[Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission Public Forum #2]
[00:00:08]
UH, WELCOME TO THE INDEPENDENT CITIZENS, REDISTRICTING COMMISSION, PUBLIC FORUM.
UM, IT IS SATURDAY, AUGUST 27TH.
UM, WE APPRECIATE YOU OFFERING A FRIDAY, UM, ESPECIALLY DURING THE WORKDAY FOR SOME, UH, TO JOIN US IN DISCUSSING THE IMPORTANCE OF REDISTRICTING AND ITS IMPACT ON OUR CITY OF AUSTIN.
I AM THE VICE CHAIR OF THE ICRC BEFORE WE PROCEED.
I ALSO JUST WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR PATIENTS AND THEIR UNDERSTANDING AS WE'VE HAD TO SHIFT PLANS FOR, FOR OUR FORUMS, GIVEN THE SEVERITY OF THE ONGOING PANDEMIC FOR US, IT'S BEEN, AND IT'S ALWAYS, IT'S ALWAYS BEEN, UM, TRYING TO FIND THAT BALANCE BETWEEN A FAIR ACCESS TO THIS PROCESS OF REDISTRICTING AND PUBLIC INPUT AND PUBLIC HEALTH.
SO WE APPRECIATE THE UNDERSTANDING.
I'D LIKE TO QUICKLY WALK US THROUGH OUR AGENDA FOR THIS MORNING.
UM, HERE YOU CAN SEE SOME LINKS TO OUR SOCIAL MEDIA AND OUR WEB PRESENCE TO OUR FACEBOOK OR TWITTER AND OUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS TO SPEAK UP AUSTIN.ORG, WHICH WE'LL TOUCH ON A LITTLE LATER IN THIS PRESENTATION, ALL WAYS THAT YOU CAN STAY CONNECTED TO THE WORK OF THE ICRC.
AS WE BEGIN TO REDRAW THE CITY COUNCIL MAPS LONG AFTER YOU LEAVE TODAY'S VIRTUAL FORUM, YOU WILL SEE OUR AGENDA.
WE WILL DISCUSS HOW TO SIGN UP FOR PUBLIC TESTIMONY TOWARDS THE END OF THIS FORUM.
WE'LL GIVE SOME BACKGROUND ON THE ICRC ITSELF AND HOW WE WERE FORMED.
WE WILL GO OVER THE CURRENT CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT MAPS THAT WERE ADOPTED IN 2013 AND PROVIDE SOME DEMOCRATIC DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION OF THE CITY.
WE'LL EXPLAIN THE HISTORY OF THE TEN ONE CITY COUNCIL MAKEUP, AND THEN EXPLAIN WHY WE GOT CENSUS DATA FOR 2020 SO LATE.
USUALLY WE'D GET IT IN FEBRUARY THIS YEAR.
WE RECEIVED IT THIS MONTH IN AUGUST.
AND THEN AGAIN, WE WILL GO OVER SOME INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW, IN ADDITION TO WRITTEN COMMENT AND YOUR PUBLIC TESTIMONY TODAY, UM, HOW YOU CAN LEAVE FEEDBACK TO THE COMMISSIONERS VIA EMAIL AND VIA SURVEYS AND MAP WORKSHEETS THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE SOME QUICK HOUSEKEEPING AS WE'VE HAD TO SHIFT TO A VIRTUAL MEETING SETTING FOR THIS FORUM.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WISH TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSION TODAY, I PLEASE ASK THAT YOU UTILIZE THE CHAT FEATURE ON THIS ZOOM CALL AND ENSURE YOUR FULL NAME, YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, AND THE DISTRICT THAT YOU RESIDE IN.
WE WILL BE USING THE CHAT FUNCTION ON ZOOM SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF MONITORING AND CALLING ON THOSE WHO WISH TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSIONERS TODAY WITH PUBLIC TESTIMONY.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS WILL NOT BE CAPTURED FOR ANY WRITTEN COMMENTS.
WE ASK THAT YOU PLEASE EMAIL THE FULL COMMISSION AND YOU'LL SEE THE EMAIL ADDRESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN.
UM, ICRC DOT COMMISSIONERS AT AUSTIN, TEXAS.GOV.
THAT EMAIL ADDRESS GOES TO ALL 14 COMMISSIONERS AND OUR STAFF.
SO IF YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES ABOUT HOW WE WERE FORMED, ANY CLARIFICATION QUESTIONS, WE CAN DEFINITELY ANSWER THOSE VIA THIS EMAIL ADDRESS.
WHEN YOU ARE GIVEN PERMISSION TO SPEAK DURING THE PUBLIC TESTIMONY PORTION OF THE FORUM TODAY, YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF AND THEN COMMUNICATE WITH ALL OF THE COMMISSIONERS HERE.
UH, YOU WILL SEE THE SCREEN, UH, WITH A LITTLE GRAPHIC THAT SAYS THAT THE HOST WOULD LIKE YOU TO UNMUTE YOUR MICROPHONE, UH, WHEN YOU ARE CALLED ON AND AGAIN, ALL PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ABLE TO THEN HEAR YOU.
I WANT TO INTRODUCE, UH, AND RUN THROUGH THE ICRC COMMISSIONERS.
UH, ALL DISTRICTS, ALL 10 DISTRICTS ARE REPRESENTED ON THIS BODY.
UM, SO I JUST WANT TO GO THROUGH THE NAMES VERY QUICKLY.
DISTRICT ONE IS REPRESENTED BY COMMISSIONER AERO, HARDING AND COMMISSIONER, STILL IN AG DISTRICT TWO IS REPRESENTED BY COMMISSIONER
DISTRICT THREE IS REPRESENTED BY BOTH, UH, COMMISSIONER, BRING A MORRIS AND COMMISSIONER.
DISTRICT FOUR IS REPRESENTED BY COMMISSIONER STERLING LANDS, DISTRICT FIVE BY COMMISSIONER PROBLEM.
CANNON DISTRICT SIX IS REPRESENTED BY COMMISSIONER EUGENE SCHNEIDER.
DISTRICT SEVEN IS REPRESENTED BY BOTH COMMITTEE CHAIR, CHRISTINA PLENTEOUS AND COMMISSIONER
AND FINALLY DISTRICT 10 IS REPRESENTED BY MYSELF AGAIN.
VICE-CHAIR LEWIS GONZALEZ AND COMMISSIONER AARON DEMPSEY.
[00:05:03]
OKAY.IN 2012, 61% OF AUSTIN VOTERS SET THE STANDARD FOR AN OPEN AND TRANSPARENT MAPPING OF OUR DISTRICTS.
THE VOTE APPROVED REPLACING THE CITIES OF AN AT LARGE COUNCIL SYSTEM THAT LACKED GEOGRAPHIC AND RACIAL REPRESENTATION WITH THE CURRENT TEN ONE COUNCIL STRUCTURE CONSISTING OF 10 SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS.
