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UH, WE'RE GOING TO CALL TO ORDER TODAY'S AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL.
UM, WORK SESSION TODAY IS TUESDAY, APRIL 19TH, UH, 2022.
WE HAVE TWO OF OUR COLLEAGUES, UH, THAT ARE, UH, REMOTING IN HOUSE MEMBER, HARPER, MADISON COUNCIL MEMBER, RENT, OR REHAB.
I COUNCIL MEMBER POOL, UH, IS, UM, UH, NOT WITH US TODAY.
SHE'S ABSENT FROM THE DICE THIS WEEK ON A TRIP THAT WAS DELAYED BECAUSE OF A COVID GIVES US 10 FOLKS WITH US HERE TODAY.
COLLEAGUES, WE HAVE, UH, SEVERAL ITEMS THAT WERE, UH, PULLED.
UM, MY INTENT IS TO START WITH ITEM NUMBER 33, AND LET'S SEE IF WE CAN HANDLE THAT.
THEN COUNCIL MEMBER TOBO HAS PULLED ADDITIONAL FOR, UH, ITEMS, UH, AT 10 30, UH, WHEREVER WE ARE, WE'RE GONNA STOP BECAUSE WE HAVE EXPERTS AND CONSULTANTS THAT HAVE COME INTO TOWN TO TALK TO US ABOUT THE MEADOWS MENTAL HEALTH POLICY INSTITUTE, UH, MATTERS, UH, THE HEALTH MATTERS.
SO WE'LL TAKE THAT, UH, AND THEN, UM, IF WE CAN GET THROUGH ALL THAT STUFF AND THEN DO THAT, THEN, UH, WE'LL HAVE IT AND HAVE THE BRIEFING DONE.
THEN ALL WE'LL HAVE LEFT IS EXECUTIVE SESSION, UH, THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO OVERLAP WITH, UH, WITH LUNCH, WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO EXECUTIVE SESSION REMOTELY AS WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE REMOTE WITH US TODAY.
AND IT'S KIND OF AWKWARD TO HAVE SOME PEOPLE IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, SOME PEOPLE NOT.
UH, BUT WE NEED TO START THINKING ABOUT, UH, GETTING BACK TO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
ADDITIONALLY, UH, WE NEED TO, TO, TO, UH, WEIGH IN WITH THE CLERK ON WHETHER WE WANT TO GO BACK TO THE, UH, BOARDS AND COMMISSION ROOM OR WORK SESSION, UM, UH, AS, AS BEST, I UNDERSTAND IT FROM THE CLERK'S PERSPECTIVE, YOU GUYS ARE AMBIVALENT IS WHETHER WE'RE HERE OR THERE, BUT YOU'D LIKE A DECISION MADE.
OBVIOUSLY WE WERE IN THAT SPACE BECAUSE IT GETS US CLOSER TOGETHER.
IT FEELS A LITTLE BIT MORE INTIMATE.
YOU CAN SEE PEOPLE BETTER THAN ON THE, UH, DAYS.
UH, AND THEY'RE READY TO, TO, TO MOVE US BACK TO THAT SPACE.
UH, SO I WOULD HAVE THE CLERK DO THAT AS THE CLERK IS ABLE TO DO THAT, UNLESS SOMEBODY WANTS TO SUGGEST OR OTHERWISE OR OBJECT OR ANYTHING, IF NOT, THEN WHY DON'T YOU MOVE US, MIGRATE US BACK TO THAT SPACE AS, AS LOGISTICS ALLOW YOU TO DO THAT, UH, AND AN UNCANNY.
UH, SO MAYOR JUST A REMINDER, UM, UH, I HAVE A LUNCH ENGAGEMENT WITH CONSTITUENTS IN, IN COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, POINT US AT NINE DO, UH, SO WE'LL BE OUT DURING THE LUNCH PERIOD.
THEN WE'LL PROBABLY HOLD THAT THEN, SO, OKAY.
UM, I'M JUST A LITTLE CONCERNED.
I MEAN, I PULLED FOR THINGS THAT ARE PROBABLY NOT GOING TO TAKE TOO TERRIBLY LONG AND IF WE DON'T GET TO THEM UNTIL AFTER, I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG OUR FIRST ITEM IS GOING TO TAKE, BUT JUST AS A POINT OF REFERENCE, MY FOUR THINGS ARE PROBABLY NOT GOING TO BE HUGELY LONG.
I THINK MY HOPE IS WE'LL BE ABLE TO TAKE THEM OFF.
[A. Pre-Selected Agenda Items (Part 1 of 2)]
AND LET'S BEGIN WITH, UH, ITEM NUMBER 33, WHICH HAS BEEN PULLED BY, UH, THREE FOLKS AND HAVE TWO MEMBERS OF COUNCIL THAT HAVE, UH, POSTED, UH, POTENTIAL AMENDMENTS COUNCIL MEMBER ALTERED.UM, THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING ME, STEVE.
UM, THIS WEEKEND, UM, THREE RELIGIONS CELEBRATED VERY IMPORTANT HOLIDAYS.
UM, AND IN LIGHT OF THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND, I CHOSE NOT TO WEIGH IN ON THE MESSAGE BOARD.
UM, BUT I DO WANT TO SHARE MY THOUGHTS WITH YOU THIS MORNING.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THE CONVERSATION THAT WE'RE HAVING.
UM, LAST YEAR, WHILE WE WAITED FOR A DECISION ON A KONYA, WE DECIDED COLLECTIVELY AS A COUNCIL TO TRY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH LAND USE CHANGES THAT WERE CONSENSUS DRIVEN, OR AT LEAST COULD GARNER SUPPORT OF NINE OF US.
I CONTINUE TO BELIEVE STRONGLY THAT A CONSENSUS APPROACH IS THE BEST WAY FORWARD.
NOW THAT WE HAVE ONE OF THESE PROPOSALS BACK FOR REVIEW THE
I BELIEVE WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD TRUST AMONG OURSELVES AND THE COMMUNITY AND TO FORGE A CONSENSUS THAT TIES INCREASED DENSITY ON CORRIDORS WITH REAL GAINS IN AFFORDABILITY THIS MORNING, I WOULD LIKE US TO FOCUS FIRST ON THE APPROPRIATE PROCESS FOR MOVING FORWARD WITH CHANGES
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TO VMU AND OUR COMPATIBILITY, AND MORE BROADLY FOR HOW WE WANT TO ADD FURTHER DENSITY TO OUR CORRIDORS TIE TO AFFORDABILITY.I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT WE CAN DO THE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE ON EITHER ITEM IN THE TWO DAYS THAT WE HAVE LEFT UNTIL OUR MEETING.
WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY THAT IF WE TAKE A LITTLE MORE TIME, WE CAN ACHIEVE SOMETHING OF SIGNIFICANT MAGNITUDE AS A COUNCIL.
I ALSO DO NOT BELIEVE ONE WEEK'S NOTICE ABOUT COMPATIBILITY BEING FULLY ON THE TABLE FOR VMU WITH A HOLIDAY WEEKEND FOR THREE MAJOR RELIGIONS IN BETWEEN REPRESENTS THE KIND OF CONVERSATION EXPECTED IN AUSTIN FOR A DECISION OF THIS MAGNITUDE.
I ALSO THINK THIS IS A DISCUSSION THAT REALLY MERITS A FULL DYESS.
I WORRY THAT RUSHING AHEAD THIS WEEK WILL UNDERMINE TRUST IN, IN BETWEEN THE COUNCIL.
THUS, I WOULD RECOMMEND A POSTPONEMENT OF ITEM 33, THE MAYOR, AND I HAVE CONFERRED ON THE PROCESS, UM, AND, AND HAVE SOME IDEAS OF HOW WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD THAT I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU AND GET SOME FEEDBACK ON WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT IT.
UM, IN OUR CONVERSATIONS, WE WERE HESITANT TO SIMPLY DELEGATE THIS TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
UM, INSTEAD THIS REALLY DOES FEEL LIKE WORK THAT WE OURSELVES NEED TO UNDERTAKE.
UM, IT SEEMS THAT, UM, WE HAVE OFTEN HAD TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE RATHER ABSOLUTEST LIKE EITHER OR, UM, AND IN AN EFFORT TO MAYBE THINK IF WE CAN GET OUTSIDE OF THOSE BOXES AND REALLY HAVE SOME CONVERSATIONS, UM, BUILDING OFF A FOUNDATION OF GOOD IDEAS THAT ARE OUT THERE BUILDING OFF OF WORK THAT HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY DONE BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND ALL SORTS OF OTHER GROUPS.
UM, WHAT I WANT TO THROW OUT THERE FOR US TO CONSIDER IS MAYBE WE BREAK UP INTO SOME SMALLER GROUPS OF COUNCIL MEMBERS WITH A DELIBERATE EFFORT TO HAVE COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO ARE NOT NORMALLY VOTING ON THE SAME SIDE OF LAND USE, UM, VOTES, UM, COMBINED IN THOSE GROUPS TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS AND TASKED WITH COMING BACK WITH OPTIONS FOR ALL OF US TO CONSIDER.
I THINK BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE.
UM, IF WE FOCUS AND WE SIT DOWN AND HAVE SOME OF THESE SMALLER CONVERSATIONS, WE COULD HAVE AN INITIAL, UM, GET BACK TOGETHER AND THROW OUT OPTIONS OF THE MAY 17TH WORK SESSION AND DECIDE FROM THERE KIND OF WHAT THE APPROPRIATE TIMING WOULD BE.
UM, WE HAVE, WE HAVE DONE A LOT OF THIS SORT OF EITHER OR KIND OF STUFF.
AND I THINK THAT WE REALLY NEED TO FOCUS ON WHAT WE AGREE ON, WHICH IS ADDING DENSITY, THE CORRIDOR, UM, TYING THAT TO AFFORDABILITY.
I THINK THERE ARE PLENTY OF DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE COULD GO ABOUT DOING THAT.
UM, AND I THINK IN THIS WAY, THEN WE CAN BUILD IN A PROCESS FOR THE COMMUNITY ALSO, UM, TO BE INVOLVED.
UM, BUT I THINK THAT THIS MAY BE A DIFFERENT WAY THAN WE'VE APPROACHED THIS.
AND ONE THAT I BELIEVE, UM, OFFERS PROMISE FOR US TO ARRIVE AT SOME SIGNIFICANT FORWARD MOMENTUM FOR ADDRESSING A CONCERN THAT WAS IDENTIFIED OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AS CONSENSUS THAT WE BROADLY WANT TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM, HOW WE HAVE DISAGREEMENTS, UM, HOW HAS TO BE, YOU KNOW, FIGURED OUT THE DETAILS DO MATTER.
UM, AND CONCERNS IN DIFFERENT DISTRICTS DO NEED TO BE SURFACED IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
UM, SO THAT WAS THE IDEA THAT I WANTED TO THROW OUT THERE AND THAT, UM, THE MAYOR AND I HAD DISCUSSED, UM, AND I HOPE THAT WE COULD CONSIDER THUS POSTPONING VMU INDEFINITELY, BUT SETTING A PATH FORWARD TO HAVE THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE NEED TO HAVE ABOUT COMPATIBILITY TO GATHER, JUST TO JUMP ON THAT REAL FAST, UM, UM, MAYOR PRO TEM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUGGESTIONS ON THIS AND FOR VISITING WITH ME ON, UH, UH, WHAT MIGHT BE A REALLY CONSTRUCTIVE PATH FORWARD.
I, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO THANK, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN FOR THE WORK AND, AND, AND BRINGING UP THE PMU.
I WANT TO THANK, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER VELLA FOR, UH, BRINGING UP, UH, COMPATIBILITY, UM, BECAUSE THOSE TWO ARE SO TIED TOGETHER IN TERMS OF WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS ON THE GROUND.
SEEMS HARD TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT ONE WITHOUT HAVING A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE OTHER.
UM, BUT I DO AGREE, UH, WITH, UH, THE MAYOR PRO TEM THAT, UM, EVEN THOUGH THERE'VE BEEN EIGHT YEARS TALKING ABOUT THIS, EVEN THOUGH THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF WORK, EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE A LOT OF PROPOSALS OUT, UH, WE CAN'T, I DON'T THINK IT'S RIGHT FOR US TO ACT THIS WEEK.
UM, AND I THINK THAT IF WE TALK TO EACH OTHER AND FOLLOW THE PROCESS THAT THE MAYOR PRO TEM SET OUT, I THINK WE ACTUALLY HAVE A CHANCE OF, UH, DOING SOMETHING THAT ADVANCES THIS
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IN A WAY THAT, UM, WOULD BE RIGHT.I THINK THE COMMUNITY IS NOW EXPECTING LEADERSHIP FROM US, UH, TO, TO DO THIS.
UM, SO, UM, UH, ON THE POSTING, I KIND OF LAID OUT SOME QUESTIONS THAT I THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE GOOD QUESTIONS TO ANSWER SOME OF THEM HERE TODAY, SOME OF THEM OVER THE ENSUING WEEKS, BUT THE SCHEDULE THAT THE RENT PER TERM LAID OUT HAS US BEING ABLE TO TAKE ACTION IN THE NEXT 30 TO 60 DAYS, HAS THIS COMING BACK, MAY 17TH, POTENTIALLY DAYLIGHTING, UM, SUGGESTIONS.
I LIKE THE IDEA OF PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO BREAK INTO GROUPS.
I LOVE THE IDEA OF BREAKING INTO GROUPS THAT YOU DON'T ORDINARILY BREAK INTO BECAUSE WE'RE TRYING TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT HERE.
UH, AND, AND EVERYBODY IN THOSE GROUPS COULD, COULD SET UP A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESSES OR OPEN UP MEETINGS, OR MAKE IT AS, AS INVOLVED AS, AS, AS YOU FEEL WOULD BE APPROPRIATE OR AS THE COMMUNITY WOULD, WOULD EXPECT, BUT ON THE 18TH, AND WE COULD ALL GET BACK TOGETHER AND SAY, OKAY, THESE ARE THE IDEAS THAT HAVE BUBBLED UP FROM THE GROUP IN TERMS OF THINGS THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO PROCEED WITH, UH, WITH AGREEMENT ON.
AND I THINK THAT'S, UH, A GOAL THAT WOULD GIVE US.
YES, I, CAUSE I THINK WE'VE DONE TO CLARIFY, AS WE'RE TALKING, THIS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WOULD HAPPEN WITHIN THE NEXT THREE WEEKS, WE WOULD DESIGN A PROCESS AND DO THIS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND COME BACK WITH PROPOSALS IN THREE WEEKS.
IS THAT WHAT THE SUGGESTED? I THINK WE'RE ASKING.
I THINK WE'RE ASKING PEOPLE TO KIND OF ELEVATE AND BRING BACK IDEAS BACK ON THE 17TH.
I THINK BE DIFFERENT PEOPLE COULD DO DIFFERENT KINDS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
UM, AND I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE, BUT THERE'S NO, I DON'T, I DON'T THINK WE'RE LIMITING PEOPLE'S ABILITY TO DO THAT NOR NECESSARILY REQUIRING THAT IT ALL BE COLLECTIVE DON'T KNOW.
I MEAN, I THINK THAT'S THE KIND OF THING WE SHOULD BE TALKING ABOUT HERE.
THE DIAS, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK WE'VE, WE'VE FORMULATED THAT PLAN, BUT WHAT, BUT WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO ME IS I WANT THIS TO COME BACK TO THE COUNCIL WITHIN THE 60 DAYS, SO WE CAN TAKE ACTION BEFORE WE LEAVE FOR SUMMER BREAK.
SO THE SECOND THING MAYBE FINISH THAT ARE COME TO YOU NEXT.
THEN THE NEXT THING THAT I THINK WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO ME IS THAT THE CONVERSATION BE ABOUT CORRIDORS AND ABOUT INCREASING DENSITY ON CORRIDORS.
UM, UH, AND I THINK THAT THE CONVERSATION SHOULD INCLUDE AND FOE AND BE PRIMARILY ON AFFORDABILITY, BUT ALLOW FOR A BROADER CONVERSATION.
UH, AND WITH THOSE TWO THINGS IN MIND, I THINK THAT, UH, WE'RE IN A PLACE TO BE ABLE TO, TO, TO BE ABLE TO, TO MOVE FORWARD, TAKE ACTION, UH, TODAY.
AND, UM, I ALSO WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY THAT'S BEEN INVOLVED WITH THIS.
THANK YOU, MAYOR PRO TEM FOR LAYING THE LAYING OUT A PROCESS THAT YOU AND THE MAYOR HAVE TALKED ABOUT.
ALSO WANNA THANK COUNCIL MEMBER AVAILA FOR, FOR BRINGING UP, UM, UH, COMPATIBILITY WE'VE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF, UM, ADDRESSING COMPATIBILITY.
I, I SUPPORT AND HAVE TALKED ABOUT IT'S TIME TO TIME TO HAVE THE CONVERSATIONS, UH, WITH, WITH THE MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY, ALL OF US, WITH OUR COMMUNITY TO HAVE THAT COMMUNITY CONVERSATION, UH, TO VET, TO VET WHAT WORKS.
AND I THINK, I THINK WE'RE ALL, UM, IN AGREEMENT BECAUSE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT FROM TIME TO TIME, WE'RE ALL IN AGREEMENT THAT, UM, WE DO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO FORGE A CONSENSUS IN CONVERSATION WITH THE COMMUNITY.
HOW CAN WE BEST GET AFFORDABILITY ON CORNERS? I MEAN, I THINK WE'RE AGREEING ON THAT AND HOW CAN WE DO IT TIMELY? SO I THINK WE'RE ALSO AGREEING THAT IT'S TIME TO TAKE ACTION.
SO, UM, SO I, I THINK THAT, UM, I AGREE WITH WHAT, UM, MAYOR, MAYOR PRETEND TO HAVE SAID.
UM, AND I THINK OTHERS WOULD PROBABLY AGREE THAT, UM, THAT WE NEED SOME TIME TO VET THAT ONE.
WEEK'S NOTICE THAT WE'RE NOW GOING TO TALK ABOUT COMPATIBILITY ISN'T SUFFICIENT, BUT THAT'S OKAY.
WE CAN TAKE THE TIME TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION AND, AND TO FIGURE THIS OUT, YOU KNOW, AS I BROUGHT FORWARD WITH MY, WITH MY COLLEAGUES AND WE ALL SUPPORTED THIS BACK IN NOVEMBER, AS I BROUGHT THE CONVERSATION FORWARD AROUND VMU, WE TALKED ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT IT WOULD BE TO, TO LOOK AT THIS WHAT'S BEEN A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM AND LOOK AT IT AND SEE WHAT WE COULD DO TO IMPROVE IT.
SO I'M GLAD THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE HAVING THAT CONVERSATION.
UM, I RECOGNIZE THAT THERE'S A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT, UM, CAN IMPROVE IT.
I'M READY TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION ABOUT COMPATIBILITY WITH THE COMMUNITY.
AND SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO MOVING FORWARD WITH THAT.
I DO WANT TO SAY THAT I THINK WHAT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO DO TODAY, AND I'M GOING TO ASK LOTS TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS FOR US, UM, IS, UM, WE NEED TO, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S CRITICAL FOR US TO UNDERSTAND US
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AND THE COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND IN ORDER TO, TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS THAT'S BEING SUGGESTED, UH, IN A MEANINGFUL WAY IS WE NEED TO HAVE A CONVERSATION AND UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR PARAMETERS ARE, UH, WITH REGARD TO, UM, HOW WE ADDRESS SOME ASPECTS OF THIS.SO MAYOR, YOU HAD LAID OUT, UH, ONE QUESTION AND I THINK THE WAY YOU STYLED IT IS SHOULD VMU TO BE HANDLED AS A TEXT AMENDMENT TO THE VMU ZONING CLASSIFICATION OR AS A NEWLY CREATED DISTRICT.
UH, THAT QUESTION REALLY TIES BACK DIRECTLY TO THE PARAMETER THAT'S SET FOR US FROM THE, UH, AKUNA RULING.
AND SO WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND, UM, AND THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PARAMETERS ARE THAT ARE SET BY THAT RULING.
SO I HAVE A QUESTION FOR LAW TODAY, UH, TO TALK ABOUT PUBLICLY.
UM, AND SO I UNDERSTAND THAT LAW WILL BE HERE.
AND SO I'D LIKE TO ASK THAT QUESTION RIGHT NOW, SO WE CAN HAVE THAT CONVERSATION AND WHAT THAT WILL DO FOR ALL OF US.
IT WILL HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR PARAMETERS ARE, SO THAT, UM, AS WE'RE BRAINSTORMING AND WORKING WITH EACH OTHER AND WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY, WE CAN UNDERSTAND, UM, HOW WE, HOW WE NEED TO SET UP THIS, UH, THIS, UH, THESE AMENDMENTS.
AND THIS GOES BACK DIRECTLY TO THE AMENDMENT THAT I HAD PROPOSED THAT RELATED TO TREATING THIS MORE AS A, UM, NEWLY CREATED DISTRICT, WHICH JUST MEANS WHICH, WHICH GOES TO WHEN AND HOW NOTIFICATION IN PROTEST RIGHTS APPLY, WHICH WAS THE, UM, ONE OF THE TENANTS BEHIND THE RULING.
SO I HAD PROPOSED ONE WAY TO DO THAT.
I AM OPEN TO TALKING ABOUT OTHER WAYS TO DO THAT.
SO, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE, UM, THE PARAMETERS.
SO I'D LIKE TO POSE A QUESTION.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WILL BE WHO FROM OUR LAW DEPARTMENT.
UM, HELLO, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US.
UM, HERE'S THE QUESTION I WANTED TO POSE? UM, I WANT TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT, UM, THE AKUNA RULING SET PARAMETERS FOR THE CITY, UH, RELATED TO, UH, NOTIFICATION AND, UM, AND, UH, PROTEST RIGHTS.
SO I WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE, WHAT THE COURT RULING SAYS AND HOW THAT IMPACTS ANY CHANGES WE'RE MAKING WITH THE LDC.
THIS, THIS IS THE FIRST ONE THAT'S COMING UP IN FRONT OF US.
SO IT'S TIMELY FOR US TO UNDERSTAND THAT.
AND I WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DIFFERENCE IN HOW WE HANDLE NOTIFICATION AND PROTEST RIGHTS BETWEEN, UM, TREATING CHANGES AS A TEXT AMENDMENT OR TREATING THEM AS A NEWLY CREATED DISTRICT.
AND IF, IF I HAVEN'T STYLED THAT QUESTION IN THE, IN THE CORRECT WAY, PLEASE, PLEASE HELP US UNDERSTAND HOW WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT IT.
TRISH LINK WITH A LOT DEPARTMENT.
IF MAYBE YOU COULD PUT THOSE UP FOR ME, PLEASE, ACTUALLY, MINE IS, UM, THE NOTICE OF PROTEST NOTICE AND PROTEST RIGHTS.
MR. LANE, PLEASE GIVE ME A MINUTE TO RETRIEVE THAT PRESENTATION.
THIS IS THE ONLY ONE I I SEE RIGHT NOW.
SO MAYOR, WHILE THEY'RE DOING THAT, I THINK YOU MENTIONED THIS ON YOUR MESSAGE BOARD POST, UM, AND I THINK FOR THE PUBLIC THAT MAY HAVE MISSED IT, UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE CITY WILL NOT BE APPEALING.
UH, THE CASE DO THINGS I HAVEN'T, I HAVEN'T HEARD ANY SUGGESTION THAT THE CITY WOULD.
I JUST WANTED TO CONFIRM THAT.
I THINK YOU HAD WRITTEN THAT ON YOUR MESSAGE.
AND WHY WE HAVE THIS BREAKING, THE TRAINEES ARE COMING UP, CATHERINE TOVA I THINK I POORLY ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION.
WHEN YOU ASKED ME A SECOND AGO, I WASN'T MEANING TO SUGGEST THAT THE ONLY PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT NEEDED TO HAPPEN IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, BUT CERTAINLY IT WOULDN'T BE PRECLUDED.
THERE'S A THERE'S A MONTH AFTER MAY 17, BEFORE WE TAKE A BREAK TO BE ABLE TO FULLY ENGAGE THE PUBLIC ON ANY OF THE SUGGESTIONS THAT SURFACE.
I JUST, I WAS THINKING IN TERMS OF WHERE PEOPLE PRECLUDED FROM DOING PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT OVER THE NEXT THREE WEEKS ANSWER THAT'S NO, BUT THERE'S CERTAINLY TIME AFTER THAT.
I THINK THIS, UM, I THINK THIS BEARS A FURTHER CONVERSATION, YOU KNOW, USUALLY WHEN THERE ARE CONVERSATIONS AROUND LAND,
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USE OUR STAFF, OUR CITY STAFF ACTUALLY HELPED WITH THAT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.I THINK IN, UH, YOU KNOW, ASKING COUNCIL MEMBERS TO CONDUCT REASONABLE, AUTHENTIC, SUFFICIENT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AROUND AN ISSUE THAT WE KNOW HAS BEEN CONTROVERSIAL WITHIN THREE WEEKS.
IT'S JUST, IS COMPLETELY UNDOABLE.
I'M NOT, I'M NOT SURE IF SEVERAL COUNCIL MEMBERS COULD EVEN, EXCUSE ME, I'M NOT SURE IF SEVERAL COUNCIL MEMBERS COULD EVEN ALIGN THEIR SCHEDULES WITHIN THAT THREE WEEK PERIOD.
MOUNT ANY LEVEL OF SIGNIFICANT.
I JUST DON'T PRESENT THAT AS AN OBSTACLE IS I WASN'T SUGGESTING THAT I STARTED OFF BY SAYING I MISSPOKE YOUR PRESTIGE.
UM, I THINK THAT WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT WHAT A REASONABLE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS LIKE, EVEN IF IT'S NOT WITHIN THREE WEEKS AND, AND THE LEVEL OF STAFF SUPPORT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE FOR THAT, HAVING PARTICIPATED IN THE VMU PROCESS INITIALLY, I MEAN, THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT STAFF SUPPORT AND I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE JUST AS THERE WAS WITH OUR LDC CONVERSATIONS.
I AGREE WITH THAT A HUNDRED PERCENT.
AND THE WEEK CAN COME BACK TO TALK PROCESS IN HERE FROM OTHER PEOPLE TOO.
CAN YOU TAKE ME UP TO THE TOP SLIDE, PLEASE ARE THE SECOND SLIDE ACTUALLY.
UM, SO UNDER, UM, THE DECISION AND AKUNA THE COURT IS LOOKING AT STATE LAW AND WHAT WE ARE KIND OF MOVING FORWARD WITH IS THE TYPE OF NOTICE THAT'S REQUIRED.
UM, SO THAT'S ONE ELEMENT AND THEN THERE'S ALSO THE PROTEST RIGHTS ISSUE.
AND THESE ARE, I THINK HISTORICALLY WE THOUGHT OF THEM KIND OF CONNECTED TOGETHER, BUT UNDER STATE LAW, THEY ACTUALLY ACT INDEPENDENT AND THEY ARE INDEPENDENT OF EACH OTHER AND SEPARATE.
SO THAT'S HOW WE HAVE TO, I THINK KIND OF SLOWLY START TO RETRAIN OURSELVES, UM, TO THINK ABOUT THEM DIFFERENTLY.
UM, UNDER STATE LAW, THE PUBLISHED NEWSPAPER NOTICE IS REQUIRED FOR A CHANGE IN PROPERTY CLASSIFICATION, OR EVEN WHEN THERE'S NOT.
SO THAT WOULD BE A CHANGE TO A PROPERTY, UM, SORRY, ZONING REGULATION OR ZONING BOUNDARY STATE LAW ALSO REQUIRES AN INDIVIDUAL WRITTEN NOTICE WHEN THERE IS A CHANGE TO THE PROPERTY CLASSIFICATION.
AND THE CLASSIFICATION IS WE TYPICALLY THINK OF IT HERE IN AUSTIN IS THE ZONING STRING.
SO IF YOU'RE CHANGING, UM, C YOU KNOW, FROM GR TO CS, THAT'S GOING TO BE A PROPERTY CLASSIFICATION CHANGE FOR US TYPICALLY.
UM, AND THEN THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, AND THEN THERE'S PROTEST RIGHTS.
