* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:03] GREAT. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON [I. Call to Order] EVERYONE. I'M LESLIE POOLE. I'M THE VICE CHAIR OF THE CAP METRO BOARD, AND TODAY SITTING IN FOR CHAIR JEFF TAVIAN, WHO IS, UM, IN DC AT THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON. SO I WILL BE, UH, STEPPING IN ON HIS BEHALF. UH, THANKS FOR JOINING US. IT'S THE JUNE, THE AUGUST MEETING OF THE CAT METRO BOARD OF DIRECTORS. TODAY IS MONDAY, AUGUST 28. THE TIME IS 12:07 PM WE ARE MEETING IN THE ROSA PARKS BOARDROOM OF THE CAT METRO ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDING, 29 10 EAST FIFTH STREET IN AUSTIN. UM, I BELIEVE WE HAVE A QUORUM. I SEE TWO BOARD MEMBERS, UH, REMOTE, UH, BOARD MEMBERS, BENGAL AND ELLIS. I SEE OUR C E O AND PRESIDENT, UH, DOTTIE WATKINS UP THERE AS WELL. SHE IS ALSO JOINING US REMOTELY, AND I HAVE A QUORUM WITH BOARD MEMBERS HARRIS STRATTON AND VELA. UH, THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TODAY. UM, THE FIRST ITEM [II.1. Cap Metro Paratransit Roadeo Winners] ON OUR AGENDA WILL BE THE RECOGNITION OF SOME OUTSTANDING CAP METRO FAMILY MEMBERS WHO RECENTLY BROUGHT NATIONAL AWARDS HOME TO AUSTIN. MR. BALLANTINE, ARE YOU HERE TO TELL US ABOUT THIS? ALRIGHT, GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS CHAD VALENTINE. I'M THE VICE PRESIDENT OF, UH, DEMAND RESPONSE AND INNOVATIVE MOBILITY. AND I'M VERY EXCITED TO, UM, AND RECOGNIZE THREE OF OUR FOLKS WHO, UM, WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP AT THE RODEO AT A PARA TRANSIT RODEO. JUST FOR THOSE WHO KNOW OR DON'T KNOW WHAT THE RODEO IS, IT'S A SKILLS-BASED COMPETITION. UM, IT'S A LONG RUNNING TRADITION IN IN PUBLIC TRANSIT. AND, UM, SO WE DO IT AT A LOCAL LEVEL HERE, THEN WE DO A STATE AND THEN THE NATIONAL LEVEL. UM, AND IT'S A SKILLS-BASED PROGRAM AND IT'S PRETTY AWESOME AND IT'S JUST A FUN TIME AND WE'LL BE HAVING ANOTHER ONE IN OCTOBER. SO FEEL FREE TO COME OUT THIS COMING OCTOBER TO SEE OUR, OUR LOCAL. SO TODAY WE'RE GONNA RECOGNIZE OUR THREE OPERATORS THAT, UM, HAD SOME WINNINGS AT THIS, UM, AT OUR, AT OUR RODEOS, AS WELL AS UNVEIL SOME ART, UH, ON A TEXAS SCALE HERE SHORTLY. UM, BUT FIRST I WANNA BRING UP WALLY ACOSTA. HE'S FIRST PLACE IN OUR LOCAL, UM, YEAH, YOU CAN COME UP HERE WITH ME. YEAH. UM, HE'S BEEN AROUND, UH, CAB METRO FOR, UM, 27 YEARS. UM, HE'S BEEN WORKING WITH US, SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED FOR THAT. UM, HE'S A BEHIND THE WHEEL TRAINER, UM, FOR US AT, UH, OUR SOUTH BASE LOCATION. AND, UM, HE'S, HE DID A GREAT JOB. HIT NUMBER ONE FOR THE LOCAL AND WE'LL KEEP YOU UP HERE BECAUSE WE NOT ONLY WON THE LOCAL, WE ALSO WON THE STATE. SO TITO HERNANDEZ. YEP. CONGRATS. YEAH, SO TITO'S BEEN HERE FOR 32 YEARS, WHICH IS PRETTY AMAZING AND MIND BLOWING TO ME. UM, HE'S ALSO A BEHIND THE WHEEL TRAINER FOR MOST OF OUR NEW VEHICLE OPERATORS. UM, AND HE DID A GREAT JOB AT THE STATE WINNING IT, UM, AS OUR NUMBER ONE WINNER. AND THEN NOT ONLY THAT, WE ALSO PROGRESSED TO THE NATIONAL AND WE, WE WON THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MAINLY TED WARD WON THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP . SO COME ON UP, TED WARD, AND, UM, CONGRATULATIONS. I APPRECIATE IT. UM, AND IT'S A BIG DEAL, NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. IT'S PRETTY AWESOME. I LOVE IT. IT'S BRAGGING RIGHTS FOR A WHOLE YEAR THAT WE GET TO TELL EVERYONE THAT WE'RE THE BEST 88 PARATRANSIT PROGRAM IN THE COUNTRY. UM, WE HAVE A PLAQUE FOR MR. WARD THAT, UM, WE'RE ACTUALLY GONNA KEEP HERE AT CAB METRO IN OUR, UM, IN OUR, OUR TROPHY CASE, SO THAT WE'LL ALWAYS REMEMBER IT. BUT HERE'S A PLAQUE FOR YOU THAT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO COME AND VISIT AT ANY TIME. , AND THIS IS ACTUALLY HIS SECOND WIN. HE'S, UH, IN 2013. HE WON THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ALREADY ONE OTHER TIME, SO IT'S PRETTY AWESOME. AND, UM, I'D LIKE TO NOW BRING YOUR ATTENTION TO RIGHT OUTSIDE THE WINDOW, WE HAVE A VEHICLE THAT WE JUST WRAPPED FOR TED WARD. IT'S, UH, OH, IT'S, UH, A SURPRISE. I DON'T THINK HE KNEW ABOUT IT YET, , BUT, UH, YEAH. SO WE'VE GOT A GREAT WRAP. SO IT SAYS DRIVER OF THE YEAR AND IT HAS TED WARD'S FACE ON IT, AND IT IS AWESOME. OUR MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS TEAM DID A GREAT JOB WITH THIS, UH, VERY WESTERN THEMED VEHICLE. THIS WILL BE DRIVING AROUND TOWN, SO IF YOU SPOT IT, YOU CAN ALWAYS THINK A TED IN OUR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. UM, AND SO I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS AND IF WE COULD JUST DO A PHOTO OP, I THINK THAT WOULD BE AWESOME. CONGRATULATIONS, GENTLEMEN. COME ON UP HERE. WE WILL GROUP UP HERE OR IS THERE A WAY TO, TO GET THAT? YOU CAN HOLD THAT. PROBABLY DO IT RIGHT HERE AND HAVE THAT IN THE BACK. YOU HAVE THIS? YEAH, THAT'D BE GREAT. OH, I THOUGHT YOU WERE REMOVING THE OH, I'M DO THAT AS WELL. [00:05:43] AND DO VIRTUAL BOARD MEMBERS. AND DOTTIE, COULD YOU LOOK AT THE CAMERA PLEASE? THANK YOU. THANK YOU EVERYBODY. CONGRATULATIONS ON SUCH OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS. THAT'S PRETTY GREAT. SO OUR [III. Public Comment] NEXT ITEM WILL BE PUBLIC COMMENT. UH, WE HAVE SOME FOLKS WHO HAVE SIGNED UP IN ADVANCE. UM, OF COURSE, WHEN I CALL YOUR NAME, PLEASE EITHER UNMUTE YOURSELF IF YOU'RE REMOTE OR COME ON UP TO THE PODIUM. YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES. UH, MR. EASTON, UH, LET'S HAVE THE REMOTE SPEAKERS FIRST. MS. JOSEPH, ARE YOU WITH US? IF, IF MS. JOSEPH IS ON THE LINE, YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES WITH MORE THAN, BECAUSE YOU HAVE MORE THAN ONE ITEM. SO, ARE YOU WITH US, MS. JOSEPH? IF SHE IS NOT THERE, LET'S, UH, TAKE THE NEXT ONE AND WE CAN COME BACK TO HER. UH, MR. HANSSEN. OH, THIS IS ALWAYS THE FUN PART OF THE MEETING. