[00:00:05]
WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND CONVENE THE, UH, JUNE 7TH, 2022 WORK SESSION, UH, AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL, OR THE BOARDS AND COMMISSION ROOM, UH, NINE 10.
WE HAVE, UH, PAID, UH, IT'S BEEN SUGGESTED TO US THAT WE START WITH THE LIVING WAGE, UH, BRIEFING, CAUSE WE'RE GOING TO LOSE SOME PEOPLE.
UH, WE CAN DO THE, UH, PULLED ITEMS, WHICH MAY TAKE US A WHILE TODAY, UH, BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S ACTUALLY WORK TO BE DONE, UH, WITH US, UH, ON, ON THOSE ISSUES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHERE PEOPLE ARE.
UH, IF WE FINISHED AND HAVE TIME BEFORE LUNCH, UH, WE CAN GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION START TODAY.
THE, UH, WE JUST HAVE THE FOUR APPOINTMENT ARE FOUR APPOINTMENTS GOING THROUGH, UH, THAT, UH, UH, PERSONNEL, UH, REVIEWS.
UH, I'M GOING TO BE, UH, OFF THE DIOCESE FROM, UH, NOON TO ONE O'CLOCK.
UH, WE CAN EITHER JUST BE TAKING A LUNCH BREAK COLLECTIVELY AT THAT VERY TIME.
IF YOU ALL WANTED TO WORK ON EXECUTIVE SESSION, UH, I COULD MISS THAT.
HOW ABOUT WE'LL COME BACK, UH, THIS, UH, THIS AFTERNOON NOON TO, INTO THIS PLACE AT ONE O'CLOCK WE CAN DO THE HOMELESSNESS, UH, UH, UPDATE, UH, WHEN WE, UH, COME BACK, THERE'S A BRIEFING.
I THINK THAT'S BEEN HANDED OUT, UH, ONE 30, UH, AS CLOSE TO THAT, AS WE CAN, WE'LL GO INTO THE AUSTIN ENERGY, UH, MEETING, WHICH I UNDERSTAND, UH, MADAM CHAIR WITH ABOUT AN HOUR, WE THINK, UH, FOR THAT, UH, AND THAT WOULD HAVE US COMING BACK AT ABOUT TWO 30 TO FINISH EXECUTIVE SESSION.
UH, IF WE NEED TO DO THAT EXECUTIVE SESSION, WE'LL BE DONE, UH, VIRTUALLY, UH, TODAY.
YES, KENZIE, THANK YOU FOR THE RECOGNITION.
UM, I JUST WANT TO DAYLIGHT SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN BOTHERED ME A LITTLE BIT AND ALSO MY CONSTITUENTS AND THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE BRIEFINGS, NOT BEING POSTED ONLINE WITHIN, UM, AN AMOUNT OF TIME THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY ABLE TO REVIEW THEM AND COME UP WITH QUESTIONS AND REALLY DIG INTO THE INFORMATION.
I FEEL LIKE IT REALLY PUTS US AT A DISADVANTAGE ON COUNCIL TO NOT HAVE THAT INFORMATION IN A TIMELY MANNER.
UM, I KNOW THAT THIS MORNING, FOR EXAMPLE, AT 6:58 AM OR BRIEFING CAME IN ABOUT THE HOMELESSNESS ISSUE, BUT THERE'S STILL NO LIVING WAGE BRIEFING AVAILABLE ONLINE.
SO I WOULD JUST ASK THAT MAYBE WE HAVE THOSE 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE OF A MEETING.
I WOULD HATE TO HAVE TO BRING FORWARD A RESOLUTION TO REQUIRE THAT, BUT IT WOULD BE EXTREMELY HELPFUL FOR MYSELF AND FOR TRANSPARENCY WITH THE COMMUNITY TO HAVE THOSE AVAILABLE.
AND IT'S RECURRENT, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE RAISED COLLECTIVELY.
UM, SO I JOINED HIM IN THAT REQUEST.
UM, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE HOMELESS, UM, BRIEFING.
I DON'T WANT THAT TO GET SQUEEZED OUT OF TIME.
THERE'S SOME VERY IMPORTANT THINGS FOR US TO DISCUSS, INCLUDING THE, UH, THE REAL ESTATE ASPECT OF IT AND THE POTENTIAL FOR A NEW SHELTER LOCATIONS.
SO, UM, I WAS HOPING THAT WE WOULD TAKE IT THIS MORNING IS, OR IS IT POSSIBLE? IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU BE THERE FOR IT, MAYOR AND I, AND I'M CONCERNED THAT IF WE I'M CONCERNED, WE'RE GOING TO RUN OUT OF TIME.
AND SO IS THERE A REASON WHY YOU DON'T WANT TO DO IT THIS MORNING? JUST BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT.
I MEAN, FOR THURSDAY'S WORK, WE REALLY HAVE TO DO THE, THE PULLED ITEMS OR WORK THROUGH THOSE, BUT WE'LL HAVE TIME AND I WILL BE HERE FOR THAT.
CAUSE I WANT TO BE, IT'S OBVIOUSLY IT'S A HUGE PRIORITY FOR, FOR, FOR ME.
WELL, CAN WE COMMIT TO TAKING IT UP, UH, WHEN WE COME BACK FROM LUNCH, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER WE'RE FINISHED WITH THE, UM, PULLED ITEMS, THAT'S WHAT I WAS RECOMMENDING ONE O'CLOCK WE, WE TURNED TO THAT ITEM.
IT HAD THAT TIME BEFORE WE DO THE, UH, OKAY.
EVEN IF WE'RE NOT FINISHED WITH PULLED ITEMS, I THINK THAT WILL BE IMPORTANT SO WELL, LET'S SEE WHERE WE ARE ON THAT.
WE HAVE TOO MANY THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TODAY, BUT I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO LOSE THAT.
SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED IF WE CAN MANAGE, THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
IT'S GOOD TO SEE EVERYONE THIS MORNING.
AND AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED, WE'RE GOING TO START TODAY'S WORK SESSION WITH A BRIEFING FROM THE LIVING WAGE WORK GROUP.
AND SO JUST AS SOME CONTEXT, AS YOU MAY KNOW, EIGHT YEARS AGO IN 2014, THE COUNCIL PASSED A RESOLUTION, DIRECTING THE MANAGER TO PROVIDE STAFF SUPPORT FOR A STAKEHOLDER PROCESS TO DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING THE CITY'S LIVING WAGE RATES AND POLICY.
[00:05:01]
PROCESS STAKEHOLDERS MET SEVEN TIMES AND THEN PROVIDED THE RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL.AT THAT TIME, A PLAN WAS DEVELOPED THEN TO INCREASE THE LIVING WAGE FROM $11 AND 39 CENTS TO $15, UH, OVER FIVE YEARS, UH, BY 2020, UH, FAST FORWARD TO TODAY, UH, EARLIER THIS YEAR, LIVING WAGE STAKEHOLDER GROUP CONVENED AGAIN, AND PROVIDED AN UPDATED RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL THAT, UH, RECOMMENDATION WAS SENT VIA MEMO FROM OUR HR DIRECTOR ON APRIL 28TH AND TO COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY'S POINTS.
WE SHOULD POST THAT IN BACKUP AND I'LL MAKE SURE THAT THAT HAPPENS BECAUSE I DON'T BELIEVE THERE'S A PRESENTATION TODAY.
IT'S JUST THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE MEMO THAT WAS GIVEN TO YOU ON APRIL 28TH, BUT I'LL MAKE SURE THAT THAT GETS BACK, GET SOME BACKUP AS WELL.
SO THIS TIME THE GROUP MET FOUR TIMES AND WE ARE HERE TODAY TO RECEIVE A BRIEFING ON THAT LIVING WAGE FROM MEMBERS OF THIS COMMUNITY WORKING GROUP.
AS YOU KNOW, AS PART OF THE BUDGET PROCESS, I WILL BRING FORWARD A COMPENSATION PACKAGE THAT INCLUDES INCREASES TO THE LIVING WAGE ACROSS THE BOARD INCREASES AND OTHER COMPENSATION RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OUR HARDWORKING, DEDICATED CITY EMPLOYEES.
UH, SO WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO MEMBERS OF THE WORKING GROUP WHO WILL WALK THROUGH THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS.
YOU KNOW, IT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING, IF IT'S NOT ON THE COMPUTER, IT'S HERE.
UM, SO GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE.
IT IS AN HONOR TO BE HERE IN FRONT OF YOU TODAY.
UM, AND AS YOU HEARD FROM THE CITY MANAGER, WE'VE ALSO PASSED OUT THE PROPOSAL BACK FROM 2015.
UM, SO I WANTED TO SAY A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE ECONOMIC SITUATION IN AUSTIN THOUGH.
AUSTIN IS, HAS THE BEST JOB MARKET IN THE NATION.
WE KNOW THAT AUSTIN IS SUFFERING FROM RISING HOUSE HOUSING COSTS.
WE KNOW THAT AUSTIN IS NO LONGER RANKED ONE OF THE TOP 10, THAT AUSTIN HAS DROPPED DOWN TO 13 AND ALL OF THAT IS DUE TO THE RISING COST OF HOUSING.
UM, I MENTIONED THAT BECAUSE WE ARE TRYING TO KEEP OUR EMPLOYEES IN HOUSING.
UH, WE'RE TRYING TO, UH, KEEP THEM ON THE WORK AT THE WORKPLACE AND IT HAS BECOME A SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE FOR THEM.
WE NEED TO MOVE BACK TO BASICS.
UM, WE ARE TAKING THIS OPPORTUNITY EIGHT YEARS LATER.
UM, THE REPORT SAYS THAT WE SHOULD HAVE ENDED AT 1683.
AND FOR SOME REASON WE NEVER APPLIED THE CPI TO, TO KEEP THE LIVING WAGE MOVING.
SO OUR ASK FOR 22 SOUNDS ASTRONOMICAL.
WE KNOW THAT THE EMPLOYEES ARE DOING MORE WITH LESS.
WE KNOW THEY ARE WORKING MANDATORY OVERTIME.
WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE EMPLOYEES WORKING OUT OF THEIR CLASSIFICATION.
WE HAVE ADMIN STAFF STILL TAKING 9 1, 1 NON-EMERGENCY CALLS.
WE HAVE PARK RANGERS PROVIDING SUPPORT TO THE YOUTH PROGRAMS AND IT GOES ON AND ON.
WE KNOW THAT A R R HAS A CONTRACT BECAUSE THEY'RE THE SERVICE.
THOSE ARE BEING IMPACTED BECAUSE WE ARE NOT ABLE TO KEEP LOW WAGE EARNERS.
WE ARE LOSING THEM TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
WE KNOW THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS AT 20 22, 24.
THEY DON'T HAVE TO KEEP THE $15.
AND WE ARE AT AN ALL TIME HIGH VACANCY RATE OF 18% IN JUST THE GENERAL FUND DEPARTMENTS.
IT IS TIME TO TAKE CARE OF OUR HOUSE, TO TAKE CARE AND RESTORE OPERATIONS TO THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN.
UM, AND WE NEED YOUR HELP TO DO THAT.
WE CANNOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT INFLATION.
WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT IT COSTS TO FILL UP YOUR CAR, BUT THE ONE THING WE CAN DO THAT YOU CAN DO, YOU CAN GIVE YOUR EMPLOYEES, THE WAGES NEEDED TO SURVIVE IN THIS ECONOMY.
[00:10:03]
UH, GOOD MORNING COUNCIL.WE'RE HOSPITALITY WORKERS UNION.
WE REPRESENT THE CONCESSIONS WORKERS AT THE AIRPORT, AND I REALLY JUST WANTED TO SPEND A COUPLE MINUTES SHARING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE.
I KNOW SOME OF YOU HAVE ALREADY MET WITH THEM.
YOU'VE HEARD FROM THEM DIRECTLY ABOUT WHAT IT'S LIKE THERE.
UM, BUT REALLY IF YOU FLOWN OUT OF THE AIRPORT RECENTLY, YOU'LL HAVE SEEN A LOT OF THOSE SHOPS ARE CLOSED.
THE RETAIL STORE, WE COULD GET YOUR MAGAZINE, RIGHT? THOSE PLACES HAVE BEEN CLOSED BECAUSE THEY ARE UNDERSTAFFED.
WE'VE HEARD FROM FOLKS THAT PEOPLE ARE QUITTING WORK AT THE AIRPORT BECAUSE OF THE DEMAND, RIGHT? BECAUSE OF SO MANY PEOPLE FLYING THROUGH THE AIRPORT, IT IS TOO STRESSFUL AND THEY'RE OVERWHELMED.
THEY'D RATHER GO WORK SOMEWHERE ELSE WHERE THEY'RE MAKING THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY WHERE IT'S LESS DEMANDING.
UM, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW, THEY START WORK AT THREE 30 IN THE MORNING.
A LOT OF TIMES THEY LEAVE AROUND NOON OR TWO IN THE AFTERNOON.
THEIR WHOLE DAY RIGHT, IS SPENT AT WORK AND THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO SUPPORT THEIR FAMILIES.
UM, THAT'S REALLY THE MAJORITY OF WHAT I WANTED TO SHARE.
I THINK THERE'S A REAL OPPORTUNITY HERE TODAY, RIGHT? FOR THE COUNCIL TO NOT JUST AFFECT THE LIVES OF THE FOLKS WHO WILL BE TAKING HOME, THESE PAY PAYCHECKS, BUT REALLY RAISE THE FLOOR FOR THE CITY.
I AM THE AUSTIN POLICY COORDINATOR WITH WORKERS, DEFENSE AND WORKERS DEFENSE, UM, REPRESENTS LOW WAGE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS.
AND YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'VE BEEN SEEING WITH OUR MEMBERS AS WELL HAS BEEN THAT THE FOLKS THAT HAVE BEEN CONSTRUCTING THE CITY THAT HAVE BEEN MAKING THESE FANTASTIC HIGH-RISES BUILDINGS, THE HOUSING THAT WE'RE ALL IN, UM, THEY ARE NOT REAPING ANY OF THE BENEFITS.
MANY OF OUR MEMBERS HAVE LIVED IN AUSTIN AND HAVE ENDED UP LIVING, UH, MOVING OVER TO BUDA, TO KYLE, UM, OTHER AREAS IN THE CENTRAL, IN THE CENTRAL AREA.
SO THEY'RE ABLE TO STILL CONTINUE TO WORK, HOWEVER, ARE NOT ABLE TO LIVE HERE.
AND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHY WE REALLY SUPPORT AN INCREASE IN THE MINIMUM WAGE BECAUSE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT ARE ON PUBLIC PROJECTS WOULD BE THE DIRECT BENEFICIARIES.
AND SO $22 AN HOUR IS, UM, IS A STARTING PLACE.
UM, WE BELIEVE THAT THEY STILL, THAT IT'S STILL NOT A LIVING WAGE.
HOWEVER, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE BROUGHT BACK TO THEIR FAMILIES.
IT'S A WAY FOR FOLKS TO CONTINUE TO BUILD THEIR LIVES HERE IN AUSTIN.
AND WE REALLY HOPE THAT YOU ALL SUPPORT, UM, THE LIVING WAGE GOING UP TO $22 AN HOUR.
GOOD MORNING IS THAT ONE, UH, GOOD MORNING.
MY NAME IS JEREMY HENDRICKS AND I'M WITH THE LABORS INTERNATIONAL UNION.
I'M ALSO VICE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL BUILDING TRADES AND APPRECIATE THE INVITATION THIS MORNING TO COME SPEAK TO YOU.
UM, I'LL REMIND YOU, I'VE SERVED ON EVERY LIVING WAGE TASK FORCE SINCE WE PASSED THE $11 WAGE BEFORE TEN ONE, AND AUSTIN HAS ALWAYS BEEN BEHIND, UH, ALTHOUGH ACHIEVING $15 BY 2018 WAS EARLY.
UNFORTUNATELY WE STOPPED THERE AND DURING A PANDEMIC WHERE AS CAROL SAID, CITY WORKERS HAVE WORKED HARDER, LONGER HOURS TO PROVIDE MORE SERVICES TO FOLKS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE SAFE, UM, AND SURVIVE THIS PANDEMIC.
AND SO NOT RAISING THE WAGE SINCE 2018 IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE.
UM, AND I'LL REMIND YOU THAT THIS DOES EXTEND TO CONTRACTS.
AND RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A LOT OF COMPETITION IN THE MARKET.
WHEN IT COMES TO CONSTRUCTION, THERE ARE HUGE PROJECTS COMING UP AND IT'S GETTING HARDER AND HARDER TO FIND WORKERS BECAUSE THEY CAN'T AFFORD TO LIVE HERE AND WE CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY POVERTY WAGES ANYMORE.
SO THE, UH, THE DANGEROUS WORK THAT THEY DO ABSOLUTELY DESERVES BETTER PAY.
AND WHEN YOU HAVE MASSIVE PROJECTS COMING UP AND I'LL REMIND YOU, THIS ALSO EXTENDS THE PROJECT CONNECT AND PROJECT CONNECT, WHICH NOW HAS BALLOONED OVER $10 BILLION IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS, IT WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND WORKERS ON THOSE MASSIVE PROJECTS UNLESS WE PAY A COMPETITIVE RATE.
AND SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE NOT ONLY PAY THOSE WAGES TO GET PROJECTS DONE ON TIME AND ON BUDGET, BUT TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE HIGH QUALITY CONSTRUCTION ON PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS AND TO GET THE BEST, MOST SKILLED WORKERS, WE'VE GOT TO PAY THE $22 WAGE.
AND THAT IS STILL BELOW MANY CRAFTS, BUT IT IS ABSOLUTELY A STARTING POINT, AS FABIOLA SAID, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MORE COMPETITIVE AND THAT WE GET BACK ON TRACK.
SO I ASK YOU TO DO THE WORK THAT'S SO IMPORTANT, UH, AND TO USE DISCRETIONARY FUNDING OR WHATEVER'S AT YOUR ACCESS.
WHEN WE ARE ONE OF THE MOST WEALTHIEST CITIES IN AMERICA, WE'VE GOT TO TAKE CARE OF OUR LOW WAGE WORKERS.
JOHN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, AND I'M A LEADER WITH CENTRAL TEXAS INTERFAITH CENTRAL TEXAS ENTERPRISE HAS BEEN FIGHTING FOR LIVING WAGES SINCE 2008.
WE FOUGHT TO ENSURE THAT COMPANIES ASKING FOR CITY INCENTIVES WOULD BE REQUIRED TO PAY LIVING WAGES.
WE WERE PART OF THE CITY'S TASK FORCE IN 2015, THAT RECOMMENDED THAT THE CITY EMPLOYEES WOULD GET PAID 1683, NOT 15.
IT WAS 60 AND 83 WAS A RECOMMENDATION
[00:15:01]
BY 2020.IT IS NOW 2022, AND WE'RE STILL AT 15 CITY EMPLOYEES ARE THE WORKERS.
AND THEY'RE THE ONES WHO PICK UP OUR TRASH.
THEY'RE THE ONES THAT MAKE SURE THAT OUR CHILDREN ARE SAFE WHEN THEY GO TO THE POOL.
THEY'RE THE ONES THAT MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S LIBRARIES IN THE LIBRARY, AND THERE'S SOMEBODY THERE TO ENCOURAGE CHILDREN TO READ.
THEY'RE ALSO MEMBERS OF OUR CONGREGATIONS.
THERE ARE PARENTS IN OUR SCHOOLS AND THERE ARE NEIGHBORS MEMBERS OF MY OWN CONGREGATION ARE WORRIED WHETHER THE, NOT THAT OUR CITY EMPLOYEES, WHETHER OR NOT THEY'LL BE ABLE TO STAY HERE IN AUSTIN.
THE HIGH COST OF LIVING MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR OUR CITY EMPLOYEES TO LIVE IN THE CITY THAT THEY WORK IN INCREASING THE MINIMUM WAGE, AS YOU'VE HEARD, INCREASES OTHER PEOPLE'S WAGES, EMPLOYEES WHO WORK FOR COMPANIES THAT CONTRACT WITH THE CITY CONSTRUCTION WORKERS, AS WELL AS EMPLOYEES OF COMPANIES RECEIVING TAX ABATEMENTS FROM THE CITY, COUGHING A POSITIVE RIPPLE EFFECT ON THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET.
WE CALL ON YOU TO INCREASE THE CITY, LIVING WAGES TO $22 THIS YEAR.
THAT'S ONLY A LITTLE OVER 40,000, $45,000 A YEAR, AS IT'S BEEN SAID, IT'S NOT ENOUGH, BUT IT'S A START.
ADD AN AND TO MAKE SURE THAT BY 2027, WE'RE AT $27 AN HOUR DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I WOULD REALLY, UM, ADVISE YOU TO READ THE PROPOSAL WE PASSED OUT TO YOU BECAUSE IT'S LIKE, WE'RE DOING IT AGAIN.
AND FOR WHATEVER REASON, IT DIDN'T MOVE.
THERE WAS A SOLID RECOMMENDATION IN THERE.
WE HAD MR. UM, OH MY GOODNESS.
US DERMOT FROM MIT WHO HELPED US, WHO SHARED A LOT OF BURIED VALUABLE INFORMATION AT THE TIME.
AND HERE WE ARE EIGHT YEARS LATER DOING THE SAME THING.
AGAIN, HAVING A COMMITTEE, TALKING ABOUT MAKING A RECOMMENDATION, LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS, TRYING TO BE SMART, BUT THE DIFFERENCE IS TODAY, WE DIDN'T KNOW, WE COULDN'T HAVE FORESEEN THE PANDEMIC.
WE COULDN'T HAVE FORESEEN THE STORM.
AND THOSE ADDITIONAL STRESSORS HAVE PLAYED A BIG ROLE IN WHERE WE'RE AT TODAY, BUT SOMETHING'S GOT TO GIVE, WE NEED MORE WORKERS.
THOSE WHO WORK HERE ARE THEY'RE DONE.
THEY'RE SPENT, THEY NEED YOUR HELP.
WE HAVE GOT TO RAISE THE WAGE FOR THESE WORKERS, PLEASE.
UH, WHEN YOU GO THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS, IT'S A VERY LARGE BUDGET.
AND I KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF DECISIONS AND THERE ARE A LOT OF SPECIAL PROGRAMS THAT PEOPLE WANT.
BUT USUALLY THOSE PROGRAMS ARE STAFFED WITH WORKERS.
AND IF WE CAN'T HIRE THE WORKERS, WE CAN'T DO YOUR PROGRAMS. SO HELP US HELP YOU TO GET THINGS DONE FOR THIS COMMUNITY, BECAUSE THESE EMPLOYEES, THEY LOVE WORKING FOR THIS COMMUNITY, BUT THEY JUST CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE.
SOMETHING HAS TO GIVE, AND I THINK THAT'S THE WAGE.
SO THANK YOU FOR, I APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION, APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN WORKING YET AGAIN ON THIS AS A, AS A WORKING GROUP SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
AND SO I APPRECIATE THE TIME AND EFFORT THAT ALL THE THOUSAND PLUS, UH, ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THAT, AND I'M SURE I'M NOT ALONE, UH, IN HAVING CONVEYED TO THE MANAGER IN MY CONVERSATIONS WITH HIM AS A LEAD UP TO THE BUDGET THAT, UH, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE COMPETITIVE, UH, WITH, UH, OUR EMPLOYEES IS, IS THE HIGHEST PERSONAL PRIORITY IN TERMS OF THE, THE BUDGET THAT IS, UH, IS MOVING, UH, UH, FORWARD AND COMING TO US.
UH, BUT COLLEAGUES, CONVERSATION OR COMMENTS ON THIS? YES.
I REALLY GREATLY APPRECIATE THE WORK OF THE LIVABLE WAGE WORKING GROUP.
AND I APPRECIATE YOU ALL SHARING THIS MEMO THAT KIND OF HIGHLIGHTS THE, THE HISTORY OF LEADING UP TO, UH, SETTING THE MINIMUM OR SET RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE TO 15.
AND KNOWING THAT WE NEVER GOT TO 1683 AND KNOWING THAT WE'VE NOW BEEN FOUR YEARS AT $15 PER HOUR, WE'VE REMAINED STAGNANT.
[00:20:01]
THAT THAT HAS HAD NOT ONLY ON CITY OPERATIONS, BUT THAT THE IMPACT THAT IT'S HAD ON OUR COMMUNITIES, COLLEAGUES, WE KNOW THAT HALF OF OUR SWIMMING POOLS RIGHT NOW ARE NOT OPEN BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE LIFEGUARDS TO FILL THEM.WE ALSO KNOW THAT MANY OF OUR DEPARTMENTS HAVE HIGH VACANCY RATES.
I THINK I COUNTED NEARLY 13 DEPARTMENTS HAVE A VACANCY RATE OF OVER 20% AT THIS TIME.
AND WE KNOW THAT THIS ISSUE IS NOT UNIQUE TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
MANY INDUSTRIES, COMPANIES, SECTORS ARE DEALING WITH LABOR SHORTAGES.
AND SO THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, IS THAT WE HAVE TO RAISE THE WAGE IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT OUR HARDWORKING AUSTINITES CAN ONLY LIVE IN THE CITY, BUT THAT THEY CAN AFFORD IT AND HAVE A GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE.
AND SO THAT WE CAN DELIVER THE SERVICES NEEDED AS A CITY GOVERNMENT.
AND SO FOR ME, I'M SUPER SUPPORTIVE OF RAISING THE LIVABLE WAGE.
I THINK THAT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
I THINK IT'S THE RESPONSIBLE THING FOR US TO DO KNOWING JUST HOW DEEP THIS ISSUE IS.
UM, SO I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR US TODAY.
ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I HAVE JUST TO BETTER UNDERSTAND, UM, WHY WE DIDN'T GET TO 1683 AND I DON'T KNOW, CITY MANAGER, IF YOU'RE ABLE TO SPEAK TO THIS OR PERHAPS OUR HR DIRECTOR, UM, BUT JUST WHY TO SEE SOME CONTEXT AS TO, UM, THE PREVIOUS WORKING GROUP LAID OUT A PATHWAY FOR US TO, TO REACH $15 AND THEN 1683.
AND THEN JUST KNOWING IF YOU COULD JUST SHARE ANY INSIGHT AS TO WHY WE'VE BEEN AT 15 FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS, THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER.
AND I'LL PROVIDE SOME JUST BECAUSE THIS WAS SOMEWHAT BEFORE MY TIME.
AND SO I KNOW THAT IT WAS A COMMITMENT WHEN I FIRST CAME ON BOARD TO INCREASE THE RATES IN WHICH WE WERE ABLE TO GET TO 15.
AND SO I THINK THAT AMOUNTS CAME SOONER THAN WAS EVEN ANTICIPATED IN THE WORKING GROUP RECOMMENDATION AND FOR THE PREVIOUS STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION.
BUT AS YOU KNOW, WITH ANY BUDGET, THERE ARE THE CONVERSATIONS AROUND, ARE YOU GOING TO DO AN INCREASE IN ACROSS THE BOARD, UM, INCREASES FOR EMPLOYEES? UM, HOW DO YOU ENSURE THAT THERE ARE THE LEVERS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE PULLING? UM, AND AGAIN, WHAT THE MANAGER PROPOSES THEM, WHAT THE CULTS ULTIMATELY ADOPTS, UH, IS, UH, ON THE CASE-BY-CASE YEAR BY YEAR BASIS.
AND SO, UM, WE'D HAVE TO GO THROUGH EACH YEAR TO DETERMINE WHY WE DIDN'T MOVE PAST THE 15, BUT AS HAS BEEN NOTED, WE'VE BEEN IN A PANDEMIC AND WE'VE HAD SOME CHALLENGES AND JUST BEING ABLE TO SUPPORT ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES AND THE HARD WORKING STAFF THAT WE HAVE.
AND I KNOW, YOU KNOW, I WAS JUST TALKING TO COUNCILMAN RENTERIA BEFORE WE STARTED.
AND HE MENTIONED THAT CAP METRO, UH, IT WILL BE PAYING THEIR BUS DRIVERS $22 PER HOUR.
SO KNOWING JUST HOW MUCH OTHER SECTORS INCLUDING PUBLIC SECTOR ARE MOVING TOWARDS LIFTING THE WAGE.
UM, SO THAT, UH, TO ME IS AN ISSUE THAT I THINK, UM, THAT WE AS POLICY MAKERS CAN HAVE AND DELIBERATE IN THE COMING WEEKS AND AS PART OF THE BUDGET PROCESS.
AND, UM, SO I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT CONVERSATION.
BECAUSE WE'RE HARPER, MADISON COUNCIL MEMBER, KITCHEN COUNCIL MEMBER.
UM, SO I COULDN'T AGREE MORE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER FLINT.
THIS IS OBSERVATIONS, BUT I ALSO HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT.
AND I THINK ALL OF YOU RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE AN EASY PROCESS.
IT'S NOT GOING TO BE A SIMPLE PROCESS.
AND SO LIKE TO YOUR POINT ABOUT THE PROGRAMS THAT ARE GOING TO FALL SHORT, THE PROGRAMS THAT EITHER WILL CONTINUE TO EXIST OR NOT.
UM, AND THE, THE PEOPLE WHO WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN OR NOT, YOU KNOW, IT'S SOMETIMES SOUNDS DEFEATIST WHEN I'M, I'M LITERALLY TELLING MY CONSTITUENTS ON OCCASION, JUST PREPARE TO MOVE.
I MEAN, IT SOUNDS TERRIBLE, RIGHT.
BUT PREPARE TO HAVE TO LIVE OUTSIDE OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN INSTEAD OF WAITING UNTIL YOU'RE SIX IN ARREARS ON YOUR RENT GO NOW BECAUSE YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO, YOU KNOW, AND THAT SOUNDS DEFEATIST AND IT BREAKS MY HEART TO HAVE TO SAY IT, BUT IT'S TRUE.
AND SO, AS WE'RE ACCEPTING SOME OF THESE REALLY DIFFICULT TRUTHS, YOU KNOW, TO THE POINT ABOUT NOBODY BEING ABLE TO ANTICIPATE THE WINTER STORM, NOBODY BEING ABLE TO ANTICIPATE.
I MEAN, I REALLY DON'T THINK ANY OF US HAVE TRULY FELT THE IMPACT THAT COVID HAS HAD ON OUR SOCIETY AT LARGE.
I REALLY DON'T THINK ANY OF US HAVE ANY CLUE, JUST HOW MUCH IT'S IMPACTED US.
UM, SO TO SAY, WHILE I RECOGNIZE THERE ARE SOME SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS, IT SOUNDS CONDESCENDING.
AND TRUST ME, I'M NOT, THAT IS NOT MY ATTEMPT.
I AM SAYING THOUGH, HOWEVER, AS WE MOVE INTO THE BUDGET PROCESS, YOU KNOW, THIS IS MY FOURTH ONE, AND EVERY ONE HAS GOTTEN MORE DIFFICULT THAN THE LAST, UM, AND EVERY SINGLE TIME.
SO THE LAST ONE, FOR EXAMPLE, OUR BUDGET OFFICE SAID, HEY, GUYS, DON'T ASK FOR MORE THAN ONE THING.
WE GOT ENOUGH FOR YOU TO ASK FOR ONE THING.
AND I ASKED FOR ONE THING, YOU KNOW, AND BARELY GOT THAT.
AND SO RECOGNIZING THAT ALL MY COLLEAGUES HAD MULTIPLE THINGS THAT THEY HAD TO ASK FOR, BECAUSE THESE ARE THINGS THAT WERE RELATIVE AND IMPORTANT.
[00:25:01]
GUESS I'M CURIOUS IN MANAGER, MAYBE YOU CAN HELP ME WITH THIS.I'M CURIOUS, AT WHAT POINT DO WE INVOLVE, SO THIS WORKING GROUP, FOR EXAMPLE, I UNDERSTAND THAT LEVEL OF FRUSTRATION THAT THEY MUST EXPERIENCE SAYING, HEY, WE ALREADY TOLD YOU GUYS WHAT OUR RECOMMENDATIONS ARE YEARS AGO.
AND SO TO HAVE TO COME BACK AND ASK AGAIN, THERE'S A LEVEL OF FRUSTRATION AND IT PROBABLY FEELS LIKE, IT SEEMS LIKE IT FEELS LIKE THE CITY IS NOT BEHIND YOU.
UM, AND THAT'S CERTAINLY NOT THE CASE, BUT WHEN YOU RECOGNIZE THE, THE WIDE SPECTRUM OF THE, OUR CONSTITUENTS.
SO OUR CONSTITUENTS, OUR WORKERS, OUR CONSTITUENTS, OUR PRIVATE SECTOR WORKERS, OUR CONSTITUENTS ARE PRIVATE BUSINESSES THAT HAVE TO PAY WORKERS THAT HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHETHER OR NOT THEY CAN OPEN THEIR DOORS.
THEY HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHETHER OR NOT THEY CAN STAY IN BUSINESS.
IT'S IT'S EVERYBODY, RIGHT? SO IN OUR SITUATION WHERE WE HAVE TO CONSIDER EVERYBODY AND EVERYTHING THAT COMES OUT OF, I KNOW IT SEEMS LIKE A LARGE BUDGET, BUT THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THAT MONEY IS FINITE.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH OF IT.
AND SO HAVING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THINGS GO IS A PART OF THE DIFFICULTY, RIGHT? SO, SO MUCH OF OUR CONVERSATION AS OF LATE, ESPECIALLY ABOUT HOUSING, I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT YOU LED WITH THE CONVERSATION ON HOUSING.
WE JUST IT'S, NON-NEGOTIABLE, THAT'S JUST, THAT'S ONE THING THAT WE CAN DO THAT WILL HELP OUR CITY AT LARGE HELP OUR WORKERS AT LARGE, MAKE OUR CITY MORE AFFORDABLE TO LIVE IN WHICH, YOU KNOW, TO THE POINT ABOUT BEING A RELATIVE DEFEATIST, HAVING TO SAY, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD TO LIVE HERE.
THAT IN LARGE PART HAS TO DO WITH, WE LOOK AT AROUND AND TAKING THE PULSE OF, OF OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND STATE GOVERNMENT AND OUR RESTRICTIONS AND SAYING, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD TO LIVE HERE.
IF WE DON'T MAKE DRASTIC, BOLD MOVES FOR HOUSING CAPACITY, YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO AFFORD TO LIVE HERE.
AND SO I THINK IT'S TWOFOLD MANAGER ONE.
HOW DO WE INVOLVE FOLKS WHO ARE POLICYMAKERS AROUND HOUSING IN A WAY THAT'S SUBSTANTIVE THAT REALLY HELPS US AS A BODY TO MOVE THE NEEDLE ON PRODUCING HOUSING.
THE YIELD IS JUST NOT ENOUGH AND IT'S AFFECTING EVERYTHING.
WE NEED MORE HOUSING, BUT THEN MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHEN I THINK ABOUT, EXCUSE ME, OUR OPPORTUNITIES TO INVOLVE THE COMMUNITY AND OUR DISCUSSIONS AROUND MAKING DECISIONS WITH THE BUDGET.
ARE THERE ANY, I KNOW THAT THERE'S THE, HOW WOULD YOU SPEND THE BUDGET, YOU KNOW, TOOLS, BUT HONESTLY, I, I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO ARE AT RISK, PEOPLE WHO ARE HAVING TO MOVE TO NEATER WALLED IN GEORGETOWN, IN BASTROP COUNTY.
I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW IF THEY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE LIST, WHAT WOULD THEY SELECT AS THE SERVICES THAT WE COULD DO WITHOUT? WHAT WOULD THEY SELECT AS THE PROGRAMMATIC EFFORTS WE COULD DO WITH THAT? WHAT WOULD THEY SELECT AS YOU KNOW, WHILE I APPRECIATE THAT THIS IS IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF PRIORITIZATION, IT'S THIRD TIER, NOT FIRST OR SECOND, YOU KNOW, I, I WISH THE CONVERSATION WERE MORE COLLABORATIVE.
UM, AND THAT WAY, I MEAN, MAYBE SELFISHLY AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHEN EVERYBODY DOESN'T GET WHAT THEY NEED, IT'S NOT THE BODY, THAT'S THE BAD GUY, RIGHT? I WANT FOR US AS A COMMUNITY TO HAVE TO SAY, THIS IS OUR BUCKET OF MONEY.
HOW DO WE SPEND IT? AND EVERYBODY'S GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE TOUGH CHOICES.
EVERYBODY'S GOING TO HAVE TO DETERMINE THAT THESE RESOURCES ARE FINITE AND SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE.
AND I THINK NOT HAVING TO BE THE ULTIMATE SAY IN THAT HAVING MORE CONTRIBUTION FROM THE GENERAL COMMUNITY WOULD BE HELPFUL THAT WAY IT'S, IT'S ALL OF OURS, RIGHT? IT'S NOT JUST OURS AS A BODY.
THE OTHERNESS OF THAT, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY AND THE BODY.
I THINK THE OTHERNESS IS A PART OF THE PROBLEM WITH OUR ABILITY TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH THE COMMUNITY.
HOW DO WE BRING THEM INTO THE CONVERSATION, MORE ON AFFORDABILITY, I E HOUSING AND TO THE ALLOCATION OF OUR BUDGET, OBVIOUSLY A GREAT CONVERSATION COUNCIL MEMBER.
AND ALTHOUGH THIS ISN'T A BUDGET PRESENTATION, I LOOK FORWARD TO BOTH TALKING ABOUT HOW, THE WAYS IN WHICH WE HAVE ENGAGED WITH DIFFERENT COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS THROUGHOUT THE BUDGET PROCESS.
SO FAR OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, UH, WE'VE HAD THE SPEAK UP AUSTIN AND WE'RE GOING TO BE HAVING TOWN HALLS WITH MANY OF YOU.
UM, AND SO THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF HOW WE'RE GOING TO BE WORKING WITH OUR COMMUNITY AS WE MAKE THOSE IMPORTANT DECISIONS AROUND HOW WE'RE PRIORITIZING OUR LIMITED RESOURCES, ESPECIALLY WITH A THREE AND A HALF PERCENT CAP THAT WE HAVE TO WORK WITH.
UH, BUT THIS IS, THIS IS EXACTLY THE WHY, WHY I LOVE THIS CITY.
WHY I KNOW EACH OF YOU ARE COMMITTED TO THIS WORK BECAUSE WE HAVE SUCH AN ENGAGED COMMUNITY.
AND SO I EVEN SEE THE NEXT CONVERSATION THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE HAVING ON SOME OF THE PULLED ITEMS ON AFFORDABILITY IS A WAY TO SAY THESE ARE SOME OF THOSE POLICY DECISIONS.
HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY IS ALSO ENGAGED IN THOSE DISCUSSIONS AS WELL? BUT THIS IS, THIS IS JUST THE START OF IT.
AND I KNOW THAT EVERY YEAR, UH, WE HAVE A ROBUST COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS ON OUR BUDGET, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO ANY OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS THAT MIGHT HAVE AND HOW DO WE CAN FURTHER ENGAGE OUR COMMUNITY IN DEVELOPING THAT.
AND I KNOW, I DON'T THINK I'M THE ONE THAT MAKE THE RECOMMENDATIONS.
HONESTLY, I THINK IT'S THE WORKING GROUP TO MAKE THE RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT HOW WE CAN ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY.
WOULD YOU SAY, WOULD ANY OF YOU WHO PRESENTED THIS MORNING SAY THAT THERE'S BEEN A ROBUST EFFORT TO PARTICIPATE ON BEHALF OF THE WORKERS WHO OBVIOUSLY NEED,
[00:30:01]
YOU KNOW, TO NOT BE STUCK IN THIS STAGNANT WAGE SCENARIO, OR ARE THEY CONTRIBUTING TO THE DIALOGUE? ARE THEY DIALING INTO THE WEBSITE THAT SAYS SPEAK UP HERE? WHATEVER THE THING I JUST, I KNOW ANECDOTALLY, A LOT OF MY CONSTITUENTS ARE PARTICIPATING IN THOSE PROCESSES.SO I WONDER HOW ROBUST IT IS, THE POTENTIAL.
I HAVE NO IDEA HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE PARTICIPATING IN THIS WEBSITE, BUT WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THE PEOPLE AT THIS TABLE AND THE PEOPLE THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE LIVING WAGE TASK FORCE REPRESENTS TENS UPON TENS UPON TENS OF THOUSANDS OF WORKERS, CONGREGATIONALISTS, AND OTHER PEOPLE IN THIS TOWN AND THROUGHOUT THE CITY IN CENTRAL TEXAS.
AND SO A LOT OF OUR FOLKS OBVIOUSLY CAN'T AFFORD TO LIVE IN TOWN.
THE FOLKS THAT ARE WORKING ON THIS CONSTRUCTION SITE RIGHT OVER HERE, I GUARANTEE YOU DON'T LIVE IN TOWN.
THEY LIVE IN SMITHVILLE AND ELSEWHERE.
AND THE IT'S AFFORDABILITY IS ABSOLUTELY IMPORTANT, BUT BUILDING APARTMENT COMPLEXES REQUIRING I DON'T CARE IF YOU REQUIRED 80% AFFORDABILITY, THOSE ARE BAND-AIDS PAYING PEOPLE MORE MONEY IS THE BEST RIPPLE EFFECT THAT YOU CAN GET IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND BECAUSE THIS NOT ONLY EXTENDS TO CITY EMPLOYEES, PEOPLE, THE AIRPORT, BUT ALSO CONTRACTS, IT ABSOLUTELY ARE GOING TO HAVE RIPPLE EFFECTS THAT WILL AFFECT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF WORKERS.
AND SO IT IS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST DECISION AND INVESTMENT YOU CAN MAKE.
I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE ELSE WANTS TO ADD TO THAT.
I AGREE WITH WHAT MY, UM, WHAT, UH, MY COLLEAGUES ARE SAYING.
AND SO THERE'S JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS, UH, I WANNA, UH, TALK ABOUT IN A, IN A BIT MORE DETAIL.
UM, YOU KNOW, I AGREE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER, MADISON, THAT HOUSING IS IMPORTANT AND WE'RE GOING TO START TO WORK ON THAT.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT MORE WE NEED TO DO.
UM, I ALSO AGREE THAT, YOU KNOW, WAGES ARE FUNDAMENTAL.
I MEAN, BOTTOM LINE IS WE, WHAT PEOPLE CAN EARN AND FOR THEIR WORK, UM, IS FUNDAMENTAL TO THEIR ABILITY TO LIVE.
UM, AND SO THAT THAT'S KEY TO ME, UM, TO ME, UM, PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE THE ABILITY TO GET PAID WHAT THEY'RE WORTH AND TO LIVE IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO, SO I'M WONDERING, I'M THINKING ALSO, I KNOW, UH, I KNOW CITY MANAGER THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU HAVE MADE THIS A PRIORITY, UH, IN TERMS OF FOCUSING ON, UH, RAISING WAGES.
UM, I HAVE A COUPLE OF COMMENTS FOR YOU AS YOU GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
UH, FIRST OFF, I THINK THAT I THINK WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT THIS TIME.
UH, WE'VE BEEN TALKING RIGHT NOW ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PREVIOUS TASKFORCE THAT WE'VE HAD AND THAT HAVE SET A PATH THAT WE DIDN'T FOLLOW, UH, FOR WHATEVER REASON.
SO TO THE EXTENT THAT WE SET A PATH THIS TIME, IT NEEDS TO BE DONE DIFFERENTLY WITH SOME MORE SURETY AROUND IT, SO THAT WE'RE NOT IN THE SAME SITUATION THAT WE ARE TODAY.
YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND OF COURSE THAT NEXT YEAR, YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER THAT, THERE MAY BE UNFORESEEN THINGS, BUT IF WE JUST DO THE SAME THING THAT WE DID LAST TIME, WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT MOVING THE BALL, YOU KNOW, SO THERE'S THAT I WANT TO SAY.
AND, UM, I ALSO THINK THAT HEARING FROM THE COMMUNITY IS IMPORTANT, UH, BECAUSE THE BUDGET TO THE TRANSPARENCY IN THE BUDGET PROCESS IS IMPORTANT, BUT TO DO THAT, THE PUBLIC HAS TO UNDERSTAND THE TRADE OFFS.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT IN BRINGING FORWARD, UM, SOME ACTION ON THIS ITEM IS, UM, IS TO SAY CITY MANAGER TO GET US TO 22.
IF YOU CAN'T GET US TO 22, IF THAT'S NOT FEASIBLE, TELL US WHY AND TELL US WHAT IT WOULD TAKE, BECAUSE THE KIND OF FEEDBACK THAT, UM, THAT'S BEEN SUGGESTED, WHICH IS GREAT.
I REALLY, UH, I REALLY APPLAUD AND AGREE WITH THE IMPORTANCE OF THE COMMUNITY BEING PART OF THIS DECISION-MAKING TO DO THAT.
THEY HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE TRADE-OFFS ARE.
SO IF WE, IF, IF WE JUST HEAR FROM YOU THAT IT'S NOT FEASIBLE TO GET TO 22, BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHY, OR, AND WE DON'T KNOW, WELL, WHAT'S THE CHOICES THEN WE AS A BODY AND THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE CAN'T, UM, CAN'T SAY THEY CAN'T SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, WE'D RATHER, WE'D RATHER PAY WAGES, YOU KNOW, UH, WE'D RATHER MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING FOLKS TO, UH, TO A HIGHER LEVEL.
SO I THINK IT'S GOING TO, IT'S ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO HAVE TRANSPARENCY IN THE BUDGET PROCESS.
UH, AND WE DO HAVE A PROCESS FOR THAT, BUT, BUT THE LEVEL OF TRANSPARENCY, IF WE CAN'T, YOU KNOW, IF IT, MY GOAL IS TO GET TO 22, IF WE, IF IT'S NOT FEASIBLE TO GET THERE, I, YOU KNOW, I TRUST THAT YOU WILL TELL US WHY AND WHAT OUR TRADE-OFFS ARE SO THAT WE CAN AS A BODY.
I THINK THAT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS A BODY TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION.
AND IT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WITH THE COMMUNITY.
SO I WOULD JUST ASK THAT YOU DO THAT, AND I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL THE EFFORT YOU'VE PUT IN THIS.
AND I KNOW IT'S, IT'S REALLY, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE EFFORT, WHICH I THINK JUST, YOU KNOW, DOESN'T SAY
[00:35:01]
ENOUGH BECAUSE, UH, PEOPLE ARE, PEOPLE ARE DEALING WITH HOW THEY SUPPORT THEIR FAMILIES, HOW THEY LIVE.THAT IS, THAT IS JUST HUGE AND SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO TAKE TO HEART.
SO I WANT TO THANK Y'ALL FOR REPRESENTING ALL THE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THAT YOU DO.
UM, THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
YOU, YOU BROUGHT UP SOME POINTS THAT I HAD NOT YET BEEN AWARE OF.
AND SO I APPRECIATE THAT BACKGROUND INFORMATION.
IT'LL DEFINITELY HELP US WITH THIS DISCUSSION.
I AGREE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER, MADISON, IN THAT ON COUNCIL, WE HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT TO AFFECT AFFORDABILITY IN THE CITY.
AND ONE OF THOSE IS BUILDING MORE HOUSING.
UM, MY RENT UPON RENEWAL WENT UP HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS.
AND SO I'M FEELING THAT EFFECT JUST LIKE THOUSANDS OF OTHER PEOPLE ACROSS THE CITY.
AND WE REALLY NEED TO BUILD MORE HOUSING AND MAKE IT EASIER FOR HOUSING TO BE BUILT HERE SO THAT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE MOVING HERE CAN COME HERE.
AND THE PEOPLE THAT ARE STAYING HERE CAN STAY HERE AND AT A RATE WHERE THEY'RE ABLE TO LIVE THEIR BEST LIVES.
UM, THE, THE LAST THING I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN HERE IS IF WE DO RAISE THE WAGES FOR PEOPLE IS CUTTING THINGS THAT PROGRAMS THAT OUR COUNCIL HAS COMMITTED TO.
WE HAVE A GOAL RIGHT NOW TO HOUSE 3000 INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IN THREE YEARS.
AND I WOULD HATE TO GO SHORT OF THAT GOAL BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT WE RAISE WAGES.
AND THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE DO HAVE TO CONSIDER, ESPECIALLY WHEN OUR REVENUE IS KEPT.
UM, ONE THING THAT YOU ALL MENTIONED WAS THAT THERE WAS AN ANNUAL COST OF $45,000 A YEAR.
COULD YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND THAT? OR MAYBE I MISHEARD YOU? YES.
WHAT I WAS SAYING, THE $22 AN HOUR IS ABOUT A LITTLE OVER $45,000 A YEAR.
SO WE HAVE THESE NUMBERS LIKE, OH, THEY'RE SO BIG.
BUT WHEN YOU ACTUALLY LOOK AT HOW MUCH SOMEBODY IS EARNING A YEAR, THEN YOU REALIZE WHY IT'S SO HARD FOR PEOPLE TO LIVE IN AUSTIN.
IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO LIVE IN AUSTIN, EARNING 40, A LITTLE OVER $45,000.
UNDERSTOOD, THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT FOR ME, I'M JUST CURIOUS.
