Jul 06, 2026 Public Safety Commission

UM, WELL, I THINK MAYBE YOU'RE MUTED.

UM, COMMISSIONER RO GO'S ABSENT.

COMMISSIONER RUTAN PRESENT AND COMMISSIONER SMITH IS ABSENT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE, UH, PUBLIC

[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]

COMMUNICATION.

UH, OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS RUBEN RIVERA CLEMENTE.

MY NAME IS RUBEN RIVERA CLEMENTE SENIOR.

AND I HATE BEING HERE JUST, JUST FOR THE RECORD, BUT I'M BEING HARASSED BY THIS POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND THIS GENTLEMAN KNOWS ABOUT THAT.

HE CAN'T EVEN LOOK ME IN THE FACE FOR OVER 20 SOME YEARS NOW.

AND HE'S TIRED.

SO, AND I'VE DONE LITERALLY EVERYTHING TO STOP IT.

I ALREADY TOLD THE CITY MANAGER ABOUT IT.

THE MAYOR WATSON, DEFINITELY AWARE OF IT, YOU KNOW, HE KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED TO ME, WHAT THE POLICE DID TO ME.

AND I'M BEING HARASSED ALL DAY, EVERY DAY.

AND IT IS TIRESOME.

AND, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.

I ALREADY FILED A COMPLAINT AGAINST LISA DAVIS.

I TRIED TO FILE ANOTHER ONE, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I'M BEING HER.

I MEAN, IT'S JUST CRAZY.

AND THE ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF MANPOWER THEY'RE USING.

THIS IS MY SIXTH LOCATION, AND THIS IS JUST COUNTY SINCE 2013.

SO I, IT'S JUST CRAZY.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.

I'VE COMMUNI, I, I GAVE THREE LETTERS AND I GAVE THE LAST LETTER TO, YOU KNOW, LISA DAVIS, TO THE CITY MANAGER, SAY HERE, AND IT WAS FILLED SO SHE CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH.

AND IT NEEDS TO STOP.

BUT NOTHING, IT LOOKS LIKE THE, THE HARASSMENT CONTINUE.

AND THIS IS ON MY FIFTH LOCATION.

YOU KNOW, I HAD MY WINDSHIELD SMASHED.

YOU KNOW, I HAD, I HAD DENTS IN MY CAR.

I MEAN, THESE ARE THESE GUYS.

THEY STEAL FROM YOU.

THEY BREAK IT.

I MEAN, IT'S JUST CRAZY.

I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THIS ORGANIZED CRIME UNIT, WHICH I'M RENAMING THEM.

MATTER OF FACT, I RENAMED IT AS SOMETHING THAT'S MORE SUITABLE.

HOW THEY CONDUCT THEMSELVES.

I'M CALLING THEM THE ISIS AND TALIBAN UNIT OF AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT.

IF THEY'RE GONNA ACT LIKE TERRORISTS, THEY SHOULD BE CALLED AS MUCH.

AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THEY HAVE A DOZEN TO A DOZEN AND A HALF OFFICERS AROUND ONE PERSON.

ME.

IT DON'T MAKE NO SENSE, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU SEE A CRIME HAPPENING AROUND THE CORNER.

WHAT THESE OFFICERS DOING, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT IS THEIR JOB TO JUST SIT BACK AND LET THE CRIME HAPPEN ALL OVER AUSTIN? IT JUST DON'T MAKE SENSE TO ME HOW THIS POLICE DEPARTMENT WITH A STRAIGHT FACE COULD SAY THAT THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH OFFICERS.

NUMBER ONE.

AND WHY IS THIS UNIT EVEN EXISTS? UNLESS IT'S JUST TO RETALIATE AGAINST THOSE WHO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE POLICE.

IF COMPLAINING AGAINST THE POLICE A CRIME, THEN I'M GUILTY.

CHARGE ME CHIEF.

I'M GUILTY.

I'M SAYING IT AND I'M BEING RECORDED AS WELL.

THERE IT IS.

SO THIS CAN END BECAUSE I'D RATHER GO TO A COURT AND LET THE JUDGE DECIDE OF MY FAITH INSTEAD OF HAVING A LIFE SENTENCE HERE.

THIS IS A LIFE SENTENCE.

20 SOMETHING YEARS ALREADY.

REALLY, IT JUST DON'T MAKE SENSE TO ME.

AND I'M TIRED.

I'M TIRED OF RECORDING IT.

I'M TIRED OF DOCUMENTATING IT.

THAT DUFFLE BAG YOU SEE RIGHT THERE THAT HAS EVIDENCE IN THERE.

I CAN'T LEAVE IT IN MY APARTMENT BECAUSE THEY'LL STEAL IT LIKE THEY'VE DONE BEFORE.

THANK YOU, MR. CLEMENTE.

ALRIGHT.

I DO BELIEVE THERE ARE SOME CHANGES THAT NEED TO BE MADE.

UM, MOVING ON TO THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES.

[APPROVAL OF MINUTES ]

UM, FIRST

[00:05:01]

BEING, UM, THE DATE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2ND, 2026 SHOULD BE AMENDED AS WELL AS COMMISSIONER WAS IN PERSON FOR THE MEETING.

UM, GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THOSE CHANGES.

AND I GUESS IF WE CAN VOTE ON THE AMENDED MINUTES AS, UM, SUGGESTED OR VOTED ON.

SEE, 1, 2, 3.

IT SEEMS COMMISSIONER GODWIN, GODWIN.

ARE YOU ABSTAINING? OKAY.

ALRIGHT, SEE YOU UNANIM.

MISS MINUTES PASSED AS AMENDED.

THE DOCKET IS A QUARTERLY REPORT FROM A PD BY CHIEF OF STAFF ROGERS.

AND FIRST ITEM ON

[2. Quarterly Report from Austin Police Department. Presentation by Lee Rogers, Chief of Staff, Austin Police Department. ]

WELCOME.

GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE.

IT IS NOW , THAT PESKY BUTTON.

I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT'S GONNA GET TODAY, I'M SURE, THOUGH.

SO, AGAIN, UH, JUST TO START OFF AT THE TOP AGAIN, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS.

