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[CALL TO ORDER]
TX N.ARE YOU READY? GREAT, THANK YOU.
IT IS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29TH AT 9 34.
I'M ALLISON AL ALTER AND I'M CHAIR OF THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE.
AND I CALL TO ORDER THIS MEETING ON THE DIAS WITH ME.
OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS, RYAN AL ALTER, AND LESLIE POOL COUNCIL MEMBER VANESSA FUENTES, IS IN A CAN MEETING AND WILL BE ARRIVING ABOUT 10:00 AM AND COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY WILL NOT BE JOINING US THIS MORNING.
UH, THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING WITH US.
WE'RE GONNA START WITH, UM, PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.
I DO NOT BELIEVE WE HAVE ANY SPEAKERS.
IS THAT CORRECT? NO SPEAKERS CHAIR.
[1. Approve the minutes of the Audit and Finance Committee meeting of January 18, 2023.]
WE'LL NOW MOVE TO THE MINUTES.CAN I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM COUNCIL MEMBER POOL? SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN ALTAR WITH NO OBJECTION.
[2. Discussion and possible action regarding the Austin Police Retirement System Funding Plan.]
NEXT ITEM OF BUSINESS IS ITEM TWO, A DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING THE AUSTIN POLICE RETIREMENT SYSTEM FUNDING PLAN.UM, AND WE ARE JOINED TODAY BY MS. THOMAS, THE DEPUTY CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER.
AND AS I'M SURE SHE'S GONNA EXPLAIN, THIS IS A STEP THAT WE NEED TO TAKE TO ADOPT A POLICY.
JUST TO EFFECTIVELY REITERATE, UM, THE AGREEMENT THAT WE MADE LAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION TO MAKE WHOLE OUR POLICE RETIREMENT SYSTEM.
GOOD MORNING, UH, COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
DIANA THOMAS, DEPUTY CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER FOR THE CITY.
UM, THIS POLICY THAT'S BEFORE YOU IS THE FUNDING POLICY FOR THE AUSTIN POLICE RETIREMENT SYSTEM IS A PLAN THAT, UM, SORRY, GET TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
IT IS A PLAN THAT, THAT, UH, ADOPTS THE TEXAS PENSION REVIEW BOARD GUIDELINES FOR ESTABLISHING FUNDING POLICIES THAT ARE DEVELOPED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE PLAN SPONSOR AND THE PLAN ITSELF.
SO THIS IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN THE AUSTIN POLICE RETIREMENT SYSTEM BOARD AS WELL AS THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UH, IT JUST PUTS IN PLACE THOSE PLANS THAT WE WOULD TAKE IF ANYTHING GOES WRONG WITH THE SYSTEM AND WE NEED TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FUNDS.
UM, AS, AS, UH, COMMITTEE CHAIR ALTER MENTIONED IN THE 87TH LEGISLATURE, THE CITY AND THE AUSTIN POLICE RETIREMENT SYSTEM COLLABORATED TO TAKE REFORMS FOR APR R S, UH, TO THE 87TH LEGISLATURE.
AND THIS FUNDING POLICY REALLY COVERS, UH, A LOT OF THAT SAME INFORMATION.
IT JUST CHANGES IT FROM LEGISLATIVE LANGUAGE TO SOMETHING THAT IS, UH, MORE COMMON, COMMON FORM.
UH, JUST A QUICK REMINDER OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE INCLUDED IN THAT LEGISLATION.
WE CHANGED THE CALCULATION OF THE CITY'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO AN ACTUARILY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTION.
WE HAD A SET PERCENTAGE CONTRIBUTION RATE THAT WE MADE, WHICH, UH, WHEN YOU HAVE A DEFINED BENEFIT PLAN, YOU NEED TO ADJUST YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO ACCOUNT FOR THE CHANGES THAT OCCUR IN THE PLAN.
WE ALSO INCREASED EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTIONS TO 15% FROM 13%, AND IF AS PART OF THE EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTIONS, WE, WE CREATED A MAXIMUM AND A MINIMUM AND A MIDPOINT OF OUR CONTRIBUTIONS.
IF WE HIT THE, IF THE CITY HITS THE MAXIMUM CONTRIBUTION, EMPLOYEES WOULD GIVE ANOTHER 2% BEFORE THE CITY AND THE PLAN WOULD SIT DOWN TOGETHER AND COME UP WITH OTHER ALTERNATIVES TO COME UP WITH A FUNDING PLAN TO COVER EVERYTHING.
UH, THE CITY'S, BECAUSE OF THIS, THE CITY'S CONTRIBUTION CAN VARY FROM, FROM YEAR TO YEAR.
UM, IT'S NOT A SET PERCENTAGE ANYMORE.
AND IT ALSO TALKS ABOUT WHEN THE, THE CONTRIBUTIONS CAN VARY FROM THE MIDPOINT.
UM, IF THE FUNDING RATIO IS LESS THAN 90%, THE CITY'S CONTRIBUTION WILL BE THE GREATER OF THE ADEC OR THE CORRIDOR MIDPOINT.
AND IF THE FUNDING RATIO IS, IS LESS THAN 90 PER, OR GRAHAM, SORRY, IS GREATER THAN 90%, THEN THE CITY CONTRIBUTION IS EQUAL TO THE ADEC OR THE ACTUARILY DETERMINED EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTION.
I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
UH, THE ACTION, THOUGH, THAT WE DO NEED FROM THE COMMITTEE IS TO RECOMMEND APPROVAL TO THE FULL COUNSEL, AND WE'LL BE BRINGING THIS TO THE FULL COUNSEL ON APRIL 4TH.
OUR, UH, INTENTION IS TO ALSO GO TO THE APR R S BOARD AND GET THEIR APPROVAL AGAIN ON THIS DOCUMENT THAT WAS PREPARED BY STAFF ON BOTH TEAMS. THANK YOU, MS. THOMAS.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, VICE CHAIR, MS. THOMAS, THANKS FOR COMING HERE TODAY AND GIVING US THIS GOOD UPDATE ON APR R S AND THE FINANCING MODEL.
I'LL MAKE A MOTION IN A MINUTE TO APPROVE THIS.
I JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT WE HAVE ADDITIONAL WORK AHEAD OF US IN THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION, WHICH WILL DO A VERY SIMILAR, UH, WHICH WILL, IF THAT LEGISLATION PASSES, WE WILL HAVE A VERY SIMILAR MODEL FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT SYSTEM.
AND THAT WILL ALSO HELP, UM, SHORE UP THE ACTUARIAL SOUNDNESS OF THOSE FUNDS GOING FAR INTO THE FUTURE.
AND AS A MEMBER AND TRUSTEE OF THE COS BOARD FOR THE LAST EIGHT, NINE YEARS, I'M, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE REALLY GOOD WORK THAT
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OUR, UH, FINANCE OFFICE HAS BROUGHT TO, UM, UH, HELP WITH THESE MATTERS.AND OF COURSE, WE ALL HOPE THAT THE LEGISLATION WILL PASS IT SUCCESSFULLY AS THE APRS LEGISLATION DID LAST YEAR.
UM, AND I'LL JUST CLOSE BY SAYING THAT I THOUGHT THAT, UM, REPRESENTATIVE EDDIE RODRIGUEZ DID A REALLY GREAT JOB IN, IN SUPPORTING THE WORK OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN WITH REGARD TO THE A P R S, UM, UH, REFORMS AND, UH, KIND OF MISS HIM NOT BEING UP THERE THIS YEAR.
BUT I'M OPTIMISTIC THAT WE WILL, UM, SEE GOOD RESULTS, UH, IN THIS SESSION FOR COERCE.
UM, I ALSO WANNA THANK MR. RODRIGUEZ FOR HIS SUPPORT IN HELPING US TO PASS THIS AT THE LEGISLATURE AND, AND, UM, BRINGING PARTIES TOGETHER TO, TO, TO MOVE THIS FORWARD.
BUT I ALSO WANT TO THANK OUR STAFF AND, AND, YOU KNOW, MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, INCLUDING MYSELF AND COUNCIL MEMBER POOL, UM, YOU KNOW, WORK BEHIND THE SCENES ON THIS PROCESS, UM, FOR APRS AND CONTINUE TO DO SO FOR COS IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT OUR EMPLOYEES, UM, FEEL SECURE IN THEIR PENSIONS.
IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THEM AND, UM, THEIR, UH, CONNECTION WITH THE CITY, BUT IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT FROM A FISCAL PERSPECTIVE FOR THE CITY.
SO I THINK THESE ARE VERY IMPORTANT STEPS AND, AND I TRUST THAT THE COS LEGISLATION WILL ALSO MOVE FORWARD.
UM, COUNCILMAN POOL, DID YOU WANNA MAKE A MOTION? YES.
AND I'LL MOVE ADOPTION OR APPROVAL RECOMMENDATION TO, UH, THE COUNCIL.
COUNCIL MEMBER POOL MAKES THAT MOTION SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN ALTAR WITH NO OBJECTION.
THAT MOTION PASSES AND WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE COUNCIL AT THE NEXT APPROPRIATE MEETING.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
AND WHEN YOU DO, UM, PUT THAT IN THE BACKUP, IF YOU CAN INCLUDE, UM, THE PRESENTATION AS WELL AS THE POLICY.
[3. Discussion and possible action regarding recommendations for appointment of member(s) to the Municipal Civil Service Commission.]
NEXT ITEM IS A DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS OF THE MUNICIPAL CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION.I BELIEVE WE'RE GONNA HEAR FROM STEPHANIE HALL, ASSISTANT CITY CLERK, MATTHEW CH CHUTS.
I'M NOT SURE IF I'M PRONOUNCING THAT RIGHT.
THAT'S THE, IS THAT CORRECT? MANAGER OF MUNICIPAL CIVIL SERVICE AND H R D AND THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR NATHAN BROWN FROM H R D, ARE ALL HERE TO, TO HELP US.
UM, JUST A REMINDER FOR FOLKS THAT ARE WATCHING, UM, THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR NOMINATING MEMBERS OF THE MUNICIPAL CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION.
UM, WE DO THIS ON A PRETTY REGULAR BASIS.
UM, WE HAVE A POSITION THAT, UM, SOMEONE HAD FILLED MIDWAY THROUGH, AND THE QUESTION IS WHETHER WE REOPEN THE SEARCH OR WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD.
BUT I WILL LET, UM, MS. HALL PRESENT.
THERE'S LIKE A LITTLE HOLE HERE, SO I'M DOING A LITTLE DANCE OVER
SO MATTHEW SHOOTS, UH, YES, WE ARE HERE.
THIS IS STEPHANIE ALL FROM THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE TO ASK THE COMMITTEE IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO REAPPOINT KEVIN MCMULLEN, WHICH WE IN MULLEN, PARDON OF ME.
WE KNOW HE IS INTERESTED IN SEEKING APPOINTMENT.
AND THEN ALSO JUST RECENTLY THE MUNICIPAL SERVICE COMMISSION MADE A RECOMMENDATION TO CONTINUE THE APPOINTMENT OF ANDY MORMON AS CHAIR.
SO WE WOULD ALSO ASK IF THIS COMMITTEE WOULD BE WILLING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT RECOMMENDATION.
UH, SO THE TWO THING, I GUESS THERE'S TWO THINGS WE'RE LOOKING AT.
SHOULD WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE REAPPOINTMENT OF KEVIN MULLIN OR FOR ANOTHER TERM, OR SHOULD WE OPEN THE CALL FOR APPLICATIONS? AND THEN WOULD THE COMMITTEE BE ALL RIGHT MOVING FORWARD WITH RECOMMENDATION FOR ANY MORON AS CHAIR? THANK YOU.
AND, UM, VICE CHAIR POOL AND I, UM, DISCUSSED THIS AND HAVING BEEN ON THE SEARCH COMMITTEE AND HAVING INTERVIEWED MR. MULLEN AND GIVEN THAT HE WAS FILLING A SEAT HALFWAY THROUGH, UH, WOULD BE OUR PREFERENCE, UM, TO CONTINUE TO HAVE HIM SERVE AND, AND TO REAPPOINT HIM.