CITY MANAGER HAS CITY STAFF BEEN ABLE TO DO AN ANALYSIS OF HOW MUCH THIS MIGHT COST, UM, IN OUR BUDGET THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER, THE MEMO THAT WAS PUT OUT BY DIRECTOR HAYES, SHE WORKED WITH THE BUDGET OFFICE AND THEY HAVE A RANGE BETWEEN 18.2 MILLION AND 22.8 MILLION, BUT THOSE COSTS DO NOT INCLUDE SWORN EMPLOYEES.
AND WE ALSO HAVE TO DO ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS ON THE IMPACT ON COMPRESSION.
AND SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE BUDGET AND SOME OF THESE DECISIONS THAT ARE BEING CONTEMPLATED HERE, UH, THAT WE'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE AS MUCH TRANSPARENCY AROUND SOME OF THOSE DECISIONS AS POSSIBLE.
SO WE HAVE A GENERAL RANGE, UM, BUT I WANTED TO PUT SOME CAVEATS AROUND THAT BECAUSE IT DOESN'T INCLUDE THE SAME INCREASES OF 22 FOR ALL OF OUR SWORN EMPLOYEES AND, UH, THE IMPACT OF SOME OF THE COMPRESSION ISSUES.
AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR BEING HERE.
CAN I REMEMBER MARY ALICE MAYOR PRO TEM COUNCIL MEMBER POOL COUNCIL MEMBER TOVA.
THANK YOU, MAYOR Y'ALL WILL HAVE TO FORGIVE ME FOR SAVING MY VOICE FOR SOME OF THE OTHER CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TODAY.
UM, BUT FOR ME, IT'S NOT A CONSIDERATION OF IF WE SHOULD DO THIS, BUT IT'S A MATTER OF HOW WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS.
WE ABSOLUTELY CANNOT EXPECT OUR CITY TO BE ONE OF THE BEST EMPLOYERS IN TOWN, AND TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE CAN AFFORD TO LIVE IN THIS COMMUNITY.
IF WE'RE NOT GOING TO STEP UP ON HAVING COMPETITIVE WAGES, UM, LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER POINT HAS SAID, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE LIFEGUARDS, WE'RE TRYING TO RECRUIT.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE CAMP COUNSELORS.
AND IT IS ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT RESOURCE RECOVERY HAS ENOUGH EMPLOYEES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN NOT ONLY JUST PICK UP THE ROUTINE TRASH AND COMPOSTING, BUT DOING BRUSHY ITEM PICKUP.
WHEN WE HAVE SITUATIONS LIKE, YOU KNOW, WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS THAT WE'RE UNDERTAKING AS A CITY.
SO WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO STEP UP AND BE A GOOD EMPLOYER.
UM, AND I KNOW THAT YEAR OVER YEAR, THERE HAVE BEEN INCREMENTAL INCREASES IN THE, IN THE, UM, SALARIES THAT PEOPLE ARE ALREADY RECEIVING, WHICH IS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED, BUT WE'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE RECRUITING AND RETAINING THE ABSOLUTE BEST OF THE BEST TO MAKE US A PROUD CITY AND A PROUD EMPLOYER.
SO I KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR ME.
UM, I KNOW THAT A NUMBER OF US HAVE MET WITH SOME OF THE LIFEGUARDS AND THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ADVOCATING TO RAISE THAT WAGE.
THESE ARE REALLY IMPORTANT JOBS, AND WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR POOLS ARE OPEN OR LIBRARIES ARE OPEN AND THAT WE CONTINUE TO EMPLOY THE BEST OF THE BEST, UH, GOOD MORNING.
AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK, UM, EVERY DAY AND ALSO ON THIS, ON THIS PROJECT, UM, YOU KNOW, SINCE 2020, WHEN THE PANDEMIC HIT, I'VE BEEN REALLY FOCUSED ON TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS MEANS FOR OUR WORKERS AND OUR ABILITY TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, BACK IN JANUARY, MY COLLEAGUES WILL RECALL WHEN WE HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT SD TWENTY-THREE.
I SAID THAT WE NEEDED TO ADD RECRUITMENT
[00:40:01]
AND RETENTION OF OUR WORKFORCE AS ONE OF OUR KEY PRIORITIES AND FOCUS ON, ON THAT.SO, YOU KNOW, FOR ME, UM, KEEPING OUR WORKFORCE COMPETITIVE IS A HIGH PRIORITY, A HIGHEST PRIORITY IN, IN THE BUDGET.
UM, ALSO BEEN LOOKING AT OUR NINE 11 WORKERS, OUR VICTIM SERVICES, OUR CDL DRIVERS, UM, ET CETERA.
UM, SO I'M REALLY COMMITTED TO A WAGE INCREASE.
I THINK WHAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS SAID.
I THINK IT'S A HOW AND WHEN QUESTION, UM, WHICH IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS A COUNCIL, UM, TO WORK IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CITY MANAGER IN AND FIGURE OUT I DO EXPECT A SIGNIFICANT WAGE INCREASE.
I CAN'T TELL YOU AT THIS POINT, WHETHER 22 IS REALISTIC OR WHETHER IT'S FEASIBLE.
UM, BUT I DO EXPECT AN INCREASE FROM 15 AND, AND I'M DISAPPOINTED THAT, UM, WE WERE NOT, UM, ABLE TO DO IT FROM 15 AND WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHY AND HAVE SUGGESTED THAT WE NEED TO HAVE GREATER TRANSPARENCY IN THE BUDGET OVER THE WAGES SO THAT COUNCIL CAN REALLY SEE WHERE WE ARE.
THIS GOAL THOUGH IS GOING TO BE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT UNDER A 3.5% BUDGET CAP.
AND SO IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO, UM, ACTUALLY REALIZE THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND, AND FIGURE OUT WHAT TIMEFRAME WORKS, WE NEED ANSWERS TO A LOT OF QUESTIONS.
UM, AND I DON'T KNOW, UM, THE CITY MANAGER, IF YOU'RE PREPARED TO ANSWER THOSE, BUT, BUT I'M GOING TO THROW OUT SOME THAT I THINK ARE REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE ABLE, UM, TO THINK ABOUT THINGS FOR THIS.
UM, SO WE'RE TALKING HERE, YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY ABOUT WORKERS WHO ARE MAKING FROM 15 TO 22, UM, IT'S UNCLEAR FROM THE ESTIMATES AT WHAT POINT IT CUTS OFF WITH COMPRESSION.
UM, SO WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT PORTION OF OUR EMPLOYEES ARE MAKING BETWEEN 15 AND $22.
WE ALSO NEED TO TRACK WHERE THOSE VACANCIES ARE AND ARE THOSE VACANCIES TRACKING TO THE EMPLOYEES WHO ARE IN THE 15 TO $22 RANGE, ANECDOTALLY, THERE'S ALSO A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ABOVE THAT RANGE, WHO ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, ALSO LEAVING THEIR JOBS BECAUSE OF WAGES.
AND THIS PROPOSAL DOESN'T PROVIDE THEM MUCH OF A BUMP IN TERMS OF THE COST.
UM, AND WE CAN'T LEAVE OUT THOSE FOLKS.
UM, I'VE BEEN, YOU KNOW, REALLY IMMERSED IN 9 1 1, AND THE FOLKS WHO ARE THREATENING FROM THE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS TO LEAVE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE MAKING ABOVE $22 BECAUSE THEY HAVE A LOT MORE EXPERIENCE AND THEY HAVEN'T HAD THEIR, THEIR WAGES RAISED, UM, A $7 INCREASES, A 40% INCREASE FOR THOSE WHO ARE AT THE LOWEST LEVEL.
BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR SOMEBODY WHO'S MAKING $30 WHO MAY BE AS VALUABLE TO THE CITY AND VERY CRITICAL.
WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO BE LOOKING AT THIS QUESTION AND ITS RAMIFICATIONS ALL ACROSS THE SPECTRUM.
SO WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT PORTION OF OUR BUDGET OVERALL IS WAGES, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT GENERAL FUND WHEN WE DO THIS, IT'S ALL OF OUR ENTERPRISE FUNDS.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR RATES? UM, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AFFORDABILITY.
WE HAVE TO WEIGH THE LEVER, LET THE LEDGER ON THE OTHER OTHER SIDE.
UM, AT THIS POINT I HAVE NO COMPREHENSION OF WHAT THIS MEANS WITH RESPECT TO OUR SWORN AND OUR CONTRACTS, UM, THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO MAKE SURE, UM, THAT WE ARE PROVIDING LIVABLE WAGES TO OUR EMS, OUR POLICE AND FIRE, WHICH IS 60% PLUS OF OUR GENERAL FUND ALONE.
UM, AND SO ANYTHING WE DO FOR THE LIVABLE WAGE HAS REPERCUSSIONS FOR THOSE.
AND FINANCIALLY WE HAVE TO BALANCE THE BUDGET AND COME UP WITH THAT.
UM, FOR COMPRESSION WHO'S INCLUDED IN THE ESTIMATES FOR COMPRESSION, IF YOU GO UP $7 AND YOU HAVE ALL THESE PEOPLE WHO WERE MAKING $28, $29, $30, AND THEY DON'T GET ANYWHERE NEAR THAT, YOU CREATE A WHOLE HOST OF CHALLENGES THAT HAVE TO BE MANAGED AND THAT WE CANNOT IGNORE BECAUSE WE WANT 22 IN 22.
UM, I AGREE, UM, COMPLETELY WITH COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN, THAT OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THE TRADE-OFFS.
I THINK COUNCIL ALSO NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THE TRADE OFFS AND THE TRADE-OFFS MIGHT INVOLVE PEOPLE LOSING THEIR JOBS.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE START CUTTING THINGS, UM, OR, YOU KNOW, IT MAY BE THAT WE CAN'T INCREASE THE NUMBER OF EMS PROFESSIONALS OR POLICE OR FIRE.
AND THEN WE CREATE EXTRA BURDENS.
UM, IN THOSE AREAS, WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO THINK HOLISTICALLY, IT IS A BIG CHALLENGE, THE, AND, AND THE NEED IS REAL.
UM, BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE, TO BE ANSWERED.
[00:45:01]
REITERATE THAT ABSOLUTELY BELIEVE THAT WE NEED A SIGNIFICANT WAGE INCREASE.UM, AND WE NEED A PLAN TO GET TO A HIGHER LIVABLE WAGE OVER TIME.
UM, WHAT WE CAN ACCOMPLISH THIS BUDGET IS GOING TO DEPEND ON, YOU KNOW, GETTING THESE QUESTIONS ANSWERED AND SEEING WHAT THE TRADE-OFFS ARE AND MAKING, UM, SOME TOUGH DECISIONS.
I'M NOT PREPARED TO, TO MAKE A DECISION BEFORE I KNOW WHAT THOSE TRADE-OFFS ARE AND GET THOSE, THOSE QUESTIONS ANSWERED.
AND I WANTED TO THANK THE LIVING WAGE WORK GROUP.
UM, REALLY SINCERELY FOR THE WORK YOU'VE DISTILLED CONCERNS THAT WE ALL SHARE ABSOLUTELY NEED TO SUPPORT HIGHER WAGES ACROSS THE BOARD.
WE NEED TO HAVE A PLAN FOR HOW TO GET THERE.
I DON'T THINK WE HAVE THAT YET.
PART OF THE REASON WHY WE DON'T HAVE THAT YET AS WE DON'T ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT THE COSTS WILL BE AND WHAT THE TRADE-OFFS ARE.
MY ROLE AS A COUNCIL MEMBER IS TO HELP MAKE THOSE DECISIONS, WHICH IS DIFFERENT THAN THE ROLE THAT THE LIVING WAGE BROOK GROUP HAS, WHICH IS TO ADVOCATE, TO ISOLATE THE SPECIFICS AND THEN TO DETERMINE RECOMMENDATIONS AND THEN TO ADVOCATE FOR THEM.
AND YOU ARE DOING THAT REALLY WELL.
AND I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THAT IT IS A SPUR AND THAT IS OF COURSE NECESSARY.
I DO THINK THAT SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE, UM, LEAVING GOVERNMENT WORK, LOOKING FOR HIGHER WAGES AT SAY A TECH COMPANY, THERE'LL BE BACK BECAUSE WORKING IN CORPORATE AMERICA IS REALLY, REALLY DIFFERENT FROM WORKING IN PUBLIC SERVICE.
AND YOU CAN LOSE YOUR JOB IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE.
AND THAT'S NOT THE CASE HERE, UM, AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN, WE'RE, UH, A REALLY GOOD PLACE TO WORK FOR A LOT OF REASONS, BUT YEAH, WE NEED TO ADDRESS THE SALARIES.
I LIKE THAT YOU WERE FOCUSING ON THE, THE LOWEST WAGE EARNERS THAT'S KEY.
BUT WHAT I DON'T SEE IS EQUAL ADDRESSING OF THE MID RANGE, BASICALLY WHAT I'M CALLING THE MIDDLE-CLASS.
YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A LOT OF GOVERNMENT RESOURCES FOR PEOPLE WHO MAKE POVERTY WAGES, UM, OR LOW INCOMES.
THERE'S A LOT OF PROGRAMS FOR THOSE FOLKS.
THE WEALTHY DON'T REALLY NEED GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE BECAUSE THEY'VE GOT ENOUGH MONEY THAT THEY CAN MAKE DO, BUT I'VE BEEN A MEMBER OF THE MIDDLE-CLASS MY ENTIRE LIFE, AND I DON'T GET ANY SUPPORT REALLY FROM GOVERNMENT AT THE BOTTOM.
AND I DON'T KNOW THAT THE PEOPLE AT THE TOP YET, AND I THINK I'M SPEAKING FOR A MAJORITY OF CITY OF AUSTIN AND GOVERNMENT WORKERS, AND I'VE BASICALLY WORKED IN GOVERNMENT MY ENTIRE LIFE WITH THE FEW EXCEPTIONS OF A NON-PROFIT HERE AND A BANK ACTUALLY FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF WHEN I FIRST CAME TO AUSTIN.
SO IT'S THE, MIDDLE-CLASS THE MIDDLE WAGE EARNERS THAT I REALLY WANT TO, UM, SEE, UM, EMBRACED.
UM, SO I SUPPORT WHAT YOU ARE DOING.
I SUPPORT THE MAYOR PRO TEM DISCUSSION ABOUT THE TRADE-OFFS AND THE NEED FOR A PLAN.
I URGE THAT WE, AS A DIOCESE, LOOK AT OUR MIDDLE WAGE, UH, EXPERIENCED, I'M GOING TO USE THE WORD TENURED.
I DON'T NECESSARILY MEAN TENURED, BUT PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN HERE SEVEN TO 10 OR MORE YEARS, THEY NEED TO SEE THAT THEY ARE VALUED.
AND IN A CAPITALIST SOCIETY LOOK AT VALUE AS SALARIES, BUT THEY'RE ALSO INTRINSIC BENEFITS THAT WORKING IN GOVERNMENT ARE NOT AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF GOVERNMENT, WHICH IS WHY I'M SAYING THAT.
I THINK EVEN THOUGH PEOPLE HAVE GONE TO CORPORATE AMERICA, I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO BE COMING BACK.
I HAD A QUESTION FOR, UM, MAYBE FOR OUR DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES AND IT HAS TO DO WITH THE SALARY INCREASES THAT WE HAVE GOTTEN ANNUALLY SINCE WE MOVED THE MINIMUM WAGE UP TO $15, DID THAT MINIMUM WAGE, UM, ALSO REFLECT THE ADDITIONAL 2% AND TWO AND A HALF PERCENT OR WHATEVER THOSE PERCENTAGE INCREASES WERE OVER THE YEAR FOR THE ACROSS THE BOARDS THAT WE'VE GOTTEN.
AND IF YOU DON'T KNOW RIGHT NOW, I'D BE HAPPY TO, TO GET THE ANSWER LATER, BUT THAT WOULD ADDRESS THE BOTTOM.
SO THAT 15%, ISN'T ALWAYS 15%.
IT GOES UP BY WHATEVER THE ACROSS THE BOARD IS.
UM, I THINK IT LOOKS LIKE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
I'M GOING TO ASK A DIRECTOR HAYES TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
IF SHE HAS THE ANSWER WITH HER, IF NOT, WE WILL CERTAINLY GET BACK TO YOU WITH THAT ANSWER.
SHE DELETES ONE MOMENT TO CONFIRM THAT.
AND WHILE SHE'S DOING THAT, I'LL JUST REITERATE THAT WE NEED TO RETAIN EXPERIENCED EMPLOYEES.
THAT IS KEY FOR ME JUST WHILE SHE'S DOING THAT.
I JUST WANT TO HEAR, I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT WHILE SHE'D WATCHED IT GET SETTLED.
I WANT TO POINT OUT THAT I THINK MIDDLE-CLASS PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN AUSTIN.
MIDDLE-CLASS, THEY'RE THE ONES WHO BENEFIT FROM THE LIBRARIES.
THEY'RE THE ONES WHO BENEFIT FROM THE POOLS.
THEY'RE THE ONES WHO'VE BEEN IN FRONT BERMAN, ALL THESE SERVICES THAT WITHOUT THEM, THEN THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO FIND
[00:50:01]
OTHER RESOURCE, OTHER PLACES FOR THEM TO PURCHASE THOSE THINGS.AND THEY DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF BANDWIDTH TO ADD THAT COST OF LIVING TO THEM.
UH, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE AGREEING WITH ME.
I BELIEVE YOUR QUESTION IS THE IMPACT OF THE LIVING WAGE AND THE ACROSS THE BOARD.
DID THAT MOVE THE $15 UP, UH, SEQUENTIALLY OVER TIME? SO WHAT WE DO IS WE RAISE THE LIVING WAGE AND THEN WHATEVER THE ACROSS THE BOARD INCREASES FOR THAT YEAR YEAR, THOSE EMPLOYEES WILL RECEIVE IT AS WELL.
SO THERE ARE SOME EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE NOT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE LONG ENOUGH FOR THE ACROSS THE BOARD WHO WILL STILL BE AT THE $15.
AND THIS IS WHERE I WAS GOING WITH THAT WE HAVE NEVER ACTUALLY RAISED THE MINIMUM UP FROM $15, EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE GIVEN ACROSS THE BOARD RAISES TO STAFF IN A NUMBER OF, OF YEARS.
I THINK THE ANSWER TO THAT IS YES.
AND I THINK THAT'S PART OF THE ISSUE THAT THE LIVING WAGE WORKING GROUP MAY HAVE IDENTIFIED, WHICH IS IF WE HAD BEEN RAISING THAT $15 UP TO 1523 OR WHATEVER, THE TWO AND A HALF OR TWO WOULD HAVE BEEN AT THAT TIME, THEN WE WOULD HAVE PROGRESSED MORE TOWARD THAT $16, WHICH IS WHAT WAS IN THE 2014 UNDER RECOMMENDATIONS.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S ALL I'M SAYING.
JUST WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT.
I WOULD ALSO POINT OUT THAT WE, THAT BY THE REQUEST OF COUNCIL AND BY REQUEST OF CITY MANAGER, WE ALSO DID OTHER THINGS BETWEEN THE TIME OF SETTING THE $15 AN HOUR.
WE THEN I THINK IN 2016, IF I'M NOT CORRECT, WE ALLOW TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES TO ALSO RECEIVE BENEFITS.
ONCE THEY'VE BEEN HERE FOR A YEAR, WE WERE ABLE TO GIVE THE COVID BONUS.
AND SO WE'VE DONE OTHER THINGS, BUT TO THE POINT THAT I THINK COUNCIL AND THE CITY MANAGER MADE IN CREATING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO DO OTHER THINGS, TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES OF THE MOMENT WE FAILED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE 1683, BUT WE WERE DOING OTHER THINGS TO TRY TO ADDRESS THOSE OTHER OVERARCHING ISSUES THAT CAME UP DURING THOSE PERIODS.
AND TO THAT POINT, UM, WHAT IS THE BENEFITS FACTOR THAT'S USED TO ADD TO, UM, A PERSON'S SALARY TO INDICATE THE TRUE VALUE OF THE WORK CONTRACT? SO YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE TOTAL COMPENSATION PACKAGE AND THE PERCENTAGE OF CONTRIBUTIONS THAT THE CITY MAKES IN ORDER TO CREATE THAT TOTAL COMPENSATION.
THAT'S NOT GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT I CAN EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE, BUT CERTAINLY I CAN SHARE WITH BOTH THE, THE WORKING GROUP.
UM, AND BY THE WAY, IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH HIM.
AND, UM, COUNSEL, AS TO THE PERCENTAGES, YOU WOULD NEED TO ADD TO THAT FOR TOTAL COMPENSATION.
I APPRECIATE THAT COUNCIL MEMBER POOL, BECAUSE AS WE HAVE THIS CONVERSATION, BUT TOTAL COMPENSATION IS GOING TO BE IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S NOT JUST WHAT WE PROVIDE IN THE HOURLY SALARY.
IT'S ALSO THE CONTRIBUTIONS THAT THE CITY PROVIDES IN TOTALITY TO BENEFIT SHORT-TERM DISABILITY.
AND THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE PAY FOR THAT CREATE THAT TOTAL PACKAGE, WHICH WE THEN USE TO COMPARE AND BENCHMARK FOR COMPETITIVENESS.
AT ONE POINT, I THINK THE FACTOR, UM, WAS ABOUT 20%.
IT MAY BE IN THE THIRTIES AT THIS POINT, BUT I, I DON'T KNOW.
AND I THINK WE ALL WOULD BENEFIT FROM KNOWING THAT THEY'RE CHECKING RIGHT NOW.
SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT TO YOU.
UM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, PAUL, CAN I JUST ADD SOMETHING? AND I THINK THAT'S A GREAT POINT.
YOU BRING UP THAT ALTHOUGH THOSE TWO OR 3% INCREASES HAVE HAPPENED, THAT THEY HAVEN'T AFFECTED EVERYONE.
AND I JUST WANT TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT THAT ALSO MEANS THAT THEY HAVE NOT EXTENDED TO CONTRACT EMPLOYEES, RIGHT? SO CONSTRUCTION, ALL THOSE OTHER THINGS, BUT ALSO PROJECT CONNECT, WHICH HAS ALREADY STARTED.
WE ALREADY HAVE THE METRO RECORD, RAPID LINES GOING.
SO THAT'S PAYING THE $15, THE MINIMUM WAGE FLOOR.
AND SO JUST TO REMIND FOLKS THAT THAT ALSO HAS AN EXTENDED IN THOSE AND I, AND I THINK THAT'S A POINT THAT WE CAN, CAN DIG INTO AND, AND ADDRESS.
WELL, I ALSO THINK, UM, IF YOU READ THE REPORT FROM 15, YOU WILL SEE THAT WE WERE VERY CONCERNED WITH COMPRESSION BACK THEN.
THAT'S WHY WE MADE SOME OF THE DECISIONS THAT WE MADE COMPRESSION AND IMPORTANT LONG JEVITY FOR EMPLOYEES WHO'VE BEEN IN THE WORKPLACE FOR A LONG TIME, IS ALL PART OF THIS, RIGHT? AND SO WE DIDN'T GO INTO THIS, JUST THINKING ABOUT THIS PERSON AT THE BOTTOM, BECAUSE WHEN YOU MAKE A CHANGE HERE, IT HAS A RIPPLE EFFECT AS YOU GO THROUGH THE PAY GRADES.
AND SO THAT, THAT WAS CONSIDERED, UH, WAS ON THE TABLE.
IT WAS CONSIDERED EIGHT YEARS AGO.
IT IS ALWAYS, ALWAYS A PRIORITY FOR THIS UNIT.
AND THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT THAT COMPRESSION IS ADDRESSED ALL THE WAY UP THROUGH, UM, UP TO A CERTAIN POINT, OBVIOUSLY, AND NOT JUST LIKE THE LOWER COUPLE OF GROUPS IN, IN THE WAGE BANDS WHO MY POINT IS HERE ON THAT IS THAT THAT HAS NOT A FULL ASSESSMENT OF THAT COST IS NOT INCLUDED IN THESE NUMBERS.
AND THAT WHAT IS WHAT CONCERNS MAY BE.
[00:55:01]
GOING TO MOVE IN THIS DIRECTION, WE NEED TO BE CLEAR-EYED ON THE COSTS, NOT ONLY FOR FISCAL 23, BUT FOR GOING FORWARD.AND IT'S THE CLEAR-EYED PART THAT IS THE DIFFICULT CONVERSATION THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN ON THE DIOCESE AND, UH, WITH THE COUNCIL AND, AND, AND THE CITY STAFF.
UM, I, I'M NOT MAKING ANY CLAIMS OR PROMISES OR ASSESSMENTS ABOUT WHAT THAT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE EXCEPT TO SAY THAT IT WON'T BE SIMPLE.
AND THERE HAS BEEN SOME, UH, FORECASTING OF, OF WHAT THAT COULD LOOK LIKE.
I THINK MAYOR PRO TEM WENT INTO GOOD DETAIL ON THAT FRONT.
WELL, WELL, AND AS WE TALK ABOUT THAT 1683, THAT FROM THE FIRST REPORT, OUR, OUR GOAL WAS TO FINISH AT 1683 OR BE THERE BY 2020, WE'RE HEADING INTO 2023.
SO AGAIN, HAD WE USED THE CPI THAT WE HAD PUT IT FROM THE FIRST BIRD SO THAT WE WOULDN'T BE HERE TODAY, WE WOULD BE AT 1750.
I UNDERSTAND, I UNDERSTAND COMPLETELY, WE CANNOT SUBTRACT OUT THE EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS WAS ESSENTIALLY GROUND EVERYTHING TO A HALT.
WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT WE WOULD HAVE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
NOW WE ARE STILL PULLING OURSELVES OUT OF THAT SITUATION TO TRY TO ASSESS WHERE WE HAVE FINANCES, WHAT OUR REVENUES ARE LIKE, AND WHAT IS ACTUALLY GOING TO CONTINUE BECAUSE THE WORLD IS DIFFERENT.
SO I THINK, I AGREE, THANK YOU FOR THAT.
AND THEN, AND FOR WHOEVER IS, I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER TOBA IS AFTER ME RETAINING EXPERIENCED EMPLOYEES THAT NEEDS TO BE FULLY CONSIDERED IN WHATEVER CONVERSATIONS WE HAVE GOING FORWARD.
WE NEED A PLAN FOR THAT, AND WE NEED A WAY TO SUSTAIN THE LEVEL AND GROW IT.
AND, AND I DON'T THINK ANY OF US HAVE ANY QUARREL WITH HIM WITH ANY OF THAT.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THAT WORK JUST DON'T KNOW HOW FAST WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET THERE, BUT I COMMIT THAT I WILL DO THAT WORK WITH YOU AS YOU KNOW, I WILL.
I THINK PARANTHETICALLY, IT IS GOOD TO NOTE IS, IS, IS, IS A DIRECTOR HAYES DID THAT IN THIS PERIOD OF TIME, WE'VE ALSO MADE SOME PRETTY SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS.
IN OTHER THINGS WE'VE EXTENDED THE LIVING WAGE TO CONTRACT WORKERS, PART-TIME WORKERS, TEMPORARY WORKERS.
WE EXTENDED BENEFITS, UH, TO THE SAME GROUP OF PEOPLE.
WE'VE TAKEN A LOT OF CONTRACT WORKERS THAT WERE CONTRACT WORKERS ARE NOT GETTING BENEFITS AND CONVERTED THOSE INTO, UH, EMPLOYMENT, UH, POSITION.
SO A LOT OF BACKFILL WORK, UH, I'M REAL PROUD TO HAVE BEEN PART OF A COUNCIL THAT WAS DOING THINGS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE A LONG TIME BEFORE THAT, BECAUSE WE WERE TOVA I THINK YOU WERE NEXT.
UM, SO THE CONVERSATION HAS GONE A LOT OF DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS, AND I HAVE A COUPLE OF THINGS TO SAY ABOUT, ABOUT, UM, DIFFERENT POINTS THAT OTHERS HAVE RAISED.
YOU KNOW, I, I AGREE WITH MY COLLEAGUES WHO HAVE MENTIONED THE IMPORTANCE, UM, AND I WOULD PASS THIS ALONG ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER OF HAVING OF MAKING SURE THAT WE REALLY HAVE THOSE ROBUST CONVERSATIONS WITH THE PUBLIC.
AND I KNOW MOST OF US ARE PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE THOSE PUBLIC SESSIONS ABOUT THE BUDGET, BUT I, I, I THINK THOSE, YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS TRY TO STRUCTURE MINE IN A WAY THAT, UM, AS BEST AS, AS WE CAN, WITHIN THAT CONVERSATION, IT DOES, IT DOES POSE AUTHENTIC QUESTIONS, UM, TO THE PUBLIC BECAUSE IT'S REALLY CHALLENGING.
I REMEMBER GOING TO THEM AS A COMMUNITY MEMBER EARLY, YOU KNOW, BEFORE, BEFORE I GOT ON COUNCIL.
AND IN THOSE DAYS, THE CONVERSATIONS WERE KIND OF LIKE, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE MORE OF WILL EVERYBODY WANTS TO SEE MORE OF EVERYTHING, RIGHT? BUT THAT DOESN'T, THAT'S NOT A REALISTIC WAY TO APPROACH IT.
AND SO I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT NOT ONLY TO TALK ABOUT THE TRADE-OFFS, BUT THE IMPACTS AND, UH, I'VE FORGOTTEN WHICH OF MY COLLEAGUES MENTIONED THIS BEFORE, BUT CERTAINLY THE LIVING WAGE, THOSE OF YOU ON THE LIVING WAGE GROUP HAVE, HAVE MENTIONED THIS AS WELL, THAT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF WHAT OUR PUBLIC WANTS TO SEE MORE OF REALLY DEPENDS ON HAVING EMPLOYEES, STAFF IT.
AND SO THANK YOU FOR, FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING.
THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUE FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD.
UM, I THINK IT'S CRITICAL THAT WE ADDRESS WAGES THIS CYCLE AND THAT WE DO SO AS AGGRESSIVELY AS WE'RE ABLE TO, WITHIN OUR BUDGETARY LIMITS.
AND I WOULD ALSO ASK THE CITY MANAGER TO PROVIDE US WITH SOME INFORMATION ABOUT VACANCIES.
I'M, YOU KNOW, I HEAR ANECDOTALLY, UM, ABOUT DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE STRUGGLING.
I KNOW I'VE REACHED OUT TO SOME DEPARTMENTS AND THEY'VE SAID, IT'S GOING TO BE A WHILE UNTIL WE CAN DO THAT.
IT'S GOING TO BE A WHILE TILL WE CAN RESPOND BECAUSE THIS PERSON'S OUT OR THIS PERSON'S OUT THERE, WE'RE RELYING ON SOME CONTRACTS FOR PROGRAMS THAT WE'VE TYPICALLY DONE IN HOUSE IN PART, BECAUSE OF, UM, YOU KNOW, I'M HEARING THAT THERE'S SUCH A HIGH WORKLOAD
[01:00:01]
AND SO MANY VACANCIES, BUT I REALLY DON'T HAVE A SENSE.I DON'T HAVE A CLEAR PICTURE OF WHAT THOSE VACANCIES ARE LIKE.
AND I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF I'VE MISSED A MEMO OR WE JUST HAVEN'T, UM, BEEN PROVIDED WITH THAT INFORMATION.
BUT I WOULD ASK FOR THAT PRETTY PRETTY QUICKLY AND, AND ALSO SOME INFORMATION ABOUT WHICH DEPARTMENTS AND AT WHICH LEVELS I KNOW I DID, I DID REQUEST SOME INFORMATION THROUGH THE BUDGET Q AND A THAT, WHICH ISN'T ACTIVE YET, BUT I NEED IT IN PREPARATION FOR THE BUDGET ABOUT A COUPLE DEPARTMENTS, UM, ASKING FOR KIND OF WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE THE, WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT JOB TITLES? WHAT ARE THE, SOME OF THE PROGRAMS THAT FALL WITHIN THAT AND WHERE ARE THE VACANCIES? AND WE'RE KIND OF GOING BACK AND FORTH WITH STAFF ABOUT HOW, AND WHETHER THEY'LL PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION.
BUT I DO REALLY THINK WE NEED A CLEAR LOOK, YOU KNOW, IN THE, IN THE YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN ON COUNCIL, I THINK WE GET WE'VE, WE'VE MADE A LOT OF REALLY GOOD CHANGES WITH HOW THE BUDGET IS PRESENTED.
AND ONE OF THEM ARE THE BUDGET HEARINGS.
I THINK THEY'RE MUCH MORE USEFUL THESE DAYS, UM, AND MUCH, MUCH MORE, UM, MUCH MORE USEFUL FOR THE PUBLIC WHO PARTICIPATES, BUT WE DO GET LESS, TO SOME EXTENT WE GET LESS INFORMATION IN THE BUDGET.
IT'S A LITTLE MORE CHALLENGING TO GO IN AND LOOK DEPARTMENT BY DEPARTMENT TO SEE WHAT KINDS OF PROGRAMS ARE ACTIVE, UH, ACTIVE PROGRAMS THAT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THE PRIORITIES HAVE SWITCHED.
I MEAN, SOME OF THESE PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN GOING ON FOR DECADES AND MAY NO LONGER BE THE PRIORITIES.
AND IF THOSE ARE, I DON'T WANT, I CERTAINLY WOULDN'T SUPPORT PEOPLE LOSING THEIR JOBS, BUT THERE MAY BE PROGRAMS WITHIN DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS THAT WE WOULD RATHER STOP AND SHIFT THE MONEY TO WAGES.
AND SO THIS IS REALLY, I GUESS, A CONVERSATION THAT WE'LL HAVE TO, I MEAN, IT'S A LITTLE LATE IN THE BUDGET TO HAVE TO HAVE THIS PARTICULAR CONVERSATION, BUT I THINK IF WE HAD MORE, MORE OF THAT INFORMATION IN OUR BUDGET WITHOUT HAVING TO ASK FOR IT THROUGH THE Q AND A, I THINK WE'D, WE'D HAVE, WE'D HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE WE, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE WANT TO SHIFT PRIORITIES.
SO, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS I DO AS I GO INTO THE BUDGET Q AND A, I STAFF DO A TREMENDOUS JOB OF THIS IS GO THROUGH THE OLD BUDGET Q AND A'S JUST TO SEE SOME OF, I MEAN, I CAN TELL YOU, YOU KNOW, I HAVE A SHORT LIST OF PROGRAMS THAT I KNOW WE CONTINUE TO FUND YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR, THAT ARE PROBABLY NOT HAVING THE IMPACT THAT PUTTING THE DOLLARS INTO WAGES WILL.
AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S GOING TO BE KIND OF ONE OF MY KEY AREAS OF FOCUS.
AND I INVITE THOSE OF YOU WHO I KNOW DO THE SAME WORK TO, YOU KNOW, TO COLLABORATE ON THAT.
SO THANK YOU ALL FOR, AGAIN, FOR BRINGING THIS PROPOSAL FORWARD.
AND I DO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT AS WE'RE HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS, WE'RE BEING REALLY CLEAR ABOUT WHAT, WHAT SOME OF THOSE TRADE-OFFS ARE.
I KNOW BECAUSE HOMELESSNESS WAS MENTIONED EARLIER, AND THAT IS CERTAINLY AN AREA THAT, THAT THIS COUNCIL HAS PRIORITIZED.
IT'S WHEN MY OFFICE HAS PRIORITIZED EVEN LONGER THAN IT'S BEEN A COUNCIL PRIORITY.
AND IT'S CERTAINLY A PRIORITY FOR THE COMMUNITY AS WELL.
I JUST WANT TO REMIND THE PUBLIC WHO'S LISTENING, THAT, THAT WE'RE FUNDING THAT ADDITIONAL 3000, IT'S AN ADDITIONAL 3000.
IT'S AN ADDITIONAL 3000 A YEAR.
THAT WORK IS BEING FUNDED THROUGH THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT.
AND IT WILL NOT BE IMPACTED BY THE BUDGETARY DISCUSSIONS THAT WE'RE HAVING RIGHT NOW.
MAYOR, I, YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO SAY THAT WE HAVE FAILED.
YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T BUILD ENOUGH HOUSING HERE.
WE, WE WENT THROUGH A WHOLE PROCESS, WHICH WAS CODE CODE NEXT, AND WE JUST DID NOT PUT, PUT IT THROUGH.
WE COULD NOT PUNCH IT THROUGH AND WE'RE PAYING FOR IT.
NOW PEOPLE ARE MOVING OUT OF AUSTIN.
THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO LIVE HERE.
AND THESE ARE YOUR WORKERS, AND THEY'RE NOT GOING TO COME BACK INTO AUSTIN FOR NO $15 AN HOUR.
AND THAT'S WHY WE HAVE A SHORTAGE.
I MEAN, YOU LOOK AT THE LIFE GUARD SITUATION WHERE YOU WERE PAYING $15 AN HOUR, PLUS $500 SIGNING BONUS.
WHY? BECAUSE THEY DON'T LIVE HERE AT AUSTIN ANYMORE.
AND I WAS TELLING PEOPLE, I SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU'RE GOING TO BE IN A VERY BAD SITUATION.
IF WE DON'T BUILD HOUSING FOR OUR WORKFORCE, PEOPLE HERE IN AUSTIN, BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT COMING BACK AND THEY'RE NOT GOING TO COME BACK, YOU'RE FOOLING YOURSELF.
YOU KNOW, CAUSE WE DID NOT COMMIT OURSELVES TO BUILD THE HOUSING THAT WE NEED.
MY NEIGHBOR HERE WHEN SHE SAW HER APPRAISAL, THIS VIRUS OUT THERE, I MEAN IT JUMPED $300,000.
DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR SCHOOL TAXES GET FROZEN? SHE'S TALKING ABOUT MOVING TO MEXICO NOW, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THE TAXES ARE, I MEAN, I'M, I BOUGHT A HOUSE DOWN THERE AND I'M ONLY PAYING $36 A YEAR.
YOU KNOW, YOU CAN STILL BUY YOUR AVOCADO THERE FOR 7 CENTS.
YOU KNOW, YOU CAN DRIVE YOUR CAR DOWN THERE FOR THREE 50 A GALLON.
NOW, WHY ARE YOU? I MEAN, THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO COME BACK.
AND YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY A LOT MORE FOR THE SERVICE THAT YOU WANT.
IF YOU WANT THEM TO COME BACK AND TAKE CARE OF YOUR LIBRARIES OR YOUR SWIMMING POOL CARDS.
[01:05:01]
ARE, YOU WANT THEM TO WORK.YOUR WORKERS ARE NOT COMING BACK.
NOW I HAVE TO WAIT 30 MINUTES MORE THAN I NORMALLY WOULD TO GET SERVICE BECAUSE I CANNOT FIND THE EMPLOYEES THERE BECAUSE THEY'RE OUT.
AND LET ME TELL YOU, BUDA KYLE, RON BLOCK, GEORGETOWN PFLUGERVILLE, THEY ALL IN THE SAME SITUATION BECAUSE THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO LIVE IN THIS AREA.
AND THE FURTHER YOU MOVE WORKING CLASS PEOPLE, THE MORE RELUCTANT YOU'RE GOING TO COME INTO AUSTIN, THEY WILL JUST FIND A JOB WHERE THEY'RE MOVED TO.
SO YOU KNOW, WHERE WE NEED TO BE VERY SERIOUS ABOUT THAT.
WE NEED, WE NEED TO REALLY FOCUS DOWN AND BUILD IT AS MANY HOUSING WE CAN.
IF WE'RE GOING TO BRING PEOPLE BACK AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE 30, 40, 50% MFI PEOPLE, AND IF WE DON'T BUILD THOSE HOMES, WELL, WE'RE GOING TO BE HERE.
AND YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE YOUR LABOR FORCE HERE ARGUING ABOUT 25 $30 HERE IN THE NEXT TWO, THREE YEARS.
AND THEN SERVER HARPER MATTERS.
I APPRECIATE THE CONVERSATION AROUND HOUSING BECAUSE I NOTICED IN THE 2015 MEMO FROM THE WORKING GROUP THAT THE PREVIOUS WORKING GROUP THAT A HOUSING STUDY WAS CITED, AS PART OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS WAS BASED ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND WE KNOW THAT THE AVERAGE RENT HERE IN AUSTIN HAS GONE UP 32% TO WHERE IT'S $1,500 FOR A ONE BEDROOM.
SO IMAGINE SOMEONE WHO MAKES 45,000 BEING ABLE TO AFFORD AN APARTMENT, A ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT AT $1,500 OR, OR BEING ABLE TO PURCHASE A HOME AT 550,000, WHICH WAS THE AVERAGE CITED BACK IN JANUARY.
UH, SO I DID WANT TO POINT OUT HOW IMPORTANT HOUSING IS AS PART OF THIS CONVERSATION.
ALSO WANTED TO MENTION A CONCEPT WHERE YOU BRING UP SOME EXCELLENT POINTS WITH UNDERSTANDING BETTER THE VACANCY RATES AND HAVING MORE INFORMATION.
AND TWO COLLEAGUES WANT YOU TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION THAT ON NEXT WEEK'S AGENDA, WE DO HAVE AN ITEM THAT IS SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON RAISING THE LIVABLE WAGE TO 22 AND GETTING US THAT INFORMATION THAT MANY OF US HAVE CITED WANTING TO HAVE MORE OF.
SO PERHAPS, UM, WE, YOU KNOW, WE CAN, UH, I'LL POST ON THE MESSAGE BOARD AND WE CAN COALESCE OUR QUESTIONS SO THAT OUR HR TEAM IS ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION AS PART OF NEXT WEEK'S CONVERSATION AND THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS.
UM, I ALSO WANTED TO KNOW IN THE VACANCY REPORT THAT I RECEIVED, YOU KNOW, THERE IS, UM, LOTS TO DIG THROUGH.
WE HAVE A POSITION IN THE AVIATION DEPARTMENT THAT IT'S BEEN VACANT SINCE 2017, THAT IS PAID AT 117,000 AND IT'S BEEN VACANT NOW FOR FIVE YEARS.
AND SO I THINK THERE'S A LOT FOR US TO DIG THROUGH WHEN WE LOOK AT HOW CAN WE BEST ALLOCATE OUR BUDGET SO THAT WE'RE ABLE TO RAISE THE LIVABLE WAGE AT A SUBSTANTIAL RATE.
THAT'S WHAT WE'LL HAVE FOR MADISON.
CAN I JUST ASK YOU A SUPER QUICK QUESTION? WHAT VACANCY REPORT ARE YOU REFERRING TO? IT IS A, THE BUDGET TEAM.
THEY HAVE MONTHLY VACANCY REPORTS.
AND SO WE CAN SHARE THAT WE CAN PASS THAT AROUND.
IS THAT DISTRIBUTED? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN RECEIVING EACH MONTH OR IS THAT SOMETHING YOU SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED? OKAY.
CUSTOMER, WE CAN SEND IT TO THE ENTIRE MARIN COUNCIL.
AND JUST AS A MATTER OF PRACTICE, THAT'S USUALLY THE WAY THAT WORKS GET SPANX.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE IT.
UH, I THINK MOST OF US HAVE MENTIONED THAT A PLAN MOVING FORWARD IS SOMETHING THAT WE'D LIKE TO SEE.
AND SO I VERY MUCH LIKE TO SEE IN ADDITION TO JUST GENERALLY A PLAN, HOW DO WE GET TO 27 BY 2027? I'D LIKE VERY MUCH TO SEE WHAT THOSE STEPS LOOK LIKE AND WHAT IT IS THAT WE NEED TO BE PREPARING FOR NOW TO GET US THERE IN 2027, BECAUSE WE'RE A KITCHEN.
AND JUST QUICKLY, UM, I WANT TO MENTION ALSO THAT I'M BRINGING AN ITEM FOR NEXT WEEK.
THAT RELATES SPECIFICALLY TO THE CALL-TAKERS, UM, IN THE SITUATION, UH, WITH, UM, THE PAY.
I KNOW OUR STAFF STAFF'S BEEN WORKING VERY DILIGENTLY AND AS HAS THE POLICE CHIEF ON THAT ISSUE, BUT, UM, UH, I BELIEVE THERE MAY BE SOME REMAINING ISSUES.
SO MY INTENT IS TO BRING IT ON THE, UM, THE ADDENDUM FOR NEXT WEEK ALSO.
AND WE CAN HAVE THAT CONVERSATION ALSO SAY IT AGAIN.
I'M SORRY, WHAT BRINGING YOU THE NEXT WEEK? THERE'S AN ISSUE RELATED TO THE LEVEL OF PAY FOR CALL-TAKERS AND IT'S, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF COMPLEXITIES AROUND IT, BUT IT ALSO RELATES TO THE VACANCY RATES.
I MEAN, THE BOTTOM LINE IS YOU IS WHAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING WITH THE NINE 11 CALL CENTER AND THE CALL TAKERS AND THE DIFFICULTIES THAT WE HAVE FILLING THOSE POSITIONS AND, UM, KEEPING OUR LEVEL OF RESPONSE AT WHAT IT NEEDS TO BE.
SO, UM, I JUST WANT TO KNOWLEDGE
[01:10:01]
THAT I KNOW THAT THE STAFF'S BEEN WORKING ON THIS, UM, AT LEAST AS OF TODAY, I'M NOT SURE WHERE ALL THE WAY THERE.SO, UM, I'M GOING TO, UM, PUT THAT ON THE ADDENDUM AND WE'LL SEE HOW MUCH WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED WITH WHAT THE STAFF HAS BEEN ABLE TO DO SO FAR.
AND THEN WE'LL HAVE THAT CONVERSATION AS WE NEED TO.
AND I DO NOTE THAT THERE'S AN ITEM ON THIS COMING BACK UP AT THE AGENDA.
AND I, LIKE, AS WE HAVE BEEN DOING IS, IS, IS HOLDING OUR COMMUNITY ACCOUNTABLE TO THE SAME STANDARDS WE HOLD OURSELVES TO.
SO AS WE MOVE OUR, OUR NUMBER UP, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE USING OUR BUYING POWER TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS, TO HAVE OTHERS BEAT US.
I COULDN'T TELL FROM THE WORDING OF THE DRAFT, WHETHER IT WOULD INADVERTENTLY HAVE US, IF WE DON'T GET TO 22 RIGHT AWAY REQUIRING THE REST OF THE COMMUNITY TO GET THERE BEFORE WE DO, WHICH I DON'T THINK WAS THE ATTEMPT, BUT WE COULD TAKE A LOOK AT THAT WORD.
HE SAID THAT WE'RE ASKING PEOPLE TO DO EVERYTHING WE DO, BUT NOT BEYOND, BUT WE DO.
I BELIEVE DIRECTOR HAYES SAID SOMETHING TO US.
I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT, UM, THAT THE INITIAL LIVING WAGE COMMITTEE CAME UP WITH A FIVE-YEAR PLAN.
THE ONE THAT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN 1683, WHAT WE WOULD PROPOSE IN, IN THE BUDGET THIS YEAR THROUGH THE CITY MANAGER WOULD BE ALSO A FIVE-YEAR PLAN.
BEST PRACTICE WOULD SAY AFTER FIVE TO SEVEN YEARS, YOU DO WANT TO BRING YOUR COMMUNITY IN TO THINK ABOUT THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES IN COMMUNITY.
AND SO THAT IS INTENTIONAL TO BRING THEM BACK.
UM, AND SO THE PLAN WOULD BE A FIVE-YEAR PLAN FOR YOU TO SEE AND CREATE WHAT THAT SUSTAINABLE PLAN WOULD LOOK LIKE.
AND THEN WE WOULD THEN AGAIN, BRING THE TEAM BACK, UM, ADD NEW GROUPS TO, TO HAVE THE DISCUSSION AGAIN, TO MAINTAIN THE CONTINUITY OF COMMUNITY INPUT TO THE PROCESS.
UM, I APPRECIATE THE CONVERSATION I WANTED TO ASK.
I THINK THIS WOULD BE MS. HAYES.
UM, IF YOU COULD, UH, PROVIDE US WITH SORT OF A MEMO THAT LISTS SOME OF THOSE OTHER WAGE AND BENEFIT, UM, CHANGES THAT WE IMPLEMENTED SO THAT WE CAN HAVE SOME GREATER TRANSPARENCY AND CLARITY OVER THOSE.
WE'VE DONE A LOT IN SOMEWHERE, YOU KNOW, RELATED TO ACADEMIC AND WERE TEMPORARY AND SOME WERE SOME WERE LONGER TERM, BUT I THINK THAT, UM, WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE THAT, THAT BROADER PICTURE AS PART OF THE BACKGROUND, AS WE'RE, AS WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THINGS.
AS OUR KITCHEN, YOU'RE DOING IT ALSO TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT ITEM 65 THAT'S ON THIS AGENDA.
I, UM, UH, THIS RELATES TO POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENTS AND IT'S RELATES TO SOMETHING THE MAYOR WAS REFERENCING EARLIER, WHICH HAS TO DO, WHICH HAS TO DO WITH EXTENDING OUR BENEFITS TO CONTRACTS, CONTRACTED WORKERS.
UM, I DO SUPPORT, UH, POSTPONING THAT TO NEXT WEEK.
THE STAFF HAS ASKED ME TO POSTPONE IT TO THE 16TH, WHICH I THINK MAKES SENSE BECAUSE WE CAN HAVE THAT CONVERSATION AS PART OF OUR OTHER CONVERSATIONS.