WELL, BASICALLY THE BOTTOM LINE, ANYTHING WE DO WHEN IT COMES TO ZONING, THERE'S A PROTEST, RIGHT? AND IT'S A CHANGE TO THE ZONING REGULATION, A CHANGE TO A BOUNDARY OR CHANGE TO A CLASSIFICATION.
AND AGAIN, THAT'S OUR GENERAL, OUR KIND OF OUR ROUTINE ZONING CASES THAT WE SEE ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS.
UM, WHAT IS DIFFERENT THOUGH, IS THE DENOMINATOR DENOMINATOR FOR THIS SITUATION, FOR THE PROTEST RIGHTS.
SO THE DENOMINATOR EQUALS THE AREA COVERED BY THE PROPOSED CHANGE OR THE AREA WITHIN 200 FEET OF THE AREA COVERED BY THE PROPOSED CHANGE.
AND IT REALLY WILL DEPEND ON THE NATURE AND THE SCOPE OF THE PROPOSED CHANGE.
AND I CAN SHOW YOU THAT IN SOME EXAMPLES ON THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO FOR AN INDIVIDUAL REZONING CASE OWNERS HAVE 20% OF THE TOTAL AREA OF THE PROPERTY COVERED BY THE APPLICATION CAN, UM, PROTESTS.
TYPICALLY WE DON'T SEE THAT IN AN AVERAGE CASE BECAUSE THEY'VE COME TO THE CITY ASKING FOR REZONING, BUT WE COULD HAVE THAT SITUATION.
AND, AND WE DO A SMALL AREA PLANNING IF WE DO A NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN.
ALSO, IF WE, UM, THAT COMES UP ACTUALLY IN HISTORIC CASES.
BUT WHAT WE TYPICALLY SEE IN THE INDIVIDUAL REZONING CASES ARE OWNERS OF 20% OF THE TOTAL AREA WITHIN 200 FEET OF THE PROPERTY COVERED BY THE APPLICATION.
UH, SO THAT'S WHAT WE SEE ON A PRETTY REGULAR BASIS IS THAT THAT QUESTION COMES UP WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE 20% OF THOSE, UH, THE NEIGHBORS FOR A TEXT AMENDMENT, UM, WHICH FOR COUNCIL'S CONSIDERATION ON THURSDAY IS A TEXT AMENDMENT TO OUR CODE FOR VMU.
SO FOR TEXT AMENDMENT OWNERS OF 20% OF THE TOTAL AREA WITH IN THE CITY WITH A V DESIGNATION IS THE DENOMINATOR.
ALTERNATIVELY, IF 20% OF THE OWNERS OF THE TOTAL AREA WITHIN 200 FEET OF ALL THE PROPERTIES WITH A V DESIGNATION, THAT COULD ALSO BE OUR DENOMINATOR.
I THINK OUR, UM, WITH SOMETHING LIKE V SO THE WAY THE, THE ORDINANCES AND BACKUP TODAY, THAT DENOMINATOR IS
[00:25:01]
GOING TO BE ALL OF THE V PROPERTIES IN THE CITY TO MEET A 200, THE 20% THRESHOLD IS ACTUALLY GOING TO BE QUITE CHALLENGING, UM, WITH THE, UH, PROPOSED AMENDMENT FROM COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN, JUST USING THAT AS AN EXAMPLE, IT'S CREATING THE PAPER DISTRICT, NOBODY HAS THE V2 THAT IS BEING CREATED.AND SO THERE IS NOT REALLY A DENOMINATOR, THERE'S A PROTEST, RIGHT, BUT THERE'S NOT A DENOMINATOR BECAUSE NOBODY'S SUBJECT TO IT.
UM, BUT ONCE IF THAT WAS, IF COUNCIL ADOPTED THAT PAPER DISTRICT, WHEN SOMEONE COMES IN TO APPLY FOR THAT DISTRICT, THEN WE WILL HAVE THE 20% WHERE WE WILL BE LOOKING AT PROBABLY THE NEIGHBORING PROPERTIES BECAUSE THE OWNER WOULD HAVE COME IN LIKELY TO ASK FOR THE ZONING CHANGE.
AND SO THE 20% WOULDN'T BE NECESSARILY AN ISSUE FOR THE OWNER, BUT IT WOULD BE FOR THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORS IS WHAT WE WOULD GENERALLY HAVE TO LOOK AT.
UM, I HAVE VERY QUICK FOLLOW-UP BECAUSE I'M SURE OTHERS MAY HAVE QUESTIONS TOO, SO I'LL, I'LL LEAVE TIME FOR OTHERS.
SO LET ME JUST MAKE SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING.
SO FOR A TEXT AMENDMENT, WHICH IS A CHANGE TO THE CODE THAT DOESN'T ACTUALLY, LET ME MAKE SURE, LET ME ASK YOU THIS.
A TEXT AMENDMENT CHANGES THE LANGUAGE OF THE, OR OF THE, UH, CODE, BUT DOESN'T ACTUALLY ATTACH THE CHANGE TO THE PROPERTY.
IS THAT HOW WE DEFINED A TEXT AMENDMENT? SO A TEXT AMENDMENT IS A CHANGE TO THE CODE ITSELF, NOT SOMEONE'S ZONING ORDINANCE FOR THEIR PROPERTY.
SO, SO IN THIS, AND THEN THE SECOND QUESTION I HAVE IS, SO YOU HAD, UH, YOU TOLD US THAT PROTEST RIGHTS APPLY, BUT THE INDIVIDUAL NOTICE, SO THE INDIVIDUAL WRITTEN NOTICE DOES NOT APPLY TO A TEXT AMENDMENT, IS THAT CORRECT? CORRECT.
I, I, WELL, I'M GOING TO SAY YES, BUT THERE COULD BE A SITUATION THAT COUNCIL TAKES ON THAT COULD HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR IT.
SO I'M NOT GOING TO SAY ABSOLUTELY IN EVERY SITUATION, BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, YES.
THE TEXT AMENDMENT IS GOING TO BE THE PUBLISHED NOTICE, BUT IF WE CHANGE THE STRING ON THE PIECE OF PROPERTY, IT WOULD BE, THEY WOULD BE ENTITLED TO, UM, INDIVIDUAL WRITTEN NOTICE.
SO IN THIS CASE, UM, A CHANGE TO THE ORDINANCE ITSELF IS A TEXT CHANGE THAT DOESN'T REQUIRE INDIVIDUAL NOTICE.
AND SO, SO THEN I GET TO THE APPLICATION OF THE PROTEST RIGHTS.
SO IN THE CASE WHERE WE HAVE THE AMENDMENT THAT I BROUGHT FORWARD, UM, WHICH ESTABLISHES THAT THE CHANGE WOULD APPLY AS PART OF A ZONING PROCESS IN THAT INSTANCE, PROTEST RIGHTS AND INDIVIDUAL NOTIFICATION WOULD APPLY AT THE POINT THAT SOMEONE WANTED TO MAKE THAT CHANGE TO THEIR PROPERTY.
IF WE DON'T ATTACH THE LANGUAGE THAT I SUGGESTED, UM, THEN WE CAN STILL MAKE THE TEXT CHANGE.
WELL, TELL ME WHAT HAPPENS IF WE DON'T APPLY THAT, HOW DOES AN INDIVIDUAL GET NOTICE THAT THEIR PROPERTY COULD BE CONSIDERED FOR CHANGE? HOW, WHAT HAPPENS IF WE DON'T? I'M SORRY.
I HAVE BEEN THINKING THAT IN ORDER FOR AN, FOR AN INDIVIDUAL, UM, OR THERE'S ARE FOLKS LIVING AROUND A PROPERTY TO HAVE INDIVIDUAL NOTICE AND PROPERTY RIGHTS, THEY HAVE TO HAVE, WE HAVE TO INCLUDE IN OUR ORDINANCE, THE, UM, ESTABLISHING IT AS A ZONING PROCESS FOR A TEXT AMENDMENT IN THIS SCENARIO, THAT FOR THE ORDINANCE THAT'S IN BACKUP TODAY, UM, THAT THE COUNCIL HAS ON THE AGENDA FOR THURSDAY, THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROTEST IS NOW HOW DO THEY KNOW TO PROTEST? THAT IS TH THAT IS SOMETHING WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WORK ON AS AN ORGANIZATION GOING FORWARD.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, THEY WOULDN'T KNOW, WE, WE HAVE NOT AS A PRACTICE, GIVEN INDIVIDUALIZED NOTICE IN A TEXT CHANGE.
AND SO WHILE PEOPLE THEORETICALLY MAY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROTEST, WE HAVEN'T YET FIGURED OUT HOW TO GIVE THEM NOTIFICATION.
IS THAT, IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? WE'VE GIVEN THEM NOTIFICATION, WE HAVEN'T EDUCATED THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE PROTEST, RIGHT.
BUT WE HAVEN'T GIVEN THEM INDIVIDUALIZED NOTIFICATION.
BUT THE INDIVIDUALIZED NOTICE AND THE PROTEST RIGHTS ARE NOT SYNONYMOUS.
SO YOU CAN STILL HAVE THE PROTEST RIGHT.
FOR THE ORDINANCE THAT IS, UM, IN BACKUP FOR THURSDAY.
[00:30:01]
IT'S JUST NOT SOMETHING WE'VE EDUCATED THE COMMUNITY ON, AND THAT'S WHAT WE WILL HAVE TO WORK ON GOING FORWARD.SO, SO THE CHALLENGE THERE IS HOW TO, HOW, HOW, HOW IS THE COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND THAT THEY HAVE A PROTEST RIGHTS IN THE INSTANCE WHERE WE'RE MAKING A TEXT CHANGE? BECAUSE THE NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC OF THE POTENTIAL TEXT CHANGE COMES IN OUR NORMAL PROCESS AS A NEWSPAPER PUBLICATION NOTICE.
AND THE OTHER WAYS THAT WE PUT THINGS ON THE AGENDA.
SO THAT'S ONE OF OUR QUESTIONS, RIGHT? DID I SAY THAT? RIGHT? SO GOING FORWARD, IF THE COUNCIL WOULD LIKE STAFF TO INCLUDE THAT LANGUAGE ABOUT PROTEST RIGHTS IN THE NOTICES, WE CAN DO THAT.
UM, COUNCIL COULD ALSO DIRECT, UH, FOR THE MANAGER TO ADD SOMETHING TO THE CITY'S WEBSITE, UM, TO DO OUTREACH AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS TO HELP EDUCATE OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT THE PROTEST, RIGHT? YES.
COULD WE ALSO DECIDE IN CIRCUMSTANCES FOR TEXT PROTECTS THE AMENDMENTS TO PROVIDE INDIVIL INDIVIDUALIZED NOTICE IF WE'RE MAKING A TEXT AMENDMENT THAT DOESN'T IMPACT THE ENTIRE CITY, BUT IMPACTS PARTS OF CITY, COULD WE ALSO CHOOSE TO SAY, WE'RE GOING TO GIVE THAT INDIVIDUALIZED NOTICE, SO PEOPLE ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING NEXT DOOR.
COUNCIL CAN MAKE THAT DECISION.
SO THEN THE LAST QUESTION I HAVE, CAUSE I KNOW OTHERS MAY HAVE QUESTIONS TOO, WITH REGARD TO THE PROTEST RIGHTS.
SO IF I WANT TO MAKE SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING YOU CORRECTLY, SO THAT IN THE CASE WHERE WE'RE DOING A TEXT CHANGE AND WE'RE TREATING SUCH SOMETHING AS A TEXT CHANGE, WE ARE CALCULATING PROTEST RIGHTS IN THE AGGREGATE.
SO THAT ALL PROPERTIES THAT MIGHT BE AFFECTED, UM, ARE THE DENOMINATOR AND 20% OF PEOPLE THAT MEET THAT REQUIREMENT, THE 200 FEET FOR ALL OF THOSE PROPERTIES, WAIT, I SAID IT WRONG.
I'M SORRY, I GOT THE MATH WRONG.
BASICALLY IT'S IN THE AGGREGATE.
RIGHT? SO, SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS IF YOU HAVE, IF YOU HAVE, IF YOU HAVE A TEXT CHANGE WHERE YOU ARE IMPACTING 10 PROPERTIES, FOR EXAMPLE, AND YOU ONLY HAVE PEOPLE PROTESTING ONE OF THOSE PROPERTIES, THEY WON'T BE MEETING THE 20% BECAUSE THEIR MATH IS CALCULATED FOR ALL 10 PROPERTIES.
IS THAT CORRECT? YOU COULD HAVE A SITUATION LIKE THAT.
COULD YOU DO THE, YOUR HYPOTHETICAL AGAIN, EXPLAIN, AND I'M NOT DOING A GOOD JOB OF IT, SO YOU MAYBE DO A BETTER JOB OF IT, BUT I'M TRYING TO EXPLAIN WHAT WE MEAN BY DOING THE PROTEST CALCULATION IN THE AGGREGATE.
UM, THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE WAY THAT I CAN THINK ABOUT IT.
SO WHAT THAT MEANS TO ME, AND I THINK YOU HAVE A SLIDE THAT EXPLAINS IT, BUT BASICALLY WHAT THAT MEANS IS IF WE MAKE A TEXT CHANGE, THAT IMPACTS A CERTAIN NUMBER OF PROPERTIES.
I'M JUST GOING TO USE 10 AS AN EXAMPLE, IF WE HAVE A TEXT CHANGE THAT THAT POTENTIALLY IMPACTS 10 PROPERTIES, THE PROTEST RIGHTS APPLY FOR THE OWNERS OF THOSE 10 PROPERTIES.
I'M GOING TO SET THAT ASIDE AT THE MOMENT, THE PROTEST RIGHTS ALSO APPLY FOR, UH, FOR, FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING, OR I GUESS OWNERS WHO ARE LIVING WITHIN 200 FEET OF THAT PROPERTY.
BUT THEY HAVE TO REACH THAT 20% THRESHOLD.
SO OUR DENOMINATOR IS EVERYBODY THAT'S LIVING WITHIN 200 FEET OF ALL 10 PROPERTIES IN OUR NUMERATOR IS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT PROTEST.
THE ISSUE WITH AGGREGATE IS WE'VE CREATED A DENOMINATOR THAT INCOME THAT DOESN'T LOOK AT PROTEST RIGHTS FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL PROPERTY.
IT LOOKS AT PROTESTS RIGHTS IN THE AGGREGATE ACROSS ALL 10 PROPERTIES.
SO IF YOU HAVE A SITUATION OR YOUR TEXT AMENDMENT IMPACTS 10 PROPERTIES, AND YOU ONLY HAVE ONE PROPERTY THAT PEOPLE ARE RAISING QUESTIONS ABOUT AND HAVE PROTESTS, THE FACT THAT YOU DON'T HAVE ANY PROTESTS FOR THE OTHER NINE DILUTES, THE 20% FOR THE PROTESTS FOR THAT ONE.
AM I UNDERSTANDING THE MATH CORRECTLY? I DIDN'T MEAN TO USE DILUTES IN A NEGATIVE SENSE.
I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE MATH.
SO IF COUNCIL PASSES A TEXT AMENDMENT OR PROPOSES A CONSIDERS THE TEXT AMENDMENT, AND YOU HAVE MULTIPLE PROPERTIES THAT HAVE THAT PARTICULAR DESIGNATION.
SO IN OUR EXAMPLE FOR VMU, IT HAS A V DESIGNATION, RIGHT.
ALL OF THOSE TRACKS, RIGHT? SO WHEN YOU TAKE ALL OF THOSE TRACKS TOGETHER, THAT IS GOING TO BE YOUR DENOMINATOR.
SO YOU NEED 20% OF THOSE OWNERS, OR YOU NEED
[00:35:01]
20% OF THE FOE, THE PROPERTY OWNERS WITHIN 200 FEET OF EACH OF THOSE, OF THE, THE TOTAL PROPERTIES COMBINED, RIGHT.SO IT IS A MUCH LARGER DENOMINATOR THAN WE TRADITIONALLY SEE IN A ZONING AND AN INDIVIDUAL ZONING CASE.
SO PROTEST IN, IN ONE PART OF THE TOWN AND ONE PART OF TOWN AND NO PROTEST AND OTHER PARTS OF THE TOWN CAN IMPACT WHETHER THE 20% IS MET.
I NEED TO LET OTHERS HAVE A, I APOLOGIZE.
I JUST WANTED TO GET REALLY CLEAR TO MAKE SURE I WAS UNDERSTANDING IT.
SO I WILL, UM, I MAY HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS MAYOR, BUT I WANT TO LET OTHERS ASK QUESTIONS.
UH, CAUSE WE'RE ALL MEMBER TEMP.
UM, I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION FOR TRICIA.
AND THEN I, THEN I WANT TO CLARIFY SORT OF HOW I WAS THINKING ABOUT THE PROCESS THAT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT EARLIER.
UM, SO WITH THE NOTICE, UM, THE NEWSPAPER PUBLICATION FOR A TEXT CHANGE, THAT'S, WHAT'S REQUIRED BY THE STATE, BUT THERE'S NOTHING TO PRECLUDE US AS COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN SUGGESTED OF SAYING IN ANY GIVEN CASE THAT WE THINK WE NEED MORE NOTICE OR BROADLY SAYING, WE WANT TO HAVE MORE NOTICE, CORRECT.
COUNCIL CAN DIRECT FOR ADDITIONAL NOTICE.
UM, WILL THERE BE A MEMO OF SOME KIND FORTHCOMING WITH SOME EXAMPLES AND SOME WAY FOR THE COMMUNITY TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW, HOW LEGAL IS SUGGESTING? WE INTERPRET THE RULING IN TERMS OF HOW WE ARE ACTING MOVING FORWARD.
BECAUSE AT THIS POINT WE JUST HAVE OUR LEGAL DEPARTMENT'S PERSPECTIVE ON THAT.
UM, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAD TALKED ABOUT THIS, THIS PARTICULAR VOTE HAS PRECIPITATED THAT, BUT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT THE NEED, UM, TO BE TRANSPARENT HERE.
I APPRECIATE YOU BEING READY WITH THE PRESENTATION AND ALL OF THAT.
I JUST WANTED TO SEE IF SOMETHING WOULD BE FORTHCOMING THAT WOULD, UM, FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT ABLE TO COME AND, YOU KNOW, WATCH THIS, THAT THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO ACCESS A MEMO OF SOME KIND YES.
UM, SO I WANTED TO JUST, I DON'T KNOW IF PEOPLE HAVE MORE QUESTIONS, IF YOU WANT TO STICK ON THAT FIRST.
LET'S STICK ON THIS FIRST, WHERE WE HAVE TO TURN HERE AND THEN I'LL COME BACK TO YOU FOR THE, TO HELP ME TO HELP CLARIFY MY MISSTATEMENT EARLIER.
OH, I DIDN'T HAVE QUESTIONS FOR LEGAL.
I JUST WANTED TO TALK ABOUT ITEMS. LET'S STAY WITH LEGAL HERE FOR JUST A SECOND WHILE WE HAVE THEM IN FRONT OF US.
SO JUST SO THAT I'M FOLLOWING THIS CONVERSATION CORRECTLY, YOU MENTIONED THAT THE BMU TO ORDINANCE, WHICH IS ON THURSDAY'S AGENDA DOES COME WITH A PROTEST, RIGHT.
FOR THE COMMUNITY CITY OF AUSTIN HAS DONE A PUBLIC NOTICE THAT WE'RE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE STATE LAW FOR PUBLIC NOTIFICATION.
HOWEVER, I WANT TO DIG IN ON THE DENOMINATOR FOR THIS THURSDAY'S ORDINANCE PROPOSAL.
SO THE DENOMINATOR FOR THE VMU TWO TEXT AMENDMENT WOULD BE ALL OF THE PROPERTIES THAT WOULD BE SUBJECT TO THE CHANGE OF, YOU KNOW, I GUESS, OF THE NEW CLASSIFICATION OF EMU TO, IS THAT CORRECT? SO IT WOULD BE FOR EITHER PROPOSAL THAT COUNCIL CONSIDERS OR ADOPTS, UM, WE'LL HAVE, HAVE THE PROTEST RIGHTS ASSOCIATED WITH THEM BECAUSE WHAT COUNCIL IS VOTING ON TO THIS WEEK WOULD BE A TEXT AMENDMENT, REGARDLESS OF HOW IT IT'S, UH, KIND OF SET UP INTERNALLY.
IT'S STILL A TEXT AMENDMENT TO THE CODE.
AND SO THE DENOMINATOR WILL BE THE 20% OF THE TOTAL AREA OF THE PROPERTY'S COVERED BY, UM, THAT HAVE A V DESIGNATION TODAY.
SO THAT'S THE ONE DENOMINATOR.
SO IF YOU GOT 20% OF THOSE OF THOSE OWNERS, THEN IT TRIGGERS THE THREE QUARTER THREE-FOURTHS VOTE.
HOWEVER, THERE'S A SECOND DENOMINATOR, WHICH IS GOING TO BE AN EVEN LARGER DENOMINATOR, WHICH IS THE 200 FEET SURROUNDING EACH OF THE PROPERTY.
SO IF YOU TAKE THAT TOTAL AREA WITHIN 200 FEET OF ALL THE PROPERTIES WITH THE V DESIGNATION, WE GOT 20% OF THOSE OWNERS THAT WOULD TRIGGER THE THREE-QUARTERS VOTE FOR THE ORDINANCE.
THAT IS A TEXT AMENDMENT, RIGHT? AND SO THE OPTIONS, OH, GO AHEAD.
FINISH THE OPTIONS THAT WE'RE CONSIDERING BETWEEN THE TWO IS THE CURRENT ORDINANCE PROPOSAL IS FOR ALL THE CLASSIFIED PROPERTIES THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND COSTUMER KITCHEN'S
[00:40:01]
PROPOSED AMENDMENT WOULD THEN CHANGE IT TO BE WITHIN NOT ONLY ALL OF THE B PROPERTIES, BUT ALSO PROPERTIES WITHIN 200 FEET OF THE V PROPERTY, IT WOULD ACTUALLY BE SO BOTH ARE THE DENOMINATOR.WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN'S PROPOSAL DOES IS KIND OF ADDS A SECOND LAYER.
SO IT'S NOT, UM, THE WAY THE ORDINANCE AND BACKUP WORKS IS IT AS AN ADMINISTRATIVE, UM, DESIGNATION ESSENTIALLY.
SO IF YOU ARE GOING TO PROVIDE THE, THE NUMBER, THE AMOUNT OF AFFORDABLE UNITS SET OUT IN THE ORDINANCE, THEN YOU WOULD BE CLASSIFIED AS A V U2 AND YOU'LL GET THE 30 FEET OF HEIGHT.
AND THAT, THAT WOULD BE DONE ADMINISTRATIVELY BASED ON THE DRAFT, THAT IS THE STAFF BROUGHT FORWARD.
COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHENS ORDINANCE PROPOSAL WILL ACTUALLY CREATE THIS, WHAT WE WERE I'M CALLING V2.
BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT THE, THE LAST PAGE OF THE MOTION SHEET, WE'VE DESIGNATED IT AS V2.
SO IT WOULD CREATE THIS PAPER DISTRICT OF V2.
AND SO THAT SECOND STEP IS NOBODY WOULD GET THAT ADMINISTRATIVELY.
THEY HAVE TO COME AND ASK COUNCIL TO GET THE V TWO ADDED TO THEIR STRENGTHS.
IF I COULD CLARIFY, HANG ON, SORRY.
JUST SO THAT WE GET TURNS HERE.
LET ME SEE IF I, CAUSE I THINK THAT, THAT THE MAYOR PRETENDS QUESTION ABOUT GETTING SOMETHING OUT TO THE PUBLIC SO PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHY WE'LL ALSO WHY IT'S THE, WHAT THE LAW SAYS, I THINK WILL ALSO HELP PEOPLE BE ABLE TO APPLY IT.
SO AT A REALLY HIGH LEVEL, MY UNDERSTANDING FROM MY CONVERSATIONS WITH YOU IS THAT WHAT THE LAW SAYS IS THAT 20% OF THE PEOPLE IMPACTED BY THE COUNCIL ACTION FORM.
THE UNIVERSE OF, I MEAN, 20% OF THE PEOPLE IMPACTED BY THE COUNCIL ACTION IS THE GROUP FROM WHICH YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE GROUP THAT'S ENTITLED TO FILE THE APPEAL.
SO YOU HAVE TO BE IN THE UNIVERSE OF PEOPLE IMPACTED BY THE COUNCIL ACTION.
SO IF THE COUNCIL ACTION IS JUST TO ZONE ONE PROPERTY THAT WAY, THEN THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT ARE IMPACTED BY THE COUNCIL ACTION IS THAT ONE PROPERTY AND THE PEOPLE AROUND IT.
IF ON THE OTHER HAND, THE COUNCIL ACTION IS TO IMPACT ALL OF THE V PROPERTIES.
THEN THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IMPACTED BY THAT COUNCIL ACTION WOULD BE EVERYBODY WHO IS AROUND ANY OF THE V PROPERTIES ANYWHERE.
SO COUNCIL CAN EITHER DECIDE TO TAKE AN ACTION THAT SAYS TOMORROW, OR AS OF WHEN WE TAKE OUR VOTE, EVERY V PROPERTY, THIS IS THE ROLE IN WHICH CASE IT IMPACTS ALL OF THE V PROPERTIES.
AND THE UNIVERSE OF PEOPLE IS EVERYBODY.
THAT'S WITHIN 200 FEET OF ANY OF THOSE V PROPERTIES.
SO IF YOU WANT TO GET 20%, YOU HAVE TO GET 20% OF ALL THE PEOPLE IMPACTED.
ON THE OTHER HAND, IF WHAT THE COUNCIL DOES IS SAY, WE'RE GOING TO CREATE THIS V TWO DISTRICT.
WE'RE NOT APPLYING IT TO ANYBODY.
WE'RE JUST CREATING THE DISTRICT AS A TOOL IN A, IN A BOOK NOBODY'S IMPACTED AT THAT POINT.
SO NOBODY HAS ANY APPEAL RIGHTS, BUT THE DAY THAT A PROPERTY OWNER COMES IN AND SAYS, I WANT YOU TO GIVE ME THAT VMU TO DESIGNATION.
IF THE COUNCIL DOES THAT, THEN THE ACTION TAKEN BY COUNCIL IS TO IMPACT THAT ONE PROPERTY.
SO THEREFORE THE PEOPLE THAT WOULD BE ABLE TO FILE AN APPEAL OR A PROTEST ARE THE PEOPLE WITHIN 200 FEET OF THAT PROPERTY.
SO MY UNDERSTANDING IS, IS THAT THE, THE MEASURE THAT IS IN FRONT OF US AND IN FACT, THE MEASURE IN ALL FAIRNESS THAT WE ASKED STAFF TO BRING BACK TO US WHEN WE PASSED OUR RESOLUTION LAST NOVEMBER WAS TO GIVE US SOMETHING THAT IMPACTED ALL OF THE VMU PROPERTIES.
THEREFORE, IF WE PASS THAT, THEN EVERYBODY WITHIN 200 FEET OF ANY VMU PROPERTY IS PART OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE AFFECTED AND COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHENS AMENDMENTS, AS, RATHER THAN DOING THAT, LET'S JUST GIVE VMU TWO TO ONE PROPERTY AT A TIME.
AND BECAUSE WE'RE GIVING IT TO ONE PROPERTY AT A TIME, THE UNIVERSE OF PEOPLE THAT WOULD BE IMPACTED WOULD JUST BE THE PEOPLE AROUND THAT PROPERTY.
SO MAYOR COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN, UH, THANK YOU.
THAT WAS ARTICULATED BETTER THAN I WAS TRYING TO ARTICULATE IT, BUT LET ME JUST EXPLAIN THE REASON THAT I BROUGHT THE AMENDMENT IS BECAUSE I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE INTERPRETATION THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT PROTEST RIGHTS IN THE AGGREGATE.
SO THAT'S THE REASON, AND YES, WE DID START DOWN THIS ROAD WITH WHAT IS ESSENTIALLY ADMINISTRATIVE ATTACHMENT OF V2
[00:45:02]
THAT WAS BEFORE THE QNA RULING.SO WHAT I BROUGHT FORWARD WAS BECAUSE IT WAS THE ONLY WAY I COULD FIGURE OUT TO ACTUALLY GIVE MEANINGFUL PROTEST RIGHTS, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK IT'S MEANINGFUL PROTEST RIGHTS IF YOU'RE COUNTED IN THE AGGREGATE WITH EVERYBODY ELSE IN THE CITY.