UM, AND I'M ALSO COMFORTABLE WITH, UH, REAPPOINTING THE CHAIR.
SO COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER YOU COMFORTABLE WITH THAT? ABSOLUTELY.
AND I ALSO WANTED TO THANK, UM, THAT GROUP AND MR. MORMAN FOR THE GOOD LEADERSHIP THERE AND SUPPORT HIS CONTINUING AS CHAIR.
WOULD THAT BE PART OF THE MOTION CHAIR? TO THANK, DID YOU JUST MAKE A MOTION? I DID NOT MAKE A MOTION.
I'LL LET YOU GO AHEAD AND MAKE THE MOTION.
TRYING TO AVOID, SO WOULD BE THE MOTION CHAIR BEING ON MAKES THE MOTION
SO, UH, TO CONTINUE EVAN MCMULLEN AS, UH, KEVIN IS IN IT.
DID I SAY IT WRONG? YOU SAID, SAID EVAN.
MCMULLEN FOR, UH, TO CONTINUE AS A COMMISSIONER AND TO SUPPORT THAT, UM, THAT BOARD'S REQUEST TO HAVE MR.
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MORMAN CONTINUE AS CHAIR, THAT WOULD BE THE MOTION.AND JUST, UM, FOR THE RECORD THEN THE BOARD WOULD BE KEVIN MULLEN, MACKENZIE FRAZIER, ANDY MORMAN AS CHAIR, KAVITA GUPTA AND JOHN UMK.
AND WE THANK ALL OF THEM FOR THEIR SERVICE.
WE'VE BEEN HEARING POSITIVE THINGS ABOUT HOW IT'S FUNCTIONING, UM, RIGHT NOW.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR WORK.
[4. SD23: Economic Opportunity and Affordability Audit.]
UM, WE'LL NOW MOVE TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR, WHICH IS THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND AFFORDABILITY AUDIT THAT ORIGINATED WITH SD 23, UM, BY THE AUDITOR TO COME AND INTRODUCE THEM, PLEASE.HAPPY TO INTRODUCE THIS TEAM THAT WAS MANAGED BY NEHA SHARMA.
AND, UH, TYLER MEYERS WAS THE LEAD AND WILL BE HERE MAKING THE PRESENTATION THIS MORNING.
GOOD MORNING AND HAPPY TO BE WITH YOU, WITH YOU HERE TODAY.
UH, STRATEGIC PLANNING PROVIDES LONG-TERM DIRECTION FOR CITY GOALS AND PRIORITIES.
IT CAN HELP ORGANIZATIONS WITH PLANNING THESE PRIORITIES BY ESTABLISHING A LOGICAL LINK BETWEEN CITY'S BUDGETS AND CITY SERVICES AND PROGRAMS. STRATEGIC DIRECTION 2023 WAS MORE COMMON, MORE COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS SD 23 IS THE STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN CONSULTANTS, ALONG WITH CITY STAFF MANAGEMENT AND ELECTED OFFICIALS PARTICIPATED IN ITS DEVELOPMENT IS FORMALLY ADOPTED BY CITY COUNCIL ON MARCH 8TH, 2018, AND IT WAS INTENDED TO GUIDE CITY EFFORTS OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
THERE ARE SIX OUTCOME AREAS WITHIN THE PLAN SHOWN ON THE SLIDE, BUT DUE TO THE OBJECTIVE OF OUR AUDIT, WE FOCUSED OUR REVIEW ON THE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND AFFORDABILITY OUTCOME.
BUT CONCLUSIONS, JOHN, FROM OUR REPORT LIKELY APPLIED TO THE OTHER FIVE OUTCOME AREAS AS WELL.
THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND AFFORDABILITY OUTCOME FREQUENTLY SHORTENED TO EEO A COVERS TOPICS SUCH AS EMPLOYMENT, INCOME INEQUALITY, COST OF LIVING, HOUSING, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND ECONOMIC MOBILITY.
FOR THIS PROJECT, WE USE THE GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION FRAMEWORK FOR STRATEGIC PLANNING.
THIS FRAMEWORK HAS 13 ELEMENTS THAT HELP ORGANIZATIONS ACHIEVE SUCCESS AND THEIR STRATEGIC PLANNING EFFORTS.
AND IT IS A HELPFUL WAY TO FRAME MANY OF THE ISSUES WE OBSERVED THROUGHOUT OUR WORK.
IN THE GRAPHIC, THE ELEMENT SHOWN IN GREEN REPRESENT PRACTICES FOLLOWED BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND ELEMENTS IN ORANGE ARE HIGHLIGHTED TO SHOW PRACTICES THAT DEVIATE, UH, ARE, ARE, AND OUR AUDIT RESULTED IN TWO FINDINGS.
FINDING ONE COVERS THE ISSUES WE OBSERVE WHEN LOOKING AT THE 35 PERFORMANCE MEASURES UNDER THE EEO A OUTCOME WHICH CAN BE SUMMARIZED INTO FIVE ISSUE AREAS.
OVER THE NEXT FEW SLIDES, WE'LL DIVE INTO QUICKLY INTO WHY EACH ONE REDUCE THE CITY'S ABILITY TO MEASURE AND REPORT ON PROGRESS.
THE FIRST ISSUE AREA CONCERNS THE COMMUNITY INDICATORS, THE USE OF COMMUNITY INDICATORS AS STRATEGIC PERFORMANCE MEASURES.
COMMUNITY INDICATORS ARE GENERALLY BROAD STATISTICS ABOUT THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY, AND AN EXAMPLE OF A COMMUNITY INDICATOR IS MEDIAN HOUSE VALUE.
WHILE COMMUNITY INDICATORS PROVIDE HELPFUL INFORMATION, THEY'RE NOT WELL SUITED TO SERVE AS PERFORMANCE MEASURES BECAUSE THEY ARE GENERALLY OUTSIDE THE CITY'S SPAN OF CONTROL.
DESPITE THIS, OVER HALF OF ALL EEO A PERFORMANCE MEASURES ARE COMMUNITY INDICATORS.
