Dec 17, 2025 Cap Metro

OUR QUORUM HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED WITH BOARD MEMBERS STRATTON, UH, UH, COMING IN OFF SITE.

IT LOOKS LIKE

[I. Call to Order]

ALRIGHT, UH, LET'S SEE YOU BACK THERE.

TODAY IS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17TH.

UH, THAT BEING SAID, IT IS, LET'S SEE.

WANNA THANK EVERYBODY FOR JOINING US FOR THE DECEMBER MEETING OF THE CAP METRO BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

I'LL CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.

THE TIME IS 1206.

WE'RE IN ORDER.

FIRST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA TODAY WILL BE OUR MONTHLY SAFETY BRIEFING.

[II. Safety Briefing]

AND I UNDERSTAND THE DIRECTOR OF SAFETY, ARI BOWEN, IS HERE THIS MONTH TO BRING IT TO US.

UH, ARI? YES, SIR.

I WAS, I WAS LOOKING.

I DIDN'T, I DIDN'T, I DIDN'T SEE, UH, MR. TABONE.

SO, UH, YOU, YOU, YOU ARE, ARE, UH, FULFILLING, UH, THE ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY THIS YES, SIR.

YES, SIR.

PLEASE, PLEASE PROCEED.

GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE.

MY NAME IS JAFARI BOWDEN.

I'M THE DIRECTOR OF SAFETY HERE AT CAP METRO.

AND AS FAR AS OUR, UM, SAFETY MESSAGE IN THE CASE OF AN EMERGENCY WE ARE IN.

THE BUILDING IS 29 10 EAST FIFTH STREET, AND THIS IS THE ROSA PARKS BOARDROOM.

AND THE CASE OF AN ANOTHER EMERGENCY, UH, CAP METRO STAFF OR SECURITY WILL CALL 9 1 1.

UM, THE RALLY POINT IS 3105TH STREET, WHICH IS OUT THE EAST DOOR HERE, OR OUTTA THE DOUBLE DOORS.

AND OUT THE FRONT, WE'LL WALK AROUND THE BUILDING DOWN THE WALKWAY AND MEET TO OUR RALLY POINT.

YOU'LL SEE A GREEN SIGN DOWN AT 3,100, UM, FIFTH STREET.

UM, ANYONE WITH MOBILITY CHALLENGES THAT HAS TO EXIT OUT OF EACH DOOR, PLEASE WAIT AT THE TOP OF THE STEPS FOR STAFF TO ASSIST YOU.

AND ALSO WE HAVE OUR AUTOMATIC EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR.

OUR A ED IS LOCATED DOWN THE HALL TO THE GUARD SHACK TO THE RIGHT, TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ELEVATOR.

AND WE ALSO HAVE OUR FIRE EXTINGUISHER LOCATED HERE IN THE ROOM NEXT TO ART.

ANY QUESTIONS FOR OUR SAFETY MESSAGE? HEARING NONE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

ALRIGHT, THANK YOU.

I FEEL SAFER ALREADY.

UH, SO, SO, UM, OUR NEXT ITEM IS GONNA BE PUBLIC COMMENT AND EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES, UNLESS THEY'RE SPEAKING ON TWO AGENDA ITEMS OR REPRESENTING A GROUP WITH, UH, MORE THAN ONE PERSON IN THE ROOM.

[III. Public Comment]

AND IN THAT CASE, THEY'LL HAVE FIVE MINUTES TO SPEAK.

AND I HAVE, WE, I UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE AT LEAST ONE PERSON SIGNED UP IN ADVANCE TO SPEAK TODAY AND THEY'LL BE MS. DEB, UH, MILLER.

UH, MS. MILLER, UM, WOULD YOU PREFER TO BE AT THE PODIUM OR WOULD YOU PREFER FOR US TO BRING YOUR MIC? GOT YOUR MIC THERE.

UH, THANK YOU.

I UNDERSTAND YOU'VE GOT TWO AGENDA ITEMS, SO YOU'LL HAVE FIVE MINUTES.

PLEASE PROCEED.

UM, I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION.

FIRST, THE NEW BUSES, THE GILL THAT WE'RE BUYING, ARE THOSE TO REPLACE THE MCI FOR THE UM, FOR THE, UH, NO, THOSE ARE JUST STANDARD REPLACEMENTS OF OLDER DIESEL, REGULAR DIESEL.

UM, SO GOOD MORNING.

MY NAME IS DEB MILLER.

I'M A PROVISIONAL RIDER OF CAT METRO ACCESS.

FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS I'VE BEEN A STUNT RIDER FOR Y'ALL TRYING TO GO THROUGH THE SYSTEM AND MAKE SURE OUR PROTOCOLS ARE THE SAME AND THAT IT'S A SAFE PLACE TO RIDE AROUND AUSTIN IN A WHEELCHAIR.

I GOTTA TELL YOU, I'VE TRIED THE OTHER SERVICES IN ALL, EVERY OTHER CITY IN THE STATE.

WE DO HAVE THE BEST TRANSIT SYSTEM ANYWHERE IN TEXAS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE WAY YOU HAVE INCLUDED ME AND ALWAYS LISTENED TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY.

