AS COUNCIL MEMBER POOLE MENTIONED THIS IN FRONT OF COUNCIL IS CONSIDERED AS FOR CONSIDERATION AS THE HIGHEST SCORING PROPOSAL FROM 34 23 HOLDINGS.
AND THE PROCESS INCLUDED AS COUNCIL MEMBER POOL MENTIONED SIGNIFICANT COMMUNITY INPUT TO DEVELOP A SOLICITATION, TO ACHIEVE VARIOUS COMMUNITY BENEFITS, INCLUDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING, PARKLAND, ACCESS TO MASS TRANSIT, AFFORDABLE CREATIVE SPACE, UH, AND MORE JOEL FAGAN REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT MANAGER FROM THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT WILL PROVIDE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT, INCLUDING THE KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 34 23 HOLDINGS PROPOSAL.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL TURN THE PRESENTATION OVER TO MS. FAGAN, JILL, THANK YOU SO MUCH CITY MANAGER, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH TO COUNCIL MEMBER POOL.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE TODAY TO ADDRESS YOU ALL ABOUT THIS EXCITING PROJECT.
UM, AS WE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING ON THIS WEEK'S COUNCIL AGENDA, WE ARE SEEKING AUTHORIZATION TO MOVE FORWARD WITH AN EXCLUSIVE NEGOTIATING AGREEMENT WITH THE PREFERRED DEVELOPMENT PARTNER FOR THIS SITE, 3, 4, 2, 3 HOLDINGS.
THE TERMS FOR THIS AGREEMENT WILL SET THE PARAMETERS FOR A MASTER DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT THAT WILL EVENTUALLY FULFILL THE CITY'S VISION FOR REDEVELOPING, THE BRIAN DRIVE SITE.
THIS COUNCIL MEMBER POOL TOUCHED ON SO MANY OF THE ATTRIBUTES OF THIS SITE OUTLINED HERE IN RED BEFORE YOU, THE SITE IS 5.5 ACRES DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM THE CRESTVIEW STATION AND VERY CLOSE TO PROJECT CONNECTS ORANGE LINE.
OFTEN ENERGY CURRENTLY OWNS THIS SITE AND THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS OF VACATING THE SITE AND ANTICIPATION OF MOVING TO THEIR NEW FACILITIES THAT WILL BE BUILT UNDER A SEPARATE RFP PROCESS.
SO CALMER POOL TOUCHED ON MANY OF THESE HIGHLIGHTS AS WELL, BUT I JUST WANTED TO REITERATE THE SUPPORT FROM THE COMMUNITY AND HOW THAT HAS BEEN A GUIDING PRINCIPLE FOR OUR RFP THAT WAS ISSUED FOR REED ABOUT REDEVELOPMENT OF THIS SITE ARE STAFF AND CONSULTANT TEAM TOOK THAT COMMUNITY INPUT AND USE IT TO HELP CRAFT THE RFP FOR THE SITE THAT WAS ISSUED IN OCTOBER, 2020 WITH THE RESPONSES RECEIVED THIS MARCH, 2021, WHEN WE KICKED OFF, KICKED OFF OUR STAFF EVALUATION.
[01:50:02]
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.WE ALSO HAVE ALREADY TOUCHED ON THE REDEVELOPMENT POLICY GOALS THAT WERE INCLUDED IN THAT'S RFP RELATED TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND OPEN SPACE COMMUNITY SPACE AND ACCESS IMPROVEMENTS TO THE STATION TO OTHER RFP OBJECTIVES FOR THE SITE ALSO INCLUDED THE MINIMUM REPAYMENTS BACK TO AUSTIN ENERGY FOR ITS SITE ACQUISITION.
WE ALSO INCLUDED IN THE RFP THE OPPORTUNITY FOR A PROPOSER TO CONSIDER A SECONDARY SITE PLAN FOR THE PRIVATELY HELD ADJOINING PARCEL.
HOWEVER, AS PART OF THE RFP PROCESS, THE EVALUATION PANEL ONLY SCORED THE PROPOSALS BASED ON WHAT COULD BE ACHIEVED SOLELY ON THE CITY.
SO RFP AS ALL OF OUR RFPS DO LAY OUT THE SCORING CRITERIA FOR THE PROPOSALS.
NEXT SLIDE FOR THIS RFP TWO TEAMS RECEIVE TOP SCORES AND WERE INVITED TO SUBMIT BEST AND FINAL OFFERS AND CONDUCT INTERVIEWS WITH THE EVALUATION PANEL.
THAT WAS THE 3, 4, 2, 3 HOLDINGS TEAM, AS WELL AS DMA DEVELOPMENT COMPANY.
IN THE END, THE EVALUATION PANEL STILL CONSIDER 3, 4, 2, 3 HOLDINGS TEAM TO BE THE HIGHEST RATE OF PROPOSAL TO DELIVER THE COMMUNITY AND CITY BENEFITS TO THE CITY.
TWO, THREE HOLDINGS PROPOSAL INCLUDES A TOTAL OF 344 MIXED INCOME HOUSING UNITS, 335 OF THOSE ARE RENTAL UNITS, MINIMUM 50% AFFORDABLE FOR 60% MFI AND BELOW AS WELL AS NINE FOR SALE TOWNHOMES ALL WOULD BE AFFORDABLE TO 80% MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME AND BELOW OF THE 344 HOUSING UNITS, 200 OF THEM ARE CONSIDERED FAMILY FRIENDLY, TWO AND THREE BEDROOM UNITS.
THE PROPOSAL ALSO WAS ABLE TO ACHIEVE 3.2 ACRES OF OPEN SPACE IN PARKLAND AND OVER 16,000 SQUARE FEET OF COMMUNITY AND COMMERCIAL SPACE, INCLUDING A CHILDCARE CENTER, RESTAURANT SPACE, ART AND STUDIO SPACE, AS WELL AS THE HEALTHCARE AND WELLNESS CENTER.
THE PROPOSAL ALSO PROVIDES FOR A TRANSIT PLAZA AND BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS.
IT WAS MENTIONED, THE PROPOSAL ALSO INCLUDED TWO DIFFERENT LEVELS OF AFFORDABILITY WITH VARYING LEVELS OF CITY ASSISTANCE INCLUDED IN THE BASELINE OPTION IN THE PROPOSAL IS A MINIMUM OF 168 RENTAL UNITS AT OR BELOW 60% MFI.
AND THIS COULD BE ACHIEVED WITH NO CITY SUBSIDY REQUESTED TO DELIVER THOSE RENTAL UNITS.
IN ADDITION, THE PROPOSAL ALSO INCLUDES AT LEAST 10% OR 30 FOR CONTINUUM OF CARE UNITS WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO DOUBLE THAT AMOUNT OF UNITS WITH ADDITIONAL CITY FUNDING AND RESOURCES, 3, 4, 2, 3 HOLDINGS HAS PROPOSED A GROUND LEASE STRUCTURE, A LONG-TERM GROUND LEASE STRUCTURE WITH UPFRONT AND ANNUAL TO THE CITY.
THEY ALSO HAVE IDENTIFIED NUMEROUS PARTNERSHIPS THROUGH SEVERAL LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING MAINSPRING SCHOOLS FOR ONSITE CHILDCARE AND PEOPLE, COMMUNITY CLINIC, AND INTEGRAL HEALTH FOR HEALTH SERVICES.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, JUST AGAIN, TO REITERATE THIS ITEM IS GOING FORWARD ON THIS WEEK'S COUNCIL AGENDA, AND WE ARE REQUESTING AUTHORIZATION TO PROCEED FOR, WITH AN EXCLUSIVE NEGOTIATED AGREEMENT WITH 3, 4, 2, 3 HOLDINGS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT TEAM, THE TERMS OF WHICH WILL GOVERN THE MASTER DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT FOR THIS PROJECT, WHICH WOULD ALSO COME FORTH AGAIN TO COUNCIL FOR YOUR APPROVAL AND CONSIDERATION.
THIS CONCLUDES THE SLIDES THAT WE HAVE PREPARED FOR THIS ITEM, AND WE APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, CONSIDER ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR FEEDBACK THAT YOU HAVE.
UH, DID WE LOSE THE, UM, NEAR CARTOON? WE'RE BACK HERE NOW? MY APOLOGIES.
I STEPPED AWAY FOR JUST A MOMENT.
UH, ANY QUESTIONS ON THIS, UH, PRESENTATION? CONGRATULATIONS COUNCIL MEMBER POOL.
YOU'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR A LONG TIME.
ANYTHING ELSE WITH THIS BEFORE WE GO TO THE NEXT BRIEFING? THAT'S WHERE MY KITCHEN AND THEN THE MAYOR PROTEX WANTED TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS ALSO.
I'M SURE THE NEIGHBORS ARE VERY PLEASED ABOUT MOVING FORWARD WITH IT.
HOW'S THAT REMEMBER MAYOR PRO TEM AND THEN CAPTAIN AMERICA, SORRY, I'M JUST GOING TO ECHO THAT, THAT CONGRATULATORY SENTIMENT.
UM, I, I CAN APPRECIATE THE HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS OF STAFF AND STAKE OVER TIME.
IT PROBABLY TOOK TO, TO PLAN THIS EFFORT AND I'M JUST ALWAYS EXCITED WHEN WE GET TO TALK ABOUT BUILDING AFFORDABLE TRANSIT ORIENTED HOUSING.
SO I, I KNOW THAT COUNCIL MEMBER POOL AND HER TEAM HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR YEARS, AND IT'S ONE OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO REALLY SEE HOW MUCH EFFORT GOES INTO TO
[01:55:01]
THIS KIND OF DESIRABLE OUTCOME.THIS IS A GREAT PACKAGE, UM, OF COMMUNITY BENEFITS, EVERYTHING FROM HOUSING SPACE TO COMMERCIAL SPACE, AND IT'S, IT'S ALL GOING TO BE A MAJOR PROJECT CONNECT NEXUS.
YOU KNOW, THE, THE RED LINE IS ALREADY THERE, BUT SOON IT'LL BE SERVICED BY THE ORANGE LOO LIKE, UH, LIGHT RAIL LINES.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT BECAUSE OF THAT, THERE'S SIGNIFICANTLY LESS, UM, PARKING HERE THAN OUR CODE TYPICALLY MANDATES.
I HOPE THAT AS WE MAKE BIGGER AND BETTER TRANSIT INVESTMENTS, THAT WE CAN RETOOL OUR TOD POLICIES TO REQUIRE EVEN LESS PARKING, YOU KNOW, PHYSICALLY AND FINANCIALLY LESS SPACE FOR MEANS MORE SPACE FOR PEOPLE.
UM, AND I, I LOVE THAT THAT'S A PART OF OUR CONVERSATION AND REITERATING THE NEEDS ARE HOUSING, HOUSING, HOUSING.
SO AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYBODY WHO'S INVOLVED IN MAKING THIS HAPPEN AND, YOU KNOW, GETTING MORE PEOPLE ON OUR TRANSIT CORRIDORS THAT WILL HELP JUSTIFY OUR TRANSIT INVESTMENTS AND MAKE AUSTIN MORE EQUITABLE AND MORE MOBILE, MORE AFFORDABLE AND A MORE SUSTAINABLE CITY.
AND THAT MAKES ME PROUD TO ME.
THAT'S HER COSTAR AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY.
I JUST WANTED TO OFFER MY CONGRATULATIONS TO COUNCIL MEMBER POOL AS WELL.
IT'S OFTEN THAT WHEN THINGS COME BEFORE COUNCIL, ALL OF THE HARD WORK AND BEHIND THE SCENES EFFORTS, AREN'T REALLY BROUGHT TO LIGHT.
AND SO THANK YOU FOR HIGHLIGHTING THIS WONDERFUL PROJECT THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN YOUR DISTRICT.
I WANTED TO ALSO JOIN IN, IN CONGRATULATING COUNCIL MEMBER POOL AND TO THANK YOU AND YOUR STAFF, AS WELL AS THE CITY STAFF, UM, WHO WORKED REALLY HARD ON THIS PROJECT OVER OVER MANY, MANY YEARS.
I REALLY APPRECIATE OUR ABILITY TO ACHIEVE THE PARKLAND AND THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UM, AND THE HOUSING RIGHT ON THAT TRANSIT CORRIDOR.
I KNOW IT TOOK, TOOK A LOT TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO IT.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD, UH, A SERIES OF PROJECTS THAT WERE, UM, COMING TO FRUITION FINALLY, UM, OVER A LONG TIME, WHICH I THINK ARE GOING TO, TO REALLY ADDRESS SOME NEEDS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
I THINK THIS ONE REALLY STANDS OUT THOUGH, UM, AND REFLECTS THE HARD WORK THAT YOU HAD IN TERMS OF THE PACKAGE THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO, UM, HELP GET OUT OF THE GUIDING THE RFP PROCESS, ET.
ANYONE ELSE WHERE WE CAN START? DID YOU END UP GETTING A VOLUME COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS? CAN'T HEAR YOU EITHER.
ARE YOU MUTED, PAIGE? WE CAN'T HEAR YOU.
I DUNNO IF YOU GUYS NEED TO GO OUT AND COME BACK IN, I'LL TELL YOU WHAT THUMBS UP.
AND IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, IF THERE'S THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN MISSED, DO PLEASE, UM, EITHER PUT THEM UP ON ME BY MESSAGE BOARD OR BRING THEM ON THURSDAYS.
SO WE WILL HAVE THIS ON THE AGENDA.
I JUST WANTED TO JOIN THE CHORUS OF THANKS TO COUNCIL MEMBER POOL.
IT WAS A SUPER LONG TIME AGO THAT, UM, I FIRST WENT OUT TO THIS SITE WITH THE THEN CITY MANAGER AND I THINK A FEW OTHER CITY STAFF, AND IT'S JUST SO EXCITING TO SEE THE REALIZATION OF, OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE COMMUNITY AND WHAT, WHAT, UM, PEOPLE LIKE HEATHER WAY AND OTHERS HAD LONG SAID COULD HAPPEN ON THIS SITE.
AND SO THANK YOU SO MUCH, UM, TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND REALLY WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY TO, TO BRING THIS FORWARD.
AND I, I WANT TO SAY JUST ECHO ONE THING THAT COUNCIL MEMBER AUTHOR SAID, IT IS REALLY EXCITING TO SEE THESE PROJECTS COMING FORWARD.
AND THERE, THIS ONE TO ME IS SO EMBEDDED WITH, UM, THE VALUES THAT WERE IN THAT INITIAL RESOLUTION ABOUT HAVING AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON SITE, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, A REAL WALKABLE, UM, WELL-INTEGRATED REDEVELOPMENT OF THAT TRACK.
SO I KNOW THAT'S, UM, JUST REALLY DUE TO THE WORK THAT YOU PUT INTO WORKING WITH OUR STAFF AND WITH THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WAS REFLECTED IN THE RFP.
AND I, I CONTINUE TO LOOK FORWARD TO A CONVERSATION THAT OUR COUNCIL CAN HAVE ABOUT HOW TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT WE HAVE, UH, A PROCESS THAT MAKES SURE THAT HAPPENS EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THESE TIMES THAT WE HAVE A CITY, A CITY ON TRACK.
SO THANKS AGAIN, THIS IS REALLY, REALLY EXCITING.
[02:00:02]
ALL RIGHT, WITH[Bl. Briefing on Austin Wildfire Preparedness.]
THAT MOVE ON THEN TO THE NEXT ITEM, LET'S HAVE THE BRIEFING ON, UM, A WILDFIRE.UH, THIS IS THE NEXT BRIEFING ON AUSTIN WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS.
AND TO INTRODUCE THE TOPIC ACM RAY ARIANO IS GOING TO JOIN US MARIANNA.
CITY MANAGER, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.
AGAIN, MY NAME IS RAY ARIANO, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS.
NOW IT WASN'T TOO LONG AGO THAT WE FOUND OURSELVES IN THE GRIP OF WINTER STORM.
YOU HERE, AS WE WERE RECOVERING FROM THAT EVENT, OBSERVATIONS BEGAN TO EMERGE HOW THE 2011 BASTROP COUNTY COMPLEX FIRES WERE PROCEEDED BY A SIGNIFICANT COLD WEATHER EVENT.
I HAPPENED TO GO BACK AND LOOK AND SEE IF IT HAD A NAME.
AND WHAT I COULD FIND WAS IT WAS CALLED THE GROUNDHOG DAY BLIZZARD.
AND SO IN PREVIOUS BRIEFINGS TO COUNCIL, THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD FOCUSED ITS EFFORTS, WORKING WITH PARTNER DEPARTMENTS TO INCREASE FUELS MITIGATION.
TODAY, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WILL BRIEF COUNCIL ON ITS APPROACH AND READINESS TO RESPOND TO A WILD SHOULD A WILDFIRE OCCUR IN OUR AREA.
AND WITH THAT, LET ME HAND IT OVER TO THE FIRE.
CHIEF JOEL BAKER, WELCOME CHIEF.
SO THE AMOUNT OF SPECIAL CROCK ALLAH ROMERO, STEVE ATLER MAYOR PRO TEM, HOW PRO MADISON AND ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE HERE AND DOLE WAS THERE OR VISITING VIA WELBECK SEMPRA, BRING YOUR GRIEVANCE ON BEHALF OF THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT IS I'M SO HAPPY TO BE HERE AND PERSONALLY SEAR ONE, UH, AS ASSISTANT CHIEF DELTA MAKE HIS WAY TO THE PODIUM AS WELL.
HIS TEAM FOR THE HARD WORK THEY HAVE DONE TO PUT TOGETHER THIS PRESENTATION.
AND I WANT THE COUNCIL MEMBER TO KNOW, I WANT THE CITIZENS OF ALTERNATE NOTE THAT THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT, WE STAND READY TO ASSIST IN ANY HUMAN CALLS OR NATURAL DISASTER.
I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, RAY RER, AND HIS TEAM FOR HIS LEADERSHIP AND GUIDANCE AND HELPING THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT.
NOT ONLY PREPARE FOR THIS PRESENTATION, BUT LEADERSHIP, HIS OFFICE BRING THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS OF SUPPORTING THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT.
THANK YOU, CHIEF, THAT A RESUME GOOD AFTERNOON.
AND THANK YOU, CHIEF BAKER AND ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, RAY ADRIANO, UH, THEY STOLE SOME OF THE INTRODUCTIONS I WAS GOING TO TALK ABOUT ON WHY WE ARE HERE TODAY.
I WILL START WITH INTRODUCING THE TEAM THAT WE'VE ASSEMBLED.
I'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS PRESENTATION.
IT IS LED BY MYSELF AND A VERY SMALL PART AND I'M ASSISTANT CHIEF ANDRE DELAROSA.
I'VE BEEN WITH THE WILDFIRE SINCE I FIRST STARTED PROMOTING UP THE RANKS.
WE ALSO HAVE DIVISION CHIEF, CARRIE STEWART, WHO LEADS THE WILDFIRE DIVISION.
THAT IS OUR MANMADE MAIN MANDATE IN THE DEPARTMENT.
SHE'S ASSISTED IN UN SUPPORTED BY CAPTAIN CRAIG PHILLIPS AND WILDFIRE MITIGATION.
THIS PRESENTATION, AS RAY SAID, IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN OUR HISTORICAL PRESENTATIONS THAT WE'VE DONE.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO FOCUS ON JUST THE FUELS MITIGATION, BUT WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO THE WILDFIRE RISK THAT OUR COMMUNITY FACES.
WE'RE GOING TO APPROACH IT THROUGH A VIEW OF A FIRE ADAPTED COMMUNITY, A FIRE RESILIENT LANDSCAPE, AS WELL AS AN EFFECTIVE FIREFIGHTING AND QUALITY WILDFIRE RESPONSE.
WE HAVE SEEN, ESPECIALLY ANYTIME YOU TURN ON THE NEWS AND LOOK AT THE WEST COAST, THAT WILD LAND FIRES AND WILD LAND, URBAN INTERFACE FIRES ARE LARGE SCALE RAPIDLY, ESCALATING EVENTS, ANY SINGLE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS NOT EQUAL TO MEET THIS CHALLENGE ALONE.
IT TAKES A COLLABORATIVE WELL-PLANNED EFFORT OF THE WHOLE COMMUNITY TO PREPARE BEFORE THE EVENT HAPPENS.
AND IT TAKES COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE CITY, LOCAL, REGIONAL, AND SOMETIMES EVEN NATIONAL ASSETS TO ADDRESS IT ON THE DAY OF THE ACTUAL EMERGENCY.
IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE AS AWESOME FIRE DEPARTMENT ARE THANKFUL THAT YOU AL YOU AS CITY LEADERS HAVE ALLOWED US AND CONTINUE TO SUPPORT US DEPLOYING TO HELP OTHER FELLOW COMMUNITIES TO BUILD THOSE RELATIONSHIPS.
AS WE KNOW THAT THEY HAVE, THEY HAVE, AS THEY HAVE IN THE PAST WILL COME AND SUPPORT US, SUPPORT US WHEN IN OUR TIME OF NEED AS WELL WITH THAT, I'LL PASS ON TO CAPTAIN CRAIG PHILLIPS AND THE REST OF THE TEAM.
THANKS, CHIEF MAYOR COUNCIL MANAGER.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING US THIS AFTERNOON.
I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME AND TALK ABOUT WHAT WE DO.
[02:05:01]
UH, AS YOU MAY ALREADY KNOW, THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS ADOPTED THE, EXCUSE ME HAS ADOPTED THE NATIONAL COHESIVE WILDMAN FIRE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.WHAT IT MEANS IS WE BOILED DOWN A VERY COMPLICATED SUBJECT INTO THREE AREAS.
SO THOSE ARE RESTORING AND MAINTAINING RESILIENT LANDSCAPES, BUILDING FIRE, ADAPTED COMMUNITIES, COMMUNITIES THAT ARE PREPARED FOR THE REALITY AND THE EVENTUALITY OF A FIRE AND SAFE AND EFFECTIVE FIREFIGHTING RESPONSE.
SO THAT STRATEGY HAS BEEN PLACED INTO ALL OF THE, UH, GUIDING AND CONTROLLING DOCUMENTS THAT WE HAVE.
AND SOME OF WHAT YOU CAN SEE ON THIS SLIDE, AND I BELIEVE EITHER LINKS HAVE BEEN PROVIDED TO YOU OR SOME OF THESE HAVE BEEN PROVIDED AS ATTACHMENTS AS WELL.
THIS IS TAKING A NATIONAL APPROACH AND BRING IT DOWN TO THE LOCAL LEVEL AND EXPLAINS IN GREATER DETAIL HOW WE DO WHAT WE DO.
THE MISSION STATEMENT OF THE WILDFIRE DIVISION IS TO CREATE SAFER RESILIENT FIRE, ADAPTED COMMUNITIES, THEIR WILDFIRE, MITIGATION, PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE.
SO LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW WE GET TO THERE.
SO WE START EVERYTHING WITH A RISK ASSESSMENT, UH, IFD ALONG WITH OUR PARTNERS IN THE REGION, GET TOGETHER.
AND WE TALK ABOUT WHAT THE GREATEST RISKS ARE TO OUR AREA, TO OUR REGION.
AND WE COMPARE THAT WITH WHAT WE'RE SEEING FROM OUR PARTNERS ACROSS THE STATE.
AND THEN WE BEGIN TO FOCUS THOSE.
SO THE WILDFIRE DIVISION NARROWS THE FOCUS OF SOME OF THOSE RISKS THAT ARE PRESENTED TO US, BOTH GEOGRAPHICALLY AND SOCIOLOGICALLY TO FIGURE OUT WHERE WE CAN BEST PLACE OUR MITIGATION EFFORTS.
NEXT STEP DOWN WOULD BE BUILDING A BUILDING READY AND DEFENDABLE COMMUNITIES.
SO OUR GOAL IS TO ASSIST NEIGHBORHOODS, COMMUNITIES TO BE PREPARED FOR THE REALITY OF THAT EVENTUAL FIRE.
WE WANT OUR CITIZENS TO BE READY TO PROTECT THEMSELVES.
SOMETIMES THAT INVOLVES AN EVACUATION, AND WE ALSO WANT FOR THEIR HOMES AND THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS TO BE DEFENDABLE THAT PUTS THE COMMUNITY AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD INTO A POSITION IN A CONDITION THAT ALLOWS FIREFIGHTERS TO WORK SUCCESSFULLY.
IF AN AREA IS NOT DEFENDABLE, THEN WE MAY BE JUST REQUIRED BY THOSE CONDITIONS OF A FIRE COMING THROUGH TO MOVE ON TO AN AREA THAT HAS A BETTER PROBABILITY OF DEFENSE.
THAT'S JUST THE REALITIES OF THE SITUATION, LEVERAGING THE MITIGATION INTO OPERATIONAL ADVANTAGE.
SO WHEN WE GO OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AND WE TALK TO NEIGHBORS ABOUT HOW TO PREPARE THEIR HOMES, HOW TO PREPARE THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES, THOSE ARE MITIGATION EFFORTS THAT WE'RE LEVERAGING INTO A SAFER, MORE EFFECTIVE FIREFIGHTING ENVIRONMENT.
IF FOLKS ARE READY TO MOVE, READY TO GET OUT WHEN THEY NEED TO.
AND IF THEIR HOMES ARE IN A DEFENDABLE POSITION, WE CAN ACTUALLY CONCENTRATE ON THE FIREFIGHTING.