PLUS OUR MAYOR, THIS VOTE DRAMATICALLY CHANGED THE CITY'S ELECTION SYSTEM AND PROVIDED A MODEL FOR CITIES NATIONWIDE.
THE 10 DISTRICTS WE KNOW TODAY WERE DRAWN BY THE 2013 ITERATION OF THE INDEPENDENT CITIZENS REDISTRICTING COMMISSION OR THE ICRC HISTORY WAS MADE ON NOVEMBER 18TH, 2013.
WHEN AUSTIN BECAME THE FIRST CITY IN THE COUNTRY TO HAVE ITS CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS DRAWN THROUGH THE VOLUNTEERISM OF A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT GROUP OF REG REGULAR RESIDENTS, THE MEMBERS OF THE ICRC ARE NOT SELECTED BY ANY POLITICIAN.
THE WAY OTHER, UH, REDISTRICTING COMMISSIONS MAY OPERATE.
WE ARE ALL AUSTINITES WHO CARE ABOUT THIS REDISTRICTING PROCESS AND HOW IT IS MANAGED.
SOME OF US HAVE FULL-TIME JOBS.
SOME OF US ARE STUDENTS, OTHERS HAVE FAMILIES TO CARE FOR.
WE ARE ALL VOLUNTEERS NOT PAID 1 CENT FOR THE WORK WE ARE DOING, WHO APPLIED TO BE ON THIS COMMISSION.
THIS BODY BEFORE YOU IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR PRODUCING THE CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT MAP, THAT WILL BE IN EFFECT FOR THE 2022 ELECTIONS.
AND FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS, NOT THE CITY COUNCIL, NOT THE MAYOR OR THE CITY MANAGER, NOT THE STATE.
WE ARE INDEPENDENT WITH THE CAPITAL.
I YOU'LL SEE SOME OF THAT HISTORY THAT I JUST MENTIONED AT THE TOP OF THIS SLIDE HERE.
AND I BRIEFLY WANT TO WALK YOU THROUGH HOW THE ICRC, THE 2021 ITERATION OF THE ICRC WAS SELECTED INFORMED.
AND THIS TIME AROUND 300, UH, OVER 300 APPLICATIONS WHERE WE SEE FOR PLACEMENT ON THE ICRC, 89% OF THOSE APPLICATIONS MET MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS SUCH AS HAVING LIVED IN, VOTED IN AUSTIN FOR AT LEAST FIVE YEARS AND WERE IDENTIFIED AS NOT HAVING ANY CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.
AN APPLICANT REVIEW PANEL MADE UP OF THREE CPAS THEN SELECTED THE 60 MOST QUALIFIED COMMISSION APPLICANTS FROM THOSE OVER 300, THE CITY AUDITOR'S OFFICE, THEN RANDOMLY SELECTED EIGHT COMMISSIONERS FROM THAT QUALIFIED POOL, A LOTTERY SYSTEM.
IF YOU, IF YOU WILL, FOR THOSE FIRST EIGHT, THOSE EIGHT COMMISSIONERS THEN HAD THE DIFFICULT TASK OF CHOOSING SIX ADDITIONAL APPLICANTS FROM THE SAME QUALIFIED POOL TO ENSURE THAT THE FULL COMMISSION, UH, REFLECTED THE DIVERSITY IN AUSTIN, THAT ALL THAT WORK LED TO THE FINAL NUMBER OF 14, THE 14 COMMISSIONERS ON THIS BODY THAT WILL NOW PROCEED WITH THE REDISTRICTING AND RETRYING OF MAPS.
AGAIN, WE WANTED TO ENSURE THAT THE COMMISSION REFLECTED THE DIVERSITY OF AUSTIN WHILE WE PRIMARILY WANTED TO ENSURE THAT ALL OF THE 10 DISTRICTS WERE REPRESENTED ON THE ICRC.
AND WE'RE PROUD TO SAY THAT THEY ARE A RACIAL, ETHNIC, AND GENDER DIVERSITY ALSO PLAYED A ROLE IN THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS.
THE COMMISSION WANTED OUR BODY TO ACCURATE ACCURATELY REFLECT THE DEMOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY OF THE CITY'S ENTIRE POPULATION WHILE ENSURING THAT THEY HAD NO TIES TO CITY OR STATE POLITICS, UH, POLITICAL PARTIES.
AND AGAIN, HAVING LIVED AND VOTED IN AUSTIN FOR AT LEAST FIVE YEARS.
AND ALL OF THIS CRITERIA IS ACCORDING TO THE CITY CHARTER.
AGAIN, WE ENSURED THAT WE WERE INDEPENDENT WITH THE CAPITAL I, SO WHAT IS OUR ROLE? THE COMMISSION WILL DECIDE ON THE NEW BOUNDARIES FOR OUR CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS THROUGH AN OPEN AND TRANSPARENT PROCESS WITH MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC INPUT, JUST LIKE THE FORUM YOU'RE ATTENDING THIS FRIDAY.
UM, THIS IS ALSO, UH, THE FINAL FORUM AND THE FIRST SERIES OF PUBLIC INPUT.
WE WILL ALSO HAVE, UM, STANDARD FORUMS IN SEPTEMBER AND IN OCTOBER AFTER WE BOTH ENDED UP A PRELIMINARY DRAFT OF THE MAPS AND THEN A FINAL DRAFT OF THE MAPS IN ORDER TO DRAW DISTRICT BOUNDARIES, COMMISSIONERS DO NEED INPUT FROM RESIDENTS THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE PROCESS.
AND THAT PROCESS INCLUDES AGAIN, HOLDING PUBLIC MEETINGS IN EACH OF THE 10 CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS.
THIS VIRTUAL FORUM THAT YOU'RE ATTENDING TODAY IS ACTUALLY ONE OF ADDITIONAL TO THAT.
WE SCHEDULED FOR THE DISTRICT.
SO 12 IN TOTAL, WE THEN COME UP WITH AN INITIAL DRAFT OF THE BOUNDARIES.
WE GO OUT FOR FOUR MORE PUBLIC MEETINGS, ONE IN EACH OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY PRECINCTS, AND WE WILL INCLUDE ALSO A VIRTUAL FORUM.
SO THERE'LL BE FIVE FORUMS IN THIS ROUND.
WE THEN PROPOSE FINAL BOUNDARIES, GO OUT FOR TWO MORE PUBLIC MEETINGS, ONE NORTH AND ONE SOUTH OF LADY BIRD LAKE.
AND AGAIN, VERY LIKELY THE ADDITION OF A THIRD VIRTUAL OPTION.
WE WILL VOTE ON FINAL BOUNDARIES, ALL IN THE HOPES OF ADOPTING A FINAL MAP PLAN NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 1ST, 2021.
AND AGAIN, PLEASE KEEP THAT DATE IN MIND, NOVEMBER 1ST, 2021 HIGHLIGHTED BULLET POINT THAT YOU SEE ON THE SLIDE HERE.