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN. WHY DON'T WE, WE TAKE MR. HANSSEN AND THEN GO BACK TO MS. JOSEPH. OKAY. MR. HANSSEN, I THINK YOU ARE MUTED. PLEASE UNMUTE. UH OH. UH OH. HANG ON. WE STILL CAN'T HEAR YOU. HANG ON A SECOND. GREAT. GOTTA BE, GOTTA BE CRESTRON, RIGHT? YEP. DID YOU TRY UNMUTING THERE, MR. HANSON? TECHNICAL. IT LOOKS LIKE NOW IT'S UNMUTED. I THOUGHT THERE WAS ONE. YEAH. LET'S TAKE AN IN-PERSON WHILE WE TRY TO WORK THROUGH THE, UM, THE TECHNICALS. UM, I HAVE TWO SHEETS. UM, MR. EASTON, UM, YEP. BOB KAFKA AND GINA FERNANDEZ AND, UH, RICKY HALL. SO LET'S TAKE THESE GENTLEMEN IN THIS ORDER. MR. KAFKA. WELCOME. I THINK YOU HAVE A MIC THERE. THANK YOU. WELCOME. UM, MY NAME'S BOB KAFKA. UH, I'M HERE WITH, UH, ROBIN HOFFMEYER AND KATHY CRANSTON. WE'RE WITH ADAPTIVE TEXAS. UH, WE'RE A STATEWIDE DISABILITY RIGHTS GROUP FORMED IN 1984. ROBIN IS OUR ACCESS COORDINATOR. KATHY COORDINATES, UH, OUTREACH FOR COMMUNITY ATTENDANCE. UH, BACK IN 1984 WHEN WE STARTED, UH, ADAPT WAS MEANT ACCESSIBLE, THE AMERICAN DISABLED FOR ACCESSIBLE PUBLIC TRANSIT. UH, AND AT THAT TIME WE WERE FIGHTING FOR THAT. ALL NEW BUSES WOULD BE LYFT EQUIPPED. AND IN JULY 26TH, 1990, THAT WAS MANDATED BY THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT. HOWEVER, THE REASON WE'RE HERE TODAY IS THAT CAPITAL METRO FROM ITS VERY BEGINNING, COMMITTED TO BUY ALL NEW BUSES WITH LIFTS AND WAS THE FIRST IN TEXAS AND THE FOURTH IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY TO DO THAT. UH, SO, UH, WE WERE NOT ABLE TO BE HERE ON JULY 26TH OF THIS YEAR, WHICH WAS THE 33RD ANNIVERSARY. BUT WE WANTED TO GIVE YOU A COMMUNITY INTEGRATION AWARD, [00:10:01] AND I'LL READ IT. IT'S ADAPTIVE TEXAS PACT COMMUNITY INTEGRATION AWARD PRESENTED TO CAPITAL METRO IN RECOGNITION OF YOUR COMMITMENT TO ACCESSIBLE, INTEGRATED TRANSPORTATION FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY OF ALL AGES. WE WILL RIDE. ACCESS IS A CIVIL RIGHT, JULY 26TH, 2023. AND AGAIN, AT THE TIME, THERE WAS ONLY DOOR TO DOOR YOU HAD TO MAKE, UH, ACCESS THREE DAYS IN ADVANCE. PARATRANSIT WAS SOMEWHAT RESTRICTED AND EXTREMELY, UH, EXPENSIVE. UH, OUR WHOLE PURPOSE IS COMMUNITY INTEGRATION, NOT AGAINST PARATRANSIT, BUT REALLY THAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET TO THE BUS STOP AND LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE. AND I'LL JUST TELL YOU ONE QUICK ANECDOTAL, WHEN WE WENT UP TO DENVER, ONE OF THE FIRST CITIES IN THE COUNTRY, IT AMAZED ME HOW MANY PEOPLE WITH MOBILITY DISABILITIES WERE ON THE STREET. AND IT NEVER DAWNED ON ME IS BECAUSE ONCE YOU CAN GO DOWN TO THE BUS STOP, YOU CAN REALLY GET ON A BUS AND GO THERE. AND THEN THAT MEANS, WELL, WE NEED ACCESSIBLE CURB CUTS, AND THEN BUSINESSES WOULD HAVE RAMPS. SO IN 1990 WHEN THE A D A PASSED, IT REALLY WAS, UH, CELEBRATED THAT ALL SYSTEM. SO CAPITAL METRO WAS WAY BE, UH, AHEAD OF ITS TIME. AND WE WANTED TO GIVE YOU THIS PLAQUE TO PUT IT THERE. AND I WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT, UH, TO THE STAFF, BOTH NANCY CROWDER, WHO WAS THE ACCESS COORDINATOR, SHE'S RETIRED, AND MARTIN HY, AND IT'S ESPECIALLY SHOUT OUT TO THE DRIVERS AND THE STAFF THERE BECAUSE THEY MAKE THAT SYSTEM REALLY WORK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. THANK YOU ALL. AND I'M ACCEPTING THIS ON BEHALF OF CAN WE GET THE WHOLE BOARD? YEAH, LET'S WHOLE BOARD. I GOT YOU. OKAY. EVERY REASON. LOOK RIGHT HERE. 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1. AND THEN ONE MORE FOR GOOD. MEASURE. 3, 2, 1. PERFECT. THAT WAS GREAT AND VERY UNEXPECTED. BOB, THANK YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES FOR COMING TODAY. IT'S LOVELY TO SEE YOU ALL. YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY, A GREAT MEETING. THANK YOU. GINO FERNANDEZ. YOU'RE NEXT. YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES, SIR. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS C GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS CINO FERNANDEZ, UH, REPRESENTING ELLIO MEXICAN AMERICAN LANDOWNERS FROM EAST CHARLESTON. AND, UH, BUENAVISTA, ONE OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS WITH THIS FACILITY IS LOCATED. SO WELCOME. I JUST COME TO SPEAK TO YOU ON TWO ITEMS. ONE IS TO AMPLIFY AND PROMOTE NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DATE, WHICH WILL BE ON SEPTEMBER THE 19TH OF THIS YEAR. AND IT'S BASICALLY, UH, THOUSANDS OF ORGANIZ NONPROFIT AND, UH, ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY THAT, UH, BAND TOGETHER AND, UH, YOU KNOW, AGREED TO HOLD A VOTER REGISTRATION DATE ON THAT DAY. AND THIS IS THE 10TH YEAR THAT THIS EVENT HAS BEEN GOING ON. SO I WANTED TO, UH, AMPLIFY THAT OPPORTUNITY. JUST GO TO NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION.ORG AND SIGN UP AS A PARTNER. UH, YOU'LL BE LISTED ON THE NATIONAL WEBSITE. UH, AND I ALSO, UH, WANNA THANK CAP METRO FOR BEING SPONSORS OF, [00:15:01] UH, THE PROMOTION OF THAT NON-PARTISAN, UH, EVENT EVERY YEAR. UH, WE ALSO HAD, UH, ANOTHER EVENT THIS YEAR THAT WAS, UH, CO-SPONSORED BY, UH, BY CAP METRO. AND THAT WAS, UH, IN PER, UH, IN-PERSON UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE FOR STUDENTS FROM, UH, LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES. AND IT WAS HELD AT, UH, CAPITAL METRO. WE HAD 