* 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.
          [00:00:06]
           YOU ARE WATCHING A MEETING OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL WITH MAYOR KIRK WATSON, MAYOR PRO, TIM VANESSA FUENTES, COUNCIL MEMBERS NATASHA HARPER, MADISON, JOSE VELAZQUEZ, CHEAT VELA RYAN ALTER, CRYSTAL LANE, MIKE SIEGEL, PAIGE ELLIS, ZOE CADRE, MARK UCHIN, CITY ATTORNEY DEBORAH THOMAS, CITY CLERK ERICA BRADY, AND CITY MANAGER TC BROAD. 
          THAT'S GREAT. 
          [Call to Order]
WELL, GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY. 
          IT IS 10 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING ON NOVEMBER 19TH, 2025, AND I WILL CALL TO ORDER THIS SPECIAL CALLED MEETING OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL. 
          WE HAVE A QUORUM OF THE CITY COUNCIL PRESENT, AND WE ARE MEETING AT 3 0 1 WEST SECOND STREET IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, WHICH ARE LOCATED IN CITY HALL. 
          UM, I'M GONNA WALK THROUGH WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO TODAY AND, UM, KIND OF GIVE AN OUTLINE, NOT JUST TODAY, BUT OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. 
          UH, WHAT WE WILL DO TODAY IS WE'RE GONNA BEGIN WITH A STAFF PRESENTATION, UH, ON THE PROPOSED BUDGET. 
          BUT I SEE THE, THE PEOPLE'S EYES GOT REAL BIG. 
          WHAT WHAT IT IS, IS IF THEY HAVE ANYTHING THEY WANT TO ADD FROM YESTERDAY, IF THEY DON'T, THEN THERE'S NO NEED FOR THAT STAFF PRESENTATION , UM, IT, IT'S, THIS IS A FOLLOW UP AND WE HAD A GOOD LONG, UH, PRODUCTIVE MEETING YESTERDAY. 
          SO WE'LL HAVE THEM, UH, SAY ANYTHING THEY WANT TO SAY. 
          IF ANY MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS THAT IF THEY, THEY WOKE UP AT TWO O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING AND THOUGHT, OH MY GOODNESS, I NEED TO WRITE THIS DOWN SO I CAN ASK IT TOMORROW MORNING. 
          THEY'LL BE IN A POSITION TO DO THAT AS WELL. 
          AND THEN WHAT WE WILL DO ARE FOR THOSE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT HAVE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS THAT THEY ARE READY TO LAY OUT, WE WILL DO THAT. 
          THEN WE WILL GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT. 
          UH, WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THE AGENDA ITEM, UH, THAT WE HAVE, THAT WE HAVE SCHEDULED, UH, WHICH IS THE PRESENTATION OF THE DISCUSSION OF THE CITY MANAGER'S PROPOSED AMENDED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 20 25, 26. 
          AT THAT POINT, WHEN THAT'S COMPLETED, UH, WE WILL RECESS UNTIL THREE O'CLOCK, AND AT THREE O'CLOCK WE WILL, UH, CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE CITY MANAGER'S PROPOSED AMENDED BUDGET, UH, FOR THAT FISCAL YEAR. 
          I WANNA POINT OUT ALSO THAT TOMORROW, THURSDAY, THE 20TH OF NOVEMBER, STARTING AT 10 O'CLOCK, THE COUNCIL WILL BE TAKING UP ITEMS TO, TO VOTE ON AMENDING THE BUDGET AND UPDATING THE TAX RATE ORDINANCE SINCE PROP Q WAS NOT APPROVED, I WANT TO POINT OUT TO AARON, ANYBODY WITHIN THE SOUND OF MY VOICE THAT TOMORROW IS A REGULARLY SCHEDULED COUNCIL MEETING. 
          SO WE WILL ALSO BE TAKING UP A NUMBER OF ITEMS THAT ARE RELATED TO, UH, THE, THE, THE WORK OF THE COUNCIL AND THE CITY. 
          UH, SO THIS WILL NOT BE AS SOME MAY BE ACCUSTOMED TO, WHERE ALL WE'RE GOING TO DO IS BRING UP AND TALK ABOUT THE BUDGET. 
          UH, WE ALSO HAVE COUNCIL MEETINGS POSTED FOR THE 21ST, UH, MONDAY, THE 20 FRI FOR FRIDAY, THE 21ST, MONDAY THE 24TH, AND TUESDAY THE 25TH FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. 
          I WANT, AGAIN, EMPHASIZE THAT THOSE MEETINGS WILL ONLY BE HELD THE ONE ON FRIDAY, MONDAY, AND TUESDAY IF THE COUNCIL DOES NOT GET TO THE NEEDED NUMBER OF VOTES IN FAVOR OF THE PROPOSED BUDGET AMENDMENTS BEFOREHAND, MEANING TOMORROW ON THURSDAY, AND NEEDS TO HAVE THOSE MEETINGS FOR THE BUDGET ORDINANCE TO PASS BY THE REQUIRED VOTES. 
          IF COUNCIL GETS THE NEEDED NUMBER OF VOTES BEFORE ANY OF THOSE MEETINGS, WE WILL BE CANCELING THE REMAINING MEETINGS. 
          ALSO, I WANNA POINT OUT AGAIN, REGARDING TOMORROW THE 20TH. 
          IF COUNCIL CAN'T GET TO A VOTE ON THE AMENDED BUDGET BEFORE THE END OF THE DAY. 
          AND KEEP IN MIND, UH, WE, WE WILL BE HAVING OTHER ITEMS THAT WE TAKE UP AS PART OF A REGULAR SCHEDULED MEETING, AND WE WILL BE TAKING UP THE BUDGET. 
          AND THERE IS TIME FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. 
          SO IT IS CONCEIVABLE THAT BY 10 O'CLOCK, UH, IN THE EVENING, COUNCIL IS NOT IN A POSITION TO, TO VOTE. 
          AND THIS COUNCIL IS OF, OF THE POLICY AND PRACTICE THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO VOTE AFTER 10 O'CLOCK. 
          [00:05:01]
SO WHAT WE WILL DO IS WE WILL RECESS TOMORROW'S MEETING AND COME BACK ON FRIDAY. 
          THAT IS NOT THE SAME AS THE NEW MEETING ON FRIDAY. 
          IT IS THE SAME MEETING, SO THERE WILL NOT BE PUBLIC COMMENT ON FRIDAY IF WE RECESS THE MEETING YESTERDAY. 
          UM, SO TO SUM UP, UH, IF YOU WANNA BE GUARANTEED AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ON THE PROPOSED BUDGET AMENDMENTS BEFORE WE VOTE AND YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO SIGN UP TODAY, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO SIGN UP TO SPEAK AT THE COUNCIL MEETING TOMORROW AND, UM, FOR TOMORROW, ONLINE SPEAKER REGISTRATION CLOSES AT NOON TODAY WITH IN-PERSON SPEAKING, CLOSING TO, UH, REGISTRATION CLOSING AT NINE 15 IN THE MORNING TOMORROW. 
          OKAY. 
          SO COUNSEL, NOW WHAT 
          [1. Presentation and discussion of the City Manager's proposed amended budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026. [Kerri Lang, Director, Office of Budget and Organizational Excellence].]
WE WILL DO IS I'LL CALL ON OUR STAFF, UH, TO SEE IF THEY WANT TO ADD ANYTHING OR SUBTRACT ANYTHING SINCE WE'RE TALKING BUDGET NUMBERS. 
          I THOUGHT I WOULD USE MATH TERMS, UM, AND, UH, FROM THEIR PRESENTATION YESTERDAY. 
          GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, CARRIE LANG, DIRECTOR OF BUDGET AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE. 
          UM, WE DON'T HAVE A NEW PRESENTATION, BUT COUNCIL MEMBER VELA ASKED SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE HOUSING TRUST FUND, AND I WANTED TO GIVE SOME INSIGHT ON, UM, THE HOUSING TRUST FUND. 
          SO, UM, THAT FUND PRIMARILY HAS THREE REVENUE SOURCES. 
          UM, THE TRANSFER IN FROM THE GENERAL FUND FEE IN LIEU OF REVENUE AND INTEREST OR OTHER REVENUE. 
          THE LARGEST REVENUE SOURCE HAS HISTORICALLY BEEN THE GENERAL FUND RANGING FROM $9.7 MILLION TO FISCAL YEAR 25. 
          IT WAS $10.8 MILLION TRANSFER. 
          THE FEE IN LIEU ALSO FLUCTUATES. 
          SOME IT WAS 8.2 OR 8.3 IN FISCAL YEAR 23, UH, IT WAS REDUCED DOWN TO 7.8 BY FISCAL YEAR 25. 
          AND, AND THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT THE, UM, FUND HISTORICALLY HAS BEEN USED FOR INCLUDE EMERGENCY TENANT RELOCATION, UM, TENANT STABILIZATION, HOMELESS SHELTER. 
          I GUESS IN 24 IN PARTICULAR, THERE WAS SOME ACQUISITIONS THAT IT WAS USED FOR HOMELESS SHELTER AND, UM, ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT THAT IT WAS USED FOR. 
          AND THEN IT'S BEEN USED FOR THE HOUSING VOUCHER PROGRAM. 
          AND SO THOSE ARE THE MAJOR PROGRAMS THAT IT'S BEEN USED FOR. 
          THE PROGRAMMING FOR THAT FUND FLUCTUATES A LITTLE BIT YEAR OVER YEAR. 
          UM, BUT THOSE ARE THE PRIMARY THINGS THAT IT'S BEEN USED FOR. 
          VELA. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, AND THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          UM, THE FEE IN LIEU, IS THAT PRIMARILY THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS? YES. 
          AND WHAT ABOUT, MY, MY UNDERSTANDING RELATING TO THE CONVERSATION YESTERDAY IS THAT, UM, THE HANDFUL OF PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS WHERE THE CITY IS, UH, UH, THE REVENUE THAT THE CITY GETS OFF THOSE PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS, ARE THOSE INCLUDED IN THE FEE? AND L IS, IS IS THAT, UH, AND AGAIN, I'M THINKING HONESTLY OF THE PROPERTIES IMMEDIATELY SURROUNDING US, UH, I BELIEVE THAT THERE WAS SOME LONG-TERM CONTRACT BY WHICH THERE WAS MONEY. 
          THAT AGAIN, THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING. 
          I AM NOT SURE. 
          I'M GONNA ASK, UH, THE DIRECTOR TO COME IN AND SPEAK TO THAT. 
          GOOD MORNING TTA DEAN AUSTIN HOUSING. 
          YES. 
          THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION IS YES. 
          UH, THERE ARE ORDINANCES THAT ARE TIED TO THOSE DOLLARS SO THAT PROJECTS HAVE TO OCCUR IN THE PARTICULAR AREAS WHERE THE RESOURCES WERE, UH, DRAWN FROM. 
          UH, SO, AND DO WE KNOW WHAT THOSE REVENUES ARE, WHAT THE NUMBERS ARE FOR THOSE REVENUES? YES, THOSE REVENUES. 
          DO YOU HAVE, SO, AND, AND TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT, UH, UH, QUESTION. 
          SO THOSE REVENUES GO INTO THE HOUSING TRUST FUND, BUT THEY'RE LIMITED, THEIR USE, THE USE OF THOSE FUNDS IS LIMITED TO KIND OF THE GEOGRAPHIC AREA THAT GENERATED THE REVENUES? THAT IS CORRECT. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          AND, AND WHAT ARE THOSE, UH, UH, PROJECTS? JUST OUT OF, UH, UH, CURIOSITY? I HAVE, UH, MANDY'S ON HER WAY. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, SO SHE CAN, I DON'T HAVE THE HISTORICAL INFORMATION, BUT SHE IS ON HER WAY AND SHE'LL BE ABLE TO ANSWER IN MORE DETAIL AND, AND THAT'S FINE. 
          WE CAN HOLD OFF UNTIL, UH, UH, MANDY GETS HERE. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          AND HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. 
          THANK YOU THOUGH, UHHUH. 
          THANK YOU, COUNCILOR. 
          ANYTHING ELSE? NO, SIR. 
          ALRIGHT, THEN, UM, IF COUNSEL HAS ANY QUESTIONS AND I'LL, I'LL TURN TO THE MAYOR PRO TIM. 
          THANK YOU COLLEAGUES. 
          MY FIRST, UH, ROUND OF QUESTIONS I WANTED TO FOCUS ON THE FINANCIAL FORECAST. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN PULL UP THE SLIDE FROM YESTERDAY'S PRESENTATION ON OUR FIVE YEAR OUTLOOK AS PRESENTED BY STAFF. 
          I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF TAKE IT BACK FOR US, UH, TO THE FINANCIAL FORECAST BRIEFING THAT WE WERE GIVEN, UH, 18 MONTHS AGO IN APRIL OF 2024. 
          AND I'M GONNA HONE IN ON FY 29 AS PART OF 
          [00:10:01]
MY COMMENTS HERE. 
          AND WHY FY 29 IS BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT STAFF IS NOW PROJECTING AS, UH, THE FIRST FISCAL YEAR BUDGET THAT WILL HAVE US IN A PROJECTED DEFICIT. 
          SO IN APRIL OF LAST YEAR OF 2024, WE WERE TOLD BY STAFF THAT WE SHOULD ANTICIPATE A $59.9 MILLION DEFICIT IN FY 29. 
          LATER THAT YEAR, IN JULY, STAFF GAVE AN UPDATED PRESENTATION THAT THEN PRESENTED IT AS AN $11 MILLION DEFICIT. 
          IN AUGUST, IT DROPPED DOWN TO $1 MILLION DEFICIT FOR FY 29. 
          AND THEN IN OCTOBER OF 2024, THE SAME MONTH IN WHICH WE APPROVED THE POLICE CONTRACT, THE PRESENTED DEFICIT INCREASED SLIGHTLY TO 6 MILLION AND FY OF 2025, ABOUT SIX MONTHS AFTER WE APPROVED THE POLICE CONTRACT, THAT PROJECTION FOR FY 29 HAD US AT A $74.5 MILLION DEFICIT FOR FY 29 IN JULY OF THAT YEAR. 
          THAT STARTED, THAT KICK STARTED OUR BUDGET CONVERSATIONS FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR. 
          THAT DEFICIT FOR FY 29 WAS PROJECTED AT 40.3 MILLION. 
          AND NOW AS PRESENTED BY STAFF, IT IS AT A 33 MILLION, I BELIEVE ON THAT SLIDE. 
          SO OVER THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF, THE PROJECTED BUDGET DEFICIT HAS RANGED FROM 60 MILLION TO 37.4 MILLION. 
          AND SO I WANTED TO ASK OUR STAFF HERE REGARDING THE FINANCIAL FORECAST, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN WE HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE NUMBERS THAT YOU'RE PROVIDING WHEN THERE'S BEEN SUCH A WIDE RANGE OF THE DEFICIT, HOW LARGE IT CAN BE, AGAIN, RANGING FROM 60 MILLION TO NOW 37 MILLION WITH THE OUT YEARS CHANGING FOR IT, YOU KNOW, WE BASE OUR DECISION MAKING AS POLICY MAKERS. 
          WE BASE OUR VOTES ON THIS FINANCIAL FORECAST. 
          AND SO I JUST, IF YOU CAN WALK US THROUGH THE PROJECTED DEFICIT THAT WE HAVE FOR FY 29, WHAT FACTORS HAVE CHANGED, AND JUST TALK US THROUGH WHAT VARIABLES DO WE NEED TO CONTEXTUALIZE AS TO THE RANGE OF THE DEFICIT THAT YOU ALL HAVE PROVIDED US IN THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF? THANK YOU MAYOR PRO TEM. 
          UM, YOU'RE RIGHT, THE, THERE ARE CHANGES THAT HAPPEN IN OUR FORECAST, UM, AS WE GO THROUGH THE DIFFERENT PROCESSES OF THE BUDGET. 
          AND WHEN WE GIVE THE FINANCIAL FORECAST IN APRIL, IT'S A VERY HIGH LEVEL, UM, REVIEW OR LOOK AT WHAT WE ANTICIPATE OUR REVENUE TO BE. 
          UM, AND THERE ARE SO MANY VARIABLES THAT CHANGE WITH THAT, WHETHER OR NOT IT IS THE CHANGES THAT WE SEE IN SALES TAX REVENUE, WHICH IS PROBABLY THE MOST VOLATILE THAT WE'LL SEE THAT IMPACTS OUR, OUR FORECAST, UM, FOR THE GENERAL FUND. 
          AND SO, UM, WITHOUT HAVING THE DETAILED NUMBERS RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, I THINK OUR, OUR SALES TAX REVENUE WAS PROJECTED TO GROW ABOUT THREE POINT A HALF OR 4%, UM, WHEN WE WERE SHOWING THOSE, UM, INCREASED DEFICITS. 
          AND THEN WE SAW THAT SALES TAX ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE ECONOMY KIND OF FLATTENED OR GO DOWN A LITTLE BIT. 
          AND SO THAT IMPACTS WHAT OUR FORECAST WILL LOOK LIKE. 
          UM, BUT EACH YEAR AS WE COME IN AND WE BALANCE THE BUDGET, THAT KIND OF RESETS WHAT THE FORECAST DOES. 
          SO WHEN WE STARTED OUT IN, UM, APRIL OF 2024, THINKING THROUGH WHAT THE FISCAL YEAR IS GONNA LOOK LIKE, AND THEN AS WE GET MORE, UM, WHETHER IT IS MORE PROPERTY TAX, BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN FISCAL YEAR, UH, 24, 25, THAT'S WHEN WE SAW OUR RECORD, UM, INCREASE IN, UM, NEW CONSTRUCTION. 
          IT WAS AT THE 5.2, UM, MILLION, BILLION I THINK THAT WE SAW IN IN NEW CONSTRUCTION. 
          THOSE VARIABLES CHANGE AND HAVE AN IMPACT ON HOW THE FORECAST UPDATES OVER THAT TIMEFRAME. 
          UM, WE HAVE BEEN REALLY CONSERVATIVE IN OUR RECENT, UH, BUDGET WITH OUR PROJECTIONS FOR SALES TAX. 
          AND WE CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT HOW OUR EXPENDITURES GROW COMPARED TO THAT OVERALL REVENUE GROWTH. 
          AND SO AS WE SEE THOSE CHANGES, WHETHER IT IS NEW ONGOING PROGRAMS OR, UM, EVEN, EVEN HOW WE ARE SPENDING OUR DOLLARS, IT IMPACTS WHETHER OR NOT IT'S THE 4% INCREASE TO, YOU KNOW, OUR CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES, OUR HEALTH INSURANCE. 
          ALL THOSE CHANGES HAVE A, UH, IMPACT ON HOW OUR FORECAST, UH, IS UPDATED. 
          AND AS WE GET NUMBERS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AND THROUGHOUT OUR BUDGET PROCESS, WE MAKE UPDATES TO THAT. 
          I'LL SAY THAT OUR FORECAST IS A PLAN, AND THOSE PLANS JUST LIKE THE BUDGET WILL CHANGE. 
          AND SO THAT'S WHAT YOU SEE YEAR OVER YEAR AS WE GIVE THOSE DIFFERENT, THOSE DIFFERENT UPDATES. 
          SO FOR THE FORECAST THAT YOU'RE PROVIDING NOW, WE, YOU, WE HAVE THIS, WE HAVE THE CITY AT A BALANCED BUDGET FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR, FOR NEXT FISCAL YEAR, AND THEN AN FY 28, THAT'S WHEN WE'LL FIRST SEE A PROJECTED DEFICIT AT 30 MILLION. 
          CORRECT. 
          SO WHEN, UM, OUR CITY MANAGER JOINED 
          [00:15:01]
US, HE BEGAN THE PROCESS AND WE STARTED LOOKING AT MAKING SURE WE BALANCED BOTH OF BOTH FISCAL YEARS. 
          SO WE BALANCED OUR PROPOSED BUDGET AND OUR PLANNED YEAR. 
          AND THAT'S WHY WE, AS WE TALK THROUGH WHAT UM, CHANGES, WHAT CUTS WE'LL HAVE TO MAKE TO BALANCE FISCAL YEAR 27, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF, UM, REALLY HARD DECISIONS THAT WERE MADE TO SEE WHAT WE WILL NEED TO DO TO BALANCE 27. 
          HOWEVER, WE ARE SHOWING THE DEFICIT BEGINNING IN FISCAL YEAR 28 BECAUSE, UM, WE HAVEN'T LOOKED AT WHAT CHANGES OR ELIMINATIONS OR, OR ADJUSTMENTS WE COULD MAKE BEGINNING IN FISCAL YEAR 28 WITH JUST SHOWING WHAT OUR BASELINE COSTS ARE GONNA BE AND HOW THOSE INCREASE COMPARED TO WHAT WE PROJECT OUR BASELINE, UM, REVENUE TO COME IN AT. 
          AND AS WE GET MORE INFORMATION AS WE GET TO FISCAL YEAR 27 PROPOSED, WE WILL HAVE A 28 PLANNED YEAR THAT'S BALANCED. 
          I CAN'T TELL YOU TODAY WHAT THAT WILL LOOK LIKE, WHETHER OR NOT REVENUE WILL COME IN BETTER OR WHETHER OR NOT WE'LL MAKE A NUMBER OF REDUCTIONS OR ADJUSTMENTS TO FIND EFFICIENCIES TO BALANCE THAT. 
          BUT WE ARE CHARGED WITH BALANCING THE BUDGET EACH YEAR. 
          AND SO WE'LL SEE THAT CHANGE HAPPEN. 
          IT'S JUST GONNA BE SOME TOUGH DECISIONS TO GET THERE. 
          SO KNOWING THAT, THAT KNOWING THAT STAFF WILL AND FY 28 PRESENT US A BALANCED BUDGET, THEN REALLY THE NEXT FEW YEARS STAFF WILL BE LOOKING TO IDENTIFY AN ADDITIONAL 30 MILLION TO CUT AS PART OF US BALANCING OR ADDRESSING THE STRUCTURAL DEFICIT THAT IS LOOMING. 
          YES. 
          AND LOOKING AT WHAT OUR REVENUE IS GONNA DO. 
          I MEAN, WE, WE ARE, WE, WE, WE WILL RESPOND TO WHATEVER OUR REVENUE, UM, ACTUALS COME IN AT AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS ACCORDINGLY. 
          BUT I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING ON, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT WHAT EFFICIENCIES WE CAN BUILD IN HOW WE OPERATE YEAR OVER YEAR. 
          AND SO THAT'S SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING ACROSS THE CITY, ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION, WHETHER IT'S THE IT, UM, REVIEW, WHETHER IT IS THE, UH, STABILIZATION OR OPTIMIZATION OF OUR INTERNAL SERVICES. 
          SO A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING TO BUILD EFFICIENCIES IN OUR EXPENSES. 
          UM, BUT WE'LL ALSO LOOK AT HOW REVENUE CONTINUES TO COME IN AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS ACCORDINGLY. 
          I, THAT'S A GREAT SEGUE 'CAUSE I THINK MANAGER, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANNA SPEAK TO THIS OR MS. LANG IF YOU'D LIKE TO, BUT KNOWING, UH, FOR THE PUBLIC THAT, UH, JUST LAST WEEK OR TWO WEEKS AGO, THERE WAS A MEMO RELEASE THAT TALKED THROUGH THE FOUR DIFFERENT AREAS AND HOW THE MANAGER AND HIS TEAM WILL BE SEEKING EFFICIENCIES ACROSS THE CITY'S BUDGET AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. 
          AND THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF INFORMATION PACKED IN THAT MEMO, AND I DON'T THINK WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT PUBLICLY YET. 
          SO THIS MIGHT BE A GOOD TIME FOR US TO SURFACE WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, ESPECIALLY AS WE ARE DELIBERATING A BUDGET. 
          I THINK IT MAKES SENSE FOR US TO ALSO TALK ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT WAYS IN WHICH A CITY OF AUSTIN WILL BE SEEKING COST EFFICIENCIES ACROSS THE BUDGET. 
          AND I'LL GIVE, SORRY, I'LL GIVE CARRIE THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE, UH, THINGS THAT WERE HIGHLIGHTED IN, IN THE MEMORANDUM. 
          UH, AND IF SHE'S TRYING TO LOCATE THAT NOW, JUST KIND OF GIVE SOME BIG PICTURE ASPECTS OF THAT. 
          AND, AND I THINK THERE WERE SEVERAL WORDS IN YOUR COMMENTS. 
          UH, AND I'LL START WITH THE ONE THAT I THINK I WOKE UP THINKING ABOUT THIS MORNING, AND THAT WAS STRUCTURAL ALIGNMENT BETWEEN OUR REVENUE AND EXPENDITURES. 
          AND I THINK AS YOU LOOK AT THAT FORECAST THAT YOU HIGHLIGHTED, I, I THINK THE TASK FOR US IS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO, UH, MATCH ONGOING REVENUES AND MARRY THOSE UP WITH ONGOING EXPENDITURES SO THAT THERE IS NO DEFICIT IN ANY YEAR. 
          AND I THINK THAT IS A GOAL. 
          AND I THINK AS CARRIE WILL WALK YOU THROUGH SOME OF THE EFFORTS, I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO REQUIRE A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COUNCIL AND THE PUBLIC ABOUT, I'D CALL IT RIGHT SIZING, UH, OR APPETITE OR FOR CONTINUALLY ADDING EITHER NEW SERVICES OR EXPANDING SERVICES. 
          'CAUSE THAT ONLY PUSHES OUT THE RED THAT YOU SEE IN THE FORECAST. 
          AND SO THERE WILL HAVE TO BE, AND ULTIMATELY WHEN WE GO THROUGH THIS EFFICIENCY PROCESS, UH, WE WILL ULTIMATELY HAVE A FOCUS ON REDUCING OUR LONG-TERM EXPENDITURES, ENSURING THAT EITHER THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING, WE'RE DOING BETTER, UH, SO WE CAN SQUEEZE MORE OUT OF THE RESOURCES, OUR STAFF, OUR TEAMS, OR THE CONTRACT DOLLARS THAT WE EXPEND, UH, VERSUS ADDING AND LAYERING ON. 
          AND SO I'LL GO BACK TO EVEN THE COMMENTS AROUND KIND OF HOW WE GO IN AND OUT OF, AND UP AND DOWN IN OUR RANGES IS THAT AS WE BALANCE THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF THE BUDGET, THERE MAY ALWAYS BE, UH, HOPEFULLY NOT IN THE LONG TERM, UH, DEFICITS OUT IN THE OUTER YEARS. 
          UH, BUT THAT'S ALSO ADDED TO BY THE THINGS THAT I THINK THE COUNCIL AND STAFF RECOMMEND THAT WE NEED TO BE DOING, WHETHER THEY'RE ONE TIME OR ONGOING, THAT ULTIMATELY ADD IN AND LAYER FURTHER OUT INTO, UH, THE REALITIES OF WHAT WE HAVE TO FACE. 
          BUT, UH, AT THE END OF THE DAY, UH, THOSE FOUR EFFORTS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT, I THINK THE IT OPTIMIZATION, UH, THE, UH, INTERNAL SERVICE FUND OPTIMIZATION ARE SOCIAL SERVICE FUNDING, UH, AND CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATION, UH, RELATED TO 
          [00:20:01]
SERVICES REVIEW THAT WE'RE GOING TO GO THROUGH. 
          UH, AND THEN FINALLY THE DEPARTMENT BY DEPARTMENT ANALYSIS FOR EFFICIENCIES AND BENCHMARKING AND THE THINGS IN COMPARISON TO ENSURE THAT WE KNOW AND CAN SHARE WITH THE COUNCIL AND THE PUBLIC WHAT WE'RE DOING, HOW WELL WE'RE DOING IT, IN ADDITION TO JUST HOLDING ACCOUNT FOR THE RELATIONSHIPS WE HAVE IN ILAS AND MAKING THOSE THINGS BE MORE ACCOUNTABLE AND TRANSPARENT. 
          YOU WILL SEE OVER TERMS AND YEARS THAT WE ARE HOPEFULLY GOING TO BE, UH, CHOPPING AWAY AT SOME OF THE EXCESS THAT WILL ALLOW US TO EITHER EXPAND THE THINGS THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING AND OR HOPEFULLY IN VERY LIMITED SCOPE AFTER WE DEFINE WHAT WE'RE REALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR. 
          AND THAT'S A BIGGER DISCUSSION, UH, HOW WE'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THESE THINGS AND THE SERVICES THAT PEOPLE CAN UNDERSTAND THAT THEY'RE GONNA GET FROM THE CITY. 
          SO AGAIN, I KNOW IT'S SOMETHING TOP OF MIND ALL THE TIME FOR US, BUT I THINK THIS COUNCIL AS A PARTNER, UH, WE'VE GOTTA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE HAVING THE RIGHT CONVERSATIONS TO ENSURE THAT THOSE RED AREAS IN FUTURE YEARS, UH, WE'RE LIMITING EXPOSURE BY ADDING THINGS THIS YEAR THAT WILL NOT BE AFFORDABLE OR SUSTAINABLE. 
          AND I'LL JUST SAY THIS AND I'LL SHUT UP AND LET CARRIE COMMENT. 
          WE'VE GOTTA COME TO THE REALIZATION THAT, I THINK IT WAS BROUGHT UP YESTERDAY, PILOTING SOMETHING SOUNDS GOOD. 
          UH, BUT IT MAY NOT BE THE WISEST THING TO DO, PARTICULARLY IF WE NEED TO BE FOCUSING ON WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING AND MAKING THAT BETTER. 
          AND SECONDLY, UH, WE JUST GOTTA BE MORE RESPONSIBLE, UH, I THINK OVERALL, UH, AND LEVEL SETTING WITH PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO AND WHOSE SHOES WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO STEP INTO. 
          'CAUSE WE JUST CAN'T AFFORD IT 'CAUSE IT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE. 
          AND THE FACT THAT WE HAVE TO DO IT SHOULD BE PROOF. 
          'CAUSE SOMEONE ELSE HAS ALREADY REALIZED IT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE FOR THEM AND THEY'VE PASSED IT ALONG. 
          AND AS THE STATE KEEPS CHOPPING AWAY AT OUR INDEPENDENCE AND RESOURCE GENERATION, UH, POSSIBILITIES, I THINK WE'VE GOTTA BE A LITTLE BIT MORE COGNIZANT OF THAT AS WELL AS DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY. 
          I THINK WE'VE GOTTA FOCUS ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
          IT ADDS NEW TAX BASE THAT IS NOT COUNTED AGAINST AND BALANCES OUT THE EXISTING TAX PAYING FOLK AND WHAT INCREASES THEY HAVE TO SEE. 
          AND SO WE'VE GOTTA DO THAT WISELY, BUT WE'VE GOTTA HAVE THAT CONVERSATION AND THAT'S NOT ONE THAT HAS ACTUALLY BEEN COMFORTABLE, I THINK IN SOME CASES IN THIS COMMUNITY. 
          BUT THAT'S THE ONLY WAY WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO IT BY GROWING OUR FOOTPRINT AND REVENUE BASE. 
          AND SO, AGAIN, THAT WAS A LONG ANSWER AND I WON'T TALK THE REST OF THE DAY IF YOU DON'T ASK ME ANY QUESTIONS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          SORRY. 
          AND, BUT WE, BEFORE WE GO INTO THE DETAILS OF, UM, THE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE OPTIMIZATION WORK THAT WE'RE WORKING ON, I WANNA MAKE SURE WE POINT OUT THAT WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR FORECAST AND WE LOOK AT OUR FORECASTED EXPENSES, AND AS WE PREPARED FOR, AS WE APPROVE FISCAL YEAR 25, WE FORECASTED FISCAL YEAR 29 EXPENDITURES TO BE $1.6 BILLION RIGHT NOW. 
          SO A YEAR AGO WE SAID 1.6, NOW IT'S AT 1.6. 
          THE, THE CHANGE THAT YOU SEE IS LESS THAN A MILLION DOLLARS OF CHANGE IN OUR EXPENSES OF WHAT WE'RE FORECASTING. 
          THE OPPOSITE OF THAT IS WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR REVENUE, IN MAY, MAY 25, SALES TAX PAYMENT WAS UP 8.8%. 
          EXCUSE ME, MAY 24 SALES TAX WAS UP 8.8%. 
          SO AS WE WERE PLANNING FOR FISCAL YEAR 29, IT WAS 8.8% IN MAY 24 AND MAY 25, IT'S NEGATIVE 8.8, 8.4%. 
          SO WE ARE NOT MAKING A LOT OF ADJUSTMENTS ON OUR EXPENDITURES, BUT WE HAVE OUR, THE DEFICITS THAT YOU SEE ARE A DIRECT RESPONSE TO WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN OUR REVENUE. 
          AND AS WE HAVE SO MUCH RELIANCE ON SALES TAX REVENUE, AS THAT FLUCTUATES, YOU'LL SEE THOSE FLUCTUATIONS IN WHAT WE ARE ANTICIPATING IN THE DEFICITS FOR THE COMING YEAR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU FOR THAT INFORMATION. 
          I THINK IT'S, IT'S HELPFUL TO HAVE THAT CONTEXT, ESPECIALLY AS WE RECOGNIZE THAT OUR ECONOMY IS WORSENING AND NOT GETTING BETTER. 
          AND SO KNOWING JUST HOW VOLATILE THE SALES TAX REVENUE IS TO OUR CITY AND HOW WE BUDGET, I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR US TO SHARE OUT. 
          WAS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ON THOSE FORWARD AREAS OF THIS OPTIMIZATION CHAPTER THAT WE'RE ENTERING INTO? I, I, I COULD SHARE A LITTLE BIT, UH, PARTICULARLY ON THE IT OPTIMIZATION, BUT BEFORE I DO, SINCE EVERYBODY'S GETTING TO GIVE THEIR SOLILOQUY THIS MORNING, I, I DO WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE SALES TAX PROJECTIONS. 
          'CAUSE I KNOW PEOPLE LOOK AT THAT AND THEY'RE LIKE, WOW, THIS BOUNCES AROUND FROM FORECAST TO FORECAST. 
          UM, OUR BUDGET TEAM PROVIDING A FORECAST BASED UPON THE BEST INFORMATION THEY HAVE AT THE TIME. 
          AND IT CAME UP YESTERDAY, HOW IMPORTANT THE LOCAL ECONOMY AND SALES TAXES ARE TO OUR FINANCIAL FUTURE. 
          AND THE NEED FOR US TO MAINTAIN STRONG RESERVES BECAUSE OF THE UNCERTAINTY AROUND THAT. 
          25% OF OUR REVENUES COME FROM SALES TAXES IN THE GENERAL FUND THAT IS LARGELY OUT OF THE CONTROL OF 
          [00:25:01]
US AS A CITY ORGANIZATION. 
          THOSE REVENUES GO UP AND DOWN BY DYNAMICS THAT ARE LARGELY OUT OF OUR CONTROL. 
          EVERY 1% SHIFT IS ABOUT $3.75 MILLION TO THE CITY. 
          WOW. 
          SO WE COULD PROJECT 4% AND SAY THAT'S CONSERVATIVE. 
          HISTORICALLY, WE GET ABOUT 5% A YEAR AND WE'RE GONNA BE CONSERVATIVE. 
          AND PROJECT FOUR, IF THAT COMES IN AT ZERO, WHICH IT DID LAST YEAR, IF IT JUST FLATTENS OUT AND AT ZERO, THAT'S A $14 MILLION SHIFT THAT CARRIES THROUGH ALL OF OUR FORECAST. 
          SO IN THAT EXAMPLE, THIS CHART THAT'S UP ON THE SCREEN, IF FISCAL YEAR 26 COMES IN 4% BELOW WHAT WE EXPECT, THAT $37 MILLION DEFICIT GOES UP TO $51 MILLION. 
          IF OUR ECONOMISTS THAT WE WORK WITH JOHN HOCK SAYS, YOU KNOW WHAT, BASED UPON ALL THESE FACTORS, INTERNATIONAL TRADE, ET CETERA, ET CETERA, FED RATES, I DON'T THINK YOUR, YOUR LONG-TERM FORECAST, YOU PROBABLY SHOULD NOTCH THAT DOWN ABOUT 1% A YEAR. 
          WILL IT ALL ACCUMULATE. 
          SO IF WE GO FROM A 4% PROJECTION IN 27, 28, 29 TO 30 AND TAKE THOSE ALL DOWN BY 1%, THAT'S ANOTHER $14 MILLION. 
          SO NOW THE 51 MILLION WOULD BE 65 MILLION. 
          SO SMALL SHIFTS IN THAT SALES TAX, UH, NUMBER, UH, ACCUMULATES AND FLOWS THROUGH THE WHOLE FORECAST. 
          IT'S, IT'S VERY, VERY SENSITIVE TO WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH OUR, UM, WITH OUR SALES TAX REVENUES. 
          AND AGAIN, OUR LONG-TERM TERM FORECAST IS GOOD. 
          THE CITY'S BEEN GROWING, WE CONTINUE TO GROW. 
          THAT GROWTH IS SLOWING DOWN. 
          AS YOU CAN SEE BY THE REDUCTION IN CRANES IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA. 
          THE POPULATION IS SLOWING DOWN. 
          BUT STILL, UH, HISTORICALLY WE'VE BEEN ABOUT 5% AND WE DO PROJECT CONSERVATIVE RELATIVE THAT. 
          'CAUSE WE WOULD RATHER COME BACK TO YOU, YOU AND SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE PROJECTED FOUR AND WE GOT SIX. 
          UM, BUT YOU KNOW, IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS WE'VE HAD A SITUATION WHERE, UM, WE THINK WE ARE BEING CONSERVATIVE, BUT THE SALES TAXES HAVE EVEN BEEN COMING IN BELOW THAT. 
