* 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, [CALL TO ORDER] WELL, HELLO AND GOOD AFTERNOON. WELCOME. WE DO HAVE A FULL QUORUM, SO WE WILL GO AHEAD AND CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER. UM, MY NAME'S MARCUS HAMMER. I'M WITH CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES, AND I'LL BE FACILITATING THIS MEETING TODAY WITH YOU. UM, SAM, CAN YOU GO AHEAD AND, AND CALL ROLL FOR, FOR US? GO AROUND. ALL RIGHTY. UH, GARY MERRI PRESENT. NICOLE CONLEY. JUST PRESS THE BUTTON ON THE MIC HERE AND THEN WE SHOULD BE GOOD. UH, FRANCIS JORDAN HERE. UH, ANNA ARE HERE. I HAVE A WHITE HERE. DO YOU HAVE MIC HERE? DO YOU MIND COMING OVER TO THE MIC? WE JUST NEED BROADCAST. THANK YOU. UH, DO YOU MIND? YEAH. ALRIGHT. UH, GARY MERRITT. PRESENT. NICOLE CONLEY. DEWEY SMITH. LUKE KER. HERE. FRANCIS JORDAN. ANNA AGUIRE. ANNA. AND IT'S, YES, I'M HERE. CABO WHITE. HERE. CANON STANLEY. HERE. ROBERT DE O DE. THERE YOU GO. YOU WALKED IN WATCHING. JUST A TIME. UH, NO. LUO PRESENT. CARL REYNOLDS. HERE. DALE GRAY. HERE. KATRINA MILLER? HERE. JC DWYER? I'M HERE. DAVID SULLIVAN. HERE. HAYDEN WALKER. CHAIR. MARY HAGER HERE. AND CHARLES CURRY HERE. ALRIGHT. OKAY. THANK YOU SAM. THAT'LL TAKE US TO OUR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION PORTION OF THE MEETING. DO WE HAVE ANYONE ONLINE OR IN PERSON? NO. OKAY. MOVING FORWARD, WE CAN JUMP INTO THE PRESENTATION. ALL RIGHT. SO WE'RE HERE [1. Introduction of Task Force members and staff.] TODAY, TODAY'S OCTOBER 21ST. UM, WE ARE HERE FOR THE BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE. HAS EVERYBODY GOTTEN USED TO THE ACRONYM B TIFF, YET? IT'S ONE THAT WE WILL HEAR OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AND I THINK OUR QUIZ AT THE END OF THIS, WE'LL BE ABLE TO PRONOUNCE BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE REPEATEDLY, YOU KNOW, FIVE TIMES, UM, TO TRY TO KEEP THAT, BUT JUST KEEP THAT IN MIND AS YOU HEAR. B TIFF, THAT IS THE ACRONYM THAT YOU'LL HEAR OVER AND OVER FOR THIS, THIS TEAM. UM, FROM OUR AGENDA TODAY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE JUST WENT THROUGH THE PUBLIC COMMENT PORTION OF THIS. UM, WE'RE GONNA JUMP INTO, YOU KNOW, JUST WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS NEXT. TRYING TO JUST GO AROUND THE ROOM, JUST KIND OF DO SOME BRIEF INTROS. UM, WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT IS THE BOND ELECTRIC ADVISORY TASK FORCE. WE WON'T COVER THAT IN A LOT OF DETAILS. IT'LL BE VERY HIGH LEVEL. WE'LL MOVE INTO THOSE CONVERSATIONS AS WE PROGRESS THROUGH, THROUGH OUR MEETINGS. UM, BUT THEN AFTER THAT, WHAT WE'RE REALLY DOING TODAY IS DEDICATING OUR TIME TO KIND OF GET YOU UP TO SPEED WITH THE LEGAL TEAM. UM, JUST HAVE THEM TALK ABOUT ALL THE IMPORTANT THINGS FROM, FROM THEIR STANDPOINT. SO LAW DEPARTMENT WILL BE, UM, UH, THE, THE BIG, BIG PIECE OF TODAY'S PRESENTATION. AND THEN WE'LL CLOSE THE MEETING WITH JUST A FEW ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS AND IN JUST, YOU KNOW, Q AND A, UH, IN GENERAL FROM THAT STANDPOINT. SO, MOVING FORWARD, WELCOMES AND INTRODUCTIONS. THIS IS, OF COURSE, IS OBVIOUSLY A NEW TEAM, AND WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL THAT YOU ARE HERE SERVING. AND WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE EXCITED FOR THIS, RIGHT? AUSTIN IS A FANTASTIC, WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL, VIBRANT GROWING COMMUNITY. AND THERE ARE TONS OF NEEDS THAT YOU'LL BE ENGAGED WITH, WITH THE PUBLIC COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, STAFF AS WE WORK THROUGH THIS, THIS LARGE PROCESS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE YEARS, THERE'S GONNA BE, UH, A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY, LEARN MORE, AND WE'LL HAVE A LOT, A LOT OF INFORMATION KIND OF COMING FORWARD WITH THAT THROUGH FUTURE MEETINGS. BUT FIRST AND FOREMOST, WE'RE SO GRATEFUL THAT YOU'RE HERE AND YOU'RE WILLING TO SERVE, UM, ON YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER'S BEHALF. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT. UH, FROM A, FROM THAT STANDPOINT, YOU KNOW, I CAN KIND OF KICK OFF THE WELCOMES, UM, AND INTRODUCE THE INTROS. UM, AND WE'LL JUST KIND OF GO AROUND THE ROOM, YOU KNOW, JUST [00:05:01] KIND OF A QUICK, YOU KNOW, WHO YOU ARE, UM, WHAT DISTRICT POTENTIALLY YOU'RE SERVING. UM, BUT MY NAME IS MARCUS HAMMER. I'M WITH CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES AND I'M THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR THE LARGE PROGRAMS DIVISION. UM, WE CAN JUST ROUND ROBIN, I GUESS. YEAH, SURE. I, I WAS LOOKING AT WHERE I WAS SITTING. I WAS LIKE, I'M EITHER GONNA BE FIRST OR LAST. SO THANK YOU FOR THIS. UH, SO, UH, MY NAME IS KEN STANLEY, UH, DISTRICT FOUR. UM, UH, I WORK IN, UH, FINANCE AND INVESTING, UH, SORT OF MY DAY JOB. UH, AND I ALSO SIT ON THE BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE WITH A FEW OF THE OTHER FOLKS, UM, IN THE ROOM. SO, PLEASED TO BE HERE AND EXCITED FOR THE PROCESS. I'M DAVE SULLIVAN. UM, I USED TO BE SOMEBODY I LIVE IN DISTRICT NINE. UM, I WOULD STUDY AIR QUALITY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS. I WAS ON THE BOND ELECTION TASK FORCE BACK IN A COUPLE OF DECADES AGO, AND I WAS ON THE BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE FOR 16 YEARS BEFORE IT BECAME THE BOND OVERSIGHT COMMISSION. MY NAME IS BO DELP, I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF TEXAS CLIMATE JOBS PROJECT. WE'RE A TAX EXEMPT 5 0 1 C3, UH, ACROSS THE STATE, INCLUDING OFFICE HERE IN AUSTIN. I'VE WORKED IN THE LABOR MOVEMENT FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS. PREVIOUSLY SERVED IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA. HAPPY TO BE HERE. GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M CHARLES CURRY. UH, USED TO BE THE CITY'S BUDGET DIRECTOR, SO I HAVE HAD SOME EXPERIENCE WITH THE BONDS. ALSO, UH, SET ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TABLE FROM DAVE WHEN HE WAS ON THE BOND ADVISORY TASK FORCE AS THE STAFF PERSON FOR THE BOND ADVISORY TASK FORCE. AND LIKE KEITH AND JC THAT YOU'LL MEET NEXT, I SERVE ON THE CITY'S BOND OVERSIGHT COMMISSION. GLAD TO BE HERE. HI EVERYONE. I'M JC UM, FROM DISTRICT EIGHT IN SOUTHWEST AUSTIN. UH, MY DAY JOB, I'M A CONSULTANT. I WORK PRIMARILY WITH NONPROFITS TO HELP THEM DO BETTER PUBLIC POLICY ADVOCACY AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. UH, I HAVE, THIS IS MY FOURTH CITY COMMISSION, INCLUDING BOND OVERSIGHT, WHICH I CURRENTLY SERVE ON, UH, LIBRARY COMMISSION AND THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION, WHICH HAD A VERY SIMILAR STRUCTURE, I BELIEVE, TO THIS TASK FORCE. SO, HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THOSE THINGS. I KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT, UM, CLIMATE SCIENCE, UH, BUT I AM REALLY GOOD AT ASKING DUMB QUESTIONS, SO GET READY. ALL RIGHT, GREAT. UH, MY NAME IS NOLITA LUGO. I AM CURRENTLY IN MY LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS AS THE ONE OF THE AUSTIN ISD AT LARGE TRUSTEES. UM, DAY JOB WISE, I'VE SERVED THE STATE OF TEXAS FOR 20 YEARS, AND OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS I'VE DONE KIND OF TRADITIONAL MANAGEMENT CONSULTING ALONG WITH IT CONSULTING, UM, SPECIFICALLY FOR THE PUBLIC SECTOR. AND I'M HERE REPRESENTING DISTRICT FOUR, OH, SORRY, DISTRICT FIVE. UM, RYAN ALTER'S DISTRICT. HI, I AM, UH, LUKE METZGER. I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENT TEXAS. WE'RE A NONPROFIT ADVOCACY GROUP. I'M ALSO A FORMER, UH, MEMBER OF THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION AND OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON AUSTIN WATERS FINANCIAL FUTURE. AND I'M A PROUD DISTRICT ONE RESIDENT AND APPOINTEE. