Jul 14, 2023 Mayor&#39;s Committee for People with Disabilities

DIANA AND Z ALGEBRA DONNA BETS.

I AM HERE.

I'M TRYING TO, TO UNMUTE MY, MY CAMERA, BUT I'M HERE.

ARE, IS SHE NOT ON CAMERA? UH, UH, SHOW MY VIDEO.

YES, THERE.

CAN YOU SEE ME? CAN YOU SEE HER? YES.

UH, JENNIFER POWELL HERE, LEADER RAMIREZ.

, UH, MICHAEL TON NOT WELL INDICATED.

HE'S NOT GOING TO BE AT THIS MEETING.

HERE.

PETE SALAZAR, YOU NOT PRESENT? UH, KRISTEN FALO HERE.

DID I PRONOUNCE YOUR LAST NAME CORRECTLY? YES.

PERFECTLY.

AWESOME.

AND THEN, UM, SO THAT IS SIX.

WE HAVE REACHED QUORUM, SO WE CAN'T HOLD THIS MEETING.

UM, IT'S FRIDAY.

SO UNDERSTAND SOME PEOPLE TRAFFIC.

YOU KNOW HOW IT IS.

SO, , GLAD Y'ALL ARE HERE.

UM, WE CAN OFFICIALLY START THIS MEETING.

UH, WE DON'T HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMUNICATION, CITIZEN COMMUNICATION, SO MOVE ON TO APPROVAL OF

[1. Approval of the minutes from the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities June 9, 2023, regular meeting.]

MINUTES.

UH, I, SO, UM, IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE TWO TO APPROVE.

SO, FIRST, WE'LL START OFF WITH THE MEETING FROM JUNE 9TH.

UH, WERE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MINUTES? ANY COMMENTS, ANY CHANGES THAT NEEDED TO BE MADE? HEARING NONE, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION.

SOMEONE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE JUNE 9TH MEETING.

MINUTES.

THIS IS KRISTEN.

I'LL MOVE TO APPROVE THE JUNE MEETING MINUTES.

THIS IS JENNIFER.

I SECOND.

TO DO THE MAY MEETING MINUTES AS WELL.

HAS IT MOVED AND SECONDED? ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE OF ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.

UH, JUNE MINUTES HAVE BEEN ADOPTED.

UM, AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE

[2. Approval of the minutes from the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities May 12, 2023, regular meeting.]

UH, SO WERE THERE ANY QUESTIONS, UH, COMMENTS OR ANYTHING REGARDING, UH, THE MAY MEETING MINUTES? UH, THIS IS DONNA.

I HAVE, I DON'T KNOW IF I SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN BEFORE OR NOT.

UM, I, I, I MET WITH, WE MADE ME THE LIAISON OR WHATEVER FOR THE CODA TASK FORCE.

AND, UM, WE DID HAVE A, A MEETING WITH, UM, CODA, AND I DIDN'T KNOW IF I SHOULD UPDATE EVERYONE ON THAT, OR, UM, THIS IS JUST IN THIS REGARD, WE'RE JUST APPROVING THE INFORMATION THAT WAS PUT INTO THE MINUTES.

UM, IF YOU WANTED TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE, WE WOULD NEED TO PUT YOU ON THE AGENDA FOR A FUTURE MEETING, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN TALK ABOUT MORE DURING, UH, FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. YEAH.

UH, SO WERE THERE ANY OTHER FURTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS ABOUT THE MAY MEETING MINUTES? HEARING NONE.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY, OR I'M SORRY.

THERE HAS TO BE A MOTION A SECOND.

SO, COULD SOMEONE MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES? I MOVE.

WE APPROVE THE MINUTES.

AS MOVED FROM SECOND, I'LL GIVE ONE MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.

OPPOSED? ALL RIGHT.

BOTH MAY AND JUNE MAINTENANCE HAVE BEEN ADOPTED.

WE NEED APRIL AS WELL.

[3. Approval of the minutes from the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities April 14, 2023, regular meeting.]

TO APRIL.

I DIDN'T, UM, I DIDN'T ADVANCE MY, UM, COMPUTER, SO THANK YOU FOR REMINDING ME.

UM, JACQUELYN.

WE APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR APRIL.

SO THERE WERE, WERE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THE APRIL MEETING MINUTES? HEARING NONE, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION.

SOMEONE TO MAKE A MOTION, PLEASE.

I'LL MAKE A MOTION THAT

[00:05:01]

I SECOND THE MOTION.

MISS DONNA.

HAS BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED.

SECONDED.

ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? DONNA, COULD WE PLEASE HAVE YOU ON CAMERA? YEAH.

ONCE WE STOP THE VOTING PROCESS, THEN YOU CAN TURN OFF YOUR CAMERA.

IS IT BACK ON? OKAY.

UM, IS THERE A SECOND? I, THERE WAS A SECOND.

I'M SORRY.

UM, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.

SO, UM, OUR LIAISON, JACQUELINE ALEXANDER'S GONNA JUST REMIND US A BRIEF UPDATE REGARDING CHANGING OF PASSWORDS.

OPPOSED? IT'S FRIDAY, Y'ALL.

SORRY ABOUT THAT, .

IT'S OKAY.

UH, SO IT LOOKS LIKE, UH,

[4. Reminder of self-service password reset & 90-day expiration. (OCR)]

I KNOW SOME OF US, INCLUDING MYSELF, HAVE TWO-STEP VERIFICATION AND WE ARE ABLE TO LOG IN.

SO IT MIGHT JUST BE A TWO-STEP VERIFICATION PROCESS FOR SECURITY, OR SOME OF YOU MAY ENCOUNTER WHERE YOU HAVE TO CHANGE YOUR CITY OF AUSTIN PASSWORD.

UM, BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY, ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD? JACQUELYN, ACTUALLY, THAT WAS IT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

YEAH.

AND IF YOU CAN'T GET INTO YOUR EMAIL, REACH OUT TO CTM.

UM, AND, UM, THEY CAN HELP YOU BY GIVING YOU A TEMPORARY PASSWORD TO, UM, ACCESS YOUR EMAIL.

AGENDA IS A PRESENTATION FROM THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.

IT LOOKS LIKE NEXT ON OUR

[5. Presentation and updates from the City of Austin Public Works Department on the City’s active transportation plans, including urban trails, sidewalks, and bikeways . (John Eastman, Division Manager, Public Works)]

UM, I BELIEVE THE PRESENTER IS JOHN EASTMAN, MAYBE.

UM, SO WHOEVER THE, IF THE PRESENTER IS, HERE YOU ARE.

YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.

RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, FOR COUNCIL TO CONSIDER BECAUSE OF THAT.

AND, UM, IT IS NOW THE TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.

SO THE FORMER TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENTS ARE ALL NOW ONE DEPARTMENT.

AND MY NAME'S JOHN EASTMAN.

I'M THE SIDEWALK AND SPECIAL PROJECTS DIVISION MANAGER FOR TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS.

AND SO, UH, WHAT I'M GONNA DO IS, IS GO THROUGH THE SIDEWALKS, CROSSINGS, AND SHARED STREETS PORTION OF THE PRESENTATION.

AND THIS IS, IS JUST KIND OF A, UH, YOU KNOW, UM, A, A RE A REVIEW OF WHAT WE HAD PRESENTED BACK IN FEBRUARY, UM, TO THE COMMITTEE.

AND I APPRECIATE YOU HAVING ME BACK.

I ALWAYS LOVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS Y'ALL HAVE, UM, A LITTLE BIT BEFORE WE GET STARTED, A LITTLE BIT PROCESS UPDATE.

SO, ORIGINALLY WE WERE, WE WERE SCHEDULED TO TAKE THE THREE PLANS, UM, THE URBAN TRAILS, BIKEWAYS AND, AND SIDEWALKS, CROSSINGS, AND SHARED STREETS PLAN UPDATES THROUGH BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS IN THE FEBRUARY THROUGH MAY TIMEFRAME, AND THEN IDEALLY WAS GONNA GET TO COUNCIL IN JUNE.

UM, BUT YEAH, CITY COUNCIL'S ALWAYS REALLY, REALLY BUSY AND HAD A COUPLE OF SCHEDULING ISSUES HAPPEN.

AND SO WE'RE WAITING TO GET ONTO OUR FINAL PLANNING COMMISSION AGENDA HERE, HOPEFULLY IN THE NEXT MONTH TO SIX WEEKS.

AND THEN OUR TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED TO GO TO CITY COUNCIL FOR ADOPTION, UM, IN SEPTEMBER.

SO THAT'S THE, THE CURRENT SCHEDULE.

I'M GONNA TRY SHARING MY SCREEN NOW, AND I, THERE'S A FEW DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR CISCO, SO PLEASE BEAR WITH ME THEN, UH, WHAT I'M USED TO.

SO LET'S SEE IF THIS IS THE RIGHT ONE.

NOPE, THAT IS NOT THE RIGHT ONE.

SOMEBODY CAN LET ME KNOW IF YOU'RE SEEING A PRESENTATION SPLASH PAGE.

YES.

YEAH, I SEE IT.

ALL RIGHT, EXCELLENT.

JUST BEFORE YOU PROCEED, YOU HAVE ANY, UH, I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT IT, BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY PICTURES, UM, IF YOU COULD, I'M NOT SURE IF YOU DO OR NOT, BUT IF YOU COULD PROVIDE A, A DESCRIPTION.

I AM BLIND, SO JUST WANNA PRO PROMOTE INCLUSIVITY.

PROCEED.

ABSOLUTELY.

CAN DO.

AND, UH, SO, UM, AND, AND AS I SAID, THIS IS, THIS IS THE SAME PRESENTATION THAT THAT CAME THROUGH IN FEBRUARY.

I AM GONNA KIND OF SKIP OVER THE URBAN TRAILS AND BIKEWAYS SECTIONS AND, AND FOCUS ON THE SIDEWALKS, CROSSINGS AND SHERIFF STREET PORTION.

CUZ MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THE QUESTIONS WERE THAT, UM, HAD GENERATED, UH, A REQUEST TO COME BACK.

WERE ON THAT SECTION.

UM, SO THE, UH, AT X WALK BIKE ROLE IS, IS BRANDED, IS THE UPDATE TO THE THREE PLANS

[00:10:01]

I'VE JUST MENTIONED.

