Dec 13, 2023 Austin Transit Partnership Board Meeting

[00:00:03]

GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY.

[ Call to Order]

AS I INDICATED, IT'S 2:00 PM ON DECEMBER 13TH, 2 20 23.

WE ARE MEETING IN THE BOARDROOM OF THE, UH, HEADQUARTERS OF AUSTIN TRANSMIT PARTNERSHIP, WHICH IS LOCATED AT 2 0 3 COLORADO STREET IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.

UH, FOR THOSE THAT ARE INTERESTED, UH, REQUEST FOR REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION ON TRANSLATION SERVICES, UH, MAY BE PROVIDED 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE.

AND CONTACT INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON ATP'S WEBSITE@ATPTX.ORG, ATP TX.ORG.

FOR THE RECORD, PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR CHAIR, VERONICA CASTRO DE BARRA, UH, IS NOT PRESENT TODAY BECAUSE OF A PERSONAL, UH, MATTER.

ALSO, FOR THE RECORD, THE BOARD WILL NOT TAKE UP ITEM 5.2 REGARDING PERSONNEL MATTERS RELATED TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND THE DIRECTOR OF INTERNAL AUDIT PERFORMANCE REVIEWS.

THIS ITEM WILL BE TAKEN UP ON NEXT MONTH'S AGENDA SO THAT WE CAN ALLOW FOR THE CHAIR'S PARTICIPATION.

THE FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS PUBLIC COMMENT.

WE HAVE ONE PERSON SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, BUT I WANT TO NOTE THAT THE BOARD ALSO WAS SENT WRITTEN COMMENTS FROM KEVIN RUSTY, UH, THAT IS INCLUDED IN OUR MATERIALS.

MS. ANOVIA, JOSEPH HAS SIGNED UP.

LET ME ASK IF SHE HAS CALLED IN YET.

SHE'S NOT.

OKAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THAT'LL TAKE

[2.Executive Director Report]

UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR.

I APPRECIATE IT.

WELCOME EVERYONE TO OUR DECEMBER, UH, AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP BOARD MEETING.

WE'RE EXCITED TO BE HERE TODAY TO WALK THROUGH SOME OF OUR ACTION ITEMS, BUT WANTED TO START, AS ALWAYS WITH AN UPDATE ON WHAT IS HAPPENING AT A TP, UH, HERE IN THE ORGANIZATION, AS WELL AS IN THE COMMUNITY.

UH, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, I WANNA HIGHLIGHT THAT WE, UH, COLLECTIVELY, COLLABORATIVELY WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, AND CAPITAL METRO, PRODUCED OUR JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT, UH, ANNUAL MANAGEMENT REPORT THAT IS ALL OUT THERE.

YOU CAN FIND IT ON OUR WEBSITE AT AT TPT, HIGHLIGHTING THE YEAR OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND US MOVING FORWARD ALL THE ELEMENTS OF, UH, PROJECT CONNECT.

ON THE NEXT SLIDE, WE'VE CONTINUED TO PRODUCE OUR STATUS REPORT.

UM, THIS IS OUR PROGRAM UPDATES, OUR PARTNERSHIP UPDATES, WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE OTHER ELEMENTS OF THE PROJECT, THE PROJECT CONNECT, AS WELL AS REALLY IMPORTANTLY, WHAT'S HAPPENING INSIDE THE ORGANIZATION OF A CP WHERE WE'RE IN OUR HIRING.

UM, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE GET THAT OUT THERE.

I DO WANNA HIGHLIGHT ONE THING UP THAT IS HIGHLIGHTED IN THE STATUS REPORT.

WE HAD A GROUP OF FOLKS, UH, PARTICIPATE IN A CONFERENCE IMPACT CONFERENCE, UM, TO REALLY TALK ABOUT THE STORY OF AUSTIN.

IT WAS INCREDIBLY WELL ATTENDED, AND WE'RE AT THAT PLACE NOW WHERE WE'VE BEEN OUT TALKING A LOT, BUT FOLKS ARE STARTING TO LEARN FROM US ABOUT HOW WE'VE GONE THROUGH SOME OF OUR PROCESSES, ESPECIALLY OUR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS IN THE SPRING.

A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW WE WERE ABLE TO GET THAT DONE.

SO WE'RE REALLY HAPPY FOR JEN AND A LOT OF FOLKS ON THE TEAM TO DO THAT.

UH, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, WE, AS A COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION, WE ALWAYS STRIVE TO BE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND REALLY EXCITED FOR THIS LAST MONTH.

SOME OF THE EFFORTS WE WERE AT, UM, AS PART OF OUR USER EXPERIENCE WORKSHOPS WE'RE AT, AT FOUR DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, AND THEN DID AN ADDITIONAL ONE AS PART OF THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE ISSUE AND EGGS, KIND OF AN IDEA TO WORK WITH, UH, OUR COMMUNITY AND WALK THEM THROUGH, UH, OUR PROCESS AND THE USER EXPERIENCE AROUND STATION DESIGN.

IT'S BEEN A VERY HELPFUL PROCESS, REALLY EXCITED.

WE WERE ABLE TO HOST, UM, SOME, UH, JUNIORS AND SENIORS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, WHO ARE WORKING THROUGH A DESIGN COURSE.

UM, WE'RE ALSO DOING ONE IN ENGINEERING COURSE, AND IT WAS JUST A FASCINATING CONVERSATION, UH, AS THESE UT STUDENTS ARE AT THE EARLY STAGES OF THEIR CAREER.

AND, UM, THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO LEARN FROM THEM ABOUT, UH, HOW THEY LOOK AT THE DESIGN OF RAIL AND HOW WILL IMPACT THEM.

AND THEN REALLY WANNA HIGHLIGHT, UH, UH, A, UM, AN OPPORTUNITY THAT WENT ON, UH, FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITY, THE CONFERENCE OF MINORITY TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS.

I WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO ALVIN LIVINGSTONE AND GIANNIS BANKS FOR PUTTING TOGETHER THIS EVENT.

THIS IS REALLY AN ORGANIZATION THAT PROVIDES PATHWAYS FOR THE MINORITY, UH, IN OUR COMMUNITIES TO GET INTO THE TRANSPORTATION BUSINESS.

IT'S RAISED MORE THAN $20,000, SO REALLY A FANTASTIC EVENT.

UM, SO WE'RE GLAD THAT THEY WERE, UH, TO DO THIS IN THEIR EXTRA TIME, IN ADDITION TO THE DAY-TO-DAY JOB, PUT ON AN EVENT LIKE THIS.

SO THANK YOU GUYS FOR THAT COMMUNITY SERVICE.

UH, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, YESTERDAY, UH, WE HOSTED, UH, ONE OF OUR CONTINUING CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'VE BEEN HOSTING WITH AS PART OF OUR INDUSTRY OUTREACH.

UM, AND YOU'VE HEARD US SAY THIS, GOING BACK ALL THE WAY TO MAY WHEN WE HAD OUR, UH, OUR INDUSTRY EXPO DAY, HOW IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE WANT ALL

[00:05:01]

AND WE HOSTED AN EVENT HERE IN THE OFFICES WELL ATTENDED, UM, HAD OVER 79 DIFFERENT SUBS HERE, 34 PRIMES.

I WANT TO COMMEND.

THE CITY WAS HERE.

THE, UH, DEPARTMENT OF SMALL BUSINESS, SMALL MINORITY BUSINESS, WAS HERE TO REGISTER FOLKS.

IT WAS REALLY A GREAT EVENT.

AND THEN I WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO BOARD MEMBER GARZA, WHO WAS ABLE TO COME AND MAKE SOME OPENING COMMENTS.

