* 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. [00:00:04] OKAY, EVERYBODY. UM, WELCOME [CALL TO ORDER] TO, UM, THE REGULARLY CALLED MEETING OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION. TODAY IS MONDAY, DECEMBER 1ST. UM, WE WILL START WITH ATTENDANCE. UM, COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT HERE. COMMISSIONER CAROL. COMMISSIONER DURAN. PRESENT. COMMISSIONER I D**O. , WE CAN'T HEAR YOU. LET'S SEE IF WE CAN GET YOU TO, I'M GONNA MOVE ON TO EVERYBODY ELSE WHILE YOU FIGURE OUT SOME AUDIO STUFF. UM, COMMISSIONER HOLMES. IT'S NOT HERE. COMMISSIONER RUTAN. PRESENT. COMMISSIONER, NEN COMMISSIONER OR COMMISSIONER SIERRA PRESENT. COMMISSIONER SMITH, I BELIEVE IS IN THE PROCESS OF LOGGING IN OR TRYING TO, UM, AND SO COMMISSIONER DRAGO, IF YOU NEED TO POP OFF AND POP BACK ON, WE CAN DO THAT. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YES. YAY. OKAY. GOOD. COMMISSIONER DRAGO, PRESENT. . OKAY. WE HAVE QUORUM. UM, JUST A REMINDER THAT WE NEED EVERYBODY TO KEEP THEIR CAMERAS ON BECAUSE THERE'S ONLY SIX OF US IN THE ROOM RIGHT NOW. UM, SO WE'LL HAVE TO PAUSE THE MEETING IF WE LOSE ANYBODY. UM, AND WITH THAT, DO [PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL] WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMUNICATION? YES. CHAIR JOEL BEATER. THREE MINUTES. GREAT. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS JOEL BEATER. THANK YOU PSE FOR PROVIDING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO THE COMMITTEE ABOUT SUNDAY CHICANO PARK ACTIVITIES CPA. SEVERAL YEARS AGO AFTER RETIRING FROM THE MILITARY AND AS A DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CIVILIAN, MY HUSBAND AND I MOVED TO AUSTIN, WE PURCHASED A SMALL HOME IN EAST CAESAR CHAVEZ, WHICH IS WHERE WE CURRENTLY LIVE. THANK YOU. CHIEF DAVIS AND AUSTIN PD FOR THE STEPPED UP POLICE PRESENCE. THIS HAS HELPED MITIGATE SOME OF THE ACTIVITY, BUT MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE. SUNDAY. CPA TAKES PLACE WHERE PEOPLE WITH PETS, FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN, AND ELDERLY FOLKS LIVE AND CONGREGATE. I HAVE EMAILED TO THE PSCA DETAILED LISTING OF THE ACTIVITIES AND LAWS THAT ARE BEING VIOLATED, ALONG WITH THE PETITION SIGNED BY MORE THAN 50 LOCAL RESIDENTS, DETRIMENTAL, ILLEGAL, AND GENERALLY UNACCEPTABLE. CPA OCCURS EVERY SUNDAY FROM APPROXIMATELY THREE OR 4:00 PM TO 9:00 PM IN THE VICINITY OF KAMAL STREET AND NASH HERNANDEZ. SENIOR ROAD CPA INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING VEHICLES ILLEGALLY PARKED AND BLOCKING THE STREET GRIDLOCK IN THE PARK PARKING LOT ON KAMAL. APPROXIMATELY 20 TO 50 OR MORE VEHICLES BLASTING LOUD, WINDOW SHAKING MUSIC, EXTREMELY LOUD, EXHAUST SYSTEMS, TRASH OF ALL TYPES THROWN INDISCRIMINATELY ALL OVER THE LOCAL AREA. CITY OF AUSTIN, IN SPITE OF LIMITED RESOURCES, CLEANS UP SOME OF THE TRASH. SOME RESIDENTS HELP AS WELL, VEHICLES RACING IN THE PARKING LOT AND NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS. SOME WITH WHEEL SPOKES PROTRUDING UP TO TWO FEET FROM THE SIDE OF THE VEHICLES RECKLESS DRIVING FROM ONE SIDE OF THE STREET TO THE OTHER CPA VEHICLES FOLLOWING NEIGHBORHOOD VEHICLES, TAILGATING, TAILING, AND INTIMIDATING BEHAVIOR, GUNSHOTS, ILLEGAL FIREWORKS AND VIOLENCE. JUST ONE EXAMPLE. IN 24 AUGUST, 2025 AT APPROXIMATELY 21 45, 6 OR MORE SHOTS WERE FIRED. A PD LATER RETRIEVING SHELL CASINGS, VEHICLES BURNING RUBBER, PUBLIC NUTS, INTOXICATION AND DRUG USE, MISSING AND OR FRAUDULENT LICENSE PLATES. THIS, UH, NON SANCTIONED NON PERMITTED EVENT WITH FOLKS COMING FROM SAN ANTONIO AND BEYOND. RECOMMENDATIONS, ADDITIONAL POLICE PERSONNEL SPEED BUMPS ON KAMAL HORSE MOUNTED PATROLS OFFICERS DIRECTED TO MAINTAIN PRESENCE ON SUNDAY AND NOT BE CALLED AWAY. LAW ENFORCEMENT TO MITIGATE ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES AND ENFORCE EXISTING LAWS. CITY OF AUSTIN SHOULD NOT AND MUST NOT ALLOW THIS LAWLESS ILLEGAL, DANGEROUS, AND UNACCEPTABLE ACTIVITY TO CONTINUE. STATUS QUO. I CHAVEZ RESIDENTS ARE URGENTLY REQUESTING YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT IN MAKING OUR NEIGHBORHOOD SAFER AND MORE PEACEFUL. [00:05:01] WE APPRECIATE YOUR DILIGENT AND FOCUS EFFORTS. THANK YOU AHEAD FOR YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SPEAKER LAURIE, LAURIE RENTERIA. HELLO DEAR COMMISSIONERS, A PD OFFICERS AND STAFF. FIRST, LET ME EXTEND MY HEARTFELT THANKS TO A PD OFFICERS WHO PATROL OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND TO CHIEF DAVIS FOR ASSIGNING EXTRA A PD PATROLS ON SUNDAY EVENINGS TO THE MARTIN MIDDLE SCHOOL PARK PARKING LOT AT THE INTERSECTION OF KOMAL AND NASH HERNANDEZ, FORMERLY FESTIVAL BEACH ROAD. I'VE LIVED AT THE CORNER OF HASKELL AND KOMAL FOR 40 YEARS, AND I WORKED AT THE SCHOOL AS A CREATOR AND IMPLEMENTER OF SPECIAL PROJECTS DESIGNED FOR YOUNG PEOPLE INVOLVED WITH THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, HOMELESS USE YOUTH AND STUDENTS AT RISK OF DROPPING OUT. ONE OF THOSE PROJECTS WAS WORKING WITH THE A PD GANG UNIT WHERE STUDENTS AT MARTIN WERE GIVEN SUB SUMMER JOBS SUPERVISED BY A PD OFFICERS, WHICH LED TO CREATING THE FIRST IN THE NATION JUNIOR POLICE ACADEMY CLASSES FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLERS, A POLICE EXPLORER CLUB, AND A STUDENTS ON PATROL PROGRAM ON CAMPUS AND IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. THESE EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAMS LED TO A DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE GRANT EXPANSION OF THE JUNIOR POLICE ACADEMY CLASSES TO ALL MIDDLE SCHOOLS. AND THIS WORK WITH A PD AND A ISD POLICE TURNED ME INTO A LIFELONG ADVOCATE FOR COMMUNITY POLICING AND SUPPORTER FOR OUR AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT. LIKE MY NEIGHBOR JOEL BEATER, EXPRESSED IN A LETTER TO YOU WHICH WAS EMAILED. I WANT TO VERIFY THAT EVERYTHING JOEL HAS REPORTED IS A PRESENT DAY SEVERE PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERN FOR ME AND MY NEIGHBORS. AS A 40 YEAR RESIDENT OF THIS AREA, I'VE SEEN THE TRANSFORMATION OF WHAT HAPPENS ON SUNDAYS TURN FROM A FA FAMILY TRADITION, CELEBRATE IN THE MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURE OF LOW RIDER CAR AND BICYCLE CLUBS INTO NOTHING MORE THAN AN OPEN AIR DRINKING AND DRUGGING EVENT THAT INCLUDES VERY FEW ANTIQUE LOWRIDER CARS. ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO, WE OBSERVED THAT THE FAMILIES INVOLVED WITH THE LOWRIDER CAR CLUBS FOR OVER 50 YEARS MOVED FROM THE AL SIDE OF THE MARTIN PARK TO THE CHICON SIDE OF MARTIN PARK BECAUSE THE ELDERS DIDN'T WANT THEIR FAMILIES SUBJECTED TO ALCOHOL AND DRUG INFUSED PARTIES THAT BEGAN ENDING IN VIOLENCE EACH NIGHT. MY NEIGHBOR, JOEL, HAS PROVIDED YOU WITH LISTS OF PUBLIC SAFETY OFFENSES OCCURRING ON SUNDAYS. OUR COMM COMMUNITY POLICING EFFORTS IN THE PAST LED TO THE POSTING OF SIGNS THAT DECLARE MARTIN A DRUG FREE ZONE UNDER TEXAS HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE SECTION 4 8 1 1 3 4 NEAR SCHOOLS BECAUSE MARTIN IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION, THE SIGN WARNING PEOPLE OF THIS DOUBLE PENALTY, NO PAROLE PENALTY FOR DOING DRUGS OR USING DRUGS OR SELLING DRUGS NEAR THE SCHOOL, UM, IS DOWN FROM CONSTRUCTION. I AM SORRY, I DIDN'T FINISH. I HAVE THREE MY, WE GOT YOUR LETTER. OKAY. WE GOT YOUR LETTER. THANK YOU. EVERY ALSO, WE ALSO HAD 56 SIGNATURES ON A PETITION. GREAT. BUT, UM, I GUESS WE CAN'T SUBMIT 'EM FOR PRIVACY REASONS BECAUSE THE NAMES AND SIGNATURES. YEAH, THAT MAKES SENSE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS, COMMISSIONERS. YOU SHOULD HAVE THE, THE CORRESPONDENCE IN YOUR EMAIL. THANK YOU. SPEAKER NEXT IS CARLOS LEON SOY CARLOS LEON, FIRST AND FOREMOST CIA FOR LETTING ME AGAIN CALL OUT SWORN OFFICERS. ALLEGED MISCONDUCT, THREATENING OUR PUBLIC SAFETY FOR THE SECOND TIME IN TWO WEEKS BETWEEN SEVEN 10 AND 7:30 AM AT TRINITY METHODIST CHURCH PARKING LOT AT 44TH AND MAY BE. AND A PD OFFICER APPEARED TO BE STALKING ME THERE IN A BLACK AND WHITE A PD VEHICLE NOVEMBER 15TH, UNIT 2, 6, 9 3 AND NOVEMBER 27, UNIT 2, 6, 8, 9. WHEN I STARTED WRITING DOWN THE UNIT NUMBER FROM MY REPORT TO OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT GUILTY, A PD OFFICER DROVE AWAY, STOP AND PUNISH THAT CRAP. NOW FOLLOWING UP LAST MONTH'S TESTIMONY ABOUT CAT METRO SENIOR DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, DARYL JAMAL'S, ALLEGED ABUSIVE OF POWER [00:10:01] ALLEGEDLY VIOLATING TEXAS PENAL CODES. 36.0 6, 37 POINT 10, 39 0.02, AND 39.03. READ THE EXCERPT IN FRONT OF YOU FROM THE REPORT. I AM WRITING FOR A PD SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT TO LAWFULLY HOLD JAMAL ACCOUNTABLE, THOUGH CAT METRO SUSPENSION POLICY REQUIRES CODE OF CONDUCT VIOLATIONS REPRESENTING A DIRECT THREAT TO HEALTH OR SAFETY, MEANING A SIGNIFICANT RISK OF SUBSTANTIAL HARM TO THE HEALTH OR SAFETY OF THE INDIVIDUAL OR OTHERS THAT CANNOT BE REDUCED OR ELIMINATED BY RE UH, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION. CAT METRO PLAGIARIZED DIRECT THREATS DEFINITION WORD FOR WORD FROM AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, SECTION 1630 0.2 R. HAVING NOTHING TO DO WITH SUSPENDING A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC FOR MASS TRANSIT, BUT EVERYTHING TO DO WITH PREVENTING WORKPLACE DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION BECAUSE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC USING CAT METRO SERVICES AND PROPERTIES ARE NOT CAP METRO EMPLOYEES. CAP METRO MISAPPROPRIATED A DA LANGUAGE TO MISAPPLY FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE INTENT TO ITS SUSPENSION POLICY BECAUSE CONGRESS DID NOT INTEND A DA FOR THAT OUT OF CONTEXT PURPOSE. EVEN IF CAP METRO REDEFINED THAT LANGUAGE, IT MAKES NO SENSE FOR SUSPENSION BECAUSE CAT METRO DOES NOT ACCOMMODATE CODE VIOLATORS PLUS CAT METRO RATED ALL MY SIGHTED INCIDENTS AS MINOR SEVERITY, MEANING JAMAL'S DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST ME WAS UNWARRANTED AND FRAUDULENT. THUS, TO PROVE JEMELE'S ALLEGED UNLAWFUL ACT WAS IN RETALIATION FOR MY SERVICE AS AN INFORMANT OR PROSPECTIVE WITNESS, PUBLICLY TESTIFYING TO CAT METRO'S BOARD ABOUT CAT METRO'S, CRIMINALITY, HARASSMENT AND DISCRIMINATION. I SHOW ONE MY TESTIMONY WAS PROTECTED FIRST AMENDMENT ACTIVITY. TWO, I SUFFERED AN ADVERSE ACTION. AND THREE, THERE IS A CAUSAL CONNECTION BETWEEN MY PROTECTED ACTIVITY AND THE ADVERSE OF ACTION UNLAWFULLY DENYING RE SERVICE. JAMEL NOT FOLLOWING THANK, THANK SPEAKER POLICY EVIDENCES THE PRIMA FACHE, MR. DELE, AND YOUR TIME IS UP. SPREAD THE WORD. THAT CONCLUDES ALL PUBLIC COMMUNICATION. THANK YOU. YEP. THIS IS WARREN. JUST WANNA TAKE NOTE THAT, UM, BOTH, UM, COMMISSIONER NGUYEN AND COMMISSIONER SMITH HAVE JOINED US SINCE WE STARTED. THANK YOU. CHAIR. COMMISSIONER SMITH, IF YOU COULD JUST SEND IN YOUR CONFLICT OF INTEREST, UH, VIA EMAIL, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. THANK YOU. AND THEN MOVING ON TO OUR PUBLIC, UM, SAFETY QUARTERLY REPORT FROM A-T-C-E-M-S MINUTES. OH, [APPROVAL OF MINUTES] APPROVAL OF MINUTES. YES. DID EVERYBODY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW YOU? DO WE HAVE A MOTION FROM A FLOOR TO I MOVE APPROVAL. OKAY. SECOND. OKAY. WITHOUT ANY, WE'LL JUST TAKE A VOTE. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. OKAY, THANK YOU. AND THEN WE MOVE [2. Public Safety Quarterly Report, Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services. ] ON TO A-T-C-M-S . YEAH. GOOD AFTERNOON COMMISSIONERS. UH, WES HOPKINS, CHIEF OF STAFF AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES. I'LL BE GIVING THE FISCAL YEAR 25 Q4 QUARTERLY REPORT. GIVE IT JUST A SECOND TO BRING UP THE PRESENTATION. OH, GREAT. THANKS. THANK YOU, MARK. THIS. SO STARTING WITH OUR FIRST SLIDE, THE CURRENT AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY EMS DEPARTMENT, STAFFING OUR AUTHORIZED STRENGTH SETS AT 714, FIELD SWORN IS 614, PUTS US AT A SWORN VACANCY OF A HUNDRED. IF YOU'LL NOTICE THAT ENTRY LEVEL POSITION, THAT MEDIC FIELD AND COMMUNICATIONS 39 FIELD OPENINGS IN THAT ENTRY LEVEL POSITION IN ONE COMMUNICATION, UH, DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO THE MIDDLE OF THE GRAPH THAT, UH, EMS CLINICAL SPECIALIST FIELD SETTING AT 52 VACANCIES. WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THAT HERE IN JUST A SECOND. BUT IT PUTS OUR Q4 AVERAGE AT A 15.13. UH, THAT'S UP A LITTLE BIT FROM Q3. IT WAS 13.82. AND SO WE'LL, AS WE DELVE INTO THIS PRESENTATION, WE'LL KIND OF TALK THROUGH SOME OF THAT. [00:15:02] UH, SWORN SEPARATIONS I DID INCLUDE YEAR TO DATE, NOT, UH, MUCH OF ALL OF AN INCREASE FROM Q3. UH, WE CONTINUE TO SEE THAT MEDIC FIELD AS THE LION'S SHARE OF THOSE SEPARATIONS FOLLOWED BY CLINICAL SPECIALISTS. SO THOSE FIRST TWO ENTRY LEVEL POSITIONS, SOME OF OUR CLINICAL SPECIALISTS THAT HAVE RESIGNED HAVE GONE TO NEIGHBORING EMS AGENCIES. UH, SOME OF THAT DEALS WITH SMALLER, UH, OR LOWER CALL VOLUME AND THEN CLOSE TO TO WHERE THEY LIVE. UM, JUST NOT WANTING TO, TO COMMUTE INTO THE CITY, WHICH IS WHY OUR COLLABORATIVE CARE COMMUNICATION CENTER AND THAT REPRIORITIZATION PROJECT THAT I TALKED THROUGH IN SEPTEMBER IS SO IMPORTANT AS WE'RE COGNIZANT OF THE WORKLOAD OF THOSE MEDICS ON THE AMBULANCE SWORN TENURE AT SEPARATION. UH, WE CONTINUE TO SEE THAT LESS THAN ONE YEAR FOLLOWED BY THAT ONE TO FIVE YEAR AS THAT TENURE ON SEPARATION IN THAT MEDIC FIELD VACANCY RATE SWORN BROKEN OUT OF AND CIVILIAN IN FISCAL YEAR 25 Q4, AND WE BROKE THAT OUT BY MONTH FOR YOU AS WELL. AND THEN OUR TURNOVER RATE, AGAIN, BROKEN OUT BY MONTH. UM, IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE DEPARTMENT'S TURNOVER RATE CONTINUES TO YIELD BELOW THE EMS INDUSTRY RATES ACROSS THE NATION. UH, FACTORS REVEALED FROM SEPARATION DATA INCLUDE RETIREMENTS, UM, UNPREDICTABLE LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES CAUSING RESIGNATIONS, AND THEN OVERALL CAREER CHANGES. PEOPLE LEAVING THE, THE INDUSTRY JUMPING INTO OUR ACADEMY CLASSES, IF YOU'LL RECALL, IN SEPTEMBER, I SPOKE ABOUT ACADEMY CLASS 10 25. THEY ARE SLATED TO GRADUATE ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17TH, 2:00 PM AT THE TEXAS STATE CAPITOL. WE WOULD LOVE FOR ANY COMMISSIONER THAT WANTS TO ATTEND TO, TO PLEASE COME AND MEET THESE CADETS THAT HAVE DECIDED TO WORK FOR AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY EMS, BUT ALSO MEET THEIR FAMILIES AND THE ACADEMY CADRE THAT DO SUCH GREAT WORK. THAT ACADEMY CLASS WILL BE GRADUATING 18 TOTAL CADETS ALL FIELD WITH ONE DIRECT HIRE CLINICAL SPECIALIST AS WE JUMP INTO THE NEW YEAR, FISCAL YEAR 26 CADET CLASS OH 3 26, WE'LL START ON MONDAY, MARCH 23RD. UM, I WILL POINT OUT THAT WE SAW A RECORD NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS FOR OUR OCTOBER HIRING PROCESS THAT WE JUST CLOSED 367 APPLICANTS. THERE ARE SOME CAVEATS TO THIS. NOT ALL 367 APPLICANTS MET THE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS TO WORK FOR US, BUT IT ALLOWS US TO HAVE AN INTEREST POINT FOR FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY THAT DO WANNA WORK FOR US AND GETTING THEM COACHED UP ON WHAT, WHAT THEY'LL NEED TO WORK FOR US. SO THAT HOPEFULLY THEY WILL THEN REAPPLY AND, AND WE'RE ABLE TO, TO UTILIZE THEM IN SUBSEQUENT ACADEMIES. AND THEN WE ARE FIXING TO LAUNCH A JANUARY HIRING PROCESS. AND SO MUCH LIKE CHIEF LUCHAR TALKED ABOUT, WE'RE, WE'RE PRIMING THE PIPELINE FOR FISCAL YEAR 26 AND 27 WITH A, A NICE LIST OF CANDIDATES THAT WILL COME INTO THE ACADEMIES. UH, WE DO BELIEVE THAT WE WILL NEED TO GO BACK TO FOUR ACADEMIES. WE WILL NOT HAVE A JANUARY