UM, SO I WILL SAY I WILL BE PROPOSING THAT WE'VE POSTPONE IT.
NOW I'M DOING THAT WITH THE UNDERSTANDING.
I KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN A REQUEST FOR AN EXECUTIVE SESSION ON THIS ISSUE.
SO I'M DOING THIS WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE EXECUTIVE SESSION WILL OCCUR ON THE 14TH, NOT THE 16TH BECAUSE HAVING THE EXECUTIVE SESSION ON THE 14TH WILL ALLOW FOR WHATEVER CONVERSATION PEOPLE WANT IT TO HAVE, WHO ASKED FOR THAT EXECUTIVE SESSION.
SO WE DO THAT ON THE 14TH, AND THEN WE POSTPONE THE ITEM FROM THIS THURSDAY TO THE FOLLOWING THURSDAY, THE 16TH.
AND I WANTED TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT I, YOU KNOW, I AM SUPPORTING POSTPONING THAT AGENDA ITEM.
IT LOOKS LIKE WE CAN DO IT ON THE 14TH.
I THINK THE DIRECTOR MAY NEED TO BE WITH US.
I WAS ADVISED THIS MORNING THAT NOT ONLY THAT GENERAL MANAGER IS NOT AVAILABLE AND HER STAFF ARE OUT ON THE 14TH, BUT THE, UM, OUTSIDE COUNSEL IS ALSO NOT AVAILABLE.
WHEN I TALKED WITH THE CITY MANAGER AND THE GENERAL MANAGER, UM, IN ORDER TO FIND A DATE THAT WOULD ADDRESS EVERYBODY'S NEEDS.
I APOLOGIZE TO MY COLLEAGUE WHO IS BRINGING THIS ITEM THAT IT'S NOT POSSIBLE TO DO IT ON THE 14TH, BUT THAT IS ACTUALLY THE SITUATION.
SO THEN HAVE THE OUTSIDE COUNSEL, THEN I WOULD LIKE TO EXPLORE HAVING IT ON THIS THURSDAY.
I DON'T THINK IT'S FAIR TO HAVE IT THE SAME DAY THAT WE'RE TRYING TO VOTE ON IT.
AND I DO NOT SUPPORT A POSTPONING THIS PAST THE 16TH.
SO WE'LL WORK OFFLINE TO SEE IF WE CAN POSSIBLY DO IT THIS THURSDAY.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE REASON WAS FOR ASKING FOR AN EXECUTIVE SESSION, BUT IT'S PERFECTLY FINE.
I RESPECT PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO HAVE THAT, BUT I DON'T WANT IT PUSHED TO THE SAME DAY THAT WE ARE GOING TO TAKE UP THE ITEM.
SO LET'S, LET'S SEE, LET'S EXPLORE WHAT OUR OPTIONS ARE.
SINCE IT'S ON THIS WEEK'S AGENDA, UM, AND WE HAVE AN AUSTIN ENERGY MEETING, SO I ASSUME OUR STAFF
[01:15:01]
ARE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN TODAY'S MEETING.I WOULD ALSO, UM, BE INTERESTED IN SEEING WHETHER IT'S AN OPTION FOR TODAY.
I MEAN, WE COULD HEAR AN EXECUTIVE SESSION ON IT TODAY OR THURSDAY AND AT LEAST GET SOME SENSE OF WHAT, WHAT THE, UM, LEGAL CONCERNS THAT OUR COLLEAGUES HAVE RAISED ARE.
SO IF THAT'S AN OPTION FOR TODAY, THAT WOULD BE MY REQUEST, BUT I CONCUR.
I THINK WE NEED, I, I JUST THINK WE DO BETTER WHEN WE HAVE INFORMATION, UM, AHEAD OF TIME ON SOME OF THESE ISSUES.
AND, AND I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE A CLEAR SENSE OF AS A CO-SPONSOR.
I DON'T HAVE A CLEAR SENSE OF WHAT THE LEGAL CONCERNS MIGHT BE.
CAN YOU CHECK PROGRAM? I DON'T THINK WE'RE PREPARED TO PREPARE TO DO IT TODAY, BUT, UM, WE CAN LOOK FOR THURSDAY.
IS IT POSSIBLE? UM, AND JUST TO HEAR FROM OUR COLLEAGUES TODAY, WHAT THEIR LEGAL QUESTIONS ARE IN AN EXECUTIVE SESSION WITHOUT HAVING A PRESENTATION FROM OUR STAFF, IF I COULD INTERJECT AT THIS POINT, I WAS THEIR GENERAL MANAGER BECAUSE SHE'S THE ONE IN HER STAFF WHO ARE PREPARING THE PRESENTATION AND INCLUDING THE LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS AND TO FAST FORWARD THIS TO, UH, THURSDAY IS NOT WHAT, UM, I HAD POSTED ON THE MESSAGE BOARD.
IT WAS VERY CLEAR ON THE, UM, JUNE 16 EXECUTIVE SESSION.
I RECOGNIZE YOU ARE INTEREST COUNCILMEMBER ADOBO AND COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN, BUT AS THE CHAIR OF THE AUSTIN ENERGY OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, I HAVE MADE, UM, TAKEN SPECIFIC STEPS AND HAD NUMEROUS CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR STAFF TO LINE IT ALL UP IN ORDER TO PRESENT THE INFORMATION THAT IS NECESSARY TO HAVE IN FACT, IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
AND THEN THERE WILL BE TIME THAT DAY TO TAKE UP THE ITEM, WHICH IS WHEN IT IS, UH, WHICH IS WHEN I HAD PROPOSED IT.
AND I HAD GENERAL AGREEMENT ON THE MESSAGE BOARD FROM THIS, UH, FROM THE DIES WELL, TO BE, TO BE CLEAR, UM, I, AS THE CO-SPONSOR AS THE SPONSOR OF THIS ITEM, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE LEGAL QUESTIONS ARE.
I HAVE ALSO BEEN TALKING, UH, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN ALSO TALKING WITH THE, UM, WITH THE GENERAL MANAGER, AS I ALWAYS WOULD BEFORE I WOULD BRING ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
AND I AGREED WITH HER TO POSTPONE IT BASED ON THE FACT THAT WE WOULD HAVE A CON CON WE WOULD HAVE THE CONVERSATION IN THE EXECUTIVE SESSION IN A TIMELY WAY SO THAT WE WOULD NOT BE POSTPONING IT PAST THE 16TH.
SO I DON'T SEE WHAT THE PROBLEM IS ABOUT GOING BACK AND ASKING HER IF SHE'S AVAILABLE NEXT ON, ON THURSDAY, IT'S POSTED FOR THURSDAY.
I HAD ORIGINALLY ASKED HER TO DO IT TODAY.
AND, UM, BUT THEN I, YOU KNOW, SHE W IT WAS NEVER EXPLAINED TO ME, AND THERE WAS, LET'S DO THIS, LET'S DO THIS.
LET'S POST IT FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION ABOUT THURSDAY AT THE VERY LEAST, I THINK IT'S REASONABLE TO SAY LET'S IDENTIFY THE ISSUE.
SO IF WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT HAVE ASKED FOR THAT, THEY, THEY, THEY CAN LET US ALL KNOW WHY IT IS THAT THEY'VE ASKED FOR IT.
SO AT THE VERY LEAST WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION BEFORE THE WEEK'S OVER, AND THAT'S WHERE A TOVA.
I THINK THAT'S RESPONSIVE TO THE FACT THAT CO-SPONSORS, UH, THAT COUNT'S MEMBER KITCHEN HAS BROUGHT THIS FORWARD, AND THERE ARE CO-SPONSORS WHO PUT IT ON THIS WEEK'S AGENDA.
UM, CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHO REQUESTED THE AGENDA, THE EXECUTIVE SESSION WHERE THEIR COLLEAGUES WHO REQUESTED IT, OR WAS IT A REQUEST OF THE STAFF? UH, THE CHAIR OF THE US ENERGY REQUESTED.
SO LET'S PUT ON THE EXECUTIVE SESSION ON THURSDAY.
WE'LL SEE HOW MUCH WE CAN GET DONE, BUT AT THE VERY LEAST, WE'LL SEE IF WE CAN ELEVATE WHATEVER IT IS, THE LEGAL ISSUES THAT ARE BEING, BEING, BEING LOOKED AT.
I'M FINE WITH DOING THAT AS F AS FAR AS ELEVATING THE QUESTIONS.
UM, I THINK WE NEED TO BE AWARE THAT THE ELEVATION OF THE ISSUES WILL THEN GIVE OUR STAFF SOME TIME IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER THEM AT THE LEVEL OF SPECIFICITY THAT I THINK ALL OF US WILL ALSO BE ON, ON THE 16TH.
SO EXECUTIVE SESSION AGENDA, CORRECT.
I THINK WHAT I HEARD MAY, OR IT SOUNDS, IT SOUNDS GREAT.
WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS WE'RE GOING TO HAVE EXECUTIVE SESSION ON THE 14TH.
WE WILL, IF THE MA IF THE GENERAL MANNERS IS AVAILABLE AT THE, AT THE MINIMUM, WE'LL, WE'LL, UH, IDENTIFY WHAT THE ISSUES ARE.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION ON JUNE 9TH ON THIS THURSDAY.
WE'RE GOING TO MARK A SECOND SESSION, AND THEN WE WILL HAVE IT AGAIN ON THE 16TH.
YEAH, I WOULD JUST ASK THE GENERAL MANAGER.
I KNOW THE GENERAL MANAGERS IS PREPARED.
I'VE HAD A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS THAT I HAD A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS WITH HER BEFORE I BROUGHT THIS ITEM.
SO I KNOW SHE'S, IF SHE, AS LONG AS SHE'S AVAILABLE ON THE NINTH, I KNOW THAT SHE WOULD, SHE'S PREPARED TO ADDRESS THEM.
SO LET'S JUST CHECK HER AVAILABILITY FOR THE NINTH AS WELL.
AT A MINIMUM, WE CAN RAISE THE ISSUES.
THAT'S WHY I SAID, THAT'S WHY I SAID AT A MINIMUM.
BUT WE'RE, WE'RE NOT GOING TO SET IT THAT WAY ON THE AGENDA.
[01:20:01]
WE'RE JUST GOING TO CALL THE ITEM UP.SO WITHOUT LIMITATION POINT OF ORDER, WE STILL UNDER HERE TO HERE, OR ARE WE, WE'RE TRYING, WE'RE TRYING TO, OKAY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING WITH US HERE TODAY.
LET'S SEE IF WE CAN GET THROUGH SOME OF THE PULLED ITEMS, UH, TEE THEM UP FOR CONVERSATION AND MAYOR.
WELL, WHERE I'LL JUST REITERATE, UM, WHILE WE'RE SHIFTING INTO OUR NEXT SUBJECT THAT I DO, I CONTINUE TO BELIEVE THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT OUR YOUTH WAGES.
I'VE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS VIA TEXT, BACK AND FORTH WITH SOME OF OUR STAFF ABOUT THAT.
BUT I, I THINK THAT WE ARE NOT KEEPING UP AS I MENTIONED IN OUR, IN OUR LAST COUNCIL MEETING, BUT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT WAGES.
UM, OUR YOUTH PROGRAMS, YOU KNOW, OUR YOUTH PROGRAMS, I BELIEVE OUR SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAMS PAY $8 AN HOUR.
UM, YOU KNOW, IF WE WANT TO REALLY ATTRACT A DIVERSE, BROAD GROUP OF YOUNG PEOPLE TO WORK HERE AT THE CITY FOR THE SUMMER, I THINK WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO COMPETE WITH SOME OF THE OTHER JOBS THAT WILL OTHERWISE, UM, PROVIDE MORE FINANCIAL COMPENSATION.
SO JUST AGAIN, JUST A HEADS UP THAT I'M HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS, UM, AND HOPE THAT WE CAN GET TO A, A DIFFERENT PATH ON.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE NUMBERS SO THAT WE CAN SEE WHAT IT IS THAT WE CAN IN FACT DO AND ACCOMPLISH IN THIS AREA.
[Item A (Part 1)]
ARCHIVES, LET'S GO TO SOME OF THE PULLED ITEMS. UM, UM, ITEM NUMBER 61 WAS AN ITEM THAT, UH, I, I PULLED, UM, UH, I'M IN FAVOR OF MOVING FORWARD WITH THIS ITEM.I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS WITH RESPECT, UH, TO THE, UH, UH, THE, THE, THE GREENFIELD SECTION.
CAUSE THAT'S ONE THAT WE REALLY HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HIT WELL.
UM, IF WE DO GREENFIELD IN A WAY, UH, THAT, UM, WE, WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL THAT WE DON'T DO GREENFIELD IN A WAY THAT JUST MAKES IT SO THAT WE PRESERVE WHAT IT IS THAT'S EXISTING OUT THERE.
FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE SOS AREAS, WE HAVE LARGE TRACKS, I'M SORRY, LARGE TRACKS THAT ARE JUST PAVED OVER A HUNDRED PERCENT.
UH, THE, THE GREENFIELD HANDLED BY ITSELF, UM, UH, REQUIRE, UM, UM, USE OF, OF A LOT OF LAND FOR, FOR PURPOSES THAT WILL ULTIMATELY MEAN, I FEAR THAT NONE OF THOSE TRACKS WILL EVER REDEVELOPED, WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT WE WANT DONE.
SO I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE THINGS THAT, UH, WERE ASSOCIATED WITH, UH, WITH THE ORIGINAL WORK THAT THE STAFF HAD DONE BOTH ENVIRONMENTAL AND BEYOND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING THE INCENTIVE OR THE OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO ACTUALLY TAKE ADVANTAGE AND USE THOSE ENVIRONMENTAL SECTIONS.
UH, SO I'D PROBABLY HAVE AN AMENDMENT THAT, UM, UH, LOOKS AT THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THE, THE, THE GREENFIELD BENEFIT ACTUALLY GETS UTILIZED.
WHAT CLAUSE ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT? UM, THEY, MY UNDERSTANDING IS, IS THAT THE, UM, THE, UH, IFC AS IT MOVES FORWARD, TALKS ABOUT VARIOUS ASPECTS OF, OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL, UH, UM, WORK.
UH, SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S THE, I DON'T KNOW WHICH LINE IS IT IS ON THAT, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS, IS THAT THIS ISE INCLUDES IN IT MOVING FORWARD WITH THE GREENFIELD PROVISIONS THAT WERE PART OF THE, THE ENVIRONMENTAL WORK THAT WAS TEED UP FOR US TO CONSIDER, I THINK FOR, FOR SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, ONE OF, UH, ONE OF THE REAL HIGH PRIORITIES.
SO THE RESOLUTION IS DOING QUITE A FEW DIFFERENT THINGS, INCLUDING FORWARDING ON, UM, SOME OF THE GREEN STORMWATER METHODS AND SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED AND DISCUSSED AND IDENTIFIED AS PRIORITIES FOR A LONG WHILE.
I'M NOT, I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE WHAT, WHAT YOU MEAN BY GREENFIELD.
UM, IT'S THE ONE, UM, WHAT'S ITEM NUMBER SIX ON PAGE SIX, IT'S ON LINE 1 36 LINE 1 36.
IT'S A, IT'S A ONES THAT TAKE ATTRACT LIKE THE CORNER OF 71 IN THE Y AND OAK HILL, WHICH IS AN AREA THAT'S A HUNDRED PERCENT IMPERVIOUS COVER.
THE QUESTION IS HOW DO WE ENCOURAGE THAT REDEVELOPMENT ON THAT TRACK IN A WAY THAT ACTUALLY THE GREENFIELD RULES SAY, IF YOU REDEVELOP ONE OF THOSE TRACKS, YOU HAVE TO COME INTO PRESENT DAY STANDARDS.
THAT'S NOT THE EXISTING RULES, SO THAT'S A CHANGE, BUT TO TAKE A TRACK LIKE THAT AND COME INTO STANDARDS MEANS THAT A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THAT PROPERTY IS
[01:25:01]
GOING TO HAVE TO BE PUT TO THOSE NEW EXISTING STANDARDS.AND THE, AND THE CONCERN WAS THAT IF WE DID THAT AND DID THAT ALONE, NO ONE WOULD EVER REDEVELOP ANY OF THOSE TRACKS.
I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOUR AMENDMENT, UM, AND TO HEARING FROM OUR CITY STAFF ABOUT WHAT THE RECOMMENDATION IS ON THAT.
AND THEN YOU'RE BASICALLY JUST BE ASKING STAFF FOR RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW TO DO THAT IN A WAY THAT ENSURES THAT THAT THE GREENFIELD STANDARDS WOULD ACTUALLY BE USED.
SO CURRENTLY IT SAYS REQUIRE NEW AND REDEVELOPED PROJECTS TO USE GREENFIELD CONDITIONS AS A BASELINE WHEN CALCULATING DRAINAGE REQUIREMENTS AND YOUR INTENT IS TO BRING THEM AN AMENDMENT THAT SAYS, THAT ASKS FOR STAFF TO PROVIDE US WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOW THAT COULD BE ACHIEVED WHILE STILL ENSURING THAT THOSE SITES WITH A HUNDRED PERCENT IMPERVIOUS COVER HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REDEVELOP.
I WAS THE ONLY REASON I PULLED THAT ITEM.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING ELSE? SO I'M, UH, ITEM 61, COUNSELOR, ALICE, NOT A QUESTION NECESSARILY, BUT I JUST APPRECIATE THE CONVERSATION.
CAUSE I KNOW THAT AREA NOT ONLY IS EXTREMELY ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE, BUT ALSO DOES HAVE THOSE, YOU KNOW, FULL END TO END PARKING LOTS THAT WERE PAVED, UM, BEFORE THE SOS ORDINANCE TOOK PLACE.
AND SO WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR CREATIVE WAYS TO, UM, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT AS THINGS REDEVELOP THEIR REDEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE WAY.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT PEOPLE ARE COMING BACK TO THE CITY, FOR INSTANCE, FOR REZONING, UM, THAT WE'RE MAKING SURE WE GET THE BEST COMMUNITY BENEFIT AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION POSSIBLE.
SO THANK YOU FOR LOOKING INTO THAT MAYOR.
THAT'S WHERE VELA AND I DO SUPPORT THE PROPOSAL.
I THINK I SUPPORT ENVIRONMENTALLY STRONG STANDARDS.
MY ONLY CONCERN WITH IT IS SIMILAR TO THE MAYORS IS THAT THERE ARE NO IMPACTS ON OVERALL HOUSING COSTS.
UH, THAT'S ANOTHER ISSUE THAT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION.
AND IF WE ARE GOING TO IMPLEMENT A STRICTER STANDARDS WITH REGARD TO WATERSHED, UH, AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, I JUST THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO BALANCE THAT OUT WITH ADDITIONAL ENTITLEMENTS, UH, FOR THOSE SAME PROPERTIES THAT ARE GOING UP SO THAT THE OVERALL EFFECT IS ZERO ON HOUSING COSTS, JUST GIVEN OUR HOUSING SITUATION.
I JUST ADD THIS TIME RIGHT NOW, I CANNOT SUPPORT ADDITIONAL COSTS, LEAVING ANY ADDITIONAL COSTS ON HOUSING.
WE'VE GOT TO STOP THE, UH, THE HOUSING COST INCREASES AND I SUPPORT YOU ON THAT.
BUT I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO.
CAUSE I THINK THESE ENVIRONMENTAL ORDINANCES MOVING FORWARD ARE REAL IMPORTANT.
UH, BUT MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE DOING THEM IN A WAY THAT STILL ALLOWS FOR THE HOUSING SUPPLY AND THE LIKE, AND THE ITEMS YOU MENTIONED, UH, ARE IMPORTANT.
SO WE, WE DO NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND I'LL JUST CALL YOUR ATTENTION MAYOR AS THE SPONSOR OF THIS.
UM, I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE A RESPONSE TO COUNCIL MEMBER VELA, THE LAST VIET FOR THEIR RESOLVED ADDRESSES, PROVIDING US WITH THAT INFORMATION ABOUT WHETHER THERE IS ANY IMPACT.
AND IF SO, WHAT, BUT UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE ARE ALSO COSTS WHEN WE DON'T ADDRESS THESE ISSUES, UM, IN OUR DEVELOPMENT.
AND WE DON'T ASK DEVELOPMENTS TO, TO GUARD AGAINST, UM, THINGS LIKE FLOODING.
THERE IS AN IMPACT THAT ACCRUES TO EVERYBODY WHO'S, WHO'S PART OF THE SYSTEM AND, AND, UH, PAYING, YOU KNOW, WHETHER THEY'RE PAYING, PAYING COSTS THROUGH THEIR AUSTIN WATER BILL OR THROUGH OTHER KINDS OF PAYING FOR THOSE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT HAS TO COME IN AND, AND, UM, CLEAN UP SOME OF THOSE ISSUES.
SO I THINK THERE ARE COSTS ON EITHER SIDE, BUT IN ANY CASE, THE LAST VIET FOR THE RESOLVED ADDRESSES, ADDRESSES THAT NEED FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND THANKS TO COUNCIL MEMBER AND TO RHEA FOR PROVIDING SOME OF THE WORDING FOR THAT.
AND THANK YOU, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TOVA AND I COMPLETELY AGREED, YOU KNOW, UH, I WALLER CREEK IN MY DISTRICT IN PARTICULAR IS IN VERY BAD SHAPE, YOU KNOW, WITH VERY HIGH, UH, POLLUTION LEVELS, A LOT OF TRASH AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND I COMPLETELY SUPPORT CLEANING UP OUR WATER SHIFTS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
SOME OF MY FAVORITE MOMENTS IN AUSTIN HAS BEEN IN BARTON GREEK, YOU KNOW, SWIMMING IN BARTON CREEK WITH MY, MY KIDS AND MY FAMILY.
AND I MEAN, THAT'S JUST A UNIQUE PLEASURE TO BE ABLE TO ENJOY AN URBAN WATERSHED LIKE THAT.
AND I COMPLETELY SUPPORT MOVING FORWARD WITH A STRICTER ENVIRONMENT REGULATIONS.
LIKE I SAID, THE CONCERN IS HOUSING, BUT I DO APPRECIATE WHAT THAT RESOLUTION IS IN THERE.
WELL, I HAVE A GRID WALLER CREEK RUNS THROUGH MY DISTRICT AS WELL.
AND YOU KNOW, THERE IS A REAL CONCRETE EXAMPLE OF HOW FLOODING HAS IMPACTED HOUSING THERE BECAUSE THERE ARE FLOODING, UM, THERE'S SIGNIFICANT FLOODING IN ONE AREA OF HYDE PARK AND THE STAFF HAVE MITIGATED IT BY BUYING SOME LAND FROM THE ALAMO DRAFT HOUSE, THE OLD BAKER SCHOOL, UM, RIGHT IN HYDE PARK, THE AISD PROPERTY THAT THE LMO BOUGHT, UM, ONE OF THEIR IDEAS WAS TO
[01:30:01]
ONE OF THEIR PROPOSALS TO AISD WAS TO CONSTRUCT HOUSING IN THE BACK PORTION OF IT.THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UM, HAD TO ACQUIRE A PIECE OF IT TO USE FOR A RETURN FOR A RETURN FOR, UM, LET ME NOT USE THE WRONG TERM, BUT TO HELP MITIGATE FLOODING IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND SO WHAT HAD BEEN INTENDED FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS NOW PART OF OUR FLOODING SOLUTIONS, UM, FOR THAT AREA.
SO, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE REAL WHEN WE DON'T, WHEN WE DON'T CONSIDER THESE, WHEN WE DON'T HAVE THESE AS IMPORTANT, UM, CONSIDERATIONS AT THE OUTSET, IT HAS IMPACTS THAT ARE, THAT ARE REAL, THAT ARE FINANCIAL, THAT ARE SOMETIMES GOING TO IMPACT WHERE AND HOW WE CAN DO OTHER KINDS OF HOUSING, SAME TOPIC.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO, UM, THINK COUNCIL MEMBER TOBO AND OUR STAFF FOR WORKING REALLY HARD TO PUT TOGETHER, UM, THIS RESOLUTION IN A REALLY THOROUGH WAY THAT I THINK IS GOING TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, PLANT REALLY IMPORTANT SEEDS FOR PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR ENVIRONMENT, UM, FOR DECADES TO COME.
SO THANK YOU AND PLEASE, TO BE ADDED AS A CO-SPONSOR AND KAISER TOTAL, I APPRECIATE YOU POINTING OUT THE LAST BIT, THE LAST FOR, AND THAT WAS THE SECTION I WAS LOOKING AT BECAUSE THAT ASKS FOR THE ANALYSIS ON THE IMPACT OF AFFORDABILITY IMPACT ANALYSIS.
AND I HEAR, UM, UH, COUNSELOR VALDEZ ALSO SUGGESTING IN ADDITION TO THAT, TO THE DEGREE THAT THERE ARE IMPACTS OR, UM, UH, THAT, THAT WE ASK STAFF TO TELL US HOW WE CAN MITIGATE THOSE, HOW WE CAN STILL ACHIEVE ALL OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL, UM, UM, UH, PROTECTIONS, UH, THAT ARE ENVISIONED BY THOSE ORDINANCES AND DO IT IN A WAY THAT, THAT, THAT STILL HAS, UH, THE, YOU KNOW, THE LEAST IMPACT ON, ON HOUSING SUPPLY.
AND THE OTHER THING HE SAID THAT HE MENTIONED, AND THAT IS THE LANGUAGE THAT I'M THINKING YOU LOOK AT TO TRY TO, TO HAVE THAT, THAT ALSO PART OF THAT SEDIMENT.
SO THAT'S, UM, THE SAME KIND OF THING, ASKING STAFF AT THAT SECTION AS WELL, TO RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND IF THERE ARE IMPACTS ON COSTS, UM, TO PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MITIGATING THOSE IMPACTS COSTS OR SUPPLY, BUT YES, RECREATIONS MITIGATE THEM SO THAT WE CAN ACHIEVE THEM BOTH.
UH, I WANT TO THANK COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO FOR ALL THE WORK THAT, UM, HER STAFF'S BEEN DOING ON THIS AND BRINGING, BRINGING THIS FORWARD.
I THINK IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A WAY TO ALSO BRING FORWARD SOME ACTIONS THAT THE COUNCIL HAS TAKEN, UH, IN THE PAST, INCLUDING SOME ACTIONS THAT WE DID TAKE AROUND THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE PREVIOUSLY IN RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF UPDATING THE NUMBER OF THESE DIFFERENT AREAS.
SO IT'S VERY TIMELY FOR US TO BE ADDRESSING THIS RIGHT NOW, AND I APPRECIATE THE CONVERSATION EVERYONE'S HAPPENING HAVING, UM, I DON'T THINK IT'S, I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO BE IN A SITUATION WHERE WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN HOUSING AND ENVIRONMENT.
I THINK THEY ALL, I THINK IT GOES TOGETHER.
AND I THINK THAT THE, THE, I APPRECIATE COUNCIL MEMBER TOBO THE, THE, THE LANGUAGE THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, WHICH WILL GET US THE INFORMATION BACK FROM STAFF ABOUT HOW, HOW WE BOTH MITIGATE AND HOW WE, UH, YOU KNOW, UM, ADDRESS THE KIND OF ISSUES THAT YOU RAISED.
SO I THANK YOU FOR BRINGING IT, UM, IN THAT, IN THAT WAY.
AND MY STAFF HAS TOUCHED BASE WITH ME AND MAKE SURE THAT I'M NOT LIMITING MYSELF JUST TO THE LANGUAGE OF LINES, 1 63, THAT THEY'RE MORE APPROPRIATE PLACE I'M BEING TOLD, MIGHT BE IN THE, YOU KNOW, INNER ABOUT LINE ONE 50, BUT, BUT IT IS TO EXPRESS THAT SAME SENTIMENT.
I'M NOT SURE THAT APPROPRIATE PLACE.
JUST TO BE CLEAR, ONE 50 TALKS ABOUT MY EXPECTATION OR OUR EXPECTATION, THOSE OF THE SPONSORS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN WITH THE CODE AMENDMENTS THAT WERE PART OF THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, BECAUSE BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GIVEN THEM A SHORT TIMEFRAME.
THE REASON WHY WE'VE GIVEN THEM A SHORT TIMEFRAME IS THAT THESE ARE ALREADY CRAFTED, THANKS TO COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN'S DIRECTION AND OTHERS, THE DIRECTION OF PREVIOUS RESOLUTIONS.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'LL, WE'LL LOOK AT YOUR AMENDMENTS WHEN THEY COME FORWARD, BUT THAT WHEN 50 IS SPECIFICALLY SETTING AN EXPECTATION THAT OUR STAFF ARE GOING TO WORK WITH WHAT THEY'VE ALREADY DRAFTED, FRANKLY, AND I REAL FAST, AND I THINK HE HAS, WE'RE TOLD THAT A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT I UNDERSTAND COUNSELOR VALLA ASKING TO LOOK AT, WE'RE ALSO PART OF THAT SAME EARLIER DRESS ON THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE.
SO I'M NOT, I DON'T THINK IT'S NECESSARILY REINVENTING THE WHEEL ON THOSE THINGS, BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S WHAT WAS ENVISIONED BACK THEN WAS THE, THE DOING THINGS TO ENABLE AND TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT WE WERE IN FACT, GETTING THESE ENVIRONMENTAL, UH, UH, UH, ADVANCEMENTS IN PLACE AND THAT PEOPLE WOULD USE THEM WITHOUT A CORRESPONDING IMPACT ON, ON HOUSING SUPPLIER CROSSED, BUT WE WILL TRY TO WORK ON IT LANGUAGE AND POST, UM, UH, LANGUAGE THAT PEOPLE CAN SEE IT.
I JUST WANTED TO EMPHASIZE THAT, THAT
[01:35:01]
WE HAD, IT'S NOT, WE CAN CERTAINLY HAVE THE CONVERSATION AGAIN.I'M NOT SAYING WE CAN'T, I'M JUST WANTING TO REMIND FOLKS THAT WE HAD A LOT OF THESE CONVERSATIONS AND, AND, UM, A GOOD PART OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS WE ALREADY PASSED.
AND SO, UH, AND WE, AND WE PASSED THEM IN THE CONTEXT OF THE BALANCING AND MITIGATION CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAD.
SO IF THERE'S OTHER SPECIFIC THINGS THAT PEOPLE FEEL LIKE WE'RE NOT ADDRESSING, I'D LOVE TO HEAR WHAT THOSE ARE.
SO, UM, SO I LOOK FORWARD TO THE CONVERSATION WHEN WE GET DOWN TO THE SPECIFIC, AND I THINK THAT'S RIGHT, WHEN WE WERE HAVING THE CONVERSATION EARLIER, IT WAS A BROADER CONVERSATION.
IT WAS, IT WAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL ADVANCEMENTS IN PROTECTIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF LARGER WORK.
THIS IS BRINGING FORTH THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION COMPONENT OF THAT.
AND WHAT WE'RE ASKING IS WE ALSO TAKE A LOOK AT THOSE THINGS THAT WE WOULD, THAT WERE PART AND PARCEL OF THIS IN THAT LARGER CONVERSATION THAT WE SHOULD ALSO PULL TOGETHER AT THE SAME TIME TO HELP ENSURE THAT WE'RE NOT HAVING AN ADVERSE IMPACT ON SUPPLY IN THE LIGHT.
I'M JUST WANTING TO UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT THOSE ARE, BECAUSE WE ARE, ARE ALSO MAKING SOME PROGRESS ON SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS.
I MEAN, WE STILL HAVE A LOT MORE TO DO.
I JUST, JUST A CONVERSATION WITH, IT'S NOT SPECIFIC.
IT DOESN'T, IT DOESN'T HELP ME UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO BALANCE.
I UNDERSTAND THAT THAT'S, WHAT'S BEING WORKED ON.
I THINK WE APPROVED ALL THOSE THINGS TOO.
I MEAN, THESE ARE ALL THINGS I THINK THAT WERE ALL APPROVED AS PART OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE WERE HAVING.
UH, LET'S GO ON TO THE NEXT POLL ITEM THAT NEXT PULLED ITEM ITEM NUMBER 62.
THIS IS THE ADU I IFC COUNCIL MAYOR PRO TEM.
I WANTED TO ASK THE SPONSOR SOME QUESTIONS.
AND THEN, UM, AFTER I'VE ASKED THE SPONSORS, I WANTED TO, UM, INVITE STAFF UP.
I THINK IT'S REALLY, UM, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO LOOK AT ANY USE AND, AND, UM, AND, AND SEE HOW WE CAN MAKE THEM, UM, MORE EVEN MAKE IT EASIER FOR FOLKS TO, TO BUILD THEM.
UM, I'VE BEEN A CO-SPONSOR OF SEVERAL RESOLUTIONS THAT WE'RE MOVING IN THIS DIRECTION.
MANY OF THEM LED BY, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO.
UM, I DO THINK THOUGH IT'S IMPORTANT FOR OPEN NEWNESS AND TRANSPARENCY THAT WE'D BE REALLY CLEAR ABOUT WHAT THIS RESOLUTION WOULD BE ASKING STAFF TO DO.
I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF TERMS IN HERE, UM, AND I DON'T THINK IT'S READILY APPARENT TO THE COMMUNITY WHAT THE IMPORT IS.
UM, SO THE FIRST THING THAT I WANTED TO ASK, UM, AND I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY, YOU WERE THE SPONSOR, UM, IS WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO REGULATE? I HAVE MY VIEW OF WHAT IT MEANS, BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PANT PAGE.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO REGULATE ADU AS AN ACCESSORY USE TO A PRIMARY RESIDENTIAL USE? THANKS FOR ASKING THAT.
AND WE WENT, MY STAFF AND, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER, MADISON STAFF ALSO WENT BACK AND FORTH WITH THE CITY LEGAL DEPARTMENT QUITE A BIT ON THIS BECAUSE IT DOESN'T INITIATE CODE CHANGES.
AND SO A LOT OF THOSE TERMS IN THE RESOLUTION ARE, UM, VERY LEGAL ESQUE, I GUESS, UM, WHICH DOESN'T HELP WITH THE LIGHT PERSON.
SO I APPRECIATE YOU RAISING THIS.
UM, WHEN YOU HAVE A, A PRIMARY USE OF A RESIDENCE THAT IS WHERE YOU ARE PRIMARILY LOCATED, WHERE YOU SPEND YOUR TIME AND ACCESSORY USE WOULD BE FOR A SECONDARY TYPE LOCATION WHERE, UM, AN ADU USE IN THE BACKYARD.
SO YOU COULD HAVE YOUR FAMILY BACK THERE, OR YOU COULD TAKE CARE OF YOUR GRANDMOTHER AND THAT SORT OF THING, AND HAVE THEM CLOSE BY.
SO THAT TELLS ME WHAT AN ADU DOES.
IT DOESN'T TELL ME WHAT THIS CHANGES IN THE CODE.
COULD WE PULL CITY STAFF UP TO EXPLAIN IT IN MORE DETAIL, MR. LLOYD, IF YOU COULD ANSWER WHAT YOU THINK THAT MEANS IN TERMS OF A CODE AMENDMENT CHANGE? SURE.
A BRENT LLOYD DSD DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, AND, UM, THE WAY WE INTERPRET THAT LANGUAGE IS BASICALLY JUST TO GIVE A LITTLE CONTEXT, UM, 80 YEARS OR CURRENTLY UNDER TODAY'S CODE REGULATOR IN DIFFERENT PLACES.
WE HAVE THE MAIN, THE MAIN TYPE OF ADU THAT PEOPLE USE THE MOST JUST CALLED TWO FAMILY RESIDENTIAL USE.
IT'S NOT EVEN CALLED ADU IN THE CODE AND IT'S BUILT INTO THE PRINCIPAL USE REGULATIONS, BUT WE ALSO HAVE OTHER TYPES OF USE THAT ARE ALL SUBJECT TO BEING SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGED BASED ON THE DECEMBER RESOLUTION FROM LAST YEAR, THAT ARE THINGS LIKE GUEST HOUSES AND ONSITE WORKER HOUSING.
AND THOSE ARE CODIFIED IN THE GENERAL ACCESSORY USE PROVISIONS OF THE CODE.
AND THE WAY WE INTERPRET THIS RESOLUTION DIRECTION WOULD BE TO BASICALLY PICK A LANE, NOT HAVE THEM SCATTERED AND WHERE, WHAT IT WOULD DO IS BASICALLY CONSOLIDATE THE REGULATIONS WITHIN THE ACTUAL
[01:40:01]
ACCESSORY USE PROVISIONS OF THE CODE.AND WE THINK THAT MAKES SENSE, UM, IN TERMS OF PUTTING THEM ALL IN ONE PLACE AND HAVING, UM, THE REGULATIONS EASIER TO ADMINISTER AND EASIER TO LOCATE IN TERMS OF THE SUBSTANTIVE IMPACT, EITHER ROUTE IS FINE.
YOU KNOW, WE, AS WE CRAFT OUR PROPOSAL AND BEGIN TAKING IT THROUGH THE PROCESS, WE'LL WORK WITH THE LAW DEPARTMENT IN HPD, BUT WE THINK THAT ANY OF COUNCIL'S POLICY GOALS WITH RESPECT TO ADU CAN BE EFFECTUATED WHEREVER THEY'RE PLACED IN THE CODE.
AND WHEN COUNCIL SEES THE PRODUCT, IF YOU, IF YOU WANT TO SWITCH LANES AND GO BACK TO THE PRINCIPLE USE APPROACH, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE COMMITTED TO DELIVERING COUNCIL, A SUBSTANTIVE SET OF AMENDMENTS THAT DO THE THINGS LAID OUT IN YOUR DECEMBER RESOLUTION, AS WELL AS YOUR CURRENT RESOLUTION IN THIS PARTICULAR DIRECTION, SIMPLY PROVIDES GUIDANCE AS TO KIND OF WHERE IN THE CODE THEY'RE GOING TO GO AND HOW THE REGULATIONS ARE GOING TO BE EXPRESSED.
IS THERE A SUBSTANTIVE IMPACT THOUGH, TO WHERE YOU ARE ALLOWED TO BUILD AN ADU? BECAUSE WE CURRENTLY HAVE AREAS WHERE YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO BUILD AN ADU.
SO COUNCIL'S, UM, DIRECTION FROM DECEMBER.
UM, THE RESOLUTION FROM DECEMBER PROVIDES GUIDANCE AS TO, FOR EXAMPLE, LOOKING AT SF ONE AND SF TWO, UM, AND ALL OF THAT CAN BE EFFECTUATED THROUGH THE VEHICLE THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NOW CONSOLIDATING THOSE REGULATIONS IN, IN THE ACCESSORY USE PROVISIONS.
SO WE WILL SEE, WE WILL AGAIN, WORK WITH A LOT DEPARTMENT AND HPD TO CRAFT AMENDMENTS, APPROPRIATE AMENDMENTS, BUT I THINK COUNCIL'S DIRECTION CAN BE ACHIEVED WITHIN THE ACCESSORY USE PART OF THE CODE.
AND IF I COULD JUST ADD REAL QUICK, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE IDENTIFIED WITH ADU IS FOR SPEAKING WITH CONSTITUENTS IS THAT IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE IT'S A VERY STREAMLINED PROCESS.
THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT MOVING PARTS.
AND SO BY MOVING IT INTO THAT TYPE OF AREA, IT'LL BE A LOT STREAMLINED, MORE STREAMLINED.
AND I GUESS I'M NOT, I'M NOT, I'M NOT CONCERNED ABOUT STREAMLINING AND I DON'T KNOW THAT I'M NECESSARILY CONCERNED ABOUT THE CHANGES FOR THE 80 USE.
I'M JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS IS DIRECTING AND HOW IT RELATES TO OUR PREVIOUS RESOLUTION, WHICH I DIDN'T HAVE IN MY BACKUP IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, WE HAD, I JUST CONFUSED THIS RESOLUTION.
I FOUND CONFUSING BECAUSE I WAS LIKE, OKAY, WELL, YOU ALREADY DID X, Y, AND Z.
AND THEN THERE ARE PIECES OF IT THAT SEEMED TO DO OTHER THINGS, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THOSE MEAN SUBSTANTIVELY AND BEFORE I WOULD WANT TO VOTE ON IT, I WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WE ARE SUBSTANTIVELY SAYING, YOU KNOW, BEYOND A COSMETIC OF WHERE YOU PUT THIS IN, UM, WHERE YOU PUT IT IN THE CODE.
AND, AND I DON'T KNOW IF COUNCIL MEMBER TOVA YOU, SINCE YOU, I THINK IT WAS YOUR RESOLUTION THAT I BELIEVE I CO-SPONSORED, IF YOU WANT TO CHIME IN HERE.
AND THEN I DO HAVE SOME OTHER CLARITY.
I HAVE THE SAME, I HAVE THE SAME QUESTIONS.
UM, AND I'VE, I WOULD ASK THAT THE LAST RESOLUTION BE PUT IN, IN THE BACKUP.
UM, BUT I, I MEAN, WE DID, WE DID INITIATE CODE AMENDMENTS.
AND SO AS YOU'RE ANSWERING COUNCILS, UM, MY COLLEAGUES QUESTIONS, IF YOU COULD EXPLAIN HOW THIS CODE AMENDMENT DIFFERS, BECAUSE WE ASKED FOR JUST THE, WE ASKED YOU AND I, AS I UNDERSTAND THAT WORK IS IN PROGRESS, WE ASKED YOU TO STREAMLINE THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF ACCESSORY DWELLINGS AND THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF SECOND FAMILY.
AND SO I, I'M NOT, I DID NOT, I HAVE THE SAME QUESTIONS AS I READ THROUGH.
I'M NOT CLEAR ON, ON HOW THIS DIFFERS.
UM, AND SO IF YOU COULD, IF YOU COULD ADDRESS THAT.
SO I THINK THE FIRST RESOLUTION FROM DECEMBER, UM, IT INITIATED SOME AMENDMENTS, BUT IT APPEARED TO LEAVE OTHER THINGS OUT OF THE ACTUAL INITIATION AND SIMPLY WANTED A STAFF RECOMMENDATION.
AND SO IN TERMS, W W THE WAY WE INTERPRET THIS RESOLUTION IS IT PROVIDES GUIDANCE, SPECIFIC GUIDANCE ON LIKE WHAT THE FORM OF THE REGULATIONS WILL TAKE.
IT PROVIDES GUIDANCE AS TO HOW THERE'LL BE STREAMLINED AND KIND OF WHERE IN THE CODE THEY'LL GO, WHICH WAS KIND OF THE ISSUE THAT THE FIRST RESOLUTION FROM DECEMBER WAS TOUCHING ON, BUT IT SPECIFICALLY ASKED FOR A RECOMMENDATION AND DIDN'T INCLUDE THAT IN THE INITIATED AMENDMENTS.
SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THESE TOGETHER, THIS SECOND RESOLUTION, I THINK PROVIDES FIRMER GUIDANCE.
UM, AND AGAIN, IT WOULD AFFECT THE WAY THE AMENDMENTS ARE CRAFTED, BUT WHEN COUNCIL AND THE COMMUNITY SEES THEM, IF YOU WANT TO GO BACK TO THE PRINCIPLE USE PATH WHERE TWO FAMILY RESIDENTIAL USE IS CURRENTLY REGULATED IN THE CODE, IT WON'T BE HARD TO, TO REFORMAT THE AMENDMENTS IN THAT MANNER.
SO BASICALLY THE AMENDMENTS THAT WE WOULD BRING THROUGH THE PUBLIC PROCESS
[01:45:01]
WOULD BE SORT OF CODIFIED GENERALLY IN THE FAMILY OF CODE SECTIONS.THAT'S AROUND 8 25 TO 893, NOT EXACTLY RIGHT THERE NECESSARILY, BUT IN THAT AREA OF THE CODE.
AND WE WOULD INCLUDE ALL THE GUIDANCE THAT COUNCIL PROVIDED IN DECEMBER WITH RESPECT TO SF ONE AND TWO, THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION BONUS, ALL OF THOSE SUBSTANTIVE PROVISIONS, WE WOULD FIND A WAY TO FOLD IN WITHIN THAT CONTEXT THROUGH THE AMENDMENTS MAYOR.
COULD I DON'T, I DON'T GET PART OF THE CONVERSATION.
SO, UM, SO I THINK WHAT I HEAR YOU SAYING IS THAT THE FIRST BIT RESOLVED IS ABOUT STRUCTURE OF THE ACTUAL CODE.
IT IS NOT A SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE.
IT'S ABOUT STRUCTURE OF THE CODE.
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN, YOU KNOW, AND I HEAR, UM, MAYOR PRO TEM, UH, PERHAPS ASKING FOR WHAT DOES THIS DO IN TERMS OF SUBSTANCE? YOU NEED TO LOOK ON, LOOK AT THE REST OF THE B, IT RESOLVES FOR SOME OF THE SUBSTANCE CHANGES.
THE FIRST ONE IS NOT A SUBSTANCE CHANGE.
IT IS, UH, IT IS, IT'S JUST HOW YOU, HOW YOU WRITE IT INTO THE CODE BASICALLY.
BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE, SOME OF THE OTHER ONES, THERE ARE CHANGES RELATED TO PARKING.
THERE ARE CHANGES RELATED TO, UM, UH, PROVIDING FLEXIBILITY FOR AWARE ON A LOT, YOU LOCATE AN ADU.
UM, SO THE, YOU KNOW, CAUSE I, I HEARD YOUR BROADER QUESTION, WHICH I THOUGHT I HEARD AS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THIS DOES.
SO YOU CAN'T JUST LOOK AT THE FIRST, BE IT RESOLVED TO, TO, TO ASK WHAT THE SUBSTANCE CHANGES ARE.
AND I THINK, I THINK IT'S USEFUL TO PROVIDE ALL OF THESE, UM, CHANGES.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S A COUPLE OF SUB SUBSTANCE CHANGES AS WELL AS THE FIRST CHANGES, WHICH REALLY JUST GOES BACK TO PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER IN THE SAME PLACE SO THAT WE CAN SEE IT MORE READILY INSTEAD OF HAVING TO PICK AND CHOOSE, WHICH IS ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH THE EXISTING LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE.
SO AGAIN, I DO NOT LIKE TO VOTE ON THINGS WHEN I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY DO.
AND I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING THAT THIS IS A AS A, A CHANGE TO STRUCTURE.
I GUESS WHAT I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IS ONCE YOU MAKE IT AN ACCESSORY USE DOESN'T THAT THEN APPLY TO EVERY RESIDENCE.
A LOT OF THE OTHER, WE HAVE THE OTHER DIRECTION, WHICH I SUPPORT, AND I'M NOT SAYING I DON'T SUPPORT THIS.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING WHAT IT'S DOING.
AND I, AND I'M, I'M NOT SURE THAT IT IS STRICTLY A STRUCTURAL, UM, FORMATTING THING.
AND I THINK WE HAVE TO BE TRANSPARENT ABOUT WHAT WE ARE, BUT WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR.
SO I THINK, LET ME TRY TO ADDRESS WHAT MAYBE ONE OF YOUR CONCERNS IS LIKE UNDER THE CURRENT GENERAL ACCESSORY USE PROVISIONS, THE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE GUESTHOUSE THAT'S IN THAT PROVISION THAT WOULD NOT TRIGGER ANY PARKING REQUIREMENTS.
AND WE KNOW THAT THAT'S NOT COUNSEL'S INTENT WITH REGARD TO 80 YEARS, WE YOU'RE CLEAR ON WHAT YOUR, THE PARKING REDUCTIONS ARE IN THE RESOLUTION.
WE'RE CLEAR ON WHAT THE CURRENT PARKING REQUIREMENTS ARE FOR THE TWO FAMILY RESIDENTIAL USE TYPE OF ADU.
SO WE WOULD IN CRAFTING THE AMENDMENTS, MAKE SURE WE MAKE THE NECESSARY CHANGES TO IMPLEMENT THAT.
ADDITIONALLY, THERE ARE DIFFERENCES THAT COUNCIL DESIRES WITH RESPECT TO THE TYPES OF 80 YEARS, THAT WOULD BE ALLOWED IN DIFFERENT ZONING DISTRICTS.
AND SO THAT CAN ALSO BE CRAFTED INTO THE, INTO THE ACCESSORY USE, UM, THE GENERAL ACCESSORY USE PROVISION.
SO WE WOULD MAKE SURE IN WORKING AGAIN WITH A LOT APARTMENT AND WITH HPD TO CRAFT THE AMENDMENTS IN A WAY THAT ADHERES TO THE FAIRLY SPECIFIC DIRECTION THAT COUNCIL PROVIDED IN THE DECEMBER RESOLUTION.
SO, SO I THINK THAT GETS AT MY MORE OF THE KERNEL OF MY QUESTIONS.
SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT IN MAKING IT ACCESSORY USE, YOU CAN STILL DIFFERENTIATE IN ANY WAY THAT WE WANTED TO DIFFERENTIATE BY MOVING IT THERE SIMPLY THAT'S NOT MAKING A DETERMINATION ON WHERE IT'S ALLOWED.
AND AGAIN, I'M NOT SAYING I DON'T WANT IT IN MORE PLACES.
