[00:00:02]
AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US
[I. Call to Order]
AT THE JANUARY MEETING OF THE CAPITOL METRO BOARD OF DIRECTORS.TODAY IS MONDAY, JANUARY 30TH, AND THE TIME IS 1217.
SO I'M CALLING THE MEETING TO ORDER AND THE FIRST ITEM ON OUR
[II. Public Comment:]
AGENDA TODAY WILL BE PUBLIC COMMENT.I UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE SEVERAL SPEAKERS SIGNED UP WITH US IN ADVANCE.
SO WHEN WE CALL YOUR NAME, UM, IF YOU WILL, UM, UNMUTE YOURSELF IF YOU'RE ONLINE OR COME TO THE PODIUM IF YOU'RE HERE IN THE ROOM.
AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER WILL BE MS. AMY BENNY BELDING.
CAN YOU PUSH THE BUTTON TO MAKE THE LITTLE RED LIGHT COME ON ON THE MICROPHONE? PERFECT.
UM, SO I WENT ONLINE AND I, UH, WAS MUTED.
YOU GUYS MUTED ME THE ENTIRE TIME.
SO ANYWAY, I HAD TO COME DOWN HERE IN PUBLIC, UH, TO TALK ABOUT IT.
SO MY SON, RYAN, IS A CLIENT OF YOURS.
UM, WE'VE HAD QUITE A STRUGGLE.
UH, I WORK, I'M A SINGLE MOM AND WE STRUGGLE.
SO YOUR, UM, SERVICE HAS BEEN A BLESSING TO US.
AND I KNOW THAT YOU GUYS HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH TO SAY, AND I'M REALLY EXCITED FOR YOU
BUT, UM, IT HASN'T BEEN THAT GREAT.
SO I DEPEND ON YOU TO, TO ALLOW MY SON TO BE A PRODUCTIVE MEMBER OF SOCIETY.
AND HE TRIES SO HARD AND HE HAS TWO JOBS.
AND IN ORDER FOR HIM TO HAVE THESE JOBS AND ME TO ALSO WORK, YOU KNOW, TO PROVIDE MONEY FOR US, WE RELY ON YOU AND IT'S AWESOME.
BUT YOU GUYS HAVE LEFT HIM ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.
YOU HAVE LEFT HIM, UH, IN A DITCH.
I HAVE HAD TO LEAVE WORK AND PICK HIM UP FROM A CONSTRUCTION SITE ON SECOND STREET BECAUSE WHEN YOU GUYS DON'T COME, HE DOESN'T WANNA BOTHER ME BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, HE'S HANDICAPPED AND HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND.
AND SO HE TRIES TO WALK HOME AND HE'S TRIED TO WALK HOME THROUGH THE WOODS AND HE'S TRIED TO WALK HOME THROUGH THE CITY AND HE IS ENDED UP IN PLACES.
AND I HAVE HAD TO LEAVE WORK AND I HAVE HAD TO CALL MY FRIENDS.
AND I HAVE HAD A LOT OF TROUBLE TRYING TO LIVE THIS LIFE THAT I DID NOT ASK FOR.
AND I'M REALLY SORRY THAT MY SON DEPENDS ON YOU, BUT HE DOES.
AND I NEED YOU GUYS TO EDUCATE YOUR STAFF THAT WHAT THEY DO IS CRITICAL.
IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT UNIMPORTANT.
IT'S THEIR, THEIR LIVES IN INVOLVED.
AND WHEN I GET MAD AND THE PEOPLE THAT I CALL AND I'M LIKE, HEY, YOU GUYS ARE LIKE, LIKE, HEY, YOU GUYS ARE LATE.
LIKE, WHERE'S THE RIDE? IT'S, IT'S NEVER ON THE WAY THERE.
IT'S ALWAYS ON THE WAY HOME BECAUSE I JUST WANT 'EM TO BE SAFE.
AND WHEN PEOPLE ARE ACTING LIKE I'M FRUSTRATED OR IRRITATED, I'M NOT.
AND I JUST WISH THAT YOU GUYS WOULD EDUCATE YOUR STAFF TO KNOW THAT THIS IS, THIS IS LIFE AND DEATH.
IT'S NOT JUST GETTING TO AND FROM WORK.
THIS IS SOMEONE'S, MY, MY SON HAS A DOOR TO DOOR AND, AND HE DESERVES THAT.
AND ONCE WHEN MY GATE DIDN'T OPEN, YOU GUYS LEFT HIM ON THE ROAD, LIKE STANDING BY A DITCH AND I HAD TO LEAVE WORK.
I CAN'T JUST PICK UP AND RUN OFF AND GO GET HIM.
AND I WISH THAT I HAD SOMEONE TO HELP ME.
BUT YOUR, YOUR JOBS ARE IMPORTANT AND I JUST WISH THAT YOU WOULD EDUCATE THEM THAT IT'S NOT, NOT A BIG DEAL.
AND MY SON'S LIFE IS IMPORTANT.
AND FOR US TO BE PRODUCTIVE MEMBERS OF SOCIETY, WHICH IS WHAT YOU GUYS WANT, IT'S WHAT HE IS TRYING TO DO.
LIKE, I JUST WISH THAT YOU WOULD HELP US NOT HAVE TO HAVE THAT WORRY.
I JUST WANT THAT TO BE ONE LESS WORRY THAT I HAVE IS THAT MY SON COULD GET BACK AND FORTH TO WORK WITH YOUR SERVICE, WITH YOUR GOVERNMENT FUNDING AND MY MONEY THAT I PAY, THAT HE CAN ACTUALLY GET BACK AND FORTH TO WORK.
AND IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT I HAVE TO CONSTANTLY STRESS ABOUT.
THANK, THANK YOU FOR COMING AND, AND PRESENTING TODAY.
SHOULD WE HAVE GOOD TALK TO SOMEONE? OKAY.
BEING THE REMOTE GUY HERE, I DON'T SEE WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE ROOM THERE.
UH, I'M, AM I TO ASSUME THAT, UH, DOTTY THAT THERE IS SOMEBODY IN THE ROOM THAT IS GETTING WITH MS. AMY NOW? YES, SIR.
WE JUST HAD, WE JUST MADE THE EYES OF ONE ANOTHER AND
[00:05:01]
AND STAFF WILL BE REACHING OUT TO HER.I, I CAN, I CAN AT LEAST SOMEWHAT RELATE SO, AND THANK, TELL HER THANK YOU FOR HER SERVICE AND I HOPE WE CAN GET THAT TAKEN CARE OF QUICKLY, MR. CHAIR.
BOARD MEMBER COOPER? YEAH, JUST A QUICK, UH, COMMENT.
I JUST WANT TO, I LOST THE BACKGROUND, MA'AM.
I JUST WANT TO SAY, UH, THANK YOU FOR COMING DOWN.
BEEN ON THE BOARD EIGHT YEARS AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S ALWAYS IMPRESSED ME IS THE RELATIONSHIP THAT WE HAVE IN HELPING FOLKS WHO HAVE DIFFERENT ABILITIES LIVE FULL LIVES.
AND SO FROM ALL OF US, APOLOGIES IF WE'VE, UH, LET YOUR SON DOWN AND YOU DOWN IN THAT RESPECT.
BUT IT'S REALLY ONE OF THE MOST ENCOURAGING THINGS THAT WE SEE HERE AT CAP METRO IS MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY WHO HAVE DIFFERENT ABILITIES, UH, TRYING TO GET TO WORK AND, AND TRYING TO, TO BE PRODUCTIVE AND LEAD FULL LIVES.
AND CERTAINLY IT'S PART OF OUR MISSION TO ASSIST WITH THAT.
SO ON BEHALF ALL OF US, UH, APOLOGIES FOR ANY DIFFICULTY WE'VE CAUSED BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE COOL THINGS THAT WE DO IS, UH, IS, UH, LET PEOPLE, UH, LEAD UH, PRODUCTIVE, UH, AND FULL LIVES.
SO JUST WANTED TO, UH, ISSUE OUR APOLOGY TO YOU IN THAT REGARD AND TO, UH, ENCOURAGE YOUR SON TO KEEP UP HIS EFFORTS.
DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER? ALL RIGHT.
UM, I HAD BRAIN SURGERY SEVERAL YEARS AGO, SO IT'S HARD FOR ME TO SPEAK FROM MEMORY.
I WROTE IT DOWN, SO PLEASE BEAR WITH ME.
UH, MY NAME IS MARIE THORN AND I'M HERE TO EXPRESS MY FRUSTRATION AND DISAPPOINTMENT WITH METRO ACCESS.
I DON'T ABUSE THE SYSTEM AND TRY TO ONLY USE METRO ACCESS WITH MY DOCTOR APPOINTMENTS WHEN THE BUS ROUTES ARE NOT CLOSE TO THE OFFICES.
AND I HAVE MANY, MANY DOCTORS.
UM, NOW WHY AM I HERE? OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS, ON TWO OCCASIONS, METRO ACCESS HAS BEEN EITHER A NO-SHOW OR LATE CAUSING ME TO MISS MY DOCTORAL APPOINTMENTS, RESULTING IN $50, NO-SHOW FEES.