UH, GENERALLY AS AN OVERVIEW, WE'VE SEEN A REDUCTION, UH, IN ALL SEGMENTS, UH, OVER THE LAST YEAR AND OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, EXCEPT FOR KIDNAPPING AND ABDUCTION CASES.

UH, ONE THING THAT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I HIGHLIGHT ON THIS, THIS SLIDE, WE HAVEN'T HAD A 33% CHANGE IN KIDNAPPINGS AND ABDUCTIONS, SO TO SPEAK.

SO JUST KEEP IN MIND, THESE ARE WHAT ARE CALLED THE NEIGHBORS TITLE CODES.

THESE ARE WHAT WE REPORT OUT.

BUT THIS INCLUDES, UH, UNLAWFUL RESTRAINT.

UH, OF THOSE 159 OFFENSES, UH, WITHIN THE LAST QUARTER, UH, WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IS THAT 130 OF THOSE ARE OFF OFFENSE, ARE UNLAWFUL RESTRAINTS.

UM, AND 72 OF THOSE ARE FAMILY VIOLENCE RELATED.

AND WHAT UNLAWFUL RESTRAINT IS IF PEOPLE ARE INVOLVED IN AN ARGUMENT, SOMEBODY'S TRYING TO LEAVE AND ONE PERSON STOPS, ANOTHER PERSON FROM BEING ABLE TO LEAVE.

SO THE BULK OF THESE CASES THAT WE'RE SEEING ARE ACTUALLY TIED TO FAMILY DISTURBANCES WHERE ONE PARTY REFUSES TO ALLOW ANOTHER PARTY TO LEAVE BLOCKS SOMEBODY IN WITH A CAR, PHYSICALLY BLOCKS THEM, THREATENS THEM, SOMETHING TO THAT EXTENT.

SO, UH, WE DON'T JUST HAVE, UH, 159 KIDNAPPINGS AND ABDUCTIONS, UH, GOING ON IN THE TOWN.

UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I, I WILL NOTE ALSO IS WE SEE, UH, A MAJOR REDUCTION IN OUR HUMAN TRAFFICKING CASES, UH, THAT WERE FILED IN THE MOST RECENT TIME PERIOD.

UH, PART OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH SOME OPERATIONS THAT WE'LL SEE, UH, THAT WE DID, UM, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, COMING UP.

SO WHEN WE LOOK AGAINST CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS, WE'LL JUST DRILL DOWN REAL QUICK TO THAT.

PROSTITUTION OFFENSES, WE SEE A MAJOR INCREASE IN THAT.

WHAT THAT IS GOING TO BE DRIVEN BY OUR OPERATIONS AND SPECIFICALLY OPERATIONS THAT FELL WITHIN THIS TIME PERIOD.

WERE GONNA BE SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST, WHERE WE WERE ACTUALLY TARGETING INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE SOLICITING, UH, INDIVIDUALS, UH, FOR SEX OFFENSES, UH, WITHIN THAT ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT SURROUNDING, UH, THAT TWO WEEK PERIOD SURROUNDING SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST.

SO THIS WAS ACTUALLY TARGETED OPERATIONS, UH, TO HELP REDUCE, UH, THAT DRIVE, UH, FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING.

BOTH BE BOTH LEADING UP TO AND DURING THAT SOUTH BY TIMEFRAME.

UH, WE'VE SEEN A REDUCTION IN, UH, IN VIRTUALLY EVERY OTHER CATEGORY, UH, EXCEPT, UH, FOR NARCOTICS OFFENSES.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANNA POINT OUT FOR NARCOTICS OFFENSES IS WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS A RETURN TO PRE PANDEMIC NUMBERS.

BUT WHAT I WANT TO LET EVERYBODY KNOW, 'CAUSE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE DISCUSSED LAST TIME, AND I THINK I HAD TO PROVIDE SOME FOLLOW UP, SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE AND HIT IT AGAIN THIS TIME FROM THE BEGINNING, IS THAT, UH, WE HAVE SEEN THAT ONLY ABOUT 18% OF OUR MARIJUANA CASES RESULT IN ARREST.

THAT'S BECAUSE THE CITY'S STANCE AND THE DEPARTMENT'S STANCE IS THAT WE'RE NOT ARRESTING FOR THOSE LOWER LEVEL MARIJUANA CHARGES,

[00:10:01]

BUT IT'S STILL SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO SEIZE.

SO WE'RE SEIZING IT BECAUSE IT'S STILL A VIOLATION OF THE LAW, BUT WE'RE NOT FILING CHARGES FOR IT.

SO WE HAVE TO DOCUMENT THAT WE SEIZED IT, TURN IT IN, AND MAKE IT AVAILABLE FOR DESTRUCTION.

SO THAT'S WHY YOU'RE SEEING THIS, UH, AS AN INCREASE, WHEREAS YOU'RE ONLY SEEING 18% OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE BEING CHARGED.

BUT AGAIN, THIS IS BACK TO OUR PRE OUR PRE PANDEMIC, UH, NUMBERS, UH, ALWAYS A, A HOT TOPIC IS OUR, UH, OUR IMMIGRATION ENGAGEMENT.

UM, WE DO PUT THIS OUT AS PART OF, UH, RESOLUTION 74.

BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT HERE IS THESE ARE OUR NUMBERS, UH, FOR 2026.

AND THE, THE REALLY IMPORTANT NUMBER TO LOOK AT IS THE CUSTODY BY ICE.

SO THIS IS THE NUMBER OF TIMES IN WHICH A PD OFFICERS HAVE MADE CONTACT WITH SOMEONE, AND ICE HAS ACTUALLY COME OUT AND TAKEN CUSTODY OF THAT INDIVIDUAL FOR CALENDAR YEAR 26 YEAR TO DATE.

WE'VE ONLY HAD FOUR INSTANCES BY THIS, THESE NUMBERS.

AND, UM, KEEP IN MIND THAT, UH, ONE OF THOSE WAS THE, THE ORIGINAL CASE.

IT WAS THE CATALYST FOR THIS BIG DISCUSSION IN THIS COMMUNITY, IT IN JANUARY.

SO THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT IS HAPPENING EVERY SINGLE DAY WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY, AND WE JUST WANTED TO BE ABLE TO REPORT OUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.

UH, WE DO HAVE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE, UH, ULTIMATELY DETAINED AS PART OF A DETAINER.