I JUST WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S NO, WE WOULD, WE WOULD CRAFT THE AMENDMENTS IN A WAY WHERE THE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS AND THE ALLOWANCES AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH THE PRESERVATION INCENTIVE IS REQUIRED, THAT THOSE WOULD ALL BE CRAFTED ACCORDING TO COUNCIL'S DIRECTION, WHICH DOES VARY BASED ON ZONING DISTRICTS.
SO WE WOULD WORK WITH LAW AND WITH HPD, AND WE WOULD CRAFT AMENDMENTS THAT ADHERE TO THAT.
AND THERE ARE OTHER PLACES WITHIN THE BROAD ACCESSORY USE PARTS OF THE CODE, WHERE THERE IS WHERE THERE IS SOME VARIATION BASED ON ZONING DISTRICTS.
SO THAT WOULD NOT BE UNIQUE TO THIS.
AND WE WOULD WORK TO, UM, FLUSH THAT OUT AND, AND I DON'T THINK IT WOULD HAVE ANY, ANY UNDER AN UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER.
[01:50:01]
SO THEN IN THE ACCESSORY, IN CONSOLIDATING AND ACCESSORY USE, YOU STILL BE ABLE TO DIFFERENTIATE, HOWEVER, OUR POLICY EVOLVES, UM, IT'S JUST PLACING IT IN ONE PLACE.SO IF SOMEBODY SAYS, I WANT TO BUILD AN ADU AND THERE NO MATTER WHERE THEY ARE, THEY CAN JUST GO TO THE ONE PLACE INSTEAD OF HAVING TO LOOK IN MULTIPLE PLACES.
UM, AND THEN, UM, WHAT DOES THE SECOND TO LAST BE IT RESOLVE ACTUALLY DO, IT SAYS THE CITY COUNCIL INITIATES AMENDMENTS TO CITY CODE TITLE 25 TO PROVIDE FOR LIMITED MODIFICATIONS TO REGULATIONS TO FACILITATE CONSTRUCTION OF 80 YEARS ON LOTS WERE STRICT APPLICATION OF TITLE 25 WOULD PROHIBIT ADU CONSTRUCTION, SUCH MODIFICATIONS WOULD NOT VARY LOT SIZE OR IMPERVIOUS COVER, BUT MAY PROVIDE FLEXIBILITY FOR LOCATING AND ADU AND BUILDABLE AREAS OF A LOT.
COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY, THANK YOU, ERICA IS ON THE LINE FROM OUR LEGAL DEPARTMENT AND I BELIEVE SHE CAN SPEAK TO THAT AS WELL.
GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, ERICA LOPEZ, UM, ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY, UM, AND BELIEVE THE INTENT OF THAT LANGUAGE WAS, UM, YOU KNOW, AS A, AS THERE'S MULTIPLE REGULATIONS THAT COME INTO PLAY WITH AN AID WITH AN ADU, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE MAY BE, UM, UH, COMPLIANCE WITH A SETBACK, UH, COMPLIANCE.
THERE MIGHT BE A HERITAGE TREE THAT IS IMPACTING THE AREA THAT COULD BE BUILDABLE.
I THINK THAT THIS WAS TRYING TO INITIATE, TURNING TO SEE IF THERE WAS SOME, UM, PLACES IN CODE WHERE THERE COULD BE BUILT IN AN ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS WHERE THERE COULD BE SOME LIMITED RELIEF.
UM, FROM THAT IT, HOW IS THAT TAKES PLACE LIKE ON A INDIVIDUAL KIND OF SCALE TO ALLOW FOR, UM, THE ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION OF AN ADU.
SO IF YOU APPLIED ALL THE REGULATIONS, CUMULATIVELY THAT WOULD RESULT IN THE, THE ADU NOT BEING ABLE TO BE CONSTRUCTED.
SO THIS WOULD BE KIND OF LOOK TASKING STAFF WITH THE DIRECTION TO LOOK FOR AREAS WHERE, UM, SOME MODIFICATION WOULD BE APPROPRIATE.
AND I THINK IT WAS JUST THE VERY LIMITED.
AND I THINK BRENT COULD POSSIBLY ELABORATE ON WHAT HE KIND OF ENVISIONS ON THAT.
SO DURING THE CODE REWRITE PROCESS, THERE WERE, THERE WAS VARIOUS DIRECTIONS FROM COUNCIL, UM, WHICH STAFF WASN'T ALWAYS ABLE TO IMPLEMENT BECAUSE THESE ARE TRICKY ISSUES, BUT THERE WAS VARIOUS DIRECTIONS TO TRY TO PRIORITIZE REGULATIONS AND PROVIDE FOR, IF YOU HAVE A SITUATION WHERE AS ERICA, WHERE A REGULATION PROHIBITS A USE FROM OCCURRING, ARE THERE WAYS THAT WE COULD ADMINISTRATIVELY BUILD IN CERTAIN RELIEF VALVES THAT WOULD HELP ALLOW THE DESIRED USE? AND AN EXAMPLE MIGHT BE, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, FOR INSTANCE, UM, SOMEBODY HAS A LOT, IT'S WITHIN A ZONING DISTRICT WHERE YOU CAN DO AN ADU, IT'S A BIG ENOUGH LOT, THEIR ATTORNEY IMPERVIOUS COVER ISSUES, BUT THERE'S AN AUSTIN ENERGY EASEMENT THAT PROHIBITS THE LOCATION OF AN ADU OR THERE'S A CRITICAL ROOT ZONE FOR A HERITAGE TREE.
WOULD THERE BE A WAY TO BUILD INTO THE REGULATIONS, SOME LIMITED ALLOWANCE TO MOVE INTO THE SETBACK A LITTLE BIT.
WOULD THERE BE A WAY TO BUILD INTO THE REGULATIONS, A LIMITED ALLOWANCE TO EXCEED MCMANSION A LITTLE BIT TO THE, TO THE MINIMUM EXTENT THAT THAT WOULD BE NECESSARY TO ALLOW AN ADU WITHOUT HURTING THE HERITAGE TREE.
WE WOULDN'T EVER BRING WORK WITHOUT SPECIFIC DIRECTION.
WE WOULD NOT BRING COUNCIL, UH, UH, AN ORDINANCE THAT VARIES THE HERITAGE TREE REGULATIONS.
AND OBVIOUSLY WE, AUSTIN ENERGY HAS ITS EASEMENT.
SO WE WOULDN'T BE MESSING WITH THAT, BUT WE WOULD LOOK FOR WAYS TO PROVIDE RELIEF THAT WOULD ALLOW THE LOCATION OF THE ADU WITHIN A BUILDABLE AREA.
ONE OF THE GUIDING CONSIDERATIONS I THINK WOULD HAVE TO BE, CAN WE REALLY DEFINE THESE CIRCUMSTANCES WITH WITH PRECISE CLARITY.
WE DON'T WANT STAFF IN A SITUATION WHERE THEY'RE ESSENTIALLY GRANTING A V AND A BOA VARIANCE ON BASED ON SUBJECTIVE ASSESSMENTS.
SO I THINK FOR THAT, THOSE REASONS, AS ERICA SAID, WHATEVER WE WOULD BRING COUNSEL IN RESPONSE TO THIS WOULD BE VERY LIMITED.
UM, AND, UH, AND, AND MIGHT NOT DO QUITE FRANKLY EVERYTHING THAT THE, THE, THE PEOPLE WOULD LIKE IT TO DO, BECAUSE WE'RE VERY COGNIZANT OF SOME OF THE LIMITATIONS.
BUT IF THIS DOES PASS, THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF SCENARIOS THAT WE WOULD EVALUATE AND SEE IF WE CAN COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT WOULD HELP FACILITATE 80 USE IN THOSE CASES WHERE AS ERICA SAID, THE CUMULATIVE REGULATIONS ON PARTICULAR LOT, UM, HAVE THE EFFECT OF NOT ALLOWING THEM.
SO WHAT WOULD COME BACK TO US WOULD BE ACTUALLY VERY SPECIFIC.
IT'S NOT A PROCESS WHERE THEN THERE WOULD BE RULES THAT WOULD
[01:55:01]
BE SEPARATE FROM COUNCIL APPROVAL.UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WOULD LOOK AT IS WHETHER THERE WOULD BE A POSSIBILITY FOR GIVING THE BOA SOME SORT OF ADDITIONAL AUTHORITY WITH RESPECT TO ADU.
SO THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING WE WOULD LOOK AT.
BUT WITH REGARD TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE, IT WOULD BE A VERY CLEARLY DEFINED A SET OF REGULATIONS THAT DEFINE THE CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH ONE REGULATION IS VARIED A LITTLE BIT, BECAUSE IT'S IMPOSSIBLE.
OTHERWISE TO LOCATE AN ADU ON A PROPERTY THAT OTHERWISE ISN'T IS ENTITLED TO ONE, AND WE WOULD LEAVE IMPERVIOUS COVER ALONE.
WE WOULD NOT, AND WE WOULDN'T MODIFY LOT SIZE AND WOULDN'T NOR AGAIN, WE WOULD, WE MODIFIED THE HERITAGE TREE REGULATIONS, BUT WE WOULD LOOK FOR CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE IF A CRITICAL ROOT ZONE PROHIBITS AN ADU, ARE THERE WAYS THAT WE COULD LOOK LOCATE THE ADU ELSEWHERE ON THE LOT? SO THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF SCENARIOS WE WOULD LOOK AT.
IT'S A DIFF THERE THEY'RE DIFFICULT ISSUES TO ADDRESS.
AND SO AGAIN, I THINK WHATEVER WE WOULD BRING COUNSEL WOULD BE FAIRLY LIMITED IN SCOPE, AND WE WOULD MAKE SURE THAT IT'S VERY CLEARLY DESCRIBED AND DEFINED.
OBVIOUSLY, THERE ARE, THERE ARE CHALLENGES AND, AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK EVERYONE ON THE DIOCESE SAID THAT THEY'RE COMMITTED TO, UM, ALLOWING FOR ADDITIONAL AID USE AND WE'VE TAKEN SEVERAL STEPS WITH THE GOAL OF MAKING THEM EASIER.
NOT ALL OF WHICH ARE, ARE YET, UM, BEFORE US TO VOTE ON.
SO I'M GONNA THINK ABOUT THAT AND SEE IF I HAVE ANY AMENDMENTS TO THAT PIECE THERE FOR ADDED CLARITY.
UM, DO YOU WANT TO FLAG THAT I WILL LIKELY HAVE AN AMENDMENT, UM, RELATED TO 80 YEARS AND UTILITY REGULATIONS.
WE'VE BEEN SEEING THAT A LOT LATELY, AND I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE SOME BETTER MECHANISMS RELATED TO THAT.
AND, AND SO, UM, DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THAT'S GONNA LOOK LIKE YET, BUT I JUST WANTED TO, TO FLAG THAT CIRCULATE THAT, UM, BEFORE THURSDAY'S MEETING, IF YOU HAVEN'T YET, I WILL CIRCULATE IT AS SOON AS WE GET IT WHERE GUN VIOLENCE SUMMIT ALL DAY TOMORROW.
SO I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHEN THANK YOU WHEN I WILL.
UM, THANKS FOR THE QUESTIONS AND THE CONVERSATION SO FAR.
SO I THINK I WANT TO UNDERSTAND FROM OUR STAFF, AND THEN ALSO FROM YOU COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY, WHETHER IT'S ALSO, UM, WHETHER, WHETHER Y'ALL'S UNDERSTANDING IS THE SAME.
SO BACK IN DECEMBER, WE HAD TWO RESOLUTIONS ACTUALLY, AND I, I GUESS I WOULD ASK OUR STAFF TO PUT BOTH OF THOSE IN THE BACKUP, THE PREVIOUS ONES, THE ONE THAT I BROUGHT FORWARD WITH COLLEAGUES IN DECEMBER, UM, INITIATED MULTIPLE THINGS, INCLUDING, UH, AN AMENDMENT CITY CODE THAT WOULD ALLOW INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL, UM,
I I'M NOT, I DID NOT UNDERSTAND THAT YOU DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THAT THAT WAS TO BE PART OF THE CODE AMENDMENT.
SO, UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S INTERESTING INFORMATION, BUT DID YOU GET BACK TO US WITH THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS? WE HAVE NOT.
ONE OF THE, UH, AND I'M GLAD TO GET THIS CLARITY ON THE RECORD, BUT WE HAD INTERPRETED THE RECENT DIRECTION WITH REGARD TO SORT OF CODIFYING 80 YEARS AS AN ACCESSORY USE AS SORT OF ESSENTIALLY DIRECTING US TO INCLUDE THAT WITHIN THE CODE AMENDMENT.
SO THE REVISED DEFINITIONS AND ALL OF THAT WOULD COME FORWARD AS A PACKAGE WITH THE SUBSTANTIVE AMENDMENTS, UM, IN, IN THE, IN THE CODE AMENDMENTS THAT GO FORWARD.
BUT COUNCIL MEMBER TOBO, IF YOU WOULD LIKE THE RECOMMENDATION WITH REGARD TO THE DEFINITION TO COME SEPARATELY AS A RECOMMENDATION, WE CAN CERTAINLY DO THAT AS WELL.
I WAS JUST ASKING, BECAUSE IT SOUNDED LIKE IN YOUR ANSWER TO THE MAYOR PRO TEM, THAT YOU WERE NOT WORKING ON THIS PIECE, BECAUSE THERE WASN'T A CLARITY ABOUT, ABOUT WHICH WE WANTED TO INITIATE.
AND IT WAS JUST SIMPLY POINTING OUT THAT WE ASKED FOR, WE ASKED FOR YOU TO RETURN WITH THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A STREAMLINED DEFINITION, UM, INCLUDING EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL UNITS, AND ALSO FOR REMOVING REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO AGE ABILITY, OCCUPATION, OR FAMILY STATUS BY FEBRUARY ONE.
SO, UM, YES, WE HAVEN'T, WE HAVEN'T TAKEN THAT NEXT STEP BECAUSE WE WERE WAITING FOR THE RECOMMENDATIONS.
SO I, AND ALSO, UM, PROVIDING INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THE DIFFERENT, HOW THE DIFFERENT AMENDMENT OPTIONS WOULD, WOULD IMPACT, UM, HOW THEY WOULD KIND OF TOTAL OUT BASED ON DIFFERENT KINDS OF ZONE PROPERTIES.
SO YOU CLARIFIED WITH ME THAT WE DIDN'T GET THAT INFORMATION.
SO HOW DOES, I THINK I'M STILL CONFUSED ABOUT HOW THESE WORK TOGETHER, BECAUSE WE INITIATED
[02:00:01]
THAT WORK.IT IS, IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING FROM MY STAFF'S CONVERSATIONS WITH YOU, THAT THAT WORK IS UNDERWAY, THAT IT'S COMING FORWARD.
AND SO I THINK I UNDERSTOOD FROM WHAT YOU WERE SAYING, THAT, THAT THIS SORT OF ANSWERS THE QUESTION THAT WE ASKED YOU TO PROVIDE AN ANSWER TO THAT WE ASKED YOU TO PROVIDE, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A STREAMLINED DEFINITION.
WE'RE GOING TO SKIP OVER IF THIS PASSES, WE'RE GOING TO SKIP OVER THAT AND PROVIDE THEM, UM, AS AN ACCESSORY, BY DEALING WITH IT AS AN ACCESSORY USE.
I GUESS I SHARE THE SAME QUESTION.
I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING THE DISTINCTION, BUT I GUESS I WOULD ASK MY COLLEAGUE COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY, WHY, WHAT, WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE ADVANTAGE OF HAVING IT BE AN ACCESSORY USE VERSUS SEEING WHAT THE OTHER OPTIONS ARE WELL, HAVING THEM IN THE CODE TOGETHER? I THINK LIKE WHAT STAFF HAS EXPLAINED TO US IS, IS HELPFUL, ESPECIALLY FOR PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY, WHEN THEY'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE TO LOOK, I WILL TELL YOU THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE IS NOT SOMETHING THAT I'M AN EXPERT IN, AND EVEN DIGGING INTO THIS, TO GET THIS RESOLUTION, TO BE COMPLIMENTARY TO WHAT YOU DID IN DECEMBER WAS A VERY DIFFICULT TASK.
AND I'M THANKFUL FOR THE WORK THAT NATASHA'S, OR I'M SORRY, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON'S OFFICE ASSISTED US WITH, UM, WITH THE CODE, AS COMPLICATED AS IT IS.
I THINK PUTTING IT IN ONE PLACE INSTEAD OF HAVING IT IN DIFFERENT PLACES IS HELPFUL, NOT JUST TO US AS COUNCIL MEMBERS, BUT TO THE COMMUNITY AS WELL.
I, I COMPLETELY AGREE THAT HAVING IT ALL, I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYTHING IN THE WORK THAT WE INITIATED THAT PRECLUDED IT FROM ALL BEING IN THE SAME SPOT.
I DON'T THINK WE EVER TALKED ABOUT IT.
AND, AND IT WAS, I MEAN, I THINK THAT'S GREAT.
WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE ADVANTAGE OF INCLUDING UNDER ACCESSORY VERSUS, UM, A DIFFERENT AREA OF THE CODE? I MEAN, IT'S VERY UNUSUAL THAT THE COUNCIL SORT OF SPECIFIES WHERE IT SHOULD GO IN THE CODE.
SO I'M JUST WONDERING WHAT KINDS OF CONVERSATIONS YOU HAD THAT LED YOU TO PUT IT RIGHT THERE.
UM, I MEAN, ERICA, DO YOU WANT TO EXPLAIN HOW WE CAME TO THAT CONCLUSION? I THINK IT WOULD BE MORE IMPACTFUL SINCE IT, SINCE WE DISCUSS THAT TOGETHER.
IF, IF YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT IT, UM, SORRY, ERICA LOPEZ, ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY, I THINK THERE WAS KIND OF MULTIPLE PLACES IN THE CODE THAT TALK ABOUT ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS.
AND, UM, AS THE ACCESSORY USE OF, IF THERE'S ALREADY A PRINCIPAL USE, UM, THERE, THERE SEEMED TO BE TO A CODE PREVENT TWO TYPES OF AID USE ALREADY AUTHORIZED UNDER ACCESSORY USES.
UM, AND SO, SO I THINK THAT THAT WAS THE, THAT WAS A, A PLACE WHERE IT COULD EASILY BE PUT IN, UM, TO THE CODE.
AND THERE MIGHT BE DIFFERENT REGULATIONS THAT APPLY.
I THINK, I THINK THAT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS, THE INTENT OF THIS IS TO ALLOW THE CONSTRUCTION OF MORE AID USE IN MORE, UM, DISTRICTS.
AND SO THIS WAS A, UM, THIS WAS A PLACE IN THE CODE WHERE IT WAS KIND OF BASED ON THE PRINCIPAL USE AND MAYBE NOT NECESSARILY THE ZONING DISTRICT.
SO THAT'S SO THAT, UM, SO WHAT WE HAD INITIATED DID EXTEND A, TO USE TO SF ONE AND SF TWO, CAN YOU PROVIDE US WITH A SENSE OF WHERE THIS WOULD? I'M NOT SURE I COULD ANSWER THAT QUESTION ABOUT WHETHER THIS BROADENS IT OR NOT, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE SUGGESTING IT DOES BROADEN IT TO DIFFERENT, TO DIFFERENT STONING CATEGORIES, UM, THAT ARE NOT, THAT WERE NOT CONTEMPLATED IN THE FIRST RESOLUTION.
I MEAN, IS THAT MAYBE THAT'S A QUESTION THAT WE NEED TO TAKE UP BETWEEN HERE AND THURSDAY.
I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING IF WE COULD LET STAFF SPEAK TO THAT.
SO COUNCIL MEMBER, TOBO, UH, JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS.
UM, AND I'M SORRY FOR THE CONFUSION.
IF, IF ANY OF THE CONFUSION IS DERIVING FROM MY COMMENTS, I, I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT, BUT WE WOULD IN, UH, CRAFTING THE AMENDMENTS, IF THEY'RE PUT IN THE ACCESSORY USE PART OF THE CODE, WE WOULD ABSOLUTELY ADHERE TO THE DIRECTION WITH REGARD TO THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ZONING DISTRICTS.
UM, THIS WOULD SIMPLY BE CONSOLIDATING THE REGULATIONS INTO A SINGLE PART OF THE CODE.
UM, AND WE WOULD MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE OTHER COUNCIL DIRECTION, WHICH WE'RE VERY AWARE OF FROM THE DECEMBER RESOLUTION IS ADHERED TO, UM, AND THAT WOULD INVOLVE REWRITING THOSE SECTIONS, WHICH WAS ON THE, IS ON THE TABLE.
ANYWAY, WE'VE, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GIVEN US DIRECTION WITH APPROPRIATELY, WITH REGARD TO THE ONSITE WORKER, HOUSING, GUEST HOUSING, ALL THAT SORT OF STUFF.
SO THOSE SECTIONS WOULD BE, ARE GOING TO BE RECRAFTED IN THE AMENDMENTS THAT WE BRING YOU, UM, WITH REGARD TO THE STREAMLINED DEFINITION, WE, WE ADD SOME DELAY IN PUTTING TOGETHER THIS ORDINANCE, AS WE WAITED FOR, AND THEN WORKED WITH LAW TO PROCESS KIND OF THE AKUNA RULING, BUT WE HAVE THE MATERIAL FOR A STREAMLINED DEFINITION THAT WE COULD BRING YOU THROUGH A MEMO FAIRLY QUICKLY, IF YOU WOULD LIKE US TO DO THAT THERE, WHEN WE SAW THIS,
[02:05:01]
THIS RESOLUTION, WE THOUGHT THAT MAYBE THERE, IT WOULD BE DESIRABLE RATHER THAN TO HAVE A RECOMMENDATION COME FORWARD, SEPARATE FROM THE AMENDMENTS TO JUST BRING IT ALL FORWARD AS PART OF A PROPOSED ORDINANCE THAT COUNCIL MEMBER TOBA, WE CAN CERTAINLY PROVIDE YOU A SORT OF DRAFT A MEMO THAT WALKS THROUGH SOME RECOMMENDATIONS, AND WE CAN DO THAT VERY QUICKLY.UM, I'LL, I'LL THINK ABOUT IT BETWEEN HERE AND ON THURSDAY.
I MEAN, THIS IS ON TODAY'S AGENDA AND THAT, I MEAN, NOT TO BE RUDE ABOUT IT, BUT THE AMOUNT THE WORK WAS REQUESTED BACK IN FEBRUARY, FEBRUARY, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS, THIS RESOLUTION HAS BEEN IN THE PROGRESS SINCE THEN.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M HA I DON'T KNOW WHETHER IT MAKES SENSE TO HAVE THE STREAMLINED DEFINITION COME FORWARD OR NOT.
I KNOW THAT WHEN WE ASKED, YOU KNOW, IS THIS WORK READY? IT WAS, I MEAN THAT THE OTHER, THE CODE AMENDMENTS WERE IN PROGRESS.
SO I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, UM, THE ORDER OF THINGS HERE.
SO I THINK WHAT I'D LIKE, SO I THINK WHAT I HEAR YOU SAYING, BRENT, IS THAT, THAT THIS RESOLUTION BUILDS ON IT DOES NOT REVERSE COURSE FROM THE RESOLUTION THAT WE'VE ALREADY PASSED.
AND SO COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY, I WANT TO BE SURE THAT THAT'S YOUR SENSE, YOU'RE BRINGING THIS FORWARD.
IT'S NOT A STAFF RECOMMENDATION, THOUGH.
IT SOUNDS LIKE IT HAS SOME CLEAR ELEMENTS THAT THE STAFF HAVE IDENTIFIED.
UM, IS IT YOUR, IS THAT YOUR INTENT AS WELL? SO FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN WE INITIATED THE CODE AMENDMENTS, IT WAS TO BROADEN THE USE OF ADU ALONG WITH, UM, ALONG WITH, AND TIED TO THE SUBSTANTIAL PRESERVATION OF AN EXISTING SINGLE FAMILY DWELLING.
IS THAT YOUR INTENT? UH, BUT WHAT I WANT YOU TO KNOW REAL QUICK, UM, BEFORE I ANSWER THAT, I'M SORRY, IS THAT I'M NOT TRYING TO STEP ON YOUR TOES OR UNDO ANY OF THE WORK THAT YOU OR THE REST OF THE COUNCIL HAS DONE.
IF ANYTHING, MY PURPOSE IN THIS RESOLUTION SPECIFICALLY IS TO ADD MORE VALUE TO OUR ADU POLICY AS A WHOLE, AND TO DAYLIGHT ISSUES THAT I THINK THAT WE COULD REALLY ADDRESS IN CHANGE POSITIVELY FOR THE CITY.
I WANT TO INCREASE HOUSING AND I WANT TO REMOVE BARRIERS TO HOUSING, AND I WANT THE RESOLUTION TO COMPLIMENT YOUR WORDS.
I DON'T WANT IT TO UNDO ANYTHING THAT YOU'VE WORKED SO HARD ON.
AND I CAN TELL THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE A LITTLE FRUSTRATION THAT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU'VE ASKED FOR HAVEN'T COME FORWARD AND I'M NOT INTENDING ON TRYING TO MAKE THINGS WORSE BY BRINGING THIS FORWARD.
AND I APPRECIATE, I APPRECIATE YOUR INTEREST, WHICH I THINK THIS WHOLE COUNCIL SHARES AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE MAKING ADU MORE, MORE, UM, AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
AND SO I AM SIMPLY TRYING TO, I DON'T, I MEAN, WE'RE, IT'S GREAT TO HAVE MORE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THIS WORK.
I'M SIMPLY TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, BECAUSE IT'S BEEN IN PROGRESS FOR AWHILE.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE, ARE WORKING HAND IN HAND AND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS DIFFICULT WORK AND IT RUNS, SOMETIMES IT RUNS OFF SCHEDULE.
SO, YOU KNOW, I DON'T FAULT FRAT STAFF OR NOT FOR NOT HAVING IT FINISHED.
AND, AND IN A, IN A GOOD PACE, I KNOW THAT OUR STAFF ARE WORKING REALLY CLOSELY.
AS I UNDERSTAND WITH PRESERVATION, AUSTIN, WHO HAVE LOOKED AT OTHER CITIES TO REALLY CRAFT THAT PRESERVATION PIECE OF IT.
BUT, BUT I WOULD REALLY WANT TO BE SURE THAT IN THAT YOUR UNDERSTANDING IS THE SAME AS STAFF, THAT THIS IS GOING TO BUILD ON AND KIND OF HAVE THOSE OTHER PROVISIONS, UM, AS IT MOVES FORWARD.
THIS TOOK SEVERAL MONTHS FOR MY STAFF AND COUNCIL MEMBER ARBOR, MADISON STAFF, TO FIGURE OUT, AND IT LOOKS MUCH DIFFERENT FROM HOW IT STARTED, BECAUSE WE DID INCLUDE STAFF AND LEGAL IN OUR CONVERSATIONS AND HAD SEVERAL MEETINGS TO ENSURE THAT OUR INTENT, WHICH IS TO STREAMLINE AID USE, AND THEN TO REMOVE SOME OF THE REQUIREMENTS THERE, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE AVAILABLE TO MORE PEOPLE AT A LOWER COST WAS ACHIEVED.
AND WE BELIEVE WE'VE ACHIEVED THAT.
BUT FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC, I'M GLAD THAT MAYOR PRO TEM BROUGHT IT UP.
IT IS HARD TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE RESOLUTION MEANS, WHICH IS WHY I'VE LEANED HEAVILY ON STAFF TO SHOW YOU ALL THAT WE HAVE HAD THESE DISCUSSIONS.
AND THAT IS WHAT OUR INTENT IS.
SO IT IS, SO IT IS, IT IS YOUR INTENT TO, TO BUILD ON THE KINDS OF CRITERIA THAT WERE SET IN THE, IN THE PREVIOUS ONE.
UM, SO I THINK THEN WE JUST, I'M STILL A LITTLE CONFUSED ABOUT THE ACCESSORY, BUT I'LL GO BACK TO THAT PASSAGE OF CODE, WHICH I THINK I'VE GOT UP AND TRY TO BETTER UNDERSTAND IT.
AND SO I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION FOR THIS IS GOING TO BE NEXT.
I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION FOR THE SPONSOR.
SO, UM, I THINK IT WAS ERICA AND BRENT, BOTH KIND OF DESCRIBED, UM, WHAT KINDS OF YOU OFFERED SOME EXAMPLE, ERICA, AND IN PARTICULAR ABOUT THE KINDS OF LIMITED MODIFICATIONS THAT MIGHT BE INCLUDED WITHIN THAT SECOND TO LAST, UH, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED TO CRAFT AN EDU.
UM, AND I WANTED TO ASK COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY, DO YOU ENVISION, I MEAN, THE EXAMPLES THAT WERE OFFERED I THINK WERE, WERE WHAT I WOULD REGARD AS, UM, MINOR MODIFICATIONS.
DID YOU HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH THE STAFF ABOUT CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES AND WHERE THOSE MIGHT FIT INTO THIS? WOULD YOU REGARD THOSE AS MINOR MODIFICATIONS OR WHAT CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES? UM, NOT BE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S KIND OF MODIFIED AROUND.
I BELIEVE THAT WE DO NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES AND THAT, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THE STAFF
[02:10:01]
WILL TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN THEY COME BACK TO US WITH RECOMMENDATIONS.MY THOUGHTS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THAT PART OF THE RESOLUTION, MORE THINGS LIKE A SECOND WATER METER BEING REQUIRED.
I MEAN, IF IT'S A FAMILY FOR ME, I COULD SEE JUSTIFICATION OF IF IT'S A WHOLE FAMILY AND GRANDMA LIVES IN THE BACK IN AN ADU THAT YOU DON'T HAVE A SECOND WATER METER BECAUSE YOU'RE BILLING FOR THE SAME HOUSEHOLD.
UM, MAKING THAT OPTIONAL WAS SOMETHING THAT I SAW THAT COULD BE, UM, REMOVED AS A BARRIER.
I MEAN, THAT THERE'S SIGNIFICANT COSTS ASSOCIATED THAT WHEN IT COMES TO THE ENVIRONMENT, THE ENVIRONMENT IS IMPORTANT AND WE NEED TO PROTECT THAT.
UM, BUT SOME OF THOSE LIMITED MODIFICATIONS THAT STAFF HAD RECOMMENDED COULD, COULD COME BACK TO US AS A POSSIBILITY.
UM, WE'RE SPEAKING THEORETICALLY HERE, UM, ARE IMPORTANT FOR US TO CONSIDER AND UNDERSTAND AND HAVE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT.
SO I THINK, I MEAN, I GUESS WE'LL SEE WHEN THEY COME BACK WHAT THOSE MODIFICATIONS ARE, BUT I WANTED TO GET A SENSE OF WHAT KINDS OF MODIFICATIONS YOU WERE DIRECTING.
AND IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING, AND MAYBE WE NEED TO GET CLARITY THAT A SECOND WATER METER WAS NO LONGER REQUIRED.
I THOUGHT WE WERE TALKING IN THIS SECTION ABOUT MORE ABOUT KIND OF PHYSICAL MODIFICATION, LIMITATION MODIFICATIONS BASED ON THE PHYSICAL LANDSCAPE OF THE, SO TO ME, THAT'S ACTUALLY ON THE BUILDING.
SO IT'S PHYSICAL, SO I APOLOGIZE FOR MESSENGER, BUT ANYWAY, IT'S A GOOD, IT'S A QUESTION THAT COMES UP ALL THE TIME, BUT I THOUGHT THAT OUR WATER UTILITY HAD ADDRESSED IT.
SO MAYBE THAT'S JUST SOME CLARITY WE CAN GET BY THURSDAY.
UM, I REMEMBER THIS CONVERSATION COMING UP WHEN WE WERE DOING THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE REVISION ABOUT SOME OF THE SETBACK ISSUES AND BEING ABLE, YOU KNOW, BEING ABLE TO PRESERVE THE TREES AND HAVING A LITTLE BIT OF WIGGLE ROOM WITH THOSE SETBACKS.
AND SO IN MY OPINION, YOU KNOW, THIS PREDATES COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY'S TIME ON THE DIET, BUT SHE'S COME UP WITH A CREATIVE SOLUTION THAT, YOU KNOW, YES HAS BEEN DISCUSSED BEFORE.
BUT THAT'S PART OF WHAT COLLABORATION IS ABOUT IS THAT WE CAN HAVE THESE SAME CONVERSATIONS, UM, AGAIN AND AGAIN, AND STILL KEEP TRYING TO SOLVE THESE PROBLEMS. AND SO I REALLY APPRECIATE HER OFFICE AND COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER, MADISON'S OFFICE WORKING SO DILIGENTLY ON THIS.
CAUSE I NOTICED SOMETHING IN YEARS PAST THAT I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT AND WE GET TO BE HERE AGAIN TO VOTE ON THIS THIS WEEK TO ADDRESS THIS SITUATION.
UM, YOU KNOW, TH THIS TO ME IS NOT A CONVERSATION WHERE JUST BECAUSE WE PASSED A RESOLUTION DOESN'T MEAN WE CAN'T CONTINUE TO THINK ABOUT DOING THIS WORK OR THINK ABOUT IT FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES ON DIFFERENT TIMELINES, BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THEY CAN AND CANNOT DO WITH THE PROPERTY THAT THEY OWN.
AND YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TO HIRE A LOBBYIST JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT TO BUILD AN ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT.
AND SO I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING TO IRON OUT SOME OF THESE DETAILS AND SEEING WHAT COMES BACK FROM THE RESOLUTION THAT WE PASSED IN DECEMBER.
SO I THINK COUNCIL NUMBER KELLY'S BEEN REALLY CREATIVE WITH THIS AND APPRECIATE HER WORK ON IT AND ASKING ME TO CO-SPONSOR.
I, I LOOK FORWARD TO SUPPORTING THIS ON THURSDAY.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS.
UH, CASPER VALLA COUNSEL, ROBERT MADISON COUNSEL, HER KITCHEN.
I JUST WANT TO BRIEFLY READ RE REITERATE A COUPLE OF UMBRELLAS HAS COMMENTS AND THANK A CUSTOMER KELLY FOR BRINGING FORWARD THE RESOLUTION.
UM, UH, MY, MY WIFE AND I JUST RECENTLY BUILT, UH, AN ADU IN OUR HOUSE AND IT, UM, IT WENT WELL, EVERYTHING WAS FINE, BUT IT IS AN UNNECESSARILY COMPLICATED PROCESS.
AND TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN STREAMLINE IT AND, UH, REDUCE THE COSTS INVOLVED FOR, UH, A FAMILY THAT WANTS TO BUILD AN ADU, WE SHOULD ABSOLUTELY DO THAT.
I THINK THIS RESOLUTION, UH, GOES IN THAT DIRECTION AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING, UH, WHAT A STAFF COMES BACK WITH.
THAT'S WHERE I'M HYPER MADISON.
UH, SO YEAH, ULTIMATELY I THINK, UM, MR LAURA, YOU SAID SOMETHING EARLIER THAT REALLY, I THINK, APPROPRIATELY ARTICULATED IT, YOU SAID THIS WOULD MAKE IT EASIER TO ADMINISTER AND REGULATE, UM, WHICH I THINK IS VERY IMPORTANT AND, UM, CONSOLIDATE THE REGULATIONS, WHICH I ALSO THINK IS IMPORTANT.
AND, UM, ONE OF MY STAFFERS POINTED OUT THAT TWO OF THE GOALS, AND IMAGINE AUSTIN SAY THAT THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE SHOULD ACHIEVE, THESE ARE TWO OF THE BULLETS ENSURE THE DELIVERY OF EFFICIENT SERVICES AND PROVIDE CLEAR GUIDANCE IN A USER FRIENDLY FORMAT.
AND SO THAT'S WHY I WAS SO HAPPY TO BE A PART OF THIS DISCUSSION PROCESS, BECAUSE I DO THINK IT'S COMPLIMENTARY.
I CERTAINLY DON'T THINK IT ONE TAKES AWAY FROM THE OTHER.
UM, I DO APPRECIATE THAT THE WAY STAFF SEES IT IS THAT YOU GET CLEAR GUIDANCE AND, YOU KNOW, DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO COME BACK TO COUNCIL FOR ADDITIONAL DIRECTION.
UM, THIS FEELS LIKE IT'S PUTTING IT IN A BOX THAT YOU CAN VERY EASILY FIND A SOLUTION.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT TO SAY, AND THIS MAY OR MAY NOT BE THE TIMER OR DATASET, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT IS, UH, I APPRECIATE YOU OFFERING ME GRATITUDE, BUT IT'S NOT ME.
IT'S LAUREN HARTNETT IN MY OFFICE WHO GETS ALL THE CREDIT, RIGHT? AND THIS IS ONE OF THOSE TIMES WHERE WE REALLY RECOGNIZE HOW MUCH WE LEAN ON OUR STAFF AND THEIR VARIOUS DEGREES OF SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE, JUST SO HAPPENS.
YOU KNOW, THAT SHE'S DONE THIS AND HAS BEEN A PART
[02:15:01]
OF THIS PROCESS IN THIS DISCUSSION FOR LONG ENOUGH TO WHERE SHE HAS REAL CLEAR INSIGHT AND KNOWLEDGE, UM, WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT.I THINK WE SHOULD PROBABLY DO A PROCLAMATION FOR COUNCIL STAFFERS, UH, AT SOME POINT TO JUST REALLY ACKNOWLEDGE HOW MUCH WE APPRECIATE THEM AND THE WORK THAT THEY PROVIDE FOR US.
UH, SO, UH, THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY FOR BRINGING THIS ITEM FORWARD.
UM, I THINK 80 YEARS REALLY DO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR, UM, SMALLER, LESS EXPENSIVE, UM, HOMES AND NEIGHBORHOODS THAT OTHERWISE ARE FILLED WITH BIG STANDALONE HOUSES.
YOU KNOW, I THINK EVENTUALLY IT WILL BE THE ONLY WAY THAT MY FAMILY IS ABLE TO CONTINUE TO AFFORD TO PAY THE TAXES ON THE REALLY EXPENSIVE, TEENY, TINY HOUSE THAT WE BOUGHT IN, IN CENTRAL EAST AUSTIN.
UM, I THINK ONE OF THOSE TERMS, WE HEAR A LOT IN THIS HOUSING DISCUSSION IS GENTLE DENSITY.
UM, AND IN MY MIND'S EYE, I REALLY DO REPRESENT THAT GENTLE DENSITY.
SO, UM, I'M HAPPY THAT WE'RE CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION AND BUILDING UPON THE WORK THAT COUNCIL MEMBER TURBO'S OFFICE BROUGHT FORWARD, UM, WITH THE PREVIOUS RESOLUTION, UM, I THINK 80 YEARS ARE COMPACT ON AVERAGE, THEY USE 40% LESS ENERGY THAN A TYPICALLY SIZED SINGLE DETACHED HOME, UM, OVER A HOME LIFESPAN THAT EQUIVALENT THAT'S EQUIVALENT TO TAKING NEARLY A HUNDRED CARS OFF THE ROAD A YEAR.
UM, AND CALEB AND MY OFFICE IS CERTAINLY A PART OF BRINGING THAT TALKING POINT FORWARD.
AND I APPRECIATE THAT YOU, UH, I THINK YOU SAID PUT IT IN ITS OWN LANE IF FOR NO OTHER REASON, THESE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'RE HAVING AROUND HOUSING AND MOBILITY ARE SO DIRECTLY CONNECTED THAT I APPRECIATE YOU INADVERTENTLY CONNECTED.
I THINK IT REALLY HELPED TO OFFSET A HOMEOWNERS RISING COSTS.
WE SPOKE ABOUT THAT EARLIER TODAY.
SO ANY AND EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO TO OFFSET THOSE COSTS IS IMPORTANT.
IT FULFILLS SOME OF OUR IMAGINED AUSTIN GOALS IN ADDITION TO MAKING THINGS SIMPLER, UM, AND MAKING IT EASIER FOR OUR CONSTITUENTS TO CONSUME.
I THINK IT ALSO SAYS THAT OUR LAND DEVELOPING CODE SHOULD BE EFFICIENT AND SHOULD PROVIDE CLEAR GUIDANCE IN A USER-FRIENDLY FORMAT.
I THINK WE ALSO SPOKE TO THAT EARLIER ABOUT TRANSPARENCY WITH THE BUDGET.
UM, EVERYBODY'S GOTTA BE ABLE TO DO THIS LAY PEOPLE INCLUDED RELATIVELY NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS INCLUDED, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD ALL BE ABLE TO BE A PART OF THE CONVERSATION REGARDLESS OF WHERE WE ARE, YOU KNOW, IN THE CONVERSATION JUST ENTERING IT OR BEEN, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IT FOR 10 YEARS.
I THINK WE SHOULD ALL, YOU KNOW, THE BASELINE SHOULD BE SIMILAR AND ACCESSIBLE.
UM, I LIKE HOW THE RESOLUTION REALLY DOES BUILD UPON COUNCIL MEMBER TURBO'S DECEMBER DIRECTION AND GIVE STAFF MORE FLEXIBILITY.
THAT'S WHAT I HEARD YOU AND OUR ASSISTANT, UM, UH, CITY ATTORNEY SAY MORE FLEXIBILITY TO BE THOUGHTFUL, TO BE CREATIVE, AND TO COME BACK WITH US WITH THE BEST ADU ORDINANCE THAT THEY CAN COME UP WITH, UM, FOR US TO CONSIDER AT A FUTURE DATE.
AND I JUST, I WANT TO MAKE SURE TO, TO REITERATE, UH, HOW MUCH WE TRULY DO RELY ON THE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE OF OUR STAFFERS.
UM, AND JUST, AGAIN, JUST SAY A DEEP, UH, GRATEFUL THANKS TO ALL THE STAFF MEMBERS, UM, BOTH FOR COUNCIL AND OTHERWISE, UH, THAT HAD TO GO THROUGH MULTIPLE ITERATION FOR MONTHS TO REALLY FIGURE OUT EXACTLY HOW TO BEST ARTICULATE THE INFORMATION THAT GOT BROUGHT FORWARD TODAY.
THANK YOU, EVERYBODY WHO WORKED SO HARD TO BRING IT FORWARD.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT, UM, I, UH, I ALSO APPRECIATE, UM, I ALSO APPRECIATE THIS, UM, RESOLUTION AS WELL AS THE PREVIOUS ONE THAT WE PASSED BACK IN NOVEMBER, UH, BECAUSE I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO MAKING SIGNIFICANT CHANGES ON EDU'S.
AND SO I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD.
I THINK IT BUILDS ON, UM, AS OTHERS HAVE SAID, THE OTHER THING THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL, UH, BRENT IS, UM, I TOOK A LOOK AT THE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND I DID TOO, BEFORE I SIGNED ON TO CO-SPONSOR.
UH, AND I APPRECIATE BEING A CO-SPONSOR, BUT, UM, THE LANGUAGE TALKS ABOUT ONE SPECIFIC SECTION THAT 25 DASH TWO DASH 8 9 3.
AND SO IF YOU JUST, YOU KNOW, FOR MY COLLEAGUES WHO WERE ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT ASPECT OF IT, IF YOU JUST LOOK AT THAT SECTION, IT'S JUST A LIST.
YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST A LIST OF THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT CAN BE CONSIDERED ACCESSORY USES.
AND IT HAS A COUPLE OF THOSE COUPLE IN THE LIST SUBSECTIONS IN THE LIST THAT RELATE TO ED USE.
SO IT MAKES SENSE AS A PLACE TO CONSOLIDATE, UH, WHAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL.
I THINK, UM, TO ANSWER FOLKS QUESTIONS IS JUST TO INDICATE WHETHER THAT TERM, UH, YOU KNOW, PUTTING IT IN THIS SECTION.
AND I KNOW YOU GUYS WILL, UM, KNOW THIS ALREADY, AND WE'LL BE CAREFUL AS YOU WRITE INTO IT, BUT WHETHER THAT TERM, UM, AS AN ACCESSORY USE IS SOMEPLACE ELSE IN THE CODE ALSO THAT MIGHT INADVERTENTLY ATTACH SOMETHING TO IT THAT WAS NOT INTENDED.
I KNOW YOU, YOU PROBABLY ALREADY KNOW THAT BECAUSE YOU PROBABLY KNOW THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE BACK OF YOUR HAND, BUT IN ANY CASE, IF YOU CAN POINT OUT TO OTHER FOLKS AS YOU'RE GOING THROUGH THIS, IF THAT TERM
[02:20:01]
IS USED IN OTHER PARTS OF THE CODE, THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL.SO, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, I KNOW THAT ERICA AND THE LAW DEPARTMENT REALLY LOOKED THROUGH THE CODE AND SHE MIGHT BE ABLE TO SPEAK TO THAT.
NOW, IF THERE ARE ANY CONFLICTS, BUT THEY, I BELIEVE THEY IDENTIFIED EVERY PLACE IN THE CODE, ACCORDING TO WHAT OUR INTENT WAS WITH THIS RESOLUTION, SO THAT THERE WOULDN'T BE ANY CONFLICTS.
OH, I TRUST, I TRUST LAW TO HAVE ALREADY DONE THAT.
I'M JUST SAYING FOR MY COLLEAGUES WHO ARE ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT, IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION.
THIS IS EIGHT IS SOMETHING THAT, I MEAN, THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS RESOLUTIONS ON THIS THROUGH THE YEARS AND WE CONTINUE TO HONE IT AND MAKE IT BETTER EVERY TIME.
I THINK COLLECTIVELY, EVERYBODY FEELS LIKE, UH, WE'VE ALL BEEN WORKING ON THIS AND I THINK THE PRODUCT REPRESENTS THAT KIND OF COLLECTIVE WORK.
I THINK THOUGH IT IS TIMELY TO CATCH UP ON THE RESOLUTION THAT CAME FROM COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO LAST YEAR, UH, BECAUSE WE HAD THOUGHT WE WOULD BE FURTHER ALONG THAT AT THIS POINT TOO.
SO IF THIS CAN HELP BRING THAT FORWARD, THAT'D BE GREAT.
AND JUST, UM, JUST TO CLARIFY FOR COUNCIL AT THE COMMITTEE MEETING THE HOUSING AND PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING, UM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO I THINK MENTIONED THAT SHE EXPECTED THE ORDINANCE WOULD BE COMING FORWARD IN THE FALL, THE CODE AMENDMENTS, AND THAT IS DEFINITELY OUR PLAN.
SO WE ARE ON TRACK TO DO THAT.
AND IF COUNCIL WOULD LIKE A MEMO IN ADVANCE OF THAT, THAT KIND OF WALKS THROUGH THE IDEAS FOR A STREAMLINED DEFINITION, WE CAN CERTAINLY DO THAT AS WELL.
I DO THINK THAT THE CURRENTLY PROPOSED RESOLUTION THAT IS SUPPLEMENTAL TO THE DECEMBER RESOLUTION PROVIDES DIRECTION, WHERE WE COULD JUST CONSOLIDATE ALL THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS INTO THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE THAT WOULD GO THROUGH THE PUBLIC PROCESS AND COME TO COUNCIL IN THE FALL.
BUT WE'RE CERTAINLY OUR WORK IS WELL ADVANCED WE'VE W UH, MULTIPLE STAFF FROM, FROM DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS.
AND SO WE'RE CERTAINLY HAPPY TO PROVIDE A PREVIEW MEMO ON SOME OF THOSE HIGH LEVEL ISSUES, OR JUST BRING IT ALL FORWARD AS A CONSOLIDATED PROPOSAL IN THE FALL.
SO IT'S JUST LIKE THE THIRD OR FOURTH TIME YOU'VE MADE THAT OFFER.
SO NOW I'M GOING TO ACCEPT THAT OFFER BECAUSE IT SOUNDS AS IF THE WORK'S BEEN DONE AND IT'S NOT GOING TO BE A LOT OF WORK TO GENERATE THAT KIND OF INTERIM PORT AND W CAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO TAKE YOU OFF.
THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS ON YOUR PLATE RIGHT NOW, RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL AREA, WE WOULD BE PASSING THIS WEEK FURTHER, UH, THINGS WITH THE COMPATIBILITY ORDINANCE.
SO, SO AS LONG AS IT DOESN'T SLOW DOWN THAT WORK, IF YOU'VE EVER DANCED THE WORK AND YOU CAN JUST GIVE US, UH, A BRIEF HIGHLIGHT OF WHERE YOU GUYS ARE, THAT WOULD ALWAYS BE NICE.
ANYBODY ELSE? ANYTHING ELSE ON THIS CAFFEINE? YEAH, I THINK, I THINK I WOULD HAVE JUST UNDERSCORE THAT POINT AT THIS POINT, IF WE'RE, IF WE'VE NOW, I MEAN, IF YOU'RE IN PROGRESS WITH THE RESOLUTION, UM, IT'S NOT CLEAR, YOU KNOW, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE MEMO, I GUESS AT THIS POINT, IF IT'S GOING TO SLOW DOWN THE WORK, BUT I DO, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO SEE DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR IT BEFORE WE PASS THE CODE AMENDMENT.
SO THAT WAS, THAT WAS THE INTENT OF TRYING TO GET THAT INFORMATION OUT.
UM, I'M NOT SURE THAT THIS, THAT I DON'T THINK THAT FIRST PASSAGE RESOLVES THOSE QUESTIONS.