THE GUIDANCE WE USE RECOMMENDS THAT PLANS INCLUDE MEASURABLE OBJECTIVES AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES THAT PROVIDE INFORMATION ON WHETHER GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ARE BEING MET.
HOWEVER, WE FOUND THAT ROUGHLY HALF OF ALL EEO A PERFORMANCE MEASURES LACK A TARGET.
INSTEAD OF SERVING AS A TOOL TO BETTER UNDERSTAND PERFORMANCE, THE DATA'S SIMPLY BEING RECORDED WITH MINIMAL OPPORTUNITIES TO UNDERSTAND IF THE CITY IS MAKING PROGRESS OR THE CITY MIGHT NEED TO CHANGE ITS STRATEGY.
UH, OUR ANALYSIS OF ALL EEO A PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2021 SHOWED THAT 60% OF MEASURES DISPLAYED DATA FOR A PERIOD THAT WAS OLDER THAN THE MOST RECENTLY COMPLETED FISCAL YEAR, OR DID NOT EVEN DISPLAY WHICH PERIOD THEY COVERED.
WE ALSO NOTED AT LEAST THREE TIMES IN WHICH THE USE OF STATISTICS TO SUPPORT CERTAIN PERFORMANCE MEASURES DID NOT FOLLOW THE RECOMMENDED GUIDANCE FROM THE US CENSUS BUREAU AND MAY MISREPRESENT PROGRESS THE CITY HAS MADE FOR THOSE MEASURES.
THE LAST ISSUE AREA UNDER FINDING ONE HIGHLIGHTS THAT MANY SD THREE, SD 23 PERFORMANCE MEASURES CANNOT BE USED TO UNDERSTAND THE CITY'S IMPACT FROM AN EQUITY STANDPOINT.
SD 23 ITSELF CALLS OUT THE IMPORTANCE OF BREAKING DOWN EACH PERFORMANCE MEASURE BY KEY
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DEMOGRAPHICS.HOWEVER, WE NOTED THAT ONLY ABOUT A QUARTER OF MEASURES CAN BE HAVE THE DATA CONNECTED TO ALLOW FOR THIS TYPE OF ANALYSIS.
US OUR SECOND FINDING NOTES THAT THE CITY IS DELAY IN IMPLEMENTING KEY ELEMENTS OF SD 23 AND THE LACK OF FORMAL MONITORING LIMITED THE ABILITY OF THE CITY TO ASSESS AND REPORT ON PROGRESS.
THIS GRAPHIC SHOWS A TIMELINE OF TWO IMPORTANT MILESTONES RELATED TO S ST 23 OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, FEW YEARS.
IT SHOWS THAT IN MARCH, 2018, THE PLAN WAS ADOPTED, BUT IT WASN'T UNTIL DECEMBER, 2020 THAT THE STRATEGIC PERFORMANCE DASHBOARD WAS OPERATIONAL.
THIS MEANS THAT THE PRIMARY TOOL USED TO REVIEW PERFORMANCE MEASURE DATA AND TARGETS WAS NOT AVAILABLE NEARLY THREE YEARS INTO A FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN.
THE GUIDANCE WE REFERENCED EARLIER ALSO NOTES TO THE IMPORTANCE OF FORMAL MONITORING OPPORTUNITIES AND DEVELOPING A SYSTEMATIC PROCESS TO EVALUATE IF GOALS HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED.
HOWEVER, WE FOUND THAT THE CITY DID NOT HAVE A PLAN TO REGULARLY PRESENT ON SD 23 PROGRESS, AND THAT ONLY ONE FORMAL MEETING WAS HELD ON OCTOBER 20, HELD IN OCTOBER, 2021.
THE LACK OF A PLAN TO HAVE CHECK-IN OPPORTUNITIES LIMITED THE ABILITY OF CITY STAKEHOLDERS AND THE PUBLIC TO ASSESS IF PROGRESS TOWARDS OUTCOMES HAD BEEN ACHIEVED, OR DECIDE IF ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT BY THE CITY WAS NEEDED IN SPECIFIC AREAS.
WE ISSUED THREE RECOMMENDATIONS IN OUR REPORT TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES WE NOTED.
RECOMMENDATION ONE, ASK THE DEPARTMENT TO DISCONTINUE OR RETOOL PERFORMANCE MEASURES THAT ARE OUTSIDE THE CITY'S SPAN OF CONTROL.
RECOMMENDATION TWO, ASK THE DEPARTMENT TO CREATE PERFORMANCE MEASURES THAT ARE USEFUL, RE RELEVANT AND RELIABLE.
AND THEN RECOMMENDATION THREE, ASK THE DEPARTMENT TO DEVELOP AND DEVELOP A PLAN TO REGULARLY PROVIDE UPDATES ON STRATEGIC PLAN PROGRESS.
AND THAT WRAPS UP MY PRESENTATION AND HAPPY TO TAKE A, TAKE.
ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COLLEAGUES.
ANY QUESTIONS? UM, AUDITOR, DO WE NEED TO TAKE A, A MOTION, MS. STOKES, DO WE NEED TO TAKE A VOTE? NO.
COUNCIL, I DID HAVE ONE QUESTION FOR OUR CITY AUDITOR, AND THAT WAS WHETHER, UM, YOU HAVE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR INTERIM CITY MANAGER ABOUT THE FINDINGS IN THIS AUDIT.
AND IF SO, WHAT, UM, IF YOU CAN SHARE WHAT HE SAW THAT MIGHT BE ACTIONABLE FOR HIM.
SO WE PRIMARILY WORKED WITH FINANCIAL SERVICES, WHO WAS AS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE STRATEGIC DIRECTION EFFORTS.
HOWEVER, WE DID, I DID BRIEF THE CITY MANAGER AND HAVE THAT CONVERSATION.
I THINK, UM, THE, I MEAN, I, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS IS THAT I THINK THE CITY MANAGER IS CHANGING THE APPROACH TO STRATEGIC DIRECTION GOING FORWARD.
UM, SO THAT IT'S MORE OF A MANAGEMENT FUNCTION AND LESS OF A COUNCIL FUNCTION.
UH, AND SO IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS, HOWEVER, UM, WE ALSO STILL FEEL LIKE OUR RECOMMENDATIONS MAKE A LOT OF SENSE.
