[00:00:08]
[1. Title VI Service Equity Analysis]
AND, UM, TODAY I'M CHAIRING THE MEETING OF THE CAPITOL METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY.UH, TODAY'S BOARD MEETING WILL BE A PUBLIC HEARING.
SO, UM, TODAY IS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH, AND THE TIME IS, UH, 1207.
AND, UH, LET'S SEE, THIS HEARING IS GOING TO BE ABOUT, UH, TITLE SIX SERVICE EQUITY ANALYSIS PROCESS.
UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A, A, UM, PRESENTATION FROM STAFF AND THEN OPEN UP THE MEETINGS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AND WHOEVER MAY WISH TO SPEAK.
UH, WE'LL GET A CHANCE TO DO SO.
SO IF WE CAN START WITH MR. DIETER, UH, WITH JAY, GIVE US HER PRESENTATION, PLEASE.
GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIRMAN TREVELYAN VICE-CHAIR KITCHEN MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, PRESIDENT CLARK.
I AM NORMAN'S THEATER, A PRINCIPAL PLANNER AND SHORT RANGE PLANNING.
AND TODAY I AM JOINED WITH JACQUELINE EVANS, WHO IS THE DIRECTOR OF DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION.
AND JACQUELINE IS ACTUALLY GOING TO GIVE US A COUPLE SLIDES OF AN OVERVIEW OF OUR EQUITY, UH, PROGRAM.
AND THEN I WILL GIVE SIDES, UH, REGARDING THE ANALYSIS CONDUCTED FOR OUR FALL SERVICE CHANGE.
TREVELYAN UM, VICE-CHAIR KITCHEN AND PRESIDENT AND CEO, RANDY CLARK.
I'M THE DIRECTOR OF DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION FOR CAPITAL METRO.
AND WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS OH, FAR AWAY, VERY QUICKLY GO THROUGH THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION POLICY STATEMENT, THE MISSION IN PARTICULAR, UM, SOME OF THE KEY POINTS OF THAT, AND I'LL LET YOU READ THROUGH IT IS THE CONNECTION TO PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES TO JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO CREATE SAFE, EQUITABLE, RELIABLE COST-EFFECTIVE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, UM, MOBILITY, AND ASSIST WITH STIMULATING THE COMMITTEE, THE COMMUNITY, SOME OF THESE THINGS, AGAIN, IN OUR POLICY STATEMENT, YOU'VE AGREED TO AS THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS THAT YOU WOULD THINK ABOUT IN ALL OF YOUR DECISIONS GOING FORWARD AGAIN, TO REFLECT ON THE, THE, UM, CAPITOL METRO DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION, DEFINITIONS, DIVERSITY, SOME OF THE KEY POINTS THERE, PEOPLE, THE RANGE OF HUMAN DIFFERENCE, HUMAN DIFFERENCES, EQUITY, FAIRNESS OF PROCESS, RACIAL EQUITY, THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF DIFFERENCES AND HISTORICAL INEQUITIES AND INCLUSION, CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT OF INCLUSION SO THAT EVERYBODY IS INVOLVED.
AGAIN, SOME OF THE KEY POINTS CATCH-ALL CAPITAL METRO IS COMMITTED TO MAKING SERVICE DECISIONS THROUGH AN EQUITY LENS, EQUITY AND SERVICE METRICS TO BE BROADER IN THE FUTURE AS PART OF DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION PROGRAM FROM THINKING ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY ADVISORY GROUPS.
ALSO OUR STEERING COMMITTEE, WHICH IS INTERNAL AND THE TITLE SIX EQUITY ANALYSIS WITH SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS USED TO ASSESS FALL SERVICE CHANGES.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL HAND IT OVER TO LAWRENCE THANK YOU, JACQUELINE AGAIN, I'M THE THEATER, UM, PRINCIPAL PLANNER IN SHORT RANGE PLANNING.
AND SO AS JACQUELINE MENTIONED, A TITLE SIX SERVICE EQUITY ANALYSIS IS ONLY ONE COMPONENT OF CAPITAL METRO'S APPROACH TO ECUADOR.
