[00:00:04]
IT'S NINE O'CLOCK ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12TH.
I WILL CALL TO ORDER THE MEETING, THE WORK GROUP, WORK SESSION OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL.
UH, WE ARE MEETING AT AUSTIN CITY HALL IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS, WHICH IS 3 0 1 WEST SECOND STREET IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
AND WE HAVE A QUORUM OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL PRESENT.
UH, THE INTENTION IS TO RECESS THIS WORK SESSION AND THAT WAY, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER POOLE, WHO IS THE CHAIR OF THE AUSTIN ENERGY UTILITY OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, CAN CALL THAT MEETING TO ORDER.
AND WE WILL HAVE THAT, UH, COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEET FIRST, AND THEN WE WILL RECONVENE THE WORK SESSION OF THE COUNCIL WHEN THAT, UH, COMMITTEE'S MEETING IS ADJOURNED.
SO, WITHOUT OBJECTION, I WILL RECESS AT NINE O'CLOCK THE COUNCIL WORK SESSION, UH, UH, AND IT'S RECESSED UNTIL THE END OF THE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEETING BACK TO ORDER OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL FOR THE WORK SESSION OF TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12TH.
THE ORDER WILL GO IN IS WE'LL HAVE THE BRIEFINGS, UM, AND HEAR FROM STAFF ON THOSE BRIEFINGS.
UH, I, ONE ITEM HAS BEEN PULLED, AND THAT'S ITEM NUMBER 55.
UH, WE WILL THEN HAVE A VERY BRIEF DISCUSSION RELATED TO APPOINTMENTS TO INTERGOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES AND COMMITTEE COUNCIL COMMITTEES, AND THEN WE WILL GO INTO AN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
SO, UH, MANAGER, I'LL TURN TO YOU FOR BRIEFINGS.
[B1. Austin population growth and demographic trends.]
IS THE, UH, DEMOGRAPHICS PRESENTATION.I THINK, UH, A CM SENIO IS GONNA TEE IT UP, AND THEN WE WILL ASK, UH, THE DEMO DEMOGRAPHER TO MAKE THAT PRESENTATION.
GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNSEL, VERONICA SENIO, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER.
TODAY WE'RE GONNA BRING TO YOU A PRESENTATION ON OUR DEMOGRAPHICS.
THE AUSTIN METRO AREA HAS BEEN THE FASTEST GROWING REGION IN THE COUNTRY FOR OVER A DECADE, AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS A MAJOR DRIVER OF THAT GROWTH.
GROWTH IN THE LAST DECADE IS PART OF A LONG HISTORY OF SUSTAINED GROWTH FOR THE CITY AND THE REGION.
THE DEMOGRAPHICS TEAM AT THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT HAVE PUT TOGETHER INFORMATION THAT LOOKS AT A NUMBER OF DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIOECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS, COINCIDING WITH RECENT PERIODS OF FAST AND LARGE GROWTH FOR THE CITY WITHIN THE NATIONAL, STATE, AND REGIONAL CONTEXT.
THEY ALSO OUTLINE DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFTS ACROSS THE CITY AND THE IMPLICATIONS OF THESE DEMOGRAPHIC, DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFTS CAN HAVE ON DIFFERENT POLICY AREAS, INCLUDING AFFORDABILITY, TRANSIT, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE AND EDUCATION.
OUR HOPE IS THAT THESE DEMOGRAPHICS, THE DEMOGRAPHICS TEAM, CAN CONTINUE TO PROVIDE DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS THAT MAY BE HELPFUL IN GROUNDING YOUR DISCUSSIONS AS YOU EMBARK ON FUTURE DECISION AND POLICYMAKING.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO OUR CITY DEMOGRAPHER, DR.
LILA VALENCIA, CITY DEMOGRAPHER AT THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
UH, MAYOR, MAYOR PRO TEMAN COUNCIL MEMBERS, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALLOWING ME THE OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO SHARE SOME OF OUR TEAM'S WORK.
AS ASSISTANT CITY, UH, MANAGER SENYA NOTED, WE HOPE YOU'LL FIND THIS INFORMATION USEFUL IN YOUR, UH, POLICY AND DECISION MAKING.
WE HAVE A SHORT TIME, SO I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND, AND GET STARTED.
UH, REALLY QUICKLY, I'LL SHARE WITH YOU THE HISTORY OF GROWTH IN OUR CITY, INFORMATION ON ONE OF THE MAIN DRIVERS OF GROWTH, THE AUSTIN ECONOMY.
I'LL ALSO SHARE SOME DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIOECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS AND SHOW HOW THESE HAVE CHANGED OVER TIME.
AND LASTLY, I'LL DISCUSS CONCURRENCIES THAT CHARACTERIZE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT FACE OUR CITY TODAY.
THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS A HISTORY OF GROWTH AND, UH, FAST GROWTH AT THAT.
SOME OF THE FASTEST GROWTH TOOK PLACE IN THE EARLY YEARS, BUT IN MORE RECENT HISTORY, THE PERIOD OF FASTEST GROWTH TOOK PLACE BETWEEN 1930 AND 1940.
SINCE THEN, THE AUSTIN POPULATION HAS BEEN DOUBLING ITS POPULATION EVERY 20 TO 25 YEARS.
UH, IN 1970, WE'RE JUST OVER A QUARTER OF A MILLION PEOPLE.
BETWEEN 1990 AND 2000, WE SURPASSED THAT HALF MILLION MARK.
UH, INCIDENTALLY, THIS PERIOD IS ALSO THE PERIOD OF GROWTH WHERE THE CITY OF AUSTIN ADDED THE MOST, UH, PEOPLE ADDING OVER 190,000 DURING THAT, UH, DECADE.
THEN 20 YEARS LATER, THE 2020 CENSUS ENUMERATED THE CITY AT 961,855 PEOPLE JUST SHY OF A MILLION.
THE LATEST ESTIMATES FROM THE CENSUS BUREAU SHOW, WE ARE NOW AT OVER 2002, UH, 974,000, INCHING OUR WAY CLOSER TO THAT MILLION MARK.
THE MOST RECENT POPULATION GAINS FOR AUSTIN HAVE BEEN SMALLER AND AT A SLOWER RATE THAN IN THE PAST.
BUT AS WE LOOK AHEAD, AUSTIN'S HISTORY OF GROWTH IS PROJECTED
[00:05:01]
TO CONTINUE WITH INTERNAL PROJECTIONS INDICATING AUSTIN'S POPULATION WILL SURPASS 1.13 MILLION BY 2030.ALTHOUGH RECENT POPULATION GAINS FOR AUSTIN ARE SMALLER THAN WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN IN THEIR IN THE PAST, OUR CITY CONTINUES TO GROW.
LAST DECADE, AUSTIN HAD AN ANNUALIZED GROWTH RATE OF JUST OVER 2% EVERY YEAR.
MORE RECENT ESTIMATES SHOW THAT GROWTH RATE AT CLOSER TO ABOUT 1%.
HOWEVER, AUSTIN'S GROWTH IS NONETHELESS NOTEWORTHY BECAUSE THIS IS NOT THE CASE FOR MOST, UH, LARGE US CITIES.
EVERY CITY LARGER THAN AUSTIN, EXCEPT FOR HOUSTON, PHOENIX, AND SAN ANTONIO LOST POPULATIONS SINCE THE 2020 CENSUS.
IN FACT, OF THE NEARLY 800 US CITIES WITH POPULATIONS OVER 50,000, 53% HAVE LOST POPULATIONS SINCE THE 2020 CENSUS.
AND AS MUCH GROWTH AS WE ARE SEEING IN THE CITY, THE METRO REGION IS GROWING EVEN FASTER.
AMONG LARGE METROS, THE AUSTIN METRO HAS BEEN THE FASTEST GROWING METRO FOR THE LAST 12 YEARS.
WHILE AUSTIN GREW AT A RATE OF ABOUT 1.3% SINCE THE LAST CENSUS, THE METRO AREA GREW EVEN FASTER AT 6% AND ADDED OVER 137,000 PEOPLE.
IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, AUSTIN CONTRIBUTED ABOUT 30% OF THE TOTAL, UH, GROWTH IN THE METRO IN THE LAST DECADE.
UH, BUT IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, AUSTIN'S SHARE HAS DROPPED TO ABOUT NINE 9%.
NOW, THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THE METRO'S RECENT GROWTH IS GROWTH IN SUBURBAN CITIES.
CENTRAL TEXAS CITIES TOPPED THE LIST OF THE NATION'S FASTEST GROWING CITIES.
FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW, GEORGETOWN WAS RANKED THE FASTEST GROWING CITY IN THE COUNTRY.
KYLE AND LEANDER WERE RANKED THIRD AND FOURTH.
LEANDER AND GEORGETOWN WERE ALSO AMONG CITIES THAT ADDED THE HIGHEST NUMERIC GROWTH IN THE COUNTRY.
LEANDER HAD THE EIGHTH GREATEST NUMERIC INCREASE IN GEORGETOWN THE 10TH.
SO THESE CITIES ARE NOT ONLY GROWING VERY RAPIDLY, NOW, THEY'RE ALSO ADDING LARGE NUMBERS OF POPULATION.
THE RAPID GROWTH OF THE REGION, ESPECIALLY IN THESE SUBURBAN CITIES, PAIRED WITH A SLOWER RATE OF GROWTH IN AUSTIN, HAS RESULTED IN A DECLINING SHARE OF THE AUSTIN POPULATION RELATIVE TO THE TOTAL POPULATION OF THE REGION.
HERE WE SEE AUSTIN'S SHARE DROPPING FROM 59% IN 1980 TO 42%.
CURRENTLY, POPULATION GROWTH AND HOUSING GROWTH ARE STRONGLY ASSOCIATED, AND WE SEE A SIMILAR PATTERN OF DIMINISHING SHARE IN HOUSING UNIT GROWTH BETWEEN AUSTIN AND THE REGION.
BETWEEN 2010 AND 2020, AUSTIN ADDED MORE HOUSING UNITS THAN EVER BEFORE, 90,000, 175,000 TO BE EXACT.
DURING THE SAME TIME, THE METRO AREA ADDED OVER 240,000 UNITS.
HOWEVER, OUR SHARE OF THE TOTAL METRO AREA UNITS HAS BEEN DECLINING FROM OVER 50% IN 2010 TO 47% IN 2020.
AND THIS IS IN PART BECAUSE HOUSING UNITS ARE BEING ADDED AT A FASTER RATE IN THE METRO AREA.
WHILE THE AUSTIN RATE HAS ALSO BEEN DECLINING, WE SEE NEW UNITS ADDED AT A SLOWER RATE IN AUSTIN COMPARED TO THE METRO AND ALSO COMPARED TO PAST DECADES.
HERE WE SEE AUSTIN HOUSING UNIT GROWTH SHOWN IN THE DOTTED LINE HAS GONE DOWN FROM 28% BETWEEN 20, UH, BETWEEN 2000 TO 2010 AND DOWN TO 25.5% LAST DECADE.
DURING THIS TIME, THE METRO ADDED UNITS AT A RATE OF 34%.
OFTENTIMES, WHEN ASSESSING HOUSING UNIT PRODUCTION, WE COMPARE THE RATE OF GROWTH OF NEW HOUSING UNITS TO THE RATE OF GROWTH OF THE POPULATION.
HERE WE SEE IN THE LAST DECADE, THE POPULATION GREW AT A RATE OF 21%.
WHEN WE COMPARE THESE TWO RATES, WE MAY BE LED TO BELIEVE THAT HOUSING UNIT PRODUCTION IS MEETING POPULATION NEEDS.
NOW, FIRST, LET'S DISTINGUISH BETWEEN HOUSING UNITS.
THIS INCLUDES ALL UNITS VACANT AND OCCUPIED, AND HOUSEHOLDS.
THESE ARE HOUSEHOLDS THAT, OR HOUSING UNITS THAT ARE OCCUPIED BY ACTUAL RESIDENTS.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE RATE OF GROWTH OF HOUSEHOLDS, WE SEE THAT HOUSEHOLD FORMATION GREW AT A RATE OF GROWTH OF 26.5%.
IN OTHER WORDS, HOUSEHOLD FORMATION IS OUTPACING GROWTH IN HOUSING UNITS.
IF WE THINK OF HOUSING UNITS AS THE SUPPLY AND HOUSEHOLD FORMATION AS THE DEMAND, THEN WE CAN SEE THE MISMATCH IN PRODUCTION TO HOUSEHOLD FORMATION.
THE CONTRACTING RATE OF NEW UNITS HAS NOT ONLY IMPACTED AUSTIN'S HOUSING SHARE OF THE OVERALL METRO, BUT IT IS ALSO NOT KEEPING PACE WITH HOUSEHOLD FORMATION.