ACADEMY BECAUSE WE WERE DOING THE WORK OF PRIMING THAT, THAT PIPELINE FOR AN OCTOBER AND JANUARY HIRING PROCESS TO ENSURE THAT WE HAD A, A GOOD LIST. UM, EVEN IF THESE ACADEMY CLASSES ARE SMALLER, WE DON'T HAVE THAT MANY OF THE ENTRY LEVEL POSITION. IT'S THAT CLINICAL SPECIALIST. SO THAT WILL BE OUR INTENSE FOCUS IN THESE HIRING PROCESSES THROUGH THE NEXT TWO YEARS, IS FILLING THAT, THAT DIRECT HIRE CLINICAL SPECIALIST. I DO WANNA BRAG REAL QUICK ABOUT OUR, UH, INTERNAL PARAMEDIC PROGRAM, WHICH I'VE TALKED ABOUT IN THE PAST. THE NATIONAL REGISTRY OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS REPORTED THAT AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY EMS IS THE ONLY SATELLITE FACILITY WITH A HUNDRED, UH, PERCENT ATTEMPT PASS RATE ON THAT PARAMEDIC CERTIFICATION EXAM. AND SO THE STATE AVERAGE IS 87% WITHIN THREE ATTEMPTS. THE NATIONAL AVERAGE IS 76% WITHIN THREE ATTEMPTS, AND WE WERE A HUNDRED PERCENT ON THE FIRST ATTEMPT. AND YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE OTHER SATELLITE, YOU KNOW, AGENCIES THERE THAT ARE DOING THAT. SO I'M INCREDIBLY PROUD THAT'S NOT ONLY A TESTAMENT TO THE, UH, CAPTAINS AND COMMANDERS THAT ARE OVERSEEING THAT PROGRAM, BUT ALSO TO THE CANDIDATES THAT THAT TOOK THAT COURSE. UM, AND, AND ALSO HAD TO WORK ON THE AMBULANCE WHILE THEY, WHILE THEY DID THAT. UH, SO, SO THAT'S JUST, JUST KUDOS TO THEM. WE COULDN'T BE PROUDER WITH THAT. TALKING ABOUT OUR OPIOID OVERDOSE DATA FOR FISCAL YEAR 25 Q4, UH, 52 PEOPLE WERE CONNECTED TO MEDICATION ASSISTED TREATMENT. UH, PUT US AT 668 OPIOID USE DISORDER INTERVENTIONS WERE ADMINISTERED. AND SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT INTERVENTIONS THAT'S DEFINED AS ANY TREATMENT. IT MIGHT BE AN OVERDOSE RESCUE KIT, MIGHT BE A BUPRENORPHINE BRIDGE DOSE, COULD BE AN OPIOID USE DISORDER, EDUCATION, ALCOHOL BRIDGE OR CONNECTING WITH COUNSELING SUPPORT. AND THEN, UH, JUST LOOKING DOWN INTO THE DATA, 44% OF OUR [00:20:01] OPIOID ALERTS WERE PERSONS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. SO HAVING THAT PIECE OF THE PUZZLE ALLOWS US TO, TO TARGET THEM AS WELL. UM, LOOKING AT THE GRAPH IN THE UPPER RIGHT, YOU CAN SEE IT BROKEN OUT BY OVERDOSE ALERTS, ADOLESCENTS UNDER THE AGE OF 18. AND WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN PILLS, OF COURSE, WE'VE MADE IT THROUGH THAT, THAT SUMMER SPIKE. SO TYPICALLY THINGS KIND OF TAPER OFF HERE. I DO WANT TO POINT OUT THIS STAT GRAPH. IF YOU LOOK ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, I DID INCLUDE YEAR TO DATE YOU NOTICE THAT KITS DISTRIBUTED GOES OFF THE CHART. UM, AND THAT IS BECAUSE AS WE TRANSITIONED FROM THE SAMHSA GRANT TO THE OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDS, AS WE PAIRED DOWN THAT GRANT, WE WERE ABLE TO BUY UP A LOT OF NARCAN AND THEN ROLL THAT INTO THE COMMUNITY. IT MIGHT BE REPLENISHING A PD STOCK OF NARCAN, SOME OF THE OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND THEN, THEN ALSO JUST THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE. SO THAT, THAT'S WHY YOU SEE SUCH A LARGE JUMP THERE, JUST SHOWING TWO HEAT MAPS FOR FISCAL YEAR 25 Q4, I SHOWED YOU THAT, UH, OPIOID INTERVENTION BY HEAT MAP AND THEN ALSO JUST THE NUMBER OF OPIOID ALERTS IN, IN THE HEAT MAP AS WELL. SO CONTINUE TO SEE THAT, THAT DOWNTOWN AREA, WHICH WE TARGET, AND THEN KIND OF THAT NORTH CENTRAL AREA AS WELL. I'VE FALLEN INTO A RHYTHM ON THESE QUARTERLY REPORTS OF TALKING THROUGH THE EMS AUTO AID PROJECT. AND SO JUST AS A REFRESHER, WHAT THAT IS GONNA DO IS THAT EMS IS NEXT IN THE PIPELINE FOR AUTO AID. IT SENDS THE CLOSEST AMBULANCE AND OR DISTRICT COMMANDER TO A NINE ONE ONE CALL REGARDLESS OF THE DEPARTMENT OR GEOGRAPHICAL BOUNDARIES, IT'LL BE COMPRISED OF TO START OUT WITH, WITH AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY, EMS, WILLIAMSON COUNTY, E-M-S-E-S-D ONE LAGO, VISTA FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND ESD TWO, THE PFLUGERVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT. WE ARE SPENDING THE TIME IN DECEMBER AND JANUARY DEVELOPING AGENCY SPECIFIC POLICIES, PROCEDURES, TRAINING, UH, FOR STAFF. WE WILL DO EXTENSIVE TESTING IN FEBRUARY OF 2026. WE ARE STILL TARGETING THAT MARCH, 2026 GO LIVE DATE. I WILL SAY THAT THAT'S ASSUMING IN FEBRUARY. WE DON'T RUN INTO ANY CAD ISSUES WITH THAT CLOUD-BASED SOFTWARE ALLOWING THE, THE CADS TO, TO COMMUNICATE WITH WITH ONE ANOTHER. BUT WE'RE, WE'RE STILL PLUGGING AWAY AT THAT OVER THE WINTER MONTHS. IT IS BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE EMS WHOLE BLOOD PROGRAM. AND SO MY HOPE IS BY GOING OVER THIS SLIDE THAT IT SPARKS AN INTEREST AND YOU MAY WANT THE ADMINISTRATORS OF THAT PROGRAM WITHIN MY ORGANIZATION TO COME BACK AND GIVE JUST A HIGHER LEVEL OVERVIEW OF WHERE WE'RE OUT ON OUR WHOLE BLOOD PROGRAM. YOU KNOW, THE PRIMARY INDICATION FOR WHOLE BLOOD ADMINISTRATION IS SEVERE HEMORRHAGIC SHOCK. SO THAT'S KINDA LOSS OF THAT COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF BLOOD VOLUME. OUR PROGRAMS BOASTING ABOUT AN 85% PATIENT SURVIVAL RATE, WHICH IS, WHICH IS INCREDIBLY HIGH. THAT'S BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WHOLE BLOOD, YOU KNOW, WE WERE AN EARLY ADOPTER OF THAT, BUT ACROSS THE NATION HAS PROVED TO BE VERY HELPFUL TO, TO PATIENTS IN HEMORRHAGIC SHOCK. WE CURRENTLY HAVE 12 UNITS DEPLOYED WITH WHOLE BLOOD. WHEN I SAY UNITS, I DON'T MEAN LIKE A, A UNIT OF BLOOD, I MEAN PHYSICAL ASSETS ON THE STREET. SO THAT LOOKS LIKE OUR DISTRICT COMMANDERS, OUR DESIGNATED MEDICAL OFFICERS WHO ADMINISTER THIS PROGRAM. UM, OUR TACTICAL MEDICS THAT EMBED WITH A PD SWAT TEAM ARE CURING WHOLE BLOOD. YOU ARE A CAST ME WHERE WE TAKE A MEDIC AND PAIR IT WITH AN A PD OFFICER FOR THOSE HIGH ACUITY LIFE-THREATENING CALLS THAT MAY, THE SCENE MAY NOT BE TOTALLY SAFE. WE CAN SEND IN A MEDIC WITH WHOLE BLOOD. AND THEN ALSO OUR SPECIAL EVENTS, WE'RE ROLLING IT OUT THERE AS WELL. UH, WE ALSO HAVE A LESS THAN 8% WHOLE BLOOD EXPIRATION WITHOUT USE, WHICH IS INCREDIBLY GOOD. AND THAT'S BECAUSE WE HAVE A SYSTEM IN PLACE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO, IF WE DON'T USE THE BLOOD, ROLL IT BACK INTO THE HOSPITAL STOCK SO THAT THEY CAN USE IT. AND THAT'S ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT THIS WHOLE BLOOD PROGRAM, JUST LOOKING AT CALENDAR 2025 ON WHOLE BLOOD ADMINISTRATION, REALIZING THAT I'VE, I'VE GOT A MONTH TO GO THERE, SO IT DOESN'T HAVE ALL OF THAT DATA SET. 54% OF THE 314 BLOOD ADMINISTRATIONS WERE MEDICAL AND 46 WERE TRAUMA. YOU MIGHT THINK WE ONLY GIVE WHOLE BLOOD IN TRAUMA, BUT THERE'S A FAIR NUMBER OF, OF MEDICAL PATIENTS THAT NEED WHOLE BLOOD, UH, THAT HAVE VOLUME DEPLETION. AND SO BEING ABLE TO RECOGNIZE THAT AND, AND GIVE IT IN THOSE SITUATIONS IS HELPFUL. UH, TO DATE, WE'VE, UH, GIVEN OVER 600 TOTAL UNITS OF, OF WHOLE BLOOD, WHICH IS A, A REALLY LARGE NUMBER. AND THEN JUST AS OF TODAY, ONE OF THE STRATEGIC PROJECTS WE'VE WORKED THROUGH IN KIND OF THAT, UH, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, IS HOW WE WOULD DEPLOY WHOLE BLOOD TO ANY KIND OF MASS CASUALTY SITUATION. SO A LOT OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE AMOUNT OF BLOOD IN THE COMMUNITY THAT'S IN HOSPITALS ARE AT, WE ARE BLOOD, AND THEN HOW WE GET THAT TO THE SCENE. SO WE'VE DONE SOME TABLETOP EXERCISES AND WE FEEL LIKE WE HAVE A, A GOOD METHODOLOGY TO APPROACH THAT SHOULD THE NEED ARISE. AND THEN AS TALKING THROUGH SPECIAL EVENTS, YOU KNOW, WE OBVIOUSLY GET INTO THAT AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, AND, AND EVEN [00:25:01] INTO NOVEMBER BECOMES A A PRETTY GOOD EVENT SEASON FOR US. THE FIRST TWO WEEKENDS IN OCTOBER, FORMULA ONE THAT FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY, IT'S ABOUT 75,000 PEOPLE EACH DAY ON THE GREAT LAWN OF OF ZILKER PARK. UH, WE PARTNER WITH PRIVATE MEDICAL PROVIDERS. UH, WE PROVIDE THAT COMMAND AND CONTROL ELEMENT IS THE MEDICAL AUTHORITY ON THESE SCENES. UM, ALSO, UH, THE, UH, THE, THE TRANSPORT SIDE OF THE HOUSE AND THEN ALSO ANY HIGH ACUITY ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT PATIENT WILL MAKE CONTACT WITH ON THOSE. BUT WHAT I'LL POINT TO THE LOWER LEFT GRAFT THERE IS THAT WHILE THERE'S A LARGE NUMBER OF CALLS THAT HAPPEN ON THOSE EVENTS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO TREAT ON SITE, WE DO A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF TRANSPORTS. AND SO WHAT THAT DOES IS WE HAVE DESIGNATED AMBULANCES. WE TREAT IT LIKE A CITY WITHIN A CITY AND THAT DOESN'T PULL 9 1 1 AMBULANCES OUTTA NEIGHBORHOODS. AND THEN AGAIN, ON, ON FORMULA ONE, UM, A LITTLE BIT OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE EACH DAY, SOMETIMES A LITTLE HIGHER. WE AGAIN DO THAT COMMAND TO CONTROL THAT ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT. WE ALSO DO ON TRACK RACE SUPPORT FOR THE, THE RACE CARS THAT ARE USING SPECIAL TYPES OF FUEL AND THINGS. AND THEN THE, THE TRANSPORT AS WELL. AND AGAIN, FOR THAT, WE WORK WITH A PRIVATE MEDICAL PROVIDER JUST SO THAT WE'RE, WE'RE BALANCED IN HOW WE APPROACH THOSE. KINDA BRINGING US TO A CLOSE HERE, I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT, UH, ANOTHER STRATEGIC PROJECT THAT WE WORKED ON IN AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER. AND THAT IS OUR PEER SUPPORT ONBOARDING TRAINING. UH, WE BOAST A VERY ROBUST PEER SUPPORT TEAM THAT WORKS WITH BOTH OUR SWORN AND NON-SWORN. THEY PROVIDE PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT, UH, PRE-INCIDENT EDUCATION. THEY DO SPOUSAL AND FAMILY, UH, SUPPORT ON SCENE, UH, INTERVENTIONS ON CRI CRITICAL INCIDENTS, POST-INCIDENT DIFFUSIONS, ONE-ON-ONE INTERACTIONS WITH CREWS, POST HIGH ACUITY KIND OF TRAUMATIC CALLS. AND SO BECAUSE OUR TEAM TENDS TO BE COMPRISED OF TENURED MEDICS, WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF RETIREMENTS. AND SO IT WAS TIME TO KIND OF PLUS UP THAT TEAM. SO WE'RE TRACKING AT ABOUT 50 TOTAL PEER SUPPORT MEMBERS. UM, AND THEY'RE COMPRISED OF FIVE TEAMS. THEY'RE THAT BLACK, BLUE, GREEN, PURPLE, AND YELLOW. SO THINK OF A BRUISE AND THE VARYING STAGES OF A BRUISE THAT'S HEALING . UM, AND THEY ALSO HAVE THEIR OWN LOGO. IF YOU LOOK AT THE LOWER RIGHT, THEY HAVE A TREE AND OUR PEER SUPPORT TEAM ARE THE ROOTS THAT GO INTO THE GROUND AND ANCHOR SUPPORT FOR OUR MEDICS. UM, BUT IT WAS IMPORTANT AS WE GOT INTO THE NEW BUDGET YEAR TO HAVE A SHOVEL READY PLAN. WE NOT ONLY ONBOARDED NEW MEMBERS, BUT WE TOOK OUR ENTIRE TEAM FOR TWO DAYS AND BROUGHT THEM BACK FOR SOME TRAINING JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY WERE IN A GOOD SPOT. UM, AND, AND WE DO THAT IN ANTICIPATION FOR THIS NOVEMBER, DECEMBER BECAUSE A LOT OF THESE TRAUMATIC CALLS TEND TO HIT A LITTLE HARDER AROUND THE HOLIDAYS. WE JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STAFF WAS IN A GOOD SPOT AND HAD THE SUPPORT THEY NEEDED, UH, AS WE GET INTO THIS KIND OF WINTER MONTHS. UM, ALSO, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THE TEXAS EMS CONFERENCE WAS UP IN FORT WORTH. WE TOOK SEVERAL OF OUR TEAM LEADS AND SENT 'EM UP TO THAT CONFERENCE TO DO, UM, KIND OF PARTICIPATION IN THAT TEXAS EMS CONFERENCE, BUT ALSO AS THE STATE WORKS THROUGH WHAT A REGIONAL DEPLOYMENT OF PEER SUPPORT MIGHT LOOK LIKE. AND I TALKED ABOUT THE CENTRAL TEXAS FLOODING IN KIRK COUNTY AND HOW THERE WAS PEER SUPPORT THERE, BUT, BUT HOW WE DEPLOY JUST LIKE WE WOULD ANY OTHER DEPLOYMENT TO HAVE PEER SUPPORT TEAM, YOU KNOW, EARLY ON IN THE INCIDENT AND THEN THROUGHOUT THE DURATION OF THE INCIDENT. BUT WE KNOW THAT IT'S GONNA TAKE COLLABORATIVELY ALL AGENCIES ACROSS TEXAS KIND OF LEANING INTO THAT TO ENSURE THAT THOSE PEOPLE THAT GO DOWN THERE HAVE HAVE WHAT THEY NEED. SO THAT CONCLUDES, UH, MY QUARTERLY REPORT AND HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. YEAH. DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? SURE. COMMISSIONER NORTH. YEAH, JUST A FEW HERE. FIRST OFF, I WANTED TO RECOGNIZE ALL THE PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES FOR, UM, MARCHING IN THE VETERAN DAY PARADE. IT WAS A PLEASURE SEEING YOU ALL THERE. YEAH. AND SUPPORTIVE. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. IT'S MY PHONE. OH, IT IS NOT ON. HERE WE GO. SORRY ABOUT THAT. UM, SORRY FOR BEING AN AMATEUR ON THAT. UM, BUT I JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE THE PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES FOR MARCHING IN THE VETERANS DAY PARADE. AS A VETERAN MYSELF, I'M, I'M APPRECIATIVE. I'M, I'M SURE THE VETERANS ARE APPRECIATIVE OF, OF YOUR RECOGNITION OF THAT. UM, AND THEN IN TERMS OF QUESTIONS, THERE'S A FEW, UM, I'M PRETTY EXCITED TO HEAR ABOUT THE EMS AUTO AID. UM, THERE WERE A COUPLE THINGS I, I KNOW YOU SAID YOU WERE WORKING ON IN TERMS OF LIKE, UH, PROTOCOL INTERVENTIONS. I KNOW YOU HAVE DIFFERENT MEDICAL DIRECTORS AND, UM, THERE, THERE CAN BE SHIFTS. UM, FOR INSTANCE, I DON'T THINK THEY HAVE SONOGRAMS IN WILCO, IS THAT CORRECT OR RIGHT, THE, THE, THE, THE, THE ULTRASOUND? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT? THE ULTRASOUND, THAT'S WHAT I MEANT. YEAH. SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S INTERESTING AS WE STARTED WITH THIS WORK GROUP, AND I THINK I TALKED ABOUT THIS IN SEPTEMBER, A LOT OF THOSE ECHO LEVEL PRIORITY, ONE HIGH ACUITY CALLS, ESPECIALLY ON THE CARDIAC ARREST, WHICH IS WHERE WE WANNA START. THE PROTOCOLS ARE ACTUALLY VERY MUCH IN ALIGNMENT. SO WE WANT TO APPROACH THIS AS [00:30:01] A CRAWL, WALK, RUN UNTIL WE GET INTO A RHYTHM. SO THAT'S THE FIRST THING OUTTA THE GATE, IS THAT PRIORITY ONE KIND OF CARDIAC ARREST, CALL THIS HOW WE'RE GONNA START WITH AUTO EIGHT. OKAY. AND THEN THE CAD SYSTEMS, ARE THEY DIFFERENT SOFTWARES THAT YOU'RE WORKING WITH IN TERMS OF INTEGRATION? YEAH, SO WE'VE BEEN WAITING ON WILLIAMSON COUNTY TO GO TO A DIFFERENT, UH, CAD SYSTEM, WHICH THEY'VE DONE. BUT WHAT THAT ALLOWS FOR WHAT THEY CALL, UH, UNIFY, WHICH IS THE CENTRAL SQUARE ADD-ON THAT ALLOWS FOR THAT, THOSE CAD SYSTEMS TO TALK IN THE CLOUD-BASED ENVIRONMENT. OKAY. SO NOT REALLY AN ASK ON TRAVIS COUNTY SIDE OR CORRECT, UH, AUSTIN EMS SIDE. IT'S MORE SO THE WILCOS WORKING ON THAT. YES. WE, WE'VE BEEN ON CENTRAL SQUARE FOR A LONG TIME. THEY ARE NOW ON IT. AND THEN WE NEED TO, TO ENACT THAT UNIFIED CLOUD BASE AND THEN DO THE TESTING TO MAKE SURE THEY TALK TO ONE ANOTHER, STARTING OUT SENDING THOSE AMBULANCES AND THOSE COMMAND RESOURCES. INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, IN WILLIAMSON COUNTY, THEIR COMMANDERS CARRY WHOLE BLOOD AS WELL. WE'D LOVE TO DEPLOY THAT TO EVERY AMBULANCE, BUT IT'S SUCH A PRECIOUS COMMODITY, THERE'S NOT ENOUGH. SO HAVING THOSE DISTRICT COMMANDERS, SO HOW WE GET A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT AND THE PERSONNEL IN THE AMBULANCE ON THE CALL IS, IS WHAT WE'RE WORKING THROUGH RIGHT NOW. THANK YOU. AND THEN FOR THE WHOLE BLOOD, JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY, I, I KIND OF KNOW THE ANSWER, BUT JUST WANTED TO ASK YOU, UM, ON RECORD, HOW LONG DOES WHOLE BLOOD TYPICALLY LAST? WHAT IS THE SHELF LIFE ON THAT? YOU KNOW, I KNEW YOU WERE GONNA ASK ME THAT AND, AND I SHOULD HAVE LOOKED IT UP. . I DON'T KNOW, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. UM, I KNOW THAT IT HAS TO BE IN TIGHT TEMPERATURE CONTROLS. WE'RE TALKING ONE DEGREE UP OR DOWN IS HOW TIGHTLY WE MONITOR IT. AND SO WE USE A COOLER THAT MONITORS IT ON A WIFI CLOUD BASE MM-HMM . AND IT GETS THAT TEMPERATURE ABOUT EVERY COUPLE OF SECONDS JUST TO MAKE SURE. AND SO I, I'M, I'M GONNA SAY I'M, I GET THE ANSWER FOR YOU, BUT YEAH. BUT I DON'T KNOW. THE OTHER INTERESTING PART IS MUCH LIKE ANY MEDICATION, IT DOES EXPIRE MM-HMM . AND SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT LESS THAN 8% WASTE, WE MIGHT BE GETTING BLOOD THAT'S CLOSE TO THE END OF ITS LIFE AND IT MIGHT NOT MAKE SENSE FOR US TO ROTATE IT BACK INTO THE STOCK. YEAH. SO THERE'S A LOT OF VARIABLES WITH THAT, BUT I CAN GET THE ANSWER ON HOW LONG WHOLE BLOOD SETS IN A COOLER. I THINK OUR PEOPLE ON THE RED CROSS SIDE HAS SAID SOMEWHERE AROUND 45, BUT I THINK THAT ALSO VARIES WITH, YOU KNOW, THOSE VARIATIONS YOU TALKED ABOUT. MM-HMM . UM, BUT SHAMELESS PLUG, THAT IS A REMINDER WHY IF YOU CAN DONATE BLOOD, DONATE IF YOU CAN, AND I, I DON'T KNOW WHEN YOUR BATTLE OF THE BADGES COMES UP, IS THAT SOON? WE JUST HAD IT. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. YEAH, THAT'S DURING THE, THE SUMMERTIME AROUND, UH, MEMORIAL DAY. OKAY. FOURTH JULY WEEKEND WHERE WE HAVE AN INCREASE IN TRAFFIC FATALITIES. WELL, I WAS TRYING TO PLUG FOR THAT, BUT, BUT THERE'S STILL A NEED. THERE'S STILL A NEED. THERE'S ALWAYS A NEED. SO FOR THE RECORD, I WAS GONNA SAY 30 DAYS, WHICH IS THINK WHAT I'VE HEARD BEFORE, AND I THINK THAT'S HOW LONG WE TRY TO KEEP IT. IF WE HAVEN'T USED IT IN 30 DAYS, I THINK THAT'S WHEN WE TRY TO ROTATE IT. BUT I'LL VERIFY THAT AND GET YOU AN ANSWER. OKAY. AND LAST THING, YOU SAID THE GRADUATION WAS DECEMBER 17TH? YES, SIR. UM, I, I GUESS I CAN LOOK UP THE, THE INFORMATION ON THE PRESENTATION, SO I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE ELSE WAS PLANNING ON COMING FOR THAT. YEAH. OKAY. YEAH, DECEMBER 17TH. IT'S A WEDNESDAY AT, AT 2:00 PM WE TRIED TO NOT DO A FRIDAY THIS TIME, JUST BECAUSE IT'S VERY HARD FOR PEOPLE EVEN WORK. THEY WANT TO GO HOME AFTER A WEEK, SO, SO WE DID WEDNESDAY AND IT'S AT 2:00 PM AT THE TEXAS STATE CAPITOL. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. YOU COULD PROBABLY COUNT ME IN FOR THAT, AND I GUESS WE MIGHT WANT TO MAKE SURE WE DON'T HIT QUORUM IF PEOPLE ARE. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER RUTTEN? UM, I JUST HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE OPIOID, UM, MAPPING, WHICH I APPRECIATE HAVING THE, THE HEAT MAPS AND, YOU KNOW, I KNOW WE STILL GENERALLY HAVE THE SAME GEOGRAPHY. HAVE YOU NOTICED ANY CHANGES? I KNOW WE JUST HAVE THE QUARTER FOUR HEAT MAPS HERE, BUT OTHER THAN THE, THE COMMON AREAS, IS THERE, ARE THERE ANY NEW HOTSPOTS OR ANY CHANGES THAT HAVE COME TO Y'ALL'S ATTENTION LOOKING AT THIS DATA OVER THE LAST, I THINK IT'S BEEN WHAT, A YEAR AND A HALF THAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THIS? YEAH. KIND OF THE RHYTHM WE'VE FALLEN INTO IS THAT TYPICALLY ABOUT MARCH IS WHEN WE DO A MORE COMPREHENSIVE OPIOID UPDATE. AND SO CERTAINLY WE'LL BE GIVEN THE QUARTERLY REPORT AGAIN, I THINK FOR ME IN MARCH. AND SO THAT MIGHT BE A GOOD TIME TO BRING IN OUR SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS AND TALK THROUGH THAT. WE WILL ALSO HAVE SOME DATA WITH THE ENCAMPMENT CLEANUP THAT WE JUST DID. AND SO AS WE TOUCHED FOLKS PRIOR TO THAT CLEANUP AND WHAT THAT LOOKED LIKE, AND WE'LL HAVE SOME DATA TO, TO KIND OF WORK THROUGH AND, AND GLEAN FROM THAT AS WELL, SO THAT, THAT MIGHT MAKE FOR A GOOD MARCH AGENDA ITEM. THANK YOU. OKAY. ANYTHING ONLINE, IF NOT, UM, WE WILL DEFINITELY DO A WHOLE BLOOD FOLLOW UP SORT OF STANDALONE ITEM. I DON'T THINK I REALIZED, UM, THE VOLUME, UM, HOW LARGE THE PROGRAM THAT, THAT WAS DEFINITELY MORE ADMINISTRATIONS THAN I EXPECTED, UM, TOTAL. SO WE SHOULD DEFINITELY TAKE A LOOK AT THAT MORE CLOSELY. UM, OKAY. WITH THAT, [3. Presentation regarding Vision Zero by Joel Meyer, Transportation Safety Officer, Austin Transportation and Public Works.] WE WILL MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT AGENDA ITEM. THANK YOU. [00:35:01] UM, WHICH IS A LONG OVERDUE PRESENTATION, UM, ON VISION ZERO. IT HAS BEEN QUITE SOME TIME SINCE WE'VE HAD YOU GUYS OUT. LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING WHAT YOU GUYS ARE UP TO. GOOD AFTERNOON COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS JOEL MEYER. I'M THE TRANSPORTATION SAFETY OFFICER, UH, OVERSEEING THE VISION ZERO PROGRAM WITH TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS. UM, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME OUT HERE. UM, YOU KNOW, I'M TYPICALLY PRESENTING TO A LOT OF TRANSPORTATION GROUPS LIKE UTC AND MOBILITY COMMITTEE, SO I APPRECIATE YOU GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME SPEAK HERE. I THINK A LOT OF THE WORK WE DO IS SO DEPENDENT ON OUR PUBLIC SAFETY PROFESSIONALS IN TERMS OF RESPONDING TO CRASHES. UM, POST CRASH CARE IS SUCH A BIG PART OF VISION ZERO. SO, UH, I APPRECIATE THIS OPPORTUNITY. UM, ALWAYS LIKE TO START WITH JUST THE OVERALL TRENDS. SO VISION ZERO IS OUR CITY'S GOAL, OUR POLICY TO ELIMINATE TRAFFIC FATALITIES AND SERIOUS INJURIES. SO LOOKING YEAR TO DATE THROUGH OCTOBER 10TH, UH, IN 2025, WE'RE, WE'RE ACTUALLY DOWN AROUND 40% COMBINED SERIOUS INJURIES AND FATALITIES COMPARED WITH THIS TIME LAST YEAR. UM, WE ARE UP SLIGHTLY IN THE NUMBER OF FATALITIES. THOSE NUMBERS CAN FLUCTUATE YEAR TO YEAR, JUST GIVEN THE SMALL, UH, RELATIVE SIZE. BUT, UH, GOOD TO SEE THAT THE, THE SERIOUS INJURIES HAVE REALLY FALLEN OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS. AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE IN MY PRESENTATION ABOUT WHY WE THINK THAT IS, UH, LOOKING AT THOSE SAME NUMBERS BROKEN OUT BY MODE. UM, YOU CAN SEE PEOPLE IN MOTOR VEHICLES MAKE UP THE MAJORITY OF OUR, UH, FATALITIES AND SERIOUS INJURIES. UH, BUT WE DO HAVE AN OVERREPRESENTATION OF, OF VULNERABLE USERS LIKE PEDESTRIANS, CYCLISTS, UM, SCOTERS, THINGS LIKE THAT. UM, BUT AGAIN, UH, WE ARE DOWN ACROSS THE BOARD ACROSS THOSE MODES. SO GOOD TO SEE THE, THAT TREND CONTINUE, ESPECIALLY WITH PEDESTRIANS WHERE WE'VE SEEN AN UPTICK IN THE LAST DECADE OR SO. AND GOOD TO SEE THOSE NUMBERS COME DOWN. UM, THIS IS LOOKING AT THE, THE SAME SLIDE, JUST, JUST LOOKING AT FATALITIES. YOU CAN SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE FLUCTUATION THERE. MOTOR VEHICLES ARE SLIGHTLY UP, UH, IN THE NUMBER OF FATALITIES. WE DID HAVE THAT ONE, UH, CRASH LAST MARCH, UH, RESULTING IN FIVE FATALITIES ON I 35 AND THAT, SO THAT MAKES UP PART OF THAT INCREASE. BUT, UM, YEAH, AGAIN, PEDESTRIANS DOWN MOTORCYCLISTS IS, IS HAS BEEN A FOCUS OF OURS GIVEN THE UPTICK THIS YEAR. WE'VE DONE SOME OUTREACH, UH, TO PEOPLE ON, ON MOTORS. UM, THIS IS GOOD TIMING TO, TO COME TALK TO YOU ALL. UH, 20 OCTOBER MARKED THE 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF VISION ZERO BEING ADOPTED IN AUSTIN AS OFFICIAL CITY POLICY. AND SO WE'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF, UH, REPORTING AND A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, UH, COMMEMORATING THAT MILESTONE. UH, WE DID RELEASE A 10 YEAR REPORT IN OCTOBER. UM, IT'S AVAILABLE ONLINE AT THE, THE LINK THERE AT THE BOTTOM LEFT. UH, BUT THIS IS REALLY AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT, UH, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE'VE BEEN AS A CITY, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE KEY, UH, ACHIEVEMENTS WE'VE MADE, BUT ALSO BEING VERY HONEST AND TRANSPARENT ABOUT THE CHALLENGES THAT REMAIN. WE OBVIOUSLY HAVEN'T ACHIEVED VISION ZERO, BUT I THINK IF YOU REALLY LOOK CLOSER AT SOME OF THE, THE DATA POINTS AND SOME OF THE, UH, PROGRESS WE'VE MADE, I THINK THERE'S A GOOD STORY TO TELL AND, UH, UH, REALLY WANTED TO SHARE THAT WITH THE COMMUNITY. SO THE REPORT LOOKS AT KEY MILESTONES. IT LOOKS AT THE 10 YEAR INJURY AND FATAL CRASH TRENDS, SOME OF OUR MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS ACROSS KIND OF OUR THREE PILLARS, SAFETY CULTURE, DESIGNING FOR SAFETY, AND PROMOTING SAFE BEHAVIORS. I'LL, I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THOSE HERE IN A SECOND. AND THEN JUST TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THE ONGOING CHALLENGES WE'RE HAVING RELATED TO, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH, WITH OUR STATE PARTNERS, UM, THE DESIGN OF VEHICLES AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT ARE CONTINUING TO BE A CHALLENGE. JUST WANTED TO PULL OUT SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM THAT REPORT. UH, ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE SCREEN, UH, LOOKING AT THE 10 YEAR TRENDS, UH, YOU CAN SEE, YOU KNOW, FATALITIES, FLUCTUATE YEAR TO YEAR. BUT REALLY WHAT WE WANTED TO POINT OUT WAS LAST YEAR, 2024 DID SEE THE FEWEST NUMBER OF SERIOUS INJURIES ON OUR ROADWAYS SINCE WE'VE BEEN, YOU KNOW, TRACKING THIS DATA AS PART OF VISION ZERO. UH, SO A LOT OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE INVESTMENTS WE'VE MADE IN TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST BUILDING THAT CULTURE OF SAFETY IN AUSTIN, I THINK, UH, HAS LED TO SOME, SOME SUCCESSES. UH, UP ON THE UPPER RIGHT IS A GRAPH SHOWING THE, THE SPLIT OF FATALITIES HAPPENING ON CITY OWNED STREETS VERSUS, UH, PRIMARILY STATE OWNED STREETS. SO YOU CAN SEE THE MAJORITY OF THOSE FATALITIES ARE HAPPENING ON OUR STATE SYSTEM. THESE ARE MAJOR HIGHWAYS I 35, 180 3, ET CETERA. UM, THE, THE TREND THAT WE'VE BEEN SEEING SINCE VISION ZERO HAS BEEN ADOPTED IS AN INCREASING SHARE ON THOSE STATE OWNED FACILITIES. WHILE THE FATALITIES ON CITY OWNED FACILITIES HAVE REMAINED RELATIVELY FLAT, UM, OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE MORE CONTROL AS A CITY O OF THE DESIGN OF THOSE STREETS, OF THE OPERATION, OF OUR TRAFFIC SIGNALS, THINGS LIKE THAT. AND SO WE THINK THAT'S BEGINNING TO SHOW UP IN THE, THE LONG TERM TRENDS OF WHERE THOSE REDUCTIONS, UH, [00:40:01] ARE, ARE HAPPENING. AND THEN, UH, ANOTHER GRAPH THAT WE WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT WAS THE BOTTOM RIGHT, LOOKING AT, UM, A COMPARISON OF AUSTIN'S PER CAPITA FATALITY AND SERIOUS INJURY RATE COMPARED WITH OTHER TEXAS CITIES. UH, THESE ARE KIND OF A GOOD BAROMETER OF, UH, YOU KNOW, CITIES WITH SIMILAR CHARACTERISTICS, SIMILAR CHALLENGES, UH, ACROSS THE STATE. AND REALLY OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, WE'VE SEEN AUSTIN, UH, YOU KNOW, REALLY DECREASE OUR PER CAPITA RATE WHILE OTHER CITIES HAVE, HAVE GONE UP OR REMAINED THE SAME. SO, UH, WE ALSO THINK THAT'S A TESTAMENT TO THE WORK THAT WE HAVE A COMMUNITY, AS A COMMUNITY HAVE DONE AROUND SAFETY. AND THEN I, I'D SAY THE, THE CENTERPIECE OF THIS REPORT IS, UH, SOME ANALYSIS WE'VE DONE OF THE MOBILITY AND SAFETY INVESTMENTS OUR COMMUNITY HAS MADE OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, PARTICULARLY FUNDED BY THE, THE 20 16 18 AND 2020 MOBILITY BONDS. UM, YOU KNOW, REALLY LOOKING AT 10 YEARS OF CRASH DATA ACROSS MANY DIFFERENT PROJECT TYPES. WE'RE SEEING PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL REDUCTIONS IN INJURIES, FATALITIES, TOTAL CRASHES, UM, AND THEN ALSO THE, THE COSTS OF CRASHES IS SOMETHING WE LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT. UM, SO THESE ARE THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH, UM, PROPERTY DAMAGE, WITH, WITH HOSPITALIZATION BILLS, WITH PUBLIC SAFETY RESPONSE. YOU KNOW, THESE ARE IN THE HUNDREDS OF MILLION DOLLARS, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS EVERY YEAR JUST WITH CRASHES ALONE. AND SO WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO WITH THIS DATA IS SHOW THAT WHERE WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE THESE INVESTMENTS, WE'RE SEEING THESE RESULTS, YOU KNOW, THESE INVESTMENTS PAY OFF, UH, IN TERMS OF LIFE SAVE, BUT ALSO, UM, OTHER SOCIETAL COSTS THAT WE'RE SAVING THE COMMUNITY. SO I'D ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO, TO DIG INTO THE REPORT AND LOOK AT ALL THESE DIFFERENT PROJECTS THAT, UH, HAVE BEEN ROLLED OUT AND THE CRASH REDUCTIONS. WE, WE ARE, WE'RE SEEING, UM, I'LL, I'LL GO INTO SOME OF THE KIND OF CURRENT ACTIVITIES WE'RE WORKING ON AS A PROGRAM. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THE WORK WE DO WITHIN TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS IS DESIGNING OUR STREETS FOR SAFETY. WE KNOW THIS IS THE, YOU KNOW, MOST IMPACTFUL THING WE CAN DO IS, YOU KNOW, LOWER SPEEDS PROVIDE PHYSICAL SEPARATION BETWEEN DIFFERENT MODES. UM, AND SO A LOT OF WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW IS REALLY TRYING TO RAMP UP OUR, UH, DELIVERY OF THESE PROJECTS. UH, WE'VE FINISHED SPENDING OUR 2016 BOND FUNDING FOR VISION 0 20 18 BOND. BY THE END OF THIS CALENDAR YEAR WILL, WILL BE SUBSTANTIALLY SPENT. AND THEN WITH 2020, WE'RE ABOUT, UH, TWO THIRDS OF THE WAY THROUGH THAT PROGRAM. UM, I HAVE A LITTLE ASTERISK THERE. ONE OF THE STORIES THAT I THINK WE SHOULD CELEBRATE IS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO LEVERAGE $9 MILLION OF THAT 2020 BOND FUNDING FOR AN ADDITIONAL $35 MILLION IN FEDERAL GRANTS. SO, UH, LOCALITIES HAVE TO ESSENTIALLY, UH, MATCH FEDERAL FUNDS 20 20%, 80%. SO WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO LEVERAGE THAT FUNDING AND DO A LOT MORE, UH, PROJECTS, UH, THAN WE WOULD HAVE IF WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT, THAT FUNDING. UM, ONE OF THOSE IS SAFE STREETS AND ROADS FOR ALL. THIS IS A BIG GRANT PROGRAM THROUGH THE FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE BILL THROUGH FROM A FEW YEARS AGO. AUSTIN HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL, UH, FOR THREE CONSECUTIVE YEARS, UH, UH, SECURING FUNDING FROM THAT PROGRAM, UM, THAT'S ALLOWING US TO DO THINGS LIKE, UH, MAJOR INTERSECTION PROJECTS, STREET LIGHTING, PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS, ALL KINDS OF THINGS THAT, UH, ARE GONNA HELP REDUCE THE RISK OF INJURY ON OUR ROADWAYS. UM, AND THEN JUST TO HIGHLIGHT, RECENTLY WE BROKE GROUND ON OUR CAMERA AND DESSAU ROAD SAFETY PROJECT. THIS IS A SIX AND A HALF MILE LONG CORRIDOR, REALLY ONE OF OUR HIGHEST CRASH CORRIDORS IN THE WHOLE CITY. UM, THIS IS GONNA BE A MULTIMODAL PROJECT WHERE WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, REALLY SLOW DOWN THOSE, THOSE EGREGIOUS SPEED SPEEDERS PROVIDE PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS, PROTECTED BIKE FACILITIES, STREET LIGHTING. SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO KIND OF START CONSTRUCTION ON THAT ONE. UM, IN TERMS OF PROMOTING SAFE BEHAVIORS, THIS IS REALLY MORE THE EDUCATION AND ENFORCEMENT SIDE OF THINGS. UM, WE HAVE FOUR MAIN BEHAVIORS THAT WE TRY TO TARGET WHEN WE ARE DOING EDUCATION AND ENFORCEMENT CAMPAIGNS, REALLY DRIVEN BY THE DATA AND THE, THE INJURIES WE'RE SEEING ON OUR ROADWAYS. UM, RIGHT NOW WE ARE, UH, DOING A CAMPAIGN AROUND DISTRACTED DRIVING, UH, REALLY WITH THE END OF DAYLIGHT SAVING IN IN NOVEMBER, IT GETS DARKER EARLIER, WE TYPICALLY SEE AN UP UPTICK IN CRASHES ON OUR ROADWAYS. SO REALLY TRYING TO STRESS THE IMPORTANCE TO PEOPLE OF, UH, YOU KNOW, PUTTING YOUR PHONE DOWN, PAYING ATTENTION TO PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF YOUR VEHICLES. UM, WE'VE ALSO RECENTLY KIND OF STRENGTHENED OUR COORDINATION WITH A PD, UH, ESPECIALLY AS, UH, THE REORGANIZATION WITH, WITH A PD HAS HAPPENED IN MORE PATROL UNITS OUT ON THE STREETS. WE WANNA MAKE, MAKE SURE VISION ZERO HAS A SEAT AT THE TABLE AND IS REALLY USING OUR GREAT DATA TO HELP INFORM WHERE THAT PROACTIVE TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT IS HAPPENING. SO WE'VE HAD SOME GREAT DISCUSSIONS WITH, UH, THE DIFFERENT, UH, A PD COMMANDER, UH, ANALYSTS REALLY SHARING DATA, UM, TO REALLY GET BETTER OUTCOMES AS PATROL COME COMES BACK ONLINE. UM, WE'VE ALSO, WE HAVE, UH, RENEWED OUR NO REFUSAL PARTNERSHIP WITH, WITH A PD IN TERMS OF, UH, FOCUSING ON DDWI