[00:00:02]
CALL TO ORDER THIS FRIDAY, AUGUST 8TH MEETING
[CALL TO ORDER]
OF THE MAYOR'S COMMITTEE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.UH, AND WE WILL START WITH, UH, ROLL CALL CHAIR KELLY HERE.
[1. Approve the minutes of the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities regular called meeting on July 11, 2025.]
UH, FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS WILL BE TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM THE, OUR LAST MEETING ON JULY 11TH, 2025.I WILL GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO APPROVE.
UM, SINCE I WASN'T AT THE MEETING, I'M GONNA ABSTAIN.
UH, THIS IS, UH, ELIZABETH MEYER.
THEN I THINK WE WILL START WITH, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT.
UM, SINCE THE, UH, COMMISSIONER, SINCE VICE CHAIRMAN MEYER IS ABSTAINING, THE MINUTES WON'T PASS.
SO WE'LL JUST HAVE TO PASS IT, MOVE IT ALONG TILL NEXT MEETING.
SO IS IT LIKE, BECAUSE THERE WEREN'T ENOUGH VOTES? OR IS IT BECAUSE IT WASN'T UNANIMOUS? THAT'S, THAT'S RIGHT.
SO, UH, SIX VOTES ARE REQUIRED IN ORDER TO PASS AN ITEM AND YOU CAN CERTAINLY ABSTAIN.
IT'S NOT NECESSARY TO ABSTAIN ON A MEETING THAT YOU DIDN'T ATTEND, BUT IF YOU HAVE, IF THAT'S YOUR PREFERENCE, YOU CAN CERTAINLY KEEP THAT ABSTENTION.
UH, YEAH, I'LL GO AHEAD AND KEEP IT.
WE'LL MOVE IT TO THE NEXT MEETING.
ALRIGHT, DO WE HAVE PUBLIC COMMENTS? NO CHAIR, NO ONE HAS SIGNED UP.
[2. Presentation from Jetal Bhakta, Pedestrian Crossing Program Manager, Transportation and Public Works and Sheida Carugati, Transportation Planning Engineer, DKS Associates regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Transition Plans for Pedestrian Crossings Program and Urban Trails Program. ]
WE'LL MOVE ON TO DISCUSSION ITEM ONE, PRESENTATION FROM JETTA BTA FROM THE PEDESTRIAN CROSSING, UH, OR FOR TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS, UM, AS, UH, THE PEDESTRIAN CROSSING PROGRAM MANAGER AND SHIDA KARA GOTTI, UH, TRANSPORTATION PLANNING ENGINEER, UH, REGARDING THE A DA TRANSITION PLANS.AND I'M SORRY IF I MISPRONOUNCE Y'ALL'S NAMES.
CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? YOU SURE CAN.
AS WE TRY TO GET USED TO WEBEX, I'M NOT USED TO, UH, WORKING THIS WAY, BUT, UM, THANKS AGAIN, COMMISSIONERS FOR INVITING US TO COME TODAY TO SPEAK TO YOU ABOUT OUR NEW EFFORT, THE A DA TRANSITION PLANS FOR PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS AND URBAN TRAILS.
MY NAME IS JET BACHTA PEDESTRIAN CROSSING PROGRAM MANAGER WITH TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS.
AND I'M JOINED HERE TODAY WITH OUR CONSULTING COLLEAGUE, SHEDA KATI TRANSPORTATION PLANNER WITH DKS ASSOCIATES.
UM, BEFORE WE JUMP INTO OUR PRESENTATION, I WANNA GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT THIS EFFORT.
WE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PUBLIC OUTREACH PHASE FOR OUR A DA TRANSITION PLANS.
AND, UH, WE HAVE ONE MAIN GOAL, UM, IN COMING HERE TODAY, OR ACTUALLY TWO MAIN GOALS.
ONE IS TO, UH, HELP US SPREAD THE WORD THAT WE DO HAVE A SURVEY ON, UM, A DA ACCESSIBILITY FOR PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS AND URBAN TRAILS.
AND THEN SECOND, UM, IF YOU HAVE ANY LOCATIONS THAT YOU HAVE, UM, EXPERIENCED ACCESSIBILITY CHALLENGES OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO'S A, UM, A PEDESTRIAN THAT HAS EXPERIENCED THESE TYPES OF CHALLENGES CROSSING STREETS OR AT URBAN TRAILS, WE'D LOVE TO COLLECT THOSE LOCATIONS HERE TODAY SO THAT WE CAN INCLUDE IT AS PART OF OUR STUDY.
UM, THIS EFFORT IS ACTUALLY POSSIBLE THROUGH A SAFE STREETS AND ROADS FOR ALL
[00:05:01]
20 24, 20 23 FEDERAL GRANT.UM, THIS BASICALLY MEANS THAT, UM, WE ARE UTILIZING FEDERAL DOLLARS TO DO THIS, A DA TRANSITION PLAN, AND WE'RE STUCK TO ESSENTIALLY, UH, A TIMELINE OF TWO YEARS TO COMPLETE THIS.
SO WE'RE CURRENTLY IN PUBLIC OUTREACH AND THEN, UH, WE'LL GO INTO, UM, COLLECTING THESE LOCATIONS AND ANALYZING THEM AND THEN JUMP FURTHER INTO, UH, DEVELOPING A DRAFT TRANSITION PLAN.
SO WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO SHEDA TO WALK US THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION.
UH, I AM SHEDA CARTI WITH DKS ASSOCIATES WORKING ALSO WITH ALTURA.
UM, TODAY WE'LL GO OVER JUST A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE TRANSITION PLANS THEMSELVES, THE GOALS AND THE TASKS FOR THIS PROJECT, AS WELL AS THE FOCUS AREAS OF ACCESSIBILITY, WAYS TO PARTICIPATE BETWEEN NOW AND AUGUST 15TH, AND THEN QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
SO I'M SURE ALL OF YOU ALL ARE FAMILIAR WITH WHAT THE A DA IS, BUT JUST IN CASE IT'S A CIVIL RIGHTS LAW THAT WAS SIGNED ON JULY 26TH, 1990, AS WE, UH, HEARD EARLIER TODAY.
AND THIS ENSURES THAT THERE ACCESS, THERE'S ACCESS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY AND IT REQUIRES PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE TO BE ACCESSIBLE.
SO HOW DOES AN A DA TRANSITION PLAN FIT INTO THIS? IT, IT'S A REQUIRED GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT THAT IDENTIFIES BARRIERS THAT MAKE IT HARD FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES TO ACCESS PUBLIC PLACES.
AND THIS INCLUDES PLANS AND TIMELINES FOR FIXING THESE BARRIERS AND IMPROVING THAT ACCESSIBILITY.
SO AN A DA TRANSITION PLAN BASICALLY HELPS CITIES LIKE AUSTIN OFFER SAFE AND FAIR ACCESS TO TRANSPORTATION FOR EVERYONE.
