* 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. [00:00:02] ON [CALL TO ORDER] DECEMBER 9TH, 2024. THIS IS THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY, AUSTIN ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMISSION. UM, FIRST WE WILL CALL ROLL. UH, I'M RYAN CLINTON. COMMISSIONER EMER IS, UH, NOT AVAILABLE TONIGHT. COMMISSIONER SULA PRESENT. COMMISSIONER DDAS, STATE COMMISSIONER ESTE, UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, VICE CHAIR LINDER PRESENT. UH, DR. NELSON DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE PRESENT. UH, COMMISSIONER HOLT? UH, IF WE CAN SEE YOU MOMENTARILY, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. YES. SORRY, I'M IN A DARK CAR. . THERE SHE IS. OKAY. WE GOT YOU. YOU'RE COUNTED. UH, COMMISSIONER HERRERA HERE. COMMISSIONER TUCKER HERE. UH, COMMISSIONER HUDDLESTON APPEARS NOT PRESENT. UH, DR. RUS APPEARS NOT PRESENT. AND COMMISSIONER HO IS ONLINE COMMISSIONER HOPE PRESENT. GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, WE WILL GO TO, [PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL] UM, PUBLIC COMMUNICATION. DID YOU, DID YOU COMMISSIONER HUDDLESTON? OH, COMMISSIONER HUDDLESTON IS PRESENT. IF WE CAN SEE YOUR FACE. COMMISSIONER HUDDLESTON, WE CAN COUNT YOU. UM, JUST SHOW YOUR FACE AT SOME POINT AND WE'LL KNOW YOU'RE HERE. UM, WE'LL GO TO, UM, SPEAKER SIGN UP. UH, DEBORAH ROWE. THERE YOU GO. OKAY. GOOD EVENING, COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS DEBORAH ROWE AND I'M A TRAP, NEUTER AND RETURN VOLUNTEER, AND I LIVE IN DISTRICT FOUR. TONIGHT WE'RE SHARING STORIES ABOUT TNR, ABOUT THEIR OUTCOMES AND IMPACTS IN THE COMMUNITY. WE THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR EVERYONE HERE TO UNDERSTAND THE UNCONVENTIONAL AND OFTEN CHALLENGING NATURE OF THIS WORK. UNLIKE VOLUNTEERING AT THE SHELTER, WHERE HOURS ARE TIME BOXED AND TASKS CLEARLY DEFINED, TNR VOLUNTEERS HAVE TO CREATE A UNIQUE STRATEGY FOR EACH CAT THEY TRAP. OFTEN IT TAKES WEEKS, SOMETIMES MONTHS, AND EVEN YEARS. THERE ARE HOWEVER MOMENTS OF JOY AND SATISFACTION AND TNR IS JUST AS MUCH ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IMPACTED AS IT IS ABOUT THE CATS THAT WE HELP. THIS FIRST FEEL GOOD STORY COMES FROM AN AREA IN NORTH AUSTIN WHERE DISTRICTS ONE AND SEVEN MEAT. THIS AREA HAD AN UNCONTROLLED POPULATION OF ABOUT 180 CATS THAT TOOK MANY MONTHS FOR JEN, TAMMY, MARY ELLEN, AND CECILIA TO GET UNDER CONTROL. A A C TOOK IN ABOUT 25 CATS AND KITTENS, AND THE REST WERE RETURNED TO THEIR COLONY CAREGIVERS. THIS TEXT COMES FROM RESIDENT JERRY BETH AND I QUOTE, HI JEN. I WANTED TO TAKE A MINUTE AND SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE HELP THAT YOU DID ON NIGHT VIEW DRIVE, HERDING ALL THESE CATS AND GETTING THEM SPAYED AND NEUTERED. IT IS SO GREATLY APPRECIATED. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH MYSELF AND SEVERAL OF THE NEIGHBORS APPRECIATE THE TIME AND EFFORT THAT YOU PUT INTO THIS ENORMOUS UNDERTAKING. IT IS SUCH A RELIEF FOR US TO KNOW THAT THERE IS NOT GOING TO BE 15 MORE BUNCHES OF KITTENS NEXT WEEK. THIS NEXT STORY ALSO COMES FROM DISTRICT SEVEN, WHERE IT TOOK THE PERSISTENCE AND COOPERATION OF SONIC DRIVE-IN EMPLOYEES A PLEA FOR HELP ON FACEBOOK, THE OFFICERS AT APDS, NORTH AUSTIN SUBSTATION, AND ONE DEDICATED TNR VOLUNTEER. CAROLINE. CAROLINE WORKED WITH SERGEANT TERRY, WHO HAS FOUR CATS OF HER OWN AND SEVERAL OFFICERS TO FIND WHERE A YOUNG MOTHER CAT HAD HIDDEN KITTENS THAT THE SONIC EMPLOYEES HAD REPORTED SEEING. AFTER TWO WEEKS OF NIGHTTIME STAKEOUTS AND LOOKING IN LONG FORGOTTEN SHEDS AND ELECTRICAL PANELS AT THE A PD SUBSTATION, SHE WAS ABLE TO PULL SIX KITTENS INTO A CARRIER THAT AN OFFICER HELD OPEN. THE BEST PART IS THAT THE ENTIRE FAMILY OF SEVEN WAS BROUGHT TO A A C WHERE THEY ALL FOUND THEIR FOREVER HOMES. TNR VOLUNTEERS WORK CLOSELY WITH YOUR CONSTITUENTS, WHO IN TURN COME TOGETHER TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES. THIS IS EXACTLY THE POSITIVE FEEDBACK LOOP WE WANNA HELP ENCOURAGE. THANK YOU FOR LETTING US SHARE THESE STORIES WITH YOU TONIGHT. THANK YOU. UH, LAURA NESMITH. OKAY. HELLO, COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS LAURA NESMITH. I'M FROM DISTRICT THREE, SORRY, DISTRICT ONE, AND I'M HERE TO SHARE HOW COMMUNITY CATS PROGRAM POSITIVELY IMPACTED THE BUSINESS IN DISTRICT THREE TILLERY STREET PLANT COMPANY. IF YOU LOVE PLANTS, YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD OF TILLERY. YOU [00:05:01] MIGHT ALSO KNOW THAT THEY HAVE HAVE RESIDENT CATS WHO ADD A WARM, UNIQUE CHARM TO THEIR SHOP. THE LIGHTING, ALL VISITORS, ALL THEIR FURRY STAFF MEMBERS HAVE BEEN THROUGH THE TNR PROGRAM. HOWEVER, LAST YEAR, A NEW SET OF CATS APPEARED ON THEIR PROPERTY, AND IT LED TO A MAMA CAT GIVING BIRTH TO THREE LITTERS ON THEIR SITE. THE AMAZING STAFF ARTILLERY, UH, MANAGED TO REHOME SOME OF THE KITTENS OF THE FIRST TWO LITTERS, KEEPING TWO MALE KITTENS, UH, FOR THEMSELVES. THERE, THESE TWO NEEDED TO BE NEUTERED AND RETURNED TO THEIR COLONIES. ARTILLERY, HOWEVER, CATCHING THE FERAL MOTHER WHO WAS DISTRUSTFUL OF HUMANS PROVED VERY IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM, UNLIKE THE PREVIOUS SUCCESS TRAPPINGS THAT THEY HAD. THIS CREATED A STRESSFUL SITUATION TO THE STAFF AND THE BUSINESS OWNERS, AND THEY NEEDED TO STOP THE BREEDING CYCLE, BUT LACK THE RESOURCES TO DO SO. WITH THE THIRD LITTER'S LOCATION UNKNOWN, BECAUSE THE MOTHER WAS SO CLEVER, THE URGENCY FOR INTERVENTION GREW. AFTER SPEAKING WITH ONE OF THE MANAGERS AT TILLERY, WE DEVISED A DETAILED PLAN FOR A SUCCESSFUL TRAPPING DAY. FIRST, WE SET UP A TRAINING TRAP TO ACCLIMATE THE CATS TO ITS PRESENCE AND GET THEM COMFORTABLE FEEDING INSIDE OF IT. WE ALSO COORDINATED WITH THE NEIGHBORING BUSINESSES ASKING THEM NOT TO FEED 24 HOURS BEFORE OUR TRAPPING TO ENSURE OPTIMAL CONDITIONS. ON THE TRAPPING DAY, WE MET JUST BEFORE THE SHOP CLOSED TO MINIMIZE DISRUPTIONS FOR THE CUSTOMERS. THE DEDICATED STAFF EVEN STAYED AFTER HOURS