UM, FIRST OF ALL, UM, BEFORE I FORGET, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, FOR SOME REASON Y'ALL PULLED THE BUS STOP AWAY FROM THE SHACK, THE NUMBER 10 ROUTE.

YOU TOOK THAT AWAY.

WE WANNA GET PROVISIONAL RIDERS, BUT YOU TOOK AWAY THE ONLY WAY THEY CAN LEAVE .

WE GOT 1400 PEOPLE THERE IN WHEELCHAIRS.

THIS IS NOT COST EFFECTIVE FOR Y'ALL.

WE NEED A BUS STOP BACK ON SOUTH FIRST, NEXT TO, UH, IT'S LIGHTSY.

OKAY? UM, ALSO CONSIDER A BUS STOP A FIXTURE OUT OVER BY THE AUSTIN CLUBHOUSE AT 45TH AND LAMAR, IT'S REALLY SCARY TO CROSS THAT.

UH, I DRIVE FOUR DIFFERENT QUANTUM, UH, POWER WHEELCHAIRS DURING MY RESEARCH, BASICALLY.

'CAUSE IF IT'S UNDER WARRANTY, I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO GO OUTSIDE.

AND THEN I'VE ALSO DRIVEN WITH THE WIDEST POSSIBLE, UH, DEVICE TO GO ON ANY FORM OF PUBLIC TRANSIT.

I HAVE TESTED SOME OF THE, UM, I'M GONNA CALL 'EM INFERIOR BECAUSE THEY CANNOT GO UP THE RAMP IN THE BACK OF SOME OF THESE CARS.

AND WE NEED TO SPECIFY THAT BECAUSE WHEN YOU PICK ONE UP AND THEY CAN'T GO UP, UM, THE LIES, WE CAN'T BACK UP INTO THEM EITHER.

AND THEY GOT THESE LITTLE TINY CASTERS ON THE FRONT FOR TIPPING THAT WILL NOT LET US LOAD ON A RAMP.

TRAIN OUR PEERS AT THE SHACK AND OTHER NONPROFITS WHERE WE HAVE THE BUS PASS PROGRAM BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT'S GONNA GET US ON THE ROAD AND GET US USING THE SYSTEM.

AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE DOING, WHICH IS NOT GONNA HELP.

UM, I CREATED A PILOT STUDY, UM, YEARS AGO AND I SUBMITTED THAT TO YOU IN A PROPOSAL.

I UNDERSTAND THE CITY GOT INSTEAD OF THE 10 MILLION, I ASKED FOR 115 MILLION.

I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE USE THAT GRANT PROPOSAL THAT I HAD TO DIRECT SOME OF THIS FUNDING FOR US TO

[00:05:01]

WE HAVE TO HAVE THE SKILLS TO NAVIGATE OUR EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS WHILE WE'RE GOING OUT IN PUBLIC.

MANY OF US HAVE BEEN ISOLATED A LONG TIME.

UM, I IN THE DALLAS ABILITIES EXPO, I HAD A GREAT TIME.

UM, THEY ARE MAKING BETTER PLANS.

WELL, DIFFERENT PLANS.

I'M NOT GONNA SAY THEY'RE BETTER FOR THE INCREASED RIDERSHIP THAT WE HAVE NOT MADE.

ONE OF THE THINGS IS THEY'VE CONTRACTED, UH, SUBCONTRACTED A COMPANY THAT HIRES NON-AMERICAN CITIZENS, WHICH I KNOW WE WON'T DO.

THEY BOUGHT SOME NEW MV ONE TYPE CARS THAT ONCE I PUT MY WHEELCHAIR IN AND I'M VERY SKILLED, THEY COULDN'T SHUT THE DOOR AND, AND PUT ON, PUT THE RAMP INSIDE WITH THESE ONES THAT WERE LIKE THE MV ONES THERE.

SO THEY'VE LOST THEIR MINDS.

ANOTHER THING IS THAT, UM, THEY NOW CHARGE THREE 50 FOR MASS, FOR PARA TRANSIT.

EVERY TIME YOU GET ON, YOU CAN PAY CASH OR YOU CAN PAY THROUGH THEIR APP, THROUGH THEIR UH, APP.

BUT ALSO, UM, WHILE THEY'RE DOING THAT LIKE SAN ANTONIO BY ENCOURAGING US TO USE A FIXED ROUTE, IT IS ALWAYS FREE FOR A PERSON WHO'S METRO ACCESS CLIENT.

IT WOULD BE FOR US TO MOVE OVER THERE.

AND I STRONGLY SUGGEST WE THINK ABOUT THAT GOING FORWARD WITH THAT IN THE FUTURE.

A A PLAN FOR THAT.

NOT EVERYBODY, BUT JUST DO A TRIAL.

RIGHT.

UM, THEN BECAUSE OF ALL THESE OTHER DRIVERS THAT DON'T MEET THE STANDARDS THAT WE HAVE HERE, UM, ELDERLY RIDERS THERE IN DALLAS TELL ME THEY'RE AFRAID TO GET ON THE PARATRANSIT SYSTEM THERE.