50 STUDENTS, UH, PARTICIPATE. AND EACH ONE HAD A T-SHIRT LIKE THIS THAT HAD THE, UH, CAP METRO LOGO ON THERE. UH, AS PART OF, UH, OF THE SPONSORSHIP, I ALSO WANNA, UH, THANK, UH, THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TEAM, UH, MELISSA ARTIZ AETNA FOR THEIR, UH, ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF INVESTMENT THEY MAKE INTO THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH, UH, UH, PART OF THE COMMUNITY ON BEHALF OF CAP METRO. AND FOR ME, THEY'RE, THEY'RE MORE THAN JUST EMPLOYEES OF CAP METRO. I THINK THEY'RE, UH, GREAT AMBASSADORS FOR CAP METRO IN THE COMMUNITY. AND, UH, WE LIKE TO, UH, WHEN IT CAN, YOU KNOW, RECOGNIZE AND ACKNOWLEDGE THAT EFFORT THAT THEY DO MANY TIMES EVEN FROM HOME, IF WE HAVE QUESTIONS OR WHATEVER, THEY'RE AVAILABLE TO US. UH, AND WE WANNA, UH, YOU KNOW, GIVE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FOR THAT. UH, I ALSO WANT TO, UH, PUBLICLY THANK, UH, IN YOUR OTHER ROLE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER POOLE FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND PROTECTING THE HISTORY OF OUR COMMUNITY BY KEEPING THE NAME OF PANAM PARK. THANK YOU. I HADN'T HAD A CHANCE TO GIVE THAT, UH, THANK YOU TO YOU, BUT I APPRECIATE THAT AND I'VE BEEN ALLOWED TO OUR COMMUNITY, SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. FERNANDEZ. RICKY HALL IS NEXT. AND THEN MS. MILLER, YOU WILL BE AFTER MR. HALL. MR. HALL, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES. WELCOME. HOW MANY, PARDON ME? THREE MINUTES. OH, THANK YOU. WELCOME. YES, I'M RICK HALL, AND I WAS HERE A FEW MONTHS BACK, UH, COMPLAINING BECAUSE I COULDN'T GET ON THE ACCESS, UH, SYSTEM. AND I'D TRIED FOR THREE, ABOUT THREE AND A HALF YEARS, AND I GOT A LETTER RIGHT AFTER I SPOKE TO Y'ALL. AND I, THEY GAVE ME AN APPOINTMENT AND, UH, THEY SAID, UH, FOR YOUR EXAMINATION TO GET ON, UH, WE'LL, AND THEY SCHEDULED ME, UH, FOR THAT IN NOVEMBER 11TH. SO ANOTHER SIX MONTHS OR SO. UH, IS DENIAL OF SERVICE A TERM YOU ALL UNDERSTAND BECAUSE THEY TOLD ME, UH, BECAUSE COVID WAS SO, UH, BAD THAT THEY HAD A BACKLOG. WELL, HOW BACKLOG OF OVER A YEAR NOW, IS THAT WHAT IT IS? SO THAT'S NOT REALLY WHY I'M HERE TONIGHT. UH, I USED TO BE THE SCHOOL BUS DRIVER AT THE TRAVIS STATE SCHOOL, AND I USED TO TRANSPORT THE EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED, ET CETERA, M H M R ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS AS WELL AS THROUGH DAILY ROUTE. AND, UH, ALSO I WAS A SPECIAL ED BUS DRIVER FOR A I S D, UH, SPECIAL ED DR. UH, LYFT DRIVER FOR 18 YEARS. AND THIS MAY BE NEWS TO SOME PEOPLE, BUT REGULAR DRIVERS CAN'T TOUCH KIDS, BUT SPECIAL ED DRIVERS CAN, BECAUSE BY STATE LAW, WE ARE AUTHORIZED TO USE WHATEVER FORCE IS NECESSARY AND REASONABLE TO MAINTAIN ORDER ON THAT VEHICLE. THE REASON BEING, WE WERE OFTEN TRANSPORTING PEOPLE WHO WERE BEYOND REASON. THEY WON'T STOP. YOU HAVE TO MAKE THEM STOP. AND THAT'S WHY THAT LAW IS IN PLACE. UH, ON AUGUST 3RD, IF SECURITY HAD THEIR CAMERAS ON. AND, UH, I GOT ON THE BUS UP AT THE H E B BEGINNING OF THE MONTH, UH, GROCERY RUN TO MY HOUSE ON WEST MARY. AND, UH, A GENTLEMAN ACROSS FROM ME WHO WAS AFRICAN AMERICAN IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO RANG ME FOR BUMPING HIS CART OR SOMETHING. AND I HAD PUT MY GROCERY CART UP ACROSS FROM HIM, UH, AND I SAID, I DIDN'T DO ANY SUCH THING. UH, AND, UH, HE STOOD UP AND HE WANTED TO FIGHT ME, AND HE KEPT SAYING HE WANTED TO FIGHT ME AND HE WANTED TO FIGHT ME, AND HE WANTED TO FIGHT ME, AND HE WOULDN'T STOP. AND HE WAS SPEWING FIDDLE ON ME, AND I INFORMED THE DOCTOR, UH, DRIVER THAT I WAS BEING SPIT ON, SHE CAN HEAR WHAT'S GOING ON. FINALLY, ANOTHER GENTLEMAN GETS TIRED OF HIM DOING THAT AND SAYS, I'LL FIGHT YOU. COME ON, LET'S GO OUTSIDE. HE WAS TRYING TO TRICK HIM OUTSIDE THE BUS AND HE ALMOST WENT FOR IT, BUT HE DIDN'T. UH, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MAN WHO THEN PULLED OUT THE KNIFE? WHEN I SAID TO THE DRIVER, HE JUST PULLED OUT A KNIFE AND IT WAS ABOUT THIS LONG, KIND OF A KITCHEN UTILITY, CHEF KNIFE TIME OF A DEAL. AND, UH, SO I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, UH, SINCE I USED TO BE ABLE TO USE WHATEVER FORCE WAS NECESSARY AND REASONABLE TO HANDLE PEOPLE LIKE THAT, WHAT DID CAPITAL METRO STAFF DO? WHAT WAS THE DRIVER'S FOR PROCEDURE? AND I'M TOLD IT'S TO SIT BEHIND THE PLEX. MR. HALL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING HERE TODAY WITH [00:20:01] YOUR COMMENTS. UM, MR. SIT BEHIND THE PLEXIGLASS, MR. AND DO NOTHING, OR THEY'LL LOSE MR. THIS GENTLEMAN, UH, MR. TURPEN IS HERE. HE'LL BE HAPPY TO TALK WITH YOU. AND MAYBE OUT IN THE HALL WOULD BE GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH MR. HALL FOR BEING HERE TODAY. UH, LET'S SEE. MS. MILLER, YOU ARE NEXT. HI, I'M, I'M IN DEB, DEBORAH MILLER HAPPENS. I'M GONNA SIT FROM HERE TODAY. THIS IS PERLEY BLUE. SHE'S MY NEW SERVICE DOG I HAD FOR, AND WE'RE GONNA GET YOUR TIMER STARTED HERE IN JUST A SECOND. THERE WE GO. YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES, MS. MILLER. OKAY. THIS IS DEBORAH MILLER. UM, I'D LIKE TO COME TO TALK TO YOU TODAY ABOUT, FOR THE LAST YEAR I'VE BEEN WRITING ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AND MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS TO YOU FOR WAYS THAT WE COULD STREAMLINE SERVICES AND PROVIDE BETTER SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS I'D LIKE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT TODAY IS THE FACT THAT, UM, THERE'S A COMPLETE MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT BUSES LIKE, AND TRANSIT, I GUESS BECAUSE, UM, A LOT OF THE DRIVERS NEED SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS THEMSELVES TO EXPECT A PERSON THAT MAYBE COMES IN IN THEIR TWENTIES AND THEN IN THEIR FIFTIES OR SIXTIES, THEY'RE EXPECTED TO HAVE THE SAME PHYSICAL CAPABILITIES AS WHEN THEY SIGNED ON. IT'S JUST NOT REALISTIC. UM, AND THIS COMES OUT A LOT IN STRAPPING THE CHAIRS OR TETHERING THE CHAIRS TO THE FLOOR OF THE BUSES. AND, UM, WE'VE MADE SOME BIG STRIDES IN CHANGING THE PROTOCOL THAT MAKES FOR LESS CONTACT, UM, AND LESS, UH, SITUATIONS THAT COME UP. BUT, UM, ONE OF THE SOLUTIONS Y'ALL CAME UP WITH WAS TO PUT TETHERING STRAPS ON, UM, THESE, UH, THE ANCHORS. NOT EVERY CHAIR IS ACTUALLY WHEELCHAIR EX IS ACTUALLY SUPPOSED TO BE ON THE BUS, BUT THESE QUANTUMS ACTUALLY HAVE ANCHORS ON HERE FIND IT. UM, ANYWAY, MY SUGGESTION IS INSTEAD OF JUST TRYING TO PUT STRAPS ON 'EM THAT Y'ALL PUT GLOW IN THE DARK PAINT OR STICKERS BECAUSE THE DRIVERS HAVE TROUBLE SEEING THEM AS MUCH AS PUTTING THEM ON. AND THEN YOU CONSIDER MAYBE HAVING A REACHER STICK, WHICH IS WHAT WE USE, UH, THE DISABLED COMMUNITY USE WHEN WE CAN'T REACH SOMETHING THAT ALLOW THE DRIVER TO REACH THEM MORE EFFECTIVELY INSTEAD OF TELLING ME THAT I'M GOT TOO MANY BAGS OR I'M TOO INCONVENIENT FOR THEM BECAUSE I'M NOT TOO INCONVENIENT FOR THE A D A BUSES. BUT I HEAR THAT CONSTANTLY ON THE FIXED ROUTE. UM, AFTER A YEAR OF RIDING ALL THE BUSES, I HAVE TALKED TO YOU SEVERAL TIMES ABOUT THE NEED FOR A WHEELCHAIR WRECKER SERVICE. I HAVE BEEN RIDING PICKUP RECENTLY, AND I DON'T KNOW WHY THAT SERVICE CANNOT BE EXPANDED, UH, BEFORE HOURS AND AFTER HOURS, UM, TO ALLOW THE DISABLED TO GET HOME SAFELY AFTER THE BUS SERVICE STOPS RUNNING. WHEN WE CHOOSE TO RIDE THE FIXED ROUTE TO TRY AND SAVE MONEY FOR TAXPAYERS BY NOT ALWAYS RIDING THE A D A BUS, UM, I, AGAIN, I WOULD LIKE YOU TO CONSIDER DOING WHAT WE DO IN, IN HOUSTON WITH CAPITAL METRO. AND THAT IS THAT YOU GIVE PEOPLE A PHONE CALL OR A TEXT MESSAGE TELLING 'EM THE A D A BUS IS FIVE MINUTES AWAY SO THAT WE CAN BE PREPARED AND BE AT THE CORNER. IT'S UNREALISTIC TO THINK THAT SOMEONE THAT DOESN'T WORK AND DOESN'T GO ANYWHERE, EVEN NECESSARILY GONNA REMEMBER WHAT DAY IT IS THAT THEY HAVE A RESERVATION TO BE OUT THERE. AND WITH A GUARANTEED RIDE HOME. SO MUCH WASTE IN GASOLINE, IN MANPOWER IS COMING BACK WHEN WE COULD HAVE BEEN READY IF WE HAD A LITTLE WARNING. SOMETIMES. UM, I'VE MISSED A FEW, UH, CONNECTIONS MYSELF IN THE LAST MONTH AND IT'S BEEN, I GO BACK INTO CHECK THE TIME AND THE BUS HAPPENS TO COME THAT MOMENT, YOU KNOW, AND THIS COULD BE AVOIDED. AND, UH, ANYWAY, UH, I JUST WANNA THANK YOU AND, UH, ASK YOU FOR THANK YOU. THANK YOU MS. MS. MILLER FOR BEING HERE TODAY. UM, MS. REON, DO WE HAVE ANY OF THE REMOTE SPEAKERS? WE ARE BACK ON TRACK. OKAY, GREAT. YEP. GREAT. I'LL HAVE YOU CALL SINCE YOU KNOW WHO IS UP NEXT. JACOB EMERSON. MR. EMERSON, HANG ON. WE'RE WE'RE STILL HAVING ANOTHER, CAN YOU HERE, HERE WE GO. OKAY. WHY DON'T YOU START YOUR COMMENTS OVER. OKAY. SURE THING. MY NAME IS JACOB EMERSON. I AM THE SECRETARY OF THE AUSTIN YOUTH COLLECTIVE AND HOMELESSNESS. WE'RE THE LOCAL YOUTH ACTION BOARD FOR AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY. UM, WE MOSTLY WORK IN THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE SYSTEM. I'M HERE TODAY BECAUSE I'VE, UM, HEARD A LOT FROM COMMUNITY ADVOCATES AND IN-HOUSE PEOPLE THROUGHOUT AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY THAT OPERATORS ON CAP METRO ARE STILL DENYING ACCESS TO IN-HOUSE PEOPLE TO GET TO COOLING CENTERS. THIS IS A MAJOR DEAL TO ME AND TO MOST IN-HOUSE PEOPLE AND PEOPLE THROUGHOUT OUR SYSTEM. UM, THE FACT IS, IS THAT WITHOUT A RIDE TO A COOLING CENTER, PEOPLE CAN DIE FROM HEAT. AND [00:25:01] THESE LAST FEW DAYS, IT'S BEEN ABOUT 110 DEGREES OUTSIDE. SO I DON'T KNOW IF THE BOARD HAS ANY INFLUENCE OVER, UH, OPERATION DAILY OPERATIONS, BUT I, I GUESS I'M COMING TO THE BOARD TO MAKE A FINAL PLEA. PLEASE, PLEASE TELL OPERATORS TO LET PEOPLE ON THE BUS TO GET TO A COOLING CENTER. PLEASE. I BEG YOU. PLEASE. BECAUSE WITHOUT CAP METRO BEING THERE TO TRANSPORT PEOPLE, TO COOLING CENTERS, TO LIKE LIBRARIES, TO WHEREVER, COOLING CENTERS THE CITY MIGHT HAVE AUTHORIZED PEOPLE WILL CONTINUE DYING FROM HEAT. AND I'LL CONCLUDE MY REMARKS THERE. THANKS SO MUCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH MR. EMERSON AND FOR BEING TENACIOUS IN, IN MAKING SURE WE COULD HEAR YOU. UH, ZENOBIA JOSEPH, IS SHE ONLINE ON THE PHONE? THANK YOU. MADAM CHAIR MEMBERS. I'M ZOB JOSEPH. MS. JOSEPH, YOU HAVE, UM, I BELIEVE FIVE MINUTES BECAUSE YOU HAVE MORE THAN ONE ITEM AND WE WILL START THE TIMER HERE SHORTLY. THERE IT IS. IT'S YOU ARE AGO. THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR MEMBERS ZA ZIA JOSEPH, MY COMMENTS ARE SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO ACTION ITEM EIGHT. UM, I ACTUALLY AM IN OPPOSITION TO THIS, UH, $429,646 SAFETY ITEM FOR THE METRO RAIL RIDERS. AS YOU ARE AWARE, 70% OF THE METRO RAIL RIDERS ARE WHITE. YOU'VE HEARD FROM PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES TODAY. AND DOTIE WATKINS HAS BEEN TONE DEAF AS IT RELATES TO MAKING THE 8 0 1 CHINATOWN AREA A D A COMPLIANT 8 0 1 NORTHBOUND ACTUALLY IS JUST A TRAIL WHEELCHAIRS, WALKERS AND CANES CAN'T GET THERE AND THE STOP IS MID-BLOCK. AND ONCE AGAIN, I'M ASKING THAT YOU MOVE THE 8 0 1 CHINATOWN SOUTHBOUND STOP TO C V SS AT BREAKER IN NORTH LAMAR AS IT RELATES SPECIFICALLY TO THE ON DEMAND ITEM THREE. I JUST WANNA CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION THAT THE