SO OUR SPECIFIC PROJECT PURPOSE ARE LOOKING AT, WE'RE LOOKING AT TWO SPECIFIC PROGRAMS FOR A DA TRANSITION PLANS, AND THAT'S FOR THE PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS PROGRAM AND THE URBAN TRAILS PROGRAM.
SO, OUR FOCUS AREAS FOR THE PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS ARE GONNA BE BARRIERS, LIKE MISSING PEDESTRIAN BUTTONS, PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS THAT ARE TOO FAST, LIKE THE, THE TIME BETWEEN WHEN THE WALKING SIGN COMES ON AND THE COUNTDOWN IS TOO SHORT, UM, MISSING OR FADED CROSSWALKS.
AS WELL AS, UM, RAMP RELATED THINGS LIKE NON A DA COMPLIANT RAMPS OR RAMPS THAT ARE CROSSWALKS THAT ARE POORLY ALIGNED WITH THE RAMPS, AS WELL AS OBSTACLES IN THE WAY OF THE ACTUAL CROSSING.
AND OF COURSE, UM, ANY MISSING CROSSWALK SOUND CUES OR MAYBE THEY'RE NOT LOUD ENOUGH AS WELL AS, UH, UNSAFE FEELINGS DUE TO VISIBILITY ISSUES LIKE LIGHTING OR OTHER VISIBILITY, UH, PROBLEMS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
UH, IN TERMS OF THE URBAN TRAILS, KIND OF SIMILAR, BUT YOU KNOW, MORE FOCUSED ON WHAT YOU GET OUT OF A TRAIL, AND THAT WOULD BE THINGS LIKE STEEP INCLINES, LACK OF SIGNAGE OR WAY FINDING, UH, CRACKED PAVEMENT, MISSING PEDESTRIAN RAILING.
I CAN THINK OF A FEW TRAILS MYSELF,
UH, NARROW TRAILS THAT ARE, THAT DON'T HAVE ENOUGH SPACE TO PASS IF YOU'RE WALKING SIDE BY SIDE.
OBSTACLES IN THE TRAIL AS WELL.
AND ALSO DARK CONDITIONS OR INSUFFICIENT LIGHTING ON TRAILS.
SO THESE ARE THE FOCUS AREAS FOR BOTH PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS AND URBAN TRAILS THAT WE'LL BE LOOKING AT.
BUT OBVIOUSLY IF YOU THINK OF SOMETHING ELSE THAT IS RELATED TO THE, TO THIS THAT WE DIDN'T THINK OF, WE WOULD ALSO LOVE TO KNOW THAT YOUR FEEDBACK OBVIOUSLY MATTERS TO SHAPING THIS A DA TRANSITION PLAN FOR THE CROSSINGS PROGRAM AND THE URBAN TRAILS PROGRAM.
AND WE'RE GONNA USE THIS FEEDBACK TO BASICALLY, UH, FURTHER IDENTIFY AREAS OF CONCERN BASED ON WHAT WE HEAR IN THE PUBLIC AND, YOU KNOW, MAYBE AREAS THAT COME UP OFTEN AS WELL AS PRIORITIZE LOCATIONS FOR INSPECTING AND IMPROVING THESE ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES.
AND THEN DEVELOP OUR RECOMMENDATIONS THAT REFLECT NOT ONLY OUR DATA AND WHAT WE FIND IN OUR ANALYSIS, BUT ALSO WHAT WE HEAR HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE.
SO WE DO HAVE A SURVEY OPEN AND UM, THAT'S THE MAIN WAY THAT WE ARE RECEIVING FEEDBACK FROM THE PUBLIC.
WE'VE DONE A COUPLE, WE'VE DONE AN OPEN HOUSE AND WE'VE DONE SOME IN-PERSON EVENTS, BUT THIS IS THE BULK OF HOW WE'RE GETTING OUR FEEDBACK.
THE FEEDBACK IS AVAILABLE, THE SURVEY, EXCUSE ME, IS AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH AND YOU CAN ACCESS IT@SPEAKUPAUSTIN.ORG
[00:10:01]
SLASH AUSTIN, ADA, UM, AUSTIN ADA, SP IF YOU WANT THE SPANISH VERSION THIS'S A VERY BRIEF SURVEY.IT'S JUST A COUPLE QUESTIONS ABOUT, UM, YOUR OWN CHALLENGES AND ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES AT PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS, MAYBE SPECIFIC CROSSINGS THAT YOU CAN THINK OF.
YOU CAN EITHER TYPE IT OUT OR PUT IT ON A MAP FOR US AND TELL US EXACTLY WHERE THAT ISSUE IS.
UH, SAME THING WITH, UH, URBAN CROSSINGS, AND THEN WE HAVE AN OPTIONAL BUT HIGHLY ENCOURAGED DEMOGRAPHIC SECTION OF THAT SURVEY.
SO LIKE I MENTIONED, OUR OUTREACH WILL BE ENDING AUGUST 15TH, SO THAT SURVEY IS GOING TO BE LIVE UNTIL AUGUST 15TH.
WE'VE DONE OUR OUTREACH, UH, STARTING IN LATE JUNE AND WE WILL BE ENDING IT NEXT WEEK.
WE'LL HAVE THE 50% DRAFT PLAN DONE BY THIS NOVEMBER, AND THEN THE FINAL PLAN ANTICIPATED FOR JUNE OF 2026.
DO YOU WANNA ADD ANYTHING JAL? NO, I THINK YOU COVERED IT.
UM, SO I THINK AS SHEDA MENTIONED, LIKE WE'RE IN OUR PUBLIC OUTREACH PHASE RIGHT NOW, SO THE INFORMATION THAT WE COLLECT IN THIS MEETING AND ALL OF THE OTHER OUTREACH EFFORTS WE'VE HAD, UM, WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL A DA TRANSITION PLAN.
UM, IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS OR WOULD LIKE HELP FILLING OUT THE SURVEY, YOU CAN ALWAYS REACH OUT TO US, UM, AT MOBILITY BONDS@AUSTINTEXAS.GOV OR 5 1 2 9 7 4 2 3 0 0.
AND THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION.
PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR LOCATIONS THAT YOU'D LIKE US TO CONSIDER.
UH, I HAVE, I'D LIKE TO START WITH THE QUESTION IF NO ONE ELSE WANTS TO GO FIRST.
UM, SO YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE DOING THIS, UH, YOU'RE, YOU'RE HAVE THIS SURVEY OPEN.
UM, I WANTED TO ASK, ARE YOU DOING ANY KIND OF INDEPENDENT, UH, EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT SITES ABSENT, UH, SURVEY SO THAT YOU GET DATA POINTS THAT AREN'T JUST WORD OF MOUTH RELATED? I MEAN, MY, MY CONSIDERATION OR CONCERN WOULD BE THAT BY BASING IT ON A SURVEY THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE SELF-SELECTING FOR A CERTAIN POPULATION AND, YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE THAT ARE LOW MEANS DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO COMPUTERS AND THAT SORT OF THING ARE GONNA BE LESS LIKELY TO PARTICIPATE IN A SURVEY.