THAT IS WHY YOU HAVE JOINED US ON THIS FRIDAY.
AND AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR JOINING.
[00:10:04]
SO WHY DOES REDISTRICTING MATTER? ARE YOU DISTRICTING PROCESS MATTERS BECAUSE IT'S DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO FAIR REPRESENTATION, INCLUDING INCLUDING HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES ON THE CITY COUNCIL.THIS WAY YOU CAN VOTE WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS FOR A COUNCIL MEMBER WHO WILL REPRESENT PEOPLE WITH COMMON NEEDS AND INTERESTS, UM, WHO INVITE YOUR VOICE TO CITY HALL.
ADDITIONALLY, MANY BELIEVE THAT THIS PROCESS COULD BE THE ANTIDOTE TO GERRYMANDERING PRACTICES THAT WE OFTEN SEE AT THE STATE LEVEL AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY OR POLITICAL DISTRICTS ARE DRAWN FOR THE PURPOSES OF POLITICIANS GETTING REELECTED RATHER THAN TO ENSURE FAIR REPRESENTATION AND INCREASE DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION.
ON JUNE 29TH, 2015, THE SUPREME COURT DID AFFIRM THAT VOTERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO ESTABLISH INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSION COMMISSIONS LIKE THIS ONE AT A TIME WHEN POLITICIANS ELICIT DISTRESS CITIZEN REDISTRICTING CAN PROVIDE A TRANSPARENT AND TRANSFORMING ALTERNATIVE TO POLITICS.
AS USUAL, THIS MOVEMENT INVOLVES, UH, INVITES THE EVOLVEMENT OF ANY AND ALL AUSTIN RESIDENTS.
OUR WORK NOT HAPPEN WITHOUT PUBLIC FORUMS LIKE THIS ONE.
AND WITHOUT ALL OF YOU IN ATTENDANCE TODAY, YOU'RE ON THE SCREEN.
YOU'LL SEE A MAP OF OUR CURRENT DISTRICT BOUNDARIES AGAIN, THAT WERE SET BACK IN NOVEMBER OF 2013, THE 2013 INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING OF ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES WAS A GRASSROOTS FROM THE GROUND UP INITIATIVE.
AND THE 2021 COMMISSIONERS ARE FOLLOWING SUIT BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT REPRESENTATION IS THE BACKBONE OF DEMOCRACY SLEEVELESS ON HERE, AND LOOK AT ALL THE PRETTY COLORISM AND THE BOUNDARIES AS THEY'RE DRAWN TODAY.
BUT HOW WILL WE DRAW NEW MAPS, ADHERENT TO SECTION THREE E OF THE CITY CHARTER, THE COMMISSIONERS MUST DRAW EACH DISTRICT BOUNDARIES USING THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA THAT YOU SEE ON THIS SCREEN.
THIS IS AN ORDER OF PRIORITY FROM TOP TO BOTTOM.
MOST OF OUR GUIDELINES ARE PRETTY CUT AND DRY, LIKE HAVING TO CREATE REASONABLY EQUAL POPULATIONS IN EACH OF THE CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS, WE MUST COMPLY WITH THE FEDERAL VOTING RIGHTS ACT.
DISTRICTS MUST BE GEOGRAPHICALLY CONTIGUOUS.
AND FINALLY, AS YOU'LL SEE HIGHLIGHTED ON THE SCREEN, ITEM FOUR, THE GEOGRAPHIC INTEGRITY OF LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS OR LOCAL COMMUNITIES OF INTERESTS SHALL BE RESPECTED IN A MANNER THAT MINIMIZES THEIR DIVISION TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE WITHOUT VIOLATING THE REQUIREMENTS OF ANY OF THE PROCEEDINGS SUBSECTIONS.
SO THIS IS WHY, AGAIN, THAT YOU ARE HERE TODAY.
ITEM NUMBER FOUR, IN A MATTER OF DAYS OR WEEKS, THE ICRC WILL HAVE ACCESS TO USABLE 2020 CENSUS DATA.
AGAIN, THAT WAS JUST RELEASED THIS MONTH SO THAT WE CAN BEGIN A PROPER MAPPING PROCESS.
THE COMMISSIONERS ALONG WITH OUR MAPPING AND REDISTRICTING SPECIALISTS, MR. GEORGE KORBEL WILL USE THIS DATA AND PUBLIC INPUT THAT WE RECEIVE AT OUR FORUMS AND VIA EMAIL TO DECIDE HOW TO DRAW THE NEW DISTRICT BOUNDARIES.
THAT BEST REFLECTS AUSTIN'S RAPID CHANGES.
IT'S JUST SHARED THIS SLIDE, UM, TO GIVE YOU WHAT THE POPULATION MAKEUP OF EACH DISTRICT WAS BACK IN WHEN THE 2013 MAP WAS DRAWN, A PORTION BY THE THEN 2010 CENSUS DATA.
SO EACH DISTRICT, AGAIN, AS YOU SAW ON THE LAST SLIDE SHOULD HAVE A REASONABLY EQUAL POPULATION WITH THE OTHER DISTRICTS.
THE STANDARD IS AS CLOSE TO 0% DEVIATION AS POSSIBLE.
IN 2013, THE POPULATION OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN WAS 790,390.
SO AT THAT TIME, THE IDEAL POPULATION PER CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT WAS 79,000.
THE LARGEST DISTRICT LAST TIME, THESE WERE DRAWN WAS DISTRICT SIX, AS YOU'LL SEE ON THE SCRAPS OR THE SMALLEST DISTRICT IN TERMS OF POPULATION WAS DISTRICT ONE.
BUT ON THIS GRAPH, YOU WILL SEE A RAPID AND PRECIPITOUS GROWTH IN AUSTIN'S POPULATIONS THROUGHOUT THE YEARS.
ACCORDING TO THE 2020 CENSUS DATA AUSTIN'S POPULATION LAST YEAR STOOD AT 961,855.
SO THAT IS ABOUT A 21% INCREASE FROM 2010 OR AN INCREASE OF ABOUT 172,000 PEOPLE MOVING INTO AUSTIN.
SO BECAUSE THERE ARE 10 CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS, THE IDEAL DISTRICT SIZE THIS TIME AROUND WOULD BE A 10TH OF THE TOTAL POPULATION OR APPROXIMATELY 96,185.
WE WILL HAVE TO DRAW THE DISTRICTS AND A PORTION BASED ON THE DATA THAT WE DO RECEIVE FROM THE 2020 CENSUS, EVEN THOUGH AUSTIN'S POPULATION HAS CERTAINLY PASSED A MILLION BY NOW, THIS IS ACTUALLY A RECENT,
[00:15:01]
A RECENTLY NEW GRAPH AND UPDATED GRAPH BASED ON, UH, 2020 CENSUS DATA THAT WE RECEIVED FROM THE CITY.RECENTLY, THIS IS COMPARING DEMOGRAPHICS IN THE CITY FROM 2010 TO 2020 FROM THE 2020 CENSUS DATA.