LANGUAGE ON PAGE 22 IS FALSE. IT SPECIFIES THAT THE TRANSIT ON-DEMAND SOFTWARE SUPPORTS CAP METRO'S PICKUP, BUT THEN IT GOES ON TO SAY THAT IT'S WHERE TRANSIT ACCESS IN AREAS ARE, UH, BASICALLY UNDEVELOPED. IT IS NOT DENSE ENOUGH TO SUPPORT FIXED THROUGHOUT SERVICE. I JUST WANNA CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION THAT THE DESKTOP PICKUP, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 2000 APARTMENT UNITS AT DESKTOP AND PALMER WITHIN TWO MILES OF SAMSUNG ACROSS FROM SAMSUNG IS A 425 ACRE DEVELOPMENT EAST VILLAGE. AND AT THE VERY END OF YOUR BOARD PACKET TODAY, 48 49 50 IS THE MEMO FROM MR. GUERRERO AS IT RELATES TO THE PICKUP SERVICE THAT ARE BASICALLY THE 25 ACRES THAT CAPITAL METRO, UH, PURCHASED IN THAT AREA OF PIONEER CROSSING. AND THERE IS NO PICKUP SERVICE TO PIONEER CROSSING ELEMENTARY. SO I WOULD JUST ASK YOU TO BE TRANSPARENT. I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU SELECTED THIS AREA, BUT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO TELL THE COMMUNITY. AND I WOULD ASK YOU TO CONSIDER PUTTING, UH, THE PICKUP SERVICE VEHICLES JUST LIKE LEANDER TO LAGO VISTA TO CREATE A ROUTE OF FIXED ROUTE USING THESE PICKUP VEHICLES, THE CUTAWAY VEHICLES FROM MANOR TO LEANDER WITH A TIME POINT AT DESAL AND PALMER. BECAUSE OVER ON PALMER AND HARRIS BRANCH PARKWAY, YOU HAVE TEXAS AND EMPOWERMENT ACADEMY, WHICH WILL BE OPENING ON OR ABOUT JANUARY, 2024. AND ON THE OTHER END OF PALMER, YOU HAVE, UH, THE I D A SCHOOL. SO NONE OF THESE STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS AS IT RELATES SPECIFICALLY TO THE, UH, JUST THE PICKUP SERVICE IN GENERAL. I JUST WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE DENSITY IS IN THE NORTH CORRIDOR. THAT'S FROM THE 2014 PROJECT CONNECT, LOCALLY PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE STUDY, WHICH TOLD YOU THAT, UH, 50% OF THE JOBS WOULD BE IN THIS AREA BY 2035. UM, AND MADAM CHAIR, UH, RESPECTFULLY, I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT ROUTE 3 92 NEEDS TO GO BACK TO THE ARBORETUM, UH, THE GRAY HILLS TARGET BECAUSE THE BUS IS REALLY A 60 MINUTE ROUTE. IT'S 40 MINUTE HEADWAY IN THE SYSTEM, BUT THEN THE BUS GOES AROUND TO KRAMER STATION AND IT WAITS FOR 20 MINUTES. SO A REQUEST FROM ONE OF THE DRIVERS IS THAT YOU PUT MORE TIME FOR THE OPERATORS, MORE RUN TIME BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE RECOVERY TIME ON THAT ROUTE. AND TO RECOGNIZE THAT, UH, YOU HAVE ROUTE 4, 6, 6 DOMAIN ONE'S EMPTY AND YOU HAVE, UH, BLOCK 30, WHICH IS AN EXTRA BLOCK WHEN IT'S PEAKED, BUT THE MINORITIES HAVE TO WAIT. UH, THERE'S 40 MINUTES PLUS ANOTHER 20. AND BLACK PEOPLE IN NORTHEAST AUSTIN STILL WAIT 60 MINUTES FOR THE BUS. AND SO IT'S AN EQUITABLE, AND I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE, UH, LASTLY, AS IT RELATES TO AMENITIES, I WOULD ASK YOU TO MOVE THE STOP ID 5 7 6 7, WHICH IS NEXT TO HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT TO MOVE THAT BENCH, [00:30:01] UH, THE SHELTER OVER TO 5 3, 2, 3 IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, THERE'S NO ONE THERE. IT'S JUST DENSE FORESTRY. AND, UH, RESPECTFULLY, MADAM CHAIR, I WOULD ASK YOU, UM, TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT, UH, THE HOMELESS PEOPLE SLEEPING AT THE BENCHES. AND NOT TO TAKE THE BENCHES AWAY, BUT TO WORK WITH THE CITY, BETWEEN THE CITY AND CAPITAL METRO TO ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING, UM, THAT'S HUMANE. UM, BUT SO THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE RIDING THE BUS CAN ACTUALLY SIT ON THE BENCHES BECAUSE WE HAVE A NUMBER OF BLACK MEN, UNFORTUNATELY, WHO ARE SLEEPING THERE, UM, ON BREAKER AND ALSO AT LITTLE WALNUT CREEK LIBRARY. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL GLADLY ANSWER THEM AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MS. UM, UH, MS. UH, JO. UM, I'M SORRY. UM, JOSEPH. JOSEPH , YOU'RE WELCOME. UH, READING TOO MANY THINGS. READING TOO MANY NAMES IN FRONT OF ME. ALL RIGHT. [IV. Advisory Committee Updates] WE WILL MOVE TO OUR BOARD ADVISORY COMMITTEE UPDATES, AND I THINK MS. PARRA IS HERE TO PRESENT THOSE. WE HAVE THREE, THE CONSUMER SATISFACTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE, ACCESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE, AND THE PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE. MS. PARRA. THANK YOU. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, VICE CHAIR, POOLE, UM, PRESIDENT AND C E O WATKINS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. MY NAME IS EDNA PARRA. I'M THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER FOR CAP METRO AND ALSO THE, UM, STAFF LIAISON FOR THE ADVISORY COMMITTEES. I'M HERE TO PROVIDE AUGUST UPDATE, UM, FOR THE THREE COMMITTEES. UM, I'LL START WITH ACCESS AND CSAC FIRST. THEY MET ON AUGUST 2ND AND NINTH, AND THEY WERE BRIEFED ON, UM, A BUDGET PROPOSAL FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024 BY MANUEL, UH, TUIN AND KEVIN CONLIN, A LEGISLATIVE UPDATE FROM CELSO BAAS AND LEROY ALLWAY, AND ALSO AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE UPDATE ON SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES BY PETER BREDEN FOR ACCESS COMMITTEE SPECIFIC ITEMS. THEY RECEIVED A, AN UPDATE, UM, AND PRESENTATION FROM SARAH SANFORD ON THE STAFF SENSITIVE SENSITIVITY TRAINING. UM, MARTIN HY UPDATED THEM ON ACCESSIBLE WAYFINDING TE TECHNOLOGY AND ALSO ON THE SELF-EVALUATION AND A D A TRANSITION PLAN, UH, FOR CSEC SPECIFIC ITEMS. UM, THEY RECEIVED AN UPDATE ON THE FARES UPDATE BY DANNY SAUER PATH AND MYSELF. UM, AND THAT PRESENTATION WILL