          AND SO, YOU KNOW, THIS CHART, IT WOULD BE A MIRACLE IF IT DOESN'T CHANGE BY APRIL OF NEXT YEAR WHEN WE HAVE SIX MORE MONTHS OF SALES TAX DATA AND NEW INFORMATION FROM OUR ECONOMISTS, AND WE START MAKING THOSE SMALL SHIFTS TO THE SALES TAX NUMBERS. 
          THIS GRAPH ABSOLUTELY COULD LOOK WORSE OR IT COULD LOOK BETTER. 
          WE JUST DON'T KNOW. 
          UM, AND IT CONSTANTLY IS EVOLVING. 
          UM, IN REGARDS TO THE IT OPTIMIZATION, IT'S ONE OF OUR OPTIMIZATION EFFORTS. 
          I'VE TALKED TO ALL OF YOU ABOUT IT IN MY ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS WITH YOU. 
          YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S ONE OF THOSE AREAS WHERE OVER TIME AS AN ORGANIZATION WE'VE UM, UM, KIND OF GROWN UP IN A SOMEWHAT SILOED FASHION IN REGARDS TO OUR IT DELIVERY. 
          THERE'S A LOT OF IT SHOPS OUTSIDE OF, UM, UM, OUR CENTRAL IT SHOP. 
          UM, MOST DEPARTMENTS HAVE IT SHOPS OF THEIR OWN, AND IT'S LED TO US HAVING A LOT OF DUPLICATE SYSTEMS. AND SO OUR IT OPTIMIZATION IS NOT JUST AROUND HOW ARE WE ORGANIZED AND STAFF, IT'S ALSO AROUND WHAT APPLICATIONS ARE WE USING? DO WE HAVE DUPLICATE APPLICATIONS WHERE WE COULD STREAMLINE OUR PORTFOLIO, MAYBE GO FROM HAVING SIX OR SEVEN APPLICATIONS THAT LARGELY DO THE SAME THING, STREAMLINE THAT DOWN TO A SINGLE APPLICATION. 
          UM, IT'S ALSO LOOKING AT OUR CONTRACTS AND HOW WE NEGOTIATE THESE, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF CONTRACT WITH, WITH SOME OF THE BIG VENDORS THAT PROVIDE THESE SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS. 
          SO, UM, BRINGING IN, UH, UH, CONSULTANT SUPPORT SO THAT WE HAVE THE BEST INFORMATION POSSIBLE TO NEGOTIATE THE BEST PRICES POSSIBLE. 
          SO ALL THOSE EFFORTS ARE GOING ON AND I THINK THE, UH, IT ARENA IS ONE OF THE AREAS WHERE WE HAVE THE MOST OPPORTUNITY TO NOT ONLY CUT COSTS, TO SAVE MONEY, BUT ALSO TO ENHANCE SERVICE DELIVERY. 
          UM, AND THEN WE'RE TAKING A SIMILAR APPROACH TO OUR SHARED SERVICES FUNCTION, SUCH AS BUILDING SERVICES AND FLEET SERVICES AND HUMAN RESOURCES, LOOKING AT ALL THOSE SHARED SERVICES THROUGH THE SIMILAR LENS OF, UM, WHAT CAN WE DO AS AN ORGANIZATION TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR ECONOMIES OF SCALE AND, UH, REDUCE OUR COST PROFILE IN THOSE AREAS WHILE ALSO ENHANCING SERVICE DELIVERY AND SERVICE CONSISTENCY. 
          UM, SO THIS IS JUST TWO THAT I AM EXCITED ABOUT AND WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT A LITTLE BIT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, MAYOR, I DO HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS, BUT I'M HAPPY TO YIELD FOR THE NEXT ROUND. 
          OKAY, VERY GOOD. 
          UM, COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL FOLLOWED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER. 
          THANK YOU MAYOR. 
          UM, AND THANK YOU STAFF FOR BEING HERE AGAIN. 
          UM, JUST A COUPLE QUICK QUESTIONS, UH, SLIGHTLY RANDOM. 
          THE FIRST ONE IS ABOUT THE AUSTIN CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS. 
          UM, IT'S OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT THE A CCC WORKS WITH SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS INCLUDING WATERSHED AND AUSTIN WATER TO DO LAND MANAGEMENT WORK. 
          UM, WOULD ANY OF THOSE CONTRACTS BE SUBJECT TO THE 10% CUT FOR SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTS? NO. 
          AC CCC ISN'T INCLUDED IN THE SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACT, PARTICULARLY IF THEY ARE IN THE ENTERPRISE DEPARTMENTS. 
          IF THE IF WATERSHED, AND I THINK YOU SAID WATER, WERE PARTICIPATING, THOSE CONTRACTS ARE NOT PART OF THE SOCIAL SERVICE, SO THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANY REDUCTIONS. 
          [00:30:01]
THANK YOU. 
          AND THEN THE NEXT ONE IS ABOUT, UH, FIRE MITIGATION. 
          UM, AND THE, THE QUESTION IS, DOES THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT FIRE MITIGATION REDUCTION INCLUDE THE FIREWISE PROGRAM? UM, IT'S OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT THE URBAN FOREST FUND WOULD BE OPEN TO AN INTERNAL GRANT APPLICATION FOR THAT PROGRAM TO CONTINUE TO EXPAND SINCE FIRE MITIGATION AND FORCE PROTECTION ARE INTERCONNECTED AND OVERLAPPING WORK. 
          THANKS. 
          GOOD MORNING. 
          JOEL BAKER. 
          AUSTIN FIRE. 
          UH, SIR, IT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE, UH, THE, THE CUS WHAT, WHAT PROGRAMS AGAIN I HAVE IS CORRECT. 
          YOU MENTIONED. 
          SO MY UNDERSTANDING IS THERE'S A REDUCTION TO FIRE MITIGATION AND WE'RE WONDERING IF THAT INCLUDES THE FIRE WISE PROGRAM. 
          IT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE FIRE WISE PROGRAM. 
          OKAY. 
          THANKS CHIEF. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          I WANTED TO JUST PICK UP REAL QUICKLY ON THE CONVERSATION THAT, UH, MAYOR PUENTES WAS HAVING AROUND THE, THE FORECAST CHART. 
          AND WHEN WE CREATE THIS NEXT CHART, WHENEVER THAT IS, UM, I WAS HOPING WE COULD, AND I I MENTIONED THIS BEFORE, SOME KIND OF CONE OF UNCERTAINTY, WHETHER THAT IS A PERCENT EITHER WAY EACH YEAR, BUT HELP US UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE VARIABILITY TO SEE WHAT THAT IMPACT WOULD HAVE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE YEARS. 
          BECAUSE WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THE NUMBER IS 30.4, BUT IT COULD BE ANYWHERE BETWEEN 35 AND 25. 
          I HELP US SEE WHAT TYPES OF NUMBERS WE MIGHT BE DEALING WITH. 
          UH, AND THEN IT, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT CONE IS GONNA GET BIGGER OVER TIME BECAUSE IF YOU, LET'S SAY YOU JUST GO A PERCENT EITHER WAY, BUT, UH, I THINK THAT'D BE REALLY HELPFUL. 
          OKAY. 
          AND WE CAN, WE CAN WORK ON SHOWING SOME OF THAT VARIABILITY. 
          I THINK. 
          UM, I WANNA JUST SAY THAT WHEN YOU SEE THAT $30.4 MILLION, THAT'S, THAT'S A HUGE AMOUNT TO JUST THE NORMAL PERSON'S EYE. 
          UM, IT'S A $1.6 BILLION BUDGET. 
          AND SO YOU'RE SEEING THAT THAT'S 2%. 
          SO, SO WHEN WE ARE THINKING ABOUT HOW, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE TOTAL GENERAL FUND BUDGET THAT IS, THAT'S A TWO PER CENT SWING IN TRYING TO ADDRESS THAT. 
          BUT WE CAN, WE CAN LOOK AT THAT. 
          YEAH. 
          AND, AND YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE OPTIMISTIC, THE BASE LEVEL, THE PESSIMISTIC, JUST HELP US REALLY DEMONSTRATE THAT. 
          UM, AND THEN I HAD ONE OTHER QUESTION, BUT IT HAS LOST, SO THAT'S ALL I GOT. 
          THAT WAS YOUR ONE SHOT. 
          YEP. 
          ONCE IT, ONCE IT'S LOST, IT'S ALWAYS LOST. 
          UM, COUNCIL MEMBER LANE. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          UM, I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT ACME. 
          SORRY. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, SO WE WERE CONTACTED BY SOME OF OUR QUALITY OF LIFE COMMISSIONERS AROUND THE PROPOSED ACNE STAFFING REQUEST. 
          UM, HOPING YOU CAN WALK US THROUGH THE ORIGINAL INTENT AND SCOPE OF THE NEW FTE ROLES THAT WERE INCLUDED IN THE ORIGINAL PROPOSED BUDGET BACK IN JULY. 
          SPECIFICALLY, WHICH DIVISIONS THE FIVE ROLES WERE MEANT TO SUPPORT AND, AND HOW THE REDUCTION IN FUNDING CHANGES THAT STAFFING PLAN. 
          WHAT'S OPERATIONAL AND SERVICE LEVEL IMPACTS DO YOU ANTICIPATE IF THESE POSITIONS ARE NOT FUNDED? GOOD MORNING. 
          ANGELA MEANS DIRECTOR OF ACME. 
          I WILL TELL YOU THE, UH, POSITIONS THAT WERE INCLUDED WERE OUR FINANCE TEAM THAT WAS A FINANCE MANAGER, A FINANCIAL ANALYST, AN ACCOUNTANT, AND I BELIEVE A CONTRACT SPECIALIST AS WELL AS THE CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER. 
          THE TWO POSITIONS THAT WERE REDUCED IS ONE OF OUR CONTRACT SPECIALIST AS WELL AS THE FINANCIAL ANALYST. 
          IT IS A NEW DEPARTMENT. 
          WE ARE LUCKY TO RECEIVE THE, UH, POSITIONS THAT WE DID, GIVEN THE STATE OF WHERE WE ARE AS A CITY. 
          UM, SO WE RECOGNIZE WHERE WE ARE AND WE ARE COMMITTED TO MAKING THAT WORK ALONG WITH OUR PARTNERS, UH, IN OUR CORPORATE OFFICES. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          I'VE SAID BEFORE, AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN, THAT, UM, PARTICULARLY IN TIMES OF FINANCIAL STRESS, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE AS A COMMUNITY ARE ABLE TO ACCESS THOSE, UM, FREE AND LESS EXPENSIVE EXPRESSIONS THAT COME FROM OUR COMMUNITY IN THE FORM OF ART AND ALSO OUR NATURAL SPACES. 
          SO, UM, WITH THAT IN MIND, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH US ABOUT OPERATIONAL OR SERVICE LEVEL IMPACTS? IF 
          [00:35:01]
WE WERE TO, FOR EXAMPLE, PAUSE THESE POSITIONS, UM, VERSUS ELIMINATE, I WILL SAY, UM, WE WILL WORK WITH WHATEVER, UM, WE ARE PROVIDED WITH, UH, EVEN WITH THE TWO, UH, CUTS. 
          WE ARE STILL LEFT WITH THE FINANCE MANAGER, ONE ACCOUNTANT, AND WE HAVE ONE CONTRACT MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST THAT CAME OVER FROM THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. 
          AND WITH THOSE, WITH THAT, WITH THAT TEAM, WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO, UH, MEET THE NEEDS OF, OF THE, THE CITY. 
          NOT IDEAL, BUT WE'RE CONFIDENT THAT WE CAN DO THAT WHILE WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS OF CONTINUED ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION OF OUR NEEDS AS A NEW DEPARTMENT. 
          AND IS MY CURRENT UNDERSTANDING CORRECT THAT, UM, YOU RELY ON A, A FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF CONTRACTS, UH, PARTNERSHIPS, UM, WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, THAT SORT OF THING? ABSOLUTELY. 
          AND THEREFORE YOU DO REQUIRE SOME STAFF IN ORDER TO MANAGE THAT. 
          YES. 
          BUT IN LOOKING AT EXPENSES, THIS WOULD THEN ROLL UP INTO THAT ANALYSIS THAT OUR CITY MANAGER WILL BE DOING. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CLARIFYING ON THAT. 
          UM, I WILL HAVE A COUPLE OF AMENDMENTS, BUT THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR QUESTIONS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OOPS, SORRY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, BEFORE I GO BACK TO THE MAYOR PRO, TIM, I WANNA GO BACK TO THIS, UM, THE, THE DISCUSSION THAT SHE, UH, TRIGGERED APPROPRIATELY ABOUT PERFOR, WHAT WHATEVER WE END UP WHATEVER IT'S CALLED, PERFORMANCE REVIEW. 
          EVALUATION AUDIT. 
          UH, WE HEAR IT IN IN DIFFERENT TERMS ALL THE TIME, BUT I, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S CLARITY THAT THE CITY IS, IS, HAS ALREADY BEGUN THE PROCESS OF EXTERNALLY HAVING PEOPLE HELP US LOOK AT THINGS LIKE A PERFORMANCE REVIEW, EVALUATION OF HOW WE GO ABOUT DOING THINGS AND AUDIT. 
          AND OF COURSE, THE, THE ONE THAT'S AT FIRST AND FOREMOST RIGHT NOW IS, UH, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AS, UH, MR. VAN NINO AND, AND MS. LANG HAVE POINTED OUT ALREADY. 
          BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT, UH, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE IS A, A, A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL OUT ON THE STREET ALREADY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE, AGAIN, EXTERNAL PEOPLE. 
          SO IT'S NOT JUST THE CITY LOOKING AT THE CITY, BUT IT'S, IT'S EXTERNAL REVIEW, EXTERNAL, UH, EVALUATION, EXTERNAL ADVICE, UH, AUDIT IF YOU WILL, ABOUT HOW WE GO ABOUT DOING THINGS TO HELP US IN THE EXPENDITURE PART OF THIS. 
          AND IT'S LOOKING AT THINGS LIKE WHAT STRATEGIES WE MAY NEED TO BE INSTITUTING, WHAT STRATEGIES WE MAY BE DOING THAT DON'T MAKE SENSE, UH, WHAT OUR PERFORMANCE IS AND WHAT KIND OF PERFORMANCE MEASURES WE OUGHT TO HAVE AND WHERE WE OUGHT TO BE INNOVATING, THINGS OF THAT NATURE. 
          IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. 
          UM, MY TEAM HAS, UM, A SOLICITATION ON THE STREET THAT, THAT IS LOOKING FOR A CONSULTANTS, A A LIST OF CONSULTANTS TO HELP IN THIS WORK. 
          AS WE BEGAN THE SHARED SERVICES OPTIMIZATION IN PARTICULAR, WE STARTED WITH A DISCOVERY. 
          WE'RE, WE'RE IN THE DISCOVERY STAGE WHERE WE ARE LOOKING AT WHAT OUR PEERS ARE DOING. 
          WE'RE LOOKING AT DIGGING INTO, UM, CONVERSATIONS INTERNALLY. 
          BUT THAT'S SOLICITATION WILL ALLOW US TO AUGMENT THAT, THAT WORK. 
          UM, WE'RE ALSO IN CONVERSATION, AS I MENTIONED YESTERDAY WITH THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE TO SEE WHAT KIND OF ASSESSMENTS WE CAN IMPLEMENT AND LOOK AT TO HELP. 
          AND THE PLAN IS TO PARTNER CLOSELY, UM, WITH THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE AS WELL AS ONCE WE HAVE THE SOLICITATION FINALIZED, GO USE THOSE CONSULTANTS TO HELP US UNDERSTAND THE THINGS THAT WE MAY NOT SEE INTERNALLY. 
          SO THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE JUST, UH, THE CITY, REVIEWING THE CITY. 
          THERE WILL BE SOME WORK WITH OTHER PARTNERS AS WELL. 
          AND, AND THAT'S IN ADDITION TO THE FINANCIAL AUDIT THAT WE DO, UH, AN OUTSIDE FINANCIAL AUDITOR, UH, EVERY YEAR ANYWAY. 
          CORRECT. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU MAYOR. 
          TIM, I'LL GO BACK TO YOU. 
          THANK YOU MAYOR, FOR HIGHLIGHTING THAT I WASN'T, UH, AWARE YET THAT THAT WORK WAS GOING ON. 
          UM, IS THERE A, A COST AMOUNT ASSOCIATED WITH THAT RFP OR ARE WE WAITING FOR PROPOSALS THAT WE ARE WAITING FOR? PROPOSALS? UM, IT'LL BE A MASTER AGREEMENT THAT WE'LL LOOK AT AND WE, SO WE DON'T HAVE THE EXACT COST RIGHT NOW. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND WE'LL, WE'LL BE SENDING OUT SOME, SOME MORE COMMUNICATION HOPEFULLY BY THE END OF THIS WEEK TO TALK THROUGH AND TO SEND THE LINK SO YOU ALL ARE AWARE OF THE, UH, THE RFP AND, AND THE UH, SCOPE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. 
          VERY GOOD. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, MY NEXT QUESTION IS AROUND MCO T AND THE 10% TRIM THAT WE TALKED ABOUT YESTERDAY AS PART OF THE SOCIAL SERVICES RESET. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, THERE IS A QUESTION COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL ASKED IN THE Q AND A THAT WAS DISTRIBUTED LAST NIGHT. 
          THIS IS ON PAGE THREE, QUESTION FOUR FROM COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL, UH, REGARDING MCO T. 
          AND WE AS A DAAS FULLY SHARED OUR SUPPORT FOR IDENTIFYING 
          [00:40:01]
FUNDING TO MAINTAIN THE OPERATIONS OF THE EXPANDED MOBILE CRISIS TEAM. 
          AND IN THIS QUESTION, IN THE RESPONSE THAT STAFF GAVE, IT HAS HERE THE FY 26 PROPOSED AMENDED BUDGET RECOMMENDATION MAINTAINS THE FUNDING LEVELS FROM LAST YEAR AT 3.3 MILLION. 
          I JUST WANNA CONFIRM THAT IN EFFECT WILL THEN ENSURE THAT OTT IS FUNDED FOR THIS BUDGET YEAR, NOT TYPING AS FAST AS I USUALLY DO. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU ROBERT. 
          UM, EM COT IS NOT A PART OF OUR SOCIAL SERVICE FUNDING, SO IT IS A SEPARATE FUNDING SOURCE. 
          SO THAT'S WHY IS YOU'RE NOT SEEING A REDUCTION IN EM COT, I BELIEVE PART OF THE CONVERSATION WAS FOR INTEGRAL CARE AS A WHOLE, AND I THINK INTEGRAL CARE HAS A NUMBER OF OTHER CONTRACTS THAT ARE A PART OF OUR SOCIAL SERVICE FUNDING AND THEY WILL SEE REDUC POTENTIAL SEE REDUCTIONS IN THOSE AREAS. 
          BUT EM COT AS A PROGRAM IS NOT PART OF SOCIAL SERVICE FUNDING. 
          RIGHT. 
          SO, BUT TWO SEPARATE QUESTIONS HERE. 
          'CAUSE YESTERDAY WE WERE EMPHASIZING OUR SUPPORT TO MAINTAIN THE 24 7 RESPONSE AS PART OF MCO T WE WANNA IDENTIFY FUNDING. 
          I THINK THERE WAS CONCERNS FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT SINCE LAST YEAR WE DID A ONE-TIME FUNDING ALLOCATION, THAT THAT WOULDN'T BE INCLUDED IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET. 
          BUT BASED ON THE RESPONSE PROVIDED HERE, AND IF YOU CAN CONFIRM FOR ME THAT THE, YOU KNOW, MAINTAINING THE OPERATIONS FULLY AT 24 7 FOR OTT HAS AND WILL HAVE FUNDING TO CONTINUE FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR. 
          GOOD MORNING. 
          ROBERT KINGHAM ADMINISTRATOR FOR AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT. 
          SO THE FUNDING THAT IS INCLUDED, THE THREE POINT, UH, 3 MILLION IS FOR THE BASE LEVEL. 
          IT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE 24 7, UM, FIELD RESPONSE, UH, COVERAGE THAT WAS INCLUDED WITH ONE TIME FUNDING IN FY 25. 
          SO THERE'S EXTENDED HOURS AND, BUT THAT AMOUNT WAS AT A 1.1 MILLION, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, TO DO THE EXTENDED HOURS. 
          THAT'S CORRECT. 
          BUT FOR HALF OF A YEAR. 
          SO THAT STARTED MID FY 25. 
          SO THE FULL AMOUNT FOR, UH, FULL 12 MONTHS WAS RIGHT AROUND $3 MILLION ADDITIONAL. 
          OKAY. 
          SO THE NEED TO, TO IDENTIFY FUNDING TO CONTINUE IT AT 24 7 IS STILL REMAINS AT THIS POINT? THAT'S CORRECT. 
          OKAY. 
          AND THEN THE OTHER PART OF IT IS UNDERSTANDING THE REST OF INTEGRAL CARE'S CONTRACTS WITH THE CITY THAT IS SUBJECT TO THE 10% CUTS? YES. 
          ANY OF THEIR CONTRACTS THAT ARE IN THE SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTS, I BELIEVE THEY HAVE SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTS WITH PUBLIC HEALTH. 
          UM, AND, AND THOSE WOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE, IN THE, UM, REDUCTIONS. 
          OKAY. 
          COLLEAGUES, I WOULD LIKE TO, MUCH TO OUR CONVERSATION YESTERDAY ABOUT CERTAIN SERVICES, ESPECIALLY KNOWING THAT INTEGRAL CARE'S ROLE AROUND MENTAL HEALTH AND THE IMPORTANCE OF IT IS THAT THAT HAS WITHIN OUR PUBLIC SAFETY SERVICES OVERALL AS A CITY, I DO THINK WE SHOULD PROBABLY LOOK AT A WAY TO SAFEGUARD THOSE CONTRACTS UNTIL FURTHER CONSIDERATION. 
          AND SO I'LL BE LOOKING AT PERHAPS A DIRECTION OR AN AMENDMENT ON THAT END. 
          UH, MY NEXT QUESTION IS ON TRAVEL. 
          THIS WAS A QUESTION I SUBMITTED, AND IT'S LOCATED ON PAGE EIGHT OF THE Q AND A BUDGET Q AND A DOC. 
          UM, WE KNOW THAT WHEN ORGANIZATIONS AND BUSINESSES ARE FACING FINANCIAL HARDSHIPS, THAT THE FIRST AREA IN WHICH THEY LOOK TO CUT IS WITHIN TRAVEL AND MARKETING AND ADVERTISING EXPENSES. 
          AND A COUPLE OF THE QUESTIONS I'VE ASKED CITY STAFF IS TO PULL INFORMATION RELATED TO TRAVEL ACROSS THE CITY AS WELL AS OUR MARKETING AND ADVERTISING BUDGET WITHIN CPIO BELIEVE. 
          WE'RE STILL WAITING ON THE CPIO INFORMATION, UM, BUT WITH THE TRAVEL ONE, WHICH STAFF HAS PROVIDED, UH, THERE, IT LOOKS LIKE THE CITY SPENDS ABOUT 1 MILLION IN TRAVEL ACROSS ALL THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS LAID OUT HERE. 
          AND I'M WONDERING IF STAFF CAN JUST PROVIDE INSIGHT OR CONTEXTUALIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS FUND, UH, FOR TRAVEL ON CITY BUSINESS, YOU KNOW, INFORMATION THAT SHOULD WE, WE BE AWARE OF, AND THEN ALSO PERHAPS OFFER THAT THIS AREA ALSO BE SUBJECT TO A 10% CUT. 
          SO AS YOU MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, AS ORGANIZATIONS SEE CHALLENGING TIMES, USUALLY THINGS LIKE TRAVEL TRAINING, THINGS LIKE THAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THEY LOOK AT REDUCING. 
          UM, I WOULD SAY THAT, UM, THIS ONE POINT, THIS $1 MILLION ACROSS THE DEPARTMENTS, TYPICALLY DEPARTMENTS USE THAT TRA TRAVEL TRAINING, UM, BUDGET 
          [00:45:01]
TO GET, WHETHER IT'S THEIR CONTINUED EDUCATION OR TO REPRESENT THE CITY AS INDUSTRY LEADERS OR TO GAIN IDEAS, UM, ACROSS THEIR INDUSTRIES. 
          AND SO, UM, WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS AMOUNT AND WE THINK ABOUT THE PROCESS THAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH OVER THE LAST, UM, FEW YEARS, I BELIEVE DEPARTMENTS HAVE REALLY REDUCED A LOT OF THEIR TRAVEL TRAINING OVER THE YEARS. 
          UM, I DON'T, I DON'T THINK THERE'S A LOT OF TRA TRAVEL THAT HAPPENS ACROSS THE CITY, BUT I THINK IT IS A NECESSARY, UH, TOOL IN MANY WAYS TO MAKE SURE WE ARE CONTINUING SOME OF THE EDUCATION THAT'S NEEDED ACROSS THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. 
          UM, I, WE COULD LOOK BACK AND SEE WHAT KIND OF REDUCTIONS WE'VE MADE OVER THE YEARS. 
          I DO KNOW THAT, AND THIS IS SEVERAL, SEVERAL YEARS AGO, AS, AS WE'VE GONE THROUGH DIFFERENT BUDGETING, UM, EXERCISES, THOSE ARE USUALLY SOME OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT DEPARTMENTS LOOK AT. 
          HOW DO I REDUCE THAT AND ONLY DO THE TRAVELING THAT'S NEEDED TO CONTINUE, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER EDUCATION OR WHATEVER REPRESENTATION WE NEED TO DO FOR THE CITY. 
          THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          AND REGARDING OUR ADVERTISING MARKETING BUDGETS ACROSS THE CITY, ANY INFORMATION YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE ON THAT END? I THINK WE'RE STILL PULLING THAT INFORMATION, SO LET ME SEE IF I CAN GET IT BEFORE WE B BREAK FOR TODAY SO I CAN GIVE YOU SOME INFORMATION ON THAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND NO FURTHER QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU MAYOR ORAM, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER, DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS? YOUR QUESTIONS REMINDED ME OF MY QUESTION. 
          UM, I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT OR, OR FIGURE OUT, AND, AND THIS IS MORE, UM, FOR THE MANAGER AND, AND FOR YOU AS CHAIR OF AUDIT AND FINANCE OF HOW WE MIGHT OVER THE NEXT EIGHT, NINE MONTHS LOOK AT OUR BUDGETING PRACTICES MORE HOLISTICALLY. 
          YOU KNOW, THERE THE BUDGET STAFF IS GOING TO BE UNDERGOING EFFICIENCY AND AUDIT STUDIES, BUT THAT TELLS US HOW WE'RE DOING WITHIN PROGRAMS. WE HAVE TO DECIDE IF A PROGRAM IS EVEN WORTHY OF THE LEVEL OF PRIORITY IT'S CURRENTLY GIVEN COMPARED WITH OTHER PRIORITIES. 
          AND THAT'S JUST ONE ELEMENT OF A LOT OF BUDGETARY ISSUES, UH, THAT I THINK WE NEED TO TACKLE AS A COUNCIL. 
          AND SO I I WANTED TO SEE IF, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS HAS PUT FORWARD A, A RESOLUTION THAT, YOU KNOW, BEGINS THAT CONVERSATION. 
          BUT HOW CAN WE HAVE A, A MORE HOLISTIC CONVERSATION ABOUT BUDGETING THE MANAGER AND I HAVE, THAT'S A VERY APPROPRIATE QUESTION. 
          THE MANAGER AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT HOW WE MIGHT APPROACH THE WORK THAT HIS OFFICE IS DOING. 
          OF COURSE, THE, THE PERFORMANCE REVIEW SLASH EVALUATION SLASH AUDIT, WHATEVER, UH, YOU KNOW, AND THOSE, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS ARE LIKE BEAUTY, RIGHT? THEY'RE KIND OF IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER OF, OF WHETHER OR NOT WHAT YOU WANT TO CALL IT AND WHAT IT'S DOING. 
          BUT HE AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT HOW AS THAT GOES ALONG, THE COUNCIL IS BETTER AWARE OF WHAT IS GOING ALONG AND, AND WHAT HAPPENS OR WHAT IS HAPPENING AND IF IT HAS INPUT OR THOUGHT ABOUT THAT. 
          AND IN OUR DISCUSSIONS, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT NOT ONLY DOING IT THROUGH THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE AND ME MAKING SURE AS CHAIR OF AUDIT AND FINANCE, THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS WHEN WE MIGHT BE TAKING SOMETHING UP LIKE THAT SO THAT IF YOU DON'T SERVE ON THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE, PLEASE, YOU CAN BE THERE. 
          AND OF COURSE, YOU, YOU ALL KNOW I'VE DONE THAT OVER THE LAST YEAR ON A NUMBER OF ITEMS, UH, PARTICULARLY AS WE WERE LOOKING AT THE TRE. 
          AND I'LL CONTINUE TO DO THAT. 
          AND THEN MY, MY HOPE IS THAT, AND, AND, AND I, AND I THINK THE MANAGER SHARES THIS, IS THAT WHAT WILL HAPPEN IS AS THINGS BECOME, THEY, THEY BECOME FRUIT THAT THAT WILL COME TO THE ENTIRE COUNCIL SO THAT AS THEY MAKE UPDATES AND ARE ABLE TO GIVE US REPORTS ON THINGS, WE WILL, WE WILL KNOW ABOUT IT IN ADVANCE. 
          AND THEN THE FINAL THING I'LL SAY ABOUT THAT IS, UH, THAT, UH, KIND OF TO THE MAYOR PRO TIM'S POINT ABOUT, UH, HOW WE TALK ABOUT THINGS IS THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THE PUBLIC IS AWARE OF WHAT IT IS WE'RE DOING, UH, AND, AND WHAT THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS LOOK LIKE AND HOW THEY'RE, THEY'RE COMING TO US. 
          AND SO WE NEED TO, AND, AND, AND I, I REALLY FEEL LIKE WE NEED TO UP OUR GAME IN THAT REGARD. 
          OF COURSE, WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT DASHBOARDS YESTERDAY, UM, AND, AND I KNOW YOU'RE LOOKING AT, AT CREATING DIRECTION IN THIS BUDGET CYCLE, SO THAT WORKING WITH THE, THE AUDIT TEAM, THE INTERNAL AUDITORS HERE, WE'RE ABLE TO PUT THOSE OUT. 
          THAT HAS TO BE PART OF WHAT WE'RE DOING AS, AS WELL, SO THAT, THAT PEOPLE KNOW THIS IS A CONCERN OF NOT ONLY THE MANAGER'S OFFICE, BUT ALSO THIS COUNCIL MANAGER. 
          YOU WANT TO ADD ANYTHING TO THAT? THANK YOU. 
          MAY I'LL BE BRIEF. 
          UH, IN ADDITION TO AUDIT AND FINANCE, OBVIOUSLY, 
          [00:50:01]
PARTICULARLY AROUND AREAS OF CONCERN AND EMPHASIS, STAFF IS ALREADY COMMITTED THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE TRYING TO WORK WITH THE COUNCIL COMMITTEES RIGHT? QUITE A BIT MORE, WHICH ARE MORE, UH, I GUESS, UM, CONNECTED TO SOME OF OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS THAT PUSH UP TO YOU. 
          AND ULTIMATELY I THINK I SAW EITHER AN IFC OR, OR SOMETHING, UH, THAT SPOKE TO HOW WE INVOLVE OR A MOTION, UH, INVOLVE OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AND GET THEIR THOUGHTS AND EMPHASIS OF PRIORITY, I THINK. 
          SO WE'LL BE DOING ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT KIND OF MARRY IT UP. 
          SO HOPEFULLY NO ONE IS CAUGHT FLATFOOTED OR SURPRISED. 
          AND OBVIOUSLY WE GET THE POLICY DIRECTION FROM THE COUNCIL, UH, AGAIN, BUT WITH THE OVERHANGING STATEMENT OF, UH, WE WILL LIKELY HAVE TO DO THINGS DIFFERENT AND IT'S NOT GOING TO BE COMFORTABLE FOR EVERYONE. 
          I THINK THE CONVERSATION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. 
          SO WE CAN LEVEL SET AS WELL AS ALLOW PEOPLE TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHIFT AND MOVE ALONG WITH US AS WE TRY TO DO THE THINGS THAT I THINK COUNCIL WANTS TO PRIORITIZE AT THE LEVELS THAT WE CAN ULTIMATELY AFFORD, AND THEN WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS TO CONTINUALLY MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY'S ACCOUNTABLE FOR WHAT THEY SHOULD BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR. 
          AND WE'RE ALL COMMUNICATING THAT WE ARE ALL WORKING TOWARDS THE BENEFIT OF THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. 
          TWO THINGS TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT. 
          ONE IS IN HIS MEMO THAT THE MANAGER PUT OUT, UH, THAT WAS REFERENCED BY THE MAYOR PRO TIM, AND, AND, AND OUR STAFF HAS TALKED ABOUT, UH, HE POINTS OUT AT THE END OF THAT MEMO THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HE WANTS TO DO IS, IS WORK SPECIFICALLY WITH COMMITTEES. 
          IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT IS SPECIFIC TO THAT COMMITTEE, HE'LL HIS OFFICE WILL BE IN TOUCH. 
          THE SECOND THING IS THAT I THINK YOU ALSO HAVE A PROPOSED AMENDMENT THAT DOES FOCUS ON BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AND THE ROLE THAT OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS MIGHT BE ABLE TO PLAY IN HELPING US WITH THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. 
          SO, UM, ANYWAY, CAN I ADD TO THIS? SURE. 
          MEMBER, TIM, THANK YOU. 
          THIS IS A GREAT CONVERSATION AND CERTAINLY KNOWING THAT THE FIRST STEP IS FOR US TO TALK ABOUT IT AND THE I, BUT YOU KNOW, I WOULD PREFER TO SEE A PLAN IN HOW COUNCIL WILL BE ENGAGED THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS OF PUTTING PRIORITIES TOGETHER FOR THE CITY AND, AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. 
          I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT COMMITTEES, BOARDS, AND COMMISSIONS, BUT THERE NEEDS TO BE A FRAMEWORK THAT'S LAID OUT FOR US SO THAT WE CAN WEIGH WHETHER WE AGREE WITH IT, WHETHER WE HAVE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OR OTHER METHODS OF ENGAGEMENT. 
          UM, SO I WOULD JUST ASK THAT WE BUILD THAT INTO THIS PROCESS. 
          SURE. 
          AND MAY I, MAY I SAY IN REGARDS TO THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, WE, WE HAVE A PROCESS CURRENTLY WHERE WE ASK THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS FOR THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS AND WHAT THEIR PRIORITIES ARE. 
          WE GET THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THEM, UH, END OF MARCH, SO MARCH 30TH, APRIL 1ST, SOMEWHERE AROUND THERE. 
          UM, AND THEN WE VET THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS WITH DEPARTMENTS TO, TO RESPOND AND BETTER UNDERSTAND WE DO A REPORT DURING THE BUDGET CYCLE THAT SAYS, THESE ARE THE RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          THIS, THIS WAS DEPARTMENT'S RESPONSE, THESE ARE SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE, UH, WERE ABLE TO INCLUDE IN THE BUDGET, OR THIS IS WHY WE DIDN'T INCLUDE. 
          SO THERE'S A FULL PROCESS THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE. 
          UM, IF THERE'S ANOTHER PIECE OF THAT PROCESS OR IF YOU WANT SOME CHANGES, PLEASE LET'S HAVE THAT CON CONVERSATION SO WE CAN KNOW WHAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT TWEAKING GOING FORWARD. 
          BUT WE ALREADY DO SOME THINGS TO TRY TO ENGAGE OUR BOYS AND COMMISSIONS. 
          GREAT. 
          AND, AND I WOULD BE WILLING TO WAGER SOME LEVEL OF MONEY THAT THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE ALMOST ALWAYS ADDITIVE, RIGHT? LIKE, WE THINK THIS IS NOT BEING DONE, LET'S PLEASE FUND THIS. 
          AND I THINK UNFORTUNATELY WHERE WE ARE TODAY, WE NEED TO ASK THE REVERSE QUESTION. 
          IF YOU WERE GOING TO CUT SOMETHING, YOU ARE CLOSE TO THIS SITUATION, YOU KNOW, THIS AREA, WHAT WOULD YOU CUT? WHAT IS A LOWER PRIORITY TO THE COMMUNITY? UH, AND I THINK THAT'S JUST A NEW QUESTION THAT WE HAVEN'T REALLY ASKED. 
          WE CAN DEFINITELY ASK IT . 
          SO YOU, SO YOU WOULD TAKE THE EASY BET IS WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? THAT'S RIGHT. 
          THAT'S RIGHT. 
          UM, AND THE ONLY OTHER ELEMENT TO ALL THIS, UM, IS WHERE SOME OF OUR INTERGOVERNMENTAL CONVERSATIONS COME ALONG. 
          YOU KNOW, WE FUND THINGS IN OTHER, UM, OTHER PUBLIC ENTITIES THAT ARE, HAVE THEIR OWN TAX BASE. 
          THEY FUND SOME OF OUR THINGS. 
          I THINK, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, MYSELF, COUNCILOR VELAZQUEZ AND, AND THE MAYOR SIT ON THE, THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL BODY BETWEEN A ID AND THE COUNTY. 
          BUT YOU KNOW, NOW THAT THE COUNTY HAS PICKED UP CHILDCARE, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD SHIFT MORE TO THEIR LANE? UH, THERE ARE THINGS THAT ARE IN OUR LANE THAT, YOU KNOW, I I THINK WE JUST NEED TO HAVE A, A MORE HOLISTIC CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS ACROSS TAXING ENTITIES, CENTRAL HEALTH AS WELL. 
