[CALL TO ORDER]
[00:00:03]
I WOULD LIKE TO CALL THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE 2026 BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON THIS JULY 28TH, 2025 AT TWO O'CLOCK TO ORDER.
UH, NICOLE, WILL YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? YES, MA'AM.
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? HERE? YES, MA'AM.
[CITIZEN COMMUNICATION: GENERAL (3 minutes to speak)]
ALL RIGHT, WE'LL MOVE TO THE FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.FIRST WE'RE GONNA HAVE OUR REMOTE SPEAKER.
UH, CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU.
I'M THE BOARD CHAIR WITH ZILKER 3 5 1, AND I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AND ESPECIALLY YOUR IMPORTANT SERVICE ON TASK FORCE TODAY.
WE ARE HERE TODAY WITH THE BARTON SPRINGS CONSERVANCY TO RECOMMEND SOME CRITICAL CLIMATE CAPITAL PROJECTS AT ZILKER PARK.
CAN YOU CHANGE THE NEXT SLIDE PLEASE? THANK YOU.
UM, LOCATED IN THE HEART OF AUSTIN, ZILKER PARK SEES NEARLY 3 MILLION ANNUAL VISITORS WITH AN AVERAGE OF 7,200 DAILY VISITORS.
AS A METROPOLITAN PARK, ZILKER SERVES THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY OF AUSTIN, DRAWING VISITORS TO ITS NATURAL FEATURES AT BARTON SPRINGS POOL AND THE BARTON CREEK GREEN BELT, AND ESPECIALLY POPULAR AND FREE SWIMMING SPOT IS THE BARTON SPRINGS SPILLWAY, WHICH IS FILLED WITH AUSTINITES OF, OF ALL AGES AND BACKGROUNDS, UNITED BY THE URGE TO SWIM IN A COOL WATER ON A HOT DAY.
INDEED, ZUCKER PARK'S NATURAL TREASURES ARE A CENTRAL PART OF AUSTIN'S GREEN IDENTITY.
AS AUSTIN GROWS THE INADEQUATE THANK YOU INFRASTRUCTURE AND ZUCKER BECOMES MORE APPARENT TODAY, ZILKER IS A PARKING CRISIS BECAUSE OF EROSION DAMAGE, LACK OF CONTROLLED WATER ACCESS POINTS, POOR DRAINAGE MANAGEMENT, A LOSS OF TREE CANOPY, INVASIVE SPECIES, HEAVY FOOT TRAFFIC, AND UNSAFE OR MISSING TRAIL ROUTES, AND A DA ACCESSIBLE AMENITIES.
FORTUNATELY, OUR CALL TO ACTION IS SUPPORTED BY CLEAR PLANNING GUIDANCE FOR IMPROVING THE ECOLOGY AND ACCESSIBILITY AT ZILKER PARK.
IN PARTICULAR, OUR CLIMATE CAPITAL PROJECTS ARE INCLUDED AS NAMED PRIORITIES IN THE BARTON SPRINGS POOL MASTER PLAN, AND WE'RE FURTHER DETAILED IN THE ZILKER PARK NATURAL RESOURCE INVENTORY REPORT.
IN ADDITION, THESE PROJECTS ARE DIRECTLY ALIGNED WITH NUMEROUS CITY OF AUSTIN PLANS, INCLUDING PART'S LONG RANGE PLAN, THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, THE URBAN FOREST PLAN, THE WATER FORWARD PLAN, THE WATERSHED PROTECTION PLAN, AND THE URBAN TRAILS PLAN.
IN PARTICULAR, THIS SLIDE JUST SHOWS TO THE CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION, WHICH ADOPTED THE BARTON SPRINGS POOL MASTER PLAN FOR RESTORING THE BARTON CREEK SHORELINE, EXPANDING THE TREE CANOPIES IN THE WOODLAND AREAS, AND COMPLETING THE ZILKER LOOP TRAIL.
AND FOR ADDITIONAL CONTEXT, THIS IS A SITE PLAN SLIDE TO SHOW THE PLAN'S SCOPE COVERS NOT ONLY THE POOL, BUT THE SURROUNDING GROUNDS WITH LONG-TERM PROJECTS FOR RESTORING BARTON CREEK SHORELINE, THE ZUCKER LOOP TRAIL AROUND THE POOL AND TREE PLANTING AREAS THROUGHOUT THE PARK.
IN SHORT, THESE CLIMATE CAPITAL PROJECTS AT ZILKER HAVE BEEN IN OUR COMMUNITY AS A VISION AND A PLAN FOR QUITE SOME TIME, AND THE TIME FOR ACTION IS OVERDUE.
[00:05:01]
SLIDE, PLEASE.WE BELIEVE THAT THESE PROJECTS ARE STRONGLY ALIGNED WITH YOUR BOND PROGRAM, GUIDING PRINCIPLES IN TERMS OF THE EQUITY AFFORDABILITY.
I THOUGHT IT WAS A LITTLE QUIET.
SO FRIENDS AND MEMBERS OF THE, UH, 2006 BO BOND ADVISORY, UH, TASK FORCE, THANK YOU FOR YOUR THOUGHTFUL LEADERSHIP AND FOR INVESTING YOUR TIME IN SHAPING THE CITY'S FUTURE.
I'M THE CURRENT PRESIDENT OF BARTON SPRINGS CONSERVANCY, AND FOR ALSO ID PURPOSES A FORMER VICE CHAIR OF THE PARKS BOARD, AND I SERVE ON THE TEXAS REC PARK SOCIETY, UH, COMMITTEE.
WHY ARE WE HERE TODAY IS ASKING FOR FUNDING FOR CLI CRITICAL CLIMATE WATER TREE TRAIL AND RIP PRAIRIE AND RESTORATION PROJECTS IN ER PARK.
AS REFERENCED IN THE 2009 BARTON SPRINGS POOL MASTER PLAN, WE WANT ER, PARK AND BARTON SPRINGS TO BE SHOWN THE SAME LEVEL OF CARE THAT YOU, THAT YOU SEE IN OTHER CULTURAL PARKS LIKE IN SAN FRANCISCO, CHICAGO, ST.
LOUIS, ATLANTA, NEW YORK CITY, SAVANNAH TULSA, ZILKER PARK WAS GIFTED TO AUSTIN OVER A YEAR AGO AND IS OUR SHARED PUBLIC TREASURE AND PART OF OUR SHARED STEWARDSHIP.
AS YOU ALREADY HEARD, THE PARK IS ON LIFE SUPPORT.
IT'S A PLACE WHERE EVERYBODY, EVERY CORNER OF THE CITY COMES TO ENJOY.
IT REPRESENTS THE DIVERSITY OF OUR COMMUNITY AND PART OF OUR COMMUNITY PRIDE.
WE NEED TO REPAIR THE NATURAL SYSTEMS THAT ACT AS LIVING INFRASTRUCTURE, FILTERING POLLUTANTS, SLOWING RUNOFFS, STABILIZING CREEK BANKS, PRESERVING AQUIFER RECHARGE, HEALTHY RIPARIAN BUFFERS, SUPPORT BARN SPRINGS FLOW AND WATER QUALITY VITAL TO ECOLOGICAL AND RECREATION VALUES ALIKE.
THE SCOPING COMPLEXITY OF ZILKER PARKS, ECOLOGICAL NEEDS, REPAIR AND RESTORATION TRAIL AND SLIP STABILIZATION.
A DA UPGRADE GO BEYOND WHAT PATCHWORK PHILANTHROPY CAN RELIABLY SUPPORT A PUBLIC BOND ENSURES DEDICATED, PREDICTABLE FUNDING OR TRANSPARENT PLANNING, ROBUST ACCOUNTABILITY AND LONG-TERM UPKEEP BUILT INTO THE CITY'S CAPITAL DELIVERY FRAMEWORK, INCLUDING THIS PROJECT.
AND THE BOND PROGRAM DEMONSTRATES A FIRM PUBLIC COMMENT, A PUBLIC COMMITMENT, AND CAN UNLOCK MATCHING GRANTS FROM STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES AND PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS, ENSURES BENEFITS REACH ALL AUSTINITES, SUPPORT PARK USERS REGARDLESS OF ABILITY OR ZIP CODE.
PLUS, IT REINFORCES PRINCIPLES.
YOUR ADVISORY TASK FORCE IS PRIORITIZING CLIENT CLIMATE RESI RESILIENCE, OPEN SPACE EQUITY, AND WATER QUALITY FORENSIC RESTORING ZILKER PARKS, REPAIR ZONES AND WALKWAYS IS MORE THAN A BEAUTIFICATION EFFORT.
IT'S AN INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC HEALTH, ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY, COMMUNITY ACCESS, AND OUR CLIMATE FUTURE.
A BOND IS THE RIGHT AND FAIR MECHANISM TO ENSURE WE TREAT ZILKER AS THE PUBLIC ASSET.
IT IS STEWARD TRANSPARENCY AND EQUITABLE FOR GENERATIONS AHEAD.
I TRUST YOUR SHARED VALUES COMMITMENT TO SUSTAIN SUSTAINABILITY AND MAKE THIS PROJECT A COMPELLING INCLUSION IN YOUR BOND RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND FOR THAT, YOU'LL HEAR FROM FLEETWOOD AND SHE'LL GO ON TO SOME ADDITIONAL PROJECTS AS WELL AS SPEND.
ARE WE STARTING THE CLOCK OVER? OKAY.
HI, I, OH, CAN YOU TURN YOUR MIC? OH, SORRY.
I AM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR ZILKER 3 5 1.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION TODAY.
UM, I'M GONNA JUMP RIGHT INTO OUR SECOND PROJECT THAT WE ARE PROPOSING.
THE ZILKER LOOP TRAIL, IT AGAIN, WAS APPROVED IN 2009, UM, THROUGH THE BARTON SPRINGS POOL MASTER PLAN.
AND IT HAS FOR THE LAST 25 YEARS, BEEN ADVOCATED FOR BY MULTIPLE ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION, HILL COUNTRY CONSERVANCY, SAVE, BARTON CREEK ASSOCIATION, UM, BARTON SPRINGS CONSERVANCY, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
THIS TRAIL WILL MAKE AN IMPORTANT CONNECTION BETWEEN THE BUTLER TRAIL AND THE VIOLET CROWN TRAIL.
UM, IMAGINE WALKING FROM THE LONGHORN DAM ALL THE WAY TO THE LADY BIRD JOHNSON WILDFLOWER CENTER RIGHT NOW.
YOU COULD DO THAT IF IT WEREN'T FOR THIS MISSING LINK.
AND ONCE THE GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT TRAIL IS FINISHED, THIS WOULD BE THE MISSING LINK ALL THE WAY TO SAN ANTONIO.
IT'S ALREADY BEEN ENGINEERED AND IT'S A LOW COST AND HIGH, UH, VALUE IMPLEMENTATION IMMEDIATELY.
THE UM, ZILKER PARK TREE CANOPY PROJECT 321 ACRES OF ZILKER PARK LIES WITHIN THE RECHARGE ZONE OF BARTON SPRINGS, THE BARTON SPRINGS SEGMENT OF THE EDWARDS AQUIFER.
OVER 600,000 PEOPLE RELY ON THIS SEGMENT FOR DRINKING WATER AND AGRICULTURAL USES.
IT IS THE SPRING SOURCE FOR OUR ICONIC BARTON SPRINGS POOL, AND IT IS HOST TWO TWO FEDERALLY ENDANGERED SALAMANDERS.
THE CITY OF AUSTIN REPEATEDLY, UM, COMMITS
[00:10:01]
ITSELF TO THE LONG-TERM PROTECTION OF THIS AQUIFER, AND AS IS EXEMPLIFIED IN THE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS THAT WERE SPECIFICALLY CREATED TO PROTECT THIS SEGMENT OF OUR AQUIFER AND CAREFUL CARE IS TAKEN TO STEWARD THOSE LANDS FROM MAXIMUM RECHARGE.HOWEVER, THE SAME INTENTIONAL CARE IN STEWARDSHIP IS NOTICEABLY ABSENT IN ZILKER PARK.
UM, PLANTING TREES AND REMOVING INVASIVE SPECIES, UH, ALSO SERVES AS AN IMPORTANT FORM OF GRAY WATER INFRASTRUCTURE THAT HAS MORE ANCILLARY BENEFITS LIKE PROTECTING THE HEAT OR PROTECTING AGAINST THE HEAT ISLAND EFFECT THAT DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTS OUR MOST VULNERABLE POPULATIONS.
UM, THESE PROJECTS ARE ALL COUNCIL APPROVED AND SHOVEL READY AND ARE LOW COST HIGH IMPACT ACTIVITIES THAT WILL ADVANCE A PLETHORA OF THE CITY'S CURRENT LONG RANGE STRATEGIC GOALS, SOME OF WHICH ARE SLOW SHOWN ON THE NEXT SLIDE, BUT WE'RE NOT GONNA GO THERE YET.
UM, INCLUDED IN THE BARTON SPRINGS SPILLWAY SHORELINE RESTORATION IS REPAIRING THE EXTREME EROSION ALONG THE BANKS OF BARTON CREEK, UH, RELANDSCAPING TO REMOVE INVASIVE SPECIES AND CREATING DEDICATED TRAILS TO BARKING SPRINGS TO ENSURE THE LONGEVITY OF THE NEW LANDSCAPING.
THE ZORA LOOP TRAIL INCLUDES SOME COOL STUFF TOO.
ALRIGHT, UH, I DON'T HAVE ANY SLIDES, SO EVERYONE WILL JUST HAVE TO KIND OF FOLLOW ALONG BY EAR.
UH, CAN YOU HEAR ME? MY NAME IS TY GRABLE.
I'M A POLICY ASSOCIATE, UH, HERE IN AUSTIN WITH ENVIRONMENT TEXAS AND LUKE METZKER.
I'M SPEAKING TO YOU TODAY IN SUPPORT OF PRIORITIZING OUR 2026 BOND FUND FOR EMISSIONS REDUCTIONS EFFORTS.
UH, THIS TASK FORCE HAS ESTIMATED THAT OUR CITIES, OUR CITY'S INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS ARE OVER $10 BILLION, WHICH IS A REALLY BIG NUMBER.
UM, I THINK THAT BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE $10 BILLION LYING AROUND, WE HAVE TO MAKE A LOT OF HARD DECISIONS.
AND TODAY, I'M HERE TO TELL YOU THAT I THINK CLIMATE NEEDS TO BE AT THE TOP OF OUR LIST ON THE ISSUE OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
THE CITY HAS DONE A LOT OF PLANNING.
THERE'S ABOUT FIVE PLANS THAT YOU COULD THINK OF OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HAND, YOU KNOW, THE CLIMATE PROTECTION PLAN, THE COMMUNITY CLIMATE PLAN, EVEN THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.
UM, WE EVEN CONSIDERED, UH, HAVING OUR OWN 2025 CLIMATE BOND AND THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN, RIGHT? SO WE KNOW THIS IS A REALLY BIG ISSUE.
THERE'S TONS OF PLANNING SUPPORT ON THE MATTER.
NOW THE QUESTION IS WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? RECENT EVENTS IN KERRVILLE AND THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY HAVE SHOWN US SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT, WHICH IS THAT WE ARE WOEFULLY UNPREPARED AND EVERYBODY NEEDS MORE MONEY, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO EMERGENCIES AND RESILIENCE.
WE CONSTANTLY SEE THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, THE FIRES AND BASTROP OR THE FLOODS IN THE HILL COUNTRY, BUT EVEN IMPACTING OUR OWN CITY BECAUSE OF THIS.
TEXAS IS A PLACE THAT IS UNIQUELY HURT BY THE INCREASE IN TEMPERATURES.
YOU SEE WAY, WAY WORSE STORMS. AND THAT'S WHY WE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE PART OF THE REASON THAT WE'RE THE NATION'S LEADER IN BILLION DOLLAR DISASTERS AT THAT POINT.
IT'S NOT ENOUGH FOR US TO DO SOMETHING LIKE CREATE A CARBON NEUTRAL BOND WHERE WE JUST OFFSET ALL OF THE CARBON FROM THE OTHER PROJECTS, WHICH, YOU KNOW, HAVE THEIR MERITS, BUT WE JUST FOCUS ON OFFSETTING THEM OR MAKING SURE WE DON'T MAKE THE PROBLEM WORSE BECAUSE THE PROBLEM IS WORSENING AND WE'RE ALL VICTIMS OF IT.
IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING TO REDUCE OUR EMISSIONS, THEN WE'RE GOING TO BE IN A VERY BAD SPOT AT THAT POINT.
IT'S NECESSARY FOR US TO MAKE CARBON REDUCTION, EMISSIONS REDUCTION AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE.
THE PRIMARY TARGET OF OUR BOND SUCCESS IN THIS, ME, IN THIS ASPECT IS, IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE.
THE CITY IS ACTUALLY PRETTY GOOD AT REDUCING EMISSIONS WHEN IT GOES AND COMMITS TO ACTION.
WE'VE REDUCED THE CITY GOVERNMENT'S EMISSIONS FROM OPERATIONS BY 80% SINCE 2007, AND WE'VE EVEN CUT OUR BUILDING EMISSIONS DESPITE BUILDING A BILLION NEW BUILDINGS IN AUSTIN.
UH, IT'S NOT AN OFFICIAL FIGURE, BUT WE'VE BUILT A LOT AND WE'VE STILL CUT OUR EMISSIONS.
THE PROBLEM IS WE NEED TO COMMIT TO IT AND WE NEED TO COMMIT FUNDING TO IT.
OUR CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN IS OFF TRACK OR NEEDS HELP ON 11 OF 17 GOALS.
THESE PLANS ALL KIND OF DEPENDED ON A 2025 CLIMATE BOND, SOMETHING THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN ANYMORE.
SO AT THIS POINT, IT'S VERY OBVIOUS THAT THE 2026 CLIMATE BOND, UH, BOND IS NOT ONLY A CLIMATE BOND LIKE THE 20 25 1 SHOULD HAVE BEEN, BUT CLIMATE NEEDS TO BE THE PRIMARY FOCUS.
[00:15:09]
GOOD AFTERNOON CHAIR AND TASK FORCE MEMBERS.THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE.
MY NAME IS NICOLE NETHERTON AND I SERVE AS THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OFFICER FOR PEACE PARK CONSERVANCY, WHOSE MISSION IS TO RESTORE, ENHANCE, AND MAINTAIN AUSTIN'S OLDEST PARK FOR THE SUSTAINABLE USE AND ENJOYMENT OF ALL.
PEACE PARK TURNS 150 YEARS OLD THIS SUMMER AND HAS PROVIDED RELIEF FROM URBAN LIFE FOR ALMOST AS LONG AS AUSTIN HAS BEEN.
AUSTIN, I'M SPEAKING TO YOU TODAY ON BEHALF OF PPC AND ALSO ON BEHALF OF OUR PARTNERS AT SHOAL CREEK CONSERVANCY.
WE ARE EXCITED TO SUPPORT A PROJECT THAT RESTORES BENEFITS FOR SO MANY AUSTINITES WHO HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO ENJOY AN IMPORTANT PART OF PEACE PARK AND THE SHOAL CREEK TRAIL BECAUSE OF THE SLOPE FAILURE AT 26TH AND LAMAR, MAJOR LANDSLIDES IN 2018 AND 2019 BLOCKED THE EXISTING PARK TRAIL, CREATING A GAP THAT IS DIFFICULT TO SAFELY NAVIGATE.
THERE IS NOW NO ACCESSIBLE WAY TO CROSS THE CREEK NEAR THE LANDSLIDE PARK AND TRAIL USERS MUST BACKTRACK TO 24TH STREET P-P-C-S-C-C AND THE PEMBERTON HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION HAVE WORKED TO SUPPORT ANY PUBLIC EFFORT TO ADDRESS THE ACCESSIBILITY AND SAFETY CONCERNS RELATED TO THE LANDSLIDE.
AND FINALLY, WE HAVE A CONCRETE SOLUTION TO RECOMMEND.
