Aug 19, 2022 Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilities

IT LOOKS

[00:00:01]

[CALL TO ORDER]

WE HAVE SIX VISUALLY, BUT I'M GOING TO CALL OUT NAMES.

UH, I AM CHAIR JONATHAN FRANKS, VICE CHAIRMAN TRACK.

DIANE , DORIAN, BERT, CATHERINE BROADWATER.

DIANE'S CURRENT ALSO, WELL, ROBIN, ALASKA, JENNIFER S PAL AND DEBORAH CHERRY HILL PRESIDENT.

AWESOME.

WE HAVE QUORUM.

THIS MEETING IS NOW OFFICIAL.

UM, COMMISSIONER POWELL HAS BEEN, UM, JUMPING IN AND OUT, WHICH HAS HAD SOME TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY.

SO IF SHE'S ABLE TO JOIN US LATER, WE WILL.

OKAY, COOL.

OKAY.

WE'RE GOOD ON QUORUM SO WE CAN PROCEED WITH THE MEETING.

SO

[1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES]

ARE THERE ANY DISCUSSION REGARDING THE LAST MEETING'S MINUTES? THIS IS COMMISSIONER TRIAC AND IT LOOKED LIKE UNDER NEW BUSINESS, THERE WAS NO REFERENCE TO ITEMS, A B, C, OR D.

THE ONLY THING LISTED UNDER NEW BUSINESS IS TABLE ITEMS, ENF TWO JULY MEETING.

SO IT SEEMS LIKE THAT IS AN OMISSION VIDEO NAME.

I'M GOING TO HAVE TO RE SEE THE ORIGINAL FILE BECAUSE THERE WERE NOTES FOR EIGHT THROUGH WHAT DOES THAT A THROUGH D I REMEMBER BEING NOTES ON THERE.

SO MY APOLOGIES, I HAVE TO GO BACK AND SEE WHAT HAPPENED.

AND THEN, UM, AFTER WE POSTED, AND THE ONLY THING WE CAN, WE CAN DO THE FOLLOWING IS WE CAN MOVE THIS OR WE CAN IMPROVE IT AND AMEND IT, I BELIEVE, OR WE CAN VOTE ON IT.

AND THEN AMENDED THE FLOOR IS OPEN FOR THE COMMISSION REGARDING THIS ISSUE.

THIS IS COMMISSIONER TRACK.

I WOULD PREFER TO VOTE ON IT AFTER WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE VOTING ON RATHER THAN HAVE TO GO BACK AND AMEND IT LATER.

SO THAT WOULD BE MY PREFERENCE.

ANY OTHER THOUGHTS AND MAKE SURE THAT I VOTE HERE.

SOUNDS GOOD TO ME.

I AGREE WITH THAT.

WE CAN JUST, WE CAN JUST TABLE THOSE TO THE NEXT MEETING, BUT ONE, BUT GET THEM CORRECTED TO PASS.

UM, WE'RE GOOD.

YEAH.

SO WE CAN WE'LL TABLE IT TO THE NEXT MEETING.

ALL RIGHT.

MOVING

[2. Staff briefing regard an update on Office of Civil Rights Support (Pantoja/Alexander)]

YES, SIR.

GOOD EVENING EVERYONE.

UM, MY NAME IS DAMIEN .

UH, WE HAVE A LOT OF YOU FOLKS ARE HAVING ENGAGED.

HAVE WE WE'VE COMMUNICATED BEFORE ALSO JUST WANTED TO GIVE AN UPDATE ON OUR OFFICE CIVIL RIGHTS.

UH, WE WILL BE ADDING SOME ADDITIONAL SUPPORT.

AND THEN I ALSO WANT TO INTRODUCE YOU TO OUR, UM, OUR INTERIM DIRECTOR, UM, FOR THE SUPPORT, BUT THAT MEANS IS JACQUELINE ALEXANDER.

SHE'LL GO AHEAD AND SUPPORT ME AND, UH, PROVIDING THE SUPPORT THAT YOU ALL NEED ON BEHALF OF THE CITY.

UM, SLOWLY AND SURELY, IT WILL BE, IT'LL BE SHIRLEY, JUST, UM, MIX ALEXANDER, BUT WE'LL BE BOTH OF US FOR THE TIME BEING UNTIL WE FIND A GOOD TRANSITION POINT.

UM, AND SECONDLY, I WOULD LIKE FOR EVERYONE TO MEET OUR INTERIM DIRECTOR TIMELESS ON TANYA SHE'S ON THE SCREEN.

UM, YOU'RE MORE THAN HAPPY TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF AS WELL, MAN.

THANK YOU.

HI, I'M DR.

.

I AM CURRENTLY SERVING AS THE ACTING DIRECTOR FOR THE OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS.

I WAS APPOINTED BY THE CITY MANAGER AS WELL AS OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER.

UH, I HAVE BEEN WITH THE CITY FOR EIGHT YEARS.

I AM CURRENTLY ALSO THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR THE SMALLER MINORITY BUSINESS RESOURCES DEPARTMENT.

UM, WE HAVE WORKED ON SIMILAR AREAS, UM, WITH THE OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS.

SO THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAMMING AREA, UH, I HAVE A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE AND CIVIL RIGHTS, AND I AM EXCITED TO JOIN THE TEAM.

UH, I HAVE BEEN MAKING SOME SIGNIFICANT STRIDES, UM, IN THE OFFICE TO INCLUDE LOOKING AT EACH STAFF AND THEIR WORKLOAD, UH, WHAT THEY ARE WE'RE HIRED TO DO.

UH, AND AS DAMIEN MENTIONED, AND, UH, HAVE BEEN LOOKING TO WANT TO DO

[00:05:01]

UH, I AM LOOKING HAVE REASSIGNED, SOME STAFF TO SUPPORT INDIVIDUAL COMMISSIONS AND ALSO ASSIGN BACKUP AS, UH, BACKUPS FOR EACH OF THE COMMISSION, UH, AND WE'LL HAVE ONGOING ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT TO, UH, SUPPORT THE COMMISSIONS.

SO I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE, TO WORK WITH YOU ALL, UM, ANYTHING, UH, YOU NEED, UH, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT TO US AND WE'LL CERTAINLY DO OUR BEST TO ASSIST YOU.

UH, I WILL SAY FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, I WILL ASK FOR YOUR PATIENCE, UH, WITH OUR TEAM, UH, JACQUELINE DAMIAN ARE BOTH NEW TO THE CITY NOTES OF THIS, UM, PROCESS.

UH, AS YOU ALL KNOW, IT'S A VERY EXTENSIVE PROCESS OF POSTING AGENDAS GETTING ME A MEETING, A MEETING MINUTES, UH, BUT WE ARE DOING OUR BEST.

WE'VE ADDED SOME ADDITIONAL TECHNICAL SUPPORT.

UH, WE HAVE, UH, ADDED US EVEN SOFTWARE TO ASSIST WITH MEETING MINUTES.

AND SO THINGS LIKE MISSING ITEMS, THEY WOULD GET THIS, THEY WOULD GET THAT, UM, SHOULD, UM, SHOULD BE IMPROVED.

UH, SO AGAIN, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENTS AND THE PATIENTS YOU HAVE SHOWN, UH, TO THE OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS AS WE GET KICKED OFF AS A DEPARTMENT.

GREAT.

THANK YOU.

WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU FOR THAT.

UM, ANOTHER UPDATE WOULD BE FOR THE ATTENDANCE AND QUARTERLY AND A YEAR TO DATE.

I WENT AHEAD AND SUBMIT A THOUGHT, UM, TO THE CLERK'S OFFICE.

