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[I. Call to Order ]
ALRIGHT.THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR THE SPECIAL CALLED MEETING OF THE CAPITAL METRO BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
UH, THERE BEING A QUORUM PRESENT.
I'LL CALL THIS MEETING THE ORDER.
UH, SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES GONNA JOIN US REMOTELY TODAY.
UH, BUT I'M HERE AT THE ROSA PARKS BOARDROOM.
TODAY IS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER THE FOURTH, AND THE TIME IS THREE 15.
UM, WE'LL START, WE'VE ALREADY CALLED ORDER.
THE FIRST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS PUBLIC COMMENT.
I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS NO ONE HERE FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS, SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I ASK THREE TIMES.
IS THERE ANYONE THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK? ANYONE THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK, HEARING NO ONE.
[III.1. Approval of a resolution confirming the nominating committee’s recommendation to fill a vacancy on the Austin Transit Partnership Board of Directors ]
GO ON TO ITEM TO THE NEXT ITEM.THE ITEM, THE SINGLE ITEM FOR ACTION ON OUR AGENDA TODAY IS APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION TO FILL A VACANT SEAT ON THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
UH, THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION, UH, WAS THAT, THAT SEAT BE FILLED BY MR. JUAN GARZA.
DO I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND ON THAT ITEM? SO MOVED, MR. CHAIRMAN.
THERE, THERE'S THE MOTION AND WE'VE GOT A SECOND.
IT'S BEEN, UM, MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED, UH, THAT, UH, MR. JUAN GARZA BE SELECTED TO FILL THIS SEAT ON A, ON THE ATP BOARD IST THERE ANY DISCUSSION? UH, LET'S SEE.
JUST REAL QUICK, WE HAD, UM, SOME INPUT AT THE CITY WHEN WE VOTED THIS ITEM, UH, YESTERDAY, WHICH DID PASS, UH, TO APPROVE MR. GARZA TO THIS SEAT.
AND THE CONCERNS RAISED WERE THE TRANSPARENCY, UM, AROUND THE NOMINATIONS PROCESS.
AND SOME OF THE GROUPS FELT LIKE THEY, UH, DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH TIME AND WERE NOT, UH, THEY DIDN'T GET INFORMATION EARLY ENOUGH AND THEY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO, TO, UM, REVIEW IT.
AND SO, UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE CITY AT, UM, UH, SOME IMPROVEMENTS TO THE PROCESS.
SO, UH, THESE WOULD ALSO BE BROUGHT TO CAP METRO.
UH, WHATEVER, WHATEVER FORM THEY TAKE, WHICH I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE,
BOARD MEMBER POOL, BOARD MEMBER STRATTON, YOU HAVE A COMMENT? YES.
I, UH, I, I DO THANK YOU FOR, UH, FOR THE CONCERNS THAT WERE RAISED BY YOU AND, AND, UM, UH, BOARD MEMBER, I GUESS, IN Y'ALL'S CAPACITY AS COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, YESTERDAY AT THE MEETING.
AND I APPRECIATE THE FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY.
UM, THIS IS SOMETHING AS A MEMBER OF THE NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE, I, I'LL JUST SAY FROM MY OWN PERSPECTIVE, UM, I DO WELCOME.
I, I WELCOME THE FEEDBACK AND I DO THINK IT COULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE SOME CLARIFICATION ON THIS FRONT THAT WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT BETTER, UM, A LITTLE BIT BETTER CLARITY AND SOME, YOU KNOW, IMPROVEMENT ON PROCESSES AS TO HOW WE DO THIS BETTER GOING FORWARD.
I KNOW LAST TIME AROUND IT WAS, IT WAS A SLATE.
YOU KNOW, WE HAD FIVE PEOPLE THAT WE WERE DOING ALL AT ONE TIME.
IT WAS KIND OF AN UP AND DOWN BOAT.
THIS WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT, A LITTLE UNUSUAL, WHICH IS ONE NAME.
UM, BUT HAVING BEEN THROUGH IT, HAVING GONE THROUGH IT AS AN OUTSIDER LAST TIME, JUST AS A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, THAT THAT HAD TO VOTE UP OR DOWN.
AND NOW HAVING BEEN THROUGH IT ON THE INSIDE AS A MEMBER OF THE NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE, I, I CAN UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE, UH, WHERE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY ARE COMING FROM, WHERE MEMBERS, WHERE MY COLLEAGUES ARE COMING FROM, THAT WE'RE NOT SITTING ON THE NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE.
AND, UM, I'D WELCOME THAT PROCESS AND INPUT AND, UM, VERY MUCH WOULD, WOULD BE HAPPY TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT, TO HELP US COME UP WITH WAYS TO, UH, IMPROVE THE PROCESS AND TRANSPARENCY AND, AND GETTING, UH, MORE INPUT FROM, UH, THE COMMUNITY AS WELL ON THIS ONE.
AND, AND I, I KNOW WE DON'T HAVE PEOPLE FROM THE MEMBERS, STAKEHOLDERS THAT ARE COMING TO TALK AT THIS MEETING, UH, BUT JUST WANT TO THANK THEM, ACKNOWLEDGE THEM HERE FOR, FOR WHAT THEY SAID AT, UH, AT COUNCIL.