UM, AND FOR A PATIENT BEING REFUSED OF THE APPOINTMENT, UM, USUALLY THAT MEANS WHEN THERE'S THREE NO-SHOWS BY SOME DOCTORS, THEY'RE UM, THEY HAVE THIS PRO, THIS PROCESS.
THAT MEANS IF THERE'S THREE NO-SHOWS, THE PATIENT IS GONNA BE REFUSED ANY MORE PA UH, ANY MORE APPOINTMENTS.
SO THAT'S ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT I'M FACING RIGHT NOW IS IF THERE'S ANY MORE NO-SHOWS, THE DOCTOR'S GONNA TAKE ME OFF THE ROSTER.
I'M NOT SURE IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE RIGHT RESERVATION PROCEDURES.
WHEN WE CALL, WE TELL THEM WHERE WE ARE GOING, WHETHER IT'S A DOCTOR'S OFFICE, GROCERY STORES, ET CETERA, AND WHAT TIME WE HAVE TO BE THERE OR WE LIKE TO BE PICKED UP, UH, THEN WE'RE GIVEN A 30 MINUTE WINDOW THAT THEY'LL PICK US UP TO GET TO OUR DESTINATION.
IF THE RIDE IS LATE, THEN WE CALL TO CHECK ON THE STATUS OF OUR RIDE.
BUT LATELY, WHEN WE CALL TO CHECK THE STATUS, WE ARE PLACED ON HOLD FOR 20 MINUTES OR MORE JUST TO BE TOLD THAT THE RIDE IS NOT AVAILABLE OR WE WILL PICKED UP AN HOUR LATE.
I CAN SEE THIS BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR SOMEONE GOING TO A GROCERY STORE OR TO A FRIEND'S HOUSE, BUT NOT TO A DOCTOR APPOINTMENT OR TO A JOB.
THE RESERVATIONS HAVE TO BE MADE AT LEAST BY FIVE AT THE LATEST, BY 5:00 PM THE DAY PRIOR TO THE RIDE.
SO THE MANAGEMENT KNOWS A DAY IN ADVANCE HOW MANY RIDERS THEY HAVE AND CAN PLAN ACCORDINGLY.
HAD I BEEN GIVEN A DAY OR A FEW HOURS ADVANCED NOTICE THAT THERE'LL BE NO RIDE FOR ME.
I COULD HAVE EITHER CANCELED MY DOCTOR APPOINTMENT OR MADE OTHER RIDE ARRANGEMENTS, BUT BY THE TIME I FOUND THAT A RIDE IS NOT COMING, IT WAS ALREADY TOO LATE OR TRIED TO MAKE OTHER ARRANGEMENTS.
WHEN I SPOKE TO A SUPERVISOR AT METRO ACCESS, HE MENTIONED THAT THEY HAVE A LABOR SHORTAGE AND THE SYSTEM IS SO AND EQUATED THAT THERE'S NO WAY TO TEXT OR SEND AUTOMATED CALLS TO WRITERS AFFECTED.
THERE SHOULD BE A VOUCHER PRO.
THERE USED TO BE A VOUCHER PROGRAM THAT METRO ACCESS WRITERS COULD USE ON A TAXI IN CASE OF A NEED FOR SOME RIDERS ON THE SAME DAY.
WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO ALLOW THAT PROGRAMING BACK FOR, FOR USE ON TAXI OR COMPANIES LIKE UBER WHILE THEIR METRO ACCESS RIDER ARE NOT AVAILABLE?
[00:10:02]
I'M SORRY FOR METRO RIDES ARE NOT AVAILABLE.I DO WANT TO SAY THAT I AM GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE SERVICES THAT CAPITAL METRO PROVIDES.
I LOVE THE BUS AND METRO ACCESS, UH, DRIVERS.
THEY'RE VERY KIND AND HAVE A HELPFUL ATTITUDE.
UM, I URGE YOU TO PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS.
IT EITHER REQUIRES A SYSTEM OVERHAUL, BETTER PAY TO TACKLE THE SHORTAGE OR BETTER MANAGEMENT OF THE WAY RESERVATIONS ARE MADE AND PRIORITIZE OR ALL OF THE ABOVE.
TIME, THANK YOU FOR COMING TO ADDRESS THE BOARD AS WELL.
ALRIGHT, WE'LL HAVE SOMEONE SPEAK WITH YOU AS WELL.
OUR NEXT PERSON IS, UH, ROBERT ALLEN.
SEVERAL BOARD MEMBERS KNOW ME PERSONALLY, BUT THE OTHERS THAT DON'T.
I GREW UP IN SOUTH AUSTIN AND, UM, STARTED POLITICS AT THE AGE OF 18 WHEN I WAS A PRECINCT CHAIR FOR JEFF FRIEDMAN'S MAYORAL CAMPAIGN AND WENT TO THE LBJ SCHOOL AND HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN VIRTUALLY EVERY CITY COUNCIL AND MAYOR'S RACE, UH, AND OTHER ELECTIONS HERE IN THE TRAVIS COUNTY AREA DURING THE SEVENTIES, EIGHTIES AND NINETIES.
ALAN KAPLAN WAS MY POLITICAL PARTNER AND FOR EIGHTIES AND NINETIES, AND HE SERVED AS PRESIDENT OF THE METRO, UH, BOARD FOR FIVE YEARS.
SO I KNOW A LOT ABOUT METRO AND BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE OF METRO.
I JUST NEVER USED IT THROUGHOUT MY LIFE FOR THE MOST PART.
AND IN THE LAST FIVE TO 10 YEARS, I'VE BEEN USING THE BUS SYSTEM AND METRO ACCESS AND METRO PICKUP.
AND I THOUGHT THERE WAS NO WAY IN THE WORLD THAT I COULD SPEAK IN THREE MINUTES TODAY, BUT I CAN SPEAK IN JUST A FEW SECONDS CAUSE I JUST FOUND OUT THAT EVERY COMPLAINT I HAD IS GONNA BE SOLVED IN MAY.
YOU HAVE THE MOST DISGUSTING, PATHETIC GPS COMPUTER SYSTEM.
NO, MANKIND, FOR 21 YEARS IT'S GOTTEN WORSE AND WORSE.
AND NOW IN MAY I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A BRAND NEW SYSTEM AND ALL I CAN SAY IS ABOUT TIME.
AND I CONGRATULATE YOU ON MAKING THOSE MOVES BECAUSE THAT WAS THE REAL SERIOUS COMPLAINT THAT I HAD.
CUZ I'M NOT THE TYPICAL METRO ACCESS PERSON THAT USES YOUR SERVICES WITH MY EXPERIENCE AND BACKGROUND.
AND, UH, I JUST NOTICED ALL KINDS OF THINGS AND I, I, I REALLY THINK YOU'RE GONNA MAKE HUGE IMPROVEMENTS.
NOW, THE OTHER COMMENT I WANNA MAKE IS I LIVED IN MITCHELL PICKUP AREA FOR ABOUT NINE MONTHS.
ANY, ANYTIME YOU COULD EXPEND IT ANYWHERE IN THE CITY, PLEASE DO SO CAUSE IT'S A WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL SERVICE.
AND, UM, UM, THE, UM, ONLY COMPLAINT THAT I HAVE LEFT ABOUT METRO ACCESS IS THAT YOU HAVE TO WAIT AN HOUR AFTER YOUR WINDOW FOR YOUR NEXT STOP.
AND I'VE TALKED TO EXPERTS ABOUT THAT AND THAT'S NEVER GONNA CHANGE.
SO THERE'S NO REASON TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THAT.
THAT'S THE BEST YOU'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO DO WITH THAT.
AND YOUR PEOPLE REALLY DO A GREAT JOB OF TRYING TO MOVE UP THOSE APPOINTMENTS.
CUZ THERE'S TIMES WHERE I GO SOMEPLACE AND I'M GONNA BE THERE FOR FIVE MINUTES AND I'LL BE WAITING OVER AN HOUR, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I HAVE TO WAIT FOR THAT WINDOW.
BUT YOU ALWAYS DO A GOOD JOB OF MOVING IT UP.
THE ONLY OTHER COMMENT I WANTED TO MAKE WAS, YOU'RE GONNA SOLVE YOUR DRIVER SHORTAGE PROBLEM VERY QUICKLY.
I'VE BEEN IN AN ELECTION JUDGE FOR 45 YEARS.
THEY RAISED THE PAY $5 AN HOUR A COUPLE YEARS AGO.
WE NEVER HAD, WE ALWAYS HAD A PROBLEM GETTING ENOUGH CLERKS AND, AND JUDGES FOR ELECTION.
WE DON'T HAVE THAT PROBLEM ANYMORE.
OKAY? SO YOUR PAY INCREASE THAT YOU PUT IN, I THINK IT'S GONNA MAKE A, A REAL DIFFERENCE AND I THINK YOU'LL BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR SHORTAGE, UH, OF DRIVERS VERY, VERY QUICKLY.
UH, THE NEXT PERSON IS, UH, SCHEDULED AS REMOTE.