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS ANNA AGUIRE. I'M A DISTRICT TWO REPRESENTATIVE. I USED TO SERVE ON THE FLOOD MITIGATION TASK FORCE AS A RESULT OF THE CATASTROPHIC ANNUAL CREEK FLOODING. I, OBVIOUSLY, DISTRICT TWO IS WHERE I LIVE. UH, SO WE WERE SEVERELY CATASTROPHICALLY AND SEVERELY IMPACTED BY THOSE FLOODS. UH, HAVE, UM, BEEN ON THE ZONING AND PLANNING COMMISSION, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, VERY INVOLVED IN NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVES. UM, HAVE BEEN A MEMBER OF THE SOUTHEAST COMPANY NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN CONTACT TEAM, AND THEN THE CURRENT PRESIDENT OF THE AUSTIN. I'M DALE GRAY. I AM RESIDENT OF DISTRICT SEVEN. I'M A CIVIL ENGINEER BY TRADE THAT FOCUSES MOSTLY IN PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, UH, SERVED ON SEVERAL BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS IN THE PAST. HI, I AM CARL REYNOLDS. UH, I'M REPRESENTING DISTRICT SEVEN, ALTHOUGH I DON'T LIVE QUITE IN DISTRICT SEVEN. UM, AND I FEEL LIKE I'M AT THE VERY, THE TAIL, THE SMALLEST END OF THE LEARNING CURVE HERE, BECAUSE THIS IS THE FIRST CITY THING I'VE EVER HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH. I'M, I'M A, I'M RETIRED FROM STATE GOVERNMENT. I'M A LAWYER BY TRAINING. I DO, I'M SORT OF A CRIMINAL JUSTICE POLICY CONSULTANT, SO THIS IS ALL NEW TO ME. HI, I AM MARY HAGER. I AM A RESIDENT AND AN APPOINTEE FROM DISTRICT 10. I'M WITH THE WINSTEAD LAW FIRM, COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE ATTORNEY. UH, SPEND MOST OF MY PRACTICE IN THAT WORLD AS WELL AS P THREES IN HIGHER EDUCATION AND MUNICIPALITIES. IN A FORMER LIFE, I WAS THE COO AND GENERAL COUNSEL OF THE WATERLOO GREENWAY CONSERVANCY. SO I HAVE A BACKGROUND IN NONPROFIT AND GREEN SPACE, UM, PRESERVATION, AND I'M HAPPY TO BE A PART OF THIS GROUP. HI, MY NAME IS KATRINA MILLER. [00:10:01] I AM A POLICY ANALYST WITH FARM CITY, UM, AND FRANKLY A RECENT COLLEGE GRAD, SO I'M MAYBE REPRESENTING THE YOUNG PEOPLE THAT YOU WERE ASKING FOR . UM, I AM REALLY EXCITED TO BE HERE. I SERVE ON THE PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COUNCIL AND I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT CLIMATE, BUT YOU KNOW, THERE'S THINGS THAT WE CAN DO. SO I'M VERY HOPEFUL AND EXCITED TO BE HERE. THANK YOU. I AM GARY MERRIT. I'VE BEEN A REAL ESTATE AND BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS ATTORNEY FOR A LONG TIME. I CURRENTLY RUN GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT, WHICH IS A NONPROFIT WORKING TO CONNECT AUSTIN TO SAN ANTONIO WITH A FULLY CONNECTED HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL. AND WE DO LAND CONSERVATION PROJECTS OVER THE RECHARGE ZONE OF THE EDWARDS AQUIFER. I HAVE HAD SOME TIME IN PUBLIC SERVICE BEING AN ELECTED, UM, COUNTY OFFICIAL, AND MOST RECENTLY SERVED ON THE TRAVIS COUNTY BOND ADVISORY COMMISSION. WOW. SO NICE TO MEET EVERYBODY. UH, MY NAME IS KABA WHITE AND I WORK FOR PUBLIC CITIZENS TEXAS OFFICE. UM, BEEN DOING CLIMATE AND, UH, ENERGY POLICY WORK FOR THE PAST DECADE PLUS, AND I CHAIR THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND ALSO SERVE ON THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION. SO I'M EXCITED FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY. DO YOU WANT US TO INTRODUCE OURSELVES? UM, YES, YOU COULD, UH, INTRODUCE YOURSELF. HI EVERYONE. MY NAME IS FRANCIS JORDAN. I, UH, I WORK IN COMMUNICATIONS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ON PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS. I, UH, WORK AT A COMPANY CALLED AECOM. UH, SO I WORK ON PROJECTS OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN, SO I CAN NOW ENGAGE IN THINGS LIKE THIS AND BRING, UM, IMPORTANT VOICES, UNDERSERVED VOICES. I CURRENTLY SERVE AS THE CHAIR OF THE AUSTIN ROSEWOOD DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION THAT RUNS THE MILLENNIUM. AND FOR SEVEN YEARS PREVIOUSLY I WAS A VOLUNTEER WITH THE AUSTIN JUSTICE COALITION, AND LAST VOLUNTEER POSITION WAS BOARD CHAIR FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. I'M VERY EXCITED TO BE ON, UH, THE TASK FORCE WITH YOU ALL. HI EVERYONE, MY NAME IS HAY BLACK WALKER. UM, I'M REPRESENTING DISTRICT NINE. UM, I, UM, WAS ON THE 2017 TRAVIS COUNTY BOND ADVISORY COMMISSION. UM, I ALSO SERVED ON THE CITY'S DESIGN COMMISSION FOR A WHILE AND ABOUT A DECADE ON THE PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COUNCIL. I SERVE ON TWO NONPROFIT BOARDS, UM, IN AUSTIN, THE, THE CONGRESS, THE NEW URBANISM AND SAFE STREETS AUSTIN. SO, UM, VERY GLAD TO BE HERE. CAROLINE, WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF? HI EVERYONE. SORRY, MY, I'M WAITING FOR MY VIDEO. THERE IT GOES. I WAS WAITING FOR MY VIDEO TO TURN ON. IT'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT CHOPPY. UH, HI EVERYONE, I'M CAROLINE WEBSTER. I'M WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN LAW DEPARTMENT, AND, UH, I'LL BE HELPING YOU OUT THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS, NOT JUST ME, BUT SEVERAL, UH, ATTORNEYS. MY SPECIALTY IS WITH ELECTIONS, UH, AND WITH THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT AND, AND, UH, VARIOUS AGENDA ISSUES AND POSTING ISSUES AND THAT KIND OF THING. SO I'LL BE ABLE TO HELP YOU WITH THOSE KIND OF QUESTIONS AS WE GO THROUGH. THERE ARE SOME OTHER ATTORNEYS WHO ALSO BECOME VERY CRUCIAL, UH, WHO HAVE MORE SPECIFIC BOND AND TAX AND THAT KIND OF LEGAL EXPERTISE THAT WILL HELP YOU. UM, I'M AVAILABLE. MY CONTACT INFORMATION WILL BE AT THE END OF THE AND I'M AVAILABLE, BUT I'M ALSO AVAILABLE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS AS WELL. OKAY, THANK YOU. IT'S A BIG TEAM, 22 MEMBERS. SO WE WILL, UM, PROCEED NOW, WE WILL JUMP BACK INTO THE POWERPOINT. [2. Discussion of the 2026 Bond Election Advisory Task Force and purpose. Presented by Capital Delivery Services, Assistant Director, Marcus Hammer.] OKAY, SO WELCOME. AND ONE OF THE BIG QUESTIONS, WHAT IS A BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE? UH, FROM A, THIS WILL BE, YOU KNOW, VERY, VERY HIGH LEVEL. WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS IN NOVEMBER. SO YOU'LL PROBABLY SEE, UH, MAYBE A SLIDE OR TWO HERE IN THAT, THAT PRESENTATION AS WELL AS WE JUST KIND OF RECOVER AND GO THROUGH THAT. BUT FROM A HIGH LEVEL, YOU KNOW, THIS WAS A GROUP THAT WAS CREATED THROUGH A RESOLUTION BY COUNCIL. UM, IT WAS 22 MEMBERS APPOINTED [00:15:01] FOR APPOINTMENT TWO BY THE MAYOR, AND THEN TWO PER COUNCIL DISTRICT. UM, THIS TASK FORCE WILL DISSOLVE AFTER THE COUNCIL, AFTER THE ADOPTION OF THE BALLOT IS, IS KIND OF POSTED. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT TO KEEP IN IN MIND, RIGHT? THIS ISN'T SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO, UH, WILL BE ONGOING FOREVER SERVING FOR AN ETERNITY, RIGHT? THIS IS FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSE. UM, AND REALLY FROM A B TIFF STANDPOINT, THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES IS THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE SERVING AN ADVISORY ROLE, RIGHT? FROM, FROM THIS STANDPOINT. UM, THE GOAL IS TO REALLY OBTAIN COMMUNITY INPUT WITH THE, THE OVERARCHING PIECE OF THAT IS REALLY CONSIDERING AND RECOMMENDING POTENTIAL POTENTIAL PROJECTS FOR COUNCIL FOR THE 2026 BOND PROGRAM. SO THAT'S OUR END GOAL TO GET TO THAT STANDPOINT. AND AS WE KIND OF WORK THROUGH THAT IN, IN DETAIL, YOU CAN KIND OF SEE, UH, YOU KNOW, REALLY FROM WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HIGH LEVEL IS THAT, YOU KNOW, IT WAS ESTABLISHED TO IDENTIFY, UM, PRIORITIES FOR FUNDING, UH, FOR PROJECTS WILL BE ADDRESSED THROUGH INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS AND REALLY MAKING SURE THAT THOSE PROJECTS ARE FUNDED FULLY, RIGHT? WE DON'T WANNA HAVE A LOT OF, UH, PARTIALLY FUNDED BOND PROJECTS THAT THEY MOVE THROUGH THIS PROCESS. UM, BUT THEN AGAIN, YOU KNOW, REALLY KIND OF ENGAGING AND GOING THROUGH THE COMMUNITY INPUT PROCESS AND HEARING WHAT THE CITIZENS, UM, OF AUSTIN HAVE TO SEE. AND AS WE, WE GO THROUGH THIS, WE'LL TALK A LOT MORE ABOUT THIS, WE HAVE A BIG PIECE OF THE, OUR PROGRAM, UM, PLAN TO HAVE CONVERSATION RELATED AROUND THAT, UM, AGAIN, WITH THE ULTIMATE GOAL TO CONSIDER AND RECOMMEND POTENTIAL PROJECTS TO COUNCIL FOR 2026 BOND PROGRAM. SO FROM THAT STANDPOINT, THAT'S