I KNOW WE GOT A LETTER AS WELL FROM, UH, FROM, UH, SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS.
I DO WANT THANK THEM FOR THEIR FEEDBACK, AND I AM OPEN TO THAT TOO, AND AND APPRECIATE THEIR, UH, PARTICIPATION IN THE PROCESS AND LOOKING FORWARD TO MAKING SOME CHANGES.
BOARD MEMBER, STRATTON, BOARD MEMBER IN, UH, YES.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE, UH, NEED TO HAVE A PROCEDURE.
WE DO FIVE MONTHS BEFORE THE TERM WAS GONNA EXPIRE, THAT, UH, WE WERE GONNA BE IN THIS SITUATION WHERE WE NEEDED TO FIND THE REPLACEMENT BECAUSE OF THE TERM LIMITS THAT WE HAVE IN THE COUNCIL.
AND, UH, SO, UH, UH, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE NEXT TIME, NEXT YEAR,
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WHENEVER THE, UH, WE KNOW THE, UH, BOARD MEMBERS ARE GONNA BE STEPPING DOWN, THAT WE GO THROUGH, UH, A PROCEDURE, MAYBE FIVE OR SIX MONTHS EARLY, THAT WE CAN GET ALL THE INPUT QUICKLY AND, UH, AND BE ABLE TO, UH, GIVE US TIME TO GO OVER ALL THAT INFORMATION SO THAT PEOPLE KNOW EXACTLY WHO'S GONNA BE NOMINEE.AND, BUT, UH, YES, UH, I BELIEVE
HE HAS A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN THIS FIELD, SO, UH, MANAGEMENT MONEY.
SO I, I REALLY BELIEVE THAT WE'RE GONNA GET A GOOD PERSON.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? UM, RECOGNIZE YOU, BOARD MEMBER COOPER? UH, YES.
UH, JUST A COUPLE OF COMMENTS THAT FIRST, UH, THE BIGGEST ISSUE I SAW, UH, PARTICIPATING IN THIS PROCESS THIS TIME WAS THAT WE HAD TO EXTEND THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS BECAUSE WE HAD, I THINK, ONLY TWO PEOPLE THAT APPLIED, IF I HAVE THAT RIGHT, UH, WITHIN THE, UH, INITIAL DEADLINE.
AND, UH, I AND OTHERS RECRUITED SOME FOLKS TO GET INTO THE PROCESS.
AND SO I THINK WE, UH, AS WE TALK ABOUT TRANSPARENCY AND SO FORTH, WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT PROCESS WE CREATE BECAUSE, UM, IT HAPPENED, UH, IN CONNECTION WITH OUR SELECTION OF OUR LAST, UH, UH, PRESIDENT.
THE PROCESS ITSELF CAN KEEP PEOPLE FROM APPLYING.
AND IF WE HAVE A PROCESS THAT'S, UH, UH, TOO PUBLIC TOO, TOO, UH, BRUTAL, UH, THEN, UH, WE CAN KEEP GOOD PEOPLE FROM, UH, PUTTING THEIR HAT IN THE RING.
AND SO, UH, I'M ONE WHO, UH, IS GONNA BE VERY SENSITIVE AROUND THE WAY IN WHICH NOMINEES ARE TREATED IN THAT PROCESS, CUZ I THINK THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION AS WELL.
I, I DO WANNA SAY I'M VERY PROUD OF OUR NOMINEE, AND IN MY EIGHT PLUS YEARS ON THIS BOARD, I HAVEN'T GOTTEN A LOT OF PEOPLE CALLING ME ABOUT A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
BUT IN THIS CASE, HAD A COUPLE PEOPLE REACH OUT FROM THE WIDEST POSSIBLE SPECTRUM, UH, BOTH WITH RESPECT TO OUR NOMINEE AND ADVERSE TO SOME OF THE OTHER NOMINEES, UM, PEOPLE FROM THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, PEOPLE FROM THE CAC, UH, FOUND ME.
AND SO I FEEL LIKE, UH, OUR NOMINEE AND, AND I WILL SAY PUBLICLY THAT THE LETTERS OR RECOMMENDATION WE GOT FOR OUR NOMINEE, MR. GARZA, WERE FROM A VERY WIDE SPECTRUM OF PEOPLE BOTH IN, UH, JOB PERFORMANCE AND COMMUNITY PERFORMANCE.
AND, UH, SO I FEEL VERY GOOD ABOUT OUR NOMINEE AND VERY EXCITED TO HAVE HIM AND, UH, VERY APPRECIATIVE OF ALL 14 PEOPLE WHO RAISED THEIR HAND AND SAID THAT THEY WOULD UNDERTAKE THIS, UH, JOB BECAUSE THEY, THE ONE THING THAT WAS COMMON TO ALL OF THEM IS THEY HAD A PASSION, UH, AROUND THE PROJECT AND A, AND A WILLINGNESS TO SERVE.
