* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:13] ALRIGHT. SORRY, I TRIED TO BEAT YOU. I DON'T. GOOD. YOU'RE GOOD. WE CALL THAT THE, THE LIMBO PROCESS. YES. IT LOOKS [I. Call to Order] LIKE THE QUORUM HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED. SO WE WILL CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER AT 12 O'CLOCK NOON ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 20TH IN THE ROSA PARKS, UH, BOARDROOM AT THE CAPITAL METRO ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, UH, 29 10 EAST FIFTH STREET. SO, GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR THE OCTOBER MEETING. UM, LET'S SEE. AFTER CALLING THIS ORDER, I THINK WE'LL START [II. Safety Briefing] WITH OUR SAFETY BRIEF. IS THAT, IS THAT RIGHT? UH, GARDNER, WE'LL START. THAT WOULD BE ME, SIR. THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. MY NAME IS GARDNER TABBAN. I SERVE AS CAPITAL METRO'S EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF SAFETY OFFICER HERE TODAY WITH YOUR SAFETY BRIEFING. SO YOU'RE LOCATED HERE AT 29 10 EAST FIFTH STREET AND THE ROSA PARKS, UH, BOARDROOM. AND, UH, IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY, MYSELF, OTHER STAFF SECURITY, WE'LL CALL 9 1 1. SHOULD WE NEED TO EXIT THIS BUILDING WHETHER OUT OF, UH, THE WAY YOU CAME IN THROUGH THE MAIN ENTRANCE OR THE, UH, EAST DOOR THERE, PLEASE EVERYONE MAKE THEIR WAY ACROSS THE PARKING LOT. YOU CAN USE THE WALKWAY. YOU'LL SEE THAT GREEN SIGN THAT'S UP ON THE, UH, ON THE SLIDE, UH, AS OUR EVACUATION ASSEMBLY POINT. AND SO, UH, IF ANYONE HERE HAS MOBILITY CHALLENGES AND WE HAVE TO EXIT THROUGH THAT DOOR, WE ASK THAT YOU JUST WAIT AT THE TOP OF THE STEP OR THAT PLATFORM. SOMEONE WILL ASSIST YOU, UH, DOWN THE STAIRS. AND IN THE EVENT THAT WE NEED, UH, TO USE AN A ED TO GO THROUGH THESE DOUBLE DOORS AND, AND RIGHT. AND MAKE A RIGHT BY SECURITY, THERE'S AN ELEVATOR INTO THE LEFT OF THE ELEVATOR IS AN A ED AND A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. I DON'T HAVE MY ASSISTANCE HERE TODAY, BUT I THINK I COULD CARRY THIS OUT. OUR , OUR FIRE EXTINGUISHERS, IS LOCATED RIGHT HERE IN THE EVENT THAT, UM, THERE'S A NEED FOR IT. AND THAT CONCLUDES OUR SAFETY BRIEFING. THANK YOU. UH, WELL, UH, THANK YOU GARDNER. I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I DID NOT USE THE FRENCH, FRENCH PRONUNCIATION OF YOUR NAME AND, AND, AND WE APPRECIATE THAT GREATLY. THE GERMAN PRONUNCIATION DID. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. TAKE CARE. BUT I APPRECIATE, I APPRECIATE YOU ALWAYS. ALRIGHT. I UNDERSTAND THAT [III. Public Comment (Part 1 of 2)] WE HAVE SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO SIGNED UP IN ADVANCE TO SPEAK TODAY. UH, THE FIRST OF THOSE SPEAKERS WILL BE MS. ZIA JOSEPH, UH, IS, HAS, HAS SHE, UM, PATCHED IN YET? MS. JOSEPH, ARE YOU WITH US? MS. MARTINEZ, IS THAT YOU? YEAH, THIS IS MS. MARTINEZ. OKAY, MR. CHAIR. MS. MARTINEZ HAS JOINED. I HAVE NOT SEEN MS. JOSEPH JOIN YET. OKAY. WE WILL START WITH MS. MARTINEZ AND SHE WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES. ALRIGHT. UM, PLEASE PROCEED MS. MARTINEZ. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THE REASON WHY I'M HERE IS TO, TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION. UM, IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS, I HAVE HAD SEVERAL ISSUES. AND, AND I BELIEVE THAT THE RULES OF THE PROBLEM IS THAT THERE IS NOT, UM, DISPATCHERS DO, DO NOT PROVIDE THE SAME INFORMATION IN DIFFERENT TRIPS TO THE POINT THAT I HAVE FELT VERY DISCRIMINATED AGAINST. EVERY TIME I HAVE AN INTERACTION WITH A DISPATCHER, LAST WEEK I WAS FORCED TO STAY IN A CAB IN, IN ONE OF THE CAB METRO WHILE MY DRIVER TOOK A BREAK, PARKED IN AN APARTMENT [00:05:01] COMPLEX DUMPSTER AREA. SHE WAS SPEAKING IN A WEIRD, MAKING WEIRD NOISES, LIKE, I'M GONNA BE A LITTLE RUDE ON THIS, BUT SOUNDED LIKE WHEN YOU ARE GONNA SPEED A PHLEGM, SHE KEPT MAKING THAT NOISE OVER AND OVER. I COULD HEAR HOW WHEN SOMEBODY IS HITTING THEMSELVES OR SLAPPING, YOU KNOW, HAND WITH SKIN, I'M BLIND. SO I COULDN'T TELL YOU WHAT PART OF HER BODY SHE WAS BEATING AND SHE WAS MAKING THESE WEIRD NOISES AND SPEAKING IN WEIRD LANGUAGE OR, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER. UM, WHEN I, WHEN I ASKED THE DRIVER, SHE GOES, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO TAKE A BREAK WITH ME. AND WHEN I SAID, SHE GOES, IT'S ONLY 50 MINUTES. I SAID, THIS IS, IT'S 50 MINUTES TO MY HOUSE. SHE SAYS, WELL, I'M GONNA TAKE MY BREAK. SO SHE DID THE VERY NEXT MORNING, OR ACTUALLY TWO DAYS LATER, UM, I WAS, UH, THE DRIVER CALLED ME AND I SAID, MY WINDOW OPEN IN FIVE MINUTES, I WILL BE OUT REAL FAST. BY THE TIME I WENT DOWNSTAIRS, MY DRIVER HAS LEFT ME, BUT, OKAY, SORRY, I'M GONNA BACK UP FOR A MINUTE. WHEN I CALLED DISPATCH ON THIS DRIVER THAT WAS DOING THIS WEIRD STUFF, WHICH I AM HAPPY TO SHARE A COUPLE OF VIDEOS THAT I TOOK OF WHAT WAS GOING ON AFTER I HUNG UP WITH DISPATCH, THE DISPATCHER TOLD ME, WELL, THE DRIVER WAS TOLD SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO DROP YOU AND THEN DO, YOU KNOW, TAKE HER BREAK. BUT SHE DIDN'T. THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT. SO THERE'S NOT, DISPATCHER'S NOT TAKING ANY RESPONSIBILITY OF ANYTHING GOING ON. THEN ON FRIDAY, LIKE I SAID, WHEN I CALL AND, AND WHEN I GO DOWNSTAIRS, THE DRIVER HAS LEFT ME, MY WINDOW HASN'T EVEN OPENED, AND THE DRIVER LEFT ME. HE, UH, IT WAS FIVE MINUTES BEFORE MY WINDOW WHEN HE ARRIVED AND CALLED ME WHEN I CALLED DISPATCH, DISPATCH SAYS, WELL, IF THEY HAVE SOMEBODY ELSE IN THE CAR, THEY DON'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR YOUR WINDOW TO OPEN. SO WAIT A MINUTE, WHAT IS GOING ON? SO I AM THE ONE THAT ALWAYS HAS TO WAIT IN VEHICLES, BUT NOBODY ELSE HAS TO. WHY? BECAUSE I AM LATINA. BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S MAKING ME FEEL LIKE THIS IS THE WAY THAT THIS IS GOING BECAUSE THERE'S NO CONSISTENCY ON THE VERSIONS AND THE ANSWERS THAT DISPATCH GIVES. I HAVE BEEN IN A, IN A METRO ACCESS BANK WAITING FOR 35 MINUTES FOR SOMEBODY'S WINDOWS TO OPEN, BUT THIS DRIVER COULDN'T WAIT FIVE MINUTES FOR MINE. WHAT I'M TRYING TO TELL YOU IS THAT THE, THE ONE BIT, OR IS THAT MY THREE MINUTES. OKAY. THREE MINUTES. I'M GONNA WRAP UP WHAT I'M ASKING YOU OR IS THAT THESE PEOPLE, DISPATCHERS, DRIVERS, ALL OF THEM RECEIVE TRAINING AND THAT THEY ACTUALLY HAVE CONSISTENCY ON THE ANSWERS. BECAUSE IF NOT, WE AS DRIVERS ARE GOING TO FEEL VERY DISCRIMINATED AGAINST AND ACTUALLY WHAT WE ARE, WE ARE BEING DISCRIMINATED AGAINST. UH, I WANT TO THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO CALL IN AND EXPLAIN, UH, THE ISSUES THAT YOU ARE HAVING. UH, WE SHOULD, UM, WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT SHE GETS TO THE APPROPRIATE STAFF OR THE APPROPRIATE STAFF CALLS HER. YES. AND, AND, UH, AND WE WILL, UM, AND WE'LL REACH OUT TO YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. OKAY? THANK YOU SIR. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT. UM, ED, IS MS. JOSEPH IN QUEUE? I HAVE NOT SEEN MS. JOSEPH JOIN MR. CHAIR. I WILL, UH, GIVE YOU A SIGNAL IF I SEE OR COME ON WITH US. ALRIGHT. UM, THAT BEING SAID, DO WE HAVE ANYONE ELSE IN THE ROOM THAT, UM, WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE BOARD? ANYONE IN THE ROOM? THIRD TIME? ANYONE IN THE ROOM? OKAY. UH, HEARING NONE, THEN WE WILL MOVE, [IV. Advisory Committee Updates] UH, TO THE NEXT ITEM, UH, WHICH IS OUR ADVISORY BOARD COMMITTEE UPDATES. MR. BRADON, BRADEN, UM, CAN YOU START WITH THOSE? ABSOLUTELY. GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR TRILLIAN, VICE CHAIR ELLIS PRESIDENT, AND CEO WATKINS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. MY NAME IS PETER BRETTON. I AM THE STAFF LIAISON FOR OUR ADVISORY COMMITTEES. SINCE LAST MONTH'S UPDATE, OUR ACCESS AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION ADVISORY COMMITTEES MET AT THEIR REGULARLY SCHEDULED TIMES. THE ACCESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE RECEIVED A PRESENTATION FROM MARTIN CARI, THE DIRECTOR OF SYSTEM-WIDE ACCESSIBILITY, AND BRANDON GRE, MANAGER OF MARKETING AND BRAND ON OUR BUS STOP BRAILLE PROGRAM. THE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE RECEIVED AN UPDATE ON CAP METRO BIKE SHARE FROM THE BIKE SHARE PROGRAM MANAGER JD SIMPSON, AND BOTH COMMITTEES RECEIVED PRESENTATIONS ON THE TRANSIT PLAN. 2035 FINAL NETWORK PROPOSAL PRESENTED BY ROSE LISKA, PRINCIPAL PLANNER AND EMMA MARTINEZ, SENIOR TRANSPORTATION PLANNER AT ACCESS. AND LAWRENCE DIETER, MANAGER OF SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT AT CUSTOMER SATISFACTION. THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR THIS MONTH. THANK YOU. AND PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. BOARD MEMBER, BOARD MEMBERS, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS BACK? ANY QUESTIONS? UH, HEARING NONE, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. WE APPRECIATE THE, UH, THE REPORT. UH, WE WILL MOVE [V. Board Committee Updates] [00:10:01] TO OUR REGULAR BOARD COMMITTEE UPDATES, UH, BOARD MEMBER VELA. UH, WE HAVE AN OPERATIONS PLANNING AND SAFETY COMMITTEE REPORT. WE DO CHAIR, IT'S, UH, VERY, UH, SHORT. WE APPROVED A, A, UH, ONE ITEM FOR THE CONSENT AGENDA THAT WE WILL SEE HERE TODAY. AND THEN WE ALSO, UH, APPROVED THAT THE FULL BOARD, UH, PASSED THE, UH, THE TRANSIT PLAN, UH, 2035. UH, AND WE JUST VERY BRIEFLY DISCUSSED A FUTURE ITEMS AND THEN WE ADJOURNED. SHORT AND SWEET. OKAY. ALRIGHT. BOARD MEMBERS. ANY QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS? HEARING NONE, UH, THANK YOU. WE WILL MOVE NOW TO FINANCE, AUDIT AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE. UH, BOARD MEMBER HARRIS. THANK YOU CHAIR. UH, THE COMMITTEE MET ON OCTOBER 8TH AT 10:00 AM IN ADDITION TO APPROVING THE MINUTES, WE ALSO APPROVED FOR SOME ITEMS FOR CONSENT, INCLUDING, UM, A, UH, AUTHORIZATION AND RECOMMENDATION FOR EXTENDING EXTERNAL AUDIT SERVICES. UH, AND THEN, UH, EMPLOYEE TRANSIT PASSES, UH, FOR, EXCUSE ME, UH, FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR. AND THEN ALSO, UH, TO, UH, ACCEPT OR ENTER AN, ENTER INTO AN INTER LOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS FOR REIMBURSEMENT OF, UH, BIKE SHARE PASSES, UH, FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF. UM, AND THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. BOARD MEMBERS. ANY QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS? HEARING NONE. UH, THANK YOU. UH, LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A, UH, A CAMPO UPDATE, BUT OUR BOARD MEMBER THAT NORMALLY ATTENDS THAT MEETING, UH, WAS AWAY. SO, UM, I WILL, I WILL SAY THAT THE, UH, THE, UH, CAMPO, UH, BOARD MET ON OCTOBER THE SIXTH AND IT WENT OVER A, A NUMBER OF ITEMS. UM, WE'VE GOT A ROBUST, UM, ITEM LIST, BUT WHAT WE'LL DO IS WE'LL TABLE THIS UNTIL NEXT MONTH SO THAT WE CAN IDENTIFY THOSE THINGS THAT ARE APPROPRIATE AND IMPORTANT FOR THE BOARD TO RESPOND TO. OKAY? ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT. UH, AND THEN, UH, THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP UPDATE. I USUALLY GIVE THAT ONE MYSELF. AND, UH, THIS IS GONNA BE THE SHORTEST REPORT ON RECORD WE HAVEN'T MET SINCE OUR LAST MEETING, SO, UH, UH, NEXT TIME I'M SURE WE WILL HAVE MET AND I'LL TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT NEXT TIME. ALRIGHT. UH, LET'S [VI. Consent Items] SEE. NOW, UH, WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO OUR CON OUR, UH, CONSENT AGENDA. AND WE'RE POSTED FOR SEVEN ACTION ITEMS TODAY. UH, BOARD MEMBERS, UH, YOU SHOULD HAVE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW OUR CONSENT, UH, ITEMS. ARE THERE ANY ITEMS THAT ANY OF YOU WISH TO PULL OFF THE CONSENT AGENDA FOR TODAY? ANY ITEMS? NO ITEMS. OKAY. HEARING NONE, UH, THE CHAIR WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE, UH, POST-IT CONSENT AGENDA. OKAY. UH, BOARD MEMBER, UH, VELA HAS, UH, MADE, UH, THE MOTION. OKAY. UH, BOARD MEMBER ROSS HAS MADE THE SECOND. OKAY. UH, LET'S SEE. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED THAT WE APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS RENT AS WRITTEN. IS THERE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ANY FURTHER? UH, SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S SOME DISCUSSION JUST FOR A BRIEF COMMENT. UH, CHAIR. I JUST SEE THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO PROVIDE, UH, CAPITAL METRO, UH, PASSES FOR ALL OUR, UH, CITY EMPLOYEES. HAPPY TO SEE THAT. AND, AND HAPPY TO, TO SEE THAT A LOT OF, UH, EMPLOYEES DO, UH, TAKE, UH, CAPITAL METRO DOWN THERE. IT'S A GREAT PARTNERSHIP AND JUST HAPPY TO SEE IT EXTENDED FOR ANOTHER YEAR. OKAY. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. ANY ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION? ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION? ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR? UH, LET IT BE KNOWN BY SAYING AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? SAME SIGN. HEARING NONE. THE CHAIR WILL MAKE IT UNANIMOUS. RIGHT. LET'S SEE. OH, OKAY. ALL RIGHT. UH, ALL RIGHT. IT, IT, [III. Public Comment (Part 2 of 2)] UH, SEEMS THAT MS. JOSEPH HAS NOW, UH, JOINED US. AND, UM, LET'S SEE. WHAT I WILL DO IS, UM, I'LL CALL HER UP AND GIVEN THE FACT THAT SHE WANTS TO SPEAK ON TWO ITEMS, SHE WILL HAVE FIVE MINUTES. MS. JOSEPH, PLEASE PROCEED. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR MEMBERS, I'M XENOBI. JOSEPH, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A FEW COMMENTS AS IT RELATES TO TITLE SIX OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964, WHICH PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RACE, COLOR, OR NATIONAL ORIGIN. I KNOW YOU JUST MENTIONED THE ITEM AS IT RELATES TO THE $200,000 FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN PASSES. I JUST WANNA [00:15:01] CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION THE PROVISION 5.2 0.2, WHICH IS SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT. THAT LANGUAGE AND BACKUP ACTUALLY PERMITS YOU TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES. I BROUGHT THIS UP DURING THE FINANCE AUDIT COMMITTEE MEETING, AND THE GENERAL COUNSEL ACTUALLY AGREED WITH ME. HOWEVER, UH, AS BEST I CAN, THE BACKUP MATERIALS, IT IS STILL NOT CORRECTED, WHICH MEANS THAT YOU ARE PASSING LANGUAGE THAT WILL PERMIT YOU TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE A DISABILITY AS IT RELATES SPECIFICALLY TO THE FY 2026 INTERNAL AUDIT PLAN. I JUST WANT MR. EASTON TO BE ABLE TO SHARE WITH YOU, I SENT IT LATE SO HE MAY HAVE TO SEND IT TO YOU BY EMAIL. I DID PROVIDE YOU WITH SOME SLIDES. SO ONE OF THE SLIDES ACTUALLY HAS AN IMAGE OF THE NEWEST SHELTER, WHICH IS ON CAMERON ROAD. THIS SHELTER IS ACTUALLY PLACED ACROSS FROM TWO FOOD TRUCKS. IT'S JUST BEFORE MOUNT SINAI, BUT THERE'S ACTUALLY DENSE FOREST STREET, AND THAT IS WHERE THE HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT WAS. SO WHEN STAFF TELLS THE COMMUNITY, WHETHER IT'S A MEETING AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN OR A CAPITAL METRO MEETING THAT THEY USE TO SERVICE GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS OR STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES, THAT IS SIMPLY A FALSEHOOD. I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT IT'S AN ENCAMPMENT CLOSED. AND NOW THERE IS ACTUALLY A SIGN THAT SAYS THIS IS YOUR MOBILITY BOND DOLLARS AT WORK. IT IS DISCRIMINATORY. IF YOU GO FURTHER DOWN, YOU'LL SEE WHERE PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY CATCHING THE BUS. THERE'S A YELLOW BUTTON TO PUSH. I PUSHED IT LAST NIGHT. IT DOES NOT WORK. IF YOU'RE CLOSER TO BERG AND CAMERON ROAD, ACROSS FROM THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN PROPERTY, WHICH IS THE BRIDGE AT CAMERON, YOU'LL ACTUALLY SEE THERE ISN'T EVEN A BENCH THERE. THIS IS WHERE THE SHELTER NEEDS TO BE, WHERE PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY CATCHING THE BUS. IT DOESN'T NEED TO JUST BE IN AN AREA THAT APPEARS TO BE GIVEN SOME EQUITABLE SHELTER IN THE AREA. IT'S CROSS PARK AND EXCHANGE. IF YOU'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THIS NEW SHELTER IS AT, UM, THERE'S NOTHING THERE. I ALSO GAVE YOU A PICTURE, WHICH IS DUS AND WELLS BRANCH, THAT IS NEXT TO AN ENCAMPMENT AS WELL. I WAS NOT ABLE TO GET ON THE BUS THERE BECAUSE TWO DOGS ARE THERE. THE CITY OF AUSTIN CLOSED ONE OF THE ENCAMPMENTS AND THEN YARDS AWAY. THERE'S ENCAMPMENT, AN ENCAMPMENT THAT EXISTS TODAY. SO I'VE ASKED TERRY AS IT RELATES TO YOUR INTERNAL AUDIT TO ACTUALLY AUDIT THESE SHELTERS AND TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE EQUITABLE, BECAUSE WITHOUT AUDITING IT, THEN YOUR ACTIONS ARE BIASED. I ALSO WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE SPECIFICALLY AS IT RELATES TO ACTION ITEM FOUR, WHICH IS THE CAPITAL METRO SERVICE PLAN, THE TRANSIT PLAN 2035. THAT IS REALLY JUST PROXY FOR RACE DISCRIMINATION. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I DID, UH, IN THE SLIDES THAT I GAVE MR. EASTON FOR YOU, IS TO HAVE YOU RECOGNIZE FROM 2018 THAT THE SAME INEQUITIES THAT EXISTED IN 20 18, 45 TO 60 MINUTE BUS ROUTES ARE STILL THAT WAY FOR THE INDIVIDUALS IN NORTHEAST AUSTIN. AND I SPECIFICALLY WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE MR. CHAIR, THAT ROUTES LIKE 2 33, WHICH IS PROPOSED FOR ELIMINATION, BLAMES THE INDIVIDUALS BY SAYING IT'S LOW RIDERSHIP. WHEN IN FACT, CAPITOL METRO NEVER IMPROVED THE SERVICE. IT STARTS TOO LATE AND ENDS TOO EARLY FOR ANYBODY TO GO TO WORK AT SEVEN O'CLOCK ON A 60 MINUTE BUS ROUTE AND THEN GET HOME BY NINE O'CLOCK. SO WITHOUT AN IMPROVEMENT. AND THIS GOES TO THE TRANSIT PLAN FOR TRAVIS COUNTY ON YOUR AGENDA AS WELL. YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THIS SYSTEM EQUITABLE. YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO. AND SO, I JUST WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT THOSE INEQUITIES DO EXIST. AND LASTLY, I JUST WANT YOU TO REALIZE THAT AS IT RELATES TO THE ISSUE THAT I BROUGHT UP WITH THE LADY WHO WANTS, MICHELLE IS HER NAME, WHO WANTS TO KILL ME. I HAVE ACTUALLY, I HAVE ACTUALLY CALLED HER BY HER NAME, AND I TOOK MATTERS INTO MY HAND WHEN SHE GOT ON THE BUS AND WAS WITHIN INCHES OF MY FACE. I ACTUALLY SAID, MICHELLE, LEAVE ME ALONE. AND SHE RESPONDED. SO, YOUR SAFETY IS TELLING US PUBLIC SAFETY. OH, GIVE US A CALL AND WE WILL COME TO THE SITE. THAT IS NOT AN ADEQUATE RESPONSE TO SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO KILL YOU. SO I WOULD JUST ASK YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE AND THAT YOU NEED TO ACTUALLY PARTNER WITH TRAVIS COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE BECAUSE THEY HAVE POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED THIS LADY. THEY KNOW WHO SHE IS. SHE LIVES AT 1934, RUTLAND SPARROW RUTLAND, THE AFFORDABLE UNIT. I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH MORE YOU NEED, BUT I WILL SAY THAT IT IS INEQUITABLE WHEN YOU PUT CARLOS LEON OFF THE BUS. I DON'T THINK HE'S THREATENED TO KILL ANYBODY, BUT THIS WOMAN HAS, AND SHE RIDES FREELY AND SHE HAS ANTAGONIZED ME ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION. I AM GOING TO [00:20:01] STAY ON THE RECORD. IF SHE HITS ME, I WILL DEFEND MYSELF. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL GLADLY ANSWER THEM AT THIS TIME AND WILL JUST ASK YOU TO RECOGNIZE YOUR ACTIONS. DO VIOLATE TITLE SIX AND THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964, WHICH PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RACE, COLOR, OR NATIONAL ORIGIN. DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I'LL GO ANSWER THEM AT THIS TIME. AND THE LAST THING ON THERE IS THE DOG. PLEASE DO A MUZZLE POLICY. THANK YOU. BOARD MEMBERS. ANY QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS? HEARING NONE, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR PRESENTING TO THE BOARD TODAY, MR. YOU'RE CHAIRMAN. WELCOME. UH, MAY I CHIME IN ON THE BACK TO THE CONSENT ITEMS? I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT SOMETHING THAT THE COMMENTS WERE SAID, UM, THAT, UH, THIS IS BRAD BOWMAN, CHIEF COUNSEL, UM, THAT, UH, WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT THE AGREEMENT IS CORRECT AND THAT A, A TYPO HAS BEEN FIXED, UH, IF THAT STILL NEEDS TO BE FIXED BEFORE THE CEO SIGNS OFF ON THAT AGREEMENT. SO YOUR VOTE HERE TODAY WAS TO ADOPT A RESOLUTION TO AUTHORIZE THE CEO TO FINALIZE THE AGREEMENT. AND SO WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT'S CORRECT BEFORE IT'S FINALIZED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, [VII.1. Approval of a resolution adopting the 2026 CapMetro Board Meeting Calendar.] WE WILL MOVE NOW TO, UH, TODAY'S ACTION ITEMS, UH, STARTING WITH THE ADOPTION OF OUR 2026 BOARD MEETING CALENDAR. UH, MS. CONER, UM, LET'S SEE. I THINK YOU'LL PRESENT THIS TO US. THANK YOU. PLEASE PROCEED. THANK YOU. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, BOARD CHAIR, BOARD MEMBERS, PRESIDENT, AND CEO WATKINS. MY NAME IS CHEYENNE CONNER AND I SERVE AS THE CHIEF OF STAFF FOR CAP METRO. TODAY I AM HERE TO PRESENT THE PROPOSED CALENDAR FOR BOARD AND BOARD COMMITTEE MEETINGS FOR 2026. BEFORE I DIVE IN, I DO WANNA THANK, UH, ED EASTON AS ALWAYS FOR HIS THOUGHTFUL WORK IN GENERATING THIS DRAFT. THE PROPOSAL TODAY, UM, ALREADY AVOIDS MAJOR HOLIDAYS SUCH AS VETERAN'S DAY, MEMORIAL DAY, THANKSGIVING. IT ALSO AVOIDS CONFLICTS WITH, UM, PARTNER AGENCY MEETINGS SUCH AS CITY COUNCIL, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. AS BEST AS WE ARE, UM, ABLE TO, I DO WANT TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO A COUPLE OF THINGS, UM, IN A DIFF A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT MONTHS. UH, FIRST THERE WAS A REQUEST FOR US TO TAKE A LOOK AT JUNE, JULY, AUGUST AND SEE IF WE SHOULD AIM TO AVOID, UM, THOSE MONTHS DUE TO TRAVEL SCHEDULES, UH, SUMMER BREAK PEOPLE, UM, BEING KIND OF VERY BUSY. THERE'S ALSO BUDGET SEASON FOR A COUPLE OF OUR PARTNERS DURING THIS WINDOW. UH, WE DID TAKE A LOOK AND WE REALLY DON'T THINK THAT WE HAVE A SCHEDULE CHALLENGE IN JULY THAT ESPECIALLY THAT WARRANTS US NOT HAVING A MEETING ON THE CALENDAR FOR OUR COMMITTEE MEETINGS. SO WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS THAT WE KEEP IT ON IN JULY. ED AND I ARE GOING TO KEEP A CLOSE LOOK AT, AT THE, UH, COMMITTEE AGENDAS IN JULY. AND IF THERE'S NOT A LOT OF ITEMS ON THERE, 'CAUSE IT DOES TEND TO BE A LOWER ITEM MONTH, WE WILL BE AGGRESSIVE IN, IN CANCELING IT, BUT WE WOULD RATHER HAVE THE DATE AND NOT NEED IT, THAN NEED IT AND NOT HAVE IT. IT'S JUST TOO EARLY TO TELL. UM, FOR NOVEMBER. UM, THAT'S THE OTHER ONE I WANTED TO FLAG FOR Y'ALL. WE WERE, UM, IN 2026, VETERAN'S DAY AND THANKSGIVING ARE A LITTLE CLOSER TOGETHER THAN THEY CAN BE. AND WE WERE NOT ABLE TO FIND A DATE TO DO COMMITTEE MEETINGS. AND SO YOU SEE ON THE CALENDAR THAT NOVEMBER, WE DID PROACTIVELY CANCEL COMMITTEE MEETINGS IN NOVEMBER, UM, JUST BECAUSE OF THE DATE TO FREE UP FOLKS' CALENDAR. UM, MORE BROADLY, I DO WANT TO NOTE THAT THE CALENDAR AND THE STRUCTURE OF, OF THE COMMITTEES ITSELF IS KIND OF THE PREROGATIVE OF THE BOARD. UM, WE GOT SOME FEEDBACK FROM BOARD MEMBERS ABOUT POTENTIALLY DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT WITH THE COMMITTEE STRUCTURES. AND I SENT YOU ALL A SUMMARY RECOMMENDATION LAST WEEK. ULTIMATELY, THE BOARD IS REQUIRED BY STATE LAW TO MEET ONCE A MONTH. BUT OTHER THAN THAT, UM, WE ARE OPEN TO Y'ALL'S FEEDBACK ON WHAT WORKS FOR YOU, HOW YOU WANT TO ENGAGE, UM, HOW IT'S HELPFUL FOR YOU ALL TO HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC, ET CETERA. UM, AND THEN FINALLY, I WOULD JUST MENTION THAT I'M WORKING CLOSELY WITH PRESIDENT AND CEO WATKINS, AS WELL AS THE REST OF THE CAP METRO EXECUTIVE TEAM TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE MORE REGULARLY PROVIDING MORE DETAILED UPDATES ON A VARIETY OF AGENCY TOPICS. AND WE'RE STARTING TO ROLL THAT OUT. UM, NEXT MONTH WE'LL HAVE A MORE, UH, ROBUST DISCUSSION ITEMS SECTION, IF YOU WILL, UM, OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS. WITH THAT, I'M HAPPY TO PAUSE HERE AND ASK FOR ANY THOUGHTS, FEEDBACK, DISCUSSION, UM, ON THE CALENDAR FOR NEXT YEAR BOARD MEMBERS. ANY QUESTIONS, ANY DISCUSSION, ANY QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT, I THINK WE'RE HERE. ALRIGHT. UM, SO CHAIR WILL, UH, ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE THE ACTION ITEM. OKAY. UH, BOARD MEMBER HARRIS WITH THE MOTION BOARD MEMBER ELLIS WITH THE SECOND, UH, IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED THAT WE APPROVE ACTION ITEM NUMBER ONE. IS THERE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR? LET IT BE KNOWN BY SAYING [00:25:01] AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? SAME SIGN. HEARING NONE. THE CHAIR WILL MAKE IT UNANIMOUS. UH, ACTION ITEM NUMBER [VII.2. Approval of a resolution adopting the FY2026 Annual Internal Audit Plan.] TWO, APPROVE A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE FY 2026 ANNUAL INTERNAL AUDIT PLAN. AND I THINK, UH, TERRY FULMER IS GONNA MAKE THAT PRESENTATION. ALRIGHT, HAD ME NERVOUS, THEREFORE, A MOMENT, TERRY. ALRIGHT, GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME'S TERRY FALMER. I'M THE CHIEF AUDIT EXECUTIVE HERE AT CAP METRO. AND, UM, I HAVE A PROPOSED AUDIT PLAN FOR APPROVAL BY THE, BY THE BOARD. UH, PRESENTED IT TO THE A COMMITTEE AT OUR LAST MEETING WAS DEVELOPED BASED UPON A RISK ASSESSMENT THAT WAS COMPREHENSIVE. I SOLICITED FEEDBACK FROM ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS AS WELL AS, UH, BY THE TOP 50 PEOPLE REPORTING TO DOTTIE. UH, GOT, UH, GREAT, UH, GREAT PARTICIPATION FROM EVERYBODY. AND, UH, SO THE PLAN THAT'S HERE BEFORE YOU WAS BASED UPON A DETAILED RISK ASSESSMENT IN LINE WITH KIND OF BEST PRACTICES AND ACTIVITIES. AND, UH, JUST WANTED TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY SUGGESTED CHANGES TO THE PLAN. THE ITEMS IN YELLOW OR PROJECTS THAT ARE ALREADY IN PROCESS. THE ITEMS THAT ARE IN WHITE ON THE SCHEDULE. THERE PROJECTS THAT HAVE NOT STARTED YET, BUT JUST WANTED TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS. HEARING NONE, UH, THE CHAIR WILL MOTION TO APPROVE ACTION ITEM SECOND. OKAY. UM, IT'S BEEN PROPERLY MOVED IN. SECOND. APPROVE ACTION NUMBER TWO. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? FURTHER DISCUSSION, DISCUSSION. HEARING ALL FAVOR? HEARING NONE. THE CHAIR WILL MAKE A UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. DESIGN NEED TO EXECUTE, REVIEW, MANAGE ADVERTISING. THREE YEAR BASE TWO FOR A, FOR A PAYMENT BASE. FIVE PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. [VII.3. Approval of a resolution authorizing the President & CEO, or her designee, to execute an agreement with Clear Channel Outdoor, LLC to manage CapMetro’s transit advertising program for a one (1) three-year base period with three (3) renewable option periods of two (2) years each for a guaranteed payment to CapMetro of $7,727,250 in the base period, and a total guaranteed payment of $25,397,765 with the base and options.] GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR BILION, VICE CHAIR ELLIS PRESIDENT, AND CEO WATKINS. I'M SAMANTHA BAEZ, EVP OF EXPERIENCE AND ENGAGEMENT FOR CAP METRO. THE ITEM YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU IS A REVENUE GENERATING ITEM FOR CAP METRO FOR OUR TRANSIT ADVERTISING PROGRAM. AD SALES WERE PREVIOUSLY HANDLED IN-HOUSE, UM, BEFORE WE DECIDED TO GO EXTERNAL FOR THIS TYPE OF WORK. UM, EXCUSE ME. AND THE PROGRAM SO FAR HAS GENERATED APPROXIMATELY $8.8 MILLION BETWEEN JUNE OF 2020 AND JULY OF 2025. THIS NEW AGREEMENT WITH CLEAR CHANNEL GUARANTEES 2.5 MILLION IN THE FIRST YEAR AND A 70.5% REVENUE SHARE FOR ANY ADDITIONAL REVENUE PROCEEDS. THE TOTAL GUARANTEE REVENUE ACROSS THE FULL CONTRACT TERM, AS STATED, IS $25.4 MILLION, WHICH IS NEARLY $19.7 MILLION MORE THAN OUR PREVIOUS CONTRACT. THE NEW AGREEMENT STILL FOCUSES ON BUS AND RAIL VEHICLES, BUT IT ALSO ADDS SOME FLEXIBILITY FOR CLEAR CHANNEL TO PROPOSE FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES LIKE NAMING RIDES OR SPONSORED RIDES. YOU MAY HAVE SEEN EARLIER THIS YEAR. WE'VE ACTUALLY DONE A FEW PILOTS WITH THE SPONSORED RIDES. WE PARTNERED WITH HEB AS PART OF EARTH MONTH. THEY WANTED TO SPONSOR SOME RIDES ON ONE OF OUR RAPID LINES NEAR SOME OF THEIR STORES. WHAT THAT MEANS IS, FOR OUR CUSTOMERS, THE EXPERIENCE IS FREE TO THE CUSTOMERS THAT KEPT METRO IS STILL COLLECTING THAT REVENUE FROM THE PARTNER WHO HAS CHOSEN TO SPONSOR THE RIDE. IN THIS CASE, HEB. WE'VE ALSO DONE SOMETHING SIMILAR WITH Q2 ON THE RAIL LINE WITH SOME IN-KIND SERVICES. THIS CONTRACT SUPPORTS STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVE 4.5, WHICH CALLS ON US TO IDENTIFY AND PURSUE ADDITIONAL REVENUE SOURCES FOR INCREASED TRANSIT SERVICES, INCLUDING POTENTIAL OVERALL. THE CONTRACT SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASES OUR GUARANTEED REVENUE. IT EXPANDS PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AND STRENGTHENS CAP METRO'S LONG-TERM NON-AIR REVENUE STRATEGY. I DO WANNA HIGHLIGHT THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT OUR LOCAL NONPROFITS AS WELL. UM, MANY OF YOU HAVE JOINED US AT VARIOUS EVENTS, UM, WITH [00:30:01] CAT METRO CARES. UH, THAT IS A WAY THAT WE PROVIDE SOME FREE ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES FOR NONPROFITS WHO MAYBE COULDN'T, UM, PURCHASE THOSE AAV ADS. OTHERWISE, UH, THOSE PROGRAMS WE PROVIDE ABOUT $132,000 OF ADVERTISING TO NONPROFITS ANNUALLY. THIS PROGRAM IS MANAGED BY DEREK HEINO, OUR PROGRAM MANAGER OF PARTNERSHIPS AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT HERE AT CAP METRO. AND WE'RE BOTH AVAILABLE IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. UM, ANY QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS? AH, ONE QUESTION. ALRIGHT, GO AHEAD. PLEASE GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. I KNOW THE CITY, WE HAD A, UM, UM, A RESOLUTION THAT COULD ALLOW FOR FUTURE, UH, POTENTIAL DIGITAL ADVERTISING FOR, UH, CAPITAL METRO BUS STOPS. WOULD THAT ALSO BE INCLUDED IN IN THE SCOPE OF THIS CONTRACT? YES, WE ARE. EXCUSE ME. YES, AND WE ARE IN CLOSE COORDINATION WITH OUR PARTNERS OVER AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN, CLOSELY TRACKING THE PROGRESSION OF THOSE CHANGES. GREAT. WE'RE WAITING FOR IT TOO. IT SHOULD COME BACK, I WOULD HOPE, BEFORE THE END OF THIS YEAR, UH, TO, UH, UH, GIVE CAPITAL METRO THE AUTHORITY TO DO DIGITAL SIGNAGE, UH, UH, AT ITS, UH, BUS STATIONS. AND, UH, LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? UH, HEARING, UH, GO AHEAD, SAM. WILL THIS ALSO COVER THE BIKE SHARE? 