IN LATE 2024, CITY STAFF EXPRESSED OPENNESS TO CONSTRUCTING AN ACCESSIBLE CROSSING AT THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE LANDSLIDE.
THIS WOULD REPLACE A DIFFICULT ROCK HOP IN THE AREA AND ALLOW PARK AND TRAIL USERS TO CONTINUE THEIR JOURNEY ON THE NEWLY IMPROVED URBAN TRAIL ALONG LAMAR.
THE QUESTION NOW IS WHETHER A BRIDGE OR A LOW WATER CROSSING WOULD BE THE BEST SOLUTION AND AN ENGINEERING STUDY IS THE BEST WAY TO MAKE THAT DETERMINATION.
WE PROPOSE THAT $1.25 MILLION FOR A STUDY, AND THE FIRST STEPS TOWARDS ENGINEERING ARE A WORTHY PROJECT FOR THE BOND.
THIS AMOUNT REPRESENTS THE BEST GUESS ESTIMATE FROM JOHN EASTMAN IN URBAN TRAILS AND TRANSPORTATION, PROVIDING IMPROVED CONNECTIVITY, ACCESS AND SAFETY WILL ALLOW THE PUBLIC TO EXPERIENCE THE BENEFITS OF THE PARK AND THE TRAIL IN AN AREA WHERE THAT HAS NOT BEEN POSSIBLE FOR SEVEN YEARS.
THIS PROJECT INVOLVES THE COOPERATION OF MULTIPLE ENTITIES, INCLUDING TRANSPORTATION, WATERSHED AND PARD, AS WELL AS PPC AND SCC AND THUS HAS BUILT IN EFFICIENCIES, IMPROVEMENTS TO OUR PARKS, AS WELL AS MAKING IT EASIER FOR EVERYONE TO USE.
THE URBAN TRAILS CONTRIBUTE MIGHTILY TO POSITIVE BENEFITS FOR GREEN AND CLIMATE PRIORITIES.
THE 84 ACRES OF PEA PARK AND THE SHOAL CREEK TRAIL SERVE AS A BACKYARD FOR SO MANY IN AUSTIN, MORE THAN 240,000 PEOPLE VISITED PEA PARK IN 2024, AND NEARLY A HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE USED THIS SECTION OF THE SHOAL CREEK TRAIL LAST YEAR.
A CENTRAL AUSTIN CONTINUES TO GROW THIS DISTRICT PARK AND TRAIL WILL SEE INCREASED VISITATION.
AN ACCESSIBLE CROSSING IS A WORTHY PROJECT TO HELP MORE PEOPLE OF ALL ABILITIES ENJOY THE PARK AND THE TRAIL.
WE ASK YOU TO SUPPORT THIS PROJECT AND LOOK FORWARD TO BRINGING YOU MORE INFORMATION IN THE WORKING GROUPS.
JUST WAITING FOR THE SLIDES TO COME UP.
I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE REDLINE PARKWAY INITIATIVE, SUPPORTING THE 36 MILE TRAIL ALONG THE CAPITAL METRO REDLINE.
WE FOUNDED IN 2017 TO HELP THE PROJECT ALONG.
WE UNITE OUR GOVERNMENT AGENCIES COMMUNITIES TO SUCCESSFULLY PLAN, FUND, BUILD, AND ACTIVATE THE PARKWAY.
AND THEN HERE YOU CAN SEE A, A LARGE OVERVIEW MAP.
NORTH IS TO THE WEST, SO DOWNTOWN IS TO THE RIGHT IS ON THE RIGHT SIDE.
OUR, OUR PROJECT IS A LAND IT'S PORTRAITS.
WE HAVE TO MOVE TO LANDSCAPE, UM, BUT IT CONNECTS THE COLORADO RIVER WITH THE, THE SAN GABRIEL RIVER, UH, AND LEANDER, UM, CONNECTS ALL THE CAP METRO, UH, RAIL STATIONS IN BETWEEN.
AND THERE'S A, I'M GONNA SHOW A FEW VISUALS OF EXISTING SECTIONS AND SOME POSSIBLE NEW SECTIONS.
UM, THIS IS ONE OF AUSTIN'S FIRST DUAL TRACK TRAILS, UH, SERVING, UH, BICYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS IN BOTH COMFORTABLE PLACES.
AND THEN, AS YOU CAN SEE THERE ON THE LEFT, THE, THE RAIL IS GENERALLY PRETTY OFF TO THE SIDE.
AS I MENTIONED, IT CONNECTS ALL THE TRANSIT, THE CAB, METRO RED LINE STATIONS, NEXT SLIDE.
AND THEN IT ALSO CONNECTS TO SOME OF OUR LOCAL NATURAL BEAUTY THAT IS, UM, OFTENTIMES OVERLOOKED.
UM, YOU CAN SEE KRAMER FALLS ON THE LEFT AND THEN BOGGY CREEK ON THE RIGHT.
AND THEN HERE'S AN ILLUSTRATION OF WHAT IT COULD LOOK LIKE ALONG GANZER LAKE IN ROBINSON RANCH, UM, CREATING ANOTHER, YOU KNOW, LAKESIDE TRAIL IN OUR CITY.
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IS OBVIOUSLY, AS IT SAYS, THEY'RE NOT THE RED REDLINE PARKWAY, BUT, UM, THERE IS SOME TRAILSIDE DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE REDLINE PARKWAY, BUT I FEEL LIKE THE ATLANTA BELTLINE REALLY DOES A GREAT JOB OF ILLUSTRATING HOW YOU CAN HAVE A TRAIL THAT GOES WEAVES IN BETWEEN VERY NATURAL AREAS AND THEN BUILT UP AREAS WHERE PEOPLE CAN USE THE TRAIL AS PART OF THEIR DAILY LIVES, CREATING A REAL, LIKE INVITING AND WELCOMING PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO WALK AND BIKE FOR THEIR DAILY NEEDS AND NOT DRIVE.AND THEN THE, THE REDLINE TRAIL AND PARKWAY HAS BEEN IN, UH, MANY OF OUR LOCAL PLANS, URBAN TRAILS PLAN, UH, PARKS PLAN, NEEDING BOTH URBAN TRAILS FUNDING AND, UH, PARKLAND ACQUISITION AND PARK IMPROVEMENT, UH, FUNDING.
AND THEN IT'S ALSO THE, UH, IT'S THE ONLY TRAIL THAT'S CITED IN OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH PLAN, UM, BECAUSE IT SERVES, UH, BIPOC AND LATINX COMMUNITIES, NOTABLY IN THE WEST BERG AREA AND THEN THE EAST AUSTIN NEXT SLIDE.
AND OF COURSE, THIS ALIGNED WITH, UH, MANY OF OUR OTHER LOCAL PLANS.
AND THEN REGIONALLY HAS A LOT OF PRESENCE TOO.
SO IT'S, IT'S BEEN A PROJECT THAT'S BEEN ON THE SHELF FOR A LONG TIME AND IT'S JUST REALLY BEEN UNDERFUNDED.
UM, IT'S A, YOU KNOW, AS IT WAS PART OF THE 2004 RAIL IN TRAIL BOAT, UH, PUT TO THE VOTE CAMPO AREA, UH, SORRY, CAP METRO AREA VOTERS.
AND THEN CAP METRO, UM, DID A RED LINE TRAIL STUDY LAST YEAR TO HELP MOVE THE PROJECT ALONG AND IT BASICALLY PROVIDES A PATH FOR THEM TO PROVIDE, UH, RIGHT OF WAY FOR THE TRAIL WITHIN THEIR, THEIR SPACE.
AND THEN IT'S ANOTHER LOCAL PLANS CAMPO PLAN.
AND THE TRAVIS COUNTY BLUE PLANT BLUEPRINT AND CITY OF CEDAR PARKLAND.
AND THEN NEXT YEAR WE'RE GONNA BEGIN, UH, CONTINUE.
ADAM GREENFIELD, ADVOCACY DIRECTOR HERE WITH SAFE SHEETS AUSTIN.
I'M SPEAKING TODAY AS AN INDIVIDUAL.
AUSTIN RECENTLY INVITED ITS SUPPORTERS TO RECOMMEND TO THE TASK FORCE THAT WE AGGRESSIVELY FUND, UH, THE EXPANSION OF OUR URBAN TRAIL SIDEWALK AND BIKEWAYS NETWORKS.
WE ALSO SUBMITTED AN ORIGINAL CONCEPT CALLED CITY LEAP.
UH, AND THIS IS VERY MUCH IN THE SPIRIT OF MOBILIZATION TO ADDRESS THE CLIMATE CRISIS.
BASICALLY THE PROPOSAL IS TO TAKE EVERY CITY OF AUSTIN OWNED ARTERIAL ROADWAY WITH TWO OR MORE LANES IN EACH DIRECTION, AND WITHIN FIVE YEARS TO CONVERT AT LEAST ONE VEHICLE LANE TO EITHER BUS LANES OR BIKE LANES.
AND WE THINK THAT THAT KIND OF FITS THE MOMENT THAT WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW, BUT I WANTED TO MAKE A FEW ADDITIONAL PERSONAL COMMENTS.
UM, I THINK THIS TASK FORCE HAS A CRITICAL QUESTION THAT IT, THAT IT SHOULD ANSWER.
IS THIS A REGULAR BOND WHERE CLIMATE IS ANOTHER METRIC TO FACTOR IN, OR IS THIS A MOBILIZATION PLAN TO, TO ADDRESS THE VERY REAL CRISIS THAT WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW WITH THE CLIMATE? I THINK THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION WILL YIELD VERY DIFFERENT PROJECT CHOICES AND IT WILL FEEL LIKE A VERY DIFFERENT BOND IF WE ARE CENTERING CLIMATE IN THIS BOND.
UH, YOU KNOW, THE CONTEXT THAT WE'RE IN 2025, TRAGIC FLOOD IN KERRVILLE 2023, HISTORIC HEAT OVER THE SUMMER, 2022, FREEZING RAIN LEADING TO THE COLLAPSE OF TREES ACROSS THE CITY, COLLAPSE OF POWER LINES 2021.
POLAR VORTEX INCAPACITATED THE CITY FOR DAYS, WEEKS, FOR SOME PEOPLE.
UH, WE ARE NOT MOVING FAST ENOUGH TO ADDRESS THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND WE NEED TO MOVE MUCH FASTER.
THE BOND IS ONE OF OUR MOST CRITICAL TOOLS TO ADDRESS THE CLIMATE.
YOU, THE DECISIONS THAT YOU MAKE WILL AFFECT PEOPLE IN 20 YEARS, 200 YEARS, MAYBE 2000 YEARS.
UM, WE NEED TO FORM AN AGGRESSIVE CARBON EMISSION REDUCTION GOAL.
WE NEED TO GET CLIMATE SCIENTISTS INVOLVED IN WORKING WITH THE TASK FORCE BY INCLUDING PROJECTS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN SUBMITTED ANYWHERE ELSE, BUT WILL HAVE HIGH IMPACT, UM, IN THEIR EXECUTION.
UM, ON A LIGHTER NOTE, I'LL POINT OUT THAT THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT FORESTALLING DOOM HERE.
UH, EVERY YEAR WE PAY A LOT OF MONEY AMERICANS, UH, TO FLY AROUND THE WORLD TO VISIT LOW CARBON COMMUNITIES THAT ARE VERY WALKABLE, HUMAN SCALE, COMMUNITY ORIENTED.
THIS ISN'T JUST ABOUT FORESTALLING DOOM.
THIS IS ABOUT ALSO BUILDING AN AUSTIN THAT IS EVEN COOLER TO LIVE IN THAN IT IS TODAY WHILE ADDRESSING THE CLIMATE CRISIS MEANINGFULLY.
SO LET'S JUST NOT MAKE THIS ANOTHER BOND.
DIFFICULT DECISIONS WILL HAVE TO BE MADE THIS CYCLE.
UH, THERE MAY BE PROJECTS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO DO, BUT WE'RE IN A CLIMATE CRISIS AND THAT MEANS PRIORITIZING CERTAIN THINGS.
[00:25:24]
OKAY.I'M MARTHA LANGFORD AND I'M A GUS GARCIA SENIOR.
HOPEFULLY EACH ONE OF YOU, EXCEPT FOR RACHEL STONE, HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO READ THE PDF YOU RECEIVED FROM GUS GARCIA SENIORS THIS PAST FRIDAY.
UH, I, IT WILL ALLOW YOU TO MORE FULLY UNDERSTAND MY NEXT FEW SENTENCES.
I WILL QUOTE FROM A A RP BULLETIN OF JULY, AUGUST.
ON PAGE 43 BEGINNING QUOTE, THE GLOBAL MEGA TREND OF AGING IS ALREADY, UH, CHANGING SOCIETIES ALL OVER THE WORLD.
BY 2050, MORE THAN 2.1 BILLION PEOPLE, ONE IN FIVE WILL BE 60 OR OLDER.
62 COUNTRIES WILL HAVE AT LEAST 30% OF THEIR POPULATION OVER 60 YEARS OF AGE.
THUS, IT IS A PERCEPTIVE MOVE ON THE PART OF FORWARD THINKING, PRACTICAL PEOPLE SUCH AS YOURSELVES TO BEGIN PROVIDING SPACE FOR SERVICES TO AN EVER INCREASING OLDER POPULATION.
GUS GARCIA SENIORS ASK FOR YOU TO PLEASE REMEMBER US POSITIVELY WHEN CONSIDERING THE 2026 BOND ISSUE MONIES THAT WILL BE USED BY AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION.
NOW THAT'S WHAT WE NEED YOU TO DO.
I WANT FOR YOU TO MEET SOME OF THAT OLDER POPULATION.
WILL THE MEMBERS THAT ARE HERE FROM GUS GARCIA SENIORS, PLEASE STAND, STAND.
I SAVED TWO MINUTES FOR YOU GUYS TO STAND.
I AM HERE JUST ASKING JUST A LITTLE COMMON SENSE.
WE ARE GROWING, OUR COMMUNITY IS GROWING, OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS NEEDS TO BE MET.
WE ARE AT A, AT A POINT RIGHT NOW AS WE SPEAK OVER ACTIVITIES THAT WE LAP OVER EACH OTHER.
LAST FRIDAY WE HAD THE, UH, THE COMMUNITY OF AUSTIN.
UH, THE YOUTH CAME OUT, OUR SENIORS WERE THERE, AND WE HAVE OUR ACTIVITIES.
AND YOU, WHEN YOU OVERLAP YOUNG KIDS WITH SENIORS, YOU HAVE TO WATCH WHAT YOU DO BECAUSE THE KIDS ARE GONNA BE KIDS.
THEY RUN ALL OVER THE PLACE AND WE'RE JUST A LITTLE SLOWER.
ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS THAT THAT, THAT I SEE IS THAT YOU, PEOPLE ARE MAKING DECISIONS NOW THAT'S GOING TO AFFECT 5, 10, 15 YEARS FROM NOW.
THIS THING IS GROWING AND IT'S GROWING OUTTA HAND, SO WE NEED TO BE VERY CAREFUL.
AT THE SAME TIME, WE NEED TO BE SMART AS TO HOW WE USE OUR TAX MONEY.
IS IT ON? IS IT ON? YOU'RE GOOD? YEAH.
I'M NAOMI DELGADO AND I'M HERE, UH, REPRESENTING GUS GARCIA REC CENTER, THE SENIOR GROUP.
UH, I'VE, I'VE SAID IT BEFORE AND WE'RE THE ONLY CENTER THAT, THE ONLY CITY AMENITY THAT WE HAVE NORTH OF 180 3, EAST OF 35, ALL THE WAY TO THE CITY LIMITS.
WE ARE REPRESENTED BY DISTRICT COUNCIL, DISTRICT ONE, FOUR, AND SEVEN.
WE HAVE A CENTER NOW THAT WE HAVE A SENIOR PROGRAM THAT AT, AT THE SUMMERTIME WE HAVE NOTHING.
I HAVE BEEN VOLUNTEERING AT THAT CENTER EVEN BEFORE ITS INCEPTION, 18, 20 YEARS AGO.
AND I'VE, I'M LEADING AN EXERCISE GROUP THAT IS BE VERY BENEFICIAL FOR ALL OUR SENIORS BECAUSE WE WORK AT TRYING TO STAY IN PLACE AT OUR, OUR, OUR CENTER.
[00:30:01]
WE DON'T WANNA PUT BE A BURDEN TO ANYONE, SO WE TRY TO DO AT LEAST ONE PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE, BUT WE ONLY HAVE THAT ONE CENTER.WE NEED A SENIOR ACTIVITY CENTER ON THAT SITE THAT WE CAN HAVE OUR APPROPRIATE STAFF, OUR APPROPRIATE, UH, HOURS.
RIGHT NOW WE'RE LIMITED IN HOURS DURING THE SUMMER.
WE ARE DISPLACED BECAUSE THERE'S SUMMER CAMP FOR CHILDREN AND THEN THERE'S ACTIVITIES THAT HAVE TO BE HELD.
AND, UH, IT'S A WARMING CENTER BEING THE ONLY CENTER ON THAT SIDE OF TOWN.
AND, AND IT'S A COOLING CENTER.
WE HAVE LIVED IN THAT AREA 50 YEARS, TOOK US CLOSE TO 30 YEARS TO GET ONE REC CENTER.
WE ARE AN ISOLATED AREA BECAUSE WE'RE FAR NORTHEAST AUSTIN.
FAR, FAR, UH, THERE'S, UH, THREE REC CENTERS, THREE SENIOR ACTIVITY CENTERS, ONE FAR SOUTH, ONE CENTRAL AUSTIN, AND ONE ON THE DEEP, UH, EAST SIDE.
SO IT'S VERY DIFFICULT FOR US TO TRAVEL TO, TO ANY OF THESE.
SO WE HAVE ENOUGH SENIORS IN OUR AREA TO WHERE WE COULD AND WOULD LIKE TO HAVE YOU CONSIDER US TO HAVE OUR OWN CENTER AND, UH, BE ABLE TO OFFER WHAT ALL THE OTHER YOUTH PROGRAMS OFFER THROUGHOUT THE DAY THAT WE COULD HAVE SOMETHING FOR THE SENIORS.
UH, WE ARE, WE'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE AND THE SENIOR POPULATION IS INCREASING NATIONWIDE.
SO WE'D LIKE FOR YOU TO CONSIDER US FOR OUR OWN CENTER SO THAT WE COULD, UH, ENJOY WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE DOES.
THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR MEMBERS.
I'M ANOVIA JOSEPH, I JUST WANTED TO PREFACE MY COMMENTS WITH SAYING I APPRECIATE THAT YOU'RE ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK.
I DO WANNA SAY THAT, UH, MY GENERAL COMMENTS, HOWEVER, IS THAT, UH, I WOULD HOPE THE CITY CLERK WILL LOOK AT ALL OF THE BOARDS OF COMMISSIONS AND SPECIAL TASK FORCES BECAUSE THE SIGN UP, THE REGISTRATION DIFFERS FROM ONE BOARD TO ANOTHER, EVEN THOUGH I THINK YOU HAVE GENERAL RULES THAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO COMPLY WITH, WHATEVER IT IS, IF YOU COULD POST IT FOR THE PUBLIC.
I JUST WANNA SUPPORT THOSE WHO JUST SPOKE AND JUST, UH, PROVIDE CONTEXT FOR MY COMMENTS FROM LAST MONTH.
THIS IS ACTUALLY DOBY MIDDLE SCHOOL, UH, ACROSS FROM GUS GARCIA.
AND I JUST WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE SIDEWALK IS COMPLETE, BUT THEY HAVEN'T EVEN PUT THE BENCH BACK.
THESE ARE EXCELLENT FOOD PANTRY PARTNERS.
PANERA BREAD, THERE'S SPROUTS, BUT YOU CAN SEE THERE'S ACTUALLY A PREGNANT LADY SITTING ON THE SIDEWALK THERE AND OTHERS AS WELL.
BUT THE INVESTMENT IS DOWN BELOW.
YOU'LL SEE THE RED LINE ON AIRPORT BOULEVARD.
AND SO THIS IS WHY MY COMMENTS ARE ALWAYS IN THE CONTEXT OF TITLE VI OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964, WHICH PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RACE, COLOR, AND NATIONAL ORIGIN.