UM, REALLY, UH, SO WE'RE, WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET THIS ENTIRE AGENDA.

THERE'S, UH, AN AGENDA HERE WITH A PICTURE OF SOME FOLKS DOWNTOWN ON SOME, SOME BIKES.

UM, WHAT WE ARE GONNA DO IS TALK A A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ETX WALK, BIKE ROLL OVERVIEW, SOME EQUITABLE OUTCOMES, YOU KNOW, THAT WE'RE REALLY INFORMING ALL OF THE, THE PLAN UPDATES, HOW THAT FITS INTO THE A S M P, THE AUSTIN STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN.

AND THEN WE'LL GET INTO, UH, THE DETAILS OF THE SIDEWALK CROSSINGS AND SHARED STREETS PLANS.

SO, AS I'VE MENTIONED, IT IS, THIS IS THE UPDATE TO THE THREE DIFFERENT PLANS.

UM, AND ONE OF THE MAJOR GOALS FOR ALL THE UPDATES WAS TO, TO EMBED SOCIAL AND RACIAL EQUITY IN, INTO THESE PLANS AND INTO THESE PROGRAMS, UM, IN A REALLY DEEP WAY.

UM, AND, YOU KNOW, ALSO MAKE SURE THAT WE UPDATED THESE PLANS IN A WAY THAT WAS CONSISTENT AND, UH, WITH THE AUSTIN STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN.

AND SO THE STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN, WHICH I, I'M GUESSING Y'ALL ARE FAMILIAR WITH, BUT JUST IN CASE ANYBODY'S LISTENING TO THIS, UM, IS REALLY AUSTIN'S COMPREHENSIVE MULTIMODAL PLAN.

UM, THESE THREE PLANS, THE BIKEWAYS URBAN TRAILS, AND ALL ESSENTIALLY COMPONENTS OF THE A AUSTIN STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN, THE A S M P.

SO, AS I MENTIONED, WE'RE REALLY FOCUSED, IT WAS A, A TWO AND A HALF YEAR PROCESS TO, TO CENTER THE PLANS IN, IN EQUITY.

AND, UM, YOU KNOW, DEFINING EQUITY IS, EQUITY IS ACHIEVED WHEN, WHEN RACE NO LONGER PREDICTS A PERSON'S QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOMES.

AND, YOU KNOW, EXPAND THAT RACE.

IT'S NOT JUST RACE, IT'S ALSO, UM, SOCIOECONOMIC POSITION WITHIN OUR, WITHIN OUR SOCIETY THAT SHOULDN'T PREDICT, UM, YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOMES.

UM, THE EQUITY FRAMEWORK THAT WAS DEVELOPED FOR THESE PLANS WAS THE GUIDING DOCUMENT, AND IT WAS THE FIRST THING THAT WE DID.

WE SPENT, YOU KNOW, SIX MONTHS WORKING THROUGH SOME PUBLIC PROCESS TO ENSURE WE WERE EMBEDDING EQUITY, AND, AND WE HAD A FRAMEWORK ON HOW WE WERE GONNA GO THROUGH THAT.

UM, AND ONE OF THE KEYS TO THAT WAS AN UNDERSTANDING THAT, UM, IT, THROUGH PAST PLANNING PROCESSES, UM, FOLKS WHO HAVE, YOU KNOW, JUST AN EASIER TIME ACCESSING PUBLIC MEETINGS TEND TO GET DISPROPORTIONATELY REPRESENTED IN THESE PUBLIC PROCESSES.

AND WE NEEDED TO GO, UM, A DIFFERENT ROUTE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE ENGAGING WITH THE POPULATIONS THAT WE, WE REALLY NEEDED TO ENGAGE WITH.

AND, AND PARTICULARLY WITH, YOU KNOW, THE SIDEWALKS AND, AND URBAN TRAILS PLANS WHERE WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO CONNECT TO PEOPLE WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, RELIANT ON THOSE PEDESTRIAN NETWORKS THAT MAY NOT FOR PHYSICAL OR ECONOMIC REASONS, HAVE ACCESS TO VEHICLES.

AND THEY NEED THOSE PEDESTRIAN NETWORKS, AND THEY NEED ADA COMPLIANT PEDESTRIAN NETWORKS IN ORDER TO ACCESS TRANSIT, IN ORDER TO ACCESS THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT, THAT WE ALL KIND OF TAKE FOR GRANTED.

SO TO ENSURE THAT WE WERE, YOU KNOW, ENGAGING WITH THOSE COMMUNITIES, ENGAGING WITH, UM, A FULL CROSS SECTION OF AUSTIN, WE WENT AND HIRED COMMUNITY AMBASSADORS THROUGH THE, AT X WALK, BRIGHT RURAL PROCESS.

SO BASICALLY, THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, CAME DIRECTLY FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT WE WERE NOT CONSULTANTS, DIDN'T HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE WITH TRANSPORTATION PLANS, UM, BUT WERE MEMBERS OF COMMUNITY, UM, FOLKS THAT HAD, SOME OF THEM HAD VERY RECENTLY EXPERIENCED HOMELESSNESS.

UM, VERY REPRESENTATIVE OF, YOU KNOW, HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES THAT WE HAD DIFFICULTY REACHING IN THE PAST THROUGH THESE PLANNING EFFORTS.

SO THAT WAS A, A BIG PROCESS IN, IN MAKING SURE THAT WE WERE, WE WERE GETTING TO ALL THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE NEEDED TO.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAME OUT OF THAT PROCESS THAT WAS UNIVERSAL TO ALL THREE PLANS WAS A RECOGNITION THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, KIND OF, WE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR, WELL, THAT'S NICE, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IMPROVING BIKEWAYS OR SIDEWALKS OR WHATEVER.

BUT, YOU KNOW, AFFORDABILITY AND THE DISPLACEMENT CRISIS, IF WE'RE NOT ADDRESSING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GONNA ACHIEVE EQUITABLE OUTCOMES.

AND, YOU KNOW, FIGURING OUT HOW TO LOOK AT THESE PLANS THROUGH THAT LENS WAS SOMETHING REALLY DIFFERENT WE'D NEVER DONE BEFORE.

UM, AND I, I THINK WE, WE CAME UP WITH SOME REALLY, UM, STRONG PO POLICY

[00:15:01]

AND SO TO ACHIEVE THAT, THE CITY'S REALLY GOTTA PRIORITIZE INTEGRATED AFFORDABILITY, ANTI DISPLACEMENT, LAND USE, AND MOBILITY PROGRAMS AND POLICIES ALL TOGETHER.

SO, TO ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES, UM, THERE WERE QUESTIONS WE ASKED THE COMMUNITY IF, IF THEY WOULD SUPPORT.

AND THEY WERE, YOU KNOW, QUESTIONS LIKE MAKING TRANSIT AND BIKE SHARE COMPLETELY FREE FOR ALL RESIDENTS, UM, EXPLORING A GUARANTEED BASIC MOBILITY PROGRAM, HIDING ALL RESIDENTS TRANSPORTATION CHOICES, CONSISTENT WITH THEIR PREFERRED WAY OF GETTING AROUND, UM, SO THAT RESIDENTS WHO CHOOSE ARE, ARE, ARE, ARE DEPENDENT ON TRANSIT, BIKING, WALKING, ROLLING INSTEAD OF DRIVING, RECEIVE A FAIR ALLOCATION OF, UH, TRANSPORTATION SERVICES, LOOKING AT SUBSIDY FOR RESIDENTS WHO PURCHASE E-BIKES AND SCOOTERS, AND REALLY FOCUSING ON MAKING SURE THAT THAT LIGHTING AND, UM, OTHER AMENITIES, UH, FOR SIDEWALKS, BIKEWAYS, URBAN TRAILS AND CROSSINGS WERE COMPARABLE TO LIGHTING FOR ROADS THAT WE WERE, WE, WE HAD A, A TRULY EQUITABLE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.

UM, AND ALL OF THESE POLICIES RESONATED, UM, AND BECAME PART OF THE PLANT FRAMEWORK.

AND I, I CAN'T EMPHASIZE ENOUGH, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, THE TYPE OF, YOU KNOW, LARGER SCALE POLICY THAT WE NORMALLY, WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT SIDEWALK PLANS.

AND I WAS REALLY EXCITED.

I THINK THE ENTIRE TEAM WAS EXCITED THAT, UM, THROUGH THE ENGAGEMENT PROCESS AND THROUGH THIS FOCUS ON EQUITY, IT REALLY KIND OF CHANGED THE DIRECTION ON SOME OF THE MAJOR POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT CAME OUT OF THESE.

UM, SO THIS IS A SLIDE THAT JUST TALKS ABOUT THE DIFFERENT E, S AND P SECTIONS AND WHERE THOSE, UH, POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS FIT IN.

UM, AND THEN I'M GOING TO JUST SKIP OVER THE SLIDES FOR THE URBAN TRAILS PROGRAM BECAUSE, UM, THAT STAFF ISN'T HERE.

AND AS I SAID, THE QUESTIONS WERE REALLY RELATED TO THE SIDEWALK.

SO, SO THE SIDEWALKS, CROSSINGS, AND SHARED STREETS PLAN, AND, AND THE, THE PICTURE THAT'S UP, THERE'S TWO MAPS SHOWING ON THE SCREEN RIGHT NOW.

THE ONE ON THE LEFT IS, IS LABELED SIDEWALKS AND SHARED STREETS, AND IT'S A MAP OF THE PLANNED NETWORK OF SIDEWALKS AND SHARED STREETS FOR THE CITY.

AND ON THE RIGHT IS A MAP, UH, WITH LINES SHOWING AREAS WITH PEDESTRIAN CROSSING GAPS WHERE, UM, OUR, OUR SPACING OF SAFE CROSSINGS ACROSS STREETS, UM, IF NOT CONSISTENT WITH, WITH THE GOALS THAT WE HAVE FOR A COMPLETE AND SAFE PEDESTRIAN NETWORK.

UM, SO THERE'S REALLY THREE OVERARCHING STRATEGIES FOR THIS PLAN.

THEY FOCUS ON PRIORITIZING EQUITY, AS I'VE TALKED ABOUT, PROVIDING SAFE, COMFORTABLE, AND ACCESSIBLE PEDESTRIAN PASSAGE ALONG AND ACROSS EVERY PUBLIC STREET.