THERE'S LOTS OF REASONS THAT WE DO MITIGATION AND ALL OF OUR WONDERFUL URBAN GROUP, GREEN SPACES.
IT CAN BE TO LESSEN THE IMPACT OF THE, OF THE FIRE COMING THROUGH.
IT CAN BE A RESTORATION OF AN ECOSYSTEM, BUT IT CAN ALSO BE TO PREPARE THAT AREA FOR SUCCESSFUL FIREFIGHTING ACTIVITIES.
THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS THE FOOD CODE WAS SO IMPORTANT.
I NEED TO BRING THAT UP NOW IS BECAUSE WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT HOMES WHILE THEY ARE, OUR CASTLES ARE OUR POSSESSIONS ARE OUR PLACE OF SAFETY.
THEY ARE ALSO FUEL IN A WILDFIRE, URBAN INTERFACE FIRE.
SO MITIGATING THAT FUEL WITH SMART, SMART CONSTRUCTION PUTS THE WHOLE COMMUNITY INTO A BETTER POSITION TO BE ABLE TO SURVIVE AND TO BE RESILIENT THROUGHOUT AN EVENT LIKE THIS, MOVING DOWN A SITUATIONAL AWARENESS.
WE AT THE WILDFIRE DIVISION AND IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, WE WATCH THE WEATHER.
WE WATCH FUEL MOISTURE LEVELS.
WE WATCH STATEWIDE FIRE ACTIVITY.
WE COLLECT A LOT OF DATA AND WE USE IT IN AND IN OUR DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO ON A DAILY BASIS.
IT'S IMPERATIVE THAT OUR PARTNERS AND COMMUNITY ALSO MAINTAIN SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, JUST LIKE THEY WOULD FOR ANOTHER WEATHER EVENT, TORNADOES, FLOODS, FREEZING WEATHER, ET CETERA.
THE DIVISION MOVING DOWN TO TRAINING AND PRE-PLANNING DIVISION IS ALSO ENGAGED IN PLANNING FOR RESPONSE AND TRAINING OUR MEMBERS FOR THAT SUCCESS.
WE RECENTLY COMPLETED A CLASS, THE 24 MEMBERS TO BECOME TRAINERS FOR THE IFF RESPONSE TO THE INTERFACE PROGRAM.
THAT'S ONE OF ITS OWN KIND TRAINING THAT NOW WE ARE, WE HAVE FOLKS THAT ARE CAPABLE OF TRAINING THE REST OF THE DEPARTMENT AND HOW TO RESPOND WISELY TO A, AN INTERFACE FIRE.
IT'S A LITTLE, A BIT OF A DIFFERENT THOUGHT PROCESS BECAUSE WE'RE BUILDING, THINKING FIREFIGHTERS, WE'VE GOT EXCELLENT FIREFIGHTERS.
THIS IS PREPARING THEM FOR AN A DYNAMIC EVENT THAT MAY NOT BE WHAT THEY'RE NORMALLY TRAINED FOR NEXT DOWN IS OUR PRIORITY DRIVEN RESPONSE.
THIS IS IMPORTANT FOR EVERYONE TO UNDERSTAND THE FIRE SERVICE
[02:10:01]
HAS THE SAME INCIDENT PRIORITIES, NO MATTER WHERE IT IS IN THE COUNTRY.IT ALWAYS STARTS WITH LIFE SAFETY.
LIFE SAFETY IS BOTH OF THE RESPONDERS AND OF OUR CITIZENS.
AND IN A WOOEY FIRE, THE FIREFIGHTERS ARE LIKELY TO BE ENGAGED IN A TACTICAL EVACUATION OF THE AREA THAT'S THREATENED.
WHEN I'VE SPOKEN TO SOME OF MY CONTACTS IN CALIFORNIA, RECENTLY, THEY TALK ABOUT HOW THEY'RE NOT ENGAGED IN FIREFIGHTING AT ALL.
THEY'RE JUST DOING EVACUATIONS.
THAT'S CHANGED OVER THE LAST WEEK, BUT THAT FIRST FEW WEEKS WAS VERY SCARY.
AND IT'S AN IMPORTANT UNDERSTAND THAT AS OUR FIRST PRIORITY, WE MAY BE ENGAGED IN NOTHING BUT EVACUATIONS AND NOT FIREFIGHTING.
IF THE COMMUNITY IS PREPARED AND CAN EVACUATE WHEN WE ASK THEM TO, THEN WE CAN CONCENTRATE ON THE FIREFIGHTING.
THE NEXT INCIDENT PRODUCT PRIORITY IS ALWAYS INCIDENT STABILIZATION CONTAINING THE DANGER MAKING EFFORTS TO KEEP THE PROBLEM FROM GETTING WORSE.
AND THEN THIRD IS PROPERTY CONSERVATION WHILE IT'S IN OUR TOP THREE PRIORITIES.
AND WHILE WE TRAIN ALWAYS TO BE AWARE OF THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF ANYONE'S FIRE, WHETHER IT'S BIG OR SMALL, WE MUST ADDRESS THE FIRST TWO PRIORITIES.
FIRST, WE CANNOT SACRIFICE THOSE FOR THE THIRD.
THAT BRINGS US TO THE LAST BULLET, WHICH WAS REALISTIC EXPECTATION OF OUTCOME AND RECOVERY.
WHEN THE CONDITIONS IN OUR AREA ARE RIGHT FOR A FIRE, IT WILL BE RIGHT FOR EVERYONE.
AND SO THERE ARE LIKELY TO BE MULTIPLE STARTS LIKELY TO BE MULTIPLE FIRES GOING ON AT THE SAME TIME, THOSE FIRES EACH REQUIRE RESOURCES, AND THOSE RESOURCES WILL BE SPREAD OVER A MUCH LARGER AREA.
THOSE FIRES ARE LIKELY TO BE SMALL BY COMPARISON, LIKELY TO BE, UH, NOT THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT YOU WOULD SEE ON TV.
HOWEVER, AS OUR COMMUNITY CONTINUES TO GROW INTO THE WILD LAND, URBAN INTERFACE, OUR VALUES AT RISK WILL INCREASE MEANING THAT IF WE HAVE A HUNDRED ACRE AIR ACRE AREA, IT MAY NOT BE IN A NATIONAL FOREST.
AND AGAIN, WELL ENOUGH SAID ABOUT THAT.
SO I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT AFD TRAINS CONSTANTLY TO BE READY EVERY SINGLE DAY, TO RESPOND TO A SINGLE HOUSE FIRE OR A SINGLE BUSINESS FIRE IN AN EVENT LIKE THIS, THERE WILL BE MULTIPLE HOMES.
THERE WILL BE MULTIPLE BUSINESSES THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE ENGAGED IN THE FIRE.
THIS IS NOT UNUSUAL FOR A FIRE LIKE THIS TO MAKE AN EMBER CAST OF A MILE AND A HALF.
THAT'S A LONG WAY FROM THE FRONT OF THE FIRE.
I SAY ALL OF THAT TO SAY THIS, WE RELY ON OUR PARTNERS.
WE CANNOT DO THIS WITHOUT THEM.
THEY CANNOT DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO WITHOUT US.
AND JUST AS FIREFIGHTERS CANNOT STAND IN THE, IN THE CREEK BED AND HOLD OUT OUR HANDS AND STOP A FLOOD.
WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO STOP AN EVENT LIKE THIS, BUT WE CAN PREPARE OUR COMMUNITY TO BE BETTER PREPARED FOR IT.
RESILIENCE MEANS BEING ABLE TO TAKE A HIT, SURVIVE, AND COME BACK.
I'M GOING TO PASS THIS ON NOW TO CHIEF STEWART.
WE'VE HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND CONVERSATIONS ABOUT EVACUATIONS RECENTLY, AND THIS GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS AND UNDERSTAND THE EVACUATION PLANS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE.
AND WE CAN COLLECTIVELY PROGRESS THOSE PLANS AS A CITY.
SO IN THE UPPER LEFT-HAND CORNER OF THIS SLIDE, WE HAVE THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY, WE FIRE EVACUATION PLAN, AND WE HAVE THE CITY OF AUSTIN EVACUATION ANNEX TO THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN.
WITHIN THESE PLANS, THERE ARE MANY AGENCIES AND THEIR, THEIR ASSIGNMENTS OUTLINED.
WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT ALL OF THESE AGENCIES ARE AWARE OF THEIR ROLES IN THE EVENT OF A LARGE-SCALE EVENT THAT WOULD REQUIRE EVACUATIONS, COORDINATING THESE RESOURCES TO PARTICIPATE IN SIMULATED DRILLS WOULD BE A GOOD NEXT STEP TO ENSURE THAT ALL AGENCIES HAVE AN ACCURATE UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES.
WE MENTIONED SIMULATIONS FOR THIS BECAUSE OF EVACUATION ARE INHERENTLY DANGEROUS LIVE DRILLS, WHERE WE BLOCK OFF STREETS AND TRY TO PRACTICE AN EVACUATION AREN'T RECOMMENDED BECAUSE OF THIS RISK.
OUR EXPECTATIONS FOR AN EVACUATION SHOULD BE TEMPERED WITH HOW CHAOTIC WE EXPECT THEM TO BE OUR TRAFFIC ON A NORMAL TUESDAY, A BLUE SKY DAY, WHERE WE DON'T HAVE A LARGE EVENT GOING ON IS CHALLENGING.
AND SOMETIMES WE CAN BARELY MANAGE THAT ON A BLUE SKY DAY.
SO IN AN EMERGENCY WITH ADDED TRAFFIC WITH EMOTIONS, THE DANGER OF A FIRE, OUR NORMAL CHAOS WOULD ONLY BE COMPOUNDED.
AFDS ROLE IS OUTLINED IN THESE DOCUMENTS AS WELL.
AND WE'D LIKE TO REVIEW OUR UNDERSTANDING AND EXPLAIN WHAT WE WILL BE DOING IN A LARGE SCALE WILDFIRE EVENT.
[02:15:02]
WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO HAND OVER A FULL-PROOF EVACUATION PLAN IN ADVANCE OF AN EMERGENCY.IT WILL BE VERY SITUATIONALLY DEPENDENT AND AT THE DISCRETION OF THE IC AND ON-SCENE RESOURCES FOR WHERE AND WHEN ANY EVACUATION MIGHT HAPPEN.
THE WILDFIRE DIVISION HAS THE GOAL OF MAKING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND OUR COMMUNITY AWARE OF THE CHALLENGES IN THEIR AREA AND THE OPTIONS THAT THEY HAVE DURING AN EMERGENCY AND HOW THEY CAN BEST ALIGN WITH THE CITY OF ACCUSATION PLAN THAT WE HAVE FREE.
AS AN EXAMPLE OF THIS IN THE PARADISE, CALIFORNIA FIRE, SEVERAL YEARS AGO, THEY HAD AN EVACUATION PLAN IN WHICH THEY HAD PERFORMED LIVE DRILLS, AND THEY ENACTED THIS PLAN RELATIVELY EARLY IN THAT EMERGENCY.
BUT THE PLAN COULDN'T BE FOLLOWED BECAUSE OF THE FIRE EVENT AND OVER 80 PEOPLE DIED DURING THAT EVACUATION.
SO IF WE RELY ON A PLAN THAT WE CAN'T FOLLOW, THEN WE DON'T REALLY HAVE A PLAN, PRIMARILY AFD WE'LL BE FIGHTING FIRE AND MANAGING THE FIRE SCENE.
ON THE DAY OF A LARGE-SCALE WILDFIRE EVENT, WE MIGHT ENGAGE IN EVACUATIONS AS A TACTIC, AS CAPTAIN PHILLIPS MENTIONED FOR LIFE SAFETY, WHICH IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE OUR FIRST INCIDENT PRIORITY, BUT WE WILL BE RELYING ON OUR CITY PARTNERS TO ASSIST AND THEIR ROLES.
ACCORDING TO THESE PLANS WILL BE CRUCIAL TO IMPLEMENTATION OF AN EVACUATION.
TWO OF THE DOCUMENTS YOU RECEIVED FOR THIS PRESENTATION ARE THE AFTER ACTION REPORT FOR THIS FIRESTARTER CAP COG WILDFIRE SIMULATION THAT WAS DONE IN FEBRUARY OF LAST YEAR AND A TECHNICAL REPORT FOR THE TRAVIS COUNTY FIRE EVACUATION SIMULATION.
SOME OF THE LESSONS LEARNED ARE THAT WE NEED A MORE COORDINATED RESPONSE ACROSS THE CITY COUNTY AND BETTER COORDINATION OF OUR REGIONAL RESOURCES.
SO PLANNING AND SIMULATIONS WITH ALL INVOLVED PARTIES WOULD BE A GOOD PLACE FOR US TO FOCUS AND ADDITION TO OUR COMMUNITY EDUCATION EFFORTS THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING.
SO THIS IS AN OVERVIEW OF THE RESPONSE ENHANCEMENT ACTIVITIES THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON.
FIRST OF ALL, ALL AFD FIREFIGHTERS ARE TRAINED TO
SO IT'S A CERTIFICATION LEVEL AS A WILDLAND FIREFIGHTER.
ONE 90 IS AN INTRODUCTION TO WILDLAND FIRE BEHAVIOR AND ALL OF OUR AFD FIREFIGHTERS RECEIVED THIS TRAINING AS A CADET IN THEIR CADET ACADEMY.
WE ARE ALSO INITIATING A WILDFIRE BATTALION ON OCTOBER 1ST OF THIS YEAR, HISTORICALLY IN THE FIRE SERVICE, SPECIFICALLY THE STRUCTURE FIREFIGHTING WORLD, IT'S BEEN CHALLENGING TO EFFECTIVELY TRAIN FOR LEADERSHIP AND SUCCESSION PLANNING THAT CAN BE NEEDED TO BUILD DEPTH IN COMMAND POSITIONS.
BUT THE WILDLAND FIREFIGHTING WORLD HAS DONE THIS VERY WELL BUILT INTO OPERATIONS AND TRAINING AND WILDLAND FIREFIGHTING, OUR TRAINEES IN EACH POSITION THAT ENSURE THAT COMMAND POSITIONS WILL BE CONTINUALLY DEVELOPED FOR THE FUTURE.
SO EVEN IF WE CAN FIGHT FIRE FIRES OF ALL TYPES AT THE BOOTS ON THE GROUND LEVEL, WE WANT TO BUILD OUR COMMAND ELEMENT THAT WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR OVERSIGHT DEVELOPMENT AND EXPANSION OF A LARGE-SCALE WILDFIRE EVENT BECAUSE THESE INCIDENT TYPES ARE SO VERY DIFFERENT THAN STRUCTURE FIRES.
FOCUSING ON THAT CML COMMAND ELEMENT WITHIN THE BATTALION TO CREATE SMES WHO CAN MANAGE THESE FIRES WILL BE BENEFICIAL TO OPERATIONS IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
AS A WHOLE, AS CAPTAIN PHILLIPS MENTIONED, WE CANNOT STOP ALL OF THE EVENTS WITH WHICH WE'RE FACED IN OPERATIONS, BUT WE WANT THE WILDFIRE BATTALION TO BE TRAINED ON HOW TO SCALE THESE EVENTS PROPERLY, HOW TO ORGANIZE THEM AND HOW TO REQUEST OUTSIDE RESOURCES.
THIS IS ALSO ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF THE DEPLOYMENTS THAT WE'VE GONE ON.
MANY OF OUR DEPLOYMENTS HAVE BEEN TO CALIFORNIA AND THEY'VE MANAGED AS YOU WOULD HOPE LARGE-SCALE EVENTS VERY WELL.
SO BEING ABLE TO EXPERIENCE WORKING AT THESE EVENTS AND OBSERVE AND LEARN HOW IT IS DONE IS INCREDIBLY VALUABLE TO OUR WILDFIRE EXPERTS HERE IN AUSTIN.
SO THOSE DEPLOYMENTS HAVE GIVEN US EXPERIENCE ON LARGE SCALE EVENTS, IN AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THEY SHOULD OPERATE NEXT.
WE HAVE THE RESPONDING TO THE INTERFACE TRAINING CAPTAIN PHILLIPS REVIEWED THIS, BUT 24 AUSTIN FIREFIGHTERS TRAINED AS TRAINERS FOR THIS THAT WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT THROUGHOUT 2022.
WE PLAN TO START THAT TRAINING IN JANUARY, AND IT'LL TAKE US A LITTLE OVER 12 MONTHS TO DELIVER THAT TO THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT.
SO TRAINING WILL BRING TACTICS TO ALL OF AFD OPERATIONS THAT ARE SPECIFIC TO FIGHTING WILDLAND, URBAN INTERFACE FIRES.
AND THEN WE COME BACK TO PARTNERSHIPS.
AGAIN, WE RELY ON OUR PARTNERS IN PART AND AWU FOR PROPERTY ON WHICH TO TRAIN AND FOR EVENTS IN WHICH WE CAN PARTICIPATE IN TRAINING.
SINCE THESE EVENTS REQUIRE LOTS OF LAND TO SIMULATE, WE NEED AN ADEQUATE PLACE TO TRAIN AND TO WORK WITH PART R OR AUSTIN WATER UTILITY ON PRESCRIBED BURNS ON THEIR PROPERTIES.
WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO OBSERVE FIRE BEHAVIOR AND WORK ON A FIRE AND AN OPEN SPACE IN
[02:20:01]
A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT, WHICH IS INVALUABLE, BUT IN MOST OF OUR LIFE, OUR TRAININGS ARE AVAILABLE AS STRUCTURE FIRE TRAINING, AND I'M GOING TO PASS OVER TO JUSTICE JONES.UM, I'M HONORED TO BE HERE AND I'M EXCITED TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME OF THE GREAT WORK THAT OUR COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE HAS BEEN DOING TO PREPARE THEMSELVES, UM, AND TO BRACE FOR THE INEVITABILITY OF WILDFIRE WHEN IT RETURNS TO OUR COMMUNITY, OUR LANDSCAPES.
UM, I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT TODAY ABOUT OUR EFFORTS FOR AUSTIN TO BECOME A FIRE ADAPTED COMMUNITY.
A FIRE ADAPTED COMMUNITY IS A COMMUNITY THAT CAN EXPERIENCE WILDFIRE WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT LOSSES OF PROPERTY IN LIFE.
THAT HAS LEARNED HOW TO LIVE COMPATIBLY WITH THE ENVIRONMENT THAT WE EXIST IN AND HAS TAKEN ACTION TO REDUCE THEIR RISK, TO UNDERSTAND THEIR, REDUCING THE RISK AND REDUCE THAT RISK APPROPRIATELY.
AND I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT A FEW ELEMENTS OF OUR APPROACHES.
UH, CITY OF AUSTIN BECOME A FIRE ADAPTED COMMUNITY.
IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU LO THAT WE'RE RECOGNIZED AS A BLUEPRINT FOR OTHER COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHO ARE WANTING TO RAPIDLY ADAPT TO FIRE ENVIRONMENT.
WE'RE A PART OF THE FIRE ADAPTED COMMUNITIES, LEARNING NETWORK, A NATIONAL CONSORTIUM OF COMMUNITIES, BRACING FOR WILDFIRE AND, UM, EMBRACING WILDFIRE ADAPTATION.
AND SO AS PART OF OUR ONGOING EFFORTS IS THE RECOGNITION THAT THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT CAN NOT CONFRONT THIS THREAT ALONE.
IT TAKES PARTNERSHIP AT ALL LEVELS.
SOME OF THE AREAS THAT I WANT TO FOCUS ON TODAY ARE KEY ELEMENTS OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BECOME A FIRE ADAPTED COMMUNITY.
AND I'LL START WITH WHAT MATTERS MOST, WHICH IS OUR COMMUNITIES HERE IN AUSTIN.
UM, YOU SHOULD BE PROUD OF THEM.
THEY'RE WORKING HARD AT, AT A GRASSROOTS LEVEL TO PREPARE THEMSELVES THEIR NEIGHBORS AND THEIR HOMES FOR THE INEVITABILITY OF WILDFIRE.
UM, WE LEAD THE STATE CONSISTENTLY IN THE NUMBER OF NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FIREWISE COMMUNITIES.
THESE ARE COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE DEVELOPED A PLAN FOR HOW THEY'RE GOING TO ADDRESS WILDFIRE AT THE COMMUNITY LEVEL.
UM, WE WORK TO SUPPORT THESE COMMUNITIES WITH TECHNICAL EXPERTISE, UM, UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR RISK AND RESOURCES SO THEY CAN IMPLEMENT EFFECTIVE MITIGATION MEASURES AT THE COMMUNITY LEVEL.
THESE ARE NEIGHBORS THAT ARE OUT TALKING TO OTHER NEIGHBORS, HELPING EACH OTHER, UM, ADAPT TO WILDFIRE, OUR FIREWISE COMMUNITIES, UM, ALSO DEVELOP LOCAL LEVEL COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLANS, WHICH IS THEIR ACTION PLAN FOR CONFRONTING.
THE THREAT OF THOSE PLANS INCLUDE THINGS LIKE FUELS REDUCTION.
AND WHEN WE SAY FUELS REDUCTION, WE MEAN TYPICALLY ONE OF TWO BEST PRACTICES WERE EITHER REYES RE-ESTABLISHING PRESCRIBED FIRE ON THE LANDSCAPE, RESTORING OUR FIRE ADAPTED ECOSYSTEMS THROUGH THIS NATURAL TOOL THAT WE USE FROM A RESOURCE MANAGEMENT STANDPOINT, OR WE'RE CONDUCTING STRATEGIC FUELS MITIGATION IN AREAS DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO COMMUNITIES TO CREATE A BUFFER FROM POTENTIAL FIRE BEHAVIOR.
AT THAT INTERSECTION WHERE WE KNOW IS MOST IMPORTANT BETWEEN THE HOME AND THE, AND OUR WILD LAND AREAS.
THIS WAS REFERRED TO AS OUR COMMUNITY PROTECTION ZONE, UM, ALL THE DATA AND SCIENCE THAT WE HAVE SUPPORTS THAT THIS IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE AREA TO CONDUCT FUELS MITIGATION, TO PROTECT COMMUNITIES AND TO PROTECT OUR WILD LANDS BECAUSE WE KNOW PREVENTION IS KEY TO AVOIDING, UM, SIGNIFICANT WILDFIRE OCCURRENCE, 90 PLUS PERCENTAGE OF THE COMMUNITY.
THE FIRES THAT OCCUR IN TEXAS ARE HUMAN CAUSED.
SO WE ALSO HAVE A STRONG PREVENTION EDUCATION CAMPAIGN TO EDUCATE RESIDENTS, HOW TO BE RESPONSIBLE WITH FIRE.
UM, EACH ONE OF US CARRIES FIRE WITH US EVERYWHERE WE GO.
UM, WHEN YOU START YOUR CAR, WHEN YOU TURN ON THE BURNER IN THE MORNING, IT'S PART OF WHO WE ARE AS A HUMAN CULTURE.
AND SO HOW DO WE ADAPT TO THAT? AND HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT FIRE IS INEXTRICABLE FROM WHO WE ARE.
WE HAVE TO LEARN TO LIVE WITH THAT.
WE ALL KNOW OUR CLIMATE IS CHANGING.
THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS AN EARLY ADAPTER TO CONFRONT THE THREATS OF CLIMATE CHANGE FROM A WILDFIRE STANDPOINT.
UH, WE INTEGRATED VERY SEAMLESSLY WITH OUR OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY AND OUR CLIMATE RESILIENCY PLANNING.
AND WHAT WE CAN SAY IS THAT THE BEST PRACTICES THAT WE'RE IMPLEMENTING FROM A FIRE ADAPTED AND FIRE RESILIENCE STANDPOINT ARE THE BEST PRACTICES FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCY.
AND SO WE'RE BRACED TO CONFRONT THAT THREAT, UM, HEAD ON, AND WE HAVE INCORPORATED THAT INTO OUR STRATEGIES.
WE'VE ALSO, WE'RE THE FIRST CITY IN COUNTY TO DEVELOP A WILDFIRE SPECIFIC EVACUATION PLAN, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS AND CHIEF STEWARD HIT ON THIS AS A PART OF THAT PLANNING PROCESS.
WE IDENTIFIED ALL THE LIMITED INGRESS AND EGRESS COMMUNITIES ACROSS OUR JURISDICTION, NOT JUST IN AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY, EVERYWHERE THAT FUEL APPROACH AND ALONG THE ROADS THAT COULD, UM, BE, UH, UH, POTENTIAL DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR FOLKS SITTING IN CARS AND EQUALLY AS IMPORTANT.
WE IDENTIFIED INTERNAL SAFETY ZONES THAT FIREFIGHTERS AND RESIDENTS CAN USE AS A LAST RESORT.
IF THEY'RE UNABLE TO LEAVE THESE LIMITED INGRESS AND EGRESS COMMUNITIES, ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE ENSURE THAT OUR COMMUNITY IS ALIGNED WITH OUR EVACUATION PLAN IS USING GREAT PROGRAMS LIKE READYSET NGO DEVELOPED BY THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE CHIEFS AND MODIFIED HERE FOR LOCAL USE IN AUSTIN.