WE SEE THAT THE POPULATION THAT IDENTIFIES AS WHITE IN AUSTIN IS 47.1% WHILE 32.5% IDENTIFY AS HISPANIC OR LATINO.
BOTH OF THESE PERCENTAGES SHRUNK ACTUALLY FROM THE 2020 TO 2010 DATA, WE HAVE ABOUT 9% OF THE POPULATION THAT IDENTIFIES AS ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER, WHICH IS UP FROM 10 YEARS AGO, JUST UNDER 7% OF OUR POPULATION IDENTIFIES AS BLACK, WHICH IS THE LOWER THAN THE SHARE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS AS A WHOLE STATEWIDE.
THE BLACK POPULATION IS ALMOST 12% AND THE ASIAN POPULATION IS ABOUT 5.4% SHARE OF OUR POPULATION IN AUSTIN THAN IDENTIFIES AS SOME OTHER RACE OR TO OTHER RACES ACTUALLY GREW BY 234%, 172% RESPECTFUL.
IT'S A GOOD DIVES, A LITTLE BIT DEEPER FROM THE PIE CHART THAT YOU SAW ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE.
UM, THIS SHOWS HOW, AGAIN, WE ARE DIFFERENT, UH, HOW AUSTIN IS A DIFFERENT INPUT, UH, PERCENTAGE OF POPULATION CHANGE VERSUS THE STATE AS A WHOLE THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.
AND THE STATE POPULATION GROWTH WAS DRIVEN BY PEOPLE OF COLOR.
HOWEVER, THE RACE AND ETHNICITY COMPOSITION OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE CONTRIBUTION OF EACH OF THESE RACIAL, ETHNIC GROUPS TO THE TOTAL CHANGE OVER THE PAST DECADE, WE SEE THAT THE BIGGEST DRIVER IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS BEEN THE NON-HISPANIC WHITE POPULATION HERE IN AUSTIN.
IT'S 40% OF OUR TOTAL CHANGE OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, HISPANICS MADE UP ONLY ABOUT 20% OF GROWTH IN THE CITY IN THE LAST DECADE, COMPARE THAT WITH 50% CHANGE, THEY DROVE ON AT THE NATIONAL AND STATE LEVELS.
SO THIS DOES SET US APART FROM THE REST OF TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE LATEST CENSUS DATA NON-HISPANIC WHITE TEXANS HAVE SHRUNK TO 90, UH, EXCUSE ME, 39.8% OF THE STATE'S POPULATION WITH ONLY 1.6% INCREASE SINCE 2010.
WHILE THE SHARE OF THE HISPANIC TEXTS IN THE GROUP HAS GROWN TO 39.3% WITH OVER AND OVER 20% INCREASE IN THAT SAME PERIOD.
MEANWHILE, THE COUNTRY EXPERIENCED A DECLINE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 230 YEARS.
AND THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT IDENTIFIED AS NON-HISPANIC WHITE, THE ASIAN POPULATION WAS THE FASTEST GROWING SINGLE RACE GROUP.
OVER ONE IN EVERY FIVE PEOPLE ADDED TO THE AUSTIN POPULATION IN THE LAST DECADE WAS AN ASIAN DESCENT.
ANOTHER FAST GROWING RACE ETHNICITY GROUP WAS THE, OR, UM, TWO OR MORE RACIST POPULATION.
SOME OF THIS GROWTH COULD BE ATTRIBUTED TO CHANGES IN CODING MADE BY THE CENSUS BUREAU.
RECENTLY, THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN POPULATION ALSO GREW THIS DECADE, BUT AT A SLOWER RATE, THIS COMPARE, THIS COMPARES WITH STRONG MIGRATION BY AFRICAN-AMERICANS THAT WE'VE SEEN IN OTHER CITIES IN THE SOUTH, SUCH AS IN DALLAS AND HOUSTON, WE ARE AWARE, UM, THE WAY THAT BLACK AND LATINO COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN PUSHED TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF AUSTIN FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS, INCLUDING HOUSING AFFORDABILITY, RIGHT? YOU'VE HEARD A COUPLE OF TIMES, WHY WAS THE 2020 CENSUS DATA DELAYED OPERATIONAL DELAYS, GLOBAL PANDEMIC LAWSUITS AND MOVES BY THE PREVIOUS PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION OR SOME OF THE REASONS TO BLAME? HOWEVER, GREAT EFFORTS WERE MADE JOINTLY BY THE CITY COUNTY AND COMMUNITY GROUPS TO GET AN ACCURATE CENSUS COUNT SINCE KNOWING OUR EXACT POPULATION IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR FEDERAL FUNDING OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS.
OF COURSE IT MATTERS FOR THAT POLITICAL REPRESENTATION WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT AS YOU DRAW THESE, UH, CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT BOUNDARIES.
STILL, THERE MAY BE AN UNDERCOUNT, ESPECIALLY OF HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES.
THE CITY CHARTER HAS SET A DEADLINE OF NOVEMBER 1ST FOR THE FINAL REDISTRICTING PLAN TO BE VOTED IN ADOPTED JUST TO REITERATE BETWEEN NOW AUGUST 27TH AND NOVEMBER THAT NOVEMBER 1ST DEADLINE, WE WILL DRAW PRELIMINARY MAPS, PRESENT THEM TO THE PUBLIC IN EACH OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY PRECINCTS AND TAKE PUBLIC INPUT.
AGAIN, WE THEN REVISE THOSE MAPS, UH, VOTE ON A FINAL MAP AND THEN GO OUT TWO MORE TIMES, ONE NORTH OF LADY BIRD LAKE, AND ONE SOUTH TO GATHER PUBLIC INPUT.
AGAIN, ALL IN THE HOPES OF ADOPTING A MAP BY NOVEMBER 1ST, 2021.
THIS GIVES US ABOUT TWO MONTHS TO COMPLETE THIS ENTIRE PROCESS, A SIMILAR TIMELINE THAT THE PREVIOUS COMMISSION HAD WHEN THEY DREW THE 2013 DISTRICT BOUNDARIES.
AND AGAIN, EVERY STEP, EVERY POINT OF THE WAY IN THIS PROCESS, WE INVITE AND WELCOME AND NEED PUBLIC INPUT.
OKAY, THIS IS, UH, ANOTHER REMINDER.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO TESTIFY TO THE COMMISSIONER TODAY, PLEASE UTILIZE THE CHAT FUNCTION,
[00:20:01]
PUT YOUR FULL NAME, YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, AND WHAT DISTRICT THAT YOU RESIDE IN.AND REMEMBER WHEN YOU ARE CALLED ON BY CHRISTINE, GRENADA'S OUR ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER, PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF, UM, WHEN YOU WERE CALLED ON.
SO EVERYONE IN ATTENDANCE AND ALL COMMISSIONERS CAN HEAR YOU.