I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT WE HAVE SOME TROUBLE AT WITH THAT HERE AT SUNRISE NAVIGATION CENTER.

I'VE EXPERIENCED THAT UP AT THE FIXTURE OUT BY THE MOSAIC, UH, RESOURCE CENTER AND THE 3 83.

WE NEED POLICE PRESENCE THERE.

WE HAVE CAP METRO POLICE.

IF THEY WERE THERE MONITORING DURING THE HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS, I BELIEVE THAT IT WOULD INCREASE A MORE SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR ALL OF US.

YOU KNOW, THESE, A LOT OF THE OTHER PEOPLE THERE ARE UNDER THE INFLUENCE.

THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE DON'T WANNA HELP THEM.

THAT JUST MEANS WE NEED SOME BOUNDARIES ENFORCED.

AND, AND I KNOW THAT WE CAN DO THIS IN A KIND WAY.

UM, UH, UH, WE ALSO HAVE TROUBLE WITH THE STOP ON SOUTH CONGRESS AT ALTAR.

THE H THE DRIVERS DON'T HAVE A PLACE TO PARK AND UNLOAD THERE.

CAN WE LOOK AT THAT PLEASE? UM, LET'S SEE.

UH, OKAY.

ABOUT THE GILLICK BUSES, PLEASE, PLEASE NEVER BUY ANOTHER BUS WITH THIS TRACKING SYSTEM.

Y'ALL HAVE BEEN BUYING THE Q THE Q STRAIN SIDE AND CLICK LOCK SECUREMENT SYSTEM IS AVAILABLE.

PLEASE GET IT.

DON'T MAKE THE DRIVERS CRAWL ON THE FLOOR, CUT THEIR HANDS TRYING TO LOAD US.

AND THE ONES THAT TOUCH ME INAPPROPRIATELY, I MEAN IT'S, IT'S THE THING.

WE HAVE GOT TO STOP THIS AND IT'S A SECUREMENT SYSTEM THAT HAS CREATED THIS BOUNDARY.

UM, THEN LET'S SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE.

UM, I THINK THAT'S ABOUT IT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE WHAT'S GOING ON AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN WORK FURTHER TOGETHER TO INCREASE THE TRAVEL TRAINING PROGRAM.

ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU CERTAINLY FOR COMING OUT TODAY AND UH, SHARING INFORMATION WITH US.

UM, NOW I SHOULD ASK WHETHER NOW, SO WE'VE GOT ONE MORE PERSON SIGNED UP, UH, RUBY TYRONE.

IF YOU COULD, IF YOU WOULD COME TO THE PODIUM.

IF YOU'D COME TO THE PODIUM, YOU'LL HAVE A MIC OR THEY CAN BRING A MIC TO YOU IF YOU'D PREFER.

WELL, TO SAY THAT THEY, BUT MY COMPLAINT IS ABOUT THE HANDICAP.

YES MA'AM.

ONE OF THE BUS DRIVERS, SHE TURNED AWAY A BLIND GUY THE OTHER DAY WOULDN'T LET HIM ON THE BUS.

AND SHE WAS VERY RUDE TO HIM.

AND ALSO SHE PUT ME OFF THE BUS BECAUSE I COULDN'T FIND MY TICKET.

SOME OF THE NEW DRIVERS ARE VERY RUDE TO US AND HANDICAP DON'T STAND A CHANCE BECAUSE IF THE HANDICAP IS KIND OF SLOWER BY COMING UP RAMP, THEY ALMOST KNOCKS 'EM ALL BY LETTING THE RAMP UP.

CAN Y'ALL PLEASE GET THE OLD DRIVERS BACK? THAT'S KIND AND POLITE TO US BECAUSE WE ARE HUMAN.

I'M 77 YEARS OLD AND I FEEL FOR THE NEXT HANDICAPPER.

I'M NOT HANDICAPPED 'CAUSE I CAN WALK WITH DR. WALKER, BUT THEY SAY WHOEVER ON METRO SAY ONCE THEY GET OUT THERE, THEY CAN SAY WHAT THEY WANNA SAY TO US.

WHY CAN'T WE SAY IT TO THEM? WELL, THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO, UH, TO COME TO SPEAK WITH US.

LET'S SEE IF THERE'S ANYBODY THAT CAN, UM, DOCUMENT AND, UH, YEAH, IF MA'AM, IF YOU CAN, UM, TALK TO RAFAEL VIAL WHO'S ACTUALLY COMING UP RIGHT BEHIND YOU BEFORE YOU LEAVE, WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE GET ALL THE DETAILS.

ANYBODY WHO HASN'T SIGNED UP, WHO WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE BOARD? ANYONE, ANYONE.

AND, AND THANK YOU FOR PRESENTING.

NOW, DO WE HAVE ANYONE ELSE IN THE BOARDROOM THIS AFTERNOON THAT WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE BOARD?

[00:10:01]

I'LL ASK A THIRD TIME JUST FOR POSTERITY.

UH, ANYONE ELSE LIKE TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD? HEARING NONE, WE WILL OFFICIALLY BRING A PUBLIC COMMENT TO AN END.