          AND, UM, AND THEN LAST TO AMERIPRO TIMES'S POINT ABOUT KIND OF THIS PROCESS. 
          YOU KNOW, I THINK PART OF THAT PROCESS NEEDS TO LOOK AT SOME OF OUR FINANCIAL POLICIES, YOU KNOW, THE CONVERSATION 
          [00:55:01]
WE HAD AROUND OUR RESERVES. 
          I, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE GONNA HAVE A RESERVE POLICY AT 17%, THEN I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE A, A PROCESS CONVERSATION OF SHOULD THAT REQUIRE OR, OR BASICALLY SAY, HAVE THE MANAGER PROVIDE A BUDGET THAT IS AT 17% AND THEN WE MOVE THAT AROUND BASED ON, UM, YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT ARE UNADDRESSED AS I, I THINK HAVING THAT FULLER CONVERSATION OF, OF WHAT THE PROPOSED BUDGET ULTIMATELY LOOKS LIKE, UM, IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO IN AUDIT FINANCE OR, OR AS A FULL BODY. 
          BUT JUST, UM, THOUGHTS I WANTED TO SHARE. 
          THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER UCHIN. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          I WANTED TO PIGGYBACK ON MAYOR PRO TEM FUENTES QUESTIONS ABOUT TRAVEL. 
          UM, I KNOW SHE ASKED A QUESTION ABOUT HOW DO WE CONTEXTUALIZE THE INFORMATION FROM THE Q AND A. 
          I'M CURIOUS IN PART TO BUILD ON THAT, BECAUSE I'M SEEING TWO DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE REALLY, SAY SOME OF THE MID-SIZE DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE CITY ACCOUNT FOR HALF OF ALL TRAVEL SPENDING IN THE CITY, WHICH IS A PH AND EMS. AND SO I'M CURIOUS, UH, IF THERE'S A WAY GOING FORWARD TO UNDERSTAND WHAT SPECIFIC, UH, WHETHER IT'S TRAINING OR RECRUITMENT OR, UH, OR EDUCATION OR OTHER GOALS ARE BEING MET THERE THAT, UM, ARE IMPACTING THOSE DEPARTMENTS DISPROPORTIONATELY THAT, THAT WE COULD POTENTIALLY LEARN FROM FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS. 
          I MEAN, I FIND IT JUST STRANGE THAT, YOU KNOW, FIRE AND POLICE IN PARTICULAR ARE A MUCH LARGER PIECE OF OUR BUDGET, BUT OCCUPY A SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER PROPORTIONAL PIECE OF OUR TRAVEL BUDGET. 
          SO, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS EMS GAINING FROM, I DON'T WANNA PICK ON THEM, BUT WHAT ARE THEY GAINING FROM THE TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT PIECE OF, OR, OR PERHAPS OTHER THINGS, EDUCATION FROM THEIR TRAVEL BUDGET THAT MAYBE FIRE AND EMS CAN LEARN FROM OR VICE VERSA, POTENTIALLY IF FIRE AND EMS OR, OR SORRY, FIRE AND POLICE ARE ACCOMPLISHING THE SAME MISSION FOR A FRACTION OF THE PRICE, UH, IT WOULD BE VALUABLE TO UNDERSTAND GOING FORWARD HOW TO DO THAT. 
          'CAUSE I UNDERSTAND THE TRAVEL HAS BEEN, UH, AND I'M ASSUMING THIS IS THE ORIGIN OF, UM, MAYOR TENTH'S ORIGINAL QUESTION. 
          IT'S BEEN A PLACE THAT WE HAVE SCALED BACK ON DURING PRIOR, UH, PRIOR DOWNTURNS. 
          SO I'LL SAY, I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO ASK, UM, OR COME BACK WITH SOME DETAILS ON WHAT THAT TRAVEL IS USED FOR, FOR THE DEPARTMENTS. 
          UM, I DON'T KNOW, UH, THE CHIEF IS COMING TO TALK ABOUT IT. 
          I, UH, SPEAKING FOR EMS THERE, THERE'S A FEW DIFFERENT COMPONENTS TO RESULT IN THIS, HAVING A LARGER TRAVEL BUDGET. 
          UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE IDENTIFIED A FEW YEARS AGO WAS, UM, FROM A RECRUITING AND, UH, RECRUITING STANDPOINT, UM, THAT THE NATURE OF THE EMS DEPARTMENT, UM, AND THE, UM, NATIONAL STANDING THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS, UH, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE APPLICANTS AND, AND THE MAJORITY OF OUR INCOMING CADETS ACTUALLY COME FROM OUTTA STATE. 
          AND SO WE MADE, UM, AN INCREASED PUSH A FEW YEARS AGO TO DO OUT-OF-STATE RECRUITING. 
          AND SO WE WERE SENDING A OF FOLKS TO VARIOUS CONFERENCES AROUND THE COUNTRY, UM, TO TRY TO DRIVE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE LOOKING TO WORK AT A SPECIFIC DEPARTMENT SUCH AS AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY, EMS. AND IT WAS EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL. 
          UM, AS I SAID, MORE THAN 50, MORE THAN HALF OF ALL OF OUR INCOMING CADETS COME FROM OUTTA STATE. 
          UM, AND SO WE'VE SEEN THAT THERE'S ALSO, UM, ADDITIONAL, UH, COMPONENTS, SOME OF OUR DEPLOYMENTS THAT WE MAKE HAVE EXPENSE REFUNDS ASSOCIATED WITH THEM, BUT THEY, THEY LIVE IN THAT AREA. 
          UM, AND WE DO HAVE SOME, UH, INDIVIDUALS GIVEN THE SIZE AND THE SCOPE OF OUR DEPARTMENT THAT DO GO ELSEWHERE TO DO THOSE TRAININGS, UM, AND GET REIMBURSED FROM, FROM OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. 
          AND THAT, THAT'S THOSE TWO COMPONENTS. 
          I MEAN, THERE'S, THERE'S MORE THAT I COULD EXPAND ON, UM, UH, CONTINUING EDUCATION, THE PARAMEDICS AND THE TRAINING THAT THEY NEED. 
          BUT, UH, BUT THAT'S KIND OF ONE PIECE FOR YOU. 
          THANK YOU, CHIEF. 
          THAT WAS MY SUSPICION. 
          I'M JUST CURIOUS THEN IF THAT'S BEEN INCREDIBLY SUCCESSFUL FOR YOU ALL TO FIGURE OUT IF THERE'S A WAY, OR TO THE EXTENT THAT, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, POLICE AND, UH, FIRE CAN POTENTIALLY LEARN SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE HELPED YOU ALL, UH, IN THAT PROCESS, GIVEN THAT THEIR BUDGETS ARE LESS THAN HALF OF WHAT I'M SEEING EM S'S TRAVEL BUDGET IS SO ALL TO SAY, UM, CARRIE, IF IT'S POSSIBLE TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE BENEFITS, THE TRADE OFFS, UM, THAT'D BE USEFUL TOO. 
          WE HAVE KATHY DELEON, THE DEPUTY, UH, DIRECTOR FOR, UH, PUBLIC HEALTH TO TALK ABOUT THEIR TRAINING TOO. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, YES. 
          GOOD, GOOD MORNING. 
          UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, FOR AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, UH, THERE'S A MIX OF AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH'S BUDGET, AS WE'VE TALKED CONSIDERABLY ABOUT, THAT'S A MIX OF GENERAL FUND AND, AND GRANTS. 
          MANY OF THE GRANTS THAT 
          [01:00:01]
WE RECEIVE, UM, HELP TO SUPPORT TRAVEL FOR THE, UM, PROFESSIONAL STAFF, OUR CLINICAL STAFF, TO ENSURE THAT THEY'RE UP TO DATE ON THE, UM, MEDICAL SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE. 
          UM, FOR EXAMPLE, OUR TUBERCULOSIS AND HIV, UM, AND SEXUAL HEALTH CLINIC WORK. 
          THOSE, UH, TRAVEL BUDGETS HELP TO SUPPORT THOSE TEAMS TO BE ABLE TO BE, UM, UH, PREPARED TO, UH, SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY. 
          UM, AND, UH, IT IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE LOOK AT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR TRAVEL IS ONLY FOR ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY AND OFTEN IS, UM, A REQUIREMENT OF THE FUNDS THAT WE RECEIVE THROUGH OUR, UM, THROUGH OUR GRANT TOURS. 
          SO ARE THE GRANT TOURS TYPICALLY PAYING FOR OR SUBSIDIZED THE TRAVEL? YES. 
          MAJORITY OF THE TRAVEL THAT WE DO THAT, UH, IT'S USUALLY PART OF THE GRANT, UH, BUDGET. 
          THERE'S, UH, TRAVEL FUNDS ARE INCLUDED IN THE, IN THE GRANT, UH, BUDGETS THAT INCLUDE TRAVEL FOR SPECIFIC CONFERENCES OR, UM, CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS. 
          OKAY. 
          SO MAYBE WHAT WOULD BE VALUABLE GOING FORWARD IS WHEN REPORTING THE INFORMATION TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ACKNOWLEDGING WHICH DOLLARS ARE BEING PAID FOR EXTERNALLY AND WHICH ARE BEING PAID FOR INTERNALLY FROM THE CITY SO WE CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND WHICH, WHERE THE REAL DRIVERS ARE HERE. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          MEMBERS, UH, WHAT WE'LL DO NEXT IS WE WILL GO TO, UH, A PROPOSED AMENDMENT. 
          WHAT JESSICA HAD A, I DUNNO, OKAY. 
          IF THERE WAS A QUESTION EARLIER. 
          I DIDN'T KNOW IF SHE WAS, SHE WAS THERE. 
          OH, YES. 
          YEAH. 
          I JUST HAD AN UPDATE FOR UN RESPONSE FOR, UH, MAYOR PRO FOR THIS. 
          GOOD. 
          IN RESPONSE TO A QUESTION REGARDING, UH, THE COMMUNICATIONS MARKETING, UH, BUDGET. 
          SO COMMUNICATIONS ENGAGEMENTS IS A SUPPORT SERVICES DEPARTMENT. 
          SO WE PROVIDE SERVICES ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION, INCLUDING THE COUNCIL OFFICES. 
          ONE OF THE KEY ELEMENTS IS THAT MARKETING BUDGETS, WHAT MOST PEOPLE WOULD CONSIDER ADVERTISING, FOR EXAMPLE, IS SPREAD ACROSS, IT'S DECENTRALIZED ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS TO FOCUS ON THOSE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, PROGRAMS AND SERVICES. 
          SO OUR AUSTIN COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT SPECIFICALLY ONLY HAS ABOUT $50,000 IN ADVERTISING, AND THAT IS ACTUALLY THE RESULT OF MOVING THE CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES COMMUNICATIONS TEAM UNDER, UM, AUSTIN COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT. 
          THOSE MONIES ARE USED TO SUPPORT, UM, ADVERTISING TO, FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES AND ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO COME TO ENGAGEMENT EVENTS AROUND, UH, CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN THEIR AREA. 
          SO THAT IS THE DOLLAR AMOUNT THAT WE HAVE IN THE COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT BUDGET, UM, BECAUSE WE HAVE A DECENTRALIZED APPROACH IN THAT ADVERTISING AND MARKETING, UM, SCHEMATIC. 
          OUR GOAL AND OUR HOPE IS THAT THROUGH SHARED SERVICES ANALYSIS AND, AND LOOKING AT EFFICIENCY AND OPTIMIZATION, WE CAN LOOK AT BETTER WAYS TO, UM, MAKE OUR MONEY GO FURTHER. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THAT MOST CERTAINLY SOUNDS LIKE CENTRALIZING THOSE SERVICES WOULD BE HELPFUL. 
          WHAT ABOUT THE CONSULTING PORTION OF IT? TO WHAT EXTENT IS THE BUDGET THROUGH? YES, I'M GLAD YOU ASKED THAT. 
          SO THE CONSULTING PORTION OF THE BUDGET IS LARGELY TIED TO LANGUAGE ACCESS SERVICES, AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THE FUNDS THAT GOES TO A TXN, WHICH HELPS US BROADCAST MEETINGS. 
          UM, SO THAT IS WHERE YOU SEE THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE FUNDS SHIFTED FOR CONSULTING SERVICES. 
          UM, WHERE WE MAY HAVE, UM, OTHER CONSULTING SUPPORT IS IN ALSO, AGAIN, TIED TO LANGUAGE ACCESS. 
          WE JUST HAVE A VARIETY OF CONTRACTS UNDER THAT LANGUAGE ACCESS LIST OF SERVICES. 
          SO I WAS THINKING THROUGH HOW MANY WE HAD, AND I THINK WE HAVE 15 TO 20 DIFFERENT CONTRACTORS, BUT IT IS UNDER THE GUISE OF LANGUAGE ACCESS AND IT'S BROKEN OUT BY TRANSLATION SERVICES INTERPRETATION. 
          SO TRANSLATION FOR EVERYBODY, JUST AWARENESS TRANSLATION IS THE WRITTEN WORD. 
          UM, AND THEN INTERPRETATION IS THE SPOKEN WORD. 
          AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE A SL. 
          VERY GOOD. 
          THANK YOU. 
          SURE. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          ALRIGHT, MEMBERS, WE'LL GO TO, UH, PROPOSED AMENDMENTS AND THEN WE WILL HAVE, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT, UH, ON THIS AGENDA ITEM. 
          UM, I'LL START JUST TO GET THE BALL ROLLING. 
          UH, WE HAVE PROVIDED ALL OF YOU A PROPOSED, UH, AMENDMENT, UH, WITH IT IS A, IT IS BUDGET DIRECTION, AND I'VE ALSO POSTED IT ON THE MESSAGE BOARD WITH A NOTE. 
          UM, IT, IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, SO IT'S, IT'S PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD. 
          BUT WHAT IT DOES IS IT IS, IT IS COUNCIL DIRECTION, UH, FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CITYWIDE POLICY RELATING TO SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTS AND RELATED CITY DISTRIBUTED GRANTS, UH, TO CREATE A UNIFORM STRUCTURE THAT CENTRALIZES PROCUREMENT AND CONTRACTS FOR SOCIAL SERVICES THAT'LL ESTABLISH BEST PRACTICES FOR DECIDING, DECIDING WHEN TO CONTRACT FOR THOSE SERVICES AND REQUIRING DELIVERABLES AND METHODS OF MEASURING OUTCOMES. 
          UH, IN, IN ADDITION, AND BY THE WAY, IT WILL FOCUS ALSO ON COUNCIL PRIORITIES, UH, AS, AS IT DOES THAT IN ADDITION, UH, WHILE DEMONSTRATING THE MOTION WILL DEMONSTRATE SUPPORT FOR 
          [01:05:01]
THE MANAGER'S GOAL TO CONDUCT A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF SERVICE CONTRACTS, IT ALSO PROVIDES DIRECTION FOR THE MANAGER TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THAT REVIEW AND REPORT ANY COST SAVINGS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED BY THAT EFFORT AS WE GO INTO THE NEXT BUDGET. 
          YES, MAYOR PRO, TIM, THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          I SUPPORT THIS MOTION SHEET AND CERTAINLY WELCOME THE, THE DIRECTION HERE. 
          MY QUESTION IS SIMILAR TO THE POINT I RAISED EARLIER, IS AT WHAT POINT DOES COUNCIL US AS ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES OF OUR DISTRICT, DO WE WEIGH IN ON THE PRIORITIES AND ESPECIALLY IF WE'RE ESTABLISHING DELIVERABLES AND OUTCOMES, WHAT DOES THAT PROCESS LOOK LIKE? WELL, I'M NOT SURE WHAT WAY I CAN IDENTIFY EXACTLY EVERY STEP OF WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN WITH THIS NEW DIRECTION, BUT CLEARLY WHAT THIS IS CREATING DIRECTION FOR IS TO CREATE THE PROCESS. 
          AND I THINK IT'S LOUD AND CLEAR IF, IF, IF WE'VE DONE NOTHING IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS, IS THAT WE WANT REPORTS BACK ON A ROUTINE BASIS SO THAT WE CAN KEEP UP AND MAKE SURE IT'S CONSISTENT WITH OUR PRIORITIES. 
          IF, IF YOU WANT, I WILL ADD SOMETHING IN THAT REGARD ABOUT CREATING A PROCESS FOR REPORTING BACK TO THE COUNCIL. 
          THAT WOULD YES, UH, CERTAINLY THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. 
          I JUST, WHAT I DON'T WANT TO HAPPEN IS THAT A POLICY IS CREATED AND THEN WE'RE CHECKING THE BOX AND THAT WE'RE INFORMING COUNSEL AND WE'RE SAYING, HERE'S THE POLICY APPROVED, HERE'S WHAT WE'VE DONE. 
          RIGHT, RIGHT. 
          NO, I, I I DON'T DISAGREE WITH THAT. 
          AND, AND, UM, LIKE I SAY, I, I'M, I'M, I MUST ADMIT I'M MAKING AN ASSUMPTION THAT WE WILL BE INVOLVED IN, IN THAT, BUT LET'S GO AHEAD AND PUT IT DOWN. 
          VERY GOOD, THANK YOU. 
          GOOD. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YES, MANAGER, JUST POINT OF CLARIFICATION, AND I THINK TO COUNCILMAN FUENTES QUESTION, I THINK IN YOUR SECOND SENTENCE, UH, I THINK WHERE IT SPEAKS TO THE DEVELOPER CITYWIDE POLICY RELATED TO SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTS, QUITE HONESTLY, I DON'T THINK THAT'S A POLICY ISSUE. 
          THAT'S A PROCESS. 
          OKAY. 
          AND APPROACH, NOT A POLICY. 
          SO I THINK THAT'S, IN MY OPINION, WHERE WE'RE GETTING A LITTLE OFF SKEW, I THINK THE POLICY IS WHAT TYPES OF SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS ARE FUNDAMENTAL IMPORTANT TO THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE RANGE OF RESOURCES WE'D LIKE TO GO TOWARDS THOSE EFFORTS. 
          THE APPROACH IS SIMILAR TO I THINK, UH, WHAT, UH, JESSICA KING WAS TALKING ABOUT, AND THAT'S HOW WE APPROACH DELIVERING THIS SERVICE AND OR COMING UP WITH THE COMMUNICATION BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN OUR COMMITTEES AND OTHER THINGS OF THAT NATURE. 
          AND SOMETIMES I THINK THE APPROACH AND ADMINISTRATION OFTEN GETS CONFUSED WITH POLICY. 
          AND SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY AT LEAST, NOT THAT YOU HAVE TO CHANGE THE WORD, BUT I THINK WHEN WE TALK ABOUT HOW WE APPROACH SOCIAL SERVICES, THAT IS MORE HOW WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT MORE EFFECTIVE, EFFICIENT, THE TIMING OF PROCUREMENTS WHEN THEY'RE EXECUTED, THE TYPES OF FUNDING WE USE FOR THEM, WHETHER IT'S ONE TIME AND OR ONGOING, WHETHER THOSE PROCESSES PROVIDE TWO YEARS WORTH OF FUNDING VERSUS ONE WHEN IT COMES TO COMMITMENTS TO GROUPS. 
          I THINK THOSE ARE THINGS THAT I THINK WE, FROM A BEST PRACTICE STANDPOINT WOULD BE SHARING WITH THE COUNCIL AS IT RELATES TO HERE'S HOW WE'RE GOING TO APPROACH IT, AND I THINK AT LEAST GETTING YOUR OPINION AND PERSPECTIVE ON IT. 
          I THINK EVEN SIMILAR TO HOW WE DEAL WITH THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS WHERE WE SEND OUT AND SAY TO THEM, GIMME YOUR BEST AND BRIGHTEST AND WHAT ARE YOUR IDEAS? I THINK THE COUNCIL MEMBER AL'S POINT, WE MAY NEED TO SHIFT HOW WE APPROACH THE CONVERSATION AND I WOULD BE A, A PROPONENT OF ENSURING THAT WE'RE HAVING CONVERSATIONS BEFORE WE GET TO FINAL DECISIONS FROM STAFF. 
          SO IT'S NOT A FIGHT TO THE DEATH OVER KEEPING MY WAY OR YOUR WAY. 
          THAT'S WHAT ENGAGEMENT AS IT RELATES TO ONE OF OUR VALUES SHOULD REALLY LOOK LIKE IS HAVING THE CONVERSATIONS AND THEN SETTLING ON SOMETHING THAT MARRIES UP WHAT YOU HEARD VERSUS WHAT WE IMPLEMENT. 
          BUT I WOULD SAY IN THIS REGARD, I THINK THE MAYOR'S SPOT ON, I THINK THE GUIDANCE IS CLEAR, IS THAT WE NEED TO BE LOOKING AT HOW WE APPROACH SOCIAL SERVICE FUNDING AS IT RELATES TO THE GIVE AND TAKES AND OR THE REQUIREMENTS. 
          I THINK THE DUE DILIGENCE AROUND METRICS AND THE OVERALL IMPACTS OF THINGS, I THINK THAT'S WHAT I THINK THIS SPEAKS TO. 
          UH, NOT SO MUCH, UH, THE POLICY SIDE OF IT, BUT WE'LL BRING THAT AND SHARE THAT WITH COUNCIL BEFORE WE BEGIN TO COMMUNICATE IT OUT MORE BROADLY, UH, AND OR SETTLE ON IT. 
          AND SO IT WON'T BE A RUBBER STAMP, IT'LL BE AN ENGAGEMENT. 
          WELL, AND AND, AND WHAT I MEANT BY POLICY WAS PROCESS APPROACH, THAT, THAT KIND OF THING. 
          I KNOW THROUGH OUR CONVERSATIONS I KNEW THAT THAT'S RIGHT. 
          YEAH. 
          SO I WAS JUST TRYING TO CLEAR THAT. 
          SO WHAT I'LL DO IS I'LL ALSO MAKE THAT CHANGE TO THIS SO THAT WE DON'T, WE DON'T HAVE A LACK OF CLARITY. 
          UM, AND THEN I WILL ADD SOMETHING, UH, BEFORE WE TAKE THIS UP, SOMETHING THAT ADDRESSES THE MAYOR PRO TEMS, UH, UH, CONCERN OR THOUGHT. 
          ALRIGHT, WHO, WHO ELSE WOULD LIKE TO BE HEARD ON POTENTIAL AMENDMENTS? COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          UH, I HAVE ONE BUDGET AMENDMENT, WHICH, UH, IS JUST SPECIFIC TO OUR OFFICE, YOU KNOW, AS WE ARE, UH, ASKING OUR DEPARTMENTS TO, TO MAKE CUTS, I THINK IT IS REASONABLE AS ELECTED LEADERS OF THIS CITY TO DO THE SAME IN SHARING THOSE CUTS. 
          [01:10:01]
AND SO THIS IS JUST A PROPORTIONATE CUT TO OUR, UH, OUR OFFICE BUDGET. 
          UH, I ALSO HAVE TWO ITEMS OF DIRECTION. 
          ONE IS FOR, UH, BUILDING ON THE CONVERSATION WE HAD YESTERDAY AND SOME TODAY ABOUT HOW ONCE WE HAVE SOME OF THESE EFFICIENCY, UH, REPORTS AND AUDITS DONE, HOW WE GET THAT INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC FOR, UH, THEM TO UNDERSTAND AND FOR US TO BE ABLE TO TRACK, UH, AND, AND HAVING THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE USE KINDA THE TOOLS THAT THEY ALREADY HAVE, UH, IN ORDER TO HELP WITH THAT PROCESS. 
          SO THAT IS, UM, MY MOTION NUMBER ONE. 
          AND THEN MOTION NUMBER TWO, UH, IS TO, UH, HAVE OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS BE INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS OF IDENTIFYING PRIORITIES AND POTENTIAL CUTS. 
          UH, I'LL ALSO NOTE, JUST FOR CLARITY ON THE, THE, UH, ASKING THE, THE PUBLIC WEBSITE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE DOING SOME PROACTIVE WORK, BUT THE CITY HAS DONE SOME REALLY GOOD WORK IN THE PAST THAT HAS IDENTIFIED VARIOUS AREAS WHERE WE MIGHT ACHIEVE, UH, SOME OPERATIONAL SAVINGS AND, UH, INCLUDING THOSE AS WELL. 
          JUST IN, IN BEING ABLE TO HAVE KIND OF A, A COMPREHENSIVE RESOURCE FOR US TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC. 
          THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER. 
          UM, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR? YES, YES. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, MAYOR PRO TIM. 
          UM, SO IT SOUNDS LIKE WHAT YOUR DIRECTION IS IS REQUESTING A DASHBOARD ON THE AUDITS THAT ARE HAPPENING WITHIN THE CITY. 
          I WOULD SAY A COMBINATION OF DASHBOARD AND, UH, KIND OF CATALOG, RIGHT? SO IF WE HAVE PRIOR REPORTS, YOU, WE CAN BE ABLE TO ACCESS THOSE, BUT THEN ALSO SEE SOME OF THE PROGRESS BEING MADE ON, ON THESE NEW EFFICIENCY STUDIES OR AUDITS, UH, THAT KIND OF LIKE THE AUDITOR DOES ALREADY WITH, YOU KNOW, THEY'LL DO A REPORT AND THESE FOUR THINGS WE'RE SUPPOSED TO DO AND THEY'LL SAY, YOU KNOW, NOT YET UNDERWAY IN PROGRESS. 
          UH, SIMILAR STORY FOR, UH, SO A DASHBOARD LIKE, BUT ALSO BEING ABLE TO ACCESS THOSE DOCUMENTS AS WELL. 
          OKAY. 
          MANAGER, THIS IS THE THIRD DASHBOARD THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, UM, THESE LAST FEW DAYS. 
          AND SO, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST TRYING TO THINK FROM AN EFFICIENCY STANDPOINT HOW THE CITY WILL STAND THESE UP. 
          BUT, YOU KNOW, I'LL LEAVE THAT TO YOU TO NAVIGATE, BUT I WILL, I'LL EMPHASIZE THAT, THAT OBVIOUSLY THIS, ONE OF THE KEY MESSAGES OF ALL OF THIS IS, UH, AND I, AND I, AND I THINK WE ALL HEARD IT. 
          UH, I THINK ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF PROP Q WAS THAT WE HAVE ALL HEARD THAT THE PUBLIC WANTS MORE INFORMATION. 
          AND, AND I THINK THAT IS ONE OF THE CLEAR THINGS THAT, THAT CAME OUT OF THE, THE ELECTION. 
          AND, AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT TRUST CREATING OR RECREATING TRUST, THAT INFORMATION GETTING OUT THERE IS GOING TO BE PARAMOUNT. 
          AND I KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD THESE CONVERSATIONS, I KNOW YOU KNOW THAT, BUT, BUT I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT EVERY TIME WE COME BACK TO THAT. 
          THAT'S JUST A, THAT'S JUST SAYING IT IN A DIFFERENT WAY. 
          YEAH. 
          MANAGER. 
          AND SO MAYOR, BECAUSE WE LISTEN, UH, ONE OF, UH, MY GOALS FOR NEXT YEAR, AND CARRIE JUST REMINDED ME, WAS TO CREATE A CITY DATA HUB SO THAT THAT INFORMATION IS THAT ONE STOP AREA THAT MIGHT INCLUDE MULTIPLE DASHBOARDS AND INFORMATION AND INSIGHT ON A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO, BUT TO YOUR POINT, WE WON'T CREATE 25 DIFFERENT ONES WHERE NOBODY CAN KNOW WHERE TO FIND THEM. 
          WE'LL PUT THEM ALL IN ONE AREA AND THEN YOU CAN SEARCH FOR IN THAT AREA WHERE YOU WANT TO FIND THE THINGS THAT YOU WANT. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU, MANAGER. 
          UM, COUNCIL MEMBER VELASQUEZ, THEN ELLIS, THEN LANE. 
          UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. 
          SO I JUST WANTED TO, TO REITERATE OR, UH, SHOW MY SUPPORT FOR THE ITEMS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR SUB QUORUM, WHICH IS, UM, ENSURING THAT WE ARE TAKING CARE OF EMS AND, UH, AND THE FOOD SECURITY ITEMS THAT WE'D SPOKEN ABOUT. 
          I WILL BE BRINGING AN ITEM THAT I FEEL VERY STRONGLY ABOUT AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON FOR A VERY, FOR A VERY LONG TIME. 
          UM, AND IT IS THE BAD WEATHER ESSENTIAL EMPLOYEE PAY. 
          THIS IS TO GET THE BACKS OF THE PEOPLE THAT KEEP THIS CITY MOVING AND ITS RESIDENTS SAFE WHILE A LOT OF FOLKS GET TO REMAIN AT HOME DURING THESE, UH, NATURAL WEATHER CALAMITIES. 
          UH, SO, AND THAT'LL BE AT, UH, 300,000. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS, THEN COUNCIL MEMBER LANE. 
          THANK YOU MAYOR. 
          I WANTED TO VOICE MY SUPPORT FOR ALL THE DASHBOARDS. 
          . 
          I COMMONLY TALK TO CONSTITUENTS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN THINGS THAT ARE TRANSPORTATION RELATED BECAUSE WE'RE SO ROAD CENTRIC IN SOUTHWEST AUSTIN. 
          AND I LIKE THE WAY THAT TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS HAS THE ABILITY TO MAKE REQUESTS AND TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT HOW MANY OF YOUR OTHER NEIGHBORS HAVE ASKED FOR SIMILAR REQUESTS. 
          I THINK IT'S REALLY EYE-OPENING FOR FOLKS TO KNOW THAT SOME OF THESE THINGS HAVE BEEN EVALUATED AND MAY HAVE NOT BEEN, UM, APPROVED FOR WHATEVER REASON, BUT THAT INFORMATION IS PUBLICLY AVAILABLE AND I THINK THAT THAT TRANSPARENCY IS 
          [01:15:01]
REALLY HELPFUL. 
          IN MY DISTRICT IN PARTICULAR, THE ITEMS THAT I'M GOING TO BE BRINGING FORWARD ARE, NUMBER ONE, THE PART-TIME TEMPORARY BENEFITS. 
          I KNOW WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HAVE A COUPLE CONVERSATIONS WITH STAFF SINCE YESTERDAY'S CONVERSATION, SO I'M HOPING THAT WE CAN NAIL DOWN A NUMBER AND A PROCESS TO BE ABLE TO GET THAT ACROSS THE FINISH LINE. 
          AND THEN THE OTHER ONE WILL BE WILDFIRE MITIGATION. 
          BACK IN AUGUST, THERE WAS BROAD SUPPORT FOR THAT MILLION DOLLARS OF WILDFIRE MITIGATION. 
          AND MY MAIN CONCERN IS THAT IF WE DON'T FIND A WAY TO, TO BE ABLE TO UTILIZE THE BEST PRACTICES FOR MITIGATION, THAT IT'S GONNA END UP COSTING US MORE MONEY THAN A MILLION DOLLARS. 
          AND SO I REALLY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BEING PROACTIVE ON THAT SAFETY SIDE OF THIS ISSUE. 
          AND THEN YESTERDAY I HAD MENTIONED LIBRARY FEASIBILITY STUDIES, AND WE'VE ALSO BEEN ABLE TO HAVE A VERY PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATION WITH STAFF, AND I DON'T THINK I'LL NEED TO BRING THAT ITEM IN PARTICULAR. 
          SO I JUST WANTED TO FLAG THAT, UM, THAT WE WON'T BE BRINGING THAT ONE SO YOU WON'T SEE THAT ITEM COME UP. 
          AND THAT IS WHAT I HAVE FOR THIS MORNING. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER LANE. 
          THANK YOU COLLEAGUES. 
          I'M BRINGING FORWARD TWO AMENDMENTS TODAY. 
          UM, ONE WHICH RESTORES FUNDING FOR EVIDENCE COLLECTION AND WITNESS ADVOCACY SERVICES FOR AUSTIN CHILDREN WHO LIVE OUTSIDE OF TRAVIS COUNTY. 
          UM, WHICH IS NECESSARY BECAUSE AUSTIN CURRENTLY RESTRICTS FUNDING FOR THESE SERVICES TO CHILDREN WHO LIVE IN TRAVIS COUNTY. 
          UM, AND THE SECOND, WHICH CALLS FOR REALLOCATION WITHIN THE ANIMAL SERVICES BUDGET TO INCREASE FUNDING DEDICATED TO OVERNIGHT MEDICAL STABILIZATION FOR INJURED ANIMALS, UM, ALSO KNOWN AS EMERGENCY VETERINARY SERVICES. 
          BOTH OF THESE AMENDMENTS REFLECT GAPS IN THE AMENDED BUDGET THAT HAVE REAL HUMAN AND COMMUNITY IMPACTS, AS WELL AS THEY REFLECT CLEAR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE CITY'S RESPONSIBILITY TO SERVE ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS, REGARDLESS OF WHICH COUNTY THEY LIVE IN WITH BOTH COMPASSION AND CONSISTENCY. 
          SO TAKING UP THE FIRST LANE OH NINE, UM, IS HOW THIS HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO STAFF. 
          IT'S ALSO BEEN POSTED ON THE MESSAGE BOARD, UM, AND IT ENSURES FUNDING PARITY FOR CHILD ABUSE VICTIMS WITH AUSTIN ADDRESSES THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF TRAVIS COUNTY. 
          UM, YESTERDAY DURING THE WORK SESSION, I LAID OUT THE CASE FOR THIS AMENDMENT. 
          I HAVE ALSO LAID IT OUT DURING OUR ORIGINAL BUDGET PROCESS THIS SUMMER. 
          UM, I WILL NOT REPEAT THOSE POINTS, UM, BUT I WILL SIMPLY REFER THOSE WHO WANT THOSE STATISTICS AND DATA TO THE DISCUSSION OF WILLIAMSON COUNTY CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER FUNDING. 
          I AM PLEASED TO BRING FORWARD THE SPECIFIC AMENDMENT THAT HAS SOME LANGUAGE SHIFTS THAT REFLECT INPUT FROM MY COLLEAGUES WHILE STILL ENSURING THAT EVERY CHILD, REGARDLESS OF ZIP CODE OR COUNTY, HAS ACCESS TO TRAUMA INFORMED HIGH QUALITY CHILD ADVOCACY SERVICES. 
          UM, AS I NOTED, THESE HAVE BEEN POSTED TO THE MESSAGE BOARD AND SUBMITTED, DO YOU WANT ME TO READ ANYTHING FURTHER OR MOVE FORWARD? OKAY. 
          THAT GIVES, IT GETS IT OUT THERE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          SO, UH, AND THEN LANE OH FIVE IS OVERNIGHT MEDICAL STABILIZATION FOR INJURED ANIMALS. 
          UM, THIS AMENDMENT RESTORES OVERNIGHT FUND RESTORES EMERGENCY VETERINARY FUNDING. 
          UM, THIS WILL ENSURE THAT SERIOUSLY INJURED ANIMALS CAN RECEIVE IMMEDIATE STABILIZATION AND HUMANE OVERNIGHT CARE INSTEAD OF DELAYING TREATMENT UNTIL REGULAR OPERATING HOURS. 
          THIS FUNDING IS IN ADDITION TO THE 100,000 ALLOCATED TO VETERINARY SERVICES THROUGH THE JULY, 2025, UM, BUDGET PROCESS, WHICH BECAME AVAILABLE THROUGH COST SAVINGS FROM THE CITYWIDE UNIVERSAL SPAY POLICY. 
          THOSE SAVINGS HAVE ALLOWED US TO BUILD A MORE RESPONSIVE AND COMPASSIONATE SERVICE MODEL AND GIVEN US THE TIME AND SPACE TO DO THAT. 
          AND THIS AMENDMENT FURTHER CLOSES CRITICAL GAPS IN EMERGENCY TREATMENT, UH, WHILE RESPECTING THE VERY NEEDED EFFICIENCY AND COST SAVING MEASURES THAT, UM, OUR ENTIRE LEADERSHIP HAVE BEEN WORKING ON. 
          THIS IS A, THIS A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS IS A SMALL TARGETED INVESTMENT THAT IMPROVES ANIMAL WELFARE, REDUCES SUFFERING AND SUPPORTS OUR VETERINARY STAFF WITH FUNDING PULLED FROM THE EXISTING ANIMAL SERVICES BUDGET, WHICH INCLUDES WHATEVER MAY BE FOUND THROUGH REVIEW OF CONTRACTS AND OTHER AGREEMENTS WITHIN THAT DEPARTMENT. 
          UM, THOSE ARE THE TWO AMENDMENTS THAT I WANNA BRING FORWARD. 
          AND FINALLY, I WANT TO AFFIRM AGAIN, MY SUPPORT FOR THE FOOD SECURITY MEASURES THAT WERE BROUGHT FORWARD BY THE OTHER BUDGET SUBC QUORUM, UM, WHICH I BELIEVE ARE QUITE NECESSARY, BUT I WILL CONCLUDE MY REMARKS THERE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER. 
          ALL RIGHT, MEMBERS, I HAVE A QUESTION. 
          OKAY, MAYOR PRO TEM HAS A QUESTION. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND COUNCILOR LANE, UH, IF I COULD BE ADDED AS A CO-SPONSOR TO YOUR WILLIAMSON COUNTY CHILD ADVOCACY AMENDMENT, I SUPPORT THAT EFFORT. 
          UH, BUT ON YOUR TWO AMENDMENTS, YOU LABELED TBD ON THE FUNDING SOURCE. 