YOU KNOW, YOU WANT YOUR PERFORMANCE MEASURES TO BE BASED ON, UH, THE MOST CURRENT DATA, THE MOST RELIABLE DATA.
UM, AND SO I, I DON'T THINK IT CHANGES A LOT.
UM, BUT IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS, I THINK HE UNDERSTOOD WHAT THE FINDINGS WERE.
YOU KNOW, HE WAS NEW ENOUGH TO, TO NOT, UM, NECESSARILY, UM, OWN, OWN ALL OF THE, THE PROBLEMS THAT HAPPENED.
BUT, UM, CERTAINLY GOING FORWARD, I THINK THAT IT'S A PRIORITY AREA.
I DO THINK THAT THE FINDINGS WERE REALLY USEFUL AND, AND SO IT SEEMED LIKE REALLY GOOD GRIST FOR THE MILL, FOR THE CITY MANAGER TO PUT INTO THE NEW PROCESS THAT HE'S LOOKING AT TO, UM, CHANGE KIND OF OUR APPROACH TO THE STRATEGIC DIRECTION EFFORTS AND CERTAINLY OUR CONVERSATIONS WITH FINANCIAL SERVICES AND WITH THE BUDGET OFFICE.
UM, THIS IS INFORMATION THAT THEY WILL INCORPORATE GOING FORWARD.
YEAH, WE HAVE REALLY GOOD STAFF IN THOSE OFFICES, AND I THINK HAVING THIS KIND OF HIGH LEVEL AND CLOSE IN LOOK AT OPERATIONS, PARTICULARLY IN THIS FAIRLY NEW EFFORT THAT WE CRAFTED JUST A FEW YEARS AGO, IS REALLY, THIS IS A GREAT TIME FOR THAT TO HAPPEN.
AND AS THINGS HAVE HAVE EVOLVED, IT'S EVEN A, A MORE APPROPRIATE TIME WITH KIND OF A SHIFTING FROM THE CITY MANAGER'S PERSPECTIVE ON, ON HOW WE SHOULD ORGANIZE OURSELVES AND, AND WORK THROUGH ISSUES.
UM, IS THERE ANYONE FROM THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE THAT WANTS TO SPEAK TO THIS ITEM OR LIKE TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT I SECURE THE NEW PROCESS.
CARRIE LANG, BUDGET OFFICER FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UM, IN THE FINANCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
AND, UM, I AGREE WITH THE, UM, SENTIMENTS THAT, UH, COREY JUST SPOKE, UM, AND TALKING TO
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THE CITY MANAGER AND WORKING WITH THE RS OFFICE ON THIS, UM, AUDIT, WE, WE RECOGNIZE AS WE WERE LOOKING AT WHAT THE NEXT PHASE AND WHAT THE NEXT ITERATION OF A STRATEGIC PLAN WOULD LOOK LIKE, THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT WE NEEDED TO CHANGE.WE HAD A LOT OF LESSON LEARNED FROM SD 23.
IT WAS, UM, A GREAT FIRST DRAFT, GREAT FIRST ITERATION, I THINK, FOR THE CITY TO MOVING THIS DIRECTION.
UM, BUT WITH THAT, WE ARE LOOKING AT MAKING, UM, SOME, SOME, UM, VERY SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES TO OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING EFFORTS, INCLUDING ESTABLISHING, UM, TANGIBLE GOALS THAT, THAT WE CAN REALLY SHOW WHAT THOSE TARGETS ARE, WHAT THOSE CHANGES WILL LOOK LIKE IN FIVE YEARS.
UM, ALSO CREATING MEASURES THAT THE CITY IN PARTICULAR HAS, UM, IMPACT ON.
UM, WE ARE WORKING, UM, HAVE WORKED WITH A DEMOGRAPHER TO MOVE A NUMBER OF THOSE COMMUNITY INDICATORS INTO THE DEMOGRAPHER'S PURVIEW.
AND, UM, A DASHBOARD HAS BEEN CREATED IN THAT VEIN SO THAT SOME MANY OF THESE VERY IMPORTANT COMMUNITY INDICATORS CAN BE SEEN ON THE DEMOGRAPHER'S DASHBOARD.
BUT WE ARE REALLY WORKING AS WE'RE BUILDING THIS, UM, NEW STRATEGIC PLAN TO, TO, UM, INCORPORATE SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS OR THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THE R'S OFFICE HAS MADE.
AND, UM, PROVIDING A, A WAY FOR US TO CONTINUALLY REPORT THE PROGRESS OF THE PLAN IN THE OVER THE, OVER THE, UM, NEXT FIVE YEARS.
AS, AS SOMEONE WHO AT OUR LAST STRATEGIC PLANNING, UM, CHECK IN WAS RAISING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DATA AND, AND HOW USEFUL IT WAS.
I, I APPRECIATE THE CONFIRMATION FROM THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE AND, UM, THE RECOGNITION FROM MANAGEMENT THAT WE NEED TO DO BETTER, UM, IN OUR MEASUREMENT AND IN OUR INNER TARGETS.
AND I'LL LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU AND THE CITY MANAGER ON THAT PROCESS, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS ALSO REFLECTING, UH, COUNCIL'S PRIORITIES AND THE BREADTH OF RESPONSIBILITIES THAT, THAT WE HAVE AND THE, AND THE WAYS THAT WE AS A CITY CAN IMPACT OUR COMMUNITY, UM, ACROSS THE BOARD.
AND THANK YOU MR. MYERS FOR THE PRESENTATION.
SO IF WE DON'T NEED TO TAKE ACTION THEN, UM, ITEM SIX WAS THE POTENTIAL EXECUTIVE SESSION, WHICH WE DO NOT NEED TO TAKE.
UM, SO WE WILL MOVE TO FUTURE ITEMS. MS. STOKES, UH, I THINK WE STILL HAVE THE ANIMAL SERVICES.
I I I WAS TOO EAGER TO FAIR ENOUGH.
UM, WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE THIS AFTERNOON, SO, UH, WE ARE TRYING TO BE VERY APPRECIATE THAT THIS MORNING.
