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THE AUSTIN ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING
[CALL TO ORDER]
TO ORDER AT 6:12 PM UM, THIS IS A COMMISSION MEETING VIA, UH, IN PERSON AND TELECONFERENCING.THE DATE IS OCTOBER 10TH, 2022.
UH, NOW I'M GONNA CALL ROLE OF COMMISSIONERS.
IF YOU HEAR, SAY HERE, CRAIG NASER.
I'LL REMIND EVERYBODY, UH, THAT IF ANYONE THINKS HAVE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST WITH ANY AGENDA ITEM, PLEASE SPEAK UP.
UH, NEXT IS CITIZENS COMMUNICATION.
UH, SO LET'S HAVE, UH, LET'S HAVE
[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]
THE VIRTUAL SPEAKERS FIRST SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO REMAIN ON THE PHONE.RIGHT? YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.
UH, MAKE SURE THAT LITTLE MICROPHONES TURNED ON.
I'M AMBER ROLAND, DISTRICT ONE.
JEFFERSON ON ANIMAL SERVICES HISTORICAL DATA.
IN THE LAST MEETING, SHE STATED THAT IN 2008, THE SHELTER EUTHANIZED 55% OF THE ANIMALS.
SHE WENT ON TO SAY THAT THE CITY SHELTER QUOTE HASN'T IMPROVED YEAR OVER YEAR.
IN FACT, THE EUTHANASIA RATE IN 2008 WAS 46% IN 2009 DUE TO SIGNIFICANT OPERATIONAL CHANGES AND THE HELP OF PARTNERS INCLUDING APA, IT WAS 33%.
BY 2010, IT WAS DOWN TO 28% AND SO ON UNTIL THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS WHEN THE LIVE RELEASE RATE HAS CONSISTENTLY BEEN AROUND 97%.
I VERY STRONGLY DISPUTE THE NOTION THAT THE CITY SHELTER HAS NOT IMPROVED.
CASUAL MISSTATEMENTS LIKE THIS HAVE SERIOUS IMPACTS WHEN MADE BY PE, THOSE IN THE PUBLIC EYE.
UH, AND THEN I TRIED TO REVIEW ALL OF THE BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS ATTACHED TO THE AGENDA, BUT SEVERAL ITEMS COULDN'T BE OPENED OR REVIEWED.
UH UH, SO THAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED.
HICK'S STUDY, UM, THAT WAS INTERESTING, BUT CONFIRMATION BIAS WAS QUITE EVIDENT.
AND IT SHOULDN'T BE SURPRISING.
SINCE A LONGTIME APA VOLUNTEER AND HIS SPOUSE IS AN APA VET, HE CONCLUDES STRONGLY THAT APAS BRINGING PETS IN FROM OTHER JURISDICTIONS HASN'T HAD A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON PLACEMENT OF DOGS FROM AAC.
HOWEVER, FIGURE EIGHT OF HIS ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT WHILE AACS PLACEMENTS DID NOT DECREASE, THEY INCREASED ONLY VERY SLIGHTLY BETWEEN 2013 AND 2020.
AS LOTS OF NEW POTENTIAL ADOPTERS MOVE TO AUSTIN, APAS PLACEMENTS HAVE INCREASED CONSISTENTLY IN THAT PERIOD.
THIS ISN'T BECAUSE ANIMAL SERVICES IS MISMANAGED OR BECAUSE IT DOESN'T PROMOTE ITS ANIMALS.
IT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH MARKETABILITY.
THAT TERM IS TOTALLY TABOO NOW, AND I'M SURE SEVERAL PEOPLE ARE SHAKING THEIR HEADS AND DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW, BUT NOT SAYING IT WON'T MAKE THE ISSUE GO AWAY.
THE TINY MATTIE'S FUND STUDY THAT'S LINKED FROM DR.
IT FOUND THAT PEOPLE SAY THEY WOULD ADOPT A PET IN THE FUTURE FROM AN ANIMAL SHELTER OR RESCUE GROUP, BUT NEARLY HALF SAID THEY WANTED QUOTE A BREAD DOG.
AND 77% SAID THEY HAD SIZE PREFERENCES.
48% OF THOSE WHO ALREADY HAD A PET STATED THEY'D GOTTEN THEIR PET FROM A SOURCE OTHER THAN A SHELTER OR A RESCUE GROUP.
THE SIZE AND NON-REPRESENTED NATURE OF THAT STUDY IS DEFINITELY PROBLEMATIC, BUT IT DOES SEEM TO INDICATE THAT SHELTERS STILL HAVE A HEAVY LIFT TO GET PEOPLE TO ADOPT A SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION OF THE DOGS THAT END UP AT THE CITY SHELTER.
BY GETTING ANIMALS FROM FAR OUTSIDE TRAVIS COUNTY, APA TAPS INTO SUPPLIES OF HIGHLY ADOPTABLE PETS THAT ARE AT RISK IN LESS RESOURCED SHELTERS, ALLOWING THEIR PLACEMENT GAINS TO SURPASS THE CITIES.
I'M NOT SAYING THAT THEY SHOULDN'T OR CAN'T DO THIS, CERTAINLY OTHER PRIVATE SELECTIVE INTAKE NON-PROFIT ADOPTION SHELTERS AND RESCUE GROUPS DO IT.
AND YES, THERE IS CAPACITY FOR MORE PET ADOPTIONS AROUND AUSTIN, BUT ANY DISCUSSION OR STUDIES ON THIS TOPIC, IF IT'S TO BE INFORMATIVE FOR OPERATIONS AT THE MUNICIPAL OPEN INTAKE SHELTER MUST CONSIDER HOW THE GENERAL PUBLIC FEELS ABOUT WHICH SPECIFIC DOGS THEY'D ACTUALLY CONSIDER ADDING TO THEIR FAMILIES, NOT JUST HYPOTHETICALS.
AND IT REALLY NEEDS TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT BRINGING ANIMALS IN FROM ELSEWHERE DOES CREATE MORE COMPETITION FOR CARRYING ADOPTIVE HOMES FOR, FOR MANY LOVELY BUT LARGER ADULT MIXED BREED DOGS THAT TEND TO LINGER AT THE SHELTER.
SO THERE'S NO MORE GENERAL, UH, COMMUNICATION.
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THE NEXT THING IS APPROVAL OF MINUTES.THE MINUTES HAVE BEEN SENT OUT.
YOU HAVE A GENERAL COMMUNICATION.
I AM A RESIDENT OF AUSTIN DISTRICT THREE, AND I WAS THE NEONATAL PROGRAM MANAGER AUSTIN PETS ALIVE FOR RECENTLY BEING APPOINTED SENIOR DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS AT APU.
UM, I WANT TO SHARE A STORY TODAY ABOUT COMMUNITY CAT THAT RECENTLY PLACED WITH APA FROM AUSTIN.
ANIMAL CENTER IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER AND APA AND THE POSITIVE OUTCOMES THAT CAN BE ACHIEVED FOR COMMUNITY CATS IN AUSTIN.
THE CAT IN QUESTION WAS 8 8 6 0 0 8 7.
UM, THE NURSERY AT AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER REACHED OUT TO US AT 1:00 PM ON THE 26TH OF JUNE, AND WE WERE ABLE TO PICK THAT CAT UP BY VOLUNTEER BY 3:00 PM THE CAT WAS FAIRLY POSITIVE, HAD A DAMAGED RIGHT EYE, AND WAS PREGNANT.
UM, AT THE TIME THAT WE WEREN'T ACTUALLY ADVISED IT WAS A COMMUNITY CAT, BUT ALL THE BEHAVIORS FROM THIS CAT WERE INCREDIBLY FRIENDLY ON INTAKE.
AND GIVEN THE SHORT NOTICE, THE CAT STAYED WITH US AT NURSERY OVERNIGHT FOR OBSERVATION TO ALLOW US TO PLACE WITH FOSTER ON THE 28TH.
THE CAT WAS STILL WITH US AND WENT INTO LABOR OVERNIGHT AND SADLY GAVE BIRTH TO THREE PREMATURE BABIES, WHICH SADLY DID NOT SURVIVE.
AND SO WE MOVED AHEAD WITH SCHEDULING, SPAY AND EYE SURGERY.
AS THE CAT WAS NO LONGER PREGNANT, WE DIDN'T PRIORITIZE FOSTER REPLACEMENT AS THIS WAS A SUPER FRIENDLY CAT WHO RECEIVED LOTS OF SOCIALIZATION AND ATTENTION FROM CAT, UM, FROM STAFF ON SITE.
ON THE 29TH, THE NURSE REACHED OUT TO MAKE US AWARE THAT THE AAC NURSERY REACHED OUT TO MAKE US AWARE THAT THERE WAS A COMMUNITY CARE AND PROVIDED DETAILS FOR US TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THAT CAR.
THEY WERE SUPER POSITIVE ABOUT TAKING THE CAT BACK AND REPLACE AND PUTTING THE CAT BACK IN THE COMMUNITY AFTER SURGERY.
AND WHILE WE OFFERED TO SEND THE CAT BACK TO HER TO FOSTER BEFORE SURGERY, THEY ASKED THAT THE CAT REMAINED WITH US WHEN SHE WENT TO OUR SURGERY ON THE 10TH.
UM, OUR VICTIM ADVISES US THAT THE CAT ACTUALLY STILL HAD TWO HEALTHY VIABLE KITTENS AND A FEW DAYS LATER, MIRACLE 19 AND MYSTERY 19 WERE BORN.
THESE KITTENS WERE FAIRLY POSITIVE AND, BUT THEY WERE PLACED WITH THEIR MOM WITH AN EXPERIENCED FOSTER TO ALLOW THE MOM AND NEWBORNS TO GROW IN A HOME ENVIRONMENT.
THE COMMUNITY CARE WHOSE DETAILS WERE PROVIDED BY AC KEPT IN TOUCH THE WHOLE WAY THROUGH AND HAS BEEN A WONDERFUL SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND HAS CONTINUED TO LOOK OUT FOR HER.
UM, COMMUNITY CAT, THE MOM AND KITTENS THRIVE.
THE KITTENS WERE WEANED AND PLACED WITH A NEW FOSTER WHO SPECIALIZED IN FOSTERING FAIRLY PLUS KITTENS.
AND THEY WERE ADOPTED ON THE 6TH OF OCTOBER.
KIT CAT THRIVED AND WAS ADOPTED AND RETURNED TO HER CARER ON THE SECOND OCTOBER WITH APA PROVIDING SURGERY IN SP AS THE CAT IS VY PLUS, WHICH THE CARER DIDN'T REALIZE AT THE TIME, THE CAT IS ACTUALLY GOING TO STAY INDOORS WITH THE COMMUNITY CARE AND IS BENEFITING FROM HER LOVE AND ATTENTION.
AT THIS TIME, I'M VERY GRATEFUL TO US AND ANIMAL CENTER AND THE TEAM AT APA FOR THEIR ROLES IN THIS POSITIVE OUTCOME.
YOU OKAY? UH, NO MORE CITIZEN COMMUNICATION.
UH, LET'S GO ON TO APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.
[1. Approve the minutes of the Animal Advisory Commission Regular Meeting on September 12, 2022.]
THE MINUTES HAVE BEEN SENT OUT.I'M SORRY, I MOVED THAT THE MINUTES BE APPROVED AS IS.
I THOUGHT AMBER HAD SIGNED UP FOR A SPECIFIC AGENDA ITEM.
SHE WANTED TO SPEAK ON THAT APA.
THAT WAS ANOTHER ONE THOUGH, CRAIG, NUMBER 15.
WELL, AND THAT'S FINE WHEN WE GET TO, WHEN WE GET TO 11, 11 11 WHEN WE GET TO THOSE.
WE'LL, SO THAT'S WHEN YOU'LL WANT HER TO SPEAK? YES.
YEAH, LET'S DO IT IN FRONT OF THE ITEMS. OKAY.
I KNOW THE CITY COUNCIL PUTS THEM ALL UP FRONT, BUT WE'VE ALWAYS PUT 'EM BY THE ITEMS. IT'S GONNA GO THAT'S WHAT YOU'VE ALWAYS PUT 'EM UP FRONT.
IT'S JUST THAT PEOPLE THAT ARE ON VIRTUAL SOMETIMES IF THEY HAVE TO WAIT TWO OR THREE HOURS.
UM, UH, SO APPROVAL OF MINUTES.
DO I HEAR EMOTION? I MOVED TO HAVE THE, THE MINUTES APPROVED.
COMMISSIONER DEEMER HAS MOVED TO HAVE APPROVED.
DO I HEAR A SECOND? I'LL SECOND.
IS THAT WITH THE CORRECTIONS? YES.
IS THAT WITH THE CORRECTIONS? THAT WAS THE LAST VERSION SENT OUT? YES, SIR.
UH, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? OKAY.
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ANY OPPOSED? CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY.UH, SO THE NEXT THING IS STAFF BRIEFINGS.
[2. Presentation by Don Bland and/or Jason Garza regarding Austin Animal Center and Animal Services Reports]
JASON'S HERE VIRTUALLY AND DON BLAND ARE GONNA TELL US, UH, THE ANIMAL SERVICES REPORT.FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, WE HAD A LIVE EXIT RATE OF 97.68%, AND WE DID THAT WHILE WE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY OVER CAPACITY WITH ANIMALS AND CRATES EVERYWHERE.
SO, UH, I THINK THE STAFF HAS, HAS REALLY WORKED DILIGENTLY TO, UH, MAINTAIN OUR LIVE EXIT RATE DESPITE ALL OUR TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS.
UM, OF THAT, DURING THAT TIME, UH, 747 ANIMALS WERE BROUGHT IN.
WE DID, UH, RESTRICT INTAKE ON SEPTEMBER 13TH.
SO FOR HALF OF THE MONTH, UH, WE ADOPTED OUT, UH, 698 AND 93 WERE RETURNED TO THEIR OWNERS.
UH, I KNOW WE HAVE A PACKED AGENDA, SO I'M GOING TO JUST HIT SOME HIGHLIGHTS HERE, AND IF YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS, WE CAN TALK ABOUT THOSE.
UM, WE DID HAVE FIVE NEW VOLUNTEER ORIENTATIONS, UH, INTRODUCING 126 NEW PEOPLE TO THE SHELTER PROGRAMS. AND 109 NEW VOLUNTEERS ACTUALLY ATTENDED THEIR FIRST SHIFT IN SEPTEMBER.
WE HAD, UH, A RESURGENCE, UH, THE LAST FEW MONTHS OF GROUPS FROM BUSINESSES BRINGING GROUPS OF EMPLOYEES IN TO DO VOLUNTEER WORK.
AND WE HAD 68 INDIVIDUALS THAT PARTICIPATED, UH, IN GROUP VOLUNTEER SERVICES TODAY.
I, I CAN REPORT THAT WE HAD A VERY LARGE GROUP FROM A CREDIT UNION TODAY BECAUSE, UH, THE BANKS BEING CLOSED.
SO THAT WAS NICE TO SEE THAT THEY TOOK THEIR DAY OFF AND, AND CAME AND JOINED US.
WE HAVE, UH, 1,359 VOLUNTEERS THAT ARE APPROVED, I MEAN, FOSTERS THAT ARE APPROVED IN THE FOSTER PROGRAM.
AND WE HAD, UH, 280 ANIMALS IN FOSTER CARE.
I THAT, IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON ANY OF THE OTHER ITEMS IN THAT REPORT BEFORE I GO TO THE NEXT SESSION SECTION ON STAFFING? I, I HAVE QUESTIONS.
YOU MEAN ON THE WHOLE REPORT THAT YOU FINISHED WITH THIS ONE? YES.
UM, I THINK, UM, PROBABLY, I DON'T KNOW, TWO OR THREE MEETINGS AGO I DID MENTION I APPRECIATE THAT YOU PUT THIS REPORT TOGETHER.
AND AT THE SAME TIME, THIS REPORT DOESN'T GIVE YOU A PERSPECTIVE OF WHAT REALLY IS HAPPENING IN, I, YOU TELL ME THIS NUMBERS AND NARRATIVE TO ME DOESN'T MEAN IT'S HARD TO INTERPRET, ANALYZE.
SO I HAD TO GO, STARTED YESTERDAY LOOKING THROUGH EACH MONTH, THE PAST TWO OR THREE MONTHS TO START TO, TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING.
AND I, UM, FOR EXAMPLE, I NOTICED THAT, UM,
AND I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND WHY, OR I, YOU PROBABLY DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER BECAUSE YOU'RE JUST LOOKING AT THE SEPTEMBER, THEN I'M LOOKING AT THE EMERGENCY CLINIC, THE, THE SPENDING PER MONTH AND OKAY.
IT SEEMS TO RANGE, UM, AROUND 40 K OR SO.
AND IN SEPTEMBER IS, IT WAS DOWN TO 20,000 IN JULY, WE DIDN'T GET A NUMBER.
SO I, I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT, WHAT IS, UH, HAPPENING SO WE CAN HELP OR, UM, I WAS ALSO LOOKING AT, UM, VOLUNT VOLUNTEER, TOTAL HOURS DONATED.
UM, AND I, IT WAS VERY INTERESTING BECAUSE, UM, SEPTEMBER, I, I JUST WAS ABLE TO LOOK FROM JUNE THROUGH SEPTEMBER, AND
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IN SEPTEMBER THERE WERE 316 VOLUNTEERS.AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT INCLUDES THE GROUPS THAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO FOR 4,519 HOURS.
UM, AND IT'S, THE TREND SEEMS TO BE GOING DOWN.
UM, I'M NOT, I'M NOT GONNA GO THROUGH NUMBER BECAUSE, UH, WE HAVE THE MEANING TO GO THROUGH.
UH, I ALSO, UM, LOOKING AT THE DOC WALKING CAT CARE LOOKS LIKE IT'S IMPROVING A LITTLE BIT, BUT YOU KNOW, IN JUNE THERE WERE 40 PEOPLE WHO DO THAT, THAT THEY WERE WALKING.
IT'S NOW SIXTY EIGHT, A HUNDRED THIRTY SIX HOURS.
UH, THERE WERE A LOT OF THINGS THAT I WAS LOOKING AT AT THE REPORT, AND I, I JUST, UM, WE NEED TO, UH, IT WILL REALLY HELP IF YOU PUT THIS IN PERSPECTIVE, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THIS IS JUST THIS MONTH AND IT REALLY DOESN'T GIVE YOUR PERSPECTIVE.
AND I KNOW THAT, UH, THE OTHER ONE THAT YOU DO, WHICH IS BY MONTHS IN COMPARED YEAR, WHICH THAT'S, I APPRECIATED THAT, UH, JASON AND YOU WERE ABLE TO PUT IT SIDE BY SIDE.
AND, AND I APPRECIATE, UH, YOUR FEEDBACK ON THAT.
UH, AND THE NARRATIVE IS SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE, WE ARE PROVIDING THAT'S NOT A REQUIRED REPORT.
SO, UM, WE'LL LOOK AT SEEING WHAT WE CAN DO MAYBE TO WORK WITH IT DEPARTMENT AND AUTOMATE THAT.
MAY I SAY SOMETHING, IF I MIGHT, THE HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF THIS PARTICULAR NARRATIVE REPORT WAS BASED ON PARTICULAR QUESTIONS RECOMMENDED BY THE COMMISSIONERS.
SO A LOT OF THESE QUESTIONS WE ANSWER PER REQUEST FROM THE COMMISSIONERS IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
IT HAS EVOLVED INTO WHERE I'M NOT EVEN SURE WHAT, WHAT'S IMPORTANT ANYMORE AND WHAT'S NOT.
BUT AGAIN, IT WAS PUT TOGETHER OVER THE YEARS, AND IT MAY BE TIME TO RE-LOOK AT THE REPORT, BUT THIS, ALL OF THESE, ALL THESE DATA POINTS THAT ARE PRESENTED AT ONE TIME CAME TO US AS A QUESTION THAT WAS REQUESTED FROM THE COMMISSION.
SO THAT'S WHY IT IS THE WAY IT IS.
I, I MEAN, I JOINED THE COMMISSION THIS YEAR AND I, I REALIZED THAT A LOT OF WORK HAS BEEN DONE AND, AND THAT'S WHY WE LIKE FRESH EYES.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, IT DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN WORKING WITH, UH, LIKE IMAN ZPA IN TERMS OF GETTING THEIR BILLING TO US MM-HMM.
AND SOMETIMES IT'S NOT TIMELY AS WELL.
AND THEY'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THEM TO TRY TO DETERMINE A WAY THAT WE CAN CAPTURE SOMETHING ELECTRONICALLY FROM THEM.
SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT'S ONGOING.
AND, UH, JUST TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THE I DEPARTMENT IS CONTINUING TO WORK ON THAT.
AND THAT'LL MAKE SOME DIFFERENCES.
UM, UH, CONGRATULATIONS ON THE HIGH LIFE OUTCOME RATE.
UM, MY QUESTION INVOLVES STAFFING, SO I DON'T KNOW IF WE SHOULD WAIT, BUT IT'S ON HERE.
UM, I WAS JUST WONDERING, AND MAYBE YOU CAN ADDRESS IT ON YOUR STAFFING, IF THERE'S ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO HELP FILL THE VACANT POSITIONS, UM, IF WE POST THEM ON FACEBOOK OR SOMETHING, IF WE HAVE THEM, IS THAT HELPFUL TO THE CENTER? AND ALSO IS THE CITY LOOKING AT DOING ANYTHING TO SPEED UP BACKGROUND CHECKS? I KNOW IT AFFECTS ALL DEPARTMENTS, BUT YOU KNOW, WE'RE THIS TECHNOLOGY CITY AND IT STILL YEARS LATER FROM WHEN I WAS WITH THE CITY, UM, TAKES SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS, WHICH, AND PEOPLE GO GET NEW JOBS, AND I WILL ADDRESS THOSE WHEN I TALK ABOUT STAFFING.