          AND SO MY GREATER QUESTION, UH, YESTERDAY WE TALKED ABOUT, WE IDENTIFIED THREE AREAS, BOTH WITH MCO T HOMELESSNESS AND EMS AS PRIORITIES FOR COUNCIL WITH DIRECTION TO CITY STAFF TO FIND WHERE TO FIND THE FUNDING AND WHEN DOES THAT INFORMATION GET BACK TO US? 'CAUSE I THINK, YOU KNOW, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE OKAY WITH THE COST ADJUSTMENTS, THE CUTS THAT WILL BE MADE TO GET THOSE ITEMS, PRIORITY ITEMS FUNDED. 
          AND SO I WANNA CLUE 
          [01:20:01]
IN ON THE PROCESS FOR THAT. 
          SURE. 
          UM, SO I'M REALLY GLAD THAT YOU ANSWERED THAT YOU ASKED THAT QUESTION BECAUSE I KNOW EVEN IN OUR, UM, MESSAGE BOARD POST FROM OUR SUB QUORUM LAST NIGHT, IT SAID THAT EVERY AMENDMENT WOULD COME FORWARD WITH A FUNDING SOURCE. 
          HOWEVER, I WAS ADVISED THIS MORNING THAT YEAH, IT'S MORE SO A QUESTION FOR STAFF ON. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          AND SO WHAT I'M ASKING FOR SPECIFICALLY ON THE ALLOCATION FOR, UM, FOR THE CHILD ADVOCACY SERVICES IS THAT WILLIAMSON COUNTY AND OR HAYES COUNTY, BUT IN PARTICULAR, I HAVE DONE THE RESEARCH AND BROUGHT FORWARD THE INFORMATION RELATED TO WILLIAMSON COUNTY THAT THEY BE PROVIDED WITH AN, UH, ACTUAL DOLLAR AMOUNT BY THE TIME THAT WE PASS THIS BUDGET BY THE CLOSE OF BUSINESS TOMORROW IS WHEN WE CURRENTLY, OR THURSDAY WHEN WE CURRENTLY ANTICIPATE THAT. 
          UM, AND SO I WOULD REQUEST THAT THAT BE $300,000 AND OF COURSE, THROUGH THE PROCESS OF AMENDING ALL CONTRACTS THAT COULD BE REALLOCATED THROUGH THAT PROCESS. 
          BUT $300,000 IS WHAT I'M REQUESTING. 
          SO WHAT WE HAD HAD ASKED, UM, STAFF TO DO YESTERDAY IS, AGAIN, AND, AND I THINK EVERYBODY APPRECIATES THAT THIS PROCESS SAYS, ALL RIGHT, HERE'S WHAT OUR PRIORITIES ARE. 
          THERE MAY BE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT HAVE ADDITIONAL PRIORITIES, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HEARING NOW. 
          BUT AS THE MAYOR PRO TEM SAID, AND I THINK ACCURATELY THE, THE PRINCIPAL PRIORITIES OF THE COUNCIL WERE, UH, H-S-O-E-M-S OTT, AND THEN WE SAID TO STAFF, PROFESSIONAL STAFF, WE WILL LEAVE IT TO YOU TO REALLOCATE IN A, THE, THE, THE MANAGER'S PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE MA TO THE BUDGET ALLOCATES FUNDING AND APPROPRIATE WOULD, WOULD APPROPRIATE FUNDING WITH THESE PRIORITIES OF THE COUNCIL. 
          YOU PLEASE HELP US FIND WAYS TO REALLOCATE WITHIN THAT BUDGET. 
          KEEP IN MIND THAT THERE MAY BE INDIVIDUAL ONE-OFFS. 
          AND I DON'T MEAN THAT IN A NEGATIVE WAY, I JUST MEAN IT'S JUST A, IT'S AN INDIVIDUAL GOAL OR PRIORITY. 
          KEEP THAT IN MIND AS YOU GO FORWARD, BUT WITH A RECOGNITION THAT WE PROBABLY, AND I, AND I'LL SAY IT PROBABLY, BUT WE ARE HOPEFUL, BUT WE KNOW THAT THIS MAY BE A, A VERY DIFFICULT THING TO COME UP WITH ALL OF THE MONEY TO MEET ALL OF THE PRIORITIES IN A REALLOCATION, BECAUSE THAT'S GOING TO MEAN SOMEPLACE IS GOING TO GET CUT OR SOMEPLACE IS NOT GOING TO GET MONEY THAT IS CURRENTLY IN THE MANAGER'S PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE BUDGET THAT WE PASSED. 
          SO IF WE CAN GET THEM BACK TO WORK, THEN WE WOULD BE IN A POSITION TO MAYBE GET THAT SOONER RATHER THAN LATER. 
          I DON'T WANT TO PUT A FALSE DEADLINE ON THEM BECAUSE I WANT THEM TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THE TIME TO DO MAGIC AND, UM, AND, AND, AND SO I'M HOPEFUL THAT WE CAN GET THEM, UH, TO DOING THE MAGIC. 
          YEAH. 
          UM, MARY, YES, CARRIE TOLD ME SHE BROUGHT HER WAND WITH HER TODAY, SO I I THINK WE'RE GOOD . 
          SO, SO THAT, THAT, SO I, WE DON'T HAVE A SPECIFIC ANSWER. 
          WE WILL TOMORROW, WE TAKING THIS UP OF COURSE, AFTER WE TAKE UP A LOT OF OTHER ITEMS THAT ARE ON A REGULAR BUDGET. 
          SO THAT ALSO PROVIDES TIME FOR US TO DEAL WITH THAT, AND THEN WE'RE POSTED SO THAT WE CAN TAKE THE TIME WE NEED TO TAKE. 
          UH, I DON'T WANNA RUSH 'EM, BUT THEY KNOW WHAT THE, THEY KNOW THE, THEIR, THEY PROS, THEY KNOW THE DEADLINE THEY'RE UNDER. 
          VERY GOOD. 
          THANKS, COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          AND, UH, I'M NOT GONNA LAY OUT WHAT'S ALREADY BEEN SHARED ON THE MESSAGE BOARD WITH OUR SUBC QUORUM, UM, BUT I JUST WANNA ASK, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER LANE, IF WE CAN LIST YOU AS A CO-SPONSOR? YES, PLEASE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND THEN, UH, I'D LIKE TO BE LISTED AS A CO-SPONSOR OF YOUR VETERINARY SERVICES, UH, AMENDMENT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY, LET ME ASK THE QUESTION, UH, BECAUSE WE'RE GETTING READY TO GO TO PUBLIC COMMUNICATION, UH, ON THIS AGENDA ITEM. 
          AND THEN OF COURSE, AT THREE O'CLOCK WE WILL HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING ON, ON THE BUDGET. 
          BUT LET ME ASK IF THE STAFF HAS ANYTHING THAT, UM, YOU WANT TO SAY, AND THEN I'M GONNA ASK MS. DEO TO COME UP, UH, BECAUSE COUNCIL MEMBER VELA HAD A QUESTION AND, AND WE, WE, I, I, I SHOULD HAVE CALLED HER UP WHEN I SAW HER WALK IN THE ROOM, AND I APOLOGIZE I DIDN'T DO THAT. 
          DO Y'ALL HAVE ANYTHING THAT YOU WANT TO ADD? NO, SIR. 
          WE'RE GOOD. 
          UH, THEN MS. DEO, IF YOU'D COME UP FORWARD, COUNCIL MEMBER VELA HAD A QUESTION AND, UM, WE'RE HOPEFUL YOU CAN ANSWER IT. 
          GOOD MORNING. 
          GOOD MORNING. 
          UM, JUST WANTED TO, UM, REVIEW THE HOUSING TRUST FUND, AND JUST TO KIND OF LAY OUT MY CONCERNS AND, AND MY THINKING, UH, RIGHT NOW, UH, THE HOUSING TRUST FUND HAS BEEN A VALUABLE TOOL FOR THE CITY OVER THESE LAST FEW YEARS. 
          [01:25:01]
I KNOW WE PULLED MONEY FROM IT TO ACQUIRE THE, UH, A STREET SHELTER. 
          YES, WE DID. 
          UH, I BELIEVE, AND, UH, WE'VE USED IT AGAIN IN KIND OF AS A, ALMOST A PINCH HITTER IN, IN, IN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS OR WHERE WE, YOU KNOW, NEED TO DO THIS OR NEED TO DO THAT. 
          SO IT'S BEEN VERY VALUABLE, UH, SINCE I'VE BEEN ON COUNCIL. 
          AND I KNOW GOING BACK, UH, FARTHER, UM, WE ARE, WE'VE BEEN MAKING THAT LARGE GENERAL FUND TRANSFER INTO THE HOUSING TRUST FUND FOR, I BELIEVE, EVERY YEAR THAT I'VE BEEN ON COUNCIL, AND AGAIN, PROBABLY FARTHER, MUCH FARTHER BACK. 
          I, LOOKING FORWARD, I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT. 
          AND SO I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE, THE LEVEL OF FUNDS AND WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO SUPPORT FROM THAT. 
          SO I JUST WANTED TO, TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT IS GONNA BE AVAILABLE IN THE HOUSING TRUST FUND IN TERMS OF THE MONEY THAT THAT IS IN THERE. 
          UM, WHAT PROGRAMS ARE SUPPORTED BY THE HOUSING TRUST FUND? SO WE CAN START AGAIN. 
          I, I DON'T THINK THIS IS A, THIS YEAR BUDGET QUESTION BECAUSE WE HAVE THE MONEY IN THE HOUSING TRUST FUND RIGHT NOW, IT'S MORE OF A A 27 KIND OF BUDGET CONCERN. 
          BUT I, I DO THINK WE JUST NEED TO START THINKING ABOUT, UH, UH, WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO AND, AND PRIORITIZING THAT. 
          SO COULD, COULD YOU JUST KIND OF GIVE US A, A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF THE HOUSING TRUST FUND AND, AND, AND THE, THE REVENUES, UH, UH, STARTING WITH THE REVENUES, AND THEN LET'S LOOK AT WHAT IT FUNDS TOO. 
          SURE THING. 
          UM, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. 
          MANDY DE MAYO, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN HOUSING, UM, THE HOUSING TRUST FUND IS ABOUT 25 YEARS OLD. 
          UM, AND WHEN IT WAS STARTED, UH, IT WAS SEEDED WITH $1 MILLION OF GENERAL FUND, AND I BELIEVE YOU ALL TALKED ABOUT THIS YESTERDAY, THE, THE MECHANISM TO FUND THE HOUSING TRUST FUND WAS REALLY FROM PROPERTY TAXES THAT WERE ON CERTAIN PUBLICLY OWNED PARCELS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY OFF THE TAX ROLLS THAT CAME ON THE TAX ROLLS. 
          SO THE BUDGET OFFICE EVERY YEAR GOES THROUGH THAT, THOSE GYMNASTICS TO CALCULATE WHAT THAT AMOUNT IS ON THE, UM, UH, GENERAL FUND TRANSFER INSIDE THE LAST HANDFUL OF YEARS, UH, WE'VE GOTTEN ABOUT, ON AVERAGE 10, $11 MILLION A YEAR BASED ON THAT CALCULATION. 
          WE, THE HOUSING TRUST FUND ALSO HOUSES OUR DENSITY BONUS FEE IN LIEU. 
          UM, AND THOSE FEE IN LIEU ARE COLLECTED FROM A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, INCLUDING DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS, UM, NORTH BURNETT GATEWAY, EAST RIVERSIDE CORRIDOR PLAZA, SALTILLO. 
          UM, THERE ARE A WHOLE ALPHABET SOUP OF DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS WHERE DEVELOPERS CAN PAY INTO THE FEE AND LIE. 
          UM, AND PER ORDINANCE, EACH UNIQUE ORDINANCE GOVERNING THOSE, UM, UH, THOSE FEE, THOSE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS, THOSE DOLLARS ARE THEN DIRECTED, UH, TO CAPITAL PROJECTS, UM, FOR THOSE, UH, FEE AND LIE BUCKETS OF FUNDS THAT WE ADMINISTER. 
          AND, AND LET ME STOP YOU THERE AND ASK A QUESTION RIGHT QUICK. 
          THE CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT THEY'RE RESTRICTED TO ARE GEOGRAPHICALLY LIMITED TO THE AREA THAT GENERATES THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING. 
          IS THAT CORRECT? SO THAT IS, UM, PRIMARILY CORRECT. 
          DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS, WHICH COVERS DOWNTOWN AND ALSO RAINY STREET IS ACTUALLY RESTRICTED. 
          IT'S MORE THE, THE TYPE, UM, OF, OF FUNDING RATHER THAN GEOGRAPHY. 
          SO IT'S RESTRICTED TO LOW BARRIER PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING FOR THE CHRONICALLY HOMELESS. 
          WE HAVE HISTORICALLY USED THAT WE USE THAT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEABROOK SQUARE, WHICH IS CURRENTLY, IT'S A PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROJECT, UM, OFF OF MAINOR ROAD. 
          AND, UH, THAT SHOULD BE OPERATIONAL IN EARLY 2026 WITH INTEGRAL CARE. 
          SO THAT IS THE ONLY ONE THAT IS NOT GEOGRAPHIC SPECIFIC. 
          THE REST ARE IN FACT, GEOGRAPHIC SPECIFIC AND VERY PER THE ORDINANCE, UM, VERY PRESCRIBED HOW WE CAN USE THOSE. 
          YEAH. 
          AND, AND AGAIN, STICKING TO THE, THE REVENUE SIDE OF THE DISCUSSION, UM, I WAS, WAS LOOKING AT SOME OF THE NUMBERS AND FOR EXAMPLE, THE, THE MONEY THAT THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS HAS BEEN GENERATING HAS, UH, DROPPED SUBSTANTIALLY OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS AS PROJECTS. 
          DO THEY FINISH AND THEY PAY THEIR DENSITY BONUS AND THEN THEY'RE DONE? RIGHT, RIGHT. 
          UM, SO RIGHT NOW TO DATE, WE HAVE A LITTLE OVER 13, OR WE HAVE COLLECTED A LITTLE OVER $13 MILLION FOR DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS. 
          WE HAVE PROJECTED, SO IN THE PIPELINE, 33 POINT ALMOST $8 MILLION THAT'LL BE COMING IN OVER THE COMING SEVERAL YEARS. 
          UM, WE, UH, WE DON'T COLLECT THE FUNDS FOR THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS OR ANY OF THE DENSITY BONUS UNTIL THE CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY IS ACHIEVED. 
          SO THERE'S CERTAINLY A LAG. 
          SOMEBODY APPLIES FOR O DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM. 
          UM, WE PUT A, A TAG IN THE SYSTEM SO THAT WE KNOW WE CAN'T RELEASE THE CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY UNTIL THE FEES ARE PAID. 
          AND HISTORICALLY THAT'S A THREE TO MAYBE EVEN FIVE YEAR LAG DEPENDING ON THE BUILDING TYPOLOGY. 
          [01:30:01]
SO WE MAY BE SEEING, THEN AGAIN, I'M SPECULATING HERE, BUT, UH, SOME MONEY FLOWING INTO THE HOUSING TRUST FUND FROM A LOT OF THE, THE SKYSCAPE SKYSCRAPER PROJECTS THAT ARE TOWARD THE FINAL STAGES. 
          I KNOW, I MEAN, A HANDFUL OF THEM ARE, ARE MOVING IN, YOU KNOW, THIS YEAR. 
          RIGHT. 
          WE ARE ANTICIPATING, AGAIN, WE MONITOR THAT PIPELINE. 
          WE ARE ANTICIPATING, WE ALSO HAVE FUNDS THAT ARE ANTICIPATED IN NORTH BE GATEWAY. 
          UH, WE HAVE, UH, OUR VARIOUS TODDS, WHICH ARE PLAZA SALTILLO, MLK, NORTH LAMAR, UH, UH, JUSTIN, AND THEN WE HAVE SOME FUNDS THAT ARE ANTICIPATED IN UNO, WHICH IS THE UNIVERSITY NEIGHBORHOOD OVERLAY AS WELL. 
          MM-HMM. 
          SO WE TRACK THOSE, UM, DEVELOPERS HAVE TO APPLY, UH, WE REVIEW THE PLANS, SO AT AT SITE PLAN WE, YOU KNOW, TAG THE, THE PROJECT AND THEN WE MAKE SURE THAT THEY, UH, REMIT THE FEES BEFORE WE RELEASE THE CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY. 
          OKAY, GREAT. 
          NOW, IN TERMS OF, UH, EXPENSES OF WHAT'S GOING OUT OF THE FUND, UH, WHAT HAVE WE BEEN USING THE, THE HOUSING TRUST FUND FOR? AND AGAIN, I KNOW IT'S, IT KIND OF SHIFTS AND, AND MOVES AS NEEDED FROM YEAR TO YEAR, BUT JUST A GENERAL SENSE OF IT. 
          SURE. 
          UH, WHEN HOUSING TRUST FUND WAS CREATED, IT WAS REALLY ENVISIONED FOR CAPITAL. 
          THE, AND THIS IS THE GENERAL FUND TRANSFER IN, SINCE THAT TIME WHEN IT WAS CREATED, WE HAVE, UH, RECEIVED OTHER FORMS OF CAPITAL DOLLARS, PRIMARILY GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS. 
          SO THE NEED FOR THE HOUSING TRUST FUND TO FUND CAPITAL HAS DIMINISHED OVER TIME AS OUR BOND DOLLARS, UM, HAVE MET THOSE NEEDS. 
          BUT, UM, I, I WILL SAY IN THE LAST HANDFUL OF YEARS, UM, BECAUSE WE HAVE A, A LOT OF DIFFERENT PRIORITIES, UH, HERE, UM, UH, IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, WE HAVE REALLY SHIFTED AWAY FROM CAPITAL DOLLARS ALMOST ENTIRELY WITHIN THE HOUSING TRUST FUND, NOT FEE AND LU DOLLARS. 
          THE FEE AND L DOLLARS ARE CAPITAL DOLLARS. 
          YEP. 
          BUT FOR THE GENERAL FUND TRANSFER IN, IT'S BEEN PRIMARILY DIVIDED BETWEEN TWO DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. ONE IS, UH, DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION, AND THE OTHER IS THE LOCAL HOUSING VOUCHER. 
          UH, AND THE LOCAL HOUSING VOUCHER PROVIDES AN OPERATING SUBSIDY FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS. 
          UH, WE HAVE 374 UNITS THAT ARE IN THE PIPELINE, EITHER HAVE COME ONLINE IN THE LAST 18 MONTHS OR SO AND ARE PROJECTED TO COME ONLINE IN THE, UH, SUBSEQUENT 18 MONTHS. 
          SO ONCE IT'S ALL COMPLETED, WE WILL BE FUNDING. 
          AND THAT IS IN THE CURRENT, UH, BUDGET, $7.7 MILLION IS WHAT WE ANTICIPATE THE COST OF PROVIDING THAT OPERATING SUBSIDY FOR THOSE 374 UNITS. 
          UM, THAT'S, THAT'S ONE PIECE OF THE FUNDING. 
          THE OTHER IS DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION PROGRAMMING THAT INCLUDES OUR TENANT STABILIZATION PROGRAMS. UM, PRIMARILY EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE THROUGH, I BELONG IN AUSTIN, AS WELL AS, UM, EVICTION DIVERSION PROGRAMS, UH, CONTRACTS WE HAVE WITH TEXAS RIO GRANDE LEGAL AID, VOLUNTARY LEGAL SERVICES TO PROVIDE EVICTION REPRESENTATION IN COURT. 
          UH, AND THEN WE ALSO FOUND THE MONEY, UM, IN THE EXISTING, UH, EXISTING FUNDING FOR HOUSING TRUST FUND, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS ZEROED OUT, UM, IN THE CURRENT BUDGET THAT YOU ALL ARE CONTEMPLATING FOR THE COLONY PARK DISPLACEMENT MITIGATION PLAN. 
          THAT WAS ANOTHER THING WAS THAT WAS FUNDED WITH THE HOUSING TRUST FUND. 
          SO AGAIN, ALL OF THESE THINGS, OR I SHOULD SAY NONE OF THESE THINGS ARE CAPITAL, THEY ARE NOT STICKS AND BRICKS, THEY'RE PROGRAMMATIC LOCAL HOUSING VOUCHER, DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION MM-HMM . 
          AND SO AGAIN, JUST GOING THROUGH THAT, UH, LIST OF, UH, OF PROJECTS THAT ARE FUNDED THROUGH THE HOUSING TRUST FUND, UH, THAT IS NOT GOING TO BE AVAILABLE. 
          UH, UH, SHOULDN'T SAY NOT AGAIN, IT'S HARD TO PREDICT THE FUTURE, UH, BUT IT'S, UH, UNLIKELY, UH, TO BE AVAILABLE VIA GENERAL FUND TRANSFER. 
          IT'S GONNA BE VERY DIFFICULT TO, YOU KNOW, DO A $10 MILLION GENERAL FUND TRANSFER INTO THE HOUSING TRUST FUND TO CONTINUE TO FUND, UH, THE, THE LIST OF SERVICES THAT, THAT YOU MENTIONED. 
          I, ME, UH, THAT IS OUR UNDERSTANDING FROM READING THE TEA LEAVES AND SEEING THE BUDGET, WHICH DOES HAVE THE FY 27 BUDGET. 
          HAS THE HOUSING TRUST FUND ZEROED OUT? YEAH. 
          SO, AND AGAIN, JUST THINKING ABOUT THAT LIST OF SERVICES, THE ONES THAT JUMP OUT TO ME ARE THE EVICTION PREVENTION, UH, SERVICES, LEGAL SERVICES AROUND THE EVICTION PR PREVENTION. 
          WITH THAT, THOUGH, IT'S HARD TO PREVENT AN EVICTION IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY TO, YOU KNOW, THE VAST MAJORITY OF EVICTIONS, THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVEN'T PAID THEIR RENT. 
          AND, AND I MEAN, YOU CAN DELAY AN EVICTION WITH, YOU KNOW, GOOD LAWYERING, BUT YOU ULTIMATELY, UH, VERY DIFFICULT TO PREVENT AN EVICTION WITHOUT SOME KIND OF MONEY AT THE TABLE. 
          AND I KNOW THAT A GOOD CHUNK OF OUR RENTAL ASSISTANCE 
          [01:35:01]
IS, IS USED TO KIND OF LEVERAGE THE LEGAL SERVICES TO WHEN SOMEONE DOES GET INTO TROUBLE AND THEY'RE ON THE VERGE OF, UH, BEING EVICTED, YOU KNOW, WE CAN, UH, OFTENTIMES, UH, STEP IN THERE. 
          DO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF HOW MUCH OF THE TENANT ASSISTANCE MONEY IS DEDICATED TO, UH, THE EMERGENCY TENANT ASSISTANCE? IS, IS, IS DEDICATED TO THAT VERSUS THE I BELONG IN AUSTIN, THE, THE BROADER KIND OF, AND I, I DON'T MEAN TO THE LOTTERY TYPE KIND OF, YOU KNOW, UH, UH, ASSISTANCE THAT WE PROVIDE. 
          SO THE CURRENT CONTRACT WE HAVE FOR EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE, IT IS ADMINISTERED BY ELANO, WHICH IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT ADMINISTERS THE PROGRAM. 
          AND IT VERY BROADLY, UH, COVERS TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. 
          ONE IS A LOTTERY THAT TARGETS FOLKS, UM, WHO ARE FACING, UH, EVICTION OR HAVING, UM, UH, PROBLEMS COMING UP WITH RENT. 
          AND THE OTHER PIECE IS FOR NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENTS. 
          AND NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENTS. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER ARE WHAT YOU WERE REFERRING TO WHERE WE HAVE, UH, REPRESENTATION IN EVICTION COURT. 
          AND WHAT WE SEE IN EVICTION COURT IS THAT PRIMARILY THE REASON FOR EVICTION IS NONPAYMENT OF RENT ON AVERAGE, WE'RE SEEING THOSE, UM, UH, PAST DUE RENT AMOUNTS SOMEWHERE IN THE, ON AVERAGE 5,500 TO $7,500. 
          UM, AND THE, I BELONG IN AUSTIN, OR THE EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE, WHICH IS CURRENTLY IN THE CITY MANAGER'S BUDGET FUNDED AT $3.6 MILLION IS USED TO PAY THOSE NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENTS. 
          SO IT IS AN EVICTION, UH, DIVERSION PREVENTION PROGRAM. 
          UH, OKAY. 
          AND, AND AGAIN, JUST THINKING, AND, AND I'LL JUST, MY PRIORITY, UH, UH, NOT, UH, OBVIOUSLY I CAN'T SPEAK FOR THE ENTIRE COUNCIL WOULD BE THAT THAT EVICTION, UH, DIVERSION PROGRAM, AGAIN, LOOKING FORWARD, UH, I, I THINK THOSE LEGAL SERVICES PLUS THAT EVICTION DIVERSION MONEY TO ME, IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE IN TERMS OF KEEPING PEOPLE IN THEIR HOMES, KEEPING FAMILIES IN THEIR HOMES, UH, THE LOTTERY. 
          I GET IT. 
          WE WANT TO HELP FOLKS THAT ARE STRUGGLING, BUT, BUT THAT I, I, I, IF, IF I HAD TO PICK, I'M PICKING THE COMBINATION LEGAL SERVICES, UM, UH, UH, WITH THAT, AND THEN JUST TO, TO WRAP UP HERE, UM, I THINKING ABOUT HOW WE FUND THIS IN THE FUTURE, UM, I KNOW WE'VE HAD A BIG DEBATE ABOUT, UH, UH, ONSITE AFFORDABILITY VERSUS FEE IN LIEU AFFORDABILITY, BUT MY MIND KIND OF GOES TO THAT, A FEE IN LIE AS A WAY TO, UH, FUND AS WE KIND OF CONSIDER RECONSIDER OUR, OUR DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS AND WHATNOT. 
          UM, AND, AND MY OTHER THINKING ON THAT IS 'CAUSE A LOT OF OUR DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS ARE TARGETED TOWARD KIND OF THE, THE 80% M FFI, 60% M FFI, UH, UH, LEVELS, UH, WHEREAS A LOT OF OUR HOUSING TRUST FUND DOLLARS ARE TARGETED MORE TOWARD THAT 30%, UH, MFI, UH, UH, AND TO ME THE, THE MORE CRITICAL NEED IS AT THAT 30% THAT, THAT REALLY LOW INCOME AND, UH, UH, JUST, UH, JUST THE THOUGHTS ON, ON AS WE LOOK TO HOW TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT, UM, STRUGGLING, UH, UH, RENTERS AND, AND, AND TENANTS IN AUSTIN. 
          UM, THAT, THAT POPS UP TO ME AS A, AS, AS A POSSIBILITY, I GUESS. 
          SO I WILL SAY WE WORK CLOSELY WITH OUR FRIENDS IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT WHO ARE OVERSEEING THE REVAMP OF OUR DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS IN LIGHT OF NEW STATE LEGISLATION, SB EIGHT 40, UM, WHICH IT'S A LITTLE BIT UNKNOWN WHAT THE FUTURE OF OUR DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS FEE IN LIEU OR ONSITE AFFORDABILITY, WHAT THOSE ACTUALLY, UH, WILL MEAN. 
          SO WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THEM. 
          WE ARE ANTICIPATING, UH, I THINK IT'S, I SAW A PRESENTATION LAST NIGHT. 
          WE'RE ANTICIPATING, UM, SOME COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND LEARNING MORE THROUGHOUT 2026 AND THEN COMING BACK TO COUNCIL WITH REVAMPED DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS. UM, IN, I THINK IT'S MAY OF 2026, I WILL SAY OUR DB 90, SO THE LATEST DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM, UM, DOES HAVE AN OPTION WHICH WE SAW, UH, A LOT OF DEVELOPERS OPTING FOR, WHICH IS THE 50% AND BELOW MEDIAN FAMILY FOR ONSITE AFFORDABILITY. 
          SO WE ARE TRYING TO DRIVE DOWN THAT AFFORDABILITY BECAUSE WE DO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT'S WHERE THE GREATEST NEED EXISTS. 
          YEAH. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          THANKS, COUNCIL MEMBER. 
          THANK YOU MS. DAM MAYO. 
          UM, ALL RIGHT, UH, UH, BEFORE WE GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT, WHICH WE'RE GONNA DO RIGHT NOW, SO IF Y'ALL WANT TO GO DO YOUR MAGIC, UH, PLEASE DO THAT. 
          UM, AND BEFORE I CALL ON THAT, I WANT TO SAY TWO THINGS. 
          ONE, FOR THE RECORD, WE'RE JOINED BY COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, VIRTUALLY. 
          UH, AND THEN I WANNA LAY OUT WHAT THE PROCESS WILL BE FOR TOMORROW. 
          THIS IS POSTED ON THE MESSAGE BOARD, BUT I JUST WANT TO GET IT OUT THERE, AND I'LL SAY THIS A COUPLE OF TIMES PROBABLY AS WELL, UH, IN MY HEAD, I'M THINKING OF IT IN THREE STEPS. 
          STEP NUMBER 
          [01:40:01]
ONE IS WE HAVE A BUDGET THAT PASSED. 
          WE HAVE A BUDGET THAT PASSED, AND, UM, IT WAS DEPENDENT UPON PROP Q, PROP Q FAILED. 
          SO WHAT WE NEED TO DO NOW IS AMEND THAT BUDGET. 
          SO STEP TWO IS THE MAIN MOTION THAT I'LL ENTERTAIN WHEN WE, WHEN WE GET TO THIS ITEM, WILL BE A MOTION TO AMEND THAT BUDGET WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S PROPOSED REVISION OR AMENDMENT THAT HE PRESENTED ON NOVEMBER 7TH. 
          UH, THAT WILL BE THE MAIN MOTION. 
          THEN STEP THREE IS ANY OTHER AMENDMENTS WILL BE TO THAT MAIN MOTION. 
          ALRIGHT, SO IT'LL BE TO AMEND THAT MAIN MOTION, AND I JUST WANNA KIND OF GET THAT OUT SO THAT IT'S ALL IN THE BLOODSTREAM AND EVERYBODY IS AWARE OF, OF HOW WE'RE GOING TO APPROACH THAT. 
          WITH THAT, I WILL TURN TO OUR CITY CLERK TO BEGIN CALLING ON SPEAKERS. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          WE'LL BEGIN WITH REMOTE SPEAKERS. 
          FIRST WE HAVE SAGE W SPEAK ON ITEM ONE. 
          YOU WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE UNMUTE SAGE, WE'LL TRY TO GET THEM BACK ONLINE. 
          WE'LL NOW MOVE TO BRAD MASSING. 
          BRAD, CAN YOU PLEASE UNMUTE? NEXT WE'LL HAVE ROBERT LILY. 
          GOOD MORNING MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. 
          I AM, UH, NOT A RESIDENT OF THE AUSTIN AREA, BUT, UH, IT'S CHARLES COUNTY AREA, EXCUSE ME, OF THE AUSTIN AREA, BUT I DO, I DO WORK IN THIS AREA AND I WORK AT TRAVIS COUNTY PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE. 
          AND SO THIS MORNING, UH, I WANNA STAND NEUTRAL ON THIS DECISION. 
          I KNOW THAT RECONCILING THIS BUDGET IS A COMPLICATED TASK AND I DON'T ENVY YOUR POSITION, BUT I DO WANT TO WEIGH IN WITH THIS PARTICULAR CONCERN. 
          UH, THE FOLK THAT WE SERVE IN THIS COMMUNITY OFTENTIMES ARE AT THE INTERSECTION OF MENTAL ILLNESS AND, UH, INCARCERATION AND BEING RELEASED BACK INTO THE PUBLIC. 
          AND AS A PERSON WITH JUSTICE IMPACT, I WANT TO ELEVATE THEIR CONCERNS. 
          THESE PEOPLE CANNOT SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. 
          AND SO MY HOPE IS THAT AS YOU DELIBERATE THE PARTICULARS OF, OF, OF, OF HOW YOU'RE GONNA SHAVE MONEY FROM ONE SECTION AND ADD IT TO ANOTHER, AS YOU WOULD CONTINUE TO REMEMBER THE LEAST OF US IN THIS COMMUNITY, THOSE THAT ARE VULNERABLE THAN WEAK, BECAUSE ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, WE'RE GOING TO, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO PAY FOR THESE FOLK, WHETHER IT BE, UH, IN THE JAILS WHERE WE CONTINUE TO HOUSE THEM, UH, TO, TO KNOW GOOD RESULTS FOR THEMSELVES OR, UH, AS HAS HAPPENED IN MY CASE, WE SUPPORT THEM, WE WRAP THE COMMUNITY AROUND THEM, WE GIVE THEM SERVICES, AND WE ENCOURAGE THEM TO, UH, STABILIZE THEMSELVES IN THEIR MENTAL HEALTH AND IN THEIR SUBSTANCE USE ISSUES. 
          SO AGAIN, THIS BUDGET, I BELIEVE, IS A MORAL DECISION AND IT SHOULD REFLECT THOSE CONCERNS FOR THE LEAST OF THOSE. 
          I WANNA ALSO LIST UP THAT THE TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER IS A PRIORITY. 
          UH, PEOPLE WHO ARE HURT OFTENTIMES HURT OTHERS. 
          AND SO IF WE CAN CONTINUE TO KEEP FUNDING THE TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER, UH, REMEMBER THAT HEAL PEOPLE, UH, ALSO SEAL OTHER PEOPLE, AND THE TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER OVER AT THE HARVEST FOUNDATION IS AN ESSENTIAL ASSET IN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE TIME THAT YOU'VE ALLOWED ME TO WEIGH IN ON THIS CONVERSATION. 
          AND AGAIN, THOSE THAT ARE RETURNING HOME ARE PART OF OUR CITIZENRY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          SOLE PRAXIS, SOLE PRAXIS DISTRICT THREE, SHARING A STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF COMMUNITY PARTY TX. 
          WE ARE DIRECTLY IMPACTED BLACK, BROWN, AND POC, RENTERS, UNHOUSED, NEIGHBORS, HOMEOWNERS, YOUNG PEOPLE, AND ELDERS THROUGHOUT THE EASTERN CRESCENT. 
          OUR PEOPLE WILL BE THE HARDEST HIT BY THESE PROPOSED CUTS. 
          PROP Q WAS A REFERENDUM ON VOTERS TRUST AND COUNCIL DURING AN AFFORDABILITY CRISIS. 
          AND NOW THAT WE'RE FACING A SHAMEFUL $38 MILLION IN CUTS TO SOCIAL SERVICES THAT WILL CAUSE UNTOLD SUFFERING TO OUR COMMUNITIES. 
          YOU HAVE NO ONE TO BLAME BUT YOURSELF. 
          WE'RE HERE BECAUSE OF YOUR ACTIONS THROUGHOUT OF HOUSING, AFFORDABILITY, HOMELESSNESS, AND DISPLACEMENT CRISIS. 
          YOU CHOSE TO VOTE FOR A RECORD INCREASE TO THE POLICE BUDGET, PRIORITIZE MASSIVE PROJECTS LIKE I 35 CAP ANDIT AND REFUSE TO TRY REDIRECTING THE MILLIONS FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER. 
          BY DOING THIS, YOU'VE PUT US IN A DANGEROUS POSITION WHERE SOCIAL SERVICES NECESSARY TO OUR COMMUNITY 
          [01:45:01]
SURVIVAL ARE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK. 
          THROUGHOUT A HOUSING AFFORDABILITY, HOMELESSNESS, AND DISPLACEMENT CRISIS, YOU PASSED THE REAL ESTATE AND RIGHT WING TECH BILLIONAIRES HOUSING AGENDA, INCLUDING HOME THAT AS PREDICTED HAS HIT EASTERN CENT NEIGHBORHOODS THE WORST WITH UNAFFORDABLE DEVELOPMENT AND THE DB 90 AFFORDABILITY ACT THAT DESTROYED NATURALLY OCCURRING AFFORDABLE APARTMENTS LIKE ACACIA CLIFF. 
          IN DOING THIS COUNCIL HAS PASSED UNTOLD COSTS ONTO SOCIETY, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN VALUE OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING LOSS NEEDS FOR DISPLACEMENT AND HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION FUNDS, AND THE STRAIN ON HOMELESSNESS SERVICES. 
          FOR YEARS, YOU'VE CREATED THE HOUSING CRISIS AND THROWN MONEY AT HARM MITIGATION TO MAKE IT SEEM LIKE YOU CARE. 
          AND NOW YOU SAY THE FUNDS ARE DRYING UP WHEN IT COMES TO MEANINGFUL HOUSING SOLUTIONS LIKE STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND PROTECTION, BUT WOULD SAVE COSTS COUNCIL HAS DRAGGED ITS FEET. 
          ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS AUSTIN, LIKE ACACIA CLIFFS AND AERO TENANTS UNIONS AND BLACK AND BROWN ORGANIZERS IN EASTERN CRESCENT NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR YEARS TO PROTECT WHAT LITTLE NATURALLY OCCURRING AFFORDABLE HOUSING REMAINS AND TO BUILD TRULY AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. 
          THEIR VICTORIES AND ADVOCACY HAVE PROVEN WHAT'S POSSIBLE WHEN RESIDENTS ORGANIZE, BUT WE NEED COUNSEL TO FINALLY ACT NOT JUST PROMISE STUDIES, RESOLUTIONS OR FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS. 
          WE DEMAND THAT YOU SUPPORT INVESTMENTS CALLED FOR BY THE COMMUNITY INVESTMENT BUDGET, INCLUDING FUNDING FOR RAPID REHOUSING, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE, HARM REDUCTION FUNDING, FAMILY STABILIZATION GRANT, AND MORE SERVICES SUCH AS ROBUST HOUSING OBLIGATION. 
          MONICA GUZMAN. 
          MONICA, PLEASE UNMUTE. 
          OH, SORRY. 
          THANK YOU FOR THAT REMINDER, . 
          GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNSEL. 
          I AM MONICA GUZMAN, POLICY DIRECTOR AT DAVA. 
