* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:03] OKAY. IT IS 6 0 7 COMMISSIONERS ONLINE. DO YOU MIND TURNING ON YOUR CAMERAS FORM? AND WE HAVE A VERY FULL AGENDA TODAY. UM, FIRST I'D LIKE TO START WITH ROLE. UH, WE'LL START WITHIN THE ROOM. COMMISSIONER MACH HERE. COMMISSIONER GRAY HERE. COMMISSIONER MOCK, EH, HERE. COMMISSIONER GARZA. COMMISSIONER HOUSTON HERE. AND I'M COMMISSIONER ZISMAN. AND WHEN COMMISSIONER MALDONADO IS ABLE TO JOIN US, WE'LL GET HER [PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL] LOGGED IN. UM, WE'RE GONNA START WITH, UH, PUBLIC COMMUNICATION, AND WE HAVE BONNIE COLUMN FROM THE VORTEX. HI EVERYBODY. I HAVE SOME LITTLE FLYERS FOR THIS SEASON, WHICH WE WOULD LOVE TO. YOU WANNA, YEAH. THIS IS MELISSA MCKNIGHT AND SHE'S THE MANAGING DIRECTOR WITH THE VORTEX. AND WE ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SERVICE AS ARTS COMMISSIONERS AND FOR, UH, YOUR GENEROUS FUNDING, UM, OF THE CULTURAL ARTS PROGRAM. WE'VE BEEN ABLE, WITH OUR THRIVE FUNDING THIS YEAR TO HAVE JASMINE GAMES JOIN OUR MANAGEMENT TEAM AS DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AND SOCIAL JUSTICE ACTIVATION. AND THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING AT THE VORTEX, I FEEL LIKE IS A RESUMPTION OF THE, UH, SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUITY ACTION THAT WE WERE DOING PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC. AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PICK THAT UP THANKS TO THE THRIVE FUNDING. IT'S BEEN REALLY, REALLY VALUABLE FOR US. AND ALSO THE NEXUS AND THE ELEVATE FUNDING, UM, HAS BEEN COMING THROUGH TO US IN THE WAY THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SEE OTHER PROJECTS HAPPEN AT OUR SPACE THAT HAVE BEEN FUNDED BY THESE PROJECTS. SO WE WERE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THAT. I'M COMING TO ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT AS COMMISSIONERS IN HELPING WITH THE COMMUNICATION WITH THE ARTS COMMUNITY, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THE CULTURAL CONTRACTS AND THAT WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION ABOUT WHETHER THE PROTOTYPES ARE CONTINUING, WHEN PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO APPLY AGAIN, WHAT WILL BE GOING ON. AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S FRANKLY CAUSING A DISRUPTION IN OUR CULTURAL ECOSYSTEM. UM, WE SEE THAT A LOT OF INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS AND SMALLER COMPANIES ARE CONSIDERING ARE THEY GOING TO PRODUCE EVER AGAIN, OR SHOULD THEY MOVE AWAY FROM AUSTIN. AUSTIN IS NO LONGER A SUPPORTIVE CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT THAT IT USED TO BE. AND THIS MAKES ME REALLY SAD. SO I'M LOOKING TO YOUR LEADERSHIP AS THE ARTS COMMISSION TO HELP WITH THE COMMUNICATION TO THE ARTISTS. AND, YOU KNOW, WE ARE ARE, WE ARE FORTUNATE IN THAT WE HAVE A VENUE. A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE A VENUE ARE REALLY, REALLY CONCERNED. AND I'M JUST HEARING THIS ALL OVER THE PLACE. SO I'M COMING TO YOU TODAY WITH DEEP GRATITUDE FOR WHAT THE VORTEX HAS RECEIVED AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO WITH, UM, CULTURAL FUNDING, WHICH WE'VE HAD SINCE 1991. I'M A LONG TIME ARTS, UM, MAKER, SO IF YOU WANNA KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT CULTURAL FUNDING HAS BEEN OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, I'VE GOT THE STORY. BUT I WANT TO LOOK TO THE FUTURE AND I'M HOPING THAT YOU ALL CAN HELP US SHAPE THIS CULTURAL LANDSCAPE FOR THE FUTURE SO THAT THE ARTISTS DON'T FEEL SO TERRIFIED AND SO THAT WE DON'T LOSE, WE ALREADY HAVE LOST SO MANY PEOPLE, UM, FROM AUSTIN WHO ARE FLEEING AUSTIN BECAUSE IT'S NOT AS ARTS FRIENDLY A PLACE AS IT WAS EVEN JUST FIVE AND 10 YEARS AGO. SO WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF DAMAGE IN THE FABRIC TO THE COMMUNITY. AND I'M JUST CONCERNED WHEN I HAVE THESE INDIVIDUAL CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE THAT THEY HAVE GIVEN UP AND THAT THERE'S A LOT OF DESPAIR AROUND, WELL, THE CITY'S NOT GONNA FUND US ANYWAY. THAT WAS THEIR SEED MONEY FOR WHAT WAS GONNA, EVEN IF IT WAS JUST $5,000, IT WAS SO IMPORTANT. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP, AND I HOPE YOU'LL HELP US WITH COMMUNICATING WITH THE ARTISTS. THANK YOU SO MUCH MONEY AND THANK YOU FOR THESE PROGRAMS. I AGREE COMPLETELY. MM-HMM, . UM, WE'VE HAD COMMISSIONER CHARLA JOIN US ON THE DAAS. WELCOME. ALRIGHT, [APPROVAL OF MINUTES] UM, NEXT IS APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE ARTS COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING FROM FEBRUARY 26TH. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? MOVE TO APPROVE BY COMMISSIONER GRAY? DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GARZA. ALL IN FAVOR, COMMISSIONER HOUSTON. UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU. UH, NEXT IS [2. Discussion of Chair’s Report on Staying Engaged by Chair Zisman] THE DISCUSSION OF THE CHAIR'S REPORT, UH, STAYING ENGAGED. THAT'S ME. HELLO EVERYBODY. I'M COMMISSIONER ZISMAN. I'M THE PERSON OF COLOR, [00:05:01] UH, WITH THE LIGHT BLUE SWEATER. I'M GONNA KEEP IT REALLY BRIEF TODAY BECAUSE AS I WAS MENTIONING, WE HAVE A VERY FULL AGENDA, UM, BASICALLY BUILDING UPON WHAT OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS JUST SHARED. UM, WE ARE ALL RESPONSIBLE HERE ON THE DIOCESE AS WELL AS IN THE COMMUNITY FOR CONTINUING TO AMPLIFY NOT JUST OPPORTUNITY, BUT THE COMMUNITY'S EXPERIENCE BACK TO COUNCIL. WE'RE IN BUDGET SEASON, WE'RE HAVING, UH, CONVERSATIONS ABOUT OUR RECOMMENDATIONS. AND I THINK HEARING NOT ONLY FROM THE INDIVIDUAL COMMISSIONS, BUT FROM INDIVIDUAL CONSTITUENTS IS REALLY IMPORTANT. SO FOR THOSE THAT, UH, BELIEVE THAT THE ARTS SHOULD BE MORE ROBUSTLY FUNDED, I THINK THIS IS THE PERFECT TIME AND PLACE TO START COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR COUNCIL PEOPLE. AND, UM, THAT ESPECIALLY GOES FOR OUR COMMISSIONERS HERE ON THIS DAAS. SO, UH, WITH THAT, LET'S GO AHEAD AND MOVE [3. Report of the Art in Public Places Liaison concerning actions taking during the February 26, 2024 meeting of the Art in Public Places Panel by Commissioner Maldonado] ON. WE'RE GONNA GO ON TO THE REPORT OF THE ART AND PUBLIC PLACES, UM, LIAISON CONCERNING ACTIONS TAKEN DURING THE FEBRUARY 26TH MEETING OF THE ART AND PUBLIC FACES PANEL WITH COMMISSIONER MALDONADO, WHO I KNOW IS HERE, BUT MAY STRUGGLING TO GET ON CAMERA. MONICA, ARE YOU ABLE TO GIVE US AN AUDIO REPORT? I THINK I CAN DO THAT. YEAH. THANK YOU, . HI EVERYONE. HAPPY TO BE HERE. UM, SO I DO HAVE AN UPDATE FROM THE LAST A IPP MEETING. AND I THINK THE, UM, THE PRIMARY THING THAT I WANTED TO SHARE WAS THE TEMPO TRAIL CONSERVATORY, WHICH WE KNOW, UM, KIND OF, UH, IS A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE TEMPO PROGRAM. SO THAT IS DOING WELL AND ON TRACK. SO WE'LL BE SEEING SOME REALLY BEAUTIFUL ART THAT WILL BE COMING THROUGH THE TEMPO TRAIL CONSERVATORY DESIGN, UM, PROGRAM. SO I THINK THAT WAS ONE OF THE PRIMARY THINGS THAT I WANTED TO SHARE FROM, UM, THE LAST MEETING. AND ALSO, I JUST WANNA ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH SOME OF THE DEDICATIONS THAT A IPP IS HAVING. THE NEXT ONE BEING MARCH 30TH, THE, UM, GREGORIAN A ACRES NEIGHBORHOOD PARK. UM, SO AGAIN, JUST ENCOURAGING EVERYONE TO SUPPORT A IPP IN THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING. SUPER. THANK YOU SO MUCH, COMMISSIONER MALDONADO, ANY QUESTIONS FOR OUR A IPP LIAISON FROM THE DAIS? OKAY, SEEING YOU, NONE, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON. THANK YOU SO MUCH, COMMISSIONER. AND, UM, PLEASE STAY ON CAMERA IF POSSIBLE, SO THAT YOU'RE CON UH, CONSIDERED PRESENT. WONDERFUL. [4. Discussion of actions taken at the February 28, 2024 meeting of Austin Economic Development Corporation/Cultural Trust Advisory Committee’s last meeting by Board Chair Carl Settles] UH, NEXT WE HAVE DISCUSSION OF ACTIONS TAKEN ON FEBRUARY 28TH, MEETING FROM THE AUSTIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION CULTURAL TRUST ADVISORY COMMITTEE BY BOARD CHAIR CARL SETTLES. THANKS FOR BEING HERE, CARL. HELLO. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. UM, I HOPE EVERYBODY'S DOING WELL. UM, DURING OUR LAST MEETING, WE HAD SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT, UH, CONVERSATION REGARDING BOND FUNDS THAT COULD BE USED TO HELP, UM, OUR MISSION, UH, WITH, UH, THE A EDC AND CULTURAL TRUST. UM, I, I INQUIRED WITH OUR STAFF ABOUT THAT AND, UM, WE'RE ANTICIPATING PARTICIPATING IN THE CONVERSATION ABOUT 2026, UH, BOND ISSUANCE. AND, UM, WE WILL HAVE A, WE'LL WORK TO HAVE A LIST OF, UH, PROJECTS TO CONTRIBUTE ONCE THE PROCESS IS ANNOUNCED AND UNDERWAY. BUT AT THIS POINT, UH, WE DON'T HAVE ANY DEFINITIVE WORD ON ON WHEN THAT, WHEN EXACTLY THAT WILL BE. UM, WANTED TO MAKE YOU AWARE THAT RIGHT NOW THERE'S A URBAN RENEWAL BOARD, UH, MEETING GOING ON, UM, WITH THE TWO FOR BLOCK 16 AND 18 FOR THE RFP PROCESS. THEY'VE GOT, UH, TWO, UM, GROUPS OR, OR PROPOSAL GROUPS THAT ARE PRESENTING, UH, AT THAT, UH, MEETING RIGHT NOW. UM, THAT IS A PUBLIC MEETING AND IT IS BEING RECORDED. UH, SO THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN, YOU CAN REFER TO THAT AND GET TO THAT INFORMATION, UM, ON THE WEBSITE. UM, SO THEY'RE GOING TO BASICALLY PRESENT THEIR PROJECTS AND THEN THEIR PHASE TWO PROPOSALS ARE DUE ON APRIL THE FIFTH. UM, THE A EDC IS GONNA HAVE SOME OFFICE OFFICE HOURS, UM, ALONG WITH, UH, THE, THE URBAN RENEWAL BOARD THIS THURSDAY, UM, FOR BLOCK 16 AND 18 AT THE QUICKIE PICKY, UH, RIGHT DOWN THE STREET. UH, AND THAT'S GONNA BE FROM FOUR 30 TO 7:00 PM AND, UM, IF YOU ALL NEED THE, THE STUFF CAN BE LO INFORMATION CAN BE LOCATED ON OUR WEBSITE, BUT LET ME KNOW AFTER THE FACT, UH, IF I NEED [00:10:01] TO SEND DIRECT LINKS, UH, TO THAT. UM, SINCE THE, UH, PUBLIC DESIGN CHARETTE THAT WE HAD, UH, IN JANUARY AT, AT THE, UH, UM, PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER, UM, DESIGN WORK CONTINUES BASED OFF OF THAT. AND WE EXPECT SOME UPDATED DESIGN DRAWINGS, UH, WHICH WILL BE POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE SOON. AND OTHER THAN THAT, THERE'S, UH, NO NEWS TO NEW NEWS TO REPORT. UH, WE'RE STILL WORKING ON THAT PIPELINE OF PROJECTS THAT WE STARTED IN 2022, UM, AND GOING THROUGH, UH, THE NEGOTIATIONS, UH, REGARDING, UH, REAL ESTATE, UM, FOR THE 14 ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE STILL, UH, IN THE PIPELINE. AND, UH, HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU ALL HAVE. THANK YOU, CARL. YOU KNOW, WE LOVE A DIRECT LINK, SO PLEASE ALWAYS FEEL FREE TO SEND ALONG. OKAY. UM, ATTACHMENTS, FLYERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, ANYTHING THAT WE CAN HELP AMPLIFY, UH, COMMISSIONERS. ANY QUESTIONS FOR CARL? COMMISSIONER GRAY. HI, CARL, IT'S NICE TO SEE YOU. UM, IS THERE A WAY TO FIND OUT TIMELINE, YEARS TIME, JUST TIMELINE IN GENERAL OF THE INCREDIBLE AUSTIN PLAYHOUSE SUPPORT? THAT'S A BIG ONE. AND I THINK IF THE COMMUNITY KNEW STEP BY STEP IN WHAT DIRECTION THAT'S GOING, I THINK WE KNOW WHERE IT'S GOING, BUT WHAT THE PLANS ARE IN GETTING IT TO THE, TO WHERE THEY NEED TO BE. UH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. UM, I'M WRITING THAT DOWN. I CAN'T SPEAK TO THAT SPECIFICALLY, UH, RIGHT NOW. UM, I DO KNOW THAT THERE ARE SOME, SEEMS LIKE THERE'S SOME GOOD THINGS IN THE, UH, UH, THAT, THAT ARE HAPPENING WITH THAT PROJECT. UH, BUT I, I CAN'T SPEAK WITH AUTHORITY ON THAT, BUT I'M HAPPY TO, UH, FOLLOW UP AND, UM, ALONG WITH, UH, ANY OTHER, UH, UH, LINKS, UH, TO, TO STUFF I ANNOUNCED TODAY, UM, WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. GREAT. THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS WOULD BE AWESOME TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THAT. THANK YOU, CARL. MM-HMM. . SURE. I ALSO THINK WE COULD INVITE THEM BACK TO PRESENT QUARTERLY TO GET SORT OF A MORE DETAILED UPDATE FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, THE PROJECTS BEEN APPROVED, SO NOW IT'S JUST A MATTER OF SORT OF THE NATURAL EVOLUTION OF TIMELINE AS BUILDING MATERIALS AND CONTRACTING HAPPEN. SO, UM, DEFINITELY GREAT NEWS. I THINK THAT'S WHAT IT IS. WHEN YOU LOOK, WHEN YOU LOOK FROM THE COMMUNITY'S PERSPECTIVE, EVEN WHAT CAME UP EARLIER, UH, TODAY ABOUT WHAT IS THE TIMELINE, WHAT IS NEXT? WHAT'S GOING ON, WHAT ARE THE POSSIBILITIES, WHAT ARE THE, THAT KIND OF STUFF. LIKE WHAT YOU KNOW IS, ARE WE LOOKING AT FIVE YEARS, 10 YEARS, THREE YEARS, 20 YEARS? THAT HELPS EVERYTHING . THANKS. RIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I UNDERSTAND. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR CARL? OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. WE APPRECIATE YOUR UPDATES. ALWAYS. AND WE WILL SEE. THANK YOU. SEE YOU SOON. THANKS. ALRIGHT, TAKE CARE. BYE-BYE. NEXT, WE HAVE, UM, UPDATE ON ACTIONS TAKEN AT THE FEBRUARY 21ST DOWNTOWN COMMISSION MEETING BY COMMISSIONER MOCK. UM, I HAVE NOT HAD A MEETING, SO IT'S COMING THIS WEDNESDAY. SO YOU HAVE, UH, THE REPORT FROM THE LAST MEETING. SO STAY TUNED. WE'RE ALWAYS PLAYING CATCH UP WITH YOU, . OUR MEETING DATES ARE SO FUNKY. OKAY. WITH [6. Presentation by Brie Franco from the Intergovernmental Relations Office on the 2023 Texas Legislative Session] THAT, WE CAN GO ON TO PRESENTATION BY BRI FRANCO FROM THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS OFFICE ON THE 2023 TEXAS LEGISLATIVE SESSION. WE'RE SO GRATEFUL, UH, TO YOU, BRI, FOR BEING HERE. WE KNOW YOU'RE INCREDIBLY BUSY, UM, AND WE ARE JUST THANKFUL FOR THIS PRESENTATION. SO, UM, COMMISSIONERS, LET'S LET BRIE GET THROUGH THE ENTIRETY OF THEIR PRESENTATION, AND THEN WE'LL RESERVE QUESTIONS TO THE END. SOUND GOOD? GREAT. ALL RIGHT. TAKE IT AWAY, BRIE. THANKS SO MUCH. THANKS EVERYONE. UM, AGAIN, MY NAME IS BRIE CITY CENTER GOVERNMENT OFFICER HERE TO GIVE YOU A RECAP ON THE STATE LEGISLATIVE SESSION. THANKS FOR LETTING ME, UM, CALL IN FROM HOME. I HAVE MY, UH, WORK PARTNER RIGHT NOW. SHE'S FOUR AND SHE'S CURRENTLY BUSY ON HER HEADPHONES AND IPAD, SO HOPEFULLY IT STAYS THAT WAY THROUGH THE PRESENTATION. PRESENTATION. LET ME GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. IT. THANK YOU. SO, TO GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF HOW THIS SESSION STARTED, UM, SO WE ARE GETTING CLOSE TO, THEY'RE GONNA HIT, UH, ISSUE SOON, WHAT ARE CALLED THE INTERIM COMMITTEE, UM, CHARGES. BUT THEY CAN, THEY'LL DO THEIR WORK ON WHAT LEGISLATION THEY THINK SHOULD BE FILED, AND THEN THEY ACTUALLY CAN START FILING LEGISLATION IN NOVEMBER. SO BEFORE SESSION STARTS, AND WE'RE ALREADY HEADED INTO THE COUNTDOWN GUYS, BEFORE SESSION STARTS IN JANUARY, BEGINNING OF NOVEMBER, THEY GET TO FILE, UH, LEGISLATION. AND WHEN WE STARTED IN 2022, THERE [00:15:01] WAS SIGNIFICANT LEGISLATION FILED THAT TARGETED THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AND THEN BROADER LEGISLATION AGAINST CITIES AS WELL. UM, AS TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN, THE LEGISLATION OF NOTE WAS, UM, HB SEVEN 14 BY REPRESENTATIVE PATTERSON WHO IS COMING BACK. HE WOULD'VE TURNED AUSTIN FROM THE CITY AND THE CAPITAL OF TEXAS TO THE DISTRICT OF AUSTIN. UM, SOME COMPARED THIS TO WHAT DC IS LIKE, BUT DC STILL HAS A CITY COUNCIL. THIS BILL ACTUALLY WOULD'VE REMOVED THE CITY COUNCIL FOR AUSTIN AND TURN THE GOVERNOR, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, AND THE SPEAKER INTO THE CITY COUNCIL. NO, MA'AM. UM, SO THE, THE THING TO NOTE ABOUT THAT TOO IS HE HAS ALREADY MED. SORRY ABOUT THAT GUYS. HAVING TO PARENT MY COWORKER HERE. UM, SO WHAT'S SIGNIFICANT ABOUT THAT IS THAT REPRESENTATIVE PATTERSON HAS MENTIONED THIS BILL RECENTLY ON HIS TWITTER ACCOUNT OF NEEDING TO BRING IT BACK. I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT HE WAS REFERRING TO, WHAT ISSUE IT WAS THAT PROMPTED HIM TO TWEET THAT. I JUST WANTED TO RAISE THAT AS AN ISSUE THAT'S OUT THERE. UM, ALSO WHAT WAS FILED WAS A REPEAT OF LAST SESSION BY REPRESENTATIVE SLAUSON ABOUT DPS TAKING OVER THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT. UM, AND THEN REPRESENTATIVE LER, WHO USED TO BE A COUNCIL MEMBER WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UM, FILED A BILL THAT WOULD PREEMPTED THE CITY'S GUARANTEED INCOME PROGRAM, WHICH IS A PROGRAM THAT WAS, UH, HAS STARTED AT THE CITY AS A PILOT TO HELP THOSE THAT ARE ON THE VERGE OF BEING EVICTED OR ARE HOMELESS TO RECEIVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MONEY EACH MONTH TO HOPE TO OVERCOME THOSE SITUATIONS. SO THOSE WERE SOME BIG BILLS THAT MOVED AS WE STARTED INTO SESSION. AND THEN WE HAD LARGER BILLS ABOUT PREEMPTION, WHICH I'LL GET INTO PERMITTING AND SO FORTH. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO THIS LAST SESSION WAS AN ENORMOUS UPTICK IN THE NUMBER OF BILLS FILED BY ABOUT A THOUSAND MORE BILLS BEING FILED. AND THAT MEANS THE WORK BEING EVEN GREATER FOR MY STAFF TO DETERMINE IF THEY AFFECT CITIES, SENDING OUT TO DEPARTMENTS, ASKING FOR THEM TO ANALYZE AND PROVIDE THEIR FEEDBACK, AND THEN PUTTING TOGETHER AN, AN A LEGISLATIVE STRATEGY OR ANALYSIS ON OUR RESPONSE. SO THERE WAS A BIG FLOOD OF THE NUMBER OF BILLS THAT WERE FILED. OUR NUMBER OF BILLS THAT WE TRACKED REMAINED THE SAME. I WOULD ALSO SAY THOUGH, THERE WAS A, UH, WHAT FELT LIKE A SIGNIFICANT UPTAKE TICK IN THE NUMBER OF HEARINGS FOR BILLS THIS LAST SESSION. IT SEEMED LIKE MORE BILLS WERE HEARD THAN I'VE SEEN BEFORE IN ALL THE YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN DOING THIS. I'VE BEEN DOING THIS WORK FOR ABOUT 20 YEARS NOW, AND I FELT LIKE HEARINGS HAD THE MOST BILLS LISTED THAT I'VE SEEN IN, IN MY CAREER OF DOING THIS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THEN WE HAD FOUR SPECIAL SESSIONS. UM, THIS IS NOT MY PERSONAL RECORD. MY PERSONAL RECORD HAS BEEN FIVE SPECIAL SESSIONS, , BUT THIS ONE WAS FOUR AND WENT ALL THE WAY UP UNTIL ALMOST CHRISTMAS TIME, RIGHT? IT FEELS LIKE A LIFETIME AGO. IT WASN'T. UM, AND THEY PASSED SOME, IT, SOME LEGISLATION WITH EACH OF THOSE SESSION SESSIONS. NEXT SLIDE. AND THOSE TOPICS IN THOSE SPECIAL SESSIONS INCLUDED PROPERTY TAX CUTS. UM, HAN RIGHT NOW, YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD THE HEADLINES, THE US SUPREME COURT HAS ALL HAS STAYED AS BEFORE, WHICH IS WOULD'VE CREATED A STATE OFFENSE FOR WHAT THEY WERE SAYING WAS ILLEGAL ENTRY INTO THE COUNTRY AT THE BORDER. UM, AND THEY ALSO PUT MORE MONEY TOWARDS BORDER INFRASTRUCTURE. THERE WAS ALSO SCHOOL VOUCHERS, AS YOU GUYS ARE AWARE, AND THAT WAS A BIG ISSUE IN THE PRIMARIES. AND THEN COVID-19 VACCINE MANDATES THAT WAS FOR PRIVATE EMPLOYERS SAYING THAT PRIVATE EMPLOYERS CAN NO LONGER HAVE COVID VACCINE, UH, MANDATES. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO THERE WERE SOME LEGISLATION. WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PASS SOME LEGISLATION EACH SESSION. I THINK THAT COMES AS A PRIZE TO EVERYBODY, BUT, UM, AND THEY TEND TO SEND IT AROUND FINANCIAL ISSUES. BUT WE WERE ABLE TO PASS A BILL THAT, UH, MADE SURE THAT THE CITY EMPLOYEE PENSION IS STILL IN PLACE FOR THOSE THAT ARE IN IT. LAST SESSION, WE DID THE SAME FOR THE POLICE. WE PASSED A BILL THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR THE CITY TO CREATE WHAT ARE CALLED HOTEL TAX PROJECT FINANCE ZONE CENTERED AROUND THE, I THINK MOSTLY CENTERED, UH, AROUND THE CONVENTION CENTER TO GO TO FUNDING PROJECTS RELATED TO THOSE ACTIVITIES. UM, AND THEN ALSO WE HAD OUR POPULATION BRACKET UPDATED SO THAT IF THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE FAMILIAR, UM, NORMALLY AUSTIN IS REFERRED TO AS A POPULATION OF 70,000 OR MORE IN A COUNTY WITH A POPULATION OF 1.5 MILLION OR LESS DUE TO THE CENSUS. THAT BRACKET HAS NOW CHANGED. AND YOU CAN SEE THE NUMBERS THERE ON THAT SLIDE THAT WE'LL START TO SEE IN UPCOMING LEGISLATION THAT WE'LL REFER TO. AUSTIN. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. I'M GONNA GO THROUGH A LOT OF THESE BILLS VERY QUICKLY. I'M NOT GONNA GO THROUGH THEM [00:20:01] ALL INDIVIDUALLY, I JUST WANNA NOTE 'EM FOR YOU. AND IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS AT THE END, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM. BUT THE, THERE WAS A LOT OF LEGISLATION THAT, OF COURSE, WAS NEGATIVE THAT PASSED FOR THE CITY. UM, SOME OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT YOU'LL SEE SOON IN MAY IS, UH, THE POTENTIAL DESANT LEGISLATION OF LOST CREEK AND OTHER VERY SMALL AREAS AROUND AUSTIN. THAT BILL WAS PASSED. THEY'RE GONNA HOLD A, A LOST CREEK. WE'LL HAVE AN ELECTION ON THAT IN MAY. UM, THERE WAS THE SUPER PREEMPTION BILL WAS FINALLY PASSED, AND THAT WAS HB 2127 BY CHAIRMAN BURROWS, WHO IS THE CHAIR OF THE CALENDARS COMMITTEE. HE CALLED THIS DUST STAR BILL. WHAT THAT BILL DID IS IT HAS NOW PLACED IN CERTAIN CODES OF STATE LAW. SO THE PROPERTY CODE FINANCE CODE, UM, I CAN'T REMEMBER, BUSINESS AND COMMERCE, I CAN'T REMEMBER ALL THE CODES OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT IT'S ABOUT FIVE CODES RIGHT NOW. SAYS IF A CITY, CITY IS NOT SPECIFICALLY AUTHORIZED IN THAT CODE TO DO SOMETHING, THEN IT IS NOW PREEMPTED. UM, THERE WASN'T A CIG, THERE WERE SOME THINGS THAT WERE HIT AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN WITH THAT CODE. UH, THIS COUNCIL HAD TAKEN RECENT ACTIONS RELATED TO EVICTIONS AND TO TENANT RIGHTS, AND THOSE WERE AFFECTED. BUT, UM, WHAT THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EFFECT GOING FORWARD IS GOING TO BE WATCHING FOR LEGISLATION WHEN IT IS FILED, AND TO SEE WHICH CODE IT IS PUT IN AND TO DETERMINE THEN DOES THAT LEGISLATION PREEMPT A CITY, BECAUSE THIS NEW TOPIC IS IN THE CODE. AND SO THE BREADTH OF WHERE THIS GOES IS STILL UNKNOWN. THERE ARE LAWSUITS RELATED TO THAT BILL. THERE WERE OTHER LEGISLATION DEFINITELY STILL SEEING A LOT OF LEGISLATION RELATING TO BUILDING REGULATIONS. THAT'S PERMITTING, THAT'S, THAT INCLUDES A SUBDIVISION REGULATION. BILL PARKLAND DEDICATION IS RELATED TO THAT OF HOW MUCH PARKLAND THE CITY CAN REQUIRE OF A DEVELOPER, UM, TO OFFSET THE NEED FOR NEW PARKS DUE TO THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UM, THERE WERE A LOT OF BILLS THOUGH THAT FAILED TO PASS. SO, UM, OF PARTICULAR NOTE FOR THIS COMMITTEE ARE THE ONES HIGHLIGHTED IN, IN YELLOW, UM, BUT ALSO PROJECT CONNECT BY REPRESENTATIVE TR CLAIRE WOULD'VE STARTED OUT AS A BILL THAT ONLY ASKED FOR ANOTHER VOTE ON THE BONDS TO BE ISSUED, OR A VOTE EVERY TIME THAT A TP, THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP ISSUED BONDS FOR PROJECT CONNECT. UM, AND THEN IT GOT CHANGED TO A BILL THAT I EFFECTIVELY WOULD'VE ENDED THE FINANCING MECHANISM FOR PROJECT CONNECT. THERE WAS A BILL FILED, UM, BY ALSO BY REPRESENTATIVE SHOCK CLA ON THE CONVENTION CENTER THAT WOULD'VE SAID THEY WOULD'VE HAD TO SPEED UP THE REVENUES THEY RECEIVED TO PAY DOWN THE BONDS, THUS ALLOWING THE EXPO CENTER ACCESS TO THE HOT TAX SOONER FOR THEIR RECONSTRUCTION THAT HAVE ACTUALLY WOULD'VE PUT OUR BONDS AND DEVELOPMENT TO JEOPARDY. AND SO WE WERE OPPOSED TO THAT BILL. UM, AND THEN YOU GUYS ARE FAMILIAR WITH SOME OF THESE OTHER BILLS THAT RECEIVE A LOT OF ATTENTION, UM, SUCH AS THE, WHAT WE'RE CALLING THE DRAG QUEEN STORY TIME AND LIBRARIES. AND WE DID HAVE THE AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY TESTIFY AGAINST THAT BILL THAT DID NOT PASS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UM, AGAIN, I'LL GO THROUGH A LOT OF THESE QUICKLY. THERE WAS A LOT OF PREEMPTION BILLS THIS LAST SESSION. IT CONTINUES TO BE AN ISSUE. THE, YOU SEE THE OTHER ONES REGARDING LICENSING, AND THEN THE BILLS BELOW THAT ARE RELATED TO TREE REGULATIONS, SPECIFICALLY ASH, JUNIPER TREES, AND GUARANTEED INCOME, WHICH I ALREADY SPOKE ABOUT. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SORRY, . THESE BILLS ALSO PASS, FAILED TO PASS RELATED TO AUSTIN ENERGY WAS THE MAJORITY OF THESE BILLS. BUT SO YOU SEE DURING THE SESSION, WE ALSO HAD A WINTER STORM THAT WAS DIFFICULT. UM, I CAN'T REMEMBER. I THINK THIS TIME MY ELECTRICITY WAS OUT FIVE DAYS. I KNOW SOME PEOPLE WENT SIGNIFICANTLY LONGER WITHOUT ELECTRICITY DURING THAT TIME. UM, AND SO WE SAW A LOT OF LEGISLATION FILED BY RELATED TO AUSTIN ENERGY. AND AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE MOST SIGNIFICANTLY BY REPRESENTATIVE CLAIRE. UM, AND SOME OF THOSE CHOICES MAKE SOME OF THOSE BILL NAMES MAKE SENSE TO YOU, LIKE VEGETATION MANAGEMENT AND RESTRICTING OUR GENERAL FUND TRANSFER FOR AE RELATED TO THAT, ALL OF THESE BILLS ALSO FAILED TO PASS. BUT THIS WAS THE MOST LEGISLATION WE HAD RELATED TO AE OUT OF, UM, MY PAST FOUR SESSIONS DOING THIS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UM, THERE WAS A NUMBER OF BILLS RELATED TO SANEX STATION AND REGULATION IN WHAT'S CALLED THE EXTRATERRITORIAL JURISDICTION. UM, THAT'S THE AREA, RIGHT? CERTAIN MILES OUTSIDE OF THE CITY LINE. SO WE'RE ALLOWED TO DO SOME REGULATION IN. THIS IS GOING BACK TO, UH, TWO OR THREE SESSIONS AGO. THERE WAS THE ANNEXATION REFORM THAT NOW SAYS CITIES CANNOT ANNEX NEW PROPERTY WITHOUT THOSE THAT LIVE THERE BEING ABLE TO VOTE ON IT. BUT NOW YOU'RE SEEING THE NEXT TREND OF THAT WHICH WILL [00:25:01] ALLOW PEOPLE TO VOTE TO DESSAN X. AND THAT'S WHAT LAS CREEK IS GOING TO DO. AND THE, UM, THINK TANK THAT IS LEADING THE EFFORTS ON THOSE TYPES OF LEGISLATION SAYS THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING. AND THEY BELIEVE THAT THERE SHOULD BE A STATEWIDE MODEL FOR ALLOWING PEOPLE TO DESSAN FROM A CITY. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THERE WAS ALSO A LOT OF REGULATION RELATED TO ZONING AND HOUSING REGULATION, AS I TALKED ABOUT BEFORE. A LOT OF THIS IS RELATED TO THE CODE. NEXT STUFF ONCE. I'M SORRY GUYS. HOLD ON ONE SEC, BABY. LET MY, I KNOW SHE NOT WENT ANSWER. I KNOW. THANK YOU. GO TALK. GO ASK GRANDMA, PLEASE. THANK YOU. SORRY GUYS. . SO, UM, WE HAD A LOT OF, UM, BILLS RELATE THAT CAME OUT OF THE CODE NEXT, UM, WORK. AND THESE, SOME OF THESE WOULD'VE BEEN STATE LEASE, ALL WOULD'VE BEEN STATEWIDE OR APPLIED TO CERTAIN CITIES. AD REGULATION WOULD'VE BEEN STATEWIDE AND WOULD'VE ALLOWED ADU BY RIGHT. UM, THAT MADE IT ALL THE WAY TO THE HOUSE FLOOR AND FAILED ON A VERY CLOSE VOTE. YOU SEE THAT VOTE AT THE VERY BOTTOM THERE, 68 TO 70. THERE WAS MINIMUM LOT SIZE. THERE WAS, UH, EVICTION REGULATION, SOUND PREEMPTION, JUST A LOT. THEY, THEY'RE NOW THE LEGISLATURE IS WILLING TO GET INTO ZONING, WHICH IS A NEW ISSUE FOR THEM. I DON'T THINK WE'LL SEE THIS LED UP. NEXT SESSION. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UM, FOR THIS COMMITTEE IN PARTICULAR, I KNOW SHORT-TERM RENTALS IS OF ISSUE. AND THERE WAS, UH, LEGISLATION OF COURSE RELATED TO THAT THAT DID NOT PASS. NO SHORT-TERM RENTAL LEGISLATION DID PASS. IT IS A STATEWIDE ISSUE. NOW, UM, THE, THE SQUARE ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT, I FIND THE MOST INTERESTING. IT'S CALLED VALENTI BEACH. IT'S ACTUALLY A VILLAGE OF ABOUT 600 PEOPLE WHO, UM, WE CALLED IT THE VALENTI BEACH. STR BILL. THAT'S NOT WHAT IT JUST WAS, BUT IT WAS FILED BECAUSE VALENTI BEACH HAD BROUGHT FORWARD STR REGULATIONS AND THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM ODESSA KNEW A FAMILY THERE AND FILED THE BILL TO PREEMPT THEIR STR REGULATIONS. AND IT TURNED INTO A VERY HEATED HEARING, UM, THAT MADE THE TEXAS MONTHLY NEWS. ACTUALLY, THERE'S AN ARTICLE OUT THERE THAT MIGHT BE OF INTEREST TO SOME OF YOU ON THAT ISSUE AND HOW THIS REPRESENTATIVE WAS INVOLVED IN THAT ISSUE. UM, AND THEN THERE'S THE NEW, UM, WAVE OF WHAT'S NEXT AFTER STR. AND THAT'S THE ONE YOU SEE ON RESIDENTIAL AMENITY RENTALS. AND THAT IS A BILL THAT WOULD ALLOW PEOPLE TO RENT THEIR POOLS OUT FOR USE. AND SOME OF YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD OF, I BELIEVE IT'S CALLED SWIM LEAD OR SWIM LEAD. AND YOU CAN RENT OUT YOUR SWIMMING POOL FOR HOURLY DAYS, UM, FOR PEOPLE TO COME USE. AND THIS WOULD'VE ALLOWED THAT TO HAPPEN EVERYWHERE, UNREGULATED. UM, WE DON'T HAVE REGULATIONS RELATED TO THAT OTHER THAN ZONING IS WHAT WE USE AS OUR REGULATORY AUTHORITY. BUT THIS WOULD HAVE UPTURNED THAT AUTHORITY AS WELL. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UM, THESE, UH, BILLS DID PASS RELATED TO THAT YOU, THIS COMMISSION WILL CARE ABOUT. AND THAT'S ALLOWING MORE IN, UH, INCENTIVES FOR THE MOVING IMAGE INDUSTRY. AND UNFORTUNATELY, THE DRAG PERFORMANCES SB 12 PASSED, I'M NOT SURE WHERE THAT BILL IS RIGHT NOW IN LITIGATION. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND THEN THERE WERE SOME BILLS THAT DID NOT PASS. UM, MOST OF THE, MOST OF THOSE ON THERE ARE, ARE POSITIVE LEGISLATION, BUT WE STILL SEE THAT ISSUE RELATED TO HOW CITIES AND LOCALITIES CAN EITHER REMOVE MONUMENTS, UM, BECAUSE OF THEIR HISTORICAL, UM, ISSUES RELATED TO RACE OR, OR EQUITY RELATED TO THOSE MONUMENTS. UM, AND THE, THAT BILL WOULD'VE LIMITED OUR ABILITY TO DO THAT. YOU STILL SEE THAT ISSUE COMING UP. AND I THINK THAT'S MY LAST SLIDE. NEXT SLIDE. AND I'M READY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU SO MUCH, BRIE. AND A HANDFUL OF US HAVE YOUNG COWORKERS ON HAND, SO WE FEEL FOR YOU, UM, YOUR COMMISSIONERS. ANY QUESTIONS FOR BRIE? COMMISSIONER MARK, I, I'M VERY CURIOUS ABOUT THE VEGETATION BY, UM, TCL. WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT? SO, IF YOU REMEMBER DURING THE STORM THERE, THERE WAS A LOT OF, UM, DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW AE IS DOING THEIR VEGETATION MANAGEMENT, UM, AND WHETHER, HOW THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE STORM AND, AND HOW, WHETHER IT DID AND HOW SO. AND SO WHAT HER BILL SAID IS, IF WE DID NOT MEET VEGETATION MANAGEMENT GOALS AS DETERMINED BY THE PUBLIC U UM, THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION, THEN THIS, THEN AE COULD NO LONGER TRANSFER OVER TO THE CITY ANY AMOUNT OF ITS GENERAL FUND TRANSFER. UM, SO IT WAS A SIGNIFICANT [00:30:01] HAMMER THAT WASN'T QUITE RELATED TO THE GOAL. UM, BUT I THINK SHE SAW IT AS THE, AS AS HER WAY OF TRYING TO ADDRESS THAT ISSUE. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONERS. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH, BRIE. THAT WAS A VERY FULL PRESENTATION AND, UM, I APPRECIATE SOME OF THE REFERENCE POINTS. I'LL BE IN LOOKING AT A COUPLE OF THOSE ARTICLES YOU MENTIONED. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU. GOODNIGHT. OKAY, [7. Presentation by Matthew Hinsley on the history of Austin Classical Guitar] NEXT WE HAVE PRESENTATION BY MATTHEW HINSLEY ON THE HISTORY OF AUSTIN CLASSICAL GUITAR. MATTHEW, YOU'LL HAVE FIVE MINUTES AND THEN ABOUT FIVE MINUTES FOR Q AND AFTERWARD. THANK YOU. WELL, GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY. UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME HERE. UH, THANK YOU TO ALL THE COMMISSIONERS FOR YOUR SERVICE ON THIS COMMISSION. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER MOCK FOR THE INVITATION TO COME TODAY. AND COMMISSIONER ZIMAN FOR ADDING ME TO THIS, UH, AGENDA. UH, IT'S A REAL PLEASURE TO BE HERE WITH YOU. UM, I STARTED MY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION IN 1998. UH, I WAS 22 YEARS OLD. AND, UH, RECER RECEIVED OUR FIRST CULTURAL CONTRACT AT, AT AUSTIN CLASSICAL GUITAR, UH, IN SUPPORT OF OUR WORK IN PERFORMANCE ENGAGEMENT AROUND THE CITY, UM, SENDING, UH, YOUNG ARTISTS TO, UH, HOSPITALS AND, UH, RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES AND, AND, UH, SCHOOLS. UM, THAT'S A PROGRAM THAT, UH, THAT BEGAN IN 98 STARTED. UH, IT'S BEEN HAPPENING EVER SINCE. UM, WE'RE NOW DOING ABOUT 75 OF THOSE KINDS OF CONCERTS, UH, ALL AROUND THE CITY, UM, EACH YEAR AT THIS POINT. BUT, UH, BUT IT'S BEEN A WONDERFUL, UM, UH, JOURNEY WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN. I'M INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL FOR THE SUPPORT OF, UH, OF THE CITY FOR OUR WORK AT AUSTIN CLASSICAL GUITAR. UM, UH, EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM, UH, THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION, AND, UH, AND ALSO THE CITIZENS OF OF AUSTIN, TEXAS THAT HAVE SUPPORTED WHAT WE DO. UM, WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. UM, WE ARE AN ARTS, UH, PRESENTING ORGANIZATION. UM, WE TYPICALLY WILL PRESENT ARTISTS FROM BETWEEN 15 AND 20 COUNTRIES, UH, EACH YEAR. UM, AND, UH, WE HAVE BEEN, UH, UM, BUILDING, UH, UH, A SERIES OF, OF DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT KINDS OF, OF SERIES USING THE GUITAR AS SORT OF OUR FOCAL POINT. UM, ON THE UPPER LEFT, UH, FOR THIS PARTICULAR SEASON, YOU SEE REENA ESMAIL, WHO'S ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER CLASSICAL MUSIC COMPOSERS IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. UH, HER FORTE IS, UH, REALLY A FUSION OF HINDUSTANI AND WESTERN CLASSICAL MUSIC. UH, BUT SHE'S BEEN OUR ARTIST IN RESIDENCE THIS YEAR AND, UH, DID A MONUMENTAL PROJECT OVER A COURSE OF EIGHT MONTHS, UH, INVOLVING MANY OF OUR DIFFERENT CONSTITUENCIES. UH, WE'LL BE TALKING A LOT ABOUT OUR, OUR SERVICES, OR I WILL BE HERE IN JUST A MOMENT. UM, BUT THAT'S GIVEN US A WIDE FOOTPRINT IN TERMS OF OUR, UM, DAY-TO-DAY ENGAGEMENT WITH PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND SO, MORE AND MORE WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH OUR, UM, ARTS PRESENTATION IS FIGURING OUT WAYS THAT WE CAN NOT ONLY, UH, BRING IN A FABULOUSLY TALENTED ARTIST OR GROUP OF ARTISTS TO, TO PERFORM FROM THE STAGE, BUT ACTUALLY USE THEIR PRESENCE BEFORE THEY ARRIVE AND WHILE THEY'RE HERE TO ENGAGE OUR COMMUNITY IN CREATIVE WAYS. FOR EXAMPLE, RENA UH, MET WITH 65 DIFFERENT COMMUNITY MEMBERS, UM, FROM AGE 12 TO AGE 78, AND WORKED WITH THEM OVER AN EIGHT MONTH PERIOD OF TIME TO DEVELOP A PIECE TOGETHER THAT WAS CALLED PRESENCE. AND, UH, UM, WAS PRESENTED FOR ABOUT A THOUSAND PEOPLE AT THE AUSTIN ISD PERFORMING ARTS CENTER LAST MONTH. UM, BUT YOU SEE LOTS OF OTHER ARTISTS HERE, UH, FROM, UH, ALL AROUND THE WORLD, UM, THAT COME, UH, AND PERFORM ON OUR SERIES AND ENGAGE IN SIMILAR WAYS. JUST LAST WEEK, FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAD AN ARTIST FROM COSTA RICA, RIA MONTERO, WHO, UH, PERFORMED WITH FOUR OF OUR STUDENTS FROM, UH, ONE OF OUR HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS, SANTA CROCKETT HIGH SCHOOL. UM, UH, ALONG WITH, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, HIS SOLO, UH, PRESENTATION. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. COMMISSIONER MOCK, UH, WAS KIND ENOUGH TO COME TO A PERFORMANCE NOT LONG AGO AT OUR NEW VENUE. AND I'M REALLY, REALLY PLEASED, UH, THAT WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE THIS SPACE, UH, BETWEEN 2021 AND 2022. IT OPENED IN FEBRUARY OF 2022. SO WE'RE 25 MONTHS IN. IT'S CALLED THE ROSETTE. AND A ROSETTE IS THE ORNATE MOSAIC AROUND THE SOUND HOLE OF EVERY CLASSICAL GUITAR. YOU SEE ONE IN THE FLOOR THERE IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR LOBBY. UM, BUT THIS IS A WONDERFUL NEW SPACE. UH, IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY ENABLED US TO, UM, MORE THAN DOUBLE OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UM, UH, OUR ORGANIZATION IN THE FIRST YEAR. AND THEN MORE THAN DOUBLE THAT IN THE SECOND YEAR. IT'S ALSO A SPACE THAT'S VERY, VERY BUSY WITH OTHER ARTS ORGANIZATIONS UTILIZING IT. I'M REALLY PROUD OF THAT. UH, WE OPENED THE SPACE UP WHEREVER AND HOWEVER WE CAN. IT'S AN 85 SEAT SPACE AT AVENUE B AND 40TH STREET IN HYDE PARK. UM, AND IT'S WONDERFUL FOR FUNDRAISERS, IT'S WONDERFUL FOR BREAKFASTS [00:35:01] AND LEARNS AND LUNCH MEETINGS AND OF COURSE ARTS GATHERINGS AS WELL. UM, SO WE WORK REAL HARD TO, TO HAVE AS MANY ARTS ORGANIZATIONS IN THERE AS WE CAN. AND WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED WITH THAT. UH, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UM, THE BULK OF WHAT AUSTIN CLASSICAL GUITAR DOES IS BUILD SCHOOL-BASED GUITAR PROGRAMS. AMERICA DIDN'T HAVE THOSE BEFORE 2000 BY AND LARGE, AND WE HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO ADD FOUR CREDIT GUITAR TO AMERICAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS NEAR AND FAR. SO HERE IN AUSTIN IS SD, AS YOU SEE IN THE FIRST POINT THERE. UM, THERE'S ACTUALLY MORE STUDENTS ENROLLED IN OUR GUITAR PROGRAMS IN AUSTIN, ISD THAN IN ANY OTHER MUSIC PROGRAM BESIDES BAND. UM, IT'S NOW A MAJOR LEG OF THE TABLE FOR STUDENT FINE ARTS ENGAGEMENT ACROSS THE ENTIRE DISTRICT. WE BUILT PROGRAMS IN EVERY SINGLE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL IN AUSTIN. UM, AND WE HAD THE CHANCE IN 2010 TO ADD OUR HIGH SCHOOL BASED PROGRAMS TO THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM HERE AT GARDNER BETS. INITIALLY, TWO YEARS LATER, WE PARTNERED WITH AUSTIN ISD TO MAKE THAT THE VERY FIRST AND ONLY FOR CREDIT PERFORMING ARTS COURSE FOR INCARCERATED YOUTH IN THE HISTORY OF TEXAS. AND IT STILL IS. WE'RE NOW IN FIVE FACILITIES ACROSS THE STATE. UM, UM, AND THOSE, UH, LOTS OF AMAZING STORIES THERE. UM, SIMILAR STORY WITH TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. BUILDING A BRAILLE BASED LEARNING SYSTEM THAT'S ACTUALLY USED WORLDWIDE AT THIS POINT. THE CURRICULUM AND TEACHER TRAINING AND LEARNING INFRASTRUCTURE IS REALLY HOW WE SCALE. WE HAVE PARTNERS IN 45 TEXAS SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN 40 STATES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES NOW. SO WE'RE REALLY SEEING THE EDUCATION WORK, UH, GROWING IN, IN, IN HUGE WAYS. AND BECAUSE GUITAR WAS A NEW SUBJECT ENTIRELY IN, UH, SCHOOLS, UH, ALL OF THAT INFRASTRUCTURE HAD TO BE BUILT IN TERMS OF EVALUATIONS AND ASSESSMENTS. WE WORK PARTNERED WITH TEA AND WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR THAT NEXT SLIDE. WE'RE ALMOST DONE. UM, SO, UH, YEAH, WE WORK HARD AROUND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT. IT'S OUR PRIMARY MISSION. UH, WE DO IT AT A VERY LARGE SCALE AT THIS POINT. AND, UH, THERE'S QUITE A BIT OF RESEARCH AROUND THE BENEFITS OF FINE ARTS ENGAGEMENT FOR KIDS IN SCHOOLS. WE'VE BEEN A MAJOR PART OF AUSTIN ISDS, UH, STRATEGY FOR SPECIFICALLY, UH, ADDRESSING, UM, EQUITY AND ACCESS CONCERNS ACROSS THE DISTRICT. GUITAR IS INCREDIBLY POPULAR. WE'RE FULLY ENROLLED IN EVERY SINGLE TITLE ONE SCHOOL IN AUSTIN. AND, UH, SO AS WE'VE BUILT THOSE PROGRAMS, WE'VE BEEN A MAJOR PART OF AIS D'S STRATEGY FOR ENGAGEMENT, UM, GOING BACK NOW 15 YEARS. UM, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. JUST A REAL QUICK LOOK AT SOME OF THE RESULTS. I'M REALLY HAPPY WITH THE ECST, UH, UM, DATA GATHERING SYSTEM THAT THE MICHAEL AND SUSAN DELL FOUNDATION HELPED A ISD TO CREATE. BUT HERE YOU ARE. YOU CAN SEE, UM, GUITAR STUDENTS COMPARED WITH NON GUITAR STUDENTS MATCHED BY DEMOGRAPHIC AND CAMPUS AT 1700 PLUS STUDENTS ACROSS 21 CAMPUSES IN THESE PARTICULAR STUDIES ALONG THE TOP. AND YOU CAN SEE THAT ARTS ENGAGED KIDS, AT LEAST IN OUR PROGRAMS, ARE DOING A LITTLE BIT BETTER IN, UM, UH, IN THIS CASE. WE'RE LOOKING AT STAR TESTS ON THE LEFT, AND WE'RE LOOKING AT, UH, BEHAVIORAL REFERRALS AND SUSPENSIONS ON THE RIGHT. THAT IS, THAT IS CURRENT DATA FROM A ISD DOWN THE LOWER LEFT. WE DID A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF OUR INCARCERATED YOUTH AT GARDNER BETS OVER OUR SIX YEAR PERIOD AND GOT VERY SIMILAR RESULTS AS WELL. NEXT SLIDE. AND THIS IS THE LAST ONE. UM, HERE YOU JUST SEE, ACTUALLY SECOND TO LAST ONE, THIS IS, YOU CAN JUST SEE, UH, A GLIMPSE OF SOME OF THE IMPACT. YOU SEE PHILIP TAYLOR TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO FOR THE DISTRICT THERE AND, AND HOW IT'S GROWN ENROLLMENT, UM, AND HELP THEM, UH, ADDRESS SOME OF THEIR INCOME, THEIR, THEIR, THEIR GAP, UH, UH, ACCESS GAP, UH, CONCERNS. UM, BEAUTIFUL NOTE THERE FROM JUDGE DARLENE BYRNE ON JUVENILE COURTS AND WHAT SHE'S SEEN AS IN EVIDENCE WITH THE INCARCERATED YOUTH. UM, AND OF COURSE, GARCIA MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS TALKING ABOUT THE KINDS OF WORK THAT, UH, THAT WE'RE DOING. UH, LAST SLIDE, PLEASE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, AND HERE YOU JUST SEE A COUPLE OF SUCCESS STORIES. I WON'T GO INTO EACH ONE OF THEM, BUT I'VE BEEN AROUND LONG ENOUGH NOW THAT WE HAVE LOTS AND LOTS OF THESE. AND THESE ARE ALL INDIVIDUALS WHO STARTED WITH US IN MIDDLE SCHOOL OR HIGH SCHOOL WHO ARE NOW PROFESSIONALS IN OUR COMMUNITY. SUSAN DIAZ LOPEZ AND THE BIG PICTURE THERE. UH, WINNING AN AWARD THERE FOR HER WORK AT AIKENS HIGH SCHOOL. SHE STARTED WITH US WAY BACK AT MENDEZ. WENT THROUGH, UH, TRAVIS HIGH SCHOOL, WAS SCHOLARSHIP WINNER, WAS IN OUR, OUR SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS. WENT ON TO COLLEGE AND IS NOW SERVING IN THE DISTRICT. WE GOT FIVE OF THOSE ACTUALLY CURRENTLY IN THE DISTRICT THAT ARE GRADUATES OF THE PROGRAM. EVERYBODY ON THE RIGHT IS ACTUALLY ON MY TEAM, UH, BUT THEY, UH, STARTED OFF, UH, WAY BACK WHEN IN THE PROGRAMS. SO THAT'S PROBABLY WHERE I SHOULD STOP. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME, AND, UH, HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS ANYBODY MIGHT HAVE. COMMISSIONER MARK. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, MATTHEW, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. AND YOU FORGOT YOU FAILED TO MENTION YOU ARE A, A ELEVATE GRANT. ABSOLUTELY, WE ARE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, SO MM-HMM, , YOU KNOW, WE ARE FUNDING THIS WONDERFUL PROGRAM THAT TOUCHED SO MANY YOUNG LIVES, SO I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE MORE PRESENTATION LIKE THIS WITH PROGRAMS WHO HAVE TOUCHED SO MANY, UH, YOU KNOW, OUR COMMUNITY MEMBER IN DOING SUCH A WONDERFUL JOB WITH SO LITTLE MONEY. AND, UH, I WAS AT THE EVENT IS SUCH A INTIMATE 8 87 SEATS YEP. JUST ABOUT THAT IS [00:40:01] BEING REMODELED FROM A GYMNASIUM OF A SCHOOL. AND YOU FAILED TO MENTION THAT . SO THAT THAT CAN BE A VERY, YOU KNOW, SOURCE OF, UH, INSPIRATION TO MANY, UH, ART ORGANIZATION. AND, UH, SUCCESS STORY MEANT TO BE SHARED. MM-HMM. AND, UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. ABSOLUTELY. AND IT WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT. I HAPPENED TO BE OVER THERE AND THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I LEARNED ABOUT YOU. I'M SO SORRY TO SAY . SO I'M GOING TO LEAVE, UH, THE QUESTION FOR YOU, COMMISSIONER, AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE AND REALLY INSPIRING STORIES TO HEAR SORT OF THE DEPTHS OF THE PROGRAMMING THAT YOU'RE OFFERING. UM, I THINK IT'S, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TO HEAR FROM OUR, UM, OUR GRANT RECIPIENTS TO SEE WHERE AND HOW THE FUNDING IS MAKING AN IMPACT. COMMISSIONERS ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR MATT WHILE WE HAVE THEM? ONE MORE TIME? COMMISSIONER GRAY. I JUST GET SO EXCITED EVERY TIME I GET YOUR EMAILS , JUST TELL MUCH. OH, GOOD. YOU GUYS. AND I JUST KEEP GOING. WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING TOGETHER. YEAH, JUST THANK YOU. 'CAUSE IT EXCITES ME SO MUCH. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING. WELL, WE DEFINITELY DO. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU ALL. AND, UH, AND WE DEFINITELY VIEW OUR ROLE AS A, AS A VENUE OPERATOR AT THIS POINT. THIS IS A NEW, AND THIS IS DEFINITELY COMING AT A TIME ON AUSTIN STRUGGLES, ALONG THE LINES OF VENUES. UM, SO, UM, SO WE'RE HERE AND IF THERE'S A WAY WE CAN BE HELPFUL, WE WILL. TO THAT POINT, I WOULD SAY ANY, UM, PROMOTION OR AMPLIFICATION THAT YOU, YOU GUYS COULD USE ASSISTANCE WITH ABOUT VENUE RENTALS? YOU MENTIONED THAT THE SPACE IS AVAILABLE AND PROBABLY SITS EMPTY A GOOD PERCENTAGE OF THE TIME WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE LIVE PERFORMANCES. SEND THAT TO US. YOU HAVE A, A ROOM FULL OF ALLIES AND AMPLIFIERS AND I KNOW WE WOULD ALL LOVE TO SEE PLACES LIKE THIS REALLY THRIVE. SO, UM, PLEASE DO, YOU KNOW, ADD US TO YOUR LIST. SEND US INFORMATION THAT YOU NEED TO HELP SPREAD THE WORD WITH. 'CAUSE I KNOW ALL OF US WOULD BE HAPPY TO DO SO. COMMISSIONER HOUSTON, DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING? I JUST, I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU COMMUNITY MEMBERS FOR ALL THAT YOU DO. MM-HMM. , UM, YOU ALL HELP MAKE AUSTIN WHAT IT IS. ONE THING THAT, THAT WE HAVE BEEN ASKED TO ASK YOU TO DO FOR US IS PLEASE RESPOND TO THE SURVEYS ABOUT THE, UH, PANEL PROCESS AND THE GRANTS FUNDING. UM, IT'S HIGHLY IMPORTANT THAT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE BENEFITING FROM THESE PROGRAMS GIVE US FEEDBACK ON HOW WE CAN IMPROVE AND BE BETTER AT GIVING THIS MONEY OUT. BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOUR ORGANIZATIONS ARE, UM, FUNDED APPROPRIATELY. SO PLEASE RESPOND TO THE SURVEYS IF YOU CAN. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AN EXCELLENT POINT. COMMISSIONER HOUSTON, THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING IN OH, OH, COMMISSIONER MALDONADO. YES. I'M SORRY. WE CAN'T SEE YOU. GO AHEAD. SHOUT IT OUT. IT'S OKAY. I ALSO WANTED TO SHARE THE SAME SENTIMENT. THANK YOU, MICHAEL, FOR THE WORK YOU'RE DOING, UH, WITH MUSIC AND THE EDUCATION SYSTEM AND JUST ALL AROUND. I WAS JUST REALLY CURIOUS TO KNOW, UM, WHAT THE NUMBERS THAT YOU SHARED AS FAR AS HOW MANY SCHOOLS YOU'RE IN AND BEING IN THE GARDNER BEDS JUVENILE CENTER, UM, HOW MANY, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE YOU STAFFED WITH? AND I IMAGINE THEY'RE MUSICIANS, SO I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING TO HIGHLIGHT TOO, THAT YOU'RE CREATING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES. YEAH. RIGHT NOW ON THE TEAM IS 16 FULL-TIME AT ABOUT 50 CONTRACTORS. SO IT'S SIGNIFICANT, SIGNIFICANT TEAM. UM, THE, UH, CONTRACTORS ARE SPLIT ABOUT 30, UH, 30, 70, UM, 70 BEING ON THE PRODUCTION AND CREW SIDE NOW. AND THEN 30%, UM, MAYBE 35 ON THE EDUCATION CONTRACTOR SIDE. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN. MM-HMM, . THANK YOU, . THANK YOU SO MUCH. [8. Presentation by Allison Orr of Forklift Danceworks on attending the first-ever White House Convening on Arts and Culture] OKAY. NEXT, UH, NEXT WE HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM ALISON ORR OF FORKLIFT DANCE WORKS ON ATTENDING THE FIRST EVER WHITE HOUSE CONVENING ON ARTS AND CULTURE. ALISON, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING AND RELAYING TO ALL OF YOUR INVALUABLE DATA. YEAH. WELL, AND NICE JOB ON THE DATA, MATT. THAT WAS SOME BEAUTIFUL OUTCOMES THERE. UM, HELLO, I AM ALISON, OR A LONG TIME LOCAL ARTIST. THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS. MANY OF YOU I KNOW VERY WELL. AND, UM, I HAVE REALLY GOOD NEWS TO SHARE TODAY. UM, IT IS A REALLY EXCITING TIME IN OUR COUNTRY FOR THE ARTS, BELIEVE IT OR NOT. AND IT MIGHT EVEN BE A ONCE IN A GENERATION MOMENT. UM, I WAS INVITED TO ATTEND, UH, THE FIRST EVER WHITE HOUSE CONVENING ON THE ARTS AND CULTURE, UH, LANDSCAPE HERE IN THE UNITED STATES, PUT ON BY THE NEA AND THE WHITE HOUSE DOMESTIC POLICY COUNCIL. THIS WAS REALLY, UH, HAD BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR ABOUT A YEAR, BUT, UH, REALLY DIRECTED BY BIDEN'S MANDATE [00:45:01] ON ARTS AND CULTURE THAT HIS ART, HIS OFFICE RELEASED IN, UH, SEPTEMBER OF LAST YEAR, I BELIEVE. AND I'M ACTUALLY ASKED THIS, DID YOU ALL GET A CHANCE TO PRINT THOSE OUT? OH, YOU GOT THEM. SO, OH MY GOSH. WE HAVE A MANDATE FROM THE PRESIDENT ON THE IMPORTANCE AND VALUE OF ARTS AND CULTURE AND WHAT'S DIFFERENT THIS TIME. WE'VE ALL HEARD THIS BEFORE, RIGHT? WHAT'S DIFFERENT THIS TIME IS THERE'S MONEY COMING. AND SO I JUST WANTED TO, UH, TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY AND THEN BRAINSTORM WITH YOU ABOUT HOW WE TAKE THIS FORWARD ACROSS OUR CITY. OKAY. SO NEXT SLIDE. WE'RE NOT GONNA STAY ON VERY LONG, BUT I WAS INVITED TO LEAD A MOVEMENT MOMENT THAT IS THE ORA FAMILY FACIAL EXPRESSION I HAVE THAT I SOMEHOW HAVE GOTTEN FROM MY MOM AND DAD. BUT ANYWAY, THERE IT IS. SO I WAS GOT TO LEAD A MOVEMENT MOMENT FOR THE 400 ATTENDEES, WHICH INCLUDED THE SURGEON GENERAL. SO WE HAD BIG TIME, WE DID NOT HAVE JUST THE ARTS FOLKS HERE. WE HAD REPRESENTATION FROM ALL THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENTS, UM, ACROSS THE BOARD, HOUSING, UH, YOU KNOW, UM, TRANSPORTATION, UH, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, UM, ENVIRONMENT OF COURSE. AND SO I WAS ASKED TO, TO HELP PEOPLE KIND OF, UH, TAKE IN THE INFORMATION AND, UM, AND, AND LET A EXERCISE FOR US. SO WE CAN GO INTO THE NEXT SLIDE. OH, AND YOU CAN SEE THEM LOOK. YEAH. AND SO WE GOT TO MOVE A LITTLE BIT IN THINKING ABOUT THE POWER AND WHAT WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE REALLY HOPING WILL COME OUT OF THIS, UM, HISTORIC CONVENING. SO REALLY TO GET TO THE MEAT OF IT, WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. SO THIS WAS A RELEASE PUT UP OUT THE WHITE HOUSE, BUT JUST FOR YOU ALL TO SEE THAT THE INTENTION WAS TO BRING IN LEADERS OUTSIDE OF THE ARTS, RIGHT? SO TO BRING IN FOLKS IN LABOR AND PHILANTHROPY, OF COURSE, BUT ALL, ALL SECTORS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT REALLY TO PROMOTE THIS EXECUTIVE ORDER. YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE AND JUST TO SEE BRIEFLY THE KIND OF PEOPLE THAT WERE IN ATTENDANCE. SO YOU SEE MAYORS, YOU SEE, UM, UM, LIKE I, OH, OFFICE OF WATER, THEY, THEY ACTUALLY INTRODUCED A WHOLE NEW PROGRAM AROUND, UM, ARTIST RESIDENCIES AND CERTAIN WATERSHEDS IN THE COUNTRY. THE SURGEON GENERAL, WHO IS GREAT. HE IS TOTALLY ON OUR SIDE, BY THE WAY. HE REALLY BELIEVES THAT ARTS ARE CENTRAL TO HEALTHY LIVES IN A, IN A VERY TACTICAL, UH, WAY, NOT JUST TALK. UM, SO I WANTED YOU TO, AND, AND, UM, THE SECOND GENTLEMAN WAS PRESENT. SO A LOT OF REALLY GREAT SUPPORT FROM THE WHITE HOUSE AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. SO, UM, AND THEN NEXT SLIDE HERE. I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT A LITTLE ON AND JUST READ TO YOU A LITTLE UNDER THE EXECUTIVE ORDER. SO I THINK THE KEY THING TO TALK ABOUT TODAY IS ON THE THIRD PARAGRAPH, IT SAYS, UNDER MY ADMINISTRATION, THE ARTS, THE HUMANITIES AND MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES WILL BE INTEGRATED INTO STRATEGIES, POLICIES, AND PROGRAMS THAT ADVANCE THE ECONOMIC, DEVELOP WELL, DEVELOPMENT, WELLBEING, AND RESILIENCE OF ALL COMMUNITIES, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY BEEN UNDERSERVED. SO THIS COMES IN THE LIGHT OF THE RELEASE OF TWO MASSIVE, UH, AMOUNTS OF MONEY COMING DOWN FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT AND THE CLIMATE. I CALLING IT THE CLIMATE BILL. I'M SURE THERE'S A BETTER ONE. INFRASTRUCTURE. THERE WE GO. