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[Call to Order]
WE START THE, UH, MEETING, I'M SORRY, WHAT? BEFORE WE START THE MEETING, UM, UH, LET ME GO AHEAD AND, AND RECOGNIZE, UH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY FOR A MOMENT.UM, AS MANY OF YOU MAY HAVE HEARD, ON THE MORNING OF FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23RD, AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, SENIOR POLICE OFFICER ANTHONY TONY MARTIN, WAS TRAGICALLY KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY.
OFFICER MARTIN BEGAN HIS CAREER WITH THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT AS A CADET WITH THE HUNDRED AND 12TH CADET CLASS ON SEPTEMBER 18TH, 2006, AND WAS COMMISSIONED AS AN OFFICER ON APRIL 27TH, 2007.
OFFICER MARTIN DEDICATED HIS LIFE TO SERVICE RETIRING AFTER 20 YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE.
BEFORE JOINING THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, OFFICER MARTIN SERVICE WITH THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT INCLUDED PATROL THE DWI UNIT AND THE MOTORS UNIT.
EVERY DAY, POLICE OFFICERS RISK THEIR LIVES PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITY, AND IT'S A THANKLESS JOB THEY CHOOSE TO DO DAY IN AND DAY OUT.
I'D LIKE TO REQUEST THAT EVERYONE IN AUSTIN KEEP OFFICER MARTIN'S FAMILY AND THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT IN YOUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS DURING THIS DIFFICULT TIME.
THANK YOU FOR, FOR, FOR, FOR BRINGING ATTENTION TO, UH, THIS OFFICER IN HIS CAREER, UH, WENT DOWN IN, IN THE LINE OF DUTY AS HE WAS IN UNIFORM AND ON HIS, UH, UH, UNIT.
UM, I HAD THE CHANCE TO TALK TO HIS WIFE, UH, THEY HAVE CHILDREN, AND OFFERED, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT ANY SUPPORT THAT THE CITY COULD OFFER WOULD BE SIGNIFICANT.
BUT GIVEN THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES, LET'S GO AHEAD AND LET'S TAKE JUST A MOMENT HERE OF, OF SILENCE TO THE OFFICER INTO HIS FAMILY, OR WE, WE GRIEVE WITH YOU.
UM, AND WITH THE, UH, THE ENTIRE FORCE, WITH THE LOSS OF THEIR COLLEAGUE, UM, COLLEAGUES.
UM, WE HAVE, UM, THREE MAYBE I HAD WANTED TO, I'M SORRY, I HAD WANTED TO DO A POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE AS WELL.
COLLEAGUES, WE HAVE, WE HAVE THREE BIRTHDAYS ON OUR COUNCIL ON WEDNESDAY.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU AWARE OF THE FACT THAT 3, 3, 3 OF OUR COLLEAGUES ALL HAVE THE SAME BIRTHDAY.
UM, APPARENTLY THERE'S A, THERE'S A, UH, ALL RIGHT, REQUIRE WE HAVE, WE HAVE A, WE HAVE A COALITION, UM, UM, ON OUR COUNCIL.
SO WE NEED TO SING HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AND WHEN WE FILL IN NAMES, WE NEED TO FILL THEM IN WITH, UH, A MEMBER, UH, UH, HARPER MADISON, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES AND COUNCIL MEMBER VELA.
IS THAT RIGHT? DO I HAVE THE THREE? OKAY.
YOU READY? I SUGGEST EVERYONE TURN OFF THEIR MICROPHONES UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE THE VOICE THAT EVERYBODY HEARS.
EVERYONE IN ON BEHALF OF, UH, OF, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MEDICINE AND COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES.
UH, SEPTEMBER 28TH IS A GREAT DAY TO BE BORN.
I WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT, UM, TO WISH OUR JEWISH COMMUNITY AND JEWISH STAFF MEMBERS SHANA TOVA.
UM, THIS IS A WEEK THAT WE OBSERVED THE JEWISH HIGH HOLIDAYS, AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN THREE YEARS THAT MANY CONGREGATIONS WILL BE ABLE TO WORSHIP IN PERSON AT THIS VERY IMPORTANT TIME FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, MY OWN SYNAGOGUE CONGREGATION, BETH ISRAEL, WAS THE VICTIM OF ARSON LAST OCTOBER, AND WE ARE UNABLE TO CELEBRATE AND OBSERVE THESE HIGH HOLIDAYS IN OUR OWN TEMPLE.
UM, AND I WANNA RECOGNIZE AND REFLECT ON THE RESILIENCE OF OUR COMMUNITY, AND TO THINK ST.
MATTHEW'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, WHICH IS HOSTING OUR COMMUNITY DURING THIS, UH, PERIOD.
UM, IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S GOING TO BE SEVERAL YEARS UNTIL WE ARE ABLE TO BE BACK INTO OUR SANCTUARY.
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SO I WANNA DO, YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY, UM, WISH SHAVA TO THOSE WHO ARE OBSERVING AND CELEBRATING, BUT ALSO TO REAFFIRM OUR COUNCIL'S COMMITMENT THAT AUSTIN SHOULD BE NO PLACE FOR HATE.UM, SO IF YOU HAVE, UM, JEWISH FRIENDS WHO ARE CELEBRATING, UM, THE NEW YEAR, UM, PLEASE DO REACH OUT AND WISH THEM SHANA TOVA.
UM, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT OUR COMMUNITY KNOWS THAT PEOPLE ARE WITH US, UM, AND THAT WE HAVE THE SUPPORT OF EVERYONE WHO IS IN LEADERSHIP ROLE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, FOR DOING THAT.
ALSO, WANT TO JOIN AND WISHING EVERYONE HAPPY NEW YEAR.
UM, AND I, AND I, AND I APPRECIATE THE, THE INCREASED FOCUS AND WE NEED GREATER FOCUS WITH RESPECT TO, UM, UH, HATE CRIMES, UH, IN, IN THE CITY.
THE IMPACT THEY HAVE IS, IS FAR REACHING AND LASTING, UH, AND IT, AND IT HITS SO MANY DIFFERENT PARTS OF OUR, OF OUR COMMUNITY.
SO THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT ATTENTION.
I WANTED TO, UM, LET EVERYBODY, UM, ON THE DIASON IN THE AUDIENCE KNOW THAT DURING PROCLAMATIONS TODAY, I WILL BE BRINGING A PROCLAMATION TO DECLARE OCTOBER DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH.
AND YOU'LL NOTICE THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE WEARING PURPLE TODAY IN, UM, IN RECOGNITION OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
AND, UM, I WOULD JUST SAY THAT VIOLENCE ANYWHERE IS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD SEEK WHOLEHEARTEDLY EVERY DAY TO ERADICATE.
AND I APPRECIATE, UH, THE MAYOR PRO TENS COMMENTS, UM, ABOUT, UM, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SYNAGOGUE AND THE OTHER, UM, BUILDINGS AROUND OUR CITY THAT HAVE BEEN AFFECTED.
AND THEN SPECIFICALLY, UM, OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS WHO MAY BE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
SO, PLEASE JOIN ME THIS AFTERNOON WHEN WE HAVE PROCLAMATIONS FOR THE RECOGNITION OF OCTOBER AS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH.
UH, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND CALL TO, UH, ORDER THIS MEETING OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL HERE ON SEPTEMBER 29TH, 2022.
WE ARE IN THE, UH, CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS HERE AT CITY HALL.
UH, EVERYONE IS HERE WITH US ON THE DAIS.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, UH, IS, UM, UH, WITH US, UH, VIRTUALLY, UH, NOW, BUT WILL ONLY BE WITH US FOR A PART OF THE MEETING.
SHE'S TRAVELING TODAY TO THE EAST COAST, WHERE SHE'LL SPEND THE NEXT FEW DAYS CONFERRING ON HOUSING, MOBILITY AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY WITH, UH, MAYORS AND COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, AND OTHER LOCAL OFFICIALS FROM BALTIMORE UP TO, UH, BOSTON.
UH, AND WE THANK HER FOR DOING THAT ON BEHALF OF THE COMMUNITY COUNCIL MEMBER, FUENTES, UH, IS NOT WITH US.
SHE WAS INVITED BY THE DUTCH GOVERNMENT FOR AN URBAN MOBILITY STUDY TOUR, UH, IN THE NETHERLANDS.
UH, SHE'S JOINED BY OTHER LOCAL AND FEDERAL US GOVERNMENT LEADERS TO STUDY HOW HIGH QUALITY URBAN MOBILITY AND CYCLING OR INCORPORATED INTO EVERYDAY LIFE.
UH, AND SHE WILL RETURN BY THE START OF, UH, NEXT WEEK.
I THINK THAT'S A PHENOMENAL OPPORTUNITY FOR HER ON BEHALF OF THE CITY.
I HAD THE CHANCE TO, TO DO THAT, UH, IN, UH, IN AMSTERDAM WITH THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION.
THEN, UH, AS WELL AS THE FUTURE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION, THEN THE MAYOR OF, UH, UM, OF SOUTH BEND IN, UH, INDIANA.
UH, AND, AND I HOPE THAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES GETS TO SEE THE PARKING GARAGE THAT'S DOWNTOWN NETHERLANDS.
THAT IS NOT FOR CARS, IT'S JUST FOR BICYCLES.
AND I THINK ON THE DAY I WAS THERE, THERE WERE 27,000 BICYCLES IN THEIR, UH, PARKING GARAGE.