          HERE IS THE RESOLUTION WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. 
          WHEREAS COUNSEL APPROVED A $218 MILLION POLICE CONTRACT IN 2024, RESULTING IN DISCUSSION OF THE NEED FOR A TAX RATE ELECTION, PRE. 
          AND WHEREAS RESIDENTS, COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING GAVA AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE COMMUNITY INVESTMENT BUDGET COALITION MET WITH AND ADDRESSED MAREN COUNCIL DURING THE FISCAL 26 BUDGET PROCESS ABOUT NEEDED BASIC AND CRITICAL SERVICES. 
          AND WHEREAS ON AUGUST 13TH, 2025, THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL APPROVED AN AMENDED FISCAL 26 BUDGET WITH AMENDMENTS ADDRESSING MANY OF THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY AND CBOS. 
          AND WHEREAS ON NOVEMBER 4TH, 2025, WHILE VOTERS DEFEATED THE TRE ALSO KNOWN AS TALK TO YOU, THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THEY DON'T SUPPORT OR DON'T NEED THE CRITICAL SERVICES AND PROGRAMS ADDED THROUGH COUNCIL COLLECTIVE AMENDMENT. 
          AND WHEREAS RESIDENTS, COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING GABA AND THE OTHERS, THE IB COALITION ORG HAVE RETURNED TO SPEAK ON AND ADVOCATE FOR THE NEEDED FUNDING. 
          NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL IS DIRECTED TO ADDRESS AND APPROVE AN AMENDED FISCAL 26 BUDGET THAT REDUCES AND CUT DISCRETIONARY SPENDING, REALLOCATES FUNDED VACANCIES AND CLAUSE BACK, ALL POSSIBLE FUNDING FROM THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT BUDGET TO PROTECT VULNERABLE RESIDENTS, MINIMIZE DISPLACEMENT BY STABILIZING OUR COMMUNITY AND PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ECONOMIC MOBILITY, ESPECIALLY 1.3 MILLION FOR THE FAMILY STABILIZATION GRANT AND 1.5 MILLION FOR LEGAL SERVICES AND MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS FOR OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY, AND MOVE 2.5 MILLION FROM PROJECT CONNECT TO FUND EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND THE HOUSING TRUST FUND. 
          THANK YOU. 
          NEXT WE HAVE SAGE W HELLO, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. 
          FANTASTIC. 
          I WANT TO ECHO THE SECOND TO LAST SPEAKER. 
          UM, ON MANY OF THEIR POSITIONS, IT IS UNCONSCIONABLE THE REDUCTION OF SOCIAL SERVICES, UH, EXPENDITURES. 
          $38 MILLION IS UNACCEPTABLE, PARTICULARLY BECAUSE WE CONTINUALLY, UH, INCREASE THE POLICE BUDGET, UH, BY RECORD LEVELS WITHOUT, UH, WITHOUT ACKNOWLEDGING AND IN FACT, IN FACT, UH, ENACTING THE NECESSARY IN, UH, ADDITIONS TO NEEDED SERVICES LIKE EMS HOMELESS STRATEGY, UM, OUR HOUSING CRISIS. 
          AND RATHER THAN GIVING, UH, HANDOUTS TO BIG DEVELOPERS FOR SUPPOSED AFFORDABLE HOUSING, Y'ALL ARE ALLOWING THE DESTRUCTION OF ALREADY AFFORDABLE 
          [01:50:01]
HOUSING AND THE, THE SUPPOSED AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THESE NEW DEVELOPMENTS ARE NOT IN FACT, AND IT FEELS LIKE Y'ALL ARE JUST DOING, YOU KNOW, GIVING THOSE TO IMPROVE YOUR, UH, CREDIBILITY AND MAKE IT LOOK LIKE YOU ERR WHEN IT'S ACTUALLY NOT HELPING THE MOST VULNERA VULNERABLE IN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          AND I APPROVE OF SOME OF THE HOMELESS STRATEGY IMPROVEMENT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          BUT IF IN, WE'LL NOW MOVE TO IN-PERSON SPEAKERS, JERRY SPORE, CAROL GUTHRIE, JUDY BRADFORD, MANDY BLOT, ALL ON ITEM ONE. 
          IF YOUR NAME'S BEEN CALLED, PLEASE COME FORWARD. 
          SO WE'LL KNOW THAT YOU'RE HERE. 
          UM, AND IF THERE'S AN EMPTY CHAIR IN FRONT OF A MICROPHONE, FEEL FREE TO TAKE IT AND JUST STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD. 
          YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES. 
          GOOD MORNING. 
          MY NAME IS JUDY BRADFORD. 
          I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT TWO, THE STRUCTURAL DEFICIT AUSTIN. 
          NOW FACES IS IN PART DUE TO A EXPENSIVE POLICE, A TOO EXPENSIVE POLICE CONTRACT AND LARGE NUMBER OF FUNDED VACANCIES IN AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. 
          A PD SAID THEY NEEDED RAISES AND STIPENDS TO ADDRESS STAFFING SHORTAGES, BUT MORE THAN A YEAR LATER, CADET ATTRITION IS ABOVE 50% AND VACANCIES REMAIN STUBBORNLY ABOVE 300 POSITIONS. 
          SINCE THE POLICE CONTRACT WAS SIGNED, MORE PEOPLE HAVE RETIRED AND RESIGNED THAN HAVE JOINED THIS MANY BUDGETED VACANCIES STRAND TAX DOLLARS WHERE THEY WON'T BE SPENT. 
          WHILE CITY MANAGEMENT TALKS ABOUT CUTTING OTHER FIRST RESPONDERS AND SOCIAL SERVICES FOR THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL MUST MAXIMIZE THE REDUCTION IN EMPTY POSITIONS UNDER THE LIMITATIONS IMPOSED BY STATE LAW AND REDIRECT THAT FUNDING TO EMS AND SOCIAL SERVICES. 
          WHILE A PD PROVES THAT IT CAN SUSTAIN LESS THAN 70 VACANCIES FOR A STABLE PERIOD OF TIME FOR NEXT YEAR, COUNCIL MUST RIGHT NOW REOPEN THE CONTRACT NEGOTIATION TO REDUCE THE WIDENING STRUCTURAL DEFICIT. 
          NEXT YEAR'S POLICE BUDGET IS CURRENTLY PREDICTED TO REQUIRE ANOTHER $28 MILLION. 
          UH, DUE TO THE CONTRACT, COUNSEL SHOULD REDUCE THE NUMBER OF BUDGETED VACANCIES, RECONSIDER THOSE VACANT POSITIONS AFTER VACANCIES HAVE BEEN REDUCED, AND THEN USE THE FUNDS NOW FOR EMS AND VITAL SOCIAL SERVICES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU FOR ITEM ONE, JAMES MONKS, PETER HUNT, SHARON BLYTHE, SAVANNAH LEE, IF YOU COULD PLEASE COME UP. 
          YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES. 
          THANK Y'ALL. 
          PLEASE COME DOWN. 
          GO AHEAD. 
          HI COUNCIL, MY NAME IS PETER HUNT. 
          I'M IN DISTRICT 10. 
          UM, I WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE BUDGET PROCESS ITSELF. 
          UH, ESPECIALLY THIS SORT OF POST PROP Q BUDGET PROCESS. 
          UH, ONE TO TWO WEEKS IS REALLY NOT ENOUGH TIME, UM, FOR THE COMMUNITY TO FULLY ENGAGE ON THIS SORT OF THING. 
          AND I THINK IN THE FUTURE I WOULD LIKE TO SEE COUNCIL LOOK TO MAKE THIS MORE PROCEDURALLY ACCESSIBLE. 
          UH, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON SPOKE WELL AND QUITE PRESLY ABOUT THIS A COUPLE MONTHS AGO, UM, OBSERVING THAT THE NORMAL BUDGET PROCESS WAS ACCELERATED AND AT TIMES INACCESSIBLE LISTENING TO RESIDENTS ISN'T JUST ABOUT SMALL EVENTS AND PERSONAL CONVERSATIONS, ALTHOUGH THOSE ARE VERY VALUABLE AND THEY'RE ALWAYS APPRECIATED. 
          BEING ABLE TO LISTEN TO RESIDENTS IS ALSO A PROCEDURAL MATTER. 
          PEOPLE NEED TIME TO GET INFORMED, TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE PROCESS, UH, FOR COUNCIL STAFF AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO SPREAD INFORMATION AND TO EDUCATE OUR NEIGHBORS ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THEIR CITY. 
          AND THEN FOR THOSE PEOPLE TO FIND AND MAKE THE TIME TO COME BACK TO COUNCIL AND COUNCIL MEMBERS AND EXPRESS THEIR CONCERNS. 
          UM, AND I'VE BEEN DISHEARTENED TO SEE THAT, UNFORTUNATELY, GIVEN HOW QUICKLY EVERYTHING'S MOVING HERE, THAT'S NOT REALLY THE CASE. 
          NOW I UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE A VERY ACCELERATED PROCESS AND I THINK THAT IN THE FUTURE I WOULD LIKE TO SEE COUNCIL LOOK TO HOW THEY CAN MAKE THIS BUDGET PROCESS, ESPECIALLY THINGS LIKE THIS SORT OF POST PROP Q FAILED TRE SITUATION MORE BROADLY AND PROCEDURALLY, PROCEDURALLY ACCESSIBLE TO MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GOOD MORNING Y'ALL. 
          THANKS FOR HAVING US. 
          MY NAME IS SAVANNAH LEE. 
          I'M HERE WITH EQUITY ACTION. 
          I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT ONE. 
          DURING YESTERDAY'S WORK SESSION, 
          [01:55:01]
THERE WAS QUITE A LOT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT VACANCY AND OVERTIME SPENDING AT A PD DURING IT. 
          I WAS STRUCK BY WHAT SEEMS LIKE ANOTHER IMBALANCE IN SPENDING ACROSS DEPARTMENTS WITH A PD BEING THE LION'S SHARE ONCE AGAIN, WHEN IT COMES TO OVERTIME, WHILE I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE MAY BE SOME REASONS WHY PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS MAY USE MORE OVERTIME AFTER REVIEWING THE NUMBERS, I SIMPLY DON'T BELIEVE THERE'S A REASON WHY APDS OVERTIME SHOULD BE A PRO, A PROTECTED BUCKET OF EVER FLOWING CASH WHILE OTHER DEPARTMENTS ARE BEING ASKED TO ENDURE CUTS AND JUST DEAL WITH IT. 
          IN 2024, A PD BUDGETED $25 MILLION IN OVERTIME, BUT SPENT CLOSER TO 47 MILLION. 
          THIS HAPPENED WHILE FIRE SPENT 17 MILLION AND EMS SPENT 19 MILLION TOTAL. 
          THERE WERE 130 OVERTIME DOLLARS SPENT. 
          AND ONCE AGAIN, A PD REPRESENTED NEARLY A THIRD OF THAT SPENDING. 
          I'M SORRY. 
          BUT IF ANY OTHER ORGANIZATION SPENT NEARLY DOUBLE THEIR BUDGET ON ONE ITEM, IT WOULD BE DEEMED AN INTERNAL FAILURE, ONE THAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED BEFORE IT'S PROVIDED MORE FUNDING. 
          FURTHERMORE, THE ISSUE IS, IS THAT PART OF THE REASON, UH, THIS ISSUE IS PART OF THE REASON THAT WE FUNDED A $218 MILLION POLICE CONTRACT. 
          WE'VE TRIED TO ADDRESS IT, IT HASN'T WORKED, AND NOW IT'S TIME TO FIX IT. 
          A PD HAS TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN SPENDING, THE SAME WAY THAT EVERY OTHER DEPARTMENT IS ASKED TO. 
          JUST YESTERDAY, I SAW A LOT OF CONCERN FROM THE DIOCESE REGARDING THE UPCOMING FIRE CONTRACT AND HOW SOME PROPOSED LANGUAGE COULD TIE THE HANDS OF COUNCIL FORCING CUTS TO EVERY OTHER DEPARTMENT WHILE PROTECT, PROTECTING TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY MEASURES. 
          EVEN AS WE APPROACH FINANCIAL CRISIS. 
          I WOULD REMIND YOU THAT COUNCIL'S HANDS ARE ALREADY TIED WITH EVERY SINGLE SPENT A PD TO A PD DOLLAR AND THAT WE ARE ALREADY APPROACHING A FINANCIAL CRISIS. 
          THE TWO SITUATIONS ARE TOO COMPARABLE FOR ME NOT TO OBSERVE, AND I'D LIKE TO SEE THE SAME RESISTANCE TO BEING FINANCIALLY BO BOXED IN BY A PD THAT THERE WAS TO BEING BOXED IN ELSEWHERE. 
          I'VE COME HERE TO TALK ABOUT A PD SPENDING A MILLION TIMES, AND AS MUCH AS I'M SURE WE'D ALL LIKE FOR ME TO TIRE OF IT, I DO HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT YOU ALL SEE WHAT I SEE. 
          THAT WE SIMPLY CAN'T STARVE OUR CITY TO FILL THE ENDLESS GAPS AT A PD. 
          THEY'VE BEEN GIVEN THE RESOURCES THEY NEED TO FILL THEM THEMSELVES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GOOD MORNING, COUNSEL. 
          MY NAME IS JAMES MONKS. 
          I'M A CAPTAIN WITH THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY, UH, WITH AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY EMS, AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE AUSTIN MS ASSOCIATION. 
          UM, SOME OF YOU MIGHT BE FAMILIAR WITH ME AS ONE OF THE FACES FOR PROP Q. 
          UM, I'M ALSO THE FACE REPRESENTING MORE THAN 600 WORLD-CLASS MEDICS, UH, WHO CARE FOR THIS CITY. 
          UH, I FOUGHT HARD TO TRY AND GET THEM THE VERY NEEDED FUNDING THAT WE WERE TOLD THAT PROP Q WOULD PROVIDE FOR OUR DEPARTMENT. 
          WHEN IT FAILED, WE THOUGHT THE NEW BUDGET WOULD INCLUDE SOME OF OUR NEEDS, BUT IT DID NOT. 
          I'M GLAD COUNCIL HAS INTERVENED ON OUR BEHALF TO CORRECT WHAT I BELIEVE WAS AN OVERSIGHT. 
          BUT I'M STILL HERE TO CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR THESE RESOURCES, EXCUSE ME, UH, FOR OUR MEDICS AND FOR OUR CITY BECAUSE WE ABSOLUTELY NEED THESE RESOURCES TO SERVE THE CITY IN THE WAY THAT IT DESERVES. 
          SINCE BEFORE COVID, WE HAVE NEEDED MORE RESOURCES, BUT INSTEAD WE'VE BEEN REGULARLY TOLD TO MAKE THE BEST OF WHAT WE HAVE. 
          IN MY EIGHT YEARS WITH THIS DEPARTMENT HAS NEVER BEEN ENOUGH. 
          WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN PLAYING CATCH UP DURING COVID, WHILE MOST OF THIS CITY WAS ISOLATING, OUR MEDICS WERE OUT ON THE STREETS. 
          SOME WORKING UP TO 120 HOURS A WEEK. 
          AS WE LOST FOLKS TO ILLNESS, BURNOUT, AND RETIREMENT, WE WERE TOLD THAT WE WERE HEROES. 
          BUT WHEN THE CITY PAID OUT BONUSES TO ESSENTIAL WORKERS, THEY NEGLECTED TO INCLUDE US OR ANY OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY WORKERS BECAUSE WE HAVE CONTRACTS ALREADY. 
          CAN YOU IMAGINE WORKING THAT HARD ON THE FRONT LINES OF A GLOBAL PANDEMIC ONLY TO BE DISMISSED AND EXCLUDED FROM A BENEFIT TO OTHER CITY EMPLOYEES? WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT DID FOR THE MORALE? FOR OUR OVERWORKED AND EXHAUSTED MEDICS? CAN YOU IMAGINE THE STRAIN ON OUR FAMILIES AS WE WERE EXPOSED TO A VIRUS WE STILL DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT? THESE ARE SOME OF THE SACRIFICES OUR MEDICS MADE WHILE CARING FOR THE CITIZENS OF THIS COMMUNITY LIKE WE ALWAYS HAVE, AND WE ALWAYS WILL. 
          WHILE THE PANDEMIC MAY HAVE ENDED, FOR MANY OF Y'ALL, THE IMPACTS ARE STILL FRESH ON MANY OF OUR MINDS. 
          I KNOW MANY PHENOMENAL MEDICS WHO HAVE MOVED ON FROM HEALTHCARE ENTIRELY BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY ENDURED DURING THOSE YEARS. 
          WE'VE ALSO CONTINUED TO ENDURE THE IMPACTS OF SEVERE WEATHER EMERGENCIES HERE IN AUSTIN AND ACROSS THE STATE WINTER STORM URI JULY'S HILL COUNTRY FLOODS. 
          AND WE'VE ALSO RECENTLY HAD TO ENDURE THE IMPACTS OF AMBULANCE SHUTDOWNS OVER THE LAST YEAR. 
          SO I'M ASKING YOU TO DO YOUR DUTY TO THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN AND FULLY FUND THESE CRITICAL NEEDS FOR OUR DEPARTMENT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          NEXT ON ITEM ONE, WE'LL HAVE JEFFREY BOWEN, ISAAC, JEREMY CABALLERO, BEN SOTHEBY, ELLIOT TREHAN, ELLEN JEFFERSON. 
          HELLO, MAYOR. 
          AND COUNCIL. 
          UH, MY NAME IS BEN SOTHEBY. 
          I'M A RESIDENT OF D FOUR. 
          I'M HERE SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF MYSELF AND NOT THE UNION THAT I'M A PROUD MEMBER OF. 
          NOT ANY BOARD THAT I SERVE ON, NOT ANY OTHER ORGANIZATION, NOT MY EMPLOYER, BUT AS A D FOUR RESIDENT. 
          AS SOMEBODY WHO PAYS VERY CLOSE ATTENTION AND SAT THROUGH YESTERDAY'S PROCEEDINGS, UM, I WANT TO FIRST CO-SIGN WHAT THE THREE SPEAKERS JUST BEFORE ME SAID ALL THOSE THINGS ARE TRUE. 
          I ALSO WANT TO THANK, UH, ALL THE EFFORTS TO COMMUNICATE WITH US, THE PUBLIC LISTENING SESSIONS. 
          VITAL, THANK YOU. 
          UH, I APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK DONE BY STAFF MEMBERS IN THAT QUESTION OF WHERE ARE WE GONNA FIND THIS MONEY? 
          [02:00:01]
UM, I, YOU KNOW, WILL AGREE THAT YES, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, WHAT SOFTWARE PURCHASES WE HAVE. 
          LET'S, YOU KNOW, MAYBE YOU HAVE TOO MANY LICENSES. 
          LET'S, LET'S TIGHTEN THAT UP. 
          I WILL CAUTION YOU THOUGH THAT, UH, THE KNOWLEDGE THAT LIVES IN DEPARTMENTS, THE KNOWLEDGE THAT YOUR WORKERS ON THE FRONTLINE HAVE IS SOME OF THE MOST INSIGHTFUL STUFF. 
          SO BEFORE YOU SPEND MONEY TO GO TO CONSULTANTS TO TELL YOU WHERE TO FIND THE MONEY, MAKE SURE YOU'VE GONE TO YOUR WORKERS AND SAY, AND ESTABLISHED A WAY FOR THEM TO SAY, HEY, I KNOW WHERE THE, WHERE WE CAN HAVE SOME SAVINGS THAT EXIST MAYBE OUTSIDE OF THE, THE CHAIN OF COMMAND, THE NORMAL FLOW WHERE THEY MAY HAVE SOME HESITANCE TO HIGHLIGHT THINGS. 
          ESTABLISH A, A WAY FOR THEM TO LET YOU KNOW THAT, UH, OUTSIDE OF THAT NORMAL PROCESS, UM, BECAUSE YOU MAY FIND THAT, UH, IN EFFORTS TO CONSOLIDATE, YOU'RE MOVING PEOPLE WHO ARE HIGHLY SPECIALIZED IN A SPECIFIC DEPARTMENT. 
          IT WHOSE JOB ISN'T YOUR GENERAL, YOU KNOW, IT SUPPORT, THEY'RE DOING VERY SPECIFIC WORK AIDING THAT. 
          WE ACTUALLY INTRODUCED SOME INEFFICIENCIES. 
          SO CAUTION THERE. 
          ALSO, LOOK AT HOW MANY TIMES THE CITY HAS ATTEMPTED TO DO THIS IN THE PAST. 
          UH, YOU MAY FIND SOME LESSONS THERE. 
          UH, TAKE A LOOK. 
          I KNOW THAT YOU'RE BOXED IN RIGHT STATE LAW ON ONE SIDE, SOME CONTRACTS ON THE OTHER, BUT THERE MAY BE, AND THERE'S MONEY THERE IN BETWEEN FOR DEPARTMENTAL SPENDING FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT YOU NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YES, SIR. 
          GOOD MORNING. 
          UH, MY NAME'S ELLIOT TREHAN. 
          I WAS BORN IN D 10, OR I GREW UP IN D 10. 
          I FORGOT WHERE IN MINUTE. 
          DON'T MATTER, IT DOESN'T MATTER. 
          BUT I LIVE IN D EIGHT NOW. 
          UM, I LOVE THIS CITY DEARLY AND, UM, I'M HERE AS A GIFT OF MY TIME AND MY PRESENCE WHERE I COULD HAVE BEEN DOING A LOT OF OTHER THINGS BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT THIS PLACE AND MY HOME. 
          AND, UM, I WANT TO RECOGNIZE AND ACKNOWLEDGE, AND I THINK YOU GUYS ALL KNOW THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE IN OUR STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THAT WANT TO SEE THIS CITY FAIL, AND THEY'RE DOING THAT BY WEAPONIZING PULLING FUNDING AND ALL THESE OTHER THINGS. 
          AND I HAVE TO IMAGINE THAT IN Y'ALL'S POSITION, IT CAN BE REALLY HARD TO THINK ABOUT DOING THINGS THAT ARE BOLD BECAUSE OF FEAR, OF KIND OF RETALIATION BY POWERFUL ACTORS SUCH AS OUR STATE WHEN WE TRY TO TOUCH THINGS LIKE THE POLICE BUDGET OR POWERFUL INTEREST IN THE BUSINESS INTERESTS THAT WE'VE KIND OF ALLOWED TO, IN MY OPINION, TAKE OVER THE CITY IN MY 27 YEARS OF LIFE, UM, AND SEEING THE CITY GROW AND BALLOON. 
          AND, BUT I WANT TO ASK Y'ALL TO BE BOLD NONETHELESS, AND I WANT Y'ALL TO BE BOLD AND BE CREATIVE IN HOW WE CAN, UM, AS ALT OUR, UH, COUNCILMAN ALTER SAID, OUR BUDGETS ARE REFLECTION OF OUR VALUES AND OUR PRIORITIES. 
          AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE CITY PRIORITIZE ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME TO SPEAK, WHO ARE ON THE FRONT LINES OF THE IMPACTS OF ALL OF THESE, UM, VIOLENT SYSTEMS THAT ARE WORKING AGAINST US RIGHT NOW. 
          AND I'M ASKING Y'ALL TO BE BOLD BECAUSE I THINK IT'S YOUR JOB. 
          AND IF YOU STEPPED UP INTO PUBLIC OFFICE, I THINK IT'S, YOU'VE ANSWERED THAT CALL TO BE BOLD AND THEN NOT SIT BACK. 
          AND IF YOU'RE NOT READY TO BE THAT BOLD, AND IF YOU'RE KIND OF FEELING THE INSTINCT TO RETRACT, THEN GO HOME. 
          BECAUSE WE NEED BOLD LEADERS RIGHT NOW TO THINK CREATIVELY, TO BE ABLE TO TELL THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY. 
          IF THEY WANT THEIR CONVENTION CENTER, MAYBE THEY CAN PAY FOR THAT THEMSELVES BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE FUNDS. 
          AND I THINK WHAT WE HEARD FROM VOTERS IS THAT THE VOTERS ARE TIRED OF PUTTING THE BILL FOR THINGS THAT SHOULD BE BASIC NECESSITIES. 
          AND I HAVE SO MUCH MORE TO SAVE AND I HOPE YOU SEE ALL OF US HERE AS GIFTS OF US TELLING YOU HOW WE CAN, HOW YOU CAN EARN A TRUST BACK AND NOT AS A TAX. 
          AND YEAH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          IS SUSIE CHASE HERE? SHE IS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, ELLEN JEFFERSON WILL HAVE FOUR MINUTES. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE CITY MANAGER. 
          WE REALLY APPRECIATE. 
          I REALLY APPRECIATE THE CHANCE TO SPEAK. 
          UM, MY NAME IS ELLEN JEFFERSON. 
          I'M A 25 YEAR LEADER IN AUSTIN, ANIMAL WELFARE FOUNDING EMANCIPATE AND THE C I'M THE CEO OF AUSTIN PETS ALIVE. 
          I LIVE IN DISTRICT EIGHT AND WE OPERATE IN DISTRICT NINE AND DISTRICT 10. 
          UH, FIRST I JUST WANNA SAY REAL QUICKLY THAT WE SUPPORT COUNCIL MEMBER LANE'S, VET CARE, UH, AMENDMENT. 
          AND WE APPRECIATE THAT. 
          AND I'M ALSO SUPER GRATEFUL TO Y'ALL FOR TRYING TO WADE THROUGH THIS, UH, REALLY COMPLICATED PROBLEM THAT YOU HAVE ON YOUR HANDS. 
          AND, UM, I, I WANT TO BRING FORWARD AN IDEA, UM, A UNIQUE REQUEST, I GUESS I SHOULD SAY, IN THAT IT'S NOT AN ASK FOR MORE MONEY, BUT IT IS AN ASK FOR YOU TO SAVE $10 MILLION AND TO BE ABLE TO PUT THAT TOWARDS SOME OF THE NEEDED SERVICES THAT WE HEARD ABOUT TODAY. 
          UM, YOU CAN DO THAT THROUGH, UH, AN RFP FOR TOTAL ANIMAL SERVICES MANAGEMENT CONTRACT. 
          THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO DOES THAT. 
          CITY OF SAN DIEGO AND SAN DIEGO HUMANE SOCIETY, UM, HAVE A 10 YEAR CONTRACT AND WHERE ALL WORKER PAY AND POSITIONS ARE PROTECTED, NO KILL IS SAFE AND, AND THEIR INTAKE IS OPEN. 
          SO THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO DO THE SAME AND OPEN OUR REOPEN OUR INTAKE IMMEDIATELY. 
          AND THAT IS THE SAVINGS ARE THERE BECAUSE OF A COST SAVINGS, COST SHARING WITH DONATIONS THAT NONPROFITS CAN 
          [02:05:01]
BRING IN. 
          UNLIKE CITY, UM, CITY OF AUSTIN CAN, AN RFP IS ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY TO AMPLIFY SERVICES BY BRINGING TOGETHER MULTIPLE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND ALLOWING PEOPLE TO SHARE IN THE WORK THAT SERVES OUR PEOPLE. 
          WHILE I KNOW THAT YOU ARE SUPER BUSY, THIS IS A REALLY GOOD TIME TO CONSIDER THIS BECAUSE YOU NEED THE MONEY. 
          THIS IS MONEY THAT, UM, COULD BE ALLOCATED IN THIS FISCAL YEAR TOWARDS OTHER SERVICES. 
          WE KNOW THAT WE NEED INTAKE REOPENED AT AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES AND SERVICES RESTORED TO OUR COMMUNITY. 
          AND THERE'S NO DIRECTOR IN PLACE YET. 
          SO THE DIRECTOR MAY BE HIRED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, BUT THERE IS RIGHT NOW A POTENTIAL SAVINGS OF $225,000 BY JUST DELAYING THAT UNTIL THIS, UNTIL AN RFP COULD BE EXPLORED. 
          IF THE PROCESS STARTS BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR, $5 MILLION COULD BE SAVED IN THIS FISCAL YEAR AND $10 MILLION A YEAR, UM, STARTING IN NEXT FISCAL YEAR. 
          OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A LOT TO WORK OUT, BUT WE BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT COULD BE GOING TO, UM, HOMELESSNESS OR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES OR ANY OF THE OTHER SPEAKERS, UM, TOPICS TODAY. 
          THERE'S SO MUCH NEED IN OUR CITY, AND I WANNA LET YOU KNOW THAT THERE'S PRECEDENT TO THIS. 
          UH, FOR 50 YEARS, THE AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES WERE, UH, MANAGED BY THE AUSTIN HUMANE SOCIETY FROM 1950 TO 1994. 
          SO IT'S NOT A NEW CONCEPT. 
          AND SO MY REQUEST IS THAT, UM, THAT YOU CONSIDER PUTTING THIS AS AN IFC TO EXPLORE AN ANIMAL, A TOTAL ANIMAL SERVICES CONTRACT, AND DO IT QUICKLY SO THAT WE CAN SEE THE BENEFITS OF IT IN THIS FISCAL YEAR. 
          AND THAT'S IT. 
          AND WE'RE HERE, SUSIE, CHASE AND MYSELF ARE HERE. 
          IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, UM, AT ANY TIME. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU DR. JEFFERSON. 
          WE'LL GO BACK TO REMOTE SPEAKERS FOR OUR LAST SPEAKER. 
          BRAD MASSENGILL. 
          HEY, Y'ALL, UM, GOT HUNG UP ON THE LAST TIME. 
          UH, IT'S BRAD MASSING, UH, D THREE, UH, LI LISTEN TO THE PROCEEDINGS THIS MORNING. 
          HEARING SOMEONE IN CITY STAFF SAY THE QUIET PART OUT LOUD, UH, IT'S REALLY SHOCKING TO, TO KNOW THAT, THAT THE MINDSET IS THAT WE NEED TO GROW THE CITY AND CORPORATE INTEREST TO INCREASE THE TAX BASE. 
          UM, WE ALL KNOW WHAT CAUSES DISPLACEMENT, HOMELESSNESS, UNAFFORDABILITY, TRAFFIC, ALL THOSE THINGS, AND WE'RE FEEDING INTO IT WHEN THAT'S THE, THE MINDSET. 
          THESE CORPORATIONS, THE UNIVERSITY, ALL ALL OF THEM NEED TO, UH, BE PITCHING IN MORE. 
          THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE. 
          AND THE WORRY THE CITIZENS, AND ESPECIALLY CITIZENS WITHOUT ME, MEANS ARE BEING ASKED TO SHOULDER THE BURDEN OF ALL OF THIS. 
          YOU KNOW, FROM TAXPAYERS ON DOWN. 
          EVERYBODY PAYS TAXES. 
          IF YOU JUST GO TO THE STORE AND BUY SOMETHING, YOU'RE PAYING TAXES, YOU KNOW, AND WE LOOK AT SOME OF THESE HISTORIC AREAS THAT HAVE BEEN IGNORED FOR SO LONG, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE AND SAVING AFFORDABLE HOUSING. 
          AND I HEAR THIS STUFF ABOUT IT'S GROWING THE CITY. 
          EVERY ONE OF THOSE SUBDIVISIONS HIGHS IN IT, IT'S EXPENSIVE. 
          IT TAKES OUR ENGINEERS, OUR STAFF, ALL, ALL THIS ENERGY FROM CITY MANAGEMENT AND CITY GROWTH TO DO ALL THIS THINGS AWAY FROM CORE SERVICES AND THE THINGS WE SHOULD BE DOING THESE DENSITY BONUS PROJECT, UM, DOWNTOWN, UH, ZONING AND KEEPING THE FUNDING THERE DOWNTOWN THAT THIS MAKES NO SENSE. 
          YOU KNOW, THERE'S SO MUCH MORE CORPORATIONS. 
          THANK YOU, SIR. 
          MAYOR, THAT CONCLUDES ALL SPEAKERS ON ITEM ONE MEMBERS, AS YOU'VE HEARD. 
          THAT CONCLUDES ALL OF THE SPEAKERS THAT WERE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER ONE. 
          UH, SO, UH, WE HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE BUDGET SCHEDULED FOR THREE O'CLOCK TODAY, UNLESS THERE IS SOMETHING THAT ANYBODY WANTS TO BRING UP OR THERE IS OBJECTION. 
          UH, WE WILL BE IN RECESS. 
          THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL WILL BE IN RECESS IN THIS SPECIAL CALL MEETING UNTIL 3:00 PM IT IS 1208. 
          THANKS EVERYBODY. 
          SEE YOU THIS AFTERNOON. 
          THANK YOU. 
          IT'S 3:00 PM ON NOVEMBER 19TH, 2025, AND I WILL CALL BACK TO ORDER THE SPECIAL CALL MEETING OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL. 
          UH, WE ARE, WE CONTINUE TO MEET IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS LOCATED IN CITY HALL AT 3 0 1 WEST SECOND STREET, AND WE HAVE A QUORUM OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL PRESENT. 
          IN FACT, ALL OF US ARE PRESENT INCLUDING, UM, VIRTUALLY, UH, MEMBERS. 
          THE 
          [2. Conduct a public hearing on the City Manager's proposed amended budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026.]
NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA 
          [02:10:01]
IS A PUBLIC HEARING. 
          THE PUBLIC HEARING IS RELATED TO THE BUDGET. 
          I'LL ACTUALLY, I'LL READ IT INTO THE RECORD. 
          IT'S TO CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE CITY MANAGER'S PROPOSED AMENDED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 TO 2026. 
          UH, WITHOUT OBJECTION, WE WILL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING. 
          AND THE PUBLIC HEARING IS NOW OPENED. 
          I WILL TURN TO THE CITY CLERK TO START, UH, CALLING NAMES OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK AT THIS PUBLIC HEARING. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          WE'RE GOING TO REMOTE SPEAKERS. 
          FIRST SPEAKER IS HYMAN SONG. 
          YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. 
          HELLO. 
          UM, MY NAME IS HEIN. 
          I AM PROVIDING CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES WITH INTEGRAL CARE, AND I AM HERE TO, UM, PROVIDE THE PUBLIC COMMENTS, NOT ON BEHALF OF THE AGENCY, BUT AS A MEMBER OF THE UNION OF INTEGRAL CARE. 
          UM, MY TEAM HAS BEEN COLLABORATING WITH DOWNTOWN AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT AND HOST SINCE 2021 FOR CHRONIC HOMELESS POPULATION IN DOWNTOWN, DOWNTOWN AUSTIN. 
          COMMUNITY COURT REFERS HIGH NEED CLIENTS TO MY TEAM BECAUSE THEIR TRI AGES AND CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES ALONE ARE LIMITED, SO WE HEAVILY TAKE THEM. 
          NO WONDER WHY THOSE PEOPLE PRESENT ACUTE SYMPTOMS OF SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS, INCLUDING BIPOLAR AND SCHIZOAFFECTIVE DISORDER, SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER, UH, NOT TO MENTION PTSD, UH, WITHOUT SUPPORT FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS, NO INCOME. 
          THOSE COMPLEX PRESENTATIONS DO NEED INTENSE COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES FOR THEIR STABILIZATION. 
          THAT'S WHAT MY TEAM DOES. 
          MEETING WITH PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE FOR HOUSING, PSYCHIATRIC MEDICAL, UH, AND VARIOUS BENEFIT LINKAGE, EMPLOYMENT SKILLS, TEACHING, APPLYING FOR DISABILITY BENEFITS AND CRISIS SERVICES WHEN NEEDED. 
          THIS VERSATILE AND INTENSIVE SERVICE FUNDED BY CITY OF AUSTIN HAVE HELPED THE LOCAL COMMUNITY. 
          HOW DO I KNOW? INTACCT ANALYSIS SHOWS THE DIFFERENCE OF SERVICE UTILIZATION BETWEEN PEOPLE WHO ARE CONNECTED WITH THE SERVICES AND THOSE WHO ARE NOT. 
          PEOPLE WITH THE SERVICES ARE LESS LIKELY TO SEEK EMERGENCY SERVICES LIKE EMS ER, THEY'RE LESS LIKELY TO GET INCARCERATED. 
          THEY'RE LESS LIKELY TO, UM, THEY'RE LESS LIKELY TO, UM, VISIT ER. 
          WHAT IT MEANS TO THE DECISION MAKERS LIKE THE CITY COUNCIL IS THAT THE SERVICES. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. 
          NEXT WE HAVE JASON MCVEY. 
          HI. 
          YES, SORRY, I WAS ON MUTE. 
          MY NAME'S JASON MCVEY. 
          I'M A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER HERE IN AUSTIN. 
          I OWN A SMALL CHAIN OF RESTAURANTS, UH, CALLED POKE POKE. 
          UM, AND, UH, I WANNA THANK THE SPEAKER BEFORE ME FOR, FOR HER GOOD WORK, UH, THAT SHE'S DOING FOR THE CITY AND THE COMMUNITY. 
          I THINK THAT'S INCREDIBLE. 
          UH, MY SISTER SUFFERED FROM SCHIZOPHRENIA AND IF NOT FOR, UH, OUR FAMILY, SHE, SHE WOULD'VE BEEN HOMELESS. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          UH, I DO WANNA ADDRESS ANOTHER SIDE OF THE ISSUE, WHICH IS, UH, PROTECTION FOR CITIZENS. 
          UM, BECAUSE ON OUR END AND SPECIFICALLY IN MY BUSINESS, MY CUSTOMERS, MY EMPLOYEES WE'RE AT RISK EVERY DAY 'CAUSE OF, UH, PEOPLE THAT ARE UNHOUSED, UH, THESE YOUNG KIND OF AGGRESSIVE DRUG ADDICTS, UH, HAVE ATTACKED US SEVERAL TIMES. 
