* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:02] GOOD AFTERNOON. [CALL TO ORDER] MY NAME IS NATASHA HOPPER MADISON. I'M GOING TO CALL TO ORDER THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING. UM, EXCUSE ME. WE ARE MEETING ON THE DICE AND WEBEX IN AUSTIN, TEXAS ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22ND, UH, 2021 AT 2:12 PM. I CALLED THE MEETING TO ORDER. [1. Approve the minutes of the September 20, 2021 meeting of the Public Safety Committee.] OUR FIRST ITEM IS THE APPROVAL OF THE MEAT OF THE MINUTES OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH, 2021. IS THERE A MOTION TO PASS? THOSE MEETING MINUTES LOOKS LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY IS MAKING THE MOTION AND COUNCIL MEMBER. CASA IS SECONDING THAT MOTION. EXCUSE ME ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AND, UH, THINK, UM, WITH THE MAYOR REMOTE THAT PASS ITEM ONE PASSES UNANIMOUSLY, UM, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION [2. Approve the proposed 2022 Public Safety Committee meeting schedule.] IS OUR ITEM NUMBER TO APPROVE THE PROPOSED 2022 PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETINGS SCHEDULE. UH, DOES EVERYBODY HAVE THOSE DATES IN FRONT OF THEM OR SHOULD WE GO OVER THEM? I HAVE TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8TH, MONDAY, MAY 23RD, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH, TUESDAY, I'M SORRY, MONDAY, MARCH 28TH. AND THEN MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH. I'M SORRY. YOU SAID YES. 2:00 PM. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH. OKAY. MARIPOSA. YES, CANCER. UM, WELL I'LL, I'LL MENTION WHAT I WAS GONNA MENTION, BUT I'LL MOVE APPROVAL OF A SCHEDULE FIRST. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE IT. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? IT LOOKS LIKE, UH, MAYOR ADLER IS GOING TO SECOND THAT ITEM AND I'M ALL IN FAVOR AND I WANTED TO BRING SOMETHING UP REALLY QUICK. UM, I, I'M FINE WITH THIS SCHEDULE FOR 2022. UM, BUT AS FAR AS 2021 GOES, UM, I WAS HOPING THAT AT OUR MEETING EARLIER, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE UP THE ITEM ON IMPROVEMENTS AND WHAT WE WOULD DO ON SEXUAL ASSAULT CASES AS WELL AS VICTIM SERVICES. UM, AND THEN WE, OF COURSE, UM, HAD, UH, WEREN'T ABLE TO GET TOGETHER. THERE WERE EMERGENCIES AND ISSUES. UM, SO WE HAD TO CANCEL THAT MEETING WHEN WE POSTED THIS ONE, I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO HAVE THAT ITEM ON FOR, FOR THIS MEETING. AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE MISCOMMUNICATION WAS OR WHAT IT IS THAT HAPPENED. UH, AND SO IT ISN'T ON THIS AGENDA AND I REALLY WANTED TO TALK ABOUT IT BEFORE WE CLOSE OUT THE YEAR. I DON'T KNOW IF I WANT IT TO GO INTO 20, 22 OR I DON'T WANT IT TO BE INTO 2022. AND SO, UM, AFTER THIS MEETING, MAYBE WE CAN CONFER AN EITHER TAKE IT UP JUST AS A SOLE ITEM BEFORE THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR, OR IF IT'S NOT BEST IN COMMITTEE, THEN I'LL TRY TO FIND A CO-SPONSOR TO ASK FOR IT, TO BE TAKEN UP BY THE DECEMBER 7TH WORK SESSION SO THAT WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT IN DECEMBER. IT WAS ONE OF THE REALLY CORE ISSUES BROUGHT UP IN THE SELECTION OF THE PERMANENT POLICE CHIEF. AND I THINK WE REALLY NEED THAT REPORT BACK IN QUESTIONS. I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND WHY WE WEREN'T ABLE TO ABLE TO TAKE IT UP IN