BE DONE TO ACCESS THIS COMING SEPTEMBER, UH, FOR P S A C WHO MET LAST FRIDAY ON AUGUST 25TH. THEY ALSO RECEIVED AN UPDATE ON THE BUDGET PROPOSAL, UM, THE H M I S UNHOUSED PILOT, UM, WHICH WILL BE, UM, A PROGRAM SOON BY KELSEY LAIE, A TRANSIT POLICE UPDATE BY CHIEF ERIC BINS. UM, AND THEN ALSO TWO MORE UPDATES, THE PUBLIC SAFETY AMBASSADOR PROGRAM UPDATE BY BRIAN ROBINSON AND THE COMMUNITY INTERVENTION SPECIALIST UPDATE, UM, FOR APPOINTMENTS. I KNOW WE'RE STILL WORKING ON, UM, PSAC APPOINTMENTS FOR TWO MEMBERS. AND THANK YOU EVERYBODY WHO'S BEEN, UM, LOOKING AT THOSE AND SENDING US THEIR SELECTIONS. UM, THIS MONTH WE WILL BE APPOINTING SOMEONE FOR, FOR ACCESS. UM, AND SO WE'LL HAVE A COMPLETE COMMITTEE FOR ACCESS THIS MONTH. SO THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED. AND WE'LL BE WORKING WITH ED EASTON TO COORDINATE THE, THE OTHERS FOR P S A C. THAT'S MY UPDATE IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ANY QUESTIONS ON ANY OF THOSE REPORTS FROM MS. PARRA? GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. WE'LL [V. Board Committee Updates] MOVE NOW TO THE BOARD COMMITTEE UPDATES, AND I'M GONNA LEAD OFF WITH OPERATIONS PLANNING AND SAFETY COMMITTEE, WHICH IS CHAIR STRATTON, MR. STRATTON. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. UH, THE OPERATIONS PLANNING AND SAFETY COMMITTEE MET ON MONDAY, AUGUST THE 14TH AT 12TH 30. UH, MEMBERS PRESENT WERE, UH, CHAIR JEFF ILIAN, MYSELF, UH, MEMBER CHET VELIA, AND, UH, VICE CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE, PAIGE ELLIS. WE HAD AND CONSIDERED SEVEN ACTION ITEMS. THE FIRST WAS APPROVAL OF OUR MINUTES FROM JU, THE JULY 12TH BOARD MEETING, AND THE OTHER ADDITIONAL SIX ACTION ITEMS YOU WERE GOING TO FIND, I BELIEVE, ON OUR CONSENT AGENDA TODAY. SO, UH, THEN AFTER THAT WE HAD A PRESENTATION, UH, FROM MONTHLY, OUR MONTHLY PRESENTATION FROM, FROM THE, UH, OPERATIONS TEAM. AND, UH, I WILL SAY THAT, UH, A MUCH APPRECIATED THANKS TO THE OPERATIONS TEAM FOR, UH, WHAT THEY PRESENTED TO US. 'CAUSE THIS WAS MORE THAN JUST OUR USUAL CHARTS AND GRAPHS ON BUS FUNCTIONALITY. THEY DELVED INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ON THE PROCESS BEHIND, UH, WHAT THEY DO TO WORK WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN TEXDOT AND OTHER PARTNERS IN WORKING THROUGH, UH, ISSUES THAT COME UP WITH, UH, THE SIGHTING OF, UH, LOCATIONS, CONSTRUCTION, THE WHOLE TEAM, SPECIAL EVENTS, EVERYTHING. SO ANYTHING, ANYTIME WE HAVE THINGS THAT GO ALONG LIKE WITH, UH, UM, WITH AUSTIN FC GAMES, WHAT THEY DO TO ENSURE SPECIAL PROJECTS HAPPEN LIKE [00:35:01] THAT, IT WAS, IT WAS FASCINATING. IT WAS, UH, INCREDIBLE, THANK YOU PUBLICLY TO THE TEAM, UH, THAT THAT GOES THROUGH AND, AND MAKES ALL THAT HAPPEN. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND, UM, THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE BEYOND THAT MEETING ADJOURNED AT 1:22 PM GREAT. THANKS. ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE CHAIR? ALL RIGHT. UH, NEXT FINANCE AUDIT AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE, WHICH IS CHAIR HARRIS. MR. HARRIS. THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. UH, THE, UH, FINANCE AUDIT ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE MET ON MONDAY, AUGUST THE 14TH AT 10:00 AM. UH, THE ONE ACTION ITEM WAS THE APPROVAL OF MR. FULMER, UH, TO CONTINUE IN HIS POSITION AS VICE PRESIDENT OF INTERNAL AUDIT FOR A TERM OF FIVE YEARS, WHICH IS THE STATUTORY STATUTORY REQUIREMENT UNDER THE LAW. UH, WE ALSO RECEIVED AN UPDATE ON THE CAPITAL METRO FAIR PROGRAMS, UH, AS WELL AS A INTERIM FINANCIAL REPORT FOR JUNE OF 23, AND THEN ALSO A PROPOSED, UH, 2024 BUDGET UPDATE. UM, AND THEN, UH, SO, AND THAT CONCLUDES THE BUSINESS OF COMMITTEE. ANY QUESTIONS FOR MR. HARRIS? AND I UNDERSTAND WE ARE RECOMMENDING THAT MR. FULMER CONTINUE, IS THAT CORRECT? YES. GREAT. CAMPO UPDATE, UH, BOARD MEMBER HARRIS, THAT WAS THE, UH, CAMPO MET, UH, THE AFTERNOON OF AUGUST 14TH AT UH, TWO O'CLOCK. UH, THE PRIMARY, UH, ACTION ITEMS FOR THE, UH, THE BOARD WERE THE APPROVAL OF APPRO 11 AMENDMENTS TO THE, UH, REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PLAN, HAVING TO DO WITH, UH, THE, PRIMARILY TO DO WITH THE EXPANSION OF IH 35 AND THE NECESSARY AMENDMENTS IN ORDER TO GET TO A RECORD OF DECISION UNDER, UH, FOR THAT PROGRAM. UM, OTHER THAN THAT, THAT WAS PRETTY MUCH THE BUSINESS COMMITTEE. ANY QUESTIONS ON THE CAMPO REPORT? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP UPDATE, WHICH WOULD BE DOTTIE WATKINS, AND SHE IS ON THE SCREEN WITH US TODAY. SURE. THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP BOARD, UM, MET ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23RD. UM, THIS WAS THE FIRST A T P BOARD MEETING FOR THE NEW BOARD MEMBER, JOHN LANG MOORE. UM, WE COVERED ONE ITEM, WHICH WAS A BRIEFING ON THE PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 24 PROPOSED BUDGET. UM, A SECOND ITEM HAD BEEN POSTED THE INTERNAL AUDIT PLAN, BUT WAS POSTPONED TO THE FUTURE, A FUTURE MEETING. UM, THE NEXT MEETING, THE A T P BOARD IS SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 20TH. GREAT. THANKS SO MUCH. ANY QUESTIONS ON THE A T P BOARD ACTIONS OR REPORT? HEARING NONE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE'LL NOW [VI. Consent Items] CONTINUE ON TO OUR CONSENT ITEM AGENDA. THERE'S NINE ITEMS ON HERE, AND I'M ASSUMING EVERYBODY'S HAD TIME TO REVIEW THESE, INCLUDING AT THE COMMITTEE LEVEL. WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS, UM, FIND OUT FIRST IF ANYBODY WANTS TO REMOVE ANY OF THESE ITEMS FOR SPECIFIC