'CAUSE I NOTICED I SAW IN ONE OF THE, UH, BIKE SHARE THAT WE HAD HEB UP THERE ON THERE TOO. IS THAT GONNA, IS THAT GONNA BE INCLUDED IN TWO? NO. YES. I ASKED MY COLLEAGUE, UH, DEREK HEINO TO JOIN ME AT THE PODIUM. THE SHORT ANSWER IS NO. OKAY. UM, BECAUSE WE ARE DOING THE FIRST YEAR IN HOUSE, BUT I'M GONNA ASK DERRICK TO EXPAND ON THAT JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL. INTRODUCE, UH, DEREK HEINO, UH, PROGRAM MANAGER PARTNERSHIPS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT. UM, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, WE ARE DOING BIKE SHARE, UM, IN HOUSE RIGHT NOW. SO I MAY SAW A CAMPAIGN WITH HEB EARLIER THIS YEAR. WE ARE, UM, LOOKING AT THE DIGITAL SITUATION WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN BEFORE WE MAKE ANY DECISIONS ON THE BIKE SHARE ADVERTISING PROGRAM. SO WE'RE JUST HOLDING FOR THAT. ALRIGHT, NOW I WAS IMPRESSED THAT THAT, UH, BOARD MEMBER HARRIS ASKED ABOUT A BIKE SHARE PROGRAM. , THAT'S PRETTY GOOD. I I NEED A PICTURE. I NEED A PICTURE OF YOU. I JUST NEED A PICTURE OF YOU ON THE BIKE AND THEN I'LL, I'LL BE OKAY. ALL RIGHT. , ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? I, I NOTICE THEY BOTH WAITED UNTIL MY SECOND TIME ASKING BEFORE THEY RAISED THEIR HANDS. ALRIGHT, UH, HEARING NONE, UH, CHAIR WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE ACTION ITEM NUMBER THREE. OKAY. BOARD MEMBER ROSS WITH THE MOTION BOARD MEMBER ELLIS WITH THE SECOND. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND, AND PROPERLY SECONDED THAT WE APPROVE. ACTION ITEM NUMBER THREE. IS THERE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? FURTHER DISCUSSION, FURTHER DISCUSSION. HEARING NONE. UM, ALL IN FAVOR, LET IT BE KNOWN BY SAYING AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? SAME SIGN. HEARING NONE. THE CHAIR WILL MAKE IT UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE IT. ALRIGHT. AND, AND I'LL RECOGNIZE THAT YOU'LL, YOU'LL MAKE COMMENTS IN THE MOMENT. SO, UM, ALL RIGHT. AFTER THE, AFTER THE, UM, ITEM IS LAID OUT, UH, LET ME LAY OUT ACTION ITEM [VII.4. Approval of a resolution approving the attached Transit Plan 2035 recommendations and authorizing the President & CEO, or her designee, to finalize Transit Plan 2035 and implement through CapMetro’s customary service change process and in accordance with applicable state and federal laws.] NUMBER FOUR, APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE ATTACHED TRANSIT PLAN. 2035 RECOMMENDATIONS AND AUTHORIZING THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OR HER DESIGNEE TO FINALIZE TRANSIT PLAN 2035 AND IMPLEMENT, UH, THROUGH CAP METRO'S CUSTOMARY SERVICE CHANGE PROCESS AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE, UH, STATE AND FEDERAL LAWS. IT LOOKS LIKE WE'VE GOT, UH, ROSE LISKA AND, AND, UH, AND I IMAGINE LAWRENCE DIETER IS SOMEWHERE CLOSE. ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT, GO. ALL RIGHT. ALRIGHT, PLEASE PROCEED. THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR TAVION, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND PRESIDENT, CEO, DOTTIE WATKINS. UM, MY NAME IS ROSE LISKA WITH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, AND TODAY WE'RE ASKING TO ADOPT TRANSIT PLAN 2035. THIS PLAN WILL GUIDE HOW OUR SYSTEM GROWS, ADAPTS, AND SERVES THE COMMUNITY FOR YEARS TO COME. IT ISN'T JUST A SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, IT'S A BLUE, IT'S A BLUEPRINT FOR A STRONGER, MORE RELIABLE AND FUTURE READY TRANSIT SYSTEM THAT MEETS THE NEEDS OF OUR GROWING POPULATION. THIS TRANSIT PLAN IS HAPPENING IN THE CONTEXT OF A REGION THAT HAS EXPERIENCED RAPID CHANGE IN THE PAST FEW YEARS. TRANSIT RIDERSHIP CAN HELP US TELL THE STORY OF CHANGE, HOW TRAVEL, HOW TRAVEL BEHAVIOR HAS SHIFTED, HOW RESILIENT OUR SYSTEM IS, AND HOW WE CAN PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE. IN 2018, CAP METRO IMPLEMENTED A, A NEW CORE SYSTEM. THIS SYSTEM PRIORITIZED SERVICE THAT CAME EVERY 15 MINUTES OR BETTER. AND THAT TRANSLATED INTO A SYSTEM THAT OFFERED MORE FREEDOM AND CONVENIENCE TO OUR CUSTOMERS. WE SAW [00:35:01] 18 MONTHS OF CONSECUTIVE RIDERSHIP GROWTH, AND THEN THE PANDEMIC BEGAN, AND THE WAY PEOPLE TRAVELED CHANGED OVERNIGHT. BUT BECAUSE WE HAD A STRONG CORE SYSTEM THAT REALLY WORKED WELL FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS, WE MAINTAINED MORE OF OUR RIDERSHIP AND RECOVERED MORE QUICKLY THAN OUR PEERS. CAP METRO CONTINUES TO RECOVER BETTER THAN MOST OF OUR PEERS ACROSS THE NATION BECAUSE THE SAME CORE SYSTEM THAT CARRIED US THROUGH THE PANDEMIC IS STILL CONNECTING PEOPLE TO WHERE THEY NEED TO GO TODAY. SO WHERE DO WE GO NEXT WITH TRANSIT PLAN 2035 OFFERS US A PATH FORWARD INTO THE FUTURE TO CONTINUE TO CAPTURE THE RIDERSHIP THROUGH MORE EFFICIENT CORE SERVICE. WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS, UM, BUT WE DO KNOW THIS PLAN IS BUILT TO BE RESILIENT, READY TO WEATHER, FINANCIAL AND POLITICAL UNCERTAINTIES ADAPTABLE TO THE CHANGING NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY, AND ALWAYS ANCHORED IN THE PRIORITIES OF SAFE AND RELIABLE SERVICE. TRANSIT PLAN 2035 OFFERS A VISION FOR A TRANSIT SYSTEM THAT GROWS WITH CENTRAL TEXAS, UM, AND IS WELL PREPARED FOR A MORE HIGH CAPACITY SYSTEM AND CONTINUES TO CONNECT PEOPLE TO OPPORTUNITY. AND BEHIND THAT VISION WAS A VERY THOUGHTFUL PROCESS, ONE GROUNDED IN DATA SHAPED BY THE COMMUNITY AND BALANCED BY OUR FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY TO BUILD THIS PLAN. WE USED A LOT OF DATA. FOR EXAMPLE, WE LOOKED AT POPULATION AND EMPLOYMENT DENSITIES THROUGHOUT THE REGION. WE EVALUATED WHERE WE EXPECT GROWTH TO OCCUR, IDENTIFIED POPULATIONS THAT'D BE MORE LIKELY TO USE TRANSIT SUCH AS GROUPS OF PEOPLE THAT DON'T HAVE A CAR, HOUSEHOLDS WITH LOWER INCOMES OR AREAS WITH PEOPLE WITH MORE, MORE STUDENTS OR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. WE WERE ABLE TO ANALYZE HOW TRAVEL PATTERNS SHIFTED SINCE THE PANDEMIC, USING CELL PHONE DATA TO SEE WHEN AND WHERE PEOPLE ARE GOING. AND EQUALLY AS IMPORTANT, WE LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITY THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS. AND THIS PLAN WAS BUILT ON 10,000 PEOPLE, 10 OF VOICES OF 10,000 PEOPLE, ALL OF WHOM WHO HELPED SHAPE AND REFINE OUR RECOMMENDATIONS ALONGSIDE COMMUNITY OUTREACH. WE ALSO TURN INWARD TO LEARN FROM OUR METRO EMPLOYEES AT EVERY LEVEL. AND THERE WAS AN EMPHASIS ON GATHERING INPUT FROM BUS AND OUR RAIL OPERATORS. AND FINALLY, WE BALANCE ALL OF THIS AGAINST THE FINANCIAL REALITIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS YOU'LL SEE TODAY. UM, THEY'RE DESIGNED NOT ONLY, UM, DATA AND COMMUNITY DRIVEN, BUT FEASIBLE AND COST CONSCIOUS. SO THE RESULTS OF ANALYZING ALL OF THIS INPUT IS OUR ROADMAP FOR THE NEXT FIVE TO 10 YEARS. AND EVEN SOME PLANS BEYOND THAT WITH RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE BUS RAIL AND OUR PICKUP SERVICES. THE CHANGES WE RECOMMEND WILL ALIGN OUR SERVICE WITH TRAVEL PATTERNS IN THE REGION, AND WE'VE BEEN RESPONSIBLE, RESPONSIVE TO THE NEED FOR IMPROVED EAST-WEST CONNECTIONS AND SHORTER TRIPS WITHIN COMMUNITIES. SECOND, WE'RE PLANNING FOR INTEGRATION WITH AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL, ENSURING SMOOTH TRANSFERS AND TRAVEL TIMES, WHETHER YOU'RE ON BUS OR ON OUR RAIL SERVICE. AND FINALLY, THIS PLAN IS FORWARD THINKING AND INCLUDES CONCEPTS FOR FURTHER REGIONAL EXPANSION SO OUR SYSTEM CAN GROW AS OUR REGION CONTINUES TO GROW. AND I'M GONNA HAVE LAWRENCE, UM, DIETER GO AHEAD AND WALK THROUGH SOME DETAILS. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU MR. DIETER. THANK YOU, ROSE. GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR ILIAN, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD PRESIDENT, CEO, DOTTIE WATKINS. I'M LAWRENCE DIETER, MANAGER OF SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING. AND I'M GOING TO WALK THROUGH A, A COUPLE EXAMPLES, A HANDFUL, UM, OF, OF, UH, OF WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THIS PLAN. SO THROUGHOUT THIS PROJECT, WE'VE KEPT IMPLEMENTATION TOP OF MIND. WHAT WE'RE ASKING YOU TO ADOPT TODAY IS NOT A SERVICE CHANGE, BUT IT WILL GUIDE SERVICE CHANGES FOR THE NEXT FIVE TO 10 YEARS, END RESULT IN REAL OUTCOMES FOR THE COMMUNITY WE SERVE. THAT'S WHY OUR RECOMMENDATIONS WE'VE DEVELOPED ADJUST OUR NETWORKS TO IMPROVE SERVICE THROUGH REALLOCATION AND RESOURCEFUL EXPANSION. WE'RE COMMITTED TO STRETCHING EVERY TAX DOLLAR INTO CREATING, UH, CREATING SERVICES MORE CONNECTED, CONSISTENT AND EFFICIENT, EVEN AS WE HAVE FEWER SALES TAX DOLLARS IN OUR POCKET TO SPEND. THE FOLLOWING SLIDES, UH, WILL THEN WALK THROUGH, UH, SOME EXAMPLES OF THOUGHTFUL USE OF RESOURCES. WE ARE EXCITED TO BRING THE RAPID 8 37 EXPO CENTER TO ITS FULL 10 MINUTE FREQUENCY. SO WE'RE RECOMMENDING TO RIGHT SIZE THE UNDERLYING SERVICE FOR RAPID 8 37 FROM 15 MINUTE TO 30 MINUTE SERVICE. THIS IS IN LINE WITH HOW OUR OTHER RAPID SERVICES OPERATE, AND WE BELIEVE THESE FREQUENCY ADJUSTMENTS MAKE SENSE FOR THE MANNAR ROAD AND LOYOLA [00:40:01] CORRIDORS. IN THE NORTHWEST. WE'RE RECOMMENDING A REALLOCATION OF SOME RESOURCES SO WE CAN BETTER CONNECT PEOPLE TO OPPORTUNITY AT THE DOMAIN, WHICH HAS QUICKLY BECOME AN ECONOMIC, UM, HUB WITH RETAIL RESTAURANT AND MAJOR EMPLOYERS. THE PROPOSED CHANGE WOULD DISCONTINUE AN UNPRODUCTIVE RAIL CONNECTOR AND THAT OPERATES IN THE WALNUT CREEK AREA AND REINVEST THOSE RESOURCES TO GET CUSTOMERS NOT ONLY TO THE DOMAIN, BUT TO OUR NEW REDLINE STATION, NORTH BURNETT UPTOWN, WHICH IS ANTICIPATED TO OPEN IN 2027. ONE OF THE THINGS WE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY WAS A DESIRE, UH, FOR OPTIONS TO TRAVEL EAST WEST, SOUTH OF THE RIVER. ONE OF THE WAYS WE ARE ABLE TO ADDRESS THIS FEEDBACK WAS THROUGH RECOMMENDING A REALIGNMENT AND THOUGHTFUL EXTENSION OF EXISTING SERVICE, UH, TO CREATE A NEW CROSS TOWNS CONNECTION BETWEEN SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHEAST REGIONS. THIS WOULD CONNECT MAJOR JOB CENTERS AND NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE BARTON CREEK MALL, WESTGATE TRANSIT CENTER, SOUTH CONGRESS, TRANSIT CENTER, KEY DESTINATIONS ALONG BEN WHITE, SUCH AS I 35 OR ALONG BEN WHITE, SUCH AS, UH, THE WALMART SUPERCENTER. AND, UM, IT, UH, IT'LL ALSO CONNECT OUR EAST RIVERSIDE AND NEIGHBORHOODS. PROBABLY THE MOST POPULAR, UM, RECOMMENDATION IN THIS PLAN WAS THE, WAS THE CHANGE TO THE ROUTE THAT RUNS UP AND DOWN AIRPORT BOULEVARD. THIS ROUTE, UM, THIS 30 MINUTE ROUTE HAS GROWN IN RIDERSHIP OVER A YEAR, CONNECTING PEOPLE TO OPPORTUNITY THROUGHOUT CENTRAL EAST AUSTIN. SO WE ARE RECOMMENDING TO INCREASE FREE FREQUENCY TO 15 MINUTES SERVICE. THE COMMUNITY WAS ALSO LOUD AND CLEAR THAT THEY WANT BETTER ACCESS TO THE AIRPORT. SO WE REALIGNED THIS ROUTE TO END THERE, PROVIDING AN EAST SIDE HIGH FREQUENCY OPTION TO THE AIRPORT FOR EMPLOYEES, TOURISTS, AND TRAVELERS ALIKE. AND, AND WE KNOW THAT, UH, HOW PEOPLE HAVE CHANGED, TRAVEL HAS CHANGED, AND WHILE PEOPLE STILL CONTINUE TO GO DOWNTOWN, THEY DO NOT GO DOWNTOWN AS OFTEN. AND THEREFORE, WE ARE LOOKING TO RECOMMEND TO REUSE OUR RESOURCES, UM, THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY PUTTING INTO OUR FLYER SYSTEM TO INVEST INTO, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD TRAVEL THAT WE KNOW OUR CUSTOMERS, UH, NEED TO, UM, MAKE AT UT. I, UH, THE, UM, AT UT, UH, WE ARE PLANNING IN THE NEXT FIVE TO 10 YEARS TO TRANSITION OUR UT SHUTTLE ROUTES TO MAINLINE FIXED ROUTE SERVICE, LEAVING ONLY THE UT SHUTTLES THAT OPERATES EXCLUSIVELY NEAR CAMPUS. UT SHADOWS CURRENTLY DO NOT OPERATE ON SATURDAYS AND SERVICE LEVELS CHANGE IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE SCHOOL YEAR, WHICH CAN MAKE IT HARDER FOR STUDENTS TO TRAVEL AND OFF PICK TIMES. CHANGING TO A MAY NINE FIXED ROUTE WILL PROVIDE MORE CONSISTENT AND FREQUENT SERVICE TO STUDENTS SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. THIS PROPOSAL WAS WELL RECEIVED AND UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED BY THE UT SHUTTLE BUS COMMITTEE. EACH PHASE OF TRANSIT PLAN 2035 WILL BE IMPLEMENTED INCREMENTALLY THROUGH CAP METRO'S STANDARD SERVICE CHANGE PROCESS, WHICH INCLUDES ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT BOARD APPROVAL. THROUGH THIS PROCESS, RECOMMENDATIONS MAY BE REFINED BASED ON NEW INSIGHTS ABOUT TRAVEL PATTERNS, MARKET CHANGES AND FEEDBACK. THE THUS, BOARD APPROVAL OR TRANSIT PLAN 20 THROUGH FIVE IS NOT A COMMITMENT TO IMPLEMENT CONCEPTS EXACTLY AS DEPICTED. IN ADDITION, CAP METRO ALSO UP ALSO UPDATES THEIR TRANSIT PLAN EVERY FIVE YEARS. AND SO SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS WILL BE FURTHER REFINED AROUND 2030. TRANSIT PLAN. 2035 IS AN EXCITING STEP FORWARD FOR CAP METRO IN OUR, OUR REGION. IT'S NOT JUST A PLAN, IT'S OUR ROADMAP FOR HOW WE'LL EXPAND OPPORTUNITY ROW RIDERSHIP AND MAKE TRANSIT A BIGGER PART OF EVERYDAY LIFE IN CENTRAL TEXAS. WHAT MAKES THIS PLAN SO POWERFUL IS THAT IT'S BUILT ON BOTH SOLID DATA AND THE VOICES OF MORE THAN 10,000 COMMUNITY MEMBERS. THIS ISN'T A PLAN THAT CR CREATED [00:45:01] IN A VACUUM. IT REFLECTS WHAT OUR WRITERS AND OUR REGION TOLD US THEY NEEDED. THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE, BUT REALISTIC. THEY RESPOND TO TODAY'S TRAVEL PATTERNS, WHILE ALSO PREPARING US FOR THE FUTURE FROM LAYING THE GROUNDWORK, UH, FOR THE FULL PROJECT CONNECT VISION, INCLUDING AUSTIN'S LIGHT RAIL TO THE REGIONAL GROWTH WE KNOW IS COMING. AND JUST AS IMPORTANT, THIS IS A PHASED COST EFFECTIVE STRATEGY FOR MAKING SMART NEAR TERM CHANGES THAT STRETCH OUR RESOURCES WHILE LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR TRANSFORMATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS DOWN THE ROAD. WITH THAT, I WILL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, AND WHEN I SAY I'LL BE HAPPY, I MAY ALSO, UH, REQUEST SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES TO COME ANSWER QUESTIONS. WE HAVE, UH, SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THE TEAM, UM, IN ADDITION TO ROSE AND I, WE'VE BEEN VERY WELL SUPPORTED, UH, BY, UH, MEMBER OTHER MEMBERS IN PLANNING, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, FINANCE. UM, YOU KNOW, I'M GONNA FORGET PEOPLE, SO I SHOULD PROBABLY STOP NOW. I THEY TELL YOU TO DO AT THE GRAMMYS OR WHATEVER, OR THE OSCARS. IMPRESSIVE POTENTIAL HANDOFF . UM, LET'S SEE. UM, CEO, UM, YEAH, IF I MAY, I JUST WANTED TO, TO FIRST BEFORE, UH, WE DISCUSS THE PLAN, THANK OUR BOARD, UM, FOR YOUR ENGAGEMENT ON THIS PLAN FROM A YEAR AGO WHEN WE, UH, JOINED IN A WORK SESSION AND PLAYED TRANSIT LAND, THE BOARD GAME, UM, THROUGHOUT MULTIPLE PHASES OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, THIS BOARD HAS REMAINED ENGAGED IN YOUR TIME AND THOUGHTFUL ENGAGEMENT HAS REALLY BEEN HELPFUL. UM, AND I WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT JUST TO UNDERSCORE BIG PICTURE WHAT I BELIEVE THIS PLAN TRULY MEANS FOR CENTRAL TEXAS AT ITS HEART TRANSIT PLAN. 2035 IS ABOUT REINFORCING OUR COMMITMENT TO OPPORTUNITY AND ACCESS FOR THE RESIDENTS OF CENTRAL TEXAS BY REALIGNING THE NETWORK WE OPERATE TODAY TO HOW PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY TRAVELING TODAY. UM, WITH IMPROVED EAST WEST CONNECTIONS, WHICH WE HEAR LOUD AND CLEAR EVERY TIME WE TALK TO THE PUBLIC, WE'RE MAKING IT EASIER FOR FOLKS TO REACH JOBS, HEALTHCARE, EDUCATION, THE SERVICES THAT THEIR FAMILIES DEPEND UPON EVERY DAY. UM, THIS PLAN PARTICULARLY BENEFITS THOSE WHO RELY ON US THE MOST. THOSE ESSENTIAL WORKERS THAT USED OUR SYSTEM THROUGH THE PANDEMIC AND KEPT OUR COMMUNITY RUNNING WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE RELIABLE, FREQUENT SERVICE THAT THEY NEED. OUR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WILL GAIN MORE CONSISTENT SEVEN DAY A WEEK SERVICE, UH, INSTEAD OF SOMETHING THAT'S GREATLY REDUCED ON WEEKENDS AND THROUGH THE SUMMERS. AND OUR RESIDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO ACCESS GROWING EMPLOYMENT CENTERS LIKE THE DOMAIN AND HAVE BETTER CONNECTIONS TO THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY THAT IS HAPPENING UP THERE. WHAT EXCITES ME THE MOST AND, AND WHAT QUITE FRANKLY I'M MOST PROUD OF, IS THAT WE'VE FOUND A WAY TO IMPROVE OUR SERVICES WITHOUT HAVING MORE MONEY. AND THAT'S REALLY THE HARD PART. THIS PLAN DEMONSTRATES FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY WHILE IT'S STILL EXPANDING OPPORTUNITY. WE ARE IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THE SALES TAX DOES NOT AFFORD US THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADD ADDITIONAL SERVICES. AND SO EACH AND EVERY RECOMMENDATION HAS BALANCED WHAT OUR COMMUNITY TOLD US THEY NEED WITH EFFECTIVE USE OF OUR TAXPAYER RESOURCES. AND SO REALLOCATING RESOURCES IS REALLY, UM, THE, THE CORE TO WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH THIS PLAN. I'M ALSO EXTREMELY GRATEFUL FOR THE MORE THAN 10,000 VOICES THAT SHAPED THIS PLAN AND REFLECT THE DIVERSITY OF CENTRAL TEXAS FROM THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY. WE HEARD FROM SENIORS AND STUDENTS FROM DOWNTOWN TO THE DOMAIN, FROM LEANDER TO MAINOR, FROM NORTHEAST TO SOUTHWEST. WE HEARD FROM EVERYONE IN THIS COMMUNITY. UM, TRANSIT PLAN 2035 IS REALLY IN ENVISIONED TO CREATE A MORE CONNECTED REGION THAT BECOMES A GENUINE OPPORTUNITY AND CHOICE FOR MORE PEOPLE. UM, I BELIEVE THAT ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT'S REALLY KIND OF COOL ABOUT THIS PLAN THAT, THAT WE DON'T HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO TALK ABOUT ENOUGH, ENOUGH IS HOW THIS PLAN POSITIONS US FOR THE FUTURE. AS YOU GUYS KNOW MORE THAN ANYBODY, AS WE INTEGRATE WITH AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL IN THE COMING YEARS, AND AS OUR REGION CONTINUES TO GROW, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE AREN'T PLAYING CATCH UP. IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE AREN'T JUST REACTING TO THINGS THAT HAPPEN, BUT INSTEAD THAT WE'RE LEADING THAT WE ARE BUILDING THE FOUNDATION TODAY THROUGH THIS PLAN FOR WHAT WE BELIEVE WILL BE THE REGIONAL TRANSIT SYSTEM CENTRAL TEXAS WILL NEED TOMORROW. UM, ULTIMATELY, TRANSIT PLANNING IS THE CORE OF WHAT WE DO. OUR TRANSIT PLAN HELPS US DEFINE HOW WE ARE GOING TO FULFILL OUR MISSION. UM, I'M PROUD OF THIS WORK. I'M EXTREMELY PROUD OF THE TEAM AND GRATEFUL FOR THE COMMUNITY THAT HELPED SHAPE, SHAPE THE PLAN. AND I'M CONFIDENT THAT THIS PLAN WILL HELP US MAKE MEANINGFUL DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE'S LIVES. UM, SO WITH THAT, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR QUESTIONS AND FEEDBACK. THANK