UH, IT JUST GIVES YOU AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT, UH, WORLDVIEW, ESPECIALLY TO NOTE THAT THAT IS A CITY WHERE SO MANY PEOPLE ARE, ARE IN BICYCLES, RIDING BICYCLES NOW, EVEN IN WINTER STORMS. UH, WHICH MAKES ME THINK ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT SAY THAT PEOPLE WON'T RIDE BICYCLES IN TEXAS CUZ IT GETS TOO HOT.
UH, I THINK IT'S A QUESTION OF WHAT YOU GET USED TO IN, IN YOUR CLOTHING THAT YOU, UH, THAT, THAT YOU, THAT YOU WEAR.
BUT TO KNOW THAT IN THE EARLY SEVENTIES, UH, THE TRAFFIC IN, UH, IN THE NETHERLANDS AND IN AMSTERDAM WAS WORSE THAN THE TRAFFIC THAT WE HAVE HERE IN AUSTIN, UH, TODAY.
UH, SO IT'S ALWAYS, IT HAS NOT ALWAYS BEEN A BICYCLE CENTRIC, UH, CITY.
IT WAS A CONSCIOUS CHOICE THAT WAS MADE AS WELL AS, UH, THE BENEFIT OF BUILDING OUT A NETWORK WHERE PEOPLE ON BICYCLES FELT SAFE BECAUSE OF, UH,
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PHYSICAL BARRIERS BETWEEN, UH, THEIR, THEIR LANES AND, AND, AND CAR LANES.SO I'M GLAD THAT, UH, UH, SHE'S GONNA BE THERE DOING THAT.
COLLEAGUES, WE HAVE, UH, A LITTLE OVER 30 SPEAKERS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK HERE THIS MORNING.
SO IT'S MY INTENT TO DO TWO MINUTES.
UH, SPEAKER, AS I POSTED ON THE BOARD YESTERDAY, THEY GETS US ROUGHLY TO THE HOUR THAT I SAID WE WERE GOING TO USE THIS AFTERNOON.
TWO MINUTES, UH, PER, PER, PER SPEAKER.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, OUR KITCHEN, UH, JUST A REMINDER THAT I HAVE TO LEAVE AT 1215 FOR ABOUT AN HOUR.
I'M GOING TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE COUNCIL ON AN ITEM.
UM, UH, IF IT IS OKAY WITH YOU, WE WE MAY USE THAT TIME TO TRY TO HEAR FROM THE, UH, PUBLIC, UH, COMMUNICATIONS, UH, BUT, BUT SEE IF WE CAN, UH, AVOID, UH, CALLING ANYTHING FOR A VOTE, UH, DURING, MAYBE TAKE THE LUNCH BREAK DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME.
UM, WE HAVE, UH, UH, UH, ON THE, UH, I'M GONNA READ THE, THE CHANGES IN CORRECTIONS INTO THE RECORD.
ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, UH, ON SEPTEMBER 20TH, 2022.
THAT WAS NOT, UH, REVIEWED BY THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION CAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE A QUORUM.
41, UH, CONCERNS THE APPROVAL OF A GRANT, NOT A SUPPLEMENT GRANT.
ITEM 44 IS WITHDRAWN, 48 IS WITHDRAWN.
ITEM NUMBER 62 HAS ADDITIONAL SPONSORS BEING, UH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, KELLY KITCHEN AND THE MAYOR PRO TE ITEM NUMBER 70, UH, WHEN PUBLIC HEARINGS ARE TAKING UP, THIS ITEM IS GONNA BE POSTPONED TO, UH, UH, OCTOBER 13TH.
A VALID PETITION HAS BEEN FILED IN OPPOSITION TO THIS ZONING REQUEST.
ITEM NUMBER 90, UH, IS THE WAIVER, UM, UH, FOR THE FESTIVAL.
THE DATE THE FESTIVAL WAS HELD WAS MAY 7TH TO, UH, TO, UH, TO, TO, TO EIGHTH.
ITEM NUMBER 70, UH, THAT WILL BE POSTPONED IN PUBLIC HEARING WHEN WE GET TO IT, IS THE WATER QUALITY ORDINANCE, UH, ANTICIPATE.
WE'RE ALSO GONNA BE POSTPONING ITEM NUMBER 71, WHICH IS THE, UH, PUBLIC HEARING, UH, RELATED TO, UH, AN, AN ACTION RELATED TO THE AUSTIN ENERGY PASS THROUGH CHARGE.
SO ITEMS NUMBER 70 AND 71 ARE GONNA BE POSTPONED WHEN WE GET TO, UH, THOSE TWO, UH, ITEMS. UH, THE POLL ITEMS TODAY INCLUDE ITEM 38 BY COUNCIL, BY THE MAYOR, PRO 10, ITEM 59, PULLED BY, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, VELA.
UH, AND, UH, ALSO, UH, ITEM NUMBER 92, NO, I'M SORRY, WHICH IS THE, UH, NUMBER FOR, UH, HEALTH SOUTH.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TOBO IS PULLING ITEM NUMBER 12.
SO I'M LOOKING AT A CONSENT AGENDA TODAY, WHICH IS ITEMS NUMBER ONE THROUGH 60, UM, UM, 66, AND ALSO ITEMS 86 TO 93.
I'M SHOWING THE POLL ITEMS OR ITEMS 12 HOUSE SELL, ITEM NUMBER 30, UM, UH, EIGHT, WHICH IS THE COUNCIL MEMBER SCHEDULE.
UH, UNLESS WE CAN JUST PUT SOMETHING IN AND KEEP IT ON CONSENT.
I'M GONNA COME BACK TO YOU IN JUST A SECOND ON THAT.
MAYOR PROTE, ITEM NUMBER 39 AND 40 ARE BOTH POSTPONED.
THOSE ARE THE TENANT LANDLORD, UH, UH, ISSUES.
ITEM NUMBER 59 HAS BEEN PULLED BY COUNCIL MEMBER VELA, THAT'S THE I 35, UH, MATTER.
UH, AND, UH, ITEM NUMBER 92, UH, IS GOING TO STAY ON CONSENT, BUT IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT IT'S BEING POSTPONED TO 10 13 AS THE COUNCIL MEMBER TO O'S UH, REAL ESTATE, UH, OMNIBUS, UH, RESOLUTION MAYOR PRO TOWN.
UM, I WOULD BE PERFECTLY HAPPY TO HAVE, UM, 38 GO ON CONSENT WITH, UM, MY EXHIBIT A, UH, SUBSTITUTING FOR WHAT IS IN THE BACKUP, UM, SO THAT WE CAN TAKE THAT UP.
LET ME JUST EXPLAIN IT REALLY QUICKLY.
UM, SO THE DRAFT CALENDAR HAD TWO COUNCIL MEETINGS, UM, BETWEEN THE TIME THAT WE WERE PRESENTED, THE BUDGET AND THE BUDGET, UM, WHICH IS
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UNUSUAL.UM, SO WE REMOVED ONE OF THOSE COUNCIL MEETINGS AND WE BASICALLY MADE, UM, THE FIRST AND THE THIRD AND THE EIGHTH AND THE 10TH BUDGET WORK SESSION SO THAT WE WOULD HAVE MORE TIME TO WORK, UM, AS A COUNCIL.
ONE OF THOSE WORK SESSIONS ON, I DON'T REMEMBER IF IT'S THE FIRST OR THE THIRD, IS ALSO THE TIME FOR OUR SECOND PUBLIC HEARING, UM, AND SETTING THE TAX RATE.
UM, AND THEN WE MOVED, UM, THE NOVEMBER MEETING FROM NOVEMBER 16TH TO NOVEMBER 9TH TO AVOID, UM, THE ATLANTA HOSTING OF THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES, WHICH, UM, SEVERAL OF US MAY WANT TO ATTEND NEXT YEAR.
UM, THERE WILL BE POTENTIAL FOR MORE DISCUSSION FOR THE NEW COUNCIL IF THEY WANT TO HAVE ADDITIONAL WORK SESSIONS, UM, EARLIER OR TO HAVE SOME OPPORTUNITIES FOR THAT.
AND THEN I WOULD JUST CALL ATTENTION, UM, TO FRIDAY THE 21ST, WHICH IS, WOULD BE THE ONE, THE 20TH WOULD BE THE ONE COUNCIL MEETING BEFORE BUDGET.
UM, AND JUST ASK PEOPLE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE RESERVING THE 21ST.
UM, CITY MANAGER HAS SAID THAT HE WILL LET FOLKS KNOW IF YOU THINK THAT THE 20TH IS A FULL, UM, COUNCIL MEETING DAY.
UM, BUT THAT WAY WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY NOT TO GO PAST 10 AND TO DO OUR BUSINESS WHEN WE, WHEN WE ARE FRESH.
BUT THAT IS NOT ON THE CALENDAR AS A SAFE DATE AT THIS POINT.
STAFF'S OKAY WITH THOSE, UH, CHANGES MANAGER? YES.
IS THERE AN OBJECTION TO SUBSTITUTING OUT THE, UH, CALENDAR AS THE MAYOR PRO 10 PROPOSES, UH, HEARING AND SEEING? NO OBJECTION TO THAT, THAT SUBSTITUTIONS MADE.
AND THIS ITEM NUMBER 38 REMAINS ON THE, UH, CONSENT, UH, AGENDA.
ANYTHING ELSE BEFORE WE GET TO SPEAKERS? COUNCIL NUMBER TOBO MAYOR, I HAVE A COUPLE QUICK QUESTIONS FOR STAFF ABOUT A COUPLE DIFFERENT ITEMS. IS THERE ANY CHANCE THAT WE COULD ASK THOSE BEFORE THE SPEAKERS SO THAT WE CAN BE MULLING OVER THE ANSWERS PRIOR TO VOTING ON CONSENT? UM, I'LL TELL YOU WHAT THEY ARE.