AND, UH, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT CAME TO SPEAK TO US.

NEXT, WE'RE GONNA GET

[IV. Advisory Committee Updates]

OUR BOARD ADVISORY COMMITTEE UPDATES.

AND, UH, LET'S SEE.

UH, WE'LL START WITH OUR ADVISORY COMMITTEE UPDATES FROM, UH, PETER BRADEN.

ALL RIGHT, GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR VALION, VICE CHAIR ELLIS, CEO WATKINSON, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

MY NAME IS PETER BRETTON.

I'M THE STAFF LIAISON FOR OUR ADVISORY COMMITTEES.

SINCE LAST MONTH'S UPDATE, OUR ACCESS, CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEES ALL MET AT THEIR REGULARLY SCHEDULED TIMES.

THE ACCESS AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION ADVISORY COMMITTEES RECEIVED PRESENTATIONS ON OUR TRANSIT SPEED AND RELIABILITY PROGRAM FROM REESE RAY TUCKER, A PLANNER UNDER THAT PROGRAM.

THEY ALSO HEARD ABOUT THE FAIRBOX REPLACEMENT PROJECT FROM MYSELF, PABLO SANDOVAL, JONATHAN TANZER, AND ART BOULANGER.

THE PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE RECEIVED A PRESENTATION FROM CHIEF OF POLICE, BOWIE AND TROY, OFFICER, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SAFETY ON THE PUBLIC SAFETY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT REPORT FOR OCTOBER, AS WELL AS DISCUSSING THE 2026 CALENDAR OF MEETINGS.

THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR THIS MONTH.

AND PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, BOARD MEMBERS.

ANY QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS? HEARING NONE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

UH, NEXT UP WILL BE OUR REGULAR BOARD COMMITTEE UPDATES, UH, CHAIR ELA.

[V. Board Committee Updates]

COULD YOU KICK US OFF WITH THE OPERATIONS PLANNING AND SAFETY COMMITTEE? THANK YOU CHAIR.

UM, WE, UH, APPROVED A HANDFUL OF ITEMS THAT WILL BE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA ARE, UH, WASTE AND, UH, RECYCLING, UH, SERVICES, UH, CONTRACT.

UH, AND THEN ONE ITEM THAT WILL NOT BE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA, WHICH IS THE PURCHASE OF THE, UH, 37 GILI HYBRID, UH, BUSES.

UH, WE HAD A GOOD CONVERSATION ABOUT THE BUSES AND THEN GOT, UH, OUR UPDATES ON THE PUBLIC SAFETY AND, UH, SECURITY INITIATIVES.

UH, WHICH AGAIN, WE HAD A, A GOOD DISCUSSION ABOUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF DATA THAT WE'RE GONNA BE, UH, COLLECTING WITH REGARD TO, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY AND SECURITY.

UH, WHICH AGAIN, HAPPY TO SEE THE, THE STAFF, UM, REALLY PUTTING THE FOCUS ON, UH, ON SAFETY AND SECURITY ON OUR, UH, TRAFFIC SYSTEM.

AND THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT.

UH, BOARD MEMBERS.

ANY QUESTIONS? QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS? HEARING NONE, UH, WE'LL MOVE OVER TO, UH, CHAIR HARRIS WITH FINANCE, AUDIT AND ADMINISTRATION.

THANK YOU CHAIR.

UH, THE FINANCE AUDIT ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE MADE ON WEDNESDAY DECEMBER THE 10TH.

UH, IN ADDITION TO APPROVING THE MINUTES, WE ALSO APPROVED, UH, AND RECOMMENDED TO THE BOARD THREE CONTRACTS, UH, THAT ARE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA, UH, FOR TODAY'S MEETING, INCLUDING A CONTRACT WITH QA SYSTEMS FOR TO INSTALL AUDIO VISUAL SYSTEMS HERE IN THE NEW, IN THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING.

UM, AND IN A CONTRACT FOR DOCUMENTATION FOR, UH, COPIER AND PRINTER SERVICES, UH, FOR THE, UH, HERE AT THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING AND ALSO A CONTRACT WITH VOYA, EMPLOYEE BENEFITS FOR MEDICAL STOP LOSS INSURANCE.

AND THEN IN ADDITION TO THOSE, UH, THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS, WE ALSO HEARD FROM INTERNAL AUDIT WITH RESPECT TO THE FISCAL 26 AUDIT PLAN STATUS, UH, AND AN, EXCUSE ME, AN INVENTORY CONTROL ON THE DEMAND RESPONSE, UH, PARTS.

AND THEN WE ALSO HEARD A PRESENTATION, UH, CONCERNING THE PRELIMINARY YEAR END FINANCIALS AND KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS.

RECOGNIZING CURRENT CAC MEMBERS AND THEIR WORK, UH, DURING AN EVENT TO CELEBRATE THEM.

WELL, WELL, UM, ANY QUESTIONS? BOARD MEMBERS? ANY QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS? HEARING NONE.

THAT WENT SO WELL.

WHY DON'T WE JUST GO ON INTO CAMPO, THIS'LL BE QUICK 'CAUSE WE DIDN'T MEET .