TO ASSIST THE TRAPS. EQUIPPED WITH REMOTE TRIGGERS WERE CA CAREFULLY SET TO AVOID CAPTURING CATS. WE ALREADY FIXED, UH, THE TWO MALEO CATS WERE COMFORTABLE WITH THE TRAP AND THEY ENTERED WITHOUT ISSUE EVIDENCE THAT PREPARATION AND PATIENCE PAID OFF. THE MOTHER CAT, HOWEVER, WAS MORE CAUTIOUS. SHE OBSERVED FROM A DISTANCE AS HER COMPANIONS WENT IN AND OUT OF THE TRAP WITHOUT ANY HARM. BUT AFTER TWO HOURS, THE IRRESISTIBLE SMELL OF TUNA FINALLY DREW HER IN. IT WAS A SUCCESS, BUT THAT WAS A ALL WE ALSO SPOTTED ANOTHER MALE CAT, NOT A REGULAR VISITOR, AND WE SUCCESSFULLY TRAPPED HIM AS WELL. MUCH TO THE JOY AND RELIEF OF DISTILLERY STAFF. WITH EVERYONE SPAYED AND NEUTERED, THE BUSINESS CAN NOW CONTINUE CARING FOR THEIR BELOVED COLONY. WITHOUT THE STRESS OF FUTURE KITTENS, THE STAFF FELT AN ENORMOUS SENSE OF RELIEF WITH ONE EXCLAIMING, YOU MADE OUR LIVES LESS STRESSFUL. YOU'RE A GODSEND. FOR ME, IT WAS A JOY TO WITNESS FIRSTHAND THE IMMENSE IMPACT OUR PROGRAM HAS ON BOTH THE ANIMALS AND THE PEOPLE THAT CARE FOR THEM. THIS EXPERIENCE REAFFIRMED THE VALUE OF TNR IN PROVIDING RELIEF IN SECURITY WHILE ENSURING THESE CHERISHED ANIMALS HAVE A HEALTHIER, HAPPIER FUTURE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. NEXT IS WENDY WEISS. JUST PRESS THE BUTTON. UH, NO, YOU'RE GOOD. ALRIGHT, THANKS. GOOD EVENING, COMMISSIONERS FOR THE RECORD. MY NAME IS WENDY WEISS, AND I LIVE AND WORK IN DISTRICT SEVEN. I'M HERE TO SHARE HOW THE COMMUNITY CATS PROGRAM HAS IMPACTED ME AND THE CATS I HELP CARE FOR. SINCE 2016, I HAVE BEEN CARING FOR A COLONY OF COMMUNITY CATS AT MY OFFICE COMPLEX, WHICH BORDERS A NEIGHBORHOOD WITH TWO OTHER PEOPLE IN THE COMPLEX. BEFORE I BECAME A VOLUNTEER TRAPPER IN 2022, WE T AND R ABOUT 30 CATS USING DISCOUNTED PRIVATE VETERINARY SERVICES. UM, WE ALSO USED THE PUBLIC, UH, PROGRAM AT A HSA FEW TIMES, WHICH WAS A LOT EASIER TO USE BEFORE THE PANDEMIC. VOLUNTEERING WITH A COMMUNITY CATS PROGRAM HAS BEEN A GAME CHANGER FOR ME AND THE CATS IN 2022 AND 2023 ITNR THREE CATS EACH YEAR. THIS YEAR HAS BEEN EXTRAORDINARY THOUGH. I'VE TNR 17 CATS AT MY OFFICE, INCLUDING 10 FEMALES, AND I'VE TAKEN 15 KITTENS TO A A C ALL BUT ONE WHO'VE BEEN ADOPTED SO FAR. SO THAT'S GREAT. TNR IN THESE CATS HAS HELPED PREVENT HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS OF FUTURE KITTENS AND HAS ALLOWED THE CATS THAT WE CARE FOR TO BE HEALTHIER AND HEAVIER. EACH TNR CAT REPRESENTS HOURS OF EFFORT TRAPPING TRIPS TO THE CADDY SHACK CLEANING, AND PLENTY OF PATIENTS, ESPECIALLY WITH THREE VERY ELUSIVE STUBBORN TOMCATS THAT I CANNOT CATCH. DESPITE THE CHALLENGES, IT IS DEEPLY REWARDING. I LOVE EVERY CAT THAT HAS BEEN OR IS IN MY CARE. I'M IMMENSELY GRATEFUL FOR THE COMMUNITY CATS PROGRAM AND THE SUPPORT IT PROVIDES. I LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING THE NEW PROGRAM MANAGERS, UM, I THINK IN JANUARY AND WORKING WITH THEM FELLOW VOLUNTEERS, FOLKS FROM A HS TO CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO AND MAKE THE PROGRAM EVEN BETTER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT IS JACOBY ALVAREZ. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS JACOBY ALVAREZ AND I LIVE IN D THREE. MY NEIGHBOR IN D DISTRICT THREE, MS. BERT IS 104 YEARS OLD AND STILL STRONG AND INDEPENDENT ENOUGH TO LIVE ALONE. YEARS AGO, ACTUALLY, ANOTHER TRAPPER NAMED HEATHER, TNR, MISS BURT'S COLONY OF CATS. BUT EVENTUALLY THOSE CATS MOVED ON AND NEW CATS MOVED [00:10:01] IN AND IT WAS TIME TO COME BACK AND TRAP AGAIN. I ACTUALLY HEARD ABOUT HER TNR REQUEST THROUGH HER MEALS ON WHEELS CONTACT, AND SINCE SHE LIVED RIGHT BY ME, I SIGNED UP TO HELP HER. WHEN I SHOWED UP, SHE INVITED ME INSIDE SO I COULD EXPLAIN THE PROCESSOR TO HER, AND SHE ALSO WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I WAS GOING TO DO A COMPETENT JOB. SHE WASN'T SURE IF, UM, I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL AND SHE WAS CONCERNED HOW A CHILD WAS GOING TO HELP HER, BUT I CONVINCED HER THAT I HAD GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL. WELL PRIOR. SHE ADMITTED THAT SHE'S LEGALLY BLIND AND, UH, WE GOT TO WORK. UM, I GOT TO WORK TRAPPING HER THREE KITTENS, A MAMA CAT, AND INJURED TOM AND SOME OTHER BONUS CATS. AND BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, I THINK SHE MAY BE ABLE TO DO A LOT ON HER OWN, BUT IT TAKES A COMMUNITY TO FIX A FERAL COLONY. AND IT DEFINITELY TOOK SOME LATE NIGHTS IN THE RAIN OVER ON THE EAST SIDE. IT WAS CLEAR WHEN I FINISHED THE WORK THAT WE WANTED TO STAY IN TOUCH AND BE FRIENDS, AND I BROUGHT HER A SWEET POTATO PIE AFTER THANKSGIVING. THAT WAS WHEN SHE WAS REALLY AMAZED. THE TRAPPING HAD BEEN SOMEWHAT OF AN ANNOYANCE, BUT THE PIE WAS SPECIAL. SHE GAVE ME A BIG HUG, AND I EVEN LEFT WITH A PAIR OF SWEATPANTS THAT SHE'D RECEIVED FROM HER NIECE THAT DIDN'T FIT HER, BUT THEY FIT ME PERFECTLY. I'M GRATEFUL TO KNOW A MEMBER OF MY COMMUNITY WHO IS SUCH AN INSPIRATION OF MODEL, SUCH AN INSPIRATION AND MODEL OF HEALTH AND LONGEVITY. SO MY STORY OF MS. BURT AND ALL THE STORIES REFLECTED TONIGHT DO, YOU KNOW, REFLECT A CERTAIN TIME COMMITMENT BY VOLUNTEERS. THOSE HOURS ARE CURRENTLY NOT BEING LOGGED BY A A C AND LAST MEETING WE HEARD FROM MR. BLAND THAT IT WOULD TAKE MAYBE A WEEK OR TWO TO UPDATE THAT SYSTEM SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE THAT WE'RE COLLECTING DATA ABOUT THE IMPACT OF TNR AND ALL THE WORK THAT GOES INTO IT. SO IT'S BEEN A WHILE, SO LET'S CHECK IN AND SEE IF THIS HAS MADE, BEEN MADE A PARODY, PLEASE. THANKS. THANK YOU, ROCHELLE. VICKERY, FIRST OFF, I WANNA WISH EVERYBODY A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND OUR JEWISH PEOPLE. I WANNA WISH THEM A HAPPY HANUKKAH. I WANNA TELL YOU, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN COMING HERE FOR TWO YEARS. MY GRIPE WAS NO SPAYED AND NEUTER, AND I WANNA THANK ALL OF YOU PEOPLE THAT'S ON THE BOARD AND MR. BLAND OF GETTING THIS TOGETHER. AND WE'VE HAD TWO MAJOR SPAYED AND NEUTER SITUATIONS, A THOUSAND AT EACH