[00:00:01]
RIGHT.LOOKS LIKE, ARE WE ALL HERE? WHO ARE WE MISSING? THANK YOU, BOBBY.
I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND CONVENE THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL
[Call to Order]
MEETING HERE ON DECEMBER 8TH, 2022.THIS IS THE LAST CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF THE BARRING, A SPECIAL CALLED SESSION OF THE, UM, ORIGINAL TEN ONE COUNCIL WITH ITERATIONS.
UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS, IS THAT THERE'S GONNA BE SOME ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF STAFFS AND, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS TODAY DURING THE PERIOD OF TIME THAT NORMALLY HAS, UH, PROCLAMATIONS.
UH, I'M ALSO GONNA GIVE A KEY TO THE CITY AT THAT POINT TO, TO REVEREND PARKER WHO'S SHOWING UP TODAY.
SO I INVITE EVERYBODY TO STAY FOR, FOR THAT.
BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, THERE'S GOING TO BE RECOGNITION OF STAFF AND COUNCIL MEMBERS DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME.
I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S GONNA BE A, A GATHERING, UH, THAT'S NOT AN OFFICIAL MEETING, UH, NEXT WEEK AS WELL, I THINK ON THE 15TH.
IS EVERYONE GONNA BE ABLE TO BE HERE ON THE 15TH? NOT CAN I.
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO BE HERE ON THE 15TH AT THIS POINT? COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON ARE, AND COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES AND COUNCIL MEMBER POOL.
I HAD SOMETHING I WANTED TO GIVE OUT TOO, AND I WANTED TO SEE WHETHER I SHOULD GIVE IT OUT TONIGHT OR WHETHER I COULD WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEK.
UH, I WILL ALSO BE PARTICIPATING ON THE 15TH AS WELL.
UM, OTHER HOUSEKEEPING MANAGERS BEFORE I DO CHANGES IN CORRECTIONS CUSTOMER POOL.
I WANTED TO NOTE FOR EVERYBODY HERE THAT OUR SPECIAL MUSICAL GUEST AT NOON TODAY IS SHEIK RUSSELL.
AND, UM, I WILL BE, UH, OFFERING HIM THE SHEIK RUSSELL DAY RECOGNITION, AND HE'LL PLAY A COUPLE SONGS FOR US, AND I WOULD URGE EVERYBODY TO STAY AND LISTEN.
UM, HE'S, UH, A VERY WELL KNOWN TEXAS SINGER SONGWRITER, AND I'M A BIG LONGTIME FAN OF HIS, AND HE AGREED TO COME, AND, AND TODAY IS THE DAY THAT WORKED FOR HIS SCHEDULE AND OUR SCHEDULE.
SO, AT NOON, WE'LL BE HEARING FROM SHEIK RUSSELL, AND I HOPE Y'ALL WILL STAY FOR THAT, FOR THAT, UH, BRIEF MUSICAL INTERLUDE.
GOSH, I REMEMBER SHEIK RUSSELL FROM WHEN I ARRIVED IN 78, I THINK IN, IN WHAT AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY TODAY.
UH, I WAS ABOUT TO COMPLAIN WHEN YOU ASKED FOR MORE THAN ONE SONG.
UM, I WAS ABOUT TO COMPLAIN WHEN I HEARD THAT YOU HAD ASKED FOR MORE THAN ONE SONG DURING MUSIC, AND THEN I SAW IT WAS SHEIK RUSSELL, AND I DECIDED I WOULD NOT RAISE IT AS AN ISSUE.
THEN, UM, FOR THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8TH, 2022.
UH, ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, UH, UH, AUTHORIZED NEGOTIATION.
UH, IT'S WITH GRAYSTAR DEVELOPMENT, UH, CENTRAL LLC DEVELOPMENT HAD BEEN LEFT OFF.
ITEM NUMBER 39, UH, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A SIX MONTH TERM, NOT A 12 MONTH TERM.
ITEM NUMBER 66, AS ADDED, COUNCIL MEMBER VAL, AS A SPONSOR, 68, HAS ADDED COUNCIL MEMBER VANESSA OF FUENTES AS SPONSOR.
ITEM NUMBER 74 HAS ADDED COUNCIL MEMBER VALLA AS A SPONSOR.
ITEM NUMBER 86 IS IN DISTRICT ONE.
[Consent Agenda (Part 1 of 2)]
CONSENT, UH, ITEMS ARE ONE THROUGH 75, 1 THROUGH 75.I'M SHOWING THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE PULLED.
ITEM NUMBER FOUR, UH, THE BASE RATE QUESTION I PULLED AND, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER PULLED, PULLED, UM, ITEM NUMBER 30, UM, THREE AND 34, UH, HAVE BEEN PULLED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS.
UH, ITEM NUMBER 35 HAS BEEN PULLED, PULLED BY COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY.
UH, I HAVE PULLED, UH, AND I HAVE, UH, A MOTION SHEET THAT IS SOON TO BE, UH, CIRCULATED, UH, ON THAT ITEM.
NUMBER 63, UH, I HAVE PULLED, AND I HAVE A MOTION SHEET SOON TO BE CIRCULATED, UH, ON THAT, UH, ITEM NUMBER 68
[00:05:01]
HAS BEEN PULLED BY, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS.UH, AND THERE'LL BE A, UH, SMALL LANGUAGE CHANGE TO CLARIFY LANGUAGE.
UH, AND, UM, THAT'LL BE, UH, CIRCULATED.
ITEM NUMBER 70, TWOS PULLED TO BE TAKEN UP AFTER EXECUTIVE SESSION, UH, WITH ITEM 84.
UM, UH, I'VE PULLED, UH, AND I UNDERSTAND WE MAY HAVE SOME AMENDMENTS BEING OFFERED BY SOME AND BY POTENTIALLY STAFF.
I, I HOPE IF PEOPLE ARE OFFERING AMENDMENTS, THEY'LL POST 'EM ON THE MESSAGE BOARD SO THAT I CAN SEE THEM.
YEAH, I WOULD SUGGEST ANYBODY THAT HAS ANY AMENDMENTS TO GET 'EM TO THE AUTHOR
SO SHE HAS A CHANCE TO BE ABLE TO WORK THROUGH THEM, OR PERHAPS RESOLVE THEM OR SO THAT SHE HAS THEM AND CAN WORK WITH THEM.
ARE THERE, UM, UH, ALSO BY THE WAY, UH, CHANGES IN CORRECTION.
WE HAVE LAID BACKUP IN AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION ITEMS. SO IF PEOPLE COULD REMIND ME WHEN WE GO TO THAT MEETING TO CALL OUT THESE ITEMS, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
BUT IN OUR COUNCIL MEETING, ITEMS, 4 36 52, 57, 59, 63, 74, 76, 80, 85, 88, 90, 91, 92, 94, 95, 96, 99, AND 100, UH, COLLEAGUES, ARE THERE ITEMS TO PULL? COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY.
UM, I'D LIKE TO PULL ITEM NUMBER 69.
I HAVE A MOTION SHEET, AND, UM, THE INTENT OF THE MOTION SHEET IS JUST SO WE CAN GATHER MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE STAYING AT NORTHBRIDGE.
UM, UPON RETURN OF THAT REPORT FROM THE CITY MANAGER, I WILL SEND OUT THE MOTION SHEET AS SOON AS WE'VE GOT THE LANGUAGE BUTTONED UP FOR REVIEW.
AND IF YOU'D SHARE THOSE WITH ME, YOU KNOW, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO KEEP IT ON CONSENT.
IF, UH, MAYOR, IF I CAN TAKE THAT AS A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT.
AND I'LL POST IT ON THE MESSAGE BOARD, SO YOU CAN REVIEW IT WHILE WE'RE IN THE YEAH.
GO POST IT SO WE CAN ALL SEE IT, BUT ALSO GET IT COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.
AND THEN MAYOR, LET'S, AT THE RIGHT TIME, LET'S THINK IF IT'S SOMETHING WE CAN KEEP ON CONSENT.
FOR RIGHT NOW, I'M PULLING IT.
BUT IF YOU CAN PUT IT BACK ON CONSENT, WE CAN DO THAT.
THERE'LL BE SOME SPEAKERS THIS MORNING, BUT FOR RIGHT NOW, THE DEFAULT IS IT'S BEING PULLED.
I ALSO HAVE A RELATIVELY QUICK QUESTION ON NUMBER 53.
THAT'S THE ONE ABOUT THE BARTON SPRINGS ROAD SPEED LIMIT.
AND I DO SEE TRANSPORTATION, TRANSPORTATION STAFF HERE ALREADY.
IS THAT A QUICK QUESTION OR SHOULD WE PULL IT? UM, WE COULD ADDRESS IT BEFORE CONSENT.
AS LONG AS I CAN ASK A QUESTION FIRST, MAKE SURE YOU RAISE YOUR HAND, AND I PROMISE YOU, YOU WILL.
I'D LIKE TO PULL ITEM NUMBER 59.
I DO HAVE AN AMENDMENT TO OFFER.
THIS IS THE INTERGENERATIONAL FACILITY.
UM, I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR DIRECTOR MCNEELY, SO IF SHE CAN BE MADE AVAILABLE.
SO WE'LL PULL ITEM NUMBER 59, UH, NASH, UH, HERNANDEZ ITEM.
ANYTHING ELSE? COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO.
WE'RE WORKING ON AN AMENDMENT, AND I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS FOR THE APPLICANT.
ITEM 60, I'D LIKE TO PULL, I HAVE A COUPLE AMENDMENTS THAT WILL BE DISTRIBUTED SOONISH.
UM, NUMBER 62, I'D LIKE TO ASK STAFF TO VERY QUICKLY RESPOND NOW OR WHENEVER ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THEY SUPPORT THAT ITEM.
WHAT THAT OUR CARD 62, WHETHER OR NOT OUR CARD STAFF ARE SUPPORTIVE OF THAT ITEM.
UH, I HAVE, HAVE POSSIBLE, I WOULD LIKE TO PULL 11.
I MAY, OUR QUESTIONS MAY HAVE BEEN ANSWERED OR COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN'S QUESTIONS MAY HAVE BEEN BEEN ANSWERED, UM, BUT IN THE LATEST, UH, Q AND A, BUT I NEED TO DOUBLE CHECK.
WHAT, WHAT NUMBER WAS THAT? 11.
IS THAT SOMETHING WE NEED TO PULL, OR IS THAT SOMETHING YOU CAN, UM, PULL IT FOR NOW, BUT I, IT MAY BE RESOLVED.
WHAT WAS THE OTHER NUMBER? OKAY, SO, SO FAR, 8 60, 60 WAS THE, YEAH.
AND THERE WAS ONE MORE, THE QUESTION I ASKED STAFF TO ANSWER FOR 62.
I DON'T KNOW THAT WE NEED TO PULL IT AT THIS POINT.
AND MAYOR, I THINK IT'S YOUR ITEM 67.
UM, YOU AND I HAD TALKED ABOUT SOME CLARIFICATION YOU WERE GOING TO MAKE.
DID YOU UPLOAD A, A NEW VERSION THAT I MISSED? SHOULD, SO, 60, UH, I HAVE UPLOADED A VERSION ON THAT.
WHY DON'T YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THAT LANGUAGE AND SEE IF IT'S OKAY WITH YOU.
UM, AND IF WE HAVEN'T UPLOADED IT, WE'LL UPLOAD IT SHORTLY.
THANK FOR RIGHT NOW, LET'S PULL 67, BUT WHEN YOU READ IT, MAYBE I CAN GO BACK ON.
[00:10:01]
ITEM 11 IS A CONTRACTING ITEM.UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS KITCHEN, ASK SOME VERY GOOD QUESTIONS ABOUT WHY THESE ARE CONTEMPLATED AS AS CONTRACT POSITIONS.
WHEN WE'RE MOVING OUT OF USING CONTRACT POSITIONS FOR ONGOING NEEDS.
HEY, SO THE ITEMS WE HAVE PULLED ARE 4, 8, 11, 33, 34, 35, 58, 59, 60, 63, 67, 68, 69, 72, AND 74.
WE HAVE QUESTIONS ON 53 AND 62.
WE'RE NOT PULLING THEM AT THIS POINT.
UH, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU RAISE YOUR HAND TO ASK THE QUESTIONS.
CATHERINE TOWELL 62 CAN GO BACK ON CONSENT.
UH, COLLEAGUES, WE HAVE, UM, UH, SPEAKERS TODAY, CHAIR THIS MORNING.
I DON'T THINK I NEED TO PULL IT, BUT JUST TO BE CERTAIN, UM, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT ALL MY COLLEAGUES ARE COMFORTABLE WITH WHAT I POSTED TO THE MESSAGE BOARD.
COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, COULD YOU JUST, UM, EXPLAIN WHAT YOU POSTED, WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH? THANK YOU.
UH, WHAT I'M A ATTEMPTING TO ACCOMPLISH IN, IN TOTAL, OR WHAT I POSTED TO THE MESSAGE BOARD.
START WITH THE MOTION, AND THEN IF YOU WANNA ADD ANYTHING.
SO IT SAYS, I MOVE TO APPROVE ITEM 36 WITH THE FOLLOWING AMENDMENTS, AND THEN IT HAS SOME, UM, IS THERE ANYBODY WHO DID READ IT ON THE MESSAGE BOARD TO WHERE YOU NEED ME TO READ THIS THROUGH? YOU DON'T NEED ME, ME TO READ IT THROUGH? YOU GUYS CAN.
YOU KNOW WHAT? I DON'T KNOW THAT THIS IS THE APPROPRIATE PLACE.
I THINK I'LL JUST PASS ON, ON, UH, NOT PULLING THIS ITEM.
AND COUNCIL MEMBER, I'M PRINTING A COPY OF IT RIGHT NOW.
WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO PRINT A COPY FOR THE ENTIRE DAYS? OKAY.
OBVIOUSLY, AS WE GET CLOSER, IF WE CAN PUT ANY THINGS BACK ON, WE'LL, WE'LL PUT STUFF, UH, WE'LL PUT STUFF BACK ON.
UH, BY WAY OF, UH, IF I COULD JUST, AND IF I COULD JUST CLARIFY, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, I DON'T KNOW THAT I HAVE ANY PROBLEM WITH YOUR DIRECTION.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I UNDERSTOOD IT.
SO I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'LL TAKE A LONG, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'LL TAKE A LONG TIME WHEN IT, WHEN IT, WHEN IT COMES BACK.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTOOD.
SO, UH, WE'RE GOING TO, UH, GIVE SPEAKERS THREE MINUTES EACH.
UH, LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE ABOUT 15 SPEAKERS HERE THIS MORNING, SO WE CAN GO UP TO THE THREE MINUTES.
UM, DO WE HAVE ANY HFC SPEAKERS? OKAY, WHEN WE, YES, MAYOR, WE DO, WHEN WE CALL UP THOSE TWO SPEAKERS, UM, ARE THEY HERE OR ARE THEY REMOTE? REMOTE.
UH, LET'S TAKE THEM TOWARD THE END OF REMOTE.
WE'LL CONVENE THE AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION MEETING.
TAKE THOSE SPEAKERS AND TRY TO DISPENSE WITH THE AGENDA, AND THEN WE'LL RETURN BACK TO, UH, SPEAKERS.
UM, I THINK THAT, UM, UM, WE CAN, UM, AFTER WE'VE DONE DONE THAT, UM, WE'LL SEE WHAT QUICK VOTES WE CAN TAKE.
I THINK MAYBE THE CENTRAL HEALTH BOARD, THE EMINENT DOMAIN MATTERS, THE PRIVATE ACTIVITY BOND, UM, BE QUICK ITEMS AND HOPEFULLY MAYBE WE CAN PUT SOME MORE THINGS BACK ON THE CONSENT.
UH, I MEAN, SOME THINGS THAT WERE PULLED FROM THE CONSENT VOTE, WHICH IS WHAT WE'LL DO FIRST.
MAYBE WE CAN HANDLE SOME QUICK THINGS THERE.
MY GUESS IS THAT TAKES US CLOSE TO NOON.
UH, WE'RE GOING TO BREAK TO HAVE A, A QUICK HONORING OF, UH, OF JERRY.
UH, AND THEN WE WILL TAKE THE, UH, UH, NOON, UH, SPEAKER, UH, THERE'S ONLY ONE SPEAKER.
UH, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE, UH, LUNCH BREAK SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER, MY STAFF, CUZ I WAS GOING, I NEED TO GO TO A BOARD MEETING, UH, DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME, MY STAFF'S GONNA HAVE TO RECONCILE THAT WITH MY ABILITY LI TO LISTEN TO SHEIK RUSSELL.
SO STAFF SHOULD BE WORKING ON THAT QUESTION.
WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO DO THAT.
YES, I JUST SAY, UM, SHEIK IS COMING IN FROM HOUSTON AND IS GONNA BE HERE A LITTLE BEFORE 12, AND THEN HE HAS TO HEAD ON FOR A GIG LATER.
AND, AND SO THE, IF WE COULD TAKE HIM AS CLOSE TO NOON AS POSSIBLE, THAT WOULD HELP WITH THAT.
UM, SO THAT MIGHT BE BEFORE, AND WE CAN TAKE HIM FIRST.
THAT CREASES MY CHANCE OF BEING ABLE TO HEAR HIM.
AND I'LL, AND I'LL HUG JERRY MANY TIMES AFTER THAT GETS ME, I THINK, TO THE BOARD MEETING.
[00:15:01]
UM, BUT I THINK THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AS FAST ITEMS AND CONSENT ITEMS THIS MORNING.UH, THEN, UH, TAKE THE LUNCH BREAK, HOPEFULLY COMING BACK AS CLOSE TO ONE O'CLOCK AS WE CAN SO WE CAN START DEALING WITH POLL ITEMS BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF THEM.
WE HAVE ZONING SPEAKERS, 25 SPEAKERS.
SO SET, UH, THAT AT, UH, TWO UH, MINUTES, UH, EACH, UH, I THINK MOST PEOPLE HAVE SIGNED UP ON BRODY OAKS, WHERE I ANTICIPATE US JUST GOING FIRST READING ONLY AND COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN, I THINK HAS AN AMENDMENT, UH, ON THAT TO BE, UH, ADDED.
BUT WE'LL TAKE CARE OF THE CONSENT ZONING, UH, UH, AND, AND HOPEFULLY AS MANY OF THOSE THINGS AS WE CAN, WHICH MAY VERY WELL BE MOST OF THEM.
UM, THEN WE'LL GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, UH, EXECUTIVE SESSION.
UH, IT'LL HIT THOSE ITEMS, UH, COME BACK OUT FOR PROCLAMATIONS, UM, WHICH WE'RE NOT HAVING, WE'RE GOING TO DO PASTOR PARKER.
UH, AND THEN, UH, UH, SOME, UH, HONORS FOR, UM, THE COUNCIL, UM, FOR BOTH THE DEPARTING MEMBERS AS WELL AS THE ENTIRE COUNCIL.
I WOULD ASK EVERYONE AND COUNCIL TO BE PRESENT, UH, FOR, FOR THAT.
UH, AND THEN OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE A OPPORTUNITY FOR THEN AUSTIN ENERGY, WHICH I THINK WILL BE COMING UP LATER.
UM, AND I THINK, UM, THERE MAY BE A WAY TO ACCOMMODATE, UH, A LOWER, UM, UM, FIXED CHARGE, UH, THAT, UH, STARTS WITH 13 MAY BE ALSO A WAY TO GET BELOW THE 31.3, UH, AND GET THOSE TWO THINGS IN THE SAME THING.
UM, STILL WORKING ON THAT AND, AND CHAIRMAN AS, AS AUSTIN ENERGY AND THOMAS BOCATO AS WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
I THINK WE SHOULD ELEVATE THAT SO PEOPLE CAN START THINKING ABOUT THAT.
UM, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO CARRY OVER UNTIL TOMORROW, BUT WE'LL LOSE SOME PEOPLE.
SO, UM, BEST WE TRY TO PUSH TODAY AND, AND GET THROUGH.
UM, AS MUCH AS I LOVE BEING WITH YOU GUYS, UM, IF WE CAN GET ENDED TODAY, PROBABLY BEST.
I JUST WANTED GREATER CLARITY ON WHEN WE ARE GOING TO BE SHARING THE, UM, OPTIONS FOR AUSTIN ENERGY.
UM, UM, IF NOT BEFORE THEN, RIGHT AFTER LUNCH, I THINK.
UH, SO THAT PEOPLE CAN START THINKING ABOUT THEM BEFORE LUNCH WOULD BE GREAT.
MARY, BEFORE LUNCH WOULD BE GREAT.
SO WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS WITH OUR STAFF AND, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WORKING ON THAT.
[Public Comment (Part 1 of 3)]
ALL RIGHT.UH, LET'S GO AHEAD THEN AND, AND ASK FOR THE, UH, SPEAKERS.
THE FIRST SPEAKER IS PAT VAREK.
HELLO, IS THIS YES, GO AHEAD PLEASE.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.
I CURRENTLY LIVE IN DISTRICT NINE, AND I WANT TO, UM, ESPECIALLY THANK MY COUNCIL MEMBER KATHY TOBO, FOR, UM, HER SERVICE ON CITY COUNCIL THESE MANY YEARS.
AND I ALSO WANNA THANK THE OTHER THREE DEPARTING COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UM, I AM SPEAKING ON ITEM TWO.
ITEM TWO IS THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN, UM, THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY.
AND I HAVE BEEN DISAPPOINTED THAT, UH, THERE HAS NOT BEEN MORE DISCUSSION AND ABILITY TO DISCUSS ANIMAL ISSUES, UH, ON THIS COUNCIL.
AND I'M ESPECIALLY DISAPPOINTED THAT THIS PARTICULAR ITEM HAS HAD, UM, NO BACKUP, UH, NO SIGNIFICANT BACKUP.
BUT THE DETAILS OF HOW MUCH MONEY IS BEING PROVIDED FOR SPAIN NEUTER IN THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT.
I HAD HOPED THAT DURING THESE YEARS, WE WOULD HAVE MADE SOME PROGRESS IN SPAIN.
SO, UM, MY REQUEST IS TO THE COUNCIL THAT WILL BE, UM, THE, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND ON THE CURRENT COUNCIL WHO WILL BE REMAINING, AND ALSO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO ARE YET TO JOIN COUNCIL THAT IN THE NEXT, UH, SERIES OF MEETINGS, THERE WILL BE DISCUSSION ON PET OVERPOPULATION AND THE FACT THAT WE ARE NEVER GOING TO SOLVE THE ANIMAL ANIMAL ISSUES PROBLEMS THAN THE ANIMAL SERVICES PROBLEMS WITHOUT A LARGER CONTRIBUTION TO STAY
[00:20:01]
NEUTER SO THAT FEWER ANIMALS ARE BEING BORN.UM, THERE'S FEWER ANIMALS ON THE STREET.
I HAVE HEARD CERTAIN PEOPLE SAY THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH HOMES TO, UH, HOUSE ALL ANIMALS.
AND IT'S JUST A QUESTION OF MARKETING AND A QUESTION OF MANAGEMENT.
I TOTALLY DISAGREE WITH THAT OPINION.
WE HAVE TOO MANY ANIMALS BEING BORN THAT ARE LARGE DOGS WITH BEHAVIOR ISSUES.
AND THOSE LARGE DOGS WITH BEHAVIOR ISSUES CANNOT FIND HOMES IN OUR RAPIDLY, UM, INCREASED POPULATION AND OUR INCREASED DENSITY.
WHENEVER THEY DO SURVEYS, THEY INCLUDE PETS LIKE GERBILS AND HAMSTERS.
AND, AND WHEN THEY DO STUDIES, THEY SAY THERE'S ENOUGH PETS THAT CAN FIND HOMES.
YES, CATS, SMALL ANIMALS, SMALL DOGS WITHOUT BEHAVIOR ISSUES, CAN FIND HOMES.
BUT THERE ARE TOO MANY LARGE DOGS THAT ARE NOT ABLE TO FIND HOMES IN AUSTIN.
SO WE NEED TO INCREASE THE CONTRIBUTION TO SPAY NEUTER, AND WE NEED TO DO THAT BY HAVING MORE COUNCIL DISCUSSIONS ON PET POPULATION, WHETHER WE HAVE ENOUGH HOMES IN AUSTIN TO HOUSE THE LARGE NUMBER NUMBERS OF LARGE BREED DOGS WITH BEHAVIOR ISSUES THAT ARE COMING INTO THE SHELTER.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE A PACKED AGENDA.
YOU'RE GONNA, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED.
YOU'RE NOT GONNA START THE DISCUSSION ON THAT TODAY, BUT I APPRECIATE THAT, UM, SOME OF YOU HAVE A COMMITMENT TO DOING THIS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR PARTICIPATING WITH US TODAY ON THAT.
WE SHOULD GO AHEAD AND CALL THE NEXT SPEAKER, WENDY MURPHY ON ITEM TWO.
I'M A 30 YEAR RESIDENT OF DISTRICT FOUR AND A LONGTIME ADVOCATE FOR THE WELFARE OF ANIMALS.
I'M HERE TO SPEAK TO ITEM TWO INSTEAD OF A 12 MONTH AGREEMENT.
I'M ASKING THAT THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT SHOULD BE APPROVED FOR JUST A THREE MONTH EXTENSION.
THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR HOW THIS 2.5 MILLION WILL BE USED AND ALLOCATED.
THE ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMISSION AND LOCAL ANIMAL WELFARE ADVOCATES, ESPECIALLY SPAY NEUTER ADVOCATES, SHOULD HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW AND DISCUSS AND ADVOCATE PERCENTAGE WISE.
A VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF THAT MONEY IS DESIGNATED FOR SPAY NEUTER.
AND IT'S PLAIN WRONG THAT WE DON'T TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY AND ALLOCATE MORE MONEY TOWARD A EFFECTIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE SPAY NEUTER PROGRAM.
SPAY NEUTER IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE CAN DO TO REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE NEVER ENDING PROBLEM WE HAVE WITH PET OVER POPULATION AND SHELTER CAPACITY CRISES, PLURAL CRISES.
UH, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE COUNTY HAS PERFORMANCE MEASURES ATTACHED TO THIS AGREEMENT, BUT I HAVE NOT SEEN THEM.
CAN WE SEE THEM? AND BY WE, I MEAN WE, THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SO GREATLY IMPACTED BY THE TYPE OF DECISION, LIKE THE ONE BEING MADE CONCERNING ITEM TWO, WE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO SEE THE DOG GET HIT BY A CAR AND HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT BECAUSE THAT DOG WAS NOT TAKEN TO AN ANIMAL SHELTER.
AND WE ARE THE ONES WHO SEE A CRUELTY CASE AND ARE TOLD THAT NO ONE'S AVAILABLE TO DEAL WITH IT.
WE'RE THE ONES WHO SPEND OUR OWN TIME AND MONEY, WHICH OFTEN WE DON'T REALLY HAVE.
WE SPEND OUR OWN TIME AND MONEY TO TAKE IN THESE ANIMALS AND TAKE CARE OF THEM, GET THEM SPAY NEUTERED, WHICH OF COURSE THEY SHOULD BE, AND FIND HUMS FOR THEM.
AND WE'RE THE ONES WHO NEED TO BE MADE MORE AWARE OF WHAT'S GOING ON, AND WE NEED TO KNOW ALL THE DETAILS OF WHAT'S GOING ON BEFORE THESE KINDS OF DECISIONS ARE MADE.
SO, YOU KNOW, MORE TRANSPARENT, TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY IS IMPORTANT.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S TOO LATE ON THIS OR NOT, BUT, UM, IF IT COULD BE APPROVED FOR THREE MONTHS, IT WOULD GIVE US MORE TIME THAT WE NEED.
UM, SO WE'RE THE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THE ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMISSION ALSO, UH, SHOULD HAVE AND COULD STILL POST THIS AND DISCUSS IT AND DEBATE IT AND MAKE IT MORE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC, MAKES THE PUBLIC MORE AWARE OF WHAT'S GOING ON.
UM, THE SPAY NEUTER IS THE MOST VIABLE AND HUMANE WAY TO END ALL THESE PROBLEMS WE HAVE WITH, UH, THE STEM FROM THE OVERPOPULATION OF PETS.
AND AS FOR PEOPLE WHO SAY THERE IS NO OVERPOPULATION OF PETS, I GUESS, EVIDENTLY THEY'RE NOT THE ONES WHO GET THEIR HEARTS BROKEN EVERY DAY SEEING THESE ANIMALS OUT ON THE STREET, AND THERE ARE NO PUMPS FOR 'EM OR WHO DESPERATELY END UP KEEPING THE ANIMALS BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING ELSE TO DO WITH THEM.
UH, THEY, I'M GUESSING THESE PEOPLE MUST NOT BE THE ONES WHO ARE DOING ANY OF THE HARD WORK, UH, BECAUSE THERE MOST DEFINITELY IS A PET OVER POPULATION PROBLEM.
AND THE ANSWER DEFINITELY IS SPAY NEUTER, AND I WAS UNABLE TO FIND OUT.
[00:25:01]
EXPIRED SURGERIES ARE, THANK YOU.MY NAME IS AKI MCCLENNAN AND I'M A DISTRICT FOR RESIDENT IN ST.
UM, ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, I'VE BEEN EXCITED ABOUT THE NEW DEVELOPMENT AT, UH, THE ST.
JOHN HO OLD HOME DEPOT PROJECT FOR A FEW YEARS NOW.
UM, BUT I, I THINK THE, THIS HAS BEEN A WHOLE MODEL OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN THE WHOLE PROCESS.
AND THE DEVELOPER AGREEMENT THAT WE'VE ULTIMATELY COME TO, UM, HAS BEEN, UH, THE, THE RESULT OF A LOT OF TIME AND INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE.
UM, AND SO I'M, I'M DEFINITELY IN FAVOR OF PASSING THIS RESOLUTION, UM, BECAUSE I TRULY FEEL LIKE THE CONTENT, UM, HAS KEPT THE COMMUNITY IN MIND AND IS A GOOD MODEL FOR DEVELOPMENT MOVING FORWARD.
THINGS THAT WILL BENEFIT BOTH THE CITY, UM, PRIVATE COMPANIES AND THE PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY LIVE IN THE COMMUNITY.
NEXT SPEAKER IS SAAR ACOSTA ON ITEM EIGHT.
I'M A DISTRICT FOR RESIDENT, AND UNTIL VERY RECENTLY, I'D LIVED IN ST.
UM, AS HAKEEM HAD SAID, THIS HAS BEEN A REAL MODEL FOR COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT.
SO I JUST WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO FARMER COUNCILMAN KASAR AND OUR CURRENT COUNCILMAN.
SHE, THEIR CONTINUED WORK TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ST.
JOHN COMMUNITY HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS FOR HOW THIS SPACE THAT HAS JUST KIND OF BEEN EITHER VACANT LAND OR, UH, SPOT PLACE COMPOST BUCKETS WILL NOW BE A PLACE THAT'LL HOST OVER 300 AFFORDABLE UNITS.
UH, AND THAT IS WITH THE COMMUNITY'S IN INPUT AND INVOLVEMENT THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.
UM, FOR INSTANCE, THE NUMBER OF THREE BEDROOM UNITS THAT'LL BE IN THIS CURRENT CON UH, CONCEPTUAL PLAN IS QUADRUPLED BECAUSE OF, UH, INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT WAS LISTENED TO.
SO I AM STRONGLY IN FAVOR OF, UH, THIS RELU, UH, THE RESOLUTION AND THE PLAN MOVING FORWARD.
I WOULD ASK THAT COUNCIL, UH, CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY, UH, PARTICULARLY IN REGARDS TO CONTINUED EFFORTS TO HAVE LANGUAGE AROUND RIGHT TO RETURN AND RIGHT TO REMAIN AS WELL AS, AS, AS WELL AS MORE, UM, OWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THIS DEVELOPMENT.
BUT THIS IS A GREAT PROCESS AND A GOOD PROJECT, AND I'M REALLY IN, UM, PLEASED WITH HOW THINGS HAVE FORWARD, AND I HOPE THAT THIS CAN BE EMULATED AND, AND, UH, SEEN IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY.
UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND, UH, FOR ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE FOR ALL THIS DEPARTING.
NEXT SPEAKER IS WILLIAM BUNCH, SPEAKING ON 14 38 60, 62, AND 68.
GOOD MORNING, MAYOR COUNSEL, UH, BILL BUNCH, UH, SPEAKING.
ON BEHALF OF SAVE SPRINGS ALLIANCE, I'D LIKE TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF ITEM 56, THE NUTRIENTS AND MICROPLASTIC STUDY WITH WATERSHED PROTECTION IN, UH, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS JACKSON SCHOOL OF GEOSCIENCES.
THANK YOU FOR BRINGING IT FORWARD.
UM, WOULD LIKE TO, UM, SPEAK OUT AGAINST SEVERAL ITEMS. FIRST, UH, ITEM 14, THE WALNUT CREEK WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT, UM, EXPANSION WITH AN ESTIMATED COST OF 750 MILLION, NOT MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT AN AGGRESSIVE MOVE TO REDUCE THE NEED AND, UH, DELAY THE NEED FOR THE EXPANSION BY INVESTING IN DECENT CENTRALIZED REUSE AND WATER EFFICIENCY AND TAKING OUR WATER FORWARD GOALS SERIOUS MORE SERIOUSLY.
UM, WE CAN SAVE MONEY AND SAVE WATER.
UH, FIRST IF IT IS GONNA GO FORWARD.
IT NEEDS TO HAVE NUTRIENT REMOVAL EQUIPMENT, EQUIPMENT ADDED TO AVOID VIOLATING DOWNSTREAM RIVER WATER QUALITY STANDARDS.
UH, I, WE ALSO OPPOSE ITEM 60, THE ORACLE DEAL.
THIS WAS MISGUIDED FROM THE BEGINNING.
SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN LAUNCHED BY COUNCIL WITHOUT GOING THROUGH STANDARD PROCEDURES.
[00:30:01]
WHAT, UH, YOU STARTED, WHICH IS A MONOPOLY DEAL WITH, UH, A GREEDY, UH, DEMAND.UM, PLEASE COMPLY WITH THE STATE CONSTITUTION AND NOT GRANT A GIFT TO ORACLE.
UM, AND IF THEY'RE NOT WILLING TO FULL MARKET VALUE, YOU SHOULD NOT DO THIS, EVEN THOUGH, UH, THE VOTERS AUTHORIZE YOU TO DO IT.
UM, WE ALSO STAND AGAINST THE SOS SITE SPECIFIC AMENDMENT, ITEM 80, UM, UNLESS THERE IS OFFSITE MITIGATION, THAT WOULD REDUCE THE OVERALL IMPERVIOUS COVER ON THE SITE TO BELOW THE 15% IMPERVIOUS COVER STANDARD FOR RECHARGE ZONE DEVELOPMENT, UH, IN THE BARTON CREEK WATERSHED.
WE ALSO STAND IN SUPPORT OF ITEM 61, THE COLORADO RIVERHEAD TRAIL, UH, STUDY TO CONNECT OUR TRAIL NORTH OF THE RIVER WITH OUR TRAIL SOUTH OF THE RIVER, UH, SOMEWHERE IN THE VICINITY OF LONGHORN AND PLEASANT VALLEY.
UH, WE ABSOLUTELY NEED, NEED THIS TO HAPPEN, AND WE APPRECIATE COUNCIL MEMBERS BRINGING THIS BOARD AS WELL.
UM, WE HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT SOME OF THE OTHER ITEMS, BUT I'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT.
UH, THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERATION, KIRK YOSHIDA ON ITEM 65.
GOOD MORNING, UM, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL KIRK, AND I'M HERE TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF ITEM 68.
UM, I'D LIKE TO SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS THE, UH, NEXT PHASE OF THE ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER, THE A ARC AND THE NEED FOR CAPITAL FUNDING THERE.
IN 2018, THE CITY'S BOND PROPOSITION FOR LIBRARY MUSEUMS AND CULTURAL ARTS, ARTS FACILITIES INCLUDED 7 MILLION IN FUNDING FOR AN UNSPECIFIED PROJECT AT THE A A R C.
SINCE THE APPROVAL OF THAT BOND MEASURE, OUR MASTER PLAN HAS BEEN DEVELOPED FOR THE ENTIRE PROPERTY.
AND THE PROJECT, UH, PRIORITY PROJECT THAT EMERGED THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS WAS ADDITIONAL PERFORMING ART SPACE.
WHAT'S NOW BEING CALLED THE ARC PHASE TWO PROJECT FOR A PERFORMING ARTS CENTER HAS AN ARCHITECT ON BOARD AND WITH ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY INPUT.
THE SCHEMATIC DESIGN WAS RECENTLY COMPLETED WITH A PRELIMINARY COST ESTIMATE.
THE PROJECT'S ESTIMATED COST FAR OUT EXCEEDS THE AMOUNT AVAILABLE FROM THAT 2018 BOND.
THIS PROPOSED PROJECT WOULD PROVIDE MUCH NEEDED PERFORMING ART SPACE IN DISTRICT ONE, WHICH I ALSO LIVE IN, AND, UH, ALSO HAPPENS TO BE AN AREA THAT HAS LOST SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF PERFORMING ART SPACE OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS.
IN ADDITION TO A 300 TO 350 SEAT THEATER, THE SCHEMATIC DESIGN INCLUDES A SEPARATE MULTI-PURPOSE SPACE THAT MAY BE USED TO SUPPORT SMALLER PERFORMANCES BY COMMUNITY GROUPS.
ALSO, REHEARSALS AND A REC, UH, STUDIO RECORDINGS.
IT WILL ALSO HAVE AN ART GALLERY.
SO THREE DISTINCT CREATIVE ART SPACES UNIFIED UNDER ONE CANOPY.
UH, THIS SPACE WILL NOT ONLY SERVE AUSTIN'S GROWING ASIAN COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR USE BY ARTISTS AND PERFORMER CITYWIDE.
UH, UH, OUR COMMISSION, ASIAN AMERICAN QUALITY OF LIFE COMMISSION IS FULLY COMMITTED TO WORKING WITH STAFF AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO EXPLORE EVERY AVAILABLE SOURCE OF FUNDING TO REDUCE THE PROJECTS, UH, PUBLIC TAX BURDEN.
HOWEVER, EVEN WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF DONATIONS, FOUNDATIONS, GRANTS AND PARTNERSHIPS, A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF FUNDING WILL STILL BE NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE ARC PHASE TWO PROJECT.
I ASK THAT YOU APPROVE THIS RESOLUTION TODAY SO THAT THE COMMUNITY DRIVEN PROJECT, ALONG WITH THE OTHER, UH, CULTURAL ARTS PROJECTS, HAVE THE BEST OPPORTUNITY TO BE COMPLETED AS ENVISIONED BY THE COMMUNITY AND REFLECTED IN ITS SCHEMATIC DESIGN.
UM, AGAIN, IF I DIDN'T MENTION, UH, KK CHAIR OF THE ASIAN AMERICAN QUALITY OF LIFE ADVISORY COMMISSION, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY, MAYOR.
THAT CONCLUDES ALL THE ONLINE SPEAKERS.
WE DID HAVE ONE H F C SPEAKER THAT HAS NOT CONNECTED, AND WE DO HAVE TWO IN PERSON.
LET'S TAKE THE AHF SPEAKERS AT THE VERY END, GIVING THAT ONLINE SPEAKER THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO CALL IN.
SO WE'LL TAKE ALL A HF SPEAKERS AT THE END, MOVING TO, UM, IN PERSON FOR
[00:35:01]
ITEM NUMBER FOUR, KIBA WHITE ON DECK IS PAUL ROBBINS SPEAKING ON ITEM FOUR.GOOD MORNING, MAYOR COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UH, MY NAME IS KABA WHITE HERE ON BEHALF OF PUBLIC CITIZENS TEXAS OFFICE.
I KNOW YOU'VE HEARD FROM ME PLENTY, SO I'LL, UM, JUST GET RIGHT TO IT.
UH, I THINK Y'ALL DO HAVE OPTIONS BEFORE YOU TODAY, AND I WOULD JUST ENCOURAGE YOU TO FOCUS ON THOSE OPTIONS THAT ARE GOING TO BE MOST BENEFICIAL TO THE WIDEST RANGE OF CUSTOMERS.
AND WE'RE SPECIFICALLY ADVOCATING FOR, FOR RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS.
THERE SEEMS TO BE, UM, SOME CONFUSION OR I, I THINK MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT, UH, THE BENEFITS OF DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS FOR LOW INCOME CUSTOMERS.
AND I, I HOPE THAT Y'ALL HEARD WHAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER OF FUENTES, UH, SPOKE ABOUT AT WORK SESSION, THAT THERE ARE, UM, MANY MORE LOW INCOME CUSTOMERS IN THIS CITY THAN, THAN THERE ARE EVEN CAP ELIGIBLE CUSTOMERS.
AND OF COURSE, MANY OF THOSE WHO ARE CAP ELIGIBLE ARE NOT ON CAP.
SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PROTECTING LOW INCOME CUSTOMERS FROM RATE SHOCK, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ALL OF THOSE WORKING POOR FAMILIES WHO REALLY DON'T HAVE MUCH MARGIN OR ANY MARGIN NECESSARILY IN THEIR FAMILY BUDGETS.
SO WE ARE ASKING FOR Y'ALL TO FOCUS IN ON SOLUTIONS TO KEEP THE FIXED FEE LOW.
WE WOULD URGE YOU TO PICK ONE NUMBER AND HAVE THAT BE THE FIXED FEE AND, AND NOT DO THE PHASE IN APPROACH.
WE THINK THE PHASE IN APPROACH IS CONFUSING AND DOESN'T ACTUALLY ACHIEVE ANY GOAL, BECAUSE AT THE END IT'LL BE WHATEVER THE, THE LAST YEAR IS.
SO WE WOULD ASK THAT YOU JUST CHOOSE THE $13 FIXED FEE, UH, APPROACH AND, UM, AND, AND GO WITH THAT.
UH, WE DO LIKE THE IDEA OF
BUT, UM, I, I SUSPECT THERE'S MAYBE NOT SUPPORT, UH, FOR THAT.
AND SO WOULD JUST ASK THAT YOU PRIORITIZE THE LOW FIXED FEE AS WELL AS KEEPING THE TIERS, UH, IN, UH, IN THE FIRST AND SECOND TIER LOW.
SPECIFICALLY, I WOULD ASK THAT YOU ADOPT OPTION, UH, FOUR B THE TIERS THAT ARE IN THE $14 SCENARIO AND SIMPLY APPLY A $13 CUSTOMER CHARGE.
AND I SAY THAT BECAUSE THE RESIDENTIAL CLASS IS BEING OVERBUILD IN THAT SCENARIO.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT AUSTIN ENERGY IS ASKING FOR Y'ALL TO USE THAT MONEY TO FUND CAP, BUT THAT IS A FUTURE EXPENSE AND THEY'RE NOT ACCOUNTING FOR FUTURE EARNINGS, SAY FROM THE SALE OF THEIR EXPENSIVE BUILDING, THAT THEY'RE GOING TO GET MANY MILLIONS MORE THAN THEY'RE GONNA SPEND ON CAP FROM.
SO IT'S NOT APPROPRIATE TO ACCOUNT FOR FUTURE COSTS AND NOT THOSE KIND OF FUTURE SOURCES OF REVENUE.
SO YOU DO HAVE MONEY TO WORK WITH THERE, UM, WITHIN THAT SCENARIO WITHOUT ADJUSTING.
UM, YOU TALKED ABOUT PREFERRING THE TIERS IN FOUR B.
ARE YOU, ARE YOU SAYING, UM, THE TIERS IN FOUR B INSTEAD OF FIVE A AND, AND YOU HAD, YOU WERE PART OF A GROUP THAT ADVOCATED FOR, FOR THE COST ALLOCATION IN FIVE B FIVE A, WHICH IS WHY WE RAN IT.
ARE YOU STILL SUPPORTIVE OF THE COST ALLOCATION IN FIVE A? WE, WE ARE.
AND ESSENTIALLY IF YOU REDUCED THE CUSTOMER CHARGE IN THE FOUR B $14 SCENARIO, IF YOU REDUCE, IF YOU TOOK EVERYTHING ELSE, LEFT IT THE SAME AND JUST REDUCED THE CUSTOMER CHARGE TO $13, YOU WOULD COME VERY CLOSE TO THE RESIDENTIAL COST ALLOCATION THAT WE COLLECTIVELY AGREED TO.
NOW, WE WOULD'VE LIKED TO SEE THAT SCENARIO RUN WITH EXACTLY OUR COST ALLOCATION.
BUT, UM, WELL, I JUST WANT, I JUST WANNA BE CLEAR BECAUSE YOU'RE SAYING YOU, YOU HAVE A PREFERENCE FOR ONE SET OF TIERS, BUT WE RAN A, A COST ALLOCATION MODEL THAT MATCHED WHAT WHAT YOU HAD REQUESTED AND SUPPORTED.
SO WHICH COST ALLOCATION METHOD ARE YOU IN SUPPORT OF? WE ARE IN SUPPORT STILL OF THE AGREED UPON COST ALLOCATION METHOD.
UM, I THINK SCENARIO FIVE WOULD BE GREAT.
WE WOULD ALSO SUPPORT THAT, BUT I, I'M JUST KIND OF PUTTING FORWARD TWO OPTIONS, EITHER SCENARIO FIVE OR THE FOUR B $14 SCENARIO, BUT THEN REDUCE THE CUSTOMER CHARGE TO $13.
I THINK THAT THOSE ARE THE TWO BEST OPTIONS ON THE
[00:40:01]
TABLE THAT BALANCE THE NEEDS OF AUSTIN ENERGY AND THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY.AND MAYOR, I'VE GOT ONE FOLLOW ON FROM MS. WHITE.
SO THE 14 TO 13 AND GRADUATED 13, 14, AND 15.
WE ARE NOT SUPPORTIVE OF THAT.
SO 31.3 AT 13 FIXED GOING FORWARD, OR, UM, 29 AND A HALF AT THE GRADUATED 13, 14, 15, I THINK IT WAS 28 WASN'T FIVE.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT SCENARIO COUNCIL MEMBER LIZ DESCRIBING.
I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT FIVE, CUZ I, I HAVEN'T.
OKAY, SO THEN, SORRY, WHAT WERE YOU SAYING ABOUT THE 29? SO LOWER REVENUE, AND I DON'T REALLY WANNA GET IN, YOU KNOW WHAT, MAYOR, I SHOULD, I SHOULD BACK AWAY.
I REALLY JUST WANTED TO CONFIRM WHETHER THE FIXED COST WAS GRADUATED OR FIXED AT 13 AND IT IS FIXED AT 13, AT THE 31 13.
REALLY JUST THINK THAT THAT'S GONNA BE CONFUSING TO CUSTOMERS TO HAVE NOT ONLY THE CUSTOMER CHARGE, BUT ALSO EACH OF THOSE TIERED RATES.
I UNDERSTAND CHANGING EVERY YEAR.
UM, OKAY, I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY.
SO THE SCENARIO OF THE FOUR B SCENARIOS, IF WE WERE GOING WITH FOUR B, WE, WE HAVE TO DO THE COMPARISON WITH THE FIVE A.
YOU PREFER TAKING WHAT WAS GENERATED FOR THE $14 AND CHANGING IT TO $13.
YOU'RE NOT SAYING YOU, YOU WANT FOUR B RUN WITH $13.
YOU'RE SAYING YOU WANNA TAKE FOUR B AND LAB OFF A DOLLAR.
WELL, IT WAS RUN WITH $13, BUT THEN OF COURSE THE TIERS GOT INCREASED.
THE TIERED RATES GOT INCREASED.
THAT'S WHY I'M, WHAT, WHAT I'M ASKING YOU IS, IS, IS WHAT I'M ASKING.
YOU'RE NOT, YOU'RE NOT SAYING LET'S RUN THIS WHOLE THING AND JUST START WITH 13.
YOU'RE ASKING FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT, WHICH IS ESSENTIAL, WHICH YOU DON'T NECESSARILY GET TO THE 31.3 MILLION THAT WAY YOU WOULD HAVE TO MAKE SOME OTHER ADJUSTMENTS TO DO THAT.
I THINK THAT IF THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE, THEN THE $13 FOUR B SCENARIO WOULD KIND OF BE, YOU KNOW, THE FALLBACK.
BUT BUT YOUR, YOUR FIRST PREFERENCE THAT YOU'RE EXPRESSING WITH FOUR B WAS NOT THE SAME AS 13 FOUR B RUN AT 13? NO.
WE WOULD'VE LIKED FOUR B TO BE RUN WITH THE REVENUE ALLOCATION THAT WE ALL AGREED TO, UM, SO THAT THERE COULD BE A REAL COMPARISON THERE.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I UNDERSTOOD WHAT YOUR INITIAL PREFERENCE WAS THERE.
YEAH, AND THAT'S REALLY LOOKING AT IT FROM THE RESIDENTIAL SIDE OF THINGS.
I REALIZE THAT OTHER THINGS WOULD NEED TO ADJUST A LITTLE.
I'M NOT SURE IF THAT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, THE RESIDENTIAL SIDE IS MUCH MORE COMPLICATED THAN THE OTHER, UM, RATES TO A CERTAIN EXTENT.
SO IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE TO ADJUST SOME OF THOSE ON THE FLY.
YOU'LL HAVE TO HEAR FROM AUSTIN ENERGY ON THAT.
MAYOR, CAN I ASK A QUICK QUESTION? OKAY.
SO JUST TO CLARIFY, SO YOUR PREFERENCE IS, IS IF WE TAKE FOUR B, YOU'D, YOU'D LIKE TO SEE, UH, FOUR B WITH, UH, 13, THE $13 CUSTOMER CHARGE.
UH, DID YOU, DID YOU SAY, UH, NOT GRADUATED, RIGHT? IN OTHER WORDS, JUST CAPPED ACROSS THE BOARD? YES, CORRECT.
WE FEEL THAT THAT IS BOTH CONFUSING AND DOESN'T REALLY ACHIEVE ANYTHING BECAUSE YOU END UP AT 15 OR 16 OR WHATEVER.
AND THEN THE SECOND ASPECT OF WHAT YOU SAID, JUST TO CLARIFY WITH THE, YOU MENTIONED LOWER TIER RATES.
SO CAN YOU BE MORE SPECIFIC? SO IF WE WERE, SO, UH, IF, YOU KNOW, I I I'M, I'M CERTAIN THAT THE PROPOSAL IN FRONT OF US WILL BE FOUR B, SO WE'LL BE CONSIDERING FOUR B.
AND SO YOU'RE SUGGESTING THE FOUR B I I GET WHAT YOU'RE SAYING ABOUT THE 13, BUT ARE YOU SUGGESTING THAT WE WOULD NEED TO, UH, SUGGEST A CHANGE TO FOUR B RELATED TO THE, UH, TIER RATES? WELL, I THINK FOUR B DOES NOT ALIGN WITH THE COST ALLOCATION THAT THE PARTIES WORK TO COME TO AGREEMENT ON.
AND I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT WILL BE, UM, TAKE, TAKE A LITTLE WORK TO, UM, ADJUST THAT FOR EACH OF THE OTHER CUSTOMER CLASSES.
BUT ON THE RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER CLASS, THERE'S 6.3 I THINK MILLION ADDITIONAL DOLLARS BEING CHARGED TO THAT.
SO YOU COULD JUST, UM, MAKE UP THAT DIFFERENCE BY REDUCING THE CUSTOMER FEE BY, BY A DOLLAR NOW YES.
YOU THEN NEED TO MAKE THAT UP IN, IN OTHER RATES.
I, I SUSPECT THAT THAT COULD BE DONE.
I'M, I'M TRYING TO, I'M BEING EVEN MORE SIMPLE THAN THAT.
SO WHAT I'M SAYING IS IF, IF, IF, UH, SOMEONE WAS TO SAY, YES, WE WANT TO GO WITH FOUR B, UH, BUT YES, WE WANNA SEE IF IF IT'S THE WILL OF THE DIAS TO GO TO 13, THEN WOULD WE ALSO SAY YES, WE WANNA SEE IF IT'S THE WILL OF THE DIAS TO, TO,
[00:45:01]
UM, HAVE, ARE YOU SAYING THE 49% ALL COST ALLOCATION? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? YES.I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT.
UM, AND THEN, UM, DO YOU HAVE A POSITION ON ANY OF THE OTHER, I THINK THERE'S A, A FIVE THAT'S BEEN PROPOSED? YEAH, I MEAN I, WE'RE SUPPORTIVE OF FIVE.
IF THERE'S SUPPORT ON THE DIAS, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE SUPPORTIVE OF FIVE.
YEAH, I'M SORRY, I'M, I'M STILL REALLY CONFUSED.
SO FIVE HAS THE COST ALLOCATION YOU REQUESTED? YES.
IS THAT YOUR PREFERENCE? YEAH, WE'RE SUPPORTIVE OF FIVE.
READ IN THE ROOM ARE THERE, IF IT'S FOUR B, THEN WE WANT $13.
BUT FIVE CAPTURES THE ITEMS THAT YOU HAVE SAID ARE PREFERENCES AND THEY YES.
AND THEY INCLUDE THE FIX THAT YOU WOULD SUGGEST BE PUT INTO FOUR B? YES.
SO, AND, AND, AND I DO APPRECIATE THAT THAT WAS, THAT WAS RUN.
I JUST, YOU KNOW, DON'T, DON'T KNOW WHERE EVERYBODY STANDS ON THOSE OTHER TIER BREAKS AND, AND THE REVENUES.
SO IF, IF THAT IS NOT AN OPTION THAT PEOPLE ARE GOOD WITH, THEN, THEN AT LEAST FOUR B WITH THE $13 CUSTOMER CHARGE, I THINK WOULD GET CLOSER.
WELL, IT SOUNDS FROM SOME OF THE CONVERSATION THAT WE JUST HEARD IN EXCHANGE WITH YOU AS IF THERE MAY BE A PROPOSAL FOR A LOWER REVENUE REQUIREMENT THAT IS CLOSER TO FIVE A.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S THE CASE OR NOT, BUT JUST BASED ON WHAT MY COLLEAGUES SAID, UM, BUT IT WOULD NOT CAPTURE THE COST ALLOCATION YOU JUST DISCUSSED NECESSARILY, RIGHT? OR AT LEAST NOT EXACTLY.
I THINK WHERE THE OTHER VOICES ARE COMING IN, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO ON THAT ISSUE, UH, WOULD BE KIND OF A CHOICE BETWEEN 31
UH, BUT IT WOULD HAVE US GOING 13, 14, 15, STARTING AT 13, BUT HAVING THE PHASED IN APPROACH THAT WE TALKED ABOUT, THE OTHER OPTION WOULD BE SUSTAINING AT 30, AT 13 FLAT, BUT THEN WITH THE HIGHER REVENUE, WHICH MEANS THAT THE, UM, VARIABLE CHARGE WOULD NEED TO BE HIGHER TO COVER THE 31 3.
SO FROM WHERE I'M SITTING WHERE CHAIR IS SITTING, UM, UH, IT'S, I THINK FOR US IT'S BETWEEN THOSE TWO OPTIONS AT THIS POINT, 31 3 13 FOR ALL THREE YEARS, 28, 29, 5, THAT'S DROPPING THE REVENUE AND THE THINKING BEHIND DROPPING THE REVENUE TO 29 5 IS, UH, A LOT OF THOSE QUESTIONS ARE, WE DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO AS COUNCIL MEMBER TOVA, I THINK YOU POINT OUT THE MIDPOINT WAS 28.
WE FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE LEANING TOWARD THE PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE OF OUR STAFF.
SO WE ASKED THEM TO RUN THE 29.5.
I WASN'T HERE FOR THE CONCLUSION OF THE MEETING THAT YOU HAD YESTERDAY ON TUESDAY.
UH, BUT IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS, I UNDERSTAND THEY ARE ALSO RUNNING A 29.5 13, 14 15 OPTION SO THAT WE CAN COMPARE THEM TO, UH, PUT THAT IN THE MIX WITH THE OTHER OPTIONS BEING CONSIDERED.
MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR THAT EXPLANATION.
IT, IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE WOULD BE NO ADJUSTMENTS TO THE COST ALLOCATION IN EITHER OF THOSE TWO OPTIONS.
THOSE TWO OPTIONS USE THE FOUR B COST ALLOCATION MODEL.
AND WE DO, YOU KNOW, AS WE TALK ABOUT OPTIONS, WE DO HAVE AN OPTION ON THE TABLE THAT INCLUDES THE COST ALLOCATION THAT WAS RECOMMENDED TO US BY THE JOINT CONSUMER ADVOCATE, WHO WE HIRED, AS WELL AS, UM, THE OTHERS WHO ARE PARTY TO THAT MANAGER.
I'D LIKE TO JUST POINT OUT THAT THERE WERE, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS THAT WE WERE TOLD YOU DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO RUN.
YOU TOLD ME VERY CLEARLY ON TUESDAY THAT YOU NEEDED TO SEE A SHOW OF SUPPORT BEFORE YOU WOULD BE WILLING TO RUN AN ADDITIONAL SCENARIO, WHICH WE THEN HAD TO GO AROUND THE TABLE AND GET FOUR VOTES FOR BEFORE YOU WOULD RUN IT.
AND IT SOUNDS LIKE BETWEEN TUESDAY AND THURSDAY YOU'VE RUN AN ADDITIONAL SCENARIO.
UM, AND SO I JUST FIND, I JUST NOTE THAT, UM, I ALSO NOTE THAT SOME OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS AND INTERVENERS WHO HAVE REQUESTED RUNS HAVE ALSO BEEN TOLD THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO.
SO, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK WHEN YOU HAVE A, IF THERE'S A POLICY THAT YOU NEED TO GET MULTIPLE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO EXPRESS SUPPORT MULTIPLE, IN MY CASE WAS FOUR.
IT SOUNDS LIKE THE NUMBER WAS LOWER, UM, YESTERDAY.
SO I JUST, THAT THAT'S A, THAT'S A PROBLEM.
IT'S NOT A PROBLEM I'M GONNA BE FACING ANY LONGER, BUT I JUST NOTE THAT AS AN ISSUE.
AND, UH, JUST TO NOTE THAT IT WAS A REQUEST, I DON'T THINK THOSE NUMBERS HAVE BEEN RUN AT THIS POINT IN TIME, ARE THEY? OKAY.
I MEAN, MY HOPE IS THAT THEY DO THAT, AND I WASN'T HERE
[00:50:01]
FOR THE AFTERNOON.I'VE BEEN ELECTED BY THE ENTIRE CITY.
UH, AND WHEN I MADE A REQUEST LIKE THAT, WHEN I WASN'T PRESIDENT AT THE MEETING, I, I ASKED FOR AND, AND HOPE THERE'D BE CONSIDERATION FOR THAT.
AND IT IS TRUE THAT WE HIRED THE CONSUMER ADVOCATE, BUT WE HIRED THE CONSUMER ADVOCATE TO BE A CONSUMER ADVOCATE, NOT TO TELL US WHAT'S BEST FOR THE SYSTEM, NOT TO TELL US WHAT'S BEST FOR AUSTIN ENERGY, NOT TO TELL US WHAT'S BEST FOR THE CITY.
WE HIRED SOMEONE TO BE AN ADVOCATE FOR A PARTICULAR SEGMENT OF OUR GROUP, AND HE'S DOING A GREAT JOB, BUT I WOULDN'T EXPECT HIM TO TELL US WHAT'S BEST FOR THE ENTIRE SYSTEM.
THAT'S NOT WHAT HE'S BEEN HIRED TO DO.
HE'S DOING HIS JOB TO BE AN ADVOCATE FOR ONE SEGMENT, AND I APPRECIATE THE WORK HE'S DOING, AND I THINK HE'S DOING IT WELL.
SO LET'S CONTINUE WITH THE NEXT SPEAKER, PAUL ROBBINS ON ITEM FOUR ON DECK IS SHANE JOHNSON.
I'M SORRY, CAN YOU START THE CLOCK, MA'AM, PLEASE.
COUNCIL, I STARTED MY WORK IN 1977 AS A CONSUMER ADVOCATE OPPOSING THE SOUTH TEXAS NUCLEAR PROJECT.
IT WAS A PROVERBIAL BAPTISM AND FIRE.
AUSTIN ENERGY CONTINUED TO SUPPORT THE NUKE AS IT ROSE A NET 440% ABOVE ITS ORIGINAL COST.
AND I LEARNED VERY QUICKLY THAT EXPERTS MAKE COSTLY MISTAKES.
I MIGHT ADD THAT MAYOR ADLER, WHEN HE RAN IN 2014, DISPARAGED EXPENSIVE MISTAKES LIKE THE WATER TREATMENT PLANT FOR AND THE BIOMASS PLANT.
AND GIVEN HIS OWN EXAMPLE, HE SHOULD NOT EXPECT THE PUBLIC TO BLINDLY FOLLOW EXPERTS IN TODAY'S ELECTRIC CASE.
FIRST, THE INDEPENDENT CONSUMER ADVOCATE SHOULD BE ABLE TO ANSWER, UH, COUNCIL'S QUESTIONS AND THE UTILITY STATEMENT IN REAL TIME, UH, SIMILAR TO WHAT OCCURRED TUESDAY.
THIS ALLOWS TRANSPARENCY AND QUICKER INFORMATION FLOW.
SECOND, BOTH SCENARIOS DEVISED BY AUSTIN ENERGY WERE CAREFULLY MANIPULATED TO PROVIDE MAXIMUM PAIN, UH, TO LOW USERS, WHILE EXTREMELY HIGH CONSUMERS SEE VIRTUALLY NO INCREASE IN THEIR BILLS.
HERE ARE THE CHARTS FOR FOUR B AND FIVE, UH, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, UH, THERE'S VIRTUALLY NO INCREASE WITH HIGH CONSUMPTION.
AND THIS IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF HOW AUSTIN ENERGY GAINED THE NUMBERS.
THIS COUNCIL WOULD PREFER TO VOTE ON THIS RIGHT CASE TODAY.
UH, BUT IF THE DAY ENDS WITHOUT A CONCLUSION, THE RESPONSIBILITY LIES WITH AUSTIN ENERGY.
THIRD, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF SIDE ISSUES.
HERE'S ANOTHER SLIDE OF THE OTHER SCENARIO.
THIRD, THERE ARE ANOTHER, A NUMBER OF OTHER SIDE ISSUES UNRELATED TO THE REVENUE AND RATES THAT HAVE LARGELY BEEN AGREED TO BY THE INTERVENERS.
THEY ARE LARGELY NON-CONTROVERSIAL, HOWEVER, THE UTILITY HAS NOT ACCEPTED THEM.
I THINK THEY'RE HOLDING THEM HOSTAGE.
UH, WITHOUT THESE ISSUES, THE CASE IS INCOMPLETE AND IF THIS DAY ENDS WITHOUT A CONCLUSION, THE RESPONSIBILITY LIES WITH AUSTIN ENERGY.
FOURTH, UH, WHILE I SUPPORT THE 28 MILLION PROPOSAL ON THE $13 CHARGE, THERE IS NO OFFICIAL SCENARIO CREATED.
IF THE COUNCIL WANTS A $31,000,013 CUSTOMER CHARGE, THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN PREPARED BY THE UTILITY AND IS ABSENT, UH, NOT TO HAVE AN OFFICIAL PROPOSAL AVAILABLE TO COUNCIL IS NEGLIGENCE.
IF THE DAY ENDS WITHOUT A CONCLUSION, THE RESPONSIBILITY LIES WITH ITS UTILITY.
MR. ROBBINS, THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER.
I WANNA BE SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT.
UM, JUST, JUST TO BE CLEAR, YOUR CHART BELOW GOES UP TO 30% AND THE CHART ABOVE IT GOES UP TO 50%.
SO WHILE IT MAY LOOK LIKE THE NUMBERS ARE IN ABOUT THE SAME SPOT, THE SCALE IS DIFFERENT.
AND SO IN YOUR ESTIMATION, WHICH HAS THE LOWER, WHICH OF THE TWO PROPOSALS BEFORE THE ONE THAT THE MAYOR JUST DESCRIBED, UM, WHICH OF THESE TWO PROPOSALS DO YOU THINK HAS THE LEAST IMPACT ON RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS? UH, I PREFER PROPOSAL FIVE.
AND DO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF HOW, OF WHETHER WHETHER THE ELEMENTS WOULD CARRY OVER WITH
[00:55:01]
THE TWO PROPOSALS THAT WERE JUST DESCRIBED, THE TWO ALTERNATIVES? DO YOU HAVE A, A SENSE OF, OF YOUR POSITION ON THOSE TWO THAT WERE JUST OUTLINED BY THE MAYOR? I DO PERSONALLY DO NOT SUPPORT A GRADUATED INCREASE IN THE CUSTOMER FEE.UH, I HAVE MAINTAINED ALL ALONG THAT THIS IS ONEROUS TO LOW CONSUMERS, MANY OF WHOM ARE LOWER INCOME.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I CAN CLARIFY THAT'S HELPFUL, COUNCIL MEMBER? NO, THAT'S HELPFUL.
YES, SO THAT WOULD BE THE FIXED CUSTOMER CHARGE VERSUS THE GRADUATED.
UH, YES GUYS, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT WE NOT ENGAGE IN THE DEBATE ON THIS YEAR.
WE HAVE 17 SPEAKERS LEFT TO GO, AND WE HAVE LESS THAN 30 MINUTES BEFORE NOON, AND WE GAVE PEOPLE THREE MINUTES OF SPEAKER, WHICH IS GONNA HAVE US BEG FOR TIME.
I, I'M NOT DEBATING I'M NO, NO, NO, NO.
YOU WERE ACTING PERFECTLY CORRECT.