SO WE, WE GOT SOME CLARIFICATION AND THANK YOU MAYOR FOR TIM FOR THAT.
UH, WE GOT CLARIFICATION THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT THE COUNCIL COULD CHOOSE TO DO ADDITIONAL, UH, NOTIFICATION OR NOTICE RIGHTS.
SO MY SECOND QUESTION, COULD THE COUNCIL CHOOSE THAT IN, IN CIRCUMSTANCES LIKE THE, THAT WE WANT TO CALCULATE PROTEST RIGHTS, UM, AS IT APPLIES TO A PARTICULAR PROPERTY, WHEN WE DO A TEXT AMENDMENT, AS OPPOSED TO IN THE AGGREGATE, I'M UNDERSTANDING THAT LEGAL'S INTERPRETATION IS THAT WE ONLY HAVE TO DO IT IN THE AGGREGATE, BUT COULD WE NOT CHOOSE TO DO THE MATH IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT'S NOT IN THE AGGREGATE, WHICH WOULD HAVE THE SAME IMPACT AS WHAT I WAS TRYING TO ACHIEVE WITH ATTACHING, YOU KNOW, THE ONE BY ONE THAT THE MAYOR EXPLAINED.
SO, SO THIS IS JUST SOMETHING THAT WE ALL NEED TO UNDERSTAND AND THINK ABOUT BECAUSE PERHAPS YOU COULD GIVE MEANINGFUL PROTEST RIGHTS TO INDIVIDUALS AROUND A PARTICULAR PRO PROPERTY, IF YOU DID THE MATH DIFFERENTLY AS PART OF A TEXT AMENDMENT.
SO ANYWAY, I'M NOT PROPOSING THAT AT THE MOMENT.
I'M SUGGESTING THAT WE THINK ABOUT THAT BECAUSE I KNOW THAT ONE OF OUR CONCERNS THAT THAT FOLKS HAD ABOUT ACTUALLY HAVING TO GO THROUGH A WHOLE ZONING PROCESS TO ATTACH V2 IS, UM, CONCERNING FOR FOLKS.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT, AND THAT'S WHY WE MADE IT ADMINISTRATIVE TO BEGIN WITH.
SO I THINK WE SHOULD GIVE SOME THOUGHT AND IN LAW YOU MAY NEED SOME LAW.
UM, UH, LEGAL MAY NEED SOME, YOU MAY NEED TO CONFER AND, AND CONSIDER WHETHER WE COULD DO THAT.
BUT THAT'S A QUESTION THAT I HAVE ON THE TABLE IS COULD WE CHOOSE WHERE THE TEXT AMENDMENT TO DO THE MATH DIFFERENTLY? UM, AND IN THAT WAY ACHIEVE THE SAME THING THAT I WAS TRYING TO ACHIEVE WITH AN AMENDMENT THAT REQUIRES A WHOLE ZONING PROCESS.
SO I'LL LEAVE THAT ON THE TABLE FOR PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT.
MY HOPE IS THAT WE CAN GET TO A CONVERSATION ABOUT RIGHT, RATHER THAN, UH, BECAUSE I THINK THERE'LL BE PEOPLE THAT DISAGREE WITH, UH, WITH YOU SUBSTANTIVELY ON THAT ISSUE, BUT THAT CAN BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION AS PEOPLE GO OFF FOR SEVERAL WEEKS AND THEN COME BACK AND TALK TO THE LARGER GROUP AND THEN, UH, THEREAFTER HAVE A LARGER COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT.
BUT IF WE'RE NOT GONNA, IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL JUST TO KNOW AT A REALLY HIGH LEVEL WHERE PEOPLE ARE JUST SO COLLEAGUES CAN HEAR WHERE PEOPLE ARE AT A REALLY HIGH LEVEL SUBSTANTIVELY.
BUT MY SUGGESTION IS LET'S FIRST, LET'S FIND OUT IF, IF PROCEDURALLY, UH, THE WAY WE WANT TO PROCEED IS TO POSTPONE THE CONVERSATION.
SUBSEQUENTLY GIVE PEOPLE A CHANCE TO WORK, AND THEN THEY HAVE TO COME BACK.
I'M GOING TO GO TO THE MAYOR PRO TEM, CAUSE I CUT YOU OFF BEFORE.
I JUST WANTED TO GO BACK TO THE PROCESS AND CLARIFY WHAT WOULD I HAD IN MIND.
AND AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED, I THINK HE, HE SAID HE MISSPOKE.
UM, SO WHEN I MENTIONED THE DATE OF MAY 17TH, THAT WAS MERELY TO SAY, I THINK THAT WE COULD HAVE A TOUCHBACK AS A FULL COUNCIL ON WHERE THE DIFFERENT GROUPS HAD COME UP WITH WITH OPTIONS AND SHARE THE OPTIONS AND HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS.
UM, WHEN THE MAYOR AND I TALKED ABOUT PROCESS, IT WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT PREMATURE, I THINK, TO GO OUT TO THE PUBLIC AND TRY AND HAVE BIG PUBLIC MEETINGS, BECAUSE WE HAVE NO IDEA WHERE WE'RE LANDING AT THIS POINT.
UM, BUT WE WERE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, DO WE DELEGATE TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION OR DO WE NOT? UM, BUT THESE GROUPS WOULD ALLOW US, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF, OF SORT OF THE BROADER ENGAGEMENT, THESE GROUPINGS WOULD ALLOW US TO ENGAGE OUR OWN COMMISSIONERS IN DISCUSSIONS TO GET THE BENEFIT OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE.
UM, AND IF ANY COUNCIL MEMBER WANTED TO HAVE BROADER CONVERSATIONS WITH THE PUBLIC IN AN OPEN SETTING, THEY WOULDN'T BE PRECLUDED FROM DOING THAT, BUT WE REALLY WOULDN'T KNOW WHERE WE WERE LANDING UNTIL WE BEGAN TO COME BACK AS A GROUP AND WE CONSIDER SORT OF THE OPTIONS.
AND PART OF THE NOTION OF PUTTING FOLKS TOGETHER, YOU DON'T NORMALLY, UM, STAND TOGETHER IS TO TRY TO FIND SOME OF THOSE, SOME OF THOSE MIDDLE, MIDDLE WAYS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, WE HAVE SOME THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN PUT OUT THERE BY PRIOR PLANNING COMMISSIONS, WHICH WOULD BE GOOD PLACES TO START AND REALLY TRYING TO INTERROGATE THOSE AND SEE IF WE, IF WE CAN, IF WE CAN LAND ON SOMETHING AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THE WAY THAT I HAD STYLIZED IT, WHEN WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE APPROPRIATE PROCESS IS AT THAT
[00:50:01]
POINT, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE IN VEHEMENT AGREEMENT THAT WE CAN LAND ON SOMETHING, THEN WE CAN MOVE FASTER.IF WE'RE STILL NOT THERE YET, WE MAY FEEL, WE NEED TO HAVE MORE MODELING.
WE MAY NEED FEEL LIKE WE NEED TO DO TO DO MORE STEPS.
UM, I DON'T KNOW THAT UNTIL WE ACTUALLY DO, DO, DO THE EXERCISE OF DEEPLY ENGAGING ON, ON, ON THAT, ON THAT PROCESS.
UM, BUT I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT I, NOR THE MAYOR HAD FULLY LAID OUT WHAT THE COMMUNITY CONVERSATION WOULD BE.
AND I THINK WE DO HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, I'M THINKING ABOUT THIS AS A DISCUSSION, THE CORRIDOR IS NOT JUST VMU, BUT IF WE WERE ONLY THINKING ABOUT CORRIDORS, WE CERTAINLY WOULD NEED, WE WERE ONLY THINKING ABOUT VMU THEN WE WOULD CERTAINLY NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT SOME DISTRICTS HAVE MORE VMU ZONING IN THEM AND MIGHT REQUIRE MORE CONVERSATION, UM, TO GET TO THE FINISH LINE THAN, THAN OTHERS.
AND, AND I DON'T FEEL LIKE I'VE RESOLVED THAT AS THE PROCESS.
I THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT QUESTION THAT WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO THINK THROUGH, THROUGH AN ADDRESS.
I JUST KNOW THAT WE ARE NOT READY TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS IN MY VIEW THIS WEEK.
AND IF WE DO, WE MISS AN OPPORTUNITY, UM, TO MAKE MORE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WHERE WE CAN, UM, TIE ANY DENSITY INCREASES TO AFFORDABILITY AND REALLY ACHIEVE THE GOALS THAT, THAT, THAT WE ALL AGREE ON.
I APPRECIATE YOUR HELP WITH, UH, WITH THE CLARIFICATION.
I AGREE WITH THE POSTPONEMENT.
I ALSO AGREE THAT WE NEED THE FULL DAY US HERE IN ORDER TO HONOR ALL OF US IN EACH DISTRICT TO GET THEM INVOLVED IN THE CONVERSATION.
THE COMMUNITY DOES NEED TIME TO DIGEST THE AMENDMENTS AND LIKE GET COMMUNITY FEEDBACK.
WE NEED THAT AS WELL AS BEING COUNCIL MEMBERS.
MY UNDERSTANDING ABOUT NINE VOTES FOR CONSENSUS ABOUT LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, UM, CHANGES IS IMPORTANT.
I REALLY FEEL THAT WE NEED TO HAVE THAT, ESPECIALLY COMING OUT OF THE MOST RECENT LAWSUIT.
UM, I LIKE WHAT THE MAYOR SAID ABOUT CORRIDOR DENSITY.
IT'S IMPORTANT FOR BOTH GROWTH AND AFFORDABILITY.
AND I BELIEVE AS A COUNCIL, WE NEED TO REBUILD TRUST IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THESE DISCUSSIONS AND DECISIONS THAT WE'RE HAVING.
SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO HOSTING A TOWN HALL IN MY DISTRICT TO TALK ABOUT THESE ISSUES.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE POSTPONEMENT.
WELL, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE DISCUSSION AND, UH, APPRECIATE THE COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN AND
UH, I, MY ONLY ADDITION WOULD BE A SENSE OF URGENCY WITH REGARD TO THESE CHANGES.
UH, I, THERE WAS ANOTHER THAT THE TENANT RELOCATION ORDINANCE IS GOING TO BE ON THURSDAY AND THAT STEMMED FROM A, UH, AN, UH, AN EVICTION OR KIND OF A FORCED EVICTION THAT WAS GOING ON IN MY DISTRICT.
AND WHEN WE WERE TALKING TO THE FOLKS THAT ARE BEING FORCED TO RELOCATE, THEY WERE SAYING THEY CANNOT FIND APARTMENTS IN AUSTIN.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE, LET'S SAY GIVEN TO LIKE APRIL 30TH AND THEY WERE, YOU KNOW, TOOK A COUPLE OF DAYS OFF WORK TO GO LOOK FOR APARTMENTS.
AND THEY WERE LIKE, MAYBE LIKE LATE JUNE, WE MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING.
I MEAN, IT'S A, THE SITUATION IS REALLY CRITICAL.
I THINK ALL OF HOUSING INDICATORS ARE VERY NEGATIVE AT THIS POINT.
I MEAN, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT RENT INCREASES, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT APPRAISAL INCREASES.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT VACANCY RATES.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT JUST, I MEAN, THE NUMBER OF SINGLE FAMILY HOMES, UH, EVEN IF YOU'RE A PURCHASER.
UH, AND, AND I JUST HOPE THAT OUR, WE GET OUR REACTION, UH, AND OUR RESPONSE AS A COUNCIL TO THE HOUSING CRISIS THAT WE'RE FACING, UM, AS, UH, AS COUNCIL MEMBER WENT, AS NOTED IS, IS, UH, MATCHES A SCALE, UH, OF THE CRISIS.
YOU KNOW, THAT I THINK THAT, UH, UNFORTUNATELY THE TIME FOR KIND OF SMALLER CHANGES AND TWEAKS HAS KIND OF COMING ON, UH, AND, AND THE SCALE OF THE CRISIS IS SUCH THAT, UM, THE CORRIDORS AND THE DENSITY, THE, THE, THE NUMBER OF UNITS THAT CAN BE BUILT ALONG THE CORRIDORS IS WHERE I THINK WE CAN GIVE OUR, UH, OUR RENTERS, SOME BREATHING ROOM, UH, AND, UH, AND POTENTIALLY OFF HONESTLY, YOU KNOW, HOME BUYERS AS WELL.
AND JUST ONE MORE COMMENT, I THINK THAT ULTIMATELY THE WORK OF A VMU TYPE ZONING OF EXPANDING IT DOVETAILS WITH PROJECT CONNECT.
IF WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL, UH, QUALITY TRANSIT SYSTEM, IT HAS TO BE SURROUNDED BY HOUSING.
AND, UH, THE DISCUSSION THAT WE'RE HAVING, I THINK MOVES US IN A VERY POSITIVE DIRECTION AND MOVES US TOWARD A MUCH MORE SUCCESSFUL, A MUCH MORE AFFORDABLE, UH, MUCH MORE, UH, SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTALLY, SUSTAINABLE
[00:55:01]
CITY.I ENJOYED THE, THE MESSAGE OR COMMENTS.
I THOUGHT THEY WERE ALL EXCELLENT.
AND, UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, TO WORKING WITH, UH, EVERYONE TO DO SOMETHING POSITIVE.
AND THAT, I AGREE WITH MY CAR, OR YOU GOT CONSTANT NUMBER VEGA, YOU KNOW, ON THE, ON THREE OF THE COURT OR WHERE YOU HA I HAVE INDEED THREE, WHICH IS SOUTH CONRAD SOUNDS VERY SOUTH SEVENTH.
I MEAN, EAST SEVENTH STREET, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE BUILT 20 OVER 2,500 UNITS.
NOW ONLY 254 ARE INCOME RESTRICTED IT PART 60 AND PART 80%, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH THE BTU, YOU KNOW, WE, AND I'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF CRITICISM FOR THAT BECAUSE A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY THAT ARE, HAVE BEEN WANTING MORE AFFORDABILITY, YOU KNOW, IN ORDER TO GIVE THEM ABOUT THE, UH, THE BONUS THAT THEY, THAT THEY'D BEEN ASKING FOR.
AND THEY WERE SAYING, THERE'S NOT ENOUGH AFFORDABILITY THERE.
AND WE'RE HAVING A LOT OF, A LOT OF OUR RESIDENTS ARE REALLY STRUGGLING WHEN A SINGLE BEDROOM ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT IS $1,500 AT TWO BEDROOM.
NOW THAT'S NOT AFFORDABLE AT ALL, YOU KNOW, AND WE MADE THE, UH, WITH THE BM TOO, YOU KNOW, WE'LL, WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET CO-OP AND SENATE 80% OWNERSHIP AND RENTAL WE'LL GET 12% AT 64, 40 YEARS OR 10% AT 54 YEARS.
I MEAN, THIS IS THE THING THAT WE NEED TO START WORKING ON QUICKLY.
AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN GET OUR DIFFERENCES ALL OVER THE, AND, AND SETTLED SO THAT WE CAN GET THIS CITY MOVING ON, BUILDING AFFORDABLE UNITS.
I MEAN, WE'RE REALLY STRUGGLING.
I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S SAD UP THERE WHERE PEOPLE JUST ARE, UH, CAN'T FIND A WAY TO GO.
I MEAN, MOVE TO, I MEAN, THERE'S, THERE'S NOTHING AVAILABLE.
AND IF THIS IS KIND OF CITY THAT WE WANT TO BUILD BETTER, WE'RE ALL GOING TO BE COMPETING FOR THE E-MAILS FOR THE, WHETHER YOU WERE A HOUSE OR AN APARTMENT AND PAYING TOP DOLLARS FOR SOMETHING THAT, WHERE YOU GOING TO END UP HAVING TO PAY MORE THAN 30% OF YOUR INCOME JUST TO LIVE HERE IN AUSTIN, YOU KNOW, AND WE'RE DOING A GREAT INJUSTICE TO OUR CITY.
SO LET'S, LET'S WORK TOGETHER.
UM, I SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, DELAYING IT UNTIL EVERYONE GETS TO GET A FEELING THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY'RE MORE, UH, EDUCATED ON THIS ISSUE BECAUSE WE REALLY WE'RE REALLY STRUGGLING RIGHT NOW AND WE NEED TO GET SOMETHING DONE.
UM, COUNSELOR EVER, HARPER, MADISON, AND CASPER ELLIS.
UM, I JUST WANT TO ECHO THE SENTIMENT OF BOTH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER
UM, I'VE BEEN REALLY, UH, JUST VERY HAPPY THAT COUNCIL MEMBER YVETTE, I HAD THE COURAGE, UH, TO, TO BRING THIS ITEM FORWARD.
WE ALL KNOW THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE, UM, A TOUGH CONVERSATION.
I LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING IT, UM, AMONGST OURSELVES, BUT WE ALL KNOW THAT AUSTIN IS EXPERIENCING A SEVERE AFFORDABILITY CRISIS AND, YOU KNOW, COMING IN, I CAME IN ON THE TAIL END OF THE CONVERSATIONS AROUND CODE NEXT.
WE SPENT 10 YEARS TALKING ABOUT REWRITING OUR LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE TO ALLOW FOR MORE TYPES OF HOUSING AND FOR MORE KINDS OF PEOPLE AND, YOU KNOW, ALL PARTS OF AUSTIN.
WHAT, WHILE THAT PROCESS, YOU KNOW, FEATURED A TON OF A TON OF COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS, I, MYSELF, YOU KNOW, AS A LAY PERSON, UH, ATTENDED MULTIPLE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CONVERSATIONS AND GAVE FEEDBACK, UM, ONE OF THE CLEAREST MOST WELL DEFINED PIECES OF CONSENSUS THAT CAME OUT OF ALL THAT WAS OUR CITY IS PREPARED TO ACCEPT MORE DENSITY ALONG THE CORRIDORS.
THE MEDIAN HOME PRICE IN AUSTIN IS TOP IN $600,000.
THAT'S $600,000, $200,000 MORE THAN IT WAS TWO, ONE YEAR AGO, ONE YEAR AGO.
I MEAN, THE, THE IMPACT OF THAT IS FELT SO, SO DEEPLY BY SO MANY PEOPLE.
I REALLY APPRECIATE COUNCILMAN
I, PEOPLE THAT ARE CALLING OUR OFFICE EVERY DAY THAT JUST ARE HOPELESS.
THEY HAVE NO WHERE TO GO AND THEY CAN'T AFFORD TO LIVE HERE.
IN WHICH CASE I THINK WE NEED TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO MAKE MORE ROOM FOR MORE PEOPLE.
I THINK RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY APPRAISALS JUST JUMPED 50, 56% OVER THE LAST YEAR.
I JUST KEEP THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, OUR WORKING CLASS AND OUR MIDDLE-CLASS AUSTINITES,
[01:00:01]
YOU KNOW, IT MUST FEEL LIKE WE'RE UP HERE JUST FIDDLING AROUND WHILE THEY GO LOOK AND BEYOND THE CITY LIMITS FOR HOUSING, THEY CAN AFFORD TEACHERS, FIREFIGHTERS, RECESS, MUSICIANS, POLICE, OFFICERS, NURSES, BUS DRIVERS, THEY'RE ALL GETTING PRESSED PRICED AT AUSTIN.UH, HE'D LONG BEEN ECONOMICALLY AND RACIALLY SEGREGATED, AND WE'RE ONLY LETTING THAT GETTING WORSE, UH, WITH OUR INACTION.
I THINK THE STATUS QUO IS BROKEN.
IT BROKE A LONG TIME AGO, AND WE'RE ALL PAYING THE PRICE FOR NOT FIXING IT.
I THINK THIS ORDINANCE WON'T BE THE SILVER BULLET, BUT I THINK PASSING IT WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, CA UH, WITH COUNCIL MEMBER DELISE AMENDMENTS WITH SIGNAL THAT WE ARE FINALLY READY TO TAKE SOME ACTION TO RESPOND TO THE, TO RESPOND, UH, TO CONSENSUS ON DENSITY ALSO WHILE RE-IMAGINING SOME OF THE OUTDATED RULES THAT WE'VE LED THAT HAVE LED RATHER TO OUR CURRENT CRISIS.
UM, I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE VALUE IS AND POSTPONING.
UM, SO WE CAN HAVE MORE DISCUSSION AND MORE INPUT.
I THINK WE'VE DONE THAT FOR THE PAST DECADE WHILE I RESPECTFULLY, YOU KNOW, FOLLOW THE LEAD OF MY COLLEAGUES.
UM, I'M HAPPY WE HAVE, UH, HOWEVER, I AM HAPPY RATHER, HOWEVER, TO WAIT UNTIL WE HAVE ALL MEMBERS ON THE DIETS TO WEIGH IN ON IT.
I, I THINK THIS VERTICAL MIXED USE CONVERSATION IS, IS AN INTERESTING CASE STUDY OF WHAT THE, UH, KENYA DECISION HAS COME OUT TO SAY, AND OUR LEGAL STAFF'S INTERPRETATION OF EXACTLY WHAT TYPES OF NOTIFICATION AND PROTEST RIGHTS ARE GOING TO APPLY TO, UM, TO OUR ZONING CASES.
THAT BEING SAID, I, I DO SEE THERE'S A BENEFIT IN PREDICTABILITY.
YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TELL PEOPLE THAT WE NEED CERTAIN COMMUNITY BENEFITS IN EXCHANGE FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF ZONING, IT'S EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING TO SEE SOME OF THOSE PACKAGES ARE DIFFERENT FROM CASE TO CASE ZONE TO ZONE, UM, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL DISTRICT TO COUNCIL DISTRICT.
AND THE TRUTH IS THAT WE DO NEED MORE HOUSING.
I'M ALSO SHOCKED BY THE INCREASE IN THE AVERAGE COST OF HOME OWNERSHIP IN THIS CITY.
UM, THERE ARE CITY THAT CAN'T AFFORD TO LIVE IN HIS TOWN ANYMORE, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO TAKE VERY SERIOUSLY.
I KNOW A LOT OF US HAVE WORKED ON THIS TOPIC IN MANY DIFFERENT ANGLES, OVER MANY DIFFERENT YEARS.
UH, THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THERE IS AN URGENCY IN DOING SOMETHING TO BRING MORE HOUSING INTO THIS TOWN SO THAT THE FOLKS THAT GIVE THEIR HEART AND SOUL TO THIS COMMUNITY FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE A PLACE TO LIVE AND THAT THEY CAN, THEY CAN STAY HERE INSIDE THE CITY LIMITS AS WELL.
UM, I, I WOULD LEAN MORE TOWARD, UM, HAVING A DATE FOR A POSTPONEMENT JUST SIMPLY SO THAT WE CAN PROVIDE PROPER NOTICE.
WE CAN ALWAYS DECIDE AT THAT POINT IN TIME, WHETHER WE NEED TO TAKE A VOTE AT THAT MOMENT, OR IF WE NEED A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME TO WORK ON SOME OF THE DETAILS OF THIS PARTICULAR PLAN.
BUT I DO LIKE THE IDEA OF GIVING IT ABOUT ANOTHER MONTH FOR US TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS AND TO BE ABLE TO, TO EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY, WHETHER IT'S OURSELVES AND, UM, CITY STAFF TO HELP US MAKE SURE WE'RE RELAYING THE ACTUAL INFORMATION IT'S ACCURATE AND EVERYBODY'S UNDERSTANDING THE EXACT SAME PROCESS MOVING FORWARD.
UM, THE IDEA OF BEING ABLE TO DO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF BLANKET NOTIFICATIONS AND HAVING A DIFFERENT UNIVERSE FOR, UM, TEXT AMENDMENTS IS A NEW CONCEPT THAT I DON'T THINK WE'VE REALLY WORKED THROUGH AS A DIOCESE OR, OR AS A CITY STAFF.
BUT I DO THINK PREDICTABILITY AND CERTAINTY SO THAT WHEN PEOPLE WANT TO BUILD HOMES IN OUR COMMUNITY, THEY'RE NOT SPENDING YEARS TO SAY, IS THIS GOING TO WORK? IS IT'S NOT GOING TO WORK.
AND SOME PEOPLE GET TO THE DIOCESE AND THEY GET, YOU KNOW, A BLESSING.
AND SOMETIMES THEY GET TO THE DIOCESE WITH THE SAME PACKAGE AND, AND IT'S NOT QUITE ENOUGH FOR THE COMMUNITY THAT, THAT SURROUNDS IT.
SO I, I SEE A BENEFIT IN HAVING, UM, CONSISTENT EXPECTATIONS OF WHAT THESE NEW NOTIFICATION AND, UM, PROTEST RIGHTS ARE GOING TO MEAN.
UM, BUT ALSO A PREDICTABILITY IN EXACTLY WHAT PACKAGES ARE GOING TO GET APPROVED BY THE DAYAS, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE APPROVE RESOLUTIONS AND HAVE BOARDS AND COMMISSION INPUT.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THE PUBLIC INPUT THAT'S HAPPENED TO THAT POINT IS CONSISTENT AND WE DON'T SWITCH GEARS AT THE LAST MINUTE.
CAUSE I THINK THAT CREATES A LOT OF FRUSTRATION IN THE COMMUNITY AND FURTHER SETS US BACK ON OUR HOUSING GOALS.
I DIDN'T REALIZE WE WERE SWITCHING FROM THAT.
SO I'M GOING TO, I MEAN, IF OTHER FOLKS HAVE, UH, GENERAL COMMENTS, THEY CAN MAKE THEM, AND THEN I CAN GO BACK TO IT JUST DOES A QUICK COMMENT AS PEOPLE ARE MOVING FORWARD TO THINK ABOUT THINGS.
YOU KNOW, WHEN I, WHEN I BROUGHT THIS WITH MY COLLEAGUES BACK IN NOVEMBER, I BROUGHT THIS BECAUSE I WANTED TO ADDRESS AFFORDABILITY AND I WANTED TO ADDRESS IT QUICKLY.
AND I THINK WE ALL DID BECAUSE WE ALL VOTED FOR IT.
WE'RE AT THIS POINT, AT THAT TIME, WHEN WE PASSED IT IN NOVEMBER, WE SAID
[01:05:01]
WE WANTED TO MOVE QUICKER.WE PUT A JANUARY DATE ON IT, BUT OF COURSE IT TAKES SOME TIME.
AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK THAT OUR STAFF HAS DONE.
AND THE PLANNING COMMISSION HAS DONE TO GET US TO THIS POINT RIGHT NOW.
SO I SHARE THE SENSE OF URGENCY.
I THINK IT MAY HAVE BEEN COUNCIL MEMBER BAYLOR THAT MENTIONED THAT, UM, I INITIATED MOVING FORWARD WITH, UM, WITH GREATER AFFORDABILITY.
AND I'M GLAD THAT WE NOW HAVE TIME AS A GROUP A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME WITH URGENCY TO ACTUALLY GET THE MOST THAT WE CAN OUT OF THIS.
AND SO I WOULD JUST ASK YOU ALL TO THINK ABOUT AS WE, YOU KNOW, AS WE SPEND, YOU KNOW, A BIT MORE TIME AND, AND COUNCIL MEMBER LSI, I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, LET'S KNOW WHAT TIME WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, BUT, UM, BUT I HAVE PROPOSED IN MY SUBSTITUTE A HIGHER LEVEL OF AFFORDABILITY AND COUNCIL MEMBER RENTERIA.
I'D LIKE YOU TO THINK ABOUT THIS TO A HIGHER LEVEL OF AFFORDABILITY THAN OUR STAFF CAME BACK WITH BECAUSE I WANTED TO SEE HOW MUCH WE COULD GET, BECAUSE LIKE EVERYONE IS SAYING, IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO USE THE CORRIDORS AND MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE CAN LIVE ALONG THE CORRIDORS.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE RIGHT NUMBER IS, BUT I WOULD LIKE HOW TO THINK ABOUT IT.
WHAT I'VE PROPOSED IS 15% OF RESIDENTIAL UNITS AT 60% MFI AND 12% AT 50% MFI.
I'M ALSO HEARING THAT WE MAY NEED EVEN DEEPER AFFORDABILITY IN SOME SPECIALTY, IN SOME PARTS OF OUR CITY.