UM, AND THEN COLLABORATING WITH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARTNERS USING A COMPLETE STREETS APPROACH TO APPROVE THE PEDESTRIAN DOWN.

THE UPDATE PROCESS STARTED, AS I'VE BEEN MENTIONED, WITHIN EVALUATION OF THE CURRENT SYSTEM USING EQUITY ANALYSIS ZONES, OR WE REFERRED TO 'EM AS THE ZS.

UM, AND WE FOUND THAT A DISPROPORTIONATE CHAIR OF THE CITY'S PEDESTRIAN HIGH INJURY STREETS ARE LOCATED IN FOCUS EACS.

AND WE'VE GOT A, A GRAPH UP HERE THAT SHOWS THE CITYWIDE AVERAGE AND A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER, UH, OF THE STREETS THAT ARE IN THE HIGH INJURY NETWORK WITHIN THOSE FOCUS EACS, AND THEN A MAP ADJACENT TO THAT, SHOWING WHERE THOSE ARE LOCATED.

AND THAT'S PRIMARILY, UM, IN, IN, YOU KNOW, EAST AUSTIN, EAST OF 35 KIND OF WRAPS AROUND IN THAT, THAT CRESCENT THAT WE'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH.

UM, THEY'RE ARE ALSO A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF GAPS BETWEEN SUITABLE CROSSINGS AND THE FOCUS EACS AS COMPARED TO THE CITY AS A WHOLE.

UM, USING THE EACS TO LOOK AT THE SIDEWALK SYSTEM DID SHOW A COUPLE OF POSITIVE TRENDS, UM, BOTH THE EXTENT TO THE SIDEWALK NETWORK AND THE CONDITION OF THE NETWORK WERE SLIGHTLY BETTER WITHIN THE FOCUS EACS, WHICH IS A REALLY ENCOURAGING OUTCOME, UM, THAT WE THINK IS, YOU KNOW, RELATES TO THE EQUITY BASED PRIORITIZATION MODEL THAT WAS FIRST ADOPTED IN THE ORIGINAL 2000 SIDEWALK PLANS.

UM, THE OVERALL AND FUNCTIONALITY OF THE SIDEWALK NETWORK HAVE IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE SIX YEARS SINCE THE LAST SIDEWALK PLAN UPDATE.

WE'VE GONE FROM A 2,400 MILE NETWORK TO A 2,800 MILE NETWORK IN THE LAST SIX YEARS, IMPROVED FROM 16% FUNCTIONALLY ACCEPTABLE, WHICH IS TRULY AWFUL TO THE SLIGHTLY LESS BAD 32%

[00:20:02]

FUNCTIONALLY ACCEPTABLE.

SO A LOT OF PROGRESS IN THE LAST 10 TO 15 YEARS, BUT OBVIOUSLY STILL A LONG WAYS TO GO TO ACHIEVING AN EQUITABLE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.

A, A SYSTEM WHERE SOMEONE WALKING OR ROLLING OR USING TRANSIT, UM, HAS THE SAME LEVEL OF ACCESS TO SCHOOLS, GROCERY STORES, AND OTHER DESTINATIONS, AND THE SAME QUALITY AS TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES AS SOMEONE WHO'S DRIVING.

UM, SO HOW, HOW DOES PLAN GET US TO THAT COMPLETE SAFE, EQUITABLE TRANSPORTATION NETWORK? UM, FIRST WE BUILT ON NATIONAL RESEARCH AND EXPERIENCE TAKING A COMPREHENSIVE AND PRAGMATIC APPROACH TO IMPROVING THE CITY'S PEDESTRIAN NETWORK.

IT BUILDS ON THE WORK OF SAFE HOUSE TO SCHOOL.

THAT'S, THAT'S DONE A LOT OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS IN AUSTIN.

HEALTHY STREETS VISION ZERO AND LIVING STREETS USING CONTEXT SENSITIVE DESIGN IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CITYWIDE PEDESTRIAN NETWORK PLAN.

THE NETWORK PLAN AND, AND THE GRAPHIC THAT'S UP HERE, KIND OF, YOU KNOW, TRIES TO GRAPHICALLY SHOW THIS, UM, WILL INCLUDE SIDEWALKS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE STREET OF MOST STREETS.

UM, WHILE RECOGNIZING THAT IN AREAS WITH MATURE TREES AND LANDSCAPING, UM, WHERE THE STREETS WERE DEVELOPED WITH NO SIDEWALKS WHATSOEVER, A SIDEWALK ON ONE SIDE OF THE STREET MAY BE SUFFICIENT.

AND THAT, UH, IN CERTAIN AREAS ON VERY LOW TRAFFIC, RESIDENTIAL STREETS IN EXISTING NEIGHBORHOODS, SHARED STREETS, UM, CAN BE PROVIDED INSTEAD OF SIDEWALKS.

UM, AND AS AN ALTERNATIVE.

SO NEXT GRAPHIC, UM, JUST TALKS A LITTLE ABOUT WHAT WE HEARD ABOUT SHARED STREETS AND OVERALL, UM, 80% OF RESPONDENTS WERE, WERE, UM, STRONGLY SUPPORTIVE AND 82% OF OUR FOCUS POPULATION RESPONDENTS DID.

THEY, THEY STRONGLY SUPPORT THE CONCEPT.

SO RATHER THAN TAKING OVER A HUNDRED YEARS TO BUILD SIDEWALKS AND EVERY FRONTAGE OF EVERY STREET, WE, WE CAN REALLY ENVISION COMPLETING A CITYWIDE PEDESTRIAN NETWORK AND MORE LIKE A 20 TO 30 YEAR TIMEFRAME WHERE WE WOULD ADD, AND THERE'S A GRAPH UP THERE ON THE SCREEN NOW THAT THAT SHOWS THE EXISTING 2,800 MILE NETWORK.

AND THEN TO COMPLETE THE NETWORK WOULD INVOLVE, UM, 810 MILES OF ADDITIONAL PLANNED SIDEWALK AND 740 MILES OF SHARED STREET FRONTAGES.

UH, A CONTACT SENSITIVE APPROACH IS ALSO GONNA BE REALLY CRITICAL TO GUIDE CROSSING IMPROVEMENTS AT ALMOST 2000 LOCATIONS THROUGH THE CITY.

SO THERE'S A PICTURE ON THE SCREEN OF, UH, UH, PEDESTRIAN MEDIAN ISLAND, WHICH IS, UM, HAS BEEN STUDIED BY THE FEDERAL HIGHWAYS ADMINISTRATION, REDUCES PEDESTRIAN VEHICULAR, UM, CRASHES BY 40% BY ALLOWING PEDESTRIANS SAFELY CROSS ONE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL AND THEN HAVE A REFUGE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET BEFORE THEY CROSS THE SECOND REF, THE SECOND DIRECTION OF TRAVEL.

UM, SO GIVEN THE PRESENT GAPS, UM, WE'RE ANTICIPATING THERE'S OVER 500 MILLION NEEDED OVER, UH, THE NEXT 20 TO 30 YEARS TO BUILD OUT CROSSINGS AT THE RECOMMENDED STATES.

UM, THIS NEW APPROACH IS, IS REFLECTED IN THE UPDATED PLAN NAME.

IT USED TO BE THE SIDEWALK PLAN, NOW IT'S THE SIDEWALKS, CROSSINGS, AND SHARED STREETS PLAN REFLECTING THE THREE KEY ELEMENTS THAT WILL MAKE UP A COMPLETE, AND, YOU KNOW, TO HELP KEEP US ON TRACK, MAKE SURE WE'RE ACCOUNTABLE.

THE PLAN INCLUDES INDICATORS WITH 10 YEAR TARGETS THAT WILL BE USED TO BENCHMARK OUR PROCESS.

UM, AND WHAT'S ON THE SCREEN RIGHT NOW IS JUST A HIGHLIGHT FROM THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.

AND SOME OF THE BENCHMARKS ARE TRYING TO COMPLETE 100% OF THE MISSING VERY HIGH AND HIGH PRIORITY SIDEWALKS IN SHARED STREETS BY 2033.

UM, ACHIEVING AND MAINTAINING 80% FUNCTIONALITY FOR VERY HIGH AND, UH, HIGH PRIORITY SIDEWALKS BY 23, 33 AND 50% FUNCTIONALITY, ALL OVERALL, UM, AND ELIMINATING 50% OF THE VERY HIGH AND HIGH PRIORITY CROSSING GAPS, UM, WITHIN THE PRIORITY EQUITY ANALYSIS ZONE.

SO THAT, I'M GONNA END THERE AND, AND TAKE QUESTIONS CUZ THE REST OF THE PRESENTATION REALLY KIND OF GOT INTO THE, THE BICYCLE PLAN.

UM, AND READY TO TAKE, LIKE I SAID, QUESTIONS AND FEEDBACK.

UM, THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

THE FLOOR IS OPEN.

JUST STATE YOUR NAME AND I'LL RECOGNIZE YOU AND THEN YOU CAN GO AHEAD IF ANYONE, THIS IS KRISTEN, GO FOR IT.

FOLLOW MM-HMM.

[00:25:01]

I'M WONDERING HOW, YOU TALKED ABOUT TRANSIT, BUT HOW, UM, DELIBERATELY NOW THAT THE LIGHT RAIL PLAN HAS CHANGED HOW YOU'RE UPDATING YOUR SIDEWALK STRATEGY TO, UM, COINCIDE WITH THAT TYPE OF TRANSIT? YEAH, EX EXCELLENT QUESTION.

AND SO THE, GOING BACK ACTUALLY ALL THE WAY TO 2009, THE PRIORITIZATION MODEL, I, I WISH WE DIDN'T EVEN NEED TO HAVE A PRIORITIZATION MODEL THAT WE DIDN'T, BUT WE HAVE LIMITED RESOURCES TO ADDRESS A LOT OF NEED.

UM, IS EXACTLY THAT.

IT'S A, IT'S A MODEL.

IT DOESN'T SAY WE'RE GONNA BUILD THIS SIDEWALK HERE.

IT SAYS WE'RE GONNA BUILD SIDEWALKS.

THE PRIORITY IS TO BUILD SIDEWALKS AND SOME OF THE HIGHEST PRIORITIES IN AREAS WITH HIGHER POPULATION DENS, CLOSER TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING, CLOSER TO TRANSIT STOPS, AND HIGH CAPACITY TRANSIT STOPS GET EXTRA POINTS.