THE TITLE SIX, AND OUR SAYS HAS ITS ROOTS IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964 AND IS LEGALLY REQUIRED BY A FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION.
THE ANALYSIS IS CONDUCTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TITLE SIX POLICIES ADOPTED BY THE BOARD ON JUNE 28TH, 2021, AND THE BOARD'S APPROVAL OF THE SERVICE EQUITY EQUITY ANALYSES MUST BE PROPERLY DOCUMENTED FOR THE NEXT TRAINING TITLE SIX PROGRAM UPDATE.
AND THAT IS WHAT THIS PROCESS REALLY IS, IS, IS FOR US TO PROPERLY DOCUMENT THAT THE ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED AND THAT THE BOARD ACKNOWLEDGES THAT ANALYSIS STAFF DOES ADMIT THAT IT IS NOT NORMAL
[00:05:01]
TO ASK THE BOARD TO CONSIDER TITLE SIX ANALYSIS AFTER THE CHANGES HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED.AND AGAIN, WE'RE ASKING THE BOARD TO DO THIS, UM, SO THAT IT IS PROPERLY DOCUMENTED, UH, STARTING WITH THE SUMMER SERVICE CHANGE, UH, PLANNING, WELL RETURN TO THE PRIOR PROCESS OF CONDUCTING ANALYSIS AND PRESENTING IT TO THE PUBLIC AND THE BOARD PRIOR TO IMPLEMENTATION.
SO WHY CONDUCTED AN ANALYSIS NOW, OR SINCE THIS STARTED COVID? UM, OUR SERVICE LEVELS HAVE FLUCTUATED, UH, THE CHANGES WERE PUT INTO EFFECT AND INCLUDING THESE CHANGES WE'RE DISCUSSING TODAY UNDER THE EMERGENCY POWER, UH, GRANTED TO PRESIDENT CLARK.
AND OF COURSE, NO ONE, UM, HERE EXPECTED THESE CHANGES TO LAST THIS LONG AND SERVICE CHANGES LASTING LONGER THAN ONE YEAR REQUIRE AN EQUITY ANALYSIS ACCORDING TO OUR, UM, AND I AM NOT, UM, UM, NO ONE, UM, ACCORDING TO OUR POLICIES, UH, AS SERVICE EQUITY ANALYSIS, UH, FOR CHANGES LASTING LONGER THAN A YEAR, WE MUST CONDUCT IT SERVICE EQUITY ANALYSIS.
UM, ONCE THE FALL SERVICE CHANGES WERE IMPLEMENTED, IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THERE WERE TWO SETS OF SERVICE CHANGES THAT WOULD LAST LONGER THAN A YEAR.
UH, THESE WERE SERVICE REDUCTIONS TO COMMUTER ROUTES AND SERVICE ADJUSTMENTS TO UNIVERSITY SERVICE REPS.
THE STEPS TO CONDUCT THE ANALYSIS ARE IDENTIFY MAJOR SERVICE CHANGES.
THESE ARE WHERE ROUTES MAY EXPERIENCE A GREATER THAN 25% ANNUAL REVENUE HOURS OR MILES CHANGES OR NEW OR ELIMINATED ROUTES.
WE CONDUCTED THE ANALYSIS WITH REMIX TRANSIT SOFTWARE, PLANT TRANSIT PLANNING SOFTWARE.
THE PRIMARY INPUT FOR THIS ANALYSIS IS THE US CENSUS BUREAU'S AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY FIVE-YEAR ESTIMATES, AND WE IN THE SOFTWARE USES THE 2019 DATA SET.
UM, WE COMPARE THE IMPACT, STAY MINORITY IN LOW KEY, LOW INCOME TO NON MINORITY NON LOW INCOME.