YEAH, IT'S A TWO-PRONGED APPROACH.
UH, THE FIRST IS WE'RE HOPING TO COLLECT THOSE LOCATIONS THAT WE ARE HEARING FROM THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS OF WHERE THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE ACCESSIBILITY IMPROVEMENTS.
AND THEN WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON THE BACKEND, UH, WITH SOME ANALYSES OF WHERE PEDESTRIAN GENERATORS ARE, IF THEY'RE LOCATED NEAR SCHOOLS LIKE THE TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED, FOR EXAMPLE.
UM, AND TAKING INTO ACCOUNT LIKE, UM, BUS STOPS AND PARKS AND OTHER LOCATIONS THAT FOLKS MAY BE TRAVELING TO.
ONE AREA THAT I KNOW WE HAVE HEARD A, A DECENT AMOUNT ABOUT AND I, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER OR NOT IT'S ONE OF THESE, THESE PROBLEM AREAS, BUT THE KIND OF NORTH LAMAR AREA IS, YOU KNOW, POSES A LOT OF ISSUES FOR, UH, INDIVIDUALS WITH MOBILITY ISSUES GETTING AROUND.
UM, SO, SO THAT MIGHT BE ONE PLACE TO, TO EXAMINE TO SEE IF THERE COULD BE ANY IMPROVEMENTS THERE.
YOU ARE NOT THE FIRST TO BRING THAT UP, SO YES.
YEAH, PEOPLE HAVE DEFINITELY MENTIONED NORTH LAMAR JUST YESTERDAY.
I'M WONDERING, UM, IS THE FEDERAL FUNDING FOR A PLAN OR FOR ACTUALLY MAKING THE CHANGES? IT'S ACTUALLY JUST FOR THE A DA TRANSITION PLAN.
SO, UM, BASICALLY WE ARE ABLE TO COLLECT THESE LOCATIONS, GO OUT INTO THE FIELD AND EVALUATE THEM AND THEN COME UP WITH SOME COST ESTIMATES AND A SCHEDULE TO ELIMINATE THOSE BARRIERS TO ACCESS, UM, AND THEN IDENTIFY HOW MUCH THOSE IMPROVEMENTS WOULD COST.
BUT UNFORTUNATELY, UM, IT DOES NOT ACTUALLY HAVE FUNDING TIED TO IT TO MAKE THOSE IMPROVEMENTS.
BUT AS FUNDING BECOMES AVAILABLE, WE CAN THEN TARGET THOSE LOCATIONS AND KNOW WHICH ONES WE NEED TO, UM, REACH FIRST.
IT, WOULD THIS BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE PART OF THE BOND PACKAGE IN 2026? UM, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT.
I KNOW WE HAVE RECOMMENDED FUNDING OVERALL FOR THE PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS PROGRAM.
UM, AND CERTAINLY ANY PEDESTRIAN CROSSING THAT WE DO SHOULD BE A DA ACCESSIBLE.
UM, SO IN THAT CASE, YES, BUT THE ONES THAT DO HAVE BARRIERS, THAT'S SOMETHING I'LL HAVE TO CHECK ON AND GET BACK TO YOU ON.
JUST THINKING OF PERHAPS PRIORITIZING
[00:15:02]
SOME OF THESE A DA CROSSINGS IN, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER MONEY IS AVAILABLE FOR, UH, STREET CROSSINGS.SO I'LL ALSO ADD, OH, EXCUSE ME, GO AHEAD.
I'LL ALSO ADD THAT THERE IS ALSO AN IMPLEMENTATION PART OF THE SAFE STREETS FOR ALL GRANT, THAT THEN ONCE THESE PROJECTS ARE IDENTIFIED IN A PLAN AND HAVE, UM, COST ESTIMATE, YOU CAN ALSO GO AND, UH, UH, APPLY FOR IMPLEMENTATION GRANT FUNDING IN THAT PARTICULAR SINGULAR SOURCE AS WELL UNTIL, I BELIEVE 2026 OR 2027.
SO WE WOULD CONSIDER ANY OTHER FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES THAT COME UP AS WELL, UM, AS THEY BECOME NOTICEABLE TO US OR LIKE WE BECOME AWARE OF ANY OTHER FUNDING OPTIONS.
AND SO RIGHT NOW, ARE THERE ANY CONCRETE PLANS OR IS IT PART OF YOUR WORKING GROUP'S MISSION TO IDENTIFY SOURCES OF FUNDING AND ACTUALLY GET THAT GOING? I MEAN, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE YOU THE, THE MONEY IS FOR WHAT IT IS AND YOU CAN'T CHANGE THAT.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES THESE PROGRAMS, UH, WE, WE DO THESE DETAILED HELPFUL STUDIES WITH, WITH THE CITY'S PARTNERSHIP AND WITH GRANTS AND THEN, YOU KNOW, ULTIMATELY WE'RE NOT ABLE TO SECURE FUNDING.
SO MY, MY QUESTION WAS JUST ARE THERE, ARE THERE CONCRETE PLANS TO SECURE FUNDING OR IS IT JUST KIND OF, YOU'LL YOU'LL APPROACH IT WHEN, WHEN YOU GET THERE? YEAH, WE ARE, WE HAVE APPLIED FOR SS FOUR A 2025.
UM, SO THAT COULD BE A POTENTIAL OPTION IF WE DO GET AWARDED.
UM, HOWEVER, AT THIS STAGE WE NEED THE PLAN FIRST, UM, TO IDENTIFY WHAT THOSE LOCATIONS ARE AND COME UP WITH THOSE ESTIMATES.
BUT TYPICALLY THAT'S NOT THE ONLY WAY.
WE ALSO ADDRESS ACCESSIBILITY NEEDS.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF ANY PROJECT SHOULD EMERGE WHERE A LOCATION WHERE AN A DA ACCESSIBILITY, UM, IMPROVEMENT HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED, THAT WOULD AUTOMATICALLY BE INCORPORATED AS PART OF THAT PROJECT EFFORT AS WELL.
SO WE HAVE MULTIPLE DIFFERENT, UH, FORMS OF APPROACHING AND TARGETING A LOCATION FOR IMPROVEMENTS.
I MEAN, IF IT'S NOT LIKE AN OPEN-ENDED FUNDING THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO HAVE THE PLAN FIRST BEFORE YOU, YOU KNOW EXACTLY HOW MUCH YOU'RE GONNA NEED.
ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU BOTH FOR JOINING US AND THANKS FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
THIS SEEMS LIKE A, A GREAT PROGRAM AND WE HOPE THAT, UH, YOUR STUDY GOES SMOOTHLY AND, UH, WE'LL CERTAINLY PROMOTE THAT TO THE COMMUNITIES WE'RE IN TOUCH WITH.
ALRIGHT, SO NEXT DISCUSSION OR NEXT
[3. Update from the Joint Inclusion Committee representatives on the work of the committee from the July 2025 meeting.]