UH, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I, I DO HAVE, OH, YES, DOCTOR, UM, CAN YOU COMMENT PLEASE ON WHY, UH, OUT-OF-STATE DOG TRANSPORT DROPPED FROM 111 DOGS LAST MONTH DOWN TO 34 THIS MONTH? WELL, UH, OTHER PLACES UP NORTH ARE GETTING AS, AS FULL AS WE HAVE BEEN, AND WE JUST HAVEN'T HAD THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE HAD THE CAPACITY TO PULL AS MANY.
IT'S NOT THAT THERE'S BEEN A REQUEST OF TRANSPORTATION TO DO FEWER TRANSPORTS? NO.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I, I DO HAVE A QUESTION.
SO YOU OPENED UP FOR ADOPTIONS ON SUNDAYS? YES, SIR.
HOW'S THAT GOING? UH, WELL, I CAN TELL YOU THIS PAST WEEK, UH, AND, AND THIS IS ANIMALS THAT MIGHT BE PICKED UP ON SUNDAY,
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BUT, UH, YESTERDAY, UH, WE DID A TOTAL OF 21 ADOPTIONS BASED ON THE OUTCOME REPORT.SO WITH OUR RESTRICTED INTAKE STILL, WE ONLY TOOK IN SEVEN, SO WE ACTUALLY HAD A POSITIVE OUTCOME DATE.
SO THAT, THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS VERY NICE.
ONE OTHER QUESTION I HAVE ABOUT THAT IS IF YOU'RE OPEN ON SUNDAY, ARE YOU, ARE, IS IT AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE TO COME AND PICK UP LOST DOGS AND PICK THEM UP FROM THE SHELTERS? THAT, THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN AVAILABLE ON, SOME ALWAYS BEEN AVAILABLE.
SO THIS IS ADOPTION PLUS? YEAH, THAT WAS, THAT WAS ADOPTION.
UM, WE DID, UM, FOUR RETURN TO OWNERS ALSO YESTERDAY.
SO THAT'S THREE TO FOUR IS, IS PRETTY STANDARD ON THE SUNDAY, EVEN WHILE WE WERE CLOSED.
SO IT'S THE ADOPTIONS THAT ARE UP.
WELL, LET'S MOVE ON TO THE PRESENTATION
[3. Presentation by Don Bland regarding AAC Staffing and Services]
REGARDING AAC STAFFING AND SERVICES.WELL, CURRENTLY WE HAVE, UH, 10 VACANT FULL-TIME REGULAR POSITIONS.
UH, AS YOU KNOW, OCTOBER 1ST WE WERE GIVEN TO SIX ADDITIONAL POSITIONS, SO THAT IS IN THIS MIX.
UH, SO, UH, WE ARE HIRING, WE HAVE 21 VACANT TEMPORARY POSITIONS THAT WE'RE HIRING.
UH, WE, WE HAVE SEEN AN UPTICK IN THE APPLICATIONS IN OCTOBER SINCE OUR NEW LIVING WAGE HAS GONE UP, YOU KNOW, TO $20 AN HOUR.
WE'VE SEEN THAT, UH, IN THE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS THAT WE'VE HAD THAT WE HAVEN'T SEEN PREVIOUSLY.
UM, WE DO KNOW THAT, UM, BACKGROUND CHECKS AND GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS WITH THE CITY IS SOMETHING THAT HAS HISTORICALLY BEEN, UH, YOU KNOW, A STUMBLING BLOCK.
AND, UH, I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY USE THE FIRM THAT THEY USE.
UH, I, I'M WITH YOU, COMMISSIONER NORTON, UH, CAME FROM SOMEWHERE WHERE WE COULD GET 'EM OVERNIGHT, BUT WE MIGHT HAVE PAID MORE MONEY.
I DON'T KNOW HOW THE NUMBERS OF VOLUME, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE CITY'S DETAILS ARE ON THEIR CONTRACTS, BUT, UH, THAT, THAT IS A, A PROBLEM.
ONE OF THE, UH, SOME DEPARTMENTS CAN START SOMEONE PENDING BACKGROUND CHECK.
WE'RE NOT ONE OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS.
THEY REQUIRE US TO HAVE A FULL COMPLETED BACKGROUND CHECK BEFORE WE CAN BRING SOMEONE ON BOARD.
SO, UH, IF, IF, YOU KNOW, YOU WANT TO, YOU KNOW, KNOW THAT WE'RE HIRING POST ON YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE, ALL, YOU KNOW, OUR JOBS GIVE 'EM THE LINK TO THE CITY JOB WEBSITE, UH, BECAUSE WE DO, UH, GET REFERRALS AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, NICE TO SEE SOMEONE THAT IS WORKING THERE AND ENJOYING IT AND, YOU KNOW, REFERS SOMEONE ELSE AND BRINGS THEM IN NORMALLY HAVE A REAL GOOD SUCCESS RATE WITH THAT.
UM, SO WHEN IN UNDER THE STAFFING, WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT EVENTS BEING MOVED INTO THAT.
SO I'LL SAY THAT WE HAD FIVE EVENTS IN SEPTEMBER AND, UM, WE HAD THE CLEAR THE CRATE WAS THE LARGEST EVENT THAT WE HAD, AND 18 DOGS WERE ADOPTED OUTTA THE CRATES THAT DAY.
SO THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, THE LARGEST EVENT THAT WE HAD.
SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, DOING MORE.
AND I HIGHLY, I WANNA INVITE Y'ALL ALL OUT TO, UH, THIS SATURDAY IS THE SECOND ANNUAL, UH, OCTOBER EVENT WHERE THEY DRESS UP THE ANIMALS IN HALLOWEEN COSTUMES AND WALK THEM DOWN THE RED CARPET RUNWAY.
AND, UH, SO IT, IT'S A FUN EVENT FOR THE STAFF AND FOR THE PUBLIC.
AND SO THAT'LL BE HAPPENING THIS SATURDAY.
JUDY MAIO WILL BE OUR MISTRESS OF CEREMONIES.
IF YOU DIDN'T HEAR THAT ON THE ONLINE, JUDY MAIO WILL BE OUR MISTRESS OF CEREMONIES.
AND SHE'S EXTRAORDINARILY EXCITED.
NIELSEN, I WAS JUST CURIOUS HOW MANY, UM, FULLTIME FOSTER COORDINATORS YOU CURRENTLY HAVE? WE CURRENTLY, UM, WE HAVE TWO, ONE FULL-TIME AND ONE PART-TIME.
AND WE HAVE IN PROCESS OF HIRING ANOTHER FULL-TIME TEMPORARY, AND I THINK THEY'RE IN BACKGROUND RIGHT NOW.
UH, SO THAT'LL MAKE TWO FULL-TIME AND, AND ONE PART-TIME.
NOW, THE OTHER VOLUNTEER COORDINATORS, UH, RESCUE, THEY ALL HAVE A FOSTER RESCUE COORDINATOR TITLE, BUT THAT'S MOTHER'S A SPECIFIC JOB.
SO YOU, UM, SO, UM, TWO AND A HALF.
AND THEN YOU HAVE A, A VACANCY? OR IS THAT, IS THAT THE, SO THAT'S THE TEMPORARY,
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I'M SORRY, UNDER YOUR 21 VA TEMPORARY POSITION, IT SAYS ONE RESCUE FOSTER COORDINATOR.THAT, THAT IS THE TEMPORARY, THAT WILL BE THE SECOND.
THAT WILL BE THE SECOND FULL TIME.
ONLY TWO QUESTIONS FOR A ACCIDENT, CORRECT.
THE $20, UM, MINIMUM WAGE AND THAT YOU'RE GETTING MORE APPLICATIONS.
SO THAT'S, UM, SO IN A WAY, I THINK ABOUT THE SECTION OF STAFFING MAYBE IS SORT OF LIKE A BENCHMARK BOOKED OVER INSTEAD OF LOOKING IN THE PAST, SINCE YOU'RE GETTING MORE APPLICATIONS WITH THE, THE CHANGING SALARY, UM, REGARDING THE ACTIVITY EVENTS, I'M ASSUMING THAT YOU, YOU ALL PLANNED THIS, UH, PER QUARTER OR, UH, THE FISCAL YEAR OF AHEAD OF TIME.
HEY, WE'RE GONNA HAVE, UH, TWO EVENTS PER MONTH OR THREE EVENTS AND IT'S IS PRE-PLANNED, CORRECT? YES.
THEY HAVE A EVENT SCHEDULE THAT THEY HAVE PLANNED OUT AND DO.
AND YOU ALSO MEASURE HISTORICALLY WHAT IS THE OUTCOME OF THOSE EVENTS AND ADOPTIONS FOSTER YES.
THEY, THEY ARE AWARE OF WHAT'S HAPPENED IN THE PAST.
UH, AND, AND IF THAT EVENT IS SUCCESSFUL AND WE NEED TO REPLICATE IT OR DO WE NEED TO CHANGE IT, UH, BETWEEN EXCELLENT.
AND I GUESS I I DON'T TALK ABOUT THE FACEBOOK SOCIAL MEDIA OR IT'S PART OF THE REPORT.
UH, THE FACEBOOK SOCIAL MEDIA.
THERE'S, YEAH, THEY HAVE FACEBOOK REACH INSTAGRAM.
SO, UM, AND I, I NOTICE HOW THE TREND IS, HAS INCREASED THE, THE REACH FOR FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM ESPECIALLY SUBSTANTIALLY.
SUBSTANTIALLY, SORRY, THAT'S MY, I'M THINKING IN SPANISH.
SO IT HAS INCREASED IN A SUBSTANTIAL MANNER FROM, UH, AUGUST TO SEPTEMBER, BOTH INSTAGRAM AND, UM, AND ALSO IN FACEBOOK.
UH, AND ALSO MY QUESTION IS, DO YOU TRACK WHAT, WHAT IS THAT OUTCOME? WHETHER IT GENERATES LEADS OF FOSTERS ADOPTIONS OR WHAT IS THE OUTCOME FROM OUR FACEBOOK POST? YES.
THEY, THEY, UH, KNOW THAT THE RESPONSE THAT THEY GET, AND, UH, I KNOW WHEN PEOPLE SIGN UP FOR, YOU KNOW, FOSTERS AND THINGS, THEY, THEY HAVE A DIRECT CORRELATION.
HOW DID THEY GET HERE? SO THEY, THEY KNOW WHAT'S MORE SUCCESSFUL.
UH, I WILL TELL YOU, YOU'RE GONNA SEE THE NUMBERS TAKE A BIG HIT ON FACEBOOK NEXT MONTH.
BECAUSE FACEBOOK HAS CHANGED THEIR ALGORITHMS. YES.
AND UH, NORMALLY, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE YOUR FOLLOWERS.
I POST SOMETHING AND ANYBODY THAT FOLLOWS YOU GETS THAT POST.
THAT'S NOT THE WAY IT WORKS ANYMORE.
UH, WE DID ONE THE OTHER DAY THAT, UH, NORMALLY GETS SIX OR 700 POST ON THAT DAY AND THAT TIME AND IT GOT 68.
AND IT'S BECAUSE OF, YOU KNOW, IT'S WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IS WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO SEND YOU TYPE THINGS.
AND THE ANIMAL WORLD HAS NOTICED.
AND, UH, SO DO YOU CORRELATE, UH, THE OUTCOMES, WHETHER IT'S LIKE YOU THAT FOSTER AND POTENTIALLY ADOPTION TO YOUR NUMBERS THAT YOU GIVE ISH MONTHS FOR THOSE? LIKE, LET'S SAY YOU HAD, UH, 400 ADOPTIONS IN SEPTEMBER.
20 OF THOSE CAME FROM, ORIGINATED FROM, IT'LL START IT WITH YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA.
I, UM, THEY HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF DETERMINING WHEN AN ADOPTION HAPPENS.
HOW THEY FOUND OUT ABOUT THAT.
WAS IT SOMETHING THAT THEY, THEY VIEWED ONLINE? WAS IT SOMETHING THAT WAS IN PERSON? UH, YOU KNOW, WE DID HAVE 170, YOU KNOW, THAT'S HOW WE KNOW 179 WERE ADOPTED FROM FOSTER.
IS THERE, IT'S A MANUAL PROCESS.
[00:30:01]
I WAS JUST THINKING I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.BUT, UH, I UNDERSTAND THE LIMITATIONS BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE A GREAT WAY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS WORKING AND JUST TO MAKE IT EASIER WHERE YOU FOCUS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON, UM, STAFFING AND SERVICES? YES.
I HAVE ONE COMMENT THAT HAS SOMEWHAT TO DO WITH SOCIAL MEDIA.
UM, I WATCHED SOME OF THOSE TIKTOK VIDEOS AND FACEBOOK VIRAL POSTS LAST MONTH, AND I THOUGHT YOUR STAFF DID A WONDERFUL JOB OF, I'M GONNA TEAR UP A LITTLE BIT CUZ IT WAS MISERABLE WALKING THROUGH THAT TRUCK PORT BEARING WITNESS TO HOW THE CITY OF AUSTIN ALLOWS ANIMALS TO BE HOUSED AND THE BURDEN IT TAKES ON THE STAFF AND HOW THE COMMUNITY LASHES OUT AT PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING VERY HARD TO DO THEIR JOB EVERY DAY.
AND SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE COMMUNITY TO SEE THAT, CUZ THIS IS A COMMUNITY EFFORT TO BE NO-KILL IN AUSTIN.
NIELSEN TOUCHED ON IT LAST MONTH.
YOU KNOW, WHEN WE SAY THERE IS SUFFERING INVOLVED IN NO KILL, WHEN WE IGNORE CAPACITY TO CARE AND ALL OF YOUR STAFF HAVE A HUGE CAPACITY FOR CARING.
AND IT WAS SO EVIDENT IN SOME OF THOSE POSTS, AND I THINK EVERYBODY HERE AT THE TABLE ONLINE IN THOSE CHAIRS EMPLOYED BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN IN THAT BUILDING CARE IMMENSELY.
AND THAT CAME ACROSS IN SOME OF THOSE POSTS.
AND SO I JUST, THEY WERE TOUCHING AND, UM, WE SEE THEM AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO KNOW THAT WE SEE THEM AND THEY'RE IN STRUGGLE WHEN, WHEN THEY HAVE TO BEAR WITNESS TO THAT AMOUNT OF ANIMALS IN THEIR CARE.
AND SO, I DON'T KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE'LL GET TO IT LATER.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE ANSWER IS.
YOU KNOW, WE SHUT THE DOORS FOR A WHILE TO ALLOW, UH, ANIMALS TO GET OUT OF CRATES, WHICH I THINK IS A VERY HUMANE THING TO DO, BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO TO HELP PREVENT THOSE ANIMALS FROM GETTING IN THAT SITUATION AGAIN.
SO THANK YOU TO YOUR STAFF AND THANK YOU TO YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? OKAY.
[4. Update on Animal Services Audit, by Keith Salas, Assistant City Auditor]
ITEMS, UH, UH, PRESENTATION BY PARLIAMENTARIAN ARE PARLIAMENT.I SKIPPED THAT OVER TO USE THIS FROM BEGINNING.
MY NAME IS KEITH SALAS AND I'M AN ASSISTANT CITY AUDITOR IN THE OFFICE OF THE CITY AUDITOR.
AND I WANNA TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK YOU GUYS FOR LETTING ME COME TO SPEAK WITH YOU TODAY TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON OUR ANIMAL SERVICES AUDIT.
BEFORE I GET INTO THE AUDIT ITSELF, I WANNA TAKE A BRIEF SECOND TO GO OVER OUR OFFICES' ROLE AND JUST AUDIT POLICIES AND PROCESSES IN GENERAL.
UM, JUST IN CASE PEOPLE ARE OUT HERE, AREN'T VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE AUDIT PROCESS.
UM, SO WE ARE AN INDEPENDENT OFFICE THAT REPORTS DIRECTLY TO THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
AND THE REASON THAT'S IMPORTANT IS BECAUSE WE'RE NOT PART OF THE TYPICAL CHAIN OF COMMAND THAT GOES THROUGH THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE.
THAT HELPS GIVE REASSURANCE THAT, UM, THE WORK THAT WE DO AND THE FINDINGS THAT WE HAVE ARE INDEPENDENT OF BOTH, UH, DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT AND CITY MANAGEMENT.
SO WE REALLY DO TAKE OUR INDEPENDENCE AND OBJECTIVITY REALLY IMPORTANT IN OUR OFFICE.
UM, AS FOR THE AUDIT PROCESS IN GENERAL, IT'S BROKEN INTO THREE UH, SECTIONS.
[00:35:01]
IS A PRELIMINARY KIND OF INFORMATION GATHERING SECTION.WE CALL IT OUR PLANNING PHASE.
UH, WE USE THAT TO HELP NARROW DOWN OUR FOCUS ON WHAT WE WANT TO, UM, PURSUE IN THE DETAILED TEST WORK, WHICH IS OUR NEXT PHASE.
UM, AND THEN AT THE VERY END OF OUR AUDIT, WE HAVE OUR REPORTING PHASE WHERE WE PUBLISH A REPORT.
ALL OF OUR REPORTS ARE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE.
AND, UH, WE ALSO PRESENTED FOR THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE MADE UP OF MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL.
SO THE REASON WE'RE DOING THIS AUDIT IS BECAUSE, UM, CITY COUNCIL PASSED A RESOLUTION A COUPLE MONTHS AGO ASKING US TO LOOK INTO THE ANIMAL SERVICES OFFICE AND OUR, UH, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES OPERATIONS JUST GENERALLY.
UM, AS A PART OF THIS PROCESS, THEY'VE ASKED US TO HIRE AN EXPERT IN NO KILL POLICIES AND PRACTICES, UH, AND SHELTER OPERATIONS THAT HELP US BETTER UNDERSTAND THE ENVIRONMENT THAT, UM, ANIMAL SERVICES IS OPERATING IN.
SO THE SCOPE OF OUR AUDIT IS REALLY BROAD.
IT'S DEFINED BY THE RESOLUTION THAT COUNCIL PASSED, BUT IT INCLUDES PRETTY MUCH EVERY ASPECT OF IT, UM, FROM WHAT I CAN TELL.
SO IT INCLUDES OUR, UM, ANIMAL INTAKE.
IT INCLUDES THE CARE THAT THE ANIMALS RECEIVE WHILE THEY'RE IN OUR, UM, POSSESSION.
SO WHETHER THEY'RE ADOPTED OR FOSTERED, DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM? UM, THE NO KILL POLICIES THAT WE FOLLOW.
AND IT ALSO INCLUDES CONTRACTS WITH EXTERNAL PARTNERS INCLUDING, UM, OTHER LOCAL SHELTERS AND RESCUE ORGANIZATIONS.
SO SINCE THAT RESOLUTION WAS PASSED, WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING IS ORGANIZING OUR AUDIT TEAM THAT'S BEEN COMPLETED.
UH, WE'VE BEEN REVIEWING THE ANIMAL SERVICES POLICIES AND PROCEDURES, DOCUMENTS THAT THEY'VE GIVEN US ACCESS TO SO WE CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE ANIMAL SERVICES CENTER.
UH, WE'VE BEEN PLANNING FOR COMMUNITY AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT EVENTS, WHICH I'LL DISCUSS IN JUST A SECOND.
AND WE'VE ALSO BEGUN COMPILING, COMPILING A LIST OF POTENTIAL EXTERNAL EXPERTS THAT WE MAY WANT TO, UM, YOU KNOW, PURSUE AS OUR EXTERNAL EXPERT.
SO I WANNA FOCUS ON THIS SLIDE FOR JUST A MOMENT BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE, UH, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT WE SHARED THE, THE DETAILS OF OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENTS.
AND I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS.
UM, SO THE REASON THAT WE ARE HOSTING THESE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES IS WE'RE AWARE THAT OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT TOPIC FOR SO MANY PEOPLE WITHIN THE CITY.
AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE SOME OPPORTUNITIES TO HEAR THEIR CONCERNS, THEIR, UM, THEIR IDEAS FOR WHERE WE SHOULD FOCUS.
THIS WILL HELP US AS A PART OF OUR PLANNING PHASE BETTER UNDERSTAND WHERE WE NEED TO TAKE THIS AUDIT FOR OUR DETAILED FIELD WORK.
UM, OF COURSE, IT'S NOT GONNA DICTATE WHAT WE DO.
WE STILL HAVE OUR INDEPENDENCE AND OBJECTIVITY, BUT WE REALLY WANT TO TAKE THIS INTO CONSIDERATION AND UNDERSTAND, UH, WHAT PEOPLE HAVE SEEN OUT THERE.
SO WE HAVE, UH, PLANNED FOR TWO IN-PERSON EVENTS AS WELL AS ONE VIRTUAL EVENT.
THE TWO IN-PERSON EVENTS ARE ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 24TH AT THE NORTH BRANCH VILLAGE LIBRARY.
AND, UH, THE OTHER ONE IS ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10TH IN THIS ROOM.
UH, BOTH OF THOSE ARE AT 6:30 PM AND THEN FOR PEOPLE WHO AREN'T AVAILABLE TO COME IN PERSON OR DON'T WANT TO COME IN PERSON, WE ALSO HAVE A VIRTUAL EVENT FOR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2ND.
AND WE'LL HAVE THE DETAILS ABOUT HOW IT ACTUALLY SOUGHT, UH, LOG IN AND COMMUNICATE WITH US, UM, AS WE GET A LITTLE BIT CLOSER TO THAT TO SURE.
WE'LL POST IT ON OUR, UM, OFFICES, TWITTER ACCOUNT AND SOME OTHER, UH, METHODS.