UH, THE NUMBER ONE REASON YOU'LL SEE IS PART OF THAT CRIMINAL ARREST.

SO SOMEBODY'S ALREADY ARRESTED FOR ANOTHER CRIMINAL OFFENSE, AND THERE IS A DETAINER THAT'S HANDLED AT THE JAIL.

UH, BUT IN TERMS OF, UH, CUSTODY BY ICE, BECAUSE OF A PD BEING OUT, UH, MAKING CONTACT WITH AN INDIVIDUAL ONLY FOUR TIMES, UH, IN 2026 TO DATE.

UH, ONE OF THE OTHER ISSUES THAT, UH, WE DID DISCUSS WITH THIS GROUP, UH, IN THE RECENT PAST WAS OUR, THE BACKLOG AT THE DIGITAL EVIDENCE MANAGEMENT UNIT.

THIS WAS, HOW LONG WAS IT TAKING US IN ORDER TO GET CASES FROM ARREST, GET ALL OF THE INFORMATION PACKAGED AND AVAILABLE FOR PROSECUTION AT THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.

AS OF JANUARY 1ST, OUR TOTAL OUTSTANDING REQUEST TO DROP FROM ALMOST 11,000 TO JUST UNDER 1800.

SO AN 84% REDUCTION AT THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.

WE'VE REDUCED THAT BY 95%.

AND AT THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, WE'RE DOWN TO 73%.

WE'RE NEVER GONNA SEE THESE NUMBERS AT ZERO.

THERE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE CASES, BUT, UH, WE'VE GOT 90 DAYS IN WHICH TO TURN THESE CASES AROUND.

WE'RE AT ABOUT 30 DAYS WITH THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, AND WE'RE AT ABOUT 60 DAYS WITH THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.

SO WE'VE MADE SOME MAJOR STRIDES IN THIS.

WE MADE THIS A PRIORITY.

I TOLD YOU WE WERE GOING TO WHEN WE CAME HERE AND DISCUSSED THIS IN THE PAST.

AND THE GROUP THAT'S WORKING ON THIS HAS DONE AN AN AMAZING JOB.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP THAT THEY'VE GOT WITH THE COUNTY ATTORNEY AND THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY, AND THEN FINDING A BETTER WAY TO, UH, TO GET THIS DONE.

SO, I DON'T ANTICIPATE THIS BEING AN ISSUE IN THE FUTURE, BUT IT'S GONNA BE SOMETHING THAT WE CONTINUE TO KEEP AN EYE ON, AND IT'S GONNA BE SOMETHING THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO, TO REPORT OUT.

UH, IT'S AN ISSUE FOR THE COMMUNITY, IT'S AN ISSUE FOR US.

SO WE'RE GONNA KEEP AN EYE ON IT.

UH, SPEAKING OF COMMUNITY ISSUES, UH, I CAN'T HELP BUT, UH, ENJOY TALKING ABOUT A LOT OF THE DIFFERENT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROJECTS, UH, THAT WE HAVE GOING ON.

UH, DOWN IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT, YOU'LL SEE, UH, WHAT MUST HAVE BEEN AN ABSOLUTE MISERABLE TIME.

IT'S OUR, OUR ANNUAL BOMB TECH BOMB SUIT RUN.

I CAN'T IMAGINE, UH, WORKING IN THAT, UH, LET ALONE, UH, RUNNING AS A FUNDRAISER, UH, FOR IT.

BUT THOSE GUYS DID IT.

THEY DO AN AMAZING JOB.

UH, ONE OF THE REALLY BIG THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN SEEING OUT IN THE COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW THAT WE'VE BEEN REALLY HAPPY ABOUT IS THE TYPE OF RESPONSE THAT WE'RE GETTING IN THE PARKS.

UH, WITH OUR MOUNTED UNIT, OUR MOUNTED UNIT BEING OUT IN THE PARKS, BEING MORE VISIBLE.

IT'S ONE OF THOSE UNITS THAT WE REALLY, UH, WE REALLY GET A LOT OF, UH, OF GOOD FEEDBACK WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.

EVERYBODY LIKES TO, TO SEE THE HORSES, BUT IT'S A VERY VISIBLE, UH, DETERRENT THAT WE'RE ABLE TO PUT OUT THERE IN SOME OF THOSE AREAS THAT WE'VE HAD ISSUES WITH IN THE PAST, UH, ESPECIALLY OUR PARKS DEALING WITH VEHICLE BURGLARIES AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.

SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE THEM, HAVE THEM OUT VISIBLE IN THE PARKS.

WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR CALL VOLUME, UH, OVER THE, OVER THE PERIOD OF TIME, WE JUST SEEM TO BE FOLLOWING, UH, THAT NATURAL SEASONAL CURVE.

WE'LL ALWAYS SEEM TO SEE THE, THE CALLS, UH, THE CALLS DROP IN THE WINTERTIME, AND THEN START TO START TO PICK UP AS WE GO THROUGH SPRING INTO SUMMER.

UH, NONE OF THIS SEEMS TO BE STATISTICALLY

[00:15:01]

SIGNIFICANT.

WE SEEM TO BE CONSISTENT YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT IN TERMS OF WHAT OUR CALL VOLUME LOOKS LIKE.

THE SAME GOES, UH, FOR OUR PRIORITY ZERO AND PRIORITY ONE RESPONSE TIMES.

THESE ARE OUR MOST CRITICAL CALLS.

OUR, OUR CALL TIMES RESPONSE TIMES, UH, HAVE BEEN APPROVING IMPROVING.

UM, BUT IT'S JUST A LITTLE BIT, UH, EACH AND EVERY, EACH AND EVERY MONTH.

WE'RE SEEING, UH, MINOR IMPROVEMENTS.

I BELIEVE WE CAN TRULY ATTRIBUTE THAT TO THE MORE OFFICERS THAT WE'RE GRADUATING FROM OUR ACADEMY CLASSES.

THE MORE OFFICERS THAT I HAVE ON THE STREET, THE MORE OFFICERS THAT I HAVE AVAILABLE FOR TIMELY CALL RESPONSE.

SO THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GONNA SEE THE DIFFERENCE IN OUR CALL RESPONSE AND IN OUR TIMES.