ONE. I'M JUST ASKING YOU, COME SOUTHEAST, WE NEED IT BADLY. I HAVE ALREADY SPOKE TO HIM ABOUT IT BECAUSE YOU DON'T SEE A COSTCO OR A SAM'S EAST OF 35, SO, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE DUMPING OUT THERE AND I'VE BEGGED FOR, FOR, YOU KNOW, HELP OUT THERE FOR US AND IT KEEPS THEM OUT OF OUR SHELTER. AND I'M JUST, YOU KNOW, HAPPY THAT IT TOOK US ALMOST TWO YEARS TO GET IT DONE. BUT I WANNA THANK YOU FOR ALL OF Y'ALL THAT WORKED WITH GETTING THIS DONE, OF GETTING THIS MASS THING BECAUSE YOU SEE WE DO NEED IT BADLY. AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. DO WE HAVE ANY ONLINE, UH, SPEAKERS? NO. OKAY. WE'LL GO TO ITEM [APPROVAL OF MINUTES] NUMBER ONE, APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES. NUMBER ONE, APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING ON OCTOBER 14TH, UH, 2024. UH, DO I HAVE A MOTION? I MOVE TO APPROVE THE MINUTES. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER TUCKER, DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER HERRERA. ANY DISCUSSION? ANY COMMENTS? VICE CHAIR LINDER? YES, JUST A QUESTION. UM, I KNOW THAT, UM, I THINK IT WAS PAT WHO HAD RAISED A QUESTION OVER EMAIL ABOUT, UM, A SLIGHT DISCREPANCY IN, IN, UM, THE MATERIALS AS FAR AS WHAT WE PASSED LAST, UH, MONTH REGARDING GLUE TRAPS AND THE LANGUAGE THAT WAS ULTIMATELY INCLUDED. UM, SO THIS IS JUST A QUESTION, UM, TO, TO SOMEONE WHO'S MORE INFORMED THAN, UM, THAN I AM, UH, AS TO WHETHER THAT WAS RECONCILED OR IF THAT'S SOMETHING WE WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT AT ALL BEFORE WE GO AHEAD AND APPROVE THESE. MR. ANDERSON. I CAN KIND OF GIVE A SUMMARY OF THAT. SO ESSENTIALLY AT THE OCTOBER COMMISSION MEETING WHEN THE AMENDMENT WAS MADE TO INCLUDE TRAVIS COUNTY IN THE RECOMMENDATION, UH, THERE WERE MULTIPLE PLACES IN THE DRAFT RECOMMENDATION WHERE TRAVIS COUNTY COULD HAVE BEEN ADDED. AND WHEN I MADE A SUGGESTION, I JUST SUGGESTED THE ONE PLACE AT THE TOP OF THE DESCRIPTION OF THE RECOMMENDATION, THAT IS WHAT I INTERPRETED TO BE VOTED ON, AND THAT'S WHAT I INCLUDED. UH, IF THE COMMISSION WANTED TO CHANGE THAT RECOMMENDATION, I THINK IT WOULD REQUIRE ADDITIONAL ACTION [00:15:01] DURING A MEETING. GOT IT. BUT IF ANYONE HAS ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT IT, I CAN GO OVER THAT. COMMISSIONER LINDER, DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? IT DOES. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EXPLAINING. THAT MAKES PERFECT SENSE. SO AS LONG AS, UM, AS LONG AS YOU THINK IT'S SATISFACTORY, I'M, I'M GOOD TO MOVE ON. ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ON THE MINUTES? NO, UH, LET'S HAVE A VOTE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? I, UM, COMMISSIONER HOLT, WE CANNOT SEE YOU. UM, 1, 9 3, 4 5, 6, 7. WE HAVE EIGHT WITHOUT COMMISSIONER HOLT. THERE SHE IS. IS THAT A UP OR DOWN? THAT IS AN UP. ALL RIGHT. SO WE HAVE NINE ZERO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY, WE'LL GO TO NUMBER TWO, [2. Staff briefing regarding monthly reports provided by the Animal Service Center.] STAFF BRIEFING. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. DON BLAND, CHIEF ANIMAL SERVICE OFFICER. UH, I JUST WANNA TAKE A MOMENT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR ALL THE FOLKS THAT CAME AND SPOKE ABOUT TNR. THAT PROGRAM HAS INCREASED YEAR AFTER YEAR BECAUSE OF ALL THE EFFORTS THAT Y'ALL MAKE. AND, UH, IT'S BECAUSE Y'ALL'S HARD WORK, DEDICATION THAT WE'RE DOING SUCH GOOD WORK OUT IN THE COMMUNITY. AND WE ARE, I'LL FOLLOW UP WITH OUR CURRENT SOFTWARE AND WHERE THEY'RE AT ON GETTING Y'ALL PUT INTO THAT. UH, WE DO KNOW THAT, UH, OUR NEW SHELTER SOFTWARE THAT WILL INCORPORATE THE VOLUNTEERS, UH, IS SCHEDULED TO ROLL OUT IN MARCH, BUT WE WANT TO DO THAT BEFORE THEN. SO I KNOW THEY'VE BEEN WORKING WITH OUR CURRENT SOFTWARE. SO LET ME FOLLOW UP WITH THAT AND I WILL PUT SOMETHING OUT FOR Y'ALL BECAUSE WE DEFINITELY WANT TO COUNT Y'ALL'S HOURS BECAUSE THAT'S, THAT'S TRULY A BENEFIT THAT, UH, WE AS A CITY ARE BENEFITING FROM. AND I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR ALL THE WORK THAT Y'ALL DO. UM, I WANT TO REPORT THAT, UM, OUR GOOD FIX CLINIC, UH, TODAY WAS THE LAST DAY FOR THIS SECOND ROUND, AND WE DID 1,065. UH, WE DID 530 DOGS, WHICH OF 291 WERE FEMALE? WE DID 535 CATS, WHICH 283 WERE FEMALE. SO THE MAJORITY OF THE ANIMALS THAT WE FIXED WERE FEMALES, BUT SO 1,065 ON OUR SECOND CLINIC. OUR NEXT CLINIC, I WANNA GO AHEAD AND I'LL GIVE YOU THE DATES FOR THAT. IT'S GOING TO BE JANUARY FOR THE PUBLIC FIXING DAYS. IT'S JANUARY 9TH THROUGH 13TH, AND IT WILL BE AT THE TRAVIS COUNTY EXPO CENTER. SO PLEASE PASS THE WORD OUT BECAUSE WE WANT EVERYONE TO PARTICIPATE. UH, AND I, WE ARE, UH, YOU HEARD MISS VICKERY TALK ABOUT NEEDING SOMETHING, UH, IN THE DELL VALLEY AREA, AND WE ARE LOOKING TOWARDS THAT. WE'RE MEETING WITH FOLKS TOMORROW ACTUALLY TO LOOK AT SOME LOCATIONS. I KNOW IN JULY WE'RE SCHEDULED TO BE AT CODA, BUT WE ARE TRYING TO GET DOWN IN THAT AREA AND FIND A LOCATION THAT, UH, HAS ALL THE REQUIREMENTS THAT GOOD FIX NEEDS. SO, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY'S REALLY EMBRACE THIS AND, AND WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF ANIMALS FIXED. AND WE TRULY APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S HELP BECAUSE IT DOES TAKE A LOT OF FOLKS TO PULL THIS OFF. AND IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO POP IN ON ONE OF THOSE CLINICS, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU DO AND SEE IT BECAUSE IT'S TRULY AMAZING AND THEY HAVE IT DOWN. IT'S A SCIENCE. UM, THE, IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS ON ANY OF THE REPORTS THAT, THAT WE'VE SENT, I'LL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO ANSWER THOSE. BUT I JUST WANT GIVE STUFF THAT'S NOT IN THEIR REPORT RIGHT NOW. UH, WE HAVE CURRENTLY THREE OPENINGS IN OUR, UH, OP OPERATIONS. WE HAVE A VET POSITION, ONE OF OUR VETS IS RETIRING. AND SO WE'VE ADVERTISED FOR A FULL-TIME VET. WE HAVE A VET, UH, SERVICES SUPERVISOR THAT, UH, IT'S A OPEN POSITION THAT WE'RE FILLING AND WE HAVE A TEMPORARY ENRICHMENT SPECIALIST. AND THOSE ARE THE ONLY THREE POSITIONS THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE THAT ARE BEING HIRED. UH, SPEAKING OF VOLUNTEERS, WE LAST MONTH, NOT INCLUDING THE TNR VOLUNTEERS, WE HAD 6,154 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER SERVICE THAT WAS PROVIDED. AND, YOU KNOW, IT JUST NEVER CEASES TO AMAZE ME, UH, THE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEER HOURS THAT WE, WHEN YOU LOOK AT OTHER SHELTERS THAT, YOU KNOW, DO THAT IN A YEAR. AND WE DO THAT IN A MONTH. SO I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE VOLUNTEERS. WE COULDN'T DO WHAT, WHAT WE DO WITH, WITHOUT THAT. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME? YES, MA'AM. COMMISSIONER EZ. I, I THINK IT IS FANTASTIC. THE, UM, WHAT YOU SHARE ABOUT THE SPAY AND NEUTER AND THE NUMBERS. AND I'M CURIOUS, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU IF THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS COLLECTED OR COULD BE COLLECTED, UM, WHO ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING FOR THE SPAY NEUTER? UH, ARE THEY, I DON'T KNOW. UH, THEY'RE HISPANICS. ARE THEY CERTAIN THE SOCIAL CLASS, [00:20:01] ECONOMIC CLASS, OR WHO ARE THE DEMOGRAPHICS I SHOULD ASK? DEMOGRAPHICS. . AND, AND, AND GOOD FIX DOES, WE'LL SEND THE DEMOGRAPHICS AFTERWARDS. THEY WILL SEND US, UH, THE ZIP CODES THAT THESE ANIMALS CAME FROM. UH, THEY DON'T DO A FINANCIAL STUDY, SO WE, WE WON'T KNOW THAT PART OF IT. BUT, UH, ALL THE INFORMATION THAT THEY COLLECT, UH, THEY DO PROVIDE THAT TO US. SO IN ABOUT A WEEK AND A HALF OR OR TWO WEEKS, WE'LL GET THAT INFORMATION. DOES DOES THE ZIP CODES, CORRECT? YES. CORRECT. AND, UM, I, I HAVE NOTICED A SHIFT IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA AND I, I LOVE WHEN YOU SHARED THE STORIES OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE ADOPTED, UM, ANIMALS FROM THE, THE ANIMAL CENTER. AND THAT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO SEE THAT THERE'S PEOPLE WHO, WHO HAVE THOSE ANIMALS FOR A WHILE AND, AND THERE'S A SHIFT BECAUSE WE DIDN'T USED TO SEE THOSE STORIES. AND I, I, I LOVE THEM. UH, I THINK IT'S SOMETHING VERY POSITIVE BECAUSE YOU USUALLY WERE, I MEAN, THERE'S ALWAYS THE ISSUE OF SPACE AND ALL THIS OTHER THINGS, WHICH ARE VERY DIFFICULT, BUT WE NEED TO SEE ALSO THE HAPPY PART. ABSOLUTELY. AND, UH, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH SOCIAL MEDIA, THINGS CHANGE CONSTANTLY. SO WE, WE TRY TO KEEP THINGS FRESH AND KEEP THE AUDIENCE ENGAGED SO THAT THEY, THEY TOO KEEP FOLLOWING US. SO I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS, COMMISSIONER S MAGULA. YEAH. UM, HI. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR BLAND. SO, UM, THE FIRST THING I WANNA START WITH IS THE GOOD FIX. UM, I VOLUNTEERED AT THAT SITE SATURDAY MORNING, UM, THROUGH THE RAINSTORM THAT WE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, AND I HAVE TO SAY I WAS EXTREMELY IMPRESSED BY THAT ORGANIZATION. I, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK I WOULD CALL IT ORGANIZED CHAOS IS THE BEST DESCRIPTION BECAUSE THERE WERE SO MANY MOVING PIECES, BUT THEY KEPT IT GOING. UM, I LEFT, I DON'T KNOW, SOMETIME BETWEEN 12 AND ONE IN THE AFTERNOON, AND THERE WAS NEVER A SLOWDOWN OF CARS COMING IN, DROPPING OFF ANIMALS. IT WAS, IT WAS AMAZING TO SEE. UM, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, VOLUNTEERING AT THE NEXT ONE IN JANUARY. SO THAT WAS IT. JUST FANTASTIC. AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN, UH, CONTINUE THESE AND, AND LET'S REDUCE THE UN HOMED ANIMALS HERE. UM, I HAVE A QUESTION ON YOUR, UM, REPORT IN, IN REGARDS TO THE NUMBERS WITH AUSTIN PETS ALIVE, BECAUSE I, THERE'S THREE DIFFERENT NUMBERS. UM, IT, ON YOUR DATA REPORT, YOU SHOW 83 ANIMALS WERE PULLED BY A PA IN YOUR ANIMAL SERVICES REPORT, YOU SHOW 84 ANIMALS WERE PULLED BY A PA AND A PA ON THEIR REPORT SAID THEY PULLED 86 ANIMALS. UM, NOW I CAN UNDERSTAND MAYBE THE DISCREPANCY WITH A PA BECAUSE THEY, YOU SEND ANIMALS IN NOVEMBER FOR EVALUATION, THEY DON'T GET PULLED TILL DECEMBER. YOU GUYS DON'T ACTUALLY COUNT THEM AS OUTCOME UNTIL THEY GET PULLED. MAYBE A PA IS COUNTING THEM WHEN THEY GO OVER. SO I CAN UNDERSTAND THOSE. BUT, UM, IT GOES FROM THE DIFFERENCE OF 78 AND 80 84 THOUGH. SO IT'S LIKE IT'S, YOU'RE MISSING A FEW ANIMALS. I DON'T KNOW IF SOMEBODY KNEW WAS DOING THE REPORT , IT, IT, IT DEPENDS UPON THE TIMING. WHEN THEY DO THE REPORT, THEY MIGHT HAVE PULLED THE NUMBERS BEFORE IT WAS RECONCILED. OKAY. THE ONE REPORT ON, ON THE, THE SUMMARY REPORT. RIGHT. UH, BUT THE ONE THAT IT HAS THE, AND THEN THE DATA IS THE LIVE FROM THE, THE, THE GRAPHS ARE ACTUAL. OKAY. ALRIGHT. WE'LL CHECK ON THAT. YEAH. UM, AND THEN, LET'S SEE. I HAD ANOTHER QUESTION. I KNOW I DID ON THE, UM, ACTUALLY, I WAS HAPPY TO SEE THAT YOUR RETURN TO OWNER INTACT ANIMALS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THIS MONTH. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS JUST A DROP IN RTOS OVERALL. UM, BUT AT LEAST THERE WERE LESS INTACT ANIMALS GOING BACK THIS MONTH THAN IT SEEMS TO HAVE HAPPENED IN THE PAST. SO I THINK THAT'S A, THAT'S A POSITIVE THING. AND THEN ON YOUR ANIMALS THAT WERE MISSING OR STOLEN OR LOST, BLANK INDICATES ZERO, RIGHT? THAT THERE WAS NOTHING. CORRECT. OKAY. THAT WAS, THAT WAS IT. THAT WAS ALL I HAD. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER EZ. THIS IS JUST A THOUGHT. I, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S POSSIBLE, I KNOW THAT THERE'S IT. CAN YOU HEAR ME? OKAY? UM, IT, I, I KNOW THAT WE'RE TALKING HERE ABOUT, UM, FOR SPAIN, NEUTER LOOKING LIKE A THE VALLEY, THE VALLEY, UH, AND YOU HAVE TO [00:25:01] LOOK FOR PLACES. AND I KNOW THAT WE ARE RESTARTING AGAINST BAY NEUTER, WHICH IS AWESOME. AND, UM, PROBABLY A LOT OF US WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING OR DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE CITY, YOU SEE HOMELESS WITH, WITH ANIMALS, DOGS. AND I'M JUST THROWING THIS THOUGHT AND MAYBE THAT THIS HAS BEEN THOUGHT ABOUT BEFORE. UM, HAS THERE BEEN, BEEN THERE ANY THOUGHT EVER OF GOING IN AREAS WHERE THE HOMELESS ARE AND HAVE SPAY NEUTER? I DON'T KNOW, SOME TYPE OF SERVICE BECAUSE IT IS HAPPENING AND I'M, I'M JUST, IT'S A THOUGHT. I'M NOT SAYING, HEY, DROP EVERYTHING, DO THAT. NO, WE, WE HAVE FOLKS THAT THAT'S THEIR JOB AND THEY WORK WITH THOSE FOLKS IN THOSE COMMUNITIES, AND THEY WORK WITH THEM TO GET THEIR ANIMALS FIXED AND VACCINATED. AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DO ON A, ON A DAILY BASIS. THEY HAVE, THERE'S PEOPLE THAT HAVE JOBS THAT THAT'S WHAT THEY DO. SO WHILE WE'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, BRINGING THEM INTO CLINICS, WE GO TO THEM. OH, SO YOU GO TO THEM. WE GO TO THEM AND GET HELP WHEN, WHEN WE CAN. DO YOU GUYS TRACK OR, OR I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW. THERE, YEAH. THAT, THAT THEY HAVE NUMBERS ON IN THAT THEY CAN PROVIDE IN TERMS OF HOW MANY, UH, OUTREACH THEY REACH ON A DAILY BASIS AND WHAT SERVICES THEY PROVIDED THEM AND WHAT RESOURCES THEY GIVE AND, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH FOOD WE DISTRIBUTE. AND SO WE, WE TRACK ALL THAT. GOOD. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER LINDER? YES. YES. UM, I WANTED TO, TO, UM, FIRST THANK, UM, ALL OF OUR SPEAKERS FROM THE, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD. AND, UM, IT'S WONDERFUL TO HEAR MORE SORT OF ABOUT THE WORK YOU DO. AND FOR A LOT OF THIS, THIS IS, UM, SORT OF OUTSIDE OUR OWN EXPERTISE AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT, UM, IS, IS ESSENTIAL, UM, TO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE. SO THANK YOU FOR EDUCATING US ABOUT THE IMPACT YOU'RE HAVING. AND, UM, I THINK, UH, IT'S, IT'S CRUCIAL THAT WE'D BE ABLE TO TRACK YOUR HOURS, UM, PARTICULARLY AS WE'RE GOING FORWARD AND TRYING TO SEE SORT OF, UM, WHERE THE NEEDS ARE. THAT'S REALLY VITAL INFORMATION. SO MY QUESTION FOR DIRECTOR BLAND IS COULD YOU EXPLAIN, I GUESS, AS BACKGROUND FOR ME WHY WE'RE ABLE TO TRACK, UM, SOME VOLUNTEER HOURS AND NOT OTHERS? IS IT BECAUSE THOSE ARE DESIGNATED AS IN SHELTER VERSUS OUT OF SHELTER? AND THEN, UM, I AGREE, YOU SAID, YOU KNOW, IT WOULDN'T BE IDEAL IF WE HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL MARCH TO BE ABLE TO GET THAT INFORMATION. SO IS THERE ANYTHING WE COULD DO MAYBE STARTING SORT OF FIRST OF THE YEAR THAT, UM, COULD BE A TEMPORARY PATCH UNTIL WE'RE ABLE TO GET THAT NEW, UM, SYSTEM IN PLACE TO LOG THOSE HOURS? THANKS. WELL, UNOFFICIALLY, UH, THE, THE PROGRAM MANAGER THAT'S BEEN OVER THAT HAS KEPT UP WITH THE NUMBER OF SERVICE HOURS THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE ESTIMATING THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE DOING, BUT IT'S NOTHING, NOTHING OFFICIAL. THEY, THEY'VE NEV THE, THE, THE FOLKS THAT ARE VOLUNTEERING FOR TNR HAVE NEVER BEEN A, GONE THROUGH THE FORMAL PROCESS OF BECOMING A VOLUNTEER THROUGH THE CITY IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, SIGNING UP, HAVING THE BACKGROUND CHECKS AND THE ORIENTATION, ALL OF THAT. AND THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO GET DONE SO THAT WE CAN GET THEM IN THAT SYSTEM SO THAT THEY CAN LOG THEIR HOURS AND, YOU KNOW, DIAL IN AND DO IT REMOTELY LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER VOLUNTEERS DO. AND, AND, YOU KNOW, BE ABLE TO TRACK THOSE HOURS. AND, UH, SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, UH, SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE YEARS AGO. BUT, YOU KNOW, I, I WAS NOT AWARE OF THAT. I KNEW WE WERE, I WAS GETTING HOURS THAT THEY WERE WORKING, BUT IT WASN'T OFFICIAL. AND SO WE ARE, THAT'S WHY WE'RE WORKING HARD TO CHANGE THAT BECAUSE THEY DO NEED TO AND DESERVE ALL OF THE THINGS THAT OTHER VOLUNTEERS GET. YOU KNOW, WE WANT THEM TO SHOW UP FOR THE VOLUNTEER MONTHLY MEETINGS OR QUARTERLY MEETINGS THAT WE WANT 'EM TO SHOW UP WHEN WE HAVE VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION EVENTS. AND SO WE WANNA INCLUDE THEM IN AND MAKE THEM PART OF THE VOLUNTEER FAMILY. SO IF WE HAVE SORT OF UNOFFICIAL COUNTS AS YOU SAID, DO YOU THINK THERE'LL BE A WAY WITH THIS NEW SYSTEM TO ENTER THOSE RETROACTIVELY? OR ARE THOSE BEING CAPTURED AT LEAST SOMEWHERE? SO WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION. UH, I'LL HAVE TO SEE HOW THEY WERE CAPTURED PREVIOUSLY AND WORK WITH THE NEW PROGRAM MANAGER TO SEE THAT WE KEEP THAT GOING FORWARD. BUT, UH, NO, WE WANT TO GET THEM IN AS SOON AS WE POSSIBLY CAN. OF COURSE, THEN IT WILL RELY ON THEM HAVING TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, BACKGROUND CHECKS AS WELL, WHICH, YOU KNOW, COULD BE A LITTLE UNTIMELY AT TIMES. OKAY. THANKS. ANYONE ELSE? COMMISSIONER SM SORRY, I HAD ONE MORE FOLLOW UP. SO THERE HAS BEEN A NEW MANAGER HIRED FOR THIS PROGRAM AT A A C YES, THERE HAS. AND, AND THEY'RE, THEY'VE STARTED AND YES. AND THEY, THEY'RE IN ORIENTA GOING THROUGH THE TRAINING PROCESS NOW. UM, FIRST NAME'S VICTORIA. SHE ACTUALLY CAME FROM, UH, AUSTIN HUMANE SOCIETY AND IS VERY, UH, FAMILIAR WITH TNR. THANK YOU. OKAY, WE'LL MOVE TO ITEM THREE. [3. Discussion of the Animal Services strategic plan and planning process.] LET ME SAY THAT AGAIN. DISCUSSION OF THE ANIMAL SERVICES STRATEGIC [00:30:01] PLAN AND PLANNING PROCESS. GOOD EVENING. UM, I AM STEPHANIE HAYDEN HOWARD, I HOPE YOU ALL ARE DOING WELL. UM, I WANTED TO, UM, INTRODUCE TO YOU SUSANNA CARBO HALL, UM, WHICH HAS, UM, IS TRANSITIONING, UM, ANIMAL SERVICES IN UNDER HER, UM, PORTFOLIO. UM, I, UM, UM, I KNOW I WAS ABLE TO TALK WITH A FEW OF YOU BEFORE. I ACTUALLY SENT, UM, THE EMAIL LAST WEEK. THANK YOU, ERIC, FOR SENDING THAT FORWARD TO THE COMMISSION. AND MY GOAL IS, IS TO CONTINUE, UM, TO ASSIST IN THIS ROLE. UM, OUR GOAL IS, IS WE REALLY, REALLY WANT THIS STRATEGIC PLAN, UM, TO BE SOMETHING THAT ALL OF US WILL BE EXCITED ABOUT. AND I AM REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT BEING A LIVING PLAN AS WELL. AND SO I WILL CONTINUE TO BE AROUND. I KNOW A COUPLE OF PEOPLE HAVE SAID, WELL, YOU'RE GONNA BE GONE. NO, I'M GONNA BE HERE. SO, UM, BUT, BUT I DO, I DO WANT TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT Y'ALL ARE WORKING WITH, UM, LISA CAR HALL, UM, THROUGH THIS PROCESS. BUT I WILL CONTINUE TO BE AT THE MEETINGS, UM, AS WE MOVE ALONG. SO I WANT TO INTRODUCE AND KIND OF PASS IT OVER TO HER. GOOD EVENING. I NEED TO WORK WITH YOU AND STAFF AND THE COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE FINALIZE AND BRING FORWARD A STRATEGIC PLAN THAT WORKS FOR ALL OF US AND TAKE IT TO COUNCIL FOR THEIR CONSIDERATION. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE, AND I'M EXCITED TO WORK WITH YOU. BYE. GREAT. AND SO, I'M AUDREY MONS. I'M THE BUDGET AND PERFORMANCE MANAGER WITH THE FINANCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT TEAM. AND WE'VE BEEN SUPPORTING THIS STRATEGIC PLAN THROUGH THE LISTENING SESSIONS THAT WE DID FOR STAFF THE COMMUNITY SURVEYS, AND ARE HELPING WITH FINAL DRAFTING OF THE PLAN. I'M GONNA HAND IT OVER TO DR. LARRY SCHOOLER TO KICK US OFF. AND LARRY'S ONLINE, DR. SCHOOLER, EVERYBODY, IF YOU'RE SPEAKING, YOU'RE, OH, THERE YOU ARE. YEAH, SORRY ABOUT THAT. EVERYBODY HEAR ME? OKAY, THANKS, UH, FOR ACCOMMODATING ME. VIRTUALLY EVERYBODY. UH, JUST HAD A LONG DAY AT THE UNIVERSITY TODAY, BUT, UH, GREAT TO BE BACK WITH YOU AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, GREAT TO HAVE WORKED WITH, UH, VICE CHAIR LINDER AND COMMISSIONER S MAGULA AND COMMISSIONER HOLT, AND, AND AT ONE TIME, COMMISSIONER HO EVEN, UH, ON THIS, UH, STRATEGIC PLAN PROCESS. SO AS YOU'LL RECALL, WE ASSEMBLED A WORKING GROUP, UH, TO HELP STEER THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS. AND, UH, SINCE AUGUST, WE'VE CONVENED A TOTAL OF SIX MEETINGS. AND I SHOULD POINT OUT EACH OF THEM WE'RE ABOUT FOUR HOURS LONG. SO WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN AT THIS FOR, UH, A DAY WITHOUT SLEEP. UM, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO OUR WORK WAS, UH, HARVESTING THE GREAT, UH, ANALYSIS DONE BY AUDREY AND HER TEAM ON THIS VERY ROBUST, UH, COMMUNITY SURVEY, UH, WHICH I THINK HAD OVER 2000 RESPONSES, UNIQUE RESPONSES, AS WELL AS, UH, AN ARRAY OF CONVERSATIONS WITH A SO STAFF. SO, UM, THAT CONSUMED A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME FOR HER AND HER TEAM AND FOR THE WORKING GROUP. BUT I THINK IT WAS, UH, CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. WE ALSO THEN I THINK, UM, HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE OVERALL VISION THAT WE HAVE FOR A SO GOING FORWARD THROUGH THIS NEXT, UH, FEW YEARS. AND I SHOULD POINT OUT, THERE WAS SOME TALK AT ONE POINT OF LOOKING SPECIFICALLY AT THE MISSION STATEMENT OF A SO AND IT WAS DECIDED, UH, THAT THE GROUP'S TIME WOULD BE BETTER SPENT ON SOME OF THE FINER DETAILS OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN, RATHER THAN ON REWORDING THE MISSION STATEMENT. BUT I DO THINK THERE WAS A PRODUCTIVE DISCUSSION, A ROBUST DISCUSSION ON VISION, THEN THERE WAS, I'M NOT IN CONTROL OF THE CLICKER, SO I DON'T KNOW IF SOMEONE CAN, CAN ASSIST WITH THAT. UM, THEN AFTER THAT THERE WERE, UM, A, A SET OF FOCUS AREAS, GOALS AND STRATEGIES DEVELOPED. AND I THINK THAT AUDREY WILL COVER ON A SUBSEQUENT SLIDE A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL AS TO WHAT WE MEAN THERE. BUT SUFFICE IT TO SAY, UM, WE DREW FROM SOME MODELS IN OTHER CITIES THAT HAD A NICE CONSTRUCT FROM A TEMPLATE PERSPECTIVE OF WHAT THE STRATEGIC PLAN [00:35:01] COULD LOOK LIKE. AND THE IDEA WAS TO DESIGNATE, AS THE NAME IMPLIES, AREAS TO PRIORITIZE FOR A SO GOALS WITHIN EACH OF THOSE AREAS. AND STRATEGIES FOR, UH, CARRYING IT OUT AT THE GUIDANCE, EXCUSE ME, AT THE DIRECTION OF A CM HAYDEN HOWARD. UM, WE ALSO HAD A DEEP DIVE AT ONE OF OUR SESSIONS ON OPERATIONAL CHANGES. AND YOU MAY SAY, WELL, THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE STRATEGIC PLANNING. AND, AND IT VERY MUCH WAS DISTINCT FROM SOME OF THE WORK ON STRATEGIC PLANNING. BUT AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE LIST OF REPRESENTATIVES OR REPRESENTATIVE ORGANIZATIONS ON THE WORKING GROUP, THERE'S A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF KNOWLEDGE IN THAT ROOM ABOUT THE DAY-TO-DAY WORK HAPPENING WITHIN A SO. AND SO THE A CM, UH, SUGGESTED, AND I AGREED THAT, UH, SOME TIME BE GIVEN OVER TO SUGGESTIONS ON OPERATIONS, WHICH I KNOW HAVE BEEN CAPTURED AND, UM, ARE BEING DELIBERATED, UH, WITHIN A SO. BUT JUST TO FINISH OFF THIS SUMMARY, YOU CAN SEE BOTH, UM, OUTSIDE GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS, NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS AND, UM, PARTS OF THE PUBLIC SECTOR WERE REPRESENTED ROBUSTLY ON THIS, UH, WORKING GROUP, WHICH, UH, REMAIN FAIRLY CONSTANT IN ITS MEMBERSHIP WITH VERY HIGH ATTENDANCE ACROSS THESE, UH, FOUR MONTHS OR SO. SO I WANT TO COMMEND BOTH THE COMMISSIONERS ON A C WHO'VE BEEN PART OF IT AND ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF THE WORKING GROUP. ON THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, YOU'LL SEE MY FAMILIAR, UH, FRIEND EARL THE ELEPHANT, AND HE WAS THERE TO REMIND US OF THE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS THAT NEEDED TO HAPPEN AS PART OF ANY SORT OF STRATEGIC PLANNING EFFORT FOR A SO. AND SO I JUST FROM MY SORT OF THIRD PARTY, UH, NEUTRAL INDEPENDENT PERSPECTIVE, WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU THAT THIS GROUP MADE NOTABLE PROGRESS, UH, ON ADDRESSING SOME OF THE ELEPHANTS IN THE ROOM. THE GROUP, I THINK, CONTINUES TO VALUE THE NOTION OF A NO KILL POLICY, WHICH IS TO SAY THAT I DON'T THINK ANYBODY ACROSS THE 20 OR SO MEMBERS OF THE GROUP WANTS TO SEE ANY CIRCUMSTANCE IN WHICH A, AN ANIMAL, UH, BROUGHT INTO THE SHELTER IS EUTHANIZED FOR SPACE. UM, THAT THAT POLICY SHOULD CONTINUE, THAT