SO YOU MAY BE WONDERING WHAT IS DRIVING ALL OF THIS GROWTH TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN? AND OFTENTIMES WHEN DEMOGRAPHERS ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S
[00:10:01]
DRIVING GROWTH, WE LOOK AT WHAT ARE CALLED COMPONENTS OF POPULATION CHANGE.A POPULATION CAN CHANGE FROM BIRTHS, DEATHS, AND MIGRATIONS.
SO YOU ADD UP ALL THE BIRTHS, YOU SUBTRACT ALL THE DEATHS, AND YOU GET NATURAL CHANGE.
OR IN THE CASE OF AUSTIN NATURAL INCREASE.
AND WHEN YOU ADD UP EVERYBODY THAT MOVES INTO AN AREA, YOU SUBTRACT EVERYONE THAT MOVES OUT OF AN AREA, YOU GET YOUR NET MIGRATION.
AND WHAT WE CAN SEE HERE IS THAT THERE'S DIFFERENT IMPLICATIONS FOR THE TYPE OF, WELL, WE CAN'T REALLY SEE THAT IN THIS CHART, BUT I, WHAT I, WHAT I WANNA SAY IS THAT THERE'S DIFFERENT IMPLICATIONS FOR THE TYPE OF GROWTH THAT A, AN AREA CAN EXPERIENCE.
WHEN WE EXPERIENCE CHANGE, MOSTLY FROM NATURAL INCREASE, THERE TEND TO BE LAGGED EFFECTS.
SO A BABY'S TYPICALLY ADDED TO AN ALREADY EXISTING HOUSEHOLD THAT CHILD WON'T BE, UM, RELYING AND, AND, UH, PRESSURING DEMAND FOR SERVICES FOR, FOR A FEW YEARS OR SO.
HOWEVER, WHEN, UH, MOST OF THE GROWTH IS COMING FROM MIGRATION, THE IMPACT TENDS TO BE MUCH MORE IMMEDIATE.
MIGRATION TENDS TO BE OCCUR DURING PEAK WORKING AGES.
SO ABOUT 25 TO 35 YEARS OF AGE WHEN A NEW MIGRANT ARRIVES IN AN AREA, THEY ARE IMMEDIATELY LOOKING FOR A NEW PLACE TO LIVE.
THEY ARE GOING TO BE CONNECTING TO UTILITY HOOKUPS.
THEY ARE GOING TO BE ADDING A CAR ONTO THE ROADWAYS OR TAKING UP ANOTHER, ANOTHER SEAT ON PUBLIC TRANSIT.
SO THE IMPACT FROM MIGRATION IS MUCH MORE IMMEDIATE.
AND WHAT YOU CAN SEE HERE IN THIS CHART IS THAT THE GROWTH IN OUR REGION HAS LARGELY COME FROM MIGRATION.
ABOUT THREE QUARTERS OF THE GROWTH IN 2021 CAME FROM DOMESTIC MIGRATION IN PARTICULAR, WHICH IS MIGRATION FROM PEOPLE IN OTHER, UH, FROM OTHER STATES, BUT ALSO PEOPLE FROM OTHER PARTS OF TEXAS.
SO NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT WHY PEOPLE MOVE HERE, RIGHT? SO WHAT'S DRIVING EVERYONE TO MOVE HERE? AND, UH, MIGRATION ATTEMPTS TO BE HIGHLY ECONOMIC, RIGHT? SO WHEN WE ARE THINKING OF MOVING TO AN AREA, WE'RE TYPICALLY CONSIDERING, UH, THE ECONOMY IN THAT AREA.
AND, UM, WHAT'S DRIVING GROWTH TO AUSTIN IS MIGRATION BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR JOBS AND THERE ARE PLENTY OF JOBS THERE.
THE AUSTIN METRO AREA HAD THE HIGHEST GROWTH IN JOBS OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, GROWING BY NEARLY 50, 50%.
WHEN NEW WORKERS ARRIVE, THEY JOIN A YOUNG WORKFORCE.
MIGRANTS TEND TO BE OF PEAK WORKING AGE, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, ABOUT 24 TO 35.
AND THIS IN PART, HELPS TO KEEP OUR CITY OUR POPULATION RELATIVELY YOUNG.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE HERE THAT THE NATIONAL WORKFORCE HAS BEEN DECLINING SINCE 2000.
SO AS THERE ARE FEWER WORKERS AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL, THIS CAN START TO IMPACT THE AUSTIN LABOR FORCE AS WELL AS THE ASSOCIATED MIGRATION INTO THE AREA.
AND WHEN RECENT MIGRANTS MOVE HERE FOR JOBS AND JOIN THE WORKFORCE, THEY'RE JOINING A HIGHLY EDUCATED WORKFORCE WITH 52% OF ADULTS WITH A BA AND ABOVE THE FOURTH HIGHEST EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT LEVEL AMONG LARGE METROS.
DATA ALSO INDICATES THAT WORKERS WHO MOVE TO AN AREA ARE TYPICALLY, UH, ARRIVE WITH HIGHER EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT LEVEL.
SO THEY ARE INCREASINGLY MAKING THAT, UM, WORKFORCE MORE EDUCATED.
THE AUSTIN, THE AUSTIN ECONOMY IS ALSO AN EVOLVING ECONOMY.
ALTHOUGH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATION SECTORS HAVE BEEN DRIVING THE AUSTIN ECONOMY FOR WELL OVER 40 YEARS, THE ROOTS OF THESE SECTORS LIE IN PARTNERSHIPS SOUGHT OUT BY THE EDUCATION SECTOR IN THE LATE 1960S.
THE SECTOR HAS EVOLVED FROM ITS RESEARCH-BASED ORIGINS IN THE LATE, IN THE LATE 1960S TO THE TECH INCUBATOR HUB, UH, THAT ATTRACTED MANY STARTUPS IN THE NINETIES, UH, IN THE EIGHTIES IT WAS DELL, AND TO BECOME AND TO BECOME HOME NOW TO TECH GIANTS LIKE GOOGLE, FACEBOOK, AND APPLE.
SO THE ECONOMY HAS DIVERSIFIED FROM EDUCATION IN GOVERNMENT SECTORS, AND THEN THE TECH SECTOR HAS ALSO CONTINUED TO DIVERSIFY.
AND WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR ECONOMY TODAY, WE SEE CONTINUED SIGNS OF ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION WITH THE EMERGING HEALTH SECTORS AT, UH, DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL AND THE FUTURE, MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER, AS WELL AS EXPANSION OF MANUFACTURING AT PLACES LIKE SAMSUNG AND TESLA.
AND THE GOVERNMENT AND EDUCATION SECTORS CONTINUE TO PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN TODAY'S ECONOMY IN AUSTIN, AS THEY HELP TO SHIELD THE AUSTIN ECONOMY FROM DOWNTURN DOWNTURNS, INCLUDING THE MOST RECENT VOLATILITY IN THE TECH SECTOR.
AND OF COURSE, ONCE PEOPLE ARE HERE, THEY WANT TO STAY FOR THE NATURAL BEAUTY AND THE CULTURAL AND SOCIAL CONNECTIONS.
TO THIS POINT, WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING JOBS AT THE METRO LEVEL, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN REMAINS THE EPICENTER OF THE REGION'S ECONOMY OF THE NEARLY 1.2 MILLION
[00:15:01]
TOTAL JOBS IN THE AUSTIN METRO AREA.TWO THIRDS ARE IN THE CITY LIMITS.
OFTENTIMES WHEN WE THINK OF THE POPULATION, WE CONSIDER THE POPULATION THAT LIVES HERE.
HOWEVER, WITH THE LARGE SHARE OF THE REGION'S JOBS BEING IN AUSTIN, THIS RACES OUR DAYTIME POPULATION CLOSER TO OVER 1.16 MILLION WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR TRANSIT AND TRANSPORTATION PLANNING PROGRAM AND SERVICE DELIVERY, AS WELL AS INFRASTRUCTURE AND REGIONAL PLANNING.
HERE WE SEE THAT OVER 427,000 EMPLOYEES IN THE DARK GREEN, UH, LIVE, UH, ARE EMPLOYED IN AUSTIN, BUT LIVE OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN AND OVER 143,000 IN THE LIGHTEST GREEN LIVE IN AUSTIN, BUT WORK OUTSIDE OF THE CITY.
SO THESE ARE LIKELY FOLKS THAT ARE WORKING IN OUTSIDE SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN PLACES LIKE SAMSUNG AND TESLA AND OTHER EMPLOYERS IN THE REGION.
AND THEN LASTLY, WE SEE OVER 295,000 IN THE MID, UH, COLORED GREEN THAT LIVE AND WORK IN AUSTIN.
WHEN WE LOOK AT MORE RECENT DATA, WE SEE GROWTH IN THOSE EMPLOYED IN AUSTIN, BUT THAT LIVE OUTSIDE OF THE CITY.
WE ARE ALSO SEEING MORE WHO LIVE IN AUSTIN AND ARE EMPLOYED OUTSIDE OF THE CITY, AGAIN, SHOWING THAT POOL OF EMPLOYERS IN THE REGION, BUT OUTSIDE OF THE CITY, AND THEN FEWER WHO LIVE AND WORK IN AUSTIN.
SO WHAT HAS THIS GROWTH MEANT TO THE PEOPLE LIVING IN AUSTIN? IN THE NEXT FEW SLIDES, I'LL FOCUS ON A FEW MILESTONES AND COMPARE SOME DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIOECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS DURING THESE TIMES.
DEPICTED HERE IN THE 1989 PHOTO OF THE CITY SKYLINE FROM ZILKER PARK.
DURING THIS TIME, BOTH JOBS AND POPULATION ARE BELOW THAT HALF MILLION MARK.
THE POPULATION, UH, IS MOST, AS MAJORITY WHITE FAMILIES MAKE UP.
ABOUT 55% OF HOUSEHOLDS AND INCOMES ARE AROUND 25,000, OR IN $22 OVER 57,000 A YEAR.
WE MOVE FORWARD TO THE YEAR 2000 DEPICTED HERE IN A 2002 PHOTO FROM A SIMILAR ANGLE AT ZILKER PARK.
YOU'LL RECALL THIS TIME PERIOD WAS WHEN A, WHEN AUSTIN ADDED ITS GRADED NUMERIC INCREASE OF OVER 190,000 PEOPLE.
AND WE CAN SEE THOSE JUMPS IN THE POPULATION IN JOBS NUMBERS.
WE ALSO SEE INCREASED DIVERSITY, AND WE ALSO SEE EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT RISE TO 40%.
THE MEDIAN INCOMES GROW TO OVER 42,000 OR $72,022, AND THE SHARE OF FAMILY HOUSEHOLDS DROPPED SLIGHTLY.
NOW WE JUMP TO 2010 DEPICTED FROM THE SAME VIEW FROM ZILKER PARK.
IN OUR CHARACTERISTICS, WE SEE CONTINUED GROWTH, BUT AT A SLOWER RATE, BOTH FOR JOBS AND POPULATION.
ALTHOUGH EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT RISES, WAGES STAY RELATIVELY FLAT AND EVEN EXPERIENCE A LOSS IN REAL DOLLARS WHEN ADJUSTED FOR INFLATION.
AND THE POVERTY LEVEL RISES TO 18.4%.
THIS IS THE TAIL END OF THE GREAT RECESSION.
WE CAN SEE SOME OF ITS IMPACT STILL IN THESE FIGURES.
ADDITIONALLY, THE SHARE OF FAMILY HOUSEHOLDS CONTINUES TO DROP, BUT ANOTHER NOTABLE OCCURRENCE TAKES PLACE DURING THIS TIME.
ALTHOUGH AUSTIN IS NOW A MAJORITY POPULATION OF COLOR, THIS ALSO MARKS THE TIME, THE SHARE, BUT ALSO THE NUMBER OF AFRICAN AMERICANS IN AUSTIN DROPS.
AND WE NOW, WE, AS WE NEAR TODAY, WE LOOK AT THE SAME SKYLINE FROM ZILKER PARK.
I'M SORRY, YOU CAN'T SEE THIS IMAGE.
BUT WE SEE CONTINUED GROWTH IN POPULATIONS, UH, AND, AND JOBS NUMBERS EXCEEDING A MILLION WITH EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT JUMPS FROM 44% TO 60%, AND INCOMES RISE TO OVER 88,000.
IN TODAY'S DOLLARS, WE SEE INCREASES IN THE SHARE OF RENTERS AND DECREASES IN THE SHARE OF FAMILY HOUSEHOLDS.
OUR POVERTY RATES HAVE DROPPED TO 11%, AND OUR CITY CONTINUES TO DIVERSIFY.
HOWEVER, THIS DIVERSIFICATION OBSCURES THE DECLINE OF LATINO AND BLACK CHILDREN BETWEEN 2010 AND 2020.
NOW, I HAVE TWO MORE PIECES OF INFORMATION I WANNA SHARE WITH YOU.