UM, ED, DO WE HAVE, UH, SUSAN PANTEL? MS. PANTEL, ARE YOU WITH US? YES.
I OBJECT TO THE PROCESS THAT YOU USED FOR SELECTING THE PRESIDENT BECAUSE THERE WASN'T A, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC INPUT.
AND THE LAST TIME YOU SELECTED A PRESIDENT, THERE WAS A PUBLIC MEETING AND THE PUBLIC WAS ALLOWED TO MEET THE CANDIDATES AND, AND PROVIDE INPUT ON WHO WE PREFERRED.
THIS IS A PUBLIC AGENCY AND YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC.
AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THE PUBLIC HAVE A SAY IN THE SELECTION OF THE PRESIDENT.
I UNDERSTAND THE CONCERN THAT PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO REVEAL
[00:15:01]
THAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR A JOB IN THE PUBLIC ARENA, BUT THAT'S PART OF WORKING FOR PUBLIC AGENCIES AT IN A HIGH LEVEL.YOU KNOW, WHEN THE CITY OF AUSTIN LOOKED FOR A NEW CITY MANAGER, A NEW POLICE CHIEF, RECENTLY, A NEW, UH, WATER DEPARTMENT HAD THOSE POSITIONS WERE MADE PUBLIC.
THE THE CANDIDATE FINALISTS WERE MADE PUBLIC AND THE THE PEOPLE COULD WEIGH IN.
I AM NOT OBJECTING TO, UH, THE PERSON YOU SELECTED.
I THINK THAT MS. WATKINS HAS A NUMBER OF POSITIVE QUALIFICATIONS, BUT NEITHER CAN I SUPPORT THE SELECTION BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHO THE ALTERNATIVES WERE.
AND I REALLY THINK THAT THE PRESIDENT START DOWN AT A, IN A STRONGER POSITION WHEN THE PUBLIC HAS VETTED THE CANDIDATES AND HAS HOPEFULLY SUPPORTED THE CANDIDATE YOU CHOOSE.
IT'S ALSO VERY IMPORTANT THAT THE PRESIDENT UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC.
THEY REPORT TO THE BOARD, BUT THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC.
AND BY HAVING, LETTING THE PUBLIC HAVE A SAY IN THEIR SELECTION, IT MAKES THAT MORE CLEAR.
ALSO, I CONTACTED EDNA TWO OR THREE MONTHS AGO.
I I SAID, I WANNA BE INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS.
LET ME KNOW WHEN THE PUBLIC WILL HAVE A SAY.
AND SHE SAID SHE THOUGHT THE PUBLIC WOULD HAVE INPUT IN JANUARY.
UH, SHE NEVER GOT BACK TO ME ABOUT THAT.
I ONLY FOUND OUT THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE A SAY WHEN I SAW YOUR AGENDA AND THAT SOMEONE HAD ALREADY BEEN SELECTED.
SO IN ADDITION TO NOT INVOLVING THE PUBLIC, THE PROCESS WAS SECRETIVE.
THE PROCESS WAS NOT MADE PUBLIC.
AND, AND THAT'S A CONCERN ALSO AS A PUBLIC AGENCY, YOU REALLY SHOULD, UM, YOU, YOU SHOULD ALLOW THE PUBLIC TO HAVE INPUT IN, IN A DECISION ABOUT THE PRESIDENT.
IF I HAVE A A, A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME.
I JUST WANTED TO EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION FOR, UH, FORMER COUNCIL, MEMBERS'S KITCHEN AND RENTERIA FOR THEIR SERVICE ON THE CAT METRO BOARD.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO COMMENT TO THE BOARD.
UM, THE NEXT PERSON I THINK IS ALSO REMOTE AND IT IS ZIA JOSEPH.
IS SHE CONNECTED? MR. CHAIR? I DID NOT GET CONFIRMATION FROM MS. JOSEPH THAT SHE WAS GONNA BE PARTICIPATING TODAY, SO NO, SHE IS NOT ON THE LINE.
UH, NOW, UH, DO WE HAVE ANYONE ELSE IN THE ROOM? OH, LET'S SEE.
UM, SOPHIE, SHERRY TAYLOR, JOB.
THIS IS A PRIVILEGE TO SPEAK TODAY.
I AM NOT YET A WHEELCHAIR, UM, TRAVELER, BUT I SAY THAT PEOPLE KEEP LIVING LONG ENOUGH THAT AFTER A WHILE, PARTS OF THEIR BODIES DON'T WORK.
SO I AM A, UH, A WHEELCHAIR MENTOR IN TRAINING FOR A PROGRAM CALLED BLUE APPLE EXPRESS.
AND THIS IS MY COMPANION MAY IN MAE E.
NOW FOR MEDICAL PRIVACY, I CAN'T TELL YOU HER LAST NAME, BUT IT BEGINS WITH A LETTER B.
AND I HAVE BEEN TRAVELING AROUND ON AUSTIN ON Y'ALL'S, UH, UH, BUSES AND RIDING THE RAMPS.
AND I'VE JUST HAD A AWAKENING EXPERIENCE OF AWARENESS OF WHAT WHEELCHAIR RIDERS GO THROUGH.
UH, THERE'S A PROGRAM DEVELOPED BY DEBORAH HARMON MILLER CALLED BLUE APPLE EXPRESS.
SO IT IS PAYING $1,600 A MONTH TO THOSE WHO BE INTERESTED IN BECOMING A WHEELCHAIR RIDERS MENTOR.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO TOUCH 'EM, YOU DON'T HAVE TO CHANGE ANYTHING.
YOU DON'T, IF THEY FOLLOW OUT, YOU JUST CALL 9 1 1.
BUT THE POINT IS, IS TO GIVE THEM BACK A LIFESTYLE OF BEING OUT AND BEING SOCIAL AND RIDING THE BUS AND NOT BEING AFRAID ONCE THE CAR ACCIDENT OR THE AMPUTATION OR WHATEVER CAUSING THEM BEING IN A WHEELCHAIR.
UH, WHEN THEY GET OVER THAT, THEY STILL WANT TO GO OUT, BUT THEY'RE AFRAID THAT THEY'RE GONNA FALL OUTTA THEIR WHEELCHAIR ON THESE, UM, BUMPY, UH, SIDEWALKS.
OR MAYBE SOMEBODY LEAVE A SCOOTER.
CAN'T TELL, IS NOW EXITING IF SOMEBODY LEAVES A SCOOTER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SIDEWALK, CUZ THEN THEY'RE JUST IN THE COURT OF THEM, UH, MAY CAN'T GET UP AND MOVE IT AND THEN CONTINUE TO TRAVEL.
AND THERE'S A TERRIBLE PLACE AT 10 11 SAN JACINTO, WHERE IT'S AT THE END OF A BLOCK RIDING ON
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A NICE SMOOTH SIDEWALK, AND YOU GET TO THE END AND THERE'S NO RAMP TO GET OFF OF IT.SO, UM, I HOPE THAT THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE INTERESTED IN GETTING $1,600 A MONTH, IT DOES NOT INTERFERE WITH YOUR INCOME-BASED MEDICAID OR FOOD STAMPS OR ANYTHING ELSE.
AND I JUST THINK IT'S FANTASTIC TO ALLOW SENIORS LIKE MYSELF TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY ESCORTING FOLKS THAT MIGHT BE MY AGE.
I'VE BEEN 21 FOR ABOUT 45 YEARS AND I'M GONNA GET IT RIGHT.
BUT THE, THE IDEA IS THAT SENIORS SHOULD NOT THINK THAT THEY DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO CONTRIBUTE.
AND THIS WAY I CAN BE A COACH AND IF SHE HAS ACCIDENT, I DON'T HAVE TO PICK HER UP, I JUST CALL 9 1 1.
SO BLUE APPLE EXPRESS GMAIL.COM IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THAT KIND OF EMPLOYMENT.
AND IF YOU'RE UNSHELTERED, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WHERE YOU LIVE CUZ THAT'S NOT ANYBODY'S BUSINESS, AND YOU CAN STILL GET $69.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR PRESENTING TODAY, MR. HAY.
UM, OUR NEXT PERSON, UH, I THINK THIS IS DARYL SORES.
MR. SORES, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.
I GOT YOU ON THAT ONE, BROTHER
THAT'S EVERYONE THAT'S PRESENT HERE, THE LEGACY GENTLEMEN OF THE BOARD.
I'M HERE, UH, TO SPEAK ON YOUR BEHALF.
UM, I'M A 20 YEAR BUS OPERATOR.
NOT ONLY THAT, I'M THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR THE AMALGAMATED TRANSIT UNION, LOCAL 10 91 HERE.
UM, DOTTY HAS A LONG LIST OF THINGS THAT SHE HAS, HAS DONE FOR ONE, AS A BUS OPERATOR, STARTING THIS COMPANY OUT AS A BUS OPERATOR.
SHE HAS WORKED HER WAY UP THE RANKS AND EVERY DEPARTMENT AROUND HERE, SHE SERVED AS, UH, INTERIM GENER, GEN GENERAL MANAGER, I BELIEVE, OR INTERIM DIRECTOR FOR STAR TRAIN, UH, DOING SOME TURBULENT TIMES WITH A T U LOCAL 10 91.