AND THIS IS OUR FRONTLINE FOR INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY PREPAREDNESS, AND IT OUTLINES
[02:25:01]
HOW COMMUNITY, UM, AND INDIVIDUALS CAN PREPARE THEMSELVES AND HOW THEY CAN SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH THEIR COMMUNITY TO ENSURE THAT AS A WHOLE THEY'RE ABLE TO EVACUATE SAFELY AND EFFECTIVELY, AND THEY DON'T WASTE TIME.UM, FOLLOWING THOSE EVACUATION ORDERS, ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT STRIDES THAT WE'VE MADE MOVING FORWARD TOWARDS THE PATH OF FIRE ADAPTED IN AUSTIN IS THE ADOPTION OF OUR WILD LAND, URBAN INTERFACE CODE.
WE'RE THE LARGEST MUNICIPALITY IN THE COUNTRY TO HAVE ADOPTED THIS CODE.
AND IT'S CRITICAL FOR ENSURING THAT FUTURE DEVELOPMENT IN AUSTIN IS CLIMATE RESILIENCE IS ADAPTED TO FIRE AND CON UM, CONTINUE TO BUILD A BUFFER OF IGNITION RESISTANT HOMES BETWEEN OUR VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES AND OUR UNDEVELOPED AREAS.
WE'RE ALSO WORKED TO INTEGRATE WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS DOWN TO, UM, UH, THE REGULATORY LEVEL THROUGH OUR LAND USE PLANNING AND BEING ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THAT PROCESS, AS WELL AS WORKING WITH HOS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS AND UPDATING THEIR, UM, COMMUNITY COVENANTS AND DEED RESTRICTIONS TO REFLECT WILDFIRE SAFETY AND BE COMPATIBLE WITH THAT ENVIRONMENT.
UH, WE WORK TO INCREASE OUR LOCAL CAPACITY AS CAPTAIN PHILLIPS MENTIONED, UH, THROUGH COORDINATED, UH, EXERCISES AND RESPONSE PLANNING WITH OUR PARTNER DEPARTMENTS AT THE LOCAL STATE AND NATIONAL LEVELS.
SO WE UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR RESOURCE AVAILABILITY IS, AND WE SOLIDIFIED THOSE PARTNERSHIPS WITH COOPERATIVE FIRE AGREEMENTS.
UH, THAT MEANS WE HAVE A SHARED UNDERSTANDING OF HOW WE'RE GOING TO HELP EACH OTHER OUT WHEN, UH, THE NEXT FIRE SEASON AND EVENTS ARISE.
FINALLY, UM, THE AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY THROUGH THE AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY WILDFIRE COALITION HAS DEVELOPED A CITY COUNTY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN THAT OUTLINES OUR LOCAL COHESIVE STRATEGY OF HOW WE WERE GOING TO ADAPT TO FIRE MOVING FORWARD.
AND I CAN SAY WITH GREAT CONFIDENCE, WE'VE MADE STRIDES TO EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENT THAT PLAN.
AND THEY'RE LOOKING AT OUR NEXT UPDATE REVISION FOR THE PLAN.
SO THAT'S A GOOD SIGN WHEN YOU RUN OUT OF THINGS TO DO.
AND THE PLAN THAT YOU ORIGINALLY WROTE TO ADDRESS WILDFIRE.
SO ALL OF THESE TENANTS ARE KEY TO US WORKING TOWARDS BECOMING ADAPTED, MORE RESILIENT TO WILDFIRE.
AND AS I MENTIONED, IT'S COLLABORATION BASED.
IT'S NOT SOMETHING THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAN CONFRONT ON ITS OWN SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO EMPHASIZE IS WE'VE, UM, BELIEVE IN TRANSPARENCY AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS JUST HOW CRITICAL THE FIGHT AGAINST WILDFIRE IS, AND THAT ALL THE RESOURCES THAT YOU NEED ARE AT HAND TO BOTH UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE DOING AS A CITY AND CITY DEPARTMENTS TO PREPARE FOR WILDFIRE AND WHAT RESIDENTS CAN DO TO OWN AND UNDERSTAND THEIR ROLE IN THAT WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS.
BECAUSE THE REALITY IS 70% OF OUR WILD LAND, URBAN INTERFACE BOUNDARY IS AN OWNED OR MANAGED BY THE CITY IT'S OWNED BY PRIVATE RESIDENTS.
SO IT NECESSITATES THAT PARTNERSHIP, BUT CROSSFIT FENCE PARTNERSHIP WITH US WITH A PRIVATE RESIDENCE WITH OUR LAND MANAGERS TO ENSURE THAT WE LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED AND PREPARING AUSTIN FOR THE INEVITABILITY OF WILDFIRE.
AND THAT STARTS WITH LEADERSHIP INTENT.
UM, THE CITY OF AUSTIN LEADERSHIP HAS BEEN EXTREMELY SUPPORTIVE OF OUR FIRE RESILIENT EFFORTS.
UM, THEY'VE BEEN RECOGNIZED AT A NATIONAL LEVEL AS LEADERS IN WILDFIRE RESILIENCY, UM, AND THAT SUPPORT AT THE LEADERSHIP LEVEL, UM, HAS TRICKLED DOWN ALL THE WAY TO OUR DEPARTMENTAL, UM, UH, STRATEGIC PLAN WHERE THE FIRST TIME AT THE CITY AND DEPARTMENT LEVEL WE'VE INTEGRATED WILDFIRE PERFORMANCE MEASURES ALL THE WAY DOWN TO OUR DIVISION STRATEGIC PLAN.
WE'VE ALSO TO HAVE LATERAL INTEGRATION OF WILDFIRE INTO OUR PARTNERS PLANNING.
AS I MENTIONED, WE'RE REFLECTED IN ALMOST ALL THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY CLIMATE RESILIENCY DOCUMENTS.
WE WORK HAND IN HAND WITH OUR UTILITIES TO IMPLEMENT MITIGATION MEASURES LIKE SHADED FUEL BREAKS, ADJACENT TO OUR COMMUNITIES OR ALONG OUR POWER LINES THAT WE KNOW POTENTIALLY COULD BE AN IGNITION SOURCE.
UH, WE WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TO ENSURE THAT OUR PLANS ARE INTEGRATED INTO OUR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLANS, AND EVERYBODY IS OPERATING ON THE SAME PLAYBOOK.
AND SO, UM, ALL THESE KEY COMPONENTS COME TOGETHER TO ENSURE THAT AUSTIN STAYS ON THAT PATH TO BECOME A FIRE ADAPTED COMMUNITY.
AND FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT PERSPECTIVE, EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE DOING AND THAT THE COMMUNITY DOES CREATES A SAFE AND SAFER ENVIRONMENT FOR OUR FIREFIGHTERS AND LENDS ITSELF TO THEIR OPERATIONAL SUCCESS.
SO WE SUPPORT ALL THE EFFORTS OUR COMMUNITY HAS DONE TO PREPARE THEMSELVES AND WE SUPPORT LEADERSHIP INTENT TO CONTINUE THESE EFFORTS.
SO WE'D NEXT TIME TO REVIEW WHAT WE HAVE ON THE HORIZON FROM THE WILDFIRE DIVISION.
AS PREVIOUSLY MISSION MENTIONED, WE HAVE THE RESPONDING TO THE INTERFACE TRAINING FOR THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT THAT WILL HAPPEN THROUGHOUT 2022.
WE WANT TO CONTINUE OUR WILDFIRE.
PRE-PLANS AT THE COMPANY AND THE COMMUNITY LEVEL.
THIS WILL INCLUDE OUR OPERATIONS COMPANIES BEING MORE INVOLVED IN THE PRE PAN DEVELOPMENT FOR OUR DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES IN THIS CITY.
WE PLAN TO START WITH THE WILDFIRE BATTALION AND THEN EXPAND OUT TO THE REST OF THE DEPARTMENT FROM THERE.
THIS ALSO INCLUDES CONTINUATION OF THE GREAT WORK THAT JUSTICE HAS JUST MENTIONED FROM OUR FIRE ADAPTED COMMUNITIES, COORDINATORS
[02:30:01]
THAT THEY'RE ALREADY DOING TO EXPAND OUR COMMUNITY CWP PS AND OUR FIREWISE COMMUNITIES, AS MENTIONED FROM THE FIRESTARTER DRILL AND THE AFTER-ACTION FOR THE EVACUATION SIMULATION.WE WANT TO IMPROVE OUR LOCAL AND REGIONAL OPERATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND IMPROVE THE COORDINATION OF OUR LOCAL AND REGIONAL RESOURCES.
SO THAT IN THE EVENT THAT WE NEED TO EXPAND AN EVENT, WE CAN GO STEP BY STEP TO OUR LOCAL THAN REGIONAL RESOURCES, AND THEN TO OUR STATE RESOURCES.
BUT WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL OF THOSE STEPS.
WE WANT TO BETTER USE OUR OPERATIONAL RESOURCES TO EXPAND OUR COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT CAP CAPABILITIES.
THIS IS SPECIFIC TO OUR HOME IGNITION ZONE ASSESSMENTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY BEING DONE BY STAFF AND THE FIRE, THE WILDFIRE DIVISION, AND WITH A WILDFIRE COALITION, BUT WE WANT OUR OPERATIONS UNITS TO BE MORE INVOLVED IN THESE THAT'LL CREATE DEPTH IN THE POOL OF AVAILABLE ASSESSORS AND GIVE OUR OPERATIONS COMPANIES THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRIAGE STRUCTURES OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND PREPLAN THEIR TERRITORIES WITH THE LENS OF A WOOEY FIRE EVENT.
UH, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, FOR COMMUNITY EVACUATIONS, WE ARE EXPLORING PLATFORMS TO ASSIST WITH PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF NOTIFICATIONS TO THE PUBLIC.
WE WANT THESE PLATFORMS TO GATHER DATA IN REAL TIME AND TO HELP US IN REAL TIME AID IN EVACUATION DECISIONS.
AS JUSTICE MENTIONED EARLIER, WE WANT TO CONTINUE THE WORK TO INCREASE THOSE LOCAL CWP PS AND OUR ENGAGED COMMUNITIES.
AND FOR OUR FUELS MITIGATION WORK, WE'RE EVALUATING THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS VERSUS EXPANSION OF OUR OWN INTERNAL FIELDS MITIGATION CREW, TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE AS EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE WITH OUR SHADED FUEL BREAK AND OUR FUELS MITIGATION WORK THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, SINCE WE HAVE A NEW PRESCRIBED FIRE PERMITTING PROCESS.
AS OF LAST YEAR, WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE PROTECTING THE ABILITY TO USE PRESCRIBED FIRE ON CITY PROPERTY, AND THEN USING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT OF OUR WILDFIRE BATTALION AND THE CITY AS A WHOLE, AND BACK TO CHIEF DALE RAZOR.
THANK YOU, CHIEF STEWART, CAPTAIN AND JUSTICE.
THANK YOU ALL FOR LISTENING TO OUR PRESENTATION.
WE HOPE IT EMPHASIZES THAT A WILD LAND FIRE OR A WE INTERFACE FIRE IS A HOLISTIC PROBLEM THAT OUR COMMUNITY FACES.
AND IT'S ONE THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED, ADDRESSED HOLISTICALLY THROUGH PREPAREDNESS PREVENTION AND EDUCATION OF ALL OUR PARTNERS.
IT INVOLVES REACHING OUT TO OUR RESIDENTS AND EDUCATING THEM ON WHAT THEY CAN DO, HOW THEY CAN FOLLOW THE READY SET GOPRO PROGRAM, HOW THEY CAN WORK WITH THEIR COMMUNITIES TO BECOME FIREWISE AND HOW THEY CAN FOLLOW Y'ALL'S LEADERSHIP FOR YOUR DISTRICTS TO BECOME A COMMUNITY THAT IS FIRE ADAPTED, HOW WE CAN WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS, OUR LANDOWNING PARTNERS, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR AREAS AND THEIR GREEN SPACES ARE RESILIENT TO THE INEVITABLE WILDFIRE THAT WILL COME AND HOW WE CAN WORK AS A FIRE DEPARTMENT WITH OUR PARTNER AND FELLOW FIRE DEPARTMENTS IN THE REGION, AND THEN THE AREA TO BETTER TRAIN AND TO EDUCATE OURSELVES TO BE PREPARED.
AND WELL-EQUIPPED, I STARTED OFF MY CAREER AS AN OFFICER IN THE WILDFIRE DEPARTMENT, A DIVISION IN ITS INCIPIENT DAYS IN 2011.
IT WAS RIGHT AFTER THE BASH SHOP COMPLEX.
AT THAT TIME, WE WERE LUCKY THAT SOME OF OUR WILDFIRE, OUR AUSTIN FIREFIGHTERS HAD A WILDFIRE BACKGROUND FROM PREVIOUS JOBS, OR BECAUSE THEY HAD FOUND A PASSION AND THEY WERE DOING THAT AS A SIDE JOB.
THAT WAS A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED IS IF SUCH TRAINING, BUT WE WERE VERY GOOD STRUCTURAL FIREFIGHTERS.
WE HAVE STARTED TO DO THE DIVISION AND NOW WITH INCEPTION OF THE WILDFIRE BATTALION, WE ARE CONTINUALLY WORKING TO NOT ONLY EDUCATE, TRAIN AND EQUIP EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR STRUCTURAL FIREFIGHTERS, BUT ALSO THE LEADERS IN THE FUTURE LEADERS THAT WILL CONTINUE THIS.
WE CANNOT REST ON THE LAURELS OF OUR PAST, AND WE CONTINUALLY HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY.
SO WE'LL BE PREPARED WHEN THE NEXT WILDFIRE OCCURS.
WE STAND READY FOR ANY QUESTIONS.
AND THANK YOU, UH, TEAM FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
UH, AND I WANT TO PARTICULARLY ACKNOWLEDGE A COUNCIL MEMBER ALTERING HER CONTINUED LEADERSHIP AND SUPPORTS ON THIS IMPORTANT TOPIC WITH THAT.
I'LL TURN IT BACK TO YOU, MAYOR ADLER, ARE YOU WANT TO KICK US OFF? YES.
UH, REALLY IMPORTANT PRESENTATION.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S KEY THAT WE TALK ABOUT THIS ISSUE, UM, AT COUNCIL AND THAT WE RAISE AWARENESS, UM, BOTH ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING
[02:35:01]
AND WHAT PEOPLE CAN DO.AND I THINK THE WAY THAT YOU ENDED BY TALKING ABOUT WILDFIRE IS EVERYONE'S FIGHT IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
UM, YOU KNOW, TODAY WE'RE, WE'RE HEARING ABOUT STEPS THAT AFD IS TAKEN, UM, AND IS TAKING AND, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THEM, UM, WE JUST APPROVED IN THE BUDGET, THE FUNDING FOR EXTENDING THE, UM, THE RTI TRAINING, UM, THE CONSTRUCTION AND DESIGN OF THE 360 STATION, THE OPENING OF THE, THE TRAVIS COUNTRY STATION, BOTH OF WHICH ARE IN, YOU KNOW, HIGH WILDFIRE RISK AREAS.
IN FACT, I THINK ALL FIVE OF THE STATIONS WE'RE OPENING ARE IN HIGH WILDFIRE RISK AREAS.
UM, THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE SO FAR ON THE, ON THE WE CODE, UM, AND MANY OTHER THINGS, THE NEW HUB, ET CETERA.
UM, SO THERE'S A LOT THAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING, BUT I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSCORE THAT FIGHTING WILDFIRE, PREVENTING WILDFIRE, MITIGATING WILDFIRE IS EVERYONE'S FIGHT.
UM, DO YOU GUYS HAVE HEARD ME OVER AND OVER AGAIN, TALKING ABOUT VEGETATION MANAGEMENT, UM, THAT AUSTIN ENERGY IS DOING, UM, AUSTIN WATER AND PART ARE ALSO VERY MUCH INVOLVED IN FUEL MITIGATION EFFORTS, UM, THAT WE CODE DEPENDS A LOT ON, UM, THE BUILDERS IN OUR COMMUNITY AND DSD, UM, AND THE FIREWISE AND ADAPTED COMMUNITY STUFF ALL HAS TO DO WITH EFFORTS OUT IN THE COMMUNITY.
IT ALSO FALLS ON US AS COUNCIL MEMBERS THOUGH, BECAUSE WE HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE PREPARED.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO JOIN MYSELF, COMMISSIONER SHEA, HOWARD AND COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY.
UH, WE'RE DOING A TOWN HALL TOMORROW NIGHT WITH THE HELP OF SOME OF THE FOLKS WHO ARE HERE, UM, ON WILDFIRE, YOU CAN GO TO BITLY, UM, DASH WILDFIRE, TOWN HALL, AND IT'S INFORMATION FOR YOUR CONSTITUENTS ABOUT HOW THEY CAN GET INVOLVED, WHAT THEY CAN BE DOING TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK IF THE STAFF COULD HAVE A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT QUESTIONS, BUT I, I REALLY WANT TO UNDERSCORE THAT COUNCIL HAS A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP EXTEND THE MESSAGE OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
I'VE BEEN TALKING WITH THEM OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, ABOUT HOW, HOW WE EXTEND THAT REACH.
UM, WE NOW HAVE A FIREWISE ALLIANCE, WHICH IS UNIQUE TO AUSTIN.
UM, AND THERE ARE FOLKS WHO ARE IN THOSE LEADERSHIP POSITIONS WHO CAN HELP YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD START THOSE PROGRAMS, WHO ARE NEIGHBORS THEMSELVES ALONG WITH OUR DEPARTMENT.
SO I WANTED TO ASK, UM, CHIEF DELAROSA OR MR. JONES, WHOEVER BE MORE APPROPRIATE OR MS. STUART, UM, TO SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE WAYS THAT COUNCIL CAN BE ENGAGED TO WORK WITH THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS AND CONSTITUENTS ON THE FIREWISE FIRE ADAPTATION AND, OR GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT AND SHARING THE RESOURCES.
UM, IF WE WANT TO KEEP MOVING THE NEEDLE.
UM, THAT GREAT INSIGHTFUL QUESTION.
I THINK THE FIRST STEP FOR COUNSEL IS UNDERSTANDING YOUR RELATIVE RISK AS A COUNCIL MEMBER, AND WE'VE MADE THAT INFORMATION AVAILABLE.
SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE RISKS TO YOUR CONSTITUENCY, WE CAN CLEAR THOSE UP FOR YOU AND HELP YOU QUANTIFY THE NUMBER OF HOMES AND INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE AT RISK IN YOUR DISTRICT.
SO THEN I WOULD SAY IS THE FIRST STEP.
AND MANY OF YOU HAVE ALREADY TAKEN THAT LEAP AND CLEARLY UNDERSTAND THAT'S AN ISSUE.
THE SECOND STEP I THINK IS INCLUDE US IN YOUR DISCOURSE AND DIALOGUE AND TOWN HALL MEETINGS.
UM, LET US HELP WITH THE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS TEAS THAT WE HAVE TO COMMUNICATE TO RESIDENTS AND IDENTIFY CHAMPIONS WITHIN THOSE COMMUNITIES THAT CAN JOIN OUR FIREWISE ALLIANCE THAT CAN BE MENTORS FOR OTHER COMMUNITIES, UH, CROSSED AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY, UM, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE, LIKE OUR RISK ASSESSMENT DATA OR SIMULATION TABLE, AND THE ABILITY TO MODEL A POTENTIAL FIRE BEHAVIOR CAN BE ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE.
AND THEN WE CAN HELP YOU IDENTIFY, UM, PARTNER DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE CITY THAT CAN SHOW UP FOR COMMUNITIES AT RISK AND HELP THEM IMPLEMENT THEIR, UM, THEIR PREFERRED ACTIONS.
FOR EXAMPLE, AT OUR AUSTIN FIREWISE ALLIANCE, WE VERY REGULARLY HAVE MEMBERS FROM OTHER CITY OF AUSTIN DEPARTMENTS, PUBLIC WORKS RESOURCE RECOVERY TO HELP ELUCIDATE THEIR ROLE IN WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS, WHICH IS CRITICAL.
UM, IF WE CONVINCE COMMUNITIES TO BE ACTIVE AND TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT THEIR HOME IN THEIR LANDSCAPE, AND THEY GENERATE A BUNCH OF, UM, WASTE AND DEBRIS THAT THEY CAN'T GET RID OF IT, THAT'S A CHALLENGE, RESOURCE RECOVERY HAS SHOWN UP FOR OUR COMMUNITIES, UM, AND THAT, THAT REGARD, SO ALLOW US TO BE A RESOURCE FOR GETTING THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO THE TABLE THAT IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN STAFF, THAT CAN SUPPORT YOUR DISTRICT AND YOUR COMMUNITIES, BECAUSE WE'VE DONE A LOT OF WORK TO HELP PEOPLE RECOGNIZE THEIR ROLE IN WILDFIRE SAFETY AND THEY'RE WILLING AND ABLE TO SHOW UP AND SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITIES.
APPRECIATE, UM, APPRECIATE THAT.
[02:40:01]
WHY I WANTED TO UNDERSCORE THE ROLE OF COUNSEL, NOT JUST IN SUPPORTING THESE DIFFERENT ENDEAVORS AND RECOGNIZING THAT IT'S NOT JUST AFD.UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAD, YOU KNOW, A PRETTY HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE IN FEBRUARY, UH, WITH STORM URI FOR A LOW PROBABILITY HIGH RISK EVENT.
WELL, WILDFIRE IS A HIGH RISK, HIGH PROBABILITY OF THAT FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
WE ARE ONE OF THE TOP FIVE, UM, METROPOLITAN AREAS AT RISK OR AREAS AT RISK FOR WILDFIRE.
WE NEED TO TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY, SO WE DON'T HAVE A REPEAT OF THAT.
UM, SO MY NEXT QUESTION IS I WANTED TO ASK YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE EVACUATION PLANS AND THE NEXT STEPS FOR THAT.
UM, I KNOW WE HAVE PLANS, BUT THERE'S STILL A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE FOR TRANSLATING THAT.
SO THE COMMUNITY KNOWS, UM, ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WE HAD WITH STORM URI WAS THAT COUNCIL DIDN'T HAVE A CLARIFIED ROLE.
UM, SO CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE EVACUATION PLANS, PARTICULARLY WITH RESPECT TO KIND OF CLARIFYING WHAT COUNCIL'S ROLE IS, AND IF THAT'S NOT CLARIFIED, THEN I WOULD LIKE YOU TO THINK ABOUT HOW YOU CAN DO THAT.
PERHAPS THAT CAN BE PART OF OUR SIMULATION WHEN WE DO THE TRAINING FOR COUNCIL WITH THE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS.
UM, AND THEN ALSO I'D LIKE TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE, HOW WE'RE HANDLING THOSE SITUATIONS SINCE THERE'S LONG CANYON, WHERE YOU GOT ONE WAY IN AND ONE WAY OUT, AND I'VE GOT A FEW OF THOSE, UM, IN MY DISTRICT AND IT'S NOT READILY APPARENT TO ME THAT THOSE FOLKS KNOW WHAT TO DO IN THE EVENT THAT WE DO NEED TO EVACUATE.
UH, I'LL TAKE THE FIRST, UH, COUPLE OF COMMENTS AND THEN I'LL PASS IT ON TO THE TEAM.
HERE IS THAT EVACUATIONS ARE SUCH A COMPLICATED ROUTE THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SCRIPT A SPECIFIC POINT.
SO I THINK YOU HIT IT RIGHT ON THE NAIL ON THE NOSE THAT WE HAVE TO WORK TO EDUCATE OUR POPULATION, TO BECOME SITUATIONALLY AWARE, AS WELL AS TO KNOW ABOUT THE HAZARDS IN THEIR TERRITORY, WE'VE DONE THE 2018 ASSESSMENT WHERE WE IDENTIFY THOSE CHOKE POINTS IN THE DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES THAT, THAT A STUDY IS AVAILABLE.
AND WE UTILIZE THAT TO START THOSE COMMUNITY EDUCATIONAL EFFORTS WITH OUR COMMUNITIES OUT THERE, WE HAVE OUR DIFFERENT FIRE.
UH, EACH FIRE STATION HAS A TERRITORY THAT THEY RESPOND TO PRIMARILY, AND WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM TO START IDENTIFYING THOSE CHOKE POINTS IN T AND REACHING OUT TO THE COMMUNITIES THERE.
WE'VE ALREADY DONE A SET UP THE TEMPLATE FOR HOW TO PRODUCE THOSE MAPS OF WHERE IS THERE AREAS OF SAFE REFUGE AS WELL AS THEIR CHOKE POINTS THAT THEY HAVE TO BE CONCERNED OF THERE.
AND WE ARE WORKING TO EXPAND THAT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CITY, ALSO PASS IT ON TO CHIEF STEWART AND THE REST OF THE TEAM FOR, UH, THE OTHER PIECES.
THIS IS MAYBE A GROUP EFFORT FOR THIS ONE.
UM, DIFFERENT ITERATIONS OF THIS PRESENTATION HAS US DOING IT WITH HUSAM THAN WITH NOT TOGETHER.
SO, UM, THERE WAS A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT WAS GOING TO BE JOINTLY SPREAD, CAUSE IT IS KIND OF A GROUP THING TO DO THIS WITH HUGHSON.
PART OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE WANTED COUNCIL TO HAVE IS SUPPORTING EOC AND, AND HOW TO DO THAT BEST.