EVERYONE HEARS GOOD, NO ONE THERE'S NO QUESTIONS REGARDING YOUR ATTENDANCE.

EVERYONE IS IN GOOD STANDING.

UM, THERE ARE COMMISSIONERS WHO I DID HAVE TO REPORT TO, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S, I'M GONNA LEAVE THAT WITH THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE.

UM, BECAUSE I DID STRESS OUT THAT WHEN WE HAVE, WHEN WE HAVE VACANCIES, WHICH WE HAVE ONE, AND THEN WE WILL ONLY HAVE, UM, MEMBERS WHO AREN'T COMMISSIONERS, WHO ARE NOT AS ACTIVE.

IT DOES MAKE MEETING QUORUM A LITTLE DIFFICULT TO WE'RE RUNNING INTO, INTO THIS MOMENT LIKE WE DID TODAY.

UM, AND JUST TO BE CLEAR, WE DO HAVE ONE VACANT AND, UM, TWO WERE SENT OVER TO THE CLERK'S OFFICE AND THEN THERE'S ONE COMMISSIONER WHO IS STILL IN A GOOD POSITION, BUT THAT CAN CHANGE IF THEY DON'T START COMING.

UM, AND THEN THE LASTLY IS THE FORMATTING.

UM, THERE WAS MENTIONED EARLIER ABOUT THE OLD FORMATTING, BECAUSE WE HAD NOT MET SINCE THEN.

UM, THE FORMATTING FOR THE AGENDA HAS CHANGED.

I'M NOT SURE IF MOST, IF ANY OF YOU NOTICED, UM, BUT IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

AND I HAVE, YOU'RE WANTING TO KNOW EXACTLY WHY THE CHANGES WERE MADE.

I CAN ALSO SHARE THE TEMPLATE, WHICH GIVES THE REASONING TO WHY THERE'S A, AN UPDATED FORMATTING FOR THE AGENDA.

AND THAT IS IT ON MY END.

ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE WE PROCEED HEARING NONE,

[5. Presentation by Sergio Torres-Peralta with Office of Sustainability regarding work towards making Austin’s first-ever Floor Plan]

YES.

YOU PRONOUNCE THAT CORRECTLY.

I APPRECIATE THE, UH, CHECKING ON THAT.

UM, BUT UH, GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.

MY NAME IS .

I AM THE FOOD AND RESILIENCE COORDINATOR FOR THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY.

AND, UH, LIKE YOU COMMISSIONER MENTIONED, UH, WE'LL BE TALKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR REGIONAL FOOD SYSTEM PLANNING.

MATTER OF FACT, WE'LL BE AUSTIN'S FIRST, UM, FOOD PLAN.

SO, UM, SEE IF I GOT SLIGHTS AVAILABLE, JUST GOING TO SHARE MY SCREEN REAL QUICK.

ONE SECOND.

FORTUNATELY, I CANNOT SHARE MY SCREEN, UH, GIVEN THE PERMISSIONS OF THIS PLATFORM.

UM, BUT I'LL BE GIVING YOU A VERBAL UPDATE THEN.

UM, SO THE FOOD PLANNING PROCESS, UM, WE ARE BASICALLY, UH, STARTING THIS PROCESS, UM, AFTER A RESOLUTION PASSED BY CITY COUNCIL LAST YEAR THAT, UM, IN FACT, UM, PARTIALLY PROMPTED BY WINTER SOME URI AND THE COVID EPIDEMIC, UM, PROMPTED THE SEED MANAGER TO DEVELOP A REGIONAL, UH, REGIONAL FOOD PLAN FOR THE CITY.

AND THE COUNTY DO ADDRESS SEVERAL OF THE ISSUES THAT OUR CITY AND OUR COMMUNITY IS DEALING WITH.

UM, CURRENTLY, UH,

[00:10:01]

WE HAVE, UH, ROUGHLY 18 SIP COATS WITHOUT A FULL SERVICE GROCERY STORE OUT OF A, ROUGHLY 47, MEANING THAT PEOPLE NOT ONLY HAVE TO, UH, EITHER TRAVEL FARTHER TO GET THE FULL SERVICE GROCERY SOURCE IF THEY LIVE IN THE SIP COATS.

UM, BUT ALSO IT ADDS A NUANCE TO THE ISSUE THAT WHAT IF THEY DON'T HAVE A TRANSPORT OR WHAT IF THEY RELY ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT THEM, THEY LIVE IN A ZIP CODE THAT DOESN'T HAVE A LOT OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT.

ALL THESE, UH, AFFECTS THEIR, UM, FOOD SECURITY, OF COURSE.

UM, WE'RE ALSO DEALING WITH AN ISSUE OF WE'RE LOSING PERFORMANCE, 16.8 ACRES OF FARM ON THAT ARE BEING LOST EVERY DAY TO DEVELOPING AND TRAVIS COUNTY.

UM, BUT BASICALLY THE AVAILABLE LAND THAT COULD BE USED FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES, IT IS BEING TURNED INTO HIGHER DEVELOPMENT OR COMMERCIAL USES THAT REMOVE THAT LAND FROM BEING USED FOR OUR PORTFOLIO PURPOSES.

THIS IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE FACT THAT, UH, HERE IN THE COUNTY, WE ONLY CONSUME ROUGHLY BASICALLY 1% OF THE FOOD THAT WE CONSUME IN THE COUNTY IS PRODUCED LOCALLY, LESS THAN 1%.

MATTER OF FACT, MEANING THAT THE FOOD IT GROWS OUT OF THE COUNTRY OUT OF THE STATE, PERHAPS JUST GROWS EVERYWHERE AND JUST NOT IN THE COUNTY.

SO OF COURSE, WHEN YOU PAIR THAT WITH HOW MUCH LAND WE'RE LOSING EVERY DAY, UH, AND HOW MUCH SUPPORT WE WANT TO GIVE TO OUR LOCAL FARMERS, IT BECOMES A LITTLE COMPLICATED WHEN SECURING, UH, JUST FOOD, FOOD PRODUCTION IN THE AREA.

UH, AND I'M TALKING TO THAT.

WE'RE JUST PUTTING A LOT OF, UH, ABOUT ONE POINT 24 MILLION POUNDS OF FOOD INTO THE, UH, LANDFILLS, WHICH OF COURSE, UH, WHAT WE ARE DEALING WITH ISSUES, WHICH FINISHED SECURITY.

WE HAVE THE TACKLE.

SO HOW MUCH GOOD WORK, UH, TRY AND WAIT.

UH, SO WHAT IS A FOOD PLAN? UH, IT'S ESSENTIALLY A ROADMAP TO TACKLE ALL THESE ISSUES AND MORE, UH, WE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT A LOT OF THESE ISSUES ARE ROOTED IN, UH, NOT JUST, UH, CATASTROPHES, UH, SHOWS HISTORICAL ISSUES, BUT ALL THE POLICIES AND A FOOD PLAN WILL SET, UH, GOALS AND HIS STRATEGIES THAT CAN ADDRESS HIS TEACHERS FROM POLICYMAKING STANDPOINT.

IT WILL ALSO GIVE, UH, A ROADMAP, NOT JUST FOR, UH, CITY OF BOSTON STAFF, BUT ALSO TO PARTNERING ORGANIZATIONS OR NONPROFITS THAT MAY WANT TO LOOK AT TACKLING ISSUES AND, UH, ESSENTIALLY FORMING A UNIFIED FRONT TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUES.

NOW, WE ALSO NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE SASTERS AND HOW WE ARE DEALING WITH THEM.