LET ME GIVE THIS A FEW MINUTES JUST TO GET THOSE CHAT IN.
AND THEN WITH THE HELP OF CHRISTINE GRANADOS, WE ARE GOING TO SHOW YOU SOME OF THOSE ADDITIONAL WAYS THAT WE COULD RECEIVE YOUR INPUT BESIDES THE PUBLIC TESTIMONY PORTION, OR BESIDES EMAIL, I'M GOING TO GIVE US A MINUTE HERE AND THEN I WILL STOP SHARING MY SCREEN.
IN ADVANCE TO EVERYONE WHO IS SIGNING UP AND GOING TO STOP SHARING THIS SCREEN AND THEN GO INTO A WEB BROWSER AND THEN CHRISTINE GRENADA'S IS GOING TO HELP US, UM, SEARCH FOR THESE MAPPING EXERCISES AND A SURVEY THAT YOU, THE COMMISSIONER COULD RECEIVE YOUR INPUT.
SO IN ADDITION TO POTENTIAL TESTIMONY THIS AFTERNOON AND WRITTEN COMMENTS VIA EMAIL, WE'D LIKE TO TAKE TIME TO POINT ATTENDEES TO SOME OTHER OPTIONS FOR PUBLIC INPUT.
FIRST, WE WANT TO SHOW YOU WHERE TO FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE INDEPENDENCIES AND REDISTRICTING COMMISSION.
SO IN YOUR WEB BROWSER, WHETHER IT'S GOOGLE, DUCK, DUCK GO YAHOO TYPE IN AUSTIN, I C R C AND THE TOP RESULT SHOULD BE THE ICRC PAGE ON THE CITY OF AUSTIN WEBSITE.
IF YOU'LL CLICK ON THE LINK AFTER IT LOADS, SCROLL DOWN TO THE BROWN ICON ON THE LEFT SIDE, THAT READS YOU MEETING DOCUMENTS.
AND IF YOU'LL CLICK ON THE ICON AFTER THE PAGE LOADS, YOU CAN DO I ICRC MEETING DOCUMENTS.
I THINK SOMEBODY WAS ASKING WHETHER OR NOT THIS PRESENTATION WILL BE HERE.
IT WILL BE LOADED ONTO THIS WEBSITE AS WELL AS AGENDAS FROM ALL MEETINGS, INCLUDING PUBLIC FORUMS, VIDEOS OF PAST MEETINGS AND PUBLIC FORUMS IN ENGLISH AND IN SPANISH.
AND PRETTY SOON ALL THE COMMENTS AT THESE PUBLIC FORUMS WILL BE UPLOADED AS WELL ONTO THIS SITE AND COMMISSIONER YE POSTED ON THE CHAT FUNCTION, WHERE YOU CAN FIND ALL THIS INFORMATION.
SO A GOOD WAY TO LEAVE THE IRC FEEDBACK.
ANOTHER WAY, I'M SORRY, IS THROUGH ANOTHER WEBSITE CALLED SPEAK UP AUSTIN, AND WE'RE GOING TO WALK YOU THROUGH THESE STEPS HERE.
SO WHEN YOUR WEB BROWSER TYPE IN SPEAK UP AUSTIN, AND IT SHOULD BE THE FIRST LINK IN THE WEB BROWSER, THEN YOU'LL BE DIRECTED TO THIS HOMEPAGE THAT SAYS, WELCOME TO SPEAK UP AUSTIN.
AND IF YOU'LL SCROLL DOWN TO THE BLUE BOX OVERLAID ON THE BLUE BOX IS A WHITE RECTANGLE THAT READS SHAPE AUSTIN'S FUTURE INDEPENDENT CITIZEN, REDISTRICTING COMMISSION.
IF YOU CLICK ON VIEW PROJECT, AND THIS MIGHT TAKE A MINUTE TO LOAD, SO HERE YOU'LL FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT REDISTRICTING.
YOU'LL SCROLL DOWN TO THE TAB SECTION AND IF YOU'LL LOCATE EVENT FEEDBACK TAB, AND IF YOU'LL CLICK ON IT, OKAY, YOU'LL SEE ANOTHER LINK THAT READS YOUR SUGGESTIONS FOR REDISTRICTING.
AND HERE YOU'LL BE PROMPTED TO SIGN IN OR REGISTER, WHICH WILL GIVE YOU ACCESS TO A SURVEY AND A PLACE TO UPLOAD ANY DOCUMENTS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE.
[00:25:01]
OWN THAT YOU'D LIKE TO PLACE, OR IF YOU HAVE WRITTEN COMMENTS, THE, THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS THAT WE'LL ASK AND YOU CAN CHOOSE A FILE UPLOAD YOUR DOCUMENT, AND THIS WILL GO STRAIGHT TO THE COMMISSIONERS.THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT HELP CHRISTINE, I'LL STOP SHARING THE WEB BROWSER SCREEN AND THEN BRING IT BACK TO OUR PRESENTATION SIDE.
UM, AND CHRISTINE, WE'LL SPEAK ABOUT SOME OTHER QUESTIONS THAT ARE HELPING THE COMMISSION DO OUR WORK.
SO GIVE ME ONE SECOND, PLEASE.
SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS ON THE SURVEY FROM SPEAK UP, AUSTIN.
THESE ARE ALSO GOOD QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER IF YOU'RE GIVING PUBLIC TESTIMONY HERE TODAY, UM, THEY ALL PERTAIN TO OUR CHARTER MANDATE, NUMBER FOUR, MAINTAINING THE GEOGRAPHIC INTEGRITY OF NEIGHBORHOODS AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES.
AND WE'LL GIVE YOU A MINUTE JUST TO READ THROUGH A FEW OF THESE QUESTIONS.
SO YOU'LL UNDERSTAND THE KIND OF FEEDBACK THE COMMISSIONERS ARE LOOKING FOR.
THANK YOU AGAIN, CHRISTINE, AND THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE WHO IS SIGNING UP FOR THE PUBLIC TESTIMONY PORTION.
UM, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE INTO THAT PORTION RIGHT NOW, AND I'M GONNA ALLOW CHRISTINE TO GIVE A LITTLE BIT MORE BACKGROUND IN RULES ABOUT THE PROCESS.
SO WE ARE GOING TO MOVE INTO THE PUBLIC TESTIMONY PORTION OF THE FORUM.
AND BEFORE WE DO, I'M JUST GOING TO GIVE YOU A FEW RULES.
ALL INDIVIDUALS WISHING TO MAKE COMMENTS MUST SIGN IN VIA THE CHAT.
AND EACH SPEAKER WILL BE LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES WITH ADDITIONAL TIME GRANTED BY THE VICE CHAIR AND GONZALEZ.
AND BECAUSE THE COMMISSIONERS ARE INTERESTED IN GATHERING DATA ON YOUR VIEWS OF NEIGHBORHOODS, MAPS AND REDISTRICTING, THEY WILL ANSWER QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE ABOUT UNRELATED TOPICS VIA EMAIL.