AND THE FIRST IS, UM, BASED ON A FEW MAPS.
AND SO HERE WE'RE LOOKING AT POPULATION CHANGE WITH THE GREATEST, UH, AREAS OF GROWTH SHOWN IN AREAS IN DARKEST BLUE, THE GREATEST POPULATION GROWTH CAN BE SEEN IN AREAS BORDERING TRAVIS COUNTY.
WHEN WE ZOOM INTO THE AREA OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND SHOWN IN THE INSET ON, ON YOUR RIGHT, UH, WE CAN SEE THAT THERE ARE AREAS WHERE THE CITY HAS ENCOURAGED DENSER GROWTH THAT ALSO EXPERIENCE, UM, GREAT POPULATION GROWTH.
[00:20:01]
THE GREATEST DEVELOPMENT, SO THIS IS THE NUMBER OF HOUSING UNITS, UH, IN, IN THE AREAS IN DARKEST BLUE ARE ALL AREAS THAT ADDED A THOUSAND UNITS OR MORE.WE FOUND THAT THOSE AREAS WITH A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT, UH, WERE MOSTLY IN THE PERIMETER, BUT THOSE THAT WERE IN THE PERIMETER WERE ALSO AREAS THAT EXPERIENCED INCREASED DIVERSITY.
THOSE AREAS WITHIN, CLOSER TO THE CITY CENTER THAT ALSO EXPERIENCED GREAT LEVELS OF DEVELOPMENT WERE DRIVEN BY GROWTH IN THE WHITE POPULATION AND EXPERIENCED DECLINES IN THE POPULA IN THE SHARE OF THE POPULATIONS OF COLOR.
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AREA, AS WELL AS THE AREA AROUND THE DOMAIN WERE AREAS THAT ARE CLOSER TO THE CITY CENTER, BUT ALSO EXPERIENCE GREATER DIVERSIFICATION.
AND NOW I'M GOING TO SHARE WITH YOU A SERIES OF MAPS THAT LOOKS AT THE, UH, GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES IN AUSTIN.
THIS HERE IS THE MAP OF THE ASIAN POPULATION IN AUSTIN.
THE MAP ON THE LEFT SHOWS THE AREAS WITH THE HIGHEST, HIGHEST SHARES OF ASIAN POPULATIONS SHOWN IN THE, IN THE DEEPEST, UH, GREEN SHADES.
AND THE MAP ON THE RIGHT SHOWS AREAS OF GROWTH IN YELLOW AND AREAS OF DECLINE IN BLUE.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THE AREAS WITH THE HIGHEST SHARES OF ASIAN POPULATION CAN MOSTLY BE FOUND IN NORTHWESTERN PARTS OF THE CITY AS WELL AS NORTH NORTHWESTERN PARTS OF TRAVIS COUNTY.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE POPULATION CHANGE MAP, WE CAN SEE THAT THERE'S BEEN SOME DECLINE IN THE NORTH CENTRAL PARTS OF THE CITY WITH INCREASED GROWTH IN THE NORTHEASTERN PARTS, NORTHWESTERN PARTS, AND THEN, UM, SOUTHWESTERN PARTS OF THE CITY.
SO MOSTLY SUBURBAN AREAS, BUT ALSO SIGNIFICANT GROWTH AROUND THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS.
THIS IS A SIMILAR SET OF MAPS FOR THE AFRICAN AMERICAN POPULATION.
HERE WE CAN SEE THAT THERE ARE LIGHTER SHADES OF GREEN SHOW SHOWING, UM, UH, FEWER AREAS WITH HIGHER SHARES OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN POPULATION.
BUT THOSE AREAS THAT DO HAVE THE HIGHEST SHARES OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN POPULATIONS CAN BE FOUND JUST EAST OF 180 3 AND ALONG, UH, 180 3, BUT MOSTLY ALSO IN, UM, NORTHEASTERN PARTS OF TRAVIS COUNTY.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE, AT THE POPULATION CHANGE MAP, WE CAN SEE MANY MORE AREAS IN DARK BLUE INDICATING POPULATION DECLINE IN AFRICAN AMERICAN POPULATION, SPECIFICALLY IN THOSE AREAS IN THE CENTRAL EAST AUSTIN AREA OR HISTORICALLY BLACK NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND WE SEE THAT MUCH OF THE INCREASE IN THE BLACK POPULATION DURING THIS TIME BETWEEN 2010 AND 2020 HAS TAKEN PLACE IN THE NORTHEASTERN PART OF THE CITY AND THE NORTHEASTERN PART OF TRAVIS COUNTY AS WELL AS FAR SOUTH AUSTIN.
THIS IS A SIMILAR SET OF MAPS FOR THE HISPANIC POPULATION.
YOU CAN SEE THERE'S, UH, MUCH MORE AREAS, UH, THAT HAVE 50% AND ABOVE, UH, SHARES OF HISPANIC POPULATION BECAUSE IT IS A LARGER, UH, POPULATION IN THE CITY.
BUT ALSO YOU CAN SEE THAT THE, UH, HISPANIC POPULATION TENDS TO BE CONCENTRATED ALL ALONG TOLLWAY ONE 30 AS WELL AS AREAS AROUND THE, UH, TECH RIDGE, UH, AREA AND NORTH CENTRAL PARTS OF AUSTIN.
WHEN WE LOOK AT POPULATION CHANGE, WE SEE THOSE AREAS OF POPULATION DECLINE AGAIN IN THOSE EAST, UM, CENTRAL EASTERN, UH, OR, OR EASTERN PARTS OF, OF CENTRAL AUSTIN.
AND WE CAN SEE ALMOST A, A FARTHER EASTWARD MOVEMENT OF THAT EASTERN CRESCENT WITH MUCH OF THE HISPANIC GROWTH TAKING PLACE IN, UH, EASTERN PARTS OF TRAVIS COUNTY, WRAPPING AROUND FROM THE NORTH AROUND TO SOUTHEAST.
AND THEN THIS IS THE SET OF MAPS FOR THE NON-HISPANIC WHITE POPULATION, UH, WITH DARKER SHADES OF GREEN, INDICATING 50% OR MORE, UM, SHARES OF, UH, WHITE POPULATION, MOSTLY LOCATED IN WESTERN PARTS OF THE CITY.
BUT IF YOU, UH, NOTE ALONG I 35 TO THE EAST, THERE ARE NOW, UH, A NUMBER OF, UH, AREAS WHERE THE WHITE POPULATION MAKES UP 50% OR MORE.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE POPULATION CHANGE MAP, WE SEE THAT THERE'S A BIT OF A REDISTRIBUTION OF THE WHITE POPULATION IN AUSTIN WITH SOME AREAS IN NORTHWEST AUSTIN, UH, AND THE, AND, AND THE UNIVERSITY AREA, UH, IN, IN DECLINE, WHEREAS AREAS IN THE SUBURBS, UM, TO THE NORTHEAST, NORTHWEST, UM, SOUTHEAST AND SOUTHWEST GROWING, BUT ALSO MANY AREAS IN THAT CENTRAL PART OF EAST AUSTIN, UM, NOW HAVING, UM, LARGER SHARES, UH, AND NUMBERS OF, OF WHITE POPULATION.
SO AS, UH, NOW I'M GOING TO SHARE, UM, SOME INFORMATION ON THE, UM, ON THE CONCURRENCIES THAT WE SEE IN IN AUSTIN.
AS, AS WE'VE NOTED IN A NUMBER OF SLIDES, AUSTIN LEADS IN A NUMBER OF SOCIOECONOMIC INDICATORS.
AND HERE WE SHOW HOW AUSTIN COMPARES TO OTHER TEXAS METROS
[00:25:01]
IN TERMS OF EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT.AND ALTHOUGH AUSTIN LEADS IN THE SHARE OF ADULTS WITH A HIGH SCHOOL DEGREE AND ABOVE, AND ESPECIALLY IN THE SHARE OF ADULTS WITH A BACHELOR'S DEGREE, AND OVER, WHEN WE DISAGGREGATE THIS DATA BY RACE AND ETHNICITY, WE CONTINUE TO SEE MUCH LOWER EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT RATES FOR BLACKS AND HISPANICS INDICATING THAT AUSTIN SHARES THE SAME EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGES, UM, THAT WE SEE IN MANY OTHER COMMUNITIES.
NOW, EDUCATION IS HIGHLY CORRELATED WITH INCOMES, AND HERE WE DISPLAY INCOME GROWTH SINCE 1990 AND THE GROWTH, UH, OF OVER 89% IN JUST THE 10, THE LAST 10 YEARS, UH, THE NUMBERS IN BLUE ARE, ARE ADJUSTED FOR INFLATION.
AND AS INCOMES HAVE RISEN, UH, NOT EVERYONE IS IN OUR COMMUNITIES ARE STARTING FROM THE SAME PLACE.
HERE WE SHOW HOW AUSTIN LEADS IN HOUSEHOLD INCOMES WHEN COMPARED TO OTHER TEXAS METROS.
BUT WHEN, WHEN WE DISAGGREGATE THIS DATA BY RACE AND ETHNICITY, WE CONTINUE TO SEE THAT SAME RACIAL DISPARITY WITH WHITE INCOMES 1.4 TIMES HIGHER THAN BLACK HOUSEHOLD INCOMES AND 1.3 TIMES HIGHER THAN HISPANIC HOUSEHOLD INCOMES.
AND OF COURSE, HOUSEHOLD INCOMES ARE HIGHLY RELATED TO A PERSON'S ABILITY TO PURCHASE A HOME.
HERE WE SHOW, UM, THE, THE TREND LINE OF GROWTH IN, UH, HOME PRICES IN AUSTIN FROM 1990 TO 2022.
I THINK WE'RE ALL REALLY FAMILIAR WITH THE SKYROCKETING TREND OF, OF RECENT YEARS.
SO I'M NOT GOING TO SPEND TOO MUCH TIME, UM, DESCRIBING SORT OF WHAT'S TAKING PLACE HERE.
UH, BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT THESE INCREASES IN THE HOME PRICES HAVE ALSO IMPACTED RE UH, INCREASES IN RENTAL PRICES, UH, WITH AN INCREASE OF ABOUT 39% IN THE LAST, UM, 10 YEARS IN REAL DOLLARS.
AND OF COURSE, UM, HERE IS THE, THE ONE LAST INDICATOR THAT I'LL SHARE WITH YOU IS ONE WHERE AUSTIN DOES NOT LEAD OTHER TEXAS METROS.
HOME OWNERSHIP IN AUSTIN LAGS OTHER TEXAS METROS.
AND WE, WHEN WE COMPARE MEDIAN HOME PRICES ACROSS THE METROS, WE CAN SEE THAT PRICE COULD BE A SIGNIFICANT BARRIER TO ENTRY FOR MANY, BUT ESPECIALLY FOR HISPANICS IN AMERICANS WHO ALSO HAVE LOWER INCOMES.
SOME GAINS IN HOME OWNERSHIP HAVE BEEN SEEN FOR ALL GROUPS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF AFRICAN AMERICANS.
HOME OWNERSHIP GAPS HAVE ACTUALLY WIDENED FOR, FOR BLACK AMERICANS.
NOW, I'LL BRIEFLY RECAP BY ACKNOWLEDGING SOME OF THE GAINS THAT WE HAVE SEEN THROUGH POPULATION GROWTH.
OUR METRO REMAINS THE FASTEST GROWING REGION IN THE COUNTRY.
AUSTIN CONTINUES TO GROW EVEN WHILE OTHER US CITIES SEE POPULATION LOSS.
WE ARE SEEING GROWTH AMONG ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES YIELDING INCREASED DIVERSITY.
AUSTIN IS LEADING IN MANY SOCIOECONOMIC INDICATORS AND HAS STRONG JOB GROWTH AND LOW UNEMPLOYMENT.
HOWEVER, THE DATA ALSO OFFER OPPORTUNITIES FOR REFLECTION.
AUSTIN REMAINS GEOGRAPHICALLY AND RACIALLY SEGREGATED.
THERE IS A FARTHER EASTWARD MOVEMENT OF THE EASTERN CRESCENT WITH INCREASING SHARES AND NUMBERS OF POPULATION OF COLOR FARTHER IN THE FRINGES.
ALTHOUGH WE ARE MORE DIVERSE TODAY, AUSTIN EXPERIENCED THE DECLINE IN THE NUMBER OF BLACK AND LATINO CHILDREN.
AND ALTHOUGH AUSTIN LEADS IN MANY SOCIOECONOMIC INDICATORS, SIGNIFICANT RACIAL DISPARITIES REMAIN.
AND I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT A LOT OF TIMES WHEN I LOOK AT THESE DATA, I'M SOMETIMES LEFT WITH A FEELING OF COGNITIVE DISSONANCE, LIKE WE'RE A CITY OF CONTRADICTIONS, BUT REALLY WE'RE A CITY OF CONCURRENCIES.