AND SO AS THE PROJECT CONNECT PLAN EVOLVES AND STATION LOCATION CHANGE, OUR PRIORITIES PRETTY MUCH AUTOMATICALLY CHANGE.

AND SO THERE'S ALL OVER, OKAY.

20 FACTORS, THEY'RE ALL BAT BASED.

UM, AND WE USE A FAIRLY SOPHISTICATED GIS MODEL, BUT THAT'S UPDATED EVERY COUPLE OF YEARS, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE FOCUSING RESOURCES, UM, WHERE, WHERE THEY NEED TO GO CLOSE TO TRANSIT STATIONS.

THAT'S GREAT.

THIS IS CHAIR FRANKS.

UM, ONE CONCERN THAT I HAVE IS THE LENGTH OF TIME, UNDERSTANDABLY, WE CAN'T FIX EVERY SINGLE, YOU KNOW, CITY SIDEWALK IN AUSTIN.

UH, FOR EXAMPLE, I LIVE JUST SOUTH OF WEST PARMER ON NORTH LAMAR.

I CAN GET TO MY BUS STOP, BUT IF I WANNA WALK TO THE CONVENIENCE STORE, THAT'S NOT EXCESSIVE FOR ME AS A PERSONAL DISABILITY AND ATTEND A 20, 30 YEAR PLAN IS NOT, I'LL JUST BE PERFECTLY HONEST.

THAT'S NOT SATISFACTORY TO THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY.

THAT'S STILL A LONG TIME FOR BARRIER PEOPLE WHO USE MOBILITY AIDS, WHETHER IT'S A, A CANE GUIDE DOG, A WHEELCHAIR, THOSE WHO MAY NOT ALWAYS HAVE THE ACCESS OR AFFORDABILITY TO PUBLIC TRANSIT, THAT IT CONTINUOUSLY PLACES A BARRIER.

AND 20 YEARS IS NOT AN ACCESSIBLE TIME TO WAIT WHEN SOME, WHEN SOME PEOPLE CAN'T ACCESS THEIR OWN BASIC NEEDS.

UM, I I'M A HUNDRED PERCENT IN AGREEMENT WITH YOU MM-HMM.

, UH, BUT WE GOTTA START FROM WHERE WE'RE AT.

AND FIVE YEARS AGO, DUE TO LITERALLY DECADES OF DEFERRED MAINTENANCE, THE CITY DIDN'T HAVE A SIDEWALK MAINTENANCE PROGRAM FOR OVER 50 YEARS TO SPEAK OF.

RIGHT.

UM, AS I MENTIONED THE, THE EXISTING SIDEWALK NETWORK.

UM, AND I'VE NOW BEEN WITH THE PROGRAM FOR 14 YEARS MM-HMM.

, UM, WHEN I STARTED, WE WERE, UM, FUNDED ENTIRELY BY BOND PROGRAMS. THERE WAS NO DEDICATED OPERATIONAL FUNDS FOR SIDEWALK MAINTENANCE.

ALL THE OPERATIONAL FUNDS WENT TO MAINTAINING STREETS.

SO STREETS, I MEAN, AND, AND YOU KNOW, YOU'LL TALK TO THE STREETS GUYS AND THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FUNDS, RIGHT.

THAT'S JUST THE KIND OF COST WE WANT TO PAY MORE TAXES.

AND SO THERE'S ALWAYS A, YOU KNOW, OR FEES TO, TO PAY FOR THAT.

UM, AND SO THAT WAS KIND OF THE GENESIS OF THE, THE FIRST SIDEWALK PLAN IN 2009.

I CAME ON BOARD JUST AFTER THAT AND IT IDENTIFIED THAT IT SAID, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, THIS IS A PROBLEM AND A, A REALLY SIGNIFICANT ONE AND, AND FRANKLY ONE THAT'S INCONSISTENT WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT.

RIGHT.

AND IF AUSTIN DOESN'T GET IT BACK TOGETHER, IT'S GONNA END UP LIKE, YOU KNOW, NASHVILLE AND LOS ANGELES.

AND A BUNCH OF OTHER CITY MULTI HUNDRED MILLION DOLLAR LAWSUITS.

AND, AND AUSTIN TO ITS CREDIT, DID, DID ACT AND DID START DEDICATING SIGNIFICANTLY MORE RESOURCES.

WE DIDN'T GET OUR FIRST CITYWIDE ASSESSMENT.

UM, UM, WHEN I SAY THE SIDEWALK NETWORK IN 2016, AT THAT POINT IT WAS 2,400 MILES.

IT'S ONLY 16% FUNCTIONALLY ACCEPTABLE.

WE HAD WHERE WE WERE GONNA GET THIS DONE LESS THAN A HUNDRED YEARS, UM, 20 TO 30 YEARS, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY IN MY LIFETIME.

, OUR STREET NETWORK AT THAT TIME WAS 80% FUNCTIONALLY ACCEPTABLE.

UM, SO IT'S ALMOST THIS INVERSE.

UM, WE NOW HAVE 24 CREWS OUT THERE WORKING EVERY DAY ONLY ON SIDEWALKS IN ADDITION TO MAJOR PROGRAMS LIKE THE CORRIDOR PROGRAMS, WHICH ARE ALSO IMPROVING SIDEWALKS AT THIS POINT.

IT WOULD BE, FRANKLY, OUR, OUR PROBLEM RIGHT NOW IS ACTUALLY FINDING CONSTRUCTION CREWS.

I MEAN, WE'RE COMPETING WITH, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE TRYING TO BUILD THE TESLA FACTORY OR WHATEVER.

UM, SO I UNDERSTAND IT'S NOT ACCEPTABLE, BUT UP UNTIL FIVE YEARS AGO IT WAS A HUNDRED YEAR POINT, THERE WAS NO SCENARIO THAT

[00:30:01]

SOUNDS AMAZING.

EVEN THAT WILL REQUIRE, UM, SIGNIFICANT INPUT FROM THE VOTERS.

WE ARE SCHEDULED TO RUN THAT COMPLETELY RUN OUTTA MONEY IN 2028.

RIGHT.

THAT 2016.

AND THEN THAT 2020 BOND ARE FUNDING ON THE ORDER OF MAGNITUDE 25 TO 30 MILLION A YEAR IN SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENTS.

UM, THOSE FUNDS, ONCE WE GO THROUGH THEM AND WE GO THROUGH THEM PRETTY FAST USING MM-HMM.

24 CREEK, UM, ARE GONNA HAVE TO COME FROM SOMEWHERE.

SO I AGREE WITH YOU, BUT FROM A PRACTICAL MATTER, UM, THERE IS NO WAY TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE 800 MILES OF SIDEWALKS UP HERE IN MUCH SHORTER TIMEFRAME THAN THAT.

YEAH.

AND I, I DEFINITELY AGREE AND I'M NOT, I APPRECIATE YOUR, YOUR RESPONSE.

IT'S JUST A CONTINUAL FRUSTRATION, UM, THAT WE FACE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY.

BUT I APPRECIATE THE EFFORT THAT YOU ARE ARE DOING AND I MEAN, THERE'S ALWAYS THAT CATCH 22 WITH MONEY, IT'S ALWAYS A FACTOR.

SO I APPRECIATE YOUR CANDID RESPONSE AND, YOU KNOW, A HUNDRED YEARS TO 20 YEARS IS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION.

UM, IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, SPEAKING AS A ME AN ADVOCATE FOR THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY, IT'S JUST A, A CONTINUAL FRUSTRATION, BUT UNDERSTANDABLY, THERE'S ALWAYS MONEY INVOLVED.

SO, UM, I APPRECIATE YOUR RESPONSE AND I'LL LET ANY OTHER COMMISSIONER, UM, IF THEY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, UH, FOR OUR PRESENTER, THE FLOORS WILL OPEN.

I HAD A, I HAD A FOLLOW UP ON THE PREVIOUS, UM, QUESTION.

UM, OF COURSE LOTS MORE SIDEWALK THAT HAS, IS LEFT TO BE BUILT.

HOW IS THE CONSTRUCTION OF SIDEWALKS PRIORITIZED AT THE MOMENT WITH REGARDS TO ACCESSIBILITY? WHERE ARE THE SIDEWALKS BEING PLACED FIRST, TIMELINE WISE? HOW IS THAT BROKEN OUT OVER TIME? YEAH, UH, GOOD QUESTION.

SO IT, IT REALLY DOES FOLLOW THAT PRIORITIZATION MODEL.

I, I'VE MENTIONED IT WAS, IT WAS DEVELOPED BACK IN 2009.

IT HASN'T BEEN, IT WAS CITY COUNCIL TWEAKED IT A LITTLE BIT MORE.

THEY HAD A LITTLE MORE POINTS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND, AND TRANSIT.

UM, BUT REALLY HASN'T CHANGED SUBSTANTIALLY THAT INFORMS. SO EVERY YEAR WE TAKE A LOOK AT, WE, WE DEVELOP A SIDEWALK SERVICE PLAN.

AND WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF DOING THAT RIGHT NOW FOR FY OR FOR, SORRY, I, I USED THE, THE BUREAUCRATIC SPEAKER FISCAL YEAR MM-HMM.

UM, AND, AND, AND WE ARE PUTTING THAT TOGETHER WHERE WE TAKE A LOOK AT, OKAY, WHERE HAVE THOSE PRIORITIES CHANGED? LIKE WE WAS MENTIONED EARLIER WITH PROJECT CONNECT, HEY, THOSE FUTURE TRANSIT STATIONS ARE CHANGING.

POPULATIONS ARE CHANGING, UM, HEALTH OUTCOMES ARE CHANGING.

I, IT'S INTERESTING, MAYBE A LITTLE DISCOURAGING, BUT WE'VE SEEN THE GENTRIFICATION OF CENTRAL EAST AUSTIN SHOW UP IN OUR MODELS, NEIGHBORHOODS THAT PREVIOUSLY SHOWED UP AS VERY HIGH PRIORITY FOR SIDEWALKS ARE NOW SOMETIMES ONLY MEDIUM PRIORITY BECAUSE OF EFFECTIVELY THE, YOU KNOW, RESIDENTS.

YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE PRIORITIZATION FACTORS IS MEDIAN INCOME.

