* 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. [CALL TO ORDER] [00:00:04] EVERYONE, AND I WANNA WELCOME EVERYONE TO THE FIRST MEETING OF THE AUSTIN TOURISM COMMISSION FOR 2026. TODAY'S WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14TH, TWO 30, AND WE WILL GET STARTED. UH, RIGHT ABOUT NOW, WE HAVE ONE MORE COMMISSIONER, I THINK, THAT COULD BE JOINING US. UH, AND WE HAVE ONE WHO IS OUT ILL TODAY. SO THIS, WE DO HAVE QUORUM. SO WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO BRING THE MEETING TO ORDER [PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL] AND, UH, DO WE HAVE ANY COMMUNICA PUBLIC? SORRY, WE DO HAVE, WE HAVE ONE PUBLIC COMMUNICATION. ALRIGHT. PLEASE JOIN US. AH, WELCOME BACK. UH, MR. RONAN, UH, FORMER FORMER CHAIR OF THE TOURISM COMMISSION, DANIEL RONAN, HAS JOINED US TODAY. AND, UH, PLEASE, PLEASE GIVE US AN UPDATE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. CHAIR BAILEY, UH, VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR TIME THIS AFTERNOON. I WANTED TO COME BY AND JUST SAY HELLO AND, UH, FORMALLY THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SERVICE ON THE TOURISM COMMISSION. I AM IN TOWN BRIEFLY. UM, I ACTUALLY STILL HAVE AN APARTMENT HERE, BUT, UM, I AM SO, UH, EXCITED FOR THIS AWESOME ROADMAP THAT YELP PUT TOGETHER IN YOUR WORK SESSION IN DECEMBER, JUST LOOKING AT A LOT OF THESE TOPICS AROUND HOT SPENDING, DOWNTOWN HERITAGE FESTIVALS AND THE LIKE. SO I JUST WANTED TO FIRST OFF CONGRATULATE YOU ON THAT. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, REALLY I'M EXCITED ABOUT, UH, THE FORTHCOMING, UM, INITIATIVES YOU HAVE IN TERMS OF OFFERING RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL AND WAYS TO, UH, IMPROVE THE COLLECTION OF HIGH TAXES AND, UH, AS WELL AS THE BROADER TOURISM ECONOMY HERE IN AUSTIN. UM, PART OF, UH, WHAT I WANTED TO DO AT MY PRESENCE HERE TODAY WAS JUST TO, UH, EMPHASIZE THAT I'M HERE AS A RESOURCE SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. I KNOW, UH, MANY OF YOU ARE NEW, UH, TO THE COMMISSION. I HAVE, UM, ALSO BEEN WORKING WITH, UH, THE OFFICES OF, UH, COMMISSIONER CADRE, AS WELL AS COMMISSIONER VELA TO TRY AND, UM, PUSH FORTH SOME OF THOSE, UH, CANDIDATES THAT COULD POSSIBLY FULFILL THOSE VACANCIES. SO I'LL BE CONTINUING TO TOUCH BASE WITH CHAIR BAILEY ABOUT THAT. UM, I ALSO WANTED TO CONGRATULATE, UH, MR. CHAIR BAILEY FOR BEING CHAIR, AS WELL AS , UH, OUR VICE CHAIR, UH, MS. MASTERS. CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU BOTH, AND THANK YOU FOR STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE, UM, AS WE MOVE FORWARD IN ELEVATING AUSTIN TOURISM IN 2026. SO, WITH THAT, I YIELD BACK THE REMAINDER OF MY TIME, BUT I JUST WANNA WISH YOU ALL GOOD LUCK AND, UH, GOOD FORTUNE IN THIS NEW YEAR, AND THANK YOU. WELL, WE, WE APPRECIATE YOU STOPPING BY. I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS. AND I, I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T SAY THAT OUR, OUR ROADMAP PROCESS, UH, WAS WE PICKED UP WHERE YOU LEFT OFF AND WITHOUT YOU HAVING ESTABLISHED A, A REALLY GOOD PROTOCOL THERE AND SOME DYNAMIC THINKING, UM, WE PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE HIT THE GROUND RUNNING THE WAY WE DID. SO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SERVICE AND, AND, UH, STOP BY MORE OFTEN. I WILL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I HAVE TO RUN, I'M SORRY, BUT, UM, HAVE A GREAT MEETING AND I'LL BE WATCHING ONLINE TAKE ALL RIGHT, STAY WITH IT. I HOPE IT'S ENTERTAINING. NOBODY'S ONLINE. DANIEL . OKAY. I SEE THAT OUR, OUR, OUR COMMISSIONER, SHANNON HAS ARRIVED AND IS SIGNING IN. WE'LL GIVE JUST A SECOND TO LET HIM GET UP HERE. WELCOME. GLAD YOU'RE HERE. UM, [APPROVAL OF MINUTES] LET'S, I'D LIKE TO, UH, MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER ONE, APPROVAL OF THE, UH, MINUTES FROM OUR FINAL MEETING IN 2025 TO DECEMBER 10TH MEETING. UH, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? THANK YOU. UH, COM SORRY. UH, COMMISSIONER PRUITT HAS, HAS, UH, DO I HAVE A SECOND? UH, MR. CHANIN ON THE DRAW? JUST WALKED IN. OKAY. I HAVE, ALRIGHT, ANY, UH, ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION ABOUT THE, THE MINUTES? ANYONE? WELL, I, I JUST ALSO WANNA MAKE A COMMENT AND C AND CONGRATULATE OUR LIAISON. UH, MS. BURLESON REALLY, UH, PULLED IT TOGETHER FOR, UH, THAT WAS QUITE A, QUITE A LOT OF DETAIL IN THE NOTES. WE APPRECIATE THE, THE THOROUGHNESS OF WHAT YOU DID ON THOSE NOTES THIS YEAR OR THIS PAST MONTH BECAUSE IT WAS VERY HELPFUL IN HELPING US ESTABLISH THE ROADMAP, CAPTURING EVERYBODY'S COMMENTS. SO [00:05:01] THANKS FOR THAT. ALL RIGHT. WITH NO DISCUSSION, I GUESS EVERY, ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE DECEMBER 25 MINUTES. SAY, AYE. AYE. AYE. MOTION APPROVES UNANIMOUSLY. MINUTES ARE APPROVED. [2. Staff briefing from Staff Liaison, Felicia Burleson, regarding commission board recent vacancy filled and status, deadlines, resources, and updates.] UH, I BELIEVE THE ITEM AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO, WE HAVE A STAFF BRIEFING FROM, UM, MS. BURLESON. YES, THANK YOU. UM, I WANT TO KIND OF REMIND YOU OF WHAT'S IN YOUR PACKET. UM, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TO, FOR ME, UM, I AM BEING BIASED ON THAT ONE, IS THE SCHEDULE. WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, UM, IF YOU NOTICE THAT I HIGHLIGHTED THE SCHEDULE FOR THIS YEAR IN YELLOW, THAT KIND OF HAS SOME, UM, CONFLICT ON SPACING. SO WE NEED TO MAKE THAT DECISION IF WE WANNA GO AHEAD AND RESERVE A SPACE FOR WITHIN THE, UM, CITY HALL, UM, AREA. AND SO IF WE CAN MAKE SURE WE SET TIME FOR THAT. UM, ALSO, UM, ACTUALLY, I THINK THAT'S IT. YEAH. YOU HAVE EVERYTHING IN YOUR PACKET FOR YOU FOR TODAY'S PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THAT. WE WILL BE DIGGING INTO THE, TO THE CALENDAR, UH, WHEN AND WHEN WE GET TO ITEM NUMBER FIVE. SO WE, WE DO HAVE A FEW THINGS TO DISCUSS THERE. ALRIGHT, UH, MOVING ON TO DISCUSSION. UH, ITEM NUMBER THREE, WE, UH, HAVE HAD A CHANGE. UH, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE AUSTIN TP UH, TIM SULLIVAN IS, WILL NOT BE JOINING US FOR A SESSION TODAY. AND, UH, WE WERE THINKING ABOUT, UH, THAT HE WILL JOIN US FURTHER [4. Presentation by the Texas Hotel & Lodging Association regarding the Legislative actions from the 2025 Regular Session impacting the state’s hospitality industry, as well as upcoming issues anticipated in the next Regular Session. Including an overview of the Austin Tourism Public Improvement District (ATPID) and how TPIDs operate from the state perspective, including examples of other TPID initiatives in Texas cities.), and the use of Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) funds, Presentation by Scott Joslove, President & CEO.] DOWN THE LINE. AND THE, AND THE GREAT NEWS IS THAT OUR NEXT PRESENTER, UH, MOVING ON TO DISCUSSION NUMBER FOUR, OUR NEXT PRESENTER, MR. SCOTT JOLO, THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE TEXAS HOTEL LOING ASSOCIATION, HAS BEEN WORKING DIRECTLY WITH TIM. AND I KNOW THAT IT, HIS REMARKS AND SOME OF HIS PRESENTATION TODAY WILL INCORPORATE A, A VAST BIT OF WHATEVER MR. SULLIVAN WAS GOING TO SHARE WITH US. SO I THINK THAT WE'RE GONNA STAY RIGHT ON COURSE IN THE, THE TOPIC OF THE MEETING TODAY, UH, AS IS SCHEDULED IN OUR ROADMAP IS TO, TO HELP US ALL GET A LOT MORE FAMILIAR AND REFRESHED WITH, UH, TEXAS STATUTES AROUND HOT TAX AND AROUND TPIS. AND, UM, WE FELT THAT HAVING SO MANY NEW MEMBERS, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR US ALL TO HEAR THE, THE, THE GOOD NEWS AND THE GOOD WORD ABOUT THESE, UH, STATUTES TOGETHER. AND SO AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE YEAR, WE WILL HAVE A GREAT FOUNDATION BUILT. SO WITHOUT, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, UM, I WILL SAY, UH, MR. JOLO HAS THE PRIVILEGE OF, HE HELPED FORM THIS COMMISSION. HE WAS WITH THE COMMISSION WHEN IT LAUNCHED BACK IN, I BELIEVE, IS IT 2017? DOES THAT SOUND ABOUT RIGHT? 18 20 20 18. SO, UM, I HAD THE DISTINCTION OF SERVING WITH HIM AND HE WAS A TERRIFIC CONTRIBUTOR AND, AND HELPED US LAY THE FOUNDATION, UH, THAT WE'RE STILL BUILDING OFF OF TODAY. SO WE'RE GLAD TO HAVE HIM BACK. HE'S ALWAYS GOT SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO SAY. AND IF YOU WILL, SCOTT, PLEASE, UM, TAKE IT AWAY. SURE. YOUR, HMM. ALL RIGHT. OKAY. SORRY ABOUT THAT. UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, BAILEY, CHAIRMAN BAILEY ASKED ME TO TALK ABOUT THE ALLOWABLE USES OF THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX AND SPECIFICALLY WHAT ARE THE PARAMETERS FOR FUNDING TOURISM CULTURAL INITIATIVES. LET ME GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF MY BACKGROUND IN CASE THAT'S HELPFUL. AS, UH, THE CHAIRMAN INDICATED FOR THE PAST 25, 5 YEARS, I'VE SERVED AS PRESIDENT, CEO AND SENIOR GENERAL COUNSEL OF THE TEXAS HOTEL AND LODGING ASSOCIATION. I HAVE A LAW DEGREE AND A MASTER'S IN CITY MANAGEMENT. PRIOR TO WORKING FOR THE HOTEL ASSOCIATION, I WAS, UH, THE LEAD TAX ATTORNEY FOR THE TEXAS MUNICIPAL LEAGUE. AND DURING THAT TIME BACK IN 1989, I WROTE AN ARTICLE CALLED WHAT CITIES NEED TO KNOW TO ADMINISTER THE LOCAL HOTEL TAX. IT WAS THE FIRST ARTICLE THAT COVERED WHAT THE USES OF THE HOTEL TAX ARE, AND IT WAS REVIEWED BY THE TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE AND THE MUNICIPAL LEAGUE PUT IT OUT AT THAT TIME. AND IT HAS BEEN KIND OF THE BIBLE FOR HOW LOCAL HOTEL TECH CAN BE USED EVER SINCE EVERY TWO YEARS. WE UPDATE THAT ARTICLE, WE RUN IT BY TML AND IT'S USED BY THE MUNICIPAL COMMUNITY. IT'S USED BY THE HOTEL INDUSTRY, IT'S USED AT THE LEGISLATURE, AND IT IS AN ANNOTATED ARTICLE. AND I PROVIDED ALL OF YOU A COPY OF IT IN YOUR ELECTRONIC MATERIALS, BUT IT NOT ONLY NOTE NOTES, WHAT THE STATUTES ARE, IT [00:10:01] ALSO NOTES ANY COURT CASES OR ATTORNEY GENERAL OPINIONS AND THE, AND, AND WHAT THE STATUTES ARE THAT, THAT ARE, UH, THE BASIS FOR ALL THE CONCLUSIONS IN THE ARTICLE. UM, LET ME SHARE WHAT BASICALLY ARE THE SHARED CONCLUSIONS. AND WHENEVER I GIVE, UH, AS CEO AND SENIOR GENERAL COUNSEL FOR THE HOTEL INDUSTRY, UH, IN TEXAS, I ALWAYS RUN MY LEGAL CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE USE OF HOTEL TAX FIRST BY THE MUNICIPAL LEAGUE, IF I THINK THERE'S ANY SORT OF GRAY AREA OR QUESTION. AND SO I'LL TALK TO BILL LONGLEY, THEIR GENERAL COUNSEL, AND IT'S, IT'S, WE DON'T EVER REALLY DISAGREE BECAUSE WE TALK ABOUT IT BEFORE WE EVEN ISSUE AN OPINION. UH, THE ACCEPTED STANDARD FOR USE OF HOTEL TAX IS BASICALLY A TWO-PRONGED TEST. SO THERE ARE TWO, UH, QUESTIONS YOU NEED TO ASK YOURSELF REGARDING EVERY EXPENDITURE OF THE HOTEL TAX. THE FIRST, UH, PRONG IN THE TEST IS EVERY EXPENDITURE OF THE LOCAL HOTEL TAX. AND THIS IS STRAIGHT FROM CHAPTER 3 51 OF THE TAX CODE. EVERY EXPENDITURE MUST DIRECTLY PROMOTE TOURISM AND THE CONVENTION AND HOTEL INDUSTRY. NOW, LET ME GO THROUGH THAT. EVERY EXPENDITURE THAT MEANS NOT MOST, OR THE MAJORITY, IT'S EVERY SINGLE EXPENDITURE, IT MUST. SO THEREFORE, IT'S MANDATORY. IT'S NOT JUST A GOAL, IT MUST DIRECTLY PROMOTE. IT'S UNUSUAL, AS Y'ALL KNOW, THAT ANY OF Y'ALL THAT STUDY THE UH, UH, UH, LAWS IN TEXAS, IT'S RARE THAT YOU NEED TO DIRECTLY DO SOMETHING. TYPICALLY IN STATUTES, YOU NEED TO PROMOTE PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY OR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OR OTHER PUBLIC PURPOSES. BUT HERE YOU HAVE TO DIRECTLY PROMOTE IT BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES YOU CAN LOOK AT WHAT CAN WE DO TO, TO MAKE TOURISM BETTER? WELL, EVERYTHING YOU DO IN A CITY THAT MAKES IT NICER, MAKES IT BETTER, A BETTER EXPERIENCE FOR TOURISTS. YOU PUT NEW PARK BENCHES OUT, YOU INCREASE SIGNAGE OR, OR, OR, OR, UH, UH, YOU, YOU, I MEAN, EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO TO MAKE AUSTIN NICER ARGUABLY MAKES IT A BETTER PLACE TO VISIT. BUT THE STANDARD AND THE LAWS, YOU NEED TO DIRECTLY PROMOTE TOURISM, IN OTHER WORDS, BUT FOR THAT IMPROVEMENT. BUT FOR THAT SERVICE OR THAT FACILITY, THAT GUEST OR THAT INDIVIDUAL WOULD NOT LIKELY HAVE COME TO AUSTIN AS A TOURIST OR AS A HOTEL GUEST. IT NEEDS TO DIRECTLY PROMOTE TOURISM AND THE HOTEL AND CONVENTION INDUSTRY. NOW, THE STATUTE SAID YOU JUST SIMPLY NEED TO PROMOTE TOURISM. THAT WOULD JUST BE BRINGING PEOPLE FROM ANOTHER CITY OR ANOTHER COUNTY INTO YOUR AREA. BUT BECAUSE IT SAYS YOU NEED TO DIRECTLY PROMOTE TOURISM AND THE HOTEL AND CONVENTION INDUSTRY, IT'S CUMULATIVE. YOU NEED TO BOTH BRING PEOPLE FROM ANOTHER CITY OR ANOTHER COUNTY, AND IT NEEDS TO HAVE SOME SORT OF IMPACT ON THE HOTEL AND CONVENTION INDUSTRY. NOW, I MET WITH BOISE BANIS YEARS AGO, WHO WAS THE GENERAL COUNSEL FOR TEXANS FOR THE ARTS, AND WE HASHED OUT A MEMORANDUM THAT WE ALSO INCLUDE IN YOUR ELECTRONIC MATERIALS ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS TO DIRECTLY PROMOTE TOURISM AND THE HOTEL AND CONVENTION INDUSTRY WITH REGARD TO ARTS AND CULTURAL EXPENDITURES. AND THE CONCLUSION WE JOINTLY CAME UP WITH IN TML IS BLESSED AS WELL, THE TEXAS MUNICIPAL LEAGUE, IS THAT EVERY EXPENDITURE FOR THE ARTS NEEDS TO INVOLVE SOME SORT OF ARTS EXPENDED, ARTS RELATED PURPOSE. BUT THAT DOESN'T END THE INQUIRY. IT ALSO HAS TO HAVE, UH, SOME SORT OF EFFECT ON THE HOTEL AND CONVENTION INDUSTRY, SOME ECONOMIC IMPACT THAT COULD BE A HOTEL GUEST, THAT COULD BE, AS THEY SAY, A HEAD IN THE BED, BUT IT ALSO COULD BE MAYBE A MEETING ROOM RENTAL AT A HOTEL. IT COULD BE A FOOD AND BEVERAGE CONTRACT WITH A HOTEL. IT COULD BE HOLDING A GALA OR AN EVENT AT A HOTEL. AND IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT IT'LL BE GUESTS THAT CAME JUST FOR THAT EVENT. AND MAYBE GUESTS WHO ARE AT A HOTEL AND AUSTIN CITY LIMITS WASN'T THE REASON THEY CAME, OR A FESTIVAL WASN'T THE REASON THEY CAME, UM, OR A MUSEUM WASN'T THE REASON THEY CAME, BUT IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THEY DID WHILE THEY WERE THERE. SO IF YOU HAVE FACILITIES THAT ARE FREQUENTED BY HOTEL GUESTS, PEOPLE FROM ANOTHER CITY OR ANOTHER COUNTY, AND IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT EXTENDS THEIR, UH, THEIR, THEIR STAY IN THE HOTEL, ARGUABLY IT WOULD QUALIFY AS HAVING AN IMPACT. THE ONLY THINGS THAT WE TYPICALLY LOOK AT AS BEING PROBLEMATIC ARE WHEN YOU HAVE A PURELY LOCAL EVENT THAT IS ONLY ATTENDED BY RESIDENTS, AND THERE IS NO ELEMENT OF PEOPLE FROM ANOTHER CITY OR ANOTHER COUNTY THAT ARE ALSO STAYING EITHER ALREADY AT A HOTEL OR COMING TO HOTEL OR RESULTING IN ANY SORT OF FINANCIAL BUSINESS IMPACT AT A HOTEL. NOW, YOU MAY WONDER WHY DOES THIS STATUTE SINGULARLY REQUIRE AN IMPACT ON THE HOTEL AND CONVENTION INDUSTRY? THAT'S VERY, VERY UNUSUAL TO HAVE. I CAN'T EVEN THINK OF MANY OTHER STATUTES THAT REQUIRE AN IMPACT FOR THE USE OF PUBLIC FUNDS ON A SPECIFIC [00:15:01] INDUSTRY. AND I LOOKED INTO THAT WHEN I WAS WRITING THAT ARTICLE BACK IN 1989. AND WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT ORIGINALLY, AND THIS MAY SURPRISE YOU, BUT ORIGINALLY UNDER STATE, UH, WHEN THE HOTEL TAX WAS OR THE, THE TOURISM TAX WAS, WAS PROPOSED ORIGINALLY RESTAURANTS WERE PROPOSED TO BE UNDER IT, SO THEY WOULD HAVE A CERTAIN TAX ON THEIR GUESTS TO BRING TOURISTS IN. ATTRACTIONS WERE UNDER IT, AND HOTELS WERE UNDER IT. AND WHEN THE LEGISLATION FINALLY PASSED, RESTAURANTS GOT OUT, ATTRACTIONS GOT OUT, AND THE ONLY ONES THAT REMAINED WERE HOTELS. AND IN EXCHANGE FOR REMAINING AS A DEDICATED TAX, IT'S ALMOST TWICE THEIR TRADITIONAL SALES TAX. UM, HOTELS HAD PUT IN THE PROVISION AND THE LEGISLATURE AGREED THAT AT LEAST IF WE'RE GONNA BE IN THIS, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERY EXPENDITURE DIRECTLY PROMOTES THAT WE HAVE SOME SORT OF IMPACT. TYPICALLY, WHEN YOU HAVE A TOURISM EVENT IN AUSTIN, RESTAURANTS ARE GONNA BE A PRIMARY BENEFICIARY, ATTRACTIONS, RETAIL, ALL THAT. WE JUST, SO WHENEVER WE HA WE KNOW IF WE DO SOMETHING THAT PROMOTES HOTEL ACTIVITY, RESTAURANTS WILL BENEFIT, RETAIL ATTRACTIONS WILL ALL BENEFIT. WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE MONEY FROM THE HOTEL TAX THAT MY PREDECESSORS IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY NEGOTIATE THAT AT LEAST YOU HAVE TO SHOW SOME DIRECT IMPACT ON THE HOTEL AND CONVENTION INDUSTRY IF YOU'RE GONNA USE THIS DEDICATED TAX. SO THAT'S A LITTLE BIT ON THE BACKSTORY ON THAT. SO EVERY EXPENDITURE UNDER THAT FIRST PRONG NEEDS TO DIRECTLY PROMOTE TOURISM, BRING PEOPLE FROM ANOTHER CITY OR ANOTHER COUNTY, AND HAVE SOME SORT OF FINANCIAL IMPACT ON THE HOTEL AND CONVENTION INDUSTRY. THAT'S THE FIRST PRONG OF THE TEST. ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT BEFORE I GO TO THE SECOND PRONG? OKAY. THE SECOND PRONG OF THE TEST IS EVERY EXPENDITURE NEEDS TO FIT INTO ONE OF, AND THERE ARE NINE CATEGORIES, PRIMARILY UNDER STATE LAW, ONLY SEVEN OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN. SO I'M JUST GONNA GO OVER THE SEVEN CATEGORIES THAT ARE APPLICABLE TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN. THE FIRST CATEGORY IS CONVENTION CENTERS, AND THAT INCLUDES CIVIC CENTERS, AUDITORIUMS, EXHIBITION HALLS, COLISEUMS. THOSE ARE THE DIFFERENT PERMUTATIONS OF A CONVENTION CENTER. AND THERE'S A COUPLE OF REQUIREMENTS FOR A CONVENTION CENTER TO BE APPLICABLE. UM, YOU CAN'T JUST, AND I GET THIS QUESTION A LOT AT THE HOTEL ASSOCIATION, WE'RE GONNA NAME THIS BALLROOM IN THE CITY AS A CONVENTION CENTER, OR WE'RE GONNA NAME OUR CITY HALL TO BE OUR CONVENTION CENTER, OUR CIVIC CENTER. CAN WE USE THE HOTEL TAX FOR THAT PURPOSE? THE FIRST TEST UNDER STATE LAWS, THERE HAS TO BE A PRIMARY USAGE, UH, SHOWING THAT MEANS THAT THAT FACILITY TO BE A CIVIC CENTER, HAS TO BE PRIMARILY USED TO HOLD CONVENTIONS OR MEETINGS OF TOURISTS, PEOPLE FROM ANOTHER CITY OR ANOTHER COUNTY. HOW DO YOU SHOW THAT YOU MEET THE PRIMARY USAGE TEST? YOU COULD PULL UP THE CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR THAT FACILITY, AND THAT'S WHAT WE OFTEN TELL 'EM TO DO. PULL UP LAST YEAR'S CALENDAR OF EVENTS. IF YOU HAD A HUNDRED EVENTS, AT LEAST 51 OF THEM HAD TO BE CONVENTIONS OR MEETINGS OF OUT OF TOWN GUESTS. AND IT HAS TO BE PRIMARILY USED. ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT IT IS IF YOU HAD A HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE THAT USED THAT FACILITY, DID 50,000 IN ONE OF THEM, UH, WERE THEY ATTENDING A, UH, CONVENTION OR A MEETING OF OUT OF TOWN GUESTS? SO PRIMARY USAGE TEST IS THE FIRST ASPECT OF QUALIFYING AS A CONVENTION CENTER. THE SECOND ASPECT OF QUALIFYING UNDER A CONVENTION CENTER IS THAT THE FACILITY HAS TO BE CITY OWNED IN WHOLE OR PART, OR IT HAS TO BE MANAGED IN WHOLE OR PART BY THE MUNICIPALITY. SO YOU COULDN'T HAVE A FACILITY THAT WAS THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OWNED FACILITY UNLESS THERE WAS A A, A CITY CONTRACT FOR MANAGING IT IN WHOLE OR PART, AND IT COULDN'T BE A PRIVATELY OWNED FACILITY. AGAIN, IT HAS TO HAVE THAT CITY CONNECTION. NOW, ONCE YOU'VE QUALIFIED AS A CONVENTION CENTER, YOU CAN USE THE HOTEL TAX UNDER THIS CATEGORY FOR THE PURCHASE OF THE SITE FOR CONSTRUCTION EXPANSION, MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS. AND YOU GUYS HAD ASKED ABOUT PARKING AS CAN WE USE LOCAL HOTEL TAX FOR PARKING TO HELP, UH, HOSPITALITY EMPLOYERS AND VISITORS AND, AND OTHER PEOPLE COMING TO THE COMMUNITY. UNDER THE CONVENTION CENTER CATEGORY, THERE'S A ELIGIBILITY FOR PARKING THAT'S WITHIN A 1500 FEET OF THE CONVENTION CENTER. SO WITHIN 1500 FEET, YOU COULD USE THE CONVENTION CENTER, UH, UH, CATEGORY FOR, FOR PAYING FOR PARKING. UM, YOU CAN ALSO UNDER THE CONVENTION CENTER CATEGORY, UM, UH, DO QUALIFIED HOTEL PROJECTS. THOSE ARE CONVENTION CENTER HOTELS WITHIN A THOUSAND FEET OF THE CONVENTION CENTER. SO IF YOU WANT TO USE SOME OF THE HOTEL TAX IN ORDER TO BUILD A, OR MAINTAIN OR OPERATE A CONVENTION CENTER HOTEL, UH, WHICH WE ALREADY HAVE ONE CURRENTLY, IF THEY WANNA DO AN ADDITIONAL [00:20:01] ONE THAT'S AUTHORIZED UNDER STATE LAW, UNDER THE CONVENTION CENTER HOTEL CATEGORY, THEY ALSO TALK ABOUT VISITOR INFORMATION CENTERS. AND OF COURSE THAT'S FOR A CENTER FOR DISTRIBUTING VISITOR INFORMATION, PERIODICALS, ANSWERING QUESTIONS, THINGS LIKE THAT. WE AMENDED THAT STATE LAW A FEW SESSIONS AGO TO SPECIFY THAT YOU CAN ONLY USE HOTEL TAX FOR THE PORTION OF THAT FACILITY THAT IS USED FOR DISTRIBUTING THOSE MATERIALS. THERE WERE SOME COMMUNITIES THAT WERE SAYING, WELL, WE'LL JUST RENAME OUR, OUR, UH, PARK FACILITIES AS VISITOR CENTERS AND WE'LL PAY ALL THE COSTS OF THE PARK FACILITY, UM, AS A VISITOR CENTER UNDER THE HOTEL TAX LAWS. AND WE CHANGED THE LAW AT THE LEGISLATURE TO CLARIFY THAT YOU CAN PAY FOR THE PORTION OF A PARK FACILITY THAT'S ACTIVELY USED. LET'S SAY YOU HAD A BROCHURE RACK AND A VISITOR REPRESENTATIVE WHO ANSWERED QUESTIONS TO THE EXTENT THAT, UH, UH, VISITOR CENTER OR THAT VISITOR, UH, THAT, THAT THAT FACILITY IS PARTIALLY USED AS A VISITOR CENTER. YOU PAY THE PROPORTIONATE COSTS. SO IF 20% OF THE TIME OF THAT PERSON WAS SPENT ON VISITOR CENTER, UH, PURPOSES, THEN THAT WOULD BE THE MAXIMUM THAT YOU COULD USE IN TERMS OF THAT PERSON'S, UH, UH, UH, PAYROLL OR OVERHEAD COST. BUT FOR A FACILITY TO QUALIFY AS A VISITOR CENTER, IT HAS TO BE PRIMARILY OVER 50%. 50% OF THE PURPOSE HAS TO BE FOR DISTRIBUTING VISITOR INFORMATION MATERIALS. SO NOT EVERY FACILITY QUALIFIES AS A VISITOR CENTER. UM, THERE ARE MULTIPLE SOURCES UNDER THE HOTEL TAX FOUR CONVENTION CENTER, AND I KNOW THE CONVENTION CENTER IS CURRENTLY BEING A, A HOT TOPIC THAT'S BEING DEBATED, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THE GENERAL 7% HOTEL TAX, YOU CAN USE AS MUCH AS YOU AS YOU WOULD LIKE OUT OF THAT HOTEL TAX TOWARDS A CONVENTION CENTER. AS LONG AS YOU DO THE MINIMUM REQUIRED AMOUNT THAT YOU NEED TO DO FOR MARKETING. MARKETING IS THE ONLY MANDATORY CATEGORY UNDER THE HOTEL TAX. YOU HAVE TO SPEND ONE SEVENTH OF THE HOTEL TAX OR JUST UNDER 15% AT A MINIMUM ON MARKETING. MOST COMMUNITIES SPEND AT LEAST, OH, ANYWHERE FROM 20 TO, UH, 70% ON MARKETING WITH AN AVERAGE OR PROBABLY 30 TO 40% ON MARKETING. AUSTIN I THINK SPENDS 17 TO 19% OF THE HOTEL TAX ON MARKETING. SO IT VARIES, UH, AMONGST VARIOUS COMMUNITIES, BUT YOU HAVE A MINIMUM OF AT LEAST 14 TO 15% UNDER STATE LAW. OTHER THAN THAT, THE CONVENTION CENTER COULD TAKE UP ALL THAT CATEGORY, ANY NUMBER IN BETWEEN. UNDER STATE LAW, YOU ALSO HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO PASS TO PROPOSE TO THE VOTERS A VENUE TAX THAT'S AN ADDITIONAL 2% TO PAY FOR A CONVENTION CENTER FACILITY. AUSTIN ALREADY DID THAT TO PAY FOR THE PRIOR CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION. AND THAT VENUE TAX, THAT 2% HOTEL TAX IS ALREADY IN PLAY IN PART OF OUR 17% RATE. THAT'S, UH, PURPORTEDLY GONNA BE PAID OFF IN A NUMBER OF YEARS, AND THAT MONEY IS THEN FREED UP FOR A DIFFERENT VENUE TAX PURPOSE THAT THE VOTERS APPROVE IT. AUSTIN ALSO AS AN ELIGIBLE CENTRAL MUNICIPALITY, HAS AUTHORITY FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO LEVY AN ADDITIONAL 2% JUST BY ORDINANCE. SO WHEN WE HAVE THE 7% RATE IN AUSTIN, AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL ALREADY TOOK THE ACTION OF, OF LEVYING AN ADDITIONAL 2% UNDER THE ELIGIBLE CENTRAL MUNICIPALITY AUTHORITY TO BE USED EXCLUSIVELY FOR A CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION. SO WE HAVE THE SEVEN PER PORTION OF THE 7% PLUS WE HAVE THE ADDITIONAL 2% THAT BY MAJORITY VOTE OF THE CITY COUNCIL THEY DEDICATE TO USE FOR THE EXPANSION OF THE EXISTING FACILITY, AND THAT'S ONLY AVAILABLE TO EL ELIGIBLE CENTRAL MUNICIPALITIES UNDER THAT STATUTE. UM, YOUR MINUTES INDICATED ANY, ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT CONVENTION CENTER FACILITIES OR THE FUNDING SOURCES OR THE QUALIFYING TESTS? I I HAVE ONE QUESTION. I I, YOU WERE, YOU OPENED THIS PORTION UP BY SAYING THERE WERE NINE SEVEN THAT APPLIED TO AUSTIN. I ASSUME YOU'RE STILL IN THE SEVEN RIGHT NOW? YEAH, THE CONVENTION CENTER IS THE FIRST CATEGORY OF SIX OTHERS THAT I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I, SINCE YOU, YOU DECIDED TO SKIP THE TWO O ONE OF OUR GOALS THIS YEAR IS TO DO A LITTLE BIT OF A STUDYING OF OTHER MARKETS OR OTHER CITIES IN SOME OTHER PRACTICES. WE'RE NOT, WE DON'T WANNA DO A DEEP DIVE, BUT IF YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAYBE LIST WHAT THOSE OTHER TWO ARE AND WHAT I, I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, I'D BE HAPPY TO. OKAY. JUST, JUST SO WE HAVE THE CLARITY ON THAT. SURE. BUT THANKS. UH, THE TWO CATEGORIES THAT ARE NOT AVAILABLE TO AUSTIN, BUT CERTAINLY COULD BE ON YOUR WISHLIST IN TERMS OF LEGISLATION ARE SPORTING RELATED, UH, EVENTS. AND THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN'T SPEND IT ON THERE. THEY'RE JUST NOT IN AUSTIN. YOU COULD PROBABLY DO THE ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION, UM, AND, AND CERTAIN SPONSORSHIPS [00:25:01] AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND AUSTIN DOES THAT. THEY HAVE A, A, A SPECIFIC STAFF MEMBER IN THE CVB THAT DOES THAT. UM, BUT THIS IS A CATEGORY THAT ALLOWS YOU TO SPECIFICALLY COVER ALL THE EVENT OF, UH, COSTS FOR A SPORTING RELATED EVENT THAT HAS A, UH, HAD CREATE SUBSTANTIAL ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AT HOTELS. AND A MAJORITY OF THE PARTICIPANTS ARE FROM OUT OF TOWN. THAT'S SPORTING RELATED EVENTS THAT'S ONLY AVAILABLE TO CITIES WITHIN A COUNTY OF UNDER A MILLION POPULATION. WE WOULD HAPPILY WORK WITH Y'ALL IF YOU WANTED TO EX EXTEND THAT TO APPLY TO AUSTIN OR OTHER MUNICIPALITIES. THAT'S SPORTING RELATED EVENTS. THE THE FINAL CATEGORY THAT YOU DON'T HAVE, UH, ELIGIBILITY FOR CURRENTLY IS SPORTING RELATED FACILITIES. THAT'S IF YOU WANT TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS. UM, AND THAT APPLIES ONLY TO CERTAIN BRACKETED CITIES THAT HAVE GOTTEN THAT AUTHORITY. THERE'S A NUMBER OF THEM, ROUND ROCK MCKINNEY AND OTHER COMMUNITIES, JASPER AND, AND, AND COMMUNITIES ALL THROUGHOUT TEXAS THAT HAS SPECIFICALLY ASKED FOR THAT. AND THAT HAS AN ROI REQUIREMENT THAT YOU CAN IMPROVE A SPORTING RELATED FACILITY, BUT YOU HAVE TO SHOW HOWEVER MUCH YOU SPEND ON THAT FACILITY. YOU HAVE FIVE YEARS TO SHOW YOU GENERATED HOTEL NIGHTS THAT AT LEAST EQUAL THAT AMOUNT, OR YOU HAVE TO REIMBURSE THE HOTEL TAX FUND FOR THE DIFFERENCE. SO IF YOU DID HALF A MILLION DOLLARS IN IMPROVEMENTS THROUGH A SPORT, THROUGH A SOCCER FIELD, YOU'D HAVE FIVE YEARS AFTER YOU MADE THOSE IMPROVEMENTS TO SHOW YOU DID AT LEAST HALF A MILLION FROM EITHER EXISTING HOTEL BUSINESS THAT WAS DUE TO EVENTS THERE, OR NEW HOTEL BUSINESSES THAT WAS DUE TO EVENTS THERE DISTRICT. SO 5 MILLION, WOULD THAT BE, IS THAT 5 MILLION OF HOT TAX OR 5 MILLION OF JUST REVENUE? THIS, THIS IS IF YOU USE LOCAL HOTEL TAX FOR A SPORTING RELATED FACILITY, THEN YOU HAVE TO SHOW OVER A FIVE YEAR PERIOD THAT YOU GENERATED AT LEAST THAT AMOUNT THAT YOU HAD SPENT ON THAT FACILITY THAT YOU GENERATED AT LEAST FIVE, UH, WHATEVER THAT AMOUNT WAS IN HOTEL NIGHT REVENUE. IT'S NOT EVEN HOTEL TAX STANDARD. OKAY, THAT'S WHAT I CLARIFYING. IT'S STANDARD, IT'S HOTEL REVENUE VERSUS TAX. THAT'S WHAT I WAS, THANK YOU. RIGHT. YES. IT'S HOTEL NIGHT REVENUE. ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT EITHER OF THOSE TWO ITEMS? NO. TH I, I, I DON'T KNOW. I, I JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR ADDING THAT AND UH, I KNOW I THREW YOU OFF YOUR, YOUR SCRIPT, BUT THANKS. NO, I'M, I'M VERY USED TO THAT. ALRIGHT, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY. SO THAT'S CATEGORY NUMBER ONE IS CONVENTION CENTERS, VISITOR INFORMATION CENTERS, CENTERS. UM, YOU ALSO WANTED TO TALK ABOUT STRATEGIC HOT ALLOCATIONS. I LOOKED AT YOUR MINUTES OF THE MEETING. YOU WANTED TO TALK ABOUT HOW DO WE IMPROVE THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE AND OR OTHER PRIORITIES THAT YOU MAY HAVE IN YOUR OVERALL PLAN FOR THE FUTURE. SO LET ME GO OVER EACH OF THESE OTHER CATEGORIES AND YOU CAN THINK ABOUT IT. UM, THE SECOND CATEGORY UNDER THE STATE LAW AFTER CONVENTION CENTER SLASH VISITOR CENTER IS REGISTRATION AND CONVENTION DELEGATES. THAT'S A BIG CITY EXPENSE WHERE YOU'RE PAYING FOR FOLKS THAT ARE GIVING OUT THE MATERIALS AND HELPING DELEGATES AT A CONVENTION. IT'S, IT'S PRIMARILY ONLY USED IN THE BIG CITIES, INCLUDING AUSTIN, THE THIRD CATEGORY. ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT REGISTRATION AT CONVENTION DELEGATES? OKAY. UH, THE THIRD CATEGORY IS THE BIG CATEGORY THAT PROBABLY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT, I WOULD ARGUE IN IMPACTING YOUR PROGRAM. THAT'S MARKETING AND ADVERTISING EXPENSES. CATEGORY NUMBER THREE, LIKE I SAID EARLIER, THAT'S THE CATEGORY UNDER WHICH, UH, YOU HAVE A MINIMUM. YOU HAVE TO SPEND ONE SEVENTH OF THE HOTEL TAX. THAT COULD BE FAMILIARIZATION TOURS FOR AUSTIN. IT CAN BE SOCIAL MEDIA, IT CAN BE YOUR WEBSITE, IT CAN BE MARKETING AND ALL TV, RADIO, PRINT. UM, IT, IT CAN BE, UH, WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT, ANYTHING THAT MARKETS AUSTIN AS A DESTINATION, ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION. UM, ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION? I'M JUST CURIOUS WITH, WITH ADVERTISING ITSELF. UM, DO YOU SPECIFICALLY MENTION THE HOTEL OR CONVENTION OR JUST THE EVENT OR DOES IT NEED TO INCLUDE ALL OF THAT IN THE ADVERTISING? JUST, JUST CURIOUS. I THINK IT COULD BE ANY OR ALL THE ABOVE. SOME MARKETING MAY SPECIFICALLY INVOLVE THE ARTS, BUT GENERALLY WHAT WE SUGGEST IS THAT IF YOU HAVE AN ARTS OR HISTORICAL GEARED MARKETING, THAT YOU ALSO HAVE A LOGO TO THE CVB THAT CAN LEAD TO THE OTHER OFFERINGS IN THE COMMUNITY TO THE LIST OF HOTELS WHERE THEY CAN STAY FOR OTHER THINGS TO DO. SO IT'S ALWAYS GOOD PRACTICE. STATE LAW DOESN'T REQUIRE THAT THE ADVERTISING OR PROMOTION HAS TO LIST THE HOTELS OR EVEN MENTION THE HOTELS, BUT IT HAS TO HAVE THE DIRECT IMPACT, LIKE EVERY EXPENDITURE MUST DIRECT, UH, DIRECTLY PROMOTE TOURISM AND THE HOTEL AND CONVENTION INDUSTRY. SO IT SHOULD HAVE THAT IMPACT. SO YES. SORRY. AND THEN ONE MORE QUESTION, AND THIS IS SOMETHING WE WOULD PROBABLY DISCUSS, BUT WE TALKED ABOUT SOME, UM, CONVENTIONS [00:30:01] THAT USED TO COME HERE AND THEY, I THINK THE DELL ONE WAS ONE OF THEM AND THEY'RE NOT HERE ANYMORE. BUT IF WE WANTED TO SUPPORT THEM COMING BACK, UM, THE COM LIKE A COMMERCIAL MIGHT PROMOTE THAT EVENT, BUT IT MIGHT NOT SAY HOTEL HOTELS IN GENERAL, BUT IT WOULD BE BRINGING PEOPLE BACK THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD KIND OF QUALIFY MAYBE. ABSOLUTELY. IN FACT, THAT'S A MAJOR USE. IT'S, IT'S, IT'S GENERALLY SALES INCENTIVES. I THINK YOU, YOU MENTIONED DELL, I THINK DELL, DELL BASICALLY OUTGREW THE CAPACITY OF THE CONVENTION CENTER IN ITS CURRENT FORMAT WITH THE EXPANSION. THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO COME BACK AND I KNOW THEY'RE INTERESTED IN COMING BACK, RIGHT? IT, IT WAS ALSO THE HOTELS, WE, WE WERE, AT THE TIME THEY LEFT, WE'VE HAD AT LEAST PROBABLY A DOZEN HOTELS HAVE SURFACED. I THINK SINCE THAT IT WAS CAPACITY FOR, FOR HOUSING AS WELL. MM-HMM . YEAH. SO, SO IT WAS, IT WAS A SIZE ISSUE AND, AND, UM, AND A CAPACITY ISSUE. AND TYPICALLY FOR ATTRACTING EVENTS, WE'RE COMPETING WITH A LOT OF OTHER MAJOR MARKETS, WHETHER IT'S LAS VEGAS OR CHICAGO OR SAN DIEGO OR PHOENIX OR THERE, OR, YOU KNOW, DESTINATIONS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, NASHVILLE. AND SO WE NEED TO, ALL THOSE OTHER DESTINATIONS ARE GONNA OFFER THINGS LIKE COMP, UH, CONVENTION CENTER SPACE. WE'RE GONNA SPONSOR THE COST OF YOUR EVENT AND YOUR OPENING RECEPTION OR YOUR CLOSING EVENT OR THINGS LIKE THAT. SO WE NEED TO BE READY TO OFFER UP, UH, INDIVIDUAL INCENTIVES TO BE COMPETITIVE AND OFFER A PACKAGE SO THAT MEETING WILL MAKE SENSE FOR THEM TO COME TO AUSTIN. USUALLY THE ISSUE IS NOT WHETHER OR NOT PEOPLE WANT TO COME TO AUSTIN. PEOPLE LOVE TO COME TO AUSTIN, BUT IT'S ALSO BUSINESS DECISION. IF THEY'RE BEING OFFERED HALF A MILLION DOLLARS IN SPONSORSHIPS BY CHICAGO AND THEY'RE ONLY BEING OFFERED A HUNDRED THOUSAND IN SPONSORSHIPS BY AUSTIN, NO MATTER HOW MUCH THEY WANT TO COME TO AUSTIN, THEY'RE LIKELY TO CHOOSE CHICAGO. SO. ALRIGHT. UM, SO MARKETING AND PROMOTION. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT MARKETING AND PROMOTION? OKAY, CATEGORY NUMBER FOUR, WHICH IS PARTICULARLY RELEVANT TO ALL OF YOU IS PROMOTION OF THE ARTS. AND IF YOU LOOK AT THAT CATEGORY UNDER STATE LAW, IT INCLUDES VIRTUALLY EVERY ART FORM IMAGINAL FROM FILM INDUSTRY TO SCULPTURE TO POETRY TO, UH, DRAMATIC ARTS, TO, UH, PERFORMING ARTS. EVERY ART FORM YOU CAN IMAGINE, AND IT EVEN HAS A CATCHALL OF OTHER, UH, ARTS TYPES OF PROGRAMS WILL, WILL LIKELY QUALIFY. I THINK THE ONLY THING I'VE EVER SAID PROBABLY DOESN'T, UH, QUALIFY AS CULINARY ARTS. UM, THAT'S NOT TYPICALLY THOUGH IT HAS THE WORD ARTS AND IT IS NOT TYPICALLY CONSIDERED AN ART FORM. UM, UM, BUT, BUT, UH, TYPICALLY ANY OF YOUR PERFORMING ARTS CATEGORIES WOULD QUALIFY, BUT THERE WAS, UH, THERE ARE ATTORNEY GENERAL OPINIONS THAT INDICATE THAT IT'S NOT ENOUGH, THAT IT'S SIMPLY BE AN ART FORM. IN OTHER WORDS, YOU MAY HAVE A BEAUTIFUL ART FORM, BUT IF IT DOESN'T MEET THE SECOND PART OF THE TEST, WHICH, WHICH IS HAVING A DIRECT IMPACT ON TOURISM AND THE HOTEL AND CONVENTION INDUSTRY, IT DOESN'T QUALIFY. AND TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE, I HAD A QUESTION ONCE WHERE THEY WERE DOING A PRETTY WONDERFUL PROGRAM OF, OF, UH, DOING OPERA TRAINING FOR KIDS IN GRADE SCHOOLS AND IT EXPOSED KIDS THROUGH OPERA AT A YOUNG AGE, SO THEY WOULD NOT BE AFRAID OF IT OR BE UNAWARE OF IT. AND IT WAS A WONDERFUL PROGRAM, BUT THEY WANTED TO FUND IT OUT OF HOTEL TAX. AND WHEN THEY ASKED US, WE LOOKED AT IT AND WE SAID, THE PROGRAM IS GREAT, IT'S CLEARLY AN ART FORM, BUT ANYBODY FROM OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL CANNOT ATTEND IT. YOU CAN'T JUST ANYMORE GO TO A A GRADE SCHOOL AND AND SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GO TO A GRADE SCHOOL UNLESS YOU HAVE A KID THERE. AND UNLESS YOU'RE ONE OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE RESIDENTS THERE WITHIN THAT SCHOOL COMMUNITY. AND SO THERE WAS NO WAY FOR THAT TO DIRECTLY PROMOTE TOURISM OR THE HOTEL CONVENTION INDUSTRY. SO THEY CEASED FUNDING IT WITH HOTEL TAX AFTER WE TALKED TO THEM. SO IT'S NOT ENOUGH THAT IT'D BE AN ART FORM, IT HAS TO ALSO BE SOMETHING THAT CAN BE FREQUENTED BY TOURISTS OR HOTEL GUESTS. ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ARTS? UH, I SEE THAT, UH, COMMISSIONER CHAPPEL HAS A QUESTION. YES. JUST A QUICK QUESTION. SO AUSTIN, TEXAS RENOWNED MURAL SCENE, RIGHT? A MILLION PEOPLE A YEAR COME TO STAND IN FRONT OF A MURAL, HAVE THEIR PICTURE TAKEN. UM, HOW WOULD YOU THEN LEVERAGE THAT TO HAVE ACCESS TO THOSE FUNDS TO DO SOME OF THE THINGS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT? WELL, MURALS ARE CONSIDERED AN ART FORM AND THEY'RE TYPICALLY, LIKE YOU SAID, FREQUENTED BY GUESTS OF HOTELS THAT ARE ALREADY THERE WHO ARE COMING INTO THE CITY. WE HAVE ALWAYS OPINED THAT, UH, PUBLIC ART IS ELIGIBLE UNDER THE LOCAL HOTEL TAX LAW TO THE EXTENT THAT IT CAN BE ACCESSED. SO IF YOU HAD PUBLIC ART IN A FACILITY THAT TOURISTS COULDN'T ENTER, I DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE ELIGIBLE. BUT IF IT'S OUTSIDE OF A FACILITY AND TOURISTS AND HOTEL GUESTS CAN SEE THE PUBLIC ART AS IN MURALS THAT ARE OUTSIDE, IT ABSOLUTELY WOULD BE ELIGIBLE IN OUR OPINION. SO LEMME JUST TRANSLATE. SO I THINK WE CAN UNDERSTAND, SO THOSE FUNDS ARE ELIGIBLE, LIKE WE COULD HAVE AN ART PROJECT WHERE WE'RE CREATING MORE MURALS PAID FROM, FROM THESE HOT TAXES BECAUSE IT [00:35:01] HITS THOSE TWO POINTS AS LONG AS IT'S AT FACILITIES OR LOCATIONS THAT COULD BE FREQUENTED BY TOURISTS AND, AND PURPOSE. IS THERE, IS THERE ANY WAY TO USE THEIR EXISTENCE ALREADY TO CREATE A, A PROGRAM TO MAINTAIN THEM THAT WOULD ALSO HAVE BENEFITS TO THE COMMUNITY? ABSOLUTELY. IF YOU CAN BUILD THEM, YOU CAN MAINTAIN THEM. RIGHT ON. THANK YOU, SIR. YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU FOR ASKING. ARTS IS ONE OF THE TWO CATEGORIES THAT HAS A CAP ON THE AMOUNT OF EXPENDITURES. YOU CANNOT SPEND OVER 15% OF THE TOTAL HOTEL TAX THAT YOU BRING IN ON PROMOTION OF THE ARTS. AND SO THEN IF YOU, IF YOU BROUGHT IN A HUNDRED THOUSAND IN HOTEL TAX, YOU COULD ONLY SPEND 15,000 ON PROMOTION OF THE ARTS. SAME THING FOR HISTORICAL RESTORATION AND PRESERVATION. THERE'S A 15% CAP OF YEARLY TOTALS OF THE YEARLY TOTAL IN HOTEL TAX. ALL RIGHT, WELL, AUSTIN DOES PRETTY GOOD. SO THAT'S SIZABLE AMOUNT. IT'S A VERY SIZABLE AMOUNT AND IT'S IN THE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. AND THAT 15% IS 15% OF THE TAX THAT'S ADOPTED UNDER CHAPTER 3 51. SO THAT WOULD INCLUDE UP TO 15% OF THAT 7% RATE. AND NOW THAT AUSTIN HAS A, UH, A 2% ADDITIONAL RATE FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION, IT ALSO ALLOWS AUSTIN TO CAPTURE UP TO 15% OF THAT 2% UPTICK FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION. SO THAT CAN ALL BE USED, UH, I'M GLAD THAT MAKES YOU SMILE. UM, UH, FOR, FOR PROMOTION OF THE ARTS, AND I THINK AUSTIN ALREADY HAS A PLAN ON THAT ADDITIONAL UPTICK FOR COMMERCIAL MUSIC AND THINGS LIKE THAT, UH, UH, THAT THEY'VE KIND OF ARTICULATED. UM, AUSTIN, AS YOU, AS YOU PROBABLY ARE ALL AWARE, IS ALREADY SPENDING HOTEL TAX AT THAT 15% CAP. SO ONCE YOU REACH THAT CAP, YOU CANNOT EXPEND, UH, MORE DEDICATED MONEY TOWARD THAT CATEGORY. NOW THAT DOESN'T MEAN, AND I ALWAYS GET THE QUESTION, WHAT IS, WHAT ABOUT THE CVB? DOES THAT MEAN THEY CAN'T PROMOTE THE ARTS AT ALL? AND, AND THE CVB WILL OFTEN HAVE ARTS PROGRAM OR HAVE ARTS IN THEIR ADVERTISEMENT WHEN THEY'RE, THEY'RE TRYING TO ATTRACT FOLKS TO AUSTIN TO COME, OR THEY'LL BRING PERFORMERS OUT TO MAKE A SOLICITATION, YOU KNOW, FOR AN EVENT OR, OR A CONVENTION. AND I THINK THAT CERTAINLY IS PERMISSIBLE UNDER THE ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION CATEGORY. UM, WHERE YOU COME INTO A PROBLEM IS IF YOU HAVE A PROGRAM THAT'S DEDICATED SOLELY FOR THE ARTS AND IT JUST SPECIFICALLY, UH, ONLY TO PROMOTE THE ARTS, IT FALLS UNDER THE ARTS CATEGORY AND THE 15% CAP. IF YOU HAVE A PROGRAM THAT IS JUST INCIDENTALLY BENEFITING THE ARTS, YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO PUT IT UNDER ANOTHER CATEGORY SUCH AS ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION. SO I THINK THERE ARE WAYS TO KIND OF WORK WITH IT AND NOT VIOLATE THE STATE LAW. ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT PROMOTION OF THE ARTS? OKAY. CATEGORY NUMBER FOUR IS HISTORICAL RESTORATION AND PRESERVATION CATEGORY, UH, ACTIVITIES OR PROJECTS. NOW, WHEN THEY SAY PROJECTS, WHAT IT TYPICALLY IS MEANT IS YOU MAY HAVE FACADE IMPROVEMENTS. LET'S SAY YOU HAVE HISTORIC FACADES IN SIXTH STREET, OR YOU HAVE HISTORIC ASSETS AND NEED TO HAVE THEIR FACADES IMPROVED, YOU KNOW, MAINTAINED OR, OR, UH, REPAIRED. YOU COULD USE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX TO REPAIR THOSE HISTORIC FACADES OR THOSE IMPROVEMENTS IN ORDER TO, YOU KNOW, RESTORATION PROJECTS, UH, PRESERVATION PROJECTS, MAINTENANCE OF THESE HISTORIC ASSETS IN THE COMMUNITY. WHEN YOU WONDER WHAT IS A HISTORIC ASSET, REALLY IT'S ANYTHING THE CITY COUNCIL OR THEIR LEADERSHIP DETERMINES IS HISTORIC. IN LAKEWAY, THEY HAD A HISTORIC HOME SITE THAT WAS ONLY 40 YEARS OLD. I WAS LIVING IN LAKEWAY. I THOUGHT I SHOULD ADD A MARKER ON MYSELF, UM, BECAUSE I WAS OLDER THAN THEIR, THEIR, THEIR HISTORIC ASSET. UM, BUT SO THERE'S NO STATE DESIGNATION OR NATIONAL HISTORIC DESIGNATION THAT'S REQUIRED UNLESS THE COMMUNITY PUTS THAT REQUIREMENT UNDER THEIR LOCAL PROVISION. BUT STATE LAW ALLOWS THE COMMUNITY TO DETERMINE WHAT ARE HISTORIC. HISTORIC CAN ALSO BE ACTIVITIES. IF YOU HAVE HISTORIC REENACTMENTS, YOU HAVE HIS, UH, FESTIVALS CELEBRATING HISTORY, YOU COULD USE THE HOTEL TAX FOR THAT PURPOSE. AND JUST LIKE THE ARTS, IT'S NOT ENOUGH THAT IT'S HISTORIC. IT ALSO HAS TO BE SOMETHING THAT DIRECTLY PROMOTES TOURISM AND THE HOTEL AND CONVENTION INDUSTRY. SO THAT'S ALWAYS AN INCIDENTAL PRONG OR REQUIREMENT OF ANY EXPENDITURE. SO HISTORIC RESTORATION AND PRESERVATION ACTIVITIES. ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? AND THERE'S A 15% CAP AT WHICH AUSTIN IS ALREADY AT THE CAP ON HOW WE SPEND THE MONEY. ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT HISTORIC CATEGORY NUMBER SIX, UH, FOR AUSTIN IS TRANSPORTATION OR SHUTTLE OF TOURISTS TO ATTRACTIONS WITHIN THE CITY. WE GOT THAT PASSED A NUMBER, NUMBER MANY, MANY YEARS AGO TO ALLOW, UH, UH, UH, COMMUNITIES TO USE A, A SHUTTLE OR A BUS THAT THEY COULD PURCHASE OR THEY COULD RENT, UM, [00:40:01] UH, IN ORDER TO BRING GUESTS FROM ONE HOTEL TO THE CONVENTION CENTER OR TO AN EXPO CENTER OR TO A SPECIAL EVENT, MAYBE THEY, WHERE THEY HAD A SERIES OF HOTELS THAT WERE ALL HOUSING THE CONVENTION DELEGATES. IT COULD SHUTTLE THEM ALL TO THAT EVENT. WE COULD OFFER THAT TO THE EVENT PLANNER THAT WE'LL COVER YOUR SHUTTLE COSTS AND GET EVERYBODY TO YOUR ATTRACTIONS THAT IT IS NOT ALLOWED, SPECIFICALLY NOT ALLOWED FOR, UH, GENERAL CITY TRANSIT. SO YOU CAN'T SAY WE'RE GONNA PAY FOR A PORTION OF OUR CITY TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM. IT'S SPECIFICALLY TO TRANSPORT TOURISTS TO ATTRACTIONS AND EVENTS. ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TRANSPORTATION PROVISION? OKAY, THE LAST CATEGORY IS SIGNAGE. SIGNAGE DIRECTING TOURISTS TO ATTRACTIONS VISITED BY THE HOTEL GUESTS. SO THAT'S NOT YOUR WELCOME TO AUSTIN. IT WOULD BE AUSTIN HISTORIC, DOWNTOWN AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER, AUSTIN ARTS FACILITIES, AUSTIN HISTORICAL FACILITIES, ANYTHING THAT IS, THAT IS SIGNAGE THAT DIRECTS OR, OR SHOWS THEM WHERE THESE ATTRACTIONS ARE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT SIGNAGE? SO AGAIN, IN SUMMARY, YOUR SEVEN CATEGORIES ARE THE CONVENTION SLASH CONVENTION CENTER OR VISITOR CENTER, REGISTRATION AND CONVENTION DELEGATES, ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION, PROMOTION OF THE ARTS, HISTORICAL RESTORATION AND PRESERVATION, SPORTING OR, UH, UH, UH, TRANSPORTATION, UH, BETWEEN ATTRACTIONS OF TUR, UH, OF TOURISTS TO ATTRACTIONS FROM HOTELS AND SIGNAGE ABOUT YOUR ATTRACTIONS. ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THOSE SEVEN CATEGORIES? I'M SORRY, COMMISSIONER PRUITT HAS A QUESTION. UM, I WANTED TO GO BACK TO THE CONVENTION CENTER, UHHUH , YOU HAD MENTIONED THAT WE'RE ALSO CURRENTLY USING VENUE TAX YES. FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER. CAN YOU JUST GIMME A LITTLE MORE DETAIL ON LIKE HOW THOSE ARE SEPARATE OR JUST QUICK? I WOULD LOVE TO A QUICK BRIEF ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THOSE TWO. I WOULD LOVE TO, AND I HAVE AN ARTICLE ON THE, ON THE VENUE TAX AUTHORITY TOO THAT I'D BE HAPPY TO SHARE WITH THE INFORMATION. OKAY, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. YEAH, THANK YOU. BASICALLY THE, THE HOTEL TAX IS COVERED UNDER CHAPTER 3 51 OF THE TAX CODE AND IT ALLOWS GENERALLY A 7% RATE IN AUSTIN BECAUSE YOU'RE AN ELIGIBLE CENTRAL MUNICIPALITY, YOU CAN GO UP TO A 9% RATE IF YOU USE THAT ADDITION FOR SET PURPOSES. IN YOUR CASE YOU DI YOU'RE USING IT FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION. BUT ALL CITIES ARE ELIGIBLE UNDER TEXAS LAW UNDER A SEPARATE CHAPTER, WHICH IS CHAPTER 3 34, THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE TO ASK THEIR VOTERS TO APPROVE AN ADDITI UP TO AN ADDITIONAL 2% FOR WHAT'S CALLED A VENUE PROJECT. AND A VENUE PROJECT IS TYPICALLY A SPORTS FACILITY LIKE A STADIUM OR A CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION OR A COUPLE OF OTHER SORTS OF FACILITIES THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY OUTLINED UNDER CHAPTER 3 34. THE TAX CODE, ONCE YOU ADOPT UP TO 2% RATE, YOU'RE CAPPED OUT. AUSTIN IS CURRENTLY CAPPED OUT UNDER CHAPTER 3 34. THEY HAD THAT, UH, APPROVAL OF THE CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION MANY YEARS AGO FOR THE ORIGINAL EXPANSION. THAT'S GONNA BE PAID OFF IN A MATTER OF YEARS. AND THEN YOU CAN GO BACK. I KNOW THAT TRAVIS COUNTY IS ALREADY APPROVED UP TO 2%, UH, FOR THE EXPO CENTER. I BELIEVE THAT IF THAT MONEY COMES LOOSE, THEY'LL PROBABLY TRY TO IMMEDIATELY GO AFTER THAT FOR THEIR EXPO CENTER FACILITY. DOES THAT HELP? YES, THAT'S VERY HELPFUL. THANK YOU. OKAY, YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER PRUITT. UH, COMMISSIONER SHANNON. HI SCOTT. UM, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, WHAT, WHETHER OR NOT YOU CAN USE HOTEL TAX FOR THE PARKS? UH, PARKS ARE NOT A PERMITTED CATEGORY. UM, THERE'S A GENERAL PROVISION ON INFRASTRUCTURE WITHIN THE LOCAL HOTEL TAX AND WHAT IT SAYS IS, UM, IN FACT, AND YOU HAD ASKED ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE EXPENDITURES, IF YOU LOOK AT 3 51 0.101 B OF THE TAX CODE, IT SAID THE HOTEL TAX CANNOT BE USED FOR GENERAL REVENUE PURPOSES OR GENERAL GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS OF A CITY. AND WHEN YOU, AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT ARE GENERAL GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS, THAT'S