I'M TALKING TO MY COLLEAGUES AND SUGGESTING THAT WE HEAR THE PUBLIC COMMENT AND THERE'LL BE A CHANCE TO ASK PEOPLE QUESTIONS ON AUSTIN ENERGY WHEN WE GET THERE.
SHANE JOHNSON ON ITEM FOUR ON DECK IS JOHN KAUFMAN.
UH, COUNSEL SHANE JOHNSON, HE IN PRONOUNS.
I'M A DISTRICT SEVEN RESIDENT, AS ARE MY FAMILY, AND I'M A D FOUR, UH, DIS, UH, RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMMISSIONER.
AND I'LL BE, UH, USING MY TIME TO BUILD ON MY TESTIMONY LAST TIME ABOUT WHY, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY'S PROPOSAL TO QUOTE UNQUOTE EXPAND CAP IS ACTUALLY A RED HERRING AND VERY HARMFUL TO MINIMIZE THE HARM TO LOW INCOME RESIDENTS, UH, OF AUSTIN.
WE, THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN, NEED YOU ALL TO OPPOSE ANY CUSTOMER CHARGE HIGHER THAN $13.
IT REALLY SHOULD BE LOWER THAN THAT, BUT HIGHER THAN $13 SHOULDN'T BE ON THE TABLE.
UH, AND DO NOT INCREASE, IN PARTICULAR, DO NOT INCREASE THE CUSTOMER CHARGE HIGHER THAN THAT.
UM, AS AUSTIN INJURY HAS SUGGESTED TO ACQUIRE MORE FUNDING FOR EXPANDING CAP, THIS APPROACH IS ACTUALLY VERY BACKWARDS AND WILL HARM THE SUPER MAJORITY OF VERY LOW INCOME PEOPLE IN AUSTIN.
IN OTHER WORDS, IT WILL HARM THE SUPER MAJORITY OF CAP ELIGIBLE CUSTOMERS.
AND IN GENERAL, OUTSIDE OF THIS, OF COURSE, WE SHOULD EXPAND CAP, BUT IT SHOULD NOT BE A PART OF THIS RATE HIKE.
THE LITERAL MAJORITY OF LOW INCOME CAP ELIGIBLE CUSTOMERS IN AUSTIN DO PAY THE CUSTOMER CHARGE ALREADY.
SO IT'S NOT TRUE THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, ASSUME THAT NO CAP CUSTOMERS ARE PAYING THAT.
IN FACT, UH, APPROXIMATELY, UH, TWO THIRDS, YOU KNOW, AS I SAID, OF VERY LOW INCOME PEOPLE WHO ARE CAP ELIGIBLE ARE NOT ENROLLED IN THE PROGRAM.
UH, AND STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE A LIMIT AROUND A THIRD OF WHERE IT'S REALISTICALLY POSSIBLE, UH, WITHOUT EXTENSIVE AND EXTENSIVE INCREASE IN RESOURCES TO ENROLL PEOPLE IN A PROGRAM LIKE CAP.
UM, SO WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT THE TWO, TWO-THIRDS OF VERY LOW INCOME PEOPLE ARE PAYING THE CUSTOMER CHARGE, AND THEY CERTAINLY CANNOT AFFORD AN INCREASE.
UH, EVEN IF IT'S QUOTE UNQUOTE JUST FROM 10 TO $15, WE HAVE TO KEEP IT AS CLOSE TO $10 AS POSSIBLE.
UM, PAYING $5 A MONTH EXTRA FOR A VERY LOW INCOME PERSON, AND EVEN FOR LOW MODERATE INCOME PEOPLE.
WITH ALL OF THE, UH, INFLATION RIDICULOUS RAIN HIKES MANY OF US FACE, UH, FOR ANYONE LIVING PAYCHECK, PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK IS ALREADY HARD ENOUGH AND COULD MEAN SOMEONE GETTING, UH, DISCONNECTED FROM THEIR ELECTRICITY OR WORSE, EVENTUALLY EVICTED.
UH, UH, BUT THIS DOESN'T EXIST IN A VACUUM.
YOU ALL HAVE ALREADY PASSED ON A $15 A MONTH RATE HIKE TO ALL CUSTOMERS, UH, THROUGH THE PSA.
AND SO TWO THIRDS OF THE PEOPLE WHO Y'ALL HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT AS QUOTE UNQUOTE CAP CUSTOMERS ARE ALREADY FACING, UM, AT LEAST, OR WITH A $15 A MONTH, CUSTOMER CHARGE WOULD BE FACING AT LEAST A 20, MORE, PROBABLY CLOSER TO A $25 A MONTH RATE HIKE.
AND THIS IS, UM, INEXCUSABLE AND SHOULDN'T, SHOULDN'T BE ON THE TABLE.
SO, UM, URGE YOU TO NOT INCREASE THE CUSTOMER CHARGE BEYOND $13 A MONTH, UH, AND AGREE WITH KABA, YOU KNOW, FIVE A, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, IS THE BEST, AND IF NOT, THEN FOUR B WITH, UM, $13 A MONTH CUSTOMER CHARGE, BUT THE FOUR, BUT WHAT IS CURRENTLY LISTED UNDER THE $14 A MONTH, UH, TIERS.
[01:00:02]
NEXT SPEAKER IS JOHN KAUFMAN FOR ITEM FOUR ON DECK IS ANDERS RES RASMUSSEN.UH, GOOD MORNING, JOHN KAUFMAN, INDEPENDENT CONSUMER ADVOCATE.
I SAW THE, UH, PROPOSALS THAT WENT OUT LAST NIGHT, UH, FOR THE AUSTIN ENERGY, UH, THE, THE FOUR B AND FIVE A SCENARIOS.
I'VE PROVIDED SOME WRITTEN COMMENTS THAT YOU, YOU SHOULD HAVE IN YOUR PACKET OR HAVE BEEN EMAILED TO YOU.
THE, UM, MAIN THING I WANNA HIGHLIGHT IS THAT ONLY THE FIVE A OPTION, UH, DIVIDES THE OVERALL REVENUE REQUIREMENT, UH, AMONGST THE DIFFERENT CUSTOMER CLASSES, RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL, INDUSTRIAL, ONLY.
THE FIVE A APPROACH DOES IT AS AGREED UPON BY THE PARTIES WHO ACTUALLY WOULD BE PAYING THOSE BILLS.
UH, AND I SAW, I WAS SHOCKED TO SEE IN THE EMAIL THAT AUSTIN ENERGY DESCRIBED THAT DIFFERENCE AS DE MINIMUS.
IT IS NOT DE MINIMUS TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL $6.4 MILLION TO THE RESIDENTIAL CLASS.
AND THAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 49.4% OF, OF THE RATE INCREASE BEING ON THE BACKS OF RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS AND 50.4%.
UH, IT'S NOT EXACTLY CLEAR WHAT THAT ADDITIONAL EXCESS MONEY IS, BUT IF YOU GO WITH OPTION FOUR B, YOU WILL BE ADDING OVER 40 MILLION TO THE RESIDENTIAL CLASS.
AND SO WHENEVER, FOR WHATEVER SCENARIOS YOU RUN, PLEASE LOOK AT THE REVENUE ALLOCATION COLUMN AND THE CLOSER YOU GET THE RESIDENTIAL SHARE OF THAT INCRE, WHATEVER REVENUE REQUIREMENT YOU AGREE UPON, WE, WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT CLOSER TO 49.4%.
UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT ALL IS IN THAT EXTRA MONEY.
I, I THINK THAT SOME OF IT IS USED TO IS BEING PREPARED TO USE, UH, SUBSIDIZING FOLKS WHO LIVE OUTSIDE THE CITY.
AND IT HAS ALSO, I, I THINK, BEEN DESCRIBED AS POTENTIALLY, UM, UH, SOMEHOW DEALING WITH THE EXPANSION OF THE CAP PROGRAM.
I ALSO DISAGREED WITH THE COMMENT THAT THE, THAT IN SOME WAY THE CUSTOMER CHARGE IS LINKED TO INCREASING THE CA UH, THE UH, CAP CHARGE.
THERE IS NO CONNECTION IN MY MIND TO THE CU THE CUSTOMER CHARGE IS SUPPOSED TO BE DESIGNED FOR CUSTOMER SPECIFIC COSTS.
AND, UH, WHATEVER COST YOU DO DO, AND, AND I HOPE YOU DO FIND A WAY TO INCREASE THE CAP PARTICIPATION, IT IS A GOOD PROGRAM, UH, BUT IT IS, UM, UH, GOING TO BE A FUTURE COST IS OUTSIDE THE TEST PERIOD.
I WOULD ALSO NOTE THAT IF YOU DECIDE TO DO, I GUESS WHAT'S BEEN DESCRIBED AS THE GRADUATED PHASE IN OF THE CUSTOMER CHARGE, YOU ARE LIKELY TO INCREASE THE, UH, THE REVENUES TO THE POINT THAT THE UTILITY WOULD BE COLLECTING MORE THAN YOUR DESIRED REVENUE REQUIREMENT.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE IN EACH YEAR WE EXPECT THE UTILITY TO ADD MORE CUSTOMERS.
AND SO THERE WILL BE MORE CUSTOMERS THAT THOSE ADDITIONAL COSTS SHOULD BE SPREAD AMONG.
SO THERE'S A, THERE'S A, UH, AN OVER COLLECTION REVENUE REQUIREMENT PROBLEM WITH THAT PARTICULAR APPROACH.
UH, I'LL JUST LEAVE IT AT THAT AND, AND URGE YOU TO LOOK AT MY WRITTEN COMMENTS.
ANDERS RASMUSSEN ON ITEM 31 ON DECK IS MONICA GUZMAN.
UH, MAYOR ADLER AND COUNCIL MEMBERS, I'M ANDS RASMUSSEN HERE WITH MY WIFE BETH.
WE LIVE IN THE ONION CREEK NEIGHBORHOOD IN DISTRICT FIVE.
UH, WE ARE HERE ABOUT ITEM 31, THE CITY'S PURCHASE OF THE 6.8 ACRE.
UH, ANDERSON ESTATE COACH, BAVA SANDERS HAS BEEN A GREAT NEIGHBOR.
OUR 6.5 ACRE PROPERTY SHARES AN 800 FOOT LONG BORDER WITH THE ANDERSON TRACT ON THE SOUTH SIDE.
WE CURRENTLY HAVE CHICKENS A SHED, AND WE HOPE TO BUILD A HOME.
WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE CITY IS PURCHASING IT TO MAKE IT A PARK.
AND PARK PLANNING OFFICIALS ORIGINALLY APPROACHED US ABOUT OUR LAND.
WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE STRUCTURES ON THE ANDERSON TRACT ARE GONNA BE REMOVED AND THE HOME IS PARTIALLY ON OUR LAND.
SO WE'RE CURIOUS IF THE CITY IS PLANNING TO DRIVE HEAVY MACHINERY ON OUR PROPERTY WITHOUT OUR PERMISSION.
SO WE JUST SAY, PLEASE WORK WITH US.
UH, HOW WILL THE CITY KEEP PARK VISITORS FROM WANDERING FROM THE PARK ONTO OUR LAND AND INTO THE ONION CREEK NEIGHBORHOOD? ACROSS SLAUGHTER CREEK TO THE NORTH IS A 46 ACRE GREEN BELT OWNED BY PARKSIDE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION.
WHEN HIKERS GO BELOW THE DAM, THERE'S A DAM THERE, UH, ON SLAUGHTER CREEK.
UH, WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT LIABILITY.
IF PARK VISITORS GET HURT ON OUR PROPERTY, OR VANDALIZE OR TAKE FROM US BECAUSE THE PARK BOUNDARY AND OUR BOUNDARY IS NOT CLEARLY DEFINED AND WE CAN'T HAVE A FENCE IN CERTAIN PARTS OF THE SLAUGHTER CREEK FLOODWAY.
AND SO WILL THE CITY OF AUSTIN BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ACCIDENTS? UH, BECAUSE PARK PROVIDED AN ACCESS TO OUR ATTRACTIVE NUISANCE.
WE WOULD PREFER IF THE CITY WOULD BUILD A FENCE, BUT IF THE CITY WOULD NOT BUILD A FENCE, WE'D LIKE ACCESS, UH, TO PUT
[01:05:02]
A FENCE ALONG THE, THE WEST SIDE.UH, THERE'S ALSO AN AREA THAT IS A VERY STEEP DECLINE ON THE SIDE CREEK THAT COULD BE DANGEROUS.
AND WE DON'T WANT TO BE LIABLE FOR PARK VISITORS WHO TRESPASS ON OUR LAND AND TUMBLE DOWN THE HILL.
UH, WE'RE NOT TRYING TO BLOCK IT.
WE'RE JUST ASKING THE CITY TO BE GOOD NEIGHBORS AND PROVIDE A FENCE AND COMMUNICATION WITH US.
THANK YOU, ANDY AND BETH RASMUSON, UH, MAYOR.
UM, SIR, THANK YOU FOR COMING TO, UM, TO SPEAK TO US AND CITY MANAGER.
IF YOU COULD, UM, HELP MAKE SURE THAT STAFF RESPONDS TO THE QUESTIONS THAT HE'S RAISING, UH, YOU'RE WELCOME TO SHARE 'EM WITH OUR OFFICE.
BUT, UM, UH, WE, WE, WE WILL, UH, MAKE SURE STAFF CONNECTS WITH YOU AND ADDRESSES THE, THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU'RE RAISING.
AND I CAN TEXT MY QUESTION OR EMAIL MY QUESTIONS TO YOU SO YOU HAVE A YES.
MORNING, MONICA GUZMAN ON ITEMS 36 58 AND 74 ON DECK IS BERTHA DELGADO.
I'M MONICA GUZMAN, POLICY DIRECTOR AT GO AUSTIN, VAO AUSTIN.
DESPITE WHAT EXHIBIT A AND OTHER BACKUP DOCUMENTS SAY THERE WASN'T ENOUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT GAVA URGES YOU TO POSTPONE, ALLOW MORE TIME FOR AUTHENTIC ENGAGEMENT OF LOW INCOME AND VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES.
WE RECOMMEND YOU WORK WITH COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS THAT ALREADY HAVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THESE COMMUNITIES.
GAVA AGREES WITH AND SUPPORTS THE EARLY CHILDHOOD COUNCIL RECOMMENDATIONS.
ITEM 74, GAVA SUPPORTS THE PROJECT CONNECT CAC RECOMMENDATIONS I WANT TO NOTE YESTERDAY, AFTERNOON AND EVENING ON BOTH THE AGENDA AND COUNCIL MESSAGE BOARD BACKUP DOCUMENTS WERE POSTED WITH INSUFFICIENT TIME FOR RESIDENTS TO BE AWARE AND REVIEW, INCLUDING ME AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONAL POLICY DIRECTORS AND ADVOCATES.
THAT BEING SAID, MY TESTIMONY ON THESE TWO ITEMS WAS WRITTEN WITHOUT AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THOSE DOCUMENTS AND PROVIDE MORE ROBUST COMMENTS.
IN CLOSING, WE THANK COUNCIL MEMBERS RENTERIA KITCHEN AND TOVO AND MAYOR ADLER FOR YOUR WORK AND SUPPORT OF THE WORK OF THE GAVA COMMUNITY.
BERTHA RENON DELGADO ON ITEM 59 ON DECK IS ELISA RENDON MONTOYA.
UM, MY NAME IS BRETA RENDON DELGADO.
I'M THE PRESIDENT OF EAST TOWN LAKE CITIZENS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION.
I WAS ALSO THE PARK CHAIR OF THIS, UH, PARK THAT WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT.
WE HAVE DONE 10 YEARS OF COMMUNITY, UH, OUTREACH IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD AS WELL AS WE MADE A NEIGHBORHOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE PAR DEPARTMENT.
WE'RE READY TO MOVE FORWARD, UH, AND SUPPORTING THE PARS RECOMMENDATION.
WE HAVE A 3.3 MILLION, UM, BUILDING THAT NEEDS TO BE RESTORED AND NEEDS TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY.
WE ASK THAT YOU DO NOT VOTE ON, UH, NASH HERNANDEZ TODAY.
WE ASK THAT YOU POSTPONE THIS ITEM UNTIL NEW.
OUR NEW MAYOR AND OUR NEW COUNCIL IS, IS IN PLACE.
DUE TO A CONFLICT OF INTEREST, LORI RENTERIA CANNOT BE MOVING FORWARD ON THIS PROPOSAL WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AND CENTRAL HEALTH.
WE DO NOT WANT, UH, THOSE ORGANIZATIONS, UH, TO BE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD PARK.
WE'VE ASKED, UH, THAT YOU ALL RESPECT THE COMMUNITY AND THE STAKEHOLDERS THAT LIVE HERE.
THE CONTACT TEAM HAS NOT GOT A PRESENTATION NOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION FOR THIS PROPOSED ITEM 59 THAT'S ON YOUR AGENDA FOR APPROVAL TODAY.
IT'S A DISRESPECT FROM MY COMMUNITY.
I ASK THAT ALL THE SPONSORS THAT ARE COSIGNING THIS MS UH, NATASHA MADISON, VELA, ANYBODY ELSE, THIS IS NOT IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND WE ASK THAT THIS BE REMOVED AND WE MOVE FORWARD ON A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DISCUSSION IN OUR COMMUNITY NEXT MONTH AND WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PARKS RECOMMENDATIONS.
WE'VE BEEN WAITING 10 YEARS TO GET THIS BUILDING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY'S HANDS, WE HAVE A NEIGHBORHOOD AGREEMENT ON HAND.
THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, KIMBERLY MCKINLEY'S HERE.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, WE'VE ALREADY, IF YOU WANNA GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON MY SLIDES, YOU'LL SEE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT HAS BEEN DONE.
A SURVEY HAS BEEN DONE, 88% OF THE COMMUNITY HAS SPOKEN.
WE ALSO HAVE LETTERS THAT ARE BEING SENT TO YOU ALL CUZ WE WERE JUST NOTIFIED THAT THIS WAS ON THE AGENDA AS OF LAST WEEK, WHICH IS A VERY POOR, UH, YOU KNOW, NOTIFICATION.
UH, THIS IS A HOLIDAY AND WE ASK THAT YOU ALL RESPECT US AND, AND NOT SUPPORT SOMETHING THAT'S BEING, UH, MOVED FORWARD BY LORI RENT COUNCIL MEMBER BE'S WIFE.
AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL BE HERE TODAY.
[01:10:01]
MY NAME IS ELISA RENDON MONTOYA.I AM A RESIDENT HOMEOWNER IN THIS AREA.
I'VE BEEN IN DISTRICT THREE 70 YEARS OF MY LIFE.
I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN THAT AREA.
UH, ALSO, ALSO A DAUGHTER OF MR. EDWARD RENDON SENIOR PARK.
WE HAVE BEEN WAITING, UH, FOR PARKS TO DO SOME MORE RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW WE CAN UTILIZE THIS NATIONAL HERNANDEZ.
I'M AGAINST THE MOVING FORWARD WITH, UH, UH, AN APPROVAL FOR THE NA HERNANDEZ BUILDING.
UH, AND YES, I, UH, DO RECOMMEND THAT YOUR Y'ALL, UH, SUPPORT THE PARKS RECOMMENDATION BECAUSE WE HAVE WORKED MANY YEARS WITH PARKS REGARDING THIS ISSUE.
AND YES, UH, MR. ANDIA, LORI HAS BEEN, UH, SPONSORING THIS WITH UT AND ALL THAT, THAT IS UNFAIR BECAUSE WE JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS A WEEK AGO BY PARKS THAT THIS WAS MOVING FORWARD.
WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR A LONG TIME AND BECAUSE THERE WAS NEEDING FUNDING AND ALSO TO ENGAGE WITH OTHER, UH, PROJECTS WITH THE COMMUNITY, UH, AND A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS DON'T KNOW THAT THIS IS GOING ON.
UM, SO I'M, I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED.
I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH COUNSEL BECAUSE WE HAVE PARK'S RECOMMENDATION AND I HOPE THAT Y'ALL FOLLOW THAT.
MISS ANNA, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD SIT AT THE TABLE IF YOU WANTED TO.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO STAND AT THE PODIUM.
WHICH ONE IS EASIER FOR YOU? THANK YOU, KIM.
THANK YOU COUNSEL FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY.
I AM AN AUSTINITE AND I'M A SENIOR AND DISABLED.
AND TO HEAR THAT WE WANT TO, UM, WE WANT TO NA UH, CHANGE THE NATIONALIST BUILDING INTO A SENIOR CENTER IS UNUSUAL TO ME BEING PRESENTED AT THIS TIME.
THE RECREATION, THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS DONE A WONDERFUL JOB PART, HAS DONE A WONDERFUL JOB, UH, MAKING SURE THAT SENIOR ACTIVITIES ARE BEING PRESENTED THROUGHOUT THE CITY, ESPECIALLY IN EAST AUSTIN.
EAST AUSTIN HAS ALL THESE RECREATIONS THAT OFFER SERVICES TO OUR SENIORS, WHICH INCLUDE RUDY MENDEZ, PANAM, UH, UH, TURNER ROBERTS.
WE NEED TO KEEP IN MIND THAT THESE CENTERS THAT THE CITY PUT OUT THERE IS FOR US TO MAKE SURE FOR THE CITY TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR COMMUNITY AND WHAT GREAT WAY OF DOING IT THROUGH PART THROUGH THE RECREATION CENTERS.
WHY DO WE NEED A, A SENIOR CENTER BEING BUILT? I THINK THAT CENTRAL HEALTH NEEDS TO CONCENTRATE ON MAKING SURE THAT, THAT THEY MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE PEOPLE THAT THEY CAN PROVIDE THEIR SERVICES TO AND, AND THEY ALSO NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY INVITE THE COMMUNITY TO COME IN.
I THINK PAR DOES A GREAT CONNECTION WITH OUR SENIORS BECAUSE SENIORS FEEL COMFORTABLE GOING TO THE RECREATION CENTERS FOR THESE ACTIVITIES.
THERE'S NO REASON WHY WE NEED TO HAVE A SENIOR CENTER.
LET'S USE THOSE FUNDS FOR OTHER THINGS BESIDES WHAT WE'RE ALREADY, WHAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S ALREADY DOING.
AND THAT'S PROVIDING THE SERVICES THAT SENIORS NEED IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.
SENIORS LIKE ME WHO ARE DISABLED, WE CAN'T JUST GET UP IN THE, IN THE MORNING AND JUST GO TO A SENIOR CENTER.
AND, AND, AND IT'S NOT AN EASY THING TO DO FOR ME TODAY.
I HAD A DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT BEFORE I CAME HERE.
I HAD TWO DIFFERENT COLORED SOCKS.
BUT I WANT YOU TO REMEMBER, SENIORS HAVE A HARD TIME JUST GETTING UP AND GOING PLACES.
AND I CAN'T SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE GOING TO A SENIOR CENTER WHEN THEY HAVE, WHEN THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S HAVE PROVIDED A LUXURY, REALLY TO OUR SENIORS WHO CAN GO OUT, PLAY BINGO, COME TO THE RECREATION CENTERS AND PROVIDE THESE SERVICES.
WE DON'T NEED A SENIOR CENTER.
THE RBJ RIGHT THERE HAS A LOT TO OFFER AS WELL.
[01:15:01]
SO I HOPE THAT YOU RECONSIDER, I OPPOSE TO THIS CENTER BEING, BEING CHANGED TO A SENIOR CENTER.UH, THE CITY, THE PARK PROPOSAL IS TO MAKE THE, UH, THE, UH, THAT BUILDING INTO AN ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE.
OUR PROPOSAL IS FOR THEM TO WORK WITH THE SENIORS, WHICH THEY'VE BEEN DOING.
AND FOR IT TO BE SAID THAT THIS HAD JUST CAME AND THEY LEARNED ABOUT IT LAST WEEK.
THIS WENT THROUGH THIS WHOLE CDC, WHICH A DAUGHTER THERE, UH, BERTHA, SHE'S ON THE CDC.
AND SHE AGREED WITH THAT ABOUT THREE MONTHS AGO UNTIL SHE KNEW THAT IT WAS LORI THAT WAS PART OF THAT GROUP THAT WAS SUPPORTING THIS.
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY DIDN'T LIKE IT ANYMORE.
SO IT'S, IT'S MORE OF A PERSONAL THING THAN REALLY WHAT THEY'RE DISCUSSING THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO.
AND IT WAS TO ADDRESS OUR SENIOR PROBLEM.
I LIVE, I LIVE RIGHT THERE IN EYESIGHT OF THAT BUILDING.
I LIVED THERE AL I'VE BEEN THERE FOR 43 YEARS.
I WORKED AND LED THE GROUP TO SAVE FIESTA GARDEN DURING THE BOAT RACES.
I LIVED THERE ON CANTERBURY WHEN THEY FIRST STARTED, AND I COULD NOT STAND AT NORTH.
AND I WENT OUT THERE AND I PICKET, I WENT TO THE CITY COUNCIL.
THERE'S EVEN FILMS RIGHT NOW THAT SHOWED ME THERE AT, AT THE BOAT RAZORS CALLED PAUL HERNANDEZ, SAM HERNANDEZ MARTIN.
HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, PLEASE, I'M NOT TALKING TO YOU.
I GOT ELECTED DELGADO, PLEASE.
AND, AND I GREW UP THERE IN EAST AUSTIN.
I WENT OUT THERE AND DID THE PROTEST WITH MY CO MY FRIENDS THAT WE WORKED VERY HARD TO DO.
AND, AND, UH, FOR THEM TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
WELL, WHAT ARE US THAT BEEN LIVING THERE? I LIVED IN THE SAME HOUSE FOR 43 YEARS NOW.
I STILL LIVE THERE AND IT'S RIGHT ACROSS MARTIN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND RIGHT THERE AT FESTIVAL BEACH.
SO I NOT GONNA STAND HERE AND GET SALTED BY BY SPECIAL INTEREST.
NO ONE INTERRUPTED YOU WHEN YOU WERE SPEAKING.
SO, SO I JUST WANNA MAKE, PUT THE, THE GET THIS, UH, GET THIS STRAIGHT THAT THE PUBLIC DIDN'T KNOW.
IT DID GO THROUGH THE PROCESS.
DAVIS, WE GOT ALL THESE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE WORKING HARD FOR, OUR SENIORS ARE WORKING REALLY HARD.
AND, AND WE, WE HAVE BEEN LED TO BELIEVE BY PARKS THAT THERE WAS GONNA BE PART OF A SENIOR, UH, HOUSING, I MEAN REC, UH, UH, SENIOR HOUSING THERE.
SO THAT'S WHY WE ARE, WE'RE HERE RIGHT NOW TRYING TO GET THESE, THESE, THE, THIS PROPOSAL THROUGH JUST TO, FOR THE CITY MANAGER, JUST TO STUDY IT AND THEN COME BACK WITH RECOMMENDATION.
IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH GIVING THE SITE TO ANYBODY YET.
THE MANAGERS INSTRUCTED TO GO OUT THERE AND DO A STUDY ON IT, AND THAT'S IT.
AND WHATEVER RECOMMENDATION THEY COME BACK, WE'RE GONNA ACCEPT IT.
UH, I JUST WANTED TO THANK COUNCIL MEMBER REN FOR ALL HIS WORK ON THIS.
WHO'S THE NEXT SPEAKER? OKAY, ALL SET.
HELLO, UH, MAYOR, MANAGER, COUNCIL MEMBERS.
THERE'S, ALRIGHT, I'M GOING FOR SOME POSITIVE VIBES.
I'M SORRY TO SHIFT GEARS A LITTLE BIT, BUT, UH, I'M HERE ACTUALLY IN SUPPORT OF, UH, RESOLUTION NUMBER 68 THAT SUPPORTS THE CULTURAL CENTER FUNDING, THE CULTURAL CENTER PROJECTS, AND ALSO THE CREATIVE SPACE.
UM, I REPRESENT THE FRIENDS OF THE DOHERTY ARTS CENTER.
I'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH THEM FOR OVER A DECADE NOW IN THIS REBUILDING PROJECT.
SO I THINK Y'ALL ARE, SEVERAL OF Y'ALL KNOW ME ALREADY AND I'M GONNA MISS SOME OF YOU THAT ARE LEAVING.
SO IT, IT'S, UH, A SENTIMENTAL DAY AS WELL.
ANYWAY, I'M IN SUPPORT OF THE RESOLUTION, UH, AND PROCEEDING WITH THE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, ESPECIALLY WITH THE, UM, CONSTRUCTION OF THE DOHERTY ARTS CENTER PROJECT.
IT'S TIME TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PROJECT.
UM, I KNOW THAT, UH, THE NEEDS BEEN WELL ESTABLISHED FOR A NEW BUILDING.
I ALSO KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN COMPREHENSIVE, A LONG-RUNNING PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR THIS.
THERE WAS FUNDING IN THE 2012 BOND ELECTION, UH, THE 2018 BOND ELECTION.
[01:20:01]
UM, THE SITE HAS BEEN APPROVED AND THE, UM, EVEN A DESIGN HAS BEEN, UH, A DESIGN PHASE HAS BEEN APPROVED.UH, THERE'S A PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP AND, UH, WE'RE WILLING TO ENGAGE IN A CAPITAL CAMPAIGN.
SO, UM, ACKNOWLEDGE THAT INFLATION'S AN ISSUE.
BUT, UH, I THINK THAT ALL OF THESE PROJECTS FOR THE CULTURAL CENTER PROJECTS AND THIS RESOLUTION ARE WORTHWHILE AND CONTINUE.
I SUPPORT THEM MOVING FORWARD.
AND, UH, JUST TO GIVE YOU'ALL A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE, UM, LIKE I SAID, I'VE BEEN COMING HERE SINCE I GUESS 2012 REGARDING THE REBUILDING OF THE DOHERTY ARTS CENTER.
THE REASON I BECAME PASSIONATE ABOUT THE DOHERTY IS IN 2009, MY SON WENT TO THE DOHERTY ARTS PRESCHOOL AND I GOT INVOLVED AND I, UH, BECAME PRESIDENT AND I SAID, OKAY, WE'RE GONNA GET THIS REBUILT.
AND IT'S 2022 AND HE'S GONNA GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL NEXT YEAR.
SO I GAVE A COMMITMENT TO CONTINUE ON WITH THIS, AND I'M GOING TO, I JUST WANNA CUT AND GET IT DONE AND GET THIS PROJECT MOVING FORWARD BEFORE I RETIRE, BEFORE HE GOES OFF TO COLLEGE.
SO I APPRECIATE YOUR CONSIDERATION.
I APPRECIATE WORKING WITH Y'ALL TOO OVER THE YEARS.
I'M GONNA MISS THE ONES THAT ARE LEAVING AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION, SUPPORT OF THE RESOLUTION.
DAVID GUAN ON ITEM 68 ON DECK IS BILL LEY.
UH, THANK YOU COUNSEL FOR YOUR TIME.
UH, I'M THE CURRENT VICE CHAIR AND PAST CHAIR OF THE USB MAC ADVISORY BOARD REPRESENTING DISTRICT FIVE.
I'M HERE TO SUPPORT ITEM NUMBER 68.
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK MAYOR ADLER, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, COUNCIL MEMBER RENT AND COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHENS FOR SUPPORTING THIS RESOLUTION AND FOR THE CONTINUED SUPPORT FROM THE COUNCIL FOR THE SB MAC.
CURRENTLY, THE SB MAC SITS AT A THRESHOLD OF STARTING CONSTRUCTION OF OUR PHASE TWO EXPANSION WITH AN EXCEPTIONALLY TALENTED GROUP OF ARCHITECTS AND DESIGNERS AND COLLABORATION WITH THE ADVISORY BOARD MAC AND PART STAFF AND THE COMMUNITY.
WE, UNFORTUNATELY, HAVE BEEN VICTIM TO A VERY VOLATILE CONSTRUCTION MARKET.
WE HAVE GONE FROM BEING WITHIN BUDGET IN THE SPRING OF THIS YEAR TO APPROXIMATELY 30% OVER BUDGET IN A MATTER OF A FEW MONTHS.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE PROJECT HAS HAD TO RESORT TO SEVERE VALUE ENGINEERING SCOPE PRODUCTIONS DUE IN PART TO INFLATION SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES, AND TO COMPETITIVE SUBCONTRACTOR MARKET WITH SOME OF THE CITY'S MOST EXPENSIVE AND LUXURIOUS HIGH-RISE DEVELOPMENTS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION OR NEARING CONSTRUCTION AT OUR PROPERTY PROPERTY LINE, AND WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE RAINY STREET HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD DISTRICT.
SEEING THE SCOPE OF THE SB MAC PHASE TWO REDUCED DURING AN ERA OF RECORD GROWTH COMPROMISES THE PROMISE FROM THE CITY OF BUILDING A LANDMARK PHASE TWO FOR VIBRANT AND PROUD COMMUNITY, OUR CENTER IS BUSTING AT THE SEAMS AND A REDUCTION OF SCOPE GRAVELY LIMITS OUR ABILITY TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF THE COMMUNITY.
THE ESP MAX STAFF ARE INCREDIBLY CREATIVE AND RESOURCEFUL IN THEIR PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATIONS OF OUR SIGNATURE EVENTS AND COLLABORATIONS WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS.
IMAGINE WHAT WE CAN, WHAT CAN BE DONE WITH A WELL-EQUIPPED AND FULLY COMPLETED MAC FACILITY FOR THESE REASONS.
THE SB MAC ADVISORY BOARD UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED A RESOLUTION AT OUR NOVEMBER MEETING REQUESTING ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO SUPPORT THE PROMISE FROM THE CITY TO BUILD AN EXPANSION COMMENSURATE WITH A WORLDCLASS CULTURAL CENTER.
WE ARE NEARING COMPLETION OF THE DESIGN PHASE, AND THIS RISK REQUEST HAS MUCH URGENCY IN ORDER TO LIMIT ANY DELAYS.
I SUPPO, I SUPPORT THE APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER 68 SO WE CAN BEGIN WORK AND TO FULLY FUND THE PHASE TWO EXPANSION.
AS THE RAINY NEIGHBORHOOD QUICKLY BECOMES ONE OF THE MOST DENSE URBAN ENVIRONMENTS IN THE STATE, THE MAC IS ONE OF THE ONLY FORCES PROVIDING AN OPEN AND SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR CULTURE TO BE PRESERVED, CREATED AND CELEBRATED, I SHOULD SAY, MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURE TO BE PRESERVED, CREATED, AND CELEBRATED.
LASTLY, WE INVITE YOU ALL OF OUR ALL COUNTS MEMBERS TO OUR GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY THIS SATURDAY AT 9:30 AM AT THE BM MAC CAMPUS TO CELEBRATE THE START OF THE PHASE TWO CONSTRUCTION.
CAN I GIVE A QUICK COMMENT? YES, GO AHEAD.
I JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR, FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
I WISH I COULD ATTEND THIS SATURDAY, BUT UNFORTUNATELY I DO HAVE ANOTHER COMMITMENT DURING THAT TIME.
UH, AND ALSO I HAVE REQUESTED TO BE ADDED AS A CO-SPONSOR OF THE ITEM.
MCC HAMLEY ON ITEM 74 ON DECK IS JIAO POWELL CONLEY.
GOOD MORNING, MR. MAYOR, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL.
I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF TRANSIT FORWARD.
UH, WE ARE AN AUSTIN BASED 5 0 1
UH, OUR ORGANIZATION DID SEND A BOARD APPROVED STATEMENT TO ALL OF YOUR OFFICES IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS, UH, REGARDING WHAT THE PROPOSAL LOOKS LIKE IN ITS ORIGINAL FORM.
WE UNDERSTAND THAT COUNCIL KITCHEN HAS SOME PROPOSED CHANGES.
WE WANT TO EXPRESS OUR APPRECIATION FOR HER FOR BEING VERY COMMUNICATIVE IN
[01:25:01]
THIS PROCESS, IN MAKING SURE THAT OUR FOLKS, UH, HAVE THE INFORMATION ON THOSE CHANGES.UM, OUR, OUR PREFERENCE IS STILL THAT A VOTE ON THE BOARD EXPANSION PIECE OF THIS RESOLUTION IS DELAYED.
WE THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO KEEP EVERYONE'S FOCUS ON THE ENGAGEMENT PROCESS FOR THE FIRST LIGHT RAIL INVESTMENT PIECE THAT IS, THAT YOU ALL HEARD ABOUT LAST WEEK AT THE TRI-PARTY MEETING.
THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COUNCIL IS GONNA BE A CRITICAL PART OF THAT PROCESS.
AND THE NEW, UH, PROPOSAL BEING PUT OUT BASICALLY OVERLAYS THE TIME FOR CREATING NEW PROCESSES FOR BOARD EXPANSION WITH THOSE PROCESSES.
AND OUR PREFERENCE WOULD BE TO REALLY HAVE A LASER FOCUS ON THAT REALLY CRITICAL PIECE OF PROJECT CONNECT THAT'S GONNA BE COMING FORWARD.
UH, THAT BEING SAID, WE APPRECIATE GREATLY THAT THE EFFORT IS BEING MADE TO PROVIDE MORE FLEXIBILITY, UH, BEING KEPT IN THE LOOP AS THIS BEING AS DEV AS THIS HAS BEEN DEVELOPED AND BEING NAMED SPECIFICALLY IN THE RESOLUTION, UH, AS A PARTNER FOR ENGAGEMENT.
UH, IF THIS IS PASSED TODAY, OUR ORGANIZATION AND ITS MEMBERS, INCLUDING RKA AND THE DUN, UH, THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE WILL COMMIT TO WORKING WITH OUR FRIENDS AT THE CAC WHO WE RESPECT VERY, VERY GREATLY TO GET THE BEST POSSIBLE OUTCOME FOR ALL OF US IN THE CITY.
SO, MR. MAYOR, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME.
SO, MR. KINGLEY, THE, YOU, YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THE REVISIONS ARE, DON'T DICTATE A TIMELINE, SO, UH, DON'T DICTATE A TIMELINE FOR THE COUNCIL TO TAKE ANY FURTHER ACTION.
SO, AND WE DELIBERATELY REVISED IT THAT WAY SO THAT, SO THAT TFAS CONCERNS ABOUT THE TIMELINE, UH, COULD BE ADDRESSED BY THE NEXT COUNCIL.
SO, UM, JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTOOD THAT THE LANGUAGE READS SUCH THAT IF, IF IN THE SPRING, IF THERE'S CONCERNS ABOUT, UH, PULLING TIME AWAY FROM OTHER ACTIVITIES, UH, THIS DOESN'T, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ENOUGH FLEXIBILITY HERE THAT THAT CAN BE ADDRESSED.
AND, AND, AND MR. MAYOR AND COUNSELOR KITCHEN, WE, WE APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH.
WE APPRECIATE THE CONSIDERATION.
OUR JUST WORRY IS THAT IF THE CITIZEN'S ADVISORY COUNCIL IS GONNA BE ONE OF THE MAIN ORGANISMS THAT ATP IS GONNA LOOK FOR TO DO ENGAGEMENT FOR THE FIRST LIGHT RAIL INVESTMENT, THAT TIMEFRAME IS BASICALLY OVERLAID WITH THE TIMEFRAME THAT REQUIRING A PLAN AT THE END OF FEBRUARY FROM THE CAC FOR THIS.
AND THAT'S JUST OUR, OUR CONCERN IS THAT, UH, WE JUST REALLY WANT TO KEEP FOCUSED ON THE PROJECT ITSELF, AND THAT'S OUR WORRY TIMEFRAME.
I UNDERSTAND THAT, AND I HEAR THAT CONCERN THE CAC IS COMFORTABLE WITH MOVING FORWARD WITH THIS MM-HMM.
SO AS YOU ALL GET IN THE, INTO THE PROCESS, YOU GUYS CAN SAY, OH, THIS ISN'T, THIS REALLY ISN'T GONNA WORK.
AND WE, IT IT ALLOWS THAT FLEXIBILITY TO OCCUR.
AND WE APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH AND WE APPRECIATE WORKING WITH Y'ALL AND, AND THE CONSIDERATION THAT'S JUST KIND OF WHERE OUR BOARD IS AT.
GOOD MORNING, UH, MAYOR AND COUNSEL.
I WANTED TO SHARE, UM, OUR CONSIDERATIONS FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE AS ADVOCATES AND AS MEMBERS OF THE CAC.
UM, I WANNA EXPRESS FIRST BROAD SUPPORT, UM, FOR THE ITEM PUT FORWARD BY KITCHEN WITH THE LATEST AMENDMENTS.
UM, THE, THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT FOR US IN ALL OF THIS IS THAT THERE BEING WITHOUT CLEAR TRANSPARENT CHANGES TO THE PROCESS THAT ALLOW FOR THE NEEDED TRANSPARENCY, THAT IS THE KEY.
AND THAT WE HAVE A REALLY CLEAR PROCESS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT PROBLEMS WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE FOR AND WHAT CRITERIA WE'RE TRYING TO FILL WITH THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS.
SO WE DON'T JUST KEEP ADDING MEMBERS TO THE BOARD WHO AREN'T DEEPLY INVESTED IN AND HAVE THE NECESSARY EXPERIENCE TO MOVE A MASS TRANSIT PROJECT FORWARD.
THAT IS THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY FOR US.
SO AROUND TIMELINE, I WOULD DEFER TO STAFF AND I WOULD DEFER TO, YOU KNOW, THE, THE LEADERSHIP OF THE CAC AS WELL IN FIGURING OUT, UM, WHAT, WHAT, WHEN, AND WHERE IS THE BEST TIME TO MOVE TO MOVE THIS PROCESS FORWARD.
UM, BUT FOR US, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT WE DON'T TAKE ONE PIECE OF THIS OR DO A CHANGE OR AN CHANGE OR AN EXPANSION TO THE BOARD WITHOUT CLEARLY UNDERSTANDING WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO AND WHY, AND HAVE A CLEAR, TRANSPARENT PROCESS FOR EVERYTHING.
SO WHAT I'M HEARING IS, UH, THE TRANSPARENCY ASPECT IS VERY IMPORTANT.
THE, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE MAKES, UM, ALLOWS FOR SOME TIME.
SO IT ALLOWS TWO WEEKS, I THINK.
AND THEN THE OTHER TRANSPARENCY PROVISION IS THAT ANY CRITERIA THAT THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE IS GOING TO APPLY IS, UM, IS, UH, IS DEVELOPED AND SHARED PUBLICLY, UH, AND WITH THE CAC.
[01:30:01]
YEAH, THAT IS EXACTLY CORRECT.THAT IS WHAT WE, WE, WHAT WE MEAN BY TRANSPARENCY.
AND REALLY JUST TO UNDERSCORE BOTH THE CRITERIA AND THE NAMES THAT ARE BEING CONSIDERED FOR NOMINATION.
IS THAT WE TRY NOT TO DEBATE THESE ITEMS SO THAT WE CAN GET THROUGH SPEAKERS.
UH, IT IS ALREADY AFTERNOON AND WE MID, UH, AFTER 12 O'CLOCK AND WE STILL HAVE MORE SPEAKERS TO GO.
NEXT SPEAKER, UM, ZENOBIA JOSEPH ON ITEM.
SHE'S, UM, CALLED IN ON ITEM 8, 9, 10 36, 37, 54, 55, 72, AND 77.
MAYOR, I KNOW YOU'RE PRESSED FOR TIME, BUT MAY I ASK YOU A TECHNICAL QUESTION? YOU'RE YOUR TIME STARTED.
YOU CAN USE YOUR THREE MINUTES, HOWEVER YOU WANT IT.
I DON'T KNOW THAT I'LL ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
WELL, I DON'T WANT, UNLESS YOU CAN CERTAINLY ASK ME.
UM, UH, MAYOR, SO I, I WOULD RESPECTFULLY ASK YOU NOT TO USE THIS PART OF MY QUESTION FROM MY TIME.
UM, THE QUESTION THAT I HAVE IS, WHO DECIDES WHEN TO COMBINE THE AGENDA ITEMS? YOU HAVE MANY ITEMS RELATED TO THE ST.
JOHN'S, THE REDEVELOPMENT, BUT THEY WERE NOT TOGETHER ON THE AGENDA.
AND THEN OTHER TIMES THEY ARE TOGETHER.
AND THEN THE OTHER QUESTION I HAVE, WHICH IS TECHNICAL, IS HOW DOES A PERSON IN THE PUBLIC GET THEIR INFORMATION INTO THE BACKUP MATERIALS? AND I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S THE LIAISON WHEN IT COMES TO PLANNING COMMISSION AND ZONING AND PLANNING COMMISSION, OR IF THAT'S THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE.
UM, SO THOSE ARE MY TWO TECHNICAL QUESTIONS.
THE CLERK'S OFFICE PUTS THINGS ON THE AGENDA.
MAYOR, YOUR, YOUR MIC'S NOT CLERK'S.
OFFICE PUTS THINGS ON THE AGENDA, AND THE PUBLIC DOES NOT PUT THINGS INTO BACKUP.
UH, THE STAFF PUTS THINGS INTO BACKUP, AND COUNCIL MEMBER OFFICES CAN PUT THINGS INTO BACKUP.
UM, SO IF YOU WANNA GET SOMETHING, PUT BACKUP, YOU SHOULD APPROACH A COUNCIL MEMBER OR THE CLERK.
AND NOW LET'S START YOUR THREE MINUTES.
AND THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING MY QUESTION.
AS IT RELATES SPECIFICALLY TO THE AGENDA, UM, AS IT RELATES SPECIFICALLY TO THE AGENDA ITEMS, I JUST WANNA PREFACE BY SAYING THAT, UM, TRANSPARENCY IS IMPORTANT.
HOWEVER, TITLE SIX OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964, WHICH PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RACE, COLOR, AND NATIONAL ORIGIN, IS, UH, PARAMOUNT WHEN IT COMES TO YOU GETTING FEDERAL FUNDING.
AND SO I JUST WANT TO SAY TO ANYONE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN WHO MAY BE FRUSTRATED WITH YOU AND PROJECT CONNECT AND THE WAY THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO GET FUNDING CIRCUMVENTING THE THE PROCESS, UH, YOU CAN FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, IT'S CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION@USDOJ.GOV.
AND THE PERSON, UH, WOULD BE KRISTEN CLARK, THAT'S THE ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL.
OR YOU CAN SEND A COMMENT TO THE TREASURY CIVIL RIGHTS, UH, ACTING DIRECTOR SNYDER PAGE AT CR COMPLAINTS@TREASURY.GOV.
MY OPPOSITION, ITEM 55, WHICH IS YOUR, UH, INNOVATIVE WAY TO GET FUNDING THROUGH THE US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR PROJECT CONNECT AND OTHER ITEMS, UH, THROUGH THE BUILD AMERICA BUREAU IS REALLY JUST YOU GETTING, UH, FUNDING THROUGH PETE BUTTIGIEG.
WE KNOW THAT HE HAS BEEN QUOTED AS BEING YOUR MAYORAL BFF, AND I REMEMBER ON NOVEMBER 30TH, IN THE TRI-PARTY MEETING, YOU MENTIONED THAT THERE ARE CREATIVE WAYS TO GET FUNDING.
AND SO I AM ADAMANTLY OPPOSED TO YOU CIRCUMVENTING THE PROCESS BECAUSE IF THOSE INNOVATIVE WAYS OF GETTING FUNDING FOR PROJECT CONNECT ARE NOT AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES, THEN YOU ARE CIRCUMVENTING THE LAW AS IT RELATES SPECIFICALLY TO THE ST.
I JUST WANNA CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION THAT YOU ARE SEGREGATING THE CITY, AND THAT WILL BE YOUR LEGACY MAYOR.
AND RESPECTFULLY, UH, 60% AREA MEDIAN INCOME IS ABOUT $46,380 AND 80% AREA MEDIAN INCOME IS 61,800 ACCORDING TO THE JUNE 15TH, 2022 C D V G UH, HU CHART.
AND SO I JUST WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT WHEN YOU HAVE ALL, UH, THE, OF THE 19 ACRE UNITS AT 60% AIR UNION INCOME ARE BELOW, THAT'S AFRICAN AMERICANS THAT YOU'RE TARGETING.
AND SPECIFICALLY, UH, 80% AND HIGHER THAN 19 ACRES THAT YOU JUST APPROVED, UH, FOR DOWNTOWN AT THE OLD AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN BUILDING IS GOING TO BE EXCLUSIVELY FOR WHITE PEOPLE.
AND THAT PRO THAT IS ACTUALLY PROHIBITED BY TITLE SIX AS YOU'RE AWARE, AS, UM, IT RELATES SPECIFICALLY TO ITEM 36, WHICH IS, UH, YOUR EQUITABLE TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT.
[01:35:01]
I JUST WANNA REMIND YOU THAT ON DECEMBER 17TH, 2018, YOU ACTUALLY TESTIFIED BEFORE CAPITAL METRO WHEN THEY ADOPTED THE PROJECT CONNECT LONG-TERM VISION PLAN.AND IT STARTED THE FIRST STATION SOUTH OF US, 180 3.
AND THAT HAS NOT BEEN REVISED.
THAT INFORMATION WAS ALSO GIVEN TO YOU IN YOUR JOINT MEETINGS AS WELL.
AND SO UNILATERALLY CHANGING THE TERMINUS TO NORFOLK TRANSIT CENTER IN ORDER TO USE THE RIDERSHIP IS LIKE USING BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE LIKE SLAVES ON A PLANTATION.
AND I WOULD ASK YOU TO CANCEL THIS ITEM IN YOU SPEAKER, YOUR TIME IS EXPIRED.
DID NOT INCLUDE, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL GO GLADLY ANSWER THEM AT THIS TIME.
AND I AM GOING TO STAY ON HOLD BECAUSE I SIGNED UP FOR ITEM SEVEN ON THE HOUSING AGENDA.
MAYOR, THAT CONCLUDES ALL THE CONSENT SPEAKERS.
UM, MS. Z NOVIA, JOSEPH IS REGISTERED FOR A H F C AND WE HAVE ANOTHER IN-PERSON SPEAKER.
I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND RECESS THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING HERE AT 1207.
I'M GONNA CONVENE THE, UH, AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION MEETING HERE ON DECEMBER 8TH, 2022 IS 1208.
WE ARE IN CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS.
UM, UH, WE HAVE A QUORUM OF THE DIRECTORS THAT ARE PRESENT.
I WOULD POINT OUT THAT WE HAVE, UH, LATE BACKUP IN, UH, ITEM 13.
UM, AND I THINK THAT'S THE ONLY ITEM IN THE A HFC THAT WE HAVE.
UH, THE, UH, HOW MANY ITEMS DO WE HAVE ON THE AGENDA? WE HAVE 13 ITEMS ON THE AGENDA.
WE ALSO HAVE TWO PUBLIC SPEAKERS, ONE REMOTE, AND ONE IN PERSON.
WE GONNA BE ABLE TO TAKE ALL OF THE ITEMS UP ON CONSENT.
PLEASE CALL THE TWO SPEAKERS SINIA JOSEPH.
COUNSEL, I'M ZNO JOSEPH, I'M SPEAKING ON ITEM SEVEN, WHICH IS YOUR CANDLEWOOD SUITES HOTEL CONVERSION IN DISTRICT SIX.
MY OPPOSITION IS AS IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN, THIS PROJECT LACKS TRANSPARENCY.
I'LL JUST, UH, RECALL ON MAY 3RD, 2021, YOU ACTUALLY DID A BAIT AND SWITCH, AND YOU CHANGED THIS FROM BEING JUST PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
YOU THEN HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE ON MAY 18TH, 2021, AND THEN YOU CHANGED IT.
IT WAS GOING TO BE SAFE ALLIANCE.
AND THEN NOW, UH, SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER AUGUST 11TH, 2021, IT WAS GOING TO BE A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTER, AND THE NAME CHANGED TO APPLE PIE HOTEL.
AND NOW HERE WE ARE ABOUT TO APPROVE 28 VOUCHERS FOR FAMILY ELDER CARE THROUGH HOUSING ASSISTANCE PAYMENT CONTRACT.
I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT YOU HAVE 171 PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING UNITS AT 19 19 34 RUTLAND, WHERE CAPITAL METRO UNILATERALLY ELIMINATED TWO 40 RUTLAND.
THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE WILL HAVE TO WALK THE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING OVER HERE.
YOU HAVE CHERRY PICKED THE SENIOR CITIZENS TO LIVE IN NORTHWEST AUSTIN.
YOU'RE NOT EVEN EQUITABLE WHEN IT COMES TO THE HOMELESS.
I WOULD ASK YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT THIS PROJECT IS DISCRIMINATORY.
YOU HAVE CHERRY PICKED IT, IT'S NOT CORRECT.
IN NORTHEAST AUSTIN, YOU HAVE OVER A HUNDRED UNITS OF PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
BUT EVERYWHERE ELSE IN THE CITY, IT'S LESS THAN 50.
I'M JUST EQUALLY DISTURBED, MAYOR.
AND THIS PROJECT IS ONE THAT I OPPOSE FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW, AND I WILL CONTINUE TO OPPOSE IT.
AND IF IT MEANS FILING A TITLE SIX COMPLAINT, I WILL.
THIS IS ONE YEAR WITH 14 ONE YEAR RENEWALS.
IN OTHER WORDS, THIS WILL JUST CONTINUE LONG PAST YOUR DEPARTURE AND IT IS NOT AN EQUITABLE PROJECT.
AND SO I WILL JUST ASK YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT YOU NEED TO BE EQUITABLE WHEN IT COMES TO THE HOMELESS AND DISPERSE THE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING WEST OF LOOP ONE.
THERE'S LOTS OF LAND OVER THERE, SOUTH OF US, 180 3 OVER AT THE RYAN PROPERTY AND ELSEWHERE, IT'S LESS THAN 50 UNITS AND IT'S NOT EQUITABLE.
AND SO PLEASE DON'T TALK ABOUT EQUITY BECAUSE YOU DON'T MEAN IT.
AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL GLADLY ANSWER THEM AT THIS TIME.
MY NAME IS DEBBIE KAISER WITH IMAGINE ART, AND WE ARE THE NONPROFIT DEVELOPER FOR THE LIVE MAY CAMPUS THAT'S BEING DEVELOPED IN DISTRICT THREE.
THIS IS A DEEPLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING CAMPUS AND DISTRICT THREE OFFERING 30, 50 AND 60% AMI UNITS.
THERE'S GONNA BE 66 UNITS THERE.
[01:40:01]
PROJECT IS ANCHORED BY 8,500 SQUARE FEET OF PUBLIC ART SPACE AND KITCHEN.15 UNITS ARE BEING DEDICATED TO REHOUSING THE HOMELESS AND PARTNERSHIP WITH ECHO.
THIS PROJECT SERVES, UM, PRIMARILY ARTISTS WITHIN WITHOUT DISABILITIES, AND WE'RE ALSO ENGAGING DISTRICT THREE GO VALLEY RESIDENTS WHO ARE AT RISK FOR DISPLACEMENT.
SO TODAY'S DECISION IS THE CULMINATION OF AN RFP PROCESS, AND WE ARE READY TO BREAK GROUND IN JANUARY OF 2023.
I WANNA CONTIN TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED ONGOING SUPPORT AND JUST ALSO LET YOU KNOW THAT I AM HERE FOR QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE THEM.
THAT CONCLUDES ALL THE SPEAKERS.
CAN WE HANDLE ALL 13 ITEMS ON CONSENT? UH, WE SURE CAN.
UM, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA? ITEMS ONE THROUGH 13 MADE BY, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, RENTERIA, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU NEED TO TELL US BEFORE? I ONLY WANNA DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO, UH, A COUPLE REALLY IMPORTANT ITEMS. UM, ONE IS ITEM TWO, WHICH IS AUTHORIZING STAFF TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE ACQUISITION OF NINE, UM, NATURALLY OCCURRING AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS, UH, IN DISTRICT SEVEN AND NINE.
SO IN CENTRAL AUSTIN, IN PROXIMITY, SOMETIMES RIGHT ADJACENT TO PROJECT CONNECT LINES.
UH, WE'RE DOING THAT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AFFORDABLE CENTRAL TEXAS, UH, NONPROFIT, UH, EQUITY FUND, WHICH WE'RE REALLY, THIS WILL BE OUR SECOND PARTNERSHIP WITH THEM.
ITEM THREE THROUGH, UH, SIX ARE RELATED TO FORMING THE NONPROFIT CORPORATIONS TO STEWARD THOSE PROPERTIES.
AND THEN I WILL NOTE THAT ITEM SEVEN THROUGH 10 ARE REALLY THE LAUNCH OF OUR LOCAL HOUSING VOUCHER PROGRAM FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.
UM, WE, THIS IS AUTHORIZING US TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE CONTRACT WITH THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO, UM, MANAGE, UM, THE DISTRIBUTION OF THOSE VOUCHERS FOR OUR FIRST THREE PROPERTIES, UH, WHICH INCLUDE, UM, UH, PECAN GARDENS, 28 LOCAL HOUSING VOUCHERS, 25 LOCAL HOUSING VOUCHERS AT KATY LOFTS, WHICH IS IN DISTRICT NINE, AND THEN SEABROOK SQUARE IN DISTRICT ONE, UM, AT 35 15 MAINER ROAD.
THAT'S 60 LOCAL HOUSING VOUCHERS, ALL TO SUPPORT PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
I WANTED TO JUST COMMEND THE HOUSING STAFF FOR, FOR REALLY ALL OF THIS TREMENDOUS WORK.
IT'S GREAT TO SEE KATIE LOFTS MOVING FORWARD.
UM, AND SO THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS IN THE COMMUNITY ON THAT.
AND THANK YOU TO, TO YOU AND THE HOUSING STAFF FOR WORKING ON, ON NUMBER TWO, WHICH YOU'VE MENTIONED.
THAT'S GOING TO, BY MY QUICK CALCULATIONS, I THINK IT'S GOING TO INVOLVE ABOUT 150 UNITS IN DISTRICT NINE, MOSTLY IN HYDE PARK, MAYBE ENTIRELY IN HYDE PARK.
SOME OF THOSE IT SOUNDS LIKE ARE GONNA BE OFFERED AS FOR SALE OPPORTUNITIES, BUT THE OTHERS ARE GONNA REMAIN AS AFFORDABLE UNITS.
AND SO THIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF, OF HOW WE CAN LEVERAGE THE RESOURCES OF THE CITY AS WELL AS WITH, WITH OUR PRIVATE PARTNERS TO REALLY CREATE, CREATE OPPORTUNITIES IN AREAS THAT ARE PRETTY COSTLY TO LIVE.
I SHOULD NOTE THAT THE NINE PROPERTIES ARE ACTUALLY, IT'S 270 UNITS IN TOTAL.
UM, SO, UH, IT'S, I WAS COUNTING THE ONE, SORRY, IN, IN D NINE.
I WAS COUNTING THE ONES IN, THEN THE REMAINDER IN D SEVEN.
UM, BUT, UH, GREAT OPPORTUNITY.
WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT.
THE, UH, MOTION FOR CONSENT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED.
THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
SO ELSE THOSE IN FAVOR RAISE YOUR HAND.
THOSE OPPOSED UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGENDA PASSES.
I'M GOING TO, UM, UH, ADJOURN THE, UH, MEETING OF THE HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION.
I'M GONNA RECONVENE THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL MEETING HERE AT, UH, 12:15 PM UH, WE HAVE THE CONSENT
[Consent Agenda (Part 2 of 2)]
AGENDA IN FRONT OF US.LET'S SEE IF WE CAN, WE CAN PUT SOME THINGS BACK ON QUICKLY.
IF WE CAN PUT THEM ON QUICKLY.
I WANT TO VOTE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA BEFORE WE BREAK FOR LUNCH.
I'M NOT SURE THERE'S ELSE WE CAN DO.
IF IT TURNS INTO SOMETHING THAT'S TOO LONG, I'M GONNA PULL IT AND WE CAN DEAL WITH IT THIS AFTERNOON.
JOHN COUNCIL MEMBER TOBO, COULD THAT BE PUT ONTO CONSENT? I BELIEVE SO.
IF OUR APPLICANTS CAN COME UP, I THINK WE'VE GOT SOME AGREED UPON AMENDMENTS.
IS THE APPLICANT HERE? MAYBE WE CAN CIRCLE BACK AROUND TO IT, BUT I THINK THAT'S MAYBE BE REALLY SNAPPY IF WE COULD TO GET THAT APPLICANT HERE.
THERE'S A CHANCE FOR TO BE ON CONSENT.
UH, WHAT ABOUT, UH, ITEM NUMBER 11? UH, CAN THAT BE PUT BACK ON CONSENT COUNCIL? TOGO? UH, MAYBE RIGHT AFTER LUNCH, MAYOR, SO CAN'T BE PUT ON NOW.
UM, WHAT ABOUT, UM, UH, ITEM NUMBER 33, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS 33 AND 34? YES, MAYOR, I GOT A SUFFICIENT ANSWER FROM STAFF IN THE Q AND A, UM, JUST ABOUT THE HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, AND THEY ARE PLANNING ON MOVING FORWARD IN LINE WITH THE BUDGET DIRECTION FROM, UM, FROM AUGUST.
SO I'M HAPPY TO PUT THOSE BACK ON.
[01:45:01]
33 AND 34 ARE BACK ONTO THE, UH, AGENDA.UM, THE NEXT ONE I'M, I'M LOOKING AT HERE THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO, TO BE PUT, UH, 53 REMAINS ON THE CONSENT, UH, AGENDA.
UM, MAY WHAT ABOUT ITEM NUMBER 50? I'M SORRY.
COULD THAT BE PUT BACK ON CONSENT? I'D LIKE TO REQUEST A POSTPONEMENT UNTIL MY STAFF IS ABLE TO ADEQUATELY REVIEW THE CONTRACTS THAT WERE SENT TO US TODAY.
I CAN LAY OUT WHY I HAVE MY REASONING, BUT, UM, THE STAFF HAVE ANY OBJECTION TO POSTPONING ITEM NUMBER 35.
OKAY, WE'RE GONNA KEEP THAT PULLED.
UH, I'M GOING IN AN ORDER HERE, GUYS.
AND, UH, THE NEXT ONE WE HAVE OBJECT TWO ON THE POSTPONEMENT.
SORRY, I ALSO OBJECT ON THE POSTPONEMENT FOR 35.
UM, THE NEXT ONE I SEE HERE, 36 SHOULD STILL REMAIN.
COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON.
UH, PAUL, AS LONG AS YOU FOLLOW THROUGH ON GIVING ME MY PRESENT, LIKE PROMISED EARLIER TODAY? YES, SIR.
IT'LL STAY ON HOLD OR IT GOES ON CONSENT.
AND I, I'M SORRY, MAYOR, CAN I CLARIFY, IS THAT WITH YOUR AMENDMENT? UH, COUNCIL MEMBER? IT IS.
I THINK, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER AL ALTER OR MAYORAL ALTER HEAD OF HAD A, A BRIEF QUESTION AND IT WAS, IT WAS RESOLVED.
THANK, SO, 36 AS AMENDED BY THE POSTED AMENDMENT FROM COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON STAYS ON CONSENT.
I THINK THE NEXT ONE I'M LOOKING AT HERE IS, UH, UH, 58.
UH, I'VE HANDED OUT AN AMENDMENT ON THAT, BUT I THINK THAT NEEDS TO STAY PULLED BECAUSE THEY'RE PRETTY EXTENSIVE.
ON 53, I STILL HAD A QUESTION FOR STAFF.
UNLESS STAFF WANTS, WANTS TO TRY TO HANDLE IT QUICKLY.
HAVE YOU GIVE THEM THAT THEY KNOW THE QUESTION? I'M NOT SURE, BUT I SEE DIRECTOR MENDOZA HERE.
YOU WANNA ASK THE QUESTION? LET'S SEE IF IT'S A QUICK ONE.
THANK YOU FOR COMING UP, DIRECTOR MENDOZA.
UM, SO THIS ITEM NUMBER 53 IS LOWERING THE SPEED LIMIT ON BARTON SPRINGS ROAD.
AND I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY, SORRY, I WOULD'VE DONE THIS EARLIER, BUT I WAS OUT OF TOWN EARLIER THIS WEEK.
UM, THIS DOES NOT COVER THIS SECTION WITHIN ZILKER PARK.
CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT NEXT STEPS WOULD BE TO POTENTIALLY REVIEW THAT AND LOWER THAT AS WELL? AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, IT'S LOWERED OUTSIDE THE PARK AND THEN THE SPEED WOULD ACTUALLY INCREASE AS YOU ENTER THE PARK, AND THAT SEEMS COUNTERINTUITIVE TO ME.
COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, RICHARD MENDOZA, INTERIM TRANSPORTATION DIRECTOR, THAT SECTION, UH, BARTON SPRINGS ROAD, UM, FROM ABOUT 650 FEET WEST OF OZZIE MORTON OUT TO MOPAC ACTUALLY HAS FEWER DRIVE, DRIVE ACCESSES AND CONFLICTS THAT WOULD MAKE IT MORE CHALLENGING TO, UH, THROUGH AN ENGINEERING STUDY JUSTIFY LOWERING THE SPEED LIMIT.
AND WE DID NOT WANT THAT TO HOLD UP, UH, LOWERING IT FOR THE MORE IMPACTED AREA.
OUR PLAN CURRENTLY IS TO INSTALL A PEDESTRIAN HYBRID, UH, BEACON AT THE BOTANICAL GARDENS DRIVE, AND THEN MAKE ADDITIONAL SIDEWALK AND BIKE IMPROVEMENTS FOR THAT SECTION AND, UH, AND THEN COME BACK AND LOOK AT THE SPEEDS.
TYPICALLY, WHEN WE DO THOSE TYPES OF IMPROVEMENTS, IT MAKES DRIVER'S BEHAVIORS, UH, AWARE OF, OF THOSE, UM, UH, MULTIMODAL ASPECTS AND LOWER SPEEDS.