NOVEMBER, BUT WE'D REALLY LIKE IT IN DECEMBER RATHER THAN 2022. UM, SO I DO ACTUALLY HAVE A QUESTION. THANK YOU FOR, FOR DAYLIGHTING. THEN MY QUESTION WOULD BE, DO YOU HAVE A PREFERENCE AS TO WHETHER OR NOT IT'S THE SINGULAR ITEM ON THE AGENDA? BECAUSE I DO BELIEVE THERE HAVE BEEN A COUPLE OF OTHER ITEMS THAT HAVE SURFACED, UM, THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY HAVE A FULL MEETING. YEAH. THEN THAT COULD BE, THEN THAT COULD BE THE WAY HANDLE IT FOR ME. I WOULD JUST REALLY LIKE TO TAKE IT UP EARLIER THAN THAT 2022 MEETINGS. SO IF IT'S PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE IN DECEMBER WITH OTHER ITEMS, OR IF WE JUST CALL A SPECIAL ONE OR IF WE BRING IT TO WORK SESSION ON THE SEVENTH, I JUST WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THAT UP IN DECEMBER. GOT IT. I APPRECIATE IT. AND I'LL DEFINITELY TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION AND, AND RUN IT PAST OUR OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS. SOUNDS GOOD. THANK YOU, SIR. ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY COMMENTARY THERE BEFORE WE VOTE ON THE ITEM? IN WHICH CASE? ALL IN FAVOR LOOKS LIKE THE ITEM IS UNANIMOUS WITH, UM, THE MAYOR JOINING US VIRTUALLY IN WHICH CASE? I DO BELIEVE WE HAVE A PRESENTATION COMING UP NEXT, BUT I AM HEAVILY PAPERED UP HERE. I MEAN, IT IS A SERIOUS PAPER SITUATION, DAH DAH, DAH. OKAY. SO WE APPROVED THE SCHEDULE AND THEN, OH, SO NOW [3. Discuss and recommend judicial appointments to the City of Austin Municipal Court.] WE ARE SET TO DISCUSS AND RECOMMEND JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S, UM, MUNICIPAL COURT. DO WE HAVE STAFF HERE PRESENTING ON THAT ITEM? HI THERE. COME ON UP, PLEASE. THANK YOU. OKAY. REBECCA KENNEDY WITH THE HUMAN [00:05:01] RESOURCES DEPARTMENT. UM, GOOD AFTERNOON. WE'RE HERE TODAY TO PRESENT THE SLATE OF RECOMMENDED JUDGES AND TO HAVE DISCUSSION IN EXECUTIVE SESSION. I DID WANT TO PROVIDE SOME FEEDBACK ARE THE STATUS TO THIS POINT. UM, LET'S SEE. DO I CONTROL IT HERE? SO WE VISITED WITH YOU EARLIER THIS YEAR AND, UH, EXPLAIN THE CURRENT JUDGES WITH THE MUNICIPAL COURT. THEIR TERM WAS EXPIRING AT THE END OF 2021. SO THIS IS THE UPDATE, UM, FROM WHERE WE ARE NOW. SO THESE ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS TO BE A JUDGE. UM, THESE HAVE NOT CHANGED IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS, SO I WON'T HIGHLIGHT THOSE FOR TOO LONG. SO, UM, WE TRIED TO PUT WHERE, WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED, THAT WE SAID WE WOULD DO WHEN WE VISITED WITH YOU IN JULY. SO WE ASKED THE JUDGES FOR A LETTER OF INTEREST. WE RECEIVED THOSE FROM THE JUDGES. UM, WE EVALUATED POTENTIAL VACANCIES AND WE CONVENED THE MEMBERS OF THE JUDICIAL REVIEW PANEL. UM, THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT DID POST, UM, VACANCIES FOR A SUBSTITUTE JUDGE AND ASSOCIATE JUDGE. AND WE RECEIVED, UM, A FEW APPLICANTS FOR THAT. AND WE WILL HIGHLIGHT THAT IN THE EXECUTIVE SESSION, THE JUDICIAL REVIEW PANEL REVIEWED THE LETTERS OF INTEREST FROM THE SITTING JUDGES AND MAY, AND WE HAVE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THEY HAVE MADE TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE. AND THAT IS WHAT WE'LL GO OVER TODAY. UM, AFTER WE REVIEW THOSE, UM, WE HOPE BY THE END OF THE YEAR THAT WE HAVE AN ITEM TO BRING FORWARD TO THE CITY COUNCIL THAT RECOMMENDS THE NEXT SLATE OF JUDGES FOR