THE GOAL MIGHT BE ONE THAT IS REFRAMED, BUT THAT THE NOTION OF, UM, FOCUSING ON LIVE OUTCOMES, UH, REMAINS SACROSANCT OR AT LEAST VERY IMPORTANT, UH, ACROSS THE BOARD. THERE ALSO, I THINK, IS A DESIRE TO BOTH PRIORITIZE AND THEN MAINTAIN, UH, ROBUST AND FREQUENT OPEN INTAKE, MEANING THAT, UM, THIS GROUP WANTS THE SHELTER TO BE, UH, OPEN TO INTAKE, UH, MUCH MORE OFTEN THAN NOT. AND I'VE HEARD A CM HAYDEN HOWARD TALK ABOUT, UH, GETTING THAT, UH, TO HAPPEN WITHIN, UH, A VERY SHORT TIME. I KNOW AT ONE POINT IT WAS THE FIRST OF THE YEAR, SO I WON'T SPEAK FOR HER, BUT SUFFICE IT TO SAY, I THINK THE GROUP IS VERY INTENT ON MAKING SURE THAT INTAKE BOTH, UH, REOPENS AND REMAINS OPEN. AND THEN, AS YOU'VE HEARD TONIGHT, WE'VE, WE'VE HEARD A GOOD BIT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT BOTH TRAP NEUTER, RELEASE AND SPAY NEUTER, UM, WITH THE CAVEAT OF COURSE THAT SOME OF THAT COMES FROM AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTERED DIRECTLY. AND SOME OF IT WILL COME THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS WITH OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS, SPECIFICALLY WITH AN EYE TOWARDS PROVIDING FREE AND LOW COST OPTIONS WHERE, UH, FOLKS MAY NEED THAT AND OTHERWISE LACK THE MEANS TO PURSUE, UH, SPAY NEUTER. I'LL TURN THINGS BACK TO, UH, AUDREY. GREAT, THANK YOU LARRY. AND SO, AS DR. SCHOOLER MENTIONED, THERE'S BEEN SIX WORKING GROUP MEETINGS THAT WE'VE HELD THUS FAR. WE'VE HAD A NUMBER OF VARIATIONS OF THE DRAFT PLAN COME OUT OF THAT. AND SO WHAT MY TEAM IS WORKING ON NOW IS WORKING WITH MEMBERS OF THE PLANNING TEAM. THE PLANNING TEAM INCLUDES COMMISSIONER S MAGULA, COMMISSIONER LINDER, WHITNEY HOLT IN HER POSITION AS, AS TRAVIS COUNTY REPRESENTATIVE MEMBERS OF CMO AND DON BLAND. AND WE'RE WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PLAN THAT COMES OUT TO THE PUBLIC IS REFINED TO ENSURE THAT IS IT IS COHESIVE, CONSISTENT, THAT IT HAS THAT UNIFIED VOICE AND CAN BE EASILY UNDERSTOOD BY THE COMMUNITY, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE NOT USING JARGON, BUT THAT WE'RE CLEAR AND CONCISE IN WHAT WE'RE SHARING OUT THROUGH OUR, UH, FOCUS AREAS, GOALS AND STRATEGIES. AND SO THAT PLANNING GROUP HAS GOTTEN TOGETHER ONCE SINCE THE LAST WORKING GROUP MEETING. WE'RE MEETING AGAIN TOMORROW AS A PLANNING TEAM TO REFINE THAT PLAN FURTHER. AND THAT PLAN WILL BE SHARED WITH THE LARGER WORKING GROUP IN THE NEXT WEEK OR TWO SO THAT THEY HAVE TIME TO REVIEW IT AHEAD OF THE FINAL WORKING GROUP MEETING THAT WILL HAPPEN IN JANUARY. WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH A SO TO MAKE SURE THAT MEASURES THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THE PLAN REFLECT LANGUAGE THAT'S CURRENTLY USED, THAT THEY'RE FEASIBLE, THAT THEY'RE MEASURABLE, AND IF THEY'RE NOT MEASURABLE, THAT WE'RE THINKING THROUGH HOW WE PLAN TO, UH, MEASURE THOSE IN THE FUTURE. AND SO, TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF WHAT THE PLAN WILL LOOK LIKE OR WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE IN THE FINAL PLAN FRAMEWORK, AS LARRY MENTIONED, THERE WILL BE A VISION. AND THIS IS THE SHARED IDEA OF WHAT THE COMMUNITY WILL EXPERIENCE WHEN A SO IMPLEMENTS THE PLAN, THE MISSION, THE CORE PURPOSE AND ROLE A SO SERVES IN SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY, IN ACHIEVING THE VISION. AS DR. SCHOOLER MENTIONED, THE MISSION WILL NOT BE UPDATED AS PART OF THIS PROCESS. [00:40:01] THERE ARE FOCUS AREAS. WE CURRENTLY HAVE FIVE OR SIX, I'LL HIGHLIGHT THOSE FOR YOU IN JUST A MOMENT. THESE ARE THE HIGH LEVEL PRIORITIES THAT ALLOW US TO ORGANIZE THE GOALS AND STRATEGIES WITHIN THE PLAN IN A LOGICAL WAY. THESE FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS WILL GUIDE A SO IN ADVANCING ITS MISSION AND ACHIEVING ITS VISION. AND EACH OF THESE HAS A DESCRIPTION. WE WANTED TO USE THE MIRROR WHAT IS USED IN THE CITYWIDE STRATEGIC PLAN. AND SO WE THEN HAVE GOALS, MEASURES, AND STRATEGIES BELOW EACH FOCUS AREA. THE GOAL IS A SPECIFIC END RESULT THAT A SO ENVISIONS. THERE WILL BE MEASURES HOW WE TRACK SUCCESS AS, AS A SO MOVES FORWARD IN PROGRESS ON THEIR GOALS, AND THEN STRATEGIES, WHICH ARE THE ACTIONABLE PLANS OR METHODS THAT A SO WILL TAKE TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS. AND SO THIS IS THE FRAMEWORK THAT WE'LL BE USING FOR THE PLAN. WE WANTED TO SHARE THE FOCUS AREAS THAT HAVE BEEN DRAFTED BY THE WORKING GROUP. THESE WERE ALSO THEN REVIEWED AND PUT OUT IN A COMMUNITY SURVEY TO THE PUBLIC. WE HAVE MADE ONE CHANGE, OR THE WORKING GROUP MADE ONE TENTATIVE CHANGE TO ADD SPAY NEUTER THAT HASN'T BEEN DISCUSSED IN FULL WITH THE WORKING GROUP. AND SO YOU'LL SEE THAT'S NOTED AS PENDING. UM, BUT THE SIX FOCUS AREAS ARE HUMANE CARE. AND THE DESCRIPTION IS RIGHT BELOW. ENSURE A HIGH QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ANIMALS AND SHELTER AND FOSTER CARE BY PROVIDING ENRICHMENT, BEHAVIORAL SUPPORT AND WELL-MAINTAINED FACILITIES. OPEN INTAKE, MAINTAIN OPEN INTAKE FOR STRAYS AND OWNER SURRENDERS AND FACILITATE CARE BY PARTNERS OR THE PUBLIC WHILE REDUCING DEMAND FOR INTAKE BY MANAGING STRAY POPULATIONS AND PROVIDING RESOURCES TO HELP OWNERS KEEP THEIR PETS SPAY NEUTER, REDUCE THE NUMBER OF UNWANTED AND HOMELESS PETS BY IMPROVING AND INCREASING SPAY NEUTER SERVICES. LIVE RELEASE, MAXIMIZE THE NUMBER OF ANIMALS THAT ARE ADOPTED, RESCUED, TRANSFERRED, OR RETURNED TO THEIR OWNERS THROUGH ENHANCED SERVICES, PARTNERSHIPS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. PUBLIC SAFETY ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE PUBLIC AND ANIMALS BY PROVIDING RESOURCES AND INFORMATION, WORKING WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND RESPONDING QUICKLY TO ANIMAL WELFARE CONCERNS AND STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS RECRUIT AND RETAIN WELL-TRAINED AND DEDICATED STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS BY PROVIDING THE TOOLS, RESOURCES, AND SUPPORT THEY NEED TO CREATE A CULTURE OF INCLUSION AND RESPONSIBILITY. SO THESE ARE THE SIX FOCUS AREAS UNDER WHICH THOSE GOALS, MEASURES, AND STRATEGIES ARE ORGANIZED. AND THAT IS ALL THAT WE HAVE TODAY, EXCEPT FOR NEXT STEPS. UM, I WILL BE CONTINUING, MY TEAM WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE PLANNING TEAM TO REFINE THAT DRAFT STRATEGIC PLAN. WE'LL BE SHARING IT OUT WITH THE LARGER WORKING GROUP SO THEY HAVE TIME TO REVIEW IT AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK AHEAD OF THAT FINAL SESSION IN JANUARY. UM, LA DR. SCHOOLER WILL CONVENE THE WORKING GROUP ON JANUARY 7TH TO REVIEW THE REFINED STRATEGIC PLAN. WE'LL PROVIDE THAT DRAFT STRATEGIC PLAN TO THE COMMISSION FOR REVIEW BEFORE YOUR JANUARY 13TH MEETING. WE'LL DISCUSS THE STRATEGIC PLAN AT THAT MEETING, AND THEN THERE'LL BE DISCUSSION AND ADDITIONAL POSSIBLE ACTION AT THE FEBRUARY 10TH COMMISSION MEETING. ANYTHING ELSE? ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSION? UM, I HAVE HAD A COUPLE OF THOUGHTS. ONE IS, WELL, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK ON THIS. OBVIOUSLY A LOT OF VERY TALENTED PEOPLE HAVE SPENT A LOT OF HOURS ON PUTTING THIS TOGETHER. I SPECIFICALLY WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT. I KNOW EVERYBODY DESERVES IT, BUT TO THE COMMISSIONERS WHO HAVE, UM, SPENT THEIR TIME, 'CAUSE THEY ARE DOING THAT IN ADDITION, UM, TO, TO BEING HERE. AND SO, UM, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO AT FIRST WEREN'T EVEN VOLUNTOLD TO BE THERE, THEY, THEY VOLUNTEERED. SO, UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR DOING THAT. UM, I, UH, I I REALLY DO APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT HAS GONE INTO IT. UM, I CERTAINLY, WITH RESPECT TO THE COMMISSION, OBVIOUSLY IT'S THE INTENT OF THE COMMISSION AND THE WILL OF THE COMMISSION THAT WILL GOVERN HOW IT, HOW IT, WHAT COMES OUT FROM IT BEING HERE. UM, MY GOAL PERSONALLY WOULD BE THAT IT BE A ROBUST PROCESS THAT THE PUBLIC HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ON AND WEIGH IN ON AS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. JUST BECAUSE UP TO NOW IT'S MOSTLY BEEN A NON-PUBLIC PROCESS. AND, UM, IF THIS BODY WANTS TO PUT ITS, UH, STAMP OF APPROVAL ON IT, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE PUBLIC HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE. AND THE LAST I, UM, I JUST WANNA SAY THIS, AND IT, IT, IT IS ONLY, IT'S SLIGHTLY OFF TOPIC, BUT IT, BUT IT, BUT IT MATTERS. I WAS, UM, I GUESS IT'S BEEN, LARRY, HOW MANY YEARS HAS IT BEEN? UM, IT'S BEEN 12, 13, 14 YEARS SINCE, UM, SINCE THE CITY, NO, IT'S BEEN LONGER THAN THAT. IT'S BEEN 17 YEARS SINCE THE CITY, UH, PROPOSED MOVING THE SHELTER TO WHERE IT CURRENTLY IS LOCATED. AND, UM, AN ENORMOUS NUMBER OF PEOPLE, UH, THOUGHT THAT WAS A HORRIBLE IDEA, UH, TO MAKE IT IN A LOCATION THAT'S REALLY DIFFICULT TO FIND, UM, AND REALLY GET DIFFICULT TO GET TO. AND AS I WAS DRIVING BY IT, UM, THIS WEEK, UH, IT, IT JUST WAS SO SAD TO ME THAT IT'S BECOME EVEN MORE DIFFICULT TO GET TO [00:45:01] WITH, UM, THE WAY THAT THE HIGHWAYS RUN NOW. UM, IT WAS A HORRIBLE DECISION AT THE TIME. UH, I THINK THAT WE'RE ALL PAYING THE PRICE FOR IT, UM, WITH HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO FIND AND HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO GET TO, AND HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO CONVINCE ANYONE TO GO TO IT. UM, BUT THAT SAID, I'M GLAD THAT THERE'S, YOU KNOW, STRATEGIC PLANNING. I HOPE THAT, UM, PART OF IT WILL BE TO, UM, BREAK FREE OF THAT FACILITY BECAUSE THE, THE FACILITY REMAINS, UM, A HUGE PROBLEM. UM, FOR, FOR ANIMAL WELFARE, THE LOCATION OF THE FACILITY JUST IN HOW INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT IT'S TO GET TO. UH, I REMEMBER EMANCIPET SOMEBODY, UH, THE, THE, THE SECRETARY FOR EMANCIPET, A RECEPTIONIST FOR EMANCIPET WEIGHING IN YEARS AGO SAYING THAT I LOSE THREE TO FIVE PEOPLE APPOINTMENTS A DAY, UH, FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN'T FIND IT. AND, UM, IT'S ONLY HARDER NOW. SO ANYWAY, I HOPE THAT'S PART OF IT. ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING? COMMISSIONER ES SO I REALIZE IT'S A LONG PROCESS. UH, IS THERE A TARGET WHEN THIS WILL BE FINALIZED? THE STRATEGIC PLAN, OUR GOAL IS, IS FOR THE DRAFT PLAN TO BE AVAILABLE IN JANUARY. OKAY. WE HAVE A MEETING ON JANUARY 7TH, UM, WHICH SHOULD BE, YOU KNOW, OUR LAST WORKING GROUP MEETING. AND DURING THAT MEETING WE WILL SHARE KIND OF THIS IS THE, THE DRAFT PLAN THAT WE PLAN THE NEXT STEP TO MOVE IT FORWARD TO, YOU KNOW, TO THIS BODY. I, I, I DID UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT I, I GUESS THERE'S NO SPECIFIC OF WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THE DRAFT, BUT THERE'S NO SPECIFIC OF WHEN THERE'S THE FINAL APPROVED STRATEGIC PLAN. SO THE, THE THOUGHT IS, IS THAT, YOU KNOW, IF WE KIND OF MOVE THROUGH THE PROCESS AND WE, UM, GET THE APPROVAL FROM THIS BODY IN FEBRUARY, OUR PLAN IS TO TAKE IT TO FULL COUNSEL AFTER THAT OKAY. IN MARCH. UM, AND UM, AND BE ABLE TO KIND OF PRESENT THAT TO THAT GROUP AS WELL. AND THEN FROM THERE, GET THE, GET THE FINAL, UH, APPROVAL OF THAT DRAFT PLAN DURING THE COUNCIL MEETING. AND THAT WILL MAKE IT AN OFFICIAL DOCUMENT AT THAT POINT. OKAY. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . ANYTHING ELSE? THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, WE'LL MOVE TO FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS TO THE EXTENT THAT THERE ARE ANY, AS EVERYONE KNOWS, YOU DON'T NEED TO SAY THEM NOW. YOU CAN SAY THEM LATER WITH AN EMAIL. ANYTHING WITH THAT. SEEING, SEEING, SEEING AND HEARING NONE, UM, I'LL ACCEPT A MOTION TO ADJOURN. UH, SO MOVED BY COMMISSIONER DITIS. IS THERE A SECOND? UH, COMMISSIONER TUCKER BEAT YOU TO IT. COMMISSIONER S MAGULA. UM, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? YES. UH, WE HAVE A UNANIMOUS VOTE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. GOODNIGHT EVERYONE. 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.