SO EMPOWERING THE PIOS IN AN EVENT LIKE THAT AND PAYING ATTENTION TO THAT MESSAGING THAT SHOULD BE COMING FROM THE INCIDENT COMMANDER THROUGH THE EOC, TO THE PUBLIC AND MAKING SURE THAT THAT MESSAGE THAT YOU ARE PROVIDING YOUR CONSTITUENTS IS, IS CONSISTENT WITH WHAT'S COMING OUT OF THE EOC AND FROM CITY PIO.
SO ENSURING THAT THERE'S NO, NO NOVEL INFORMATION COMING OUT FROM, UH, DIFFERENT CONSTITUENCIES AND MAKING SURE THAT WE GET THE SAME MESSAGE OUT TO OUT TO THE PUBLIC.
UM, WE'RE ALSO GOING TO NEED TO FIND A GOOD NOTIFICATION SYSTEM FOR AS MANY PEOPLE AS WE CAN.
AND THAT PARADISE EXAMPLE, THEY HAD A MESSAGING SYSTEM LIKE, UM, MORE IN CENTRAL TEXAS, BUT THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO GET THAT MESSAGE OUT BECAUSE THE INFRASTRUCTURE WENT DOWN RIGHT.
OR PEOPLE WEREN'T SUBSCRIBED TO IT.
SO A CONSISTENT WAY TO, AS A COMMUNITY TO DEVELOP GETTING THAT MESSAGE OUT, UM, THE BEST WAY THAT WE CAN TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS WE CAN W WILL BE IMPORTANT AND, AND PUSHING THAT MESSAGING OF HOW TO STAY INFORMED AS A COMMUNITY.
WHAT ELSE? SO, YEAH, WE GO TO A LOT OF TRAINING ABOUT EVACUATION AND WE LISTENED TO A LOT OF FOLKS WHO HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN INVOLVED IN LARGE-SCALE EVACUATIONS SPECIFICALLY TO YOUR QUESTION.
THERE'S A BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THERE'S THE BEFORE PERIOD, WHICH IS THE EDUCATIONAL PERIOD.
UH, EACH COUNCIL MEMBER COULD BE A GREAT ASSET IN HELPING US PUSH OUT THE MESSAGE ABOUT, UH, I'M GONNA USE THE TERM PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.
BUT WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS JUST KNOWING THAT YOU ARE YOUR BEST ADVOCATE.
EVERY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC KNOWS THEY CAN STAY AWARE OF, UH, CURRENT SITUATION, WHAT STEPS THEY NEED TO TAKE TO BE PREPARED AND TO BE LOOKING FOR A ROUTES ON ALTERNATE ROUTES OUT OF AN AREA
[02:45:03]
DURING AN EVENT IS A VERY, VERY DYNAMIC, DIFFICULT SITUATION.AND THAT'S WHY THE COORDINATION THROUGH THE EOC IS SO IMPORTANT.
AND MAKING SURE I'VE BEEN A PART OF SEVERAL INCIDENTS WHERE UNFORTUNATELY SOCIAL MEDIA WORKS, SOMETIMES A MESSAGE WILL GET REPEATED AFTER TIME, AND YOU MAY NOT SEE IT FOR THE FIRST TIME UNTIL IT'S THREE DAYS OLD.
SO MAKING SURE THAT THERE'S CONSISTENT MESSAGING IS, IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.
UH, ALL OF THE EVACUATION EXPERTS WE TALKED TO SAY, YOU NEED A PLAN, A, A PLAN B, A PLAN C PLAN D, AND YOU'RE PROBABLY GONNA USE ALL OF THEM.
UH, THEY'RE ALL GONNA COME INTO EFFECT AFTER WE DON'T TALK ENOUGH ABOUT RECOVERY.
UH, ALL THE FOLKS THAT WE GET TRAINING FROM SAY, EVACUATION IS AN EXCEPTIONALLY EMOTIONAL EVENT FOR THE EVALUATORS, FOR THOSE BEING EVACUATED.
IT HAS AN EMOTIONAL IMPACT ON A PHYSICAL IMPACT AND ECONOMIC IMPACT ONTO A COMMUNITY, EVEN, EVEN A SMALL NEIGHBORHOOD, IT'S STILL GONNA HAVE ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
THOSE FOLKS ARE GOING TO GOING TO WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO US.
WHERE DO I ACCESS RESOURCES? WHEN CAN I GO HOME? IS IT SAFE FOR ME TO GO HOME? THINGS LIKE THAT? UM, I Y'ALL ARE YOUR BEST ADVOCATES FOR YOUR OWN DISTRICTS AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE AS A CITY BETWEEN ALL THE DEPARTMENTS AND GIVING THEM THAT INFORMATION IN A TIMELY FASHION WE'LL NEED HELP WITH THAT.
IT'LL BE, IT'LL BE A TOUGH TIME FOR ALL OF US.
UM, I THINK IT IS, BUT I THINK IT ALSO UNDERSCORES THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, WE HAVE CLARITY OF, OF, OF HOW WE CAN BE MOST CONSTRUCTIVE, WHERE TO GET THE INFORMATION, WHAT OUR ROLE IS IN THE EVENT OF A WILDFIRE, UM, EVACUATION.
AND SO, UM, I'M HAPPY TO WORK WITH YOU, BUT I WOULD ASK THE CITY MANAGER TO, TO PUSH ON THIS AND TO REALLY THINK CLEARLY ABOUT THAT.
SO THAT, SO THAT WE, UM, YOU KNOW, AS A COUNCIL, THAT WE CAN SUPPORT YOUR EFFORTS AND TAKE SOME OF, YOU KNOW, WORK COLLABORATIVELY TO GET THAT MOVING FORWARD.
UM, I WANNA, UM, THANK CHIEF BAKER FOR MAKING WILDFIRE A STRATEGIC PRIORITY.
AND THAT, THAT HAS, UM, GONE DOWN TO THE, TO THE DIVISION LEVEL.
I THINK THAT IS, IS VERY MUCH, UM, CALLED FOR.
UM, THE LAST QUESTION I HAD, UM, YOU KNOW, IS REALLY, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT MY COLLEAGUES KNOW THAT ALTHOUGH WE ADOPTED THE WILD LAND, URBAN INTERFACE CODE, WE DID NOT FULLY ADOPT IT.
UM, AND THERE ARE STILL ADDITIONAL STEPS.
THERE ARE ADDITIONAL STEPS BECAUSE PART OF THE CODE WAS IN THE DRAFT LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE.
AND SO DID NOT GET ADOPTED INTO THE WE CODE THAT WE USE.
SO THERE'S SOME INFORMATION ABOUT EGRESSES AND HAVING MORE THAN ONE, ET CETERA, UM, THAT WE FOUND WAYS TO, TO ENFORCE, BUT STILL NEED TO GET INTO OUR CODE.
AND THEN THERE'S A WHOLE HOST OF, UM, POTENTIAL ADOPTIONS WITH RESPECT TO VEGETATION MANAGEMENT, AS WELL AS WITH RESPECT TO EXISTING STRUCTURES THAT WE NEED TO THINK CAREFULLY ABOUT.
SO I WANTED TO ASK IF YOU COULD ELABORATE ON WHERE WE STAND WITH THE REST OF THE IMPLEMENTATION AND, UM, THE PLANS FOR DOING THAT IN THE FUTURE, BECAUSE THAT WILL COME TO COUNCIL TO HAVE TO, TO VOTE ON.
AND THEN I THANK YOU FOR THE TIME AND I'LL PASS IT ON TO THE NEXT SURE THING.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR.
UM, AS WE'VE SAID, IT'S, EVERYONE'S FIGHT AND THAT IS EVEN MORE SO THAN EVER IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
WE HAVE MANY DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, UH, DIVISIONS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT, WILDFIRE DIVISION IS WORKING ON EDUCATING THE OPERATIONAL BRANCH OF IT AND MAKING SURE THAT IT'S ACROSS THE WAY W UH, TO ADDRESS YOUR QUESTION ABOUT, UM, CODES AND THE NEXT STEPS.
WE WORK HAND IN HAND WITH OUR PREVENTION DIVISION TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PUSHING TO MAKE THAT AS WELL AS THAT JUSTICE WORKS ALMOST ON A DAILY BASIS WITH CHIEF TOM BOKU.
WHO'S NOT WITH US TODAY, BUT HE CAN TALK ABOUT THE NEXT STEPS ON THAT.
AND THEY RELATE TO THE PART OF YOUR PREVIOUS QUESTION.
AND YOU MENTIONED LONG CANYON SPECIFICALLY.
SO AS PART OF OUR EVACUATION ANALYSIS, WE DID IDENTIFY LIMITED INGRESS AND EGRESS COMMUNITIES.
UM, PART OF THE HARD JOB THAT WE HAVE IS WHAT CAPTAIN PHILLIPS COMMUNICATED TODAY IS CREATING A REALISTIC EXPECTATION OUTCOMES.
SO IF YOU LIVE IN LONG CANYON CURRENTLY, AND YOU ARE GOING TO BE FACING EXTREME DIFFICULTY EVACUATING DURING A WILDFIRE, THAT MEANS YOUR OPTIONS IS TO HAVE A CUTE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS.
KNOW WHAT THOSE CONDITIONS ARE WHEN EVACUATION IS, UH, POTENTIALLY INEVITABLE, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, RECOGNIZE THAT YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO LEAVE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND THAT EVENT, UM, HARDENING YOUR STRUCTURE TO WITHSTAND WILDFIRE CAN SERVE AS YOUR LAST RESORT, SURVIVAL AREA.
THAT'S NOT A SCENARIO WE WANT TO PUT PEOPLE IN, BUT THAT'S A REALITY THAT WE'VE RECOGNIZED, UH, RESIDENTS IN AUSTIN WILL CONFRONT.
SO STRUCTURAL HARDENING IS A LIFE SAFETY MEASURE.
IT'S NOT A PROPERTY PROTECTION MEASURE IN MANY OF THESE COMMUNITIES, UH, TO THAT END WITH THE ADOPTION OF THE WILD LAND, URBAN INTERFACE CODE.
WE HAD A COUPLE OF RECOGNITIONS.
[02:50:01]
KNOW THE SCIENCE SHOWS US MY RESEARCH AND NATIONAL RESEARCH SHOW US THE EMBERS ARE THE NUMBER ONE REASON THAT HOMES IGNITE DURING A WILDFIRE.SO WE WENT BEYOND THE EXISTING CODE AND EXTENDED THAT EMBER PROTECTION OUT TO A MILE AND A HALF INTO OUR COMMUNITIES.
WE DID THIS BECAUSE WE SAW ON THE PINNACLE FIRE THAT HOMES TWO OR THREE BLOCKS AWAY FROM THAT A HUNDRED ACRE FIRE WHERE IGNITING A, WITH NO FIREFIGHTERS THERE TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE PROTECTION, CAUSE THEY WERE FIGHTING A BIG RAGING WILDFIRE.
SO THIS EMBER PROTECTION GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CODE.
THERE'S ALSO AN ELEMENT OF THE CODE, THE IT'S, UH, SOMEWHAT OF A LOOPHOLE.
AND IT SAYS, IF YOU WILL GET OUT THERE AND TRIM YOUR BUSHES AND MOW YOUR YARD, THEN YOU DON'T HAVE TO HARDEN YOUR STRUCTURE.
SO WE WANTED TO INITIALLY ELIMINATE THAT LOOPHOLE BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT STRUCTURAL HARDENING CREATES THE GREATEST AND LONG LASTING BENEFIT.
UM, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE'RE DONE.
UH, CHIEF VOKEY IN OUR DISCUSSION IS LOOKING TO UPDATE THE 2021 CODE AND IS RECEPTIVE TO INPUT ON WAYS THAT WE CAN EVEN, UH, FURTHER BOLSTER OUR ABILITY TO REGULATE WILDFIRE RISK.
UM, WE CAN SAY THAT REQUIREMENTS FOR RETROFIT AND VEGETATION MANAGEMENT CAN BE EXPENSIVE, BUT NOT AS EXPENSIVE AS REPLACING A HOME.
SO WE'RE OPEN TO EXPLORING ALL OF THOSE POSSIBILITIES FOR ADDED PROTECTION.
UM, BUT I'M ALSO REALLY EXCITED THAT WE TOOK THE STEP TO ADOPT THIS CODE AND HAD THE COURAGE TO, UM, STEP UP AND DO SO.
SO THANK YOU FOR THAT FIRST STEP.
AND WE'RE EXCITED TO BE WORKING WITH YOU AS OUR, UH, EFFORTS TO REGULATE WILDFIRE RISK EVOLVE.
SO AS A COUNCIL MEMBER, MY COLLEAGUE HAS MEMBER ALTER IS, IS CONSTANTLY REMINDING US.
THIS IS NOT A QUESTION OF, OF, UH, WHEN I, AND THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT THAT IS STILL TO BE DONE IS, IS DAUNTING IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE WE'RE IN THE BEST POSSIBLE PLACE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
BUT I DO WANT TO TAKE JUST A SECOND TO, TO THANK MY COLLEAGUES.
DID THEY ACHIEVE MANAGER AND, AND EVERYBODY ON THE, ON THE FORCE THAT, UH, HAS DONE SO WORK.
I REMEMBER THESE SAME CONVERSATIONS THREE YEARS AGO, FOUR YEARS AGO, UH, WHEN, UM, FOR MANY OF US, IT WAS A NEW TOPIC, UH, AND THEN THERE WAS EVEN MORE TO DO.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND THE SUCCESS OF THE WORK THAT'S ALREADY BEEN DONE, UH, IT IS, IS IT'S, IT'S VERY LAUDABLE.
SO THANK YOU AS A MEMBER ALTAR.
THANK YOU, UH, COLLEAGUES, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS.
UM, I CERTAINLY APPRECIATE COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER'S WORK ON THIS.
SHE'S BEEN A GREAT LEADER AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HOPEFULLY GETTING TO WATCH YOUR PANEL DISCUSSION AND, AND SHARE THAT WITH MY CONSTITUENTS SO THEY CAN LEARN FROM WHAT Y'ALL ARE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT AS WELL.
UM, I DO HAVE A QUESTION JUST ABOUT GENERAL COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING.
I KNOW THAT THERE IS STILL SOME WORK TO SORT OUT, TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT KIND OF ALERT SYSTEM YOU'RE GOING TO USE AND WHERE PEOPLE SHOULD BE SIGNING UP TO GET INFORMATION.
UM, BUT WHAT CAN I HELP TELL MY CONSTITUENTS TO FOLLOW RIGHT NOW? IS THERE A CERTAIN SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT? IS IT THE WEB PAGE FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW WHEN THAT INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE? WHAT IT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE? BECAUSE AS WE EXPERIENCED IN THE WINTER STORM, ONCE PEOPLE START, UM, HAVING POWER LINES GO OUT OR ELECTRICITY, NOT WORKING, IT BECOMES VERY DIFFICULT TO GET INFORMATION TO PEOPLE.
SO DO YOU HAVE AN INTERIM PLAN UNTIL YOU GET A, UM, A MORE FIRM, UM, COMMUNICATIONS PLAN ULTIMATELY, RIGHT.
AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS EVOLVING AS WE SPEAK.
WE JUST HAD THE PAGER AUDIT THAT THE CITY, UH, THAT CITY LEADERSHIP MANDATED THAT HAS US, UH, REVIEWING HOW WE UTILIZE PAGING AND NOTIFICATION INTERNALLY IN THE CITY, AS WELL AS EXTERNALLY RIGHT NOW, THE PRIMARY, UH, NOTIFICATION GOES THROUGH THE HEAT HOMELAND, UM, HOMELAND SECURITY HAYSOM AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
SO WE ALWAYS PUSH FOR THAT, BUT WE UNDERSTAND THAT THAT IS A DIFFICULTY.
SO WE VERY MUCH UTILIZE THE SHOTGUN APPROACH OF GOING THROUGH THE, UH, UH, THE JOINT INFORMATION CENTER THAT HAS STOOD UP FOR ANY LARGE INFORMATION.
AND THEY HIT ALL THE DIFFERENT, UM, TWITTER ACCOUNTS FROM THE, UH, FROM THE CITY, AS WELL AS USING MEDIA BRIEFINGS TO GO OUT TO THE, ALL THE MAJOR MEDIA NETWORKS WE HAVE INTERNALLY IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, WE USE SOCIAL MEDIA, WE USE TRADITIONAL MEDIA AND WE, UH, WE TRY TO HIT ALL OF THEM BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WHILE A CONSISTENT SINGLE POINT IS THE BEST, IT IS HARD TO GUARANTEE THAT WE HAVE A PENETRATION INTO OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY.
SO WE CONTINUE TO UTILIZE AS MUCH.
SO I WOULD ASK YOU TO PUSH TEXAS WARN FOR RIGHT NOW UNTIL
[02:55:01]
WE HAVE SOMETHING AND THEN WE'LL UTILIZE THAT, OR WHATEVER IS DETERMINED TO BE THE BEST NOTIFICATION SYSTEM THROUGH THERE.AND I, UM, STRONGLY ENCOURAGED THAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT THE DEPARTMENTS THEY'LL WANT TO HEAR FROM IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS, JUST SO THEY'VE GOT THAT DOUBLE DUTY.
AND IF YOU ONLY HAVE A SECOND TO CHECK SOCIAL MEDIA TO SEE WHAT THE NEWEST UPDATE IS THAT SOMETHING WILL COME THROUGH YOUR FEED.
SO, YOU KNOW, FOLLOW ALL OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, FOLLOW EMS, FOLLOW, UM, HSE M FOLLOWS THE CITY, GOVERNMENT, TWITTER.
LIKE USUALLY THOSE ARE THE QUICKEST WAYS THAT I'VE FOUND FOR PEOPLE TO DO THAT, BUT I WILL CERTAINLY REMIND PEOPLE IF THEY HAVEN'T ALREADY SIGNED UP FOR THE TEXAS WARREN'S SYSTEM, THAT, THAT THEY NEED TO CONSIDER DOING THAT NOW.
AND IT'S, AND, UM, IF YOU DIDN'T DO A SIMPLE SEARCH FOR WARREN CENTRAL TEXAS, THAT'LL FIND THE SIGNUP PAGE.
AND ONE MORE POINT KIND OF GOES IN LINE WITH THE ORIGINAL QUESTION OF WHAT CAN COUNCIL DO.
UH, IT'S OFTEN CHALLENGING TO DEFINE, UH, WHAT IS A NEIGHBORHOOD, AND IT'S EASY FOR US TO HAVE OUTREACH WHEN WE HAVE ORGANIZED HOS OR POS, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO LOOK THAT WAY OUT IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO IF YOU CAN ENCOURAGE THE PARTS OF YOUR COMMUNITIES THAT MAY NOT BE OFFICIALLY ORGANIZED TO STILL REACH OUT TO THE WILDFIRE DIVISION SO THAT WE CAN, WE CAN HAVE A LINK TO THOSE COMMUNITIES AS WELL.
SO EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT OFFICIALLY ORGANIZED, IT COULD JUST BE A STREET IN A NEIGHBORHOOD OR IN AN AREA OF THE CITY THAT WE GET STARTED WITH.
AND THEN THAT EXPANDS INTO HAVING MORE OUTREACH AND MORE CONTACT WITH MORE PEOPLE IN THE CITY.
SO EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT ORGANIZED, PLEASE ENCOURAGE YOUR CONSTITUENTS TO, TO BE IN CONTACT WITH US AND START LEARNING ABOUT WHAT THE DIVISION DOES AND WHAT WE CAN PROVIDE FOR THEM, AND TO CONTINUE OUR EFFORTS THAT WAY AS WELL.
I KNOW I HAVE A COUPLE AREAS WHERE THE NEIGHBORHOOD MAY JUST BE TWO STREETS, UM, BUT THEY DEFINITELY KEEP IN TOUCH WITH EACH OTHER.
SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ACCESS TO THEM AS WELL, COUNCIL MEMBER.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS WORK.
AND THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTRA FOR, FOR CONTINUING TO CHAMPION THESE, THESE EFFORTS.
I, I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE, UM, UH, CWPP S UH, COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLANS.
WHERE, WHERE CAN I GO TO SEE SOME DETAIL ABOUT WHICH PLANS HAVE BEEN PUT IN PLACE ALREADY FOR NEIGHBORHOODS? YES.
MA'AM YOUR BREASTS RESOURCE FOR ALL OF THE ACTIVITIES THAT WE'VE MENTIONED TODAY, OR THE AUSTIN AREA WILDFIRE HUB.
AND, UM, AT THE TOP OF THAT WEBPAGE, IT'S GOT TABS FOR ALL OF OUR FIRE RESILIENT LANDSCAPE WORK AND OUR COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS WORK, INCLUDING THE PERCENTAGE OF OUR HIGH RISK AREAS THAT HAVE DEVELOPED A COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN AND AREAS THAT STILL NEED, OR HAVE NOT BEEN RECEPTIVE TO THAT PLANNING PROCESS.
AND THOSE LOCAL PLANS ARE REFLECTIVE OF OUR CITY COUNTY, UM, COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN OILED DOWN TO THE KEY COMPONENTS OF THOSE SPECIFIC COMMUNITIES.
SO THAT'S GONNA GIVE ME A LINK, A MAP WHERE I CAN ACTUALLY SEE WHICH PLANS ARE IN PLACE AND I'LL LINK TO THE PLANS THEMSELVES.
YES MA'AM AND ALL OF OUR NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FIREWISE COMMUNITIES ALSO HAVE A COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN, WHICH IS AN ADDED COMPONENT, UM, BEYOND WHAT THE NATIONAL PROGRAM REQUIRES.
AND THOSE ARE THE MA, LET ME MAKE SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING THOSE ARE THE PLANS THAT ARE DEVELOPED WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
YES, MA'AM COMMUNITY LEVEL WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLANS.
AND AS PART OF THOSE PLANS, UH, THERE'S A BUILT INTO PROJECT PLANNING FOR PROJECTS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY SAY HOA PROPERTY.
AND A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THIS IS TRAVIS COUNTRY.
UH, THEY OWN 200 ACRES OF OPEN SPACE, UM, BUT THEY'RE ALSO SURROUNDED BY PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT.
SO AS A PART OF THEIR COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PLAN, UH, THEY IDENTIFIED AREAS FOR THE CITY TO WORK AND WE PROVIDED TECHNICAL EXPERTISE FOR THEM TO IMPLEMENT A PROJECT ON THEIR PROPERTY.
SO THESE PLANS ARE REFLECTIVE OF OUR OVERALL FIRE ADAPTED COMMUNITIES EFFORTS AND, UH, HELPS LEND SUSTAINABILITY TO OUR COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS IN EACH OF THESE COMMUNITIES.
AND SO, UH, OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE CITY THAT ARE THE HIGHEST RISK, WOULD YOU, WOULD YOU SAY, AND YOU MAY HAVE SAID THIS AND I MISSED IT.
WOULD YOU SAY THAT ALL OF THEM HAVE PLANS IN PLACE ABOUT 50% OF THE HIGH RISK AREAS ARE COVERED BY A LOCAL LEVEL CWPP IN ACTUALITY, THE ENTIRE JURISDICTION OF AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY HAS A CWPP WITH MITIGATION RECOMMENDATIONS.
THIS REALLY TAKES THE COMMUNITY'S VALUES AND THEIR GOALS AND INTEGRATE SOME INTO THAT PLANNING PROCESS.
WELL, IT ALSO TAKES IT DOWN TO THE LEVEL OF WHAT'S GOING ON VERY SPECIFICALLY IN A PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO, UM, SO, UH, 50% OF THE HIGH-RISK OR THE HIGHEST RISK, THE HIGH RISK AREAS.
UM, AND SO DO YOU ALL HAVE A, UM, DO YOU ALL
[03:00:01]
HAVE A, UH, A PLAN SO TO SPEAK OR A, UH, WHAT'S THE RIGHT WORD? DO YOU ALL HAVE A, UH, AN APPROACH TO GETTING THE REST OF THOSE AREAS TO DEVELOP? DO YOU HAVE A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO DEVELOPING THE RESIDENTS AREAS AND DO YOU HAVE THEM IN PRIORITY ORDER? SO WE DO HAVE A PLAN FOR UPDATING THE REST OF THE AREAS.WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING WITH OUR EXISTING FIREWISE COMMUNITIES TO UPDATE THEIR CWPP AND BRING THEM UP TO MORE OF A CONSISTENT TEMPLATE.
WE'VE DEVELOPED A TEMPLATE FOR THEM ALL TO FOLLOW, AND WE'RE INTEGRATING THAT TEMPLATE IN OUR HUB WHERE ALL THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE THAT WOULD FEED A LOCAL LEVEL, CWPP THE RISK DATA WHERE WILD LAND AREAS ARE, WILL BE AUTOMATED.
AND THEN THE COMMUNITY JUST INPUTS, THEIR MEASURES, THE THINGS THAT THEY WANT TO DO, MOSTLY EDUCATIONAL AND OUTREACH, BUT IF THEY OWN PROPERTY AND MANAGED PROPERTY, THEY CAN IDENTIFY THOSE PROJECTS.
UM, AND WE HOPE TO HAVE THAT UP AND RUNNING BY EARLY PART OF THIS YEAR, IN THE MEANTIME, WHERE, UM, ONE-ON-ONE ENGAGEMENT WITH COMMUNITIES AS THEY'RE TO DEVELOP IN THIS PLAN.
AND THAT USUALLY STARTS WITH ONE INDIVIDUAL THAT CARES AND COMMUNITY LEADER AND EXPANDS FROM THERE.