LIKE I MENTIONED EARLIER, A URI AND COVID SORT OF EXPOSED A LOT OF THE ISSUES THAT WE ARE DEALING WITH, IF NOT EXACERBATED THEM TO THE POINT WHERE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO JUST NOT LOOK AT THEM ANYMORE.

UM, SO HOW WE DEAL WITH DISASTERS, WE WILL NEED ESSENTIALLY A PLAN AND WE'RE WORKING WITH , UH, TO DEVELOP SOMETHING CALLED A, UH, FOOD AND WATER, UH, EMERGENCY ACCESS APPENDIX THAT WILL BE PAIRED WITH THE FOOD PLAN TO NOT ONLY GIVE US A, AN IDEA OF HOW TO DEAL WITH THESE SYSTEMIC ISSUES, BUT ALSO A ROADMAP TO HOW TO DEAL WHEN, UH, AMERICAN SIX HAP NOT EVEN FAMILIAR TO SEVEN, JUST WHAT COULD BE A HEAT WAVE.

IT COULD BE A FLOOD NUMBER OF THINGS.

SO WHERE ARE WE NOW, UM, COMING IN, WE'LL BE PUBLISHING A BASELINE ASSESSMENT.

UH, WE'D LIKE TO CALL IT THE STATE OF THE FOOD SYSTEM, 2022.

AND, UH, SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE BEEN FAMILIAR WITH THE REPORTS THAT OUR OFFICE HAVE MADE IN THE PAST.

UH, THEY CAN BE QUITE COMPREHENSIVE.

THIS ONE WILL BE DEEP, MOST COMPREHENSIVE ONE, UH, HAVING NOT ONLY UPDATED DATA, BUT ALSO, UM, IT WILL SERVE AS A FOUNDATIONAL DOCUMENT FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING TO BE WORKING ON THE FOOD PLANNING PROCESS AS, UH, THESE DOCUMENT WILL POSE, UH, SPECIFIC KEY QUESTIONS THAT WE THINK TO ANSWER TWO DIFFERENT PLANNING PROCESS.

THERE IS A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT STILL BEFORE FOOD SYSTEM, AND WE WILL LIKE TO WORK THROUGH THE FOOD PLAN AND PROCESS, GET TO THOSE HAZARDS.

UM, SO HOW ARE WE GOING TO GET TO, UH, OUR FOOD PLAN? WE ARE GOING TO BE DOING A SEVERAL, UM, RANGE OF ENGAGEMENT, ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO OUR COMMUNITY TO GATHER THEIR INPUT, NOT JUST USING THEIR, UM, BOYS THROUGH SURVEYS, BUT WE WANT TO HEAR THEIR LIVED

[00:15:01]

WE WANT TO HEAR FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE MOSTLY AFFECTED BY THE ISSUES OF THE POOP SYSTEM AND GATHERING THEIR EXPERTISE AND CHANNEL THAT INTO MAKING A DIFFERENT BLEND.

SO WE ARE GOING TO BE WORKING WITH SOMETHING CALLED ISSUE, ERA GROUPS, WHICH ARE GOING TO BE FORMED BY, UH, SOMETHING CALLED A COMMUNITY DEVICE OR ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

THE ISSUE ERIC MOVES WILL BE THE MATIC EXPERTS WILL BE GROUPS THAT COULD BE ABOUT LABOR, COULD BE ABOUT PRODUCTION, UH, OR ANY TOPIC THAT WE'LL PROVIDE.

AGAIN, THE X TO MADIGAN EXPERTISE DUE TO FOOD PLANNING PROCESS.

THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE WILL BE A TEAM OF ROUGHLY 15 TO 30 PEOPLE.

UH, THERE WILL BE CAREFULLY SELECTED THAT WILL BE REFLECTING THE DIVERSITY OF OUR COMMUNITY.

WE WANT THIS, UH, STEERING COMMITTEE TO BE 15, 50% PLUS COMMUNITIES OF CALLERS AND 50% PLUS NOT, UH, PEOPLE IN EXECUTIVE POSITIONS AT A LOCAL NONPROFITS.

WE TEND TO ALWAYS HAVE THE SAME PARTICIPANTS IN PLANNING PROCESSES THAT WE WANT TO WHILE OPEN THE DOOR FOR THEM TO PARTICIPATE.

BUT WE ALSO WANT TO HEAR THE MOST FROM THE PEOPLE THAT ARE MOSTLY AFFECTED BY FOOD ISSUES IN THE CITY.

SO COMING THIS YEAR IN THIS FALL, WE'RE GOING TO BE NOT JUST PUBLISHING THE STATE OF ROOTS OF SNIPPET.

WE'RE ALSO GOING TO BE LAUNCHING, UM, AN OUTREACH CAMPAIGN TO SELECT OUR COMMUNITY ADVISOR COMPETING.

WE HAVE SELECTED A CONSULTANT CALLED WALLER NICKELS AND ASSOCIATES THAT WILL BE HELPING US, UH, THE OFFICERS, THE INABILITY TO, UM, PLAN OR PLAN.

ESSENTIALLY, ONCE WE HAVE SELECTED THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE, UH, WE WILL DO THE BEST WE CAN TO PROVIDE AN ACCOMMODATION SUGGESTED STATEMENTS.

UH, IF THEY NEED, UH, TRANSPORTATION ACCOMMODATIONS, WE WILL EAT TO ACCOMMODATE THAT AS WELL.

TECHNOLOGY AND PORT TRANSLATION SERVICES, IF NEEDED.

WE WILL ALSO NEED TO ACCOMMODATE FOR OTHER THINGS THAT MAY ARISE SUCH AS CHILDCARE, UM, AND OR LANGUAGE OR ACCESS, UH, ACCOMMODATIONS.

AGAIN, WE WANT TO BE AS INCLUSIVE AS WE CAN JUST ACKNOWLEDGING THAT HISTORICALLY TO BLANK PROCESS THAT THE CITY, THESE FOLKS HAVE BEEN EXCLUDED, AND THERE HADN'T BEEN MUCH OF A CHANCE FOR FOLKS TO SPEAK UP.

SO AGAIN, WE WANT TO CHANNEL THE LIVE EXPERIENCE OF OUR COMMUNITY INTO MAKING THE GOALS AND THE STRATEGIES THAT CAN FEASIBLY TACKLE THE ISSUES THAT WE ARE DEALING WITH THE CITY AND HOW WE WANT TO DO THAT IS WE WANT BASICALLY OUR FOOD PLAN.

WE WANT IT TO MAKE A, UH, MAKE IT TO BE A PLAN OF PLANTS.

AND BY BEING A PLAN OF PLANS MEANS THAT WE WANT TO WORK, UH, BUILT ON THE EXISTING WORK OF OTHER PLANNING PROCESSES TO IN TANDEM WORK TOGETHER TO SOLVE THE ISSUES.

UM, WE HAVE NOTICED THAT FOOD IS A PREVALENT ISSUE AMONG MANY OF THE ISSUES IN OUR COMMUNITY, UH, RANGING FROM, UH, HEALTH, UH, MEANING FROM, UM, HOW PERSON REGIONALS, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN THEY, UH, TALK ABOUT PUTTING SUPPORT IN COMMUNITY GARDENS, UH, LIKE WATER AND WATER ACCESS.

UM, SO WE WANT TO GRAB ALL THE STRATEGIES AND GOALS THAT EVERYONE IS WORKING ON AND BUILT ON IT TOGETHER.

UM, SO ONE OF THE EXTRA, AND FOR, UH, THIS COMMISSION WE'LL LIKE TO NOTE IS, UM, WHO IN OUR COMMUNITY WILL BE THE BEST, UH, CANDIDATE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROCESS.