THE EASIEST, EASIEST, SHORTEST REPORT YOU'VE EVER GIVEN.

UH, WELL, WELL, UH, THANK, THANK YOU FOR REMINDING US WE DIDN'T MEET.

UH, THE, UH, NEXT COMMITTEE REPORT IS THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP UPDATE, WHICH I'LL GIVE, UH, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MET ON NOVEMBER 19TH.

THE MEETING HAD STANDARD ITEMS AND REPORTS, AS WELL AS ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS, WHICH INCLUDED APPOINTING AN INTERIM A TP BOARD SECRETARY AND APPOINTMENT OF A PROJECT CONNECT, CAC MEMBER.

UH, WE ALSO HEARD AN UPDATE, UH, ON THE AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL PROGRAM, INCLUDING THE ONGOING DESIGN AND ENGINEERING WORK AND PROJECT READINESS EFFORTS.

UH, WE ALSO HEARD UPDATES ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, THE PUBLIC ARTS PROGRAM, AND A COUPLE OTHER ITEMS. UH, YESTERDAY WE ALSO, UM, HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF

[00:15:01]

AND I WAS, UH, JOINED THERE, UM, BY, UH, VICE CHAIR ELLIS AND, AND, UH, AND ALSO, UH, BOARD MEMBER OF VELA.

AND LET'S SEE, WE, UM, WE ALSO HAVE, UH, WE ALSO GOT COPIES OF THE, UH, OF THE PROJECT CONNECT ANNUAL REPORT.

EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO ONE.

IF NOT, WE'LL GET YOU ONE BEFORE YOU LEAVE TODAY.

UM, AND, UM, OUR NEXT MEETING, UH, IS SCHEDULED FOR EARLY 2026.

SO I WILL, I WILL MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WHEN ALL THE DATES ARE SET THAT YOU HAVE ACCESS TO ALL OF THEM.

ANY QUESTIONS? ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT.

HEARING NONE THEN, UH, THAT WILL WRAP UP OUR BOARD, UH, COMMITTEE UPDATES.

UH, NEXT ON OUR AGENDA IS OUR CONSENT AGENDA.

NOW,

[VI. Consent Items]

UH, NOW EVERY, UH, WE'VE GOT FIVE ITEMS POSTED FOR TODAY.

ANY OF THOSE FIVE ITEMS, UH, THAT A BOARD MEMBER WOULD LIKE TO PULL OFF OF THE CONSENT AGENDA, ANY ITEM, ANY? WELL, IF, IF NO ONE WANTS TO PULL AN ITEM, THE CHAIR WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE CONSENT AGENDA.

BOARD MEMBERS THOUGH, MADE THE MOTION AND, OKAY.

BOARD MEMBER BENGAL MADE THE, UH, MAY THE SECOND.

IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED THAT WE APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS WRITTEN.

IS THERE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE, UH, ALL IN SUPPORT OF APPROVING THE CONSENT AGENDA, PLEASE LET IT BE KNOWN BY SAYING AYE.

I, I, I HEARD YOU BACK THERE.

UH, I HEARD YOU BACK THERE.

BOARD MEMBER STRATTON.

UH, OPPOSED? SAME SIGN.

HEARING NONE, THE CHAIR WILL MAKE IT UNANIMOUS.

THE KENT CONSENT AGENDA, UH, HAS BEEN APPROVED.

WE'LL TAKE UP TODAY'S REGULAR ACTION ITEMS. WERE POSTED FOR ACTION ON FOUR ITEMS TODAY.

UH, NOW

[VII.1. Approval of a resolution authorizing the President & CEO, or her designee, to finalize and execute a contract with Gillig LLC for the purchase of thirty-seven (37) Gillig hybrid buses in an amount not to exceed $45,869,418.]

UH, FIRST OF WHICH IS A PURCHASE OF 37 HYBRID BUSES.

AND I UNDERSTAND OUR RAH, WHO NIR IS GOING TO, UM, MAKE THE PRESENTATION FOR US.

PLEASE PROCEED.

UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR ILIAN, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD PRESIDENT, CEO WATKINS.

MY NAME IS RAHUL NAER AND I SERVE AS THE VP OF ROLLING STOCK AND SUPPORT ACUMENT HERE AT CAP METRO.

UM, AS YOU MENTIONED, THIS ACTION ITEM, MR. FINALIZE AND EXECUTE CONTRACT WITH GILLIG TO PURCHASE 37 HYBRID BUSES.

FUNDING FOR THIS ACTION IS AVAILABLE IN THE FY 27 CAPITAL BUDGET.

UH, WE ARE FOCUSING ON ADDRESSING CRITICAL ISSUES, ENSURING SAFETY AND DEPENDABILITY, IMPROVING OUR OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCIES, DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY AND ENHANCING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.

SO LOOKING AT THOSE METRICS, WE DECIDED TO, UH, UNDERTAKE THE HYBRID BUS PROCUREMENT APPROACH FOR THE NEXT PROCUREMENT OF THE BUSES.

AT THIS POINT, I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

BOARD MEMBERS, ANY QUESTIONS? YES, THE BOARD MEMBER .