I JUST WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU THAT EVEN AT THE VA, FOR THOSE OF US WHO'VE SERVED, CAPITAL METRO DOES NOT PROVIDE EQUITABLE SERVICE FOR US.
I HAVE RECOMMENDED THAT THEY ACTUALLY HIRE THE UNHOUSED AT A LIVING WAGE.
THEY'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES THAT ACTUALLY ARE PUTTING ALL THIS TRASH OUT, BUT CLEARLY THERE'S A SHORTAGE THAT SILVER CAN ON THE RIGHT IS MUELLER AND THE ONE THAT'S GREEN IS AT THE VA EIGHT CLINIC.
AND SO MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE IF WE'RE GOING TO REALLY EXPECT THAT PEOPLE ARE GONNA PARK THEIR CARS AND LOOK AT THIS GARBAGE.
I JUST WANNA PROVIDE EVEN MORE CONTEXT.
THIS IS DOWN THE STREET FROM DOBY MIDDLE SCHOOL DOWN FROM GUS GARCIA, WHERE UNFORTUNATELY AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES ARE LANGUISHING ON OUR BUS STOP BENCHES.
AND YOU'VE HEARD ME SAY BEFORE, AFRICAN AMERICANS ARE OVER SIX TIMES MORE LIKELY TO BE HOMELESS IN OUR WHITE COUNTERPARTS.
AND I JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE THE CAPITAL INVESTMENT GRANTS CRITERIA, A SNAPSHOT TO REMIND YOU THAT LAND USE IS PART OF THE CRITERIA AND THEY GET TWICE AS MANY POINTS FOR THE HISPANICS AND AFRICAN AMERICANS FOR MINORITIES,
[00:35:01]
EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE NOT SERVING US.I JUST WANNA REMIND YOU THAT IT'S OVER 11 FEET WIDE ON BOTH OF THESE LANES.
AND IN 2009, CAPITAL METRO, THE CITY OF AUSTIN TDOT, THE DEPARTMENT, UH, YOU HAD THE POLICE, HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION STUDIED NORTH LAMAR FOR 20 MONTHS AND THEY FOUND THAT MIDBLOCK STOPS IS WHERE PEDESTRIANS ARE BEING KILLED.
IT'S A TEXAS TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE STUDY.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE BOTTOM, YOU'LL SEE WHERE THE INVESTMENT IS.
THIS IS WHERE THE WHITE CHOICE RIDERS LIVE.
THERE ARE TWO PEDESTRIAN HYBRID BEACONS.
I THINK IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL GO OUT AND ANSWER THEM AND THEN THANK YOU.
ACTUALLY, THE CONTINUATION, THAT'S NUMBER FOUR.
IS THAT THE END OF THE CITIZEN? OKAY, THANK YOU.
AND I JUST WANT TO ADDRESS ONE COMMENT.
UM, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE A VERY POPULAR GROUP RIGHT NOW AND WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF, UM, REQUESTS TO COME BEFORE US, AND I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY BEING HERE.
WE AS A GROUP ARE TRYING TO BE SURE THAT WE ARE BEING TRANSPARENT AND HAVE GOOD RULES.
WE, I'VE ASKED THE CITY LEGAL DEPARTMENT TO GIVE ME, UM, WHAT RULES WE ARE REQUIRED TO FOLLOW.
SO FAR THE ANSWER IS THERE AREN'T ANY THAT WE SPECIFICALLY ARE REQUIRED TO FOLLOW BECAUSE WE ARE A LITTLE UNIQUE IN THAT WE ARE NOT A BOARD AND COMMISSION PER SE.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE NUMBER 10 SPEAKERS, WE COULD ADJUST THAT AS A GROUP.
SO FAR WE HAVEN'T, UM, WE PROBABLY HAVE NOW MOVED TO A RULE WHERE TO GIVE EVERYBODY AN OPPORTUNITY TO SIGN UP.
WE WANT YOU TO SIGN UP ONCE THE AGENDA'S POSTED.
UM, AGAIN, THOSE ARE RULES THAT WE AS AN, AS A GROUP CAN DISCUSS AND THINK ABOUT.
BUT THAT'S WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW.
AND I APPRECIATE THE PUBLIC'S PATIENCE WITH US AS WE TRY TO TWEAK THE PROCESS AS WE GO, AS NEEDS CHANGE.
[1. Approval of the minutes of the regular meeting of the 2026 Bond Election Advisory Task Force (BEATF) on June 23, 2025.]
OKAY, LET'S MOVE ON.APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE 2026 BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON JUNE 23RD, 2025.
I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE.
ANY DISCUSSION OF THE MINUTES? NO.
ALL IN FAVOR OF ADOPTION OF THE MINUTES.
PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND SO NICOLE CAN COUNT YOU.
LOOKS LIKE EVERYBODY ONLINE, IT'S, I CAN'T SEE
ANY OPPOSED? SHE'S ABSTAINING.
I'M JUST GONNA ABSTAIN 'CAUSE I WASN'T PRESENT.
[2. Staff briefings from the Office of Arts, Culture, Music & Entertainment, Municipal Court, and Rally Austin on past bond spending summary and 2026 Bond Development (technical criteria and scoring matrix).]
OKAY, MOVING TO ITEM TWO OF THE AGENDA STAFF BRIEFINGS FROM THE OFFICE OF ARTS, CULTURE, MUSIC, ENTERTAINMENT, MUNICIPAL COURTS, AND RALLY AUSTIN ON PAST BOND SPENDING SUMMARY AND 2026 BOND DEVELOPMENT.MY NAME IS ANGELA, MEANS I'M THE DIRECTOR FOR THE OFFICE OF ARTS CULTURE, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT.
IT IS A PLEASURE TO BE HERE WITH YOU TODAY.
I AM HERE WITH MY DIVISION MANAGER, MS. MARJORIE FLANAGAN, WHO OVERSEES ALL OF THE ITEMS THAT YOU WILL HEAR ABOUT FROM THE CULTURAL FACILITIES, UH, AREA.
IT IS TRULY A PLEASURE TO PRESENT TO YOU ALL TODAY.
WE HAVE BEEN IN OFFICE FOR THE LAST FIVE MONTHS.
WE MADE FIVE MONTHS LAST WEEK.
UH, WE'VE BEEN VERY BUSY AND I'M HERE TO TALK TO YOU ALL ABOUT IT.
I WILL SAY, YOU KNOW, ONE THING THAT I LIKE TO START WITH IS ARTS IS NOT AN OPTIONAL, UH, ITEM FOR OUR CITY.
IT IS TRULY AN ESSENTIAL SERVICE.
WE BELIEVE THAT ARTS AND CULTURE IS TRULY THE HEARTBEAT OF AUSTIN, TEXAS.
MOST PEOPLE THAT COME HERE LIVE HERE ENJOY THIS SPACE.
THEY COME HERE BECAUSE OF THE ARTS AND CULTURE THAT IS HERE WITHIN THIS CITY.
WE BELIEVE IT'S THE HEARTBEAT OF OUR CITY, THE RHYTHM THAT MOVES US, THE STORIES THAT SHAPES US AND THE SOUL THAT MAKES AUSTIN UNMISTAKABLY AUSTIN HERE.
I'D LIKE TO START BY SAYING, YOU KNOW, AUSTIN IS A NATIONAL LEADER WHEN IT COMES TO THE, UH, ARTS AND CULTURE, WE SEE OURSELVES AS A CULTURAL POWERHOUSE.
WE'RE AMONGST THE TOP 10 MOST CREATIVE CITIES IN THE UNITED STATES FOR CULTURAL VIBRANCY AND CREATIVE OUTPUT PER CAPITA.
THAT $7.3 BILLION ON YOUR SCREEN, THAT TRULY IS THE ANNUAL ECONOMIC IMPACT OF ARTS AND CULTURE HERE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
[00:40:01]
THAT'S THE TEXAS NUMBER.BUT WE'RE MORE THAN JUST AN ECONOMIC DRIVER.
WE BOOST MENTAL HEALTH, INCREASE GRADUATION RATES, IMPROVE WELLNESS, FOSTER INCLUSION, AND CREATE DEEP CONNECTIONS.
WHEN WE SUPPORT THE ARTS, WE SUPPORT THE WELLBEING OF OUR ENTIRE CITY.
AND I'D LIKE TO SHARE HERE WHAT WE SAW AFTER THE PANDEMIC.
WHAT PEOPLE NEED, THE CONNECTIONS, THE SOCIAL INTERACTIONS, THE SENSE OF, UH, WELLBEING AND CONNECTIVITY.
THAT'S WHAT THE ARTS AND CULTURE PROVIDES HERE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
ACME IS OUR ARTS CULTURE, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT.
THAT IS A RESULT OF DECADES OF ADVOCACY HERE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
OUR COMMUNITY CAME TOGETHER AND ASKED FOR A DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND CULTURE YEARS AGO.
WE OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED THIS FEBRUARY, 2025, AND WE LAUNCHED RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A TOUGH FINDING CL FUNDING CLIMATE.
WE FIND THAT OUR CREATIVES ARE, ARE CHALLENGED WITH ALTERNATIVE FUNDING JUST DUE TO THE LACK OF SPONSORSHIPS, DONATIONS, UH, LENDING INSTITUTIONS AND SUCH.
AND WE WERE LAUNCHED, I WOULD SAY IT WAS RIGHT IN TIME FOR, UH, SOMEONE TO TAKE A LOOK AT HOW WE MOVE FORWARD.
AS A CITY, WE BELIEVE OUR MISSION IS CLEAR.
IT'S TO PROTECT, INVEST IN, AND ELEVATE THE SOUL OF AUSTIN.
OUR, OUR ART, MUSIC AND CULTURE REALLY REPRESENTS THE HEART OF AUSTIN.
AS I SAID BEFORE, WE'RE THE UNIQUE VIBE.
IF YOU TALK TO ANY OF YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY, THEY'LL TELL YOU THAT AUSTIN HAS A VIBE.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE OF THE ARTS AND CULTURE.
IT REALLY DOES RETAIN THE LOCALS AND ATTRACTS VISITORS HERE.
OUR AUSTIN COMMUNITY IS ALL OF US.
THAT'S ALL COUNCIL DISTRICTS, ALL AGE GROUPS, ALL DEMOGRAPHICS, ALL HERITAGES, EVERYONE, ALL OF OUR CULTURALS, DIFFERENT EDUCATIONAL LEVELS, DIFFERENT INCOME LEVELS.
IN AUSTIN, OUR COMMUNITY IS ALL OF US.
THE LAUNCH OF ACME REALLY MARKED A SIGNIFICANT STEP IN AUSTIN'S COMMITMENT TO BUILDING A MORE VIBRANT AND DYNAMIC DESTINATION FOR ARTS, CULTURAL MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT.
OUR NEW OFFICE REPRESENTS THE REALIZATION OF A KEY RECOMMENDATION FROM THE CREATIVE AUSTIN CULTURAL MASTER PLAN THAT WE DID YEARS AGO.
HERE I'D LIKE TO JUST BRIEFLY SHARE THE BENEFIT OF, UH, ACME TO OUR COMMUNITY.
THE WORK WE DO, WE BELIEVE WILL SHAPE AUSTIN'S FUTURE.
IT WILL ENHANCE THE IDENTITY AND REINFORCE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES AS BOTH ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL DRIVERS.
IT WILL PROVIDE CENTRALIZED SUPPORT FOR CREATIVES AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS, ENHANCE ECONOMIC GROWTH, TOURISM AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, FOSTER COLLABORATION BETWEEN ARTISTS, CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS AND LOCAL BUSINESSES.
CREATE INCLUSIVE ACCESSIBLE SPACES FOR RESIDENTS TO EXPERIENCE ARTS AND CULTURE AND STRENGTHEN AUSTIN'S IDENTITY AS A GLOBAL DESTINATION FOR CREATIVITY.
ACME WAS FORMED BRINGING TOGETHER FIVE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, AND I'VE LISTED THEM ON THE SCREEN.
UH, FIVE DIFFERENT GROUPS CAME FROM FIVE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS.
FROM THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
WE BROUGHT OVER OUR CULTURAL ARTS TEAMS, OUR AUSTIN PUBLIC, UH, TEAM AS WELL, A IPP.
AND FOR FROM PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT.
THAT WAS OUR CULTURAL FACILITIES.
THAT INCLUDES OUR MUSEUMS, OUR, UM, ARTS CENTER, UH, AND OUR LARGE SPECIAL EVENTS IN THE PARKS FROM DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
WE BROUGHT OVER THE AUSTIN CENTER FOR EVENTS AND THOSE IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY.
UH, TEAMS FROM THE AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY, THERE WAS A FACILITY THAT WE BROUGHT OVER THAT TO BE PART OF THE ACME UH, INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND FROM THE AVIATION TEAM, WE BROUGHT OVER, UH, THE ARTS AND MUSIC THERE.
FIVE TEAMS REPRESENT OVER A HUNDRED EMPLOYEES IN AN ADDITIONAL 50 PLUS ISH TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES THAT OPERATE OUR CULTURAL FACILITIES.
BECAUSE OUR COMMUNITY ASKS FOR ACME FOR A LONG TIME.
EVERYONE'S EXCITED, BUT EVERYONE HAS A LOT OF GOALS FOR US.
AND SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT FOR THE, FOR THIS YEAR, WE'VE PRIORITIZED OUR WORK.
WE OF COURSE WANT TO FULLY INTEGRATE ALL OF THE MULTIPLE DIVISIONS AND STREAMLINE OUR OPERATIONS.
UH, WE ARE CREATING A CENTRALIZED HUB FOR AUSTIN'S CREATIVES IN OUR CULTURAL COMMUNITY.
IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT PEOPLE KNOW WHO TO TALK TO, WHERE TO GO, UH, AND SO WE'VE ALREADY SEEN THE, UH, COMMUNITY REACH OUT DIRECTLY TO OUR OFFICE AND HAVE THAT SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT, UH, JUST FOR SUPPORT FOR THE CITY.
SO THAT'S OUR FIRST GOAL, OF COURSE.
UM, WE BELIEVE IN TRUE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
[00:45:01]
LAUNCHED, UH, REALLY A LISTENING SESSIONS ACROSS THE CITY OVER THE LAST FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS.WE TOOK IT UPON OURSELVES TO REALLY, UH, ASK OUR COMMUNITY WHAT THEY NEEDED FROM OUR NEW OFFICE.
WE CONDUCTED FOCUS GROUPS, WE HAD LISTENING SESSIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
WE HAD A SURVEY THAT WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL.
WITHIN THE FIRST THREE WEEKS, WE HAD OVER 1500 UH, PARTICIPANTS.
AND SO WE JUST BELIEVED THAT IN ORDER FOR US TO ESTABLISH OUR OFFICE, BECAUSE OUR COMMUNITY ASKED FOR THIS OFFICE, WE WANTED TO TOUCH BASE WITH THEM AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE AS FAR AS WHERE OUR DIRECTION WILL BE FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS.
THIS I WANTED TO LIST QUICKLY ON WHAT THE FACILITIES THAT, THAT ARE PART OF ACME.
THEY ALL CAME FROM THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT AND AS I SAID EARLIER, THE LIBRARY, UH, DEPARTMENT.
WE HAVE OUR AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL AND HERITAGE CENTER.
UM, AND I DO WANT TO BRIEFLY GO OVER THEM.
THE ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER, THE DOUGHERTY ARTS CENTER, THE MS BARTO, UH, MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER, OUR GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER MUSEUM, CULTURAL AND GENEALOGY CENTER.
ELIZABETH NAME, MUSEUM, O HENRY MUSEUM, OLD BAKERY AND EMPORIUM, THE SUSANNA DICKINSON MUSEUM, THE MOFT SCULPTURE GARDEN AND MUSEUM, THE DIETRICH HAMILTON HOUSE, MILLENNIUM YOUTH ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX ON TOPLESS NEGRO SCHOOL, THE BEVERLY S SHEFFIELD HILLSIDE THEATER AND THE RENAISSANCE MARKET.
THIS, I'D LIKE TO SAY THESE ARE THE JEWELS OF OUR CITY.
WE BELIEVE OUR COMMUNITY BELIEVES THAT THIS IS A CIVIC PRIORITY OF OUR ALL OF US TO BE FOCUSED AND PRIORITIZE THESE MUCH NEEDED AREAS.
WE RECOGNIZE THE VALUE THAT THESE SPACES PROVIDE FOR AUSTIN.
THEY HELP BUILD IDENTITY, EXPRESSION, COMMUNITY PRIDE, AND THEY LEAVE, LEAVE A LEGACY FOR THE COMMUNITY TO COME.
AND SO BECAUSE OF THAT, WE WILL TAKE GREAT CARE OF THESE FACILITIES TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY REALLY ARE AUSTIN'S, UH, JEWELS FOR THE FUTURE.
FOR THE LAST, AS I SAID BEFORE, OUR FIRST FOUR AND A HALF, FIVE MONTHS, WE BUILT OUR DEPARTMENT.
WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE LISTENED FIRST, ACTED SECOND, AND BUILD TRUST THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY.
AGAIN, BUILD, BUILDING UP ON A COMMUNITY CENTERED APPROACH.
UH, WE'VE BEEN STAND, UH, ADVOCATING FOR OUR ARTISTS AS WELL AS THEIR WORK.
UH, WE'VE LOOKED INTO RESEARCH, LOOKING AT BEST PRACTICES, BENCHMARKING AGAINST OTHER CITIES.
WE FIND THAT THERE'S A LOT OF CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT HAVE A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE CAN LEARN FROM.
I'LL TELL YOU, AUSTIN IS A LEADER.
YOU KNOW, I JUST CAME BACK FROM CINCINNATI, OHIO, FROM THE AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS CONFERENCE.
AND ONCE I SAID I WAS FROM AUSTIN, TEXAS, THERE WAS A LOT OF SUPPORT, A LOT OF EXCITEMENT AT WHAT WE ARE DOING HERE.
UM, BUT WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO BETTER.
AND SO WE WILL BE LOOKING INTO, UH, HOW BEST TO STRUCTURE OUR WORK.
WE ALSO, OF COURSE, LAUNCHED THE CREATIVE RESET.
AND OUR CREATIVE RESET REALLY IS A YEAR LONG STRATEGIC PLANNING EFFORT THAT'S GOING TO REBUILD OUR ARTS ECOSYSTEM WITH AN INTENTION AND IMPACT.
OUR ROAD AHEAD IS EXCITED AS WE, WE ARE ABOUT THE LAST FIVE MONTHS.
THERE'S STILL QUITE A WORK, A LOT OF WORK TO DO.
WE'VE BROKEN THEM OUT INTO FIVE, FOUR PHASES.
ONE IS STRATEGIC PLANNING, BUILDING OUR FIVE YEAR ROADMAP.
PHASE TWO IS A PROGRAM EVALUATION.
AS WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL OF THE PROGRAMS THAT HAVE COME OVER INTO THIS DEPARTMENT, INCLUDING OUR FACILITIES, WE WANNA TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY TO EVALUATE THOSE SERVICES AND THE PROGRAMS AND THE FACILITIES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE OFFERING THE BEST THAT WE CAN FOR THE CITY.
FOR PHASE THREE, OUR RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT IS SEEKING NEW FUNDING AND PARTNERSHIPS.
UH, THIS IS ONE AREA THAT I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT.
UH, AS WE'RE LOOKING AT OTHER CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WE FIND THAT THERE ARE OTHER FUNDING SOURCES THAT THEY UTILIZE TO FUND THEIR ARTS AND CULTURE.
WE WILL BE EXPLORING ALL OF THAT FOR AUSTIN, TEXAS AND SEE IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS FEASIBLE FOR TEXAS.
SO WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO JUST SAY, SAY HERE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LIKE TO SAY IS OUR WORK REALLY DOES SYMBOLIZE THE VIBRANT AND COLLABORATIONS THE COLLABORATIVE SPIRIT OF OUR COMMUNITY.