BUT IF YOU DESIRE US TO INCLUDE THAT IN THIS, WE'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO DO SO.
YEAH, I I THINK IT WOULD MAKE SENSE FOR IT TO JUST BE THE SAME SPEED THROUGHOUT THE, THE WHOLE BARTON SPRINGS ROAD.
UM, BUT IF WE NEED TO MEET OFFLINE AND UNDERSTAND HOW THIS PLAYS WITH THE, THE ZILKER PARK VISION PLAN AND, AND LIKE YOU SAID, THE THE HYBRID BEACON YES.
GOING IN NEAR THE BOTANICAL GARDENS, I JUST WOULD LOVE TO DO ANYTHING WE CAN TO REALLY LET PEOPLE KNOW THEY'RE ENTERING A PARK SPACE.
THERE ARE PEOPLE WITH PUPPIES AND STROLLERS AND PICNIC BASKETS AND REALLY TRYING TO ENJOY THE PARK AND JUST WANTING TO MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT, UM, INADVERTENTLY INDICATING TO PEOPLE THAT IT'S TIME TO SPEED UP AND GO FASTER.
AND, AND OUR PLAN IS TO STUDY THAT PORTION, BUT AFTER WE MAKE THOSE INTERIM IMPROVEMENTS OKAY.
AND THAT WAY WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH THE OTHER SECTION AND THEN COME BACK TO THIS AREA.
WE CAN PUT THAT BACK ON CONSENT.
53 IS BACK ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.
[01:50:05]
COUNCIL MEMBER HARBOR MADISON, WHILE WE'RE HAVING A BREAK, UM, YOUR ITEM NUMBER 36, YOU HAVE A MOTION SHEET YOU DISTRIBUTED ON THE DIAS.IS IT IN BACKUP FOR THE PUBLIC TO SEE? THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION THAT I CAN'T ANSWER.
UM, I CAN ASK MY STAFF WHETHER OR NOT IT'S IN BACKUP FOR THEM TO SEE.
IT WAS POSTED ON THE, IT'S THE MESSAGE BOARD THOUGH.
AND, UM, SO THE NEXT, UH, SO THAT WAS NUMBER, WHICH NUMBER WAS THAT? 53 53 STAYS ON CONSENT.
UH, UH, ON 59 COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES HAS OFFERED, UH, AN AMENDMENT, UH, THAT I, THAT'S BEEN POSTED, UH, THAT I THINK, UH, PUTS IN, WHEREAS THAT THERE ARE OTHER PLACES IT MIGHT ALSO BE CONSIDERED FOR A, UH, UH, A PILOT PROGRAM.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES, I SEE THAT YOU HAVE ASKED TO BE INSERTED THAT THE CITY MANAGERS DIRECTED TO CONDUCT COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT MEETINGS TO GATHER INPUT ON INITIATING THE PILOT PROGRAM AT LOCATIONS RECOMMENDED BY THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT.
IS IT OKAY WITH YOU THAT WHEN THEY DO THAT ANALYSIS, THEY ALSO CONSIDER AS PART OF THE UNIVERSE OF PLACES TO CONSIDER, UH, THE, UM, UM, UH, NASH HERNANDEZ BUILDING? YES.
SO IF WE CHANGE F FUENTES AMENDMENT TO PUT THAT, THAT IS AMONG THE UNIVERSE OF PLACES TO BE CONSIDERED, ANY OBJECTION TO THAT AMENDMENT BEING MADE? OBJECTION, UH, IN INSERT, UH, AFTER LINE 91, IT WOULD SAY CITY MANAGERS DIRECTED TO KENTUCKY COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT MEETINGS TO GATHER INPUT ON INITIATING PILOT IRC PROGRAM AT THE LOCATIONS, UM, AT, AT NASH HERNANDEZ BUILDING AND AT THE LOCATIONS RECOMMENDED BY THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT.
SO IT JUST BECOMES ONE OF THE PLACES THAT STAFF CAN CONSIDER AS THEY'RE FINDING THE BEST LOCATION.
IN MY MIND, I THINK THAT PLACES I RULE THAT TO BE GERMANE BECAUSE I THINK THAT IS SAYING HOW WE'RE TREATING THE NASH PHILLIPS BUSINESS BUILDING.
WE'RE SAYING IT'S JUST NOT GONNA BE CONSIDERED ALONE.
UH, AND I FIND THAT TO BE WITHIN THE POSTING LANGUAGE.
SO WITH THAT AMENDMENT OR WITH THAT ADDITION, THAT'S GOING TO STAY ON CONSENT 50, UM, UH, NINE STAYS ON CONSENT.
I'M SORRY, MARY, I NEED TO PULL ITEM 64.
UM, I'M LOOKING TO SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE HERE THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO ADD BACK ON.
UM, MAYOR ITEM NUMBER 60, UH, EIGHT WAS THE, UM, UM, MACK AND AND DAK THAT BASICALLY SAYS, DO THE WORK NECESSARY TO PUT THE COUNCIL IN A POSITION IF IT WISHES TO, UH, FULLY FUND AND COMPLETE THESE PROJECTS AND, AND DIRECTS THE STAFF NOT TO PROCEED WITH HALF A PLAN UNTIL THE FUTURE COUNCIL DECIDES HOW IT WANTS TO PROCEED.
UH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO, I APPRECIATE THE, UH, AMENDMENTS THAT YOU SUGGESTED.
WE'VE TRIED TO INCORPORATE THEM INTO THE REVISED DRAFT THAT'S BEEN POSTED AND HANDED OUT IN RED LINE FORM.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY OBJECTION TO THOSE AMENDMENTS BEING ADDED AND IT'S STAYING ON CONSENT? COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS, YOU HAD PULLED IT.
I, YEAH, I DID PULL IT AND THAT, UM, IS IN LINE WITH WHERE MY QUESTIONING WAS GOING TO BE AND JUST SIMPLY THE NATURE OF, YOU KNOW, NOW THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE FOUR NEW MEMBERS ON THE DIAS SOON, ARE WE COMMITTING A FUTURE DIAS TO WHAT THE NEXT BOND PROGRAM MIGHT LOOK LIKE? AND JUST SO PEOPLE KNOW, ARE WE ALREADY PUTTING THESE ITEMS IN INTO A BOND PACKAGE OR ARE WE DECIDING THAT LATER? AND SO I JUST, I THINK I GOT MY ANSWERS, UM, MY QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY STAFF, BUT JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I KNEW WHAT THE STEPS WERE AS WE APPROACHED THIS CONVERSATION.
MOVING FORWARD IS NOT INTENDED TO MAKE ANY DECISIONS ON ANY FUTURE BONDS, BUT JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE TO THE NEXT COUNCIL SO THAT IF YOU WANNA PUT IT ON, YOU'RE NOT TOLD IT'S NOT READY TO BE PUT ON.
AND THEN THE NEXT DI WILL HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT GOOD LUCK THOSE BOND PROGRAMS LOOK LIKE.
I'M, I'M ADDING THAT TO MY LIST OF THINGS THAT I'LL BE EATING POPCORN AND ENJOYING TO WATCH.
COUNCIL MARK KITCHEN, UM, ON, ON THAT ONE.
I, I DIDN'T HEAR EVERYTHING YOU SAID THAT THE, UM, IT'S, IT'S WRITTEN SUCH THAT IT DOESN'T AUTHORIZE REDUCING THE SCOPE OF THE DAK.
[01:55:01]
IN FACT, IT, IT IS INTENDED TO ENSURE THAT THE SCOPE IS NOT REDUCED AT THIS POINT.IT SAYS DON'T BUILD HALF A D UH, LET'S, AT THIS POINT, LET'S DO THE STUDY AND THEN PUT THE COUNT NEXT COUNCIL ON A POSITION TO FULLY FUND IT IF THEY WANT.
THE REASON I ASKED THAT THERE WAS A LOT, A LOT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT ACCEPTING THE, THE, THE, UH, THE DAK PLAN.
AND I WOULDN'T WANT THIS TO AUTHORIZE THE STAFF TO CHANGE THAT D PLAN DOES NOT.
IN FACT, IT, IT SEEKS TO, TO EMPOWER THE SYSTEM TO BE ABLE TO BUILD IT ALL.
IF THAT'S WHAT THE FUTURE COUNCIL DECIDES TO DO.
YEAH, I HAVE, AS I MENTIONED, A COUPLE QUICK AMENDMENTS ON EIGHT THAT I ARE ON THEIR WAY DOWN, DOWN, I'M SORRY, ON WHICH ONE? EIGHT THAT I THINK WE HAVE.
WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO EIGHT YET.
SO I CAN, ON 68 BE CLEAR ABOUT 68.
THE VERSION YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IS ITEM 68, VERSION TWO.
IT'S 68 VERSION THREE THAT'S BEEN HANDED OUT.
IT'S BEEN HANDED OUT AND POSTED.
OKAY, SO THAT VERSION, UH, STAYS ON CONSENT.
UM, MAYOR, I THINK 69 IS READY TO GO BACK ON 59.
SO EARLIER, UM, AFTER OUR DISCUSSION THIS MORNING, I WAS ABLE TO POST LANGUAGE, UM, FOR MY MOTION SHEET ONTO THE MESSAGE BOARD.
SINCE THEN, THERE HAS BEEN A VERSION TWO THAT HAS BEEN CIRCULATED.
AND, UH, MY INTENT IS TO ENSURE THAT WE AS A COUNCIL HAVE AS MANY DATA POINTS AS POSSIBLE IN ORDER TO MEASURE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF WHAT WE'RE DOING.
AND THIS HAS TO DO WITH THE NORTHBRIDGE SHELTER.
SO WE ARE, UM, I MOVE TO AMEND ITEM 69 TO ADD THE FOLLOWING CLAUSE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED.
THE CITY MANAGER IS DIRECTED TO PRODUCE A REPORT THAT CONTAINS INFORMATION REGARDING RESIDENT LENGTH OF STAY, EXIT SURVEYS OF EXPERIENCE DURING THE STAY, NUMBER OF RESIDENTS YEAR TO DATE AT THE TIME OF THE REPORT, AND ANY QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, OR COMMENTS FROM RESIDENTS DURING THEIR STAY AND REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL NO LATER THAN MARCH 31ST, 2023, AND EVERY YEAR AFTER.
AND I BELIEVE COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN IS WILLING TO ACCEPT THAT AS A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT.
UH, DO I NEED TO WAIT FOR MY COLLEAGUES TO FINISH? SORRY.
YES, MAYOR, I, I ACCEPT AS A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT.
THE, THE LANGUAGE THAT COUNCILMAN RA KELLY JUST READ, IT'S JUST ASKING FOR, UH, DATA AND IT, UH, IS, UH, AND I'VE, WE'VE, UM, WE'VE CONSULTED WITH, UM, DIANA GRAY AND THAT'S ACCEPTABLE TO HER.
IT, IT TRACKS THE KIND OF DATA THAT SHE'S TRACKING AND HAS BEEN PRESENTING TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE.
COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN THAT'LL STAY ON CONSENT WITH THE, UH, KELLY, UH, AMENDMENT AS THAT'S BEEN, UH, READ IN.
UM, THAT WAS 50, THAT WAS NUMBER 69 60.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, TOVO ON 63 V TWO, UM, YOU WANTED TO MAKE A COMMENT ON, I'VE HANDED OUT A V2 AMENDMENT, UH, UH, YOU WANTED HIM TO MAKE A COMMENT ON THE THIRD, BE IT RESOLVED ON THAT PAGE AND CHANGE THE, UH, POST THE, THE YES COMEBACK DATES.
I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE OKAY WITH ME.
WOULD YOU SAY? YEAH, MAY I, WELL, I, I'M GONNA NEED TO ASK FOR MY AMENDMENT SHEET BACK, BUT, UM, MAYOR, I'D LIKE TO MOVE APPROVAL OF THIS ITEM.
OH NO, I DON'T NEED TO CUZ IT'S ON CONSENT.
I, IT CAN REMAIN ON CONSENT WITH THE EDITS THAT YOU PROPOSED, WHICH ARE GOOD ONES.
I WOULD LIKE, I WOULD LIKE THE MANAGER TO COME BACK BY MARCH 1ST WITH THE QUESTION THAT WE PUT PUT FORWARD, WHICH IS TO REALLY JUST TAKE A LOOK AT THE REPORT.
UM, OUR HOUSING STAFF HAVE BEEN WORK.
THIS IS, THIS IS THE PRODUCT, THE REPORT IS THE PRODUCT OF THE WORK OF TWO STUDENTS AT THE SCHOOL OF LAW AND HEATHER WAY.
UM, AND THAT, AND THEY'VE DONE GREAT WORK.
HEATHER WAY WAS THE PROFESSOR MADISON DELUCA AND SARAH LUKI CLIFFORD WHERE THE STUDENTS WHO DID INCREDIBLE RESEARCH, THEY HAVE MET WITH MY OFFICE AND MY STAFF SEVERAL TIMES AND THEY'VE MET AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING REALLY, REALLY CLOSELY WITH OUR HOUSING STAFF.
SO I THINK THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THEY'VE IDENTIFIED ARE, ARE REALLY READY FOR REVIEW AND EITHER IMPLEMENTATION OR, UM, A REQUEST FOR POLICY ACTION FROM THE MANAGER.
SO I WOULD LIKE THAT REVIEW TO HAPPEN BY MARCH 1ST, 2023.
YOU HAVE ADDED SOME, SOME GOOD CHANGES.
THE FIRST BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED I THINK WORKS WITHIN THAT TIMEFRAME.
THE NEXT BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED REALLY GOES BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THIS REPORT.
AND SO I THINK IT IS AN INTERESTING BODY OF INQUIRY.
UM, I DON'T THINK IT CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED WITHIN THAT
[02:00:01]
PARTICULAR TIMEFRAME.SO I WOULD JUST ASK THAT YOU SEPARATE THAT OUT WITH THE JUNE 30TH DATE THAT YOU PROPOSED.
BUT JUST KNOW, KNOW THAT IT REALLY DOES, I THINK, GO BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THE REPORT.
AND I, I AGREE DOES, BUT I THINK IT'S, IT'S TIED QUESTIONS AND I'M OKAY WITH THOSE TWO.
I THINK IT'S FINE AS LONG AS, SO LET'S CHANGE THE LANGUAGE AND THE LAST BID RESOLVED SO THAT IT SAYS THE CITY MANAGER SHALL REPORT BACK TO COUNCIL BY MARCH 1ST, 2023.
EXCEPT THAT, UH, THE REPORT BACK ON THE RESOLVED CLAUSE IMMEDIATELY ABOVE, WHICH IS THE, THE LAST, OTHERWISE THE PENULTIMATE RESOLVED CLAUSE SHALL BE JUNE 30TH, 2023.
AND, AND I JUST WANNA COMMEND TO MY COLLEAGUES, UH, THE REPORT THAT'S IN YOUR BACKUP.
IT WAS FINALIZED AND IT'S NOW POSTED ON BACKUP.
THEY'VE, THEY HAVE DONE SOME INCREDIBLE RESEARCH AS I POINTED OUT AND HAVE PROVIDED US WITH SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOW TO FIX, WHAT, WHAT ARE SOME REALLY CONCERNING PROBLEMS INCLUDING THAT HOUSING, LIKE THE AFFORDABLE UNITS AT THE GROVE HAD SUCH A HIGH ASSESSMENT VALUE THEIR FIRST YEAR THAT IT, THE FOLKS WHO QUALIFIED FOR THEM REALLY STRUGGLED TO TO PAY IT.
SO THERE ARE SOME REALLY SOME THINGS WE REALLY NEED TO ATTEND TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT IN OUR OWNERSHIP UNITS, PEOPLE CAN AFFORD TO STAY IN, ESPECIALLY DURING THAT FIRST YEAR.
AND THERE'S SOME, SOME GOOD FIXES.
SO THANKS AGAIN TO THE UT UH, SCHOOL OF LAW, THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CLINIC, HEATHER WAY, MADISON DELUCA, AND SARAH CLIFFORD.
AND I APPRECIATE THAT WORK AS WELL, MANAGER BY ADDING THAT PENULTIMATE CLAUSE THAT ALSO GIVES YOU AND THE STAFF, UH, WIDER PURVIEW, UH, TO, TO ALSO COMMENT ON THIS ISSUE AND GET, GET US TO A GOOD PLACE.
UH, THAT STAYS ON CONSENT WITH, UH, THAT AMENDMENT.
UH, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT, UH, WE THINK CAN, UH, GO COUNCILOR TOGO? I'M NOW READY WITH EIGHT.
AND THEY'RE BEING DISTRIBUTED ON THE DIAS AND WILL BE DISTRIBUTED WITH THE CLERK HERE SOON.
THANKS TO ALL THE COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS FOR PARTICIPATING IN THIS.
UM, THE MOTION, THE AMENDMENTS WILL BE AS FOLLOWS, THE CITY COUNCIL REQUESTS THAT THERE BE CONTINUED CONVERSATIONS WITH STAKEHOLDERS AND CHILDCARE PROFESSIONALS ABOUT ONSITE CHILDCARE FOR THE GENERAL COMMUNITY.
NUMBER TWO, AT LEAST TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO FINAL EXECUTION OF THE MDA, THE, THE MASTER DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT, THE CITY MANAGER SHALL PROVIDE TO THE CITY COUNCIL AN UPDATE ON THE CHILDCARE CONVERSATION AND ON ANY OTHER MAJOR CHANGES TO THE TERMS OF THE AGREEMENT IN A MEMORANDUM TO COUNCIL IF WE'RE NEGOTIATING AND EXECUTING, THAT ALLOWS AND AFFORDS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE MANAGER TO LET THE COUNCIL KNOW ABOUT ANY, ANY MAJOR CHANGES, UM, IN ENOUGH TIME FOR THEM TO TAKE ACTION BEFORE IT'S EXECUTED.
AND THEN THIRDLY, THE TERM SHEET IS CLARIFIED TO SPECIFY THAT THE CITY HAS THE OPTION TO BUY BACK THE PROPERTY.
IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT, UM, THE HOUSING AUTHORITY IS GOING TO BE THE MAIN OWNER.
THERE WILL BE A BUYBACK OPTION FOR THE CITY AT A PRICE OF $1.
IS THAT CORRECT? AND, BUT, BUT THE TERM SHEET THAT WE'RE APPROVING TODAY DIDN'T SPECIFY WHO HAD THAT RIGHT.
AND SO INSERTING THE WORD CITY CLARIFIES THAT KAVA.
ARE YOU OKAY WITH THESE CHANGES? UH, AS LONG AS STAFF, UH, AND THE STAFF OKAY.
WITH THESE CHANGES, I'M OKAY WITH THE CHANGES.
COUNCIL MEMBER CALLIE ON ITEM NUMBER 69.
THE AMENDMENT THAT WE, UH, AGREED TO IS SOMETHING YOU'VE LABELED VERSION TWO.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE WE CAN PUT BACK ON? IS, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA? YES.
COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN MAKES THE MOTION.
COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON SECONDS THAT, ANY DISCUSSION BEFORE WE TAKE A VOTE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA? SORRY, WHICH ONE WAS THAT? COUNCILOR KELLY? I WOULD LIKE THE CLERK TO REFLECT A NO VOTE ON ITEM 40 AND 46 FOR ME, PLEASE.
OKAY, COUNCIL, UH, MAYOR PROAM.
I WANTED TO, UM, NOTE ITEM 39.
UM, I WANT TO REALLY HIGHLIGHT THE EFFORTS OF OUR AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH STAFF IN NEGOTIATING WITH THE COUNTY REGARDING THE COST SHARING MODELS IN OUR INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT THAT'S ON OUR AGENDA TODAY.
THIS NEW I L A INCLUDES A COST SHARING MODEL THAT MORE ACCURATELY AND EQUITABLY CAPTURES THE REAL COST.
AND I THINK THIS IS A HEALTHY STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION FOR OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COUNTY.
I BELIEVE THAT MAKING THIS A SIX MONTH TERM AS REFLECTED IN CHANGES IN CORRECTIONS, DEMONSTRATES URGENCY TO OUR PARTNERS AT THE COUNTY.
AS WE CONTINUE TO NEGOTIATE THE TERMS OF OUR PARTNERSHIP FOR EXTRAORDINARY EVENTS, WE KNOW THAT OUR FUTURE WILL LIKELY AND UNFORTUNATELY INCLUDE MORE UNEXPECTED PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES.
SO MEMORIALIZING OUR PARTNERSHIP AND FINANCIAL EXPECTATIONS WITH THE COUNTY IS IMPERATIVE.
UM, I INTEND TO STAY APPRISED OF THOSE NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE COUNTY AS THEY CONTINUE.
UM, SO I WANTED TO, TO SAY THANK YOU.
I ALSO WANNA NOTE THAT I'M PLEASED THAT WE ARE FINALLY MOVING FORWARD
[02:05:01]
WITH A HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION.THIS IS AT LEAST SIX YEARS INCOMING, AND HOPEFULLY WHEN IT GETS IMPLEMENTED, IT WILL MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.
UM, WE WILL NEED TO LOOK AT SOME OF THE PROCUREMENT STEPS THAT WE TAKE FOR LARGE SOFTWARES AND SEE IF WE CAN SPEED THINGS UP.
THE PULLED ITEMS THAT I HAVE, CONSENT AGENDA IS ONE THROUGH 75.
THE POLL ITEMS ARE 4 11 35 58 60, 64, 67, 72, AND 74.
READY TO TAKE A VOTE? UH, MAYOR, MR. VALLA, JUST, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SOME BRIEF COMMENTS, UH, ON THE ST.
FIRST OF ALL, I JUST WANNA THANK THE ST.
UH, YOU HEARD FROM A COUPLE OF MEMBERS, UH, EARLIER, UH, FOR STAYING ON TOP OF THIS PROJECT FOR PUSHING US TO GET IT DONE.
IT'S GONNA BE A HUGE ASSET TO THE COMMUNITY.
SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF HOUSING, SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING, NEW COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITIES, A BEAUTIFUL, UH, EXPANSION OF THE PARK.
I'VE GOTTA, UH, SAY THANK YOU TO, UH, OUR, UH, STAFF, UH, UH, SANA, CHRISTINE AND CHRISTINE, WHO HAVE JUST WORKED EXTREMELY HARD TO GET THIS DONE.
UH, AS WELL AS, UH, UH, GREYSTAR, UH, AND HAKA WHO HAVE ALSO, UH, DONE SOME, YOU KNOW, TOUGH NEGOTIATING AND, AND, AND GOTTEN US, UH, TO THIS POINT.
UH, GOTTA THANK THE, THE CITY MANAGER AND THE, UH, UH, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGERS, UM, WHO HAVE, UH, WORKED, UH, SO HARD ON THIS.
UH, THE MAYOR AND MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES WHO HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, PUSHING THIS PROJECT FORWARD.
AND, AND FINALLY, I GOTTA THANK, UH, MY PREDECESSOR, UH, GREG KASSAR, WHO IS NOT HERE TO, UH, FINALLY SEE THE PROJECT THROUGH.
BUT, UH, I KNOW THAT THIS WAS ONE OF HIS PRIORITIES.
HE STILL, HE'S, YOU KNOW, HOW'S THAT ST.
JOHN'S PROJECT DOING? HOW'S THE ST.
JOHN'S PROJECT GOING? SO, UH, I, I GOTTA THANK HIM.
YOU KNOW, HE REALLY RAN MOST OF THE RACE AND HE PASSED THE BATON TO ME, AND I'M HAPPY TO, TO CARRY IT ACROSS THE FINISH LINE.
BUT I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY THAT WAS INVOLVED, ESPECIALLY THE COMMUNITY, UH, THAT, THAT HOME DEPOT.
UH, EVERYBODY IS JUST LIKE, LET'S GET THIS DONE.
WHEN ARE WE GONNA SEE THIS? WHEN ARE WE GONNA SEE THIS? AND I'M HAPPY TO, TO SEE IT ON THIS AGENDA AND, AND MOVING FORWARD.
THANK YOU, UH, VERY MUCH TO EVERYONE.
COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON.
I ALSO JUST HAD A FEW, UM, CONSENT, AGENDA REMARKS.
ITEM NUMBER 29, THE, UH, MILLENNIUM YOUTH ENTERTAINMENT CENTER AND THE AUSTIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
I'M SUPER HAPPY TO PASS ITEM NUMBER 29, WHICH PROVIDES SOME VERY MUCH NEEDED TLC FOR ONE OF THE FINEST DISTRICT ONE LANDMARKS.
UH, THE MILLENNIUM YOUTH ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX FIRST OPENED UP, EXCUSE ME, ALL ABOUT 25 YEARS.
YOU KNOW, I USED TO MAKE FUN OF PEOPLE WITH ALLERGIES BEFORE I GOT 'EM.
CAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY FOR ADULTS TO BE ALL ITCHY FACE AND MY EYES ITCH MY ALLERGIES.
AND THEN I TURNED 42 AND IT HIT ME.
YEAH, I'M SO SORRY TO ANYBODY I EVER MADE FUN OF, UM, MY BAD.
UM, SO, UH, THIS ITEM, UM, UH, AFTER IT OPENED UP 25 YEARS AGO, UM, TO SERVE AS WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE AN AFFORDABLE RECREATIONAL OPTION FOR KIDS AND FAMILIES ON THE EAST SIDE.
I KNOW WE TALK A LOT ABOUT THE EAST SIDE, BUT A LOT OF FOLKS WHO HAVE A LOT TO SAY ABOUT THE EAST SIDE WEREN'T HERE, UM, IN THE THICK OF IT.
SO, IN THE NINETIES WHEN ME AND MY CLASSMATES WERE LITERALLY DODGING BULLETS, WE NEEDED A PLACE TO GO AND PLAY THAT WAS AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE.
UM, AND THAT WAS ALLOWED TO HAPPEN.
UM, AND I'M GONNA JUST MAKE REFERENCE TO IT AS WE MOVE FORWARD INTO 23.
THAT WAS ALLOWED TO HAPPEN BECAUSE THE COMMUNITY WAS DISINVESTED IN.
AND LIKE EVERY OTHER MAJOR METROPOLITAN CITY IN THE COUNTRY, CRACK COCAINE HIT 7 87 0 2 AND OTHER PARTS OF CENTRAL EAST STATON AND DECIMATED MY COMMUNITY.
AND SO THIS FACILITY, IT CAME TO US NOT IN THE BEST CIRCUMSTANCES.
IT CAME TO US CUZ WE NEEDED IT.
AND SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT WE'RE MAKING THE NECESSARY INVESTMENT AND AN ASSET THAT AT THE TIME, UM, WE NEEDED IT.
AND NOW THAT WE HAVE IT, WE REALLY ARE THE STEWARDS WHO SHOULD BE TAKING CARE OF IT.
UM, SO THAT SAID, UM, IT'S WHERE, UH, IT'S WHERE WE PULLED OFF ONE OF THE, THE LARGEST FOOD, WATER, AND EMERGENCY SUPPLY DISTRIBUTION EFFORTS IN THE WAKE OF WINTER STORM URI, WHICH IS PRETTY APPROPRIATE.
UM, IT'S A PLACE THAT A LOT OF SPECIAL MEANING, UM, HOLDS RATHER A LOT OF SPECIAL MEANING FOR ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE AND OF ALL AGES, ROLLER SKATING HAS MADE A RESURGENCE.
UH, I'M NOT DOING IT, BUT I KNOW A LOT OF Y'ALL ARE OUT HERE ROLLER SKATING NOW.
AND IT'S REALLY LOVELY TO SEE THE DIVERSE COMMUNITY ACCESSING THE MILLENNIUM YOUTH ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX FOR ROLLER SKATING AS OF LATE.
THAT'S BEEN REALLY, UH, A NICE THING TO WATCH.
UM, THE O GIRL THOUGH HAS, HAS REALLY, REALLY BEEN SHOWING HER AGE.
[02:10:01]
UM, THAT'S WHY I'M, I'M THRILLED TO BE ABLE TO, UM, OFFER THE GREEN LIGHT ON THE INVESTMENT THAT WILL BRING IT BACK TO TIP TOP SHAPE, UM, SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO HAVE IT SERVE AS THE VITAL COMMUNITY SPACE THAT IT'S ALWAYS BEEN AND, AND SHOULD BE, FRANKLY.ITEM NUMBER 52, METRO BIKE EXPANSION GRANT.
WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE HOW FAR AHEAD OF THE PACK THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS WHEN IT COMES TO BIKE SHARING SYSTEMS. UM, WHEN SO MANY OTHER MAJOR METRO MAJOR AMERICAN CITIES HAVE OUTSOURCED THEIR SYSTEMS TO PRIVATE CORPORATIONS, WE'VE RECOGNIZED THAT THIS FORM OF TRANSPORTATION IS FRANKLY A PUBLIC UTILITY, WHICH IS WHY I'M GLAD TO SEE AND HELP METRO VIKE IN ITS QUEST TO EXPAND ITS FOOTPRINT IN A WAY THAT RECOGNIZES EQUITY AND ACCESS, UH, BY ENLARGING ITS PRESENCE IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, ESPECIALLY IN DISTRICT ONE.
UH, I, I LOVE WATCHING MY INCOME RESTRICTED APARTMENT COMPLEXES ACCESS, UM, THESE FIRST AND LAST MILE OPTIONS, SCOOTERS.
THE SCOOTER PEOPLE DIDN'T THINK ABOUT MY FOLKS IN INCOME RESTRICTED APARTMENT COMPLEXES.
THESE BIKES, I, I REALLY DON'T THINK THE POWERS AT BAY ARE THINKING ABOUT THE FOLKS IN MY DISTRICT WHO, WHO USE THEM AND TAKE CARE OF THEM.
SO I I LOVE WATCHING, UH, SKIT THOSE POINTS OF ACCESS.
UH, WATCHING MOBILITY GET, UM, BE, UH, EQUITABLE IS A, IT REALLY DOES MAKE ME HOPEFUL FOR OUR FUTURE.
UM, OUR TAXPAYER FUNDED BOND INVESTMENTS ENRICHED SO MUCH THAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT AUSTIN, THAT I BELIEVE IN THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART THAT THE ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER AND THE CARVER MUSEUM ARE ALSO TWO UNIQUE ASSETS THAT FALL UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF ASSETS THAT ARE GETTING, UM, SOME LOVE THROUGH ITEM NUMBER 68.
SO THANK YOU MAYOR ADLER FOR ALLOWING ME TO CO-SPONSOR THAT ITEM.
I THINK THIS FORWARD THINKING RESOLUTION REALLY PROVES THAT, UM, YOU HAVE THAT COMMITMENT TO OUR CITY, UM, AND THAT IT WON'T LEAVE THE DAY WHEN YOU LEAVE OFFICE AND ARE PARKED ON YOUR SOFA EATING POPCORN.
UM, I AM ALSO EXCITED TO SEE A RESPONSIBLE FINANCING PLAN THAT LETS THESE EXPANSIONS REFLECT THE GROWING DIVERSITY OF OUR CITY.
I THINK MORE AND MORE WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO CHALLENGE OURSELF.
I HEARD SOME FOLKS MAKE REFERENCE EARLIER TODAY TO, AND NOT EVEN JUST TODAY AND WORK SESSION, ALSO YEARS AND YEARS OF PLANNING, YEARS AND YEARS OF CONTRIBUTIONS BY THE COMMUNITY.
YOU, YOU KNOW, I, I WANNA CHALLENGE US AS A COMMUNITY TO JUST KIND OF STOP THINKING IN THAT WAY.
I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU, I'M WATCHING INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, NOT JUST STOP, BUT STOP ALL TOGETHER.
THERE'S NO MORE MONEY TO EXECUTE THE THING THAT YOU RAN PRO PERFORM ON SIX YEARS AGO.
IT'S, IT'S CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, IT'S RESIDENTIAL, IT'S COMMERCIAL, IT'S ACROSS THE BOARD.
I THINK GENERALLY SPEAKING, WE'RE ALL GONNA HAVE TO REALLY START, UM, COLLECTIVELY BEING OPEN TO RECALIBRATION CUZ WHERE WE WERE 10 YEARS AGO, THREE YEARS AGO, EIGHT MONTHS AGO, WE ARE NOT ANYMORE.
UM, SO I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO COLLECTIVELY TRUST ONE ANOTHER TO BE WILLING TO, IN REAL TIME, BE AGILE ENOUGH TO MAKE THE NECESSARY ADJUSTMENTS.
WE CAN'T JUST SAY, WELL, WE PUT SO MUCH TIME IN IT, YOU CAN PUT A LOT OF TIME INTO A WRONG THING.
UM, SO I I I OFFER US THE OPPORTUNITY TO GROW AND EXPAND AND EVOLVE AND REALLY JUST THINK REALISTICALLY ABOUT THE LIMITATIONS OF OUR RESOURCES.
UM, AND NOT JUST KEEP DOING SOMETHING CUZ WE ALWAYS HAVE.
I JUST HAVE A, A REAL QUICK GO AHEAD COMMENT.
UH, YEAH, I WANT TO THANK MY COLLEAGUE VANESSA FOR, UH, WORKING WITH ME ON, UH, ALSO LEAVING, UH, NATIONAL UNITED BUILDING IN THE, IN THE, UH, STUDY AND THE MANAGER LOOKING, LOOKING INTO IT.
I, I DO BELIEVE THAT WE, UH, UH, WORKED VERY HARD FOR, FOR YEARS ON THIS PARTICULAR SITE.
UH, BEFORE THEN THERE WAS A DISCUSSION ABOUT MAKING IT INTO A, UH, AN ACTIVITY CENTER WITH THE FOOD TRAILERS OUT THERE, UH, THAT DIDN'T GO THROUGH, BUT, UH, IT, IT HAS BEEN LOOKING, IT HAS BEEN SITTING THERE FOR, FOR ALMOST 10 YEARS WITHOUT BEING USED.
SO I REALLY WANT TO THANK, UH, THE PARK BOARD FOR, FOR COMMITTING THE, TO FIX THAT PLACE UP.
IT NEEDS A LOT OF, A LOT OF ATTENTION.
SO, UH, AND HERE THAT'S JUST WANT TO TELL EVERYBODY HERE IN THE AUDIENCE SINCE THIS IS OUR LAST MEETING, UH, FEIS NAV
UH, UM, ITEM NUMBER 67, UH, WHICH IS THE, UH, CONTINUUM CARE RESOLUTION CAN GO BACK ONTO CONSENT, UH, WITH, UH, VERSION TWO.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO, THANK YOU FOR YOUR, UH, UH, ASSISTANCE IN MAKING THAT, UH, BETTER.
UH, THE AMENDMENTS ARE ON THERE, BASICALLY SAYS THAT, UH, WE REALLY WANT THE STAFF EVERYWHERE IT CAN, UH, TO FOCUS ON THOSE UNITS THAT CAN TAKE PEOPLE OFF THE STREET, UH, AND OUT OF TENTS, UH, COUNCIL TOVO AND MAYOR, I'VE NOW HAD AN OPPORTUNITY
[02:15:01]
TO REVIEW QUESTION, THE RESPONSES TO QUESTION 11.THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN FOR ASKING THOSE.
AND THANK YOU TO YOUR STAFF FOR CONTINUING TO LOOK OUT FOR THOSE ITEMS WHERE WE'RE RELYING ON CONTRACT STAFF.
I HAVE SOME RESERVATIONS ABOUT IT MANAGER.
UM, IT DOES SOUND LIKE A CONTINUED NEED RATHER THAN A SHORT TERM NEED.
BUT MAYOR, I'M READY TO PUT THAT BACK ON CONSENT.
I JUST WANNA, UH, IMPLORE MY COLLEAGUES TO CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR THOSE CONTRACTS, WHERE'RE, WHERE WE'RE, WE'RE OUTSOURCING WORK THAT AS A POLICY STATEMENT, THIS COUNCIL HAS SAID, WE WANT TO BRING THOSE JOBS IN SO THAT WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT SAVING COSTS ON THE BACKS OF, OF EMPLOYEES WHO ARE DOING REALLY HARD WORK FOR THE CITY.
SO THIS, THIS ONE SEEMS REASONABLE, UM, BUT I DO THINK THAT'S, IT'S GONNA NEED, IT'S GONNA NEED CONTINUED VIGILANCE TO MAKE SURE THAT AS A CITY WE'RE STILL MOVING AWAY FROM THOSE OUTSOURCED CONTRACTS.
AND TWO, HAVING THOSE PERMANENT CITY EMPLOYEES.
OKAY, SO THE POLLED ITEMS I'M SEEING NOW ARE 4 35, UH, 58 60, 64, 72, AND 74.
I APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S HEALTH PAIRING THAT DOWN.
THOSE FAVOR THE CONSENT AGENDA, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
THOSE OPPOSED, UNANIMOUS ON THE DIOCESE WITH, UH, THOSE, UH, NOTES, UH, NOTED.
UH, COLLEAGUES, UH, WE'RE GOING TO NOW LISTEN TO, UH, MUSIC, UH, AND THEN THERE'S GOING TO BE, UH, AN AWARD.
UM, IT IS, UM, UH, 1248 RIGHT NOW.
UH, I IMAGINE IT'S GONNA BE ONE O'CLOCK.
BEFORE WE FINISH THAT WORK, I'M GONNA SUGGEST THAT WE COME BACK AT TWO O'CLOCK AND TAKE THE ZONING SPEAKERS, UM, I'M SORRY, PUBLIC COMMUNICATION EXECUTIVE.
YEAH, WE'RE GONNA DO A PUBLIC COM.
WE'RE GONNA DO PUBLICATION FIRST CUZ THERE'S ONLY ONE SPEAKER AND THEN WE'LL GET THROUGH.
[Public Comment (Part 2 of 3)]
RIGHT.IS THERE CALL? YOU WANNA CALL THE PUBLIC COMMUNICATION SPEAKER? MAYOR.
MAYOR, ARE WE DOING EXECUTIVE SESSION TODAY OVER LUNCH? YEAH, WE'RE GONNA DO EXECUTIVE SESSION, BUT NOT OVER LUNCH.
LET'S, UH, CALL THE PUBLIC COMMUNICATION SPEAKER.
CAN, CAN WE ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY EXITING CHAMBERS TO BE RESPECTFUL OF THE SPEAKER AND TO KEEP THE NOISE DOWN, PLEASE? YES.
CAN PEOPLE PLEASE LET THE SPEAKER SPEAK? THANK YOU.
UM, I THOUGHT I HAD 10 MINUTES, BUT, UM, HE ONLY HAVE THREE, SO I'M GONNA GET STARTED.
UM, SEPTEMBER THE 15TH, I WAS ON THE PHONE WITH MY CASEWORKER.
SHE WAS LOOKING FOR A BED FOR ME AT A ROCK SPRINGS HOSPITAL BECAUSE I NO LONGER WANTED TO BE HERE.
LEGEND OF LAKE CREEK APARTMENT HAD RETALIATED ON ME.
I WANNA START BY GIVING THANKS FIRST TODAY, I, TODAY IS MY 16TH DAY BEING HOMELESS, BUT I AM THANKFUL FOR SOME THINGS.
I WANT TO THANK YOU GUYS FOR PARTNERING WITH THE US, THE TEXAS LEGAL GRAND.
I WANT TO THANK THEM FOR SAVING ME FROM BEING FAST TRACKED FROM EVICTION ON FIVE 18.
UM, FIVE 18 WAS THE VERY FIRST TIME THAT I, THAT I FOUND THAT I WAS BEING EVICTED AND IT WAS ACCELERATED GREATLY.
UM, BY GIVING THIS FORM, UM, IT SAYS I RECEIVED IT ON FIVE 16.
UM, I ONLY LEFT THE HOUSE ONCE THAT DAY, AND THAT WAS TO HAND OUT THESE FLYERS THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN SAYS THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE PROTECTION FROM.
SO I EXERCISED MY RIGHT, UM, TO HUNG UP THESE FLYERS BECAUSE WE COULDN'T GET A HOLD OF, UM, CORPORATE ASKING, UH, OTHER LAND RESIDENTS TO LET'S ALL BAND TOGETHER AND GET SOME THINGS FIXED.
WELL, RIGHT AFTER THAT, HERE'S MY VIOLATION, JUST ONE OF MY VIOLATIONS, UM, FOR MAKING BAD FAITH IN FALSE ALLEGATIONS.
UM, COINCIDENTALLY, WHEN I LOOKED TO FIND OUT THE, THE THREE DAY, THE THREE NOTICE, THE THREE DAY NOTICE I WAS SUPPOSED TO GET, IT SAID, UH, MAY 4TH.
COINCIDENTALLY, I WAS ACTUALLY IN THE OFFICE ON MAY 4TH ASKING ABOUT, UM, THE EVICTION PROCESS.
I'D ACTUALLY APPROACHED THEM WITH, UM, I WAS GONNA FILE A RECRUITMENT.
THE VERY MOMENT I MENTIONED THAT I WAS GOING TO FILE A RECRUITMENT BECAUSE
[02:20:01]
LYNN HAD BEEN IN VIOLATION FOR AT LEAST THAT TIME, ABOUT A HUNDRED DAYS, OF COURSE, CODE CAME OUT AND GAVE THEM A WHOLE NUMBER, 159 MORE DAYS.AND IT'S STILL NOT FIXED, BUT I WON'T EVEN GET TO CODE TODAY.
UM, SO AFTER, UM, I TOLD THEM I WAS GONNA FILE A RECOUPMENT, THAT'S WHEN THEY FAST TRACKED EVICTION AND THAT'S WHEN ALL THE VIOLATIONS CAME.
UM, THE FIRST VIOLATION WAS OF COURSE, THE ONE ME TRYING TO EXERCISE MY RIGHT.
THEY IMMEDIATELY START TO BLAME ME FOR THE WATER LEAK THAT TOOK PLACE BACK IN NOVEMBER.
UM, AND SO I WROTE THIS NOTE DOWN, OH, THAT'S OKAY.
COULD YOU TALK ABOUT SOME THINGS THAT WE WANT TO GET YOU SOME FOLKS TO, TO VISIT WITH MANAGER, CAN YOU HAVE YOUR STAFF VISIT WITH HER AND SEE IF THERE'S ABSOLUTELY.
HERE'S SOMEONE STAFF TO BE ABLE TO TALK DIRECTLY TO.
THANKS FOR COMING DOWN AND JOINING US.
I THINK THAT'S THE ONLY SPEAKER WE HAVE SIGNED UP FOR TODAY.
UH, WITH THAT THEN WE'RE GOING TO, UH, RECESS THE, UH, MEETING SUBJECT TO, UH, THE MUSIC AND THEN THE DSA.
UH, SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND DO THAT.
UH, AND WE'LL COME BACK HERE AT TWO O'CLOCK TO DO, UH, ZONING SPEAKERS LESLIE POOLE.
AND I'M THE COUNCIL MEMBER FOR DISTRICT SEVEN.
[Live Music Shake Russell]
THAN THAT EVEN IS, I AM A MASSIVE FAN OF SHEIKH RUSSELL.AND SO I AM DELIGHTED TODAY TO BRING THIS SPECIAL GUEST, UH, TO COME AND PLAY A COUPLE TUNES FOR US TODAY.
UM, TEXAS SINGER SONGWRITER SHEIK RUSSELL.
AND I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF STUFF TO SAY ABOUT YOU, I THINK, I THINK I'VE LINED UP SOME PRETTY GOOD LIES TO TELL.
DOES THAT SOUND GOOD? EVERYTHING I TOLD YOU.
FOR MORE THAN THREE DECADES, TEXAS SINGER SONGWRITER SHEIK RUSSELL HAS BEEN ENTERTAINING AUDIENCES THROUGHOUT THE REGION WITH HIS UNIQUE AMERICANA STYLE OF FOLK ROCK.
A PROLIFIC SONGWRITER SHEIK HAS WRITTEN OR CO-WRITTEN HUNDREDS OF, OF MELODIES THROUGHOUT THE YEARS.
SHEIKS SONGS AND ALBUMS HAVE FREQUENTED THE BILLBOARD CHARTS WITH MANY, INCLUDING DEEP IN THE WEST.
ONE MORE PAYMENT AND OUR CON, OUR KIND OF LOVE BEING RECORDED BY SUCH DISTINGUISHED ARTISTS AS WAYLAND JENNINGS, JESSE COULTER, RICKY SKAGGS, CLINT BLACK, AND CAROLYN DON JOHNSON SHEIK IS A TWO-TIME RECIPIENT OF THE BMI MILLIONAIRE AWARD FOR CLINT BLACK'S.
RECORDING OF, PUT YOURSELF IN MY SHOES.
AND ONE MORE PAYMENT, BOTH OF WHICH HE CO-WROTE WITH CLINT AND A FOUR-TIME RECIPIENT OF THE BMI WRITER'S AWARD, THE TEXAS MUSIC ASSOCIATION NOMINATED SHEIK'S NEW SONG, COWBOY COFFEE FOR THE 2007 TEXAS MUSIC AWARD'S BEST NEW SONG IN 2011, SHEIK MADE HISTORY BY BEING NAMED THE TMA ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR FOR THE THIRD TIME IN 20 0 4, 20 0 8, AND 2011.
SHEIK RECENTLY RECEIVED A PROCLAMATION FROM THE GOVERNOR, CONGRATULATING HIM FOR 50 YEARS OF WRITING AND PLAYING MUSIC IN TEXAS, AS WELL AS TEXAS'S CMA AWARDS FOR 2022 LIVING LEGEND MAYOR, THANKS FOR JOINING ME HERE TODAY.
I GUESS WE'LL STEP ASIDE AND LET MR. RUSSELL PLAY HIS TUNES AND THEN I WILL READ THE PROCLAMATION, ASSUMING HE'S NOT GOING TO PLACE BRAND NEW STUFF WE HAVEN'T HEARD, ARE WE ALLOWED TO SING ALONG? YOU'RE ALLOWED TO SING ALONG, PLEASE, PLEASE DO.
THIS IS ANTHONYS HERE WITH ME TODAY.
HAD MY OWN DAY HERE IN AUSTIN.
I FIRST CAME HERE IN 1972 WHEN ALL THE SONGWRITERS WERE AS A MUSIC MECCA BACK THEN, AND IT WAS A PLACE TO BE.
SO HERE I AM 50 YEARS LATER, CELEBRATING MY 50TH YEAR AND I'M GETTING ALL THESE AWARDS.
I WROTE FOR THE SESCO CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION BACK LAST CENTURY IN 86 FOR A TV SHOW CALLED THE EYES OF TEXAS, LATE GREAT RON STONE.
YOU MIGHT REMEMBER HIM TRAVEL IN TEXAS, HIDING
[02:25:01]
FOR TRAVEL.COWBOY STREET, HIDDEN SOUTH TO THE VALLEY.
SPANISH TRAVEL OF A MISTAKE, HURRICANE SOUTH DOWN BY HOUSTON.
MOVING OUT INTO SPACE, THE EYES OF TEXAS, THE HARD SAM, THE HANDS SAY WELCOME STRANGER.
YOU KNOW, TEXAS MEANS FRIEND, FRIEND.
WHERE COTTON IS KING IS KING WILLIE IS KING LAND.
THIS NEXT SONG I HAD A REQUEST TO DO FROM LESLIE FOR OLD FRIEND, UM, HAROLD.
HAROLD COOK USED TO PLAY A HISTORY SPEECHS, ONE OF HIS FAVORITE SONGS HE PLAYED ON HIS PIANO ALL THE TIME.
I HEARD SAYS, FOR HAROLD CALL, DEEP IN THE WEST WITH THE TALL MOUNTAINS GREW.
I'VE COME HOME ABOVE TURNED RED FROM THE FIRE DOWN BELOW.
[02:30:26]
REFUSING TO TALK.WELL, I SUPPOSE THAT IT'S ALL THAT'S, THAT'S IMPORTANT.
BEFORE YOU CAN TAKE FROM ME LISTENING WHEN I'M LISTENING YOUR MIND, TAKE ME SOME TIME, YOU KNOW, MY DAY.
WANT EVERYBODY TO GIVE A LITTLE LIGHT, A LITTLE LOVE IN THIS WORLD.
SHOW LITTLE KINDNESS TO ONE ANOTHER.
YOU KNOW, JUST A, A QUICK LITTLE COMMENT.
I CAME TO TEXAS IN 1977 AND MUSIC HAS ALWAYS BEEN A REALLY BIG PART OF WHO I AM.
AND THERE IS NOTHING MORE WELCOMING OR PLACE SETTING THAN THE MUSIC OF OUR TEXAS SINGER SONGWRITERS.
THEY REALLY CAN LIMB THE, THE, THE STATE THAT WE LIVE IN AND THE CONDITIONS WE LIVE IN AND JUST THE GEOGRAPHY AND THE PEOPLE.
AND SO THIS HAS BEEN SUPER IMPORTANT TO HAPPEN TODAY ON THE LAST DAY FOR FOUR OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS.
AND THE MESSAGE THAT'S COMING FROM SHEIK, I THINK IS ONE WE SHOULD CARRY IN OUR HEARTS FORWARD.
AND I THANK YOU SHEIK AND ANTHONY FOR, FOR BEING HERE TODAY TO DO ALL OF THIS.
ALL RIGHT, WELL LET'S, LET'S PUT ALL THAT SILLINESS ASIDE AND GET RIGHT DOWN TO THE MAIN BUSINESS, WHICH IS THIS PROCLAMATION, BE IT KNOWN THAT WHEREAS THE CITY OF AUSTIN, TEXAS IS BLESSED WITH MANY CREATIVE MUSICIANS WHOSE TALENT EXTENDS TO VIRTUALLY EVERY MUSICAL GENRE.
AND WHEREAS OUR MUSIC SCENE THRIVES BECAUSE AUSTIN AUDIENCES SUPPORT GOOD MUSIC PRODUCED BY LEGENDS, OUR LOCAL FAVORITES AND NEWCOMERS ALIKE.
AND WHEREAS WE ARE PLEASED TO SHOWCASE AND SUPPORT OUR LOCAL ARTISTS.
NOW, I THEREFORE LESLIE POOLE, COUNCIL MEMBER FOR DISTRICT SEVEN ON BEHALF OF, UH, STEVE ADLER, THE MAYOR OF AUSTIN, AND THE ENTIRE CITY COUNCIL OF THE LIVE MUSIC CAPITOL DO HEREBY PROCLAIM DECEMBER 8TH, 2022 AT SHEIK RUSSELL DAY.
THANK YOU FOR SPEARHEADING THIS FOR ME AND THANK, UH, MAYOR ADLER AND THE COUNCIL AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN FOR THIS PROCLAMATION.
LIKE I SAID, YOU KNOW, UH, IT'S A CRAZY WORLD.
WE'RE LIVING IN ALL THIS DIVISION.
WAKE UP AND SHOW LITTLE LOVE AND LITTLE LIGHT TO YOUR FELLOW BEANS AND LITTLE CONSIDERATION AND
[02:35:01]
LITTLE KINDNESS.AND ALSO NOT SERIOUSLY, BUT FREE TOLL ROADS FOR 24 HOURS.
THANK Y'ALL AGAIN, MAYOR AND COUNSEL.
IT IS MY PRIVILEGE TO RECOGNIZE A LONGTIME
[Proclamations (Part 1 of 2)]
PUBLIC SERVANTS, UH, AND EMPLOYEE OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN, JERRY RUSTEN.HE WILL BE, AS YOU MAY HAVE GUESSED, UH, JERRY WILL BE RETIRING EARLY NEXT YEAR AFTER 29 YEARS OF CITY SERVICE.
YOU KNOW, PUBLIC SERVICE IS A CALLING THAT ONE CANNOT JUST TAKE LIGHTLY.
AND IN HIS SERVICE TO AUSTIN, JERRY HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN COLLABORATING WITH NEIGHBORHOODS DEVELOPERS, CITY DEPARTMENTS, AND COMMUNITY LEADERS TO ASSIST WITH DEVELOPMENT IN OUR CITY WITH A KEEN EYE ON PRESERVING THE ASSETS THAT WE VALUE AS A COMMUNITY.
AND WHILE WE CELEBRATE AND HONOR HIM HERE TODAY, WE WANT TO SHARE WITH JERRY HOW MUCH WE WILL MISS WORKING WITH HIM.
AND IN THESE, UH, THESE MEETINGS AND THESE AGENDA MEETINGS AND MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE DOING THE WORK OF CITY GOVERNMENT, WE COLLECTIVELY HAVE RELIED ON JERRY TO PROVIDE HISTORICAL DETAILS ON MANY ZONING CASES AND HAVE ALWAYS ENJOYED HIS ABILITY TO SHARE THE BACKSTORY AND EVENTS THAT LED US TO THESE, UH, DECISIONS.
JERRY'S EVER PRESENT DEDICATION TO PUBLIC SERVICE AND HIS FLAVORFUL HUMOR CANNOT BE REPLACED, NOR SHOULD WE STRIVE TO REPLACE HIM.
RATHER WE WILL HONOR HIM WITH THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE HIS DEDICATION, HIS CHARACTER, AND HIS LASTING IMPRINT ON OUR ORGANIZATION AND OUR CITY.
WE WILL WISH JERRY THE BEST IN HIS NEXT ENDEAVORS AND WE WILL PROVIDE OUR SOLEMN GRATITUDE FOR HIS SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY.
I'D NOW LIKE TO INTRODUCE HOUSING AND PLANNING DIRECTOR ROSIE TRU.
LOVE TO SHARE A FEW WORDS AS WELL.
I'VE KNOWN JERRY FOR MORE THAN 24 YEARS AND WHEN I FIRST LEARNED OF HIS DECISION TO RETIRE, I THINK MY FIRST REFLECTION WAS HOW MUCH I WILL MISS LAUGHING WITH HIM.
ASIDE FROM HIS EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF ZONING RULES, LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, AND HIS ASTUTE ABILITY TO EXPLAIN COMPLEX LAND USE MATTERS IN THE EASIEST OF TERMS FOR FOLKS LIKE ME TO UNDERSTAND.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE CHARACTER TRAITS OF JERRY IS HIS HUMOR.
I FIRST MET HIM WHEN I WAS AN EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT IN THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE AND HE WAS A COUNCIL AID WORKING FOR JACKIE GOODMAN.
AND WE WERE HAVING COUNCIL MEETINGS OVER AT THE L C R A THAT SHOULD DATE BOTH OF US
AND MANY TIMES WE WERE ARGUABLY ON DIFFERENT SIDES OF THE EQUATION, BUT WHAT I REMEMBER THE MOST FROM THOSE DAYS WAS HANGING OUT IN THE VERY TINY BULLPEN IN THE BACK AND HAVING A LOT OF LAUGHING FITS.
FAST FORWARD 20 SOME ODD YEARS LATER AND I FIND MYSELF STILL TALKING WITH JERRY IN THE STAFF AREA OF COUNCIL MEETINGS.
ONLY THIS TIME WE'RE ON THE SAME TEAM AND WE'RE WORKING TOGETHER IN THE HOUSING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT AND WE'RE STILL LAUGHING, BUT I APPRECIATE HIS HUMOR MORE NOW THAN I DID THEN BECAUSE I KNOW HIM BETTER.
I KNOW WHAT A STRONG FAMILY MAN HE IS, HOW DEVOTED HE IS TO HIS WIFE AND SON AND DAUGHTER.
AND I KNOW PATTY'S HERE TODAY AND I THINK JUSTIN WAS HERE, ALTHOUGH HE MAY HAVE HAD TO GO AND HIS DAUGHTER ALICIA COULDN'T JOIN US CUZ SHE HAS TO TAKE SOME FINALS.
WHEN JERRY SPEAKS OF HIS FAMILY, A BIG SMILE REACHES ACROSS HIS FACE AND HE TALKS ABOUT THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS WITH SUCH PRIDE AND JOY.
HE DOES THE SAME WHEN HE REFLECTS ON THE MISSION OF THE WORK WE DO AND THE IMPACT HIS RECOMMENDATIONS AND THOSE OF HIS TEAM HAVE MADE ON NEIGHBORHOOD PLANS, DEVELOPMENT AND PRESERVATION TO THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE SERVE.
HE HAS BEEN A SPECIALIST IN THIS FIELD AND IN HIS SERVICE TO THE CITY FOR ALMOST THREE DECADES AND HAS BEEN A CONSISTENT AND TRUSTED ADVISOR ON DEVELOPMENT FACING THE CITY EVEN WHEN IT CREATED HEALTHY DISCUSSIONS BY PASSIONATE ADVOCATES ON EITHER SIDE.
HE MANAGES THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH GRACE, LISTENING TO BOTH SIDES, AND HE HAS A DEDICATION TO TRY AND RESOLVE CRITICAL ISSUES WHILE SHOWING RESPECT TO THOSE WHO SHARE PERSPECTIVES THAT MAY NOT ALWAYS BE POPULAR.
HE HAS BEEN AN ADVOCATE, AN EDUCATOR, A FRIEND, AND A SERVANT TO OUR COMMUNITIES.
AND ONE OF THE GREAT EXAMPLES OF THE TIRELESS WORK OF A DEVOTED PUBLIC SERVANT, JERRY,
[02:40:02]
WE WILL MISS THE DAILY RE INTERACTIONS, BUT REST ASSURED THE WORK YOU HAVE DONE WILL LIVE LONG IN THE COMMUNITY AND THE NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.ON BEHALF OF EVERY EMPLOYEE, CLIENT, STAKEHOLDER, COMMUNITY MEMBER AND PARTNER OF THE HOUSING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT, CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
YOU ARE TRULY A LEGEND IN OUR FIELD AND WE WISH YOU THE VERY BEST IN YOUR NEW ENDEAVORS.
I AM PROUD TO PRESENT TO YOU A DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD AND INVITE YOU TO MAKE A FEW REMARKS.
UH, THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD READS, HERE IT IS.
IT'S PRETTY, UH, FOR HIS UNTIRING SERVICE AND COMMITMENT TO THE RESIDENTS, UH, TO RESIDENTS.
DURING HIS 29 YEAR TENURE, AS A DEDICATED EMPLOYEE OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN, JERRY RUSSEN IS DESERVING OF PUBLIC ACCLAIM AND RECOGNITION.
DATED TODAY, DECEMBER 8TH, 2022.
UH, I'M GONNA TRY AND NOT BE EMOTIONAL.
UM, I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS A KID SITTING IN THE BACKSEAT OF MY PARENTS' STATION WAGON AND HEARING MY PARENTS GRIPE ABOUT WHY THEY LET THEM PUT A GROCERY STORE HERE OR WHY THEY SHOULD PUT A STOPLIGHT HERE.
I DECIDED TO BECOME ONE OF THEY
UM, AFTER EARNING A MASTER'S DEGREE IN COMMUNITY REGIONAL PLANNING FROM UT GO HORNS.
UM, I CAME STRAIGHT TO WORK FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
I'D ACTUALLY RECENTLY MOVED BACK TO THE CHICAGO AREA WHERE I'M ORIGINALLY FILMED TO BE WITH MY WIFE WHO WAS TEACHING UP THERE.
UM, ONE DAY I WENT TO THE CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY.
SURPRISINGLY THEY HAD A COPY OF THE AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN THERE AND I FOUND MY JOB AND TO CLASSIFIED AD IN THAT PAPER.
I THINK SOME OF MY YOUNGER EMPLOYEES ARE GONNA HAVE TO GOOGLE THE TERMS CLASSIFIED AD AND STATION WAGON
UM, I WAS BLESSED TO HAVE ONLY THREE BOSSES IN MY FIRST 26 YEARS HERE, GEORGE ZALAK, WHO HIRED ME AND GUIDED ME THROUGH THE FIRST PART OF MY CAREER AS A TRANSPORTATION PLANNER.
MAYOR PROTE, JACKIE GOODMAN, WHO'S HERE WITH US TODAY, WHO BROUGHT ME ON AS AN AIDE AND INTRODUCED ME TO THE INNER WORKINGS OF CITY HALL.
AND OF COURSE, GREG GK, WHOM I WORKED WITH FOR 26 YEARS.
THESE THREE PEOPLE WERE NOT JUST BOSSES, THEY WERE MY GOOD FRIENDS, MY MENTORS, AND HECK AND GREG'S CASE, EVEN MY NEIGHBOR.
I AM SO LUCKY TO HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH THOSE THREE PEOPLE FOR SO LONG AND TRULY GRATEFUL.
I'D LIKE TO THANK MY PARENTS FOR INSPIRING ME TO PURSUE CITY PLANNING AND AND PAYING FOR MY EDUCATION.
I'D LIKE TO THANK MY WIFE PATTY, WHO'S HERE TODAY.
MY SON WHO I THINK HAD A LEAVE FOR MEETING WITH AUSTIN WATER.
UH, AND MY DAUGHTER ALI, WHO'S ASEZ, ROSIE SAID, HAS TAKEN A TEST RIGHT NOW.
UM, NOW I GET TO SEE WHAT YOU GUYS DO ON THURSDAY NIGHTS.
UM, I'D LIKE TO THANK THE FOLKS IN THE DEVELOPMENT WORLD SUCH AS RON, MELISSA, MICHELLE HOUSEMAN, MICHELLE ROGERSON, LEAH BOJO, AMANDA, AMANDA, THE OTHER, AMANDA
UM, WELL WE ARE IN DIFFERENT SIDES OF THIS PROCESS.
ALL THESE FOLKS WHO WORKED WITH ME IN SUCH A PROFESSIONAL MANNER.
AND WHILE WE MAY DISAGREE ON A CASE WE DID IT WE'LL STILL BE IN GREAT FRIENDS.
I'D LIKE TO THANK FOLKS WHO MENTORED ME ALONG THE WAY.
ALICE GLASGOW, BETTY BAKER AND STEVE SADOWSKI, WHO TAUGHT ME THAT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE PAST TO UNDERSTAND THE FUTURE.
AGAIN, THANK YOU KATHY AND CONS, UH, FOR YOUR VOTE A COUPLE WEEKS AGO TO RENAMING THE ROOM AT THE AUSTIN HISTORY CENTER AND THEIR HONOR.
UM, KATHY, YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN SO NICE TO ME.
WE GO A LONG WAY BACK AND WE'RE BOTH EMBARKING UPON NEW ADVENTURES AND I HOPE WE WERE ABLE TO STAY IN TOUCH.
UM, I WILL MISS SO VERY MUCH MY CITY HALL MOM.
THANK YOU KAY, FOR BEING SUCH A GREAT FRIEND FOR ME, WHEN TIMES HAVE BEEN TOUGH AND TAKING GOOD SUCH GOOD CARE OF ALL OF US, I FEEL FORTUNATE TO HAVE HAD A SEAT AT THE TABLE WHERE DECISIONS ARE MADE ABOUT THE FUTURE OF OUR CITY.
I'M LUCKY TO HAVE BEEN A CITY PLANNER IN THE CITY AS DYNAMIC AS AUSTIN, AND WITH THE POPULATION THAT IS SO ENGAGED IN THE WORK THAT WE DO, I'VE SERVED UNDER FIVE CITY MANAGERS WHO HAVE SO IMPRESSED ME WITH YOUR DEDICATION TO BOTH THE CITY AND THE EMPLOYEES OF THE CITY.
I WOULD ESPECIALLY LIKE TO THANK KAUS GARZA AND TOBY FERRELL, WHO TAUGHT ME SO MUCH.
I'D LIKE TO THANK SPENCER RODNEY ROSIE, UH, FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, ESPECIALLY THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS, WHICH HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT FOR ME.
I'D LIKE TO THANK ALL THE COWORKERS I'VE HAD OVER THE YEARS.
OUR JOB CAN BE A THANKLESS ONE AT TIMES, BUT WE CARRY ON BECAUSE PUBLIC SERVICES ARE CALLING.
SO MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN MORE THAN JUST COWORKERS, BUT LIFELONG FRIENDS.
I WOULD ESPECIALLY LIKE TO THANK JOY HARDEN AND ANDREW RIVERA.
WERE MORE LIKE BROTHER AND SISTER TO ME.
SOMETIMES WE FIGHT LIKE BROTHERS AND SISTERS
[02:45:01]
STILL, BUT WE'RE, BUT WE'RE STILL FAMILY.AND FINALLY, I'D LIKE TO THANK THE CITY COUNCIL.
I HAVE SERVED UNDER SIX MAYORS AND SEVERAL DOZEN CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I HAVE BEEN COMING TO THESE MEETINGS SINCE ABOUT 1995 AND I THINK I'VE MISSED MAYBE SIX OF THAT
I'VE ALWAYS BEEN SO IMPRESSED WITH YOUR DEDICATION TO OUR CITY.
UM, PUTTING IN SUCH LONG HOURS FOR LOW PAY AND OFTEN RECEIVING GRIEF FOR IT IN A PUBLIC SETTING.
YET YOU DO WHAT YOU DO BECAUSE YOU WANT OUR CITY TO BE A BETTER PLACE FOR EVERYONE.
I'M SO PROUD TO HAVE WORKED WITH ALL OF YOU AND HAVE TRIED MY BEST TO IMPLEMENT YOUR VISION FOR THE CITY.
I WILL ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL THIS TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN FOR PROVIDING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE SUCH A REWARDING AND INTERESTING CAREER.
AND I THANK EACH AND EVERYONE IF YOU'RE BEING HERE TODAY UP ON TV.
ALL RIGHT, WE'RE GOING TO RECONVENE THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL MEETING.
THE TIME IS, UH, TWO 20 COLLEAGUES.
WE'RE GONNA START WITH THE, UH, CONSENT, UM, UH, SPEAKERS.
WHEN WE'RE DONE WITH CONSENT SPEAKERS, WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO HANDLE THE CONSENT ZONING.
WE'RE GONNA RECONSIDER TWO ITEMS. WE PASSED ON CONSENT, UH, FOR CLERICAL REASONS.
ONE, UH, WE HAVEN'T POSTED THE RIGHT MINUTES, SO WE'RE JUST GONNA RECONSIDER SO AS TO NOT VOTE ON THE MINUTES TILL THEY'RE READY AND THEY'LL COME BACK TO US.