UM, WHILE WE HAVE AN IDEA OF WHO SHOULD WE REACH OUT TO, UH, AND WE BE REACHING OUT TO SEVERAL WORSEN COMMISSIONS.

UM, MANY OF YOU HAVE PROBABLY KNOWN ABOUT THAT.

UM, WE WILL LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU AND THE COMMUNITIES THEMSELVES TO SEE IF THEY HAVE ANY IDEAS, ANY FEEDBACK RELATED ON HOW THEY CAN STAY MORE INVOLVED IN THIS PLANNING PROCESS.

UM, SO OF COURSE WE WANT TO CENTER ON EVERYTHING THAT WE DO ON EQUITY AND, UH, THESE OUTREACH EFFORTS ARE A PART OF AN ONGOING EFFORT TO, AND AGAIN, AND ENSURE THAT ALL VOICES ARE HEARD, ESPECIALLY WHEN DOING, WHEN DEALING WITH SOMETHING AS UNIVERSALLY, UM, THAT AFFECTS US SO MUCH AS FOOD.

UH, I WILL LIKE TO, UH, OPEN, UM, THIS MEETING TO DISCUSSION, IF YOU WILL LIKE TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS, ANY, UH, FEEDBACK, UH, I'M ALL EARS, AND I WILL DO MY BEST TO ANSWER THEM.

GREAT.

FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORT.

UM, WHAT SOME OF THE PLIGHTS OF PEOPLE DISABILITIES IS OBVIOUSLY FOOD DESERTS,

[00:20:01]

AND I DEFINITELY APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS THAT YOU'RE DOING, AND DEFINITELY IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US AS PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES OR THOSE WHO ARE ADVOCATING FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES TO GET THEIR VOICES HEARD.

SO, UM, I'M GONNA OPEN THE FLOOR UP TO ANY COMMISSIONER WHO HAS ANY QUESTIONS, ANY COMMENTS? SO MY QUESTION IS, IS THERE A TARGET DATE FOR THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TO START? UM, UH, YES, WE HAVE A ROUGH ESTIMATE OF HOW, UH, THE TIMELINE IS GONNA LOOK LIKE.

UH, WE JUST IMPORTED OUR CONSULTANT, UH, ABOUT A WEEK AND WE'LL BE DOING A FORMAL LAUNCH, UH, HOPEFULLY IN THE COMING WEEKS.

UM, THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE WILL BE THE VERY FIRST PART OF THE LAWN, THE FOOD PLANNING PROCESS, AND WE ARE HOPING THAT THAT CAN BE ACHIEVED, UH, WITHIN A COUPLE OF MONTHS, UH, HOPEFULLY GIVEN THE CAPABILITY, THE CAPACITY OF OUR, UH, CONSULTANT, UH, AND GIVEN HOW FAST WE MOVE TO, UM, WEARING AN EQUITY CONSULTANT.

UH, THE, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO MENTION THAT THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE WILL UNDERGO A SERIES OF WORKSHOPS TO SORT OF GET ON THE SAME PAGE REGARDING EQUITY.

IF WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A BODY OF, UM, ON A STEERING COMMITTEE THAT WILL BE DEALING MAINLY WITH THE ISSUES IN OUR COMMUNITY.

WE'LL LIKE TO ALSO HAVE A COMMON UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE THIS ISSUES STEM FROM.

UH, SO AGAIN, WE ARE LOOKING AT ROUGHLY A COUPLE OF MONTHS, UH, HOPEFULLY ON NOVEMBER, UH, TO HAVE, UH, A FINAL SELECTION OR AT LEAST HAVE A GOOD IDEA OF WHO OUR, UH, COMMITTEE THAT ADVISORY COMMITTEE WILL BE.

SO NEXT YEAR, STARTING, HOPEFULLY IN JANUARY, WE CAN START DOING, UH, OUR SERIES AS OF ENGAGEMENT OF THE FIRST, UH, PHASE OF ENGAGEMENT.

WE'LL SEEK TO BASICALLY GATHER INPUT FROM OUR COMMUNITY, EITHER THROUGH, UM, JUST SURVEYS OR THE ISSUE AREA GROUPS, UH, TO THEN MOVE TO A SECOND PHASE WHERE WE ESSENTIALLY WILL COME OUT WITH A PROPOSAL.

AND THEN HOPEFULLY IN A THIRD PHASE OF ENGAGEMENT, THIS PROPOSAL WILL BE REVIEWED.

SO WE CAN HAVE A DRAFT THAT WE CAN SEND TO COUNCIL, UH, EARLY IN 2024.

SO WE'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF LONG OF NOT JUST ENGAGEMENT, BUT ALSO PLANNING, VISIONING, AND COORDINATING WITH OUR COMMUNITY TO MAKE OUR PLANS AND STRATEGIES.

OKAY.

THE FLOOR IS OPEN FOR ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS.

OKAY.

SO YOU MENTIONED A LITTLE OVER A DOZEN ZIP CODES.

ARE THERE CERTAIN PARTS OF AUSTIN THAT ARE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN OTHERS REGARD TO THOSE ZIP CODES? UH, YES.

UM, MOST OF THEM WILL BE, UH, ON EASTER GRASS AND, UM, BASICALLY EASE THE BY 35, UM, WEAVING, UH, TALKING A LOT ABOUT, UH, SOME, UH, PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOODS.

IMAGINE THE VALLEY, WHICH MAY BE SLIGHTLY OUTSIDE OF BOSTON, BUT THEY CURRENTLY DON'T HAVE VEHICLES EVERY GROCERY.

AND WHEREAS IF YOU GO JUST WEST OF , PERHAPS IF YOU GO WEST MOPAC, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE MANY MORE GROCERY STORES IN THAT AREA.

THIS OF COURSE HAS BEEN QUITE A BIT OF AN ISSUE.

AND WHILE IT MAY BE SORT OF TEMPTING TO JUST SAY, SURE, LET'S BUILD A GROCERY STORE HERE.

WE ALSO NEED TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT HOW THE DECISIONS THAT WE ARRIVE TO WITH THE FOOD PLAN CAN HAVE UNFORESEEN CONSEQUENCES, SUCH AS WHAT IF BY, UH, PERHAPS LIKE ENABLING, UH, SO SOMETHING, WE ALSO CREATE THEM ON THE PROPERTY VALUE GOES UP INTO THE POINT THAT PEOPLE EVENTUALLY GET DISPLACED, WHICH IN A WAY IS SOMETHING THAT HAS HAPPENED IN MANY OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY.

UH, CURRENTLY, UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT IS WORKING IN THE PROJECT TO, UH, HAVE A BUSINESS PLANET FEASIBILITY STUDY TO SEE HOW THE LIKELIHOOD OF MAKING A COMMUNITY SUPPORT GROCERY STORE ON EASTERN CRESCENT.

UH, I BELIEVE THEY ARE IN THE PROCESS OF SELECTING A CONSULTANT

[00:25:01]

UM, SO YEAH, LIKE YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, FOOD DESERTS ARE AN ISSUE.

AND IN FACT, WE ARE TRYING TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE TERMINOLOGY DESSERTS, UH, EITHER, UH, CALLING IT FOOD APARTHEID'S, UM, UH, GIVEN THAT FOOD DESERT OFTEN IMPLIES THAT THERE IS A LACK OF RESOURCES, WHEREAS IT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE ISSUE.

UM, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE DESERTS, UH, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT POLICIES THAT ENABLE THIS A LACK OF RESOURCES.