SO WE MAY NEED TO THINK ABOUT A 40% OR 30% IN MY FILE.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE RIGHT CONFIGURATION IS.
AND I'M NOT TRYING TO ANSWER THAT TODAY.
I'M JUST TRYING TO FLAG THAT THIS ISSUE OF THE LEVEL OF AFFORDABILITY, THE PERCENTAGE OF AFFORDABLE UNITS AT WHAT LEVEL, WHAT DEEP LEVEL OF AFFORDABILITY WE SHOULD ASK FOR.
AND ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES ARE SAYING WHAT WE ALL AGREE, WHICH IS WE NEED TO GET THE BEST THAT WE CAN.
SO WE NEED ALL OF OUR THINKING ON WHAT THAT SHOULD BE.
SO I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR CONSIDERING THAT.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER, KITCHEN FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD AND HAVING THE FORESIGHT OF THE ACTION THAT WE NEED TO TAKE AS, AS A COUNCIL.
AND I AGREE WITH YOU ABOUT HAVING DEEPER LEVELS OF AFFORDABILITY.
AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I LOOK FORWARD TO, TO TALKING MORE ABOUT THAT WITH YOU, UM, CUSTOMER VELA, I DID WANT TO JUST SHARE MY SUPPORT OR YOUR, UM, YOUR AMENDMENT RELATED TO REDUCING PARKING REQUIREMENTS ALONG OUR MAJOR CORRIDORS.
UM, ESPECIALLY FOR HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS.
I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, US HAVING A CONVERSATION ON LEGALIZING PARKING OPTIONS IN AUSTIN IS EXTREMELY TIMELY.
IT ALIGNS WITH OUR CLIMATE GOALS AND REDUCING CO2 EMISSIONS.
UM, AND SO I AM SUPPORTIVE OF THAT EFFORT AND WOULD LOVE TO CONTINUE THAT CONVERSATION AS PART OF OUR, UM, GROUP CONVERSATIONS ON COUNCIL.
AND THANK YOU, MAYOR, PRETEND FOR BRINGING THAT FORWARD.
I WOULD JOIN, LIKE TO JOIN YOU AND, AND DISCUSSING WHAT ADDITIONAL CHANGES WE CAN WORK ON TOGETHER.
SO I'M SENSING OUR FIRST CONSENSUS ON WHAT WE DO WITH THIS ITEM ON, ON THURSDAY.
UH, AND, AND, UH, I WOULD JOIN ALSO, UH, TO, TO POSTPONE THIS, I THINK AS A PRACTICAL MATTER, WE COULD POSTPONE IT THE MAY 17TH.
THAT MEANS IT'S BACK ON THE AGENDA, BUT WITHOUT AN EXPECTATION THAT WE ACTUALLY VOTE ON MAY 17TH, BECAUSE MAY 17TH WOULD BE THE DAY THAT WE'RE DAYLIGHTING, UM, UH, REALLY FOR THE COMMUNITY AND THE COUNCIL, THINGS THAT WE THINK WOULD WORK.
THAT GIVES US TWO MORE COUNCIL MEETINGS BEFORE WE LEAVE, UH, IN JUNE, ON JUNE 9TH AND JUNE 16TH.
UH, AND THAT GIVES US THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO ACT IN, IN, IN MY PERFECT KIND OF WORLD OR SCENARIO, WE'RE ABLE TO THEN ACT ON THE NINTH OF THE 16 ON ITEM 33 WITH WHATEVER IT IS, IS THE APPROPRIATE THING TO DO IN V UH, BECAUSE THAT ITEM IS IN FRONT OF US ALREADY HAVING BEEN INITIATED.
AND IT COULD BE IF WE'RE SUCCESSFUL IN FINDING, UH, OTHER THINGS TO MOVE FORWARD, WE COULD EITHER HAVE AN IFC OR AN ITEM FROM COUNCIL.
I MEAN, FROM SOME STAFF ON THE NINTH OR THE 16TH TO INITIATE OTHER ORDINANCE CHANGES CONSISTENT WITH WHATEVER WE CAN AGREE TO AS PART OF THE BROADER CONVERSATION.
AND THEN THOSE CAN COME BACK TO US, UH, AFTER GOING THROUGH THE, THE PLANNING COMMISSION, UM, UH, PROCESS, BUT THAT WOULD HAVE US MAYBE IN FALL EARLY FALL BEING ABLE TO, TO COMPLETE THIS CIRCLE.
SO I WANT TO ASK THE QUESTION MANAGER, THIS IS STAFF HAS DONE SO MUCH WORK ON THIS, CERTAINLY OVER A 10 YEAR PERIOD OF TIME OR MORE, UH, AND THEN JUST AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF WORK TO GET THIS BACK TO US WHERE WE COULD ACT ON IT TODAY.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT.
[01:10:01]
UH, I DON'T WANT STAFF TO BE DISCOURAGED AT ALL BY THIS BEING PUT OFF, UH, BUT YET AS, AS A REAL OPPORTUNITY TO MAYBE SEE IF THERE'S, WE CAN USE THE WORK THAT WAS DONE AS A SPRINGBOARD TO SEE IF WE CAN REACH FURTHER OR BETTER, OR EVEN SO MANAGER, WE, IF WE DO THIS, WE'RE IN ESSENCE ASKING STAFF TO HELP COUNCIL OFFICES AND PEOPLE BETWEEN NOW AND THE 17TH, DO THAT TO BE ABLE TO COME BACK AND THEN, UH, HELPING US, UH, WITH, UH, LARGER PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, UH, OPPORTUNITIES AS WE WOULD HEAD INTO NINTH AND 16TH.IT, CAN YOU HELP US WITH STAFF SUPPORT TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS? YEP.
CERTAINLY MAYOR AND AS ALWAYS, HOW WE STAND READY TO ASSIST IN THIS PROCESS AND, AND HOPE THAT WE CAN ASSURE THAT YOU HAVE THE STAFF SUPPORT ALONG THE WAY.
THEY PRETEND SO I'D LIKE TO ADJUST THAT A LITTLE BIT, TO BE MORE ALONG THE LINES OF WHAT WE HAD DISCUSSED MAYOR, WHICH IS THE 17TH IS A WORK SESSION.
AND SO YOU WOULD ACTUALLY NEED TO POSTPONE THE ITEM UNTIL ONE OF THE JUNE MEETINGS.
WE COULD POSTPONE IT TO THE JUNE 9TH MEETING THAT DOESN'T PRECLUDE SOMEBODY FROM BRINGING IT EARLIER, IF WE'RE READY.
BUT, UM, I THINK WE CANNOT HAVE A PUBLIC PROCESS IF WE HAVEN'T SURFACED THE SOLUTIONS UNTIL THE 17TH.
SO YOU COULDN'T VOTE ON THE 19TH.
I MEAN, IT SORT OF, YOU KNOW, AND THERE ARE, THERE ARE DISTRICTS THAT HAVE A LOT OF VMU.
AND SO I JUST, I JUST THINK THAT SETTING THAT WE'RE GOING TO SPEND SIGNIFICANT TIME ON THE WORK SESSION ON THE 17TH FOCUSED ON THIS ISSUE WITH A KEY ANGLE BEING BMU.
AND IF WE MANAGE TO MAKE PROGRESS FOR OTHER PARTS OF THE CORRIDORS, WE CAN SURFACE THOSE DISCUSSIONS AS WELL, BUT THAT WE POSTPONE IT, UM, TILL ONE OF THE JUNE MEETINGS, YOU KNOW, FOR THE DATE THAT WE'D BE, YOU KNOW, VOTING ON IT, UM, I THINK WOULD BE MORE REALISTIC.
I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY PROCESS-WISE NO, YOU'RE, YOU'RE BECOMING A KIND OF A MIRROR WHISPER TO, AND I APPRECIATE THAT.
UH, AS I'M RECOGNIZING MY INTENT WAS NOT FOR US TO ACTUALLY VOTE ON ANYTHING, BUT JUST A DAY, LIKE THOSE ITEMS ON THE 17TH, SO WE CAN PUT IT ON THE AGENDA WITHOUT ACTUALLY PUTTING THE ITEM ON THE AGENDA.
SO I THINK WE DO TAKE THE ITEM AND WE POSTPONE THAT TO THE NINTH, WITH THE POSSIBILITY THAT WE WOULD POSTPONE THAT AGAIN TO THE 16TH.
AND WHAT WE'LL DO IS JUST PUT THE ITEM FOR DISCUSSION OF COUNCIL THAT WEEK OF THE 17TH.
LET'S SEE WHAT THE AGENDA LOOKS LIKE ON THE, ON THE 19TH.
WE'LL PROBABLY PUT IT ON THE AGENDA, BOTH OF WORK SESSION AND FOR COUNCIL THAT GIVES US THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF FLEXIBILITY, BUT THAT WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DAYLIGHT AND TO TALK WITH EACH OTHER, BUT NOT TO VOTE ON ANYTHING.
UM, AS LONG AS IT'S LISTED ON THE 19TH, THAT WAS DISCUSSION ONLY.
I DON'T HAVE A, I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT.
WE RISK CONFUSING PEOPLE AND OURSELVES, OH, I'VE CONFUSED PEOPLE ON THE DYESS ALREADY.
SO I UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR THAT.
IT MAY WOULD JUST BE DISCUSSION.
UH, COUNCILOR TOVO GOOD QUESTION FOR COUNCIL.
I THINK WE MOVED ON FROM THAT BEFORE I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO.
SO I WANT TO BE SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING, AND I'M GOING TO NEED TO KIND OF MULL OVER THIS POWERPOINT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR PROVIDING IT.
AND I KNOW IT'S BEEN MAILED TO COUNCIL OFFICES AND IT'S GOING TO BE IN THE BACKUP.
SO TO GET BACK TO KIND OF THE CONVERSATION THAT YOU WERE HAVING, UM, AND THE MAYOR'S SUMMARY OF IT IF WE LOOK BACK TO CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAD DURING THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE AND KIND OF MERGED IT WITH WHAT YOUR INTERPRETATION IS HERE TODAY, IF PROVISIONS IN SAY RM ONE ARE SUDDENLY PROPOSED TO BE WITHIN SINGLE FAMILY THREE, AS THEY WERE DURING, DURING THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, IF THOSE ARE REGARDED AS TEXT CHANGES, RATHER THAN AS ZONING CHANGES, THE ONLY PROTEST, RIGHT, THAT WOULD BE ALLOWED WOULD BE ONE THAT IS 20% OF EVERY SINGLE FAMILY PROPERTY IN THE ENTIRE CITY, UH, CHURCH LINK WITH A LOT DEPARTMENT.
I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER, THE EASIEST WAY FOR US TO THINK ABOUT IT IS IF WE'RE CHANGING ANYTHING IN THAT STRING, THAT PROPERTY OWNER HAS A RIGHT TO PROTEST.
AND CAN YOU EXPLAIN, I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT, BUT YOU'VE MENTIONED STRING A FEW TIMES.
ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE STRING OF ZONING, LIKE CSM, VSCO AND P ET CETERA? SO IF YOU'RE CHANGING, IF YOU'RE ADDING SOMETHING TO THAT STRING IN THIS CASE, IT WOULD BE, LET'S SAY SF THREE B IF WE ARE MODIFYING THAT
[01:15:01]
STRING IN ANY WAY.SO IF IT'S SF THREE AND IT'S GOING TO BECOME RM ONE, AND THAT INDIVIDUAL PROPERTY OWNER WILL BE ABLE TO CHALLENGE THAT PROTEST THAT, AND ALSO THE LANDOWNERS AROUND THEM.
BUT IF YOU, IF YOU BASICALLY JUST PUT ALL THE PROVISIONS, I THINK WHAT, I'M, WHAT I'M WONDERING ABOUT AS YOU'RE TALKING THROUGH IT, I CAN SEE A NATURAL QUESTION.
I'M SURPRISED I DON'T HAVE ONE ALREADY IS WHAT, WHAT, WHAT ARE THE, YOU KNOW, HOW ARE WE, UM, HOW ARE WE ADDRESSING? WHAT WAS THE PRIMARY CONCERN OF THE 14,000 PETITIONS THAT WERE FILED, EVEN THOUGH FOLKS WERE TOLD THEY HAD NO PROTEST, RIGHT? IF, IF ALL OF THE PROVISIONS OF A WHOLE, YOU KNOW, WHAT WOULD ORDINARILY BE ANOTHER CATEGORY OF ZONING, GET FOLDED INTO AN EXISTING CATEGORY OF ZONING AND CALL THE TEXT CHANGE.
AS, AS I'M UNDERSTANDING OUR CONVERSATION HERE ABOUT BMU TO THE ONLY PROTEST, RIGHT, THAT INDIVIDUALS WOULD HAVE WOULD, WOULD TAKE EFFECT IF THEY GET 20% OF EVERY OTHER PROPERTY OWNER IN THE WHOLE CITY WHO HAS THAT SAME ZONING, RIGHT? IF THERE'S NOT A SECOND STEP, SO COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN ADDED A SECOND STEP WHERE PEOPLE WOULD HAVE TO COME AND ASK FOR THAT CATEGORY.
IF THAT SECOND STEP DOESN'T EXIST, THE ONLY PROTEST RIGHT YOU HAVE IS IF YOU GET EVERY OTHER, EVERY OTHER LIKE PROPERTY OWNER, 20% OF EVERY OTHER LIKE PROPERTY OWNER IN THE WHOLE CITY.
AND I, I JUST, THAT DOESN'T FEEL, UM, IN CONCERT WITH THE SPIRIT OF THE DECISION AND PROB AND POSSIBLY NOT THE LETTER OF THE DECISION AND A CUNA.
SO IF COUNCIL CREATED PAPER DISTRICTS, SO WHAT WE'RE CALLING IS FOR THE EXAMPLE, SO THAT YOU HAVE A CONCRETE EXAMPLE TO LOOK AT THE V2 THAT'S IN COUNCIL, MURROW KITCHEN'S PROPOSAL IS A PAPER DISTRICT.
YOU HAVE TO, ONCE IT'S PASSED, THEN YOU COME TO COUNCIL AND ASK TO BE A V2 TO ADD THAT TO YOUR STRING.
IF I COULD PAUSE YOU THERE FOR A SECOND, THAT'S ONLY IF WE ACCEPT THE AMENDMENT THAT SHE'S PROPOSED AS IT IS CURRENTLY, IT WOULD BE BY RIGHT.
AND THE ORDINANCE AND THE ORDINANCE THAT'S BEEN PRESENTED TO US, CORRECT.
BECAUSE IT'S CHANGING THE REGULATION.
SO ALL THE VMU PROPERTIES THAT ARE COVERED BY THAT CHANGE.
SO ALL VMU PROPERTIES HAVE THAT REGULATION CHANGED FOR THEM IS, IS HOW WE GET TO THE DENOMINATOR.
BUT I GUESS I'M SAYING YOU COULD PICK ANY CATEGORY.
I MEAN, UNDER THAT LOGIC, YOU COULD PICK ANY ZONING CATEGORY THAT CURRENTLY EXISTS, CHANGE EVERY REGULATION WITHIN IT, CHANGE THE HEIGHT, CHANGE THE, YOU KNOW, EVERY SINGLE REGULATION.
AND JUST SAY, NOW THIS IS A TEXT CHANGE.
THIS ISN'T A ZONING CHANGE YET.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, MANY PEOPLE WOULD PROBABLY DISAGREE THAT THAT'S WITH THAT CHARACTER REALIZATION.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE SITUATIONS WHERE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO REALLY LOOK AT WHAT COUNCIL INITIATED AND MAKE THAT DECISION ABOUT HOW WE APPLY STATE LAW, BECAUSE TO YOUR POINT, IF IT IS SO SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT, I COULD SEE THAT THAT WOULD BE A CONCERN.
SO WE WOULD NEED TO LOOK AT WHAT COUNCIL ACTUALLY INITIATED.
SO WHAT WE HAVE PROVIDED SO FAR IS JUST THE FRAMEWORK OF WHAT STATE LAW SAYS, BUT WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO WHAT DOES BODY INITIATES, WHAT PLANNING COMMISSION INITIATES, WE WILL LOOK AT THAT INITIATION AND WE WILL MAKE DECISIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON WHAT IS ACTUALLY INITIATED.
SO FOR A SINGLE CHANGE, LIKE, WHICH IS WHAT IS PROPOSED RIGHT NOW IN THE STAFF ORDINANCE, THAT WOULD NOT BE, I'M SORRY, THE DENOMINATOR WILL STILL BE THE TOTAL AREA OF THE V PROPERTIES.
AND SO THAT, UM, SO IF IT PROCEEDED, AS STAFF HAVE DRAFTED, YOU WOULD REGARD THAT AS A TEXT CHANGE, NOT AS ZONING CHANGE, AND IT WOULD HAVE TO BE A DENIM AND THE DENOMINATOR WOULD BE EVERY BMU PROPERTY IN THE CITY.
AND, AND THE BASIS FOR THAT, AND THE BASIS FOR THAT IS, IS THAT IN YOUR ESTIMATION, THE REGULATIONS WITHIN THAT CATEGORY ARE NOT CHANGING SUBSTANTIALLY.
THE INCREASED HEIGHT IS NOT CHANGING THAT CATEGORY SUBSTANTIALLY ENOUGH TO BE CONSIDERED A ZONING CHANGE, NO LAYER.
AND MY ADD IN HERE, I DO WANT TO SAY THAT WE HAVE JUST RECEIVED THE ACCUMULATE DECISION FAIRLY RECENTLY AND ARE STILL WORKING THROUGH THE DETAILS OF IT, BECAUSE IT IS A CHANGE IN THE WAY THAT WE HAVE INTERPRETED THE STATE LAW.
SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE CONTINUING TO, UM, REVIEW IT AND COME UP WITH THOSE THINGS AND TALK WITH COUNCIL ABOUT, UH, HOW WE'RE GONNA MOVE FORWARD.
SO I DON'T WANT TO PUT TRISH LINK ON THE SPOT OF HAVING ALL THE ANSWERS TODAY.
UM, AND WE DO AS COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER HAD MENTIONED BEFORE, WANT
[01:20:01]
TO HAVE A PUBLIC FACING CONVERSATION AND WRITTEN MATERIALS SO THAT WE WANT TO BE TRANSPARENT.WE WANT THE PUBLIC TO WEIGH IN AS WELL.
I THINK THAT IS THE SUBSTANCE.
I MEAN, AS I HEARD MY COLLEAGUES AND THE CONVERSATION EARLIER, I THINK THAT THIS IS A SUBSTANCE OF, OF A QUESTION THAT WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER IF WE ARE CONTEMPLATING TAKING ON, UM, THIS ACTION WITH REGARD TO BMU TOO.
I THINK WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION OF WHY IT'S BEING CONSIDERED A TEXT CHANGE AND NOT A ZONING CHANGE, UM, UNDER DIFFERENT PATHS UNDER COUNCIL MEMBER, KITCHEN'S PROPOSED PATH.
IT IS ONE THING UNDER THIS PROPOSED PATH.
I THINK I'M HEARING IT'S ANOTHER.
AND I, I WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN TO MY CONSTITUENTS, SO I APPRECIATE THAT I NEED FOR MORE TIME, BUT, UM, ESPECIALLY IF WE'RE NOW ADDING COMPATIBILITY TO THAT CONVERSATION, I'M GOING TO NEED, I CAN'T GO OUT TO MY COMMUNITY, UM, AND ASK THEM TO TALK AND TO PROVIDE MEANINGFUL FEEDBACK.
IF THEY DON'T FULLY UNDERSTAND THIS ISSUE, THAT'S JUST GOING TO BE THE FIRST QUESTION THEY HAVE.
SO WHEN WE ADD COMPATIBILITY IN THERE, SO I MEAN, AS I UNDERSTOOD WHAT THE STAFF PROPOSED, IT WAS CREATING THIS BMU TOO, THAT YOU COULD GET BY, RIGHT? IF YOU AGREED TO THIS ADDITIONAL AFFORDABILITY, BUT IT DIDN'T CHANGE COMPATIBILITY.
UM, NOW IF YOU ADD, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY ELIMINATING COMPATIBILITY ALTOGETHER, YOU GET THINGS AND I HAVEN'T SEEN YOUR AMENDMENT, BUT, UM, YOU GET THINGS LIKE A 90 FOOT BUILDING AT THE LOT LINE, YOU KNOW, WHICH IS SIGNIFICANTLY BIGGER.
AND YOU GET THAT THEN FOR VMU, AS OPPOSED TO, YOU KNOW, ALL WE CHANGE FOR VMU, WHICH IS AN EXISTING ZONING, WAS THE LEVEL OF AFFORDABILITY FOR THOSE PROPERTIES THAT WERE NOT ALREADY AT 60%.
UM, SO THERE IS A SUBSTANTIVE DIFFERENCE IN THE DEGREE TO WHICH YOU ARE CHANGING IT, UM, UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES.
AND SO AS YOU'RE COMING BACK WITH SOME SENSE OF HOW YOU WOULD INTERPRET THINGS, I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'RE STRUGGLING WITH ON THE SUBSTANCE OF THE PARTICULAR ISSUE.
UM, YOU KNOW, I FELT VERY STRONGLY THAT IT SHOULD BE BY, RIGHT, BUT THAT WAS WITHOUT SORT OF ELIMINATING COMPATIBILITY.
NOW THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU COULDN'T INTRODUCE SOME KIND OF RELAXATION TO COMPATIBILITY THAT YOU GET, IF YOU'RE DOING THE ADDITIONAL AFFORDABILITY, BUT FLAT OUT ELIMINATING IT AND DOING IT THE SAME LEVEL OF AFFORDABILITY THAT I WOULD HAVE GIVEN THEM WITH NO CHANGES TO COMPATIBILITY, THEN OUR AFFORDABILITY IS NOT CALIBRATED AND WE'RE NOT CAPTURING THE LEVEL OF AFFORDABILITY THAT WE COULD, UM, ON A CORRIDOR.
AND SO YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT BOTH PIECES IF YOU'RE GOING TO, UM, ELIMINATE THAT, AND THEN YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS BMU NEWS, WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE ALREADY RELAXED UNDER VMU? UM, AND THEN A FURTHER THING FOR ME THAT I'M STRUGGLING WITH, AS WE DO SOME OF THESE THINGS, HOW DOES THIS INTERACT WITH AFFORDABILITY UNLOCKED, LOCKED, WHICH ALREADY LETS YOU DO A CERTAIN NUMBER OF THINGS SEEMS TO BE WORKING, UM, VERY WELL.
UM, DO WE JUST UNDERMINE THAT PROGRAM AS WE'RE DOING IT, YOU KNOW, AS WE ADD ALL OF THESE THINGS, AND THAT WAS PART OF THE REASON I COULDN'T GET TO A POINT WHERE I COULD SUPPORT ANYTHING FOR THIS WEEK IS BECAUSE I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW ALL THESE THINGS, UM, INTERACT.
AND ONE THING WE'VE LEARNED WITH, UM, DOING ZONING STUFF FOR SO MANY YEARS IS THAT THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, YES, WE'VE HAD, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER THING THAT I JUST WANT TO SAY AND WHY, UH, WHY I'M EXCITED ABOUT US HAVING SOME OF THESE CONVERSATIONS THAT KIND OF CROSS SOME, SOME, UH, DIFFERENT APPROACHES IS THAT WE HAVEN'T ACTUALLY HAD THE CONVERSATION WHERE WE TRY TO LAND IN THE MIDDLE.
WE'VE ONLY HAD THIS SORT OF EITHER OR KIND OF APPROACH.
AND, AND I THINK THERE IS, THERE IS A WAY FORWARD, UM, THAT IS MORE CALIBRATED, BUT THAT STILL MAKES VERY SIGNIFICANT MOVEMENT.
UH, I APPRECIATE THE MAYOR PRO TEMPS COMMENTS AND IN SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS THAT I'VE HAD WITH, UH, WITH BUILDERS, UM, MY SENSE IS THAT THE REDUCED PARKING PLUS ADDITIONAL HEIGHT GIVES ROOM FOR INCREASED AFFORDABILITY, UH, EITHER IN LIKE THE PERCENTAGE OR IN THE DEPTH OF THE AFFORDABILITY.
SO I, I DO THINK THAT SHOULD BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION, BUT, UH, BUT AGAIN, WE DO HAVE TO GET IT RIGHT, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO PASS A PROGRAM THAT NO ONE USES.
UH, WHEREAS THE CURRENT VMU PROGRAM IS VERY SUCCESSFUL.
UH, I THINK WE'RE AT ABOUT 5,000 UNITS OR SOULS, UH, ON THE, THE CURRENT VMU PROGRAM.
[01:25:01]
UH, IT'S PREDICTABLE.THERE'S NOT THIS, THE TRANSACTION COSTS SO MANY TIMES INVOLVED IN THE REZONINGS ARE SO DIFFICULT.
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE THERE'S A BIG, LONG PROCESS.
DOES HE THINK ABOUT THIS PIECE AND THAT PIECE, WHEREAS WITH VMU, THERE'S NOT, IT'S JUST, LOOK, YOU GET THE HEIGHT, YOU KNOW, YOU GOT TO DO THIS AND WE'RE DONE.
SO I, I, UH, WE DO HAVE TO GET THE CALIBRATION, RIGHT.
I DO SUPPORT THE SIMPLICITY THOUGH, THE CLARITY, UH, I THINK THAT WILL FACILITATE, UH, ACTION ON THE GROUND IN TERMS OF GETTING ADDITIONAL UNITS ON THE CORRIDORS.
I DO APPRECIATE THOSE COMMENTS.
UM, ONE OF WHICH I HAD NOTED, AND SINCE YOU SAID IT, I DON'T HAVE TO REPEAT IT, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE'RE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT WHEN WE SAY SOMETHING IS BY RIGHT VERSUS SOMETHING THAT IS OFFERING AN ADDED COMMUNITY BENEFIT FOR SOMETHING LIKE ADDED HEIGHT.
UM, I ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS WORKABLE AND USABLE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHAT I HAVE HEARD IN, IN FEEDBACK IS, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU SAY SOMEONE HAS TO ADD THIS MUCH EXTRA TO GET THIS MUCH EXTRA OUT OF IT, BUT THEN YOU HAVE OTHER PIECES LIKE HEIGHT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE TRYING TO GET MORE HEIGHT AND YOU'RE ADDING MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING TO GET MORE HEIGHT.
AND THEN YOU HAVE ANOTHER REGULATION THAT SAYS, BUT YOU CAN'T ACTUALLY ACHIEVE THAT.
YOU CAN'T ACCOMPLISH THAT GOAL.
AND SOMETHING I'VE HEARD, UM, OVER THE YEARS OF TALKING ABOUT HOUSING, YOU KNOW, IN AUSTIN IS WE CAN'T FORGET THAT HOUSING IS A COMMUNITY BENEFIT.
WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH HOUSING FOR APARTMENT DWELLERS.
YOU KNOW, I, MYSELF DON'T OWN A HOME YET.
AND APARTMENT AFFORDABILITY IS SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME.
SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CAREFUL ABOUT WHEN WE'RE SAYING, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING IS, YOU KNOW, BY RIGHT OR THEY DON'T HAVE TO PROVIDE ANY COMMUNITY BENEFIT TO BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE SOME OF THESE GOALS IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE DO NEED BONUS PROGRAMS THAT SAY, IF YOU MEET THIS CRITERIA, THAT'S PREDICTABLE AND THAT THE COUNCIL HAS SET THAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT PROJECT PENCILS OUT.
SO I REALLY WANT TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT, YOU KNOW, EVEN, EVEN APARTMENTS, ANY APARTMENTS ARE HELPFUL AND YES, WE DO NEED TO COMMIT TO DEEP AFFORDABILITY AS DEEP AS WE CAN GET.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHY THIS CONVERSATION IS SO IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE HAVING RIGHT NOW.
WE WANT TO BE MOVING OVER TO THE, TO THE NEXT PRESENTATION.
UM, FOR ME IN CASE PEOPLE ARE I SUPPORT US, TRYING TO GET TO SOMETHING, UH, WHERE, UH, IT'S IT'S WRITTEN INTO THE, THE VMU OR OTHERS SO THAT SOMEONE KNOWS THEY COULD GET IT IF THEY DO WHAT'S OBJECT OF THE OBLIGATION IS, BUT I ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT IT IS NECESSARILY THEN TIED TO WHAT IS IT THAT IS THE ACCOMMODATION OR THE RELAXING.