DISCUSSION ITEM WOULD BE UPDATE FROM THE JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVES.THAT WOULD BE COMMISSIONER CHANG SINCE I WAS NOT AT THE JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE MEETING.
UM, SO WE HAD TWO, UH, MEETINGS IN JULY, UH, JULY 11TH SPECIAL MEETING AND JULY 25TH.
UM, SO ON JULY 11TH, UM, WE APPROVED A RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL REGARDING PROTECTING AND SUSTAINING LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND THAT RECOMMENDATION I JUST SENT TO NET CABLE AND, UM, SO THAT THAT CAN BE SHARED, UM, SINCE THAT WAS PASSED.
AND, UM, I REQUESTED A FUTURE ITEM AND PRESENTATION FROM, UM, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH AND KEPT METRO TO DISCUSS FUNDING FOR TRANSPORTATION.
UM, DURING THE JULY 25TH MEETING, WE DID PASS THE MINUTES FOR THE JULY 11TH MEETING AND, UM, DISCUSSED AN ADDITIONAL OFFICER ROLE FOR THE JIC, POSSIBLY A SECRETARY OR, UM, A POSITION OF A DIFFERENT NAME THAT, UH, HASN'T BEEN FINALIZED.
SO THAT'S STILL, UM, BEING DISCUSSED FURTHER.
UH, WE ARE ALSO, UM, PROMOTING, TALKING ABOUT PROMOTING, UH, KNOW YOUR COMMISSION'S VIRTUAL SESSIONS, SO THAT INFORMATION, UM, I CAN ALSO SHARE THAT WAS, UH, SHARED BY THE, UM, LIAISON FROM THE EQUITY OFFICE.
UM, WE ALSO HAD A, A LENGTHY DISCUSSION ON BUDGET TOWN HALLS AND HOW DIFFERENT IDEAS TO PROMOTE THEM.
SO, UM, MULTIPLE IDEAS TO COME UP.
SO I WILL SHARE, UM, ONCE THAT THE MINUTES HAVE BEEN APPROVED FOR THAT.
UM, IF ON SOME IDEAS THAT, UH, WERE PROPOSED AND OR ACTUALLY I WILL JUST SHARE THAT BECAUSE THAT THAT CAN BE DISCUSSED.
UM, AND, UM, WE DID, UH, TALK ABOUT APPROVING
[00:20:01]
A RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL, UH, REGARDING PROPOSED EXPANSION OF AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT'S OFFICE OF THE COMMUNITY LIAISON ONE WHERE, UM, JOINT INCLUSION COM UM, COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN PROVIDE FEEDBACK FROM OUR HOME COMMISSIONS.SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT, UM, WE'D HOPE TO DISCUSS FURTHER ONCE WE HAVE A, UM, ONCE YOU INVITE A MEMBER OF THE OFF, UM, THE OFFICE OF THE COMMUNITY LIAISON TO COME IN AND, UH, BECAUSE OF THE POSSIBLE BUDGET IMPLICATIONS AND POLICE CONTRACT.
WE'RE JUST THAT THERE ARE MULTIPLE FACTORS THAT, UM, WE KNOW THAT WE CAN'T NECESSARILY, UH, I MEAN YEAH.
SO THAT'S STILL UP FOR DISCUSSION, UM, IN FUTURE MEETINGS.
AND I BELIEVE THAT WAS, UH, IT, BUT, UM, DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? YEAH, I'M, I'M, I'M REALLY INTERESTED TO HEAR WHAT THE, THE PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS HAVE TO SAY BECAUSE FROM WHAT I GATHERED WHEN TALKING A LITTLE BIT TO THE CITY WAS THAT AS FAR AS LOSING FEDERAL GRANTS, THAT'S GONNA BE ONE OF THE HARDEST HIT AREAS IN, IN AUSTIN.
SO I THINK THAT DEFINITELY MAINTAINING THAT FUNDING IS GONNA BE REALLY KEY TO MAKING SURE THAT ALL, ALL OUR POPULATIONS GET, YOU KNOW, THE, THE HEALTHCARE THAT THEY NEED.
YES, I, UM, WE ARE, UM, THEY STILL DON'T KNOW WHICH LINE ITEMS IN THEIR BUDGET ARE, UM, GOING TO BE CUT.
SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THEY SAID THAT THEY WOULD, UH, PROVIDE AN UPDATE IN A FUTURE MEETING.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE UPDATE.
UM, DOES, DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR COMMISSIONER CHANG? OKAY, THANK YOU.
[4. Update regarding the most recent meeting of the Austin Transit Partnership Community Advisory Committee.]
ON, WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT DISCUSSION ITEM, WHICH I UPDATE REGARDING THE MOST RECENT MEETING OF THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE.I, UH, UM, I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH.
UH, WE DIDN'T, WE USUALLY MEET THE DAY BEFORE THIS MEETING, BUT THIS MONTH FOR SOME REASON IT WAS SWITCHED A LITTLE BIT.
SO WE'RE GONNA MEET NEXT WEEK.
SO I DON'T HAVE AN UPDATE RIGHT NOW.
[5. Update from the October 2025 AWEbility Festival Working Group on their most recent meetings and accomplishments.]
THE WORKING GROUP UPDATES.THE UPDATE FROM THE OCTOBER 25, A ABILITY FESTIVAL WORKING GROUP, WE HAD FOUR PARTICIPANTS, THE COLLECTIVE OF TEXANS WITH DISABILITIES.
WE WILL BRING TWO SHORT MOVIES, THE A SL PERFORMANCE, THE MUSIC, THEY HAVE SEVERAL DIFF DISABILITY GROUPS THAT WILL BE DOING THAT, THAT FIT WITH THE MOVIE.
SO THE SHORTS ALL FIT WITH THAT.
UM, LIVE PERFORMANCES AND MOVIES, UH, ADAPTIVE OF TEXAS, SOME OF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HAVING A BOOTH, A TABLE, AND SO THAT CAN HAPPEN AS WELL.
I SPOKE WITH THE OFFICE OF EQUALITY AND INCLUSION, UH, CIVIL RIGHTS EQUITY AND, OH, WHAT IS THE OTHER ONE? HUMAN RIGHTS, ANA
THE TWO OF THEM I THINK HAVE 10,000 AVAILABLE FOR NEXT YEAR.
THE COMMITTEE, OH, WE ALSO, WE NEED, UM, CONTACT FOR THE COUNCIL TO SEE ABOUT THEIR SUPPORT.
UM, WE'VE SENT OUT AN EMAIL, BUT WE REALLY NEED EVERY COMMISSION TO BE INVOLVED.
IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION, PLEASE SHARE THAT WITH US.
MY COMMITTEE SAID WE'RE LOOKING FOR DIFFERENT KINDS OF SPONSORS, DIFFERENT KIND OF SUPPORT.
WE WILL ANNOUNCE A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE TEXAS GOVERNOR, THE COMMISSION.