SO IF ONE OF THE OUTCOMES, FOOD PLANNING IS TO INCREASE MORE FULL SERVICE GROCERY STORES IN AREAS THAT DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE THEM.

UM, WE NEED TO, YOU KNOW, THINK ABOUT THE UNFORESEEN, UM, ISSUES THAT LIE UNDERNEATH THAT AS WELL.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE COMMISSION DEFINITELY WOULD LIKE TO KEEP IN CONTACT WITH, UM, HOW ELSE WE CAN HELP? SOME COMMISSIONERS MAY JUST HAVE BE SOME TROUBLE WITH THEM EATING.

WE'VE BEEN HAVING SOME TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES.

SO DEFINITELY IF YOU COULD, UM, UH, CAN DAD FROM OUR LIAISON YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION, AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HOW WE CAN, AS A COMMISSION CAN HELP IN THE FUTURE AND JUST HEAR YOUR RESULTS AS, UM, THIS DOES ADVERSELY AFFECT PEOPLE DISABILITIES.

AND SO WE DEFINITELY WOULD LIKE TO HEAR MORE OF THE PROGRESS.

ABSOLUTELY.

UM, WE WILL BE DEFINITELY INSURE, UH, TO SHARE OUR, UH, FOOD, UM, REPORT THAT WILL BE COMING OUT HOPEFULLY IN COMING WEEKS.

SO WE'LL DEFINITELY BE IN TOUCH, UH, WHEN THAT REPORT IS DEPLOYED AND FEEL FREE TO SEND ME AN EMAIL.

UH, IF YOU WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

GREAT.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

ALL RIGHT, MOVING ON.

UM, UM, FOR THOSE WHO WERE MAYBE NEWER TO THE COMMISSION, UH, SEVERAL YEARS AGO, WE VOTED TO BE, TO BE A LIAISON WITH THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND, AND, UH, WE HAVE A FREE SERVICE THAT WE MOST, UM, FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.

AND, UM, SO WE

[6. Presentation by Liz Wisecarver regarding the National Federation of the Blind Newsline program]

SHE IS THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND NEWSLINE PROGRAM.

AND SO LIZ TAKE IT AWAY.

ALL RIGHT.

CAN YOU GUYS HEAR ME ALL RIGHT? YES.

OH, WONDERFUL.

WELL, GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE INVITATION.

MY NAME IS LIZ WEISS CARVER, AND I'M HERE TO SHARE THE NFB NEWSLINE PROGRAM WITH YOU.

UM, YOU MAY QUALIFY YOURSELF AND BE INTERESTED IN REGISTERING, OR YOU MIGHT KNOW OF OTHER FOLKS WHO WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE PROGRAM AND MAY WANT TO SHARE IT WITH SOME OTHER PEOPLE.

SO OUR IN F B NEWSLINE PROGRAM IS A FREE ELECTRONIC NEWS AND INFORMATION SERVICE, AND IT'S AVAILABLE COMPLETELY FREE, NO CHARGE AT ALL FOR ANYONE WHO IS, UM, IN THE UNITED STATES THAT IS LEGALLY BLIND, DEAF, BLIND, OR OTHERWISE PRINT DISABLED.

UM, AND SO OTHERWISE PRINT DISABLED CAN ALSO INCLUDE THINGS LIKE DYSLEXIA OR PHYSICAL DISABILITIES THAT MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO PHYSICALLY HOLD UP A BOOK OR A NEWSPAPER TO BE ABLE TO READ, UM, IN A TRADITIONAL MANNER.

AND, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHO WOULD BE ELIGIBLE, YOU'RE WELCOME TO REACH OUT TO ME AND TO OUR OFFICE.

AND I'M HAPPY TO CHAT WITH YOU ABOUT WHO WOULD BE ELIGIBLE IF YOU WANT TO CONTACT ME OR GET REGISTERED OR SEND SOMEONE MY WAY TO GET REGISTERED.

WE ARE AVAILABLE TO TAKE CALLS AND CAN REGISTER FOLKS OVER THE PHONE WEEKDAYS FROM 9:00 AM TO 5:00 PM CENTRAL.

AND I'LL GO AHEAD AND GIVE YOU MY 9 6 8 7 6 3 4.

AND AGAIN, IT'S 2 8 1 9 6 8 7 6 3 4.

YOU CAN ALSO VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO SEE WHAT EVENTS THAT WE ARE HOSTING AND TO FIND OUR CONTACT INFORMATION.

AND THAT IS IN FBT X.ORG.

AND AGAIN, IN F B T X O R G.

OKAY.

SO I'M GOING TO TALK TO YOU GUYS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT NEWSLINE AND THEN GIVE YOU A VERY BRIEF DEMONSTRATION OF WHAT NFB NEWSLINE CAN DO.

SO WHAT I MEAN BY AN ELECTRONIC NEWS AND

[00:30:01]

AND OUR SUBSCRIBERS CAN CHOOSE WHICH KINDS OF DEVICES THEY LIKE TO USE DEPENDING ON THEIR SKILL LEVEL AND THE DEVICES THAT THEY HAVE ACCESS TO AND THEIR PREFERENCES.

SO WHEN NFB NEWSLINE WAS STARTED BACK IN THE NINETIES, IT WAS ON THE TELEPHONE.

THAT'S HOW IT BEGAN.

AND YOU CAN STILL USE AN FP NEWS ON THE TELEPHONE ON ANY SORT OF PHONE THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO DIAL.

YOU CAN CALL INTO NFB NEWSLINE AND USE YOUR NUMBER PAD TO PICK WHAT INFORMATION YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE READ ON THE PHONE.

WE'VE SINCE EXPANDED.

AND WE NOW HAVE IN A FEE NEWSLINE ONLINE.

SO YOU CAN USE ANY DEVICE THAT YOU CAN GET ONTO A WEB BROWSER TO READ IT, UM, THROUGH THE ONLINE PLATFORM.

IT'S ALSO ON THE IPHONE AND IPAD APP, WHICH I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU GUYS THIS EVENING.

OUR NEWEST PLATFORM THAT WE'VE ADDED IS ON THE AMAZON ECHO SPEAKER.

SO YOU CAN ACTUALLY TALK TO ALEXA AND HAVE HER READ YOU IN A FEW NEWSLINE CONTENT.

IT'S ALSO AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL TALKING BOOK PLAYERS, SUCH AS THE VICTOR READER STREAM OR THE BOOK PLAYERS THAT THE TALKING BOOKS PROGRAM THROUGH THE NATIONAL LIBRARY SERVICE DISTRIBUTES.

AND YOU CAN EVEN PAIR A REFRESHABLE BRAILLE DISPLAY TO YOUR DEVICE, OR USE A BRAILLE NOTE TAKER TO BE ABLE TO READ IN BRAILLE.

UM, SO LOTS OF OPTIONS, JUST DEPENDING ON WHAT YOUR PREFERENCES ARE AND THE TECHNOLOGY THAT YOU HAVE ACCESS TO.

SOME OF THE PUBLICATIONS INCLUDE THINGS LIKE THE AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN, THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE, THE EL PASO TIMES, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, THE FORT WORTH STAR TELEGRAM, AND SEVERAL OTHERS WITHIN THE STATE OF TEXAS.

BUT YOU ALSO HAVE ACCESS TO ALL OF THE OTHER NEWSPAPERS FROM OTHER STATES.

SO IF YOU WANT TO CHECK ON FAMILY MEMBERS IN OKLAHOMA OR SEE WHAT'S GOING ON IN CALIFORNIA NEWS, YOU'RE ABLE TO ACCESS THOSE NEWSPAPERS.