SO IF YOU DO HAVE CHAMPIONS, SEND THEM TO US AND WE'LL INTEGRATE THEM INTO OUR FIREWISE ALLIANCE AND HELP EXPEDITE THAT PLANNING PROCESS, DO YOU, DO YOU HAVE A PRIORITY ORDER FOR THOSE OR JUST, I MEAN, THEY'RE ALL HIGHS HIGH RISK AREAS.
SO I WOULD THINK THAT THEY'RE ALL IMPORTANT, BUT DO YOU HAVE, DO YOU HAVE A PRIORITY ORDER FOR THE REMAINING AREAS RIGHT NOW? THE PRIORITY, BECAUSE WE KNOW THERE ARE, WE'RE WORKING IN HIGH-RISK AREAS IS BASED ON RECEPTIVITY FROM THE COMMUNITY.
THAT'S WANTING TO PUT IN THE WORK TO DEVELOP THAT PLAN.
AND IF A COMMUNITY ISN'T READY TO DO THAT, THEN WE WORK WITH OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT ARE, UM, BUT IF YOU HAVE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE READY TO JUMP INTO THAT PLANNING PROCESS TO WORK WITH THEM IN A SYSTEM.
AND, AND, UM, THANK YOU TO OUR STAFF AND OUR, OUR EXECUTIVE TEAM AND ALSO COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR FOR YOUR FOCUS ON THIS REALLY IMPORTANT ISSUE.
YOU KNOW, THIS LEADS SO WELL INTO OUR NEXT, UM, PRESENTATION, BECAUSE AS YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT COMMUNICATION AND THE, THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING ORGANIZED COMMUNITY NETWORKS, WHERE INFORMATION CAN TRANSMIT, THAT SEEMS JUST VERY MUCH IN LINE WITH, WITH WHAT WE'RE FINDING THROUGH ALL OF THE ANALYSES OF THE WINTER STORM, INCLUDING THE ONE THAT THE TASK FORCE DID FOR US.
AND I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT SOMETHING THAT CAME UP IN THE TASK FORCE REPORT THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO, TO HER ABOUT.
AND, AND THAT WAS, UM, WHAT YOU, WHAT YOU HAVE ALL INDICATED TO THE IMPORTANCE OF PREPARATION BEFORE AN EVENT.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY HIGHLIGHTED IS THAT SOME OF THE SPEAKERS WHO CAME TO THAT TASK FORCE TALKED ABOUT THEIR LACK OF ACCESS TO SOCIAL MEDIA, UM, BECAUSE OF THE, BECAUSE OF THE POWER SITUATION.
AND THE SUGGESTION CAME FROM THE REPORT THAT AS PART OF OUR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AS A CITY, THE WORK THAT WE DO WITH OUR COMMUNITY, WE ENCOURAGE, UM, THE PURCHASE OF TRANSISTOR RADIOS AND PERHAPS EVEN CONSIDER DISTRIBUTING THOSE IN, I THINK, I THINK THIS WAS IN THE REPORT.
I THINK THIS WAS AN AIRPORT, OR MAYBE IT WAS MY NEXT STEP, UM, THINKING ABOUT WHAT, WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN, BUT THAT IN OUR WORK THAT WE'RE DOING OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AS A CITY, WE MIGHT EVEN CONSIDER DISTRIBUTING, UM, TRANSISTOR RADIOS.
I JUST WANT TO THROW THAT OUT THERE BECAUSE I THINK IT CONNECTS TO, YOU KNOW, WHERE IT IS TWITTER AND SOCIAL MEDIA AND FACEBOOK ARE WONDERFUL WAYS OF GETTING OUT INFORMATION, BUT SOME OF THOSE OLD FASHIONED MEANS, I THINK ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS WE SAW IN THE WINTER STORM.
SO I WAS JUST SORT OF STRUCK BY THAT RECOMMENDATION OF THE TRANSISTOR RADIO AND ADD THAT INTO THE MIX.
UM, I, IF YOU FOLLOW THE READY SET, GO PRINCIPLES THAT IS, WAS DEVELOPING GEARED FOR WILD FIRES, BUT PERPETUATES TOO MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF EMERGENCIES.
THEY HAVE A RECOMMENDED, A GO KIT.
AND ONE OF THE ITEMS ON THERE IS A TREE.
THERE IS A TRANSISTOR RADIO FOR THOSE VERY SAME, SAME REASONS.
SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS CAPTURED IN THE WILDFIRES, BUT EXTRAPOLATES TO ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF EMERGENCIES.
IT'S BEEN AGES SINCE I'VE LOOKED AT THE RADIO SET GO.
SO THAT'S, UM, I WASN'T AWARE OF THAT.
AND I, I THINK COLLEAGUES, AS WE, AS WE START TO THINK ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT RESILIENCE WORK WE'RE DOING, I THINK ONE, ONE MESSAGE TO THE MANAGER AND TO YOUR, ALL OF THE FOLKS WHO WORK ON EMERGENCIES IS TO KIND OF COLLECT THAT INFORMATION INTO ONE SO THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS KITS THAT WE'RE SUGGESTING PEOPLE GET AND THE, AND THE WAYS IN WHICH WE'RE SUPPORTING THEM THROUGH GIVEAWAYS AND WHATNOT ARE KIND OF LINKED.
THANKS FOR THAT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AGAIN, THANKS FOR ALL THE WORK.
IT IS REALLY GOOD TO SEE THE PROGRESS IN THIS AREA
[D2. Presentation of the Winter Storm Uri Task Force Findings.]
WHERE WE HAVE THE LAST PRESENTATION MANAGER STAFF.[03:05:07]
MANAGER, YOU ARE SURE I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO HAVE ACM.ARIANO INTRODUCE OUR LAST TOPIC, WHICH IS A PRESENTATION WINTER STORM, URI TASK FORCE, FINDINGS IT CMR YANO.
THANK YOU, CITY MANAGER, AGAIN, UH, RAY ARIANNA'S ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, UH, AS WITH ANY SIGNIFICANT EMERGENCY EVENT, THE CITY IS HOMELAND SECURITY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT.
AS WE'VE SORT OF DISCUSSED HERE, COORDINATES THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ACTION AFTER ACTION REPORT IN ORDER TO DETERMINE HOW WE AS AN ORGANIZATION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FEDERAL STATE AND LOCAL AGENCIES, NON-PROFITS IN THE COMMUNITY CAN BE IMPROVE OUR RESPONSE TO FUTURE EMERGENCIES.
THE CITY ENGAGED A CONSULTANT TO ASSIST IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE REPORT, WHICH IS PROJECTED TO BE COMPLETED IN SEPTEMBER.
CLEARLY AS A, AS AN ORGANIZATION, WE HEARD THE MANY VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY, UH, IN REACTION TO WINTER STORM URI AND THROUGH ITS RESOLUTION 20 21 0 3 25 DASH 0 6 7.
COUNCIL DIRECTED THE CREATION OF A WINTER STORM REVIEW TASK FORCE FOR THE PURPOSE OF HOLDING OPEN PUBLIC LISTENING SESSIONS AND TO PROVIDE COUNSEL A REPORT ON THE INFORMATION GLEANED FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT REPORT HAS BEEN COMPLETED.
AND TODAY MEMBERS OF THE TASK FORCE LED BY CHAIRS.
SERETTA DAVIS WILL PRESENT A SUMMARY OF THEIR REVIEW PORT, THANK YOU.
MY NAME IS SARITA DAVIS, AND I AM THE CHAIR OF THE WINTER STORM REVIEW TASK FORCE.
I'M ALSO CHAIR OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION.
I WAS APPOINTED TO THAT COMMISSION BY MAYOR ADLER, AND I'VE SERVED THERE SINCE JULY OF 2015.
UH, I'M FIRST GOING TO THINK COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO AND YOUR PUSH FOR THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS TASK FORCE AND THE WORK WE'RE DOING AND ALL OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT JOINED OUR SPEAKING SESSIONS OR REACHED OUT TO US TO OFFER SUPPORT, UM, IN WHAT WE WERE DOING.
UH, I WILL SAY IT WAS QUITE A VENTURE IN TERMS OF BEING A TASK FORCE THAT REALLY, I BELIEVE TOOK A LOT OF THE BRUNT OF COMMUNITY FRUSTRATION, FEAR, AND ANGER, UM, AND GAVE THEM A PLACE TO, TO EXPRESS THAT.
UM, I ALSO WANT TO GIVE A SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THE TASK FORCE MEMBERS.
I BELIEVE ONLY THREE OF US ARE STILL ON DUE TO WAIT TIMES RIGHT NOW.
UM, AND WE WILL BE PROVIDING THE PRESENTATION, BUT, UM, TASKFORCE MEMBERS WERE EXTREMELY PART IN THIS EFFORT AND, UH, VERY, VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR LIAISON, PATRICIA VORNADO.
SHE DID A GREAT JOB, UM, WITH HARDLY ANY NOTICE SOMETIMES IN, IN GETTING OUR SPEAKING SESSIONS TOGETHER, MAKING SURE EVERYTHING FUNCTIONED PROPERLY AND ALSO JUST HURTING CATS.
IN ADDITION TO ALL HER OTHER DUTIES, I WILL PRESENT THIS BRIEFING TODAY, ALONG WITH, UH, REBECCA AUSTIN.
SHE IS THE CHAIR OF THE COMMISSION FOR WOMEN, AND SHE IS THE VICE CHAIR OF THE TASK FORCE AND THE CHAIR OF THE COLLEGE STUDENT COMMISSION, JEFFREY CLEMENS.
TODAY, WE DID PROVIDE OUR FINAL REPORT, UM, WITH, AS A BACKUP DOCUMENT.
IF YOU'D LIKE TO FOLLOW ALONG EACH SLIDE IN OUR PRESENTATION, WE'LL HAVE THE PAGE NUMBERS RELATED TO WHAT'S IN OUR LARGER REPORT, UM, WHERE WE WILL BE SHARING FEEDBACK AND RECOMMENDATIONS WE RECEIVED FROM SPEAKERS IN THOSE LISTENING SESSIONS.
AND OF COURSE, A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO CITIZENS OF AUSTIN WHO MADE TIME TO ATTEND OUR LISTENING SESSIONS THAT WERE MAJORITY OF THE TIME NOT, WE WERE NOT ABLE TO HOLD THEM AT THE MOST OPPORTUNE TIMES FOR WORKING INDIVIDUALS.
UM, WE WILL BEGIN WITH VICE CHAIR OF OUR TASK FORCE, REBECCA AUSTIN, AND WE'LL START OUR BRIEFING.
ALL RIGHT, GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE.
AND THANK YOU SO MUCH, THREE TO, UH, I'D LIKE TO START JUST BY ACKNOWLEDGING ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF THE TASK FORCE.
THESE ARE ALL VOLUNTEERS, THEY SERVE ON OUR COMMISSIONS.
UH, SO THEY ALREADY CARRY A HEAVY LOAD SUPPORTING THE CITY AND ITS EFFORTS, AND REALLY STEPPED UP AND SHOWED UP FOR THIS TASK FORCE OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS.
SO I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THEM BY READING THEIR NAMES, MARIANNE CONNOR, MOLLY WANG, JEFFREY CLEMENS, MYSELF, SALLY VAN SICKLE MANUEL JIMENEZ, ALETHA HOUSTON, RICARDO GURAY SERITA DAVIS, KATHERINE GONZALEZ, AND JONATHAN FRANKS.
AND YOU CAN SEE ALL OF THEIR AFFILIATIONS.
THESE ARE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND JOIN INCLUSION COMMITTEES, AND REALLY REPRESENT THE VOICES OF CITIZENS ACROSS OUR CITY DIFFERENTLY WHERE HOODS DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHICS AND DIFFERENT CONSTITUENCIES.
UM, AND I I'LL ECHO THE SHOUT OUT TO PATRICIA WHO REALLY, UH, HELD US UP THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS.
LET'S GO AHEAD TO THE NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
SO WHEN THE, UH, THE TASK FORCE WAS COMMISSIONED AT THAT MARCH RESOLUTION, THE PURPOSE OF THE TASK FORCE WAS TO CONVENE PUBLIC LISTENING SESSIONS IN ORDER TO SOLICIT FEEDBACK FROM THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN, ABOUT WINTER STORM URI,
[03:10:01]
WE HELD OUR FIRST KICKOFF MEETING IN MID APRIL.UH, THAT WAS REALLY AN ORGANIZATIONAL OR OPERATIONAL MEETING TO ORGANIZE THE COMMITTEE, TO ELECT THE CHAIR AND THE VICE CHAIR, AND TO GET UNDERWAY AT THAT TIME, WE THEN SCHEDULED A SERIES OF FIVE DIFFERENT LISTENING SESSIONS OVER THE NEXT TWO MONTHS FROM APRIL THROUGH JUNE, KNOWING THAT WE HAD TO DO THIS VIRTUALLY, THERE REALLY WASN'T AN IN-PERSON OPTION.
WE TRIED TO ACCOMMODATE DIFFERENT TIMES OF DAY, DIFFERENT DAYS OF THE WEEK.
UH, BUT WE ALSO HAVE THE CHALLENGES OF, YOU KNOW, SIMPLY GETTING TIMES AND DATES ON THE CITY CALENDAR AND BEING ABLE TO ADVERTISE THOSE.
UM, SO WE WERE AS FLEXIBLE AS POSSIBLE AND ALSO HAVE THE OPTION OF INDIVIDUALS SUBMITTING WRITTEN TESTIMONY, AS WELL AS PHOTOS AND VIDEOS, IF THEY COULDN'T ATTEND A MEETING IN PERSON.
AND WHENEVER WE RECEIVED THAT WRITTEN TESTIMONY, WE ALWAYS READ IT IN, AT A MEETING IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT IT WAS ON RECORD.
YOU CAN SEE ALSO IN THE SCHEDULE HERE, WE HAD DEBRIEFS AFTER EACH OF THE LISTENING SESSIONS.
SO THAT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE TASKFORCE TO CONVENE PROCESS.
WHAT WE HEARD AT THE LAST SESSION, FINE TUNE, OUR APPROACH.
UH, WE, WE DIDN'T HAVE A GUIDE BOOK FOR THIS.
SO WE WERE, UH, YOU KNOW, REALLY DETERMINING AS WE WENT THE BEST WAY TO HEAR FROM CITIZENS AND HOW MUCH TIME TO ALLOT EACH PERSON.
UM, AND WE DIDN'T WANT TO BE UNDER THE CONSTRAINTS OF ROBERT'S RULES AND VERY LIMITED TIME SEGMENTS.
SO WE ESSENTIALLY DIVIDED UP THE AVAILABLE TIME BY THE NUMBER OF SPEAKERS TO GIVE PEOPLE THE MAXIMUM TIME TO SPEAK AS POSSIBLE.
SO WE, WE FINE TUNE THAT PROCESS ALONG THE WAY WITH EACH OF THOSE DEBRIEFS.
AND THEN YOU'LL SEE TOWARDS THE END OF THE SCHEDULE IN JUNE, UM, WE WRAPPED UP THE PUBLIC LISTING SESSIONS AND THEN HELD TO REPORT PLANNING MEETINGS AS WELL AS SEVERAL AD HOC WORKING GROUP MEETINGS IN ORDER TO SYNTHESIZE ALL OF OUR FINDINGS AND DEVELOPED A REPORT, WHICH WENT TO CITY COUNCIL AT THE END OF JULY.
UM, I'LL ALSO NOTE THAT THE CITY THAT A BIG LIFT HERE IN TERMS OF SETTING UP A WEBSITE FOR THE TASK FORCE, SETTING UP A SPEAK-UP PAGE, SO THE CITIZENS COULD PROVIDE WRITTEN OR, OR SOCIAL MEDIA TYPE OF TESTIMONY, UH, PUTTING THE WORD OUT ABOUT ALL OF THE EVENTS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, IF YOUR COMMUNICATIONS FORMS YOU'LL SEE IN THE REPORT, IF YOU REFER TO THE COVER LETTER ON THE FIRST FEW PAGES, THAT THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, PRESS COVERAGE THAT WE GOT AND, AND OTHER MEDIA INFORMATION TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE GONNA SHARE THE WORD.
UM, IN TOTAL, WE HAD 27 SPEAKERS AT THE EVENTS.
WE HAD 20 WRITTEN TESTIMONIES THAT WERE ENTERED FIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS.
THANK YOU FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR ALL OF YOU WHO WERE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MEETINGS AND ALSO PROVIDE TESTIMONY ON BEHALF OF YOUR DISTRICTS.
WE ALSO HAVE REPORTS FROM SEVERAL DIFFERENT GROUPS AND THEN MEMBERS OF THE TASK FORCE ALSO LEVERAGED THEIR OWN NETWORKS TO REACH OUT TO NONPROFITS, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, AND OTHERS, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE HEARING FROM THE BROADEST, UH, GROUP OF CITIZENS POSSIBLE.
I'LL JUST NOTE THAT IF YOU CONSIDER THE FIVE MEETINGS, EACH ONE LASTED A COUPLE OF HOURS, THE WRITTEN TESTIMONY THAT THE REPORTS AND ALL OF THAT, THERE WAS A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT WE TOOK IN.
UM, AGAIN, OUR GOAL WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE COULD AGGREGATE THIS INFORMATION, PRESENT IT TO YOU IN A COHESIVE WAY.
AND SO, AS WE COMB THROUGH ALL OF THE FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE HEARD FROM CITIZENS, THEY FELL INTO THE CATEGORIES THAT YOU SEE HERE.
SO AS WE GO THROUGH THE REPORT AND THE PRESENTATION, YOU'LL SEE THAT WE HAVE A READOUT ON EACH OF THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES HERE THAT WE HEARD FROM CITIZENS.
I WILL ALSO NOTE THAT WHEN YOU SEE RECOMMENDATIONS, THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS WE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY, THESE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THINGS THAT WERE FORMED OR ENDORSED BY THE TASK FORCE MEMBERS.
AS MUCH AS COMMUNITY MEMBERS SHOWED UP, NOT ONLY TALKING ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE, BUT RECOMMENDING WAYS THAT THE CITY COULD DO BETTER IN THE FUTURE OR THAT ORGANIZATIONS COULD HELP SUPPORT IT.
SO THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS COME FROM THE COMMUNITY.
THEY HAVE NOT BEEN FORMALLY RESEARCHED FOR VETERANS.
SO WE'RE NOT STANDING UP AND ENDORSING THOSE AS THE WAY TO GO.
WE'RE PRESENTING THIS BACK TO COUNCIL AS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT YOU CAN USE WITH OTHER INFORMATION SOURCES TO MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS ON BEHALF OF THE CITY.
I WILL ALSO SAY THAT WHILE A LOT OF WHAT WE HEARD WAS CRITICAL.
UM, SERITA INTRODUCED THE SAYING, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF PAIN AND TRAUMA THAT PEOPLE EXPERIENCED THROUGH THIS EVENT.
UM, THERE WAS ALSO A LOT OF POSITIVE FEEDBACK ABOUT THE WAY THAT INDIVIDUALS, FOR US TO THE CHALLENGE, THE ORGANIZATION SUPPORTED EACH OTHER, THAT MEMBERS OF THE CITY DEPARTMENTS, UH, YOU KNOW, WENT WAY ABOVE AND BEYOND TO DO THEIR WELL BEYOND WHAT THEIR JOBS WERE.
UM, AND JUST, YOU KNOW, HUMANS LOOKING OUT FOR OTHER HUMANS.
SO YOU'LL SEE, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THE RECORD, AS MUCH AS THERE MAY BE CRITIQUES, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF INSPIRATIONAL FEEDBACK AS WELL, JUST ABOUT HOW THE CITY ROSE TO THIS CHALLENGE AND HOW WE RESPONDED TO THAT.
UM, THE OTHER THING IS THAT YOU'LL SEE AT THE END OF THE REPORT, A DRAFT OF THE COMMUNITY RESILIENCE TRUST REPORT, THAT'S A PARALLEL WORK EFFORT THAT WAS GOING ON AS WE WERE COLLECTING FEEDBACKS, WE ATTEMPTED TO SHARE AS MUCH AS WE COULD OF THEIR FINDINGS.
UM, BUT THEY HAVE CONSIDERABLY MORE DETAIL, UH, THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE AGAIN, TO BREAK DOWN INTO ALL OF ITS COMPONENTS.
AND WE WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO REFER TO THAT CONTENT AS WELL.
NOW WITH THAT, WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS TURN IT OVER TO TASKFORCE MEMBER CLEMENS, TO START GOING THROUGH THE FINDINGS, AND THEN HE'LL PASS THAT OVER TO CHAIR DAVIS.
UM, AND THANK YOU CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO, UM, HEAR
[03:15:01]
US PRESENT THE REPORT TODAY.UM, IF YOU'LL GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, GET STARTED THERE.
SO, UM, I THINK THE FIRST, THE REASON WHY WE PUT COMMUNICATIONS FIRST IN THIS REPORT IS BECAUSE PROBABLY THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF THE TESTIMONY THAT WE HEARD FROM ANY CITIZENS, UM, SENATOR AROUND HOW THE CITY, I WAS COMMUNICATING, UM, EMERGENCY SERVICES AND, UH, MESSAGES TO THE PUBLIC.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, THE FIRST WORDS OF THE ACTUAL REPORT ARE WHILE SOCIAL MEDIA IS AN EFFECTIVE FORM OF COMMUNICATION.
UH, THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA DURING THE STORM WAS, UM, UH, WAS SPORADIC UPDATES WAS PROBLEMATIC.
UM, AND YOU'LL NOTICE THAT ON PAGE FIVE, UM, WE EVEN INCLUDED, UM, AN EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THOSE TWEETS THAT WAS QUITE PROBLEMATIC IN TERMS OF NOT REALLY COMMUNICATING A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC.
AND SO, UM, THAT WAS ONE OF THE KEY CRITICISMS THAT WE CONTINUE TO HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY IS THAT THERE NEEDED TO BE A BETTER, UM, AND, AND, AND CLEARER COMMUNICATION SYSTEM.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, THERE SHOULD HAVE PROBABLY BEEN A MUCH LARGER SWATH OF DIFFERENT RESOURCES USED.
UM, SO WE JUST HEARD ABOUT HOW POTENTIALLY TRANSISTOR RADIOS WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY USEFUL TO HAVE DURING THIS TIME WHEN PEOPLE COULD NOT CHARGE THEIR DEVICES.
UM, THEY DIDN'T HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, TOWERS ARE GOING DOWN AND THINGS OF THE LIKE, UM, SO TEXT MESSAGES, UM, SOMETIMES WE'RE NOT EVEN THE BEST OPTION.
UM, WE HEARD MANY STORIES OF PEOPLE WHO WERE CHARGING THEIR PHONES IN THEIR CARS, UM, IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO GET JUST ENOUGH JUICE AND ENOUGH SIGNAL TO BE ABLE TO GET A MESSAGE.
AND SO, UM, THERE WAS DEFINITELY A NEED, UM, TO FILL THAT DEARTH OF, UM, UM, DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION SOURCES.
UM, THAT BEING SAID, HOWEVER, UM, AS, UM, REBECCA MENTIONED AT THE TOP, YOU KNOW, WE DID SEE A LOT OF COMMUNITY RESILIENCE THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE STORM.
UM, AND ONE OF THE EXAMPLES OF THAT WAS THAT MANY, UH, NEIGHBORHOODS, A PHONE TREES, UH, WHERE THEY WOULD CALL THEIR NEIGHBORS AND THEY WOULD CHECK ON THEIR NEIGHBORS AND THE NEIGHBOR WOULD CHECK ON ANOTHER NEIGHBOR.
UM, AND ON PAGE FOUR, THE REPORT YOU'LL ACTUALLY SEE, UM, BASICALLY LIKE A DIAGRAM OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
UM, ANOTHER THING THAT WE HEARD, UM, THAT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT.
AND, UM, I HOPE THAT THE COUNCIL AXON IS THE NEED TO TRANSLATE MORE OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE INTO DIFFERENT LANGUAGES.
SINCE WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, MANY DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES THAT SPEAK MANY DIFFERENT LANGUAGES, UM, WITH THE TASK FORCE, WE ALSO TRIED TO TRANSLATE OUR MATERIALS SO THAT PEOPLE COULD COME FROM THOSE COMMUNITIES AND ACTUALLY, UM, PROVIDE THEIR FEEDBACK, UM, BY PUTTING INTO THOSE DIFFERENT LANGUAGES.
UM, BUT ALSO AS WE SEE HERE, THERE ARE ALSO PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES WHO ARE HOME BOUND OR ELDERLY NEED OTHER OPTIONS, UM, UH, UM, IN TERMS OF WHAT INFORMATION CAN BE COMMUNICATED TO THEM.
UM, SO THAT'S A BRIEF OF THAT.
UM, IF WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, SO THERE'S OBVIOUSLY GOING TO BE A NEED TO USE AS MANY FORMS OF COMMUNICATION AS WE HAVE, UM, TO THEIR MAXIMUM CAPACITY DURING THESE, UM, CRISES THAT WE HAVE IN THE CITY, UM, SUCH AS A WINTER FORM, OR AS WE JUST HEARD FROM THAT GREAT PRESENTATION, UH, WILDFIRES.