THEN WE IDENTIFY POTENTIAL IMPACTS A DIFFERENCE OF TWO PERCENTAGE POINTS OR MORE RESULTS IN A DISPARATE IMPACT WHO MINORITY WRITERS AND THE DISPROPORTIONATE BURDEN TO NON, TO LOW INCOME WRITERS, IF A DISPARATE IMPACT OR DISPROPORTIONATE BURDEN IS IDENTIFIED, WE THEN TAKE STEPS TO AVOID MINIMIZE OR MITIGATE THE IMPACTS WHEN PRACTICABLE JUST A QUICK SUMMARY ON WHAT THE CHANGES DID.
THE COMMUTER BUS SERVICE HAS BEEN, UH, OUR COMMUTER SERVICES ARE CAPITOL METROS EXPRESS AND FLYER ROUTES.
UH, WE REDUCED SERVICE ON 10 OF THE 12 ROUTES WITH SERVICE SUSPENDED ON, UH, TWO ROUTES.
WHY THE SERVICE REDUCTIONS, UM, RIDERSHIP DECREASED FROM 3,400 DAILY WRITERS PRE COVID TO CURRENTLY AROUND 300 WRITERS.
THIS IS ALMOST A 90% DECREASE AND WE'RE EXPERIENCING THIS CONTINUED DECREASE DUE TO THE DEMAND FOR COMMUNITY OR SERVICES REMAINING LOW, UM, BECAUSE OF CHANGING WORK PREFERENCES FOR COMMUTER BUS, THERE WAS NO FINDING OF DISPARATE IMPACT.
HOWEVER, THE AMOUNT BORN BY LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES EXCEEDED CAPITOL METRO'S 2% THRESHOLD IN RESPONSE THAT IN RESPONSE TO THIS, THE IMPACTS WERE MINIMIZED.
UH, WE RETAIN TRIPS THAT BEST SERVE TRADITIONAL WORK TRIPS, AND THE RED LINE CAN BE USED AS AN ALTERNATIVE FOR COMMUTERS COMING FROM THE NORTHWEST SINCE THE, UM, CHANGES WERE, WERE MINIMIZE, THE CHANGES CAN PROCEED.
IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT THE, UM, THE, THESE REDUCTIONS DID ALLOW CAPITAL METRO TO FOCUS ON ROUTES THAT SURVEY CENTRAL SERVICES AND HAVE NOT SEEN DECREASE DECREASES IN RIDERSHIP NEXT UP THE UNIVERSITY, UH, SERVICE ROUTES, BASICALLY HERE WE RESHUFFLED THE SERVICE.
UM, WE USED TO HAVE THESE COMBINATION ROUTES WHERE ROUTES WERE COMBINED ON SUNDAYS AND WEEKDAY EVENINGS, AND WE ELIMINATED THOSE COMBO ROUTES.
AND NOW ROUTES ON WEEK WEEKDAY, EVENINGS, AND SUNDAYS, THE, THE INDIVIDUAL ROUTES OPERATE LONGER HOURS.
UM, THIS ACTUALLY BETTER SERVES THE STUDENTS.
AND I WOULD ALSO MENTION THAT WE WORKED ON THESE CHANGES THROUGHOUT COVID, UM, WITH OUR PARTNERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, NO DISPARATE IMPACT OR DISPROPORTIONATE BURDEN WERE IDENTIFIED AS PART OF THESE CHANGES.
SO IN SUMMARY, UH, NO DISPARATE IMPACT IN MINORITY POPULATIONS, A DISPROPORTIONATE BURDEN TO LOW INCOME
[00:10:01]
POPULATIONS WAS IDENTIFIED FOR A COMMUTER BUS SERVICE CHANGES.AND THESE CHANGES CAN PROCEED BECAUSE THE, UH, IMPACTS WERE MINIMIZED, UH, THROUGH THE PERO RED LINE SERVICE, ALTERNATIVE EXPRESS BUS SERVICE AND MAINTAINING TRIPS THAT ALLOW COMMUTERS TO ARRIVE AND DEPART AT THE START END OF A TRADITIONAL WORKDAY.
I WILL SAY THAT PLANNING MONITORS, UM, DAILY RIDERSHIP FOR THE COMMUTER ROUTES.