HOW CAN WE SEE SUCH STRONG GROWTH? BUT ALSO TALK ABOUT DISPLACEMENT BECAUSE OUR CITY IS GROWING, BUT WE ARE ALSO SEEING A FARTHER EASTWARD MOVEMENT OF, UH, THE EASTERN CRESCENT, WHICH INDICATES THAT MANY FAMILIES OF MOSTLY OF COLOR ARE MOVING FARTHER AWAY FROM OUR CITY'S RESOURCES.
HOW CAN WE TALK ABOUT A HOUSING SHORTAGE WHEN OUR SKYLINE IS FILLED WITH CONSTRUCTION CRANES? AND YES, WE ADDED MORE HOUSING UNITS THAN EVER BEFORE, BUT THE RATE HAS DECREASED COMPARED TO DECADES PAST, AND ITS SHARE IS SHRINKING IN THE REGION, GIVEN THE CITY'S STATUS AS THE PRINCIPAL CITY IN THE FASTEST GROWING REGION IN THE COUNTRY.
PLUS, ITS LONG HISTORY OF GROWTH AND SUSTAINED GROWTH.
IT IS IMPORTANT HOUSING UNIT GROWTH IS ABLE TO KEEP, TO CONTINUE TO KEEP PACE WITH POPULATION GROWTH, BUT ALSO WITH HOUSEHOLD FORMATION.
AND SIMILARLY, HOW ARE WE BECOMING MORE DIVERSE, BUT ALSO LOSING BLACK AND BROWN CHILDREN? WE SAW GROWTH AMONG ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES YIELDING INCREASED DIVERSITY FOR OUR CITY.
HOWEVER, THE PATTERNS OF GROWTH THAT WE'RE SEEING IN AUSTIN ARE TRULY UNIQUE ACROSS THE NATION POPULATIONS OF COLOR AND ACROSS THE STATE, POPULATIONS OF COLOR LED
[00:30:01]
GROWTH IN POPULATION IN AUSTIN, WE ARE SEEING A DIFFERENT TREND.AND MOST MARKEDLY WE ARE SEEING THAT IN DECLINES AGAIN OF LATINO AND BLACK CHILDREN.
I HOPE YOU'LL AGREE THAT CONSIDERING THESE DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFTS AND CONCURRENCIES THAT ARE CITY IS FACING CAN BE HELPFUL WHEN DRAFTING POLICIES AND, AND DECISION MAKING.
UH, AND I I HOPE THAT, UM, WE RECOGNIZE THAT POLICIES THAT WE PUT IN PLACE TODAY CAN HAVE LONGSTANDING IMPACTS ON OUR CITY AND FUTURE COMMUNITIES.
AND I RECOGNIZE THAT THIS WAS A LOT OF INFORMATION ALL AT ONCE.
BUT PLEASE KNOW THAT OUR TEAM IS HAPPY TO COME BEFORE YOU AGAIN, ON A MORE REGULAR BASIS WITH MORE FOCUSED ANALYSES.
ANY QUESTIONS? COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON.
UM, I'LL RESERVE, UH, MOST OF WHAT I WOULD SAY, 'CAUSE IT WOULD BE STATEMENTS, NOT SO MUCH QUESTIONS.
UM, BUT I THINK AT, THIS WAS A MAGNIFICENT, UM, PRESENTATION.
UM, SHE'LL KILL ME FOR DOING SO, BUT I TALKED TO YOUR SISTER YESTERDAY AND I SAID, OH MY GOSH, YOUR SISTER'S GONNA PRESENT FOR US TOMORROW.
UM, THAT ASIDE, I I, MY CONSTITUENTS FOLKS WHO LIVE IN D ONE, THERE'S SO MUCH HERE THAT IS, UM, IT'S STARK, RIGHT? BUT IT'S NOT A SURPRISE.
YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN SAYING SINCE THE MOMENT I DECIDED THAT I WAS GONNA BE THE PERSON WHO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE THE STEWARD FOR THIS AREA, THAT WE NEED TO BE TAKING OUR EYEBALLS AND POINTING THEM EAST OF 180 3 AND REALLY PUTTING SOME SPECIFIC AND CONCERTED EFFORT INTO POURING RESOURCES.
AND I MEAN, AND I GUESS THIS IS TO MY COLLEAGUES, I, I WILL BE ASKING FOR AN INORDINATE AMOUNT OF RESOURCES TO BE POURED INTO PARTS OF TOWN WHERE WE'RE LITERALLY SAYING, I'M NOT THE REALLY SMART PERSON AT THE PODIUM IS SAYING THAT WE NEED TO DO SO.
UM, AND I'M NOT EVEN JUST TALKING ABOUT TO CREATE SOME SORT OF BALANCE.
THE AMOUNT OF INEQUITY IS SO GREAT THAT I DON'T KNOW THAT WE CAN FIND A BALANCE, BUT WE CERTAINLY ARE GONNA HAVE TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY AS NOW THE 10TH LARGEST CITY IN THE NATION TO, UM, TO INTERVENE, UM, SOMEHOW.
AND SO, UM, I APPRECIATE THAT YOU OFFERED TO DO THESE PRESENTATIONS MORE OFTEN.
I'D LIKE TO ASK AS THE CHAIR OF THE HOUSING COMMITTEE, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, IF I'M OFFERED THE OPPORTUNITY, I'D LOVE TO CONTINUE TO HOLD THAT ROLE.
AND THIS IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE'D LIKE TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION.
UM, I DO HAVE A QUESTION, UM, ABOUT, UM, HOW CLOSELY OUR CITY DEMOGRAPHER, LIKE THE INFORMATION THAT YOU GATHER, COLLECT, AND PRESENT TO US, HOW CLOSELY IS THAT ALIGNED TO THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING OVER WITH OUR PARTNERS AT THE COUNTY? SO FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, SO MUCH OF WHAT IT IS THAT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT AND WHAT COMMISSIONER ILIAN IS CONCERNED ABOUT IN PRECINCT ONE IS IDENTICAL.
AND, UM, WE OVERLAP ONE ANOTHER SO FREQUENTLY THAT IT, IT JUST MAKES SENSE FOR US TO BE LOCKSTEP WITH ONE ANOTHER AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
SO I WONDER IF THE DEMOGRAPHY FOLKS OVER THERE AND, AND YOU ARE WORKING, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE HE AND I SHOULD BE, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD PROBABLY WORK A LITTLE BIT CLOSER TOGETHER.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S A, THERE'S A A LOT OF, UH, ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT IN THAT RELATIONSHIP.
UM, I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE CENSUS DATA WERE RELEASED, WE TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOLDING, UM, A JOINT MEETING.
WE, WE DIDN'T REALLY GET TO THAT POINT, BUT I KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, I, I MEET WITH A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT COUNTY FOLKS AND EVEN JUST TODAY, I, I WAS CALLED FROM THEIR AUDITOR'S OFFICE TO RESPOND TO SOME POPULATION FIGURES.
AND SO WE ARE IN COMMUNICATION, BUT WE'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, WORKING, YOU KNOW, IN, IN, IN LOCKSTEP.
AND SO THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE COULD, UM, WORK TO DO A LITTLE BIT BETTER.
I APPRECIATE YOU ACKNOWLEDGING THAT, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT I'D LOVE TO BE ABLE TO HELP FACILITATE.
I KNOW MY COLLEAGUES AND I ALL HAVE, UH, SIMILAR CONCERNS.
YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT STRUCK ME AS I WAS WATCHING YOU PRESENT THE INFORMATION IS, UM, JUST SORT OF THE ALARMING GRAPHICS, ESPECIALLY THE, THE COLORS FOR MY DISTRICT AND FOR THE COUNCIL WOMAN'S DISTRICT, UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE HER AREA, ESPECIALLY AS WE'RE APPROACHING DELVAL AND SOME OF THOSE AREAS.
AND ME, YOU KNOW, PUSHING OUT DECKER AND, UM, RIGHT AT THE BORDER OF MAINOR AND PFLUGERVILLE WHERE ALL MY FOLKS ARE MOVING.
UM, AND SO I, I JUST WOULD LIKE VERY MUCH MOVING FORWARD TO MAYBE GET SOME ADVICE FROM YOU ABOUT HOW BEST TO POSITION, UM, POLICY MAKING AND CONSIDERATIONS TO PRESENT BOTH TO MY COLLEAGUES AND, AND TO OUR CONSTITUENTS ABOUT HOW THIS KIND OF INFORMATION IS EXACTLY WHERE WE TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO REALLY IMPLEMENT THE KIND OF POLICY THAT WILL HELP US TO, TO ACT MORE, UM, PROACTIVELY.
UM, SO THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
LIKE I SAID, A LOT OF IT WAS NOT SURPRISING, BUT IT REALLY IS HELPFUL TO SEE IT ON THE BIG SCREEN AND TO HAVE SOMEBODY WITH YOUR EXPERTISE, YOU KNOW, PRESENT US THE INFORMATION.
[00:35:01]
UP ON THAT QUESTION FROM COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE ASKED THE STAFF, OUR PROFE THE STAFF TO BEGIN TO WORK ON, IT'S NOT THE, WE HAVE MADE INVESTMENTS, INVESTMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE ON A VARIETY OF AREAS TO TRY TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE OF AFFORDABILITY, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AT THE NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL.THE FACT IS, IS THAT WE PROBABLY NEED A, A MORE COORDINATED AND CONCENTRATED APPROACH.
I THINK YOU HAD, UH, AN ITEM ON LA DURING THE BUDGET PROCESS FOR US TO STUDY, UH, THE NORTHEAST SECTOR IN TERMS OF WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN THOSE AREAS IN TERMS OF PUBLIC INVESTMENT, IN TERMS OF PRIVATE INVESTMENT, SO THAT WE CAN RAISE THAT STANDARD OF WHAT EXISTS IN THAT COMMUNITY WITH RESPECT TO EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION ATTAINMENT, ET CETERA.
WE PROBABLY NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING IN THE SOUTHEAST AREA THAT'S ANOTHER CONCENTRATED AREA.
AND WHAT I'VE ASKED THE STAFF IS TO PULL ALL THOSE PIECES TOGETHER AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND AN APPROACH OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WITH A SMALL E NOT EMPLOY, NOT ATTRACTING EMPLOYERS HERE, BUT WHAT SPECIFICALLY CAN WE DO AT THE, AT THE INDIVIDUAL LEVEL SO WE CAN MAKE PROGRESS AND, AND CONSISTENT WITH AND IN COORDINATION WITH THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE, I'VE ALREADY ASKED THE STAFF TO DO, AND I KNOW THAT AS WE LOOK AT THIS DEMO, THE ISSUES OF THESE STATISTICS IS TO DO THE ANALYSIS OF WHAT'S HAPPENED.
WE MADE BETTS, AND AS A RESULT OF THOSE BETTS IN TERMS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, CERTAIN THINGS HAPPEN AND WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT NEW BETTS WE NEED TO MAKE TO CHANGE, TO CHANGE THAT DYNAMIC.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF DOING RIGHT NOW.
AND IF I MAY FOLLOW UP ON YOUR FOLLOW UP, SOMETHING THAT, UM, I BELIEVE WOULD BE A PRUDENT STEP TO TAKE IS, YOU KNOW, ANY AND EVERYTHING WE CAN DO AROUND COMMUNITY LAND TRUST AND AROUND, I MEAN, I I'VE SAID BEFORE, LET'S JUST PUT A MORATORIUM ON EVERYTHING EAST OF 180 3.
I KNOW THAT'S NOT PRACTICAL NECESSARILY, BUT I ALSO RECOGNIZE, ESPECIALLY AS OUR DEMOGRAPHERS MAKING REFERENCE TO, YOU KNOW, DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES SPECIFICALLY.
BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU TALKED ABOUT AFFORDABILITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, YOU KNOW, WHILE IT IS STILL AFFORDABLE EAST OF 180 3, WHAT CAN WE DO TO JUST PRESS PAUSE AND MAKE CERTAIN THAT MORE PEOPLE DO HAVE THAT FINANCIAL RUNWAY TO ENTER THE, LIKE YOU TALKED ABOUT THE DECLINE IN AFRICAN AMERICANS BEING ABLE TO PURCHASE HOMES.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO SORT OF GET OUT IN FRONT OF MORE PEOPLE HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A PART OF THAT HOME OWNERSHIP SECTOR? AND I SAY OFTEN HOME OWNERSHIP IS NOT FOR EVERYBODY.
AND THAT'S NOT JUST ME SAYING THAT.