UM, AND THERE'S ALSO GOING TO BE A GREATER NEED TO COORDINATE AND COLLABORATE WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO, UM, MAKE THAT COMMUNICATION MORE EFFECTIVE AND MAKE SURE THAT IT'S HITTING ALL THE POSSIBLE CHANNELS.
UM, AND SO USING AS MANY EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS AS POSSIBLE.
UM, AND AGAIN, AS WE JUST HEARD IN THE PREVIOUS PRESENTATION, UM, BETTER EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ON EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS IS GOING TO MAKE US ALL MORE PREPARED AS COMMUNITY.
UM, AND SO, UM, THE WINNERS, WE HEARD MANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS MENTIONED THAT THE SELVES, UM, AND MAKE THAT RECOMMENDATION, UM, WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO, UM, ANOTHER, UM, UH, LARGE, UH, BULK OF THE, UM, COMMUNICATION WE GOT FROM CITIZENS ALSO HAD TO DO WITH THE TRANSPARENCY OF INFORMATION.
UM, YOU KNOW, ONE MAJOR CRITICISM WAS THAT WE KNEW ABOUT THE STORM QUITE A WHILE IN ADVANCE BEFORE THE STORM EVER HIT GROUND.
UM, AND THERE SEEMED TO HAVE BEEN A LACK OF PREPAREDNESS ON THE PART OF THE CITY IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, GETTING EVERYONE READY FOR THAT, UM, PARENT COMMUNITY MEMBERS, UM, ESTABLISHING THOSE LINES OF COMMUNICATION WITH, UM, UM, COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO PREPARE PEOPLE, GET RESOURCES TOGETHER FOR THE STORM.
UM, AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, ONCE WE, THE STORM WAS HITTING, UH, THERE WAS AN INADEQUATE AND CONSISTENT COMMUNICATIONS ABOUT WHERE THE POWER WAS OUT, UM, AND HOW LONG IT WILL BE OUT FOR, UM, WHERE THEY COULD, WHERE PEOPLE COULD GET FOOD AND OTHER RESOURCES, UM, AND HOW THEY COULD ALSO PROTECT THEIR HOME INFRASTRUCTURE SUCH AS THEIR PLUMBING, SINCE THERE WERE A LOT OF LEAKS.
UM, THERE'S A PICTURE LATER IN THE REPORT OF SOMEONE'S APARTMENT, YOU KNOW, TH THAT GOT COMPLETELY DESTROYED, UM, BY SOME INFRASTRUCTURE THAT HAD FAILED.
UM, AND SO THERE WAS DEFINITELY A NEED, UH, TO ADDRESS THAT, UM, BE MORE PROACTIVE ABOUT THESE THINGS, INCLUDING WITH RESPECT TO THE INFRASTRUCTURE, UM, ACTUALLY IMPROVING THE INFRASTRUCTURE RIGHT NOW.
UM, BUT AS FAR AS THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE PROVIDE IN THE REPORT, UM, IT'S THE NEEDS TO DISSEMINATE THE INFORMATION A LOT MORE QUICKLY, UM, AND MAKE
[03:20:01]
SURE THAT IT'S ACCURATE.UM, SO WHETHER THAT LOOKS LIKE, YOU KNOW, A GREATER CENTRALIZATION OF INFORMATION, I THINK THAT, UM, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTERMAN MENTIONED THIS EARLIER THAT, UM, CITY COUNCIL, UM, I'M NOT SURE IF THE, WHAT THEIR ROLE IN THE STORM WAS IF IT WAS CLEAR, UM, AND PERHAPS THAT NEEDS TO GAIN GREATER CLARITY.
UM, AND ADDITIONALLY, UM, JUST BETTER PREPARING FOR THOSE EVENTS IN THE FUTURE AND FORESEEING THAT THESE THINGS ARE GOING TO INCREASE WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, IF WE CONTINUE TO DEAL WITH CLIMATE CHANGE AND, UH, JUST THE REALITY OF, UM, YOU KNOW, THE STATE THAT WE'RE IN.
UM, AND SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, THIS WAS, UM, SOMETHING THAT WE HEARD THROUGHOUT MANY OF THE TESTIMONIES, UM, THIS, THIS, UH, KIND OF PARALLELS WITH THAT, UM, THE LACK OF TRANSPARENCY IN TERMS OF THE INFORMATION THAT PEOPLE WERE GETTING.
UM, OFTENTIMES IT COULD HAVE BEEN INCONSISTENT, UM, DURING SOME OF THE PUBLIC HEARINGS THAT WERE HELD DURING THE STORM.
UM, YOU KNOW, MANY CITIZENS WERE NOT ABLE TO ANSWER, ASK QUESTIONS OR GET THEIR QUESTIONS ANSWERED.
UM, UM, IN TERMS OF WE KNOW WHERE THEY COULD GET RESOURCES OR WHERE THEY COULD BE GOING IN TERMS OF LODGING AND SHELTER, AS WE'LL HEAR LATER ON IN THE REPORT.
UM, AND FOR THAT MATTER, UM, YOU KNOW, WHENEVER THERE WAS A PUBLIC HEARING OF DIFFERENT PUBLIC OFFICIALS, SOMETIMES YOU WOULD SEE THEM AND THEY'RE WELL LIT ROOMS. UM, THERE A PICTURE, UM, UM, IN THE REPORT ON PAGE SEVEN, UM, AND A QUOTE FROM ONE OF THE, UH, COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO SPOKE, UM, THAT I THINK DEFINITELY HIGHLIGHTS THIS, UM, LACK OF TRUST IN THE COMMUNITY.
UM, AND SO ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE BROUGHT OUT OF THIS IS THAT THERE'S PROBABLY A GREATER NEED TO COORDINATE WITH OUR QUALITY OF LIFE COMMISSIONS.
UM, SO WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE THE TASK FORCE THAT BROUGHT TOGETHER SO MANY OF OUR COMMISSIONS.
SO THAT WAY WE COULD BRING OUR OWN EXPERT EXPERTISE TO THESE, UH, TO THIS ISSUE.
UM, BUT ALSO OUR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS WHO WERE SO HELPFUL IN OUR SCHOOLS AND FAITH COMMUNITIES, UM, ALL OF THESE COMMUNITIES SHOULD PROBABLY BE BROUGHT INTO THE PLANNING PROCESS, UM, AS WE'RE GOING INTO KIND OF THESE, UM, CLIMATE DISASTERS, WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE
OBVIOUSLY THIS IS NOT ENTIRELY ON THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UM, ONCE AGAIN, WE ARE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS WHERE THERE HAS BEEN KIND OF A DECADES LONG DIVESTMENT IN TERMS OF, UM, IMPROVING OUR ELECTRICAL GRID.
UM, IT'S AN ELECTRIC GRID FOR PROFIT RATHER THAN FOR SUSTAINABILITY.
UM, THAT BEING SAID, HOWEVER, WE DID HEAR A LOT OF RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE COMMUNITY ABOUT, UH, WHAT THE CITY CAN DO.
UM, AND WITH RESPECT TO THAT FEEDBACK, THERE'S ALSO A NEED TO, UM, IMPROVE THE EQUITY IN TERMS OF, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR DISTRIBUTION OF POWER IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UM, SINCE THERE WERE SOME COMMUNITIES THAT LOST POWER FOR MUCH LONGER THAN OTHERS.
UM, AND THE REASONS FOR THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, LIKELY GO BACK TO, UM, OUR EQUITY IN TERMS OF INFRASTRUCTURE.
UM, AND LAST, UH, WE ALSO WERE REMINDED OF THE LACK OF CONSERVATION THAT WE SAW THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
UM, WE ALL RECALL, UH, WHEN DOWNTOWN WAS, UH, MANY BUILDINGS DOWNTOWN WERE ENTIRELY LIT UP, UM, WHILE THERE WERE MANY PEOPLE WHO WERE IN THEIR HOMES AND DIDN'T HAVE POWER AND ACCESS TO HEAT.
UM, AND SO, UM, THE LACK OF CENTRALIZED DECISION-MAKING OR ABILITY TO MAKE THAT DECISION IN THAT CALL TO SHUT DOWN THOSE BUILDINGS, UM, IT'S SOMETHING THAT THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS BROUGHT UP AS SOMETHING TO ADDRESS.
UM, AND SO I'M ALSO PLANNING TO RESPOND TO THESE OUTAGES AS THEY BECOME MORE FREQUENT, UM, AS THEY WILL UNTIL, YOU KNOW, TEXAS AS A WHOLE IMPROVES, OUR ELECTRIC GRID IS GOING TO BE REALLY IMPORTANT.
UM, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS BROUGHT UP, INCLUDING SOME OF THEM GIVING US SOME VERY DETAILED PLANS ON WHAT THEY THINK THAT COULD LOOK LIKE, UM, WHICH I THINK THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN THE REPORT AS WELL.
THE LAST SECTION I'LL COVER, UM, IF WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, IS CONCERNING WATER, FOOD AND ESSENTIAL SUPPLIES.
UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A NUMERABLE PICTURES, STORIES AND REPORTS ABOUT THE KINDS OF, UM, CHALLENGES THAT PEOPLE WERE FACING DURING THIS TIME.
UM, YOU KNOW, UM, WHETHER IT WAS LACK OF POTABLE WATER OR, UM, THERE WAS THE FACT THAT THERE WAS NO ORGANIZED DISTRIBUTION OF RESOURCES UNTIL MUCH LATER IN THE STORE, OR, UM, WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS CONSISTENTLY BROUGHT UP TO US.
AND ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE WERE SO THANKFUL TO ALL THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND ORGANIZATIONS WHO CAME TOGETHER, UM, I BELIEVE IT'S IN THE EXCERPTS FROM THE COMMUNITY RESILIENCE TRUST REPORT.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S A VERY LONG LIST OF ORGANIZATIONS WHEREVER IT'LL HELP OUT.
UM, BUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER TO HAVE A CENTRALIZED RESPONSE THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN, UM, FASTER.
UM, ADDITIONALLY WITH THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, THE LOCK, THE LACK OF WATER BECAUSE OF FROZEN PIPES, GREATEST SANITATION ISSUES ACROSS THE CITY.
UM, PARTICULARLY AGAIN, SOME OF OUR MORE VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES, WHETHER THAT'S COMMUNITIES WITH HIGH POPULATIONS OF ELDERLY FOLK, UM, OR EVEN ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES,
[03:25:01]
UH, WHERE STUDENTS, YOU KNOW, AND OTHER PEOPLE WERE GOING TO BUCKETS OF WATER OUT OF POOLS IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, TAKE BATHS AND FLUSH THE TOILET AND THINGS LIKE THAT.UM, ADDITIONALLY, UM, THESE, UH, THE FOODIST SHELTERS, UH, WAS INADEQUATE UNHEALTHY, AND IT WAS NOT, UM, APPROPRIATE FOR THE MANY DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES THAT WE HAVE HERE IN AUSTIN.
UM, THE SHELTERS, WHICH WE WILL TALK MORE ABOUT LATER IN THE PRESENTATION WERE, UM, ANOTHER, UM, HIGH POINT OF THE FEEDBACK THAT WE GOT FROM COMMUNITY.
UM, AND SO IF WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE SO SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE TO BASICALLY ESTABLISH AN EMERGENCY DISPATCH OPERATION.
THAT'S COORDINATED WITH THE CITY AND ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS.
UM, UM, AGAIN, GOING BACK TO THE PREVIOUS PRESENTATION THAT WE HEARD FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, YOU KNOW, UM, IT WILL TAKE COLLABORATION AND HAVING A WELL-PLANNED APPROACH, UM, TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THESE CRISES WHEN THEY OCCUR, UM, AND DO IT QUICKLY.
UM, AND SO HAVING THOSE CONTACTS, UM, ALREADY ON HAND, UM, AND HAVING MORE CLEARLY ESTABLISHED ROLES IS GOING TO GO A LONG WAY TOWARDS, UM, ENSURING THAT PEOPLE DON'T HAVE TO GO WITHOUT FOOD OR WATER, UM, WHEN THEY MOST NEEDED, UH, ADDITIONALLY, UM, SOMETHING THAT WE GOT FROM, UH, THE TESTIMONY THAT WE GOT, UH, THROUGH THE UNIVERSITIES AND OTHER PEOPLE IS THE ACCESS TO CASH, UM, TO BE ABLE TO, EVEN IF YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO OUT AND GET SUPPLIES AND FOOD AND THINGS LIKE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, CREDIT CARD MACHINES ARE DOWN.
SO DO PEOPLE HAVE ACCESS TO CASH TO BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY EVEN GET THESE SUPPLIES? UM, ADDITIONALLY THERE, UM, MAINTAINING THESE EMERGENCY SUPPLIES OF FOOD THROUGHOUT THE CITY, UM, IN ANY DIFFERENT INSTITUTIONS THAT WE HAVE WITH THOSE OTHER UNIVERSITIES AND DIFFERENT BUSINESSES, UM, IS DEFINITELY A MAJOR RECOMMENDATION, UM, THAT THE TASK FORCE CAME AWAY WITH.
UM, FINALLY WE NEED TO ENSURE THE DISTRIBUTION IS HEALTHY ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND, AND THAT IT'S A CULTURAL COMPETENCE.
SO THAT WAY, UM, NOT ONLY DO ALL COMMUNITY MEMBERS, UM, HAVE THE THINGS THEY NEED, BUT THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'VE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE, UM, THOUGHTFUL PLANNING PROCESS THAT, UM, I'M SURE COUNCIL WILL PUT TOGETHER, UM, AND CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THEIR COMMUNITY DEPARTMENTS TO DEVELOP.
UM, AND SO WITH THAT, I WILL, UM, NOW TURN OVER THE PRESENTATION, UM, TO SERENA, THANK YOU, JEFFREY, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND SERVICES.
SO WE HEARD A GREAT DEAL FROM THE COMMUNITY, UM, STARTING WITH, UM, THINGS THAT ARE OUT OF THE HANDS OF THE CITY, OF COURSE, UM, HOW THEY WERE TREATED BY VARIOUS LANDLORDS PROPERTY MANAGERS, UM, OR CITY OFFICIALS, IF THEY OWN THEIR HOME.
AND THEY WERE REACHING OUT FOR HELP, UM, OR ATTEMPTING TO, UM, DIFFICULTY GETTING THROUGH TO 3, 1, 1 OR 9 1, 1, UM, THE INABILITY OF THOSE OPERATORS TO SEEM TO FUNCTION WELL IN THE TYPE OF CRISIS WE HAD DURING WINTER STORM AIRY, UM, BEING SHORT WITH THEM, HANGING UP ON THEM, AND THEN EXTREMELY LONG HOLD TIMES ALL.
UM, IT REALLY CAUSED A FRENZY AND FEAR BECAUSE I THINK IT MADE THE SITUATION WORSE AND THAT PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THINGS WEREN'T AS BAD AS, AS THEY WERE THINKING, ONCE ALL EMERGENCY SERVICES ARE SHUT DOWN.
I THINK SOMETHING, OUR BIG TAKEAWAY WAS IF IT'S EMERGENCY AND EMERGENCY SERVICES SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ACCESS IT IN AN EMERGENCY, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S GOING ON.
SO THEY BASICALLY FELT HELPLESS AND LIKE THEY WERE LEFT ALONE, UM, CONFUSION REGARDING, SHOULD THEY TRY TO FIND SOMEONE WITH THE CITY COUNTY STATE FEDERAL? I THINK SOME OF THAT CONFUSION BASED ON THE FEEDBACK WE RECEIVED WAS THAT THEY FELT LIKE, OR THEY HAD THE IMPRESSION THAT WHERE THEY COULD RECEIVE INFORMATION, CITY OFFICIALS, COUNCIL MEMBERS, PEOPLE AT THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE WERE PUSHING THE BLAME OFF ON OTHER OFFICIALS AND, OR PASSING THE BUCK.
AND SO THEY DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHO TO TURN TO FOR HELP, BUT IT BECAME INCREASINGLY OBVIOUS THAT THEY FELT LIKE THEY COULD NOT TURN TO ANYONE WITH THE CITY FOR ANY SUBSTANTIVE HELP.
UM, POSITIVE FEEDBACK WAS THAT SOME PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO HAVE SOME RESPONSE FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UM, CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS, UM, YOU KNOW, SPECIFIC PEOPLE WHO ROSE TO THE CHALLENGE IS SOME OF THE FEEDBACK WE RECEIVED.
UM, AND, AND THEY DID WANT TO RECOGNIZE THEM, BUT THEY WANT, UH, THE MAJORITY OF OTHERS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE IN SOME WAY.
AND I THINK PERHAPS EVEN A BIG APOLOGY MIGHT HELP WITH THAT.
UM, AND, AND REALLY, UH, SHOW AT THIS POINT, I MEAN, WE'RE SEVERAL MONTHS OUT FROM THE STORM NOW AND, AND INDIVIDUALS SEEM, YOU KNOW, WE WERE TAKING FEEDBACK THROUGH JUNE, JULY AND CITIZENS STILL FEEL THAT THE CITY HASN'T REALLY GIVEN THEM A RESPONSE THAT SHOWS THAT THEY BELIEVE THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SOME OF THE FAILURES AND THAT THINGS WILL BE BETTER IN THE FUTURE.
SO, UM, IN TERMS OF RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, A PLAN FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES TO BE ABLE TO FUNCTION IN A CRISIS IN HIGHLY EMERGENT SITUATION, UM, NOT, YOU KNOW,
[03:30:01]
BE TOLD THAT THEY'RE EMERGENCY SERVICES, THAT CAN'T FUNCTION FOR EXAMPLE, BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE TRAINING TO DRIVE ON ICE OR IN SNOW, WHEN THEY HAVE FOUR BY FOUR VEHICLES, UM, CLEARLY DOCUMENTED PLAN THAT'S COMMUNICATED TO CITIZENS, OR THEY KNOW WHERE TO FIND IT.WE HEARD A LITTLE ABOUT THAT IN THE LAST PRESENTATION, IN TERMS OF AT LEAST FIRE, UM, PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW WHAT TO DO OR HOW TO REACT.
AND SOME OF US OFFERED INFORMATION REGARDING, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WERE RAISED IN OTHER STATES THAT HAVE CERTAIN NATURAL DISASTERS OCCUR REGULARLY, LIKE TORNADOES, ET CETERA, YOU ALREADY KNOW WHAT THE PLAN IS.
IF SOMETHING HAPPENS SO THAT YOU'RE NOT SCRAMBLING TO TRY TO COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE WHEN YOUR ELECTRICAL GRID FAILS DURING A, A SERIOUS EMERGENCY.
UM, AND AGAIN, THE COMMUNITY RESILIENCE TRUST AND THEY'RE SEPARATE REPORT.
THEY HAVE A LOT OF DETAIL REGARDING THAT NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
UM, AND PEOPLE DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THERE IS EQUIPMENT TO CLEAR ROADS, BUT IT WASN'T USED TO MAKE THE ROADS MORE ACCESSIBLE.
UM, WE ALL KNOW THAT MAJOR OVERPASSES AND FREEWAYS WERE SHUT DOWN.
SO PERHAPS THEY COULDN'T ESCAPE THE CITY, BUT IT WOULD HAVE GIVEN THEM A SENSE THAT THEY COULD TRY TO GET TO NEIGHBORS OR OTHER FACILITIES FOR HELP, OR TRY TO GET TO A STORE THAT MAY BE OPEN TO, TO GET FOOD AND OTHER SUPPLIES.
UM, INDIVIDUALS CARETAKERS COULDN'T GET TO THEM.
UH, THE, THE TIME IT TOOK TO CLEAR THE ROADS RESTORE POWER, UM, AND WE DO LIVE IN TEXAS, BUT, UM, WE RECEIVED A LOT OF FEEDBACK FROM HOMEOWNERS IN PARTICULAR, IN REGARDING WHETHER OR NOT THEIR HOMES WERE BUILT TO CODE EVEN TO CODE BY THE STANDARDS THAT WE'RE USED TO, UM, WITHOUT ANOMALOUS STORMS OCCURRING.
UM, THEY'D LIKE THE CITY TO, TO LOOK IN, INTO THOSE, UH, AREAS, UM, EMERGENCY SERVICES, EQUIPMENT, TRAINING, AND PROCEDURES FOR SEVERE WEATHER, UM, WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST RECOMMENDATIONS.
AGAIN, IT'S VERY HARD PILL TO SWALLOW FOR THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN THAT, UM, THEIR EMERGENCY SERVICES COULD NOT HELP THEM BECAUSE THEY DID NOT KNOW HOW TO HELP THEM.
UM, NO ONE WAS PREPARED TO HEAR THAT, UM, COORDINATE TRANSPORTATION FOR VULNERABLE CITIZENS HAVE ANY SPECIAL EMERGENCY SERVICE JUST FOR THAT.
UM, OF COURSE THOSE INDIVIDUALS WOULD NEED TO IDENTIFY THEMSELVES TO SOME DEPARTMENT AND MAKE THEMSELVES KNOWN SO THAT IF THERE'S A STORM, THEY KNOW THAT HELP IS ON THE WAY SOMEONE IS COMING TO TO GET THEM.
I CAN TELL YOU WITH MY PERSONAL WORK DURING THE STORM WITH THE COMMUNITY RESILIENCE TRUST, UH, A WOMAN WHO HAD A DAUGHTER THAT RELIES ON A BREATHING MACHINE AND SHE HAD A BACKUP, BUT THE BACKUP WAS, YOU KNOW, BEING DRAINED.
AND SHE DIDN'T KNOW HOW HER DAUGHTER WHO HAS A PARTICULAR DISABILITY WOULD BE ABLE TO BREATHE.
AND WE ACTUALLY HAD TO FIND A COMMUNITY MEMBER, A REGULAR CITIZEN WITH A FOUR BY FOUR THAT WAS ABLE TO PICK THEM UP AND GET THEM TO, TO DELL CHILDREN'S.
SO, UM, SHE DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHY ANY EMERGENCY SERVICES VEHICLE COULD NOT COME FOR HER IN THAT TYPE OF SITUATION.
UM, PROVIDE ASSISTANCE FOR THOSE WHO EXPERIENCED DAMAGE OR NEED UPGRADES FOR PROTECTION TO THEIR HOMES.
THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF CONFUSION FOR HOMEOWNERS IN TERMS OF WHAT HELPED THE CITY CAN AFFORD THEM, ESPECIALLY WITH REGARD TO THEIR INSURANCE PLANS, BEING UNABLE TO PAY THEM FOR, TO, TO, SO THAT THEY CAN PAY FOR THE COST OF REPAIRS FOR THEIR HOME BECAUSE OF LACK OF DOCUMENTATION BY CERTAIN CITY CODE OFFICIALS, NEXT SLIDE, ACCESS TO SHELTER AND LODGING.
UM, WE ALL KNOW WE, WE STILL HAVE A, A VERY LARGE SEGMENT OF INDIVIDUALS WITHOUT HOMES IN OUR CITY, UM, WHO BASICALLY ARE INVITED TO BE HERE BECAUSE OF, OF THE CITY'S POLICY AND, AND COUNCILS, UM, VIEW OF, OF TRYING TO, TO HELP PEOPLE IN THIS SITUATION.
UM, THAT BEING SAID, THEY HAD TO TURN TO COMMUNITY GROUPS LIKE SURVIVE, TO THRIVE.
WHO'S USED TO HOW TO HOUSING INDIVIDUALS IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, EMERGENCY SITUATIONS, UM, AUSTIN MUTUAL AID AND OTHERS, BECAUSE THERE SEEMED TO BE NO WAY TO GET HELP WITH REGARDS TO FUNDS, FINDING HOUSING, HOTELS, ET CETERA, FROM THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE.
THERE ARE A LOT OF QUESTIONS IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THAT.
AND HOPEFULLY AT SOME POINT THERE WILL BE A SUBSTANTIVE RESPONSE, UM, TO THAT, UM, HOTELS, UH, WE HAD REPORTS OF HOTELS THAT WERE PRICE GOUGING AND OVERCHARGING IN THESE SITUATIONS.
UH, CITIZENS WOULD LIKE THAT TO BE LOOKED INTO, AND THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME ACCOUNTABILITY THERE FOR, FOR THOSE, UH, HOTELS THAT WERE TRULY PRICE GOUGING AND, AND TRYING TO TAKE ECONOMIC ADVANTAGE OF THE SITUATION WARMING CENTERS THAT AT
[03:35:01]
FIRST, THE FIRST WEEK OF THE STORM, UH, INDIVIDUALS WERE NOT PREPARED TO GO TO A WARMING CENTER AND BE TOLD THEY HAD TO LEAVE AT EIGHT OR 9:00 PM.UM, BECAUSE THAT, THAT GREATLY DEFEATED THE PURPOSE OF THEM FINDING A WAY THERE, ESPECIALLY INDIVIDUALS WITHOUT HOMES TO GET WARM AND, AND BE TURNED OUT INTO THE COLD AT NIGHT WHEN IT'S GOING TO BE THE COLDEST PORTION OF THE DAY.
AT THAT POINT, UM, CONCERNS ABOUT USING SHELTERS DURING A PANDEMIC, UM, UH, SHELTERS THAT WERE AVAILABLE BEING INACCESSIBLE FOR, FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES OR HAVE OTHER SPECIAL NEEDS.
UM, AND PEOPLE WERE ALSO RELUCTANT TO LEAVE THEIR PETS.