          POLICE SHOW UP MAYBE 50% OF THE TIME LESS. 
          UM, AND I THINK THERE'S A HUGE AMOUNT OF UNREPORTED CRIME. 
          AND I THINK, UH, ALSO WHAT THE SPEAKER BEFORE ME WAS TOUCHING ON WAS WE NEED MORE DIRECT INTERDICTION BETWEEN THE CITY, BETWEEN ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. 
          I'M NOT, I'M NOT SAYING IT'S POLICE, MAYBE IT'S A RAPID RESPONSE UNIT, UH, THAT SOME OF THAT A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS FOR HOMELESS SERVICES CAN GO TO, BUT WE NEED HELP. 
          CITIZENS DO NEED HELP, UH, PROTECTING THEMSELVES, UH, BECAUSE WE'RE LEFT, UH, HELPLESS, REALLY. 
          AND YOU DON'T WANT END UP HURTING SOMEBODY TO DEFEND YOUR SPACE. 
          BUT WE HAVE HAD STANDOFFS AND IT IS NOT PRETTY. 
          AND I DON'T LIKE THE SITUATION ANYMORE THAN ANYBODY DOES. 
          I AM COMPASSIONATE TOWARD THE UNHOUSED, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THERE ARE REAL RISKS TO THE COMMUNITY AND I DO NOT FEEL LIKE THEY'RE BEING ADEQUATELY ADDRESSED WITH THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT THIS CITY PULLS IN. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          NEXT WE HAVE PAT SRES. 
          [02:15:01]
HI, MY NAME IS PAT SRES AND I LIVE IN, UM, DISTRICT THREE. 
          I AM CALLING IN ABOUT THE ANIMAL SERVICES BUDGET, WHICH, UM,  WAS CUT DURING THE CITY MANAGER'S, UH, BUDGET PROCESS AND THERE WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, RESTORE THAT FUNDING. 
          HOWEVER, THERE WAS A STAY ABORT AMENDMENT TO THE, UH, BUDGET THAT WAS SUPPOSEDLY GOING TO LEAD TO SOME CHANGES THAT WERE GONNA RESTORE THE PHONE. 
          AND I DO NOT THINK THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY IS GONNA RESTORE THE EMERGENCY, UH, OVERNIGHT SERVICES THAT USED TO BE PROVIDED UNDER CONTRACT WITH AN EMERGENCY CLINIC. 
          I AM ASKING THAT, THAT BE RESTORED. 
          INSTEAD OF ADDING ADDITIONAL, UM, CONTRACT MANAGEMENT POSITIONS AND ADDITIONAL POSITIONS THAT ARE, UM, MANAGEMENT POSITIONS, I REALLY THINK THAT THE DIRECT SERVICE THAT ARE NEEDED SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN CUT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          NEXT WE HAVE LYNN WILLIAMS. GOOD MORNING OR GOOD AFTERNOON, SORRY. 
          MAYOR WATSON CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. 
          MY NAME IS LYNN WILLIAMS AND I SERVE AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HOMEMADE AUSTIN, UH, A NONPROFIT THAT PARTNERS WITH BUILDERS TO CREATE RENOVATE HOUSING AND SPECIAL SERVICES FOR OUR NEIGHBORS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. 
          AND I'M HERE TODAY TO TALK ABOUT THE PROPOSED BUDGET AMENDMENTS. 
          UM, ON ITEM NUMBER TWO, FROM WHERE I SIT IN THE NONPROFIT SECTOR, THIS BUDGET IS NOT JUST IN NUMBERS ON A PAGE. 
          THE DECISION YOU MAKE TODAY DETERMINE WHETHER FAMILIES LEAVING SHELTER CAN FIND A STABLE PLACE TO LAND. 
          WHETHER OUTREACH WORKERS CAN KEEP CONNECTING PEOPLE TO SERVICES, AND WHETHER FRONTLINE ORGANIZATIONS CAN KEEP THEIR DOORS OPEN WHEN DEMAND IS RISING. 
          AUSTIN'S NONPROFIT COMMUNITY IS DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN, LEVERAGING PRIVATE PHILANTHROPY, IN INCOME CONSTRUCTION, LABOR MATERIALS, AND THOUSANDS OF VOLUNTEERS. 
          BUT WE CAN'T DO THIS WORK ALONE. 
          CITY INVESTMENT AND HOUSING HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE AND HUMAN SERVICES IS THE BACKBONE THAT MAKES OUR PARTNERSHIP POSSIBLE. 
          WHEN YOU PROTECT AND STRENGTHEN THOSE LINES IN THE BUDGET, YOU'RE SAYING THAT KIDS SLEEPING IN CARS MATTER, THAT SENIORS ON FIXED INCOME MATTER AND THAT PEOPLE BUILDING THE CITY SHOULD NOT BE PRICED OUT OF IT. 
          IT'S FAR MORE EXPENSIVE FINANCIALLY AND MORALLY TO MANAGE CRISIS IN THE STREETS THAN IT IS TO INVEST UPSTREAM IN HOUSING SERVICES AND STABILITY. 
          SO I URGE YOU TO ADOPT AN AMENDED BUDGET THAT PRIORITIZES FUNDING FOR HOUSING HOMELESSNESS SERVICES, AND THE NONPROFIT SAFETY NET, AND TO RESIST CUTS THAT WOULD DESTABILIZE THE VERY PARTNERS YOU RELY ON TO DELIVER THESE OUTCOMES. 
          HOMEMADE AUSTIN STANDS READY TO KEEP DOING OUR PART, BRINGING CONSTRUCTION COMMUNITY TO THE TABLE, STRETCHING EVERY PUBLIC DOLLAR AND TURNING LINE ITEMS INTO REAL DOORS THAT OPEN FOR REAL PEOPLE. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO. 
          THANK YOU PAIGE ELLI FOR BEING, UH, REPRESENTATIVE OF MY DISTRICT. 
          AND, UH, WE ARE SO GLAD THAT YOUR COMMITMENT TO AUSTIN IS MORE THAN JUST A LIVABLE OFTEN. 
          NEXT WE HAVE ALAN FRIEDMAN. 
          ALAN, PLEASE UNMUTE. 
          YES, THANK YOU. 
          UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR WATSON, MAYOR PRO FUENTES, AND, UH, THE MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL. 
          I'M RABBI ALLEN FRIEDMAN AND I'M SPEAKING TODAY IN MY ROLE AS CO INTERIM CEO OF THE SAFE ALLIANCE. 
          WE PROVIDE SHELTER AND ARRAY OF ONGOING SOCIAL SERVICES TO VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, FOUND ABUSE AND SEX TRAFFICKING. 
          IN PERFORMING THIS WORK, WE'VE BEEN UNDER SEVERAL CONTRACTS WITH A PH TO PROVIDE SOCIAL SERVICES IN OUR FAMILY SHELTER IN THE CITY'S NEW SHELTER FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. 
          IN ADDITION, WE SEE CITY FUNDS FOR CRITICAL VIOLENCE PROTECTION PROGRAMS, AS WELL AS ON THEIR FUNDING THROUGH THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE. 
          AND WE ALSO PERFORM MANY OF THE FORENSIC OF TESTING, MUCH OF THE FORENSIC TESTING FOR A TEEN AND ADULT VICTIM OF SEXUAL ASSAULT IN OUR CITY. 
          IN THE DISCUSSION AROUND REVISING THE CITY BUDGET, THERE SEEMS TO BE A DISTINCTION BEING MADE BETWEEN THAT WHICH HAS BEEN TERMED PUBLIC SAFETY, THAT BEING POLICE, FIRE, AND EMS AND SOCIAL SERVICES. 
          THIS DISTINCTION BETWEEN PUBLIC SAFETY AND SOCIAL SERVICES IS A FALSE DICHOTOMY. 
          SAFE'S WORK IS PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          WE PROVIDE IMMEDIATE SAFETY EVEN WHEN THE LEGAL SYSTEM CANNOT. 
          WE PROVIDE FUTURE, WE PREVENT FUTURE VIOLENCE THROUGH EDUCATION INTERVENTION, 
          [02:20:01]
AND OFTEN ARE THE FIRST ONES TO RESPOND TO VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ASSAULTS AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, AS THE NAME IMPLIES, SAFE PROVIDES SHELTER AND SAFETY AND IS A CRITICAL PART OF THE CITY'S PUBLIC SAFETY ECOSYSTEM. 
          PLEASE REALIZE THAT ANY REDUCTION IN THESE SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTS ALSO AFFECTS THE STATE TO THE PUBLIC. 
          THE PRIMARY DUTY OF CITY GOVERNMENT IS THE SAFETY AND WELFARE OF ALL THE CITIZENS. 
          AND SAFE, ALONG WITH OUR SISTER AGENCIES, ARE A VITAL PART OF OUR CITY'S FULFILLMENT OF THAT DUTY. 
          WE ASK YOU REMEMBER, A BUDGET IS MORE THAN A FINANCIAL BLUEPRINT. 
          IT'S A MORAL COMMITMENT TO THE WELFARE OF ALL THE CITIZENS OF OUR CITY. 
          I ASK YOU RECOGNIZE SAFE AND OTHER SIMILAR AGENCIES AS THE CITY'S PARTNER IN SAFETY. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH ON ITEM TWO, TARA TUCKER. 
          HI. 
          UM, THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. 
          I AM TARA TUCKER AND I AM THE TEXAS STATE DIRECTOR FOR ALLIANCE FOR SAFETY AND JUSTICE. 
          WE ARE THE ORGANIZATION THAT, UM, UM, WORKS WITH CRIME SURVIVORS FOR SAFETY AND JUSTICE. 
          I'M SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF SURVIVORS OF VIOLENT CRIME FROM AUSTIN. 
          COMMUNITIES MOST IMPACTED BY VIOLENCE WHO TRADITIONALLY HAVE NOT RECEIVED SUPPORT AND SERVICES THEY NEED AND DESERVE. 
          I'M HERE TO UPLIFT THE CONTINUED NEED FOR FUNDING FOR TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTERS, WHICH SERVE VICTIMS OF ALL TYPES OF VIOLENT CRIME, COMMUNITY VIOLENCE INTERVENTION PROGRAMS, WHICH STOP VIOLENCE BEFORE IT HAPPENS. 
          AND REENTRY SERVICES. 
          THESE PROGRAMS NEED TO BE VALUED AT THE SAME WAY THE POLICE HAVE TRADITIONALLY BEEN VALUED. 
          THEY SHOULD NOT BE THE FIRST THINGS CUT WHEN WE'RE IN FINANCIAL CRISIS, RATHER, RATHER, WE SHOULD BE FINDING WAYS TO BUILD UPON THESE PROGRAMS. THEY'RE PROGRAMS THAT HEAL PEOPLE IN COMMUNITIES PREVENT CRIME AND VIOLENCE AND BREAK CYCLES OF CRIME AND VICTIMIZATION. 
          THEY'RE REACHING PEOPLE THAT ARE POLICE AND TRADITIONAL INSTITUTIONS HAVE MISSED AND OR, OR ARE INCAPABLE OF REACHING. 
          I KNOW THESE PROGRAMS HAVE SOME FUNDING, BUT PROP Q WOULD'VE ENSURED THAT THE FUNDING WAS ONGOING. 
          I IMPLORE YOU TO DIG DEEP AND MAKE THE HARD DECISIONS IN ORDER TO FIND FUNDING TO PROTECT THE CURRENT LEVEL OF FUNDING AND ENSURE FUNDING MOVING FORWARD FOR THESE PROGRAMS. BECAUSE THEY PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN INCREASING PUBLIC SAFETY AND THEY DO THIS. 
          SO AT A FRACTION OF THE COST, WITHOUT THESE PROGRAMS, THERE WILL LIKELY BE INCREASES IN VIOLENT REVICTIMIZATION AND RECIDIVISM. 
          THE POLICE FORCE THAT WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO INCREASE WILL BE ASKED TO RESPOND TO EVEN MORE AND TO DO THINGS THAT LIKELY COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED. 
          OUR JAILS IN OUR HOSPITALS WILL ALSO SEE INCREASES. 
          I ALSO WANNA EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR THE WORK TO RESTORE FUNDING TO EMS AND EMCO. 
          THESE ARE CRUCIAL SERVICES THAT OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS. 
          PLEASE PRIORITIZE ALL OF OUR PUBLIC SAFETY SAFETY INITIATIVES, EVEN THE ONES YOU HAVE NOT OFFICIALLY, OFFICIALLY DEFINED AS PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ON ITEM TWO, SASHA ROSE. 
          HI, YES, MY NAME IS SASHA ROSE. 
          I'M WITH AUSTIN MUTUAL AID AND NUMEROUS OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN AUSTIN THAT I SUPPORT. 
          I I'M HERE TO SHARE CONCERN AT WHAT I'M SEEING IN AUSTIN RIGHT NOW, AND ESPECIALLY WHAT I'M SEEING WITH THE CITY BUDGET. 
          UM, IT, A NEWLY ADOPTED BUDGET PROVIDES NO ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT IN HOMELESS SERVICES, HOUSING STABILIZATION, OR PROGRAMS THAT SUPPORT RESIDENTS FACING DISPLACEMENT. 
          AS WE KNOW, UH, CITY OF AUSTIN HAS A LONG DOCUMENTED, WELL-DOCUMENTED HISTORY OF SEGREGATED HOUSING DISPLACEMENT. 
          UM, SO INSTEAD THIS BUDGET REDUCES OR RESTRICT EVERY, EVERY EMERGENCY SUPPORT PROGRAM WHILE FULLY PRESERVING THE POLICE CONTRACT AND THE LARGEST POLICE BUDGET IN OUR CITY'S HISTORY. 
          I'M NOT SURE IF THIS IS THE HISTORY ONE WE WANNA BE WRITING RIGHT NOW, FOLKS. 
          UM, WE'RE SHOWING 218 TO 2200 20 MILLION. 
          I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO USE SOME NUMBERS, RIGHT? UM, INCLUDING A, LIKE A, A A A 28% BASE PAY INCREASE. 
          AND WE ALSO ARE SHARING 351, I BELIEVE, FUNDED VACANCIES. 
          UM, THESE ARE FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T YET EXIST POSITIONS THAT ARE UNFILLED. 
          THAT'S A LOT. 
          Y'ALL ARE WE, ARE WE READING THE SAME THING? I'M WANTING TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ON, WE'RE READING THE SAME THING AND WE HAVE THE SAME INFORMATION. 
          UM, I THINK THAT IF WE WERE TO USE THAT FUNDING TO ACTUALLY TAKE CARE OF THE PEOPLE, UM, AND ENSURE THAT THE PROGRAMS THAT ARE CURRENTLY SUPPORTING THE PEOPLE THAT DO EXIST AND THE POSITIONS THAT ARE REALLY NEEDED, WE COULD REALLY USE DO MORE. 
          UM, THE OTHER THING THAT I WANNA MENTION IS THAT IT SEEMS LIKE AUSTIN IS STARTING TO USE CRIMINALIZATION AS A FORM OF SHELTER. 
          UH, A VERY HURTFUL FORM OF SHELTER. 
          UH, SO MUCH OF OUR UNHA OF OUR INCARCERATED POPULATION CURRENTLY SUFFERS FROM UNMET MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS. 
          UP TO 44% IS WHAT WE'RE SEEING. 
          AND WE JUST RECENTLY DID A RECORDS RELEASE REQUEST AND DID NOT GET RECEIVED IT, BY THE WAY. 
          BUT I THINK IT'S GOTTA BE FAR MORE WITH HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE BEING DISPLACED AND ARRESTED ON THE STREET 
          [02:25:01]
RIGHT NOW. 
          WE ARE PRIORITIZING THE WRONG THINGS WITH THE CITY BUDGET AND I I'M ASKING YOU DESPERATELY TO PLEASE RECONSIDER THAT EVERY YEAR. 
          AUSTIN MUTUALLY MOBILIZES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          NEXT WE HAVE DEVON LAFFER. 
          HI, I'M DEVON AND I'VE BEEN LIVING IN AUSTIN FOR ABOUT FIVE YEARS, UM, WORKING AS A COMPUTER ENGINEER. 
          UM, I'VE READ THROUGH THE PROPOSED AMENDED BUDGET AND I ONLY SEE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO CUTS THAT I THINK ARE SOCIETALLY IMPORTANT IN PARTICULARLY KNOW THERE ARE SO MANY CUTS TO HOMELESSNESS AND HEALTHCARE SERVICES, WHICH ARE TWO OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS FACING THE CITY, THE STATE, AND THE COUNTRY. 
          IN JOURNAL IT, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE TAX REVENUE DID NOT INCREASE AND THAT THE AMONG OF THESE THINGS WE WANT FUNDED HAS TO COME FROM SOMEWHERE. 
          BUT OUR CURRENT BIGGEST EXPENDITURE IS THE POLICE WHO I WOULD LIKE TO REMIND DON'T ACTUALLY PREVENT CRIME THAT ARE STILL UP TO DEAL WITH IT AFTER THE FACT. 
          OFTENTIMES, LONG AFTER THE CRIME HAS BEEN COMPLETED AND SOMEBODY'S GOTTEN HURT, I THINK WE SHOULD SWITCH TOWARDS PROVIDING THE SERVICES THAT MAKE AUSTIN A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE AND PROVIDE THE RESOURCES SO PEOPLE ARE NOT INCLINED TO OR FORCED INTO CRIMINAL ACTIVITY IN THE FIRST PLACE. 
          ADDITIONALLY, CUTS TO EMS AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ALONGSIDE SUFFER INFLATED POLICE BUDGET ARE UN UNACCEPTABLE. 
          AS THE PRIORITY OF A PERSON ACTIVELY SUFFERING A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS OR ACTIVELY DYING FROM A HEART ATTACK SHOULD TAKE HIGHER PRECEDENCE THAN A HYPOTHETICAL CRIME, BUT A POLICE PRESENCE MIGHT HAVE PREVENTED IF WE HAVE TO MAKE CUTS. 
          THOSE CUTS COULD COME FROM AREAS OF THE BUDGET, WHICH ARE THE GREATEST COST AND THE LEAST EFFECTIVENESS AND THEIR STATED GOALS, THE IMPACT OF CUTTING SERVICES THAT ARE ALREADY UNDERFUNDED ARE GOING TO BE DISASTERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. 
          , THANK YOU. 
          NEXT WE HAVE RACHEL PINA. 
          HELLO, MY NAME IS RACHEL PINA. 
          UM, I ALSO LIVE HERE IN AUSTIN FOR ABOUT FIVE YEARS NOW, AND I HAVE SEEN, UM, HOW CONCERNING THIS PROPOSED BUDGET IS. 
          UM, IT CONCERNS ME BECAUSE I DO NOT BELIEVE IT WILL FOSTER A HEALTHIER AUSTIN RIGHT NOW OR IN THE FUTURE. 
          I SEE CONCERNING LARGE CUTS TO MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS, PUBLIC HEALTH, EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES, AND SO MANY MORE THINGS THAT WOULD WEAKEN OUR ABILITY TO PREVENT AND HANDLE HEALTH CRISES AND, UM, MANAGE HEALTH CRISES IN THE GENERAL POPULATION. 
          WHILE POLICE SERVE AND PROTECT, THEY DO NOT PREVENT CRIME AND NOR ARE THEY SPECIALISTS IN DEESCALATING SOMEONE WHO IS EXPERIENCING A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS OR NEED TO BE TRAINED SPECIALISTS ON THE GROUND WHO CAN ASSIST THAT PERSON WHO'S GOING FOR A VERY, VERY DIFFICULT UNEXPECTED TIME IN THEIR LIFE AND TO NOT TREAT THOSE PEOPLE LIKE CRIMINALS. 
          THE HISTORICAL TREND THROUGHOUT THE US IS TO FOREGO PREVENTATIVE MEASURES, ESPECIALLY AROUND VARIOUS HEALTH SERVICES, DOWNPLAYING THE IMPORTANCE OF PREVENTATIVE HEALTH SERVICES AND HAVING, NOT HAVING APPROPRIATELY TRAINED PEOPLE. 
          UM, FIRST RESPONDERS HAS JUST PROVEN TIME AND TIME AGAIN OVER THE DECADES TO BE INEFFECTIVE IN PREVENTING HEALTH CRISES IN COMMUNITIES. 
          AND IT'S NOT HELPING WITH ANY CRIME CONCERNS EITHER. 
          UM, I DO BELIEVE THAT ADDRESSING A CURRENT A CONCERN AT ITS SOURCE WILL SERVE ALL OXYGEN NIGHTS BETTER THAN JUST REPEATEDLY PLACING A BANDAID OVER IT. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THAT CONCLUDES ALL REMOTE SPEAKERS. 
          WE'LL NOW MOVE TO IN PERSON. 
          FIRST WE HAVE ANDY BROWER, SUSAN SPATARO, JANICE BOOKOUT, JUDY BRADFORD. 
          IF YOU CAN PLEASE JUST STATE YOUR NAME AND BEGIN SPEAKING WHEN YOUR NAME'S BEEN CALLED, YOU'LL PLEASE COME FORWARD AND FIND A CHAIR THERE, UH, IN FRONT OF THE MICROPHONES. 
          AND AS INDICATED, IF, UM, WHEN YOU START SPEAKING, LET US KNOW YOUR NAME. 
          MS. RO, WHY DON'T YOU BEGIN? OKAY. 
          SUSAN SPATARO, DISTRICT EIGHT. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TRUST AND PROP Q WHEN YOU STARTED THIS BUDGET PROCESS, YOU SAID THE TWO BIGGEST ISSUES WERE AFFORDABILITY AND PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          SO WHEN THE BUDGET CONCLUDED, AND WITH A 20% INCREASE IN PROPERTY TAXES AND CUTTING EIGHT, $9 MILLION OF OVERTIME FROM THE POLICE, I LOST TRUST IN THIS GOVERNMENT BECAUSE THAT'S EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE. 
          IT LOOKS LIKE THERE ARE NOT INTERNAL CONTROLS, WHICH THERE NEEDS TO BE, AND IT LOOKS LIKE YOU DID NOT PRIORITIZE THE MAJOR PUBLIC SAFETY, UM, PROVISIONS THAT WE HAVE. 
          YOU'RE TALKING TODAY, AND I HEARD ABOUT EFFICIENCIES AND THINGS YOU WANT TO DO, AND I'M FOR THAT, BUT IN A WAY, I CAN'T BELIEVE WE WEREN'T DOING SOME OF THOSE THINGS. 
          NOW, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT TODAY, UM, 
          [02:30:01]
MESSING WITH THE POLICE CONTRACT, YOU DON'T REALLY ENSURE TRUST BY SAYING IN GOOD FAITH, WE ENTERED INTO A CONTRACT WITH OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, BUT NOW YOU KNOW WHAT, WE'RE GONNA FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET AROUND THAT. 
          WE'LL TAKE SOME OF THEIR TOOLS AWAY, WE'LL TAKE SOME OF THEIR VACANT POSITIONS AWAY. 
          WE'LL TAKE OVERTIME. 
          YOU DON'T, WOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY OVERTIME IF YOU WERE ADEQUATELY STAFFED. 
          AND YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT SALES TAXES, THE AREAS AROUND US SALES TAXES ARE INCREASING AND PEOPLE SPEND MONEY WHEN THEY FEEL SAFE. 
          YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY FEEL LIKE GOING DOWNTOWN, GOING TO MUSIC THINGS. 
          IT DEPENDS ON SAFETY AND THE WAY THE TREE, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN TREATED. 
          UM, I FIND REALLY APPALLING BECAUSE I THINK YOUR MAIN JOB IS TO KEEP ALL OF US SAFE, AND THAT STARTS WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND OF COURSE FIRE AND EMS. SO I HOPE YOU'LL LOOK AT THIS AND TRY TO RESTORE TRUST WITH THIS COMMUNITY TO MAKE EVERYONE FEEL SAFE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS. 
          AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH, PLEASE, UH, JANICE BOOKOUT, DISTRICT FOUR. 
          TODAY I'M GONNA TALK DATA. 
          UM, TO PREFACE THIS, THE HUMAN VALUE OF THE SOCIAL SAFETY NET IS BIGGER THAN ANY DATA I WILL BE PRESENTING, BUT BECAUSE I'LL PROBABLY GET CUT OFF, I'M GONNA ASK, UH, MY CLOSING QUESTION NOW, WHICH IS, WHAT DATA DO YOU NEED TO EVALUATE FUNDING THE SOCIAL SAFETY NET BECAUSE I GUARANTEE YOU IT'S OUT THERE AND IF I CAN FIND IT, I WILL. 
          EVEN THOUGH NO ONE'S PAYING ME TO DO THAT, IT MATTERS THAT MUCH TO ME. 
          AND I MEAN THAT AS AN OFFER. 
          EMAIL ME, I'M GONNA BE EMAILING YOU, UM, TO CONTINUE MY COMMENTS FROM YESTERDAY. 
          OF THE 58 PEOPLE THAT HAVE SPOKEN IN PERSON SO FAR, ONLY THREE OR FOUR. 
          THE BUDGET, THE VAST MAJORITY ARE, UM, ARE IN DISTRICTS ONE THROUGH SIX. 
          AND AGAIN, SPEAK UP. 
          AUSTIN SURVEY OF 812 RESIDENTS SHOW OVERWHELMING COMMUNITY ALIGNMENT WITH THE CI'S PRIORITIES HOUSING FIRST. 
          UM, LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT. 
          PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, UH, RENTAL ASSISTANCE, RAPID REHOUSING PROGRAMS, UM, REDUCE HOMELESSNESS BY UP TO 88%. 
          UM, IMPROVE HOUSING STABILITY BY 41% COMPARED TO TREATMENT FIRST MODELS. 
          UM, SO THAT'S DEFINITELY A HUMAN AND COST SAVINGS. 
          UM, HARM REDUCTION. 
          HARM REDUCTION PROGRAMS ARE NOT ONLY EFFECTIVE, BUT COST SAVING DECADES OF RESEARCH SUMMARIZED BY CDC, UM, FINDS THAT THEY CAN REDUCE HIV AND EPI TRANSMISSION BY ABOUT 50%, WHICH THEN TRANSLATES TO LIFETIME COSTS, BOTH TO THE INDIVIDUAL AND ALSO TO THE HOSPITAL SYSTEM. 
          UH, MOBILE CRISIS TEAMS AND COMMUNITY-BASED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES REDUCE POLICE RESPONSE ARRESTS AND EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS PRODUCING NET SAVINGS COMPARED TO BUSINESS AS USUAL IN EUGENE, OREGON, OREGON, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, THE, THERE WAS AN ESTIMATED, UH, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS SAVED AND BY A, A REDUCTION OF 20% OF 9 1 1 CALLS. 
          UM, EMS FUNDING STUDIES SHOW THAT PARAMEDIC, UM, EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES ARE A HIGHLY COST EFFECTIVE COMPARED. 
          AND THAT'S MY TIME. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          YES, MA'AM. 
          MY NAME IS JUDY BRADFORD AND I'M AN AUSTIN RESIDENT IN DISTRICT TWO. 
          I'M SPEAKING TODAY BECAUSE I'M VERY WORRIED ABOUT FRIENDS THAT I KNOW AND CARE ABOUT, PEOPLE WHO ARE ABOUT TO FACE THE BRUNT OF FEDERAL CUTS TO HEALTHCARE, HOUSING AND SNAP. 
          WHILE THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS PLANNING SIGNIFICANT CUTS TO ITS OWN LIFESAVING PROGRAMS, THESE COMPOUNDING SERVICE CUTS, UH, TO ITS OWN, UH, THESE COMPOUNDING SERVICE CUTS WILL RESULT IN SUFFERING AND FOR MANY AND DEATH FOR SOME, UH, LOW WEALTH PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          I ALSO WANNA EXPRESS MY DISMAY AT THE SPEED OF THIS BUDGET PROCESS, WHICH MAKES COMMUNITY INPUT DIFFICULT AND LIMITS CAREFUL RESEARCH INTO ALTERNATIVE REVENUE SOURCES. 
          FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME, WE'VE GOTTEN SOME GOOD NEWS IN THE STRUGGLE TO END HOMELESSNESS IN AUSTIN, KUT JUST REPORTED THAT OVER THE PAST YEAR, LESS PEOPLE HAVE BECOME UNHOUSED IN AUSTIN, YET THIS PROGRESS IS THREATENED BY THE SIGNIFICANT BUDGET SHORTFALLS. 
          DUE TO THE FAILURE OF PROPOSITION Q, WE MUST FIND REVENUE. 
          THERE IS MONEY SITTING IDLE WITHIN THE POLICE BUDGET THAT WILL NOT AFFECT POLICE SALARIES, BENEFITS, OR EQUIPMENT. 
          SINCE THE BUDGET HAS NOT YET BEEN PASSED, COUNCIL CAN AND MUST TAKE BACK A PORTION OF THE FULLY FUNDED 300 VACANCIES OR, AND, AND FREE UP THE FUNDS FOR LIFESAVING SERVICES FOR OUR COMMUNITY. 
          A PD WILL BE ABLE TO CONDUCT RECRUITMENT EFFORTS AND FILL CLASSES AS IT ALWAYS HAS, BUT THESE RECLAIMED FUNDS CAN LITERALLY MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE AUSTINITES, INCLUDING THOSE RELYING ON EMSI AM URGING COUNSEL TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF BUDGETED VACANCIES 
          [02:35:01]
IN THE POLICE BUDGET AND TO APPLY THAT SAVINGS TO LIFESAVING SOCIAL SERVICES AND EMS FOR OUR COMMUNITY. 
          WE'RE COUNTING ON YOU TO DO THE RIGHT THING. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          STILL ON ITEM TWO, WE HAVE WALTER WALTER MORROW, NATHAN FERNANDEZ, LORI MITCHELL, MANDY BLOTT, PLEASE JUST STATE YOUR NAME AND BEGIN SPEAKING PLEASE. 
          MR. WALTER MORROW, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FOUNDATION COMMUNITIES. 
          UH, 23 YEARS AGO WE OPENED GARDEN TERRACE, OUR FIRST SUPPORTIVE HOUSING COMMUNITY, AND WE'VE OPENED, UH, NINE COMMUNITIES SO FAR. 
          WE JUST OPENED, UH, BALCONES TERRACE AND ZILKER STUDIOS. 
          WE HAVE OVER ABOUT 1100 RESIDENTS THIS YEAR IN SUPPORT OF HOUSING FOLKS WHO ARE FORMERLY HOMELESS. 
          UM, I'M VERY PROUD AND I'M VERY GRATEFUL TO THE CITY FOR SUPPORTING THAT WORK. 
          UM, IF THAT MAKES ME PART OF THE HOMELESS INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX, THEN I'M PROUD OF IT. 
          UM, WHAT WE'VE FOUND IN RECENT YEARS IS THAT, UH, THE SOCIAL SERVICE NEEDS HAVE BECOME MORE ACUTE AND WE'VE STRUGGLED TO FUND IT. 
          UH, OUR BUDGET THIS YEAR IS ABOUT 7 MILLION. 
          UM, THAT FUNDS THE FRONTLINE STAFF OVER 30 CASE MANAGERS, A COUPLE NURSES AND OTHER SUPPORT SERVICES. 
          UM, WE'RE, I'M VERY GRATEFUL TO THE COUNCIL IN LAST YEAR'S BUDGET TO FUND A MILLION DOLLARS OF THAT COST. 
          UM, IT'S KEPT US AFLOAT THIS YEAR. 
          I DON'T WANT TO GO BACKWARDS, I DON'T WANNA LOSE AND SHRINK THE SERVICES OR HAVE TO COME UP WITH SOME OTHER SOLUTION. 
          WE'RE GETTING READY TO OPEN OUR 10TH COMMUNITY BURSON STUDIOS NEXT YEAR. 
          UM, WE THINK THIS PROVIDES A REALLY INCREDIBLE BANG FOR THE BUCK TO THE CITY TO HAVE THE LEVERAGE OF PRIVATE FUNDING AND, AND PUBLIC INVESTMENT TO KEEP PEOPLE HOUSED. 
          UM, WORKED CLOSELY WITH THE OTHER HOMELESS SERVICE PROVIDERS TO REALLY LOOK AT WHAT'S THE MOST ACUTE NEEDS TO GET US THROUGH THE NEXT YEAR. 
          AND, UM, I, THE OTHER ONE'S FOUNDATION AND, AND OUR WORK, I THINK ARE HIGH ON THAT LIST. 
          UM, EVEN MORE FACILITIES, UH, ARE OPENING IN, IN FISCAL YEAR 2027, WHICH IS GREAT NEWS FOR THE COMMUNITY. 
          UH, BUT WE'LL FIGURE THAT OUT IN A FUTURE BUDGET. 
          UM, SO I APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT AND, AND YOUR HELP THIS YEAR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          PLEASE GO AHEAD. 
          HELLO, I'M LORI MITCHELL. 
          UM, A PROUD MEMBER OF AFSCME 1624 CITY EMPLOYEES, UH, THE LARGEST UNION IN TOWN, UH, AND A MEMBER OF DISTRICT EIGHT. 
          THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO MS. ELLIS. 
          UM, I'M HERE ASKING FOR THE CITY TO SUPPORT THE CITY EMPLOYEES. 
          I'M ASKING FOR NO REDUCTION IN FORCE FOR THE CITY'S WORKFORCE TO PRIORITIZE, UH, FULL EMPLOYMENT FOR OUR CITY EMPLOYEES. 
          I ASK YOU TO MAINTAIN OUR PROGRESSIVE COST OF LIVING RAISE. 
          UM, THE BUDGET NEEDS TO MAINTAIN IT. 
          IT PUTS MORE MONEY IN THE POCKETS OF OUR LOWEST PAID WORKERS. 
          UM, IF WE COULD PROTECT THE 4% ACROSS THE BOARD ADJUSTMENT WITH A FLAT 2000 $120 FOR WORKERS MAKING UNDER $53,000 A YEAR, THAT WOULD REALLY HELP HELP OUR LOWEST PAID EMPLOYEES. 
          UM, I ASK YOU TO INCLUDE BAD WEATHER PAY AND AN ESSENTIAL WORKERS STIPEND, UM, WORKERS THAT ARE REQUIRED TO BE AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY, WHATEVER THE WEATHER, RAIN, SNOW, HEAT, UM, THAT THEY DESERVE THE EXTRA $500 THAT STIPEND WOULD GIVE THEM. 
          UM, AND AS ANOTHER CITIZEN SO ELOQUENTLY SAID, THERE'S MONEY SITTING IN THE POLICE CONTRACT THAT COULD BE USED TO COVER THIS. 
          UM, THEY'RE THE LARGEST EXPENDITURE IN THE CITY AND SINCE THE TRE FAILED, UM, IT'S POSSIBLE TO RENEGOTIATE THAT CONTRACT. 
          AND WITH CUTTING UNFILLED POSITIONS, LESS THAN A HUNDRED UNFILLED POSITIONS WOULD, WOULD LEND UP $13 MILLION. 
          THAT WOULD GO A LONG WAY TO KEEPING CITY EMPLOYEES, UM, IN THEIR JOBS AND FUNCTIONING FOR THE CITY AND PROVIDED SERVICES THAT WE WE ALL NEED AND ENJOY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          HEY ALL. 
          UH, MY NAME IS NATHAN FERNANDEZ. 
          UH, HELLO MAYOR. 
          MAYOR PROAM AND COUNCIL. 
          I LIVE IN DISTRICT TWO. 
          UH, I'M A LIFELONG RESIDENT OF AUSTIN, UH, A COUNTY WORKER AND A PROUD MEMBER OF AFSCME LOCAL 1624 AS WELL. 
          UM, AS WE DID IN AUGUST, I ECHO THE CALLS OF MY COLLEAGUES ACROSS THE CITY IN THE COUNTY AND OUR SERVICE PROVIDER COMMUNITY TO PROTECT CRUCIAL PUBLIC SERVICES, JOBS AND PROGRAMS THAT WERE AGAIN RELEGATED TO THE LOFTS OF A TAX RATE ELECTION. 
          THAT WAS A HARD BARGAIN AT A HARD TIME FOR RESIDENTS. 
          AND I JOINED MANY OF YOU AT THE DOORS OF VOTERS, UH, TRYING TO EXPLAIN HOW WE GOT IN THIS POSITION. 
          UM, WE DO APPRECIATE, AS MY COLLEAGUE LAURIE SAID, THE 4% PROGRESSIVE COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT BUILT IN FOR ALL WORKERS. 
          WE CALL FOR THAT TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN FUTURE YEARS, BUT WHILE THIS BUD BODY AND THE BUDGET OFFICE SAY NO JOB CUTS ARE IN THE WORKS, AS THE KIDS SAY, THE MATH IS NOT MATH, 
          [02:40:01]
SENDING MORE WORKERS INTO MAYBE WHAT IS THE WORST JOB MARKET OF OUR MODERN TIME WILL HAVE A PROFOUND IMPACT ON THE WORKING CLASS PEOPLE OF THIS CITY WHO ARE ALREADY PUSHED TO THE BOUNDARIES OF OUR COMMUNITY, AWAY FROM THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE, MAKING HARD DECISIONS AT THE END OF A HARD YEAR. 
          ANY CUTS TO A-P-H-E-M-S INTEGRAL CARE SOCIAL SERVICES, HOMELESS SERVICE CONTRACTS WILL NOT ONLY HURT WORKERS, BUT ESPECIALLY THE RESIDENTS WE SERVE, BUT ACT ACCORDINGLY. 
          UH, INCLUDING EXPLORING THE TOOLS AVAILABLE, UH, VACANCIES IN THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, UH, THAT CAN BE USED TO PRESERVE, UH, AND PROTECT THE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES THAT MATTER MOST. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MY NAME IS MANDY BLOTT. 