UM, YOU KNOW, BY WAY OF, UM, AFFORDABILITY, THAT'S ME SAYING, YOU KNOW, FOR ME, ANECDOTALLY AS A NEW HOMEOWNER, THE FIRST TIME OUR FOUNDATION CRACKED, OR WHEN THE ROOF, YOU KNOW, BUSTED UP IN A STORM, OR, YOU KNOW, YOUR AC GOING OUT OR THE PLUMBING BUSTED UP, IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE FINANCIAL RUNWAY AS A NEW HOMEOWNER, I MEAN, IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU GET THE ABILITY TO OWN A HOME IF IT GOES TO FORECLOSURE.
'CAUSE YOU CAN'T KEEP UP WITH THE HOME OWNERSHIP.
THERE'S SO MUCH INVOLVED IN BECOMING A HOMEOWNER THAT REAL, THERE'S NO HOME OWNERSHIP 1 0 1 NECESSARILY.
SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT YOU'RE RECOGNIZING, YOU KNOW, BOTH OF OUR DISTRICTS AS PLACES WHERE WE NEED TO PUT MORE RESOURCES.
I APPRECIATE THE INVESTMENTS THAT HAVE GONE IN, BUT WE HAVE TO TRIPLE TIME THOSE INVESTMENTS.
AND ALSO WE REALLY HAVE TO DO SOMETHING, ANYTHING WE CAN LEGALLY, OBVIOUSLY WITHIN THE CONSTRAINTS THAT WE HAVE PLACED UPON US TO JUST SLOW THINGS DOWN SO WE DON'T FIND OURSELVES IN A POSITION WE'RE CENTRALLY STOCKED, IN WHICH ONCE WAS, UM, PRIMARILY BLACK, WHICH ONCE WAS THE HISTORIC AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE OR CULTURAL HERITAGE DISTRICT, IT'S NOW PRIMARILY WHITE.
AND, AND OUR DEMOGRAPHER JUST TOLD US THAT IN, IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS. AND SO NOW THAT WE KNOW THAT, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING TO INTERVENE, I'D LOVE FOR US TO, AND SPEAK ABOUT IT DRASTICALLY LIKE A CRISIS, THE SAME WAY WE TALK ABOUT OUR, HI, OUR HOUSING CRISIS.
IT'S A CRISIS THAT WE ARE A MAJOR METROPOLITAN CITY, LOSING OUR BLACK POPULATION.
WE HAVE TO INTERVENE IN A WAY THAT IT IS URGENT, AN EMERGENCY, A CRISIS.
AND SO THAT, THAT'S WHAT I WOULD BE LOOKING TO YOU FOR IN TERMS OF LEADERSHIP AND REALLY HELPING US TO GUIDE OUR MOVEMENTS.
UM, BOTH THE COUNCIL MEMBER AND I, SOMETHING TELLS ME WE'LL BE WORKING TOGETHER COLLABORATIVELY A LOT, UM, TO REALLY GET OUT IN FRONT AND MORE PREEMPTIVELY HELP, YOU KNOW, TO, I JUST SAY PROTECT AND PRESERVE.
BUT IN A LOT OF WAYS, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I MEAN, PROTECT AND PRESERVE SOME SENSE OF AFFORDABILITY.
AND FOR US TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR LATINX LATINO COMMUNITIES AND BLACK COMMUNITIES TO, TO STAY IN AUSTIN.
UM, I, I LOVE MY FRIENDS IN PFLUGERVILLE AND MAYER AND BETA AND ALD AND KYLE AND SAN MARCOS, BUT I'D LIKE VERY MUCH FOR BLACK AND BROWN FOLKS TO CONTINUE TO LIVE IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES.
AND JUST WANNA ECHO THE SENTIMENTS FOR MY COLLEAGUE HERE, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, AND, AND EXPRESSING MY SUPPORT FOR THE CITY TO BE AGGRESSIVELY LAND BANKING RIGHT NOW AT THIS POINT TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING OPTIONS FOR EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, THANK YOU DR. VALENCIA, FOR YOUR PRESENTATION TODAY.
I JUST SENT YOU AN EMAIL REQUESTING A DISTRICT TWO SPECIFIC UPDATE, SO I'M HOPING
[00:40:01]
WE CAN COORDINATE THAT IN JANUARY.UH, SOMETHING THAT STOOD OUT TO ME, IN ADDITION TO THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT OUR BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES ARE BEING DISPLACED FURTHER EAST IN, IN THE AREA, IS THAT, UH, 49% OF OUR WORKFORCE WORK IN AUSTIN, BUT LIVE OUTSIDE THE CITY AND 34% OF OUR WORKFORCE LIVE AND WORK IN AUSTIN.
AND THAT, TO ME WAS PRETTY STRIKING TO SEE, UH, THOSE NUMBERS AS PART OF YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, SO JUST WANTED TO, TO SURFACE THAT.
THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER, MAYOR TIM, THANK YOU.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THIS PRESENTATION.
UH, MADE ME START THINKING ABOUT SOME TOPICS LIKE FAMILIES AND ACCESS TO CHILDCARE EDUCATION, UM, INCOME BY SE, BY CENSUS TRACT, WHETHER THAT'S GOING UP OR DOWN.
AND THEN GENERALLY JOBS THAT PEOPLE ARE FILLING.
YOU KNOW, I'M CURIOUS ABOUT EMPLOYMENT VERSUS UNEMPLOYMENT, BUT ALSO WHAT KIND OF JOB SECTORS ARE BEING REPRESENTED BY THESE MOVES.
UM, WE TALK A LOT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, FOLKS WHO ARE TEACHERS AND NURSES AND FIRST RESPONDERS NOT BEING ABLE TO AFFORD TO STAY IN AUSTIN.
AND SO I'M VERY CURIOUS TO SEE IF THE DATA MATCHES.
DOES YOUR TOOL SET COVER THOSE TOPICS? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN GO AND DIG IN AND LOOK INTO OURSELVES? ABSOLUTELY.
RIGHT NOW WE'RE ACTUALLY, UM, UPDATING OUR WEBSITE TO INCLUDE THE 2022 ESTIMATES THAT WERE JUST RELEASED BY THE CENSUS BUREAU EARLIER THIS MONTH.
AND SO IN THAT, UM, YOU'LL, IN THAT UPDATE, YOU'LL IN, WE WILL INCLUDE, UM, MEDIAN INCOME, MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME, UM, BY CENSUS TRACK.
SO YOU'LL BE ABLE TO COMPARE AT THE NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL.
THEN WE ALSO HAVE A, A STORY MAP THAT WE'RE GONNA BE RELEASING.
WE'VE RELEASED, UM, A SERIES AND WE'VE RELEASED THE FIRST TWO, FOCUSING ON AGE TRENDS.
ANOTHER ONE FOCUSING ON, ON HOUSING UNITS AND HOUSEHOLDS.
AND THIS NEXT ONE WILL BE FOCUSED ON WHAT KINDS OF HOUSEHOLDS LIVING AUSTIN.
AND SO WE'LL, WE'LL DELVE INTO HOUSEHOLDS WITH, UH, WITH CHILDREN, UH, HOUSEHOLDS WITH SENIORS, UM, MULTI-GENERATIONAL HOUSEHOLDS, HOUSEHOLDS WITH, UM, SAME-SEX COUPLES.
AND SO IT'LL HAVE A LOT OF RICH INFORMATION.
AND WE TYPICALLY, IN THOSE STORY MAPS, UH, WE INCLUDE, YOU KNOW, SORT OF CITY LEVEL INFORMATION RELATIVE TO THE METRO TO OTHER, UM, UM, PEER CITIES.
AND THEN WE ALSO DIVE INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND SO YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT OF, OF EVERYTHING IN THAT.
SO WE SHOULD BE RELEASING THAT, UM, RIGHT BEFORE FEBRUARY, IF NOT IN EARLY FEBRUARY AS WELL.
I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT INFORMATION.
'CAUSE I'M ALSO CURIOUS ABOUT SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS WE'RE HAVING AROUND ANTI DISPLACEMENT AND OR AGING IN PLACE AS WE TALK ABOUT OUR HOUSING POLICIES OVER, YOU KNOW, THE, THE DECADES THAT THIS CONVERSATION HAS BEEN GOING ON.
I'M VERY CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT IS REAL MEANINGFUL CHANGE AND MAKING SURE THAT LIKE IN DISTRICT EIGHT PEOPLE CAN AGE IN PLACE IN A SMALLER HOME AND TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT'S MORE AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE.
AND I'M SURE EVERY DISTRICT HAS CERTAIN NUANCES THAT FOLKS ARE, ARE LOOKING FOR.
TIM, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UM, THAT'LL TAKE US TO ITEM B TWO
[B2. Briefing on the Barton Springs Road Bridge over Barton Creek.]
BRIEFING ON THE BARTON SPRINGS ROAD BRIDGE OVER BARTON CREEK.LET ME, LET ME CALL ON, UH, A CM GOOD TO MAKE THIS PRESENTATION AND, UH, WE'LL TRY TO BE CONCISE AND, UH, TO THE POINT.
UH, THANK YOU MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
ROBERT GOODE, INTERIM ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER.
I KNOW THAT WE'VE GONE ALONG TODAY, SO I'M GONNA DO A BRIEF, REAL BRIEF INTRODUCTION.
THIS, THIS, UH, BRIDGE HAS BEEN ON OUR RADAR FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
IN FACT, IT'S BEEN THE TOP FIVE BRIDGES OF CONCERN LOOKING AT REHABILITATION REPLACEMENT SINCE 2000.
THIS BRIDGE WAS SPOTLIGHTED TO ME AT THAT TIME THAT IT'S SOMETHING, UH, UH, AN INFRASTRUCTURE PIECE WE NEEDED TO LOOK AT.
OVER THE YEARS, WE HAVE MAINTAINED THAT AND WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO EXTEND THE LIFE OF THAT BRIDGE SINCE, SINCE, AGAIN, SINCE I CAME IN OH EIGHT.
IT, IT'S, THE RISK PROFILE DURING THAT TIME WAS SUCH THAT WE COULD EXTEND THE LIFE.
BUT I'M GONNA TELL YOU TODAY, SOMETHING I DON'T USUALLY DO WITH MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
I'M GONNA PUT A DIFFERENT HAT ON TODAY.
AS A PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER, I'M CONCERNED IT'S GONNA TAKE A WHILE TO DESIGN AND REPLACE THIS BRIDGE.
AND SO WE NEED TO MAKE SOME DECISIONS AND MOVE ON.
SO I DON'T DO THAT OFTEN, BUT I WANTED TO PUT MY PE HAT ON TODAY, 2018 AND 2020.
THE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED US IN THAT AND PUT DESIGN FUND IN, IN A BOND PROGRAM.
SO WE HAVE FUNDING TO DO THIS DESIGN.
WE NOR NORMALLY DO THIS IN A BOND PROJECT, BUT IN 2020, THE COUNCIL RESOLUTION SAID, COME BACK TO COUNSEL TO APPROVE THESE OPTIONS BEFORE YOU PROCEED WITH THE DESIGN.
THAT'S WHAT'S ON YOUR AGENDA FOR THURSDAY.
ERIC BAILEY'S GONNA WALK THROUGH THE ANALYSIS THAT WE'VE DONE ON A PRE PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING REPORT.
WE LOOKED AT SEVERAL ALTERNATIVES, INCLUDING A MINOR TOUCH REHABILITATION, STRUCTURAL REHABILITATION TO COMPLETE REPLACEMENT.
HE'S GONNA WALK WALK THROUGH THOSE TODAY.
[00:45:01]
ACTING DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES, UM, MAYOR, MAYOR PROAM, COUNCIL MEMBERS, APPRECIATE YOUR TIME TODAY, AND AGAIN, I WILL TRY AND MOVE THROUGH THIS QUICKLY AS WELL.UM, BUT THERE ARE SOME DEFINITELY KEY POINTS THAT WE WANT TO TOUCH ON AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
SO FIRST, A QUICK OVERVIEW OF THE BARTON SPRINGS BRIDGE.
UH, ORIGINALLY CONSTRUCTED IN 1926 WAS A TWO-LANE BRIDGE AND EX EXPANDED IN 1946.
UM, OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE MULTIPLE USERS WHO ENJOY THIS BRIDGE ON A DAILY BASIS, INCLUDING 20,000 VEHICLES PER DAY.
IT'S A KEY ACCESS POINT INTO ZILKER PARK AND A, UH, CONTRIBUTING, UH, STRUCTURE TO THE HISTORIC DESIGNATION OF ZILKER PARK.
UM, FIRST THING I WANTED TO GO OVER IS SORT OF A GENERAL PROJECT SCHEDULE OVERVIEW.
THIS IS FOR ANY PROJECT THAT WE DO AS A CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT.
WE, UM, DO WHAT'S FIRST CALLED A PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING REPORT.
WHAT THAT CONSISTS OF IS STAFF, UH, OFTENTIMES HIRING A, UH, TECHNICAL EXPERT, CONSULTING A CONSULTANT TO GO THROUGH THE, UM, DIFFERENT, UH, TECHNICAL REPORTS THAT ARE NECESSARY IN ORDER TO DEVELOP OPTIONS FOR, UH, THE PROJECT.