YOU. UM, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? BOARD MEMBERS? ANY QUESTIONS? UH, YES. BOARD MEMBER ELSE? I DO, UH, I DO APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT STAFF'S PUT INTO THIS TO TRY TO BE CREATIVE WITH LIMITED RESOURCES. I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS, ESPECIALLY AROUND THE SOUTHWEST REGION. [00:50:01] UM, THE ONE 11 INTO CIRCLE C IS PLANNED TO BE ELIMINATED AT SOME POINT OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS OR SO. WHAT KIND OF OUTREACH HAS BEEN DONE THERE AND WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM THE FOLKS THAT UTILIZE THAT TO GET INTO DOWNTOWN AND WHAT OTHER OPTIONS MIGHT BE AVAILABLE TO THEM? YEAH, SO, UM, OFF OF THE ROUTE ONE 11, WE HAD A COMMUNITY EVENT AT, UM, AT A LIBRARY. AND, UH, WE DID TALK TO A WRITER TO ONE 11. UM, IS IS THE EXAMPLE THAT COMES QUICKLY TO MIND. UM, AND WHEN WE KINDA EXPLAINED, YOU KNOW, WHAT A RIDERSHIP WAS, SHE SAID, WELL, I'M SAD TO SEE IT GO, BUT I ALSO UNDERSTAND BECAUSE I'M ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT, THAT DOESN'T WRITE IT EVERY SINGLE DAY. UM, OVERALL IN THE, UM, IN THE, UM, SURVEY RESPONSES, WE HEARD VERY LITTLE PUSHBACK AGAINST THE, UH, FLYERS BEING ELIMINATED. UM, WE, AS I'VE MENTIONED MANY TIMES, UH, WE WILL, WE DON'T EVEN, WE, WE DON'T HAVE A TIMING FOR FLYERS. WE EXPECT TO HEAR MORE BECAUSE AS WE GO THROUGH THE SERVICE CHANGE PROCESS, UH, WE'LL DO A A YET AGAIN, AN OUTREACH. UM, WE WILL SEE WHAT WE HEAR AT, AT, AT THAT POINT IN TIME. BUT, UH, SO FAR IT'S BEEN RELATIVELY QUIET. AND SO I NOTICED THAT A LOT OF THE FLYERS HAD BEEN WRAPPED INTO OTHER ROUTES, WHICH I THINK IS VERY IMPORTANT. BUT THIS ONE IN PARTICULAR HAS NO OTHER OPTION AND TO MY UNDERSTANDING WON'T EVEN BE ELIGIBLE FOR METRO ACCESS WITH THIS CURRENT PLAN. YEAH. SO, UM, SO AS IT IS TODAY, UM, OUR, OUR, UM, REGARDING, UH, CAP METRO ACCESS, WHEN WE CREATE OUR SERVICE AREA, FLYER ROUTES ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE CREATION OF THE, UM, BECAUSE OF THE LIMITED NATURE OF THE ROUTES, THEY'RE NOT, UH, REQUIRED BY THE LAW TO BE PLACED INTO THE SERVICE AREA. SO THAT'S REALLY NOT A CHANGE, UH, FOR THE FUTURE, UM, WITH THAT. BUT YOU ARE A HUNDRED PERCENT CORRECT. THERE IS NO OTHER LOCAL ROUTE OPTION FOR THE ROUTE ONE 11 CUSTOMERS. OKAY. UM, MY NEXT QUESTION WILL BE ABOUT HOW THIS REFLECTS THE GOALS OF PROJECT CONNECT. YOU KNOW, THERE'S STILL A METRO RAPID YET TO BE DESIGNED EVEN THROUGH THE OAK HILL AREA. UM, THERE'S A PARK AND RIDE THAT WAS COMMITTED THROUGH SOUTH MOPAC, ONE AT THE PINNACLE CAMPUS, WHICH WE KNOW THAT ONE IS, UM, IS OPERATING AT LEAST THAT LAND IS THERE. IT'S BEEN IDENTIFIED. A CC HAS BEEN A GREAT PARTNER WITH TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS HAVE ACCESS TO TRANSPORTATION IN AND OUT OF THEIR FACILITIES. UM, BUT HOW DOES THIS PLAN GET US TO BE ABLE TO FULFILL THE COMMITMENTS OF SOUTHWEST AUSTIN FOR PROJECT CONNECT? IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S ACTUALLY PUSHING SERVICE AWAY RATHER THAN ENGAGING WITH THE FOLKS THAT ARE UTILIZING CAP METRO RIGHT NOW. SO THE, UH, TRANSPLANT IN 2035 OVERALL, IT'S BUILDING TOWARDS, UM, THE FULL VISION OF PROJECT CONNECT. UM, ALL THE ELEMENTS ARE IN THE PLAN. UH, SOME OF THEM ARE PHASED AT DIFFERENT PARTS, PARTS OF THE PLAN. UM, THE, UH, FOR OAK HILL AREA IN PARTICULAR IS ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT'S PHASED IN THE PLAN. UM, IT'S PHASED IN THE FIVE TO 10 YEAR TIMEFRAME. UM, ALONG WITH OUR ROUTE TWO 11, THE ASSAULT THAT BUILDS TOWARDS A RAPID, UH, LINE THAT WAS ALSO PROPOSED IN, UM, THAT WAS ALSO PROPOSED IN, UH, PROJECT CONNECT. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, TAKING VERY SIMILAR APPROACHES OF OF BUILDING THE SERVICES UP, UH, LOOKING AT HOW THE MARKETS AND LAND USES ARE CHANGING, UM, SO THAT WE CAN PROVIDE THE BEST SERVICE TO OUR CUSTOMERS POSSIBLE. AND I DO APPRECIATE THE CREATIVITY IN TRYING TO GET A EAST WEST ROUTE IN AND OUT OF OAK HILL. UM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE HAVE ACCESSIBILITY THERE AND IT WOULD BE ABLE TO PROVIDE AT LEAST THE SAME LEVEL OF BUS SERVICE OR PERHAPS EVEN FASTER THAN WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY SEEING IN THAT AREA. MY CONCERN IS THAT THE ORIGINAL PROJECT CONNECT PLAN WAS A NORTH SOUTH THROUGH LAMAR AND MINKA TO OAK HILL. AND THE, A LOT OF THE CONNECTIONS IN AND OUTTA DOWNTOWN HAVE HAVE BEEN CUT OFF AT THIS POINT. SO YEAH, THE CONNECTIONS WILL BE MADE AT OUR WESTGATE TRANSIT CENTER, WHERE THE, WHERE WHAT WE, IN THIS PLAN CALLED THE PROPOSED EIGHT 15 WOULD CONNECT TO THE, UH, 8 0 3. ONE OF THE THINGS WE KNOW AS WE SET AROUND AND LOOKED AT OPTIONS FOR HOW BEST, HOW BEST TO BUILD THIS SERVICE IS WE KNOW THAT TRIPS, ROUTES THAT HAVE ALTERNATING DESTINATIONS CAUSE A LOT OF CONFUSIONS. AND ONE OF THEM IS IN SOUTHWEST AUSTIN TODAY. IT'S THE ROUTE 3 33, UH, WILLIAM CANNON ROUTE WHERE EVERY OTHER TRIP, ONE TRIP ENDS AT, UM, OUR, UM, FRESH COUNTRY. HUH? FRESH COUNTRY. FRESH COUNTRY. AND ONE ENDS AT, UM, UH, OUT AT A CC. UM, AND, UM, [00:55:01] AND PEOPLE GET ON THE WRONG, WRONG BUS AND THEN THEY END UP IN THE WRONG LOCATION BECAUSE THEY, I MEAN, THEY TRAVELED DIFFERENT WAYS DUE TO THE ROAD NETWORK DOWN THERE. UM, WE ALSO HAD A SIMILAR INSTANCE YEARS AGO, UH, THE ROUTE ONE ON THE NORTH SIDE BRANCH TO THE ONE L INTO ONE M. SO WE'VE HAD SOME EXPERIENCE WITH THIS IN THE PAST AND, UM, AND, AND WE KNOW THAT IT'S JUST REALLY HARD. SO WHEN WE LOOK AT, WE HAVE A BEAUTIFUL FACILITY, UH, DOWN AT, UH, WESTGATE, UH, IT'S ONE OF OUR NEWS FACILITIES THAT IN EAST SIDE BUS PLAZA, UM, THERE'S ALWAYS AN 8 0 3 NORTHBOUND WAITING THERE. SO I, IT, I KNOW IT'S ONLY IN ONE DIRECTION, BUT IN ONE DIRECTION YOU'LL ALWAYS GET OFF A BUS, THERE'LL ALWAYS BE A BUS WAITING THERE, YOU KNOW, WE HOPE, WE HOPE TO ADD THE FREQUENCIES AND THINGS, THINGS WORK THE BEST AS POSSIBLE TO WORK ON IT GOING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION ALSO. SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, WE WON'T, PART OF WHAT IS PLAN IS ALSO LOOKING TO LEVERAGE IS CAP METRO'S INVESTMENT IN FACILITIES THROUGHOUT THE REGION. I APPRECIATE THAT. AND WE, UM, YOU KNOW, CER CERTAINLY LOVE THE WESTGATE TRANSIT CENTER, SOMETHING THAT FOLKS IN SOUTHWEST AUSTIN, EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT TECHNICALLY IN FAR SOUTHWEST, A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK WESTGATE IS EXACTLY WHERE SOUTHWEST STARTS. AND I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THEM AS CONSTITUENTS IF THAT WERE EVER THE FUTURE. UM, UH, BUT I, I AM WORRIED THAT SOME OF THE COMMITMENTS OF PROJECT CONNECT, ESPECIALLY WITH METRO RAPID, HAVE YET TO BE MET. YOU KNOW, THERE'S TWO THAT WERE PERFECTLY DEPLOYED. YOU KNOW, CAP METRO WAS GUNGHO, WE GOT FEDERAL FUNDING. LIKE THOSE HAVE BEEN REALLY FANTASTIC FOR FOLKS ON THE EAST SIDE. BUT THERE ARE FOLKS IN THE OAK HILL AREA THAT NEED RAPID TRANSPORTATION, AND THAT AREA IS REDEVELOPING VERY QUICKLY BECAUSE ALL, A LOT OF THOSE PROPERTIES WERE EIGHTIES AND NINETIES. PRE SOS ORDINANCE, THEY'RE IN FLOODPLAINS, THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, CRUMBLING BASICALLY, WHETHER THAT'S PARKING LOT OR INFRASTRUCTURE. AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE AHEAD OF THE BALL ON THAT. UM, THE LAST THING THAT I'LL, I'LL MOVE ON TO IS DISCUSSIONS AROUND THE 30 ROUTE. SO WE WERE RECENTLY INCORPORATED INTO A BARTON CREEK TO BULL CREEK ROUTE, AND NOW IT'S KIND OF GOING A LITTLE MORE NORTHEAST TO SOUTHWEST. UM, AND ONE OF THE PROPOSITIONS THAT'S IN THIS PLAN IS TO JUST NOT DO THE SPYGLASS LOOP AT SOME POINT, WHICH I KNOW YOU SAID WOULD BE EVALUATED AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME. UM, WHAT IS THAT DECISION MAKING PROCESS TO, TO CREATE A SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST CORRIDOR, AND HOW MUCH FURTHER BACK WOULD IT PUT A BUS TO BE ABLE TO GO TO THAT ORIGINAL TACO DELI WITH THE TRAILHEAD? IT'S RIGHT IN A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT HAS A LOT OF MARKET RATE AFFORDABLE APARTMENTS RIGHT NOW. AND SO LIKE, WHAT ARE, WHAT'S THE THOUGHT PROCESS BEHIND PROPOSING TO ELIMINATE THAT OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS OR SO? UM, AND HOW DOES THAT HELP US WITH RELIABILITY FOR THAT ROUTE? SURE. WELL, TO START, UH, WITH YOUR FIRST, UH, QUESTION, UM, HOW DID IT BECOME A, UH, SOUTHWEST, UH, NORTHWEST CORRIDOR ROUTE? UM, WHAT WE WERE, UM, EXPERIENCING , INTERESTING ENOUGH AT THE TIME WAS OUR BUSES LAID OVER IN DOWNTOWN, UH, NEAR REPUBLIC SQUARE WHERE THE REPUBLIC IS BEING BUILT. UH, WE LOST THAT LAYOVER SPACE DUE TO THAT CONSTRUCTION. AND SO WHAT WE HAD TO DO WAS JUST KEEP THE BUSES MOVING. WE COULDN'T STOP THEM IN DOWNTOWN. SORRY, I'M PROBABLY TALKING. WE ARE TOO. TECHNICAL LAYOVER MEANS A BUS SETS FOR LIKE FIVE TO 10 MINUTES IN ONE SPOT. IT'S, IT'S THE, IT'S THE END OF THE LINE FOR A BUS. SO WHAT WE WANTED TO DO, WE COMBINED THOSE TWO TOGETHER. WE ALSO WERE EXCITED ABOUT THAT AT THE TIME BECAUSE IT ALLOWED US TO CONNECT UT UH, TO THE MALL, UH, THINKING THAT COLLEGE KIDS WANTED TO GO TO THE MALL, UM, . AND THE OTHER REALLY GOOD THING ABOUT THAT COMBINATION IS WE EED OUT A LITTLE BIT MORE, UH, FREQUENCY. SO WE ACTUALLY MADE THIS SERVICE TO THE MALL MORE FREQUENT WHEN WE DID THAT. UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S AGAIN, ANOTHER GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO SQUEEZE EVERYTHING WE CAN OUT OF ALL OUR BUSES AND BE RESOURCEFUL WITH WHAT WE HAVE. UM, SO, UM, THAT'S, THAT'S HOW WE CAME TO THAT. I WILL SAY THE UT STUDENTS HAVE NOT FLOCKED TO IT AS MUCH AS WE THOUGHT. THAT'S WHY WE'RE ACTUALLY LOOKING AT CONNECTING EAST SIDE WHERE THE EMPLOYEES GOING TO THE MALL, UH, I I I IS WHAT THE LOCATION BASED, UH, DATA IS SHOWING US. SO NOW, UH, THAT, THAT'S THE HISTORY NOW LOOKING FORWARD. SO, SO WE'RE