AND WE BELIEVE BY WORKING TOGETHER, WE WILL CONTINUE TO CELEBRATE AND SHOWCASE THE TALENT AND TRADITIONS THAT MAKE AUSTIN A UNIQUE AND EXCITING PLACE TO LIVE AND WORK.
OUR VISION IS VERY CLEAR, A CITY WHERE EVERY PERSON IN EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD HAS ACCESS TO CREATIVE OPPORTUNITIES AND CULTURAL EXPRESSION.
SO LET'S CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER TO BUILD THE MOST VIBRANT, EQUITABLE AND SUSTAINABLE CREATIVE CAPITAL IN THE WORLD.
WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO ASK YOU THANK YOU.
AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS,
[00:50:01]
I'M AVAILABLE.QUESTIONS DAVE? ALRIGHT, WELL I WANNA DIVULGE THAT SOMETIME BACK.
UH, DONALD JACKSON AND I HAD SOME COMMUNICATION ABOUT, UM, CREATING CULTURAL CENTERS IN EVERY COUNCIL DISTRICT.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, WE'VE GOT THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT DOWNTOWN, BUT IF YOU LOOK AROUND TOWN, YOU CAN FIND OTHER PLACES WHERE THERE'S A COMBINATION OF ART, MUSIC AND CULTURE LIKE ON SOUTH CONGRESS, ON UM, WHERE ELSE I HAD, I HAD A WHOLE LIST OF ALL 10 COUNCIL DISTRICTS, BUT IT'S KIND OF ESCAPING ME NOW.
BUT HAVE YOU GUYS CONSIDERED THAT? ABSOLUTELY.
SO LIKE DESIGNATING A PLACE LIKE THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT, WE COULD HAVE SOMETHING IN WEST AUSTIN, NORTH AUSTIN, SOUTH AUSTIN, YOU KNOW, GO, GOING OUT INTO THE PERIPHERIES.
OUR GOAL IS REALLY TO PROVIDE ART AND CULTURE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CITY AND NOT JUST IN OUR, IN CERTAIN HUBS.
AS WE'VE TALKED TO OUR COMMUNITY, WE HEARD THAT THERE IS A DESIRE FOR THAT, THOSE, THOSE SPACES THROUGHOUT OUR CITY FOR VERY A VARIETY OF REASONS.
AND SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT AS ACME MOVES FORWARD, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS ON OUR, OUR RADAR AND THAT WE ACTUALLY PLAN FOR THAT.
DONALD, DO YOU REMEMBER THAT I SENT YOU THAT MAP? I DON'T MEAN TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT, BUT YES, I REMEMBER IT AND WE DID A BIG ZONING CHANGE TO FACILITATE IT AND IT'S, SO THERE'S TOOLS AVAILABLE, IT'S, IT'S JUST A QUESTION OF TIMING AND REVENUE.
YEAH, I'LL DIG THAT UP AND I'LL SEND IT TO YOU.
AND ONE OTHER POINT I'D LIKE TO MAKE TOO IS THAT, UH, THERE ARE CERTAIN PLACES RIGHT NOW THAT I WISH THE CITY COULD BUY, UM, THAT ARE ART CENTERS BECAUSE THEY'RE AT RISK OF BEING REDEVELOPED INTO SOME OTHER COMMERCIAL USE.
ARE YOU GUYS LOOKING AT THAT? WE WILL BE WORKING CLOSELY WITH OUR PARTNERS, UH, WITH RALLY AUSTIN ON LOOK IDENTIFYING LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE SITE.
I KNOW THAT THEY'VE DONE A LOT OF WORK IN THIS AREA.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS A NEED.
WE, OF COURSE WE'VE HEARD, UH, THROUGH OUR SURVEYS AND OUR ENGAGEMENT THAT THERE IS A, A NEED FOR ADDITIONAL VENUES FOR OUR CREATIVE AND, AND OUR, OUR ARTISTS.
SO IT IS A PRIORITY OF OURS AND I DO KNOW THAT THERE, THAT IS A PRIORITY OF RALLY AUSTIN AS WELL.
HELLO? UM, MY ONLY QUESTION IS, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE FACILITIES OR BUILD ASSETS WERE PART OF PART OR ALL OF THEM I THINK YOU SAID, AND JUST WANTED TO UNDERSTAND, HAVE YOU ALL HAD AN OPPORTUNITY FOR LIKE, THE LIST OF PROJECTS THAT WE ARE GONNA GET THAT MIGHT INVOLVE SOME OF THESE ENTITIES? HAVE YOU ALL HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO WEIGH IN ON THOSE? AND IT'S NOT ALL JUST THE, THE WORK OF PART.
I JUST WAS CURIOUS SO THAT THE, SO THAT WE KNOW, I WILL SAY WE HAVE THE LIST FROM PARKS AND RECREATION AND WE HAVE MODIFIED, UH, BASED ON WHAT WE'RE, WE'RE WE WE KNOW OF.
AND I WILL TELL YOU, YOU KNOW, OUR TIMING IS SUCH THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN, WE, WE JUST STARTED IN FEBRUARY, RIGHT?
AND SO I KNOW YOU ALL HAVE BEEN AT THIS FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
UH, AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE LIST THAT MOVES FORWARD FROM THE, UH, FROM OUR OFFICE IS INCLUSIVE, UH, AND THAT IT LINES UP WITH EVERYTHING THAT YOU ALL HAVE LAID OUT THAT YOU REQUIRE.
AND SO WE ARE MODIFYING THE, THE ORIGINAL LIST FROM PARKS AND RECREATION.
OTHER QUESTIONS, RACHEL? I I GUESS, YEAH, I HAD A SIMILAR QUESTION IN TERMS OF, UM, I THINK OUR UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT OTHER DEPARTMENTS HAVE HAD TIME TO DO KIND, KIND OF STRATEGIC PLANNING AROUND CREATING THEIR OWN ANALYSIS FOR WHAT PROJECTS WOULD BE MOST IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF WHAT IS IDENTIFIED AS THE PRIORITIES.
IS THAT SOMETHING Y'ALL HAVE WILL BE ABLE TO DELIVER WHILE WE'RE IN THIS PROCESS OR IS IT ALREADY IN CREATION? IT JUST DEPENDS IF SOME OF THAT WORK HAS ALREADY BEEN CONDUCTED, THEY ABSOLUTELY WILL BE PART OF THOSE, THE, THE CONVERSATION.
BUT IF THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY STRATEGIC PLANNING CONDUCTED, THEN THAT MAY UH, BE SOMETHING THAT WE WILL HAVE TO TAKE FURTHER, UH, CONSIDERATION TO, TO SEE WHEN IT WOULD BE MOST APPROPRIATE TO ADVANCE FORWARD.
DONALD, UH, QUESTION REGARDING THE CULTURAL FACILITIES.
I MEAN, SHOULD WE ANTICIPATE REQUEST FOR COMING TO UPGRADE IT OR EXPAND ANY ON ANY OF THE CULTURAL FACILITIES THAT WERE IN YOUR LIST? YES.
OTHER QUESTIONS? GARY, I APOLOGIZE IF YOU'RE ALREADY ANSWERING THIS QUESTION, I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND.
BUT WE'VE AT THIS TASK FORCE OVER THE FEW MEETINGS WE'VE HEARD FROM PEOPLE ABOUT, UH, LAU WE'VE HEARD FROM FOLKS ABOUT ELIZABETH NAY AND WE'VE HEARD ABOUT DOUGHERTY.
MAYBE THE QUESTIONS WERE, I'M NOT SURE, BUT ARE YOU, ARE WE GONNA HEAR MORE ABOUT THOSE SPECIFIC REQUESTS IN THIS PROCE IN OUR TASK FORCE PROCESS? ABSOLUTELY.
FROM FROM YOU OR FROM A DIFFERENT DEPARTMENT? IT WILL BE FROM ACME.
IF WE ARE OFFERED AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE WITH OUR LIST, UH, WE HAVE, I BELIEVE SEVEN IDENTIFIED,
[00:55:01]
UH, FOR PRIORITY TO MOVE FORWARD.SO WE HOPEFULLY WILL GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO INTO THAT LEVEL OF DETAIL WITH YOU ALL.
ANY QUESTIONS ONLINE? IF YOU DO RAISE YOUR HAND NOT SEEING ANY, YOU HAVE A FOLLOW UP? YEAH.
SOME OF THAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE WORKING GROUP BECAUSE THERE IS THE ASSETS AND I JUST WANNA SAY, SO THAT MIGHT NOT HAPPEN HERE.
AND SO I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT THING TO MAKE NOTE THAT SOME OF US, IF WE'RE INTERESTED IN OTHER THINGS, MIGHT NEED TO ATTEND WORKING GROUP MEETINGS FOR OTHER WORKING GROUPS.
I JUST WANNA, I WANNA, I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT THING TO BRING UP.
WERE THAT DISCUSSION 'CAUSE IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE IN THE WEEDS THAN WHAT WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE TIME HERE FOR.
ONCE WE GET THE LIST, THE IDEA IS THAT THE DEPARTMENTS WILL COME TO THE WORKING GROUPS WITH EVEN MORE DETAIL TO TALK ABOUT SPECIFIC PROJECTS.
SO IF ONCE WE SEE THE LIST AND WHAT WORKING GROUPS THEY'RE SORT OF ASSIGNED TO, THEN EACH OF US CAN FIGURE OUT WHERE WE WOULD LIKE TO GO AND GET MORE INFORMATION.
AND THEN OBVIOUSLY THAT'LL COME BACK UP TO THE BIG LARGER GROUP.
ANY MORE QUESTIONS FOR ANGELA? THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UM, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO THE CITY AS WELL AS THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS MUNICIPAL COURT, UH, WITH THE BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE TODAY.
I'M THE PRESIDING JUDGE AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN MUNICIPAL COURT AND I'M HERE TODAY WITH MARY JANE GRUB, WHO'S THE CLERK OF THE COURT, AND MICHAEL MCGUIRE, WHO IS OUR FACILITIES MANAGER.
WE'RE GONNA PRESENT HOW WE'RE OPERATING TODAY, OUR NEEDS AND A COUNCIL RESOLUTION TO ADD TO OUR OPERATIONS.
NOW WE ARE ONE OF THE LESSER KNOWN CITY, UM, DEPARTMENTS.
SO I'M GONNA START OUT BY GIVING YOU KIND OF THE BIG PICTURE OF WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO.
AND I PROMISE TO KEEP THIS BRIEF AND TO AVOID MUCH LEGAL SPEAK OR MIND NUMBINGLY DULL STATUTORY LANGUAGE, I PROMISE.
SO FOR MANY PEOPLE, MUNICIPAL COURT MAY BE THEIR ONLY EXPERIENCE WITH THE COURT SYSTEM OR WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
WE WANT EVERYONE COMING TO COURT TO FEEL SEEN, HEARD, AND THAT THEY ARE ON AN A FAIR AND NEUTRAL PLAYING FIELD.
BECAUSE WE ARE AUSTIN, WE DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY AND WE HAVE A ROBUST PROGRAM OF DEFERRAL AND DIVERSION PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS CAUSES AND TO CONNECT VULNERABLE PEOPLE WITH SOCIAL SERVICES.
TO THAT END, OUR VISION IS TO BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE, EFFICIENT, AND IMPARTIAL MUNICIPAL COURT IN TEXAS.
AND OUR MISSION IS TO IMPARTIALLY ADMINISTER JUSTICE IN A FAIR AND EFFICIENT MANNER SO THAT TRUST AND ACCOUNTABILITY ARE EXEMPLIFIED TO THE PUBLIC WE SERVE.
SO IN ADDITION TO BEING A CITY DEPARTMENT, WE ARE ALSO A BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT, LIKE STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS.
AUSTIN HAS A LEGISLATIVE BRANCH AND EXECUTIVE BRANCH AND A COURT, THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH, THE CITY COUNCIL CREATES ORDINANCES AND THE COURT INTERPRETS AND ADJUDICATES THOSE ORDINANCES.
BUT ULTIMATELY WE ANSWER TO THE RESIDENTS OF AUSTIN AND THE LAWS THAT WE SWEAR TO UPHOLD.
SO OUR JURISDICTION INCLUDES CLASS C MISDEMEANORS.
THESE ARE THE LOWEST LEVEL OF CRIMINAL OFFENSES IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
IT ALSO INCLUDES PARKING HEARINGS, CITY CODE OFFENSES, AND ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS.
COMMON CASES INCLUDE TRAFFIC, PUBLIC INTOXICATION, THEFT CASES, ASSAULT CASES, CITY ORDINANCES, PROPERTY HEARINGS, AND DANGEROUS DOG CASES.
THE ONLY POTENTIAL PUNISHMENTS ARE A MONETARY FINE.
WE FOLLOW ALL THE RULES AND PROCEDURES OF THE HIGHER COURTS AND DO ALL THE SAME TYPE OF TRIALS AND DOCKETS, EXCEPT NO ONE COMING TO OUR COURT IS AT RISK OF GOING TO JAIL.
SO THAT IS COURT IN A NUTSHELL.
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THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR TIME.I'M GOING TO TURN THINGS OVER TO MS. GRUB.
AUSTIN MUNICIPAL COURT HAS IDENTIFIED FIVE PRIMARY GOALS IN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.
THEY ARE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF A KNOWLEDGEABLE STAFF, PROCEDURAL, FAIRNESS, EFFICIENCY, EFFECTIVENESS AND COMPLIANCE FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, MARKETING AND PUBLIC INFORMATION.
ALL OF THESE GOALS HAVE A COMPONENT OF ACCESS.
UH, WE FOCUS ON PROVIDING, UH, ACCESS, WHETHER THAT BE PHYSICAL, TECHNICAL OR, WELL THAT'S IT, PHYSICAL AND TECHNICAL.
UH, SO WE HAVE A COUPLE OF FACILITIES.
SO THE INDIVIDUALS, UH, ARE ABLE TO, WE, I'M GONNA START OVER JUST A LITTLE BIT.
WE FOCUS ON PROVIDING FAIR ACCESS AND REMOVING BARRIERS FOR INDIVIDUALS TO HANDLE THEIR CASES BEFORE THE COURT.
SO WE TRY TO BE IN AREAS OF THE CITY WHERE INDIVIDUALS, UM, WHO MAY HAVE TRANSPORTATION CHALLENGES CAN GET TO US EASILY.
WE DO A LOT OF BUSINESS ONLINE, MEANING BY EMAILS, PHONES, AND CHAT.
UH, AND WE ALSO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE ALL OF OUR FORMS ONLINE SO THAT PEOPLE DON'T HAVE TO PHYSICALLY COME TO A LOCATION.
A LOT OF INDIVIDUALS, AS YOU KNOW, AUSTIN HAS A LOT OF TOURISM.
SO INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY, UM, HAVE CASES WITH US DON'T LIVE IN AUSTIN.
SO WE PUT A LOT OF EFFORT INTO ENSURING THAT WE HAVE RESOURCES AND STAFFING AVAILABLE TO ADDRESS THEIR CASES IN MANY DIFFERENT MECHANISM WAYS.
SO WE ARE A HIGH VOLUME COURT, AND WHILE I'M NOT GONNA READ ALL OF THESE METRICS, I DO WANNA HIGHLIGHT A FEW OF THEM.
OUR AVERAGE CASELOAD IS ANYWHERE FROM ABOUT 200 TO 250,000 CASES A YEAR, AND THAT'S A COMBINATION OF CRIMINAL CASES AND CIVIL CASES.
UH, CALLS RECEIVED, WE OVER 80,000 A YEAR, EMAILS PROCESSED OVER 20,000, AND WE PLACE ABOUT 33,000 CASES ON A DOCKET PER YEAR.
SO THERE ARE, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, A LOT OF INDIVIDUALS COMING INTO CONTACT WITH US AND IT IS CRUCIAL THAT WE HAVE ADEQUATE RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO SERVE THEIR NEEDS.
UM, IN THE 2006 BOND ELECTION, IT INCLUDED FUNDING FOR A NEW MUNICIPAL COURT FACILITY.
THE IDEA WAS TO PURCHASE A BIG BOX FACILITY AND IT WAS GOING TO BE THE MUNICIPAL COURT MAIN LOCATION AND A A PD SUBSTATION FOR VARIOUS REASONS THAT PURCHASE DID NOT COME TO FRUITION.
AND IN 2018, THE CITY COUNCIL MADE AN EMERGENCY DECISION TO LOCATE THE MAIN, RELOCATE THE MAIN LOCATION TO A LEAST FACILITY.
AND THIS WAS DUE TO CRITICAL SYSTEMS FAILURES.
UH, THEY DEVELOPED A RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO LOOK FOR PERMANENT LOCATIONS FOR, UH, IN THE SOUTH AND THE NORTHERN REGIONS OF THE CITY.
CURRENTLY THE MAIN LOCATION, WHICH IS, UH, IS A LEASED SPACE AT BERGSTROM TECH, AND WE ALSO HAVE A NORTH CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER, UM, IN THE NORTH PART OF THE CITY THAT'S OFF LAMPLIGHT VILLAGE AND PARMER, THAT IS LIMITED SERVICES THERE.
THERE'S NOT JUDGES OR PROSECUTORS OR COURTROOMS. IT'S BASICALLY CLERKS AND FOR INDIVIDUALS TO COME IN AND LEARN ABOUT OPTIONS ON THEIR CASES AND, AND MAKE PAYMENTS.
I'M A BIT NERVOUS IF YOU CAN'T TELL, BUT I'M GONNA TURN THIS OVER TO MICHAEL MCGUIRE.
AS MARY JANE ALLUDED TO, WE DO HAVE TWO FACILITIES, BOTH LEASE SPACES.
UH, THE FIRST LINE IS OUR MAIN, UH, MUNICIPAL COURT, UH, LOCATION.
WE'RE SEEING, UH, AT LEAST FOR THE FIRST THREE QUARTERS OF THIS FISCAL YEAR, A LITTLE OVER 15,000 PEOPLE, UH, TO THE NORTH, UH, IS OUR NORTH CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER.
WE'RE AT 37, UH, A LITTLE OVER 3,700 PEOPLE.
THE PREVIOUS TWO YEARS, UH, AT OUR NORTH LOCATION WAS PREVIOUSLY, WE CALLED IT A SUBSTATION.
IT WAS LOC CO-LOCATED WITH THE, UH, THE NORTH POLICE SUBSTATION.
UH, WE SAW ABOUT 36 TO 3,800 PEOPLE, UH, OR HAD 38, 36 TO 8 3800 CUSTOMERS, UH, EACH YEAR.
SO WE'VE ALREADY, WE'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT A 25% INCREASE WITH THE OPENING OF
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OUR NEW CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER.AND ALSO IT'S ALSO TAKING A LARGER, UH, PERCENTAGE OF OUR CUSTOMERS, UH, AT THE, UH, THE NORTH LOCATION THAT WE HAVE AT THE MAIN LOCATION DOWN SOUTH.
SO, UH, A BIG, A BIG DIFFERENCE IN KIND OF, UH, TELLING TO US SOME INFORMATION AS FAR AS THE USE OF THAT FACILITY IN THE NORTH.
A LOT OF THESE PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS FOR FACILITIES YOU'VE HEARD FROM, UH, SOME OF THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
UH, WE'VE, WE'VE HAD AS, AS WE'VE ALLUDED TO, TWO RECENT BUILD OUTS IN LEASE SPACES.
SO THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF LESSONS LEARNED FOR US AS FAR AS DESIGN SUPPLEMENTS AND WHAT WORKS, UH, COST, UM, KEEPING THINGS, UH, GREEN, UH, ZERO WASTE, UH, THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO WE DO HAVE THOSE COST MODELS.
WE HAVE A FAIRLY GOOD IDEA OF, OF WHAT IT IS WE NEED.
AND TO, TO KIND OF, BEFORE WE CLOSE TO ANSWER ONE OF THE QUESTIONS, THE, THE COURT, THIS IS OUR ONE PRIORITY, OUR ONE PROJECT THAT WE HAVE.
SO AS FAR AS DEVELOPING THE, THE METRICS AND PRIORITIZING WHAT WE'RE DO, UH, WHAT WHAT WE NEED TO DO, IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT OF A, OF A PRESENTATION.