AND THEN, UH, FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN'T MAKE ANY OF THOSE EVENTS OR DON'T WANT TO, UH, WE ALSO HAVE OUR EMAIL ADDRESS POSTED HERE.
IT'S AUSTIN AUDITOR AUSTIN TEXAS.GOV.
AND ANY EMAILS AT, UH, MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS WANT TO, UH, SEND TO US, WE WILL DEFINITELY READ AND TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION AS WELL.
SO TO GIVE A VERY HIGH LEVEL AND BROAD TIMELINE, THE AUDIT PROCESS DOES TAKE A LONG TIME.
UM, WHAT WE'RE PLANNING RIGHT NOW IS FROM TODAY THROUGH, UH, EARLY NEXT YEAR, WE'RE GOING TO BE HOSTING THOSE COMMUNITY EVENTS.
WE'RE GOING TO, UM, YOU KNOW, SEEK OUT AND HIRE AN EXTERNAL EXPERT AND WE'LL FINISH THAT FIRST PHASE OF OUR AUDIT.
THEN, UM, THROUGHOUT, UH, THE SPRING NEXT YEAR, WE'LL CONDUCT THAT FIELD WORK AND THAT'LL LEAD US TO OUR FINDINGS OF RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND SO SUMMER OF NEXT YEAR IS WHEN WE PLAN TO PUBLISH OUR REPORT AND HAVE OUR FINAL PRESENTATION FOR THE AUDIT FINANCE COMMITTEE WITH WHAT WE FOUND.
AND WITH THAT, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
DID ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, DR.
UM, FIRST I JUST WANTED TO MAKE CLEAR THAT I BELIEVE IT'S GREAT THAT THIS WAS CITY COUNCIL'S RESPONSE TO THE COMMISSION'S VOTE.
I, I DON'T THINK ANYBODY CAN SAY THAT FOR CERTAIN.
I'M SURE THAT, THAT WE HAD SOME, SOME INPUT ON THAT, BUT I, I WOULDN'T SAY THAT THAT WAS THE TOTAL.
[00:40:02]
I MEAN, I JUST DON'T KNOW.UM, AND THEN, SO THAT IS THERE IS, IS THERE A TRANSPARENCY FOR THAT POTENTIAL EXPERT LIST OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU GUYS JUST DO? UH, ALL OF OUR AUTO WORK PAPERS ARE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL AS PART OF THE CITY'S LIKE THE PIR POLICIES.
UM, THEY'RE EXEMPT AUDIT WORKING PAPERS RIGHT NOW.
UH, WE'VE JUST BEEN REVIEWING WHAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE SMALL NUMBER OF, UH, OTHER ENTITIES THAT WE FOUND WHO'VE USED OUTSIDE EXPERTS LOOKING AT WHO THEY'VE USED AS WELL AS WE'VE ALREADY BEGUN RECEIVING EMAILS FROM, UH, PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY SUGGESTING NAMES, SOME OF THEM SUGGESTING THEMSELVES.
UM, SO WE'RE JUST COMPILING ALL THAT RIGHT NOW AND, UH, WE'LL BE SEEKING, YOU KNOW, JUST ASKING THESE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS, UH, SESSIONS NOT SPECIFICALLY ABOUT NAMES, ALTHOUGH, WE'LL, WE'RE CERTAINLY WELCOME TO, UH, YOU KNOW, HAPPY TO TAKE ON ANY, UH, ANY SUGGESTIONS PEOPLE HAVE, BUT MORE SO ASKING ABOUT THE CHARACTERISTICS THAT PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR AS WE MAKE THIS DECISION.
AND THEN I JUST, I WAS CURIOUS, UM, IF YOU, IF YOU KNEW AT THIS POINT, WHAT, WHAT SORTS OF THINGS COME UNDER SHELTER CARE? DOES THAT INCLUDE LIKE MEDICAL CARE, BEHAVIORAL ENRICHMENT, AS WELL AS LIKE DAILY HUSBANDRY? YEAH, HONESTLY, THE, THE RESOLUTION THAT COUNCIL PASSED, UM, I THINK THE EXACT WORDING WAS CONSIDER, YOU KNOW, THIS AND CONSIDER THIS AND CONSIDER THIS.
UM, IT HAS A VERY BROAD SCOPE.
UM, SO I WOULD SAY ALL OF THAT'S INCLUDED IN, IN WHAT WE SHOULD CONSIDER NOW, NOT ALL OF THAT WILL NECESSARILY MAKE IT INTO OUR FIELD WORK AND OUR FINAL REPORT, BUT AT THE MOMENT, ALL OF THAT'S ON THE TABLE FOR US TO REVIEW.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
BRUCE, DO YOU KNOW IF THERE'S PLANS TO INCLUDE LIKE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES OR PUBLIC SAFETY IN THIS? BECAUSE THE CITY DOES PLAY A ROLE IN RABIES, QUARANTINE, DOG BITES, THAT SORT OF THING? I DON'T BELIEVE THAT'S PART OF THE RESOLUTION.
UM, AND RIGHT NOW IT'S SO BROAD THAT I DON'T THINK THAT WE WOULD EXPAND THAT SCOPE TO INCLUDE IT.
UM, I'LL HAVE TO GO BACK AND DOUBLE CHECK.
IF IT'S PART OF THE RESOLUTION, THEN ABSOLUTELY WILL INCLUDE IT.
BUT I, OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, I DON'T BELIEVE IT IS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS REALLY QUICKLY? UM, CHAIR NASER.
AND I APOLOGIZE THIS MIGHT BE A RESULT OF ME BEING REMOTE, BUT IT WAS REALLY HARD FOR ME TO SEE THE PRESENTATION.
HAS, UM, THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE WAS GOING THROUGH IT, IS THAT GONNA BE, IS THE PRESENTATION GONNA BE INCLUDED IN BACKUP MATERIALS OR IS IT IN BACKUP MATERIALS SO THAT WE I CAN REVIEW IT ALREADY BEEN, IT IT SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN.
I DIDN'T BRING THAT UNTIL, UM, UNTIL THE BEGINNING OF THIS MEETING.
I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO SEND IT IN IN ADVANCE, BUT, UH, WE CAN GET IT TO, YEAH, I'M HAPPY TO PROVIDE THAT.
CAN YOU PUT IT AS BACKUP OR WILL YOU SEND IT TO US? I CAN DO BOTH.
OH, WHY DON'T YOU DO BOTH? BECAUSE I THINK THAT WOULD JUST, YOU KNOW, MAKE IT CLEAN IT EASIER.
SORRY, I WAS TRYING TO READ IT, BUT IT WAS SO SMALL ON MY SCREEN SO I'D LOVE TO SEND IT AFTER FACT.
I SHOULD, YEAH, I APOLOGIZE AS WELL.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? OKAY.
WELL THANK YOU FOR COMING HERE AND GIVING US AN UPDATE.
[5. Presentation by Parliamentarian regarding Roberts Rules of Order]
IS A PRESENTATION BY PARLIAMENTARIAN REGARDING ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER.UM, UH, COMMISSIONER HASSON COULDN'T BE HERE.
UH, I CAN TELL YOU JUST IN GENERAL, WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT IS, UM, IS QUESTIONING.
WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO COME HERE TO PRESENT INFORMATION.
AND WHAT WE WANNA DO IS FIRST OF ALL, ASSUME, UH, ALWAYS ASSUME, UH, UH, YOU ASSUME GOOD INTENTIONS.
SO WE ASK PEOPLE, COME HERE INFORMATION, THEY GIVE US INFORMATION.
UH, WE ASSUME THAT THAT INFORMATION IS THE BEST INFORMATION THEY HAVE.
AND AS YOU MIGHT ON A WITNESS, STAND WITH AN END COOPERATIVE WITNESS, TRY TO DRILL DOWN TO SEE IF THEY'RE ACTUALLY TELLING US THE TRUTH OR NOT.
WE ASSUME IN GOOD FAITH THAT THEY ARE TELLING US WHAT THEY HONESTLY BELIEVE.
NOW THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE IT.
THAT JUST MEANS THAT THAT'S WHAT, HOW, HOW WE, HOW WE DEAL WITH WITNESSES IN HERE.
AND WHEN WE GO ON LATER ON AND TAKE OUR VOTE, THEN YOU CAN VOTE ANYWAY YOU WANT.
IF WE TAKE A VOTE ON THAT ITEM, UH, SOMETIMES WE DON'T EVEN TAKE VOTES ON THAT ITEM.
BUT YOU DON'T WANNA DO LEADING QUESTIONS, WHICH ARE QUESTIONS WHERE YOU ASSUME, LIKE, WILL YOU DON'T LIKE BLACK COFFEE? DO YOU, YOU SEE THAT? I MEAN, THAT'S ASSUMING SOMETHING AHEAD OF TIME AND THEN ASKING THE QUESTION.
UH, YOU DON'T WANNA DO LEADING QUESTIONS LIKE THAT.
[00:45:01]
UH, WE DON'T WANNA GET INTO AN ARGUMENT OF, OF WHETHER THAT PERSON WHAT THEY'RE SAYING IS TRUE OR NOT.UM, I, AND THEN BETWEEN OURSELVES, OF COURSE IN A DEBATE THAT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT, YOU DEBATE TO THE CHAIR AND YOU DON'T WANT TO MENTION, UH, YOU KNOW, USING COMMISSIONER THOSE IES IS BETTER THAN SAY B A SAID, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT'S, THAT'S, WE'VE BEEN OVER THAT.
SO ANYWAY, IT'S BASICALLY THINGS LIKE THAT.
THE IDEA IS TO MAKE THE COMMISSION WELCOMING FOR PEOPLE WHO COME, WHO SHARE INFORMATION WITH US.
MOST OF THE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, COME TO THE MISSION A COMMISSION.
I MEAN THERE, THERE'S NOT A REQUIREMENT THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT LIKE A JURY, UH, YOU KNOW, A GRAND JURY WHERE YOU HAVE TO ANSWER UNDER PENALTY OF, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING.
SO THAT, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE.
SO IN GENERAL, THAT THAT WAS WHAT THAT WAS GOING TO BE ABOUT.
UM, SO LET'S MOVE ON UNLESS YOU GOT ANY QUESTION IF I HAVING QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT.
UH, NUMBER SIX, A PRESENTATION BY AUSTIN
[6. Presentation by Austin Pets Alive! regarding Monthly Report]
PETZEL LIVE REGARDING THEIR MONTHLY REPORT, WHICH THEY HAVE POSTED ONLINE.IT WAS SENT OUT, IT'S ON, I'M NOT SURE WHY IT'S NOT OVER THERE.
THIS IS ALL I HAVE ON, HE'S JUST NOT FINDING IT IN THE LIST.
THIS IS, I'M NOT SURE WHERE JUST ON THE WEBSITE WAS TO YEAH, I COULDN'T GET THE PRESENTATIONS TO WORK EITHER.
UM, THE MONTHLY REPORT IS THIS MONTHLY REPORT WITH THE NUMBERS IN IT.
THE PRESENTATIONS, IF THAT WAS GONNA BE DISCUSSED, SHOULD HAVE BEEN A SEPARATE DISCUSSION ITEM.
THAT'S WHY, UM, CITIZEN ROLAND SPOKE DURING CITIZEN COMMUNICATIONS BECAUSE PRESENTATIONS WAS NOT LISTED HERE AS A SEPARATE TOPIC.
WE DIDN'T AND, AND SO THEY SHOULDN'T BE DISCUSSED.
AND, AND, AND IN ALL WELL, AND IN ALL FAIRNESS, I WAS UNABLE TO BRING UP THE PRESENTATIONS ON MY COMPUTER EITHER TO EVEN, YEAH.
SO THE PRESENTATIONS IS NOT ON THE AGENDA.
IF THE AGENDA NEEDS THAT, THAT'S FINE.
THIS IS MONTHLY REPORTS, THAT'S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SUBJECT.
AND THE AGENDA ITEM IS THEIR MONTHLY, THE OTHER STUFF THEY SUBMITTED TO US WAS IN, IN RESPONSE, I BELIEVE TO REQUEST Y'ALL HAD PREVIOUSLY MADE.
AND YOU WANTED HER, YOU WANTED THEM TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH YOU.
BUT WELL SINCE, BUT THEN IF WE WANTED TO HAVE A DISCUSSION ITEM ON IT, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN, UM, THE AGENDA AS A, YOU CAN MAKE ITEM, YOU CAN MAKE AN AGENDA ITEM FOR FUTURE IF YOU FOR FUTURE IT COULD BE, BUT NOT TONIGHT.
LET'S, LET'S DO IT THAT WAY BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE PRESENTATIONS ON HERE ANYWAY.
WE DIDN'T INTEND TO TALK ABOUT THEM TODAY.
NO, I MEAN I THINK THIS WAS THEM TRYING TO, TO DO WHAT Y'ALL HAD ASKED THEM TO DO.
SO THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN MY FAULT AS, AS WELL.
I'M NOT SURE THAT'S WHY THERE'S OKAY.
NO, WE JUST INCLUDED THEM CUZ THEY'RE REFERENCE IN THIS NARRATIVE AND SO WE WANTED THEM TO BE THERE FOR REFERENCE.
I I DIDN'T EVEN CATCH THAT CUZ THEY DIDN'T COME UP, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS LIKE, OKAY.
UM, AS A REMINDER, I'M STEPHANIE BILL, BRO, THE DIRECTOR OF LIFE SAVING OPERATIONS.
ELLEN JEFFERSON, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF AUSTIN PET LIFE.
UM, SO THIS MONTH'S REPORT IS, UM, LOOKS LIKE EVERY OTHER MONTH'S REPORT.
UM, BUT THE FIRST PAGE THERE HAS ALL OF THE, UM, ANIMALS THAT WE TRANSFERRED FROM AAC THIS MONTH, UM, INCLUDING THE BORN AND CARE AND ALSO OUR PAST INTAKES, UM, WHICH IS OUR INTAKE DIVERSION PROGRAM.
UH, THE SECOND PAGE HAS OUR COMPARISON NUMBERS, UM, ACROSS THE TWO ORGANIZATIONS FOR OUR INTAKE NUMBERS, OUR SPAY NEUTER, OUR FOSTER POPULATION, AND OUR ADOPTION NUMBERS.
UM, IN THE NEXT SECTION YOU'LL SEE PER OUR LICENSE AGREEMENT, THE REPORT THERE, UM, THAT SHOWS THE PERCENTAGE OF THE AAC INTAKES THAT ARE TRANSFERRED TO APA.
UM, OUR LICENSE AGREEMENT SAYS THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE IN 12% OF AACS INTAKE FROM THE PRIOR FISCAL YEAR.
UM, AND SINCE THE FISCAL YEAR JUST WRAPPED UP, THAT IS A, A
[00:50:01]
FINAL PERCENTAGE FOR LAST YEAR OF 13.88%.UM, AND THEN FOR REFERENCE, WE ALSO INCLUDE THIS YEAR, JUST SO THAT IT'S THERE, UH, THE NEXT SECTION SHOWS THE SURVIVAL RATES OF OUR MEDICAL TRANSFERS FROM AAC.
SO THOSE ARE ALL THE ANIMALS THAT WE TOOK AS MEDICAL CASES IN AUGUST.
UM, AND THIS CHART SHOWS WHAT THEIR CURRENT STATUS IN OUR SHELTER IS.
UM, SO WE HAVE A 80, HAVE A 88% SURVIVAL RATE OF ALL MEDICAL TRANSFERS FROM A AC THE NEXT PAGE HAS OUR SHELTER ANIMALS COUNT REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER.
UM, SO THAT'S ALL OF OUR INTAKES AND OUTCOMES ACROSS THE WHOLE ORGANIZATION.
AND THEN I ALSO INCLUDED THE FISCAL YEAR, UM, SHELTER ANIMALS COUNT REPORT ON THE NEXT PAGE JUST SINCE THAT YEAR JUST WRAPPED UP AS WELL.
UM, WE GO ON A CALENDAR YEAR IN OUR INTERNALLY, BUT WE, I INCLUDED THIS SINCE OUR CONTRACTS ON A FISCAL YEAR.
UM, AND THEN THE LAST THREE PAGES ARE AGAIN, JUST TO FOLLOW UP FROM DR.
JEFFERSON'S PRESENTATION LAST MONTH, UM, IN NARRATIVE FORM.
AND THEN THE OTHER DOCUMENTS THAT WE ATTACHED ARE REFERENCED IN THERE.
BUT UH, LIKE I SAID, WE DIDN'T INTEND TO PRESENT ON THOSE SPECIFICALLY TODAY.
SO, UM, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, CLARIFY ANYTHING, FOLLOW UP ON ANY NUMBERS.
UM, TO THE 12%, UM, I THINK IT'S THE 12% FROM THE AT RISK LIST PLUS IT'S ALSO ALL TREATABLE PARABLE PUPPIES AND BOTTLE KITTENS AND ALL SMALL DOGS AT RISK AND FIVE BEHAVIOR DOGS A MONTH.
SO BEING ABOVE 12% WOULD BE NORMAL.
I MEAN, YOU SAID YOU, YOU IT'S CONTRACTUALLY 12%, THAT'S 12% PLUS THAT, THAT PERCENTAGE WOULD, COULD BE HIGHER BECAUSE YOU ALSO HAVE THESE OTHER 8.2 CATEGORIES IN THERE.
I DON'T, I THINK THOSE ARE INCLUDED IN THAT 12%.
SO IF YOU GET TO 12%, THEN YOU COULD SAY I'M NOT TAKING ANY PARVO PUPPIES BECAUSE WE'RE AT 12%.
NO, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE STILL, WE'RE STILL OBLIGATED TO TAKE THOSE.
SO THAT COULD MAKE THE PERCENTAGE OF WHAT YOU TAKE TOTAL 13 OR 14%.
SO YOU HAVE THE 12% PLUS ALL THESE OTHER ONES.
SO IT COULD, IT COULD MAKE THE PERCENTAGE 15% FOR THE YEAR BECAUSE IT ALSO INCLUDED MORE.
WE HAVE TO HAVE A YEAR WITH YES, THERE WERE THAT PUPPIES.
AND YOU'RE STILL DOING THE FIVE BEHAVIOR ANIMAL DOGS PER MONTH AS OFTEN AS WE CAN.
UH, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WELL, SOMETIMES IT ISN'T IN THE CONTRACT.
IT IS, BUT SOMETIMES THE CITY DOESN'T PLEA FIVE DOGS TO US IN MONTH, SO WE'RE NOT ALWAYS ABLE TO PULL FIVE.
UM, THAT WE WOULDN'T HAVE FIVE, UM, UH,
SO, UM, UH, SO I HAD A QUESTION ON THE INTAKE.
UM, SO IT LOOKS LIKE 9 35 INTAKE, WHICH IS, UM, MEANT LIKE 87% OF THE ANIMALS THAT YOU TOOK IN CAME FROM OUTSIDE OF UH, TRAVIS COUNTY, UH, AND THE COMMUNITY.
UM, AND THEN IT HAD 516 SPAIN NEERS AT THE SHELTER.
DOES THAT MEAN THE OTHER LIKE 400 ANIMALS WERE ALREADY SPAY AND NEUTERED? IT'S POSSIBLE.
UM, WE DO ALL OF OUR OWN SPAY NES PRIOR TO ADOPTION, BUT WE DO LET THEM GO HOME FIRST AND THEN COME BACK FOR SPAY NEUTER.
SO IT COULD BE THAT SOME OF THEM WENT HOME AND JUST HAVEN'T, DIDN'T MAKE IT BACK FOR SPAY NEUTER IN THE SAME MONTH.
AND IS THAT STILL USING A DEPOSIT FOR SPAY NEUTER AND THEY GET DEPOSITED BACK AND WHAT PERCENT, IS THERE A PERCENTAGE OF DOG OF ANIMALS THAT DON'T COME BACK? CUZ PEOPLE WANNA BREED THEM SO THEY JUST THINK THE A HUNDRED DOLLARS IS THE COST OF BUSINESS OR IS IT PRETTY HIGH THAT THEY RETURN? UH, WE HAVE A PRETTY HIGH RETURN RATE.
I DON'T KNOW THE NUMBER OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT YEAH, WE HAVE A PRETTY SOLID FOLLOW UP SYSTEM AND WE ALSO ALLOW PEOPLE IF THEY INSTEAD WANT TO GO TO THEIR PRIVATE VET AND GET THE SPAY NEUTER DONE THERE, AS LONG AS THEY PROVIDE PROOF, THEN WE WILL WAIT THAT EITHER WAY.
UM, SO WERE THERE, DO YOU KNOW OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD IF THERE WERE ANY BEHAVIOR DOGS THAT, THAT YOU REJECTED FROM THE SHELTER IN SEPTEMBER IN THE LAST MONTH? UM, THERE HAVEN'T BEEN ANY.
THERE WERE NONE THAT WE DECLINED ON.
THERE WAS ONE THAT WE DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO EVALUATE CAUSE THE DIFFERENT RESCUE PULLED AT FIRST.
UM, AND THEN WE PULLED, WE'VE PULLED TWO SO FAR OFF THE CURRENT LIST AND WE HAVE TWO ATER SHELTER IN EVAL RIGHT NOW.
CAUSE IT, I, I HAVEN'T LOOKED AT IT, BUT IT, I FEEL LIKE I'VE ASKED BEFORE IF, IF WE, IF, IF THE AAC HAS PUT FEWER THAN FIVE ON THE LIST IN A MONTH AND I, I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT'S DO YOU, DO YOU HAPPEN TO KNOW ABLY? NOT RIGHT OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT I WROTE THAT DOWN BECAUSE THE LIST I SEE HAS MORE THAN FIVE ON IT.
BUT I DON'T KNOW, IT HASN'T BEEN PROBABLY IN THIS LATER HALF OF THE YEAR.