SO I, I KNOW WE STARTED STARTED OUR CONVERSATION THERE, BUT I DON'T, I DON'T THINK PUTTING IT IN ACCESSORY USE RESOLVES THE QUESTIONS THAT WE ASKED YOU TO IDENTIFY IN STREAMLINING THE DEFINITION, BUT I MAY BE WRONG AND JUST NOT UNDERSTANDING IT CORRECTLY.
I'M LOOKING OVER THAT PASSAGE AND I DON'T, I DON'T SEE HOW I'M MOVING UP TO THAT PIECE OF THE CODE, RESOLVES THOSE, UM, RESULTS, THE QUESTIONS THAT WE ASKED YOU TO ANSWER, DO YOU PRINT, IT'S NOT ENTIRELY CLEAR, LIKE WHAT STREAMLINED DEFINITION MEANS.
AND SO SORT OF, UM, CONSOLIDATING ADU AS AN ACCESSORY USE TO MY MIND, AS I READ IT, SPOKE TO THE IDEA OF A STREAMLINED DEFINITION.
UM, HOWEVER, IF I'M MISTAKEN ON THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HAPPY TO ENGAGE THIS ISSUE, HOWEVER, COUNCIL WISHES.
UM, BUT I THINK ALL THE GUIDANCE THAT'S BEEN PROVIDED BY THE MAYOR AND OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS HAS BEEN REALLY HELPFUL.
AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO BRINGING COUNCIL A PROPOSAL THAT ACHIEVES ALL OF THE DIFFERENT OBJECTIVES THAT ARE OUTLINED IN THE TWO RESOLUTIONS.
CAN I JUST ASK FOR CLARIFICATION, WHICH WHERE WAS STREAMLINED? NOT VERY CLEAR IN THE D IN THE DECEMBER RESOLUTION WHERE IT TALKS ABOUT A STREAMLINE, IT TALKS ABOUT, UH, BRINGING RECOMMENDATIONS FORWARD FOR A STREAMLINED DEFINITION.
UH, ALL I WAS SAYING COUNCIL MEMBER TOBO WAS THAT THE CURRENT DIRECTION THAT'S PROPOSED IN THE RESOLUTION FOR THURSDAY, THAT TALKS ABOUT SORT OF CONSOLIDATING ADSL AS ACCESSORY USES TO ME, THAT DOVETAILED INTO THAT EARLIER DIRECTION AND SORT
[02:25:01]
OF PROVIDED THE GUIDANCE NEEDED TO JUST BRING IT ALL FORWARD AS A SINGLE ORDINANCE.UM, AND THEN I'LL TAKE A LOOK AT, SO PART OF, PART OF WHAT HAPPENED IS THAT THERE WAS A FIRST RESOLUTION, THERE WAS A SECOND MEMO.
YOU PROVIDED A LONG MEMO RECOMMENDING SOME OF THESE THINGS.
SO, UM, IF THERE IS ADDITIONAL CLARITY NEEDED FOR STREAMLINING, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE MEMO THAT YOU PROVIDED.
BUT, BUT TO THE EXTENT, YOU KNOW, JUST LOOKING AT THE LANGUAGE THAT WE PROVIDED, IT WAS TALKING ABOUT REMOVING THE REQUIREMENTS TO AGE ABILITY, OCCUPATION, OR FAMILY STATUS, WHICH IN ESSENCE ARE WITHIN THOSE DIFFERENT, I MEAN, WE WERE STREAMLINING BECAUSE THERE ARE DIFFERENT DESCRIPTIONS OF AN ACCESSORY DWELLING.
SOME ARE RESTRICTED BY OCCUPATION.
SOME ARE RESTRICTED BY AGE AND FAMILY STATUS.
I DIDN'T REALIZE THERE WAS NOT CLARITY ON WHAT WAS MEANT BY STREAMLINED BECAUSE WE DID ACTUALLY DEFINE IT.
SO IF THERE ARE, IF YOU COULD TAKE A LOOK AT THAT PASSAGE AND MAKE SURE THEY'RE NOT STILL QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT STREAMLINED MEANS, UM, I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
THAT'S, THAT'S THE CRUX OF WHAT YOU KNOW OF THAT SECTION WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE STILL DON'T HAVE TWO FAMILY DWELLINGS, UM, CAREGIVERS, COTTAGE, OR WHATEVER THOSE WERE CALLED.
I MEAN, THAT, THAT WAS PRETTY WELL SPELLED OUT, BUT IF THERE'S NEED FOR ADDITIONAL CLARITY, WE CAN CERTAINLY PROVIDE IT.
AND MAYBE THIS RESOLUTION PROVIDES US WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT.
BUT I, I THOUGHT BETWEEN THE RESOLUTIONS ON YOUR MEMO AND THE CONVERSATIONS WE HAD, THAT WE WERE PRETTY CLEAR ON WHAT WE MEANT BY STREAMLINING, BUT I THINK IT'S REALLY CRITICAL THAT WE GET THAT RIGHT.
LET'S MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ITEM.
IT WOULD BARELY HAVE ANYTHING ELSE OUT OF THIS.
CAN I JUST THINK STAFF FOR ALL THE WORK THAT THEY DID TO HELP MAKE THIS RESOLUTION POSSIBLE? I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU ALL BEING HERE TODAY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AS WELL.
UM, THIS WAS PULLED BY COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON.
I SHOULD HAVE DONE THIS PREVIOUSLY, BUT I'M GOING TO PASS AROUND SOME, AN AMENDMENT TO ITEM NUMBER 66, ACM CONSENT.
AS I'M ASSUMING YOU'RE HERE TO SPEAK TO 66 OR JUST HERE IN GENERAL, JUST HERE TO HELP GUIDE STAFF.
THAT WILL HELP ANSWER QUESTIONS.
UM, SO WHO WOULD BE THE BEST STAFF MEMBER TO SPEAK TO THIS COMPETITIVITY ITEM? SO WE'VE, WE'VE GOT ERICA LAKE FROM HOUSING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT HERE, AS WELL AS ROSIE TRULA DIRECTOR OF HOUSING AND PLANNING.
FORGIVE ME, ARE THEY HERE, HERE OR ON THE SCREEN HERE? OH, THANK YOU.
UM, SO MY FIRST QUESTION IS I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE PROCESS THAT LED TO THE SELECTION OF THE PROPOSED DISTANCES AND THE RESOLUTION.
WERE THEY BASED ON ANY OF OUR PEER CITIES IN PARTICULAR? UM, AND WERE THEY INFORMED BY ADVICE FROM STAFF? UM, I, I GUESS I'D JUST LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HOW WE GOT TO THESE SPECIFIC NUMBERS AND BACK TO MY PREVIOUS POINT ABOUT LIKE, IN TERMS OF THE BASELINE, EVERYBODY STARTING AT THE SAME LEVEL, I THINK IT'S HELPFUL JUST FOR REFERENCE FOR ALL OF US TO BE AT THE SAME SPOT.
I UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS OF SURE.
AND ARE YOU SPEAKING TO THE DISTANCES THAT WERE INCLUDED IN THE MEMO SENT OUT ON FRIDAY OR SOMETHING ELSE? UM, SPEAKING SPECIFICALLY TO THE DISTANCES THAT WE MAKE REFERENCE TO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE THRESHOLD.
SO UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES, IT WOULD BE THIS HEIGHT OR THIS DISTANCE I'M SPEAKING TO THOSE SPECIFIC NUMBERS.
SO I THINK 65 IS ONE OF THE NUMBERS AND THEN NINETIES, ANOTHER ONE OF THE NUMBERS I COULD GET YOU SPECIFICALLY WHERE THE LANGUAGE, UH, GIVE ME JUST A MOMENT.
SO I THINK THAT THAT'S PROBABLY A QUESTION CAUSE WE'RE OVER MEDICINE DIRECTED TO THE AUTHOR AND THE SPONSORS, UH, BECAUSE THEY'D CAME FROM, I ASSUMED THAT THOSE NUMBERS WERE A PART OF OUR, LIKE BUILT INTO THE SYSTEM.
THOSE SPECIFICALLY CAME FROM THE SPONSOR.
THEY CAME FROM, THEY CAME FROM THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'VE HAD OVER AS A COUNCIL AND AS A BODY OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS, MOST SPECIFICALLY THE CONVERSATION WE HAD IN NOVEMBER, WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO SAY, OKAY, IF WE WERE GOING TO TRY AND FIND WHERE AN AGREEMENT MIGHT BE, THAT PEOPLE COULD AGREE ON AND MOVE FORWARD WITH GREATER THAN A SIX, FIVE VOTE OR SEVEN, FOUR VOTE, WHAT WOULD THAT BE? UH, SO IT WAS, UM, UH, URGING PEOPLE TO TALK TO PEOPLE THAT THEY ORDINARILY DON'T TALK TO IN OUR SUB FORUMS TO TRY TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT WOULD REPRESENT, UH, NOT WHAT ANYBODY WANTED, BUT
[02:30:01]
WHAT WE COULD AGREE ON WHERE THE VENN DIAGRAMS MIGHT CROSS, UH, WITH A HOPE OF BEING ABLE TO PASS SOMETHING WITH ENOUGH OF A, OF A GROUP THAT WE MIGHT AVOID LITIGATION AND, AND THEN ALL OTHER THINGS SO THAT THEY COULD BE IMPLEMENTED AND BE USED AT THE SAME TIME, THE SPECIFIC CHANGES WITH RESPECT TO 60 TO 65 AND 40 TO 45 CAME BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN HEARING COLLECTIVELY ALL OF US, UH, FROM FOLKS, UH, THAT, UH, WE'RE BUILDING THAT THE EXTRA FIVE FEET WHILE NOT HAVING A SIGNIFICANT VISUAL IMPACT, UH, WOULD HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON ABILITY TO PUT IN DESIRABLE GROUND FLOOR RETAIL, UH, AND, AND OTHER KINDS OF USES.SO WE ALSO PUT IN, UH, AS WE DISCUSSED, IF NOT LAST NOVEMBER, AS WE DISCUSSED COLLECTIVELY AS A BODY, UH, SEVERAL WEEKS AGO, WHEN WE WERE SAYING, HEY, WHAT DO PEOPLE THINK ABOUT THESE KINDS OF ISSUES? COULD, COULD THERE BE AGREEMENT ON THESE, EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW THAT IT'S NOT WHAT ANYBODY WANTS, IT GOES TOO FAR FOR SOME PEOPLE AND NOT FAR ENOUGH FOR OTHER PEOPLE.
WE'RE JUST TRYING TO FIND THAT, THAT SPOT.
SO I, I, I'M ASSUMING YOU'RE THE SPOKESPERSON.
SO I HAVE DIRECT MY QUESTIONS AT YOU.
I THINK THAT THE POINT THAT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE, UM, IS DURING THE COURSE OF TRYING TO LEVEL SET, YOU KNOW, I, WASN'T A PART OF THE ORIGINAL CODE NEXT CONVERSATIONS, EITHER AS A LAY PERSON OR AS A COUNCIL PERSON.
AND SO REALLY TRYING TO GET ACCLIMATED AND CAUGHT UP, UM, IS COMPLEX TO SAY THE LEAST.
AND I THINK IT'S TO MY BENEFIT AS A MEMBER OF MY COMMUNITY AND BEING ABLE TO SPEAK IN LAYMAN'S TERMS TO MY CONSTITUENTS ABOUT THIS, YOU KNOW, SUBJECT THAT FRANKLY, A LOT OF D ONE RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN ENTIRELY EXCLUDED FROM.
UM, AND SO I THINK MOST OF WHAT I'M ATTEMPTING TO DO IS BE ABLE TO SPEAK TO THEM ABOUT WHERE THE NUMBERS COME FROM.
AND I THINK MAYBE I UNDERSTOOD IT LIKE YOU DESCRIBED IT, BUT THAT ALMOST SOUNDS LIKE THE NUMBERS ARE ARBITRARY.
I, I WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO SAY BASED ON, THIS IS WHY WE GOT HERE, AS OPPOSED TO LIKE, THIS WAS THE CLOSEST WE COULD GET TO CONSENSUS.
I JUST LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE'S ANY, AND THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE SOMETHING THAT GETS ANSWERED RIGHT NOW, BUT EVENTUALLY I'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK MORE TO THE NUMBERS AND THE, YEAH.
AND I THINK PROBABLY EVERYBODY MIGHT HAVE DIFFERENT, UM, RATIONALES THAT THEY CHOOSE TO COME TO THAT PLACE.
UH, UH, FOR ME, IT ALSO INCLUDED TAKING A LOOK AT THE PERCENTAGES OF, OF, YOU KNOW, ATTRACTS THAT, UH, HAVE BEEN STOPPED AND THEN TAKING A LOOK AT, UH, THE KINDS OF OPPORTUNITIES THAT WOULD BE OPENED UP OR UNLOCKED FOR BEING ABLE TO DO THIS, TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS SUFFICIENTLY, UH, MATERIAL AS TO BEFORE IT, AND IT SEEMED THAT WAY TO ME, BUT I WOULD DEFER TO, UH, CO-SPONSORS ON THIS.
ALISON, THEY MAY HAVE PUT THEM, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO ADDRESS, UH, HOW YOU GOT TO, TO THE NUMBERS FOR YOU.
UM, SO I THINK WE WENT BACK TO, UM, THE DISCUSSIONS THAT WE HAD WITH, UM, CODE NEXT AND LOOKING AT, UM, THE WORKING GROUP AND THE ZAP RESOLUTION.
UM, THESE ARE ALL FOUND IF YOU GO TO THE MESSAGE BOARD, UM, WHERE WE ORIGINALLY POSTED OUR PROPOSAL, THERE'S SOME DYNAMICS THERE.
UM, THERE'S SOME, UM, GRAPHS THERE, UM, THAT SHOW KIND OF VARIOUS PROPOSALS FOR COMPATIBILITY THAT HAD BEEN, UM, PUT FORWARD.
AND I THINK WE KIND OF LOOKED AT THOSE DIFFERENT, UM, THOSE DIFFERENT PROPOSALS AS A STARTING POINT OF, OKAY.
WE'VE HAD LOTS OF DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THESE DIFFERENT PIECES, IF WE, WHICH, WHICH KIND OF LED US TO HAVE A RANGE OF WHAT WE WERE LOOKING AT.
UM, AND THEN AS WE TALKED THROUGH THAT RANGE, UM, WE LANDED AT PARTICULAR NUMBERS.
UM, ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE DIFFERENTIATED THE, UM, THE LARGER AND THE MEDIUM CORRIDORS WAS, UM, A SENSE THAT WE DIDN'T FEEL LIKE THE SAME COMPATIBILITY RULES SHOULD APPLY, THAT WE WERE COMFORTABLE WITH RELAXING COMPATIBILITY MORE.
UM, IF WE DESIGNATED SOME CORRIDORS AS THE LARGER CORRIDORS, THEN IF WE, UM, THEN WE WERE ON SOME OF THE MEDIUM CORRIDORS.
UM, AND BECAUSE WE WERE TRYING VERY MUCH NOT TO HAVE IT BE A STREET BY STREET PROCESS IN TERMS OF HOW WE WERE DOING IT, WE WANTED TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, TAKE DEFINITIONS THAT WE HAD THAT WERE, UM, WELL ACCEPTED AND ESTABLISHED, UM, SO THAT IT WASN'T THE STREET IN
[02:35:01]
THE STREET OUT, BUT THAT THERE WAS SOME UNDERLYING PLANNING CONCEPT, UM, THAT UNDERLINED THE PARTICULAR, UM, STREET CHOICES.UM, IT, IT SEEMED THAT WE SHOULD DIFFERENTIATE ACROSS THOSE.
UM, BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HADN'T HEARD THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE PROCESS FROM OUR COMMUNITY WAS THAT NOT EVERY STREET WAS THE SAME AND WHAT PEOPLE WERE COMFORTABLE AT ON ONE STREET WAS NOT THE SAME AS ANOTHER.
UM, AND SO WE HAD THAT SORT OF GENERAL IDEA OF HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE DO THAT? AND IF YOU LOOK, UM, THE 150 NUMBER FOR 65 WAS WHERE, UM, ZAP AND THE WORKING GROUP WERE AT, AND THE CODE NEXT WAS AT A HUNDRED.
AND SO WE KIND OF SAID, OKAY, WE'LL DO A HUNDRED ON THE LARGE CORRIDORS, BUT WE'LL DO A HUNDRED FEET FOR 65 ON THE LARGER CORRIDORS, AND WE'LL DO 150 ON THE MEDIUM CORRIDORS.
UM, SO THAT'S WHERE WE, WHERE WE GOT THE NUMBERS.
AND, AND I THINK A HUNDRED IS AN EASY NUMBER, UM, TO UNDERSTAND HAVING A ROUND AROUND NUMBER WAS ALSO IMPORTANT.
I THINK WHERE I, WHERE I MIGHT BE FAILING MY CONSTITUENTS.
SO THEN THIS IS NO FAULT OF ANYBODY'S, BUT MY OWN I'M SPEAKING OUT OF TURN.
I THINK I MIGHT BE FAILING MY CONSTITUENTS IN THAT I'M SAYING WE ARE RELYING HEAVILY ON THE CONTRIBUTION OF PLANNING PROFESSIONALS TO COME UP WITH THESE NUMBERS.
WE'RE RELYING HEAVILY ON COMPARISONS TO PEER CITIES, ET CETERA.
UM, AND SO I WANT TO, FIRST OF ALL, MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S ACCURATE.
UM, I DON'T WANT TO, UM, SHARE INACCURACIES AND I'M HAVING, IF I COULD JUST ADD, IF YOU GO BACK TO WHAT WE PUT UP ON THE, UM, MESSAGE BOARD ORIGINALLY, WE ALSO DID SHOW, I MADE NOTE OF THAT.
YEAH, WE DID SHOW THAT THERE WITH THE PEER CITIES.
AND SO WE, WE WERE ALSO LOOKING, WE WERE ALSO LOOKING AT THAT, SO I THINK THAT WOULD BE ACCURATE.
AND THAT WAS TRULY ACCURATE WHEN WE DID THE ORIGINAL ANALYSIS.
I WAS JUST TRYING TO EXPLAIN MY RATIONALE FOR SOME OF MY QUESTIONS.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M SHARING THE MOST ACCURATE INFORMATION POSSIBLE.
AND I REALLY DO APPRECIATE THE COLLABORATIVE EFFORT THAT IT TOOK FOR US TO ARRIVE HERE.
UM, BUT I WANT TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT, UM, AS WE MOVE FORWARD, THAT WE DON'T LOCK OURSELVES INTO A SINGLE PATHWAY WITHOUT HAVING A CLEARER, I HAVE TO SAY BETTER PICTURE, BUT A CLEAR PICTURE OF THE TRADE-OFF.
AND SO THERE'S AN IMAGE THAT I'VE BEEN USING TO TRY TO, UM, ORIENT MYSELF AND STEPH, I GAVE YOU GUYS A GRAPH.
I WONDER IF YOU CAN PULL UP THAT FIRST IMAGE FOR ME, EVERYBODY SEE THAT.
SO IF I'M READING THIS CORRECTLY, UM, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO WITH THIS ITEM IS TO RELAX EXISTING COMPATIBILITY RULES THROUGH A DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM.
SO IN OTHER WORDS, WE'RE TRYING TO GRANT EXTRA ENTITLEMENTS IN EXCHANGE FOR COMMUNITY BENEFITS.
UM, IN MY MIND'S EYE, WHEN WE ARE EXPERIENCING A HOUSING CRISIS, LIKE THE ONE WE'RE IN THAT WE KEEP MAKING REFERENCE TO, UM, THE, SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT COME ABOUT FOR ME ARE WHETHER OR NOT THERE'S ANY GREATER COMMUNITY BENEFIT, THEN MORE HOUSING.
I THINK THAT'S THE GREATEST COMMUNITY BENEFIT THAT WE CAN ALL, UM, HOPEFULLY AGREE ON, ESPECIALLY, UH, SOME THAT'S INCOME RESTRICTED AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
SO WHAT THIS DRAWING SHOWS FOR ME IS HOW COMPATIBILITY NIX IS THE COMMUNITY BENEFIT THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
UM, AND THE REASONING BEHIND IS TO PROTECT US, UH, FROM THE SINGLE FAMILY HOMES AS THE LARGER BUILDING.
AND SO WHEN I LOOK AT THIS AND SOME OF MY QUESTIONS WILL BE INFLUENCED BY THIS GRAPH, CAUSE IT REALLY IS JUST ME TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT I UNDERSTAND ENTIRELY BEFORE I'M EXPLAINING TO PEOPLE WHEN I LOOK AT THIS.
UM, UH, AND I THINK WE KNOW THAT OTHER CITIES HAVE MUCH LESS STRICT COMPATIBILITY RULES, UM, AND, AND THEY GET FIVE.
AND SO LIKE SOME OF THE COMPARISONS THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE AS A LAY PERSON, RELATIVE LATE PERSON BEEN ABLE TO MAKE IS THAT OTHER CITIES WITH LESS STRICT COMPATIBILITY RULES SEEM TO DO FINE.
AND SO, UM, I'M ONE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, UH, OUR HEAVY RESTRICTIONS ON COMPATIBILITY.
AND THEN ALSO TO UNDERSTAND THAT UNDER THIS PROPOSAL, WE'RE CUTTING, DOES IT'S DOZENS OF UNITS, UM, FOR THE BENEFIT OF A FEW SINGLE FAMILY HOMES AND, UM, WHETHER THEY'RE OCCUPIED BY OWNERS OR RENTERS, OR EVEN SHORT-TERM RENTALS, I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE RATIONALE THERE.
AND I DON'T KNOW WHO THE APPROPRIATE PARTY TO ANSWER.
I'M ASSUMING STAFF WELL, IT, IT,
[02:40:01]
I THINK IT SOUNDED A LITTLE BIT LIKE A QUESTION MAYBE FOR OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS TO SOME EXTENT, BUT, UM, WE DID WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE AWARE THAT WE PROVIDED SOME ADDITIONAL, UH, ANALYSIS ABOUT DIFFERENT COMPATIBILITY OPTIONS, UM, IN A MEMO THAT WAS SENT OUT ON FRIDAY, UH, THE TITLE IS INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS RELATING TO VERTICAL, EXCUSE ME, VERTICAL MIXED USE PROGRAM.UM, AND SO THE LAST FEW PAGES OF THAT ATTACHMENT, UM, SPEAK TO THE PERCENTAGE OF VMU ZONED PROPERTIES THAT COULD POTENTIALLY REACH THEIR CURRENT BASE, UH, HEIGHT OR THE FUTURE POTENTIAL 90 FOOT HEIGHT BASED ON THE DISTANCE OF COMPATIBILITY STANDARDS.
SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF WE WANT TO BRING THAT UP TO TALK THROUGH IT.
UM, IT'S SORT OF A, IT'S SORT OF A DIFFERENT WAY TO LOOK AT WHAT INFORMATION YOU'VE PROVIDED.
UM, MY COLLEAGUES SEE THAT AS A BENEFIT, I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION THAT I HAVE BASED ON THE IMAGES THAT ARE PROVIDED, BUT I'D BE HAPPY TO SUBMIT.
AND I KNOW WHEN ON FRIDAY THAT CAME UP, BUT I, I FORTUNATELY THIS WAS ONE OF THOSE WEEKENDS DEDICATED EXCLUSIVELY TO MY KIDS.
IT'S SPECIFICALLY AT BMU PROGRAM, ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS.
AND SO I'LL GO BACK AND LOOK FOR THAT ONE.
UM, BUT YEAH, IF, IF OTHER FOLKS SEE THAT AS BENEFICIAL AFTER THIS NEXT SLIDE, AND I THINK SO IF WE COULD PULL UP THAT NEXT IMAGE, PLEASE.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PLACEMENT, UM, AND WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE ARE GETTING PRICED OUT OF IT, BUT DEGREES, UH, ONE THING WE DON'T TALK ABOUT IS THE HIDDEN DISPLACEMENT.
THAT'S TAUGHT BY OUR INABILITY TO BUILD HOMES FOR PEOPLE WHO JUST WANT TO LIVE IN OUR CITY.
SO I'M REALLY STRUGGLING TO JUSTIFY HOW WE SHAPE POLICY AROUND, UM, ENSURING THAT THREE TO 5% MORE YOU HAVE THE SKY IS, YOU KNOW, UH, WHAT IS NOW LIKELY A $4 MILLION HOME.
UM, AND SO REALLY JUST TRYING TO THINK THROUGH WHAT OUR PRIORITY IS.
UM, I'M HAVING A DIFFERENT RATIONALIZES AND DECISIONS, AND THAT'S NOT A QUESTION SO MUCH AS EXPRESSION OF CONCERN.
SO I GUESS THAT THE QUESTION I DO HAVE FOR STAFF IS SO, UM, WE HAVE PLANNING PROFESSIONALS ON OUR CITY STAFF.
UM, I THINK WE SHOULD OBVIOUSLY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEIR SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE.
SO MY POLICY DIRECTOR TO TURN ON YOUR MICROPHONE.
I'M SO GLAD I JUST ASSUMED IT WAS ON.
SO MY POLICY DIRECTOR HELPED US TO CONSTRUCT THESE GRAPHICS DURING CODE NEXT.
UM, AND IT'S WILD THAT THEY'RE STILL RELEVANT, UH, FOUR YEARS LATER.
BUT DURING THAT PROCESS, THE PLANNING COMMISSION TO MY UNDERSTANDING, VOTED TO SUPPORT COMPETITIVE COMPATIBILITY TRIGGER AT A HUNDRED FEET, AND I CAN'T HELP, BUT FEEL LIKE BASED ON THE GRAPHICS AND WHAT THE ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS THAT I'VE RECEIVED, IT FEELS LIKE WE'RE GOING BACKWARDS IN TERMS OF COMPATIBILITY.
UM, IN WHICH CASE, UM, I'M PROPOSING THAT STAFF TAKE A LOOK AT IT.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS GOT A COPY OF WHAT I PASSED AROUND.
UM, I'M ASKING THAT STAFF TAKE A LOOK AT THE SUITE OF OPTIONS, UM, AND BRING US BACK A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF EACH ONE, UM, AS A FULL BODY SO THAT WE CAN MAKE A DATA DRIVEN DECISION ABOUT WHAT'S APPROPRIATE WHEN IT COMES TO SETTING OR WHEN NOT TO SIT, UM, THE TRIGGER FOR COMPATIBILITY.
AND THAT'S WHAT I PASSED AROUND.
DID EVERYBODY GET ONE? NOT ON THE DOCUMENT? UH, NO, BUT I'M HAPPY TO, IN FACT, I'M SURE Y'ALL ARE WATCHING, UM, CAN Y'ALL EMAIL OUR COLLEAGUES A COPY OF THE TWO GRAPHS.
SO WE ARE SENDING HIM TO THE CLERK AND THE CLERK CAN PUT THEM IN BACKUP FOR TODAY'S WORKSTATIONS.
SO COUNCIL MEMBERS, SOME OF THE ANALYSIS WE HAVE COMPLETED ALREADY DOES ADDRESS AT LEAST PART OF YOUR QUESTION.
SO MAYBE, UM, IF COUNCIL WOULD LIKE TO DO SO WE COULD TALK THROUGH THAT.
UH, LET ME SEND THE LINK, UH, TO THE AB FOLKS
[02:45:01]
OH, OKAY.UM, SO IF WE COULD PULL UP, UM, THAT MEMO THAT WE JUST SENT THE LINK TO AND, UH, SAM TEDFORD DID THE ANALYSIS SO HAPPY TO HAVE A SAM RUN, RUN THROUGH IT, AND THEN WE CAN ALL ANSWER QUESTIONS, UM, WHILE WE'RE WAITING TO GET THAT PULLED UP.
GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE, SAM TEDFORD.
UM, I WILL MENTION THAT THIS MEMO SPEAKS DIRECTLY TO THE IMPACT OF COMPATIBILITY ON VMU.
AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS MANY OF THE ITEMS ON ITEM 66 WOULD APPLY MORE BROADLY TO MORE PROPERTIES.
AND SO THIS ANALYSIS JUST LOOKS AT THE IMPACT ON THE VMU ZONED PROPERTIES, NOT ALL PROPERTIES THAT MIGHT OTHERWISE BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN A BONUS PROGRAM AND THEREFORE GET THE, UM, COMPATIBILITY REDUCTIONS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR DOING THIS.
AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING THIS, UH, WHEN, WHEN YOU DO IT, CAN YOU JUST, UM, LET US KNOW IF YOU'RE BASING IT ON EXISTING COMPATIBILITY OR THE, OR THE ITEM 66 PROPOSED COMPATIBILITY OR SOME OTHER JUST SO WE CAN REMEMBER.
YES, I CAN TRY AND SPEAK TO SOME OF THE DIFFERENCES.
SO, UM, CITY HALL, IF WE COULD GO DOWN TO PAGE 14, I THINK THAT MIGHT BE THE MOST RELEVANT, UM, STARTING PLACE WITHIN THIS MEMO.
WE COMPILED MANY STAFF RESPONSES TO VARIOUS COUNCIL Q AND A RELATED TO VERTICAL MIXED USE.
UM, BUT STARTING ON PAGE 14, YOU MIGHT SEE THIS TABLE.
IF WE COULD MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT LARGER ON THE SCREEN, YOU'LL SEE, IN OUR ANALYSIS OF ACHIEVABLE HEIGHTS, UH, FOR VMU ZONE PROPERTIES THAT HAVE NOT REDEVELOPED SINCE 2010.
SO THAT'S KIND OF OUR STARTING POINT SITES THAT HAVE THE AMUSEMENT ZONING TODAY, AND THAT HAVE NOT REDEVELOPED SINCE 2010 WHEN THE PROGRAM WAS STARTED.
SO WE CAN START AT OUR CURRENT STANDARDS TODAY FOR COMPATIBILITY EXTEND 540 FEET AWAY FROM A COMPATIBILITY TRIGGERING PROPERTY.
AND SO THE RESULT IS THAT A SITE WITH VMU ZONING ONLY 46% OF THOSE PROPERTIES COULD REACH THEIR BASE ENTITLED HEIGHTS.
SO THAT'S WHAT WOULD BE ALLOWABLE UNDER THE VMU PROGRAM TODAY.
UM, AND 33% OF THOSE SITES COULD POTENTIALLY ACHIEVE THAT BONUS HEIGHT UNDER POSED.
SO THAT'S KIND OF OUR STARTING POINT UNDER COMPATIBILITY STANDARDS TODAY.
AND ON THE FOLLOWING SLIDES, WE DON'T HAVE TO MOVE.
UM, YOU'LL JUST SEE KIND OF A VISUAL THAT REPRESENTS WHAT THESE DIFFERENT PROPOSALS FOR COMPATIBILITY LOOK LIKE OR WHAT STAFF WAS, UM, CONSIDERING WHEN WE DID THIS ANALYSIS, UM, YOU'LL SEE THAT THERE'S TWO KIND OF SEPARATED TABLES HERE.
ONE IS WHERE WE MAINTAIN THE CURRENT, UH, PROPERTIES THAT TRIGGER COMPATIBILITY.
SO THOSE WOULD BE BOTH BASED ON YOUR BASE ZONING, IF IT'S A SINGLE FAMILY, UH, FIVE OR MORE RESTRICTIVE ZONE, AS WELL AS CERTAIN LAND USES, INCLUDING SOME CIVIC USES, THIS HAS BEEN SOME INFORMATION, NOT EVERYBODY FULLY UNDERSTOOD WITHIN THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE.
THERE'S A SET OF CIVIC USES THAT CAN ALSO TRIGGER COMPATIBILITY ONTO AN ADJACENT PROPERTY.
THOSE MIGHT BE PUBLIC OR PRIVATE SCHOOLS, COLLEGES, AND UNIVERSITIES, UH, RELIGIOUS ASSEMBLY SITES.
AND SO THOSE ARE ALSO USES THAT CAN TRIGGER COMPATIBILITY TODAY.
THE TABLE BELOW THAT THOUGH IS ONLY, UM, IS, UH, THE ANALYSIS ONLY FOUR SITES THAT HAS F S S F FIVE ZONING TODAY OR MORE RESTRICTIVE.
SO WE DID THE ANALYSIS FOR ALL COMPATIBILITY TRIGGERING USES ON THE TOP, AND THEN ON THE BOTTOM WOULD BE ONLY ZONING TRIGGERS.
AND YOU'LL SEE THE DIFFERENT VERSIONS HERE ARE, IF COMPATIBILITY WAS LIMITED TO A CERTAIN DISTANCE FROM THOSE COMPATIBILITY TRIGGERING PROPERTIES.
SO VERSION ONE WOULD BE LIMITING THE EXTENT OF COMPATIBILITY TO 300 FEET FROM THAT PROPERTY AND THE RESULTING IMPACT ON THE NUMBER OF VMU ZONE VMU ZONE SITES THAT COULD REACH THEIR BASE HOME BASE HEIGHT, AND THEN THEIR BONUS HEIGHT.
SO IN THIS WAY, THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION HERE WHERE YOU CAN START TO COMPARE IF WE LIMITED, UM, YOU KNOW, COMPATIBILITY TO A HUNDRED FEET FOR THEIR BASE HEIGHT AND THEN 150 FEET OR 200 FEET FOR THE BONUS HEIGHT, YOU CAN KIND OF MIX AND MATCH AND SEE WHAT PERSON DID THE VMU ZONE SITES THEN WOULD BE ABLE TO REACH, UM, THEIR JUST BASE ENTITLED HEIGHT OR THE PROPOSED HEIGHT.
UM, AND SO THAT'S WHAT THIS MEMO, UH, HAS SOME ADDITIONAL DETAIL.
AND IF WE WANT TO SCROLL, YOU CAN JUST SEE, UM, SOME OF THE VISUALS THAT WE PROVIDED SO THAT YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT STAFF WAS, UM, ANALYZING SPECIFICALLY.
AND I'M AVAILABLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE ANY, I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION.
THIS IS JUST THE DATA THAT I WAS LOOKING FOR.
SO, UM, JUST HELP ME UNDERSTAND.
[02:50:01]
LET ME JUST TAKE ONE EXAMPLE, SAY IT TAKES A VERSION FOUR, FOR EXAMPLE.SO THAT MEANS, UH, WHAT HEIGHT AT A HUNDRED FEET.
SO, UH, EACH BMU ZONE SITE MIGHT HAVE A DIFFERENT BASE HEIGHT BECAUSE IT'S BASED ON THEIR BASE ZONING.
THE MAJORITY OF VMU ZONE SITES ARE EITHER CS OR D R, WHICH HAS A 60 FOOT BASE HEIGHT.
SO THAT IS THE MAJORITY, BUT THERE ARE GOING TO BE SOME THAT WOULD HAVE LOWER BASED HEIGHTS BECAUSE THEY'RE BASED.
AND SO THOSE ARE, UH, LOWER, BUT THEY'RE INCLUDED THERE.
SO FOR, SO I COULD READ THIS IN MOST CASES, IF I'M LOOKING UNDER ZONING AND LAND USE TRIGGERS AT THE TOP CHART AT VERSION FOUR AT A HUNDRED FEET, YOU'RE PROBABLY TALKING ABOUT A 60 FOOT HEIGHT FROM THE BASE, AND THEN OF COURSE, A 90 FOOT HEIGHT FOR THE BONUS.
BUT THEN IF I LOOK AT THE BOTTOM, THAT'S WHERE THE USE DOESN'T TRIGGER IT, JUST THE ZONING TRIGGERS IT, SAME DEAL AT, YOU KNOW, I I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THAT BECAUSE WOULDN'T, I, MAYBE I NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ZONING AND LAND USE.
CAUSE I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT THE TOP ONE WOULD TRIGGER MORE IF YOU'RE TRIGGERING BOTH ZONING AND LAND USE.
CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND THAT IT, IT IS THAT'S CORRECT.
I THINK YOUR UNDERSTANDING IS CORRECT.
SO THE NUMBER OF SITES THAT COULD ACHIEVE THERE, LET'S SAY JUST LOOKING AT THE BASE STONING HEIGHT, UM, IS INCREASED WHEN YOU GO TO ZONING ONLY TRIGGERS AND THAT LOWER CATEGORY, BECAUSE THERE ARE FEWER SITES THAT HAVE, UM, THE ABILITY TO TRIGGER COMPATIBILITY ONTO THOSE PROPERTIES.
SO, UH, FOR VERSION FOUR, SO THERE'S ZONING, YES, MORE SITES COULD ACHIEVE THEIR BASE HEIGHT AND THAT'S WHAT THAT ROLE.
SO IT COULD BE, EVEN THOUGH THE PERCENTAGE IS LIKE 86% AT ZONING TRIGGERS ONLY, IT MIGHT BE A HIGHER NUMBER OF PROPERTIES IN THE 81% AT ZONING AND LAND USE COULD THAT BE THE, MAYBE WE COULD JUST, AS A ITEM, MAYBE YOU COULD GIVE US THE NUMBERS BEHIND THE PERCENTAGES THAT MIGHT HELP BECAUSE YOU'RE 86% IS A HIGHER PERCENTAGE, BUT IT'S OF LESS PROPERTY, RIGHT? NO, IT IS THE SAME NUMBER OF PROPERTIES.
SO IT IS A HIGHER NUMBER OF PROPERTIES.
JUST LIKE YOU SAID, THAT WOULD THEN BE ABLE TO REACH THEIR BASE HEIGHT.
SO IF WE HAVE ZONING AND LAND USE TRIGGERS, WHICH IS THE TOP, THAT MEANS YOU WOULD HAVE MORE PROPERTIES.
NOW IT'S THE REVERSE, THE, THE NUMBER OF THE MUSEUM PROPERTIES ARE THE SAME AND IT'S JUST THE NUMBER OF SURROUNDING COMPATIBILITY TRIGGERING PROPERTIES.
THANKS FOR WORKING THROUGH THAT WITH ME.
UH, SO, AND THIS IS MY, I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE FOR THIS CONVERSATION.
UH, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A BREAK BETWEEN 12 AND ONE.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS WANT TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION OR PERSONNEL WITHOUT ME, OR WOULD YOU JUST TAKE A LUNCH BREAK AND THEN COME BACK HERE AT ONE O'CLOCK AT THE PREFERENCE.
WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A LUNCH BREAK.
WE'LL BE BACK HERE AT A ONE O'CLOCK, UH, HERE AT 1205 WE'RE IN RECESS, UH, CONVERSATION.
HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET THAT DONE BY 1 30, 1 30.
WE'LL GO IN AND DO AUSTIN ENERGY AFTER AUSTIN ENERGY.
WE'LL COME BACK TO THESE POLE ITEMS. I THINK HANDLING THESE POLITE IS A REALLY GOOD THING TO DO.
IT'S GOING TO SAVE US A LOT OF TIME, THURSDAY, AND HOPEFULLY DIRECT US.
[Item B1]
THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.THIS IS A, A REGULAR UPDATE THAT WE PROVIDE, UH, TO THE COUNCIL OF THE COMMUNITY, ON OUR EFFORTS REGARDING, UH, PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AND THE STRATEGIES AND TOOLS THAT WE HAVE, UH, TO ADDRESS THEM.
AND I WANT TO, UH, BOTH APPRECIATE AND THANK OUR INCREDIBLE STAFF ACROSS MANY DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, UH, BUT, UH, LED BY OUR CHIEF HOMELESS STRATEGY.
UM, UH, WE'LL BE PULLING UP THE SLIDES HERE.
UH, UH, CITY MANAGER, MAYOR, MAYOR PRO TEM AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UH, WE, UM, ARE HAPPY TO BE HERE TODAY TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON SEVERAL ELEMENTS OF OUR WORK TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS IN THE COMMUNITY.
UM, BUT BEFORE I START, I DO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I'M JOINED BY FOLKS, UH, FROM OUR PARTNER DEPARTMENTS.
UH, WE HAVE LOT OF
UM, AS WELL AS THE KESHA JOHNSON SMOTHERS TO SPEAK, UM, TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS RELATED TO THEIR SOLICITATIONS JOINED ALSO BY MICHAEL GATES, UM, WITH REAL ESTATE SERVICES.
AND I BELIEVE IF WE HAVE QUESTIONS REGARDING OUR, UH, THE WORK ON HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT MANAGEMENT, AUDREY MONTHS WITH PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT MAY BE AVAILABLE
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VIRTUALLY TO, TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.SO DO WE HAVE THE SLIDES UP HERE YOU GO AND MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ONE.
SO THE BRIEFING TODAY WE'LL COVER FOUR TOPICS.
THE FIRST IS AN UPDATE ON THE PROGRESS OF FUNDING, THE INVESTMENT PLAN FOR THE FINDING HOME ATX INITIATIVE, WHICH FORMERLY WAS REFERRED TO AS A SUMMIT TO ADDRESS UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS.
THE SECOND, WHICH IS RELATED TO FINDING HOME ATX, UH, IN THAT SECTION, WE'LL COVER THE PROGRESS OF OBLIGATING AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACTS, UH, THAT THE COUNCIL HAS APPROVED FOR USE TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS.
UM, ON THE, IN THE THIRD SECTION, WE'LL GIVE AN UPDATE ON EFFORTS TO PROVIDE ORGANIZATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE CITY STAFF.
THEY'RE ENGAGED IN ADDRESSING UNSHELTERED ENCAMPMENTS THAT ARE RELATED BOTH TO ENFORCEMENT OF THE CAMPING ORDINANCES AND OUR HEAL INITIATIVE.
AND THEN FINALLY I'LL PROVIDE AN UPDATE SPECIFIC TO HEAL, UH, AND THE, UH, ACTIVITIES AND OUTCOMES RELATED TO THAT, UH, INITIATIVE WITH SOME COMMENTS FROM REAL ESTATE REGARDING SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE HAD ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR EXPANDING SHELTER FOR THAT INITIATIVE.
SO AS A REMINDER, THE, UH, HIGH LEVEL GOALS OF FINDING HOME ATX INCLUDE HOUSING, AN ADDITIONAL 3000 PEOPLE, UH, OVER OUR BASELINE OF, UM, OF FOLKS, UH, HOUSED IN THE COMMUNITY BY THE END OF 2024.
AND TO SUPPORT THOSE REHOUSING EFFORTS, WE HAVE A GOAL OF CREATING 1300 MORE BRICK AND MORTAR UNITS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE EXITING HOMELESSNESS.
AND FINALLY WE'LL BE PROVIDING PREVENTION SERVICES AND OTHER SOCIAL SERVICES TO A PROP APPROXIMATELY ANOTHER 2000 ADDITIONAL HOUSEHOLDS.
THIS PLAN WILL SUPPORT A WIDE SPECTRUM OF PROVIDERS AND HOUSING DEVELOPERS, UH, AND THE, UH, OVERALL INVESTMENT PLAN FOR FINDING HOME ATX IS $515 MILLION FROM ALL SOURCES.
SO THAT INCLUDES CITY COUNTY, STATE, FEDERAL, AND PRIVATE FUNDS.
UH, THE, UH, OVER HALF OF THE FUNDING WOULD BE DEDICATED TO CAPITAL INVESTMENT OF DEEPLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR THIS POPULATION.
AND THEN THE BALANCE, UH, IN PROGRAMMATIC EXPENSE, AS WELL AS INVESTMENTS IN OUR SYSTEM, UH, OUR SYSTEM INFRASTRUCTURE, THE CAPACITY OF OUR NONPROFITS, UH, JUST KNOW THAT, UM, GIVEN THE RAMP UP OF FUNDING, WHICH WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT FURTHER IN THIS PRESENTATION, THE INVESTMENTS WILL PRIMARILY, UM, RESULT IN REHOUSING FOCUSED IN YEARS TWO AND THREE WE'RE BEGINNING NOW TO GET THE FUNDING ON THE GROUND.
AND SO 80% OF THE GOAL WILL OCCUR IN YEARS TWO AND THREE NEXT SLIDE.
SO WE WANT TO ANSWER WHERE THE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE WE ARE SECURING THE FUNDING FOR THE INVESTMENT PLAN AND ALSO OF THE SECURED AND ANTICIPATED FUNDS.
WHERE ARE THOSE FUNDS COMING FROM? WE CURRENTLY HAVE IDENTIFIED $422 MILLION OR 82% OF THE $515 MILLION INVESTMENT PLAN RESOURCES.
UM, AND THAT REPRESENTS AN $8 MILLION NET INCREASE SINCE THE LAST TIME WE BRIEFED COUNCIL ON THIS IN FEBRUARY OF 2022.
SO FIGURE ONE REPRESENTS THE FUNDING THAT IS COMMITTED, UH, ANTICIPATED, UH, AS WELL AS THE REMAINING FUNDING GAP SINCE OUR LAST REPORT, UH, WE'VE HAD, UM, AS I SAID, AN $8 MILLION NET INCREASE WITH THE LARGEST NEW SOURCES OF FUNDING COMING FROM AN EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AT THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS, AS WELL AS CONTRIBUTIONS FROM PRIVATE PHILANTHROPY, WITH THE MOST SIGNIFICANT OF THOSE COMING FROM AUSTIN FC AND THE JP LOVE AND HAPPINESS FOUNDATION, UH, FINDING HOME ATX CONTINUES TO BE IN CONVERSATION WITH A NUMBER OF LIKELY SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTORS.
AND WE'LL OF COURSE, CONTINUE TO REPORT ON THAT.
AS PROGRESS IS MADE, FIGURE TWO, THE PIE CHART REPRESENTS THE SOURCES OF FUNDING, UH, THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED WITHIN THAT COMMITTED AND ANTICIPATED CATEGORY NOTE THAT THE CITY IS THE LARGEST CONTRIBUTOR PROVIDING AT THIS STAGE.
50% OF FUNDING IT'S DOLLARS ARE LEVERAGED DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR FROM OTHER SOURCES.
UH, THE NEXT LARGEST CONTRIBUTOR IS, UH, OUR FUNDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE STATE OF TEXAS.
UH, MUCH OF THAT IS, UH, IN THE FORM OF LOW-INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDITS OR PASS THROUGH OF FEDERAL FUNDING, BUT IT IS A QUARTER OF THE FUNDS THAT WE'VE SECURED TODAY.
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UM, SUBSTANTIAL CONTRIBUTIONS FROM TRAVIS COUNTY, PRIVATE FUNDERS, AS WELL AS OUR LOCAL HOUSING AUTHORITIES.SO AS WE LOOK AT THE FUNDING THAT HAS BEEN SECURED, OR IS WE BELIEVE VERY LIKELY, UM, FROM ONGOING FUNDING SOURCES ACROSS THE CATEGORIES OF THE FINDING HOME TECH ATX INVESTMENT PLAN, WE SEE THAT OUR GREATEST PROGRESS HAS BEEN IN THE CATEGORIES OF CAPITAL INVESTMENT, WHERE WE ARE AT 92% OF OUR GOAL, UH, WITH A REMAINING GAP OF ABOUT, UH, JUST OVER $21 MILLION.
AND IN OUR CORE HOUSING PROGRAMS WHERE WE ARE AT 83% OF OUR GOAL WITH A FUNDING GAP OF 30.5 MILLION, UH, WHILE THE AMOUNTS TO BE SECURED ARE SMALLER IN THE OTHER CATEGORIES SHOWN IN THIS GRAPH, OUR PERCENTAGE OF THE TOTAL AMOUNT IS LOWER, UM, SYSTEM CAPACITY.
WE, UM, HAVE SECURED 43% OF THE FUNDS CRISIS SERVICES, 69% OF THE FUNDS AND OTHER SERVICES, WHICH INCLUDE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, EMPLOYMENT, AND ACCESS TO BENEFITS.
WE'VE SECURED 41% OF THE FUNDS THAT GAP FOR THOSE CATEGORIES RANGES BETWEEN SEVEN AND $10 MILLION PER CATEGORY.
FINALLY, I'LL NOTE THAT WE'VE INCLUDED A CONTINGENCY OF 10%, EXCUSE ME, $10 MILLION, WHICH WOULD NEED TO BE SECURED, AND WE'RE MONITORING THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDS ACROSS OUR CATEGORIES IN PARTICULAR, GIVEN THE STEEP TRAJECTORY, UM, OF INCREASES IN COSTS IN REAL ESTATE AND CONSTRUCTION, WE THINK THAT SOME INCREASE IN CAPITAL SPENDING MAY BE NEEDED, BUT WE'LL BE REPORTING ON THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD, UM, IN OUR QUARTERLY UPDATES TO COUNCIL.
SO RECALL THAT THE CITY'S ALLOCATION OF $106.7 MILLION OF ARPA-E FUNDS, HE'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF THAT OVERALL $515 MILLION FINDING HOME ATX INVESTMENT PLAN.
UH, THE TABLE HERE SHOWS THE SPENDING FRAMEWORK THAT COUNCIL APPROVED.
UM, AND AS HE SAID, WE'LL BE PROVIDING QUARTERLY UPDATES, NOT ONLY ON THE PROGRESS OF FINDING HOME ATX BROADLY, BUT ALSO ON THE COMMITMENT AND EXPENDITURE OF ARPA FUNDS THAT ARE DEDICATED TO HOMELESSNESS.
I WOULD ADD THAT IN ADDITION TO THE BRIEFING TODAY, WE EXPECT TO DELIVER A MEMO, A MORE DETAILED MEMO TO COUNCIL, UH, EITHER TODAY OR TOMORROW, AS OF THE END OF APRIL, WE HAD EXPENDED APPROXIMATELY $4.8 MILLION OF ARPA FUNDS, PRINCIPALLY IN CAPITAL RELATED TO HOTEL ACQUISITION.