AND I DON'T BELIEVE IT'S HERE, BUT WE DID RECEIVE A LOT OF FEEDBACK REGARDING EMERGENCY SERVICES FOR, FOR ANIMALS, UM, AND, AND THE NEED TO KEEP ALIGNED GOING WHERE PEOPLE CAN FALL IN AND RECEIVE HELP THERE AS WELL.
SO AS FAR AS RECOMMENDATIONS AND NEED FOR, UH, EMERGENCY PLAN, THAT MAKES SURE, UH, ALL MEANS OF HELP ARE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL CITIZENS AND COORDINATION, UH, BETWEEN THE CITY AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO HELP VULNERABLE PEOPLE.
AND, UH, PLEASE ADDRESS THE REPORTS OF PRICE GOUGING BY HOTELS AND OTHER, UH, PLACES THAT CLAIM THEY COULD TAKE IN INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE AT HOME WITHOUT WATER OR HEAT, OR WHO HAD NOWHERE TO LIVE.
I THINK YOU NEED TO GO BACK ONE.
UH, WELL OF NONPROFITS, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, AND NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS.
UM, THERE ARE MANY COMMUNITY GROUPS NON-PROFITS FAITH-BASED GROUPS, UM, WHO STEPPED UP IMMEDIATELY AND WERE ACTUALLY PLANNING BEFORE THE, THE WORST PART OF THE STORM HIT TO, UH, PROVIDE FOOD AND WATER, POTABLE WATER FOR PEOPLE TO DRINK, TO, TO COORDINATE AN EFFORT, TO HAVE DIFFERENT DEPOTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, TO, FOR PEOPLE, IF YOU COULD GET TO THEM, THEY WOULD FEED YOU.
AND THEN LATER ON, WE'RE TAKING THEM DOOR TO DOOR.
UM, THESE ORGANIZATIONS, UM, AT THE TIME WE WERE TAKING FEEDBACK HAD NOT RECEIVED FUNDING FROM THE CITY TO HELP WITH THAT, OR, OR, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD CONSIDER IT, I WOULD CONSIDER IT REPAYMENT.
UM, SO YOU HAD INDIVIDUALS WITH SOME OF THESE AND SOME ARE, YOU KNOW, VERY YOUNG, BUT THEY WERE USING THEIR PERSONAL CREDIT CARDS TO PROVIDE AID TO THE REST OF THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN.
UH, SO IN TERMS OF RECOMMENDATIONS, THE NEED, UM, TO HAVE AN ORGANIZED DISPATCH CENTER, BECAUSE THESE NON-PROFITS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS HAD TO FORM A MAKESHIFT DISPATCH TO BE ABLE TO COORDINATE WITH ONE ANOTHER SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT DUPLICATE EFFORTS AND SO THAT THEY COULD STREAMLINE GETTING THINGS DONE.
UM, NO ONE WITH THE CITY WITH REGARD TO SUPPLIES, FOOD, AND HELPING CITIZENS IN THAT MANNER WAS INVOLVED WITH THAT EFFORT.
I WAS A BIG PART OF THAT EFFORT AND OTHER THAN JOINING CALLS, ONCE IN A WHILE, IN TERMS OF ACTUAL ACTION AND THE CITY BEING INVOLVED IN THAT, UM, THERE WAS NOT A LOT GOING ON.
I KNOW, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON WAS ABLE TO HELP, BUT, BUT CITIZENS DEFINITELY, UM, WERE DISILLUSIONED BY NOT SEEING THEIR PARTICULAR DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER THERE TO HELP, UM, STRENGTHENED RELATIONSHIPS AND FUNDING WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND NONPROFITS.
UM, ONE OF THE BIG THINGS THAT CAME OUT OF THIS IS THAT BECAUSE OF THE ABILITY OF CERTAIN NONPROFITS AND FAITH-BASED GROUPS TO HELP, IT SEEMS LIKE, AND THAT IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE CITY NOW COMING UP WITH ANY EMERGENCY PLAN FOR THE FUTURE, IT MIGHT BE GOOD TO OFFER SOME HELP TO THESE COMMUNITY GROUPS, UM, AND THE, UH, IN TERMS OF FUNDING TO HELP THEM GROW TO SCALE AND TO ALSO MAKE SURE THERE'S A GREAT RELATIONSHIP THERE DURING ANOTHER CATASTROPHE SO THAT THE CITY CAN WORK IN COORDINATION WITH, WITH THESE NONPROFITS, BUSINESSES, FAITH, FAITH BASED GROUPS.
SO THAT IT'S A, IT'S A JOINT COMMUNITY EFFORT.
OF COURSE, WE ALL KNOW THIS, THE CITY HAS ALREADY WAS ALREADY OPERATING IN A PANDEMIC WHEN THE STORM HIT, UM, THIS EXACERBATED, THE STRESSORS, ANXIETY, AND OTHER MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.
PEOPLE WERE ALREADY SUFFERING FROM, UM, DEALING WITH SCHOOL CLOSURES, FINANCIAL SECURITY LOSS OF JOBS, UM, AND OTHER CHALLENGES.
AND SO WE DID HEAR A BIT AMOUNT OF FEEDBACK FROM CITIZENS WHO, UM, NOT ONLY DURING THE TIME OF CRISIS, BUT NOW WITH LIKE, UM, SOME HELP FINDING MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES FROM THE CITY, UM, TO DEAL WITH, YOU KNOW, FOR THOSE WHO FELT LIKE THEY VERY MUCH EXPERIENCED TRAUMA, UM, AND, AND ARE STILL TRYING TO HEAL FROM THAT TRAUMA DURING THE STORM, THEY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT
[03:40:01]
RESOURCES, AS FAR AS MENTAL HEALTH, THE CITY COULD, COULD HELP THEM FIND, UM, ESTABLISHING A PLAN TO CHECK ON VULNERABLE AND ISOLATED RESIDENTS DURING THE CATASTROPHE.UM, THEY LIKED THAT PASSWORD TO INCREASE DURING EMERGENCY SITUATIONS.
AND I STATED IT BEFORE, BUT WE RECEIVED A LOT OF FEEDBACK REGARDING ANIMAL WELFARE RESCUE AND SERVICE ANIMALS.
UM, APPARENTLY THERE IS A LINE THAT 3, 1, 1 CAN CONNECT PEOPLE TO, TO GET HELP WITH THEIR ANIMALS, SERVICE ANIMALS.
AND AGAIN, ALL THOSE LINES WERE, WERE SHUT DOWN FOR, FOR A LONG PERIOD DURING THE STORM.
THE COMMUNITY RESILIENCE, TRUSTS, SYNOPSIS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
UM, THERE A VERY EXTENSIVE REPORTS, I BELIEVE THE COMMUNITY RESILIENCE TRUST.
I DON'T KNOW IF THEY HAVE ALREADY, THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO SUPPLY TO THE MAYOR AND TO THE CITY MANAGER, BUT, UM, THEY WANTED TO PROVIDE AS A COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION EXTRACTS FROM THEIR REPORT TO OURS, THAT, SO YOU'LL SEE IT THERE, UM, AT THE END OF OUR REPORT, BUT YOU CAN REFER TO THE REPORT FOR A FULL RECOMMENDATIONS AND THEIR FULL RECOMMENDATIONS, HAVE A GREAT DEAL ABOUT THE SPECIFIC COMMUNITY GROUPS, UM, THAT HELPED WITH THE EFFORTS DURING THE STORM TO PROVIDE WATER, FOOD, SHELTER, AND WARM TO INDIVIDUALS.
UM, I, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU LISTENING.
UH, WE HOPE WE'VE DONE OUR BEST TO PROVIDE A VOICE, UM, FOR THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN TO RELATE TO YOU HOW DEVASTATING THIS STORM WAS TO THEM STILL CONTINUES TO BE FOR MANY, UM, AND THE HARSH REALITY OF IT.
UM, THE FAILURE OF THE ELECTRICAL GRID AND, AND THOSE LASTING EFFECTS ON THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN.
UM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS STATED EARLIER THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, LOW PROBABILITY, LOW RISK FOR CERTAIN STORMS LIKE URI AND FEBRUARY TO OCCUR, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE THAT WE KNOW THAT ANYMORE IN, UH, IN, UH, WE'RE LIVING, YOU KNOW, UNDER A GLOBAL WARMING AND THINGS ARE CHANGING.
UM, SO I DON'T KNOW THAT WE KNOW THAT THESE THINGS WILL BE LOW PROBABILITY ANYMORE.
AND SOMETHING WE DO KNOW THOUGH IS THAT WE'RE AT THE MERCY OF OUR STATE ELECTED OFFICIALS IN ERCOT, UM, FOR AN ELECTRICAL GRID.
SO WHETHER IT'S EXTREME HEAT OR EXTREME COLD, WE MUST HAVE AN EMERGENCY PLAN TO BE PREPARED.
SO THAT, UM, BACK TO THE FIRE BRIEFING, UM, THEY'RE WORKING UNDER A SITUATION, ALL EMERGENCY SERVICES OF RESCUE AND ORGANIZED SURVIVAL VERSUS, UM, YOU KNOW, SEARCH AND RECOVERY.
AND WE'RE READY FOR ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
I WANT TO BEGIN BY JUST THANKING YOU ALL.
THIS WAS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK, UH, AND THE INFORMATION THAT YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO, TO CHRONICLE AND PULL TOGETHER, UH, CRITICALLY IMPORTANT, UH, AS PART OF THE, UH, UH, THE REVIEW OF THIS INCIDENT FROM, FROM SO MANY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES.
AND IT DOES NOT GO UNNOTICED THAT, UM, YOU ALL DREW THE, THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BEING THE INTERFACE WITH, UH, LARGE PARTS OF THIS COMMUNITY THAT WERE ANGRY AND, AND FRUSTRATED, UH, BUT WANTING TO BE ABLE TO, UH, RECORD THE, UH, THE, THE MEASURE OF THE WORK THAT THEY'VE DONE OR REPORT VERY COMPLETE.
YOU HIT, UH, SO MANY DIFFERENT, UM, AREAS ARE PULLING TOGETHER, UH, THE, THE, THE SIGNIFICANT TAKEAWAYS, UH, IN THOSE, UH, AREAS.
YOU ALSO, UH, NOT ONLY DO YOU, DO, YOU OBVIOUSLY MENTION THE THINGS THAT, THAT DID NOT GO WELL AND NEED IMPROVEMENT, UH, BUT WHEN YOU'RE WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY TO LIKE THAT, YOU REALLY DO HIGHLIGHT THE THINGS THAT, THAT WENT WELL, A COMMUNITY THAT, THAT WAS ABLE TO COME TOGETHER AND PROVIDE A LOT OF THINGS THAT, THAT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN PROVIDED.
HAD THEY NOT BEEN THERE AND MANAGERS, WE GO THROUGH THIS, I THINK WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS IN LOTS OF DIFFERENT SETTINGS.
THAT'S A REAL STRENGTH OF THE COMMUNITY, AND IT NEEDS TO BE INCORPORATED MORE FORMALLY.
AND, UH, THE, THE, THE RESPONSE THAT WE HAVE AS A CITY, AND TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IN THESE KINDS OF DISASTERS, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO HAVE TO HAPPEN.
AND IF WE APPROACH IT THAT WAY, THEN I THINK WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO BRING IT A LOT MORE SUPPORT, UH, AND, AND MAKE IT, OR MORE EFFECTIVE, MORE EFFICIENT, AND DO HONOR TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE DOING THAT WORK COLLEAGUES, UH, ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR, UH, OR QUESTIONS, COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO.
YEAH, I, I REALLY WANTED TO ADD, UM, MY HUGE THINGS.
UH, I KNOW ALL OF YOU ARE VOLUNTEERS ON OTHER COMMISSIONS AS WELL, AND YOU CAME TOGETHER TO SERVE ON THIS ONE VERY QUICKLY.
YOUR WORK WAS, WAS MUCH MORE ABBREVIATED THAN USUALLY OUR TASK FORCES ARE.
[03:45:01]
AND I JUST, UM, I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO ATTEND THE ONE, BUT THEN I LISTENED TO SEVERAL OTHERS AND LOOK FORWARD TO CATCHING UP ON SOME OF THE OTHER HEARINGS, BECAUSE IT WAS, YOU KNOW, I FOUND THE, THE COMMENTS FROM THE COMMUNITY REALLY POWERFUL AND VERY MOVING AND VERY INSTRUCTIVE AND JUST, YOU KNOW, I APPRECIATE VERY MUCH THE WAY THAT YOU PROVIDED A PROCESS AND A SPACE FOR PEOPLE TO, TO PROCESS WHAT, AS, AS SERITA, I THINK YOU SAID WAS, WAS, UM, REALLY TRAUMATIC AND VERY PAINFUL FOR SO MANY IN OUR COMMUNITY.AND I, AND THE JOB THAT YOU DID, I THINK WAS JUST, UM, VERY EXTRAORDINARY AND UNUSUAL IN MANY WAYS.
WE DON'T, USUALLY WE DON'T USUALLY, UM, PULLED TOGETHER A TASK FORCE TO SERVE IN QUITE THE ROLE YOU DID.
AND, UH, AS, AS ONE OF YOU, RIGHTLY NOTED, YOU DIDN'T HAVE A GUIDEBOOK AND I LOVED THE WAY YOU ITERATED AND RESPONDED TO THE SITUATION, YOU KNOW, INITIALLY HAD KIND OF THE DISTRICT BASED SESSIONS AND THEN QUICKLY PIVOTED AND HAD, UM, A DIFFERENT MEETING STRUCTURE.
ANYWAY, I JUST, I REALLY APPLAUD AND, AND REGARD YOUR WORK AS A MODEL FOR OTHER TASK FORCES, HOW WE CAN PULL TOGETHER A GROUP OF, OF, UM, KIND OF EXPERT COMMISSIONERS AND, AND GIVE THEM A TASK THAT'S KIND OF UNUSUAL AND, AND LET YOU DEVELOP A PROCESS THAT WORKS WITH, WITH, UH, THE COMMUNITY.
SO I, I JUST FOUND THAT TO BE REALLY VALUABLE.
UM, THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT YOU'VE FORWARDED TO US FROM THOSE COMMUNITY MEMBERS, I THINK, ARE IN MANY WAYS CONSISTENT WITH WHAT WE'RE SEEING ANOTHER ANALYSIS, BUT YOU'VE ALSO HIGHLIGHTED SOME VERY IMPORTANT POINTS THAT I DON'T THINK WE WOULD HAVE GOTTEN THROUGH ANY OTHER PROCESS.
AND I THINK THAT'S JUST SUPER VALUABLE, AND I AM REALLY HOPEFUL THAT THE WORK THAT YOU DID AND THAT THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THOSE MEETINGS DID IN COMING AND SHARING THEIR, THEIR TRUTHS WILL HELP US MAKE SURE THAT, THAT WE NEVER, UM, THAT WE FACE THE NEXT CRISIS MUCH IN A MUCH BETTER PREPARED.
SO, YOU KNOW, MAY ARE YOU, YOU JUST HIGHLIGHTED IT THOUGH, THE WORK OF THE COMMUNITY, LIKE HOW DO WE MARSHAL THIS COMMUNITY FOR US? AND I REALLY LIKED THE WAY THOSE OF YOU ON THE TASK FORCE EXPRESSED IT IN THIS REPORT.
IT SEEMS TO ME, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY NEED TO THINK ABOUT THE OPERATIONS EMERGENCY OPERATIONS AS THIS AT THE CITY OF, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE PROVIDE, HOW DOES THE CITY PROVIDE A STRUCTURE WHERE WE CAN BRIDGE TO THOSE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE TRUSTED VOICES THAT HAVE RESOURCES THAT THE CITY DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE IN TERMS OF LANGUAGE CAPABILITIES AND CULTURAL COMPETENCIES AND RELATIONSHIPS THAT THE CITY DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE.
BUT I THINK THAT IS REALLY GONNA REQUIRE REINVISIONING KIND OF THE WAY WE HANDLE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS AT OUR MUNICIPALITY.
AND SO I THINK THE RESILIENCE HUBS WILL BE OF GREAT WILL BENEFIT GREATLY FROM THE WORK THAT YOU DID AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT YOU FORWARDED FROM THOSE COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
UM, BUT I LOOK FORWARD TO THE CONVERSATION, CAUSE I THINK WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO AS A CITY OF FIGURING OUT HOW TO MAKE THAT WORK WELL AND REALLY, TO, TO BUILD AND TO SUPPORT, UM, TO BUILD ON AND SUPPORT THOSE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE, ARE DOING THIS GREAT WORK.
YOU KNOW, AS I, I THINK THAT BASELINE, I LIKE THE PHRASE THAT YOU USED IN THE REPORT OF HAVING A BASELINE PREPAREDNESS THAT OUR COMMUNITY GENERALLY NEEDS THAT BASELINE PREPAREDNESS, UM, AS WELL AS, YOU KNOW, HELP FROM THE CITY IN KNOWING WHAT KINDS OF SUPPLIES TO HAVE ON BOARD, BUT ALSO SITUATING SUPPLIES IN DIFFERENT PLACES THROUGHOUT THE CITY, WHETHER THOSE ARE FOOD, SUPPLIER SUPPLIES OR CHARGING STATIONS, WHICH IS AN IDEA I HADN'T HEARD ANYWHERE ELSE EXCEPT, UM, YOU KNOW, AND I THINK THAT CAN EXIST SEPARATELY FROM THE RESILIENCE HUB.
SO I APPRECIATE THAT SUGGESTION AND THE, THE NEED FOR A REAL CLEAR PLAN SO THAT WE ALL KNOW HOW TO, HOW TO RESPOND IS SUPER HELPFUL.
SO I REALLY DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR YOU.
I THINK, UM, THE WORK YOU DID JUST SPEAKS FOR ITSELF, AND I, I REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, I APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU FOR TAKING ON TAKING ON WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A HARD TASK AND TAKING IT ON WITH, YOU KNOW, FEW GUIDELINES.
UM, AND THEN AGAIN, JUST A D UH, ADAPTING AND CHANGING THE SITUATION, CHANGING THE PROCESS, UM, TO MEET, TO MEET THE SITUATION THAT WAS REQUIRED.
AND I REALLY WOULD, UM, BE REMISS IF I JUST DIDN'T ACKNOWLEDGE PATRICIA, UM, FOR THE WORK THAT SHE DID AND MAKING SURE THAT, UM, THAT YOU HAD A STRUCTURE AND A PROCESS AND A SPACE.
I JUST, YOU KNOW, SHE IS SOMEONE WHO, WHO DOES LOTS AND LOTS OF WORK FOR THE CITY AND ALL OF IT IS IMPORTANT, BUT SHE TOOK ON AN ADDITIONAL TASK AS WELL, AND JUST HANDLED IT WITH SUCH GRACE AND EXPERTISE.
AND I'M REALLY APPRECIATIVE OF HER EFFORTS.
I ALSO WANT TO REITERATE, SORRY.
I ALSO WANTED TO REITERATE MY GRATITUDE, UM, FOR THE TASK FORCE FOR THE WORK THAT YOU ALL DID
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AND CREATING A SAFE SPACE FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO SHARE THEIR FEEDBACK.CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, HEARING THE STORIES OF TRAUMA THAT OUR COMMUNITY WENT THROUGH.
I KNOW OF THAT CAN ALSO HAVE A TOLL WITH IT.
AND SO I JUST WANT TO THANK EACH MEMBER OF THE TASK FORCE FOR, FOR TAKING THE TIME TO HEAR THOSE STORIES AND TO ABSORB, UM, THE TRAUMA THAT OUR COMMUNITY FACE AND EXPERIENCES AND, YOU KNOW, TO A CERTAIN EXTENT IS STILL DEALING WITH.
AND SO JUST WANTED TO SAY, THANK YOU, YOU KNOW, TODAY WE HEARD WE HAD A BRIEFING ON WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS, AND NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE IMPACTS OF THE WINTER STORM.
AND SO IT'S NOT LOST ON ME THAT TODAY'S TOPICS ON TO W TWO SEVERE EVENTS, UM, HAS HAD IN OUR COMMUNITY AND WHAT THAT MEANS.
AND RECENTLY THE UN RELEASED THE IPC REPORT, WHICH JUST DETAILED WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW THAT WE ARE IN A CLIMATE CRISIS AND THAT WE SHOULD EXPECT MORE SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS, UM, AND AT THE HUMAN IMPACTS AND THE TOLL WILL, WILL INCREASE.
AND SO AS OUR COMMUNITY HAS THIS CONVERSATION OF HOW DO WE CREATE AND BUILD COMMUNITY RESILIENCE.
I'M REALLY PROUD TO BE PART OF A COUNCIL THAT HAS REALLY CHAMPIONED AND PRIORITIZE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND UNDERSTANDS THE VALUE OF PREPARING OUR COMMUNITY AND INVESTING IN SYSTEMS THAT ARE EQUITABLE, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WHEN ANY TYPE OF DISASTER STRIKES IT, NOT EVERYONE EXPERIENCES THAT HE EXPERIENCES IT EQUALLY.
UM, AND WE HAVE TO DO MORE TO ENSURE AN EQUITABLE RESPONSE AND PREPAREDNESS, AND, YOU KNOW, ONE THING THAT CAME OUT OF THE WILDFIRE BRIEFING AND, UM, AND THE WINTER STORM TASK FORCE, UH, REPORT IS THE NEED FOR US TO IMPROVE OUR COMMUNICATION STRUCTURES AND SYSTEMS. AND SO I REALLY WOULD LOVE FOR US TO HAVE A CONVERSATION AT SOME POINT, IF WE'RE HEARING THIS ON THE WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS AND ALSO, UM, WITH A SEVERE WEATHER EVENT.
AND CERTAINLY EVEN WITH FLOODING THAT WE START THINKING ABOUT HOW CAN WE REALLY STREAMLINE AND COALESCE THOSE DIFFERENT NEEDS AND INVEST IN A SINGLE EMERGENCY RESPONSE SYSTEM.
AND PERHAPS WE ALREADY DO THAT, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE MIGHT BE SOME GAPS IN THE SYSTEM.
UM, SO JUST WANTED TO FLAG THAT FOR, FOR MY COLLEAGUES AND FOR STAFF.
AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, FOR YOUR TIME TODAY AND FOR SHARING THIS FEEDBACK AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE PROVIDED.
I THINK IT'D BE REALLY HELPFUL AND USEFUL FOR OUR POLICY WORK MOVING FORWARD.
UM, IT'S TIMES AT TIMES LIKE THIS, I REALLY JUST SORT OF LOOK AROUND AND, AND, UH, CAN'T HELP, BUT EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE, UH, FOR THE COMPETENCE AND THE CAPABILITY OF THE PEOPLE THAT I'M SURROUNDED BY MY COLLEAGUES AND, UM, FOLKS LIKE THIS, THIS VOLUNTEER TASK FORCE, YOU KNOW, THIS ORGANIZATION OF PEOPLE THAT CAME TOGETHER FOR NO OTHER REASON TO DETERMINE HOW BEST WE AS A CITY CAN RESPOND, WHO NEED TO MOVING FORWARD.
UM, I WOULD BE REMISS TO SAY THAT WHILE I APPRECIATE TO NOT SAY RATHER WHILE I APPRECIATE THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF, OF, UM, MYSELF AND MY EFFORTS BY NAME.
UH, IT WAS CERTAINLY AN EFFORT, BUT THERE'S, THERE'S NOBODY HERE THAT, THAT DIDN'T FIGHT LONG AND HARD AND SLEEPLESSNESS SLOWLY IN THE COLD.
AND, YOU KNOW, DIDN'T EXPERIENCE HEARTACHE, UH, DURING THE COURSE OF WATCHING OUR INFRASTRUCTURE QUITE LITERALLY FAIL ALL AROUND THIS, ALL THE SYSTEMS FAILURES, UM, FAILURE, SOMETHING HALF OF OUR MUNICIPALITY, IF I'M BEING ENTIRELY HONEST.
SO SOMETIMES WHEN FOLKS SAY THIS CITY, YOU KNOW, UM, IT, IT JUST ROLLS RIGHT OFF YOUR BACK.
AND OTHER TIMES THEY SAY THE CITY AND YOU FEEL ENTIRELY TO BLAME.
UM, AND THIS IS ONE OF THOSE TIMES WHERE, WHEN YOU SAY THE CITY, UM, AS A PRIVATE CITIZEN, I WAS ALSO DISAPPOINTED IN MY CITY'S RESPONSE.
AND SO, UM, THIS IS ME EXTENDING AN OFFICIAL APOLOGY ON BEHALF OF THIS BODY, MY COLLEAGUES INCLUDED, UM, FOR WHAT WE WEREN'T ABLE TO DO AS A MUNICIPALITY.
UM, BUT WE WEREN'T ABLE TO DO AS A BODY TO KNOW WHAT WE NEEDED TO KNOW IN ORDER TO EXECUTE MORE EFFECTIVELY, EFFICIENTLY AND EXPEDIENTLY, FRANKLY.
UM, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I'M HEARING TODAY, I'M HEARING FOR THE FIRST TIME.
UM, BUT I CERTAINLY HAD MY EXPERIENCES WITH MY NEIGHBORS AND MY CONSTITUENTS.
AND SO, UM, I DO LOOK FORWARD TO US THIS INFORMATION, THIS DATA, AND DOING SOMETHING GOOD WITH IT.