SO I WILL CALL ON YOU IN THE ORDER THAT YOU SIGNED INTO THE CHATS.
AND AGAIN, EVERYONE WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK, JUST BE SURE TO MAKE COMMENTS AS THEY PERTAIN TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND REDISTRICTING AT THE TWO MINUTE 32ND, MARK, YOU'LL SEE ME FLASH THIS YELLOW NOTEBOOK.
AND THIS WAY YOU'LL KNOW YOUR TIME IS ABOUT TO EXPIRE.
AND AT THREE MINUTES I WILL INTERRUPT AND SAY YOUR AT TIME, OKAY, WE CAN HAVE OUR FIRST PRESENTER.
SO I'M GOING TO CALL ADAM HAYNES WHO SIGNED IN TO SPEAK TO THE COMMISSIONERS.
I HOPE I'M UN-MUTED GIVE ME ALL RIGHT NOW, CHRISTINA, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.
AND THANKS FOR ALL THAT YOU'RE DOING TO COORDINATE THIS.
I ALSO TESTIFIED, UM, I'M IN A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT SEVEN, UM, CENTRAL AUSTIN, AND, UM, TESTIFIED AT THE PUBLIC HEARING, UM, THAT WE HELD AT THE NORTHWEST REC CENTER.
AND MUCH OF MY TESTIMONY WILL BE SIMILAR.
UH, JUST WANT TO ENCOURAGE THE COMMISSION TO, UH, KEEP IN MIND THE CHARTER AND LOOK AT THE NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND EVEN THOUGH THE DEFINITION OF NEIGHBORHOOD IS CHANGING IN THE CITY OF BOSTON, UM, OBVIOUSLY ALLENDALE WHERE I LIVED AS A NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT THE DOMAIN
[00:30:01]
IS A NEIGHBORHOOD.UH, THE CHINATOWN CENTER AS A NEIGHBORHOOD, TRAVIS HEIGHTS IS A NEIGHBORHOOD.
THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS ARE KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF AUSTIN AND KEEPING THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS LINKED, UM, IS KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL REDISTRICTING SESSION.
AND, UH, MAKING SURE THAT OUR NEXT CITY COUNCIL CAN REPRESENT THOSE DISTRICTS, UH, IN DISTRICT SEVEN.
UH, WE ARE, WE ARE OVER POPULATION AND, UH, WE'LL HAVE TO SHED SOME OF THAT POPULATION.
SO I DON'T ENVY THE TASK OF THE, OF THE COMMISSION, BUT, UM, UH, THE, THE CENTER PART OF, OF DISTRICT SEVEN FROM THE DOMAIN DOWN TO, UM, ELLENDALE AND CRESTVIEW AND, AND OTHERS, UM, ARE, ARE, WE ARE A COMMUNITY.
WE SHOP TOGETHER, WE'D GO TO SCHOOL TOGETHER.
WE WORSHIPED TOGETHER AND KEEPING THOSE AS A CORE DISTRICT IN THE CENTER OF AUSTIN IS KEY TO THIS SUCCESS OF THIS PART.
UM, UH, OBVIOUSLY NO ONE IS EVER GOING TO TAKE AWAY FROM DOWNTOWN, UM, UH, LADY BIRD, LAKE TOWN LAKE, WHICHEVER ONE YOU WANT TO CALL IT IS AN AUDITORIUM SHORES ARE, ARE KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF, OF AUSTIN, BUT THEN DOMAIN IS AS WELL.
IT IS AS MUCH A PART OF CENTRAL AUSTIN AS ANYTHING.
AND, UH, THOSE OF US LIVING IN CRESTVIEW, THOSE OF US LIVING IN ALLENDALE AND NORTH ALLENDALE, ALL LIVE, WORK AND WORSHIP IN THE DOMAIN.
IT IS, IT IS CRITICAL THAT WE KEEP THOSE, UH, FOUR OR FIVE, UM, NEIGHBORHOODS TOGETHER.
AND WE KEEP THOSE FOUR OR FIVE NEIGHBORHOODS.
HOLY IN PART IN A HOLY PART OF DISTRICT SEVEN, I'VE BEEN ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS I DON'T NEED ALL THREE MINUTES.
I'LL GIVE MY TIME BACK AND, UH, APPRECIATE Y'ALL, UH, RESTATE YOUR, UH, SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY AND APPRECIATE Y'ALL DOING THIS.
UH, HAPPY TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS IF THERE ARE, THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. HAYES FOR YOUR TESTIMONY TODAY AND FOR JOINING US AT OUR PREVIOUS FORUM AT THE NORTHWEST REC CENTER, MUCH APPRECIATED.
I'M GOING TO CALL UP ROMEL ALVAREZ FROM DISTRICT FONT FROM DISTRICT THREE.
SORRY TO SPEAK TO THE COMMISSION.
UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.
UH, AND THIS OPPORTUNITY, UH, IS VERY IMPORTANT, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF, UM, HAVING, UM, YOU KNOW, GETTING THIS RIGHT.
SO, AND THERE'S, YOU KNOW, AN INFINITE NUMBER OF WAYS YOU CAN DRAW THE LINES.
SO, UM, I DON'T ENVY YOUR POSITION, BUT I APPRECIATE YOU STEPPING UP TO, UM, TO, TO TAKE THIS ROLE OR PLAY THIS ROLE.
UM, BUT THE ONLY I HAVE A VERY QUICK COMMENT.
I MEAN, I LIVE IN DISTRICT THREE AND REALLY JUST TO SHARE, UM, SORT OF WHAT'S BEEN WELL, WHAT IS SORT OF, UH, AN ALIGNMENT OF BOUNDARIES ACROSS JURISDICTIONS, UH, FOR DISTRICT THREE OF THE NORTHERN BOUNDARY ALIGNS VERY CLOSELY WITH THE BOUNDARIES FOR COMMISSIONER GOMEZ IS A COUNTY DISTRICT AND A STATE REPRESENTATIVE RODRIGUEZ'S DISTRICT.
AND I'M SORRY, I SHOULD KNOW THOSE NUMBERS.
WELL, IT IS PRECINCT FOUR IN THE COUNTY, BUT SORRY, I DON'T REMEMBER YOUR, YOUR DISTRICT NUMBER AT THE STATE LEVEL, BUT, UH, BUT THOSE LINES HAVE BEEN LIKE ALIGNED FOR A LONG, LONG TIME.
SO, UM, I THINK FOR, AND THEN NATURALLY, BECAUSE OF SORT OF WHERE THESE DIFFERENT PRECINCTS, UM, WHERE THEY'RE REPRESENTED OR HOW THEY'RE REPRESENTED OR BY WHOM THEY'RE REPRESENTED HAS LED TO SORT OF SOME OF THE DYNAMICS IN THESE COMMUNITIES, WHETHER IT'D BE NEIGHBORHOODS OR JUST KIND OF, UM, POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT IN ACTIVITY.