UM, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A PROPOSAL TO SEE HOW THAT GOES.
AND THEN FOR THE GROUP, WE NEED TO REPLACE COMMISSIONER CHANNING, WHO DOES NOT
[00:25:01]
HAVE TIME WITH COMMISSIONER SLADE.IF YOU'RE STILL INTERESTED, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
AND THEN WORKING WITH, UM, YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES, SAVANNAH ARIMA WANTS TO JOIN THE WORKING GROUP AS WELL, BUT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
WE HAVE A BUDGET, WE DON'T HAVE A BUDGET PLAN YET.
SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP MAKE SURE THAT WE, YOU KNOW, HAVE A FULL VIEW OF THE MONEY, WHAT WE NEED TO DO, AND WE NEED IT TO BE ACCESSIBLE, THE INFRASTRUCTURE, SO WITH MARKETING AND WE WANT IT TO BE EQUITABLE.
SO I FEEL, I FEEL VERY POSITIVE THINGS ARE GOING ALONG WELL.
UM, BUT WE CAN SHOW HOW WE CAN BENEFIT WITH MORE SUPPORT FOR NEXT YEAR AS WELL.
I'M A LITTLE BIT AWKWARD WITH THAT, BUT WE'RE JUST CONTINUING TO WORK.
WE HAVE A FEW SPONSORS COMING, SO THAT'S GOOD.
UM, BUT ANY COMMENTS WOULD BE APPRECIATED.
EVA, DO WE NEED TO, UH, ADD THAT AS AN AGENDA ITEM TO ADD PEOPLE TO THE WORKING GROUP? IT'S AGENDA ITEM EIGHT.
YEAH, I THINK, WE'LL, WE'LL ALL BE THINKING ABOUT WAYS THAT WE CAN HELP, AND ESPECIALLY WITH THE SPONSORSHIP.
'CAUSE I KNOW, YOU KNOW, THE, THE BIGGEST HURDLE WITH THESE SORT SORTS OF THINGS IS GONNA BE THE MONEY
YES, I OFFERED TO HELP WITH FUNDRAISING STRATEGY, BUT I, I DIDN'T HAVE THE CAPACITY TO, WITH THIS EVENT COMING UP IN A FEW SHORT MONTHS.
I, I DON'T HAVE THE CAPACITY TO, UM, AND, AND THAT SORT OF THING.
SO HAPPY TO, YOU KNOW, COME UP WITH A PLAN ADVICE.
BUT I I, I AM VERY SORRY, BUT I JUST DON'T HAVE THAT BANDWIDTH TO DO THAT FOR THIS YEAR'S EVENT.
NO, THAT'S TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE.
I MEAN, UH, NO, AND I'M HAPPY THAT YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO HELP US SO FAR, MISSIONING.
I MEAN, THAT, THAT'S AN ACT, THAT'S A JOB, YOU KNOW,
SO, BUT WE APPRECIATE YOUR WORK ON IT SO FAR.
UH, ANY OTHER COMMENTS FOR THE WORKING GROUP AND COMMISSIONER ANO? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE.
[6. Formation of a working group regarding the expansion of therapeutic recreation program access and the creation of budget recommendations for therapeutic recreation programs within the Austin Parks and Recreation Department.]
ON TO DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS. FORMATION OF A WORKING GROUP REGARDING THE EXPANSION OF THERAPEUTIC RECREATION PROGRAM ACCESS AND THE CREATION OF BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THERAPEUTIC RECREATION PROGRAMS WITHIN THE AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT.AND I BELIEVE THIS IS COMMISSIONER VA'S, UH, ITEM.
UM, YEAH, I'M VERY INTERESTED IN THIS.
WE HAD A WOMAN AND HER SON, I BELIEVE, SPEAK TO THE COMMISSION, UM, A MONTH OR SO AGO.
I DON'T KNOW THAT MUCH ABOUT IT, BUT I'M VERY INTERESTED.
ONE OF THE REASONS I'M INTERESTED IS THERE'S NOT A LOT OF, UM, SUPPORTS AND ACTIVITIES FOR ADULTS, UM, WITH DEVELOPMENTAL AND INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES.
SO, I DON'T KNOW, COMMISSIONER, IF THE BEST THING WOULD BE TO FIRST GET A PRESENTATION FROM THE PARKS DEPARTMENT.
SO WE ALL KIND OF LEVEL THE KNOWLEDGE OF THIS.
AND THEN I AM INTERESTED IN DOING A WORKING GROUP, BUT I DO THINK MAYBE THE NEXT STEP WOULD BE ASKING FOR A PRESENTATION FROM PARKS AND REC ON THE THERAPEUTIC RECREATION PROGRAM.
SO FOR TIMELINE, YOU THINKING WE COULD TRY AND GET THEM AT THE NEXT MEETING AND THEN THE MEETING AFTER THAT? OR YOU THINK WE SHOULD JUST FORM THE WORKING GROUP THAT MEETING? I THINK WE SHOULD FORM THE WORKING GROUP AT THAT MEETING.
I'M, I'M HAPPY TO PROCEED WITH THAT.
NICK KEBAR, ARE WE ABLE TO REACH OUT TO THE PARKS DEPARTMENT? YES, WE CAN.
[7. Formation of a Budget Working Group to discuss and create recommendations about the committee’s budget priorities.]
FORMATION OF A BUDGET WORKING GROUP TO DISCUSS AND CREATE RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT THE COMMITTEE'S BUDGET PRIORITIES.UM, AS YOU KNOW, UH, THIS IS SOMETHING
[00:30:01]
WE JUST HAVE TO DO EVERY YEAR, WAS WE COME UP WITH THE, THE BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS.IT'S BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T NECESSARILY COME UP WITH THE AMOUNTS, WE'RE JUST, UM, ADVISING THE COUNCIL ON WHAT WE BELIEVE THEY SHOULD FUND FOR THE NEXT BUDGET YEAR.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, AND, AND PRIOR TO SOMETIMES WE'VE GOTTEN STARTED ON THIS A LITTLE BIT LATE, SO WE'RE GONNA TRY AND GET A, A HEAD START ON IT.
SO I WOULD, IDEALLY WE CAN GET LIKE THREE PEOPLE OR FOUR PEOPLE ON THIS MAYBE.
UM, SO WE CAN DIVIDE IT UP A LITTLE BIT BETTER AND BRAINSTORM AND THEN COME BACK TO THE, THE LARGER GROUP AND, AND DECIDE ON WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO RECOMMEND.
UM, SO I WOULD LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND MOVE, UH, OH, SORRY.
DOES ANYONE ELSE WANNA TALK ON THIS FIRST? OKAY.
UH, THEN I'D LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO FORM A BUDGET WORKING GROUP, UH, TO DISCUSS AND CREATE RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT THE COMMITTEE'S BUDGET PRIORITIES.
AND SO THIS WOULD BE FOR THE PURPOSE OF INFORMING NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET WITH THE COUNCIL.