WE CREATED THE EXTRA BOARD PROCEDURES, UH, DOTTY BEING THE AUTHOR AND FORMER, UH, A T U VICE PRESIDENT, BOB JOHNSON WAS A HARD TIME TO, UH, PERSON TO WORK WITH, BUT WE GOT IT DONE.
WE'VE, UM, DOTTIE ALSO THROUGHOUT THE YEARS BAR, I BEAR NO FALSE WITNESS.
SHE ALWAYS, EVERY DAY WOULD GO DOWN TO THE DELI AND EAT LUNCH.
AND AFTER SHE WOULD GET HER ORDER, SHE WOULD EAT LUNCH WITH THE BUS OPERATORS AND GET INPUT.
WE COULD TALK TO HER WITH CONFIDENCE AND CONFIDENCE, UM, AND SHARE OUR MINDSET.
AND DOTTY WOULD SHARE HER MINDSET WITH US TOO.
DOTTY WOULD COMPLIMENT US ALL THE TIME, SEND LETTERS.
SO I JUST WANNA, YOU KNOW, JUST GIVE MY MY WORD OF RECOMMENDATION THAT, AND EVEN SHE KNOW IN 2018 WHEN Y'ALL BROUGHT RANDY HERE, I LIKE RANDY.
DON'T GET ME WRONG, I THINK Y'ALL SHOULD HAVE PICKED THIS WOMAN SHE HAD.
SHE HAD, SHE WAS THE ONE FOR THIS POSITION.
I'VE TOLD HER SEVERAL TIMES FOR THAT.
I CAN CARE LESS WHAT ANYBODY ELSE.
BUT I VALUE THAT DURING THE COVID 19, UH, PANDEMIC, WHEN EVERYONE WAS SAYING THEY DIDN'T HAVE A PLAYBOOK, I WAS ABLE TO CALL OR TEXT DOTTY.
AND SOME TIMES THAT YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD THINK, HEY, IS THIS A RESPECTFUL TIME TO CALL? BUT DOTTY WOULD RESPOND AND SHE WOULD GIVE ANSWERS.
WE WORKED TOGETHER ON THAT, GETTING THE P P E SET, WHATEVER WE NEED DURING THE ICE COLD WEATHER DAYS.
DOTTY, YOU KNOW, REC YOU KNOW, WE WASN'T SUPPOSED TO GET PAID FOUR DAYS.
SHE RECOMMENDED ALL THE EMPLOYEES GET FOUR DAYS.
YOU KNOW, I MEAN, JUST SO MANY THINGS THAT SHE HAS DONE.
UH, YOU HAVE BUILT A GREAT RAPPORT WITH THE BUS OPERATORS.
AND, UH, I JUST WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU, SORRY FOR GOING OVER, UH, YESTERDAY WE GOT SOME COMPLIMENTS.
I, I RUN A, A SOCIAL MEDIA PAGE FOR THE BUS OPERATORS, MECHANICS, DISPATCHERS, MOSTLY THE, THE BUS, UH, THE BARGAINING EMPLOYEES.
IT SAYS HERE, HOPEFULLY SHE WILL GET, GET THIS BACK TO GOOD.
GET THIS BACK TO A GOOD PLACE TO WORK AGAIN.
ANOTHER EMPLOYEE SAID, OUTSTANDING.
ANOTHER EMPLOYEE SAID, THAT'S AWESOME.
SHE WAS THE ONE WHO INTERVIEWED ME FOR THE JOB 21 YEARS AGO.
THANKS, DOTTY, LANCASTER, WATKINS, CONGRATULATIONS.
YOU KNOW, JUST ON AND ON AND ON, ON THERE WAS JUST NOTHING BUT POSITIVE, POSITIVE, POSITIVE COMMENTS FROM THE BARGAINING UNIT, THE BUS OPERATORS WHO WE REPRESENT.
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IN YOU, A WOMAN, YOU'RE QUALIFIED, YOU EXCEEDED AND EXCEL BEYOND YOUR FIDUCIARY DUTY.AND FROM THE ATT U LOCAL 10 91.
ALRIGHT, I THINK WE CAN CLAP FOR THAT
I THINK THAT IS OUR LAST PRESENTER, UNLESS THERE IS SOMEONE IN THE ROOM, UH, THAT WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE BOARD.
SEEING, UH, NO ONE, I'M GOING TO, UH, LET'S SEE.
[III. Recognition]
COMING UP BOARD MEMBERS, UH, TO, UH, A CHANCE FOR US TO RECOGNIZE, UH, A COUPLE OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE MADE, UH, SIGNIFICANT SACRIFICE, UH, FOR THIS BODY OVER YEARS.UH, BOARD MEMBERS, UH, RENTERIA AND, AND KITCHEN.
UM, WE, UH, WE CERTAINLY WANT TO RECOGNIZE YOU.
WE CERTAINLY WANT TO THANK YOU, UH, FOR YOUR EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE.
UM, YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY UNDERSTANDING THE POLICIES OF, OF THE OPERATION, UH, BUT ALSO ADDING A HUMAN TOUCH.
ALSO, UH, CARING ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO WORK HERE AND THE COMMUNITY THAT WE SERVE.
UH, WHICH IS, WHICH IS SO CRITICAL AND IMPORTANT.
OFTENTIMES, UH, WE, WE, WE LOOK AT THE RULES AND REGULATIONS, BUT WE ALWAYS HAVE TO REMEMBER THE, THE INTERNAL CUSTOMERS, OUR EMPLOYEES, AND OUR EXTERNAL CUSTERS CUSTOMERS, THE COMMUNITY, AND, AND, UH, AND BOTH OF YOU ALL ARE LONG ON MAKING SURE THAT, UH, THAT WE ARE SERVING.
UH, AND, AND WHEN I SAY LONG, I MEAN THIS, UH, YOU ARE A COUPLE OF THE LONGEST TENURED BOARD MEMBERS THAT WE'VE GOT.
UM, BOARD MEMBER RENT SEVEN YEARS JOINING IN JUNE OF 2016.
UH, KITCHEN, EIGHT YEARS JOINING, JOINING IN APRIL OF 15.
UM, IT IS CLEAR THAT YOU'VE HELPED US FORM CLOSER AND STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT AS WE CONTINUE TO GROW, BUT ALSO HELP STAND UP THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP AS WELL.
UH, IN ADDITION, UH, YOU HAVE WORKED ON SO MANY THINGS AND, AND JUST TO NAME A FEW, UH, REVAMPING, UH, THE BUS NETWORK, UH, WHICH BROUGHT RIDERSHIP TO RECORD LEVELS.
UH, LAUNCHING OUR INNOVATIVE PICKUP SERVICE, WHICH NOW HAS 10 ZONES, UM, CUSTOMER ENHANCEMENTS AT ALL OF OUR BUS STOPS.
AND, AND, AND, AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT NEW SHELTERS AND SIGNAGE, AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, UM, A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT WERE DONE IN THE EASTERN CRESCENT SINCE 2018, WE'VE HAD, UM, WE'VE HAD PROJECTS ABOUT 18 PROJECTS THAT HAVE INVESTED MORE THAN 25 MILLION IN THE COMMUNITY THAT HISTORICALLY HAD BEEN UNDER OVERLOOKED.
AND, UH, SO, AND YOU'VE EVEN HIRED A COUPLE OF, UH, A COUPLE OF CEOS OVER THAT TIME.
UH, UM, FIRST, MR. UH, MR. CLARK, AND NOW, UH, AND, AND NOW DOROTHY WATKINS AS WELL.
SO, JUST WANT TO, UM, I COULD, I'M BAPTIST, I COULD TALK ABOUT YOU FOR A LONG TIME.
UH, BUT, BUT WHAT I'LL DO IS OPEN THIS UP TO COLLEAGUES WHO WOULD LIKE TO SAY ANYTHING.
UH, IS THERE ANY COLLEAGUE? I'M, I'M SURE, UH, THE BOARD MEMBER COOPER WOULD LIKE TO SAY A WORD OR TWO A WORD, OR 50
I I THINK WE'RE MAKING HIM BAPTIST TOO.
I, UH, I'M NOT BAPTIST, BUT I SHARE THE QUALITY OF
NOW, I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO EACH OF YOU, UH, FOR BEING A GREAT COLLEAGUE, UH, FOR THE MANY YEARS THAT WE'VE SERVED TOGETHER.
AND, UH, FOR EACH OF YOU, UH, WHAT OUR CHAIR SAID IS CORRECT.
UH, NEVER HAD A DOUBT THAT YOU HAD THE PUBLIC'S INTEREST FIRMLY IN MIND AND HAVE ALWAYS, UH, BEEN A GOOD REMINDER THAT WE NEED TO, TO KEEP AN EYE FOCUSED ON THE NOTICE THAT WE'RE GIVING AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO BRING MORE PEOPLE INTO THE PROCESS AND TO BE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT WE DO SERVE.