CUZ WE KNOW FOLKS THAT, YOU KNOW, HOUSEHOLDS WITH LOWER MEDIAN INCOMES, I MEAN, THEY'RE HOUSEHOLDS WITH, YOU KNOW, OFTEN TWO WORKING INDIVIDUALS.

THEY'RE JUST NOT IN IN JOBS.

THEY'RE MAKING A LOT OF MONEY.

THEY MAY ONLY HAVE ONE CAR OR NO CAR AND THEY'RE RELYING ON TRANSIT AND OR THEY MAY HAVE MOBILITY IMPAIRMENTS THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE FORCED TO USE SIDEWALKS AND TRANSITS TO GET TO THEIR JOB.

WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO FOCUS IN ON THOSE AREAS AND WE FINDING THEY'RE MOVING, THEY'RE MOVING OUT TO THE PERIPHERY.

WE'RE FINDING AREAS THAT WERE, YOU KNOW, ALL THE WAY UP BY 45 AT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE APARTMENT COMPLEXES THAT REALLY SPRUNG UP IN THE LAST FIVE TO SEVEN YEARS.

UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, JUST A FEW YEARS AGO ON THE PRIORITIZATION MODEL WERE, YOU KNOW, MEDIUM OR EVEN VERY LOW PRIORITY CUZ IT WAS RELATIVELY LOW POPULATION DENSITY.

AND, AND TO EXTENT THERE WAS POPULATION OUT THERE.

THEY WERE NOT TRANSIT DEPENDENT POPULATIONS.

THAT'S CHANGING.

UM, WHERE, SO IT'S OUT ON THE PERIPHERIES THAT WE'RE, WE'RE SEEING SOME HIGH PRIORITY NEEDS.

UM, SO WHAT HAPPENS IS EACH YEAR WE TAKE A LOOK AT THAT MODEL AND LOOK AT OUR FUNDING AND WE SELECT, YOU KNOW, AND RIGHT NOW, AS CHALLENGING AS IT IS, WHEN I FIRST STARTED WITH THIS PROGRAM, WE WERE LUCKY TO HAVE FIVE CREWS GOING.

AND IF WE GOT SEVEN TO EIGHT MILES OF SIDEWALKS DONE IN A YEAR, BOTH NEW AND REPAIRED,

[00:35:01]

WE WERE PRETTY HAPPY.

NOW WE ARE DOING LITERALLY 30 TO 40 MILES PER YEAR.

UM, AND I COULD, YOU KNOW, SHOW YOU A MAP.

IF YOU GO TO THE SIDEWALK PROGRAM WEBSITE, WE'VE GOT A MAP OF ALL THE ACTIVE CONSTRUCTION SITES AND THERE'S SITES ALL OVER THE CITY.

, UM, THAT SERVICE PLAN COMES OUT AND IT'S SHARED WITH THE PUBLIC THROUGH SOMETHING CALLED THE MOBILITY ANNUAL PLAN.

AND THAT'S ALL THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, URBAN TRAILS, BIKEWAYS, CORA PROGRAMS, SIDEWALKS PUT TOGETHER THE PLANNED IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE NEXT YEAR OR SO.

UM, AND WE PUT TOGETHER OUR IMPROVEMENTS FOR BOTH THE ONE YEAR OUTLOOK AND A FIVE YEAR OUTLOOK.

AND WE SAY, HERE'S WHERE WE'RE THINKING WE'RE GONNA INVEST THESE FUNDS THAT WE'VE GOT OUT OF THESE BOND PROGRAMS. UM, AND IT GOES THROUGH A PROCESS WHERE PEOPLE CAN PROVIDE US SOME FEEDBACK AND, AND THEN WE GO AHEAD AND IMPLEMENT THAT.

UM, I'M NOT SURE IF THAT ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION OR NOT.

TELL ME IF IT DIDN'T.

UM, I'LL LEAVE TIME FOR ONE MORE QUESTION CUZ WE DO HAVE OTHER AGENDA ITEMS IF ANYONE HAS, UH, A BURNING QUESTION.

UH, JOHN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

UH, WE APPRECIATE YOUR UPDATE.

UM, UNDERSTANDABLY, WE APPRECIATE THAT YOU RECOGNIZE OUR CONCERNS AND, UM, WE APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU DO.

UM, YOU'RE ALWAYS WELCOME BACK IF YOU HAVE ANY, UH, FURTHER UPDATES.

UM, YOU'RE ALWAYS WELCOME ON OUR, ON OUR AGENDA.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

I APPRECIATE THAT.

AND, AND SO APPRECIATE THE, THE WORK, THE ADVOCACY THAT YOU DO ON, ON, ON BEHALF OF, OF ALL THESE COMMUNITIES.

IT'S, IT'S SO NECESSARY.

DONNA BETS HAS BEEN OFFLINE FOR THE WHOLE Q AND A.

SHE, I THINK SHE LOST CONNECTION AND SHE HASN'T GOTTEN BACK ON.

SO WE ONLY HAVE FIVE COMMISSIONERS.

SO WE'LL HAVE TO PAUSE THE MEETING FOR NOW.

SO EVERYONE JUST, UH, WE'LL GIVE HER, UM, SOME TIME.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PROCEDURE, FULL PROCEDURE IS ON THAT .

PRESENTATION NEXT? I BELIEVE? OKAY.

SO JUST HANG TIGHT IF NEED TO USE THE RESTROOM, JUST GO AND COME BACK.

WHATEVER YOU NEED TO DO.

GET SOME WATER.

UH, LOOKS LIKE, I THINK, IS IT THE JEREMY'S

[6. Discussion and updates on the Joint Inclusion Committee ( JIC). (Jeremy Garza)]

UH, JEREMY, ARE YOU HERE? YES.

I, HELLO EVERYBODY.

UH, COULD YOU MAYBE SPEAK CLOSER TO YOUR MIC? JEREMY? WE CAN BARELY HEAR YOU.

ONE SECOND.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YES.

UM, AND SO THAT THEIR VOICE CAN BE HEARD IN THESE TOWN HALLS.

HI EVERYBODY.

GOOD EVENING.

UH, MY NAME IS JEREMY GARZA.

I'M, UH, WITHIN THE CITY'S EQUITY OFFICE.

UM, AND I HELP, UM, FACILITATE AND SUPPORT THE WORK OF THE JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE.

UM, WHICH THE MAYOR'S COMMITTEE, UM, HAS A SEAT ON AND IS REPRESENTATIVE, UM, BY JENNIFER POWELL, UM, ON THAT COMMITTEE.

UM, AND I JUST WANTED TO TALK BRIEFLY ABOUT THE BUDGET PROCESS.

UM, EVERY YEAR, UM, FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, UM, THE EQUITY OFFICE HAS BEEN HELPING TRY TO ADVOCATE FOR ALL OF THE COMMISSIONS, UH, AND THE COMMITTEE SUCH AS YOURSELF, UH, TO HAVE A, UM, A A STRONGER AND MORE INFLUENTIAL VOICE, UH, IN THE CITY'S BUDGETARY PROCESS.

UM, AND ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE'VE DONE THAT, UM, IN THE PAST, UM, IS THROUGH THE JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE IS ORGANIZING TOWN HALLS, UM, UM, FOR THE PUBLIC TO COME AND TELL, UM, US ABOUT THE ISSUES THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO THEM THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE REFLECTED, UH, IN THE BUDGET IN PARTICULAR.

UM, AND SO IN THE PAST WE'VE PO POSTED THREE COMMUNITY TOWN HALLS, UM, THAT HAVE HAPPENED.

UM, AND WE'RE STARTING TO ORGANIZE FOR THE UPCOMING TOWN HALLS THAT WERE GONNA BE HOSTED IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER OF THIS YEAR.

AND I WANTED TO COME EARLY, UM, TO INFORM THE COMMITTEE, UM, THAT THE JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE HAS DECIDED ON THE THREE OFFICIAL DATES FOR THIS YEAR'S TOWN HALLS, UM, THAT ARE GONNA HAPPEN IN OUR, AGAIN, IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER OF THIS YEAR.

AND SO I WANTED TO COME AND LET Y'ALL KNOW ABOUT THOSE DATES, UH, SO THAT YOU COULD SAVE THEM, UH, IN Y'ALL'S CALENDAR.

UM, AND SO THAT I CAN INVITE Y'ALL EARLY, UH, INTO THIS PROCESS, UM, TO INVITE Y'ALL'S PARTICIPATION AND INVITE YOUR SUPPORT, UM, AND TO INVITE Y'ALL'S ADVISEMENT AND HOW TO MAKE THESE, UM, EVENTS, UM, IN THESE TOWN HALLS THE MOST ACCESSIBLE.

UH, AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE INCLUSIVE, UM, OF PEOPLE EXP UM, PEOPLE WHO LIVE WITH DISABILITIES HERE IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

[00:40:01]

UM, AND SO THAT THERE CAN BE REPRESENTATION FROM THE COMMUNITIES THAT YOU ALL REPRESENT.

SO AGAIN, UM, THOSE ARE GONNA BE THREE TOWN HALLS.

THE FIRST ONE'S GONNA BE HAPPENING ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER THIR, UH, 18TH.

AGAIN, THAT'S WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18TH.

IT'S GONNA BE AN EVENING, UM, UH, EVENT.

OUR LOCATIONS ARE TO BE DETERMINED.

UM, BUT I JUST WANTED TO LET Y'ALL KNOW IT'S KIND OF A SAVE DATE.

I'M ALSO GONNA FOLLOW UP VIA EMAIL WITH ALL OF Y'ALL.

UM, BUT THE FIRST TIME HALL WILL BE WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18TH.

UH, THE SECOND TOWN HALL, UM, WILL BE VIRTUAL ONLY.

SO WE'RE GONNA DO, UH, ONE, UH, TWO TOWN HALLS IN PERSON AND ONE VIRTUALLY.

SO THE SECOND ONE IS JUST THE VIRTUAL ONLY.

LAST YEAR WE TRIED TO DO THEM HYBRID AND THEN, UH, WE GOT A LITTLE AHEAD OF OURSELVES THAT DIDN'T HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY TO DO IT JUST RIGHT.

SO THIS TIME WE'RE, WE'RE LEARNING, UH, DO THEM POST THEM ALL IN PERSON OR POST THEM ALL ONLINE.

SO THE SECOND TOWN HALL, THAT'S ALL VIRTUAL WILL BE HAPPENING ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26TH.

AND THAT'S THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26TH.