UH, THE FUNDS, THE REMAINDER OF THE FUNDS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED THROUGH A NUMBER OF DEPARTMENTS.
AND TODAY WE'LL HAVE UPDATES REGARDING THE SOLICITATION PROCESS, UM, FROM BOTH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, WHERE THE BULK OF OUR ARPA FUNDS WILL, UM, WILL BE DEPLOYED.
AND THEN, UM, I WILL GIVE A QUICK UPDATE ON SOME FUNDING THAT WE ARE DEPLOYING THROUGH THE INNOVATION OFFICE.
SO I'LL NOW TURN IT OVER TO
NOW, THE FUN THING WITH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE AN UPDATES.
UM, AS WE'VE SHARED BEFORE, UM, UH, ON THE SLIDE, YOU WILL SEE KIND OF A PLAN FOR OUR HOMELESS PROPOSAL, HOMELESS SOLICITATION.
UM, PHASE ONE WAS OUR HOUSING STABILIZATION SOLICITATION, AND THAT SOLICITATION, UH, WE WERE SOLICITING FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING SERVICES, RAPID REHOUSING SERVICES, AND ALSO SUPPORTIVE SERVICES THAT WAS APPROXIMATELY $53 MILLION THAT WE WERE SOLICITING FOR, UM, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, NONPROFITS TO ACTUALLY APPLY FOR FUNDING.
UH, THAT SOLICITATION WAS RELEASED ON JANUARY 30.
IT CLOSED ON MARCH 9TH, AND WE ARE ANTICIPATING MAKING THOSE AWARD NOTIFICATIONS SOMETIME THIS MONTH.
OUR PHASE TWO APPLICATION WAS OUR CRISIS RESPONSE SOLICITATION THAT WAS RELATED TO, UM, EMERGENCY SHELTER STREET OUTREACH, THE DAY RESOURCE CENTER, MEDICAL RESPITE CARE SUPPORT SERVICES, YOUTH CRISIS RESPONSE.
AGAIN, THAT WAS ABOUT APPROXIMATELY $9.9 MILLION.
AND THESE SOLICITATION AMOUNTS ARE COMBINATION OF, UM, AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN FUNDING, FEDERAL EMERGENCY SOLUTION GRANTS AND HOMELESS AND HOUSING SERVICE PROGRAMS. SO STATE FUNDING, WE'RE ALL PART OF THE SOLICITATION THAT SOLICITATION WAS RELEASED ON MARCH 31ST.
UM, IT CLOSED ON MAY 12TH, AND WE ARE ANTICIPATING MAKING THOSE NOTIFICATIONS SOMETIME IN THE MONTH OF JULY, THE MOST RECENT SOLICITATION, WHICH IS FOR SUPPORTIVE SERVICES.
UM, FOR THAT SOLICITATION, WE WERE LOOKING TO, UH, SPECIFICALLY FOCUS ON EMPLOYMENT SERVICES,
[03:05:01]
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SUPPORTS, AND ALSO BENEFIT ACCESS.UM, THAT WAS ANOTHER $7.5 MILLION FOR THE COMMUNITY TO APPLY.
THAT WAS JUST RELEASED LAST WEEK.
WE ARE ANTICIPATING THAT THAT WILL CLOSE ON JULY 7TH WITH AWARD NOTIFICATIONS HAPPENING IN AUGUST OF 2022.
UH, I WANT TO THANK, UH, LAURA AND THE KESHA SHOPS FOR THE TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK DONE ON THESE PROPOSALS IN VERY, A VERY SHORT TIMEFRAME.
AND JUST TO GIVE YOU A SENSE, UH, THE ARPA DOLLARS IN, UH, THESE SOLICITATIONS, UH, TOTAL APPROXIMATELY 60 MILLION OF THE TOTAL, 106.7 MILLION, UM, DEDICATED TO HOMELESSNESS.
SO VERY SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE FUNDS THAT WE WANT TO MOVE TOWARD OUR EFFORTS IN THE COMMUNITY, UH, FOR THAT PURPOSE.
SO NEXT I WANT TO SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO A SUBSTANTIALLY SMALLER, UM, SOLICITATION, BUT ONE THAT WE THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF SUPPORTING OUR NONPROFIT COMMUNITY, BRINGING MORE SERVICE PROVIDERS TO THE TABLE, UH, AND BUILDING THEIR CAPACITY.
THE HOMELESS STRATEGY DIVISION HAS WORKED WITH THE INNOVATION OFFICE TO, UM, TO CREATE A SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM, UH, THAT, THAT SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM IS SPECIFICALLY TARGETED TO CAPACITY BUILDING.
SO ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING, PARTICULARLY FOR SMALL NONPROFITS AND OR SKILL BUILDING IN SERVICE DELIVERY, WHERE A NONPROFIT MIGHT BE MOVING INTO A NEW AREA OF SERVICE DELIVERY.
SO THE STRUCTURE OF THIS PROGRAM, UH, IS THAT ALL, UM, SELECTED ORGANIZATIONS, WHICH WE CAN BELIEVE MAY BE UP TO 20, UH, WILL RECEIVE A CAPACITY ASSESSMENT LOOKING AT BOTH THEIR ORGANIZATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND ANY, UM, UH, COMPETENCIES THAT THEY MAY NEED TO DEVELOP IN SERVICE PROVISION.
UH, THEY WILL ACTUALLY BE COMPENSATED FOR PARTICIPATING IN, UH, THAT CAPACITY ASSESSMENT, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE MANY NONPROFITS WHO ARE ACTUALLY OPERATING WITH A LOT OF VOLUNTEERS, UH, AND THEIR TIME IS VALUABLE.
UH, ONCE THAT CAPACITY ASSESSMENT IS COMPLETE, UH, WE WILL HAVE, UH, FUNDING AVAILABLE OF UP TO A 37,500 PER ORGANIZATION TO FUND SOME OF THE CAPACITY NEEDS THAT MAY HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED THROUGH THAT CAPACITY ASSESSMENT.
UH, THE APPLICATION IS DESIGNED TO BE, UM, A REALLY LOW BARRIER.
IT'S QUITE, IT'S PRETTY SIMPLE.
UM, AND SO THAT APPLICATION IS DUE JUNE 16TH, AFTER WHICH WE WOULD EXPECT TO LAUNCH ACTIVITIES, UH, UNDER THIS, UH, INITIATIVE SOMETIME IN JULY, AGAIN, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH, UH, THE INNOVATION OFFICE.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, COUNSEL ASKED US TO, TO BRIEF ON, UH, TODAY WAS HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT MANAGEMENT, REALLY ENCOMPASSING, UH, ENFORCEMENT GENERALLY.
AND THEN OF COURSE, THE PROCESS THAT WE HAVE BEEN ENGAGED IN, UH, WITH PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT IN THE FINANCIAL SERVICES DIVISION, UH, TO HELP SUPPORT STAFF ENGAGED IN ADDRESSING HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS WITH MORE INFRASTRUCTURE, A BETTER SYSTEM, UH, TO, TO MAKE IT MORE EFFICIENT.
AND I THINK BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT HOW WE'RE PRIORITIZING ENCAMPMENTS.
I THINK THE FIRST THING I WANT TO SAY IS THAT THERE'S BEEN AN IMMENSE AMOUNT OF WORK AROUND ADDRESSING, UH, UNSHELTERED ENCAMPMENTS W OVER A HUNDRED ENCAMPMENTS HAVE BEEN CLEARED THROUGH ENFORCEMENT, UH, SINCE THAT WORK BEGAN IN AUGUST OF LAST YEAR AT NOT INCLUDING THE HEEL ENCAMPMENTS, WHICH I'LL SPEAK TO AS WELL.
UH, BUT WE KNOW THAT WE, UM, THROUGH THAT PROCESS, WE'VE IDENTIFIED SOME NEEDS FOR STAFF TO SUPPORT THEM IN THAT WORK.
UH, WE'LL MENTION THAT AS OF THE END OF MAY, 252 CITATIONS, UH, HAVE BEEN ISSUED AROUND THE CAMPING ORDINANCES, SIT LIE IN THE PANHANDLING THAT ARE ALSO INCLUDED IN THOSE ORDINANCES, WHICH WERE APPROVED ON MAY 1ST OF LAST YEAR.
AND SO ONE OF THE QUESTIONS WE'VE HAD IS HOW DOES ENFORCEMENT COMPARE TO THE HEAL INITIATIVE? AND I THINK THE FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCE IS THAT WE HAVE LIMITED ABILITY TO CONNECT INDIVIDUALS DIRECTLY TO SHELTER AND SERVICE RESOURCES, UH, AND THAT BECAUSE WE'RE NOT ABLE TO MOVE PEOPLE INTO BRIDGE SHELTER OR OFFER THAT SHELTER, IT OFTEN MEANS THAT THERE'S SIGNIFICANT DISPLACEMENT OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS FROM ONE LOCATION TO OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE COMMUNITY.
[03:10:01]
PREVIOUSLY IN THE FALL, WE INITIATED A PROCESS, UH, TO REALLY LOOK AT HOW WE COULD IMPROVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND SUPPORT FOR STAFF DOING THIS WORK.UH, AUDREY MONTHS WITH, UH, WITH PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AND FINANCIAL SERVICES HAS BEEN GUIDING THAT WORK, DOING AN INCREDIBLE JOB, UM, LEADING THE WORK OF, UM, OVER, I THINK, 15 DEPARTMENTS, WHICH WE'LL LOOK AT IN A MOMENT, UH, AND THESE ARE THE PRIORITIES THAT THAT GROUP IDENTIFIED AS NEEDS WITHIN THIS SYSTEM.
AND PRINCIPLE AMONG THEM WAS FIRST CREATING A CENTRAL RESPONSE STRUCTURE, UH, SO THAT WE HAD AN ORGANIZED AND SUPPORTED WAY TO DETERMINE HOW WE WOULD DEPLOY OUR RESOURCES.
AND THEN SECONDLY, CREATING, UM, A, A CLEAR SYSTEM FOR TRACKING ENCAMPMENTS, PRIORITIZING IDENTIFYING RESOURCES AND ORGANIZING RESPONSE.
SO THOSE ARE THE TWO PRIMARY AREAS THAT I'M GOING TO SPEAK TO TODAY.
UH, AND THEN, BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY SPEAK TO SOME OF THE OTHER WORK THAT IS UNDERWAY AS WELL.
SO THIS SLIDE SHOWS YOU THAT THE, ALL OF THE DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS, SO REALLY GIVES A SENSE OF HOW THIS ISSUE, NOT JUST OF HOMELESSNESS GENERALLY, BUT OF, UM, THE IMPACT OF, AND SERVICE TO UNSHELTERED ENCAMPMENTS TOUCHES MANY DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE CITY.
SO ONE OF THE TWO PRIMARY GOALS, UM, OR FIRST FIRST GOALS I SHOULD SAY OF THIS PROCESS WAS TO ESTABLISH A CENTRAL RESPONSE STRUCTURE THAT WAS CROSSED DEPARTMENTAL.
AND THE IDEA FOR THIS WAS W THE OVERALL GROUP WOULD BE ESTABLISHING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES.
WE WOULD HAVE CLEAR PROCESS FOR HOW TO DO THE WORK AND, UM, IDENTIFY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES THAT COULD BE SHARED ACROSS THE CITY.
SO, UH, CENTRAL TO THIS STRUCTURE IS A LEADERSHIP TEAM, UH, AND THAT LEADERSHIP TEAM, UH, IS COMPRISED BY THE DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE NOTED HERE, AUSTIN FIRE, AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY CODE, THE HOMELESS STRATEGY DIVISION PARKS AND RECREATION, PUBLIC WORKS AND WATERSHED PROTECTION.
AND THE IDEA OF THE LEADERSHIP TEAM IS THAT PRIMARILY IT WILL BE MAKING DECISIONS AND APPROVING OPERATIONAL PLANS THAT COME UP FROM THE OTHER SECTIONS THAT ARE NOTED HERE.
I WILL ALSO SAY THAT THE STRUCTURE THAT BEEN CREATED DRAWS SIGNIFICANT SIGNIFICANTLY FROM INCIDENT COMMAND STRUCTURE.
AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO WORK WITH STAFF TO REALLY THINK ABOUT HOW WE COULD ORGANIZE THIS WORK, UM, FOR CLARITY, UM, AND CLEAR DECISION-MAKING.
SO THE PLANNING SECTION, UH, WILL PREDOMINANTLY CONSIST OF STAFFED BY, UM, A PROGRAM MANAGER, ONE IN OUR DIVISION, UH, AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT, AUSTIN POLICE, ARR, AND HOSTS, AND THE CURRENTLY IMPACTED LAND DEPARTMENTS FOR A PARTICULAR ENCAMPMENT.
UM, SO WHEN, UM, WE WILL BE LOOKING AT, THIS IS THE SECTION, EXCUSE ME, THAT WILL BE ASSESSING ENCAMPMENTS.
WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT WHEN WE MOVED TO THE PRIORITIZATION TOOL, GATHERING THAT INFORMATION AND MAKING A DETERMINATION ABOUT WHERE, WHICH CAMPS WE NEED TO, UH, INTERVENE IN, UH, IN, IN WHICH ORDER ESSENTIALLY, THE OPERATIONS AND LOGISTICS SECTION IS ACTIVATED WHEN A PARTICULAR ENCAMPMENT IS SCHEDULED FOR AN INTERVENTION, WHETHER THAT IS ENFORCEMENT AND CLEARANCE OR HEAL, THE CHIEF WILL BE THE SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT FROM THE LAND OWNING DEPARTMENT.
AND THIS, UH, SECTION WILL DEVELOP THE OPERATIONAL PLAN, UH, FOR THE PARTICULAR ENCAMPMENT WITH A CLEAR, UM, UH, ESSENTIALLY INCIDENT COMMANDER, IF YOU WILL, UH, LEADER FOR THAT PARTICULAR EVENT, UM, PRODUCING AN OPERATIONAL PLAN THAT THEN IS APPROVED BY THE LEADERSHIP TEAM, THE POLICY SECTION, UH, EH, WITH THE, UH, WE'LL HAVE DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE PARTICIPATING DEPENDING ON THE POLICY THAT NEEDS TO BE DEVELOPED.
FOR EXAMPLE, WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON A GENERAL ENCAMPMENT CLOSURE PROTOCOL.
SO WE HAVE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, PARD WATERSHED PROTECTION AT APD AND DOWNTOWN AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT, LOOKING AT THE OVERALL, UM, OVERALL POLICIES FOR, FOR CLOSURE, BUT IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT THIS GROUP WOULD LOOK AT MORE SPECIFIC POLICIES AS WELL.
UH, LIKE HOW WE HANDLE BELONGINGS AND, UH, THE TREATMENT OF BIOHAZARDS, UH, THAT WE
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ENCOUNTER DURING THIS WORK.I'LL MOVE NEXT TO A DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIORITIZATION TOOL THAT WE HAVE DEVELOPED, UM, FOR THE CROSS DEPARTMENTAL USE.
AND I'LL JUST SAY THAT, UM, I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS WORK.
UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT A TOOL, WHICH I THINK IS REALLY GOING TO, UM, SUPPORT US IN SHARING INFORMATION AND UNDERSTANDING, UM, THE CONDITIONS IN DIFFERENT ENCAMPMENTS AND HOW, UH, WHAT KIND OF INTERVENTIONS ARE NEEDED.
AND SO THIS IS A WEB-BASED TOOL.
IT'S AN APP THAT HA UH, IS BEING DEVELOPED.
THE IDEA BEING THAT WE'RE ABLE TO, UM, COLLECT INFORMATION ABOUT A PARTICULAR ENCAMPMENT, UH, SO THAT WE UNDERSTAND BOTH SIDES AND THE CONDITIONS IN THAT ENCAMPMENT.
AND WHAT WE'VE DONE IS TO MODEL THIS ASSESSMENT AFTER THE, THE TOOL THAT WE DEVELOPED FOR HEAL.
UM, THE SAME QUESTIONS ARE ASKED FOR BOTH ASSESSMENTS, BUT HEAL IS SCORED DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT THE CELL, THE, UH, HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THE OCCUPANTS OF THE ENCAMPMENT IN THOSE CASES.
AND SO THE TOOL WILL AUTO SCORE FOR BOTH SCENARIOS AND ALLOW US TO BOTH PRIORITIZE ENCAMPMENTS FOR HEEL ANTI DENTAL BY THOSE HIGHER PRIORITY ENCAMPMENTS, UH, THAT ARE, UM, IMPACTING PUBLIC SAFETY OR HEALTH MORE GENERALLY.
UM, THE FIELD TESTING IS UNDERWAY.
WE EXP THROUGH THE MONTH OF JUNE.
UM, AND WE EXPECT TO BE READY TO BEGIN USING THAT MORE BROADLY, UH, IN JULY.
SO MOVE THEN TO THE HEAL INITIATIVE, UM, WHICH NOW HAS, UM, EFFECTED THE CLOSURE OF NINE SITES.
UH, THE FIRST FOUR OF COURSE, WERE THE SITES THAT WERE IDENTIFIED BY COUNCIL IN THE ORIGINAL RESOLUTION.
AND SINCE THEN WE HAVE, UM, DONE ANOTHER FIVE SITES MOST RECENTLY GILIS PARK, UH, SINCE, UH, THE INCEPTION OF THE INITIATIVE, WE HAVE TRANSFERRED 267 INDIVIDUALS FROM ENCAMPMENTS INTO BRIDGE SHELTER, UH, THIS FISCAL YEAR, UM, THAT NUMBER IS 119, AND THAT IS AGAINST A FISCAL YEAR GOAL OF 200 INDIVIDUALS.
SO WE ARE ON TRACK TO MEET THAT GOAL.
UM, WE ALWAYS REPORT ON SHELTER ACCEPTANCE RATE, UM, BECAUSE WE THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO CONTINUE TO TRACK AND TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WHO ARE OFFERED TRANSFER TO SHELTER DO ACCEPT IT, UH, TO DATE THIS, THE ACCEPTANCE RATE IS 93%.
THE CURRENT BRIDGE SHELTER OCCUPANCY AS OF THE 17TH OF MAY WAS 123 INDIVIDUALS.
SO THIS WAS JUST AFTER THE RELOCATION OF, OF GILLIS PARK.
AND THEN, UH, SINCE, UH, THE BEGINNING OF THE INITIATIVE, WE HAVE PERMANENTLY REHOUSED 79 INDIVIDUALS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT COUNCIL EXPLICITLY ASKED US TO TRACK FOR THIS INITIATIVE WAS DEMOGRAPHICS TO ENSURE THAT OUR APPROACH ISN'T HAVING UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES IN TERMS OF EQUITY, WITH A PARTICULAR FOCUS ON, UH, THE PERCENTAGE OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS BEING SERVED BECAUSE THAT COMMUNITY IS SO DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BY HOMELESSNESS.
SO IN THE OVERALL POPULATION OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, 37% ARE AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND IN HEAL 45% OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS SERVED HAVE BEEN AFRICAN-AMERICAN.
WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT THIS A LITTLE MORE CLOSELY.
WE DO KNOW THAT AFRICAN-AMERICANS, UM, ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE UNSHELTERED WHEN THEY ARE HOMELESS, NOT ONLY TO EXPERIENCE HOMELESSNESS, BUT MORE LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS, THE PERCENT OF HISPANIC OR LATINO INDIVIDUALS IS 15% COMPARED TO 26% OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.
SO, SIMILARLY, WE'RE GOING TO INVESTIGATE THAT, TO UNDERSTAND, IS THAT RELATED TO A DIFFERENCE IN THE POPULATION OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS, OR DO WE NEED TO BE VERY CONCERNED THAT SOMEHOW WE ARE NOT REACHING ENCAMPMENTS THAT HAVE SIGNIFICANT POPULATIONS OF INDIVIDUALS, UM, UH, IDENTIFYING AS HISPANIC OR LATINO, UH, OUR, UH, PERCENTAGE OF, UH, RATIOS, EXCUSE ME, MALE TO FEMALE, UH, IS 67.3% MALE COMPARED TO 60, ROUGHLY 62% IN THE POPULATION, UH, 32.6% FEMALE IN HEAL COMPARED TO 37.7% IN THE OVERALL POPULATION.
SO IN THE NEXT SLIDE, I'M GOING TO PASS IT TO MICHAEL GATES WITH REAL ESTATE SERVICES.
AND THIS IS RELATED TO SOME QUESTIONS
[03:20:01]
THAT COUNCIL HAS ASKED RELATED TO, UM, THE PROGRESS AND CONSIDERING OPTIONS FOR POTENTIALLY EXPANDING BRIDGE SHELTER, UH, THROUGH ADDITIONAL ACQUISITION OF PROPERTY.GOOD AFTERNOON, MARIN COUNCIL, MICHAEL GATES, CENTRUM REAL ESTATE OFFICER FINANCIAL SERVICES.
UM, SO THIS SLIDE HERE IS REALLY JUST KIND OF EXPLAIN HOW THE MARK, THE GOOD FOR THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY IS BASICALLY ROSY AT THIS POINT.
UM, IT WAS THE CASE THAT, UH, SOME OF THESE OPERATORS AND OWNERS WERE HANGING ON BY THEIR FINGERNAILS.
UM, NOW THEY, THAT FOLKS WERE CALLING US A YEAR AGO, AREN'T RETURNING OUR PHONE CALLS.
SO, UM, IT'S A KIND OF A PERFECT CONFLUENCE OF A LACK OF PROSPECTS AND, UH, TO BE QUITE FRANK, A STICKER SHOCK.
UM, SO YEAH, I DON'T WANNA GET INTO ANY SPECIFIC NUMBERS, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE NOT LOOKING TO CONDEMN PROPERTIES.
WE ARE ACTING AS A MARKET ACTOR.
AND SO WE ARE ESSENTIALLY MAKING UNSOLICITED OFFERS TO ENTICE PROPERTY OWNERS, HOTEL OWNERS, TO SELL TO US.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE LEVERAGE IS WITH THEM WITH RESPECT TO DEMANDING A PREMIUM FOR THAT.
AND THE, UH, THE ASKING PRICES OF IT'S BEEN A SIGNIFICANT JUMP RAPID AND WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR.
AND SO, UM, JUST, UH, IT'S GOING TO, THAT'S WHAT KIND OF, I GUESS, UH, MANAGE YOUR EXPECTATIONS AND IT'D BE HELPFUL TO KIND OF GAUGE COUNCIL'S APPETITE.
UH, YOU, I'M SURE YOU ALL RECALL THE NEED FOR US TO ESTABLISH PUBLIC FINDINGS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE LAST COUPLE OF HOTELS.
UM, THESE ARE INCOME PRODUCING PROPERTIES.
AND SO, UH, THE APPRAISAL PROCESS FOR THESE, THERE'S ESSENTIALLY KIND OF GOING THROUGH THE BOOKS AND SEEING KIND OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT THESE PROPERTIES ARE GENERATING FROM AN INCOME STANDPOINT.
UM, YOU TYPICALLY GO BACK TWO YEARS, SO THAT IS GOING TO BE RIGHT OVER OVERLAPPING THE, THE, THE, BASICALLY THE HEART OF COVID.
AND SO, UM, AGAIN, THE KIND OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KIND OF THE AGREED UPON PURCHASE PRICE VERSUS WHAT THESE THINGS WILL PRAISE THAT, UH, THE SITUATION'S LIKE TO BE EXACERBATED BY THE NEED TO GO BACK TWO YEARS AND USE THE INCOME APPROACH FOR THESE APPRAISALS.
SO, UM, BUT ANYWAY, JUST TO GO THROUGH THESE BULLET POINTS HERE, UM, THE RETURN OF INDIVIDUAL BUSINESS TRAVELERS IS A BIG PART OF THE INCREASED THE HOTELS WE'RE LOOKING FOR ARE THE EXTENDED STAY TYPES THAT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE, THE DUAL SYNC THINGS THAT THOSE ARE MOST FREQUENTED BY THE BUSINESS TRAVELERS.
SO THAT'S, AGAIN, THOSE PARTICULAR OWNERS, UM, ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE PROSPECTS, UM, DEMAND JUST IN GENERAL, THE, UH, AVERAGE DAILY RATE, ESSENTIALLY WHAT, UH, THE, THE RENTAL RATE PER ROOM IS, HAS INCREASED, UH, AT LEAST FORECASTED TO INCREASE BY 17% THIS YEAR, OVER LAST YEAR.
AND THEN THE, UH, THAT BASICALLY THE AVERAGE DAILY RATE, UH, IS DRIVING THE REVENUE PER AVAILABLE ROOMS, UM, ABOVE 2019 LEVELS.
SO, UM, AGAIN, THESE, UH, WHAT THEY'RE ASKING FOR, I DON'T WANT AGAIN, GET INTO NUMBERS, BUT IT'S GOING TO BE PRICEY AND THAT MIGHT, UH, CALL SOME, UM, FROM A FINANCING PERSPECTIVE, SOME ISSUES OR SOME CONCERN ON OUR END, BUT, UM, THAT'S IT FOR THE SLIDE.
AND DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S IN THE SLIDESHOW DISCUSSION.
WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS COUNCIL MEMBERS MIGHT HAVE AT THIS TIME.
UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, SO I WILL HAVE SOME, UH, SPECIFIC QUESTIONS MAYBE FOR MICHAEL OR MAYBE FOR OTHERS.
UM, SO I HEAR THE CHALLENGES, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF, UH, THE APPROACH THAT WE HAVE BEEN TAKING, UH, FOR, UH, ACQUIRING HOTELS FOR, FOR BRIDGE SHELTER.
UH, MY UNDERSTANDING IS IN MAYBE THIS IS FOR YOU, MS. GRAY, BUT I, MY UNDERSTANDING IS WE HAVE TWO BRIDGE SHELTERS OPERATING RIGHT NOW IN NORTH BRIDGE AND THE SOUTH BRIDGE.
AND THOSE ARE THE LOCATIONS THAT, UM, FOR SHELTERING, UM, FOLKS, UM, THAT ARE IN THE HEAL PROGRAM AS THEY PROGRESSED THROUGH TO PERMANENT HOUSING.
SO, UM, I'M WONDERING, UH, UM, I'M WONDERING WHAT THE SOLUTION IS, UH, BECAUSE, OR IS THERE A DIFFERENT APPROACH, DIFFERENT KINDS OF PROPERTIES THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT, OR, UM, UH, WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST, UM, AND I'M OPERATING UNDER THE, UM, UH, PREMISE THAT WE NEED TO ACQUIRE ANOTHER SHELTER, UM, FOR TWO REASONS, FIRST OFF, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT AT LEAST ONE OF THESE, I CAN'T REMEMBER WHICH ONE IS, UH, I THINK THE NORTH BRIDGE IS SLATED TO BECOME PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, WHICH WE NEED, WHICH IS GONNA PUT US BEHIND ON THE HEAL INITIATIVE.
IF WE, ONCE WE TURN THAT AND LOSE THAT FOR SHELTER.
THE OTHER THING IS THE, UM, THE HEAL INITIATIVE, ALTHOUGH CERTAINLY JUST A PIECE OF WHAT WE DO HAS BEEN A SUCCESSFUL PIECE TO DATE.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S WORKING, UM, FOR HEAL IS, IS ACTUALLY TARGETING, UH, PARTICULAR LOCATIONS AROUND THE CITY THAT ARE, UM, HIGH-RISK LOCATIONS.
AND SO IT'S A VERY TARGETED APPROACH TO ADDRESS THOSE SITUATIONS.
SO, UM, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, I'D LIKE
[03:25:01]
TO SEE US BE ABLE TO ACCELERATE HEAL, UM, BUT I SEE THE, UM, AVAILABILITY OF, UH, BRIDGE SHELTER AS A, UM, AS A LINCHPIN TO OUR ABILITY TO EXPAND.SO I GUESS, UM, I SEE YOU NODDING YOUR HEAD.
SO I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY RIGHT.
SO MY QUESTION THEN IS WHAT'S THE NEXT STEP, THEN? WHAT'S THE THINKING MR. GATES ON WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING? ARE THERE DIFFERENT KINDS OF PROPERTIES TO LOOK AT, OR DO YOU NEED DIRECTION FROM COUNCIL IN TERMS OF WHAT WE CAN PAY OR WHAT'S THE THING? WHAT, WHAT'S THE THINKING? OKAY, THANKS FOR THAT QUESTION, COUNCIL MEMBER.
UM, SO WE WERE LOOKING NOT ONLY AT HOTELS, MOTELS, BUT ALSO A NURSING HOMES AS WELL.
UM, AND, UH, AGAIN, JUST KIND OF ANY, ANY PROSPECTS WE BRING TO HSO FOR CONSIDERATION.
UM, ONE OF THE IDEAS DIANE AND I RECENTLY DISCUSSED IS THE PROSPECT OF BUILDING TO SPEC.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS IS ESSENTIALLY KIND OF, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE LOOK FOR HOTELS THAT ARE FOR SALE, WE ARE AT THE MERCY OF WHEREVER THEY LIE.
AND SO THEY MIGHT NOT BE IDEALLY SITUATED WITH RESPECT TO TRANSPORTATION AND OTHER SUPPORT SERVICES.
HOWEVER, IT'S KIND OF COUNTERBALANCED BY THE DELIVERY OF THAT PARTICULAR, YOU KNOW, A HOTEL THEY CAN GET UP AND STAND UP, BUT BASICALLY RENOVATED MUCH QUICKER THAN BUILDING THE SPEC.
SO THERE'S THAT, UH, I THINK WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, UH, UH, WATER AND THOUGHT NUMBERS.
UM, BUT ANYWAY, SO THAT MIGHT BE AN OPTION PARTICULARLY LIKE IN YOUR DISTRICT.
THERE'S ONLY ONE HOTEL IN ONE MOTEL AND ALL OF DISTRICT FIVE, WHICH IS A LITTLE SHOCKING, BUT ANYWAY, SO TO PUT ONE IN YOUR DISTRICT, WE WOULD ALMOST CERTAINLY HAVE TO BUILD TO SUIT.
AND DAN, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ABOUT OTHER SURE.
I THINK THAT, I MEAN, I AGREE, UM, WE NEED TO LOOK AT ALL THE OPTIONS, BUT IN TERMS OF HEAL, OF COURSE, UM, AND ADDRESSING THE ISSUE IN OUR COMMUNITY MORE RAPIDLY TIMELINESS, UM, IS, IS A PRIORITY.
AND SO I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CERTAINLY HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT POSSIBILITIES.
UM, I THINK THAT, UM, REAL ESTATE BRINGING THOSE, UH, THOSE POTENTIAL CONTRACTS TO COUNCIL AND EXECUTIVE SESSION AND GETTING A SENSE OF, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE APPETITE IS, WHAT THE, THE CONSIDERATIONS ARE IN TERMS OF BALANCING, UH, OUR ABILITY TO MOVE QUICKLY WITH THE SHIFTS IN THE MARKETPLACE.
UH, BUT CERTAINLY I THINK REAL ESTATE BEGINNING TO WIDEN THE, UH, THE, THE HORIZON, IF YOU WILL, ABOUT OTHER TYPES OF PROPERTIES THAT MIGHT ALSO BE ABLE TO BE DEPLOYED QUICKLY.
IT IT'S JUST NOT A PARENT, RIGHT.
THAT THERE ARE OTHER PROPERTIES THAT ARE AS WELL-SUITED AS HOTELS MIGHT BE.
SO WHAT'S THE TIMELINE, WHEN CAN WE EXPECT, UM, WHEN CAN WE EXPECT TO START LOOKING AT SPECIFIC OPTIONS? WELL, WE'VE GOT A TWO SITE VISITS SCHEDULED FOR THIS WEEK, I BELIEVE.
SO TWO HOTEL PROSPECTS, UM, THAT, UH, WILL BE MAKING SITE VISITS.
UM, IF ANY OF THOSE GET LEGS, UM, MAYBE SIX, SEVEN MONTHS, IF EVERYTHING GOES SWIMMINGLY, UM, I'D LIKE TO HEDGE MY BETS THOUGH AND SAY POSSIBLY EIGHT TO NINE MONTHS, MORE LIKELY TIMEFRAME.
BUT, UM, IF WE'RE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, PURSUING EXISTING HOTELS, THAT'S PROBABLY THE EARLIEST, WE'LL BE ABLE TO BRING SOME, TO SAY CLOSE ON SOMETHING, ASSUMING COUNCIL APPROVAL.
SO WHEN WOULD YOU BRING IT TO COUNCIL? BECAUSE I KNOW THERE'S A BUNCH OF SEVERAL STEPS BEFORE YOU POSTPONE, I'D LIKE TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT THOSE ARE, AND YEAH, I'D LIKE TO GET TO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
UM, I'D SAY MAYBE ABOUT TWO MONTHS OUT, UH, YOU KNOW, AND THEN, UM, THAT'S ASSUMING THAT WE ARE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE A PURCHASE PRICE OF THE PROPERTY OWNER AND THEN REALLY THE GAUGE, UH, I SHOULD HAVE TO HAVE AT THAT POINT, UH, AN IDEA OF, UH, KIND OF OUR INTERNAL COST ESTIMATE AND THEN, UH, TO HAVE YOU GUYS CONSIDER THE DELTA BETWEEN THE POTENTIAL, UH, ASKING PRICE VERSUS KIND OF WHAT WE HAVE AT THE NUMBERS THAT INTERNALLY, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE TO HAVE IT FORMALLY APPRAISED.
AND, UM, BUT IF YOU GUYS ARE, THAT'S KIND OF, UH, SOMETHING THAT YOU GUYS ARE, UH, HAVE AN APPETITE FOR.
I MEAN, REALLY ULTIMATELY FOR A LOT OF THESE OWNERS WE'RE TALKING TO NOW, IT'S JUST MONEY.
SO I'M S I'M S UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT.
I'M TRYING TO NAIL THAT DOWN IN MY MIND ON WHEN WE MIGHT HAVE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION, SO YOU CAN TELL US THE PLACES THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT.
UM, SO I KNOW OUR FIRST COUNCIL MEETING AFTER THE BREAK IS JULY 28TH.
UM, AGAIN, ASSUMING THESE TWO, COULD WE START TO WALK THEM AND MAKE SURE THEY'RE SURE THEY'RE GOING TO WORK, BUT IF, IF EITHER OF THEM DO, WE CAN COME BACK THAT WEEK, THAT TUESDAY AND TALK ABOUT KIND OF WHAT THE OWNER'S LOOKING FOR.
CITY MANAGER, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN ASKING FOR AN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
SO, UM, SO THAT WE COULD GET SPECIFIC ON THE PROPERTIES.
SO THAT FIRST WORK SESSION OR COUNCIL MEETING THAT WOULD COME BACK IN JULY, I'D LIKE TO SCHEDULE FOR THAT.
I MEAN, AS THE STAFF HAS SAID, THEY ARE ACTIVELY PURSUING AS MANY DIFFERENT POSSIBILITIES AS THEY SEE AND ARE PRESENTED TO THEM AND THEY'RE AGGRESSIVELY GOING AFTER THEM AS WELL.
[03:30:01]
IN BRINGING THOSE OPTIONS TO YOU.AND SO IDEALLY WE WOULD HAVE THAT AVAILABLE FOR THAT COUNCIL MEETING, AND I'M NOT GOING TO WAIT.
UH, AND WE COULD EVEN CALL A SPECIAL MEETING IF WE HAVE, UH, INFORMATION SOONER THAN THAT.
SO, SO THAT'S ON PROPERTIES YOU'RE PURSUING.
WHAT ABOUT THE BUILD SUSPECT OPS OPTION? SO WE'VE GOT THOROUGHLY EXPLORED.
THAT WAS A CONVERSATION THAT WE'VE HAD RECENTLY ABOUT THAT.
I THINK DIANA FEELS THAT STILL THE PRICE TO BUILD NEW VERSUS THE KIND OF EXISTING PRICE IT'S STILL THE PASTA PRICE, THE BUILDING, IT WOULD STILL EXCEED, UM, WHAT THEY'RE ASKING FOR, FOR AN EXISTING BUILDING.
SO, UM, WE'VE NOT KIND OF, UH, FURTHER FLESHED IT OUT AS FAR AS THAT, THE PROSPECT OF DOING THAT, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING, YEAH, I GET THAT.
IT'S JUST THAT AS WE CONTINUE, AS WE TAKE, YOU KNOW, TAKE MORE TIME TO CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR PLACES WE COULD HAVE CAUGHT UP BY BUILDING SOMETHING.
UM, SO I WOULD HOPE THAT, UM, THAT WE WOULD SIMULTANEOUSLY LOOK AT THOSE TWO OPTIONS SO WE COULD DETERMINE, I KNOW THAT WE HAVE D HAVE WE CHECKED, HAVE WE LOOKED AT THE CITY LAND THAT WE HAVE, WE HAVE HE LAND, IT'S NOT THIS JUST SITTING THERE.
HAVE WE LOOKED AT ANY OF THOSE TO SEE IF ANY OF THOSE MIGHT BE PROSPECTS? SO MOST OF THOSE TRUCKS OF LAND THAT WERE RIGHT FOR DEVELOPMENT OR WITH EDD, UM, FOR REPOSITIONING A LOT OF, UH, UM, FORMAL HOUSING EFFORTS.
UM, SO WE CAN HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH RESPECT TO POSSIBLY TAKING THOSE OUT OF THE QUEUE FOR THAT AND REPOSITIONING THE FOR, FOR SHELTER.
SO PERHAPS CITY MANAGER IN JULY, WE COULD HAVE THAT, OR YOU MIGHT TAKE A LITTLE LONGER, BUT ANY, I WOULD, I KNOW WE'VE EXAMINED THOSE, UM, PROPERTIES THAT ARE OUR PROPERTY FOR OTHER THINGS, BUT I WOULD REALLY LIKE A SPECIFIC REPORT ON, UM, YOU KNOW, ON CITY LAND THAT COULD POTENTIALLY USE TO BUILD THE SPEC.
I UNDERSTAND, AND ABSOLUTELY AGREE THAT THAT'S NOT THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION, BUT I ALSO DON'T, DON'T WANT TO JUST, YOU KNOW, TAKE A VERY LONG TIME.
UM, AND THEN AT THE END OF THE DAY, NOT BE ABLE TO FIND ANYTHING ELSE.
SO IT WOULD SEEM TO ME THAT WE COULD DO SOME ANALYSIS, INITIAL ANALYSIS, AT LEAST TO UNDERSTAND WHETHER WE HAVE SOME POTENTIAL LAND AT THE SAME TIME THAT YOU'RE CONTINUING TO PURSUE THE OTHER OPTIONS.
IS THAT IT, DO YOU HAVE THE BANDWIDTH TO DO THAT OR, OR IS THAT EDD WHO HAS TO DO, IT'S GOING TO BE A MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTAL CONVERSATION, BUT NEED TO GET AN EDD FIRST AND KIND OF SEE WHERE THEY'RE AT WITH THE FIRST PROPERTIES, AND ALSO OBVIOUSLY TALK TO DIANE AND KIND OF GET HER INPUT ON WHAT LOOKS LIKE A PROMISING PROSPECT NEED TO GET PUBLIC WORKS AND FINANCIAL SERVICES ALL INVOLVED.
IT'S GOING TO BE A COMPREHENSIVE DISCUSSION, THE EFFORT.
SO CITY MANAGER I'D LIKE THAT TO BE DONE, UM, AN ASSEMBLED TENUOUS BASIS.
WHOEVER HAS TO DO THAT, SO THAT, UM, I REALLY, I, I KNOW OUR STAFF IS DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN, BUT IT'S, IT'S REALLY FEELING LIKE IT'S RUNNING LATE TO ME.
AND, UM, IT, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S ONE OF OUR, YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE OF OUR SUCCESSFUL INITIATIVES THAT WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, 6, 7, 8, 9 MONTHS OR MORE LEAD TIME.
SO WE'RE ALREADY LOOKING AT NEXT YEAR, MOST LIKELY BEFORE WE COULD EVEN ADD ANOTHER SHELTER AND THAT JUST DOESN'T WORK, YOU KNOW, FOR THIS INITIATIVE, IT HOLDS UP US, UM, HAVING MORE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING FROM OUR EXISTING HEALTH SHELTER AND IT HOLDS UP ACCELERATING HEAL.
SO IT WAS THE LAST THING I'LL SAY ON THIS AT LEAST THREAD IS, THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A COMMUNITY CHALLENGE.
AND SO I ALSO ENCOURAGE US TO LOOK BEYOND JUST THE WALLS OF CITY HALL AND WITHIN OUR OWN DEPARTMENTS AND REALLY WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS, UH, TO EXPAND OUR SHELTER CAPACITY.
AND NOW THAT'S PART OF THE, UH, OVERALL, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO CREATE AND SHORE UP, UH, ADDRESSING PEOPLE EXPERIENCING OR WITH PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, BUT WE DO NEED TO, UH, MAKE SURE THAT, UM, MORE PARTNERS ARE AT THE TABLE.
AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO SUPPORT THOSE EFFORTS AS WELL FROM EACH OF YOUR STANDPOINTS.
THAT'S, THAT'S FINE UNDERSTAND THAT WE JUST, WE NEED OPTIONS.
SO THANK YOU POINT ON THIS SAME PART OF THE PRESENTATION, THE SHELTER, AND FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH.
I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN COVERED A LOT OF MY QUESTIONS.
UM, I THINK THE ONLY THING I WOULD ADD IS, UM, CERTAINLY NOT TO BE PESSIMISTIC, BUT I WASN'T CONVINCED FROM THE START THAT THE HOTEL CONVERSION STRATEGY WAS GOING TO BE WHAT SUSTAINED US MOVING FORWARD.
I REALLY THOUGHT IT WAS A LONG SHOT, FRANKLY.
AND THE MORE DIFFICULTY WE GOT GETTING INTO VARIOUS PARTS OF TOWN, UM, I, I WAS ALREADY SORT OF LOOKING IN THE DIRECTION OF OTHER OPTIONS, UM, IN WHICH CASE, MY QUESTION TO PIGGYBACK ON COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN'S QUESTION, MY QUESTION WAS GOING TO BE, WHAT ARE OUR OTHER OPTIONS WHAT'S COMPLETELY NOT EVEN REMOTELY VIABLE, UM, WHETHER OR NOT, YOU KNOW, THIS STRATEGY IS UNTENABLE.
I MEAN, I'M CERTAINLY NOT ASKING YOU
[03:35:01]
TO MAKE THAT ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY, BUT I WOULD APPRECIATE, I MEAN, I I'D RATHER KNOW THAN NOT, YOU KNOW, WHETHER OR NOT THE APPROACH THAT COUNSEL IS, IS TAKEN, WHETHER OR NOT THE DIRECTION WE'VE OFFERED IS VIABLE.UM, AND WOULD CASE TO COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN'S POINT, UH, YOU KNOW, MICHAEL, YOU AND I HAVE HAD THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT CITY HEALTH PROPERTY, UH, TO BE ABLE TO ASSETS, UM, DISTRICT ONE HAS A LOT OF THEM.
UM, BUT TO OUR CONVERSATION ABOUT DISTRIBUTING, UM, HOUSING FOR FORMERLY HOMELESS PEOPLE, UM, WE, WE WANT TO DISTRIBUTE IT CITYWIDE.
UM, THAT SAID THOUGH, I MEAN, IF WE ARE GOING TO BE BUMPING UP AGAINST THE REALITY OF, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL MEMBER, KITCHEN, HAVING VIRTUALLY NONE IN HER DISTRICT, BUT ME HAVING A LOT IN MY DISTRICT, I THINK IT'S ALSO FAIR FOR US TO RECALIBRATE BASED ON THOSE REALITIES.
AND SO, GIVEN THE CONVERSATION WE HAD EARLIER WITH THE UNION FOLKS AND THE LABOR FOLKS ABOUT THE DIFFICULTY AROUND BUDGET CONSIDERATIONS, I THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE REALLY DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS WHERE IN TERMS OF EQUITY, IT WON'T FEEL EQUITABLE, YOU KNOW, AND YOU KNOW, LIKE ONE OF THE THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER TODAY WAS A LIFEGUARD SHORTAGE AS WELL.
ANECDOTALLY, I KNOW A BUNCH OF BLACK KIDS WHO SIGNED UP TO BE LIFEGUARDS, BUT GUESS WHAT? RACISM, THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO SWIM.
AND SO, UM, THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IT WAS JUST ONE OF THOSE ANCILLARY CONSIDERATIONS.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? AND I THINK IN A LOT OF WAYS, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF THOSE DURING THE COURSE OF THIS CONVERSATION.
SO MY HOPE IS THAT YOU ALL JUST FEEL, UH, AT LIBERTY TO BE ENTIRELY CANDID WITH THE COUNCIL AND JUST SAY, YES, WE CAN DO THAT.
I I'M, I'M HOPING THAT WE CAN LEAN ON Y'ALL'S EXPERTISE TO REALLY GUIDE US IN THE APPROPRIATE DIRECTION FOR, FOR OFFERING YOU ALL SUPPORT.
AND I THINK THE ONLY OTHER THING I WOULD ADD IS I THINK YOU SPOKE TO, UH, UH, CITY MANAGER ABOUT ADDITIONAL PARTNERSHIPS.
UM, I OBVIOUSLY, AS A MUNICIPAL BODY, WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO ASK, BUT I JUST WONDER IF INDEPENDENTLY, WE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY AS COUNCIL MEMBERS, AS MEMBERS OF THESE COMMUNITIES THAT WE LIVE IN TO ASK FOLKS TO JOIN THE FIGHT.
AND IF THAT'S THE CASE, I MEAN, I THINK IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF WHO WE ARE ALREADY ASKED.
WHAT WAS THEIR RESPONSE? WE HAVEN'T ASKED WHO WE'RE CONSIDERING.
I THINK IF IT'S ALL HANDS ON DECK AT THIS POINT, WHICH I TOTALLY AM HEARING THAT IT IS THEN I'D LIKE FOR US TO NOT DUPLICATE ONE ANOTHER SEVERANCE.
AND THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR EFFORT.
I KNOW THIS HAS NOT FROM THE START OF THE CONVERSATION, BEEN AN EASY SOLUTION TO TRY TO APPROACH.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND WE APPRECIATE YOU ALL.
I'M GOING TO RAISE A QUICK ISSUE, THEN I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO, UH, TO, TO PO, UM, I AGREE, WE NEEDED TO KNOW WHAT OUR OPTIONS ARE OR NOT.
WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO ASSESS THEM REALISTICALLY FOR, WE HAVE AN ABSOLUTELY THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO HELP.
UM, WHEN YOU'RE DOING THAT ANALYSIS, IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN TERMS OF THE CONTEXT OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE.
SO I JUST SPENT THE LAST A WEEK AT THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF MAYORS.
AND THERE WERE PEOPLE THERE, AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, DEALING WITH HOMELESSNESS, BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A BIG ISSUE WITH CITIES.
THE WHITE HOUSE HAD THE NATIONAL, UH, DIRECTOR OF THAT AGENCY IN THE DEPARTMENT.
AND YOU HAD A LOT OF SERVICE PROVIDERS OR CONSULTANTS THAT ARE WORKING.
UH, IF YOU GO TO WEBSITES, UH, THE ONES THAT ARE WORKING WITH A HUNDRED DIFFERENT CITIES IN THE COUNTRY AND THE LIKE, UM, ALSO HAD THE CHANCE TO DISCUSS WHAT WE WERE DOING WITH THEM, WITH THOSE GROUPS AND WITH THE, UH, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF HUD, UH, WHO ARE ALL REAL EXCITED AND, AND HOPEFUL ABOUT WHAT IT IS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE IN AUSTIN, BECAUSE WE'RE ACTUALLY BUILDING OUT THE SYSTEM AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO ACTUALLY SOLVE HOMELESSNESS, TO ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO REACH A NET EFFECTIVE ZERO CITY WIDE.
AND THAT'S NOT SOMETHING A CITY OUR SIZE HAS DONE, AND IT IS A HARD TRANSITION TO GET FROM HERE TO THERE.
GENERALLY SPEAKING, OUR SYSTEMS ALLOW US TO HANDLE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT ARE SHOWING UP ON ANY GIVEN DAY EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, UH, BECAUSE WE CAN, WE CAN PROVIDE SUPPORT SERVICES AND HOUSING FOR PEOPLE, AND WE COULD REACH AN EQUILIBRIUM PLAY PLACE.
GENERALLY SPEAKING WITH WHAT WE HAVE NOW, EXCEPT THAT WE HAVE THIS MOUSE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BOAT.
THAT'S 3000 PEOPLE, THAT'S OUT ON OUR STREETS AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DEAL WITH.
AND WE NEED TO MAKE THAT MOUSE, WE NEED TO THAT MOUSE SO THAT WE CAN KEEP OUR KIND OF EQUILIBRIUM GOING.
UM, BUT WE HAVE TO DO IT IN A WAY THAT DOESN'T SPEND ALL OUR MONEY IMMEDIATELY SHELTERING THE MOUSE, BECAUSE THEN WE'LL NEVER FIX THE PROBLEM.