AND I DON'T KNOW, A BOARD MEMBER, IF YOU WANNA, UH, HAVE, HAVE SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT YESTERDAY'S EVENT.

YEAH, THANK YOU.

IT WAS AWESOME.

UH, IT'S THE ONLY WORD FOR IT.

UH, UH, THE ROOM WAS FULL.

PEOPLE WERE INTERESTED.

UM, IT WAS REALLY GREAT TO, TO SEE, UH, THE AMOUNT, THE NUMBER OF LOCAL PRIMES THAT, THAT WERE, THE SUBPRIME AND SUBPRIME THAT WERE INVOLVED.

UM, THE, OUR, UH, UH, HOPE TO KEEP AS MUCH OF THE MONEY LOCAL AS WE CAN, I THINK WILL BE REALIZED AS A RESULT.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, BOARD MEMBER.

AND THEN, UH, JUST TO WRAP UP THIS EXECUTIVE DECK REPORT, JUST A QUICK LOOK AHEAD TO 2024, UM, UH, JEN PINE'S GONNA COME UP AND TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, ONE OF THE BIG STEPS.

BUT ONE OF THE, UH, CLOSEOUT EFFORTS WE HAVE THIS YEAR IS A GOVERNMENT ASSESSMENT THAT CAME FROM A BOARD RESOLUTION LATER IN THIS, EARLIER THIS SPRING.

UH, THAT WORK HAS BEEN FINALIZED, AND WE WILL BE MEETING WITH YOU IN ADVANCE OF OUR JANUARY MEETING TO DOWNLOAD THAT GOVERNANCE REPORT, WHICH AGAIN, REALLY, UH, LOOKING AT IT FOR, FOR AN ORGANIZATION NOW THREE YEARS OLD, IS A REALLY GOOD PRACTICE TO LOOK AT HOW WE'RE STRUCTURED AND SOME OF THE FOUNDATIONAL DOCUMENTS.

SO WE'LL BRING, BRING BACK THAT IN JANUARY.

BUT THEN WANNA SPEND JUST A LITTLE BIT OF TIME AND HAVE JEN, UH, WALK US THROUGH, UH, WHAT THE UPCOMING YEAR LOOKS LIKE FROM A NEPA PERSPECTIVE.

WE TALKED ABOUT THIS, UH, TWO MONTHS AGO WHEN WE LAID OUT OUR FULL SCHEDULE, BUT GIVE YOU JUST A, A, A, A, A TASTE OF WHERE WE'RE GOING.

AND WE'LL BE BACK IN JANUARY WITH A DEEP DIVE ON THIS.

YES.

THANKS, GREG, AND GOOD AFTERNOON.

UM, SO WHAT IS COMING UP IN 24? UM, WE ARE ADVANCING THE NEPA PROCESS.

WE'RE GETTING READY TO REALLY DO THAT ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW EFFECTIVELY.

UM, AND ONE OF THE FIRST, UH, BIG MILESTONES, WE'LL BE PUBLISHING A NOTICE OF INTENT IN THE FEDERAL REGISTERS.

UH, IT'S REALLY AN FTA NOTICE, UH, NOTICE OF INTENT TO PREPARE AN EIS IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A PROCESS POINT, BUT FOR US, IT'S GOING TO KICK OFF, UM, A SERIES OF PUBLIC MEETINGS AND ENGAGEMENTS, UH, TO MAKE SURE WE'RE COMMUNICATING WITH PEOPLE ABOUT, UM, WHAT WE'RE DOING.

WHAT IS THE NEPA PROCESS, HOW DO YOU PLUG INTO IT, AND WHAT ARE WE EVALUATING EXACTLY? UM, HOW HAVE WE, WHAT WORK HAVE WE DONE SINCE LAST JUNE TO BE READY FOR THIS ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PROCESS? AND WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? SO WE'LL BE BACK, UM, UH, UH, TO THIS MEETING IN JANUARY WITH MORE DETAIL ON THAT AND OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, UH, PROBABLY END OF JANUARY AND INTO FEBRUARY.

UH, ALSO, WE ARE, UH, CONCURRENTLY WORKING WITH FTA TO BE READY TO, UM, KIND OF FULLY ENGAGE AND ADVANCE, UM, OUR WORK IN THE NEW STARTS PROGRAM.

UM, SO THIS IS HOW WE PURSUE THE FEDERAL GRANT FUNDING.

UM, AND THE NEXT BIG STEP IS TO KIND OF GET ALIGNED WITH HAVING THE PROJECT THAT WE'RE ADVANCING RIGHT NOW, UM, BE ENTERED INTO THE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT PHASE, WHICH IS, UH, JUST A, A PHASE IN THAT NEW SORTS PROCESS.

SO WE'LL BE LOOKING, UH, TO WORK WITH FTA ON THAT TOPIC IN EARLY 2024 AS WELL.

AND IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, I JUST WANNA TALK FOR JUST A, A LONGER MINUTE HERE ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2024.

UH, WE EXPECT TO BE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY TALKING AND LISTENING CONSTANTLY.

UM, BUT WE SEE CERTAIN TOPICS THAT ARE GONNA BE COMING UP EARLY IN THE YEAR.

WE'LL BE DOING SCOPING, WHICH IS AGAIN, JUST TELLING PEOPLE WHAT WE'RE DOING, WHAT WE'RE EVALUATING, AND IT'S A GOOD TIME TO HEAR FEEDBACK ON THE SCOPE OF THAT ANALYSIS, THE, THE QUESTIONS, THE ISSUES THAT WE NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT AS WE GO THROUGH THAT.

UH, WE'LL BE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY THROUGH THE SPRING, AGAIN, JUST STILL ORIENTING PEOPLE TO WHAT IS THE PROJECT, WHAT ARE WE EVALUATING? UM, AND THEN ULTIMATELY IN THE FALL, WE'LL COME BACK WITH A, A RELATIVELY FORMAL, UH, PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT PERIOD ON THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT, WHICH IS THE PRODUCT THAT REALLY BRINGS TOGETHER AND EXPLAINS ALL OF THAT ANALYSIS.

UH, SO THAT'S WHAT, UH, WE CAN LOOK FORWARD TO NEXT YEAR.

GREAT.

THANKS, JUDGE.

UM, SO WITH THAT BOARD MAYOR, I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU.

GREAT.

THANK YOU.

MEMBERS.

ANYBODY GOT QUESTIONS OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR? OKAY.

THEN

[3.1. Approval of minutes from the October 18, 2023 Board Meeting]

IS THERE A MOTION? SO MOVED.

MOTIONS MADE BY BOARD MEMBER LANGOR, SECOND BY BOARD MEMBER GARZA.

IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION WITHOUT OBJECTION? THE MINUTES ARE APPROVED.

UM, THAT'LL TAKE US

[3.2. Approval of a resolution authorizing the Executive Director, or their designee, tonegotiate and execute contracts with Buie & Co, Butler Creative, LLC, and ElizabethChristian Public Relations for Communications and Marketing Services for a term ofthree years, with two extension options, in an amount not to exceed [$] for the initialyear, divided among the contractors through task orders]

UH, I'M GOING TO ASK

[00:10:01]

AND, UH, OUR SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF PROCUREMENT, UH, BRAD CUMMINGS, IS HERE TO PRESENT ON ITEM NUMBER TWO.

THANK YOU.

GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR DIRECTORS.

GREG, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, UM, HAVING US ALL HERE TODAY.

I AM BRAD CUMMINGS.

I'M SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF PROCUREMENT AND CONTRACTS MANAGEMENT, AND I AM HERE TO PRESENT YOU STAFFS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CONTRACT AWARDS AND MODIFICATIONS, NAMELY AGENDA ITEMS TWO THROUGH FOUR, UM, STARTING WITH ITEM TWO, OUR MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS CONTRACTS.