POLICE, THAT'S FIRE, THAT'S, UM, UM, THAT, THAT, THAT WOULD BE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, THAT'D BE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THAT WOULD BE, UH, UH, UH, ROADS, IT WOULD BE PARKS, IT WOULD BE OTHER SORTS OF GENERAL CITY OPERATIONS THAT SERVE A GENERAL BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC THAT'S NOT DEDICATED TO TOURISM OR HOTEL AND CONVENTION INDUSTRY. SO IT WASN'T JUST THAT YOU HAVE TO FIT IT WITHIN ANY OF THE SEVEN CATEGORIES. THERE'S ALSO SPECIFICALLY, AND IT WAS DONE BECAUSE AT ONE POINT, IF YOU LOOK AT THE TESTIMONY, CITIES WERE STARTING TO SPEND LOCAL HOTEL TAX ON EVERYTHING WITHIN THE COMMUNITY ON CITY BUILDINGS, ON GENERAL [00:45:01] CITY OPERATIONS. AND THE LEGISLATURE SAID THAT WASN'T THE PURPOSE OF THIS EXTRA TAX WHERE TAXING IN ALMOST TWICE THEIR TRADITIONAL SALES TAX. AND IT, THE INTENT WAS NOT TO USE IT ON GENERAL CITY OPERATIONS OR GENERAL CITY FACILITIES. PARKS WOULD BE PART OF THAT. THERE HAVE BEEN PROPOSALS OVER THE LAST NUMBER OF LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS TO ADD PARKS AS A CATEGORY TO THE USES OF LOCAL HOTEL TAX. THEY HAVE ALWAYS FAILED FOR THE LAST 25 YEARS. EVERY LEGI EVERY LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL THAT OFFERED TO EXPAND THE LOCAL HOTEL TAX USES HAS FAILED UNLESS THERE WAS AGREEMENT BY BOTH THE MUNICIPAL COMMUNITY AND ALSO THE TOURISM COMMUNITY. AND SO THE UH, UM, UH, WE ALWAYS WORK ON NEW USES. WE, WE HAVE NEW USES OF THE LOCAL HOTEL TAX THAT WE LOOK AT EVERY SESSION. IN FACT, EVERYTHING FROM THE SIX USES, SIX THROUGH NINE OF THE HOTEL TAX, SPORTING RELATED EVENTS, SPORTING RELATED FACILITIES, THE SIGNAGE, THE SHUTTLES, WE WROTE ALL THOSE WITH IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MUNICIPAL LEAGUE. WE HAD AGREEMENT ON HOW THOSE MONIES COULD BE SPENT BY THE CITIES AND BY THE TOURISM COMMUNITY. AND SO WE, EVERY SESSION WE GO BACK TO TML AND WE WORK WITH THE COMMUNITIES ON THINGS THAT WE CAN ALL AGREE ON. UM, THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN A LOT OF RESISTANCE TO USE OF LOCAL HOTEL TAX ON GENERAL PARKS FACILITIES. NOT BECAUSE PARKS AREN'T AN ASSET, BUT IT, IT IT FOR, FOR FOLKS IN THE TOURISM COMMUNITY. UH, THE FEAR I THINK WAS THAT IF YOU START EXPENDING LOCAL HOTEL TAX IN THE PARKS, YOU'LL RUN OUTTA MONEY BEFORE YOU CAN EVER GET BACK TO ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION AND DOING EVERYTHING ELSE. AND IT, IT, IT, IT, IT JUST WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS TOO BIG OF A RISK TO TRY TO OPEN THAT UP AND ALLOW THAT TYPE OF USAGE HAS BEEN THE SENTIMENT OF, OF FOLKS IN THE TOURISM COMMUNITY. ONE, ONE OTHER ON A DIFFERENT TOPIC. SURE. THANK YOU. YOU, YOU HAD MENTIONED ABOUT THE, UH, VENUE, UM, TAX. YES. GOING TO WILLIAMS, GOING TO TRAVIS COUNTY. YES. I GUESS FOR THE EXPOSITION CENTER. AND SO I JUST, IF YOU COULD EXPOUND UPON THAT A LITTLE BIT. MY UNDERSTANDING IS WE DON'T, IF THE CITY DOESN'T USE THAT VENUE TAX FOR SOMETHING, IT'S GONNA GO TO TRAVIS COUNTY FOR THE EXPOSITION CENTER. WELL, THE WAY IT IS IS ONCE, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY HELD AN ELECTION, IT WAS KIND OF A RACE TO THE VOTERS AND TRAVIS COUNTY WAS THE FIRST TO THE VOTERS ON A POTENTIAL EXPANSION OF THE VENUE TAX. THE CITY WAS ALREADY CAPPED OUT AT 2%. SO WE COULDN'T OFFER ANOTHER PROPOSITION, BUT THE COUNTY HADN'T USED ANY OF THE 2% THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BE AVAILABLE TO THE COUNTY. AND SO THE COUNTY DID A PROPOSITION, EVEN THOUGH THERE'S NOT ROOM IN THE TAX RATE RIGHT NOW FOR THE COUNTY PROPOSITION TO TAKE EFFECT OR TO BE LEVIED, THERE'S A MAXIMUM OF 17% THAT CAN BE LEVIED IN HOTEL TAX. YOU ALREADY HAVE THE 6% STATE TAX, YOU HAVE THE 7% CITY TAX THAT BRINGS YOU TO 13. YOU HAVE THE 2% FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION, THOUGH THAT WAS DONE BY ORDINANCE. THAT TAKES YOU TO 15 AND YOU HAVE THE 2%, UH, UM, FOR THE, UH, VENUE TAX THAT WAS ALREADY IN PLAY UNDER CHAPTER 3 34, THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE FOR THE PRIOR EXPANSION. SO ONCE THAT PRIOR EXPANSION IS PAID OFF, WHICH LIKE I SAID IS PROBABLY IN A MATTER OF YEARS, THERE'S ALREADY A PROPOSITION THAT'S BEEN APPROVED BY THE VOTERS THAT IF THAT MONEY BECOMES AVAILABLE, THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT CAN IMMEDIATELY DO, UH, UH, UH, DO A COMMISSIONER ORDER A VOTE OF THEIR COMMISSIONERS TO LEVY UP TO A 2% HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX UNDER THAT, THAT THAT ELECTION AUTHORITY THEY THEY GOT FROM THE VOTERS IS, IS THERE ANY WAY THAT THE CITY COULD SUPERSEDE THAT BY SAYING, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOW GONNA USE THE 2% FOR SOMETHING ELSE THAT'S POSSIBLE. WELL, THAT WOULD BE A, A NEGOTIATION BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE COUNTY. IF THAT MONEY BECOMES AVAILABLE AS A MATTER OF LAW, THE COUNTY HAS AUTHORITY TO TRY TO LEVY A RATE. THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THE CITY COULDN'T NEGOTIATE WITH THE COUNTY TO SAY, WHAT IF WE WERE TO SPLIT THAT AUTHORITY AND USE IT FOR THIS OR, OR HAVE A DIFFERENT PURPOSE THAT EVERYBODY AGREES TO. THERE MAY BE SOME ISSUES REGARDING THE COUNTY USE OF THAT MONEY FOR AN EXPO CENTER BECAUSE I BELIEVE THE EXPO CENTER IS ON PARK FACILITY OR IS ON PARKLAND AND CURRENT STATE LAW DOESN'T ALLOW A VENUE TAX TO BE USED, UH, ON PARK RELATED FACILITIES. SO THERE MAY BE AN ISSUE THERE THAT MAY COME UP. UM, SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S NOT A DONE DEAL, BUT IT'S CERTAINLY AN ISSUE TO BE AWARE OF. THANK YOU. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER, CHAIRMAN. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UM, YOU DO COMMISSIONER OR VICE CHAIR? BA THANK YOU. THANK YOU SCOTT. UM, I'M SURE THAT EVERYONE'S EARS IS PARKED UP WHEN YOU MENTION THE TWO, UH, ALLOWABLE USES THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS NOT ABLE TO DO. CAN YOU, WE, WE HIT THE [00:50:01] POPULATION OF 1 MILLION, I WANNA SAY SOMETIME IN ABOUT 2020 ISH. UM, BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN ON THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S LEGISLATIVE AGENDA THAT IT'S BEEN ON THERE, UH, IN PARTICULAR TO, UM, TO GET FUNDING, UH, FOR THE SPORTING RELATED EVENTS. UM, CAN YOU MAYBE SPEAK AS TO WHY POLITICALLY THAT'S NOT BEEN PURSUED OR IF YOU HAVE ANY INSIGHT AS TO THAT? SURE, I'D BE HAPPY BECAUSE I'M SURE SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE, LET'S JUST PASS A BILL AND DO THAT. BUT I KNOW IT'S MORE COMPLICATED. I'D BE HAPPY TO. THANK YOU FOR ASKING. UH, THE STATUTE NOW ONLY APPLIES. IT WAS BASICALLY CONSIDERED A SMALLER COMMUNITY PROVISION. IT WAS CITIES WITHIN A COUNTY OF UNDER A MILLION. NOW YOU MAY WONDER WHY DID WE LIMIT THE CITIES IN A COUNTY OF UNDER A MILLION? WAS THAT, UM, WE REQUIRE THAT FOR THOSE CITIES IN THE COUNTY OF UNDER A MILLION, THEY HAD TO MEET CERTAIN STATUTES, UH, STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS. IT HAD TO HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL ECONOMIC IMPACT ON AREA HOTELS. AND A MAJORITY OF THE PARTICIPANTS HAD TO BE FROM ANOTHER CITY OR ANOTHER COUNTY IN ORDER TO PASS THAT LAW. FOR THOSE SMALLER COMMUNITIES THAT WANTED TO DO FISHING TOURNAMENTS AND HUNTING TOURNAMENTS OR LIKE IN ROUND ROCK, THEY HAVE THE, UH, UH, UH, THE BASEBALL, UH, EVENTS THAT THEY DO WITH THE ROUND ROCK EXPRESS, UM, TO GET THAT PASS, IT WAS EASIER TO PASS IT IF WE DIDN'T APPLY IT TO THE MAJOR CITIES. 'CAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE TO GET THEIR SIGN OFF. WE SAID WE'LL ACCEPT OUT ANY, ANY, UH, COUNTY OF OVER A MILLION. SO WE ONLY HAD TO MAKE THE LEGISLATORS HAPPY IN THE COUNTIES OF UNDER A MILLION. SO THAT WAS A WAY TO GET THAT LAW PASSED. I THINK AUSTIN HASN'T BEEN MOTIVATED NECESSARILY AND YOU NEED TO TALK TO, OF COURSE, YOUR CITY LEADERSHIP ON THIS AND THE CVB BECAUSE THEY'RE ALREADY EXPENDING THE MONEY WITHOUT AN APPLICABLE STANDARD TO GET SPORTING RELATED EVENTS. SO ARGUABLY THEY'LL SPONSOR IT UNDER A MARKETING PROVISION AND A SALES PROVISION UNDER THE ADVERTISING AND MARKETING CATEGORY. WE GET LOTS OF SPORTING RELATED EVENTS HERE. THIS JUST ALLOWS FOR THE SPECIFIC EVENTS TO BE COVERED BY THESE SMALLER COMMUNITIES THAT MAYBE WANT TO COVER GETTING THE FIELD READY OR, OR SPONSORING THE DINNER FOR THEM OR SPONSORING SOME OF THE HOSTING COSTS OR, OR, OR, OR, OR HAVING, YOU KNOW, OTHER SORTS OF SPONSORSHIP DEALS. I THINK AUSTIN IS ALREADY DOING THAT WITH THEIR GENERAL HOTEL TAX UNDER THE ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION CATEGORY. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER. UH, VICE CHAIR. I GOT A MASTERS. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UH, COMMISSIONER CHAPEL. UM, WHAT ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY OR ANY OF THOSE TOPICS? FALL PUBLIC SAFETY WOULD PROBABLY FALL, I THINK THAT MOST PEOPLE WOULD AGREE UNDER GENERAL GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS. SO IT GENERALLY IS NOT PERMITTED. I THINK IN CERTAIN CASES. UM, YOU WILL HAVE COMMUNITIES LIKE, UM, GALVESTON, WHEN YOU HAVE THEIR MARDI GRAS EVENT, WHICH IS A MAJOR, MAJOR DRAW IN GALVESTON, THEY WILL LOOK AT THE INCREMENTAL INCREASE IN COST. UM, AND THEY, THEY MAY BE ABLE TO USE HOTEL TAX. THERE'S AN ARGUMENT THEY COULD USE HOTEL TAX FOR THAT INCREMENTAL COST THAT'S SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO THAT EVENT. MAYBE ON STREET CLOSURES OR ON OVERTIME AND THINGS LIKE THAT. IT HASN'T BEEN OPINED BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE WHERE THAT FALLS. THERE'S AN ARGUMENT THAT THAT CONFLICTS WITH THE PROHIBITION AGAINST GENERAL INFRASTRUCTURE. BUT ONE COULD ARGUE THAT THIS IS IN GENERAL SPECIFIC TO THAT EVENT. IT JUST HAS NEVER BEEN RESOLVED IN A COURT CASE OR AN ATTORNEY GENERAL OPINION. THERE ARE COMMUNITIES THAT DO USE INCREMENTAL COSTS AND OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT DO NOT. OKAY. NO, THANK YOU. I KNOW THAT FALLS ON THE MUNICIPALITY AS WELL, SO THANKS. YOU'RE WELCOME. YOU'RE WELCOME. THANKS COMMISSIONER CHAPEL. UM, JUST A QUESTION FOR OUR, OUR SPEAKER. I, I, I KNOW THAT THE TI OR THE AUSTIN T BID AND TI IN GENERAL IS A, IS A TOPIC I WANTED TO FIGURE OUT NOW THAT WE'RE ABOUT AN HOUR IN, UM, WHERE WE ARE AND WHEN YOU'D LIKE OR WHERE YOU ARE IN THAT NEXT PHASE OF YOUR PRESENTATION. SO WE'RE TRACKING TIME HERE. OH, WELL PERFECT. I AM, I I HAVE FINISHED THE COVERAGE OF THE HOTEL TAX EXPENDITURES. I'D BE GLAD TO TAKE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, OTHERWISE I'M READY TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE TOURISM PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS. I'D SAY PROCEED. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. UM, AND, AND LET ME ALSO OFFER, JUST IN CLOSING ON THE HOTEL TAX, IF, IF YOU GUYS COME UP WITH A LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS, I'D BE GLAD TO COME BACK AND TALK TO YOU ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WE COME FROM A PLACE OF YES. WHEREVER WE CAN. SO IF THERE'S A TYPE OF USE THAT YOU'D LIKE, WE'LL TRY TO WORK OUR BEST TO TELL YOU REALISTICALLY AS TO WHETHER OR NOT WE THINK WE COULD GET CONSENSUS. AND IT'S NOT JUST THE HOTEL INDUSTRY THAT WE HAVE TO WORK WITH. WE HAVE THE CONVENTION VISITOR BUREAU LEADERS FROM ALL OF OUR MAJOR CITIES. WE HAVE, UH, OTHER TOURISM LEADERS THAT LOBBY AT THE LEGISLATURE. SO IT'S A WHOLE CONSORTIUM OF TOURISM RELATED INDUSTRIES THAT IT'S NOT JUST HOTELS, HOTELS, CONVENTION OF VISITORS [00:55:01] BUREAUS, CONVENTION CENTERS, UM, ATTRACTIONS, THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT ALL OPINE AND ALL LOBBY AT THE CAPITOL ON THOSE THINGS. AND FOR THE LAST 50 YEARS, THEY'VE BEEN VERY HESITANT TO EXPAND THOSE USES UNLESS THERE'S CLEARLY A WIN-WIN OPPORTUNITY ON BOTH SIDES WITH A MINIMUM OF RISK THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'LL BE ABUSED. SO AS YOU COME FORWARD ON THAT, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO TALK TO US AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT WHAT'S, WHAT'S LIKELY TO BE, YOU KNOW, VIABLE AT THE LEGISLATURE AND WHAT MIGHT HAVE CHALLENGES. SO LET ME JUST OFFER THAT, UH, COMMISSIONER CHAP, YOU HAD A A COMMENT QUESTION TO THAT. UH, YEAH, NO SCOTT, IF YOU COULD MAYBE JUST TALK IN GENERAL TERMS AROUND THE TONE AROUND, UH, THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY, RIGHT? AND THESE BIG, UH, IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS. FOR EXAMPLE, UH, I KNOW THAT THIS COMMISSION HAS TALKED ABOUT LIKE NOT ONLY WORKPLACE SAFETY BUT BEAUTIFICATION OF THE AREAS. AND SO SINCE THERE IS SO MUCH CONSTRUCTION GOING AROUND AROUND THE CAPITAL, IT MIGHT BE A GOOD TIME TO ASK FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO HELP CLEAN UP SOME OF THE OTHER AREAS OF DOWNTOWN THAT WE'VE ALL BEEN TALKING ABOUT. SO I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT TO THE GROUP AND THEN, UH, GET YOUR TAKE ON THAT INDUSTRY IN TERMS OF CLEANING UP THE JOB SITE. OKAY. IS YOUR QUESTION WHETHER OR NOT LOCAL HOTEL TASKS COULD POSSIBLY BE EXPANDED TO COVER BEAUTIFICATION EFFORTS? YES. OKAY. THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT TO PASS AT THE LEGISLATURE. AGAIN, SIMILAR TO THE QUESTION ABOUT PARKS, IT WOULD BE WHERE DOES THAT END? AND, AND IT, HOW IS THAT DIRECTLY RELATED TO, DOES IT MAKE IT A NICER PLACE TO VISIT? YES. BUT DOES IT DIRECTLY IMPACT, ARE PEOPLE GONNA SAY, GOSH, THEY, THEY CLEANED UP, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE WORK SITES AND DID SOME MORE BEAUTIFICATION. WE NEED TO VISIT AUSTIN, WE'LL BRING OUR CONVENTION THERE. SURE. AND I THINK BEAUTIFICATION IS MAYBE STRONG LANGUAGE. LEMME ROLL IT BACK HERE MORE ABOUT LIKE SAFETY AND LIKE MITIGATION ON THAT FRONT. MAKING SURE THAT THEIR SIDEWALKS ARE ACCESSIBLE, THAT THE CHAIN LINK FENCE ISN'T THREE FEET OVER INTO THE VEHICLE LANE MM-HMM . THAT THE GARBAGE ISN'T FLYING OUT. SO THOSE SORTS OF TOPICS, WHEN WE SAY BEAUTIFICATION, IT'S MORE ABOUT THE MESS THAT IS THE CONSTRUCTION SITE AND, AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AND WHO'S TAKING CARE OF THAT. AND THE PLACEMENT OF THOSE THINGS AND THE IMPACT BOTH ON RESIDENTS AS WELL AS VISITORS. I DON'T, SO IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT MAKING IT LOOK NICE. RIGHT, RIGHT. YOU'RE, YOU'RE SAYING WHEN YOU COME TO VISIT AUSTIN, IF I'M UNDERSTANDING CORRECTLY, YOU WANT TO HAVE WHERE THAT CONVENTION SITE IS NOT A MITIGATING NEGATIVE FOR THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE AND FOR FOLKS, OR NOT ONLY RESIDENTS, BUT VISITORS OF THE COMMUNITY. EXACTLY. I MEAN, WE'RE ALREADY ASKING FOLKS TO TRAVERSE, RIGHT? CESAR CHAVEZ TO GET FROM EAST SIDE OF WEST SIDE. SO THOSE SORTS OF THINGS. HOW CAN WE MAKE IT EASY ON, ON PEOPLE TO, TO MOVE AROUND WITHIN THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND TO ENJOY THEIR EXPERIENCE BUT ALSO KEEP IT SAFE AND KEEP IT CLEAN? UH, YEAH, I THINK THERE'S A INFLUX OF CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND OBVIOUSLY CONGREGATED IN DOWNTOWN WHERE SOME OF OUR MAJOR PROJECTS ARE HAPPENING. I THINK IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO GET THAT LAW PASSED AT THE LEGISLATURE WITH THE, WITH THE, UH, I, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT WOULD BE LIKELY TO BE SUPPORTED. WE'D OF COURSE HAVE TO SEE THE WORDING, BUT THE CHALLENGE WOULD BE MOST OF OUR MAJOR CITIES HAVE MAJOR CONSTRUCTION. ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU LOOK AT, THERE'S THE PROJECT FINANCING ZONE LEGISLATION THAT APPLIES TO AUSTIN THAT'S GONNA REVOLUTIONIZE WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO DOWNTOWN. AND IN OUR CONVENTION CENTER DISTRICT AND OUR PROJECT FINANCING ZONE, WHICH IS THREE MILES FROM THE CONVENTION CENTER. THERE'S GONNA BE SO MUCH CONSTRUCTION AND NEW DEVELOPMENT THAT WHAT WOULD TO GIVE YOU KIND OF THE FLAVOR, TYPICALLY THE TOURISM INDUSTRY LOOKS AT WILL THIS OPEN UP A PANDORA'S BOX OF REQUESTS FOR THE HOTEL TAX. THAT'LL BE MORE THAN WE CAN ACCOMMODATE. AND USUALLY WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU HAVE THESE TYPES OF OPENINGS, THE FIRST THING THEY CUT IS ADVERTISING. SO THEY SAY, IN LIEU OF MARKETING AND GIVING MONEY TO YOUR MAR YOUR DESTINATION MARKETING GROUP, WE'RE GONNA BE PAYING FOR ALL THESE CONSTRUCTION, UH, UH, UH, UH, ADJUSTMENTS OR FENCING OR SIGNAGE OR, OR SIDEWALK REPAIR, OR ALL THESE OTHER PURPOSES WE TAKE FROM THE ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION. AND UNLESS THE PURPOSE IS MORE IMPORTANT OR MORE IMPACTFUL THAN WHAT WE ALREADY DO WITH THE LIMITED FUNDS FOR ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION, IT OFTEN IS RESISTED. SO THAT, THAT'S KIND OF THE ANALYSIS THAT YOU'LL SEE BY ATTRACTIONS, BY CVBS, BY CONVENTION CENTER OPERATORS, BY THE HOTEL INDUSTRY, THEY'RE LOOKING AT, ARE WE OPENING UP A PANDORA'S BOX THAT, THAT WILL NO LONGER HAVE MONEY? 'CAUSE IT'S IF, IF WE ALLOWED LAW ENFORCEMENT EXPLICITLY TO JUST BE USED FOR HOTEL TAX, ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION WOULD LOSE OUT EVERY TIME WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO FUND THINGS OVER LAW ENFORCEMENT. SO, UH, WHEN YOU HAVE A DEDICATED TAX YOU WANT TO HAVE, THAT'S A REASON YOU DEDICATE 'CAUSE UM, UH, IN ORDER TO PROTECT THESE. [01:00:01] YEAH, NO, I TOTALLY GET YOU TO HAVE THOSE PROTECTIONS ON THAT. RIGHT. AND THEN I THINK THAT HELPS MYSELF AND MAYBE OTHER COMMISSIONERS AROUND, UM, WHO SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THOSE THINGS. AND SO IF YOU'RE SAYING THERE'S NOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE HOT FUNDS GO TOWARDS THAT ASPECT, THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT THOSE ENTITIES WOULD EITHER NEED TO HANDLE ON THEIR OWN THROUGH AUSTIN ZONING AND RESTRICTIONS. YEAH. SO THE CITY HAS AUTHORITY TO, TO ASSESS THOSE COSTS AGAINST AS PART OF THE BUILDING FEES, THE PERMIT FEES, UM, ANY OTHER SORTS OF EXACTIONS THAT MAY BE APPLICABLE. AND SO WE'D RATHER SEE THAT COVERED IN THAT WAY THAN TRYING TO USE A DEDICATED TAX TO DIVERT THE FUNDS. NO, FOR SURE. AND I THINK THAT WE'RE SEEING IT UP ON THIS DIVE. I THINK THE ASSUMPTION THE, THE CITY IS FALLING SHORT. UNDERSTAND. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. CHAP. I JUST WANT TO ADD TO SEGUE BACK TO TI, WHEN, WHEN VISIT AUSTIN CAME AND DID THEIR LAST PRESENTATION TO US AS IT RELATES TO, UH, THE TPI UH, DOLLARS THAT THEY'RE PROJECTING AND RECEIVING, UH, ONE OF THE COMMENTS THEY DID MAKE, UH, WAS THAT THEY WERE GOING TO MASSIVELY INCREASE THEIR ADVERTISING OUTREACH, UTILIZING THOSE FUNDS AND GOING FROM A MUCH MORE AGGRESSIVE, THEY, THEY'VE SAID THAT BECAUSE OF THEIR FUNDING HISTORICALLY, WHICH WAS FAR BEHIND DALLAS, EVEN EVEN SAN ANTONIO, UH, THEIR ADVERTISING BUDGET, THAT THEY WERE DIRECTLY EARMARKING THESE NEW TPI, UH, REVENUE STREAM TO HAVE A YEAR ROUND CAMPAIGN MORE OMNIPRESENT AND TO GO INTO SPECIFIC MARKETS LIKE MEXICO, WHICH THEY DIDN'T HAVE BUDGET FOR BEFORE. SO, I MEAN, I HEAR YOUR POINT ABOUT ADVERTISING SOMETIMES TAKING THE HIT, AND I WAS JUST REMINDING MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS THAT WE'VE HEARD MORE THAN ONCE FROM VISIT AUSTIN, THAT THEY'VE BEEN UNDERFUNDED COMPARED TO SOME OF THE COMPETITIVE CITIES THAT WE, WE COMPETE FOR CONVENTION BUSINESS WITH. SO WITH THAT, I HOPEFULLY THAT'S A GREAT SEGUE FOR YOU TO GO INTO THE T PITCH. IT IS. THANKS. IT IS, UH, THE TOURISM PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT CHAPTER, UH, IS CHAPTER, UH, 3 72 OF THE LOCAL TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE. HISTORICALLY, YOU HAD DISTRICTS, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS. THAT'S WHERE NEIGHBORHOODS MAY WANT TO CREATE SOME PARKS OR DO SOME PUBLIC SAFETY STUFF FOR THE NEIGHBORHOODS, NEIGHBORHOOD WATCHES, LIGHTING, THINGS LIKE THAT. UH, NEIGHBORHOOD BEAUTIFICATION, THAT'S A NEIGHBORHOOD PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT. THEN YOU HAD DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS, LIKE AUSTIN HAS A DOWNTOWN PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT TO ADDRESS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT FOR THE DOWNTOWN AREA AND BOTH OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD DISTRICTS AND THE, UH, UH, UH, DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS ARE FUNDED THROUGH AN ASSESSMENT INCLUDED WITHIN THE PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM. SO THE PROPERTY OWNERS PAY, UH, IN ADDITION TO THEIR TRADITIONAL PROPERTY TAX, THEY PAY AN ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT BASED ON MAYBE SQUARE FOOTAGE OR APPRAISED VALUE OUT OF THEIR POCKETS AS PART OF THEIR PROPERTY TAX PAYMENT EACH YEAR. THOSE ARE THE TRADITIONAL PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS. IN 2011, WE CREATED AT THE LEGISLATURE, THE LEGISLATURE CREATED A NEW TYPE OF PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT CALLED THE TOURISM PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT. AND WHAT TO DO THAT WE HAD TO AUTHORIZE LITTLE DONUT HOLES THROUGHOUT THE CITY THAT WOULD BE JUST CAPTURING HOTELS. SO HOTELS IN THE NORTH, THE EAST, THE SOUTH, THE WEST. AND WE COULD PULL THOSE HOTELS SOMETIMES ON, LIKE IN AUSTIN ONLY WITH HOTELS OF A HUNDRED ROOMS OR MORE, WAS THE, THE, THE PARAMETER THAT WE ESTABLISHED FOR THAT. AND SO IT WASN'T ALL, WHEN YOU HAVE A NEIGHBORHOOD DISTRICT OR DOWNTOWN DISTRICT, THEY'RE ALL TOUCHING EACH OTHER, ALL THE PROPERTIES. IT'S A DISCREET AREA THAT'S ALL DEFINED. AND EVERYTHING WITHIN THAT DISCRETE AREA IS PART OF THAT DISTRICT. FOR A TOURISM PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, THE ONLY THING CAPTURED ARE THESE LITTLE DONUT HOLE PLATS OF THE HOTELS. SO THE ONLY ENTITIES THAT ARE ASSESSED ARE THE HOTELS WITHIN THE CITY THAT HAVE A HUNDRED OR MORE ROOMS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED ON THE ASSESSMENT ROLE FOR A TOURISM PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT. THE FIRST DISTRICT THAT WAS EVER ESTABLISHED WAS IN DALLAS. AND WHEN THEY DID THAT IN 2012, OUR LEGISLATION ONLY ALLOWED DALLAS TO DO A TOURISM BID. THEY HAD A CONVERSION RATE OF SECURING ABOUT 23% OF THE BUSINESS THAT THEY BID ON FOR CITY-WIDES. THEY WON ABOUT ONE OUTTA EVERY FOUR BIDS THEY PUT OUT. THEY WON AFTER WE CREATED THE TOURISM PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, IT DOUBLED THE NUMBER OF CITY-WIDES THAT THEY WERE WINNING. THEY WERE WINNING 46% OF THE CITY-WIDES THAT THEY PUT BIDS ON. WHY? WELL, WHAT WE LEARNED WHEN WE DID THE TOURISM BID, UH, WAS THAT, UH, AND DALLAS WAS A RELATIVELY, UH, WELL-FUNDED MARKETING AND INCENTIVE PROGRAM, BUT THERE WERE STILL, EVEN IN THE CITY THE SIZE OF DALLAS, THERE WERE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES THAT BRING EVENTS THAT THEY JUST RAN OUTTA MONEY TO OFFER AS A PACKAGE TO BRING THAT EVENT TO THEIR COMMUNITY. SO THEY WOULD BID ON EVENT AFTER EVENT UNTIL THEY RAN OUTTA MONEY. AND ONCE THEY RAN OUTTA MONEY, THEY STOPPED BIDDING AND THEY LEFT A LOT OF POTENTIAL EVENTS ON THE TABLE. [01:05:01] SO, AND THEN A LOT OF THEIR, THEIR, THEIR BIDS WEREN'T AS LUCRATIVE OF AS OTHER MARKETS THAT HAD LARGER POOLS FOR FUNDING. SO ONCE WE DID THAT TOURISM PIT, THE THEORY IS YOU HAVE YOUR ALREADY THE MONEY, THE CITY'S SPENDING FROM HOTEL TAX ON MARKETING AND ON, ON, ON SALES, THIS AUGMENTS IT. IT'S NOT TO REPLACE WHAT THE CITY WAS DOING BEFORE, IT'S TO SAY YOU WERE DOING A MILLION DOLLARS BEFORE, WE'RE GONNA AUGMENT PLUS THAT MILLION AND, AND DO MORE IN SALES, MORE IN MARKETING IN ORDER TO TAKE YOU TO THE NEXT LEVEL. THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF THE PIT GETS DESTROYED IF YOU SIMPLY SAY, OH, YOU GOT A MILLION DOLLARS THERE, WE'LL STEAL IT FROM YOU, FROM YOUR HOTEL TAX FUNDING, AND YOU'RE STILL AT THE SAME LEVEL AND YOU'VE MADE NO PROGRESS. SO IN DALLAS, AFTER THEY DID THE TOURISM PIT, AS I SAID, IT NOT ONLY DOUBLED THE CONVERSION RATE FOR SECURING MEETINGS, CITYWIDE EVENTS OCCUPANCY WENT UP 16% CITYWIDE, WHICH IS UNHEARD OF. AND THAT'S NOT JUST IN THE DOWNTOWN SECTOR HOTELS THAT WAS CITYWIDE, AND THEY SET AN ROI RATE THAT IN ORDER TO, UH, UH, UTILIZE, UH, TOURISM PI MONEY AND SALES INCENTIVES. YOU HAD TO SHOW THESE $10 IN ROOM NIGHTS FOR EVERY DOLLAR IN INCENTIVES THAT YOU OFFERED A 10 TO ONE RETURN, WHICH IS AN UNBELIEVABLE RETURN IN INVESTMENT FOR AN, FOR A SALES DEAL. I MEAN, ANY BUSINESS WOULD LOVE THAT. YOU INVEST A DOLLAR, YOU'RE GONNA GET $10 BACK IN SALES. THEIR AVERAGE ROI AFTER FOUR YEARS AT THE DALLAS DISTRICT, $16 IN ROOM NIGHTS FOR EVERY DOLLAR INCENTIVES. IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE. AND SO WITH THOSE KIND OF NUMBERS, WE WENT BACK TO THE LEGISLATURE IN, UH, UH, UH, 2000. UH, AFTER THE 2000 AND UH, 11 SESSION, WE WENT BACK TO THE LEGISLATURE AND AUTHORIZED FOUR OTHER CITIES TO DO TOURISM PITS. WE AUTHORIZED AUSTIN, SAN ANTONIO, FORT WORTH, UH, UM, AND, AND, UH, UH, ARLINGTON TO DO A TOURISM PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT. SO AUSTIN WAS ONE OF THE FOUNDING CITIES IN GETTING THAT AUTHORITY. THEN IN 2019, WE CAME BACK AND AUTHORIZED EVERY TEXAS MUNICIPALITY TO BE ABLE TO DO A TOURISM PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT. SO AUSTIN JUST TOOK QUITE A WHILE TO GET THEIR TOURISM PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, BUT WE GOT IT AUTHORIZED. AND BASICALLY THE THEORY OF THESE TOURISM PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS IS YOU HAVE A SERVICE PLAN, AND THAT SERVICE PLAN IS A 10 YEAR PLAN. TYPICALLY, WE HAVE 10 DISTRICTS IN THE, IN ACROSS THE STATE. WE HAVE ONE IN AUSTIN, WE HAVE ONE IN DALLAS, ARLINGTON, FORT WORTH, CORPUS CHRISTI, SAN ANTONIO, ADDISON, FRISCO, DENTON, WACO, UM, UH, SO THEY'RE THROUGHOUT THE STATE AND, AND, AND NOW WE'RE SEEING THEM COMING OUT IN MEDIUM MARKETS AND SMALLER MARKETS. AND THE THEORY, LIKE I SAID, IS TO CREATE ADDITIONAL FUNDING AND SALES, ADDITIONAL FUNDING AND MARKETING. YOU DON'T CHANGE YOUR MARKETING CAMPAIGN OR YOUR SALES STRATEGY, YOU JUST HAVE MORE MONEY TO DO IT BETTER AND SMARTER. AND THE SAME ENTITY THAT'S USING THE HOTEL TAX, THE DMO AS IN VISIT AUSTIN, IN OUR CASE, IS THE SAME ENTITY THAT ADMINISTERS THE TOURISM PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT. NOW, WHAT I WOULD SAY THE SECRET SAUCE OF THE TOURISM PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT IS THAT YOU HAVE A BOARD OF DIRECTORS THAT IS SOLELY COMPOSED OF HOTELIERS THAT PARTNER WITH THE TOURISM, DMO, THE DESTINATION MARKETING GROUP. SO VISIT AUSTIN ADMINISTERS THE TOURISM PIT, BUT THEY REPORT TO A, A TOURISM PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT MANAGEMENT CORPORATION THAT HAS O HOTELS THAT ARE OWNERS OR MANAGERS FROM WITHIN THE DISTRICT. AND THEY KNOW WHEN THEIR SLOW SEASON IS. THEY KNOW WHEN THEIR HIGH SEASON IS. THEY KNOW WHAT MARKETING HAS NEVER WORKED FOR THEM. THEY KNOW WHAT MARKETING HAS REALLY BEEN BENEFICIAL. AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TYPICAL HOTEL TAX AND TPI FUNDING IS WHEN YOU HAVE HOTEL TAX ENTITIES THAT RECEIVE IT, THEY FEEL A RUSH TO SPEND THE MONEY DURING THE YEAR, OR THEY MAY NOT HAVE TO, OR THEY MAY HAVE TO GIVE IT BACK TO THE CITY OR MAY NOT QUALIFY FOR THAT AMOUNT NEXT YEAR. WITH THE TOURISM PIT, THERE'S NO RUSH TO SPEND THE MONEY. YOU'VE GOTTA MEET THAT ROI OF 10 TO ONE OR SEVEN TO ONE OR FIVE TO ONE, DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF BUSINESS IT IS. AND IF YOU DON'T MEET THAT ROI, WE HOLD OFF TILL WE GET THE RIGHT PROJECT. AND THERE'S NO, AND, AND THE ONLY ONES DECIDING ON THAT ARE THE HOTELIERS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CVB. SO THEY'VE BEEN INCREDIBLY SHREWD AND, AND INCRE AND AND DONE WONDERFUL, UH, UH, UH, INROADS INTO MAKING, UH, IMPACT ON LIMITED SERVICE, FULL SERVICE HOTELS THROUGHOUT THE, THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY. WHAT WE FIND IN AUSTIN, WE DID A STUDY OF WHEN THE CONVENTION CENTER GETS BUSINESS, WHAT HAPPENS, ALL THE PERIMETER AREAS, AND THEN THE EXAMPLE BEING WHITE LODGING. [01:10:01] AND WHITE LODGING HAS ABOUT HALF OF THEIR PROPERTIES IN THE DOWNTOWN AREAS AND HALF ON THE PERIMETER. AND WITHOUT ALMOST ANY EXCEPTION, EVERY TIME WE, WE DID THE BUSINESS IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA, THE PERIMETER HOTELS, THEIR AVERAGE DAILY RATE WENT UP AND THEIR OCCUPANCY LEVELS WENT UP. BECAUSE PEOPLE MAY CHOOSE FIRST TO STAY DOWNTOWN UNTIL THE RATES GET TOO HIGH OR THEY'RE TOO FULL, THEN THEY GO TO THE PERIMETER AREAS, THEY GET SOMETHING THAT MEETS THEIR, THEIR BUDGETARY SEGMENT. AND SO IT'S, IT'S BEEN A WIN, A WIN-WIN WITH THE TOURISM PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT UNDER STATE LAW, THERE'S ONLY TWO PURPOSES THAT YOU CAN SPEND THE TOURISM PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT MONEY ON. AND WE SPECIFICALLY LIMITED IT, EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE GENERAL PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS, LIKE A DOWNTOWN DISTRICT OR A NEIGHBORHOOD DISTRICT CAN BE SPENT ON PHYSICAL FACILITIES. IT COULD BE SPENT ON LIGHTING OR STREETS OR SIDEWALKS. NO FACILITIES CAN BE FUNDED WITH TOURISM, PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT MONEY. WHY? BECAUSE WE DIDN'T WANNA RUN OUT OF MONEY TRYING TO PUT IN INFRASTRUCTURE OR PUTTING IN FACILITIES. WE WANTED TO SPEND IT SOLELY WHERE WE GET THE BIGGEST BANG FOR THE BUCK, WHICH IS MARKETING AND SALES. SO THOSE ARE THE ONLY TWO CATEGORIES UNDER STATE LAW THAT YOU CAN SPEND PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT, DISTRICT MONEY, MARKETING AND SALES. SO IN ALMOST ALL YOUR PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS IN TEXAS, THEY HAVE ALMOST AN EQUAL SPREAD. 