THE CHALLENGE THAT WE HAVE IN GETTING PEOPLE OFF THE STREETS IN A WAY THAT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO STAY OFF THE STREETS, WHICH MEANS WE HAVE TO ACTUALLY HOUSE THOSE PEOPLE.
[03:40:01]
THAT I THINK PART OF THE ANALYSIS THAT, THAT COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN'S ASKING FOR AND COUNCILOR HARPER, MADISON ARE ASKING FOR IN TERMS OF REALISTIC AND PRESENTING HER OPTIONS, IS WHAT CAN WE DO WITHOUT, WITHOUT COMPROMISING OR TAKING OUR EYES OFF OF THE BALL, WHICH IS TO ACTUALLY SOLVE THIS, UH, THEN WHEN YOU PRESENT OPTIONS FOR US, YOU KNOW, KEEP THAT IN FRONT OF US TOO.SO THAT WE, THAT WE UNDERSTAND THIS, UM, TO THAT END, I THINK WE'VE HEARD LOTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS WE COULD DO.
THE SOONER WE GET THE HOUSING ONLINE MANAGER, THE SOONER, THIS IS NOT JUST A SHELTERING ISSUE.
IF WE COULD GET SOME OF THE HOMES THAT THE BUILDINGS THAT UP AND ON LINE A YEAR, YEAR AND A HALF EARLIER THAN THEY ARE, THAT'S A HUGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE.
IF WE DON'T HAVE TO FIND A TEMPORARY SOLUTION OR TO OUTSIZE OUR SHELTER OPERATION TO THE REST OF THE SYSTEM.
SO I REPEAT AGAIN, AND I THINK OUR COUNCIL HAS PASSED, UM, SEVERAL RESOLUTIONS ON IT.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO GO TO THOSE PROJECTS AND SIT DOWN WITH THOSE PROJECT PEOPLE AND SAY, HOW, WHAT CAN WE DO FROM A CITY PERSPECTIVE, AUSTIN, ENERGY, UH, WATER, OUR DEVELOPMENT TEAM.
HOW COULD WE SIT DOWN AND BRAINSTORM WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE DEVELOPING THESE PROPERTIES AND SAY, HOW COULD WE GET THEM ONLINE A YEAR EARLIER THAN WE MIGHT OTHERWISE BE ABLE TO GET THEM ONLINE? BECAUSE THAT I THINK IS, IS, IS THE MOST PERFECT ANSWER TO THE QUESTION BECAUSE THAT'S GETTING PEOPLE OFF THE STREETS AND OUT OF TENTS AND ACTUALLY INTO THE HEAL A SOLUTION BECAUSE YOU'RE GETTING THEM INTO THE HOMES.
SO I REITERATE THE REQUEST ON THAT.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A QUESTION OF RESOURCES TO MOVE MORE PEOPLE INTO THAT BECAUSE I KNOW DEVELOPMENT SERVICES ALREADY TASKED, BUT I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING THAT'S A HIGHER PRIORITY THAN TRYING TO GET AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS, COC UNITS, PSA'S UNITS UP AND OPERATING IN OUR CITY BUDGET MORE QUICKLY THAN WOULD OTHERWISE HAPPEN, PINKY MAYOR.
AND, UH, I REALLY WANT TO ECHO THAT BECAUSE, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE FACING, UH, UH, REALLY, UH, UH, LAND PRICE CRISIS HERE IN AUSTIN.
ALSO, UH, THE EVALUATION HAS JUST GONE UP THROUGH THE ROOF HERE AND, UH, UH, I'VE SEEN SOME, A LOT OF THESE HOPED HOTELS AND MOTELS THAT HAVE BEEN EMPTY ON THE EAST SIDE.
AND NOW THEY'RE THEY'RE THAT ARE FIXING THEM ALL UP.
SO PEOPLE ARE INVESTING IN THESE HOTELS NOW, AND IT'S DEFINITELY RISING UP THE PRIZES.
UH, UM, DO YOU KNOW IF, UM, WHAT THE RATE OF INCREASE IS GOING UP ON PROPERTY VALUE HERE IN AUSTIN? HAVE YOU TOOK A GOOD LOOK AT, AT THE PRICES THAT YOU DID TRY TO SELL IT BEFORE NOW? I DON'T HAVE, I DON'T HAVE AN AVERAGE OF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
UM, BUT, UH, IT'S AND IT'S ALL OVER THE MAP.
UM, I MEAN, PARTICULARLY IN, THERE'S JUST DIFFERENT FACTORS THAT SKEW THAT SINCE FOR INSTANCE, THE CBD, UM, UH, THOSE, UH, GIVEN HOW THEY'RE IMPACTED IN THEIR INCOME OR IS IT JUST, UM, IT'S DIFFICULT TO TACKLE, BUT WE COULD ARRIVE AT AN AVERAGE JUST IN CITY, BOSTON PROPER THOUGH.
AND THE THING IS THAT WE'RE FACING ALSO RIGHT NOW, WE JUST CAN'T GO AND GO OUT AND, YOU KNOW, ANNEX ANY PROBLEM AGAIN, AND THE INCREASE THAT'S GOING ON HERE.
I KNOW THAT WE HAVE DONE A STUDY IN THE PAST ABOUT ALL CITY LAND AVAILABLE CITY LAND THAT COULD BE USED FOR HOUSING.
UH, I JUST REALLY ENCOURAGE OUR STAFF AND Y'ALL GUYS TO GO OUT THERE AND TAKE THAT AND RUN WITH IT AND SEE HOW AND HOW WE CAN BUILD.
WE SAID, THERE'S A LOT OF NONPROFIT GROUPS THAT ARE SITTING ON LAND, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO BUILD THESE UNITS.
SO IF WE CAN REALLY JUST WORK TOGETHER WITH OUR HOUSING DEPARTMENT AND IDENTIFY ALL THIS PROPERTY SO THAT WE CAN START BUILDING THE FASTEST WE CAN, AND HOPEFULLY THAT WE CAN RELAX SOME OF THE, UH, THE DENSITY, LAWS, AND CODES THAT WE HAVE SO THAT WE CAN BUILD A LOT MORE.
ANYTHING ELSE BEFORE WE GET TO AUSTIN ENERGY? YEAH.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
TOTALLY RELAXED AND FOR, OH, WAIT, SORRY.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I APPRECIATE THE QUARTERLY UPDATES.
UM, I HAVE ONE QUESTION THAT I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF STATEMENTS.
UM, WHAT IS THE PLAN FOR SUSTAINING THE PROGRAMS ONCE WE'RE OUT OF ARPA FUNDING? OKAY.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE IS TO FOCUS OUR FUNDING ON PROGRAMS THAT CAN BE DOWNSIZED.
UM, SO FOR EXAMPLE, WE'RE NOT FUNDING SERVICES
[03:45:01]
IN PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING WITH ARPA FUNDS BECAUSE WE KNOW THOSE ARE SERVICES THAT NEED TO BE SUSTAINED.THE MAYOR SPOKE TO SORT OF OUR CURRENT RESOURCING, LIKELY BEING ADEQUATE TO SERVE THE NEW PEOPLE THAT ENTER HOMELESSNESS IN A PARTICULAR YEAR, BUT WE HAVE THIS LARGE POPULATION OF PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN WAITING.
RIGHT? SO TO CLEAR THAT SORT OF UNMET DEMAND, IF YOU NEED A, UH, IF YOU WILL MEANS WE NEED AN INFLUX OF, UM, OF, OF RESOURCES.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE ASKING, YOU KNOW, PROVIDERS TO DO IS TO LOOK AT THE RAMP UP OF THESE ONE-TIME FUNDS AND THEN SORT OF THE, THE, YOU KNOW, ALLOWING THOSE PROGRAMS TO DEMOBILIZE.
I THINK THAT WE'LL KNOW AT THE END OF THESE THREE YEARS, WHICH OF THOSE PROGRAMS ARE PARTICULARLY EFFECTIVE.
AND WE MAY WANT TO LOOK AT OUR RESOURCE DISTRIBUTION AT THAT POINT, BUT WE ARE VERY CLEAR THAT WITH THE ARPA FUNDS, UH, OUT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE CAPITAL INVESTMENT, WHICH IS OF COURSE ONE TIME AND THEN WITH SERVICES THAT THIS IS A ONE-TIME CONTRACT.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND, AND OF COURSE WE'LL BE LOOKING AT EFFECTIVENESS AT THE END OF THAT ROAD.
THANK YOU FOR EXPLAINING THAT.
I THINK IT'S HELPFUL FOR THE PUBLIC TO BE REMINDED OF IT AS WELL.
AND THEN, UM, IN YOUR PRESENTATION, YOU SHOWED THE PART ABOUT THE CENTRAL RESPONSE STRUCTURE FOR HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT MANAGEMENT.
AND I'M GLAD TO SEE YOU'RE LEANING ON THE INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM FOR RESPONSE IT'S HELPFUL, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE PUBLIC SAFETY FOLLOWS THAT EVERY DAY ANYWAY.
SO I'M HOPEFUL THAT NEW WAY OF WORKING TOGETHER WILL ASSIST IN A MORE COORDINATED RESPONSE FOR YOU ALL.
AND THEN JUST REAL BRIEFLY, I WANTED TO THANK COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN FOR INCLUDING ME AS A CO-SPONSOR ON THE HEAL INITIATIVE YESTERDAY.
I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TOUR ALLIANCE GARDENS AND I MET AN INDIVIDUAL WHO WAS PREVIOUSLY EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AND WAS THEN HOUSED THERE AS PART OF THAT, THAT STRATEGY.
AND SO IT WAS JUST REAL HUMBLING AND I HAD THIS REAL BIG SENSE OF PRIDE, AND WE SHOULD ALL, I THINK COLLEAGUES HAVE A SENSE OF PRIDE FOR KNOWING THAT IT IS EFFECTIVE, THAT IT DOES WORK, AND WE ALL DID THAT TOGETHER.
I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUICK QUESTIONS THE FIRST, UM, WE'LL START SORT OF WHERE COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY, UM, LEFT, AND THAT WAS ON THE HEEL HOMELESSNESS ENCAMPMENT MANAGEMENT PRIORITIZATION TOOL.
WHEN YOU SAY THAT IT'S, UM, ESTIMATED FULL IMPLEMENTATION IN EARLY JULY, IS THAT ON AND ALL OF IT.
SO IN, IN EARLY JULY, THE KIND OF STREAMLINED PROCESS INVOLVING THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS IS GOING TO BE IN PLACE AND READY FOR THE TOOL AND THE CENTRAL RESPONSE STRUCTURE.
SO THE TOOL IS BEING FIELD TESTED.
NOW IN JULY, WE ANTICIPATE, YOU KNOW, REALLY ROLLING THAT OUT WITH, YOU KNOW, ASSESSING A LOT OF ENCAMPMENTS, RIGHT? WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT AS WE GO FOR HEAL.
AND THEN THE CENTRALIZED RESPONSE, UH, WOULD BE STOOD UP.
THE GROUPS ARE ALREADY MEETING, BUT AT THAT POINT WE WOULD BE UTILIZING THE TOOL TO HELP THE TEAMS PRIORITIZE THEIR WORK, ORGANIZE THEIR WORK BY VIRTUE OF CREATING THE OPERATIONAL PLANS, PASSING THEM UP TO THOSE, THAT LEADERSHIP TEAM TO APPROVE, MAKE DECISIONS, ET CETERA.
SO ON PAGE 10, IT TALKS ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE COMPLETE THINGS THAT ARE UNDERWAY AND THE THINGS THAT ARE UNDERWAY ARE STILL GOING TO PROBABLY BE UNDERWAY BY THE TIME THE TOOL IS GETTING UTILIZED.
DO YOU HAVE A TIMEFRAME FOR WHEN, WHEN SOME OF THOSE ITEMS WILL BE COMPLETED? SO I, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK THAT WE CAN, UM, LOOK AT, I ACTUALLY THINK SOME OF THESE ARE GOING TO BE ONGOING BECAUSE THE STANDARDIZED PROTOCOLS, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE STARTING WITH THE REALLY FUNDAMENTAL, UH, CLOSURE PROTOCOL, BUT WE KNOW THERE ARE OTHER POLICIES THAT WE'LL NEED TO, UM, THAT WE'LL NEED TO IDENTIFY AND DEFINE.
AND SO I THINK WE CAN COME BACK, W YOU KNOW, WE DID IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE LAST TIME, SHOW THAT MORE DETAILED TIMELINE.
WE'RE HAPPY TO DO THAT IN THE NEXT PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE MEETING, WHICH I BELIEVE IS AN AUGUST.
MY OTHER QUESTION IS ONE I'VE ASKED BEFORE, BUT, AND THAT IS ABOUT KIND OF ASSESSING THE HOTEL MOTEL OPTION IN TERMS OF STRUCTURAL FITNESS.
UM, AND I KNOW I'VE ASKED THIS QUESTION BEFORE AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, AND I'M GLAD, I'M REALLY GLAD THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT OTHER OPTIONS TOO, WHICH I HOPE WILL INCLUDE, YOU KNOW, APARTMENT COMPLEXES AND OTHER KINDS OF THINGS THAT ARE ALSO THAT SHOULD ALSO BE IN THE MIX.
I THINK, I THINK I'VE UNDERSTOOD THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT A RANGE OF OPTIONS, NOT JUST HOTELS AT THIS POINT, I WAS IN, I ATTENDED A MEETING THAT I'LL HAVE TO ASK THE MAYOR TO REMIND ME THE NAME OF, UM, IT'S THE GROUP OF DIFFERENT NONPROFITS THAT ARE WORKING TOGETHER, OR DIANA THAT ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO CRAFT THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING PARTNERSHIPS, UH, THAT THE COUNTY IS SPONSORING WITH THEIR FUNDING,
[03:50:01]
LIKE THE TRAVIS COUNTY COLLABORATIVE, TRAVIS COUNTY SUPPORTIVE HOUSING COLLABORATIVE.UM, AND CONNOR, KENNY WAS TALKING ABOUT THE NEW DEVELOPMENT AND THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING TO DEVELOP THOSE A VERY, VERY INTERESTING IT'S SUPER INTERESTING COLLABORATION, SUPER INTERESTING CONVERSATION.
BUT IN TALKING ABOUT THE LEVEL OF CONSTRUCTION, HE TALKED, HE USED THE TERM THAT THE DEVELOPMENTS ARE GOING TO BE BUILT TO STUDENT HOUSING LEVELS OF DURABILITY SO THAT THE MAINTENANCE OVER TIME WILL BE MANAGEABLE.
AND, YOU KNOW, I'VE ASKED THAT QUESTION BEFORE ABOUT HOTELS.
I I'D BE INTERESTED TO KNOW HOW MUCH ASSESSMENT WE'VE DONE ON THAT, BECAUSE MY SENSE OF IT IS THAT PROBABLY HOTELS ARE NOT BUILT TO THAT SAME LEVEL.
YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I'M NOT, THIS IS OUT OF MY WELL OUT OF MY LEAGUE OF EXPERTISE, BUT I'M JUST THINKING ABOUT HOW PEOPLE USE HOTELS AND THEY'RE NOT USED FOR THE MOST PART AS ONGOING RESIDENTS, UM, ONGOING RESIDENCES.
AND SO I WONDER IF THAT IS JUST SOMETHING WE SHOULD CONSIDER.
AND THEN WHEN I HEARD CONNOR, KENNY TALKING ABOUT STUDENT LEVELS OF DURABILITY, YOU KNOW, FOR KIND OF ONGOING USE, UM, I JUST THOUGHT I'D THROW THAT OUT THERE AND ASK IF YOU'VE CONTINUED TO THINK THROUGH, THROUGH THE LEVEL OF CONSTRUCTION AND WHETHER HOTELS ARE OUR BEST FIT AND, AND IF THEY AREN'T, HOW ARE WE MITIGATING THAT BEFORE RESIDENTS MOVE IN? THANK YOU.
AND SO, FIRST OF ALL, ONE THING I W I DO WANT TO SAY IS THAT I THINK THAT THE HOTEL CONVERSION STRATEGY, UM, HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL, RIGHT? IT HAS ADDED A TOOL TO OUR TOOL KIT FOR, YOU KNOW, QUICKLY ADDING CAPACITY.
AND IT HAS, UH, MANY OF THE HOTELS, UM, THAT SORT OF FLEXIBILITY OF WE CAN USE THIS AS SHELTER AND THEN CONVERT IT TO PERMANENT.
HOUSING IS A REAL BENEFIT, RIGHT? SO WE KNOW WE'RE NOT OVERBUILDING SHELTER FOR THE LONGTERM.
WE'RE REALLY ADDING TO THAT, UM, TO THAT PORTFOLIO OF HOUSING.
UH, WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY WE HAVE EXPERIENCED IN THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION.
COMMUNITIES HAS DONE SEVERAL HOTEL CONVERSIONS IN THE PAST, BUT I WANT TO GIVE YOU ONE EXAMPLE OF SOMETHING WE'VE DONE, WHICH I THINK WILL REALLY HELP US IN TERMS OF THE LONGTERM RENOVATION FOR THE HOTEL, FOR THE HOTELS IN MAY.
I THINK EARLY MAY, UM, WE WENT WITH MANY OF THE MEMBERS OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY SUPPORT, SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, COLLABORATIVE TO VISIT, UM, SUPPORTIVE HOUSING DEALS IN HOUSTON.
AND THIS NONPROFIT AMONG MANY STRENGTHS IS, HAS VERY STRONG PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, UH, UH, STRENGTHS, AND WAS REALLY ABLE TO GO.
WE WENT THROUGH THE BUILDINGS AND TO SAY, HERE ARE CHOICES WE MADE HERE THAT SOME OF THE DIFFERENT CHOICES WE WOULD MAKE NOW IN TERMS OF MATERIALS, ET CETERA, AND OUR OPERATORS WHO ARE HELPING US SCOPE THE RENOVATION OF PECAN GARDEN AND BUNGALOWS AT CENTURY PARK WERE ON THOSE TOURS.
SO I THINK WE REALLY ARE LOOKING AT THE FINISHES THAT ARE IMPORTANT.
I THINK STRUCTURALLY, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THESE BUILDINGS ARE BUILT TO CODE.
UH, A LOT OF THE, UM, OF THE LEARNINGS ARE ABOUT FINISHES AND SOME OF THE FITTINGS, ET CETERA OF THE UNITS.
AND I ASSUME, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE DIFFERENT, THEY'RE GOING TO BE SOME DIFFERENT NEEDS, LIKE MAYBE FIRST FLOOR STORAGE, BECAUSE AGAIN, PEOPLE ARE, ARE LIVING THERE.
THEY MAY NOT WANT TO TAKE THEIR BIKES AND OTHER THINGS OR STROLLERS AT THE POINT WHERE WE MIGHT HAVE FAMILIES IN SOME OF THESE AREAS, UM, UP.
SO I IMAGINE SOME OF THOSE THINGS ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT FROM, FROM HOTEL CONFIGURATIONS AS WELL, BUT THANK YOU.
I THINK WE'RE READY TO MOVE TO AUSTIN ENERGY.
I'M GOING TO ADJOURN THE, A WORK SESSION HERE TODAY AT TWO 10.
UH, WE'LL RECONVENE AFTER THE AUSTIN ENERGY COMMITTEE IS OVER, RIGHT.
AND THEN AT THREE 10, WHERE WE'RE GO AHEAD AND RECONVENE THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL MEETING HERE ON JUNE 7TH, 2020 TO, UH, COLLEAGUES.
WE HAVE AN HOUR AND 50 MINUTES LESS.
UH, WE HAVE YET TO FINISH THE DISCUSSION.
I'D LIKE TO REMEMBER 66 ALSO POTENTIAL DISCUSSION ON 80.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE THE PERSONNEL MATTERS FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION.
DO WE THINK WE CAN MAKE ENOUGH PROGRESS SO THAT WE COULD ACTUALLY GET TO EXECUTIVE SESSION TODAY? OR DO WE WANT TO LET THOSE STAFF MEMBERS LET'S JUST LEAVE IT AT 3 45?
[Item A (Part 2)]
OKAY.THEN IF WE CAN GET TO THE EXECUTIVE SESSION, LIKE AT 3 45 OR FOUR O'CLOCK, LET'S GO BACK TO ITEM NUMBER 66 COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER, ADDISON.
THERE ARE ACTUALLY TWO THINGS.
I WAS GOING TO ASK WHETHER OR NOT WE WERE GOING TO REVISIT THAT, BUT IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, EVERYBODY CAN READ.
I PASSED OUT ALL THE AMENDMENTS AND I THINK WE OFFERED ENOUGH IN THE WAY OF RATIONALE TO WHERE YOU GUYS CAN SORT OF GO THROUGH AND SEE WHAT AMENDMENTS I INTEND TO BRING FORWARD ON ITEM NUMBER 66.
UM, AND THEN ADDITIONALLY, IT IS NOT OFTEN THAT I, UM,
[03:55:01]
SAY THAT I DON'T ENVY BEING A MAN, BUT TODAY I'M GOING TO SAY, I DON'T KNOW HOW Y'ALL ARE WEARING THESE SPORT COATS.AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO'S BURNING UP HOT RIGHT NOW? OR BECAUSE I COULD HAVE MY SNACK BRING DOWN A PERSONAL FAN IF IT'S JUST ME, BUT IF IT'S NOT JUST ME.
THANK YOU FOR HANDING THESE OUT AND THANK YOU, CASPER VALOR FOR ALSO HANDING YOURS OUT.
IF PEOPLE WOULD HAVE ANY OPPORTUNITY TOMORROW TO WEIGH IN AND COMMENT ON THOSE ON THE MESSAGE BOARD, THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE POSTED ON THE MESSAGE BOARD, BUT YOU WANT TO CREATE THAT STRING AND SAY, HERE WERE THE THINGS THAT I HANDED OUT.
MAYBE WE CAN GET SOME REACTION.
YOU GET A FEEL FOR WHERE PEOPLE ARE BEFORE WE CAN BE IN ON THURSDAY.
ITEM NUMBER 66, THERE WERE THREE AMENDMENTS, BOTH FROM, FROM BOTH COUNCIL MEMBERS, BELLA AND HARPER, MADISON THAT WE ENDED UP.
WOULD YOU MIND JUST CLARIFYING? I WANT TO BE SURE I HAD TO STEP OUT TOWARD THE END.
I'M NOT SURE WHETHER I GOT ALL THE AMENDMENTS.
WERE THEY COMING FROM BOTH OF YOU TOGETHER OR INDIVIDUALLY? THERE WERE THERE TOO.
AND COUNCIL MEMBER VILLAS ARE THREE PAGES.
IT SAYS AMENDMENT ONE, AMENDMENT TWO AND AMENDMENT THREE.
THEY'RE NOT STAPLED AND THEN MINOR.
AND THEN THAT ONE, TWO AND THREE ALSO.
BUT THEY'RE STAPLED COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, HARPER MEDICINES, 1, 2, 3 PLUS IMAGES ON THE MESSAGE BOARD.
COULD YOU HAND THESE TO KATHY SO SHE CAN BE C WAS HANDED OUT.
I THINK I NEED, I THINK I NEED YOURS.
I DON'T THINK I HAVE ANY OF YOURS.
COULD I ALSO ASK, I KNOW THE MAYOR MENTIONED PUTTING THEM ON THE MESSAGE BOARD.
I'VE BEEN ABLE TO ASCERTAIN COPIES OF THEM, BUT, UM, WHEN YOU'RE REMOTE IT'S YOU CAN'T SEE WHAT PEOPLE ARE HANDING OUT.
YOU GUYS WOULD GO AHEAD AND POST YOUR AMENDMENTS TO THE MESSAGE BOARD.
UM, AND IT WOULD ACTUALLY BE HELPFUL IF THE CLERK COULD JUST POST THEM AS BACKUP FOR TODAY'S MEETING SINCE THEY CAME UP AT THIS MEETING.
UM, I THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE, CAN YOU GO AHEAD AND POST THESE AND BACKUP? THAT'D BE GREAT.
CONTINUING OUR CONVERSATION ON 66.
UM, I JUST HAVE A QUICK QUESTION.
UM, I THINK IT APPLIES TO BOTH COUNCIL MEMBER OF ALA AND COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MEDICINES AMENDMENTS.
UM, AND, UH, YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE MESSAGE BOARD IF YOU'RE NOT CLEAR RIGHT NOW.
I JUST WANT TO, UH, MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND.
UM, WHAT, UM, WHAT THE THINKING IS BY THE TERM TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK.
AND THE REASON I'M ASKING THAT IS BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT TERMS OUT THERE FOR PROJECT CONNECT FOR THE BUS NETWORK.
YOU KNOW, METRO HAS DIFFERENT TERMS. THE CITY HAS DIFFERENT TERMS. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING WHAT Y'ALL INTENDED THERE WHEN YOU SAID THE, AND IF YOU, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ATTENDED THE SAME THING, BUT WHAT, WHAT Y'ALL WERE INTENDING WITH THAT TERM COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN? THE LOOKING AT THE, AT THE MAPS ON THE WORKING GROUP PROPOSAL, ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT KIND OF JUMPS OUT AT ME WHEN I KIND OF TOGGLE IT AROUND ON THE EXCELLENT MAP THAT STAFF CREATED, THAT VMU THE VERTICAL MIXED USE TWO AND COMPATIBILITY, UH, MAP, UH, THE TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK.
THE SMP TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK SEEMS TO INCLUDE A BROADER, UH, NETWORK OF STREETS.
AND ALSO IF WE DON'T INCLUDE THE ASM P TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK, WE'RE REALLY NOT EVEN TOUCHING ANYTHING WEST OF LAMAR OR ANYTHING WEST OF MOPAC.
AND THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO PEG IT TO THE ASM P.
SO IT'S, WHAT'S IN THE S AND P MARKED HAS TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK.
I'LL GO BACK AND TAKE A LOOK AT THAT.
I THINK THE THINKING WAS THAT, UM, MOST OF THE ADDITIONAL ROADS THAT WOULD BE PICKED UP ARE RESIDENTIAL IN NATURE.
SO THEY DON'T HAVE THE UNDERLYING, UH, BASED ON EITHER WOULD ADD TO THAT, BUT THEY WERE ALSO ROADS HAVEN'T GONE THROUGH THIS EXPERIENCE BEFORE THAT WHEN THEY WERE LISTED, AS POSSIBILITIES CREATED SUCH A, A CONCERN AND ALARM, I'M THINKING ROWS LIKE DUVALL AND SPEEDWAY, WHERE YOU'RE REALLY NOT GOING TO PICK UP THE BENEFIT OF THIS, BUT, BUT PREVENTED US, I THINK, FROM BEING ABLE TO MOVE TO A CONVERSATION ON, ON SOME OF THE OTHER ELEMENTS, BECAUSE WE COULD NEVER GET PAST THAT.
UH, SO, SO WE, WE TRIED TO, TO, TO ADDRESS THAT WITH THE THINGS THAT WE HAD PICKED, UH, AND THEN, THEN ALSO CALLING OUT CERTAIN ROADS AS BEING NON, UH, INCLUDED.
BUT I'LL TAKE ANOTHER LOOK FOR ME AT MY OFFICE AT THE ROADS THAT ARE, THAT ARE ON THAT LIST.
BUT I THINK THAT'S HIGH LEVEL WHERE THAT COME FROM.
AND I LAID OUT FIVE BULLETS TO SPEAK
[04:00:01]
SPECIFICALLY TO THAT.UM, SO, UH, NUMBER ONE, OUR IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDORS WERE IDENTIFIED IN THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THAT WE ADOPTED A DECADE AGO.
UM, SO WHILE THEY REFLECT WHERE BACK THEN, UM, WE MAY, THEY MAY HAVE BEEN APPROPRIATE WHERE GROWTH MIGHT HAPPEN.
UM, I DON'T THINK THEY NECESSARILY TELL US ANYTHING ABOUT TODAY AND TODAY'S STANDARDS.
AND, UH, I DON'T THINK THEY TELL US WHERE ON THE GROUND IT WOULD SUPPORT THAT THEY'RE SUPPORTIVE OF DENSER, MORE TRANSIT, FRIENDLY, UM, DEVELOPMENT, HOUSING, SPECIFIC DEVELOPMENT, UM, THE TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK, HOWEVER, WAS ESTABLISHED BY THE ASN P THAT WE ADOPTED JUST THREE YEARS AGO, IN WHICH CASE IN MY MIND'S EYE, IT SEEMED MORE RELEVANT.
TIME-WISE I'M INTO COUNCIL MEMBER.
BELLA'S POINT ABOUT LOOKING AT THE STARK DIFFERENCES WITH THE, WITH THE MAPPING, UM, UM, SUPER VISUAL INFORMATION THAT STOOD OUT AS WELL.
UM, IT LARGELY OVERLAPS WITH, UM, IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDORS.
IT FEATURES A MORE EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF CORRIDORS, I THINK, TO THE POINT THAT YOU WERE MAKING, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER VELA AND OF CORRIDORS BETWEEN EAST AND WEST, AND PARTICULARLY IN OUR HIGHER OPPORTUNITY NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE CENTRAL CITY.
AND THEN LASTLY, IF THE IDEA IS TO ACHIEVE OUR A'S AND P GOALS, OUR 50 50, UM, UH, MODE SPLIT GOALS BY ALLOWING DENSER, UM, LESS CAR DEPENDENT DEVELOPMENT, I THINK IT MAKES SENSE TO DO THAT, UM, WHERE THERE IS FREQUENT TRANSIT SERVICE TO SUPPORT THAT.
UM, UM, I SUPPORT A BROADER COVERAGE AND I'VE BEEN CONCERNED THAT WHEN WE PEG WELL, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE, WHEN WE PEGGED TO JUST CERTAIN TRANSIT LINES, WE DON'T, WE DON'T GET ALL OF TOWN AND WE PARTICULARLY DON'T GET THE WEST SIDE OF TOWN BECAUSE FOR BETTER, FOR WORSE FOR FOLKS LIVING ON IT OVER THERE, WE HAVEN'T HAD AS MUCH TRANSIT OPPORTUNITY WEST OF OPAC.
WE NEED MORE TRANSIT OPPORTUNITY, WESTERN MOPAC.
AND SO WHEN WE ONLY TIE IT TO TRANSIT, THEN WE OFTEN MISS MAJOR CORRIDORS THAT ARE WEST OF MOPAC.
AND SO WE ENDED UP ONLY CONCENTRATING.
SO IT'S A PERPETUAL, YOU KNOW, THIS THING WE CONCENTRATED IN SIT IN THE CENTER CORE.
SO THIS ONE, WE PICKED IT THAT, THAT WE CONCENTRATED, YOU KNOW, AND ON AND ON AND ON.
AND WE DON'T EVER GET TO OUR GOALS OF LOOKING AT ALL OF AUSTIN.
UH, I'LL GO BACK AND REMIND ME WHERE THIS REMIND MYSELF WHERE THIS IS, BUT I CERTAINLY SUPPORT THE CONCEPT OF YOUR SO, SO I THINK, I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF WE HAD A LIST OF, I MEAN, I REMEMBER IT THE WAY YOU DO MAYOR.
I THINK THE QUARTERS THAT YOU ALL HAVE IDENTIFIED AS MEDIUM AND LARGE ARE IN ESSENCE, THE TRANSPORT TRANSIT PRIORITY CORRIDORS MINUS SOME OF THE ONES THAT WERE CAUSING CONCERNS.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE GOING TO VERY QUICKLY, I THINK JUST RETURNED TO THE VERY SAME CONVERSATION WE HAD.
UM, AND I THINK IT'S VERY CHALLENGING AT THIS POINT TO TRY TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION ALONGSIDE THE ASM P DISCUSSION ALONGSIDE VM U2.
IF WE DON'T HAVE LISTS OF THINGS, IF WE REALLY DON'T HAVE LISTS OF STREETS.
SO I DON'T KNOW HOW WE GET FROM HERE TO THERE ON THURSDAY, BUT I CAN TELL YOU ONCE THE ASM P BECAME THE MEASURE FOR HOW WE BASED LAND USE DECISIONS, THERE BECAME A LOT OF CONCERN AROUND ASAP, AND THE FACT THAT THAT'S ON THE AGENDA FOR THURSDAY TOO, IT MEANS THAT WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO BE FLOODED NOW WITH A LOT OF CONCERNS AGAIN, ABOUT THE SMP.
IF THE DEFINITIONS IN THE SMP ARE GOING TO TRIGGER COMPATIBILITY LOOSENING IN, IN THIS OTHER PROPOSAL.
SO AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE WERE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE WORK GROUP, UM, WHO PUT FORWARD THIS PROPOSAL WHO HAVE A SENSE OF WHAT IS IN THE TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK THAT IS NOT AN IMAGINED AUSTIN CORRIDOR OR A BOND CONSTRUCTION CORRIDOR, OR OTHER THINGS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED IN MEDIUM AND LARGE, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER OF A POOL.
UH,
I MEAN, WEST ON THE WEST SIDE OLTORF IS ANOTHER ONE THAT WOULD BE ON THE EAST SIDE.
I MEAN, OLD TURF IS, UH, I THINK OF A RELATIVELY, UH, GOOD OPPORTUNITY AREA FOR, UH, COMPATIBILITY LIMITS AND, UH, AND ADDITIONAL HOUSING.
UH, I BELIEVE THAT 51ST STREET, UH, IS ANOTHER ONE IN MY DISTRICT, AGAIN, JUST THINKING ABOUT MY DISTRICT, BUT I, AGAIN, I WOULD, THE MAP IS, IS REALLY EXCELLENT.
THE STAFF PUT TOGETHER WHERE YOU CAN KIND OF TOGGLE THOSE IMAGES ON AND OFF, UH, AND, AND YOU GET A REALLY GOOD SENSE OF, OF, OF, YOU KNOW, THE MAPS THAT WERE I'LL TAKE A LOOK.
SO I'VE HAD SEVERAL MEETINGS WITH MY COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
UM, A GOOD DEAL OF, OF THIS IS, YOU KNOW, BETWEEN VMU TOO.
I MEAN, MY, MY AREA PROBABLY HAS MORE VMU TOO.
AND SOME OF THE OTHER CORRIDORS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, AND I KNOW THAT MOST OF THE FOLKS I'M TALKING TO ARE TRYING REALLY STRUGGLING
[04:05:01]
TO UNDERSTAND.AND SO IN A VERY, VERY QUICK MANNER, WHAT THE PROPOSAL IS.
UM, AND I THINK THESE, THE, SEVERAL OF THE STREETS WHO'VE NAMED 51ST ULTRA, IF THOSE ARE ALSO IN MY DISTRICT.
SO WE JUST HAVE A, I WOULD SAY THE MORE INFORMATION WE CAN PROVIDE, THE BETTER PEOPLE ARE REALLY STRUGGLING TO TRY TO CATCH UP IN THE MIDST OF MULTIPLE OTHER ZONING CAGES IN DISTRICT NINE AND VARIOUS OTHER THINGS.
THANK YOU FOR THOSE COUPLE EXAMPLES.
I'LL TAKE A LOOK AT THE INTERACTIVE MAP.
UM, SO I JUST WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT STREETS WITH COMMERCIAL ZONING CONSTRAINED BY COMPATIBILITY WEST OF MOPAC.
ARE YOU TRYING TO PICK UP, UM, LAKE AUSTIN BOULEVARD IS, IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDOR.
IT IS LARGELY GOVERNED BY THE BRECKINRIDGE TRACK, WHICH IS UNDER UT IT'S LARGELY EXEMPT FROM COMPATIBILITY.
UM, BY AND LARGE, THE STREETS WEST OF MOPAC DON'T HAVE THE COMMERCIAL ZONING.
SO THE, THE COMPATIBILITY CONSTRAINTS THERE, UM, ARE NOT THE CONSTRAINING FACTOR.
UM, SO I'D BE CURIOUS TO KNOW WHICH STREETS BEYOND LIKE AUSTIN BOULEVARD YOU'RE TRYING TO, TO, TO GET AT, UM, THIS DOES INCLUDE JOLLYVILLE ROAD, FOR INSTANCE.
UM, THE VERSION THAT WE HAVE THAT HAD THE S AND P FIVE DOES INCLUDE THE FRONTAGE ROADS ALONG MOPAC, WHICH ARE ALSO WEST OF MOPAC.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, YOU MAY NOT HAVE THEM RIGHT NOW, BUT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR YOU TO SHARE THAT BECAUSE PART OF WHAT HAPPENS, AND WE LOOKED AT THIS IN OUR GROUP BECAUSE WE WERE TRYING TO DECIDE WHETHER TO DO TPN OR IMAGINE OFTEN.
AND WHEN YOU GO AND YOU MOVE TO TPN, YOU DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE MUCH IMPACT, UM, IN WEST AUSTIN BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE TRANSIT, WHICH THE TPS WERE BASED OFF OF.
AND SO YOU, YOU GET A WHOLE LOT OF OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS AND OTHER STREETS THAT WE MAY OR MAY NOT WANT TO HAVE THAT DENSITY ON THAT, JUST GET, GET LOOPED IN THERE.
UM, AND IT MAKES SO MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO REACH AN AGREEMENT, AND THOSE ARE LARGELY OUTSIDE OF WEST AUSTIN WHERE THAT IMPACT HAS.
UM, SO I JUST WANT TO ASSURE YOU THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT THIS.
UM, I WANT TO REMIND FOLKS SOMETHING THAT I SAID LAST TIME, WHICH IS, THIS IS NOT THE ONLY TOOL THAT WE HAVE IN OUR TOOLBOX, EXCUSE ME, TO ADDRESS THE DENSITY.
WE HAVE ONE, I DON'T REMEMBER IF IT'S THIS WEEK OR NEXT WEEK ON THE DISTRICT PLANNING WE HAVE THAT WE HAVE THE WHOLE PROCESS WITH THE UT FOLKS THAT'S GOING ON.
AND SO I JUST WANT TO REMIND YOU THAT THIS CHANGE IS NOT MEANT TO BE THE ONLY THING THAT WE'RE DOING AS CAN BE EVIDENCED BY THE SEVERAL THINGS THAT ARE ON OUR AGENDA.
UM, THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING ON EACH 80 USE WILL ADD A LOT OF DENSITY POTENTIALLY.
UM, SO THERE, THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO DO THINGS, AND I THINK WE SHOULD NOT TRY TO MAKE EVERY TOOL HAVE TO FIX EVERYWHERE.
UM, I DID WANT TO, UM, ASK, SO, UM, ASK A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS OF COUNCIL MEMBER, HYPER MADISON.
UM, I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND, UM, WHY YOU WANTED TO ELIMINATE THE ACMP LEVEL FIVE STREETS, THE MAJOR HIGHWAYS, UM, FROM BEING CONSIDERED LARGER CORRIDORS.
UM, I THINK THE SIMPLEST ANSWER IS BECAUSE THEY'RE HIGHWAYS AND I DON'T, I DON'T WANT US TO PRIORITIZE PUTTING MULTIFAMILY, TYPICALLY LOWER INCOME HOUSING ON SMALL CROWDED, LOUD HIGHWAYS.
I THINK GENERALLY SPEAKING, IT'S NOT A CONSIDERATION THAT WE TAKE OFF IN ENOUGH, YOU KNOW, THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF PEOPLE LIVING OFF THE HIGHWAY.
UM, SO THAT'S MY PRIMARY, CAUSE THAT'S THE EASIEST WAY TO, TO DESCRIBE MY RATIONALE THERE.
I THINK THAT WILL TAKE, UM, DENSITY OUT OF, OF WEST AUSTIN FOR THAT.
UM, I THINK THAT THERE HAVE BEEN FEW OCCASIONS WHERE WE HAVEN'T PUT INCREASED DENSITY ALONG THE HIGHWAY WHEN IT'S COME BEFORE US.
I THINK WE RECENTLY PUT, UM, A M SIX OR 90 FEET ON MOPAC IN MY DISTRICT OF LATE.
UH, WE DID AN LA PDA IN DISTRICT ONE, UH, RIGHT OFF THE HIGHWAY THIS YEAR.
UM, AND I'M NOT SURE I CAN JUSTIFY WHY WE WOULD HAVE HIGHER, UM, HIGHWAYS HAVING STRICT STRICTER COMPATIBILITY RULES, UM, THAN OTHERS.
I HAVE CONSTITUENTS WHO HAVE SINGLE FAMILY HOMES RIGHT UP TO MOPAC RIGHT.
AGAINST THE SOUND BARRIERS, UM, AS WELL.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR, YOU KNOW, PART OF THE REASON WE HAVE THAT IN THERE IS TO
[04:10:01]
MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, WE ARE, UM, ALLOWING FOR SOME OF THAT DENSITY IN SOME OF OTHER, OTHER PARTS OF TOWN AS WELL.UM, SO I JUST WANTED TO EXPLAIN, EXPLAIN THAT.
UM, AND THEN I WANTED TO JUST FLAG THAT FOR YOUR AMENDMENT THREE.
I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE WAS AWARE OF, UM, PART THREE D ON PAGE THREE OF ITEM 66, WOULD WE SAY FOR ANY RESIDENTIAL OR MIXED USE PROPERTY ON A CORRIDOR, ALLOW MORE FLEXIBILITY FOR WHAT CAN BE LOCATED IN THE 20 FOOT FIVE FOOT SETBACK, BUT NOT INCLUDING DUMPSTERS.
UM, SO I WANT TO UNDERSTAND AND THINK THROUGH, UH, WHAT YOU'RE PROPOSING IN THIS A LITTLE BIT MORE.
UM, BEFORE THURSDAY, I FEEL LIKE THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS WITH THE RATIONALE WHERE I MIGHT AGREE WITH THAT, BUT I'M NOT SURE IF I AGREE WITH THE, UM, THE LANGUAGE THAT WAS USED TO CONVEY THAT.
AND, AND I KIND OF FEEL LIKE THE LANGUAGE THAT WE HAVE IN THERE WOULD ALLOW STAFF TO EXPLORE WHAT YOU'RE, WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
UM, WITH RESPECT TO THE, TO THE SETBACK.
AND I DON'T WANT TO, I DON'T WANT TO PRECLUDE THEM FROM DOING THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE HAD IN MIND WHEN WE WERE, WE WERE, WE WERE DOING THAT.
SO I JUST WANTED TO FLAG THAT.
I'M GONNA THINK MORE ABOUT THAT ONE ON THAT.
I THINK THAT'S AN INTERESTING ONE.
AND I WANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT ONE BETTER.
LIKE IF I ELABORATE JUST A TINY BIT ABOUT THE BIT ABOUT THE HIGHWAY, UM, I, I GAVE HIM WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A PRETTY BROAD EXPLANATION, BUT, UM, JUST TO BE MORE CLEAR, I THINK, UH, I THINK SO DR.
BULLARD, HE GAVE THIS SPEECH ONE TIME ABOUT, ABOUT WHY BLACK AND BROWN KIDS MISS SCHOOL.
AND HE ASKED EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM TO SAY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY? AND THEY HAD ALL THESE REASONS, BUT THE ULTIMATE REASON WHY BLACK AND BROWN KIDS MISS SCHOOL THE MOST IS ASTHMA IT'S ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE.
AND SO THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS.
AND JUST HISTORICALLY THE RECOGNITION OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE IMPLICATION OF HIGHWAYS HAVE, INCLUDING HAVING HOUSING, UM, BEING PRIORITIZED, LOWER INCOME FAMILIES AND BLACK AND BROWN FAMILIES.
UM, AND THEN JUST RECOGNIZING THAT, I THINK, UH, JUST THINKING THROUGH OUR, OUR MODE ACCESS BEING RIGHT OFF THE HIGHWAY, I THINK DEFINITELY DETERS HAVING MORE PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY PEOPLE WHO REALLY NEED ACCESS TO TRANSIT, HAVING MORE MODES, SPLIT OPTIONS, MORE BIKING OPTIONS, MORE TRANSIT OPTIONS WHEN THEY'RE RIGHT OFF THE HIGHWAY.
I THINK BEING IN, IN THE CENTER OF A NEIGHBORHOOD WITH MORE ACCESS AROUND TRANSIT AND MORE ACCESS AROUND WALKING AND BIKING OPTIONS, UM, IS, IS THE IDEAL.
AND WHICH CASE, I THINK TO THE POINT THAT YOU WERE MAKING EARLIER ABOUT EVERY TOOL, NOT SUITING, EVERY SCENARIO, I'M PERFECTLY OPEN TO CONTINUING THE DIALOGUE AND WANT TO GET CLOSER TO A PLACE WHERE, UM, IT DOESN'T FEEL INADVERTENTLY, LIKE WE'RE ADDING MORE IN THE WAY OF INEQUITY.
AND, AND TO THE POINT ABOUT EIGHT, CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION, I'D BE CURIOUS TO KNOW WHAT STAFF'S THOUGHT IS IF, WHETHER OR NOT, UM, THE ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE THAT I'M OFFERING SOMEHOW, YOU KNOW, UH, AS A DETERRENT FOR THE LANGUAGE OFFER IN THE ORIGINAL.
SO I LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, EXPANDING ON THE CONVERSATION THAT'S WHERE THE KITCHEN, UM, YEAH, I THINK THE ONE THING THAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT THIS CONVERSATION IS IT'S THE DIFFERENCES IN THE CITY, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THE ALONG THE FREEWAY ALONG MOPAC IS VERY DIFFERENT THAN ALONG THE FREEWAY, IN SOME OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY.
AND, UM, I, I HEAR WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER, MADISON IS SAYING, WHICH RINGS MORE TRUE IN MY PARTS OF TOWN.
UM, AND ALONG THE FREEWAY IS NOT A TRANSIT CORRIDOR.
I MEAN, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT WHERE WE HAVE IDENTIFIED, YOU KNOW, OUR RAIL LINE OR METRO RAPID LINES AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
SO I'VE ALWAYS, ALWAYS CURIOUS ABOUT WHY IT WAS INCLUDED IN THE FIRST PLACE.
I UNDERSTAND THE REASONING AND I UNDERSTAND THAT AND APPRECIATE THE EFFORT.
CAUSE I THINK IT WAS, UH, YOU KNOW, I AGREE WITH, I AGREE WITH THE EFFORT AS MAYOR PRO TEM, UM, UH, EXPLAINED IT, BUT USING THAT TO GET FURTHER INTO WEST AUSTIN IS GREAT, BUT IT'S NOT USEFUL FOR THE WHOLE CITY BECAUSE OF THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON HAS MENTIONING.
SO I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO RETHINK THAT A, UM, I'M INCLINED TO STRIKE IT ALSO AS COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER, MADISON IS SUGGESTING, BUT IT COULD USE SOME MORE CONVERSATION.
I THINK WE, WE MAY BE AGREEING ON WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH HERE, BUT, UH, WE'RE POINTING OUT SOME DIFFERENCES ACROSS THE CITY THAT ARE IMPACTED.
SO, UM, SO ANYWAY, UM, OPEN TO MORE CONVERSATION, I,
[04:15:02]
IT, IT NEVER MADE SENSE TO ME TO INCLUDE THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE.SO I THINK PART OF THE REASON, AND I, AS A ROPER MEDICINE IS PROPOSING AN EVEN BROADER CONVERSATION, WHICH IS WHETHER AS A CITY WE SHOULD ALLOW MULTIFAMILY USES ALONG HIGHWAYS.
WELL, NO, SHE'S BEEN, SHE'S VERY SPECIFICALLY TALKING ABOUT THE LEADING THIS FOR THIS.
NO, NO, SHE DID LINK IT TO THIS.
WHAT I SAID WAS, I THINK SHE GIVES RISE TO A BROADER CONVERSATION AND THE RATIONALE FOR IT IS I UNDERSTOOD IT WAS, THAT'S NOT THE APPROPRIATE PLACE TO PUT HOUSING, NOT APPROPRIATE PLACE TO PUT MULTIFAMILY HOUSING.
UH, AND I WANT TO, I WANT TO THINK THROUGH WHAT THE, BECAUSE WE DO THAT NOW AND WE DO THAT IN, IN, IN, IN PARTS OF THE CITY.
UM, IF WE'RE GOING TO DO IT THEN THAT I WOULD PROBABLY INCLUDE IT IN YOUR, IF WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO THAT, OR WE THINK THAT THAT'S NOT FROM A POLICY STANDPOINT, SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO DO, THEN I THINK THAT GIVES RISE TO THAT, THAT BROADER QUESTION.
CAUSE IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS FUNNY TO HAVE LOWER AND HIGHER HEIGHT ON, ON ROADS LIKE SOUTH LAMAR THAN ALONG A HIGHWAY.
SO I STOPPED THE HEIGHT ISSUE.
I MEAN, ONE OF THE REASONS WHY YOU WILL HAVE THE HEIGHT THERE IS BECAUSE YOU CAN, YOU CAN HAVE THE HEIGHT ALONG HIGHWAYS, UNLESS IT'S A USE THAT WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE A LONG HIGHWAYS.
SO I WANT TO BE THINKING ABOUT THAT QUESTION.
WELL, BUT, BUT THE POINT, THE POINT THAT I'M I'M HEARING IS I THOUGHT WE WERE TRYING, I GET THAT.
AND I'M CERTAINLY OPEN TO MORE CONVERSATION, BUT I THOUGHT WE WERE TRYING TO TALK ABOUT MORE HOUSING ALONG PLACES THAT PEOPLE CAN GET OUT OF THEIR CARS AND GET ON A BUS.