THE NEXT TERM, WHICH STARTS ON JANUARY 1ST, 2022, AND THEN ENDS DECEMBER 31ST, 2025. THESE ARE MEMBERS OF THE JUDICIAL REVIEW PANEL. SEVERAL OF THEM HAD, UH, SERVED ON A JUDICIARY JUDICIAL REVIEW PANEL WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN. A FEW TIMES WE DID ADD AN APD SERGEANT, UM, JOSHUA GREGOR'S AT THE REQUEST OF THIS BODY TO HAVE SOMEONE FROM APD ON, ON THE PANEL. UM, THESE MEMBERS WERE ALSO DETAILED TO THE, UM, COMMITTEE AND A MEMORANDUM THAT WAS SENT IN SEPTEMBER SO OUR TIMELINE, WE ARE ON TIME WITH, UH, GETTING THE JUDGES RECOMMENDED BY THE END OF THE YEAR. UM, MOST OF THESE THINGS HAD AN ON THIS PAGE HAD TO DO WITH GETTING THE LETTERS OF INTENT AND THEN POSTING THE POSITION AND SO NOW HERE WE ARE TODAY WHERE WE'RE THE, WE WILL REVIEW THE HIRING RECOMMENDATION FROM THE JUDICIAL REVIEW PANEL. UM, FROM THERE WE'LL HAVE THE, YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE THAT RECOMMENDATION TO THE FULL COUNCIL, OR IF THERE'S FURTHER STEPS THAT YOU'D LIKE US TO TAKE, WE CAN DO THAT AS WELL. AND THESE ARE THE NEXT STEPS FOR TODAY. UM, WE'LL REVIEW THE RECOMMENDATION AND THEN WE CAN ACCEPT, YOU CAN ACCEPT THE RECOMMENDATION OR CONDUCT ADDITIONAL INTERVIEWS. AND SO THAT IS THE END OF THE UPDATE FOR WHERE WE ARE WITH THE PROCESS AND WE ARE AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION COLLEAGUES. DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I SEE SOME HEADS SHAKING ON THE DICE. MAYOR CAN. OKAY. LOOKS LIKE WE DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. YOU GOT A UFFIZI. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. EXCUSE ME, MAYOR PRO TEM. WE DO HAVE A SPEAKER ON THIS ITEM. OH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, JUST FOR, FOR CLARITY, HOW MANY MINUTES DOES THE SPEAKER HAVE FOR THIS ITEM? THREE MINUTES. THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON, SPEAKER. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. UM, ARE YOU IN PERSON PLEASE? APPROACH YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES. OKAY. HI, MY NAME IS MITCH SOLOMON AND I HAVE BEEN PRIVILEGED AND HONORED TO SERVE AS A MUNICIPAL JUDGE FOR ALMOST 28 YEARS NOW. UH, I AM SEEKING ANOTHER TERM. I WOULD LIKE TO SERVE ONE MORE TERM ON THE COURT. UH, IF YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES OR CONCERNS, UH, CONCERNING MY, UH, REAPPOINTMENT OR APPOINTMENT AS A MUNICIPAL JUDGE, I WOULD APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THOSE, UH, IN EXECUTIVE SESSION. IT'S REALLY ALL I HAVE. I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND FOR [00:10:01] YOUR SERVICE. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE APPRECIATE YOU JOINING US. UM, COLLEAGUES, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? ACTUALLY, I HAVE A FEW, BUT I THINK, UM, I THINK SOME OF THEM, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE UP AN EXECUTIVE SESSION IN WHICH CASE, IF, IF FOR WHATEVER REASON THOSE DON'T GET COVERED IN OUR EXECUTIVE SESSION, DO I HAVE YOUR PERMISSION TO FOLLOW UP? THANK YOU. [4. Discuss recommendations for judicial appointments to the City of Austin Municipal Court (Personnel matters - Section 551.074 of the Government Code).] IN WHICH CASE, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, UNLESS THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE THAT I MISSED, WE HAVE, UH, WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY NOW