UM, AND THEN THE LAST, UM, TOWN HALL THAT WE HAVE IS A WEEKEND TOWN HALL ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH.

AGAIN, THIS IS ALL GONNA BE FALL, UM, DATES.

UM, SO AGAIN THAT'S UM, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18TH, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26TH.

UM, IT'S SATURDAY NOVEMBER 4TH.

UH, WE DON'T HAVE LOCATIONS, UM, OR TIME'S JUST CONFIRMED YET, BUT I WANTED Y'ALL TO MARK THOSE DATES AT THE VERY LEAST.

UM, CUZ REALLY THE ONLY WAY THAT THESE TOWN HALLS CAN BE SUCCESSFUL IS IF COMMISSIONERS SUCH AS YOUNG SELVES, UM, ORGANIZE AND GET COMMUNITY TO SHOW UP TO THESE EVENTS.

UM, EVERY YEAR I TRY TO ENCOURAGE, UM, COMMISSIONERS TO SAY, IF YOU CAN GET AT LEAST ONE OR TWO PEOPLE EACH TO SHOW UP TO ONE OF THESE TOWN HALLS, I GET FOLKS, UM, ESPECIALLY WHO ARE PASSIONATE AND TO ABOUT BEING ADVOCATES IN COMMUNITY TO COME TELL US ABOUT WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT TO THEM, UM, SO THAT YOU CAN USE THAT FEEDBACK, UM, UH, TO PRODUCE AND TO WRITE BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL SERVE RESEARCH.

SO AGAIN, THIS IS JUST ONE OPPORTUNITY TO DO, UM, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THROUGH AN OPPORTUNITY THAT THE EQUITY OFFICE WORKS WITH THE BUDGET OFFICE IN PARTICULAR TO HELP PUT ON THESE SPECIFIC TOWN HALLS.

AND, UM, ALL OF THESE EVENTS ARE KIND OF GEARING UP FOR THE NEXT YEAR'S BUDGETARY PROCESS.

THIS IS WHY THIS IS HAPPENING IN THE FALL.

UM, BUT I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW ABOUT THESE OPPORTUNITY AHEAD OF TIME, BRING Y'ALL INTO THE FOLD.

I KNOW COMMISSIONER POWELL, UM, REGULARLY ATTENDS JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE MEETINGS AND SO SHE'LL MOST LIKELY BE ABLE TO HEAR THE UPDATES AS THEY COME ALONG AND SHARE THEM WITH YOU HERE.

UM, BUT LIKE I SAID, I JUST WANTED TO GET IN EARLY CUZ WE REALLY WANT TO INCLUDE Y'ALL.

WE REALLY WANT TO HAVE Y'ALL'S EXPERTISE, UM, TO HELP MAKE THESE TOWN HALLS AS SUCCESSFUL AS POSSIBLE ONCE WE GET THEM GOING IN THE FALL.

SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR NAMING QUESTIONS.

I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM.

I KNOW THE BUDGETARY PROCESS IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS YEAR AFTER YEAR.

IT'S NOT ALWAYS THE MOST EXCITING PROCESS, BUT IT'S ALWAYS AN OPPORTUNITY, UM, FOR, TO MAKE YOUR VOICE, UM, AND YOUR ADVOCACY FOR THE COMMUNITY TO REPRESENT, TO MAKE THAT ADVOCACY REALLY HURT, UM, AS PART OF THE, THE GOVERNMENT PROCESS.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU JEREMY.

UH, FIRST OF ALL, THIS DOES, UH, REMIND ME THE TIME BEFORE THE PANDEMIC WHERE WE ACTUALLY HELD, UH, OWN TOWN HALL FOR PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO SPEAK ON UM, WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO THEM AS PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES LIVING IN AUSTIN.

SO I APPRECIATE YOUR CONTINUED EFFORTS.

UM, UH, COMMISSIONER, HOW WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUED UPDATES.

I JUST WANNA REMIND THE COMMISSION THAT IF YOU WANT TO ATTEND ONE OF THESE EVENTS AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE MAYOR'S COMMITTEE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, UH, WE HAVE TO PUT THAT ON THE AGENDA TO VOTE YOU IN AS A REPRESENTATIVE.

THERE'S NO PROBLEM WITH THAT.

UH, WE JUST, YOU KNOW, NEED TO HAVE YOU ON AGENDA PRIOR TO THE ONE ONE OF THE EVENTS YOU PLANNED ON ATTENDING SO THAT YOU CAN SPEAK AS A COMMISSIONER.

OTHERWISE YOU CAN STILL ATTEND THESE EVENTS, BUT YOU CANNOT MENTION THAT YOU'RE A COMMISSIONER OR THAT YOU'RE REPRESENTING OUR COMMISSION CUZ THAT'S UNDER, UM, OUR BYLAWS.

BUT, UM, THAT'S SOMETHING I WOULD, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO TRY TO ATTEND.

UM, BUT JEREMY QUESTION, ARE ALL THESE NOT THE WEEKEND ONE, BUT THE OTHER TWO, WOULD THEY TYPICALLY BE IN THE AFTERNOON OR WOULD THERE BE EVENING POSSIBILITIES? IT ABSOLUTELY, SO IN THE JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE, UM, THEY'RE THE ONES WHO KIND OF DECIDED AND CONFIRMED THESE DATES AND THEY WERE TRYING TO REACH PEOPLE AT TIMES WHERE WE CAN GET THEM.

AND SO OUR THINKING WAS IF WE CAN HOST ONE EVENT DURING THE WEEKDAY MM-HMM.

DURING THE EVENING, SO WEEKDAY, WORKDAY, AND THE EVENING AFTER WORK.

UM, AND THEN THERE'S GONNA BE ONE EVENT THAT'S GONNA BE A WEEKDAY LUNCHTIME EVENT TO CATCH FOLKS WHO MAY BE ABLE TO RUN OFF DURING THEIR LUNCH BREAKS.

AND THEN THERE'S GONNA BE ONE WEEKEND DATE TO CATCH FOLKS WHO ARE JUST COMPLETELY UNAVAILABLE DURING THE WORK WEEK.

SO TRYING TO CATCH PEOPLE WHERE

[00:45:01]

THEY MAY BE ABLE TO COME AND PARTICIPATE AGAIN, A WEEKDAY EVENING, A WEEKDAY LUNCHTIME, AND THEN A WEEKEND.

DID ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? UM, I JUST HAD A COMMENT.

I DO APPRECIATE HAVING THE VIRTUAL OPTION AS TRANSPORTATION IS A SIGNIFICANT BARRIER TO PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES PARTICIPATING IN THINGS LIKE THIS.

UM, SO I DO APPRECIATE THE VIRTUAL OPTION AND I WOULD, UM, LIKE IT IF YOU COULD CONSIDER MAYBE ADDING ANOTHER VIRTUAL OPTION.

CAUSE I SEE THAT YOU HAVE TWO DIFFERENT TIMES, UM, FOR IN PERSON.

UM, BUT JUST THE ONE FOR VIRTUAL.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, UH, FOR THAT.

AND THAT'S SOMETHING ACTUALLY THE JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE BROUGHT UP, UM, AT THEIR MEETING THIS PAST MONTH.

AND SOMETHING THAT THEY SPECIFICALLY ASKED THE BUDGET OFFICE, UM, IF THEY COULD BE ABLE TO SUPPORT SO WE COULD HAVE TWO FULLY IN PERSON AND TWO FULLY ONLINE.

UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN WE MADE THIS REQUEST TO THE BUDGET OFFICE, THE REQUEST WAS DENIED.

UM, BUT THERE'S SOME, UM, STAFFING SHORTAGES IN THE BUDGET OFFICE AS, AS THERE IS ACROSS THE, UH, MINI CITY DEPARTMENTS.

AND THEY SAID THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE CAPACITY TO SUPPORT, UM, A FOURTH TOWN HALL FOR THE J I C ALL VIRTUALLY MM-HMM.

UM, SO WE TRIED FOR THIS CYCLE NEXT YEAR I'M GONNA, WE'RE GONNA TRY TO ASK AGAIN TO SEE IF WE CAN GET FOUR, BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW, UM, WE ONLY HAVE THE THREE TOWN HALLS CONFIRMED.

UM, BUT I'M GLAD YOU ALSO MENTIONED THIS BECAUSE, UM, UM, MANY CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, ARE GONNA BE HOSTING THEIR OWN TOWN HALLS, UM, REGARDING THE BUDGET.

SO ANYBODY, IF YOU GO TO CITY OF, UM, IF YOU GO TO AUSTIN TEXAS.GOV/BUDGET, AGAIN, THAT'S AUSTIN TEXAS.GOV/BUDGET.

UM, YOU'LL SEE THE, UM, SPEAK UP AUSTIN PAGE ABOUT THE BUDGET THIS YEAR.

AND IT LOOKS LIKE CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS TWO AND THREE ARE HOSTING A JOINT TOWN HALL ON THE BUDGET ON JULY 25TH, UM, AS WELL AS DISTRICT NUMBER FIVE AT CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS HOSTING A VIRTUAL BUDGET TOWN HALL ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9TH AT 6:00 PM MM-HMM.

UM, AND THEN ALSO DISTRICT SEVEN IS ALSO GONNA BE HOSTING A ONLINE VIRTUAL BUDGET TOWN HALL ON MONDAY, AUGUST 7TH.

UM, AND IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S ONE MORE FOR DISTRICT EIGHT ON MONDAY, JULY 31ST.

SO THERE'S A WHOLE SLEW OF TOWN HALLS BOTH IN PERSON, UM, AND ONLINE VIRTUAL THAT ARE GONNA BE BEING POSTED BY CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS THEMSELVES, UM, FROM THE VARIOUS DIFFERENT DISTRICTS.

UM, OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT TWO MONTHS, MANY OF THOSE TOWN HALLS, UM, WILL BE ABOUT THE CURRENT BUDGET, UM, THAT CITY COUNCIL WILL BE DEBATING, UM, OVER THIS NEXT MONTH, UM, BEFORE IT GETS ADOPTED FOR THE START OF THE NEW FISCAL YEAR IN OCTOBER.

UH, THE TOWN HALL OF THE J I C ARE ORGANIZING, UM, IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER ARE KIND OF GONNA BE FOR NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET.

WE'RE TRYING TO DO IT SUPER EARLY MM-HMM.