AND, AND THAT'S TO BE APPLAUDED WHENEVER WE CAN FIND THOSE PEOPLE.
BUT, UM, SO MUCH GRATITUDE TO THEM.
WE GOT A LOT OF GREAT SUPPORT FROM, UH, STAFF OF ALL THREE ORGANIZATIONS.
AND, UH, THEY, UH, STAFF WAS ENDEAVORING TO DO A GREAT AND TIMELY JOB AND APPRECIATE THAT AS WELL.
UH, BUT, UH, FINALLY, I JUST WANNA SAY AGAIN, HOW, UH, PROUD I AM THAT, UH, MR. GARZA WAS WILLING TO STEP UP.
HE CAME WITH A LOT OF RECOMMENDATIONS FROM A VARIETY OF FOLKS ACROSS OUR COMMUNITY, UM, FROM A WIDE RANGE OF FOLKS, AS I SAID, AND I THINK HE'LL DO AN EXCELLENT JOB.
AND JUST TO, TO CLOSE ON, ON THIS PARTICULAR TOPIC, UM, UH, I WOULD JUST NOTE THAT THE PUBLIC NATURE OF THE WORK THAT WE ARE DOING AND THE PUBLIC FUNDS THAT ARE FUNDING, UH, NEARLY 100% OF, OF PROJECT CONNECT, WHICH IS WHY THERE IS SIGNIFICANT INTEREST IN, UM, WHO IS TAKING ON THESE ROLES, UH, THESE CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY ROLES.
AND OF COURSE, AUSTIN IS ONE OF THESE CITIES THAT JUST HAS INCREDIBLE STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT.
AND THAT'S JUST A WAY OF LIFE HERE.
AND, AND I CAN SPEAK TO THAT AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL HAVING RUN THREE TIMES FOR ELECTION.
IT, IT, UM, THE PUBLIC PROCESS IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE FABRIC OF OUR COMMUNITY.
THE PROCESS THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS USED TRADITIONALLY FOR ITS BOARDS AND COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS IS THE SORT OF A TEMPLATE FOR THE PROCESS THAT, UM, I AM THINKING ABOUT THAT WOULD BE USEFUL.
AND THAT DOES HAVE, UH, THE PUBLIC POSTING OF, OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ON THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, AND THEY, THEY PUT THEIR RESUMES UP ON A PUBLIC SITE.
UH, AND THEN WE DRAW FROM, FROM THOSE, UM, THOSE FILES
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AS WELL AS FROM, UH, INFORMATION SENT TO US.UM, I THINK, UH, THE PUBLIC IN AUSTIN IS, IS BY AND LARGE, VERY POLITE AND RESPECTFUL.
UM, BUT THE IMPORTANT PIECE THERE IS THE, THE CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY THAT WE CARRY.
SINCE THIS IS A PUBLICLY, ENTIRELY PUBLIC, PUBLICLY FUNDED PROJECT, THAT'S A RESPONSIBILITY WE ALL RECOGNIZE.
AND, UM, FOR THE PUBLIC TO STAY WITH US, UH, ON THIS JOURNEY, WE, WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO THEM AND CONTINUE TO BUILD THE TRUST, WHICH IS WHAT THE TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY PIECE MEANS TO ME.
SO IT'S NOT A PROCESS TO, TO WORRY ABOUT OR TO BE FEARFUL OF.
UM, INSTEAD IT IS SOMETHING THAT ENGENDERS ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FROM THE PEOPLE WHO ARE PAYING FOR, UH, FOR PROJECT CONNECT.
ANY FURTHER COMMENTS? UH, BOARD MEMBERS? ANY? SO LET ME, UH, READ THE ACTION ITEM JUST, UH, SINCE WE'VE SPOKEN A FEW MINUTES SINCE, SINCE WE, UH, CALLED IT OUT, UH, APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION CONFIRMING NOMINATION, OUR NOMINATING COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION TO FILL A VACANCY ON THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
THIS MOTION WAS MADE BY BOARD MEMBER STRATTON.
IT WAS SECONDED BY BOARD MEMBER COOPER.
UH, WE WOULD CALL A ROLE SINCE WE HAVE BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE NOT IN THE, UH, IN THE, UH, BOARD, UH, ROOM TODAY WITH US.
SO, UH, BOARD MEMBER STRATTON? I, UH, YES.
WE'VE GOT AN I FROM BOARD MEMBER STRATTON.
UH, AND THE BO AND THE CHAIR WILL MAKE IT UNANIMOUS.
SO, UH, THE, THE EYES HAVE IT, THE ACTION HAS BEEN APPROVED.
SO, UM, I, I, I WANT TO THANK ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS, UH, FOR COMING IN AND, AND BEING AVAILABLE TODAY.
UH, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT WE NEED TO COVER WHILE WE ARE HERE TOGETHER? ANYTHING ELSE? NOTHING ELSE THAT WE HAVE TO COVER TODAY? UH, THAT BEING THE CASE, I WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING IN.
UH, WE WILL STAND ADJOURNED AT TH 3 27.
3 27 SHORTEST MEETING ON RECORD.