THEY ARE, UM, IF, IF WE HAVE STAFF AVAILABLE, I HAD INDICATED THAT I WANTED OUR STAFF JUST TO AFFIRM THEIR PLANS FOR THE RENAISSANCE MARKET BEYOND JUST THE WAIVER OF THE FEES THAT'S ON OUR AGENDA.
THAT'LL JUST TAKE A COUPLE MINUTES.
I HAVE, UM, A QUICK QUESTION FOR, AND MAYBE I'LL JUST ASK IT AND THEN THE STAFF CAN, CAN EMAIL ME ON 29 FOR THE HEALING MODALITY CONTRACT WITH THE Y W C A.
IT'S NOT CLEAR TO ME FROM THE BACKUP INFORMATION HOW INDIVIDUALS WILL BE SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THOSE, IN THOSE, UM, OR TO RECEIVE THOSE RESOURCES.
AND I HAVE, I, I CONTINUE TO HAVE QUESTIONS.
UM, AND WE'LL NEED TO PULL THE TWO APD ITEMS WITH REGARD TO TEXT DOT AND UT, BECAUSE I THINK MY FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION, QUESTION SINCE OUR CONVERSATION ON TUESDAY IS WHAT HAPPENS? WHAT HAPPENS IF THOSE POSITIONS CAN'T BE FILLED OVER OVER TIME? AND WHY ARE WE, WHY ARE WE DOING IT THROUGH AN INTERLOCAL? IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT MOST OF THE TIME OFFICERS OPT INTO THOSE ASSIGNMENTS, WHETHER IT'S AT WHOLE FOODS OR OTHER KINDS OF THINGS THROUGH INDIVIDUALLY, THAT THEY DO THOSE, UM, THAT THOSE ARE HANDLED OUTSIDE OF THE DEPARTMENT ACTIVITIES.
I KNOW THAT'S HOW THE SOBERING CENTER CONTRACT WAS HANDLED DURING THE PERIOD OF TIME WHERE THEY HAD ONE WITH P D.
IT WAS AN INDIVIDUAL OFFICER WHO ORGANIZED THOSE OFFICERS.
IT WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT WENT THROUGH APD.
SO I DON'T, I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING THE DISTINCTION OF WHY.
SO LET ME PULL THOSE TWO ITEMS. SO LET'S PULL 53 AND 54.
WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS GET TO SPEAKERS CUZ RIGHT AFTER SPEAKERS IF WE CAN, I WANT TO TRY TO PULL UP ITEM NUMBER 12 WHILE WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON HERE.
SO I WANT TO GET TO THAT QUICKLY.
UH, AND THEN WE'LL PULL UP THE, THE OTHER THING SUBSEQUENT TO THAT, UH, YES, COUNCIL MEMBER.
AND ONE LAST ITEM FOR ANYONE WHO MAY BE HERE TO SPEAK ON ITEM 71, WHICH IS THE AUSTIN ENERGY ITEM.
AND SO THE TOPIC WILL NOT BE ONE FOR IF YOU CHOOSE TO SPEAK, IT WILL ONLY BE ON, UH, WHETHER YOU SUPPORT OR OPPOSE US POSTPONING IT TO GATHER ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, WHICH SEEMS TO BE THE REQUEST ACROSS THE BOARD.
UM, AND SO WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT'S CLEAR AND GIVE PEOPLE THEIR TIME BACK.
IF THEY HAVE BETTER PLACES THAT THEY WOULD RATHER BE TODAY.
WE WILL NOT BE TAKING UP ITEM 71 TODAY.
INSTEAD, WE WILL BE POSTPONING IT.
AND I APPRECIATE THAT BOTH ITEMS 70 AND 71.
UH, THE WATER QUALITY ORDINANCE, UH, AND THE AE BOTH BEING POSTPONED TO 10 13.
UH, IF SPEAKERS WOULD, UH, CHOOSE NOT TO SPEAK ON THE QUESTION OF POSTPONEMENT TODAY, THAT WOULD BETTER ENSURE WE CAN GET TO THE HEALTH SOUTH MATTER WHILE, UH, UH, BEFORE COUNCIL MEMBER HARBOR MEDICINE GETS ON THE PLANE.
COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN AND COUNCIL, UH, MAYOR, I HAVE TWO ITEMS. I THINK THEY CAN STAY ON CONSENT.
THAT'S, UH, ITEM 58 IN ITEM 87.
I WANNA MOVE, UH, NEGOTIATION, UM, AND EXECUTION
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ON, ON OCTOBER 13TH.UM, THESE ARE THE STREET OUTREACH, UM, CONTRACTS THAT WILL GIVE SOME TIME FOR THE STAFF TO CONTINUE TO WORK OUT.
UM, SOME, UH, TERMS FOR THESE CONTRACTS, THESE ARE NEW CONTRACTS, SO WE CAN, WE CAN GET 'EM STARTED BY, UM, VOTING ON NEGOTIATING, THEN HAVE IT COME BACK ON THE 13TH, UH, FOR EXECUTION.
AND THAT'S THE, UM, 58 AND, UH, 87, BUT WE COULD LEAVE IT ON CONSENT IF THAT'S ACCEPTABLE.
UH, WHILE THE SPEAKERS ARE SPEAKING BETTER, IF YOU COULD CHECK WITH STAFF AND SEE IF THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH APPROVING ON CONSENT.
JUST NEGOTIATE, BUT HAVING EXECUTION COME BACK.
YEAH, I'VE WORKED WITH, UH, PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR ON THAT, BUT, OKAY.
SO GIVEN THAT RESPONSE, MAYOR, UM, I'M GONNA WITHDRAW MY REQUEST THAT OUR PARK STAFF SPEAK TO THE RENAISSANCE MARKET.
I'LL JUST SUMMARIZE WHAT I THINK AND MY EXPECTATION SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE PART OF KIND OF WAITING THROUGH THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS.
UM, AND I THINK I VOICED MY QUESTION ABOUT THE Y D B C A, SO MAYBE SOMEBODY CAN GET BACK TO ME, BUT I DO, I AM GONNA NEED TO TALK AND ASK THOSE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TWO, UM, ITEMS ONCE I FIGURE OUT WHAT NUMBERS THOSE ARE.
UH, COLLEAGUES, WE HAVE LATE BACKUP IN AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION.
IF SOMEONE WOULD REMIND ME TO SAY THAT WHEN I CALL UP ALLISON HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION, I'D APPRECIATE IT.
WE ALSO HAVE BACKUP IN 12 37 41, 61, 63, 70, 71, 72, 75, UM, 77, 78, 79, 81, 83, 84, 85, AND 91 COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS.
I, UH, JUST WANTED TO CIRCLE BACK ON THE CALENDAR.
UM, I THINK FOR WHAT'S BEEN PROPOSED FOR TODAY IS ACCEPTABLE.
I KNOW IT WAS MENTIONED DURING THE WORK SESSION THAT, YOU KNOW, WITH A NEW DIAS, SOME OF THOSE LATER DATES WITH, YOU KNOW, A SLEW OF PEOPLE WHO WILL BE GOING THROUGH THEIR FIRST BUDGET PROCESS.
UM, THE, THE DATE OF THE 20TH ESSENTIALLY MEANS, I'M ASSUMING THE MANAGER MAY UNVEIL THE BUDGET ON AROUND THE 14TH.
SO WE'D BE KIND OF TRIAGING AN AGENDA WHILE HAVING THE FIRST WEEK OF BUDGET.
AND SO I THINK THIS IS GREAT TO APPROVE FOR TODAY AND APPRECIATE THE MARI PRO TIM'S WORK ON IT.
UM, BUT JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KIND OF FLAGGED IF THERE'S ANY DATES EARLY NEXT YEAR THAT WE MAYBE IN JANUARY JUST DOUBLE CHECK AND MAKE SURE.
BUT I APPRECIATE THE EXTRA TIME FOR WORK SESSIONS AND JUST KIND OF THINK THE 20TH IS A LITTLE EARLY WITH THE BUDGET COMING OUT A WEEK AHEAD OF THAT.
I'M SURE THAT, THAT THE NEXT COUNCIL WILL WANT TO ENTERTAIN THAT.
[Public Comment ( Part 1 of 2 )]
TO, UH, SPEAKERS.UH, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO DO WHAT THE ONES IN PERSON FIRST OR REMOTE? FIRST REMOTE.
LET'S START WITH THE REMOTE SPEAKERS.
EVERYONE HAS TWO MINUTES AT THE END OF THIS, WE'LL SEE IF WE CAN DEAL WITH, UH, HEALTH SOUTH.
FIRST SPEAKER SPEAKING ON ITEM 12.
KAREN POP IS MS. POP HERE NEXT SPEAKER SPEAKING ON ITEM 1137 AND 70.
AGAINST INCREASE OF 15 10 MILLION TO THE A E D C BUDGET, UNLESS YOU RESTRICT IT TO BE USED FOR THE ICONIC MUSIC FUND AND THE CULTURAL ARTS WORK OF THE A C WHICH I THINK IS BROADLY SUPPORTED BY THE COMMUNITY.
UM, WHILE THE EFFORTS OF THE A E D C ON THE PROPOSED SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT TERMS IS, UH, OPPOSED BY THE COMMUNITY AGGRESSIVELY IS ILLEGAL UNDER STATE LAW AND IS, UH, HIGHLY OFFENSIVE TO BASIC DECENCY IN THE SENSE THAT THE A C IS SUPPOSED TO BE HELPING POOR PEOPLE AND FOLKS IN NEED, RATHER THAN PROVIDING WELFARE FOR BILLIONAIRES, DEVELOPING THE MOST VALUABLE REAL ESTATE PROPERTY AND PERHAPS THE ENTIRE STATE OF TEXAS.