UH, THIS ONE IS JUST A QUICK SNAPSHOT AND OVERVIEW OF, UH, OUR CALL VOLUME AND OUR AVERAGE RESPONSE TIME, UH, BY COUNCIL DISTRICT.

SPEAKING OF STAFFING LEVELS, UH, WE ARE CURRENTLY, THESE NUMBERS ARE JUST A BIT OFF BECAUSE WHEN THEY PULLED THESE NUMBERS, THEY DID NOT INCLUDE THE 36 CADETS THAT GRADUATED THAT AREN'T PERMANENTLY ASSIGNED TO A SHIFT, BUT ARE IN THE FIELD TRAINING PROGRAM.

SO I AM ONLY DOWN, I'M DOWN TO ONLY THREE HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN, THREE HUNDRED TWELVE, THREE HUNDRED FOURTEEN VACANCIES, AND, UH, 1,505 ACTUAL OFFICERS IN SLOTS.

SO THIS IS, UH, THIS IS THE LOWEST VACANCY RATE WE'VE HAD IN QUITE A WHILE.

THE NEXT SLIDE IS JUST SIMPLY, UH, MY ALLOCATION OF PATROL STAFFING LEVELS, UH, BASED ON THE DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHIC SECTORS.

AS YOU CAN SEE, MOST OF THOSE SECTORS ARE RUNNING ABOUT THE SAME LEVEL OF STAFFING ACROSS THE BOARD.

ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH IS NOT JUST THE NUMBER OF OFFICERS THAT WE HIRE, BUT BUT OUR ATTRITION RATES.

WE HAD SEEN OVER THE, THE PAST FEW YEARS, OUR ATTRITION RATES HAD CREPT UP, UH, RELATIVELY HIGH IN OUR CADET CLASSES.

WE'VE STARTED TO SEE THAT GO DOWN.

UH, THIS APPEARS TO BE A TREND ACROSS THE COUNTRY, NOT JUST WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT, UH, BUT I BELIEVE THAT FIRE HAS BEEN SEEING SOME OF THESE SIMILAR ISSUES AS WELL.

UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE, WE'VE REALLY WORKED ON IS TRYING TO STREAMLINE THAT HIRING PROCESS.

UH, WHEN FOLKS ARE LOOKING FOR JOBS, WHEN THEY'RE TRYING TO COME ON, OFTENTIMES THEY END UP GOING WITH THE ORGANIZATION THAT'S ABLE TO OFFER THEM A JOB MOST QUICKLY.

PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR A JOB.

SO WE HAVE BEEN WORKING TO STREAMLINE THAT PROCESS, TO EXPEDITE THAT PROCESS, TO HAVE MORE ACADEMY CLASSES AND GET PEOPLE IN SO THAT OUR NUMBERS AREN'T AFFECTED BY PEOPLE WHO WE HAD OFFERED JOBS TO, BUT THEN ENDED UP TAKING A JOB SOMEWHERE ELSE.

AND SO FROM WHAT WE ATTEMPTED TO HIRE IN THE BEGINNING AND THEN A TRIP FROM THERE, UH, WE'VE ALSO, UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT JUST DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN, UM, PREPARE THOSE, UH, FOR THE ACADEMY, BOTH FROM AN ACADEMIC STANDPOINT AND FROM A PHYSICAL STANDPOINT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS THAT WE HIRE WHAT'S, UH, WHAT IT TAKES, UH, TO DO THE JOB, TO BE PREPARED, UH, FROM DAY ONE TO GO INTO THAT ACADEMY.

UH, OUR PEOPLE ARE OUR MOST VALUABLE RESOURCE, AND WE DEFINITELY WANT TO RETAIN EVERY SINGLE PERSON THAT WE HIRE SO THAT WE CAN GET THEM OUT THERE ONTO THE STREET AND INTO THE COMMUNITY.

ONE OF THE WAYS, SOME OF THE WAYS THAT WE'RE DOING THAT IS, UH, INSTRUCTOR DEVELOPMENT, MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE PROVIDING THE BEST TOOLS TO HAVE THE BEST INSTRUCTORS POSSIBLE.

UH, THE VIDEO LIBRARY WITH KROLL, UH, C-S-C-R-M, UH, AN INTERNSHIP PIPELINE.

I, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES LAW ENFORCEMENT DIFFERENT THAN THE PUBLIC, OTHER PUBLIC SAFETY ENTITIES WHEN IT COMES TO A PIPELINE IS YOU CAN'T BE A POLICE OFFICER.

YOU CAN'T START OUR ACADEMY UNTIL YOU'RE 20 AND A HALF YEARS OLD.

SO WHERE, WHERE THAT DISCONNECT IS BETWEEN HIGH SCHOOL, WHEN THEY GRADUATE, AND THEN WHEN THEY CAN START, WHAT, WHAT HAPPENS? HOW DO WE KEEP PEOPLE ENGAGED? THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH TOWARD AN INTERNSHIP, UH, PROGRAMS WITH TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY.

DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING OUT THERE, JUST TO TRY TO KEEP THAT INTEREST, KEEP PEOPLE ENGAGED, GET PEOPLE EMPLOYED, BECOME PART OF THE COMMUNITY, PART OF THE CITY, AND, UH, AND READY JUST TO MAKE THAT TRANSITION OVER TO A PD AS SOON AS THEY'RE OLD ENOUGH AT 20 AND A HALF, UH, TO JOIN THE, TO JOIN THE TEAM

[00:20:06]

WHEN IT COMES TO, UH, BUDGET AND PER PERSONNEL EXPENSES ARE ALWAYS GONNA BE OUR, OUR LARGEST COST DRIVER.

AND, UH, OVERTIME I AM, I ANTICIPATE THAT WE WILL, UH, WE'LL COME IN AT BUDGET ON OVERTIME.

UH, OVERTIME IS A DIRECT CORRELATION.

MY OVERTIME SPENDING IS A DIRECT CORRELATION TO THE NUMBER OF VACANCIES THAT I HAVE IN THE DEPARTMENT.

THE MORE OFFICERS THAT I HAVE AVAILABLE ON THE STREET, THE LESS THAT I HAVE TO RELY ON OVERTIME TO DO THE WORK THAT IS REQUIRED, UH, TO POLICE THE CITY THE SIZE OF AUSTIN, UH, TO THE LEVEL THAT THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN HAVE COME TO EXPECT.