DISCUSSION. I DON'T SEE ANY INTEREST IN THAT. UM, AND THEN WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO IS TAKE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE ALL OF THESE CONSENT, UH, ITEMS TOGETHER. AND, UH, BOARD MEMBER VELA MAKES THAT MOTION. SECOND AND A SECOND FROM, UH, BOARD MEMBER STRATTON. ARE THERE ANY, UH, RECUSALS FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA? ARE THERE ANY, IS THERE ANY OPPOSITION OR ANY NO VOTES TO ANY ITEM ON THE CONSENT AGENDA? OKAY. HEARING NONE. UM, AND IT APPEARS WE ARE ALL IN SUPPORT, UH, TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AND IT IS APPROVED. THANK YOU ALL. . SO [VII.1. President & CEO Monthly Update] I THINK WE ARE NOW TO OUR PRESIDENT AND C E O MONTHLY UPDATE AND WE COME BACK AGAIN TO MS. WATKINS. DOT, YOU'RE UP AND NOW WE CAN'T HEAR YOU. YOU'RE MUTED. ROOKIE MISTAKE, ROOKIE MISTAKE. NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. YOU'RE JUST TESTING US, . ALL RIGHT, HERE WE GO. SO THIS, THIS WHOLE BEING REMOTE IS TESTING ME. LET'S BE CLEAR. UM, SO, UH, GOOD AFTERNOON. UM, I AM EXCITED TODAY TO, UM, GIVE YOU SOME UPDATES ON ALL OF THE STUFF WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON, UM, HERE AT CAT METRO. UM, FIRST AND FOREMOST WAS OUR STUFF, THE BUS. UM, THIS WAS THE 34TH ANNUAL FOR THE CHILDREN BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE EVENT. UM, WE PARTNERED WITH K U AND H E B, UM, TO HELP STUFF. THE BUS. WE TOOK BUSES OUT TO, UH, FOUR DIFFERENT H T B LOCATIONS, UM, AND WE'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE SUPPLIES TO 11 DIFFERENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS AROUND CENTRAL TEXAS. UM, ENOUGH SUPPLIES TO SUPPORT OVER 20,000 STUDENTS. UM, STUFF. THE BUS IS A GREAT EVENT FOR US. IT ALLOWS US TO GET OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND REALLY KIND OF SEE FIRSTHAND THE, THE, UH, GREAT IMPACT WE CAN HAVE WHEN WE ALL WORK TOGETHER. UM, SO, UM, FEW PICTURES HERE OF OUR, OUR BUSES STUFFED AS WELL AS OUR, UM, SETUPS THAT WE HAD OUT AT THE H [00:40:01] E B. UM, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE YELLOW BIKE PARTNERSHIP. UM, THROUGH OUR CAT METRO CARES PROGRAM, WE LEVERAGE UNUSED ADVERTISING SPACE ON OUR FIXED ROUTE BUSES IN ORDER TO, UM, HIGHLIGHT, UM, LOCAL NONPROFITS. AND WE WERE VERY HAPPY THIS MONTH TO HIGHLIGHT AUSTIN YELLOW BIKE. UM, AUSTIN YELLOW BIKE IS A LONG TIME, UM, AUSTIN INSTITUTION AND THEY PROV ARE A NONPROFIT COMMUNITY BIKE SHOP THAT PROVIDE WORKSPACE AND EDUCATION FOR PEOPLE WANTING TO LEARN ABOUT BICYCLES AND BICYCLE MAINTENANCE. UM, AND THEN THEY ALSO, UM, REPAIR BICYCLES AND FIND, UM, OTHERWISE UNWANTED AND PERHAPS, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, UNUSABLE BIKES AND, UH, REPAIR THEM AND RETURN THEM BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. SO, UM, THEY'RE BICYCLING IN TRANSIT, GO GREAT TOGETHER. THEY'RE A GREAT PARTNER FOR US, AND, UM, WE WERE HAPPY TO, TO BE ABLE TO HIGHLIGHT THAT PARTNERSHIP. UM, NEXT UP, UM, WAS IS THE PRIDE PARADE. SO, UM, WE HAD A GREAT TIME AT THE PRIDE PARADE THIS MONTH. UM, YOU'LL SEE SOME GREAT PICTURES THERE. I ABSOLUTELY ADORE THE PICTURE OF THE BUS TURNING IN FRONT OF THE CAPITOL. THERE'S SOMETHING JUST AMAZING ABOUT THAT VIEW. UM, THE PRIDE PARADE EVERY YEAR IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO COME OUT AND, UM, CELEBRATE OUR COMMUNITY AND HOW MUCH WE SUPPORT, UM, ALL MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY. UM, WE WERE VERY, UM, THRILLED AND HONORED TO HAVE BOARD MEMBER BELE JOIN US AT THE PRIDE PARADE. UM, I THINK SHE HAD A LOT OF FUN. AT LEAST SHE LOOKED LIKE SHE HAD A LOT OF FUN. UM, AND SO, UM, JUST WANT TO THANK HER FOR, UM, JOINING US IN THAT, UH, RECOGNITION, UM, BOARD MEMBERS, AS YOU KNOW, PARTICIPATING IN COMMUNITY EVENTS IS A PASSION OF MINE AND SOMETHING THAT'S A PRIORITY FOR CAP METRO. AND WE'RE GETTING INTO THE, THE FALL FESTIVAL SEASON WHERE THERE WILL BE LOTS OF GALAS AND INTO THE YEAR BANQUETS COMING UP. SO I JUST WANTED TO PUT IN A PLUG, UM, TO REMIND YOU THAT WE WOULD LOVE FOR YOU ALL TO PARTICIPATE WITH US AS THESE THINGS HAPPEN. UM, SO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR EMAILS FROM ED WITH INVITES, AND IF THERE IS AN EVENT, ESPECIALLY AS WE START LOOKING AT PEOPLE, UM, SCHEDULING THEIR ROUNDOUT THE YEAR EVENTS, IF THERE'S AN EVENT THAT YOU THINK CAT METRO SHOULD BE PARTICIPATING IN, PLEASE LET US KNOW. UM, THE PRIDE PARADE IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF, UH, THE MANY COMMUNITY EVENTS THAT WE, UH, LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PARTICIPATE IN. UM, NEXT UP WE HAVE SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR VARIOUS EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENTS. ON THE LEFT THERE, UM, IS OUR OWN SAM ALEXANDER, OUR E D P, UM, AND CHIEF EXPERIENCE AND ENGAGEMENT OFFICER WHO FILLED, FILMED SOME ONLINE CONTENT FOR CURRICULUMS WITH PATH FULL INCORPORATED. THEY'RE A FULL COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS PROGRAM, AND THEY WANTED TO HELP EDUCATE STUDENTS ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF PUBLIC TRANSIT SO THAT THEIR FOLKS FINISHING, UM, THEIR PROGRAM COULD LEARN ABOUT HOW TO RIDE TRANSIT AND WHAT TO THINK ABOUT, UM, AS I, AS THEY GET OUT INTO THE WORLD. SO WE WERE VERY THRILLED TO HAVE HER, UM, DO THAT ON OUR BEHALF. UM, AND THEN THE PICTURE ON THE RIGHT THERE, UM, LAST WEEK, SHARMILA MUJI, OUR E D P OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT AND CHIEF PLANNING OFFICER WAS FEATURED, UM, AS A PANELIST IN