SO, PLEASE, UH, TAKE STEPS TO RESTRICT THE USE OF THOSE FUNDS AND KEEP A E D C FOCUSED ON ITS PROPER MISSION.
I'M A SUPPORTER OF RETHINK 35.
I'M URGING YOU TO OPPOSE ITEM 59.
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BECAUSE INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS DON'T BELONG IN CITIES, WE REALLY TAKE A SECOND TO THINK ABOUT WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY RIGHT THROUGH DOWNTOWN.UM, IT JUST REQUIRES PEOPLE TO GET ON THE HIGHWAY TO GO TO THE GROCERY STORE, TO GO TO SCHOOL.
IT BRINGS IN MORE NOISE, POLLUTION, CAR CRASHES, DEATHS, ACCELERATES CLIMATE CHANGE, AND VOTING YES.
JUST PUT A LITTLE BIT OF GREEN SPACE ON TOP.
WE NEED TO STUDY RERO I 35 AROUND THE CITY THAT WE CAN USE THAT LAND FOR THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE.
SO I URGE YOU TO PLEASE OPPOSE ITEM 59 AND STUDY RETHINK 35 AND RECONNECT AUSTIN'S PLAN.
THANK YOU, KAREN POP SPEAKING ON ITEM 12.
MY NAME IS KAREN POP, UH, SPEAKING ON ITEM 12.
I WANNA CONGRATULATE YOU, CITY COUNCIL AND CITY STAFF FOR GETTING SO MUCH MORE OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT THAN WAS THOUGHT POSSIBLE WHEN IT FIRST CAME BEFORE COUNCIL.
THERE ARE A COUPLE OF ITEMS THAT WOULD BENEFIT FOR MORE PUBLIC, UH, INPUT OR MORE COUNCIL INPUT.
THOSE ARE AN AFFIRMATIVE MARKETING PLAN FOR THE HOUSING, WHETHER WE CAN GET A GOOD DAYCARE CENTER THERE AND WHETHER WE CAN PAY, UH, MAKE SURE THAT THE EMPLOYEES THERE A GOOD, PAID A GOOD WAGE, BUT JUST IN GENERAL, CONGRATULATIONS.
THANK YOU FOR STICKING WITH THIS AND GETTING SO MUCH MORE OUT OF IT.
MONICA GUZMAN SPEAKING ON ITEMS 11 70 92 AS WELL AS ITEM THREE FOR THE AUSTIN HOUSING PUBLIC FACILITY CORPORATION.
UH, I AM NOT SPEAKING ON 1170 AND 92, BUT REGARDING THE, THE OTHER ONE,
I JUST WANNA SAY, I MEAN, I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND THE TOTALITY OF IT, BUT KNOWING THAT CARITAS IS PART OF THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, MAKES ME FEEL GOOD.
DISTRICT FOUR HAS BEEN IN CRITICAL NEED OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING GOOD NEWS BOTH FROM THE CITY AND CHERITA ON PROGRESS ON THAT PARTICULAR ITEM.
AND FOR TRANSPARENCY PURPOSES, I AM A MEMBER OF THE CHERITA BOARD OF DIRECTORS, BUT I AM NOT SPEAKING IN THAT CAPACITY.
THAT CONCLUDES REMOTE SPEAKERS.
WE WILL MOVE TO IN PERSON FIRST SPEAKER YVONNE WELDON ON ITEM THREE ON DECK, GUS PENA.
SO, UH, ALSO ON ITEM NUMBER 71 AS WELL.
BUT, UM, SO IN 2020, DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC, THE AUSTIN ENERGY ANNOUNCED SPECIAL DISCOUNTS FOR LOW INCOME, UH, RESIDENTS TO BE ABLE TO GET DISCOUNTS ON ENERGY OR, UH, ELECTRIC BILLS AND ELECTRIC CREDITS.
AND AS YOU KNOW, IT ALSO OPENED UP THE DOOR TO THOSE THAT WERE UNDER 200% OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY RATE, UH, PART POVERTY INCOME LEVEL.
SO MY INCOME LEVEL WAS ABOUT 102%.
SO AS PART OF THAT, I APPLIED FOR THAT, UM, FOR THAT DISCOUNT RATE, AND I WAS DENIED.
I REACHED OUT, UM, TO FIND OUT.
I CROSSED MY TS DOTTED MY EYES, REACHED OUT TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS WRONG OR WHAT WAS, YOU KNOW, INVOLVED.
AND NOBODY COULD ANSWER THE QUESTIONS.
UH, WHEN I CALLED THE THREE 11 OPERATOR, SHE AGREED, I MET EVERY ONE OF THE QUALIFICATIONS, BUT THEY COULD NOT COME UP WITH AN ANSWER.
I EVEN EMAILED MY CITY REPRE, UH, CITY COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE, AND I GOT NO RESPONSE.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE LEARNED THROUGHOUT THE, UM, ELECTRIC PROCESSES, THERE'S A LOT OF ADMINISTRATIVE FLAWS THAT ARE GOING ON, AND WE NEED A FULL CITY AUDIT OF WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE, UM, AUSTIN ENERGY, UM, THEIR PROCESSES, THEIR ADMINISTRATION PROCESSES.
UM, I I, I REALLY WISH Y'ALL WOULD AT LEAST KINDA LIKE LOOK UP AND ACKNOWLEDGE ME.
UM, I APOLOGIZE, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE BUSY, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I'M JUST TAKING MY TIME, SO AT LEAST JUST KIND OF GIVE ME THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT Y'ALL ARE LISTENING.
BUT YEAH, SO I WOULD LIKE Y'ALL TO PLEASE TO TAKE THE, UM, YOU KNOW, CONSIDER THIS WHEN YOU'RE PASSING THESE ELECTRIC, UM, YOU KNOW, DEPARTMENT INITIATIVES, HOW IT'S ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, IMPACTING OR IS IT JUST ANOTHER, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT ARE WE DOING WITH THESE? AND I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT AUDIT, UM, BE DONE.
AND IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M GONNA PRESS VERY HARD FOR GOING FORWARD IS A FULL INDEPENDENT THIRD PARTY AUDIT, AUSTIN ENERGY, AS WELL AS OTHER, UM, AUSTIN, UM, DEPARTMENTS.
[00:30:01]
THANK YOU GU PENYA SPEAKING ON 12 18, 20 35, 36, 37, 49, 55, 56, 57, AND 58 ON DECK A VAUGHN.UM, I'M HERE TO BE, I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE BECAUSE I NEARLY WAS REAR-ENDED BY A AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT.
ANYWAY, I'M GONNA SPEAK TO, UH, NUMBER 18 ABOUT BLACK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
THEY NEED A HOLD, A WHOLE LOT OF HELP.
NUMBER 20, UH, THE CHILDREN'S PROGRAM, YOU CAN'T, UH, YOU CAN'T PASS, PASS BY THAT.
UH, NUMBER 43, RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING ACCEPTED THE GRANT FUNDING FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS, UH, A, UH, DEPARTMENT OF AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT ENTITLED APD VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN.
RIGHT? NOBODY HAS A RIGHT TO, TO TO HIT A WOMAN CHILD OR WHATEVER.
AND, UH, SUNRISE CHURCH NUMBER 58, UH, IS A CHURCH OUT THERE IN, UH, DEEP SOUTH AUSTIN THAT HELPS OUT THE HOMELESS.
AND IT IS VERY, VERY NEEDED, UH, UH, UH, CHURCH THAT HAS GIVEN SO MUCH HELP TO, UH, TO THE HOMELESS.
UH, I'M SURE, I HOPE ANY OF Y'ALL CAN TELL ME, DID YOU READ THE PAPER, UH, YESTERDAY OR YESTERDAY? WELL, WILL AUSTIN BE AFFORDABLE FOR THEM? WHAT IN THE HECK ARE WE DOING TO HELP THIS SITUATION? COME GET THIS SITUATION DOWN TO, TO, UH, ZERO.
OKAY? YOU REMEMBER WHEN MY WIFE AND I WERE PHONE BANKING FOR YOU? LOOK AT, LOOK AT IT.
STEVE, FORMER SPECIAL AGENT WITH IRS OKAY, IRS ALSO.
OKAY, GIVE ME SOME, AT LEAST ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I'M NO, SO I'M NO SO LOCAL.
I'M NOT STUPID, OKAY? I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON AND I WANT PEOPLE TO STOP, UH, TALKING BAD ABOUT ME.
I'M NOT GONNA PUT UP WITH THAT FROM ANYBODY.
UH, KATHY, UH, YOU KNOW, I WORK HARD IN YOUR CAMPAIGN.
UH, UM, I DON'T, I DON'T WANNA SEE YOU LEAVE, BUT I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU BECAUSE, UH, YOU'VE BEEN ONE OF THE TOP ONES ALSO.
AND MACKENZIE, UH, KELLY, YOU'VE BEEN ALSO HELPFUL TO THIS FAT, UGLY MAN.
I MEAN, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE HELP THAT YOU DO, AND PLEASE CONTINUE TO HELP OUT THE COMMUNITY.
SPEAKING ON ITEMS 39 AND 40, ALAN VAUGHN ON DECK.
ALEX STRINGER, UM, MAYOR, WELL, THE SPEAKERS ARE COMING UP.
I JUST WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE, I THINK WE HAVE SOME, SOME UT JOURNALISTS HERE FROM THE REPORTING CLASS.
AND I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE.
I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH THIS CLASS EARLIER THIS WEEK, AND I THINK WE HAVE OF DOZENS OF REPORTERS COVERING OUR, OUR COUNCIL MEETING.