, A LOT OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, ONES THAT ARE HAPPENING NOW FOR THE NEXT MONTH AND A HALF, OR THE, FOR THE THINGS THAT ARE BEING DEBATED JUST NOW, JUST TO HELP PEOPLE KIND OF DELINEATE BETWEEN THOSE TWO DIFFERENT EVENTS.

UM, BUT THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THINKING IT UP WHERE WE TRY TO OUR BEST TO ADVOCATE FOR, BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW, THE BUDGET OFFICE IS ONLY GONNA HELP US ACCOMMODATE FROM THREE, FOR THE ONES IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER AND THE FALL OF THIS YEAR.

YEAH, I UNDERSTAND.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS.

YEAH.

AND THANK YOU FOR, YEAH.

SO I'LL CONCUR WITH MY VICE CHAIR.

THANK YOU FOR, UM, LOOKING INTO THAT.

UNDERSTANDABLY WITH THE LUNCH TOWN HALL WITH PEOPLE DISABILITIES, UH, MANY DON'T DRIVE, THEY UTILIZE PARATRANSIT, UH, PUBLIC TRANSIT AND TAKING OFF AN HOUR FROM WORK IS, UH, KIND OF NEARLY I POSSIBILITY BECAUSE OF TIME AND THEN HAVING TO TRAVEL BACK TO WORK.

SO I APPRECIATE THAT THERE IS A VIRTUAL OPTION AND AN EVENING OPTION.

SO, UM, UNFORTUNATELY WE DON'T HAVE ANY MORE TIME.

JUST WANNA RESPECT THE REST OF THE AGENDA.

WE HAVE LESS THAN 20 MINUTES FOR THE MEETING, BUT THANK YOU JEREMY FOR YOUR CONTINUED EFFORTS AND, UM, IF WE COULD JUST HAVE THOSE DATES CIRCULATED, COMMISSIONER, UM, IF YOU EITHER JEREMY OR COMMISSIONER POWELL AS YOU COULD JUST REACH OUT TO JACQUELINE AND CIRCULATE THOSE DATES JUST SO THAT UM, SHE CAN CIRCULATE IT AMONGST THE COMMISSION, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE IS AWARE OF ONCE THE TIMES AND EVERYTHING ARE FINALIZED, WHEN, WHERE, AND HOW TO, HOW TO JOIN.

AND IF YOU WANNA BE A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COMMISSION, UH, JUST REMEMBER WE HAVE TO, UH, VOTE YOU IN AS A REPRESENTATIVE FOR A PARTICULAR EVENT.

THANK YOU EVERYBODY AND I'LL MAKE SURE TO SEND THAT INFORMATION OUT TO JACK.

BUT I'M NOT SURE WHO WANTED TO SPEAK ON IT.

UM, THIS LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A AGENDA ITEM,

[7. Discussion on safety and accessibility for people with Disabilities on Austin’s public transportation system. ]

IT'S, OH, IT'S YOU.

I'VE NOTICED WITHIN THE LAST PROBABLY 12 TO 18 MONTHS THAT OUR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY LESS SAFE AND LESS RELIABLE.

WELL THEN THE FLOOR IS YOUR REGARDING, UH, PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AND SAFETY.

UM, YES.

I'VE BEEN A PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION USER HERE IN AUSTIN SINCE, UH, 1998.

SO I'VE BEEN HERE FOR A WHILE AND

[00:50:01]

AND I REALLY, THE TRANSPORTATION IS ONE OF THE LARGEST BARRIERS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.

AS FAR AS WORK, UM, SOCIAL LIVES, ACCESS TO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN COMMUNITY.

AND, UM, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE A WORKING AND SAFE, UH, PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.

SO I WOULD LIKE TO MOTION THAT ON NEXT MONTH MONTH'S AGENDA THAT WE TALK ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF CREATING A WORK GROUP TO REALLY FOCUS ON TRANSPORTATION AND, UM, HAVING A QUALITY AND ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORTATION, UM, SYSTEM HERE IN AUSTIN.

UH, JUST POINT OF ORDER, UH, VEGAS, WAIT TO WE FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS TO MAKE THAT MOTION.

OH, OKAY.

JUST KIDDING.

YEAH, CUZ WE DON'T HAVE IT IS, IT IS NOT LABELED AS AN ACTUAL ITEM.

THAT'S FAIR.

UM, SO, BUT I JUST, UM, AS FAR AS SAFETY GOES, I'VE HAD TO CALL, UH, 9 1 1 SEVERAL TIMES IN THE LAST MONTH BECAUSE OF ISSUES THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING EITHER AT THE BUS STOP OR ON THE BUS.

UM, AND SO IF I COULD GET IN A CAR AND DRIVE, I ABSOLUTELY WOULD BY NOW BECAUSE IT'S JUST, IT'S NOT BEEN GOOD.

IT'S NOT BEEN SAFE FOR ME OR MY CHILDREN.

UM, BUT PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, WE ARE KIND OF SOMEWHAT FORCED TO USE A PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.

SO THAT'S ALL.

DOES ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANYTHING? UH, WE GOT, WE, WE COULD HAVE TIME FOR TWO QUESTIONS AND THEN, UM, LATER ON IF YOU WANNA MAKE, GO AHEAD AND MAKE THAT MOTION ONCE WE REACH A FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, THAT'S COMPLETELY FINE.

ANY QUESTIONS FOR VICE CHAIR MAYOR? NO.

UM, THIS IS LIRA NOT AS MUCH OF A QUESTION AS AN, AS AN ADDITION.

UM, I DON'T THINK I HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD WITH REGARDS TO SAFETY, BUT ALSO PUBLIC TRANSIT USER CAN'T DRIVE.

UM, AND DEFINITELY NOTICE THE DECLINE IN THE FREQUENCY OF SHUTTLES.

AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH OF THIS COMMISSION CAN DO WITH REGARDS TO CAP METRO AND ALL OF THAT, BUT YES.

UM, ONE THING WE COULD DO IS REACH OUT TO, UH, MARTIN HY WHO, UH, DEALS WITH ACCESSIBILITY AND PEOPLE, THE INDIVIDUAL'S DISABILITY WRITING FOR CAPITAL METRO.

SEE IF HE CAN, YOU KNOW, COME TO OUR MEETING, UH, ONE OF OUR FUTURE MEETINGS AND ASK, WE CAN ASK SOME QUESTIONS REGARDING THAT AND WHAT THEIR, WHAT, DID THEY HAVE ANY PLANS IN THE WORK OR, UM, YEAH, WE CAN, UH, WORK TOWARDS THAT.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? ALL RIGHT.

HEARING NONE, WE'LL, UH, CIRCLE BACK, UH, VICE CHAIR ON SO THAT YOU CAN MAKE THAT MOTION.

AGENDA IS A DISCUSSION ACTION ITEM REGARDING, UM, CREATING A WORKING GROUP FOR, WHAT WAS IT? UM, TO REVIEW MUSIC VENUES AND ENTERTAINMENT VALUES.

AND THE NEXT ITEM OF THE

[8. Discussion and possible action to establish a working group to review music venues and entertainment venues in Austin for improvements for people with disabilities. ]

UH, I KNOW WE WANTED A TABLE TO THIS MEETING BECAUSE I WANTED TO BE A PART OF IT.

UM, JACQUELINE, COULD YOU JUST READ THE, THE BASIC PARAMETERS OF WHAT A WORKING GROUP CONSISTS OF? OKAY, SURE.

SO GOING INTO OUR BYLAWS UNDER WORKING GROUP AND SECTION A, THE BOARD CAN DETERMINE THE SIZE OF A WORKING GROUP, BUT THE NUMBER OF BOARD MEMBERS SERVING ON THE WORKING GROUP MUST BE LESS THAN A QUORUM OF THE BOARD.

B A WORKING GROUP MAY DESIGNATE A CHAIR WITH THE MEMBER'S CONSENT, BUT IS NOT REQUIRED TO DO SO.

C QUORUM REQUIREMENTS DO NOT APPLY TO WORKING GROUPS.

D STAFF SUPPORT WILL NOT BE PROVIDED FOR WORKING GROUPS AND E WORKING GROUPS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO POST THEIR MEETINGS IN ACCORDANCE OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE.

CHAPTER 5 51, THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT.

AND FOR REFERENCE, OUR QUORUM IS SIX MM-HMM.

SO WE COULD HAVE, UH, FIVE MEMBERS IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED.

UM, WE DON'T HAVE TO NECESSARILY MEET HERE, UH, AT CITY HALL.

LET'S SAY WE CAN MEET AT A COFFEE HOUSE AND DISCUSS AND THEN PRESENT OUR, UM, WHOEVER WANTS TO BE ON THE WORKING GROUP, THE FINDINGS BACK TO THE COMMISSION.

SO I WOULD LIKE TO BE A PART OF IT.

IM WOULD JUST REPRESENT AS A COMMISSIONER.

DON'T, I DON'T HAVE TO BE CHAIR CUZ THE CHAIR DOES NOT HAVE TO BE DESIGNATED.

[00:55:01]

JUST WANTED TO REACH OUT TO SEE IF, UM, THERE ARE ANY OTHER INDIVIDUALS ON THIS COMMISSION WHO WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BECOMING A PART OF THIS WORKING GROUP.

I KNOW COMMISSIONER SALAZAR, I DON'T, I GUESS HE COULDN'T MAKE IT.

I KNOW THIS, UH, HE SPOKE UP ABOUT THIS, SO I THINK WE SHOULD TABLE THIS TO THE NEXT MEETING, JUST SO THAT, UM, I WANNA GAUGE HIS INTEREST, UH, JUST IN CASE HE DID WANNA BECOME PART OF IT.

UH, I JUST WANNA BE FAIR TO EACH COMMISSIONER CUZ NOT EVERY COMMISSIONER WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TONIGHT AND GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY.

AND I, I CAN ALSO REACH OUT TO THEM PERSONALLY, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE AT THE NEXT MEETING SO THAT WE CAN FORM THAT WORKING GROUP UNLESS ANYONE HAS AN OBJECTION.

OH.

UM, OKAY.

UM, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND, UM, JUST GO THROUGH PROCEDURE.

I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO, UH, IF ANYONE WILL MAKE A MOTION THAT WE JUST TABLE IT TO THE NEXT MEETING, JUST SO THAT WE HAVE, UM, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OTHER COMMISSIONERS WHO ARE NOT HERE TO VOICE OR INTEREST.