ALRIGHT.

I KNOW I BURNED THROUGH IT KIND OF FAST, BUT, UH, I KNOW THAT USUALLY THAT'S, UH, EVERYBODY LIKES TO SAVE TIME FOR QUESTIONS MORE THAN, UH, JUST LOOK AT MY SLIDES ANYWAY, SO HAPPY TO ANSWER WHATEVER QUESTIONS THE THE GROUP HAS TODAY.

ALRIGHT, APPRECIATE IT.

UH, CHIEF STAFF ROGERS, UM, I THINK I SPEAK FOR ALL OF US AND, AND JUST PRAISING THAT THE BACKLOG IS BEING REDUCED BY AN AGGREGATE OF ABOUT 84%.

AND IT'S, I LIKE TO SEE THE GREATER VISIBILITY IN THE COMMUNITY.

I BELIEVE, UM, MY, UH, COUNCIL PERSON, VELAZQUEZ DOES LIKE SHOP WITH THE COP.

HE'S DOES DIFFERENT THINGS.

SO SEEING POLICE OUT THERE OTHER THAN JUST LIKE AN ACTION IN THE COMMUNITY IS APPRECIATED ON MY END.

I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION ABOUT THE IN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM.

YOU MENTIONED YOU WERE WORKING WITH TEXAS STATE.

ARE THERE ANY, UM, UNIVERSITIES IN AUSTIN THAT ARE OPEN TO THAT PROGRAM AS WELL? OR IS IT JUST TEXAS STATE, THE PILOT? WELL, TEXAS STATE HAS A, HAS A ROBUST CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROGRAM, AND IT'S KIND OF A NATURAL FIT.

UH, WE'VE GOT SEVERAL MEMBERS OF OUR COMMAND STAFF THAT ACTUALLY TEACH DOWN THERE.

SO WE'VE REALLY GOT A CONNECTION.

UH, THERE.

I I TELL YOU, I WILL, I WILL TAKE A CONNECTION ANYWHERE AND EVERYWHERE, WHEREVER, WHEREVER WE CAN GO, WHOEVER WE CAN GET IN FRONT OF, WHOEVER WE CAN SPREAD THE MESSAGE ABOUT WHAT A DIFFERENCE OUR OFFICERS ARE MAKING IN THE COMMUNITY AND WHAT AN OPPORTUNITY IT IS, UH, FOR THESE YOUNG COLLEGE STUDENTS TO HAVE AN, AN INTEREST IN THAT.

UM, AND IT DOESN'T JUST HAVE TO BE, UH, COLLEGE STUDENTS WITH THAT INTERNSHIP PROGRAM, BUT WE'RE WORKING, UH, WE'VE GONE OUTSIDE, UH, WITH A RECRUITING FIRM, UH, LOOKING AT DIFFERENT WAYS IN WHICH TO ENGAGE AND DESIGN SOME, UH, SOME BETTER INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS, UH, JUST TO CONTINUE SOME OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING IN THE HIGH SCHOOLS WITH OUR EXPLORER PROGRAMS AS WELL.

QUESTIONS FROM DI, UH, OTHER COMMISSIONERS? COMMISSIONER SIERRA .

UH, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.

A BRIEF FOLLOW UP, THERE WAS AN ITEM AT THE BOTTOM, UH, OF THE ACADEMY SECTION MIGRATING TESTING SYSTEMS. CAN YOU EXPAND ON WHAT THAT IS? TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM PAPER TO, UH, COMPUTERS IN THE CLASSROOMS. GOT IT.

UM, THE CHANGE IN THE ATTRITION RATES IS VERY ENCOURAGING.

UH, IT'S ALSO QUITE LARGE ABOUT A ALMOST 50% DECREASE IN ATTRITION RATES.

CAN YOU EXPAND ON WHAT YOU THINK MIGHT BE LEADING, YOU SAID VERY GENERALLY TRYING TO GET BETTER INFORMATION FOR WHO'S IN THE ROLES AND GETTING, UH, ALIGNMENT, BUT CAN YOU, CAN YOU SPECIFY WHAT EXACTLY THE DEPARTMENT IS DOING, IF ANYTHING, TO TARGET THOSE PARTICULAR ISSUES? I THINK WHERE WE'VE PROBABLY SEEN THE MOST SUCCESS IS ABOUT THE TIME THAT WE'VE SEEN THIS CHANGE.

WE ACTUALLY BROUGHT RECRUITING AND TRAINING BACK UNDER THE SAME COMMAND.

SO WE HAD HAD THEM DIVIDED BEFORE UNDER DIFFERENT COMMANDERS.

AND SO I THINK THAT BEING COMBINED, SO FROM, I, I THINK MAYBE WE HAD BEEN MEASURING SUCCESS DIFFERENTLY.

SO IF I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR RECRUITING SUCCESS FOR ME IS THE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS THAT I'M, THAT I'M ABLE TO, TO GET INTO THE ACADEMY ON DAY ONE.

IF AT THE SAME TIME, IF I WAS THE RECRUITING COMMAND, THE TRAINING COMMANDER, SUCCESS FOR ME WAS THE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS THAT I WAS ABLE TO GRADUATE.

WELL, NOW I'M ALL ONE PERSON THE SAME.

SO SUCCESS FOR ME IS BOTH.

AND SO I THINK THAT WE'VE BEEN VERY UPFRONT TODAY ABOUT WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS ARE ACADEMICALLY, WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS ARE PHYSICALLY, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE PREPARING OUR APPLICANTS OR OUR, OUR CADETS PRIOR TO COMING IN ABOUT WHAT THAT'S GONNA BE.

WE ALSO HAVE A PRE ACADEMY WHERE YOU DON'T START DAY ONE WITH THE ACADEMICS AND EVERYTHING, AND WE'RE JUST KIND OF, UM, KIND OF THINKING A, A, A DIFFERENT APPROACH THAN MAYBE WE DID BEFORE.

UH, MORE FOCUSED ON THE ADULT LEARNING, ALL OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO MAKE THOSE, UH, THOSE CHANGES

[00:25:01]

OVER THE YEARS.