THERE'S ALSO NATIONAL PAPERS LIKE THE NEW YORK TIMES AND THE WALL STREET JOURNAL AND THE HILL.

THERE ARE A FEW INTERNATIONAL PAPERS IN ENGLISH ON NFB NEWSLINE, AND WE ALSO HAVE CURRENTLY FIVE NATIONAL LEVEL SPANISH PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE.

YOU'RE ALSO ABLE TO TURN THE MENUS TO SPANISH.

AND WE HERE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS POST A LOT OF OUR CONTENTS, SUCH AS EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS, EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE, AND AGENDAS IN SPANISH AS WELL.

SO WE MAKE AN EFFORT TO REACH OUT TO OUR SPANISH SPEAKING SUBSCRIBERS.

THERE'S ALSO OVER 90 MAGAZINES.

THIS INCLUDES THINGS LIKE, UM, LET'S SEE THE NONPROFIT, QUARTERLY AAR PEOPLE WRITTEN STARS AND STRIPES, RACHEL RAY, BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS.

THE ROLLING STONE.

WE HAVE A WIDE VARIETY OF INTERESTS REPRESENTED IN OUR MAGAZINE COLLECTION, INCLUDING SOME LITERATURE SPECIFICALLY FOR CHILDREN.

WE ALSO HAVE TV LISTINGS WHERE YOU CAN READ WHAT IS COMING UP ON YOUR TABLE PROVIDER UP TO 13 DAYS IN ADVANCE WEATHER ALERTS AND FORECASTS UP TO SEVEN DAYS OUT, JOB LISTINGS POWERED BY CAREERBUILDER AND USA JOBS.

YOU'RE ACTUALLY ABLE TO USE NFB NEWSLINE AND SET UP CUSTOM JOB SEARCHES FOR BOTH CAREER BUILDER IN USA JOBS, AND BE ABLE TO BROWSE ANY OF THOSE JOB LISTINGS THAT ARE AVAILABLE ON THOSE JOBS SEARCH ENGINES IN A REALLY EASY TO USE ACCESSIBLE MANNER.

AND THERE'S ALSO A STORE CIRCULARS FROM WALMART AND TARGET THAT YOU CAN CUSTOMIZE WITH YOUR ZIP CODE.

SO I'M GOING TO PAIR, I'VE GOT AN IPHONE AND I'LL BE USING VOICEOVER FOR THIS DEMONSTRATION BECAUSE I AM A VOICEOVER USER.

UM, IF YOU AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH VOICEOVER, IT'S A SCREEN READING PROGRAM THAT COMES PRE-INSTALLED IN ANY IOS DEVICE, SO THAT BLIND PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO USE THE DEVICES AND IT READS EVERYTHING THAT'S PRESENTED ON THE SCREEN, JUST GETTING MY SPEAKER PAIRED.

UM, AND SO THIS WILL BE, YOU KNOW, A SOUND ONLY DEMONSTRATION, BUT IF YOU PREFER TO READ VISUALLY LIKE LOOKING AT THE SCREEN, UM, THE APP IS ACTUALLY DISPLAYING THE PRINT.

SO YOU CAN LOOK AT IT, YOU CAN SWITCH IT TO DARK MODE.

IF YOU LIKE, YOU CAN USE YOUR PHONE'S MAGNIFICATION TO ZOOM IN ON THE TEXT.

UM, HOWEVER YOU LIKE TO READ, IT'S A VERY CUSTOMIZABLE EXPERIENCE.

SO I'M ON THE INFORMATION SOURCES PAGE.

AND WHAT I'M GOING TO SHOW TONIGHT IS HOW TO FIND THE AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN, WHICH IS A TEXAS PUBLICATION.

SO I'M JUST GOING TO TOUCH TOWARD THE TOP OF THE SCREEN.

AND THEN I'M GOING TO SWIPE ACROSS THE ITEMS WITH ONE FINGER, AND YOU'LL HEAR IT READ SOME OF THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF PUBLICATIONS THAT ARE AVAILABLE.

NATION SOURCES, PETTING BREAKING NEWS, TEXAS STATE SPECIFIC CHANNEL,

[00:35:02]

THEY STILL WANT TO TAP ON TEXAS PUBLICATIONS OR SEARCH SEARCH FIELD, AND NOW A DOUBLE TATTOO EDIT, AND A LIST OF ALL THE PUBLICATIONS I'M GOING TO SWIPE.

AND WE'LL FIND AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN PETTING ABILENE, REPORTER NEWS ZERO EIGHT SLASH 19 SLASH 2022 AMARILLO GLOBE NEWS ZERO EIGHT SLASH 19 SLASH 2022 ASSOCIATED PRESS, TEXAS ZERO EIGHT SLASH 19 SLASH 2022, AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN ZERO EIGHT SLASH 19 SLASH 2022, FULL PUBLICATION, TEXAS PUBLICATIONS BACK BUTTON.

SO IT'S SHOWING ME I HAVE A BACK BUTTON AND THIS IS COMPLETELY UNABRIDGED.

UH, WE DON'T PICK AND CHOOSE WHICH ARTICLES WE SHOW.

IT'S GOING TO HAVE ALL THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS THAT YOU CAN PICK FROM AND ALL OF THE ARTICLES THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN THAT PUBLICATION.

AND YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED IT ACTUALLY TOLD ME EIGHT SLASH 19 SLASH 22.

SO THIS IS TODAY'S EDITION OF THE AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN.

SO I'M GOING TO SWIPE AND FIND SOME OF THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS, AND WE'LL GO INTO ONE OF THE SECTIONS AMERICAN STATESMAN AD, BUT I COULD ADD IT TO MY FAVORITES.

CURRENT ISSUE, ZERO EIGHT SLASH 19 SLASH 2022, AUSTIN, 360 ONLINE, ONE ARTICLE SECTIONS BUSINESS SLASH REAL ESTATE ONLINE.

ONE ARTICLE BUSINESS SLASH TECHNOLOGY ONLINE.

ONE ARTICLE FEATURES SIX ARTICLES.

OKAY, LET'S GO INTO FEATURES.

IT'S TELLING ME THERE ARE SIX ARTICLES RIGHT NOW FEATURES SIX ARTICLES YOU HAVE SECTION.

AND SO NOW IT'S GOING TO SHOW THE TITLE, THE BYLINE, AND MAYBE READ A FIRST LINE OR TWO AS A PREVIEW.

AND THEN WHEN I FIND WHAT I WANT TO READ, I SIMPLY DOUBLE TAP TO OPEN UP THE FULL ARTICLE, ELLSWORTH KELLY KELP VIEW, SECTION ONE, ELLSWORTH KELLY COLORFUL CAPITAL GETS A LITTLE ME TIME BY KELSEY BRADSHAW, AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN VERTICAL LINE USA TODAY NETWORK AUGUST 19TH, 2004, THE TWO PHOTOS BY J GEN OR SLASH AMERICAN STATESMAN.

BLACK STREAKS OF MOE CAN BE SEEN ON THE OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN ON THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS CAMPUS.

OH, OKAY.

SO SOMETHING ABOUT MOLD ON THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, PROBABLY ON THE HISTORICAL BUILDINGS.

WELL, THAT PREVIEW SOUNDED INTERESTING.

SO I'M GOING TO GO IN AND DOUBLE TAP FEATURES BACK BUTTON.

AND NOW, UM, I'M GOING TO USE A GESTURE TO LET IT READ ALSO, WE'LL JUST READ A, MAYBE A PARAGRAPH OR SO, SO HERE, IT'S GOING TO READ BACKLOG ELLSWORTH KELLY COLORFUL CHAPEL GETS A LITTLE ME TIME BY KELSEY BRADSHAW, AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN VERTICAL LINE USA TODAY NETWORK AUGUST 19TH, 2022 HEADING SHARE BUTTON ELLSWORTH.