AND THIS, UH, UH, CONTRACT? THIS WOULD BE, UM, REPLACING EXISTING, UH, BUSES CORRECT.

BE REPLACING EXISTING DIESEL BUSES.

GREAT.

SO WE GOT, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY 37 IN AND THEN 37 OUT, CORRECT? IT'D ONE, ONE REPLACEMENT.

AND, UH, ABOUT WHAT IS THE, UH, THE, THE MILEAGE FOR THE HYBRID BUSES? WHAT, WHAT'S, UH, THE, THE BENEFITS FROM A, A FUEL CONSUMPTION PERSPECTIVE? UM, THE FUEL EFFICIENCY IS APPROXIMATELY 25% HIGHER.

AND, UH, THE MILEAGE IS ABOUT 4.3 MILES PER GALLON AND 120 GALLON TANK.

SO APPROXIMATELY 516 MILES.

UH, NO OTHER QUESTIONS.

BOARD MEMBERS, ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? UH, SEEING NONE, THE CHAIR WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE.

BOARD MEMBER VELA SECOND.

AND BOARD MEMBER ELLIS SAW HER.

I'LL, I'LL LOOK BACK THERE FIRST, NEXT TIME.

SO THE MOTION WAS MADE BY BOARD MEMBER VELA, UH, WAS, WAS SECONDED BY BOARD, UH, BY BOARD MEMBER ELLIS.

UH, IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED THAT WE APPROVE.

ACTION ITEM NUMBER ONE.

IS THERE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE.

ALL IN FAVOR? LET IT BE KNOWN BY SAYING AYE.

THE CHAIR WILL MAKE IT UNANIMOUS.

UH, NOW WE HAVE ACTION ITEM NUMBER TWO THAT I'LL READ IN.

[VII.2. Approval of a resolution approving the CapMetro Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (“the Plan”), authorizing the President & CEO, or her designee, to finalize and execute the Plan, and setting a program to provide relevant and useful information to the Board of Directors.]

WHILE MR. BOWEN IS COMING FORWARD, APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE CAP METRO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AGENCY SAFETY PLAN, AUTHORIZING THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OR HER DESIGNEE TO FINALIZE AND EXECUTE THE PLAN AND SETTING A PROGRAM TO PROVIDE RELEVANT AND USEFUL INFORMATION, UH, TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS,

[00:20:01]

MR. BOONE? YES, SIR.

PLEASE PROCEED.

GOOD AFTERNOON.

BOARD CHAIR ILIAN PRESIDENT, CEO WATKINS FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS.

MY NAME IS JRI BODEN, DIRECTOR OF SAFETY HERE AT CAP METRO.

AND THIS ITEM IS FOR THE APPROVAL OF OUR PUBLIC TRANSIT AGENCY SAFETY PLAN, WHICH IS OUR GUIDING FRAMEWORK OF HOW WE MANAGE SAFETY RISKS, COMPLY WITH FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS AND CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVE OUR SAFETY OF OUR TRANSIT OPERATIONS REQUIRED BY THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION.

THE PTAS APPLIES TO OUR BUS AND DEMAND RESPONSE SERVICES.

WE OPERATE AND PROVIDES A STRUCTURE, DATA-DRIVEN APPROACH TO PREVENTING ACCIDENTS, INJURIES, AND SAFETY RELATED INCIDENTS.

THE PTAS IS BUILT ON THE FOUR PILLARS OF SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, WHICH ARE SAFETY POLICY, SAFETY RISK MANAGEMENT, SAFETY ASSURANCE, AND SAFETY PROMOTION.

THIS CURRENT P TASK HAS BEEN REVIEWED AND FORMALLY APPROVED BY THE JOINT LABOR MANAGEMENT SAFETY COMMITTEE, DEMONSTRATING A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH THAT INCORPORATES FRONTLINE EMPLOYEE INPUT INTO OUR SAFETY FRAMEWORK.

ADDITIONALLY, FOLLOWING A COMPREHENSIVE ANNUAL REVIEW, THERE ARE NO MAJOR CHANGES TO THE P TASK THIS YEAR.

THE PLAN REMAINS CONSISTENT WITH PREVIOUS VERSIONS, WHICH ARE MINOR CLARIFICATIONS, SUCH AS UPDATED INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT LANGUAGE REMOVAL OF THE BUS OPERATOR ASSAULT GROUP THAT IS NOW UNDER THE SECURITY COMMITTEE AND UPDATES TO OUR PERFORMANCE SAFETY PERFORMANCE TARGETS.

IMPORTANTLY, WHILE THE PT A S OUTLINES OUR SAFETY FRAMEWORK, IT IS DISTINCT FROM OUR SECURITY PROGRAMS. SAFETY FOCUSES ON PREVENTING UNINTENTIONAL EVENTS, UM, UNINTENTIONAL EVENTS SUCH AS COLLISIONS, INJURIES, AND OPERATIONAL HAZARDS, WHICH WITH, WHILE SECURITY ADDRESSES INTENTIONAL ACTS, THREATS AND VULNERABILITIES BOTH ARE ESSENTIAL AND COMPLIMENTARY.