BUT I THINK JUST BEING UPFRONT AND PREPARING AND JUST LETTING THEM KNOW THIS IS GONNA BE ACADEMICALLY CHALLENGING.

THERE ARE GONNA BE SOME PHYSICAL CHALLENGES, UH, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S JUST PREPARING OUR OFFICERS TO BE THE BEST THAT THEY CAN.

I THINK THAT'S MADE A DIFFERENCE.

THANK YOU, CHIEF.

ANY FEEL BEARING PLEASE? JUST ONE LAST QUESTION.

THE, UH, ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE OF THE ACADEMY, MY UNDERSTANDING HAS BEEN IN, IN A BIT OF FLUX, WE'LL CALL IT FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS OR SO.

UH, AT ONE POINT THERE WAS A SWORN COMMANDER THAT WAS THE HEAD OF THE ACADEMY WITH A CIVILIAN ROLE THAT WAS, UH, OFFICIALLY SUPPOSED TO BE AT EQUAL RANK WITH THAT COMMANDER ROLE WHILE BEING AN UNSWORN POSITION, THAT ROLE HAS BEEN VACANT TO MY UNDERSTANDING FOR SOME TIME.

HAS THAT ROLE BEEN FILLED? ARE THERE PLANS WITHIN THE A PD TO FILL THAT CIVILIAN ROLE THAT IS AT EQUAL LEVEL WITH THAT COMMANDER ROLE? I, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THERE'S A PLAN TO DO THAT AT THE PRESENT TIME, BUT WE DO HAVE A VERY, UH, ROBUST CIVILIAN SIDE, UH, THAT IS, UH, ASSISTING US WITH THE LESSON PLANS WITH, UM, WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE, WHICH WAS THE INSTRUCTOR DEVELOPMENT AND FOCUSING ON ARE WE, ARE WE PROVIDING OUR INSTRUCTORS WITH THE RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO, TO TEACH THE, THE EVALUATION OF THOSE INSTRUCTORS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE BEING SUCCESSFUL AND UTILIZING THAT CIVILIAN STAFF, UH, WHO MAY HAVE A HISTORICAL BACKGROUND IN EDUCATION, SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES SO THAT WE CAN REALLY EVALUATE AND TAKE A HARD LOOK AT THE PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE OFFERING AND HOW WE'RE DOING THINGS.

THANK YOU CHIEF COMMISSIONERS COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT.

HOW BIG IS THAT STAFF? I BELIEVE IT'S ABOUT 11 OR 12 INDIVIDUALS OVER THERE THAT ARE, THAT ARE WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES, UH, TO DO THAT.

GREAT.

UM, UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT PRESENTATION.

I HAVE A REALLY QUICK QUESTION ABOUT THE TRAINING ACADEMY DATA, UM, OR REALLY ALSO A REQUEST, UM, UH, FOR THIS PRESENTATION AND IN FUTURE PRESENTATIONS.

COULD YOU LABEL THE TRAINING ACADEMIES CLEARLY SO THAT WE KNOW WHICH ONES ARE, UM, OFFICERS WHO ARE JUST BEING TRAINED? THEY'VE, THEY'VE BEEN TRAINED TO BE PEACE OFFICERS, BUT THEY'RE BEING SORT OF TRAINED UP, UM, TO A PD VERSUS FOLKS WHO ARE STARTING FROM SCRATCH, LIKE A MODIF.

I'M, I, I WANT TO, I WANT TO GET YOU WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, SO I WANNA MAKE SURE, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR.

SO RIGHT NOW, WE ARE ONLY RUNNING A, SO YOU'RE ASKING, ARE YOU ASKING FOR RETENTION NUMBERS ON PRIOR EXPERIENCE VERSUS NO EXPERIENCE, OR NO.

WELL, SO WHAT I'D LIKE IS YOU, YOU RUN MODIFIED ACADEMIES OCCASIONALLY FOR FOLKS WHO HAVE ALREADY BEEN PEACE OFFICERS SOMEPLACE ELSE, AND THEY WANNA TRANSITION TO A PD.

UM, SO WHEN YOU GIVE US THE STATS ON THE RETENTION RATES, I JUST LIKE THE ACADEMIES THAT ARE, THAT ARE MODIFIED ACADEMIES, THAT IS, THEY WERE ONLY FOLKS WHO'D PREVIOUSLY WORKED AS PEACE OFFICERS LABELED SO THAT WE KNOW WHICH ONES ARE JUST REGULAR ACADEMIES WITH FOLKS STARTING FROM SCRATCH AND WHICH ONES ARE ACADEMIES THAT ARE MODIFIED AND SHORTENED BECAUSE THEY'RE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY PEACE OFFICERS.

ABSOLUTELY.

THAT'S AN EASY FIX.

I CAN MAKE SURE THAT HAPPENS.

AND WE HAVE, WE'VE REQUESTED THIS IN THE PAST AND WE'VE GOTTEN IT IN THE PAST, BUT IT REALLY NEEDS TO BE ON THIS SLIDE EVERY TIME THE DATA'S PRESENTED.

OTHERWISE, IT'S, IT'S REALLY CONFUSING FOR US.

WELL, ALL OF THESE CLASSES LISTED HERE WOULD'VE BEEN REGULAR CLASSES.

WE HAVEN'T HOSTED A MODIFIED CLASS IN QUITE A WHILE, SO YOU CAN BE ASSURED THAT FOR THESE THAT WERE LISTED, UH, WITHIN THIS DATA PACKET, THAT'S GONNA BE REGULAR CLASSES.

THAT'S HELPFUL.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER HAN.

UM, I APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION AND I HAD A QUESTION ABOUT THE DIGITAL EVIDENCE MANAGEMENT UNIT, SO THANK YOU FOR INCLUDING THAT AS WELL AS ALSO THANK YOU FOR INCLUDING THE, UM, IMMIGRATION ENGAGEMENT AND RESPONDING TO SOME OF THE PREVIOUS REQUESTS.

SO I, I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT AND HOPE THAT WE'LL CONTINUE TO SEE THOSE IN THE QUARTERLIES, UM, SPECIFICALLY ON THE DIGITAL EVIDENCE MANAGEMENT UNIT.