AND SO THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE, EITHER IN PERSON OR VIRTUALLY.
WE HOPE, WE HOPE IT'S A VERY ENTERTAINING DAY FOR YOU
I'M THE CHAIR OF THE NORTH CENTRAL I 35 NEIGHBORHOOD COALITION KNOWN AS NSYNC.
UH, WE ARE A COALITION OF 13 NEIGHBORHOODS, UM, UH, IN CENTRAL AUSTIN.
I AM SPEAKING ON MY ON BEHALF IN SUPPORT OF ITEM 59 TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION TO THE U S D O T RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES PILOT PROGRAM.
BUT I ALSO COME WITH CONCERNS AND ALARON CALL FOR MORE LEADERSHIP FROM THIS COUNCIL.
WE'RE CALLING THIS THE CONNECTING EQUITABILITY EQUITABLY STUDY, YET THE CURRENT SCOPE OF THIS STUDY IS SIMPLY TO SOLICIT FEEDBACK ON A SMALL NUMBER OF TEXT DOT PROVIDED CAPS OVER 35 BETWEEN LADYBIRD LAKE AND AIRPORT BOULEVARD, TOTALING ONLY 15 ACRES PREORDAINED LOCATIONS BY TEXT DOT NEARLY ENTIRELY IN DOWNTOWN AND LACKING ANY SUBSTANTIVE COMMUNITY INPUT.
BUT THE COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF CAPPING I 35 ARE UNASSAILABLE.
BUT A PROJECT THAT BENEFITS DOWNTOWN WHILE HURTING THE REST OF THE CITY IS NOT A PATH TOWARD EQUITY IF WE ONLY CAP I 35 DOWNTOWN, WHILE TECH.CLAIMS 100 NEW FEET OF RIGHT AWAY IN THE CHERRYWOOD NEIGHBORHOOD CLEARING HOMES AND BUSINESSES.
WHILE TECH DOT USES INCOME RESTRICTED RESIDENTS OF AREA GRANT AS HUMAN PONDS TO CLAIM THAT THEY CANNOT MAINTAIN ALREADY EXISTING CROSSINGS WHILE TECH DOT WON'T LOWER THE MAIN LANES AND IS ADDING ZERO NEW CROSSINGS IN DISTRICT FOUR, WHERE I 35 IS CURRENTLY THE MOST DEADLY TO PEDESTRIANS, THIS JUST IS INEQUITY.
SO TODAY, LET'S ENSURE THAT THIS RESOLUTION CLEARLY STATES THAT THE FOCUS AREA FOR
[00:35:01]
THIS GRANT APPLICATION IS THE ENTIRE CENTRAL SEGMENT, UH, FROM TWO 90 TO BEN WHITE, AS IT SAYS NOW, BUT WITHOUT ANY, WITH EMPHASIS ON ANY SPECIFIC AREA WITHIN THAT REGION.SECOND, IT'S TIME FOR COUNCIL TO GET OFF THE BENCH ON THIS.
WE ARE DESPERATE FOR LEADERSHIP ON A PROJECT THAT PURPORTS TO DO GOOD WHILE SYSTEMATICALLY OBSCURING AND MISREPRESENTING ITS GENERATIONAL HARM TIME.
AND AGAIN, COUNCIL HAS MISSED OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD ITS OWN VISION FOR WHAT I 35 CAN BE.
I CALL IN THIS COUNCIL TO WORK WITH US TO PROVIDE CLEAR GUIDANCE TO STAFF AND I SUPPORT THIS ITEM 59.
BRENDAN, I JUST, I JUST WANT TO, TO THANK YOU AND THE DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS THAT HAVE COME TOGETHER TO DISCUSS I 35, UH, REDEVELOPMENT.
THIS IS A REALLY CRITICAL ISSUE FOR DISTRICT FOUR.
UH, I PULLED, UH, THE ITEM, UH, WITH REGARD TO THE GRANT SO WE CAN JUST, UH, TALK ABOUT IT AND HAVE, UH, AN AMENDMENT, UH, ALONG THE LINES THAT, UM, THAT, THAT YOU MENTIONED.
UH, BUT, UH, I, I JUST WANTED TO GET A SENSE FROM, FROM YOU IN TERMS OF THE, THE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE MEETINGS THAT Y'ALL HAVE BEEN HAVING.
UH, WHAT IS THE, THE, WHAT DO FOLKS IN THE AREA WANT FROM AN I 35 REDEVELOPMENT? I THINK BROAD AND, AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER.
I, I HAVE TO SAY THAT I'M SPEAKING OF MY OBSERVATIONS OF THE GROUP THERE, THERE IS NOT AN OFFICIAL POSITION TAKEN ON THIS BROADLY.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR THE SAME KIND OF INNOVATION THAT WE'VE STARTED TO SEE FROM TECHO DOWNTOWN OF MITIGATING THE DAILY IMPACT OF THE HIGHWAY ON THE COMMUNITIES.
UH, RIGHT NOW WE'RE SEEING, WE'RE SEEING WIDENING.
WE'RE SEEING, UH, FRONTAGE IN SPEEDS THAT ARE NOT, UH, AT A NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL.
WE'RE SEEING, UM, RAMPS THAT ARE COMING OFF THE MANAGED LANES THAT AREN'T, UH, SERVING TRANSIT, THAT ARE PRECLUDING THE ABILITY TO CAP, UM, IN SOME OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS.
UH, WE'RE SEEING, UH, AS YOU WELL KNOW IN YOUR DISTRICT, THE MAIN LANES ARE NO LONGER LOWERED, UM, IN DISTRICT FOUR.
UH, SO THERE'S A LOT OF WAYS THAT WE BELIEVE THAT WE COULD BE MITIGATING THE EFFECT OF THE HIGHWAY ON THESE NEIGHBORHOODS, BUILD MORE CROSSINGS, UM, AND, AND, UM, JUST GENERALLY HAVE, HAVE SAFER COMMUNITIES AND A SMALLER FOOTPRINT TO THIS HIGHWAY.
AND JUST FOR REFERENCE, AND I'LL BE DISCUSSING THIS FURTHER, BUT YOU KNOW, BETWEEN 51ST STREET, UH, AND TWO 90, UH, THOSE ARE THE LAST, THE TWO, YOU KNOW, CROSSINGS THERE, UH, AT THE BEGINNING OF DISTRICT FOUR, THAT'S 0.7 MILES WITHOUT AN EAST WEST CROSSING, UH, IN THE HEART OF A MAJOR AMERICAN CITY, YOU KNOW, AND A FREEWAY JUST SHOULD NOT DIVIDE A COMMUNITY LIKE THAT.
UH, AND, AND I MEAN, LOOKING AT IT, I KNOW THIS IS PARTIALLY IN DISTRICT NINE AS WELL, BUT YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT AIRPORT CROSSING OF I 35, I, I, I, I DON'T KNOW HOW A PEDESTRIAN IS GONNA BE ABLE TO CROSS I 35.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANT TO GET FROM, FROM THE MUELLER NEIGHBORHOOD TO HYDE PARK, THERE MAY BE SOME COMPLEX SYSTEM OF RAMPS AND PATHWAYS AT TEXTILE IS GONNA HAVE TO DESIGN AROUND AT THAT INTERSECTION.
SO, UH, THERE, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE LOTS OF CONCERNS AND, AND I APPRECIATE, YOU KNOW, YOUR WORK, UH, AND THE GROUP'S WORK IN, UH, IN, IN, UH, YOU KNOW, BRINGING THESE UP AND, AND, UH, AND ORGANIZING AROUND THEM.
THANK YOU COUNCILMAN ZACH ALLEN ON 59 ON DECK, ALEXANDER STRINGER.
UM, MY NAME'S ZACH ALLEN AND I JUST WANTED TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MY WIFE AND I.
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO BASICALLY VISIT MANY GREAT CITIES AROUND THE US AND AROUND THE WORLD, AND WE BOTH SHARE A LOVE OF BEING ABLE TO GO THERE, EXPLORE, AND JUST HAVING MANY OPTIONS OF GETTING AROUND, UH, GOOD CITIES.
AND SO WE USED TO LIVE ON SOUTH LAMAR, AND ONCE WE MOVED DOWN THERE, WE WERE JUST SO EXCITED ABOUT BEING IN THIS SPACE WITH ALL THIS WONDERFUL STUFF.
UM, BUT THEN BASICALLY WHAT WE FOUND ONCE WE GOT THERE WAS WE COULDN'T QUITE GET WHERE WE WANTED TO GO BECAUSE IT WAS ON ESSENTIALLY A FIVE LANE HIGHWAY WITH ANOTHER FOUR LANE ROAD INTERSECTING IT, RIGHT? AND SO IT WAS LIKE WALKING WASN'T, WASN'T, UM, COULD BE DANGEROUS.
THAT IS AS LONG AS YOU WENT IN THE BACK NEIGHBORHOOD AND GOT TO THE GRAVEL TRAILS, RIGHT? OTHERWISE IT WAS REALLY DOWNRIGHT DANGEROUS.
AND SO THIS REALLY KIND OF SHRINK WHERE WE WANTED TO GO UNLESS WE WANTED TO JUST GET IN A CAR AND DRIVE.
AND SO I CAN IMAGINE HOW MANY TIMES OVER THIS EXISTS IN AUSTIN AND IT AFFECTS COMMUNITIES OVER THE YEARS.
AND SO THIS IS JUST ONE THING, AND I'VE PERSONALLY EXPERIENCED IT, BUT I SEE SO MANY MISSED OPPORTUNITIES HERE IN AUSTIN FOR PROJECTS THAT NEED FUNDING AND SUPPORT.