UM, FOR THIS ITEM, WE ARE REQUESTING AND RECOMMENDING TO THE BOARD AWARD OF CONTRACTS FOR THE FOLLOWING FIRMS, BUTLER CREATIVE, ECPR OF TEXAS AND BOWIE AND COMPANY.

UM, A TP ISSUED AN RFP ON OCTOBER 2ND.

UM, WE RECEIVED 13 PROPO OR 13 FIRMS PROPOSALS FOR FOUR DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF WORK, BRAND DEVELOPMENT, UM, PUBLIC AND MEDIA RELATIONS, PUBLIC INFORMATIONS, AND MARKETING AND GRAPHIC DESIGN.

UM, I DO WANT TO NOTE 13 FIRMS RESPONDING TO AN RFP IS A REALLY GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT AND JUST REALLY SPEAKS TO THE INTEREST OF THE INDUSTRY AND WORKING WITH A TP, UM, ON ALL EFFORTS, BUT ESPECIALLY OUR MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS EFFORTS.

UM, REALLY GREAT TO SEE, UM, THESE FIRMS WERE EVALUATED ON THEIR EXPERIENCE PROJECT UNDERSTANDING AND APPROACH AND COMPENSATION METHODOLOGY, UM, BY A SELECTION EVALUATION PANEL, UM, THAT CONSISTED OF SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS, UM, FROM ATP'S, EMPLOYEE STAFF.

UM, AND WITH THIS, THEY EVALUATED AND HAVE RECOMMENDED THAT BUTLER CREATIVE BE AWARDED A CONTRACT FOR BRAND DEVELOPMENT FOR A THREE YEAR BASE TERM WITH TWO ONE YEAR OPTIONS.

UM, THAT WILL BE TASK ORDER BASED AS NEEDED BY THE AGENCY, A CONTRACT AWARD FOR ECPR OF TEXAS FOR PUBLIC AND MEDIA RELATIONS.

AGAIN, A THREE YEAR BASE WITH TWO ONE YEAR OPTIONS.

AND THEN A CONTRACT TO BUING COMPANY FOR PUBLIC INFORMATION AND MARKETING AND GRAPHIC DESIGN, WHICH WILL AGAIN BE A THREE YEAR CONTRACT WITH TWO BASE OR TWO ONE YEAR OPTIONS FOR A COMBINED TOTAL, NOT TO EXCEED AMOUNT OF $2.75 MILLION, WHICH WILL BE UTILIZED THROUGHOUT THAT FIRST YEAR.

UM, AND AFTER THE FIRST YEAR, UM, STAFF WILL COME BACK TO THE BOARD TO RE ASK FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR YEARS TWO AND THREE MEMBERS.

DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, MR. CUMMINGS? ALRIGHT, THEN IN THAT CASE, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM NUMBER TWO, BOARD MEMBER REGARDS APPROVE MOVES APPROVAL.

IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND ABOUT COMMISSIONER PAVILION? ANY DISCUSSION? ANY OBJECTION WITHOUT OBJECTION? ITEM NUMBER TWO IS APPROVED.

THAT WILL TAKE US NOW TO

[3.3. Approval of a resolution authorizing the Executive Director, or their designee, tonegotiate and execute a contract modification with AECOM Technical Services Inc.and HNTB Corporation for conceptual engineering (design), including limited projectmanagement and planning support related to that design work, and communityengagement, to aid the Austin Light Rail program, for additional funding in an amountnot to exceed [$] divided between the contractors through task orders ]

AND AGAIN, I'LL RECOGNIZE YOU, OUR SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT.

THANK YOU, MAYOR.

UM, I WANT TO TAKE US BACK TO APRIL AND OCTOBER OF THIS YEAR BEFORE WE DIVE INTO THE RECOMMENDATIONS TO TALK ABOUT HOW THESE TWO CONTRACTS ARE A RECOMMENDATION IN THE CONTINUITY OF CONTRACTUAL SERVICES THAT HAVE PRESENT BEEN PRESENTED TO THE BOARD, UM, THROUGHOUT THIS YEAR.

UM, WE CURRENTLY HAVE CONTRACTORS, UM, UNDER CONTRACT TO PROVIDE PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES AND, UM, CONCEPTUAL PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING SERVICES, NAMELY HDR FOR THE PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND AECOM AND HNTB FOR THE CONCEPTUAL PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING SERVICES.

UM, AS WE'VE DEVELOPED OUR PROGRAM METHODOLOGY AND ADVANCEMENT FORWARD FOR AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL, WE'VE PRESENTED THE BOARD, UM, ARC CONTRACTUAL METHODOLOGY AS WELL, AND THAT CONSISTS OF TAKING OUR EXISTING CONTRACTS, UM, AND FURTHERING THEM AS OUR DESIGN AND, UM, ADVANCEMENT FORWARD AS WELL.

SO IT'S ALWAYS BEEN INTENDED FOR THE EXISTING CONTRACTS TO TRANSITION TO A ON-CALL ENGINEERING SERVICE PROVIDER.

UM, SO WHAT WE, WE HAVE DONE IS ISSUED A REQUEST FOR, UM, INFORMATION ON THE FORM OF A PUBLIC INFORMATION FEEDBACK OPPORTUNITY TO SOLICIT INFORMATION AND FEEDBACK BACK FROM THE INDUSTRY BY PUTTING OUT OUR SCOPES OF WORK, UM, AND OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR THESE TWO SOLICITATIONS THAT WE INTEND TO RELEASE IN JANUARY, UM, TO ONE GARNER INDUSTRY FEEDBACK AND EXCITEMENT, ALLOW TEAMING OPPORTUNITIES AND TO ALLOW, UM, THE INDUSTRY TO ANALYZE WHETHER OR NOT THEY BELIEVE THEY HAVE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND TO PROPOSE ANY CONFLICT OF INTEREST MITIGATION METHODS TO THE AGENCY BEFORE WE ISSUE THOSE SOLICITATIONS.

UM, IN, UM, JANUARY.

AND THEN, UM, OUR DELIVERY PARTNER'S ALWAYS BEEN INTENDED TO REPLACE OUR CURRENT PMOR CONTRACT, UM, AND WE'LL BEGIN SOLICITATION AND PROCUREMENT METHODS, UM, STARTING IN QUARTER ONE OF NEXT YEAR AS WELL.

UM, WITH THAT, UH, THE SPECIFIC ASKS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM STAFF INCLUDE, UM, A RECOMMENDATION TO, UM, ADD ADDITIONAL FUNDING

[00:15:01]

UM, WE PREVIOUSLY RECEIVED BOARD AUTHORIZATION FOR $6 MILLION FOR THE TWO CONTRACTS BEFORE IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR.

UM, AND LIKE I SAID, THESE, THESE CONTRACTS WILL TRANSITION TO OUR PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING CON ON-CALL CONTRACTS THAT WILL BE SOLICITED FOR AND AWARDED, UM, NEXT YEAR.

UM, AGAIN, OUR RECOMMENDATION IS TO, UM, AWARD A TOTAL NOT TO EXCEED AMOUNT OF $6 MILLION FOR BOTH OF THESE CONTRACTS.

AND WE'RE ASKING FOR THAT COMBINED AMOUNT BECAUSE AS, UH, THE DESIGN FURTHERS IN THE, UH, PRELIMINARY PHASES, A LOT OF THE CHANGES THAT ARE GOING TO BE MADE TO THE DESIGN ARE GOING TO BE COMING FROM PUBLIC COMMENT FEEDBACK, UM, BETTERMENT REQUESTS FROM, UM, INDUSTRY PARTNERS, UM, AND DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTAL THINGS THAT POP UP.