BUT, UH, REALLY THAT'S ALL I WANTED TO SHARE IS THAT WHEN THE CITY, WHEN THE DISTRICT THREE BOUNDARY WAS DRAWN, THAT PARTICULAR LINE WAS KIND OF, UM, UM, WAS ALIGNED, I GUESS, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, YOU KNOW, NOT BEING VERY ARTICULATE THIS MORNING, BUT, UH, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? IT'S LIKE, JUST KEEP THAT IN MIND AS YOU DELIBERATE BECAUSE, UH, HISTORICALLY RIGHT.
IT, YOU KNOW, THERE HAS BEEN SOME, UM, THAT HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT'S, UM, BEEN TRUE AND, UM, THERE MAY BE GOOD REASONS TO CHANGE IT, BUT, YOU KNOW, NOT EVERYONE KNOWS THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE IS THAT ALIGNMENT THAT EXISTS, UH, WITH, WITH THESE PARTICULAR JURISDICTIONS.
SO I JUST WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT TO, TO, TO THE COMMISSIONERS TO HELP IN YOUR WORK.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH AGAIN, FOR YOUR SERVICE AND FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT YOUR WORK AND JUST TO BE ABLE TO SHARE, UM, THIS BRIEF COMMENT, EVERYONE HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND.
[00:35:02]
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. HABITAS FOR THE KIND WORDS FOR JOINING US AT THE FORUM AND FOR YOUR TESTIMONY MUCH APPRECIATED.I HAVE ANNA TALA FROM DISTRICT FIVE.
HI, I'M ON A PATELLA FROM DISTRICT FIVE.
UM, I WANTED TO MAKE SUGGESTIONS FOR, UM, THE COMMISSION.
UM, I WAS, UM, I'VE BEEN FOLLOWING YOUR FACEBOOK, UM, PAGE AND THE POSTS THAT YOU'VE BEEN PUTTING OUT AND, UM, IN ORDER TO MAKE THIS EASIER FOR FOLKS TO BE ABLE TO SIGN UP, UM, IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO PUT THE LINK FOR REGISTERING FOR THE WEBINAR IN YOUR POSTS, UM, SO THAT PEOPLE CAN JUST CLICK ON THE LINK AND GO DIRECTLY TO THE REGISTRATION FOR THE WEBINAR.
UM, I'VE NOTICED THAT THAT'S BEEN MISSING ON THE POSTS AND I'VE BEEN, UM, UTILIZING THE COMMENTS, UM, IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THAT FOR THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN.
UM, I JUST KNOW THAT ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO FACEBOOK, IF THERE'S NOT SOMETHING FOR PEOPLE TO CLICK ON IMMEDIATELY, UM, TO BE ABLE TO SIGN UP FOR THESE KINDS OF THINGS, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO DO IT.
UM, AND I UNDERSTAND WANTING TO OCCASIONALLY ADD THE LINK TO THE, UM, THE WEBSITE, BUT IF IT'S NOT AN EASY, QUICK CLICK CLICK, PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO FOLLOW THROUGH.
UM, AND I JUST THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE AN EASIER WAY FOR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO, TO SIGN UP TO ATTEND.
UM, I'M ALSO CURIOUS AS TO HOW MANY ATTENDEES ARE AT THIS FORUM, UM, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT I'VE ATTENDED QUITE A FEW AND, UM, I WAS JUST CURIOUS AS TO HOW MANY WERE HERE.
AND ALSO, UM, IN THE EVENTS, WHEN YOU CREATE AN EVENT, IT WOULD, IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA FOR THAT LAKE TO BE THERE TOO, TO BE ABLE TO SIGN UP FOR THE WEBINAR.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE TESTIMONY AND FOR THE HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS FOR OUR WORK.
UM, I WILL ANSWER, UH, THE CLARIFICATION QUESTION.
I SEE 26 PARTICIPANTS, UM, IN TODAY'S FORUM.
MA'AM SIGN UP TO SPEAK IS JAY CROSSLY FROM DISTRICT FOUR.
YOU CAN ADDRESS THE COMMISSION.
HI, UH, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE AND FOR GOING THROUGH THIS COMPLICATED PROCESS, UH, AND LISTENING TO PEOPLE.
UM, I, I DID WANT TO MAKE COMMENTS ABOUT THE PROCESS I LIVE IN BEFORE.
UM, AND I'M, I'M SOMEWHAT CONCERNED.
UM, YOU KNOW, THESE MEET, I'VE WATCHED A COUPLE OF THESE MEETINGS AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A MILLION PEOPLE THAT YOU GUYS ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO REPRESENT FAIRLY.
AND THERE'S BEEN, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE A THOUSAND TOTAL IN ALL THESE MEETINGS.
AND SO MOST PEOPLE AREN'T SHARING THEIR EXPERIENCE OF WHAT THEIR COMMUNITY IS OR WHAT THEIR VISION OF AUSTIN IS HERE.
AND IT REALLY WORRIES ME THAT THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, OVER AND OVER AGAIN, THE CITY HAS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A CITY AUDIT ABOUT NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING THAT SHOWED THAT THAT PROCESS WAS WILDLY INEQUITABLE BECAUSE OF THE PEOPLE WHO SHOW UP AT THE MEETINGS THEIR VOICES HEARD.
AND SO PART OF ME WANTS TO PUSH YOU GUYS TO USE DATA AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND, YOU KNOW, JUST DIVIDE UP THE CITY.
AND I THINK IT'S CRUCIAL TO FIGURE TO GUARANTEE REPRESENTATION FOR, FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR AND UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS, UM, BUT OTHERWISE USE DATA, YOU KNOW, UM, AND THAT, YOU KNOW, THE EXPERIENCE OF LIKE LIVING IN A COMMUNITY OR THE COMMUNITY IN ONE PLACE ISN'T NORMAL, YOU KNOW, AND MOST AMERICANS MOVE EVERY SEVEN YEARS AND MOST AUSTIN NIGHTS DON'T EXPERIENCE THE IDEA OF LIVING IN ONE PLACE FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
AND OUR, IN OUR COMMUNITIES KIND OF RUN ACROSS THE CITY AND WE HAVE ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES.
AND SO IT JUST, I'M SCARED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS PROCESS AND AT THE SORT OF THE VIEWS OF SORT OF WEALTHIER PEOPLE WHO STAY IN ONE PLACE KIND OF BECOME MORE IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY FELT THEY FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE THIS SENSE OF COMMUNITY THAT OTHERS DON'T HAVE.
UM, AND THEN JUST ONE LITTLE NERD POINT IS THAT A LOT OF THE GROWTH MAPS, UM, OUR PERCENT GROWTH IN DIFFERENT SHAPE PLACES, AND THOSE MAPS CAN BE MISLEADING.
AND SO, UM, I HOPE YOU GUYS ARE LOOKING AT ALL THE MAPS AND A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS.