[00:55:01]
UM, THERE ARE, WERE MONTHS IN LIKE QUARTER FOUR OF LAST YEAR WHERE MAYBE THERE WAS ONLY TWO AND WE PULLED BOTH.UM, SO THERE WERE SOME SHORT MONTHS OKAY.
SO DO YOU KNOW WHY IT WASN'T FIVE IN SEPTEMBER? WE JUST DIDN'T HAVE HONESTLY THE ENOUGH TIME TO GET THROUGH THE FULL EVAL LIST TO GET TO ALL FIVE.
SO IT'S NOT THAT THEY, THAT THE CITY WASN'T ASKING YOU TO TAKE THEM, IT'S THAT YOU DIDN'T HAVE, WE JUST HAVEN'T GOTTEN A CHANCE TO BRING THEM OVER STAFF.
A LITTLE BIT OF STAFF CAPACITY.
WE DID LOSE BOTH OF OUR, UM, BEHAVIOR TEAM MANAGERS OH.
UM, AND SO OUR TEAM WAS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF STRUGGLING TO STAY ON TOP OF THINGS AND, BUT WE TRIED TO STAY IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE BEHAVIOR TEAM OVER THERE AND MAKE SURE THEY KNEW WHAT OUR PLAN WAS THE WHOLE TIME.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING ON CATCHING UP NOW.
AND THEN I THINK YOU'VE, YOU'VE PROBABLY CLARIFIED THIS BEFORE AND I DIDN'T KNOW ENOUGH THEN TO PROCESS IT FULLY, BUT FOR, FOR THE, UM, MEUR URGENT SURVIVAL RATE MM-HMM.
SO THIS, THESE WERE ALL THE CASES THAT WERE TRANSFERRED IN AUGUST AND ALIVE AND AT LEAST A MONTH LATER IN SEPTEMBER.
DO YOU INCLUDE IN THAT PERCENTAGE ONES THAT WERE TAKEN IN EVEN LONGER THAN THAT, THAT HAVE SURVIVED LONGER THAN A MONTH? NO.
SO THAT'S ALWAYS WOULD JUST A ONE MONTH SURVIVAL CORRECT NUMBER YEP.
WELL IT, SORRY, IT COULD BE UP TO TWO MONTHS.
SO IT'S THE EXPANDING THAT AT THE VERY BEGINNING AND THEN STILL LIVE AT THE VERY END.
SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO LOOK AT IS, UM, THERE WAS A LOT OF CONTROVERSY ABOUT STARTING TO PULL MED URGENT ANIMALS.
AND THE CONCERN WAS THAT IF THEY'RE GONNA DIE, WE SHOULD JUST EUTHANIZE THEM AT AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER MM-HMM.
AND SO WE STARTED PROVIDING THIS REPORT TO BE, TO SHOW THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF THEM ARE SURVIVING AT LEAST MANY WEEKS, MONTHS INTO THE FUTURE.
AND SO, UM, WE BELIEVE IT IS WORTHWHILE TO KEEP PULLING THEM, TO KEEP OFFERING THEM THAT CHANCE TO SURVIVE.
AND AND PART OF THAT WAS, UH, WHY I WAS WONDERING EXACTLY HOW LONG THAT NUMBER ACTUALLY TELLS US ABOUT.
THAT'S WHAT TELLS US ABOUT FROM ONE TO TWO MONTHS.
IT SHOULD BE AT LEAST 30 DAYS.
AND I, IT'S WORTH POINTING OUT THAT LIKE IN THIS DECEASED NUMBER, WHICH IS 13, I'LL EXCEPT FOUR WERE BOTTLE BABIES.
SO THEY WEREN'T EVEN URGENT MEDICAL CASES.
THEY WERE JUST NEONATALS THAT DIDN'T MAKE IT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UH, OKAY, SO NOW WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSSION ACTION ITEMS
[7. Discussion and Possible Action Concerning the Congress Avenue Bridge Bat Colony, presentation by Dr. Merlin Tuttle, Bat Conservancy]
ITEM NUMBER SEVEN.AND THIS IS DISCUSSION, UH, IMPOSSIBLE ACTION CONCERNING THE CONGRESS AVENUE BRIDGE BAT COLONY.
AND I'M PROUD TO INTRODUCE TO US TONIGHT DR.
AND I JUST WANNA SAY ABOUT DR.
HE DID ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING THINGS I'VE EVER SEEN IS HE MOVED TO AUSTIN WHEN THEY'RE GOING TO KILL ALL THE BATS AND GET RID OF THE BATS AND SAY, WE DON'T WANT BATS.
AND HE CONVINCED THE CITY OF AUSTIN THAT THE BATS ARE NOT A LIABILITY, THEY'RE AN ASSET.
AND I THINK YOU JUST NEED TO THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MINUTE.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MILLIONS OF CREATURES THAT CAN BE SO CONTROVERSIAL.
AND WHAT IT IS, IS JUST CHANGE PEOPLE'S ATTITUDES.
SO HE'S HERE TONIGHT TO TALK ABOUT THE COLONY, HOW IT'S DOING.
UH, THERE'S SOME ACTIONS WE CAN TAKE TONIGHT, BUT HE'S ALSO GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE IN LONG TERM.
I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR PERSONAL INTEREST.
NOW YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY, I'M NOT USED TO TESTIFYING HERE.
ANYWAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH CRAIG FOR HAVING A PERSONAL INTEREST IN THE BATS.
AND INVITE ME HERE TO, UH, INTRODUCE A LITTLE BIT OF THEIR HISTORY AND NEEDS.
JUST FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW ME, I HAVE STUDIED BATS FOR MORE THAN 60 YEARS AND, UH, HAVE LOOKED OUT AFTER OUR BATS HERE IN AUSTIN FOR CLOSE TO 40.
AND, UH, I REMAIN VERY INTERESTED IN THEM.
I FOUNDED IN LED BAT CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL FOR ALMOST 30 YEARS, THEN LEFT AND FOUNDED MERLIN TUT'S BACK CONSERVATION, THE ORGANIZATION THAT I REPRESENT HERE TONIGHT.
AND, UM, I HAVE A FEW SIMPLE REQUESTS, BUT I'M NOT USED TO SPEAKING WITHOUT CONTROL.
[01:00:01]
I MOVE THE SLIDE? I WILL FINISH.I'LL GO FORWARD FOR JUST TELL HIM THIS FIRST SLIDE GIVES YOU, GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT IT WAS LIKE WHEN I CAME TO AUSTIN.
THAT WAS A REAL POSTER HERE, BUT, UM, I THINK WE SKIPPED ONE SLIDE.
OH NO, THERE WAS ONE BEFORE THAT.
THE AMERICAN STATESMAN WAS RUNNING ARTICLES LIKE BACK COLONY, SINK TEETH, THE CITY, UM, BUT YOU CAN SKIP DOWN TO, BUT I POINTED OUT THAT, UM, BACHELOR POTENTIAL GOLDMINE FOR AUSTIN, AND I SO FERVENTLY BELIEVED IT THAT I MOVED HERE, UH, IN THE EARLY EIGHTIES TO PREACH THAT GOSPEL
AND, UH, AS IT'S TURNED OUT, THERE HASN'T BEEN IN A LONG TIME AS ECONOMIC STUDY, BUT, UH, I THINK IT'S VERY SAFE TO SAY THAT THEY'RE WORTH AT LEAST $12 MILLION IN TOURISM EVERY SUMMER.
AND THEY'RE CONTROLLING LITERALLY TONS OF INSECT PESTS EVERY NIGHT.
SO I WANT TO TAKE A QUICK LOOK AT THEIR SITUATION WHEN I CAME VERSUS NOW.
UH, CAN WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE? IT'S MAYBE A LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT TO SEE AT THIS SIZE, BUT, UH, THE TOP SHOWS FIVE COLUMNS THAT YOU CAN SEE FOR MORE THAN A MILE COMING OUT OF THE BRIDGE.
THE ONE DOWN BELOW IN 1994 AT FIVE, I THINK SHOWS FOUR COLUMNS.
NOT QUITE AS BIG, BUT STILL IMPRESSIVE.
THE EMERGENCES TODAY ARE STILL SPECTACULAR AND ATTRACT A LOT OF ATTENTION, BUT THEY'RE NOT WHAT THEY USED TO BE.
I HAVE PERSONALLY BEEN, I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHING BATS COMING OUTTA CONGRESS AVENUE BRIDGE.
I'VE DONE IT FROM UNDER THE BRIDGE OUT ON THE LAKE 30 STORIES UP IN A HIGHRISE APARTMENT.
BUT WHAT I'VE NOTICED IS THAT WHEN I BEGAN, I WOULD HAVE A FAIR NUMBER OF NIGHTS IN A GOOD SUMMER WHERE I'D HAVE FOUR OR FIVE COLUMNS COMING OUT AT ONCE AND I'D HAVE UP TO 15 MINUTES OF GOOD PHOTOGRAPHY.
NOW I FEEL THAT I'M VERY LUCKY IF I GET THREE MINUTES WITH THREE COLUMN.
I'M NOT SAYING THAT THAT TELLS A WHOLE LOT, BUT IT MUST BE TELLING US SOMETHING IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE'D LIKE TO HEAR.
UM, THE, LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT WE KNOW ARE BAD FOR THE BATS THAT UNFORTUNATELY, LIKE SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE, WE'VE KIND OF TAKEN FOR GRANTED THAT OUR BATS WILL ALWAYS BE HERE AND PEOPLE WILL ALWAYS COME TO SEE THEM.
UH, IF YOU LOOK AT THIS SLIDE, THAT ELECTRIC LINE OF LIGHT BULBS, MOST OF 'EM HAVE BEEN KNOCKED OUT PROBABLY BY A BAT HITTING THEM, UH, YOUNG BATS LEARNING TO FLY OR QUITE VULNERABLE TO THINGS LIKE THAT AS THEY COME OUT FROM UNDER THE BRIDGE.
THESE BULBS ARE HANGING JUST DOWN RIGHT WHERE THEY SWOOP OUT AND, UH, THEY'RE NOT BEING USED FOR ANYTHING.
I WOULD LIKE TO ASK THIS COMMISSION TO, UH, UH, REQUEST THAT THOSE, THOSE ELECTRIC LINES AND LIGHTS BE REMOVED, LONGER RANGE CONCERNS INVOLVE THINGS LIKE, LET ME HAVE THE NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
4TH OF JULY, FIREWORKS AND BAT FIST CELEBRATIONS.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE OPTIONS ARE, PARTICULARLY FOR 4TH OF JULY FIREWORKS, BUT I, I'M NOT EVEN UP TO DATE AS TO WHETHER THEY USED HOWARD SERVES THIS YEAR OR NOT.
BUT AT LEAST A COUPLE YEARS AGO, I HEARD IN THE NEWS MEDIA THAT PEOPLE WERE COMPLAINING ABOUT THEIR DOGS BEING TERRIFIED BECAUSE OF THE HOWARD SERVES.
WELL, I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT HOWER GOING OFF THAT NEAR TO THE BAT BRIDGE IS VERY BAD FOR THE BATS.
IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE THAT BATS EXPOSED TO THAT INTENSITY OF NOISE COULD HAVE THEIR HEARING DAMAGED SO SERIOUSLY AS TO DIE TO NOT BE ABLE TO FEED PROPERLY
[01:05:01]
THEREAFTER.WE DO KNOW THAT OFTENTIMES AFTER THOSE FIREWORKS, OR EVEN AFTER THE, UH, BAT FIST BANDS PLAY ON THE BRIDGE, THAT THE BATS WILL COME OUT A HALF AN HOUR OR SO LATER THAN USUAL.
UH, THE BANDS ON THE BRIDGE COULD BE REMED A WHOLE LOT EASIER, I THINK, THAN PROBABLY THE FIREWORKS UH, THE BANDS ON THE BRIDGE, I WOULD THINK THEY WOULD PROBABLY NOT BE TOO BAD IF, IF THEY COULD JUST EVEN MOVE BACK 50, 60 FEET OFF THE BRIDGE SO THAT THEY'RE NOT RIGHT ON TOP OF THE BATS.
UH, IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE WOULDN'T SLEEP VERY WELL WITH A BAND IN OUR ATTIC, AND WHEN THEY'RE RIGHT OVERHEAD, UH, THAT'S NOT GOOD.
AND IT'S SAD BECAUSE THAT IS THE DAY WHEN MORE PEOPLE THAN ANY OTHER DAY COME TO WATCH THE BATS COME OUT.
BUT WE MAKE THEM COME OUT LATE ON THAT DAY BECAUSE WE'RE INTERFERING WITH THEM.
CAN WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE? THIS SHOWS JUST THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 2013 AND 17 20 13 AT THE SOUTH EAST END OF THE BRIDGE, THERE WAS NO VEGETATION BLOCKING THE VIEW, AND PEOPLE HAD A GREAT TIME.
IN FACT, WHEN BBC AND OTHER MAJOR FILMMAKERS WOULD COME TO AUSTIN, THAT WAS THEIR PREFERRED.
THAT WAS NATIONAL GEOGRAPHICS PREFERRED FILMING LOCATION.
YOU COULD SEE THE LARGE NUMBERS OF BATS COMING OVERHEAD.
YOU COULD SEE THE MANY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WATCHING.
YOU COULD SEE THE CITY IN THE BACKGROUND.
IT WAS THE PERFECT MEDIA SHOT.
BUT, UM, NOW, UH, YOU LOOK AT THAT SAME AREA OF THE PICTURE FROM 2017, AND THAT'S ALL GROWN UP IN MORE THAN, MORE THAN HEAD HIGH, BASICALLY WHEATY VEGETATION.
AND IN FACT, I ONCE PERSONALLY RESCUED A YOUNG LADY WHO WAS FROM AUSTRALIA AND DIDN'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT OUR POISON IVY.
SHE WAS IN THAT POISON IVY PATCH UP TO HER WAIST AND SHORTS.
AND I TOLD HER THE BATHS MIGHT BE REALLY INTERESTING, BUT I THINK SHE MIGHT BE A LITTLE MORE INTERESTED IN GETTING BACK TO HER HOTEL AND WASHING QUICKLY,
BUT, UM, UH, WE, WE HAVEN'T DONE A VERY GOOD JOB OF MANAGING, UH, THE VEGETATION RELATIVE TO EITHER THE BASS NEEDS OR VIEWER NEEDS.
THIS SHOWS HOW DRAMATICALLY, AND I HOPE YOU CAN ALL SEE THESE BETTER THAN I CAN.
UH, I WOULD'VE NOT PUT TWO ON ONE IMAGE IF I'D KNOWN THEY WERE GONNA BE PROJECTED SMALL.
BUT, UH, THE TOP IMAGE THERE SHOWS VIEWS IN 1987, THE BOTTOM ONE IN 2017.
AND YOU'RE LOOKING MOSTLY THERE ACROSS AT THE NORTH SIDE.
BUT LOOK AT THE HUGE DIFFERENCE.
YOU USED TO BE ABLE TO, ANYWHERE ALONG THERE, SPREAD A BLANKET OUT AND HAVE YOUR FAMILY SIT ON THE GRASS TO WATCH THE BATS.
NOW THERE'S NO WAY YOU COULD WATCH BATS FROM ANYWHERE ALONG THERE.
UH, IT'S, I, WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
UH, ON THE NORTH SIDE, AS YOU GO DOWN THE HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL, IT'S COMPLETELY BLOCKED OFF WITH VINES AND SMALL SHRUBBY.
UH, AND IN MY EXPERIENCE, IT'S USUALLY LOOKS LIKE A GARBAGE DUMP.
A LOT OF PEOPLE THROW THEIR WASTE IN THERE AND IT, AT THE VERY LEAST, SOMEBODY NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT CLEANING IT UP.
IT DOESN'T GIVE OUR CITY A VERY GOOD REPUTATION.
BUT, UM, I FOUND IN GOING DOWN THERE AND LOOKING THAT THERE WERE LOTS OF PLACES ON BOTH SIDES, BOTH THE NORTH AND SOUTH SIDE, WHERE BY SIMPLY OPENING UP SOME OF THAT UNDER STORY, PEOPLE COULD COME AND ENJOY THE SHADE WHILE THEY WATCHED THE BATS.
INSTEAD OF STAYING OUT ON A BRIDGE AT A HUNDRED, TWO DEGREES, BEING MISERABLE, WAITING FOR THE BATS TO COME OUT.
I'M, I'M JUST AS CONCERNED ABOUT PEOPLE AS I AM BATS.
AND THAT'S, I GUESS, A GOOD PART OF THE REASON WHY I'VE BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL IN SAVING BATS.
UH, I WANT PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, I FEEL SO PERSONALLY BAD WHEN I GO DOWN.
I'VE SEEN PEOPLE BECAUSE OF OUR BAD INFORMATION ON A WEBSITE SOMEWHERE, COME HERE FROM BANGLADESH
[01:10:02]
IN DECEMBER TO SEE A GREAT BAD FLIGHT.AND THERE'S DOWN THERE WITH GREAT EXPECTATIONS AND I FEEL, OH MY GOD, THESE POOR PEOPLE.
BUT, UH, UH, THAT BRINGS UP ANOTHER ISSUE WHERE WE HAVE SO MANY DIFFERENT ENTITIES PUTTING OUT INFORMATION AND, AND IT'S MUCH OF IT CONFLICTING AND MISIN INFORMATIVE.
YOU KNOW, LIKE MANY OF THE WEBSITES I SEE SAY THAT THE BATS CAN BE SEEN YEAR ROUND OR CERTAINLY IMPLY THAT AND DON'T GIVE YOU ANY IDEAS ABOUT WHEN WOULD BE BEST TO COME SEE THEM.
UM, WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE NOW.
SOME OF YOU MAY REMEMBER UP IN THE UPPER LEFT CORNER THERE, THE, UH, OLD DOCK THAT WAS OUT BEHIND THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL.
IT, UH, WAS THE FAVORITE PLACE I STOOD THERE WITH.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY MEDIA FILM CREWS FILMING THE BATS.
IT WAS THE FAVORITE FILMMAKER SPOT.
IF YOU'RE TRYING TO PROMOTE SOMETHING THAT'S GOOD FOR TOURISM, YOU WANT TO GET A GOOD VIEW OF IT IN THE MEDIA.
IN FACT, A GOOD SHARE OF THE PEOPLE THAT COME HERE COME FROM ARTICLES IN VARIOUS PROGRAMS THAT I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN INTERNATIONALLY.
BUT, UH, THAT DOC WAS JUST GRADUALLY ALLOWED TO FALL APART.
AND I THINK IT'S, I'M NOT SURE, I THINK IT'S STILL SEEN THERE AS A SKELETON WITH A SIGN ON IT, DON'T GET ON IT.
UH, BUT NOW YOU LOOK DOWN AT THE LOWER RIGHT, YOU SEE THE, UM, KAYAK PEERS AND, UH, THOSE ARE NOW HAVE BEEN SOME OF MY FAVORITE PLACES TO PHOTOGRAPH THE BATS.
UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN I GO THERE TO PHOTOGRAPH BATS, THAT GIVES OTHER PEOPLE THE SAME IDEA.
AND PRETTY SOON THE KAYAK PEOPLE HAVE GOT A PROBLEM CUZ THEY HAD TOO MANY PEOPLE ON THEIR DOCK, WHICH I SYMPATHIZE WITH.
UH, BUT WHAT I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT IS THAT THERE ARE MANY OPPORTUNITIES WHERE WE COULD PUT FLOATING DOCKS LIKE THAT, OR LIKE THE ONE THAT WAS BEHIND FOUR SEASONS ALONG THE EDGE IN STRATEGICALLY LOCATED AREAS.
AND ALL WE'D HAVE TO DO WAS TRIM A FEW OF THE LOWEST BRANCHES OF THE TREES.
WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO CUT ANY TREES, AND WE'D HAVE A BEAUTIFUL VIEW FOR PEOPLE TO ENJOY OUR BATHS IN THE SHADE DOWN THE COOLEST AREA ON A HOT DAY, NOT UP BURNING UP ON THE TOP OF THE CONGRESS AVENUE BRIDGE, THERE'S ANOTHER ISSUE.
IN FACT, WE ARE TO A LARGE EXTENT, BUT WE COULD DO IT MUCH BETTER, EDUCATING PEOPLE WORLDWIDE THAT BATS ARE NOT THE FEARSOME ANIMALS.
THEY'VE BEEN LED TO BELIEVE THAT THEY'RE IN FACT ESSENTIAL.
THEY MAKE SAFE AND INVALUABLE NEIGHBORS.
WE HAVE A WONDERFUL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY THAT WE'RE NOT TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE OF.
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THIS COMMISSION RECOMMEND, UH, TO CITY COUNCIL THE INSTALLATION OF QR CODES AT EACH END AND PERHAPS THE MIDDLE OF THE BRIDGE WHERE MOST PEOPLE GATHER SO THAT THEY CAN SIMPLY COME UP WITH, WITH THE CAMERA AND RECORD THAT QR CODE AND GET A WHOLE HOST OF INFORMATION THAT THE CITY COULD HAVE A, A WEBSITE TO ENSURE THAT IT'S DONE RIGHT.
UM, AND, UH, THIS WOULD INCLUDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE BATS WHEN THE BEST TIME TO SEE THEM IS, UH, IT MIGHT EVEN HAVE SOME PICTURES OR VIDEOS ON THE SITE SHOWING SOME OF THE MOST SPECTACULAR FLIGHTS.
SO THAT EVEN IF YOU COME AND IT, YOU KNOW, THIS YEAR I PERSONALLY, UH, WE HOSTED AN INTERNATIONAL BAT RESEARCH CONVERS HERE.
AND THE NIGHT THEY WENT OUT ON CAPITOL CRUISES TO WATCH BATS, WE LUCKED OUT.
IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST FLIGHTS WE'VE SEEN IN SEVERAL YEARS, BUT TWO NIGHTS LATER, THREE NIGHTS LATER, WHEN I TOOK A GROUP, ANOTHER GROUP OUT, WE DIDN'T EVEN SEE A BAT GO OVER.
[01:15:01]
SO YOU CAN COME ALL THE WAY AROUND THE WORLD TO SEE THIS AND BE VERY DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE I SAY THE BACHELOR IS PREDICTABLE AS TEXAS WEATHER IS.AND, UH, THAT'S UNFORTUNATELY NOT SEEN A LOT.
BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE PEOPLE WHO COME AND GET DISAPPOINTED, NOT BE SO DISAPPOINTED, BUT ACTUALLY GET TO SEE WHAT IT WOULD'VE BEEN LIKE IF THEY'D HAD GOTTEN HERE ON A GOOD NIGHT.
AND TO GET GOOD INFORMATION, RELIABLE INFORMATION TO TAKE HOME WITH THEM, WHICH THEY COULD GET IF THEY COULD SCAN A QR CODE.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO OFFER MY PERSONAL HELP IN MONITORING AND PROVIDING THAT INFORMATION.
UH, I, MY ORGANIZATION AT MARYLAND TOTALS BACK CONSERVATION IS ALL, WE'RE ALL VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE BATS AND VERY WILLING TO ASSIST WITH, I'VE HAD MULTIPLE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE DEVELOPERS OF THE STATESMAN PROPERTY, UM, AND OTHERS.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING HOW MUCH OF WHAT I'VE HEARD ACTUALLY COMES THE PAST.
UH, BUT ONE THING I'M SURE OF I HAVE SEEN, UH, MOCKUPS WHERE THE VIEWING AREAS ARE ABSOLUTELY WRONG.
UH, IN FACT, RIGHT NOW, IF YOU GO TO THIS ADVERTISED STATESMAN VIEWING AREA, I FEEL SO BAD FOR PEOPLE THAT GO THERE BECAUSE VEGETATION WAS ALLOWED TO GROW UP UNDER THE BRIDGE IN THE BATS, WHICH USED TO FLY OVER THE VIEWING AREA.
THAT USED TO BE THE PLACE TO ONE OF THE BEST PLACES TO SEE THEM.
THEY HAVEN'T FLOWN OVER THAT AREA IN A DECADE.
AND YOU HAVE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE GATHERED DOWN THERE, EXPECTEDLY, WAITING TO SEE THE BATS, AND THEN SOMEBODY SAYS, OH, YOU MISSED THEM.
THEY WENT OUT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TREES.
AND, UH, SO THE, YOU HAVE TO KNOW SOMETHING AND HAVE TO HAVE SOME EXPERIENCE WITH THESE BATS BEHAVIOR IN ORDER TO HAVE ANY IDEA WHERE A VIEWING AREA OUGHT TO BE.
UH, AND I'M VERY HAPPY AS, AS A CAMERA AND ONE WHO HAS LED PROBABLY A HUNDRED MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS DOWN THERE TO RECORD THE BATS, I'M VERY HAPPY TO PROVIDE ADVICE ON THE BEST PLACES TO SET ASIDE FOR DOING THAT.
THERE'S AN ISSUE THAT, UH, I KNOW CRAIG NOTICED, UH, UNDER THE BRIDGE ON THE SOUTH END, UH, WHEN YOU GET EXTRAORDINARY HEAVY RAINS, IT'S NOT JUST UNDER THE BRIDGE.
IT COMES DOWN THE WHOLE, UH, STATESMAN TRAIL FROM THE PARKING LOT.
WATER COMES DOWN AND, AND THERE'S NO PROPER, UH, EQUIPMENT TO HA ENSURE THAT THE WATER BACKS UP FOR A WHILE AND THEN GOES UNDER INSTEAD OF OVER THE TRAIL AND IT'S HARMING THE TRAIL.
UM, I THINK I'VE COVERED GREG, IF I LEFT OUT ANY OF THE THINGS YOU AND I TALKED ABOUT THAT NEED TO BE, THAT THAT'S PRETTY MUCH IT.
I THINK, I THINK HE DID A GOOD JOB.
UH, AND IF YOU'VE READ THE BACKUP THAT I POSTED, I HAVE SIX THINGS.
UM, IT MAY BE THAT WE'RE ALREADY GETTING THAT STRING OF LIGHTS REMOVED.
I, UH, THAT THAT MAY HAPPEN WITHOUT IT EVEN BEING OUR RECOMMENDATION.
BECAUSE WHEN KATHY TOBY'S OFFICE FINALLY WERE AWARE OF IT, SAW THE PICTURES, THEY'RE TRYING TO DO IT IN A, IN A DIFFERENT MANNER.
UH, BUT ALL THE OTHER ONES ARE VERY VALID.
AND THERE, THERE'S SOME PROBLEMS THAT WE CAN'T SOLVE TONIGHT WITH WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT.
THERE IS SOME, YOU KNOW, I'VE TALKED TO, UH, WATERSHED ABOUT THE VEGETATION ISSUES.
THERE'S SOME PROBLEMS THAT ARE INVOLVED WITH OTHER ISSUES.
UH, THE DESIGN OF THE STAMAN PUT, THAT'S A HUGE DIFFERENT ISSUE GOING ON ELSEWHERE.
BUT I THINK THE SIX THINGS I'D PUT IN BACKUP ARE THINGS THAT, THAT AT LEAST SOME OF THOSE COULD BE DONE RIGHT NOW.
AND, UH, UM, KATHY TOY'S OFFICE IS INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT THOSE AND CONSIDERING MAKING SOME KIND OF ACT, TAKING SOME KIND OF ACTION.
UH, THE OTHER THING IS, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE BATS MORE.
TULE HAS BEEN A LITTLE FRUSTRATED ABOUT HOW DO YOU GET THE ATTENTION OF THE BIG CITY INFRASTRUCTURE TO PAY TOO TO THIS WELL, WHAT OTHER COMMISSION IS THERE WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT? SO
[01:20:01]
THAT'S WHY I INVITE HIM TONIGHT.AND, AND, AND WE CAN, YOU KNOW, WE CAN TAKE ACTION ON THIS TONIGHT OR WE CAN, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANNA TALK MORE ABOUT IT, WE CAN, WE, WE CAN TAKE ACTION NEXT MONTH OR, OR AMEND IT OR WHATEVER.
BUT THIS IS, UH, WHY INVITED DR.
TU SO WE COULD, UH, JUST START A CONVERSATION.
WELL, I'M VERY HAPPY TO HAVE YOUR ATTENTION HERE.
I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES I'VE ATTEMPTED TO GET SMALL THINGS DONE AND GET PAST THE SIX ORGANIZATIONS AND FINALLY GIVE IT UP.
UH, IN FACT, THOSE SIGNS ON THE BRIDGE THAT TELL PEOPLE NOT TO HANDLE BATS YEARS AGO, I WOULD SEE LITTLE BOYS DOWN THERE PICKING UP SICK DOWN BATS, PUTTING THEM IN A PAPER BAG TO TAKE HOME FOR PETS.
AND, AND I, I WAS TERRIFIED THAT SOMEBODY WAS GOING TO GET BITTEN BY A SICK BAT AND GET RABIES.
AND I HAD TO FINALLY SEND LETTERS COPIED, NOT JUST TO THE MAYOR, BUT TO EVERYBODY I COULD THINK OF WHO HAD LEGAL CONCERNS IN AUSTIN, WARNING OF A BIG LIABILITY BEFORE WE FINALLY GOT THE SIGNS PUT UP THAT JUST SAID, DON'T HANDLE THE BATS.
SO EVEN THE SELF EVIDENT THINGS I FOUND TO BE DIFFICULT AT TIMES.
AND I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR COMMISSIONS PARTICULAR INTEREST IN HELPING AND WOULD LOVE TO COOPERATE WITH YOU IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE.
SO DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IT MO YES.
UH, I ENJOY, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR, UM, PRESENTATION AND FOR BEING HERE WAS EXCELLENT.
I GUESS IT'S ON THE CONGRESS BRIDGE BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE BATS ARE.
BUT IF IT WAS HELD ON THE PLEASANT VALLEY BRIDGE, WOULD PEOPLE WHO ARE ATTENDING BE ABLE TO SEE THE BATS THEN FLY OVER SINCE THEY GO OUT THAT WAY? UM, YOU MENTIONED THEY MIGHT MISS THEM, YOU KNOW, COMING OFF OF THE CONGRESS BRIDGE OR THEY MAY NOT COME OUT BECAUSE OF ALL THE NOISE.
IT, WOULD IT BE MORE OF A GUARANTEE IF THEY WERE MOVED TO A DIFFERENT BRIDGE? IN A VERY RARE INSTANCE, THEY MAY TURN AROUND AND GO UP RIVER INSTEAD DOWN, BUT THAT IS VERY, VERY RARE.
I'VE ONLY SEEN IT HAPPEN TWICE IN ALL THE YEARS I'VE BEEN GOING DOWN THERE.
ONCE IT HAPPENED THOUGH, AND I HAD A BIG GROUP WAITING ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE BRIDGE, UH, I, I DON'T THINK THAT BAT FEST ITSELF IS ALL THAT PROBLEMATIC.
I THINK IT'S THE NOISE FROM THE BANDS MM-HMM.
HE WAS A OLOGIST TRYING TO CURE MALARIA.
AND HE GOT, HE WAS ACTUALLY DOMINATED FOR A NOBEL PRIZE FOR PUTTING UP BAD HOUSES.
AND, UH, HE, HE REPORTED THAT, UH, THERE WAS A CASE WHERE THERE WAS A BUNCH OF BATS IN A, IN A BARN WHERE THEY WERE CAUSING A NUISANCE.
AND THAT, UH, HE SOLVED THE PROBLEM BY BRINGING A BAND AND PLAYING LOUD MUSIC AND THE BATS ALL LEFT, DIDN'T COME BACK.
UH, THAT'S JUST AN ANECDOTAL STORY, BUT, UH, THERE MAY BE SOME TRUTH IN IT.
UH, I THINK IT'S THOSE LOUD BANDS ON THE BRIDGE.
UH, ACTUALLY UP AT THE MCNEIL BRIDGE, WE, WE TELL PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE THE LARGEST URBAN BACK COLONY IN THE WORLD.
BUT IF YOU, YOU GOTTA LEAVE OUT SUBURBAN TO SAY THAT BECAUSE AT MCNEIL BRIDGE HAS ONLY ABOUT THREE OR FOUR TIMES AS MANY BATHS AS WE HAVE IN THE CONGRESS BRIDGE.
AND IN THAT BRIDGE, THEY STILL MANAGE TO STAY DESPITE TRAINS GOING UNDER AND MAKING QUITE A RACKET.
AND THEY, UH, PROBABLY ARE QUITE DIFFERENT THAN HAVING A WHOLE EVENING OF A BAND PLAYING LOUD MUSIC.
I DIDN'T INCLUDE THAT IN MY THING BECAUSE THAT, THAT WOULD WHOLE THING THAT INVOLVE MOVE A LOT OF MOVING PARTS AND TO, TO TALK ABOUT THE 4TH OF JULY, MOST PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE THIS, BUT THE 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION IS SPONSORED AND PAID FOR BY THE, THE AUSTIN SYMPHONY.
AND SO, AND THEY DO THEIR PERFORMANCE ON THE FRONT.
AND THAT'S WHY THAT HAPPENS WHERE IT DOES, YEAH.
THERE'S PROBABLY A BETTER PLACE YOU COULD DO THAT LIKE IN ZUCKER PARK POSSIBLY, BECAUSE THAT PART'S GETTING VERY CROWDED.
BUT THAT'S A HUGE CONVERSATION.
SO I'M WITH THIS MODEST PROPOSAL HERE.
I WAS TRYING TO KEEP IT TO STUFF THAT WE WALKED DOWN THERE, WE SAW, WE COULD SEE, UH, THE TRAIL FOUNDATION, OUR, NOW IT'S CALLED THE TRAIL CONSERVANCY.
IT'S TAKING OVER THE MANAGEMENT OF THE WHOLE TRAIL.
AND THEY HAVE A GOOD COOPERATION WITH THE WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT,
[01:25:01]
WHICH MANAGES THE EDGE OF THE LAKE.AND I'VE TALKED TO THEM AND THEY SAID MY SUGGESTION IN THERE IS SOMETHING THEY COULD DEFINITELY DO BECAUSE THE TRAIL I, WE DIDN'T HAVE A PICTURE, BUT THE TRAIL CHUNKS ARE COMING OUTTA THE TRAIL.
I MEAN, YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING NOW.
SO THAT'S LIKE LOW HANGING FRUIT AND IT CAN GET A, A, A CONTINUOUS CONVERSATION GOING ABOUT SOME OF THESE BIGGER PROBLEMS, UH, BASE AMPLIFIERS AND THE CARRY OF BASE, UM, BEING A MUSICIAN, TO ME THAT'S PROBLEMATIC TO PUT THOSE AMPLIFIERS ON TOP OF A BRIDGE.
AND THAT SOUNDS BEING DIRECTLY TRANSFERRED TO THE STUFF THE BATS ARE HANGING ONTO.
YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THAT'S LIKE A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN, YOU KNOW, BUT THAT'S PROBABLY FOR FUTURE.
IT, IT'S AN ISSUE, BUT PROBABLY BETTER FOR A FUTURE CONVERSATION.
AND HOPEFULLY AT SOME POINT THE FIREWORKS CAN GO TO THOSE NOISE FREE FIREWORKS, WHICH WOULD HELP PETS AND I KNOW HELP AP THE DOGS ATPA AND OTHER SHELTERS.
WE ALSO HAVE A HERON RRY DOWN DOWN THE RIVER A LITTLE BIT ON THE NORTH SIDE, NORTH ISH SIDE, FURTHER DOWN FROM THE BATS.
AND I'VE NOTICED, I LOVE FIREWORKS, BUT FIREWORKS AND BIRDS ARE NOT A GOOD MIX.
UH, YOU KNOW, PARTICULARLY AT NIGHT BIRDS TRYING TO ROOST AND FIREWORKS GOING OFF.
BUT LIKE, THAT'S PROBABLY ANOTHER CONVERSATION.
I REMEMBER BEING TOLD YEARS AGO THAT COLLECTORS WHO'D GO OUT COLLECTING BATS SAID, UH, WHEN YOU FOUND THEM IN A ROOST FIRE, A GUN NEAR THEM AND THEY WOULD FALL DEAD AND YOU'D PICK UP WITHOUT 'EM BEING TORN UP BY THE SHOT.
UM, JUST TWO MORE QUICK THINGS.
UH, FOR THE FIRST RECOMMENDATION, I THINK THAT'S GOOD.
IS THIS, UM, AND MAYBE YOU ANSWERED THIS, I WAS WONDERING IF THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT THE, THAT PARKS COULD BE INVOLVED WITH CUZ THEY WERE LIKE REALLY GOOD ABOUT PUTTING UP SIGNS WITH QR CODES AND SUCH, OR, OR IS THAT ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE THIS MIGHT BE WATERSHED CUZ IT'S THE AREA WHO I THOUGHT MAYBE IT WOULD GET FASTER WITH PARKS, WHO OWNS THE LAND AND WHO OWNS THE BRIDGE AND THAT'S, I'M NOT SURE.
I WOULD RATHER LEAVE THAT UP TO THE CITY COUNCIL BECAUSE YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO AFFIX IT TO THE BRIDGE.
AND THE, THERE'S USUALLY UNDERNEATH THE BRIDGE IS A RIGHT OF WAY.
SO I DON'T, WE'RE NOT SURE WHICH IS WHY I DIDN'T PIN THAT DOWN.
WHERE, WHERE I KNEW WHO WAS INVOLVED.
AND, UH, THANKS FOR THE DOCUMENT.
I THINK IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE.
IF WE WERE TO VOTE ON IT AND APPROVE IT, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN WITH IT? OKAY.
SO WHAT WE WOULD DO IS I VOTE ON THIS, PROVE THIS IS, THIS IS OUR RECOMMENDATION AND IT WOULD GO TO CITY COUNCIL AND I'VE ALREADY SENT A COPY OF THIS TO, TO, UH, KATHY TOBY'S OFFICE.
THE BATON BRIDGE IS IN HER DISTRICT.
UM, AND SO THEN IT WOULD BE UP TO THEM TO DO SOMETHING.
IT WOULD AT LEAST START A CONVERSATION.
AT THE VERY LEAST IT WOULD START A CONVERSATION, WHICH IS, I THINK, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU KEEP, YOU KEEP YOUR, YOUR HOPES MODEST, BUT WOULD WOULD BE A GOOD THING TO HAPPEN HERE.
CUZ WE HAVEN'T REALLY BEEN HAVING ONE
SO, SO DO I HEAR A MOTION? I WOULD MOVE TO PASS THIS RECOMMENDATION.
DO I HEAR A SECOND? HANG, SECOND.
SO DID YOU GET THAT? IT WAS DR.
UH, IS THERE ANY MORE DISCUSSION ON THIS? OKAY, WELL, IF THERE'S NO MORE DISCUSSION, LET'S TAKE A VOTE.
UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? WELL, AT SEVEN, THAT'S THAT.
WELL, BUT WE ONLY HAVE SEVEN OF US HERE, SO WE HAD TO AT SEVEN
WELL I WANNA THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
SO WE'LL PASS THIS ON AND WE'LL MONITOR THIS AND SEE HOW IT GOES.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HAVING ME AND I'D LOVE TO GET BETTER ACQUAINTED WITH ALL OF YOU, AND I HOPE THERE'LL BE OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP ADDITIONALLY.
[8. Discussion and Possible Action on Adopting Bird-Safe Building Ordinances, presentation by Dr. Chris Sheppard, the Director of the Glass Collisions Program at the American Bird Conservancy]
ITEM, DISCUSSION, POSSIBLE ACTION ON ADOPTING BIRDS SAFE BUILDING ORDINANCES.CHRIS SHEPHERD, WHO I WANNA THANK FOR WAITING
UM, SHE'S A DIRECTOR OF THE GLASS COLLISIONS PROGRAM AT THE AMERICAN BIRD CONSERVANCY.
WHO WROTE THESE REC THESE, UH,
[01:30:01]
UH, ORDINANCES.I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO COME TO AUSTIN TO SEE THE BATS.
OKAY, WE YOU SKIP THIS SLIDE CAUSE IT WAS A FAIR.
SO I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT BIRDS AND BIRD MORTALITY FROM COLLISIONS WITH GLASS.
UM, PRETTY MUCH EVERYBODY HAS EXPERIENCED A BIRD HITTING A WINDOW.
UM, JUST TO, TO BE CLEAR, WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT, UH, BIRDS LIKE ROBINS AND CARDINALS THAT SOMETIMES ATTACK THEIR REFLECTIONS.
UM, THESE ARE BIRDS THAT ARE FLYING FULL FEET TOWARDS THE GLASS BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW IT'S THERE.
UM, AND, UH, THIS RESULTS IN, IN, UH, INJURY, UM, AND FREQUENTLY DEATH, UM, AS OPPOSED TO THOSE CARDINALS, WHICH ARE REALLY JUST IN THELAN.
UM, SO BIRDS, I'M SURE YOU GUYS ALL KNOW, UM, HAVE INTRINSIC AND, AND CULTURAL VALUE.
BUT WHAT MOST PEOPLE ARE UNAWARE OF IS THAT, UM, BIRDS CONTRIBUTE TREMENDOUSLY TO OUR WELFARE.
UM, WHEN, UH, FIRES BURN HABITAT TO THE GROUND, BIRDS BRING SEEDS IN, SO PLANTS WILL GROW AGAIN.
UM, BIRDS CONTRIBUTE HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO AGRICULTURE.
UM, CONTROLLING PESTS, UM, THAT IN ADDITION TO EATING CROPS MIGHT ALSO, UH, GIVE YOU WEST NILE VIRUS, UM, OR, UH, CHEW UP YOUR FOREST.
BIRDS ALSO HAVE A HUGE CONSTITUENCY.
AND I, I KNOW THAT THIS IS TRUE IN TEXAS.
UM, MY SISTER, UH, AND HER HUSBAND HAVE GONE BIRD WATCHING IN TEXAS ABOUT 10 TIMES, AND EACH TIME THAT THEY, UH, ENJOY IT MORE THAN THE LAST TIME.
SO, UM, BIRD TOURISM IS BIG IN TEXAS, UM, AND IT IS AROUND THE WORLD.
ESPECIALLY DURING THE PANDEMIC.
PEOPLE STAYED HOME AND REALIZED, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY COULD WATCH BIRDS OUT THEIR WINDOWS.
SO THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE INTERESTED IN BIRDS.
UNFORTUNATELY, COLLISIONS WITH GLASS AREN'T RARE.
I MEAN, IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, HOW MANY BIRDS HAVE TO HIT WINDOWS FOR EVERYONE TO HAVE HAD THAT EXPERIENCE? MOST PEOPLE, WHEN THEY EXPERIENCE IT, THINK IT'S AN UNUSUAL EVENT, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS EVERYWHERE WHERE THERE ARE BIRDS AND WHERE THERE IS GLASS, WHICH MEANS IT'S ALMOST EVERYWHERE.
THE SMITHSONIAN DID AN ESTIMATE, UM, PUBLISHED IN 2014.
UM, AND WHAT THEY FOUND BY DOING WHAT'S CALLED A META-ANALYSIS, THEY GOT DATA FROM, UH, DIFFERENT MONITORING PROGRAMS FROM, UM, MUSEUMS THAT GET CARCASSES AND SO FORTH.
THEY ESTIMATED THAT AS MANY AS A BILLION BIRDS ARE KILLED EVERY YEAR, UM, FROM COLLISIONS WITH GLASS.