SO IT'S REALLY HARD TO SAY EXACTLY HOW MUCH MONEY'S GOING TO NEED TO BE SPLIT BETWEEN THE TWO.

SO WE'RE ASKING FOR THAT NOT TO EXCEED COMBINED TOTAL.

UM, AND THAT INCLU CONCLUDES STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION FOR ITEM THREE.

THANK YOU, SIR.

QUESTIONS, DIRECTOR LAMORE.

ALRIGHT, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN.

UM, IN YOUR MEMO THAT YOU SENT TO US, YOU SPECIFICALLY REFERENCED THAT THE MONEY WE'RE IN THE NEXT ITEM THAT YOU'RE GONNA ASK FOR.

UM, HDR WAS INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET THAT WASN'T STATED WITH RESPECT TO THE AECOM H AND TB.

I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THIS WAS IN OUR BUDGET AT 6 MILLION.

OKAY, SO WE'RE YES, SIR.

SQUARE ON THAT? YES, THIS IS DEFINITELY INCLUDED.

GREAT.

AND THEN, UM, THERE'S NO TIMEFRAME, LIKE THERE WAS A TIMEFRAME IN THE, UM, H AND TB CONTRACT.

I THINK IT WAS THE H AND TB, BUT THERE'S NO SPECIFIC TIMEFRAME IN THIS, JUST A DOLLAR AMOUNT.

I'M WONDERING WHEN WE DECIDE TO SAY A CONTRACT IS AUTHORIZED THROUGH THIS DATE VERSUS ONE WHERE WE DON'T DO THAT AND ONLY ALLOCATE A DOLLAR AMOUNT.

YEP.

SO THIS CONTRACT WAS AUTHORIZED THROUGH COMPLETION OF, UM, A CERTAIN POINT IN PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING DESIGN.

OKAY.

UM, AND AS WE REACH THAT POINT AND WE BRING ON OUR ON-CALL ENGINEERING SERVICES, WE EXPECT AND ANTICIPATE THERE'LL BE A SHORT PERIOD OF TRANSITION, UM, TO COMPLETE ANY WORK NEEDED BY US FOR THE H AND TB AND AECOM CONTRACTS, AND TO CREATE A SMOOTH TRANSITION TO OUR FUTURE ON-CALL ENGINEERING SERVICES CONTRACTS.

UM, SO IT'S REALLY HARD TO IDENTIFY A SPECIFIC DATE OF EXACTLY WHEN THAT WILL HAPPEN BECAUSE IT'LL ALL BE DONE, UM, BASED ON WHERE THAT DESIGN PINPOINTS ARE.

BUT IT, IT WILL BE DONE, UM, THIS SUMMER, UM, INTO FALL.

OKAY.

THANKS.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS IN THAT CASE? I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM NUMBER TWO.

IS THERE A MOTION MOVE APPROVAL? THE MOTION IS MADE BY COMMISSIONER.

I'M SORRY, I'M ALREADY BEHIND WHAT'S WRONG? THAT TELLS YOU HOW THIS WEEK.

YEAH, I CAN'T GIVE FROM TWO TO THREE.

I USED TO BE ABLE TO COUNT TO FIVE.

SO , UH, THE MOTION WOULD BE ON ITEM THREE.

SO THOSE OF Y'ALL TRYING TO KEEP UP AND KEEP SCORE.

COMMISSIONER TIAN MOVES APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER THREE.

SECOND BY COMMISSIONER, UH, UH, DIRECTOR GARZA, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? OBJECTION WITHOUT OBJECTION.

ITEM NUMBER THREE IS APPROVED.

THAT'LL TAKE US ITEM NUMBER FIVE.

THANK YOU AGAIN, MAYOR.

UM, I REALLY DIDN'T MEAN THAT .

I JUST, I JUSTT BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU SAY, I, I LOVE YOUR PROFESSIONALISM AND JUST GOING WITH THE EYE.

YEAH.

UM, THANK YOU FOR

[3.4. negotiate and execute a contract modification with HDR Engineering, Inc. withrespect to Austin Light Rail program development and management, and workrelated to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)'s New Starts Capital InvestmentGrant Program for additional funding in an amount not to exceed [$]]

UM, AS A REMINDER, THE BOARD HAD PREVIOUSLY APPROVED A TOTAL OF $15 MILLION, UM, FOR THESE TWO SERVICES.

UM, IN APRIL.

UM, TO DATE STAFF HAS SPENT ABOUT $12 MILLION OF THAT, AND THAT'LL TAKE US THROUGH A PROJECTED AMOUNT OF, THROUGH THE END OF THIS YEAR, UM, WHICH REALLY LEAVES THE REMAINING AMOUNT OF, OF $3 MILLION.

UM, THE WAY THAT, UM, STAFF HAS BEEN ABLE TO REALIZE THIS, THESE SAVINGS ARE THROUGH REALLY EXCELLENT, UM, PROJECT MANAGEMENT.

THEY MEET WITH THE, UM, PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM FROM HDR ON A MONTHLY BASIS, GO OVER THE SCOPE OF WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE COMPLETED, UM, AND AS WELL AS WHEN, UM, A TP CONVERTED THESE CONTRACTS OVER FROM THE EXISTING CONTRACTS FOR CAP METRO.

WE TURNED IT FROM A LUMP SUM TO A TIME AND MATERIALS BASED CONTRACTS, WHICH HAS ALLOWED US TO REALLY MANAGE THE, THE MONTHLY WORK THAT'S BEEN, UM, HAPPENING AND TO RIGHTSIZE IT TO THE EXACT NEEDS OF THE AGENCY, WHICH HAS BEEN ABLE TO HELP US REALIZE, UM, THOSE ADDITIONAL SAVINGS.

SO A BIG KUDOS TO THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM FOR EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT AND,

[00:20:01]

UM, WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR NOW IS FOR YEAR TWO FUNDING FOR ADDITIONAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT FOR FEDERAL READINESS.

UM, WITH A RECOMMENDED TOTAL NOT TO EXCEED AMOUNT OF $18 MILLION, UM, WHICH WILL CARRY US THROUGH THE ENTIRE CALENDAR YEAR.

UM, AND THEN WE ANTICIPATE COMING BACK TO THE BOARD AGAIN, UM, BEFORE THE END OF NEXT YEAR TO REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR 2025, UM, WHICH WILL, UM, BE THE PORTION OF THE CONTRACT WHERE WE TRANSITION FROM HDR TO OUR DELIVERY PARTNER.

UM, WE WILL BE SOLICITING FOR OUR DELIVERY PARTNER STARTING IN QUARTER TWO OF NEXT YEAR.

AND IS INTENDED THAT THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE SO FAR WILL BE TRANSITIONED OVER TO THAT NEW, UM, DELIVERY PARTNER ONCE IT'S SELECTED AND THERE'LL BE AN OVERLAP PERIOD TO COMPLETE TASKS AND TO CREATE AN EASY TRANSITION FROM, UM, CONTRACTOR TO CONTRACTOR.

UM, WITH THAT I HUNDRED TIME TO THE BOARD FOR ANY QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS, MEMBERS, DIRECTOR LINE MOORE.

THANK YOU.

UM, HEY, BRAD, UH, THERE'S SOMETHING I WANNA MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND WITH RESPECT TO, WE ARE JUST MOVING FORWARD WITH THE, THIS IS EXTENDING THE PMOR WORK OF HDR, NOT THEIR NEPA WORK.

BOTH WERE INCLUDED IN THE ORIGINAL $26 MILLION CONTRACT, CORRECT? THEY WERE, BUT THROUGH TO, THROUGH TWO DIFFERENT TASK ORDERS.