KELLY COLORFUL CHAPEL GETS A LITTLE ME-TIME BY KELSEY BRADSHAW IN AMERICAN STATESMAN VERTICAL LINE USA TODAY NETWORK AUGUST 19TH, 2022 HEADING LEVEL THREE PHOTOS BY J GEN OR SLASH AMERICAN STATESMAN.

BLACK STREAKS OF MOLD CAN BE SEEN ON THE OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN ON THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS CAMPUS ARTISTS DELL'S WORTH KELLY'S AUSTIN AT THE BLANTON MUSEUM OF ART WILL CLOSE NEXT MONTH FOR CLEANING AFTER MOLD GREW ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING.

THE MUSEUM ANNOUNCED LAST WEEK, THE ICONIC PIECE, WHICH IS A SEPARATE BUILDING FROM THE BLEND ON THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS CAMPUS WILL BE CLOSED.

SEPTEMBER 7TH THROUGH NOVEMBER.

DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

THE MUSEUM ANNOUNCED ON INSTAGRAM.

AUSTIN HAS A NEED OF A LITTLE ME TIME.

THE INSTAGRAM POST SAYS, OKAY, AND I JUST WENT AHEAD AND TOUCH THIS SCREEN TO PAUSE THE SPEECH.

UM, AND SO THAT WAS PRETTY QUICK, YOU KNOW, I'M ABLE TO JUST OPEN UP THE APP.

I GO INTO THE TYPE OF PUBLICATION.

I FOUND THE AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN, AND YOU GET TO PICK WHAT SECTION YOU WANT.

YOU CAN SKIP AROUND THROUGH THE ARTICLES.

UM, YOU HAVE FULL CONTROL OVER WHAT YOU'RE READING AND CAN EVEN INTERACT WITH THE TEXT THAT WAS JUST READING IT OUT LOUD.

BUT SINCE IT'S ELECTRONIC TEXT, I CAN ACTUALLY MOVE THROUGH IT LINE BY LINE OR CHARACTER BY CHARACTER.

SO IF, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE WAS A NAME OF SOMEONE OR A PHONE NUMBER, AND I NEEDED TO KNOW THE CHARACTER BY CHARACTER SPELLING OF THAT, OR HOW IT IS WRITTEN.

I CAN INTERACT WITH THE TEXT THAT WAY.

SO YOU HAVE QUITE AN AMOUNT OF CONTROL OVER THE INFORMATION THAT YOU'RE CONSUMING.

UM, AND THIS IS A REALLY CLEAN, VERY ACCESSIBLE EXPERIENCE.

AND YOU HONESTLY, IF YOU ARE A VOICEOVER USER OR, WELL, ANY SORT OF TECHNOLOGY USER, YOU DON'T HAVE TO KNOW A LOT OF COMPLICATED GESTURES OR A TECHNOLOGY TO BE ABLE TO USE IN FP NEWSLINE ACROSS ANY OF THE PLATFORMS. IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY SIMPLE AND STRAIGHTFORWARD.

UM, SO AGAIN, IF FOLKS WOULD LIKE TO GET REGISTERED,

[00:40:01]

AND WE HAVE A QUICK SURVEY THAT FOLKS CAN FILL OUT IF THEY ARE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.

UM, I'M HAPPY TO HELP THEM IF YOU KNOW OF FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND FOLKS THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS, THAT WOULD BE INTERESTED.

I CAN HELP PASS THEM ALONG TO THE FOLKS IN THEIR STATE THAT WOULD BE ABLE TO HELP THEM.

THIS IS A NATIONWIDE PROGRAM AND, UM, CHAIRMAN THAT IS ALL THAT I HAVE.

IF, IF THERE'S TIME FOR QUESTIONS, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY OF THEM.

I BELIEVE THERE IS A ONE QUESTION.

HOW MANY CURRENT SUBSCRIBERS DO WE HAVE IN TEXAS? WE HAVE ALMOST 6,000 LAST THAT I LOOKED AT, IT WAS ABOUT 5,900 SOMETHING.

SO, UM, QUITE A BIG POPULATION OF FOLKS THAT ARE CURRENTLY BENEFITING FROM THE PROGRAM.

THAT'S AWESOME.

UH, THE FLOOR IS OPEN FOR ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS.

THIS IS COMMISSIONER JACK, AND I APPRECIATED YOUR PRESENTATION AND LEARNING A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS.

UM, I WORK AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AND THE DISABILITY AND ACCESS OFFICE.

SO THIS IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING I THINK WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB OF PROMOTING TO OUR STUDENTS.

YEAH, DEFINITELY.

AND, UM, WE ALSO HOST PROGRAMS ALL OVER THE STATE.

WE'VE STARTED GOING BACK OUT IN PERSON NOW THAT COVID IS CALMING DOWN.

UM, SO IF, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'D BE INTERESTED IN HAVING US COME AND PRESENT TO YOUR STUDENTS OR THE STAFF, UM, THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE'D LOVE TO ARRANGE WITH YOU.

WE'VE DONE A FEW OPEN HOUSES AT, UM, UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES AND SO WOULD LOVE TO CHAT WITH YOU ABOUT THAT IN THE FUTURE.

ALL RIGHT.

THAT SOUNDS GREAT.

THANK YOU.

YEAH.

I REMEMBER A FEW YEARS AGO, WE DID WITH A DISABILITY ADVOCACY STUDENT COLLISION AT UT, UM, A COUPLE OF PRESENTATIONS THROUGHOUT THE, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

SO IT'S DEFINITELY WORTHWHILE TO GET THIS PROGRAM OUT THERE.

I PERSONALLY USE IT MYSELF AND, UM, THERE'S EVEN BENEFITS FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE LIKE RESEARCHING PAPERS.

THEY CAN UTILIZE THE ARTICLES FROM THE NEWSPAPERS AND OTHER SOURCES ON NEWSLINE TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THEIR PAPERS.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, HEARING NONE.

LIZ, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND I'LL BE SURE TO PASS ALONG THIS INFORMATION JUST IN CASE IT WASN'T, UM, NOTED DOWN, UM, FROM THE COMMISSIONERS THAT THEY HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS.

EXCELLENT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

AND I APPRECIATE THE INVITATION.

THANK YOU.

SO THE NEXT AGENDA

[7. Discussion on the Downtown Commission's position on the use of scooters in the downtown areas and its impact on people with disabilities. (Commissioners Broadwater and Orlowski)]

UH, IT LOOKS LIKE COMMISSIONER BROADWATER AND ORLOWSKI WANTED TO SPEAK ON THIS TOPIC.

OH I, YES, I THANK YOU THAT THE RECOMMENDATION WAS PASSED BY THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION.

UM, AND THEY, UH, HAD IT, SO THEY, UH, HAD IT PASSED UNANIMOUSLY, UH, ALL EIGHT COMMISSIONERS ON APRIL 20TH.

UH, IT WAS A RECOMMENDATION, UH, REGARDING MICRO-MELT MOBILITY SOLUTIONS.

I, AND IT'S WHERE AS THE CITY, IT'S A RECOMMENDATION ABOUT, UH, INVOLVING THE ADA, WHEREAS VIA BOSS AUSTIN ENCOURAGES THE USE OF VARIOUS MOBILE MICRO MOBILITY COMMISSION SOLUTIONS AND WHERE IT'S MICRO MOBILITY SOLUTIONS, PRESENT USERS.