WHAT PEOPLE FIND REALLY ASTOUNDING IS THAT ALMOST HALF OF THOSE COLLISIONS TAKE PLACE ON HOMES AND, UH, SMALL STRUCTURES, YOU KNOW, SHACKS, SHEDS, GARAGE DOORS, UM, AND ALMOST ALL OF THE REST OF THESE COLLISIONS TAKE PLACE ON LOW RISE BUILDINGS, NOT HIGH RISES.
NOW, THIS IS NOT BECAUSE BIRDS DON'T COLLIDE WITH HIGH RISES.
UM, IT'S BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY FEWER HIGH RISES THAN THERE ARE OTHER KINDS OF BUILDINGS.
WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT BIRDS ARE ACTIVE FROM ABOUT THE GROUND UP TO THE TOP OF THE TREES.
UM, AND THIS APPROXIMATES THE FIRST 11, 12 STORIES OF BUILDINGS.
THAT'S WHERE MOST COLLISIONS TAKE PLACE.
IT'S, IT'S A LOT LIKE, YOU KNOW, MOST CAR ACCIDENTS TAKE PLACE WITHIN 20 MILES OF HOME, CUZ THAT'S WHERE YOU DO ALL YOUR DRIVING.
WELL, MOST COLLISIONS TAKE PLACE ON GLASS THAT'S NEAR VEGETATION BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE BIRDS ARE ACTIVE.
THEY'RE ATTRACTED TO THE VEGETATION, THEY'RE ATTRACTED TO THE REFLECTIONS OF THE VEGETATION.
THE MAJORITY OF BIRDS THAT ARE KILLED BY GLASS COLLISIONS ARE SONGBIRDS, UM, WARBLERS, THRUSHES, SPARROWS.
UM, ALMOST ANY KIND OF BIRD THAT YOU CAN THINK OF HAS BEEN A VICTIM OF A COLLISION.
BUT OUR SONGBIRDS FROM BREEDING GROUNDS IN THE NORTH TO WINTERING GROUNDS IN THE SOUTH, AND
[01:35:01]
AS THEY MIGRATE, THEY COME RIGHT THROUGH TEXASUM, THEY HAVE TO FREQUENTLY STOP TO REFUEL ALONG THE WAY.
AND THAT'S, UM, WHEN A LOT OF THESE COLLISIONS HAPPEN.
UM, BIRDS LIKE THESE SONGBIRDS TEND TO MIGRATE AT NIGHT.
UM, IT, THEY DON'T HAVE THE SUN BEATING ON THEIR BACKS.
UM, THE WINDS TEND TO BE CALMER.
UM, THEY OFTEN NAVIGATE USING THE STARS IN THE MOON.
UM, ONCE THEY'VE COME DOWN FROM THEIR FLIGHT, UM, THE NEXT DAY THEY HAVE TO START FEEDING UP AGAIN.
UM, AND THAT'S WHEN THEY START COLLIDING WITH BUILDINGS.
SO BECAUSE THEY FLY AT NIGHT, PEOPLE OFTEN THINK, OH, THEY'RE SLAMMING INTO SKYSCRAPERS AT NIGHT.
THEY'RE FLYING AT NIGHT, THEY COME DOWN.
UM, THEY TEND TO COME DOWN PREFERENTIALLY IN CITIES BECAUSE THEY'RE ATTRACTED BY THE LIGHTS.
UM, ONCE THEY'VE LANDED, THEY'RE THERE FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS, THEY HAVE TO PUT FAT ON.
THEY'RE FLYING AROUND IN THOSE TREES, UM, AND THEY'RE FLYING INTO BUILDINGS.
PEOPLE AND BIRDS DON'T SEE THE SAME WAY.
AND WE OFTEN DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THAT WE'VE GOT EYES THAT ARE CLOSE TOGETHER.
UM, WE DON'T HAVE A BEAK STICKING OUT BETWEEN OUR EYES.
UM, AND WE TEND TO SEE THE WORLD AS SOMETHING THAT'S IN FRONT OF US OR THAT WE'RE GOING INTO BIRDS.
IF YOU LOOK AT THEM, THEY'VE GOT EYES ON THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF THEIR HEAD.
THINK ABOUT NOT SEEING THE SAME THING WITH EACH EYE.
SO THEY HAVE A VERY DIFFERENT WAY OF PERCEIVING THE WORLD.
THEY HAVE DIFFERENT WAYS OF FIGURING OUT HOW FAST THEY'RE FLYING AND WHEN THEY'RE GONNA GET TO THEIR DESTINATION.
UM, AND I'M NOT GONNA TRY TO EXPLAIN WHY I'VE GOT A PICTURE OF A GUY ON A HOVER BOARD ON THIS SLIDE.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO SEE MY VIDEO, UM, BECAUSE PEOPLE RUN INTO GLASS ALL THE TIME.
PEOPLE ARE, ARE INJURED BY GLASS, UM, JUST NOT AT THE SAME RATE AS IT HAPPENS TO THE BIRDS.
PEOPLE THINK THAT THEY CAN SEE GLASS, BUT THEY REALLY CAN'T.
UM, WE LEARN ABOUT GLASS WHEN WE'RE KIDS.
WE LEARN WHERE TO EXPECT GLASS.
AND EVEN THOUGH WE EXPECT GLASS TO BE IN CERTAIN PLACES, WE SOMETIMES FORGET BECAUSE WE'RE DISTRACTED.
UM, BIRDS NEVER UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF GLASS AS A TRANSPARENT BUT SOLID SUBSTANCE.
WE GET THAT BIRDS CAN'T LEARN IT.
UM, AND ORDINARILY I WOULD SHOW YOU THESE PICTURES ONE AT A TIME, BUT, UM, IF YOU LOOK AT THAT PICTURE ON THE LEFT, IF I TAKE AWAY THE CUES THAT YOU USE TO TELL YOU WHERE GLASSES YOU COULDN'T TELL FROM THAT PICTURE, IF THIS WAS A PICTURE I TOOK OF A TREE, IF IT WAS A TREE SEEN THROUGH A WINDOW OR IF IT WAS THE REFLECTION OF A TREE.
IF YOU LOOK AT THAT PICTURE IN THE CENTER, THERE'S SEVERAL CUES THAT TELL YOU IT HAS TO BE GLASS.
THERE'S A CRACK THERE, THERE ARE MILLIONS.
UM, BUT YOU STILL DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A REFLECTION OR IF YOU'RE LOOKING THROUGH A WINDOW.
IT'S ONLY WHEN I SHOW YOU THE PICTURE ON THE RIGHT THAT YOU HAVE ALL THE CUES THAT TELL YOU IT'S A REFLECTION.
BIRDS DON'T UNDERSTAND ANY OF THE CUES THAT TELL YOU THAT GLASSES THERE.
TO BIRDS, WHAT THEY SEE IS WHAT THEY GET.
UM, THEY TAKE EVERYTHING LITERALLY.
UM, SO IN THIS INSTANCE, UM, ALL OF THE TREES THAT YOU SEE HERE, UM, TO A BIRD WOULD BE A TREE THAT THEY COULD FLY TO.
UM, AND UNFORTUNATELY IN SEVERAL CASES, THEY WOULD TRY TO FLY RIGHT THROUGH THAT GLASS.
HOW DO WE STOP COLLISIONS? WELL, WHEN BIRDS ARE FLYING THROUGH AN UNCLUTTERED ENVIRONMENT, LIKE THE ONE ON THEIR RIGHT, THEY'RE PROBABLY NOT FOCUSED VERY MUCH ON WHAT'S AHEAD OF THEM.
UM, THEY MIGHT BE LOOKING AROUND TO SEE IF THERE'S A PREDATOR BEHIND THEM OR IF THERE'S FOOD AVAILABLE.
BUT IF THEY'RE FLYING THROUGH A CLUTTERED ENVIRONMENT LIKE THE ONE ON THE LEFT, THEY'RE DEFINITELY PAYING ATTENTION TO WHERE THEY'RE GOING.
UM, AND THE WAY WE WARREN BIRDS THAT GLASS IS THERE, UM, IS BY MIMICKING A CLUTTERED ENVIRONMENT, UM, BY PUTTING THINGS ON GLASS THAT BIRDS WILL RESPOND TO, UM, AS IF THERE WERE THINGS THAT THEY COULDN'T FLY THROUGH.
SO THEY WILL CHANGE THE DIRECTION THAT THEY'RE FLYING AND AVOID THE GLASS.
IF YOU WATCH BIRDS, YOU KNOW THAT THEY'LL FLY INTO SMALL SPACES.
[01:40:01]
PATTERNS THAT WE PUT ON A GLASS TO WARN BIRDS, UM, HAVE TO BE SPACE RELATIVELY CLOSELY.UM, YOU CAN SEE THE BIRD IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT BIRD IS TURNED ITSELF SIDEWAYS TO FLY THROUGH BARN DOORS THAT ARE ABOUT AN INCH AND A HALF APART.
UM, WHAT WE'VE DISCOVERED BY DOING, UH, TRIAL AND ERROR AND ALSO BY DOING RESEARCH, UM, IS THAT THE SPACING OF VISUAL MARKERS THAT YOU USE TO TELL BIRDS, THERE'S A BARRIER.
THERE HAS TO BE ABOUT TWO INCHES, UM, IN ANY DIRECTION IF YOU WANT TO PROTECT HUMMINGBIRD.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, AMERICAN BIRD CONSERVANCY DOES, AND I REALIZE I DIDN'T INTRODUCE MYSELF, UM, BUT I'M CHRIS SHEPHERD, UM, AND I WORK FOR THE AMERICAN BIRD CONSERVANCY.
WE DO BIRD CONSERVATION, UM, THROUGHOUT THE AMERICAS.
UM, AND, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WORK ON ARE THREATS TO BIRD POPULATIONS.
UM, AND IN ORDER TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE, UM, FOR PEOPLE TO BUILD BIRD FRIENDLY BUILDINGS, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE STARTED IS A, BASICALLY A GLASS TESTING PROGRAM.
UM, AND THE CONTRAPTION THAT YOU SEE HERE, UM, IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE.
IT'S ABOUT AN HOUR EAST OF PITTSBURGH AND WE CALL IT THE TUNNEL.
UM, THIS IS A BIRD BANDING STATION.
UM, AND, UH, SOME OF THE BIRDS THAT ARE NETTED AND BANDED AND WEIGHED AND, AND IDENTIFIED AND SO FORTH, ARE BROUGHT TO THE TUNNEL.
UM, AND WHEN THEY LOOK AT THE FAR END, THEY SEE TWO POSSIBLE WAYS TO ESCAPE.
IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY, UM, AT THE BOTTOM RIGHT, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE NET A LITTLE BIT, THERE'S A NET THAT KEEPS THEM FROM EVER CONTACTING THE GLASS.
WHAT WE DO IS WE LOOK AT HOW MANY BIRDS FLY TOWARD WHAT LOOKS LIKE NOTHING ON THE LEFT, AND HOW MANY BIRDS FLY TOWARD PATTERN GLASS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE EVALUATING.
THE MORE BIRDS FLY TOWARDS THE CONTROL GLASS TO THE CLEAR GLASS, THE MORE WE THINK WE'RE AVOIDING THAT PATTERN.
UM, THIS ALLOWS US TO RATE GLASS.
UM, THIS IS IMPORTANT IF IT TURNS OUT, IF YOU'RE TALKING TO ARCHITECTS, THEY REALLY NEED NUMBERS.
THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS.
UM, WHEN WE, WHEN WE SAY USE GLASS THAT HAS A, A THREAT FACTOR OF SOMETHING OR OTHER, UM, THAT'S THE LANGUAGE THEY UNDERSTAND.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, YOU DON'T GET TO SEE A BIRD FLY IN THE TUNNEL CAUSE THIS IS ANOTHER VIDEO.
HERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF BIRD FRIENDLY GLASS, UM, ON THE LEFT FROM THE PARKING LOT.
UM, YOU REALLY CAN'T TELL THAT, UH, THERE'S ANYTHING UNUSUAL ABOUT THE GLASS.
THERE'S LOTS AND LOTS OF GLASS, UM, THAT HAVE BEEN USED FOR DECADES THAT'S BIRD FRIENDLY THAT PEOPLE DON'T REALLY REALIZE IS BIRD FRIENDLY.
UM, ON THE RIGHT IS, UH, WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE FROM THE INSIDE.
SO YOU CAN STILL SEE OUT PRETTY WELL.
UM, THIS PARTICULAR PATTERN COVERS ONLY 6% OF THE SURFACE OF THE GO.
UM, ANOTHER APPROACH THAT, UH, GLASS COMPANIES HAVE TAKEN IS, UH, MAKING PATTERNS ON THE GLASS, UM, THAT REFLECT ULTRAVIOLET.
SOME BIRDS AND PARTICULARLY SONGBIRD, CAN SEE ULTRAVIOLET.
UM, NOT ALL BIRDS CAN, SO IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE BEST CHOICE, UM, FOR EVERY PLACE.
UM, BUT IT VERY WELL, UM, TO PROTECT OUR SONG WORDS.
SO, UM, THIS IS, UM, GLASS THAT YOU REALLY CAN'T, YOU DON'T NOTICE THERE'S A PATTERN ON IT FROM THE INSIDE.
IT'S VERY HARD TO EVEN NOTICE THERE'S A PATTERN FROM THE OUTSIDE, BUT IF YOU LOOK CAREFULLY, UM, YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF A PATTERN THERE.
SO IT DOESN'T HAVE TO MAKE YOUR BUILDINGS LOOK DIFFERENT TO MAKE THEM BIRD FRIENDLY.
UM, WE HAVE OTHER WAYS OF ASSIGNING, UH, THREAT FACTOR RATINGS TO GLASS.
UH, ONE IS A PRESCRIPTIVE STANDARD, WHICH BASICALLY, UH, TAKES A LOOK AT GLASS AND, AND, UH, SEES IF IT'S SIMILAR TO SOMETHING THAT'S ALREADY BEEN SCORED.
PEOPLE OFTEN ASK, WELL, HOW DO WE DO THIS FOR HOMES? UM, AN EXTERNAL INSECT SCREEN IS ALMOST A HUNDRED PERCENT EFFECTIVE AT DETERRING COLLISIONS.
UM, THIS, UH, TECHNOLOGY THAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN FAMILIAR WITH, UH, FOR A LONG, LONG TIME.
[01:45:01]
UM, AND, UH, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GET FANCYUM, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE, THE REFLECTION OF STRIPES, UM, ON THE TOP OF THAT, UM, SET OF FOUR, UM, IS VERY SHARP AND WE WOULD NOT CONSIDER THAT BIRD FRIENDLY.
UM, AND THAT THE SAME THING WITH THE BUILDING ON THE LEFT, THAT, UH, IS A VERY STRONG REFLECTION, UM, THAT BIRDS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DISTINGUISH FROM REALITY.
UM, WHEREAS THE, THE BUILDING ON THE RIGHT, UM, THAT'S AN AQUARIUM IN SAN DIEGO, UM, HAS VIRTUALLY NO REFLECTION AT ALL, EVEN THOUGH IT'S ALL A GLASS.
AND WE'VE ALSO STARTED DEVELOPING COMPUTER MODELS.
UM, SOMEDAY WE HOPE THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO GET RID OF OUR CONTRAPTIONS, UM, AND SIMPLY BE ABLE TO, TO PROGRAM IN HOW BIRDS RESPOND TO PARTICULAR PATTERNS.
UM, WHAT THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GLASS ARE, AND, UH, BE ABLE TO COME OUT WITH A RATING.
UM, SO WE'VE, UH, STARTED TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT IN SOME SITUATIONS.
SO HOW DO YOU DESIGN A BIRD FRIENDLY BUILDING? THE CRITICAL THING IS TO INCORPORATE BIRDS FROM THE BEGINNING.
UM, YOU DON'T WANNA DESIGN A BUILDING AND THEN DECIDE TO MAKE IT BIRD FRIENDLY, CUZ THAT IS REALLY A RETROFIT THAT'S GONNA COST YOU EXTRA MONEY.
UM, WHAT YOU WANT TO DO IS, AS YOU MAKE YOUR DECISIONS, HOW ARE WE GONNA CONTROL HEAT AND LIGHT? WELL, THERE ARE BIRD FRIENDLY WAYS TO DO THAT.
UM, AND THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO DO THAT.
UM, BIRD FRIENDLY STRATEGIES INCLUDE REDUCING THE EXPOSURE OF GLASS.
WINDOW SCREENS ARE A SIMPLE EXAMPLE OF THAT, BUT THERE'S SOME WONDERFUL KINDS OF SUNSHADES.
UM, YOU CAN PUT SIGNALS IN OR ON GLASS LIKE THE EXAMPLES I SHOWED YOU, OR YOU CAN SIMPLY USE LESS GLASS.
UM, THERE'S A LOT OF OVERLAP, UM, WITH THIS WHOLE LIST OF THINGS HERE.
SOLAR SHADING, GLARE CONTROL, UM, MAKING YOUR DESIGN LOOK UNIQUE.
UM, THERE ARE A LOT OF SECURITY, UH, OVERLAPS, UM, AS WELL AS, UM, OVERLAPPING WITH ENERGY EFFICIENT DESIGN AND SO FORTH.
AS PEOPLE HAVE STARTED TO UNDERSTAND, THE DANGER TO BIRDS FROM GLASS, UM, JURISDICTIONS AROUND THE COUNTRY HAVE STARTED TO PASS LEGISLATION.
UM, THE VERY FIRST PLACE TO DO THIS, UH, WITH SAN FRANCISCO AND CALIFORNIA BACK IN 2011, UM, MINNESOTA PASSED AT A STATEWIDE, UM, ORDINANCE.
UM, IN 2013, UM, THERE WAS, UH, EVANSTON, UH, ILLINOIS PASSED LEGISLATION JUST LAST.
UM, THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF LEGISLATION.
UM, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT ABC IS, UH, HAS A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WITH.
WE'VE WORKED WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES, UM, TO HELP TO DESIGN, UH, AN ORDINANCE THAT THAT WORKS FOR THEM.
UM, ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, FOR EXAMPLE, HAS A COMPLETELY VOLUNTARY SYSTEM.
UM, BUT, UM, YOU, IF YOU, UM, THEY, THEY ALLOW YOU TO, TO BUILD DENSER BUILDINGS, UM, IF THEY ARE BIRD FRIENDLY.
UM, AND SO, UH, AMAZON, UM, IS BUILDING A, A LARGE COMPLEX OF FIVE COMPLETELY BIRD FRIENDLY BUILDINGS IN ARLINGTON, UM, BECAUSE THEY WANTED THAT, UH, ABILITY TO BUILD, UM, MORE DENSE STRUCTURES.
UM, NEW YORK, UM, HAS BEEN WORKING WITH THEIR LEGISLATION, UH, WHICH, UH, PASSED IN 2020.
UM, THE GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION NOW HAS, UH, GUIDELINES ABOUT WORD FRIENDLY DESIGN.
UM, THERE IS LEGISLATION PENDING IN WASHINGTON DC UM, IT'S, IT'S REALLY HAPPENING ALL OVER THE PLACE.
UM, IT CAN BE SIMPLE, IT CAN BE COMPLICATED.
UM, ALMOST A THIRD OF AMERICA'S BIRDS HAVE BEEN LOST OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES.
UM, THIS IS NOT A COINCIDENCE, UM, THAT THIS HAS, THIS HAS HAPPENED AS TECHNOLOGY HAS ALLOWED US TO USE BIGGER AND BIGGER AND BIGGER PIECES OF GLASS.
THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT BIRDS CAN LEARN TO AVOID.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT.
[01:50:01]
PLEASE.ABC HAS RESOURCES, UM, AND WE'RE EXTREMELY HAPPY, UM, TO HELP.
UM, AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM.
DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? UH, HAVE YOU READ THE, UH, I'VE WRITTEN, UM, UH, A MOTION IS, UH, THE, I THINK SOME OF THIS IS GOING TO HAVE TO GO IN FRONT OF LIKE THE ARCHITECTURE.
I KNOW YOU INVITED SOMEONE FROM SOMEONE HERE.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK? UM, I APOLOGIZE FOR THE VERY BEGINNING.
IS THAT INTERESTING? COME UP HERE TO MIKE YES.
AM I ON LAUREN STANLEY? I'M AN ARCHITECT HERE IN AUSTIN.
UM, AND I GOT AN EMAIL EARLIER TODAY FROM OUR, UM, OUR OFFICE, LOCAL CHAPTER, UM, INQUIRING IF ANYBODY HAD, UH, THE WHEREWITHAL THE, UM, COME TONIGHT.
UM, AND I, UM, SORT OF PASSIONATE ABOUT URBAN NATURE, NATURE IN CITIES, BIOPHILIC CITIES.
AND I THINK, UM, I WAS INTRIGUED TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANYTHING I COULD SAY, UM, TO, TO ADD TO THE CONVERSATION AND HELP BECAUSE I THI SEE THIS AS BEING LIKE, UM, PART OF, UM, A KIND OF OVERLAPPING WITH OTHER SOLUTIONS, URBAN SOLUTIONS, UM, AND PRETTY INTRIGUING, UM, AREA OF FOCUS.
UM, SO I WOULD LIKE TO ASK IF THAT PRESENTATION IS, COULD BE MADE AVAILABLE AT ALL.
DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THAT'S POSSIBLE TO, I'M SURE I'D BE HAPPY TO MAKE THE PRESENTATION AVAILABLE.
I'VE ALSO GOT AN AIA UH, CONTINUING ED CLASS ON BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN.
INTERESTED IN, YEAH, I THINK IT'S, IT'S NOT REALLY ON, UH, IT'S NOT AT THE FOREFRONT OF A LOT OF ARCHITECT'S MINDS, I THINK.