UM, AND WE ALSO MONITORED THE CUSTOMER CARE REPORTS AND WE'VE RECEIVED VERY FEW CUSTOMER CARE REPORTS ON THE COMMUTER BUS SERVICE.
AS I STATED EARLIER, CAPITAL METRO WILL RETURN TO ITS REGULAR SERVICE CHANGE PROCESS BEGINNING WITH SUMMER 2022 SERVICE CHANGE.
AND THIS PROCESS DOES INCLUDE THIS TO AN ADDRESSING COMMENTS FROM EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY, INCLUDING EQUITY CONCERNS.
THE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK INFORMS OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CHANGES THAT ARE IN THE BEST INTEREST AND EQUITABLE FOR THE MOST PEOPLE IN OUR SERVICE AREA.
THE NEXT NOTABLE SERVICE CHANGE, UM, WILL BE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EXPO AND PV METRO RAPID LINES.
UM, AS WE PLAN FOR THESE METRO RAPID LINES, WE WILL BE EVALUATING, UM, SERVICE ADJUSTMENTS TO THE ROUTES THAT CONNECT TO THOSE ROUTES AND OUR, UM, LARGER NETWORK AS A HUDDLE WITH THAT.
I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND I CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
UM, SO AT THIS POINT, MAYBE WE SHOULD, UNLESS SOMEONE HAS A BURNING QUESTION, MAYBE WE SHOULD TAKE THE PUBLIC COMMENT AND THEN HAVE OUR DELIBERATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS AFTERWARDS.
UH, UH, WHAT WE'LL DO IS, UH, WE WILL MOVE OVER TO, UM, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION, BOTH OF YOU.
[II. Public Comment]
UH, WE'LL GO TO THE PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE ONE SPEAKER SIGNED UP IN ADVANCE AND SHE'LL BE JOINING US REMOTELY.UH, MS. UM, ZENOBIA JOSEPH, UM, MS. JOSEPH, ARE YOU WITH US? MS. JOSEPH? ARE YOU THERE? I'M SHOWING SHE'S ON MUTE AND YEAH, I CAN'T AN MS. JOSEPH.
MR. ETHAN, CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN HEAR YOU AND YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE COMMENTS AS REALLY THE TITLE SIX OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964, WHICH PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RACE, COLOR, NATIONAL ORIGIN.
I WANT TO CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION SPECIFICALLY AS IT RELATES TO LEANDER, THERE'S A FUNDAMENTAL DISCONNECT BETWEEN YOUR OVEREMPHASIS ON EQUITY AND THEIR REJECTION OF IT.
ON SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2020, APPROXIMATELY SEVEN MEMBERS OF THE LEANDER COMMUNITY BROUGHT FORWARD A DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION PROPOSAL.
AND THE MEMBERS BASICALLY STATED THAT THERE IS NO PLACE IN GOVERNMENT FOR THAT.
AND SO, WHILE I DO RECOGNIZE THEY HAVE A 2013 SIGNED TITLE POLICY STATEMENT, THE MEMBERS ON THE BOARD DO NOT BELIEVE THAT EQUITY IS SOMETHING THAT THEY NEED TO CONSIDER AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.
I WANTED TO CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION AS WELL, TESTIMONY BY A BLIND GENTLEMAN WHO ACTUALLY TESTIFIED AND LEANDER.
AND HE SAID, QUOTE, LET'S REMEMBER THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE CHOICES.
MY JOB OPPORTUNITIES ARE LIMITED.
I CAN'T EVEN LOOK TO GET A JOB AT DELL ARE THE MAJOR EMPLOYMENT CENTERS, BECAUSE THERE IS NO TRANSPORTATION.
THAT WAS JUNE 3RD, 2021, SEAN CONLEY.
I BRING THAT TO YOUR ATTENTION SO THAT YOU RECOGNIZE THAT IT IS DISINGENUOUS FOR CAPITAL METRO TO CONTINUE TO FOCUS SOLELY ON LIGHT RAIL.