AT A POINT IN TIME NOW WHERE WE'VE, WE'VE MADE THAT CHANGE. UH, WE'VE EXAMINED THE ROUTE, THE SPIKE GRASS, UH, LOOP IS, UH, ONE OF THE LOWER RIDERSHIP SEGMENTS OF THAT ROUTE, OR, UH, CARRYING LESS THAN FOUR 40 BOARDINGS FOR A ROUTE THAT CARRIES OVER, UM, 1500 PEOPLE. AND SO THEREFORE IT LED THE TEAM TO, UH, PROPOSE TO REMOVE IT. NOW, WHEN WE PROPOSED TO REMOVE IT, WE REALLY REMOVED IT. WE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY WE'D LIKE TO SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE SERVICE IN MOPAC. SO WE RESPONDED BY PLACING BACK A STOP ALONG THE MOPAC FRONT ROAD CALLED WALLING WOOD. I WILL, I UNDERSTAND IT'S [01:00:01] A HILLY AREA. IT'S NOT ALWAYS AN EASY WALK FOR EVERYONE OR MAYBE EVEN AN EASY BIKE RIDE UNLESS YOU'RE ON AN E-BIKE, UM, TO GET TO THAT, TO GET TO THAT STOP. UM, BUT WE HAVE, LISTEN, WE ALSO KNOW THERE'S THINGS CHANGING IN THAT AREA, AND THIS IS WHERE, UM, THIS PLAN IS A SNAPSHOT IN THIS TIME, BUT THIS IS AUSTIN. THINGS CHANGE QUICK AND FAST. AND SO WHEN WE GO TO IMPLEMENT THIS AND THIS, THIS CHANGES A COUPLE YEARS OR MORE DOWN THE ROAD, IT'S PROBABLY NEAR THE END OF THE FIRST PHASE. WE'LL LOOK AT THE MARKET CONDITIONS AGAIN. THERE'S A, THERE'S A PUBLIC SAFETY, UM, COME COMING IN IN THERE. UH, YOU'VE MENTIONED, UH, ADDITIONAL HOUSING, UM, THAT, THAT'S COMING IN. WE'LL, WE'LL LOOK, WE'LL REEVALUATE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE OUR, UM, OUR, OUR GREAT MARCO COMMS TEAM CAN ALSO TRY AND STARE UP SOME ADDITIONAL RIDERSHIP AND WE'LL SEE WHERE, WHERE, WHERE THINGS ARE AT THAT POINT IN TIME WHEN WE GO TO CHANGE. I, I APPRECIATE IT. AND I, I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF CREATIVITY AND A LOT OF DUE DILIGENCE DONE WITH SO MUCH OF WHAT'S IN THIS TRANSIT PLAN. UM, MY CONCERNS AROUND SOUTHWEST AUSTIN HAVE PUT ME IN A POSITION WHERE I FEEL LIKE I'M BEING ASKED TO KIND OF VOTE AWAY THE SERVICE THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE, EVEN THOUGH I'M TRYING TO ENHANCE WHAT WE HAVE IN SOUTHWEST AUSTIN. AND SO I'M NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO SUPPORT IT AT THIS MOMENT, BUT I KNOW THERE'S MANY OTHER THINGS ABOUT THIS TRANSIT PLAN THAT ARE BRINGING A LOT OF GREAT RELIABILITY AND SERVICE INTO OTHER PARTS OF THE REGION. BUT I HAVE TO LOOK OUT FOR SOUTHWEST AUSTIN FIRST AND FOREMOST, BUT APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT'S GONE INTO IT. IF I CAN CHIME IN JUST BRIEFLY, 'CAUSE I WANNA MAKE SURE, UM, TO HAMMER HOME THE POINT AND APPRECIATE YOUR ENGAGEMENT ON THIS BOARD. MEMBER ELLIS, WHEN IT COMES TO THE, THE PROJECT CONNECT PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE REGION, EVERY SINGLE YET TO BE IMPLEMENTED, PROJECT CONNECT PROJECT REMAINS IN OUR TRANSIT PLAN. WHAT WE'VE REALLY FOCUSED ON IS TRYING TO LEAN INTO WHAT WE THINK OF AS FACILITATOR PROJECTS. I KNOW WE'VE TALKED, UM, WITH YOUR OFFICE ABOUT THE ROUTE THREE 15 AND HOW DO WE LEAN INTO THAT ROUTE TO HELP GROW RIDERSHIP FOR FUTURE ROUTES. UM, LAWRENCE MENTIONED THE TWO 11, WHICH WOULD HELP US GROW RIDERSHIP FOR OTHER ROUTES. BUT I DO WANT TO ASSURE YOU AND THE REST OF THE BOARD THAT ALL OF THE YET TO BE, UM, FULFILLED, UM, COMPONENTS OF THE PROJECT CONNECT PROGRAM REMAIN IN OUR PLAN. IT'S JUST THE TIMING IS GONNA DEPEND ON WHEN THE MARKET IS READY, UM, TO REALLY PROVIDE THE RIDERSHIP SUPPORT FOR THAT. BUT WE WILL CONTINUE WORKING, UM, WITH THE COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE BUILD TOWARD THAT. THANK YOU. AND, AND I APPRECIATE THAT. I KNOW THERE'S ALSO BEEN DISCUSSIONS WE'VE HAD WITH THE TEAMS ON THE BACKEND AND REALLY, UM, THEY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REPEAT TIME AND TIME AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WHEN AND HOW THOSE DECISIONS ARE MADE. WE'LL GO BACK THROUGH PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT SO THAT PEOPLE CAN HAVE A CHANCE TO KNOW THAT THEIR ROUTES ARE CHANGING AND TO BE ABLE TO COME FORWARD AT THAT MOMENT IN TIME AND SO I REALIZE IT'S A PLAN THAT SAYS, HEY, THIS IS NOT REALLY RUBBER STAMPING, THAT THESE CHANGES WILL ALL HAPPEN. THERE'S ANOTHER PROCESS FOR SERVICE CHANGES, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT KIND OF IS, AND IT KIND OF SAYS WE'RE HEADING IN THIS DIRECTION. AND SO I WANNA BE ABLE AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME TO BE ABLE TO WORK THROUGH THAT WITH MY CONSTITUENTS AND THE WRITERS THAT, THAT WE SPEAK TO. ALRIGHT. BOARD MEMBERS, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ANY, ANY, ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? UH, HEARING NONE, UH, CHAIR WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE ACTION ITEM, UH, NUMBER FOUR. OKAY. BOARD MEMBER VELA AND BOARD MEMBER BENGAL WITH A SECOND. OKAY. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED THAT WE APPROVE. ACTION ITEM NUMBER FOUR. IS THERE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. UH, ALL IN FAVOR? LET IT BE KNOWN BY SAYING AYE. AYE. OKAY. OPPOSED? SAME SIGN. OKAY. UM, LET'S SEE. LET THE RECORD SHOW THAT BOARD MEMBER ELLIS HAS OPPOSED THE ITEM. UH, THE BOARD CHAIR WILL VOTE YES. UH, SO ON THIS, ON THIS ITEM, SHE'S JUST COUNTING. OKAY. ALRIGHT, , LET'S SEE. UH, WE'VE GOT 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, UH, ONE IN THE NEGATIVE . ALRIGHT. FIVE TO ONE. OKAY. ALRIGHT, UH, THAT ITEM, UH, IS APPROVED. ALRIGHT. UH, THANK YOU, UH, FOR THE PRESENTATION. UM, LET'S SEE NOW THAT'S GONNA INCLUDE OUR ACTION ITEMS FOR TODAY. UM, IN OUR FINAL AGENDA ITEM, UH, BEFORE WE GO TO EXECUTIVE SESSION, WE WILL HAVE THE, UH, THE REPORT FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CEO AND THEN, UH, WHEN WE FINISH THAT AND WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, THAT ULTIMATELY WE ARE NOT GONNA VOTE ON ANYTHING ELSE TODAY, UM, EXCEPT FOR ADUR THE MEETING. SO, ALRIGHT. UM, GO AHEAD WITH YOUR REPORT. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU, CHAIR. THANK YOU VERY [VIII.1. President and CEO Monthly Update - October 2025] MUCH. UM, SO FIRST UP, JUST SOME, UM, FUN [01:05:01] UPDATES OF CAP METRO OUT IN THE COMMUNITY. UM, WE RECENTLY, UM, PARTICIPATED IN SUPPORTING THE URBAN LAND INSTITUTE'S ANNUAL WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING, UM, WHERE THAT, THAT IS ACTUALLY AN EVENT THAT'S PROMOTED, UM, NATIONWIDE, UM, AND PRETTY HEAVILY HERE IN AUSTIN. UM, AND TOOK A BUNCH OF EXTRA, AN EXTRA BUNCH OF SELFIES OF OURSELVES OUT WITH OUR, UM, FANTASTIC, UM, COMMUNITY USING OUR SERVICE. SO THANK YOU TO EVERYONE. UM, THANK YOU TO BOARD MEMBER ELLIS FOR HELPING US TO BRING ATTENTION TO THIS IMPORTANT INITIATIVE AS WELL. UM, WE ALSO, UM, RECENTLY CELEBRATED, UM, WHITE CANE DAY WITH A GREAT COMMUNITY AT THE TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED. UM, WHITE CANE DAY, UM, HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCESSIBILITY, SAFETY, AND INCLUSIVITY, EMPHASIZING THE NEED FOR BETTER PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING AND SUPPORT FOR THOSE USING THE WHITE CANE. UM, CAT METRO HAS BEEN PARTICIPATING IN WHITE CANE DAY EVENTS FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, AND YOU SEE HERE SOME PICTURES, UM, OF OUR TEAM OUT AT THE EVENT, UM, AT THE SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED. UM, AND NEXT UP OUR TEAM WAS BUSY OVER BOTH AUSTIN CITY LIMITS MUSIC FESTIVAL WEEKENDS. UM, WE SUPPLEMENT ROUTE 8 0 3 WITH ADDITIONAL BUSES AND ADDED RESOURCES, UM, FROM OUR BIKE SHARE TEAM. SO YOU'LL, YOU SEE HERE, UM, OUR BIKE SHARE TEAM ACTUALLY SETS UP A, AN, AN EXTRA HUB SO THAT WE CAN COLLECT AND DISTRIBUTE BIKES. UM, THERE'S, IT IS SUCH HEAVY UTILIZATION OF THE BIKE SHARE PROGRAM. IT'S A GREAT WAY TO GET FROM THE CENTRAL CITY TO ZILKER PARK ON ANY WEEKEND, BUT ON THE TWO WEEKENDS OF ACL, UM, IT TAKES A LOT OF EXTRA STAFF. SO MANY THANKS TO ALL OF OUR OPERATORS AND OPERATION STAFF, UM, WHO HELPED GET EVERYONE SAFELY AROUND THE FESTIVAL. UM, FROM A HOT FIRST WEEKEND TO A NOT QUITE AS HOT, BUT STILL PLENTY WARM. SECOND WEEKEND, WE HAD A FANTASTIC, UM, ACL EVENT THIS YEAR. UM, AND WE'VE ALSO BEEN DOING A LOT UP AT, UM, Q2 STADIUM AND IN THAT AREA. SO Q2 STADIUM PARTNERED WITH CAP METRO TO OFFER FREE REDLINE RIDES ALL DAY LONG FOR THE LAST GAME OF THE SEASON AGAINST THE LAFC. UM, OUR TEAM WAS ON THE GROUND GIVING OUT CAP METRO SWAG AND HELPING, UH, FOLKS NAVIGATE OUR SYSTEM. AS I'VE HEARD FROM MANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND SEVERAL BOARD MEMBERS, THE TRAIN IS AN EXCELLENT WAY TO GET TO AND FROM Q2 STADIUM. UM, AND SINCE THE DAY WE'VE OPENED THAT STATION, THIS, UH, STADIUM HAS BEEN A GREAT PARTNER IN HELPING US NOT ONLY PROMOTE THE SERVICE, BUT UM, SUPPORT, UH, TRANSIT THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY. I'M ALSO EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT PREPARATIONS ARE FULLY UNDERWAY TO START THE ACTUAL MOVING DIRT CONSTRUCTION AT UPTOWN NORTH BURNETT STATION WITH CONSTRUCTION EXPECTED TO START IN THE NEXT MONTH. UM, SO THIS AREA, UM, SERVING THAT NORTH BURNETT AREA, INCLUDING, UM, UPTOWN IN THE DOMAIN IS EXPECTED TO BECOME OUR SECOND BUSIEST STATION ALONG THE RED LINE. UM, IT WILL, UM, START CONSTRUCTION, UM, IN THE NEXT MONTH AND IT'LL TAKE ABOUT TWO YEARS TO GET FULLY BUILT. SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO SEE THAT ONE COMING. UM, NEXT UP I WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT STRATEGIC PLAN 2030. SO OCTOBER BEING THE LAUNCH OF THE NEW FISCAL YEAR. HAPPY NEW FISCAL YEAR TO EVERYONE. UM, WE WANTED TO REALLY LEAN IN WITH, UM, OUR STRATEGIC PLAN. SO AS THE BOARD WILL RECALL, UM, IN MAY, YOU ADOPTED A NEW STRATEGIC PLAN THAT WILL REALLY GUIDE THE WORK OF THIS ORGANIZATION OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. AND OUR STRATEGIC PLAN IS CENTERED AROUND FOUR CRITICAL RESULTS. FIRST, PROVIDING CONSISTENT, RELIABLE