UM, BUT YOU ALLUDED AT THE END TO HOW IT CAN OVERLAP WITH SOME OTHER WHOLE HOST OF THINGS.
AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY LIKE THE PLACE WHERE WE CAN SPEND THE MOST TIME BECAUSE THERE'S JUST CERTAIN COMMON SENSE THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO WITH BUILDINGS SINCE SOME ONE, SOME OF THOSE THINGS ARE LAYERS.
THEY MAKE A LOT OF SENSE FOR A LOT OF REASONS.
SO I'M, UM, JUST DROPPING IN HERE.
UM, IF THERE'S OTHER DISCUSSION OR QUESTIONS, I'M HAPPY TO, UM, HAPPY TO ANSWER, SEE IF I CAN ADD ANYTHING TO IT.
UM, WELL, I'M FROM CHICAGO AND WORKED IN NEW YORK CITY AND I DON'T LIKE SEEING THE BIRDS ON THE GROUND.
UM, HOW DO ARCHITECTS FEEL ABOUT THIS IF THEY WERE COMING IN AND DESIGNING SOME OF THESE NEW BUILDINGS THAT ARE GOING UP AND WE SAID, CAN YOU THINK ABOUT BIRD FRIENDLY CLASSES ARE GONNA BE PUSHED BACK FROM THAT? WELL, TWO THINGS.
ARCHITECTS ARE GENERALLY CURIOUS PEOPLE.
THEY SHOULD BE
SO IF THEY ARE TOLD WHAT THEY CAN DO, LIKE ANYBODY REALLY, I GUESS CHILDREN AND MANY OTHER PEOPLE
BUT IF THERE ARE, UM, MORE EDUCATION AND IT SEEMED TO BE PART OF A, A CONTEXTUAL, BIGGER PICTURE, UM, I THINK THAT'S THE PLACE TO REALLY HAVE THAT CONVERSATION AND JUST LEARN MORE ABOUT IT.
SO I DON'T HEAR IT IN MY PROFESSION BEING TALKED ABOUT A LOT, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF CONCERNS OUT THERE.
AND, UM, I THINK THERE'S, YOU KNOW, BANDWIDTH ISSUE FOR UNDERSTANDING EVERYTHING ABOUT EVERYTHING.
BUT I THINK THAT, UM, GENERALLY ARCHITECTS DEFINITELY RIGHT NOW ARE TRYING TO BE, UM, UH, LOW EMBODIED CARBON LOW IMPACT.
UM, MORE AND MORE SO I WOULD SAY THERE'S MORE AND MORE AWARENESS.
SO IT'S A GOOD TIME TO TRY TO EXPAND THE AWARENESS ON THIS AS WELL.
AND IF, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE SOLUTIONS ARE TALKED ABOUT, EVERYONE LIKES TO LOOK, BE FORWARD LOOKING MM-HMM.
UM, THAT'S PROBABLY JUST TOO MUCH OF A BLANKET THING TO SAY.
SO WHAT KIND OF GLASS, ET CETERA.
UH, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UH, I WILL SAY THIS, THAT WE ARE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE AN ANIMAL ADVISOR COMMISSION.
THERE'S A OVER 70 COMMISSIONS IN THE CITY OF BOSTON.
AND THIS MAY HAVE TO GO IN FRONT OF ANOTHER COMMISSION.
UH, YOU KNOW WHAT? I THINK, UM, UH, MY CITY COUNCIL, UH, OFFICE IS WILLING TO PUT THE IDEA FORWARD AND OF COURSE THEY PUT IT AND THEN NOTICE GOES OUT.
AND SO IT WOULD PASS THROUGH MORE THAN ONE COMMISSION.
THIS IS JUST LIKE GETTING IT STARTED.
BUT I, I THINK THAT SOUNDS PROMISING.
[01:55:01]
I WOULD, I WOULD GUESS THAT ARCHITECTS, THE ARCHITECTS, I KNOW, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE ALL INSPIRED BY SOME OF THESE INCREDIBLE BUILDINGS THAT FIT IN WITH THE ENVIRONMENT.I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S GOOD INFORMATION.
SO, UH, DO I HEAR A MOTION? YES.
UM, SO I WOULD MAKE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE PROPOSED RECOMMENDATION.
AND, AND DO I HEAR A SECOND? DO, OKAY.
SO, UH, CHAIR, UH, COMMISSIONER NORTON FIRST AND DR.
UH, IS THERE ANY MORE DISCUSSION ON THIS ISSUE? OKAY.
ONCE AGAIN, IT WAS SEVEN, FOUR, NONE AGAINST.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE, EVERYBODY.
AND, AND LET, LET, UH, THE ARCHITECTS KNOW THAT THIS MAY, THERE MAY BE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO TALK ABOUT THIS.
BECAUSE WE'RE NOT TRYING TO TELL PEOPLE WHAT TO DO.
WE'RE JUST TRYING, TRYING TO GET SOMETHING TO WORK BETTER.
PPD I'M GONNA SHARE YOUR, YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION WITH LAUREN HERE SO THAT Y'ALL CAN SHARE YOUR PRESENTATION, IF THAT'S OKAY.
[9. Discussion and Possible Action on AAC Monthly Reporting of Data]
UM, WE HAVE DISCUSSION OF POSSIBLE ACTION ON AAC MONTHLY REPORTING OF DATA.WE HEARD A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT IN THE, IN, IN, IN, UH, OUR DIRECTOR BLAND'S PRESENTATION.
DO WE HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO SAY ON THAT? OKAY.
DISCUSSION OF POSSIBLE ACTION ON TRANSFERRING
[10. Discussion and Possible Action on Transferring Austin Animal Center Animals to Other Communities]
AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER ANIMALS TO OTHER COMMUNITIES.UH, I RE WE'VE A, I THOUGHT THAT WAS VERY INTERESTING INFORMATION ABOUT THE NUMBER GOING DOWN AND THE REASONS WHY.
UH, SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, THAT IS SOME GOOD INFORMATION WE GOT ON THIS TOPIC.
SO IS THERE ANY OTHER, OTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS? OKAY, THEN, UH, DISCUSSION, POSSIBLE ACTION ON INCLUSION OF
[11. Discussion and Possible Action on Inclusion of Animal Services in the City of Austin next Five-Year Strategic Plan]
ANIMAL SERVICES IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.NEXT FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN.
NOW AT THE LAST MEETING, YOU GUYS TOLD ME TO WRITE A LETTER AND I WROTE IT AND I PUT IT OUT THERE SO WE CAN VOTE ON THE WORDING.
I HOPE YOU GOT TO READ, IT'S PRETTY SHORT.
IT'S PRETTY TO THE POINT BECAUSE THIS IS SOMETHING YOU DON'T WANNA BELABOR.
I DID FIND OUT THAT A COUPLE OF OTHER CITY COUNCIL OFFICES HAVE WRITTEN A LETTER LIKE THIS, SO THIS WILL NOT BE THE ONLY LETTER.
UH, I WAS, ANIMAL SERVICES WAS PART OF A PLANNING MEETING ABOUT OUR NEW STRATEGIC PLAN.
AND WE GOT ON THE BOARD, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME MAIN BULLET POINTS AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THEY EXPAND THOSE AND WE'LL BE EXPANDED.
SO WE WILL, AT THIS POINT WE ARE BEING TALKED ABOUT.
SO THERE'S HOPE ON THE HORIZON.
SO, UH, WE CAN DO THIS QUICKLY.
DOES ANY, IF, IF ANYBODY HAS ANY, I THINK WEAKER, WE HAD A SPECIFIC, I THINK AMBER WANTED TO SPEAK ON 11.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK ON 11? UH, REGARDING ITEM 11, UM, I JUST WANTED TO SAY, I, I JUST TELL US WHO YOU ARE.
I'M AMBER ROLAND, DISTRICT ONE.
UM, I DO AGREE WITH SENDING A LETTER ABOUT, UM, SD 28 STRATEGIC DIRECTION 28, THE NEXT CITY'S NEXT FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN.
UM, BUT I DO KNOW THAT AS A CITY EMPLOYEE, I DO KNOW THAT THE FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN IS A HIGH ALTITUDE GUIDANCE DOCUMENT, UM, AND ALMOST NO CITY DEPARTMENTS ARE MENTIONED EXPLICITLY IN IT.
AND SO WHEN I SAW THIS LETTER, I JUST WAS STRUCK BY THAT.
UM, SO I GUESS I WOULD MAKE THIS SUGGESTION THAT THE COMMISSION CONSIDER AMENDING THE, UM, THE LETTER SO THAT IT RECOMMENDS MAYBE THAT SD 28 EXPLICITLY INCLUDE ANIMALS IN IT, UM, IN SORT OF MORE BROADLY AND GENERALLY, UM, THAT MAYBE THAT THE CITY TRY TO INCLUDE THAT, THAT THE CITY VALUES ANIMALS AS INTRINSICALLY VALUE VALUABLE, UM, AND THAT THEY HAVE VALUES AND THEY HAVE VALUE AND RIGHTS AS SENTIENT BEINGS.
UM, AND THAT THEY HAVE PROVEN BENEFITS TO THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF PEOPLE AND FAMILIES.
UM, THAT, THAT'S, THAT SORT OF MORE GENERAL APPROACH MIGHT, UM, BE MORE LIKELY TO BE, UM, SORT OF IN LINE WITH THE HIGH LEVEL NATURE OF A, OF A FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN FOR A CITY THE SIZE OF AUSTIN.
UM, AS AN EXAMPLE, I'LL JUST SAY THAT ANIMAL SERVICES HAS LIKE, WHAT, A HUNDRED OR SO EMPLOYEES, UM, AND A 17.6 MILLION BUDGET.
UM, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH IS ANOTHER DEPARTMENT IN THE CITY.
IT HAS A 117 PLUS MILLION DOLLAR BUDGET AND ABOUT 800 EMPLOYEES.
AND IT IS ALSO NOT MENTIONED IN
[02:00:01]
THE SD 23 PLAN.SO IF THE STRATEGIC PLAN IS A, A SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FORMAT FOR, FOR SD 28, THEN UM, IT MIGHT BE REASONABLE TO THINK THAT AN INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENT OR DIVISION WOULD BE MENTIONED SPECIFICALLY.
BUT I DON'T, SO AGAIN, I DON'T DISAGREE WITH THE IDEA ABSOLUTELY NOT OF, UM, OF INCLUDING ANIMALS IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE CITY AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THEM AS PART OF OUR COMMUNITY AND OF OUR, UM, ENVIRONMENT.
UM, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT I'VE HEARD TONIGHT WITH THE SORT OF AN EXPANSION OF THE INTERESTS OF THIS BEYOND JUST COMPANION ANIMALS AND BEYOND JUST THE INTERESTS OF THE, UM, OF ANIMAL SHELTERS.
ALTHOUGH I VERY STRONGLY SUPPORT THE ANIMAL SHELTERS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, BUT THERE IS A BIGGER WORLD OUT THERE.
SO, UM, SO I JUST WOULD SUGGEST THAT THE LETTER MAY NEED TO BE AMENDED A LITTLE BIT TO BETTER REFLECT THE NATURE OF THE STRATEGIC DIRECTION, UM, DOCUMENTS THEMSELVES AND THAT THEY DON'T GET THAT SPECIFIC.
SO LET'S LET GET A COPY OF THAT UP HERE.
THIS'S THE LAST, NOW I GOTTA FIND OUT WHICH ONE OF THE MANY BACKUP ITEMS IT IS.
WE NEED TO START NUMBERING THESE.
OH, IT'S, OH, IT'S AT THE BEGINNING.
UM, AS I RECALL WHEN, WHEN, UH, JASON SHOWED US THE STRATEGIC PLAN, UH, THE, THE, THE OLDER STRATEGIC PLAN AND IT, IT WAS, THEY HAD MENTIONED OTHER ASPECTS.
I MEAN, THEY MIX MENTIONED THE PARK DEPARTMENT AND THEY MAKE SURE THE WATERSHED DEPARTMENT, UH, UH, BUT WE DON'T HAVE THAT.
THAT WAS BACK UP FROM LAST TIME WE COULD ACTUALLY LOOK THAT UP.
I'M TRYING, MY CAMERA DOESN'T SEEM TO BE WORKING, BUT, UM, YEAH, IT DOES MENTION ALL THE SERVICES THAT ARE OFFERED THROUGH, YOU KNOW, VARIOUS CATEGORIES LIKE HEALTH, UH, UM, WITHIN OUR PARK SYSTEM, SAFETY CO ENCOMPASSING, YOU KNOW, THE PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS.
BUT YEAH, WE DON'T REALLY, THIS PLANET ITSELF, AS I MENTIONED, SORT OF ANYTHING RELATED TO ANIMALS.
UH, WELL, YES, I HAVE A QUESTION.
DO WE NOT HAVE A QUORUM NOW THAT KATIE ARNOLD'S NOT ON THE DI THAT PEOPLE HAVE LEFT? I DON KNOW HOW THAT WORKS.
WE, UH, SHE'S NOT ON THE DI SO YOU TAKE A VOTE, SHE HAS TO APPEAR.
WHAT? THAT'S JUST, SHE'S NOT ON THE DI BUT WE STILL HAVE A QUORUM.
WELL IS WHAT DO YOU WANNA DO? YOU WANNA AMEND THIS, YOU WANNA JUST DO IT LIKE IT IS, I'M SURE SINCE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE HAVE SUGGESTED I WE'RE NOT THE ONLY PEOPLE SUGGESTING, I THINK THEY'LL PROBABLY, I I DON'T THINK US ASKING THEM TO PUT THE, THE ANIMAL, UH, SERVICES SPECIFICALLY IN IT IF THEY DON'T WANNA DO IT, IF THEY THINK THERE'S SOME BETTER WAY TO DO IT, I DON'T THINK THEY'RE GONNA DO IT JUST CUZ WE SAY OR OR WE CAN CHANGE WHAT THIS LETTER SAYS.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE AN OPINION ON THAT? I, I DID PARTICULARLY LIKE, LIKE THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS WORDING ABOUT VALUING ANIMALS AND, UM, JUST THE MORE GENERAL COMMITMENT OF THE CITY TO, TO ANIMALS.
UH, WHEN I READ THIS, IT SAYS WE RECOMMEND TO THE CITY OF US INCLUDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER AND OUR MINI PROGRAMS. IT DOESN'T ACTUALLY SAY TO MENTION AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER.
IT ACTUALLY DOESN'T, IT SAYS TO TALK ABOUT THE PROGRAMS. RIGHT.
BUT I, I LIKE, I LIKE THE MORE THE MORE GENERAL WORDING BECAUSE IT ALSO SUGGESTS THAT WHATEVER PROGRAM THE PROGRAMS MAY BECOME IN THE FUTURE, THAT THEY SHOULD ALWAYS SERVE THAT UNDERLYING ETHOS OF VALUING ANIMALS, UM, FOR THEIR INTRINSIC VALUE, I BELIEVE SHE SAID.
AND AS SENTIENT BEINGS, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S CONTROVERSIAL.
BUT, UM, WELL, WELL THAT'S A GOOD POINT.
WHAT WE MIGHT WANNA DO THEN IS POSTPONE THIS TILL NEXT MONTH
[02:05:02]
AND YOU CAN WORK ON SOME WORDING AND SEND IT TO ME.AND THEN, CUZ THIS IS NOT AN EMERGENCY
SO, UH, DO I HEAR A MOTION TO THAT EFFECT? YEAH, I'LL MAKE A MOTION.
I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO POSTPONE IT.
I JUST HAD TO GIVE MY DOG A SEIZURE MEDICATION.
SO KATIE, DO I HEAR A SECOND IF I CAN, UH, AND DR.
NIELS THE SECOND THAT, SO WE'LL POSTPONE THIS AND, AND, UH, YES, IF NO ACTION IS TAKEN, WE CAN AUTOMATICALLY PUT IT, I'M NOT SURE WE NEED TO VOTE ON POSTPONING WHILE THAT WAS.
THEN, THEN OKAY, THEN WE'LL JUST INCLUDE THIS ON YEAH, WE DON'T HAVE TO VOTE ON THAT.
UM, OKAY, SO LET'S MOVE ON TO THE NEXT THING, WHICH IS DISCUSSION AND
[12. Discussion and Possible Action on City’s Use of Cooling Centers]
POSSIBLE ACTION ON CITIES OF COOLING CENTERS.NOW LOT OF MAGULA IS NOT HERE.
WE GOT A VERY INTERESTING LETTER BACK JUST LIKE TODAY.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS GOT TO READ THAT.
MAYBE IT, MAYBE IT JUST CAME TO LATA AND ME, SHE HAD COPIED ME ON IT.
WHICH THERE WAS A LOT OF INTERESTING INFORMATION IN THERE, WHICH IS THE FACT THAT NO COOLING CENTERS, THE ONLY ANIMALS THEY LET IN ARE, ARE, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, SERVICE, SERVICE ANIMALS.
UM, AND THAT THEY DO CALL ANIMAL SERVICES, BUT THEY DON'T WANNA ADVERTISE THAT BECAUSE YOU'D BEEN SO SNOWED UNDER PARTICULARLY RECENTLY THAT YOU WOULDN'T ALWAYS BE ABLE TO MAKE IT.
THEY DIDN'T WANNA SAY WE DO THAT, BUT IF SOMEONE CAME IN AND HAD TO DO THAT, THEY SAID THEY CALLED THERE.
IN OTHER WORDS, THERE'S A BUNCH OF INFORMATION IN HERE AND I THINK ONCE AGAIN, WE SHOULD PROBABLY PUT THIS OFF A MONTH CUZ WE'RE NOT HITTING DANGEROUS HEAT YET, OR TERRIBLE COLD.
SO WOULD YOU GUYS BE WILLING TO DO THAT? BECAUSE I'M SURE A LOT OF, UH, COMMISSIONER MAGULA WOULD LIKE TO TALK MORE ABOUT THIS.
YEAH, I JUST SAW THAT LETTER TODAY.
SO WE'LL DO THAT, UM, DISCUSSION OF POSSIBLE ACTION ON CLOSING INTAKE AT
[13. Discussion and Possible Action on Closing Intake at the Austin Animal Center]
THE HOSPITAL CENTER.WELL, THE INTAKE HAS BEEN, ARE YOU NOW COMPLETELY OPEN? I MEAN, WHAT, WHAT'S THE STATUS OF THAT? WE ARE STILL UNDER RESTRICTED INTAKE.
UH, WE ARE, YOU KNOW, ASKING FOR SICK AND INJURED ONLY, BUT AS YOU CAN TELL BY THE INTAKE NUMBERS, THERE'S A LOT MORE COMING IN THAN JUST THE SICK AND INJURED.
THEY GAVE US A, A, A WEEK OR SO REPRIEVE OR COUPLE OF WEEKS REPRIEVE AND THEN THEY'RE SHOWING UP AGAIN.
SO WE ARE STILL UNDER RESTRICTED INTAKE AND ASKING THE SAME GUIDELINES BE FOLLOWED.
BUT WE ARE NOT FULLY OPEN YET.
SO IS THERE ANY MORE ACTION OR DISCUSSION WE WANNA TAKE ON THIS AT THE MOMENT? I'M NOT SURE WHAT, UH, UH OKAY.
ALL RIGHT THEN WE, WE CAN KEEP THAT ON THERE BECAUSE WE MAY GET BETTER NEWS IN A MONTH.
UM, DISCUSSION, POSSIBLE ACTION ON PROCEDURES
[14. Discussion and Possible Action on Procedures for Returning Lost Dogs to Owners.]
FOR RETURNING LOST DOGS TO OWNERS.I REMEMBER THAT WE ASKED FOR SOPS LAST MONTH ABOUT, UM, ABOUT HOW THE SHELTER DEALS WITH THAT.
IN OTHER WORDS, SOMEONE COMES IN WITH A LOST DOG.
WHAT DO THEY NEED TO SHOW YOU TO GET THEIR DOG BACK? PROOF OF OWNERSHIP.
UH, YOU KNOW, THROUGH, THROUGH PHYSICAL ID PHOTOGRAPHS.
UM, IF IT'S MICRO CHIPPED, IT'S, THAT'S, THEY CAN PROVE THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY ARE WHO THE MICROCHIP GOES TO.
UH, WE'LL, WE'LL WORK WITH ANYONE ANY WAY TO TRY TO GET AN ANIMAL BACK TO THEM.
CAUSE, CAUSE WHAT I WAS IS, IS WHAT I WAS THINKING THAT MIGHT HELP THE SITUATION.
CAUSE YOU KNOW, YOU HEAR REPORTS AND THEN, BUT THEN THE PERSON WHO SAID THEY COULDN'T DO THAT DOESN'T FINALLY, YOU DON'T HEAR THE END OF THAT, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? IT'S JUST, YOU JUST HEAR SOMETHING.
UM, IS THERE SOME WAY OR IS, IS IT POSTED EXACTLY SOMEWHERE? EASILY GET TO, IS IT POSTED SOMEWHERE PRETTY EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR PROOF OF OWNERSHIP? UH, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT, IT, I'D HAVE TO GO LOOK AT THE WEBSITE TO SEE IF IT OUTLINES IT.
CUZ THAT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, THAT'D BE ONE WAY TO, CAUSE YOU KNOW, I, I MEAN, IF YOU HEAR REPORTS THAT, WELL, SOMEONE WENT DOWN AND GOT THE DOG THAT COULD GET THEIR DOG BACK, IT'S ALARMING.