ONE WAY TO AUSTIN, TEXAS, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW MUCH IS THE DEADHEAD.
YOU COULD EASILY CREATE A ROUTE THAT WOULD GO FROM THE NORTHBOUND AREA OF LEANDER TO PALMER ALL THE WAY TO APPLY MATERIALS, BECAUSE THERE ARE INDIVIDUALS LIKE MR. CONLEY.
AND ONCE IT GETS TO AUSTIN, I ALSO CALLED TO YOUR ATTENTION THAT MILITARY MEMBER TESTIFIED, AND HE ACTUALLY SAID THE SPOUSES NEED ACCESS TO JOBS.
AS YOU'RE AWARE BETWEEN SAMSUNG AND APPLE, THERE ARE THREE ATBS, THERE'S A 425 ACRE DEVELOPMENT EAST
[00:15:01]
VILLAGE.AND SO THERE ARE MANY JOBS THAT ARE NOT CONSIDERED OUR LASTLY CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION THAT PFLUGERVILLE JUST RENEWED THEIR PICKUP SERVICE.
AND THAT COULD BE PART OF THE DISCUSSION AS WELL, FEBRUARY 8TH, 2022.
NOW, SPECIFICALLY AS IT RELATES TO THIS TITLE EQUITY ANALYSIS, MR. CHAIR, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY IS IT THAT IN THE JUNE 28TH, 2021 BOARD PACKET, IT SPECIFIES THE 2010 CENSUS, AS YOU'RE AWARE, THE REDISTRICTING ACTUALLY USED THE REDISTRICTING MAPS USED THE 2020 CENSUS.
THAT, AND SO IT WOULD SEEM TO ME THAT THE INFORMATION THAT'S PRESENTED TO YOU BY MR. DIETER IS OUTDATED AND THAT THE STAFF SHOULD HAVE TO GO BACK AND REANALYZE USING THE APPROPRIATE DATA.
I WOULD JUST CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION AS WELL AS IT RELATES TO THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION CIRCLE OF 4, 7 0 2 0.1 B CHAPTER 14 DASH SIX.
SO WE'RE GETTING TO THE THREE MOMENT OF THREE MINUTE POINT.
COULD WE, UM, I WANT TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO WRAP UP THOUGH.
SO I JUST WANTED TO CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION THAT THE CHANGES CAN BE MADE, BUT IN BOTH FRANK, IT SAYS THAT, UM, AND THAT, UH, TRANSIT AGENCY MUST CONSIDER THE LEAST ALTERNATIVE LEAST DISCRIMINATORY ALTERNATIVE.
AND I JUST WANT TO CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION THAT MR. DIETER MENTIONED THAT HE WOULD NOT RECONSIDER THOSE 60 MINUTE BLACK ROUTES, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE 10 TIMES LONGER THAN THE CENTRAL, UH, WHITES AND THOSE IN DUFF SPRINGS.
I THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK SO EXTENSIVELY, AND IT'S A LITTLE HARD ON WHICH YOU NEED TO HEAR THE BEEPER.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THEM AT THIS TIME, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
AND THE DELIBERATION, UM, WITH THE, UM, COMMISSIONING, UH, WITH THE COMMISSION OR THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, ANY QUESTIONS, ANY OF STAFF BASED ON THE PRESENTATION THAT WAS GIVEN? ALL RIGHT.
SO WE WERE RECEIVING THE REPORT TODAY AND, UH, WE CAN ANALYZE IT, UH, IN OUR, IN OUR OWN TIME AND MAKE ANY COMMENTS.
ARE, ARE, UH, ASKING ANY QUESTIONS TO MR. DIETER OR THE STAFF HAS APPROPRIATE.
SO ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION FOR TODAY, I SAID, ANY FURTHEST GOT DISCUSSION FOR THE, I'LL SAY IT THREE TIMES, UH, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION FOR TODAY, IF NONE, UH, THEN WE WILL CALL, UH, WE WILL CALL THIS MEETING TO CLOSE AT 12 24, 12 20.