WE, WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE THIS AFTERNOON, SO MY APOLOGIES.
[5. Animal Services audit update.]
NUMBER FIVE IS THE ANIMAL SERVICES AUDIT UPDATE.SO, UH, WE HAVE AN UPDATE FOR YOU.
UM, AS YOU'LL RECALL, THIS WAS AN AUDIT APPROVED IN THE FALL, UM, AND KEITH SALAS IS THE MANAGER OF THIS AUDIT, AND SO HE WILL BE PRESENTING AN AN UPDATE ON WHERE WE'RE AT.
THANK YOU FOR LETTING SPEAK TODAY TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON OUR ANIMAL SERVICES AUDIT.
MY NAME IS KEITH SALAS, AND I AM AN ASSISTANT TO THE AUDITOR IN THE OFFICE OF THE CITY AUDITOR.
BEFORE I GET INTO THE ACTUAL AUDIT ITSELF AND WHAT WE'VE DONE, I WANNA TAKE A QUICK SECOND TO GO OVER OUR OFFICE'S ROLE.
FOR ANYBODY WHO'S WATCHING, I KNOW THAT THIS IS A TOPIC THAT'S VERY INTERESTED, UH, TO MANY PEOPLE.
SO, UH, TO REMIND EVERYONE, WE ARE AN INDEPENDENT AND OBJECTIVE OFFICE THAT REPORTS DIRECTLY TO CITY COUNCIL.
SO WE ARE NOT PART OF ANIMAL SERVICES, AND WE'RE NOT PART OF THE MANAGEMENT CHAIN THAT OVERSEES ANIMAL SERVICES, WHICH ALLOWS US TO DO OUR WORK INDEPENDENTLY.
UM, WE GENERALLY CONDUCT OUR WORK IN THREE PARTS.
SO THE FIRST ONE IS OUR IN INITIAL INFORMATION GATHERING PHASE.
THEN THAT HELPS US NARROW DOWN WHAT WE'RE GONNA FOCUS ON IN OUR NEXT PHASE, WHICH IS OUR DETAILED TEST WORK.
UM, RIGHT NOW WE'RE DOING AN UPDATE AFTER CONDUCTING OUR INITIAL INFORMATION GATHERING.
SO WE'RE JUST STARTING OUR DETAILED TESTING WORK AND GONNA BE ABLE TO SHARE WITH, UH, WITH EVERYONE WHAT WE HAVE FOCUSED ON.
UM, AND HOW WE GOT HERE JUST TO REMIND EVERYONE AS WELL.
UH, COUNCIL PASSED THE RESOLUTION LAST YEAR ASKING US TO AUDIT PRETTY MUCH ALL OF ANIMAL SERVICES.
THEY, UM, SUGGESTED THAT WE CONSIDER MANY DIFFERENT TOPICS, WHICH WE'VE, UH, LOOKED AT AND NARROWED IT DOWN BY DOING THE FOLLOWING WORK.
SO OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS, WE'VE REVIEWED POLICIES AND PROCEDURES, INTERVIEWED A BUNCH OF STAFF AND OTHER KEY STAKEHOLDERS.
WE'VE LOOKED AT DATA PROVIDED BY ANIMAL SERVICES OFFICE AND OTHER SOURCES.
WE'VE CONDUCTED THREE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS AND ONE COMMUNITY SURVEY.
AND I WANNA FOCUS ON THIS ONE FOR JUST A SECOND CAUSE I'M REALLY PROUD OF THIS.
UM, TWO OF THOSE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS WERE IN PERSON.
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COLLECTIVELY WE HAD ALMOST A HUNDRED PEOPLE COME AND, UH, SHARE THEIR OPINIONS AND, AND ATTEND THOSE SESSIONS.AND THEN OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SURVEY WAS POSTED AT THOSE SESSIONS, WAS POSTED ONLINE.
WE TRIED TO GET IT OUT TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE AND HAD OVER 400, UM, RESIDENTS RESPOND TO THOSE SURVEYS.
AND WE ALSO SET IT UP IN SUCH A WAY THAT YOU CAN ONLY RESPOND ONCE PER DEVICE OR FAIRLY CONFIDENT THAT VAST MAJORITY OF THOSE ARE UNIQUE, UH, RESPONSES.
IN ADDITION TO THOSE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ONES, WE ALSO HAD A SEPARATE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT SESSION THAT TOOK PLACE AT THE ANIMAL CENTER, AND THAT WAS JUST FOR, UM, EMPLOYEES OF THE AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER.
UM, WHEN WE WERE THERE, WE ALSO DID A SITE VISIT TO SEE WHAT, YOU KNOW, IT LOOKED LIKE ON THE GROUND.
AND THEN WE CONDUCTED A SEPARATE SITE VISIT UNANNOUNCED TO GET ANOTHER BETTER SENSE OF WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE WHEN THEY WEREN'T EXPECTING US.
UM, AND LASTLY, WE'VE BEEN ENGAGING WITH SEVERAL POTENTIAL EXTERNAL EXPERTS.
I WANNA TAKE A SECOND HERE TO SAY WE CAN'T SHARE TOO MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THAT BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T, UH, FINALIZED ANYTHING QUITE YET.
BUT NOW THAT WE KNOW THE DIRECTION OF THIS AUDIT AND WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE FOCUSING ON, I THINK WE CAN DO THAT FAIRLY QUICKLY.
I WILL SAY THAT WE'VE, UM, ARE AND HAVE BEEN IN CONVERSATIONS WITH, UH, VARIOUS PROFESSORS AND ACADEMICS AT SOME UNIVERSITIES.
WE'VE BEEN SPEAKING WITH SHELTER MANAGERS AND EXECUTIVES, UM, AROUND THE COUNTRY.
AND WE'VE ALSO BEEN, UM, SPEAKING WITH CONSULTING FIRMS THAT SPECIALIZE OR HAVE EXPERTISE IN, UM, CONDUCTING, UM, ANIMAL SERVICES, UH, WORK.
SO BASED ON EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE DONE, UM, WE'VE NARROWED DOWN OUR OBJECTIVE TO IS THE CITY EFFECTIVELY MANAGING ITS ANIMAL POPULATION AND PROVIDING ANIMALS IN ITS SHELTER WITH NECESSARY AND HUMANE CARE.