AND SO CAN, UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR RAISE YOUR HANDS OR SAY AYE? AYE.
UH, AND PROCEDURALLY, DO WE JUST HAVE VOLUNTEERS OR DO WE HAVE TO VOTE ON EACH MEMBER? I DON'T REMEMBER.
WE CAN JUST ADD THE MEMBERS ON AND THAT WILL JUST COUNT WITH THE VOTE OF THE APPROVAL.
I'LL, I'LL VOLUNTEER TO BE ON THAT.
I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO VOLUNTEER AND I'M ALREADY SERVING ON THE BUDGET WORKING GROUP FOR JIC AS WELL.
I AM HAPPY TO VOLUNTEER AS WELL.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S THREE PEOPLE.
AND THEN WE CAN MAYBE THINK ABOUT IT AT THE NEXT MEETING IF ANYONE ELSE WANTS TO JOIN.
ALRIGHT, SO WE GOT THREE MEMBERS FOR A BUDGET WORKING GROUP.
UH, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY THAT WON'T, WE'RE STARTING ENOUGH IN ADVANCE.
THAT PROBABLY WON'T BE TOO HEAVY A LIFT FOR US.
UH, AND THEN, SO THAT BRINGS US TO NUMBER EIGHT, WHICH IS A PROVEN
[8. Approve an update to the membership of the AWEbility Festival Working Group.]
UPDATE TO THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE ABILITY FESTIVAL WORKING GROUP.UH, SO I BELIEVE THAT'S TO REMOVE COMMISSIONER CHANG.
AND THEN, UH, IF COMMISSIONER SLATE IS INTERESTED, ADD COMMISSIONER SLATE.
IS THAT RIGHT? YES, THAT'S CORRECT.
UH, SO IF THAT'S, IF THOSE ARE THE ONLY CHANGES WE NEED, THEN I'LL GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO APPROVE THE, OH, SORRY, GO AHEAD.
THE WOMAN NAMED SAVANNAH HAMA, SHE IS RESPONSIBLE, SHE'S A, A STUDENT HIRE ABILITY NAVIGATOR.
SHE IS ALSO INTERESTED IN JOINING THE WORKING GROUP.
UM, I CAN SEND AN EMAIL TO SEE IF SHE'S STILL INTERESTED, BUT I WANTED TO PROPOSE HER NAME AS WELL.
YEAH, I THINK IT CAN WE, PROCEDURALLY, CAN WE GO AHEAD AND VOTE ON THAT AND THEN YES.
WE DON'T HAVE TO VOTE ON ANY NON-MEMBERS.
SO THEN I GUESS, YEAH, SO WE WILL JUST, YOU CAN JUST EMAIL HER AND THEN WE'LL VOTE ON THE OTHER, UH, THE OTHER CHANGES.
SO I'LL GO AHEAD AND VOTE TO, UH, OR I'LL GO AHEAD AND MOVE FOR, TO, TO SWITCH OUT.
UH, COMMISSIONER SLATE FOR COMMISSIONER CHANG.
UH, DO I HAVE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND.
ALRIGHT, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
UM, AND THEN, SO NUMBER, NUMBER
[9. Approve a Recommendation to Council regarding the creation of a community center in the South Congress and Riverside Development.]
NINE, I BELIEVE THIS IS, UH, COMMISSIONER ARIANA'S ITEM.I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE THAT THE MAYOR'S COMMITTEE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES RECOMMENDS TO THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL INCLUSION OF A COMMUNITY CENTER PLANNED THE COMMISSION AND THE RIVERSIDE DELIVERABLES DEVELOP.
THIS COMMUNITY CENTER WILL SERVE AS AN ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSION HUB FOR RESIDENTS, VISITORS OF THE PROGRAM AND DISABILITY RIGHTS AND EDUCATION, INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, A SL EDUCATION, STEM ACTIVITIES.
IT WILL REALLY BRING UP THE COMMUNITY AND HAVE STRATEGIC FO FOCUS FOR EQUALITY, SAFETY AND EVIDENCE OF THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE THAT.
COULD I, COULD I ASK A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FIRST? I, I SAW ONLINE THAT THEY WERE, THEY WERE WORKING
[00:35:01]
ON THAT DEVELOPMENT.HAVE, ARE THEY STILL IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING CHANGES TO THE PLAN? I DO NOT HAVE AN UPDATE ON THAT RIGHT NOW.
SO YEAH, IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS A LITTLE BIT CONTENTIOUS IN TERMS OF THE, THE, UH, FINAL APPROVED PLAN.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THIS IS A GREAT IDEA AND SOMETHING THAT THE COUNCIL SHOULD AT LEAST CONSIDER IF IT'S POSSIBLE, AND THAT IF THEY AGREE AND THE, YOU KNOW, THE DEVELOPER'S WILLING TO, TO ADD THAT INTO THE PLAN PLAN.
SO I, YOU KNOW, I DON'T, CERTAINLY DON'T SEE ANY HARM IN RECOMMENDING THAT.
UH, I'LL, I'LL DEFINITELY SECOND, UH, THAT, THAT RECOMMENDATION.
UM, SO WE DO, WE HAVE LIKE VERY SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS ON LIKE, NOT JUST A BIG, LIKE, WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS BEING AN INCLUSIVE, YOU KNOW, SPOT FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, BUT LIKE SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS OF WHAT THEY NEED TO DO TO GET THERE.
WE HAVE THE, UH, COMMISSIONER ARIANO SUBMITTED A, A RECOMMENDATION THAT WAS ATTACHED.
DO YOU WANT ME TO, IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT IN FRONT OF YOU, YOU WANT ME TO GO AHEAD AND READ IT OUT? OH, YOU KNOW WHAT I THINK YEAH, COULD READ THAT.
NO, NO, NO, THAT'S TOTALLY FINE.
UM, SO IT SAYS, UH, THE RECOMMENDATION IS THE MAYOR'S COMMITTEE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES RECOMMENDS THAT THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL DIRECT THE CITY MANAGER TO INITIATE NEGOTIATIONS WITH RELATED COMPANIES TO INCLUDE A DEDICATED COMMUNITY CENTER IN THE SOUTH CONGRESS AND RIVERSIDE MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT.
UM, SO IF, IF YOU ALL DON'T HAVE THE BACKGROUND, THIS IS, THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE REQUESTING A, A REZONING OF A LARGE PROPERTY THERE TO DEVELOP FOR MIXED USE.
AND SO THEY'RE, BECAUSE THEY REQUIRE REZONING, THEIR NEGOTIATING WITH THE CITY ABOUT, YOU KNOW, CHANGES TO BENEFIT THE COMMUNITY.