AND THEN THERE WAS A TYPO IN THE ELECTIONS ORDINANCE WHERE DATE WAS WRONG.
WE'RE JUST GONNA FIX THE DATE, UH, UM, AND THEN WE'LL SEE WHAT THINGS WE CAN HANDLE QUICKLY.
UM, MY BELIEF, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN PERHAPS, IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO BRODY OAKS QUICKLY, SO I'M GONNA LEAVE THAT IN THE QUICKLY PILE.
I HAVE A MOTION AND OKAY, THERE'S SOME EXPLANATION THAT NEEDS TO OCCUR, BUT IT'S, IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, IT SHOULDN'T TAKE A LONG TIME QUICK.
IF IT'S QUICK ENOUGH, WE'LL DO IT.
THEN IF THERE ARE OTHER QUICK ITEMS WE CAN DO, WE'LL DO THOSE QUICK ITEMS. OKAY.
AND THEN WE'LL GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, I THINK THERE'RE GONNA BE TWO THINGS TO DISCUSS.
UH, ONE IS THE CYBER SECURITY.
JUST TOUCHING BASE ON THE CONVERSATIONS WE HAD HAD EARLIER SHOULDN'T BE VERY LONG.
UH, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA DISCUSS, UH, UH, THE MANAGER OF PERSONNEL.
UM, AND, UM, THOSE ARE THE ONLY TWO THINGS WE'RE GONNA PULL UP ON THE, UH, EXECUTIVE SESSION.
UH, I KNOW THERE WERE QUESTIONS ABOUT, UM, UM, NEGOTIATIONS.
I THINK THAT DOVETAILS WITH OUR CONVERSATIONS ON PERSONNEL, SO WE CAN RAISE THAT, BUT WE WOULD RAISE THAT IF WE WANTED TO IN THAT CONTEXT.
SO THOSE TWO ITEMS ON EXECUTIVE SESSION AND THEN WE COME BACK OUT, UH, WE'LL, WE'LL HANDLE, UH, BALANCE OF THE, UH, AGENDA, UH, WILL BE LOOKING AT THE THINGS THAT WE THINK WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO HANDLE, UH, QUICKLY.
UH, STR R 64 MAY BE ONE OF THOSE.
BUT LET'S BEGIN WITH THE SPEAKERS.
BEFORE WE DO THE SPEAKERS TALK TO US, UM, ABOUT WHAT WE ANTICIPATE TO BE POSTPONED SO THE SPEAKERS KNOW.
MAYOR JURY RESTO AND HOUSING PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
UM, ITEM 87 WILL, WILL BE AN INDEFINITE POSTPONEMENT REQUEST BY THE STAFF AM NUMBER 89 WILL BE A STAFF POSTPONEMENT REQUEST TO JANUARY 26TH.
ITEM 93 WILL ALSO BE A STAFF POSTPONEMENT REQUESTED JANUARY 26TH.
ITEM 94 WILL ALSO BE A STAFF POSTPONEMENT BY STAFF POSTPONEMENT TO JANUARY 26TH.
POSTPONEMENT THEN ARE, UH, 87, 89, 93 AND 94.
I'M JUST TRYING TO KEEP YOU UP AT THE DIAS AS LONG AS I CAN,
[Public Comment (Part 3 of 3)]
ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO AHEAD AND CALL THE SPEAKERS TWO MINUTES OF SPEAKER.UH, LOOKS LIKE, UH, WE HAVE, UM, UM, BETWEEN 20 AND 25 SPEAKERS.
FIRST SPEAKER IS KIMBERLY COHOS ON ITEM 80 96 AND 97, I WANTED, HI, MY NAME IS KIMBERLY KOHA.
UM, I'M AN ARCHITECT AND A REALTOR LIVING IN DISTRICT NINE.
I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE RELATIONSHIP TO THE PUD PROCESS.
UM, IT SEEMS LIKE YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD TO APPROVE NEW MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT RULES, INCREASING DENSITY IN HOUSING, AND I WANNA SAY MORE DENSITY DOES NOT EQUAL MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
[02:50:01]
JUST, UH, KIND OF ALMOST LIKE THE KOOL-AID GETS DRUNK, THAT EVERYBODY HEARS MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND THEY GO FOR IT.AND IT JUST FEELS LIKE TIME AND AGAIN, WE'RE GETTING MORE AND MORE DENSE PROJECTS IN AUSTIN AND NOT NECESSARILY THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING WE WANT, OR IT'S FEE AND LIEU AND PEOPLE HAVE TO MOVE OUT OF THAT AREA OF AUSTIN.
SO TODAY, I REALLY JUST WANNA SAY THAT THE POD PROCESS AT BRODY, I'M REALLY FEELING LIKE THAT NEEDS TO BE RETHOUGHT.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ON THIS PROJECT ARE DEEP.
UM, JUST WANNA ASK YOU TO PROHIBIT PUD ZONING AND WATERFRONT OVERLAY PROHIBIT PUD ZONING WITHIN BARTON SPRING ZONE THAT DON'T COMPLY WITH THE SOS ORDINANCE.
AND PERHAPS IT NEEDS TO REAPPLY TO DEVELOP WITHIN CERTAIN LIMITS.
UM, THIS IS AN AREA THAT I THINK IF YOU ASK MOST AUSTINITES, DO YOU WANT A 275 FOOT TALL BUILDING RIGHT THERE AT THE CORNER OF SOUTH LAMAR AND CAPITAL OF TEXAS HIGHWAY? I DOUBT THAT MANY PEOPLE WOULD SAY THAT'S A FANTASTIC IDEA.
UM, SO THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO SAY.
I'D LIKE TO REQUEST THAT YOU DO NOT PASS THE BRODY PAD.
THANKS, LYDIA ZIGMAN ON 80, 96 AND 97 MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO SPEAK BRIEFLY TODAY ON THE POD PROCESS.
IN GENERAL, IT'S TERRIBLY DISAPPOINTING TO SEE THAT THE CITY COUNCIL IGNORED THE WILL OF ITS CONSTITUENTS AND PASSED THE STATESMAN PUD.
UM, IT'S, IT'S PRETTY APPARENT THAT YOU PROBABLY HAVE ALREADY MADE UP YOUR MIND, UH, THAT THE COUNCIL IS MORE BEHOLDEN TO THE DEVELOPERS THAN ITS CONSTITUENTS.
AND I, I WON'T DO MUCH TO TRY TO CONVINCE YOU BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WE ALL KNOW WHICH DIRECTION THIS IS GOING IN.
AND WE ALL, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE IT PUBLIC AND SPEAK ON THE ISSUE OF THE FACT THAT YOU'RE VERY, VERY, VERY AWARE THAT YOUR, YOUR CONSTITUENTS DO NOT WANT THE PUTT PROCESS BEING USED.
YOU JUST PASSED NEW, NEW ZONING THROUGHOUT THE CITY, AND YET YOU'RE STILL GIVING SPECIAL FAVORS AND SPECIAL PRIVILEGES TO LARGE DEVELOPERS AT THE EXPENSE AND EVEN AT THE COST OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS.
DAVID KING ON ITEM 80 96 AND 97.
PLEASE SUPPORT THE BRODY OAKS HUD RECOMMENDATIONS FROM SEBAR SPRINGS ADJACENT NEIGHBORHOODS AND THE ZILKER NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION.
PLEASE REQUIRE THE PUD TO COMPLY WITH THE SO S ORDINANCE PERIOD.
THE PROPOSED 56% IMPERVIOUS COVER IS MORE THAN THREE TIMES THE O S LIMIT OF 15%.
PLEASE REQUIRE THE OFFSET MITIGATION LAND TO BE PROTECTED BY A CONSERVATION EASEMENT.
PLEASE REDUCE THE PROPOSED 275 FEET TOWERS TO THE EIGHT TO 10 STORY RANGE CONSISTENT WITH THE IMAGINED OFFSET.
COMPREHENSIVE PLANT SKYSCRAPERS REQUIRE AND CONCRETE THAT GENERAL FAR MORE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS THAN MID-RISE DEVELOPMENT.
WHEN CONSIDERING ALL SOURCES, PLEASE REPEAL THE PUT ORDINANCE, PLEASE REQUIRE A SUPER MAJORITY VOTE BY COUNCIL TO APPROVE PUTS.
IF A PUT IS TRULY SUPERIOR, A SUPER MAJORITY VOTE SHOULD BE OBTAINABLE.
OVER THE PAST EIGHT YEARS, COUNCIL HAS DELIBERATELY DISEMPOWERED FAMILIES AND NEIGHBORHOODS AND WILLFULLY EMPOWERED DEVELOPERS AND LAND SPECULATORS BY REPLACING SMALL AREAS, NEIGHBORHOODS LEVEL WITH A LAND DEVELOPMENT POLICIES.
AND AS A RESULT OF AUSTIN HAS BECOME WIDER AND WEALTHIER, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF LOW AND MIDDLE INCOME AND FAMILIES OF COLOR HAVE BEEN INVOLUNTARILY PUSHED OUT OF AUSTIN.
A WOEFULLY INADEQUATE NUMBER OF INCOME RESTRICTED, AFFORDABLE HOUSING HAVE BEEN PRODUCED, MOST OF WHICH DO NOT SERVE FAMILY EARNING.
BELOW 60% MEANS FAMILY INCOME, POLICE EMPOWER NEIGHBORHOODS AND FAMILIES BY PROVIDING SMALL AREA NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL PLANNING RESOURCES AND LAND DEVELOPMENT POLICY POLICIES AND TOOLS THAT NEIGHBORHOODS CAN ACCESS AND TAILOR TO THEIR SPECIFIC NEEDS AND ISSUES.
NEEDS AND ISSUES SUCH AS INSUFFICIENT PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE, INVOLUNTARY DISPLACEMENT, LOW AND MIDDLE INCOME FAMILIES, DEEPER LEVELS OF AFFORDABILITY AND PRESERVATION OF EXISTING AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY BASED BUSINESSES AND SERVICES.
KEEP FOR CONSIDERING MY COMMENTS AND FOR YOUR SERVICE,
[02:55:01]
WILLIAM BUNCH ON ITEM 80 96 AND 97.GOOD AFTERNOON, UM, SPRINGS ALLIANCE BILL BUNCH, UH, SPEAKING, UH, IN OPPOSITION TO THE CURRENT FORM OF THE BRO OAK BUD AS, UM, INCONSISTENT WITH SUPERIORITY REQUIREMENTS AND THE IMAGINE OFTEN COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
UM, THE RECENT SCIENCE OF THE LAST FEW YEARS MAKES VERY CLEAR THAT SKYSCRAPERS ARE NOT CLIMATE FRIENDLY.
UM, AND THERE'S EXCESSIVE HEIGHT IN THIS PROJECT, ESPECIALLY GIVEN ITS LOCATION, UM, IS IN DIRECT CONFLICT EQUITY PLAN.
AND WITH THE IMAGINE AUSTIN AND COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, COMPREHENSIVE PLAN CLEARLY CONTEMPLATES AN INCREASE IN DENSITY ON THIS PROPERTY AND NO WHAT IS AGAINST THAT.
BUT THE LEVEL OF DENSITY WITH THE SKYSCRAPERS IS CLEARLY OUTSIDE THE BOUNDS OF WHAT IS PROVIDED FOR IN OUR IMAGINE AUSTIN COMPANY.
UH, THIS LOCATION IS A, UH, LABEL AS AN ACTIVITY CENTER AND ENVIRONMENTAL SENSITIVE AREA.
AND PLAN IS VERY CLEAR THAT THAT
WE ALSO OPPOSE THE SO F ORDINANCE, UH, A SPECIFIC AMENDMENT WITHOUT, UH, REQUIRING OFFSITE MITIGATION SO THAT THEY, UH, THIS TRACK TOGETHER WITH A MITIGATION TRACK.
THE OVERALL IMPERVIOUS COVER, UM, WOULD BELOW THE SOS LIMIT OF 15 A PER.
WE RECOGNIZE THAT'S NOT REQUIRED, THAT'S ENTIRELY DISCRETIONARY TO THE COUNCIL, BUT SO IS GRANTING THE REQUESTED ZONING, YOU HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO REQUIRE THAT THIS, IN FACT.
THANK YOU SPEAKER, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED COVER STANDARD.
THANK YOU LORRAINE ATHERTON ON 80 96 AND 97.
THIS IS LORRAINE ATHERTON WITH THE ZK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION IN DEFIANCE OF EVERY GUIDELINE IN THE IMAGINE AUSTIN COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, THE BRODY PUD PRESENTED TODAY PROPOSES TO BUILD AN UNPLANNED JOB CENTER AND REGIONAL CENTER ON TOP OF THE BARTON SPRINGS ZONE TO GAIN SUPPORT FOR PROJECT CONNECT.
THIS CITY COUNCIL PROMISED THAT THE PLEASANT VALLEY CORRIDOR AND JOB CENTER EAST OF I 35 WOULD BE AUSTIN'S FIRST PRIORITY FOR INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS.
IF YOU APPROVE THIS BRODY PUD, YOU WILL BETRAY THAT PROMISE.
THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DESIGNATES SOUTH LAMAR AND THE WESTGATE SHOPPING AREAS ALONG BEN WHITE AS AN ACTIVITY CORRIDOR AND ACTIVITY CENTER QUOTE FOR REDEVELOPMENT AND SENSITIVE ENVIRONMENTAL AREAS.
END QUOTE, BRODY IS NOT INCLUDED IN THAT DESIGNATION.
THE PLAN IS CLEAR THAT THE INTENT IS TO DIRECT GROWTH AWAY FROM THE BARTON SPRING ZONE AND TOWARD GROWTH AREAS TO THE EAST, SUCH AS THE SOUTH AUSTIN COMBINED NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN ALREADY AN EDUCATION, MEDICAL AND TRANSPORTATION HUB THAT COULD ABSORB A LARGE POPULATION IF IT HAD BETTER INFRASTRUCTURE.
STAFF COMMENTS FROM AT LEAST TWO YEARS AGO HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT THE PROPOSED BRODY PUD OVERWHELMS THE POWER, WATER AND STREET INFRASTRUCTURE THAT CAN BE PROVIDED WITHIN THE SITE'S ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT.
AND IT IS DISRUPTING PLANNING FOR THE REST OF SOUTH AUSTIN TO AVOID CRIPPLING THE PREFERRED GROWTH IN SOUTH AUSTIN, THE BRODY PUD MUST BE SCALED DOWN.
INCREASES IN ELECTRIC DEMAND BEYOND CURRENT CAPACITY MUST BE PROHIBITED ON THE BRODY SITE.
PARKING ON THE BRODY SITE MUST BE LIMITED TO THE CURRENT NUMBER OF SPACES.
CAR TRAFFIC AND CAR FACILITIES MUST BE REDUCED TO REQUIRE.
PLEASE HONOR YOUR PROMISES TO EAST AND SOUTH AUSTIN.
NEXT SPEAKER IS ROY WALEY SPEAKING
[03:00:01]
ON 80 96 AND 97.HOW DO Y'ALL, THIS IS ROY WHALEY.
AND FIRST I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO AND COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.
YOU'VE BEEN A STEADY VOICE FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND SMART, BALANCED GROWTH.
NEXT IS, UH, YOU KNOW, AND, AND, AND PARDON ME, I'M NOT FEELING VERY WELL TODAY.
UM, IN CONVERSATIONS WITH DAVID ARM BRUCE, UH, AS WE WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS, OFTEN REGIONAL GROUP, THE SIERRA CLUB AGREED TO A VARIANCE ON SITE TO, TO GET RID OF THE FEE OF ASPHALT THAT IS THERE AND RETURN SOME MORE NATURAL SPACE.
BUT THAT WAS WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE MITIGATION, THE WATER QUALITY LAND WOULD BE PURCHASED OFFSET THE CONTINUED OVERABUNDANCE OF I, UH, IMPERVIOUS COVER THERE.
IN A FOLLOW UP CONVERSATION, I WAS TOLD, WELL, IT TURNED OUT IT'S JUST TOO EXPENSIVE.
WELL, THAT'S JUST TOO DOGGONE BAD.
YOU EITHER FOLLOW THE RULES OR YOU DON'T.
AND IN THAT REGARD, SIERRA CLUB AUSTIN REGIONAL GROUP IS GOING TO HAVE TO WITHDRAW THEIR SUPPORT FOR THIS PROJECT UNTIL IT ACTUALLY COMPLIES WITH WATER QUALITY.
SO I, I WANT TO THANK MR. BUNCH AND MS. ATHERTON FOR THEIR COMMENTS.
I DON'T HAVE TO REPEAT EVERYTHING THAT THEY SAID, BUT WE ARE CERTAINLY IN AGREEMENT WITH ALL OF IT.
AND YOU'RE WELCOME FOR ME NOT COMING DOWN AND COUGHING AND SNEEZING ON ALL OF Y'ALL AUDIO.
NEXT SPEAKER IS CHRISTINA VWA.
UM, UM, SPEAKING ON 85 AND 86.
HI, MY NAME IS CHRISTINA GWA AND I'M A HOMEOWNER, HOMEOWNER IN THE AREA, UM, THAT WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE PROPOSED REZONING OF JOHN WOODWAY.
AND, UM, THERE'S A COUPLE OF ISSUES I WANNA BRING UP.
ONE OF WHICH IS THAT I THINK MY NEIGHBORHOOD IS GENERALLY CONCERNED FOR THE SAFETY OF EXISTING HOMEOWNERS AND THE NEW HOMEOWNERS.
IN TERMS OF FLOODING ISSUES, THERE ARE, IT'S NOT A FLOODPLAIN THAT'S BEEN MADE CLEAR TO ME HEALTH, I'M FAMILIAR WITH THE FACT THAT SOME PLACE MIGHT NOT BE ON THE FLOODPLAIN NOW AND IT MIGHT BE PUT IN FLOODPLAIN LABOR ALSO.
IT MIGHT NOT BE FLOOD PLAIN, BUT IT MIGHT HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS FROM LANE.
I KNOW AT LEAST ONE RESIDENT WHO IS GOING TO BE RIGHT NEXT TO THAT NEW DEVELOPMENT, UM, HAS TRIED TO SEND PHOTOS AND VIDEO OF WHAT HAPPENS TO HER MOM AT HER HOME, EVEN IN A LIGHT RING.
UM, I'VE HEARD STORIES FROM AT LEAST TWO ADDITIONAL NEIGHBORS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THERE IS SIGNIFICANT RAIN AND HOW MUCH THAT WATER CAN RISE.
SO THIS IS A FIVE ACRE TRACT THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO REZONE AND I THINK THERE'S A REASON THEY CAN ONLY BUILD ON ONE TO ONE AND A HALF ACRES OF IT.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE THE CREASE, UM, AND THERE'S THE BUFFER AREA, BUT I, I THINK THE KEY IMPACT OF THE RAIN HAS NOT BEEN FULLY CONSIDERED.
AND, UM, DEVELOPERS HAS INDICATED THAT THEY WON'T FULLY CONSIDER IT UNTIL I GUESS THEIR SITE PLAN IS IN PLACE.
ANOTHER ISSUE IS TRAFFIC AND SAFETY.
UM, I GUESS I SHOULD MAKE IT CLEAR.
THERE ARE POTENTIALLY TWO DIFFERENT DEVELOPMENTS AND THERE'S ONE PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT THAT THIS DEVELOPER WANTS TO DO OFF
UM, THE ISSUE IS THE FIVE ACRES THAT'S ON JOHN WOOD AND THAT IS CURRENTLY ZONED SF TWO.
UH, WE'RE A SMALL LITTLE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, THEY CAN BUILD WHATEVER THEY WANT TO ON
UM, WHAT THEY WANNA DO IS CONNECT THAT PROPERTY AND THAT DEVELOPMENT TO OUR LITTLE NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND THAT IS PART OF WHAT BRINGS US CONCERN.
UM, I MEAN THEY COULD BUILD HOMES HERE, THEY COULD BUILD HOMES FOR, FOR AUSTINITES TO BUY AND THEY COULD EVEN POTENTIALLY BUILD ADEN HOMES WITH THAT GENTER UM, DESIGNATION.
THEIR PLAN IS TO HOLD ONTO THESE RESIDENCES AND TO LEASE THEM AT WHATEVER THEY CAN GET FROM THE MARKET.
THANK DO SPEAKER HAS EXPIRED AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
I THINK WE WANT THE CITY OF AUSTIN RESIDENTS TO BE ABLE TO BUY THAT, UH, TO PUT DOWN THEIR ROOTS AND TO BE ABLE TO GROW THEIR WEALTH.
AND, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH HOME FOR, THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING WITH US TODAY.
NEXT SPEAKER, MIRIAM HEATS ON ITEM 85 AND 86.
YES, THIS IS MIAM HAYES AND I LIVE ON JOHN WOOD WAY ALONG WITH MY FAMILY SINCE 1999.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE REZONING BEHIND OUR HOUSE.
[03:05:01]
WE DO NOT WANT IT TO BE REZONED BEHIND OUR HOUSE OR NOR ANY BUILDING DONE.NUMBER ONE, IT'S A FLOOD ZONE NO MATTER WHAT THE BUILDING TELLS YOU, IT IS MY NEIGHBOR TWO DOORS DOWN, HAS A RIVER AND HER BACKYARD WHEN IT RAINS.
AND MY FOUNDATION AND SEVEN FEET TALL.
UM, WE HAVE VIDEO EVIDENCE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT.
WE LIVE HERE, WE SEE IT AND WE NEED YOU TO BELIEVE IT.
NUMBER TWO, OUR ROADS ARE TOO NARROW FOR MORE TRAFFIC.
AND THE LIFESAVING EMERGENCY VEHICLE, MY FATHER-IN-LAW NEEDED AN AMBULANCE AND IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR THE FIRETRUCK AND THE AMBULANCE TO MANEUVER.
HE NEEDED TO GET TO THE HOSPITAL FAST, BUT THEY COULDN'T TURN AROUND.
NUMBER THREE, THE BUILDER SAYS WE NEED AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THIS AREA.
A HUGE AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMPLEXES IN PROTON UP THE ROAD OFF OF BREAKER AND BLUFF BEND.
HUNDREDS OF UNITS, I THINK THAT COVERS THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
NUMBER FOUR, IF THEY BUILD THIS, THEY WILL HAVE TO EXIT OFF OF DESAL.
DESAL IS ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS PLACES IN AUSTIN.
IT'S TOTALLY BLIND DRIVEWAY THERE SOMETIME AND SEE ALL THE CROSSES THAT HAVE BEEN PLACED THERE OVER THE YEARS.
NUMBER FIVE, MY GREENSTONE IS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM.
HIS SOLACE IS THE BACKYARD, THE QUIET BACKYARD WITH GARDEN.
I GUESS THAT'S NOT GONNA BE HAPPENING ANY LONGER.
AND LAST NUMBER SIX ARE WILDLIFE, FOXS, BOBCAT TIES, POSSUM, WALL BOOTS AND INSECTS I'VE NEVER SEEN IN MY LIFE.
WHERE ARE THEY GONNA GO? THEY'RE RIGHT BEHIND OUR HOUSE.
BUT DOES ANYBODY CARE? LEADERS IN AUSTIN AS ALWAYS PREACHING TO US ABOUT NATURE, ENVIRONMENT AND HOW MUCH WE NEED TO RESPECT IT? OUR FAMILY RESPECTS IT, BUT AS FAR AS I CAN SEE, MONEY SPENTS IT ALL.
IT SEEMS THAT THE ENVIRONMENT AND NATURE IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
IF A HUGE PROFIT DOESN'T GET IN THE WAY, PLEASE RESTORE MY FAITH IN AUSTIN.
PLEASE RESTORE MY FAITH IN YOU.
NEXT SPEAKER IS STEVE HOBSON SPEAKING ON ITEMS 85 AND 86.
UH, I AM A NEIGHBORHOOD NEIGHBOR TO THIS PROPERTY AND I'D LIKE TO ANNOUNCE MY SUPPORT FOR THIS ZONING REQUEST.
UH, FOR MANY YEARS I'VE HAD USED THIS PROPERTY AND CARED FOR IT WITH THE PERMISSION OF THE LANDOWNER.
UH, THE ACREAGE THAT'S GOING TO BE PROTECTED BY THIS PROPOSAL IS A VERY UNIQUE PART OF AUSTIN.
IT'S A COMPLETE UNKNOWN JEWEL AND ONE THAT I SORT OF HESITATE DISCUSSING BECAUSE IT'S SO UNKNOWN AND IT'S VERY PRIVATE.
UH, AND THERE'S ALL KINDS OF WILDLIFE ON THE PROPERTY.
FOXS HIS COYOTES, OTTERS, SEASON BOBCATS, BIRDS, RARE PLANTS, AND THE MATURE OLD GROWTH FOREST THAT YOU FIND IN VERY FEW PARTS.
BOSTON, UH, WITHOUT PROTECTION, UH, THIS AREA WOULD BE FRAGMENTED.
IT WOULD LOSE ITS UNIQUE QUALITIES.
HOWEVER, WITH THIS PROPOSAL, UH, WITH THE LAND BECOMING, UH, AUSTIN PARK, WE CAN BETTER PROTECT THE LAND, UH, REDUCE THE ABUSE OF THE LAND BY CAMPERS AND PROTECT THE LAND WITH NATURE TRAILS AND IT'S THE BEST WAY TO PROTECT THE WILDLIFE.
THE OTHER SPEAKERS HAVE POINTED TO.
UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH ZNO JOSEPH SPEAKING ON 93, 94, 98 AND 99.
JOSEPH, I HAVE SOME RELATE SPECIFICALLY TO THE DEVELOPMENT, UH, SPECIFICALLY THIS MORNING.
COUNCIL MEMBER MENTIONED GIVING THIS PROJECT AFTER FOR ST.
JOHN, AND I JUST WANTED TO CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION AS OF JULY 20TH, 2021.
YOU SPECIFY THE COMMITMENT CLERK.
CAN WE LET MS. JOSEPH KNOW WE CAN'T QUITE HEAR SAYING AND SO SHE'S MUFFLED.
I ARE YOU NOT HEAR ME JOSEPH, MS. JOSEPH, WHATEVER YOU JUST DID, IT SOUNDS WAY BETTER.
YOU WERE MUFFLED BEFORE, BUT YOU JUST DID SOMETHING IN THAT LAST COUPLE OF WORDS THAT SOUNDED WAY BETTER.
I JUST NEEDED TO MAKE A COMMENT AS IT RELATED TO AFFORDABLE HOME OWNERSHIP ON THE HOME, FORMALLY HOME DEPOT SITE.
AND I JUST WANTED TO ASK COUNSEL TO PLEASE CONSIDER THAT 19 ACRES IS A WHOLE LOT OF LAND TO NOT HAVE HOME OWNERSHIP.
WE KNOW THAT AFRICAN AMERICANS ARE MOST LIKELY GOING TO BE
[03:10:01]
THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WILL RESIDE IN THIS LOCATION ON ST.AND I ALSO JUST WANTED TO CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION INTO THE MAYOR IN PARTICULAR THAT IT'S ABOUT, UH, OVER 300 ACRES WAS THE ST.
JOHN'S DEVELOPMENT WHERE THE NEGRO ORPHANAGE WAS.
IT WAS LOCATED AT HIGHLANDS AND THAT AREA IN PARTICULAR HAS 80% AREA MEDIA INCOME BECAUSE THE OWNERS IN THE AREA AND THE PROPERTY OWNERS DID NOT WANT THE SERVE LOWER INCOME.
SO YOU CAN GO TO THE DECEMBER 17TH, 2020 HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S BOARD MEETING AND YOU WILL HEAR THAT COMMENT FROM MIKE GERBER.
AND SO I JUST WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT SEGREGATING WHERE AFRICAN AMERICANS CAN LIVE EAST OF 35 SPILL IS JUST CODIFYING THE 1928 CITY PLAN.
AND SO I APPRECIATE THAT THIS WILL NOT JUST BE A VACANT LOT, BUT OVER 500 UNITS THAT ARE SIMPLY GOING TO BE RENTING, UM, IS PROBLEMATIC.
AND SO I WOULD ASK YOU TO CONSIDER A COMPLIMENTAL CATHAR, UM, MOTION SHEET FROM JULY 29TH, 2021 THAT ACTUALLY THE NUMBER ONE SAYING THAT HE MENTIONED WAS A COMMITMENT TO MEANINGFUL AMOUNT OF AFFORDABLE HOME OWNERSHIP.
AND I WOULD ASK YOU BEFORE YOU COMPLETE YOUR WORK TODAY, THAT YOU ENSURE THAT AFRICAN AMERICANS CAN ALSO BUY HOMES IN AUSTIN.
I THANK YOU FOR TAKING OUR COMMENTS.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL LOUDLY ANSWER THEM AT THIS TIME.
TIMOTHY DANIEL SPEAKING ON 100.
GOOD AFTERNOON AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I AM, UH, HAPPY TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF REZONING THE WESTGATE BUILDING.
AS A CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT, HISTORIC LANDMARK NEIGHBORHOOD, WE ARE PROUD TO CALL THE WESTGATE OUR HOME.
IT'S TIMELESS CHARM AND HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE DREW US IN IMMEDIATELY AFTER HAVING TOURED MULTIPLE NEWER TOWERS IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
ALTHOUGH THE UNITS MIGHT BE SMALLER, MAYBE NEED A LITTLE UPDATING IN COMPARISON TO SOME OF THE NEW BUILDINGS, THE CHARACTER AND CHARM OF THIS BUILDING WILL NEVER FADE.
THE BUILDING MANAGEMENT IS ON SITE AT ALL TIMES.
IT IS NOT, UH, SUBCONTRACTED TO A PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANY AND THE CARE THEY TAKE IN KEEPING THE BUILDING UP AND ALSO PRESERVING ITS HISTORICAL NATURE IS ABUNDANT.
THE WESTGATE WAS FIRST, WAS THE FIRST MIXED USE HIGH-RISE BUILDING TO BE CONSTRUCTED IN AUSTIN.
IT IS ALSO SOMEWHAT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF THE CAPITAL VIEW CORRIDOR.
THE WESTGATE'S HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE HAS ALREADY BEEN ESTABLISHED AND APPROPRIATELY SECURED.
IN 2010, IT WAS ADDED TO THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES.
AND IN 2012 IT WAS DESIGNATED AS A RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK.
IT IS ONLY FITTING THAT IT RECEIVED THE SAME TREATMENT AND DESIGNATION FROM THE CITY.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AND HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GOOD AFTERNOON.
THAT CONCLUDES ALL OF THE REMOTE SPEAKERS I WILL GO TO IN PERSON AND SPEAKING ON ITEMS 80 96 AND 97 IS GEORGE COFER.
THANK YOU MAYOR AND COUNSEL FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.
I'M HERE TODAY TO OFFER MY PERSPECTIVE ON THE PROPOSED RODEO OAKS REDEVELOPMENT, THE RODEO OAKS PLAN UNIT DEVELOPMENT.
SO MANY OF YOU KNOW ME AS HAVING SPENT 25 YEARS WITH HILL COUNTRY CONSERVANCY.
I'LL BEGIN BY SAYING HILL COUNTRY CONSERVANCY DOES NOT TAKE POSITIONS ON PROJECTS.
SO I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT.
HILL COUNTRY CONSERVANCY IS HOWEVER VERY PLEASED TO BE WORKING WITH BARHOP POLLS ON THREE THINGS, TRAIL DESIGN, TRAIL MAINTENANCE, AND THE ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION OF THE LAND BETWEEN RODEO OAKS AND BARTON CREEK.
AND LET ME ADDRESS QUICKLY EACH ONE OF THOSE TRAIL DESIGN.
THERE IS A REALLY GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITY TO HAVE SUSTAINABLE
[03:15:01]
SAFE TRAILS FOR ALL THE NEW RESIDENTS AT RODEO OAKS, ASSUMING IT GOES FORWARD AND ANYONE IN AUSTIN TO ENJOY WHAT IS AN EXTRAORDINARILY BEAUTIFUL TRACT LAND.SO HILL COUNTRY CONSERVANCY WORKING WITH THE AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION AND TRAIL PROFESSIONALS WILL BE GIVING BARHOP POLL'S GUIDANCE ON THE DESIGN.
IF YOU'VE NOT BEEN ON THAT ATTRACTIVE LAND, THERE ARE BETWEEN FIVE AND 10 MILES OF EXISTING, I'D SAY THE WORST TRAILS IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
SOME OF THEM ARE STRAIGHT DOWN THE HILL WITHOUT EXAGGERATION.
ONE OF THEM IS NOW FIVE FOOT EROSION DITCH.
UH, IT'S UNSAFE, IT'S UNSUSTAINABLE.
WE'LL BE WORKING TO CLOSE THOSE TRAILS.
I MENTIONED ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION.
THIS IS PART OF THE BALCONIES CANYON.
LANDS HILL COUNTRY CONSERVANCY HAS FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE IN AMENDING THE MASTER TRAIL PLAN TO INCLUDE A TRAIL.
SO WE'LL BE OFFERING GUIDANCE ON ALL THOSE THINGS TO BARHOP POLLS AND WE'RE PLEASED TO BE PARTNERING WITH THEM.
I'VE KNOWN BARHOP POLLS FOR 35 YEARS.
JEAN WILKINS SPEAKING ON 80 96 AND 97 ON DECK IS MELISSA HAWTHORNE.
UH, MY NAME IS JEAN WILKINS AND I LIVE IN THE BARTON VIEW NEIGHBORHOOD, WHICH IS DIRECTLY, UH, ACROSS WEST OF 360.
SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO, TO SEE THE DEVELOPMENT I OPPOSE THE BRODY PU, WHICH WILL NOT BE ACCESSIBLE FROM MY NEIGHBORHOOD BY SIDEWALK OR BUS, EVEN THOUGH WE LIVE THAT CLOSE AND WE CAN SEE IT.
UM, THE TRAFFIC IMPACT MITIGATION RELIES HEAVILY ON THE 8 0 3 BUS ROUTE TO SOLVE THE TRAFFIC CONGESTION IN THE AREA, UM, THAT THIS DEVELOPMENT WILL WILL BRING.
AND, AND IT'S, IT'S JUST REALLY NOT REALISTIC.
THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE MITIGATION FOR THIS AMOUNT OF DENSITY THAT'S GONNA COME TO THE AREA.
THE PRECEDENT OF THIS DENSE, TOO TALL BUILD WILL LEAD TO ADDITIONAL PROJECTS ALONG TWO 90 AND LAMAR CREATING A CANYON LIKE CORRIDOR OF SATELLITES DOWNTOWN, UH, WHICH IS GONNA HAVE A, A NEGATIVE IMPACT, UM, IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD BARTON VIEW NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, AND WE SENT COUNSEL A LETTER.
I HOPE Y'ALL HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO READ THAT LETTER THAT WE SENT.
UH, WE, WE STRONGLY FEEL THAT THE ELECTRIC SUBSTATION SHOULD BE PLACED ON SITE.
UM, THAT WAS ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT CAME OUT OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION, AND WE STRONGLY SUPPORT THAT.
UH, WE SUPPORT THE DARK SKIES INITIATIVE TO MINIMIZE LIGHT POLLUTION AND MITIGATE AGAINST BIRD STRIKES.
UH, OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, WORKED THROUGH KITCHEN'S OFFICE.
THANK YOU, MS. KITCHENS, AND WAS PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT DISCUSSIONS GOING ON, AND THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT I BROUGHT UP AT EVERY MEETING, AND I'M VERY, VERY PLEASED THAT THAT'S COMING FORWARD.
I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DISCUSS, UH, AND, AND THE BUILDERS SEEM OKAY WITH THIS.
THE, UH, UH, REFLECTIVITY, YOU KNOW, TO KEEP THE, Y'ALL KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, TO, TO, TO KEEP THE REFLECTION DOWN.
UM, WE ARE EXTREMELY CONCERNED, EXTREMELY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS DENSE BUILD A TOP AIRMAN'S CAVE, AND WE REALLY DON'T FEEL THAT THAT'S BEEN ADDRESSED ENOUGH.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND GOOD AFTERNOON.
MELISSA HAWTHORNE SPEAKING ON 80 96 AND 97.
THIS CASE HAS BEEN GOING ON AND IT STARTED DURING THE PANDEMIC, AND SO THERE, IT'S BEEN A LITTLE CLUNKY AND I REALLY THINK THAT IT'S BEEN OVERSHADOWED BY THE STATESMAN PUT.
I MEAN, I KNOW YOU'VE HEARD FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE STATESMAN PUT, AND HERE COMES THIS CASE AND, AND IT'S GONE REALLY QUICKLY, WHICH, UH, I MEAN, I KNOW IT PROBABLY DOESN'T SEEM QUICK TO THEM BECAUSE IT, IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME THROUGH THE PANDEMIC.
UM, I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A GATEWAY CASE AND THAT THIS IS VERY PRECEDENT SETTING.
IT TAKES, UH, ATTRACTIVE LAND.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO START AND JUST SAY, I THINK IT SHOULD BE REDEVELOPED.
I JUST DON'T THINK IT SHOULD BE REDEVELOPED LIKE THIS.
AND I THINK THAT THERE ARE SOME GOOD THINGS.
I JUST DON'T THINK THAT THEY WARRANT THE DENSITY THAT'S PROPOSED.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ABOUT 3.4 MILLION SQUARE FEET ON TOP OF THE BARTON CREEK GREEN BELT.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE LONGEST MAP CAVE IN TRAVIS COUNTY, AIRMAN'S CAVE, AND THERE'S JUST,
[03:20:01]
WE DON'T GET THIS BACK.YOU DON'T GET A DO-OVER FOR THIS ONE.
UM, IT HAS A PUBLIC RESTRICTIVE COVENANT THAT LIMITS THE SITE AT 35 FEET IN HEIGHT FOR ABOUT 70% AND MAYBE A LITTLE HIGH, MAYBE 65%.
THEN IT GOES TO 40 FEET AND IT GOES ON UP TO 60 FEET.
AND IF YOU LOOK, UM, ALONG FROM BURTON SPRINGS ROAD TO SOUTH LAMAR, I WOULD SAY THE MAJORITY OF YOUR VMU PROJECTS ARE ACTUALLY BUILT ON SOUTH LAMAR IN THAT STRETCH.
AND I WOULD ALSO SAY THAT WE'LL PROBABLY BE THE FIRST VM U TWO CASE.
AND, UH, YOU HAVEN'T HEARD A SINGLE COMPLAINT FROM THE NEIGHBORHOODS ABOUT THAT WE'VE TAKEN THEM ALL.
AND, UH, HERE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT GOING FROM SOMETHING THAT'S ABOUT DOMAIN SOUTH ON THE GREEN BELT.
I, I MEAN IT DOES SELL SOME GOOD THINGS, BUT I'M NOT IN FAVOR.
UM, MR. MAYOR, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK, UM, I HAVE A NEIGHBOR IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD THAT IS ILL, AND THEY WROTE A LETTER AND THEY ASKED ME TO READ IT FOR THEM.
MIGHT I ASK FOR TWO MINUTES? REDO THAT LETTER? NO.
CAUSE THEN I'D HAVE TO GIVE TWO MINUTES TO EVERYBODY.
WOULD YOU GIVE IT TO THE CLERK? THEY'LL COPY THE LETTER AND THEY'LL HAND IT OUT TO US ALL.
UH, MAY COULD I ASK HER TO READ THE LETTER OR, YES, YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND READ THE LETTER.
WOULD YOU READ THE LETTER, PLEASE? IT SAYS, FROM A 39 YEAR OLD RESIDENT OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD, AND HIS NAME IS RUDOLPH CARRERA.
AND, UH, HE'S A REALLY NICE GUY.
AND AT THE BEGINNING WHEN THIS CASE CAME OUT, HE ACTUALLY WROTE ME POETRY ON THE NON MERITS OF THE BRODY OAK SPOT.
SO THIS IS PRETTY TONED DOWN AND HE IS ABOUT TO GO HAVE, UH, SURGERY AND, AND HE WAS PRETTY UPSET AND THAT HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO BE HERE.
I, OUR FAMILY IS A RE A RESIDENT IN BARN HILLS NEXT TO THE BRODY OAK SHOPPING CENTER FOR OVER 39 YEARS.
SOUTH AUSTIN, THE GREEN BELL AT THE GURU AND BARTON HILLS HAVE A GREAT TANGIBLE ASSET THAT IS HAVING OPEN SKIES.
I'M HERE TO PETITION YOU TO OPPOSE A POD IN BRODY OAKS.
THAT INCLUDES CONSTRUCTION OF ANY TOWER THAT IS WITH ANY CONSTRUCTION OVER THE FIVE STORY LIMIT AND COMPLIED.
ALL DEVELOPERS ALL THE WAY AROUND THE SOUTH LAMAR AREA TOWERS ARE NICE IN DOWNTOWN, BUT GENERALLY INCONGRUOUS AND BRODY OAKS, OPEN SKIES IN THE AREA IS A PRICELESS ASSET FOR ALL.
ONCE TOWERS ARE BUILT AT BRODY OAKS, THAT ASSET WILL BE GONE PERMANENTLY.
THOSE TOWERS ARE NOT IN THE DEVELOPMENT CODE AND ARE NOT NEEDED AND WILL NOT COVER ANY NECESSITY THERE.
TOWERS AND BRODY OAKS, WOULD I IMMEDIATELY DAMAGE THE SURROUNDING AREAS? THE VIEW ALL AROUND BRODY OAKS IS OF TREETOPS, INCLUDING THE PRESENT BRODY OAKS BUILDINGS CONSTRUCTED TO THE TREETOP PIPE BUILDING TOWERS.
AND BRODY OAKS WOULD SIMPLY EXPLOIT THE PRESERVED BEAUTY OF ITS SURROUNDINGS FOR THE BENEFIT OF JUST SOME TOWER DWELLERS AND UNDOING IT FOR THE GOOD AND FOR ALWAYS, FOR ALL TOWERS.
AND PROTO OAKS WOULD REMOVE THE LOOK, FEEL OF THE AREA AROUND THAT IS.
AND IF IT'S ALWAYS BEEN LOW BUILD BY DESIGN, THESE TOWERS WOULD REMOVED THE SPECIAL OUT OF THE CITY FEEL OF GURU AND THE GREEN BELT.
ALL THE WHILE INFRINGING ON THE AREAS FIVE STORY LIMIT APPLIED TO EVERY DEVELOPMENT THERE.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE TOWERS AND PROTEOS WOULD BE AT AN ENORMOUS IRREVERSIBLE LOSS FOR THE MANY, FOR THE OSTENTATION OF VERY FEW.
AUSTINITES WOULD HAVE THOSE TOWERS HOVERING 24 7 OVER THEIR MUCH PROTECTED UNIQUE AREA IN THE WORLD.
THERE IS NO NEED FOR BRODY OAKS DEVELOPMENT TO INCLUDE ANY TOWERS ON IT.
BUILDING WITHIN THE FIVE STORY DEVELOPMENT CODE AS IT'S NOW PERMITTED IN THE SURROUNDING AREA, WOULD ALREADY BE BY ITSELF A VERY SIZABLE CONSTRUCTION AND USAGE INCREASE OVER THE EXISTING ONE STORY DEVELOPMENT.
THE CHARACTER OF THE BEAUTIFUL SURROUNDING AREA WOULD BE IRREPARABLY HARMED BY THE TOWERS BUILT IN BRODY OAKS.
PLACEMENT OF TOWERS AND BRODY OAKS WOULD BE AN EXPENSE OF AN EXCEPTIONAL AND DELICATE ECOSYSTEM PRESERVED BY THE EFFORTS OF GENERATIONS OF AUSTIN, OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
FOR ALL TO ENJOY, ENJOY AND CHERISH, PLEASE DO NOT ALLOW OVER FIVE STORY CONSTRUCTION HEIGHT AND RODEO OAKS.
PU PLEASE HELP PRESERVE A WONDERFUL LEGACY FOR ALL PEOPLE BENEFIT FROM MAINTAINING SUCH A UNIQUE AREA WITHOUT TOWERS AND BRODI OAKS PUS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION AND THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.
NEXT SPEAKER IS GREG ANDERSON.
INGRID MORTON ON DECK IS MARIE WILF.
[03:25:03]
GOOD AFTERNOON, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MAYOR ADLER.MY NAME'S INGRID MORTON AND I'M A LONGTIME RESIDENT OF THE BARTON VIEW NEIGHBORHOOD, WHERE I WILL BE ABLE TO SEE THE BUILDINGS FROM THE BRODY POD RIGHT FROM MY FRONT YARD.
THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO VOICE MY CONCERNS REGARDING THIS PROPOSED PROJECT.
TODAY I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO THE FACT THAT THIS DEVELOPMENT WILL SIT RIGHT ON TOP OF A SECTION OF AIRMAN'S CAVE, ONE OF THE LONGEST CAVES IN TEXAS, SHERWOOD FOREST AND POETRY PASSAGE.
TWO OF THE LARGER SURVEYED AREAS SIT DIRECTLY BELOW THIS TRACK OF LAND.
THERE ARE EXISTING CRACKS IN THE CEILING, WHICH ARE SHOWN IN THE HYDROLOGICAL STUDY DONE BY NICO HOWETH.
I FEEL THAT THE DENSITY OF THIS PROJECT, WHICH INCLUDES LARGE TOWERS, WOULD GRAVELY ENDANGER THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF AIRMAN'S CAVE.
I DON'T OPPOSE DEVELOPMENT ON THIS SITE, BUT THE CURRENT PROJECT IN FRONT OF YOU IS JUST TOO LARGE.
THANK YOU AND HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY.
THANK YOU ALL FOR HEARING US OUT TODAY.
WE'RE HERE TO, UM, REQUEST THAT THE WESTGATE, WHICH IS ON 1122 COLORADO STREET, IS REZONED TO CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT, HISTORIC LANDMARK NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN.
HAVING GROWN UP IN TEXAS AND SEEING SO MUCH CHANGE IN AUSTIN'S SKYLINE, I PROBABLY APPRECIATE THE BUILDING'S HISTORIC ROOTS EVEN MORE BECAUSE I CAN SAY, I CAN TELL FROM MY EXPERIENCE AS A CHILD AND GROWING UP HERE IN IN TEXAS THAT AUSTIN AND BOTH AUSTIN AND TEXAS HAVE SO MUCH CHARACTER, MUCH OF IT WHICH IS GETTING QUICKLY DEMOLISHED OR REPLACED BY INFLUENCES COASTAL STATES AND MODERNIZATION.
I ASK THAT YOU APPROVE OUR APPLICATION BASED ON THE MERITS OF OUR BUILDING AND ALL THE CRITERIA THAT WE MEET SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO PRESERVE AND TREASURE A PIECE OF AUSTIN HISTORY AND KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD.
BRIAN EVANS SPEAKING ON 100 ON DECK IS DO DOUGLAS MOSS.
WESTGATE HAS A RICH HISTORY SINCE ITS CONSTRUCTION BY RENOWNED ARCHITECT EDWARD DRELL STONE, WHOSE OTHER WORKS INCLUDE A US EMBASSY, THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART IN NEW YORK CITY AND ROCKEFELLER, ROCKEFELLER CITY MUSIC CALL ROCKEFELLER CENTER AND RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL TO NAME A FEW AS WAS MENTIONED.
UH, THE WESTGATE WAS LISTED ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES IN 2010 AND BECAME A TEXAS RECORDED LANDMARK IN 2012.
IN YEARS PAST, MANY INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE HAVE LIVED IN AND VISITED THE BUILDING.
FORMERLY THE 24TH FLOOR WAS THE LOCATION OF THE HEADLINERS CLUB AND WAS OFTEN, OFTEN VISITED BY FORMER PRESIDENT LYNDON BAES JOHNSTON.
OUR UNIQUE MID-CENTURY MODERN STRUCTURE STANDS IN CONTRAST TO THE OTHER BLUE GLASS BUILDINGS THAT HAVE REPLACED MANY OLDER STRUCTURES IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN.
WE ARE HERE TO MAKE A COMMITMENT TO THE CITY THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO BE GOOD STOR STEWARDS OF THIS HISTORIC STRUCTURE.
GIVEN OUR MANY DECADES OF PRESERVATION, WE'VE ALREADY BEEN INVOLVED IN OUR HISTORICAL, CULTURAL AND ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE AND THE UNANIMOUS SUPPORT OF THE LANDMARK COMMISSION CITY STAFF REVIEWED BY CITY LEGAL, A MAJORITY OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
WE KINDLY ASK THAT YOU VOTE IN FAVOR OF THE PROPOSED ZONING CHANGE TO HISTORICAL LANDMARK COMBINING DISTRICT.
SO THAT MAY SO THAT WE MAY CONTINUE TO PRESERVE THIS AMAZING SITE.
DOUGLAS MOSS ON DECK IS RICHARD LYONS.
I LIVE AT THE WESTGATE AND DOWNTOWN AUSTIN.
AS YOU KNOW, HISTORIC PRESERVATION IS AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT ISSUE FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
WE NEED TO EMBRACE OUR HISTORY WHILE WE ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY CHANGING AND GROWING AS A COMMUNITY, AS A RESIDENT AND THE OWNER AND AN OWNER OF THE WESTGATE.
WE'RE WORKING VERY HARD EVERY YEAR TO MAINTAIN THIS HISTORIC PROPERTY, TO MAINTAIN THE HISTORIC CHARACTER OF THE EXTERIOR OF THE INTERIOR, AND TO CHERISH ITS UNIQUE PLACE IN THE CITY'S HISTORY.
WHEN I WAS GROWING UP IN NEARBY TAYLOR, WE WOULD DRIVE TO DOWNTOWN AUSTIN AND I WOULD LOOK UP AT THIS BUILDING AND IT WAS, IN MY OPINION, A SUPER TALL TOWER.
TODAY, YOU CAN BARELY FIND IT ON THE LANDSCAPE, BUT THAT'S A PART OF WHAT MAKES THIS BUILDING SO GREAT IN THE HISTORY OF DOWNTOWN AUSTIN.
OUR SMALL COMMUNITY OF RESIDENTS WORK VERY HARD EVERY YEAR TO MAINTAIN THIS HISTORIC BUILDING.
AND AS A PART OF THIS COMMUNITY, I AM STRONGLY ENCOURAGING EACH OF YOU TO PLEASE SUPPORT DESIGNATION AS A HISTORIC DISTRICT.
[03:30:01]
IS WILLIAM BARRY.I'M I, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK ON THIS MEASURE.
UH, MR. MAYOR CITY COUNCIL, I DON'T REALLY HAVE A LOT TO SAY EXCEPT THAT THE WESTGATE IS A HISTORIC LANDMARK FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN, FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS, AND FOR THE OUR NATION.
AND I ENCOURAGE YOU TO FOLLOW THE RECOMMENDATION OF STAFF AND APPROVE OUR REQUEST FOR REZONING, UH, TO ADD THE HISTORIC OVERLAY.
I'M AN OWNER AT WESTGATE TOWER SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF HISTORIC ZONING.
AS OUR BUILDING MANAGER MENTIONED, WE AS OWNERS HAVE SHOULDERED INCREASED COSTS AND RESPONSIBILITY TO TAKE METICULOUS CARE OF OUR BUILDING IN HISTORIC, UH, IN ITS HISTORICAL INTEGRITY.
THERE'S NO OTHER RESIDENTIAL BUILDING DOWNTOWN THAT MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS THAT THE WESTGATE DOES.
I THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO MENTION THAT THE WESTGATE HAS SOME OF THE MOST MODEST AND AFFORDABLE UNITS IN ALL OF DOWNTOWN.
ONE OF THE ONLY BUILDINGS DOWNTOWN THAT HAVE UNITS SELL ARE LESS IN THE MEDIAN, UM, AVERAGE PRICE, UM, FOR A HOME.
THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I'M LUCKY ENOUGH TO CHOOSE THE WESTGATE, UH, AS MY HOME BECAUSE THERE COULD BE NO LEGAL OR LEGAL CASES, UM, UH, LEGAL OR LOGICAL CASES WITH ANY MERIT THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT AGAINST, UM, WHY WE SHOULDN'T BE GRANTED HISTORIC DESIGNATION.
I ASK THAT THE CITY COUNCIL TAKES A FACTUAL BASED APPROACH, UH, AND APPROVES HISTORIC ZONING THAT WE'RE SEEKING.
THAT CONCLUDES ALL THE SPEAKERS.
[Zoning and Neighborhood Plan Amendments (Public Hearings and Possible Action) (Part 1 of 2)]
JERRY.YOU WANNA HELP TAKE US THROUGH CONSENT.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR COUNSEL, JURY REST OPEN AGAIN.
HOUSING PLAN DEPARTMENT WHO CONSENT TO AGENDA FOR TODAY IS ITEM 85.
THAT'S CASE NPA 2020 2 0 0 28 0.02.
I CAN OFFER THIS CASE FOR CONSENT APPROVAL ON ALL THREE READINGS.
ITEM NUMBER 86 IS CASE C 14 2022 DOUBLE 0 85.
I CAN OFFER THIS CASE FOR CONSENT APPROVAL ON ALL THREE READINGS.
ITEM 87 IS CASE C 14 2020 2 0 2 0 3.
THIS IS AN INDEFINITE POSTPONE REQUEST BY THE STAFF.
ITEM NUMBER 88 KC 14 2020 2 0 1 31.
OFFER THIS FOR CONSENT APPROVAL ON ALL THREE READINGS.
ITEM 89, CASE NMPA 2020 2 0 0 21 0.02.
THIS IS A POSTPONEMENT REQUEST BY THE STAFF TO JANUARY 26.
ITEM 90 IS KC 14, 2020 2 1 11.
I CAN OFFER THIS CASE FOR CONSENT APPROVAL ON ALL THREE READINGS.
ITEM 91, THIS CASE NPA 2020 2 0 0 0 2 0.01.
OFFER THIS FOR CONSENT APPROVAL ON ALL THREE READINGS.
ITEM NUMBER 92, THIS CASE C 14 2020 2 0 0 91.
THIS IS FOR CONSENT APPROVAL ON ALL THREE READINGS.
ITEM 93, CASE NPA 2020 2 0 0 29 0.01.
THIS IS A POSTPONE REQUEST BY THE STAFF TO JANUARY 26TH.
ITEM 94, KC 14, 2020 2 0 0 94.
THIS IS A POSTPONE REQUEST BY THE STAFF TO JANUARY 26.
NOW FOR THIS FOR CONSENT APPROVAL ON ALL THREE READINGS, ITEM 96 IS THE BRODI OAKS PUD, THAT'S DISCUSSION ITEM NUMBER 97 IS A RESTRICTED COVENANT RELATED TO BRODI OAKS.
THAT IS THE DISCUSSION ITEM NUMBER 98.
THIS CASE NPA 2020 2 0 0 29 0.02.
I CAN OFFER THIS FOR CONSENT APPROVAL ON SECOND AND THIRD READING.
ITEM 99 IS CASE C 14 2020 218.
I CAN OFFER THIS CASE FOR CONSENT APPROVAL ON SECOND AND THIRD READINGS.
AND FINALLY, ITEM NUMBER 100 C 14 H 2020 2 0 0 73.
I CAN OFFER THIS FOR CONSENT APPROVAL ON SECOND AND THIRD READINGS 100.
WITH REGARD TO 100, COULD WE PASS THIS JUST ON SECOND READING FOR THE MOMENT? AND POSTPONE, UH, ON THIRD READING? UH, THERE IS NO ON THE ESTIMATED ANNUAL TAX ABATEMENT.
AND, UH, I'D LIKE TO, UH, SEE WHAT, UH, THIS IS GONNA COST THE CITY IN, UH, IN, IN TAXES, MA'AM.
IS THERE ANY OBJECTION TO MAKING 102ND READING APPROVAL ONLY? YES, I WAS ACTUALLY HAVING SUPPORT THAT VERY MUCH.
I SAID I WAS ACTUALLY GONNA OFFER MY SUPPORT FOR THAT RECOMMENDATION.
SO WE'RE GONNA MAKE THAT A DISCUSSION ITEM.
[03:35:01]
BECOMES A DISCUSSION ITEM AND 96 AND 97 BECOMES DISCUSSION ITEMS. THE OTHERS ARE ON THE CONSENT, UH, UH, AGENDA.AND JUST TO BE CLEAR, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ON CONSENT, WE HAVE GIVEN ALL SPEAKERS WHO HAVE SIGNED UP, THEY'VE BEEN ALLOWED TO SPEAK.
UH, CONSENT MEANS THAT, UH, UM, NO COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, WANTS TO RAISE AN ISSUE.
SO, UH, AS TO DISCUSS IT EVEN FURTHER, BEFORE TAKING, UH, A VOTE, COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REGISTER WHETHER ANYONE BEFORE OR AGAINST SOMETHING, AGAINST SOMETHING, UH, EVEN AS WE TAKE A CONSENT, UH, VOTE TO MOVE FORWARD.
UM, THE CONSENTED AGENDA IS ITEMS 85 ZONING.
CONSENT AGENDA IS ITEMS 85 THROUGH 100.
WE HAVE PULLED 96, 97 AND 100.
THE OTHERS ARE, UH, TO PASS OR BE POSTPONED AS STATED.
UM, ANY DISCUSSION ON THE CONSENT AGENDA? TAKE A VOTE THEN.
THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE CONSENT AGENDA, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
DID I NOT ASK FOR A MOTION? OKAY.
WILL SOMEONE MOVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS OUR FUENTES MOVES THE COUNCILS MEMBER POOL SECONDS? IT, UNLESS THERE'S A DESIRE FOR DISCUSSION, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE.
THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE CONSENT AGENDA, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
UM, UH, ITEM WITH 96, 97 AND 100.
ALL RIGHT, COLLEAGUES, THERE ARE SOME THINGS I THINK WE CAN TAKE UP, UH, QUICKLY HERE.
JERRY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS.
YOU'LL OBVIOUSLY BE COMING BACK, UH, FOR THOSE, UH, ITEMS.
[Item(s) Referred from Council Committee(s)]
UH, WE HAVE A, UM, ITEM NUMBER 76, WHICH IS A CENTRAL HEALTH, UH, BOARD, UH, UH, APPOINTMENT.UM, THE, UM, UH, ITEM HAS BEEN, UM, UH, POSTED AND PUBLISHED AND, UM, AND, AND HANDED OUT TO, UH, TO COUNSEL.
UM, UH, I MOVE A PASSAGE OF THE, UH, AMENDMENT.
IS THERE A SECOND TO THAT? COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES.
YOU WANNA MAKE THAT MOTION, KATHY? I'M SORRY.
I'D LIKE TO MOVE APPROVAL OF THE APPOINTMENT OF DR.
MANUEL MARTIN TO THE CENTRAL HEALTH BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
AND IF I GET A SECOND, I'LL SAY JUST A FEW THINGS.
COUNCIL MEMBER POINTENT THIS SECOND THAT.
WE, WE INTERVIEWED THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE.
WE INTERVIEWED THE FINALISTS FOR THIS POSITION.
WE HAD SOME GREAT CANDIDATES THIS TIME.
AND, AND AS IS, AS IN PAST, UM, IT WAS A CHALLENGING DECISION BECAUSE EACH CANDIDATE REALLY BRINGS A DIFFERENT ARRAY OF, OF EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE.
UM, BUT WE FELT UNANIMOUSLY THAT DR.
MARTIN REPRESENTED THE BEST, THE BEST FIT AT THIS TIME.
AND, YOU KNOW, JUST SPEAKING FOR MYSELF, I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT HIS SERVICE.
SO THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE CANDIDATES WHO CAME FORWARD AND STEPPED UP, UM, TO CON TO BE CONSIDERATE TO SERVE.
OKAY, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? THOSE IN FAVOR OF THIS ITEM 76.
THOSE OPPOSED, I'M SEEING IT AS UNANIMOUS ON THE, UH, DAIS.
[Eminent Domain]
ALSO HAVE, UM, TWO, UM, UH, EMINENT DOMAIN, UH, ITEMS WITH RESPECT TO ITEMS 77 AND 78, PAYING NON-CONSENT CONDEMNATION ITEMS. UH, IS THERE A MOTION TO THE EFFECT THAT THE CITY COUNCIL OF AUSTIN AUTHORIZES THE USE OF THE POWER OF EMINENT DOMAIN TO REQUIRE THE PROPERTY SET FORTH AND DESCRIBED IN THE AGENDA FOR THE CURRENT MEETING FOR THE PUBLIC USES DESCRIBED THEREIN? UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO MAKES THAT MOTION.IS THERE A SECOND TO THAT MOTION? COUNCIL MEMBER ALICE? SECONDS.
THAT MOTION IN DISCUSSION THEN THOSE TWO ITEMS ARE, UH, APPROVED, UH, UNANIMOUSLY.
I'M SORRY, I'M NOT SURE YOU ACTUALLY HEARD.
IS THERE ANY OBJECTION TO THOSE IN FAVOR OF, OF THESE TWO OF THAT MOTION, UH, ON THE TWO EMINENT DOMAIN ITEMS, WHICH RAISE YOUR HAND.
THOSE OPPOSED? I'M SEEING IT AS UNANIMOUS ON THE DAY AS IT PASSES.
[Public Hearings and Possible Actions]
UH, 81 IS A PRIVATE, UH, ACTIVITY, UH, BOND.UH, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM? UH, 81 AND CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING? COUNCIL MEMBER POOL MAKES A MOTION.
COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON SECONDS.
[03:40:02]
OKAY, THOSE IN FAVOR OF 81, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.THOSE OPPOSED? I SEE THAT AS UNANIMOUS ON THE DIAS 81 PASSES.
UM, LET'S TALK ABOUT, UH, TWO ITEMS. I'M SORRY.
SO, UM, THERE ARE TWO ITEMS THIS MORNING ON THE CONSENT AGENDA THAT WE NEED TO RECONSIDER.
IS THERE A MOTION TO RECONSIDER ITEM NUMBER ONE? SO IS TO TAKE NO ACTION ON MINUTES CUZ THEY WEREN'T PROPERLY, UH, LAID OUT AS WELL AS TO RECONSIDER ITEM NUMBER ONE IN ORDER TO FACT TO, UH, CORRECT THE DATE OR THE NAMING OF THE PART ONE ORDINANCE NUMBER.
MAYOR, IT'S ITEM ONE AND FIVE.
RECONSIDERATION OF ITEM NUMBER ONE FOR THE PURPOSE DATED AND RIGHT NUMBER FIVE FOR THE PURPOSE DATED.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER POOL MAKES THAT MOTION.
IS THERE A SECOND TO THAT MOTION? COUNCIL MEMBER ELLI SECONDS THAT MOTION? IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? THOSE IN FAVOR OF RECONSIDERATION? PLEASE RAISE YOUR HANDS.
ANY OPPOSED? I'M SEEING THAT AS BEING UNANIMOUS.
UH, I MOVE TO TAKE NO ACTION ON ITEM NUMBER ONE IN FRONT OF US AND I FURTHER MOVE TO PASS, UH, ITEM NUMBER FIVE IN ITS CORRECTED FORMAT WITH THE CORRECTED DATE AS HAS BEEN POSTED AND HANDED OUT.
THAT MOTION AND DISCUSSION? THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
THOSE OPPOSED? I SEE THAT AS BEING UNANIMOUS.
SO WE'VE NOW TAKEN CARE OF ITEMS NUMBER ONE AND FIVE COLLEAGUES.
I'M, I'M SEEING, UM, UH, LET'S SEE IF WE CAN DO SOME THINGS HERE THAT MIGHT BE RELATIVELY QUICKLY.
AMERICAN YOUTH WORKS IS ITEM NUMBER 35.
LET'S SEE IF WE CAN TAKE THAT UP AND, AND RESOLVE THAT QUESTION.
IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM NUMBER 35? MAYOR PROTE MAKES THAT MOTION.
IS THERE A SECOND TO THAT MOTION? COUNCIL MEMBER F FUENTES SECONDS THAT, UM, IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED.
I THINK YOU PULLED THIS COUNCIL MEMBER.
KELLY, DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO US? I DID.
IS STAFF AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS? THIS PARK STAFF HERE TO TALK TO US ABOUT THIS ITEM? THEY ARE.
OKAY, LET'S JUST WAIT ONE SECOND.
[64. Approve a resolution relating to regulating persons, including platforms and other corporations, who collect or receive a fee from unlicensed short-term rental operators. 6]
I'M NEXT GOING TO GO TO, UH, COUNCIL TOBO WITH ITEM NUMBER 64, WHICH COUNCIL MEMBER VELA PULLED AND HANDED OUT, UH, AN AMENDMENT.IN FACT, IF WE'RE READY TO DO THAT ONE, MAYBE WE COME BACK TO THE ONE WE'RE WAITING FOR, FOR KIMBERLY TO COME.
HANDLING ITEM 64 NOW? UM, I, I WAS, I THINK I STILL AM.
I'M JUST TRYING TO ADJUST TO THE NEW, UM, I WAS JUST TRYING TO FOCUS NOW ON ZONING ON A CASE THAT I DIDN'T THINK WE NEEDED TO.
I'LL MOVE APPROVAL OF IT WITH THE AMENDMENT.
COUNCIL MEMBER TOVAN WAS APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER 64 WITH AVELA AMENDMENT INCLUDED.
IS THERE A SECOND TO THAT MOTION? CAUSE WEVE SECONDS THAT, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION
THERE WERE AN, THERE WAS AN ARRAY OF, OF OPTIONS THAT CONSTITUENTS HAVE ASKED US TO CONSIDER WITH REGARD TO BETTER REGULATION OF SHORT TERM RENTALS IN THIS COMMUNITY.
AND WE DIDN'T HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE ALL OF THEM FORWARD ON THIS TIMEFRAME.