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. SO THESE ARE ONCE IN A LIFETIME AMOUNTS OF MONEY FOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND, UM, UH, WIDESPREAD, UM, WORKS OF ALL KIND ACROSS THE COUNTRY. AND WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS SAYING IS THAT ARTISTS NEED TO BE AT THE TABLE WHEN THESE MONIES ARE DEPLOYED. SO THIS IS WHAT IT, IT'S NOT MAKING THE BRIDGE LOOK PRETTY. THIS IS SO PEOPLE WALK ACROSS THE BRIDGE AND IT DOES NO HARM. WE'VE SEEN FEDERAL MONEY COME DOWN IN OUR COUNTRY HISTORICALLY AND DO DEEP HARM TO COMMUNITIES. JUST THINK ABOUT URBAN RENEWAL, RIGHT? SO THIS IS REALLY AN EFFORT BY THE PRESIDENT TO SAY ARTISTS, BECAUSE WE KNOW COMMUNITY, WE'RE DEEPLY ENGAGED IN ISSUES OF EQUITY, STORYTELLING, REPRESENTATION OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN TRADITIONALLY MARGINALIZED FROM, FROM POWER, FROM CITY, COUNTY GOVERNMENT. THOSE ARE THE COMMUNITIES. ARTISTS ARE OFTEN WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH THAT. WE ARE KEY PLAYERS. AND SO WHERE I NEED YOUR HELP IS GETTING FOLKS AT THE CITY TO UNDERSTAND AS THEY GO TOWARDS CLIMATE MONEY, TRANSPORTATION MONEY, HOUSING MONEY THAT'S COMING DOWN THROUGH THESE TWO BIG BILLS THAT ARTISTS NEED TO BE AT THE TABLE AT THE BEGINNING. WE'RE NOT COMING IN TO SING A SONG WHEN THE RIBBON IS CUT. WE'RE COMING TO TO DEVELOP WITH THE COMMUNITY HOW THESE PROGRAMS ROLL OUT SO PEOPLE RIDE THE BUS, RIGHT? SO PEOPLE, SO THAT, SO, YOU KNOW, SO THE TRAIL GOES IN AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE WAY THE NEIGHBORS WOULD ACTUALLY USE IT. SO YOU, AND SO FORKLIFT, WE WERE INVITED [00:50:01] BECAUSE WE HAVE A LONG HISTORY OF THIS CROSS SECTOR WORK. I'LL JUST SAY FOR A SECOND. WE HAVE A PERFORMANCE COMING UP WITH WATERSHED PROTECTION. WE WERE INVITED BY WATERSHED PROTECTION TO PARTNER WITH THEM OVER THREE YEARS TO HELP AUSTINITES UNDERSTAND OUR INCREASED RISK FOR FLOODING. WE'RE WORKING SPECIFICALLY IN DOVE SPRINGS, WHICH HAS ALREADY EXPERIENCED CATASTROPHIC FLOODING WITH LOSS OF LIFE, UH, IN 2013. UM, AND SO WE HAVE COMMUNITY MEMBERS, WATERSHED PROTECTION EMPLOYEES, LOCAL ARTISTS ALL COMING TOGETHER TO CREATE THIS PERFORMANCE APRIL 12TH AND 13TH. AND I'LL SEND YOU A LINK, BUT I THINK THAT IS WHY FORKLIFT WAS INVITED, BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS KIND OF CROSS SECTOR WORK. WE'RE NOW IN OUR EIGHTH COLLABORATION WITH THE CITY DEPARTMENT. AND THIS IS WHAT WE'RE THE PRESIDENT AND THE DOMESTIC POLICY COUNCIL ARE, ARE KNOWING WORKS. AND WE KNOW IT WORKS, RIGHT? WE, YOU ALL KNOW IT WORKS. THAT'S WHY YOU'RE ON THE COMMISSION. THAT'S WHY YOU SUPPORT ARTS AND COMMUNITIES. SO I THINK THE QUESTION NOW THAT I'D LIKE TO TURN TO YOU ALL IS WHAT, WHAT EFFORTS CAN BE TAKEN WITH CITY COUNCIL AND THE MAYOR TO HELP CITY DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP UNDERSTAND WHAT'S COMING AND HOW ARTISTS CAN BE, SHOULD BE, WILL BE INCLUDED AS THESE GRANT APPLICATIONS ARE, UM, SUBMITTED AND THESE PROGRAMS ARE DESIGNED. THAT'S WHAT I GOT FOR YOU. YEAH. REALLY INCREDIBLE. COMMISSIONER MOCK AND THEN COMMISSIONER SCHMUCK. WELL, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. I'M WONDERING IF YOU ARE AWARE THAT THAT NEUROLOGICAL ILLNESSES, UH, CAN BE SLOWED DOWN IF WE CONNECT OUR EMOTIONS WITH OUR COGNITIVE PROCESS. SO YOU WILL FIND PEOPLE WHO HAVE SERIOUS ALZHEIMER'S. MM-HMM. . BUT THEY CAN STILL BE A PROFESSIONAL, UH, ARTIST. MM-HMM. IT IS BECAUSE OF, THERE'S A DIFFERENT PART OF THE, THE, THE BRAIN, UM, THAT, THAT CONNECT THEM. ABSOLUTELY. SO I, SO, SO THIS IS NOT, I I AM NOT SURPRISED THE THE SURGEON GENERAL WAS THERE. YEAH. BECAUSE THIS IS NOT, YOU KNOW, JUST A ODD THING. MM-HMM. , THIS IS A HEALTH THING. IT'S ABOUT HEALTH. IT'S ABOUT USING ARTS AS A WAY OF PREVENTING NEUROLOGICAL ILLNESSES. MM-HMM. . AND ALSO I WOULD, YOU KNOW, VENTURE TO SAY THAT AI, WHAT AI CANNOT REPLACE IS OUR HUMANITY. OH, ABSOLUTELY. YOU KNOW, SO, SO, SO I THINK WE NEED TO APPROACH IT THAT WAY BECAUSE THIS IS REALLY ABOUT QUALITY OF LIFE. MM-HMM. AND USING ART, ANY ART FORM AS A WAY TO CONNECT THAT. WELL, AND, AND THE SURGEON GENERAL GAVE LOTS OF STATISTICS. SO WE DON'T NEED TO CONVINCE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, WE JUST NEED OUR CITY DEPARTMENT LEADERS HERE TO WORK WITH US. SO THAT WHEN TRANSPORTATION IS LOOKING AT, WHEN CAP METRO IS WORKING ON PROJECT CONNECT AND HOW THEY'RE WORKING ON THE ROLLOUT OF THAT, ESPECIALLY WITH PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, WHERE ARE THE ARTISTS IN THOSE BEGINNING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW THAT ENGAGEMENT ROLLS OUT? YEAH. SO, SO ART SHOULD BE IN EVERY YEP. SHOULD BE A THREAT IN, IN ALL OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE. ABSOLUTELY. MAYBE THAT'S HOW WE NEED TO APPROACH IT. MM-HMM. . YEAH. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER GRAY. THANK YOU. YES. AND I THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS WE CAN DO ACROSS THE BOARD, AND IT'S EVEN HAPPENING WITHIN AN ARTS FUNDING IN GENERAL, IT'S NOT ALWAYS WHO YOU'RE REACHING, IT'S HOW YOU'RE REACHING AND WHY IT'S LIKE THAT. BACK TO WHY IS THAT WORK? SO MANY PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE THAT MUSIC IS HEALING. THAT IF YOU LOOK INTO THE ARTS, ART IS OUR HEALTH. ART IS OUR HISTORY. ART IS HOW WE KNOW WHO WE ARE. MM-HMM. , THANK YOU SO MUCH ELSE. YEAH. YEAH, YEAH. YEAH. AND, AND WE HAVE PEOPLE. YEAH. AND HERE IT COMES, , HERE COMES ALL THIS MONEY. I KNOW THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING WITH THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY ON OUR RECENT $8 MILLION, $8 MILLION EPA REQUESTS THAT WENT OUT TO CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE WORK. AND WE ARE PROPOSING COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW, KIND OF ART ARTIST, ARTIST, CREATIVE BASED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AS PART OF THAT. YEAH. I'M GONNA CHECK IN WITH COMMISSIONER MALDONADO, OUR ARTIST, UH, COMMISSIONER, WHO HAS DIRECT CONNECTIONS TO CAP METRO. 'CAUSE UH, THEY'VE BEEN FACILITATING A LOT OF THE DECORATIVE ELEMENTS. BUT I MEAN, I THINK WE'RE, WE HAVE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT ARE ALREADY WORKING REALLY HARD TO SORT OF GET A SEAT AT THE TABLE IN ANY CAPACITY. AND SO THIS IS JUST MORE FUEL FOR THE FIRE COMMISSIONER, ALTHOUGH ONLY BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT ON SCREEN. I JUST WANNA CHECK IN WITH YOU IF YOU HAD ANY QUESTIONS FOR ALLISON. YEAH. SO ALLISON, I ACTUALLY HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF ATTENDING, UM, [00:55:01] SOME OF THE PROGRAMMING YOU'VE DONE IN DO SPRINGS. I WANT TO COMMEND YOU ALL. 'CAUSE I THINK, UM, SPEAKING ON WHAT, UM, WAS SAID EARLIER, WHICH IS HOW DO YOU DO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT? AND ONE OF THE LOVELY THINGS THAT I WITNESSED AT, AT THE PROGRAM THERE IN DO SPRINGS IS THAT THERE WERE STUDENTS INVOLVED, THERE WERE CITY EMPLOYEES INVOLVED, THERE WERE PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS, ALSO REALLY COOL MUSICIANS LIKE ORION . UM, AND, AND I THINK THAT JUST ALL AROUND IT WAS JUST, THERE WERE A LOT OF VOLUNTEERS AND IT WAS VERY WELCOMING. AND I THINK THAT'S HOW COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT HAPPENS WHEN YOU INTERSECT PEOPLE WHO MAY BE TYPICALLY WOULD NOT CROSS EACH OTHER'S PATHS. SO COMMEND, UH, FOR, FOR, FOR SHARING THAT AND, AND MODELING THAT FOR OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. I THINK AS FAR AS ARTISTS GO AND, UM, HAVING ACCESS TO THESE FUNDS OR GRANTS, WHATNOT, I THINK IT JUST ALL COMES DOWN TO, YOU KNOW, SPREADING THE WORD, UM, SUPPORTING THEM AND ALSO ENSURING THAT, UM, THAT THEY'RE EQUIPPED IN THE SENSE THAT THEY, THEY FEEL EMPOWERED TO BE ABLE TO FILL OUT THESE GRANTS OR THESE APPLICATIONS OR WHATNOT. AND SOMETIMES THAT MAY MEAN SOMEONE SITTING DOWN AND LOOKING OVER IT WITH, WITH THEM. SO JUST ALL OF US INVESTING SOME TIME AND ENERGY AND SUPPORTING ARTISTS ALL AROUND, UM, ESPECIALLY EMERGING ARTISTS OR ARTISTS THAT ARE, UH, ARE IN UNDERSERVED AREAS. SO, AND SO THESE, UH, UM, COMMISSIONER, JUST TO CLARIFY, SO LIKE THIS $8 MILLION EPA THAT JUST WENT OUT THROUGH THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY, THE, THE CITY IS PUTTING TOGETHER AN APPLICATION WHERE DIFFERENT COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS CAN APPLY UNDER THAT. SO NO, THESE ARE LIKE HU NO, FORKLIFT WOULD NEVER BE A LEAD ON ANY OF THESE APPLICATIONS. IT, IT WOULD BE TOO MUCH OF A LIFT. BUT, BUT, BUT WHAT I THINK WE NEED HELP WITH IS ALERTING THE DIFFERENT CITY DEPARTMENTS AS THEY PUT TOGETHER THESE MASSIVE APPLICATIONS FOR THIS MONEY THAT'S GONNA BE ROLLING OUT OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS. HOW THEY CAN ENGAGE WITH ARTS ORGANIZATIONS. THEY KNOW TO ENGAGE WITH LOCAL NONPROFITS, BUT THEY DON'T THINK OF ARTS ORGANIZATIONS AS NONPROFITS. WE ARE HOLDER, WE ARE HOLDERS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. THAT'S WHAT WE DO. SO THAT'S REALLY MY QUESTION TO YOU ALL. SO THERE IS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, COMMISSIONER MALDONADO, BUT I WOULD NEVER WISH THIS APPLICATION ON ANYBODY. THIS WOULD, YOU HAD TO BE A VENDOR. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING. YEAH, THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT. YEAH. YEAH. AND THAT'S THE TRICKY PART. COMMISSIONER MALDONADO, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT USED TO BEING IN THE ROOMS, RIGHT. ARTISTS AREN'T, I'M NOT CALLED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO COME HELP THEM WITH THEIR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN DOVE SPRINGS, BUT WE'VE BEEN WORKING THERE SINCE 2018, SO I HAVE TO CORRECT THEM THAT, NO, JUST BECAUSE WE'RE AN ARTS ORGANIZATION DOESN'T MEAN WE DON'T WORK IN SOCIAL JUSTICE AND AROUND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. SO I THINK THAT'S THE HELP THAT WE NEED FROM COUNCIL OF SOME KIND OF DOOR OPENER TO GET THE CONVERSATION STARTED. COMMISSIONER MOCK, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, SEEK THE GUIDANCE FROM THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIVISION. MM-HMM. . GREAT. UH, I'M WONDERING IF WE SEND A MESSAGE TO OUR COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, TO MAYBE ASK, BECAUSE WE ARE UNDER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, WOULD, WOULD, UH, WOULD IT BE, UM, RECEPTIVE FOR THE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE AT THE TABLE? YEAH. THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT WILL BE AT THE TABLE TO TALK ABOUT THIS $8 MILLION GRANT. SO IS IT TOO FARFETCHED? WILL YOU BE RECEPTIVE TO BE AT THE TABLE TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF OUR CREATIVE COMMUNITY COMMISSIONER? SMBA? UH, SHE'S TALKING, UH, UH, OUR, OUR STAFF WANTED TO TALK, I THINK, THINK COMMISSIONER S SPOCK HAS SOME ADDITIONAL PERSPECTIVE TOO. OH, I'M SORRY. OKAY. YEAH. I JUST WANTED TO, BECAUSE WE, SELENA AND I ARE CHAIRS. USMAN AND I HAVE MET WITH A FEW COUNCIL OFFICES MM-HMM. AS PART OF BUDGET MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS, ASKING ABOUT OUR BUDGET REQUESTS. AND WE HAVE BROUGHT UP THIS VERY THING, AND I THINK YOU'VE, YOU'VE CLARIFIED IT, BUT WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS THE MONEY THAT'S GOING TO BE COMING THROUGH THESE BIG FEDERAL PROGRAMS IS NOT GOING TO BE COMING THROUGH YOUR TYPICAL ARTS VENUES. RIGHT. THEY'RE NOT CO IT'S NOT COMING THROUGH THE NA, MAYBE SOME WILL COME THROUGH THE NEA, BUT THE BIG, NO, NOT MUCH DOLLARS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ARE COMING THROUGH MAJOR FEDERAL AGENCIES. AND IN THIS DOCUMENT THAT YOU SHARED [01:00:01] WITH US, ALLISON, THEY ASK FOR INTER-AGENCY COOPERATION. YES. SO I THINK WHAT, WHAT WE HAVE MENTIONED IS, IS IT WORTH GOING THROUGH CITY COUNCIL TO AT LEAST PUT SOMETHING INTO THE CITY BIG C WORLD TO SAY WE ARE LOOKING FOR THIS INTER-AGENCY COOPERATION SUCH THAT OUR ARTS ORGANIZATIONS AND OUR ARTISTS ARE INCLUDED WHEN JUST ON THE FRONT END? 'CAUSE MONICA SPOKE TO IT A LITTLE BIT, BUT LIKE, IF IT'S NOT WRITTEN IN, IF IT'S NOT THOUGHT ABOUT ON THE FRONT END OF APPLYING TO THESE MAJOR FEDERAL GRANTS, IT'S REAL HARD TO SLIP IT IN ON THE BACKEND WHEN IT, THE MONEY COMES IN AND SAY, OOPS, SHOOT, WE SHOULD HAVE REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT THE INCLUSION OF ARTISTS HERE. MM-HMM. , IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO GET THAT IN AFTER IT'S ALREADY BEEN IN THE PIPELINE. AND THE GRANT THAT ALLISON WAS MENTIONING, IT'S A BIG EPA NATIONAL GRANT ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY. THE TOTAL AMOUNT THAT YOU CAN GO FOR IS LIKE 20 MILLION. RIGHT. THERE'S AN 8 MILLION MINIMUM THAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH. RIGHT. SO LIKE THAT'S THE KIND OF LEVEL OF INVESTMENT THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, WHICH I THINK IS WHY ALLISON SAID IT'S A ONCE IN A GENERATION OPPORTUNITY. 'CAUSE THIS IS A LOT OF MONEY THAT'S GOING TO, THAT'S ALREADY OUT IN THE WORLD AND MORE IS GOING TO BE COMING. AND I THINK IT IS WORTH US MAKING A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL TO SAY, WE REALLY NEED TO THINK ABOUT THIS. WE KNOW THE LIMITATIONS OF HOT, WE DO NOT HAVE A LOT OF PUBLIC DOLLARS GOING INTO SUPPORTING OUR ARTS ORGANIZATION. AND THIS IS DIFFERENT. THIS ISN'T NECESSARILY COMMISSIONING YOU TO DO YOUR SHOW. RIGHT? NO. THIS IS ABOUT ALIGNING. IF, IF, IF YOU CAN BRING VALUE, PARTICULARLY IN TERMS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TO THE NEEDS OF THAT PARTICULAR TRANSPORTATION, CLIMATE RESILIENCE, HOUSING LOWERING EMISSIONS. AND THERE'S INCREDIBLE EXAMPLES LOCALLY OF ALL KINDS OF ORGANIZATIONS DOING THIS IN SMALL SCALES LIKE THIS INTEGRATION IS HAPPENING MM-HMM. . IT'S JUST NOT FROM A STRATEGIC CITYWIDE LEVEL. AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WITH THIS AS A, AS AN EXAMPLE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SAYING LIKE, OKAY, WELL WE HAVE THIS RESOLUTION FROM THE PRESIDENT THAT'S TALKING ABOUT INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION AND HOW ARTS NEED TO BE PART OF ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT PRIORITIES MM-HMM. . AND WHAT WE NEED IS LIKE A COMPARABLE DIRECTIVE ON THE CITY SIDE. YES. THAT WOULD BE GREAT. BUT THAT'S WHAT I JUST WANTED TO SHARE BEFORE ASKING IF OUR, SO NOVIA CAN SHARE WITH OUR, SORRY, BECAUSE WE HAVE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS. SO NOVIA HOLT REV, DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. YES. WE WOULD BE VERY RECEPTIVE AS I A REMINDER IN 2016, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AT THE TIME LED AN INITIATIVE SUCH AS EMBEDDING AN ARTIST WITHIN THE WATERSHED DEPARTMENT, WHICH LED TO A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OVER OFF OF THE LAKE THAT MEASURES THE LEVEL. SO WE HAVE ALWAYS FELT ARTISTS SHOULD BE AT THE TABLE AND WOULD BE VERY RECEPTIVE. OKAY. THEN IS IT OKAY FOR US TO SET UP SOME KIND OF A COMMITTEE AT THE COMMISSION LEVEL TO WORK ON THIS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE, THE STAFF OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS AT THE TABLE. UH, CAN WE SOMEHOW PASS A RESOLUTION OR SOMETHING? YEAH. YOU KNOW, BUT WE NEED SOMEONE TO DRIVE IT. SO CAN WE SET UP A, UM, SOME KIND OF A WORKFORCE TASK FORCE? WELL, I THINK WE'VE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS AROUND THIS IN PARTICULAR, UM, LEADING UP TO THIS PRESENTATION. HEIDI AND I HAVE BEEN IN CONVERSATION AGAIN DIRECTLY WITH COUNCIL STAFF IN REGARDS TO THIS, UH, DIRECT, UM, DIRECT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BUDGET, BUT ALSO THIS BIG PICTURE. YEAH. AND TO BRING IT TO THEIR ATTENTION AND TO SAY, HEY, LIKE THIS IS COMING DOWN FROM ON HIGH AND WE NEED TO BE LIKE FLUENT WITH THIS AND UNDERSTAND IT. SO NOT ONLY ARE WE VIABLE AND COMPETITIVE FOR THESE MONIES YEAH. BUT HEY, WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT IF THIS WAS LIKE A, YOU KNOW, TRICKLE EFFECT THAT THEN LED INTO ALL OF OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS? MM-HMM. AND ARTISTS WERE BUILT IN FROM THE GROUND FLOOR. THAT BEING SAID, HEIDI IS PREPARED, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE IN THEIR DAY JOB, THIS IS ALONG THE LINES OF WHAT THE WORK, IF NOT DIRECTLY IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU DO. SO WE, WHAT WE'RE THINKING IS, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY NEEDS TO DO THEIR PART AND START, YOU KNOW, COMMUNICATING WITH THEIR COUNCIL PEOPLE. BUT HEIDI HAS VOLUNTEERED TO WRITE A RESOLUTION THAT WE UNDER DISCUSSION AND ACTION NEXT MONTH CAN ALL SIGN AND GET ON BOARD AND THEN START TO SEND UP THE CHAIN. UM, AND I KNOW THAT, UM, UH, THERE IS STAFF THAT'S COGNIZANT OF THIS STUFF GOING ON. THAT'S GREAT. COMMISSIONER GRAY AND SOVIA SHOULD KNOW I ALWAYS LOVE TO TALK, SO JUST INVITE ME. IF YOU WANT ME TO COME LECTURE AT SOMEBODY AT THE CITY, I'LL AND YOU ALL AS WELL. YOU KNOW ME. SO I'M HERE TO HELP OR TO HELP SPREAD THE WORD OR, AND I ALSO HAVE CONTACTS, UM, UH, TO YOUR POINT, UH, COMMISSIONER MALDONADO CONTEXT TO PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WHO WILL HELP WRITE THESE GRANTS [01:05:01] AND COULD EVEN GIVE ARTISTS A LITTLE MORE CONTEXT. BUT WITH THE EPA, UM, AND WITH TRANSPORTATION SPECIFICALLY. AND I'M ALSO HAPPY TO WORK MY CONNECTIONS TO SUPPORT JUST GETTING FEDERAL ASSISTANCE IN TERMS OF UNDERSTANDING. MM-HMM. WHERE, WHERE, WHERE, WHERE THERE MIGHT BE CONFUSION, HAPPY TO DO THAT WE COULD ALSO CALL ON, AND RJ, WELL SHE MIGHT NOT ANSWER MARIA ROSARIO JACKSON, BUT I HAVE HER EMAIL. , SHE'S THE CHAIR OF THE NEA, SO, YEAH. ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU ALL. SHE'S A GENIUS. THANK YOU SO MUCH, ALLISON. AND YEAH, THANK YOU ALL. PLEASE BE IN TOUCH AND LET US KNOW. YEAH, I'LL EMAIL Y'ALL ABOUT THE SHOW TOO. THAT DEFINITELY. THANK YOU. JUST ONE MORE. SURE. COMMISSIONER GRAY. I JUST HAVE ONE COMMENT. IT MAY SOUND NEGATIVE OR IT MAY SOUND POSITIVE, BUT, UM, IN BEING AROUND THE DECADES THAT I HAVE, I THINK IT'S SO SMART WHEN I SEE SO NOVIA WALK UP, BECAUSE I DO BELIEVE WHEN YOU THINK OF CITY COUNCIL LISTENING TO THE ARTS COMMISSION TO GET ALL THIS DONE, I DO NOT BELIEVE, MY HEART DOES NOT BELIEVE THAT WILL HAPPEN AS A DIRECT SOURCE. IT WILL BE THROUGH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. AND I THINK WE ALL REALIZE THAT. AND FOR WHATEVER REASON, UNTIL WE CAN GET THE ARTS AS A LINE ITEM IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN ON ANY LEVEL, IT WILL ALWAYS GO THROUGH THE BACK DOOR OR THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR IN A DIFFERENT WAY. SO I THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS UP, AND IT'S BECAUSE IT IS, ART IS LIFE. LIFE IS ART. THINGS DON'T HAPPEN WITHOUT IT. MM-HMM. . AND WE'RE WORKING ON IT. BUT, UM, TO, TO THAT POINT, I THINK LAYERED, RIGHT? YEAH. TO TO DO THE, FOR SURE. TO GO THROUGH THE PROPER PROTOCOLS TO SAY, OKAY, THIS IS A RESOLUTION THAT IS FULLY SUPPORTED UNANIMOUSLY YES. NOT ONLY BY ARTS, BUT BY MUSIC TOO. YES. AND ACTUALLY ALLISON AND I ARE, DO YOU ARE, DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS TO GO PRESENT TO MUSIC? HEY, META, I'LL WORK WITH YOU ALL'S RECOMMENDATION. I WILL, I WILL BE IN TOUCH SOON. . I LOVE IT. UM, YEAH. YEAH. I, I, UM, FIRST OF ALL, VERY GLAD TO SEE REPRESENTATION FROM OUR COMMUNITY, UM, AT THIS EVENT. AND, UH, UH, DEFINITELY IN TERMS OF, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, I THINK, I THINK EVERYTHING'S ALREADY BEEN SAID, BUT IN TERMS OF THE MECHANISMS OF IT, I WOULD RELY ON EDD TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO PUSH THIS FORWARD AND, UH, YOU KNOW, LOOK FOR THEIR GUIDANCE ON THIS. AND THEN ALSO, OF COURSE, COMPLETELY SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, PUTTING A, A RECOMMENDATION FORWARD. YEAH. YEAH. I THINK THERE'S SOMETHING TO BE SAID ABOUT, UM, CONSENSUS MM-HMM. RIGHT. ACROSS COMMISSIONS THAT THEN TAKE IT UP TO STAFF WHO ARE MUCH MORE FLUENT AND KNOWLEDGEABLE AND EXPERIENCED. UM, YEAH. AND YEAH, THEY'RE PAID TO DO THE WORK, BUT WE, WE LOVE THEM AND WE WANNA SUPPORT THEM. AND SO ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO SHOP IT AROUND OR TO BE THE ROCK IN PEOPLE'S SHOE, WE'RE REALLY GOOD AT TOO. SO, UM, BUT YEAH, I THINK GOING THROUGH THE PROPER CHAINS OF COMMAND MM-HMM. , AND THEN JUST REALLY AMPLIFYING THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS, UM, CURRENT AND TIME SENSITIVE AND THAT WE NEED TO BE WORKING IN TANDEM WITH ACROSS ALL ARTS AND CULTURE. YES. SO, YES, PLEASE. I DON'T WANNA FINISH ON A DOWNER NOTE, BUT IT, WHEN I WAS READING THIS, IT DID START WITH LIKE, YOU KNOW, FIRST SENTENCE IS SOMETHING ABOUT CULTURAL VITALITY AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, AND THEN BONNIE, YOU, YOU TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WITNESSING LIKE THE LOSS TO SOME EXTENT OF CULTURAL VITALITY. AND WE ALL FEEL THAT AND, AND SEE IT AND EXPERIENCE IT IN OUR DAILY LIVES. AND THEN I WENT TO LOOK AT SOME OF THE DATA THAT WE HAVE ABOUT THAT ON SMU DATA ARTS AND SEEING LIKE HOW AUSTIN HAS RANKED SINCE SMU DATA ARTS STARTED DOING THIS, LIKE, RANKING OF, UM, ARTS VITALITY IN IN MAJOR CITIES. WE JUST FELL OFF, WE JUST FELL OFF THE LIST, LIKE FROM BEING IN THE TOP 20 SINCE THEY STARTED DOING IT. SO, SO IT'S NOT, IT'S JUST SOMETIMES THAT SORT OF RESEARCH AND DATA IS GOOD AT JUST PUTTING NUMBERS TO WHAT WE ALL ALREADY KNOW AND FEEL. BUT I DO THINK THAT LIKE, WE JUST HAVE TO UNDERSCORE THAT URGENCY. YEAH. BECAUSE IT IS LIKE, ONCE IT'S GONE, YOU CAN'T GET IT BACK. YEAH. SO THE URGENCY IS REAL. THANKS AGAIN. ALLISON. COMMISSIONER GRAY. I KNOW. I NEED TO SHUT UP. I'M SO SORRY. UM, SAME POINT HEIDI. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH, COMMISSIONER. IT'S, IT'S, I'LL NEVER FORGET THE LAST COUPLE, IF I KNOW IT WASN'T PROBABLY THE LAST BUDGET OR THE LAST CITY, UH, STRATEGIC PLAN, BUT I KNOW IT WAS AT LEAST TWO OR THREE YEARS AGO THAT BRAGGED ON THE AMOUNT OF ARTISTS THAT WE HAD AND HAVE, AND YET ART WAS NEVER PART OF THE AGENDA OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN, WHICH HAS ALWAYS FASCINATED ME. SO I'LL SHUT UP NOW, BUT THANK . YES. WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT WHEN WE GET TO THAT AGENDA ITEM. . OKAY. THANK YOU AGAIN. ALLISON BEING AUSTIN'S CHAMPION, AND [01:10:01] WE'RE GONNA HEAR MORE ABOUT IT AND IT'S GONNA BE FRONT AND CENTER. I HAVE FAITH. OKAY. WITH THAT, [9. Presentation by David Fuentes of Economic Growth Business Incubator (EGBI) on their services and programing.] WE HAVE A PRESENTATION BY DAVID FUENTES OF ECONOMIC GROWTH BUSINESS INCUBATOR ON THEIR SERVICES AND PROGRAMMING. I BELIEVE HE WILL BE JOINED BY MONICA PENA. UM, A LITTLE CONTEXT, I WAS CONNECTED WITH DAVID THROUGH THE HISPANIC AUSTIN LEADERSHIP PROGRAM. UM, I HAD PEOPLE COME AND SPEAK TO ME, AND WHEN THEY ASKED HOW THEY COULD HELP, I WAS QUICK TO SHARE THE TRANSLATION SERVICES AND THE ASSISTANCE WITH LANGUAGE ACCESS. UM, AND THEN IN MY INBOX, POP DAVID TALKING ABOUT THEIR ROBUST PROGRAMMING, UH, REGARDING ASSISTANCE FOR PROGRAMMING AND HOW THEY'VE HELPED IN THIS SPECIFICALLY WITH CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING BEFORE. AND THEY WERE A COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR, WHICH WAS A PROGRAM THAT SOME OF YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD OF, UM, JUST YET. BUT I THINK WE'RE GONNA GET YEAH. A PRESENTATION LATER. UM, BUT WITH THAT, I'LL LET YOU GUYS TAKE IT FROM THERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. NO, THANK YOU FOR THE INVITATION. UH, YEAH, IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE. UM, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME. AND SO AS, UH, I'M DAVID FUENTES. UH, I'M, I'M HERE WITH MY COLLEAGUE TODAY, MONICA PENA. WE'RE REPRESENTING THE ECONOMIC GROWTH BUSINESS INCUBATOR. UM, AND SO IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE HEARING EVERYONE BEING IN THIS SPACE. RIGHT. WE ARE SEEING AWESOME BE, UH, WE WANNA KEEP IT A CREATIVE HUB, AND WE FEEL EVERYONE HAS A ROLE TO PLAY THERE. AND SO OUR ROLE TO PLAY IS TO PROVIDE TRAINING, COACHING, AND SUPPORT TO SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS. UH, WE'VE HAD SEVERAL CLIENTS HAVE COME TO US WHO ARE CREATIVES. RIGHT? BUT SOMETIMES THERE'S A LOT OF HATS THAT YOU HAVE TO WEAR AS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, AND THEY MIGHT NOT SEE THEMSELVES IN THAT ROLE. UH, AND SO WE'RE A GOOD PLACE TO START. WE WORK WITH FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED. AND SO WHETHER IT BE A LANGUAGE BARRIER OR AN INFORMATION BARRIER OR AN ECONOMIC BARRIER, UH, WE HELP FROM THE START, FROM THE START STAGE TO THE IDEA STAGE AND ALL THE WAY TO THE GROWTH STAGE. AND WE DO THAT THROUGH A VARIETY OF PROGRAMMING, UH, THROUGH TRAINING AND COACHING. AND I'LL LET MY, UH, MY COLLEAGUE HERE EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS AND WAYS THAT WE CAN SUPPORT OUR, OUR CREATIVE COMMUNITY HERE IN AUSTIN. YEAH. SO, SO DEFINITELY WE WORK ON ELIMINATING BARRIERS. THAT'S PART OF OUR MISSION. AND EVERYTHING WE DO IS IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH. WE'VE BEEN VERY INTENTIONAL BY, BY THE TIME YOU WALK THROUGH OUR DOORS, EVEN OUR MISSION AND VISION, UM, AT THE FRONT OF THE DOOR IS IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH. AND WE HAVE A CULTURE THAT WHEN SOMEONE WALKS IN THE DOOR, EVERYONE FEELS WELCOMED. AND, AND BARRIERS CAN COME IN MANY WAYS. IT COULD BE LANGUAGE, CULTURE, UM, EDUCATION AND, AND ECONOMICS. SO WE, WE TRY TO FACE, UM, HELP OUR CLIENTS WITH THOSE FACE THOSE BARRIERS. WE ALSO, UM, WE ARE VERY HAPPY THAT WHEN THEY WALK IN, THEY GET A WHOLE TEAM. SO WE HAVE AN EXPERT THAT WILL HELP 'EM FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THEIR NUMBERS. IF, IF THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THEIR NUMBERS, THAT'S A BARRIER. AND SO WE HAVE A COLLEAGUE THAT'S REALLY GOOD AT MAKING THEM FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THAT. I HELP OUR CLIENTS WITH THEIR MARKETING, AND THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY FOR CREATIVES, BECAUSE MANY TIMES THEY CAN BE CONFUSED AS THEY'RE, UM, DOING A HOBBY. AND NO, IT'S NOT A HOBBY. IT'S THE WAY THEY MAKE, THEY MAKE THEIR LIVING. AND SO UNDERSTANDING THOSE NUMBERS, BEING ABLE TO BRAND THEMSELVES IN A WAY THAT, UM, THEY'RE TAKEN MORE SERIOUSLY. AND SO I'M HERE ALSO TO SHARE ONE OF OUR PROGRAMMING. WE, WE STARTED THIS YEAR MARKETING ROUNDTABLE WITH, UM, THE VISION FOR THAT IS THAT WE MEET ONCE A MONTH, AND BY THE END OF THE, THE YEAR, THEY WOULD'VE IMPROVED THEIR MARKETING EFFORTS 12 TIMES OVER. AND, UM, IT'S NOT ABOUT ME BEING UP THERE TELLING THEM WHAT TO DO. WE, WE, WE MEET AS A COMMUNITY AND EVERYONE SHARES THEIR EXPERTISE OR THEIR EXPERIENCES, AND, UM, THEY MOVE FORWARD WITH ONE TAKEAWAY EACH, UM, EACH MONTH. AND WE STARTED WITH THEIR ELEVATOR PITCH. AND IF THEY CAN'T, UM, REALLY, UM, COMMUNICATE WHAT THEIR MESSAGE IS, THEN THEY GET LOST IN THE SHUFFLE. SO WE STARTED WITH THE BASIC, AND, UM, OUR CLIENTS HAVE IMPROVED REALLY QUICKLY. AND, AND IT'S ONLY BE THREE MEETINGS THAT WE'VE HAD. SO, UM, THERE'S MANY WAYS. THERE'S MANY OTHER PROGRAMMING THAT WE'RE SHARING THIS YEAR. AND, AND, AND, BUT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR, WE, WE BUILD A LOT OF COMMUNITY IN, IN OUR SPACES. SO OUR BUSINESS OWNERS ARE CONNECTING WITH EACH OTHER. THEY'RE A RESOURCE FOR EACH OTHER AND, AND, UM, THEY BUY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES FROM EACH OTHER AS WELL. YEAH. AND, AND WE NEVER WANT THE TRAINING TO BE PASSIVE. SO THEN ANOTHER PROGRAM THAT WE OFFER IS ONE-ON-ONE COACHING. UM, AND SO WE HAVE A VARIETY OF FUNDING SOURCES THAT COVER THE COST FOR COACHING. AND SO THAT'S AT NO COST TO THE, [01:15:01] TO PEOPLE LIVING WITHIN THE CITY AND LIMITS AS WELL AS, UH, UH, THE SURROUNDING COUNTIES. UH, BUT YEAH, WE DON'T, WE NEVER WANT THAT TO BE PASSIVE, AND IT TAKES A LOT OF TRUST. SO PART OF THAT COACHING IS WITH THE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AND JUST BEING INFORMED. UM, AND WE, WE HAVE TONS OF PROGRAMMING THAT WE'RE EXCITED FOR THAT I FEEL WE CAN REALLY, REALLY FIND WAYS TO COLLABORATE WITH Y'ALL. AND SO REALLY WHAT WE NEED HELP WITH IS, IS TO, FOR THAT COMMUNITY OUTREACH TO GET INTO THE CREATIVE COMMUNITIES AND, AND WE'RE COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND WE'RE FUNDED BY SOME, YOU KNOW, TAX DOLLARS. AND SO WE'RE HERE TO, TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY. UH, I KNOW SOMETIMES IT'S VERY HARD FOR CREATIVES TO THINK OF THEMSELVES AS SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS. AND THAT'S REALLY WHERE WE, WHERE WE COME TO KIND OF MEET THAT GAP. MM-HMM. . AND, AND WE ALSO WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF CITY OF AUSTIN, BECAUSE THEY MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO BE ABLE TO OFFER THAT. UM, ONE-ON-ONE COACHING AT NO COST, WHICH IS SOMETHING HUGE FOR OUR CLIENTS BECAUSE, UM, WE GO AT THEIR PACE, UM, DEPENDENT, YOU KNOW, SOME, SOME BUSINESSES WHEN THEY GET STARTED, THERE'S FOUR STEPS FOR THEM TO REACH A CERTAIN LEVEL. SOME INDIVIDUALS IT'S 25. AND SO WE MEET THEM WHERE THEY'RE AT, AND WE DO REALISTIC GOALS, AND WE DO HAVE SOME FLYERS THAT WE HOPE TO PASS OUT IF THAT, IF THAT'S OKAY. MM-HMM. . CAN I GO, GRAHAM? OH, YEAH. AND THEN, YES. AND THEN WE DO HAVE OUR 90 DAYS TO SUCCESS COMING UP, AND IT'S FOR, FOR BUSINESSES THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A YEAR OR MORE, AND THEY HAVE A BARRIER TO SUCCESS. AND SO, UM, SO ACTUALLY OUR 90 DAYS TO SUCCESS PROGRAM IS 120 DAYS, BECAUSE THE FIRST 30 DAYS THEY'RE FIGURING OUT WHAT THAT BARRIER IS. AND AS, AS A GROUP, THEY FIGURE OUT WAYS TO OVERCOME THAT. MM-HMM. , DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE TO SAY? YEAH, I THINK THAT'S IT. DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? MM-HMM. . HI, THIS IS COMMISSIONER MALDONADO. I WAS JUST CURIOUS TO KNOW, DO Y'ALL HAVE DATA THAT CAN BE SHARED OR THAT CAN BE SENT TO US JUST TO LOOK AT HOW MANY BUSINESSES YOU'VE SERVED AND WHAT YOUR SUCCESS RATE IS, UH, DEMOGRAPHIC DATA, ET CETERA? YES. IS THAT AVAILABLE ONLINE OR SOMEWHERE? YES, AND WE DO. AND, AND ACTUALLY IN, IN LAST YEAR, WE SERVED AROUND 426 BUSINESS OWNERS. WE WERE ACTUALLY NAMED BY AUSTIN BUSINESS JOURNAL AS NUMBER ONE INCUBATOR IN AUSTIN BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF BUSINESSES WE SERVED. AND MOST OF OUR CLIENTS ARE LIFESTYLE BUSINESSES. AND SO THEY'RE REALLY THE MOM AND POP, OR WE, WE HAVE QUITE A BIT OF CREATIVES THAT WE WORK WITH. ONE OF OUR, UM, BUSINESSES IS, UM, SOCIAL JUSTICE JURY, AND IT'S ELAINE HUDSON AND, AND JUST BEAUTIFUL PRODUCT. OUR CLIENTS ARE THE BEST IN WHAT THEY DO. WE JUST HELP THEM, UM, FOCUS ON THE BUSINESS SIDE. HOW WOULD YOU SAY IS THE, UM, THE PRIMARY SOURCE ON HOW BUSINESSES LEARN ABOUT YOUR SERVICES OR YOUR PROGRAMS? WE TRY TO, UM, DO GRASSROOTS EFFORTS, BUT, UM, THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS, HAS HELPED US GET THE WORD OUT AS WELL. AND THEN, UM, WE GO THROUGH SCHOOLS AND, AND OUR CLIENTS COME BACK WITH THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILIES THAT ALSO WANNA START BUSINESSES. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER GRAY. YES. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS, THIS IS WONDERFUL. UM, PROBABLY YOU PROBABLY DO THIS OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD, BUT JUST IN GENERAL, OF OF BUSINESS OWNERS THAT YOU THINK ABOUT IN THAT CREDIBLE NUMBER OF 426 ORGANIZATIONS AND PEOPLE THAT YOU'VE HELPED, HOW MANY OF THOSE ARE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS? UM, SO WE FOCUS ON BUSINESS, UM, UM, BUSINESSES, NOT NONPROFITS. WE WILL HELP 'EM TO A CERTAIN DEGREE, BUT THERE'S OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT CAN HELP 'EM BETTER. OKAY. MM-HMM. . OKAY. I JUST WANTED TO BE SURE THAT 'CAUSE A NONPROFIT IS A BUSINESS, SO I JUST WANTED TO BE SURE THAT THAT'S, AND THEY SHOULD RUN AS A BUSINESS AS WELL. OKAY. YEAH. OKAY. SO, AND WE TRY TO LEAD WITH EXAMPLE, AND SO WE'RE REALLY, UM, COST CONSCIOUS AND, AND, UM, EVERYTHING WE DO IS TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE. COOL. CAN I ASK YOU WHY YOU DON'T WORK WITH MORE NONPROFITS AS, BECAUSE THEY ARE THE A BUSINESS MODEL? MM-HMM. . OH, THE REASON I ASK THAT QUESTION IS THAT, UH, MANY RESOURCES SEEM TO BE HERE IN AUSTIN AND INCREDIBLE AND WONDERFUL TO HELP NEW ORGANIZATIONS, NEW STARTS, NEW CREATIVES START THEIR THING. BUT WHAT AUSTIN HAS GROWN THROUGH IN THE LAST FEW YEARS ARE MANY ORGANIZATIONS, NONPROFITS AND CREATIVES THAT HAVE BEEN HERE, THAT THEIR BUDGETS HAVE DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY BECAUSE OF THE CITY GROWTH, ECONOMIC DEVELOP, I MEAN, ALL OF THE ABOVE COVID, IT COULD BE ALL KINDS OF THINGS. AND, UM, ORGANIZATIONS THAT MAY HAVE BEEN AROUND [01:20:01] A LONG TIME NEED NEW HELP IN WHAT THE NEW ATMOSPHERE AND ENVIRONMENT IS. SO THAT'S THE QUESTION AROUND THE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. YEAH. I THINK YOU ANSWERED MY QUESTION. WE'LL HELP 'EM WITH UNDERSTANDING THEIR NUMBERS AND, AND, AND THEIR MARKETING EFFORTS TOO, TO GET THE WORD OUT. GREAT. MM-HMM. AND, AND, AND A FUND AND FUNDRAISING AS WELL. GREAT. SO YOU DO WORK WITH NONPROFITS? YES, WE DO. WE WILL SAY JUST NOT MANY RIGHT NOW. YES. OKAY. OUR FOCUS HAS REALLY BEEN ON BUSINESS OWNERS. OKAY, GREAT. THANK YOU. SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A LOT OF CROSSOVER AND, AND THERE CAN DEFINITELY, YEAH. APPLICABLE SKILL SETS AND DEVELOPMENT THAT CAN HAPPEN. AND I, UM, I'M GONNA YIELD TO COMMISSIONER SMALL ABOUT CARE, BUT DAVID MENTIONED TO ME THAT, UM, YOU GUYS ALSO ASSIST WITH THE MINORITY OWNED AND WOMEN OWN, UM, ACCREDITATION THAT IS OFFERED TO SMALL BUSINESS, WHICH I THINK IS A REALLY, UH, IMPORTANT, UM, MONIKER TO HAVE ON YOUR BUSINESS. SO I THINK WE CAN BOTH TOUCH ON THAT. UH, SO WE DO PROVIDE THAT SERVICE, RIGHT, AS THE MINORITY CERTIFICATION ENTERPRISE AND ALSO THE WOMEN BUSINESS ENTERPRISE. UH, AND SO WE HELP KIND OF WITH THE, THE, THE GUIDELINES. THERE'S A CHECKLIST THAT THAT'S PROVIDED, UH, AS WELL AS AFTER YOU GET THE CERTIFICATION AND THERE'S TONS OF PAPERWORK THAT GOES WITH IT, RIGHT? UM, AND, UM, WE FOUND A LOT OF NEED. THERE'S NOT THAT MANY SPANISH RESOURCES FOR THAT PROCESS, WHICH IS REALLY WHERE WE'VE PROVIDED THE MOST SUPPORT, AS WELL AS WHAT DO YOU DO WITH IT ONCE YOU, ONCE YOU ACTUALLY HAVE IT, RIGHT? AND SO WE HELP, UH, FOLKS KIND OF NAVIGATE THE PORTAL TO REALLY GET THOSE CONTRACTS AND TO GROW THEIR BUSINESS AS WELL AS FOR THEIR MARKETING EFFORTS. YEAH. SO, SO AGAIN, FOR THEM TO BE, IT CAN BE A MARKETING TOOL BECAUSE IT MAKES 'EM LOOK MORE SERIOUS. MM-HMM. AS, AS A CERTIFIED BUSINESS, WE DO, WE, UM, ONE EXAMPLE IS WE HAD A CLIENT THAT SHE WOULD COME TO OUR OFFICE EVERY WEEK AND WE WOULD HELP HER TRY TO GET HER CERTIFICATION. AND IT'S A LONG PROCESS. AND, UM, SHE HAD COME TO US FOR SEVERAL MONTHS AND FINALLY, YOU KNOW, ONE DAY SHE CAME INTO OUR OFFICE AND SHE SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT? I DON'T WANNA BOTHER YOU GUYS ANYMORE. AND, AND WE ENCOURAGED HER TO CONTINUE IN THAT JOURNEY. AND, AND TWO MEETINGS LATER, SHE GOT HER CERTIFICATION. SO WE, WE DO, WE TAKE OUR CLIENTS AS MANY STEPS AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO CONTINUE. AND, AND I, I'D JUST LIKE TO ADD TOO, PART OF WHAT WE DO IS THAT RIGHT? THAT COMMUNITY, WE INVITE FOLKS OVER, BUT WE PUT THEM IN THE SAME ROOM AS THE CONTRACTORS, WHICH THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT'S FORMING THAT CONNECTION AND, AND GETTING TO KNOW THE BUSINESS OF OWNER ONE-ON-ONE, THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE SMALL BUSINESSES HAVE AN ADVANTAGE, RIGHT? IS WHEN THE SMALL BUSINESS OWNER IS THE COMPANY, IS THE BRAND. SO PUTTING THEM IN THE SAME ROOM WITH THE CONTRACTORS IS ALSO ANOTHER WAY TO MM-HMM, COMMISSIONER, SMALL OF COMMENT. I DIDN'T HAVE A QUESTION. JUST THAT THERE ARE ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY THREE FIVE STAR GOOGLE REVIEWS ON YOUR SERVICES, SO THERE'S ANOTHER DATA POINT. . THANK YOU. WONDERFUL. COMMISSIONERS, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. PLEASE DON'T BE A STRANGER. PLEASE EMAIL US ALL KINDS OF STUFF LIKE THIS. WE WILL HELP AMPLIFY THE OPPORTUNITIES TO OUR COMMUNITY. UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU GUYS THRIVE AS WELL, AND WE'RE VERY APPRECIATIVE FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT STOOD OUT TO ME IS THAT YOU ANSWER THE PHONE IN SPANISH. AND I FEEL LIKE I LOVE THAT THAT IS SUCH A WELCOME SOUND FOR SOMEBODY THAT'S ALREADY STRUGGLING WITH LANGUAGE ACCESS, UM, ISSUES. SO THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO. PLEASE DON'T BE A STRANGER. THANK YOU. GREAT. THANK YOU GUYS. THANK YOU. SO INVITATION. YES, ABSOLUTELY. THANKS GUYS. OKAY, GREAT. UH, NEXT [10. Presentation by Amanda Johnston, Founder and Executive Director of Torch Literary Arts on the impact the Thrive Grant has made on Torch Literary Arts and the growing community of writers they serve.] WE HAVE PRESENTATION BY AMANDA JOHNSON, FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF TORCH LITERARY ARTS ON THE IMPACT OF THE THRIVE GRANT THAT HAS MADE ON THE TORCH LITERARY ARTS AND GROWING COMMUNITY OF WRITERS THAT THEY SERVE. WELCOME, AMANDA. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REACHING OUT. HELLO. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. UM, I DO HAVE SOME BROCHURES TO PASS OUT. I'LL DO THAT AFTER, UM, MY PRESENTATION, BUT I WANNA START FIRST WITH STORY. AGAIN, MY NAME IS AMANDA JOHNSTON. I'M THE FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF TORCH LITERARY ARTS. UM, I WAS RAISED HERE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, AND, UM, I, I STARTED WRITING EARLY ON IN MY LIFE, THANK YOU TO MY MOTHER, SUSAN EGAN, FOR GIVING ME BOOKS AND POETRY TO READ. UM, BUT I DEFINITELY CREATED TORCH IN 2006 TO FILL A NEED TO SUPPORT UNDERREPRESENTED AND MARGINALIZED BLACK WOMEN WRITERS HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS, BUT ALSO AROUND THE WORLD. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO YOU CAN READ MORE, UM, ABOUT THE DETAILS OF TORCH. BUT IN 2006, LIVING HERE IN IN AUSTIN, I HAD BEGUN WRITING MORE, DOING MORE, GETTING MORE OPPORTUNITIES. AND A FRIEND ASKED ME, ACTUALLY, YOU MIGHT KNOW HER, SUSAN POST, A BOOK WOMAN LONGTIME [01:25:01] FRIEND AND, UM, COMMUNITY PARTNER WITH TORCH LITERARY ARTS ASKED ME WHY I WAS ALWAYS GOING SOMEWHERE ELSE TO PRESENT OR TO READ, AND WHEN WAS I GONNA DO MORE THINGS HERE? AND THE SAD TRUTH WAS THAT THE OPPORTUNITIES WEREN'T HERE, UH, ESPECIALLY THE OPPORTUNITIES TO CREATE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OTHER PEOPLE OF COLOR, ESPECIALLY BLACK WRITERS. UH, SO I FOUND MYSELF LEAVING TEXAS TO GO AND BE A PART OF INCREDIBLE ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE APPALACHIAN POETS AND KAVE KA, WHICH I WAS A PART OF, RECEIVED A FELLOWSHIP AND THEN SERVED ON THEIR BOARD OF DIRECTORS, UM, AS A NATIONAL ORGANIZATION AMPLIFYING AND SUPPORTING THE LEADING, UH, BLACK POETS OF OUR TIME. UH, MY THOUGHT WAS, WHY CAN'T WE HAVE THAT HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS? WHY CAN'T WE CREATE A SPACE THAT SUPPORTS, UH, BLACK WOMEN WRITERS WHO LIVE HERE, UM, WHO ARE VERY EMERGING WRITERS, UM, ALL THE WAY TO EXPERIENCE CHAMPION CELEBRATED AUTHORS, UM, WHY CAN'T WE HAVE A SPACE THAT FOCUS ON THEM HERE IN THE GREAT CITY OF AUSTIN? UM, I WAS FORTUNATE TO HAVE THESE OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD MY CAREER. UM, I'M ALSO YOUR 2024 TEXAS POET LAUREATE, UH, . THANK YOU. I AM THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO HOLD THAT TITLE FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS. IT IS NOT LOST ON ME, UM, HOW SIGNIFICANT THAT IS, AND THAT MY PRESENCE ALONE MAKES IT VISIBLE FOR OTHER BLACK WOMEN WRITERS TO SEE THEMSELVES IN A POSITION SUCH AS THE TEXAS STATE POET LAUREATE. WE HAVE TO HAVE SPACES LIKE TORCH, WHERE FIRST YOU SEE YOURSELF TO KNOW WHAT YOU CAN BECOME. WE HAVE WRITERS WHO'VE COME THROUGH TORCH LITERARY ARTS, SUCH AS SHARON BRIDGEFORTH, INCREDIBLE WOMAN WHO INSPIRED AND TAUGHT ME HERE AS A MENTOR. SHE WAS FEATURED IN OUR VERY FIRST ISSUE OF OUR ONLINE MAGAZINE, TORCH MAGAZINE. UM, EBONY STEWART, INCREDIBLE WRITER FROM HOUSTON, WHO LIVED HERE IN AUSTIN AS WELL, CONTINUES TO COME BACK AND SUPPORT US, AS WELL AS, UM, YOU KNOW, NOTABLE AUTHORS LIKE SAPPHIRE, AUTHOR OF PRECIOUS. SHE WAS OUR JANUARY FEATURE THIS YEAR. UM, SO FROM OUR ONLINE DIGITAL MAGAZINE TO THE IN-PERSON EVENTS THAT WE DO IN THIS CITY, WE ARE BECOMING A GLOBAL RESOURCE AND DESTINATION FOR BLACK WOMEN WRITERS, BUT FOR ALL LOVERS OF LITERATURE. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. TONY MORRISON'S FAMOUS QUOTE, IF YOU ARE FREE, YOU NEED TO FREE SOMEBODY ELSE. IF YOU HAVE SOME POWER, THEN YOUR JOB IS TO EMPOWER SOMEBODY ELSE. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE COMMISSION. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE THE FUNDING AND ENCOURAGE CITY COUNCIL TO SUPPORT FUNDING FOR ORGANIZATIONS LIKE TORCH SO THAT WE CAN DO JUST THAT FREE SOMEONE ELSE, EMPOWER OTHERS THROUGH, THROUGH ACTION, NOT JUST WORD, BUT THROUGH THE ACTION BEHIND THE WORD AS A FULLY FUNCTIONING 5 0 1 C3 NONPROFIT INSTITUTION. THANK YOU. NEXT SLIDE. SO HERE ARE SOME STATISTICS. I'M NOT GONNA READ ALL OF THAT SMALL PRINT, BUT YOU HAVE THE SLIDES. YOU'RE WELCOME TO DO, DO SO, BUT, UH, 11% OF BOOKS PUBLISHED IN 2018 WERE BY BLACK PEOPLE OF COLOR, PERIOD. SO ALL BOOKS, IMAGINE EVERY BOOK THAT YOU'VE SEEN IN ANY STORE YOU'VE EVER WALKED INTO IN 2018, WERE ONLY 11% BY PEOPLE OF COLOR. 5.3% OF PEOPLE IN AS OF 2023 REPRESENT PEOPLE, UH, WHO IDENTIFY AS BLACK OR OF AFRICAN DESCENT. SO LESS THAN 5.3 ARE IDENTIFIED AS BLACK WOMEN. UM, 8% REPRESENTS THE NUMBER OF PAYING, UM, PUBLICATIONS SO THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY GET PAID FOR SUBMITTING THE WORK AND BEING PUBLISHED MORE THAN A CONTRIBUTOR'S COPY. UM, ACTUALLY READ SOME, RECEIVE SOME KIND OF MONETARY COMPENSATION IS ONLY 8%, BUT THE NUMBER ONE PERSON, UM, AS OF A 2013 PEW REPORT, THE NUMBER ONE PERSON MOST LIKELY TO READ A BOOK IS A BLACK WOMAN. SO MY QUESTION THEN IS, WHAT DOES SHE HAVE TO READ? DOES SHE SEE HERSELF IN THE COVERS IN THE STORIES? DOES SHE SEE HERSELF IN INDUSTRY, IN PUBLISHING, HAVING A CAREER, UM, AS A WRITER? UM, OPPORTUNITIES ARE SO MUCH, SO LACKING THAT THEY ARE UNDER THREAT OF ERASURE. UM, IN THAT TEXT ALSO INCLUDES TONI MORRISON'S STORY, UM, AND THAT SHE WAS ONE OF THE EDITORS AT RANDOM HOUSE. AND WHILE SHE WAS AN EDITOR AT RANDOM HOUSE, THE NUMBER OF, UH, BLACK AND PEOPLE OF COLOR THAT WERE PUBLISHED BY RANDOM HOUSE INCREASED BY 3%. HOWEVER, IMMEDIATELY AFTER HER EXIT, IT DROPPED DOWN. AND IN THE THREE YEARS, I BELIEVE, AFTER SHE LEFT THE POSITION, OUT OF 512 BOOKS, THEY PUBLISH TWO BY A BLACK AUTHOR, ONE BEING HERSELF, AND THAT BEING BELOVED, WHICH WON THE , WHICH WON THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR LITERATURE, AND IS THE ONLY, SHE'S THE ONLY BLACK WOMAN IN THE WORLD TO EVER RECEIVE THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR LITERATURE. MY POINT IN POINTING THAT OUT IS THAT IT TAKES MORE THAN ONE PERSON, UM, TO BE IN A SPACE TO MAKE REAL CHANGE. [01:30:01] IT TAKES RADICAL INVESTMENT AND SUPPORT BY A COMMUNITY TO RECOGNIZE THE NEED THERE AND TAKE STEPS TO MAKE LASTING CHANGE SO THAT WHEN TONY MORRISON LEAVES RANDOM HOUSE, PEOPLE OF COLOR ARE STILL CELEBRATED AND PUBLISHED, AND HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THEIR STORIES AND THEIR VOICES. TORCH LITERARY ARTS NEEDS THAT SUPPORT HERE IN AUSTIN AND CENTRAL TEXAS SO THAT WE CAN BUILD AN INSTITUTION LIKE THE INCREDIBLE PEOPLE THAT HAVE, HAVE SHARED, UM, BEFORE, SO THAT IT LASTS AND IS ABLE TO REACH AND ATTRACT MORE PEOPLE TO THE AREA TO RECEIVE THE BENEFIT OF OUR SERVICES. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, WHY TORCH? WE'RE LOCAL AND ACCESSIBLE. I HAD TO LEAVE CENTRAL TEXAS. I HAD TO GO TO THE EAST COAST. 75% OF PUBLISHING ACTIVITY, NO MATTER WHAT IT IS, PUBLISHING, HOUSE EDITOR AGENTS, ET CETERA. 75% ARE ON THE EAST CAP EAST COAST. ONLY 5% EXIST IN THE SOUTH. I HAD TO LEAVE TO FIND AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS WORK AND HAVE A LITERARY CAREER. WE ARE RIGHT HERE IN AUSTIN, AND WE PROVIDE OUR SERVICES PRIMARILY AT NO COST OR VERY LOW COST. AND THAT'S SOLELY WHEN IT'S, UH, ALIGNED WITH A FUNDRAISING ACTIVITY. OTHERWISE, IT IS FREE AND ACCESSIBLE. SO THAT COST IS NEVER A BARRIER FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO RECEIVE THESE SERVICES. WE'RE INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN AND RESPECTED. OUR ONLINE LITERARY MAGAZINE, TORCH MAGAZINE ACCEPTS SUBMISSIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO DATE. WE HAVE, UM, PUBLISHED WRITERS FROM JAMAICA, GERMANY, NIGERIA, TANZANIA, CANADA, UH, AND THE LIST GOES ON IS AND IS GROWING WITH SUBMISSIONS. OUR SUBMISSION RATE HAS INCREASED OVER 62% FOR OUR ONLINE MAGAZINE AND FOR OUR, OUR RETREAT, WHICH WE WERE ABLE TO LAUNCH LAST YEAR WITH SUPPORT FROM THE THRIVE GRANT. UH, LAST YEAR, WE RECEIVED 133 APPLICATIONS NATIONALLY. THIS YEAR WE RECEIVED 216. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO WHAT DO WE DO? WE AMPLIFY BLACK WOMEN WRITERS, UM, THROUGH TORCH MAGAZINE. AS I MENTIONED TO DATE, WE HAVE, THIS IS 250. WE NEED TO UPDATE THAT SLIDE. IT'S OVER 300 PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE PUBLISHED AND FEATURED IN TORCH MAGAZINE, AND THEY HAVE BEEN PAID FOR THEIR PUBLICATIONS. OUR WILDFIRE READING SERIES WE DO IN PARTNERSHIP WITH INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORES HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS, UH, WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO ADD TO THE ECOSYSTEM OF THE LITERARY COMMUNITY BY MAKING OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE, NOT JUST FOR THE WRITERS WE SERVE, BUT FOR THE BOOKSELLERS IN THE BOOKSTORES WHO ARE SELLING THOSE PUBLICATIONS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. WE HAVE WORKSHOPS. WE DO INCREDIBLE WORKSHOPS THAT ARE OPEN TO BIPOC WOMEN, THAT'S WOMEN WITH AN X, SO THAT WE ARE SUPPORTING WOMEN OF COLOR AT OUR INTERSECTING IDENTITIES. THOSE ARE PROVIDED AT NO COST. UM, WE SUPPORT ACROSS GENRE, SO POETRY FICTION, CREATIVE, NONFICTION SCRIPT, WHICH INCLUDES PLAYS AND SCREENPLAYS. EVERYONE OF THOSE GENRES IS REPRESENTED IN OUR WORKSHOPS, AGAIN, AT NO COST FOR FOLKS TO PARTICIPATE IN. AND OUR RETREAT THAT WE LAUNCHED LAST YEAR IS PROVIDED AT NO COST FOR NOW UP TO EIGHT FELLOWS HERE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS AT THE BEAUTIFUL COLTON HOUSE HOTEL, WHO IS A PARTNER NOW. WE ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT AT NO COST FOR A WEEK WHERE THEY CAN COME AND TRULY EMBRACE THEIR CRAFT, HAVE SPACE TO RELAX, TO TRULY RETREAT. AND SO THAT ROOM FOR INSPIRATION CAN EXIST THERE WITH THE OVERWHELMING, UM, BARRIERS THAT WE HAVE FINANCIALLY, THE BURDENS THAT WE HAVE DUE TO RACISM, SEXISM, AND BEING UNDERREPRESENTED AND MARGINALIZED, NOT JUST HERE, BUT AROUND THE GLOBE. HAVING A SPACE AS A RESOURCE WHERE YOU CAN COME AND TRULY FOCUS ON YOURSELF AND YOUR OWN WRITING TO HEAR YOUR OWN VOICE IS VITAL. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. WE ALSO HAVE A WRITING CIRCLE THAT MEETS TWICE A MONTH ONLINE. AGAIN, THAT IS FREE. IT'S VIRTUAL PEOPLE FROM AUSTIN TO AROUND THE WORLD LOG IN FOR ONE HOUR, TWICE A MONTH TO DEDICATE TO THEIR WRITING. SOMETIMES THE HARDEST THING IS SHOWING UP, BUT KNOWING YOU'RE GOING TO SHOW UP IN A ROOM WHERE PEOPLE LOOK LIKE YOU, AND THE SPACE WAS CREATED WITH INTENTIONAL LOVE AND SUPPORT FOR YOU MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE. WE HAVE PEOPLE LOG IN ALL THE WAY FROM SOUTH AFRICA EVERY MONTH TO TO WRITE AND COMMUNITY WITH OTHERS, AND WE DO SPECIAL EVENTS WITH THE TEXAS, UH, BOOK FESTIVAL, UM, DURING JUNETEENTH. THAT IS A PICTURE OF ONE OF OUR READERS AT THE CAPITOL PRESENTING ON JUNETEENTH. WE ACTUALLY DO IT ON JUNE 20TH BECAUSE WE BELIEVE WE SHOULD BE OFF ON THE JUNE 19TH, LIKE EVERYONE ELSE TO CELEBRATE THE FEDERAL HOLIDAY. BUT ON THE 20TH, WE COME BACK AND WE HAVE NOW WHAT IS AN ANNUAL PROGRAM THAT KICKS OFF AT THE AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MEMORIAL THERE AT THE CAPITOL. THAT IS, UM, A READING AND REMEMBRANCE FOR THE FUTURE. SO HAVING ON THE 20TH IS SIGNIFICANT TO SHOW THAT WE HAVE SO MUCH MORE WORK TO DO, AND IT STARTS WITH SHARING OUR STORIES AND SPEAKING OUT LOUD. NEXT SLIDE. AND WE ALSO ARE NOT, UH, LAUNCHING NEW, UM, PROGRAMS. SO WE'RE ADVANCING BLACK WOMEN WRITERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. IN THE FALL, WE'LL BE LAUNCHING A NEW PROGRAM CALLED WRITING ACROSS THE DIASPORA. UH, TEXAS STATE HAS JOINED US RECENTLY AS A PRESENTING PARTNER, AND WE'RE BRINGING IN TWO INCREDIBLE, [01:35:01] UH, BLACK WOMEN POETS FROM DUBLIN WHO WILL BE HERE PRESENTING PUBLIC READINGS, UM, WORKSHOPS, AND VISITING A TEXAS STATE SO THAT NOT ONLY SEEING YOURSELF, BUT KNOWING THAT YOU ARE PART OF A GLOBAL COMMUNITY OF WRITERS IS EMPOWERING. UM, AND THEN OUR IN CONVERSATION SERIES, HAVING OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITERS, ARTISTS, EVERYONE INVOLVED WITH THE CREATION OF LITERARY ARTS TO SIT AND HAVE LEGACY CONVERSATIONS. WE HAD OUR FIRST ONE IN FEBRUARY WITH RAMIKA BINGHAM RICHER, THAT ALSO INCLUDED THE VISUAL ARTIST LISA DE KANE FROM HOUSTON, WHO DID THE COVER ART FOR HER BOOK. UM, AND IT WAS MODERATED BY EDA MASON, WHO IS THE POET LAUREATE OF PHILADELPHIA THAT WAS PROVIDED AT NO COST, UM, ONLINE AND RECORDED AND WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL. NEXT SLIDE. UM, SO THE FINANCIALS, WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO DO THIS WORK? UM, IT TAKES FUNDING. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TORCH AND A LARGER INSTITUTION THAT YOU KNOW AND LOVE HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS IS REVENUE. IT'S NOT THE TALENT. IT'S NOT THE VISION. IT'S NOT THE ABILITY TO RUN A NONPROFIT BUSINESS. IT'S FUNDING. WE NEED THAT SUPPORT. RECEIVING THE THRIVE GRANT MADE A HUGE IMPACT ON US AND WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH. WE WERE ABLE TO SUSTAIN OUR FIRST EVER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FULL-TIME. THAT IS MYSELF. I STEPPED AWAY FROM 14 YEARS IN PUBLIC EDUCATION AND TEACHING ADJUNCT AND HIGHER EDUCATION TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS FULL-TIME. THAT WAS ONLY WHEN I COULD RECEIVE A SALARY TO DO SO. WE WERE ABLE TO HIRE PART-TIME STAFF IN THE FALL IN SEPTEMBER OF LAST YEAR. THEY'VE DONE A PHENOMENAL JOB, AND I MEAN LOW PART-TIME STAFF WITH 10 TO 15 HOURS A WEEK. WE HAVE SUPPORT IN PROGRAMS, COMMUNICATIONS, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND OUTREACH, AND AN ASSOCIATE EDITOR FOR OUR ONLINE MAGAZINE. THE DATA SHOWS WITH THE INCREASE OF SUBMISSIONS AND, UH, ENGAGEMENT ACROSS OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS AND OUR WEBSITE IS THAT MORE IS NEEDED, NOT LESS. UM, WE NEED FULL-TIME, UH, ADDITIONAL STAFF. UM, TO GET TO THAT, WE NEED TO START LOOKING TOWARDS A MILLION DOLLAR ANNUAL BUDGET. AND THAT NUMBER SOUNDS BIG, BUT THE REALITY IS THAT MAJORITY OF BLACK LED AND SERVING NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS OPERATE, UH, LESS THAN $500,000 IN ANNUAL REVENUE. AND THAT MEANS THAT THERE'S UNPAID LABOR. THAT MEANS THAT THERE'S BURNOUT. THAT MEANS THAT THERE ARE COMMU PORTIONS OF THEIR COMMUNITIES WHO ARE STILL NOT BEING REACHED BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE CAPACITY TO DO SO. NEXT SLIDE. AND SO THIS IS WHAT WE NEED TO SUSTAIN TORCH LITERARY ARTS TO GET US ON THAT PATH TO A MILLION DOLLAR BUDGET. WE NEED, UH, FINANCIAL SUPPORT. PLEASE CONTINUE TO INVEST IN THE THRIVE GRANT AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO OFFER MULTI-YEAR FUNDING TO NONPROFIT ARTS ORGANIZATIONS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN UNDERREPRESENTED AND UNDERSERVED IN THIS AREA, SUCH AS BLACK WOMEN WRITERS. UH, WE NEED A PERMANENT SPACE. WE ARE GRATEFUL TO OUR INCREDIBLE COMMUNITY PARTNERS WHO SHARE THEIR SPACES WITH US SO THAT WE CAN HAVE PROGRAMMING, BUT WE DO NOT HAVE A PERMANENT HOME. AS LONG AS WE DON'T HAVE A PERMANENT HOME, THEN THAT MEANS THAT WE ARE AT RISK OF NOT BEING ABLE TO DELIVER OUR PROGRAMS. SHOULD OUR FRIENDS NOT BE ABLE TO SHARE THEIR SPACE WITH US, OR SHOULD THE COST OF RENTING A TEMPORARY SPACE BE TOO HIGH, WHICH WE ALL KNOW THE COST IS HIGH IN AUSTIN. UM, SO MY REQUEST AGAIN, SUPPORT THE THRIVE GRANT AND OTHER MULTI-YEAR FUNDING SOURCES FOR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, SUPPORT TORCH LITERARY ARTS, AND CONSIDER US IN YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MULTI-YEAR FUNDING. WE ARE DOING, LAST YEAR WE DID OVER 40 PROGRAMS. UM, THIS YEAR WE'RE ON TRACK TO DELIVER BETWEEN 50 AND 60. WE WILL MAKE A DIRECT IMPACT IN OVER A THOUSAND PEOPLE DIRECTLY IN AUSTIN, BUT THAT OVER 15,000 ARE REACHED THROUGH READING OUR ONLINE PUBLICATION, ENGAGING WITH OUR VIDEOS THAT WE POST AFTER THE EVENTS ON YOUTUBE AND BEING PART OF OUR GLOBAL COMMUNITY THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AND OUR WEBSITE. NEXT SLIDE. NEXT SLIDE. AND THAT'S THE TEAM, THOSE INCREDIBLE PART-TIME, UM, STAFF THAT I MENTIONED. I WANTED YOU TO SEE THEIR FACES AND READ A LITTLE BIT OF THEIR BIOS. THESE ARE TALENTED, INCREDIBLE WOMEN WHO ARE PROVIDING A SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY, AND WE ARE AT RISK EVERY DAY OF LOSING THEM AND NOT BEING ABLE TO, UM, ATTRACT NEW TALENT TO FILL THESE ROLES UNTIL IT IS A FULL-TIME AND SUSTAINABLE POSITION. NEXT SLIDE. OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND ADVISORY BOARD ARE PHENOMENAL. THESE ARE SCHOLARS, EDUCATORS, EXPERIENCED ARTISTS, UM, HIGH LEVEL NON-PROFIT AND FINANCE LEADERS, AND THEY ARE ALL CONTRIBUTING THEIR EXPERIENCE TO TORCH LITERARY ARTS F FREE FOR FREE ON OUR ADVISORY BOARD AND ON OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS. NONE OF US DO THIS WORK ALONE. I DO THIS WORK STEP, YOU KNOW, LOCK AND STEP WITH THESE INCREDIBLE WOMEN. NEXT SLIDE. SO AGAIN, PLEASE CONSIDER RENEWING THE THRIVE GRANT, INCREASING FUNDING OFFERING MULTIPLE WAYS OF MULTI-YEAR FUNDING, ESPECIALLY FOR UNDERREPRESENTED AND MARGINALIZED GROUPS. UH, WE NEED THAT FUNDING AS A LIFE SOURCE, NOT JUST SO WE CAN EXIST NOW, BUT SO WE CAN [01:40:01] GROW TO LAST FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH, AMANDA, FOR BEING HERE. AND WHAT AN HONOR IT IS TO BE IN THE PRESENCE OF OUR TEXAS POET LAUREATE. I REALLY, UM, AM SO EXCITED TO, TO HAVE HAD THIS SUCH A ROBUST PRESENTATION FOR OUR DAIS. UM, I KNOW WE'RE ALL VERY THRILLED TO KNOW MORE DEEPLY ABOUT YOUR ORGANIZATION. UM, I HAVE A COMMENT, BUT I WANNA, I'LL OPEN IT UP TO COMMISSIONERS FIRST, UH, COMMISSIONERS. ANY QUESTIONS FOR AMANDA? COMMISSIONER MOCK? UM, I'M WONDERING, UM, THAT WE ARE GOING TO PROPOSE A POET LAUREATE PROGRAM, SO IS THERE A CHANCE FOR COLLABORATION? THAT WAS GONNA BE WHAT I SAID, COMMISSIONER. OH, I'M SORRY. NO, NO. I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT IT UP. THAT WAS MY FIRST QUESTION. OKAY. UM, AND JUST TO BRING AMANDA UP TO SPEED, KB BROOKINS? YES, I'M FAMILIAR AND I SIGNED THE LETTER . FANTASTIC. OKAY. THAT WAS GONNA BE MY QUESTION IS, YOU KNOW, TO, UM, JUST LOCK AND STEP WITH, YOU KNOW, TO QUOTE YOU WITH WHAT, UM, THE, WHAT WE SHOULD HAVE AND WHAT THE REPRESENTATION WE SHOULD HAVE IN AUSTIN, AND THAT WE'RE ONE OF THE FEW CITIES, MAJOR CITIES IN AUSTIN THAT DOESN'T HAVE A POET LAUREATE PROGRAM. AND SO YES, HOUSTON HAS ONE, DALLAS HAS ONE, SAN ANTONIO HAS ONE. AUSTIN HAS A YOUTH POET LAUREATE. UH, WE NEED AN ADULT POET LAUREATE IN AUSTIN. FANTASTIC. GREAT. SO YOU'RE ALREADY UP TO DATE WITH ALL OF THAT. MM-HMM, . LOVE IT. COMMISSIONERS, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. IT'S BEEN VERY EDUCATIONAL EVENING SO FAR WITH ALL THE GRANT RECIPIENTS. OH, IF YOU HAVE AN EVENT TOMORROW, I WANT TO INVITE YOU ALL TO, UM, TORCH LITERARY ARTS HOSTS A SALON AT ANTONE'S NIGHTCLUB. MM-HMM. , UM, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SS WHO'S AN INCREDIBLE LOCAL, UM, CULTURAL ARTIST AND PHOTOGRAPHER. UH, OUR OPEN MIC IS OPEN TO ANYONE TO ATTEND AND SHARE ON THE OPEN MIC. IT'S, WE CELEBRATE POETS AND SONGWRITERS. WE HAVE INCREDIBLE SONGWRITERS COME BRING THEIR GUITARS. UM, BUT WE CENTER BLACK WOMEN WRITERS. BY THE SECOND HALF. WE PLAY, UM, EXCERPTS FROM ARTISTS FROM THE BLACK ARTS MOVEMENT, SO SONYA SANCHEZ, NIKKI GIOVANNI, AND THEIR RICH HISTORY OF HAVING ALBUMS, SPOKEN WORD ALBUMS. UM, SO WE DO A LISTENING, UM, MOMENT FOR THAT. AND THEN IT'S A GREAT WAY TO JUST SOCIALIZE FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHER ARTISTS. WHAT TIME DOES THAT START? AT? SEVEN O'CLOCK. THANK YOU. TOMORROW? YES. TOMORROW, YES. TOMORROW. TUESDAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. WONDERFUL. OKAY. [11. Staff update on the Community Navigator program by Robert Lucio, Contract Management Specialist II] WITH THAT, WE ARE AT ITEM 11, STAFF UPDATE ON THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR PROGRAM BY ROBERT LUCIO, CONTRACT MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST NUMBER TWO. AND ACTUALLY, UH, ROBERT, UM, I, I'LL BE PRESENTING ON BEHALF OF THE, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. MY NAME IS JAVI , UH, SMALL BUSINESS DIVISION MANAGER. UM, THANK YOU AGAIN, COMMISSIONERS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TO THE GROUP. UM, YEP. AND WE'VE GOT THE FIRST SLIDE KEYED UP. UM, SO JUST TO TAKE US BACK, UM, DURING, UH, PANDEMIC 2020, UM, IN THE, IN THE HEAT OF COVID-19, THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM WAS LAUNCHED, UH, AS A FUNCTION TO SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES, NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, AND CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS IMPACTED BY COVID-19 SPECIFICALLY, CLIENTS CAN REGISTER FOR NO COST ASSISTANCE FROM COMMITTEE NAVIGATORS, INCLUDING ONE-ON-ONE COACHING VIRTUAL CLASSES, AND HELP APPLY FOR GOVERNMENT AND PHILANTHROPIC, UH, PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT. AND JUST KEEPING TRACK OF THE MEETING EARLIER TODAY. SO I KNOW THAT THAT WAS A SPECIFIC QUESTION FROM COMMISSIONER MAL, UH, SPECIFICALLY ABOUT RAN APPLICATION SUPPORT. AND SO WANTED TO POINT THAT, THAT PARTICULAR SECTION OUT, UH, WITH RESPECT TO THIS PART, UH, PARTICULAR PROGRAM, IT WAS APPROVED BY THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL UNDER THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT. SO SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF FUNDING CAME DOWN TO LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES. THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM WAS CAPITALIZED WITH $500,000, UM, AND WE HAVE UNTIL DECEMBER 31ST, 2024. SO THIS CALENDAR YEAR, UH, TO EXPEND ALL FUNDS. AND, UH, WE WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA NOTE, UH, NOTE IN LATER PART OF THE, THIS PARTICULAR PRESENTATION, SOME OF THE SUCCESSES, UH, ON THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM. SO FOR CLIENT ELIGIBILITY, GEOGRAPHICALLY HAVE TO BE LOCATED IN THE AUSTIN ROUND ROCK, UH, MSA, WHICH INCLUDES OUR, UH, BAS, PROP, CALWELL, UH, HAYES, TRAVIS, AND WILLIAMSON COUNTY. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS, SPECIFICALLY OUR EDBM PARTNER IN FOR, UH, WE WORKED TOGETHER, UH, SO E-G-B-I-I WANTED TO NOTE THAT AS WELL. GLAD TO SEE THEM ON THE PRESENTATION TODAY. UH, EXCELLENT PARTNER IN EGBI AMONG MANY COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS, AND WE'LL GATHER DOWN THE LIST IN THE NEXT SLIDE. UM, HELP US TO SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY SPECIFICALLY IN THOSE, UH, CLIENTS, UH, THAT WE'VE OUTLINED. SO OUR NONPROFITS FOR-PROFITS AND OUR CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS. [01:45:01] UM, AND THEY CAN DO THAT BY REGISTERING DIRECTLY THROUGH THE WEBSITE ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WEBSITE, ALSO KNOWN AS THE PORTAL SYSTEM. UH, EBD WILL REFER THESE CLIENTS TO PARTNERS BASED ON EITHER THEIR SPECIFIC INTEREST IDENTIFIED, OR IF THEY HAVE NO PARTICULAR PREFERENCE. WE WILL LOOK AT THE, UM, AT THE DESCRIPTION OF THE NEED AND, UH, MAKE A BEST EFFORT TO GO AHEAD AND CONNECT THEM WITH THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR THAT MAKES MESS MOST SENSE FOR THEM. PARTNERS WILL RENDER THE SERVICE AND LEAVE SERVICE NOTES IN OUR PORTAL SYSTEM SO THAT WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO FOLLOW UP AND JUST MAKE SURE THAT THAT INDIVIDUAL HAS HAD THEIR QUESTIONS ANSWERED. AND IF THERE'S ADDITIONAL FOLLOW UP THAT NEEDS TO BE, UH, CONDUCTED, WE WILL HAVE A RECORD OF THAT AND WE CAN, UH, WE CAN GO BACK AND ENSURE THAT WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS TOWARDS THE GOALS THAT THAT PARTICULAR CLIENT HAS REGISTERED FOR. FINALLY, OUR PARTNERS WILL INVOICE EDD DIRECTLY, AND EDD PAYS THESE INVOICES BASED ON THEIR SERVICE NOTES. SO WE DO HAVE TO HAVE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION TO VERIFY THAT SERVICES WERE RENDERED, UH, FOR THOSE PARTICULAR, UH, CLIENTS. AGAIN, UH, COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR STARTED BACK IN MARCH, 2022, AND THOSE PARTICULAR SERVICES WILL CONTINUE, UH, UH, UH, SUBJECT TO SUFFICIENT FUNDING, UH, AND OR, UH, EXPIRATION OF FUNDS ON DECEMBER 31ST, 2024. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, HERE'S THE LIST OF THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS THAT WE HAVE, THE, THE EXCELLENT PARTNERSHIPS WITH RIGHT NOW. UH, AUSTIN REVITALIZATION AUTHORITY, THEIR SPECIFIC ROLE IS TO HELP INDIVIDUALS GUIDE THROUGH THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE COMPONENT OF GETTING REGISTERED AND ENSURING THAT THEY CAN, UH, UH, USE THE PORTAL SYSTEM AND TO IDENTIFY THEIR NEEDS SPECIFICALLY THROUGH, UH, TECHNOLOGY BASED APPLICATIONS. UH, THE REST OF OUR COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS ARE DIRECT SERVICE OR TA SERVICE PROVIDERS, AND THAT INCLUDES BUSINESS COMMITTEE LENDERS, BCL OF TEXAS ECONOMIC GROWTH, UH, BUSINESS INCUBATOR, WHO YOU'VE HEARD, UH, FROM EARLIER TODAY. UM, AND WELL, THE BENEFITS OF EGBI SPECIFICALLY IS THEY DO HELP BRIDGE GAPS, UH, AND LANGUAGE ACCESS FOR OUR SPANISH SPEAKING CLIENTS. UH, SO WE'RE VERY HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT ADDITIONAL SUPPORT HEALTH ALLIANCE FOR AUSTIN. MUSICIANS, UH, COMMONLY KNOWN AS HAM. UH, THEIR SPECIFIC, UM, UH, ROLE IS TO PROVIDE HEALTH INSURANCE TO OUR LOCAL CREATIVES, INCLUDING OUR MUSIC, UH, OUR MUSIC COMMUNITY, UH, MISSION CAPITAL ON THE MONEY FINANCE VAULT STUDIOS, AND VISUAL MATTERS CONSULTING. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THIS PARTICULAR SLIDE, UH, DIFFICULT TO SEE, BUT YOU'LL GET A COPY OF THESE SLIDES AFTER THE, UH, AFTER THE, UH, MEETING. UM, THIS GIVES YOU A, A NICE BREAKDOWN OF THE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS AND WHAT TYPE OF SERVANTS THEY PROVIDE, AS WELL AS WHAT TYPES OF CLIENTS THEY SERVE. SO EARLIER IN THE, IN THE, UH, MEETING, I BELIEVE COMMISSIONER GRAY HAD NOTED, UH, I KIND OF ASKED, OKAY, WELL, WHAT OTHER GROUPS ARE AVAILABLE TO PROVIDE, UH, SUPPORT FOR A NONPROFIT COMMUNITY? AND SO, AS YOU CAN SEE CLEARLY ON THIS PARTICULAR LIST, OUR NONPROFIT COMMUNITY HAS ACCESS TO, I BELIEVE FOUR, UH, INDIVIDUAL PROVIDERS, INCLUDING AUSTIN, REVITALIZATION AUTHORITY, MISSION CAPITAL, AND VISUAL MATTERS CONSULTING, AS WELL AS MISSION, UH, UH, MISSION CAPITAL, SORRY. SO THESE PARTICULAR PROVIDERS ARE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNATED FOR OUR NONPROFIT COMMUNITY. SO I HOPE THAT ANSWERS THAT QUESTION THAT CAME UP EARLIER IN THE PRESENTATIONS. UM, AS WELL AS I'VE IDENTIFIED SIX OF THEM ARE SPECIFICALLY FOR OUR NON-PROFIT, I'M SORRY, OUR FOR-PROFIT BUSINESS OWNERS. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE, FOR OUR CREATIVE COMMUNITY, THREE SPECIFIC COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS. AND, YOU KNOW, EGBI, I THINK, VERY SMARTLY IDENTIFIED THAT ARE CREATIVE ARE THEMSELVES BUSINESS OWNERS, UH, BUT THERE'S A COMFORT LEVEL. AND SO WHAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE IS WE MEET OUR CLIENTS, SPECIFICALLY OUR CREATIVE CLIENTS AT THE, AT WHERE THEY'RE AT, AT THEIR COMFORT LEVEL. AND SO WE PROVIDE A BROAD, UM, SPECTRUM OF, OF SERVICE PROVIDERS TO HELP KIND OF BRIDGE THAT CONNECTION AND, AND MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS ON HOW THEY ARE A BUSINESS, HOW THEY CAN PERFORM AS A BUSINESS, AND HOW TO GET THEM COMFORTABLE WITH HAVING, UH, CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE THAT REALLY JUST KIND OF KNOW WHAT THEIR INDUSTRY IS LIKE AND, AND SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT THEY EXPERIENCE ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS. UH, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, BEFORE WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, CAN WE MOVE THE, THE PARTICIPANT SCREEN TO THE OTHER SIDE SO WE CAN SEE WHAT THAT, DOES THAT HELP? SORRY, UM, JAVIER, IT'S NOT YOU. IT'S, UH, THE WAY THAT OUR DISPLAY SHOWS US. SO WE JUST, THERE'S A PORTION OF THE SPREADSHEET WE CAN'T SEE, BUT IT'S IN PROGRESS. LET'S GO AHEAD AND CONTINUE. UM, OF COURSE, WE WILL HAVE THE DECK IN OUR BACKUP. THAT'S RIGHT. IT, IT'LL BE AVAILABLE FOR YOU. SO, YEAH, AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AFTERWARDS AS WELL. [01:50:01] UM, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO, TO DATE, UH, WE'VE RECEIVED 327 APPLICATIONS THROUGH THE PORTAL SYSTEM. UM, AND THEN THE EXPENSES FOR THIS PARTICULAR CONTRACT, UNDERSTANDING THAT THE ORIGINAL ALLOCATION WAS FOR HALF A MILLION DOLLARS OR $500,000, UH, WE'VE RECEIVED VERIFIED. AND WHAT THIS MEANS IS WE'VE PAID OUT THIS AMOUNT. THERE ARE STILL, YOU KNOW, FULL DISCLOSURE ON THIS, THERE ARE STILL INVOICES THAT ARE INCOMING. UM, AS THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM, UH, FUNDING ARE EXPENDED, WE HAVE, WE'VE AVERAGED ABOUT A 25 TO 20, UH, UH, $25,000, UM, EXPENSE RATIO, MEANING ON A MONTHLY BASIS. WE RECEIVED INVOICES OF APPROXIMATELY 21 TO $25,000. AND THIS IS WHAT HAS BEEN PAID AS OF 3 18 20 24, WHICH IS THREE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED AND SIX THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS. SO IF YOU TAKE THE MATH OR THE FIGURES BETWEEN WHAT HAS BEEN SPENT SO FAR AND THE REMAINING TIME, TWO DECEMBER 31ST, 2024, WE ARE ON A SOLID PATH FOR FULL EXPENDITURE OF THESE FEDERAL FUNDS THAT, AGAIN, WILL HAVE TO BE RETURNED TO THE FEDERAL, UH, GOVERNMENT IF THEY ARE NOT FULLY EXPENDED. SO WE'RE VERY HAPPY WITH THE PROGRESS IN THIS. UH, ROBERT LUCIO IS OUR CONTRACT MANAGER FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM, AND HE AND I KEEP UP TO DATE JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, UH, TRUCKING ALONG CORRECTLY ON THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM, AND THAT, UM, WE ARE USING THESE FUNDS AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE. UM, OTHER THAN THAT, I, I THINK THE NEXT SLIDE KIND OF CLOSES THIS OUT HERE. ONE OF THE OTHER ITEMS I JUST WANTED TO SHARE WITH THIS PARTICULAR COMMISSION, BECAUSE IT IS SOMETHING WE ARE GONNA BE SHARING WITH THE MUSIC COMMISSION IF HAD A, IF THIS INFORMATION HAS ALREADY NOT MADE ITS WAY TO THEM, IS THAT A REQUEST FROM THE MUSIC COMMISSION THAT CAME OUT? UH, LAST TIME WE MET WITH THEM, UH, DURING AN UPDATE, THEY ASKED FOR NARRATIVES SPECIFIC TO THE TYPES OF SUPPORT. THEY WANTED TO HEAR REAL LIFE STORIES, RIGHT? LIKE THE NUMBERS TELL YOU A COUNT OR A VOLUME OF ACTIVITY, BUT THEY WANTED TO HEAR, UH, YOU KNOW, STORIES OF INDIVIDUALS ASSISTED THE PEOPLE BEHIND, UH, THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR NUMBERS. AND SO WE'VE AGGREGATED, UH, A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT, UM, SHORT NARRATIVES. AND AGAIN, WE, WE'VE KIND OF KEPT THE, THE INFORMATION PRI PRIVATE, BUT IT GIVES YOU A NICE LITTLE FLAVOR OF THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FOLKS AND THE DIVERSE COMMUNITIES THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING. YOU KNOW, SPECIFICALLY, I REMEMBER ONE OF THE NARRATIVES FROM E-G-B-I-E-G-B-I WAS A CLIENT THAT WAS, UH, PRIMARILY SPANISH SPEAKING, UH, FOUND IT VERY DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE, UM, SOME OF THE APPLICATIONS, UH, THE LANGUAGE. AND SO THEY WERE ABLE TO, UH, CONNECT WITH EGBI WORK THROUGH, HAND IN HAND ON THESE PARTICULAR APPLICATIONS AND APPLICATION GO THROUGH. UH, ADDITIONALLY, THERE WAS ANOTHER, UH, REALLY INSPIRATIONAL STORY IN THERE WHERE A PERSON WITH, UM, UH, A COUPLE OF UNDISCLOSED, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, DISABILITIES WAS ABLE TO FEEL COMFORTABLE AND, AND TO RECEIVE THE SUPPORT AND THE BENEFITS THAT THEY NEEDED TO NAVIGATE, UM, UH, UH, LEARNING ABOUT MORE GRANT OPPORTUNITIES AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. AND THESE COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS WERE MAKING SURE THAT THEY WERE STAYING UP TO DATE AND HELPING THESE INDIVIDUALS ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS EITHER APPLY FOR GRANTS OR LEARN BASIC FOUNDATIONAL INFORMATION SO THAT THEY CAN BETTER THEIR NONPROFIT CREATIVE OR TRADITIONAL FOR-PROFIT BUSINESS. SO, VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. THE, THE PURPOSE OF TELLING YOU ABOUT THE NARRATIVES IS BECAUSE THE MUSIC COMMISSION SPECIFICALLY HAD SAID THAT THEY, UM, THEY HAD PARTICULAR SUPPORT FOR, UM, FOR THE, THE WORK OF THAT THIS, UH, PROGRAM PROVIDES OR, UH, UH, ASSISTS IN THE COMMUNITY, AND THEY WOULD LIKE TO GO TO THEIR COUNCIL MEMBERS WITH SPECIFIC NARRATIVES, UH, IN ADDITION TO, YOU KNOW, THE OVERALL FIGURES. SO FULL DISCLOSURE, THAT'S WHAT WE WILL BE SHARING WITH THEM IF WE'VE NOT ALREADY DONE SO. UM, AND THAT'S THE END OF THIS PRESENTATION. I, I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY. THANK YOU SO MUCH, JAVIER. WELL, UM, SURPRISE, WE HAVE A MUSIC COMMISSIONER ON THE DIOCESE AS WELL, . SO THE, THE BEE, UH, THE CAT'S OUTTA THE BAG. BUT I DEFINITELY WOULD, UH, WHEN THAT PRE THOSE PRESENTATIONS HAPPEN, PLEASE, UM, SHARE THE LINKS WITH US BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WE'D LOVE TO SEE THOSE STORIES AS WELL. UM, COMMISSIONER GRAY. YES. THANK YOU SO MUCH, JAVIER. UM, I, I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY, UH, CERTAIN THINGS NEED TO STAY, UH, CONFIDENTIAL, UM, RELATIVE TO THE NEEDS THAT SOME ORGANIZATION OR INDIVIDUAL MAY NEED, AND WHERE IT GOES, IT WOULD BE, UM, EVEN FURTHER. AND MAYBE THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE THINKING. IF WE COULD REALLY, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A AND THANK YOU TO THE MUSIC COMMISSION FOR REPORTS ON, ON, UH, PERHAPS SUCCESS STORIES, BUT TO ALSO HAVE A REPORT ON WHO WALKED IN THE DOOR AND WHAT THEY WALKED OUT WITH. LIKE, WHAT WERE, WERE THINGS SOLVED, WERE THINGS NOT SOLVED? AND WHY, UH, HOW MANY TIMES DID, UH, UH, PROBLEMS OR RESULTS [01:55:01] HAPPEN? I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT, UM, WHEN THE NAVIGATION, UH, THE, THE NA NAVIGATOR , UH, WHEN THE PROGRAM FIRST STARTED WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR, I HAD HEARD A COUPLE OF OF SITUATIONS WHERE PEOPLE DID REACH OUT FOR HELP AND IT WAS NOT A SUCCESSFUL THING THAT HAPPENED. ALSO, IT MAY ALSO BE MY NAIVETE THAT I SEE SOME, UH, NAVIGATORS THAT ARE NO LONGER ON THAT LIST. SO I'M WONDERING WHEN THE NEW LIST WAS COMPILED, MAYBE I'M MISSING THAT. UH, 'CAUSE IT SEEMED THAT THE ARTS COMMISSION WAS A LITTLE MORE ENGAGED IN THAT PROCESS THE FIRST TIME AROUND. SO, UH, MAYBE THAT'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS OR A LOT OF STATEMENTS WITHIN THAT. BUT, UM, JUST TRANSPARENCY IN THE, IN THE FACT THAT IT'S PUBLIC FUNDING OF WHAT'S ACTUALLY, WHAT ARE THE, WHAT ARE THE QUESTIONS THAT ARE COMING IN? WHAT KIND OF HELP DO PEOPLE NEED? DID THEY GET IT? HOW DID THEY GET IT? UH, WHAT WAS INVOICED? WHEN I THINK ABOUT THESE INDIVIDUALS THAT MAY HAVE REACHED OUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO THAT DID NOT GET THE HELP THEY NEEDED, WHAT WAS THAT INVOICE ATTACHED TO THAT HELP THAT MAY HAVE LASTED 10 MINUTES, 30 MINUTES, AN HOUR AND A DAY, A WEEK? THOSE KIND OF THINGS, I THINK ARE IMPORTANT TO US AS WELL. BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT REPORT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL. COMMISSIONER. I'M THE SAME. GO FOR IT. UH, COMMISSIONER MALANO . SORRY, I DIDN'T KNOW Y'ALL CAN SEE ME OR HEAR ME OR ANYTHING AT THIS POINT. , UH, COMMISSIONER MALDONADO HERE. AND ALONG THE SAME LINES AS HAI, ACTUALLY, UH, AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE PROGRAM HAD REFERRED SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS. I STILL HAVE THEIR EMAILS. I PULLED 'EM UP 'CAUSE I WANTED TO MAKE SURE IT WAS THE RIGHT PROGRAM. AND THEY ALSO, UM, DID NOT GET ANY FOLLOW UP AND SEEMS LIKE THERE WAS SOME GAPS THERE. UM, SO I'M INTERESTED IN KIND OF KNOWING, LIKE, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE AS FAR AS PEOPLE WHO MAY INITIATED ENROLLING IN THE PROGRAM AND DIDN'T, YOU KNOW, EVER ACTUALLY GET ANY SUPPORT? AND IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CIRCLE BACK, UM, AND REACH OUT, UH, SEND AN E-BLAST OR WHATNOT, AND RE-INVITE THEM TO, TO LOOK AT THE NAVIGATOR PROGRAM, GIVEN THAT IT'S GOING TO BE EXPIRING THIS YEAR. AND I'M ALSO INTERESTED IN THE, UH, DOLLAR AMOUNT. IT'S, WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT OVER 300 K, UM, THAT IS SPENT OUT OF HOW MUCH MONEY, SO HOW MUCH MONEY WAS ACTUALLY ALLOCATED TO THE NAVIGATOR PROGRAM VERSUS HOW, HOW MUCH HAS ACTUALLY BEEN SPENT. AND IF IT ALL, ALL HAS NOT BEEN SPENT, WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH THE LEFTOVER FUNDS? I'M GONNA START WITH YOUR LAST QUESTION FIRST, MA'AM, AND THEN WORK MY WAY BACK. UM, SO ON THE, ON THE FUNDING COMPONENT, SO $326,000 HAS BEEN SPENT OF AN ORIGINAL $500,000 ALLOCATION AS APPROVED BY COUNSEL WHEN THE ARPA MONEY FIRST CAME DOWN. UM, SO THAT LEAVES US, UH, WHAT IS IT, ABOUT 172,000 APPROXIMATELY REMAINING. UM, MY MOUTH WAS A LITTLE ROUGH ON THAT, SO LET ME JUST DOUBLE CHECK THAT REAL QUICK FOR YOU. SO, UH, TRIANGLE O MINUS THREE. YEAH, ABOUT 174,000. THAT, THAT IS NOT BAD FOR ESTIMATING. UM, SO WITH RESPECT TO, AND, AND THE OTHER FIGURE THAT I GAVE YOU, SO 174,000 REMAINING, AND WE ARE BEING INVOICED APPROXIMATELY 21 TO 25,000 A MONTH. SO IF YOU ESTIMATE THAT OUT, THAT'S ABOUT, UM, APPROXIMATELY SEVEN TO EIGHT MONTHS, GIVE OR TAKE OF EXPENDITURES, WHICH GIVES US WHAT WE CALL A MARGIN OF SAFETY OF TWO MONTHS, MEANING WE'LL HIT FULL EXPENDITURE. WE ANTICIPATE THE HIT FULL EXPENDITURE TWO MONTHS PRIOR TO DECEMBER 31ST, 2024. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THAT INFORMATION. AND THEN, UM, ASISHA MENTIONED THERE WAS, THE LIST WAS UPDATED FOR NAVIGATORS. IS THAT CORRECT? THAT THE, THE CURRENT LIST THAT I SHOW AND I'LL, UH, IF, IF IT'S NOT TOO MUCH TROUBLE, COULD WE GO BACK TO SLIDE? WHAT WAS IT? SLIDE, UM, FOUR, I BELIEVE THIS IS THE CURRENT PREVAILING LIST OF NAVIGATORS. JAVIER, WILL YOU CLARIFY HOW TO, THERE'S, THERE WAS A LARGER INITIAL LIST AND THEN THEY EACH HAD A, A CAP THAT THEY COULD HIT, RIGHT? AM I, IS I UNDERSTANDING THAT CORRECTLY? I THINK THEY EACH HAD ABOUT 50,000. SO WERE PEOPLE, ARE PEOPLE DROPPED FROM THAT LIST WHEN THEIR ALLOCATED PORTION OF THIS $500,000 IS MET? YEAH, SO NO, NO, THIS LIST IS INCLUSIVE OF ALL PARTICIPANTS. UM, THE, THE TECHNICAL ASPECT TO THE QUESTION THAT YOU'RE ASKING IS THE, WE HAVE TWO OTHER COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS [02:00:01] AT ONE POINT THAT WERE PARTICIPANTS IN THE OVERALL PROGRAM. UM, AT THE TIME. UM, THOSE PARTICULAR GROUPS, UH, ELECTED TO APPLY FOR GRANTS SPECIFIC TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN THRIVE PROGRAM, UH, WHICH WOULD NOT ALLOW THEM TO BE NAVIGATORS SUPPORTING THAT PARTICULAR, UH, UH, THRIVE PROGRAM AND APPLICANTS OF THE SAME PROGRAM THAT THEY WERE SUPPORTING. UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY, THEY'RE, UM, THOSE INDIVIDUAL ORGANIZATIONS VOLUNTARILY WITHDREW. AND THIS IS THE REMAINING LIST OF, UH, OF NAVIGATORS THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE ON FILE. THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING, CELINE. GO FOR IT. CELINE, THIS, THIS MIGHT BE MORE OF A QUESTION FOR YOU, BUT I'LL JUST ADDRESS, I I DEFINITELY THINK THAT THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR PROGRAM IS SOMETHING, I THINK AS THE ARTS COMMISSION, WE DEFINITELY JUST SHOULD SEE SOME MORE DATA. AND I THINK THIS IS, I DO BELIEVE IT IS A GREAT PROGRAM, UM, WITH THE GREAT SCOPE. UH, AND I THINK THAT HAVING THIS DATA DEFINITELY WILL HELP JUST FORTIFY, YOU KNOW, THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE BY THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND IN OUR COMMUNICATION WITH OUR CONS CONSTITUENTS. MM-HMM, . UM, I, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO REALLY HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING AND GRASP OF, AND AGAIN, A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT ASIA MENTIONED, LIKE WHAT TYPE OF SERVICES OR SUPPORT WAS BEING RENDERED THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. 'CAUSE ULTIMATELY, IF THIS COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR PROGRAM, UM, HAS A PROOF OF CONCEPT AND IMPACT THAT I BELIEVE IT MAY, MAY HAVE BE HAVING, THEN I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO CONTINUE RALLYING BEHIND. EVEN THOUGH, AGAIN, IT WAS, YOU KNOW, BORN OUT OF COVID AND RELIEF MONEY AND ALL THAT. MM-HMM. . BUT I, I THINK THE WORK THAT IT, IF I RECALL THE SCOPE OF, YOU KNOW, OF EVERYTHING THIS PROGRAM DOES, IT IS A LOT OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE HEAR THE CREATIVE COMMUNITY OR PEOPLE IN OUR, IN OUR CITY ARE LOOKING FOR SUPPORT IN. SO I THINK HAVING, UH, MORE, UH, MORE FREQUENT UPDATES ON THE NAVIGATOR PROGRAM, I THINK FOR ME WOULD BE AN ASK. AND I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO, TO HAVE UNDERSTOOD AND DEFINITELY APPRECIATE THAT. AND, UH, WE'LL COORDINATE WITH, UM, UH, THE, UH, CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU, UH, AND ALL COMMISSIONERS HAVE THE, UH, INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED TO HAVE INFORMED DECISIONS. I WANTED TO CIRCLE BACK TO YOUR QUESTION, COMMISSIONER ON, UM, HAVING FOLKS SENT OVER TO US SO THAT WE CAN FOLLOW BACK UP WITH THEM CONSIDERING THAT THERE IS REMAINING FUNDS ON HERE AND REALLY AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO MAKE RIGHT, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT OPPORTUNITY. AND SO IF, IF IT'S NOT TOO MUCH TROUBLE FOR YOU, WE'D LOVE TO HAVE THE NAMES OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS AND, UM, AS PART OF THE SMALL BUSINESS DIVISION, WE WILL REACH OUT TO THEM AND, UH, AND, AND GUIDE THEM THROUGH THE PROCESS OF REGISTERING THROUGH COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS SO THAT WE CAN FOLLOW UP ON THEIR EITHER CONTINUED CONCERNS OR EVEN NEW GOALS THAT THEY'D LIKE TO SET. YEAH, I, I THINK THAT WOULD BE GREAT. 'CAUSE I DEFINITELY, UH, I FELT REALLY BAD WHEN I, WHEN I DID A FOLLOW UP AND, AND THEY HAD HIT A ROADBLOCK, SO I APPRECIATE THAT AND WE'LL BE SENDING THAT INFORMATION OVER. LOOK FORWARD TO IT, COMMISSIONER. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER GRAY. UH, THANK YOU COMMISSIONER MALDONADO FOR ADDING TO THAT. UM, I THINK TRANSPARENCY IS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT TO THIS, UM, TO THIS PROGRAM. AND I'D LIKE TO ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT THE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE NAVIGATORS ARE TO THE CITY. UM, AND IF THAT, THAT NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING THAT IS TRANSPARENT, THAT THE, NOT ONLY ARTS COMMISSION CAN SEE IT, BUT OUR COMMUNITY CAN SEE IT, THAT THE PROGRAM IS WORKING AND IT'S MAKING A DIFFERENCE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. RIGHT NOW, IN AS INTERESTED AS I HAVE BEEN OVER THE LAST, UH, SINCE IT WAS INITIATED, I DON'T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT IT. AND I'M AN ARTS COMMISSIONER, SO MORE INFORMATION THE BETTER. UH, SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR REPORT AND TO Y'ALL. THANK YOU. WONDERFUL. THANK YOU, JAVIER. UM, I'M GONNA YIELD TO COMMISSIONER HOUSTON, BUT, UH, I JUST WANNA SECOND THAT, UH, POINT MADE BY COMMISSIONER GRAY THAT I'M REALLY INTERESTED TO KNOW THE REPORTING, UM, AND WHAT THE FINAL OUTCOMES ARE OF THE PROGRAM. ALSO, REALLY CURIOUS, UM, WHAT IS THE FEEDBACK PROTOCOL FOR THE, THE, THE PEOPLE THAT WERE HELPED AND WERE INVO, YOU KNOW, THOSE INVOICES THAT WENT THROUGH THE CITY, UM, AND HOW CAN THE PROGRAM BE IMPROVED? UM, AND JUST TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, THE DEPTH OF SERVICES THAT PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO RECEIVE AND, AND THAT THIS WAS A COMPETITIVE PROCESS FOR THESE COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS. ARE THERE BETTER SUITED, UM, ORGANIZATIONS OR ENTITIES OUT THERE THAT COULD BE, UM, [02:05:01] PROVIDING A BETTER SCOPE OF SERVICES? SO, UM, NOT LOCKING IN THESE COMMUNITY SHOULD THE PROGRAM BE EXTENDED, WHICH I THINK WE'RE ALL ARGUING FOR. YEAH. UM, THAT, THAT IT CONTINUED TO BE A COMPETITIVE PROCESS FOR THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS, UM, THEMSELVES. AND THEY, UM, IT'S, YOU KNOW, A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF FUNDING. UM, WE OBVIOUSLY ARE SEEING SOME BEAUTIFUL SUCCESS STORIES WITH, UM, EGBI, UM, BUT IS EVERYBODY, ALL THE NAV, ARE ALL THE NAVIGATORS PULLING THEIR WEIGHT IN THAT WAY AND MAKING THE IMPACT IN THE COMMUNITY. SO JUST SURVEYING THOSE THAT WERE HELPED OR THAT THOSE THAT FELL THROUGH THE CRACKS AND UNDERSTANDING HOW TO CONTINUALLY DEVELOP THE PROGRAM. UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY FEEDBACK MECHANISM YET? IS, HAS THAT BEEN CONSIDERED? IS IT ON THE BACK BURNER AT THE MOMENT? ARE YOU WAITING UNTIL THE MONIES ARE COMPLETELY RUN OUT? ROBERT, DID YOU WANNA STEP IN ON THAT ONE? OH, I BELIEVE YOU'RE MUTED. I'M SORRY. I'M ROBERT LUCY, I'M SORRY. UH, YES, AT THE END OF THE PROGRAM, UH, THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS, UH, FUNDING AND SET ASIDE ON MOST OF THE CONTRACTORS, WELL, ACTUALLY ALL OF THEM NOW, UH, 10% OF THE MONEY TO DO A FINAL REPORT. AND SO THE FINAL REPORT WILL, WILL, WILL THEN SHOW EXACTLY EVERYTHING THAT, THAT THEY, EVERY MONTHLY WHEN I RECEIVE THEIR MONTHLY REPORTS AND THEIR INVOICES, THAT THAT WILL, THAT WILL ENCOMPASS THE ENTIRE, UH, PROGRAM, THE, THE ALMOST THREE YEARS THAT THEY'VE DONE EVERYTHING. BUT IF YOU WANT TO INTERMEDIATE IT, UH, ANY, ANY QUESTIONS, UH, ANSWERED, UH, WHAT'S GOING ON, LIKE, UH, WHAT THEY'RE DOING RIGHT NOW, WELL, WE'D BE GLAD TO ENTERTAIN THAT AND NOT WAIT ALL THE WAY TO DECEMBER TO GET OUT A REPORT TO, TO Y'ALL. YEAH, I THINK, UM, WE'RE CURIOUS, NOT SORT OF, I THINK THAT THE PERSON TO PERSON EXPERIENCE, UM, THE SUCCESS STORIES ARE PHENOMENAL AND VERY EXCITED TO HEAR THOSE, BUT ALSO, UM, WHAT IS THE MECHANISM, NOT JUST THE FINAL REPORTING OF THE DATA AND METRICS THAT IS OUTPUT, BUT WHAT IS THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE IN THIS PROCESS? RIGHT. UM, IS ALSO SOMETHING THAT WE'RE INTERESTED IN. UM, I SEE, UH, SYLVIA HOLT COMING TO THE MICROPHONE AND THEN COMMISSIONER HOUSTON, UH, NOVIA HOLT, REV DIRECTOR. I JUST WANT, AGAIN, PUSH THE SURVEY IF YOU HAVE FEEDBACK OR OF YOUR EXPERIENCE, WE WANT TO CAPTURE ALL OF THAT AS WE RETOOL TO RELAUNCH. SO THAT SURVEY IS KEY. WE HAVE A VERY LOW RATE, SO AGAIN, PUSH IT THROUGH YOUR COMMUNITIES, HELP US GET THE WORD OUT. WE'VE DONE MASSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA, UM, ASKED THE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO PUSH IT, BUT I THINK WE ARE ONLY AT 60 AND I KNOW OUR DATABASE IS LIKE 13,000, SO YEAH. HAVE THAT. WHAT IS THE DEADLINE FOR THE SURVEY? APRIL 5TH? I THINK WE EXTENDED IT. OKAY. HAS THAT GONE OUT TO ALL THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS DIRECTLY? YEAH. YEAH. OKAY. AND SO THIS IS SOMETHING WE COMMITTED. WE WANTED TO HEAR FROM COMMUNITY SO WE CAN IMPROVE, BUT IF YOU DON'T TELL US, THEN WE CAN'T IMPROVE. OH, YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR ACTUALLY, JUST QUICKLY, WHAT WAS THE NUMBER AGAIN THAT PARTICIPATED SO FAR? 60. YEAH, I BELIEVE IT'S REALLY LOW. IS IT? YOU KNOW, I THINK JUST 66 0. SO NO CHANGE MUCH FROM THE LAST MEETING WAS THE DISH. I THOUGHT IT WAS LIKE 30 LAST TIME. 30 IT WAS 38 I BELIEVE HILL. YEAH. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, I WOULD JUST ADD, IT'S NOT SUPER CLEAR PERHAPS THAT NAVIGATOR WAS PART OF THIS, THAT SURVEY, BUT I BELIEVE THERE'S, DOES IT EVEN, DOES IT, UH, ADD YOUR SOME ADDITIONAL? MAYBE IT'S NOT, 'CAUSE IT JUST SEEMS SUCH A BIG YEAH. GOTCHA. THANK YOU. BUT PLEASE, EVEN IF IT'S NOT, WE STILL NEED TO HEAR FROM COMMUNITY. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. AND YOU CAN KEEP ADDING TO YOUR SURVEY UNTIL THE DEADLINE. I REMEMBER THAT. OKAY. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. , YOU CAN EDIT IT. COMMISSIONER HOUSTON, I, I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT THIS PRESENTATION IS NOT IN THE BACKUP THAT I CAN SEE. OKAY. IS IT IN THE, DO WE HAVE IT IN OUR PUBLIC BACKUP? LET ME, IT'S NOT IN TODAY'S NOT TO WORRY. UM, JAVIER, IF YOU WOULD BE SO KIND, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR CITY STAFF HAS IT AND THEN IT'LL BE ADDED. I WOULD LIKE, I ALWAYS LIKE TO HAVE BOTH. WHATEVER'S IN OUR BACKUP FOR COMMISSIONERS, I WANNA HAVE ON THE FRONT END FOR THE PUBLIC AS WELL, SO ABSOLUTELY. UH, WE'LL MAKE SURE IT GETS IN THERE. GREAT. [02:10:02] LOOKS LIKE WE DO HAVE IT. JUST A LITTLE CONFUSION. OKAY. THANK YOU. I HAVE ONE LAST QUESTION. WHAT IS, I MEAN, I WOULD ASSUME LIKE BUDGET, BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS TO, IS THIS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO BE ADDING TO OUR LIST? WE HAVE BUDGET CONVERSATION COMING UP. UM, IS THIS THE TIME AND THE PLACE TO TALK ABOUT MAKING THIS A PERMANENT FIXTURE OR RENEWING IT FOR A YEAR? WHERE, WHERE IS SUPPORT FROM COUNCIL ON COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS? DO WE HAVE A COUNCIL MEMBER CHAMPIONING THIS OR CHAMPIONING THIS PROGRAM? WHO WE GOT A CALL , WE SHOULD SIT CLOSE. I MEAN, I THINK UNDERSTANDING THAT HAVING SOME OF THAT DATA DEFINITELY CAN HELP US RALLY BEHIND THIS PROGRAM. AND I DEFINITELY, FROM FOLLOWING IT FROM CONCEPTION, DO FEEL THAT THIS IS A BIG PART OF WHAT OUR COMMUNITY'S BEEN ASKING FOR. IT WORKS. AND IT ALWAYS COMES DOWN TO, UM, I MEAN, YEAH, I, I, I PERSONALLY WOULD LOVE TO TALK TO MY COUNCIL MEMBER AND, AND SEE IF SHE WOULD RALLY BEHIND THIS. I, YEAH, I THINK FEEDBACK ON THE PROGRAM AS IT IS NOW IS IMPORTANT TO MAKE SHIFTS. UM, BUT YEAH, JUST CURING IT, CURIOUS THIS AND SUPPORT FOR SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS IS IN THE LIST OF BUDGET REQUESTS. AND SO PERHAPS THIS IS, WE CAN EXPAND IT TO KIND OF UMBRELLA COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS, BUT I DO THINK, UM, PIVOTING BASED ON FEEDBACK AND OBVIOUSLY PAIN POINTS OF THE COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENTS THAT CAN BE MADE, UM, ESSENTIALLY, JAVIER, JUST LET US KNOW, ROBERT, LET US KNOW HOW WE CAN CONTINUE THIS, UM, SUPPORT. 'CAUSE IT OBVIOUSLY IS A NEED. YEAH, I WILL, I'LL HANDLE THAT. UM, JAVI, YES, AS A COMMISSION, IF YOU ARE SEEING A NEED AND YOU FEEL IT'S IMPORTANT, YES, YOU SHOULD PUT THAT IN YOUR BUDGET RECOMMENDATION. IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE SEE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT. UM, WE PROVIDE ASSISTANCE ALONG THE WAY, UM, TO ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS. SO. OKAY. LAST, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, ROBERT, AND THANK YOU JAVIER FOR BEING HERE. WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. HOPEFULLY WE WILL GET, UH, BE IN CONTINUOUS CONVERSATION. VERY WELCOME. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. [12. Staff update on Land Use Updates by Donald Jackson, Business Process Consultant] NEXT WE HAVE A STEPH UPDATE ON LAND USE UPDATES BY DONALD JACKSON BUSINESS PROCESS CONSULTANT. GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY. UH, GREAT TO SEE Y'ALL AGAIN. UH, I'VE SPOKEN TO Y'ALL BEFORE ABOUT, UH, THESE INITIATIVES. THESE ARE TIED TO RESOLUTIONS THAT WERE PASSED A FEW YEARS AGO TO SUPPORT, UH, CREATIVE SPACE AND LIVE MUSIC VENUES. UM, PREVIOUSLY WE WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS OF GOING, UH, THESE ARE THE, THE FIRST TWO HERE LISTED ARE THOSE MAIN RESOLUTIONS. PREVIOUSLY WE WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS OF, UH, KIND OF REFINING AND REVISING LAND USE DEFINITIONS TO BE MORE APPROPRIATE FOR MUSIC AND CREATIVE USES. AND NOW WE'RE SORT OF DOING THE SECOND PHASE WHERE WE'RE DEVELOPING, UH, BASICALLY A CREATIVE DISTRICT DISTRICT OVERLAY, UH, WITH DENSITY BONUS COMPONENTS TO HELP INCENTIVIZE AFFORDABLE, UH, MUSIC VENUES AND CREATIVE SPACE. YOU CAN ALSO SEE THAT HAS BEEN REINFORCED BY THE RESOLUTION LISTED AT THE BOTTOM. THAT WAS THE PART OF THE PALM DISTRICT RESOLUTION. WE RECEIVED FIRM GUIDANCE FROM COUNCIL TO, UM, CONTINUE THIS WORK AND TRY AND BRING FORWARD SOMETHING FOR SPRING 2024. UH, AND ACTUALLY THERE WAS ANOTHER RESOLUTION PASSED JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO TO KIND OF REINFORCE THAT. SO, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE MOVING THIS FORWARD. UM, NEXT SLIDE. THIS SORT OF, UH, REFLECTS SOME OF THE GUIDANCE FROM THOSE INITIAL RESOLUTIONS ON THE TYPES OF THINGS, UH, COUNCIL WAS LOOKING TO SEE. UH, LOOKING AT THE, SOME OF THE MAJOR ONES THAT I WANNA, I WANNA CALL OUT HERE ARE, UH, EXPANDING FACILITATION OF AFFORDABLE, UH, COMMERCIAL SPACE AND NEW CONSTRUCTION FOR CREATIVE SPACES. UM, MAKE PRIORITIZATION OF CREATIVE SPACE AND MUSIC VENUES AS COMMUNITY BENEFITS FOR DENSITY BONUSES, UH, INCREASE IN A FLOOR AREA RATIO AND ET CETERA, ET CETERA. UH, BASICALLY DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES TO ENCOURAGE, UH, AFFORDABLE CREATIVE SPACE. UM, BUT THAT THESE ARE SORT OF THE, THE MAJOR FOCUSES. SO THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON WITH THIS. UH, NEXT SLIDE. SO WE'VE WORKED A LOT WITH, UH, OUR, OUR COLLEAGUES IN LAW AND THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT TO KIND OF THINK ABOUT THE BEST WAY TO ACHIEVE THIS. WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING IS, UH, [02:15:01] TWO THINGS ACTUALLY. UH, THE MAJOR, THE, THE MAJOR THING WE'RE DOING IS CREATING, UH, WHAT YOU CAN CALL LIKE A PAPER DISTRICT. UM, WE'RE NOT GONNA BE MAPPING IT INITIALLY, BUT WE'RE GONNA CREATE A, BASICALLY A PROGRAM, UH, FOR, UH, REZONING THAT ALLOWS FOR DENSITY BONUSES, UH, FOR CREATIVE DISTRICT AREAS, UH, THAT WAY THERE'S NO INITIAL CHANGE TO ANYONE'S ZONING, UH, ANY PARTICULAR PROPERTY, BUT WHAT IT DOES IS CREATE A PROCESS THAT, UH, PROPERTY OWNERS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS AND ARTS GROUPS CAN BASICALLY GO THROUGH TO GET THIS, TO GET THIS, UH, MAPPED INTO A SPECIFIC AREA. WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THERE WAS SORT OF A GROUND UP PROCESS THAT PEOPLE COULD FOLLOW AND NOT JUST TRY AND DICTATE FROM ABOVE, LIKE WHERE EVERY SORT OF CREATIVE DISTRICT SHOULD BE. WE WANT THAT TO COME FROM, FROM THE COMMUNITY AND FROM THE CREATIVE COMMUNITY. UM, THEN, UH, YEAH, ONCE THAT IS, ONCE THIS, ONCE THIS, UH, THIS DISTRICT, THIS CREATIVE DISTRICT COMBINING DISTRICT, UH, AS WE'RE CALLING IT, IS ADOPTED, UM, OWNERS OF ELIGIBLE PROPERTIES AND COMMUNITY GROUPS CAN APPLY FOR THROUGH A REZONING PROCESS TO GET THAT. AND I'LL DESCRIBE IN A MINUTE WHAT THOSE BENEFITS ARE. UM, MILESTONES, JUST A TIMELINE FOR Y'ALL. SO YOU CAN SEE WHERE WE'RE AT. UH, TONIGHT WE'RE PRESENTING, UH, TO, TO Y'ALL. UH, I'M GOING TO CODES AND ORDINANCES, UH, ON THURSDAY. UH, GOING TO TRY AND PRESENT TO THE ARTS COMMISSION ON THE FIRST. I THINK WE'RE STILL KIND OF SETTING THAT UP. THEN, UH, PLANNING COMMISSION IS GOING ON APRIL 23RD. AND CURRENTLY WE ARE SLATED TO GO TO COUNCIL FOR FINAL ADOPTION OF THIS ON MAY 30TH. SO THAT IS, THAT'S THE TIMELINE WE'RE WORKING WITH. AND, AND I WANNA BE FULLY TRANSPARENT. PREVIOUSLY WHEN WE DID THIS, YOU KNOW, UH, I BELIEVE THE CO ORDER, THIS COMMITTEE ASKED US TO COME BACK WITH SOME EXTRA WORK. SO THIS MAY GET, YOU KNOW, UH, MOVED A LITTLE BIT. BUT THAT'S, THAT'S THE TIMELINE WE'RE WORKING WITH NOW WITH, UH, THROUGH OUR WORK AND WITH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT OF THE LAW DEPARTMENT. SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE MAIN THING WE'RE GONNA BE DOING. AND WHAT WE'LL ALSO BE DOING THOUGH, IS INITIATING A NEW, UH, SUB-DISTRICT IN THE DOWNTOWN FOR RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT SPECIFICALLY. UH, AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT MORE LATER. UH, NEXT SLIDE. SO THESE ARE KIND OF SOME OF THE FACTORS WE WERE THINKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF WHAT, WHAT THIS CREATIVE DISTRICT SHOULD DO BASED ON THIS GUIDANCE. I SAID SOME OF THIS ALREADY, BUT IT SHOULD REALLY BE DRIVEN BY CREATIVE SPACE STAKEHOLDERS. UM, THERE SHOULD BE SOME LEVEL OF PRIOR COORDINATION AND ORGANIZING AMONG STAKEHOLDERS BEFOREHAND. UH, IT SHOULD BE A TOOL THAT FOLKS CAN USE AND NOT SOMETHING WE KIND OF IMPOSE TO TOP DOWN. UM, WE, THERE SHOULD BE NORMAL PROCESSES FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT WITH ADEQUATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND FEEDBACK AND BIG, YOU KNOW, BIG BOLD POINTS. UH, WELL, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN BOLDED, BUT THE FOCUS OF THIS WHOLE THING IS HAVING A, HAVING A BONUS DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM IN A CREATIVE SPACE DISTRICT THAT'S FOCUSED ON PRO, UH, THAT'S FOCUSED ON PRESERVING EXISTING CREATIVE SPACES AND, UH, INCENTIVIZING NEW CREATIVE SPACES, AND THAT THOSE CREATIVE SPACES SHOULD BE AFFORDABLE. UM, WHAT WE'RE DEFINING AS CREATIVE SPACES HERE INCLUDES THE LIST BELOW, UH, PRIMARILY ONES YOU'D BE FAMILIAR WITH, ART GALLERY, ART WORKSHOPS, UM, PERFORMANCE VENUES, ET CETERA. UH, WE ALSO CAN PUT IN A LITTLE FLEXIBILITY AND, AND SOME, YOU KNOW, EDGE CASES THAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO INCLUDE THINGS LIKE, UH, LIKE MUSIC RELATED RETAIL, A LITTLE BIT HARDER FOR, UM, FOR THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES FOLKS TO MONITOR, UM, UNIVERSALLY. BUT WE CAN MAKE SORT OF CASE BY CASE DETERMINATIONS. UH, NEXT SLIDE. SO HERE ARE THE REQUIREMENTS. WE'RE THINK WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE PROPOSING TO INCLUDE IN THIS AND LOVE TO HEAR EVERYBODY'S FEEDBACK, BUT WE WANT TO CREATE KIND OF A BASELINE STANDARD. AND, AND THESE COULD BE MODIFIED IN THE REZONING PROCESSES A LITTLE BIT. UM, ONE OF THE REQUIREMENTS WOULD BE THAT AT LEAST, UH, THAT ALONG AT LEAST 30% OF THE BUILDING FRONTAGE, UH, UH, SPACE MUST BE RE UH, RESERVED FOR AFFORDABLE CREATIVE SPACE USES. SO GROUND FLOOR, 30 PER 30% OF THE GROUND FLOOR, UH, FRONTAGE NEEDS TO BE RESERVED FOR, UH, AFFORDABLE CREATIVE SPACE. UH, GROUND FLOOR, GROSS ELITE, UH, GROSS FLOOR AREA, AT LEAST 25% NEEDS TO BE RESERVED FOR AFFORDABLE CREATIVE SPACE. UH, WE DO THESE THROUGH LAND USE AGREEMENTS OR RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS, UH, SIMILAR TO HOW KIND OF DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS WORK. NOW FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING, WE'RE JUST GONNA USE THAT. WE'RE GONNA USE KIND OF A, WE'D USE A SIMILAR MECHANISM, OR THE CITY WOULD USE A SIMILAR MECHANISM AND HAVE THAT IN PLACE FOR, UH, AFFORDABLE CREATIVE SPACE. UH, THE OTHER THAT, THAT SORT OF TO IN, AND THAT HELPS INCENTIVIZE. THAT'S WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT KIND OF NEW SPACE, UH, WHAT WE'RE ALSO GONNA INC WHAT ALSO IS INCLUDED IN THE, AND THIS IS REALLY STRONG, UH, PRESERVATION REQUIREMENTS. UH, THIS IS BASED ON A FRAMEWORK THAT WAS ADOPTED BY COUNCIL, ACTUALLY I THINK LAST MONTH. BUT BASICALLY WHAT [02:20:01] THIS WOULD DO, UH, WOULD BE WHAT'S DESCRIBED BELOW. UH, THERE'D BE REQUIREMENTS. SO IF A REDEVELOPMENT HAPPENS IN ONE OF THESE CREATIVE DISTRICTS, UH, THERE'D BE A REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE NOTICE AND RELOCATION BENEFITS TO, UH, TO THE TENANTS. THOSE RELOCATION BENEFITS WILL MINIMALLY BE TIED SIMILAR TO WHAT THE FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS ARE FOR, UM, UH, RELOCATION BENEFITS, BUT, UH, POTENTIALLY HIGHER. WE'RE STILL KIND OF NEGOTIATING THAT. IF, YOU KNOW, IF WE CAN GET IT HIGHER, WE CAN, WE CAN DO THAT, BUT WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE CAN DO WITH THE LAW DEPARTMENT