[00:40:01]
UM, AND SO I JUST WANTED TO THROW ALL THAT IN THERE.UM, AND I APPRECIATE Y'ALL HAVE A VERY TOUGH JOB AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. CROSSLEY FOR YOUR PUBLIC TESTIMONY TODAY, FINAL PERSON TO SPEAK UNLESS SOMEBODY ELSE WOULD LIKE TO SIGN UP IS KIM LAISSEZ, SORRY ABOUT THIS KIM
YOU CAN ADDRESS THE COMMISSION.
UM, FOR EVERYTHING Y'ALL ARE DOING, I KNOW THIS HAS GOT TO BE A VERY TOUGH JOB, BUT, UM, I HAVE TO AGREE WITH THE FIRST, UH, PERSON WHO TALKED ABOUT NEIGHBORHOODS BEING VERY IMPORTANT TO KEEP THEM TOGETHER.
I AM A RESIDENT OF THE SOUTH'S RIVER CITY CITIZENS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, AND WE ARE DIVIDED UP INTO EIGHT DIFFERENT SECTIONS.
AND WHEN THE CITY FIRST DIVIDED THE CITY INTO INDIVIDUAL, UM, CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS, OUR AREA, WHICH IS AREA EIGHT, WAS PUT INTO DISTRICT THREE WHERE THE ENTIRE REST OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD WAS PUT INTO DISTRICT NINE.
AND I FELT THAT THIS HAS BEEN PROBLEMATIC BECAUSE THE, THE ISSUES THAT WE HAVE, OR THAT ARE AFFECTING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS ARE DIVIDED UP INTO TWO DIFFERENT DISTRICTS.
AND I DON'T FEEL OUR LITTLE BITTY AREA HAS GOTTEN ENOUGH REPRESENTATION ON THE CITY COUNCIL AS THE LARGER PART OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, WHICH HAS BEEN IN AREA NINE.
AND NOW THAT THEY ARE REDRAWING THE DISTRICTS, I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO BE PUT IN WITH THE REST OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, WHATEVER DISTRICT THAT IS CALLED, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO BE PUT INTO THE SAME DISTRICT AND NOT BE LUMPED INTO EAST AUSTIN WHEN WE'RE REALLY SOUTH CENTRAL AUSTIN.
AND I FEEL LIKE WE HAVE THE SAME ISSUES AS, AS THE REST OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, WHICH IS SOUTH CENTRAL AUSTIN, NOT EAST AUSTIN.
THAT'S KIND OF, I HAVE TO SAY, THANKS.
MA'AM FOR YOUR TESTIMONY TODAY, CHRISTINE, DID WE HAVE ANY, UM, I NOTICED, NO, YOU NOTED THAT AS A POTENTIAL LAST SPEAKER.
ANYONE ELSE SIGN UP, UM, AFTER ONE MORE PERSON SIGNED UP TO SPEAK HOLLY REED FROM DISTRICT 10, YOU CAN ADDRESS THE COMMISSION.
HI, THIS IS HOLLY REED, UH, LIVE IN DISTRICT 10.
AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY, THANK YOU TO ALL THE COMMISSIONERS FOR THE WORK YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW AND FOR TAKING PUBLIC TESTIMONY.
UM, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE AWARE OF THIS, BUT A GREAT DEAL OF EFFORT HAS GONE INTO THE PLANNING PROCESS FOR NEIGHBORHOOD PLANS, NOT JUST IN OUR DISTRICT, BUT ALL ACROSS THE CITY.
AND IF NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING AREAS ARE BROKEN UP BY REDISTRICTING, THAT'S GOING TO MAKE THERE BE SOME DIFFICULTY FOR FUTURE LAND USE MAPS AND FOR NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN AMENDMENTS AND SO FORTH.
SO I HOPE THE COMMISSION WILL KEEP NEIGHBORHOOD PLANS THROUGHOUT EVERY DISTRICT IN MIND AS YOU'RE REDRAWING MAP.
THANK YOU SO MUCH MISREAD FOR THAT TESTIMONY.
I THINK THAT CONCLUDES OUR PUBLIC COMMENT PORTION OF THE FORUM.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, CHRISTINE, FOR MANAGING THAT PORTION, UM, OF OUR FORUM TODAY, AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR SPEAKERS THIS AFTERNOON.
UH, WE STRUGGLE WITH DOING OUR WORK IF WE DO NOT HAVE INPUT, UH, FROM RESIDENTS OF AUSTIN.
SO WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE, TAKING SOME TIME OUT OF YOUR FRIDAY.
UM, AND I JUST WANT TO CLOSE OUT THIS FORUM WITH MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THAT PUBLIC INPUT.
AS YOU'LL SEE ON THIS SCREEN, WE DO.
AND WHAT, HOW, WHAT WE, UM, ACKNOWLEDGED IN THIS PRESENTATION, WE ARE GOING TO GO INTO ANOTHER ROUND OF PUBLIC TESTIMONY, PUBLIC FORUMS. ONCE WE HAVE A PRELIMINARY MAP DRAWN, AS YOU'LL SEE ON THE LEFT OF THE SCREEN, YOU'LL SEE THREE, FOUR, UM, OPPORTUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED.
THAT BEING ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH FROM 11:00 AM TO 1:00 PM.
I THINK THAT'S GOT TO SEE A RECREATION CENTER.
WE HAVE A FORUM SCHEDULE AT THE MAYFIELD COL COTTAGE, UM, ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21ST
[00:45:01]
FROM SIX TO 8:00 PM.AND WE'LL BE AT THE DOVE SPRINGS RECREATION CENTER ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH FROM ONE TO 3:00 PM.
WE ARE ALSO IN THE PROCESS OF SCHEDULING A FOURTH IN PERSON PUBLIC FORUM AND THAT ADDITIONAL VIRTUAL FORUM.
SO FIVE TOTAL FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, THAT BRINGS US TO THE END, EVERYONE.
UM, AGAIN ON BEHALF OF THE ICRC BODY, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING THIS AUGUST 27TH FORUM.
THANK YOU TO ALL THE SPEAKERS WHO PROVIDED PUBLIC TESTIMONY TODAY.
THANK YOU TO THE COMMISSIONERS AND STAFF FOR BEING HERE.
AND ONCE MORE, IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY, WHETHER THAT IS YOUR PUBLIC TESTIMONY ABOUT YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS OR HOW THE ICRC COULD BETTER IMPROVE OUR WORK OR, OR HELPFUL EDITS, PLEASE EMAIL US AT ICRC DOT COMMISSIONERS AT AUSTIN, TEXAS.GOV.
THAT EMAIL ADDRESS GETS SENT TO ALL 14 COMMISSIONERS AND OUR STAFF.
UH, WE WILL SEE IT AND WE WILL RESPOND.
I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT REST OF YOUR FRIDAY AND A GREAT WEEKEND.
WE'LL SEE YOU SOON AT THE NEXT PUBLIC FORUM ON SEPTEMBER 18TH.