THE, THE PMOR SIDE WAS DONE THROUGH ONE TASK ORDER.

NEPA WAS DONE THROUGH A SECOND TASK ORDER TO CREATE A CLEAR MITIGATION LINE BETWEEN THE WORK THAT WAS BEING DONE ON BOTH SIDES.

UM, THE FUNDING FOR THE NEPA IS, UH, SUFFICIENT FOR WHAT IS NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE NEPA PROCESS.

UM, AND ALL WE'RE ASKING FOR TODAY IS ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THE ADDITIONAL PMOR SERVICES.

OKAY.

SO, AND THAT WAS REALLY MY QUESTION, WAS TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S ENOUGH MONEY REMAINING TO COMPLETE THE NEPA PART OF IT, WHICH WE ARE NOT ALLOCATING ANY ADDITIONAL MONEY TO.

CORRECT, SIR.

UM, OKAY.

AND THEN I ALSO, I GUESS, YOU KNOW, SORT OF AN OBVIOUS QUESTION, BUT STILL PROBABLY SHOULD HEAR THE ANSWER GIVEN THAT WE'RE JUST EXTENDING, WE AREN'T GOING OUT FOR AN RFP TOTALLY UNDERSTAND WHY, UM, AND EXTENDING CONTRACTS, AND THIS RELATES BACK TO, UH, AECOM AND HNTB AS WELL AS HDR.

EVERYTHING'S GOING WELL WITH THESE FIRMS TODAY.

LIKE THERE'S NOTHING TAKING PLACE THAT WOULD GIVE US PAUSE TO EXTEND EXISTING CONTRACTS WITHOUT GOING BACK OUT BEFORE OUR, YOU KNOW, LONGER TERM PLAN.

I'M ASSUMING THAT'S THE CASE, BUT WOULD LIKE TO YES, SIR.

EVERYONE'S PERFORMING SATISFACTORILY ACCORDING TO THE TERMS OF THEIR CONTRACT, AND THERE'S A REALLY GOOD PARTNERSHIP HAPPENING BETWEEN THE A TP TEAM AND THE DIFFERENT, UM, MEMBERS OF THESE THREE CONTRACTING TEAMS. AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S BEEN A VERY EFFECTIVE PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND MEETING REGULARLY WITH THEM TO EVALUATE, UM, WHAT'S BEEN DONE AND WHAT WILL BE DONE IN THE NEXT 30 DAYS.

OKAY.

GOOD.

GLAD TO HEAR THAT.

AND THEN LASTLY, UM, EASYGOING, LIKE YOU ANTICIPATE A SMOOTH TRANSITION.

IF THESE FIRMS EITHER DON'T SUBMIT ON THE FUTURE RFP, UM, OR THEY DON'T GET SELECTED, THAT THERE WILL BE A SMOOTH 'CAUSE THAT'LL BE A HUGE HANDOFF.

THEY WILL HAVE DONE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WORK ON VERY, YOU KNOW, IMPORTANT FOUNDATIONS FOR THE PROJECT.

THAT THERE WILL BE AN EASY TRANSITION OVER TO NEW FIRMS. WE, WE DEFINITELY EXPECT THAT, AND THAT'LL BE A PART OF THE, THE FUNDING STRATEGY AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND ASK FOR FUNDING FOR, UM, NEXT YEAR, UM, ESPECIALLY FOR THE PMR TRANSITION TO THE DELIVERY PARTNER TO ENSURE THAT THERE IS, UM, AND THERE'S SOME STAKE IN AND SOME MEAT IN OUR CURRENT CONTRACTS TO ENSURE THAT THAT CAN HAPPEN.

THANK YOU.

MM-HMM, , THANK YOU.

OTHER QUESTIONS? I ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM NUMBER FOUR, MOTIONS MADE BY DIRECTOR LAMORE.

IT'S SECONDED BY DIRECTOR PAVILION.

IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? ANY OBJECTION WITHOUT OBJECTION? ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS ADOPTED.

I'LL NOW MOVE TO ITEM NUMBER FIVE,

[3.5. Adoption of ATP Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Investment Policy]

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE REVISIONS TO THE EXISTING INVESTMENT POLICY ARE DETAILED IN THE POSTED BOARD MEETING MATERIALS, BUT MR. RIVERA WILL GIVE US A SUMMARY OF THEM, UM, AS OUR INTERIM CFO BEFORE WE GO TO A VOTE.

SURE.

THANKS, MAYOR.

BOARD MEMBERS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GREG.

UM, THE INVESTMENT POLICY THAT WE'RE BRINGING BEFORE THE BOARD TODAY IS, IS SIMILAR TO THE POLICY THAT WAS APPROVED LAST YEAR, UM, LAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION.

THERE WEREN'T ANY CHANGES TO THE PUBLIC FUNDS INVESTMENT ACT.

SO THEREFORE THERE WEREN'T REALLY ANY CHANGES PROPOSED IN THIS YEAR'S POLICY, UM, TO STANDARD POLICY THAT NEEDS TO BE APPROVED ANNUALLY PURSUANT TO THE PUBLIC FUNDS INVESTMENT ACTS.

AND IT JUST OUTLINES THE OBJECTIVES OF THE INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO, UM, FOR THE ORGANIZATION.

SO, MEMBERS, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? YES, MAYOR, I HAVE A COMMENT, PLEASE.

IT'S HISTORICAL.

UM, MANY YEARS AGO

[00:25:01]

UM, IT, THEY WERE SELLING, THEY WERE SELLING INVESTMENTS TO CITIES, UH, WITHOUT ANY COLLATERAL.

IT RESULTED IN THE CITY OF BEAUMONT LOSING SOMETHING LIKE $20 MILLION.

THIS IS A GOOD LAW THAT GIVES REALLY GOOD GUIDANCE ON WHAT, HOW WE CAN SAFEGUARD OUR MONEY, OUR PUBLIC DOLLARS, UH, FOR, FOR CITIZENS.

SO, UH, HEARTEDLY SUPPORT THIS.

GREAT.

THAT SOUNDED A LOT.

LAW, LIKE A MOTION, UH, BOARD MEMBER GARZA MOVES APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER FIVE.

.

IS THERE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND.

SECOND ABOUT COMMISSIONER ILIAN.

IS THERE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION, UH, WITH ANY OBJECTION? WITHOUT OBJECTION? ITEM NUMBER FIVE IS ADOPTED.

THANK YOU, SIR.

YEAH, I DON'T WANT TO BE BEAUMONT.

I KNOW YOU IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS.

I DON'T WANT TO BE THROWN BY.

ALL RIGHT.

THAT WILL TAKE US

[3.6. Approval of a resolution appointing 11 candidates to serve as members of the ProjectConnect Community Advisory Committee as recommended by the NominatingCommittee to serve either two- or four-year initial terms as determined via lottery]

AND YOU WANT TO, WHO, WHO'S TAKING ITEM SIX? THAT IS ON OUR OH, OH YEAH.

MEMBERS.

THIS IS THE ITEM THAT WE WILL BE APPROVING A RESOLUTION APPOINTING 11 CANDIDATES TO SERVE AS MEMBERS OF THE PROJECT CONNECT, UH, COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

UH, I'M GONNA CALL FOR A MOTION ON THIS ITEM.

AND THEN I ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE, UM, BOARD MEMBER GARZA FOR A FEW RELATED WORDS.

UH, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE? SO MOVED.

MOTION MADE BY COMMISSIONER PAVILION, SECONDED BY, UM, BOARD MEMBER LONG LANGOR.

UM, I'LL RECOGNIZE THE BOARD MEMBER GARZA FOR COMMENTS.