ON THAT. UM, BIG ONES ARE IF, UH, AND, AND TO BE ELIGIBLE, WE'RE JUST GONNA SAY IT HAS TO BE A CREATIVE SPACE THAT'S BEEN IN OPERATION FOR 12 MONTHS OR LONGER. UM, BIG ONES ARE REPLACING ANY EXISTING CREATIVE SPACE THAT WAS OPERATING WITH CREATIVE SPACES OF COMPARABLE SIZE. UH, AND THEN GRANTING A CREATIVE SPACE OPERATOR. IE IF YOU, IF YOU HAVE A CREATIVE SPACE, IF YOU HAVE A, IF YOU HAVE A ART GALLERY OR A VENUE OR PERFORMANCE VENUE OR A THEATER IN OPERATION, THEY WILL RECEIVE THE OP. THEY WILL NEED TO RECEIVE THE OPTION TO LEASE A SPACE OF COMPARABLE SIZE THAT IS AFFORDABLE FOLLOWING THE COMPLETION OF REDEVELOPMENT. UH, THIS IS KIND OF NEW TERRITORY FOR THE CITY, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF SUPPORT ON THIS FROM OUR PLANNING DEPARTMENT. SO WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING IT OUT. UM, NEXT SLIDE. THIS IS JUST KIND OF A PRECEDENT SLIDE. SOME OF THE THINGS WE'RE LOOKING AT FOR THOSE GROUND FLOOR REQUIREMENTS, WE DO THAT ALREADY IN SEVERAL TYPES OF OVERLAYS IN THE CITY, VMU, WATERFRONTS, UH, DESIGN DISTRICT GUIDELINES, THAT KIND OF THING. A LOT OF THAT SORT OF GUIDANCE IS ALREADY, AND THINGS LIKE THE DOWNTOWN PLAN, THOUGH, NOT QUITE AS STRICT, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE'RE TAKING, THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE'RE BEING, UH, UH, DRAWING FROM. UH, NEXT SLIDE ONE. AND THIS SORT OF TALKS MORE ABOUT THAT CREATIVE SPACE BONUS. SO, SO WHAT THIS MEANS, THIS IS A REGULATORY INCENTIVE. SO WHAT THIS MEANS IS IF YOU ARE IN A CREATIVE DISTRICT, IF YOU ARE IN, IN ONE, IN, IN A AREA THAT HAS THIS CREATIVE SPACE ZONING, WHAT YOU CAN DO IS BUILD A TALLER BUILDING WITH MORE DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL IN RETURN FOR PROVIDING AFFORDABLE CREATIVE SPACE. AND I THINK WHAT WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE DOING, WHAT WE'RE, IN TERMS OF THE BONUS, WE'RE SORT OF MAPPING THAT ONTO SOMETHING THAT WAS PASSED RECENTLY BY COUNCIL, UH, DB 90. UH, BASICALLY YOU CAN DO AN ADDITIONAL, UH, 30 FEET FROM YOUR EXIST FROM YOUR BASE ZONING, UH, OR A PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN BASE FAR. THOSE STILL CAMPED CAPPED AT 30 FEET. UM, YOU, YOU CAN DO THAT AS LONG AS YOU PROVIDE, UH, A FOUR TO ONE RATIO FOR EVERY FOUR EXTRA, UH, SQUARE FEET OF SPACE IN YOUR BUILDING. ONE OF THOSE SQUARE FEET HAS TO BE AFFORDABLE CREATIVE SPACE. SO IF YOU GET AN EXTRA, YOU KNOW, FOUR, IF YOU GET AN EXTRA 4,000 SQUARE FEET IN YOUR BUILDING, 1000 SQUARE FEET HAS TO BE, UH, LONG-TERM AFFORDABLE CREATIVE SPACE. UM, WHAT WE MEAN BY AFFORDABLE, UH, THESE ARE THE TARGETS WE'RE GOING WITH, UH, 50% OF THE, UH, COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE MARKET RATE. SO BASICALLY HALF WHATEVER THE MARKET RATE FOR RETAIL IS THAT YOU CAN GO WITH THAT. WE COULD ALSO GO WITH A STABILIZED LEASE TO REVENUE RATIO BASED ON INDUSTRY AVERAGES, DEPENDING ON WHAT THE, WHAT THE INDUSTRY IS. WE'RE KIND OF EXPLORING, AGAIN, SOME OF THIS STUFF WE WE'RE EXPLORING WITH LAW TO DETERMINE LIKE KIND OF WHAT THE MOST APPROPRIATE VERSION OF THIS IS. UM, AND WE'LL PROBABLY BE SORT OF MANAGING THIS ADMINISTRATIVELY, BUT THAT'S KIND OF THE, THIS IS KIND OF THE APPROACH. WE'RE ALSO GONNA PUT IN A, WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO PUT IN AN ANNUAL RENT ESCALATION CAP, UH, 5%. UH, THAT'S, UH, THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF A, IN THE WORLD OF COMMERCIAL LEASES, THAT'S SORT OF EQUIVALENT TO, UM, RENT REGULATION. SO YOU CAN'T, UH, THE RENT AT THE SPACE CAN'T INCREASE MORE THAN 5% A YEAR. UH, AND THEN THE MINIMUM AFFORDABILITY PERIOD, UH, THAT WE'RE GOING WITH SO FAR IS 10 YEARS. AND THE REASON WE'RE GOING WITH THAT IS THAT'S THE STANDARD FOR OTHER DENSITY BON, UH, OTHER DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS OF THE CITY. UH, UM, FOR ALL OF THE EXISTING DENSITY BONUSES AND ALL THE ONES CURRENTLY PROPOSED, UH, APART FROM AFFORDABLE HOUSING, ALL THE OTHER TYPES OF COMMUNITY BENEFITS JUST HAVE LIKE A 10 YEAR COMPLIANCE PERIOD. AND THAT'S, THAT'S SORT OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN GUIDED TO DO BY SUCH DEPARTMENTS. THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN, WE CAN THINK ABOUT. UM, WE ALSO WANT TO HAVE THE OPTION TO PROVIDE A FEE IN LIEU IN THIS CASE SPECIFICALLY. SO IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO THIS, YOU COULD USE, YOU COULD GET THE DENSITY BONUS, AND THEN INSTEAD OF PUTTING THE SPACE ON YOUR SITE, YOU COULD DO A FEE AS LONG AS WHAT THE FEE IS GOING TOWARDS IS PRESERVING AN EXISTING CREATIVE SPACE ALREADY IN THE DISTRICT. SO IF YOU'RE IN A DISTRICT THAT HAS MUSIC VENUES [02:25:01] THAT WOULDN'T NECESSARILY BE MOST APPROPRIATE FOR BEING IN A, YOU KNOW, A, A A SEVEN STORY BUILDING, UM, YOU CAN DO THE DENSITY BONUS AND THE DENSITY AND DO A FEE INSTEAD. AND THE FEE CAN GO TOWARDS HELPING PRESERVE THE MUSIC VENUE. UH, AND THE FUNDS FOR THAT CAN BE ADMINISTERED THROUGH, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I LISTED A FEW PROGRAMS THAT IT COULD BE, BUT THEY'RE BASICALLY WHATEVER PROGRAM MAKES, MAKES SENSE. WE CAN HAVE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS TO THE CITY TO KIND OF MANAGE THAT. UM, NEXT SLIDE. SO THE OTHER ELEMENT THING WE'VE BEEN ATTRACTED TO DO IS, IS CREATE SPECIFIC. SO WE, WE DON'T HAVE, UH, COUNCIL DIRECTION TO CREATE SPECIFIC DISTRICTS ALREADY IN ANY AREAS EXCEPT FOR THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT, WHICH IS ALREADY A DESIGNATED SORT OF CULTURAL DISTRICT. AND WE HAVE VERY STRONG GUIDANCE TO CREATE A, A REGULATORY OVERLAY FOR THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT. SO IN TALKING WITH THE PLANNING, UH, DEPARTMENT AND THE LAW DEPARTMENT, THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT SEEMS TO BE TO CREATE A SUBDISTRICT OF THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS, UH, SYSTEM. SO BASICALLY, SIMILAR TO WHAT I'VE ALREADY SAID, WE'LL JUST MAKE A SPECIAL VERSION OF THAT THAT'S SORT OF NESTED WITHIN THE EXISTING DOWNTOWN, UH, DENSITY BONUS FRAMEWORK. AND WHAT THAT WILL MEAN IS THAT IN THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT, THERE'S SPECIFIC DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS AND, UH, AT LEAST HALF AND HALF OF THE, UH, ANY DENSITY BONUS, UH, FEES THAT GO IN AND GO FOR THAT DISTRICT WILL, UH, HAVE TO BE USED FOR, UM, CREATE A SPACE IN, IN MUSIC PRESERVATION. SO, UH, WE PROBABLY, AND WHAT THIS WOULD ACTUALLY, WHAT WE NEED TO DO AT THIS POINT BASED ON JUST KIND OF THE LEGALITIES OF IT, IS, UH, AS WE GO FORWARD WITH THIS, UH, PAPER CREATIVE SPACE DISTRICT THAT CAN BE APPLIED, YOU KNOW, AROUND THE CITY, WE'D ALSO INITIATE A NEW SUBDISTRICT AND, AND MOVE IT FORWARD AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, BUT INITIATE A NEW SUB-DISTRICT, UH, AND THE DEBT FITY BONUS FOR RED RIVER SPECIFICALLY, AND THEN MOVE THAT THROUGH OVER, UH, OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR TO GET THAT IMPLEMENTED IN THE DOWNTOWN. UH, THAT CAN, THAT WOULD PROBABLY HAVE, UH, HIGHER STANDARDS THAN OUR BASELINE. UH, I'VE MENTIONED A FEW, WE'VE, WE'VE SORT OF DISCUSSED THAT THIS IS SOMETHING WE, WE DEFINITELY STILL NEED TO KIND OF WORK THROUGH, UM, THOUGH THAT WE'LL PROBABLY HAVE SOME MORE TIME FOR THAT. UM, SUCH AS HIGHER, UH, GROUND FLOOR CREATIVE SPACE REQUIREMENTS, UM, AND, AND SORT OF DEALING WITH SOME OF THE, UH, ELEMENTS IN THE, UM, DEALING WITH SOME OF THE, UH, OTHER ELEMENTS THAT ARE PARTICULAR TO THE RED RIVER AREA. I WILL NOTE, I AND I MENTIONED THIS, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE LIMITATIONS IN THIS IS THAT MOST OF THE RED RIVER IS, IS CURRENTLY LOCATED UNDER WHAT ARE CALLED CAPITAL VIEW CORRIDORS THAT LIMIT BUILDING HEIGHTS. UM, SO, SO THE POTENTIAL FOR USE OF A DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM IN THE RED RIVER IS SOMEWHAT LIMITED, BUT IT WOULD CREATE THE FRAMEWORK FOR IT IF THOSE WERE EVER ADJUSTED, IT WOULD IMMEDIATELY TAKE EFFECT AND, AND POTENTIALLY IT COULD STILL HAVE SOME OF THOSE PROTECTIVE FUNCTIONS. SO THAT'S STUFF WE STILL KIND OF NEED TO EXPLORE WITH FLAW, BUT THAT'LL BASICALLY BE A SPECIFIC KIND OF TWEAK OF THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS, MORE OR LESS USING THE SAME FRAMEWORK AS THAT CREATIVE OVERLAY. UM, NEXT SLIDE. I THINK I MIGHT, YEAH, THAT'S QUESTIONS. AND I KNOW THIS IS FAIRLY KIND OF DENSE MATERIAL AND HAPPY TO TALK ABOUT ANY OF IT. AND, UM, UH, BUT, UH, HOPEFULLY WE CAN, UH, YEAH, UH, LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING YOUR COMMENTS AND, AND, AND TALKING THROUGH, UH, PROGRAM FEATURES AND, AND, AND ANY AND OTHER THINGS Y'ALL MIGHT LIKE TO SEE. UH, AND I WILL ALSO MENTION THIS IS SORT OF COMPLIMENTARY TO AN EFFORT WE'RE ALSO DOING, UH, WHICH IS DEVELOPING, UH, UH, PROGRAMS UNDER THE FRAMEWORK OF THE, UH, WHAT WAS DIRECTED BY COUNCIL AS THE, UH, LOCATION ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM. THIS, THE CREATIVE DISTRICT HERE IS BASICALLY A REG SET OF REGULATORY INCENTIVES. SO YOU'RE GIVING EXTRA BUILDING HEIGHT AND SIZE TO, TO HELP HELP FINANCE AFFORDABLE, CREATIVE SPACE. WE CAN COUPLE THAT WITH JUST FINANCIAL PROGRAMS AT OUR LOCATION ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM TO HELP KIND OF MAKE THAT WORK EVEN BETTER FOR THE BALANCE SHEET SO WE CAN KIND OF, SO WE CAN TRY AND REACH A FAIRLY, UH, STABLE AND DEEP LEVEL OF AFFORDABILITY FOR CREATIVE SPACES PARTICIPATING IN THESE PROGRAMS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, COMMISSIONER MARK, AND THEN COMMISSIONER GRAY. UM, HI, MR. JACKSON, ARE YOU PLANNING ON GIVING A, A SIMILAR PRESENTATION TO THE DOWNTOWN, UM, COMMISSION? UH, I DO NOT BELIEVE WE HAVE ONE SCHEDULED, BUT WE CERTAINLY CAN. I, I, I, I THINK THEY WILL BE VERY MUCH INTERESTED AND SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THIS, [02:30:01] UH, BONUS PROGRAM. SO, UM, I LIKE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN BECAUSE I'M THE LIAISON, YOU KNOW, BETWEEN THE ASK COMMISSION AND, UH, SO I THINK, DO YOU NEED ME TO CONTACT THE STAFF TO SET IT UP FOR YOU OR CAN YOU DO IT BY YOURSELF? I CAN, I CAN TAKE CARE OF THAT MYSELF. WE HAVE, UH, THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION LIAISON IS ALSO IN OUR DEPARTMENT, SO I CAN SPEAK WITH HER ABOUT GETTING, UH, ON THE APRIL MEETING. OKAY. GREAT. THANK YOU. THANKS VERY MUCH. COMMISSIONER GRAY. HEY, MR. JACKSON, I ALWAYS ENJOY ALL OF THE DETAILED INFORMATION YOU GIVE US, UH, AND THEN COMING IN AND EXCITING THINGS. YOU KNOW, IN THINKING ABOUT THE, THE DENSITY BONUS, IS IT MY CREATIVE IMAGINATION THAT I REMEMBER IN THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF THAT WE TALKED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OR THE FUTURE THOUGHT OF PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION FOR NONPROFIT? NOT JUST CRE NOT CREATIVES IN GENERAL, BUT NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. 'CAUSE I DO KNOW THERE'S PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTIONS FOR CERTAIN ELEMENTS OF LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS OF WHAT KIND OF NONPROFIT THEY ARE. SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO A LONG WAY IN, IN EXPLAINING THAT QUICKLY, BUT I THINK YOU PROBABLY KNOW WHAT I'M ASKING. YEAH, WELL, AND, AND LIKE I WAS SAYING, I THINK THAT'S REF THAT'S RELEVANT. THAT'S, UH, TIED TO THAT, WHAT I WAS MENTIONING A MINUTE AGO. THIS, UH, LOCATION ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM. IT'S SORT OF UNDER OUR, OUR TAX INCENTIVE TAX REIMBURSEMENT FRAMEWORK. OKAY. OKAY. AND YEAH, AND IT WOULD BE, IT WOULD ESSENTIALLY DO SOMETHING, IT WOULD DO SOMETHING SIMILAR. I THINK WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF WE HAVE DIRECTION FOR LIKE, JUST ALL NONPROFITS, PERIOD. I THINK THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING WE NEED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT. SURE. BUT, UM, WE DEFINITELY HAVE STRONG GUIDANCE TO, TO DO THAT KIND OF THING WITH CREATIVE SPACES. WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT AND DEFINITELY TO USE IT AS AN INCENTIVE FOR, UH, LONG-TERM AFFORDABILITY. OKAY. AND LONG-TERM AFFORDABLE SPACE. I'M SORRY, I MISSED, YEAH, I'M SORRY. I MISSED THAT. I GUESS IT WAS JUST THE WAY IT WAS SAID AND I WENT BACK TRYING TO FINDING THE ACTUAL, ACTUAL, IN THE ACTUAL, ACTUAL, I DIDN'T INCLUDE THAT IN THE SLIDE YET BECAUSE THAT ONE'S, THAT ONE'S SORT OF A DIFFERENT PROGRAM. GOTCHA. IT'S A LITTLE, SO IT WASN'T MY IMAGINATION. THANK YOU, . THANK YOU SO MUCH MR. JACKSON. NO PROBLEM. HI, DAWN. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WORK ON THIS. UM, IT'S JUST SO GREAT TO SEE HOW, AND YOU'VE DONE IT REALLY FAST, JUST FROM YEAH. WHEN WE FIRST STARTED TALKING ABOUT THIS. UM, TO CLARIFY, THE BONUS PROGRAM IS ONLY AVAILABLE IN THE, WOULD ONLY BE AVAILABLE IN THE DISTRICTS, OR IS IT CITY? IS, WOULD THE BONUS PROGRAM BE AVAILABLE CITYWIDE? LIKE DOES IT BECOME PART OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, OTHER SORT OF PROGRAMS, SIMILAR PROGRAMS? WE HAVE THE BONUS PROGRAM. IT WOULD BE, IT WOULD BE, UH, ONLY AVAILABLE IN THE DISTRICT, BUT IT WOULD BE, SO THE WAY THE DENSITY BONUS, THE WAY DENSITY BONUSES WORK IS THAT YOU HAVE TO GET THE, YOU HAVE TO GET BASICALLY THE DISTRICT DESIGNATION ON A PROPERTY. LIKE YOU HAVE TO GET REZONED RIGHT. TO ALLOW THAT DENSITY BONUS TO FUNCTION. OKAY. SO THAT DOESN'T, SO, UM, AND THAT, AND THAT'S DEFINITELY A QUESTION THAT I, THAT I, UH, CERTAINLY APPRECIATE GUIDANCE ON THE WAY A LOT OF DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS WORK. NOW YOU GET THE, YOU GET THE DISTRICT DESIGNATION, BUT A DISTRICT CAN BE, IT CAN BE APPLIED TO ONE, ONE BUILDING OR ONE SITE. MM-HMM. . OR IT CAN BE FOR A FULL DISTRICT. I THINK WHEN WE HAD BEEN THINKING ABOUT IT, WE HAD BEEN LEANING MORE TOWARDS KIND OF HAVING LIKE LARGE SITES OR, OR, UM, RIGHT. OR, OR SOMETHING LIKE A DISTRICT TO KIND OF HELP DO CLUSTERING. BUT IF, IF Y'ALL, I MEAN, IF Y'ALL, IF Y'ALL HAVE GUIDANCE THAT IT WOULD BE BETTER TO HAVE THIS AVAILABLE, UM, JUST CITYWIDE AS A REZONING OPTION FOR, FOR FOLKS. WE COULD CERTAINLY, UH, LEAVE IT AT THAT, THAT THAT WOULD CERTAINLY BE EASIER FOR LAW AND PLANNING. SO, UM, HAPPY TO, HAPPY TO TAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ON THAT. YEAH. I, I MEAN MAYBE THIS CAN BE A MORE DETAILED CONVERSATION IF WE REGROUP THE, OUR WORKING, OUR LAND USE WORKING GROUP TO DO. 'CAUSE I KNOW THAT'S LIKE A BUNCH OF GEEKS THAT ARE REALLY INTERESTED IN THE NITTY GRITTY OF THE POLICY PIECES. UM, 'CAUSE I, YEAH. CAN WE HAVE A BOTH AND SITUATION, UM, I GUESS IS THE QUESTION. YEAH, I THINK, I THINK WE CAN. SO I THINK THE MODEL WE WERE LOOKING AT WAS KIND OF HISTORIC DISTRICTS. MM-HMM. . AND IF YOU LOOK AT KIND OF HOW THE HISTORIC DISTRICTS WORK, YOU CAN DO THEM. YOU CAN KIND OF DO IT AS EITHER A SITE OR YOU CAN DO IT AS A, AS A DISTRICT. OKAY. SO THAT'S, AND, AND I THINK OUR HOPE WAS TO HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THAT. AWESOME. UM, WHAT WAS THE OTHER QUESTION? LOTS. THERE'LL BE LOTS OF THINGS FOR THE LOCATION ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM. UM, OH, I GUESS IS THERE ANY, UM, IS THERE ANY IDEA YET OF HOW, LIKE, INTERESTED THE [02:35:01] DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY'S GONNA BE IN THIS? AND I GUESS LIKE, YEAH. IS IS LIKE, WHAT CAN WE DO TO, WELL, I, A RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE, 'CAUSE WE ALWAYS ASK FOR GRAPHICS, RIGHT? MM-HMM. IS LIKE SOMETHING THAT SORT OF DEMONSTRATES THE PROCESS AND WHAT'S AVAILABLE REALLY SIMPLY. I KNOW THAT DEVELOPERS GET THIS STUFF, BUT ESPECIALLY FOR US WHO ARE TRYING TO LIKE, EXPLAIN THIS TO OTHER PEOPLE AND JUST MAYBE LIKE, GROW THE AWARENESS OF IT ONCE IT GETS, UM, APPROVED BY COUNCIL. UH MM-HMM. . YEAH. I'M JUST WONDERING IF LIKE, WHAT WE CAN, HOW WE CAN GET CREATIVE ABOUT ENCOURAGING UPTAKE. AND I REALIZE WE HAVE STEPS TO THAT HAVE TO HAPPEN BEFORE THAT. YEAH, SURE THING. I THINK THAT SOUNDS GREAT. UH, WE CERTAINLY WANNA ENCOURAGE IT ONCE IT IS, ONCE IT'S A ONCE IT'S AN OPTION. SO, YEAH. UM, DEFINITELY. OH YEAH. AND I, I MEAN, I GUESS WE WOULD ALL, LIKE COMMISSION WILL WRITE AND I IMAGINE MUSIC WILL TOO WRITE, UM, SUPPORT FOR THIS ONCE IT GETS READY TO GO TO COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL. CAN YOU REMIND US OF THE TIMELINE OF THAT? IT'S MAY WHEN YOU HAVE COUNT. MAY 30TH. OKAY. YEAH. THE, THE PUBLIC HEARING WILL BE MAY 30TH. I WONDER IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT COULD COME FROM THE WORKING GROUP, THE COLLECTIVE WORKING GROUP TO THAT. IT, IT'S THIS IDENTICAL LANGUAGE FOR MUSIC AS IT IS FOR ART. OH, THAT'D GREAT. STREAMLINED. YEAH. YEAH, SURE. SIMPLIFY FOR EVERYBODY. GREAT. DEFINITELY WE CAN ADD THAT TO OUR AGENDA FOR NEXT MONTH TOO, SO THAT IT'S READY TO GO BY MAY. THANKS FOR ALL YOUR WORK ON THIS. YEAH. REALLY EXCITING POTENTIAL. OH, I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT THE ANSWER TO HEIDI'S QUESTION. DO WE HAVE ANY INTERESTED PARTIES LIKE OUR DEVELOPERS? ARE THEY BITING? THEY'RE JUST WAITING FOR THIS TO GO? WE, WE HONEST, HONESTLY, BEFORE REACHING OUT TO DEVELOPMENT STAKEHOLDERS, I KIND OF WANTED, WE, WE KIND OF WANTED TO START WITH CREATIVE STAKEHOLDERS AND, AND, AND ALSO VET EVERYTHING WITH LAW AND PLANNING. AND IT IS, IT IS MOVING PRETTY FAST. AND WE'RE KIND OF, WE'RE A LITTLE RESTRICTED AT THIS AT THE MOMENT JUST BECAUSE, UH, THERE'S, THERE'S LOTS OF DIFFERENT DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS AND ZONING THINGS MOVING FORWARD ALL AT ONCE. SO WE'RE JUST TRYING TO KIND OF GET IN THE DOOR. UM, BUT, UH, THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE CAN LOOK AT MORE. AND, AND AS AND AS, UH, THIS MOVES ALONG, ESPECIALLY NEXT MONTH, WE CAN REACH OUT TO, TO POTENTIAL INTERESTED DEVELOPERS TO KIND OF VET IT WITH THEM. WE'RE, WE'RE EAGER, I THINK. YEAH. I'M GETTING SOME THUMBS UP FROM THE GUYS, BUT YEAH, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S AN ORDER TO THINGS AND THERE'S NOT ONLY SO MUCH INFORMATION THAT CAN BE RELEASED AT ONE POINT, BUT, UM, THERE'S LOTS OF EXCITING CHATTER HAPPENING BEHIND MY HEAD, WHICH IS NOT DISTRACTING AT ALL. UM, BUT THANK YOU. THANK YOU, DON. THIS IS AMAZING. UH, ANYBODY ELSE? COMMISSIONER CHARLA AND COMM COMMISSIONER? CHARLA. COMMISSIONER MARK. UH, I'LL BE QUICK. UM, UH, THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR, UH, THIS INFORMATION IN THE MUSIC COMMISSION HAD, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, MADE A, A RECOMMENDATION AROUND RRCD. UH, BUT OVERALL, UM, AS YOU'RE COMING UP WITH THIS GUIDELINES, I WAS JUST CURIOUS WHAT KIND OF, UH, IF, UH, IF YOU ARE HAVING ANY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WITH, UH, WITH THE ESTABLISHED DISTRICTS, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S IT'S IT'S A SIX SQUARE OR, OR RRCD, IS THERE ANY, UH, ENGAGEMENT THEN WITH THE DEVELOPER COMMUNITY OF WHAT'S, WHAT, WHAT KIND OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DO WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IN DRAFTING THESE, UH, GUIDELINES? IF YOU COULD PLEASE, UH, THROW SOME LIGHT ON THAT. YEAH, I, I WILL. YEAH. WE DEFINITELY ENGAGED QUITE A LOT WITH THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT. THEY'VE BEEN KIND OF PRIME MOVERS ON THIS. UH, I THINK OTHER TYPES OF ENGAGEMENT, IT WOULD, WE HAVEN'T HAD AS MUCH AS WOULD BE IDEAL JUST BECAUSE OF KIND OF THE CONSTRAINED TIMELINE. UM, HAPPY TO HAVE MORE DISCUSSIONS WITH OTHER, OTHER COMMUNITY GROUPS. I MEAN, UM, GOING TO, GOING TO THE COMMISSIONS TO Y'ALL IN MUSIC ARE, ARE KIND OF BEEN A BIG PART OF TRYING TO VET SOME OF THIS. A LOT OF THE GUIDANCE WAS KIND OF FROM THE COUNCIL DIRECTION AND FROM THE PRETTY, PRETTY STRONG AND DIRECT DIRECTION, UH, FROM COUNCIL ON WHAT THEY WANTED TO SEE IN THE PROGRAM. SO, AND THEN ALSO KIND OF THE FRAMEWORK THAT WAS ESTABLISHED BY PLANNING. UM, SO THAT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING WE CAN LOOK AT MORE ONCE THIS GOES TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION OR ONCE THIS SORT OF, UH, GOES TO COS AND ORDINANCES IN A FEW WEEKS, THERE'LL BE A WEBSITE THAT GOES ALONG WITH IT THAT PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO WEIGH IN ON, UH, UH, AS HAPPENS WITH ALL KIND OF ZONING ITEMS. AND THEN, UM, UM, BUT YEAH, HAPPY TO ALSO TALK TO MORE GROUPS OVER APRIL TO GET MORE ENGAGEMENT AND INPUT. UM, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NOW, YEAH. YES. UM, I'M SORRY, MR. JACKSON, I MISSED, WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT THE, WHEN IS THE PUBLIC HEARING START? MAY WHEN THERE'S A, LET'S, LET ME PULL UP THE, UH, THE THING HERE. THE, YEAH. THE FIR THERE'LL BE A PLANNING COMMISSION HEARING ON APRIL 23RD, AND THEN, UH, CITY COUNCIL HEARING ON MAY 30TH, [02:40:01] 30TH. UM, SO I, I, I HAVE A, UM, A QUESTION OR REQUEST. DO YOU HAVE, UH, SOME REAL SIMPLE CHI CHEAT SHEET TARGETED JUST FOR DEVELOPERS? IF YOU DO, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SEND IT TO US, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I THINK THEY, THEY SHOULD BE OUR MARKET FOCUS MARKET GROUP. I'M, I'M WONDERING IF YOU CAN HELP DEVELOP SOME TARGET MARKETING GROUP LIKE DEVELOPERS FOR THIS. I THINK THEY WILL. THEY WILL BE HAPPY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IT. THANK YOU. YEAH. EXCELLENT. THAT'S A, THAT'S A GREAT IDEA. I'M HAPPY TO DO THAT. UM, YEAH, I'LL BE HAPPY TO DO THAT AND SHARE THAT WITH PHIL. WONDERFUL. OKAY GUYS, WE GOTTA DO A TIME CHECK. IT IS 8 47. WE HAVE A GOOD AMOUNT STILL LEFT HERE. I WANNA THANK DAWN JACKSON FOR BEING HERE. AND PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO REACH OUT WITH ANY OLD THING. AND WE'LL HAVE A LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR Y'ALL, UM, UH, WITH MUSIC MOVING FORWARD. AWESOME. THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OKAY. WE [13. Staff briefing regarding an update on the Hotel Occupancy Tax by Laura Odegaard, Cultural Investment Program Manager] HAVE STAFF BRIEFING REGARDING AN UPDATE IN THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX WITH LAURA ODEGAARD, WHO'S BEEN WAITING SO PATIENTLY. YES. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. UH, I'M LAURA ODEGAARD, CULTURAL INVESTMENT PROGRAM MANAGER WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. UH, I'M A WHITE WOMAN WITH LONG BROWN HAIR WEARING A BLACK DRESS. UM, MY PRONOUNS ARE SHE HER. UH, SO THIS PRESENTATION IS SHARING THE FEBRUARY NUMBERS. SO YOU CAN SEE HERE THAT THE TOTAL HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTION IN FEBRUARY WAS $10,560,588. SO THIS MEANS THAT OUR HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX CULTURAL ARTS FUND COLLECTION NUMBERS FOR FEBRUARY WERE $1,008,583. UH, WITH THE FEBRUARY NUMBERS, WE ARE NOW 50% TOWARD OUR FY 24 APPROVED BUDGET, AND WE STILL HAVE SEVEN MONTHS TO GO. UH, AND AS ALWAYS, THE REMINDER THAT THERE IS A DELAY IN HOW HOT REPORTING HAPPENS. SO THIS REPORT IN MARCH IS SHOWING FUNDS COLLECTED IN FEBRUARY FOR HOTEL STAYS IN JANUARY. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO THIS GRAPH, UH, JUST CONTINUES TO SHOW OUR MONTHLY PROGRESS TOWARD THE APPROVED BUDGET, UH, OF THE 14, UH, $0.5 MILLION. UH, SO OUR HOT CULTURAL ARTS FUND ACTUALS FOR RIGHT NOW ARE NOW $7,275,248. UH, AND AS A REMINDER, AGAIN, THE FUNDS COLLECTED IN FY 24 WILL BE USED TO FUND PROGRAMS NEXT FISCAL YEAR, FISCAL YEAR 2025. NEXT SLIDE. UH, AND AGAIN, I'M INCLUDING THE, UH, CULTURAL ARTS FUND COLLECTIONS BY QUARTER FOR THE LAST FEW, UH, FISCAL YEARS. UM, SO WE'RE LIKE NECK AND NECK RIGHT NOW WITH WHERE WE WERE THIS TIME LAST YEAR. WE'RE ONLY $58,000 BELOW WHERE WE WERE LAST YEAR. SO, UM, KIND OF NEGLIGIBLE DIFFERENCES AT THIS POINT. AND I THINK THAT IS ALL I HAVE TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL. THANK YOU, LAURA. GREAT. SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISON. I LOVE TO SEE THE, THE YEAR TO YEAR. ANYBODY HAVE? YEAH, JUST WE NEED TO START MEETINGS WITH THAT 'CAUSE THIS'S JUST SO EXCITING. START MEETINGS WITH THE MONEY BITS. YEAH. UM, ANYBODY HAVE QUICK QUESTIONS FOR LAURA? 'CAUSE I WANNA GET TO OUR FUNDING UPDATE. OKAY, GOOD. AMAZING. THANK YOU, . NEXT WE [14. Staff update on the Cultural Arts Funding Programs by Jesús Pantel, Cultural Funding Supervisor] HAVE STAFF UPDATE ON THE CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING PROGRAMS BY WHOSE PENTAL CULTURAL FUNDING SUPERVISOR. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. SI PATEL. CULTURAL FUNDING SUPERVISOR. I'M A LATINO WITH LONG GRAYING HAIR, UH, SALT AND PEPPER BEARD. I'M WEARING A GRAY TURTLENECK SWEATER. AND MY PRON PRONOUNS ARE HE HIM. UM, AND I WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THE CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING UPDATE, UM, SPECIFICALLY CONTRACTS AND PAYMENTS AS WELL AS GRANT FUNDED ACTIVITIES THIS MONTH, UM, UH, FOR ACTIVITIES HAPPENING BETWEEN NOW AND THE NEXT ARTS COMMISSION MEETING. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, SO FOR ELEVATE FOR ALL OF THESE PROGRAMS, THIS INFORMATION IS OF, UH, AS OF 10 DAYS AGO, SO MARCH 8TH, 2024. UH, SO OUTTA THE 200 ELEVATE AWARDEES, 199 CONTRACTS HAVE BEEN SENT. 198 CONTRACTS HAVE BEEN SIGNED AND PROCESSED. 199 TEST PAYMENTS HAVE BEEN BOTH ISSUED AND VERIFIED WITH 198 FIRST PAYMENTS ISSUED. UM, AND SO WITH THOSE, UH, TWO STRAGGLERS, YOU CAN SEE THERE'S SOME WHERE WE'RE WAITING WITH THE CONTRACT ON ONE OF 'EM. BUT THE PAYMENT, UH, TEST PAYMENTS HAVE GONE OUT. UM, UM, AND SO THE LONG CENTER, UM, AND STAFF, UM, AS NEED BE. [02:45:01] BUT, UH, THE LONG CENTER IS IN, UH, CONTACT WITH, UH, WITH THOSE TWO. UM, SO, AND WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS ON THOSE. UH, 143 SECOND, UH, EXCUSE ME, 198 FIRST PAYMENTS HAVE BEEN ISSUED, WHICH IS 50% OF THE AWARD. SO 99% OF AWARDEES HAVE, UH, RECEIVED THEIR FIRST PAYMENT. AND THEN 143, UM, ELEVATE RECIPIENTS HAVE ALSO RECEIVED THEIR SECOND PAYMENT. UM, AND THEN WE'VE HAD FIVE THIRD PAYMENTS ISSUED, MEANING WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY CLOSED OUT, UH, FINAL REPORTS. UM, SO OUT OF THE 6.25 MILLION SET ASIDE FOR ELEVATE, $4,999,000 HAS BEEN, UH, SPENT, UH, SO FAR, UH, THIS YEAR. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. FOR NEXUS, WE HAVE 51 AWARDEES. ALL 51 CONTRACTS HAVE BEEN SENT, SIGNED AND PROCESSED. WE HAVE HAD 42 TEST PAYMENTS ISSUED, AS WELL AS VERIFIED, UH, 51ST PAYMENTS HAVE BEEN ISSUED. UM, AND FOR NEXUS, UH, THAT FIRST PAYMENT IS 90% OF THE AWARD OR 4,500 'CAUSE IT'S A FLAT $5,000 AWARD AMOUNT. WE HAVE EIGHT, HAD HAD EIGHT SECOND PAYMENTS ISSUED. UH, SO AGAIN, SUCCESSFUL FINAL REPORT CLOSEOUTS. UH, SO 189,000 HAS BEEN TO, UH, DISTRIBUTED TO DATE OUT OF, UH, $250,000 SET ASIDE IN THE POT FOR NEXUS. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UH, FOR THRIVE, WE HAVE 36 AWARDEES, UM, 36 CONTRACTS SENT, SIGNED, PROCESSED TEST PAYMENTS ISSUED, VERIFIED FIRST AND SECOND PAYMENTS ISSUED, ALL OF THOSE 36. SO ALL OF THEM HAVE RECEIVED ALL OF THAT. AND THEN WE HAVE HAD 36 THIRD PAYMENTS ISSUED. SO THE THIRD PAYMENT, A REMINDER THAT THRIVE IS A TWO YEAR FUNDING CYCLE. UM, SO THE THIRD PAYMENT IS THE INTERIM, UH, REPORT. SO BASICALLY IF IT WAS A ONE YEAR, IT WOULD BE THEIR FINAL REPORT. SO, UH, 26 HAVE CLOSED OUT THEIR REPORT FOR YEAR ONE. UM, AND THAT MEANS 3,823,000 HAS BEEN DISTRIBUTED TO DATE OUT OF 3,935,000, UH, FOR YEAR ONE. UM, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UH, FOR ARTS EDUCATION. SO THE, UH, FIRST THREE PROGRAMS I WAS TALKING ABOUT ARE ALL FUNDED BY THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX ARTS EDUCATION. UH, WE RECEIVED MONEY FROM, UH, THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS, UH, THROUGH FEDERAL RELIEF DOLLARS, UH, THAT WERE CONTRACTED TO US. WE HAVE 19 ARTS EDUCATION AWARDEES. ALL CONTRACTS ARE BEING PROCESSED AND PAYMENTS BEING PROCESSED BY THE CITY AS OPPOSED TO THE LONG CENTER. UM, ALL 19 CONTRACTS HAVE BEEN SENT AND SIGNED, UM, AND ARE IN PROCESS FOR PAYMENT CODES, UH, WITHIN THE CITY. UH, 17 FIRST PAYMENTS HAVE BEEN ISSUED, UM, SIMILAR TO NEXUS. IT'S, UH, 90% OF THE TOTAL AWARDS, SO $22,500. UM, NO FINAL PAYMENTS HAVE BEEN ISSUED, SO THEY'RE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF THEIR, UH, PROJECTS. UH, SO NO FINAL REPORTS HAVE BEEN TURNED IN AND $22,500 HAS BEEN DISTRIBUTED. I THINK THAT SHOULD BE 222,500. UM, I THINK THAT'S A TYPO THERE HAS BEEN DISTRIBUTED TO DATE. UM, AND THEN THE TWO PAYMENTS THAT ARE HAVE NOT GONE OUT YET. WE'RE, UH, WAITING ON INVOICES. SO WE HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT, UH, WITH THOSE CONTRACTORS. UM, AND JUST WAITING, UH, TO GET THAT INFO BACK. UH, MOVING ON TO THE NEXT PART OF MY PRESENTATION. I WILL DISCUSS, UM, UM, GRANTEE ACTIVITIES, UM, AGAIN, BETWEEN, UH, NOW AND THE NEXT ARTS COMMISSION MEETING. JESUS, DO YOU MIND ONLY BECAUSE WE'RE SO CRUNCHED ON TIME, THESE, THESE ARE IN OUR BACKUP AND I YES. I SHARE, I GO THROUGH AND I SHARE THEM ON OUR SOCIAL. I, I WOULD LOVE TO GIVE IT ALL OF THESE A A SHOUT OUT, BUT I THINK FOR THE SAKE OF TIME, IF WE CAN MOVE THROUGH THE UPCOMING ACTIVITIES AND THEN WE'LL ALL DO OUR BEST TO, TO GO BACK AND READ, SAY SURE. THANK YOU. SORRY TO CUT YOU OFF THERE. NO, NO, NO PROBLEM. WHAT I'LL DO IS I'LL JUST READ EVERYBODY'S NAME REAL QUICK, BUT I WON'T READ THE REST OF THE STUFF JUST SO WE CAN, UH, KIND OF GET THAT IN THE OFFICIAL RECORD. AND WHAT I'LL SAY IS, I ALWAYS SAY, IF YOU DON'T SEE YOURSELF ON HERE, UM, UH, CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION STAFF, AS WELL AS LONG CENTER STAFF ARE KIND OF LOOKING THROUGH THE, UM, VISIT AUSTIN, UH, WEBSITE. SO PLEASE BE SURE TO POST YOUR EVENT, WHICH IS A, A CONTRACTUAL ACTIVITY, UM, TO VISIT AUSTIN. SO WE CAN, UM, YOU SHOWCASE YOUR EVENT. AND A REMINDER THAT EVEN IF YOU, UM, ANY OF YOUR EVENTS CAN BE POSTED TO VISIT AUSTIN, NOT JUST THE ONES THAT YOU ARE RECEIVING A CULTURAL CONTRACT FOR. UH, SO, UH, ELEVATE, WE HAVE DORIAN LESSARD, UH, COLLECT AND , AUSTIN CLASSICAL GUITAR, AUSTIN FILM SOCIETY, BRAVE COMMUNITIES. AND ZACH, UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. CONTINUING WITH ELEVATE, RANCHO ALLEGRE, HONK TEXAS, JAVIER HARA, ALMOST REAL THINGS. SHAKI MOVES DANCE COMPANY, UM, FOR NEXUS. UH, THESE ARE OUR LAST NEXUS AWARDEES UNTIL THE NEXT LAUNCH. SO WE ONLY HAVE THREE SUSTAINABLE HUMANE EARTH, SAMUEL MEYER AND EDUARDO MARTINEZ. UH, NEXT SLIDE. THRIVE GRANTEE ACTIVITIES IN LAS AMERICAS INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC CIRCLE OF AUSTIN, TARA NADA, PUERTO RICAN CULTURAL CENTER, [02:50:01] THE MUSEUM OF HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT AND THE VORTEX. AND THAT IS IT. SO I WILL OPEN IT UP TO ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL MAY HAVE QUESTIONS FOR JESUS. COMMISSIONER GRAY, YOU HAD MENTIONED. I DO, I DO, I KNOW I'M GONNA TRY TO MAKE IT AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. UH, ELEVATE GRANTS WENT OUT, UH, THE CONTRACTS AND AWARDS WENT OUT WHAT MONTH LAST, LAST YEAR. UH, THOSE WENT OUT IN SEPTEMBER OF 2023. OKAY. IS THERE A WAY IN OUR NEXT CYCLE TO HAVE SOME KIND OF DEADLINE ON WHEN CONTRACTS CAN BE SIGNED AND PROCESSED? 'CAUSE IT SEEMS THAT, SO THOSE, THOSE THOSE ARE BEING, THEY, THOSE HAVE BEEN, UH, FORWARDED. WE'RE JUST IN THE MIDDLE OF COLLECTING EVERYTHING, SO IT JUST, I DON'T, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE IT'S BEEN COLLECTING AND NON, IT'S BEEN THAT IN THAT HOLDING PLACE FOR A WHILE. SO IT'S JUST TO, JUST TO JUST NOTICE THAT, UH, ONE SHORT, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER IN, IN, UM, IN BIG NUMBERS. BUT WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE QUESTION THAT CAME IN EARLIER ABOUT THE COMMUNITY NOT KNOWING A TIMELINE, CAN YOU GIVE AN IDEA OF WHEN APPLICATIONS MAY OPEN UP FOR THE FIRST OF THE THREE? I, UM, SOMETIME IN THE SPRING. OKAY. I'LL DEFER TO, WELL, THAT HELPS SOMETIME IN THE SPRING FOR, FOR NEXUS. AND THEN WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING ON TIMELINES. I WILL DEFER TO MEGAN FOR, UH, MORE SPECIFIC ANSWERS. GREAT. THANK YOU. HI COMMISSIONERS. MEGAN WELLS, CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION MANAGER. I DON'T KNOW THAT I HAVE A MORE SPECIFIC TIMELINE FOR YOU, BUT YES. SPRING. UM, I WILL SHARE WITH YOU THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON AN AMENDMENT WITH THE LONG CENTER'S CONTRACT. THAT AMENDMENT IS NOW SIGNED. WE ARE NOW PROCEEDING THROUGH NEXT STEPS WITH THEM SO THAT WE CAN MOVE TOWARDS A MORE SPECIFIC LAUNCH DATE WITH YOU. OKAY. UM, AS SOON AS WE HAVE THAT LAUNCH DATE, IT WILL BE SHARED THROUGH OUR CHANNELS, EDD NEWSLETTER, SOCIAL MEDIA, ALL OUR USUAL. WE WILL SHARE WITH YOU SPECIFICALLY AS A COMMISSION. WE USUALLY SEND AN EMAIL OR A MEMO TO YOU ALL. UM, BUT WE WILL WORK, WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS A SPECIFIC DATA, JUST DON'T HAVE IT YET. UM, WE'RE DOING SOME CRITICAL STEPS TO TEST SOME SOFTWARE AND MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THAT IN PLACE SO THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH A VERY CONFIDENT, UH, WORKING TOOL FOR OUR NEXT LAUNCH FOR NEXUS. SO WE DON'T HAVE THAT QUITE IN PLACE YET. COOL. DO YOU HAVE A, A CONFIDENT BIG WINDOW FOR ELEVATE? I DON'T HAVE THAT QUITE YET. OKAY. I HAVE A FUZZY WINDOW. FUZZIES. FUZZIES BETTER THAN NOTHING. I HAVE A FUZZY WINDOW FOR THAT, BUT I DON'T WANNA COMMIT TO THE NEXT ONE YET UNTIL WE SURE. IT'S A, THERE'S A DOMINO EFFECT OF PROGRAMS. SURE. SO LET ME GET THE NEXUS DATE IN PLACE AND THEN I CAN MORE CONFIDENTLY MAKES SENSE. PROJECT THE NEXT ONES BECAUSE THEY ALL KIND OF FALL IN LINE AFTER THAT. MAKES SENSE. UM, AND SO I WILL BE ABLE TO TELL YOU PROBABLY AFTER THE NEXUS LAUNCH DATE MM-HMM. HOW THEY'LL FALL IN PLACE AFTER THAT. YEAH. I'M JUST, I'M KIND OF ECHOING WHAT WAS TALKED ABOUT EARLIER. WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE LARGER, YOU'RE LOOKING AT, ARE WE GOING TO, BECAUSE UNDERSTOOD VENUES ARE BEING LOST, TIMES BEING LOST. UNDERSTOOD. ALL OF THAT STUFF'S REALLY HARD. I HAVE ONE, ONE MORE AND PLEASE DON'T KILL ME. SO I KNOW THAT THE TIMELINE OF FUNDING IS GONNA BE SHIFTED TO A CALENDAR YEAR, I THINK IN HOPEFUL THINKING. CORRECT. LIKE NEXT, MAYBE ONE FISCAL YEAR LATER THIS, THOSE ARE THE PLANS. THOSE ARE THE PLANS, BUT THAT, UH, CURRENTLY IS OUR THINKING. YES. COOL. OKAY. SO SIMPLE QUESTION DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A LONG ANSWER. SO WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S FISCAL YEAR BUDGET, HOW ARE YOU LOOKING AT THE CALENDAR YEAR FUNDING? SO, UM, AS LAURA, UH, PRESENTED IN HER PRESENTATION EARLIER, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE ACTUAL MM-HMM. . SO WE WOULD JUST LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER THE NEXT, UH, FISCAL YEAR IS. SO LIKE IF WE'RE IN FISCAL YEAR 24 RIGHT NOW, COLLECTING MONEY TO BE USED IN FISCAL YEAR 25, WE'LL JUST USE THAT AS AN EXAMPLE. THEN THAT CALENDAR YEAR 25 IS THE CURRENT THINKING IS, UH, HOW WE WOULD USE THAT. AND WE WILL, UH, LOOK THROUGH THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE NUMBERS ARE CORRECT. BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE LONG AND THE SHORT IS HOW THAT WOULD, UH, I THINK, I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND THE FISCAL YEAR THING. THE QUESTION IS, THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CITY OF AUSTIN FISCAL YEAR AND A CALENDAR YEAR. YES. OKAY. BUT SO LIKE WITH THRIVE IS CURRENTLY ON A CALENDAR YEAR. AND SO FOR THAT FUNDING, IT WAS WHAT WE JUST LIKE, IT WAS FOR, YOU KNOW, SAY FISCAL YEAR 24 FOR ELEVATE. WE USED THE FISCAL YEAR, AND I'M MAKING THE NUMBERS UP HERE. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE CORRECT. RIGHT. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE USED THE FY 23 ACTUALS FOR THE FY 24 ELEVATE AWARDS. UM, SO THAT WOULD BE THE SAME, YOU KNOW, FOR, FOR THE THRIVE. SO WE WOULD LOOK AT, LOOK AT THAT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE ACTUALS WE'RE TAKING IN WILL FUND THE SUBSEQUENT PERIODS, UM, CONTRACTS, WHETHER THAT'S FISCAL YEAR OR CALENDAR YEAR, EVEN THOUGH A CALENDAR YEAR COVERS TWO CITY OF, CITY OF AUSTIN FISCAL YEARS. YES. IT JUST DEPENDS ON, ON WHEN WE'RE COLLECTING THEM. GOTCHA. SORRY, I DON'T MEAN TO BE A PAIN, I'M JUST TRYING TO HELP EVERYBODY UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON. THANK YOU. MM-HMM. . OH, LAURA'S GONNA ADD SOME. I JUST WANNA ALSO ADD, JUST TO CLARIFY MAYBE A LITTLE BIT WHEN, SO FOR RIGHT NOW, [02:55:01] THE, THE NUMBERS THAT WE HAVE, HAVE IN THE FY 24, WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT ARE WE GOING TO GIVE OUT THIS YEAR? WHAT ARE THE AWARDS GONNA BE THIS YEAR? RIGHT? SO THAT IS WHAT WE'RE GONNA CONSIDER THE AWARDED FY 24 GRANTS, RIGHT? SO IF THAT HAPPENS BY THE END OF THIS FISCAL YEAR FOR US AS THE CITY, RIGHT? EVERYONE WILL BE AWARDED IN THIS FISCAL YEAR. AND THEN THE GRANT TERMS WOULD START IN A CALENDAR YEAR AND IT WOULD BE IN FY 25. AND THAT WOULD GO, ONE OF THE VISUALS I THINK I PRESENTED LAST MONTH OR THE MONTH BEFORE, KIND OF SHOWED HOW THAT, UM, HOW THAT OVERLAP HAPPENS. BUT, UH, RIGHT NOW WE ARE USING MONEY RIGHT FROM FY 22 THAT WAS GRANTED OUT IN FY 23 AND THE ACTIVITIES ARE HAPPENING IN FY 24 FOR ELEVATE, RIGHT? SO THEN THAT MOVES FORWARD FOR THE NEXT ITERATION OF PROGRAMS. UM, AND SO WE CAN PULL UP THE VISUAL AGAIN FROM LAST MONTH OR TWO MONTHS AGO, BUT THAT IS HOW IT IS BASICALLY ADJUSTED. BUT IF THEY ARE AWARDED THIS YEAR, IT IS GOING TO BE AN ELEVATE GRANTEE FROM FY 24. THE MONEY IS FROM THIS YEAR FY 24, BUT WE KNOW IT WAS ACTUALLY COLLECTED IN FY 23 AND THEIR ACTIVITIES HAPPEN NEXT FISCAL YEAR OR NEXT CALENDAR YEAR. AGAIN, IT'S, I DON'T MEAN TO BE A PAIN, IT'S NOT A COLLECTION QUESTION. YEAH. IT'S A FISCAL YEAR QUESTION. MM-HMM. . SO IF WE'RE ALL CLEAR ON THE SAME, I'M ASKING, THOSE ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS TO ME. OKAY. THANK YOU. DID THAT MAKE SENSE? IT MAKES TOTAL SENSE WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM. I'M STILL CON WHEN I THINK ABOUT BEING A PRESENTER AND SAY AN ELEVATE PRESENTER YEAH. THAT DOES SHOWS ON WHAT USED TO BE A SEASON. MM-HMM. . AND IF THE, IF FUNDING IS TURNING INTO A CALENDAR YEAR, THAT CALENDAR YEAR IS BEING FUNDED BASED ON THE CITY'S FISCAL YEAR THAT STARTED OCTOBER 1ST, THE YEAR BEFORE, THAT GOES THROUGH THAT WHOLE NEXT CALENDAR YEAR. AND SO WE'RE ACTUALLY, BECAUSE THERE'S GONNA BE A, A GAP THERE COULD BE A GAP, RIGHT? I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY WHICH BETWEEN NOW AND NEXT. YES. BIGGEST, RIGHT. AND SO WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IS INSTEAD OF HAVING IT BE A 12 MONTH CONTRACT PERIOD, IT WOULD BE LIKE A 15 MONTH CONTRACT PERIOD TO COVER THAT EXTRA WINDOW. RIGHT. THAT WOULD BE A GAP. WE DON'T WANT ANY OF THE AWARDEES TO HAVE A GAP RIGHT IN RIGHT. IN THEIR, IN THEIR SEASON. RIGHT. AND SO IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ALL ALIGNED RIGHT, ON A CALENDAR YEAR SITUATION, WE WANNA BUILD THAT IN ON THE FRONT END. MM-HMM. TO, TO KEEP THAT FROM HAPPENING TO ANYONE. TOTALLY UNDERSTAND THAT THE CALENDAR YEAR IS FUNDED BY WHAT FISCAL YEAR OF THE CITY, THE PREVIOUS FISCAL YEAR PERIOD. SO IT'S, UH, IT'S CALENDAR TO WHATEVER. THANK YOU. YEAH. THANKS. OKAY. COMMISSIONER HOUSTON, I, I WANTED TO CIRCLE BACK TO WHAT COMMISSIONER GRAY SAID ABOUT A DEADLINE ON CONTRACTS. 'CAUSE WE'RE LOOKING AT SIX MONTHS NOW THAT WE DON'T HAVE SOME OF THESE CONTRACTS. SO, UM, ONE OF THE CONTRACTORS, UM, WAS THINKING OF GOING DEFUNCT, BUT WE HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THEM. SO, UH, THAT'S THE, I THINK IT WAS 199 CONTRACTS. AND SO THE, THE, THE ONE THAT'S NOT THE 200, THAT'S THE ONE THAT, UM, JUST RECENTLY THEY DECIDED NO, THEY ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO DO ACTIVITIES. AND THEN THE OTHER ONE WE'RE, I BELIEVE WE'VE SENT THE CONTRACT TO THEM, I THINK THEY'VE SENT IT BACK AND WE'RE JUST WAITING ON PAYMENTS. SO, UM, WE DID, YOU KNOW, AND WE HAVE TRADITIONALLY, UM, SENT, I THINK WE SENT THESE, UH, DEADLINES OUT IN EITHER JANUARY OR FEBRUARY, WHICH IS WHEN WE HAVE TRADITIONALLY DONE THIS. SO WE'VE BEEN JUST STICKING WITH WHAT OUR NORMAL PATTERN OF SENDING, UM, DELINQUENCY, UH, REMINDERS AND DELINQUENCY NOTICES OUT ARE. SO YES, WE STARTED IN SEPTEMBER AND, YOU KNOW, IT LOOKS LIKE MAYBE WE'RE BEHIND, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE SEEING ALL THESE, IT'S ALSO, YOU KNOW, WE ARE TAKING THIS FROM OUR DATABASE AND JUST MAKING SURE THE DATABASE IS UP TO DATE. AND THAT'S WHY I GIVE THAT LITTLE CAVEAT THAT THESE ARE AS OF 10 DAYS AGO. SO, UM, I DID NOT GET A CHANCE TO LOOK AT 'EM THIS MORNING TO SEE IF ANY OF THOSE NUMBERS HAVE HAVE CHANGED, BUT, UM, I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I AGREE. 'CAUSE WE WANT TO HAVE THOSE CLOSED OUT AS WELL. BUT, UM, IT IS FOLLOWING ALONG WITH OUR, UH, NORMAL TIMELINE OF WHEN WE DO SEND OUT DELINQUENCY NOTICES AND SUCH AND, AND, AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO AT WHAT POINT IS IT THAT WE'VE SENT YOU DELINQUENCY NOTICES, YOU HAVEN'T RESPONDED, YOU DON'T HAVE A PLAN? WHEN DO WE SAY, OKAY, YOU HAVE TO FORFEIT THE FUNDS? YEAH, SO WE HAVE A STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE IN PLACE THAT DESCRIBES, AND IT'S LIKE A THREE STEP PROCESS OF, YOU KNOW, ESCALATING, UH, LETTERS OF, HEY, YOU'RE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR FUNDING. UM, UM, GOING FROM AN EMAIL TO GETTING SENT THROUGH CERTIFIED MAIL TO LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE LOST YOUR FUNDING, WE'VE REACHED OUT TO YOU. UM, SO WE [03:00:01] BASICALLY JUST INITIATED, YOU KNOW, STEP ONE OF OUR THREE STEP PROCESS OF, UH, POTENTIAL TERMINATION AND THAT WAS ENOUGH TO GET THEM MOVING. UM, SO, SO THEY ARE MOVING, YOU KNOW, AND, AND IT'S ALL, IT'S, YOU KNOW, NOT DONE IN A VACUUM. SO IT'S NOT LIKE WE'RE GONNA, YOU KNOW, OKAY, YOU'VE HIT THIS, THIS MARK, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE IF WE HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING FROM YOU, THEN YES, WE'RE AUTOMATICALLY MOVING ON TO THE NEXT STEP. IF WE'RE HEARING FROM YOU, WE STILL MAY SEND THAT NEXT STEP, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT THERE'S PROGRESS AND WE'VE BEEN HEARING, AND WE HAVE BEEN HEARING BACK FROM, UH, BOTH OF THESE TWO CONTRACTORS. SO IT'S NOT LIKE, YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN INCOMMUNICADO. WE HAVE BEEN, UM, IN CONTACT WITH BOTH OF THEM AND THEY'VE BEEN, UH, WORKING WITH US TO GET THEIR CONTRACTS AND THEIR PAYMENTS RESOLVED. COMMISSIONER MALDONADO, DID YOU STILL HAVE A QUESTION? I DO, BUT I CAN, I CAN ASK IT OFFLINE. UM, OKAY. SINCE WE'RE SHORT ON TIME. UH, AND IT'S, IT JUST HAS TO DO WITH, UM, THE THRIVE FUNDS. I THINK I, I'M STILL A LITTLE CONFUSED ON THE, THE ROUND THAT WAS PENDING BASED ON THE CONTRACT AMENDMENT. HAS, HAVE THOSE FUNDS BEEN SENT OUT? THEY HAVE NOT YET. WE ARE IN THE PROCESS NOW OF TRANSFERRING THE FUNDING THAT WOULD GO OUT TO THOSE CONTRACTORS TO THE LONG CENTER. SO THAT'S THE NEXT STEP. ONCE THE LONG CENTER HAS THOSE FUNDS, THEY CAN ISSUE THE PAYMENTS. OKAY. SORRY, I WAS TRYING NOT TO ASK A QUESTION . UM, OKAY. I'LL JUST, I'LL GET WITH YOU MEGAN. UM, AND I'M JUST FOLLOWING UP ON THE EMAIL FROM SYLVIA FROM AND JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE COMMUNICATION HAS BEEN FOR CONTRACTORS TO RECEIVE THEIR FUNDS. YEAH, SURE. THANK YOU. NO PROBLEM. OKAY. WHAT TIME DO WE GET KICKED OUT? DON'T, DON'T SAY THAT. OKAY. WE'RE GONNA KEEP GOING Y'ALL. AND I WANNA, I WANNA, UM, GET THROUGH THESE DISCUSSION ACTION ITEMS QUICKLY. YEAH, YEAH. UH, ITEM 15, [15. Sign the letter of support for Poet Laureate program] SIGN THE LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR POET LAUREATE PROGRAM THAT HAS BEEN CIRCULATED. IT IS IN THE BACKUP. I'D LIKE TO VOTE. UM, UH, COMMISSIONER MOCK. SO MOVED, SECONDED BY. GREAT. I SECOND IT. TRIPLE SECOND. IT ALL IN FAVOR. HANDS UP, UNANIMOUSLY SUPPORTED. OKAY, GREAT. SO WE CAN PUT OUR SIGNATURE ON THAT. SEND IT TO KB NEXT. [16. Discussion and approval on the FY 24-25 budget recommendations] UM, ALSO WAS PREVIOUSLY CIRCULATED APPROVAL OF THE, UH, FY 24 23 BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS. WHAT I SET FORTH IS A DRAFT. I WAS REALLY HOPING TO HAVE MORE TIME TO HAVE A BIT MORE OF A CONVERSATION AROUND THESE ITEMS, GIVEN THAT EVERYBODY HAS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THEM. IS THERE ANY COMMENT OR CONCERN THAT WE CAN TALK ABOUT SPECIFICALLY? OH, BUT I, WHAT'S THE DEADLINE? THE 31ST? SO THIS IS OUR LAST MEETING TO DISCUSS. I THOUGHT THAT'S THE PREVIOUS ITEM THAT WE WANT TO ADD SOMETHING INTO THE BUDGET. WE WANTED TO, WAS THAT THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS SUPPORT? YES. WE CAN TIE THAT THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR SUPPORT. THERE IS A ITEM ON THERE ABOUT SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS AND BECAUSE I THINK COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS, THERE'S ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT WITHIN THAT PROGRAM. I THINK WE CAN JUST MAKE IT CLEAR THAT WE WANNA SET ASIDE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF FUNDS IN SUPPORT OF SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS. I FEEL LIKE THAT MIGHT, THAT MIGHT CHECK THAT BOX COMMISSIONER GRAY. I THINK AS LONG AS IT'S NOTATED, UH, IN THE NOTES THAT, THAT GETS SENT OVER SOMETHING ABOUT THAT PROGRAM AS FAR AS IT BEING TIED INTO THE, THE SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS, THE SUPPORT. OKAY. YEAH. WE'LL GET IT REFINED AND I'LL SEND OUT THE FINAL DRAFT BEFORE WE IT'S SUBMITTED. COOL. MY ONLY QUESTION WOULD BE, THE ONLY QUESTION THAT'S REALLY IN THERE IS A A DC. THE A A DC FUNDING AMOUNT? YEAH. UM, YEAH, THAT, I HAVE THAT UP HERE AS WELL. I CAN LOOK BACK TO SEE WHAT WE REQUESTED LAST YEAR. OKAY. AND MAYBE USE THAT AS A JUMPING OFF POINT. I'LL UPDATE IT AND CIRCULATE IT AND HAVE, UM, YEAH, HAVE AS YOU SEND IT OUT. THAT'S A GOOD START. ANYTHING ELSE? YEAH. YEAH. THAT'S, THAT'S VERY TRUE. UM, AND THEY'RE WORKING ON BOND MONEY, SO THAT'S AT LEAST, YOU KNOW, SYMBOLIC SUPPORT. . OKAY. SO, UM, LET'S GO AHEAD. DO WE, I MEAN, IT'S DISCUSSION. DO WE NEED TO TAKE A VOTE ON BUDGET OR CAN WE, THERE'S CONSENT. WE SHOULD TAKE A VOTE. OKAY. SO I NEED A MOTION IN A SECOND. SO MOVE MOTION. MOTION BY LET'S GIVE IT TO MAL MR. THIS TIME. SECONDED BY MOCK. ALL IN FAVOR OF THE BUDGET DRAFT AS IS TO BE SUBMITTED UNANIMOUS. WONDERFUL. THANKS Y'ALL. OKAY, TWO MORE THINGS. UM, [17. Update from joint Arts/Music Commission Working Group on Urban Core Issues with Commissioners Gray, Maldonado, and Schmalbach (chair).] UPDATE FROM JOINT ARTS, MUSIC WORKING GROUP ON URBAN COURT ISSUES WITH GRAY MALDONADO AND ALBA CHAIR. WE HAVEN'T MET SINCE LAST MONTH AND THERE ARE NO UPDATES. I MEAN, WE HEARD A LOT FROM DON AND MM-HMM. . YEAH. AND THE LETTER OF SUPPORT POTENTIALLY [03:05:01] COMING NEXT MONTH, STEP COMING. BYE. OKAY. UPDATE FROM COMMUNITY [18. Update from Community Engagement Working Group with Commissioners Zisman, Houston, Csillagi, and Kracheni (chair)] ENGAGEMENT WORKING GROUP WITH COMMISSIONER ZIMAN, HOUSTON, SHEILA AND CEI. CEI, UH, IS CHAIR, BUT NOT HERE. UH, WE HAVE NOT MET AGAIN, BUT WE HAVE BEEN IN COMMUNICATION WITH A TX THEATER. WE'VE BEEN IN THE WORKING GROUP. TWO OF THE MEMBERS ARE GONNA BE ABLE TO ATTEND, UH, THE MEETING ON SATURDAY. SO THAT WILL BE OUR, OUR KICKOFF OF, UH, BEING PRESENT, UM, IN THE WAY THAT WE HAVE SO DESIRED AND WE WILL CIRCLE BACK NEXT MONTH. COOL. UM, ITEMS FOR INFORMATION. IT [ITEMS FOR INFORMATION] BETTER BE GOOD. WHAT YOU GOT? IT'S GOOD. IT IS ONLY, I JUST WANNA ADD AS THE CHAIR OF THE A IPP PANEL NOMINATING COMMITTEE WE'RE ON IT AND IT SHOULD HAPPEN REALLY FAST. EXCITING. ANY OTHER ITEMS FOR INFORMATION? CONGRATULATIONS, . [FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS] GOOD. UH, FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? I HAVE THREE. UM, WE'RE GONNA DO THE DISCUSSION AND ACTION FOR A LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR LAND USE. YES. COMING FROM THE JOINT WORKING GROUP, AKA HEIDI, UM, APPROVAL OR, UH, REVIEW, DISCUSSION AND ACTION OF A RESOLUTION. UH, WHAT DID WE SAY THAT WAS FOR? OH, I DIDN'T FINISH MY NOTES FOR THE SOLUTION. SO THE A FOR AH, YES, YES, YES. THANK YOU. THE, THE DECLARATION EXECUTIVE ORDER. I'M PROMOTING THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES AND MUSEUM LIBRARY SERVICES, WHICH WILL ALSO BE CHAMPIONED BY OKAY. SCHACH AND THEN RETREATS Y'ALL? UM, OH YEAH. GINA IS AMAZING. I GOT ANOTHER 10 GOLD STARS. GINA, SHE HAS SENT ME AVAILABILITY. I KNOW THAT COMMISSIONER MOCK ISN'T AVAILABLE IN MAY. IF THERE ARE HARD DATES YOU ARE NOT AVAILABLE, PLEASE SEND THEM TO ME. I WILL BE CIRCULATING A DOODLE POLL BASED ON THAT INFORMATION. ALSO, MUSIC IS INVITED. I THINK WE'RE LOOKING AT JUNE, SO HOPEFULLY THAT'S FAR ENOUGH OUT THAT WE CAN REALLY PLAN FOR IT. BUT THAT IS IT. YEAH. OKAY. I ADJOURN A SECOND. WE'RE DONE. THANKS EVERYBODY. BYE. THANK YOU EVERYONE. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.