TO BREAK AND GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION. UM, SO THIS COMMITTEE WILL NOW GO INTO CLOSED SESSION TO TAKE UP ONE ITEM PURSUANT TO SECTIONS 5 51 0.074 OF THE GOVERNMENT CODE. THE COMMITTEE WILL DISCUSS PERSONNEL MATTERS RELATED TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR, THE DISCUSSION OF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S AUSTIN MUNICIPAL COURT. IS THERE ANY OBJECTION TO US GOING INTO CLOSED SESSION ON THIS ITEM? AND I DON'T SEE ANY, SO HEARING NONE, THE COMMITTEE WILL NOW GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION AND IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT WE'RE TAKING OUR EXECUTIVE SESSION VIRTUALLY. SO WE'LL GIVE EVERYBODY A FEW MINUTES TO GET UP TO THEIR OFFICES. THANK YOU. YEAH, THERE IS A SEPARATE LINK FOR THE EXECUTIVE SESSION. THANK YOU FOR THE REMINDER. I APPRECIATE THAT. OKAY. OKAY. IT APPEARS IS THAT THERE'S A QUORUM PRESENT. YEAH, SO , WE'RE OUT OF CLOSED SESSION AND CLOSED SESSION. WE DISCUSSED PERSONNEL MATTERS RELATED TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR AS A RESULT OF THAT DISCUSSION. UM, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION AND PARDON ME, COLLEAGUES, ME FOGGING UP ON HIM. MAKE SURE I CAN SEE WHO OH SECONDS. UM, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION THAT WE APPROVE THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE JUDICIAL REVIEW PANEL TO RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING JUDGES TO CITY COUNCIL, UH, FOR CONSIDERATION. AND THOSE ARE SHARES THAT MEANT FOR THE PRESIDING. OH MY GOSH. SORRY. I CAN'T I'M FOGGING SHERRY STATMAN FOR THE PRESIDING JUDGE AT THE MUNICIPAL COURT. ALFRED JENKINS, GEORGE THOMAS STEVAN VIGOR RITO, STEVEN VEGA, RITO, BARBARA GARCIA, PATRICK MCNEIL'S, MICHAEL COFFEE AND TANISA JEFFERS TO SERVE AS ASSOCIATE JUDGES OF THE MUNICIPAL COURT, MICHAEL COFFEE TO SERVE AS THE JUDGE OF THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY COURT TO NISSA JEFFERS TO SERVE AS THE CENTRAL BOOKING OVERNIGHT MAGISTRATE AND FINALLY FERDINAND CLAIRE V BRIAN GARAH, CHRISTINE HARRIS, SHULTS BELINDA HERRERA, STANLEY KERR, RONALD MYERSON, OLGA CEILING, UM, PAMELA SIGMUND, RYAN TURNER, KENNETH AND JOHN EAGER TO SERVE AS SUBSTITUTE JUDGES. CAN I GET A SECOND FOR THAT MOTION PLEASE? COLLEAGUES. IT APPEARS AS THOUGH I'M BEING SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER, CASA, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION COLLEAGUES. OKAY. SO ALL IN FAVOR OF, UH, OF THE MOTION, I WON'T READ A SPARE, YOU READING ALL THE NAMES AGAIN, BUT ALL IN FAVOR TO HAVE THE MOTION TO, UM, TO APPROVE THE RECOMMENDATION FOR, UH, OF RATHER THE JUDICIAL REVIEW PANEL TO, UM, TO RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING OR TO RECOMMEND THE JUDGES LISTED FOR CITY COUNCIL. UM, ALL IN FAVOR, DON'T SEE MAYOR OTHER, I THINK HE HAD TO LEAVE US. SO IT APPEARS AS THOUGH WE ARE UNANIMOUS WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS GOSSARD AND KELLY REMOTE, UM, MYSELF ON THE DYESS AND, UH, MAYOR ADLER OFF THE DICE. THANK YOU. OKAY WITH THAT? I THINK I GET THE OPPORTUNITY NOW. SO IF THERE'S NO OBJECTION, WE ARE ADJOURNED AT 3:22 PM AND COUNCIL MEMBER, BECAUSE I THINK WE MIGHT NEED YOUR FACE WITH NO OBJECTION. WE ARE ADJOURNED AT 3:22 PM. CNN. THANK YOU, COLLEAGUES. THANK YOU EVERYBODY IN ATTENDANCE. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.