THANK YOU, MAYOR.

UM, ACTUALLY IT WAS KIND OF UPLIFTING TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS, UH, PROCESS 'CAUSE I'M WORK INVOLVED.

BUT, UH, THE AMOUNT OF INTEREST THAT WAS SHOWN BY OUR COMMUNITY IN SERVING IN BASICALLY AN UNPAID JOB WITH, WITH A LOT OF HEADACHES, UH, WHICH IS GREAT.

UH, SO WE, UH, THE COMMUNITY, THE COMMUNITY APPROACHED THIS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF FIRST, UM, RE NOMINATING THE CURRENT MEMBERS THAT ARE CURRENTLY SERVING.

THERE'S NO REASON WE SHOULD REPLACE 'EM THAT HAVE BEEN OUTSTANDING.

SO, UH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE IN THE LIST.

AND THEN ABOVE ALL, MAKING SURE THAT, THAT WE BROUGHT TO, TO US A DIVERSE GROUP OF FOLKS REPRESENTING THE COMMUNITY GEOGRAPHICALLY, UH, UH, DIVERSITY, UH, IN, IN EVERY WAY, INVOLVEMENT WITH THEIR COMMUNITIES, UH, IN VOLUNTEER POSITIONS WITH LABOR GROUPS, ET CETERA, THAT KIND OF A THING.

UM, AND WHO SHOWED A CONTINUING INTEREST OR INVOLVEMENT WITH TRANSIT, UH, SYSTEMS, MASS TRANSIT, UH, SYSTEMS, UM, WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGAIN, UH, RECOMMEND, UH, THIS GROUP FOR APPOINTMENT.

AND I STILL MOVE MOTIONS MADE.

UM, WELL, WE HAVE THE MOTION MOTIONS ALREADY MADE.

UH, IS THERE ANY OTHER DISCUSSION WITH REGARD TO THIS? YES.

UM, A QUICK COMMENT ABOUT THIS, AND THEN I THINK THIS ALSO RELATES TO, AS WE START TO GO OUT TO DO OUR NEPA COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT NEXT YEAR, THAT IT'S NOT REALLY A COMMENT ABOUT THE CAC, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE APPLICANTS FOR THAT, THERE WAS, YOU KNOW, OF THE ASIAN AND, UM, AFRICAN-AMERICAN POPULATIONS, IT WAS 3.2% OF THOSE APPLICANTS OF WERE OF THE TOTAL REPRESENTED BY THOSE DIFFERENT GROUPS.

AND THEY'RE 8% OF THE POPULATION IN AUSTIN.

SO WE'RE COMING IN AT LESS THAN HALF OF, YOU KNOW, A REPRESENTATIVE GROUP OF APPLICANTS FROM THAT POPULATION.

THE ONLY THING IT MAKES ME ANXIOUS ABOUT IS WHETHER OR NOT WE'VE GOT GOOD OUTREACH TO SOME OF OUR MINORITY COMMUNITIES.

UM, YOU KNOW, IT'D BE GREAT TO SEE LIKE, AT LEAST A PROPORTIONATE LEVEL OF APPLICANTS RELATIVE TO THE POPULATION AT LARGE.

UM, SO THAT'S REALLY KIND OF MY ONLY COMMENT, UM, IN THAT REGARD.

JUST MAKING SURE THAT SOMEHOW WE REACH OUT AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AS WE FILL UP THESE BOARDS AND OR THESE COMMITTEES GOING FORWARD, THAT THEY'RE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE POPULATION IN AUSTIN.

AND THEN THE LAST THING I WOULD SAY IS THAT I HOPE AS THE CAC STARTS TO WORK, THAT THERE'S, UM, SOME PROCESS BY WHICH WE GET THE BENEFIT OF THEIR WORK.

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I SET THROUGH A COUPLE OF CAC MEETINGS AND THEY TALKED ABOUT SOME, YOU KNOW, MEANINGFUL THINGS AROUND THE DISPLACEMENT FUNDS IN GREAT DEPTH.

AND I WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT HAD I NOT BEEN AT THOSE MEETINGS.

SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IF THEY'RE GONNA EXIST, THERE'S A, YOU KNOW, FORMAL PROCESS THAT REALLY GIVES US THE BENEFIT OF ALL THEIR GOOD WORK.

GOOD COMMENT.

YOU WANT TO COMMENT ON THAT? NO, I BOARD ON BOTH OF THOSE TOPICS.

YEAH, I THINK CERTAINLY ONE OF THE THINGS WE DID, I WOULD SAY ROUGHLY,

[00:30:01]

AND I THINK YOU SAW SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF THAT THIS PAST SPRING WHEN WE'RE OUT THERE.

AND I THINK YOU'VE HEARD FROM OUR TEAM THAT IS JUST, YOU KNOW, IT IS KIND OF THAT CORE VALUE OF MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE TOUCHING ALL THE COMMUNITIES.

YEP.

BUT OBVIOUSLY WEEK IN, WEEK OUT, ALWAYS ROOM TO KEEP IMPROVING THAT.

SO YOU'LL SEE MORE OF THAT IN TERMS OF THE CAC C YES, I THINK THAT'S A REALLY GOOD IDEA.

WE CAN CREATE THAT STRUCTURE NOW, UM, AS THEY DO THEIR BOARD MEETINGS.

WE DO, WE DO COVER SOME OF THAT IN OUR ANNUAL MONTHLY REPORT, BUT BRINGING SOME OF THOSE TOPICS BACK HERE IN A MORE FORMAL, LET US WORK WITH THE CAC AND THINK ABOUT HOW WE CAN STRUCTURE THAT.

THANK YOU.

GOOD.

ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR DISCUSSION? UH, WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.

I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO, UH, BOARD MEMBER GARZA FOR HIS LEADERSHIP AND, UH, ON THIS ISSUE SPECIFICALLY.

UM, IS THERE ANY OBJECTION WITHOUT OBJECTION? ITEM NUMBER SIX IS APPROVED.

THAT IS GONNA

[4.1. Briefing on audit of the Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) and related agreements]

WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BRIEFING FROM ATP'S INTERNAL AUDITOR KATIE HOUSTON ON A RECENT AUDIT TO THE JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT AND RELATED AGREEMENTS.

HI THERE.

GOOD AFTERNOON.

KATIE HOUSTON INTERNAL AUDIT.

TODAY, MY IN THE ROAD TO BRING FORTH THIS AUDIT.

UM, THE OBJECTIVE WAS TO EVALUATE, OH, I'M SORRY.

THANK YOU.

THE OBJECTIVE WAS TO, UH, EVALUATE ATP'S EFFORTS, UH, TO DETERMINE HOW WELL WE'RE MEETING OUR PROVISIONS OF THE JPA.

AND CAMERON'S GONNA GO OVER THE RESULTS OF THAT WORK HERE.

BUT AT A HIGH LEVEL, WE FOUND THAT PROCESSES HAVE BEEN DESIGNED AND IMPLEMENTED TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE MEETING THE RELATED PROVISIONS OF THE JPA.

UH, WE DID HAVE FOUR RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE'LL DISCUSS IN A MINUTE HERE, BUT KUDOS AT A HIGH LEVEL, KUDOS TO STAFF FOR THEIR EFFORTS TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.

OKAY.

UH, LIKE KATIE SAID, I'M CAMERON GRO AND I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE WITH YOU ALL TODAY TO PRESENT THE RESULTS OF THIS REPORT.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND INFORMATION.

AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE TRI PARTIES APPROVED THE JOINT PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT IN DECEMBER, 2021 TO DEFINE THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE TRI PARTIES AS IT RELATES TO PROJECT CONNECT.