UM, I'D ALSO LIKE TO MAKE CERTAIN TO SAY I WAS NOT ALONE WHEN IT COMES TO MEMBERS OF THIS BODY THAT WERE OUT THERE FIGHTING, UM, MORNING, NOON, AND NIGHT.
THERE ARE A LOT OF FOLKS THAT ARE SITTING ON THAT DICE OR THAT ARE LOOKING AT YOU VIRTUALLY FROM THEIR HOMES THAT WORKED REALLY, REALLY LONG, HARD HOURS ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.
SO I JUST WANT TO REMIND OUR CONSTITUENTS THAT ARE WATCHING OR LISTENING JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T SEE US DOES NOT MEAN WE'RE NOT FIGHTING FOR YOU.
I JUST WANT YOU TO NEVER EVER THINK THAT, UM, A LACK OF VISIBILITY IS A LACK OF PRESENCE BECAUSE THAT'S NOT THE CASE.
[03:55:01]
FOR THE TASK FORCE MEMBERS, I, WE JUST, WE CAN'T THANK Y'ALL ENOUGH FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO PROCESSES LIKE THIS.WE COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOU.
UM, WE CAN'T GET BETTER WITHOUT YOUR CONTRIBUTION AND FRANKLY, WITHOUT YOUR CRITICISM.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR CANDOR AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION AND CONTINUED ADVOCACY FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
WE REALLY DO APPRECIATE, OKAY.
I'M JUST GOING TO BE ABLE TO ADD TO THE THANKS AND APPRECIATION THAT PEOPLE ARE SHOWING TO YOU TODAY.
UM, WHEN I WAS ABLE TO COME AND SIT WITH THE TASK FORCE FOR, FOR ONE OF THE EVENINGS, YOU JUST PROVIDED SUCH A WARM AND WELCOMING SPACE FOR PEOPLE TO REALLY JUST BE ABLE TO TELL YOU EVERYTHING THEY WERE THINKING AND FEELING, AND TO REALLY BE ABLE TO GET THAT OUT.
SO I KNOW, I KNOW THAT WAS A LOT OF INFORMATION TO RECEIVE, AND IT IS SO APPRECIATED FOR YOU TO HAVE COMPILED A DOCUMENT THAT WE CAN NOW REFERENCE OUR OWN POINTS.
I KNOW AS WE'VE DISCUSSED THIS AS A COUNCIL, EVERYBODY HAS THEIR OWN EXPERIENCE TOO, IN OUR OWN DISTRICTS ABOUT WHAT, WHAT WORKED AND WHAT, YOU KNOW, ABJECTLY FAILED, UM, YOU KNOW, IN THE, IN THE PERSONAL INFRASTRUCTURE OF, OF GOING THROUGH AN EVENT LIKE THIS.
UM, AND SO I REALLY JUST APPRECIATE THAT.
IT IS SO TIMELY THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS NOW, AS WE TALK ABOUT WILDFIRES AND, UM, AND FLOODS AS WAS MENTIONED BEFORE.
UM, SO I JUST WANT TO ADD ON MY, THANKS TO YOU, UM, FOR REALLY TAKING A DIFFICULT PROCESS TO GO THROUGH AND REALLY HELPING US AS A BODY AND AS A CITY, BE ABLE TO BE BETTER PREPARED, UM, BECAUSE THINGS LIKE THIS WILL BE HAPPENING AGAIN, AND WE ALL NEED TO HAVE OUR OWN, UM, OUR OWN PLANS, NO MATTER WHAT HITS US.
AND SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE ON THIS.
IT WAS VERY MUCH NOTICED AND VERY MUCH APPRECIATED COLLEAGUES.
I'M ON A, UM, RECOGNIZE COUNCIL MEMBER TO-GO FOR BRINGING FORWARD, UM, THE RESOLUTION, UM, TO, TO CREATE THE TASK FORCE IN THE FIRST PLACE.
I THINK IT WAS A REALLY IMPORTANT STEP THAT OUR COMMUNITY NEEDED AS WE TRY TO HEAL AND MOVE FORWARD AND PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE.
UM, I WANT TO THANK, UM, THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
I TOO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN YOU FOR A MEETING AND, AND APPRECIATED THE INTENTION WITH WHICH YOU APPROACH THE, AND AS KENTZ MUMBRELLAS, UM, NOTED THE WARMTH AND THE WAY THAT YOU REALLY MADE PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY COULD SHARE WITH YOU OPENLY AND HONESTLY, SO WE WOULD GET THE BEST INFORMATION.
UM, I THINK THAT THE, YOU KNOW, TO DO JUSTICE TO YOUR WORK, IT'S GOING TO DEPEND ON WHAT THE NEXT STEPS ARE.
UM, HOW WE TAKE UP THE TASK FOR INSTANCE, THAT A COUPLE OF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE HIGHLIGHTED OF, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE BUILD THESE RELATIONSHIPS STRONGER WITH THE NONPROFITS, UM, MOVING FORWARD.
UM, I LOOK AT IT, IT IS A STRENGTH OF OUR CITY THAT WE HAVE SO MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS AND GROUPS THAT STEPPED UP, UM, THAT IS WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN A DISASTER, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE WILLY NILLY.
UM, IN THE MOMENT IT CAN BE STRUCTURED AND NURTURED AND THE ECOSYSTEM CAN BE CULTIVATED OVER TIME, SO THAT IF THERE IS A NEXT TIME THAT WE ARE READY AND THERE WILL BE A NEXT TIME, WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE SYSTEMIC FAILURES OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND THERE WILL BE A NEXT TIME WHETHER WE WANT IT OR NOT.
THE CHALLENGE FOR US IS WHETHER IT WILL BE READY FOR NEXT TIME AND WHETHER IT WILL BE READY IN TIME.
UM, SO MY QUESTION IS ACTUALLY FOR THE CITY MANAGER, UM, YOU KNOW, HAD OPPORTUNITY THE OTHER DAY TO SPEAK WITH THE CONSULTANT.
UM, WHO'S WORKING ON YOUR AFTER-ACTION REPORT, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU MAYBE PROVIDE SOME CLARITY ON WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS, WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
UM, THERE WERE CLEARLY, UM, THINGS THAT HAPPENED ON THE CITY SIDE THAT WERE NOT EREKAT GOING DOWN WHERE WE NEED TO SEE IMPROVEMENT.
SO I WANT TO INVITE YOU TO SPEAK TO US AND TO OUR COMMISSIONERS ABOUT WHAT THE NEXT STEPS ARE.
AND IF YOU CAN ALSO INCLUDE IN THAT HOW OUR VARIOUS COMMISSIONS WILL BE, UM, ENGAGED IN THOSE NEXT STEPS AND HELPING US, UM, TO BUILD THAT RESILIENCE FOR US, THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER, AND REALLY APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THIS FEEDBACK FROM OUR COMMUNITY, UH, PANEL TASKFORCE TODAY.
UH, THIS DOES INFORM HOW WE'RE LOOKING COMPREHENSIVELY, UH, AT THE AFTER-ACTION, UH, REPORTING THAT IS NEEDED, UH, FROM THE CITY REGARDING THIS, UH, HISTORIC AND UNPRECEDENTED STORM THAT OUR COMMUNITY FACED, UH, AS WAS MENTIONED BY ACM ARIANO.
AND, UH, YOU, YOU POINTED OUT THE WORK THAT OUR CONSULTANT IS DOING TO COMPILE THE FORMAL AFTER-ACTION REPORT, WHICH SHOULD BE DONE BY THE END OF SEPTEMBER.
AND WE WILL BE SCHEDULING THE WORK SESSION WITH A COUNCIL TO REVIEW THAT.
SO WE CAN TALK THROUGH THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND FINDINGS, AND THEN MOST IMPORTANTLY, UH, WHAT WE'RE DOING,
[04:00:01]
UH, IN RESPONSE TO THAT.UH, BUT WE WERE NOT WAITING FOR THAT REPORT.
AND SO ALREADY MANY OF OUR DEPARTMENTS ARE ACTIVELY RESPONDING TO, UH, RESILIENCE EFFORTS TO WAYS THAT WE CAN IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS AND THE ABILITY TO ENSURE WHEN THIS HAPPENS.
AND SO EVERYONE FROM AUSTIN ENERGY TO AUSTIN WATER, UH, AND, AND OUR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE BOARD, UH, THEY HAVE BEEN DOING INTERNAL REVIEWS, UH, AND WE'RE HAPPY TO INCLUDE SOME OF THAT INFORMATION IN THE REPORT AS WELL, BUT WE ARE NOT WAITING FOR THAT INFORMATION TO MAKE THOSE IMPROVEMENTS.
UM, I WILL, UH, I'LL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU AFTER THIS, TO SEE HOW THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS CAN ALSO PLAY A ROLE IN THIS.
UH, WE'LL WE HAVEN'T THOUGHT THROUGH EXACTLY HOW THAT MIGHT PLAY OUT, BUT THE LOGISTICS OF THAT WILL BE CRITICAL TO HAVE THEIR INPUT, UH, AS WE MOVE FORWARD AS WELL.
UM, PERHAPS YOU ALSO CAN, UH, REACH OUT TO THE LEADERSHIP OF, OF THIS WORK GROUP.
UM, SINCE THEY'RE MOSTLY REPRESENTATIVES, I BELIEVE FROM THE DIFFERENT COMMISSIONS, UM, THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO PROBABLY GIVE SOME INPUT ABOUT HOW WE COULD MOST EFFECTIVELY, UM, LEVERAGE OUR COMMISSIONS AT THE NEXT STEP.
UM, I DO DO WANT TO POINT OUT, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT WE DISCUSSED A LITTLE BIT, UM, WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE RESILIENCE HUB RESOLUTION, UM, IN 2019, I PUT FORWARD A RESOLUTION CALLING FOR A CLIMATE EMERGENCY AND INCLUDING SEVERAL ACTIONS FOR THE CITY TO TAKE, UM, YOU KNOW, ACTING AS IF WE ACTUALLY WERE UNDER A CLIMATE EMERGENCY AND, AND VARIOUS STEPS AND SOME OF THESE PREPAREDNESS THINGS AND RESILIENCE THINGS WHERE WE'RE CALLED FOR IN THERE.
UM, SO I WOULD JUST ASK THAT YOU REVIEW THAT AND THEN MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE TAKING ALL OF THE STEPS THAT WERE CALLED FOR IN THERE.
YOU KNOW, WE DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE SOMEBODY WHO'S IN CHARGE OF, YOU KNOW, SUSTAINABILITY AND, YOU KNOW, WE STILL DON'T.
WE HAD A COUNCIL MEMBER POOL'S RESOLUTION ON THE CHIEF RESILIENCE OFFICER.
WE STILL DON'T HAVE THOSE PIECES.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE NEED, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO ACT FASTER IN RELATIONSHIP TO CLIMATE CHANGE.
IT DOESN'T FIT INTO OUR BOXES OF OUR DEPARTMENTS.
UM, BUT THAT'S WHY, YOU KNOW, WE NEED AT THE HIGHEST CITY LEVEL TO BE, YOU KNOW, TAKING THOSE ACTIONS AND PUTTING IN THE RESOURCES AND, AND HAVING THE LEADERSHIP TO PULL FOLKS TOGETHER SO THAT WE CAN ADDRESS STUFF.
YOU KNOW, WE TALKED EARLIER ABOUT WILDFIRE AND WE SAID, YOU KNOW, IT'S EVERYONE'S PROBLEM.
IT IS AN ISSUE ALSO THAT CROSSES, UM, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE DEPARTMENTS AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD IN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND IT'S NOT JUST AFD.
UM, AND THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO DO, AND THAT'S TRUE OF A WHOLE HOST OF CLIMATE.
IT'S TRUE OF THE FLOODING ISSUES THERE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S JUST SO MANY OF THESE ISSUES THAT CROSS DEPARTMENTS, UM, AND IT'S, UH, IT'S PECULIAR TO THE CLIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGES, BUT THESE ARE THE THINGS WHERE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE SYSTEM FAILURES AGAIN.
UM, AND WE'VE GOT TO BE PREPARED, WE'VE GOT TO BE RESILIENT AND WE GOT TO MITIGATE AND PREVENT.
UM, AND WE REALLY HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE DO THIS ACROSS ALL OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE, THAT WE FACE.
UM, BUT IF WE HAVE THE INTENTION AND THE FOCUS, I THINK WE CAN MAKE INROADS.
UH, AND I I'D LIKE TO THANK, UH, THE MEMBERS OF THE TASK FORCE AS WELL FOR YOUR WORK AND TO VALIDATE WHAT IT IS THAT YOU HAVE PUT IN YOUR PRESENTATION.
AS YOU FLIP THROUGH THE SLIDES, UH, ON EVERY SINGLE LINE, I HAD SORT OF FLASHBACKS TO MOMENTS IN THAT STORM THAT I'D FORGOTTEN, I THINK FOR LACK OF SLEEP AND STRESS.
AND I THINK EVERYBODY ON THE DIAS AND SO MANY OF OUR CITY STAFF PROBABLY FELT THE SAME WAY.
UH, AND I THINK THAT IT MIGHT BE, IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT MANAGER FOR US TO LOOK AT THESE SLIDES AND THESE HIGHLIGHTS AND HAVE, UM, HAVE OUR RESPONSE AND HOW IT IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY AND BETTER IN EACH OF THOSE, IN EACH OF THOSE CATEGORIES.
AND EACH OF THOSE CATEGORIES, I THINK THAT PEOPLE DID STEP IN TO DO THAT WORK.
AND WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT WHERE IT IS, OUR SYSTEMS FELL SHORT, BUT THEN WHERE IT IS THAT THE COMMUNITY AND, AND, UH, AND BUSINESSES AND NONPROFITS AND EVERYDAY PEOPLE STEPPED IN SO THAT WE CAN THINK ABOUT WHAT THE BEST RESPONSE IS IN THE FUTURE, SO THAT IT WOULDN'T FEEL AS AD HOC.
UH, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, ONE OF MY FLASHBACKS WAS TO CAPITAL METRO EMPLOYEES AT LIKE NINE 30 AT NIGHT, HELPING CARRY PEOPLE THAT HAD USED WALKERS FROM THE BUS, UH, INTO NORTH, THE NORTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL GYM.
UH, AND THAT THEN, UH, THERE WAS, IT HAD GOTTEN WET AND SLIPPERY WHERE THEY WERE WALKING AND SOMEBODY JUST HANDED ME A MOP, NOT KNOWING WHO I WAS SAYING.
YOU NEED TO, YOU NEED TO HELP.
UM, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE NEED FOR TRANSLATION SERVICES, I JUST THINK OF ALL OF THE PHONE CALLS FROM WHEN HE BE SHOWN IN TELEMUNDO, ASKING FOR INFORMATION THAT THEY WERE
[04:05:01]
STRUGGLING TO GET AND ALL THE PEOPLE THAT STEPPED IN TO FILL THOSE GAPS.WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT, UH, OUR, OUR PEOPLE, OUR FOLKS THAT ARE VULNERABLE, HAVING LACK OF ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL SUPPLIES.
I THINK OF THE DIFFERENT COUNCIL MEMBERS HERE WHO, UM, KNOW KNOWING THAT THERE WAS A REAL LACK OF WATER IN MY DISTRICT.
UM, THEN MAKING PHONE CALLS AND GETTING WATER AND, UM, MY OWN DISTRICT.
AND I, I APPRECIATE EACH OF YOU, UM, WHO ARE DOING THAT WORK.
AND SO I, I JUST WANT TO REALLY VALIDATE WHAT IT IS THAT YOU'VE WRITTEN HERE, BECAUSE AS YOU, AS YOU SAY IT OUT LOUD, IT REMINDS ME, AND I THINK REMINDS EVERY SINGLE PERSON ON THE DIETS HERE OF WHAT, OF WHAT HAD TO GET DONE.
UM, AND, AND WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT HOW TO, HOW TO PREPARE FOR THAT, UH, AND HOW TO GET IT DONE MUCH MORE EFFECTIVELY NEXT TIME.
SO I, AGAIN, I JUST, UM, I JUST WANT TO APPRECIATE AND VALIDATE WHAT IT IS YOU BROUGHT FORWARD HERE TODAY, AS WE WORK ON GETTING MUCH MORE PREPARED FOR THE NEXT DISASTER, HOW'S IT, I'M A RENTER AND COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.
THANK YOU, MARY AND I, AND I AGREE A LOT WITH MY COLLEAGUES ABOUT WHAT THEY SAID, YOU KNOW, AND I WOULD ALSO WANT TO THANK THE, UH, COMMITTEE, UH, YOU KNOW, THIS WAS A FAILURE THAT, UH, I JUST, UH, YOU KNOW, THE CITY JUST REALLY FELL, NOT TAKING IT REALLY SERIOUS WHEN THE REPORT CAME OUT, THAT THERE WAS A STORM COMING, YOU KNOW, UH, I LIVED HERE 71 YEARS IN AUSTIN NOW.
AND SO I LEARNED THROUGH PAST THAT WHERE, WHERE MY WATER MAIN WAS THAT HOW DID CUT OFF THE WATER OFF, DRAIN MY PIPES YEAH.
AND, AND STOCK UP WITH WATER AND FOOD AND, AND REALLY, YOU KNOW, BUT THERE WAS NO WARNING FROM THE CITY AT ALL ABOUT WHAT WAS COMING TOWARD US.
AND, AND THAT WAS A BIG FAILURE.
AND WE COULD HAVE PREVENTED A LOT OF YOU BUSTED PIPES.
AND MY BIGGEST CONCERN ALSO IS THE APARTMENTS, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE THE PIPES THAT WERE EXPOSED.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE MADE OF, BUT THEY SHARE WHEN THEY WOULD HAVE BUST REALLY EASY.
AND, AND, AND THAT, THAT ITSELF AFFECTS A LOT OF PEOPLE.
YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE APARTMENTS ARE OVER 300 UNITS, SO, UH, YOU KNOW, AND THAT CREATED A PROBLEM FOR US AND, AND DEFINITELY WITH A WATER POWER PLANT UP THERE THAT HAD SOMEONE EMPLOYEES DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO CUT IT OFF OR TURN IT ON.
UH, REBECCA BAY HERE, JOHNSON HAS SENIOR HIGHTOWER.
THEY HAD AN EMERGENCY GENERATOR.
THEY NEVER HAD CHECKED IT OUT, HAVE NEVER BEEN CHECKED OUT WHEN YOU NEEDED THE EMERGENCY.
SO ARE LUCKY THAT OUR FIREFIGHTERS WITH THE METRO COORDINATING WALKED UP, IT CARRIED PEOPLE DOWN FROM THE 16, 15 STORY APARTMENT THERE SO THAT WE COULD TAKE HIM TO A VERY SAFE LOCATION WHERE IT WAS WARM AND THEY COULD GET FOOD AND WATER.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS, UH, UH, UH, REALLY A FAILURE THAT WE REALLY NEED TO TAKE UP FOR THE COMMITTEE HERE THAT CAME UP WITH A LOT OF THE SOLUTIONS THAT WE NEED TO REALLY TAKE IT SERIOUS.
UM, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU ALSO, UM, TO, UM, TO THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND I APPRECIATED THE CHANCE TO, UH, PARTICIPATE IN ONE OF, ONE OF YOUR HEARINGS.
UM, I ALSO WANT TO SAY THAT I FIND THE RECOMMENDATIONS VERY PRACTICAL, UM, AND, UM, THINGS THAT WE CAN BE FOLLOWING UP ON.
THEY, THEY ALIGN, AS OTHERS HAVE SAID WITH THINGS THAT WE'RE HEARING FROM OTHER, UM, OTHER ANALYSES AND OTHER SOURCES, AND THEY'RE ALSO VERY SPECIFIC AND PRACTICAL THAT WE CAN ACT ON.
UM, SO ONE EXAMPLE, I THINK, UH, THAT, UM, I WILL SHARE WITH THE SENIOR COMMISSION.
I'M NOT CERTAIN IF YOU ALL HAVE THAT CONNECTION OR NOT, BUT, UM, I THINK IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT THAT THEY MAY NEED TO REACH OUT TO YOU ALL, UH, A RESOLUTION THAT I PASS BACK IN THE SPRING, I THINK IT WAS, UM, ASKED TO SENIOR COMMISSION TO WORK WITH OUR STAFF TO FOLLOW UP ON ONE OF THE INTERVENTIONS WE TRIED, UM, DURING WINTER STORM THAT REALLY NEEDS TO BE BUILT UPON AND, AND, UM, MADE MORE LASTING AND DONE IN A BETTER WAY.
AND THAT WAS THE, THE, UH, TELEPHONE OUTREACH TO SENIORS TO TRY TO IDENTIFY FOLKS AT RISK AND IN NEED OF HELP.
SO, SO YOU CAN FINISH SENIOR COMMISSION IS FOLLOWING UP ON WHAT WAS DONE DURING THAT, UM, PROJECT, WHAT MIGHT BE INSTITUTIONALIZED FOR THE
[04:10:01]
FUTURE AND MADE, UM, MADE SOMETHING LASTING, UH, SO THAT IN THE FUTURE, YOU KNOW, IN FUTURE, UM, EMERGENCIES, WE HAVE A, UH, A PLAN IN PLACE IN A METHOD IN PLACE TO REACH, UH, SENIORS IN VULNERABLE POPULATIONS IN PARTICULAR, UH, TO, TO IDENTIFY THEIR NEEDS, UM, MORE QUICKLY AND BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO THEM.SO, UM, SO I'M, I NOTICED THAT ONE OF YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, SPOKE TO THE NEED TO HAVE A PROCESS IN PLACE TO REACH OUT TO THOSE POPULATIONS.
AND I WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THE SENIOR COMMISSION IS WORKING ON THAT.
UM, AND I WILL ASK MY OFFICE TO MAKE SURE TO CONNECT THEM TO YOU ALL, UM, AS THEY PROCEED WITH THEIR WORK.
I THINK I MAY BE THE LAST ONE TO SPEAK.
SO I, I JUST BUNDLE UP ALL OVER THE COMMENTS AND MY COLLEAGUES DIRECTED SPECIFICALLY TO THE VOLUNTEERS ON THE TASKFORCE TO THANK YOU AND TO SHARE MY SPECIFIC APPRECIATION FOR ALL OF THE HEAVY LIFT THAT YOU ALL DID TO PUT TOGETHER THIS COMPILATION OF INFORMATION.
I THINK THAT THERE WERE MANY, MANY, MANY INSTANCES OF INDIVIDUAL HEROISM IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT ALL CAME TOGETHER TO HELP US GET THROUGH.
AND, UM, AND THAT'S A STRENGTH OF OUR, OF OUR COMMUNITY.
AND WE ALL WANT TO BUILD ON THAT.
AND I THINK YOU'VE PROVIDED US WITH A REALLY STRONG PLATFORM WITH YOUR REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR US TO, UM, TO DO THAT.
AND IN LIGHT OF, UM, THE, THE WORK THAT THE CITY STAFF IS ALSO DOING, I'M SURE THAT THE REPORTS WILL DOVETAIL ON THAT YOURS, UM, HAS THE ADDED SHINE OF BEING SO DIRECT FROM THE COMMUNITY.
AND THAT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT.
UM, THAT WAS A REALLY IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE.
SO YOU SO MUCH, AND, UM, PEERS TO CONTINUING TO WORK TO, TO MAKE US BETTER AS A COMMUNITY COMMITTEE.
DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SAY BEFORE WE CREON THE MEETING? JUST, UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR ADLER.
MAYOR PRO TEM HARPER, MADISON, THANK YOU TO ALL OF COUNCIL.
UM, WE SERVE ON BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AND WE SERVED ON THIS TASK FORCE BECAUSE WE LOVE THE CITY.
UH, WE BELIEVE IN YOU, WE BELIEVE IN THE CITY MANAGER, SPENCER CRONK, AND WE KNOW THAT YOU WILL IMPLEMENT A PLAN GOING FORWARD AND, AND THAT THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN TO US AGAIN, AND THINGS WILL BE BETTER.
AND AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE WORK COLLEAGUES.
I THINK THAT'S EVERYTHING THAT WE NEEDED TO ADDRESS TODAY.
DID SHE, KATHY, DID YOU WANT IT JUST EXTREMELY BRIEFLY? I JUST WANTED TO REMIND THE MANAGER THAT COVER MEMO TALKS ABOUT ARCHIVING, UM, THE PUBLIC PORTAL, THE STUFF THAT CAME THROUGH THE PUBLIC PORTAL, THE TESTIMONY, THE DOCUMENTS, THE IMAGES.
UM, BUT I BELIEVE THE ORIGINAL RESOLUTION ALSO ASKED, UM, THAT AS PART OF THAT ARCHIVE, THAT GOES TO THE AUSTIN HISTORY CENTER THAT THE MEETINGS AND ANY MATERIALS ASSOCIATED WITH THE MEETINGS ALSO BECOME PART OF THAT ARCHIVE.
SO THAT, THAT SOMEONE, UM, GOING BACK AND ALSO CAN ALSO SEE THOSE, UM, CAN REALLY HEAR DIRECTLY FROM THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE MEETINGS AS WELL AS THE, THE MEMBERS THEMSELVES.
AND WITH THAT COLLEAGUES, I THINK THAT IS ALL OF THE BUSINESS PO DID YOU, ARE YOU WAVING OR RAISING YOUR HAND SAYING GOODBYE? UM, THANK YOU.
WE'LL SEE YOU ALL ON THURSDAY AND WE'RE GONE AGAIN.