SO, FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, AS A COLLEAGUE FOR SEVEN OR EIGHT YEARS, THANK YOU FOR THAT.
AND BEST, UH, WISHES FOR FUTURE, YOUR FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES AND, UH, FOLLOWING WINS AND FAIR SEAS
YES, FOR, WELL, I WANNA THANK BOTH ANNE AND P FOR THEIR STELLAR SERVICE ON THIS BOARD.
AND, UM, I KNOW THAT THE FOLKS THEY JOINED THE BOARD WITH AND WHO MAY HAVE MOVED ON, AND THOSE WHO ARE STILL HERE HELPED WITH THEIR, UM, ACCLIMATION AND LEARNING AND, AND GETTING TO UNDERSTAND THE INS AND OUTS OF PARTICULAR ON OPERATIONS AS WELL AS THE FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE.
I KNOW I HAVE LEARNED A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT FROM BOTH OF MY FRIENDS, UM, BOTH HERE AND ON THE CITY COUNCIL.
AND, UM, UH, WITH THEM MOVING ON TO GREATER AND, AND MORE ADVENTURISM, UH, FUTURES.
I, I'M A LITTLE BIT, UM, JEALOUS AND ENVIOUS.
[00:30:01]
THE OTHER HAND, UM, UH, WE STILL ARE WORKING ON PROJECT CONNECT, WHICH BOTH ANNE AND PO WERE SIGNIFICANT IN, IN ENSURING THAT THAT BOND PASSED, OR THE TRE PASSED, UH, AT THE, UH, AT THE BALLOT BOX A FEW YEARS AGO.AND THE WORK OF PROJECT CONNECT IS VERY LARGELY AHEAD OF US, AND WE WILL CONTINUE.
AND I KNOW THAT BOTH OF YOU WILL CONTINUE TO GIVE US YOUR INPUT AND CAREFUL, THOUGHTFUL ADVICE AND COUNSEL GOING FORWARD.
I KNOW I WILL BE LOOKING FOR THAT.
AND, UH, WATCHING FROM THE SIDELINES WITH OR WITHOUT POPCORN, WHO KNOWS
UM, BUT, BUT I, AS A, AS A, UH, I GUESS NOW ONE OF THE, WITH YOU GUYS LEAVING ONE OF THE LONGER TENURED, UH, PEOPLE HERE ON, ON CAP METRO, UM, I, I THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME GET MY FEET UNDER ME AND UNDERSTAND, UH, THE IMPORTANCE, UH, THE IMPORTANT WORK THAT WE DO EVERY DAY FOR, UH, FOR THE COMMUNITY.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.
IS THERE ANYONE ELSE THAT WOULD LIKE TO SAY ANYTHING BEFORE WE, UH, GIVE A LITTLE RECOGNITION AND TAKE A FEW PICTURES, MR. CHAIR? OKAY.
AND THEN YOU ALL RIGHT? UH, YES.
UH, I'LL, I'LL TRY NOT TO BE TOO BAPTIST
SO I CAME ON THE BOARD IN DECEMBER OF 18.
SO I'M LOOKING AT WHAT IS THAT, UH, FOR A LITTLE OVER FOUR YEARS OF SERVICE.
BUT, UM, I, I JUST WANT TO THANK BOTH MY COLLEAGUES BECAUSE I, I HAVE LEARNED MUCH FROM THEM, GOT BROUGHT UP TO SPEED BY BOTH OF THEM ON, UH, UH, SPECIFICS OF, OF THE, UH, INS AND OUTS OF HOW THE BOARD OPERATES AND SPECIFICS OF TRANSIT POLICY AND, UH, SPECIFICALLY WHAT IT MEANS TO THEM AND THEIR PASSION FOR IT, AND TO THEIR CONSTITUENCIES THAT THEY HAVE SERVED.
UM, PO I WILL SAY, I'M, I'M GONNA MISS YOUR STORIES, MAN.
I, I'M GONNA MISS YOUR STORIES.
WHAT, WHAT I LOVE SO MUCH ABOUT YOU IS THAT, THAT YOU HAVE, YOU, YOU HAD A STORY AND WERE ABLE TO CONNECT SO PERSONALLY WITH THE INDIVIDUALS, WITH THE ISSUES THAT WE WOULD HAVE UP HERE ON THE BOARD.
YOU WERE A, I WAS ABLE TO, TO USUALLY REMEMBER AND THINK ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE FACING BASED ON A STORY THAT YOU WOULD US, THAT YOU WOULD TELL ME ABOUT.
THAT SOMETHING THAT WAS HAPPENING EITHER TO YOU OR TO SOME CONSTITUENT THAT, THAT YOU KNEW ABOUT THAT WAS GOING ON AND HOW IT IMPACTED THEM.
SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT, AND I'M GONNA MISS THAT.
AND THEN, ANNE, MAN, I, I JUST GOTTA TELL YOU WHAT I, WHAT I'VE LOVED SO MUCH ABOUT YOU IS THERE'D BE TIMES THAT WE'D BE SITTING UP THERE ON THAT DIAS TOGETHER, AND I'D BE SITTING THERE LISTENING TO SOMETHING GOING, UHHUH, UHHUH,
AND I'D HAVE MY HAND RAISED, YOU'D HAVE YOUR HAND RAISED AND CHAIRMAN AND, AND CHAIRMAN COOPER BACK WOULD, WOULD CALL.
AND THEN YOU WOULD END UP SAYING EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING BEFORE I'D EVEN SAY IT.
SO I, I REALLY APPRECIATED THAT.
AND, AND, AND I'M GONNA MISS THE FACT THAT, THAT THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A, UH, A KINDRED SPIRIT IN THAT REGARD IN TERMS OF, UH, JUST, JUST OUR, OUR, OUR COMBINED THOUGHT PROCESS ON HOW TO APPROACH THINGS.
AND, AND I, I, I, I APPRECIATE BOTH Y'ALL'S PASSION AND, AND, AND, UH, UM, DETERMINATION AND SUPPORT FOR THIS.
IT, IT'S NOT LIKE YOU GET PAID AN AWFUL LOT TO SERVE, UH, CAP METRO BOARD OF DIRECTORS, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT BUS PASS GOES A LONG WAY.
BUT, UM, I, I DO APPRECIATE YOU.
I'VE LEARNED A LOT FROM BOTH OF YOU GUYS, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, CONTINUING THE JOURNEY, UH, WHEREVER IT MAY TAKE YOU AND, AND US AS A WHOLE IN THIS COMMUNITY.
UM, HOPEFULLY I'LL CATCH YOU SOMETIME, UH, ON THE RED LINE COMING UP TO MY NECK OF THE WOODS.
OR MAYBE I'LL CATCH YOU SOME TIME ON A LOCAL BUS ROUTE.
UM, WE CAN GO OUT FOR A COFFEE OR SOMETHING ELSE AT SOME OTHER TIME, SOME, SOMEWHERE DOWN THE LINE.
WAS HE SAYING YOU WERE SEPARATED AT BIRTH?
UH, YEAH, I JUST WANNA JUST QUICKLY SAY, UM, IT'S, IT'S BEEN, UM, INCREDIBLY, UH, REWARDING AND AN HONOR TO SERVE ON THIS BOARD AND TO SERVE WITH ALL MY, UH, COLLEAGUES.
UH, IT'S BEEN A VERY INTERESTING AND EXCITING, UM, EIGHT YEARS, I GUESS.
UH, THERE'S A LOT BEEN HAPPENING AND A LOT MORE TO HAPPEN.
AND I TRUST YOU GUYS TO CONTINUE TO, TO WORK WITH OUR NEW CEO AND, AND MOVE THIS, UH, MOVE THIS ENTITY FORWARD.
I MEAN, PROJECT CONNECT IS AMAZING FOR THIS COMMUNITY.
UM, THE, THE BUS SYSTEM IS AMAZING FOR THIS COMMUNITY.
I WANNA MENTION TWO OR THI THREE QUICK THINGS THAT WE ALL DID, UH, TOGETHER WITH YOU AND YOUR STAFF THAT ARE REALLY A PRECEDENT SETTING THE APPROACH TO PUBLIC SAFETY.
UM, I'VE BEEN VERY PROUD OF THE COMMUNITY AMBASSADORS I'M VERY PROUD OF.
I'M PROUD OF WHAT WE DID WITH THE CITY, UH, WITH PROJECT CONNECT AND THE 300 MILLION IN, IN ANTI DISPLACEMENT FUNDS.
AND MOST RECENTLY, THE WAY THIS BOARD AND, AND YOU AND YOUR STAFF RESPONDED IMMEDIATELY TO THE CONCERNS
[00:35:01]
FROM THE COMMUNITY AROUND BUS PASSES FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING UNSHELTERED ON THE STREETS.THAT'S THE KIND OF IMMEDIATE RESPONSE THAT, THAT THE PUBLIC DESERVES FROM US.
AND I'VE BEEN BROW, I'M VERY PROUD TO BE PART OF THAT.
UM, I PROBABLY WON'T HAVE ANY POPCORN, HOWEVER,
THANK YOU FOR YOUR, THANK YOU FOR YOUR THOUGHTFUL SERVICE.