AND SO MORE WALKABLE BIKES, OTHER TRANSIT OPTIONS, THINGS LIKE SMALL SIDEWALKS NEXT TO DANGEROUS, NOISY ROADS THAT WAS JUST LIKE OUR PLACE IN FRONT OF LAMAR.
IT WAS LITERALLY TWO FOOT WIDE SIDEWALK,
[00:40:01]
UH, RIGHT NEXT TO CARS IS GOING 40, 50, 60 A TRAIN RUNNING EVERY HOUR, DOESN'T CUT IT RIGHT? AND A BIKE LANE ED NEXT TO A FOUR LANE, UH, HIGHWAY THAT MAADE IS A STREET, IS ALSO NOT GREAT.AND THEN WE MOVE ON TO A POOR CHOICE BETWEEN A HIGHWAY EXPANSION THROUGH THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN, OR A SLIGHTLY LESS WORSE OPTION, I GUESS, WITH THE CAP AND STITCH.
AND IT'S ULTIMATELY WE HAVE TO HAVE A WAY, OR ULTIMATELY THAT WE'RE ENDING UP HAVING TO PAY OR SOLICIT GRANT FUNDING TO TRY TO MAKE THIS THING THAT'S BEING FORCED UPON US VAGUELY HABITABLE OR USABLE.
AND SO JUST THINK ABOUT HOW MANY COMMUNITIES THERE ARE AROUND AUSTIN THAT CAN'T TRULY THRIVE BECAUSE THEY'RE DISCONNECTED BY LARGE ROADS, WHICH AGAIN, MASQUERADES STREETS OR EVEN JUST AN OVER INTERSTATE.
SO THE POSSIBILITY THAT WE'LL BE FORCED TO USE A GIANT, UH, A GRANT TO RECONNECT COMMUNITIES TO SOMEHOW TRY TO MAKE WHAT HAPPENED WITH 35 BETTER, THAT'S ODD.
AND YOU COULD EVEN SAY PERVERSE.
UM, AND I THINK THERE'S GREAT PROJECTS THAT ALREADY EXIST IN AUSTIN THAT WE SHOULD DREAM UP SOMETHING THAT'S FANTASTIC AND A REALLY GOOD USE OF THESE FUNDS RATHER THAN TRYING TO MAKE 35 NOT I SWEAR THEM.
SPEAKING ON ITEMS 48 AND 52, ALEXANDER STRINGER ON DECK J CROSSLEY.
I AM, UH, SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF ITEM NUMBER, UH, 48 AND 52 IN THE SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS PROGRAM.
YOU KNOW, THE BEST WAY TO ENSURE SAFETY IS TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS WEARING A MASK AND THAT EVERYONE IS GETTING VACCINATED.
AND THAT'S WHY, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO INVEST IN HIRING MORE POLICE OFFICERS TO REALLY CRACK DOWN AGAINST THESE ANTI MAX MASKS, THE PEOPLE THAT REFUSE TO GET THEIR SHOTS, AND ALSO THE PEOPLE WHO SPREAD CLIMATE CHANGE DISINFORMATION ON THE INTERNET.
YOU KNOW, JUST LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED WITH HURRICANE E.
AND YOU THINK THIS HURRICANE WOULD'VE OCCURRED IF PEOPLE OWNED, IF PEOPLE HAD A CAR, IF PEOPLE DIDN'T HAVE CARS OR OWNED PRIVATE PROPERTY? ABSOLUTELY NOT, NOT ONLY THAT, NOBODY EVEN KNOWS WHAT GENDER HURRICANE IAN IS.
AND LIKE MI MISGENDERING THAT HURRICANE, LIKE, THAT'S A LITERAL MICROAGGRESSION THAT'S ALMOST WORSE THAN CALLING COUNCILWOMAN MADISON BY HER FIRST NAME.
YOU KNOW, THAT IS ACTUAL RACISM, OKAY? IF YOU DO THAT, YOU DESERVE TO SPEND THE REST OF YOUR LIFE IN PRISON, HUH? ANYWAY, YOU KNOW, LISTEN, I DO WANNA SAY ONE THING THOUGH, AND THAT IF WE ADD MONEY TO THESE, UM, THESE POLICE FUNDS, IT CANNOT BE FOR, UH, PROSECUTING VIOLENT CRIMES LIKE RAPES, ARMED ROBBERIES, UM, BURGLARIES OR ASSAULTS, BECAUSE THAT'S LITERAL RIGHT SUPREMACY.
AND THE ONLY THING THAT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON IS, YOU KNOW, ARRESTING PEOPLE FOR NOT WEARING MASKS, NOT GETTING THEIR SHOTS.
WE GOTTA ARREST PARENTS FOR COMPLAINING AT SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS.
YOU KNOW, WE GOTTA FOCUS ON THE REAL ISSUES THAT ARE ACTUAL PERTINENT THREATS TO OUR DEMOCRACY.
YOU GUYS ALL AGREE WITH ME ON THIS? I KNOW THAT FOR A FACT.
UM, AND ONE LAST THING IN SUPPORT OF ITEM 52, WE GOTTA ADD MONEY TO THE JUVENILE FUND BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IF THE KIDS DON'T WANNA WEAR MASK OR GET VACCINATED, WELL THEY BELONG IN PRISON TOO.
ITEM 59, JAY CROSSLEY ON DECK.
HELLO MAYOR COUNSEL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
UH, MY NAME IS JAY BLA AT CROSSLEY.
UH, I LIVE IN D FOUR AND I'M EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF A NONPROFIT CALLED FARM AND CITY, AND I'VE BEEN VERY INVOLVED WITH TRYING TO WORK WITH TECHO TO IMPROVE THE WAY THEY DESIGN THINGS AND IMPROVE I 35.
AND I'M HERE TO STRONGLY SUPPORT THE CITY'S APPLICATION TO RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES PROGRAM.
I THINK IT'S CRUCIAL THAT WE RECONNECT AUSTIN AND WE COMPLETELY BUILD THE URBAN STREET GRID BACK TOGETHER THE WAY IT WAS, AS MUCH AS WE CAN.
AND FOR EXAMPLE, THE COUNCIL VELA TALKING ABOUT IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, THE LONG DISTANCES YOU, YOU CAN'T GET ACROSS.
UM, UH, I DO WANT TO PUSH THAT THE SCOPE OF THIS AND THE SCOPE OF THE CITY'S ROLE, UM, SHOULD BE NOT JUST SORT OF CAPS AND STITCHES IN PARKS.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BUILDING WALKABLE URBANISM.
WE'RE BUILDING CITY FOR THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN TO LIVE, UM, BETWEEN THIRD AND SEVENTH.
WE SHOULD IMAGINE PLAZA SALTILLO CONTINUING THROUGH TO DOWNTOWN.
IF I AM WALKING WITH A FRIEND IN A WHEELCHAIR, UH, FROM THE SALTILLO STATION, I WANT TO BE ON A SIDEWALK AND ALL THE WAY TO THE, TO CITY HALL AND, AND NEVER INTERACT WITH FAST CARS.
AND YOU CAN ACHIEVE THAT WITH TEXT DOT.
AND SO I HOPE YOU CAN FOCUS, UH, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER WE DO ON CAPS IS WORTHLESS IF, IF YOU HAVE TO CROSS A HIGH SPEED STREET TO GET THERE.
UM, AND SO I BELIEVE TEXT.IS IN A POSITION WHERE THEY WILL ACCEPT THE KIND OF STREET DESIGNS THAT YOU ARE DOING IN DOWNTOWN.
AND WE SHOULD DESIGN ANY SURFACE ELEMENTS OF THIS PROJECT THE SAME AS THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS NOW DESIGNING STREETS IN DOWNTOWN.
UM, AND I HOPE THAT THIS CAN BE PART OF THIS GRANT, AND I HOPE, AND I DO HOPE THAT YOU, UM, PRIORITIZE HUMAN HABITAT AND, AND NOT
[00:45:01]
NECESSARILY PARKS AND ENTERTAINMENT ON THE CAP SPACE.THANK YOU VERY MUCH SPEAKING ON ITEM 59, ADAM GREENFIELD ON DECK, ANNA MARCEL, UH, GOOD MORNING MAYOR COUNCIL, ADAM GREENFIELD, DISTRICT THREE RESIDENT, UM, WITH RETHINK 35.
I'M HERE TO SPEAK AGAINST AGENDA ITEM, UH, 59.
UH, I WAS ACTUALLY PART OF THE DISCUSSIONS AND THE ADVOCACY AROUND, UH, CREATING THIS FEDERAL RECONNECTING AUSTIN, UH, RE RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES PROGRAM.
AND THERE WAS A LOT OF CONCERN AT THAT TIME AMONG ADVOCATES THAT, UH, THESE FUNDS COULD BE USED TO ACTUALLY ASSIST AND, AND SUGARCOAT HIGHWAY EXPANSIONS.
UH, THE, THE INTENTION AMONG MOST ADVOCATES WAS VERY MUCH THAT THE RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES PROGRAM HELPED STEER US AWAY FROM THE DREADFUL THINGS THAT WE DID IN THE 20TH CENTURY WITH HIGHWAYS THROUGH CITIES AND HIGHWAY EXPANSIONS.
SO, UM, A LOT OF ADVOCATES, UH, ARE VERY DISAPPOINTED AND SAD TO SEE SO MANY APPLICATIONS COMING IN FOR THIS PROGRAM, UH, TO, UH, TO, UH, GO ALONG WITH HIGHWAY EXPANSIONS AND NEW HIGHWAYS.