AND THIS IS, EXCUSE ME, THIS IS FOR NOT ONLY BRIDGE PROJECTS, BUT FOR ANY PROJECT IN GENERAL.
WE RELY ON THEIR TECHNICAL EXPERTISE TO GATHER THE INFORMATION THAT'S NECESSARY TO DEVELOP ALTERNATIVES THAT WE CAN THEN LOOK AT AND EVENTUALLY COME FORWARD WITH A RECOMMENDATION FOR THAT ALTERNATIVE.
AS ROBERT MENTIONED EARLIER, RIGHT NOW WE ARE AT THIS COUNCIL ACTION IN, UH, DECEMBER OF 2023.
WE GENERALLY DON'T GO TO THIS PHASE.
THE REASON THAT WE'RE HERE IS BECAUSE OF THE LANGUAGE THAT WAS INCLUDED IN THE 2020, UH, BOND PROGRAM.
AFTER WE, UH, MOVE FORWARD WITH OUR AUTHORIZATION FOR DESIGN, WE WILL GO INTO THAT DESIGN PHASE, UH, INCLUDING PERMITTING, PUBLIC MEETINGS, BOARDS, AND COMMISSIONS AND FINAL DESIGN BEFORE WE ARE THEN BACK BEFORE YOU FOR AN, UH, RECOMMENDATION FOR AWARD FOR CONSTRUCTION.
SO THIS IS NOT, WE'RE STARTING CONSTRUCTION TOMORROW.
THIS IS AN AUTHORIZATION TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE RECOMMENDED ALTERNATIVE TO MOVE THAT INTO DESIGN.
SO, QUICK OVERVIEW OF, UM, THE CURRENT CONDITIONS.
YOU CAN SEE SOME PICTURES UP HERE ON YOUR SCREEN.
THESE ARE TYPICAL OF WHAT YOU CAN SEE FROM THE SURFACE.
THE UPPER LEFT IS WHAT'S CALLED SPING CONCRETE, WHERE BASICALLY CHUNKS OF CONCRETE ARE FALLING OFF FROM SORT OF THE, FROM THE REINFORCING, UH, STEEL.
YOU CAN SEE THE REBAR IN THERE.
ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, YOU SEE WHAT'S CALLED DEAMINATION OF A BEAM.
THAT'S WHERE, UH, THE CONCRETE IS, IS FLAKING OFF.
UM, BOTH OF THESE ARE DUE TO STRUCTURAL LOADING CONDITIONS, UH, REPETITIVE CYCLICAL LOADING OF VEHICLES, PARTICULARLY BUSES AND TRUCKS DRIVING ACROSS THE BRIDGE.
THERE'S CRACKING EVIDENT IN THE DECK, WHICH IS THIS DRIVING SURFACE.
WHAT HAPPENS THERE IS THEN WATER IS ALLOWED TO INFILTRATE INTO THE ROADWAY, WHICH WOULD CAUSE ADDITIONAL DAMAGE.
AND AS WELL, ANYONE WHO'S WALKED OR BIKED ACROSS THE BRIDGE KNOWS THAT THE CURBS ARE VERY HIGH, VERY NARROW, AND THE RAILINGS ARE VERY LOW.
UM, THE BRIDGE DOES NOT CURRENTLY MEET A DA STANDARDS.
UM, THIS IS A, A CASE WHERE IT IS GRANDFATHERED IN.
AND UNTIL WE DO MAJOR WORK ON THE BRIDGE, THEN WE WOULD NEED TO BRING THAT UP TO STANDARD.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT, UM, THE TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, UH, ISSUED A MEMO TO MAYOR AND COUNCIL AND POSTED SIGNAGE ABOUT LOAD RESTRICTIONS ON THE EASTBOUND, UH, TRAFFIC HERE.
THAT HEAVY VEHICLES MUST USE THE OUTER LANES AS THEY MOVE FORWARD.
UM, IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE BRIDGE IS NOT A, UM, PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE AT THIS POINT.
WE ARE TRENDING IN THAT DIRECTION.
WE OBVIOUSLY WANNA TAKE ACTION BEFORE WE GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE HAVE TO POST THE BRIDGE FOR, UM, REDUCED BUS AND HEAVY TRAFFIC LOADING ACROSS THE ENTIRE BRIDGE.
WE'VE COORDINATED WITH VARIOUS CITY DEPARTMENTS, INCLUDING TRANSPORTATION, PUBLIC WORKS, WHO IS THE ASSET OWNER IN THIS CASE.
THEY OWN AND MAINTAIN THE BRIDGE CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES, WHICH WORKS ON THE CAPITAL DELIVERY PROJECT, WATERSHED PROTECTION, PARKS AND REC, AUSTIN WATER.
UH, WE HAVE HIRED AECOM, WHICH IS A, UM, WORLD RENOWNED ENGINEERING FIRM THAT DOES BRIDGES ALL OVER THE WORLD.
THEY WERE HIRED THROUGH A COMPETITIVE PROCESS, COMPETITIVE SOLICITATION.
UM, AND THEN WE'VE ALSO CONSULTED WITH VARIOUS REGULATORY AGENCIES, UH, THE US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, TEXAS HISTORIC COMMISSION, UM, AS WELL AS DEVELOPING ALL THE TECHNICAL REPORTS YOU SEE HERE.
I WON'T GET INTO THOSE IN SPECIFICS, BUT, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF BACKGROUND WORK AND A LOT OF OPTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN IN THE WORK SINCE.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE MID TWO THOUSANDS WHEN THIS PROJECT FIRST, UH, CAME ABOUT.
IN ADDITION TO ALL THE TECHNICAL REPORTS, WE ALSO HELD, UH, COMMUNITY MEETINGS IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR.
UH, YOU CAN SEE FROM THE INPUT HERE, COMMUNITY WAS RELATIVELY SPLIT IN TERMS OF THE REHABILITATION VERSUS REPLACEMENT OPTION AT 30% EACH.
FOR REASONS THAT I'LL GET INTO LATER.
THE, THE NO CHANGE OPTION IS NOT REALLY AN OPTION THAT IS, IS A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE FOR THIS PER PROJECT.
SO INTO OUR BRIDGE, UH, ANALYSIS HERE, FOUR OPTIONS WERE DEVELOPED FROM THOSE TECHNICAL MEMOS.
UM, FOR PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING REPORTS, THE DO NOTHING OPTION IS ALWAYS SOMETHING THAT'S CONSIDERED.
WE ALSO CONSIDERED A LIGHT TOUCH REHABILITATION, A FULL REHABILITATION, AND A BRIDGE REPLACEMENT.
UNDER THE BRIDGE REPLACEMENT, WE CONSIDERED A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT DESIGN ALTERNATIVES THERE.
[00:50:01]
SOME STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS AND MOBILITY ANALYSIS THAT TOOK PLACE.UM, WE WENT THROUGH AND EVALUATED THE SPING CONCRETE THAT YOU SAW THERE, THE DETERIORATION OF THE STEEL AND THE INTERIOR STRUCTURE.
THAT MEANS WE TOOK CORE SAMPLES OF THE BRIDGE DECK, ANALYZED THOSE FOR CHEMICAL COMPOSITION TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY, UM, DETERIORATION OF THE INTERIOR STEEL, EVALUATING THE COST BENEFIT OF THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS, A DA COMPLIANCE AS WELL AS PEDESTRIAN, UH, AND BICYCLE ACCESS.
SO THE FINDINGS OF THOSE, BASICALLY IN THE REPORT, THE STRUCTURE THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE AS IT'S BEEN RESTRICTED NOW IS SAFE FOR PUBLIC USE AT THIS TIME.
HOWEVER, IF NO ACTION IS TAKEN, THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR THE ELIMINATION OF BUS AND HU AND HEAVY TRUCK TRAFFIC ON THE BRIDGE, WHICH MEANS NO BUSES, NO BIG TRUCKS GOING ACROSS THE BARTON SPRINGS BRIDGE BECAUSE IT WILL AT THAT POINT PRESENT A SAFETY ISSUE.
OUR ENGINEERS AND ALL OF THE TECHNICAL REPORTS THAT THEY WENT THROUGH ALSO DETERMINED THAT THE DETERIORATION OF THE EXISTING BRIDGE HAS REACHED A STAGE THAT CANNOT BE IGNORED AND THE LEVEL OF REPAIR THAT IS REQUIRED ELIMINATES THE POSSIBILITY FOR A LIGHTER TOUCH REHABILITATION.
THE REASON BEHIND THIS IS THAT WE FOUND, UH, EVIDENCE OF DETERIORATION OF THE REINFORCING STEEL INSIDE THE BRIDGE DECK.
THEREFORE, ANY MEANINGFUL STRUCTURAL REPLACEMENT WOULD INCLUDE REPLACING THE DECK ALTOGETHER.
UM, THIS IS A, A PICTURE THAT SHOWS WHEN WE WENT OUT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AND PUBLIC INPUT.
THIS IS THE PREFERRED, UH, ALIGNMENT.
YOU CAN SEE IMPROVED, UH, PEDESTRIAN AND UH, BICYCLE CIRCULATION ON EITHER SIDE OF THE BRIDGE.
IMPROVED CONNECTIONS INTO ZILKER PARK.
UH, THE NUMBER OF TRAFFIC LANES ARE MAINTAINED AS CURRENTLY STANDS TO IN EACH DIRECTION.
AND ALSO IMPROVEMENTS TO THE INTERSECTION, UH, ON AZ MORTON ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE BRIDGE THERE.
SO WE'VE TALKED ABOUT WHY WE CAN'T DO THE LIGHT TOUCH.
THE NEXT OPTION THAT WE LOOKED AT WAS A BRIDGE REHABILITATION OPTION.
WHAT THAT WOULD INVOLVE IS REMOVING THE EXISTING BRIDGE DECK FROM THE STRUCTURE, ADDING NEW, UH, ARCH PIERS THAT, UH, ARE ON BOTH THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH SIDE.
AND THEN REPLACING THE BRIDGE DECK WITH THE WIDER DESIGN THAT WAS SHOWN IN THE PREVIOUS SLIDE.
NOW, IF WE DO THAT, LESS THAN HALF OF THE ORIGINAL STRUCTURE WILL REMAIN.
UM, AND THE VIEW OF THE ARCHES THAT WILL REMAIN WILL BE OBSTRUCTED BY THE ADDITIONAL ARCHES TO ACCOMMODATE WIDENING THE DECK.
UH, ONE IMPORTANT PIECE TO NOTE HERE IS IF WE DO THIS OPTION, THE EXPECTED USEFUL LIFE IS ABOUT 50 YEARS VERSUS 75 PLUS YEARS FOR A NEW UH, BRIDGE.
THE COST IS ABOUT THE SAME FOR A REPLACEMENT VERSUS THIS LEVEL OF REHABILITATION.
SO NEXT WE GO INTO THE BRIDGE REPLACEMENT OPTIONS.
WE STUDIED THREE SUB OPTIONS UNDER BRIDGE REPLACEMENT, A SINGLE SPAN, A DOUBLE SPAN, AND A TRIPLE SPAN.
UH, THE SINGLE SPAN IS THE MOST COMPLICATED AND THE MOST EXPENSIVE.
UH, THE DOUBLE SPAN IS SORT OF IN THE MIDDLE AND THEN THE TRIPLE SPAN, UM, HAS THE SAME LEVEL OF USEFUL LIFE.
IT'S THE LEAST STRUCTURALLY COMPLEX BRIDGE.
IT'S VISUALLY OPEN ALONG THE CREEK AND IT IS THE EASIEST TO CONSTRUCT AMONG THE VARIOUS OPTIONS THAT WE'VE CONSIDERED.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT ALL THESE REPLACEMENT OPTIONS WILL REQUIRE CAREFUL ENVIRONMENTAL AND MITIGATION STRATEGIES TO MINIMIZE THOSE CONSTRUCTION IMPACTS.
NOW WE WILL GET TO THOSE STRATEGIES ONCE WE GO THROUGH THE PERMITTING PROCESS AND HAVE A RECOMMENDED DESIGN, UH, TO MOVE FORWARD.
THIS IS A HIGH LEVEL, UM, OPTION EVALUATION SUMMARY OF THE FOUR OPTIONS THAT WE CONSIDERED.
AGAIN, REHABILITATION, UH, SINGLE SPAN, DOUBLE SPAN, AND TRIPLE SPAN OPTIONS WITH, UM, ESTIMATED COSTS, USEFUL LIFE AND PROS AND CONS, UH, IN HERE.