UM, BUT THE P TASK IS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO GOVERN SAFETY, SAFETY RELATED RISKS, NOT SECURITY OPERATIONS OR THREAT THREAT THREAT RESPONSE PROTOCOLS.

LASTLY, THE P TASK REMAINS A LIVE IN DOCUMENT, AN ACTIVE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM GUIDING HOW WE MAKE DECISIONS, ALLOCATE RESOURCES, AND MANAGE AND MANAGE PERFORMANCE.

THIS CONTINUED IMPLEMENTATION STRENGTHENS OUR SAFETY CULTURE, ENHANCES SAFETY, SERVICE, RELIABILITY, AND REINFORCES PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN OUR TRANSIT SYSTEM.

AND WITH THAT SAID, I ASK FOR YOUR OPINION, ASK FOR YOUR APPROVAL, AND ANY QUESTIONS.

ALRIGHT, UH, BOARD MEMBERS, ANY QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS? LOOKING BACK THE BOARD MEMBER STRATTON, UH, IF THERE ARE NONE THEN UH, CHAIR WILL, WILL, UH, ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE.

BOARD MEMBER BINGO.

AND THE SECOND FROM BOARD MEMBER ALICE.

ALRIGHT, UH, .

I, I, OKAY.

WELL, WELL, UH, OKAY, SO WE WILL FORMALLY, UH, MAKE IT BOARD MEMBER STRATTON.

I, I GOT YOU BACK THERE AS A SECOND.

NOW IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED, UH, THAT WE APPROVE.

ACTION ITEM NUMBER TWO.

UH, IS THERE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE.

ALL IN FAVOR? LET IT BE KNOWN BY SAYING AYE.

UM, AND, UH, IF IT'S SUPPOSED THAT IT BE, UH, GIVEN BY THE SAME SIGN, HEARING NONE, THE CHAIR WILL MAKE IT UNANIMOUS.

THAT IS ALL THAT I HAVE TODAY, AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU, SIR.

THANK, ALL

[VII.3. Approval of a resolution appointing six members of the Project Connect Community Advisory Committee (CAC).]

RIGHT.

UH, ALSO WE'VE GOT AS ACTION ITEM NUMBER THREE, APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION APPOINTING SIX MEMBERS OF THE PROJECT CONNECT COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF THE CAC.

UH, I THINK, UH, MELISSA ORTIZ WILL BRING THE INFORMATION TO MS. ORTIZ, WHICH WILL THANK YOU.

GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR ILIAN PRESIDENT, CEO WATKINS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

MY NAME IS MELISSA ORTIZ.

I'M DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AT CAP METRO, AND I'M HERE SEEKING APPROVAL FOR THE RESOLUTION.

APPOINTING SIX MEMBERS OF THE PROJECT CONNECT COMMUNITY, UM, ADVISORY COMMITTEE PER THE CAC BYLAWS.

THE CAC IS COMPOSED OF 11 MEMBERS.

MEMBERS ARE APPOINTED BY THE CAT METRO BOARD, A TP BOARD AND AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL, UTILIZING A NOMINATING COMMITTEE PROCESS.

THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE INCLUDES THE CHAIR OF THE CITY'S MOBILITY COMMITTEE, THE CHAIR OF THE CAP, METRO OPERATIONS PLANNING AND SAFETY COMMITTEE, AND THE COMMUNITY EXPERT DIRECTOR FOR COMMUNITY PLANNING ON THE A TP BOARD AND A MEMBER OF THE CAC.

AFTER THE REVIEW OF 57 APPLICATIONS RECEIVED DURING THIS PROCESS ON NOVEMBER 12TH, THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED SIX APPOINTMENTS FOR THE CAC BASED ON THE GUIDANCE OF THE CAC BYLAWS AND REVIEW OF THE ELIGIBLE APPLICATIONS.

THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THE FOLLOWING COMMUNITY MEMBERS, EDGARDO, ALEXANDRA, HON GONZALEZ, MIKE GORES, LIZ MCGEE, SUSAN SUMMERS, AND STACY SUITS.

[00:25:01]

BOARD MEMBERS.

ANY QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS? HEARING NONE, THE CHAIR WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE, UH, THE RECOMMENDATIONS MADE BY THE, UH, COMMITTEE.

SO MOVED.

BOARD MEMBER STRATTON.

AND, AND BOARD MEMBER ROSS FOR THE SECOND HAS BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED THAT WE APPROVE.

UH, ACTION ITEM NUMBER THREE.

ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE.

UH, ALL IN FAVOR? LET IT BE KNOWN BY SAYING AYE.

OPPOSED? SAME SIGN.

HEARING NONE, THE CHAIR WILL MAKE IT UNANIMOUS.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK, MS. ORTIZ.

WE HAVE MOVED TO A POINT WHERE WE ARE, UM, MOVING TO APPROVE A RESOLUTION ELECTING, UH, OFFICERS OF THE, UH, CAP METRO BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR 2026.

[VII.4. Approval of a resolution electing officers of the CapMetro Board of Directors for 2026.]