I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT YOU VOTE AGAINST THIS BECAUSE, UH, OTHERWISE THIS KIND OF APPROACH WILL BE USED BY STATE, STATE DOTS MORE AND MORE TO GET NEW HIGHWAY EXPANSIONS IN AND NEW HIGHWAYS IN, THEY'LL USE THIS AGAIN AND AGAIN.
SO IT'S ACTUALLY, I THINK, HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BACKFIRE AND LEAD TO MORE HIGHWAY EXPANSIONS AND MORE HARMS FOR, UM, LOCAL COMMUNITIES.
UM, I JUST ALSO WANT TO ADD THAT RETHINK 35 AND, AND OTHER GROUPS ARE WORKING EVERY DAY VERY, VERY HARD TO, UH, RALLY THE PUBLIC TO GIVE YOU THE SUPPORT YOU NEED TO COME OUT AND VOICE WHAT I THINK IS IN YOUR HEARTS, WHICH IS, UH, THIS, THIS HIGHWAY EXPANSION IS A VERY, WILL BE A VERY, VERY BAD THING FOR AUSTIN.
UM, THERE IS A HISTORICAL PRECEDENT OF COMMUNITIES AND COUNCILS STANDING UP TO STATE DOTS AND SUCCESSFULLY STOPPING HIGHWAY EXPANSIONS.
UH, WE'VE SEEN THIS RECENTLY IN HOUSTON WITH I 45 WHERE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CAME IN AND TOLD TECH STOCK TO PAUSE WHILE THEY INVESTIGATE CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS.
AND, UH, WE CAN DO THAT HERE TOO.
SO WE ARE WORKING VERY HARD, UM, TO, TO HELP YOU ON THAT.
AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ALREADY ON THIS.
UM, AND FOR, YOU KNOW, THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE ALREADY COME OUT AGAINST THIS EXPANSION.
HI, ITEM 59, ANNA MARCIEL ON DECK.
MIRIAM SHOE, INFIELD MIRIAMS SHOE INFIELD SPEAKING ON ITEM 59 ON DECK.
MIRIAM SHEFIELD, DISTRICT NINE SUPPORTER OF RETHINK 35, OUR FUTURE 35.
THE NAME OF THIS PROJECT IS A COLLABORATION WITH A HIGHWAY EXPANSION, AN EXPANSION THAT IS ANTITHETICAL IN EVERY WAY TO THE CLIMATE AND EQUITY GOALS OF THE CITY.
IF THIS EXPANSION GOES THROUGH, IT WILL MEAN THAT FOR GENERATIONS TO COME, EVERY SINGLE PERSON THAT LIVES IN THIS AREA IS GONNA BE MORE RELIANT ON CARS.
I HAD A DISABILITY FOR MANY YEARS, WHICH PREVENTED ME FROM BEING ABLE TO DRIVE.
AND I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO AREN'T ABLE TO AFFORD DRIVING A CAR.
EXPANDING THE HIGHWAY JUST MEANS IT BECOMES INCREASINGLY, INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO LIVE HERE WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO DRIVE.
WE NEED YOU, WE NEED YOUR LE LEADERSHIP TO STAND UP AND SAY AN ABSOLUTE NO TO EXPANDING THE HIGHWAY, NOT TO BE COLLABORATING WITH IT.
WHO WOULD TELL SOMEBODY, SURE, YOU CAN EXPAND THIS GIANT GASH IN MY LEG SO LONG AS MAYBE YOU'RE WILLING TO MAKE IT SO THAT A FEW BANDAIDS CAN BE PUT ON TOP THAT WE WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR.
THAT IS NOT A SOLUTION THAT'S GOING TO WORK.
THIS IS A BAD DEAL FOR AUSTIN AND THE LEADERSHIP IN THIS CITY SHOULD BE FIGHTING IT TOOTH AND NAIL.
LIKE WE'VE SEEN LEADERSHIP IN HOUSTON AND HARRIS COUNTY.
WE NEED YOU TO SAY NO TO TEXT DOTS PROPOSED EXPANSION, NOT TO WORK ALONGSIDE IT.
ITEM 62, GLEN TOWERY ON DECK, TRACE SALINAS, THANK YOU.
CITY COUNCIL OF AUSTIN AND MAYOR.
UM, I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE AUSTIN VETERANS ARTS FESTIVAL AND THE POWER OF USING ART TO HELP HEAL VETERANS.
THIS IS OUR FOURTH ANNUAL EVENT AND UM, WE ARE ON THE, ON ITEM NUMBER 62.
UH, WE DO NEED APPROVAL IN ORDER TO GET SECURE SOME OF THE THEATERS AND THINGS THAT WE NEED, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, I'D LIKE TO ASK FOR YOU TO LOOK AT THE FACT THAT WE ARE TWO WEEKS FROM THIS FESTIVAL STARTING
[00:50:01]
AND WE'RE JUST NOW GETTING THESE, UM, TALKING ABOUT RECEIVING THESE FACILITIES.AND I'M HOPEFUL THAT THERE'LL BE A BETTER WAY THAT WE CAN DO THIS IN THE FUTURE BECAUSE IT'S DIFFICULT FOR US TO PLAN, UM, WITHOUT ACTUALLY KNOWING THAT WE HAVE THESE THEATERS.
BUT RIGHT NOW, THE CITY HAS BEEN GIVING US A LOT OF SUPPORT.
YOU SHOULD BE VERY PROUD OF THE CULTURAL CENTER, DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL CENTER RECORD RECREATIONS.
THIS IS, UM, UM, EXHIBIT THAT WE'RE DOING.
IT'S ONE OF THE FIRST THAT WE'VE DONE IN THE CITY THIS WAY.
IT'S A COMBAT WARRIOR EXHIBIT.
WE ARE PRESSING FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THE POWER AND THE USE OF ART AND VETERANS.
ALSO, I JUST WANNA SAY RIGHT NOW, I'M NOT SURE IF YOU'RE AWARE, BUT TEXAS IS THE LEADING STATE IN TERMS OF VETERAN SUICIDE AND WE JUST HAD, UM, A ART.
WE ARE ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE VFW MAGAZINE, THE NATIONAL MAGAZINE.
AND THE REASON WHY WE'RE THERE IS BECAUSE THE PEOPLE THERE BELIEVE IN WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO.
USING A NON-PHARMACEUTICAL APPROACH TO, UM, SAVING VETERANS LIVES, TO IMPROVING THEIR HEALTH THROUGH THE ARTS IS A VERY, VERY POWERFUL THING.
AND I HOPE THAT AUSTIN TAKES THE LEADERSHIP IN THIS AND WE ARE TAKING THE LEADERSHIP IN, IN THIS WHOLE APPROACH RIGHT NOW BY DOING THE AUSTIN VETERANS ARTS FESTIVAL.
THIS IS OUR FOURTH ANNUAL ART FESTIVAL.
WE WOULD NOT BE HERE DOING IT IF IT WAS NOT FOR YOUR ACTIONS AND YOUR BELIEF, SIR.
UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS.
WE'VE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY, UM, TO SPEAK ON OCCASION AND, AND I JUST WANTED TO, UM, LET YOU KNOW CUZ OUR PROCESSES ARE, ARE A LITTLE CONFUSING AT TIMES.
UM, I KNOW THAT MY OFFICE WAS ABLE TO PUT IN ANOTHER THOUSAND DOLLARS TOWARDS YOUR FEE WAIVER AND A COUPLE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS ALSO ADDED IN ADDITION TO THE WORK THAT COUNCIL MEMBER POOL HAD DONE.
UM, SO IT LOOKS LIKE YOUR ENTIRE FEE WAIVER OF THE 4,000 4 28 WILL, UM, BE TAKEN CARE OF BY COUNCIL.
UM, I'M NOT AWARE THAT THERE'S ANY MORE BALANCE.
MAYBE COUNCIL MEMBER POOL KNOWS IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S, IT'S FULL.
SO AT LEAST FOR THAT PIECE OF THE PUZZLE, HOPEFULLY WE HAVE THAT RESOLVED.
AND JUST WANTED TO ASK THE CITY MANAGER IF THERE ARE OUTSTANDING QUESTIONS ABOUT SECURING THE LOCATIONS, UM, IN THIS SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
IF WE COULD TRY TO EXPEDITE THAT.
CUZ I THINK THIS COUNCIL FULLY SUPPORTS THIS WORK.
IS EVERYTHING OKAY? SENIOR MANAGER, MAY I, I WAS GONNA SPEAK TO THIS WHEN WE WERE DONE WITH CONSENT, BUT I, I MAY AS WELL WITH MR. TOWERY STANDING THERE.
UM, THE AUSTIN VETERANS ART FESTIVAL INDEED WILL BE HAPPENING IN PERSON AND SOON AND WE DID, UH, FIND ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO COVER ALL OF THE WAIVERS THAT YOU WERE LOOKING FOR AND I WANTED TO THANK MY CO-SPONSORS, MAYOR ADLER, MAYOR PROTE ALTER COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO, RENTER FUENTES KELLY, AND KITCHEN FOR CONTRIBUTING TO THE AVA FEST AND FULFILLING THE TOTAL AMOUNT.
UM, AND THEN I ALSO JUST WOULD NOTE THAT THE DATES ARE OCTOBER 12 TO NOVEMBER 12TH.
YES, AT THE DOHERTY ARTS CENTER AND AT THE CARVER MUSEUM.
THE SHOWCASES WILL BE VETERANS, ART, DANCE, COMEDY, AND A WHOLE LOT MORE.
AVA FEST.ORG IS THE SITE THAT YOU CAN CLICK ON AND GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ARTISTS AND THE FESTIVAL SCHEDULE.