SERVICE, UM, THAT HAS, UM, THAT IS SEEN AS BOTH RELIABLE AND SECURE BY OUR COMMUNITY. WE KNOW THAT RELIABILITY MEANS RIDERSHIP AND THAT OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS TO KNOW THAT THEY CAN RELY ON OUR SERVICE AND THAT THEY'LL BE SAFE WHEN THEY RIDE. AND SO, FIRST AND FOREMOST, WE WILL, WE ARE REINVESTING IN OUR EFFORTS TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE A RELIABLE AND SECURE SYSTEM. NEXT UP IS INCREASED RIDERSHIP. THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT METRIC OF THE SUCCESS OF ANY TRANSIT SYSTEM IS HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE GOING THROUGH THE DOORS OF THEIR VEHICLES EVERY DAY. AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE HIGHLIGHTING OUR OPPORTUNITIES TO INCREASE RIDERSHIP SO THAT WE CAN HAVE LESS TRAFFIC, CLEANER AIR, BETTER A STRONGER ECONOMY. OBVIOUSLY, ALL OF THIS HAS TO BE DONE WITHIN FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY, AS WE TALKED ABOUT WITH THE TRANSIT PLAN AND IN JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING WE DO. GOOD USE OF THE TAXPAYER RESOURCES IS AN IMPORTANT FUNDAMENTAL THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON EVEN MORE IN THE COMING YEARS. AND THEN LASTLY, REGIONAL SIGNIFICANCE. MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE WORKING TO MAKE CAP METRO A SIGNIFICANT AND INTEGRAL COMPONENT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR NOT JUST AUSTIN, FOR NOT JUST THE CENTRAL CITY, BUT FOR THE ENTIRE GROWING REGION OF CENTRAL TEXAS. WE KNOW THAT, UM, TRANSIT ISN'T JUST ABOUT GIVING RIDES, IT'S ABOUT LAYING THE GROUNDWORK AND HAVING THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT OUR REGION FOR THE YEARS AND YEARS TO COME. SO IN THE COMING YEAR, WE WILL HAVE A NUMBER OF UPDATES ON STRATEGIC PLAN 2030. UM, FIRST OFF, ON A MONTHLY BASIS, OUR EXECUTIVE TEAM, UM, INTERNALLY IS GET, IS LOOKING AT ALL OF THE ACTION ITEMS. SO IF YOU DIG INTO THE DETAILS OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN, WE HAVE 18 DIFFERENT ACTIONS THAT [01:10:01] WE ARE TAKING. ALL OF THEM HAVE MULTIPLE PARTS, EVERY PART HAS MULTIPLE PARTS. UM, AND WE'VE REALLY BROKEN DOWN THE WORK TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE FOCUSED ON DOING THE WORK THAT IS GOING TO MOVE THE NEEDLE ON THOSE FOUR CRITICAL RESULTS. SO INTERNALLY, WE WILL BE DOING THAT WORK IN EVERY MONTH. I WILL BE HIGHLIGHTING IN MY PRESIDENT'S REPORT, A PORTION OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN TO MAKE SURE THAT IT REMAINS FRONT AND CENTER IN THE WORK THAT WE DO EVERY DAY. UM, QUARTERLY, UM, AS WE HAVE GROWN, UM, ACCUSTOMED TO DOING WITH THE BOARD, WE WILL BE PRESENTING OUR PERFORMANCE DASHBOARD. SO OUR KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS DASHBOARD, UM, HAS BEEN TWEAKED A BIT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS FULLY ALIGNED WITH THOSE FOUR CRITICAL RESULTS THAT WE ARE AIMING TOWARD. AND SO WE WILL, UM, CONTINUE REPORTING OUR KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS TO THE BOARD. UM, ON A QUARTERLY BASIS, WE TEND TYPICALLY BRING THOSE DISCUSSIONS TO COMMITTEE MEETINGS SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A BIT MORE OF AN INFORMAL AND IN-DEPTH CONVERSATION ABOUT THEM. UM, BUT WE'LL BE PROVIDING THAT UPDATE TO THE BOARD EVERY QUARTER. AND THEN ANNUALLY, UM, ALL OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS, UM, THIS YEAR HAVE IN THEIR OWN PERFORMANCE PLANS. IT IS NEW FISCAL YEAR, NEW GOAL SEASON. UM, WE ARE LOADING OUR PERFORMANCE GOALS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ACCOMPLISHING THE WORK OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN. UM, AND WE WILL, UM, LAUNCH AT THE END OF THIS YEAR A NEW ANNUAL REPORT THAT HELPS TIE THE WORK OF THE ORGANIZATION TO THE STRATEGIC PLAN. ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT STRATEGIC PLAN 2030 IS IT WAS OUR FIRST EFFORT IN A NUMBER OF YEARS TO NOT ONLY BE STRATEGIC IN THE WORK THAT WE DO, BUT TO LOOK EVER A LONGER TIME PERIOD. INSTEAD OF HAVING A ONE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN, WE HAVE A FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN. SO WE OWE THIS BOARD AND THE COMMUNITY THE UPDATE AT THE END OF YEAR ONE. HOW ARE THINGS GOING AND HOW ARE WE GETTING CLOSER TO TO YEAR TWO? UM, AND SO WE WILL BE PROVIDING THAT, UM, IN, IN JUST OVER A YEAR FROM NOW. UM, SO I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT STRATEGIC PLAN 2030. I'VE BEEN EN ENGAGED IN A NUMBER OF STRATEGIC PLANNING EFFORTS AT CAP METRO OVER THE YEARS. UM, AND I CAN CONFIDENTLY SAY THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST ACTION ORIENTED STRATEGIC PLANS THAT WE'VE HAD. AND SO I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO, UM, CENTERING OUR WORK IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND REPORTING THAT OUT TO THE BOARD. BUT AS WE WORK THROUGH THE YEAR, IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT, WAIT A SECOND, WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THAT STRATEGIC PLAN, MAKE SURE YOU SPEAK UP. I, IT'S MY GOAL, BUT WE DON'T LET YOU HAVE THAT MOMENT. BUT IF YOU GET THERE, LET US KNOW BECAUSE WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THE BOARD AND THE COMMUNITY UNDERSTAND THAT WE TAKE THIS WORK VERY SERIOUSLY. UM, NEXT UP JUST AN OUR NORMAL CHECK-IN. WE CONTINUE TO HAVE AMAZING, UM, CALL VOLUMES WITH OUR CUSTOMER, UM, CARE TEAM. UM, JUST AS AN EXAMPLE, UM, IN SEPTEMBER WE HAD A TOTAL OF 15 OF OVER 15,000, UM, CONTACTS UP AGAIN, EVEN FROM AUGUST. UM, WE HAVE SEPTEMBER IS A VERY BUSY MONTH. UM, WE HAD FC GAME, WE HAD A SERVICE CHANGE. WE HAD A NUMBER OF, UH, UT HOME GAMES. UM, WE STARTED THE MONTH WITH SOME, UM, PUBLIC EVENT PROTESTS. SO, UM, VERY BUSY MONTH. IT HAS KEPT OUR CALL CENTER VERY BUSY. UM, AND THEN LASTLY, IN TERMS OF, UM, WHERE I'VE BEEN, UM, WE WERE PROUD TO BE ON THE, ON THE PICTURE ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT THERE, WE WERE PROUD TO BE A SPONSOR OF THE GREATER AUSTIN HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CELEBR BRANDO EVENT. UM, AND WE'RE HONORED TO BE ACCOMPANIED BY PFLUGERVILLE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER RUDY MATEO AND LIBERTY HILL MAYOR CRYSTAL CIA. UM, SO MANY THANKS, UM, TO THOSE GREAT COMMUNITY LEADERS FOR JOINING US AT THAT WONDERFUL EVENT. UM, WE'VE ALSO SPENT MUCH OF THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS BRIEF BRIEFING ALL OF OUR, UM, ELECTED DELEGATION ON TRANSIT PLAN 2035. UM, AND AS WE WRAPPED UP THAT ENGAGEMENT, I WAS HONORED TO, UM, MAKE IT DOWN TO THE CAPITOL AND MEET WITH STATE SENATOR SARAH ECKHART OF SENATE DISTRICT 14, UM, WHERE WE TALKED ABOUT ALL OF THE GREAT THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THE REGION, UM, AND GAVE SHE AND HER TEAM AN OVERVIEW OF TRANSIT PLAN 2035. AND I THINK I ALREADY SAID LAST, BUT I DIDN'T MEAN IT, I REALLY MEAN IT THIS TIME. LAST BUT NOT LEAST, UM, I DID WANT TO HIGHLIGHT WE HAVE A NEW LEADERSHIP TEAM APPOINTMENT IN OUR, UM, IN OUR ORGANIZATION. AS THE BOARD PROBABLY ALREADY KNOWS, I AM THRILLED TO SHARE PUBLICLY THAT RE BOWIE HAS ACCEPTED THE POSITION OF CHIEF OF POLICE, UM, FOR THE CAT METRO TRANSIT POLICE DEPARTMENT. IN FACT, JUST THIS MORNING, UM, WE HAD A BRIEF SWEARING IN CEREMONY FOR CHIEF BOWIE AND OUR, AND THREE OF OUR NEWEST, UM, OFFICERS TO JOIN THE TEAM. UM, YOU MAY HAVE ALREADY BECOME FAMILIAR WITH CHIEF BOWIE AS HE CAME FROM WITHIN. HE SERVED MOST RECENTLY SERVED IN OUR DEPARTMENT AS TRANSIT POLICE CAPTAIN, BUT HE CAME TO CAP METRO AFTER A MORE THAN 30 YEAR CAREER IN LAW ENFORCEMENT. UM, PRIOR TO JOINING OUR DEPARTMENT EARLIER THIS YEAR, HE MOST RECENTLY SERVED AS A KEY MEMBER AT THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, UM, WHERE HE SERVED AS CHIEF OF TRAINING OPERATIONS AND CHIEF OF HUMAN RESOURCES OPERATIONS. UM, IN THESE ROLES, HE OVERSAW, UM, THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE, OF THEIR OFFICERS AS WELL AS, UM, MAKING SURE THAT, UM, THEIR POLICY DEVELOPMENT, UM, SUPPORTED THE WORK OF THEIR OFFICERS. SO HE IS A CERTIFIED MASTERPIECE OFFICER, A RECOGNIZED LEADER IN THIS [01:15:01] COMMUNITY, AND REALLY JUST A GREAT GUY. AND SO WE ARE REALLY THRILLED TO HAVE HIM AS OUR TRANSIT CHIEF OF POLICE AND, UM, WELCOME HIM, UM, TO THAT ROLE. AND WITH THAT, THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESIDENT'S REPORT. THANK YOU. CEO WATKINS. UH, LET'S SEE. [IX. Executive Session of Chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code] UH, THE BOARD, UH, IS GOING TO, UH, GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION WITH A QUORUM PRESENT UNDER CHAPTER 5 5 5 TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE FOR TWO ITEMS. FIRST ITEM WILL BE UNDER SECTION 5 5 1 0.074 FOR PERSONNEL MATTERS RELATED TO, UH, THE PRESIDENT AND CEO'S ANNUAL PERFORMANCE EVALUATION. AND THE SECOND ITEM WILL BE UNDER SECTION 5 5 1 0 7 1, WHICH IS FOR CON UH, CONSULTATION WITH AN ATTORNEY REGARDING LEGAL ISSUES RELATED TO THE DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS ENTERPRISE PROGRAM. SO NOW WHEN WE RETURN FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION, IT WILL BE ONLY TO ADJOURN. THERE WILL BE NO FURTHER ACTION ITEMS TAKEN AT TODAY'S MEETING. UH, SO I GUESS WE WILL, WE WON'T ADJOURN, BUT WE WILL, UM, RECESS. RECESS, UH, WE WILL RECESS AT ONE 15 TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION. OKAY. ALRIGHT. SO I WILL CALL THE MEETING OF, OF THE CAP METRO BOARD ON, UH, THE 20TH OF OCTOBER BACK IN THE SESSION AT TWO 15. UH, WE HAVE COMPLETED ALL OF THE EXERCISES IN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. UH, THERE IS, UH, NOTHING ELSE THAT WE WILL CALL UP. UM, ALL OF OUR BUSINESS IS DONE FOR TODAY. CORRECT. ALRIGHT THEN I, I WILL ADJOURN THE MEETING AT TWO 15. I. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.