          I LIVE IN DISTRICT ONE AND I'M HERE TO SUPPORT THE REQUESTS MANY OTHERS ARE MAKING THIS WEEK. 
          THAT FOR THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, YOU REDUCE THE EMPTY POSITIONS AT A PD AND REDIRECT THAT FUNDING TO EMS AND OTHER SOCIAL SERVICES. 
          AND FOR NEXT YEAR, YOU REOPEN THE POLICE CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE GOAL OF REDUCING OUR GROWING UC STRUCTURAL DEFICIT. 
          I'M SPEAKING AS SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN COMING TO CITY COUNCIL BUDGET MEETINGS FOR EIGHT YEARS, WATCHING THE COMMUNITY'S FRUSTRATION GROW AND ITS TRUST DIMINISH OVER TIME, YEAR AFTER YEAR. 
          THE MOST COMMON REQUESTS THE COMMUNITY MAKES DURING THESE HEARINGS IS TO STOP OVERFUNDING THE POLICE AND INVEST MORE IN THE SOCIAL SERVICES WE SO DESPERATELY NEED YEAR AFTER YEAR. 
          WE BEG YOU TO EXPAND YOUR VIEW OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND RECOGNIZE THAT AUSTIN IS A SAFER CITY WHEN WE INVEST IN THESE PROGRAMS. AND I'VE BEEN IN THIS VERY ROOM WHEN COUNCIL HAS HEARD US AND MADE DIFFICULT DECISIONS THAT DISAPPOINTED THE POLICE UNION BECAUSE THEY KNEW IT WAS BEST FOR THE COMMUNITY. 
          BUT IN RECENT YEARS, THOSE MOMENTS HAVE BECOME FEW AND FAR BETWEEN AND THE COMMUNITY SEEMS TO HAVE REACHED ITS BREAKING POINT. 
          A FEW WEEKS AGO I WENT DOOR TO DOOR ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO VOTE FOR PROP Q, PEOPLE WHO WERE ALREADY EXPECTED TO BE SUPPORTERS. 
          AND INSTEAD I FOUND PEOPLE WHO WERE FED UP WITH THE COUNCIL, THEY DIDN'T WANNA GIVE YOU MORE MONEY BECAUSE THEY FEEL YOU'RE NOT USING THE MONEY THEY'VE ALREADY GIVEN YOU TO SUPPORT THEIR NEEDS AND PRIORITIES. 
          PLEASE TURN THE SHIP AROUND AND START REBUILDING TRUST BY REALLOCATING MONEY FROM VACANT A PD POSITIONS AND FOR NEXT YEAR REOPENING THE POLICE CONTRACT CONTI. 
          CONTINUING ON ITEM TWO, JESSICA BUNTING, THOMAS BUNTING, JAMES MONKS. 
          DORIS ADAMS. IF YOU CAN PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND BEGIN SPEAKING. 
          I, MY NAME IS JESSICA BUNTING AND MY HUSBAND IS A FIREFIGHTER WITH THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT. 
          THE PROPOSAL CALLS FOR AN $8.3 MILLION DECREASE IN FUNDING TO A FD THROUGH A REDUCTION OF FIREFIGHTER STAFFING PROPOSING THREE PERSON CREWS INSTEAD OF FOUR. 
          THIS WOULD BE IN DIRECT VIOLATION OF THE AUSTIN CITY ORDINANCE EFFECTIVE DECEMBER, 2018, WHICH REQUIRES FOUR PERSON STAFFING ON ALL A FD APPARATUS, AS DOES THE NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION STANDARD WITH THE STRUCTURE FIRE. 
          THE OSHA SAFETY POLICY TWO IN TWO OUT REQUIRES TWO FIREFIGHTERS OUTSIDE FOR EVERY TWO FIREFIGHTERS INSIDE, AS DOES THE TEXAS COMMISSION ON FIRE PRODUCTION RULE. 
          IF THIS PROCEEDS, THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN WILL HAVE TO WAIT FOR TWO CREWS TO ARRIVE BEFORE RECEIVING HELP IN A FIRE SCENARIO. 
          THIS PROPOSAL WOULD PUT OUR FIRE FIREFIGHTERS INTO SCENARIOS THEY HAVE NOT TRAINED FOR. 
          AS A FD HAS MAINTAINED FOUR PERSON STAFFING SINCE 2012. 
          THE AUSTIN FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION ADDRESSED ALLEGATIONS OF HIGH ABSENTEEISM IN THE DOCUMENTARY OF SAFER AUSTIN PER A FA 6% OF THE ABSENTEE RATE INCLUDED PERSONNEL WHO WERE TEMPORARILY RELOCATED FOR TRAINING PURPOSES, 6% FOR MILITARY RELATED DEPLOYMENTS, 8% OR INJURED IN THE LINE OF SERVICE. 
          12% WERE OFF FOR ALLOCATED KELLY DAYS AND ANOTHER 4.6% FOR PAID LEAVE. 
          ADEQUATE STAFFING IS THE ISSUE. 
          HOWEVER, WHEN A FD MUST CONTINUOUSLY FIGHT FOR FAIR CONTRACTS WHILE NEGOTIATING, UH, WITH CITY COUNCIL, NEIGHBORING CITIES HAVE STARTING WAGES UP TO $8,000, MORE LIKE ROUND ROCK FIRE DEPARTMENT AND IT'S NO WONDER THEY HAD NEARLY 100 MORE APPLICANTS THAN A FD THIS PAST TESTING CYCLE. 
          THE $104 MILLION IDEA TO INSTALL FOUR CAPS OVER IH 35 AND THE $1.6 BILLION CONVENTION CENTER PROVES THERE IS FUNDING ON TOP OF OVERPRICED PROJECTS. 
          THEY'RE OVERPAID CITY PERSONNEL. 
          THE AUSTIN CITY MANAGER WAS PAID $470,000 IN 2024. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          MY NAME IS THOMAS BUNTING. 
          WHAT I HAVE TO SAY IS AN ALL 
          [02:45:01]
DIRECTED TOWARD CITY COUNCIL. 
          THIS IS DIRECTED TOWARD EVERY PERSON IN THIS ROOM, EVERY PERSON THAT IS TUNING IN ON A SCREEN OR LISTENING THAT CAN HEAR MY VOICE. 
          I WANNA START BY SAYING I LOVE THIS CITY AND ALL THE PEOPLE IN IT. 
          I'VE SWORN NOT ONLY TO SERVE AND PROTECT THE PEOPLE IN THIS CITY, BUT I'VE ALSO SERVED OUR GREAT NATION FIGHTING IN IRAQ. 
          IT IS MY HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO COME HOME AND TAKE CARE OF THESE GREAT CITIZENS AND I WILL DO MY UTMOST TO CONTINUE THE CARE TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY. 
          WITH THAT BEING SAID, I WISH THE CITY WOULD CARE FOR OUR DEPARTMENT IN THE SAME MANNER. 
          AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS ONCE A GREAT DEPARTMENT, BUT IT SADDENS ME TO SAY THOSE DAYS MIGHT BE IN THE PAST EIGHT YEARS AGO, I HAD TO FIGHT AGAINST 5,000 PEOPLE TO SECURE A SPOT. 
          THAT NUMBER HAS DWINDLED DOWN TO 700 PEOPLE COMING IN TO TEST FOR THE CITY DUE TO POOR CONTRACTS AND BENEFIT CUTS. 
          I FEEL THIS IS A DIRECT REFLECTION OF HOW THE CITY VALUES FIRE DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES WE'RE HAVING A HARD TIME GETTING PEOPLE IN WHO WANT TO COME HERE AND NOW I IN GOOD CONSCIENCE, CAN'T RECOMMEND THAT THEY DO. 
          SO OUR CITY IS CURRENTLY FIGHTING TO TAKE OUR DEPARTMENT SAFETY AWAY AS WELL AS CITIZENS OF AUSTIN MOVING FROM 54, MOVING 54 FIRE ENGINES FROM FOUR PERSON TO THREE PERSON STAFFING. 
          BECAUSE OF THAT AS WELL AS STAGNANT WAGES BEING OVERWORKED AND UNDERPAID, MORALE IS FADING IN THE DEPARTMENT. 
          THE NEW CONTRACT BEING BROUGHT BEFORE US FOR A VOTE IS UNACCEPTABLE. 
          WE AREN'T GUARANTEED A PAY INCREASE IN YEARS TWO, THREE, OR FOUR OF A FOUR YEAR CONTRACT BEING PROPOSED. 
          THAT WAS ALSO TIED TO THE TRE THAT TRE JUST FAILED TO PASS AND I WASN'T SURPRISED TO SEE IT. 
          WE NEED THE CITY TO START TREATING OUR FIRST RESPONDERS WITH SOME DIGNITY AND RESPECT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YES MA'AM. 
          MY NAME IS DORIS ADAMS AND I RESIDE IN DISTRICT FIVE AND I'M AN ORGANIZER WITH UNDOING WHITE SUPREMACY AUSTIN. 
          AS I SPEAK TODAY, IT FEELS LIKE, UH, THE SAME CONVERSATION WE HAD IN AUGUST. 
          THE CUTS RECOMMENDED NOW BY THE CITY MANAGER IN THIS PROPOSED AMENDED BUDGET ARE MANY OF THOSE VERY THINGS THAT THE COMMUNITY IN GREAT NUMBERS ADVOCATED THAT YOU ADD TO THE CITY MANAGER'S ORIGINAL BUDGET AT THAT TIME, YOU VOTED TO INCLUDE THEM IN THE APPROVED BUDGET FOR 20 25, 26. 
          I PARTICULARLY REMEMBER THE MEMBERS OF THE, UM, FAMILY STABILIZATION PROGRAM AS THEY SHARE THE IMPORTANCE OF THESE GRANTS THAT THEY RECEIVE IN THE PROGRAM ON THEIR ABILITY TO STAY HOUSED AND TO ATTAIN WORK SKILLS. 
          UNLESS YOU CHOOSE TO AMEND THE BUDGET NOW, YOU'LL BE PRIORITIZING 13.5 MILLION FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BEYOND WHAT THEY HAD LAST YEAR. 
          YOU ALSO WILL BE SLASHING MONEY FOR REAL SOLUTIONS TO CORE ISSUES PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY ARE FACING, WHICH ARE KEY TO PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          A BUDGET REFLECTS AN ENTITY'S VALUES THIS COM CITY OF AUSTIN BUDGET PRIORITIZES POWER AND CONTROL OVER COMMUNITY EQUITY AND CARE. 
          WHERE IS THE COMPASSION AND CARE IN THIS BUDGET? WHERE IS YOUR ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE VOICE OF THE COMMUNITY IS AUSTIN AND THIS COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGEMENT ALL ABOUT OTHERING PEOPLE, STARVING THEM AND PUSHING THEM OUT. 
          WE SEE THIS ALL AROUND US, THE CITY AND WE CAN DO BETTER. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          MY NAME IS JAMES MONKS. 
          I'M THE PRESIDENT OF THE OEMS ASSOCIATION, UH, CONTINUING WHERE I LAUGHED OFF FROM THIS MORNING. 
          UM, I ALSO WANT TO TALK ABOUT HOW OUR MEDICS CONTINUE TO FACE THE IMPACTS OF SEVERE WEATHER EMERGENCIES WITH JULY'S HILL COUNTRY FLOODS. 
          OUR RESCUE MEDICS WERE SOME OF THE FIRST RESCUERS TO MAKE UP TEXAS' EMERGENCY TASK FORCE, WHERE THEY HEROICALLY RESPONDED TO THOSE IN NEED TO KERRVILLE. 
          AND HERE AT HOME, THESE HIGHLY TRAINED PROFESSIONALS RISKED THEIR LIVES DURING THESE EFFORTS. 
          BUT THEY NEVER COMPLAINED. 
          THEY NEVER DEMANDED RECOGNITION, BUT INSTEAD CONTINUED ON WITH THE MISSION MISSION CARING FOR THE CITIZENS HERE IN AUSTIN AND ABROAD LIKE WE ALWAYS HAVE AND ALWAYS WILL. 
          FOR YEARS, WE HAVE HAD TO SHUT DOWN AMBULANCES BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE THE STAFFING DUE TO MANY ISSUES CONTRIBUTING TO SIGNIFICANT MORALE AND RETENTION ISSUES. 
          AFTER WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS WITH OUR STAFFING IN THE LAST YEAR, WE WERE HANDED ANOTHER CRISIS, MANDATORY AMBULANCE SHUTDOWNS. 
          WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL WAS INSTEAD OF FREIGHT TRAIN OF BUDGETARY SHORTFALLS PUSHING US BACK TO WHERE WE STARTED BEGINNING IN APRIL, WE WERE MANDATED TO BY THE CITY TO SHUT DOWN A MINIMUM OF FIVE OF OUR 48 AMBULANCES EVERY DAY. 
          AS MANY AS 11 AMBULANCES HAVE BEEN SHUT DOWN IN ONE DAY, UNDOUBTEDLY CAUSING NEGATIVE OUTCOMES FOR OUR MOST CRITICALLY ILL AND INJURED PATIENTS WHERE A PRECIOUS FEW MINUTES MATTER MOST, WE NEED TO PUT A STOP TO THE VICIOUS CYCLE OF US NEEDING SUPPORT FROM THE CITY NOT RECEIVING IT. 
          THEN THE BURDEN OF THOSE DECISIONS BEING PLACED ON OUR MEDICS ONLY FOR THEM TO BECOME DISILLUSIONED AND BURNOUT SO THEY LEAVE AND APPLY TO OTHER AGENCIES. 
          WE'LL CONTINUE TO TRAIN MEDICS TO SOME OF THE HIGHEST 
          [02:50:01]
STANDARDS IN THE COUNTRY, ONLY TO REPLACE THEM WITHIN A FEW YEARS. 
          THIS IS A WASTEFUL CYCLE THAT COULD BE PREVENTED IF THE CITY PUT FORTH MORE EFFORT TO RETAIN THE MEDICS THAT ARE ALREADY HERE AND PROVING THEY CAN DO THE JOB TO THESE STANDARDS. 
          IT'S UNACCEPTABLE TO OVERWORK OUR MEDICS AND PUT THE CITIZENS OF THIS GREAT CITY AT RISK BY SHUTTING DOWN AMBULANCES. 
          SO I'M ASKING YOU TO DO YOUR DUTY TO THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN AND FULLY FUND THESE CRITICAL NEEDS FOR OUR DEPARTMENT. 
          GIVE US THE SAME SUPPORT THAT WE HAVE ALWAYS HAVE AND ALWAYS WILL GIVE THIS CITY HELP ENSURE THAT WE RETAIN OUR CURRENT MEDICS AND STOP THIS WASTEFUL AND IRRESPONSIBLE REVOLVING DOOR APPROACH. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. 
          I'M AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS. 
          CONTINUING ON ITEM TWO, PETER HUNT, KATHY MITCHELL, SHARON BLYTHE SUMMERS, BRAD MASSING, BENJAMIN KOKI, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND BEGIN SPEAKING. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON COUNSEL. 
          MY NAME IS PETER HAN WITH THE AUSTIN JUSTICE COALITION AND A CONSTITUENT OF DISTRICT 10. 
          I WANNA TALK AS A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE ABOUT THE POLICE CONTRACT IN PARTICULAR ARTICLE 20, SECTION FOUR, PARAGRAPH B, WHICH IS THE CLAUSE THAT SHOULD ENABLE RENEGOTIATION OF THAT CONTRACT. 
          NOW A TRE HAS FAILED, WHICH IS THE ENABLING EVENT FOR THAT CLAUSE TO TAKE EFFECT. 
          UH, AND DESPITE THE CITY MANAGER'S MEMO, UM, COUNCIL STILL HAS THE ABILITY TO RENEGOTIATE THAT CONTRACT. 
          THIS IS PRECISELY THE SITUATION IN WHICH WE WOULD EXPECT THAT CLAUSE TO BE USED. 
          IT HAD A FAILED TRE WE'RE EXPERIENCING BUDGET CUTS. 
          OUR PROJECTIONS FOR THE COMING YEARS ARE SOMEWHAT DIM. 
          UH, AND IT'S ALSO A CHANCE FOR THOSE MEMBERS OF COUNCIL WHO WERE NOT ON THE DAIS WHEN THIS BUDGET, UH, CONTRACT WITH THE POLICE WAS FIRST NEGOTIATED TO REEVALUATE. 
          IN LIGHT OF ALL THAT HAS CHANGED AND QUITE A BIT HAS CHANGED. 
          THIS CLAUSE WOULD PRESUMABLY BE HERE FOR EXACTLY THIS KIND OF MOMENT, AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE COUNSEL TO USE IT. 
          THIS IS AS MUCH FOR THE SAKE OF THE FINANCIAL STABILITY OF THE CITY AS ANYTHING. 
          UH, THIS CONTRACT IS GOING TO COMMIT THE CITY TO BUDGET INCREASES, UH, NEXT YEAR AND IN THE FOLLOWING YEARS THAT ARE GONNA FURTHER BIND THE HANDS OF COUNCIL TO MAKE THOSE DIFFICULT CUTS AND HAVE THOSE HARD CONVERSATIONS. 
          UM, IN THE FOLLOWING FISCAL YEARS, UH, COUNCIL BALKED AT AN A FA CHARTER AMENDMENT BECAUSE IT WOULD, UH, LIMIT THEIR ABILITY TO MAKE CUTS IN THE FUTURE WHEN THINGS GOT TOUGH. 
          UH, THE POLICE CONTRACT SHOULD NOT BE TREATED AS THOUGH IT WAS OPERATING DEFACTO UNDER SUCH A CLAUSE TO WHICH COUNCIL ALREADY TOOK ISSUE. 
          UH, AT THE VERY LEAST, COUNSEL SHOULD COMMIT TO NO INCREASES TO THE POLICE BUDGET THIS YEAR WITH AN EYE TO THE FUTURE, UNDERSTANDING THAT THINGS ARE GONNA GET TOUGH NEXT AND WE SHOULD KEEP IN MIND THE LONG-TERM FINANCIAL STABILITY OF THE CITY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          I'M BRIAN SUMMERS, PRESIDENT OF ASME LOCAL 1624. 
          I WANNA TALK ABOUT THE EXPECTATION, WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS ARE FOR CITY STAFF OVER THE COMING YEARS AS A CITY, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO HAVE THESE FORECASTS THAT PREDICT BUDGET DEFICITS AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO PROPOSE BUDGETS WHERE THERE ARE CUTS TO BALANCE THEM. 
          AND THAT'S GONNA JUST BE THIS CYCLE THAT WE'RE IN. 
          IN RESPONSE TO THAT, WE'RE LOOKING TO TRIM THE BUDGETS AND TO DO THAT, WE'VE GOT THE, WE'RE UNDERGOING THE IT CONSOLIDATION, THE SHARED SERVICES CONSOLIDATION IN THE DEPARTMENT BY DEPARTMENT PERFORMANCE REVIEWS. 
          SO AS THIS HAPPENED FOR CITY STAFF, THEY CAN EXPECT TO BE INTERVIEWED ABOUT WHAT THEY DO TO BE MONITORED FOR THEIR EFFICIENCY AND ESSENTIALLY JUSTIFY THE PUBLIC DOLLARS THAT ARE FUNDING THEM SO THAT WE ARE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE THINGS THAT WE SHOULD BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR. 
          AND THEN LOOKING AT ITEMS 76 ON TOMORROW'S AGENDA, WE MIGHT ALSO EXPECT TO ELIMINATE VACANCIES IF THEY'RE OPEN FOR TWO YEARS FOR JUST OUR DEPARTMENTS AND A DASHBOARD TO TRACK THAT. 
          AND THEN ALSO TO HAVE TO PROPOSE 5% CUTS EACH YEAR. 
          SO AS CITY EMPLOYEES, THIS IS OUR REALITY. 
          THIS IS WHAT WE'LL BE THINKING ABOUT AS WE DO OUR JOB SERVING THE CITY MOVING FORWARD, AND WE'RE WILLING TO WORK WITH THIS. 
          YOU KNOW, I THINK CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH THE CITY MANAGER AND A SEAT AT THE TABLE THROUGH THIS PROCESS WILL BE HELPFUL. 
          BUT THERE'S A DICHOTOMY. 
          I DON'T SEE THE SAME LEVEL OF SCRUTINY FOR THE DEPARTMENT THAT MAKES UP OVER 30% OF THE CITY'S BUDGET. 
          A PD THIS NEW REALITY IS SEEMINGLY ON THE BACKS OF JUST CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES, AND SO IS THE TASK OF TRIMMING THE OPERATING BUDGET. 
          BUT THERE'S STILL AN OPPORTUNITY IN THIS PROCESS TO APPLY THIS SAME FRAMEWORK OF EFFICIENCY ACROSS THE CITY. 
          AND IN DOING SO, WE WOULD LEAVE OURSELVES IN A BETTER POSITION. 
          AS OF NOW, I DO NOT HAVE A MESSAGE TO TAKE BACK TO MY MEMBERSHIP OTHER THAN THE STABILITY OF OUR JOBS AND THE PROGRAMS WE SUPPORT AREN'T WORTH THE HARD CONVERSATIONS NEEDED TO ENSURE THAT STABILITY. 
          MY MESSAGE RIGHT NOW IS THAT A DARK AND PAINFUL TIME IS AHEAD AND WE WILL BE UNDER A DIFFERENT SET OF RULES AND EXPECTATIONS AND WHY THAT IS THE CASE IS NOW UNAVOIDABLE FOR ALL OF US. 
          THANK YOU MR. MASSENGALE. 
          HEY Y'ALL. 
          UH, BRAD MASSI, D THREE. 
          UM, I'M PIGGYBACK A LITTLE BIT ON WHAT YOU JUST SAID. 
          UH, I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING PART OF RANGE RIVERS TASK FORCE AND THERE WAS SOME OTHERS HERE, 
          [02:55:01]
20 SOME ODD CITIZENS AND, AND WE INTERACTED WITH CITY STAFF A LOT. 
          AND ONE THING THAT IS APPARENT, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR WATERSHEDS, UH, HOMELESSNESS, DISPLACEMENT, ALL THESE THINGS, THE DEPARTMENTS ARE SILOED FROM ONE ANOTHER AND THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS GOING ON THAT COULD BE DONE IN TANDEM OR WITH EACH OTHER TO BE WAY MORE EFFICIENT AND TO GET SOME OF THESE PROBLEMS ACTUALLY SOLVED. 
          UM, THERE'S SO MUCH TALENT AND SO MUCH GOODWILL TOWARDS CITIZENS FROM OUR, OUR CITY STAFF, AND THEY'RE BEING ASKED TO JUMP THROUGH ALL THESE FLAMING HOOPS AND DO IMPOSSIBLE THINGS WITH NEXT TO NOTHING WHERE THE RESOURCES ARE THERE. 
          THEY'RE JUST NOT BEING UTILIZED CORRECTLY BECAUSE THE PROBLEMS ARE NOT BEING ADDRESSED SYSTEMATICALLY. 
          THEY'RE BEING PUT OUT LIKE WILDFIRES INSTEAD OF ADDRESSING THE WHOLE PROBLEM, WHICH AGAIN GOES BACK TO ME TO DEVELOPMENT AND UNCHECKED GROWTH IN THIS TOWN WHERE WE'RE JUST HANDING THE KEYS TO DEVELOPERS AND WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR ANYTHING IN RETURN. 
          SO MUCH OF THIS BUDGET TALK COULD BE OSTENSIBLY TAKEN CARE OF BY INCREASING USER FEES, ACCESS FEES TO OUR ROADS, OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, OUR WATER WASTEWATER, ALL THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE PAY FOR, INCLUDING OUR CITY EMPLOYEES, THAT WE NEED THEM TO STEP UP AND, AND HELP WITH THIS STUFF BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S, IT'S REALLY OUTTA CONTROL AND IT'S A NATIONWIDE PROBLEM. 
          BUT WE COULD BE A LEADER BY TRYING TO COME UP WITH SOME ORDINANCES AND SOME TOOLS BESIDES THE TAX BASE TO DO THIS STUFF WITH. 
          THANKS. 
          BENJAMIN HAS TIME DONATED BY SAVANNAH EDMONDSON. 
          SAVANNAH, ARE YOU HERE? SHE IS. 
          BENJAMIN. 
          WE'LL HAVE FOUR MINUTES. 
          UH, BENJAMIN KKI. 
          I'VE BEEN A MEDIC WITH AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY EMS, AND A MEMBER OF THE AUSTIN EMS ASSOCIATION FOR THREE YEARS. 
          UM, THESE OPINIONS ARE MY OWN AND DON'T REP REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE DEPARTMENT OR THE ASSOCIATION AS A WHOLE. 
          UM, I'D LIKE TO START BY THANKING CITY COUNCIL AND THE RESIDENTS OF AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY FOR YOUR TIME, ATTENTION, AND SUPPORT. 
          I'M HERE TODAY TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF FUNDING EMS. I'D LIKE TO THANK THE COUNCIL FOR YOUR APPARENT SUPPORT SO FAR, UH, FOR THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT FOR EMS OVERTIME FUNDING. 
          BUT TO IMPRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT AMENDMENT, I'D LIKE TO GET INTO SOME HARD NUMBERS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AND WHAT WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN WITHOUT FUNDING FOR OVERTIME. 
          LIKE MANY CITY DEPARTMENTS IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR, EMS WAS DIRECTED TO SAVE MONEY. 
          THE DEPARTMENT DID THAT BY SHUTTING DOWN AMBULANCES ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS THAT WERE EITHER FULLY STAFFED BY MEDICS ON OVERTIME OR BY NOT CALLING IN AVAILABLE MEDICS TO FILL VACANCIES. 
          CREATED BY THINGS LIKE STAFFING SHORTAGES ON-THE-JOB INJURIES FMLA AND SICK CALLS. 
          CONSEQUENTLY, FROM MAY TO OCTOBER OF 2025, THERE WERE ONLY 11 DAYS WHERE NO SHUTDOWNS OCCURRED FOR 90 DAYS BETWEEN MAY AND OCTOBER THREE OUT OF THOSE SIX MONTHS, EMS HAD A 10% OR MORE SHUTDOWN RATE ALMOST EVERY DAY. 
          WE HAD MEDICS WHO VOLUNTEERED TO WORK THOSE TRUCKS WHO WERE TOLD, SORRY, WE HAVE TO SAVE MONEY SO THOSE TRUCKS ARE DOWN FOR THE DAY. 
          THOSE AMBULANCE BROWNOUTS DON'T JUST AFFECT THE MOST DENSELY POPULATED DISTRICTS. 
          AMBULANCES FROM ACROSS THE CITY ARE ROUTINELY PULLED OUT OF THEIR AREAS OF COVERAGE TO RESPOND TO 9 1 1 CALLS THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND COUNTY. 
          EVEN WHEN THOSE CALLS ARE TRIAGED AS LOW PRIORITY WITH LOW ACUITY COMPLAINTS, OUR INTEGRATED HEALTH TEAM DIVERTS SOME OF THOSE 9 1 1 CALLS FROM AMBULANCE RESPONSE. 
          BUT IF A PATIENT ISN'T INTERESTED IN SPEAKING TO THEM, OR SOMETIMES WHEN FAMILY MEMBERS OR BYSTANDERS ARE THE ONE CALLING, AN AMBULANCE STILL MUST BE SENT OVERTIME. 
          FUNDING IS CRUCIAL TO KEEPING AMBULANCES STAFFED TO BETTER SERVE THE COMMUNITY. 
          FUNDING FOR OVERTIME IS ONLY PART OF THE SOLUTION. 
          UH, THOSE SIX MONTHS OF AMBULANCE BROWNOUTS TOOK A HUGE TOLL ON US. 
          WE'RE STARTING TO GET BACK TO A SPOT WHERE THE DEPARTMENT IS BROWNING OUT AMBULANCES, UH, BECAUSE THEY SIMPLY CAN'T STAFF THEM. 
          THE INCREASE IN WORKLOAD OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS MADE FILLING THOSE OVERTIME SPOTS HARDER BECAUSE MEDICS ARE SIMPLY TOO OVERWORKED FOR THEIR, FROM THEIR ASSIGNED SHIFTS TO BE WILLING TO PICK UP OVERTIME. 
          ON THEIR OFF DAYS. 
          JUST LAST SATURDAY, FOUR DAYS AGO, EIGHT OUT OF 44 AMBULANCES WERE BROWNED OUT BECAUSE THERE WERE NO A LS PROVIDERS WILLING TO SACRIFICE THEIR SLEEP, NUTRITION, AND FAMILY LIFE TO VOLUNTEER TO WORK. 
          MOREOVER, WE'VE HAD A RASH OF PEOPLE LEAVING FOR NEIGHBORHOOD DEPARTMENTS AND EVEN TRAVIS COUNTY ESDS WITH MANY, UH, MAKING THE DECISION TO LEAVE PARTIALLY BECAUSE THOSE NEIGHBORING DEPARTMENTS HAVE A SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER WORKLOAD COUNCIL MEMBERS. 
          IF YOU'RE CURIOUS WHAT OUR WORKLOAD FEELS LIKE, PLEASE ASK TO DO A FULL 24 HOUR SHIFT WITH US ON A BUSY AMBULANCE IN YOUR DISTRICT. 
          LET'S SAY THAT SHIFT IS ON A MONDAY AFTER THE SHIFT ON TUESDAY MORNING. 
          ASK YOURSELF IF YOU WOULD VOLUNTEER 
          [03:00:01]
FOR THAT EXPERIENCE AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY, KNOWING THAT YOU'D BE BACK ON FRIDAY FOR THE SAME THING. 
          THAT'LL GIVE YOU A BETTER IDEA AND A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF OUR WORKLOAD AND WHY YOU'RE STRUGGLING TO FILL OVERTIME SLOTS THAN ANY GRAPH DATA, DATA POINT, OR DASHBOARD. 
          ADDITIONAL UNITS LIKE THE BLS UNITS FUNDED BY THE PREVIOUS BUDGET ARE CRUCIAL TO LOWERING THE WORKLOAD OF THE EMS SYSTEM. 
          I KNOW IN THE PAST COUNCIL HAS ASKED EMS WHY THE TAXPAYERS SHOULD FUND ADDITIONAL AMBULANCES WHEN WE'RE STRUGGLING TO STAFF THE UNITS THAT WE HAVE, AND THAT IS A VALID CONCERN. 
          UH, WHAT IT MISSES IS THAT ADDITIONAL AMBULANCES NOT ONLY MAKE VOLUNTEERING FOR OVERTIME TO STAFF THEM OR EXISTING UNITS MORE PALATABLE BY LOWERING WORKLOAD FOR THE SYSTEM, BUT THEY ALSO MAKE STAYING AT THIS DEPARTMENT LONG-TERM MORE PALATABLE BY LOWERING ACCUMULATIVE FATIGUE AND BURNOUT. 
          REMINDER THAT THE AVERAGE PARAMEDIC IN THE US ONLY STAYS IN THIS CAREER FOR SIX AND A HALF YEARS, AND RETIREMENT HERE REQUIRES 30 YEARS OR MORE. 
          UM, CITY COUNCIL, I KNOW YOU LOVE OUR MS DEPARTMENT. 
          UM, PLEASE FUND MORE AMBULANCES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          CONTINUING ON ITEM TWO, MONICA GUZMAN, LIZ BAKER, CHRIS TURN, JENNIFER ROBO. 
          IF YOU CAN PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND BEGIN SPEAKING. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNSEL. 
          I'M MONICA GOSMAN, POLICY DIRECTOR AT GAVA, STARTING WITH A D FOUR RESIDENT STATEMENT IN MY HOUSE, WHEN I FIND WE ARE SPENDING MORE THAN WE'RE TAKING IN, I CAN'T JUST WISH MYSELF MORE MONEY OR TAKE SOMEONE ELSE'S MONEY TO INCREASE MY INCOME AND WHEN I NEED TO CUT MY SPENDING, I DON'T START WITH THE MOST IMPORTANT EXPENSES FIRST. 
          I CAN REMEMBER END OF THE FISCAL YEAR SPENDING SPREES BY PUBLIC EMPLOYEES WHO WOULD COME INTO OUR STORE FILLING UP CARTS WITH LOADS OF UNNECESSARY AND UNNEEDED ITEMS BECAUSE THEY HAD TO SPEND EVERY LESS PENNY IN THEIR ALLOCATED BUDGET, NOT TO PREVENT IT FROM BEING CUT IN THE NEXT BUDGET, BUT TO JUSTIFY ASKING FOR MORE IN THE NEXT BUDGET. 
          INCREASING PROPERTY TAXES AND UTILITY BILLS ARE PRICING LONGTIME AUSTINITES OUT OF BUSINESSES AND HOUSES DUE TO THE COSTS INCREASING THE COST OF LIVING IN AUSTIN. 
          FOR EVERYONE TO REDUCE THOSE COSTS FOR A SELECT FEW ACCOMPLISHES TWO THINGS, MAKING AUSTIN LESS AFFORDABLE AND DRIVING PEOPLE OUT OF AUSTIN. 
          I DON'T HAVE ANY MORE MONEY AND YET HERE YOU ARE TELLING ME I HAVE TO GIVE YOU MORE UNDER THE THREAT OF HAVING REDUCED POLICE FIRE AND EMS SERVICE. 
          JUST SAY NO. 
          GAVA URGES YOU TO REMEMBER. 
          PUBLIC HEALTH IS PUBLIC SAFETY, SPECIFICALLY ECONOMIC STABILITY PROVIDED THROUGH THE FAMILY STABILIZATION GRANT. 
          MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR THE IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY. 
          EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE FOR THOSE EXPERIENCING HOUSING INSTABILITY AND HOUSING FOR THE UNHOUSED. 
          THOSE AND OTHER PRIORITIES WILL RELIEVE POLICE OF TASKS THEY DO NOT NEED TO DO AND SHOULD NOT HAVE TO DO, LIKE RESPONDING TO MENTAL HEALTH CRISES AND ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF OUR UNHOUSED COMMUNITY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          HELLO, MY NAME IS ELIZABETH BAKER. 
          I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE OTHER ONES FOUNDATION. 
          I WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR REQUESTING THE CITY MANAGER TO AMEND THE BUDGET TO INCLUDE NON CONGREGATE SHELTER. 
          THE ESPERANZA COMMUNITY CURRENTLY PROVIDES 100 BEDS OF TRANSITIONAL SHELTER WITH 100 BEDS NEARLY READY TO OPEN. 
          THE ESPERANZA COMMUNITY DELIVERS STRONG OUTCOMES. 
          WE LEVERAGE RESOURCES ACROSS THE SOCIAL SAFETY NET AND WE BRING MATCHING RESOURCES TO ELEVATE THE CITY'S IMPACT. 
          THE ESPERANZA COMMUNITY ACHIEVES A GREATER SUCCESSFUL EXIT RATE THAN MOST LOCAL SHELTERS AND OUTPERFORMS MANY COMPARABLE PROGRAMS. NATIONWIDE. 
          CLIENTS ACHIEVE WELLNESS THROUGH A MYRIAD OF PARTNERSHIPS TO ADDRESS HEALTHCARE, PSYCHIATRIC CARE AND SUBSTANCE USE SERVICES. 
          OVER 60% OF THE CLIENTS IN OUR SHELTER ENGAGE IN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT TRAINING, CREATING NEW PATHWAYS OUT OF HOMELESSNESS AS FEDERAL RENTAL SUBSIDIES ARE DIMINISHING. 
          LOOKING AHEAD NEXT MONTH, THIS T-D-H-C-A BOARD WILL CONSIDER A $50 MILLION CAPITAL AWARD TO EXPAND ESPANZA BY 325 UNITS OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS. 
          THIS RARE OPPORTUNITY COULD SAVE THE CITY MILLIONS BY AVOIDING COSTLY REPLACEMENTS OF TEMPORARY OR AGING FACILITIES. 
          A LACK OF CITY SUPPORT OF ESPERANZA NOW POSES A RISK TO THE VIABILITY OF THAT EXPANSION. 
          WE RECOGNIZE THE CITY FACES TOUGH BUDGET CHOICES WHILE ATTEMPTING TO RETAIN IMPACT TWO HAS BUDGETED CONSERVATIVELY AND SETS AMBITIOUS GOALS TO BRING DIVERSE RESOURCES 
          [03:05:01]
TO ELEVATE OUR IMPACT. 
          YET WITHOUT $2.9 MILLION FROM THE CITY, WE FALL BELOW THE THRESHOLD FOR SAFE OPERATIONS. 
          I URGE YOU TO APPROVE A BUDGET THAT INCLUDES THIS CRITICAL INVESTMENT IN AUSTIN'S HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON, UH, MAYOR, CITY MANAGER AND MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. 
          MY NAME'S CHRIS TURN. 
          I'M IN DISTRICT 10 AND I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF THE OTHER ONES FOUNDATION. 
          OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S A LOT OF CONVERSATION AND NORMALLY WHEN WE HAVE DISCUSSIONS IT'S ABOUT MACRO ISSUES, BUT TODAY I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT A MICRO ISSUE AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THIS WEEK'S BUDGET DISCUSSION ALREADY AS IT SHOWS THAT YOU'RE LISTENING AND YOUR LEADERSHIP, THAT ALONG WITH THE CITY MANAGER AND DAVID GRAY, YOU'VE DEMONSTRATED WHEN YOU DIRECTED THE CITY MANAGER TO FIND FUNDING FOR THE PRIORITIES YOU SET. 
          WE ARE DEEPLY GRATEFUL TO SEE TWO'S NON-CON SHELTER INCLUDED IN THE PACKAGE BEING BROUGHT FORWARD TODAY, RIGHT ALONGSIDE THE ADDITIONAL PSH SUPPORT EMS STAFFING AND THE 24 7 AMCO COVERAGE YOU CALLED FOR. 