ENFORCEMENT. [00:45:01] UM, THAT WAS EXPANDED LAST YEAR TO 365 DAYS PER YEAR, FORMERLY, THAT WAS, UH, REALLY FOCUSED ON HOLIDAYS AND WEEKENDS, BUT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO EXPAND THAT TO, UH, EVERY DAY, UH, REALLY ALLOWING DRUG RECOGNITION EXPERTS TO BE ON STAFF TO HELP PROCESS THOSE DD DWIS AND GET OFFICERS BACK ON THE ROAD. SO THAT'S BEEN, UM, A SUCCESS AND WE'VE SEEN AN INCREASE IN DWI I ARRESTS AS A RESULT OF THAT. UM, SOMETHING NEW SINCE I'VE LAST MET WITH YOU ALL IS OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH TRAVIS COUNTY, DWI COURT AND THEIR TRANSFORMATIVE YOUTH JUSTICE PROGRAM. SO THIS IS A, A PROGRAM THAT ESSENTIALLY IT'S AN ALTERNATIVE ADJUDICATION ADJUDICATION PROGRAM, UM, WHERE, UH, PEOPLE ARRESTED FOR DWI CAN PARTICIPATE IN VARIOUS PROGRAMS, UM, INCLUDING IGNITION INTERLOCK PROGRAMS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, UH, TO, TO EXPUNGE THE DWI OFF THEIR RECORD. SO IT'S ESSENTIALLY A DIVERSION PROGRAM, UM, AND IT'S REALLY HELPING WITH RECIDIVISM, SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO REALLY FOCUS ON AS A, AS A PROGRAM ROOM. UH, SO WHAT'S IN STORE FOR 2026? UM, AS I MENTIONED, WE'LL BE ACCELERATING OUR DELIVERY OF, OF THESE SAFETY PROJECTS. UH, WE'VE GOT SEVEN MAJOR INTERSECTIONS THAT ARE GONNA START CONSTRUCTION IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS. THIS IS REALLY KIND OF THE PEAK OF OUR SPENDING OF, OF THESE VISION ZERO INVESTMENTS. SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO GET THESE PROJECTS ON THE GROUND AND START ACCRUING THOSE SAFETY BENEFITS. UH, I MENTIONED THE CAMERON DESSAU SAFETY PROJECT THAT'S GONNA BE IN CONSTRUCTION FOR THE NEXT YEAR. PLUS. UM, WE ALSO HAVE ANOTHER MULTIMODAL PROJECT ON MONTOPOLIS DRIVE IN SOUTHEAST AUSTIN. SO WE'VE DONE SOME COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THERE. WE'LL BE DOING ANOTHER ROUND AND REALLY TRYING TO GET SOME IMPROVEMENTS OUT THERE THAT CAN HELP, UH, REDUCE CRASH RISKS OUT THERE. UH, SAFETY ANALYTICS IS A BIG PART OF WHAT WE DO, REALLY TRYING TO HAVE DATA INFORM EVERYTHING WE DO. UH, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'LL BE DOING IN 2026 IS UPDATING OUR HIGH INJURY NETWORK. THIS IS KIND OF THE SUBSET OF STREETS WHERE THERE'S A HIGHER CONCENTRATION OF INJURIES AND FATALITIES ON OUR ROADWAYS. IT'S BEEN A FEW YEARS SINCE WE'VE UPDATED THAT. SO THIS, THIS IS, THIS IS A REALLY GOOD TOOL THAT WE CAN USE TO KIND OF QUICKLY COMMUNICATE TO THE PUBLIC AND TO OUR PARTNERS WHERE THOSE HIGHEST PRIORITY CORRIDORS ARE IN AUSTIN. UM, ONE THING WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON FOR THE LAST YEAR OR SO IS INCORPORATING AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY EMS DATA INTO OUR CRASH DATABASE. UM, UH, EEMS HAS BEEN A GREAT PARTNER ON THIS. WE KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF UNDER-REPORTING OF, OF THESE INCIDENTS AND THESE INJURIES BECAUSE TYPICALLY WE'RE RELYING ON CRASH REPORTS FILLED OUT OUT BY, UH, LAW ENFORCEMENT. BUT WE KNOW THERE'S OTHER DATA SOURCES LIKE EMS WHERE, WHERE, YOU KNOW, AMBULANCES ARE RESPONDING TO THESE CRASHES. UM, BUT WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY GETTING A POLICE REPORT. SO THERE'S A LOT OF KIND OF WORK WE HAVE TO DO ON THE BACK END TO MAKE THOSE DATA SETS TALK TO EACH OTHER. BUT WE THINK WE'RE REALLY GONNA BE A LEADER IN THESE VISION ZERO CITIES IN TERMS OF INCORPORATING THOSE EXTERNAL DATA SOURCES. UM, AND THEN ON THE SORT OF POLICY FRONT, UH, WE'RE DOING A COUPLE LONGER TERM PLANNING INITIATIVES. WE'RE DEVELOPING A CITYWIDE LIGHTING PLAN, WHICH, WHICH I'LL TALK ABOUT HERE ON THE NEXT SLIDE. UH, THIS IS LOOKING NOT JUST FROM A TRAFFIC SAFETY PERSPECTIVE, BUT ALSO FROM A CRIME PERSPECTIVE, FROM A A LIVABILITY QUALITY OF LIFE PERSPECTIVE, UH, REALLY TAKING A STEP BACK AND LOOKING AT HOW OUR CITY APPROACHES LIGHTING. AND, UM, I'M EXCITED TO KIND OF SHARE A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT. WE'RE ALSO DEVELOPING A, A ROUNDABOUT DESIGN GUIDE. SO WE KNOW ROUNDABOUTS ARE ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS WE CAN DO ON OUR, UH, INTERSECTIONS. UM, WE REALLY WANNA KIND OF FORMALIZE HOW AUSTIN APPROACHES DOING ROUNDABOUTS IN AUSTIN. SO, UH, LAST SLIDE MENTIONED THE CITYWIDE LIGHTING PLAN. I THOUGHT THIS GROUP IN PARTICULAR WOULD HAVE A LOT OF INTEREST IN THIS EFFORT. SO THIS IS BEING FUNDED THROUGH OUR SAFE STREETS AND ROADS FOR ALL GRANT THAT I MENTIONED, THAT FEDERAL GRANT. BUT IT'S ALSO A PARTNERSHIP WITH, UM, AUSTIN ENERGY AND THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, YOU KNOW, TWO, TWO DEPARTMENTS THAT OBVIOUSLY HAVE A LOT OF INTEREST IN IN QUALITY LIGHTING. UM, SO SOME OF THE KEY PLAN ELEMENTS, UM, WE'RE DOING A REALLY CITYWIDE EXISTING CONDITIONS REVIEW. YOU CAN SEE THAT IMAGE THERE ON THE RIGHT IS SORT OF A DRAFT, UH, DATA SET THAT WE'VE RECEIVED THAT THAT ESSENTIALLY IS GONNA GIVE US LIGHTING LEVELS AND, UH, IN TERMS OF QUANTITY AND QUALITY ACROSS THE ENTIRE CITY ON OUR PUBLIC ROADWAYS. SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO KIND OF MODEL WHERE THERE'S LIGHTING DEFICIENCIES, UM, AND HELP US TO PRIORITIZE WHERE NEW LIGHTING MAY BE NEEDED. WE'LL ALSO BE ABLE TO DO, UM, KIND OF CORRELATE THAT WITH, UH, CRIME HOTSPOTS AND ALSO TRAFFIC CRASH HOTSPOTS AND REALLY HELP US UNDERSTAND THAT DYNAMIC. UM, WE'VE DONE A LOT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, REALLY TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE COMMUNITY'S NEEDS IN TERMS OF LIGHTING LEVELS, UM, LIGHTING TEMPERATURES. WE REALLY WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE DOING, UM, WE'RE IMPLEMENTING LIGHTING IN A RESPONSIBLE WAY SO WE'RE NOT OVER LIGHTING AND BEING RESPECTIVE OF PEOPLE'S CONCERNS THERE. UM, AND THEN A BIG PART OF THE PLAN WILL BE TO DEVELOP CONTEXT DEPENDENT LIGHTING DESIGN GUIDELINES. SO WE'LL HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE AUSTIN ENERGY ALREADY HAS, YOU KNOW, STREET LIGHTING DESIGN GUIDE, BUT WE DON'T HAVE ONE FOR TRAILS. WE DON'T HAVE ONE FOR PEDESTRIAN SCALE LIGHTING FOR PARKS, ET CETERA. [00:50:01] UM, WE'LL REALLY BE WORKING WITH A NATIONAL LIGHTING EXPERT TO TAILOR THOSE TO THOSE DIFFERENT AREAS OF TOWN. UM, AND THEN FINALLY LOOKING AT DEVELOPING A PRIORITIZATION FRAMEWORK FOR NEW LIGHTING. UM, CURRENTLY A LOT OF THE LIGHTING, UH, COMES FROM, UH, CUSTOMER REQUESTS. UM, AND AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE, THAT'S NOT THE MOST PROACTIVE WAY OF IMPLEMENTING LIGHTING. SO AT THE END OF THIS PLAN, WE, WE WILL HAVE A PRIORITIZATION FRAMEWORK THAT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT LIGHTING LEVELS, CRIME HOTSPOTS, UH, COLLISION HOTSPOTS, CUSTOMER REQUESTS, AND ALL THESE DIFFERENT VARIABLES. UH, AND THAT'LL FEED INTO AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN. SO HOW DO WE ACTUALLY FUND THESE LIGHTING, UH, UP UPGRADES THAT WE KNOW ARE NEEDED? UH, SO WE ANTICIPATE THAT'LL BE COMPLETED AT THE END OF 2026 AND, UH, YOU KNOW, HAPPY TO COME BACK TO THIS GROUP AND TALK ABOUT THAT MORE IN DEPTH, UH, IF THAT'S SOMETHING OF INTEREST. SO WITH THAT, I THINK THAT'S ALL I HAVE, AND HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS. UM, I'M JUST GONNA SAY YAY TO THE LIGHTING PLAN. IT IS SO EXCITING. UM, JUST THAT YOU GUYS WILL BE LAYERING SOME OF THESE LIGHTING DEFICIENCIES AGAINST CRIME CRIME HOTSPOTS AS WELL, JUST SO THAT WE CAN SORT OF HAVE THIS MORE HOLISTIC APPROACH. UM, JUST A POINT OF CONSIDERATION AS YOU GUYS ARE DOING ALL OF THE LIGHTING DESIGN GUIDELINES, IS TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THAT HERO ENTRANCES ARE NOT THE ONLY ENTRANCES THAT ARE USED BY OUR CITIZENS THAT A LOT OF OUR DISABLED CITIZENS USE SECONDARY ENTRANCES TO BUILDINGS, SOMETIMES IN ALLEYS AND VERY DARK SPACES THROUGH PARKING GARAGES AS SOME THAT IS A, A WHEELCHAIR USER, I CAN ATTEST TO THE NUMBER OF PARKING GARAGES AND SECONDARY ENTRANCES THAT HE HAS TO RELY ON TO GET INTO BUILDINGS AND THEY'RE OFTENTIMES DARK. UM, SO TAKING THAT INTO CONSIDERATION AS YOU GUYS, UM, WILL BE VERY EXCITING. I VERY MUCH WOULD LOVE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THIS LIGHTING PLAN AS IT DEVELOPS. UM, AND WITH THAT, I'LL LEAVE QUESTIONS FOR ANYBODY ELSE. COMMISSIONER NEN. YEP. THAT'S, THAT'S INTERESTING THAT YOU SAY ABOUT LIGHTING AND A DA, SO I GUESS THAT'S NOT REALLY A REQUIREMENT FOR A DA, UM, A LOT OF IT IS MORE ACCESSIBILITY, EVEN THOUGH LIGHTING, I THINK WOULD BE CONSIDERED ACCESSIBILITY IN A SENSE. YEAH. IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. I, YEAH, I THINK IT TYPICALLY HAS TO DO WITH SORT OF ON THE, THE, THE SURFACE MM-HMM . AND TRAVERS ABILITY AND THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT I, I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE LIGHTING REQUIREMENTS ARE, BUT I CAN LOOK INTO THAT. AND ALSO A DA IS MINIMUM, WE CAN DO BETTER . SURE, OF COURSE. UM, SO THERE, THERE'S TWO THINGS THAT, AND, AND THANK YOU FOR THIS COMPREHENSIVE PRESENTATION. THERE'S TWO THINGS THAT, UH, SPARKED MY INTEREST. UM, WAS THAT DIVERSION IGNITION INTERLOCK PROGRAM, IS THAT ESSENTIALLY THE, YOU HAVE TO BLOW INTO A, UM, ARE THERE ANY OTHER CONSIDERATIONS IN TERMS OF DIVERSION FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS? UM, LIKE COMMUNITY SERVICE OR ANYTHING THAT THAT IS BEING CONSIDERED FOR THAT? YEAH, SO THE, IN PARTICULAR, THE, THE TRANSFORMATIVE YOUTH JUSTICE PROGRAM THAT THAT'S A, THE D DWI I PROGRAM THAT'S FOCUSED ON, YOU KNOW, YOUNGER INDIVIDUALS ARRESTED FOR DWI. I, THEY HAVE A WHOLE SORT OF PROGRAM THAT INCLUDES KIND OF SOCIAL SERVICES AND LIKE JOB TRAINING AND ALL THESE KINDS OF, UM, WRAPAROUND SERVICES BEYOND JUST THE, THE ALCOHOL MONITORING DEVICE. OKAY. IT'S A REALLY COOL PROGRAM. IT'S, IT'S, I THINK IT'S ONLY A FEW YEARS OLD, BUT WE, YOU KNOW, VISION ZERO HELPS FUND THE IGNITION INTERLOCK PART OF THAT, UM, PROGRAM. BUT IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A REALLY GREAT PROGRAM. OKAY. SO THERE IS CRITERIA TO KIND OF LEAD THEM. YEAH, YEAH. IT'S NOT JUST THE DEVICE. AWESOME. THANK YOU. AND THEN THE OTHER ONE I HAD WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT RESPONSIBLE LIGHTING, UM, I, I KNOW WE HAVE A LIGHTS OUT TEXAS, UH, INITIATIVE THAT HAPPENS FOR BIRD MIGRATION. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT Y'ALL ARE LOOKING INTO? ARE THERE SOME INNOVATIONS TO UTILIZE LIGHTINGS IN A WAY THAT, UM, DOES NOT DISRUPT BIRD MIGRATION? YEAH, THAT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT WE ARE INCORPORATING INTO THE PLAN. I, AND I'M LEARNING A LOT AS WE GO. UM, WE'VE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD, WE HAVE SOME STAKEHOLDER ADVISORY GROUPS THAT INCLUDE PEOPLE LIKE THE, YOU KNOW, THE AUDUBON SOCIETY AND, AND DARK SKIES TEXAS. AND THEY'RE REALLY GONNA HELP US, YOU KNOW, DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS WHILE ALSO LEANING ON OUR TECHNICAL EXPERTS FROM, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, THERE'S, THERE'S THINGS LIKE, UM, SHIELDING. SO YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT UPLIGHTING, UM, THERE'S LIKE DIMMING SCHEDULES YOU CAN DO SO YOU'RE NOT OVERNIGHT OVERLIGHTING, THINGS LIKE THAT. SO I THINK THE MAIN MESSAGE IS LIKE, WE WANNA LIGHT AS MUCH AS, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA LIGHT AS LITTLE AS WE NEED, BUT WHILE ALSO MAKING IT SAFE. AND CERTAINLY IN HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS, WE'VE GOT SOME UNIQUE, YOU KNOW, ECOLOGICAL AND MIGRATORY BIRD KIND OF SITUATIONS THAT WE WANT TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU. SO WE HAVE COMMISSIONER DUAN. WHERE CAN MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY GO TO, UM, MAKE SUGGESTIONS OR REQUESTS? YOU SAID THAT'S A CONTINGENT OF, UM, YOUR PROGRAM. UM, JUST FOR THOSE THAT MAY NOT KNOW, I DON'T KNOW MYSELF IF THERE'S LIKE A CRIME HOTSPOT OR LIKE A A DA, UM, A LIGHTING ISSUE. WHERE WHERE CAN PEOPLE GO TO DO THAT? [00:55:01] YEAH, SO CURRENTLY, UH, YOU KNOW, 3 1 1 IS STILL YOUR BEST BET FOR THINGS LIKE THAT. LIGHTING REQUESTS IN PARTICULAR GOING, STILL GOING TO AUSTIN ENERGY, THAT THEY HAVE A LIGHTING UNIT. UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE THAT WILL GET ROUTED. YEAH. , UM, I HAD A DATA QUESTION. I KNOW YOU SAID YOU GUYS ARE WORKING ON TRYING TO INCORPORATE EMS DATA, BUT SPECIFICALLY ON SCOOTERS AS ONE EXAMPLES, I KNOW THERE WAS A CITY AUDIT REPORT LAST YEAR ABOUT THE VERY INCOMPLETE DATA WE HAVE IN THOSE. AND I, JUST LOOKING AT YOUR NUMBERS, I SPOKE TO A COUPLE COLLEAGUES WHO WORK AT SOME TRAUMA CENTERS IN TOWN AND AND LAST MONTH THEY'VE SEEN PROBABLY MORE FATALITIES AND SERIOUS INJURIES AND ARE RECORDED IN THE ENTIRE YEAR'S WORTH HERE. SO I'M CURIOUS, ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT, SPECIFICALLY ON SCOOTERS? AND I'M SURE IT APPLIES TO PEDESTRIANS AND, AND BICYCLES TO SOME EXTENT AS WELL. YEAH, THE DATA WE REPORT ON CURRENTLY IS, IS COMING FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT. SO WE'RE, WE KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF UNDERREPRESENTATION, PARTICULARLY OF SCOOTERS. UM, THE, THE EMS DATA WE HAVE ACCESS TO DOES INCLUDE SCOOTERS. UM, SO THAT'S GONNA BE A BIG BENEFIT IN TERMS OF UNDERSTANDING THE LOCATIONS, THE TIMES OF DAY, THE PEOPLE INVOLVED WITH THOSE INCIDENTS. EVEN THEN, I, I KNOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE UNDERREPORTING, A LOT OF THOSE INCIDENTS, PEOPLE GO DIRECTLY TO THE HOSPITAL OR MAYBE THEY GO TO A A, A CLINIC OR SOME THINGS LIKE THAT. WE DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THAT DATA. UH, THERE'S, THERE'S WAYS TO DO THAT THROUGH LIKE RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS AND THINGS, BUT RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT NOW I THINK JUST HAVING THAT EMS DATA WILL BE, GIVE US SOMEONE SO MUCH MORE INSIGHTS INTO WHERE THESE CRASHES ARE HAPPENING THAN WE'VE HAD PREVIOUSLY. YEAH. I THINK ANY STEPS LIKE THAT WILL BE, WILL BE HUGE. YEAH. DO YOU KNOW AS WELL, WHEN YOU WERE HAVING LIKE THE COMPARATIVE DATA, LOOKING AS TO PEER CITIES, IS THERE SIMILAR DATA COLLECTION MECHANISMS OR SOME CITIES MORE COMPREHENSIVE THAN OTHERS WHERE THEY MIGHT HAVE FALSELY ELEVATED OR FALSELY LOWER NUMBERS? I'D SAY, UH, UNDER REPORTING IS AN ISSUE ACROSS THE, THE COUNTRY. THERE'S REALLY, UM, ONLY A HANDFUL OF CITIES THAT HAVE REALLY ATTEMPTED TO MAKE THESE LINKAGES BETWEEN LAW ENFORCEMENT DATA, EMS DATA, EVEN FIRE DATA OR HOSPITAL DATA. UM, SAN FRANCISCO COMES TO MIND, BUT I'D SAY AUSTIN VISION ZERO IS SORT OF, UM, ON THAT NEXT WAVE OF, OF CITIES THAT ARE ATTEMPTING, EVEN ATTEMPTING TO DO THIS. SO, UH, YEAH, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A PROBLEM ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WELL, I APPRECIATE THAT AND I THINK ALSO HOPEFULLY WE'LL RECOGNIZE IF THE NUMBERS GO UP BECAUSE WE'RE GETTING BETTER DATA, THAT'S NOT A BAD THING. RIGHT? THAT'S NOT A FAILURE. JUST LETS US KNOW WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY WORKING WITH. SO. EXACTLY. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT. UM, I'M NOT SURE IF YOU'LL HAVE ANY INSIGHT INTO THIS. BUT I'M CURIOUS, UM, IF THE, UM, CHANGE IN PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION IS LIKELY TO AFFECT, UH, THE CITY'S GRANT FOR 2025 FOR SAFE STREETS? SO FOR THE, THE SAFE STREETS AND ROADS FOR ALL FUNDING THAT WE'VE RECEIVED. UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVEN'T HAD ANY GRANTS CANCELED OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. UM, I THINK THERE HAS BEEN SORT OF A DELAY IN PROCESSING A LOT OF THE PAPERWORK JUST, JUST WITH THE NEW ADMINISTRATION CHANGED. I THINK THAT WAS TO BE EXPECTED. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE REALLY HAVEN'T BEEN IMPACTED TOO MUCH IN TERMS OF VISION ZERO. YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE ARE OTHER GRANTS LIKE THE RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES GRANT, THAT THAT WAS RESCINDED, BUT, UM, THANKFULLY THE SAFETY FUNDING HASN'T BEEN IMPACTED TOO MUCH. THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR. UM, AND AGAIN, WHO KNOWS WHERE I'M HEADED? I KNOW WHERE I'M HEADED WITH THIS. I JUST DON'T KNOW IF IT GOES ANYWHERE, UM, UH, WITH, UH, TRAFFIC LIGHTING OR, OR STREET LIGHTING AND OTHER LIGHTING SITUATIONS. UM, IS THERE A CONVERSATION ABOUT INCORPORATING, UH, SOLAR LIGHTING INTO THAT? YEAH, I THINK PART OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS WILL, UH, TALK ABOUT WHERE IT'S APPROPRIATE TO USE SOLAR LIGHTING. I THINK, UH, PARTICULARLY IN AREAS WHERE IT'S HARD TO GET ELECTRICAL SERVICE, UH, TRAILS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO I THINK WE'RE STILL PRETTY EARLY, BUT I THINK THERE IS A ROLE TO PLAY WITH SOLAR. GREAT. THANK YOU. DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ONLINE? UM, I HAD ONE SORT OF FINAL FOLLOW UP QUESTION, WHICH IS JUST ABOUT, I, I'VE EXPERIENCED THE CHANGES IN INTERSECTIONS THAT VISION ZERO HAS BEEN MAKING OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS, AND IT'S SIGNIFICANT. THERE'S, YOU KNOW, ANECDOTALLY IT FEELS LIKE SLOWER TRAFFIC, IT FEELS LIKE LESS CRASHES. UM, WHERE DOES THE COMPARATIVE DATA OF, LIKE, ON THOSE INTERSECTIONS AND ON THOSE ROADWAYS LIVE, LIKE THE BEFORE AND AFTER? UM, HOW ARE YOU GUYS TRACKING THAT, AND IS THERE A WAY THAT WE CAN TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THAT STUFF? YEAH, SO THE, THE 10 YEAR REPORT WE JUST PUBLISHED REALLY WAS THE KIND OF MOST COMPREHENSIVE LOOK THAT WE'VE DONE ON THAT. UM, AND WE ACTUALLY, WE HAVE, WE HAVE, THERE'S LIKE A METHODOLOGY PAPER ATTACHED TO THAT, THAT IF YOU REALLY WANT TO DIG INTO IT. OKAY. HA HAS ALL THOSE NUMBERS, BUT WE ALSO PUBLISH ALL OUR CRASH DATA ON THE CITY'S DA UH, OPEN DATA PORTAL. OKAY. SO ANYONE'S FREE TO KIND OF GO IN THERE AND DO THEIR OWN ANALYSIS AS WELL. OKAY, [01:00:01] GREAT. UM, IF WE DON'T HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, THANK YOU. UM, THIS IS ALWAYS ENLIGHTENING, UM, AND HELPFUL. AND, UM, I THINK IT'S JUST A REALLY GOOD REMINDER. I KNOW THAT AS WE'RE DRIVING AROUND THE CITY, WE THINK ABOUT A PD AND EMS AND FIRE AS WHO FIXES OUR PROBLEMS WHEN WE ARE OUT AND ABOUT, AND THERE ARE CRASHES AND STUFF, BUT THE, THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS DO IS ALL OF THE PROACTIVE SORT OF INFRASTRUCTURE WORK THAT MAKES IT SO THAT WE DON'T NEED A-P-D-E-M-S AND FIRE AS MUCH. AND SO I TRULY APPRECIATE, UM, HOW MUCH THOUGHT HAS GONE IN IT. IT IS, IT IS NOTICEABLE. UM, IT IS MARKED, UM, THE DIFFERENCE THAT YOU GUYS ARE MAKING, SO THANK YOU. GREAT. WELL, THANKS FOR HAVING ME. THANK YOU. WITH THAT, WE CAN HAVE, UM, WE ARE GONNA [4. Introduction and overview of Austin Equity and Inclusion. Presentation byDr. Lindsey Wilson, Director, Austin Equity and Inclusion; Shafina Khaki, Human Rights Officer, Austin Equity and Inclusion; and Emi Johnson, Interim Civil Rights Officer, Austin Equity and Inclusion.] MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT ITEM FOUR, WHICH IS AN INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF AUSTIN EQUITY AND INCLUSION. UM, IF I CAN HAVE YOU GUYS INTRODUCE YOURSELVES AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. UM, WE HAD ORIGINALLY JUST TO KIND OF SET IT UP A LITTLE BIT WHILE THEY GET SETTLED, WE HAD, UM, QUITE SOME TIME AGO, HAD SOME AGENDA ITEMS, UM, WITH REQUEST TO LGBTQIA PLUS SAFETY. UM, UH, WE'VE BEEN SORT OF TOSSLING AROUND AN IMMIGRATION SAFETY SORT OF ITEM FOR A LONG TIME, AND WE'VE STRUGGLED WITH HOW TO BEST FRAME THAT. AND SO WE REACHED OUT TO AUSTIN EQUITY AND INCLUSION BECAUSE THEY'RE DOING SOME INTERESTING AND EXCITING WORK IN THOSE SPACES. AND I'M HOPING THAT IT CAN CREATE SOME INSIGHT AND POTENTIAL POINTS FOR COLLABORATION FOR US MOVING FORWARD. SO WITH THAT, WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON, UH, COMMISSIONERS AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE INVITATION. UM, I'M DR. LINDSAY WILSON. I'M THE DIRECTOR FOR THE AU WELL FOR AUSTIN EQUITY AND INCLUSION. NO OFFICE IN FRONT OF IT. WE DROPPED THAT. UM, IF WE GO TO THE, YOU HAVE IT, THE, UM, SLIDE DECK. PERFECT. SO IF WE GO TO SLIDE TWO THERE, HIGHLIGHTS, MAKE SURE TO SLIDE, TRY AGAIN. OKAY. THERE WE GO. HIGHLIGHTS OUR TIME TOGETHER. AND SO WE'LL START OFF WITH REALLY JUST SETTING THE STAGE AROUND THE VISION AND, AND MISSION OF THE OFFICE AS WELL AS THE STRUCTURE. AND SO IN OCTOBER, 2024, WE HAD SOME RESHIFTING HAPPEN, UM, AND THEN DO SOME INTRODUCTIONS. TWO OF US ARE FAIRLY NEW TO THE CITY. UH, ONE OF US HAS BEEN WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN FOR SOME TIME, BUT NEW TO THE ROLE. AND SO WOULD LIKE TO JUST HIGHLIGHT WHO WE ARE. UM, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE CURRENT WORK THAT WE'RE DOING AND OUR CORE SERVICES, WHICH WILL REALLY ALIGN WITH MUCH OF WHAT YOU HIGHLIGHTED, UH, AND AND YOUR, YOUR TAGLINE THAT, YOU KNOW, A DA IS THE MINIMUM AND WE CAN DO BETTER. AND SO WE'RE EXCITED TO HAVE HIRED OUR FIRST A DA ADMINISTRATOR, UH, LAST MONTH. UM, BUT JUST TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE GREAT WORK THAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR SPACE. AND SO IN 2024, UH, THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AND THE OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS WERE OF COURSE, TWO SEPARATE OFFICES. OUR CITY MANAGER REALLY HAD THE FORESIGHT OF, UH, SOME OF THE SHIFTS THAT WERE HAPPENING. AND DURING HIS FIRST, UH, FEW MONTHS, HE WAS HEARING FROM COMMUNITIES THAT THERE WAS STILL A POCKET OF OUR RESIDENTS WHO DID NOT FEEL CONNECTED OR SEEN, UH, HERE WITHIN THE CITY. AND SO HE ESTABLISHED THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN MARCH. WE BIRTHED THE HUMAN RIGHTS DIVISION, AND SO WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT EACH OF THE DIVISIONS DOES, BUT REALLY THE OBJECTIVE IS TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR AUSTIN KNIGHTS FEEL CONNECTED, UH, REPRESENTED AND RESPECTED IN OUR CITY. AND SO OUR MISSION IS TO TRANSFORM SYSTEMS TO INCREASE ACCESS, UH, OF COURSE TO REMOVE BARRIERS TO OPPORTUNITY, UH, ADDRESS DISCRIMINATION. AND SO WE'LL TALK ABOUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AND HOUSING AND EMPLOYMENT, UM, BECAUSE WE ARE, UM, A FAP. AND SO WE DO, UM, FAIR HOUSING COMPLAINTS AS WELL AS EMPLOYMENT COMPLAINTS AROUND DISCRIMINATION. AND THEN, OF COURSE, FOSTER A COMMUNITY WHERE ALL IDENTITIES ARE RESPECTED. AND SO, YOU MAY HAVE HEARD WE ALL BELONG IS NOW UNDER OUR, OUR OFFICE, SPECIFICALLY IN OUR HUMAN RIGHTS DIVISION. UH, AND IN THE NEXT YEAR OR SO, WE'RE REALLY FOCUSED ON, ON DATA AND WHAT IT MEANS TO, UH, HAVE A, AN ANTI HATE TASK FORCE THAT'S LED BY THE CITY. BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT, I WANNA TAKE A MOMENT AND I'LL ACTUALLY PASS THE MIC TO SHAINA KHAKI, WHO'S OUR HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICER, FOR HER TO INTRODUCE HERSELF, UH, FOLLOWED BY EMMY JOHNSON. AND THEN I WILL HIGHLIGHT A BIT ABOUT MYSELF. WONDERFUL. WELL, [01:05:01] THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR ALLOWING US TO SHARE SPACE WITH YOU. AS MENTIONED, MY NAME IS SHAINA KHAKI AND I'M THE HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICER. I HAVE OFFICIALLY BEEN IN THIS POSITION ALMOST NINE MONTHS, SO IT HAS BEEN A WONDERFUL NINE MONTHS. BUT I'M AN ATTORNEY BY TRADE. MY FOCUS HAS REALLY ALWAYS BEEN HUMAN RIGHTS, CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, SUSTAINABILITY AT LARGE, AND THEN, UH, SOCIAL GOVERNANCE. UM, REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS HAVE BEEN A STRONG FOCUS OF MINE ALONG WITH THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN, THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN LGBTQIA PLUS. UM, AND PART OF WHAT I WAS REALLY EXCITED TO SHARE WITH THIS COMMISSION IS MY WORK WITHIN THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEMS, PRIMARILY IN GENEVA, FOCUSED ON A LOT OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND SPECIFICALLY HELPING LAUNCH THE CENTER FOR SPORT AND HUMAN RIGHTS, WHICH WAS VERY FOCUSED ON THE GAMES AND QATAR AT THE TIME, AND HOW ESSENTIALLY THE FIFA WORLD CUP HAS COME TO INCLUDE A HUMAN RIGHTS AND A LOT MORE PUBLIC SAFETY MEASURES. UM, I'VE HAD THE CHANCE TO WORK WITH THE CITY OF SEATTLE. UM, THAT'S HOME FOR ME, BUT I'VE BEEN IN AUSTIN FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW. UM, AND JUST REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO KIND OF BIRTHING THIS HUMAN RIGHTS DIVISION FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN, CREATING WHAT, UM, THE CITY MANAGER HAS RECOGNIZED AS HIS TOP SIX OF THE, HIS SIXTH GOAL, UM, WHICH IS CREATING THE HUMAN RIGHTS FRAMEWORK FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US THIS AFTERNOON, THIS EVENING. NOW, CLOSE TO, UH, MY NAME IS EMMY JOHNSON, AND I AM WITH THE CITY NOW ABOUT SEVEN YEARS. I LOOK TO, TO CHRISTIE BECAUSE WE, UM, MY START WITH THE CITY WAS WITH THE LIBRARY DEPARTMENT, AND MY BACKGROUND OVER 10 YEARS HAS BEEN IN, UH, REGULATORY, UH, INVESTIGATIONS IN COMPLIANCE, UM, IN NEW MEXICO AND HERE, UM, IN TEXAS WITH THE TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY. SO WORKING WITH A LOT WITH THE FEDERAL, UH, AS WELL AS STATE LEVEL ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. SO I BRING THAT TO THE TABLE. HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, DO SOME STRATEGIC PLANNING WITH THE LIBRARY DEPARTMENT FOR ABOUT SEVEN YEARS THERE, PERFORMANCE MEASURES. UM, THEN AN OPPORTUNITY CAME OPEN AT, UH, EQUITY AND INCLUSION. UM, AND I THOUGHT, WELL, I'LL, I'LL TAKE THAT. I'LL, I'LL, I'LL HELP THERE. UM, IT WAS REALLY A LOAN. IT STARTED OUT AS A LOAN AND BECAME PERMANENT, WHICH I'M REALLY EXCITED TO BE GROWING WITH, WITH THIS TEAM. UM, SO OUR COMPONENT, UM, UNDER CIVIL RIGHTS IS PROBABLY THE OLDEST PART, UH, ALONG WITH EQUITY OFFICE OF, OF THE MERGER THERE. UM, SO WE'VE HAD A LOT OF HISTORY THAT WE'VE WORKED THROUGH AND A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE THE WAY WE, WE DO OUR WORK AND SERVE OUR COMMUNITY. SO I THANK YOU, . GREAT. THANK YOU. UH, AND SO I HAVE BEEN, UH, I'M NEW TO THE POSITION. I CAN I STILL SAY NEW, I'M 10 MONTHS IN. SO SHAINA IS NINE. I'M ALMOST 10 MONTHS, BUT I'M NOT NEW TO THE WORK AT ALL. I HAVE, UH, 14 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, BOTH AT A COUNTY AND A CITY LEVEL, SPECIFICALLY THE LAST SIX YEARS FOCUSING ON, UH, THIS EXACT TYPE OF WORK. SO EVERYTHING FROM OUR IMMIGRANT TO OUR VETERAN, OUR A DA WORK FOR A MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT. SO REALLY JUST EXCITED TO BE HERE IN AUSTIN AND LEARNING ALL OF OUR UNIQUE COMMUNITIES AND THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE HERE. AND SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE, UH, OFFICE, WE REALLY CENTER OURSELF ON, UH, A FEW CORE SERVICES. AND ONE OF THOSE IS TO PROMOTE, UH, HUMAN RIGHTS. AND SO, AS SHAFINA MENTIONED, UM, THAT MADE THE CITY MANAGER'S TOP 25 GOAL. AND SO WE WILL BE LAUNCHING THAT, UM, WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS WITH A VENDOR, UH, TO, TO, UH, ESTABLISH THE CITY'S FIRST HUMAN RIGHTS PLAN. UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, OF COURSE, PROVIDE ANTI-DISCRIMINATION, UH, UH, PROTECTIONS. WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AS IT REGARDS TO BOTH FAIR HOUSING AND EMPLOYMENT. AND I KNOW THERE'S A LOT HAPPENING AT THE FEDERAL GOV, UH, LEVEL. AND SO WE JUST REMIND FOLKS THAT WE ARE STILL OPEN AND WE ARE TAKING COMPLAINTS HERE LOCALLY. SO IF YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO IS EXPERIENCING ANY FORM OF DISCRIMINATION, EITHER IN EMPLOYMENT OR IN HOUSING, UM, CERTAINLY SEND THEM OUR WAY. UH, SOME OF THE OTHER UNIQUE THINGS THAT WE UPHOLD IN OUR OFFICE IS SOME OF THE CITY ORDINANCES. SO EVERYTHING FROM THE CROWNS ACT TO TENANTS RIGHTS TO ORGANIZE AND OTHER KEY ORDINANCES THAT OUR CITY, UH, COUNCIL PUTS FORWARD. AND SO THAT'S A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR CORE SERVICES, HOW THAT ACTUALIZES, UH, UNTIL OUR DAY-TO-DAY WORK, WE REALLY LOOK AT IT, OF COURSE, WITHIN THREE DIVISIONS. AND SO ONE OF THE DIVISIONS, OUR EQUITY DIVISION, OUR LEADING OUR QUALITY OF LIFE STUDIES. AND SO WE'RE CURRENTLY FINALIZING, UH, THREE OF THOSE QUALITY OF LIFE STUDIES, AGING WOMEN AND GIRLS FAMILIES AND YOUNG CHILDREN. AND SO REALLY WHAT THAT UNDERTOOK WAS [01:10:01] OVER 18 MONTHS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT COMMUNITIES ARE SAYING, UH, ARE, ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES AND OR NEEDS. AND SO THAT REPORT WILL HIGHLIGHT SEVERAL RECOMMENDATIONS, MANY THAT THE CITY CAN PUT FORWARD, UM, AND THEN OTHERS THAT REALLY REQUIRES US TO PARTNER WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS. UH, WE ALSO ARE STARTING OUR IMMIGRANT AFFAIR, OR IMMIGRANT, UH, QUALITY OF LIFE STUDY. AND SO THAT STARTED AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER. AND SO WE'RE CURRENTLY, UH, IN THE PROCESS WITH OUR SELECTED VENDOR AND OF COURSE WITH OUR IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS COMMISSION, UM, FIRMING UP THAT STUDY. IN ADDITION TO THAT, YOU'LL SEE A FEW OTHER ITEMS THAT WE DO WITHIN THE EQUITY DIVISION. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS I WANNA HIGHLIGHT IS THE CITY IS STARTING TO REALLY LEAN INTO ECONOMIC MOBILITY, RECOGNIZING THAT 12% OF OUR POPULATION ARE EXPERIENCING POVERTY, AND THEN RECOGNIZING ON TOP OF THAT, THERE'S DISPARITIES WITHIN THAT. AND SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR A CITY? HOW DO OUR POLICIES OR PRACTICES, THE BODIES OF WORK THAT WE DO EITHER PERPETUATE, UM, SOME OF THOSE DISPARITIES AND OR, UH, MITIGATE. AND SO I WILL PASS IT TO, UH, EMMY TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE UPCOMING WORK THAT'S HAPPENING IN CIVIL RIGHTS. HAPPY TO DO SO. SO AS, UH, DR. WILSON SAID, WE ARE OPEN. WE ARE CONDUCTING BUSINESS. WE ARE ASSISTING PEOPLE HERE IN AUSTIN, VISITORS HERE IN AUSTIN, WHO MAY EXPERIENCE, ENCOUNTER, OR OBSERVE, UM, WHAT THEY BELIEVE TO BE DISCRIMINATION. AND THOSE ARE THE PROTECTED CLASSES UNDER TITLE, TITLE VII, THE CIVIL RIGHTS IN EMPLOYMENT AS WELL IN FAIR UNDER THE FAIR HOUSING ACT. RIGHT. AND RENTERS HOUSERS, THINGS OF THOSE SORTS. UM, WE ALSO HAVE CITY ORDINANCES, AND WE DON'T WANT TO FORGET THAT THAT IS A, A, A CHARGE, UM, TO US UNDER CITY POLICY. AND UNDER THOSE, AS MENTIONED, UH, TENANTS, RIGHT, TO ORGANIZE, FOR EXAMPLE, PROTECTS INDIVIDUALS TO IMPROVE THEIR LIVING CONDITIONS RIGHT AT THE LOCAL LEVEL WITHOUT HAVING TO ESCALATE TO, TO ANY OTHER, UM, STATE LAW WHERE THEIR PROPERTY CODES, THINGS THAT ARE COMPLEX. BUT WE HAVE THAT LOCALLY. UM, THE OTHER ONE IS FAIR CHANCE HIRING. SO THAT WAS A BAND THE BOX. SO WE HAVE A FEDERAL, IT'S APPLICABLE AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL ONLY FOR CONTRACTORS THERE. WE DON'T HAVE A STATE LAW FOR IT, BUT WE DO LOCALLY. SO WE LOOK FOR THOSE AND WE, WE INVITE INDIVIDUALS WHO ENCOUNTER THOSE EXPERIENCES TO COME TO US AND TALK TO US ABOUT WHAT HAS HAPPENED. AND WE DO INVESTIGATE AND RESOLVE THOSE ISSUES AS WELL. THEN WE ALSO HAVE THE CROWN ACT, THEN THAT'S A STATE LAW, RIGHT? SO WE, UNDER CHAPTER 21 LABOR CODE, WE HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO LOOK AT PROTECTING HAIRSTYLES SOMETIMES THAT, YOU KNOW, MERGES AND INTERSECTS WITH NATIONAL ORIGIN. SO WE, WE HAVE QUITE A BIT OF COVERAGE ON THAT ISSUE. UM, SEXUAL HARASSMENT IS, UM, SEX AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, BUT SPECIFICALLY SEXUAL HARASSMENT FOR BUSINESSES THAT ARE FEWER THAN 15 EMPLOYEES. WE HAVE JURISDICTION OVER THOSE. AND SO, UH, ORGANIZATIONS OR BUSINESSES WHERE INDIVIDUALS IN EMPLOYMENT BELIEVE THEY ARE HARASSED, AND IT'S A SMALL BUSINESS, RIGHT? MAYBE MOM AND POPS OR WHAT, HOWEVER THAT IS, THEY HAVE AN AVENUE TO RESOLVE THAT ISSUE THROUGH OUR OFFICE. SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THOSE, THOSE ORDINANCES THAT, UH, WE DON'T OFTEN, UM, TALK ABOUT, BUT THEY'RE THERE IN, IN, IN LOCALLY. SO WE, UM, WE APPRECIATE THAT. THEN WE HAVE, UH, WHAT ELSE DO I WANNA TALK ABOUT? OH, I WANNA SHARE JUST SOME FEW, UH, STATS JUST TO SHOW WHAT OUR BUSINESS LOOKS LIKE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. SO ON AN EMPLOYMENT SIDE, UH, WE CLOSED ABOUT 21, UH, I'M SORRY, 41 COMPLAINTS. AND I SAY THIS BECAUSE WE WORK UNDER WORK SHARE AGREEMENTS WITH EEOC AND A WORK SHARE AGREEMENT UNDER HUD, RIGHT? AND SO WE GET, WE GET CASES THAT WAY AS WHERE, AS WELL AS ORGANICALLY. AND A THIRD SOURCE IS THE TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION, RIGHT? SO, SO COMPLAINTS ARE COMING IN IN DIFFERENT WAYS FOR US. SO ON THE EMPLOYMENT SIDE, WE HAD ABOUT 41 CLOSED CASES THE YEAR BEFORE THAT, UM, WE SETTLED ABOUT 20. SO WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON ALSO HAVING A DR SERVICES. 