SO I I HOPE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT OUR CO COUNCIL'S HOUSING COMMITTEE WILL TAKE UP NEXT, NEXT TERM.
THERE ARE SOME GOOD SUGGESTIONS THAT CONSTITUENTS HAVE RECOMMENDED THAT OUR LAW DEPARTMENT HAS REVIEWED THAT ARE, ARE DEFINITELY WORTHY OF CONSIDERATION, ESPECIALLY IF WE'RE INTERESTED IN, IN CONVERTING SOME OF THOSE MANY HOTELS BACK TO LONG-TERM HOUSING OPTIONS.
THOSE IN FAVOR OF ITEM 64, PLEASE AS AMENDED, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
THOSE OPPOSED, I'M SAYING THAT IS BEING UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED NO.
AGAINST COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY VOTES? NO, THE OTHERS VOTING.
AYE, I SEE THAT AS A TEN ONE VOTE.
[35. Authorize an amendment to a contract with American Youthworks to provide for continued Youth Environmental Stewardship programming, to increase the amount by $250,000 for a revised total contract amount not to exceed $3,447,000.]
NOW LET'S DO ITEM NUMBER 35.UM, AND THANK YOU STAFF FOR BEING HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS.
COLLEAGUES, EARLIER IN TODAY'S MEETING, I REQUESTED CONSIDERATION OF THE POSTPONEMENT OF ITEM NUMBER 35.
I HAVE SEVERAL REASONS FOR THIS, INCLUDING THAT THIS CONTRACT WAS NOT BROUGHT TO COUNSEL FOR APPROVAL IN A TIMELY MANNER.
AND AS SUCH, I FEEL REQUIRES MORE TIME FOR ME TO ADEQUATELY UNDERSTAND HOW AND WHY THIS OCCURRED.
STAFF SPOKE EARLIER TODAY AND DID NOT AGREE WITH MY REQUEST TO POSTPONE.
I'M HOPING PERHAPS THAT STAFF CAN SPEAK TO WHY THIS ITEM DID NOT COME BEFORE COUNSEL IN A TIMELY MANNER, AND ALSO EXPLAIN WHY A POSTPONEMENT ON THIS ITEM WOULD NOT BE AMENABLE.
KIMBERLY MCNELEY SERVING AS THE PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR.
[03:45:01]
SO THE CONTRACT THAT'S BEFORE YOU, IT IS AN AMENDMENT TO AN EXISTING CONTRACT AND IT'S TO EXTEND THE AUTHORITY FOR $250,000 TO ALLOW FOR LAND MANAGEMENT WORK TO BE COMPLETED, UH, BY THE PARKS AND RECREATION OR FOUR ON BEHALF OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, ON BEHALF OF WATERSHED PROTECTION AND ALSO ON BEHALF OF, UH, AUSTIN WATER UTILITY.SO THIS CONTRACT HAS MULTIPLE USERS.
THIS CONTRACT WAS, UH, WHEN WE, THE A C C WAS TRANSITIONED TO BE A PROGRAM UNDER THE, UH, AUTHOR UNDER THE, UM, PURVIEW OR THE UMBRELLA OF SUPERVISION FOR THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT.
THEY ALSO ASSUMED THIS CONTRACT.
HOWEVER, WE, UH, WE HAVE SOME NEW FOLKS IN ACTING POSITIONS WHO WERE, UH, UNAWARE OF THE AMOUNT OF AUTHORITY THAT EACH, UH, ALL OF OUR DEPARTMENTS, WE WERE NOT COORDINATING THE AUTHORITY OF THE USE OF THE CONTRACT AS WELL AS WE COULD.
AND WE CAME TO THAT UNDERSTANDING THAT WORK HAD BEEN, HAS ALREADY BEEN, UM, A, UH, REQUESTED, BUT YET THE CONTRACT DOESN'T HAVE THE, UH, APPROPRIATE AUTHORITY.
SO THIS WAS TO HELP US GET THROUGH DECEMBER, JANUARY AND PART OF FEBRUARY.
AND THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT IN COORDINATION AND COOPERATION WITH THE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT WILL BE BRINGING FORWARD A CONTRACT IN FEBRUARY FOR COUNCIL'S CONSIDERATION.
SO THIS IS JUST A SMALL TIMEFRAME SO THAT WE'RE CAN CONTINUE, BUT THEN WE WILL COME BACK TO COUNCIL WITH THE A CONTRACT FOR FULL CONSIDERATION.
THANK YOU FOR EXPLAINING THAT.
UM, COULD YOU TELL ME WHAT, IF ANYTHING, STAFF IS DOING TO ENSURE THAT, UM, IN THE FUTURE COUNCIL HAS ADEQUATE TIME TO REVIEW THESE CONTRACTS? WE'RE WORKING VERY DIRECTLY WITH THE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT AND SETTING OUR TIMELINES AND BENCHMARKING THINGS THAT NEED TO BE DONE IN ORDER FOR US TO COME BACK TO YOU IN A TIMELY MANNER.
UM, FOR THOSE OF YOU AT HOME THAT MIGHT NOT BE FAMILIAR, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS ITEM INTENDS TO PROVIDE AN EXTENSION OF CAREER TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR 17 TO 24 YEAR OLDS WHO LEARN AND DEVELOP JOB READINESS SKILLS AS IT RELATES TO LANDSCAPING ON CITY MANAGED PROPERTIES.
THIS ORIGINATED AS A PILOT PROGRAM APPROVED BY COUNSEL BEFORE I WAS ELECTED AT THE HEIGHT OF THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC TO SERVE THOSE MOSTLY AFFECTED BY THE PANDEMIC.
ACCORDING TO THE PILOT PROGRAM REPORT THAT STAFF PROVIDED TO MY OFFICE, A 10 PERSON CREW WAS CREATED BY THE AUSTIN CIVILIAN CONSERVATION COURSE, WHICH WAS FUNDED BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT HAS ASSUMED THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE A ACCC PROGRAM AND CREATED THE ACTING MANAGEMENT TEAM TO OVERSEE THE PROGRAM.
THERE SEEMS TO BE MULTIPLE COMPLEXITIES TO THIS PROGRAM, AND I BELIEVE THERE IS A NEED TO FURTHER UNDERSTAND THE PROGRAM BY COUNCIL BEFORE WE APPROVE THE FUNDING, OR AT LEAST BY ME AS A COUNCIL MEMBER.
ACCORDING TO THE PILOT PROGRAM REPORT, AN INITIAL TERM IN THE AMOUNT OF 1.5 MILLION WAS APPROVED AND EMPLOYED AND TRAINED 10 INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE AT ECONOMICALLY RISK DUE TO THE PANDEMIC.
THE REPORT INDICATES THAT 10 INDIVIDUALS OF THE TEN NINE WERE SUCCESSFULLY EMPLOYED FULL-TIME WITH THE 10TH BEING PART-TIME EMPLOYED BY THE TIME THEY COMPLETED THE PROGRAM FOR OUR CREW MEMBERS FOR THE ACC ITSELF.
AND TWO, ARE NOW WORKING AS SUPERVISORS FOR THE AMERICAN USE PROGRAM.
AND ONE IS A LANDSCAPING LABOR IN SEATTLE.
ONE IS A GARDENER AT UT AND ONE IS WORKING AT A LOCAL TREE CARE BUSINESS.
FROM MY INITIAL REVIEW, 1.5 MILLION IN AN ADDITIONAL 250,000 SEEMS TO BE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS TO TRAIN 10 PEOPLE TO WORK IN THE LANDSCAPING INDUSTRY.
WHILE I UNDERSTAND THE POTENTIAL VALUE IN SUCH A PROGRAM, I WOULD WANT ADDITIONAL TIME TO DIG INTO THE FINANCIAL DETAILS OF THE PUBLIC BENEFIT THAT THIS PROGRAM PROVIDES BEFORE BEING ABLE TO VOTE YES ON THE EMERGENCY BRIDGE FUNDING IN FRONT OF US TODAY.
ADDITIONALLY, WE ARE LARGELY, IF NOT COMPLETELY MOVING AWAY FROM THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC ERA AND CONTINUING TO FUND A PROGRAM THAT IS INTENDED TO HELP INDIVIDUALS AFFECTED BY THAT GIVES ME SOME PAUSE.
I RECOGNIZE THIS PROGRAM MAY PROVIDE A BENEFIT TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND ITS RESIDENCE, BUT I HAVE NOT HAD THE PROPER AMOUNT OF TIME TO FULLY VET THE PROGRAM THIS MORNING.
MY OFFICE JUST RECEIVED THIS 363 PAGE CONFIDENTIAL CONTRACT TO WHICH I HAD TO SIGN AN NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT, AND IT WOULD MAKE ME MORE CONFIDENT IN MY DECISION TODAY TO FULLY REVIEW THAT CONTRACT AS WELL AS THIS EXTENSION TO HAVE ADEQUATE TIME TO REVIEW THE PROGRAM IN THE AFOREMENTIONED WAYS BEFORE MAKING A DECISION ON THIS ITEM TODAY.
SO MY UNDERSTANDING IS THIS IS A CONTRACT WITH AMERICAN YOUTH WORKS THAT PRED PREDATES THE PANDEMIC BECAUSE IF YOU COUNT THE NUMBER OF YEARS HERE, WE'RE GOING BACK FIVE YEARS, WHICH IS WELL BEFORE 2020.
UM, THIS WAS THE VEHICLE, THIS CONTRACT WAS THE VEHICLE THAT WAS USED TO BE ABLE TO CONTRACT WITH AMERICAN YOUTH WORKS IN PART FOR THEIR ROLE WITH THE A ACCC, BUT IS NOT SOLELY IN FOCUSED ON A C C.
THIS IS A STOP GAP MEASURE TO ADDRESS, UM, A SITUATION WHERE WE HAVE MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS WHO ARE INVOLVED WITH THIS CONTRACT.
I TOO WISH THERE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THIS GAP IN FUNDING.
UM, BUT THIS IS A THING WE DO ALL THE TIME WHEN WE ADD A
[03:50:01]
LITTLE BIT EXTRA AUTHORIZATION TO A CONTRACT WHEN WE HAVE NOT, UM, WHEN WE ARE ANTICIPATING THAT WE NEED TO EXCEED IT AND WE HAVE NOT GOT YET A CONTRACT IN PLACE.UM, THAT CONTRACT WILL BE, UM, YOU KNOW, MORE SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO THESE THINGS.
BUT THESE, ALL OF THESE DEPARTMENTS WORK WITH AMERICAN YOUTH WORKS, UM, ABOVE AND BEYOND THOSE, THOSE, UM, POSITIONS THAT YOU CITED.
AND I'M NOT SURE, I'M NOT SURE I DON'T HAVE ALL OF THOSE NUMBERS IN FRONT OF ME.
IF YOUR NUMBERS ARE CORRECT, UM, THIS AUTHORIZATION TO DATE NEEDS TO BE APPROVED.
UM, THERE WILL BE A LONG-TERM CONTRACT OR A, UM, THAT WE ARE ANTICIPATING COMING IN, I BELIEVE IT IS IN FEBRUARY, OR A VEHICLE THAT GETS US TO THAT.
UM, THEY ARE ORGANIZING ACROSS THESE MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS TO BE ABLE TO LEVERAGE.
AMERICAN YOUTH WORKS DOES AMAZING WORK IN TRAINING OUR YOUTH AND OUR COMMUNITY AND GETTING THEM ON PATHS TO EQUITABLE JOBS.
AND WE HAVE ALREADY, UM, DECLARED THAT WE HAVE TRANSITIONED TO A ACCC FROM BEING A COVID PANDEMIC RESPONSE TO BEING AN EQUITABLE JOB PROGRAM IN THE, UM, SUSTAINABILITY SPACE, WHICH IS BADLY AND SORELY NEEDED FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, SO I APPRECIATE YOUR DILIGENCE IN LOOKING AT THE CONTRACTS, UM, BUT I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF CONFUSION OVER WHAT WE ARE DOING TODAY THAT ARE, UM, PACKED UP IN THERE AND IN THE EMAILS THAT WE ARE GETTING.
UM, THIS, I MEAN THIS IS JUST NOT, NOT WHAT YOU'VE EXPLAINED.
UM, AND IF STAFF WOULD LIKE TO ADD ANYTHING TO WHAT I'VE SAID, I WOULD INVITE YOU TO DO THAT.
IF I'M MISSING ANY OTHER PIECES THAT MIGHT BE RELEVANT IN RESPONSE.
UM, THAT THE CONTRACT, IT, IT, IT'S THE, THE THE MILLION DOLLAR CONTRACT THAT THE NUMBER THAT YOU QUOTED WAS NOT SPECIFICALLY FOR THE A ACCC PROGRAM.
IT WAS FOR LAND MANAGEMENT WORK CONTRACTING, LAND MANAGEMENT WORK FOR OR, UH, UH, UH, CONTRACTING LAND MANAGEMENT WORK OF THE, UH, AMERICAN YOUTH WORKS, BUT IT WASN'T JUST FOR A ACC C IT WAS WORK THAT AUSTIN WATER THAT UN UNAFFILIATED WITH A C THAT AUSTIN WATER NEEDED, UH, SOME WORK THAT PERHAPS AUSTIN WATERSHED PROTECTION NEEDED AND ALSO, UH, OTHER WORK THAT THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT PERFORMED PRIOR TO A C BEING ITS OWN, UH, ITS OWN ENTITY.
SO I THINK WHAT MIGHT HELP COUNCIL MEMBER, I RESPECT WHATEVER DECISION YOU MAKE TODAY, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PERHAPS SIT DOWN WITH YOU JUST TO PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONTRACT.
SO, AND A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAM SO YOU CAN FEEL COMFORTABLE IN THE FUTURE.
AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER AL ALTER FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND INFORMATION DIRECTOR MCNEELY.
NOW I'M SITTING HERE CONFUSED AS TO WHY STAFF WOULD PROVIDE ME A CONTRACT THAT'S NOT ENTIRELY ABOUT THE ITEM WHEN I REQUESTED THE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE'LL SORT OUT LATER.
BUT I DO APPRECIATE THAT FEEDBACK.
IT DOES NOT REALLY TAKE AWAY FROM MY POINT THAT WE HAVE OVERSPENT THE FUNDS THAT WE NEEDED TO FOR THIS, AND AS SUCH DON'T HAVE ADEQUATE AMOUNT OF TIME TO REVIEW IT.
SO I WILL BE GLAD TO MEET WITH YOUR OFFICE ON THAT.
SO JUST TO, I UNDERSTAND IS ALL WE'RE DOING TODAY IS EXTENDING THIS TILL FEBRUARY WHEN YOU CAN COME BACK TO THE COUNCIL WITH MORE? YES, SIR.
THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT WILL BE BACK IN FAVOR.
SO I'M GOING TO SUPPORT THIS SO AS TO BE ABLE TO GIVE TIME FOR COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY TO BE ABLE TO GET ANSWERS TO HER QUESTIONS AND REVIEW WHATEVER SHE WANTS, BUT FOR THE PROGRAM NOT TO BE PUT IN DANGER, UH, SUBJECT TO COUNSEL BEING ABLE TO FULLY CONSIDER FEBRUARY.
IS THERE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS? WHOA, A SECOND.
YOU DON'T SUPPORT A MOTION TO POSTPONE, YOU SUPPORT A MOTION.
MOTION TO PASSAGE THAT THAT WAS THE PLAN ALL ALONG.
WAS THAT SOMETHING THE FULLER CONTRACT? THIS IS JUST PROVIDING AUTHORIZATION FOR THE ADDITIONAL MONIES THAT WE NEED TO GET THROUGH FEBRUARY WHEN THEY WILL HAVE THE FULLER CONTRACT, WHICH CAN BE REVIEWED IN GREAT DETAIL.
YOU MADE THAT MOTION AT THAT POINT IN TIME.
I JUST, SHE WAS TRYING TO MAKE A DIFFERENT MOTION, SO I JUST WANTED, IT SOUNDED THE WAY YOU SAID IT, THAT YOU WERE SUPPORTING, SHE EXPRESSED A RESERVATION.
I WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT, WHICH I HEARD I WAS SAYING I HEAR THAT RESERVATION.
I THINK THE PROPER REMEDY FOR THAT IS TO PASS YOUR EMOTION.
THE PROGRAM ISN'T PUT IN JEOPARDY, BUT SO THAT WE HAVE A VERY LIMITED PERIOD OF TIME HERE.
IT'S TWO MONTHS, TWO AND A HALF MONTHS, WHATEVER IT IS, SO THAT COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY CAN GET ALL THE INFORMATION SHE WANTS AND GET HER QUESTIONS ANSWERED SO THAT COUNCIL CAN GET THAT AND THE NEXT COUNCIL THEN CAN MORE FULLY DIS CONSIDER THIS.
BUT IN THE MEANTIME, WE'RE PRESERVING THE STATUS QUO FOR, FOR THAT TWO MONTH, TWO AND A HALF MONTH PERIOD OF TIME.
AND, UM, SORRY I MISUNDERSTOOD WHAT YOU SAID.
I WANTED TO JUST, UM, CLARIFY FOR COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY, UM, YOU KNOW, I ABSOLUTELY APPRECIATE YOUR DESIRE TO DIG INTO THE CONTRACTS.
I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
IN THIS CASE, THEY PROVIDED YOU THE FULL CONTRACT BECAUSE THE CONTRACT THAT UNDERLIES THE EXTENSION OF THE AUTHORIZATION IS 300 PAGES LONG BECAUSE IT COVERS ALL OF THESE MULTIPLE, UM, DEPARTMENTS.
[03:55:01]
FOR WHAT YOU ASKED FOR, THEY WERE PROVIDING YOU THE APPROPRIATE, UM, INFORMATION.IT HAPPENS TO ONLY BE A SUBSET OF THAT CONTRACT, UM, THAT APPLIES, UM, TO THE PARKS DEPARTMENT.
UM, BUT THAT IS WHY YOU WOULD'VE BEEN GIVEN THE FULL CONTRACT.
WE HAVE, UM, CONTRACTS OFTEN THAT WORK WITH MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS BEING ABLE TO WEIGH IN AND DRAW DOWN ON THE AUTHORIZATION IN PART, SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL OF THE PROCESS OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
WE'LL POSTPONE THIS, IN EFFECT, MAINTAIN IT.
THAT'S, THAT'S GOOD INFORMATION.
UM, YOU GUYS CAN HAVE A REALLY SIGNIFICANT DEBATE IN FEBRUARY IF THESE ISSUES COME BACK TO YOU.
THOSE IN FAVOR PRESERVING THE STATUS QUO FOR THE NEXT TWO AND A HALF MONTHS.
IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, MY MOTION WAS TO PASS AS IT WAS IN THE BACKUP FOR 35.
I DON'T WANT IT TO BE CONFUSED WITH YOUR, YOUR LANGUAGE.
OH, I THOUGHT THEN I MISUNDERSTOOD WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
THE, THE IT IS THAT THE CONTRACT IS THE SAME.
IT IS PROVIDING ADDITIONAL MONEY FOR THE AUTHORIZATION TO GET US THROUGH FEBRUARY SO THAT THE PEOPLE CAN STAY EMPLOYED AND THE PROGRAM CAN CONTINUE AND THE PROGRAM NOT BE IN JEOPARDY.
THE POSTING LANGUAGE IS AUTHORIZED.
AN AMENDMENT TO THE CONTRACT WITH AMERICAN YOUTH WORKS TO PROVIDE FOR CONTINUED YOUTH ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP PROGRAMMING TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT BY $250,000 FOR A REV REVISED TOTAL CONTRACT OF 3,000,447 IS THE EFFECT OF WHAT WE'RE DOING IS AUTHORIZING THE CONTINUATION OF THIS CONTRACT IN, IN FEBRUARY.
YOU'RE, YOU'RE AUTHORIZING AN ADDITIONAL $250.
SO WE CAN CONTINUE WORK THROUGH FEBRUARY AND WE'LL COME BACK WITH A NEW CONTRACT IN FEBRUARY, A NEW, NEW CONTRACT FOR CONSIDERATION.
AND THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT I SAID, BUT MAY I PRO THEM? I'M, I'M, I'M, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU UNDERSTOOD AND IT WAS CLEAR THAT THERE WAS THE ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZATION AMOUNT, WHICH IS WHY WE WERE DOING THIS AND IT WAS NOT CLEAR.
ARE WE APPROVING THE ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZATION TODAY? OR IS THAT WE COMING BACK TO THE BUDGET? THE FUNDING IS ALREADY IN THE BUDGET.
IT'S, NO, THE FUNDING'S ALREADY IN THE BUDGET.
WHEN WE PASS THE, THE FUNDING IN THE BUDGET FOR THE A ACC C, THAT FUNDING IS ALREADY THERE, BUT THE CONTRACT THAT GOVERNS THE RELATIONSHIP DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH AUTHORITY TO PAY OUT FOR THE PERIOD UNTIL FEBRUARY.
AND SO WE ARE AUTHORIZING THE ADDITIONAL MONEY WITHIN THE CONTRACT, THE EXISTING CONTRACT TO DO THAT.
AND THEN A NEW CONTRACT VEHICLE OKAY.
WILL BE PRESENTED TO US IN FEBRUARY.
I THINK EFFECTIVELY THAT'S WHAT I, WHAT I SAID THE ACTION WE'RE TAKING TODAY ENABLES THE MONEY TO BE PAID ON THIS CONTRACT ONLY THROUGH FEBRUARY.
AT WHICH TIME YOU GUYS WILL CONSIDER EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT GOING FORWARD.
YES, THE MONEY'S ALREADY BEEN SHOWN IN THE BUDGET, BUT IT CAN'T BE SPENT UNTIL IT GETS AUTHORIZED BY MOTION, I THINK.
I THINK WE'RE AGAIN, A VIOLENT AGREEMENT ON THIS.
THOSE IN FAVOR OF THIS MOTION, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY RAISING YOUR HAND THOSE OPPOSED TO THIS MOTION.
I AM A APPREHENSIVE NO BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE COULD BE VALUE IN THIS PROGRAM, BUT I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION IN FRONT OF ME TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF IT.
SO I LOOK FORWARD TO LEARNING MORE.
I UNDERSTAND IT PASSES 10 TO ONE COUNT.
COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY VOTING NO.
[Zoning and Neighborhood Plan Amendments (Public Hearings and Possible Action) (Part 2 of 2)]
LET'S SEE IF WE CAN HANDLE, UM, UH, BRODY OAKS AND WESTGATE, UH, BEFORE WE GO BACK TO EXECUTIVE SESSION.UM, SO LET'S HANDLE THOSE TWO.
JERRY HEARING COUNSEL JERRY RUSS, HOUSING PLAN DEPARTMENT.
UM, BEFORE I PROVIDE A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE CASE, I'D LIKE TO GO OVER THE THREE ITEM THAT WE HAVE RELATED TO IT SO EVERYONE IS CLEAR BEFORE WE START DISCUSSING IT.
WHAT, UM, WHAT STAFF BELIEVES THE BEST WAY TO BE HANDLED IT.
SO PRESUMING FOR A MOMENT THAT THE POD PASSES ON FIRST READING TODAY, WHICH IS ALL THAT WE WOULD BE READY FOR, UM, STAFF WILL BE ASKING FOR AN APPROVAL OF THE PUD ITEM, WHICH IS ITEM NUMBER 96.
WE WOULD ALSO BE REQUESTING ON FIRST READING ONLY APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER 80, WHICH IS AN SOS AMENDMENT RELATED TO THE BRO OAKS PUD, AND IS NECESSARY FOR THE PU, UM, TO BE BUILT.
UM, THAT WOULD BE FIRST READING ALSO JUST LIKE THE POD.
AND THEN ITEM NUMBER 97 IS A RESTRICTED COVENANT AMENDMENT FOR THE PROPERTY.
WE'D BE REQUESTING A POSTPONEMENT OF THAT ITEM JUST AS WE ROUTINELY DO, UM, UNTIL WE COME BACK WITH SECOND AND THIRD READING.
SO WE PROBABLY SET IT FOR THE 26TH AND JUST SEE IF WE'RE READY FOR SECOND AND THIRD DONE.
IF WE'RE NOT, THEN WE'LL JUST POSTPONE IT AGAIN.
SO IT'D BE 81ST READING ONLY 96, FIRST READING ONLY, AND 97 TO POSTPONEMENT.
PRESUMING THAT THE COUNCIL APPROVES THAT.
DOES ANYBODY WANNA MAKE THAT MOTION? COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN MAKES THAT MOTION.
WE'LL GET TO AMENDMENTS A SECOND.
IS THERE A SECOND TO THE MOTION TO APPROVE ON FIRST READING ONLY 96 AND 80 AND TO POSTPONE 97 COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS SECONDS THAT COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.
UM, I HAVE, UH, TWO AMENDMENTS, UH, VERY QUICKLY.
UM, I HAVE PASSED OUT A PACKET AND I WOULD BRING TO EVERYONE'S ATTENTION THE,
[04:00:01]
UH, FRONT PAGE OF THAT PACKET LIST, THE, THE, THE KEY ISSUES.THE REASON I WANTED TO DO THAT IS BECAUSE ON FIRST READING, IT'S A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERYONE TO, TO SEE THE ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN RESOLVED.
AND THOSE REMAINING, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF ISSUES THAT WILL NEED TO BE RESOLVED ON SECOND AND THIRD READING.
I'M GONNA RUN THROUGH THESE REAL QUICK IN JUST A MINUTE, BUT I ALSO HAVE TWO MOTIONS THAT ARE DESIGNED TO, UH, TO MOVE TOWARDS RESOLVING, UM, TWO OF THOSE, UH, OUTSTANDING ISSUES, UM, IN THE FUTURE.
SO I'M GONNA SPEAK TO THOSE MOTIONS FIRST AND THEN MAYOR, IF, UM, AFTER THAT, IF I CAN HAVE A MINUTE OR TWO TO JUST GO THROUGH THE LIST OF ISSUES FOR PEOPLE.
WHY DON'T YOU, COUNCIL, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN HAS PROPOSED TWO AMENDMENTS YES.
TO THE DAUS, UH, IS STAFF OKAY WITH THOSE AMENDMENTS? AND IS THE APPLICANT OKAY WITH THOSE AMENDMENTS? UM, I THINK WE, I KNOW WE, WE JUST RECEIVED THE ONE WHO'S RELATED TO AUSTIN ENERGY, I BELIEVE.
AND THE SECOND ONE WHO WAS RELATED TO THE PARKLAND.
ARE THOSE THE TWO YOU'RE SPEAKING UP? THOSE, THOSE ARE THE TWO I'M SPEAKING TO.
I'LL, I'LL DEFER TO DIRECTOR MCNELEY REGARDING THE, UM, UM, PARTS AND AUSTIN ENERGY, I THINK YES.
YOU'RE ASKING US TO CONTINUE TO NEGOTIATE FOR THAT, SO WE'D BE FINE WITH THAT? YES.
AUSTIN ENERGY IS OKAY WITH THE AMENDMENT.
IS THE APPLICANT OKAY WITH THOSE TWO AMENDMENTS ON FIRST COUNCIL? MY NAME IS DAVID AIST REPRESENTING THE APPLICANT.
WE'RE IN AGREEMENT WITH THE AMENDMENTS.
OKAY, MS. MCNELEY, ARE YOU OKAY WITH THE SHEET HERE? ARE YOU OKAY WITH THE AMENDMENT? YES, SIR.
THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT IS FINE WITH THE AMENDMENTS.
COUNSEL, ANY OBJECTION TO ADDING THOSE TWO AMENDMENTS? UH, LET ME JUST SAY BRIEFLY WHAT THEY ARE SO PEOPLE UNDERSTAND.
UM, THE FIRST ONE WITH REGARD TO THE SUBSTATION, ONE OF THE OUTSTANDING ISSUES IS THE LOCATION OF THE, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY SUBSTATION.
IT'S NECESSARY TO HAVE A SUBSTATION BECAUSE OF THE, UM, INCREASED NEED, UH, FOR POWER.
UM, SO, UM, THE DIRECTION IS SIMPLY FOR, UM, THE PUT APPLICANTS IN AUSTIN ENERGY TO WORK TOGETHER TO RESOLVE THE SUBSTATION LOCATION IN A WAY THAT, UM, DOESN'T IMPACT SOS WATER QUALITY REQUIREMENTS ON THE SITE OR THE IMPERVIOUS COVER, UH, PARKLAND REQUIREMENTS.
THE, THE CONCERN IS THAT THE, UH, SUBSTATION NOT BE LOCATED IN SUCH A WAY THAT IS GONNA SIT ON PARKLAND AND REDUCE THE, UM, THE ALLOCATED PARKLAND OR CAUSE UH, GREATER, UM, THAN, THAN THE PROPOSED NET SITE IMPERVIOUS COVERS.
SO THAT'S WHAT THAT FIRST AMENDMENT DOES.
UM, AND THEN THE SECOND, UM, AMENDMENT RELATES TO ANOTHER OUTSTANDING ISSUE, WHICH HAS TO DO WITH, WITH, UM, WITH PAYING FOR, UM, UH, THE TRAILS, THE TRAIL TO ACCESS, UH, BARTON CREEK GREEN BELT.
AND SO, UM, THIS, UM, SECOND ONE, UM, ASK FOR, UM, THE CITY MANAGER IN COORDINATION WITH THE APPLICANTS, UH, TO, TO WORK THROUGH THE BEST MECHANISM TO PROPOSE BACK TO COUNCIL FOR, YOU KNOW, POTENTIAL OPTIONS FOR FUNDING.
AND THEN THERE'S, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, PARKLAND IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT, A PIT OR OTHER STRATEGIES.
UM, AND THE POINT IS JUST TO RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF, OF, UH, FUNDING TO, TO, UH, PRESERVE AND MANAGE THE TRAIL IN GREEN BELT ASSETS SO IT DOESN'T, UH, DIRECT A SOLUTION.
IT JUST, UH, DIRECTS SOME FURTHER WORK.
UM, IS THERE ANY OBJECTION TO THOSE TWO AMENDMENTS BEING ADDED? MAYOR, CAN I JUST CONFIRM THAT A AE HAS SEEN THIS? UM, UH, YES, THEY HAVE CITY MANAGER.
I WORKED OUT THE LANGUAGE WITH THEM.
BUT ARE THEY HERE? DO WE HAVE ANY READY FOR ENERGY HERE? YES, SIR.
THIS IS LISA MARTIN WITH AUSTIN ENERGY.
ARE YOU OKAY WITH THE AMENDMENT? YES, WE ARE OKAY WITH THE AMENDMENT.
ANY OBJECTION TO THOSE TWO AMENDMENTS BEING ADDED? HEARING NONE OF THOSE TWO AMENDMENTS ARE ADDED.
MAY NOW HAVE THE MOTION IN FRONT OF US AS AMENDED.
LET ME JUST SAY A, A FEW QUICK THINGS.
UM, FIRST OFF, I WANNA, I WANNA THANK, UM, ALL OF THE, UM, THE NEIGHBORS, THE FOLKS THAT ARE HERE FROM THE BARTON HILLS AREA, AS WELL AS THE BARTON VIEW AREA.
UM, I RECOGNIZE THE IMPACT ON YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND I APPRECIATE YOU ALL.
YOU ALL HAVE BEEN PARTICIPATING, UH, VERY CLOSELY WITH THE, UH, APPLICANT OVER THE LAST NUMBER OF MONTHS.
UM, AND, UM, I APPRECIATE THE, UM, UH, AS YOU, AS EACH ONE OF YOU SAID, YOU'RE NOT OPPOSED TO, UM, TO BUILDING ON THIS SITE OR DENSITY, YOU HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THE SCOPE OF IT.
SO I WANNA FLAG THAT FOR MY COLLEAGUES.
WHAT, UH, WHAT YOU HEAR FROM, UM, THE FOLKS THAT HAVE SPOKEN IS, UH, THE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION WITH REGARD TO THIS SITE.
IT IS THE FIRST GREENTOWN CENTER FROM IMAGINE AUSTIN TO COME IN FRONT OF
[04:05:01]
COUNCIL.IT IS ALSO UNIQUE IN THE SENSE THAT IT IS ON A PROJECT CONNECT B R T LINE, UM, AND, UM, IT IS LOCATED, UH, YOU KNOW, IN A SENSITIVE ENVIRONMENTAL SENSITIVE AREA.
SO, UH, SO THIS IS A ONE, THIS IS A KEY ISSUE THAT YOU ALL WILL HAVE TO CONSIDER ON SECOND AND THIRD READING.
UM, AND YOU'VE HEARD CON, YOU'VE HEARD THE CONCERNS OF NEIGHBORS ABOUT THE, THE PROPOSED LEVEL OF DENSITY AS REPRESENTED, UH, BY THE HEIGHT IN THIS AREA.
SO, UM, SO I JUST WANNA FLAG THAT FOR YOU.
IT, IT IS ALSO THERE AS ITEM NUMBER FOUR ON THE, THE KEY, THE LIST OF KEY ISSUES THAT I MADE AVAILABLE FOR YOU.
UH, THE OTHER THING THAT I, THAT I WANTED TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION IS THE, UM, UH, TWO THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN PROPOSED IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT I JUST MENTIONED ABOUT CONCERNS ABOUT THE PROPOSED HEIGHT.
UH, THE SECOND THING IS, UM, THE SUGGESTION FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION FOR THE PURCHASE OF MITIGATION LAND IN THE BARTON CREEK'S WATERSHED, UH, TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN THE SOS IMPERVIOUS COVER REQUIRED AND PROPOSED.
THIS IS AN AREA THAT'S GONNA REDUCE THE EXISTING IMPERVIOUS COVER.
IT'S JUST A BIG, YOU KNOW, OLD SHOPPING CENTER RIGHT NOW WITH A LOT OF PARKING.
SO THE VALUE OF OF IT IS THE REDUCTION IN IMPERVIOUS COVER, BUT IT'S STILL NOT GONNA GET DOWN TO, YOU KNOW, THE 15%, WHICH IS WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE IF YOU WERE BUILDING NEW HERE.
SO ONE OF THE, UH, QUESTIONS THE, OR ONE OF THE ISSUES THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RAISED IS, UH, THE POTENTIAL FOR PURCH PURCHASING MITIGATION LAND I ELSEWHERE IN THE BARTON CREEK WATERSHED TO HELP ADDRESS THAT ISSUE.
UM, UH, SO I, SO THAT'S NUMBER FOUR.
ITEM NUMBER THREE IS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES.
ONE OF MY MOTIONS RELATED TO SUSTAINABLE TRAIL, UH, PAYING FOR THAT.
UH, SO, UH, SO THEN THERE'S ALSO, UM, WELL BOTH OF NUMBER THREE IS RELATED TO THAT.
I ALSO WANNA LET YOU KNOW THAT I KNOW THAT THE, UM, THAT UH, UH, CLEAN WATER ACTION AND OTHER, UH, ENTITIES, THE SIERRA CLUB SOS CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE APPLICANT.
UM, I HAVE TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY LISTED THE ISSUES THAT I'M AWARE OF.
THERE MAY BE A FEW MORE THAT COME FORWARD.
UM, I CAN ALSO SAY THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, THE PARKS BOARD, THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE BEEN TAKEN BY THE APPLICANT.
THE, UM, I ALSO ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THE ENERGY SUBSTATION.
I WANNA JUST TOUCH VERY BRIEFLY ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
I'M, I, I WANNA DO THIS BECAUSE I'M EXCITED ABOUT WHAT'S BEING OFFERED FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON THIS LOCATION.
UH, IT EQUATES TO 10% AS REQUIRED BY THE PUT ORDINANCE.
IT'S A MIX BETWEEN, UH, DEDICATED AFFORDABLE HOUSING THROUGH AN ARRANGEMENT WITH FOUNDATION COMMUNITIES, UH, ON TRACK FOUR, UM, AND THE MIX OF THE REST OF THE HOUSING BEING, UM, DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE PROPERTY.
SO, TO BE SPECIFIC, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT APPROXIMATELY 1.5 ACRES OF 6 MILLION VALUE, APPROXIMATELY DEDICATED FOR A HUNDRED PERCENT AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT.
THAT WILL BE A MINIMUM OF A HUNDRED UNITS, 102 TO THREE BEDROOM UNITS AT 30 TO 60% MFI IN PERPETUITY.
UM, THE FI BUT I WANNA FLAG FOR YOU ALL THAT THE FINAL ORDINANCE, UH, NEEDS TO INCLUDE LANGUAGE THAT STATES IF FOR SOME REASON, FOUNDATION COMMUNITIES IS NOT, IS NOT ABLE TO BUILD THAT THE CITY WILL HAVE, UM, THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, TO BUILD ON THE TRACK.
SO IT'S, THEY'LL NEED TO BE LANGUAGE IN THE FINAL ORDINANCE WITH THE BACKUP.
THE LAST THING I WANNA, UH, TO BRING TO Y'ALL'S ATTENTION ON THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS THAT, UM, THE ONSITE ADDITIONAL PROTECTED TO BE A HUNDRED AFFORDABLE UNITS WILL BE AT 60% MFI FOR 40 YEARS.
UH, THAT ADDITIONAL AMOUNT WILL DEPEND UPON THE, THE FINAL, UH, HEIGHT THAT'S ALLOWED, UH, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING ON THE ADDITIONAL BONUS AREA THAT WILL IMPACT WHETHER THAT'S A HUNDRED UNITS OR, OR YOU KNOW, EXACTLY WHAT THAT NUMBER OF UNITS ARE.
SO, UH, SO MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR, UM, PROVIDING SOME TIME TO, TO FLAG THESE ISSUES.
UM, THE BRODY OAKS PUT IS A, IS A, AS OTHERS HAVE SAID, IT IS PRECEDENT SETTING.
IT IS IN AN AREA THAT WE HAVE NOT DEALT WITH BEFORE.
THE QUESTION OF HOW MUCH DENSITY TO PUT THERE IS A VERY APPROPRIATE, UM, AND IMPORTANT ISSUE FOR THIS DIAS TO CONSIDER.
UM, AND THEN, UM, A AS YOU KNOW, AS BALANCED AGAINST, OR NOT BALANCED, BUT IN CONSIDERATION OF WHAT, UM, SUPERIORITY WE'RE GAINING, UH, IN TERMS OF, UH, THE, THE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE ENVIRONMENT.
ENVIRONMENT AND THE PARKS, AS WELL AS WHAT I CONSIDER TO BE SUBSTANTIAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
UH, TWO OTHER THINGS I WANNA POINT OUT THAT, UM, YOU HAVE BACKUP THAT YOU MIGHT WANNA LOOK THROUGH AT ONE POINT.
[04:10:01]
EXCELLENT JUST SUMMARY OF WHAT'S IN THE POD.UM, AND THEN FINALLY THEY'VE ALSO AGREED TO, UH, AFFORDABLE SPACE FOR ARTS.
UM, AND THAT'S SIGNIFICANT AS WELL AS LOCAL RETAIL.
AND THERE'S A WHOLE HOST OF OTHER BENEFITS THAT ARE IN THE BACKUP.
I'M NOT GONNA GO THROUGH ALL OF THAT.
YOU ALL, WHEN YOU GET TO SECOND READING, UH, WILL HAVE LOTS OF, LOTS OF DISCUSSION, UH, ABOUT IT.
AND MAYBE I'LL BE EATING POPCORN OR MAYBE EVEN TESTIFYING.
SO
SO, UM, THAT'S ALL MY COMMENTS AT THIS POINT.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM? YES.
I WANNA CLARIFY, THIS WOULD BE FOR FIRST READING ONLY, RIGHT? FOR THE PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION, CORRECT.
THE APPLICANTS WERE ABLE TO THAT, YES.
AND I JUST WANT, SINCE THIS IS MY, I GUESS LAST OR SECOND LAST, BUT WAIT A MINUTE.
PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION.
THERE WERE SOME THAT THE, THEY TOOK OUT TWO OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL BOARD RECOMMENDATIONS RELATED TO HEIGHT, BUT UM, THAT WAS INCLUDED IN THE PLANNING COMMISSIONER RECOMMENDATION PLANNING.
COMMISSIONER RECOMMENDATION WAS FOR PARKS BOARD RECOMMENDATION AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL BOARD RECOMMENDATION WITH TWO CONDITIONS REMOVED FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL BOARD RECOMMENDATION THE APPLICANT IS ACCEPTABLE TO THE PLANNING COMMISSIONER RECOMMENDATION WITH YEAH, THOSE ARE STILL, THOSE ARE STILL ON THE TABLE.
THERE WAS THE RECOMMENDATION NUMBER TWO FROM THE PLANNING COMMISSION WAS NOT ACCEPTED.
SO THAT'S NOT INCLUDED, RIGHT? CORRECT.
IT WOULD BE SUPERSEDED BY YOUR AMENDMENT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER RELATED TO THAT ITEM.
AND IF I COULD ADD TOO, AGAIN, SINCE THIS IS MY LAST CASE THAT INCLUDES AMENDMENT SIX FROM THE PLANNING COMMISSION, WHICH IS THAT THE APPLICANT PROVIDE POOPED SCOOP STATIONS
I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO SAY POOP IN A ZONING CASE.
NOW I HAVE
SO, SO THIS MAY THEN WOULD BE FOR ITEM 96 ON FIRST READING ONLY, POSTPONE ITEM 97 TO JANUARY 26TH AND TO APPROVE ITEM NUMBER 80 ON FIRST READING ONLY.
OH, IT DOESN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE CUZ IT'LL OPEN BACK UP.
UH, THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HANDS.
THOSE OPPOSED? I'M SHOWING IT AS UNANIMOUS ON THE DAYS PASSES.
ALL RIGHT, LET'S DO WESTGATE WITH WESTGATE.
UM, COUNCIL VELA ASKED HIM HOW MUCH THIS WOULD COST THE CITY.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT, UM, HONEST ANSWER IS WE DON'T KNOW.
UM, THERE ARE, I BELIEVE ABOUT 101 UNITS IN THE, IN THE BUILDING.
UM, IT WOULD BE EACH PROPERTY OWNERS OF EACH ONE OF THOSE UNITS RESPONSIBILITY TO APPLY FOR A TAX EXEMPTION EVERY YEAR.
UM, WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF THEM ARE HOMESTEADED VERSUS HOW MANY ARE RENTAL PROPERTIES.
WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY ARE ACTUALLY GONNA GO THROUGH THE TROUBLE OF APPLYING.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT AMONG ALL THE TAX AND ENTITIES, NOT INCLUDING TRAVIS CENTRAL HEALTH, WHICH IS PRETTY SMALL IN THE BIG SCHEME OF THINGS AS FAR AS TAX BILLS GO, THE MAXIMUM WITH AISD CITY, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
COUNTY IS $8,500 A UNIT AMONG ALL THE ENTITIES.
THE CITY'S PORTION I BELIEVE IS CAP IS SOMEWHERE AROUND 2,500 A UNIT.
UM, BUT AGAIN, MAKES A DIFFERENCE WHETHER IT'S SO-CALLED COMMERCIAL, A RENTAL PROPERTY VERSUS WHETHER IT'S A, UH, HOMESTEAD PROPERTY.
AND, AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT A I D UH, ACCEPTS WHATEVER, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, HISTORICAL DESIGNATIONS.
WILL WE, WE SEND THEM A LIST AND THEN THEY, THEY APPROVE IT AND SEND IT BACK TO US.
AND WHAT ABOUT THE COMMON AREAS? CAUSE I KNOW, YOU KNOW, CONDO, YOU OWN THE INTERIOR, YOU DON'T OWN THE EXTERIOR.
THERE'S A COMMONLY OWNED, UH, AREAS.
UH, IS THERE A SEPARATE APPRAISAL VALUE FOR THE COMMONLY OWNED AREAS? THAT'S SOMETHING WE'D HAVE TO ASK TCAD.
I THINK THAT THOSE ARE OWNED BY THE HOA, UHHUH
AND, UM, I'D HAVE TO TALK TO TCAD TO SEE IF THEY, HOW THEY ASSESS THOSE AND IF THEY WOULD TAKE AN APPLICATION FOR, UH, FOR THE TAX EXEMPTION AUDIT.
WE'VE NEVER HAD THAT SITUATION BEFORE.
SO LET'S PROCEED IN THIS PROCESS.
IS THERE A MOTION ON THIS ITEM? COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO, IS THIS YOUR DISTRICT? THIS IS MY DISTRICT AND I MOVE APPROVAL ON SECOND AND THIRD READING FOR HISTORIC ZONING FOR THIS IMPORTANT PROJECT.
SECOND TO THAT, CUSTOMER PULLS SECONDS.
UH, I WOULD, UH, JUST, UH, AMEND THE MOTION TO JUST APPROVE ON SECOND READING UNTIL WE CAN GET SOME CLARITY WITH REGARD TO POTENTIAL COSTS.
UH, UH, YOU KNOW, POTENTIAL LOSS, LOSS OF LOSS, PROPERTY TAX REVENUES.
IS THERE A SECOND TO THE MOTION TO MAKE IT SECOND READING ONLY COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS SECONDS THAT, UM, YOU WANNA DISCUSS YOUR AMENDMENT AGAIN? I, FIRST OF ALL, THE BUILDING IS NOT IN ANY DANGER.
UH, I MEAN THE RE THE REALITY IS THAT IT'S A, YOU KNOW, IT'S A VERY NICE DOWNTOWN BUILDING.
I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY URGENCY TO DO THIS RIGHT NOW.
UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT A POTENTIALLY LARGE FISCAL IMPACT, NOT JUST TO OURSELVES, BUT TO SCHOOL DISTRICT AS WELL.
AND, UH, I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND THAT A LITTLE BIT BETTER BEFORE WE GO AHEAD AND, AND PASS IT.
I MEAN, THIS COULD BE ON THE ORDER OF
[04:15:01]
HALF MILLION DOLLARS OR, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT REVENUE WOULD BE LOST.SO, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO GET A LITTLE MORE CLARITY ON THAT BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD ON IT.
CASA MARVO MI I'M NOT SURE WHAT MY COLLEAGUE MEANS ABOUT GETTING MORE CLARITY.
I THINK WE KNOW, I MEAN, WE HAVE THE SHEET FROM OUR CITY STAFF THAT SHOW IF EVERY SINGLE, IF EVERY SINGLE, UM, PROPERTY WAS ELIGIBLE, WHICH SOME OF THEM LIKELY WON'T BE BECAUSE THEY WON'T BE HOMESTEADED, WE KNOW WHAT THAT TOTAL COST WOULD BE.
THERE WOULDN'T BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO KNOW HOW MANY APPLICANTS, HOW MANY HOMEOWNERS ARE GOING TO APPLY FOR THAT EXEMPTION WITHOUT IT ACTUALLY BEING ZONED HISTORIC.
SO RESPECTFULLY, AS YOU ALL KNOW, THIS IS MY LAST MEETING ON THE DIAS.
I'VE REPRESENTED THIS DISTRICT NOW SINCE 2018.
I WOULD ASK THAT WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS PROJECT.
YOU KNOW, THE ORDINANCE REQUIREMENTS HAVE BEEN MET.
THE ORDINANCE REQUIREMENTS DO NOT HAVE AS A, AS A CRITERION THAT THE COUNCIL DELIBERATES OVER WHAT THE, WHAT THE TAXING, UM, WHAT THE TAX ABATEMENT IS GOING TO BE IF IT, IF A PROPERTY MEETS THE DEFINITION IN OUR CODE OF BEING HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT.
AND THIS PROPERTY IS, HAS BEEN, UM, UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED BY THE HISTORIC COMMISSION.
AND OUR STAFF HAVE SAID IT MEETS THE, IT MEETS THE ORDINANCE REQUIREMENTS.
IT SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO PROCEED FORWARD.
IT MEETS IT ON HISTORIC ASSOCIATIONS, IT MEETS IT ON ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE.
THERE IS A HUGE BODY OF INFORMATION IN OUR BACKUP AND HAS BEEN FOR THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS, OR AS LONG AS THIS HAS BEEN IN ON OUR AGENDA ABOUT IT.
UM, AND THIS IS, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IT, IT'S A, IT'S A GOOD QUESTION THAT YOU'RE ASKING, BUT IT'S NOT PART OF THE CRITERIA THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE CONSIDERING WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT A REZONING TO HISTORIC ZONING.
WE HAVE MULTIPLE TIMES, UM, HAD A CONVERSATION AS A COMMUNITY ABOUT WHETHER WE WANTED TO CONTINUE WITH A TAX ABATEMENT FOR HISTORIC PROPERTIES.
AND, YOU KNOW, THE COUNCIL HAS MADE SEVERAL REVISIONS TO THIS POLICY, BUT IT REMAINS ON OUR BOOKS.
AND, AND IT IS, UH, TO PRES TO HELP MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, UH, UH, ACCOUNTING FOR THE ADDITIONAL COSTS THAT HISTORIC PROPERTIES INCUR.
SO I'M NOT, I'M NOT SURE, MAYBE YOU COULD HELP ME UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT INFORMATION AND MAYBE THE STAFF HAVE THAT INFORMATION AND CAN MAKE IT AVAILABLE.
BUT IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW MANY PROPERTY OWNERS ARE GONNA APPLY FOR THAT EXEMPTION, THERE'S NO WAY TO KNOW THAT.
WHO, UH, UH, WE JUST HEARD THAT WE'RE NOT CLEAR ABOUT WHAT THE, UH, PROPERTY TAX VALUE IS FOR THE, UH, COMMON AREAS AND FOR THE, UH, HOMEOWNER ASSOCIATION AS WELL, OR IF, AND HOW THAT, UH, UH, APPLIES.
SO, UH, AGAIN, NOT ONLY THAT, BUT I MEAN, HOW MANY ARE HOMESTEADED? I I THINK THOSE ARE ALL ABSOLUTELY ANSWERABLE AND, UH, QUESTIONS THAT CAN BE INVESTIGATED AND ANSWERED.
AND AGAIN, I DON'T SEE THE, THE, THE URGENCY.
THIS IS NOT A BUILDING THAT IS THREATENED IN ANY WAY.
UH, THERE'S NOTHING THAT'S GONNA HURT BY, UH, KICKING THIS OVER TO, UH, JANUARY.
MAY I SEE ONE OF THE APPLICANTS HAS, UH, A HAND UP.
PERHAPS THEY HAVE SOME OF THE INFORMATION THAT'S BEEN REQUESTED.
YOU KNOW, I THINK WE, I THINK WE SHOULD ALL, WE'RE ALL TRYING REALLY HARD TODAY TO PERSEVERE AND FINISH UP AS MUCH OF THE WORK AS POSSIBLE, GIVEN THAT THIS IS THE WORK THAT BEGAN WITH THIS COUNCIL.
AND WE'RE ABOUT TO UNDERGO A PRETTY BIG TRANSITION.
SO, KATHY TOBO HAS ASKED YOU TO COME UP.
UH, THE HOA DOES NOT OWN ANY COMMON AREA.
EACH OWNER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR A PERCENTAGE OF A COMMON AREA BASED ON THEIR OWNERSHIP PERCENTAGE IN THE BUILDING.
SO EACH OWNER IS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR PORTION OF THE EXTERIOR.
FOR ALL HISTORICAL COST, IT IS A DIRECT PASS THROUGH TO THE OWNERS VIA THE HOA.
THE HOA IS JUST THE GOVERNING BODY THAT HIRES THE CONTRACTORS.
GOES THROUGH THE, THE PROCESS OF INSPECTING AND MAKING SURE THE WORK IS DONE TO HISTORICAL STANDARDS.
BUT IT IS THE OWNERS WHO BEAR THE COST OF THAT.
ALSO, IT WAS PROVIDED TO THE FILE, UH, PREVIOUSLY THE ESTIMATED COST OF THE PROGRAM.
AND AS WAS STATED BY, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO, IT IS CAPPED AT $8,500 FOR ALL HOMESTEADED PROPERTIES.
THE AMENDMENT IN FRONT OF US IS TO APPROVE THIS ON SECOND READING ONLY.
I'LL JUST SUPPORT, I KNOW I SECONDED THE MOTION THAT COUNCIL MEMBER VELA MADE.
AND I, I'VE ALSO BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS ONE.
CAUSE I THINK THIS IS A VERY COOL PROPERTY, BUT I THINK THE, THE TAX IMPACTS ARE IMPORTANT.
IF, IF ONE OF US WANTS TO BE ABLE TO RUN DOWN THOSE NUMBERS A LITTLE MORE, UM, A LITTLE MORE CLEARLY.
I, I, YOU KNOW, I, I SEE THE BENEFIT IN AT LEAST HAVING THE INFORMATION TO VOTE ON AND SUPPORTED THIS ON THE FIRST READING.
I'M COMFORTABLE SUPPORTING IT ON SECOND, BUT, UM, APPRECIATE IF A COUNCIL MEMBER HAS FURTHER FURTHER QUESTIONS THEY WANNA GET THROUGH.
PAUL, HOW MANY UNITS ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? AND THE MAX IS 8,500
[04:20:01]
PER UNIT.IF IT IS A HOMESTEADED PROPERTY AND THEN ELIGIBLE FOR A TAX, I BELIEVE THERE'S 101 UNITS IN THE COMPLEX.
AND DO WE KNOW HOW MANY HUNDRED AND TWO TIMES? NO.
SO THE MAX WOULD BE 102 TIMES 8,500 IF EVERYONE WERE HOMESTEADED OWNER OCCUPIED ITSELF.
AND DOES ANYBODY HAVE A SENSE OF THE PERCENTAGE OF, OF THOSE UNITS THAT ARE HOMEOWNER OCCUPIED? WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT SURE.
MAYBE THE, MAYBE THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE.
DO, CAN SOMEBODY DO THE DIAS MATH FOR ME? PUTTING THOSE ZEROS ON THE 8,500? I THINK, MAYOR, IF I MAY, THIS INFORMATION IS ACTUALLY IN OUR BACKUP.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT OTHER INFORMATION MY COLLEAGUES MAY WANT, BUT PERHAPS WE SHOULD TABLE THIS AND, AND TAKE A LOOK AT IT.
PART TWO HAS THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY TCAD AND IT ACTUALLY SHOWS WHICH ONES HAVE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS AND WHICH ONES DO NOT.
AND WE CAN ALL TAKE A LOOK AND, AND COUNT THEM AND SEE IF WE COME UP WITH THE SAME NUMBER.
THANKS FOR THE QUESTION THAT WILL TELL US EXACTLY.
HOW MANY HAVE HOMESTEADED ARE THERE? MAYOR, I'M, I'M GONNA SUGGEST THAT WE LAY THIS ON THE TABLE.
ARE THERE OTHER QUESTIONS THAT MY COLLEAGUES WOULD LIKE ANSWERED? HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS.
WE ANSWERED THE QUESTION ABOUT THE COMMON AREA COUNCIL MEMBER ELLA.
IS THERE OTHER, IS THERE OTHER INFORMATION THAT WOULD BE USEFUL? MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON.
YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO SECOND WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER ELLA SAID, WHICH ESSENTIALLY IS SAYING IF, IF, IF OUR COLLEAGUE HAS ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, EVEN IF THEY AREN'T NECESSARILY QUANTIFIABLE IN THIS EXACT MOMENT, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE AS BACKUP, EVEN IF HE'S NOT ABLE TO CLEARLY ARTICULATE THOSE QUESTIONS, IF HE'S GOT ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, I THINK IT'S ENTIRELY APPROPRIATE FOR US TO CONTINUE FORWARD WITH THE MOTION THAT HE'S PUT ON THE TABLE WITHOUT HAVING TO FEEL THE PRESSURE TO, IN THIS MOMENT, THIS DAY, ANSWER ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FROM OTHER COLLEAGUES.
I, I THINK IT'S PERFECTLY APPROPRIATE.
WHAT HE'S PUT FORWARD IS A MOTION.
AND I THINK WE SHOULD JUST MOVE FORWARD, PLEASE.
SO, MAYOR, COUNSEL, 28 OF THE UNITS, 28 OF THE HUNDRED AND TWO ARE, UM, HOMESTEAD.
28 OF THE 102 TOTAL UNITS IN THE BUILDING ARE HOMESTEAD.
28 OF THE UNITS ARE HOMESTEAD.
WE HAVE A MOTION IN FRONT OF US TO PASS THIS ON.
UM, DOES ANYBODY WANT THIS TABLE TO GET MORE INFORMATION NOW THEN? LET'S CONTINUE ON.
UM, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THE QUESTION OF PROVING THIS ON SECOND READING ONLY? TAKE A VOTE.
THOSE IN FAVOR OF PROVING THIS ON SECOND READING ONLY, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
UH, I HAVE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON.
AND COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, UH, VELA.
THOSE OPPOSED? PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
IT'S REMAINING FIVE PEOPLE IN THE DI THAT PASSES SIX TO FIVE MOTION IN FRONT OF US NOW IS TO PROVE THIS ON SECOND READING ONLY.
ANY DISCUSSION BEFORE WE VOTE? MAYOR? JUST TO ADD TO IT, THIS IS A HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT BUILDING.
IT HAS MULTIPLE, MULTIPLE HISTORIC ASSOCIATIONS.
I THINK THIS IS THE SECOND TIME, UM, THAT THERE'S BEEN AN APPLICATION.
THERE'S A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF INFORMATION.
AND THE, AND THE TOTAL EXEMPTION THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BASED ON THAT MATH THAT JURY GAVE US IS 238,000.
THOUGH AGAIN, OUR, OUR CODE DOES NOT PROVIDE FOR THAT TO BE ONE OF THE CONSIDERATIONS.
I HEARD YOU BETWEEN SECOND AND THIRD READING TO THE COUNCIL SHOULD DEAL WITH THE POLICY QUESTION OF DEALING WITH VERTICAL BUILDINGS VERSUS, UM, UH, NEIGHBORHOODS.
UH, THERE WAS A QUESTION ABOUT, UH, ACCESS TO, UH, UNITS IN A VERTICAL BUILDING.
UM, FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, AND IT'S NOT WORTH THAT MUCH, UH, CAUSE I'LL BE EATING POPCORN.
UM, I'M NOT SURE I SEE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN UNITS THAT ARE STACKED VERTICALLY AND UNITS THAT ARE HORIZONTALLY.
UH, YOU DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THOSE BUILDINGS.
YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE MIDDLE OF THOSE BUILDINGS EITHER.
UH, BUT WHEN THIS COMES BACK, I SUGGEST THAT YOU TRY TO FASHION A POLICY STATEMENT AS REGARDS THESE SO THAT YOU'RE NOT TRYING TO DEAL WITH THESE QUESTIONS, UH, ON AN AD HOC BASIS.
THAT WOULD BE MY ADVICE TO YOU TO TRY TO ARTICULATE A POLICY, UH, OR ELSE YOU'RE GONNA FIND YOURSELF DOING THESE THINGS REPEATEDLY.
AND I WOULD ADD FOR HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE, THIS IS THE BUILDING THAT I HAD MY FIRST LAW CLERK JOB IN, UH, WHILE I WAS IN LAW SCHOOL, IN CASE THAT MAKES ANY DIFFERENCE.
AND I JUST, THERE'S A HANDFUL OF OTHER, I MEAN, I, I THINK ABOUT THIS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE BROADER KIND OF DOWNTOWN, YOU KNOW, OTHER BUILDINGS COMING OUR WAY.
I MEAN, THIS IS, UH, AS THESE BUILDINGS AGE AND, UH, BECOME, UH, ELIGIBLE FOR, UH, HISTORICAL, UH, RECOGNITION,
[04:25:01]
UH, I THINK IT'S AN ISSUE THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO CONFRONT IT AGAIN AND AGAIN.SO, UH, LET'S TAKE A, WHEN WE TOOK A VOTE.
SO, SIX FIVE, NO, NOW WE'VE PUT PASSED THE AMENDMENT.
NOW LET'S TAKE A VOTE ON THE MATTER AS AMENDED.
THOSE IN FAVOR OF THIS ITEM AS AMENDED, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
THOSE OPPOSED, I'M SEEING UNANIMOUS ON THE DIOCESE IS POSTPONED.
UH, THIS IS PASSED ON SECOND READING ONLY.
AND THAT CONCLUDES YOUR ZONING AGENDA, MAYOR COUNCIL.
UH, COLLEAGUES, UM, UH, I'M SEEING THE ITEMS THAT ARE LEFT IN FRONT OF US BEING THE, UH, UH, WE'VE TAKEN CARE OF ALL OF ZONING.
UH, WE HAVE, UH, EXECUTIVE SESSION.
WE'RE GONNA TAKE UP TWO ITEMS, AND WE HAVE, I THINK, UH, FIVE PULLED ITEMS. AUSTIN ENERGY RAID CASE COUNCIL, ITEM FOUR, ITEM 58, WHICH IS COUNCIL MEMBER TOGO'S, UH, REAL ESTATE, UH, MATTER ITEM NUMBER 60, UH, THE ORACLE PARKLAND ITEM, UH, 70, UH, UH, THE PERSONNEL MATTER.
AND 74, WHICH IS THE, UH, ATP BOARD MATTER AND GOES TO THE FIVE MATTERS.
[Executive Session]
NOW THAT WE TAKE A BREAK, WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.WE'LL DO THAT IN PERSON, UH, AND, UM, AND SEE HOW WE CAN DEAL WITH THOSE ITEMS. SEE IF WE CAN COME BACK OUT, UH, AND, AND DEAL WITH THESE ITEMS. IT WOULD BE MY INTENT WHEN WE COME OUT TO DEAL WITH AUSTIN IN ENERGY FIRST, UM, SO THAT WE CAN, UH, HANDLE THAT IN A WAY THAT GIVES STAFF THE TIME TO BE ABLE TO DRAFT SOMETHING IF THEY NEED TO.
UH, THAT, UH, CORRESPONDS TO THE ACTION THAT WE, THAT WE TAKE.
UM, SO WITHOUT OBJECTION, THE CITY COUNCIL NOW GOES TO CLOSED SESSION.
TAKE UP TWO ITEMS PURSUANT TO SECTIONS 5 5176, 5 55, 189 WITH GOVERNMENT CODE.
WE'RE GONNA DISCUSS INFORMATION SECURITY ISSUES RELATED ITEM 82, AND PURSUANT TO 55,174, WE'RE GONNA DISCUSS PERSONNEL MATTERS RELATED TO ITEM 84, WITHOUT OBJECTION HERE AT 4 0 1.
UH, WILL GO BACK PHYSICALLY TO THE EXECUTIVE SESSION ROOM, UH, TO TALK ABOUT THESE.
LET'S TAKE, UH, FOUR AND FIVE MINUTES.
GIVE PEOPLE A CHANCE TO GO TO THE RESTROOM ON THE WAY BACK.
UH, BUT LET'S MEET BACK THERE AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN.
UH, SEE HOW EARLY WE CAN, UH, END TODAY'S, UH, MEETING WITHOUT GOING INTO TOMORROW.
WE ARE OUT OF, UH, CLOSED SESSION.
WE DISCUSSED, UH, INFORMATION SECURITY ISSUES RELATED TO ITEM 82 AND REAL ESTATE MATTERS RELATED TO ITEM 60.
UM, ACTUALLY WE DISCUSSED SECUR ISSUES RELATED IT TWO AND PERSONNEL MATTERS RELATED TO 84.
UH, THE TIME IS, UH, 6 0 3, AND WE'RE BACK.
[Proclamations (Part 2 of 2)]
I THINK IN THE, IN THE NATURE OF ITEMS OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE, UM, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE CARE OF SOME THINGS.WE WANT TO LEARN MORE COLLEAGUES TO COME ON OUT AND JOIN US.
I WILL GIVE 'EM A SECOND OR TWO SO I CAN BE PART OF THE PICTURE.
[04:30:57]
OH, YES, CALLS.WE HAVE A, WE HAVE A MICROPHONE ON, IS IT LIVE? LET'S GO AHEAD AND START.
WE'RE GONNA MAKE A COUPLE PRESENTATIONS HERE OVER THE NEXT FEW MINUTES.
UH, UH, LITTLE UNORTHODOX IN THAT EACH OF THEM ARE PRESENTATIONS IN A WAY THAT WE HAVEN'T DONE BEFORE, UH, SPECIAL DAY, CUZ THIS IS THE LAST TIME THE, UH, UH, ONE COUNCIL, UH, IN ITS, UH, ITERATION, UH, GETS TOGETHER.
UH, AND, AND AS WE DO THAT, AND WE LOOK AT THE CITY, WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF WHERE WE ARE.
UH, BUT WE RECOGNIZE THAT, UH, GETTING ON THIS PATH HAS TAKEN A LOT OF, UH, GIANTS, UH, ON WHOSE SHOULDERS WE ALL STAND.
UH, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT DESERVE RECOGNITION FOR THAT ARE, ARE NUMEROUS, UH, IN THE THOUSANDS AND, AND THOUSANDS, I'M SURE.
UH, BUT THERE ARE SOME INDIVIDUALS THAT, THAT, THAT JUST SEEMED TO STAND A LITTLE TALLER.
UH, SOME INDIVIDUALS THAT, THAT SEEM TO BE SO MANY TIMES IN THE, IN THE TRENCHES IN PEOPLE THAT, THAT WE HAVE COME TO RELY ON THAT SO MANY OF US INDIVIDUALLY GO BACK TO, UH, TO ASK FOR, UH, ADVICE AND FOR MENTORING.
UM, TONIGHT, UH, WE'RE GOING TO COLLECTIVELY, UH, HONOR ONE SUCH, UH, GIANT IN, IN PASTOR PARKER.
UM, PASTOR PARKER OBVIOUSLY HAS DONE INCREDIBLE SERVICE, UH, TO THIS COMMUNITY IN HIS ROLE AS, AS PASTOR.
UH, IN FACT, PASTOR PARKER IS ACTUALLY JUST LIKE ONE WORD, UH, I THINK, UH, AS WE'VE GOTTEN USED TO SAYING IT.