SO AGAIN, THE RECOMMENDED OPTION FROM STAFF AND THE ENGINEERING, UH, OUR ENGINEERING EXPERT IS THAT THE REPLACEMENT OPTION IS THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT METHOD TO ADDRESS THE STRUCTURAL CHALLENGES THE MOBILITY NEEDS, THE ENVIRONMENTAL SENSITIVITY, WHILE RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS BRIDGE IN THIS CORRIDOR IN THE CITY, UM, THE TRIPLE SPAN BRIDGE IS THE LEAST COMPLEX AS THE MOST VISUAL OPENNESS FROM THE CREEK HAS THE BEST CONSTRUCTABILITY AND HAS THE LOWEST COST, WHICH IS WHY IT WE'RE MOVING THIS FORWARD.
IN TERMS OF THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION, UM, THIS IS A RENDERING OF THE, UM, TRIPLE SPAN OPTION.
YOU CAN SEE ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE THE ZILKER EAGLE TRAIN, AS WELL AS IMPROVED ACCESS UNDER THE BRIDGE FOR THE PEDESTRIAN, UH, HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL.
UM, AND THEN FINALLY, I WANNA TALK TO YOU QUICKLY ABOUT NEXT STEPS.
UM, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE'VE BEGUN THE COORDINATION PROCESS WITH ALL OF THE RELEVANT JURISDICTIONAL REGULATORY AGENCIES AND INCLUDING TEXAS HISTORIC COMMISSION, US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, CITY OF AUSTIN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
SO THAT INCLUDES WATERSHED AND AUSTIN WATER AND PARKS AND ALL THE VARIOUS CITY AGENCIES.
UM, ADDITIONALLY AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE DESIGN PROCESS, WE WILL GO TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AS NEEDED.
UM, AT A HIGH LEVEL, YOU KNOW, ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, MOBILITY, UH, PARKS.
WE'VE ALREADY SPOKEN TO MOBILITY A COUPLE TIMES ABOUT THIS AND INCLUDED ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY
[00:55:01]
OUTREACH AS WE MOVE FORWARD AS WELL IN TERMS OF THE IMPACTS.SO ONE IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE TOO, THE 2020 BOND FUNDED THIS PROJECT THROUGH DESIGN STAFF IS CURRENTLY LOOKING AT, UH, DEVELOPING OPTIONS TO FUND THE CONSTRUCTION WHEN THAT THAT COMES TO BE, WHICH IS ABOUT A TWO YEAR DESIGN PROCESS.
UM, AND WITH THAT I WILL OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS.
I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS, ONE OF WHICH IS GONNA BE ABOUT ECOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENTS.
I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS WE'RE HAVING WITH WATERSHED PROTECTION PARKS DEPARTMENT, UM, TRAIL CONSERVANCY, FOLKS OF THAT NATURE.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF TALK ABOUT BARTON CREEK ITSELF.
AND SO HOW IS THIS GOING TO FIT INTO SOME OF THE OTHER ECOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE NEEDED AND CAN WE POSSIBLY HAVE THIS CONTRACT PAY FOR SOME OF THOSE NEEDED IMPROVEMENTS? YEAH, OBVIOUSLY CONSTRUCTION IS NOT FUNDED YET, SO THAT'S A A QUESTION THERE.
BUT YES, AS PART OF THE DESIGN PROCESS AND PERMITTING PROCESS WILL BE COORDINATING WITH ALL THE VARIOUS CITY DEPARTMENTS AS WELL AS, UM, YOU KNOW, ANY OTHER STAKEHOLDERS IN TERMS OF POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE'D LIKE TO SEE AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS PROJECT.
AND I DO APPRECIATE THE SLIDE THAT YOU PUT IN THERE ABOUT THE DESIGN PHASE AND JUST UNDERSTANDING THAT EVEN THOUGH THERE'S RENDERINGS BEING SHOWED RIGHT NOW, THERE MAY STILL BE SOME TWEAKS ALONG THE WAY JUST TO MAKE SURE.
I KNOW THE, THE VISUAL AESTHETIC OF THIS BRIDGE IS SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO PEOPLE.
AND SO I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT THERE'S GONNA BE SOME MORE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND INPUT ALONG THE WAY.
UM, I HAVE ANOTHER ONE ABOUT THE PART YOU MENTIONED THE EAST SIDE OF AZ MORTON.
IS THAT ALL GONNA BE IN THE SAME CONTRACT AS WELL? 'CAUSE I KNOW THERE'S BEEN SOME, UH, ATTENTION PAID TO THAT OVER A NUMBER OF YEARS AS WELL BECAUSE OF THE EMBANKMENT ISSUES AT THAT INTERSECTION.
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THOSE NEEDS? YES.
THAT THE INTERSECTION OF A MORTON ALL THE WAY ACROSS TO THE MOF S SCULPTURE GARDEN IS INCLUDED IN THE SCOPE OF THIS PROJECT AND IMPROVING THAT INTERSECTION.
UH, SUPPORTING THE HILLSIDE THERE.
I WILL MENTION ONE THING TOO THAT I FORGOT TO MENTION IN THE, IN THE PRESENTATION IS THAT WE HAVE BEEN COORDINATING WITH THE TEXAS HISTORIC COMMISSION ON THE SECTION 1 0 6, WHICH IS BASICALLY HOW THE BRIDGE INTERACTS WITH A PARK HISTORIC DESIGNATION.
THEY'VE GIVEN US A PRELIMINARY NOD TO SAY, YES, YOU KNOW, WE CAN SUPPORT A REPLACEMENT STRUCTURE.
WHAT EXACTLY THAT LOOKS LIKE AS WE MOVE FORWARD WILL BE WORKED ON DURING THE DESIGN PHASE AND WORK IN COORDINATION WITH THE HISTORIC, UH, FOLKS THERE.
OKAY, THANK YOU FOR THAT INFORMATION.
AND I'LL JUST REITERATE WHAT I'VE, I'VE SAID A FEW TIMES, UM, BEFORE, BUT I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR WORDS AND JUST TALKING ABOUT THE, THE LENGTH OF TIME THAT THIS HAS BEEN A CONVERSATION, UM, WITH THE ENGINEERS AND TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WHATEVER PATH IS CHOSEN FORWARD, THAT IT IS SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO PROTECT THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THE TRAVELERS NO MATTER WHICH METHOD THEY'RE USING ACROSS THERE.
UM, I HAVE GRAVE CONCERNS THAT THERE, UM, COULD BE IMPACTS TO BUS SERVICE IF THINGS GET TO A PLACE WHERE WE CAN NO LONGER HAVE PEOPLE TAKING THE BUS TO THE PARK.
I KNOW THAT'S A CONVERSATION THAT HAS COME UP MULTIPLE TIMES ABOUT THE NEED FOR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE ALL THOSE METHODS OF ACCESS TO GET TO ZILKER PARK AS OPPOSED TO JUST DRIVING ALONE.
AND I'M WORRIED THAT IF WE IMPACT BUS ACCESS OR SHUTTLE ACCESS IN THE FUTURE, THAT WE COULD BE GOING AGAINST, UM, THOSE, THOSE DESIRES THAT PEOPLE HAVE VOICED AND, AND THAT I AGREE WITH AS WELL.
UM, SO FROM THE PRESENTATION YOU TALKED ABOUT AE COMM'S INVOLVEMENT IN THE, THE PROCESS.
UM, I JUST THINK IT'S INTERESTING THAT AECOM DID BOTH PARTS OF THAT, AND SO I WAS WONDERING WHAT THAT PROCESS OVERALL LOOKED LIKE.
AND SO THE, THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FOR THE ENGINEERING SIDE, THIS IS AECOM ENGINEERING, THIS IS NOT CONSTRUCTION, THIS IS THEIR, THEIR ENGINEERS.
UM, IT'S, IT'S A FULL SCOPE FOR THE DESIGN PHASE OF THE PROJECT.
AND SO THE HISTORIC, TO SPEAK SPECIFICALLY TO HISTORIC, WE'VE HAD THOSE COORDINATION MEETINGS WITH THE TEXAS HISTORIC COMMISSION IN TERMS OF WHAT SOME PROPOSED IDEAS WOULD BE, WHAT WE CAN'T AND WHAT WE CAN'T DO.
UM, AND SO AECOM HAS BEEN THE TECHNICAL EXPERT ON THERE IN TERMS OF THEIR TEAM THAT THEY'VE DEVELOPED TO WORK ON THIS BRIDGE.
THEY HAVE SPECIFIC, UM, SUB CONSULTANTS WHO ARE, UH, EXPERTS IN THE HISTORIC COORDINATION WORKING ON HISTORIC STRUCTURES AND CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURES SUCH AS THIS ONE, UH, TO SOMETHING LIKE ZILKER PARK.
AND LIKE I SAID, WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T MOVE FORWARD INTO THE DETAILS OF WHAT EXACTLY THAT MEANS WITHOUT HAVING THE GO AHEAD TO MOVE FORWARD IN THE DESIGN PROCESS.
SO ULTIMATELY WE NEED TO GET A PERMIT FROM THE TEXAS HISTORIC COMMISSION TO DO ANYTHING ON THE BRIDGE.
THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT REHABILITATION THAT'S NEEDED.
AND SO THAT COORDINATION TAKES PLACE DURING THE DESIGN PHASE, WHICH WE NEED TO MOVE INTO.
AND WHICH IS WHY WE'RE BEFORE YOU ON THURSDAY.
SO BEFORE ANYTHING ACTUALLY HAPPENED, THE TEXAS HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION WOULD HAVE TO APPROVE WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
THE TECHNIC COMMISSION? THE COMMISSION.
THE COMMISSION WOULD REVIEW AND WOULD REVIEW AND APPROVE THE PLANS, AND THEY WOULD PROVIDE COMMENTS.
[01:00:01]
EXPERIENCE I USED TO BE IN, IN CALIFORNIA, DON'T HOLD THAT AGAINST ME, BUT I WORKED ON THE CALIFORNIA INCLINE, WHICH IS A FAMOUS BRIDGE THAT GOES UP A, A BLUFF IN SANTA MONICA.AND IT WAS A, THE BRIDGE ITSELF WAS A, UM, ON THE HISTORIC REGISTER.
AND WHAT WE DID IS WE WORKED WITH THE STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE THERE TO REPLICATE THE LOOK OF THE RAILINGS AND THE END CONDITIONS.
SO FROM THE, FROM THE PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY, IT LOOKED THE SAME GOING UP.
YOU COULDN'T TELL THAT WE PUT A ALL BRAND NEW STRUCTURE IN THERE WITH IMPROVED PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE LANES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
IT WAS BADLY NEEDED BECAUSE THAT WAS ANOTHER BRIDGE THAT WAS IN DANGER OF, OF FALLING DOWN.
SO THERE ARE THINGS LIKE THAT WHERE WE CAN, UM, DETERMINE WHAT THE CRITICAL CONTRIBUTING FACTORS ARE FROM THE BRIDGE WITH THE HISTORIC COMMISSION, AND THEY CAN PROVIDE THAT INPUT, AND ULTIMATELY THEY DO REVIEW AND APPROVE THE PLANS THAT WOULD MOVE FORWARD INTO CONSTRUCTION.
DO WE KNOW HOW LONG TRAFFIC WILL BE SHUT DOWN DURING THE CONSTRUCTION? NO.
OH, WE'RE GONNA MAINTAIN TRAFFIC, UH, THE ENTIRE TIME DURING CONSTRUCTION.
THE WAY WE'RE GONNA DO IT, NO MATTER WHICH, WHETHER WE GO WITH THE REHABILITATION OPTION OR THE REPLACEMENT OPTION, UM, WE WILL BUILD THE OUTSIDE LANES FIRST AND SHIFT TRAFFIC TO THOSE LANES AFTER THEY'RE COMPLETED, AND THEN WORK ON THE INSIDE LANES, UM, OF THE BRIDGE.
SO THERE WILL NO NOT BE ANY INTERRUPTION TO, UM, PEDESTRIAN VEHICULAR OR BICYCLE TRAFFIC DURING CONSTRUCTION.
AND MY OFFICE IN PARTICULAR IS INTERESTED, WE DON'T HAVE TO GO INTO IT NOW, BUT WE'RE INTERESTED IN THE MAINTENANCE RECORDS ON THE BRIDGE.
IF YOU COULD PROVIDE THOSE TO US, WE'D BE VERY THANKFUL.
WE, WE HAVE FOLKS FROM, UH, TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS HERE WHO I KNOW HAVE, HAVE ALL THOSE RECORDS THAT ARE GREAT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON.
I JUST, I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW HOW MUCH OF THE $102 MILLION BOND, UM, WENT TO, UH, EARLIER IT WAS MADE MENTION THAT SOME OF THE BOND FUNDING WENT SPECIFICALLY FOR DESIGN, BUT WE WEREN'T ABLE TO FIND ANYWHERE HOW MUCH OF THAT WENT FOR DESIGN.
SO THE, THE 2020 BOND SET ASIDE $102 MILLION FOR WHAT'S CALLED THE LARGE CIP, UH, BUCKET.