SORT OF THE BIGGER, HIGHER ARCHING PIECE FOR THE BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE. UH, AND WITH THAT, I'LL [3. Discussion regarding compliance with the Texas Open Meetings Act and with the Public Information Act. Presented the City Law Department.] TURN IT OVER TO CAROLINE, AND WE WILL DO, WHAT WE WERE INTENDING TO DO IS REALLY COVER A LOT OF THE LEGAL ASPECTS FOR TODAY'S MEETING. SO, UM, WITH THAT, CAROLINE, I'LL TURN IT TO YOU AND YOU CAN, UH, BEGIN YOUR PORTION OF THE PROGRAM. GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, SO FOLKS, WHAT I'M GONNA BE TALKING TO YOU ABOUT TODAY IS THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT. UH, THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT APPLIES TO VARIOUS GOVERNING BODIES, UH, BUT THROUGH ITS RESOLUTION CREATING THIS TASK FORCE COUNCIL EXPLICITLY STATED THAT THEY WANTED YOU ALL TO COMPLY WITH THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT. AND SO EVEN THOUGH YOU DON'T MEET THE DEFINITION OF A GOVERNING BODY UNDER THE ACT, THE WHOLE ACT DOES APPLY TO YOU. AND SO, ALL TO BE GOING THROUGH TODAY IS SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS, SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS FOR YOU TO BE AWARE OF AND THINGS TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU AVOID THINGS TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE DOING, ET CETERA. AND AGAIN, I'LL HAVE SOME CONTACT INFORMATION AT THE END SHOULD YOU NEED TO REACH OUT AND ASK ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS SO WE CAN JUST START MOVING THROUGH THE SLIDES. I DON'T KNOW IF I HAVE CONTROL OVER THAT. I HAVE, UH, CONTROL OVER HERE. SO WHENEVER YOU WANT ME TO GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, LEMME KNOW. JUST THAT NEXT SLIDE THEN, PLEASE. YES, PLEASE. OKAY. OH, I'M SORRY. BEFORE I ENTER INTO THE MEAT OF THIS, I DID ALSO WANT TO REITERATE, UH, MY THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR SERVING ON THIS TASK FORCE. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT. UH, I WAS REALLY HAPPY TO HEAR ALL OF THE DIFFERENT FOLKS WHO ARE ON HERE AND ALL YOUR EXPERTISE, AND YOU ALL HAVE SO MUCH TO CONTRIBUTE. I KNOW THIS IS GONNA TAKE UP YOUR TIME, AND I JUST REALLY WANTED TO THANK YOU. THIS IS A, A REALLY IMPORTANT PROJECT, NOT JUST TO HELP CITY COUNCIL MAKE THEIR DECISION, BUT IT'S TO BENEFIT, UH, ALL OF AUSTIN. SO I, I REALLY DO WANNA EXPRESS MY THANKS TO YOU FOR BEING HERE AND, AND TAKING THE TIME THAT'S GONNA BE INVOLVED IN THIS. SO, MOVING ON SPECIFICALLY TO THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT. WE REFER TO IT AS TOMA. IT'S BASICALLY A STATUTE THAT WAS ENACTED SEVERAL YEARS AGO, AND THE PURPOSE OF THE STATUTE IS TO BENEFIT THE PUBLIC IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE A PART OF THE DECISIONS THAT THEIR GOVERNING BODY, IN THIS CASE, YOU ALL THE TASK FORCE IS MAKING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT IMPACTS THEM AS, UH, AS MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, AS CITIZENS OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN. AND THE POINT OF THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT IS TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC. UH, IT PROVIDES GUIDANCE FOR YOU ALL AND FOR CITY COUNCIL AND OTHER GOVERNING BODIES. AND, AND IT ALLOWS US TO HAVE A FRAMEWORK FOR HOW TO HOLD OUR MEETINGS AND MAKE SURE WE'RE ALLOWING THE PUBLIC, UH, THAT PARTICIPATION. UH, SEVERAL, MANY YEARS AGO THERE WAS SOME SITUATIONS WHERE, UM, VARIOUS GOVERNING BODIES WERE ACTING SORT OF NEFARIOUSLY AND KIND OF DOING THINGS UNDER THE TABLE AND MAKING DECISIONS OUTSIDE OF THE PUBLIC VIEW. AND, AND THE LEGISLATURE DECIDED THAT THAT WAS NOT ACCEPTABLE. AND SO THEY'VE MANDATED NOW THAT ANY KIND OF, UH, TIMES THAT A GOVERNING BODY OR FOR YOU ALL THIS TASK FORCE IS MEETING TO DISCUSS THE BUSINESS OF THE TASK FORCE, THAT THE PUBLIC IS ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT, TO BE PHYSICALLY PRESENT, TO SIGN UP, TO SPEAK ON ITEMS THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE DISCUSSING, AND TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE PART OF NOT ONLY UNDERSTANDING WHAT FINAL DECISIONS OR FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS YOU MAKE, UH, BUT EXACTLY HOW YOU ARRIVED AT THOSE DECISIONS AND THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS. AND BE A PART OF THAT DISCUSSION. YOU'LL FIND THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT IN THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE. IT'S IN CHAPTER 5 51. IT'S ALL OF CHAPTER 5 51. AND AS YOU GO THROUGH THAT CHAPTER, IF YOU WERE GONNA GO THROUGH IT, [00:20:01] THERE ARE VARIOUS THINGS THAT WOULDN'T NECESSARILY APPLY TO YOU. AND SO WHAT I'M GONNA BE COVERING TODAY ARE THOSE THINGS THAT YOU DO NEED TO PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, OKAY, WHAT DOES THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT EXACTLY SAY? SO EVERY MEETING, EVERY MEETING OF A SUBJECT BODY, UH, WITH VERY NARROW EXCEPTIONS, HAS TO BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. THERE HAS TO BE A NOTICE THAT IS PUBLICLY POSTED OF THE LOCATION OF THE MEETING, THE TIME, THE PLACE, ET CETERA, AS WELL AS A LIST OF ITEMS, UH, THAT INCLUDE THE SUBJECT MATTER OF WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DISCUSS, DISCUSS THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT ALSO REQUIRES THAT MEETINGS BE MEMORIALIZED WITH A RECORD. UH, WE DO AUDIO RECORDINGS. SOMETIMES IT'S VIDEO RECORDINGS DEPENDING ON THE, THE TYPE OF OF BODY THAT'S, THAT'S INVOLVED. AND WE HAVE MINUTES THAT KIND OF CAPTURE THE MAIN OUTLINES OF WHAT OCCURS IN A, IN A MEETING. SO, UH, MINUTES ARE NOT A TRANSCRIPT OF EVERY SINGLE THING THAT'S SAID IN A MEETING. IT'S MORE CAPTURES ACTIONS THAT ARE TAKEN OR VOTES THAT ARE TAKEN, ET CETERA. KIND OF A A, AN OUTLINE OF WHAT . ONE THING THAT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER IS THAT WHEN YOU HAVE AN AGENDA ITEM, THE ITEMS ON THE AGENDA HAVE TO BE WORDED IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE PUBLIC IS GIVEN ENOUGH INFORMATION TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS YOU'RE GOING TO DISCUSS SO THAT THEY CAN MAKE THE DECISION OF, YEAH, I WANNA TUNE INTO THAT, OR, YEAH, I MAY WANNA SPEAK ON THAT ISSUE. I FEEL LIKE I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT THAT ISSUE. AND SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT, UH, THAT AGENDA POSTINGS HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION SO THAT THE PUBLIC IS AWARE OF WHAT'S GOING TO BE DISCUSSED AND, AND CAN MAKE THOSE INFORMED DECISIONS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT A MEETING IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, THAT MEANS A COUPLE DIFFERENT THINGS. SO FIRST OF ALL, IT HAS TO BE PHYSICALLY OPEN. SO WHERE YOU'RE MEETING RIGHT NOW IN THIS ROOM, THE BOARDS AND COMMISSION ROOM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE ALLOWED TO BE PRESENT IN THAT ROOM AND TO OBSERVE PEOPLE'S FACES, THEIR DEMEANOR, THEIR WORDS, WHAT THEY'RE SAYING, ET CETERA. YOU ARE ALLOWED TO ADOPT SOME REASONABLE RULES ABOUT PUBLIC ATTENDANCE. YOU CAN'T LIMIT THE TYPE OF PEOPLE OR THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO CAN ATTEND, OR YOU CAN'T LIMIT IT TO CERTAIN GROUPS AND EXCLUDE OTHER GROUPS. ABSOLUTELY NOT EVERY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC IS ALLOWED. YOU CAN ADOPT CERTAIN REASONABLE RULES, SUCH AS, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR FOLKS WHO SIGN UP TO SPEAK ON AN AGENDA ITEM. A REASONABLE RULE THAT THE CITY COUNCIL HAS ADOPTED, FOR EXAMPLE, IS THAT THEY GET A MINIMUM OF TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ON EACH AGENDA ITEM THAT THEY'VE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON. UM, AND USUALLY THAT'S BEEN EXTENDED TO THREE MINUTES. SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF SOMEONE SEES AN AGENDA AND THEY WANT TO SPEAK ON THREE ITEMS THAT ARE ON THAT AGENDA, THEY GET TO SIGN