THE OPPORTUNITY FOR FIRST MILE LAST MILE SOLUTIONS WERE TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS AS WELL AS ALTERNATIVE CHEAP VEHICLES AND TRANSIT USE.

AND WHEREAS USERS OF MICRO MOBILITY SOLUTIONS ROUTINELY VIOLATE, UH, SECTION 12, TWO DASH 15 AND MUNICIPAL CODE.

AND SECTION FOUR, WHERE DID YOU, UH, ZERO THREE AT THE TEXAS PENAL CODE IN ADDITION TO OTHER VARIOUS APPLICABLE RULES AND REGULATIONS BECAUSE OF A LACK OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, A LACK OF ENFORCEMENT, I PUT DEF CHARTS AND WHEREAS MICRO MOBILITY SOLUTIONS PROVIDER HAVE DONE LITTLE, IF ANYTHING, TO REPORT AND USERS COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 12 TO 15 OF THE MUNICIPAL THEATER AND SECTION 42 W THREE OF THE TEXAS PENAL CODE ALARIS, THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS FAILED TO ACTIVELY OR CONSISTENTLY ENFORCE A SECTION 12, A DASH TWO DASH 15 OF THE MUNICIPAL CODE IN SECTION 42.03

[00:45:02]

AND IS THIS CITY OF BOSTON'S BIT FAILURE TO ENFORCE, UH, HAS RESULTED IN THE PARKING AND ABANDONMENT OF MICRO MOBILITY SOLUTIONS OBSTRUCTING THE THIRD ARROW, HARVARD PROPERTY, A PARKLAND, AND ON OTHER PUBLIC LAND AND PRESENTING VIOLATION OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT A PUBLIC DANGER AND A PUBLIC NUISANCE NUISANCE.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION OF OURS IS THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL TO ENACT THE POLICY, TO CREATE A DEDICATED THE FORCEMENT MECHANISM TO ENACT THIS RESOLUTION, TO AMEND THE CITY CODE SECTION 12 DASH TWO DASH 36 TO INCREASE VIOLATION OF SECTION 12 DASH TWO DASH 15, UH, ONE, UH, ALL OR 100 ON A FIRST CONVICTION AND, UH, TWO, UH, FIVE ZERO ON SUBSEQUENT CONVICTION TO PROVIDE MICROBIOTA BILLING SOLUTION PROVIDERS UPON NOTICE ONE HOUR TO REVIEW MOBILITY DEVICES IDENTIFIED TO BE IN VIOLATION OF SECTION 12 DASH TWO 15 WITHIN DOUBT COUNT AND TWO HOURS IN ALL OTHER ARTS OF DEATH OF AUSTIN, EXCEPT THOSE AREAS THAT ARE UNDER THE OVERSIGHT OF AN ANOTHER GOVERNING BODY OR ON DOWNTOWN PROPERTY TO IMPOUND MICRO MOBILITY DEVICES IDENTIFIED TO BE IN VIOLATION OF SECTION 12, A DASH TWO 15 AFTER PROVIDING MICRO MOBILITY DEVICE OWNER WITH RECORDED INFORMATION ABOUT THE DEVICE INCURRING TIMESTAMPED VOTERS.

AND AFTER ALLOWING THE AMOUNT OF WELL RECOVERY, THE DEVICE DEFINED A BUD TO RELEASE THE MICRO, THE LIBBY DEVICE TO ITS OWNER FOR A HUNDRED DOLLARS PLUS FIVE FOR EVERY DAY.

IT'S IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S ENCOUNT FACILITY TO DESIGNATE ALL FIND THE PENALTIES ASSESSED HERE IN TO FIND COSTS, TO OPERATE THE ENFORCEMENT MECHANISM BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND OUR POINTS OF PENALTIES COLLECTED IN EXCESS TO BE LOUD FOR DOCKLESS EQUITY SOLUTIONS AND TO PREVENT IT OPERATION AND MICRO MOBILITY DEVICES ON SIDEWALKS.

UH, IT WAS APPROVED APRIL, 2002, UM, AND SIGNED BY, UH, THE STAFF LIAISON.

SO THIS WAS APPROVED BY STAFF LIAISON AND, UM, I DID BRING IT FOR OUR APPROVAL BECAUSE IT DOES INVOLVE THE ADA.

THANK YOU, MR. LASKEY.

SO WHAT ARE YOU ASKING THE COMMISSION TO DO? THIS IS JUST A QUESTION ITEM.

WE CANNOT, YOU CANNOT VOTE ON ANYTHING AND APPROVE IT BECAUSE IT DOWNTOWN COMMISSION RECOGNIZED THAT IT, UH, IT IS IMPACTING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.

OKAY.

IT IS LABELED ON THE AGENDA AS A DISCUSSION ITEM, NOT AN ACTION ITEM.

WE CANNOT VOTE ON IT, UNFORTUNATELY.

UH, WE NEED TO, UH, WE NEED TO PUT ON ANOTHER ITEM.

WE NEED TO PUT IT ON ANOTHER AGENDA, SOMETHING TO VOTE ON AN ANOTHER COMMISSION HAD RECOGNIZED THAT IT'S SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO VOTE ON.

THEY HAD MOVED IT.

OKAY.

SO I'M GONNA OPEN UP THE FLOOR FOR ANY DISCUSSION.

UM, BUT I WOULD HAPPY TO PUT ON THE NEXT MONTH'S AGENDA FOR A VOTE.

IF YOU JUST FORMALLY CONTACTED ME THROUGH EMAIL AND OUR LIAISON, THE FLOOR IS OPEN FOR ANY DISCUSSION, UH, COMMISSIONER PROD, WIRES, AND TYLER IS THE OTHER ONE ON IT.

UM, CAUSE, UH, CAN I SHARE A LOSS? HE, UH, YOU KNOW, TOTALLY I GUESS IT'S CO-SPONSORING IT MAKES SURE THAT, UM, IT, WE GET BROUGHT UP, BUT YES, I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT IT WAS ONLY, UM, UH, TALKING POINT, THE ACTION ITEM THAT WE CAN VOTE ON.

SO YES, I GUESS WE TO PUT THAT ON SO THAT WE CAN VOTE ON IT.

CAUSE I REALLY LIKED THAT TO GO ALL THE WAY UP TO, UM, I'LL REACH OUT TO IN KITCHENER CITY COUNCIL, UH, YEAH, EVERY SINGLE SIDEWALK IN THIS CITY OF AUSTIN HAS, UH, UM, BUILD SCOOTERS ON IT.

SO

[00:50:01]

I'M SORRY THAT THERE'S HOLLY, UM, PEOPLE VISITING IN THE CITY THAT USE THEM MOSTLY WHAT I SEE THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE HERE.

SO I'M SORRY, YOU CAN WALK AROUND AND YOU'RE FIDGETING.

INSTEAD, CD BASICALLY BEING OVER IRAN WAS A NUISANCE THAT ONLY IF YOU STILL LIKE PEOPLE OR EVEN YOU THIS THING, AND OBVIOUSLY THE COMPANY IS THE ONLY THING HELD TO A STANDARD TO A GPS.

FINE.

THEY'RE GOOD.

OR IS IT THEY'RE GONNA WATCH WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO CHARGE THE PERSON, THEN THEY NEED TO DO THEIR GPS AND SAY YOU DID NOT HAVE A PARK AT A PARKING SPOT.

YOU LISTED ALL THE SIDEWALKS THOUGH.

YEAH.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE YOU CAN DO, BUT THIS IS, THIS IS NOW A DANGER NUISANCE.

NOW THAT NEEDS TO GO AWAY.