          YOUR CLEAR DIRECTIVE MADE THIS POSSIBLE AND WE APPRECIATE THAT YOU ARE PROTECTING THE COMMUNITY PRIORITIES. 
          THE 2.9 MILLION, AS LIZ SAID, WILL ALLOW TO TO DO WHAT WE'VE ALREADY PROVEN WE CAN DO AT A GREATER SCALE WHEN THE NEED HAS NEVER BEEN GREATER. 
          THE JANUARY 20, 25 POINT IN TIME COUNT FOUND THAT 3,238 NEIGHBORS ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS ON A SINGLE NIGHT, WHICH IS A 36% INCREASE SINCE 2023, AND ROUGHLY HALF OF THOSE OVER 1500 ARE STILL UNSHELTERED. 
          IN THE LAST YEAR WE'VE GRADUATED OUR FIRST THREE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CLASSES, DOZENS OF OUR NEIGHBORS WHO ARE FORMERLY HOMELESS HAVE TAKEN ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT STEP TOWARDS BECOMING SUSTAINABLE IN A DIGNIFIED MANNER. 
          BECAUSE OF THE STABILITY AND YOUR PAST SUPPORT CREATED, WE ARE ON TRACK TO SERVE AT LEAST ANOTHER 60% OF PEOPLE, MORE PEOPLE IN 2026, MOVING MORE, EVEN MORE AUSTINITES FROM THE STREET DIRECTLY INTO JOBS AND THEN TO HOMES. 
          THIS FUNDING KEEPS THAT PIPELINE FLOWING. 
          IT KEEPS OUR LOWER BARRIER SHELTERS OPEN, OUR WORKFORCE PROGRAM GROWING AND OUR DIVERSION SELECTION AND SERVICES GOING EVERY DAY. 
          MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT KEEPS PEOPLE ALIVE AND GIVES THEM A REAL OBTAINABLE AND DIGNIFIED PATH FORWARD. 
          THANK YOU ALL FOR INCLUDING THIS FULL ASK AND CONTINUING YOUR SUPPORT OF THE OTHER ONES FOUNDATION. 
          THANK YOU BOTH. 
          CONTINUING ON ITEM TWO, CELINE RENDON, SCOTT HENDRICKS, JEFFREY BOWEN, ISAAC JEREMY CABALLERO. 
          PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND BEGIN SPEAKING. 
          HELLO, I'M CELINE RENDON. 
          I'M CONTINUING A STATEMENT BY COMMUNITY POWERED A TX, A COALITION OF DIRECTLY IMPACTED BLACK AND BROWN AND PEOPLE OF COLOR, RENTERS, UNHOUSED, NEIGHBORS, HOME OWNERS, YOUNG PEOPLE AND ELDERS THROUGHOUT THE EASTERN CRESCENT. 
          OUR DEMANDS ARE CLEAR. 
          WE CALL TO SUPPORT THE INVESTMENTS BY CALLED FOR BY THE COMMUNITY INVESTMENT BUDGET THAT INCLUDES RAPID REHOUSING, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE, HARM REDUCTION, THE FAMILY STABILIZATION GRANT, ROBUST HOUSING NAVIGATION, AND MORE DIVERT FUNDING AWAY FROM THE POLICE BUDGET AND CUT CONTRACTS WITH FOR-PROFIT ENTITIES AND IN FUTURE BUDGET VOTES. 
          REDIRECT THE CONVENTION CENTER FUNDS, REDIRECT CAP ANDIT FUNDS, MOVE 2.5 FROM PROJECT CONNECT, 2.5 MILLION FROM PROJECT CONNECT TO RESTORE CUTS TO RENTAL ASSISTANCE IN THE HOUSING TRUST FUND. 
          WE DEMAND COST SAVING COMMUNITY PROTECTING ACTION SUCH AS IMPLEMENTING THE EQUITY ANTI DISPLACEMENT OVERLAY FOR EASTERN CRESCENT NEIGHBORHOODS VULNERABLE TO GENTRIFICATION. 
          IT'S BEEN TWO YEARS AFTER COMMUNITIES ROSE UP AGAINST HOME AND DB 90 AND WE REFUSE TO ACCEPT MORE STUDIES, DELAYS OR EXCUSES. 
          AMEND DB 90 TO PROTECT AFFORDABLE APARTMENTS REQUIRING THAT DEVELOPERS REPLACE EVERY AFFORDABLE UNIT THEY DEMOLISH AT THE SAME RENTAL COST. 
          INCREASE TENANT BENEFITS TO MATCH THE STANDARDS SET IN THE AGREEMENT WON BY ARROW TENANTS ASSOCIATION AND A FORCED DEVELOPER COMMITMENTS. 
          INVEST IN A PRESERVATION FUND OVERSEEN BY DIRECTLY IMPACTED RESIDENTS AND ORGANIZERS, PRESERVING EXISTING AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND LAND BEFORE PROPERTIES ARE TARGETED FOR DEMOLITION AND LUXURY DEVELOPMENT, STABILIZING PROTE AND PROTECTING AFFORDABLE HOUSING THROUGHOUT OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. 
          INVEST IN A LOW INCOME HOUSING TRUST FUND WITH COMMUNITY OVERSIGHT. 
          REVIVING THE DEMAND FIRST RAISE IN THE PEOPLE'S PLAN THIS TIME. 
          ENSURE THE FUNDS CANNOT BE MISUSED ON PROJECTS THAT PRETEND TO BE AFFORDABLE WHILE THE SPACE DISPLACING THE PEOPLE THEY CLAIM TO SERVE. 
          OUR COMMUNITY'S RIGHTS AND STABILITY ARE UNDER ATTACK AND PEOPLE ARE BEING ASKED TO ENGAGE WHILE FIGHTING TO JUST SURVIVE HOME AND DB 90 AND POLICIES PUSHED HARD BY THE DEVELOPER DONORS. 
          TECH BILLIONAIRES HAVE ACCELERATED THE DESTRUCTION, AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND HAS FUELED LUXURY REDEVELOPMENT. 
          NOW'S THE TIME TO ACT. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          NOT WITH TRICKLE DOWN FANTASIES. 
          THANK AND WITH ACTION PLEASE. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          MY NAME IS SCOTT HENDRICKS. 
          I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT 10. 
          I'M ALSO A BORN AND RAISED AUSTINITE AND BEFORE TODAY I HAVE NEVER COME BEFORE CITY COUNCIL, BUT I WANTED TO SEE WITH MY OWN EYES 
          [03:10:01]
THE MOST DYSFUNCTIONAL, DISHONEST, AND INCOMPETENT COUNCIL AND MANAGEMENT I HAVE SEEN IN MY LIFETIME. 
          YOU KNOW, PROP Q FAILED NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF CONCERNS ABOUT BUDGETS AND TAX RATES AND AFFORDABILITY, IT FAILED BECAUSE OF THE FUNDAMENTAL BREAKDOWN IN TRUST AND CREDIBILITY THAT THIS COUNCIL AND MANAGEMENT HAVE DEMONSTRATED TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS GOING FORWARD. 
          MY ADVICE, ACTUALLY, MY EXPECTATIONS OF YOU ARE GET BACK TO BASICS. 
          FOCUS ON FUNDAMENTAL CITY SERVICES, THE CORE THINGS YOU WERE HIRED TO DO. 
          DEPLOY LAW ENFORCEMENT PER PREVIOUS AGREEMENTS, COMMENSURATE IN ALSO FIRE AND MEDICAL FIRST RESPONDERS COMMENSURATE WITH THE CITY OUR SIZE AND POPULATION. 
          FIX THE LEAKY WATER PIPES, CLEAR THE DEAD BRUSH FROM OUR GREEN BELTS. 
          PICK UP THE TRASH AND YES, FIX THE POTHOLES. 
          MAKING AUSTIN A DYNAMIC, VIBRANT, WONDERFUL, ENTREPRENEURIAL, CREATIVE, DIVERSE CITY. 
          THAT'S OUR JOB. 
          THAT'S THE CITIZEN'S JOB. 
          WE GOT THIS. 
          WE EXPECT YOU TO PROVIDE FUNDAMENTAL CORE CITY SERVICES AS YOU WERE HIRED TO DO. 
          PROP Q FAILED BECAUSE A DIVERSE BROAD COALITION WITH MEMBERS IN ALL OF YOUR DISTRICTS ROSE UP TO SAY NO TO YOUR PRIORITIES. 
          NOW WE TURN OUR ATTENTION TO REPLACING SEVERAL OF YOU ON THIS DAAS NEXT YEAR. 
          IF YOU HOPE TO LEAVE OFFICE WITH A GRAIN OF TRUST OR CREDIBILITY RESTORED, I EXPECT YOU TO FOCUS ON OUR PRIORITIES, NOT YOURS. 
          THANK YOU, MR. BOWEN. 
          UH, MR. WATSON, UH, MR. MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, THANK YOU FOR THIS TIME. 
          UH, I MISSED THIS MORNING BECAUSE I WAS ACTUALLY DEALING WITH A CUSTOMER. 
          THEIR NEEDS AT THAT TIME WERE MY PRIORITY BECAUSE MY CUSTOMER DEPENDED UPON ME, WHICH I HOPE THAT MESSAGE GETS ACROSS. 
          BUT I WAS LISTENING THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE TIME WHILE I WAS REVIEWING HIS PLANS, AND MR. BROAD NECK SAID SOMETHING VERY RESPONSIBLE. 
          HE SAID, MORE RESPONSIBILITY, AND THAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION. 
          AND THEN HE TALKED ABOUT, THEN THE CONVERSATION WAS WE WERE DOING ALL OF THESE THINGS NOW TO TRY TO FIND ALL OF THESE AREAS. 
          AND THE QUESTION CAME TO MY MIND, WELL, WHY WEREN'T WE DOING THOSE SAME THINGS YEARS AND YEARS AGO? THERE SEEMS TO BE A FLAW IN THE SYSTEM THEN, MR. MAYOR, I HAVE TO QUOTE YOU WHEN YOU SAID YOU ASKED A QUESTION ABOUT THE RFP AND SOME CLARIFICATION. 
          I AGREE. 
          WE NEED SOME CLARIFICATION BECAUSE I'M GONNA QUOTE YOU ONE MORE TIME WHEN YOU SAID THE BENEFITS OF PROP Q WAS THAT THE, THERE WAS A DEMAND FOR MORE INFORMATION AND FOR MORE TRUST. 
          INFORMATION IS VITAL FOR THOSE OF US OUT HERE ALSO TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON. 
          SO I APPLAUD YOU, SIR, FOR ASKING THAT QUESTION. 
          AND AS FOR TRUST, TRUST IS EARNED AND HAS BEEN LOST, 63% SAID, WE HAVE A PROBLEM HERE WE CANNOT TRUST. 
          I'VE BEEN TO RECENT TOWN HALL MEETINGS AND THAT SEEMS TO BE ONE OF THE COMMON CALLS IS TRUST. 
          WELL, WE NEED TO EARN THIS TRUST BACK. 
          WELL, YOU SHOULD HAVE NEVER LOST THAT TRUST BECAUSE YOU WEREN'T PROVIDING INFORMATION. 
          YOU FAILED TO LISTEN AND YOU FAILED TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE REST OF US. 
          SO MOVING FORWARD, I SEE, STILL SEE THE FACT OF PEOPLE SAYING, OH, IT'S $110 MILLION CUT. 
          IS THAT ONLY BECAUSE YOU'RE TRYING TO STILL FUND YOUR PET PROJECTS? YOU REALLY NEED TO THINK ABOUT HOW THAT AFFECTS US. 
          ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES. 
          CONTINUING ON ITEM TWO, BEN SOTHEBY, HANS MAVERICK, SAVANNAH LEE, ELLIOT REHAN, WILLIAM RIVAS RIVAS, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND BEGIN SPEAKING. 
          HELLO, MY NAME'S BEN SOE. 
          I'M A RESIDENT OF D FOUR. 
          UH, I WANNA START OFF BY, WELL, ONE, SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF MYSELF, NOT ANYBODY THAT I WORK WITH IN MY JOB OR ON A BOARD THAT I SERVE ON OR ON BEHALF OF THE UNION THAT I'M A PROUD MEMBER OF JUST MYSELF. 
          UH, I WANNA MAKE CLEAR OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS ARE NOT PET PROJECTS, RESOURCES FOR CHILDREN IN WILLIAMSON COUNTY WHO'VE BEEN ABUSED. 
          THAT IS NOT A PET PROJECT. 
          THEY'RE DEEPLY FELT COMMUNITY NEEDS. 
          I WANNA THANK THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE, UH, JOIN WHO JOINED US IN THE EFFORT TO TRY AND INFORM PEOPLE OF WHAT WAS ON THE LINE. 
          CLEARLY, WE DID NOT EDUCATE OUR COMMUNITY AT ENOUGH ABOUT WHAT WAS AT STAKE HERE JUST TODAY IN ALL THE PROCEEDINGS YESTERDAY, WE HAVE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY STILL, UH, UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT, UH, THERE'S POTS OF MONEY THAT ARE JUST BEING WHEELED AROUND. 
          IT CAN BE MOVED AROUND BESIDE, YOU KNOW, IGNORING STATE LAW. 
          UH, THERE THERE'S A KNOWLEDGE GAP AND WE NEED TO LOOK FOR WAYS TO INFORM THEM ABOUT WHAT 
          [03:15:01]
IS WITHIN THE SCOPE OF WHAT WE CAN DO. 
          BUT THEN IT'S TO YOUR TURN TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN. 
          THAT THERE AREN'T THINGS THAT ARE OFF THE TABLE. 
          UH, FOR EXAMPLE, HUGE AMOUNTS OF OVERTIME IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. 
          I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE BOXED IN BY A CONTRACT, UH, AND BY STATE LAW THAT SAYS THAT IF YOU, YOU CAN'T REDUCE IT BEYOND, YOU KNOW, PAST WHAT YOU GAVE THEM LAST YEAR, BUT LET LET IT BE TO THAT LEVEL. 
          YOU KNOW, IF, IF THERE'S GONNA BE PAIN AT THE CITY, IT HAS TO BE SPREAD. 
          IT CAN'T BE FOCUSED ONLY ON, UH, FIRE EMS, THE FOLKS AT INTEGRAL CARE AND THE REST OF US WHO ARE CIVILIAN WORKERS. 
          UH, AND I SAY US BECAUSE ALTHOUGH I DON'T WORK FOR YOU, I AM A PROUD MEMBER OF MY UNION AND I HEAR FROM PEOPLE WHO WORK AT THE CITY AND THERE'S REAL FEAR. 
          SO I'M JUST GONNA ECHO WHAT OUR UNION HAS ALREADY MADE. 
          CLEAR, UH, NO REDUCTIONS IN FORCE. 
          MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS WHO ARE ON THE FRONT LINE GET THEIR THEIR EMERGENCY. 
          OKAY, THANK, WHY DON'T YOU GO AHEAD. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR WATSON, MAYOR PRO TEM FUENTES, COUNCIL MEMBERS. 
          MY NAME IS HANS MAVERICK AND I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT 10. 
          I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE MY CONCERNS WITH YOU TODAY. 
          I'M BACK HERE AGAIN TODAY BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT THE POINTS I RAISED AT YESTERDAY'S COUNCIL WORK SESSION, BEAR REITERATING AND REEMPHASIZING. 
          I MENTIONED YESTERDAY THAT I WOULD LIKE THE COUNCIL TO AVOID INCREASING THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT BUDGET OVER LAST YEAR. 
          I KNOW THAT MANY OF MY FELLOW LONGTIME AUSTINITES, INCLUDING CLOSE FRIENDS OF MINE, DON'T SEE EYE TO EYE WITH ME ABOUT THIS. 
          HERE'S WHERE I RESPECTFULLY THINK THEY MIGHT BE MISGUIDED. 
          ADDING TO THE POLICE BUDGET CREATES THE FEELING OF SAFETY MORE THAN IT CREATES ACTUAL SAFETY. 
          WHEN I WAS INCARCERATED IN THE DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN, UH, IN TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN THE EARLY TWO THOUSANDS, I SAW FIRSTHAND HOW THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM TARGETS PEOPLE OF COLOR, POOR PEOPLE, UNDOCUMENTED PEOPLE, AND PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES. 
          WHEN I RETURNED HOME TO AUSTIN, IT WAS A STRUGGLE, BUT I MANAGED TO FIND A DECENT PLACE TO LIVE, GET A GOOD JOB, AND EVEN COMPLETE DEGREES AT AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN UT AUSTIN. 
          I WAS ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH ALL THOSE THINGS BECAUSE MY FAMILY HAD THE MEANS AND THE CONNECTIONS TO HELP ME. 
          BUT NOT EVERYBODY COMING OUT OF JAIL OR PRISON HAS THOSE KINDS OF RESOURCES. 
          I BELIEVE THAT AS CITIZENS AND TAXPAYERS, WE HAVE A DUTY TO SUPPORT PEOPLE WHO NEED HELP WITH REENTRY, AS WELL AS THOSE NEEDING SUBSTANCE USE AND MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT AND HOUSING STABILIZATION AND IMMIGRANT LEGAL SER SERVICES. 
          THIS IS A LESS VISIBLE BUT MORE DURABLE APPROACH TO PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          SO PLEASE KEEP THE A PD BUDGET THE SAME AS LAST FISCAL YEAR. 
          INSTEAD, PRIORITIZE SPENDING THAT HELPS PREVENT PEOPLE FROM RETURNING TO PRISON OR GOING THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          WILLIAM RIVA RIVAS, CHIEF MISSION OFFICER AT LIFEWORKS AND RESIDENT OF DISTRICT NINE, UH, MAYOR WATSON PRO TEM FUENTES AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. 
          I WANNA BEGIN BY ACKNOWLEDGING THE INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT BUDGET ENVIRONMENT YOU'RE NAVIGATING. 
          THE LOSS OF FEDERAL COVID RELIEF FUNDS. 
          RECENT FAILURE OF PROP, UH, PROP Q HAVE CREATED REAL CONSTRAINTS AT A TIME WHEN AFFORD AFFORDABILITY. 
          PRESSURES ARE PUSHING MORE OF OUR NEIGHBORS INTO HOUSING INSTABILITY, INCREASING DEMAND ON AN ALREADY STRAINED HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE SYSTEM. 
          AS YOU CONSIDER HOW TO ALLOCATE LIMITED RESOURCES, I WANT TO UNDERSCORE THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING THE CORE CAPACITY OF HOMELESSNESS SERVICES ACROSS OUR COMMUNITY. 
          THESE PROGRAMS, PREVENTION, DIVERSION, SHELTER, HOUSING, AND SUPPORTIVE SERVICES WORK TOGETHER TO STABILIZE RESIDENTS, REDUCE RELIANCE ON CRISIS SYSTEMS AND PREVENT FAR MORE COSTLY OUTCOMES. 
          WHEN ANY PART OF THIS CONTINUUM CONTRACTS THE IMPACT IS FELT SYSTEM-WIDE. 
          LIFEWORKS IS ONE EXAMPLE OF HOW THESE INVESTMENTS TRANSLATE INTO MEASURABLE COMMUNITY BENEFIT. 
          WE SERVE YOUTH AND YOUNG FAMILIES EXPERIENCING OR AT RISK OF HOMELESSNESS, AND WE ARE THE ONLY ORGANIZATION IN AUSTIN SOLELY FOCUSED ON THIS POPULATION. 
          INTERVENING EARLY HELPS PREVENT A LIFETIME OF CYCLING THROUGH ADULT HOMELESSNESS, EMERGENCY ROOMS AND CRISIS SYSTEMS YIELDING SOME OF THE HIGHEST RETURNS ON INVESTMENT IN OUR FIELD. 
          OUR PROGRAMS OPERATE THE FULL CONTINUUM FOR YOUNG PEOPLE FROM HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION TO SHELTER PERMANENT HOUSING AND WRAPAROUND SUPPORT. 
          LIKE MANY PROVIDERS, MAINTAINING CAPACITY IS ESSENTIAL TO MEETING RISING NEED. 
          CUTS TO SERVICES, WHETHER FOR YOUTH, ADULTS, OR FAMILIES, MEANS FEWER OPPORTUNITIES FOR STABILIZATION AND GREATER DOWNSTREAM PUBLIC COST. 
          LIFEWORKS ALSO ILLUSTRATES HOW COMMUNITY PROVIDERS LEVERAGE CITY INVESTMENT BY MAXIMIZING FEDERAL 
          [03:20:01]
RESOURCES SUCH AS FOSTER YOUTH AND INDEPENDENCE, FAMILY UNIFICATION, PROGRAM VOUCHERS. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OUR LAST SPEAKER ON ITEM TWO IS PHILIP WILEY. 
          PLEASE BEGIN. 
          MY NAME'S PHILLIP WILEY. 
          I NEVER WANTED TO BE HERE ANY MORE THAN YOU WANT ME TO BE HERE RIGHT NOW. 
          UM, I WAS A, UH, COST MANAGER AT IBM WHEN WE WENT THROUGH A VERY DIFFICULT TRANSITION FROM IT NOT WORKING TO HOPING THAT WE COULD AGAIN BECOME A DOMINANT FORCE IN THE MARKETPLACE. 
          I SERVED UNDER A GENTLEMAN BY THE NAME OF LOU GERNER, WHO IS THE TOP CONSULTANT IN THE COUNTRY. 
          AND, UH, OUR CFO WAS THE GUY BY THE NAME OF JEROME YORK. 
          AND IF YOU EVER SAW HIM, YOU MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN YORK. 
          IT WAS A VERB AND IT MEANT THAT HE WAS GONNA HELP CORRECT YOUR THINKING ABOUT HOW THINGS NEEDED TO BE DONE TO BECOME MORE EFFICIENT AND MORE EFFECTIVE IN WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO DO. 
          UM, WITH THAT BACKGROUND, I WOULD, I WOULD HOPE AND ENCOURAGE THE QUESTION TO BECOME, WHAT IDEAS DOES THE COMMUNITY HAVE TO LOWER THE COST OF LIVING IN AUSTIN? BECAUSE IT ISN'T JUST THE BUDGET, PEOPLE ARE RESPONDING NOT TO THE BUDGET, THEY'RE RESPONDING TO THE COST OF LIVING IN AUSTIN, THE COST OF LIVING IN TEXAS, THE COST OF LIVING EVERYWHERE. 
          AND TO THAT END, I I I THINK IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A BREACH OF PROTOCOL, SO I DECIDED NOT TO EVEN ASK, BUT I WAS GOING TO ASK GOOGLE, WHAT IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE MAJOR CITY IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, BECAUSE WE'VE ALL KNOWN THE ANSWER TO THAT FOREVER. 
          IT'S AUSTIN. 
          IT'S ALWAYS BEEN AUSTIN. 
          THAT ISN'T THE ANSWER. 
          THE ANSWER IS DALLAS, AND THAT HASN'T GOT OUT ALL, ALL THAT YOU ARE FIGHTING AGAINST AND ALL THE SUCCESS AND PROGRESS YOU'VE MADE. 
          THANK YOU, MR. WILEY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          APPRECIATE YOU. 
          THAT CONCLUDES ALL SPEAKERS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MEMBERS, UH, YOU'VE HEARD THAT CONCLUDES ALL OF THE SPEAKERS THAT SIGNED UP FOR THIS PUBLIC HEARING. 
          SO WITHOUT OBJECTION, UH, WE WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE, UH, THIS BUDGET AMENDMENT IS NOW, UH, UH, CLOSED. 
          UM, BECAUSE, UH, I WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE CLEAR ON EVERYTHING. 
          I WANT TO, THERE'S A COUPLE THINGS I WANNA FOLLOW UP. 
          ONE IS THAT, UH, I WANNA REITERATE WHAT WAS CLARIFIED YESTERDAY WITH REGARD TO THE ABILITY OF THE COUNCIL TO USE MONEY FOR CAP STITCH, WHICH WE CAN'T, UH, THAT MONEY THERE. 
          I WANNA CLARIFY THAT WE, WE OR WE, I WANNA POINT OUT THAT WE CLARIFIED YESTERDAY THAT WE CAN'T USE MONEY FOR THE, FROM THE CONVENTION CENTER AND THAT PROJECT, UM, WE CAN'T DO THAT. 
          UM, ALSO PROJECT CONNECT WAS A SPECIFIC, UH, SPECIFIC DESIGNATED TRE THAT MONEY CAN'T BE USED, UH, TO FILL ANY GAPS IN IN THIS BUDGET. 
          IN ADDITION, UM, BECAUSE IT GOT MENTIONED AGAIN, UH, IT'S BEEN MENTIONED MORE THAN ONCE TODAY, BUT IT GOT MENTIONED DURING THIS PUBLIC HEARING. 
          I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT TO THE COUNCIL BECAUSE IT'S FAIRLY HOT OFF THE PRESS TODAY. 
          AT ABOUT TWO 30, WE RECEIVED, UM, THE ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE HOME INITIATIVE. 
          UM, Y'ALL WILL REMEMBER THAT, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I, I ASKED COUNCIL TO DO IN THIS COUNCIL THAT, THAT COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED, UH, THAT WE WOULD DO, UH, RESEARCH ON THE OUTCOMES OF HOME AND WE WOULD LOOK AT WHAT, UH, WHAT IMPACTS IT HAD AND, AND, UM, WHETHER THERE WAS WELL, WHAT THE CONSEQUENCES AND, AND WHETHER THERE WERE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES. 
          AND, AND WE, WE KEEP HEARING, UH, COMMENTS AND WE, LIKE I SAY, WE'VE HEARD 'EM TODAY WITH REGARD TO DISPLACEMENT, THINGS OF THAT NATURE. 
          AND, AND, AND I JUST WANT TO ENCOURAGE, UH, THE PUBLIC TO LOOK FOR THIS REPORT, BUT I'LL JUST GIVE YOU A COUPLE OF THINGS. 
          I'M NOT GONNA GIVE YOU ANY DE GET INTO ANY REAL DETAIL, BUT THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 436 NEW HOUSING UNITS APPROVED UNDER HOME PHASE ONE. 
          AND THAT INCLUDED TWO UNIT, THREE UNIT AND DUPLEX CONFIGURATIONS. 
          PROJECTS THAT UTILIZED THE PRESERVATION BONUS RETAINED AN AVERAGE OF 94% OF THE ORIGINAL STRUCTURE SUPPORTING THE INITIATIVES GOALS OF PRESERVING EXISTING HOUSING STOCK. 
          UH, IN ADDITION, THERE'S BEEN NO MEASURABLE INCREASE IN, IN DEMOLITION APPLICATIONS INDICATING 
          [03:25:01]
THAT THE HOME AMENDMENTS HAVE NOT ACCELERATED DEMOLITION ACTIVITY. 
          AND WHILE HOME APPLICATIONS ARE CONCENTRATED IN DISPLACEMENT RISK AREAS, THIS CONCENTRATION IS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER THAN THAT OBSERVED IN SIMILAR ZONING DISTRICTS PRIOR TO THE ADOPTION OF HOME. 
          AND THEN THE LAST THING I'LL MENTION IS PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENTS INDICATE THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS TO INFRASTRUCTURE, PARTICULARLY IN RELATIONSHIP TO ELECTRICITY LOAD CAPACITY AND WA WASTE COLLECTION LOGISTICS. 
          AND SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT, BUT BECAUSE IT'S PART OF THIS BUDGET DISCUSSION, I THOUGHT WE OUGHT TO GET THAT INFORMATION OUT THERE AS WELL. 
          SO, UH, TOMORROW WE HAVE A REGULARLY SCHEDULED COUNCIL MEETING. 
          THAT MEANS WE HAVE A NUMBER OF ITEMS ON THAT COUNCIL MEETING, INCLUDING ITEMS FOUR, FIVE, AND SIX, WHICH ARE THE ITEMS RELATED TO THIS PROPOSED BUDGET AMENDMENT AND, AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO WITH REGARD TO THE BUDGET AMENDMENT MEMBERS. 
          UH, TYPICALLY WE PULL ITEMS AND I CALL THOSE OUT AS PULLED ITEMS. I'LL JUST TELL YOU I'VE ALREADY PULLED THOSE ITEMS. I'M NOT GONNA LIST 'EM AS PULLED ITEMS. WE'LL JUST TAKE THOSE UP AT THE END OF OUR REGULAR SCHEDULED, UH, MEETING. 
          THE, THE, THE REGULAR AGENDA. 
          UH, THE WAY WE WILL DO THAT IS WE HAVE, UH, OF COURSE, PUBLIC COMMENT ON THOSE AGENDA ITEMS. WHAT I ANTICIPATE WILL HAPPEN, UH, DON'T KNOW THIS, BUT THERE'S A CHANCE THAT WHAT WILL HAPPEN IS THAT BEFORE WE GET TO OUR TWO O'CLOCK TIME CERTAIN, WE WILL HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL TIME. 
          IF THAT'S THE CASE, I WILL CALL UP THE BUDGET ITEMS AND WE WILL BEGIN PUBLIC COMMENT. 
          WE WILL, WE WILL STOP THAT AT TWO O'CLOCK, GO TO OUR TWO O'CLOCK TIME CERTAIN AND THEN COME BACK TO THOSE ITEMS. BUT I JUST WANTED TO LET EVERYBODY KNOW, INCLUDING MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, THAT THAT'S THE WAY WE'LL PROBABLY APPROACH THIS SO THAT WE, UH, EFFECTIVELY UTILIZE OUR TIME. 
          UH, AS I JUST INDICATED, THERE WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT TOMORROW. 
          WE HAD PUBLIC COMMENT YESTERDAY, WE HAD PUBLIC COMMENT THIS MORNING. 
          WE'RE HAVING, WE JUST COMPLETED THE PUBLIC HEARING. 
          UH, AND THEN TOMORROW WE WILL ALSO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR, UM, PUBLIC COMMENT ONLINE. 
          SPEAKER REGISTRATION FOR THE MEETING TOMORROW HAS CLOSED THAT CLOSED AT NOON IN-PERSON SPEAKER REGISTRATION CLOSES TOMORROW AT NINE 15. 
          UM, THAT MEETING STARTS AT 10 O'CLOCK. 
          AND LIKE I SAY, AFTER WE HAVE COMPLETED EVERYTHING EXCEPT MAYBE THE TWO O'CLOCK TIME, CERTAIN, UH, IS WHEN WE'LL TAKE UP THE BUDGET ITEMS. I ALSO WANT, AGAIN, REITERATE WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING OVER AND OVER AGAIN BECAUSE I'M HOPING I CAN CLARIFY ANY POTENTIAL CONFUSION IF TOMORROW THE CITY COUNCIL VOTES AND WE WILL NOT VOTE AFTER 10 O'CLOCK. 
          IF WE GET TO 10 O'CLOCK, UH, IN OUR DELIBERATIONS, IN OUR DISCUSSIONS ABOUT ALL THE ITEMS ON THE AGENDA, INCLUDING THESE BUDGET ITEMS, WE WILL RECESS AT 10 O'CLOCK BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GONNA TAKE A VOTE ON SOMETHING THIS IMPORTANT, UH, AT 10 O'CLOCK OR AFTER. 
          WHAT WE WILL DO IS WE WILL RECESS AND WE WILL COME BACK ON FRIDAY AND WE WILL COMPLETE THAT MEETING INCLUDING A VOTE. 
          BECAUSE IT IS THE SAME MEETING. 
          THERE WILL NOT BE ADDITIONAL PUBLIC COMMENT. 
          THAT PUBLIC COMMENT WILL BE CONDUCTED TOMORROW. 
          IF, HOWEVER, IF HOWEVER, WE HAVE A VOTE ON THE, THE BUDGET AMENDMENT TOMORROW AND IT IS, IT IS NOT ENOUGH VOTES TO BE ABLE TO PASS THE, THE BUDGET AMENDMENT ON ALL THREE READINGS. 
          WE ARE POSTED FOR A MEETING ON FRIDAY AND THAT WOULD BE A SEPARATE MEETING AND WE WOULD HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT. 
          I WORRY ABOUT ANYONE THAT WANTS TO WAIT UNTIL THAT MEETING TO SPEAK. 
          SO IF YOU'RE WANTING TO SPEAK TO US AND LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS, TOMORROW IS PROBABLY THE BEST SHOT AT IT AND I ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO DO THAT. 
          WE ARE ALSO POSTED FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK FOR SEPARATE MEETINGS AGAIN, IN CASE WE NEED THAT TIME BECAUSE WE UH, DON'T HAVE ENOUGH VOTES OF THE COUNCIL TO PASS IT ON ALL THREE READINGS. 
          I JUST WANT TO CREATE THE, THE, THAT CLARIFICATION IF THAT CLARIFIED ANYTHING. 
          UM, THAT WAS MY BEST SHOT AT IT. 
          YES. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS, QUICK CLARIFYING QUESTION. 
          WHAT IS THE VOTE THRESHOLD FOR READING ADDITIONAL READINGS? UH, IT, IT WOULD REQUIRE OVER SIX VOTES, MORE THAN SIX. 
          IT, IT WOULD REQUIRE, YEAH, IT WOULD REQUIRE MORE THAN SIX VOTES TO PASS IT ON ALL THREE READINGS. 
          UH, YOU'RE REQUIRED TO HAVE, UH, SEVEN OR MORE IN ORDER TO PASS AN ITEM ON MORE THAN ONE READING ON A SINGLE DAY. 
          OTHERWISE, WE ARE REQUIRED TO PASS IT ON THREE SEPARATE DAYS. 
          YES. 
          MEMBER TIM, TWO QUESTIONS ON MY END. 
          I KNOW OUR STAFF 
          [03:30:01]
IS DILIGENTLY WORKING RIGHT NOW ON IDENTIFYING AREAS FOR US TO READJUST REALLOCATE FUNDS. 
          I'M CURIOUS ANY UPDATE ON, I DON'T HAVE AN UPDATE ON THAT. 
          I, I APOLOGIZE. 
          WE, WE DON'T HAVE AN UPDATE FOR THAT. 
          GOOD DEAL. 
          AND THEN THE OTHER QUESTION I WANNA SURFACE FOR STAFF, OR AS A QUESTION I'LL HAVE FOR TOMORROW IS UNDERSTANDING IF COUNSEL DOES NOT CONSIDER THE FIRE CONTRACT, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR THE OVERTIME NEEDS OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AS IT RELATES TO THE BUDGET PROPOSAL? BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THE BASE BUDGET PROPOSAL HAD A REDUCTION IN OVERTIME FUNDING BECAUSE IT ASSUMED, UH, US ADDING ADDITIONAL FIREFIGHTERS TO THE DEPARTMENT AS PER THE CONTRACT TERMS. AND SO I WANNA UNDER BETTER UNDERSTAND THE INTERPLAY. 
          MAY I? YES, PLEASE. 
          MAYOR PROTI APPRECIATE THE QUESTION. 
          AND THAT IS A GOOD, THAT IS A GOOD QUESTION. 
          IT'S ONE THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY LOOKING AT AS WE SPEAK. 
          UM, AS YOU KNOW, THE, UM, OR YOU MAY NOT BE AWARE OF THE ASSOCIATION. 
          I THINK THEY'RE CLOSING THEIR VOTING AT FIVE IS WHAT I UNDERSTAND. 
          AND SO WE'LL HAVE SOME MORE INFORMATION HOPEFULLY EARLY EVENING ABOUT WHAT THOSE NEXT STEPS MIGHT LOOK LIKE. 
          OKAY, THANK YOU. 
          THANKS COUNCILOR RES, DID I CUT YOU OFF? DID YOU HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION? NO, I JUST COULDN'T REMEMBER THE VOTE THRESHOLD TO DO ALL THREE READINGS. 
          I THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS EIGHT, SO I APPRECIATE THE CLARIFICATION. 
          SEVEN OR MORE. 
          UM, AND, AND YOU'RE NOT REQUIRED AND I DON'T TYPICALLY, IF WE HAVE MORE THAN SEVEN VOTES, SAY IT'S PASSED ON ALL THREE READINGS OR SOMETHING OF THAT NATURE. 
          UH, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S JUST, THAT'S THE RULE. 
          AND UM, AND IT, LIKE I SAY, IT'S THREE SEPARATE, THE WAY IT'S DONE IS' THREE SEPARATE DAYS AND DAYS ARE DEFINED AS MIDNIGHT TO MIDNIGHT. 
          SO, UM, IT AIN'T LIKE THE LEGISLATURE. 
          UM, THEY KIND OF DEFINE DAYS AS THEY GO ALONG, BUT, UM, BUT IT'S, IT'S MIDNIGHT TO MIDNIGHT, SO THAT'S WHY IF TOMORROW WE HAVE SIX, LET'S SAY WE, IF, IF WE'RE TO PASS WITH JUST SIX VOTES, WE ARE POSTED FOR FRIDAY SO THAT WE COULD COME BACK AND PASS IT ON ANOTHER READING. 
          AGAIN, IF IT'S SIX VOTES, WE'LL GET TO COME BACK ON MONDAY. 
          THAT'S WHY WE'VE POSTED IT THAT WAY. 
          UM, AND, AND IF, AND IF IT DOESN'T HAVE SIX, UH, I, I'VE GOT PLANS FOR THAT AS WELL, BUT WE'LL WORRY ABOUT THAT AT THE TIME. 
          HOW ABOUT THAT? ANYBODY GOT ANYTHING ELSE? COUNCIL MEMBERS? THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, AND SINCE THERE'S NO FURTHER BUSINESS TO COME BEFORE THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL AT THIS SPECIAL CALLED MEETING WITHOUT OBJECTION, WE ARE ADJOURNED AT 4:22 PM SEE EVERYBODY TOMORROW AT 10 O'CLOCK ON THE DOT. 
          YEAH. 
          HS.
* 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.