UP, THEY CAN SPEAK A TOTAL OF NINE MINUTES, YOU KNOW, THREE MINUTES PER ITEM. THEY DON'T HAVE TO USE ALL THEIR TIME, BUT THEY'RE ENTITLED TO DO THAT. ONE THING THAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE IS THAT YOU CAN'T PROHIBIT PUBLIC CRITICISM. YOU KNOW, SOMEONE CAN COME IN HERE AND SAY, YOU GUYS ARE GREAT, YOU'RE DOING SUCH A GOOD JOB. JUST AS EQUALLY, THEY CAN COME IN AND SAY, I THINK YOU'RE MISINFORMED. I DON'T THINK YOU'RE DOING WELL. AGAIN, THERE ARE REASONABLE LIMITS ON THAT. PEOPLE CAN'T BE THREATENING YOU WITH VIOLENCE. YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT ARE NOT ALLOWED IF THEY ARE USING PROFANITY AND, AND, YOU KNOW, OBSCENE COMMENTARY, THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT HAS TO BE ALLOWED. BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, YOU HAVE TO ALLOW FOLKS TO COME IN, SPEAK ON THE ITEMS, ON THE AGENDA, AND, AND CRITICIZE AS THEY SEE FIT, IF THAT'S WHAT THEY CHOOSE TO DO. UH, IT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF YOU HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN VARIOUS CITY TASKS FORCE AND, AND COMMITTEES AND SUCH BEFORE, AND SO YOU'RE KIND OF USED TO THAT, OR YOU'RE AWARE OF THAT IF YOU'VE EVER WATCHED COUNCIL MEETINGS, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO HAVE A BIT OF A THICK SKIN. UH, BUT YEAH, THERE'S, THERE'S, THERE'S GOOD AND, AND BAD. BUT THE WHOLE POINT IS THE PUBLIC GETS TO BE A PART OF THIS AND, AND WITHIN SOME REASON, BASICALLY SAY WHAT THEY WANT AND COMMENT ON YOUR AGENDA ITEMS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO WHEN I TALK ABOUT A MEETING, NOTICE WHAT THAT, AS I MENTIONED, IT HAS TO SHOW THE, OBVIOUSLY THE LOCATION, THE TIME, WHAT YOU'RE GONNA DISCUSS. THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT REQUIRES THAT NOTICE BE POSTED AT LEAST 72 HOURS BEFORE YOUR MEETING START TIME. UH, THAT MEANS ONCE THAT NOTICE IS POSTED, ONCE YOU'RE IN THAT 72 HOUR TIMEFRAME, YOU CAN'T MAKE ANY CHANGES. UH, YOU CAN'T MAKE ANY ADDITIONS, LET ME PUT IT THAT WAY. UH, IF SOMETHING'S ON YOUR AGENDA AND YOU DON'T GET TO IT, YOU NEED TO POSTPONE IT OR WHATEVER. IT DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO DISCUSS IT. UH, YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, YOU COULD MAYBE POSTPONE SOMETHING TO A LATER MEETING, WHAT HAVE YOU. BUT WHAT YOU CANNOT DO IS ADD SOMETHING ONCE THE AGENDA HAS BEEN POSTED AND WITHIN THOSE 72 HOURS, YOU CAN'T ADD SOMETHING TO IT. UH, THAT WAS NOT PREVIOUSLY ON IT. AS I MENTIONED. IT HAS TO BE MEMORIALIZED WITH A RECORD. THAT POINT DOESN'T REALLY BELONG ON THIS SLIDE, SO YOU CAN IGNORE THAT. BUT BASICALLY IT'S, IT'S A PUBLISHED NOTICE. WE PUBLISH IT ON OUR WEBSITE. WE WORK WITH STAFF, WE WORK WITH THE CLERK'S OFFICE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE AGENDA IS UP AND THAT IT COMPLIES WITH THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. OKAY, SO WHAT EXACTLY DOES THE OPEN MEETING ACT REQUIRE? SO BASICALLY, ANYTIME THAT YOU HAVE A QUORUM OF YOUR TASK FORCE MEMBERS MEETING [00:25:01] AND DISCUSSING TASK FORCE BUSINESS, THAT MEANS THAT YOU HAVE TO ALLOW THE PUBLIC TO BE A PART OF IT. YOU HAVE TO HAVE POSTED ADEQUATE NOTICE, ET CETERA. AND SO WHAT IS A QUORUM? A QUORUM IS DEFINED BASICALLY AS A MAJORITY OF THE MEMBERS OF THE TASK FORCE. YOU ALL ARE A 22 MEMBER BODY. THAT MEANS THAT 12 OF YOU, UH, CON CONSTITUTE A QUORUM. AND SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT BECAUSE IN ORDER FOR YOU TO, FOR EXAMPLE, BEGIN A MEETING, YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE AT LEAST 12 MEMBERS PRESENT IN ORDER TO CONVENE YOUR MEETING. IF AT ANY POINT DURING YOUR MEETING, UM, SOMEONE'S TAKEN A BREAK OR, OR WHATEVER, THEY'RE, THEY'RE OFF THE DIET OR YOU, YOU CAN'T SEE THEM IF THEY'RE PARTICIPATING REMOTELY OVER VIDEO, IF YOU LOSE A QUORUM, YOU BASICALLY HAVE TO STOP AND RECESS THE MEETING UNTIL YOU COME BACK TO A QUORUM. AND SO, PART OF THE REASON THAT I'M MENTIONING THAT IS JUST, ESPECIALLY NOW THAT WE DO HAVE FOLKS WHO ARE PARTICIPATING REMOTELY, UM, IF YOU WANNA BE CONSIDERED TO ESSENTIALLY BE PARTICIPATING IN ON THE DAIS, THE EVEN VIRTUAL DAIS, YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE VISIBLE WHENEVER YOU ARE SPEAKING, OR CERTAINLY WHENEVER YOU ARE VOTING, IF YOU'RE PARTICIPATING REMOTELY, YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE VISIBLE. IF YOU ARE NOT VISIBLE, UH, YOUR VOTE WON'T BE COUNTED. UH, YOU'LL BE CONSIDERED, BASICALLY, LIKE I SAID, IT'S LIKE YOU'RE OFF THE DAIS. SO, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT UNCOMMON FOR SOMEONE TO HAVE TO TAKE A BREAK, TAKE A PHONE CALL, WHATEVER THEY NEED TO STEP AWAY FROM THE DAIS, OR THEY NEED TO MUTE OR TURN OFF THEIR VIDEO FOR A MOMENT IN ORDER TO GET A GLASS OF WATER OR WHAT HAVE YOU. BUT JUST, JUST BE AWARE AND OF YOUR KIND OF SURROUNDINGS AND WHO ELSE IS IN THE MEETING WITH YOU SO THAT IF YOU LOOK AROUND AND YOU SEE THAT, OKAY, IF I LEAVE THIS MEETING, IF I, I GET UP AND WALK AWAY FROM THIS TABLE, OR IF I TURN OFF MY VIDEO, ARE THEY GONNA BE LEFT WITH LESS THAN 12 PEOPLE? BECAUSE THAT MEANS THEY'VE LOST A QUORUM AND THEY CAN'T PROCEED UNTIL THEY HAD A QUORUM BACK. SO IT'S JUST A QUESTION OF, YOU KNOW, BEING AWARE OF THAT WITH THIS LARGE OF A GROUP. UM, HOPEFULLY YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM MAINTAINING YOUR MINIMUM 12, BUT, BUT JUST SO YOU KNOW, UH, WE ALL LEAD BUSY LIVES. WE CAN'T ALWAYS BE AT EVERY SINGLE THING. UM, SO JUST KIND OF BE AWARE OF, OF WHOSE, WHOSE FACE IS VISIBLE TO THE PUBLIC WHEN THEY'RE SITTING IN THAT ROOM. IF THEY'RE SITTING IN THAT ROOM, THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS ROOM OR WHATEVER ROOM YOU'RE MEETING IN, A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC HAS TO BE ABLE TO SEE AT LEAST 12 PEOPLE AND HEAR AT LEAST 12 PEOPLE WHO ARE SPEAKING AND WHEN THEY'RE VOTING, ET CETERA. IN ORDER FOR YOU ALL TO BE CONSIDERED TO HAVE A QUORUM, ONE THING I WANNA MENTION IS THAT WHENEVER YOU DO HAVE A QUORUM PRESENT AND YOU'RE DISCUSSING TASK FORCE BUSINESS, THAT MEANS YOU ARE HAVING A MEETING, WHICH MEANS THAT YOU MUST HAVE POSTED IT, YOU MUST HAVE ALLOWED THE PUBLIC TO BE IN ATTENDANCE. IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE CASE THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A QUORUM PRESENT IN A GIVEN LOCATION THAT IT'S A MEETING. WHAT MATTERS IS THAT YOU ARE HAVING A DISCUSSION ABOUT SOMETHING UNDER THE TASK FORCE JURISDICTION. SO I DON'T KNOW THAT IF YOU ALL KNOW EACH OTHER ALL THAT WELL, BUT JUST SAY, UH, YOU HAPPEN TO BE AT A, A BARBECUE OR A SOCIAL FUNCTION. THERE HAPPENS TO BE AT LEAST 12 OF YOU THERE. IF YOU FIND YOURSELF IN THAT KIND OF A SITUATION, A PURELY SOCIAL OR CEREMONIAL TYPE EVENT, AS LONG AS YOU'RE NOT DISCUSSING TASK FORCE BUSINESS, IT'S JUST A PURELY SOCIAL TYPE FUNCTION. YOU'RE NOT VIOLATING THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT, YOU'RE NOT HAVING A MEETING. UH, BUT JUST YOU HAVE TO SORT OF MAKE SURE YOU'RE POLICING YOURSELVES TO MAKE SURE THAT IF YOU DO FIND YOURSELF IN A GROUP OF TASK FORCE MEMBERS, THAT HAPPENS TO CONSTITUTE 12 OR MORE OF YOU. YOU DON'T START DISCUSSING TASK FORCE BUSINESS OUTSIDE OF A PROPERLY POSTED AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC MEETING. OKAY, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. ALRIGHT, SO WE'VE, I'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT A MEETING. I'VE USED THAT TERM MANY TIMES NOW. AND SO WHAT IS A MEETING? AS I MENTIONED, IT'S NOT JUST ANY TIME A GROUP OF YOU TOGETHER, BUT IF THERE'S AT LEAST 12 OF YOU WHO ARE HAVING A VERBAL EXCHANGE AMONGST YOURSELVES, OR 12 OF YOU WITH A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC, WITH A STAFF, SOME PROFESSIONAL, YOU'VE ASKED TO COME AND SPEAK TO YOU, WHAT HAVE YOU. ONCE YOU HAVE A QUORUM OF FOLKS DISCUSSING TASK FORCE BUSINESS, THAT IS A MEETING. AND THAT MEANS YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE NOTICE PUBLISHED THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE AGENDA READY, YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE PUBLIC ELIGIBLE TO ATTEND AND ABLE TO ATTEND. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO ONE THING THAT IS OFTEN THAT COMES UP, UM, FOR GROUPS LIKE THIS IS VERY OFTEN YOU ALL WILL HAVE A DESIRE BECAUSE YOU'RE WELL INTENDED AND YOU WANT TO GET WORK DONE. THERE SOMETIMES IS A DESIRE TO BE ABLE TO TALK WITH EACH OTHER OUTSIDE OF A MEETING. AND I JUST WANNA KIND OF POINT OUT THAT THAT'S WHAT THE OPEN ME MEETINGS ACT EXPRESSLY DOES NOT ALLOW YOU TO DO IF THAT DISCUSSION IS GOING TO BE AMONG A QUORUM OR MORE OF MEMBERS. AND SO THIS SLIDE HERE, I'M NOT GONNA READ ALL OF THOSE WORDS THAT BASICALLY IS TAKEN FROM THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT ITSELF. THAT'S EXACTLY THE WAY IT DESCRIBES A WALKING QUORUM. TO ME THAT'S NOT SUPER, SUPER CLEAR. BUT THE BOTTOM LINE TO BE AWARE OF IS EVEN IF YOU ARE HAVING, [00:30:01] FOR EXAMPLE, IN THIS CASE FOR A WALKING QUO, IF YOU'RE HAVING A SERIES OF COMMUNICATIONS WHERE, SAY FOR EXAMPLE, A COUPLE PEOPLE ON THE TASK FORCE ARE EMAILING EACH OTHER, AND THEN ONE OR TWO OF THOSE FOLKS REACH OUT TO A COUPLE OF OTHER MEMBERS OF TASK FORCE MEMBERS TO DISCUSS THAT SAME TOPIC. AND BY THE TIME THAT SET OF EMAILS OR DIFFERENT COMMUNICATIONS AND CONVERSATIONS IS DONE, IT'S INVOLVED A QUORUM OF THE BODY. IF THAT HAS HAPPENED, EVEN THROUGH THIS SERIES OF MULTIPLE DIFFERENT COMMUNICATIONS WITH DIFFERENT PEOPLE, ONCE ENOUGH PEOPLE HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THAT COMMUNICATION THAT YOU'VE REACHED A QUORUM, THEN YOU'RE HAVING A MEETING. AND IF YOU'RE HAVING A MEETING, IT HAS TO HAVE BEEN PROPERLY NOTICED. PUBLIC HAS TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BE A PART OF THAT DISCUSSION AND, AND, AND, AND LISTEN TO THAT DISCUSSION AND SIGN UP TO COMMENT ON IT IF THEY SEE FIT. AND SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY IN THIS DAY AND AGE WHERE WE HAVE SO MUCH ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION. WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE EMAILS, WE HAVE TEXTS, WE HAVE SOCIAL MEDIA. YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST IMPORTANT TO BE AWARE THAT, YOU KNOW, JUST SAY SOMEONE POSTS SOMETHING ON A SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT AND ONE BY ONE VARIOUS DIFFERENT FOLKS, MEMBERS OF THE TASK FORCE START TO COMMENT ON THAT. IF YOU GET TO A POINT WHERE 12 PEOPLE ARE INVOLVED IN THAT DISCUSSION, YOU'RE HAVING A MEETING. AND SO IT'S JUST IMPORTANT TO BE AWARE OF THAT KIND OF THING AND THAT YOU'RE NOT INADVERTENTLY VIOLATING THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT THROUGH THAT KIND OF COMMUNICATION. SO NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, SO I JUST REALLY KIND OF JUST EXPLAINED ALL THAT IT'S, UH, A LOT OF TIMES FOLKS ARE THINKING THAT AS LONG AS WE'RE NOT ALL IN A ROOM TOGETHER, UH, AND TALKING ABOUT TASK FORCE BUSINESS, WE'RE OKAY. IT'S NOT A MEETING, BUT IT'S JUST TO REALLY POINT OUT THAT EVEN A SERIES OF COMMUNICATIONS, A SERIES OF EMAILS OR DISCUSSIONS, WHAT HAVE YOU, THAT CAN CREATE A DISCUSSION AMONG A QUORUM AND TRIGGERS THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT. UH, WE, THERE ARE COMPLAINTS, UH, THAT ARE FILED ABOUT THIS, NOT SO MUCH IN AUSTIN, BUT I'VE SEEN PROSECUTIONS OF THIS IN OTHER CITIES, UM, WHERE COUNTY ATTORNEY, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, WHAT HAVE YOU, UM, UH, FILE, UH, A COMPLAINT AND, UH, HAVE FILED SOME CRIMINAL CHARGES. I'M NOT SAYING THAT TO FRIGHTEN YOU, I'M JUST SAYING IT BECAUSE THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR LEGISLATORS AND TO OUR ATTORNEY GENERAL AND OTHER, UH, COUNTY ATTORNEY, DISTRICT ATTORNEYS, ET CETERA. AND SO, YOU KNOW, THERE CAN BE PROSECUTIONS IF THERE'S A, IF IT SEEMS OR IF IT IS THE CASE THAT PEOPLE HAVE BASICALLY INTENTIONALLY AND KNOWINGLY USURPED THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT THAT THROUGH A SERIES OF CON OF CONSULTATIONS OR DISCUSSIONS AND EMAILS OR WHAT HAVE YOU, THEY HAVE BASICALLY KNOWINGLY GONE AND HAD A DISCUSSION. UM, I DON'T EXPECT THAT TO BE A PROBLEM WITH YOU ALL AT ALL, AND IT'S JUST A QUESTION OF MAKING SURE YOU'RE AWARE OF IT, UH, BECAUSE THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES FOR THAT. OKAY, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. OKAY. SO IN ORDER TO AVOID THAT KIND OF, UH, SITUATION, THE VERY BEST THING YOU CAN DO IS JUST MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE ONLY HOLDING DISCUSSIONS ABOUT TASK FORCE BUSINESS IN A PROPERLY POSTED AN OPEN MEETING. UM, CERTAINLY ANY DECISIONS THAT ARE MADE HAVE TO ALWAYS BE IN A PROPERLY POSTED AN OPEN MEETING. UH, JUST A REMINDER THAT SOCIAL MEDIA TEXTS, VARIOUS DIFFERENT WAYS OF COMMUNICATION CAN ARISE TO A DISCUSSION. THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE VERBAL FACE-TO-FACE DISCUSSIONS IN ORDER TO BE A DISCUSSION OF TASK FORCE BUSINESS. AND JUST BE AWARE OF WHO YOU'RE TALKING TO BE AWARE OF, OF WHO MIGHT BE INVOLVED IN DISCUSSION. IF YOU'RE TALKING TO ONE OR TWO PEOPLE ABOUT SOMETHING THAT'S COMING UP ON THE AGENDA, THAT'S OKAY. IT'S JUST A QUESTION OF MAKING SURE THAT THEN THOSE CONVERSATIONS DON'T THEN CONTINUE ON AND INCLUDE MORE, UH, TOO MANY TASK FORCE MEMBERS. OKAY, NEXT SLIDE. OKAY. AS I MENTIONED, UH, THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT IS IMPORTANT AND THERE ARE PENALTIES FOR VIOLATING IT. UM, THE MOST COMMON THING THAT WE SEE IS WHERE SOME ACTION THAT YOU'VE TAKEN, A VOTE YOU'VE MADE TO ADD SOMETHING TO YOUR RECOMMENDATION TO FINALIZE YOUR RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL, WHAT HAVE YOU. IF THERE'S A VIOLATION OF THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT, THAT ACTION CAN BE VOIDED. AND, UM, AND THE CONSEQUENCE OF THAT IS THAT IT JUST MEANS YOU HAVE TO GO BACK, YOU HAVE TO HAVE ANOTHER MEETING, YOU HAVE TO TAKE THAT VOTE OVER AGAIN. ANY OTHER VOTES THAT HAVE BEEN TAKEN THAT WERE BASED ON THAT FIRST VOTE THAT VIOLATED THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT CAN BE IMPACTED LIKE A DOMINO EFFECT. AND SO THAT'S REALLY THE, THE MOST COMMON CONSEQUENCE IS JUST THAT ACTIONS YOU'RE TAKEN CAN BE VOIDED. AND YOU REALLY, OBVIOUSLY YOU ARE ALL VERY BUSY. WE SO APPRECIATE YOUR TIME DOING THIS. AND THE LAST THING WE WANNA DO IS HAVE TO HAVE AN ITEM COME UP, UP AGAIN AT ANOTHER AGENDA BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN AN INADVERTENT, CERTAINLY INTENTIONAL, UH, TOMA VIOLATION. UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY, I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT, AND AGAIN, IT'S NOT TO SCARE YOU, IT'S JUST TO HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU THROUGH ALL OF THIS. MAKE SURE YOUR AGENDA POSTINGS ARE CORRECT AND ADEQUATE AND COMPLIANT WITH THE LAW, AND TO HELP YOU ALL, UH, BE SURE THAT THIS IS A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYONE AND THERE'S [00:35:01] NO INADVERTENT OR MISTAKE IN VIOLATIONS OR ANYTHING ELSE. OKAY. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO THAT WAS REALLY ALL I HAD, AND THAT'S MY NAME AND MY EMAIL ADDRESS AND MY OFFICE NUMBER. IF YOU CALL MY OFFICE AND YOU LEAVE A MESSAGE, I GET AN EMAIL WITH THE TRANSCRIPT OF THAT MESSAGE SO YOU CAN REACH OUT TO ME. I WOULD RECOMMEND, AGAIN, IN ORDER TO AVOID ANY INADVERTENT VIOLATION OF THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT THAT YOU HA YOU FUNNEL QUESTIONS. UH, SAY MAYBE IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION, YOU CAN ASK YOUR STAFF MEMBER, ONE OF YOUR STAFF PEOPLE ABOUT IT, AND THEY CAN REACH OUT TO ME AND I CAN GIVE THEM WHATEVER ANSWER THEY NEED. AND THAT WAY WE CAN MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT ENGAGING THAT KIND OF, UH, UH, PROHIBITED DISCUSSION. SO I SHOULD HAVE A FEW MINUTES, UH, BEFORE MY COLLEAGUE ZACH COMES ON TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT, UH, IF ANYONE WANTS TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS. YEAH, I HAD A QUESTION. UM, NOT ALL OF THE 22, UH, SLOTS ON THIS, UH, TASK FORCE HAVE BEEN FILLED YET. SO FIRST QUESTION IS, DO WE EXPECT THAT, UH, ADDITIONAL APPOINTMENTS TO HAPPEN? AND THEN SECOND, IF, UH, IT'S NOT ACTUALLY, UH, 22 FILLED, IS IT STILL A 12 MEMBER QUORUM? UH, I CAN'T, I, I CAN'T SPEAK TO MY UNDERSTANDING WOULD BE THE ENTIRE ROSTER WILL BE FILLED. UH, I CAN'T TELL YOU IF THERE ARE, IF THERE ARE APPOINTMENTS IN THE WORKS, BUT I KNOW THAT'S THE INTENT IS FOR IT TO BE A 22 MEMBER BOARD. EVEN IF THERE ARE VACANCIES, BECAUSE YOU HAVE 22 POSSIBLE MEMBERS, YOUR QUORUM IS 12. SO EVEN IF YOU HAVE VACANCIES ON THE BOARD, YOU STILL HAVE TO HAVE 12 PEOPLE PRESENT TO CONVENE YOUR MEETING AND 12 PEOPLE PRESENT TO, UH, CONTINUE IN YOUR MEETING. AND WHEN YOU'RE PASSING RECOMMENDATIONS, IF YOU WANNA VOTE ON ADDING SOMETHING TO A REPORT OR, OR WHATEVER YOU'RE VOTING ON, YOU NEED 12 FOLKS TO SAY YES IN ORDER FOR IT TO PASS. THANKS. SURE. THIS IS HAYDEN WALKER. I HAD A QUESTION. ARE WE COMMITTING, EXCUSE ME, ARE WE GOING TO BE GIVEN CITY OF AUSTIN, LIKE THOSE BC CITY OF AUSTIN EMAIL ADDRESSES? SO THE WAY THE RESOLUTION WAS WRITTEN IS IT ONLY APPLIED TWO SECTIONS OF CHAPTER TWO, ONE OF THE CITY CODE TO THIS TASK FORCE. AND CHAPTER TWO, ONE, OTHERWISE DOES NOT APPLY. CHAPTER TWO, ONE IS THIS THE CHAPTER IN CITY CODE THAT DEALS WITH BOARDS COMMISSIONS AND SAYS THAT YOU HAVE TO USE CITY EMAIL? MM-HMM, , UM, I WOULD DEFER TO THE CLERK'S OFFICE, BUT AS I UNDERSTAND IT, SINCE IT'S NOT REQUIRED FOR YOU TO USE CITY EMAIL, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE CLERK'S OFFICE IS NOT INTENDING TO ISSUE CITY EMAILS TO YOU ALL. OKAY. WELL, THE REASON I ASK, AND, AND MAYBE THE FOLLOW UP QUESTION IS I WAS TOLD WHEN I WAS ON DESIGN COMMISSION BECAUSE I HAD A CITY EMAIL THAT IF I USED MY PERSONAL CELL PHONE TO CHECK THAT EMAIL, THEN MY PERSONAL CELL PHONE COULD BE PART OF A PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST. IS THERE ANY DANGER IN USING A PERSONAL CELL PHONE TO CHECK COMMUNICATION WITH THIS TASK FORCE? ANY COMMUNICATION, ANY COMMUNICATION YOU HAVE THAT IS RELATED TO CITY BUSINESS OR THE BUSINESS OF THIS TASK FORCE, NO MATTER HOW YOU MAKE THAT COMMUNICATION, PERSONAL CELL PHONE, PERSONAL LAPTOP ON YOUR PERSONAL TIME, IT IS SUBJECT TO A PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT REQUEST. SO IF YOU DON'T HAVE A CITY EMAIL, THAT'S FINE. UM, BUT IF YOU'RE USING LIKE THE DESIGN COMMISSION, YOU HAD TO USE YOUR A CITY EMAIL, RIGHT? TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE DESIGN COMMISSION. IF YOU ALL ARE NOT GIVEN CITY EMAIL ADDRESSES, ANY COMMUNICATION YOU'RE MAKING, EVEN FROM YOUR PERSONAL OR WORK EMAIL OR WHATEVER YOU HAVE, IF YOU'RE USING PERSONAL DEVICE, IT IS GONNA BE SUBJECT TO THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT. AND SO IF WE GOT A REQUEST, AND ZACH WILL, UH, TALK A LITTLE BIT THIS MORE ABOUT THIS MORNING A LITTLE BIT, BUT YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, IF A REQUEST WERE MADE FOR COMMUNICATIONS RELEVANT TO THE TASK FORCE, YOU WOULD HAVE TO BASICALLY SEARCH THROUGH YOUR CELL PHONE AND MAKE SURE YOU WERE GIVING EVERYTHING TO THE CITY THAT WAS RESPONDENT TO THAT PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT REQUEST. OKAY, THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT. SURE. UH, THIS IS GARY MERRITT. UH, WILL THERE BE A PUBLIC MESSAGE BOARD SOME PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE VEHICLE BY WHICH PEOPLE CAN POST COMMENTS ABOUT CERTAIN THINGS OR WHEN WE'RE CONSIDERING CERTAIN PROJECT FOR RECOMMENDATION? NO. UM, THE MESSAGE BOARD, UH, IS SOMETHING THAT IS LIMITED TO CITY COUNCIL. UH, THE WAY THE, IT'S WRITTEN IN THE PUBLIC INFOR, I'M SORRY, THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT IS ONLY A GOVERNING BODY CAN HAVE A MESSAGE BOARD. AND SINCE YOU ALL ARE NOT A GOVERNING BODY, THE ONLY REASON TOMA APPLIES TO YOU IS THROUGH THE RESOLUTION PASSED BY COUNCIL. BUT YOU GUYS ARE NOT CONSIDERED A GOVERNING BODY, AND THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE MESSAGE BOARD. SO NO, THERE WILL BE, THERE ARE NO, AND NONE OF THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS HAVE MESSAGE BOARDS EITHER. I MEAN, I SEE, I SEE WHERE YOU'RE GOING AND I SEE THE BENEFIT OF, OF HAVING THAT AS, AS A TOOL, BUT UNDER CURRENT LAW, IT'S NOT ALLOWED. THANK YOU. [00:40:02] UH, CAN I FOLLOW UP WITH THAT? UH, TO BE CLEAR, I DON'T THINK THAT MEANS THAT MATERIALS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT IN MEANINGS, THAT THOSE WOULD NOT BE POSTED ON THE INTERNET. IT'S JUST A, IT'S THE MESSAGING BACK AND FORTH, RIGHT? SO YOU CAN'T MESSAGE BACK AND FORTH. YOU DON'T HAVE AN ONLINE MESSAGE BOARD THAT YOU CAN ALL KIND OF MESS, UH, PUT POST MESSAGES TO THAT, THAT IS CONSIDERED, UH, PUBLIC, IN THE PUBLIC. IT'S NOT A CONSIDERED A VIOLATION IF THERE'S DOCUMENTS OR REPORTS OR SOMETHING YOU ALL WANT TO HAVE ACCESS TO, UM, LIKE YOUR STAFF CAN SEND. WELL, THE WAY WE OFTEN HANDLE THOSE KIND OF COMMUNICATIONS IS LIKE A STAFF PERSON OR ME OR WHOEVER WOULD SEND AN EMAIL TO THE CHAIR, UM, WITH SUCH AND SUCH A REPORT ATTACHED, AND THEN WE WOULD BLIND COPY ALL THE REST OF YOU SO THAT YOU COULD ALL HAVE ACCESS TO THAT REPORT. YOU COULD ALL LOOK AT IT, READ IT, WHAT HAVE YOU, IF IT'S SOMETHING'S GONNA BE RELEVANT TO AN UPCOMING MEETING, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU JUST CAN'T THEN GO ON AND START DISCUSSING IT UNTIL YOU'RE IN THE MEETING. BUT YOU CAN HAVE ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS AND, UM, AND I WOULD THINK THAT IF THERE'S AN IMPORTANT REPORT OR SOMETHING THAT, UH, IS GONNA BE DISCUSSED AT A MEETING, THAT THAT COULD GO INTO BACKUP, UH, FOR THE AGENDA FOR THAT MEETING. SO IT'LL BE, WOULD BE POSTED ONLINE SO YOU ALL CAN ACCESS IT AND THE PUBLIC CAN AS WELL IF IT'S, IF IT'S RELEVANT TO AN AGENDA ITEM. THANK YOU, CAROLINE. OKAY, SO BEFORE WE JUMP INTO ZACH'S PRESENTATION, WE DID HAVE, UM, NICOLE CONLEY JUMP ONLINE. SO, UM, SHE DID MISS OUR, UH, WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS, BUT, UH, FIRST AND FOREMOST, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND WE WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY JUST TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF, UH, WHAT DISTRICT YOU'RE SERVING. UM, LITTLE QUICK BRIEF INTRO. HI. GOOD. UM, GOOD AFTERNOON. SO SORRY THAT I COULDN'T BE THERE IN PERSON. UM, UM, UNFORTUNATELY, UM, THINGS ARE HITTING MY SPAM BOX AND MY PERSONAL SPAM, AND SO I WAS A LITTLE A DAY LATE, A DOLLAR SHORT SOMETIMES, AS THEY OFTEN SAY. UM, I'M NICOLE CONLEY. UM, I'M CURRENTLY MANAGED DIRECTOR AT AN INVESTMENT BANK. I HAVE LONG SERVED THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY ABOUT 13 YEARS AS THE CFO AT AUSTIN ISD BEFORE MOVING, MOVING ON, I DEFINITELY HAVE A BACKGROUND IN, IN SORT OF BUILDING, UM, BOND PACKAGES, HAVING SOLD THE FIRST BILLION DOLLAR BOND PACKAGE EVER PUT FORWARD, UM, VOTERS HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS. UM, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO REALLY UNDERSTANDING MORE ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS AND FINDING THAT RIGHT BALANCE SO THAT WE CAN ADVANCE SOMETHING THAT, UM, WE ALL FEEL GOOD ABOUT. AND SO, UM, I'M SURE MY COLLEAGUES ON THE COMMISSION, UM, WE WILL ALL BE WORKING FEVERISHLY TOWARDS FINDING THAT BALANCE, BUT ALSO, UM, A, A GREAT STORY, A, A GREAT RESOURCE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE AUSTIN AREA. AND SO IT'S, UM, I'M HAPPY TO, HAPPY TO SERVE AND BE A PART OF THIS, UM, COMMISSION. I MEAN THIS, UM, TASK FORCE. SO, SORRY. THANK YOU NICOLE. GLAD TO HAVE YOU HERE. OKAY, SO LET'S SEE. LET'S CONTINUE WITH THE PRESENTATIONS. I DO BELIEVE ZACH IS ONLINE NOW, SO WE CAN JUMP INTO HIS PORTION OF THE LAW GROUP. THANK YOU. ZACH, WE CAN'T HEAR YOU. THAT'S, YEAH, SORRY, WE CANNOT HEAR YOU. COULD YOU EITHER, UH, TOGGLE YOUR MIC AGAIN, SEE IF IT WORKS? IF NOT, WE MIGHT HAVE TO HAVE YOU LOG OFF AND LOG BACK IN. NO, WAIT, WE THOUGHT WE HEARD YOU A SECOND. CAN YOU SPEAK AGAIN? DID THAT WORK? YEP. SO WE HEAR YOU NOW. OKAY, GREAT. SO MY NAME IS ZACH BROWN, I'M