UNLESS YOU ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR US, THAT'S ALL WE HAVE.
SO ARE YOU PROPOSING A NEW LOCATION? IS THAT YOUR, THE ASK THAT'S COMING OUT? YOU HAVE TWO LEASE SPACES NOW.
YOU'RE LOOKING FOR MORE OF A PERMANENT, WHAT WE'D LIKE TO HAVE IS THE NORTH LOCATION, LIKE RIGHT NOW IS VERY LIMITED IN THE SERVICES WE CAN PROVIDE.
IT'S BASICALLY JUST A CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER OR A PAYMENT CENTER.
IF WE WERE ABLE TO EXPAND IT AND ADD COURT FACILITIES, A COURTROOM POTENTIALLY, UH, SPACES FOR HEARING OFFICES FOR CIVIL PARKING HEARINGS, UH, WE THINK IT'D BE A GREAT BENEFIT TO THE CITIZENS TO HAVE ACCESS TO THAT LOCATION.
IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE CITY.
IT'S ABOUT A 30, 35 MINUTE DRIVE, DEPENDING ON THE TIME OF DAY, UH, BETWEEN UP NORTH ON PALMER, DOWN TO, TO, UH, BURSON LOCATION.
OTHER QUESTIONS, DONALD? UH, JUST TO, JUST TO CLARIFY, ARE Y'ALL GONNA BE PROPOSING ACQUIRING OR BUILDING OUT A NEW FACILITY OR JUST IMPROVEMENTS TO THE EXISTING LEASED FACILITY LIKE EXPANSION AND EXPANSION TO THE LEASE FOLDER, A BUILDING.
SO THE, AS WE STATED, BOTH FACILITIES RIGHT NOW ARE LEASED FACILITIES.
UH, WHERE WE'RE AT RIGHT NORTH IS VERY LIMITED.
UM, SO THE CHARTER WAS FOR US TO IDENTIFY A SPACE WHERE WE CAN, UH, BUILD BASICALLY A, A CITY OWNED FACILITY, UM, WHETHER THAT'S NEW CONSTRUCTION OR BUYING SOME RENOVATING OR CO-LOCATING WITH ANOTHER DEPARTMENT, UM, THAT HAS SPACE FOR US.
UM, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, SO JUST TO, TO CLARIFY, IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S NOT, UM, THERE'S NOT A DEFINITIVE PROPOSAL IN TERMS OF THIS, THIS BUILDING THAT YOU'RE REFERENCING OR DESIGN OF THE BUILDING.
UH, IS THAT ACCURATE? THAT'S ACCURATE.
WE'RE NOT THAT FAR ALONG IN THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS YET.
THAT'S KIND OF THE NEXT PHASE AND STEP.
WELL, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I KNOW THE CITY HAS MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABLE BUILDING, BUT, UM, I THINK WE ARE HOPING TO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND WITH PROPOSALS THAT, THAT COME THROUGH ON THIS BOND.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WILL HAPPEN IN TIME FOR US REALLY TO CONSIDER, BUT SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN, UH, TALKING ABOUT HERE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU.
UH, GOOD AFTERNOON TASK FORCE.
MY NAME'S DAVID COLLIGAN HERE WITH RALLY AUSTIN.
I'M ALSO BEING JOINED BY MEGAN WELLS, WHO IS OUR LIAISON HERE WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND ALSO I'VE GOT LEX MILLER, UH, WITH US, WHO IS A PART OF OUR REAL ESTATE TEAM WHO MAY BE JOINING.
OH, NO, YEAH, YEAH, IT'S A PARTY.
UH, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE.
WE'VE GOT ABOUT 10 MINUTES AND SO I NEED TO REVIEW SOME
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INFORMATION WITH YOU QUICKLY, BUT WE'LL BE LEAVING THE PRESENTATION WITH YOU FOR ANY ADDITIONAL DETAILS THAT YOU'D LIKE TO DISCUSS IN THE FUTURE.SO, RALLY AUSTIN IS THE FIRST MULTIPURPOSE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CORPORATION CREATED BY MARIN COUNCIL IN OCTOBER, 2020.
WE WERE, UH, REQUESTED BY THE COMMUNITY AS A SERIES OF PROJECTS WERE COMING FORWARD AND BEING EVALUATED.
UH, AND THE COMMUNITY WAS ASKING FOR AN INDEPENDENT AGENCY TO EXIST TO SUPPORT WITH, UM, DEVELOPING OUT SOME OF THESE DIFFERENT PROJECTS AND SUPPORTING THE CITY AS A SEPARATE PARTNER.
WE ARE UNIQUELY STRUCTURED, SO WE ARE NOT FOCUSED ON ONE SINGULAR PROJECT, BUT A PORTFOLIO OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROJECTS.
AND I'LL KINDA SHOW YOU MORE OF THAT A LITTLE LATER.
BUT WE DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO, UM, BRING ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO THE TABLE IN TERMS OF FUNDING OR FINANCING SO WE CAN SUPPORT OR GROW CAPITAL RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE HERE TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS PUBLIC PROJECTS AS WELL.
UH, BUT WE ARE ALSO ABLE TO ACT MORE NIMBLY QUICKLY, UH, AS OPPOSED TO WHAT IT IS CITY STAFF IS TYPICALLY ABLE TO DO.
SO WHAT YOU'LL SEE THROUGH THE COURSE OF THIS PRESENTATION IS MORE OF THOSE ELEMENTS OF HOW WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DELIVER FOR AUSTIN WITH A SPECIFIC NUMBER OF RESOURCES.
OUR MISSION AND VISION, VERY FOCUS ON EQUITY AND PLACEMAKING.
WE DO WORK WITH REAL ESTATE ASSETS AND FINANCING, MOST SPECIFICALLY, AGAIN, FOR A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROJECTS WE'VE BEEN TASKED AND WE HAVE BEEN VERY FOCUSED ON OUR RALLY FOR ARTS, MUSIC AND CULTURE.
OUR RALLY FOR COMPLETE COMMUNITIES, AND A RALLY FOR CATALYTIC DEVELOPMENT HERE IN AUSTIN.
SO FOCUSING AGAIN, UH, ON A SPAN OR VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROJECTS.
TODAY WE'RE GONNA FOCUS REALLY ON ARTS, MUSIC, AND CULTURE.
WE ARE COMPOSED OF A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PUBLIC ASSET OWNING INSTITUTIONS AND AGENCIES THAT REPRESENT COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS.
SO WE ARE, UH, ASKED AND AND TASKED BY THE CITY TO BE MORE OF A REGIONAL COLLABORATION BECAUSE DEVELOPMENT DOESN'T KNOW CITY BOUNDARIES, RIGHT? AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT AFFORDABILITY AND INCLUSIVES PLACEMAKING, UH, THAT'S NOT GONNA STOP AT THE LINES OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
SO WE ARE LOOKING MORE COLLABORATIVELY AS TO HOW IT IS WE CAN WORK ACROSS DIFFERENT PUBLIC BODIES.
YOU MAY HAVE SEEN RECENTLY WE JUST SIGNED OUR FIRST INTER LOCAL WITH AUSTIN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, EVALUATING TWO DIFFERENT SITES FOR POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT.
SO REALLY EXCITED ABOUT BEING ABLE TO, TO INTRODUCE OUR SERVICES AND EXPAND, UM, OUR WORKLOAD ACROSS JURISDICTIONS.
JUST A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF OUR ACTIVE PORTFOLIO.
YOU'LL SEE WE'VE GOT 160 MILLION, UH, OF CURRENT ASSETS THAT ARE IN DEVELOPMENT WITH OUR GROUP.
YOU COULD SEE THE BREAKOUT OF AFFORDABLE SQUARE SPACE THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO MAKE AVAILABLE AND THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF BEING ABLE TO WORK THESE PROJECTS THROUGH AN AGENCY LIKE OURS.
I ALSO OUTLINE SOME OF THOSE DIFFERENT OUTCOMES IN DIFFERENT VERTICALS TO LEAVE WITH YOU, UM, FOR REVIEWING IN THE FUTURE.
AS I MENTIONED, WE'RE GONNA FOCUS IN ON THE 2018 BOND CAPACITY THAT WAS CREATED BY AUSTINITES FOCUSED ON CREATING AFFORDABLE SPACE FOR CREATIVES.
$12 MILLION WAS APPROVED BY VOTERS IN 2018, AND THAT WAS A CALL FOR ACTION THAT HAD WELL OVER 10 YEARS ASSOCIATED WITH IT.
YOU CAN SEE IT WAS FIRST CODIFIED AS A PRIORITY PROGRAM WITHIN, UH, IMAGINE AUSTIN.
IT WAS THEN FURTHER STUDIED, UH, AND THEN BUILT OUT AS A REQUEST BY THE COMMUNITY AND LANDED ON THE BALLOT FOR A PACKAGE THAT WAS RIGHT AROUND $250 MILLION IN 2018.
AGAIN, WE WERE TASKED WITH CREATING A CULTURAL TRUST, UH, AND BEING ABLE TO IMPLEMENT ALONG WITH THE CITY.
AND I'M GONNA SHOW YOU MORE ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS.
SO THE CULTURAL TRUST REPRESENTS A PROGRAM, RIGHT? NOT A PARTICULAR PROJECT LIKE SOME OF THE OTHER ITEMS YOU'RE EVALUATING, BUT A PROGRAM TO BE ABLE TO ESTABLISH MORE OF THAT AFFORDABLE SPACE TO RETAIN OUR CREATIVE VENUES AND OUR CREATIVE AUDIENCES.
$12 MILLION APPROVED BY THE VOTERS YOU SEE HERE, UH, THAT WAS SUPPLEMENTED BY AN ADDITIONAL 15 MILLION, UH, BY MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
THAT HAS BEEN A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT FUNDING SOURCES OVER THE COURSE OF THE PAST FOUR, NOW GOING ON THE FIFTH YEAR.
BUT COUNCIL STEPPED IN AND SAID, OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, WE'D LIKE TO MATCH WHAT THE VOTERS HAVE APPROVED.
$2.5 MILLION THAT HAS COME IN THE FORM OF GENERAL FUND DOLLARS, HOT DOLLARS HOOKED TO OCCUPANCY TAX, UH, DOLLARS AND VARIATIONS OF THOSE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAXES.
YOU COULD SEE HERE I OUTLINE 1 MILLION HAS BEEN USED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE PURPOSES FOR THE STARTUP OF THE TRUST, BUT ALSO IN CREATING A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ITEMS LIKE LEGAL AGREEMENTS, EVALUATING PROPERTIES, WORKING WITH ARCHITECTS, WHAT HAVE YOU, THOSE ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.
[01:15:01]
TO LEVERAGE THOSE INVESTMENTS TO BE ABLE TO PAY FOR THOSE ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.SO BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH DOLLARS AND INVEST THOSE FUNDS OR REALIZING REVENUES AS AN ORGANIZATION HAS ALLOWED OUR ORGANIZATION TO OPERATIONALIZE AND, UH, TO CONTINUE TO GROW THE FUNDS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PROGRAM.
THAT'S ONLY FOUR YEARS WORTH OF DOING THAT TYPE OF ACTIVITY.
WE, WE HAVE ANOTHER FIFTH, SO WE KNOW THAT WE'LL REACH, UH, WELL ABOVE $1 MILLION IN, IN WHAT IT IS WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO GROW THIS, UH, FUND BY NEXT SLIDE, I WANTED TO SHOW YOU PROCESS 'CAUSE THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT AS YOU LOOK THROUGH SOME OF THESE DIFFERENT, UM, CITY PROJECTS, BUT ALSO WE, WE EMULATE WHAT IT IS THE CITY SEEKS TO UPHOLD AND WE TRY TO BE AS TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE, RIGHT? WE MEET ALL OF THOSE STATE REQUIREMENTS AS WELL.
THAT RIGOROUS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, WELL OVER 10 YEARS, WE WERE ABLE TO TAKE THAT INFORMATION.
WE COORDINATED WITH THE COMMUNITY TO FORMULATE THE CULTURAL TRUST ADVISORY COMMITTEE BEFORE ESTABLISHING OUR REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS.
WITHIN A YEAR, WE WOULD PUT OUT THAT REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS.
WE FOCUS ON CAPACITY BUILDINGS SO THAT ALL OF OUR VENUES COULD SEE THEMSELVES REPRESENTED IN IT AND BEING ABLE TO APPLY.
BUT YOU COULD SEE ON THIS SLIDE, OR MAYBE WHEN YOU COULD GET IT PRINTED, IT'S A LITTLE SMALL HERE.
UH, WE RECEIVED WELL OVER 45 RESPONSES AND $350 MILLION OF NEED WAS ARTICULATED THROUGH THOSE 45 RESPONSES WHEN WE ONLY HAD $27 MILLION TO WORK WITH.
SO I JUST, I NEED FOR YOU TO REMEMBER THAT 300 PLUS MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF NEED.
WE WORKED THROUGH A PROCESS OF EVALUATING WITH OUR CULTURAL TRUST ADVISORY COMMITTEE, SHORTLISTING THE NUMBER OF PROJECTS WE COULD THEN WORK WITH.
WE STARTED NEGOTIATING THROUGH SOME OF THOSE POTENTIAL DEALS.
AND TO DATE, WE'VE LANDED A NUMBER AND, BUT WE'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH THAT SHORTLIST AS WELL.
WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO REMEMBER IS THAT LAST LITTLE GREEN COLUMN, MANAGING AND SUPPORTING OUR USERS THROUGH THE BACKEND OF THESE AGREEMENTS.
THESE ARE 40 YEAR AGREEMENTS AND SOMETIMES RIGHT, FOR MAINTAINING AFFORDABLE SPACE FOR THESE VENUES AS OPERATORS.
SO WE'RE WORKING WITH THESE SMALL BUSINESSES AND THERE'S CERTAINLY A TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE COMPONENT THAT'S THERE THAT IN THE FUTURE WE HOPE TO MAYBE WORK WITH OTHER PARTNERS.
UM, THESE ARE SMALL BUSINESSES, RIGHT? AND WE'RE, WE'RE CONTINUING TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE VIABLE HERE IN AUSTIN AS WELL AS COMPLIMENTING THEIR AFFORDABLE SPACE.
I JUST WANTED TO SHOW YOU HOW RALLY AUSTIN'S DNA IS THREADED TOGETHER WITH THE CULTURAL COMMUNITY.
I WANTED TO SHOW YOU HERE HOW IT IS WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO EXECUTE OVER A ONE YEAR PERIOD OF TIME, UH, AND HOW IT IS WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO GROW THOSE FUNDS FOR THE CREATIVE COMMUNITY BY THINKING MORE STRATEGICALLY ABOUT THESE ASSETS OVER THAT SHORT PERIOD.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE'VE PUT IN PLACE TO DATE.
UM, YOU CAN SEE HERE 17.6 MILLION HAS BEEN DEDICATED TO SIX PROJECTS.
AGAIN, WE'RE CONTINUING TO LOOK AT ADDITIONAL PROJECTS AS WELL.
HOPE TO LAND MORE IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
THIS IS VALUED AT $37.5 MILLION, WHICH BRINGS AN ESTIMATED IMPACT OF 75 TO 94 MILLION.
AND THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND BECAUSE WE ARE LEVERAGING INVESTMENT HERE.
AND WHEN WE LOOK ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WE'RE RIGHT IN LINE WITH OUR PEERS.
WE'RE ABOUT TWO TO ONE IN TERMS OF LEVERAGING AND CREATING THOSE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS THAT BRING COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC IMPACT.
FIRST FOUR PROJECTS, UH, THAT YOU SEE ON THE BOARD ARE ALL BROUGHT TO YOU BY THOSE $12 MILLION THROUGH THE BOND.
AND THEN THE OTHER TWO PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE LISTED HERE, UM, HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO YOU FROM THE ICONIC MENU, ICONIC VENUE FUNDING, UH, THAT'S A PART OF THIS CULTURAL TRUST FUND.
ALL ARE VERY DIFFERENT, ALL ARE VERY UNIQUE.
AND SO IT'S A MATTER OF HOW IT IS, WE'RE ABLE TO BRING IN A VARIETY OF FUNDING SOURCES TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT NOT ONLY WHAT'S NEEDED FOR THE VENUE ITSELF AND MAINTAINING AFFORDABILITY, BUT THOSE THAT ARE OPERATING AND, AND CONDUCTING, UH, CREATIVE WORK WITHIN THOSE SPACES.
JUST WANTED TO DRIVE HOME THE IMPORTANCE OF, UH, THIS PROGRAM, UH, AND TO PROVIDE MORE OF THAT NEED STATEMENT.
AGAIN, 300 PLUS MILLION DOLLARS OF NEED STILL, UH, ON THE STREETS AND, AND GROWING THE SOLUTION HERE IS NOT ONLY TO BRING FORWARD ONE SOURCE OF FUNDS, BUT A VARIETY OF FUNDS.
AND TO LEAN ON THAT PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP STRUCTURE THAT WE'VE BUILT WITH THE COMMUNITY.
CERTAINLY WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MEASURE, UH, OUTCOME RIGHT FOR, FOR AUSTIN AS WELL WITH THESE RESOURCES.
JUST WANTED TO SHOW YOU WHY IT IS.
WE ARE A UNIQUE PARTNER TO YOU, NOT ONLY IN JUST EXPLORING THE GROWTH OR OUR EXPANSION OF THIS PROGRAM IN THE FUTURE, BUT ANY OF THE OTHER NEEDS THAT YOU MIGHT SEE MANIFEST THEMSELVES ON THE LIST AS YOU EVALUATE IT IN THE FUTURE.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE MORE CONVERSATIONS WITH US ABOUT PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP, HOW WE CAN MAYBE HELP DELIVER,
[01:20:02]
UM, AND, AND TO SUPPORT SOME OF THESE CITY PROJECTS OR MAYBE MORE OF THE PROGRAMS BEING MORE OPERATIONAL OVER TIME.WE'RE HAPPY TO ENGAGE IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND HOPEFUL THAT WE'LL GET CALLED TO HAVE MORE OF THOSE DISCUSSIONS OUTLINED HERE.
SOME OF THE KEY DELIVERY POINTS OF THE CULTURAL TRUST, BUT THEN ALSO WANTED TO JUST SHOW YOU SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE RELATIONSHIP THAT WE'VE CREATED WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND THAT'S THE CONCLUSION OF MY PRESENTATION.
I INVITE YOU TO THINK BIG AND COLLABORATIVE WITH US.
THERE'S CERTAINLY TONS OF NEED HERE.
WE'RE EXCITED TO WORK WITH YOU.
HAPPY TO ENTERTAIN ANY QUESTIONS.
YEAH, I'M GONNA JUMP ON THE ARTS QUESTION AGAIN.
UM, I DIDN'T MENTION PLACES THAT I THOUGHT THE CITY SHOULD BUY, UH, TO PUT IN THE CULTURAL TRUST.
IS THERE ANY PROBLEM WITH LIKE, DISRUPTING THE MARKET IF WE DID MENTION PLACES, UH, SPECIFIC PLACES, YES.
UM, I THINK I WOULD MAYBE
WELL, SO I WON'T, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I THINK MAYBE YOU'RE NEGOTIATING CAPABILITIES MAY DIMINISH, UH, AND A FEW OTHER, UH, OPPORTUNITIES MAY BE A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT FOR US TO REALIZE.
AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS MORE AS A PROGRAM, RIGHT? RIGHT.
INSTEAD OF A SPECIFIC PROJECT.
UM, BECAUSE THEN WE MAY HAVE SOME ISSUES DELIVERING ON BEHALF OF THE CITY AND WE, WE DON'T WANT THAT.
WE WANNA BE ABLE TO DELIVER, BUT WE'LL HAVE TO BRING IT UP BEFORE NOVEMBER, 2026, CORRECT? YEAH, BECAUSE NOT, NOT NECESSARILY SPECIFIC LOCATIONS, UNLESS THOSE ARE TO BE CONVEYED TO RALLY AUSTIN.