THE URBAN LAND INSTITUTE'S AUGUST BREAKFAST, WHICH FOCUSED ON AUSTIN MOBILITY INTEGRATION AND LIGHT RAIL UPDATES. UM, SHE WAS JOINED BY EXPERT PANELISTS FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, AS WELL AS OUR PARTNERS WITH THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP. UM, THE CONVERSATION HIGHLIGHTED INITIATIVES TO PROVIDE AUSTIN A COMPREHENSIVE MULTIMODAL TRANSIT SYSTEM, AND AS ALWAYS, JAMILA DID A FANTASTIC JOB REPRESENTING US, UM, AND THE NEED FOR PUBLIC TRANSIT AS PART OF THAT BALANCE. UM, NEXT UP A A FEW, UM, ADDITIONAL GREAT EVENTS, UM, TRANSIT FORWARD, UM, HAD A LUNCHEON, UM, WITH ALL THREE AGENCIES OF THE PARTNER PROJECT CONNECT PARTNERSHIP FROM CAP METRO, THE CITY AND A T P TO DISCUSS UPDATES ON THE CAP METRO RAPID, THE RED LINE UPGRADES, THE LIGHT RAIL IMPLEMENTATION, OUR CLIMATE CHANGE PREPARATIONS, AND REALLY JUST TAKE QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMUNITY ABOUT, UM, HOW PROJECT CONNECT IS GOING AND, AND HOW THINGS ARE WORKING WELL TOGETHER. THAT WAS A FANTASTIC EVENT. UM, AND THEN PICTURES ON THE BOTTOM THERE. UM, IT WAS MY PRIVILEGE THIS YEAR TO RETURN THE FAVOR OF MAYOR CHRISTINE DELLY, WHO IS OFTEN, UM, A FIXTURE IN OUR BOARD MEETINGS AND, UM, PARTICIPATE IN A LEANDER CITY COUNCIL MEETING. UM, THE LANDER COUNCIL INVITED US UP FOR A CAP METRO UPDATE, AND I WAS JOINED BY, UM, OUR VP OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, UH, LEROY ALLOY, AS WELL AS, UM, SELSO BAY AS OUR DIRECTOR OF, UH, REGIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS. UM, WE PRESENTED AN UPDATE ON OUR PARTNERSHIP IN GENERAL WITH TOPICS SUCH AS THE RIDERSHIP, UM, IN LEANDER, UM, THE USE IN, UM, AVAILABILITY OF BUILD CENTRAL TEXAS FUND, UM, PICKUP SERVICE, BOTH CURRENT AND FUTURE RAIL OPERATIONS, [00:45:01] AND OUR VARIOUS PLANNING EFFORTS THAT WILL BE UNDERWAY IN THE NEXT YEAR. AND THEN LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, UM, OUR C COMMUNITY INTERVENTION SPECIALISTS WERE RECENTLY RECOGNIZED BY THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY E M SS FOR THEIR PARTICIPATION IN MONTHLY POP-UP RESOURCE CLINICS THAT HELP OUR VULNERABLE POPULATIONS RECEIVE THE RESOURCES THROUGH COLLABORATION WITH OTHER AGENCIES. UM, OUR INTERVENTION SPECIALISTS REGULARLY CONDUCT ON, ON-THE-SPOT HOUSING ASSESSMENTS FOR THOSE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, UM, AND ARE A FANTASTIC TEAM, UM, OUTSIDE OF THESE CLINICS. THE TEAM FURTHER COLLABORATES WITH M E M SS THROUGH COORDINATION WITH THE COMMUNITY. HE PARAMEDICS AND COLLABORATIVE CARE COMMUNICATION CENTER TO HELP BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN MEDICAL NEEDS AND SOCIAL SERVICE SYSTEMS. UM, PICTURED HERE WE WANT TO CONGRATULATE OUR, OUR THREE COMMUNITY INTERVENTION SPECIALIST, CARLOS VALDEZ, UM, STEFANI GARCIA AND HOLLY WING. UM, THEY ARE A SMALL BUT MIGHTY TEAM, UM, WORKING VERY HARD ON, UM, MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE, UM, PROACTIVELY ENGAGING WITH, UM, THE ISSUES OF MENTAL HEALTH HOMELESSNESS AND SUBSTITUTE SUBSTANCE ABUSE AS THEY INTERSECT WITH PUBLIC TRANSIT, AND THAT WE'RE HELPING PEOPLE FIND SOLUTIONS AS OPPOSED TO JUST ASKING FOLKS TO MOVE ALONG AND HOPING, HOPING FOR THE BEST. SO, UM, A A GREAT CALL OUT FROM THE, UM, EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES FOLKS AND I COULDN'T MISS THE OPPORTUNITY TO BRAG ON, UH, ONE OF MY FAVORITE PROGRAMS AT CAT MITRO. UM, AND WITH THAT, THAT CONCLUDES, UM, THE AUGUST PRESIDENT'S REPORT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THAT'S GREAT. MS. WATKINS, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? UM, REALLY IMPRESSIVE ARRAY OF, UM, ACTIVITIES GOING ON AND AS YOU POINT OUT INTO THE FALL, UM, SO WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S ROOM IN OUR CALENDARS TO PARTICIPATE WITH CAP METRO. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, COLLEAGUES, I THINK THAT WE ARE OKAY, WE'RE GOING INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, BUT BEFORE WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, I WANNA CHECK ON ITEMS FOR FUTURE DISCUSSION SO THAT AFTER WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, I'LL BE THE ONLY ONE THAT NEEDS TO COME BACK OUT AND ADJOURN THE MEETINGS. SO, UM, IF THERE ARE ANY ITEMS FOR FUTURE MEETINGS THAT YOU ALL WANT TO TEE UP AT THIS POINT. ALL RIGHT, ED EASTON IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING THAT YOU WANNA PUT ON THE AGENDA. THANK YOU SO MUCH. SO, [VIII. Executive Session] UH, THE BOARD WILL NOW GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION UNDER CHAPTER 5 51 0.071 TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE FOR CONSULTATION WITH OUR ATTORNEYS FOR LEGAL ISSUES RELATED TO PENDING LITIGATION REGARDING PROTERRA INC. ET ALL CHAPTER 11 BANKRUPTCY CASE. UM, WE'LL HAVE NO FURTHER BUSINESS BEFORE US AFTER THE EXECUTIVE SESSION, EXCEPT TO ADJOURN TODAY'S MEETING, THE TIME IS NOW 1254. WE WILL GO INTO RECESS AND EXECUTIVE SESSION. THANK YOU ALL. THANKS SO MUCH. UM, OKAY. THE BOARD IS NOW OUT OF EXECUTIVE SESSION. THE TIME IS 1:44 PM UH, WE HAD A DISCUSSION, CONSULTATION WITH OUR ATTORNEY ON THE LEGAL ISSUES RELATED TO THE PENDING LITIGATION ON PROTERRA, INC. AT ALL CHAPTER 11 BANKRUPTCY CASE DISCUSSION. THERE WAS NO ACTION THERE BEING NO MORE BUSINESS IN FRONT OF THE KEPP METRO BOARD. TODAY I AM CALLING THIS MEETING ADJOURNED AND I THANK EVERYBODY FOR BEING HERE TODAY. SEE YOU NEXT MONTH. OH, 1 44 EARLIER, BUT I'LL, AND IT'S NOW 1 45. ALL RIGHT, THANKS Y'ALL. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.