ARE THERE ANY MOTIONS? UM, YES, CHAIR.

I WOULD, UH, MOVE TO KEEP THE OFFICERS THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE, WHICH IS YOURSELF AS A CHAIR, UH, BOARD MEMBER.

ELLIS IS THE VICE CHAIR AND BOARD MEMBER ROSS AS SECRETARY, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN.

IS THERE A SECOND? OKAY.

SECOND.

UH, LET'S SEE.

UH, WE, WE CAUGHT YOU THAT TIME, SO, ALRIGHT, .

SO, UM, HE CAN HAVE IT , IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED THAT WE, UH, UH, THAT WE APPROVE.

ACTION ITEM NUMBER FOUR.

NOW, IS THERE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION YOU WANT TO HAVE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE ISSUE FURTHER? YES.

JUST A QUICK COMMENT JUST TO SAY THANK YOU.

UH, I KNOW THAT IT DOES REQUIRE ADDITIONAL KIND OF TIME AND EFFORT AND I KNOW WE'RE ALL PINNED WITH, UH, UH, WITH KIND OF TOO MUCH ON OUR PLATE, BUT, UH, I APPRECIATE, UH, UH, ALL THREE OF YOUR, UH, TIME AND, AND EFFORT AND, AND LEADERSHIP.

SO THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH.

YOU'RE YOU'RE VERY KIND.

I'M, I'M NOT USED TO THOSE COMMENTS, , YOU KNOW.

UH, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? FURTHER DISCUSSION, UH, HEARING NONE, JUST MR. MR. CHAIRMAN? YES, SIR.

JUST, JUST A, JUST A QUESTION.

THIS MAY BE, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS OF, OF YOU OR OF STAFF, UM, WHEN WILL BE, UH, COMMITTEE SLATES THEN AND COMMITTEE, UH, OFFICERS BE ON THE AGENDA? IS THAT SLATED FOR, UH, THE JANUARY MEETING? HI, BOARD MEMBER STRATTON, UM, AND BOARD MEMBERS.

THIS IS CHEYENNE CONER, UM, CHIEF OF STAFF FOR CAB METRO.

WE HAVE Y'ALL SLATED TO CONSIDER COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS IN JANUARY AND THEN THE COMMITTEES THEMSELVES WILL DO THEIR OFFICER ELECTIONS AFTER, UH, COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS ARE CONFIRMED FOR 2026.

THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH.

ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? UH, HEARING NONE.

ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING ACTION.

ITEM FOUR, PLEASE LET IT BE KNOWN BY SAYING AYE.

OPPOSED? SAME SIGN.

HEARING NONE.

THE CHAIR WILL MAKE IT UNANIMOUS.

WE HAVE ONE FINAL ITEM FOR THE AGENDA TODAY, AND THAT IS THE PRESIDENT AND CEO REPORT FROM OUR PRESIDENT, NADY WATKINS.

THOSE ARE OUR ACTION ITEMS FOR TODAY.

I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE, UH, BOARD MEMBERS.

[VIII.1. President and CEO Monthly Update - December 2025]

EXCELLENT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

WE'LL LET, AS ED GETS US UP, UM, YOU MAY RECALL THAT AT LAST MONTH'S MEETING WE, UM, HAD SOME TECHNOLOGICAL DIFFICULTIES AND UNSUCCESSFULLY RECOGNIZED THE WINNERS OF OUR LOCAL RODEO.

UM, AND SO WE WANTED TO START TODAY BY SUCCESSFULLY RECOGNIZING THEM.

UM, AND SO FIRST UP IN TERMS OF, UM, THE PRESIDENT'S REPORT ARE OUR 2025 RODEO WINNERS.

UM, WE ARE, UM, EVERY YEAR WE, UH, LOVE, UM, IN THE FALL WE DO AN EVENT.

UM, THE BUS RODEO IS A COMPETITION AMONGST OUR FRONTLINE EMPLOYEES.

UM, BOTH OPERATORS AND MECHANICS, UM, PARTICIPATE IN A VARIETY OF, UM, CHALLENGES TO REALLY TEST THEIR SKILLS.

AND IT GIVES US A CHANCE TO HIGHLIGHT AND RECOGNIZE THE BEST OF THE BEST.

UM, WE ARE HONORED TODAY TO BE JOINED BY A FEW OF THEM.

UM, OUR BUS RODEO, UM, SECOND PLACE, DANNY ABALA IS WITH US TODAY STAND, AND OUR THIRD PLACE WINNER, DARREN DANIELS IS ALSO WITH US TODAY.

UM, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THESE INDIVIDUALS WERE ACTUALLY ON SHIFT TODAY.

IT'S A HARD THING TO GET TRANSIT WORKERS OFF WORK TO COME TO BOARD MEETINGS.

SO WE, WE HAD TO WRANGLE THEM.

WE, WE DO A LITTLE BIT, UM, BUT WE ALSO HAVE WITH US TODAY REPRESENTING OUR MECHANIC TEAMS. UM, SO OUR FIRST PLACE TEAM, UM, IS REPRESENTED TODAY BY JOHN PROSKY.