AND THEN, SO THE DESCRIPTION OF THE RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL IS TO DIRECT THE PLANNING AND ZONING DEPARTMENT TO REVISE REZONING APPROVAL FOR THE SOUTH CONGRESS AND RIVERSIDE DEVELOPMENT TO INCLUDE A COMMUNITY CENTER TO ALLOCATE INITIAL FUNDING SUPPORT FOR THE COMMUNITY CENTER FROM THE FINANCIAL YEAR 25 AND 2025 AND 2026 BUDGET TO ENSURE COLLABORATION WITH THE OP OFFICE OF EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION TO EVALUATE EQUITY AND ACCESSIBILITY COMPLIANCE, AND TO FACILITATE A MEETING BETWEEN CITY OFFICIALS AND RELATED COMPANIES, INCLUDING REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY TO CO-DEVELOP INCLUSIVE DESIGN AND PROGRAMMING FEATURES.
AND THEN FOR THE RATIONALE, WE HAVE THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY, WHICH CONSTITUTES APPROXIMATELY 15% OF AUSTIN'S POPULATION CURRENTLY LACKS EQUITABLE ACCESS TO ACCESSIBLE VENUES.
A COMMUNITY CENTER WOULD PROVIDE ESSENTIAL SPACES FOR SERVICES, INCLUSIVE PROGRAMMING, AND PUBLIC GATHERINGS.
THIS PROPOSAL ALIGNS WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S STRATEGIC DIRECTION, 2023 GOALS AND CIVIL RIGHTS ORDINANCES, SUCH AS THE AUSTIN CROWN ACT ENTITLED TWO OF THE A DA COMMUNITY NEEDS PUBLIC SENTIMENT GATHERED VIA SOCIAL MEDIA AND LOCAL REPORTING SHOWS A STRONG DESIRE FOR AFFORDABLE AND COMMUNITY ORIENTED SPACE.
A COMMUNITY CENTER WILL MEET THIS NEED WHILE SERVING IS RESILIENCE HUB DURING CLIMATE EMERGENCIES, AND PRESERVING THE CULTURAL INTEGRITY OF HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BENEFIT.
THE PROPOSED CENTER WILL SUPPORT SMALL AND DISABILITY OWNED BUSINESSES, PROVIDE GATHERING SPACE, ENHANCE PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY DESIGN BY FOSTERING GREATER SENSE OF COMMUNITY BELONGING AND SAFETY.
UH, AND THE LAST PIECE IS INCLUSIVE PROGRAMMING AND GOVERNANCE.
THE CENTER WILL FEATURE WORKSHOPS IN DISABILITY RIGHTS, INDIGENOUS RIGHTS, A SL EDUCATION AND STEM ACTIVITIES.
ITS LEADERSHIP WILL PRIORITIZE GOVERNANCE BY REPRESENTATIVES OF MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, PEOPLE WHO COVER COLOR AND L-G-B-T-Q INDIVIDUALS.
UM, ONE THING THAT I'M WONDERING IS IF WE WANNA ADD THAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE CITY INCLUDES, UM, AND I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW IF THESE PIECES NECESSARILY FIT TOGETHER, BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IF THIS SPACE IS GONNA BE DESIGNED FOR THIS POPULATION, THAT THERE IS EQUITABLE TRANSPORTATION THERE AS WELL.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? LIKE, I DON'T, Y'ALL, Y'ALL TALK ABOUT CONGRESS AND RIVERSIDE, RIGHT? SO, I MEAN, I'M GUESSING THERE'S A LOT OF BUSES THAT GO THERE.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THEY ALSO TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT THAT IT, IT REALLY IS A GOOD PLACE WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT TRANSPORTATION.
DO YOU THINK WE DO, DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD MODIFY THE RECOMMENDATION TO REFLECT THAT OR YOU THINK THAT THE, UM, YEAH, I THINK WE SHOULD JUST, EVEN, EVEN IF THEY, EVEN IF THE TRANSPORTATION PIECE REALLY IS NOT HAVE REALLY MUCH TO DO WITH THE DEVELOPMENT PIECE, EVEN IF THEY'RE TWO SEPARATE PIECES AS FAR AS THE CITY'S CONCERNED, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THE TRANSPORTATION IS ON THEIR RADAR AND IS PART OF THAT, THAT, THAT THEY NEED TO CONSIDER EQUITABLE TRANSPORTATION TO THAT SPOT.
SO LET ME SEE IF I CAN REPHRASE THAT FOR THE PURPOSE OF RECOMMENDATION.
[00:40:01]
SO WE'LL ADD A, A BULLET TO THE DESCRIPTION OF RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL IS TO, UH, ENSURE, UH, PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, PUBLIC ACCESSIBLE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IS ABLE TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY CENTER.AND, AND THIS IS COMMISSIONER ARIANO, I'D LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING AS WELL.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE PROJECT CONNECT, THEY HAVE A CLEAR PLAN THAT TALKS ABOUT BUS AND TRANSIT.
UM, AND SO I THINK THEY'VE DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB AT INTEGRATING THAT AREA FOR ALL PEOPLE IN ALL DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES.
AND THEY ALSO HAVE ACCESSIBLE PARKING.
AND SO, UM, THIS IS REALLY A, A CENTRALIZED PLACE THAT IS VERY INCLUSIVE ENTIRELY.
AND SO, I, I, YOU KNOW, THEY, PEOPLE COME HERE FOR THE BATS AND, AND I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THE TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF IS RIGHT BEHIND THAT AREA.
SO THIS IS A REALLY WONDERFUL PLACE.
I'M NOT, UM, I'M NOT, I'M NOT SAYING THAT IT'S NOT, I'M JUST SAYING THAT MAYBE THAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE MAKE THE RECOMMENDATION THAT WE JUST KIND OF PUT IT IN THERE SO THAT THEY KNOW IT'S A PRIORITY OF THE COMMITTEE.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? AND I'M, I'M HAPPY TO NOT PUT IT IN, I JUST ABSOLUTELY.
I THINK WE COULD DEFINITELY DO A QUICK AMENDMENT ON THAT.
JUST, JUST SO THAT WE KEEP THAT IN THE FOREFRONT IS THAT THAT IS AN IMPORTANT PIECE, UM, TO, YOU KNOW, TO THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY.
SO LET ME, LET ME SEE IF I CAN DO THIS RIGHT.
UH, SO WE'LL MOVE TO APPROVE THE RECOMMENDATION, UH, 20 25 8 8 0 8, UH, WITH THE AMENDMENT OF ADDING A BULLET TO THE SECTION DESCRIPTION OF RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL THAT READS, ENSURE THAT ACCESSIBLE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SERVES THE COMMUNITY CENTER.
UH, AGAIN, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HAND OR SAY AYE.
THANKS FOR BRINGING THAT UP, COMMISSIONER AO.
[10. Approve a Recommendation to Council regarding the creation of a partnership between the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities and the Texas Governor’s Committee for People with Disabilities.]
I BELIEVE, UH, ITEM 10 IS ALSO COMMISSIONER AOS.AGAIN, I BROUGHT, I MAKE, I MOVE THAT THE PEOPLE WITH THE MAYOR COMMITTEE OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES SUPPORT PARTNERS WITH TEXAS, UH, PARTNER WITH THE TEXAS GOVERNOR'S COMMITTEE TO JOINTLY AWARE CELEBRATE FOR 2025 AND 26.