SO VERY HAPPY TO SEE THOSE NUMBERS SIGNIFICANTLY DROPPING AND UNDERSTAND THAT OBVIOUSLY THERE'S ALWAYS GONNA BE SOME NUMBERS THERE FOR THE REASONS THAT YOU SAID.

WHEN IT LISTS HERE COUNTY ATTORNEY REQUESTS AND DISTRICT ATTORNEY REQUESTS, HOW DOES THAT RELATE TO THE PUBLIC DEFENDER, UH, REQUEST? I KNOW THAT WAS ONE OF THE COMPONENTS THAT CAME TO US THE OTHER MONTH, UM, WITH SOME OF THEIR CONCERNS.

IS THAT INCLUDED IN THIS REQUEST OR IS THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S ONE SEPARATE FROM HERE? SO THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE ISN'T MAKING REQUESTS DIRECTLY TO A PD OR THEY, THEY SHOULDN'T BE.

IF THEY, IF THEY'RE DOING THAT, IT'S MAKING THE SYSTEM MORE DIFFICULT.

THEY SHOULD BE GETTING THE DISCOVERY ITEMS THROUGH

[00:30:01]

THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE OR THROUGH THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.

I THINK THEIR CONCERN AT ONE POINT WAS THE BACKLOG WAS SO GREAT ON US GETTING IT THERE, THAT THEY WERE TRYING TO FIND ANOTHER AVENUE, UH, THAT WAS MAKING THINGS MORE DIFFICULT, BECAUSE IF THEY WERE GETTING A SUBPOENA AND THEN SUBPOENAING US FOR THE RECORDS, THAT WAS THE SAME STAFF THAT'S PREPARING THE ITEMS FOR THE COUNTY ATTORNEY OR THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY WAS THEN HAVING TO PULL THAT JUST TO SATISFY THAT SUBPOENA REQUEST.

SO THE FACT THAT WE ARE GETTING IT TO THE COUNTY ATTORNEY WITHIN 30 DAYS, AND THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY WITHIN 60 DAYS FOR CURRENT CASES, THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET THAT INFORMATION FROM THOSE ACTUAL PROSECUTORS AT THAT, WITHIN THAT TIMEFRAME.

SO THAT OKAY.

THE, THE FACT THAT WE'VE CLEANED UP OUR END, UM, TO THIS EXTREME SHOULD SOLVE THEIR PROBLEM.

UH, VICE CHAIR RAMIREZ, I HAD A COUPLE OF QUICK FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS ON THE DIGITAL EVIDENCE MANAGEMENT UNIT.

UM, 20 THOU, NEARLY 20,000 REQUEST CLOSE IS PRETTY STAGGERING.

WHAT CLOSES A REQUEST? IS THAT PROVIDING INFORMATION OR IS THERE A SERIES OF STATUSES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO CLOSING A REQUEST? SOME OF SOME OF THOSE REQUESTS HAVE BEEN, SOME OF THE REQUESTS HAVE BEEN PRIORITIZED.

AND SO, UM, WHAT MAKES THEM CLOSED OUT IS THAT WE, WE ANSWER THAT REQUEST.

SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID IS MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE PRIORITIZING THOSE BASED ON A DOCKET LIST.

SO WE WOULD GET A LIST, UH, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WEEK OR AT THE BEG WHENEVER THEY WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE IT FROM EITHER THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE OR THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND LET US KNOW, UM, WHAT THOSE CASES WERE THAT WERE GOING TO BE NEARING TRIAL DATES.

SO AS WE WOULD TAKE CARE OF THOSE, IF SOMETHING HAPPENED THAT CAUSED, SO IF THERE WERE MULTIPLE CASES CHARGES FILED AGAINST AN INDIVIDUAL AND ONE CASE WAS DISPOSED OF, AND IT CAUSED MULTIPLE CASES TO BE DISMISSED, THEN WE WOULD SEE THOSE FOLLOW ON CASES, THOSE REQUESTS GO AWAY.

SO SOMETIMES MAYBE JUST BY HANDLING A CASE, WE WERE A REQUEST, WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE MULTIPLE REQUESTS GO AWAY.

UM, SOMETIMES I, I THINK WE MAY HAVE SEEN OTHER CASES THAT MAY HAVE BEEN DISPOSED OF JUST BECAUSE OF THE, THE TIME OF THE BACKLOG.

BUT WHERE WE ARE TODAY IS THAT THE REQUESTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE, WE HAVE PROCESSED UP TO THE POINT, UH, THAT I SHOWED YOU WITH THOSE NUMBERS.

WHEN YOU SAY DISPOSED OF, DOES THAT MEAN CHARGES WERE DROPPED? MORE THAN LIKELY, YES.

I GUESS THATS WHAT I'M TRYING, YES.

ARE SOME OF THESE CLOSED BECAUSE THE CASES WE CHOSE TO WALK AWAY FROM CASES, THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET AN UNDERSTANDING OF.

MORE THAN LIKELY THAT'S A REALLY LARGE NUMBER THAN, OKAY.

UM, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO KNOW HOW MANY OF THESE WERE CLOSED BECAUSE CHARGES WERE DROPPED, LIKE ALL OF THE DIFFERENT DISPOSITIONS THAT READ TO THESE CLOSED STATUS.

'CAUSE I WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE UNDERSTANDING WHAT CHANGE IN APDS PROCESS LED YOU GUYS TO BE ABLE TO, IN TWO MONTHS TIME, CLOSE 20,000 CASES VERSUS THE PAST YEAR WHERE YOU THEY WERE, THEY WERE PUTTERING OUT SO SLOWLY.

SO I WANNA UNDERSTAND WHAT PROCESS CHANGE, UM, CAME ABOUT TO ENABLE YOU GUYS TO CLOSE THIS MONEY THIS QUICKLY? 'CAUSE I, THAT WAS OUR QUESTION THE VERY FIRST TIME IS LIKE WE WANTED TO UNDERSTAND PROCESS.

SO I DON'T WANNA LET GO OF THAT THREAD BECAUSE WE SEE THESE SHINY NUMBERS, WHICH ARE IMPRESSIVE, AND I AM HAPPY, UM, WITH THAT.

I'M STILL WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM THE, UM, COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND THE, UM, AND THE DEFENDER'S OFFICE TO UNDERSTAND HOW THEIR RE HOW, HOW THE IMPACT THAT THEY'RE FEELING FROM THIS CHANGE.