THAT'S STILL A FAIRLY BROAD TOPIC, AND WE'VE BROKEN IT DOWN INTO THREE SUBPARTS THAT YOU CAN SEE.
SO THE FIRST ONE IS DETERMINE WHY THE AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER IS OVERCROWDED AND ANIMAL INTAKE HAS BEEN RESTRICTED.
THE NEXT ONE IS DETERMINE WHETHER ANIMALS IN THE SHELTER'S POSSESSION RECEIVE NECESSARY CARE AND HUMANE TREATMENT.
AND THEN THE LAST ONE IS DETERMINE WHETHER THE CITY'S LIVE OUTCOME GOAL OF 95% IS SUSTAINABLE AT THE SHELTER'S CURRENT LEVEL OF SUPPORT.
UM, SO THAT'S HOW WE'RE GOING TO BE STRUCTURING THE REST OF THIS AUDIT.
AS FOR NEXT STEPS, UM, THE FIRST BIG ONE IS MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN HIRE THAT EXTERNAL EXPERT WHO HAS KNOWLEDGE IN THESE AREAS, CAN HELP US, UH, UNDERSTAND THIS SITUATION BETTER.
UM, WHILE WE'RE DOING THAT, WE'RE WILLING TO BE CONDUCTING OUR FOCUS TEST TO ADDRESS THESE OBJECTIVES, SAME AS WE WOULD IN ANY OTHER AUDIT, AND WE'RE STILL ANTICIPATING A COMPLETION DATE, UH, SOMETIME IN THE LATE SUMMER OF THIS YEAR.
SO WITH THAT, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM.
THANK YOU, MR. SALAS, WE APPRECIATE, UM, YOUR WORK ON THIS.
I KNOW THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ITEM AND I JUST WANTED TO SEE IF I SHARE POOL WHO ORIGINALLY SPONSORED IT.
IF YOU HAVE ANY REMARKS THAT YOU WANNA MAKE OR QUESTIONS.
NO, I'M JUST REALLY HAPPY WITH THE PROGRESS.
UM, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT, UH, LOOK, SEE AT THE OPERATIONS AND HOW THINGS ARE GOING.
SO I I AM VERY MUCH IN ANTICIPATION LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THE FINAL RESULTS.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE DID A SIMILAR LOOK AT WHAT THE STEPS WERE ALONG THE WAY FOR THE AUSTIN WATER AUDIT.
AND, AND SO I'M, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO A SIMILAR RESULT FROM THIS AUDIT FOR ANIMAL SERVICES TO BE SUBSTANTIVE AND AND USEFUL FOR US MOVING FORWARD.
COUNCIL MEMBER AL ALTER, DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANTED TO ADD? I WOULD JUST, I WENT OUT THERE JUST LAST WEEK, DID A TOUR, AND I'M GLAD THAT YOU HAVE THIS ITEM ALREADY IN THE WORKS BECAUSE IT WAS EYE-OPENING.
WE ARE BUSTING AT THE SEAMS OVER THERE AND, AND I THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT ISSUE FOR US TO LOOK AT.
SO I'M, I'M GLAD WE'RE GONNA DO THAT.
I APPRECIATE YOUR WORK ON THIS.
UM, OKAY, SO NOW FOR NUMBER SIX, WE'RE GONNA SKIP THE EXECUTIVE SESSION BECAUSE WE DID NOT NEED TO HAVE THAT, UM, DISCUSSION OF THE APPOINTMENTS FOR MUNICIPAL CIVIL SERVICE.
[7. Identify items to be discussed at future meetings.]
MOVE TO ITEM SEVEN, WHICH IS FUTURE ITEMS. AND, UH, WE'LL HEAR FROM MS. STOKES AND THEN I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OTHER ITEMS ON THE AGENDA.SO, UM, THE, UH, KINDA LARGEST ITEM OR OR ITEM THAT IS ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED TO GO AT THE APRIL MEETING IS THE PRESENTATION OF OUR CAFFER OR COMPREHENSIVE ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT THAT'S DONE BY, UM, OUR EXTERNAL AUDITOR.
UM, SO, SO THAT WILL HAPPEN IN APRIL.
WE HAVE THE FIRE OVERTIME AUDIT THAT WAS POSTPONED FROM FEBRUARY.
UM, THE, WE HAVE THE LANGUAGE ACCESS FOLLOW UP AUDIT.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE A BRIEFING THAT HAS, HAS BEEN POSTPONED RELATED TO DISASTER PREPAREDNESS.
THAT'S MANAGEMENT COMING BACK AND TALKING TO Y'ALL ABOUT THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS.
THEY DO THAT APPROXIMATELY QUARTERLY.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE A BRIEFING ON THE TWO THAT I DON'T KNOW A LOT ABOUT, BUT CITY'S RELOCATION ORDINANCE AND AUSTIN PROCUREMENT 3.0.
[00:30:01]
AND THEN THE LAST THING IS, IS RECOMMENDATIONS COMING FROM A A SMALL MINORITY BUSINESS RESOURCE SBR, UM, WORKING GROUP RELATED TO, TO THEIR PROCUREMENT PROCESS.UM, SOME OF THOSE I THINK CAN SLIDE IN, SOME CAN'T.
SO SOMETHING TO KIND OF KEEP IN MIND AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
I BELIEVE YOU'VE ALREADY ASKED THAT WE HOLD THIS ROOM UNTIL NOON.
UM, WHICH WE'VE DONE FOR THAT MEETING.
I THINK WE HAVE ONE OTHER ITEM, WHICH IS THE ARR OPERATING RESERVE POLICY UPDATE THAT WE WILL ALSO BE DISCUSSING POTENTIALLY IN APRIL.
UM, MS. THOMAS, DID YOU WANNA YES, YES, PLEASE.
SO I THINK THE ARR ITEM IS GOING TO BE COMBINED WITH OTHER POLICY CHANGES AND BROUGHT ALL TOGETHER.