[02:10:01]
SO HOW DO WE, AND AND YOU KNOW, IN THAT LAST INSTANCE, WHAT HAPPENED, I I IS, IS WE HAD ONE PERSON SAY ONE THING WITH THE, SHE SAY ANOTHER AND THEN THE CAMERA HAD BEEN TIMED OUT FOR A MONTH AND YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO, THERE'S THERE, THERE'S NO RESOLUTION.SO THE, THE QUESTION IS, HOW, HOW COULD WE LOWER JUST ANY REPORTS OF THAT? YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? WHAT I'M SAYING? JUST TRY AND MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S CLEAR INFORMATION TO PEOPLE SO WHEN THEY COME TO THE SHELTER, THEY'RE NOT CAUGHT.
LIKE, WELL, DO YOU HAVE PROOF OF WHAT IS PROOF? YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE YOU WANNA VOTE? WHAT DO YOU KNOW? WELL, I CAN TELL YOU THAT'S NOT AN ISSUE.
PEOPLE COMING TO GET THEIR ANIMALS, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU HEAR THIS ONE INCIDENT OUT OF THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS.
UH, WE, WE ONLY TRY TO IDENTIFY THE RIGHTFUL OWNER BECAUSE WE HAVE HAD INSTANCE WHERE SOMEONE COMES IN, THEY SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, CUTE LITTLE TOY POODLE AND THEY SAY THEY'RE THEIR OWNER AND WE START MAKING PROPER, YOU KNOW, PAPERWORK TO GET THE DONE.
AND THEN WHILE IT'S SETTING THERE, WAITING TO GET A SURGERY OR SOMETHING, THE, THE RIGHTFUL OWNER DOES COME IN WITH, YOU KNOW, PHOTOGRAPHIC PROOF.
AND THAT SHOWS BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT THAT THAT IS THEIR ANIMAL.
SO THAT'S THE ONLY THING WE TRY TO DO IS IDENTIFY THE RIGHTFUL OWNER TO MAKE SURE THAT PET GOES BACK, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT TRYING TO HOLD PETS FOR ANY REASON.
TRUST ME, WE WANT THOSE ANIMALS TO GO HOME WITH FOLKS.
WE JUST WANT IT TO BE THE RIGHT PERSON.
UH, YES, SORRY TO INTERRUPT, BUT YEAH, IT'S ON OUR, IT'S ON OUR WEBSITE.
I KNOW DON SAID, UH, IT'S ON OUR LOSS AND FOUND WEBSITE WHERE WE TELL OR LIST WHAT FOLKS NEED TO DO IN ORDER IF THEY THINK THEY HAVE A LOST PET.
SO THEY CAN, THEY CAN, UH, EMAIL OUR ANIMAL RECLAIM, UH, RESOURCE REQUIRE.
WE LET, WE NOTIFY FOLKS THAT THEY, WE HOLD IT FOR THREE BUSINESS DAYS, BUT TO ALSO BRING PROOF OF OWNERSHIP, JUST REALLY JUST COME DOWN TO THE SHELTER SO THAT WE, WE CAN TALK WITH AN INDIVIDUAL, VERIFY WE ACCEPT DIFFERENT TYPES OF PHOTO ID, DRIVER'S LICENSE, A PASSPORT, ANY SORT OF, UM, VET RECORDS, PHOTO IDENTIFICATION, MEXICAN CONSULATE CARD, THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO WHATEVER YOU CAN DO TO PROVE YOUR PET.
YEAH, WE'LL WORK WITH YOU ON, ON GETTING THAT PET TO YOU.
IS THERE ANY OTHER COMMENT? DID YOU HAVE A COMMENT, NANCY? NO.
IF, UM, SOMEONE DID COME TO RECLAIM AND THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE RIGHT THINGS IN, SO THEY WANTED TO SEND THEIR VET RECORDS AND IT MIGHT TAKE AN EXTRA DAY, UM, WILL YOU EXTEND THE RECLAIM, UH, THE WHOLE DATE BY A DAY TO GET THOSE RECORDS IN FROM THE VET? ABSOLUTELY.
WELL, UH, ALRIGHT, WELL THEN I, I, WE'LL JUST HAVE TO MONITOR THIS, YOU KNOW, JUST SEE, SEE, YOU KNOW, IF IT, IT, IF THINGS ARE WORKING WELL, IT SHOULDN'T BE AN ISSUE GOING FORWARD, SO.
UH, UH, DISCUSSION, POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING
[15. Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Pet Services Available to Citizens]
PET SERVICES AVAILABLE TO CITIZENS.NOW, WHOSE ITEM WAS THIS? ME? YES.
UM, YEAH, I'D LIKE TO, UM, HOLD IT CARRIED OVER ONE MORE MONTH.
UM, I MET WITH, UM, COMMISSIONER HERRERA ON THURSDAY AND HE HAD, UM, A LOT OF GOOD SUGGESTIONS AND OUR WONDERFUL BELINDA HARRIS SUGGESTED I SPEAK WITH SOMEONE ELSE AT, UM, AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER WHO HAD TIME.
UM, AND MY GOAL IS TO TRY TO GET A LIST TOGETHER OF ALL OF THE PET SERVICES IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT ARE, UM, FREE.
AND SO PEOPLE KNOW CAN MAYBE GO TO ONE PLACE
AND IT'S EVEN BETTER THAN I THOUGHT
UM, SO, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO JUST TAKE SOME MORE TIME TO MAKE IT A BETTER PRESENTATION.
SO WE'LL ACTUALLY KEEP THIS ON THE AGENDA.
SO, WHICH BRINGS US TO FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. SO, UM, SO GOING THROUGH THESE OLD ITEMS, WE, WE, WE DON'T NEED TO HAVE FOUR ON THERE ANYMORE.
UH, LET'S KEEP THE PARLIAMENTARY, UH, PARLIAMENTARIAN PRESENTATION ON THERE.
UH, WE CAN SKIP IT IF WE NEED TO.
YES, WE CAN KEEP IT VERY SHORT.
UM, PRESENTA, UH, O PETS LIVE WILL KEEP ON THERE.
DO WE WANT TO DISCUSS THIS ISSUE THAT WE HAVE THIS BACKUP AND I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WOULD COME OUT OF IT, BUT THIS IDEA
[02:15:01]
THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IDEA OF THERE'S MORE PEOPLE WHO WOULD ADOPT ANIMALS IN AUSTIN, UH, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHY WE, WHY WE WOULD DEC WHAT WOULD BE THE OUTCOME OF THAT? I, YES.SO, UM, I WA I WAS GONNA ASK TO PUT THAT ON THE AGENDA BECAUSE I, I WAS ALSO CONFUSED WHEN I SAW IT AS BACKUP ITEMS. AND, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I BELIEVE THEY, THEY TRIED TO UPLOAD IS LIKE THE, THE, THE SUBTITLE IS PRESENTED BY APRIL HUNTSMAN, SO I READ IT AS PRESENTA, AND I MIGHT BE LABELED IN THERE AS PRESENTATION BY, SO BY APRIL HUNTSMAN.
SO I THOUGHT THERE WAS GONNA BE A BIG PRESENTATION OF THIS MATERIAL.
SO I SPENT A, A LONG TIME LOOKING INTO IT AND EVALUATING IT AND, AND TRYING TO FIND LIKE THE ACTUAL SUPPORTING DATA AROUND IT AND, AND READING THIS.
AND, UM, AND I, I DO THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT ISSUE BECAUSE AS I, AS I READ THROUGH THIS AND EVALUATED AT LEAST WHAT WAS MADE AVAILABLE TO US, I WAS NOT AT ALL CONVINCED THAT THERE IS A, A HU A HUGE SURPLUS OF HOMES COMPARED TO THE ANIMALS FOR, SPECIFICALLY FOR THE ANIMALS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR SHELTERS.
I BELIEVE THESE MATERIALS ARE USED TO SAY THERE ARE, THERE ARE HOMES IN AUSTIN RIGHT NOW WHO WANT THE ANIMALS THAT ARE IN OUR SHELTERS AND ARE OVERCROWDING OUR SHELTERS RIGHT NOW.
IF THAT'S THE CASE, THAT IS NOT SHOWN IN THE MATERIAL THAT WE WERE GIVEN.
AND SO, AND I THINK IT'S A FUNDAMENTAL IDEA BECAUSE I THINK THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE, ARE VERY CONVINCED OF THAT.
AND IF THEY'RE CONVINCED OF THAT, THEY'RE GONNA BE CONVINCED THAT THIS SHELTER AND EVERY OTHER SHELTER THAT HAS ANIMALS IS DOING SOMETHING VERY WRONG.
AND MAYBE THAT'S THE CASE, BUT IF IT IS, IT'S, IT'S NOT IN THIS INFORMATION.
SO I I I THINK IT WOULD ACTUALLY WORTH DISCUSSING IT.
UH, WHAT MY, MY QUESTION IS, I, I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AND I READ THE MATERIALS MYSELF, UM, AND LIKE MANY STUDIES OF THIS SORT, UH, NONE OF THEM TO ME, LIKE PROVES IT, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? THERE'S NOT, THIS IS JUST NOT, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S VERY HARD TO PROVE IN ANY CASE.
AND I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING THAT, THAT, THAT SAID, OH, THAT'S GOTTA BE TRUE.
HOWEVER, THE QUESTION BECOMES, SO, SO THEN IF IT'S, IF IT'S VAGUE ENOUGH, I MEAN, WE COULD, WE COULD SPEND TIME DISCUSSING IT.
I'M NOT SAYING THAT WOULD BE BAD, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE GOT A LOT OF STUFF TO DISCUSS ON THIS COMMISSION APPARENTLY.
WHAT WOULD BE OUR ACTION? YOU KNOW, WHAT WOULD BE, OKAY, SO WE DISCUSSED THIS AND WE AGREE TO DISAGREE OR, YOU KNOW, WHAT WOULD BE OUR ACTION? OH, I'LL INTERJECT HERE BECAUSE I THINK THAT THIS INFORMATION IS BEING USED TO POLITICALLY BIAS.
THINGS LIKE OUT-OF-STATE TRANSPORT TO PUT, UH, NO CONFIDENCE RESOLUTIONS TOWARDS OUR, UH, DIRECTOR FOR CLOSING THE SHELTER.
I, IT'S BEING USED POLITICALLY IN A WAY THAT I FEEL LIKE IS NOT A REFLECTION OF THE ACTUALITY OF THE ANIMALS THAT ARE AT AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER.
AND IT'S GOING TO BE USED TO PUT SENTIMENT OUT THERE TO HALT MUCH NEEDED LIFE SAVING PROGRAMS. OKAY.
HAVING BEEN ON THE COMMISSION WHEN THAT, WHEN, WHEN, WHEN SOME OF THESE, THOSE ARE TAKEN, I DON'T THINK THAT, UM, THIS HAS MUCH TO DO WITH THAT AT ALL.
AND THAT THIS IS MY POINT, IS, UH, ONE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, AND WE'RE ACTUALLY NOW DISCUSSING THIS, WHICH IS NOT AN I ON THE AGENDA.
WE'RE, UH, APA IS NOT SOMEONE WHO IS SUBJECT TO OUR, OUR, OUR, OUR, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR ADVICE, UH, UNDER, UH, YOU KNOW, UNDER OUR CHARGE.
OKAY? AND APA IS AN INDEPENDENT NONPROFIT,
[02:20:01]
AND THEY'RE ALSO ONE OF, THEY'RE THE, THE, OUR BIGGEST PARTNER, WHATEVER YOU MAY SAY ABOUT THEM, WHATEVER, TO SAY THEY'RE THE PARTNER WHO TAKES THE MOST ANIMALS FROM A SHELTER CAN STILL BY A LONG SHOT.SO THAT IS MY, I GUESS THAT'S MY WORRY.
I MEAN, I DON'T THINK, PERSONALLY, I DON'T THINK THAT THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED.
I THINK IF THAT BECOMES THE DISCUSSION, IT'S JUST GONNA PUT ONE SIDE OF THE COMMISSION AGAINST THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COMMISSION, WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY THINK IN THEIR MIND, YOU KNOW, THEY KNOW WHY THEY MADE THE DECISIONS THEY MADE.
UH, AND I DON'T SEE ANY POINT IN IT.
CAN I MAKE A COMMENT? YES, YOU CAN MAKE A COMMENT.
UM,
JEFFERSON, UH, I GUESS HER PRESENTATION WAS A MONTH AGO RELATED TO THEM, THEY WERE POSTED FOR THIS MEETING.
I, I VIEWED THEM JUST ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE, BUT I, I DON'T VIEW THEM AS, UH, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE AS THE LAW OF THE LAND.
AND WHAT I SEE IS WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE ANIMAL, AUSTIN, DUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER, I MEAN, WE'RE GONNA HAVE THE, THE AUDIT, THAT'S WHAT REALLY'S GONNA MATTER.
AND PLUS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE, AND I UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE THING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, DISCUSSING THOSE DOCUMENTS THAT DR.
JEFF SHOULDN'T SHARE, BUT IT'S JUST A PERSPECTIVE.
IT'S, BUT THAT'S WHAT I, WHAT I FEEL.
WELL, I THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT TOPIC SINCE IT WAS BROUGHT UP AND IT BROUGHT UP BY ANOTHER AREA, AND I AGREE THAT, UM, IT WAS USED TO JUSTIFY APA, UM, BRINGING ANIMALS IN FROM ALL OVER THE STATE TO COMPETE WITH THE AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER.
AND I THINK IT'S WORTH LOOKING AT, AND I THINK SINCE A COMMISSIONER, UM, REQUESTED IT, I WILL SECOND, UM, TO HAVE IT ON, UH, THE AGENDA.
SO, UH, IF WE CAN CUT THIS REALLY SHORT, IF A IF TWO PEOPLE WANT IT ON THERE, THEN IT'S ON THERE.
SO WHAT EXACTLY IS THE ITEM? SHE, SHE SAYS YOU QUESTION? YEAH, I'M SORRY.
DID SOMEONE HAVE A COMMENT? SHE, SHE PUT HER YES.
COMMISSIONER NEER, DO YOU HAVE A COMMENT TO MAKE? I JUST THINK THAT THIS IS A MOOT POINT AND WE'RE GONNA WASTE A LOT OF TIME.
I THINK IT GOES BACK TO WHAT COMMISSION OR CHAIR NASER SAID, AND THAT'S THAT WE'RE DANCING AROUND THE ISSUE BECAUSE WE WANNA PROVE THAT APA IS WRONG ABOUT SOMETHING.
BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS, WE AS A COMMISSION HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO ABILITY TO POLICE AUSTIN PETS ALIVE.
THEY ARE AN INDEPENDENT ENTITY THAT THIS COMMISSION POINT OF ORDER HAS NO ABILITY TO POLICE POINT OF ORDER, NOT THAT Y'ALL WANNA DISCUSS WITH THE POINT OF ORDER.
WHAT'S, WHAT'S YOUR POINT OF ORDER? I THINK YOU MADE AN EXCELLENT POINT EARLIER THAT WE'RE NOW DISCUSSING AND HAVING A DEBATE OR FOR SOMETHING THAT'S NOT ON THE AGENDA.
BUT WHAT WE ALLOWED EVERYBODY TO MAKE A COMMENT ON IT.
SO I THINK WE NEED TO LET NANCY FINISH A COMMENT.
IT'S A MOOT POINT, AND SO WE'RE ALLOWING SOMETHING TO BE ON AN AGENDA THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ACTUAL POINT OF THE COMMISSION, WHICH MEANS WE'RE GOING TO BE WASTING OUR TIME LITERALLY IN ADDRESSING SOMETHING THAT CANNOT ACTUALLY BE BROUGHT TO A VOTE BECAUSE WE HAVE NO ABILITY TO VOTE ON IT.
SO OF COURSE, IT CAN BE ON THE AGENDA BECAUSE TWO PEOPLE HAVE REQUESTED IT, BUT IN THE END, NO VOTE CAN BE DONE AND NOTHING CAN BE DONE WITH IT EXCEPT TO DISCUSS IT AND MOVE ON.
SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE POINT OF IT IS BESIDES, ONCE AGAIN, WASTING TIME AND TRYING TO THROW APA UNDER THE BUS BY THE PARTIES THAT BE ON THIS COMMISSION WHO WISH TO THROW APA UNDER THE BUS.
LET'S, UH, I DO AGREE THOUGH THAT WE, WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO PUT ON THE AGENDA OR NOT AND NOT SPEND A LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, AS I SAID, SO, UH, IF WE CAN STOP THE DISCUSSION HERE NOW, AND IF WE CAN, WHAT ITEM, HOW DO YOU WANT THE ITEM STATED? IS IT GOING FOR DISCUSSION OR DISCUSSION AND ACTION? I THINK DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION.
SO WHAT WOULD THE ITEM BE? UM, I WOULD, I WOULD LOVE SOME TIME TO THINK ABOUT IT, BUT REGARDING, WELL, WE CAN THINK ABOUT IT.
WE DON'T HAVE TO PUT IT ON RIGHT NOW, BUT YOU CAN THINK ABOUT IT.
[02:25:01]
ADVISE YOU WHEN YOU DO THAT, YOU THINK ABOUT THE ACTION THAT, THAT YOU WOULD HAVE US TAKE.UH, I THINK THAT'LL, UM, I THINK THAT WILL, UH, UH, HELP DEFINE THE ISSUE MORE CLEARLY AND AGREED.
AND I HAVE A SEPARATE STATEMENT.
UM, I AM, I'M, I'M PRETTY BOTHERED THAT, UH, COMMISSIONER NEER SEEMS TO VIOLATE DECORUM.
YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO ME FINISH.
YOU INTERRUPT ME SO MUCH AND SHUT ME DOWN.
IT'S NOT ACCEPTABLE IN THIS JUST NOW.
SHE ATTRIBUTED A MOTIVATION TO MEMBERS OF THIS COMMISSION THAT ATION, OKAY? OKAY.
GROWN MEMBERS OF UNDER THE BUS LOOK PAGE, I'M THE CHAIR.
I DON'T THINK, DOESN'T, DON'T GIVE YOU THE RIGHT TO VIOLATE ROBERT OF THE ORDER.
UH, I GAVE EVERYBODY A CHANCE TO SPEAK ON THIS ISSUE.
UM, WHO WANTED TO SPEAK ON THIS ISSUE.
SHE HADN'T SPOKE ON THIS ISSUE.
I GAVE HER A CHANCE TO SPEAK ON THIS ISSUE.
UM, I HEARD HER TALK ABOUT WHAT HER WORRIES WERE IN HER HEAD.
I DID NOT HEAR HER SAY ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT YOU THOUGHT OR WHAT YOU FELT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT.
OKAY? SO LET'S LET THIS REST, LET'S PUT YOUR ITEM ON THERE.
WE WILL DISCUSS IT AND, AND, AND WE'LL DO IT, YOU KNOW, THE WAY WE, WE WANNA DO IT, I, THIS IS, UM, THIS IS A VERY CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE, BUT WE HAVE TO, UM, WE HAVE TO TRY AND DO IT IN A FAIR WAY AND I'M GONNA TRY AND DO THAT IN A FAIR WAY.
SO ANYWAY, SO WE'LL PUT THAT ON THERE, HOWEVER YOU WANNA DO IT.
UM, UH, WE DON'T HAVE TO PUT THE BAT ISSUE ON THERE ANYMORE.
UH, WE DON'T HAVE TO PUT THE BIRD SAFE BUILDING ON THERE ANY ANYMORE.
A DISCUSSION POSSIBLE ACTION ON AAC MONTHLY REPORTING OF DATA.
DO WE NEED THAT ON THERE? THAT'S A PROBLEM THING.
WELL, IF SHE WANTS TO PUT IT BACK ON AND LEASE THE SECOND IT, THEN IT GOES BACK ON THERE.
BUT FOR NOW, WE'LL PUT IT OFF.
UM, DISCUSSION, POSSIBLE ACTION TRANSFERRING AUSTINS, WE CAN LEAVE THAT OFF FOR NOW, BUT UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE A NUMBER OF COMMISSIONERS AREN'T HERE AND ANY TWO COMMISSIONERS WANNA PUT SOMETHING ON IT GETS PUT ON.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER ITEMS? 11.
WE'RE GONNA DO THAT BECAUSE, UH, DR.
NELSON IS GOING TO COMPLETE WORK ON 11.
WE'RE GO, WE'RE GONNA PLEA AND, AND, AND REPHRASE THAT FIRST, THAT FIRST SENTENCE.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE? 12 IS STILL ON.
UH, WELL, YEAH, I, LET'S LEAVE THAT ON BECAUSE LIKE I SAY, WE MAY GET SOME GOOD NEWS.
WHAT, WHAT? WE'LL SEE, YOU KNOW, I WANNA LOOK AND SEE IF, YOU KNOW, PRETEND I'M A DOG OWNER AND LOOK AND SEE WHAT INFORMATION I CAN, YOU KNOW, BUT YEAH, FOR NOW, UH, UH, AND THEN YES, FIFTEEN'S ON.
ANY OTHER ITEMS? OKAY, WELL, UH, WITHOUT ANY OTHER, UH, OBJECTION ON, AS YOU NOTED, ANY TWO CAN SEND THEM TO ME.
AND WE CAN PUT ANOTHER ITEM ON THERE.
WE HAVE A SHORTEN WEEK THAT THE WEEK PRIOR TO THE NEXT MEETING, AND WE WILL ALSO HAVE TO PUT ON THE AGENDA AGENDAS OR OUR SCHEDULE.
CUZ WE NEED TO SCHEDULE OUR MEETINGS.
SO IS THAT OKAY FOR US TO PUT THAT? ABSOLUTELY.
NO, ABSO NO THAT, THAT'S HOUSEKEEPING.
YOU GOTTA PUT HOUSEKEEPING ON THERE.
ANY OTHER, UH, OKAY, WELL THEN WITHOUT ANY OTHER OBJECTION, IUR, THE MEETING AT, UH, EIGHT 40.