I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO TABLE IT.

THIS IS JENNIFER.

IS THERE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND.

THIS IS KRISTEN.

OKAY, THANK YOU.

ALL THOSE, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? EVERYONE? CAMERA ON.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.

MOVE ON TO FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. I'LL GIVE VICE CHAIR MEYER THE FLOOR.

YEAH, WE'LL JUST TABLE, WHAT'S THE NEXT MEETING? CAUSE I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERY COMMISSIONER'S REPRESENTATIVE.

UM, NOW WE'LL

[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]

UM, I WOULD LIKE IT VERY MUCH IF WE COULD, UM, PUT ON THE FUTURE AGENDA THAT WE CREATE A WORKING GROUP TO DISCUSS TRANSPORTATION, UM, SPECIFICALLY SAFETY AND ACCESS.

YOU, YOU CAN MAKE A MOTION.

UM, I MAKE A MOTION THAT WE PUT ON THE FUTURE AGENDA TO MAKE A WORK GROUP, WORK GROUP TO FOCUS ON TRANSPORTATION FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN THE COMMUNITY.

IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND IT.

HAS WE MOVED AND SECONDED ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING, UH, SENATE? I'M SORRY, WAS THAT COMMISSIONER BETS WHO, WHO WAS SEEKING THE FLOOR? YES.

DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? OH, NO, NO, NO.

I'M SORRY.

UM, HAS IT MOVED AND SECONDED.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.

UM, ONE I WANTED TO PRESENT IS I REALLY WANT TO GAUGE WHAT EACH INDIVIDUAL'S, UM, PURPOSE ON THIS COMMISSION IS.

WHAT ISSUES ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU? UM, SO THAT WE CAN WORK TOGETHER IN COLLABORATION, UM, SO THAT WE CAN ADVOCATE FOR THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY IN AUSTIN SO THAT WE CAN MAKE IT, UH, A MORE EQUITABLE AND ACCESSIBLE PLACE.

AND SO I WOULD LIKE, UH, A SPOT ON NEXT MONTH'S AGENDA.

SO TO GIVE YOU A FULL MONTH TO THINK OF WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU BECAUSE I VALUE, UM, YOUR INPUT.

AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE, ON OUR EXCELLENT MONTH'S AGENDA, IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO DISCUSS WHAT ITEMS ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU.

WE CAN MAKE THIS AN ACTION ITEM, WHETHER WE WANNA FORM, FORM WORKING GROUPS AS A, A, A POSSIBLE WORKING GROUP, UM, BASED ON YOUR NEEDS OR YOUR DESIRES TO SERVE ON THIS COMMISSION AND WHAT I IDEAS ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU.

I THINK THAT SOUNDS GOOD.

UH, JUST I AM NOT SURE OF, I HAVE AUTHORITY JUST TO PUT IT ON THE AGENDA.

SO, UM, IF SOMEONE JUST MAKE A MOTION, JUST MAKE IT OFFICIAL.

I MOVE APPROVAL THAT THE NEXT BOARD MEETING WE SHARE, UH, WHAT CONCERNS MOTIVATE US FOR BEING ON THIS COMMITTEE.

AND HOW WE WOULD ATTACK THOSE AS A GROUP.

IS THERE A SECOND? I SECOND.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.

ABOUT A FEATURE, AGENDA ITEM.

AND THEN COMMISSIONER BETS, I WANTED TO GIVE YOU THE FLOOR, UM, CAUSE I, I BELIEVE YOU WANTED TO SPEAK

[01:00:01]

I THINK IT WAS INVOLVING CODA, BUT, UM, IF YOU JUST WANNA CLARIFY SO THAT WE COULD HAVE IT ON A FEATURE AGENDA.

UH, YES I DO.

UM, I WILL NOT BE AT, AT THE, UH, I'M SORRY, I'M TRYING TO LISTEN AND PUT MY FACE SOME STITCHES.

UM, I WON'T BE AT THE AUGUST MEETING.

SO, UH, QUESTION ONE IS THAT, CAN I JUST SEND YOU OR SOMEONE, UM, MY REASON FOR BEING ON HERE OR WHATEVER? YES.

JUST AS LONG, JUST AS LONG AS IT'S NO MORE.

YOU CAN SEND YOUR IDEAS, BUT NO LONG, YOU CAN'T SEND IT TO, UM, MORE THAN FIVE COMMISSIONERS.

CUZ THEN OTHERWISE YOU'D BE REACHING, UH, QUORUM.

AND THAT'S WOULD UNDER LAW BE CONSIDERED A MEETING? ? NO, I'M JUST GONNA SEND IT TO LONG, JUST ONE PERSON, SO THAT'S FINE.

? UH, YEAH, THE, UM, I, I HAVE AN UPDATE ON THE, THE CODE TASK FORCE THAT AND THE, UM, OTHER VENUES THAT LIKE THAT THAT WE, UM, MOODY GARDEN AND STUFF.

UM, AND SO I WANNA, I JUST WANTED TO GIVE AN A, WELL HE OR ROSENTHAL WHO CAME AND, AND AT THE TOP WANTED ME TO, TO DO AN UPDATE AS TO WHAT I'VE FOUND OUT SO FAR.

I HAVE TALKED WITH CODA.

SO, UM, CAN WE DO THAT AS A FUTURE AGENDA ITEM FOR SEPTEMBER SINCE I WON'T BE THERE IN OCTOBER? IN AUGUST? SURE.

IF, UH, IS THERE ANY WAY J UH, JACQUELINE IF YOU COULD MARK THAT DOWN FOR SEPTEMBER OR DO YOU WANNA JUST, UH, REMINDER ? UH, I SHOULD HAVE IT, BUT, UM, WE'LL REGROUP TO MAKE SURE NEXT MEETING.

AND WE'LL, UM, YEAH, WE'LL, WE'LL CIRCLE BACK JUST TO PUT ON THE, UH, SEPTEMBER AGENDA IN AUGUST JUST TO VOTE ON THAT.

UM, TO PUT IT ON A FEATURE AGENDA ITEM, ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS WHO HAVE ANY, UH, FEATURE AGENDA ITEMS THEY WOULD LIKE TO PUT FORTH TO THE COMMISSION FOR NEXT MONTH'S MEETING? THIS IS LIRA.

THIS IS NOT AN URGENT ITEM NECESSARILY FOR NEXT MONTH.

AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT Y'ALL COVERED PRE, PREVIOUSLY, BUT SIMILAR TO TODAY, I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT THE ROLE THE CITY PLAYS AS FAR AS EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND EVACUATION PROCEDURES.

THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING DEFINITELY WORTH LOOKING INTO.

SO THAT'S, UM, CAUSE I KNOW LIKE DISABILITY RIGHTS, TEXAS, THEY PROVIDE, UM, LIKE ON THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES AND I BELIEVE ON THEIR WEBSITE, UM, DIFFERENT EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, UH, LINKS FOR, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.

BUT THAT'S SOMETHING WE COULD LOOK FOR, UH, FURTHER INTO.

UM, IF YOU WANNA WAIT TILL NEXT MONTH OR WE CAN JUST, UH, LOOK INTO A FUTURE MEETING BEYOND THAT, WE CAN LOOK INTO THAT TOO.

IT'S, UH, IF YOU WANNA PUT ON NEXT MONTH, WE CAN MAKE A MOTION, IF NOT YOU, IF YOU WANNA JUST, WE CONTINUE TO DO RESEARCH AND THEN PRESENT IT, UH, AS A PRESENTATION MAYBE, UM, AMONGST OURSELVES.

UM, WE CAN DO THAT AS WELL.

WHAT'S, IT'S WHATEVER YOU, SINCE YOU'RE ASKING FOR AS AN AGENDA ITEM, YOU CAN, WE CAN KIND OF GAUGE IT HOW YOU WANNA PROCEED FORWARD WITH IT.

AND WE COULD ALSO DISCUSS, UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU, UH, WE CAN PUT ON AN AGENDA ITEM, LIKE IF WE FIND, UH, A REPRESENTATIVE, UM, FROM A CERTAIN AGENCY OR A CERTAIN DEPARTMENT WITHIN THE CITY THAT COULD PRESENT ON THAT, UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT JACQUELINE AND I CAN LOOK INTO, UM, DOING SO, SO THAT WE CAN PUT HER ON AGENDA ITEMS SO THAT SOMEONE COULD SPEAK TO ACTUALLY WHAT THE PLAN LIKE PLANS ARE FOR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND EVACUATION PLANS AND, UM, ANYTHING REVOLVE IN THAT.

ANY OF THOSE AGREED.

IF THERE IS, UM, SOMEONE THAT WOULD BE GREAT TO PRESENT, UM, THAT WOULD WORK.

AND IF ANYONE HAS ANY OTHER INPUT OR MAKE A FULL MOTION.

WELL, I KNOW THE CITY DOES DO, UM, LIKE FAKE EMERGENCY DRILLS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO WE DO HAVE AN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICE.

MAYBE SOMEONE FROM THERE COULD COME PRESENT TO US.

UH, JACQUELINE, COULD YOU REACH OUT TO, TO THE OFFICE AND SEE IF THEY'D BE WILLING TO PRESENT AT A FUTURE MEETING, PLEASE? THANK YOU.

UH, LET'S DOUBLE CHECK THE TIME.

WE ONLY HAVE TWO MINUTES, SO, UM, IF, UNLESS THERE'S ANY OTHER BURNING, UM, AGENDA TOPICS FOR NEXT MONTH, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION.

UH, ASK FOR SOMEONE TO MAKE A MOTION TO ADJOURN THE MEETING.

BUT I'LL GIVE YOU ONE MINUTE TO SAY THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANTED TO SAY FOR NEXT MONTH'S MEETING.

NO, UH, I THINK I'LL TAKE YOUR

[01:05:01]

SILENCES.

NO.

SO IF SOMEONE WANTS, WANTS TO MAKE A MOTION TO ADJOURN THE MEETING, UM, I'LL GO AHEAD, I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO JOIN THE MEETING.

THIS IS KRISTEN.

WE'LL SECOND THE MOTION.

HASN'T MOVED AND SECONDED.

ANY LAST MINUTE DISCUSSION? I REALLY LITERALLY MEAN LAST MINUTE.

SO , HEARING NONE.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.