THERE WAS STILL SOME CONFUSION AFTER THE PASSAGE OF THAT REPORT ON WHO WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE NEPA SPONSORSHIP AND THE FDA GRANT RECIPIENT FUNDS FOR THE LIGHT RAIL.

SO IN JUNE OF THIS YEAR, THE TRI PARTIES APPROVED A SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT TO THE JPA THAT DESIGNATES A TP AS THE ENTITY RESPONSIBLE FOR BOTH THE NEPA SPONSOR AND THE FDA GRANT RECIPIENT FOR THE LIGHT RAIL COMPONENTS OF PROJECT CONNECT.

WITH THAT DONE, UH, THAT RESOLVED A MAJOR RISK THAT WE FOUND AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS AUDIT, AND SO WE FOCUSED OUR WORK ON THE SPECIFIC PROVISIONS OF THE JPA AND HOW A TP WAS FULFILLING THOSE COMMITMENTS AND WHERE THERE WAS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT.

SO WE MADE FOUR RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, THAT ARE LISTED ON THE SLIDE.

THE FIRST RECOMMENDATION WAS RELATED TO TAC BYLAWS AND OPERATIONS.

THIS CAME OUT OF CONCERNS THAT WE HEARD AROUND, UH, HOW WE'RE TRACKING, UH, TAC MEMBER ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION, WHAT STAFF ROLES ARE RELATED TO THE T, AND HOW BYLAW CHANGES ARE MADE FOR THE TAX.

SO WE RECOMMENDED THEY CONSIDER THESE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE BYLAWS AND OPERATIONS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE GOVERNANCE ASSESSMENT THAT GREG MENTIONED EARLIER.

THAT'S BEING COMPLETED BY EY.

OUR SECOND RECOMMENDATION RELATED TO TWO DASHBOARDS THAT ARE REQUIRED BY THE JPA ONE, A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DASHBOARD, AND THEN A SECOND DASHBOARD TO ACCOMPANY AN EQUITY ASSESSMENT TOOL.

WE RECOMMENDED THAT A TP DEVELOP BOTH OF THOSE DASHBOARDS AND FIND A PLACE ON A PUBLICLY FACING WEBSITE TO PUT THEM.

THE THIRD RECOMMENDATION RELATED TO PERMITTING, UH, THE ENO CENTER FOR TRANSPORTATION RECOMMENDS THAT PROJECT SPONSORS BE SELF PERMITTING, BUT WE UNDERSTAND THERE'S SOME LIMITATIONS FOR A TP IN THAT AREA.

SO WE RECOMMENDED THAT A TP WORK CLOSELY WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN PROJECT CONNECT OFFICE TO EXPLORE OPTIONS FOR EXPEDITING THE PERMITTING PROCESS FOR PROJECT CONNECT.

AND LASTLY, WE FOUND THAT THERE ARE WAYS THAT A TP CAN MONITOR THE WORK OF THE CITY AND CAP METRO, SOME FORMALLY, UH, THROUGH ILAS AND SOME MORE INFORMAL IN NATURE.

AND SO WE RECOMMENDED THAT A TP FORMALIZE THAT MONITORING PROCESS, UM, FOR CAP METRO COMPONENTS, ANTI-DISPLACEMENT FUNDS, ANY OTHER PARTNER WORK, AND, UM, REQUIRE REGULAR UPDATES ON THOSE TO THE BOARD.

SO MANAGEMENT AGREED WITH ALL FOUR OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS AND HAVE PRESENTED AN ACTION PLAN THAT'S DUE TO BE COMPLETED IN DECEMBER, 2024.

UM, I'LL STOP THERE.

I DO HAVE MORE SLIDES THAT I CAN GO THROUGH WITH MORE INFORMATION, BUT I'LL STOP THERE AND SEE IF THERE'S QUESTIONS OR IF CASEY WANTS TO, UM, GIVE ANY RESPONSE ON BEHALF OF MANAGEMENT.

SO FIRST OF ALL, LET ME ASK IF ANY MEMBERS OF THE BOARD HAS ANY QUESTIONS THAT THEY WANT TO ASK.

[00:35:01]

AND, UM, AND IF THEY DON'T, THEN I'M GONNA ASK THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CASEY IF THEY WANT A, A COMMENT AT THIS POINT.

ANYBODY GOT ANYTHING? I SCH PLEASE, MR. CHAIRMAN? UM, SOME OF THESE ARE JUST COMMENTS.

UM, I KNOW WE JUST GOT A NOTICE FROM, UM, EY ABOUT THE GOVERNANCE REPORT, TRYING TO SET UP A MEETING WITH THAT.

AND IT'S, AND YOU KIND OF TOUCHED ON THE TAX.

I WILL JUST SAY THAT I'M ANXIOUS TO FIGURE OUT WHERE WE'RE GOING WITH OUR TAX.

I'VE KIND OF PUT THE FAR ON HOLD, WHICH I HAVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR AS, YOU KNOW, GIVEN MY COMMUNITY ROLE AS THE FINANCE GUY.

AND IT'S JUST BEEN SORT OF PUT ON ICE.

UM, AND, AND, AND I FEEL BADLY TOWARDS THOSE MEMBERS THAT ARE JUST LEFT HANGING OUT THERE WITH NO REAL WORD ABOUT WHERE WE INTEND TO TAKE THESE THINGS.

SO I LOOK FORWARD TO, YOU KNOW, I'M ASSUMING THIS IS REALLY KIND OF WHAT WE DECIDE TO DO WITH THE TAX IS KIND OF HANGING ON THE GOVERNANCE REPORT.

SO I I, I'LL LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING THAT.

AND I KNOW YOU TALKED, UH, GETTING TO THAT AND I KNOW YOU TALKED ABOUT IT.

UM, ANOTHER SOMETHING ELSE THAT MIGHT BE GOOD ALONG THE WAY FOR US TO GET A, A REPORT ON AS A BOARD.

AND I, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW GREG, IF THIS IS FOR YOU OR FOR Y'ALL, UM, IS HOW THE RELATIONSHIP IS GOING.

AND YOU TALK ABOUT IT EXTENSIVELY.

AND BY THE WAY, THIS IS THE GREAT ASPECT OF YOUR INTERNAL AUDIT ON, UM, THE REVISED JPA AND HOW IT'S GOING IS THAT IT RAISES, YOU KNOW, SOME IMPORTANT ISSUES.

YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE BIG RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH PRO PROJECT OF THIS MAGNITUDE RUNNING THROUGH THE CENTER OF DOWNTOWN AND, YOU KNOW, A VERY HIGHLY DEVELOPED AREA IS PERMITTING.

AND YOU TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT THERE'S SOME GOOD TRI-PARTY MEETINGS GOING ON.

WE HAVE, UH, A CITY OF AUSTIN GROUP UNDER ANIQUE BASED HERE TO HELP US KIND OF DO THAT.

IT WOULD, I WOULD LOVE TO GET A REPORT ON HOW THE TRI-PARTY AGREEMENT, UH, MEETINGS, YOU KNOW, BETWEEN CAP METRO CITY OF AUSTIN AND A TP ARE GOING SPECIFICALLY WITH RESPECT TO WHAT SORT OF COORDINATION IS GOING ON THAT WILL ALLOW US TO EXPEDITE THE PERMITTING PROCESS.

SO THAT MIGHT BE A FUTURE THING THAT WOULD MERIT, YOU KNOW, UH, A PRESENTATION.

JUST MAKE SURE THAT'S ALL COPACETIC.

WERE WERE YOU GONNA SAY SOMETHING ON THAT SPECIFIC POINT? YEAH, I THINK CASEY CAN IT'S TALK, BUT I ABSOLUTELY, I MEAN, FIRST OF ALL, I DO WANT TO COMMEND THE CITY.

WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE IDEA OF SETTING UP A SPECIAL CORPORATION, THAT WAS DONE ONE OF THE EARLY THINGS TO COMMEND THE CITY WAS SETTING UP A SPECIAL OFFICE TO HELP MANAGE ALL ASPECTS OF IT, INTERFACING WITH CAP METRO, ESPECIALLY AS THEY WERE ADVANCING THE EARLY PARTS OF PROJECT CONNECT WITH THE METRO RAPIDS.

BUT THAT, UH, THE SPECIALIZED OFFICE ALREADY, WE KNOW TALKING TO THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION AND OTHER FOLKS AROUND THE COUNTRY, EVERYONE'S LOOKING AT, THAT'S REALLY COOL.

IT'S GREAT YOU'RE DOING THAT NOW AND YOU'RE DOING IT ON THE FRONT END.

I THINK WE CAN COME BACK AND TALK ABOUT THE WORK ASSOCIATED WITH THAT, UH, ESPECIALLY WITH ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER.

GOOD IN TERMS OF, AS HE'S SHAPING ALL OF THAT WORK IN ADDITION TO PERMITTING.

THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER INTERFACES THAT WE HAVE AROUND UTILITIES AND BETTERMENTS, UM, AND WE WANT TO CONTINUE LAYING THAT ALL OUT WITH THEM, BUT I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA.

WE CAN COME BACK AND SHOW YOU THAT WORK AND HOW IT FITS INTO OUR OVERALL SCHEDULE AND DELIVERY OF THE PROJECT.

WE FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE ABOUT THE FRAMEWORK THAT WE'VE SET UP AND AS WE START POPULATING THAT WORK, UM, INCLUDING THAT, NOT ONLY IN THESE REPORTS WE'VE PUT OUT, BUT I THINK IT'S VALUABLE TO COME IN AND BRIEF YOU ON SOME OF THOSE EFFORTS.

YEAH.

AND THAT ASSUMES ALSO THAT SELF PERMITTING IS PROBABLY NOT AN OPTION FOR US AS PER THE AUDIT REPORT, BUT UM, YOU KNOW, THEN IT JUST MAKES COORDINATION ALL THAT MORE.

UNFORTUNATELY THE STATE OF TEXAS ISN'T IN INTERESTED IN GIVING US PERMITTING AUTHORITY, BUT FAIR ENOUGH.

WE ALSO, UM, IT'S WHAT IT'S, UM, FOR EVERY PROJECT THAT'S GONNA RECEIVE FEDERAL FUNDING AS PART OF THE GRANT APPLICATION PROCESS, WE HAVE TO HAVE, UM, OUR THIRD PARTY AGREEMENTS AT LEAST CLOSE TO FINAL IF NOT SIGNED.

AND, AND ONE OF THOSE WILL BE WITH THE CITY IN TERMS OF HOW WE EXPEDITE SOME OF THESE PROCESSES AND OKAY, GOOD.

WHEN WE'RE IN CONSTRUCTION TO MAKE SURE THINGS KEEP MOVING.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE HAVE TO DO FOR THE FTA AS WELL.

OKAY.

ALRIGHT.

GOOD TO KNOW.

UM, AND LAST COMMENT IS, UH, YOU KNOW, ONE OF, PROBABLY THE BIGGEST THING YOU REALLY RAISE IN YOUR AUDIT REPORT IS, YOU KNOW, ALTHOUGH YOU'VE JUST TALKED ABOUT THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND CAPITAL METRO, THE CITY OF AUSTIN, RELATIVE TO THE EXPENDITURE OF ANY DISPLACEMENT FUNDS, CAPITAL METRO, WITH RESPECT TO THE CAPITAL METRO PROJECTS REPORTING UP US, I KNOW IT'S A LOT MORE COMPLEX THAN THAT, YOU KNOW, WITH US SENDING MONEY TO THEM, THERE'S, YOU KNOW, WHO HAS, UM, YOU KNOW, WHO HAS THE AUTHORITY OVER THAT RELATIVE

[00:40:01]

IT'S A GREAT STARTING POINT FOR US TO AT LEAST HEAR, UM, HOW THAT'S GOING FROM THE, YOU KNOW, OUR PARTNERS THAT ARE DELIVERING THOSE SPECIFIC THINGS.

BUT I, I DO THINK IT'S A BIGGER ISSUE THAT, YOU KNOW, REQUIRES, UM, SOME ADDITIONAL THOUGHT AND, UM, STRUCTURE GOING FORWARD.

AND, AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THE BENEFIT OF AN INTERNAL AUDIT IS BRINGING THOSE THINGS TO THE FORE.

SO THANKS.

I YEAH, SURE.

I'LL JUST SAY, UM, AND I THINK WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS THAT.

WE HAVE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENTS, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH CAPITAL METRO FOR THE VARIOUS PROJECTS THAT INCLUDE NOT TO EXCEED FUNDING, REIMBURSEMENT, UM, AND AUDIT RIGHTS AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT HELP WITH THE OVERSIGHT RULE THAT THE BOARD HOLDS AND THE EXPENDITURE OF THOSE FUNDS.

AND WE HAVE STARTED THIS YEAR HAVING OUR PARTNERS REPORT OUT AT THE BOARD AND THE STATUS.

AND I THINK OUR COMMITMENT IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT HAPPENS ON A QUARTERLY BASIS NEXT YEAR.

AND SO IT'S REGULAR AND YOU GUYS CAN EXPECT TO, TO GET THOSE REPORT OUTS.

OKAY.

COMMISSIONER, I STILL HAVEN'T RECOVERED FROM THE SELF PERMITTING COMMENT.

, I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THAT, BUT, UM, SO, SO I'M INTEREST, I, I, I, UH, I APPRECIATE, UH, THE TIME THAT'S BEEN TAKEN TO, UH, PREPARE THE REPORT.

UH, IT'S ALWAYS IMPORTANT FOR ME BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT, IT, IT SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE TO EXTRACT ACCOUNTABILITY FROM AUTHORITY.

YEAH.

AND AT, AT THE END OF THE DAY, UH, THEY'VE GOTTA BE ALIGNED.

AND THAT'S WHY I LIKE A CROSSWALK STRUCTURE.

SO THAT, SO THAT WE ARE LOOKING, YOU KNOW, AT THE WORK BREAKDOWN, WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT, UH, WHAT SEQUENCES IS, SHOULD IT FALL OUT.

AND, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT AS WE LAY OUT OUR, OUR OPERATIONAL EXPECTATIONS, THAT WE LAY 'EM OUT AS DELIVERABLES AND UNDERSTAND WHO'S RESPONSIBLE, UH, FOR THOSE DELIVERABLES.

AND, AND WE ARE ABLE TO ACCOUNT FOR THEM REGULARLY AND ROUTINELY.

I MEAN, AT THE END OF THE DAY, UH, WE DON'T WANNA WAIT UNTIL THE FOURTH QUARTER, UH, TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING ALL DURING THE COURSE OF THE YEAR.

SO AS WE, AS WE IDENTIFY THE WORK THAT HAS TO BE DONE AND THEN IDENTIFY WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WORK, AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN, UH, WALK DOWN DELIVERABLE BY DELIVERABLE SO THAT WE UNDERSTAND, UH, WHO HAS THE AUTHORITY AND THE RESPONSIBILITY TO DO WHATEVER AND THAT IT IS DONE IN THE PROPER SEQUENCE.

I, I DON'T KNOW OF A BETTER FORMAT THAN A CROSSWALK FORMAT TO GET THAT DONE.

AND IT'S NICE TO HAVE THE CHAIR CAPITAL METRO ON THE BOARD WITH US.