UM, BOARD MEMBER ANDREA, I THANK, THANK YOU CHAIR.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, ALL SINCE IN THE DAYS WHEN, UH, IN THE SEVENTIES WHEN, UH, EARLY SEVENTIES WHEN I JOINED IBM AND WAS ABLE TO TRAVEL TO DIFFERENT TOWNS AND, AND I GOT MY FIRST BASIC TRAINING IN CHICAGO FOR TWO AND A HALF MONTHS, AND THAT'S WHERE I GOT INTRODUCED TO REL MM-HMM.
AND, AND I KNOW WHY THEY HAVE RAIL OVER THERE CUZ IT'S COLD
BUT I HAVE ALWAYS, UH, ADMIRED THE CITIES THAT WAS ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THAT.
AND WHEN I CAME BACK AND WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY ON THE RED LINE, UH, WE GOT TOGETHER WITH, UH, SOME OF OUR REPRESENTATIVES SAID, WE NEED THIS RED LINE.
AND, UH, THE FIRST ONE, FIRST ELECTION ON ANDREA FELL.
SO THE SECOND ONE, UH, WE DECIDED TO RED LINE CUZ THAT'S ALREADY BUILT AND IT'S, WE OWNED IT.
AND, AND, UH, IT WAS CHEAPER TO DO.
AND, UH, THE VOTERS GAVE US THE OKAY, BUT IT WAS BECAUSE OF, OF, UH, A, A YOUNG MAN AT THAT TIME NAMED JOHN LEMO.
WE GOT TOGETHER AND THEY CONVINCED PEOPLE ON THE EAST SIDE BECAUSE WE'RE THE ONES THAT RELIED A LOT ON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
AND WE WAS ABLE TO CONVINCE OUR POPULATION HERE ON THE EAST SIDE THAT IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT FOR AUSTIN AND ESPECIALLY FOR OUR PEOPLE.
AND THEN WE ALSO WAS WORKING FOR YEARS ON SOUTH THEO AND, UH, PLAZA SOUTH THEO.
AND IT WASN'T GETTING ANYWHERE.
IT WAS FOR 24 YEARS WE WERE FIGHTING THIS ISSUE.
AND MY COLLEAGUES CONVINCED ME TO COME ON METRO BOARD
AND WE PASSED IT AND WE GOT THIS BEAUTIFUL SOUTH PLAZA SOUTHFIELD THERE.
AND AT FIRST A LOT OF, A LOT OF PEOPLE POSTED IT, BUT ONCE THEY SAW IT BUILT OUT, THEY SAW HOW POPULAR IT IS AND, AND, AND, AND HOW HAVING A GROCERY STORE AND A TARGET STORE THAT YOU CAN WALK TO IT IS SO IMPORTANT.
AND THEN EMPLOYEES COULD COME INTO THAT AREA USING THE RAIL AND, AND NOT HAVE TO DRIVE IN THIS CRAZY TRAFFIC.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S RAIL IS, HAS ALWAYS BEEN VERY IMPORTANT FOR ME.
UH, I, I SEE THE, UH, WHAT HAVE BEEN ACCOMPLISHED IN OTHER CITIES BY BUILDING THESE KIND OF LINES.
UH, I TRAVELED FROM MIAMI, CLEVELAND ALL AT THE SUPPORT OF METRO BACK BEFORE WE EVEN HAD THE RED LINE.
AND I SAW, AND I HAVE GONE BACK AND SEEN THE DEVELOPMENT AND THE PEOPLE OF THE APARTMENTS, ESPECIALLY ON THE COMEDIA RAIL IN MIAMI THAT GOES ALL THE WAY TO FORT LAUDERDALE, EVEN FURTHER, THE ONE IN NEW MEXICO AND HOW PEOPLE REALLY ENJOY AND, AND WANT TO LIVE AROUND THERE, AROUND THE RAIL LINES IN THE STATIONS.
AND THAT'S WHAT'S, UH, SO IMPORTANT ABOUT RAIL.
IT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO LIVE TOGETHER CLOSER AND MORE DENSITY, AND IT TAKES OFF, TAKE CARS OFF THE ROADS.
AND, UH, I HOPE THAT WE CONTINUE THIS, AND I'M SURE WE ARE WITH YOUR LEADERSHIP AND, UH, I'M REALLY GONNA MISS, YOU KNOW, THESE MEETINGS.
BUT, UH, AS YOU GET OLDER, YOU WANT TO GO AND VISIT OTHER PLACES,
SO I REALLY WANT TO, YOU KNOW, HUMBLY SAY THANK Y'ALL AND THANK ALL OF Y'ALL, ESPECIALLY THE SUPPORT TEAM.
YOU HAVE ONE OF THE BEST SUPPORT TEAM I EVER HAVE WORKED WITH.
I MEAN, IT'S JUST AMAZING Y'ALL GUYS JUST, YOU KNOW, GO ALL OUTTA YOUR WAY JUST TO PROVIDE THE SERVICE THAT YOU KNOW, THAT, YOU KNOW, THE CITIZENS HERE ARE EXPECTING.
SO I WANT TO THANK ALL EVERYBODY HERE AND ALL YOUR, YOUR WORKERS FOR IN CAPITAL METRO.
I HAD A WONDERFUL PERIOD HERE WITH Y'ALL GUYS, AND I THANK Y'ALL.
UH, JUST WANT TO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE THAT YOU HAVE ABOUT, ABOUT THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE LIVE IN AND, AND HOW YOU BRING THE PERSPECTIVE OF COMMUNITY INTO THE ROOM AND HOW YOU'VE TAKEN THE TIME TO LEARN AND STUDY THINGS THAT WORK IN OTHER PLACES THAT HAVE SIMILARITIES TO US.
AND, AND, AND THEN THE THINGS THAT WE MIGHT HAVE DIFFICULTY WITH
[00:40:01]
BECAUSE THEY'RE DIFFERENCES.UH, THAT, THAT YOU, THAT YOU THOUGHTFULLY CAREFULLY, UM, BROUGHT YOUR PERSPECTIVE AND MADE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTOOD, UH, WHAT, WHAT OUR COMMUNITIES NEED.
AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THAT.
AND I GUESS WE'LL TAKE A MOMENT AND, UH, IF WE'LL GO AROUND TO THE FRONT, WE'LL TAKE PICTURES AND CELEBRATE YOU A LITTLE BIT.
[00:47:26]
ALL RIGHT.WE WILL PULL THE, UH, THE MEETING BACK ORDER.
I HOPE THAT EVERYBODY HAD THE CHANCE TO GET A, EITHER A BROWNIE OR A COOKIE CUZ THEY ARE EXCEPTIONALLY GOOD.
SO, UM, AND, AND I'M AFRAID THAT IF YOU LEAVE 12, I MIGHT EAT 12.
WISH YOU JUST PASS 'EM AROUND THAT THAT COULD WORK.
[IV. Advisory Committee Updates:]
UP WE'LL HAVE OUR BOARD ADVISORY COMMITTEE UPDATES.UH, MS. PERRA IS HERE TO PRESENT.
AFTERNOON CHAIR, TRILLIAN, VICE CHAIR, KITCHEN, UM, PRESIDENT AND CEO, DOTTY WATKINS.
I AM THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER AND ALSO THE STAFF LIAISON FOR OUR ADVISORY COMMITTEES.
I'M HERE TO, UH, PROVIDE THE JANUARY UPDATE FOR THE ADVISORY COMMITTEES.
UM, ALSO WITH ME IS CHAIR HUNT FROM ACCESS AND CHAIR.
TAYLOR SENT AN EMAIL WITH, UM, HIS UPDATES THAT I'VE INCORPORATED INTO MINE.
UM, AFTER MY UPDATE, I'LL PASS IT ON TO CHAIR HUNT FROM ACCESS.
UM, ACCESS AND CSAC MET ON JANUARY 4TH AND 11TH.
AND THEY WERE BRIEFED ON, UM, PROJECT CONNECT BY COURTNEY CHAVEZ AT ATP.
UM, CHAIR TAYLOR RECEIVED A FOLLOW-UP FROM THE DECEMBER SERVICE, CHANGED TOPICS AND ALSO TITLE SIX CRITERIA FROM ROBERTO GONZALEZ AND ROSE LISKA.
UM, AND ACCESS ALONE RECEIVED AN UPDATE FROM THE METRO ACCESS METRIC UPDATES FROM JULIE LAKIN AND CHAD VALENTINE.
UM, ALSO THIS PAST MONTH, THE, UM, CAT METRO AND ATP COMMITTEE CHAIRS RECEIVED AN UPDATE AND AN OVERVIEW OF ALL OF THE MAJOR INITIATIVES AND PROJECTS OF 2023.
UM, THIS WAS ESPECIALLY HELPFUL TO IDENTIFY ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEIR COMMITTEES AND ALSO THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
UM, PSAC DID NOT MEET THIS MONTH, BUT THEY DID, UH, RECEIVE A BUS TOUR AND PRESENTATION FOR, FROM PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT.