'CAUSE WE THINK THAT'S A WIN-WIN SITUATION ON EMPLOYMENT, AS WELL AS ON THE HOUSING END. UH, HOUSING CLOSED PROBABLY ABOUT 28, 30 CASES THIS PAST YEAR. THEY TYPICALLY RESOLVE 30% OF THEIR CASES THROUGH A DR, WHICH IS, WHICH IS GREAT. THAT IS, UM, YOU GET MONETARY BENEFITS AS WELL AS NON, SO THAT'S GOOD. THEN, [01:15:01] UM, I MENTIONED HOW THOSE COMPLAINTS AND CONCERNS COME IN. UM, ACTUALLY THE, THE WORD OF MOUTH, THE REFERRAL SYSTEM IS VERY STRONG. SO, UH, LIKE DR. WILSON SAYS, IF, IF YOU HEAR OR KNOW OF ANYONE WHO COULD USE OUR ASSISTANCE, WE HAVE INTAKE INVESTIGATORS THAT ARE HAPPY TO SPEAK TO THEM ABOUT THEIR SITUATION. SO PLEASE REFER. UM, THEN DO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF OUR INITIATIVES? YEAH, JUST REAL QUICK INITIATIVES THAT WE'RE, WE'RE EMBARKING ON. AND THAT WOULD BE, UH, PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, UM, COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND OUTREACH THROUGH TRAINING AND WORKSHOPS, TRYING TO DEVELOP THOSE PARTNERSHIPS IN THE COMMUNITY. UM, DELIBERATELY PLANNING AN ENGAGEMENT CALENDAR SO THAT WE REACH THOSE THAT NEED OUR SERVICES. RIGHT. AND WE HAVE AN UPCOMING CONFERENCE COMING UP. I HAVE TO PUT A PLUG IN IN APRIL TOWARDS THE END, MORE INFORMATION TO COME, BUT IT'S FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, AND THAT WILL BE, UH, CENTERED ON FAIR HOUSING. THANK YOU. WONDERFUL. WELL, I GET TO SPEAK ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS DIVISION, THE NEWEST DIVISION FOR THE CITY AND FOR OUR OFFICE. UM, FIRST AND FOREMOST, UM, THE THREE BIGGEST KIND OF BUCKETS OF POPULATIONS THAT WE'RE SERVING RIGHT NOW IS IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEES VETERANS. AND A DA, UH, RECOGNIZING THAT KNOW YOUR RIGHTS IS PROBABLY MORE FUNDAMENTAL NOW THAN, UH, REALLY EVER BEFORE. AS IT'S EVOLVING AND WE'RE SEEING IT EVOLVE, WE HAVE OUR KNOW YOUR RIGHTS RED CARDS THAT WE HAVE BEEN REALLY SUPPORTIVE OF ENSURING THAT IT'S IN ALL LANGUAGES ACCESSIBLE TO, UM, THE DIFFERENT POPULATIONS AND THE DIFFERENT DISTRICTS HERE IN AUSTIN. UM, ALSO, WE HAVE A STRONG CONTRACT WITH AMERICAN GATEWAYS. UM, THEY HAVE BEEN PHENOMENAL IN HELPING OUR AUSTINITES REALLY ACTUALLY GO FROM UNDERSTANDING THEIR CITIZENSHIP PROCESS UP UNTIL, UM, ACTUALLY GAINING CITIZENSHIP. AND SO, UM, HAVE HAD THAT CONTRACT FOR A COUPLE YEARS NOW. IT'S BEEN GOING VERY STRONG, AND WE HOPE TO CONTINUE TO EXPAND ON THAT CONTRACT AS WELL. UH, WE HOSTED OUR FIRST WELCOMING WEEK FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN. THIS YEAR'S THEME WAS THE STORIES WE SHARE. UM, WE HELD ALMOST 25 EVENTS THIS YEAR. UM, WE HAD OVER NINE CITY DEPARTMENTS SUPPORT THAT AND, UM, ACTUALLY WORK WITH US TO BUILD PARTNERSHIP, BUT REALLY TO ENSURE THAT OVER 500 AUSTINITES PARTICIPATED IN THIS ONE WEEK OF, UM, THE STORIES WE SHARE. WE ALSO GOT TO HIGHLIGHT, UM, EVEN PREVIOUS FROM ME, UH, JOINING THE CITY OF AUSTIN, WE HAD BEEN DESIGNATED A TWO STAR, UH, DESIGNATION FOR A WELCOMING WEEK CERTIFICATION, UM, WHICH IS ALIGNING WITH SOME OF THE GOALS THAT WE HAVE IN STORE FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AND ALSO EXPANDING OUR WORK, UM, WITH IMMIGRATION AT LARGE. UM, WE HAD 17 LANGUAGES PRESENT, UH, FOR WELCOMING WEEK. SO JUST REALLY RECOGNIZING THE DIVERSITY THAT OUR CITY IS HOSTING AND CONTINUING TO BUILD ON THAT. UM, WE'RE LOOKING INTO EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS RIGHT NOW, TOO. I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, UM, IS VERY CRITICAL FOR THIS COMMISSION TO, TO, TO KNOW AND TO UNDERSTAND, UM, SPECIFICALLY WITH OUR IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE POPULATION. IT'S REALLY ABOUT BEING STRATEGIC AND HOW WE'RE MOVING THIS WORK FORWARD, RECOGNIZING THAT OUR COMMUNITIES RIGHT NOW ARE IN A PLACE OF STRONG FEAR. UM, THERE ARE THINGS COMING DOWN AT BOTH THE FEDERAL AND THE STATE LEVEL, UM, THAT ARE, UM, IMPLICATIONS THAT ARE LEGALLY HAPPENING, AS WELL AS UNDERSTANDING AND DIVERSIFYING WHAT IS THE, WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING AT THE FEDERAL AND STATE LEVEL, AND THEN HOW DO WE PUT THAT INTO PRACTICE HERE IN THE CITY. UM, SECOND BUCKET IS VETERANS. UM, REALLY EXCITED TO SHARE THAT. WE JUST HOSTED OVER A HUNDRED, UH, VETERANS HERE AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN FOR OUR FIRST VETERANS BRUNCH CELEBRATION ON NOVEMBER 10TH. AND WE HAD OVER 10 LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS COME OUT AND SUPPORT. WE ALSO HAD A STAND DOWN RECENTLY, OCTOBER 24TH, ACTUALLY, WE HOSTED A STANDOUT WHERE WE PICKED UP OVER 81 HOMELESS VETERANS, UM, AND 18 ORGANIZATIONS PARTNERED WITH US TO REALLY ENSURE THAT THEY WERE GIVEN A RA IN A RANGE OF SERVICES. SO THAT INCLUDED THINGS LIKE THE VA BENEFITS, ACCESS, ENROLLMENT AND HEALTH SERVICES, UM, LEGAL ASSISTANCE, UH, ID ASSISTANCE, JOB PLACEMENT, ET CETERA. UM, WE ALSO, AS DR. WILSON SHARED, JUST HIRED OUR FIRST A DA ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN, REALLY FOCUSING ON TITLE TWO AND TITLE THREE. UM, AND THE RECOGNITION THERE IS THAT THEY WILL BE BUILDING OUT THE TRANSITION PLAN, UH, FOR OUR CITY, WHICH HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED FOR QUITE SOME TIME. SO, A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE THERE. WE'RE, WE'RE STARTING OFF. SHE'S ABOUT SIX WEEKS IN, UH, MEGAN DEERE. UM, BUT I REALLY HOPE TO INTRODUCE HER TO THIS COMMISSION AT SOME POINT, TOO. UM, AND THEN FINALLY, SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY HOPE TO GAIN YOUR EXPERTISE, YOUR FEEDBACK, UM, THROUGH A RESOLUTION. THE ANTI HATE WE ALL BELONG CAMPAIGN, UM, HAS NOW FALLEN WITHIN OUR OFFICE'S PURVIEW. UM, WE'VE DONE OUR DUE DILIGENCE IN TERMS OF DATA COLLECTION, UM, TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING, WHAT IS BEST PRACTICE AROUND THE UNITED STATES RIGHT NOW, UM, WITH BOTH ANTI HATE AND RECOGNIZING THAT WE ALL BELONG, COINCIDE WITH ONE ANOTHER, BUT THEY'RE ALSO VERY SEPARATE, RIGHT? KNOWING THAT YOU HAVE A SENSE OF BELONGING HERE IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AND YOU FEEL A SENSE [01:20:01] OF BELONGING IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS FUNDAMENTAL, BUT ALSO, DO YOU RECOGNIZE AND ARE YOU ABLE TO REPORT, UH, HATE, CRIME, HATE INCIDENCES? DO YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE DOING THAT? AND SO I THINK FOR THIS INITIATIVE TO WORK, FOR THIS RESOLUTION TO REALLY COME INTO FRUITION, IT'S SHARED PARTNERSHIP WE ALL HAVE TO OWN. UM, THERE'S A REC, THERE'S A, THERE'S A NEED, RIGHT? FOR ACKNOWLEDGING WHAT POPULATIONS HAVE BEEN, UM, HAVE BEEN IMPACTED THE MOST, I WOULD SAY LGBTQIA PLUS OUR BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES, CERTAINLY OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES. UM, AND WE'RE HOPING TO BUILD ON THAT. AND SO WHAT I WOULD LOVE AND WHAT I WOULD WELCOME, UM, FROM TODAY'S CONVERSATION AND, AND YOU KNOW, MOVING FORWARD, IS TO SEE HOW WE CAN BEST CONVENE THIS TASK FORCE UNDER THAT RESOLUTION. UM, I ACTUALLY HAVE A, A SURVEY REQUEST, UH, FOR ALL OF YOU TO DO INDIVIDUALLY. UM, AT THE END OF THIS, UM, JUST SO YOU KNOW, BEST PRACTICE ACROSS THE UNITED STATES RIGHT NOW. UM, I'LL GIVE YOU JUST A QUICK LITTLE DATA, IS THAT THE CITIES ARE OFTEN HOSTING AND CONVENING THESE TASK FORCE. UM, JUST FOR BEST PRACTICE PURPOSES, IT'S BEEN SEEN THAT THE CITIES ARE THE BEST CONVENERS OF THIS TASK FORCE. THERE'S TWO WAYS TO CREATE THIS TASK FORCE. UM, ACTUALLY THREE. THE FIRST IS THAT, UM, IT'LL BE ELECTED BY CITY COUNCIL, UM, TO JOIN ON. THE SECOND WOULD BE AN APPLICATION PROCESS THAT OUR, ESSENTIALLY OUR OFFICE WOULD BE ABLE TO SUPPORT, UM, RECOGNIZING CRITERIA, UM, THAT THERE ARE EXPERTS COMING IN THAT ARE AWARE OF ANTI HATE, WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, WHAT THAT SHOULD LOOK LIKE FOR OUR CITY. AND THEN A HYBRID MODEL, RIGHT? WHERE YOU CAN HAVE, UM, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS BRING IN NOMINEES AS WELL AS AN APPLICATION PROCESS. UM, I WOULD SAY THE HYBRID MODEL I'VE SEEN TO, TO JUST THROUGH MY DATA COLLECTION HAS BEEN, UM, THE STRONGEST. UM, BUT WE WANNA CREATE A SURVEY. WE WANTED COMMUNITY INPUT. AND SO WE'RE CURRENTLY, UH, IN THE PROCESS OF COLLECTING THAT DATA. AND SO, UM, WELCOME YOUR, YOUR FEEDBACK ON THAT AS WELL. AND ALSO UNDERSTANDING THERE'S A LEGAL COMPONENT OF WHAT DEFINES ANTI, UH, DEFINES A HATE CRIME. AND THEN ALSO WHAT IS A HATE INCIDENT? UM, HOW DO WE DEFINE THAT FOR OUR CITY? UM, AND I BELIEVE THAT IS, UM, KIND OF THE STRONG POINTS, BUT WANTED TO SHARE OUR INFORMATION UP HERE ON THE BOARD, UH, WITH ALL OF YOU. UM, WE, UH, AS IN CIVIL RIGHTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS ARE BOTH LOCATED OVER AT ONE. TEXAS CENTER EQUITY IS LOCATED OVER AT THE SNAIL BUILDING. YOU HAVE OUR CONTACT INFORMATION, UM, AND, AND ALL THE DETAILS. AND WE REALLY HOPE THAT WE CAN, UH, CONNECT WITH ALL OF YOU EITHER, UM, COLLECTIVELY OR IF THERE'S, UM, ALIGNMENT WITH EACH OF OUR DIVISIONS, UM, WHATEVER BEST FITS YOUR NEEDS. OKAY. WITH THAT, DO WE HAVE QUESTIONS? POINTS OF DISCUSS? COMMISSIONER NEN? FIRST OFF, UH, I JUST WANNA SAY WOW, UH, THERE'S A VERY IMPRESSIVE RESUME OF PEOPLE HERE. UM, AND I ALSO WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ALSO SERVING AS A LIAISON FOR THE VETERANS AFFAIRS AND IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS, UH, COMMISSIONS. 'CAUSE THEY DEFINITELY WILL BENEFIT AND ARE BENEFITING FROM YOUR LEADERSHIP. UM, I ACTUALLY WANTED EMMY, UH, YOU HAD MENTIONED ABOUT THE CONFERENCE ON FAIR HOUSING. WHEN WILL WE, OR, OR HOW DO WE FIND OUT ABOUT, UM, MORE DETAILS ON THAT? AND THEN I GUESS ALSO SOME OF THE DETAILS ON SOME OF THE OTHER EVENTS, LIKE THE, UM, I THINK IT WAS THE VETERAN'S LUNCH AND THE STAND DOWN. UH, HOW DO WE, UH, PARTICIPATE AS THE PUBLIC IN, IN THOSE, SORRY, FOR THE FAIR HOUSING CONFERENCE. WE HAVE IT IN LATE APRIL. WE KNOW OF THAT TIMEFRAME. WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO RIGHT NOW IS NAIL DOWN SOME OF THE LOGISTICS OF THAT. UH, WE PLAN TO PUBLICIZE IT ON OUR WEBSITE, AND WE DEFINITELY CAN SEND THAT OUT TO THE COMMISSIONS AND LET THEM KNOW AHEAD OF TIME OF THOSE DATE AND SAVE THE DATE. UM, SO WE ARE USING SOME SOCIAL MEDIA AVENUES AS WELL TO ANNOUNCE IT. IF I CAN ADD, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED AS WELL. AND SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE AN OFFICE COLLECTIVE NEWSLETTER. AND SO, BECAUSE THE DIVISIONS WERE SEPARATE OFFICES, THEY HAD SEPARATE NEWSLETTERS. BUT AS OF THE FIRST OF THE YEAR, UM, WE'LL BE SENDING OUT ONE NEWSLETTER FOR ALL OF THE WORK THAT'S HAPPENING ACROSS THE DIVISIONS. AND I THINK IT WAS ON THE LAST SLIDE DECK THERE. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE WAYS. UM, AND AS EMMY MENTIONED, HAPPY TO START SHARING SOME OF THIS WITH CHRISTIE TO SHARE WITH, UH, THE COMMISSION AS WELL, SO THAT WE CAN, UM, GET THIS OUT. GREAT. THANK YOU. YEAH. COMMISSIONER BERNHARD. UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UH, FOR THIS PRESENTATION. UM, I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT THINGS ARE GOING WELL WITH THE MERGER. UM, I HAD HEARD FROM SOME COMMUNITY FOLKS WHO WERE ACTUALLY A LITTLE CONCERNED, UM, THAT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THE TWO DIFFERENT OFFICES WERE DOING WOULD, UM, GET LOST. UM, I HAVE A SPECIFIC QUESTION ABOUT, UH, SOMETHING THAT I KNOW THE CITY WAS DOING QUITE A BIT OF A COUPLE YEARS AGO, AND, AND [01:25:01] I, I DON'T KNOW WHERE IT STANDS, UM, WHICH IS, UM, EQUITY ASSESSMENTS OF DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. UM, AND, UH, AND THE ONE, AND NOBODY'S GONNA BE SURPRISED BY THIS, THAT I'M PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN IS THE 2020 EQUITY ASSESSMENT OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. UM, AND I WAS, I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF I READ IT AT THE TIME, BUT I WAS NOT SURPRISED, BUT, UM, INTERESTED TO FIND THAT IN THE TABLE OF CONTENTS. UM, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A, AND MAYBE THIS IS THE, THE PARTICULAR FOCUS WAS JUST ON THE TRAINING ACADEMY. UM, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE QUANTITATIVE INTERVIEW FINDINGS OF A DANGEROUS AND EQUITABLE PRACTICES AT THE A PD ACADEMY, UM, EVIDENCE SUPPORTING A NEED FOR REDESIGN, A RECOMMENDATION THAT REDESIGN AND REBUILDING HAPPEN. UM, AND JUST BETWEEN Y'ALL AND US, THAT REBUILDING AND REDESIGN HAS NOT EVER BEEN FULLY ACTUALIZED. SO, UM, JUST CURIOUS ABOUT WHERE THAT IS, IF THAT'S STILL SOMETHING YOU GUYS DO, AND IF THERE'S A PLAN FOR MAYBE A FOLLOW UP. SO THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION, AND SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE QUESTION. UM, SO EQUITY ASSESSMENTS DID HAPPEN, I THINK THE LAST TIME THAT THEY HAPPENED WERE IN 2022. AND IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT IT WAS BASED OFF OF VARIOUS COHORTS, RIGHT? AND SO A CERTAIN NUMBER OF DEPARTMENTS WENT EACH YEAR, UM, AND I THINK THEY MADE IT, WE MADE IT UP TO YEAR THREE. NOW, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, A LOT OF THINGS HAVE SHIFTED, INCLUDING SOME OF, YOU KNOW, EVEN, UM, THE LEADERS THAT OVER VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS, SOME OF THE CORE MEMBERS THAT WERE A PART OF THOSE ASSESSMENTS. AND SO WHERE WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW IS OUR OFFICE IS MOVING MORE TO A LIAISON APPROACH, WHERE OUR PROGRAM MANAGERS WITHIN OUR EQUITY DIVISION WILL BE DIRECT SUPPORT OR LIAISONS TO THOSE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS. UM, AND SO I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION IN ITS ENTIRETY AS IT REGARDS TO IF THERE'S BEEN ANY ASSESSMENTS SINCE THAT, UM, NOT SINCE MY TENURE, AND I DON'T BELIEVE, UM, PRIOR TO 2022 NOW AFTER THE ASSESSMENTS HAPPENED, I KNOW THAT DEPARTMENTS RECEIVED THOSE. I KNOW THAT THEY HAD SOME RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, BUT NOT ALL DEPARTMENTS EVEN, UH, HAD AN OPPORTUNITY. AND SO NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT SOMETHING WHERE WE CAN APPROACH THE ENTIRE, LIKE, MAKE IT CITYWIDE INSTEAD OF CERTAIN DEPARTMENTS. AND THEN HAVING A LIAISON SPECIFICALLY PER DEPARTMENT. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . UM, I, I MEAN, I THINK IT WOULD MAKE A LOT OF SENSE TO HAVE, UM, A FOCUS ON THE OUTWARD FACING DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE A REAL IMPACT ON PEOPLE'S LIVES. MM-HMM . THANK YOU. UM, PIGGYBACKING ON THAT SLIGHTLY IS SO, SO THE, WE HAVE COMMUNITY MEMBERS REACH OUT TO US, UM, WANTING TO KNOW HOW, WHAT IS THE CITY DOING TO MAKE FILL IN THE BLANK COMMUNITY FEEL SAFER, FILL IN THE BLANK COMMUNITY IS FEELING UNSAFE. WHAT IS THE CITY DOING? AND OFTENTIMES THE REQUESTS WE GET ARE LIKE, WHAT IS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT DOING? WHAT IS THE, WHAT IS FIRE DOING? WHAT IS EMS DOING? AND, UM, I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, HOW, HOW CAN THE EQUITY OFFICE KIND OF HELP US START SOME DIALOGUES AND FILL IN SOME GAPS, RIGHT? UM, BETWEEN THE, THE, THE PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT'S POLICY, RIGHT? AND WHAT WE AS THE CITY WANT TO SEE SUPPORTED AND WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT SERVICES WE WANT IN PLACE FOR OUR COMMUNITIES WHEN THEY'RE REACHING OUT FOR HELP SPECIFICALLY. I MEAN, SPECIFICALLY RIGHT NOW I'M THINKING ABOUT THE LGBTQIA PLUS COMMUNITY. I'M THINKING ABOUT THE IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY. I'M THINKING ABOUT THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY, UM, THAT, THAT THERE ARE OBVIOUS THERE PAIN POINTS. UM, AND SO I DON'T KNOW IF I HAVE A SPECIFIC QUESTION OTHER THAN LIKE, HOW, HOW CAN WE BRIDGE THAT GAP? WHAT KIND OF CONVERSATIONS DO WE NEED TO BE HAVING AND HOW CAN WE SORT OF HAVE THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING SORT OF POUR OVER AND INTO OUR PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT POLICY? YOU WANNA START, OR YOU WANT ME TO START? I'LL START. AND SO I THINK ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS IS IDENTIFYING THAT EACH ONE OF THE POPULATIONS THAT YOU MENTIONED HAVE VERY UNIQUE EXPERIENCES, AND TRULY UNDERSTANDING WHAT DOES SAFETY MEAN FOR THOSE VARIOUS PEOPLE GROUPS, RIGHT? BECAUSE SAFETY FOR ME, MAYBE A LITTLE SOMETHING DIFFERENT, UM, THAN SAFETY FOR SHAINA. SHAINA, [01:30:01] EXCUSE ME, OR ME. UM, AND SO I THINK THAT IS IMPORTANT AS WELL. AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE SOME OF THOSE QUALITY OF LIFE STUDIES REALLY CAME INTO PLAY AS WELL. UM, WE HAVE NOT RELEASED THOSE YET, BUT IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE SAFETY IS SHOWING UP IN A, AS A THREAD IN MANY OF THOSE. UM, AND IT'S NOT EXACTLY THE SAME, RIGHT? AND SO I WOULD SAY, UM, FIRST I, WE WOULD LOVE TO COLLABORATE, HOWEVER YOU ALL SEE BEST FIT. HOWEVER WE CAN SUPPORT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A CLEAR CLARITY AROUND WHAT WHAT IS THE EXACT PINPOINT AND OR NEED. I DO KNOW THAT, UH, SHAINA, IF YOU WANNA LEAD SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS AROUND, UM, WHAT WE HAVE BEEN DIALOGUING WITH SOME COMMUNITIES AROUND EVERYTHING FROM, UM, EVEN THE DATA SOURCES THAT WE USE SOMETIMES, RIGHT? AND SO YOU MAY THINK, OH, WELL, THAT'S A THIRD PARTY, AND WE'RE USING THAT VENDOR AS A WAY TO COLLECT INFORMATION. WELL, WE'VE HEARD FROM SOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS, WELL, WE DON'T TRUST THE, THE VENDOR, SO YOU WANT US TO TELL YOU ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING, BUT WHERE'S THE INFORMATION GOING? RIGHT? AND SO WE HAD TO STEP BACK AND REALLY THINK THROUGH IF, IF IT WAS MORE HARMFUL TO BE COLLECTING THE INFORMATION AROUND, UM, HATE CRIMES OR HATE INCIDENTS, UM, USING CERTAIN VENDORS. BUT IF YOU, NO, IN MY MY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT I'VE NEVER SEEN SO MUCH DIVERSIFICATION EVEN WITHIN THE POPULATION GROUPS. AND SO THE BEST EXAMPLE I CAN GIVE IS THE LGBTQIA PLUS CO, UH, COMMUNITY HERE IN AUSTIN. I MEAN, THE, THAT ACRONYM THAT LETTER T RIGHT NOW IS GETTING HIT HARDER FROM A LEGAL STANDPOINT THAN I, I THINK MOST OF US CAN EVEN KEEP IN TUNE WITH, RIGHT? AND SO WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE IN PRACTICE, RIGHT? SO WHAT LEGAL SERVICES ARE WE OFFERING? WHAT ARE THE NEEDS OF EACH COMMUNITY? YOU BRING UP CONVERSATION REALLY BEING ABLE TO GO OUT THERE AND SAY, WHAT IS THE NEED OF EACH OF THESE DIFFERENT COMMUNITY GROUPS? HOW DO THEY DIVERSIFY, RIGHT? HOW, WHAT IS THEIR, WHAT IS THEIR CURRENT, UM, LIKE PRIORITY LIST, SO TO SPEAK? UH, JUST BECAUSE THERE IS SO MUCH GOING ON WITH OUR VETERANS RIGHT NOW, IT'S MENTAL HEALTH. UM, WITH MY IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES, IT'S EVEN COMING INTO PERSON AND GOING TO EVENTS IS A HUGE, UM, KIND OF BLOCKAGE RIGHT NOW. THEY DON'T FEEL SAFE. AND SO, UM, HOW DO WE STRATEGICALLY AS AN OFFICE LOOK AT THAT DIFFERENTLY? SO FOR EXAMPLE, WITH IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES, WE'VE DONE A LOT OF VIRTUAL PREPAREDNESS, EMERGENCY, UM, WORK. SO WE HAVE BEEN OFFERING THESE VIRTUALLY. WE HAVE NOT BEEN COLLECTING, UH, DATA COMING IN. WE ACTUALLY HAVE FULLY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT I WILL, LIKE THE SAFETY OF THIS COMMUNITY MATTERS MOST. AND GETTING THAT INFORMATION OUT IS PRIORITY, UM, FOR OUR VETERANS, BEING ABLE TO PARTNER WITH DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS. WE HAD OUR, UH, LUNCHEON EVENT, OR SORRY, OUR BRUNCH EVENT, AND WE BROUGHT IN SOME RESOURCES FROM THE SAMARITAN CENTER, FROM DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS, THE VETERANS CLINIC, UM, TO BE ABLE TO SHARE WHAT ELSE IS BEING OFFERED, UM, NOT ONLY WITHIN THE CITY, BUT WITH OUR PARTNERS AND HOW DO WE EXPAND THOSE PARTNERSHIPS. I TALKED ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT WITH AMERICAN GATEWAYS AS WELL. UM, THEY'VE JUST CREATED, UM, C PRO SE CLINICS, WHICH MIGHT BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR CITY TO LOOK INTO TO DETERMINE IF, UH, IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES ARE WILLING TO, UH, COME OUT AND SPEAK WITH, UH, VOLUNTEER ATTORNEYS OR STAFF ATTORNEYS WITH AMER AMERICAN GATEWAYS, AND SHARE SOME OF THEIR, SOME OF THEIR STRUGGLES, AND BE ABLE TO GAIN SOME OF THAT LEGAL SUPPORT. UM, EVEN WITH A DA, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE, UH, THE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE DIFFERENT ORDINANCES COMING DOWN. THERE'S DIFFERENT POLICIES COMING DOWN FROM A FEDERAL AND STATE LEVEL THAT WE HAVEN'T SEEN. AND SO REALLY BEING ABLE TO IDENTIFY WHAT ARE THOSE NEW, UM, NEW LAWS THAT ARE IN PLACE, BUT ALSO WHAT IS, QUOTE UNQUOTE, THE NOISE THAT'S HAPPENING, RIGHT? BEING ABLE TO DISTINGUISH THAT BETWEEN WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING, LIKE ON A DOCUMENT FACING LEGAL RECOGNITION, AND THEN WHAT'S BEING HELD OUT IN PRACTICE AND HOW DO WE REALLY BRIDGE THAT GAP. UM, SO TO REALLY ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, IT HAS BEEN DIALOGUE. IT HAS BEEN CONVERSATION, BUT MORE SO IT'S BEEN HOW DO WE STRATEGICALLY SUPPORT THIS GROUP IN A TIME WHERE EVEN DATA COLLECTION IS BEING VERY, VERY STRATEGIC. I MEAN, AND I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE A QUESTION, BUT LIKE, EVEN IN, SO OUR FIRST RESPONDERS ARE, I, I MEAN, I THINK IT JUST BEARS SAYING OUT LOUD, THEY ARE, THEY ARE RESPONDING TO PEOPLE THAT ARE IN CRISIS MM-HMM . UM, THAT ARE HAVING TO INTERACT WITH THESE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. UM, AND THEY'RE RESPONDING TO INJURIES. THEY'RE RESPONDING TO ABANDONED VEHICLES EVEN BECAUSE SOMEONE HAS BEEN PICKED UP BY ICE. UM, WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE VEHICLES? WHAT SORT OF POLICIES DOES THE CITY HAVE IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT THESE ASSETS CAN BE TRANSFERRED TO FAMILY MEMBERS SAFELY? LIKE THERE'S JUST, UH, A WORLD OF WAYS THAT I THINK THE CITY CAN POTENTIALLY BE HELPING, UM, TO HELP MAKE SURE THAT WHEN THEY'RE HAVING THESE INTERACTIONS WITH OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, THAT FIRST RESPONDERS ARE ARMED WITH INFORMATION, UM, PROCEDURES, UM, STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES THAT CAN GUIDE THEM [01:35:01] IN THESE SORT OF CRISIS SITUATIONS THAT ARE INEVITABLY HAPPENING OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. AND SO I THINK WHEN I ASK HOW ARE WE TYING THESE THINGS TOGETHER, IS HOW ARE WE, UH, LIKE WHERE ARE WE IN CREATING THESE PROCEDURES? WHERE ARE WE, WHERE, WHERE DOES THAT INFORMATION COME FROM? HOW ARE WE DEVELOPING THESE POLICIES? YOU KNOW? YEAH. AND I WOULD EVEN GO SO FAR AS SAYING THESE INTERNAL CONVERSATIONS ARE HAPPENING, RIGHT? UM, EMS IS HERE TODAY, AND WE'VE HAD A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS SPECIFICALLY AROUND OUR DACA RECIPIENTS, UM, INTERNALLY FOR THE CITY. WE ACTUALLY REOPENED AR A LEGAL, WHICH IS AN INTERNAL RESOURCE FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO, UM, GAIN ACCESS TO LEGAL RESOURCES AND HIGHLIGHT OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY EVEN WITHIN THE CITY. AND SO I THINK THOSE CONVERSATIONS ARE CERTAINLY HAPPENING WITHIN HUMAN RESOURCES WITH OUR OFFICE EMS. UM, AND, AND I THINK IT CONTINUES, ESPECIALLY WITH ANTI HATE TRANSFERRING OVER, WE'RE GETTING EVEN MORE OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO CONNECT WITH OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, WITH OUR POLICE OVERSIGHT, AND THEN OUR VICTIMS UNIT AS WELL. OKAY. OKAY. DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING, REBECCA? YEAH, I GOT A, I'M, I'M A LITTLE , BUT I, I BROUGHT THIS UP BEFORE AND, AND WE'VE DISCUSSED IT WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. UM, THE PARTICULAR CONCERN ABOUT IMPERSONATION OF FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT, UM, AND I, I KNOW THAT OUR SITUATION AS A CITY IS NOT THE SAME AS THE SITUATION, UM, FOR CITIES THAT ARE NOT IN TEXAS. UM, AND THAT WE CAN'T DO WHAT LOS ANGELES HAS DONE, WHICH IS JUST BAN LAW ENFORCEMENT FROM WEARING MASKS. UM, BUT, UH, YEAH, I HAVE A HUGE CONCERN ABOUT, I MEAN, SO FAR, AS FAR AS WE KNOW, ONLY ONE PERSON HAS BEEN VICTIMIZED IN TEXAS, IN HOUSTON. UM, BUT I THINK THAT WE CAN ANTICIPATE THAT THIS IS A PUBLIC SAFETY WEAKNESS THAT'S GONNA BE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF BY PEOPLE WHO WANNA DO OTHER FOLKS HARM. UM, AND, UH, AND I THINK THE OTHER THING THAT CAME TO MIND WHEN YOU MENTIONED THE TRANS COMMUNITY IS THAT THE, THE BATHROOM BAN IS COMING INTO EFFECT SOON. AND, AND HAVING SOME PROACTIVE IDEAS ABOUT HOW TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE IN THAT SITUATION WOULD BE GREAT. WHEN DOES THAT GO INTO, INTO EFFECT? IS IT JANUARY 1ST? JANUARY 1ST, OKAY. UM, SO YEAH, THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS WE HAVE ON THE MIND . UM, I'M GONNA DEFER TO ANYBODY ONLINE IF I, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A QUESTION IF ANYBODY HAS COMMENTS. I MEAN, I FEEL LIKE THIS IS JUST AN OPPORTUNITY. WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME JUST TO KIND OF AIR SOME OF THESE CONCERNS THAT, UM, IF ANYBODY ELSE HAS SOMETHING, COMMISSIONER NGUYEN. YEAH. UM, THANK YOU, UH, AGAIN FOR JUST BEING HERE BECAUSE IT'S GREAT TO HEAR. I, I KNOW THAT, UH, COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT HAD HAD SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THAT MERGING HAPPENING, BUT I'M, I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT THAT WORKS CONTINUING. I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO TRY TO PUSH IS LANGUAGE ACCESS. AND IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT Y'ALL ARE CONTINUING TO WORK TOWARDS. I SEE A LOT OF NODDING HEADS. UM, AND ALSO THAT, THAT IS OUR, OUR BIGGEST THING. I WILL ALSO SAY THAT FOR, UM, THE WE ALL BELONG INITIATIVE, UH, AS A COMMISSIONER ON THIS COMMISSION AND THE ASIAN AMERICAN QUALITY OF LIFE COMMISSION, I'VE HEARD MIXED REVIEWS ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THAT PROGRAM. UM, AND SO, UH, I, I'M, I AM GLAD TO HEAR THAT YOU'RE LOOKING INTO IT AND SEEING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF IT. AND IT'S MORE COMPLEX THAN JUST, UM, YOU KNOW, OFFERING THAT INFORMATION. IT'S ALSO ABOUT THE TRUST AND ALL OF THAT. SO I JUST WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE ALL OF THAT. AND ALSO MENTION, YOU KNOW, REALLY ON TOP OF MIND IS DEFINITELY THE LANGUAGE ACCESS, UM, AND ALSO DISABILITY. I THINK THAT THAT IS AN IMPORTANT THING. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY STREET CORNERS I'VE BEEN ON WHERE THERE'S A PARKING METER, AND THAT IS NOT A DA, THERE'S NO WHEELCHAIR THAT CAN FIT IN THERE. UM, UH, AND I, I WOULDN'T SAY THAT I, I WOULD NEED A WIDE WHEELCHAIR, BUT I DEFINITELY, IF I WAS IN A WHEELCHAIR, I WOULD NOT GET THROUGH SOME OF THE SPOTS THAT ARE DOWN IN THE CITY OVER HERE. SO, UM, I'M EXCITED TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT, IF I CAN JUST CHIME IN AND, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HIGHLIGHTING ALL THREE, UH, UH, OF, OF THOSE ITEMS. UH, AND REALLY JUST EXCITED ABOUT THE TEAM, RIGHT? BECAUSE THEY HAVE A TRUE PASSION. AND SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OUR TRANSITION PLAN NEEDING TO BE UPDATED AND WHAT THAT ACTUALLY MEANS FOR STREETS AND SIDEWALKS, BUT ALSO WHAT THAT MEANS FOR JUST DAY-TO-DAY MATERIALS THAT WE HAND OUT OR DON'T HAND OUT, RIGHT? UM, AS IT REGARDS TO LANGUAGE ACCESS, ALSO BOTH WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT, BUT ALSO ENCOURAGING OTHER DEPARTMENTS WHEN WE LOOK AT WHO'S UTILIZING [01:40:01] OUR SERVICES AND, AND, AND WHY OR WHY NOT, UM, LEANING INTO ARE THEY ACCESSIBLE? ARE THEY, UH, DIVERSE IN LANGUAGE ACCESSIBILITY AS WELL? UM, AND THEN THE THIRD THAT WE ALL BELONG, UM, WHEN WE LEARNED THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE TRANSITIONING INTO OUR, OUR DEPARTMENT, WE HAD A REALLY FRANK CONVERSATION, RIGHT? 