I'M NOT SURE AT THIS POINT IF THAT'S GONNA COME TO THE APRIL MEETING OR THE MAY MEETING, BUT WE ALSO HAVE ONE ITEM THAT YOU JUST RECEIVED AN EMAIL ABOUT YESTERDAY ABOUT C I P PLANNING.
WE'LL BE BRINGING FORTH AN ITEM TO TALK ABOUT THAT IN APRIL AS WELL.
SO, UM, COLLEAGUES, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE A LOT OF ITEMS. UM, IN APRIL.
WE DID, UM, GIVEN THE MANAGEMENT CHANGES, WE DID AGREE TO MOVE THE DISASTER, UH, PREPAREDNESS ITEM TILL APRIL BECAUSE THE GOAL OF THESE QUARTERLY REPORTS IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS AND, AND WITH THE CHANGES, WE FELT LIKE WE WOULD GET A MORE MEANINGFUL REPORT IN APRIL.
IT DOES MAKE OUR APRIL MEETING VERY PACKED, SO WE HAVE ASKED PEOPLE TO EXTEND ON THEIR CALENDAR TO NOON IF WE NEED IT.
UM, WE WILL TRY TO BE AS EFFICIENT, UM, AS POSSIBLE.
AND I DON'T KNOW THAT ANY OF THESE ITEMS ARE GONNA BE BRINGING OUT A LOT OF PUBLIC DISCUSSION.
UM, SO IF, IF WE'RE FOCUSED AND PREPARED AS WE GO INTO THE MEETING, UM, I'M HOPEFUL THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH AS MUCH OF THAT AS POSSIBLE.
UM, THE CAF R THAT WE'LL BE DISCUSSING, THE ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT HAD NO FINDINGS, SO I'M, AS I'M ASSUMING THAT'S GONNA GO QUICKER THAN IN THE SITUATIONS WHERE WE, WE HAVE FINDINGS.
UM, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WILL CONTINUALLY LOOK AT THE TIMING AND DO THE BEST THAT WE CAN AND WE WILL GET THROUGH AS MANY OF THE ITEMS AS WE CAN AND PUSH ANYTHING THAT HAS TO BE PUSHED TO MAY OR IF WE DON'T GET TO IT.
I DO BELIEVE WE HAVE A HARD STOP AT NOON, UM, ON THAT DAY.
UM, TODAY I WILL REMIND YOU THAT WE HAVE THE AUSTIN WATER IMPLEMENTATION REPORT FOLLOWING THE AUSTIN WATER EXTERNAL REVIEW.
THAT'LL BE JOINT WITH THE AUSTIN WATER COMMITTEE, ALTHOUGH I THINK AT LEAST THE THREE OF US HERE ARE ON BOTH COMMITTEES.
UM, SO I'M VERY MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT DISCUSSION.
UM, WE WILL BE WORKING WITH THE CITY MANAGER, UM, TO BE CHANGING UP A LITTLE BIT OF, OF HOW WE'RE DOING SOME OF THE OVERSIGHT.
AND I THINK THE C I P UM, PRESENTATION IS ONE EXAMPLE OF THAT.
UH, WE WILL ALSO BE HEARING A SERIES OF PRESENTATIONS STARTING IN, I BELIEVE MAY FROM THE PROCUREMENT OFFICER ABOUT CHANGES TO THE PROCUREMENT POLICY.
UM, COLLEAGUES, DID YOU HAVE ANY ITEMS THAT YOU WANT TO RAISE OR, OR BRING UP? VICE CHAIR? I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE STAFF KNEW AND THE CHAIR KNEW THAT.
UM, THE APRIL MEETING, WHICH I THINK IS ON, IS IT APRIL 26TH? IS THAT RIGHT? I AM OUT OF TOWN, UM, AT THE CITY SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS.
THAT'S ONE OF THE, UM, UN AND
SO UNFORTUNATELY I'LL BE IN DENVER.
I CAN TRY TO REMOTE IN POSSIBLY, BUT, UM, LET YOU KNOW THAT NOW TO ENSURE THAT YOU'VE GOT, UH, SUFFICIENT DIAS TO GET THAT QUORUM GOING.
UM, MAYBE, UM, ANGIE, IN YOUR OFFICE, COREY CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE, UH, NO ISSUES WITH QUORUM.
I APPRECIATE THE ADVANCED NOTICE.
AND, UM, I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT WE'RE NECESSARILY TAKING A LOT OF VOTES ON ITEMS. UM, THERE MAY BE, UM, I THINK WE MIGHT HAVE TO ACCEPT THE, UM, CAFFER, BUT I THINK MOST OF THE OTHER ONES ARE DISCUSSION ITEMS. SO IF YOU HAVE PARTICULAR QUESTIONS THAT YOU WANT US TO RAISE AND YOU WANNA GET THOSE TO ADVANCED, WE TO US IN ADVANCE, WE CAN TRY TO DO THAT IF YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO BE THERE.
BUT, UM, HOPEFULLY, UM, WITH COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES AND COUNCIL MEMBER CALLIE, UH, NOT MAKING, MAKING THIS MEETING THIS TIME THAT WE SHOULD BE.
YEAH, AND I'VE GOT THE ONE-ON-ONE, THE PRELIMINARY MEETING ON MONDAY BEFORE I LEAVE TOWN WITH AUDIT, UM, WITH THE AUDIT STAFF.
SO I SHOULD BE IN REALLY GOOD SHAPE AND IF I HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING THAT CAN'T BE RESOLVED IN THAT, UM, MEETING, I'LL PASS 'EM ALONG TO YOU CHAIR, UM, TO ASK DURING THE MEETING.
I, I DO APPRECIATE YOU MODELING THE NEED TO LET US KNOW IN ADVANCE, WHETHER IT'S PUBLIC OR NOT.
IT REALLY DOES HELP US MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT ASKING STAFF TO, TO BE PREPARED AND UNABLE TO GET A QUORUM.
[00:35:01]
FIVE PEOPLE FOR THIS COMMITTEE, SO I THINK WE'LL BE, I THINK WE'LL BE IN, WE'LL BE IN GOOD SHAPE.SO WITH THAT, IT IS 10 10 AND I AM GOING TO ADJOURN THIS MEETING.
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WE'LL BE BACK AT ONE 30.