UM, AND, UH, ALL THE COMMITTEES WERE INVITED TO THAT.
SO THAT WAS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO DO AN IN-PERSON, UH, MEETUP.
UM, AND WE WILL BE DOING THOSE ON THE OFF MONTHS WHEN PSAC DOESN'T MEET.
UM, THAT'S ALL OF THE UPDATES THAT I HAVE.
I'LL PASS IT ON TO CHAIR HUNT, AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME, LET ME KNOW.
ANY QUESTIONS? GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.
UM, UM, MR. CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, UM,
[00:50:01]
I DID NOT MAKE THE JANUARY MEETING BECAUSE I WAS TRAVELING BACK FROM CHICAGO.MY WIFE AND I TOOK A TRAIN RIDE TO CHICAGO.
THE WHOLE MET THE SLEEPER CAR AND EVERYTHING AND, AND SPENT 10 DAYS THERE AND WE WERE ON OUR WAY BACK, SO I DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO MAKE THE MEETING.
I DID SEE THE NOTES THOUGH, AND I, I SEE ABOUT THE, UM, THE METRICS UPDATE AND THAT, UM, THE COMMITTEE WANTS BASICALLY AN UPDATE QUARTERLY.
UM, AND ALSO, UM, THE PROJECT CONNECT UPDATES.
WE ALWAYS APPRECIATE THEM AND, AND ALL OF THAT.
UM, SO, UM, YOU'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THOSE UPDATES IN THE FUTURE AS WE GO ALONG.
AND, AND I'M ACTUALLY PLEASED WITH THE COMMITTEE THE WAY IT'S WORKING THESE DAYS.
IT'S, UH, IT, WE'RE DOING A LOT, GOT A OF GOOD WORK DONE AND THERE'S A LOT OF DIALOGUE THAT GOES ON IN THE COMMITTEES AND, AND THAT SORT OF THING.
FIRST OF ALL, I DON'T ALWAYS MAKE THESE MEETINGS CUZ I'M ASSIST ASSIST.
I'M AN ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY TRAINER.
I, I DO A LOT OF TRAINING DURING THE DAY, AND MANY TIMES I'LL HAVE STUDENTS WHEN THE BOARD MEETS.
SO WHEN THAT, I CAN'T MAKE IT, I APOLOGIZE.
A COUPLE THINGS FROM CITIZEN COMMUNICATION.
I WAS LISTENING FROM PUBLIC, UH, COMMUNICATION FIRST.
UM, UH, I THINK MS. BELDING, I THINK HER NAME IS, WE HEARD THIS COM.
WE HEARD HER ISSUES AT THE METRO ACCESS MEETING, UH, EARLIER THIS YEAR.
WE THOUGHT THAT THEY HAD BEEN RESOLVED.
UM, BUT I CAN UNDERSTAND, UM, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THAT'S NOT WORKING PERFECTLY.
WHEN A PERSON CALLS, WHEN A PERSON WANTS TO CHECK ON THEIR ARRIVAL, THEY CAN CALL IN, UH, TO THE AUTOMATED SYSTEM AND THEY GET AN ESTIMATE OF WHEN THEIR ARRIVAL TIME COMES.
APPARENTLY THAT'S NOT WORKING WELL ENOUGH FOR HER.
UM, NOT SURE WHAT'S GOING ON THERE, UH, BUT I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT WE HAVE HEARD FROM HER IN THE PAST.
UH, ALSO, UM, ONE OF THE GENTLEMEN WAS TALKING ABOUT A, A NEW SYSTEM TO REPL TO FIX THE GPS ISSUES AND THE, UH, METRO ACCESS SYSTEM COMING IN MAY OF 2023.
WE HAVE NOT, WE KNOW THAT IT'S COMING.
WE HAVE NOT HEARD A DATE AND NOT HEARD A PROJECTED DATE IN THE ACCESS COMMITTEE.
SO, UM, HE MAY BE HEARING A RUMOR.
UM, BUT WE HAVE NOT HEARD OF, UH, UM, EVEN A TARGET RELEASE DATE FOR THAT YET.
SO I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT'S GETTING OUT TO THE PUBLIC.
WE, BUT WE HAVE NOT HEARD OF THAT IN THE COMMITTEE.
UM, AND THAT'S, THAT'S ALL I'VE, THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE TO LOOK AT? UM, NO.
THANK, UH, THANK YOU CHAIR, UH, CHAIR HUNT, AND, UH, WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE THAT WE NEED WORKING.
[V. Board Committee Updates:]
WE'LL GO TO THE REGULAR BOARD COMMITTEE UPDATES.UH, THERE WAS NO OPERATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING THIS MONTH, SO CHAIR COOPER, UH, CAN I ASK YOU TO KICK OFF THE, UH, FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT? THANK YOU CHAIR.
ALL FOUR MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, UH, WERE PRESENT.
THERE WOULD BE ME, UM, MEMBER POOL, MEMBER ROSS, AND MEMBER HARRIS.
WE HAD, UH, FOUR PRESENTATIONS, NO ACTION ITEMS. THE FIRST, UH, RELATED TO THE AUDITS ON OUR 401K AND PENSION PLAN.
AND EACH OF THOSE CAME BACK VERY CLEAN.
UH, SECOND WE HAD A REPORT ON FOLLOW UP ON THE INTERNAL AUDIT, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND, UH, GOT A GOOD REPORT FROM, UH, INTERNAL AUDIT ON MANAGEMENT FOLLOW UP ON THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS.
THAT SEEMS TO BE GOING VERY WELL.
WE ALSO GOT A REPORT ON THE GRC AUDIT PROJECT DELIVERABLES.
AND, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS I CONTINUE TO COMMEND TERRY AND OUR INTERNAL AUDIT TEAM IS THE VERY CAPABLE EMPLOYMENT OF UT INTERNS.
THE COLLABORATION, I THINK WE HAVE 12 INTERNS WORKING, UH, THIS YEAR.
UM, GOOD FOR THEM, GOOD FOR US.
WE GET A LOT OF VERY INEXPENSIVE HORSEPOWER AND, UH, THEY IN TURN GET VERY GOOD REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE.
AND SO THAT WAS VERY IMPRESSIVE.
AND THEN, UH, AS WELL, UH, GOT A REPORT ON THE INTERNAL AUDIT PLAN STATUS AND ALL THAT SEEMS TO BE GOING WELL.
SO THANK, THANK, UH, WE'RE IN GOOD HANDS WITH OUR INTERNAL AUDIT TEAM AND OUR PENSIONS REMAIN IN GOOD SHAPE.
UH, ANY QUESTIONS? BOARD MEMBERS? UH, OKAY.
UH, THE SECOND BOARD COMMITTEE UPDATE WOULD BE CAMPO, UH, BOARD MEMBER HARRIS.
UH, JUST BRIEFLY CHAIR, UH, WE MET EARLIER THIS MONTH AND, UH, UH, TOOK UP A COUPLE OF ACTION ITEMS. THE, THE SUBSTANTIVE DISCUSSION REALLY REVOLVED AROUND THE APPOINTMENT, THE FUTURE APPOINTMENTS TO, UH, TO THIS BOARD AND SOME OF THE OTHER BOARDS, UH, RELATED TO, UH, UH, CAT METRO AND CAMPO.
UM, BUT, UH, BEYOND THAT IT WAS REALLY MORE JUST DISCUSSIONS ABOUT FUTURE PROJECTS.
THERE WAS SOME CONCERN AND I, AND WE, THERE'S BEEN SOME FOLLOW UP MEETINGS ABOUT THE, UH, DEFERRED PROJECTS AS A RESULT OF I 35.
[00:55:01]
MEETING, THEY'RE GONNA BE COMING BACK AROUND TO US TO, UH, GIVE US AN UPDATE IN THE POSSIBILITY OF BRINGING SOME OF THOSE DEFERRED PROJECTS BACK ONLINE.ANY QUESTIONS? BOARD MEMBERS? ALRIGHT, HEARING NONE, UH, WE WILL BRING UP THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP, UH, UPDATE, UH, WHICH, UM, I UNDERSTAND WILL BE GIVEN BY ME.
THAT MEETING WAS HELD ON JANUARY 26TH.
UH, UH, FIRST WE WELCOMED MAYOR KIRK WATSON, UH, TO THE BOARD AS A CITY OF AUSTIN APPOINTEE.
HE WAS EVENTUALLY, UM, ALSO SELECTED BY THE BOARD AS THE VICE CHAIR OF, OF, UM, OF ATP.
UH, THEN WE TOOK ACTION TO APPOINT THE CHAIR OR REAPPOINT THE CHAIR, UH, WHO WILL BE, UM, VANESSA CASTRO DETA.
AND, UH, THEN WE WENT INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO, OH, OH, VERONICA.
I SAID VANESSA, DIDN'T YOU? OKAY.
UH, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THE CHAIR KNOWS THAT I DO KNOW HER FIRST NAME.
UM, THEN WE WENT INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, UH, TO DISCUSS THE INTERIM DIRECTOR, UH, INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S PERFORMANCE REVIEW AND THE EXECUTIVE SEARCH PROCESS.