SYSTEM PARTNERSHIP WILL INCLUDE ENDORSING AND PROMOTING EVENTS AND PARTNERSHIP WITH AWARDS AND SELECTING THOSE AND ALSO FUNDRAISING AND ACTIVITIES AND DONATION EFFORTS TO ENSURE AN ACCESSIBLE AND PUBLIC AND BROAD PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HAND OR SAY AYE.
THANKS SO MUCH, COMMISSIONER AO, AND THANKS SO MUCH TO THE GOVERNOR'S COMMITTEE.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE THE PARTNERSHIP AND THE ASSISTANCE.
I KNOW YOU ALL HAVE WAY MORE EXPERIENCE WITH THIS SORT OF EVENT,
AND THEN I THINK THAT BRINGS US TO FUTURE
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
AGENDA ITEMS. SO I THINK THAT WE HAVE THE, UH, AGENDA ITEM TO REQUEST A PRESENTATION FROM THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT.AND THEN, UH, AN AGENDA ITEM TO A DISCUSSION ACTION ITEM TO FORM A WORKING GROUP.
UH, BASICALLY DISCUSSION ITEM SIX FROM DISCUSSION ACTION ITEM SIX.
FROM THIS, THIS, UH, MONTH'S AGENDA, DID ANYONE ELSE HAVE AGENDA ITEMS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO ADD FOR OUR NEXT MEETING? UM, I, I HAVE AN AGENDA ITEM.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER MY SERVICES FOR THE PROJECT CONNECT COMMITTEE.
I REALLY WANNA SAY IT WAS TWO YEARS.
SO I THINK IT'S COMING UP AND MY, MY PERSONAL SCHEDULE HAS CHANGED, SO IT'S GONNA BE TRICKY FOR ME TO MAKE THOSE MEETINGS.
SO WE NEED TO DISCUSS, AND HONESTLY, SO WHAT, SO FOR THOSE OF Y'ALL, I KNOW WE HAVE A LOT OF NEW COMMISSIONERS.
SO WHEN I STARTED THE, THERE WAS A STANDING POSITION ON THE A TP PROJECT CONNECT COMMITTEE THAT WAS ONE PERSON FROM THIS AUSTIN MAYORS COMMITTEE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
THEN I GUESS A TP DID SOME REWORKING OF THEIR BYLAWS, AND THEY SAID THAT WAS NO LONGER, UM, THE CASE.
HOWEVER, UH, THEY HAD A SPACE AVAILABLE, I APPLIED AND THEY SAID YES.
UM, SO IT'S NOT, THERE'S NO LONGER LIKE AN AUTOMATIC
[00:45:01]
STANDING PERSON FROM OUR COMMITTEE.AND HONESTLY, I'VE BEEN ON THERE FOR MORE THAN A YEAR NOW.
AND IT, IT REALLY IS A SORT OF THING.
I DON'T KNOW THAT NECESSARILY ANYBODY HAS TO BE THERE.
IT'S NOT AS AN IMPORTANT, UM, AS SAY LIKE THE JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE, BUT IT'S LIKE IF SOMEONE JUST KIND OF FOLLOWED THEIR AGENDA AND WAS LIKE, SAW WHAT AND UM, WORDS, SORRY.
SO IT WOULD, IT'S REASONABLE THAT IF WE DIDN'T HAVE SOMEBODY SERVING ON THAT COMMITTEE, IF SOMEONE FROM THIS COMMITTEE JUST KIND OF KEPT TABS ON THEIR AGENDAS AND IF THEY SAW SOMETHING THAT WE THOUGHT WAS RELEVANT, THEN THEY COULD REACH OUT TO THOSE PEOPLE AND INVITE THEM TO COME AND SPEAK AT ONE OF OUR MEETINGS.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? YEAH, SURE.
MAYBE WE COULD SEND OUT, IT'S A REALLY INTERESTING COMMITTEE, BUT THERE'S NOT A WHOLE LOT, HONESTLY, UM, TO DO WITH PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
DO YOU, DO YOU PROVIDE MUCH INPUT TO THEM? UM, I DO, BUT NOT, NOT, NOT VERY OFTEN, HONESTLY, I DON'T, THEY, UM, THE KIND OF THINGS THEY TALK ABOUT, THERE'S NOT REALLY A LOT OF, UM, OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SPECIFICALLY PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
UH, LIKE I SAID, EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, LIKE I WAS, UM, I THINK I HAD A LOT OF UPDATES WHEN THEY WERE DOING THE POLICE, UM, WHEN THEY WERE DEVELOPING THE POLICE, UM, OH MY GOSH, I'M SO SORRY.
WORDS WHEN THEY WERE DEVELOPING THE, LIKE THE, THE, UM, THE RULES AND STUFF FOR THE CAPITOL METRO POLICE.
I THOUGHT THAT WAS VERY, THAT WE WERE ALL VERY INVESTED IN THAT.
BUT OTHERWISE THERE REALLY HASN'T BEEN A LOT.
SO, SO, UH, VICE CHAIR, MY, TO CLARIFY, YES.
YOU WANT A PRESENTATION FROM SOMEONE AT, ON THE PROJECT CONNECT COMMITTEE, OR YOU WANNA JUST HAVE A DISCUSSION? NO, I'M JUST SAYING THAT WE, AT THE NEXT MEETING, WE NEED TO DISCUSS THE SIT THE, THE SITUATION.
THEIR MEETING IS NEXT THURSDAY.
SO I WILL TALK TO THEM AND SEE ALSO WHAT THEY WOULD RECOMMEND AND IF THEY'RE WILLING TO, UM, KIND OF HONOR THE IDEA THAT SOMEONE FROM OUR COMMITTEE IS A MEMBER OF THEIR COMMITTEE OR NOT.
I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'D BE STILL OPEN TO THAT OR NOT.
SO ANYWAY, WE JUST GOTTA HASH IT OUT AT OUR NEXT MEETING, THAT'S ALL.
SO IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'LL, YOU'LL LET US KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THAT'S SOMETHING THEY'RE OPEN TO AND THEN DEPENDING ON WHETHER OR NOT THEY SAY WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO SEND SOMEONE TO APPLY OR WHETHER OR NOT, WE'LL BE ABLE TO JUST RIGHT.
WE CAN DISCUSS, LIKE MAYBE CIRCULATE AN EMAIL TO SEE IF ANYONE'S INTERESTED.
WE CAN MAKE, UM, AND THEN WE CAN DECIDE WHAT WE WANNA DO FROM THERE.
DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY AGENDA ITEMS? DOES ALL RIGHT.
WELL THEN I THINK WE CAN, UH, ADJOURN TONIGHT'S MEETING.
I'LL GO AHEAD AND MOTION TO ADJOURN.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR AS YOUR HANDS ARE, SAY AYE.