UH, AND, AND FOR ME, THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO BE WORKING ON, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, UH, HOW TO PROCEED, WHERE IT IS.
UH, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN GET IT ADMINISTRATIVELY IF YOU MEET CERTAIN CRITERIA, BUT DOING THE CRITERIA IN A WAY THAT REPRESENTS, UH, AN AGREEMENT, A MORE BROAD, UH, UH, AGREEMENT.
SO I READ WITH THE PEOPLE THAT WE'RE SPEAKING TO THAT HAND.
AND IS GOING TO CLOSE THIS UP.
UH, ALL I'M GOING TO SAY, BECAUSE WE'VE HAD LOTS OF GREAT CONVERSATION.
I APPRECIATE HEARING WHERE EVERYBODY'S PERSPECTIVE IS THAT WILL HELP US GET TO A POINT WHERE WE CAN HAVE CONSENSUS.
SO MAYOR YOU'VE MENTIONED THIS BEFORE, IN OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES, JUST FOR CLARITY FOR THE PUBLIC, SINCE I'M FEELING CONSENSUS FOR THE POSTPONEMENT, THAT PEOPLE WILL UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT THE TESTIMONY RIGHT ON ON THURSDAY IS AROUND THE POSTPONE.
IF YOU COULD JUST CLARIFY THAT FOR THE PUBLIC, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
IT'S BEEN THE, THE, THE, THE PROCESS OF THE COUNCIL, WHEN WE'RE GOING TO, WHEN IT'S TEAMS A PARENT, WE'RE GOING TO POSTPONE SOMETHING AND WE KNOW THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE A MOVE TO POSTPONE THIS TO THE JUNE 9TH MEETING, BUT TO PUT IT ON THE AGENDA FOR DISCUSSION ONLY ON THE MAY 17TH WORK SESSION AND COUNCIL MEETING THAT WEEK, UH, THAT THE, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT WOULD BE DIRECTED TOWARD THE ISSUE OF POSTPONEMENT.
ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO AHEAD MANAGER THEN AND MOVE ON TO THE, TO THE BRIEFING.
THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, AND WE'LL HAVE STAFF GET SHIFTED OVER BOTH VIRTUALLY AND IN PERSON.
UM, BUT WE DO HAVE AN UPDATES ON THE MEADOWS MENTAL HEALTH POLICY INSTITUTE RECOMMENDATIONS.
UH, WE ARE JOINED BY A NUMBER OF OUR TEAM HERE, UM, BUT WE WILL FIRST HEAR FROM OUR ASSISTANT CHIEF, ANDY HOFFMEISTER FROM EMS IS ANDY IN THE ROOM YET WE MIGHT NEED A TWO MINUTE RECESS MIRROR.
COULD WE POSSIBLY TAKE UP ONE OF THE OTHER ITEMS THAT I'VE PULLED IN THE MEANTIME, IF THEY'RE ON THEIR WAY DOWN.
SO KATHY, AND SEE HOW MANY ARE THINGS WE CAN RUN THROUGH.
IF THEY'RE SHORT, YOU PICK WHICH ONE YOU WANTED TO GO TO FIRST,
[01:30:01]
I THINK I'LL GO FIRST TO THE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH CONTRACT.THAT'S BEEN, UM, SUGGESTED FOR WITHDRAWAL THIS WEEK.
AND AS I UNDERSTAND, THIS IS THE PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, CONTRACT FOR THAT WE DISCUSSED LAST WEEK FOR MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS FOR THE COVID 19 RESPONSE.
I KNOW THE STAFF HAD SAID THAT THEY WERE WITHDRAWING IT BECAUSE OF, BECAUSE IT, UM, TO COME UP WITH A MORE VARIABLE LENGTH AND I NEED TO, I NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHY THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE WITHIN THE EXISTING POSTING.
AND I HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS.
I'M STILL NOT UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE FUNDING PLAN WAS BEYOND THE PROPOSED FEMA FUNDING AND ARPA-E FUNDING BEYOND THIS YEAR.
WE HAVE STAFF FROM US IN PUBLIC HEALTH.
UH, I KNOW OUR SMALL MINORITY BUSINESS, UH, UH, GROUP AND PROCUREMENT.
WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO BEST ADDRESS YOUR QUESTION, BUT LET'S TALK FIRST ABOUT THE ONE THAT I THINK WOULD BE PURCHASING.
I MEAN, YOU'LL, I THINK THE STAFF WILL KNOW BETTER WHO, WHO IS PREPARED TO RESPOND TO WHICH, BUT AS I UNDERSTAND THE MEMO, IT SAYS THE CURRENT SOLICITATION NEEDS TO BE CANCELED BECAUSE, UM, TO ALLOW FOR A VARIABLE TERM AND AN UPDATED ANNUALIZED COST TO THE CITY, I KNOW MY STAFF WERE IN COMMUNICATION WITH SOME OF THE STAFF ON THIS CALL.
AND THE ANSWER WAS THAT THE RFP DID NOT INCLUDE THAT.
I THOUGHT WE COULD ALWAYS DO LESS THAN WHAT'S CONTEMPLATED ON OUR POSTING, AND WE VERY FREQUENTLY HAVE ADJUSTED THE CONTRACTS.
SO I'M NOT, I'M NOT NECESSARILY SUGGESTING THAT WE LEAVE IT ON AND DO THAT HERE, BUT I'M JUST NOT UNDERSTANDING WHY IN THIS CASE, WE CAN ADJUST THE CONTRACT LENGTH OR THE AMOUNT MR. SCARBOROUGH.
ARE YOU ABLE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION? YES, I AM.
UM, THERE ARE COUNCIL MEMBERS, JAMES SCARBOROUGH, UM, FINANCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, PROCUREMENT.
CAN YOU ALL HEAR ME OKAY? YES, WE CAN.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO, UM, UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, THIS PARTICULAR ITEM IN, UM, WAS SOLICITED, UH, USING A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS PROCESS.
THE TERM INCLUDED IN THE, UH, CONTRACT, UH, IN THE SOLICITATION WAS ESTABLISHED AT A FIVE-YEAR TERM.
UM, AS YOU MENTIONED, WE DO HAVE PROVISIONS IN OUR INDEFINITE QUANTITY CONTRACTS TO DETERMINATE THE CONTRACTS EARLIER, AND THAT PROVISION IS INCLUDED IN THIS CONTRACT.
HOWEVER, THERE WERE NO INCREMENTS INCLUDED IN THE CONTRACT TERM THAT THIS WAS SET AS A FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT.
SO, WHEREAS THE COUNCIL HAS INDEED AUTHORIZED INCREMENTS OF CONTRACTS IN THE PAST.
THERE ARE NO INCREMENTS IN THIS CONTRACT TO SEPARATELY AUTHORIZED.
UH, LIKE I SAID, IT WAS JUST SOUGHT, UM, AS A FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT, THEREFORE ALL OF THE PROPOSALS RECEIVED WERE BASED ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT IF THEY WERE AWARDED THE CONTRACT WOULD BE FOUR OR FIVE YEARS, IF AN INCREMENT OF THAT FIVE-YEAR WAS AUTHORIZED, UM, THAT MAY NOT BE CONSISTENT WITH WHAT WAS PROPOSED.
AND THAT MAY THROW US INTO NEW NEGOTIATIONS.
AND THAT MAY NOT BE, THAT MAY BE A MATERIAL CHANGE TO THE CONTRACT THAT WOULD STAFF WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THAT THE CITY PURSUE.
UM, KEVIN ALSO UNDERSTANDS THAT THERE WERE OTHER REASONS FOR SEEKING TO, UH, WITHDRAWAL THIS ITEM AND TERMINATE THE, UH, THE SOLICITATION.
UM, THE TERM WAS, WAS JUST ONE OF THE REASONS, AH, OKAY.
THE ONLY, THE ONLY, UM, THE ONLY REASON CITED IN THE MEMO HAD TO DO WITH THE TERMS, WHICH IS WHY I WAS INTERESTED TO KNOW, BUT YOU'VE ANSWERED THAT PART OF THE QUESTION, WHICH WAS THAT THERE WERE NO INCREMENTS.
AND SO THEN I GUESS MY, MY OTHER, MY OTHER TWO QUESTIONS WOULD BE WHAT WAS THE PROPOSED FUNDING FOR THIS BEYOND, AS I UNDERSTAND THE INTENTION FROM OUR, FROM OUR ADDITIONAL FOLLOWUP WITH STAFF WAS THAT THE INTENTION WAS TO SEEK FEMA REIMBURSEMENT AND THEN TO UTILIZE THE 2.5 MILLION THAT WAS IN THE ARPA FUNDING.
BUT, UM, I'M NOT SURE THAT WE'VE RECEIVED ANY INFORMATION THAT REALLY ANSWERS THE QUESTION THAT SEVERAL OF US ASKED ON THE DAYAS AT OUR LAST MEETING, WHICH WAS WHAT WAS THE FUNDING, WAS THE FUNDING FUNDING, UM, BEYOND THAT CONTEMPLATED TO BE GENERAL FUNDING OR, OR WHAT IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT WE MAKE THOSE DECISIONS ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, BUT I ASSUME THERE WAS SOME CONTEMPLATION OF WHAT THE FUNDING SOURCE WOULD BE SINCE IT WAS PROPOSED TO BE A FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT.
GOOD MORNING, MARIN COUNCIL, UH, ADRIAN STIR UP AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH.
UM, RIGHT NOW THERE ARE, UM, COMMUNICATION PROJECTS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR 100% FEMA REIMBURSEMENT AT JULY 1ST THAT, UH, REIMBURSEMENT GOES DOWN TO 90% AND THEN THOUGHT WAS
[01:35:01]
THAT THE 10% WOULD BE COVERED BY THE CURRENT 2.5 MILLION THAT WE HAVE IN ARPA DOLLARS, UM, FOR THAT.AND SO IF YOU ASSUME THAT WE SPEND $3 MILLION OVER THE FIVE-YEAR PERIOD, THE AMOUNT THAT WOULD BE CHARGED TO ARBOR OVER THE NEXT THREE-YEAR PERIOD THAT WE HAVE, THOSE FUNDS AVAILABLE WOULD BE ROUGHLY $300,000.
THAT'S ASSUMING THAT IT WOULDN'T BE USED IN EQUAL AMOUNTS OVER THE FIVE YEAR PERIOD.
AND THE FEMA REIMBURSEMENT EXTENDS ACROSS THE NEXT FIVE YEARS AS WELL.
WE DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION THAT, YOU KNOW, COMES INCREMENTALLY.
SO THERE'S, THERE'S NO WAY TO FORECAST OUT FOR THE FULL PERIOD, BUT WHAT WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR REIMBURSEMENT? OKAY, THANK YOU.
I HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, BUT I'M GOING TO LEAVE IT THERE AND JUST ASK THAT WHEN THIS COME BACK TO COUNCIL, IF WE COULD ALSO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHY CORPORATE PIO, I UNDERSTOOD WHAT APH WAS SAYING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO TAKE ON THE, THE WORK OF, UM, ALL OF THE REALLY EXTENSIVE PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS.
IN ADDITION TO THE WORK THEY WERE ALREADY DOING WAS OVERWHELMING.
I MEAN, I'M PUTTING WORDS, I DON'T MEAN TO ASCRIBE.
THAT WAS NOT THE TERM THAT OUR PUBLIC HEALTH STAFF USED, BUT I CAN IMAGINE THAT IT MIGHT'VE BEEN OVERWHELMING, BUT I THINK I WOULD BETTER, I WOULD LIKE TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHY OUR CORPORATE PIO IS NOT, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW, HOW CORPORATE PIO INTERFACES WITH DEPARTMENTS WHO HAVE PARTICULAR NEEDS DURING PARTICULAR TIMES.
UM, AND, AND WHY THOSE, YOU KNOW, HOW AND HOW THOSE, UH, STAFF ARE DISPATCHED TO ASSIST WITH DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE FACING, YOU KNOW, HIGH LEVELS.
SO IT'S NOT A QUESTION THAT NEEDS TO BE ANSWERED TODAY, BUT I THINK IT DOES NEED TO BE ANSWERED IF WE HAVE A DEPARTMENT, UM, THAT IS A NEED, CAN WE UTILIZE OUR EXISTING STAFF RATHER THAN SEEKING OTHER CONTRACTS.
UM, AND AGAIN, FOR THE PUBLIC ITEM, NUMBER 18 IS GOING TO BE A POSTPONE WITHDRAWN.
SO I DON'T ANTICIPATE ANY CONVERSATION ABOUT THE MERITS OF THAT ON THURSDAY AS WELL.
LET'S GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO, UH, THE, UH, UH, PRESENTATION AND, AND CLERK.
UM, BEFORE I FORGET, I WOULD LIKE TO BE LISTED AS A CO-SPONSOR TO COUNCIL MEMBER
THANK YOU AND MAYOR, I'M GOING TO, UM, I'M GOING TO TRY TO SORT THROUGH ALL OF THE INFORMATION I HAVE ON ITEM FIVE, JUST BECAUSE I'M CONCERNED THAT WE'RE NOW GOING TO HAVE STAFF FOR ALL OF THESE OTHER ITEMS HERE ALL DAY.
UM, SO I'LL PUT FIVE BACK ON FOR TODAY.
I HATE TO HAVE TO PULL IT ON THE COUNCIL MEETING.
I UNDERSTOOD THAT 14 NEEDED TO BE ANSWERED IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT 19 AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME.
WHY DON'T YOU TALK TO HANNAH HERE ABOUT EXECUTIVE SESSION AND WE CAN, WHEN WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, WE CAN CALL ITEM 14, BUT ONCE YOU'VE FIGURED OUT WHAT YOUR QUESTIONS, FIVE, I'M GOING TO TRY TO HASH OUT OUTSIDE OF THIS MEETING.
SO STAFF FOR FIVE DOESN'T NEED TO STAY 14, UM, COUNSELOR TOES, GO TO TALK TO ANNE ABOUT EXECUTIVE SESSION 18.
I STILL WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT.
I DON'T THINK ANY OF THESE ARE TERRIBLY LENGTHY, BUT I DO WANT TO TALK ABOUT THEM IN A WORK SESSION RATHER THAN COUNCIL, SO I CAN BE DELIBERATING.
LET'S GO AHEAD AND START RECORDING NOW, UH, SORRY FOR THE BRIEF INTERRUPTION, BUT A GREAT TO HAVE THE
[Bl. Update on Meadows Mental Healthy Policy Institute Recommendations]
TEAM HERE.AND THIS WAS A REQUEST INITIALLY BY COUNCILMEMBER KITCHEN, BUT WE HAVE BEEN GIVING PERIODIC UPDATES TO THE COUNCIL AND THE COMMUNITY AND, UH, TO KICK US OFF AS ASSISTANT CHIEF, ANDY HOFFMEISTER.
I WANT TO THANK, UH, COUNCIL AND MAYOR AND THE MANAGER FOR HAVING US.
UM, UH, MY NAME IS ANDY HOFFMEISTER AND MY ASSISTANT CHIEF WITH AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY EMS. UH, I HAVE TODAY WITH ME, UH, THE TEAM OF FOLKS THAT HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS PROJECT FOR, UH, QUITE SOME TIME HAVE, UH, COMMANDER ERIC FITZGERALD FROM THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, UM, LIEUTENANT KEN MURPHY FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AS WELL.
UH, DON HANLEY, CHIEF OF OPERATIONS FOR INTEGRAL CARE, SHERRY BLYTHE, THE DIRECTOR WITH INTEGRAL CARE AND KEETRA PRIEST WITH INTEGRAL CARE.
SO WANT TO THANK THEM FOR BEING HERE.
I'LL BE ASKING A COUPLE OF THE FOLKS TO COME UP AND EITHER EXPLAIN OR PROVIDE, UH, INFORMATION AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION.
SO TODAY I'M GOING TO BE, UH, JUST PROVIDING AN UPDATE ON THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE WITH THE MEADOWS MENTAL HEALTH POLICY INSTITUTE, AS IT RELATES TO, UM, THE, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THEY PROVIDED US BACK IN 2019.
[01:40:02]
UM, JUST A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND ON THIS.UH, IN 2019, THE MEADOWS MENTAL HEALTH POLICY INSTITUTE WAS BROUGHT IN TO EVALUATE AND PROVIDE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS ON OUR CURRENT CRISIS RESPONSE SYSTEM FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND CRISIS MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS, UH, 9 1 1 CALLS AND HOW WE RESPOND TO THEM.
UH, THEY PROVIDED THAT REPORT BACK IN MAY OF 2019, THERE WERE SIX TOTAL RECOMMENDATIONS MADE AND, UH, SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE RELEASE OF THAT REPORT, UM, THE TEAM HERE THAT YOU SEE AND OTHERS, UH, BEGAN WORK ON THOSE, THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS IN OCTOBER OF 2020 MEADOWS WAS CONTRACTED TO COME BACK AND RE-ENGAGE WITH US AND ASSIST US IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THOSE SIX RECOMMENDATIONS.
UM, AT THE END OF THAT ORIGINAL CONTRACT IN SEPTEMBER OF THIS LAST YEAR, UH, THEY WERE RE-ENGAGED TO ASSIST US IN COMPLETING TWO RECOMMENDATIONS THAT REMAINED, UH, AN IN PROGRESS, JUST AS A BIT OF A CLARIFICATION FOR FOUR OF THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS.
UH, THEY WERE COMPLETED PRIOR TO SEPTEMBER OR THE, UH, THE ORIGINAL, UH, CONTRACT, UH, CONCLUSION.
THE FIRST RECOMMENDATION THAT WAS MADE WAS FOR THERE TO BE A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, UH, ESTABLISHED, AND SO THAT THEY COULD PROVIDE, UH, COULD RECEIVE UPDATES, INFORMATION, DATA, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS, AND THEN PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS AND FEEDBACK TO THE POLICE CHIEF ON MENTAL HEALTH, UH, PROGRAMS THAT WERE WITHIN THEIR PURVIEW RECOMMENDATION.
NUMBER TWO, RELATES TO MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING FOR CALL TAKERS AND DISPATCHERS.
THIS IS WHERE THERE WAS A CURRICULUM PROVIDED OR DEVELOPED AND THEN SUBSEQUENTLY APPROVED, OR THE MEADOWS MENTAL HEALTH POLICY INSTITUTE WHERE, UH, ALL THE AUSTIN POLICE NINE 11 DISPATCHERS AND CALL TAKERS, UH, UNDERWENT, UH, A SERIES OF TRAININGS, UH, AND THAT, UH, WOULD ENHANCE THEIR ABILITY TO RECOGNIZE AND ASSIST IN DEESCALATION OF NINE 11 CALLS INVOLVING MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS.
THE CURRICULUM HAS BEEN COMPLETED.
THE TRAINING WILL BE UNDERWAY LATER THIS YEAR, BUT THAT'S UNDER THE PURVIEW OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
AND THERE'S SOME, SOME CHALLENGES THERE AS IT RELATES TO STAFFING RECOMMENDATION.
NUMBER THREE IS THE RECOMMENDATION RELATED TO EMBEDDING A MENTAL HEALTH CLINICIAN WITHIN THE NINE 11 CALL CENTER AND MAKING THEM A PART OF THE NINE 11 CALL TAKING PROCESS.
UH, AND THIS IS WHERE THE MENTAL HEALTH CLINICIAN HAS BEEN EMBEDDED WITHIN THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM SO THAT THEY CAN ASSIST WITH DEESCALATION OF, UH, CERTAIN SITUATIONS OVER THE PHONE, PROVIDING INFORMATION TO CALLERS AND ASSISTING OTHER NINE 11 CALL TAKERS AND STAFF WITHIN THE CENTER IN WORKING TOWARDS DIVERTING THAT CALL TO MORE APPROPRIATE RESOURCES WHERE IT'S APPROPRIATE.
AND THEN JUMPING FORWARD A RECOMMENDATION NUMBER SIX, THAT WAS REALLY RELATED TO COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
WE PARTNERED WITH, UH, THE NATIONAL OR I'M WITH NAMI CENTRAL TEXAS TO ENSURE THAT OUR MESSAGING WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE REST OF THE MENTAL HEALTH COMMUNITY IN OUR AREA.
AND MATERIALS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED AND ARE NOW, UH, HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED OUT TO THE DIFFERENT, UM, UH, ENTITIES.
THAT'LL BE CARING LIKE POLICE OFFICERS AND SUCH.
THEY CAN DISTRIBUTE THIS INFORMATION WHEN IT'S APPROPRIATE TO THE PUBLIC.
SO THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS WERE COMPLETED PRIOR TO SEPTEMBER 30TH.
UH, WHAT I'M HERE TO PROVIDE UPDATES ON ARE GOING TO BE RELATED TO PR TO RECOMMENDATIONS NUMBER FOUR, FIVE.
UM, BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD, JUST A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION THAT HAS PIQUED THE INTEREST OF, OF QUITE A FEW FOLKS WITH SOME OF THE DATA THAT'S COME OUT OF THE CALL CENTER, WHAT WE CALL C3.
AND THIS INVOLVES THE MENTAL HEALTH CLINICIANS THAT ARE EMBEDDED WITHIN THE NINE 11 CALL TAKING PROCESS AND TO HELP KIND OF GO THROUGH THAT DATA INTO, TO BETTER EXPLAIN IT THAN I CAN.
I'M GOING TO ASK KEN MURPHY TO COME UP AND, AND GO THROUGH THESE NUMBERS AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL MAY HAVE.
GOOD MORNING, COUNCIL MEMBERS, MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE TODAY.
SO ON THE, ON THE SLIDE, WE HAVE A TOTAL FROM 2021 WHERE 3,766 CALLS WERE DIVERTED AWAY FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT TO OUR CLINICIANS ON THE OPERATIONS FOR THIS YEAR.
WE'RE ON TRACK TO DIVERT APPROXIMATELY 7,800 CALLS TO THE CLINICIANS WITH BETWEEN AN 80 AND 85% TRUE DIVERSION RATE, MEANING THEY DO NOT.
THOSE CALLS DO NOT HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE POLICE OR TO EMS FOR A RESPONSE.
THE CLINICIANS HANDLE THOSE CALLS IN THE CALL CENTER, OR THEY DISPATCH THE FIELD CLINICIANS, WHICH IS A TEAM
[01:45:01]
OF TWO CLINICIANS TO RESPOND, TO SPEAK TO THE COMMUNITY MEMBER, WHERE THEY ARE IN THE COMMUNITY.CRINGING WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, WE CONDUCTED AN ANALYSIS OF WHERE WE WERE, UH, BEFORE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAM TO DIVERT CALLS AND NOTIFY OFFICERS OF A POTENTIAL MENTAL HEALTH COMPONENT TO A CALL THEY'RE RESPONDING TO.
AND WE LOOKED AT A REST RATES AND USE OF FORCE WHAT WE FOUND FROM TWO YEARS PRIOR TO IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAM.
AND THEN WHEN WE LOOK AT SPECIFICALLY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, OPTION, OPTION NUMBER FOUR IS WHEN OFFICERS ARE AWARE PRIOR TO ARRIVING AT THE SCENE OF A CALL, THERE IS A POTENTIAL MENTAL HEALTH COMPONENT TO THE CALL, THE ARREST RATES, OR 45.5% LOWER AND USE OF FORCE RATES WERE AS MUCH AS 56.3% LOWER.
AND IT'S JUST THE KNOWLEDGE THE OFFICERS HAVE OF, YES, THERE'S A POTENTIAL MENTAL HEALTH COMPONENT, WHEREAS BEFORE THEY MAY HAVE ARRIVED ON SCENE AND NOT FOUND OUT UNTIL AFTER THEY GAINED CONTROL OF THE SCENE, THERE WAS A POTENTIAL MENTAL HEALTH COMPONENT.
SO THEREFORE THE ARREST RATES AND THE USE OF FORCE WAS MUCH HIGHER.
I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS, KATHERINE KITCHEN, UH, JUST A QUICK QUESTION, FIRST OFF, LET ME SAY I'M, I'M JUST, I'M VERY PROUD OF THE TEAM AND REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT YOU ALL ARE DOING.
THIS IS A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED PROGRAM AT THIS POINT.
UH, IN MANY OTHER COMMUNITIES ARE LOOKING AT YOU, UH, TO WHAT, HOW THEY CAN MAKE THEIR COMMUNITIES WORK, UM, THAT THESE KINDS OF DIVERSIONS CAN BE A, WIN-WIN BOTH FOR THE COMMUNITY AND FOR THE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS.
UM, I'M HOPING THAT, UM, AND I APOLOGIZE IF, IF IT'S BEEN RECENTLY SENT IN, I HAVEN'T SEEN IT, BUT THESE, THE, THE DATA THAT YOU'RE BRINGING FORWARD FOR US IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO DEMONSTRATE RESULTS.
AND SO I'M HOPING THAT YOU ALL WILL PUT TOGETHER A MEMO OR A SHORT REPORT FOR US THAT, UM, HAS THIS DATA IN IT AND GIVES US AN IDEA OF, YOU KNOW, THE, HOW IT WAS ANNULLED AND HOW IT WAS CALCULATED.
JUST SO WE'RE ABLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE SAY 7,800 CALLS ARE ON TRACK TO DIVERT, HOW ARE WE DEFINING WHAT THAT MEANS? YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO INTO THE DETAIL RIGHT NOW.
I JUST THINK THAT IT WOULD BE GOOD TO HAVE A PIECE OF PAPER THAT EXPLAINS THAT TO US.
UM, I'M PLEASED WITH THESE RESULTS.
I CAN SEE PROGRESS, UH, ALMOST A DOUBLING, I GUESS IT IS A DOUBLING IN CALLS THAT ARE DIVERTED.
AND IT'S ALSO INTERESTING AND HELPFUL THAT YOU ALL ANALYZE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THAT AND ARREST RATES AND USE OF FORCE.
I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ASK Y'ALL TO, YOU KNOW, PUT IT IN SOME KIND OF A WRITTEN FORMAT, UM, WITH A REPORT THAT GIVES US SOME, SOME MORE, UM, SOME MORE INFORMATION.
SO YES, MA'AM THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND I DID PREPARE A ONE PAGE HANDOUT WITH WHICH, WHICH CAN BE HANDED OUT AFTER THE PRESENTATION.
I ALSO HAVE THE, THE RE UH, THE REPORT OR THE RESEARCH IN BRIEF PROVIDED TO THE POLICE CHIEFS MAGAZINE FOR YOU AS WELL.
THAT'S THAT'S WHAT I WAS ASKING FOR.
I JUST WANTED TO GIVE A VERY EMPHATIC, UH, THANK YOU TO COUNCIL, COUNCILMEMBER KITCHEN FOR CHAMPIONING THIS PROGRAM.
I MEAN, THIS IS TRUE CHANGE INACTION OR LEADERSHIP, AND THE FACT THAT WE CAN NOW SHARE WITH OUR COMMUNITY THAT, AND YOU SAID FOR THIS UPCOMING YEAR, WE ANTICIPATE AN 85% DIVERSION RATE WHEN IT COMES TO CALLS RELATED TO MENTAL HEALTH.
YES, MA'AM FOR THOSE QUALIFYING CALLS, WE CAN TRANSFER TO THE CLINICIAN WHERE THERE'S NOT AN IMMINENT THREAT OF LIFE OR PROPERTY DAMAGE.
UH, WE, WE, WE AVERAGE BETWEEN AN 80 AND 85% SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE PROGRAM SINCE HE'S OKAY.
SO I MEAN, THAT, THAT, THAT IS JUST STAGGERING SUCCESS RATE.
AND, AND SO, UM, I'M, I'M VERY PROUD TO SEE THIS INFORMATION TO HAVE THIS INFORMATION ON HAND SO WE CAN SHARE WITH OUR COMMUNITY AND HOW WE ARE, UH, CHANGING THE WAY WE DO PUBLIC SAFETY AND TRULY MEETING THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY WITH A COMPREHENSIVE MODEL OF CARE.
UM, AND, UM, AND SO I'M JUST HAPPY TO SEE THIS.
NO, I THINK WE ALL GET ASKED THE QUESTION PERIODICALLY, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO REIMAGINE PUBLIC SAFETY? UH, AND, AND I HATE TO EVEN USE THOSE WORDS BECAUSE THEY'VE ENTERED INTO KIND OF INTO KIND OF THE POLITICAL RHETORICAL FEAR, AND, AND I'M NOT SURE WE EVER GET TO OWN THOSE WORDS AGAIN.