UM, AND, UH, THE BOARD AS WE CAME OUT OF THAT MEETING, UH, THE BOARD, UH, HAS, HAS SELECTED GREG CANALI.
IT WAS A QUICK MEETING, AND, UM, WE EXPECT A BUSY SPRING FOR PROJECT CONNECT PARTNERS.
SO SHALL WE, SHALL WE, UH, SHALL WE CONTINUE TO OUR ACTION ITEM AGENDA? WE'RE POSTED FOR ACTION ON 10 ITEMS TODAY.
WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS TAKE THE FIRST NINE NOW AND THEN TAKE UP THE FINAL ACTION ITEM AFTER EXECUTIVE SESSION.
SORRY, I, I MAY HAVE, THAT, MAY HAVE, MY INTERNET MAY HAVE CUT OUT THERE FOR A SECOND.
WHEN Y'ALL CAME OUT OF EXECUTIVE SESSION AT ATP, YOU APPOINTED, I HEARD SOMETHING ABOUT GREG CANALI.
WHAT DID YOU DO? JUST IF YOU COULD JUST RE REITERATE IT ONE MORE TIME.
I THINK THE, THE, UH, THE DECISION WAS MADE, UH, TO, UH, SELECT HIM AS A LOAN FINALIST AND THEN GO AND GO THROUGH THE REST OF THE PROCESS TO, UH, TO, UM, MOVE, MOVE FORWARD ON, ON, UH, ON SELECTING, SELECTING HIM AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.
I, I WASN'T EVEN AWARE THAT THEY HAD SELECTED A FIRM TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS.
MR. CHAIRMAN, DID THEY NOT HAVE A, DID THEY NOT HAVE A, I MEAN, I KNOW WE ENGAGED WITH A NATIONWIDE SEARCH.
WE HAD A CONTRACTOR TO HELP US DO THAT.
I BELIEVE THAT, THAT, UH, UH, GREG MOSER THAT WAS, UH, HELPING US OUT WITH THAT.
DID, DID ATP NOT ENGAGE WITH A, UM, NATIONAL, UM, UH, SEARCH FIRM TO DO THIS? SO WHAT, WE'LL, WHAT I'LL, WHAT I'LL DO IS, UH, WE, WE CAN, UH, PUT TOGETHER A GROUP AND WE CAN GET A BRIEFING FOR YOU, UH, FROM THE, UH, FROM THE, UH, LEGAL TEAM AND, AND, UH, FROM THE COMMITTEE AS WELL, SO THAT WE CAN WALK THROUGH THE PROCESS THAT, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
CAUSE AT THE TIME THAT I LEFT THE BOARD JUST BEFORE YOU GOT ON BACK LAST JULY, THE CONVERSATION HAD BEEN THAT THEY WERE GOING TO ENGAGE IN A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES SUM CONTRACT OF SOME TYPE IN ORDER TO PROCEED WITH A, UM, CONTRACT OF A SEARCH FIRM TO PROCEED FURTHER.
SO, I, I, I, I'M JUST, MAYBE THAT'S THE RIGHT DECISION.
I'M JUST A LITTLE SURPRISED CUZ I HADN'T BEEN, I'M KIND OF SURPRISED.
SO, UH, SO WHAT WE CAN DO IS MAKE SURE THAT THE, UH, THAT THE LEGAL TEAM AND THE, AND THE BOARD, UH, BASICALLY COME AND PRESENT AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE.
THAT ANY, IF, IF ANYBODY ELSE FEELS THE SAME WAY, I, LIKE I SAID, I'M JUST, THAT KIND OF SURPRISES ME.
I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY ELSE FEELS THE SAME WAY, BUT THAT, I THINK THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL, HONESTLY.
UM, YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER QUESTION.
BOARD MEMBER POOL? I DID NOT, NO QUESTION.
JUST TO SAY I'M PLEASED, I'M SURPRISED AS WELL, BUT VERY PLEASED, UH, WITH GREG CANALI BEING CHOSEN AS THE FINAL FINALIST OR THE LOAN FINALIST.
I THINK THAT IS REALLY HELPFUL.
UH, IT IS A DECISION THAT THE TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP IS MAKING IN ITS, UM, IN ITS, UH, INDEPENDENT CAPACITY.
BUT IT WOULD BE GREAT FOR US TO BE BRIEFED ON HOW, HOW THEY GOT THERE.
SO PERHAPS A, A BRIEFING MEMO WOULD BE USEFUL AT THIS POINT.
[01:00:01]
UH, THE CHAIR OVER AT ATP COULD PROVIDE, CERTAINLY PUT THAT TOGETHER.UM, BUT CONGRATULATIONS ARE REALLY IN ORDER THAT IS A HEAVY LIFT AND CORRECT.
AND I'M VERY, VERY PLEASED TO HEAR ABOUT THAT.
JU JUST LIKE WE HAVE, IF YOU LOOK AT OUR ITEM POSTED TODAY, WE'RE VERY EXPLICIT AS TO HOW WE GOT TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY WITH NAMING, UM, DOTTY AS OUR LOAN FINALIST, AND THEN, UM, CANDIDATE, AND THAT WE ARE AWARDING HER THE POSITION TODAY.
ALL RIGHT, WELL, I'LL MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THAT DONE.
AND, AND I KNOW GREG PINELLI, HE'S A, A VERY FINE PERSON.
IF I HAD ANY KIND OF ISSUES OR QUESTIONS ON ANYTHING FINANCIAL, HE WOULD, UH, COME AND EXPLAIN IT TO ME IN GREAT DETAIL.
AND I THINK HE IS ONE OF A REALLY EXCELLENT PICK.
UH, I DON'T KNOW WHAT KIND OF PROCEDURE Y'ALL HAD TO DISCUSSED, CUZ I'M NOT ON, UH, ON THAT BOARD.
BUT, UH, KNOWING GREG, HE'S GONNA DO A WONDERFUL JOB AND HE'S THE KIND OF GUY THAT REALLY KNOWS HOW TO WHERE THE MONEY GOES AND, AND IF IT'S GOING AT THE RIGHT PLACE, THE BOARD MEMBER KITCHEN.
I, I I DON'T THINK ANYBODY'S QUESTIONING, UH, THE SELECTION OF, OF, UM, MR. CANAL.
AND I, I DON'T THINK THAT, I DIDN'T HEAR ERIC DOING THAT, BUT, UM, BUT I DO THINK IT IS IMPORTANT, YOU KNOW, JUST SO THE PUBLIC AND I, I'M SURE THAT ATP IS DOING THAT, IS PUTTING THAT OUT.
SO PROBABLY BE HELPFUL FOR US TOO, AS WELL AS THE CITY, I THINK.
I THINK A SIGNIFICANT PART OF IT IS THAT, UH, HE'S BEEN DOING A GREAT JOB WORKING DURING, DURING THE PERIOD OF TIME THAT HE IS, UH, SERVED AS THE INTERIM.
AND THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DECISIONS, PARTICULARLY FINANCIAL DECISIONS, THAT ARE STRONGLY PART OF HIS BACKGROUND.
UH, BUT I'LL MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS, EVERYTHING IS, IS, UH, LAID OUT AND PRESENTED, UH, TO THE BOARD AS REQUESTED.
MR. CHAIR, IF, IF I JUST MAY, I, I, I DO NOT BY ANY MEANS WANT ANYBODY TO THINK THAT I AM IMPUGNING THE SELECTION OF GREG CANAL AS A SOLE SORT.
THIS IS THE FIRST I'VE HEARD OF IT.
THAT'S WHY I WAS, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I HEARD CORRECTLY THAT, THAT MY, UH, REMOTE THAT, THAT MY INTERNET DIDN'T CUT OUT FIRST.
I, I'VE GOT NOTHING AGAINST GREG.
BUT AGAIN, FIRST I'VE HEARD OF IT, AND I THINK THAT'S MORE MY CONCERN IS AS A COURTESY, THE FACT THAT WE AS A PARTNER IN THE PARTNERSHIP CITY OF AUSTIN AND CAP METRO ARE, ARE HEARING THIS NOW, LIVE AT THE PUBLIC MEETING AND KNEW NOTHING ELSE ABOUT THE PROCESS.
THAT'S THE THING THAT I'M MORE CONCERNED ABOUT.
NOT WHO THEY SELECTED, BUT HOW THEY SELECTED HIM, AND THE FACT THAT YOU WERE BRINGING THIS INFORMATION TO US NOW FOR THE FIRST TIME.
BUT YOU KNOW, VIA CODIS TO, TO, TO GREG CANALI, I'VE, I'VE, I'VE WORKED WITH HIM.
I, I APPRECIATE WHAT HE'S DONE.
AND, AND I THINK THAT IF THAT'S WHAT THEY FEEL IS THE, THE BEST PICK, GREAT, GREAT ON HIM.
I'VE HAD SOME GREAT IN INTERACTIONS WITH HIM AND, AND I THINK HE, HE, HE'D BE A GREAT, YOU KNOW, A GREAT FIT.