AND THEN JUST TO SHOUT OUT, IN SPECIAL THANKS TO DISTRICT SEVEN, COMMISSIONER PETE SALAZAR ON THE VETERANS AFFAIR COMMISSION FOR HIS WORK TO BRING AVA FEST BACK AND FOR ALL THE WORK ON, UH, THAT THE COMMISSION DOES TO SUPPORT VETERANS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
PETE HAS, ALY REPRESENTED D SEVEN ON THE VETERANS COMMISSION SINCE THE START OF 2015 WHEN I FIRST TOOK THIS SEAT.
AND I REALLY APPRECIATE HIS STEWARDSHIP AND WORK WITH MR. TOWERY ON ISSUES OF CONCERNS TO OUR VETS.
AND I KNOW WE ALL APPRECIATE THE COMMISSION'S WORK.
SO AVA FEST 2022 IS ON THANK YOU MR. TOWER AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, POOL FOR, UH, TAKING THE LEAD IN THIS AND FOR BELIEVING IN US AND FOR PUSHING THIS FORWARD.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO THANK COUNCIL MEMBER POOL FOR SPONSORING THIS ITEM AND I'M GLAD THAT MY OFFICE WAS ABLE TO DONATE THE REMAINDER OF THE BALANCE AT $1,378 SO THAT WE COULD MAKE SURE THAT THE FEES WERE WAIVED.
SUCH A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY IN THE COMMUNITY AND WE'RE SO THANKFUL TO BE A PART OF IT.
NEXT SPEAKER SPEAKING ON THE MERIT TO THE POSTPONEMENT ADMIN ADAM
[00:55:01]
71 TRACE SALINAS ON DECK.PAUL ROBBINS COUNCIL, UH, A WEEK AGO, AUSTIN KNIGHTS WERE SHOCKED BY AUSTIN ENERGY'S ANNOUNCEMENT OF HIGH FUEL PRICES THAT ARE INTENDED TO BE IMPLEMENTED THIS FALL.
I AM AWARE THAT THIS ITEM IS POSTPONED.
UH, I WANT TO DESCRIBE INFORMATION THAT WE WILL NEED TO MAKE A DECISION.
I'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET FUEL COSTS FOR MONTHS AND THE UTILITY HAS HIDDEN THEM.
FOR EACH MONTH OF FISCAL YEAR'S 2021 AND 2022, WE NEED THE SUPPLY OF KILOWATT HOURS AND THE COST IN DOLLARS OF EACH FUEL, INCLUDING GAS, COAL, NUCLEAR, SOLAR, WIND, AND PURCHASED POWER.
UH, SECOND, UH, UM, WE NEED AN EXPLANATION OF WHY AUSTIN'S MAIN GAS PLANT, SANDHILL WAS NOT PRODUCING POWER FOR MOST OF FOUR MONTHS OF 2022.
UH, DO NOT LET AUSTIN ENERGY TRY TO SCARE YOU WITH THE ROOS THAT THIS INFORMATION IS COMPETITIVE DURING LARRY WEISS'S TIME AS MANAGER.
THIS INFORMATION WAS ROUTINELY MADE PUBLIC.
UH, SOME OF IT IS ACTUALLY ON A FEDERAL INTERNET SITE.
IT'S JUST NOT IN A USER FRIENDLY FORM.
AND REGARDING RATES, I'M, UH, ONE OF 10 ACTIVE INTERVENERS IN THE AUSTIN RATE CASE, WHICH LOOKS AT THE NON-FUEL PORTION OF THE BILL.
THE UTILITY IS ALSO HIDING KEY INFORMATION.
SPECIFICALLY, I'VE ASKED ABOUT WINDFALL REVENUES THAT THE UTILITY HAS EARNED IN THIS HOT SUMMER AND AUSTIN ENERGY HAS NOT PROVIDED IT AT SAN ANTONIO'S MUNICIPAL UTILITY.
THE COUNCIL RECENTLY DECIDED HOW TO SPEND A 75 MILLION SURPLUS.
WHY ISN'T THIS HAPPENING HERE? AND SECOND, UH, I HAVE ALSO ASKED ABOUT KEY INFORMATION ON HOW CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS MIGHT BE DEFRAYED BY, UH, INCREASED CHARGES ON NEW BILLINGS.
WHEN THIS TOOK PLACE IN 2014, AUSTIN ENERGY EXPERIENCED A RATE DECREASE.
UH, I THINK THERE'S MORE MONEY IN THIS STRATEGY, BUT THE UTILITY HAS NOT PROVIDED INFORMATION.
COUNSEL, I APPRECIATE YOUR ATTENTION SPEAKING ON ITEM ONE OF THE AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION, PAUL TILBERT ON DECK.
BRITTANY JACK, MAYOR, DO WE HAVE TO CALL THE MEETING TO HEAR SOMEBODY FOR AGE OF C? DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY, SO MANY SPEAKERS DO WE HAVE? THE LAST TWO ARE HFC.
UH, LET'S RECESS THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL MEETING HERE AT 11:14 AM
[Austin Housing and Finance Corporation Meeting (Part 1 of 2)]
AND LET'S GO AHEAD AND CONVENE THE AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION, UH, MEETING HERE ON, UH, SEPTEMBER 29TH, 2022.UH, THE QUORUM OF DIRECTORS ARE PRESENT HERE IN CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS AND CITY HALL.
UH, WE'RE CONVENING THE MEETING FOR THE PURPOSE OF HEARING, UM, UH, SPEAKERS THAT HAVE SIGNED UP AND ALSO TO NOTE THAT, UH, THERE IS, UH, LATE BACKUP, UH, FOR ITEM NUMBER TWO, UM, FOR THE ASPIRE AT BIG AUSTIN.
THAT IS IN THE BACKUP, UH, MATERIALS POSTED.
LET'S HEAR THE SPEAKERS THAT HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON TODAY'S AGENDA ON ITEM ONE.
IS THERE ANYONE ELSE, UH, SIGNED UP TO SPEAK IN PERSON OR REMOTELY ON THE AUSTIN AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION? UH, MATTERS? NO, SIR.
OKAY, THEN LET'S GO AHEAD THEN.
AND, UH, RECESS, UH, THE, UH, THE, THE MEETING, UH, HERE AT, UH, 11:15 AM
[01:00:01]
UH, AND I AM GOING TO THEN, UH, RETURN TO AND, AND CALL TO ORDER THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL MEETING HERE ON SEPTEMBER 29TH, 2022 AT 11:15 AM HAVING JUST CONCLUDED A RECESS SO THAT WE COULD HEAR THE AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION AGENDA.WE ARE BACK IN THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER SPEAKERS SIGNED UP? NO, SIR.
ALL RIGHT, COLLEAGUES, UH, THAT GETS US TO, UH, OUR, OUR AGENDA.
I DON'T KNOW HOW, WOULD YOU CHECK AND SEE IF KATHY'S RIGHT OUT BACK CUSTOMER KITCHEN? UM, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR ITEM NUMBER 11 IS THE A E D C ONE.
SO I'VE SENT THE QUESTION TO STAFF AND HOPEFULLY IT'S JUST A QUICK ANSWER IN WHICH CASE, UM, WE CAN LEAVE IT ON CONSENT.
BUT I I, IF I DON'T GET THE ANSWER BY THE TIME WE DO CONSENT, I'LL HAVE TO PULL IT.
SO, OKAY, WELL IT'S GOOD THAT YOU SENT THAT AND LET'S SEE LATER IF WE NEED TO, UH, PULL IT, LET'S SEE HOW
[12. Authorize negotiation and execution of a master development agreement with Aspen Heights Partners, or its affiliates, for terms governing the development, construction, and lease of a mixed-use residential development and associated infrastructure on City-owned sites located at 1215 Red River Street and 606 East 12th Street under terms outlined in a term sheet.]
CLOSE WE CAN GET TO, TO TAKING A VOTE ON THE, UH, HEALTH SOUTH MATTER.UM, COUNCIL MEMBER TO, DO YOU WANNA MAKE A MOTION? THE BASE MOTION? I DO, MAYOR.
I'D LIKE TO MOVE APPROVAL TO NEGOTIATE A MASTER DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT AS POSTED IN THE BACKUP, BUT TO SEPARATE THE EXECUTION.
THE MOTION IS TO, UM, UM, WELL HE'S APPROVE THE, UH, STAFF RECOMMENDATION, UH, WITH RESPECT TO HEALTH SOUTH AND REMEMBER 12 EXCEPT THAT IT'S ONLY TO, UH, NEGOTIATE AND THEN RETURN TO, TO COUNCIL PRIOR TO, UH, IS THERE A SECOND TO THAT MOTION COUNCIL MEMBER OF HARPER MADISON, DO YOU WANNA SECOND THAT MOTION? COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON.
SECOND THAT MOTION, UH, DISCUSSION.
GO TO THE MAKER OF THE MOTION FIRST IF THE MAKER WANTS TO ADDRESS.
I'LL MAKE MY COMMENTS IN JUST A BIT.
MAYOR, I DO HAVE, UM, AMENDMENTS TO DISTRIBUTE.
I'M HAVING SOME CHALLENGES HERE TODAY THAT I HAVEN'T HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS WITH CTM.
I CAN'T ACTUALLY PRINT FOR MY COMPUTER AND I CAN'T SAVE DOCUMENTS FOR MY COMPUTER AND SOME OTHER THINGS.
SO I'M RUNNING BEHIND ON THOSE.
I CAN READ THEM IF I NEED TO, BUT JUST AS A HEADS UP, I DO HAVE A FEW AMENDMENTS AND, AND SOME QUESTIONS FOR STAFF.
AND THEN AT THE END I'LL MAKE MY COMMENTS.