AND SO THERE ARE SEVERAL PROJECTS THAT ARE IN THERE.
UM, RIGHT NOW WE'VE ASSIGNED $10 MILLION TO THE DESIGN OF THAT 102.
LIKE I SAID, THERE ARE OTHER PROJECTS THAT ARE, UM, MOVING FORWARD THROUGH THE PROCESS THAT ARE FUNDED BY THAT AS WELL.
APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION AND BRIEFING.
[A. Pre-Selected Agenda Items]
GO TO AN ITEM THAT WAS PULLED ITEM NUMBER 55, UH, WHICH WAS PULLED BY COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY AND I RECOGNIZE COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY ON ITEM NUMBER 55 AS A MATTER.THANK YOU FOR THAT RECOGNITION.
UM, IS STAFF AVAILABLE FOR QUESTION? THEY ARE.
I'VE HEARD SOME CONCERNS FROM THE COMMUNITY, MOSTLY RELATED TO HOW WE ARE EXPANDING THE CONTRACT AND ALLOCATING MORE MONEY TOWARDS THIS.
AND SO I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE SUCCESSES THAT URBAN ALCHEMY IN PARTICULAR HAS HAD AND THE, THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING WITH THIS FUNDING.
AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO ELABORATE ON THIS CONTRACT.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE URBAN ALCHEMY AS OUR PARTNER MANAGING THE ARCH, AND THEN SOON TO MANAGE THE ARCH ANNEX, THE FORMER SALVATION ARMY BUILDING.
YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'VE SEEN SINCE URBAN ALCHEMY HAS TAKEN OVER THE MANAGEMENT OF THIS SITE IS A HUGE TRANSFORMATION IN THAT PART OF DOWNTOWN.
I'M SURE MANY OF US CAN REMEMBER THE PRE URBAN ALCHEMY DAYS WHEN YOU WOULD DRIVE THROUGH DOWNTOWN NEAR THE ARCH AND YOU WOULD SEE PEOPLE KIND OF HANGING OUT WITH NOT TOO MUCH TO DO OR MAYBE THINGS GOING ON THAT WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO DO.
AND NOW YOU DON'T SEE THAT ANYMORE.
I MEAN, QUITE FRANKLY, THE, THE FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED FROM OUR DOWNTOWN NEIGHBORS IS THAT THEY'RE ECSTATIC ABOUT URBAN ALCHEMY BEING THERE.
THEY'RE ALSO VERY COMMUNICATIVE WITH US.
UH, WHENEVER THERE'S THINGS GOING ON AT THE ARCH OR IN THE FACILITY OR AROUND THE FACILITY, THEY LET OUR STAFF KNOW, UH, QUICKLY AND WE'RE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER TO RESOLVE ISSUES.
UH, WE'VE HAD SUCCESSFUL OUTCOMES FROM THE SHELTER CLIENTS WHO'VE BEEN ABLE TO MOVE ON FROM THE ARCH INTO PERMANENT HOUSING PLACEMENTS, UH, AND ULTIMATELY ON A, ON A TRAJECTORY TO END THEIR HOMELESSNESS.
AND WE CAN GET YOU THOSE SPECIFIC NUMBERS IF, IF YOU'D LIKE.
I DON'T HAVE THAT IN FRONT OF ME TODAY, BUT BY AND LARGE, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE URBAN ALCHEMY AS OUR VENDOR.
WE'RE ALSO REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH THEM ON THIS CAMPUS IN, IN DOWNTOWN, AND ENSURING THAT IT'S A SUCCESSFUL PLACE FOR OUR CLIENTS AND THAT WE'RE BEING A, A GREAT NEIGHBOR FOR OUR DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY.
WELL, I, I KNOW THAT MY STAFF AND I HAVE VISITED THE, THE ARCH SINCE URBAN ALCHEMY TOOK OVER, AND THEY SEEM TO BE DOING A REALLY GREAT JOB, AND I HEAR GOOD THINGS ABOUT THEM FROM OUR DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY AS WELL.
SO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY FOR, TO BE ABLE TO COME UP AND TALK TO US TODAY.
UM, MR. GR, I HAD A QUICK QUESTION.
UM, IN THE RCA, IT LOOKED LIKE FOR THE SECOND YEAR OF THE CONTRACT THAT THERE WAS A 20% MATCH REQUIREMENT.
UM, CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW THAT WILL WORK AND WHAT WILL, WHAT THAT WE'LL FUND? IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE NORMALLY SEE.
ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE SHELTER ASSESSMENT THAT WE CONDUCTED WAS A RECOGNITION THAT WE ARE PAYING A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE COST TO
[01:05:01]
OPERATE OUR SHELTERS.AND THAT SEEMED OUT OF ALIGNMENT WITH WHAT OTHER CITIES DO AND WHAT SOME OF THE NATIONAL BEST PRACTICES ARE.
AND SO MOVING FORWARD, WE ARE ASKING AND, AND GONNA BEGIN ACTUALLY REQUIRING OUR SHELTER OPERATORS TO DO SOME TYPE OF MATCH WHEN IT COMES TO THE FUNDING.
WHETHER THAT'S A RAISE THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO SECURE FROM PHILANTHROPIC SOURCES OR AN IN-KIND CONTRIBUTION THAT THEY'LL MAKE TO OPERATING THE SHELTER.
UM, AND SO YOU'LL START SEEING THOSE MATCH REQUIREMENT LANGUAGES, UH, IN OUR SHELTER CONTRACTS AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
ANYTHING ELSE, MEMBERS? THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. GRAY.
APPRECIATE THE WORK YOU'RE DOING.
[D1. Council appointments to intergovernmental entities and Council Committee memberships.]
TAKE US TO A COUNCIL DISCUSSION.IT'LL BE VERY BRIEF, BUT IT'S RELATED TO APPOINTMENTS TO INTERGOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES AND COUNCIL COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIPS.
AS THE COUNCIL'S ALL AWARE, UH, WE'RE COMING UP ON THE FIRST OF THE YEAR AND THAT'S WHEN WE MAKE APPOINTMENTS TO, UH, OUR CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEES.
WE ALSO MAKE APPOINTMENTS OF MEMBERS, THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL TO INTERGOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES.
UH, MY OFFICE HAS PROVIDED, UH, YOU ALL A COPY OF THE VARIOUS COMMITTEES AND COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIPS, INCLUDING THE CHAIRS AND VICE CHAIRS AS THEY CURRENTLY EXIST.
WE'VE ALSO PROVIDED A LIST OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES.
UM, AND WHAT WE DID WITH THAT WAS MADE SUGGESTIONS BASED UPON THE, UH, APPOINTMENTS OF THE PAST.
WE DON'T, UNLESS SOMEBODY WANTS TO TALK ABOUT IT TODAY, WHICH EVERYBODY'S WELCOME TO DO THAT, TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY MIGHT WANT TO DO.
WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST THAT EVERYBODY DO IS, AS BEST YOU CAN, PLEASE GO TO THE MESSAGE BOARD, USE THE MESSAGE BOARD.
THAT WORKED PRETTY WELL LAST YEAR.
UM, AND THEN WE WILL, UH, PROBABLY HAVE A, A, A, A MEETING AT THE FIRST OF THE YEAR AT A WORK SESSION LIKE THIS WHERE WE WILL DO LIKE WE DID LAST YEAR, UM, AND KIND OF WORK THROUGH ANY, UH, ANYTHING THAT NEEDS TO BE WORKED OUT, I GUESS WOULD BE THE WAY I'D SAY THAT.
THANK MAYOR FOR SETTING OUT THIS LIST OF COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIPS, COLLEAGUES.
I DO WANNA FLAG, I AM LOOKING TO REDUCE MY COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP WORKLOAD FOR NEXT YEAR.
SO IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN SERVING ON THE MOBILITY COMMITTEE, THAT WOULD BE A SPOT THAT I'D BE WILLING TO, TO, TO LEAVE OPEN.
UM, THE, I'M ALSO CHAIR OF THE COMMUNITY ADVANCEMENT NETWORK BOARD, AND NEXT YEAR I WILL BE THE, UH, I WILL STILL SERVE ON THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AS PAST CHAIR, BUT I WOULD ALSO BE LOOKING TO SEE IF ANOTHER COLLEAGUE WANTS TO JOIN THE CAN BOARD SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE A CITY OF AUSTIN PRESENCE.
THAT'S, THAT'S EXACTLY THE KIND OF THING WE NEED TO HAVE HAPPEN.
SO, AND, AND, UM, I WOULD ASK YOU REPEAT THAT ON THE MESSAGE BOARD AND, AND THEN EVERYBODY WOULD JUST REPLY TO, TO THAT SO THAT WE, WE GET KIND OF A RUN RUNNING DISCUSSION, IF YOU WILL.
COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES MAYOR PRO TEM.
I WILL ADD THAT, UM, I'M ENJOYING A LOT OF THE COMMITTEES THAT I GET TO SERVE ON
UM, THERE ARE TWO THAT I DO WORK ON THAT BOTH INVOLVE AIR QUALITY.
UM, THERE'S ONE WITH CAP COG THAT I REALLY ENJOY BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS AROUND MONITORING LONG TERM AND FEDERAL FUNDING AND AIR QUALITY STANDARDS.
BUT THERE'S ANOTHER ONE THAT I ACTUALLY ALSO LOVE.
I JUST FEEL LIKE MY WORKLOAD'S, UM, GOTTEN A BIT HEAVY AND IT'S THE CLEAN AIR FORCE AND THEY DO A LOT OF WORK WITH PRIVATE COMPANIES WHO ARE TRYING TO BE BETTER STEWARDS OF OUR AIR QUALITY TOO.
SO IT'S A REALLY INTERESTING NICHE OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT OUR CITY STAFF KNOWS ABOUT CLEAN AIR QUALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY, AND THEN HOW THE PRIVATE SECTOR CAN STEP UP.
SO I'M HAPPY TO KEEP SERVING, BUT IF THAT IS OF ANY INTEREST TO ANY OF MY COLLEAGUES, I'D BE HAPPY TO SHARE WHAT I KNOW AND, AND SEE IF THAT'S APPROPRIATE FOR YOU.
THANK YOU MAYOR PRO TIM, ANYTHING ELSE ON THAT ITEM? OKAY.
WELL THEN, UM, MEMBERS, UH, WE WILL NOW GO INTO
[E. Executive Session]
AN A CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION.THE CITY COUNCIL WILL GO INTO A CLOSED SESSION TO TAKE UP THREE ITEMS PURSUANT TO SECTION 5 5 1 0 71 OF THE GOVERNMENT CODE.
THE CITY COUNCIL WILL DISCUSS LEGAL ISSUES RELATED TO E ONE DIRTY MARTINS, ED AL VERSUS MAYOR KIRK WATSON, ED AL CAUSE NUMBER D ONE GN 23 805 IN THE 455TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT OF TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS.
ITEM E TWO EQUITY ACTION VERSUS JESUS GARZA, ED AL CAUSE NUMBER D ONE GN 23 MILLION 86 87 IN THE 201ST JUDICIAL DISTRICT OF TRAVIS COUNTY.
AND PURSUANT TO 5 5 1 0 7 4 OF THE GOVERNMENT CODE, WE WILL DISCUSS PERSONNEL ISSUES.
THOSE ARE RELATED TO ITEM NUMBER 1 0 2, WHICH RELATES TO THE APPROVAL OF A POTENTIAL RESOLUTION APPOINTING SUSANNA CARBAJAL TO THE AUSTIN CONVENTION
[01:10:01]
ENTERPRISES BOARD.IS THERE ANY OBJECTION TO GOING INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION ON THE ITEMS AS THEY WERE ANNOUNCED? HEARING NONE, THE COUNCIL WILL NOW GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
WHAT WE WILL DO IS AT THE END OF THE EXECUTIVE SESSION, WE HAVE NO OTHER ITEMS ON OUR AGENDA FOR THIS COUNCIL WORK SESSION.
AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE EXECUTIVE SESSION, I WILL COME BACK INTO, UH, AN OPEN SESSION, COME BACK INTO THE CHAMBERS, INTO AN OPEN SESSION AND, AND ADJOURN THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL'S MEETING.
WE ARE NOW GOING INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
IT IS 12:15 PM TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12TH.
COUNCIL HAS COMPLETED ITS EXECUTIVE SESSION PURSUANT TO BOTH 5 5 1 0 7 1 AND 5 5 1 0 7 4 OF THE, UH, TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE.
WE, UH, I, I CALL US BACK TO ORDER AT 1 28 ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12TH.
THE WORK SESSION OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL OF DECEMBER 12TH IS ADJOURNED AT 1 28.
KEEP ON SMILING ONCE IN A WHILE, THEN WE COME BACK INSIDE.