WELL, I MEAN, I'LL, I, I WILL SHARE PRIVATELY WITH PEOPLE IN THE CITY MY IDEAS ABOUT PLACES THAT WE OUGHT TO PURCHASE TO PUT IN THE CULTURAL TRUST YEAH.
AND KEEP IT OPERATING TO PREVENT, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY BUILDING A 20 STORY HOTEL ON THEM.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE TO DISCUSS IT HERE, RACHEL.
SO HOW DOES, ARE, ARE Y'ALL ONLY FUNDED BY BONDS AND THAT ICONIC VENUES PIECE FOR THE, FOR ACQUISITION AND CONSTRUCTION, OR WHAT, WHERE DOES, DO YOU HAVE OTHER SOURCES OF LIKE REP, DOES THE THE REGULAR BUDGET ALSO FUND Y'ALL? CORRECT.
SO WE ARE, UM, WE HAVE A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT FUNDS SPECIFICALLY FOR THE ORGANIZATION, BUT THEN ALSO THE FUNDS FOR THE CULTURAL TRUST ARE, ARE SET UP SEPARATELY BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THOSE DOLLARS.
WE'RE ALSO A NONPROFIT 5 0 1 C3, SO WE CAN BRING IN GRANTS.
WE HAVE THIS, THE ABILITY TO, UH, BE ELIGIBLE FOR CERTAIN TAX CREDITS THAT OTHER AGENCIES MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE TO, TO APPLY FOR.
SO WE CAN BRING IN A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT FUNDING SOURCES.
HOW THE ORGANIZATION OPERATIONALIZES IS, IS SEPARATE FROM THE, THE PROGRAMS THAT WE'VE ESTABLISHED FOR THE CULTURAL TRUST, BUT YOU STILL HAVE A BLEND OF FUNDS THERE AS WELL.
IS THAT HELPFUL OR MY QUESTION'S A FOLLOW UP TO HER? YEAH, I'M KIND OF WONDERING LIKE SURE.
ARE THE BONDS YOUR MAIN SOURCE OF MONEY TO DO THIS STUFF? NO, AND THAT'S WHY IT BROKE OUT THAT, UM, THAT THAT BAR CHART, RIGHT, TO SHOW YOU OF THE $27 MILLION THAT WE HAVE JUST FOR THE CULTURAL TRUST, UM, 12 MILLION COMES FROM THE BOND.
AN ADDITIONAL 15 MILLION COMES FROM SOURCES THAT COUNCIL HAS MADE AVAILABLE.
1 MILLION, UH, COMES FROM OUR LEVERAGING OF THOSE DOLLARS, WHETHER IT'S, UM, REALIZING, UM, INTEREST ARE, ARE, ARE BUILDING MORE OF THOSE FUNDS WITH OUR, UH, 5 0 1 C3 NONPROFIT STATUS.
AND THEN THE BOND FUNDS FROM 2018 IS LIMITED TO ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT.
THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO KNOW DONALD QUICK.
UM, SO JUST CLARIFICATION IN TERMS OF WHAT YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT TODAY IS PRIMARILY STUFF RELATED TO THE CUL IN THE BOND CONTEXT.
THAT'S PRIMARILY STUFF RELATED TO, UH, CULTURAL TRUST AND THOSE ART FACILITIES.
IS THAT PRIMARILY WHAT WE SHOULD EXPECT? IT'S 'CAUSE WE HAVEN'T SEEN ANY DATA YET OR NUMBERS OR SPECIFIC PROJECTS, SO KIND OF FLYING BLIND, BUT JUST FOR OUR CONTEXT, UH, SHOULD THAT, IS THAT WHAT WE SHOULD EXPECT TO KIND OF SEE IN RELATION TO YOUR PRIOR PRESENTATION FUNDING RELATED TO THE, TO CULTURAL TRUST AND, AND SIMILAR SORT OF PROGRAMMING? YEAH, WE'D LOVE TO BE INVITED BACK FOR A CONVERSATION.
WE'VE PROPOSED TO THE CITY A PACKAGE THAT SUPPORTS THE EXPANSION OF THE CULTURAL TRUST.
AGAIN, YES, WE'VE OPERATIONALIZED IT, BUT WE NEED A CULTURAL TRUST THAT IS SELF-SUSTAINING.
SO HAVING THE ASSETS AND THE REVENUES SO THEN THE AGENCY RALLY CAN CONTINUE CONDUCTING BUSINESS THROUGH THE CULTURAL TRUST WITHOUT HAVING TO COME BACK TO THE CITY FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING AND ADDITIONAL FUNDING.
WE'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT TYPE OF WORK ON OUR OWN FOR SUSTAINING THAT WORK.
SO WE, WE HAVE PROPOSED, UM, A, AN OPTION FOR EXPANDING THE CULTURAL TRUST AS WELL AS TWO ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS FOCUSED ON WORKFORCE HOUSING.
AND ANOTHER, UM, SORRY, THAT'S ESCAPING ME ON LEGACY BUSINESS PRESERVATION.
SO TAKING WHAT WE'VE LEARNED AND DOING THESE SMALL TYPES OF TRANSACTIONS,
[01:25:01]
WHICH I'LL TELL YOU ARE INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT AND NOT, UM, CAPABLE IN, IN ALL DIFFERENT PARTS OF, OF THE COUNTRY.UH, BUT TAKING THOSE LESSONS LEARNED AND APPLYING THEM NOW TO THE SMALL BUSINESSES, OUR LEGACY AND LOCAL BUSINESSES THAT WE IDENTIFY AUSTIN AS A PART OF OUR CULTURE, UM, AND, AND, AND WORKING THROUGH THOSE TYPES OF ARRANGEMENTS WITH THEM.
QUESTIONS OVER HERE? ANY ONLINEA? THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, I'M GONNA ADMIT I REMAIN, UH, SOMEWHAT CONFUSED ABOUT RALLY AUSTIN AND THAT'S JUST 'CAUSE I AM NOT REALLY FAMILIAR.
SO, UM, I, I HEARD, AND I'M SEEING IN YOUR SLIDES THAT THERE'S DIFFERENT, YOU HAVE THREE DIFFERENT RALLIES THAT YOU MENTIONED, UM, AND SOME OF THEM SEEM MAYBE MORE FOCUSED, BUT ARE YOU COMING TO US JUST FOCUSED ON THE ONE THAT IS ARTS, ARTS, MUSIC AND CULTURE, OR ARE THERE OTHER CATEGORIES THAT WE SHOULD ALSO BE THINKING ABOUT? AND THEN IS IT LIKE IF WE SAY, RECOMMENDED A LIBRARY BE BUILT SOMEWHERE, Y'ALL MIGHT ACTUALLY TAKE THAT MONEY AND GO GET THE PROJECT DONE.
CAN YOU HELP CLEAR THOSE UP IN MY MIND? SURE.
UH, SO WHAT WE WANTED TO DO IS SHOW YOU THAT WE'RE A MULTIPURPOSE ORGANIZATION.
WE'RE NOT JUST FOCUSED ON, UH, CREATIVES AND CULTURAL TRUST, BUT WE'RE ALSO WORKING, UH, PROJECTS AROUND AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT OFF OF EAST 11TH.
WE, UH, ARE VERY FOCUSED ON FINDING CA A CATALYTIC PROJECT, A A VERY LARGE, UM, BIG THINKING TYPE OF PROJECT WHERE WE CAN GO IN AND NEGOTIATE COMMUNITY BENEFITS WITHIN THAT TYPE OF NEW SPACE.
UM, THERE'S A VARIETY OF OTHER THINGS WE CAN BE DOING AS WELL.
UH, WE'RE JUST KIND OF LIMITED BY OUR IMAGINATION HERE.
UM, SO, SO THAT BEING SAID, WE HAVE BEEN FOCUSED AND, AND WHEN WE ARE TRYING TO, TO BRAND OURSELVES AND HELP THE COMMUNITY UNDERSTAND WHO WE ARE, WE FOCUS OUR SERVICES AROUND THAT RALLY FOR ARTS, MUSIC AND CULTURE, A RALLY FOR COMPLETE COMMUNITIES, WHICH IS DOING MORE OF THAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING, MIXED USE DEVELOPMENTS WORK, AND THEN ALSO THE CATALYTIC PROJECTS BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT A VARIETY OF PROJECTS HELPS TO CREATE A SUSTAINABLE ORGANIZATION SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO DO THESE TYPES OF PROGRAMS THAT FOCUS ON COMMUNITY BENEFITS.
SO FEW LEVELS DEEP THERE, APOLOGIES FOR ANY CONFUSION, HAPPY TO SIT AND, AND PROVIDE MORE DETAIL THE PACKAGE THAT WE ARE BRINGING FORWARD, UM, IN, IN HOPES OF HAVING MORE CONVERSATIONS WITH YOU DELIVERS IN THOSE DIFFERENT SPACES.
UM, SO CONTINUING TO TAKE WHAT WE'VE LEARNED, CONTINUING TO HONOR OUR STRUCTURE AS AN LGC, FOCUS ON REAL ESTATE AND FINANCE, UM, AND SUPPORTING THE CITY AS A PARTNER IN BEING ABLE TO MAKE MORE OF THESE PROJECTS HAPPEN IN AUSTIN.
CAN I FOLLOW UP? WE'RE REALLY RUNNING OUT OF TIME KI BUT CAN WE FOLLOW UP? OH, IT'LL BE REALLY QUICK.
I'M JUST, YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO MOVE QUICKER AND I'M JUST WONDERING IF YOU COULD, UH, REAL QUICK JUST SHARE WHAT IT IS THAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT YOUR PROCESS COMPARED TO, SAY, A CITY DEPARTMENT TAKING THIS MONEY.
I CAN IMAGINE IN SEVERAL WAYS, BUT JUST, YEAH.
HOW DO YOU BOTH BALANCE, YOU KNOW, UM, ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE VOTERS AND MOVING QUICKER? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
WE ARE ACCOUNTABLE FOR, FOR THE STATE STATUES, UH, WE, WE MUST COMPLY WITH DIFFERENT REGULATIONS FOR BEING ABLE TO SPEND THESE DOLLARS.
UH, SPENDING A HOT DOLLAR FOR, FOR THE CITY IS VERY SIMILAR FOR RALLY BEING ABLE TO DO IT.
WE'RE ABLE TO WORK WITH THOSE THAT WE CONTRACT WITH, UM, HOW QUICKLY WE CAN MEET THE MARKET.
UM, AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, BY HAVING MEGAN AVAILABLE, HARD WIRING, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN US AS AN EXTERNAL AGENCY AND THE CITY SO WE CAN MOVE AND BE MORE PROACTIVE IN NATURE.
UM, WE ARE INCENTIVIZED TO WORK THINGS MORE QUICKLY.
WE HAVE A TEAM THAT WAKE UP AND FOCUS ON THIS EVERY DAY, WHEREAS THE CITY IS RESPONSIVE TO NEW NEEDS, UM, AND CHANGES IN ADJUSTMENTS REGULARLY.
WE'RE ABLE TO BE VERY, REMAIN VERY FOCUSED AND DEDICATED ON SPECIFIC PROJECTS THAT WE'RE TASKED WITH WORKING.
AND THERE'S A NUMBER OF EFFICIENCIES WITHIN OUR OPERATIONS TO DO SO.
[3. Staff briefing from CPIO on the Bond Survey Results and Public Engagement Process.]
ON THE AGENDA STAFF BRIEFING FROM CPIO ON THE BOND SURVEY RESULTS AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS.AND IF I MIGHT JUST ASK IF YOU GUYS COULD, UM, NOT BE AS BRIEF AS POSSIBLE, BUT IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT'S, YOU KNOW, NOT CRITICAL TO THE, UH, PRESENTATION TO MOVE PAST IT.
[01:30:01]
SURE.JESSICA KING, A COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE.
UM, I AM HERE REALLY ONLY TO, UM, INTRODUCE LUCERO.
UM, AGA SHE IS WITH OUR COMMUNITY, UH, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TEAM WITHIN CPIO.
YOU GUYS ARE PROBABLY MORE FAMILIAR WITH MARION SANCHEZ, WHO IS BACK THERE, SAY HI, UM, AND WHO HAD A TREMENDOUS, UM, INVOLVEMENT WITH ACME'S ARTS CULTURE, MUSIC, ENTERTAINMENT, UM, ENGAGEMENT EFFORT.
SHE IS ON A SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT TO HELP THEM GET STOOD UP AND DO ALL THE WORK THAT THEY ARE DOING, THE WONDERFUL WORK THEY ARE DOING.
LUCERO HAS STEPPED UP TO SUPPORT, UH, LEADERSHIP IN THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, SO I AM GONNA JUST PASS THIS OVER TO HER.
SHE HAS BEEN WORKING ON THE BACKEND FOR QUITE SOME TIME FOR THE BOND, UM, TASK FORCE WORK AND THEN, AND THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ASPECTS OF IT.
SO SHE'S VERY FAMILIAR, DID NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEM GETTING HER UP AND RUNNING, UM, BUT I TRUST THAT SHE'LL BE ABLE TO GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE PRESENTATION.
SO ONCE AGAIN, MY NAME IS LUGA AND I WANNA SHARE WITH YOU SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE HEARD BACK FROM COMMUNITY.
FIRSTLY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE OUT ON THE WORK THAT WE LOVE DOING.
AND SO WITH THAT, I WANNA JUST GO THROUGH THE FIRST SLIDE.
ALL RIGHT, SO BRIEFLY, UM, WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH THE TIMELINE, OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS, STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS SURVEY, OUTPUTS, NEXT STEPS AND QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
SO THIS IS A TIMELINE THAT EVERYONE'S FAMILIAR WITH.
AND SO HERE WE ARE PRESENTING.
UM, AND WE'RE ALSO GONNA START TALKING ABOUT THE TOWN, TOWN HALL PLANNING AND COORDINATION.
UM, THE REST OF THE SLIDE DECK WILL SHOW YOU THE NEXT STEPS.
SO I WILL SKIP THROUGH THIS SECTION SO YOU CAN VIEW IT AT YOUR OWN TIME, BUT LET'S GO INTO THE GOOD STUFF.
SO THE OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS.
SO IN A PERIOD OF 26 DAYS, UM, WE WERE ABLE TO SEND OUT 248 INDIVIDUAL EMAILS.
UM, WE ALSO WERE PARTICIPANT IN 98 COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND EVENT POPUPS.
UM, 42 HOME REACH WERE, WERE REACHED LIKE VIA DOOR TO DOOR.
UM, ALSO 179 CONNECTIONS, UH, WITH HOAS AND UH, RENTERS GROUPS AS WELL.
UM, 69 LOCKED PHONE CALLS WERE INCLUDED.
UM, ALSO 27 SMALL GROUP CONVERSATIONS.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, THERE WAS 30, 30, 30,000 MULTILINGUAL POSTCARDS THAT WERE PRINTED.
AND SO THAT DISSEMINATION EFFORT WENT INTO GROCERY STORES, GAS STATIONS, EVERYWHERE, WHERE IS A HIGH TOUCH POINT FOR COMMUNITY.
AND SO FOR ALL OF THESE EFFORTS, WE WANNA THANK YOU BECAUSE I KNOW THAT YOU GUYS PLAYED A ROLE IN THIS AS WELL.
SO REALLY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CONTRIBUTING TO THAT.
THAT WAS, UH, A LARGE EFFORT THAT WAS DONE IN THE 26 DAY PERIOD.
WE ALSO HAD A MULTILINGUAL CAMPAIGN THAT WERE FOR DIGITAL PRINT BROADCAST AND SOCIAL MEDIA.
SO THIS EFFORT REALLY LED TO A VERY SUCCESSFUL ENGAGEMENT.
SUMMARIZING OF COMMITTEE PRIORITIES.
SO THIS IS LIKE AN EYE EXAM FOR ME BECAUSE THE TEXT BECOMES FAIRLY SMALL, SO ALLOW ME A SECOND.
ALL RIGHT, SO I WANNA SHARE BRIEFLY A LITTLE BIT OF THE METHODOLOGY.
SO THE SURVEY DESIGN WAS BUILT AROUND THE B DIFF DEFINED BOND CATEGORIES TO ALIGN WITH POTENTIAL PROJECT AREAS AND ENSURE CLARITY AND ACCESSIBILITY.
SO A LOT OF THE FRAMING IS REALLY MEANT TO REALLY HELP YOU GET CLOSER TO IDENTIFYING PRIORITY NEEDS.
THE SURVEY PERIOD WAS OPEN FOR 26 DAYS AND IT WAS AVAILABLE IN FOUR LANGUAGES WITH ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS, INCLUDING PLAIN LANGUAGE.
PUBLIC INPUT.COM WAS THE PLATFORM THAT WAS UTILIZED TO CONDUCT THIS SURVEY.
THE OUTREACH EFFORTS, AS MENTIONED, BUILT BEFORE, UM, INCLUDED POSTCARDS, MEDIA, A LOT OF THE EFFORTS THAT REALLY CONNECT WITH COMMUNITY.
AND THEN THIS LED TO A VERY SUCCESSFUL ENGAGEMENT OF 2002 PARTICIPANTS.
JUST FOR REFERENCE PROJECTS OF THIS SCALE YIELD TYPICALLY AROUND 800 PARTICIPANTS.
AND THAT IS ALSO IN COMPARISON TO OUR, YOU KNOW, SISTER CITY TO THE NORTH DALLAS HAS ABOUT 800 PARTICIPANTS FOR THIS SURVEY TO, TO HAVE 2002 RESPONSES, UM, IN A 26 DAY PERIOD.
WE'RE VERY HAPPY AND WE CELEBRATE ENGAGEMENT.
UM, 53 INDIVIDUAL RESPONSES, INCLUDING 1,634 OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS.
SO THE PROCESS MEANS THAT OUR DATA REVIEW, ALL DATA WAS MANUALLY DOWNLOADED AND REVIEWED.
[01:35:01]
RESPONSES WERE AI CODED USING CHAT DBT 4.0 AND THEN REVIEWED AND VALIDATED BY STAFF FOR ACCURACY.SO THERE WAS, ALL OF THIS DATA WAS REVIEWED BY FIVE INDIVIDUALS TO ENSURE THAT THERE WAS ACCURACY TO THE AI COMPONENT.
WE USE IT AS A TOOL, BUT IT'S NOT THE FINAL SOURCE OF HOW WE GATHER, UM, INSIGHTS.
SO WHO PARTICIPATED? MOST ZIP CODES WERE REPRESENTED WITH THE HIGHEST PARTICIPATION COMING FROM SOUTH AUSTIN, NORTHWEST AUSTIN, AND THE MILLER AREA HERE.
YOU SEE ALMOST LIKE A HEAT MAP, RIGHT? AND SO THIS HEAT MAP, UH, GIVES YOU REPRESENTATION OF THE ZIP CODES THAT PARTICIPATED.
THE AVERAGE RESPONDENT SELF-IDENTIFIED AS A WHITE, TYPICALLY A SINGLE FAMILY HOMEOWNER AGED 35 TO 44 WITH A HOUSEHOLD INCOME OVER 120,000 PER YEAR, LIKELY RECITING IN NEIGHBORHOODS SUCH AS SOUTH LAMAR MUELLER OR CENTRAL EAST AUSTIN.
SO WE HAVE A LIMITATION WHEN WE CONDUCT SURVEYS LIKE THIS, WE ENSURE THAT WE ARE GOING TO COMMUNITIES THAT WE DON'T SEE ENOUGH PARTICIPATION.
THIS HEAT MAP SHOWED US, UH, ZIP CODES THAT WERE NOT BEING ACTIVELY ENGAGED.
AND SO THIS ALLOWED US TO REALLY GO OUT PROACTIVELY TO THOSE COMMUNITIES.
AND WE SAW THIS HEAT MAP COME TO LIFE ENSURING THAT WE SAW A MORE ROBUST GROUP OF FOLKS PARTICIPATING FROM ALL ACROSS ALL 10 DISTRICTS.