BUT, BUT, BUT HE HAS ADMINISTERED TO A FLOCK THAT GOES, UH, UH, BEYOND, UH, ST.
UH, HE HAS ADMINISTERED TO THE ENTIRE CITY, UH, AS OUR COLLECTIVE PASTOR.
UH, I CAN'T COUNT THE NUMBER OF TIMES THAT, UH, I HAVE BEEN IN GROUPS, UH, THAT HAVE NEEDED PASTORAL SUPPORT, UH, IN THE COMMUNITY UNRELATED TO ST.
DAVID'S CHAPEL, THAT, THAT WE HAVE TURNED TO PASTOR PARKER.
UH, HE HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN VERY CONCRETE WAYS IN SETTING POLICY, UH, IN THIS CITY THROUGH ADVICE HAS HELPED THIS CITY THROUGH SOME OF ITS HARDEST TO DEAL WITH MOMENTS, UH, INVOLVING PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUES, UH, BUT HAS BEEN A, A VOICE OF, OF EQUITY AND JUSTICE AND FAIRNESS AND ACCESS IN SO MANY ROOMS, IN SO MANY CONVERSATIONS.
UM, HE HAS BEEN, UH, ESPECIALLY FOR, FOR ME, UM, UM, MY PASTOR, IF I'M, IF I'M ALLOWED TO HAVE SUCH A THING, UM, UH, IN, IN, IN THIS COMMUNITY.
[04:35:01]
UH, AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT WE RECOGNIZE THAT, UM, I'VE GIVEN OUT A LOT OF PROCLAMATIONS AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT.UH, AND IT'S AN HONOR EVERY TIME THAT WE GET A CHANCE TO DO THAT, UM, MUCH, MUCH LESS FREQUENTLY.
UM, I HAVE THE, UM, UH, HONOR OF BEING ABLE TO, UH, AWARD SOMEONE A KEY TO THE CITY.
AND PASTOR PARKER, IF YOU COME ON UP, I'D LIKE TO GIVE IT TO YOU.
THANK YOU, PASTOR PARKER OF DAVID'S CHAPEL.
LET, LET ME GET MY WIFE AND MY TWO, TWO OF MY DAUGHTERS TO COME UP HERE WITH ME BRIEFLY.
THIS IS MY YOUNGEST ONE, AND THIS IS MY MIDDLE ONE.
UH, LAST NIGHT AT ABOUT MIDNIGHT, SOMEBODY WAS KNOCKING ON OUR DOOR, AND, UH, SHE HAD FLOWN IN FROM COLUMBUS, OHIO, UH, TO BE HERE FOR THIS MOMENT.
AND, UH, THIS IS THE MOTHER OF MY CHILDREN.
UM, I, I COULD NOT, I COULD NOT BE STANDING HERE IF IT WERE NOT FOR MY WIFE, LAVERT.
UH, SHE HAS SUPPORTED ME, UH, SACRIFICED FOR ME, AS HAVE MY DAUGHTERS.
AND MY OLDEST ONE IS A LAWYER IN BOSTON, AND SHE'S THERE WITH OUR THREE GRANDKIDS.
UH, AND SO IT HAS BEEN, UH, UH, AN HONOR, UH, TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITIES MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS TO SERVE, UH, THIS CITY.
AND, UH, IT'S NOT A BURDEN FOR ME TO GIVE UP MYSELF.
IT'S WHAT I BELIEVE I SHOULD DO.
UH, ONE REASON I WANTED LAVERNE TO STAND UP HERE IS THAT 40 YEARS AGO WHEN I FINISHED LAW SCHOOL, THE STUDENT BAR ASSOCIATION GAVE HER A CERTIFICATE, UH, BECAUSE OF HOW SHE SUPPORTED ME THROUGH THOSE YEARS.
AND SO I RECEIVED THIS KEY, UH, JOINTLY WITH HER, UH, WITH MY CHILDREN, AND WITH THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE, SOME OF WHOM WILL HEAR FROM DAVID CHAPEL, THAT HAVE TOLERATED ME FOR 30 YEARS.
UH, ALTHOUGH I'VE BEEN AT THE CHURCH 43 YEARS.
UH, THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY FRIENDS WHO SERVED THIS CITY AS COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MAYORS.
THE ONLY THING THAT I ASK, I WISH, WISH THE CHIEF OF POLICE WAS HERE, UH, BECAUSE I WANT HIM TO KNOW THAT IN CASE HE SEES ME WALKING AROUND THE CITY TRYING TO FIND WHAT THIS OPENS, THAT HE WON'T ARREST ME.
[04:40:01]
MEET COMMITTEE.WE'RE DOING THE MAYOR FIRST, THE MAYOR'S.
YOU HAVE TO LIKE, DID YOU PUT ANYTHING IN HERE ABOUT THE 15TH? YES.
[04:45:26]
UM, YOU'RE ME.UM, AND YOUR VISION FOR THIS, FOR OUR COLLEAGUES BEHIND, WELL, WHILE THEY'RE DOING I WANT CLUSTER IT, I WANT, RIGHT? I JUST, I JUST WANTED TO BE TRU YOUR VISION AND I WASN'T GIVEN THAT CLUE.
SO WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE? I HADN'T ACTUALLY THOUGHT ABOUT IT, BUT IF I WAS UP HERE, I WOULD AROUND.
AND, AND THE OTHER FOUR SHOULD BE OVER THERE SOMEWHERE OR IN THE MIDDLE HERE.
I THINK WE'RE GONNA, WE CAN, YEAH.
LET'S GET, YEAH, LET'S DO YOU WANNA START HURTING THEM? IS THIS ON? OKAY.
IF I COULD HAVE MY COLLEAGUES COME DOWN.
WE HAVE SOME DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS.
I'M GONNA ASK THAT OUR, OUR, UM, FOLKS WHO ARE GETTING THE AWARDS.
AND SO MAYOR, IF YOU COULD BE OVER HERE, SOME OVER, WE'RE ALL OF US, MISS BARBARA? THIS OVER HERE? WE'RE GONNA, I THINK YOU'RE HAVE TO BE LIKE, SPLIT UP ON SOME ORGANIZATIONS.
YOU'RE GETTING YOUR, THAT'S WHAT I HEARD HERE.
SO I WILL BE ABLE TO ACCESS THEM.
YOU NEED, BECAUSE MY STAFF'S NOT HERE RIGHT NOW.
YOU WANNA BE UP ON STAGE? HELLO? OH YEAH, I'M, YOU'RE OVER HERE? YEAH.
WHICH ONE? BUT ALL OF US WERE SAYING.
THIS IS, CAUSE THIS IS LIKE SINKING.
WHERE DO YOU WANT IT? IT IS, IT FEELS LIKE A I'M REALLY LIKE TRAP.
THIS IS EMBLEMATIC OF HOW WE OPERATE.
IT'S HARD FOR HER CATS WHEN WE'RE JUST GETTING AWARDS.
I'M MAYOR PRO TEM ALISON AL ALTER, AND IT'S MY HONOR TO REPRESENT DISTRICT 10 ON THE CITY COUNCIL.
I WANNA CONGRATULATE PASTOR PARKER, ONE OF MY CONSTITUENTS, AGAIN, ON RECEIVING THE KEY TO THE CITY.
SO, TONIGHT IS A, IS A, A VERY SPECIAL NIGHT, AND HOPEFULLY IT'LL BE TONIGHT AND NOT TOMORROW MORNING.
UM, AS THIS WRAPS UP, UM, THE LAST COUNCIL MEETING OF FOUR OF OUR COLLEAGUES WHO WERE PART OF THE ORIGINAL TEN ONE COUNCIL, UM, WE WANTED TO TAKE A FEW MINUTES AND TO PAUSE AND SAY THANK YOU.
UM, AND I APPRECIATE COUNCIL MEMBER POOL FOR ORGANIZING, UH, TONIGHT'S, UH, RUN OF SHOW.
UM, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US AS A COMMUNITY AND AS A CITY TO RECOGNIZE THAT WE'VE BEEN TESTED AGAIN AND AGAIN OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.
UM, BUT THANKS TO YOUR LEADERSHIP, THIS IS KIND OF AWKWARD.
UM, THANKS TO YOUR LE WHY DON'T YOU GUYS COME LITTLE BIT CLOSER HERE.
UM, THANKS TO YOUR LEADERSHIP, UM, WE ARE DOING GREAT AS A CITY, UM, AND WE OWE YOU OUR GRATITUDE.
AND I JUST WANNA WARN YOU THAT THIS IS GONNA BE KIND OF A SLOW GOODBYE, UM, BOTH FROM US AT COUNCIL AND AT AT CITY HALL, BUT I'M SURE FROM THE WHOLE COMMUNITY AS WE MAKE THIS TRANSITION TOGETHER.
SO, UM, EACH OF YOU WERE PART OF THAT TEN ONE COUNCIL, UM, AND IT'S REALLY HARD FOR US TO SUM UP WHAT YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED.
SO THIS IS GONNA BE A CELEBRATION IN INSTALLMENTS TODAY.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE, UM, THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS THAT WE ARE GONNA OFFER.
UM, NEXT WEEK, OUR, UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY ON AT X N TO MAKE REMARKS, AND NO DOUBT THEY WILL ALSO, PERHAPS LATE, UM, TONIGHT.
SO ON DECEMBER 15TH, THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, UM, TOGETHER WITH MY OFFICE, UM, AND THE WHOLE COUNCIL HAVE ORGANIZED A
[04:50:01]
RECEPTION, UM, AT FIVE 30 ON THE 15TH.AND SO, IF YOU'RE A CLOSE FRIEND AND SUPPORTER AND REALLY LOVE THESE FOUR, PLEASE JOIN US.
UM, TODAY, THOUGH, I'M HONORED TO BE JOINED BY COUNCIL MEMBER POOL IN PRESENTING OUR FOUR COLLEAGUES WITH DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS.
I HOPE THESE AWARDS ARE A UNIQUE REFLECTION OF EACH OF YOUR LEGACIES.
AND JUST ONE OF THE FIRST WAYS THAT WE ARE GOING TO MARK, UM, TOGETHER YOUR TIME ON COUNCIL.
SO, COUNCIL MEMBER RENTERIA, IF YOU COULD PLEASE JOIN ME UP HERE.
COUNCIL MEMBER SABINO PI IS A LIFELONG RESIDENT OF HIS DISTRICT AND A BELOVED CYCLIST AT CITY HALL COUNCIL MEMBER, I ADMIRE YOUR WORK TO SERVE OUR CITY'S VETERANS, TO GROW OUR CONNECTION TO AUSTIN'S HISTORY AND MEXICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE, AND TO VANCE OUR MOBILITY AND HOUSING NEEDS IN OUR CITY.
IT IS NOW MY HONOR TO READ YOUR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD FOR HIS UNTIRING SERVICE, COMMITMENT AND LEADERSHIP ON COUNCIL TO ADDRESS THE COMPLEX AND IMPORTANT ISSUES OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING, EQUITABLE AND ACCESSIBLE PUBLIC TRANSIT, INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY AND PROMOTION AND PRESERVATION OF OUR CITY'S MEXICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE AND INSTITUTIONS.
HE HAS PROVIDED EXEMPLARY SERVICE TO DISTRICT THREE AND ITS RESIDENCE DURING HIS EIGHT YEAR TENURE.
AS A DEDICATED CITY COUNCIL MEMBER OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN, SABINO PI IS DESERVING OF PUBLIC ACCLAIM AND RECOGNITION.
THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED IN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND APPRECIATION TODAY, THE EIGHTH DAY OF DECEMBER, AND THE YEAR 2022.
AND IT IS SIGNED ON BEHALF OF ALL OF US.
I REALLY WANT TO THANK MY COLLEAGUES AND I, I'M GONNA SAVE ALL, SAVE ALL MY COMMENTS TILL NEXT WEEK.
BUT I WANNA SAY THANK YOU AND THE STAFF.
AND IF IT WASN'T FOR Y'ALL GUYS, WE WOULDN'T BE WHERE WE ARE AT RIGHT NOW.
AND NOW MY COLLEAGUE, COUNCIL MEMBER POOL WILL PRESENT A DISTINGUISHED AWARD TO ANN KITCHEN.
I DUNNO, MY GOOD FRIEND ANNE KITCHEN.
SO, I WANNA READ THIS DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD FOR ANNE FOR HER COMMITMENT TO SERVING AND PROVIDING VALUABLE SKILLS AND COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP ON COUNCIL, ADDRESSING THE CITY'S CHALLENGES TO HOMELESSNESS, HEALTHCARE, ACCESS, TRANSIT EQUITY, AS WELL AS PROMOTION AND PRESERVATION OF OUR LOCAL CULTURAL ARTS AND ICONIC INSTITUTIONS.
COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN HAS PROVIDED EXEMPLARY SERVICE TO DISTRICT FIVE AND ITS RESIDENTS DURING HER TENURE AS A DEDICATED CITY COUNCIL MEMBER OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND KITCHEN IS DESERVING OF PUBLIC ACCLAIM AND RECOGNITION.
THIS SIGN, THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED IN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND APPRECIATION THEREOF THIS EIGHTH DAY OF DECEMBER IN THE YEAR 2022, SIGNED BY THE ENTIRE CITY COUNCIL OF AUSTIN, TEXAS.
UM, I, I, I WILL SAY MY REMARKS ALSO, EXCEPT THAT I HAVE TO SAY TWO THINGS.
FIRST, YOU KNOW, UM, UH, WHEN I WAS THINKING OF GETTING ON COUNCIL AND ALSO JUST WATCHING COUNCILS PRIOR TO ME, YOU KNOW, THEY ALWAYS SAY THAT SERVING ON COUNCIL IS, IS LIKE DRINKING OUT OF A FIRE HOSE.
AND, UM, WE COULD NOT DO IT WITHOUT OUR STAFF.
I HAVE BEEN BLESSED TO HAVE FOUR WONDERFUL STAFF WHO HAVE BEEN WITH ME THIS ENTIRE TIME.
AND I WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO THEM WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, DONNA AND DORA.
I THINK IT'S DRINKING OUT OF A FIRE HYDRANT.
WELL, WHEN I CAME ON, WE STARTED SAYING FIRE HYDRANT.
UM, NEXT IT IS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TOBO, IF YOU COULD COME FORWARD, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER TOBO AND HAS BEEN AN HONOR TO WORK WITH YOU.
I FEEL FORTUNATE TO COUNT YOU AS A CLOSE FRIEND, AND YOU'LL FOREVER BE MY MAYOR PRO TEM.
UM, IT IS MY HONOR TO OFFER THIS DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD, WHICH YOU'LL NOTICE IS REALLY, REALLY LONG BECAUSE COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO HAS BEEN ON THE
[04:55:01]
COUNCIL FOR 11 YEARS.UM, KATHY TOVO IS DESERVING OF WIDE ACCLAIM AND RECOGNITION FOR HER STRONG AND LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AS THE LONGEST SERVING COUNCIL MEMBER ON THE DIAS, KATHY TOVO SPENT HER 11 YEARS OF SERVICE WORKING FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD, AND AUSTIN IS THE BETTER FOR IT.
SHE'S THE ONLY COUNCIL MEMBER TO HAVE SERVED ON BOTH THE AT-LARGE COUNCIL AND THE CURRENT TEN ONE COUNCIL.
AS THE DISTRICT NINE REPRESENTATIVE, FROM THESE TWO VANTAGE POINTS, SHE GAINED A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE AND DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF CITYWIDE ISSUES AND DISTRICT-WIDE NEEDS.
THROUGHOUT HER TENURE, KATHY TOVO MAINTAINED A COMMITMENT TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL FAMILIES, ESPECIALLY FOR WORKING FAMILIES AND UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES.
COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO NEVER WAVERED IN HER DEDICATION TO WORKERS' RIGHTS, FAIR WAGES, ACCESSIBLE CHILDCARE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, HEALTHCARE, AND THE L G B T QIA A COMMUNITY.
SHE DID SO WITH AN ALLEGIANCE TO HONEST, TRANSPARENT, AND INCLUSIVE GOVERNMENT WORKING TIRELESSLY OVER THE YEARS.
SHE BUILT A COMPREHENSIVE RECORD OF LEADERSHIP ON A RANGE OF ISSUES TO NAME JUST A FEW OF COUNCIL MEMBER TOGO'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
SHE LED IN THE CREATION OF THE SOBERING CENTER TO PROVIDE A SAFE SUB SUPPORTIVE PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO SOBER UP AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO JAIL OR THE EMERGENCY ROOM.
SHE KICKSTARTED THE COMMUNITY PROCESS OF CREATING WATER FORWARD A HUNDRED YEAR PLAN TO ENSURE AUSTIN HAS A RELIABLE DRINKING WATER SUPPLY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.
AND SHE LED THE SUCCESSFUL EFFORT TO BRING PROFESSIONAL SOCCER TO AUSTIN AND SECURED A PERMANENT HOME FOR AUSTIN FC AT QT STADIUM IN NORTH AUSTIN.
KATHY TOVO ALWAYS LED WITH QUIET FORTITUDE LEADS, I SHOULD SAY, WITH QUIET FORTITUDE AND CLARITY OF VISION.
WITH VALUABLE ASSISTANCE FROM HER FIERCELY LOYAL STAFF, HER INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND KEEN SENSE OF WIT WILL BE SORELY MISSED BY HER CLOSE FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES AT CITY HALL.
THIS C CITY COUNCIL COMMENDS KATHY TOVO FOR HER SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND BROADER COMMUNITY WITH THIS DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD PRESENTED ON THIS EIGHTH DAY OF DECEMBER IN THE YEAR 2022.
FINALLY, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK MY FRIEND, MAYOR STEVE ADLER, TO COME FORWARD.
MAYOR ADLER HAS BEEN AN HONOR TO SERVE ALONGSIDE YOU AND TO WORK TOGETHER TO ADVANCE OUR SHARED VALUES OF EQUITY, SUSTAINABILITY, AND GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY.
I'VE ESPECIALLY ENJOYED WORKING WITH YOU ON THE AUSTIN SISTER CITIES PROGRAM AND LEADING AN O AUSTIN DELEGATION TO COPELAND'S.
I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHERE YOUR CAREER IN PUBLIC SERVICE TAKES YOU.
NOW I WILL READ MAYOR ADLER'S DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD FOR HIS EIGHT YEARS OF THOUGHTFUL LEADERSHIP, STEADFAST PUBLIC SERVICE, AND A CAREER FIGHTING FOR EQUITY AND OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL OF AUSTIN.
HE HAS PROVIDED EXEMPLARY SERVICE TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND ITS RESIDENCE.
STEVE ADLER IS DESERVING OF PUBLIC ACCLAIM AND RECOGNITION.
THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED IN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND APPRECIATION THEREOF, AND YOU GET TO SIGN IT YOURSELF.
HOW DOES THAT WORK?
UM, AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE HERE ON STAFF OR FRIENDS OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, PROBABLY ANYONE ELSE WHO COULD MAKE IT BACK THERE, UM, PLEASE JOIN.
WE HAVE ONE MORE PRESENTATION, BUT PLEASE JOIN US FOR SOME DESSERT IN THE, IN THE BACK.
PLEASE DO JOIN US ON THE 15TH.
AGAIN, THERE'S SO MUCH TO CELEBRATE FOR THESE, UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA JUST KEEP DOING IT.
WE'LL PROBABLY DO IT AGAIN LATER TONIGHT.
MAYBE ONE, MAYBE ONE WITH THE OTHER ONE.
WELL, WHERE, WHERE'S LESLIE? LESLIE JOIN US.
I MEAN, WE'RE THE, WE'RE THE FIVE REMAINING YEAH.
YEAH, EVERYBODY, LESLIE, I'M, SHE'S GONNA BE OG.
AND WHERE MY GRILL NO, MY WRAP IS, MY NAME IS MCKENZIE.
[05:00:01]
I'M BRINGING EVERYBODY ELSE.I LIKE, SHE'S JUST GETTING READY.
YOU ONE MORE PRESENTATION TO, TO, TO MAKE, BECAUSE TONIGHT IS A, A NIGHT OF, OF SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS, YOU KNOW, AS, AS, AS A TERM ENDS FOR, FOR MAYOR.
I WILL TELL YOU THAT I, THAT I WISH I HAD THE ABILITY TO GRANT PARDONS, BECAUSE THAT'D BE A LOT MORE FUN, RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, IN THE LAST MONTH TO BE ABLE TO GIVE PEOPLE PARDONS.
BUT WHAT I CAN DO THAT, THAT TO ME IS, IS REALLY SPECIAL, IS TO, IS TO, IS TO GIVE THE KEYS TO THE CITY OUT.
UM, BECAUSE IT'S A ONE THING THAT IS UNIQUELY SOMETHING THAT, THAT, THAT A MAYOR DOES.
UH, AND IN COMING TO THE END OF MY TERM, AS I WAS GOING THROUGH THE LIST OF PEOPLE NOT VERY LONG, THAT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE GOT KEYS TO THE CITY, UH, YOU KNOW, I WAS TRYING TO IDENTIFY THE PEOPLE THAT REALLY FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGED THE COURSE OF THIS CITY.
UH, THAT, THAT TO THE VERY CORE OF THEIR BEING HAVE THE, THE INTEREST OF THIS COMMUNITY AT HEART.
PEOPLE THAT ARE TRUE PUBLIC SERVANTS, PEOPLE THAT, UH, I KNOW, UH, HAVE, HAVE GONE SO FAR BEYOND WHAT COULD EVER BE EXPECTED OF, OF ANY, ANY CHAMPION OR SUPPORTER.
AS I WAS GOING THROUGH THE LIST AND ADDING NAMES, I KEPT COMING BACK TO THE CONCLUSION, UH, THAT, THAT IF I WAS REALLY GIVING THIS KEY TO, TO PEOPLE THAT WERE MOST DESERVING, I WOULD GIVE ONE TO, TO EVERYONE THAT HAS MADE THE TEN ONE COUNCIL WORK.
YOU KNOW, WHEN THE TEN ONE COUNCIL, UH, CAME INTO OFFICE, THE CITY OFFICE WAS REALLY, HAD TAKEN A PRETTY CONSIDERABLE GAMBLE, UH, MORE THAN JUST ELECTING ME AS, AS MAYOR, ALTHOUGH THAT WAS A, A LEAP OF FAITH
UH, BUT I MADE THE DECISION TO, TO INTRODUCE THE TEN ONE COUNCIL, UH, ITSELF.
UH, IT WAS A CALCULATED RISK, BUT IT WAS NONETHELESS A, A RISK.
UH, IT'S A, IT'S A GOOD MODEL.
UH, BUT IT, BUT IT ASKS A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE ELECTED TO FILL, UH, THAT, THAT POSITION.
IT ASSUMES MEMBERS THAT CAN BOTH AT THE SAME TIME, UH, REPRESENT THEIR, THEIR DISTRICTS, UH, AS WELL AS THE ENTIRE CITY.
UH, IT REQUIRES THAT WE FIND COMMON APPROACH ON SOME OF THE HARDEST AND MOST COMPLEX PROBLEMS THAT A CITY CAN FACE.
IT OBLIGES US TO REMEMBER THAT EVEN ADMITS OUR DIFFERENCES.
IT EXPECTS A LOT, BUT WHAT IT EXPECTS IS SOMETHING THAT OUR CITY DESERVES.
UH, I'M HAPPY, UH, TO, TO SAY THAT I BELIEVE THAT THIS COUNCIL AND THE OTHER ITERATIONS OF THE TEN ONE COUNCIL HAVE LIVED UP TO THOSE EXPECTATIONS, AND THAT WE HAVE REWARDED THE CITY'S TRUST.
I ALSO WANT TO SAY THAT I'M GONNA MISS WORKING, UH, WITH YOU ALL.
UH, AND, AND, AND, AND, AND, AND I'M SO PROUD OF WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO, TO BUILD AND, AND PROTECT IN THIS MAGICAL CITY.
I RECOGNIZE THAT WE HAD DIFFERENCES OF OPINION, UM, THAT SOMETIMES IT'S HARD TO TELL WHEN WE'RE NEGOTIATING OR WHEN WE'RE JUST ARGUING WITH EACH OTHER.
AND I THINK THAT'S FINE, BECAUSE WE WERE ELECTED TO ADVOCATE FOR PEOPLE AND TO REPRESENT THEM AND TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THE CONVERSATIONS OCCURRING AT KITCHEN TABLES AROUND THE CITY ALSO HAPPEN AT THIS DIAS.
THAT'S WHAT THE TEN ONE COUNCIL WAS ALL ABOUT.
UH, I DON'T THINK WE EVER FORGET THAT.
[05:05:01]
AND AN HONOR TO WORK TOGETHER, UH, ON THE BEHALF OF THE CITY THAT WE LOVE.UH, I KNOW THAT WE DID NOT TAKE FOR GRANTED OUR OBLIGATION TO THIS CITY, OR TO ITS PEOPLE AND OUR HEARTS.
I BELIEVE WE ARE ALL GRATEFUL JUST TO HAVE HAD THE CHANCE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
BUT IN DOING THAT, THE TEN ONE COUNCIL AND ITS ITERATIONS ARE A GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE WORKED 24 7 FOR SO MANY YEARS.
UH, I, I THINK IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO, FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THE EXTENT OF THE SELFLESS ACT THAT IT IS TO SERVE ON THIS COUNCIL, UH, IN, IN THIS WAY.
UH, SO, UH, IF YOU BRING FORWARD, UH, UH, BARBARA, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, PRESENT TO EACH OF MY COLLEAGUES ON THE CITY COUNCIL, A KEY TO THE CITY AS WELL.
UH, AND, AND I HOPE ON THURSDAY TO BE ABLE TO GIVE THE KEY TO THE CITY, TO OUR OTHER COLLEAGUES THAT HAVE SERVED WITH US THAT, UH, ARE NOT WITH US TONIGHT.
AND IF THEY CAN'T MAKE IT ON THURSDAY, WE'LL GET A KEY TO THEM.
UH, OTHERWISE, UH, BUT IT'S DANGEROUS.
I WONDER WHAT, I'M GONNA START A TWITTER ACCOUNT.
KEY TO THE CITY'S TRYING TO OPEN DIDN'T DO ENOUGH JOB.
I TELL PEOPLE WE, WE TRY TO AVOID CONTROVERSY.
WE'RE JUST NOT VERY GOOD AT IT.
IS THERE ANOTHER ONE, BARBARA, THAT'S INCREDIBLE.
VERY BEEN A PLEASURE TO OH, I HAVE AN EXTRA KEY.
YOU KNOW, AS MAYOR, THEY, YOU CAN HAVE AS MANY KEYS AS YOU WANT,
SOMEBODY THAT WAS WITH US, UH, ALL OF THE TIME THAT WE HAVE SERVED IN OFFICE.
SOMEBODY THAT, THAT IN A VERY REAL SENSE HAS BEEN MOTHER TO US ALL.
UH, SOMEONE THAT HAS, UH, UH, SERVED THE CITY FOR A REALLY LONG PERIOD OF TIME.
UH, AND I DON'T KNOW ANYBODY THAT IS AS SUPPORTIVE OF US UNCONDITIONALLY AS K CONGRATULATIONS.
AND FOR WHAT? I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF WORK,
[05:10:01]
KNOW.MAKE SURE YOU HOLD IT UP THE RIGHT WAY.
[4. Approve an ordinance establishing revised electric rates and charges for Austin Energy customers. ]
COLLEAGUES AT SIX FORTY SEVEN.I'M GONNA CALL UP ITEM NUMBER FOUR.
YOU'RE COMING AROUND THE CORNER.
SO WE'RE GONNA TAKE A, A DINNER BREAK AND I THINK A DESSERT BREAK HERE IN JUST A SECOND.
BUT BEFORE WE DID THAT, I JUST WANTED TO FIGURE OUT WHERE WE WERE ON AUSTIN ENERGY TO SEE, UM, UM, WHETHER THERE WAS A, A, A CRITICAL MASS, UH, TO, TO MOVE FORWARD, UH, TO, TO GAUGE, UH, HOW MUCH TIME THE MAJORITY OF THE COUNCIL WANTED TO, TO MOVE FORWARD ON HOW WIDE RANGING A REVIEW WE WANTED TO HAVE, UM, IN CASE THAT THERE WAS MORE DIRECTION TO GIVE TO AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF.
SO COULD AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF COME FORWARD? JUST TRYING TO, TO GAUGE KIND OF WHERE WE ARE.
I UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT, THAT OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE A LOT OF VARIABLES IN THIS AND, AND A LOT OF DISCUSSIONS THAT WE COULD HAVE FOR A REALLY LONG PERIOD OF TIME.
ON, ON THE, WHAT IS THE REVENUE REQUIREMENT, LONG PERIOD OF TIME ON WHAT IS THE CUSTOMER CHARGE.
ALSO, THE, UH, THE TIERS AND THE, UH, THE, THE GAPS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT IN THE WORK THAT, UH, UH, POOL, UH, AND AND I WERE DOING, AFTER LISTENING TO THE DISCUSSION WITH COUNSEL AND, AND WITH YOU AND WITH, UM, UM, UH, THOMAS PICADO AND THE, THE ADVISORS.
THERE WERE, THERE WERE TWO THINGS THAT OPTIONS THAT MADE SENSE TO US.
UH, AND I'M JUST TRYING TO GAUGE WHETHER PEOPLE WOULD BE COMFORTABLE WITH EITHER THESE OPTIONS OR IS THERE ENOUGH PEOPLE THAT WANNA SPEND MORE TIME DIGGING IN.
[05:15:01]
THERE ARE TWO OPTIONS.ONE OF THEM IS A REVENUE, UH, LEVEL AT 31.3.
UH, THAT SUPPORTS A, UH, UM, $13 CUSTOMER CHARGE FOR ALL THREE YEARS, UH, DOING THE TIERS AS WERE LAID OUT IN FOUR B.
AND WITH THAT, UH, ALLOCATION, UH, THE, THE ADJUSTMENTS MADE AS SHOWN IN THAT TO THE HIGHER TIERS SO AS TO, UM, UH, GET THE, WHERE WE NEED TO BE WITHOUT A CITY FOLKS, UH, AND TO HAVE SOME AMOUNT OF MONEY BEING ABLE TO GO TO, UM, UH, SETTING UP THE SYSTEM FOR, FOR GREATER CAP PARTICIPATION.
BUT THAT WOULD BE 31.3 MILLION REVENUE, UH, AND $13 FLAT.
THE OTHER OPTION, UH, THAT THAT SEEMED TO SURFACE FROM PEOPLE'S CONVERSATIONS WERE TO GO TO REVENUE CAP REVENUE, TOTAL REVENUE OF 29.5 AND WITH, UH, UH, REVENUE AND WITH A CUSTOMER CHARGE OF 13, 14, AND 15, UH, IN THE THREE SUCCESSIVE YEARS.
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
UM, AND THE LONG-TERM HEALTH OF THE UTILITY.
SO BETWEEN THOSE TWO OPTIONS, THE MORE FAVORED ONE WOULD BE, UH, REVENUE REQUIREMENT OF 29.5 MILLION, UM, AND CUSTOMER CHARGE GRADUATING 13, 14, AND $15.
AND I, AND I'LL GET TO YOUR PREFERRED OPTION IN A SECOND.
MY QUESTION WAS, CAN YOU SUPPORT 31, UH, WITH A 13 FLAT, OR 29 AND A HALF AT 13, 14 AND 15? MY UNDERSTANDING IS, IS THAT YOU CAN SUPPORT THOSE, BUT YOU HAVE A PREFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO.
MY FIRST QUESTION IS, CAN YOU SUPPORT BOTH OF THOSE? THAT'S CHALLENGING.
THAT'S A CHALLENGING QUESTION, MAYOR.
AND WHEN I'M TRYING TO BALANCE WHAT'S BEST FOR THE UTILITY IN THE LONG RUN, I HAVE TO STATE THAT MY PREFERENCE WOULD BE THE OPTION WITH THE GRADUATED INCREASES IN THE CUSTOMER CHARGE.
I WAS GONNA ASK YOU WHICH ONE YOU PREFER IN A SECOND AND TO EXPLAIN WHY.
UH, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING WAS ALSO THAT THE 31 AT THE 13 WAS ALSO SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN MAKE WORK AS WELL.
WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO MANAGE THAT.
IS THAT SOMETHING YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN WORK? I MEAN, IF IT'S NOT, SAY NO, I THINK THAT IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN, CAN WORK THROUGH AND MANAGE.
SO OF THOSE TWO OPTIONS THAT YOU CAN WORK THROUGH AND MANAGE, YOUR PREFERRED IS THE, IS THE 29 AND A HALF AND 13, 14 AND 15.
YOU WANNA EXPLAIN TO THE COUNCIL WHY THAT'S YOUR PREFERRED OPTION OF THE TWO? THAT IS THE PREFERRED OPTION BECAUSE WHEN WE LOOK AT WHERE CUSTOMERS ARE COMING ONTO OUR SYSTEM AND HOW THEY'RE USING ENERGY, THEY'RE STAYING WITHIN THE LOWER TWO TIERS.
AND IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE GET THEM CLOSE TO OR CLOSER TO THE COST THAT IT ACTUALLY, UM, THAT WE INCUR TO SERVE THEM.
BECAUSE IT BECOMES MORE AND MORE DIFFICULT AS THE GROWTH IN THE CUSTOMER BASE HAPPENS IN THOSE TIERS AND NOT IN THE HIGHER TIERS.
UM, AND WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE IN THE HIGHER TIERS BECAUSE WE WANT THEM CONSERVING ENERGY.
AND THAT HELPS US TO BETTER MANAGE, UM, THE, THE NEEDS OF THE SYSTEM AND TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS THAT WE HAVE WORKED ON TOGETHER WITH OUR COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS AND TO BETTER BE POSITIONED TO ACHIEVE THOSE GOALS.
SO THE QUESTION I HAVE AS A, ON A QUESTION ON THE DIAS THE QUESTION THAT, UH, CHAIR POOL AND I HAVE IS, UH, I'D
[05:20:01]
LIKE TO TO SEE IF THERE ARE PEOPLE ON THE DIAS THAT WOULD SUPPORT ONE OR THE OTHER OF THOSE TWO OPTIONS, UH, SUCH THAT THEY'RE READY TO FOCUS ON THOSE TWO OPTIONS AND PICK ONE.UH, I THINK THAT GAUGES KIND OF HOW MUCH TIME WE NEED TO SPEND ON ANOTHER ACTION.
SO PEOPLE THAT WOULD BE IN SUPPORT OF ONE OR THE OTHER, OR BOTH OF THOSE OPTIONS, WOULD YOU RAISE YOUR HAND? THE TWO OPTIONS ARE 31.
I'M ASKING ARE, ARE PEOPLE COMFORTABLE WITH THOSE TWO OPTIONS? IF YOU ARE, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
ONE OR THE OTHER, OR BOTH OF THOSE OPTIONS.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 PEOPLE ON THAT DESK.
SO MY THOUGHT IS IT'S GONNA BE ONE OF THOSE TWO OPTIONS, CUZ MY GUESS IS SEVEN PEOPLE WOULD SUPPORT THAT.
UM, I KNOW THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF OTHER OPTIONS TO DO LOTS OF OTHER THINGS AND DIFFERENT RATE SCHEDULES.
I THINK THAT'S WHERE THE COUNCIL IS AT THIS POINT.
UM, DOES ANYBODY HERE, UH, SUPPORT ONE OR TO THE OTHER OF THOSE, TO THE EXCLUSION OF THE OTHER COUNCIL AND POOL? UM, I WOULD, I WOULD MOVE MY PROPOSAL, WHICH IS THE 31 13.
I PREFERRED THE GRADUATED, UH, NUMBERS FROM, UH, 13 UP TO 15.
UH, THE PROPOSAL THAT, UM, GENERAL MANAGER, SERGEANT SAID, UM, WITH THE GRADUATED IS THE 29.5.
I DO THINK THAT BOTH OF THEM WILL WORK.
AND SO, UM, SO COUNCIL MEMBER POOL IS RECOMMENDING THE, THE, THE PREFERRED OPTION FROM AUSTIN ENERGY, WHICH IS 29 AND A HALF AND 13, 14 15.
WHICH IS THE GRADUATED DEAL USES THE TIERS IS AND FOUR B AND THE LIKE, HOW MANY PEOPLE SUPPORT THAT OPTION? RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU SUPPORT THAT OPTION.
UH, AND, AND IF I COULD TAKE IT JUST A STEP FURTHER IN GO AHEAD.
IN ADDITION TO SUPPORTING, I WOULD'VE SECONDED THAT MOTION.
SO, BUT THE PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT THAT, I JUST WANNA SEE IF WERE THE VOTES FOR THAT.
PEOPLE THAT SUPPORT THAT OPTION.
UH, I HAVE, UH, HARPER MADISON POOL, RENTERIA ELLIS THAT I SEE YOUR SUPPORT ON THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I WOULD SUPPORT.
THAT'S SEVEN PEOPLE SUPPORTING THAT OPTION.
UM, SO I, I JUST GIVE THAT DIRECTION BACK TO, TO, TO, TO COUNSEL.
UM, I DON'T WANT TO CUT OFF THE BAIT, UH, BUT THERE ARE SEVEN PEOPLE THAT WOULD SUPPORT 29 AND A HALF AND 13, 14 AND 15.
UH, WHEN YOU FINISH THAT, I HAVE A, A DIFFERENT QUESTION.
UH, I, I, UH, I HAVE A QUESTION.
I DON'T NEED TO SPEND MU MUCH TIME ON IT OR, OR NOT, BUT, UM, I'M WANTING TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND, UH, HOW WE'RE HANDLING THE, THE, UM, THE, UH, SOLAR ISSUE, THE VALUE OF SOLAR ISSUE.
UH, WE HAVEN'T REALLY, WE, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF OF TIME FOCUSED ON OTHER THINGS AND WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT THAT.
BECAUSE WE DO HAVE AGREEMENT AND I THINK THAT MR. BOCATO HERE, UM, WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT ON, ON THAT SHEET.
AND SO MR. BOCATO CAN COME AND TALK ABOUT THAT.
MR. BOCATO, IF WE WERE TO VOTE, COME ON UP TO, TO THE 29 AND A HALF AND 13, 14 AND 15, AS THERE ARE SEVEN VOTES, THERE ARE OTHER ELEMENTS THAT WE WOULD NEED TO ALSO MAKE PART OF THE RECORD THAT YOU THINK THERE'S SETTLEMENT OR AGREEMENT ON.
WOULD YOU GO THROUGH THOSE, UH, AND INCLUDE YES MA'AM.
IN PARTICULAR THOMAS TRO OUTSIDE COUNCIL.
SO AS YOU INDICATED AND AS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN RAISED, UM, YOUR DISCUSSION OF COURSE IS FOCUSED ON SOME OF THE MORE IMPORTANT ISSUES IN THE CASE.
BUT THERE'S BEEN A NUMBER OF OTHER, UM, ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN OUT THERE THAT THE PARTIES HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING, MANY OF WHICH ARE NOT, UM, REQUIRED TO BE INCLUDED IN AN ORDINANCE AND ARE MORE IN THE NATURE OF JUST THINGS THAT PARTIES HAVE, UH, REQUESTED OF AUSTIN ENERGY.
AND WE'VE BEEN HAVING DIALOGUE FOR SOME TIME ABOUT THAT.
I'M PLEASED TO, TO REPORT THAT.
UM, WE'VE REACHED AN AGREEMENT ON ALL OF THOSE ISSUES EARLIER TODAY.
UM, A DOCUMENT CIRCULATED THIS MORNING, UM, AMONGST THE PARTIES.
UM, WE MADE ONE, UM, SMALL CHANGE AND I GOT FEEDBACK FROM THE PARTIES.
UH, AND I'M ABLE TO REPRESENT THAT NXP, T I E C, SIERRA CLUB, PUBLIC CITIZEN, THE ICA HERF, WHICH IS THE OUTSIDE CUSTOMERS, CCARE DATA FOUNDRY, PAUL ROBBINS, AND AUSTIN ENERGY ARE ALL IN SUPPORT OF THAT LANGUAGE.
UM, AND INCLUDED WITHIN THAT LANGUAGE, UH, ARE SOME TERMS WITH RESPECT TO THE VALUE OF SOLAR AND HOW IT WOULD BE TREATED.
[05:25:01]
UH, OKAY.WAS THERE, UH, I THINK I HEARD ALL THE PARTIES, UH, NO PARTY OPPOSED, UM, I'VE JUST NOT HEARD FROM A COUPLE OF THE PARTIES.
CAN YOU TELL US WHO YOU HAVEN'T HEARD FROM? TWO WOMEN RATE PAYERS? I'VE NOT HEARD FROM MR. VICTOR MARTINEZ, WHO WE'VE NOT HEARD FROM, UH, THROUGHOUT THE PROCEEDING, BUT WHO DID INTERVENE? UM, I MAY BE LEAVING SOMEONE OUT, BUT THAT WAS THE ONLY TWO THAT COME TO MIND.
OH, UM, THE, THE, UH, ENERGY STORAGE, UM, INTEREST, I'VE ALSO NOT HEARD FROM THEM.
HOWEVER, I CAN TELL YOU THAT WITH RESPECT TO THEIR SPECIFIC ISSUE, UM, WE HAVE REACHED AGREEMENT ON THAT LANGUAGE.
I, I HAVE NO REASON TO THINK THAT THEY, THEY'RE NOT IN FAVOR AND I, AND I ACTUALLY HAVE A REASON TO THINK THAT THEY WOULD BE, BUT I'VE NOT GOTTEN OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION ON THAT.
AND SO, UM, SO WE, WE DO HAVE THOSE ADDITIONAL, UM, ISSUES AGAIN.
SO, SO, SO TO F OUR CONVERSATION CHAIRMAN POOL, UH, MAKES THE MOTION TO APPROVE 29 AND A HALF, UH, THE GRADUATED AT 13 14 15, UH, WITH THE ADDITIONAL DIRECTION TO COVER THE ITEMS THAT, UH, YOU JUST WENT THROUGH USING THE ALLOCATIONS OF, UH, FOUR B AND THE TIERS IN, IN FOUR B, TREATING THE, THE OUTSIDE FOLKS AS WE HAVE, UH, TALKED ABOUT IN, IN FOUR B, UH, WITH THE, WITH THE ALLOCATION TO, UH, UH, UH, CAP LOWER THAN THE RANGE THAT, UH, HAD BEEN SUGGESTED.
BUT WHAT IS, UH, POSSIBLE AND AVAILABLE.
IS THERE A SECOND TO THAT MOTION COUNCIL MEMBER RENTERIA SECONDS TO THAT MOTION.
UM, IS THERE OTHER DISCUSSION OR ITEMS THAT WE WOULD NEED TO MAKE PART OF THIS COUNCILWOMAN KITCHEN? OH, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT I APPRECIATE ALL THE EFFORT AND, UM, CUZ I THINK WE'VE GOTTEN TO A MUCH BETTER SPOT.
UM, I, I WON'T BE VOTING FOR IT, BUT IT'S SIMPLY BECAUSE, UM, BECAUSE I, I I'M NOT IN FAVOR OF THE GRADUATED TH 13, 14, 15.
I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO STAY AT THE 13.
UH, BUT I APPRECIATE AND, AND THANKFUL FOR, FOR GETTING TO THE 13 AT LEAST TO START.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE NUMBERS OUT.
I HAVEN'T SEEN THE NUMBERS FOR THIS ONE.
UM, BUT I WANNA ADD AN AMENDMENT TO WHATEVER IS THE MOTION THAT ULTIMATELY IS MOVING FORWARD.
THIS IS RESPECT TO THE GENERAL FUND TRANSFER.
I DON'T KNOW IF THIS WOULD BE THE RIGHT TIME.
UM, AS PART OF FUTURE BUDGET PROCESSES, THE CITY MANAGER IS DIRECTED TO ENSURE THAT ANY REVENUE THAT EXCEEDS THE ESTABLISHED REVENUE REQUIREMENTS AND COSTS SHALL FIRST BE ALLOCATED TO THE GENERAL FUND TO FULFILL THE GENERAL FUND TRANSFER 12% POLICY.
UM, I, I SEE THAT AS FRIENDLY.
DOES ANYBODY OBJECT TO THAT AMENDMENT GOING INTO THIS MOTION HEARING KNOWN THAT AMENDMENT IS INCLUDED? COUNCIL MARK KELLY.
UM, THIS HAS BEEN REALLY TOUGH.
AND SO COLLEAGUES AND COMMUNITY THERE HAS BEEN AN ENORMOUS EFFORT TO GET THE ENERGY RATES TO A PLACE THAT'S BOTH RESPONSIBLE FOR AUSTIN ENERGY'S OPERATIONAL NEEDS AND THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY BASE RATES PAY FOR THE PEOPLE, FOR EXAMPLE, LINE WORKERS, POWER PLANT OPERATORS, ENGINEERS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES ALONG WITH INFRASTRUCTURE SUCH AS POWER POLES, WIRE DISTRIBUTION, AND ALL OF THAT.
UM, AND SO I'M THANKFUL THAT WITH THESE CHANGES WE'RE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD IN A WAY THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY CONTINUE TO KEEP THE, THE UTILITY SERVICE PROVIDER HEALTHY.
UM, AND ALTHOUGH IN THE BEGINNING OF THIS DISCUSSION, I WAS RELUCTANT TO SUPPORT THESE CHANGES AFTER WORKING THROUGH THIS WITH MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES AND WITH CITY STAFF, I CAN SEE THIS IS A SOLID PLAN THAT WILL BENEFIT THE MOST PEOPLE AND KEEP OUR INFRASTRUCTURE INTACT.
IF IT'S COUNCIL MEMBERS, WE DON'T VOTE FOR THIS ITEM.
AUSTIN ENERGY WOULD BE IN DIRE TROUBLE FINANCIALLY.
AND THAT IS, AGAIN, NOT SOMETHING I TAKE LIGHTLY.
AND SO I PLAN ON SUPPORTING THIS MEASURE.
DO YOU HAVE THE RUNS FOR THE 29 AND A HALF AND 13, 14, 15? CAN YOU GET THOSE OUT TO COUNCIL? WE CAN CIRCULATE THOSE.
WOULD YOU CIRCULATE THOSE? I'M GONNA TABLE THIS TILL WE GET BACK FROM, UH, DINNER AND UH, DESSERT.
FIRST THING WE'LL DO IS BRING IT UP FOR A VOTE, BUT IF YOU COULD GET THAT, UH, RUN OUT TO EVERYBODY SO THAT THEY CAN SEE IT, I THINK THAT THAT'S AN APPROPRIATE, UH, REQUEST.
ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU WOULD NEED FROM US TO PUT THIS TO BED? NO.
UH, WITHOUT OBJECTION THEN TWO THINGS I, I WANT TO APOLOGIZE FOR.
NOT ANNOUNCING THAT WE CAME OUT CLOSED SESSION.
[05:30:01]
I READ THAT.I GOT, UH, PUSHED FROM MY STAFF TELLING ME I HADN'T.
SO AT, UH, UH, 7 0 5, WE'RE GONNA TAKE A BREAK.
HOW QUICKLY DO Y'ALL WANT TO COME BACK? UH, DO YOU WANNA COME BACK AT, UH, UM, SEVEN 30? HOW MUCH MORE DO WE HAVE? 7 45.
HOW MUCH MORE DO WE HAVE? I'M TRYING TO, OKAY.
SO THE ISSUES THAT, UH, I SEE US HAVING, HOPEFULLY WE'LL TAKE A QUICK VOTE ON THE, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY RATE CASE.
AFTER THAT WE HAVE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TOKS REAL ESTATE ITEM.
WE HAVE THE ORACLE PARKLAND ITEM.
UH, WE HAVE TO READ INTO THE RECORD THE, UH, UH, MANAGER, UH, WE STILL HAVE ITEM 72 AND WE HAVE ITEM 74, WHICH IS THE ATP BOARD QUESTION.
THOSE ARE THE THINGS WE HAVE LEFT.
I THINK WE CAN GET THROUGH ALL THOSE THINGS FAIRLY QUICKLY.
IS 7 32 FAST OR WE GONNA DO 7 45? YEP.
WE'LL BACK I WOULD PREFER 7 45.
ALL RIGHT, COLLEAGUES, WE ARE BACK, UH, AFTER RECESS.
UM, WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH THE REMAINING, UH, ITEMS THAT WE HAVE.
UM, UH, NUMBER FOUR, AUSTIN ENERGY 58, UH, REAL ESTATE 60 IS LAKESHORE, 72 IS THE MANAGER, 74 IS ATP.
UM, I'M GONNA RECOGNIZE, UH, UH, CHAIRMAN PULL FOR A MOTION ON 74.
SO I, I MOVED TO APPROVE AND I DON'T HAVE THE LANGUAGE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME.
UH, THE DRAFT ORDINANCE, WHICH IS FOUR B WITH THE CHANGES THAT WE DISCUSSED TODAY AT, WITH THE REVENUE REQUIREMENT AT 29.5 MILLION, UH, THE GRADUATED, UH, FIXED RATE COSTS AT 13, 13, 14, AND 15.
UM, WE HAD AN AMENDMENT FROM, UH, THE MAYOR PRO TEM THAT WOULD BE INCLUDED IN THIS AS WELL.
IF YOU WANTED TO REITERATE YOUR AMENDMENT FROM THE OTHER DAY, UM, EARLIER THIS EVENING, I THINK WE ALREADY INCLUDED THE GENERAL FUND TRANSFER LANGUAGE FOR THE DIRECTION, UM, IN GOOD, JUST TO REITERATE THAT.
GO AHEAD AND WE WILL REITERATE THAT.
AND, UM, AND THEN YOU HAVE A MOTION SHEET WITH, UH, ADDITIONAL DIRECTION.
I THINK IT'S BEEN HANDED OUT THAT I DO.
WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO OFFER THIS AS WELL, OR WAIT YES.
SO MOTION SHEET NUMBER ONE, AUSTIN ENERGY.
ADDITIONAL DIRECTION I MOVE TO PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING DIRECTION AS A PART OF THE ADOPTION OF THE 2022 BASE RATES FOR AUSTIN ENERGY CITY MANAGER IS DIRECTED TO COMPLY WITH THE TERMS OF THE AGREEMENT OF THE AGREEMENT AND TITLED JOINT RECOMMENDATION ON OTHER AUSTIN ENERGY ISSUES.
AND IT IS ATTACHED TO THIS SHEET AND YOU WILL SEE, UH, A FRONT AND BACK OF THE OTHER AUSTIN ENERGY ISSUES THAT THE PARTIES HAVE ALL AGREED TO.
CHAIRMAN POLL MAKES THE MOTION TO ADOPT THE, UH, ORDINANCE DRAFT THAT'S BEEN HANDED OUT AS 29 5 IS THE, UH, UH, REVENUE, UH, HAS, UH, THE, UH, CHARGE CON, UH, CHARGE CONSUMER CHARGE AT, UH, 13 14 15 CONTAINS THE TIERS AND THE RACE STRUCTURE WAS IN FOUR B, UH, BUT IT'S HAS BEEN HANDED OUT.
IT DEALS WITH, UH, THE UPPER TIER AND THE OUT CITY PEOPLE AS PER FOUR B, UH, ALSO WITH THE AMENDMENT THAT'S BEEN ADDED FROM, UH, THE MAYOR PRO TEM ABOUT THE FUND TRANSFER AND ALSO THE DIRECTION SHEET.
IS THERE A SECOND TO THIS MOTION? UH, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON.
SECONDS THAT, UH, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION THEN LET'S TAKE A VOTE.
FIRST, I WANNA THANK ALL OF THE ADVOCATES AND THE INTERVENERS WHO TESTIFIED THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS.
I JUST WANNA APPRECIATE ALL THE TIME THAT YOU ALL SPENT IN PROVIDING RECOMMENDATIONS AND COMING TOGETHER AND OFFERING A A JOINT PROPOSAL.
AND I JUST WANNA TAKE A MOMENT TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR EFFORTS BECAUSE WITHOUT YOU, WE WOULDN'T HAVE GONE FROM A $25 PROPOSAL FOR THE BASE RATE CHAR, FOR THE CUSTOMER CHARGE BASE RATE, UM, TO WHAT IS NOW BEFORE
[05:35:01]
A A $15 CHARGE AFTER THREE YEARS.UM, I WILL NOT BE VOTING IN SUPPORT OF THIS PROPOSAL.
I WANNA MAKE CLEAR THAT THERE WERE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS, THERE WERE DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR COUNCIL TO CONSIDER.
UH, WHAT IS, BEFORE US WOULD RAISE THE RATE FROM $10 TO $15 OVER A NUMBER OF YEARS.
IT WOULD HAVE A WHAT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED AS A RATE SHOCK, UH, TO SOME OF OUR MOST VULNERABLE CUSTOMERS.
SO KNOWING THAT THERE IS A RATE SHOCK THAT WOULD HAPPEN TO AUSTINITES, ANY AUSTINITE THAT WOULD BE OF CONCERN.
BUT WE KNOW THAT FOR OUR MOST VULNERABLE, THAT THEY WOULD EXPERIENCE A RATE SHOCK KNOWING HOW CHALLENGING IT IS TO LIVE IN OUR EVER INCREASINGLY MORE UNAFFORDABLE AUSTIN.
UM, WITH RENTS ON THE RISE WITH INFLATION, WITH GROCERY PRICES GOING UP.
ALL OF THOSE FACTORS ARE COMPOUNDING AND MAKING IT MORE CHALLENGING FOR OUR WORKING FAMILIES.
AND THAT TO ME IS WHAT IS TOP OF MIND.
IT IS WHY I, I, I DON'T THINK THAT THIS, UH, PROPOSAL IS THE BEST POSSIBLE SOLUTION FOR US.
TONIGHT'S WANNA MAKE CLEAR AGAIN THAT THERE WERE OPTIONS, UH, BUT I PERSONALLY DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THIS IS THE BEST ONE.
I UNDERSTAND THAT WE NEED TO MAINTAIN THE STABILITY OF OUR UTILITY, UH, BUT IT SHOULD NOT DISPROPORTIONATELY BURDEN OUR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES.
CATHERINE PAUL, I WANTED TO, I WANTED TO GIVE A ROUND OF APPRECIATION AND THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS LABORED SO HARD ON THESE ISSUES FOR SO LONG.
UM, FIRST AUSTIN ENERGY AND ALL OF THE STAFF FOR ALL OF THE HARD WORK ON THIS ISSUE, IT HASN'T BEEN EASY.
AND YOU KNOW THAT
I DON'T THINK WE CAN FULLY APPRECIATE HOW MUCH TIME AND EFFORT IT TAKES TO SEE A RATE CASE THROUGH TO A VOTE.
STAFF HAS BEEN WORKING FOR OVER A YEAR OUTSIDE CONSULTANTS TO GET US TO WHERE WE ARE NOW.
AND I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THIS AS A MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT.
I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND THANK ALL OF THE PARTICIPANTS AND THE CONSUMER ADVOCATES WHO HAVE ALSO WORKED TIRELESSLY ON THIS ISSUE, MANY ON THEIR OWN TIME AND WITHOUT PAY.
IT'S THROUGH THESE EFFORTS THAT WE HAVE GOTTEN TO A SOLUTION THAT IS LESS IMPACTFUL TO LOW INCOME CUSTOMERS.
AND I WANNA THANK THEM FOR THAT.
I THANK THE MAYOR AND MY COLLEAGUES ON THIS DIAS WHO HAVE DUG INTO THIS EXTREMELY COMPLEX AND TECHNICAL ISSUE AND HELPED US TO GET TO A VERY GOOD OUTCOME.
AND AS I'VE SAID BEFORE ON THIS TOPIC AND ON MANY, THERE IS NEVER A PERFECT SOLUTION.
BUT I FEEL MAYOR THAT THIS PROPOSAL GETS US REALLY CLOSE.
SO I THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL YOUR EFFORTS.
UM, I ALSO WANNA EXTEND MY THANKS JUSTIN ENERGY FOR YOUR WORK.
I KNOW THIS TAKES A LOT OF, A LOT OF TIME AND ENERGY AND EXTRA, UM, EXTRA EFFORT.
AND I WANNA THANK ESPECIALLY, UH, ECHO, THE THANKS COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTE ESCAPE TO THOSE COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
SO MANY OF THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE INTERVENERS IN THIS CASE ARE VOLUNTEERS, UM, PARTICIPATING AND, AND THE, IT HAS BEEN A LONG PROCESS AND A CHALLENGING PROCESS.
AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, UM, WE'RE NOT TAKING A LOT OF YOUR MOST, UM, YOUR MOST SIGNIFICANT SUGGESTIONS.
I ALSO WANNA REALLY THANK OUR INDEPENDENT CONSUMER ADVOCATE.
I THINK THIS ROLE BRINGS ENORMOUS VALUE TO THIS PROCESS.
AND, AND YOU TOO POINTED, POINTED, UM, A PATH THAT, THAT I BELIEVE WOULD'VE HAD, UH, A MUCH LESS SIGNIFICANT IMPACT IN TERMS OF A RATE INCREASE.
SO, I, I ALSO WILL NOT BE SUPPORTING THE RATE CASE TODAY.
UH, IN MY YEARS ON, ON THE DIAS, I'VE TRIED TO NEVER SHY AWAY FROM HARD VOTES, EVEN WHEN I KNEW MY VOTE WOULDN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND WHETHER OR NOT IT PASSED.
BUT I JUST SIMPLY CAN'T GET THERE WITH THIS, I, I SAW A PATHWAY AND WAYS TO MITIGATE THIS IMPACT ON AUSTIN FAMILIES AND, AND OTHER, OTHER AUSTIN ENERGY CUSTOMERS AND, AND, YOU KNOW, CAN'T, CAN'T BE SATISFIED WITH WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
UM, I KNOW I SPOKE EARLIER, BUT I'D LIKE TO REITERATE SOME OF WHAT I SAID AND THEN ADD ON TO IT.
BASE RATES, PAY FOR THE PEOPLE, THOSE LINE WORKERS, POWER PLANT OPERATORS, ENGINEERS, AND CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES, ALONG WITH INFRASTRUCTURES SUCH AS POWER POLES, WIRE DISTRIBUTION, SUBSTATIONS, TRANSFORMERS, AND OTHER FACILITIES.
THESE IMPORTANT INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENTS KEEP OUR LIGHTS ON AND ENERGY FLOWING TO EVERY HOME AND BUSINESS IN OUR CITY.
[05:40:02]
BEING AS THOUGH AUSTIN ENERGY HAS NOT RAISED BASE RATES IN 10 YEARS, WE HAVE TO DILIGENTLY WORK AS WE HAVE TO ENSURE THAT OUR VITAL INFRASTRUCTURE CONTINUES TO BE OPERATIONAL.I AM THANKFUL THAT WITH THESE CHANGES, I CAN STAND BEHIND THEM BECAUSE AUSTIN ENERGY BILLS WILL REMAIN SOME OF THE MOST AFFORDABLE BILLS ACROSS OUR STATE.
WE'LL PROVIDE FOR THE EXPANSION OF THE CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR OUR LOW INCOME CUSTOMERS, AND IT STRIKES A BALANCE BETWEEN THE FINANCIAL STABILITY FOR THE UTILITY AND AFFORDABLE PRICES FOR OUR CUSTOMERS.
I WANNA REITERATE NOW IN MAKING THIS DECISION, I DID NOT TAKE IT LIGHTLY TO SUPPORT, UM, THE CHANGES.
IF AS COUNCIL MEMBERS, WE DON'T VOTE FOR THIS ITEM, WE'VE BEEN TOLD THAT AUSTIN ENERGY WOULD BE IN DIRE TROUBLE FINANCIALLY, WE CANNOT AFFORD TO LET THAT HAPPEN.
THIS IS, AGAIN, NOT A DECISION I TAKE LIGHTLY, AND I WILL BE VOTING IN FAVOR OF THE ITEM.
ANYONE ELSE WANNA SPEAK? YES, MA'AM.
AND, AND THIS IS REALLY A HARD DECISION, YOU KNOW, COMING FROM, UH, MY DISTRICT, WHICH IS, UH, A LOW INCOME DISTRICT, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S, UH, I KNOW THE, THE, THE PAIN AND, UH, AND THE SUFFERING THAT WE HAVE GONE THROUGH, HAVING TO MAKE, UH, MAKE UP SOME OF THESE, UH, MAKE THESE PAYMENTS.
BUT I, I REALLY WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WE'RE GONNA EXTEND THE CAP PROGRAM TO HELP PEOPLE.
IF YOU'RE IN THE, IF YOU QUALIFY FOR THE CAP PROGRAM IN WHICH WE'RE GONNA INCREASE THE DOUBLE THE SIZE, PLEASE CONTACT MY OFFICE OR AUSTIN ENERGY AND ASK IF YOU QUALIFY FOR THAT.
CUZ THE THE CAP PROGRAM IS TO HELP PEOPLE THAT ARE HAVING PROBLEMS MEETING THEIR, UM, THEIR BILLS, AND BY CALLING, THIS WILL NOT AFFECT Y'ALL AT ALL.
AND, UH, WE'RE HERE TO HELP OUT.
WE ARE NOT HERE TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE YOU GO AND HAVE TO DECIDE BETWEEN BUYING FOOD OR PAYING YOUR UTILITY COSTS.
SO PLEASE CALL OUR OFFICE IF YOU'RE HAVING A PROBLEM PAYING, MAKING YOUR PAYMENT, OR THERE'S PEOPLE THERE IN AUSTIN ENERGY, IT'S IN YOUR BILL.
CALL AND FIND OUT WHAT WHAT WE CAN DO FOR YOU.
AND, AND PLEASE DON'T, DON'T PLEASE CALL US AND CONTACT US.
BUT THIS IS IN THE LONG RUN, GONNA BE BETTER FOR THE CITY AND FOR THE RATE PLAYERS.
AND, UH, AND I BELIEVE THAT I'M GONNA BE OUT THERE PAYING THE BILLS MYSELF WHEN I LEAVE THIS COUNCIL.
AND I'LL BE IN YOUR CONDITION WHEN I LEAVE HERE.
SO I, I, I JUST HOPE THAT YOU DO REACH OUT FOR ASSISTING IF YOU NEED IT.
MS. MORALES, I ALSO WANNA ECHO THE SENTIMENTS OF, OF MY COLLEAGUES.
I KNOW WHEN WE WERE FIRST OFFERED THIS PROPOSAL, UM, I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE HIGH RATE OF RECAPTURE THAT WE WERE TRYING TO AIM FOR, THE IMPACTS THAT, UM, $25 AS A A CUSTOMER CHARGE DURING THE MONTH WOULD, WOULD AFFECT PEOPLE.
AND THEN SHRINKING THE TIERS DOWN TO THREE FROM WHAT WAS FORMALLY FIVE TIERS.
SO I JUST, I REALLY APPRECIATE WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE SOME GOOD HEADWAY ON THIS ISSUE.
I THINK HAVING THE, THE FOURTH TIER REALLY BALANCES THAT CONSERVATION OF ENERGY THAT WE'RE TRYING TO INCENTIVIZE, WHILE ALSO MAKING SURE THAT THE MONTHLY CHARGES ON FOLKS BILLS, UM, DOESN'T HAVE TOO, UH, TOO MUCH MAGNITUDE OF IMPACT ON FAMILY BUDGETS THE WAY THAT IT WOULD'VE BEEN IF WE HAD STUCK WITH 25.
SO I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SUPPORT THAT IN ITS ORIGINAL FORM.
BUT THROUGH ALL OF THE WORK, UM, THROUGH AUSTIN ENERGY, MY COLLEAGUES, THEIR STAFFS, MY STAFF, UM, AND THE INTERVENERS AND PEOPLE ADVOCATING ON BEHALF OF RATE PAYERS, I, I THINK WE'VE REACHED, UM, A, A WORKABLE DEAL.
I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CAN HELP ENSURE THE, THE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY OF THE UTILITY AND STILL BE ABLE TO INCENTIVIZE CONSERVATION FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE THE RATE PAYERS.
SO, I'M APPRECIATIVE OF ALL THE WORK THAT'S GONE INTO THIS, AND I'LL BE SUPPORTING THIS MEASURE TODAY.
SO I WANNA START, UM, BY ASKING MY COLLEAGUES IN THANKING AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF FOR THEIR WORK ON THIS PROPOSAL, AS WELL AS THE MANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO MET WITH US TO SHARE THEIR VIEWS THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS.
UM, I SPENT HOURS WORKING WITH AUSTIN AND ENERGY STAFF AND HAVE POURED OVER THE RATES, THE TIERS AND VARIOUS SCENARIOS TO MITIGATE THE IMPACT AND RATE SHOCK TO RATE PAYERS WHILE PRESERVING THE FISCAL HEALTH OF OUR PUBLIC UTILITY.
WE HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WITH OUR DELIBERATIONS.
HOWEVER, TONIGHT WE ARE VOTING ON A PROPOSAL THAT WAS UNVEILED THIS EVENING.
WE KNOW THAT THIS PROCESS IS COMPLEX.
IT WEAVES TOGETHER VARIOUS AND SOMETIMES COMPETING PRIORITIES, CONSERVATION, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, EQUITY, STATE POLITICS, AND CLIMATE CRISIS
[05:45:01]
MITIGATION.TONIGHT AT THIS POINT, I CANNOT VOTE TO INFLICT THESE INCREASED RATES ON OUR COMMUNITY IF I DON'T HAVE FULL ASSURANCES THAT IT WILL FULLY FIX OUR UTILITIES FINANCIAL CHALLENGES.
BUT I STAND READY TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH AUSTIN ENERGY ON FUTURE INITIATIVES TO CURB ENERGY CONSUMPTION, PROVIDE RELIEF TO OUR TAX RATE PAYERS, AND IMPROVE THE UTILITIES FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY.