45% ON MARKETING, 45% ON SALES, AND THEN A LITTLE BIT ON RESEARCH. AND THE RESEARCH LOOKS AT HOW EFFECTIVE IS OUR MARKETING? WHAT KIND OF REACH DID WE GET FROM OUR SALES? WHAT WAS OUR, UH, INCREMENTAL ROOM NIGHT GROWTH, WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT HOTELS WERE BENEFITED. WE RESEARCH EVERY DEAL WE DO, WE COME BACK WITH WHAT WAS THE ACTUAL ROI ON IT. AND WE TEST ALL THOSE EXPENDITURES. ADMINISTRATION IS JUST IN THE COST OF WHAT WE HAVE TO PAY THE CITY FOR THEIR COST OF COLLECTING THE TOURISM PIT MONEY ALONG WITH THE HOTEL TAX. WE, IT'S ON COST FOR LEGAL SERVICES, AUDITS, THINGS LIKE THAT, UH, UH, FOR PROVIDING ANY SORT OF GUIDANCE OR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES THAT ARE NEEDED. SO TYPICALLY YOU'RE GONNA BE SPENDING 90% WHEN YOU COMBINE MARKETING AND SALES AND THE OTHER 10% RESEARCH AND ADMINISTRATION. SO YOU HAVE A SERVICE PLAN THAT'S A DO THAT'S BASICALLY FORMED BY THE CONVENTION OF VISITORS BUREAU. THEY SAY, HERE'S WHERE IF YOU GAVE US THIS EXTRA FUNDING, WE COULD REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE. IT'S REVIEWED BY LEADING HOTELIERS WITHIN THE CITY. ONCE YOU GET AGREEMENT, THEN WE TAKE THAT SERVICE PLAN TO THE CITY. AND WHEN THEY INITIALLY CREATE THE CITY, THE CITY APPROVES THAT 10 YEAR SERVICE PLAN. AND IT'S NOT, HERE ARE THE SPECIFIC PROGRAMS, IT'S, WE'RE GONNA SPEND 45% ON MARKETING, 45% ON SALES. THEY'LL GIVE EXAMPLES OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, BUT THAT'S NOT LIMITING. IT'S JUST EXPLANATORY. AND THEN 10% ON RESEARCH IN AN ADMIN EVERY YEAR. THEN WE COME BACK TO THE CITY AND WE UPDATE THE SERVICE PLAN. AND THE UPDATE IS NOT CREATING NEW CATEGORIES. 'CAUSE YOU CAN'T DO THAT. IT'S JUST SAYING THE PROJECTION WE HAVE OF 45% WOULD YIELD, UH, THIS AMOUNT FOR MARKETING. AND THIS WOULD, UM, THIS AMOUNT FOR SALES IS UPDATED BASED ON HOW MUCH WE'RE GETTING IN COLLECTIONS. SO THE UPDATED PLAN IS ALMOST A CONSENT AGENDA TYPE ITEM, BECAUSE IT'S NOT REALLY YOU, YOU, THE STATUTE ALREADY LIMITS YOU ONLY TO THESE TWO PURPOSES. AND THE SERVICE PLAN IS KIND OF LIKE A BOND PROPOSITION. IF YOU SAY YOU'RE GONNA BUILD SWIMMING POOL POOLS AND TENNIS COURTS, YOU CAN'T SUDDENLY BUILD A BASEBALL FIELD. SAME THING WITH THE TOURISM PIT. IF YOU SAY YOU'RE GONNA SPEND IT ON MARKETING AND SALES AND RESEARCH AND ADMIN, YOU CAN'T ADD NEW CATEGORIES AFTER IT'S ALREADY BEEN APPROVED BY THE VOTE, BY THE TOUR, BY THE PETITION OF ALL THE HOTELIERS AND ALSO BY THE CITY COUNCIL. AND SO IN ORDER TO CREATE THAT DISTRICT, WE HAD TO GET OVER 60% OF ALL THE HOTELS TO AGREE TO THAT SERVICE PLAN AND TO ASK FOR THE CREATION OF THE DISTRICT. AND THAT 60% OF THE APPRAISED VALUE OVER 60% OF THE SURFACE AREA, AND OVER 60% OF THE NUMBER OF HOTELS YOU HAD TO GET TWO OUT OF THREE. WE GOT ALL THREE WHEN WE PRESENTED TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN. UM, ALREADY THE AUSTIN TOURISM PIT IS MAKING INCREDIBLE RESULTS. WE JUST DID A ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN NOT LONG AGO THAT, NOT THAT, YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY YOUR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN INCLUDES ALL OF THE HOTELS AND PEOPLE WILL CHOOSE WHERE THEY WANT TO STAY, WHAT THEY WANT TO DO. BUT WE WANTED TO ALSO HAVE SEGMENTED ADVERTISING THAT HITS THE SELECT SERVICE PROPERTIES, YOUR LIMITED SERVICE PROPERTIES. SO IT'S NOT ALL TO THE DOWNTOWN OR ALL TO THE FULL SERVICE. THEY DID A SPECIAL CAMPAIGN THAT HAD HUGE RESULTS BECAUSE THE ONLY HOTELS WE LISTED ON THIS CAMPAIGN WERE LINKS TO THE LIMITED SERVICE AND SELECT SERVICE HOTELS. SO WE'RE SEEING THE BENEFIT TO THAT SECTOR. WE SEE THE COMPRESSION IN THE MARKET WHEN DOWNTOWN IS FULL OR THE, YOU KNOW, THE DOWNTOWN CORRIDOR IS FULL. THEN WE GET THE INCREASED A DR, THE AVERAGE DAILY RATE AND THE OCCUPANCY ALL THROUGHOUT THE CITY. SO WE'RE, WE'RE JUST IN OUR BEGINNING PHASES OF DOING THE AUSTIN TOURISM PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT [01:15:01] DISTRICT, BUT I THINK IT'S GONNA BE JUST INCREDIBLY IMPACTFUL, UM, UH, TO OUR MARKET. ANY QUESTIONS ON TOURISM, PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS, OR SPECIFICALLY AUSTIN'S TOURISM PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT? YES. UH, COMMISSIONER GOMEZ. HI. AND, AND I'M SORRY, THIS MAY SOUND LIKE I, I I'M STILL NEW, NEW HERE. SO, UM, BUT WHEN YOU SAY I, I GET MONEY GOING TOWARDS MARKETING, WHEN YOU SAY, UH, 45% TOWARDS SALES, CAN YOU GIMME AN EXAMPLE WHAT THAT MEANS? ABSOLUTELY. I'M JUST NOT SURE. ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY. WELL, MARKETING IS GONNA BE YOUR ADVERTISING. IT'S GONNA YOUR BE YOUR, UH, PRINT MEDIA, SOCIAL MEDIA. IT'S GONNA BE, UH, UH, ANY SORT OF, UH, ADVERTISING OR PROMOTION OF THE CITY IN ORDER TO, UH, BRING GROUPS, EVENTS, UH, LEISURE TOURISM, UH, SPORTING EVENTS, ANY SORT OF MAJOR HOTEL IMPACT CONVENTIONS, OF COURSE. UM, UH, UH, THE, THE, THE, UH, SALES CATEGORY IN AUSTIN, YOU HAVE TWO DIFFERENT SEPARATE CATEGORIES IN AUSTIN, THE WAY THEY DO THEIR, THEIR CAMPAIGN, AND I INCLUDED A COPY OF THE SERVICE PLAN, IS YOU HAVE 60% OF ALL THE TPI FUNDS GO TO MARKETING AND SALES, OTHER SALES, THAT'S SALES, UH, OF, OF, UH, ANYWHERE BUT THE CONVENTION CENTER. THEN WE HAVE A SPECIFIC CATEGORY THAT IS JUST FOR CONVENTION CENTER SALES. AND IN BOTH CASES, WHETHER IT'S AT THE CONVENTION CENTER OR IT'S AT INDIVIDUAL HOTELS OR A A A MINI WIDE INVOLVING A NUMBER OF HOTELS, WHAT YOU'RE DOING WITH THAT SALES MONEY IS YOU'RE INCENTIVIZING IT. YOU'RE SAYING, WE'LL, BUY DOWN THE CONVENTION CENTER SPACE, OR WE'LL BUY DOWN YOUR HOTEL MEETING ROOM OR YOUR EXHIBITION HALL IN ORDER TO MAKE IT VIABLE FOR YOU TO BRING YOUR MEETING TO AUSTIN. SO SALES IS ALMOST ALWAYS GONNA BE MONEY THAT WE PUT IN A PACKAGE IN ORDER TO WIN THAT PIECE OF BUSINESS, WHETHER IT'S FOR A SPORTING EVENT OR A CONCERT OR A CONVENTION OR SOME OTHER SORT OF EVENT THAT'LL, UH, DIRECTLY PROMOTE TOURISM AND HOTEL ACTIVITY IN THE CITY. AND THEN UNDER THE AUSTIN, UH, SERVICE PLAN FOR THE TOURISM PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, WE HAVE A, A, A PRIMARY PLAN AND A SECONDARY PLAN. THE PRIMARY PLAN DEALS WITH, UH, UH, WHEN THE CONVENTION CENTER IS OPEN, THE SECONDARY PLAN DEALS WHEN THE CONVENTION CENTER IS CLOSED. AND SO, UM, OR I'M SORRY, YEAH, WHEN THE CONVENTION CENTER IS CLOSED, SO WHEN THE CONVENTION CENTER IS CLOSED, LIKE IT IS CURRENTLY CLOSED, YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO BUY DOWN ANY MEETINGS AT THE CONVENTION CENTER DURING THAT FOUR YEAR PERIOD THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE CLOSED. THEY CAN ALTERNATIVELY USE PALMER EVENT CENTER OR MAYBE ANOTHER CONVENTION FACILITY WITHIN THE CITY, BUT THERE'S NOT GONNA BE A LOT OF THAT. SO WE ARE ALLOWING THE CITY UNDER THAT SERVICE PLAN, CITY COUNCIL APPROVED TO USE IT ON HOSTING COSTS FOR CERTAIN CITYWIDE EVENTS. AUSTIN CITY LIMITS THE GRAND PRIX FORMULA ONE CMT MUSIC AWARDS, THE NEW YEAR'S EVE EVENT, THOSE IDENTIFIED PROGRAMS WE KNOW ARE MAJOR CITYWIDE EVENTS THAT DURING THE PERIOD WE HAVE THE CONVENTION CENTER CLOSED. YOU CAN USE THAT FOR HOSTING COSTS OUT OF THE TPIT FUNDS, UP TO THAT 20% AMOUNT THAT'S ALLOCATED FOR CONVENTION CENTER SALES. WHEN THE CONVENTION CENTER IS BACK OPEN THAN THERE'S A DIFFERENT FORMULA WHERE HALF OF THE MONEY FOR THE, THAT 20% OR 10% GOES TO EXISTING BUSINESS OR NEW BUSINESS THAT THE CONVENTION CENTER BUYS DOWN OR THE OTHER, AND THE OTHER HALF, THE OTHER 10% GOES FOR NEW BUSINESS THAT MEET AN ROI REQUIREMENTS SET BY THAT TBIT BOARD, WHICH TYPICALLY WOULD BE SEVEN TO ONE, OR 10 TO ONE OR FIVE TO ONE OF EVERY DOLLAR OF INCENTIVES YOU NEED TO SEE IN ROOM NIGHT SALES. SO YOU'RE GONNA HAVE CERTAIN THINGS THAT DON'T VARY BETWEEN WHEN THE CONVENTION CENTER IS OPEN OR CLOSE. THAT WOULD BE 60% TO MARKETING AND SALES, 10% TO INDIVIDUAL SALES PROMOTIONS FOR WHEN YOU BRING IN IN-HOUSE BUSINESS AND YOU HAVE AN ROI AND 10% FOR I THINK, RESEARCH AND ADMINISTRATION. THAT'S 80%. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THAT AND THAT, THAT THAT'S THE SAME WHETHER THE CONVENTION CENTER IS OPEN OR CLOSED, WHERE YOU SEE THE VARIANCE BETWEEN THE PLANS AND THE SERVICE PLAN IS WHEN THE CONVENTION CENTER IS OPEN OR CLOSED, WHEN IT IS CLOSED, WE'RE GONNA USE PART OF IT FOR HOSTING COSTS. WHEN IT'S OPEN, IT ALL GOES TO BUY DOWNS AT THE CONVENTION CENTER FOR EXISTING AND NEW BUSINESS. DOES THAT HELP EXPLAIN IT? SURE. THANK YOU. UH, COMMISSIONER GAMMA, I'LL JUST WRAP ONTO THAT. UM, IF YOU LOOK AT THIS WEEK'S AUSTIN BUSINESS JOURNAL, YOU'LL SEE A LOT OF INFORMATION ABOUT SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST GOING ON. AND PART OF THE TPI, YOU KNOW, PART OF WHAT'S HAPPENING OUR CITY'S EXPERIENCING WITH SOUTH BY IS THE CONVENTION CENTER BEING CLOSED HAS REALLY IMPACTED SOUTH BYS WHOLE APPROACH TO HOW THEY'RE EXECUTING THE BUSINESS TO THE DEGREE THAT THEY'VE REALIGNED HOW MANY DAYS IT'S GONNA TAKE PLACE, [01:20:01] HOW IT'S TAKING PLACE. AND THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THEY CREATED A HUB SYSTEM AND VISIT AUSTIN WAS ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN WORKING WITH THE NEW OFFICIALS WHO TOOK OVER SOUTH BY TO HELP SHOW THEM HOW THE CITY WOULD WORK AGGRESSIVELY WITH THEM TO HELP THEM PRODUCE THEIR EVENT, GIVEN THAT IT WASN'T SOUTH BYS FAULT THAT WE SHUT THE CONVENTION CENTER DOWN. SO THERE'S SOME OF THIS SALES ACTIVITY THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS ABOUT HOW VISIT AUSTIN CAN WORK TO TRY TO PRESERVE A MAJOR EVENT THAT HAS A MAJOR ECONOMIC IMPACT AND CERTAINLY IS A HUGE CONTRIBUTOR TO HOTEL OCCUPANCY. MM-HMM . TAX, OUR TAX RECEIPTS. SO THAT'S A CLASSIC EXAMPLE, AND I ENCOURAGE ANYBODY HERE TO GO LOOK AT, UH, THE STORIES THAT ARE BEING IN THE AUSTIN BUSINESS JOURNAL ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE DOING TO RE TO RESOLVE THIS. I I ALSO HAVE TO MENTION THAT WE HAVE 30 MINUTES LEFT TO OUR MEETING TODAY. WE HAVE TO HANDLE OUR, UH, OUR SCHEDULE AND AGENDA AND OUR ROADMAP. SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED, BUT I WANNA REMIND EVERYBODY WE HAVE MORE BUSINESS TO ATTEND TO. AND, UH, I THINK THAT WE'RE PRETTY CLOSE. I THINK THAT WE'VE HIT MOST OF THE TOP HIGH TOPICS THAT OUR GUESTS CAME TO SHARE WITH US. SO, UH, COMMISSIONER CHAPEL, PLEASE. AWESOME, SCOTT. UH, THANK YOU FOR, UH, GOING OVER THIS IN THE EXAMPLES. I LOVE THIS GROWTH ENGINE ACCELERATE, UH, PROGRAM THAT YOU HAVE. QUESTION, IT'S, DID IT START IN 2023 THEN? SO WE WOULD HAVE, WE WOULD'VE ACTUAL TO KIND OF COMPARE WITH THE 10 YEAR PLAN? OR IS THIS A PROPOSED TO GO FORWARD IN 2026? YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE AMOUNTS UNDER THE SERVICE PLAN? YEAH, THOSE WERE THE PROJECTED AMOUNTS OF, UH, TOURISM PIT REVENUE BASED ON HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX GROWTH, THAT THE TOURISM PIT, UH, MONIES WOULD BE GENERATED PROPORTIONATE TO THAT. RIGHT. AND WE DO HAVE ACTUALS FOR, FOR, FOR THE ACTUAL YEARS THAT HAVE BEEN IN OPERATION. AND THEY CAN SHARE WITH YOU, UH, UH, EXACTLY. IT'S ONLY BEEN IN OPERATION FOR, FOR JUST A BIT, WHAT IS IT, A BIT OVER A YEAR OR SO? YEAH, JUST THE ONE YEAR. YEAH. SO, SO WE'RE STILL, WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT WHERE, WHERE THAT ALL FALLS. AND WE, WE DO AN ANNUAL AUDIT AND WE DO QUARTERLY REPORTS AND, AND ALL THOSE ARE SUBJECT TO OPEN RECORDS AND THEY'RE ALL AVAILABLE. OH, FOR SURE. NO, I DIDN'T WANNA LOOK AT IT, BUT I JUST WANTED TO CONFIRM THAT IT IS IN PROCESS. YES. AND STARTED IN 2023. YEAH, IT'S IN, IT'S IN PROCESS AND, AND, UH, UH, WE'RE WORKING WITH, WITH THE MUNICIPAL COMMITTEE. I WOULD NOTE THAT THE TPI WAS, THE FUNDING SOURCE FOR THAT ARRANGEMENT WAS SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST TO TRY TO HELP THEM TRANSITION TO THIS NEW FORMAT WHILE THE CONVENTION CENTER HAS CLOSED. AND I SAT IN ON SOME OF THOSE MEETINGS AND BOTH SIDES WERE SO APPRECIATIVE THAT WE COULD WORK WITH EACH OTHER. SO WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL TO HAVE THE TOURISM PIT AND, AND, AND GRATEFUL THAT IT'S DOING. IT'S WHAT IT NEEDED TO DO. NO, I THINK IT'D BE GREAT AND GOOD, UH, USE FOR WHILE THE CONVENTION CENTER'S DOWN AND THEN BE AVAILABLE WHEN WE'RE BACK UP AND RUNNING. WELL, AND WHEN THE CONVENTION CENTER IS BACK UP, WE'LL HAVE, YOU KNOW, SUCH A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF AVAILABLE DATES AND AVAILABLE MEETING SPACE. SO IT'LL BE KEY TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T JUST HAVE AN EMPTY FACILITY THAT WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE MAXING OUT . NO, AND I THINK IT'S A GREAT INCENTIVE, LIKE YOU SAID, FOR OUR OPERATORS TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT AND FOR VISIT AUSTIN TO LOOK AT, TO CREATE, UM, UNMATCHABLE INCENTIVE PACKAGES. SO YEAH. THANKS. YEAH. OKAY. UH, THANK, THANK YOU. UH, COMMISSIONER CHAPPEL, UH, COMMISSIONER PENOC HAS A QUESTION, UM, NOT SO MUCH A QUESTION, BUT I JUST WANTED TO THANK OUR SPEAKER FOR COMING, UH, AND BEING ARMED WITH THE WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE. I THINK THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE, UM, MOST INFORMATIVE PRESENTATIONS BECAUSE YOU HAVE, UM, SUCH A WEALTH OF BACKGROUND IN THE MATTER. GREAT TIME. SO WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU COMING. UM, WE ARE A LITTLE PRESSED FOR TIME, SO I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, JUST 'CAUSE YOU CAME IN JANUARY, DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE NOT GONNA COME BACK IN JUNE OR DECEMBER. I WOULD COME BACK, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO. WELL, YOU KNOW, I, I, I SAT ON YOUR DIOCESE, A TOURISM COMMISSION MEMBER, AND I ALWAYS FELT LIKE, WELL, WELL, I'M AN ADVOCATE FOR THE HOTEL INDUSTRY AND THE TOURISM INDUSTRY BY PROFESSION, BUT I'M ALSO A LAWYER. AND I TAKE THAT VERY SERIOUSLY, AND I TRY TO SEPARATE OUT WHEN I'M ADVOCATING THAT I THINK THIS IS GOOD POLICY VERSUS WHAT THE LAW REQUIRES. AND SO WE TRY TO BE VERY CLEAR THAT HERE ARE THE STATE LAW LIMITATIONS. THIS IS WHERE THERE'S CONSENSUS. WE'RE NOT ARTICULATING SOMETHING THAT THE MUNICIPAL LEAGUE DOESN'T AGREE WITH, THAT OUR, THAT ISN'T IN LINE WITH COURT CASES AND STATE STATUTES. UM, SO THERE'S NOT A LOT OF DISAGREEMENT IN, IN OUR OPINION, AS TO THE TYPES OF THINGS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. WE ALSO TRY TO BE VERY UPFRONT ABOUT WHAT WE ANTICIPATE FROM THE LEGISLATURE, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE, UM, IT'S, AS YOU KNOW, 17% OF THE, UH, OF THE LAWS THAT ARE PROPOSED AT THE LEGISLATURE EVER PASSED INTO LAW THAT MEANS 83% FAIL AND HOTEL TAX. LIKE I SAID, I HAVEN'T SEEN THIS, I'VE BEEN THERE 25 YEARS. I HAVEN'T SEEN A SINGLE BILL THAT'S EVEN GOTTEN A PUBLIC HEARING UNLESS THERE IS A CONSENSUS BETWEEN THE INDUSTRY AND THE LOCAL COMMUNITY. AND WE WORK HARD TO GET THAT CONSENSUS. BUT I ALWAYS TRY TO BE UPFRONT ABOUT WHERE, [01:25:01] AND IT'S NOT JUST US, IT'S LIKE I SAID, THE CONVENTION INDUSTRY, THE ATTRACTIONS, UM, UM, THE, UH, DMO COMMUNITY, AND THEY ALL HAVE VERY STRONG OPINIONS ON HOW TO PROTECT THE DEDICATED NATURE OF THAT TAX. BUT I, I'M HAPPY TO COME BACK AS OFTEN AS YOU'D LIKE ON TOURISM, PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS, OR USE THE HOTEL TAX OR ANYTHING THAT RELATES TO THE HOTEL AND CONVENTION AND TOURISM INDUSTRY. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER IAN. UH, ANY OTHER, AH, COMMISSIONER MATHIS. THANK YOU SO MUCH, SCOTT, FOR BEING HERE TODAY. IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE. UH, PART OF, UH, THE AGENDA ITEMS THAT WE HAVE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO MAYBE TOUCH ON TODAY THAT I WANTED TO HEAR THE MOST, UM, WITH THE UPCOMING ISSUES ANTICIPATED IN THE NEXT REGULAR SESSION, DO YOU HAVE JUST A, A FEW ITEMS THAT YOU COULD SHARE WITH US AS FAR AS WHAT'S ON YOUR RADAR? OKAY. UM, WHAT I ANTICIPATE THAT'LL BE ON OUR RADAR AT THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION, OF COURSE, IS, UH, WE'RE GONNA BE WATCHING OUT AS WE DO EVERY LEGISLATIVE SESSION, UM, ON THE IMPACT OF THE LEGISLATURE ON TOURISM RELATED, UH, UH, LEGISLATION THAT ALREADY EXISTS. LIKE YOU HAVE PROJECT FINANCING ZONE LEGISLATION THAT AUSTIN IS ONE OF THE FEW CITIES THAT HAS A THREE MILE DISTRICT THAT ALLOWS YOU TO, UH, UH, GET ALL THE INCREMENTAL REVENUE FROM STATE HOTEL TAX AND STATE, UH, UH, SALES TAX, UH, UH, FROM, FROM BUSINESSES, FROM HOTELS WITHIN THAT THREE MILE SECTOR. AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT AUTHORITY REMAINS IN LAW. THERE'S AN ISSUE AS TO WHETHER YOU COULD, SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO MULTIPLE DISTRICTS UNDER THE PROJECT FINANCING ZONE, OR THE INTENTION IS WHETHER TO ONLY DO ONE PROJECT FINANCING ZONE WITHIN THE CITY THAT WAS HOTLY DEBATED BETWEEN THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE LAST SESSION. IN FACT, IT RESULTED IN THE FAIL OF THE OMNIBUS, UH, QUALIFIED HOTEL PROJECT AND A LOT OF HOTEL TAX LEGISLATION. SO WE WANT TO TRY TO SEE IF DURING THE INTERIM, IF WE CAN GET A CONSENSUS BETWEEN THE VARIOUS COMMUNITIES ON WHAT THAT PROJECT FINANCING'S OWN LEGISLATION SHOULD BE, THAT'LL BE ACCEPTABLE TO THE SENATE AND ACCEPTABLE TO THE HOUSE. THERE'S ALSO THE QUALIFIED HOTEL PROJECT LEGISLATION. THOSE ARE HOTELS WITHIN A THOUSAND FEET OF THE CONVENTION CENTER, UM, UH, OR A THOUSAND OR 1500 FEET WITH, UH, OF THE CONVENTION CENTER THAT, UM, UM, ACTUALLY I THINK IT'S A THOUSAND, UM, THAT YOU GET STATE INCENTIVES OVER A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. WE WANNA, UH, MAKE SURE THAT THAT AUTHORITY REMAINS INTACT AND WE GET, UH, UH, UH, CLARIFYING, UH, PROVISIONS THAT ARE FAVORABLE TO CITIES, UH, THAT UTILIZE THOSE RESOURCES. WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT THE EVENT TRUST FUND AND THE MAJOR EVENT REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM. THOSE ARE PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDE REBATES FROM THE STATE TO HELP YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES PAY FOR THE COST OF ATTRACTING MAJOR EVENTS. SO WE'RE ALWAYS FIGHTING TO SAFEGUARD THAT. WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT HOTEL TAX LEGISLATION TO MAKE SURE THAT IT DOESN'T BROADEN THE PURPOSES BEYOND WHAT WE THINK WOULD BE IMPACTFUL TO THE CONVENTION AND TOURISM AND ATTRACTION INDUSTRY. SO WE'RE GONNA TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT WHATEVER, UH, UH, CHANGES THAT LAW COME INTO PLACE, THEY'RE AGREED TO EFFECTIVE CHANGES. AND THEN WE LOOK AT THE STATE, UM, TOURISM FUNDING, AND WE, UH, UNDER THE STATE LAW THAT 6% HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX RATE, ONE 12TH OF IT CURRENTLY GOES TO PROMOTING TEXAS AS A DESTINATION FOR TOURISM. WE TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT A REMAINS DEDICATED UNDER STATE LAW FOR THAT PURPOSE, SO THEY DON'T, UH, SIPHON IT TO OTHER PURPOSES. SECOND, WE TRY TO MAKE SURE IT'S FULLY APPROPRIATED, NOT JUST USE THE BALANCE THE BUDGET AND REMAIN AN ACCOUNT, BUT ACTUALLY GETS EXPENDED BY, BY THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE FOR TOURISM PROMOTION, AND THAT WE MAXIMIZE THE AMOUNT THAT THEY ALLOCATE FOR THAT PURPOSE. SO, UH, THOSE ARE OUR MAJOR PRIORITIES. UM, WE OFF, WE OFFER USUALLY A PIECE OF LEGISLATION. WE DID A TOURISM PIT CLARIFICATION BILL LAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION. UH, WE DID A HOTEL TAX CLARIFICATION BILL, THE SESSION BEFORE THAT. SO EVERY SESSION WE HAVE A NEW PIECE OF LEGISLATION. I THINK THIS UPCOMING SESSION, WE'RE GONNA OFFER LEGISLATION TO CLARIFY THE AUTHORITY OF HOTELS TO, UH, TO DO TRESPASS FOR FOLKS WHO JUST KIND OF SQUAD IN A HOTEL AND SAY, YOU NEED TO USE EVICTION TO GET US OUT. WE'RE NOT GONNA PAY FOR A MONTH OR TWO MONTHS, AND YOU HAVE TO WAIT TO GO THROUGH THE EVICTION PROCESS. IF THEY'RE A NIGHT TO NIGHT GUESTS, WE'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO GIVE 'EM A TRESPASS NOTICE AND GET THEM OUT ONCE THEY STOP PAYING OR BECOME, AND THEIR RESERVATION HAS ENDED. SO THAT'S GONNA BE OUR MAJOR BILL, WE THINK NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION ON BEHALF OF THE LODGING INDUSTRY. BUT USUALLY MOST OF OUR TIME IS SPENT ON THE LEGISLATION. WE DON'T ANTICIPATE THAT. WE'RE SURPRISED THAT WE, [01:30:01] WE END UP HAVING TO KILL IT. I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT OVER THE 25 YEARS I'VE BEEN IN THIS POSITION, WE HAVE PASSED EVERY SINGLE BILL WE HAVE OFFERED AT THE LEGISLATURE, EVEN THOUGH THE PASSAGE RATE IS TYPICALLY MUCH, MUCH SMALLER. EVERY BILL WE'VE OFFERED, WE HAVE PASSED, AND EVERY BILL THAT WE HAVE OPPOSED FOR 25 YEARS, WE HAVE KILLED. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND YOU AND YOUR TEAM ARE QUITE BUSY, AND WE APPRECIATE ALL THAT YOU DO. DO YOU GUYS WORK IN, IN TO PROVIDE SUPPORT LIKE, UM, FOR INDUSTRIES THAT ARE, THAT ARE ALIGNED WITH HOTELS? LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE THE FILM COMMISSION OF COURSE, EVERY SESSION WE TRIED IT. ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. WELL, I LOVE YOU FOR THAT. WE, WE, WE, WE, WE WORK WITH THE ATTRACTION INDUSTRY. WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THE FILM INDUSTRY TO MAXIMIZE THEIR FUNDING. WE WORK WITH THE ARTS COMMUNITY. WHEN I STARTED, UM, I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A FEELING AMONGST THE ARTS COMMUNITY AND THE CULTURAL COMMUNITY THAT ARE THE HOTELS FAVORABLE OR NOT FAVORABLE TO THE ARTS FUNDING OR CULTURAL FUNDING. SO WE MET WITH THEM TO GET A MEMORANDUM ON THE USES OF THE ARTS FUNDING TO SAY, WE AGREE MUCH MORE THAN WE DISAGREE. LET'S, LET'S FIGURE OUT WHAT BOTH SIDES AGREE. AND THEN WE AGREED THAT WE WOULD NOT SUPPORT ANY LEGISLATION THAT HAD A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON ARTS FUNDING, AND IN TURN, THEY WOULD SUPPORT NO LEGISLATION THAT WOULD'VE A NEGATIVE EFFECT ON, ON, ON THE HOTEL INDUSTRY. AND SO WE SUPPORT EACH OTHER. WE, WE TRAIN FOLKS, UH, TOGETHER ON THE CAPITAL DAYS, AND WE MEET REGULARLY WITH THE TEXANS FOR THE ARTS AND, AND, AND, AND HOLD EVENTS TOGETHER TO MUTUALLY PROMOTE. WE, WE ARE, WE WORK TOGETHER. WE DON'T WORK AGAINST EACH OTHER. WELL, SPEAKING OF CAPITAL DAYS, I'VE PARTICIPATED IN THOSE MANY TIMES. AND IF ANY OF YOU GUYS GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT, IT'S REALLY ENLIGHTENING TO GET, UH, A REAL SENSE OF THE HOTEL. YOUR COMMUNITY OWNERS THAT OWN JUST A FEW HOTELS, OR THERE'S SO MANY OF THEM THERE. THEY COME IN IN BUSES FROM ALL OVER. IT'S NOT BIG INDUSTRY THAT COMES OUT FOR THIS. IT'S, YOU KNOW, MA AND POP, EVEN HOTEL OWNERS, AND THERE'S OPINIONS AND POSITIONS ON EVERY IDEA UNDER THE SUN. LIKE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHERE I LEARNED THAT, HEY, SOME HOTELIERS HAVE SOME PRETTY, UM, STRONG OPINIONS ON WHETHER OR NOT WE WANNA HAVE ALL, YOU KNOW, YEARLONG SCHOOL, THINGS LIKE THAT. AND, UM, SO I THINK THAT IF YOU REALLY WANNA UNDERSTAND, UH, THOSE POINTS OF VIEW, IT'S TIME WELL SPENT. IT IS, IT IS, YEAH. AND WE WORK, WE WORK WITH THE TEXAS, UH, THE DESTINATIONS TEXAS GROUP, WHICH USED TO BE THE TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAUS. WE WORK THE TEXAS, UH, TRAVEL ALLIANCE. WE WORK WITH, UH, UM, CONVENTION CENTERS. WE WORK WITH THE MUNICIPAL LEAGUE. I MEET WITH THE MUNICIPAL LEAGUE EVERY YEAR PRIOR TO THE SESSION. WE WORK WITH THE ATTRACTIONS INDUSTRY. WE WORK WITH EVERYBODY. AND OF COURSE, THE TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF BUSINESS AND OTHER LOBBY ENTITIES AT THE CAPITOL. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER MATHIS. UM, THANK YOU. I WANNA ECHO WHAT COMMISSIONER PENOC OFFERED AND MANY OTHERS. I I KNOW WE WERE, WE TOOK A LOT OF YOUR TIME TODAY AND WE'RE GRATEFUL THAT YOU WERE ABLE AND WILLING TO SPEND THE TIME TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE LEVEL SET AS WE HEAD INTO THIS NEW YEAR. YOU'RE WELCOME TO HANG AROUND AND LET AND SEE WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR. WE HAVE A, WE HAVE THAT IN OUR, AND OUR MEETING SCHEDULE. BUT THANKS AGAIN FOR BEING HERE. AND, UH, WE WILL INVITE YOU BACK. THERE'S NO DOUBT. WELL, I APPRECIATE IT. I'M AVAILABLE ANYTIME. AND, AND LET ME ALSO GIVE YOU, UM, LET ME GIVE YOU MY CELL PHONE NUMBER. SO IF ANY OF Y'ALL WANT TO CALL AFTERWARDS, WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT, MAYBE I'LL, I'LL EMAIL IT TO YOU. , I HAVE IT. I HAVE IT. I HAVE IT. YOU CAN SHARE, SHARE. DON'T PUT IT. PLEASE DON'T PUT IT ON, YOU KNOW, NO NEED TO PUT IT ON PUBLIC. ALL RIGHT. THANKS. ALL RIGHT. MM-HMM . WELL, YOU'RE WELCOME TO CALL ME AT ANY, ANYTIME I HAVE IT, IF ANYBODY NEEDS IT. ABSOLUTELY. AND, AND, AND I WILL STAY AROUND SINCE I CAN MAYBE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO, UH, MEET EACH OF YOU AFTERWARDS IF THERE, IF THERE'S ANY INTEREST, WE WELCOME THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY, WE NEED TO MOVE ON. AND, UH, WE HAVE 20 MINUTES. SO I'M [5. Discussion and approval of the Tourism Commission 2026 annual schedule and strategic roadmap.] MOVING ON TO DISCUSSION ITEM NUMBER FIVE, WHICH IS BROKEN UP INTO TWO SECTIONS. ONE IS OUR MEETING SCHEDULE, AND THE OTHER IS THE ROADMAP, WHICH I'LL JUST REMIND EVERYONE. IT'S A LIVING, BREATHING, WORKING DOCUMENT. UM, WE WANNA GET SOME FEEDBACK. WE HAD A LOT OF GREAT IDEAS IN THE LAST, UH, MEETING THAT WERE IN OUR MEETING NOTES. BUT BEFORE WE CAN DO THAT, UM, WE HAVE, UH, A SCENARIO. I, I KNOW THAT, UH, FELICIA WANTS TO HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE OF AREAS THAT YOU'LL SEE HIGHLIGHTED ON, ON, ON, ON THE, ON THE SCHEDULE SHE HANDED OUT. AND THEN WE NEED TO VERY SPECIFICALLY TALK ABOUT THE NEXT MEETING. FELICIA, DO YOU WANNA, DO YOU WANNA SAY ANY? SO, I MEAN, I GUESS BASICALLY IF YOU SEE AUGUST AND NOVEMBER, WE, WE HAVE A SITUATION, UH, I THINK, DID YOU SAY ON AUGUST THAT THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAYBE MOVE [01:35:01] ACROSS TO THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS ROOM? WE JUST HAVE TO APPROVE THAT AS PART OF OUR MEETING HERE THAT WE'RE, IS THAT, THAT NEEDS A MOTION. SO, UM, THE QUESTIONS ON THE TABLE IS WE DO HAVE THESE TWO HIGHLIGHTED SPOTS ON THE SCHEDULE THAT WAS NOT AVAILABLE AT THE TIME THAT WE HAVE ALL VOTED ON BACK IN NOVEMBER OR OCTOBER, I SHOULD SAY. SO FOR AUGUST 12TH, THERE IS NO SPACE ON THAT DAY HERE AT, AT CITY HALL. SO THE, UM, NEXT THING WOULD BE, DO WE POSTPONE IT, MOVE IT TO ANOTHER DATE, OR DO Y'ALL VOTE TO CANCEL IT ALTOGETHER? UM, IF YOU DECIDE TO POSTPONE IT, WHICH IS A, UM, WHICH IS DOABLE, WE'LL NEED TO VOTE TO CANCEL THE REGULAR SCHEDULE MEETING, BECAUSE THERE'S NOT GONNA BE A DATE HERE AT, AT CITY HALL, AND WE CAN MOVE IT TO AND MAKE IT A SPECIAL MEETING, UM, FOR AUGUST 19TH, WHICH IS THE FOLLOWING WEEK. SO A WEEK LATER ON A WEDNESDAY THE 19TH, WE'LL BE AVAILABLE AND THE SPACE WILL BE ACROSS THE HALL AT, UM, THE BOARDS AND COMMISSION SPACE. COMMISSIONER PENOC, PLEASE. THANK YOU. CHAIR BAILEY. UM, AND COMMISSIONERS, I WAS JUST GOING TO PROPOSE THAT WE CANCEL THE AUGUST MEETING. I THINK WE'VE DONE THIS IN, UH, PRIOR YEARS. UM, A LOT OF PEOPLE TRAVELING DURING THE HOLIDAY, UH, DURING THE SUMMER BREAK. AND, UM, I THINK IT'S A GOOD RESET TO SKIP THAT AUGUST MEETING AND THEN COME BACK FOR SEPTEMBER. THAT'S, I'M, I'M MAKING A MOTION FOR THAT IF PEOPLE WANNA DISCUSS A DISCUSSION. UM, SO VICE CHAIR, MASTERS, WHAT, WHAT I'M, BASICALLY, THE REASON I WOULD LIKE TO PARK THAT MOTION IS 'CAUSE WE HAVE TO HAVE A STRONG CONVERSATION ABOUT, WE MAY HAVE TO CANCEL FEBRUARY. AND SO THEN WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW MANY CANCELLATIONS DO WE NEED, WANT TO HAVE IN OUR AGENDA. SO, UH, IF, CAN I, CAN WE, CAN WE JUST MOVE ON TO TALK ABOUT FEBRUARY? YES. UH, UH, AND I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT, COMMISSIONER MASTERS THAT WE SHOULD JUST DIVE INTO THIS. SO, SITUATION LOOKS LIKE THIS. I'M OUT OF TOWN. COMMISSIONER MASTERS'S OUT OF TOWN, COMMISSIONER CHAN'S OUT OF TOWN, AND WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO HOST IT IN PERSON. I MEAN, SO WE NEED A, WE NEED A CHAIR, A MODERATOR TO HOST THE MEETING IN PERSON, SIX PEOPLE TOO. SO, AND WE NEED TO HAVE A QUORUM OF SIX PEOPLE. SO THE FIRST THING WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT ON THE DATE OF THE 11TH IS WHETHER ANYBODY ELSE HAS CONFLICTS, , THAT ARE AWARE OF THEIR CONFLICTS THAT WOULD PRECLUDE THEM FROM PARTICIPATING ON THE 11TH. BECAUSE IF WE CAN'T HAVE QUORUM, THEN WE CAN'T HAVE THE MEETING, THAT'S FOR SURE. BUT WE'RE ALSO HAVING A, A DILEMMA AND PROCEDURALLY HOW TO HAVE A MODERATOR LEADING HERE. THAT'S IN, SO THE TOP, THE TOP THREE, THE TOP THREE CANDIDATES ARE, IT'S ME, THEN IT'S VICE CHAIR, THEN IT'S THE LONGEST SERVING MEMBER, WHICH IS COMMISSIONER CHANIN. SO THAT'S HOW IT FLOWS. WE, WE CAN GO DOWN TO A FOURTH LEVEL, BUT I DON'T WANT TO EVEN BOTHER HAVING THAT PART OF THE CONVERSATION IF WE'RE GONNA HAVE A QUORUM PROBLEM. SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY'S LOOKING AT THEIR CALENDARS AND KNOWS ABSOLUTELY THEY CAN OR CAN'T. SO, COMMISSIONER PENOC, PLEASE. MAY WE CHANGE THE DATE? THAT IS AN OPTION. AND, UM, I, I GUESS I COULD SAY THAT WE'VE ALREADY, UH, WE'VE ALREADY IDENTIFIED THAT MONDAY THE NINTH IS AVAILABLE AND I AM HERE. I'M NOT SURE ABOUT COMMISSIONER CHAN. SHANNON, YOU'RE HERE, YOU'RE NOT OUT OF TOWN. SO ONLY COMMISSIONER, COMMISSIONER MA OR VICE CHAIR MASTERS WILL BE, UH, TRAVELING THAT DAY. AND, AND I'M CERTAIN YOU'RE NOT CERTAIN THAT SHE'LL BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IF WE MOVE IT TO MONDAY THE NINTH. SHE, SHE CANNOT, SHE'LL BE IN, IN TRANSIT IN TRAVEL WHEN WE WOULD HAVE THAT MEETING. BUT IT DOES MEAN THAT COMMISSIONER CHAN WILL BE HERE. I'LL BE HERE AND I CAN LEAD THE MEETING AS PER USUAL IF WE AGREE THAT WE ALL CAN MOVE IT TO MONDAY, UH, THE NINTH. SO, UH, I GUESS THAT'S THE MOTION ON THE TABLE. IF I HAVE A MOTION, CAN GET A MOTION IF SOMEONE'S INTERESTED IN THAT. BUT WE JUST NEED TO KNOW THAT WE NEED TO HAVE A QUORUM. IF WE'RE GONNA VOTE TO MOVE IT, WE NEED TO KNOW THERE EVERYONE CAN PARTICIPATE ON THAT DATE. I MOTION THAT WE MOVE THE FEBRUARY MEETING TO THE NINTH. THANK YOU. WE HAVE, WE HAVE A MOTION TO HAVE A SECOND ON MOVING THE MEETING FEBRUARY MEETING TO THE MONDAY THE NINTH. I SECOND, UH, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER PENOC, UM, FOR A VOTE. UH, ALL IN FAVOR OF MOVING THE MEETING, THE FEBRUARY MEETING FROM CURRENTLY STATED [01:40:01] AS WEDNESDAY TO 11 TO MONDAY, UH, FEBRUARY 9TH. AT THE SAME TIME. RAISE YOUR HAND, SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ALRIGHT. PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. WE'VE SOLVED THAT ISSUE. THANK YOU FOR THAT. LET'S DROP BACK. AUGUST. SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING WE SHOULD GO BACK TO THAT CONVERSATION. UH, DO YOU, SHOULD WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE TABLE, UH, FROM COMMISSIONER POSI AND TO CANCEL THE MEETING? I THINK WE HAD A SECOND. WAS IT COMMISSIONER CHAN HAD SECONDED THE MOTION? UH, SO LET'S PUT IT TO A VOTE. UH, ALL IN FAVOR OF CANCELING THE AUGUST SESSION, UH, MEETING. UH, RAISE YOUR HAND AND AYE, AYE, AYE. AYE. WAFFLING. YOU. IT'S OKAY, YOU CAN, NO, WE'RE JUST, WE'RE FULL. SO I WAS JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE'RE GONNA DO THAT. OKAY. SO, UH, I, THE MOTION PASSES. YOU'RE UNANIM FAMILIAR WITH VICE CHAIR, UM, MASTERS JUMPING IN. THANK YOU. OKAY. ALRIGHT. AND THEN NOVEMBER. SO NOVEMBER, NOVEMBER IS PRINT. LETS DATES. YEAH. SO, UH, I'M SORRY. UH, MS. BURLESON, DO WE HAVE, UH, ANY OPTIONS THAT YOU'VE RESEARCHED ON THAT DATE? DO YOU HAVE ANY BACK POCKET STUFF ON THAT YET? OR FOR WHICH DATE? THE NOVEMBER. THE NOVEMBER. NOVEMBER. YES, I DO HAVE AN OPTION. UM, THE OPTION WOULD BE, UM, THE FOLLOWING MONDAY ON THE 16TH. AND IT WOULD BE HERE IN THIS, IN THIS SPACE WE'RE IN NOW, SAME TIME. THAT'S GREAT. CAN I MAKE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16TH? WE'RE, WE'RE CHECKING, WE'RE COMMISSIONERS ARE CHECKING CALENDARS. THAT'S FINE. SO I, I'M HEARING A MOTION. UH, I MOTION THAT WE MOVE THE NOVEMBER, UH, NOVEMBER DATES. NOVEMBER DATES, UH, NOVEMBER, NOVEMBER 11TH TO, WHAT'S THE DATE FOR THE MONDAY? SIX 16TH. NOVEMBER 16TH. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16TH. SO I HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER GAMS TO MOVE THE NOVEMBER MEETING FROM, UH, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH TO THE FOLLOWING MONDAY, UH, NOVEMBER 16TH. DO I HAVE A SECOND? COMMISSIONER PRUITT, UH, SECONDS. SO LET'S PUT IT TO A VOTE. ANY, DISCUSS ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT? JUST, NOPE. NOPE. LET'S PUT IT TO A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR OF LET MOVING THE NOVEMBER MEETING FROM WEDNESDAY THE 11TH TO MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16TH. SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. AYE. ONCE AGAIN. WOW. UNANIMOUS. OKAY. I THINK, DID YOU, DID YOU SAY THIS ROOM'S AVAILABLE OR THE ROOM ACROSS THE HALL? YES, IT WOULD BE HERE. IT'LL BE HERE. COUNCIL CHAMBERS. OKAY. SO WITH THAT, DO WE NEED ANOTHER MOTION SAYING THAT WE'RE THIS NEW ADJUSTED OR AMENDED, UH, WITH INCLUDING THE FEBRUARY, DO WE NEED TO VOTE ON THE WHOLE THING OR, BECAUSE WE TOOK THREE VOTES ON THREE DIFFERENT DATES, WE'RE GOOD. YEAH, WE ARE GOOD. AND THANK Y'ALL FOR TAKING THIS TIME. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UM, SO WITH THAT, UH, WE HAVE 15 MINUTES LEFT. I WANT TO JUMP TO, WELL, FIRST OFF, I WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ROBUSTLY PARTICIPATED IN THE LAST MEETING WHEN WE WERE BRAINSTORMING, UH, TOPICS FOR, UH, OUR ATTENTION THIS YEAR. AND I, I, I WAS PRETTY BLOWN AWAY. MOST OF US WERE WHEN WE SAW THE MEETING NOTES FOR THE FIRST TIME. THANK YOU TO FELICIA AGAIN FOR CAPTURING ALL OF THAT. I'M SURE SHE HAD TO LISTEN TO THE TAPE OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN TO DELIVER THAT. BUT, UM, SO COMMISSIONER MASTERS AND I SPENT SOME TIME, UH, SINCE OUR LAST MEETING AND I ALL CREDIT TO COMMISSIONER MASTERS. SHE REALLY TOOK THE BULL BY THE HORNS. AND REALLY, IF ANY, ANY TITLE OR ANYTHING YOU SEE HERE WAS FROM HER CREATIVE STRATEGY, SHE HELPED BRING SOME ANIMATION TO THIS THAT I THINK MAKES IT FUN. AND THAT ALSO MAKES IT, ILLUMINATES IT A LITTLE BIT MORE BY HAVING A THEME. SO, UH, THE FEBRUARY, SINCE WE JUST CHANGED THE FEBRUARY, IT'S GONNA BE INCUMBENT ON US. WE'RE TO GET MOVING ON, UH, INVITING SPEAKERS. SO I'M, I WANNA ASK EVERYBODY, I MEAN, CERTAINLY I WANNA TALK ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE. AND AGAIN, I WANNA REMIND EVERYBODY THIS IS A LIVING DOCUMENT. WE ARE NOT LOCKED IN. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING WE HAVE TO VOTE ON, AND THEN WE HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT, LIKE THE CALENDAR, THIS IS NOT THIS, THIS IS A TOOL FOR US TO OPERATE AND, AND, AND TO GUIDE US FOR A PURPOSE. BUT IT'S NOT, WE DON'T HAVE TO VOTE ON IT. AND, AND WE, WERE NOT IN TROUBLE IF WE MOVE DATES AND THEMES AROUND, WHICH IS OPEN FOR DISCUSSION, MOVING, UH, DATES AND THE THEMES IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE YEAR. BUT WE, WE REALLY DID, UM, VICE CHAIR, MASTER AND I SPENT A LOT OF TIME THINKING ABOUT WHAT OTHER THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN THE CITY AT DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE YEAR, TRYING TO NAVIGATE AROUND WHEN THERE MIGHT BE COMPRESSION AND FOR ACCESS TO CERTAIN, UH, GROUPS OF PEOPLE FOR CERTAIN CONVERSATIONS. [01:45:01] SO THAT'S BEEN BAKED INTO THIS AS WE, AS WE, AS WE'VE LAID IT OUT. BUT FEBRUARY, UM, WE HEARD, AND AGAIN, I HOPE YOU'LL SEE THAT AS YOU LOOK THROUGH THIS, A LOT OF THE SUGGESTIONS THAT WERE CAPTURED IN THE NOTES IN OUR CONVERSATION IN DECEMBER HAVE FOUND THEIR WAY HERE. WE'RE CERTAINLY LOOKING FOR MORE CONTACT INFORMATION FOR SOME OF THESE TOPICS. CERTAINLY IDEAS OF OTHER PEOPLE. WE CAN INVITE THESE THAT WE'RE MORE INTO JUST MAKING SURE WE'VE GOT THE, THE THEME FOR THE MONTHS CAPTURED. AND WE WE'RE GONNA ASK PROBABLY ON A ROUTINE BASIS, IF ANYBODY HAS IDEAS AS WE MOVE TOWARDS THE NEXT MEETING OF PEOPLE WE CAN INVITE, WHICH IS WHAT I WANT TO DO WITH THE FEBRUARY NOW NINTH MEETING. IT, WE'RE TOWARD A MORE BEAUTIFUL DOWNTOWN. WE NEED TO HAVE ALTERNATIVES OF PEOPLE WE CAN INVITE. THESE ARE A STARTING PLACE FOR US PEOPLE THAT, THAT WE THINK MIGHT HELP US WITH THAT CONVERSATION. BUT I'M INTERESTED IN OTHERS, UH, WEIGHING IN ON THAT. IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS FOR FEBRUARY OR IN GENERAL, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT FEBRUARY AND YOU'RE NOT, YOU THINK WE SHOULD BE DOING SOMETHING ELSE THAT'S UP FOR DISCUSSION TOO. SO OPEN FLOOR. ANYONE COMMENTS? YOU NAILED IT. LOOK AT YOU. SHE NAILED IT. NO QUESTIONS. UH, UM, I'M SORRY. YOU COMMISSIONER IAN, PLEASE. UM, I, I RECALL OUR ROBUST CONVERSATION LAST MEETING AND, UM, I THINK THIS IS DOING A GOOD JOB OF CAPTURING THE ITEMS WE HIGHLIGHTED FOR SPEAKERS. WE'D LIKE TO COME SPEAK. AND I, I SEE, I DON'T SEE ANY REASON TO FURTHER DISCUSS. I WOULD, I DON'T KNOW IF WE NEED A MOTION TO ACCEPT OR I WOULD GO FORWARD. I DON'T THINK WE NEED A MOTION, BUT WE SHOULD GO FORWARD WITH LIKE FEBRUARY AND MARCH INVITES. AND AGAIN, THIS IS A LIVING DOCUMENT SO WE CAN ADJUST AS WE NEED TO, YOU KNOW, NEXT MEETING AND THE MEETING AFTER. RIGHT. I, I'M GLAD YOU SAID THAT INCLUDED MARCH IN THIS, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT IN WORKING WITH DANIEL AND FELICIA AND LAST YEAR THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS, YOU KNOW, WE COULD FIND OUT IN A HURRY THAT THE DA IS NOT AVAILABLE ON THE 11TH AND AND I, AND WE THINK THE DA IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO THE CONVERSATION. I WILL PUT THAT BIAS IN THERE. UM, MANY OF YOU HAVE MENTIONED WE SHOULD BE TALKING TO THE DAA. WE THINK THAT'S, IT WOULD BE AIS PROBABLY TO HAVE THIS TOPIC AND NOT HAVE DAA. SO A GREAT EXAMPLE. THAT'S A GREAT EXAMPLE. SO IF WE FIND OURSELF THERE, MAYBE WE CAN FIND, FIND IT ACME OR THE PRESERVATION OFFICE IS MORE THAN AVAILABLE TO COME TO SPEAK TO US IN FEBRUARY. SO WE WOULD BE, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE THAT DECISION, UH, UM, UH, VICE CHAIR, MASTERS AND I, WHILE WE'RE WORKING WITH FELICIA ON THIS, AND WE COULD JUST SWAP IT. AND YOU COULD SEE THAT YOU COME IN, YOU'LL GET YOUR AGENDA FOR FEBRUARY AND IT'S MOVED TO, UM, TO THE, UH, PRESERVATION TOPIC. SO, UM, THANK THANKS FOR THAT FEEDBACK THAT'S, THAT'S USEFUL AND HELPFUL. ANY OTHER, ANY OTHER, UH, SUGG A SUGGESTIONS TOWARDS THESE TOPICS OF PEOPLE THAT WE WANT TO CONSIDER SINCE WE'RE FOCUSING ON IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH RIGHT NOW? ANY OTHER PEOPLE THAT WE SHOULD BE CAPTURING TALKING TO? GOOD IDEAS, SUGGESTIONS? COMMISSIONER CHAPPEL? I KNOW YOU HAVE, I ALWAYS HAVE GOOD SUGGESTIONS. OH YEAH. OH, OH, YOU WERE POINTING TO HER. OH, OF COURSE. UM, , THANK YOU. THANK YOU CHAIR BAILEY. THANK YOU. UM, I WAS JUST GONNA NOTE FOR THE MAY, BRINGING IN AN EVENTS INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVE, I KNOW THAT C3 IS A BIG PLAYER IN TOWN. UM, I AM CURIOUS THOUGH, UM, THE, SOMEONE FROM THE MOODY CENTER AS A NEW PLAYER, UM, HAVING MOVED THE FRANK IRWIN OVER, UM, THEIR CAPACITY, UM, TO HOLD CONCERTS, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST KIND OF CURIOUS AS A, AS A BIGGER PLAYER IN TOWN WITH A NEW NICE NEW SHINY BUILDING, WHAT THEIR, UM, EXPERIENCE, UM, HAS BEEN. YEAH, THAT'S EXCELLENT. THANK YOU. THAT'S IT. I MEAN, I DO THINK, I'M NOT EVEN GUESSING. I THINK THE C3 MARIO IN THERE BECAUSE OF ONE OF THE COMMENTS YOU MADE DURING OUR DISCUSSION. SO YEAH, I WAS GONNA SAY, AM MY, WE, IT GETS, IT GETS KIND OF COMPLICATED AS FAR AS LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHO'S PRODUCING AND WHO'S PRESENTING AND WHO'S PROMOTING. UM, BUT I'D BE CURIOUS SPECIFICALLY IN THAT SPACE, YOU WHO FOR NOW HAS BEEN IN THERE THE MOST. WELL, I, I APPRECIATE THAT AND IT'S GOOD TO HAVE BACKUP HERE AS WELL. I DO THINK THAT THE, THE UNION REPS ARE IMPORTANT TO THIS CONVERSATION AND HAVING A FACILITY AS A, YOU KNOW, TO ROUND THAT OUT IS IMPORTANT. SO, WHICH, WHICH PROMOTER GROUP OR FACILITIES WE'RE TALKING TO. SO MOODY I THINK IS AN EXCELLENT SUGGESTION. UM, THANKS FOR THAT. COMMISSIONER PRUITT, UH, DID YOU HAVE A COMMENT NOW? COMMISSIONER CHAP? I SEE YOU NOW. OH, CHAIR BAILEY, THANKS. YOU KNOW, I DO, UM, I WAS THINKING IN APRIL, EXCUSE ME. YEAH, NO, APRIL, WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF SIXTH STREET, UH, WOULD IT BE BENEFICIAL TO HAVE SOMEONE FROM CAP METRO COME AND TALK TO US AND EXPLAIN, I DON'T THINK WE'VE DONE LIKE A CAP METRO ONE-ON-ONE, BUT WE WOULD NEED THAT. BUT MAYBE MORE SPECIFICALLY HOW TA [01:50:01] CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AUSTIN'S TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM AND HOW THE PLANS, THE DEVELOPMENT OF TYING IN THESE COMMUNITIES, UH, WHAT THE PLANS ARE FOR THAT. I, I JUST, YOU DID NOTE ON OCTOBER, UH, THE, THE, THE TOPIC FOR OCTOBER ON THE BACK HAS TO DO WITH, UM, WELL, IT'S MORE ABOUT, THAT'S, I MEAN, IF IT'S SPECIFIC TO SIX STREET, IT'S SPECIFIC TO YOUR, IT'S SPECIFIC TO I WOULD SAY SIXTH STREET, RAINY STREET, DOWNTOWN. RIGHT. THE EAST SEVENTH CORRIDOR THAT RIGHT. AND KIND OF TALK ABOUT THOSE AREAS IN TERMS OF TRANSPORTATION AND GETTING FOLKS AROUND. UM, SO SPECIFIC SPECIFICALLY, WE INVITE THEM SPECIFICALLY TO IT. WE POINT THEM TO THE AREA WE WANT THEM TO EMPHASIZE AND NOT, NOT A BROAD OVERVIEW OF EVERYTHING WE'RE DOING. I GOTCHA. OKAY. I WOULD BE MORE INTERESTED IN, I'M COMING TO AUSTIN WITHOUT A CAR. TAKE ME TO YOUR NIGHTLIFE, NOT IN YOUR, NOT IN YOUR ROBOT, BUT ALL RIGHT. IN YOUR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. THAT'S A GREAT SUGGESTION. UM, FOR SURE. UH, SO WE WILL ADD THAT TO THE LIST OF, OF POTENTIAL INVITEES. WE'VE, WE, I'VE, I'VE JUST MADE NOTE. WE'LL, AND I, WE WILL JUST KEEP THIS GOING. I MEAN, AGAIN, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IDEAS ARE PERCOLATING. SOMEBODY MIGHT MEET SOMEBODY NEXT WEEK. THAT WOULD BE CHAIRMAN, CHAIRMAN BAILEY. AND ALSO WITH, UM, SEPTEMBER FOR RESTAURANTS, PERHAPS SOMEONE FROM THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT. I KNOW WE'VE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HAVING SIGNAGE OUT AND LETTING FOLKS KNOW. SO I THINK THAT WOULD BE GOOD, AN OPPORTUNITY TO START THOSE CONVERSATIONS. WE'RE TALKING, I, I'M SPECIFICALLY ABOUT VAPING. IS THIS THE VAPING TOPIC? WHAT, WHAT, WHAT ARE YOU SAID PUBLIC HEALTH. PUBLIC HEALTH. SO RATINGS OF RESTAURANTS. WE DID TALK ABOUT VAPING, INDOORS. I THINK THAT MIGHT'VE BEEN A STATE OF TEXAS ACT. UM, BUT THERE WAS, THERE WAS VAPING, BUT THEN THERE WAS ALSO THE, THE HEALTH RATINGS. RIGHT? SO YOU'RE FOR PUBLIC SAFETY, RIGHT? IS THIS RESTAURANT IN A, B, C, WHATNOT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. NOTED. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. COMMISSIONER CHAPEL. ANYONE ELSE? WE ARE AT 4 24. WE STILL HAVE FIVE MINUTES. UM, I WOULD, IF WE DON'T HAVE MORE IN THIS, DO WE, LET ME ASK, JUST, UH, DO WE HAVE ITEM NUMBER SIX? DO WE HAVE AN UPDATE FROM THE SHORT TERM RENTAL WORKING GROUP TODAY? I WANNA MAKE SURE WE HAVE TIME FOR IT. WE DO NOT HAVE AN UPDATE. WE DO NOT. NOW. THE NEXT UPDATE WILL BE TRYING TO GATHER MON UH, UPDATE FROM THE STR HOT COLLECTIONS FROM THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT. SO I'LL FOLLOW UP ON THAT. OKAY. SO, UM, WE CAN END THE MEETING ON THIS TOPIC THAT, THAT WE'RE ON RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF THE ROADMAP, OR IF EVERYONE FEELS THAT WE'VE, WE'VE, WE'VE COVERED IT FOR NOW. UH, I THINK WE'VE GOT THE DIRECTION WE'RE GONNA MOVE FORWARD ON THE TOPICS FOR FEBRUARY AND MARCH AND BEGIN OUTREACH. UM, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. UH, IF WE DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER, UH, QUESTIONS OR THINGS, ITEMS TO DISCUSS, I'LL ASK FOR A MOTION TO ADJOURN. OH, UH, FELICIA, MS. BURLESON, YOU HAVE A COMMENT FOR US. HELP US OUT. . UM, JUST A QUICK REMINDER, SINCE THE DAY OF, OF OUR MEETING HAS BEEN MOVED UP TWO DAYS, WE'RE GOING TO NEED THE AGENDA A LOT SOONER THAN WHAT WE USUALLY DO. SO I NEED TO AT LEAST POST IT BY TUESDAY, THE B BEFORE, PRIOR. SO THAT WOULD BE ON THE THIRD, FEBRUARY 3RD FOR OUR FEBRUARY 9TH. THAT'S ON A TUESDAY. YEAH. THANK YOU . INCLUDE IN THE NOTES, BUT ALSO PLEASE, UH, SEND A EMAIL TO COM, UH, VICE CHAIR, MASTERS, AND I, UH, FOR THE END OF THE WEEK JUST TO KEEP IT ON OUR RADAR. WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL, WE WILL WORK FOR YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. UH, BACK TO, DID YOU, DO YOU HAVE A COMMENT? I'M SORRY. UH, LOOKING FOR, UH, A MOTION TO ADJOURN? A MOTION. I, I HAVE A, I HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER PENOC. AND DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. ALRIGHT. I COMMISSIONER MATHIS PEW. BUT THANK YOU. I'D LIKE SO ALL IN FAVOR? THE MEETING IS ADJOURNED. SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. I HIT THE GAVEL AD IS DONE. THANK YOU. * 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.