AN ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY WITH THE LAW DEPARTMENT. I'M IN THE OPEN GOVERNMENT ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE DIVISION LIKE CAROLINE, WHO YOU JUST HEARD FROM. UM, AND I CAN'T SEE THE SLIDESHOW, BUT I'M GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT, UM, THE BASICS OF THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT AND COMPLIANCE WITH THAT ACT. STAND BY ZACH. WE'RE BRINGING UP THE, YOUR PORTION OF IT. OKAY, GREAT. SO LIKE I SAID, I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT AND SPECIFICALLY HOW IT APPLIES TO PERSONAL DEVICES, WHICH I CAN SEE AS A, UM, TOPIC THAT WAS JUST ASKED ABOUT A MINUTE AGO. NEXT SLIDE. SO IN PLAIN ENGLISH, [00:45:01] WHAT THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT SAYS IS THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN OR ANY GOVERNMENTAL BODY MUST RELEASE ALL PUBLIC INFORMATION THAT'S REQUESTED BY A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC, UNLESS THERE'S SOME SPECIFIC PROVISION OF LAW THAT ALLOWS FOR THE CITY TO WITHHOLD THAT INFORMATION. AND ADDITIONALLY, THAT THE CITY HAS PERMISSION TO WITHHOLD THAT INFORMATION. SO OUR DEFAULT STANDARD IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE THAT IF IT EXISTS IT'S PUBLIC INFORMATION, BUT OF COURSE, THERE'S VARIOUS EXCEPTIONS TO TO THAT RULE. NEXT SLIDE. PUBLIC INFORMATION IS DEFINED WITHIN THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT, AND IT BASICALLY INCLUDES ANY INFORMATION THAT'S CREATED OR MAINTAINED IN CONNECTION WITH OFFICIAL CITY BUSINESS. SO THIS INCLUDES INFORMATION IN ANY FORM, AND IT INCLUDES INFORMATION, WHETHER IT'S IN THE POSSESSION OF THE CITY OR NOT. SO IT CAN INCLUDE INFORMATION THAT'S NOT IN THE POSSESSION OF THE CITY, IN SITUATIONS WHERE WE HIRE LIKE AN OUTSIDE CONSULTANT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO CREATE INFORMATION ON BEHALF OF OR FOR THE CITY. UM, BUT GENERALLY IN THIS CONTEXT, WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT, UM, INFORMATION THAT IS EITHER IN YOUR INDIVIDUAL POSSESSION OR IN THE POSSESSION OF THE CITY. IT INCLUDES ALL KINDS OF SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS, AND SPECIFICALLY IT INCLUDES INFORMATION IN A PRIVATE EMAIL ACCOUNT OR THAT'S STORED ON A PERSONAL DEVICE. IF IT RELATES TO CITY BUSINESS, REGARDLESS OF WHERE IT IS OR WHAT FORM IT TAKES, IT'S CONSIDERED PUBLIC INFORMATION. NEXT SLIDE. SO THE ACT WAS AMENDED IN THE PAST, UM, SEVERAL YEARS. I CAN'T REMEMBER EXACTLY HOW MANY YEARS AGO IT WAS, BUT IT EXPLICITLY APPLIES TO TEXT MESSAGES ON PERSONAL DEVICES. NOW. SO OF COURSE, THIS IS ONLY IF THOSE MESSAGES RELATE TO OFFICIAL CITY BUSINESS, AND THEN THOSE MESSAGES ARE LIKE ANY OTHER RECORD SUBJECT TO THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT AND SUBJECT TO RECORDS RETENTION REQUIREMENTS. AND THE RETENTION PERIOD DEPENDS ON THE CONTENT OF THE MESSAGE. BUT WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND HERE IS THAT IF YOU HAVE EMAILS IN YOUR PERSONAL EMAIL ACCOUNT OR MESSAGES ON, ON YOUR PERSONAL DEVICE, THOSE ARE ALL GOING TO BE SUBJECT TO THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT. SO YOU EITHER NEED TO MAINTAIN THEM OR FORWARD THEM TO THE CITY TO BE MAINTAINED ON OUR SERVER. NEXT, THE LAW ALSO DESIGNATES INDIVIDUALS AS TEMPORARY CUSTODIANS. SO WHAT IT SAYS IS THAT GOVERNMENTAL BODIES MUST MAKE REASONABLE EFFORTS TO GET REQUESTED INFORMATION FROM CURRENT OR FORMER EMPLOYEES OR OFFICIALS WHO MAINTAIN INFORMATION THAT HASN'T BEEN PROVIDED TO THE GOVERNMENTAL BODY. AND THERE'S NO PERSONAL OR PROPERTY RIGHT TO PUBLIC INFORMATION THAT'S CREATED OR RECEIVED IN YOUR OFFICIAL CAPACITY. AND ONCE THE INFORMATION IS REQUESTED THROUGH THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT, THE OFFICIAL OR EMPLOYEE WITH POSSESSION OF THAT INFORMATION HAS 10 DAYS, UM, TO RELEASE IT TO THE REQUESTER. NEXT SLIDE. SO THIS IS REALLY WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE WHEN MESSAGES ARE IN YOUR PERSONAL POSSESSION RATHER THAN IN THE POSSESSION OF THE CITY. THE CITY RECEIVES THE PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST AND IT'S SENT TO THE TASK FORCE LIAISON FOR PROCESSING. SO THE REQUEST MAY BE FOR DOCUMENTS THAT THE LIAISON CAN ALREADY ACCESS, AND THEN, UM, NONE OF YOU WILL BE DIRECTLY INVOLVED. BUT IF THE REQUEST ASKS FOR ANY KIND OF MESSAGE OR COMMUNICATION THAT THE LIAISON DOESN'T HAVE ACCESS TO, UM, THE LIAISON WILL BE DISTRIBUTING THE REQUEST TO YOU ALL AS MEMBERS AS IS NEEDED. AND THEN WHOEVER HAS THE TEXT MESSAGE OR EMAIL OR RECORD IN THEIR PERSONAL POSSESSION IS REQUIRED TO THEN PROVIDE THOSE MESSAGES TO THE LIAISON SO THAT THE LIAISON CAN PREPARE THE INFORMATION FOR RELEASE THROUGH THE CITY'S PUBLIC INFORMATION SYSTEM. OR IF THE INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO AN EXCEPTION TO RELEASE, SEND IT TO MY DEPARTMENT TO WITHHOLD THE INFORMATION. NEXT SLIDE. SO WHEN RESPONDING TO PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT REQUEST, WE HAVE TO RELEASE INFORMATION PROMPTLY OR REQUEST A RULING FROM THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL WITHIN 10 BUSINESS DAYS OF RECEIPT OF THE REQUEST. SO WE DON'T HAVE A HUGE TURNAROUND ON THESE. SO IT'S IMPORTANT [00:50:01] THAT IF YOU GET A REQUEST FROM YOUR LIAISON THAT YOU PROCESS IT QUICKLY SO THAT THE INFORMATION CAN EITHER BE RELEASED OR WITHHELD. NEXT SLIDE. SO WHEN WE SAY PROMPTLY PROVIDING INFORMATION PROMPTLY IS THE REQUIREMENT. IT MEANS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES, WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME AND WITHOUT DELAY. SO IT'S VERY GENERAL, THERE'S NO SPECIFICITY TO THAT. IT BASICALLY MEANS AS SOON AS WE CAN, WE NEED TO RELEASE IT. AND IF THE INFORMATION THAT'S REQUESTED CAN'T BE MADE AVAILABLE BY THE 10TH BUSINESS DAY, WE HAVE TO CERTIFY THAT FACT IN WRITING AND SET A DATE AND TIME CERTAIN THAT THE INFORMATION WILL BE AVAILABLE. AND THE 10TH BUSINESS DAY IS ALSO WHEN WE NEED TO NOTIFY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE THAT WE WILL BE ARGUING TO WITHHOLD INFORMATION IF WE BELIEVE ANY OF THE REQUESTED INFORMATION IS ACCEPTED FROM RELEASE UNDER THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT. NEXT SLIDE. AND THAT IS IT. UM, A LOT OF THE PROVISIONS OF THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT AND HOW WE PROCESS IT WON'T REALLY APPLY TO YOU ALL AS MEMBERS OF A TASK FORCE. UM, BUT I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE ABOUT THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT IN GENERAL OR SPECIFICALLY HOW IT APPLIES TO INFORMATION THAT'S IN YOUR INDIVIDUAL PERSONAL POSSESSION. I KNOW CAROLINE ALREADY MENTIONED EARLIER THAT, UM, JUST BECAUSE, UM, INFORMATION RELATED TO CITY BUSINESS ON YOUR PERSONAL DEVICE IS SUBJECT TO THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT EVERYTHING ON YOUR PERSONAL DEVICE IS SUBJECT TO THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT. IT'S ONLY COMMUNICATIONS AND DOCUMENTS THAT HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE OFFICIAL CONDUCT OF CITY BUSINESS. ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY, I THINK THAT'S IT. THANK YOU, ZACH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALL RIGHT. OKAY. GOT AN HOUR OF LEGAL. IS EVERYBODY ADEQUATELY PREPARED? ? NO, SIGNATURES ARE SMALL PRINT, RIGHT? SO, UM, SO THAT'LL TAKE US TO [4. Discussion of housekeeping matters regarding staff support, contact information, resources, and future meetings.] OUR NEXT SLIDE. UM, AND OUR, ACTUALLY OUR LAST SLIDE FOR TODAY'S MEETING, UM, IT'S JUST A FEW LITTLE ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS JUST KIND OF FOLLOWING BACK UP ON THAT. UM, BUT I THINK FROM A KEY REMINDER STANDPOINT, UH, FROM A STAFF SUPPORT, UH, CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES IS THE LEAD FOR THIS YEAR'S BOND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. SO MYSELF, UM, MARCUS HAMMER OR SAMUEL IN THE BACK, UM, YOU'VE ALL HAD CORRESPONDENCE WITH US VIA EMAIL. UM, I DO HAVE SOME BUSINESS CARDS I'LL HAND OUT TO EACH OF YOU AFTER THIS. YOU CAN HAVE MY, UH, WORK NUMBER, EMAIL, EVERYTHING ON THAT FROM A COMMUNICATION STANDPOINT. SO THE, THE KEY THING TO REMEMBER AS, AS THEY KIND OF WENT THROUGH THERE IS IF YOU DO HAVE QUESTIONS OR ANY KIND OF THINGS COMING UP ABOUT THIS, JUST EMAIL SAM OR MYSELF DIRECTLY AND THEN WE WILL RESPOND BACK ACCORDINGLY TO THE ENTIRE TEAM, RIGHT? SO THE BIGGEST THING THAT WE TOOK TO TAKE OUT OF THAT IS THAT WE DON'T WANNA INADVERTENTLY CREATE A WALKING QUORUM. SO JUST KEEP THAT AS A REMINDER. UM, AS YOU DO, UH, HAVE QUESTIONS, JUST GO DIRECTLY THROUGH ME, ME OR SAM. UM, AS FAR AS RESOURCES, AS EVERYBODY AWARE OF THE BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE, UM, WEBSITE THAT WAS CREATED AND ACCESSING IT. SO THAT'S REALLY GONNA BE THE FORUM FOR OUR COMMUNICATION. UH, AGENDAS WILL BE POSTED THERE, MEETING MINUTES WILL BE POSTED THERE. THAT'S KIND OF THE RESOURCE AND THE, THE ONE SPOT LOCATION FOR THIS TEAM. SO I WOULD JUST REMIND EVERYBODY THAT THAT'S THEIR, IT'S LIVE IS CREATED AND UM, WE'LL BE USING IT AS OUR, AS OUR TOOL. UM, ONE OF OUR HOMEWORK ITEMS THAT WE WILL BE KIND OF PROVIDING AFTER THIS MEETING, JUST TO KIND OF START KIND OF PREPARING AND KIND OF GOING THROUGH THESE THEMES IS WE DO HAVE, UM, QUITE A FEW, UH, STRATEGIC PLANS, CITY PLANS THAT HAVE BEEN ADOPTED. SO THOSE ARE ONE, SOME OF THE FIRST ITEMS THAT WE WANT TO SEND OUT INTO AN EMAIL TO EVERYBODY TO START PREPARING, TO REVIEW, LOOK AT AND TO, AND KIND OF HAVE FOR FUTURE CONVERSATIONS. SO THAT WILL BE COMING OUT, SO LOOK OUT FOR THAT EMAIL. UM, AND THEN FINAL, AND I GUESS FUTURE MEETINGS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE, THE BIGGEST PIECE THAT WE'RE KINDA LOOKING FORWARD. SO RIGHT NOW WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS THAT WE WOULD MEET AGAIN, UM, ON THE NEXT THIRD MONDAY. SAME PLACE, SAME TIME. UM, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND, UH, A ROOM WHERE WE CAN HAVE A TXN VIDEOTAPE THIS, WHICH WE ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE, UM, COMPLETED. SO, UH, THAT'S OUR PROPOSAL. AND THEN AT THAT NEXT MEETING, WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO TOO IS KIND OF GO THROUGH JUST FOR, FOR LIKE, UH, SOME OF OUR, UH, MEMBERS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT KIND OF A BOND 1 0 1 PROGRAM, UH, PRESENTATION. WHAT IS A BOND PROGRAM? WHY HAVE A BOND PROGRAM GO THROUGH LIKE THE PROPOSED KIND OF SCHEDULE, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FOR BOND DEVELOPMENT? UM, AND THEN ALSO AT THAT MEETING, HAVE YOU VOTE ON A SCHEDULE PER CITY CODE. WE DO HAVE TO ADOPT A ANNUAL SCHEDULE. UM, SO WE CAN, YOU KNOW, HAVE THESE TYPES OF MEETING ROOMS RESERVED AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO THAT WOULD BE THE [00:55:01] PROPOSAL FOR OUR FUTURE MEETING COMING UP IN NOVEMBER. UM, AND WITH THAT, THAT WOULD CONCLUDE ALL OF OUR ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS, UM, FOR TODAY'S MEETING. AND WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT MAY STILL EXIST. YES, MA'AM. OKAY, THANKS. UM, I WAS JUST, UH, ON THE WEBSITE AND, AND I THINK IN THE EMAIL COMMUNICATIONS, I SEE THAT IT'S CALLED THE 2026 BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT COUNCIL WAS LOOKING FOR US TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR 25 AND OR 26. SO JUST WANTED SOME CLARIFICATION ON THAT. SURE. I WAS GONNA ASK THE SAME THING. OKAY, . SO A LOT OF THAT, IF, AND THESE ARE THINGS WE'LL BE GETTING TO REALLY IN THE NEXT NOVEMBER MEETING, RIGHT? 'CAUSE THERE ARE RESOLUTIONS THAT WERE PASSED, RIGHT? AND IT SAYS THAT THEY WILL HAVE THE FIRST UPDATE COMING BACK TO COUNCIL BY JULY OF 2025, OF WHICH THERE'S NOT A JULY MEETING. SO WE'LL BE LOOKING AT HAVING THAT FIRST INITIAL, UM, RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL IN 2020 IN, IN JUNE OF 2025. SO, UM, BUT THEN REMEMBER THERE'S STILL A LARGE PROCESS THAT FOLLOWS AFTER THAT WITH, UH, COMMUNITY INPUT AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO THOSE WILL BE ALL THE THINGS THAT WE'LL PRESENT AND PUT OUT, UM, FROM, UH, A REALLY A BOND DEVELOPMENT PACKAGE. WHAT WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE VISIONING AND SEEING IS KIND OF MOVING FORWARD INTO THAT 2026, UH, I GUESS RECOMMENDATION. SO ON THE TOPIC OF THE WEBSITE, UM, WE HAVE A, A FOUNDING RESOLUTION THAT CREATED US. THERE WAS A SECONDARY OR SUBSEQUENT RESOLUTION THAT WAS ALSO PASSED BY CITY COUNCIL SEVERAL WEEKS AFTER THAT, THAT SIGNIFICANTLY BROADENED THE SCOPE OF WHAT THEY'D LIKE US TO TALK ABOUT. UM, WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO STICK A LINK TO THAT AS WELL ON THE WEBSITE? YES. SO THERE WERE THREE RESOLUTIONS. THREE, UM, SO ONE WAS, YEAH, ESSENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, SAYING WE WANTED TO GO HAVE A BOND. THE OTHER ONE WAS CREATING THE BTF, AND THEN ONE OF 'EM HAD SOME SPECIFIC INFORMATION THAT JUST RECENTLY, UM, KIND OF HAS BEEN TALKED ABOUT. SO WE WILL PUT THE INFORMATION OUT THERE, UH, FOR EVERYONE TO KIND OF SEE. AND LIKE I SAID, WE WILL, WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THOSE SPECIFIC RESOLUTIONS IN THE NOVEMBER MEETING. THANK YOU. ARE WE REQUIRED TO, UH, ELECT A CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR WHO'S GONNA BE RUNNING OUR MEETINGS OR WHAT'S YOUR RECOMMENDATION? YES, SIR. SO WE, WE WILL BE DOING THAT. SO WE'LL BRING THAT POTENTIALLY FOR CONVERSATION AT, AT, UH, NEXT MONTH'S MEETING. WE DO KNOW THAT, UH, THERE ARE QUITE A FEW MEMBERS THAT STILL HAVEN'T BEEN ELECTED, SO THAT'LL BE CONVERSATION FOR THE B TIFF TO KIND OF HAVE AT THAT MEETING AS WELL. THANK YOU. ARE YOU ENVISIONING, UH, UM, ONCE A MONTH OF MEETINGS CURRENTLY? YES, SIR. THAT WOULD BE OUR RECOMMENDATION AS WE START LOOKING THROUGH THIS. UM, ONCE A MONTH BASICALLY, SAME TIME, SAME PLACE. UM, JUST BECAUSE IT'S EXTREMELY CHALLENGING TO FIND MEETING ROOMS THAT WE CAN BE CONSISTENT WITH. UM, SO THAT WOULD PROVIDE CONSISTENCY FOR US, THE PUBLIC, EVERYBODY TO KIND OF ENGAGE WITH THIS PROCESS. UM, BUT YES SIR, THAT WOULD BE THE GENERAL IDEA. I HAVE A QUESTION. IS THERE ANY POSSIBILITY OF CONSIDERING A DIFFERENT DAY BESIDES MONDAY? I KNOW SOME OF THE WORKING FOLK, UM, MONDAY, I KNOW SOME PEOPLE WHO AREN'T HERE BECAUSE MONDAY IS A BEGINNING OF THE WEEK, PEOPLE HAVE TEAM MEETINGS. AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT I KNOW DURING THE DAY IS PROBABLY WHAT WE'LL NEED. I JUST, I KNOW TUESDAY AND THURSDAY WILL BE CHALLENGING, OBVIOUSLY WITH COUNCIL AND STUFF. I JUST THINK WE SHOULD CONSIDER, UM, A DIFFERENT DAY TO MAKE IT AS ACCESSIBLE AS POSSIBLE TO EVERYONE WHO'LL BE SERVING ON THIS COMMITTEE. WE, WE CAN TAKE A LOOK AT THAT, BUT AGAIN, THERE'S ONLY A FEW ROOMS THAT REALLY HAVE, UM, THE AT TN UH, VIDEO CAPABILITY, BUT THOSE ARE CERTAIN THINGS WE CAN LIVE, LIKE FRIDAYS ARE USUALLY NOT REALLY GOOD DAYS AS WELL JUST BECAUSE OF, WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WANT TO TAKE OFF AND DO CERTAIN THINGS, BUT WE'LL, WE CAN, UM, REVISIT THAT AS WELL. THIS IS HAYDEN. I HAD A QUESTION, A FOLLOW UP QUESTION ABOUT THE 26 VERSUS 25 BOND, UM, THAT WAS BROUGHT UP EARLIER. EXCUSE ME. THERE'S SOME PROGRAMS, UM, IN THE CITY THAT ARE PRIMARILY BOND FUNDED THAT HAVE SPENT THEIR MONEY VERY EFFICIENTLY AND WILL RUN OUT OF MONEY IN 2025. AND I WONDERED, I GUESS I DON'T, I'M NOT LOOKING FOR A SPECIFIC ANSWER, BUT I JUST KIND OF WANNA PUT A PIN IN THAT AND CIRCLE BACK TO THAT QUESTION AS WE MOVE THROUGH THIS PROCESS THAT THERE ARE SOME PROGRAMS THAT MAY NOT BE ABLE TO WAIT UNTIL 26. YEAH, I SHARE YOUR CONCERN AND I, I HOPE WE KEEP 2025 ON THE TABLE. OKAY. WELL THAT WAS THE INITIAL KICKOFF FOR THE BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE. SO AGAIN, WE APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S TIME, YOUR SUPPORT AND THE COLLABORATION THAT WE'LL BE GOING THROUGH FOR THE NEXT NEXT CYCLE. RIGHT. SO THANKS AGAIN. AND WITH THAT WE CAN ADJOURN TODAY'S MEETING. THANK YOU. * 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.