UH, I'M GONNA SUPPORT THIS PROPOSITION.
UH, THANK YOU, UM, CHAIR PO FOR, FOR BRINGING IT.
AND, AND THE, AND THE REASONS ARE, ARE NUMEROUS.
UH, I WAS REAL CONCERNED AT THE INITIAL PROPOSAL THAT CAME OUT.
WE WERE ASKING FOR A $15 INCREASE, UH, IN THE CUSTOMER CHARGE.
UM, THROUGH THE PROCESS AND THROUGH THE, THE ADVOCACY OF MANY PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY, INCLUDING PEOPLE ON THIS, UH, DAS, THAT $15 INCREASE HAS BEEN BROUGHT DOWN TO AN AVERAGE $4 INCREASE OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS.
THAT'S AN $11 INCREASE, WHICH IS PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL, UH, BY DECREASING THE REVENUE REQUIREMENT FROM THE ORIGINAL ASS, 36, 37 IN THAT RANGE, UH, MAYBE EVEN HIGHER.
IT'S NOW DOWN TO BELOW 30 MILLION AT 29.5.
UH, AND THAT DECREASES THE PAYMENTS THAT EVERYBODY WOULD BE MAKING FOR THEIR, UH, THE OTHER COMPONENT OF THE BILL.
BECAUSE IN ADDITION TO THE FIXED CHARGE, THEY ALSO PAY, UH, A VARIABLE RATE, UH, WHICH BROUGHT THAT, UH, NUMBER, UH, DOWN.
I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE CAN DO TO REALLY HELP THE PEOPLE IN NEED IS TO INCREASE THE FACT THAT ONLY ONE OF FOUR PEOPLE THAT ARE ELIGIBLE FOR CAP ARE GETTING IT.
SO, I CONCUR WITH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ILLA IN URGING EVERYBODY WHO, WHO FEELS THAT, UM, UH, THEY NEED HELP WITH, UH, UH, AE BILL AUSTIN ELECTRIC BILL TO REACH OUT, UH, BECAUSE THERE ARE THREE OF FOUR PEOPLE ENTITLED TO CAP THE ASSISTANCE THAT ARE NOT GETTING IT.
UH, AND THIS CITY WANTS, UH, THOSE PARTS OF OUR COMMUNITY TO, TO, TO BE ABLE TO, TO GET IT.
UM, I APPRECIATE THE ADVOCACY COMING FROM, FROM LOTS OF PEOPLE.
THIS IS TRYING TO THREAD A NEEDLE.
UH, AND AS PEOPLE ADVOCATE FOR THEIR POSITIONS, UH, I HOPE AND EXPECT THAT NO ONE ADVOCATE EXPECTS THINGS TO END UP AS THEY WOULD WANT IT TO BE.
CAUSE THERE ARE LOTS OF ADVOCATES PULLING LOTS OF DIFFERENT WAYS, AND EVERY ADVOCATE CAN'T GET WHAT THEY'RE, WHAT THEY WOULD SUGGEST.
UM, AND I THINK THAT, UH, THE, THE POSITION WE'RE IN IS SOMETHING THAT IS, UH, A FAIR AND REASONABLE.
I ALSO THINK, AS I LOOK BACK OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I AM MOST PROUD OF, UH, IN BEING A MEMBER OF THIS COUNCIL IS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ENSURE, UH, THE CONTINUANCE OF AUSTIN ENERGY AS A DEPARTMENT IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UH, IF WE, IF WE LOSE THAT, UM, THE, THE RAMIFICATIONS WOULD BE FAR-REACHING ON SO MANY LEVELS, WE'RE ABLE TO GET SO MUCH DONE FROM POLICY AND VALUES IN THIS COMMUNITY BECAUSE OF OUR STANDING, UH, AS AUSTIN ENERGY.
UM, AND, AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO FIGHT TO PROTECT.
I WILL TELL YOU THAT, THAT MOST EVERY SESSION THAT I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN, UH, I AM MET AT THE LEGISLATURE WITH PEOPLE THAT WANT TO END THAT.
AND, AND IT'S A FIGHT EVERY TIME TO CONTAIN THAT AND TO PRESERVE FOR OUR COMMUNITY WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT.
I AM MOST TAKEN BY THE FACT THAT WHEN I RUN THE MODELS, UH, AT THE NUMBERS, THERE IS SOME VARIATION, BUT BETWEEN SO MANY OF THEM, THERE IS, THERE'S VARIATION THAT IS NOT GREAT.
UH, THAT DOES NOT COME DOWN TO CHANGES OF $15 A MONTH AS WE SAW IN THE PRESENTATION AS IT WAS ORIGINALLY OPPOSED, IT WOULD, BUT WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING NOW JUST DOESN'T HAVE THAT SAME KIND OF VARIABILITY.
BUT WHAT IT DOES DO IS IT COMES UP WITH A STRUCTURE THAT STILL MAINTAINS CONSIDERABLE SUBSIDY FOR OUR RESIDENTIAL USERS, FROM OUR COMMERCIAL USERS AND OUR RETAIL USERS AND OUR INDUSTRIAL USERS.
SUBSIDY FOR RESIDENTIAL TO A LEVEL THAT, QUITE FRANKLY, AUSTIN ENERGY HAS TOLD US THAT THEY ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH.
BUT NONETHELESS, THAT'S OUR VALUE.
WE'VE ADOPTED THAT THIS PLAN DOES THAT, AND IT DOES IT IN A WAY THAT I THINK WILL ENABLE, UH, OUR CITY TO, AND SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH ANOTHER SESSION, UH, HOLDING ON TO OUR MOST VALUED, UH, UH, ASSET.
THERE'S NOT FURTHER CONVERSATION.
ANYBODY ELSE WANNA SAY ANYTHING ELSE? LET'S TAKE A VOTE.
COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SEE YOU FOR THE VOTE.
[05:50:01]
SURE THAT THE VIDEO WORKS.THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE POOL AMENDMENT, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND CHAIR.
I, YES, I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE A, A, A FEW, A FEW POINTS GO AHEAD BEFORE WE TAKE, GO AHEAD.
UH, AND I'LL BE VERY BRIEF CUZ I THINK MOST OF WHAT I OTHERWISE WOULD'VE SAID, MY COLLEAGUES HAVE ALREADY SAID.
UH, I JUST WANNA REITERATE ALL THE APPRECIATION FOR THE TIME AND THE EFFORT THAT EVERYBODY HAS PUT INTO THE PROCESS.
UM, I RECOGNIZE JUST HOW DIFFICULT IT'S BEEN.
UM, SO I RECOGNIZE JUST HOW DIFFICULT IT'S BEEN.
UM, BUT I DID WANNA SAY I, I, OUR PUBLICLY OWNED UTILITIES ARE TWO LARGE, BUT REALLY UNDERAPPRECIATED KEYS TO OUR LOCAL QUALITY OF LIFE HERE IN AUSTIN.
UM, I LOVE THAT WE HAVE ACCOUNTABILITY OVER OUR PROVIDERS OF OUR WATER AND OUR ELECTRICITY.
UH, WHEN THINGS GO RIGHT FOR US THERE, WE REAP THE BENEFITS, UM, THROUGH HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT GO TO REALLY KEY AND CRITICAL CITY SERVICES, UM, THAT GET PAID THROUGH OUR GENERAL FUND.
UH, WHEN THINGS GO WRONG AND THEY DO, UH, WE'RE HUMAN AND FALLIBLE AND ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM.
WHEN THINGS GO WRONG, WE GET TO GET TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY, WE GET TO COME TOGETHER AND WORK TO FIX IT.
SO, TO REITERATE THE POINT MADE INITIALLY BY COUNCILWOMAN FUENTES AND THEN REITERATED BY SOME OF MY OTHER COLLEAGUES, IT, IT GOT BETTER AND IT GOT BETTER BECAUSE OF THE PROCESS.
UM, AND SO I APPRECIATE US HAVING HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO THROUGH IT.
UH, IT, THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT ANY LESS A DIFFICULT DECISION.
YOU KNOW, THE, I'M HAVING THE SAME CONVERSATIONS Y'ALL ARE HAVING, UH, JUST IN TERMS OF CONSIDERATIONS AROUND THE TRUE IMPACT.
I, I, I'VE SAID IT BEFORE AND, AND I'LL, I'LL SAY IT AGAIN JUST IN CASE ANYBODY FORGOT.
I LITERALLY DON'T HAVE A FAMILY MEMBER IN THIS CITY THAT DOESN'T QUALIFY FOR INCOME RESTRICTION SOMEWHERE FOR SOMETHING.
ALL OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS QUALIFY FOR THE CAP PROGRAM, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT ANYBODY ELSE ON THIS DIET CAN SAY THAT.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, THAT WE ALL UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN I SAY IT'S A DIFFICULT DECISION.
I'M ALSO SAYING, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THIS PROFESSIONAL CONTEXT, PERSONALLY, I, I UNDERSTAND THE DIFFICULTY HERE.
UH, I'M GONNA SUPPORT THE PROPOSAL BEFORE US THOUGH.
UH, I THINK INCLUDING THE $31 MILLION REVENUE REQUIREMENT.
UH, SOME OF MY CONCERNS HAVE BEEN, UH, ALLEVIATED TAKEN TOGETHER.
THIS IS A THOROUGHLY VETTED PLAN.
IT SUPPORTS OUR CONSERVATION GOALS, UM, AND IT ALSO EXPANDS OUR CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, UM, TO HELP MY FAMILY AND MY CONSTITUENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY, AUSTIN RESIDENTS, UM, MANY OF WHOM ARE OUR MOST MARGINALIZED RESIDENTS.
WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO ENSURE THAT AUSTIN ENERGY REMAINS FINANCIALLY STABLE IN THE COMING YEARS.
AND I THINK THIS PROPOSAL GETS THAT WORK DONE.
UH, I APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK.
AGAIN, I, ALL OUR STAKEHOLDERS, MY COLLEAGUES, UH, AND MAY RATHER.
I APPRECIATE THAT HERE, YOUR LAST MEETING ON YOUR WAY OUT WITH OUR LAST VOTE, THE LAST THING YOU DO IS TRY YOUR BEST TO GET US TOWARDS CONSENSUS.
AND I THINK THAT MIGHT BE THE MOST APPROPRIATE PARTYING EXPRESSION ON YOUR PART.
UM, AND I, I THINK YOU DID YOUR BEST.
AND I'M FULLY PREPARED TO KEEP MY CAMERA ON LONG ENOUGH TO VOTE.
THANK Y'ALL FOR YOUR PATIENCE WITH ME, UM, WITH THE TECHNOLOGY.
LET'S TAKE THE VOTE FOR THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE POOL AMENDMENT AS AMEND POOL MOTION AS AMENDED WITH DIRECTION.
UM, THE, UH, UH, CHAIR POOL, UH, REN ELLIS, HARPER MATTES, AND KELLY, UH, VELA AND ME IS SEVEN.
THOSE OPPOSED? PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
THE OTHER FOUR IN THE DIAS, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY PASSES.
THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR THE TIME THAT THEY SPENT ON THIS.
UH, THE NEXT ITEM I THINK WE HAVE IS LAKESHORE.
IT IS ITEM, I'M SORRY, YOU SAID REAL ESTATE? NO.
[58. Approve a resolution relating to Council policies and directives to the City Manager for City-owned real estate, including requirements for construction projects, living wage, minority and women-owned business requirements and other Council priorities related to City-owned real estate and City-owned parking facilities; and recommendations for future use of same. ]
OH, NO REAL.LET'S REAL ESTATE ITEM NUMBER 58.
MAYOR, YOU'VE PROPOSED SOME AMENDMENTS, SOME OF WHICH ARE FRIENDLY, SOME OF WHICH I WOULD LIKE TO REPLACE WITH MINE.
I THINK THE EASIEST WAY WOULD BE FOR, I HAVE GONE THROUGH AND LABELED YOURS WITH LETTERS, AND I CAN EITHER DO THIS UP ON THE SCREEN AND SHOW IT, OR WE CAN TRY TO FIGURE OUT TOGETHER WHAT, I THINK IT WOULD BE EASIER IF I JUST GO OVER THERE AND POINT TO THEM.
IS THAT FINE WITH YOU? THAT'S OKAY, BUT I'M GONNA MOVE APPROVAL.
I, I THINK WHAT I WANT TO TEST
[05:55:01]
FIRST IS WHETHER THERE ARE, I'VE HEARD THAT THERE ARE SIX PEOPLE THAT JUST WANT, POTENTIALLY SIX PEOPLE THAT JUST WANT TO VOTE NO.UH, I WANT TO SEE IF THAT GROUP EXISTS.
UH, IF THAT GROUP EXISTS, THEN WE DON'T HAVE TO GO FURTHER.
IF THERE ARE NOT SIX VOTES TO VOTE, NO, THEN, THEN LET'S GO THROUGH IT PIECE BY PIECE AND SEE THE PROCESS.
DOES THAT SOUND REASONABLE TO DO? WHAT, WHAT VERSION SHOULD WE BE? SO MAYOR IS, UH, IS COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO MAKING A MOTION? I THINK SHE, YES.
I JUST, I JUST MOVED, I JUST MOVED APPROVAL OF MY AMENDMENT, MY ITEM TO DO THAT.
SHE'S, IF YOU WANNA VOTE ON HER AMENDMENT, THAT'S FINE.
SOMEBODY ELSE WANNA MAKE A MOTION, UH, SUBSTITUTE MOTION OR AN AMENDMENT AMENDED.
I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER HAS MOVED APPROVAL OF HER ITEM 58, RIGHT? YES.
IS THERE A SECOND TO THAT MOTION? COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN SECONDS.
DID SOMEONE ELSE WANNA MAKE ANOTHER MOTION ON THAT? OKAY.
COUNCIL ELLIS, WHAT WOULD A SUBSTITUTE MOTION LOOK LIKE? WELL, I THINK YOU COULD JUST AMEND IT BY SAYING THAT YOU WANT TO VOTE NO TO THE MOTION.
THAT'S BEEN, IS THERE, THAT'S NOT EVEN, THAT'S NOT, THAT'S NOT, WE'RE NOT PAYING ALL DUE RESPECT.
IF THERE ARE SIX PEOPLE THAT DON'T WANNA SPEND THE NEXT 30 MINUTES GOING THROUGH THIS, THEN IF A MAJORITY OF PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO DO THAT, THEN, THEN WE SHOULDN'T DO THAT.
LET'S SEE WHERE, LET'S SEE WHERE PEOPLE ARE.
WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION? SO THEN WE VOTE ON THE SUBSTITUTE.
OKAY, THEN, SIR, ARE WE GONNA CALL THE QUESTION? MAY I, MAY I SPEAK TO MY MOTION? MAY I SPEAK TO MY MOTION? SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION.
UM, LET ME SAY IN, IN THE TIME THAT WE'VE BEEN TOGETHER ON THE DIAS, I'VE NEVER SEEN THIS KIND OF ACTION WHERE SOMEBODY WOULD BRING A SUBSTITUTE MOTION TO TRY TO DEFEAT SOMEBODY'S RESOLUTION INSTEAD OF JUST SIMPLY VOTING.
NO, I HAVE OVER THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS TRIED TO PASS THIS MAYOR.
AT OUR LAST MEETING, YOU SAID IF YOU HAD TO VOTE, YOU HADN'T HAD A CHANCE TO READ IT.
IF YOU HAD TO VOTE ON IT, YOU'RE GOING TO VOTE.
YET AGAIN, THERE ARE SEVERAL SIMPLE, VERY SIMPLE ITEMS IN HERE.
IT IS ABOUT ONE, NOTIFYING THE CITY COUNCIL WHEN THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO PURCHASE LAND.
THIS IS EXISTING CITY POLICY FOR STATE LAND.
THIS WOULD EXTEND IT TO OTHERS.
WE LOST AN EXTRAORDINARILY VALUABLE PIECE OF PROPERTY BECAUSE THE COUNCIL WAS NOT NOTIFIED IN TIME.
TWO, IT INSTRUCTS THE MANAGER TO EXERCISE DUE DILIGENCE LIKE HAVE A LAND PLANNER INVOLVED IN LAND USE DECISIONS.
BECAUSE THIS COUNCIL CAME WITHIN 30 SECONDS OF APPROVING THE PURCHASE OF A PIECE OF PROPERTY THAT WAS IN THE AIRPORT OVERLAY THAT WE COULD NOT HAVE BUILT ON BECAUSE THERE HAD NOT BEEN A REVIEW BY LAND PLANNERS.
IT CO IT PROVIDES FOR SOME ACTION WITH REGARD TO, UM, COMING BACK AND MAKING SURE THE COUNCIL'S AWARE OF VACANT LAND COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MEDICINE.
YOU MENTIONED THIS AS SOMETHING IN THE COURSE OF OUR CONVERSATION, UM, RECENTLY.
THIS WOULD MAKE SURE THAT ON A SEMI-ANNUAL BASIS, THE MANAGER IS MAKING THE COUNCIL AWARE OF ANY VACANT LAND.
IT WOULD INITIATE A PROCESS TO TAKE A LOOK AT, UH, BEST PRACTICES WITH REGARD TO PUBLIC SPACES AND ALLEYS.
MAYOR, YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT ME PROVIDING PARTICULAR DIRECTION.
I'VE WALKED BACK THE LANG I'VE, I'VE WALKED BACK THE LANGUAGE ON MOST OF THESE TO MAKE, TO MAKE IT VERY CLEAR THAT THESE ARE CONVERSATIONS THAT THE COUNCIL IS GOING TO HAVE, BUT THE MAYOR IS GOING THAT, BUT THE MANAGER IS GOING TO TEE THOSE UP.
COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN, YOU HAD AN ITEM IN HERE ON SUGGESTING OPTIONS FOR, FOR SMALLER TRACKS.
AND IT'S A ANOTHER DIRECTION TO HAVE, UH, TO COME UP WITH A CONSISTENT POLICY FOR HOW WE VALUE TRACKS THAT ARE BEING TRANSFERRED FROM DEPARTMENT TO DEPARTMENT.
YOU'LL SEE AN AMENDMENT THAT MAKES IT CLEAR.
IT IS NOT STATING A POLICY, IT'S SIMPLY SAYING THE MANAGER SHOULD WE HAVE TWO EXAMPLES.
ONE, UH, 2205 GROVE, WHERE, WHERE THE PROPERTY WAS TRANSFERRED, THE VALUE OF THE, THE PURCHASE PRICE PLUS THE CARING COSTS.
WE HAVE, UM, THE TOWN LAKE CENTER, WHICH IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT VALUATION, AND THAT MAY BE TOTALLY, TOTALLY RATIONAL, BUT I THINK THIS COUNCIL, THIS NEXT COUNCIL SHOULD HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW THOSE TRACKS ARE VALUED.
BECAUSE I WAS PART OF THE COUNCIL DURING THE PERIOD OF TIME WHERE RYAN DRIVE WAS UNDER DISCUSSION FOR REDEVELOPMENT.
AND, AND PART OF WHY THAT TOOK, WHY THAT WAS DELAYED IN THE BEGINNING IS BECAUSE, BECAUSE THE COST WAS GOING TO BE SO HIGH, THERE WAS NO CONSISTENT VALUATION, NO CONSISTENT WAY THAT WE TALKED ABOUT HOW WE WOULD, UH, HOW THINGS, HOW MUCH THINGS WOULD COST IF THEY'RE TRANSFERRING FROM DEPARTMENT TO DEPARTMENT.
BUT WHAT IT DOES IS SIGNIFICANT.
IT ADDRESSES SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT CAME UP AGAIN AND AGAIN.
THIS DIAS ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN HAVING A WORK GROUP TO WORK ON PUBLIC LAND.
AGAIN, THE WAY THAT, UM, WE CHOSE TO HANDLE IT WAS TO DO IT AND AS PART OF A RESOLUTION.
SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS IT DOES
[06:00:01]
TO NOTIFY THE COUNCIL.ALLOW THE COUNCIL TO REVIEW APPROVALS.
MOST OF YOUR AMENDMENTS, MAYOR, THAT YOU DISTRIBUTED, I'M ACCEPTING, UM, WITH A FEW, WITH A FEW EXCEPTIONS, BUT I THINK IT'S, I THINK WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD USE OUR LAND, OUR PUBLIC LAND.
USUALLY WE SHOULD MAKE SURE WE'RE AWARE OF VACANT LAND.
WE SHOULD PUT ACTIVE USES IN THERE WHEN THAT'S, WHEN THAT'S A POSSIBILITY.
AND, AND WHEN I MOVED APPROVAL, I MOVED IT WITH THE AMENDMENTS AND ALSO SOME OF THE MAYORS THAT I'D BE GLAD TO DISCUSS.
SO THAT WE KNOW WHAT IS BEFORE US, WE HAVE A REVISED DRAFT RESOLUTION V V2 THAT WAS HANDED ON DECEMBER 8TH, WHICH TODAY, I GUESS IS, IS THAT THE MOTION THAT YOU'RE MAKING? YES, MAYOR, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT'S BEEN POSTED NOW FOR WEEKS.
IT, IT HAS SOME DIFFERENT LANGUAGE THAT WAS INTENDED TO ADDRESS THE CONCERNS THAT YOU RAISED TO ME YESTERDAY.
SO I HAVE ADJUSTED THE LANGUAGE YET AGAIN TO TRY TO, TO TRY TO ADDRESS YOUR CONCERNS.
YOU HANDED OUT A MOTION SHEET TODAY INDICATING THAT THE RESOLUTIONS I CAME TO TRYING TO ADDRESS THE CONCERNS YOU RAISED TO ME YESTERDAY WEREN'T SUFFICIENT.
SO I HAVE GONE BACK YET AGAIN AND MADE ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS THAT I'VE PASSED OUT TODAY HERE TO RESPOND TO YOUR AMENDMENT.
SO, I MEAN, I THINK THIS COULD BE PRETTY FAST.
IT'S THE VERSION ON THE DIAS PLUS THE LANGUAGE I PASSED OUT.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY 75% OF THE EDITS THAT YOU'VE DISTRIBUTED HERE TODAY.
AND I COULD PROBABLY DO THIS IN FOUR MINUTES ON SCREEN.
I THINK I HEARD COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY CALL THE QUESTION.
SO I'M NOT SURE HOW MUCH TIME WE WANNA SPEND OR IF WE JUST WANNA TAKE A VOTE.
I DID CALL THE QUESTION JUST BEFORE COUNCIL MEMBER WHO'S TALKING.
SO, UH, THERE'S BEEN A MOTION IN SECOND 12 YEARS.
UH, THERE'S BEEN A MONTHS REQUEST FOR PREVIOUS QUESTION, WHICH REQUIRES TWO-THIRDS VOTE.
SO TWO-THIRDS VOTE OF THE COUNCIL IN ORDER TO TO END DEBATE, UH, REQUIRES EIGHT VOTES TO, TO END DEBATE.
UH, MOTION FOR PREVIOUS QUESTION IS NOT DEBATABLE.
IS THERE A SECOND TO THE MOTION FOR PREVIOUS QUESTION? COUNCIL MEMBER POOL.
SECOND SET MOTION STATE OF VOTE.
THOSE IN FAVOR OF ENDING DEBATE AT THIS POINT, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
I HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY POOL, UH, RENT AND ELLIS, UH, AND, UH, VELA AND COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON.
UH, WE'RE NOT GONNA GET TO EIGHT VOTES TO END DEBATE, SO WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE ON.
COUNCILMAN TOVO, DID YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS YOU'RE TRYING TO PRESENT? OKAY.
SO MAYOR, YOU HAVE PROPOSED LANGUAGE THROUGHOUT, AND AGAIN, A LOT OF IT'S ACCEPTABLE.
THAT SAYS WHETHER AND UNDER WHAT I HAVE DISTRIBUTED LANGUAGE THAT WOULD PLAY MY PREFACE WITH THIS LANGUAGE HERE, WHICH BASICALLY SAID THE MANAGER SHOULD, THE MANAGER SHOULD RETURN TO COUNSEL WITH RECOMMENDATIONS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF THE SITUATIONS UNDER WHICH THESE GOALS SHOULD APPLY.
THEN YOU HAVE PROPOSED A SERIES OF LANGUAGE CHANGES THROUGHOUT.
ONE IS JUST ABOUT NOTIF NOTIFYING.
AGAIN, THIS IS EXISTING POLICY FOR STATE PROPERTIES.
I THINK IT SHOULD JUST HAPPEN.
UM, NUMBER TWO IS FINE WITH ME.
NUMBER THREE, WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT DUE DILIGENCE.
I THINK THERE SHOULD BE A LAND PLANNER INVOLVED.
SHALL WE JUST, ARE YOU ACCEPTING THE AMENDMENTS OR NUMBER ONE, UM, I'M ACCEPTING THE, THE AMENDMENT ON NUMBER TWO.
CAN WE JUST QUICKLY VOTE THEM UP OR DOWN OR DO YOU WANT ME TO GO THROUGH AND SAY I'M JUST, I'M JUST, WHY DON'T I GO THROUGH AND SAY ALL THE ONES UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU SAID.
UM, OKAY, SO THERE'S THE AMENDMENT I SHOWED YOU AND THEN, I'M SORRY, COULD YOU HELP ME MAKE THIS A LITTLE BIT SMALLER SO THAT EVERYBODY CAN SEE THE COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, WHAT I DID WAS I WENT THROUGH AND LABELED EACH OF
[06:05:01]
THE MAYOR'S AMENDMENTS A THROUGH WHATEVER THE FINAL LETTER IS.SO THIS ONE, UM, NUMBER B OR LETTER B, WHETHER AND UNDER THAT REFERS TO SALES.
I'M ACCEPTING THOSE, THAT AMENDMENT OKAY.
IS THERE ANY CHANCE YOU COULD, B IS PRIOR TO BEGINNING A SOLICITATION PROCESS TO SELL OR LEASE OR GROUND LEASE, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
YOU PROPOSED LANGUAGE AND I'M FINE WITH IT.
UH, CATO, I'M NOT SURE WHERE YOU ARE.
IN THIS DOCUMENT, YEAH, THERE'S IS THERE ANY WAY TO ZOOM IT OUT? YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S PERFECT.
I WILL, IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, LET ME JUST ACCEPT YOUR AMENDMENTS AND SEE IF WE CAN GET IT PASSED THAT WAY.
COUNSEL? I WOULD STILL URGE, UH, I WOULD STILL URGE MY AMENDMENTS.
IT JUST CLARIFIES THE LANGUAGE AROUND AND JUST CODIFIES WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT THAT THE TWO DIFFERENT PROPERTY.
LET'S GO THROUGH THESE THREE THINGS IN ORDER.
COUNCIL MEMBER TOBY'S, OKAY, WITH THE AMENDMENTS THAT WERE ON MOTION SHEET NUMBER ONE V TWO.
ANY OBJECTION TO THOSE BEING INCLUDED? HEARING NONE THE AMENDMENTS AND MOTION SHEET NUMBER ONE V TWO THAT I HANDED OUT ARE ACCEPTED.
THE NEXT ONE THAT WE TAKE WITH IS THE TOP OF COUNCIL MEMBER TOGO'S PAGE.
SHE'S REPLACING LINES 30 AND 31, WHICH IS THE CITY MANAGER IS DIRECTED TO DEVELOP POLICIES AND PRACTICES RELATED TO THE CITY REAL ESTATE IN AND REPLACING IT WITH THE LANGUAGE.
YOU SEE, SHE'S UNDERLINED THE ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE THAT SHE'S ADDED.
WHICH AT THIS POINT, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY OBJECTION TO THAT LANGUAGE? I'M NOT SURE IT EXACTLY TRANSLATE CUZ I'M NOT SURE THAT, THAT THE WAY THAT THE IT READS NOW, IT'S, IT'S STATED POSITIVELY.
IT IS, IT MAKES NO SENSE AT THIS, THIS POINT.
UM, YEAH, LET'S JUST, LET'S JUST LEAVE IN THE FIRST SENTENCE AND TAKE OUT THE SECOND BECAUSE NOW THAT WE'VE USED YOUR LANGUAGE THROUGHOUT, THERE'S NO, THERE ARE NO STATEMENTS.
AND THAT GETS US THEN TO THE LAST AMENDMENT.
ARE YOU STILL URGING THAT ONE? MAYOR, DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS WITH THIS? I THINK IT STILL CAPTURES WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
IT SIMPLY SAYS ESTABLISHED CONSISTENT POLICIES AND THEN OFFERS AS AN EXAMPLE, ONE OF THE POLICIES THAT WAS USED RECENTLY FOR 2 2 0 1 GROVE AS AN EXAMPLE.
I'M FINE WITH THE LANGUAGE THAT YOU HAVE IN THAT ONE.
ANY OBJECTION TO THAT LANGUAGE BEING INCLUDED? HEARING NONE.
COUNCIL MEMBER TO VOTE'S MOTION STANDS IN FRONT OF US AS AMENDED, UH, WITH, UH, MOTION G ONE V TWO AND WITH THE, UH, TRANSFER LANGUAGE IN THAT SECTION, UH, AMENDED AS SHE HAS SHOWN.
THOSE IN FAVOR TO MOTION, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
THOSE OPPOSED, I'M SHOWING POOL RENTERIA ELLIS, UM, VELA AND KELLY OPPOSED? AND HARPER MADISON.
SO ON A FIVE TO SIX VOTE, UH, THE MOTION DOES NOT PASS.
[60. Approve a resolution directing the City Manager to continue to work towards finalizing the best and final offer for the sale, lease, or exchange of the Central Maintenance Complex located at 2525 S. Lakeshore Boulevard along with any associated administrative transactions.]
THAT GETS US THEN TO LAKE SHORE, WHICH IS ITEM NUMBER 60.UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ENTER YOU AND MAKE A MOTION.
I WANT TO MAKE A MOTION ON THE, ON THE, ON OUR CENTRAL MAINTENANCE COMPLEX.
I HAVE SEATED, I I'M BRINGING FORTH AND, UH, IF I GET A SECOND I'LL EXPLAIN WHY.
UH, SECOND BY COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS.
THE INTENT OF THIS ITEM IS SIMPLY TO AFFIRM CONSUL'S COMMITMENT TO FOLLOW FOLLOWING THROUGH WITH A SALE, LEASE OR EXCHANGE OF THE CENTRAL MAINTENANCE COMPLEX LO LOCATED IN MY DISTRICT.
UH, PROP B WAS APPROVED BY OVER 73% OF THE VOTERS ABOUT A YEAR AGO.
AND THIS INITIATED INITIATIVE HAVE BEEN VERY IMPORTANT TO ME, WHICH IS WHY I HAVE BROUGHT THIS ITEM FOR CONSIDERATION TODAY.
IT WAS DISCUSSED ON TUESDAY'S WORK SESSION.
THIS I F C DOES NOT DIRECT STAFF TO DO MORE THAN WHAT THEY'RE ALREADY DOING.
RATHER ENSURES THE STAFF CONTINUE TO NEGOTIATE WITH THE PROPOSAL TO GET THE BEST DEAL FOR OUR RESIDENTS.
I UNDERSTAND THE CONCERN RE RELATED TO EVALUATION OF THE LAND,
[06:10:01]
BUT THIS ITEM DOES NOT PROVIDE ANY DIRECTION ON THAT MATTER.AGAIN, IT'S SIMPLY REAFFIRMING THE COUNCIL'S SUPPORT OF FOLLOWING THROUGH WITH WHAT THE VOTERS HAVE ASKED.
OKAY, WE HAVE A MOTION'S BEEN MOVED IN.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? MAYOR PRO TEM.
UM, UH, COUNCIL MARO, I APPRECIATE, UM, THE EMPHASIS ON FOLLOWING THROUGH ON WHAT THE VOTERS ASKED FOR AND, AND I JUST WANNA ASSURE YOU THAT THE QUESTIONS THAT I ASKED ON TUESDAY AND THE QUESTIONS I ASKED IN Q AND A ARE, ARE IN THAT VEIN.
UM, AND I THINK THERE'S A COUPLE STEPS THAT WE COULD TAKE, UM, THIS EVENING THAT ARE IN SOME MOTION SHEETS THAT ARE ON THE TABLE THAT I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER TOBO DRAFTED.
UM, THAT WOULD, UM, HELP US BE ASSURED THAT WE WOULD GET TO GET TO EXACTLY THE PLACE WHERE WE ALL AGREE WE WANT TO GET TO.
I THINK WE ALL UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF, UM, THE PROPERTY, UM, PROPERTIES IN QUESTION, UM, AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET OUR CENTRAL MAINTENANCE FACILITY, UM, UH, PAID FOR.
TELL ME, WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO MAKE THE MOTION OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND DO IT? I'M HAPPY TO MAKE THE MOTION.
UM, UNLESS YOU RECOGNIZE, UNLESS YOU THINK YOU MIGHT HAVE BETTER UP FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION SINCE I JUST HAD MY VERY FIRST RESOLUTION IN 12 YEARS GO DOWN.
I'D LIKE TO MAKE THE FOLLOWING AMENDMENTS AND I'LL TAKE 'EM UP ONE BY ONE.
UM, THE FIRST ONE ENSURES THAT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION REPRESENTS A FAIR DEAL FOR AUSTIN'S TAXPAYERS STRIVING TO ACHIEVE THE, BOTH THE HIGHEST FINANCIAL VALUE AS WELL AS TAKING INTO ACCOUNT INTO ACCOUNT THE COMMUNITY BENEFITS.
UH, THE SECOND TALKS ABOUT GETTING AN APPRAISER TO GET A CURRENT VALUATION OF 25 25.
THAT INCLUDES THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE PROPERTY COULD BE ZONED AS CORRIDOR MIXED USE UNDER THE EAST RIVERSIDE CORRIDOR REGULATING PLAN.
AS WE HEARD ON TUESDAY, THIS PROPERTY HAS BEEN CONSIDERED, UM, OUTSIDE OF AS, UM, AND MR. GATES CAN MAYBE TALK ABOUT IT.
WE DIDN'T, I DID ASK A QUESTION IN THE Q AND A AND GOT SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, BUT, BUT IT IS NOT BEING VALUED AS ARE THE SURROUNDING TRACKS AND THE ADJACENT TRACKS, WHICH ARE ALL PART OF THE EAST RIVERSIDE CORRIDOR REGULATING PLAN.
AND THEN THE LAST ONE ENSURES THAT IF IT TAKES, IF THE TRANSACTION'S DELAYED OR OTHERWISE PROLONGED, THE MANAGER WILL UPDATE ANY APPRAISALS WITH THE PROPERTY CONSIDERED AS PART OF THE EXCHANGE.
WE HAD SOME MORE SPECIFIC, UM, LANGUAGE THAT WE WERE WORKING OUT WITH STAFF, BUT I THINK THIS CAPTURES THE GENERAL POINTS.
IS THERE A SECOND TO THE TOVO AMENDMENTS? THE MAYOR, 10 SECONDS THEM, LET'S CONSIDER THEM IN IN ORDER IN TURN AS COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO SUGGESTS, WITH RESPECT TO THE FIRST ONE.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ON THAT? MAYOR, I, I REALLY DON'T HAVE AND WHAT, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW THEY'RE, THEY'RE GOING THROUGH THE APPRAISAL AND THE DISCUSSION AND, AND, UH, THIS HAS MY RESOLUTION HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT.
I MEAN, IF WE GO AROUND AND DOING THE, I MEAN THIS ONE OF THE PIECES OF LAND THAT I WAS INTERESTED IN ALONG THE LAKE, IT'S A HIGH OPPORTUNITY ZONE.
IT'S A VERY VALUABLE PIECE OF LAND FOR DEVELOPERS AND I DO NOT WANT TO SEE THAT FALL INTO THE DEVELOPER'S HAND.
UH, THEY ONLY HAVE TO PAY TAXES ON WHATEVER THEY DEVELOP THERE FOR THE FIRST YEAR AND THEY GET IT FOR TAX FREE FOR THE NEXT NINE YEARS.
UH, AND, UH, IF YOU PUT ALL THAT VALUE INTO, WE WERE STARTING TO PUT VALUE INTO THE LAND AND YOU'LL GET INTO THE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON BOTH ENDS.
AND, UH, AND, AND ONCE WE GET INTO THOSE KIND OF DISCUSSIONS, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO STOP, WHERE TO IT IS GONNA STOP RIGHT NOW.
IT'S JUST A SIMPLE THING TO HAVE THEM TO GO, GO THROUGH THIS APPRAISAL, COME BACK, PRESENT IT TO THE COUNCIL THAT'S COMING ON BOARD HERE IN THE FUTURE, AND LET THEM MAKE A DECISION ON HOW, WHY, HOW THEY WANT TO PROCEED WITH THIS.
IT, I JUST WANT TO MAKE A COMMITMENT THAT WE HAVE NOT GONNA FORGET ABOUT THIS AND WE'RE STILL GONNA CONTINUE ON, ON THIS PATH OF GIVING, GETTING OUR CITY PARKS DEPARTMENT A NEW MAINTENANCE YARD THAT ON A PIECE OF LAND THAT THEY HAVE OUTGROWN AND THEY CANNOT EXPAND THERE ANYMORE.
UH, THEY'RE HAVING A VERY DIFFICULT TIME GETTING OUT TO OTHER PARKS IN THIS CITY BECAUSE OF THE TRAFFIC THAT THEY HAVE TO DEAL WITH.
AND BY BUILDING A BRAND NEW CENTER, THEY'RE OFF OF 180 3 WOULD BE A, A BIG HELP FOR OUR, OUR PARKS EMPLOYEES ON, ON HELPING THEM GET TO THEIR JOBS AND THE OTHER PARKS IN THIS CITY.
AND THAT'S ALL I AM, THAT'S MY PERSONAL VIEW.
I I DON'T WANT TO PUT THIS INTO THE I C THAT I'M DOING HERE.
I'M JUST SAYING FOR THE CITY TO CONTINUE THEIR NEGOTIATION, THEIR APPRAISAL,
[06:15:01]
AND THEY, IT'S GONNA COME BACK TO THE CITY COUNCIL AND THEY WILL MAKE THE DECISION.COUNCIL MEMBER, I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA SUPPORT YOU IN THIS.
WHEN I FIRST READ YOUR RESOLUTION, IT SEEMED TO BE RATHER INNOCUOUS ALMOST.
IT WAS YOU LEAVING THE DI SAYING THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN REAL IMPORTANT TO ME.
THIS IS SOMETHING YOU'VE WORKED ON FOR, FOR ALMOST EIGHT YEARS.
UM, IT WAS NOT EASY FOR YOU, I KNOW, TO GET IT PAST COUNCIL TO PUT IT ON THE BALLOT.
UH, BECAUSE THERE WERE A LOT OF DISCUSSIONS AND, AND WE, AND WE, UH, ARGUED THROUGH OR NEGOTIATED THROUGH, UH, A LOT OF THOSE KINDS OF ISSUES.
WE WERE NOT IN AGREEMENT, UH, BUT WE REACHED, UH, A MAJORITY AND IT MOVED FORWARD.
THEN CENSUS HAS GONE TO THE VOTERS, UH, AND THE VOTERS HAVE APPROVED IT.
AND, AND I READ YOUR RESOLUTION TO JUST SAY, PLEASE GO AHEAD AND, AND FINALIZE THIS.
THAT'S GOING TO REQUIRE IT TO COME BACK TO THE NEXT COUNCIL.
AND I THINK IT NEEDS TO COME BACK TO THE COUNCIL IN THAT CONTEXT.
I DISAGREE WITH THIS FIRST AMENDMENT BECAUSE I THINK THAT ACHIEVING THE HIGHEST FINANCIAL VALUE IS NOT WHAT'S MOTIVATED THIS, UH, AND THE SUPPORT OF THE COMMUNITY AT ANY STEP IN THE PROCESS.
I THINK WE'VE BEEN MOTIVATED BY THE INTRINSIC VALUE ASSOCIATED WITH GETTING THIS PARTICULAR PIECE OF LAND FOR THIS PARTICULAR PARK PURPOSE TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THE, THE TRAILS IN THAT AREA.
UH, AND, AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO MAXIMIZE FINANCIAL VALUE AND ALSO MAXIMIZE COMMUNITY BENEFITS OFFERED.
UH, AND I THINK OF THOSE TWO, THE MORE IMPORTANT WITNESS THE COMMUNITY BENEFITS OFFERED, CUZ I THINK THAT'S WHAT THE VOTERS WERE ASKED TO, TO VOTE ON.
UM, AND I THINK THIS FIRST AMENDMENT KIND OF GETS IT BACKWARDS, UH, BY SUGGESTING THAT AS I READ IT, THAT THE, THE HIGHER PRIORITY IS FINANCIAL, UH, HIGHEST FINANCIAL VALUE.
SO I THINK THAT WE SET THIS, WE ALREADY ARGUED THIS, WE TOOK IT TO THE VOTERS, THE VOTERS VOTED, AND I THINK SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS SAYING DO AS, UM, WAS PASSED BY A MAJORITY AND APPROVED BY AND VOTED ON BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE RIGHT WAY TO GO.
MAYOR, UM, GO AHEAD AND THEN WE'LL GO TO THE MAYOR PRO TIME.
SO THE, THE POINT I'M TRYING TO CONVEY HERE IS THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO GET THE HIGHEST VALUE IN BOTH OF THOSE AREAS.
UM, AND THIS IS A DIRECT RESPONSE TO THE DIRECTIVE HERE THAT IT BE DONE AS EXPEDIENTLY AS POSSIBLE.
UM, THE LANGUAGE IN THE EXISTING RESOLUTION COUNCIL MEMBER TALKS THE LAST, THE LAST POINT TALKS ABOUT COMING BACK WITH THE AGREEMENT AS EXPEDIENTLY THAT THE MANAGERS DIRECTED TO WORK EXPEDITIOUSLY TO FACILITATE ADMINISTRATIVE TRANSACTIONS.
AND I WANNA BA MAKE IT CLEAR THAT WE'RE NOT ASKING, WE'RE NOT DIRECTING THE MANAGER TO COME BACK QUICKLY AT THE EXPENSE OF GETTING A FULL VALUE FOR THE CITY OF BOSTON.
AND THAT IT'S INTENDED TO BE A COMBINATION OF THAT VALUE IS INTENDED TO BE BOTH PART FINANCIAL AND COMMUNITY BENEFIT.
SO IF YOU'D LIKE TO SUGGEST WORDING MAYOR, THAT MAKES IT SOUND LIKE, LIKE IT'S BOTH, UM, I'M HAPPY TO CONSIDER THAT.
BUT I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT IF WE'RE STATING, IF WE'RE STATING THAT WE NEED THE MANAGER TO COME BACK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT WE'RE ACKNOWLEDGING IT NEEDS TO BE A GOOD, IT NEEDS TO BE A FAIR EXCHANGE FOR THE CITY.
I HAVE, UM, PASSED OUT, UH, THE PROPOSITION B FACT SHEET, WHICH IS WHAT THE VOTERS VOTED ON.
UM, AND IT SAYS THINGS LIKE THAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO GET APPRAISED FAIR MARKET VALUE OF THE CMC.
UM, AND I WANNA POINT OUT THAT THE, WHAT THE, THE SECOND BE IT FIR THE RESOLVED IS SAYING IS TO DO JUST THAT.
UM, THE PROPERTY WAS NOT APPRAISED AT THE EAST RIVERSIDE REGULATING PLAN, UM, ENTITLEMENTS.
IT WAS APPRAISED AT FOUR STORIES AND THE SECOND AMENDMENT AND THE SECOND.
BUT THE, BUT I THINK THAT THE INTENT OF THE FIRST ONE IS TO BE COMMUNICATING THESE THINGS, BUT IF YOU'LL WILL ENTERTAIN THE SECOND ONE, BUT NOT THE FIRST ONE, FINE.
UM, BUT I WANNA JUST EXPLAIN THAT I DON'T ACTUALLY THINK THERE'S A DISAGREEMENT OVER WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET IN THE END.
BUT IN, IN LOOKING OVER THE MATERIALS, I THINK WE HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE WE'RE AT AT THIS PROCESS, AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A CLEAR SENSE OF WHERE WE'RE GOING SO THAT WE CAN FULFILL THE INTENT OF THE VOTERS.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO WALK THROUGH WITH YOU SOME OF THE REASONS WHY I'M NOT SURE THAT WE'RE THERE, THERE, AND I HAD ASKED QUESTIONS, UH, GOD ANSWERS AND, AND I NEED TO CONTINUE WITH THAT.
BUT IF YOU WANNA TAKE EACH AMENDMENT, I'LL BRING THEM UP WHEN WE GET TO THE PARTICULAR AMENDMENT.
WE'RE GONNA DO IT AS COUNCIL MEMBER TOVA SUGGESTED ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THE FIRST AMENDMENT.
[06:20:01]
SECOND, LET'S LET COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN SPEAK TO, UH, YES.UM, I, I AM, UH, CAN YOU TURN THAT ON? UH, I AM NOT GOING TO SUPPORT THESE AMENDMENTS.
UM, I, I HEAR WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER RENTERIA IS, IS SAYING, AND I AM COMFORTABLE THAT HIS RESOLUTION DOES JUST WHAT HE INTENDED TO DO AND IS NOT INTENDED TO DO ANY FURTHER.
AND, UM, I ALSO TRUST THAT OUR, THAT OUR STAFF WILL CARRY OUT WHAT'S DIRECTED TO THEM IN THE VOTER BY THE VOTE.
AND SO I DON'T FEEL THE NEED TO ADD ANYTHING FURTHER.
AND SO I WON'T BE SUPPORTING ANY OF THESE MOTIONS.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THE FIRST AMENDMENT HAS APPROVAL.
I'M IN THE SAME PLACE AS COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN WITH REGARD TO COUNCIL MEMBER RENTER.
IS ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS ONE? I'LL ALSO BE SUPPORTING COUNCIL MEMBER RENT.
WHAT'S IN FRONT OF US IS THE TOVO AMENDMENT FURTHER DISCUSSION.
THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE TOVO AMENDMENT, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
I HAVE THE MAYOR PRO 10 COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO.
COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES, THOSE OPPOSED TO THE TOVO AMENDMENT, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON.
AND THE REST OF THE DAY AS THAT AMENDMENT DOES NOT PASS, THAT GETS US TO THE NEXT AMENDMENT.
I WAS GONNA GIVE COUNCIL MEMBER TOBO THE, THE FIRST CHANCE TO TALK ABOUT IT SINCE HER IT'S HER AMENDMENT.
WELL, UH, YOU KNOW, IF WE CAN'T PASS AN AMENDMENT THAT SAYS WE WANNA GET A TRANSACTION THAT REPRESENTS A FAIR DEAL, I'M NOT SURE WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO PASS ONE THAT ASKS FOR AN APPRAISAL, BUT, UM, I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE GET AN APPRAISAL THAT REPRESENTS AS COUNCIL MEMBER, AS MAYOR PROTE WAS POINTING OUT, THAT REPRESENTS THE FAIR VALUE OF THIS BASED ON THE ADJOINING PROPERTIES.
UM, I WANNA, I WANNA SPEAK TO THE APPRAISAL SITUATION.
SO THERE'S MULTIPLE PROPERTIES HERE THAT ARE BEING APPRAISED, AND I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE UNDERSTAND THE DISPARITY THAT'S HAPPENING ACROSS THESE TWO PROPERTIES IN TERMS OF HOW THEY'RE BEING APPRAISED.
UM, AND THIS CAN HAPPEN EVEN IF NOBODY'S NOT DO ANY, NOBODY IS DOING ANYTHING WRONG, IT'S JUST THE ASSUMPTIONS THAT ARE BEING MADE, BUT THEY HAVE REALLY BIG IMPLICATIONS FOR ACHIEVING WHAT WE PROMISED THE VOTERS.
SO IN THE Q AND A, UM, I GUESS THIS IS A QUESTION FOR, FOR MR. GATES, IF HE'S AROUND.
UM, IN THE ANSWERS TO, TO MY QUESTIONS IN THE Q AND A, IT APPEARS THAT TWICE THE CITY'S INDEPENDENT THIRD PARTY APPRAISAL OF THE PROPERTY WE ARE BEING OFFERED, THAT'S THE DRIVEWAY.
AUSTIN PROPERTY HAS BEEN LESS THAN THE VALUE ORACLE WANTED US TO ACCEPT FOR IT.
OUR INDEPENDENT THIRD PARTY APPRAISAL HAS FOUND THE PROPERTY TO BE WORTH LESS.
BUT NOW WE ARE TRYING FOR A THIRD TIME TO SEE IF SOMEHOW WE CAN DETERMINE THAT THE PROPERTY ORACLE WANTS US TO ACCEPT FOR VALUE FOR IS HIGHER.
IS THAT ACCURATE? UH, GOOD EVENING.
MARY COUNSEL, MICHAEL GATES, REAL ESTATE SERVICES OFFICER.
FINANCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT? THAT IS CORRECT.
SO TWICE WE HAVE APPRAISED THE DRIVEWAY.
AUSTIN CLARIFICATION, WE'VE ONCE APPRAISED IT.
WE ARE CURRENTLY REAPPRAISING IT.
WE'RE CURRENTLY REAPPRAISING IT.
UM, AND WE'RE, SO THIS IS THE THIRD APPRAISAL OF THE PROPERTY, AT LEAST BECAUSE, NOT FROM US, BUT OVERALL THERE.
SO ORACLE'S APPRAISED THEIR PROPERTY, WE'VE APPRAISED IT, ORACLE'S REAPPRAISING IT UNDER A DIFFERENT SET OF ASSUMPTIONS, AND WE'VE GOT TWO APPRAISERS ALSO REAPPRAISING IT UNDER A MUTUALLY AGREED UPON A DIFFERENT SET OF ASSUMPTIONS.
UM, THERE'S SOME OTHER THINGS I COULD SAY ON THIS, BUT I'M NOT SURE HOW MUCH WOULD BE COMPROMISING REAL ESTATE.
SO THERE'S SOME OTHER THINGS THERE THAT IF WE WERE TO GO IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, I WOULD SHARE, UM, HOW OFTEN DO WE ATTEMPT TO REAPPRAISE IT TO MATCH THE VALUE THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO GET US TO ACCEPT WHEN WE DO APPRAISALS? THERE'S NOT A DEFINITIVE ANSWER TO THAT.
UM, THIS IS A MUTUALLY, UM, THIS, THIS IS NOT A, A COMPELLED TRANSACTION.
AND SO, UM, I GUESS THEORETICALLY THERE'S NO LIMIT MM-HMM.
AND IT IS ACCURATE THAT THE CURRENT APPRAISAL FOR THE CURRENT CENTRAL MAINTENANCE CENTER WAS BASED ON A POD WITH FOUR STORIES, BUT NEARBY THERE'S THESE RIVERSIDE CORRIDOR WHICH ALLOWS FOR MUCH GREATER ENTITLEMENTS AND IT HAS NOT BEEN IN, IT HAS NOT BEEN APPRAISED BY THE CITY FOR WHAT IT WOULD BE UNDER THOSE ENTITLEMENTS, AND YET IT WOULD SIMPLY TAKE A ZONING CHANGE FROM THE CITY TO CHANGE THAT.
[06:25:01]
THIS MIGHT BE A QUESTION FOR MS. MCNELEY.UM, IN THE Q AND A, I ASKED WHAT OUR ESTIMATES WERE FOR HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST US TO CONSTRUCT A NEW CMC, SOMETHING WHICH THE BALLOT LANGUAGE APPROVED BY THE VOTERS REQUIRES US TO OBTAIN IN ORDER TO SELL THIS PARKLAND.
THE ANSWER TO MY QUESTION INCLUDED THIS LINE, THE DEPARTMENT'S ANTICIPATE A MINIMUM PROJECT COST TO EXCEED PREVIOUS COST ESTIMATES DISCUSSED WITH COUNCIL.
CAN YOU REMIND US THEN, AS RECENTLY AS TUESDAY, WE HEARD THE COST COULD BE BETWEEN 15 AND 40 MILLION.
SO SHOULD I UNDERSTAND THIS TO MEAN THAT THE DEPARTMENT ANTICIPATES THAT THE MINIMUM PROJECT COST WOULD EXCEED 40 MILLION THAT KIMBERLY MCNELEY, UH, SERVING AS A DIRECTOR FOR PARKS AND RECREATION DEPA DEPARTMENT? IT IT COULD POSSIBLY, YES.
SO THE COST COULD EXCEED 40 MILLION.
UM, HOW MUCH HAS THE RESPONDENT OFFERED SO FAR TO COVER THE COST TO BUILD OUT THE CENTRAL MAINTENANCE CENTER? WE HAVE NOT HAD THOSE, UH, MAJOR NEGOTIATION DISCUSSIONS AT THIS TIME.
UM, SO, WELL YOU'RE STILL NEGOTIATING, SO I'M ASSUMING THEY HAVEN'T OFFERED ENOUGH YET EITHER TO MEET THAT MINIMUM COST.
UM, BUT THAT'S GONNA BE MY ASSUMPTION TILL WE, TILL WE, TILL WE'VE SEEN THAT.
SO MY CONCERN IS NOT ABOUT WHETHER WE, YOU KNOW, I'M ALL FOR THIS HAPPY SWAP, BUT THIS HAPPY SWAP PASSED AND DELIVER ON ALL THE THINGS THAT WE PROMISED TO THE VOTERS.
WE PROMISED THE VOTERS WE WOULD BUILD A CENTRAL MAINTENANCE CENTER THAT IS GONNA COST A LOT OF MONEY.
SAN ANTONIO BUILT ONE FOR FEWER PEOPLE IN DOLLARS.
I DON'T, YOU KNOW, SO, SO THE FACT THAT WE VALUE THE PROPERTY, THE LAKEFRONT PROPERTY THAT IS THE CENTRAL MAINTENANCE CENTER, OR MAYBE IT'S NOT LAKEFRONT PROPERTY, THE, THE CENTRAL MAINTENANCE CENTER PROPERTY, WE DON'T VALUE THAT AT ITS REAL VALUE, UM, TO THE FOLKS.
IT'S GONNA MEAN WE'RE GONNA GET LOWBALLED ON THE CENTRAL MAINTENANCE CENTER IF WE DON'T STAND UP AND SAY WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE FULFILLING THAT OBLIGATION.
IN ADDITION, WE WANTED TO TAKE CARE OF FIESTA GARDENS, AND I DON'T THINK WE WANTED TO TAKE CARE OF FIESTA GARDENS ON THE CHEAP.
SO, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO, UM, WITH THIS AMENDMENT OF GETTING THE APPRAISAL IS TO REALLY SAY, WE ALL KNOW THAT WHEN THEY COME IN, THEY'RE GONNA GET THIS NEW ZONING.
UM, AND WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE THIS DEAL THAT THEY VALUED SO HIGHLY, THEY ASKED US TO GO TO THE VOTERS AND THAT WE BELIEVED IN.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, I WILL BE ON THE NEXT COUNCIL.
I WILL BE WATCHING THIS LIKE A HAWK.
I WILL BE MAKING YOU GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
I WOULD LIKE YOU TO GET THAT APPRAISAL DONE SO THAT WE CAN MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS MOVING FORWARD AND THAT OUR NEGOTIATORS HAVE THE INFORMATION THEY NEED TO NEGOTIATE THE HIGHEST AND BEST DEAL FOR THE COMMUNITY.
UM, THIS IS WHAT WE PROMISED THE VOTERS.
WE ALSO, BY THE WAY, PROMISED THE VOTERS WATERFRONT PROPERTY.
UM, AND WE CAN GO INTO THAT ONE.
THERE IS ZERO TECHNICALLY WATERFRONT PROPERTY INVOLVED IN DRIVEWAY AUSTIN.
TO GET WATERFRONT PROPERTY, YOU HAVE TO SAY THAT YOU ARE ON A POND.
THERE'S CITY OWNED LAND BETWEEN THE WATER AND THE PROPERTY.
SO IF WE'RE GONNA REALLY MAKE THIS WORK FOR THE COMMUNITY, AND AGAIN, I AM NOT SAYING THAT WE CAN'T MAKE THIS WORK IN A REALLY POSITIVE WAY, BUT WE HAVE TO OPERATE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET THE LEVERAGE THAT THE CITY DESERVES OUT OF THE PROCESS.
AND THIS IS A POINT WHICH WAS INVITED BY, BY COUNCILMAN MARIN.
TERRI BECAUSE THIS IS IMPORTANT.
IT WAS VOTED ON BY THE COMMUNITY AND WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO DELIVER IT, BUT WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO THE VOTERS TO DELIVER IT TO THEM.
WHAT WE PROMISE NOT TO LEAVE PAR ONCE AGAIN HOLDING THE BAG FOR SOMETHING ELSE, FOR SOMETHING ELSE.
SO I DON'T KNOW HOW TO PROCEED WITH THESE AMENDMENTS, BUT I WILL BE ON COUNCIL AND I WILL KEEP ASKING FOR IT.
SO I WOULD REALLY LIKE YOU JUST TO GO AHEAD AND DO THAT APPRAISAL BECAUSE I DON'T THINK IT'S GONNA PROVE TO THE VOTERS LIKE A SOUND DEAL UNLESS WE DO THAT.
IT DOESN'T, IT, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST HOW DO WE DELIVER ALL OF THESE THINGS? THEY'VE ALREADY BOUGHT THE PROPERTY AT DRIVEWAY AUSTIN.
I I, I WELCOME HEARING THAT YOU'RE GONNA WATCH DOG THIS AS IT GOES TO THE NEXT COUNCIL AND I, AND I THINK THAT THAT'S THE APPROPRIATE, UH, UH, PLACE TO DO THAT.
UM, MY CONCERN AND THE REASON I'LL VOTE NO ON NUMBER TWO IS BECAUSE YOU CAN'T GIVE AN APPRAISER AN INSTRUCTION AS TO ASSUMPTIONS.
THEY SHOULD MAKE AN APPRAIS REPORT.
WE CAN'T TELL AN APPRAISER HOW TO DO THEIR JOB.
UM, YOU KNOW, IN CASES I WAS IN, I JUST WISHED I HAD HAD AN APPRAISER ON THE STAND THAT WAS TAKING INSTRUCTIONS FROM THEIR EMPLOYER.
UM, SO IT'S JUST A, A FACTUAL MATTER.
IT'S JUST NOT SOMETHING YOU CAN DO.
AND THE OTHER ONE IS JUST IS, IS IS I BELIEVE CONTRARY TO LAW, THERE THERE ARE RULES AND APPRAISAL ABOUT HOW YOU APPRAISE PROPERTY THAT'S NOT ZONED TO ITS HIGHEST AND BEST USE.
[06:30:01]
UH, YOU KNOW, DECADES AND DECADES OF COURT DECISIONS THAT LAY OUT HOW THAT'S SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN.UM, IF THERE'S SUPPORT FOR THIS ITEM NUMBER TWO, THEN I THINK WE NEED TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO, UH, DISCUSS IT.
IF THERE'S NOT SIX PEOPLE TO SUPPORT IT, UH, THEN WE CAN MOVE ON PAST IT.
UH, BUT BEFORE WE WOULD VOTE TO APPROVE IT, WE WOULD NEED AN EXECUTIVE SESSION, UH, ON IT.
MIRA DOES SAY REPORT FOR JUST THAT REASON, AN APPRAISAL.
AND IF AN APPRAISAL'S NOT A POSSIBILITY, THEN A REPORT BECAUSE IT'S VERY CLEAR AS COUNCIL, AS MAYOR PROTE ALTER SAID, IT'S VERY CLEAR THAT THIS PROPERTY WOULD BE A SHOE-IN FOR A REZONING.
IT'S EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH HEALTH SOUTH AND WHAT WE APPROVED EARLIER TODAY.
IT'S, IT IS OUR OWN LAND AND, UM, WE, WE HAVE THE, WE HAVE THE DISCRETIONARY ABILITY TO REZONE IT.
WE COULD REZONE IT, YOU COULD REZONE IT IN JANUARY AND HAVE IT AND HAVE IT APPRAISED AFTERWARD.
UM, IT IS EXTREMELY CLEAR THAT IT'S, YOU KNOW, WOULD, WOULD BE A SHOE-IN FOR A A REZONING.
AND SO A REPORT WOULD GIVE YOU THAT INFORMATION OF HOW MUCH ADDITIONAL, ADDITIONAL VALUE, UM, WOULD BE REALIZED WERE IT TO BE REZONED.
RIGHT THERE, THERE IS NO LAW THAT SAYS A PROPERTY SHOULD BE APPRAISED AS IT'S ZONED.
UM, THAT'S, THAT'S NOT THE LAW.
COUNCIL, MAYOR, I, I, I, ALL I'M ASKING IS FOR THAT TO COME BACK AS SOON AS, I MEAN, FOR THIS COUNCIL TO GO AHEAD AND, AND, AND, AND WHEN THEY COME BACK, YOU KNOW, BUT HYPO TECHNO TECHNICAL ZONING WILL NOT, WILL PROBABLY DELAY IT FOR ABOUT TWO MORE MONTHS.
SO DO YOU REALLY WANT IT TO COME SOONER OR DO YOU WANT IT, UH, TO DELAY IT? BECAUSE, I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND WHAT Y'ALL SAYING.
I MEAN, WE WENT THROUGH THIS WHOLE PROCESS BEFORE WE TOOK IT TO THE VOTER BEFORE WE PASSED IT TO TAKE IT TO THE VOTER.
Y'ALL WAS DEAD SET AGAINST IT.
Y'ALL, Y'ALL FOUGHT IT ALL THE WAY TRUE.
AND I, AND I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY Y'ALL TOO WOULD KEEP ON FIGHTING IT RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S THE SAME ARGUMENT THAT YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE BEEN USING OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
AND, AND, UH, WHY DON'T WE JUST WAIT FOR THE APPRAISAL AND THEN YOU CAN REALLY MAKE YOUR DECISION ON HOW, WHAT DO YOU THINK, IF IT'S A GOOD DEAL OR NOT.
OKAY, SO ALL I'M ASK, THAT'S ALL I'M ASKING FOR.
LET'S SAY AT THIS POINT, ARE THERE SIX PEOPLE THAT ARE INTERESTED IN VOTING ON YES, ON NUMBER TWO? IF THERE ARE, THEN LET'S GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
IF THERE ARE NOT, THEN LET'S JUST GO ON TO THE THIRD AMENDMENT.
ARE THERE SIX? ARE THERE PEOPLE THAT SUPPORT, UH, AT THIS POINT? NUMBER TWO, COUNCIL MEMBER FU FUENTES, THE MAYOR, PROAM COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO.
IS THERE ANY OTHER SUPPORT FOR THIS ONE? OKAY, THEN THIS ONE DOES NOT PASS.
COUNCIL TOVO, THIS ENSURES THAT IF THERE IS A, IF THE TRANSACTION IS DELAYED OR OTHERWISE PROLONGED THAT THE MANAGER WOULD UPDATE ANY APPRAISALS SO THAT AT THE TIME OF TRANSACTION THERE WOULD BE A CLEAR, A CLEAR SENSE OF, OF WHETHER THE CITY IS GETTING APPROPRIATE VALUE.
ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS ONE? OKAY, LET'S TAKE A VOTE.
THOSE IN FAVOR OF THIS ONE, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
THOSE OPPOSED, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
I WAS VOTING FOR, I'M SORRY, OKAYS.
MADISON, DO YOU VOTE NO AS WELL.
THERE WERE I THINK WHAT THREE OR FOUR VOTES.
THREE VOTES IN FAVOR, OTHERS VOTING? NO, THAT AMENDMENT DOES NOT PASS.
THAT LEAVES US WITH COUNCIL MEMBER RENT RIO'S, UH, MOTION AS OFFER THOSE IN FAVOR OF THAT MOTION.
THOSE OPPOSED? IT'S THE MAYOR PRO TA AND COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO AND COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES.
MAYOR, IF I MAY, SINCE WE DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE TO, TO SPEAK BEFORE THE VOTE, UM, I THINK IT'S REALLY GONNA BE UNCOMMON ON THE NEXT COUNCIL TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE GETTING A FAIR VALUE EVEN THOUGH WE DIDN'T PASS THE, THE AMENDMENT THAT INSURED, UM, WE'RE GETTING A FAIR VALUE.
I TRUST THAT OUR STAFF ARE GONNA CONTINUE NEGOTIATING AND MAKING SURE THAT WE GET THE RIGHT INFORMATION, UM, TO BE SURE THAT THIS IS A DEAL THAT IS APPROPRIATELY VALUED AND REPRESENTS A FAIR EXCHANGE.
BECAUSE THE ALTERNATIVE IS THAT WE WOULD BE ENGAGING AS A CITY IN, IN A GIFT OF PUBLIC PROPERTY.
AND I CERTAINLY, I CERTAINLY KNOW THAT THAT'S NOT, UM, ANY, WASN'T ANYONE'S INTENT HERE, SO, BUT THAT'S GONNA TAKE SOME VIGILANCE.
MAYOR PROTE, I'M GLAD YOU'RE, YOU'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO, TO BE WATCHING IT BECAUSE THIS IS, UM, ONE OF THE CITY'S MOST VALUABLE TRACKS.
AND, AND IT, AND IT COULD BE A, A WONDERFUL DEAL AT THE END, BUT IT'S GONNA TAKE CONTINUED VIGILANCE.
[06:35:01]
THANK YOU.IF I CAN MAKE ONE LAST COMMENT, IF I MIGHT.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE ISSUE IS, IS, YOU KNOW, THE APPRAISAL ON THE C CMC IS WHAT GETS YOU TO BE ABLE TO BUILD THE NEW CMC YOU NEED IN AND OF ITSELF IS NOT THE KEY.
IT IS A ONE OF THE PATH, ANOTHER PATH IS FOR THEM TO JUST FOLLOW WHAT THEY PROMISED IN TERMS OF FULFILLING THEIR OBLIGATION TO THE C M C.