THAT'S NOT, THAT'S NOT THE CASE ON A, ON A ACCESS ROAD TO A FREEWAY.
SO, UM, SO THAT'S THAT'S SO I HEAR HIM DOING TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.
IT MIGHT BE OKAY TO DO TWO TO TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.
ONE THING MIGHT BE PEGGING TO TRANSIT.
ONE THING MIGHT BE PEGGING TO OTHER KINDS OF CORRIDORS THAT WE THINK ARE APPROPRIATE FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR, FOR HOUSING.
I JUST THINK WE'RE NOT BEING CONSISTENT IN TERMS OF THE, THE RATIONALE FOR THE ROADS THAT WE'RE CHOOSING.
I THINK IN, IN, IN THE HIGHEST EVENT, I THINK TRANSIT IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE PICK A ROAD, WE PICK A ROAD, WE HAVE WIEBE, IT WAS BOTH HIGHER AND TRANSIT ORIENTED ROADS.
SO, SO I DON'T THINK WE WERE JUST LOOKING FOR ONES THAT HAD A LINE ON IT AND WE CAN'T BE SURE THERE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE A LINE ON IT BECAUSE THE LINES CHANGE.
SO THERE WAS SOMETHING ALSO JUST ABOUT THE, THE, THE MORE INTENSE CHARACTERISTIC OF THE ROAD ITSELF IN A NON-RESIDENTIAL WAY.
I MEAN, I'M SAYING THAT THIS IS A POINT THAT I NEED TO THINK THROUGH, BECAUSE IT MIGHT BE A GOOD POINT FOR THE REASONS THAT THE KATHERINE BAR HARBOR MADISON, THE RATIONALE FOR THE REASON YOU GUYS ARE PULL THEM, WE'LL COME BACK.
I GUESS WHAT I'M UNSURE ABOUT.
AND THE QUESTION FOR ME IS IF WE REMOVE FROM THE LEVEL FIVE FROM THE LARGER CORRIDORS, THAT HOUSING IS STILL GOING TO BE BUILT, UNLESS I GUESS WE SAY, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE BUILT, BUT IF IT IS BUILT AND THEY DO IT, UM, UNDER THESE, UH, RELAXING PORTABILITY OPPORTUNITIES, THEN THEY CAN DO MORE.
AND SO, UNLESS WE ARE GOING TO SAY, NOBODY CAN LIVE AS CLOSE TO THE HIGHWAY AS X DISTANCE.
AND I KNOW IN MY DISTRICT THERE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF FENCE LINE, IN OTHER AREAS, THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, BEYOND AN ACCESS ROAD AND THEN THERE'S GREEN SPACE AND THEN IT'S UP A HILL.
SO IT'S DIFFERENT IN MANY, IN ALMOST EVERY INSTANCE.
SO FOR ME, THE QUESTION IS, ARE WE ACTUALLY SAYING, WE, WE DON'T WANT ANYBODY TO LIVE ON, ON THESE PARCELS AND I DON'T THINK WE'RE SAYING THAT.
SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE WOULD REMOVE THE HIGHWAYS WHERE THE PROJECTS ARE GOING TO BE BUILT.
WE NEED TO CAPTURE THE ADDITIONAL DENSITY IN THOSE AREAS BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE BUILT THERE.
I WANT TO ASK STAFF, IF YOU ALL WOULD CARE TO COMMENT ON POTENTIALLY STRIKING THE S AND P S LEVEL FIVE STREETS, JUST CURIOUS WHAT THIS WOULD POTENTIALLY DO FOR ANY OF THE, UM, ADDITIONAL, UM, USAGE WE WOULD GET OUT OF ANY OF OUR, UH, VMU TWO OR ANY, UM, BY WAVING THE COMPATIBILITY STANDARDS.
I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THIS THROUGH THE LENS OF THE PROPOSAL THAT WE HAVE BEFORE US WITH ITEM 66, WHAT THIS COULD DO ON REALIZING THE FULL POTENTIAL.
SO WE, WE MIGHT BOTH COME IN TO, UM, I'M FAIRLY SURE WE WOULDN'T FAIRLY SURE WE WOULDN'T HAVE VMU ZONING ALONG HIGHWAYS RIGHT NOW.
MAYBE WE SHOULD START WITH SAM.
[04:20:02]
THIS IS BROADER THAN BEING RIGHT.SO I WOULD SAY THAT, SORRY, THIS IS SAM TEDFORD.
UM, WE HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF ANALYSIS DONE RELATED TO BMU RIGHT NOW, THE OTHER PROPERTIES THAT MIGHT BE IMPLICATED, WE'VE NOT CONDUCTED A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF RESEARCH.
UM, BUT TO THE OTHER POINT, I WOULD SAY THAT THERE ARE VMU PARCELS THAT ARE ALONG ASM P LEVEL FIVE STREETS DUE TO THE WAY THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD OPT-IN OPT-OUT PROCESS INITIALLY PLAYED OUT WHERE, UM, CORE TRANSIT CORRIDORS WERE THE STARTING POINT AND SOME NEIGHBORHOODS ALSO ELECTED, UM, OFF OF HIGHWAYS, LIKE, UM, BEN WHITE BOULEVARD, AND 180 3 TO PUT VMU ZONING THERE.
AND SO THERE ARE STILL SOME BMU ZONE PROPERTIES THAT ARE ALONG IS MP LEVEL FIVE STREETS AT THIS TIME, BUT I DON'T HAVE DATA TO, TO MAYBE SPEAK TO THE IMPLICATION OF REMOVING THAT, UM, ON OTHER BROADER, UM, PROPOSALS AT THIS TIME.
I MEAN, I'M CERTAINLY INTRIGUED, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, HARBOR MADISON BY THIS PROPOSAL.
SO I CERTAINLY WANT TO GIVE IT MORE CONSIDERATION.
UM, SO I THANK YOU FOR BRINGING IT FORWARD.
I JUST WANT TO OFFER A LITTLE ADDITIONAL, UH, CLARIFICATION.
I WAS NOT SAYING LET'S STRIKE, UM, THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRODUCE HOUSING ANYWHERE, FRANKLY.
I THINK WE SHOULD CONSIDER IT EVERYWHERE.
UM, WHAT I WAS SAYING WAS WHAT WE INCENTIVIZE I'D LIKE FOR US TO, TO BE MORE FOCUSED AND MAKE A PRIORITY OF US, OF INCENTIVIZING TRANSIT NEAR TRANSIT OR HOUSING NEAR TRANSIT CORRIDORS.
UM, I'D LIKE FOR US TO, UM, TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE IMPLICATIONS OF, UM, OF NOT DOING SO.
UH, AND SO THAT WAS, I WOULD SAY MORE WHAT WE INCENTIVIZE AS OPPOSED TO WHAT WE ALLOW AND FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH.
UM, I THINK US RELAXING PARKING REQUIREMENTS, UM, AND TRANSIT CENTERED CENTRIC, UH, NEIGHBORHOODS MAKES WAY MORE SENSE THAN, I MEAN, THE PARKING REQUIREMENTS ARE LOWER FOR
AND THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME IN WHICH CASE, I JUST THINK THERE ARE OTHER WAYS FOR US TO ACCOMPLISH OUR, OUR COMBINED COLLECTIVE MUTUAL GOALS.
ANYBODY ELSE WOULD DECIDE YES.
UH, SO I DO JUST WANT TO NOTE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO DO SOME ON THE FLY, UM, COMPARISON OF MAPS AND ARE LOOKING AT IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDORS AND THE TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING DEFINITIVE RIGHT NOW, BUT I, BASED ON A VERY, VERY QUICK LOOK WHILE YOU ALL WERE TALKING, WE MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER BOTH RATHER THAN ONE OR THE OTHER, MAYBE, UM, JUST BECAUSE THERE ARE, IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDORS THAT ARE NOT ON THE TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK.
UM, SO WE COULD MAYBE DO SOME SCREENSHOTS OF MAPS OR, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO HAVE YOU ALL MAYBE SEE WHERE THESE ARE.
UM, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S REALLY LIKE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT ROADS ARE ON THE DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, CLUMPS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
SO I THINK IT COULD BE HELPFUL.
I THINK THAT'S A VALID POINT THAT INTO WHAT GLENN'S COMPUTER WAS HOLLERING OUT EARLIER WAS THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, A MEMBER OF OUR STAFF WAS POINTING OUT THAT LIKE DUVALL, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE THE NCCD AND TWO, UM, JUST BECAUSE OF HOW CLOSE THE HOUSES ARE.
UM, IT WOULDN'T EVEN APPLY LIKE SOME OF THE COMPATIBILITY REGULATIONS WOULDN'T APPLY THERE.
AND THEN I THINK THERE WERE OTHER FIELDS LIKE INFIELD EXPOSITION.
AND SO I, I DO THINK THAT MAP WOULD BE HELPFUL.
AND I ALSO THINK, UM, I, I CAN'T REMEMBER WHICH OF MY, I THINK IT WAS, UH, MEGAPORT TIM ALTER, UM, ASKED ABOUT SPECIFIC STREETS.
I THINK ALL OF THAT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL, MARY.
WE DO, WE NEED TO THINK THROUGH THIS CAREFULLY, CAUSE I I'LL TELL YOU, I CAME INTO THIS WITH A BENT TO TRY TO DO EVERYTHING I COULD TO INCREASE HOUSING SUPPLY.
SO, SO PART OF ME DOESN'T WANT TO CONSIDER SOMETHING THAT TAKES AWAY HOUSING OPTION.
WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT CREATING HOUSING OPTIONS IN COMMERCIAL, AND WE'VE ASKED STAFF TO COME BACK WITH AN ORDINANCE THAT DOES THAT.
THERE'S GOTTA BE COMMERCIAL USES ALONG HIGHWAYS.
AND IF WE'RE TRYING TO OPEN UP OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESIDENTIAL IN THIS MANY DIFFERENT PLACES, WE CAN, WE WANT TO DO THAT THERE TOO.
SO I, I GUESS IT'S JUST PROBABLY, I'M JUST NOT READY TO START CHANGING THE POLICIES WITH RESPECT TO OPENING UP HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES YET FOR, FOR HIGHWAY STUFF, BUT, BUT MAYBE A LONGER TERM OR FUTURE CONVERSATION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT WE WANT TO, TO DISCOURAGE THAT MIGHT SETS, BUT PROBABLY WHERE I COME DOWN
[04:25:01]
RIGHT NOW IS I'M NOT READY.I WANT, I WANT TO START, I WANT TO CREATE HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES WHEREVER I CAN, BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S OUR GREATER HARM AND RISK AT THIS POINT.
I WANT TO THINK THROUGH IT CAUSE I REALLY HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO THINK THROUGH IT YET AS OUR POOL.
I JUST WANTED TO ADD TO THAT MAYOR THAT THERE'S ALSO, UM, IT LOOKS LIKE WE ALMOST, WE ALSO MIGHT BE LOOKING AT ELIMINATING SUPPORT FOR TAX CREDIT PROJECTS ALONG LEVEL FIVE STREETS, AND WE DON'T WANT TO DO THAT.
SO WE NEED TO BE REALLY COGNIZANT OF WHAT IT IS WE'RE PROPOSING.
I DON'T WANT TO LOSE OPPORTUNITIES FOR TAX CREDIT PROJECTS.
I THINK, I THINK FOR ME, I'M GOING TO NEED TO SEE A LIST OF THE STREETS.
SO I THINK, I THINK THAT MAY HAVE BEEN, I'M NOT SURE COUNCIL MEMBER HOPPER MADISON, IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE SAYING, THIS SAYING THE SPECIFIC STREETS, BUT THE MAP IS REALLY USEFUL.
THE SCREENSHOTS ARE USEFUL, BUT WITH THE AMOUNT OF, WITH THE AMOUNT OF WORK WE HAVE BETWEEN HERE AND THURSDAY, AND I'M JUST GOING TO NEED TO SEE A LIST OF STREETS, PLEASE, FOR THE TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK THAT WOULD NOT BE INCORPORATED IN THE OTHERS AND ARE NOT LISTED AS EXCEPTIONS.
AND I GUESS THAT'S A QUESTION COUNCIL MEMBER OF ELA AND COUNCIL MEMBER PEPPER MEDICINE, YOU'VE BOTH CHANGED IT TO TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK OR EXCUSE ME.
WOULD THAT BE IN COMBINATION WITH THE SAME STREETS THAT ARE CALLED OUT AS EXCEPTIONS IN THE PROPOSAL THAT THE WORKING GROUP CAME FORWARD WITH OR IS THAT INTENDED TO OVERRIDE THE EXCEPTIONS THAT ARE CALLED OUT? I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THE TRENDS OF PRIORITY NETWORK, UH, LIST TO THE OTHER ONES THAT WERE MENTIONED, AND THERE'S A LOT OF OVERLAP, BUT THEY'RE THE TREND.
THE PARTY NETWORK IS A LITTLE BROADER THAN, UH, THAN THE OTHERNESS WE HAVE.
JUST ASK WITH THE EXCEPTIONS AS NOTED IN THE WORKING GROUP PROPOSAL OR NO EXCEPTIONS AS NOTED IN THE WORKING GROUP, BECAUSE I THINK THAT IS MY SENSE IS THAT THAT IS THAT'S THE SUBSTANCE OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT'S BEEN IDENTIFIED IN THE WORKING GROUP PROPOSAL AND WHAT YOU'RE SUGGESTING WITH THE TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK.
AND I'M SORRY, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, TOVO THE, YOU HAVE TO REMIND ME WHICH EXCEPTIONS WHERE THE, IN THE WORKING GROUP OF PROPOSALS, UH, THERE ARE LISTS OF STREETS THAT ARE CALLED OUT FROM THOSE BROADER CATEGORIES.
UH, I WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT THEM AND I WILL BE FOR THURSDAY.
AS I RECALL THE LIST THAT WE HAD, WHERE WE WERE CLARIFYING THAT THEY WERE ACCEPTED FOR PRECISELY A LOT OF THOSE STREETS THAT WERE IN THE TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK THAT WERE NOT IMAGINED OFTEN CORRIDORS OR BOND COURT, OR IS THAT HAD BEEN THE SUBJECT OF A HIGH LEVEL OF DISCUSSION AND WHERE WE HAD OBSERVED THAT THERE WERE, WERE DIFFERENCES ON THE WAY THOSE STREETS, UM, WERE CONSTRUCTED, THAT SEPARATED THEM FROM THE THINGS THAT WE WERE CALLING OUT AS MEDIUM CORRIDORS.
UM, AND SO THINGS LIKE DUVALL AND SPEEDWAY WOULD BE IN THE TRANSPORTATION NETWORK, BUT WOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDIUM CORRIDORS IN THE PROPOSAL THAT WE ARE PUTTING FORWARD.
AND THERE IS A LIST OF STREETS THAT WAS IN OUR ORIGINAL PROPOSAL, WHICH IS AVAILABLE ON THE MESSAGE BOARD.
UM, AND, AND I WOULD JUST SAY THAT WE, YOU KNOW, WE WENT THROUGH QUITE A LOT OF DISCUSSION IN OUR, IN OUR GROUP, UM, TO LAND ON THE SUBSET OF STREETS THAT WE DID, UM, RECOGNIZING, UM, THE MANY CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAD DURING, UM, KODAK'S IN THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE AND HOW ALL OF THOSE HAD PLAYED OUT AND TRYING TO GET SOMETHING DONE WHERE WE COULD ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING AND MOVE FORWARD, UM, WITH IT IN A WAY, UM, THAT WOULD BE RELATIVELY SIMPLE TO DO SO THAT NOW, SO NOW I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS.
I HAD ASKED COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, ONE ABOUT HOW, HOW HER AMENDMENT INTERACTS WITH YOUR LIST, BUT, BUT YOU'VE CALLED MY ATTENTION TO SOMETHING THAT I HAD OVERLOOKED, WHICH IS THAT THERE'S NO LONGER LIST IN WHAT YOU'RE BRINGING FORWARD OF STREETS THAT ARE ACCEPTED.
SO IS THE INTENT THAT THIS RESOLUTION IS, HAS AN ATTACHMENT THAT IS YOUR PROPOSAL, OR IS THAT MS. IS THAT NOW NOT PART OF YOUR PROPOSAL THAT YOU'RE BRINGING FORWARD, THAT THERE ARE NO STREETS BEING CALLED OUT FROM THE MEDIUM AND LARGE, WELL, THIS, THERE ARE STREETS THAT ARE NOT MEDIUM OR LARGE BECAUSE THEY DON'T FALL UNDER THE DEFINITION.
SO WE CHOSE TO PUT, UM, WE CHOSE TO USE A RESOLUTION FORMAT RATHER THAN A EXHIBIT, BUT BY THE DEFINITION THAT WE HAVE THOSE STREETS ARE ACCEPTED BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT IMAGINED AUSTIN, THEY'RE NOT FOND QUARTERS AND THEY'RE NOT THE STUFF THAT THE LARGER CORRIDORS.
SO THE LIST WAS ILLUSTRATIVE, OH, THIS IS THE STREETS THAT WE DID NOT THINK FELL WITHIN THE
[04:30:01]
STREET CATEGORIES WE HAD IDENTIFIED AND LESS THERE'D BE ANY QUESTION FOR THE COMMUNITY ABOUT WHETHER THE STREET WAS INCLUDED OR NOT.WE HAD TO PREPARE A LIST OF STREETS THAT WERE SUBJECT TO A LOT OF CONTROVERSY IN EARLIER VERSIONS THAT WERE NOT PART OF THE STREET CATEGORIES.
SO IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT WE DIDN'T NEED THAT BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T OTHERWISE COVERED, BUT I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFYING THE STREETS THAT ARE NOT COVERED BECAUSE I, HOWEVER WE DO IT BECAUSE I THINK IT'S GOOD TO BE ABLE TO TELL PEOPLE, NO, YOU'RE THE STREETS, NOT PART OF THAT, BUT THAT DOES GIVE RISE.
IF WE WERE TO CHANGE THE, THE GENERAL CATEGORY THAT IT DOES BRING POTENTIALLY BACK INTO PLAY.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE AGAIN, I APOLOGIZE THAT I'M ONLY NOW NOTICING THAT THE LIST OF STREETS HAS GONE.
I THINK THAT IS HELPFUL TO HAVE WITHIN THEIR MAYOR.
I HAVE TWO OR THREE AND THEN COME BACK, YOU KNOW, WHILE WE'RE ON THE SUBJECT COMPATIBILITY, YOU KNOW, UH, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HOLDS BACK MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING BECAUSE OF THEIR SETBACK REQUIREMENTS, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S ANOTHER ONE THAT'S REALLY AFFECTING AFFORDABLE HOUSING, ESPECIALLY IN MY DISTRICT BECAUSE I HAVE A LOT OF COMMERCIAL, UH, WITH, UH, UH, AND IN MY AREA.
AND I TRY TO BUILD A UNIT APARTMENT RIGHT THERE ON SEVENTH STREET AND SHADY.
AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT SAID NO, BECAUSE IT HAD, UH, POTENTLY TANKS UP 50 FEET THERE TO CHARGE UP THAT LITTLE, UH, YOU KNOW, LIFTERS, A LITTLE MOTORIZED, UH, IF SO I'M LIKE W IF WE'RE REALLY GONNA START LOOKING AT COMPATIBILITY ABOUT HIGHWAYS AND ALL THAT, THAT'S ALSO LOOK ABOUT THE COMPATIBILITY SETBACK THAT'S REQUIRED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, OUR KITCHEN.
UH, WELL, I, I, I DO APPRECIATE THE EFFORT THAT EVERYONE HAS MADE.
I KNOW, I KNOW, UH, THE WORKING GROUP IS TRYING REALLY HARD TO, TO, UM, TO MOVE THIS FORWARD, BUT JUST WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST THAT, UM, THE RATIONALE FOR KEEPING THE HIGHWAYS IS A GOOD RATIONALE, BUT TO BE CONSISTENT, WE WOULD ALSO NEED TO DO THE TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK.
DOESN'T SEEM LIKE IT'S TREATING THE WHOLE CITY THE SAME TO INCLUDE HIGHWAYS, BUT THEN SAY, WE'RE NOT GOING TO INCLUDE THE TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK OR NOT GOING TO INCLUDE CERTAIN STREETS BECAUSE WE'VE IDENTIFIED THEM AS BEING PROBLEMATIC.
THAT'S ONLY HAPPENING FOR PART OF THE CITY.
WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT PROBLEMATIC STREETS FOR THE WHOLE CITY.
SO I'M MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE TOP TYING THIS TO WHATEVER THE APPROPRIATE, UM, RATIONALE IS.
AND THEN BEING CONSISTENT WITH DOING THAT ANY FURTHER CONVERSATION, WHY DIDN'T HE RESPOND COUNCIL MEMBER TURBO'S QUESTION, BUT I THINK ANDY YOU IN LARGE PART JUST GAVE MY RESPONSE.
I'M THINKING, I'M THINKING FROM A LAND USE POLICY PERSPECTIVE, FROM A POLICY PERSPECTIVE, I THINK COMPATIBILITY SHOULD SPEAK TO, UM, THE VARIOUS NEEDS, UH, AND NOT NECESSARILY HAVE THAT LIST OF STREETS.
UM, SO IN MY MIND'S EYE, IT WASN'T IN THE RESOLUTION.
SO I WASN'T CONSIDERING THE LIST AS SOMETHING TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION.
I JUST WANT TO BE ABLE TO PUT OURSELVES IN A POSITION TO MAKE SMART POLICY.
AND I THOUGHT SMART POLICY WOULD ALLOW FOR ALL THE EXCEPTIONS TO SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES BY WAY OF OUR COMPATIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.
AND SO THAT WAS TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT, AND THEN I WOULD JUST ADD THAT HAVING GONE THROUGH THIS PROCESS AS SOME OF US HAVE FOR THE LAST EIGHT YEARS, UM, THE PURPOSE OF THIS EXERCISE IS WE IDENTIFIED IT BACK IN NOVEMBER, WAS TO TRY TO FIND WHERE THE VENN DIAGRAMS CROSSED AND WHERE WE WOULD HAVE KIND OF AGREEMENT YOU'VE SEEN WITH STREET SELECTION, JUST A TINY PIECE OF THE CONVERSATIONS ON STREETS THAT WE'VE HAD THE LAST EIGHT YEARS.
AND IF WE END UP WITH A DISCUSSION ABOUT STREETS AS THAT WILL BE 50% OF WHAT IT IS THAT WE TALK ABOUT.
SO PART OF THE PROCESS WAS TRYING TO GET US THE BIG THINGS DONE AND NOT NECESSARILY GET ALL THE INDIVIDUAL STREETS, RIGHT.
BUT TO ENABLE US TO MOVE FORWARD AND THEN WE CAN EDIT IT OR DO BETTER.
I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT THIS REPRESENTS THAT I DO NOT THINK REPRESENT THE BEST POLICY DECISION.
THEY JUST DON'T PUT, I'M INTERESTED IN TRYING TO GET SOMETHING DONE THAT WE CAN PUT IN PLACE THAT WILL SURVIVE WHILE YOU ALL REMAINING ON COUNCIL, GO FORTH AND, AND, AND DO GREAT THINGS.
ANYTHING ELSE BEFORE WE GO TO THE NEXT ONE? YEAH, JUST SUPER QUICKLY.
I THINK TRANSIT PRIORITY QUARTERS ARE GOING TO BE A DIFFICULTY FOR ME.
AND I SAY THAT AS SOMEBODY WHO ALSO HAS HIGHWAYS, UM,
[04:35:01]
AND FRONTAGE OF HIGHWAYS AS WELL.SO, YOU KNOW, THESE ALL IMPACT MY DISTRICT AND I WILL HAVE TO, UM, GIVE SOME THOUGHT COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MEDICINE, TO WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT, UH, COMPATIBILITY IN THE HIGHWAYS AND REMOVING LEVEL FIVE.
SINCE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HEALTH AND HOUSING, I WOULD SUGGEST IF WE DO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION, OR IF A FUTURE COUNCIL DOES TO GO BACK AND THINK ABOUT HOUSING ON HIGHWAYS, I THINK WE SHOULD ALSO REEVALUATE WHAT HAS STARTED TO BECOME A COUNCIL TREND OF APPROVING HOUSING ON INDUSTRIAL TRACKS, FORMERLY INDUSTRIAL TRACKS, SOMETIMES IN THE MIDDLE OF INDUSTRIAL INDUSTRIALLY ZONED AREAS, UM, WITH INDUSTRIAL USES CLOSE NEARBY, WHICH THERE'VE BEEN SEVERAL COUNCIL DECISIONS IN THAT REGARD.
UM, SECONDLY, I JUST WANTED TO MENTION, I WILL HAVE SOME AMENDMENTS AND I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE'LL BE UP TOMORROW.
UM, THERE'S JUST A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT ON THE AGENDA.
THAT'S IMPACTS DISTRICT NINE, UM, THAT I'M WORKING ON, BUT I DO INTEND TO BRING FORWARD SOME, SOME AMENDMENTS RELATED TO PROVIDING SOME MODELING AND SOME VISUAL ILLUSTRATIONS.
AND I APPRECIATE THE STAFF DOING WHAT YOU HAVE DONE.
I THINK THOSE HAVE BEEN VERY USEFUL, BUT I HAVE GOTTEN LOTS OF REQUESTS FROM CONSTITUENTS FOR, FOR KIND OF 3D MODELING OR SIMPLE VISUALIZATIONS THAT REALLY TAKES A MODEL TRACKS AND SHOW US HOW THIS WOULD, HOW THIS WOULD LOOK IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE CITY.
SO THAT'S, THOSE ARE SOME OF THE KINDS OF AMENDMENTS THAT I INTEND TO BRING FORWARD.
AND THEN THERE WERE SOME OTHERS, BUT I KNOW IF YOU HAVE SOME OTHER, ANYTHING YOU WANT TO DAYLIGHT NOW, THAT'S HELPFUL.
NOT TODAY, BUT IF I FIND THEM QUICKLY BEFORE WE MOVE ON ALL, I'LL MENTION THEM.
LET'S MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ONE.
THEN, UH, THE NEXT ONE THAT WE HAD PULLED WAS ITEM, UH, 80, UH, VMU TO COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN PULLED THAT SHE'S NOT WITH US NOW.
UM, HAVING MADE THE ELECTION TO HAVE THE HOMELESSNESS THING COME UP AT, UH, AT, ON O'CLOCK FIRST.
UH, BUT MAYBE WE CAN HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT IT THAT SHE'LL BE ABLE TO GO BACK AND TAKE A LOOK AT, UH, IF ANYBODY WANTS TO ADDRESS ISSUES ON A VMU TOO.
I WILL SAY FOR ME, UH, HAVING VMU TO BUY RIGHTS AS WE LAID OUT LAST FALL, AND AS THE STAFF CAME BACK IS REAL IMPORTANT TO ME BECAUSE I THINK THAT THAT IS THE LOWEST BARRIER FOR PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO STEP IN AND, AND MAKE USE OF IT.
IF IT IS A ZONING CASE, OR IT HAS TO GO TO PLANNING COMMISSION, OR IT HAS TO GO TO COUNCIL, UM, IF IT HAS TO DO THOSE THINGS AND IT REQUIRES A SUPER MAJORITY VOTE, UH, I JUST THINK THAT WE JUST WON'T SEE, BUT A FEW OF THESE CASES, UH, SO HAVING IT BY RIGHT JUST REMAINS A ROLE REAL, REAL IMPORTANT TO ME.
BUT I ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT IF WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT BY, RIGHT, WHICH IS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR ME, UH, THEN, UM, I RECOGNIZE THAT THAT WE'LL LOSE SUPPORT FOR DOING IT BY RIGHT.
IF WE GO TOO FAR ON CHANGING COMPATIBILITY QUESTIONS.
UH, SO FOR ME, I'M COMFORTABLE USING THE SAME COMPATIBILITY THAT WE'RE AGREEING TO IN 66 AS THE COMPATIBILITY THAT ULTIMATELY THE VMU TWO PROPERTIES WOULD BE, UH, UH, ASSOCIATED WITH.
UM, AND, AND IT STILL DOES REALLY GOOD WORK.
AND I WOULD URGE EVERYBODY TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT PAGE 14, THAT THE STAFF PULLED OUT FOR US, UM, AND NOTING THAT, UH, THE, THE HUNDRED FOOT, UH, DISTANCE, UH, ENABLING 60 FEET, A HUNDRED FEET ON THE BASE VMU IS AS GOOD AS IT CAN GET BECAUSE VMU, DOESN'T ALLOW ANYTHING GREATER THAN 60 FEET.
SO WAVING COMPATIBILITY FOR RADER HEIGHT AFTER THAT DOESN'T REALLY CHANGE ANYTHING.
CAUSE THERE ISN'T VMU HEIGHT GREATER THAN 60 FEET.
SO THAT, THAT GETS US TO WHERE IT IS WE NEED TO GET TO.
AND THEN ON VMU TOO, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EVEN SAYING ON THE BONUS, A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 90 FEET AT 200 FEET AND 90 FEET AT, AT, AT, AT A HUNDRED FEET IS ONLY AN 18% DELTA.
UM, BUT, UH, BUT, UM, UM, I WOULD PRIORITIZE MAKING IT BY, BY RIGHT.
IN ALL KIND OF VMU IN ALL KINDS OF SITUATIONS, JUST BECAUSE I THINK THAT'LL END UP WITH IT BEING USED SO MANY MORE TIMES BY WANTING TO SAY THAT OUT LOUD IN CASE AND WATCHES THE
[04:40:01]
VIDEOS LATER IT'S RIGHT.ANYBODY ELSE WANT TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT VMU TOO ALL BEEN SAID? YES.
JUST THINK LOWERING THE COMPATIBILITY ALONG THE ORANGE AND BLUE LINES IS THE LOWEST OF LOW HANGING FRUIT.
IT REINFORCES ARE NOW THE MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT IN PROJECT CONNECT.
IT STARTS THAT VIRTUOUS CYCLE OF GETTING PEOPLE ALL ALONG A LIGHT RAIL LINE.
UM, ALSO THE, THE, THE PARKING REQUIREMENTS, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE NOT PREPARED AS A COUNCIL TO, YOU KNOW, SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCE, UH, THAT COMPATIBILITY AGAINST SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ALONG, YOU KNOW, THE, THE ORANGE OF BLUE LINES, UM, I, THAT'S A REAL CONCERN.
UH, AND ON THE FLIP SIDE OF IT, I THINK THAT BY FOCUSING ON THE ORANGE AND BLUE LINES, IN TERMS OF VMU IN TERMS OF COMPATIBILITY AND PARKING, WE'RE SENDING A VERY STRONG SIGNAL TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, TO THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION THAT WE'RE SERIOUS ABOUT OUR TRANSIT INVESTMENT.
AND I THINK THAT WILL HELP OUR SECURE, ADDITIONAL FEDERAL FUNDING OR AT THE VERY LEAST MAXIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF FEDERAL FUNDING THAT, UH, THAT, THAT WE'RE GOING TO GET.
SO I GUESS I DON'T SEE IT AS AN, AS AN EITHER OR KIND OF SITUATION, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK WE CAN DO BOTH.
I MEAN, I THINK WE NEED A BROADER, UH, ADJUSTMENT OF, OF COMPATIBILITY AND, AND I APPRECIATE THAT THE WORKING GROUPS ALSO, UH, I, UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO TALKING ABOUT IT, BUT WITH REGARD TO THE LIGHT RAIL LINES, W I, I DO THINK WE HAVE TO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT THE WORKING GROUP IS, UH, IS PROPOSING ON THAT.
AND IF WE CAN GET THAT WITHOUT GIVING UP, UM, BY RIGHT.
I MEAN, FROM A POLICY STANDPOINT, IT'S SOMETHING THAT I, THAT I SUPPORT FOR ALL THE REASONS THAT YOU, THAT YOU GAVE.
UH, BUT ULTIMATELY WE NEEDED TO BE BY RIGHT, FOR ALL THE VMU PLACES THAT ARE BOTH ON AND OFF THE BLUE LINE.
UM, BECAUSE THEN THEY GET PICKED UP BY ITEM 66 AND WE DON'T WANT, UM, THOSE TRACKS THAT WILL BE ENHANCED BY 66 TO HAVE TO GO THROUGH A ZONING CASE.
SO I AGREE WITH YOU FROM A POLICY STANDPOINT, IF, IF, IF, IF THERE'S THE, THE BROADER CONSENSUS TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT ON THE BLUE AND ORANGE LINE, AS YOU MAKE THAT APPEAL AND STILL HAVE IT BY BY, RIGHT.
I I'D BE INTERESTED IN KNOWING IF THERE'S A CONSENSUS TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
I WOULD SUPPORT ME, I THINK BY WRITING, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I WOULD, UH, SUPPORT THAT AS WELL, AND I WILL HASH IT ALL OUT, I GUESS, ON THURSDAY, BUT THANK YOU.
WE READY TO MOVE ON TO NEXT TIME, WHICH IS REALLY THE PREVIOUS ITEM, AND THAT IS THE HOMELESSNESS BRIEFING.
I MEANT TO ASK THE QUESTION MANAGER AND MAY, AND FEEL FREE TO GET BACK TO US WHEN YOU NEED TO, BUT, UM, WHEN IS THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT COMING BACK TO US? YEAH.
CAN I JUST SAY THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THE Q AND A THAT'S RELEVANT TO THIS ISSUE ALTOGETHER.
THAT WAS SUPER, SUPER HELPFUL IN ADDITION TO THE OTHER MATERIALS, BUT THAT WAS REALLY ESPECIALLY HELPFUL.
AND WE'LL TRY TO IDENTIFY IF THERE WAS OTHER TIMES WHERE THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TOO.
AND EVEN IN OUR WORKING OR LIVING WAGE DISCUSSION, THERE WERE PREVIOUS BUDGET Q AND A'S THAT MAYBE WE CAN COMPILE AND MAKE SURE THAT THOSE ARE ACCESSIBLE FOR COUNCIL.
UM, I'VE SEEN A DRAFT, UM, SUMMARY OF SOME OF THE WORK THAT HAS GONE ON SO FAR.
I ASKED THE STAFF TO CONTINUE DOING SOME WORK, UM, AND I THINK THERE SHOULD BE A MEMO UPDATE TO COUNCIL IN THE COMING WEEKS.
AND THEN THERE WOULD BE A DISCUSSION SCHEDULED FOR WORK SESSION POTENTIALLY THAT LAST WEEK IN JULY.
BUT I WILL CHECK ON THAT AND MAKE SURE THAT I HAVE THOSE DATES, RIGHT.
BUT I KNOW THAT THERE HAD BEEN A UPDATE MEMO THAT WAS CIRCULATED AND WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF FINALIZING THAT AND THAT STAKEHOLDER, THE STAKEHOLDER CONVERSATIONS HAVE HAPPENED AND HAVE FED INTO THE MEMO AND THE MEMO IS COMING TO US.
SO WE'D BE POISED FOR CONVERSATION IN JULY.
AND I MISSED THE BEGINNING OF WHAT YOU SAID, KATHY, ON THE DECK.
I WAS JUST TRYING TO, IT JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE IT WAS ON A PATH TO COMING BACK.
MA'AM PER TIME, TIME AS THIS FOR OTHER AGENDA ITEM COMMENTS.
UM, SO I WANTED TO THANK COUNCIL MEMBER TOPO FOR BRINGING ITEMS 67,
[04:45:01]
ABOUT THE HALO CAMERA'S ON SIXTH STREET FORWARD AND WANTED TO BE ASKED TO BE ADDED AS A CO-SPONSOR THAT OKAY.AND THEN, UM, I WANTED TO FLAG FOR COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS THAT I WILL HAVE A, WHAT I HOPE WILL BE A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT FOR 59, THAT WILL BE ACKNOWLEDGING THE ELECTRIFICATION OF TRANSPORTATION RESOLUTION THAT WE HAVE AND THE WORK THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE UNDERWAY, UM, RELATED TO THAT, WHICH RELATES DIRECTLY TO THE E-BIKE, UM, STUFF.
AND WE HOPE TO HAVE THAT UP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, BUT I THINK IT'S MOSTLY A WHEREAS CLAUSE IN THERE, SO IT SHOULD BE FRIENDLY.
CAN'T REMEMBER KITCHEN SAID THAT, UH, UH, BECAUSE SHE WASN'T HERE FOR THE DISCUSSION AND NUMBER 80, SHE HAD A QUESTION OR TWO, SHE HAD QUESTIONS THAT SHE WAS GOING TO POST THEM ON THE MESSAGE BOARD.
SO EVERYBODY SHOULD MAKE SURE THAT WE GO THERE TO LOOK AT THAT.
I'M ALSO WANTING TO FLAG FOR COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS THAT I WILL ALSO BE BRINGING FORWARD WHAT I HOPE TO BE A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT TO THE E-BIKE RESOLUTION.
UH, JUST LOOKING AT ADDING SOME EQUITY IN HOW WE BUILD OUT OUR INFRASTRUCTURE RELATED TO EBIKES, UH, PARTICULARLY AROUND THE STATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
UM, AND SO WE'LL BE SURE TO SHARE THAT, UH, AMENDMENT WITH YOU ONCE IT'S READY.
UH, ANYTHING ELSE WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT BEFORE WE GO TO EXECUTIVE SESSION? YES.
COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER, MADISON EVER SO BRIEFLY.
I THOUGHT WE WERE BRINGING BACK UP THE CONVERSATION ON HOMELESSNESS WHEN I SAW OUR HOUSING STAFF APPROACH, BUT, UM, I GUESS NOT, THERE WAS A SPECIFIC THING THAT COUNCIL MEMBER TOBA WAS GOING TO ASK, BUT ONE THING I WANTED TO ASK EARLIER, AND THIS CAN CERTAINLY BE, UH, UH, SOMETHING WE DISCUSS MOVING FORWARD IS WHAT ARE OUR OPTIONS FOR JUST REMOVING EVERY SINGLE BARRIER THERE MAY BE TO PRODUCING THE HOUSING FOR HOMELESSNESS, HOUSING, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING CONTINUUM OF CARE HOUSING.
I JUST, I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW DO WE JUST MAKE EVERY BARRIER GO AWAY.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
I AM, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION RIGHT NOW.
IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT OCCURRED TO ME AS WE WERE HAVING THAT CONVERSATION.
AND THEN I WAS AT A LUNCHEON TODAY WHERE, YOU KNOW, BUILDERS AND, AND FOLKS IN THAT ARENA WERE TALKING ABOUT CONSTRUCTION COSTS, LABOR COSTS, WHICH MADE ME THINK ABOUT OUR EARLIER CONVERSATION WITH THE LABOR FOLKS AND THEN JUST, YOU KNOW, HOW ALL THOSE THINGS MATTER IN THE END, INCLUDING WHEN YOU ARE ABLE TO PRODUCE THE YIELD.
AND SO JUST, I MEAN, I OBVIOUSLY WOULD LIKE FOR THAT TO EXTEND TO AS WELL, LIKE RODNEY, COULD WE DO THAT? COULD WE PRIORITIZE DEEPLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING, COC, HOUSING PFA? SURE.
HERE ARE TWO COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS THAT ARE PERTINENT TO THIS DISCUSSION.
THE FIRST REQUEST IS A REPORT FROM DSD ON PROCESSING TIMEFRAMES AND JUST OVERALL CONTEXT OF PERMITTING.
AND SO THAT IS IN THE WORKS AND SHOULD BE COMING TO COUNCIL VERY SOON.
AND THEN THE OTHER RESOLUTION IS TO DEVELOP SOME SORT OF PRIORITIZED ASPECT FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROJECTS.
AND WE'VE WORKED WITH THE HOMELESS SERVICES OFFICE AS WELL AS HOUSING AND PLANNING TO DEVELOP A RECOMMENDATION.
AND SO THAT WILL BE COMING TO COUNCIL AS WELL.
UM, AT THE HEART OF IT, OF COURSE, WHEN YOU SEE THIS, OF COURSE, UM, WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS TARGET THOSE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROJECTS THAT HAVE A GOOD QUANTITY OF PSH THAT ALSO HAVE THE WRAPAROUND SERVICES.
AND SO THAT'S WHERE, UM, OUR CONCERN LIES IS SO THAT WAY IT'S NOT ONE OR TWO WITHIN THE COMPLEX OF 300, BUT RATHER A GOOD QUANTITY, IF YOU WILL, A PSH THAT, UM, THAT THE WHOLE ENTIRE PROJECT ADMITTED BENEFIT FROM.
SO, UH, WE'RE COMING FORWARD WITH THAT INFORMATION TO COUNCIL.
AND I THINK AT THIS POINT, UM, UM, THE HOUSING FOLKS THAT HAVE THE HOMELESSNESS FOLKS, DIANA CAN TELL YOU EXACTLY WHAT PROJECTS ARE THAT CONSTITUTE THE 1300 UNITS THAT WE'RE HOPING COME ONLINE AND START HELPING PEOPLE WITHIN THE NEXT THREE YEARS.
AND I THINK THAT WHILE THERE COULD CERTAINLY BE ADDITIONS LATER, WE KNOW WHAT THOSE PROJECTS ARE EXACTLY.
AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE WORKING WITH THE HOMELESS SERVICES OFFICE IS BECAUSE THEY KNOW THOSE PROJECTS AND THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT WE DO WANT TO PRIORITIZE.
AND THEN ALSO THERE IS A THIRD PIECE IN THAT IS THAT DSD ADDED A POSITION, UM, IN THE CURRENT BUDGET YEAR, A POSITION SPECIFICALLY TO HELP OUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS IN GENERAL, UH, GET THROUGH THE PROCESS FASTER.
SO THESE ARE, THIS IS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO HELPS TO BIRD DOG, ANY ISSUES THAT ARISE DURING THE APPLICATION PROCESS.
UM, SO THAT WAY THEY CAN MAKE THE PROCESS SMOOTHER FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS, WHICH I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.
I THINK I WAS THINKING SPECIFICALLY MORE RADICAL, JUST ENTIRELY
[04:50:02]
ANY BARRIER WHATSOEVER, PUT A STAMP ON IT AND SAY, IF IT'S FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING IS IF IT'S FOR HOMELESSNESS HOUSING, IF IT'S FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING, JUST NO BARRIERS WHATSOEVER.I REALIZE THAT'S GOING TO BE A STRETCH, BUT THAT'S WHAT I WAS SAYING.
YEAH, IT'S, IT'S A LONG DISCUSSION BECAUSE OF, AT THE HEART OF IT IS WE'VE GOT A LOT OF REGULATIONS THAT APPLY AND WE CAN'T SIDE SET THOSE REGULATIONS.
WE HAVE TO ENFORCE THOSE, UH, THOSE ARE ORDINANCES.
UM, AND SO IT TAKES A OF COURSE STAFF TIME TO REVIEW THOSE, TO ENSURE THAT THESE PROJECTS ARE FULLY COMPLIANT, UM, AND NOT EVERY APPLICATION MEETS THE ORDINANCE, UM, AS IT SHOULD.
AND SO THERE IN LIES, THE DISCUSSION IS WHEN AN APPLICATION DOESN'T MEET THE ORDINANCE, HOWEVER REVIEWERS CATCH IT AND THEY SEND IT BACK TO THE APPLICANTS AND SAY, SORRY, BUT YOU DO MEET THE ORDINANCE.
AND YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S A DUAL PROCESS BETWEEN THE APPLICANT AND, AND STAFF, UM, AND STAMPS, UH, CHARGE IS VERY IMPORTANT.
WE HAVE TO ENFORCE THESE REGULATIONS.
WE CANNOT ALLOW ANY PROJECT NOT TO DO THAT, BUT TO THAT END, RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE AND THE EXISTENTIAL NATURE OF WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH HERE FOR THE CITY'S SURVIVAL, IF WE SHOULD CHANGE SOME ORDINANCES WITH RESPECT TO THESE KINDS OF PROPERTIES, IF THEY'RE GETTING HUNG UP IN A PLACE, COME BACK AND SAY, EVERYBODY'S GETTING HUNG UP ON THIS ONE, CHANGE THIS ORDINANCE.
IF THIS IS WHERE YOU MEAN, I DON'T THINK THAT THE PRIORITY THAT THE COUNCIL HAS WITH RESPECT TO GETTING THESE THINGS DONE FAST AND FASTER THAN FAST IS, IS BEING REFLECTED.
AND WE WERE TRYING TO PICK UP A YEAR.
SO DON'T FEEL BOUND BY AN ORDINANCE, COME BACK AND SAY, DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE THIS ORDINANCE? OR IF IT'S A STAFFING ISSUE, OR IF IT'S A PRIORITIZATION ISSUE, IF IT'S MORE PEOPLE WE WERE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT TO HELP THEM, HOW DO WE TAKE A YEAR OFF THE PROCESS? BECAUSE IF WE CAN GET THESE UNITS UP A YEAR EARLIER, WHAT WE'RE BEING TOLD FROM THE DEVELOPERS IS THAT THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A THREE-YEAR PROCESS IN A YEAR AND A HALF OF IT IS, IS TAKEN UP IN DEVELOPMENT PROCESS WITH THE CITY.
SO IF WE HAD MEETINGS EVERY MONDAY AND WE BROUGHT IN ALL OF THE DEPARTMENT HEADS AND EVERYBODY WAS WORKING ON THE APPLICATIONS AT THE SAME TIME, OR WE HELPED PEOPLE GET THROUGH THEIR APPLICATIONS SO THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO GO BACK AND FORTH AS MUCH.
I MEAN, AND I, AND I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND THAT A LOT OF THESE REGULATIONS ARE ROOTED IN COUNCIL POLICY.
AND SO THERE IN LIES THE COMPLEX, RIGHT? CAN YOU TALK TO US WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS IF YOU CAN'T GET THEM OUT A YEAR EARLIER, DON'T FEEL LIKE YOU'RE BOUND BY ANYTHING, COME BACK TO US AND GIVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO MAKE CHANGES SO THAT WE CAN GET THESE THINGS ONLINE A YEAR FASTER.
I WOULD SAY, BUT THAT DOESN'T EXTEND TO HEALTH AND SAFETY OF OCCUPANTS OR THE WORKERS WHO MIGHT BE ON THE SITE WHO ARE DOING THE BUILDING.
I MEAN, IT'S ONE THING TO DO AWAY WITH EVERYTHING.
I WASN'T SAYING WE WERE GOING TO, I WASN'T SAYING WIPED THEM ALL OUT.
NO, THAT'S, THAT IS WHAT SOME OF THE CONVERSATION WAS.
HOW DO WE ELIMINATE ALL THE ORDINANCES AND THE REGULATIONS AND THE BARS AND THE BARRIERS.
AND I'M SAYING THAT, YES, WE ALSO HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE ARE REASONS FOR SOME OF THEM.
AND I DON'T THINK ANY OF US INTEND TO BE SAYING THAT WE WOULD DO AWAY WITH HEALTH AND SAFETY AND WORKER PROTECTION.
NO, NO, THEY'RE ALL IMPORTANT.
AND THEY'RE THERE FOR A REASON.
I JUST WANTED TO COME BACK AND SAY, IF YOU WANT TO SPEED THIS UP BY FIVE MONTHS, THIS IS A CHANGE YOU WOULD MAKE.
AND THE COUNSELOR COULD LOOK AT IT AND SAY, WELL, CLEARLY YOU'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE THAT'S GREAT.
BUT WE ALSO NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT SENDING A SIGNAL TO ANYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY THAT WE ARE CONTEMPLATING, EVEN LOOKING AT ELIMINATING EVERY SINGLE ORDINANCE IN ORDER TO HAVE THINGS JUST GET BUILT, THEN IT'S ALL TICKY-TACKY AND IT DOESN'T LAST AND THERE'S ALL KINDS OF ISSUES PROPOSING THAT.
I WOULD NOT BE, DIDN'T THINK THAT THAT WAS REALLY WHAT WAS BEING SAID HERE.
WANTED TO CONFIRM THAT AND, AND FROM THAT UP.
WE'RE GOING TO ADJOURN THIS MEETING AT FOUR 15.
LET'S SEE IF WE CAN GET, UM, UH, INTO, UH, EXECUTIVE SESSION IF, UM, UH, BUT WE'RE RECESSING.
[Executive Session]
SO WE CAN GO INTO, UH, UH, EXECUTIVE SESSION AND IN THAT REGARD, MM.WE'RE NOT GOING TO GO INTO CLOSED SESSION AND TAKE UP FOUR ITEMS PURSUANT TO 5, 5, 1 0 7 FOR THE GOVERNMENT CODE.
WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSS PERSONNEL MATTERS RELATED TO ITEMS
WE'LL GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
SO YOU ALL IN FIVE MINUTES, YOU'RE READY.
HI, THEN WE ARE OUT OF CLOSED SESSION.
I WAS JUST MAKING SURE THAT THIS SHOULD BE PRIMARILY OKAY.
[04:55:01]
ALL RIGHT.WE'RE AT A CLOSED SESSION AND CLOSED SESSION.
WE DISCUSS PERSONNEL ISSUES RELATED TO ITEMS. YOU WOULD EAT TWO E THREE AND E FOUR.
AND THIS, UH, WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND ADJOURN.
THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION HERE ON JUNE 7TH, 2022.