'CAUSE BELONGING AND NOT EXPERIENCING A HATE CRIME ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. AND SO, JUST 'CAUSE I'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED A HATE CRIME DOESN'T MEAN THAT I FEEL LIKE I AM, I'M, I BELONG HERE. AND SO HOW DO WE REALLY DECIPHER WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO STAND FOR? AND SO THAT'S WHY YOU'LL SEE THIS YEAR MORE FOCUS AROUND A COUPLE OF THINGS. ONE, NOT ONLY, UM, IS IT VERY CLEAR ON HOW TO REPORT A HATE CRIME, BUT THEN AFTER IT HAPPENS, WHAT HAPPENS WITHIN OUR CITY, WHETHER IT'S ELECTED OFFICIALS, WHETHER IT'S CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, WHETHER IT'S ANY ONE OF US TO REALLY HELP, UM, ENCOURAGE, LEAN INTO THE COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED, UH, THE HATE CRIME. AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE'VE HEARD OVER THE LAST FOUR OR FIVE MONTHS, IS IT, IT, IT DOESN'T JUST STOP AFTER I REPORT IT, RIGHT? THERE'S A LOT OF STILL COMMUNITY HEALING THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN. AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? AND WHAT IS THE CITY'S ROLE? THANK YOU. AND JUST ONE LAST THING. UH, THE WHOLE THING, YOU TALK ABOUT BEING A THREAD WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC SAFETY. I THINK I'VE TALKED TO, UH, CHAIR RAMIREZ A COUPLE TIMES ABOUT WHAT PUBLIC SAFETY MEANS TO ME. AND I WILL SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, AS SOMEONE THAT WORKS IN DISASTER RESPONSE, A LOT OF THAT IS MORE FOR ME ABOUT LIKE, WHAT IF SOMEONE DOESN'T HAVE A SAFE PLACE TO SLEEP FOR THE NIGHT THAT'S, YOU KNOW, HAS HEAT OR IS COOL DURING THE SUMMERTIME. SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR ALSO MENTIONING THAT BECAUSE THAT, THAT WAS A BIG PRIORITY OF MINE TOO, IS, IS TO REALLY PUT SOME HIGHLIGHTS ON WHAT WE'RE DOING FOR OUR COMMUNITY IN TERMS OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND, AND DISASTERS AS WELL. WELL, I THINK, UNLESS WE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS COMING. I APPRECIATE STARTING THESE CONVERSATIONS. UM, I'M EXCITED, UM, AND LOOKING FORWARD TO MAINTAINING A WORKING RELATIONSHIP AND HOPEFULLY TALKING MORE ABOUT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, UM, AS YOU GUYS GET MORE SETTLED IN AND START TO MOVE INTO, UM, AND POTENTIALLY BE IN A POSITION TO HAVE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT CAN BE ACTED ON, UM, WITH REGARDS TO PUBLIC SAFETY. AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING, UM, THE RESULTS OF YOUR, UM, QUALITY OF LIFE, UM, STUDIES, BECAUSE YES, UM, SAFETY MEANS VERY DIFFERENT THINGS TO ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES, UM, AT VARIOUS POINTS IN TIME. AND, UM, AND AS WE LEAN INTO LEAN BUDGET TIMES, UM, MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN PINPOINT AND PROPERLY SORT OF UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS TO FEEL SAFE, UM, WILL CREATE HOPEFULLY OPPORTUNITIES TO DEAL WITH IT DIFFERENTLY SO THAT IT'S NOT A COP OR AN AMBULANCE OR A FIRE TRUCK THAT'S COMING. 'CAUSE THAT'S NOT ALWAYS GONNA SOLVE THE PROBLEM. UM, A LOT OF TIMES IT DOESN'T . SO, UM, THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE YOU. UM, AND WITH THAT, UM, WE ARE GOING [FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS] TO MOVE INTO FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. UM, JUST WANTED TO TAKE A SECOND TO SAY THAT, UM, WE HAD ORIGINALLY HOPED TO BE SPEAKING ON BUDGET TODAY, UM, BUT THE BUDGET, UM, DID NOT PASS IN TIME FOR OUR POSTING DEADLINE. UM, AND, UM, THEY PASSED THE BUDGET AND I THINK OUR POSTING DEADLINE WAS THERE. THERE JUST WAS NOT TIME TO GET THEM ON. UM, OUR SCHEDULE FOR THIS MONTH, WE WILL BE SPEAKING ABOUT THAT IN JANUARY. UM, WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, UM, SO THAT WE CAN GET A MORE COMPLETE PICTURE OF WHAT THE PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT BUDGETS WILL LOOK LIKE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR, AND HAVE ALSO REQUESTED THAT THE BUDGET AND FINANCE OFFICE COME OUT TO SPEAK TO US ABOUT THEIR FIVE YEAR PROJECTIONS, THEIR PROCESS FOR PUTTING TOGETHER THOSE FIVE YEAR PROJECTIONS. AND SO THAT WE CAN START SOME DIALOGUE AROUND WHAT THE BUDGET PROCESS WILL LOOK LIKE FOR THE NEXT BUDGET CYCLE, WHICH SEEMS INSANE TO BE TALKING ABOUT. UM, WE ARE SPEAKING ABOUT THAT BECAUSE WE LITERALLY SPENT AN ENTIRE YEAR, UM, I THINK IT STARTED IN JANUARY OF LAST YEAR WHEN WE FIRST GOT BACK FROM THE BREAK, WHERE THE ENTIRE CITY, [01:45:01] UM, KNEW THAT WE WERE ANTICIPATING A TRE. UM, AND WITH THAT KNOWLEDGE WE REACHED OUT PROACTIVELY, UM, IN HOPES OF GETTING A BETTER PICTURE OF WHAT JUST KEPT ASKING, WHAT ABOUT THE BUDGET? WHEN DO WE GET TO TALK ABOUT THE BUDGET? HOW CAN WE TALK ABOUT BUDGET? WHAT ARE UNMET NEEDS GONNA LOOK LIKE? UM, HOW ARE WE GONNA ADDRESS THAT? AND WE BASICALLY WERE NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK ABOUT THAT ALL YEAR. UM, AND THEN WE GOT TO A TRE ELECTION WHERE THE CITY DIDN'T, THE, OUR CITIZENS DIDN'T FEEL INFORMED. THEY DIDN'T FEEL LIKE THERE WAS A LOT OF TRANSPARENCY ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON. AND THIS IS THE BOAT WE'RE SITTING IN NOW. AND SO MY HOPE IS THAT WE CAN HAVE A MUCH MORE TRANSPARENT PROCESS NEXT YEAR. MY HOPE IS THAT WE CAN START THESE CONVERSATIONS EARLY, UM, SO THAT WE'RE NOT PUTTING THE PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS IN THE POSITION OF HAVING TO, ON THE FLY, COME UP WITH ANSWERS, UM, TO THINGS THEY DON'T KNOW THE ANSWERS TO. UM, AND SO WE'RE GONNA START THAT CONVERSATION IN JANUARY, HOPEFULLY. UM, UH, WE HAVE NOT HEARD BACK ON WHETHER OR NOT BUDGET AND FINANCE WILL BE JOINING US, BUT WE HAVE REQUESTED IT SO THAT THE PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS AREN'T JUST SITTING WITH US AND TELLING US THIS IS HOW MANY DOLLARS WE HAVE. UM, 'CAUSE I THINK WE NEED A MORE ROBUST DISCUSSION THAN THAT. UM, AND WITH THAT, UM, I WILL ALSO JUST TAKE ANY OTHER SORT OF, WE'RE KIND OF IN THE YEAR END MODE. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU GUYS WOULD LIKE TO SEE ON AGENDAS COMING FORWARD? I CAN'T REMEMBER EVERYTHING ELSE THAT WE'RE ALREADY HAVE QUEUED UP FOR THE COMING MONTHS. I THINK WE'RE TALKING ABOUT COUNSEL AT FIRST APPEARANCE IN JANUARY AS WELL. COMMISSIONER SMITH. UH, YEAH, FOR ME, ESPECIALLY WITH THE WEATHER TURNING, I'D LIKE SOME TYPE OF JOINT PRESENTATION BY POTENTIALLY, UM, EM, UM, THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE, OUR FIRST RESPONDERS ON INCLEMENT WEATHER, UM, RESPONSE. I'M PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN THE TRANSPORTATION THEREOF, UM, OF THOSE ASSETS, UM, OR THOSE, THOSE CONSTITUENTS. UM, AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT COMES UP IN THIS FIRST WAVE OF ACTIVATION. OKAY. I BELIEVE WE HAD HEATH OUT, I THINK IT WAS, IT WAS JUST A COUPLE MONTHS AGO, MAYBE THREE MONTHS AGO. UM, AND THEY HAD, BUT WE CAN FOLLOW UP TO SEE, UM, WE HAD BROUGHT UP, ONCE AGAIN, THE TRANSPORTATION OF, AND THE SINGLE EMBARKATION POINT, UM, PROBLEMS. WE BROUGHT IT UP. UM, WE HAVE ASKED HSO TO COME OUT. UM, SO WE'LL FOLLOW UP ON THAT. SO YES, YES. THAT IS VERY MUCH ON THE LINE. I, I'M GONNA KEEP, I'M GONNA KEEP BRINGING IT UP UNTIL . MAYBE THEY'LL LISTEN SOMEDAY. UM, YEAH, SHARON, JUST TO ADD TO THAT, UM, ON THE EQUITY ASPECT, I KNOW THAT, UH, ON MY ROLE AS THE ASIAN AMERICAN QUALITY VALUE COMMISSION WE'RE REQUESTING A SIMILAR, UH, REQUEST, NOT NECESSARILY RELATED TO THE EMBARKATION, UM, UH, BUT RELATED TO HOW WE PROVIDE ACCESS DURING THOSE, UM, THOSE TIMES. OKAY. OKAY. UM, ANYTHING ELSE? I HAVE PUBLIC SAFETY HQ ON THE MIND AND WANTING TO KNOW HOW THAT IS COMING ALONG. THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT IS ENJOYING IT VERY, VERY WELL. , WE DO APPRECIATE THE, THE CITY'S SENATE ASIDE. THE CITY'S, UH, INVESTMENT IN THAT RESOURCE FOR ALL OF US IS FANTASTIC. IT TAKES A WHILE TO GET THINGS, UH, ESTABLISHED ACROSS, UH, ALL THREE OF OUR DEPARTMENTS. UH, WE'VE HAD THE FORTUNE TO MOVE IN THERE FIRST, AT LEAST IN A TEMPORARY FASHION. AND THE FACILITIES ARE, ARE, UH, UH, GREATLY APPRECIATED. OKAY. AND LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING ALL OF OUR PARTNERS THERE, HERE IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE ONCE EVERYTHING'S REDESIGNED AND ESTABLISHED. OKAY. WELL THEN I WILL DEFINITELY REACH OUT. WE DEFINITELY WANNA HAVE, UM, AN UPDATE ON HOW THAT'S GOING AND THE ROLLOUT AND IMPLEMENTATION, UM, UH, FOR THAT. AND THEN YOU HAD MENTIONED FROM TODAY, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANTED AS A SEPARATE AGENDA ITEM, BUT THE WHOLE BLOOD YOU HAD YES. EXPRESSED INTEREST IN THAT WHOLE BLOOD. AND THEN I HAD A QUESTION, I THINK IT'S FOR FIRE AS WELL. UM, I KNOW THAT THE TEXAS LEDGE POTENTIALLY DID A GOOD, GOOD THING, , UM, UH, WITH REGARDS TO EMERGENCY, UM, EXIT FOR DISABLED, UM, STUDENTS, I THINK IN SCHOOL SETTINGS THAT LIKE [01:50:01] FOR FIRE, FIRE EXIT PLANS AND EMERGENCY EXIT PLANS FOR BUILDINGS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR THOSE BUILDINGS, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT'S BEING BUILT INTO WHEN YOU GUYS ARE DOING INSPECTIONS? LIKE, AND I THINK THAT'S A QUESTION. AND ALSO TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF THERE'S A WAY WE CAN PUT AN AGENDA ITEM TOGETHER AROUND THAT. I WOULD NEED TO DIG INTO THAT A LITTLE BIT TO MAKE SURE I GAVE YOU ACCURATE INFORMATION ON THAT. IF IT'S A CODE ITEM, YES, THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT FROM THAT, THAT IMPLE IMPLEMENTATION FOUR WOULD BE A REQUIREMENT, BUT I'D HAVE TO DIG IN TO MAKE SURE I GAVE YOU ACCURATE INFORMATION. OKAY. CAN I ADD TO THAT CHAIR? YES. YEAH. JUST TO ADD TO THAT, I AM, AS YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THAT, LOOKING AT THE RED EXIT SIGN, UM, AND TALKING ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY, UM, I ACTUALLY IMPLEMENTED THIS WITH A PREVIOUS ORGANIZATION I WAS WITH, UM, ON, UH, GREEN EXIT SIGNS VERSUS RED EXIT SIGNS BECAUSE THEY'RE MORE VISUAL, UH, THEY'RE MORE VISIBLE FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED MM-HMM . UM, AND SO, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN, UH, MORE SPECIFICALLY LOOK INTO THAT. UH, BUT I THINK NPA, UH, NFPA STANDARDS SAY IT CAN EITHER BE GREEN OR RED, BUT I THINK INTERNATIONALLY, UM, IT'S ADOPTED MORE GREEN. UM, AND I THINK THE UNITED STATES IS THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS, HAS READ, AND IT'S SLOWLY MOVING AWAY FROM THAT, UM, BECAUSE OF THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED, UH, ADDITIONALLY EXIT SIGNS AT EYE LEVEL FOR THOSE THAT MIGHT BE IN WHEELCHAIRS OR OR BELOW IS ANOTHER CONSIDERATION AS WELL. OKAY. UM, I WILL LOOK INTO THAT TEXAS LEDGE BILL. I THINK THERE WERE TWO SPECIFICALLY THAT PASSED, AND I WILL SEND THAT OVER SO THAT WE CAN FIGURE OUT IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TALK ABOUT. UM, IT SPECIFICALLY HAS TO DO WITH EXIT E EVACUATION PLANS FOR BUILDINGS, UM, FOR, UM, THE DISABLED. UM, AND ANYTHING ELSE? TWO OTHER QUICK THINGS. YEAH, I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE DUE YET FOR A SOBERING CENTER UPDATE. I KNOW THAT'S BEEN ON YES. THE LIST AT SOME POINT AND THEY'VE HAD A LOT OF CHANGES RECENTLY THAT MAY BE WORTHWHILE. YES. UM, AND THEN THE OTHER ONE AS WELL, I, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW, UM, ACTUALLY THIS WOULD BE FOR ANY OF THE THREE OF Y'ALL, BUT THE, THE FIRST PILOT THAT I KNOW HAS GOTTEN A LITTLE BIT OF THE ATTENTION RECENTLY. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT SHOULD BE A SEPARATE ITEM OR THAT THAT CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO SOMEBODY'S REPORT, BUT I THINK ESPECIALLY IF WE'RE STARTING TO TALK ABOUT FUTURE BUDGET THINGS AND STUFF THAT WE CAN DO THAT SAVES MONEY, INVESTMENTS TO SPEND MONEY TO SAVE MONEY, AS WELL AS MAKE LIFE BETTER FOR EVERYBODY. UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WOULD BE THE BEST FORMAT FOR THAT, BUT OKAY. YEAH, POSSIBLY A JOINT AGENDA ITEM. OKAY. ON THAT. THAT SOUNDS GREAT. OKAY. UH, COMMISSIONER SMITH AND THEN, THEN COMMISSIONER DUNAN, JUST REAL QUICK ON THE SOBERING CENTER, I'M PRETTY POSITIVE THERE WAS A LIST OF DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS WITH A LEVEL OF SENSITIVITY THAT WAS NOT APPARENT THE LAST TIME. OKAY. I WOULD JUST REQUEST THAT THEY LOOK BACK AT THOSE NOTES AND COME WITH THAT LEVEL OF SPECIFICITY. OKAY. GREAT. THANK YOU FOR THAT REMINDER. COMMISSIONER DURAN, UM, SOMETHING I'D LIKE TO SEE ON AN AGENDA IS HOW MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY CAN HAVE MORE DIRECT ACCESS TO SOMEONE AT A PD FIRE OR EMS, UM, IN TERMS OF LIKE MORE OF A DIRECT LINE OF COMMUNICATION. UM, YES, 3 1, 1 9, 1 1 ARE GREAT OPTIONS, BUT, UM, I FEEL WITH THIS PAST, YOU KNOW, ELECTION THAT HAPPENED, A LOT OF AUSTIN NIGHTS DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY'RE SEEN OR HEARD. UM, SO I FEEL IF THEY CAN ACTUALLY TALK TO A PERSON, HAVE LIKE MAYBE A, LIKE, CASE MANAGER OR FOLLOW UP OR SOMETHING THAT'D BE, THAT'D BE REALLY GREAT FOR MEMBERS OF, UM, THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY. THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP. I KNOW THAT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT THAT. UM, AND, UM, UH, COMMISSIONER DURAN IS SPEAKING SPECIFICALLY AND IN ADDITION TO, BUT, UM, WE HAVE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC COME AND ASK FOR HELP AND JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE A PROCESS IN PLACE, UM, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND WHAT NEXT STEPS WE AS A COMMISSION TAKE WHEN WE GET THAT KIND OF FEEDBACK, WHERE THAT GOES, UM, AND HOW WE FOLLOW UP ON THAT. SO. OKAY. ALRIGHT. ANYTHING ELSE? OKAY. YEAH. CAN I, YEAH. OKAY. OKAY. UM, CHAIR, COMMISSION, UH, STAFF, UH, THIS IS ACTUALLY GONNA BE MY LAST COMMISSION MEETING. OH. UM, SO, UH, I HAVE OFFICIALLY PUT MY RESIGNATION IN AND, UH, IT WAS A VERY HARD CHOICE. I KNOW I WAS BOUNCING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN MAKING THAT DECISION. UM, AND IT'S BEEN A GREAT HONOR FOR ME, UH, TO BE ABLE TO SERVE ON THIS COMMISSION FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS, UH, BOTH FOR DISTRICT SEVEN AND DISTRICT 10. UM, AND I JUST WANT TO THANK MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS, UM, AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC SAFETY PROFESSIONALS THAT ARE HERE, UM, CIVILIAN AND, AND UNIFORM, UM, AND THEN, [01:55:01] UH, THE CITY STAFF AS WELL, UH, THAT KEEPS OUR COMMUNITY SAFE, UM, WITH THE INCREASING DEMANDS OF THE RED CROSS AND THEN OF THE COAST GUARD. UM, I THOUGHT IT WAS, UM, I HAD TO TAKE A HARD LOOK AT MY CAPACITY AND I, I WROTE THIS DOWN BECAUSE I, I REALLY WANTED TO SAY IT RIGHT. UM, AND I'VE ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT IF YOU HOLD A SEAT LIKE THIS, YOU OWE PEOPLE YOUR FULL EFFORT AND ATTENTION AND NOT WHATEVER'S LEFT OVER AT THE END OF THE DAY. UM, AND SO AFTER THAT REFLECTION, THAT'S, THAT'S WHEN I DECIDED TO REALLY SUBMIT THAT RESIGNATION. UM, JUST BECAUSE I DO NOT HAVE THE BANDWIDTH TO FOCUS ON THE ROLE AS I HAVE IN THE PAST. UM, AND I'VE SHARED MY RECOMMENDATIONS WITH COUNCIL MEMBER UCHIN, AND I'M CONFIDENT THAT THE PERSON WHO FOLLOWS WILL BRING STRONG LEADERSHIP, UM, AND, UH, BE ABLE TO REALLY FILL THAT GAP. SO, UH, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME, YOUR ENERGY, AND YOUR PARTNERSHIP. UM, I'VE SEEN A COUPLE, UH, STAFF, UH, COME THROUGH HERE. UH, THANK YOU. UH, MS. UH, VITAL VATELLI. AM I SAYING THAT RIGHT? VI ELLA. UM, AND, UH, I WAS HAPPY TO ALSO SEE, UH, MS. JACKSON, UH, , UH, RETIRED TOO. SHE HAD A, A, A LOT OF WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE, AND I LEARNED FROM HER FOR THAT. BUT I WILL STILL BE IN THE COMMUNITY SUPPORTING AND STILL BE SERVING ON THE ASIAN AMERICAN QUALITY OF LIFE COMMISSION, UH, IN THAT ROLE AS WELL. BUT AS A SON OF REFUGEES WHERE I LIVED IN THE LARGEST CITY IN THE US, UM, I DEFINITELY SAW HOW MY PARENTS STRUGGLED. UM, THEY'VE BEEN, YOU KNOW, UH, THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH HOME INVASIONS THROUGH, UH, BEING ROBBED AT MY DAD'S STORE. AND IT, IT, IT'S REALLY BEEN A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO PUSH FOR SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY STRUGGLED WITH, UH, IN A CITY THAT I DID WASN'T BORN IN, BUT I GREW TO LOVE. AND, UM, THAT Y'ALL CONTINUE TO DEFEND AND SUPPORT. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THAT COMMISSIONER NGUYEN. UM, WE'LL BE, WE'LL MISS YOU. UM, SO WITH THAT, UM, THANK YOU EVERYBODY. UM, AND WE ARE ADJOURNED. SEE YOU, EVERYBODY. HAVE A GOOD CHRISTMAS. SEE YOU IN JANUARY. I. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.