BUT AGAIN, THIS IS AN OPT-IN SURVEY, RIGHT? SO WE PLACE OURSELVES IN COMMUNITIES WHERE WE'RE NOT SEEING ENGAGEMENT, BUT IT'S STILL UP TO THE COMMUNITY MEMBER TO PARTICIPATE AND TAKE THE SURVEY.
BUT OUR EFFORTS ARE THERE AND THEY CONTINUE TO DO A LOT OF OUTREACH AND, AND PUTTING OURSELVES THERE IN THOSE COMMUNITIES AND PROVIDING LANGUAGE ACCESS AND REMOVING BARRIERS FOR ENGAGEMENT.
THIS GAP ALSO HIGHLIGHTS A STRONG OPPORTUNITY FOR PHASE TWO OF OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLANS.
SO THE FIRST QUESTION ON THE SURVEY WAS AN OPEN-ENDED QUESTION.
SO WE ASKED COMMUNITY, WHAT IS THE GREATEST NEED AUSTIN HAS TODAY? AND ORGANICALLY FOLKS SAID, HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS LET THE CHART WITH 34% OF ALL RESPONSES.
TRANSPORTATION RANKED SECOND WITH 22%.
OTHER CONTAINS VARIOUS TOPICS, MANY RELATED TO THE COST OF LIVING, TAXES AND FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY.
IF YOU SEE BELOW THAT, IT'S PARKS AND PARKLAND.
AND I WANNA HIGHLIGHT THAT SECOND FROM LAST IT'S CLIMATE AND SUSTAINABILITY.
SO AGAIN, THIS IS AN OPEN-ENDED QUESTION.
SO IT'S THE FIRST STEP THAT PEOPLE TAKE WHEN THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE SURVEY.
AND WHAT INNATELY CAME TO THEM WAS HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS.
TRANSPORTATION OTHER FOLLOWED BY PARKS AND PARKLAND.
THE FOLLOWING STEP WE ADD, THERE IS A RANKING OF THE SUBCATEGORIES.
SO WE ASK RANK THE FOLLOWING SUBCATEGORIES IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE TO YOU.
TO THE LEFT OF THE COLUMN, YOU SEE THE BOND CATEGORY.
THESE ARE FAMILIARS TO YOU AS THESE KIND OF REPRESENT THE WORKING GROUPS.
SO WE HAVE HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS, COMMUNITY FACILITIES, PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITIES, FLOOD PROTECTION, WATER QUALITY AND PROTECTED LANDS, PARKS AND PARKLAND, AS WELL AS TRANSPORTATION TO THE RIGHT.
YOU SEE THE TOP RANK SUBCATEGORY FOR EACH, FOR HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS.
IT WAS NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS FOR COMMUNITY FACILITIES.
IT WAS PUBLIC HEALTH CENTERS, PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITIES, EMS STATIONS, FLOOD PROTECTIONS, WATER QUALITY AND PROTECTED LANDS.
IT WAS ACQUISITION OF ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE LAND PARKS AND PARKLAND.
IT WAS PARKLAND IMPROVEMENTS, TRANSPORTATION, IT WAS PEDESTRIAN AND BIKE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDING SIDEWALKS, BIKEWAYS, URBAN TRAILS, AND PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS.
I WANNA HIGHLIGHT THAT THIS LIST ONLY SHOWS THE TOP RANK CATEGORY.
THE SUB RANKING NUMBERS COME IN YOUR SUPPLEMENTARY DOCUMENTS FOLLOWED BY THAT.
WE ASKED WHEN THINKING ABOUT THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE PROJECT TYPES ABOVE, HOW IMPORTANT ARE CLIMATE AND SUSTAINABILITY TO YOU? SO HERE YOU SEE A STRONG SUPPORT, 81% FOR CLIMATE AND SUSTAINABILITY HIGHLIGHTS AND OVERLAP IN BOND CATEGORIES.
AS MANY COMMENTS ARE SUSTAINABLY SUSTAINABILITY RELATED, BUT NOT NECESSARILY CODED AS SUCH.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, ON THE THEMATIC DISTRIBUTION QUESTION THAT I SHOWED A FEW SLIDES BACK, CLIMATE AND SUSTAINABILITY DID NOT RANK HIGHLY AS A THEME.
LIKELY BECAUSE RELATED IDEAS LIKE BETTER BUSES, MORE PARKS AND FLOOD PROTECTION SUPPORT SUSTAINABILITY GOALS, BUT WEREN'T EXACTLY LABELED EXPLICITLY AS CLIMATE AND SUSTAINABILITY.
SO IT'S ALMOST LIKE SAYING THAT THESE THINGS LEAD TO SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE.
[01:40:01]
THERE WAS A BUDGET ALLOCATION EXERCISE.SO WE ASKED FOLKS, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE A HUNDRED DOLLARS, HOW MUCH WOULD YOU SPEND ON EACH OF THESE IMPROVEMENT CATEGORIES? THEIR RESPONSES SAID THAT TRANSPORTATION, IT WAS 19 POINT 82% HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS WAS 18.51%.
LET THE BUDGET DISTRIBUTION FOLLOWED BY PARKS AND PARKLAND MIRRORING THE THEMATIC DISTRIBUTION OF COMMONS.
THIS TIME TRANSPORTATION IS THE TOP RANKING CATEGORY INSTEAD OF HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS.
SO I'M GONNA GO BACK A COUPLE SLIDES 'CAUSE I WANNA SHOW YOU HOW THEIR RESPONSES ABOUT THE BUDGET ALLOCATION OF A HUNDRED DOLLARS EXERCISE MIRRORS EXACTLY THE VERY FIRST QUESTION THAT THEY WERE ASKED, RIGHT? SO AS THEY SAID THAT HOUSING, THAT TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS AND PARKS WERE THEIR PRIORITIES, THAT'S WHERE THEY REALLY ALLOCATED THEIR MONIES ON THE A HUNDRED DOLLARS EXERCISE.
NEXT, WE ASKED ABOUT TAX WILLINGNESS SUMMARY.
SO WE ASKED, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO PAY MORE IN TAXES TO SUPPORT THE CATEGORIES THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU? 30% OF PARTICIPANTS OPPOSED THE INCREASE IN TAXES WHILE 70% OR MOST UH, SAID THAT $10 WAS THE MEDIAN INCREASE.
$10, YEAH, $10 A MONTH WAS THE MEDIAN MORE THAN 20? I BELIEVE IT WAS LIKE A 20%.
I, I WOULD NOTE TOO THAT I DID A LITTLE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS AND THE AVERAGE WAS 12.
I ASSUMED THAT MORE THAN 20 WAS 25 AND THEN DID THE CALCULATION AND IT CAME OUT TO BE $11 AND 87 CENTS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO IT'S CLOSE TO $12 ON AVERAGE.
THE SECOND HIGHEST CATEGORY IS THAT PEOPLE WOULD PAY MORE THAN WOULD NOT BE THAT THEY WOULD, I'LL JUST CAVEAT BY THE, I WAS LOOKING AT THE RESPONDENTS THE AVERAGE, AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD INCOME IS 120,000.
I, I WOULD KEEP THAT IN MIND THAT THE SURVEY RESPONDENTS ARE IN A POSITION TO PAY MORE.
ALL RIGHT, SO KEY INSIGHTS AND FINAL TAKEAWAYS.
SO HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS AND TRANSPORTATION LED ACROSS RESPONSES AND BUDGET ALLOCATIONS.
CLIMATE IS A SHARED CONCERN ACROSS CATEGORIES.
EVEN WHEN NOT DIRECTLY MENTIONED.
THERE ARE MIXED REVIEWS ON PUBLIC SAFETY, BUT STRONG SUPPORT FOR EMS AND FIRE.
70% OF PARTICIPANTS WOULD SUPPORT A TAX INCREASE FOR TANGIBLE SOLUTIONS TO THEIR EVERYDAY PROBLEMS. SO OUR COMMITTEE ENGAGEMENT CONTINUES, AS YOU ALL KNOW, THERE IS STILL A PROJECT IDEA SUBMISSION FORM THAT'S OPEN AND IT'S GOING TO REMAIN OPEN UNTIL OCTOBER 31ST.
SO WE CONTINUE TO MAKE PEOPLE AWARE THAT THIS EXISTS AND WE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO SUBMIT THEIR PROJECT IDEAS.
UM, LASTLY, I'D LIKE TO ASK FOR YOU TO MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE SECOND WEEK OF SEPTEMBER AS IS WHAT IF WE HAVE IN MIND FOR OUR TOWN HALL MEETINGS? AND SO I'D LIKE TO JUST MAKE YOU AWARE THAT THE SECOND WEEK OF SEPTEMBER SEEMS LIKE THE, LIKE THE MOST FEASIBLE TIME TO CONDUCT IT.
WE WANNA BE ABLE TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF SPACE, UM, SOON AFTER IN CASE WE DON'T SEE ENOUGH PARTICIPATION TO SCHEDULE SOMETHING IF NEEDED.
BUT INITIALLY WE AIM FOR THAT SECOND WEEK, WHICH ALLOWS US ENOUGH TIME TO REVIEW AND BE ABLE TO CONSOLIDATE THE DATA THAT WE GATHERED FROM THAT.
YOU'LL BE RECEIVING SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS.
UM, YOU'LL GET A SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, WHICH HAS LIKE A HIGH LEVEL OF REVIEW PRESENTED IN DOCUMENT FORMAT, HIGHLIGHTING KEY INSIGHTS AND TAKEAWAYS FROM ENGAGEMENT DATA.
YOU'LL ALSO HAVE AN APPENDIX, A DETAILED COMPANION DOCUMENT FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN THE DEEPER DIVE.
IT INCLUDES THE COMPREHENSIVE GRAPHS, DATA VISUALIZATIONS, AND FULL EXPLANATION OF THE METHODOLOGY THAT WAS USED.
YOU'LL HAVE THE DATA TABLES, A CLEANED AND ORGANIZED VERSION OF THE MAIN DATASET FROM PUBLIC INPUT INCLUDING AI ASSISTED THEMATIC CODING USED FOR CHAT GPT-4 0.0.
SO IF YOU REALLY LIKE DATA, YOU'LL HAVE A LOT OF THAT.
AND THEN LASTLY, YOU'LL HAVE ACCESS TO THE PUBLIC INPUT DASHBOARD, WHICH PROVIDES ACCESS TO THE ORIGINAL DASHBOARD FOR FURTHER EXPLANATION.
SO THIS SHOWS YOU THE BACKEND OF THE PUBLIC DATA SURVEY AND THAT'S INTERACTIVE AND YOU'RE ABLE TO LOOK AT THAT AS WELL.
LASTLY, WE JUST WANNA REALLY THANK, UM, THE, FOR THE GUIDANCE AND THE SUPPORT FROM EVERYONE IN THIS GROUP.
CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES AS WELL AND CITY OF BOSTON STAFF THAT REALLY MADE A HUGE EFFORT IN GETTING THIS OUT TO COMMUNITY.
UM, AND THE 2000 AUSTINITES WHO JUST REALLY COMMITTED THEIR TIME TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS SURVEY.
SO WE'RE NOT DONE AND WE HOPE TO CONTINUE TO HEAR MORE FROM THE COMMUNITY.
MM-HMM
[01:45:01]
WHAT, WHAT'S GONNA BE SORT OF PRESENTED TO THE PUBLIC IN SEPTEMBER, WHAT THE FORMAT OF THAT IS, WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE ASKING THEM.SO I MIGHT JUST ASK THAT FRANCIS' COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UM, WORKING GROUP MAYBE, UM, GATHER AND, AND GET SOME MORE INFORMATION ON WHAT THOSE, WHAT IS YOUR MIC ON? I CAN HEAR YOU.
I THINK THAT THEY'VE BEEN PLANNING IT AND THEY'RE, I MEAN I DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS GONNA BE IN THE SECOND WEEK OF SEPTEMBER, SO I MEAN I HAVE NO ONE.
YEAH, I THINK IT'D BE VERY HELPFUL FOR US TO KNOW GIVEN THAT WE'RE TRYING TO SCHEDULE OUR PUBLIC OUTREACH AND MEETINGS, UM, IN AT THE SAME TIME.
AND I JUST WANNA BE ALIGNED ON WHAT YOU'RE ASKING SO THAT WE BE SURE THAT WE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR INFORMATION YOU'RE GATHERING.
UM, YEAH, SO OUR ASK IS THAT AS YOU RECEIVE THIS INFORMATION, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE SOME TIME TO PROCESS IT AND LOOK AT THE SUPPLEMENTAL DOCUMENTS.
THIS WILL REALLY GIVE YOU SOME INSIGHTS INTO NOT ONLY WHAT COMMUNITY SAID, BUT YOU CAN ALSO LOOK AT THOSE COMMENTS DIRECTLY.
UM, WE TOOK A CLOSER LOOK INTO JUST, NOT LIKE THE CONTEXT, BUT THE SUBTEXT OF WHAT PEOPLE WERE SAYING.
SO THERE WAS A LOT OF THOROUGH, YOU KNOW, EXPLORATION OF THE INFORMATION AND I IMAGINE YOU'RE GONNA WANNA DO THE SAME AS WELL.
SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE THOSE DOCUMENTS AND SOME TIME TO REVIEW IT.
UM, AFTER THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA HEAR BACK FROM YOU WHAT OUTSTANDING QUESTIONS YOU HAVE THAT COULD REALLY HELP GUIDE AND GET YOU CLOSER TO IDENTIFYING COMMUNITY PRIORITIES.
SO AFTER YOU LOOK AT THIS INFORMATION AND ALSO LOOK AT THE PROJECTS, ONCE YOU HAVE THOSE, I THINK ALL OF THAT INFORMATION COULD JUST REALLY HIGHLIGHT FOR YOU WHAT DO IT'S STILL OUTSTANDING THAT YOU NEED TO REALLY ENSURE THAT YOU'RE CAPTURING COMMUNITY VOICES.
FRANCIS, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? YEAH, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE SINCE, UM, IF, UH, THE ONLY QUESTION THAT I FEEL LIKE STILL IS HOPING IS IN THE MATERIALS THAT WE'RE SENDING, WE HAD TALKED ABOUT, AND THIS IS BEFORE YOU WERE IN THE EARLIER MEETINGS, WE TALKED ABOUT USING CITY OF AUSTIN NEWSLETTERS AND CHANNELS.
AND I HOPE THAT THAT LIST IN WHICH WAS USED IS GONNA BE SHARED BECAUSE I KNOW THERE ARE NEWSLETTERS THAT I'M ON THAT I WAS HOPING TO SEE INFORMATION ABOUT THE BOND THAT NEVER HIT THOSE.
AND SOME OF THOSE I KNOW THAT I'M ON ARE ON EAST AUSTIN.
SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THE RESULTS WHERE IT'S PREDOMINANTLY WHITE AND IT'S HIGH, UH, INCOME, I'M JUST WONDERING, I WANNA KNOW WHAT CITY OF AUSTIN ESTABLISHED CHANNELS WERE USED BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THAT IS ONE OF THE ONLY WAYS WE'RE ABLE TO REACH DIVERSE GROUPS IF THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE IN THE OTHER SPACES.
SO IF THAT'S NOT IN THE BACKUP, I'D LIKE THAT TO BE IN THE BACKUP AND THEN IF IT, THEY WEREN'T USED, I HOPE FOR THE PUBLIC MEETINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO USE THOSE CHANNELS TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE DIVERSE PEOPLE ACTUALLY GETTING THE MESSAGES ABOUT THE BOND.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, CHARLES? JUST A SPECIFIC REQUEST, I'D LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE STAFF LIST WHEN, IF THAT'S AVAILABLE, IS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC AND ADVERTISED BEFORE THE PUBLIC HEARING SO THAT THEY COME TO THE PUBLIC HEARING AS INFORMED AS POSSIBLE.
STAFF LIST OF, OF, UH, PROJECTS.
SO THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT STAFF HAS PROPOSED, WHAT IS ON THAT LIST AND WHAT'S NOT ON THAT LIST.
SO THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY AT THE PUBLIC HEARING TO COMMENT ON THAT.
WELL, DONALD, I MEAN ON THAT NOTE, I HAVE A FOLLOW UP IN THE, ARE ARE THESE THE TOWN MEETINGS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH, WITH OUR WORK? BECAUSE IF THEY'RE SCHEDULED FOR THE SECOND WEEK OF SEPTEMBER AND WE HAVEN'T RECEIVED ANY LISTS OF PROJECTS OR THE STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS OR THE CITY MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATIONS, I CAN SPEAK TO THAT.
UM, THERE IS A LIST AND MAYBE TWO LISTS, SORRY, I'LL CLARIFY THAT THERE IS OR TWO LISTS COMING OUT.
WE ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE THEM BY THURSDAY.
THEY ARE GOING VIA MEMO TO MAYOR COUNCIL AND THIS GROUP AND OTHERS I'M SURE WILL BE IN RECEIPT OF IT.
WE WILL GET A LIST THAT'S A MORE SORT OF A CURATED, MAYBE VETTED LIST.
AND THEN THE ENTIRE $10.4 BILLION IN NEEDS WILL BE A, AN ADDENDUM.
SO YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE THE WHOLE LAUNDRY LIST.
SO WE SHOULD HAVE THOSE TO, TO YOUR QUESTION OF THE HOW THAT IMPACTS THEIR MEETINGS, IMPACT OUR MEETINGS.
THAT'S A BIG QUESTION TO ME AND I'M HOPING THAT WE CAN GET COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FOLKS FOCUSED AND UM, I'M NOT, I'M NOT GONNA SKIP AHEAD BUT SOMETHING TO COME IN OUR, IN OUR NEXT ITEM ABOUT SCHEDULING OUR WORKING GROUP MEETINGS AND PUBLIC FACING WORKING GROUP MEETINGS.
[4. Discussion and possible action on implementation plan and schedule to develop BEATF recommendations for 2026 bond program]
GOT ABOUT FIVE MINUTES, SO UM, I'M NOT VERY OPTIMISTIC THAT WE ARE GOING TO FINISH ITEM FOUR, BUT ITEM FOUR ON THE AGENDA DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND SCHEDULE TO DEVELOP VTIF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE 2026 BOND PROGRAM.[01:50:01]
WE HAVE ONE, UH, MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC SIGNED UP TO SPEAK AND I'LL JUST PREFACE THAT BY SAYING, SO THIS ACTION ITEM, IF YOU GUYS WILL REMEMBER, YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED THE SLIDE DECK FROM UH, FRANCIS AND NICOLE PUT TOGETHER.THAT'S THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THAT ITEM.
AND I WILL TURN THIS OVER TO PUBLIC COMMENT.
THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR MEMBERS, I'M XENOBI JOSEPH, THE CHART IS NOT NECESSARILY FOR YOU TO ACTUALLY READ IT, BUT JUST AS A REFERENCE POINT, THERE WAS A 2010 BOND ELECTION MOBILITY BOND, $90 MILLION.
AND THE NAME ON THIS SLIDE IS ACTUALLY NADIA BARRERA RAMIREZ, WHO'S NOW AT CAPITAL METRO AND SHE WORKS ON THE BIKE PATHWAYS.
AND I JUST WANTED YOU TO RECOGNIZE WHY I AM OPPOSED TO THE BOND.
THE PROMISES HAVE BEEN MADE FOR NORTH LAMAR FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
SEGOVIA, WE AS A TASK FORCE ARE OBLIGATED TO SPEAK WHEN IT'S OUR TURN ON THE AGENDA.
OH WERE YOU ASKING ME? YOU NEED TO SPEAK TO THE ITEM FOUR.
THIS IS THE HISTORY OF THE BOND.
IS THIS NOT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE BOND? NO, THE AGENDA ITEM IS OUR GROUP'S PROCESS FOR DETERMINING THE PROJECTS THAT WE WILL RECOMMEND TO COUNCIL.
IF YOU HAVE THINGS TO SAY ABOUT THAT ITEM, PLEASE SHARE.
IT IS ABOUT THE ITEM MADAM CHAIR.
IT'S ABOUT SIDEWALKS AND UH, THE HISTORY IS RELEVANT.
WELL IT IS GERMANE BECAUSE THE FUNDING IS FOR A MOBILITY.