UM, UH, THIS IS, THIS IS WHAT CHANGE LOOKS LIKE.
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THAT THAT DOES TWO THINGS.ONE IS THAT IT BETTER GETS FOR THE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY, THE ASSISTANCE AND HELP THEY MOST NEED.
UH, THE SECOND THING IS, IS THAT THIS KIND OF RESPONSE THAT'S MORE TAILORED TO THE ACTUAL NEED IS GOING TO MAKE US ALL SAFER.
THE THIRD ELEMENT THAT, THAT I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE APD, UH, ADDRESS, AND I DON'T KNOW, ABLE TO HEAR, BUT AT SOME POINT OR AFTER THIS MEETING, OR OTHERWISE IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IN TERMS OF RESOURCE ALLOCATION IS WHETHER OR NOT IF WE DO THIS AND WE GET BETTER AT IT, AS WE LEARN AS IT'S, APPARENTLY WE'RE DOING OVER TIME, IF WE'RE ABLE TO DIVERT MORE CALLS TO CLINICIANS SO THAT OFFICERS DON'T HAVE TO RESPOND, UH, DOES THAT HELP US WITH, UH, FREEING UP TIME FOR THOSE OFFICERS TO BE ABLE TO SPEND TIME WITH THE COMMUNITY AND, AND ON DESIGNATED TIME, IN OTHER WORDS, DOES IT ACTUALLY HELP US WITH, WITH TIME ALLOCATION WITH OFFICERS? IF, IF OUR OFFICERS ARE, ARE LOWERING IT A REST RATE BY 50% AND ARE INVOLVED IN ACTUAL PHYSICAL, THE NEED FOR PHYSICAL INTERACTION BY 50%, BOTH OF WHICH REQUIRES SIGNIFICANT PAPERWORK TO BE FILED AND TIME SPENT ON OFFICERS, DOES THAT ALSO HELP US WITH, WITH ASSET REALLOCATION, UH, IN TERMS OF WHAT WE'RE EXPECTING OF OUR OFFICERS DOES THAT BETTER ENABLE US TO HAVE OUR OFFICERS SPENDING TIME ON THE THINGS THAT THEY WANT TO SPEND TIME ON IN THE COMMUNITY, ON THEM TO SPEND TIME ON, UH, DON'T HAVE A FEEL FOR THAT.
SO AT SOME POINT, EITHER NOW, OR LATER, IF IT'S UNREAL, I'D LIKE TO GET A FEEL FOR THAT AND WATCH THAT AS, AS THIS PROGRAM IS CONTINUING FORWARD.
BUT AGAIN, I ECHO THE SENTIMENTS OF MY COLLEAGUES.
OR PROCEED PRESENTATION ACTUALLY MAY HAVE, MY HAND WAS RAISED.
THAT'S ALL WE HAD ON THE SCREEN WAS THE PDF.
SO, SO NEXT TIME, IF THE PRESENTATION IS UP, I'LL JUST SPEAK UP IF WE COULD GO BACK TO THAT LAST SLIDE ABOUT DIVERSION TO CLINICIANS.
UM, I JUST HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT ONCE THAT, UH, COMMUNITY MEMBER, UH, HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE DIVERTED AWAY FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT AND GETS, UM, SORT OF TRANSFERRED TO THE CLINICIAN, THEN WHAT, WHERE DO THEY GO? AND DO WE HAVE SUFFICIENT FACILITIES FOR FOLKS TO GO, THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTION.
MA'AM I WILL PASS THAT OFF TO INTEGRAL CARE AND ALLOW SOMEONE FROM METRO GHOUL CARE TO ANSWER THE QUESTION AND MAYOR.
I THINK THAT THERE'S MORE TO THE PRESENTATIONS.
AND SO SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT ARE BEING ASKED WILL BE ADDRESSED IN THE REST OF THE PRESENTATION.
SO YEAH, SO BRIEFLY, HI, DON HANLEY, CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER FOR INTEGRAL CARE.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING US, UM, THIS MORNING OR AFTERNOON, UM, TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, HARPER, MADISON, UH, ONCE THE MOBILE CRISIS OUTREACH TEAM IS DISPATCHED OR TEAM OF CLINICIANS AND CASE MANAGERS WILL DO A CRISIS ASSESSMENT AND DETERMINE AT THAT POINT, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE NEXT STEP WOULD BE.
IF WE'RE IN MOST OF THE TIME, WE'RE ABLE TO ACTUALLY RESOLVE THE CRISIS IN THE FIELD.
SO PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE IN THEIR HOME, UM, WE'RE ABLE TO PUT A PLAN TOGETHER THERE, OR WE WILL ACCESS OUR CRISIS, UH, RESIDENTIAL SERVICES AS AN ALTERNATIVE PLACEMENT FOR THEM, IF INPATIENT IS NOT NEEDED.
DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? I APPRECIATE THAT SORT OF, UM, IT DIDN'T SPEAK TO CAPACITY.
SO TO THE MAYOR'S POINT ABOUT, UM, ALLOCATION OF GENERAL BUDGET, UM, GENERAL FUND BUDGET DOLLARS, UH, I FIND MYSELF THINKING ABOUT CAPACITY.
WE DO GET, UH, A LOT OF CALLS ABOUT CAPACITY, AND SO HOPEFULLY THE REST OF THE PRESENTATION WILL SPEAK TO THAT.
AND IF NOT, I HOPE THAT'S SOME INFORMATION THAT WE CAN GARNER FROM YOU IN THE FUTURE.
LET'S PICK BACK UP THE PRESENTATION.
SO RECOMMENDATION NUMBER FOUR WAS ESSENTIALLY KIND OF A TWOFOLD RECOMMENDATION.
THE FIRST PART OF IT MADE THE RECOMMENDATION THAT, UH, M CAUGHT AND ITS FUNDING WAS, WAS MADE INTO A SUSTAINABLE, UH, FORM.
AND THAT'S WHERE, UH, I BELIEVE COUNCIL BACK IN I'D HAVE, I'D BE SPECULATING.
I THINK IT WAS 2018, 2019, UH, PROVIDED FUNDING FOR ENTRY INTEGRAL CARE'S M CAUGHT TEAM.
AND THAT'S WHERE ESSENTIALLY THAT PART OF THE RECOMMENDATION WAS COMPLETED.
THE SECOND PART OF THE, OF THAT PARTICULAR RECOMMENDATION, UH, CENTERED AROUND THE IDEA OF, OF INCLUDING TELE-HEALTH IN, IN THAT SUSTAINMENT AND MAKING SURE THAT TELE-HEALTH WAS USED AS A WAY TO, UH, FILL ANY GAPS WHERE, UH, WHERE WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GET SOMEBODY OUT THERE OR FOR SITUATIONS IN WHICH WE COULD USE TELE-HEALTH IN COMMUNICATING WITH A
[01:55:01]
CRISIS CLINICIAN.AND SO WITH THAT, UM, WE STARTED WORKING ON DEPLOYING THOSE RESOURCES, UH, AND APD IS DEPLOYED NEARLY ABOUT 265 IPADS TO FIVE OF THEIR SECTORS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
THOSE SECTORS ARE THE ONES THAT TYPICALLY HAVE A, THE HIGHEST RATE OF, UH, OF USE IN TERMS OF CRISIS RESPONSE RESOURCES, AND BOTH APD AND EMS ARE ADDRESSING LOW UTILIZATION RATES WITH THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY.
UH, WE BELIEVE THAT IT'S PROBABLY DUE TO, UH, STAFF IN THE FIELD.
IT'S NOT ONE THAT'S USED, YOU KNOW, MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY, BUT IT MAY BE ONE THAT, UM, WE NEED TO KEEP AT THE FOREFRONT OF THEIR MIND, AND WE'RE WORKING ON WAYS THROUGH TRAINING AND EDUCATION TO KEEP THAT THERE, UM, THE TELE-HEALTH CAPABILITY IS AVAILABLE.
LIKE I MENTIONED, UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
SORRY, I GOT AHEAD OF MYSELF THERE.
UM, THE CAPABILITY, THE TELE-HEALTH CAPABILITY IS AVAILABLE, LIKE I SAID, UH, TO MULTIPLE OFFICERS IN THE FIELD AND EMS, UH, IS USING THE TELEHEALTH CAPABILITY AND PLATFORM THAT WE DEPLOYED BACK EARLY ON IN THE PANDEMIC.
SO, UH, EVERY AMBULANCE CREW IN THE, IN THE CITY AND A COUNTY HAS THE ABILITY TO USE TELE-HEALTH IF THEY FEEL IT'S APPROPRIATE, UM, TO ADDRESS THIS LOW UTILIZATION, THE MENTAL HEALTH, THE MEADOWS, MENTAL HEALTH POLICY INSTITUTE, UH, CONDUCTED INTERVIEWS AND SOME FOCUS GROUPS SURVEYS TO GET AN IDEA OF WHY THE UTILIZATION WAS LOW, UH, BASED ON THAT FEEDBACK AND THE INFORMATION THAT THEY RECEIVED, THEY ASSISTED US IN DEVELOPING AND PRODUCING A TRAINING AND EDUCATION VIDEO THAT WE'RE PUSHING OUT TO OUR STAFF AFTER FINAL REVIEW, AND THAT'LL BE ROLLED OUT SO THAT, UM, AGAIN, WE CAN DISPEL ANY KIND OF, UH, CONCERNS OR RUMORS, AND WE CAN ALSO PUT THE INFORMATION OUT THERE SO THAT IT KIND OF STAYS AT THE FOREFRONT OF THEIR MIND.
AND IT'S A TOOL THAT THEY CONSIDER EARLY ON WHEN IT'S APPROPRIATE.
SO TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE CLINICIANS THAT ARE IN THE CALL CENTER AND HOW THAT WORKS WITH TELE-HEALTH, UH, AND WHAT WE CONSIDER TO BE A, UH, A RESOUNDING SUCCESS STORY.
AND THERE ARE, ARE QUITE A FEW OF THEM.
I'M GOING TO ASK DIEDRA PRIEST TO COME UP AND, AND TALK THROUGH WHAT WE SAY, WHAT WE CALL JERRY'S STORY AND GIVE AN IDEA OF KIND OF ILLUSTRATE HOW THIS WORKS.
SO IN THIS SCENARIO, UM, JERRY CALLED 9 1 1, UM, HE HAD GOTTEN INTO A FIGHT WITH HIS PARTNER AND HE WAS EXPRESSING SOME SUICIDAL THOUGHTS AND SOME THOUGHTS AROUND SELF-HARM.
SO DUE TO THE IMMINENT NATURE, UM, POLICE WERE, WENT AHEAD AND WERE DISPATCHED TO THIS CALL, UH, WHEN POLICE ARRIVED ON SCENE, UM, THEY WERE SPEAKING WITH HIM AND HE WAS OPEN TO TALKING WITH A COUNSELOR.
SO THEY WERE ABLE TO GET OUT THEIR IPAD AND CONNECT WITH A C3 COUNSELOR AT THE NINE 11 CALL CENTER.
UM, THE COUNSELOR WAS ABLE TO TALK TO JERRY FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.
HE WAS ABLE TO KIND OF CALM DOWN EXPRESSED, YOU KNOW, WHY HE WAS SO UPSET PREVIOUSLY.
HE HAD SHARED A YEAR PRIOR IN A SIMILAR SITUATION HE HAD ATTEMPTED TO AND HIS LIFE, AND HE DIDN'T WANT TO GET TO THAT PLACE AGAIN.
SO THEY WERE ABLE TO SAFETY PLAN WITH HIM OVER THE IPAD.
UM, THE PLAN WAS FOR THE C3 CLINICIAN TO CALL HIM BACK LATER THAT NIGHT, WHICH THEY DID.
AND THEN THEY WERE ABLE TO CONNECT HIM BACK WITH HIS CASE MANAGER THE FOLLOWING DAY.
UM, AND WE'RE ABLE TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION SINCE HE WAS LINKED TO SERVICES WITHIN CENTRAL CARE.
SO KIND OF PROVIDED THAT CONTINUITY OF CARE.
UM, AND HE HAS CONTINUED TO MEET WITH HIS CASE MANAGER MOVING FORWARD.
SO WE THINK THAT THAT'S A GOOD ILLUSTRATION OF, OF HOW THE SYSTEM KIND OF INTEGRATES AND WORKS TOGETHER.
UH, AND ALSO HELPS, LIKE WE'VE MENTIONED BEFORE, W W LIKE THAT THAT'S BEEN MENTIONED BEFORE, UH, IS FREEING UP OFFICERS TO ADDRESS OTHER NEEDS AND GETTING PATIENTS DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO RESOURCES THAT, UM, CAN, CAN ADDRESS THEIR IMMEDIATE NEEDS.
SO THAT WRAPS UP RECOMMENDATION, NUMBER FOUR, RECOMMENDATION NUMBER FIVE, UH, IS ESSENTIALLY RECOMMENDING THAT APDS CRISIS INTERVENTION TEAM OR CIT TEAM AND EMS HAS COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDIC TEAM COLLABORATE IN WAYS THAT, UM, CAN WORK ON TAKING REFERRALS THAT ARE COMING INTO THE CIT UNIT AT APD FILTERING THROUGH THOSE, USING A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN INTEGRAL CARE AND ONE OF THEIR CLINICIANS, A COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDIC, AND A CIT OFFICER CAN FILTER THROUGH THOSE REFERRALS THAT COME IN TO CIT, UH, IDENTIFY THOSE THAT MAY NOT NEED ANY KIND OF POLICE RESPONSE AND FARM THOSE OUT, OR, OR PARSE THOSE OUT TO RESOURCES THAT ARE ALREADY EXISTING IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO, FOR INSTANCE, UH, THE WAY THIS MIGHT WORK IS, IS AN OFFICER MAY RESPOND, CALL BE CALLED OUT, UH, TO A SCENE WHERE AN INDIVIDUAL HAS EXPERIENCED
[02:00:01]
SOME SORT OF MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS THAT MAY HAVE BEEN HANDLED OR BEEN INVOLVED THE C3 CLINICIAN AT A DIFFERENT TIME THROUGH THAT CALL TAKING PROCESS.BUT RIGHT NOW, WE'RE, WE'RE FAST FORWARDING TO WHERE AN OFFICER IS ON SCENE WITH SOMEONE IN THE DISPOSITION CODE THEY USE MAY AUTOMATICALLY KICK THAT CALL LATER ON INTO ACUTE THAT'S THAT THE CIT TEAM RECEIVES.
SO AS THEY RECEIVE THESE, THESE REFERRALS OR THESE, THESE, UH, CALLS IN THEIR QUEUE, UH, THE AUSTIN CARES TEAM OR THE, THIS, THIS COLLABORATIVE TEAM, UM, IS DESIGNED TO ESSENTIALLY KIND OF FILTER THROUGH THOSE SIFT THROUGH THOSE REFERRALS, IDENTIFY WHICH CASES REALLY NEED A RESPONSE FROM EITHER, UH, INTEGRAL CARE, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDIC, AND GET THEM DIRECTLY, UH, UH, REFERRED OVER TO THE DIFFERENT RESOURCES.
UH, WE'RE PROUD TO SAY THAT THE, THIS TEAM, UH, CONVENED AND IS, UH, HAS SEEN THEIR FIRST FEW PATIENTS, THEY SAW, THEY STARTED SEEING PATIENTS THIS MONTH.
UM, AND OF COURSE WE WILL TRY TO STAFF THIS UP AS BEST AS WE CAN AS, UH, STAFFING RESOURCES ALLOW, UM, THIS MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM, LIKE I MENTIONED, IT'S COMPRISED OF A POLICE OFFICER, A MENTAL HEALTH CLINICIAN FROM INTEGRAL CARE AND A CLINICIAN IN A, UH, AN, A COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDIC FROM EMS. THIS SPECIFIC TEAM, THE AUSTIN CARES TEAM IS DESIGNED TO, TO SEE THOSE THAT ARE ESSENTIALLY THE MOST ACUTE, THE MOST SEVERELY, UH, OR THE, THOSE THAT ARE IN MOST SEVERE NEED OF, OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES THAT, UM, HAVE THE THREE KIND OF IMPORTANT COMPONENTS.
UH, ONE IS THAT THEY, UH, THEY MAY POSE A DANGER TO THE PUBLIC OR TO STAFF THAT WERE TO GO OUT TO SEE THEM.
SO THAT'S WHERE THE NEED FOR A POLICE OFFICER COMES IN.
THEY MAY HAVE COMPLEX MEDICAL NEEDS.
THEY MAY, UH, EXPERIENCE OR LIVE WITH THINGS LIKE DIABETES, HYPERTENSION, HEART FAILURE, ANY NUMBER OF ISSUES THAT ARE PURELY MORE OF A MEDICAL ISSUE.
AND THEN THEY MAY ALSO EXPERIENCE OR HAVE CO-OCCURRING MENTAL HEALTH, UH, ILLNESS THAT WOULD REQUIRE THE EXPERTISE OF A MENTAL HEALTH CLINICIAN FROM INTEGRAL CARE.
SO THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WOULD BENEFIT FROM THIS PARTICULAR TEAM, UM, ARE, ARE THOSE THAT WOULD HAVE ALL THREE OF THESE PARTICULAR ISSUES PRESENT.
UH, IF THEY DIDN'T, THEY COULD BE WHEN THEY'RE BEING TRIAGED AND SIFTED THROUGH, BY THIS CARES TEAM, THEY MAY BE HANDED OVER OR DIRECTLY REFERRED TO RESOURCES JUST, IT MIGHT INCLUDE THE COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS OR THE INTEGRAL CARE CLINICIANS AND NEVER INVOLVE A POLICE OFFICER.
AND THERE'S A WHOLE BUNCH OF DIFFERENT RESOURCES THAT ARE OUT THERE, AND THAT LIST IS GROWING AS THIS TEAM DEVELOPED.
UM, AND IT REALLY TO KIND OF PUT THIS IN PERSPECTIVE AND KIND OF ILLUSTRATE WHAT THIS, HOW THIS TEAM WORKS AND, AND, AND IS DESIGNED.
IT'S ESSENTIALLY LIKE THE HOST PROGRAM OR THE HOST TEAM.
UM, THE HOST TEAM IS COMPRISED OF A POLICE OFFICER, A COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDIC AND AN INTEGRAL CARE CLINICIAN, EXCEPT THAT PARTICULAR TEAM SPECIALIZES IN HOMELESSNESS AND ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF THOSE THAT ARE, THAT ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.
SO, AS I MENTIONED, UM, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
SO THE TRAINING AND ORIENTATION WAS COMPLETED LAST MONTH.
THEY WENT LIVE AND SAW THEIR FIRST NUMBER, UH, FIRST FEW PATIENTS, UH, THIS MONTH.
AND, UM, LIKE I MENTIONED, THERE, THEY REVIEWED THE CASES AND THE REFERRALS THAT COME INTO THE CIT TEAM AND DETERMINE WHAT THE MOST APPROPRIATE RESOURCE IS.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE WITH THIS PARTICULAR TEAM THAT THEY WORK IN A FOLLOWUP CAPACITY, UH, AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME, UH, THEY ARE NOT A RESPONSE RESOURCE.
SO WHEN THE NINE 11 CALL COMES IN, UM, THEY'RE NOT A RESOURCE THAT IS INITIALLY DISPATCHED.
THIS WOULD BE A TEAM THAT FOLLOWS UP WITH THE INDIVIDUAL AT A LATER TIME, UH, COULD BE, YOU KNOW, HOURS OR EVEN A DAY LATER, OR MAYBE EVEN LONGER.
IT JUST DEPENDS, UM, AND WOULD BE A RESOURCE THAT WOULD GO OUT TYPICALLY WHEN THE INITIAL CRISIS HAD ABATED AND WAS A MORE STAPLE IN AN, IN A MORE STABLE SITUATION.
IF WE DO GET TO A POINT THROUGH STAFFING RESOURCES AND SUCH THAT WE CAN BECOME A RESPONSE RESOURCE, WE'LL, WE'LL EXPLORE THAT OPTION.
BUT AT THIS POINT THAT'S NOT, UH, SOMETHING THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE DOING NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO THIS WAS A, A GRAPHIC PUT TOGETHER BY THE MEADOWS MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTE, OUR INSTITUTE, UH, BUT JUST ESSENTIALLY KIND OF ILLUSTRATES KIND OF WHAT THIS AUSTIN CARES TEAM IS.
SO YOU SEE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE SLIDE, THERE'S A, YOU KNOW, ONE INDIVIDUAL FROM EACH OF THE DIFFERENT, UM, RESOURCES, UH, THAT MAKES UP THE CARES TEAM.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE TOP LINE THAT SERVES AS KIND OF A FLOW CHART, UH, THIS, THIS IS WHERE THE CIT RECEIVES THE REFERRALS.
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THROUGH KIND OF A STANDARDIZED KIND OF ASSESSMENT OR TRIAGE OF THOSE PARTICULAR RESOURCES.UM, AND THEN WHAT'S CHANGED IS, IS THAT IF THIS, IF THIS IS A RESOURCE OR IF THIS IS A SITUATION THAT DOES REQUIRE THE SPECIALTY AND THE EXPERTISE OF EACH OF THE THREE DIFFERENT, UH, RESOURCES, THEN THE CARES TEAM, UH, WOULD LOOK AT THIS, WOULD TAKE THAT CASE AND FOLLOW UP WITH THAT INDIVIDUAL INDIVIDUAL ON THEIR OWN WHEN THEY HAVE THE ABILITY, IF IT DOESN'T REQUIRE ONE OF THE THREE DIFFERENT EX UH, RESOURCES ON THE TEAM, THEN THEY WOULD HAND THAT OVER TO IT COULD BE CHP MEDIC THAT GOES OUT AND ADDRESSES ANY MEDICATION ISSUES OR CHRONIC HEALTH ISSUES.
IT COULD BE THAT THEY REFER IT OVER TO HOST BECAUSE THIS MIGHT BE A TEAM THAT MIGHT BE A RESOURCE THAT'S MOST APPROPRIATE FOR THAT PARTICULAR, UH, REFERRAL.
IT COULD BE THAT JUST, EM, CAUGHT GOES BACK OUT.
IT COULD BE THAT THIS INDIVIDUAL THAT THEY'RE REVIEWING IS ALREADY A CLIENT WITH INTEGRAL CARE AND THEY JUST NEED TO BE REFERRED BACK TO, OR THEY NEED TO HAVE THAT INFORMATION PASSED ONTO THEIR CASE MANAGER, LIKE WAS MENTIONED IN THE LAST, IN THE LAST STORY FROM KEDRON.
SO WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO HAND IT OVER TO KESHA FOR ONE LAST SCENARIO AND KIND OF A STORY TO KIND OF ILLUSTRATE SOME OF THIS.
UH, AND THEN AFTER THIS WE'LL, WE'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
SO IN THIS SCENARIO IS ACTUALLY ONE THAT WE COORDINATED PRIOR TO THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH DATE OF CARES.
UM, BUT A CALL CAME INTO THE NINE 11 CALL CENTER, WHICH C3, ONE OF OUR CLINICIANS WAS TALKING TO A MOTHER, UM, AND SHE WAS EXPRESSING CONCERN FOR HER ADULT SON WHO WAS STRUGGLING, UM, WITH SEVERAL ISSUES, ONE BEING HE HAD RELAPSED RECENTLY, UM, AND THAT HE WAS EXPRESSING SOME SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, NOT WANTING TO LIVE ANYMORE.
SHE, UM, WAS HESITANT TO PROVIDE HER LOCATION.
SHE DIDN'T WANT LIGHTS AND SIRENS.
SHE DIDN'T WANT A FULL RESPONSE, BUT SHE DIDN'T WANT SUPPORT FOR HER SON.
SO SHE HAD SHARED AS WELL THOUGH, THAT HE HAD SEVERAL, UM, MEDICAL CONCERNS CIRRHOSIS OF THE LIVER.
UM, AND ON THIS DAY HE WAS INTOXICATED, UNABLE TO WALK.
AND SO THE, INITIALLY THE CLINICIAN WAS COORDINATING A MEDIC RESPONSE WITH IOM COC CLINICIAN.
UM, THEY OFFERED THAT TO THE MOTHER AND SHE SAID, WELL, THAT'S OKAY.
BUT, UM, HE ALSO DECLINES TREATMENT FREQUENTLY.
AND SO SHE WAS CONCERNED THAT HE MIGHT MEET CRITERIA OF NEEDING TO GO TO A HOSPITAL, BUT WOULDN'T BE WILLING TO DO SO.
SO WHEN SHE SHARED THAT, AND ALSO AT TIMES HE WAS, UM, CAN WE GET WITH THE MOTHER AFTER PEOPLE LEFT? SO WITH ALL OF THAT, THEN THEY ALSO COORDINATED A MENTAL HEALTH OFFICER.
SO IN THIS SCENARIO, IT WAS A THREE TEAM RESPONSE, A MENTAL HEALTH OFFICER, A PARAMEDIC, AND AN M COC CLINICIAN.
THEY WERE ABLE TO GO OUT AND MEET WITH THE MOM AND THE SON, AS IT TURNS OUT IN THIS PARTICULAR SCENARIO, DUE TO THE MEDICAL CONDITIONS, HE DID NEED TO BE TRANSPORTED TO A HOSPITAL, BUT THE CLINICIAN WAS ALSO ABLE TO TALK TO THE MOM ABOUT TREATMENT OPTIONS AVAILABLE ONCE HE WAS MEDICALLY STABLE.
SO AGAIN, DIDN'T WANT LIGHTS AND SIRENS, BUT THERE WAS A NEED FOR ALL THREE TEAM MEMBERS TO RESPOND TO THIS PARTICULAR CALL.
SCOTT WRAPS UP THE PRESENTATION.
I DO WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT AND RECOGNIZE BJ WAGNER.
UH, SHE'S WITH THE MEADOWS MENTAL HEALTH POLICY INSTITUTE AND WAS, UH, WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN, UH, IN HELPING US WITH, UH, THESE RECOMMENDATIONS.
UM, I WANTED TO JUST SEE IF, IF, UH, MS. WAGNER WANTED TO ADD ANYTHING.
OH, I APPRECIATE HER ASSISTANCE.
UM, WE'VE GOT A GREAT TEAM PUT TOGETHER AND IT WAS, WAS NICE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO ALSO, UH, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE EXPERTISE THAT MEADOWS BRINGS TO THE TABLE.
SO, MS. WAGNER, WAS THERE ANYTHING YOU WANTED TO, TO ADD? I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT THIS TEAM REALLY DUG IN AND HAS WORKED HARD SINCE 2019 AND THE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN THAT, UH, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS SEE IN FRONT OF YOU HAVE BEEN AT THE TABLE SINCE 2019.
AND THE WORK THAT THEY HAVE PUT IN HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED BY CITIES, NOT ONLY ACROSS TEXAS, BUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND, UH, HAS BEEN TRANSFORMATIONAL TO AUSTIN.
AND THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESPONSE TEAM THAT THIS CREW HAS PUT TOGETHER HAS IS UNIQUE.
AND ALL OF THE MDR TEAMS THAT ARE WORKING ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND WITHIN TEXAS, AND THE FACT THAT THEY ARE READY TO PIVOT AND BECOME A FIRST RESPONSE TEAM WHEN THE CITY IS READY.
AND EVERY OTHER LOCATION THAT HAS CREATED AN MDRT, INCLUDING YOUR NEIGHBORS IN SAN ANTONIO, TO THE SOUTH AND DALLAS TO THE NORTH HAS GONE
[02:10:01]
DIRECTLY TO FIRST RESPONSE.SO AUSTIN, AGAIN, HAS DONE SOMETHING VERY UNIQUE AND CREATING A TWO-FOLD TEAM.
AND IT'S EXCITING TO SEE THIS WORK COME TO A CONCLUSION.
IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH THE PROFESSIONALS IN FRONT OF YOU, AS WELL AS THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND IT'S EXCITING TO SEE THE CHANGE THAT YOU ALL HAVE CREATED.
SO MEADOWS, THANKS YOU FOR HAVING US AT THE TABLE, AND WE'RE GOING TO BE VERY EXCITED TO CONTINUE TO WATCH YOU ALL GROW.