BUT THE LEVERAGE FOR ONE OF THE PIECES FOR DOING THAT IS THE APPRAISAL AND UNDERSTANDING THOSE DYNAMICS OF, OF WHAT'S BEING OFFERED IN THIS NEGOTIATION.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT ISSUE AND I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO GET AT.
YOU JUST NEED A DIFFERENT TOOL THAN INSTRUCTING AN APPRAISER HOW TO DO AN APPRAISAL.
UM, THE VOTERS HAVE VOTED THAT THEY'RE GETTING A CMC AND, AND THE APPRAISAL WILL BE DONE CONSISTENT WITH LAW, I'M SURE.
[72. Approve an ordinance related to compensation and benefits for the City Manager.]
RIGHT, NEXT ITEM IS ITEM NUMBER 72, WHICH IS THE ORDINANCE SETTING CITY MANAGER'S SALARY COMPENSATION THAT'S IN FRONT OF US.UM, I MAKE THE MOTION, UH, TO INCLUDE A BASE SALARY OF $388,190 AND 40 CENTS.
DOES ANYBODY WANT TO SPEAK TO THIS MOTION? MAYOR PRO TIM, THANK YOU.
UM, I'VE HAD DEEP CONCERNS WITH THE MANAGER'S PERFORMANCE FOR OVER TWO YEARS AND UNTIL NOW I'VE TRIED TO WORK BEHIND THE SCENES AND OUT OF THE PUBLIC EYE.
I BELIEVE THAT OUR CITY WORKERS ARE DOING IMPORTANT AND VALUABLE WORK, AND IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CITY MANAGER TO SUPPORT THEM IN OUR FORM OF GOVERNMENT.
THE ROLE OF THE CITY MANAGER IS TO MAINTAIN AND GROW OUR WORKFORCE AND CREATE A HOSPITABLE AND PRODUCTIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT AND ITS COUNCIL'S JOB TO EVALUATE THE MANAGER'S PERFORMANCE DESPITE THE COUNCIL ESTABLISHING THE HIRING AND RETENTION OF OUR WORKFORCE.
AS A CHIEF GOAL, OUR NINE ONE ONE CALL CENTER CONTINUES TO OPERATE AT WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE A CRISIS LEVEL OF STAFFING.
AND ALTHOUGH MANAGEMENT HAS TAKEN STEPS TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE, THE PROBLEM REMAINS UNRESOLVED.
VACANCIES CONTINUE TO PLAGUE MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS CAUSING KEY ISSUES AND PERFORMANCE AND THE PROVISION OF BASIC CITY SERVICES.
WE HAVE EXPERIENCED MULTIPLE ACTING AND INTERIM DIRECTORS AND LONG DELAYS IN FILLING THOSE ROLES.
IN ADDITION, I HAVE DEEP CONCERNS ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY'S TRUST AND OUR MANAGER'S STEWARDSHIP.
AS YOU MAY RECALL, IN 2020, THE COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY VOTED, VOTED THAT WE LOST FAITH AND CONFIDENCE IN OUR PRIOR POLICE CHIEF AND THE MANAGER CHOSE TO KEEP HIM.
THIS COUNCIL HAS HAD TO APPROVE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF SETTLEMENTS FOR HARM TO HUMAN AND LIFE DUE TO THE WAY A P D RESPONDED TO THE 2020 SUMMER PROTESTS UNDER HIS WATCH.
IN REVIEWING OUR LISTENING IN THE WORKFORCE SURVEY RESULTS, I FIND INNUMERABLE RESPONSES FROM OUR STAFF THAT POINT TO LOW MORALE AND DISSATISFACTION, AND THEY TELL THE STORY AS TO WHY WE STRUGGLE TO FILL OUR VACANCIES AND RETAIN OUR TALENT.
YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO GO THAT FAR INTO THE WEEDS INTO AN INTERNAL COA SURVEY.
YOU CAN OPEN UP A COPY OF TODAY'S AUSTIN CHRONICLE AND READ ABOUT THE WORK CONDITIONS OF OUR CITY EMPLOYEES WHO RECENTLY QUIT WHO SAY, AND I QUOTE, IT'S LIKE HELEN THERE IN TERMS OF THEIR WORKING CONDITIONS.
THE ARTICLE GOES ON TO ARTICULATE AN INSUFFICIENT CONCERN FOR EMPLOYEE SAFETY AND A CULTURE OF RETALIATION AGAINST THOSE WHO COMPLAINED.
I COULD GIVE A DOZEN OTHER EXAMPLES, BUT I THINK YOU UNDERSTAND MY POINT.
I AM DISSATISFIED WITH THE MANAGER'S PERFORMANCE AND IT HAS RISEN TO SUCH A LEVEL THAT I CAN NO LONGER SAVE IT FOR BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.
BUT I NEED TO MAKE ONE MORE THING CLEAR.
YESTERDAY IN THE COURSE OF TRYING TO DO MY JOB AS THE CITY MANAGER'S SUPERVISOR AND EVALUATING HIS REQUEST FOR A MERIT-BASED PAY INCREASE, I REQUESTED EVALUATION DOCUMENTS FROM AN EXECUTIVE LEADER UNDER THE CITY MANAGER, A STANDARD AND REASONABLE REQUEST TO MAKE.
SHORTLY AFTER THIS PERSON ACCIDENTALLY CALLED ME AND I HEARD THEM REFER TO ME USING A DEROGATORY EXPLETIVE, A WORD THAT IS USED IN A OFFENSIVE PEJORATIVE AGAINST WOMEN.
THIS IS A TROUBLING EXAMPLE OF THE CULTURE THAT EXISTS UNDER THE MANAGER'S LEADERSHIP.
THE FACT THAT THE EMPLOYEE FELT COMFORTABLE SPEAKING THESE WORDS, PRESUMABLY TO A SUBORDINATE, DEEPLY TROUBLES ME.
MY EXPERIENCE IS EMBLEMATIC OF A CULTURE THAT HAS BEEN FOSTERED UNDER THE MANAGER'S LEADERSHIP, A CULTURE OF LOW EMPLOYEE MORALE, A CULTURE THAT IS NOT BASED ON A FOUNDATION OF CLEAR AND RESPECTFUL COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION WITH THE COUNCIL, AND A CULTURE THAT FOR TOO MANY FEELS TOXIC, UNSUPPORTIVE AND UNACCOUNTABLE.
FOR THESE REASONS AND MORE, I CANNOT, WITH GOOD FAITH AND JUDGMENT SUPPORT THE CITY MANAGER'S REQUEST FOR A MERIT-BASED PAY RAISE TODAY, THE PERFORMANCE DOES NOT MERIT A PAY INCREASE.
IN MY VIEW, THOUGH, FOR THE SAKE OF OUR CITY, I HOPE IN THE FUTURE IT DOES.
AS IT RELATES TO THE SECOND CITY MANAGER'S REQUEST FOR A COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT, I GENERALLY BELIEVE THAT COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENTS SHOULD NOT BE LINKED TO PERFORMANCE.
BUT BECAUSE THIS IS A RETROACTIVE MULTI-YEAR COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT, BECAUSE THIS PROCESS HAS BEEN SO DISTURBING AND
[06:40:01]
BECAUSE OF THE WORKFORCE CONCERNS I HIGHLIGHTED EARLIER, I AM ABSTAINING ON THIS ITEM.I KNOW THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN AS AN ORGANIZATION CAN BE BETTER.
I KNOW THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN AS A WORKPLACE CAN BE BETTER.
I HOPE THAT IN THE FUTURE, OUR MANAGEMENT CAN ADDRESS OUR STAFFING CHALLENGES AND FOSTER OUR WORK CLASS CULTURE THAT WE CAN BE PROUD OF.
FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM, CUSTOMER KITCHEN.
I'LL JUST SAY I APPRECIATE THE WORK OF THE CITY MANAGER, AND I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU.
YOU HAVE BEEN SOMEONE WHO HAS WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH MYSELF AND MY OFFICE ON A WHOLE RANGE OF VERY DIFFICULT ISSUES.
AND SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT EZRA KELLY.
UM, I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU.
I LOOK BACK TO WHEN I JUST GOT ELECTED ON COUNCIL AND HOW I DIDN'T REALLY KNOW HOW THE CITY WORKED AND HOW YOU INVESTED TIME AND ENSURING THAT I HAD THE KEYS.
WELL, NOT REALLY THE KEYS, I JUST GOT A KEY FROM THE MAYOR.
BUT THE SKILLS THAT I NEEDED AND THE KNOWLEDGE BASE TO BE AN EFFECTIVE COUNCIL MEMBER, I APPRECIATE OUR REGULAR ONE-ON-ONES WHERE I CAN SPEAK TO YOU FREELY ABOUT THE THINGS THAT I SEE HAPPENING IN OUR CITY.
AND YOU HAVE ADDRESSED MY CONCERNS, NOT ONLY IN A TIMELY MANNER, BUT IN WHAT I WOULD SEE FIT AS A EFFECTIVE MANNER.
AND I CONTINUE TO BELIEVE THAT THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING ON BEHALF OF THE CITY AND THE EMPLOYEES HERE IS SOME OF THE BEST WORK THAT WE COULD HAVE BEING DONE.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING WORKING WITH YOU AND STRENGTHENING OUR RELATIONSHIP THROUGH THE END OF MY TERM.
COUNCIL MEMBER REN? YES, MA'AM.
AND I, I AGREE WITH SOME, MY, MY COLLEAGUE KELLY, THE COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY, UM, I HAVE NOTHING BUT PRAISE FOR, FOR SPENCER.
HE'S, HE'S ALWAYS BEEN VERY HONEST WITH ME WHEN HE COMES INTO MY OFFICE.
WE HAVE FRANK DISCUSSIONS AND, YOU KNOW, I, I, UH, HE MAKES ME FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE IN WHAT I ASK HIM FOR.
UH, HE'S VERY TRUTHFUL WHETHER HE THINKS HE, I'M GONNA BE ABLE TO GET THAT OR NOT.
AND, UH, IF THERE'S FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR THAT.
SO, UH, YOU KNOW, I, WHEN, WHEN WE FIRST HIRED SPENCER, HE WASN'T THE FIRST ONE ON MY LIST BE, AND THE ONLY REASON WHY IS I THOUGHT BECAUSE HE DIDN'T, HE CAME FROM A STRONG MAYOR SITUATION THAT HE WAS GONNA BE ABLE TO CATCH UP AND, AND GRABS, YOU KNOW, OUR SITUATION HERE WITH, AS A STRONG MAYOR, I MEAN MANAGER.
BUT HE TURNED OUT AND HE PROVED ME WRONG.
HE HAD BECAME AN EXCELLENT MANAGER, AND I'M REALLY PROUD OF WHAT HE HAD DONE FOR US.
UM, WE WENT THROUGH A VERY DISASTROUS TIME, NOT ONLY THROUGH COVID, BUT ALSO WITH THE, UH, FREEZE.
AND, UH, WE WERE ABLE TO COME BACK STRONGER BECAUSE OF WHAT HE DID FOR AUSTIN.
AND, UH, I JUST GONNA REALLY MISS WORKING WITH YOU, BUT I KNOW THAT YOU'LL, YOU'RE IN YOUR HEART.
YOU'RE, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE LOOKING OUT FOR MY CITY, OUR CITY, AUSTIN, TEXAS
AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT I THINK SPENCER HAS ACQUITTED HIMSELF AS OUR CITY MANAGER WITH, UM, A REAL HIGH LEVEL OF PROFESSIONALISM AND A PLUM.
AND I HAVE CONFIDENCE IN HIS ABILITY TO LEAD, UM, OUR WORKFORCE, WHICH IS GROWING BY THE DAY.
THE PEOPLE THAT YOU HAVE ASSEMBLED IN YOUR MANAGEMENT TEAMS ALL THE WAY DOWN THROUGH THE DIRECTORS AND INTO OUR LINE STAFF, UM, HAVE A REAL SENSE THAT YOU SUPPORT THEM AND THAT THE WORK THAT THEY DO IS VALUED BY YOU IN THE SAME WAYS THAT WE VALUE IT AS WELL.
UM, SPENCER, YOU HAVE MY CONFIDENCE, UM, AND ALSO A, A REAL SENSE OF, OF THE REALITIES OF THE JOB THAT, THAT YOU'RE IN.
AND, UM, AND SO I JUST, I JUST THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO HAVE A SMILE ON YOUR FACE AND TO BE UPRIGHT AND ETHICAL AND, UH, ANSWER QUESTIONS TRUTHFULLY, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO BEAT AROUND THE BUSH.
UM, AND SO BEING BLUNT AND STRAIGHTFORWARD IS, IS MOST HELPFUL TO ME.
AND, AND I THANK YOU FOR THAT, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING, UH, TO WORK WITH YOU ON THIS.
[06:45:01]
THANK YOU COLLEAGUES.I'M GONNA SUPPORT THIS, UH, UM, UH, ITEM.
UH, QUITE FRANKLY, I THINK THAT, UM, UM, THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MANAGER BELONGS TO THE NEXT COUNCIL.
UH, AND, AND, AND THAT'S GONNA BE, UH, FORGED.
UH, MY VOTE TODAY IS IN SUPPORT OF, UM, OF WHAT I HAVE SEEN BELIEVE TO BE A MAJORITY OF THE SENTIMENT OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT ARE RETURNING.
UH, AND I, AND I COUNTS, COUNTS MY VOTE IN, IN THEIR SUPPORT.
ANYTHING ELSE BEFORE WE VOTE? OKAY, THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE RESOLUTION, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
I'M SEEING, UH, PAUL RENTER OF FUENTES, UH, MYSELF, KELLY KITCHEN AND, UH, VELA AND HARPER MADISON.
UH, THOSE OPPOSED TO THE RESOLUTION, THOSE ABSTAINING IN THE RESOLUTION ARE THE MAYOR PRO TEM AND COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO AND COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS.
SO ON AN 8 0 3 ABSTENTION VOTE, UH, THIS ITEM PASSES MANAGER, DO YOU WANNA SAY HIS NAME? YEAH, JUST MAYOR COUNSEL.
IT'S CERTAINLY AN HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO SERVE AS YOUR MANAGER.
AND AS YOU HAVE NOTED, WE HAVE AN INCREDIBLE WORKFORCE THAT I AM HERE TO SUPPORT.
AND SO WHEN WE DO THE WORK OF ENSURING THAT WE PROVIDE THE SERVICES THAT OUR COMMUNITY TO EXPECTS, UM, I I TAKE THAT RESPONSIBILITY VERY SERIOUSLY.
IT'S BEEN AN HONOR SERVING, UH, ALONGSIDE OF ALL OF YOU, AND I REALLY AM, UM, APPRECIATIVE OF THE LEADERSHIP OF YOU, MAYOR.
AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN AND COUNCIL MEMBER RENT.
UH, FOR THE TIME THAT I HAVE SERVED ALONGSIDE OF YOU, YOU HAVE BEEN PART OF THE GROUP THAT BROUGHT ME IN, UH, AND I COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD, UH, TO WORK WITH YOU.
AND SO, UH, I WILL PASS THAT BATON TO THE NEXT COUNCIL.
BUT REALLY, UH, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE OVER THE YEARS.
[74. Approve a resolution recommending adoption of amendments to the articles of incorporation of the Austin Transit Partnership to add additional community-at-large members, and to make changes to increase nomination process transparency for board members; and recommending to the CapMetro Board that they also amend the Austin Transit Partnership documents as recommended by Council. ]
YOU, COLLEAGUES.THE LAST ITEM THAT WE HAVE ON OUR AGENDA IS ATP.
UH, ITEM NUMBER 74, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.
UM, YES, UM, I MOVE, UH, PASSAGE OF ITEM NUMBER 74.
UH, YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU WHAT'S CALLED VERSION THREE.
UH, SO MAYOR, IF I GET A, A SECOND, THEN I WILL, UH, EXPLAIN IT.
IS THERE A SECOND TO THIS? UH, ITEM 74, COUNCIL MEMBER, PAUL.
WHAT, WHAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU IS VERSION THREE.
UH, THE REASON IT'S VERSION THREE IS BECAUSE WE, UM, WE SPENT SOME TIME DURING THE DAY RESPONDING TO SOME CONCERNS THAT WE HAD HEARD, UH, DIRECTLY FROM ATP STAFF.
UM, AND SO WE WORKED WITH, UM, WITH OUR STAFF AND LEGAL, UH, TO, UH, CREATE THE, UM, THE UNDERLYING BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT YOU SEE ON PAGE THREE.
UH, THE EFFECT OF THIS, THIS DOESN'T CH CHANGE THE CONTENT, IT JUST RECOGNIZES THAT, UM, THE CONCERN THAT ATP HAD THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE, UM, IF, IF THERE, IF OVER THE NEXT YEAR THERE'S MORE THAN ONE CHANGE TO THE, UM, YOU KNOW, TO THE BYLAWS THAT THEY JUST BE, UH, BUNDLED TOGETHER AND DONE AT ONE TIME.
WE KNOW WHAT THE, WHAT THIS RESOLUTION DOES TODAY.
UH, AND I WANT, I WANNA, UH, GO THROUGH THAT.
IT MAKES A CHANGE THAT ACTUALLY, I SHOULDN'T SAY BYLAWS.
DID I SAY I MEANT ARTICLES? I'M SORRY.
IT MAKES A CHANGE TO THE ARTICLES TO, UM, TO RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF TRANSPARENCY IN THE, UM, THE APPLICATION AND APPOINTMENT PROCESS.
SO IT PUTS SOME BASIC TRANSPARENCY, UH, REQUIREMENTS IN PLACE.
SO THAT'S ONE THING THAT IT DOES.
AND THAT'S AN ACTUAL CHANGE TO THE ARTICLES.
THE OTHER THING THAT IT DOES IS IT CHANGES THE ARTICLES TO RECOGNIZE TWO NEW OR TWO ADDITIONAL, UM, DIRECTORS.
THE REST OF IT IS DIRECTION, UH, TO THE CITY MANAGER, UH, TO WORK WITH VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING THE CAC, UM, TFA, UH, THE CHAMBER, UH, ATP, UM, CAP METRO, UM, AND, UM, MOBILITY ATX, AND ANY OTHER STAKEHOLDERS THAT ARE APPROPRIATE TO ADDRESS AND CONSIDER ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR NEW DIR NEW DIRECTORS APPOINTMENT PROCESS FOR NEW DIRECTORS, A APPLICATION PROCESS.
AND THAT WOULD INCLUDE ANY KIND OF TERM FOR THE, FOR NEW DIRECTORS.
IT ALSO SPECIFIES THAT THERE WILL NOT BE ANY NEW DIRECTORS UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THAT PROCESS IS COMPLETED AND BROUGHT BACK AND ADOPTED BY BOTH, UM, THE COUNCIL AND CAP METRO.
[06:50:01]
THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING TODAY WILL CANNOT TAKE EFFECT UNLESS THE CAT METRO BOARD ALSO AGREES WITH THEM.SO, JUST AS A REMINDER, THE ATP ARTICLES REQUIRE, UH, JOINT, ANY CHANGE TO 'EM REQUIRES JOINT APPROVAL BY BOTH THE CITY COUNCIL AND CAT METRO.
SO, UM, SO I THINK THAT IT'S, I THINK THAT IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TO MOVE FORWARD, UH, WITH THE TRANSPARENCY PROVISIONS, UH, TO BUILD TRUST IN OUR COMMUNITY.
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT, UM, IS COMING FROM REQUESTS FROM MEMBERS IN THE COMMUNITY.
UM, AND I THINK IT'S JUST TIMELY FOR US TO GO AHEAD AND, AND GET THAT DONE.
UM, AND THEN THE OTHER, THE OTHER ITEM ONLY, UM, ONLY MOVES FORWARD WITH WHAT IT, WE HAVE CONSENSUS AROUND, WHICH IS THE, THE TWO ADDITIONAL BOARD MEMBERS.
AND IT KICKS ALL THE OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THAT WOULD BE DONE, UH, TO A PROCESS.
SO, UM, I'M HAPPY TO, UH, ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, UM, ANYONE MIGHT HAVE, OR, WELL, I'D ALSO LIKE TO ASK MY INVITE MY CO-SPONSORS, UH, IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO THIS AS COUNCIL MEMBER POOL.
I THINK I SAW COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES RAZOR HAND.
IF YOU COULD I ASK HER TO GO AHEAD AND ADD HER CLOSE? NO, I'LL GO AHEAD AND RECOGNIZE PEOPLE TO SPEAK.
I, WELL, WOULD YOU RECOGNIZE MY CO-SPONSORS? PLEASE? NOT NECESSARILY FIRST, BUT EVERYBODY WILL GET A CHANCE TO, TO, TO SPEAK THAT RAISES THEIR HAND AND, AND WISHES TO, TO TALK.
SOMEONE WANNA TALK NOW? COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES.
UH, THANK YOU COUNCIL KITCHEN FOR BRINGING THIS ITEM FORWARD.
I SUPPORT THIS ITEM, AND I WANNA ALSO JUST ACKNOWLEDGE THE, UM, THE TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK THAT YOU AND YOUR TEAM HAVE DONE, UH, TO BUILD CONSENSUS AROUND THIS PROPOSAL.
WE HAVE HEARD FROM OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT THE NEED TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE BOARD MEMBERS ON ATP WHO HAVE LIVED EXPERIENCE, WHO ARE ACTIVE TRANSIT WRITERS.
THAT'S, THAT'S A VALUABLE PERSPECTIVE THAT WE NEED ON THAT BOARD, ESPECIALLY AS WE GO THROUGH THIS DECADE OF CHANGE.
AND SO I, I SUPPORT THIS ITEM.
COUNCIL MEMBER VILA, I'LL SAY I DO APPRECIATE THE, UH, TRANSPARENCY, UH, IN THE NOMINATION PROCESS FOR THE BOARD MEMBERS AS WELL.
UH, I WAS SURPRISED HONESTLY WITH OUR, OUR LAST PROCESS WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE PROBABLY HAD ABOUT MAYBE 12 HOURS NOTICE OR, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT BEFORE WE WERE VOTING ON, ON A CANDIDATE.
UM, AND, UH, THAT IS NOT THE BEST WAY, UH, TO DO THINGS.
SO I DO APPRECIATE THE TIMELINES, UH, THE FACT THAT ALL THE OTHER NOMINEES WILL BE, UH, REVEALED OR ALL THE APPLICANTS ARE REVEALED, AND THEN THERE'LL BE ENOUGH TIME TO VET THE, UH, THE, UH, SELECTED THE NOMINATED CANDIDATE.
UH, I THINK THAT THEY'RE GOOD AND, AND, AND SUBSTANTIVE, UH, IMPROVEMENTS FURTHER DISCUSSION.
COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS, I KNOW ONE OF OUR, UH, SPEAKERS WITH TRANSIT FORWARD EARLIER HAD JUST TALKED ABOUT THE, THE TIMELINE.
SO I'M, I'M A LITTLE CONCERNED THAT WE'VE GOT A NUMBER OF FOLKS ON THE DIAS AND CAP METRO BOARD, YOU KNOW, IN THE MIDDLE OF TRANSITIONS.
AND THERE WILL BE, YOU KNOW, NEW FOLKS MAKING DECISIONS MOVING FORWARD.
AND I ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A VERY STREAMLINED PROCESS FOR HOW WE'RE DOING AMENDMENTS TO THE ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION, SO THAT WE'RE NOT JUST CHIPPING AWAY AT THEM ONE AT A TIME AND CREATING CONFUSION AMONG THE STAFF AND AMONG, YOU KNOW, THE STATE OR FEDERAL ENTITIES THAT NEED TO UNDERSTAND THOSE, UM, IN, IN THAT LIGHT, I WOULDN'T MIND POSTPONING, EVEN IF IT'S JUST THE MAKEUP OF THE BOARD MEMBER PORTION OF IT.
I THINK THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE INFORMATION IS SOMETHING THAT IS FINE WITH ME AND SHOULDN'T NECESSARILY CAUSE ANY LONGER TERM DOMINO EFFECT REACTIONS, UM, BY ONE PARTY ADOPTING, YOU KNOW, PRETTY MAJOR DECISIONS IN THE BOARD MAKEUP.
AND I DON'T KNOW THAT THE OTHER ONE IS QUITE ON BOARD WITH THEM, JUST CUZ WE HAVEN'T HAD TIME TO VET SOME OF THOSE ANGLES WITH THEM AS, AS CO-BOARD MEMBERS.
I HAVE, I HAVE SOME CONCERNS AND I'VE EXPRESSED THEM TO YOU.
COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN, UM, UM, ONLY BECAUSE I, AND YOU HAVE BEEN SUCH A, AN INCREDIBLE CHAMPION FOR TRANSPORTATION AS CHAIR OF THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE, UH, HAS, IS ORIGINALLY THE ONLY ONE THAT WAS IN THAT KIND OF LEADERSHIP ROLE AND ON CAP METRO AND ON, UH, THE, UM, UM, THE METROPOLITAN PLANT NPO ORGANIZATION, CAMPO CAMPO.
AND, AND YOU HAVE, YOU, YOU JUST HAVE BEEN THE CHAMPION IN THIS.
AND I UNDERSTAND THE, THE, THE PUSH THAT YOU PUT ON THIS, UH, BEING SUCH AN INCREDIBLE ADVOCATE AND SUCH AN IMPORTANT PART OF GETTING, UH, ATP PASSED WHEN WE WERE ORIGINALLY, WE ORIGINALLY GOT A, A SET OF BYLAW
[06:55:01]
CHANGES LAST YEAR, AS YOU RECALL, FROM, UH, THE CAP METRO PEOPLE, UH, FOLKS THAT THEY THOUGHT WANTED TO DO.AND AT THAT POINT THEY WERE SAYING, WE SHOULD ADD TWO PEOPLE AND ONE SHOULD BE A CITY COUNCIL PER ANOTHER CITY COUNCIL PERSON.
THE OTHER ONE SHOULD BE ANOTHER CAP METRO BOARD PERSON, UH, IN THEIR BASIS.
AND REASONING FOR THAT WAS THAT THEY, THEY THOUGHT THAT IF THE CITY PERSON OR THE CAT METRO PERSON COULDN'T ATTEND, THERE SHOULD ALWAYS BE SOMEBODY WHO WAS THERE, UH, PARTICIPATING.
UH, AND, AND WE LOOKED AT THAT AND SAID, HEY, THESE MIGHT ALL BE GOOD IDEAS, BUT THIS ISN'T THE WAY TO, TO DO THAT, THAT, UH, AND, AND YOU LED THAT.
AND, AND I APPRECIATED THE WORK YOU DID IN SAYING, HEY, GO AWAY STAFF AND COME BACK WITH SOMETHING THAT'S A, A CONSENSUS DEAL.
AFTER YOU TALKED TO A LOT OF PEOPLE, I THINK YOU'VE DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB OF TALKING TO THE CAC PEOPLE.
UH, THERE WERE COURSE OTHER PEOPLE THAT ALSO WORKED ON THIS REALLY HARD AND HELPED GET IT PASSED, LIKE THE CHAMBER PEOPLE AND, AND, AND OTHERS.
AND, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT THEY FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE BEEN, UH, AS INVOLVED IN THE, IN THE, IN THE CONVERSATIONS.
UH, I REALLY LIKE THE PROCESS THAT YOU STARTED, UH, WHERE YOU SAID, HEY, GO AWAY AND, AND BRING US BACK SOMETHING WHEN YOU CAN SAY THAT, THAT THE CAP METRO BOARD WILL, WILL ALSO, UH, UH, APPROVE IT.
OUR STAFF RESPONDED TO THAT, UM, UH, IN AUGUST BY SAYING, HEY, WE'RE GONNA DO THAT PROCESS, BUT, BUT LET'S WAIT, UH, UNTIL WE HAVE MORE PEOPLE THAT ARE GONNA BE THERE FOR A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME.
AND THAT'S HOW THEIR MEMO STOOD SINCE, SINCE, SINCE AUGUST.
UH, AND I STILL THINK THAT'S THE, THE BETTER APPROACH, UH, A TOUCH BASE WITH, WITH COMMISSIONER TRILLIAN, UH, WHO I THINK IS, IS, UH, ALSO SUPPORTIVE OF, OF HAVING, UH, TWO PEOPLE, UH, NEW COMING TO THE BOARD AS YOU PROPOSE.
UH, AND, AND THERE MIGHT BE CONSENSUS AROUND THAT.
THE TWO PEOPLE IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING I SUPPORT.
I DON'T KNOW HOW BROAD THAT IS, UH, OUTSIDE OF THE CAC AND THE PEOPLE THAT WE HEAR FROM, BUT I DO KNOW THAT COUNCIL MEMBER TRAIAN STILL HAS A DIFFERENT IDEA ABOUT WHO THOSE TWO PEOPLE SHOULD BE.
HE DOESN'T WANT IT TO BE, UM, A COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVE AND STILL TAKES THE POSITION THAT HE TAKES.
AND, UM, I ALSO SHARE THE VIEW WITH RESPECT TO THE TRANSPARENCY.
I WAS, UH, TROUBLED, UH, WITH A PROCESS THAT HAD SOMEONE COME BACK THAT WE HAD TO PROVE.
SO IT'S CLEAR THAT WE HAVE TO APPROVE TRANSPARENCY, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE A TRANSPARENCY PROCESS YET.
UH, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE HARD DECISIONS ON WHEN YOU GIVE NOTICES AND HOW YOU GIVE NOTICE.
AND WE OBVIOUSLY WENT THROUGH LENGTHY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THAT WHEN WE WERE DOING THE CITY MANAGER.
AND I THINK WE LEARNED, I LEARNED A LOT OF LESSONS FROM THAT AND THINK ABOUT THAT DIFFERENTLY NOW THAN I DID BEFORE.
UH, BUT COUNCIL MEMBER TRAIAN ALSO ASKED THAT, THAT, UH, THAT THEY BE INVOLVED IN THE DISCUSSION AND CREATION OF THE FINAL TRANSPARENCY LANGUAGE BEFORE IT IS ADOPTED.
UH, I, I AGREE WITH THE INTENT OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND, AND I SHARE THE, THE NEED TO, TO, TO, TO MOVE IT FORWARD.
UM, BUT I THINK THAT THE, THE BETTER THING FOR US TO DO TODAY WOULD BE TO TABLE THIS OR POSTPONE THIS UNTIL THERE CAN BE A CONVERSATION.
THERE ARE FIVE THINGS, OR AT LEAST FOUR THINGS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THIS.
IS, IS IT, DO WE ADD MORE PEOPLE? AND IF WE DO, IS IT TWO? IF WE ADD TO WHO ARE THEY? UH, WHERE DO THEY COME FROM? I DON'T KNOW.
I, I KNOW THERE'S NOT, UH, CONSENSUS.
UM, UH, ON THAT SECOND QUESTION, IF WE DO TRANSPARENCY, HOW DO WE DO TRANSPARENCY AND, AND AT WHAT LEVEL ARE WE MAKING THINGS PUBLIC OR NOT MAKING THINGS PUBLIC? AND I'M NOT SURE THERE'S AN AGREEMENT ON THAT YET.
UH, THE LAST ONE, UH, I ALSO SUPPORT, CUZ I THINK IT'S CONSISTENT WITH THEIR LANGUAGE TAKEN IN TERMS OF HAVING THE, THE ASKING FOR A CONSENSUS ON COMING BACK ON WHAT THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS WOULD BE FOR THOSE FOLKS.
SO MAYOR, I, SO FOR ME, I'M GOING TO BE A NO VOTE, UM, UH, ON THIS, UH, I WOULD SUPPORT, UH, POSTPONEMENT OR, OR OR TABLING.
SO MAY MAKE EVERYBODY, WE'RE GONNA LET EVERYBODY GET A CHANCE TO TALK.
YOU, I SHOULD BE ABLE TO RESPOND.
YOU JUST LAID OUT A WHOLE LIST OF THINGS AND, AND, AND, AND YOU MADE SOME ASSUMPTIONS AND YOU WILL, BUT YOU DON'T GET TO TALK, YOU DON'T GET TO TALK TO, YES, YOU JUST SAID WHO I TALKED TO AND WHO I HADN'T.
SO I THINK I HAVE THE RIGHT TO RESPOND TO THAT.
I AM THE VICE CHAIR OF THE CAPITOL METRO BOARD.
I DID NOT TALK TO ONLY C I C A C, I HAVE, I HAVE TALKED TO CHAIR TRILLIAN.
YOU HAVE THREE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS HERE SITTING ON THE CAT METRO BOARD.
WE HAVE ALL HAD THESE CONVERSATIONS WITH CAT METRO.
SO I DO NOT APPRECIATE YOU REPRESENTING TO MY COLLEAGUES WHAT CAT METRO THINKS.
[07:00:01]
I SAID BEFORE, I AM THE VICE CHAIR OF THE CAT METRO BOARD.I'VE BEEN VERY CAREFUL ABOUT BRINGING BACK ONLY WHERE THERE IS CONSENSUS.
I HAVE TALKED TO FOLKS FROM THE CHAMBER, I HAVE TALKED TO OTHER PEOPLE.
I AM ONLY BRINGING BACK THE THINGS WHERE THERE IS CONSENSUS.
THE CONSENSUS, AS YOU JUST SAID, YOU AGREE TO, IS TWO MORE BOARD MEMBERS.
THIS RESOLUTION JUST SAYS NOTHING ABOUT THEIR ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR THEM, THE PROCESS FOR APPOINTING THEM, THEIR TERMS OR ANY OF THOSE THINGS.
SO PLEASE DO NOT REPRESENT THAT YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT I HAVE TRIED TO BUILD CONSENSUS SINCE WHAT I BROUGHT LAST SUMMER.
THE SECOND THING IS TRANSPARENCY.
WE HEARD PEOPLE TALKING EARLIER TODAY, TRANSPARENCY, WE COULD TALK FOREVER ABOUT TRANSPARENCY, BUT THIS IS, THERE IS NO NEED TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME AND A COMMITTEE EFFORT TO GO BACK AND FORTH ON WHAT TRANSPARENCY IS.
IT SAYS PEOPLE, THE PUBLIC HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW WHO IS APPLYING FOR THESE PUBLIC POSITIONS.
THE PUBLIC HAS THE RIGHT TO KNOW WHO IS BEING INTERVIEWED.
THE PUBLIC HAS THE RIGHT TO KNOW AT LEAST TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE BODY'S VOTE ON WHO'S BEING PROPOSED.
THAT IS ALL IT DOES FROM A TRANSPARENCY PERSPECTIVE.
I DON'T THINK THAT THAT NEEDS A LONG CONVERSATION.
SO I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY'S ENTITLED TO DISAGREE.
AND THAT'S FINE IF YOU WANNA VOTE NO, LET'S JUST VOTE IT.
AND, AND, AND I DIDN'T MEAN TO REPRESENT WHO IT WAS THAT YOU TALKED TO OR DIDN'T TALK TO, BUT MY STATEMENTS WITH RESPECT TO COMMISSIONER DIAN, HE TEXTED ME THOSE, UH, AT SEVEN 40.
UH, AND I COULD READ HIS TEXT, BUT I, BUT I, UM, ACCURATELY SUMMED UP WHAT, UH, HE TEXTED ME AND, AND, AND SAID THAT I WAS ABLE TO READ IT ON THE DAY AS IF IT WAS, UH, IMPORTANT.
UH, AND I'M HAPPY TO TO DO THAT, BUT IT'S AS I, IT'S AS I REPRESENTED.
SO, MAYOR, COULD WE HEAR FROM THE OTHER FOLKS THAT ARE ON THE CAT METRO BOARD, PLEASE? I, I KNOW THAT COUNCIL, COUNCIL MEMBER POOL'S BEEN TRYING TO SAY, WE CAN HEAR SAY SO CAN EVERYBODY THAT WANTS TO GET A CHANCE TO TALK COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, THANK YOU.
I JUST, UH, MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING ME.
AND, UM, AT LEAST A PART OF WHAT I'M GONNA SAY IS I WANT TO BE VERY CAREFUL IN APPRECIATING THE SPACE THAT IS REQUIRED TO PROPERLY THANK SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES FOR WHAT WE HAVE ALL THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE DAY, BEEN ABLE TO RECOGNIZE IS A DIFFICULT, CHALLENGING, EXTRAORDINARILY CHALLENGING GIG.
RIGHT? UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, KELLY, YOU AND I HAD A CONVERSATION THIS EVENING THAT I THINK WILL PROBABLY RESONATE WITH ME MORE THAN YOU RECOGNIZE ABOUT HAVING TO EAT CROW WHEN WE TALK ABOUT WHAT WE THOUGHT THE JOB WOULD LOOK LIKE WHEN WE GOT HERE, AND THEN WHEN THE JOB ACTUALLY HAPPENS TO YOU.
AND THEN YOU JUST DEEPLY WANNA APOLOGIZE TO YOUR PREDECESSOR FOR ANYTHING YOU'VE EVER SAID.
UM, I JUST, AND BEING RECOGNIZED, WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY IS, GUYS, MY FACE HAS FALLEN OFF.
I DON'T WANNA GET OFF BEFORE WE FINISH MAKING DECISIONS.
MOST ESPECIALLY ON THE NIGHT THAT SO MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES ARE TAKING THEIR LEAVE, YOU KNOW, LIKE OPTICALLY.
WE'VE DECIDED AS A BODY THIS ITERATION OF THIS BODY THAT WE DON'T GO PAST HIM.
AND SO I'M RAISING MY HAND TO SAY, MY CLAIN WORE OFF.
UM, AND I THINK IT DOES A DISSERVICE TO SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES IF WE DON'T GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRULY HEAR THEM OUT.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I THINK IT'S FAIR TO SAY, UM, THAT I WOULD LIKE VERY MUCH TO ENCOURAGE US AS A BODY RIGHT NOW IN THIS MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE, UH, SOME DEGREE OF PROPRIETY AROUND GETTING TO THE DECISION WE HAVE TO MAKE HERE BEFORE 10:00 PM IT'S 9 38.
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AND I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU, UH, ASIDE FROM TURNING MY CAMERA OFF BECAUSE I CAN'T STOP SNEEZING MY CLA MUCH ANNA HISTAMINE WAROFF, ASIDE FROM THAT, I, I WANT TO BE HERE FOR THIS VOTE.I, I WANNA MAKE SURE TO CLOSE OUT FOR SO MANY OF, OF MY COLLEAGUES, WHAT HAS BEEN SUCH A LONG, HARD EFFORT.
BUT IF WE DON'T GET TO THE VOTE PART, TRUTHFULLY, I I, I MAY NOT MAKE IT.
AND HONESTLY, I I JUST WANNA MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE'RE LEAVING THE SPACE AND THE ROOM TO DELINEATE WHAT NEEDS TO BE SAID RIGHT NOW AND WHAT DOES NOT.
THAT WAS ALL I WAS ASKING TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY.
I'M GONNA SPARE YOU GUYS THE VIDEO FOOTAGE OF ME SNEEZING, BUT IT'S 9 39.
LET'S GO AHEAD, CLOSE THAT PAGE.
COUNCIL MEMBER AT AND THE MAYOR PRO TEMP.
UH, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, THIS IS A REALLY, UH, UH, HARD VOTE FOR ME.
UH, I, I AGREE ON THE TRANSPARENCY PART, BUT WE HAVE TO REALIZE THAT THE VOTERS ALREADY HAVE DESIGNATED THE ROUTE TO WHERE THESE RAIL LINES ARE GOING.
AND OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO GET IT BUILT AND TO GET IT BUILT INTO ON TIME AND HOPEFULLY UNDER BUDGET.
BUT IF WE CAN SEE IT THAT, UH, WITH THE INFLATION THAT'S GOING UP, IT'S DRIVING THE COST UP WITH A SUPPLY CHAIN IN TROUBLE, WE'RE NOT ABLE TO GET THE SUPPLIES.
I MEAN, EVEN METRO'S HAVING PROBLEMS GETTING AIR CONDITIONED COMPRESSORS FOR THEIR BUSES.
AND WE HAD A MOST, AT ONE TIME, A THIRD OF 'EM OFF IN THE, IN THE WAREHOUSE OFFLINE, BECAUSE WE COULD NOT GET THESE PARTS TO REPAIR OUR BUSES.
SO WHAT I WANT TO SEE IF SOMEONE DOES COME ON BOARD IS FOR THEM TO FOCUS ON GETTING THE SUPPLIES IN, GETTING EVERYTHING READY SO THAT WE CAN COMPLETE THIS, THIS, UH, PROJECT.
I MEAN, I CANNOT BELIEVE WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE FACING.
I MEAN, YOU GOT 3 45 K LINES ALL ALONG NORTH LAMAR, AND IN ORDER TO MOVE THEM OR BURY THEM UNDERGROUND, IT'S GONNA COST A MILLION DOLLARS A PIECE.
YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S, THAT'S JUST THE BEGINNING.
YOU KNOW, IF WE HAVE TO REQUIRE TO TUNNEL THE, THE, THE BUS ON CONGRESS, THAT'S GONNA COST US ANOTHER 2 MILLION AND TO PUT A TUNNEL UNDERNEATH THE RIVER THAT WE'RE TALKING BILLIONS, NOT MILLIONS.
SO WHOEVER GETS, UH, POINTED TO THEM, I HOPE THAT THEY SPEND ALL THEIR ENERGY GETTING THIS, THIS THING DONE.
YOU KNOW, I HAVE WORKED ON, ON GETTING TR RAIL HERE FROM SINCE THE RED LINE.
ME AND MY FRIEND THAT JUST PASSED AWAY LAST YEAR.
JOHN LEMORE RAN A CAMPAIGN IN EAST SIDE.
AND IT WAS BECAUSE OF OUR WORK THAT WE DID, THAT WE HAVE THE RED LINE AND IT, EVERYBODY CRITICIZED THAT LINE BECAUSE IT WENT TO LEE AND IT WAS A FREIGHT LINE.
ALL IT WAS LINED UP WAS, UH, WAREHOUSES AND JUNKYARDS.
AND IF WE CAN SEE WHAT HAD HAPPENED BECAUSE OF WHAT THE RED LINE DOWN, WE GOT ITS BEAUTIFUL SECTION THERE AND, AND PLAZA SOUTHFIELD, UH, GREAT DEVELOPMENT.
WE'RE, WE GOT LAKE LINE BAT NOW GOING ONLINE.
AND IF WE NEED TO FOCUS BACK ON GETTING THIS THING DONE AND JUST NOT FIGHT OVER, YOU KNOW, THE SMALL ISSUES WHEN WE'RE, WE'RE WASTING TIME, WHICH IS TIME IS MONEY WHEN IT COMES TO BILLING OUR NEW RAIL SYSTEM HERE IN AUSTIN.
UM, MAYOR, I WANTED TO ASK IF YOU COULD READ THE TEXT FROM MR. TRAIAN, WHO'S CHAIR OF CAPTAIN METRO, IF HE IS OKAY WITH THAT.
MR. CHAVE BEFORE EIGHT SAID THE REASON FOR THE RECOMMENDED EXPANSION WAS TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL CAP METRO BOARD MEMBER, AN ADDITIONAL CITY OF AUSTIN COUNCIL MEMBER, SO THAT EACH OF THOSE ENTITIES WOULD'VE REPRESENTATION IF THE MEMBER WAS UNAVAILABLE.
TWO MEMBERS FROM CAP METRO AND CITY OF AUSTIN WOULD MAKE SURE THAT THE PRIMARY FUNDERS AND OPERATORS WERE ALWAYS PRESENT.
I WOULD APPRECIATE IF WE WERE INVOLVED IN THE DISCUSSION AND CREATION OF THE FINAL LANGUAGE.
CONCERNING TRANSPARENCY, THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPETING IDEAS ABOUT THE CONCEPT OF TRANSPARENCY.
A COUPLE ARE MORE POLITICAL THAN OPERATIONALLY INFORMED.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO OFFER A MOTION TO, TO TABLE ITEM 74 AND MOVE FORWARD WITH, UM, KITCHEN'S MOTION AND INSTRUCTIONS FROM IN THE SUMMER THAT HAVE A
[07:10:01]
PROCESS.UM, AND IF I HAVE A SECOND, I'LL SPEAK TO THE MOTION.
IT'S BEEN A MOTION TO, UH, TABLE THE MATTER.
SECOND BY COUNCIL MEMBER ALICE.
UM, SO I THINK IT'S PRETTY CLEAR THAT WE NEED TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE ON THE ATP BOARD.
I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT, UM, THIS COUNCIL, UM, AND THE CAP METRO BOARD AS BODIES OR IN CONJUNCTION WITH UNDERSTANDING FROM OUR STAFF AND EVEN FROM THE ATP BOARD, HAVE HAD THE CONVERSATION ABOUT WHETHER THAT SHOULD BE TWO OR SHOULD BE FOUR.
WHETHER THOSE SHOULD BE COMMUNITY MEMBERS, WHETHER THEY SHOULD BE ADVOCATES, WHETHER THEY SHOULD BE COUNCIL MEMBERS OR CAP METRO MEMBERS.
WE HAVE, UM, TWO BODIES THAT ARE SEARCHING FOR THEIR NEW, UM, CHAIRS.
WE HAVE A CHAIR OF ONE OF THE BODIES THAT HAS ASKED FOR US TO DO A MORE DELIBERATIVE PROCESS.
UM, THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT WE WILL HAVE MORE TRANSPARENCY WHEN WE DO THE NEXT NOMINATIONS.
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT HAS TO BE RESOLVED BEFORE WE KNOW WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE OR POSITIONS WE'RE LOOKING FOR TO NOMINATE.
BECAUSE THAT'S A, THERE ARE DIFFERENT SETS OF, OF PROCESSES DEPENDING ON WHO, WHAT, WHAT WE ARE SETTING OUT FOR THOSE BOARD POSITIONS.
I APPRECIATE THE INTENTION, I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT WENT INTO IT AND THE WORK THAT HAS GONE INTO MAKING ATP A SUCCESS.
UM, BUT I THINK THAT THE MORE PRUDENT MOTION AT THIS POINT IN TIME, UM, WOULD BE TO TABLE THIS AND TO CONTINUE THE WORK THAT COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN, UM, INITIATED IN MAY.
I UNDERSTAND THE FRUSTRATION THAT MUST BE FELT THAT THAT'S NOT MOVED FORWARD.
UM, BUT I THINK THAT OUR, THAT OUR BOARDS, OUR LE STAFF LEADERSHIP THERE THAT WOULD'VE RUN IT HAVE BEEN WORKING ON A LOT OF OTHER ISSUES.
CAN MEMBER KITCHEN? WELL I, I'VE SEEN TWO HANDS UP THAT I WOULD LIKE.
COUNCIL MEMBER POOL HASN'T HAD A CHANCE TO TALK AND OTHERS FIRST, AND THEN IF YOU'D COME BACK TO ME.
COUNCIL MEMBER POOL, WHY DON'T YOU GO FIRST THEN? COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES.
UM, I SUPPORT THE, UM, THE ITEM 74.
WE HAVE HAD CONVERSATIONS AT CAP METRO.
THE IDEA WAS THAT THERE WOULD BE TWO INDIVIDUAL RESOLUTIONS, ONE AT THE CAP METRO BOARD AND ONE AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, FOR US HERE AT THE COUNCIL.
AND THAT THEY WOULD BE, UH, THE SAME, UH, OR AS CLOSE TO SAME AS POSSIBLE.
SO THERE WAS NO INTENT AT ALL TO LEAVE CAP METRO OUT OF THE EQUATION.
AND I THINK WE ALL UNDERSTAND THAT AT, UH, AT THE BOARD AT CAP METRO.
SO, UM, I DO SUPPORT, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN'S, UM, INITIATIVE HERE.
THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER PAUL, FOR POINTING THAT OUT.
I MEAN, COLLEAGUES, I'M A LITTLE TAKEN ABACK HERE ON THIS CON CONVERSATION AND THE COMMENTARY.
WE KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN IS THE LEADER IN TRANSIT.
WE KNOW SHE'S A LEADER IN TRANSPARENCY.
SHE WOULD NOT BRING SOMETHING FORWARD IF IT WASN'T FULLY VETTED.
THIS PROPOSAL COMES FOR THE COMMUNITY.
I MEAN, THIS IS ABOUT PUTTING MORE PERSPECTIVES AT THE TABLE.
AND IF THERE THERE IS A PROCESS OUTLINED WITH CAP METRO, THEN WE AS CITY COUNCIL CAN ALSO, AS OUR POL AS POLICY MAKERS ALSO MOVE FORWARD WITH OUR RECOMMENDATION FOR THAT PROCESS.
THERE IS FLEXIBILITY BUILT INTO THIS PROCESS.
AND QUITE FRANKLY, I MEAN THIS, THIS IS COUNCIL MOORE KITCHEN'S LAST ITEM BEFORE THIS DAIS.
AND THE, THE LEVEL OF RESPECT HERE IS A LITTLE LACKING.
YOU GUYS WANT OUR KITCHEN? UH, YES.
I, I I WANNA RETURN TO THE TRANSPARENCY FOR JUST A MOMENT AND JUST REITERATE THAT WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT FROM A TRANSPARENCY PERSPECTIVE IS SOMETHING THAT WE HEARD TESTIMONY ABOUT EARLIER.
AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT CAME FROM THE COMMUNITY.
IT IS, IT IS NOT SOME, YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE WOULDN'T WANNA MOVE FORWARD WITH TRANSPARENCY.
I DON'T THINK THAT NEEDS TO BE POSTPONED.
WE ARE A, WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US, AND ONE REASON I'M BRINGING THIS, UM, IS BECAUSE WE NEED THE TRUST OF THE COMMUNITY FOR PROJECT CONNECT.
WE NEED THE TRUST OF THE COMMUNITY.
WE DON'T HAVE THAT NOW IN A LOT OF WAYS.
AND BEING CLEAR AND MAKING THAT STATEMENT TODAY, NOT IN FEBRUARY, WHICH IS BY THE TIME SOMETHING ELSE COULD COME UP.
BUT MAKING THAT STATEMENT TODAY THAT TRANSPARENCY IS A VALUE FOR US, IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH.
THESE, THESE POSITIONS ON THE ATP BOARD ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR BEING STEWARDS OF OUR TAX DOLLARS AND OF CARE AND CARRYING OUT THE CONTRACT WITH THE VOTERS.
[07:15:01]
TRANSPARENCY IS THE MINIMUM THAT WE CAN DO TRANS, THIS IS A VERY REASONABLE PROPOSAL.WE'RE NOT E WE'RE NOT EVEN ASKING THAT THESE FOLKS BE VETTED IN PUBLIC, NOR ARE WE EVEN ASKING THAT THE PUBLIC HAVE ANY SAY IN WHO THESE THESE FOLKS ARE.
ALL WE'RE ASKING IS THAT WE TELL THE PUBLIC WHO THEY ARE.
AND I THINK THAT THAT'S THE BARE MINIMUM WE SHOULD DO ON TRANSPARENCY.
AND I WOULD LIKE A VOTE TONIGHT ON TRANSPARENCY, NOT A VOTE ON WHETHER WE'RE GONNA POSTPONE BUT A VOTE ON TRANSPARENCY.
AND PEOPLE ARE WELCOME TO VOTE DIFFERENTLY.
EVERYBODY HAS A RIGHT TO VOTE THE WAY THEY WANT.
BUT I WANNA VOTE ON THE TRANSPARENCY TONIGHT.
AND IF IT'S APPROPRIATE TO, YOU KNOW, I, I, I'M NOT QUITE SURE HOW TO DO THAT.
I'M THINKING ABOUT HOW TO DO THAT.
BUT THAT'S THE VOTE THAT I WANNA TAKE TONIGHT AND I THINK WE OWE THAT TO THE PUBLIC.
THE MOTION TO THE TABLE COUNCIL ELLIS, I JUST, JUST WANTED TO TEST THE WATERS ON IF THERE'S ANY INTEREST IN DIVIDING THE QUESTION.
CAUSE I FEEL LIKE THEY'RE TOO, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY BOTH HAVE THEIR OWN WAY.
I WOULD BE FINE IF YOU WANNA DIVIDE THE QUESTION, IF, IF OTHERS ARE OKAY WITH THAT.
I'M A, I'M OKAY TO DIVIDE THE QUESTION.
I'M NOT SURE IF ANYONE'S OPPOSED TO THAT.
I WOULD BE SUPPORTIVE OF THAT.
I'M SUPPORTIVE OF THE, THE ITEM THAT SAID IF THERE'S DISAGREEMENT WITH CAPITAL METRO.
I MEAN, HONESTLY THAT DOES GIMME A LITTLE BIT OF, OF PAUSE.
I MEAN FROM THE, FROM THE CHAIR.
BUT I WOULD BE SUPPORTIVE OF DIVIDING THE ITEM AND VOTING ON THE TRANSPARENCY BECAUSE, UH, I THINK THEY'RE, I I SEE NO REASON WHATSOEVER TO NOT ADD ADDITIONAL TRANSPARENCY TO WHAT, BY MY POINT OF VIEW WAS, WAS NOT A GOOD PROCESS.
I, I, I THINK WHAT I WOULD SUPPORT AND COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN'S, UH, MOTION HERE WOULD BE SUPPORTIVE.
ADDING TWO PEOPLE AND SUPPORT FOR THE TRANSPARENCY SECTION AND ASKING FOR THE STUDY FOR, TO REACH CONSENSUS ON, UH, WHO THOSE TWO PEOPLE WERE, WHAT THEY'RE CALLED, WHERE THEY COME FROM.
UH, YEAH, THAT'S IN IT NOW ELIGIBILITY.
WELL THERE, THERE'S A NAME FOR THEM IN THERE NOW.
AND I'M JUST TRYING TO, CUZ I THINK THAT LEADS PEOPLE TO A DIRECTION.
UH, SO IF WE COULD MAKE IT SO THAT IT'S JUST THE COUNCIL STATING TO THE CAPTAIN MITCHELL BOARD CUZ THEY HAVE TO CONCUR THAT WE SUPPORT ADDING TWO PEOPLE.
UH, THAT WE SUPPORT THE TRANSPARENCY PROVISIONS THAT ARE LAID OUT IN, IN, IN COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHENS ITEM.
UM, SO THAT THERE CAN BE THAT FURTHER CONVERSATION.
THE OTHER ISSUES, UH, WE'RE ASKING FOR, UH, STAFF TO LEAD US THROUGH A PROCESS THAT WOULD BE, UH, WHO THOSE TWO PEOPLE ARE, THE TWO NEW PEOPLE, WHERE THEY COME FROM, WHO THEY ARE, UH, AS WELL AS THE, I GUESS THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.
SO, SO MAYOR, I'M NOT WEDDED TO WHAT WE NAMED THEM.
I'M HAPPY TO JUST SAY TWO NEW DIRECTORS.
UH, WE DON'T HAVE TO CALL THEM THE NAMES THAT ARE IN THERE.
DECIDING THE QUESTION THAT MAY NOT BE DECIDED AT THIS POINT.
UM, SO IF WE COULD SAY, SHALL WE VESTED IN BOARD DIRECTORS CONSISTING OF SEVEN PERSONS, TWO SHALL BE NEW DIRECTORS.
UH, MAY I THINK THAT YOU CAN JUST DO IT.
YEAH, YOU CAN JUST SAY TAKE OUT, YOU CAN JUST STRIKE COMMUNITY AT LARGE AND JUST SAY, OR YOU CAN JUST SAY AT LARGE DIRECTORS IF YOU WANT.
UM, NOMINATING PROCESS AND CRITERIA ARE THOSE TWO NEXT PARAGRAPHS.
THEY SEEM TO BE REPETITIVE TO ME.
WELL, UH, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ON PAGE, UH, 2 0 4, PAGE TWO.
THEY, THEY'RE IN THE, LET ME SEE IF I CAN, THEY'RE IN THE TWO, THEY'RE REFERENCED IN TWO PARTS.
SO THE, THE FIRST PARAGRAPH, UM, OH, I TH I CAN EXPLAIN IT.
THE REASON THERE'S TWO PARAGRAPHS IS THE FIRST PARAGRAPH THERE THAT STARTS ON LINE 26.
THAT RELATES TO THE EXISTING, UM, THREE EXPERT DIRECTORS.
AND THE LINE THAT STARTS ON NUMBER 39, UH, UH, REFERS TO THE TWO NEW DIRECTORS.
IT COULD PROBABLY BE WRITTEN BETTER, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S THE REASON THAT IT'S THAT YOU SEE IT REPETITIVE, UH, BECAUSE OF THE, UM, TWO GROUPS THAT IT APPLIES TO.
IS THERE A REASON THAT THE NOMINATED COMMITTEE SEEKING COM
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FEEDBACK ONLY FROM THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE, SHOULDN'T THEY BE SEEKING INPUT FROM OTHER APP COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND OTHER APPROPRIATE STAKEHOLDERS? THAT'S FINE.WE CAN SAY ANOTHER APPROPRIATE STAKEHOLDERS THERE.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ON LINE 29.
UM, AND YOU HAD ALSO PUT IT ON LINE 42.
AND OTHER APPROPRIATE STAKEHOLDERS.
YEAH, BECAUSE THERE, CUZ THERE ARE SO MANY, AND ACTUALLY NOT A LOT, BUT SOME REAL SIGNIFICANT STAKEHOLDER GROUPS THAT ALSO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS GETTING YEAH.
IT'S RE THAT'S RECOGNIZED IN OTHER PLACES.
WE JUST DIDN'T GET IT RECOGNIZED IN THIS LANGUAGE.
BUT THAT INTENT TRACKS WITH THE THINKING.
AND THEN ON PAGE 49, I GUESS THAT NEXT TIME IS DIRECTED TO CONSULT WITH THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND OTHER APPROPRIATE STAKEHOLDERS.
IT'S ALSO, IF YOU ALSO LOOK AT, UM, LINE 53, WE NAME OTHER STAKEHOLDERS, UM, TRANS TRANSIT FORWARD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, ATX MOBILITY COALITION, CAP METRO ATP, AND OTHER COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS.
I'M HAPPY TO MENTION OTHERS IF THERE'S ANY YOU THINK WE'RE MISSING.
WELL, ONLY BECAUSE IT PUTS 'EM KIND OF IN A DIFFERENT PLACE.
THEY'RE MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS.
I THINK IT'S BETTER TO SAY CITY MANAGER DIRECTOR TO CONSULT WITH COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE, THE CAC AND OTHER APPROPRIATE STAKEHOLDERS TO ESTABLISH ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR, FOR DIRECT FOR THE NEW DIRECTORS.
UH, WE JUST ENDED UP WORDING IT IN TWO SENTENCES, BUT THE INTENT IS THE SAME.
SO LET'S PUT IT ALL IN ONE SENTENCE SO PEOPLE DON'T THINK THAT THEY HAVE DIFFERENT ROLES OR DIFFERENT RESPONSIBILITIES.
UM, UH, SO WHAT YOU COULD DO THEN IS JUST SAY, I'M JUST GONNA ADD ANOTHER APPROPRIATE STAKEHOLDERS IN BOTH PLACES ON 50 AND ON 52.
THE APPLICATION PROCESS FOR THE NEW DIRECTORS, UH, THE ST.
METRO OFFICER COLLABORATE WITH WITH C.
WHAT LINE ARE YOU ON? I'M ON 55.
THE CITY MANAGER SHALL ALSO COLLABORATE WITH THE CAC, THE TRANSIT FORWARD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, ATX MOBILITY, CUSHION CAPITAL, METRO, ATB, AND OTHER COMMUNITY SECTORS, THE PROPERTY TO DEVELOP THESE RECOMMENDATIONS.
SO I TOOK OUT THE WORDS TO CONSULT WITH SO THAT EVERYBODY'S JUST ALL IN THE SAME LINE.
APP APPOINTMENT FOR, FOR THE NEW DIRECTORS, UH, SHOULD NOT BE SOLICITED OR CONSIDERED PRIOR TO THE JOINT ADOPTION OF REQUIRED BY CITY COUNCIL AT METRO, SORRY, I'M JUST READING THE LANGUAGE THAT WE HAVE IN THERE.
THE DIRECTORS AT BOARD SHOULD NOT BE SOLICITED OR CONSIDERED PRIOR TO THE ADOPTION OF ELIGIBILITY REQUIRED BY THE CITY COUNCIL AND CAPITAL METRO BOARD DIRECTORS.
UM, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT PUTTING IN ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA WHEN WE'RE ASKING ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA TO BE DEVELOPED.
UH, MAYOR, I THINK IT'S APPROPRIATE TO LIST THESE.
THEY'RE SUCH AS IS THEY'RE NOT REQUIRED.
THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT EXPERIENCE WITH TRANSIT AND TRANSIT EQUITY.
AND I THINK FROM A TRUST PERSPECTIVE WITH THE COMMUNITY JUST MENTIONING THEM, IT DOESN'T REQUIRE THEM.
IT'S SUCH AS YEAH, BUT I'M NOT, IT'S A, IT'S A SUCH AS, BUT MY CONCERN IS PEOPLE WILL THINK THAT THE SUCH AS MEANS IT NEEDS TO BE.
AND I'M NOT SURE FOR THE TWO NEW PEOPLE THAT NEED TO BE ACTIVELY WORKING WITH, WITH, WITH, WITH, WITH TRANSIT, UM, RIDERS AT THE TIME OF THEIR APPLICATION.
I'M NOT SURE THAT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
I'M NOT SURE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO FOR BOTH OF THEM.
HOW ABOUT IF WE, I THINK THAT'S GONNA LIMIT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT COULD APPLY.
HOW ABOUT IF WE SAY THIS INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IT'S CONSIDER INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO.
THE, THE CAC AND OTHER APPROPRIATE STAKEHOLDERS.
APPROPRIATE STAKEHOLDERS SHALL CONSIDER ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA, INCLUDING, BUT NOT
[07:25:01]
LIMITED TO THE FOLLOWING.INCLUDING, BUT NOT NECESSARILY INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE FOLLOWING.
MAYOR, I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
I BUT, BUT IF WE DON'T SAY BUT NOT NECESSARILY, THEN WE'RE GONNA COME UP WITH SOMETHING WHERE PEOPLE THINK THAT BOTH NEW PEOPLE NEED TO HAVE THAT CHARACTERISTIC.
MAYOR, I I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
I THINK PEOPLE CAN UNDERSTAND THAT CONSIDER DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT'S REQUIRED.
ARE YOU WANT, IF YOU WANNA SAY, MAY CONSIDER IF THAT, IF THAT'S MORE APPROPRIATE.
MAY CONSIDER ELIGIBILITY REQUIRE SUCH AS THE FOLLOWING WITHOUT LIMITATION OR REQUIRED INCLUSION.
WITHOUT LIMITATION OR REQUIRED INCLUSION WHEN MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS AND THEN WE HAVE YOUR ISSUES.
IN ORDER IT DOESN'T HAVE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE THOSE THINGS.
THEY'RE NOT REQUIRE REQUIRED THE POINT, YEAH.
SUCH AS, BUT NOT NECESSARILY REQUIRED.
OH, I'M, IT LOOKS LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON.
OKAY, I THINK WE'RE DONE, RIGHT? I, WE WE CLEARLY ARE NOT DONE.
NO, NO, I THINK, I THINK WE JUST GOT TO THE END OF THE DOCKET.
THE POINT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE IS, IF IT'S 10 O'CLOCK, DO WE NEED TO VOTE TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THIS DISCUSSION? NO.
CUZ I THINK WE COULD TAKE A VOTE AND JUST END THE MEETING.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY OBJECTION TO THOSE IN ITEM 74? HEARING NONE, THOSE AMENDMENTS ARE INCLUDED.
YOU READY TO TAKE A VOTE ON 74? THOSE IN FAVOR OF 74, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
THOSE OPPOSED TO 74, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY IS AGAINST, IS THERE ANY ABSTENTIONS, AMERIPRO, TAM ABSTAINS? I'M ABSTAINING.
UMM, FOR TRANSPARENCY, I'M FOR MORE ATP MEMBERS.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M VOTING ON AND SO I'M ABSTAIN.
COUNCIL UNDER HARPER MADISON, HOW'D YOU VOTE? I, I THINK, UH, I AM VERY MUCH IN ALIGNMENT WITH, UH, MAYOR PRO TIM AL ALTER.
I, I, I HAVE SOME THINGS THAT WE DIDN'T GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS BECAUSE IT WOULD'VE REQUIRED FURTHER DELIBERATION AND, BUT I HAVE ALL THE BACKGROUND OF YOU GUYS WITH YOUR LAST MEETING, YOU KNOW, WHILE I CAN APPRECIATE THAT.
CEREMONIALLY, YOU KNOW, IN THEORY WE'RE SUPPOSED TO STOP TALKING AT 10.
SO I'M, I'M A LITTLE CONFLICTED CURRENTLY.
UM, I WOULD'VE VOTED FOR THE TRANSPARENCY MEASURES ON THEIR OWN, BUT I'M ALSO FEELING QUITE OUT OF THE LOOP ON THE WHOLE CONVERSATION AROUND THE TWO NEW BOARD MEMBERS AND WHAT THEIR ROLE SHOULD BE.
SO, OKAY, WE'LL SAVE THAT, UM, DISCOVERY FOR ANOTHER MONTH.
AND WE DIDN'T DECIDE ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE TWO NEW MEMBERS OTHER THAN THERE'D BE TWO NEW MEMBERS YOU VOTING IN FAVOR OF IT AS AMENDED.
SO I HAVE SEVEN VOTES IN FAVOR.
I HAVE ONE VOTE AGAINST KELLY.
THAT IS THE LAST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA.
SAVING US FROM COUNCIL HARPER MEDICINE'S MOTION TO EXTEND PAST 10 O'CLOCK.
UH, AND FOR THE FINAL TIME, THIS LAST GROUP OF, UH, TEN ONE COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, ADJOURN THIS MEETING.