I I I AND THERE IS THE AGENDA ITEM IS TO DISCUSS OUR PROCESS THAT THIS GROUP IS GONNA ADOPT TO TALK ABOUT SIDEWALKS.
IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT THE PROCESS, WE'D BE HAPPY TO HEAR IT.
OTHERWISE WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO MOVE ON.
IT SAYS DISCUSSION POSSIBLE ACTION ON IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND SCHEDULE TO DEVELOP BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS.
THAT'S FOR THE 2026 BOND PROGRAM.
SO I'M ACTUALLY MAKING A RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE.
AND YOU'RE NOT FOLLOWING MY COMMENTS.
THE THE AGENDA ITEM AND SADLY I DON'T EVEN THINK WE'RE GONNA GET TO IT.
THE AGENDA ITEM IS TO HAVE THIS GROUP DECIDE THE PROCESS BY HOW OUR WORKING GROUPS ARE GONNA COME UP WITH RECOMMENDATIONS.
I HEAR YOU AND I RESPECTFULLY THIS PROCESS CONVERSATION.
I RESPECTFULLY APPRECIATE YOU CLARIFYING MADAM CHAIR, THIS IS WHAT THE PUBLIC SAW AND I READ TO YOU WHAT WAS ON THE AGENDA.
SO I AM MAKING COMMENTS THAT ARE GERMANE TO WHAT YOU HAVE POSTED FOR THE AGENDA.
BUT IF YOU WANT ME TO SPEAK TO YOUR PROCESS, THAT IS THE PROBLEM.
I MENTIONED IT DURING YOU SPEAK TO THE PROCESS, WOULD MENTIONED IT DURING PUBLIC COMMENT.
AND AS YOU ARE AWARE, I DID SEND A MEMORANDUM TO THE CITY CLERK.
SO THE PROCESS IS THAT IT'S OPAQUE.
IF YOU WANT INPUT FROM THE PUBLIC SPECIFICALLY, YOU NEED TO BE SPECIFIC RESPECTFULLY.
THERE IS A PAGE THAT SPECIFIES PUBLIC INPUT.
I SUBMITTED MY INPUT AND THE LIAISON SAID SHE WOULD NO LONGER PUT OUR INFORMATION IN BACKUP.
THAT'S NOT TRANSPARENTLY STATED ANYWHERE.
SO IF YOU DON'T WANT OUR INPUT, DON'T HAVE US COMPLETE SURVEYS TO TELL YOU WHAT PROJECTS WE WANT.
I AM GIVING YOU THE HISTORY TO TELL YOU THAT BLACK PEOPLE HAVE BEEN PROMISED IMMIGRANTS NORTH OF US 180 3 AND HISPANICS WHO ARE THE GATEWAY TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN LIVE IN THAT AREA.
AND SINCE 2010, THE $90 MILLION MOBILITY BOND, WE HAVE NOT HAD ANY RETURN ON OUR INVESTMENT.
SO FOR YOUR PROCESS, I WOULD ASK YOU TO INCLUDE THE HISTORY AND THAT HISTORY IS ON THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S WEBSITE.
AND THIS SLIDE BEFORE YOU SHOWS YOU THAT SPECIFIC SPREADSHEET, YOU CANNOT SEE THE TEXT, BUT I AM GIVING YOU THE POINT OF CONTACT.
NEXT SLIDE TELLS YOU AS WELL WHY WE NEED THE SIDEWALKS AND THAT THE CITY IN ITS OWN DOCUMENTATION ACKNOWLEDGE THE DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO AGREE WITH WHAT I'M SAYING, YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO LIKE IT.
BUT THE DATA IS THERE FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND IT IS ON PAGE 37 OF THE WALK BIKE ROLL AMENDMENT TO THE STRATEGIC MOBILITY, AUSTIN STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN.
THE NEXT SLIDE SHOWS YOU, AND THIS IS THE SIDEWALKS WE NEED GO BACK.
THIS IS WHERE I'M WALKING ON NORTH LAMAR CHINATOWN MIDBLOCK, WHERE PEDESTRIANS GET KILLED.
THIS IS WHAT WE ARE GETTING PLAIN GRAY SIDEWALKS.
YOUR PROCESS NEEDS TO INCLUDE WHAT OUTCOMES YOU HAVE DONE GEOGRAPHICALLY NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, AND WEST.
[01:55:01]
NORTHEAST AND WE HAVE BEEN TOLD APRIL 1ST, 2025, IF MORE MONEY COMES THEN WE CAN GET MORE IMPROVEMENTS.BUT FOR NOW IT IS JUST GONNA BE PATCHWORK SIDEWALKS.
SO YOUR PROCESS NEEDS TO INCLUDE THE HISTORY AND THE DISINVESTMENT AS THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS ACTUALLY SPECIFIED.
AND THIS SHOWS YOU THAT 70% OF THE METRO RAIL RIDERS ARE WHITE ACCORDING TO THE JANUARY 25TH, 2016 CAPITAL METRO ORIGINS AND DESTINATION STUDY.
AND THE INVESTMENT, YOUR PROCESS NEEDS TO INCLUDE THE RAIL VERSUS THE BUS.
BUT YOU NEED TO BE TRANSPARENT WITH THE NEED, NOT GIVE YOU INPUT BECAUSE IT'S A PROXY FOR RACE DISCRIMINATION.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL GO AHEAD AND ANSWER THEM AT THIS TIME.
MM-HMM
I DON'T KNOW IF WE'LL GET A CHANCE TO MOVE FORWARD.
IF YOU COULD GO TO SLIDE, OH, LET'S SEE.
IF WE GO TO SLIDE THREE REALLY QUICKLY.
WE'VE GOT A LOT OF BUTTONS OVER THERE.
THIS IS THE TIMELINE THAT, UM, WE WERE THINKING.
UM, I MEAN I WOULD, I HOPE IF THERE IS ROOM TO MOVE THE MEETINGS DOWN TO THE LAST WEEK OF SEPTEMBER, I THINK THE SECOND WEEK OF SEPTEMBER, THE SECOND WEEK OF SEPTEMBER IS REALLY EARLY AND SOMEONE WHO'S IN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UNLESS WE'RE PUTTING OUT THE NOTICES IN TWO WEEKS, UM, I THINK WE SHOULD TRY TO SEE IF WE CAN EXTEND THE MEETINGS TO THE END OF SEPTEMBER.
BUT I JUST WANTED TO SHOW THE REALLY IMPORTANT PART IS IF THIS IS JUST AN IDEA THAT NICOLE AND I AND KABA AND MARY TALKED ABOUT, IS THAT THERE IS GONNA BE SOME DESIRE BETWEEN NOW AND THEN A DECEMBER TO DO WORKING GROUPS.
BUT THE OTHER THING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IS THIS IDEA OF DOING AN INITIAL SELECTION EARLY ENOUGH SO THAT WE HAVE MONTHS TO WORK THROUGH.
AND SO THAT'S WHY WE WANTED TO, I JUST WANTED TO SHOW THAT REALLY QUICK.
YOU ALL CAN LOOK AT THAT ON YOUR OWN TIME.
BUT IF YOU COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
I THINK THIS IS THE PART THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IS THAT WE PROMISED TO BRING YOU TWO DIFFERENT IDEAS ABOUT HOW WE COULD DO THE CRITERIA SELECTION.
AND SO THERE WERE TWO IDEAS THAT CAME UP THAT WE KIND OF DISCUSSED THAT WE WANTED TO TALK THROUGH WAS THIS IDEA OF CREATE THE VALUES OF THE BOND PACKAGE FOR THE WORKING GROUPS THAT KIND OF CREATE THEIR CRITERIA BECAUSE YOU ALL ARE GONNA BE DOING THE NOT YOU ALL, WE ARE GOING TO BE DOING THE LIKE REALLY NITTY GRITTY AND KIND OF ALLOWING YOU ALL TO KIND OF DO THAT CRITERIA AND THEN HAVING CROSSCUTTING FILTERS THAT WE ALL CAN KIND OF AGREE ON.
LIKE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO THE CITY INFRASTRUCTURE TYPES, SHORT VERSUS LONG-TERM INVESTMENTS AND IMPACT AND POTENTIALLY THE OOEM COST.
I DO THINK SOME OF THAT MEANS THAT SOME OF THE CLIMATE AND THE SUSTAINABILITY DISCUSSIONS SHOULD HAPPEN IN THE WORKING GROUPS TOO BECAUSE I, WE TALKED ABOUT LIKE THAT'S ALSO NITTY GRITTY AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HADN'T DECIDED THAT WE WERE HOPING TO TALK ABOUT THAT PIECE, ABOUT WHETHER THAT SHOULD HAPPEN IN THE WORKING GROUP, THE THE CLIMATE PIECE OR IT SHOULD HAPPEN IN BOTH.
UM, AND THEN THE OTHER IDEA IS THAT WE COME AND THINK OF IT AS A GROUP AND THEN EVERYONE HAS TO USE THAT CRITERIA IN THEIR WORKING GROUPS.
THE HARD PART WITH THAT IS THAT OUR GROUPS ARE SO DIFFERENT AND WE JUST THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD TAKE US A LONG TIME TO FIGURE THAT OUT.
AND SOME OF THE WORKING GROUPS HAVE BEEN MEETING FOR MONTHS NOW AND MIGHT BE ABLE TO KIND OF COME TO CRITERIA FOR THEMSELVES SOONER EITHER WAY WITH OPTION ONE AND OPTION TWO, WE'D WANT THE CROSS-CUTTING FEATURES FILTERS AT THE END OF THE DAY BECAUSE THE IDEA IS THAT THE WORKING GROUPS WOULD DO A BUNCH OF THE WORK, KIND OF FIGURE IT OUT, THEN IT WOULD, IT WOULD COME BACK TOGETHER AND THEN WE'D FILTER IT OUT BASED ON THESE CROSS-CUTTING FILTERS.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF WE SHOULD VOTE ON IT TODAY, BUT WE NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT IT SO WE CAN JUST HAVE A ROBUST DISCUSSION BY NEXT TIME.
I THINK, UH, IN THAT CROSS CUTTING, 'CAUSE I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT.
I DON'T THINK WE'RE GONNA SQUISH TIME BECAUSE I THINK WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE CROSS CUTTING FILTERS.
THEY COULD BE MORE, IT COULD BE LESS.
BUT AT A BASIC RIGHT, I THINK THERE'S THOSE FOUR AND MAYBE THE IMPACT ON CLIMATE, UNLESS YOU HAVE IT ON THERE ALREADY.
WELL, I WANTED US TO TALK ABOUT THE CLIMATE PIECE, BUT WE AREN'T GONNA HAVE TIME FOR THAT TODAY.
UM, BUT YEAH, I THINK IT'S GOOD IDEA TO START THOSE IN THE, IN THE SUBCOMMITTEE DISCUSSIONS OF WHAT WE THINK KIND OF THOSE WOULD BUBBLE UP TO SO THAT WE CAN PREPARED WHEN WE COME TO THIS BODY.
SO IT'S NOT A BRAINSTORMING SESSION, IT'S MORE OF A COMPARE AND
[02:00:01]
CONTRAST WHAT EACH GROUP CAME UP WITH.YOU'RE SUGGESTING THAT THE OPTION ONE.
ANYBODY ELSE? RACHEL? WELL I WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT ALSO AND I'M WONDERING CAN WE NOT HAVE PRESENTATIONS OF THE NEXT MEETING SO WE CAN WE ARE DONE.
THE PRESENTATIONS AND WE WILL HAVE A LIST.
SO I'M REALLY OPTIMISTIC THAT THE NEXT 30, 60, 90 DAYS ARE MUCH MORE SUBSTANTIVE ON THE, ON THE QUESTION ON THE LIST.
UH, AND I KNOW WE'RE COMPLETELY OUTTA TIME, BUT I KNOW THERE'LL BE KIND OF A, I'M ASSUMING A SMALL LIST FROM CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE I ASSUME, OR OR SOME OFFICE THAT WILL COME TO US AND THEN THERE'S GONNA BE THIS GIANT LIST.
ONE I BELIEVE LAST I HEARD IS 3.4 SOMEWHERE IN THE $4 BILLION.
YEAH, I'M LOOKING AT MARCUS THREE.
$3.9 BILLION MORE, UH, CURATED.
I GUESS MAYBE THAT'S NOT THE RIGHT WORD, BUT MORE WORK HAS DONE ON, YOU KNOW, TO DEVELOP THAT AS MORE SHOVEL-READY, ET CETERA.
YEAH, BECAUSE I'M KIND OF LOOKING AT THE DELTA BETWEEN THE BURY ME AND PAPERWORK LIST AND THE, THIS IS WHAT WE THINK IS FEASIBLE, BUT I THINK THERE'S PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A DELTA IN THERE.
BUT I WOULD LIKE TO KIND OF AT LEAST BE FLAGGED SO THAT WE'RE NOT SPENDING OUR TIME DIGGING THROUGH THE BILLION DOLLAR BOX.
AND I ALSO WANNA PREFACE IT BY SAYING THAT I, I DON'T WANNA CHARACTERIZE THE 3.4 AS LIKE THESE PROJECTS ARE READY TO GO SHOVEL READY.
RIGHT? THERE'S STILL A LOT OF WORK BEING DONE IN THE $3.4 BILLION LIST.
SO DON'T, DON'T TAKE, DON'T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS I GUESS ABOUT THE, UM, VIABILITY RIGHT.
IT'S JUST THEY HAVE DONE MORE WORK ON THEM.
SO WE ARE, I HAVE BEEN, UM, REQUESTING REALLY STRONGLY
SO, UM, THE 3.4 IS THE BEST THEY'VE GOT IN TERMS OF WHITTLED DOWN AT THE MOMENT AND WORK WILL CONTINUE AND YEAH, JUST I, IT STILL SEEMS LIKE IT'S LIKE WE SHOULD GET IT ON THURSDAY.
UM, I DO FEEL LIKE I WILL AND I THINK THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING WORKING GROUP IS BEHIND ME THAT WE FEEL LIKE WE NEED TO OPT OUT OF THIS PROCESS IF WE DO NOT HAVE A LIST PRIOR TO PUBLIC INPUT COMING AT US.
SO I JUST WANNA STRONGLY SAY TO THE SHOULD I KNOW IT'S NOT YOU, BUT TO THE SHOULDS OUT THERE, LIKE IF WE DON'T GET THIS BY THURSDAY, WE DO NOT, OUR WORKING GROUP DOES NOT FEEL WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH ANY KIND OF SCHEDULE THAT IS PLANNED.
SO, AND, AND TO BE, TO BE CANDID, I HAD VERY CANDID CONVERSATIONS WITH MARCUS AND KARA WHO ARE SITTING HERE AND MY SUGGESTION WOULD BE THAT WAS TO THEM THAT IF WE DON'T HAVE THE LIST ON THURSDAY, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US SHOULD CONTACT OUR COUNCIL MEMBER AND ASK THAT SOMETHING HAPPENED TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
AND I TRUST THAT IT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
THEY'VE GIVEN ME A LOT OF ASSURANCES THAT WE'LL HAVE IT ON THURSDAY.
SO A FOLLOW UP QUESTION ABOUT THE WORKING GROUP, AND THIS IS COMING FROM OTHER PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN ASKING ME, AND MAYBE THIS IS PART OF WHAT WE NEED TO DISCUSS IS, ARE THESE WORKING GROUP MEETINGS PUBLIC? SO, UM, SOME OF THEM, YES.
AND YOU SHOULD HAVE ALL OF THE CHAIRS OF THE WORKING GROUPS SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED AN EMAIL LAST WEEK FROM STAFF WITH A REALLY GOOD SUMMARY OF HOW WE WOULD ROLL OUT THOSE PUBLIC MEETINGS AND SUGGESTIONS ON TIMELINE AND DEPARTMENTS THAT MIGHT COME PRESENT.
UM, I DON'T THINK THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF RESPONSE TO THOSE EMAILS.
SO AS SOON AS QUICK AS THOSE FOLKS WHO LEAD THOSE WORKING GROUPS CAN RESPOND TO, UM, UH, STAFF, WE WILL GET THOSE SERIES OF PUBLIC MEETINGS, UH, SET UP AND SO WE CAN INVITE EVERYONE BACK FROM THE PUBLIC TO COME DEPARTMENTS TO COME TALK IN DETAIL ABOUT THE THINGS ON THEIR LISTS.
SO THAT'S A LONG WAY OF SAYING YES,
UM, AND JUST, I KNOW THE, THE, THE ACTION ITEM IS TO VOTE ON THIS OPTION AND, AND I KNOW WE ARE GONNA HAVE ANOTHER MONTH BEFORE WE'RE BACK HERE TO START TALKING ABOUT THAT PROCESS.
I WOULD ENCOURAGE US TO START WORKING IN THE WORKING GROUPS, START TALKING ABOUT YOUR CRITERIA.
UM, WE CAN ALWAYS COME BACK IN AUGUST OR SEPTEMBER TO TALK ABOUT THE SORT OF THESE FILTERS AND THINGS, BUT, UM, I DON'T WANT US TO HESITATE ON GETTING STARTED IN THE WORKING GROUPS TO DEVELOP CRITERIA AND START TALKING ABOUT THOSE, UH, PROJECTS.
SO, UM, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO, UM, HIT THE GROUND RUNNING WHEN THOSE LISTS COME OUT ON THURSDAY.
UM, I GUESS I, I PERSONALLY THINK THAT IN ADDITION TO THE WORKING GROUPS DOING THEIR WORK, THAT WE SHOULD AGREE ON SOME CRITERIA THAT WE'RE AIMING FOR AS A, AS A BODY.
[02:05:01]
MY CONCERN IS THAT THE GROUPS ARE GONNA COME UP POTENTIALLY WITH VERY DIFFERENT CRITERIA THAT THEN WE JUST HAVE TO WORK THROUGH IT AT THE END.UM, SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT OTHERS THINK ABOUT THAT, BUT I THINK HAVING SOME GUIDING PRINCIPLES OR CRITERIA OR WHATEVER YOU WANNA CALL IT, SOMETHING THAT WE'RE AGREEING THAT WE'RE, UM, TRYING TO WORK TOWARDS, UH, FOR THE WHOLE PACKAGE, UM, AND THE PROJECTS WITHIN THE PACKAGE WOULD BE HELPFUL AT THIS STAGE.
AND I THINK THE OPTION ONE WAS TO AGREE ON SORT OF EITHER A VISION OR SOME OVERARCHING AGREEMENT ON, ON THE, NOT THE CRITERIA, BUT SOMETHING THAT'S A, UH, A WAY FOR US ALL TO BE SORT OF WORKING TO TOWARDS A COMMON, UH, GOAL.
AND I WOULD PROPOSE WE'LL PUT THAT BACK ON THE AGENDA FOR NEXT TIME TO SPEAK TO THOSE OKAY.
AND THEN, UM, IN TERMS OF MORE SPECIFIC CRITERIA, LET THE WORKING GROUPS GET STARTED ON THIS.
LEMME FIND MY, AND YOU HAVE MORE DISCUSSION ON THAT ITEM.
I KNOW WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME.
UH, FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. I THINK WE TALKED ABOUT A COUPLE OF THEM.
ANYONE HAVE ANYTHING SPECIFIC THEY WANNA ADD TO THE AGENDA FOR AUGUST? HEARING NONE, I WILL TAKE A MOTION.
YEAH, IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE FOR AUGUST, BUT I DO THINK WE NEED TO GET THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY, OR SORRY, THE OFFICE OF CLIMATE ACTION AND RESILIENCE.
UM, BACK IN, AGAIN, IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE AUGUST, BUT I WOULD, I WOULD LIKE TO GET THEM BACK AT THE TABLE, UM, FOR MORE I THINK FOR THAT OVERARCHING, UM, KIND OF GUIDANCE AS WELL AS SOME UPDATES ON SPECIFIC PROJECTS.
ONCE WE HAVE THE LIST, WE NEED THE LIST.
I'LL TAKE A MOTION TO ADJOURN.
ALL IN FAVOR OF ADJOURNMENT? YES, WE'RE ADJOURNED.