I WOULD JUST ASK THAT AS Y'ALL PROCEED, UM, THAT YOU LET US KNOW AS COUNSEL AND PERHAPS I WOULD, UM, A CITY MANAGER I'D LIKE TO KNOW AS PART OF THIS BUDGET CYCLE, WHAT IT WOULD, UH, WHAT RESOURCES MIGHT BE NEEDED TO BOTH CONTINUE THIS PROGRAM AND TO ALLOW THESE FOLKS, THE, UM, RESOURCES THEY MAY NEED, UM, AS THEY DEVELOP THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM, YOU KNOW, UM, AGAIN, IT'S, YOU KNOW, YOU ALL ARE LAUNCHING IT NOW AS SORT OF A PILOT APPROACH AT THIS POINT, BUT AS YOU, AS YOU MOVE DOWN THE ROAD, TESTING THAT AND GET TO THE POINT WHERE YOU CAN BRING THAT TO THE TABLE FOR FIRST RESPONSE, WHEN IT'S NEEDED.
THEN I THINK I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT RESOURCES ARE NEEDED.
SO CITY MANAGER, I'D LIKE YOU TO, UH, MAKE THE COUNCIL AWARE OF WHAT THOSE RESOURCES ARE AS PART OF THE BUDGET PROCESS.
AND AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THE MULTI MULTI-DISCIPLINARY TEAM IS SOMETHING THAT, UM, IMPROVES ON WHAT EACH OF THE, EACH OF THE TEAMS DO ON THEIR OWN RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE IT GIVES YOU A CENTRALIZED TRIAGE AND NOT EVERYBODY NEEDS THAT LEVEL OF EXPERTISE COMBINED, BUT WHEN YOU NEED IT, HAVING THREE FOLKS GO TOGETHER OR TWO FOLKS GO TOGETHER CAN REALLY GET THAT PERSON WHAT THEY NEED AT THE MOMENT.
SO IT JUST GIVES YOU A, YOU KNOW, AN EVEN MORE FOCUSED, UH, RESPONSE TO WHAT THE INDIVIDUAL NEEDS.
AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, I, YOU KNOW, I KNOW YOU ALL SEE THIS IN THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS THIS TOO, BUT A LOT OF THESE FOLKS ARE IN SITUATIONS WHERE, UM, IT'S, IT'S A CONTINUAL, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SORT OF A RECYCLING, THAT'S NOT THE RIGHT WORD, BUT THEY, THEY JUST, THEY THEY'RE IN AND OUT OF THE SYSTEM OVER TIME.
AND TO THE EXTENT THAT SERVICES CAN BE PROVIDED, THAT HELPS THEM STABILIZE AND REDUCES THE AMOUNT OF A NUMBER OF CRISES THEY HAVE.
UM, I THINK WE'RE ALL WANTING TO DO THAT.
AND SO, UM, I APPRECIATE THESE EFFORTS.
I HAVE ONE LAST QUESTION MAYOR, AND THAT IS FOR, I THINK IS FOR MR. ARIANO.
UM, UM, AS THIS, THIS TEAM HAS DONE A FABULOUS JOB AND I APPRECIATE, UH, BJ'S, UH, WAGNER'S, UH, ASSISTANCE.
I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO UNDERSTAND AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WHAT IS THE PLAN FOR, UM, FOR BUILDING THIS INFRASTRUCTURE IN, I GUESS THE RIGHT, I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE RIGHT TERM IS, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, THIS IS A, IS A EFFORT ACROSS THREE DIFFERENT OR TWO DIFFERENT CITY DEPARTMENTS, AS WELL AS INTEGRAL CARE.
AND SO THERE NEEDS TO BE A STRUCTURE OF SOME SORT THAT MEMO THAT, UH, THAT, UM, INSTITUTIONALIZES IT INTO THE FUTURE.
I'M NOT GETTING THE WORDS RIGHT THIS MORNING, BUT ANYWAY, WE NEED A STRUCTURE, SOME SORT OF MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE WITHIN OUR STRUCTURE AS A CITY, SO THAT WE, AS COUNCIL MEMBER KNOWS WHO'S THE LEAD.
UM, AND ALSO SO THAT WE KNOW HOW TO ENSURE THAT WHEN FOLKS, WHEN THESE FOLKS NEED RESOURCES, UH, THEY HAVE A MECHANISM FOR BRINGING THAT TO THE CITY, TO COUNCIL'S ATTENTION.
AND, AND ALSO FOR, UH, ASKING THAT THOSE, YOU KNOW, SO WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT A DEPARTMENT HERE, UH, BUT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT SOME KIND OF STRUCTURE.
AND I JUST WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ALL ENVISION AS THAT STRUCTURE.
YOU DON'T NEED TO ANSWER THAT NOW, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND THAT AS PART OF THIS BUDGET PROCESS.
I JUST ALSO WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS.
THIS IS ONE ITEM THAT YOU BROUGHT TO US AND HAVE TAKEN THE LABORING OR OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS ON THIS.
AND, UH, IT, IT SO DOVETAILS WITH, UH, THE KIND OF THE DIRECTION AND THE SENTIMENT THAT THE COUNCIL, BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS.
AND I THINK AS PART OF THAT CONVERSATION, AS WE GET INTO THE BUDGET, THE QUESTIONS I WAS ASKING ABOUT RESOURCE ALLOCATION, I THINK WE'LL BE REAL GERMANE TO THAT CONVERSATION BECAUSE I THINK IT IS A KIND OF A FORCE MULTIPLIER FOR US IN THAT REGARD.
AND WE NEED TO KNOW THAT MAYOR PRO TEM.
UM, THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT EXAMPLE, AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED EARLIER OF HOW WE ARE RE-IMAGINING PUBLIC SAFETY TO THE BENEFIT OF ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS, UM, AND TO, TO OUR STAFF AND I, TO WANNA THANK COUNCIL
[02:15:01]
MEMBER KITCHEN FOR REALLY, UH, PUSHING FORWARD WITH THIS AND, UM, MANAGER.I THINK THIS IS, UH, AN EXAMPLE LIKE WITH THE GROW REPORT FOR THE ACADEMY WHERE WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO LEVERAGE BEST PRACTICES, UM, EXPERTISE THAT'S OUT THERE AND ADAPT IT FOR AUSTIN IN WAYS THAT ARE UNIQUELY AUSTIN, SO THAT IT BEST MEETS OUR NEEDS.
UM, AND THAT WE, IT HELPS US TO RETHINK THESE THINGS.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, I, MY HOPE IS I THINK THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE.
UM, MY HOPE IS THAT THE CROW REPORT ON THE ACADEMY IS, IS A AS A GOOD, A GOOD EXAMPLE OF HOW WE'RE MOVING METHODICALLY TO IMPLEMENT IT.
UM, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A DISCUSSION AT AUDIT AND FINANCE, UM, NEXT WEEK ON THE EMS BILLING SYSTEM, WHICH IS ANOTHER RECOMMENDATION THAT COMES OUT, COMES OUT OF ONE OF THESE SORT OF EXTERNAL, UM, REPORTS.
AND SO, SO I, SO I THINK WHEN DONE WELL, UM, THESE CAN BE VERY USEFUL AND HOPEFULLY WE WILL BE HAVING THE PERF REPORT COME BACK ON SEXUAL ASSAULT ALSO, OR WE CAN, WE CAN DO THAT.
UM, I DO HAVE A QUESTION I WANTED TO ASK YOU FOR THE MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING FOR CALL TAKERS AND DISPATCHERS.
I BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT THAT WAS CHALLENGING TO GET DONE.
AND I WANTED TO ASK YOU IF YOU COULD GO A LITTLE BIT DEEPER INTO WHAT THOSE CHALLENGES ARE.
UM, I THINK THAT'S FOR THE MENTAL HEALTH CALL TAKING.
WE ORIGINALLY WITH INTEGRAL CARE PROVIDING INSTRUCTION PLACED ALL OF OUR OPERATORS, INCLUDING OUR LEADS AND OUR SUPERVISORS THROUGH EIGHT HOURS OF MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID, SINCE THEN, AS YOU ALL ARE AWARE, WE'VE HAD QUITE THE TURNOVER OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 30 TO 35 NEW EMPLOYEES.
WE'RE STILL HOLDING 60 VACANCIES.
UH, SO WE'RE OPERATING AT ABOUT A 60% STAFFING LEVEL, UH, WITH THE TRAINING AND THE ADDITIONAL TRAINING DEVELOPED IN, IN COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION WITH THE MEADOWS MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTE POLICY INSTITUTE, THERE'S AN ADDITIONAL FOUR TO FIVE HOURS OF TRAINING.
WE NEED TO GIVE, PROVIDE EVERYONE ELSE.
THE PROBLEM WE HAVE IS STAFFING.
SO, UH, PEOPLE ARE WORKING EXTRA, THEY'RE WORKING EXTRA DAYS, THEY'RE WORKING EXTRA SHIFTS IN ORDER TO MEET OUR MINIMUM STAFFING LEVELS.
WE HAVE TO HAVE TO ANSWER NINE 11 CALLS AND FOR POLICE DISPATCHERS AND ANY TRAINING WE PROVIDE CANNOT BE DONE DURING WORK BECAUSE THEY'RE TOO BUSY.
SO THE TRAINING HAS TO BE ON ONE OF THEIR DAYS OFF, AND IT ALSO COSTS EXTRA MONEY CAUSE WE HAVE TO PAY OVERTIME AS WELL.
SO THE, THE BARRIER OR ROADBLOCK WE'RE SEEING RIGHT NOW IS, UH, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS ADDITIONAL TRAINING UNTIL WE GET OUR STAFFING LEVELS UNDER CONTROL.
AND WE'RE, UH, WE'RE NOT OPERATING AT A 60% STAFFING LEVEL.
UM, SO MANAGER, I HAD A BUDGET RIDER THAT TALKED ABOUT, UM, A COMPENSATION STUDY FOR THE CALL-TAKERS.
UM, CAN YOU PROVIDE A STATUS ON THAT PLACE? I JUST THOUGHT OUR HR DIRECTOR IN THE, UH, ROOM, BUT I KNOW THAT IT'S IN THE COMING WEEKS AND WE WERE HOPING TO GET THAT BACK TO MYSELF AND THEN TO COUNCIL BY THE END OF THE MONTH.
UM, I THINK THAT'S PRETTY FAR OVERDUE, UM, AND IT CONTRIBUTES TO THE LOW STAFFING LEVELS THAT WE HAVEN'T ADDRESSED COMPENSATION.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, IT WAS PRETTY CLEAR IN LOOKING AT THAT DATA BASKET BACK WHEN WE LOOKED AT BUDGET THAT THE ENTRY LEVELS WERE TOO LOW IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO RECRUIT, UM, THE NUMBERS AND THE QUALITY OF STAFF, THE REQUIRED FOR THE RESPONSIBILITY, UM, THAT IT TAKES TO BE A DISPATCHER.
UM, YOU KNOW, JUST A LOT OF PRESSURE IT'S, IT'S REQUIRES, UM, THE HIGH LEVEL OF THINKING TO BE ABLE TO NAVIGATE.
UM, AND SO I JUST WANT TO, I MENTIONED THIS TO YOU RECENTLY, UM, IN ONE OF OUR CONVERSATIONS, BUT I THINK IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE GET THAT STUDY BACK AND NOT JUST THE STUDY BACK, BUT THE ACTIONS, UM, MOVING FORWARD.
UM, HAVE THERE BEEN ANY ATTEMPTS TO ASSIST YOU? I KNOW WE'VE HAD, UM, WE'VE RECEIVED VARIOUS MEMOS THAT SUGGEST THAT THERE ARE TOOLS AVAILABLE, UM, TO DEPARTMENTS.
HAVE THOSE TOOLS PROVED USEFUL FOR DEPLOYING TO ASSIST WITH YOUR STAFF AT ALL? IF YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, MAYBE FOR EXAMPLE, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
UM, SO CITY MANAGER, IF WE CAN, UM, CONTINUE THAT CONVERSATION.
IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT, UM, WHERE WE WERE AT IN ADDRESSING, UM, LABOR CHALLENGES WAS THAT THEY WERE A SET OF TOOLS THAT HAVE BEEN PROVIDED TO ALL DEPARTMENTS.
UM, AND THAT THOSE ARE BEING DEPLOYED.
UM, IF OUR, IF OUR DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS OR I'M SORRY, I DON'T KNOW.
YOU'RE ALSO AN OFFICER YOU'RE NOT IN, YOU'RE NOT IN A UNIFORM THIS MORNING, SO YOU'RE
[02:20:01]
CONFUSING US A THAT HAIR.UM, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW THAT'S BEING CONVEYED DOWN, DOWN, UM, IN, IN MANAGEMENT, UM, SO THAT FOLKS CAN BE ABLE TO DEPLOY, UM, THOSE TOOLS.
AND, UM, I MAY NOT BE EXPRESSED.
IT MAY BE PACKAGED DIFFERENTLY FOR WHAT THEY'RE RECEIVING AND IT MAY SIMPLY BE A MATTER OF COMMUNICATION, BUT NONETHELESS, THE EXPRESSION OF THE FACT THAT WE ARE AT 60% STAFFING AND THAT THE COMPENSATION ISSUES HAVE NOT BEEN ADDRESSED STILL REMAINS.
AND SIR, IF YOU WANTED TO ADD YES, MA'AM.
I DO REMEMBER SEEING AN EMAIL NOW.
I BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, WITH SOME SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS COULD DO.
UH, WE HAVE ALREADY, I KNOW THE CHIEF HAS MEANT, MEANT, UH, TWO WEEKS AGO WITH HRD AND THERE WAS AN AGREEMENT ON, UM, POTENTIAL SALARY INCREASES AND, UH, OTHER COMPENSATION IN THE FORM OF STIPENDS.
UH, HOWEVER, I DON'T KNOW WHERE WE SET WITH WITH THAT, UH, AND WHERE WE ARE.
SO WE ARE LOOKING AT USING SOME OF THOSE SUGGESTIONS PROVIDED IN THE EMAIL, UH, IN THE, IN THE PLAN I HOPE IS PROPOSED TO COUNCIL, UH, OR TO THE CITY MANAGER VERY SOON.
UM, RAY, DID YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO THIS, UH, RAY ARIANA ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, AND SO COUNCIL OR MAYOR PRO TEM THAT WE HAVE HAD THAT MEETING, UH, THAT, UH, LIEUTENANT MURPHY IS TALKING ABOUT WITH HRD, WITH THE RESULTS OF, AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THAT CAME UP FROM THE GALLAGHER, UH, RESPONSE.
AND AGAIN, THERE'S SOME, UH, TECHNICAL THINGS THAT NEED TO BE DONE IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND PUT THEM IN PLACE.
AND SO AGAIN, WE'LL COME BACK WITH A REPORT WITH, UH, WHAT'S, WHAT WAS RECOMMENDED AND HOW WE'RE PROCEEDING.
DO YOU HAVE A TIMING FOR THAT PLACE? I DO NOT.
I'D HAVE TO GO BACK TO HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT AND GET THAT INFORMATION.
UM, SO YOU MANAGE ARE, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT EXPEDITED AS, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
UM, I KNOW THAT WHEN WE SEND TECHNICAL THINGS OFF TO CERT TO, TO HR, THEY SOMETIMES TAKE AN AWFULLY LONG TIME.
UM, AND I DON'T THINK THIS IS ACCEPTABLE TO CONTINUE LIKE THIS, OUR 9 1 1 DISPATCH IS AMONGST OUR, YOU KNOW, MOST IMPORTANT SERVICES THAT WE OFFER.
UM, AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE, UM, THAT, THAT WE ARE MEETING, MEETING THEIR NEEDS.
MR.
AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS HUMAN RESOURCES WILL HAVE THE ADJUSTMENTS MADE BY THE END OF THE MONTH WITH HOPES FOR IMPLEMENTATION IN MAY.
I APPRECIATE HAVING THAT UPDATE AND IF WE CAN, UM, MAKE SURE THAT COUNCIL IS AWARE OF THAT.
JUST A QUESTION, HONESTLY, MORE FOR, FROM THE POLICE SIDE OF THINGS, JUST WONDERING WHAT THE PATROL OFFICERS ANECDOTALLY, WHAT THEIR RESPONSE IS TO THE MENTAL HEALTH DIVERSION, YOU KNOW, PRACTICES THAT, THAT, UH, THAT THEY'RE, WE'RE HEARING A BUNCH OF DATA.
ERIC FITZGERALD COMMANDER AT APD OVER THE CIT UNIT.
AND, UH, WHAT WE'RE HEARING FROM THE OFFICERS OBVIOUSLY TO TOUCH ON WHAT, UH, MAYOR ADLER SAID ABOUT BEING ABLE TO REALLOCATE RESOURCES AND COMMITTED TIME VERSUS UNCOMMITTED TIME, ANY CALLS, UH, THAT CAN BE DEFERRED TO A CLINICIAN WHERE AN OFFICER DOES NOT HAVE TO SHOW UP.
THAT'S A TIME THAT IS CLEARLY NOT COMMITTED, RIGHT? THEY CAN DO THINGS LIKE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, COMMUNITY OUTREACH, THOSE THINGS.
SO THE ULTIMATE GOAL TO ECHO, UH, WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER POINT HAS SAID IS TO WHEN OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS REACH OUT FOR HELP PROVIDE THEM NOT ONLY ASSISTANCE, BUT THE APPROPRIATE ASSISTANCE, RIGHT? AND SO IF A POLICE OFFICERS DON'T HAVE TO RESPOND TO THAT CALL AND A CLINICIAN CAN, THAT'S NOT GOING TO HURT OUR FEELINGS.
SO GENERALLY SPEAKING, THEN A POSITIVE RESPONSE FROM A PATROL OFFICERS TO LET THE MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS HANDLE THESE CALLS.
AS OUR KITCHEN, JUST ONE LAST THING I, I DO WANT TO, UM, I WANT TO THANK KEN CRAIG ON MY STAFF.
HE'S BEEN WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH ALL OF YOU AND, UM, HAS DONE A GREAT JOB IN BEING A RESOURCE AND ASSISTANCE, UM, AS THIS PROJECT HAS MOVED FORWARD.
SO, UM, UH, HE'S BEEN OUR LEAD, UH, SINCE THE VERY BEGINNING AND I REALLY APPRECIATE HIS WORK ON THIS.
UM, AND MAYOR PRO TEM, THANK YOU FOR, UM, HIGHLIGHTING THE CONCERNS ABOUT THE, UM, THE, UH, CALL CALL-TAKERS, UM, PAY.
UM, I THINK THAT'S CRITICAL AND, AND I'M, I'M GLAD TO HEAR THE PROGRESS THAT'S BEING MADE ON THAT.
UH, WE JUST, WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE, UM, THE NUMBER OF CALL-TAKERS WE NEED, UM, AT APPROPRIATE LEVELS OF PAY.
[02:25:01]
OUR OPERATION IN OUR ABILITY TO SERVE THE PUBLIC.SO JUST WANTED TO EMPHASIZE THAT.
AND, UM, AND I KNOW, UH, MAYOR PORTEND HAS DONE A LOT OF WORK IN THIS AREA AND APPRECIATE THAT.
AND WITH THAT, I THINK THAT, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER POINTLESS AND I HAVE TO STEP OUT AND WE'LL BE BACK AFTER OUR LUNCHEON ENGAGEMENT WITH, I JUST WANT TO THINK THAT DISPATCH GROUP, I HAD SOME TIME TO GO DOWN THERE AND ACTUALLY SEE THE WORK THAT THEY DO AND LISTEN TO SOME OF THE CALLS.
AND IT WAS OVERWHELMING EVEN FOR SOMEONE WHO WAS A FIRST RESPONDER AT ONE POINT IN HER LIFE.
SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT THEY DO.
AND I JUST WANT TO SAY WE HAVE THE BEST DISPATCHERS EVER.
UM, TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE WORKED SO HARD ON THIS.
AND, AND, UM, I ALSO WANT TO THANK COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.
I KNOW SHE JUST STEPPED OUT, BUT SHE AND HER STAFF HAVE DONE TREMENDOUS WORK ON THIS AS WELL.
I WANT TO ASK A QUESTION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, FROM THE, FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE PUBLIC, IF THEY'RE INTERACTING WITH AN INDIVIDUAL WHO APPEARS TO BE HAVING A MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE, WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST IN TERMS OF, UM, WHAT THEY SHOULD DO NEXT? YOU KNOW, I, I, I CAN SEE AUDIENCE MEMBERS.
UM, I MEAN, WE SOMETIMES GET CALLS IN MY OFFICE, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR THE HOST TEAM, YOU KNOW, CAN YOU PLEASE GIVE ME THE PHONE NUMBER FOR THE HOST TEAM? SO I I'D LIKE YOU TO KIND OF STEP BACK AND, AND HELP THE PUBLIC, UNDERSTAND HOW THEY SHOULD RESPOND TO THESE KINDS OF SITUATIONS IN WAYS THAT, THAT, UM, ALLOW YOU TO USE THESE RESOURCES SINCE THE PUBLIC CAN'T REALLY DIRECTLY INTERACT WITH, WITH MOST OF THESE TEAMS, ANY TIME THAT THERE'S ANY KIND OF HARM, UH, IMMINENT HARM, WE'RE GOING TO PROPOSE THAT THEY CALL 9 1 1, RIGHT? IF THERE'S A PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE, WE WANT THE POLICE TO BE THERE TO INTERVENE.
UM, BUT, UH, ASIDE FROM THAT, ONCE, YOU KNOW, THE POLICE WERE INVOLVED OR, UH, THEY'RE ABLE TO TALK TO THESE DISPATCHERS, AND THAT'S THE IDEA, RIGHT, IS TO MAKE SURE THESE DISPATCHERS HAVE THAT TRAINING.
SO THEY'RE ABLE TO OFFER THOSE GUIDELINES TO THE PUBLIC AS FAR AS HOW TO RESPOND.
UM, BUT GENERALLY ANYTIME THERE'S, UH, THERE'S PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUES, THE POLICE WANT TO BE THE ONES THAT ARE THERE IN ENGAGING.
UM, BUT LIKE I SAID, THE NOT THE OPERATORS CAN KIND OF GIVE THAT INFORMATION AS FAR AS WHAT TO DO NEXT, THOSE, THOSE NEXT STEPS.
BUT WHEN THEY CALL 9 1 1 THESE DAYS, THEY, THEY ARE ASKED, DO YOU NEED FIRE EMS OR MENTAL HEALTH, UH, CORRECT.
FIRE POLICE, UH, OR MENTAL HEALTH, RIGHT? AND SO AGAIN, LIKE IF THIS IS GOING TO BE CASE BY CASE BASIS, RIGHT, IT DEPENDS ON WHAT ACTIVITY IS BEING DESCRIBED TO THE OPERATOR.
AND THAT'S WHY, UM, AS MAYOR PRO TEM SAID, IT'S SO CRUCIAL THAT WE GET THAT STAFFING.
UH, SO WE CAN GET THAT TRAINING IN.
UH, SO THEY'RE ABLE, ABLE TO TAKE THAT CALL ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS AND DISCERN WHAT RESOURCES NEED TO BE SENT, BUT THE MESSAGE TO GET OUT TO THE PUBLIC IS THAT THEY STILL CALL THE SAME PLACE NINE ONE ONE, AND THEN THE TRAIN DISPATCHERS ON THE OTHER END ARE GOING TO TRY TO, UH, THEY'RE GOING TO ASK ENOUGH QUESTIONS TO DETERMINE WHO AMONG OUR CITY RESOURCES IS BEST POSITIONED TO RESPOND.
IT'D ALWAYS BE A CASE BY CASE BASIS, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE'S THAT PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE.
UM, THE BEST THING TO DO IS TO CALL NINE 11.
BUT THERE ARE, BUT WITHIN NINE 11 ARE NOW, UM, OPTIONS THAT DIDN'T CURRENTLY EXIST OR THAT DIDN'T EXIST FIVE, 10 YEARS AGO, CORRECT.
ESPECIALLY WITH THE ADDITION OF THE FOURTH OPTION OF MENTAL HEALTH.
I THINK THIS IS STILL JERMAINE, UM, WANTED TO FOLLOW UP BECAUSE I HAD ANOTHER BUDGET WRITER THAT RELATED TO VICTIM SERVICES AND THEIR COMPENSATION.
UM, SO DO WE HAVE A SENSE MS. PRESENT YOU IF YOU'RE STILL HERE, DO YOU KNOW WHEN THAT WILL BE COMING BACK? I THINK FOUR OF US ARE GOING OUT TO THE SEX CRIMES UNIT NEXT WEEK, UM, TO VISIT WITH FOLKS.
AND IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF WE HAD THAT INFORMATION IN ADVANCE MAYOR PRO TEM THAT IS ON THE SAME TIMELINE AS THE NINE 11 CALL TAKERS AT THE SAME END OF THE MONTH IMPLEMENTATION AND MAKE GREAT.
THOSE ARE OBVIOUSLY KEY ISSUES.
I'M ANXIOUS TO SEE WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO ALSO IN WATER AND CODE AND EVERYWHERE ELSE.
IT'S A, IT'S A GLOBAL PROBLEM CHALLENGE RIGHT NOW IN THE, IN THE CITY.
UM, BUT I DO AGREE THAT 9 1 1 AND 3, 1 1 IS, IS PRIORITY.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE JUST REALLY ALL ENCOURAGED BY AND MANAGERS SEEMS WHENEVER WE HAVE CROSS DISCIPLINE AND DEPARTMENT WORK IN THE CITY, IT ALWAYS YIELDS SUCH SPECTACULAR OUTCOMES.
SO THANK YOU AND THANK YOU TO TWO STAFF AND INTEGRAL CARE.
[02:30:01]
TWO ITEMS, UM,[A. Pre-Selected Agenda Items (Part 2 of 2)]
14, I THINK IS BOTH QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT NEED TO BE ASKED IN HERE AND THEN POTENTIALLY A QUESTION THAT NEEDS TO BE ASKED IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.SO I'M GOING TO ASK MY QUESTIONS FIRST ABOUT 19 AND THEN GO BACK TO 14, 19.
AND I HIGHLIGHTED WHAT MY QUESTION WAS, UM, WHEN WE POSTPONED IT AT OUR LAST MEETING.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S SOMEBODY PREPARED HERE ON, ON STAFF, UM, TO ADDRESS WHY IT IS WE ARE PROPOSING TO, TO LEASE OUT THIS SPACE AT A, AT A RENT THAT APPEARS TO BE FAR, FAR LOWER THAN MARKET.
AND THIS IS NUMBER 19, THE INITIAL, THE 10 YEAR, 10 YEAR LEASE WITH TWO FIVE-YEAR RENEWAL OPTIONS.
SO UP TO 20 YEARS, UM, FOR THE ESCAPE GAME AUSTIN, AND THIS IS IN THE, UM, CONVENTION CENTER, PARKING GARAGE, KEVIN LAVARUS, DEPUTY CFO.
UM, SO WE ACTUALLY, AND MERRICK IS A TECH FROM REAL ESTATE SERVICES IS HERE AS WELL.
UM, WE ACTUALLY HAVE A NEWLY NEGOTIATED DEAL, UM, AS OF MOMENTS AGO.
UM, BUT, AND I'LL LET HIM TO GO INTO THOSE DETAILS IN A MOMENT, BUT I THINK SOMETHING THAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE, UH, FOR THIS, THIS LEASE IS, UM, THE RENEGOTIATION OF THIS LEASE IS IN SUPPORTIVE PREVIOUS COUNCIL DIRECTION RELATED TO, UM, THE BUSINESSES THAT WERE NEGATIVE MOST NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY COVID THAT ARE IN CITY OWNED SPACE.
UM, SO THE RENEGOTIATION SUPPORTS THAT EFFORT.
UM, IT ALSO HELPS US FILL WHAT IS CURRENTLY A VACANT SPACE.
THERE WAS A SPACE PRIVILEGE PREVIOUSLY OCCUPIED BY, UM, A RESTAURANT CALLED RED OR A WINE BAR CALLED REDS AND WHITES.
SO THIS, UH, THESE WILL ALLOW US TO HAVE ESCAPE ROOM EXPAND INTO THAT SPACE AS WELL AS EXTENDED THEIR LEASE.
SO, UM, THE, WITH THIS 10 YEAR LEASE, IT ALLOWS US A VERY LONG-TERM STRONG COMMITMENT FOR UTILIZING THIS SPACE.
IT ALSO PROVIDES A VERY POPULAR DRAW FOR LOCAL FOLKS, AS WELL AS CONVENTION VISITORS, UM, IN A LOCATION THAT'S APPROXIMATE TO THE CONVENTION CENTER.
UM, AND WHEN IT COMES TO THE DEAL OF THE, THE RENT, UM, PER SQUARE FOOT AND IMPROVEMENTS THAT THE, UM, THE LEASEE WILL BE MAKING, WHICH ARE EXTENSIVE I'LL, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MERRICK TO, TO COMMENT ON THOSE DETAILS.
I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU THOUGH.
SO THE PREVIOUS COUNCIL DIRECTION, WHICH I WAS INVOLVED WITH AS A CO-SPONSOR, I BELIEVE TO RENEGOTIATE LEASES ON CITY OWNED LAND DURING COVID WAS REALLY KIND OF TAKE TO GET US THROUGH THAT MOMENT.
UM, UM, CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHY, AS I UNDERSTAND THIS WOULD BE, THIS IS A CURRENTLY VACANT SPACE THAT WE WOULD BE ALLOWING AN EXISTING BUSINESS TO MOVE INTO, HELP ME UNDER.
CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND HOW THAT RELATES TO THE PREVIOUS ACTION TO KIND OF HELP OUR EXISTING BUSINESSES GET THROUGH THAT MOMENT WHERE SO MANY OF THEM WERE CLOSED? I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE HAD BUSINESSES, I MEAN, COOKBOOK, FOR EXAMPLE, WAS NOT, I MEAN, WE, WE, IT WAS DIRECTED AT SOME OF THOSE BUSINESSES THAT WERE JUST NOT ABLE TO, TO OPEN THEIR DOORS DURING COVID RIGHT? SO WE, THE OVERALL DIRECTION WAS FOR US TO ATTEND TO THOSE THAT HAD NEEDED RENT ABATEMENT, UM, HAD HAD TO DELAY PAYMENTS.
UM, SO WE DID A COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT ALL OF THESE LEASED SPACES TO, TO ADDRESS THOSE, THOSE BACK, UM, THE BACKDATED PAYMENTS, UM, AS WELL AS, AS LOOK AT ARE THE MARKET RATES FOR THE PER SQUARE FOOT COST.
UM, SO WE ACTUALLY HAD A THIRD-PARTY APPRAISER PROVIDE A FAIR MAKE AT FAR FAIR MARKET VALUE REPORT ON, UM, THE DIFFERENT SPACES THEIR USES GIVE US, UH, RANGES ON WHAT RENT SHOULD BE CHARGED DEPENDING ON THOSE USES WHAT THINGS WE SHOULD BE CONSIDERING AROUND TENANT IMPROVEMENTS, UM, AND, AND VARIOUS OTHER, UM, ASPECTS OF A LEASE DEAL.
SO THIS IN, FROM THAT REPORT THAT WE DID, UM, PREVIOUSLY THIS, THIS NEW LEASE, UM, IS IN ALIGNMENT WITH, WITH THOSE, THOSE VALUES IN THAT APPROACH.
I THINK THIS IS, UH, YOU KNOW, I'M SORRY THAT SO MANY OF OUR COLLEAGUES ARE OFF THE DIETS AT THIS MOMENT, BECAUSE TO ME, THIS IS REALLY A POLICY QUESTION ABOUT, AS I SEE IT, I MEAN, WOULD YOU, AND MAYBE THIS IS A QUESTION FOR REAL ESTATE, $19 A SQUARE FOOT DOESN'T REALLY SEEM TO BE A FAIR MARKET VALUE FOR DOWNTOWN.
AND I GUESS, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT IS A POLICY QUESTION.
IF WE WANT TO, IF WE WANT TO SUPPORT GROUPS LIKE URBAN ROOTS AS WE HAVE, AND ALLOWED THEM A VERY LOW COST RENT ON A PIECE OF CITY PROPERTY, THAT'S, THAT'S ONE KIND OF DECISION WITH OUR DOWNTOWN PROPERTIES.
I'M NOT SURE, I GUESS I WOULD REALLY HAVE TO ASK THE QUESTION OF WHY WE WOULD BE REALLY SUBSTANTIALLY DISCOUNTING OUR RENT IN, IN, IN OUR CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT.
UM, I'D LIKE TO ASK, PULL AMERICAN FROM MY REAL ESTATE TEAM TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK TO THAT SUPPORT SPECIFICALLY.
[02:35:02]
UH, I'M HERE, UH, GOOD MORNING, AMERICAN MARTIN COUNCIL MEMBERS.UH, SO JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION ON THIS PARTICULAR SPACE BECAUSE THIS NEW LEASE ACTUALLY INVOLVES TWO SUITES, TWO SEPARATE SUITES, THE ESCAPE GAME ROOM, WHICH HAS A CURRENT LEASE, WHICH EXPIRES ON JUNE 30TH, 2025, AND ALSO THE OLD SPACE, WHICH WAS OCCUPIED BY TEXAS RIGHTS AND WHITES.
AND THEN AT LEAST IN TEXAS, THE ONLY $15 PER SQUARE FOOT, UH, AND THEIR LEASE WAS GOING TO EXPIRE THIS AUGUST, UNFORTUNATELY TO COVER IT.
THEY TERMINATED EARLY AND ESCAPE GAME.
WE CURRENTLY SPEND $17, 25 CENTS PER SCORE.
THEY'RE OCCUPYING, UM, UH, 5,700 SQUARE FEET.
AND THE SUITE OF REDS AND WHITES WAS 2,400 SQUARE FEET.
AND, UH, THE COMPARABLE RIGHTS FROM THE APPRAISAL REPORT WERE UNADJUSTED.
COMPARABLE RATES WERE BETWEEN $21 TO $36 WITH TWO AND A HALF TO 3% ESCALATIONS.
UH, WHEN WE BROUGHT THIS ITEM TO CONSOLE, WE STILL COULDN'T AGREE WITH THE OWNER OF SCAPE A GAME ABOUT THE POTENTIAL ESCALATIONS, BUT WE HAD A FOLLOW-UP MEETING THIS MORNING AND, UH, THE DEAL HAS CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY.
IF WE ARE WILLING TO HONOR THE EXISTING LEASE, UH, FOR THE ESCAPE GAME, UH, SUITE INITIALS SUITE AT THE CURRENT RENT.
AND THEN, UH, THE OWNER IS WILLING TO TAKE OVER THE RIGHTS AND WHITE SPACE AND PAY THE MARKET RENT OF $21 PER SQUARE FOOT.
THE DIFFERENCES, BECAUSE, UH, WHEN WE LOOK, WHEN WE EVALUATE THE THIRD-PARTY APPRISE, INDEPENDENT APPRAISER EVALUATED THE SPACES FOR A CONVENTION CENTER, EACH SPACE WAS ANALYZED INDIVIDUALLY.
AND THOSE, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, THE REDS AND WHITES WERE VALUED AS A RESTAURANT AND ESCAPE GAME AS A RETAIL SPACE TEST, THAT THERE WERE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE RENT.
AND SO THE ADJUSTED RENT ESCAPE GAME WAS $18 AND FOUR, A REDS AND WHITES WAS $21.
AND IT'S SO BASED ON THIS NEW CONVERSATION WITH THE OWNER, WE WOULD LIKE TO PROPOSE TO THE COUNCIL A NEW DEAL, WHICH WILL COMBINE THESE SPACES.
WE WILL, WE WILL HONOR THE CURRENT CHAMP NEXT THREE YEARS REMAINING, UM, UH, ALL THE ESCAPE GAME SPACE, BUT ON THE NEW SPACE, UH, WE'LL GO TO THAT NEW MARKET RENT OF $21.
THERE WILL BE NO RENT ABATEMENT, UH, RIGHT NOW, UH, ESCAPE GAME, I BELIEVE STILL HAS LIKE $21,000 REMAINING IN THE, FOR RENT.
AND THEY'RE PAYING LIKE IN MONTHLY INSTALLMENTS.
UM, ALSO WITH, ARE GOING TO INVEST IN THE NEW SPACE, IN THE BUILDUP, BUT IN THE BUILDUP AND THE GENERAL CONTRACTOR COSTS APPROXIMATELY $750,000 ON THE NEW SPACE AND ADDITIONAL 200,000 IN THEATER.
AND WHAT WE WOULD BE, UM, TRYING TO DO IS COMBINE THESE TWO SPACES INTO THE ONE LEASE AND MATCH THE LEASE EXPIRATION FOR THOSE BOTH TERMS. SO I BELIEVE, UH, THIS NEW PROPOSE A LEASE IS MUCH MORE POWERFUL TO THE TAXPAYERS THAT EITHER PUT THE TERMS, WHICH WE BROUGHT PREVIOUSLY.
I, I THINK I'M GOING TO NEED TO SEE ALL OF THOSE DETAILS IN WRITING.
IT WAS JUST A LITTLE TOO MUCH TO CAPTURE AND YOU CUT OUT IN AND OUT AND IN SOME KEY AREAS, BUT I THINK I UNDERSTOOD YOUR SUMMATION IS THAT THIS IS A BETTER DEAL FOR THE TAXPAYERS.
AND SO I APPRECIATE, I APPRECIATE YOU CONTINUING TO WORK ON IT, TO GET THERE.
UM, I STILL HAVE SOME CONCERNS, IF ARE I, WHILE I'M SENSITIVE TO WHAT YOU SAID, THAT IT'S THE VALUATION, UM, AT A HIGHER LEVEL AT THAT HIGHER LEVEL OF THE SPECTRUM IS MOST APPROPRIATE FOR RESTAURANTS AND THIS ISN'T A RESTAURANT, BUT THE FACT IS IF WE DIDN'T RENT IT TO THE ESCAPE GAME, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET ANOTHER RESTAURANT IN THAT SPACE FOR THE HIGHER LEVEL.
AND I, YOU KNOW, AS WE'RE, I MEAN, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S ON MY MIND AS WE APPROACH OUR BUDGET SESSION THIS SUMMER AND, YOU KNOW, INTO THE FUTURE IS THAT WE ARE IN SOME REALLY DIRE FINANCIAL STRAITS, AND WE JUST CAN'T AFFORD TO BE SUBSIDIZING COMMERCIAL LEASE SPACE, UM, UNLESS THERE'S A REALLY SUBSTANTIAL POLICY REASON FOR DOING SO.
AND I'M NOT HEARING A REALLY SUBSTANTIAL POLICY REASON FOR SUBS FOR SUBSIDIZING THIS PARTICULAR BUSINESS OR THIS PARTICULAR SPACE.
SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE GETTING REALLY GETTING THE HIGHEST MARKET VALUE WE POSSIBLY CAN FOR THESE TWO SPACES.
SO THANK YOU FOR, UM, IF YOU COULD CAPTURE THAT IN AN EMAIL OR SOMETHING FOR US SO THAT WE CAN LOOK AT IT.
[02:40:01]
WHAT YOU SAID IS, IS THE ONE SPACE WOULD REMAIN AT ITS CURRENT LEVEL OF RENT, WHICH I THINK IS $17 AND 50 CENTS, YOU SAID.AND SO IT WOULD ACTUALLY BE A LITTLE LESS THAN WHAT WAS ON OUR AGENDA, BUT THE OTHER SPACE WOULD BE $21.
AND, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE RATES I HAD BEEN QUOTED WERE MORE LIKE $45 FOR COMMERCIAL SPACE IN DOWNTOWN.
AND SO I, I, I NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHY THE INDEPENDENT APPRAISER ONLY MAXED OUT AT $36 RATHER THAN THAT 45.
AND ALSO AGAIN, WHY WE WOULDN'T LOOK FOR TENANTS WHO COULD PAY THAT 36, UM, RATHER THAN SUBSTANTIALLY, YOU KNOW, A SUBSTANTIAL DECREASE HERE.
SO IF I, IF I MAY, UH, ANSWER ON THOSE QUESTIONS.
SO ALSO, YOU KNOW, WE, AS A LANDLORD, WE DO NOT PROVIDE ANY TENANT IMPROVEMENT, ALLOWANCE AND ALL THESE OTHER, UH, COMPARABLES WE'RE PROVIDING BETWEEN $10 TO $38 PER SQUARE FOOT, UH, UM, IN A TENANT IMPROVEMENT ALLOWANCE, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, UH, IT'S WOULD COME BETWEEN 71 TO $270,000, UH, PER THAT SPACE.
ALSO, THOSE OTHER COMPARABLES WE'RE OFFERING A COMMISSION OF 4% AND TYPICALLY, UH, WHEN THE RETAIL SPACE DRIVES HIGHER ANNUAL RENT, UH, THERE, THERE'S ALSO AN ADDITIONAL COMPONENT FOR THE BUILDUP, WHICH IS A MORE TIES, UH, DURING THE TERM OF DELETES.
AND WE DO NOT OFFER THOSE CONCESSIONS TO OUR TENANTS.
SO WE DON'T PROVIDE ANY TENANT IMPROVEMENT ALLOWANCE.
WE DO NOT PAY ANY LEASING COMMISSIONS, AND WE DO NOT ARE MORE TIES, UH, YOU KNOW, AN ADDITIONAL BILL THAT, WHICH THE TENANT IS NOT WILLING TO PAY FOR THE TERM OF DELETES.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY FOR US TO, TO GET THAT INFORMATION? DO YOU, ARE MY QUESTIONS CLEAR? DO YOU NEED ME TO SUBMIT THEM? YEAH.
AND IT COMES TO MY, AS A STAFF TO TAKE THESE QUESTIONS AND SUMMARIZE THEM IN A MEMO THAT WOULD GO TO YOU AND YOU AND COUNCIL AS WELL.
IT SOUNDS LIKE IN PART, THE MISSING PIECE IS THE APPRAISAL WORK, YOU KNOW, THE COMPS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A WAY TO DAYLIGHT THAT SO THAT COUNTS, REMEMBER TOVA CAN SEE EXACTLY THE COMPARABLES THAT THEY'RE RELYING ON AND SEE HOW THE APPRAISER CALCULATED THAT MARKET VALUE AND THE CA AND THE COST BENEFIT.
I ASSUME THEY'VE RUN A COST BENEFIT TO KNOW THAT NOT PAYING FOR THE TENANT IMPROVEMENTS AND THE COMMISSION IS, IS WORTH IT OVER THE EXTENT OF THIS LEASE.
AND I WOULD SAY, YES, THANK YOU.
I THINK THAT'LL BE USEFUL TO ME, AND I HOPE IT'LL BE USEFUL TO OTHERS BECAUSE I REALLY THINK AGAIN, I THINK WE NEED TO ALL BE THINKING ABOUT HOW WE MAXIMIZE THE ASSETS OF THE CITY, UM, AT A TIME WITH SUCH BUDGET SCARCITY.
AND THIS IS, THIS CONVERSATION IS GOING TO HELP INFORM, I THINK, HOW WE WANT TO DIRECT THE MANAGER TO PROCEED WITH LEASES AND SALES.
AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK THESE QUESTIONS THAT WE'RE ALL ASKING ARE IMPORTANT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE WERE, WE WERE ON CONSENT PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION ON A MUCH LOWER LEASE RATE.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER TOFU FOR REALLY DIVING INTO THIS.
WE HAD TRIED TO MEET WITH THEM BEFORE THE LAST COUNCIL MEETING, OR WHENEVER WE POSTPONED IT.
AND WE'RE TOLD THAT, YOU KNOW, ALL THIS INFORMATION, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, UM, WOULD BE COMING OUT IN, IN DIFFERENT ANSWERS.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS, UM, IN WRITING THIS NEW VERSION, UM, I, I HAD SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ABATEMENT, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S STILL HAPPENING BECAUSE I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY THEY WERE GETTING AN ABATEMENT ON THEIR EXISTING, THEIR EXISTING, UM, SPACE.
BUT I CAN'T TELL FROM WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, IF THAT'S NO LONGER PART OF THE DISCUSSION, CORRECT.
SO THE, THE NEW LEASE WILL NOT NOW, NOT
SO, UM, STILL NOT GIVEN WHERE WE ARE NOW, I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING THAT, BUT IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE IT'S PART OF THE DEAL.
SO IT DOESN'T, SO IT'S NOT, SO IT'S MOOT.
UM, WHEN YOU PROVIDE THAT MEMO, IF YOU CAN BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE PAYING CURRENTLY, I THINK IT'S FOR THE 4 0 5 RED RIVER PROPERTY, BECAUSE THE INFORMATION WE WERE GIVEN WAS KIND OF COMBINED, AND I'M GUESSING THAT'LL BE NATURAL SINCE YOU'RE BASICALLY KEEPING A LEASE THAT THEY HAVE ON ONE PROPERTY AND THEN ADDING THE OTHER.
UM, SO I, SO IF YOU COULD INCLUDE SOME OF THAT INFORMATION IN THIS MEMO AND, AND, UM, I WAS NOT AWARE OF
[02:45:01]
SORT OF THE 750,000 OF IMPROVEMENTS THEY'RE PUTTING IN, BUT AGAIN, THAT ESSENTIALLY MEANS PROBABLY RIPPING OUT THE KITCHEN, WHICH SOME OTHER GROUP COULD USE.AND, AND, AND, AND SO THERE IS A QUESTION AND, AND IT IS HARD TO OPEN A RESTAURANT IN AUSTIN, PARTICULARLY RIGHT NOW WITHOUT LABOR AND, AND OTHER STUFF.
SO, SO I DON'T KNOW THAT WE CAN JUST ASSUME THAT A RESTAURANT COULD GO IN THERE AND SUCCEED IN THAT, IN THAT LOCATION.
UM, BUT IT WOULD FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE HAVING THAT COUNTERFACTUAL ADDRESSED IN AN APPROPRIATE FASHION.
SO THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER TOBA FOR RAISING IT SINCE THAT'S COME UP A COUPLE OF TIMES, I WONDER IF WE COULD GET AN UPDATE ON IT'S IT'S NOW NOT CLEAR TO ME AT ALL, WHETHER WE'RE CONTINUING TO ABATE SOME OF THE RENT FOR BUSINESSES THAT ARE LOCATED ON CITY HALL OR WHETHER THAT HAS, HAS CEASED.
SO I THINK IT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA TO JUST GET AN UPDATE ON, ON WHICH BUSINESSES RECEIVED RENTAL ABATEMENTS DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME.
IS, ARE THOSE CONTINUING, AND DO WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING IF WE WANTED TO, TO KIND OF HELP THAT MOVING FORWARD? I MEAN, IT SEEMS LIKE AT THIS POINT WE PROBABLY DON'T THAT TO CONTINUE TO BE THE PRACTICE.
SO, UM, ON ITEM NUMBER 14, UH, WE'RE GOING TO PICK UP THAT LEGAL QUESTION ON THURSDAY, UH, KATHY WORK WITH LEGAL, MAKE SURE YOU'VE ARTICULATED THE QUESTION WELL, SO THEY CAN BE READY AND MAY OR MAY I THINK THAT, THAT SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT COUNSELOR HAS MADE JUST BE, WHY ARE WE DOING THE LEASE EXTENSION FOR THE TODD LANE? I KNOW THERE'S A MEMO THAT CAME OUT AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE, UM, ON THE THINGS THAT WOULD REQUIRE A LEGAL DISCUSSION.
SO WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO RESOLVE THAT BETWEEN NOW AND THURSDAY.
WE CAN CERTAINLY SAY THAT IF IT'S NEEDED, COULD I AIR AIR MY QUESTIONS? I MEAN, PART OF WHY I DID PART OF, PART OF OUR WORK SESSION IS TO SORT OF HAVE CONVERSATIONS ACROSS THE DIOCESE.
AND, AND THIS IS, UH, WHAT I, SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I INTEND TO TALK WITH STAFF ABOUT, I GUESS, OFF THE DIOCESE, UM, ARE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM LEASING SPACE.
AND SO I, THE QUESTIONS I HAVE FOR STAFF ARE I UNDERSTAND THAT THE NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE OWN ATTRACT AS DESCRIBED IN THE MEMO DIDN'T SUCCEED.
AND I DO WANT TO TALK IN EXECUTIVE SESSION ABOUT WHY THAT WAS THE CASE AND WHETHER THERE WERE ANY OTHER SITES THAT WERE CONTEMPLATED THAT MIGHT BE, THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO BE PURSUED.
THAT WOULD BE OWNERSHIP TRACKS.
I'M ALSO INTERESTED, I GUESS, IN AN OPEN SESSION OR OUTSIDE OF THIS MEETING, UM, IN HAVING CONVERSATIONS AROUND WHAT OTHER, WHAT OTHER TRACKS, WHAT OTHER CITY-OWNED TRACKS WERE CONSIDERED, UM, AND YOU KNOW, OTHER THINGS ALONG ALONG THOSE LINES, I THINK I HAVE A LIST OF QUESTIONS, BUT, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES AS A COUNCIL AND I APPRECIATE, YOU KNOW, I APPRECIATE THAT SOMETIMES WHEN WE PULL ITEMS MANAGER, YOU HAVE OUR STAFF, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE YOUR STAFF IMMEDIATELY REACH OUT TO US ON, ON MONDAY NIGHT OR FIRST THING, TUESDAY MORNING TO TRY TO RESOLVE THOSE.
AND SOMETIMES THAT'S USEFUL AND SOMETIMES WE CAN DO THAT, BUT, BUT OFTEN WE PULL THINGS FOR CONVERSATIONS ACROSS THE DIOCESE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, I THINK THIS AND THE OTHER PROPERTY ITEMS, I MEAN, THESE ARE THINGS WE NEED TO, AS A COUNCIL, REALLY FIGURE OUT HOW WE WANT TO DEAL WITH AND WHAT THE POLICIES ARE GOING TO BE.
NOT TO MENTION THAT SOMETIMES BY THAT POINT, WE, WE ALL HAVE SCHEDULES THAT ARE COMPLETELY BOOKED.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE HERE ALL DAY, TUESDAY, WE MIGHT HAVE BOOKED UP ALL DAY WEDNESDAY.
SO IT'S JUST NOT, IT'S NOT REALLY FEASIBLE TO TRY TO SCHEDULE LOTS OF MEETINGS WITH STAFF ABOUT THE ITEMS THAT WE HAVE QUESTIONS ON.
UM, LIKE YOU COME TO MAMA TOVA, I'M PAYING A LOT OF ATTENTION TO WHAT WE'RE LEASING AND OWNING MY UNDERSTANDING AND READING THE RCA WAS THAT THIS IS AN AMENDMENT TO SUPPORT WHAT THEY NEED UNTIL A NEW WAREHOUSE FACILITIES BUILT.
AND, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S BEEN SUBMITTED YET, BUT I HAVE ASKED MY STAFF TO SUBMIT A QUESTION AND ASKING THEM TO PROVIDE DETAILS ABOUT THE PLANS AND STATUS THEREOF TO BUILD A NEW WAREHOUSE FACILITY FACILITY.
UM, SO IT IS POSSIBLE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A PLAN FOR THAT END GAME IN MIND FOR MOVING FROM LEASING TO OWNING, WHICH WAS NOT FULLY EXPLAINED IN THE RCA, ALTHOUGH IT WAS SIGNALED.
UM, AND I THINK WE NEED MORE INFORMATION ABOUT, WE NEED MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW FAR ALONG THAT PLAN IS AND, AND, AND WHATNOT.
UM, AND, AND I'M GOING TO NEED TO SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, BEFORE I'M GOING TO BE COMFORTABLE OKAYING THE LEASE.
AND I THINK SOME OF THAT WAS ADDRESSED IN THE MEMO, UM, THAT THEY WERE IN THE PROCESS.
I ASSUME THERE IS A PLAN BECAUSE THEY WERE IN THE PROCESS OF PURCHASING A TRACT.
AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I WANT TO UNDERSTAND SORT OF WHERE WE LEFT OFF WHEN THIS PURCHASE WHERE'S THE MEMO.
UM, ACTUALLY I HAVE TWO COPIES, SO I'LL GIVE YOU ONE, IT WAS A VERY SHORT MEMO.
IT JUST SAID THAT THE NEGOTIATIONS TO PURCHASE THE TRACK FELL THROUGH.
[02:50:01]
HAD TO DO JUST WHAT YOU'VE DESCRIBED, EXTEND THE LEASE ON THIS PARTICULAR TRACK.ARE MY UNDERSTANDING ON THAT PIZZA TRACK.
IT'S YO, A MOTOROLA SITE IS A HUGE PIECE OF LAND THERE AND HE TOSSED IT IN DISTRICT ONE AND IT ABUTS TO THE GREEN LINE, THE FUTURE GREEN LINE.
AND, UH, I KNOW THAT I HAD SOME COMPENSATION WITH THE DEVELOPER THERE AND THEY WERE PROPOSING TO GO UP, YOU KNOW, 600 FEET THERE AND PROVIDE SOME COMMUNITY BENEFITS.
AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT, UH, HE WANTED A LITTLE BIT MORE, A LOT MORE THAN THEY WOULD FIRST SIT DOWN AND NEGOTIATE.
UM, AND, UH, I DON'T THINK WE'RE IN A POSITION RIGHT NOW TO BE PAYING THAT TYPE OF MONEY.
AND THAT'S THE UNDERSTANDING I GOT OUT OF IT WITH THE COMPENSATION, BUT IT'S WITH DEPARTMENT LEADS.
SO, UH, UH, WE, WE, UH, DESPERATELY NEED, UH, ANOTHER LOCATION AND I HOPE THAT WE DON'T DELAY THIS SO MUCH THAT WE'RE, WE'RE GOING TO BE STUCK WITH THE OLD PLACE, WHICH THEY HAVE TO MOVE OUT ANYWAY, BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO DEVELOP AND DEVELOP THAT AREA UNTIL AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
SO, UH, UH, YES, LET'S, LET'S REALLY WORK ON THAT QUICKLY AND GET THAT INFORMATION OUT.
I ENCOURAGE THE DEPARTMENT EITHER MAKE A PRESENTATION TO GIVE HER ON THIRSTY SO THAT WE CAN GET THAT INFORMATION AND THEN MAKE A DECISION.
I'M AFRAID THAT WE MIGHT JUST LOSE AN OPPORTUNITY HERE, AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A DEPARTMENT THAT DON'T HAVE A PLACE TO GET TO.
ALL RIGHT, COLLEAGUES IS, ARE ALL THE PULLED ITEMS THAT WE HAVE, UM, UH, LET'S TAKE A LUNCH BREAK AND COME BACK AT ONE O'CLOCK THAT'LL GIVE OUR, UH, COLLEAGUES A CHANCE TO BE ABLE TO JOIN US IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
THERE'S AN EMAIL FROM HR WITH RESPECT TO THE PERSONNEL MATTERS, BUT WE'RE GOING TO GO INTO CLOSED SESSION
[E. Executive Session]
TO TAKE UP, UM, FIVE ITEMS PURSUANT TO 5, 5, 1 0 7 1 CARBON CODE.WE'RE GONNA DISCUSS LEGAL ISSUES RELATED TO ITEMS.
WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSS PERSONNEL MATTERS RELATED TO ITEMS EVE FOUR U 5 86, WHICH ARE PERFORMANCE AND COMPENSATION BENEFITS FOR THE CITY CLERKS TO THE AUDITOR AND THE MUNICIPAL COURT CLERK.
UM, UH, HE, ONE'S GOING TO BE TAKEN UP ON THURSDAY, APRIL 21ST, 2022 DURING THE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING WITHOUT OBJECTION.
UH, WE'LL SEE YOU ALL ONLINE FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION AT ONE.
O'CLOCK WE NOT DOING THE CONTRACT ITEM TODAY? OR DID YOU SAY THAT, WHICH THE EMPLOYMENT LABOR IS THE ITEM YOU THREE.
WE ARE OUT OF A CLOSED SESSION IN CLOSED SESSION.
WE DISCUSS LEGAL ISSUES RELATED TO ITEM E THREE, AND WE ALSO, UH, DISCUSS PERSONNEL ISSUES RELATED ITEMS.
UH, AND WITH THAT HERE ON, UH, APRIL, UH, SEVENTH, APRIL 19TH, 2022, UH, I'M GOING TO ADJOURN, UH, THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING AT 4 0 8.