BUT I, I STILL WANNA UNDERSTAND PROCESS.

SO JUST GONNA LEAVE THAT THERE.

UM, UH, AND THEN MY SECOND QUESTION WAS AROUND, UM, AGAIN, CIRCLING BACK TO THE, UM, THE DRUG OFFENSIVE, UM, I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND THE DI UM, THE, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SEIZURES, THE ACTUAL NUMBERS, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SEIZURES AND ARRESTS, PLEASE.

SOUNDS GOOD.

I'LL GET IT TO YOU.

FOCUSING ON THE SOLICITATION, UM, BECAUSE THAT'S WHO WE SHOULD BE TARGETING.

COMMISSIONER , ALSO A QUESTION UNDER THE, UM, CRIME NUMBERS.

SO UNDER THE PROSTITUTION OFFENSES, I KNOW YOU SAID THAT THE MAJORITY OF THOSE WERE FOR A SOLICITATION.

UM, DO YOU HAVE THE BREAKDOWN THERE, UM, OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN PROVIDE FOR US COMPARED TO HISTORICAL NORMS? BECAUSE I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT YOU ARE PREDOMINANTLY

[00:35:02]

UM, WOULD IT'D BE HELPFUL TO SEE WHAT THAT BREAKDOWN IS AND HOW THIS CHANGED? I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAD THAT READILY AVAILABLE OR NOT.

I DON'T HAVE IT WITH ME RIGHT HERE IN TERMS OF, UH, THE NUMBERS, UH, THAT WERE SOLICITATION VERSUS, UM, PROSTITUTION ITSELF.

CORRECT.

SO WE HUNDRED, BUT I CAN GET IT FOR YOU.

YEAH, YEAH.

WITHIN THAT CHANGE WHERE, WHERE THOSE DYNAMICS ARE.

ITEM NUMBER THREE, THE DISCUSSION OF THE AUSTIN POLICE ASSOCIATION BUDGET AND SWORN STAFF PRIORITIES BY MR. MICHAEL BULLOCK, PRESIDENT OF THE AUSTIN POLICE ASSOCIATION.

ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSIONERS? OKAY.

THANK YOU, SIR.

MOVING ON TO, UH,

[3. Discussion of Austin Police Association budget and sworn staff priorities. Presented by Michael Bullock, President, Austin Police Association. ]

WELCOME, MR. BULLOCK.

GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY.

UM, APPRECIATE BEING, UH, ABLE TO COME AND TALK WITH Y'ALL A LITTLE BIT.

I KNOW THERE'S LOTS OF THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON, AND I KINDA WANT TO LEAD OFF BY TALKING ABOUT A COUPLE THINGS REAL QUICK.

ONE, FIRST AND FOREMOST, I THINK IS HIGHLIGHTING WHAT CHIEF ROGERS WENT OVER, WHERE YOU DO SEE A LOT OF POSITIVE INDICATIONS ABOUT THINGS, AND A LOT OF THAT IS FOCUSED AND CENTERED AROUND STAFFING.

THAT IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST DRIVERS, UH, OF OBVIOUSLY WHAT IT IS THAT WE DO.

AND BEING ABLE TO MEET THOSE NEEDS AND CONTINUE TO BUILD A POSITIVE PIPELINE OF PEOPLE COMING TO THE DEPARTMENT IN ORDER TO MEET THE NEEDS AND THE CALL TIME, UH, RESPONSE, THE CALL RESPONSE TIMES THAT OUR COMMUNITY HAS OF US IS, IS A VERY IMPORTANT ASPECT OF ALL THAT.

SO, TRAINING, RECRUITING, AND PATROL STAFFING ARE VERY IMPORTANT PARTS OF ALL OF THAT.

SO AS WE'RE STILL VERY EARLY ON, OBVIOUSLY IN A LOT OF THESE PROCESSES, BUT AS WE'RE BUILDING TOWARDS THIS BUDGET SEASON, UM, OUR PERSPECTIVE, THOSE ARE VERY IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF WHAT HAS TO GO INTO THE RESOURCES THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS.

UM, YOU KNOW, OUR RECRUITING UNIT HAS, THERE'S BEEN CHANGE OVER, UH, ON THAT SIDE AS WELL.

I DO AGREE WITH CHIEF ROGERS THAT I THINK ONE OF THE MORE POSITIVE INDICATIONS THAT HAS HAPPENED WAS COMBINING THOSE TWO COMMANDS INTO ONE LED TO, I, I THINK A, A MORE COHESIVE PROGRAM THAT GETS PEOPLE IN RECRUITING AND THROUGH TRAINING, UH, TO IDENTIFY ISSUES MAYBE A LITTLE EARLIER ON THAT MAY BE CAUSING BREAKDOWNS.

BUT BEING ABLE TO GET RECRUITING THE NECESSARY RESOURCES TO CON CONTINUE TO BUILD UP THAT PIPELINE AND RECRUITING NOW VERSUS 10 YEARS AGO, IS ALSO VERY DIFFERENT, RIGHT? WE RELY ON DIFFERENT METHODS, DIFFERENT WAYS OF TRYING TO REACH OUT TO INDIVIDUALS AND POTENTIAL APPLICANTS.

AND AGAIN, TRY TO CLOSE THAT GAP.

THERE ARE OTHER PROGRAMS THAT ARE OUT THERE.

UM, I KNOW WE PARTICIPATED THROUGHOUT LAST SUMMER IN A, A BRIDGE PROGRAM OF SORTS THAT WAS BEING DEVELOPED WITH A LOT OF, UH, YOUTH FROM LOCAL AREA HIGH SCHOOLS, AND POTENTIALLY IN, UH, COMMUNITY COLLEGES THAT ARE SHY OF THAT 20-YEAR-OLD MARK TO START.

UH, WE AT THE A PA, WERE WORKING IN EDUCATING TO TRY TO FIND A WAY TO HELP BUILD OTHER INTERNSHIP TYPE PROGRAMS THAT HELP IDENTIFY PEOPLE WHO WOULD POTENTIALLY BE INTERESTED IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND KEEPING THEM INTERESTED FROM 18 WHEN THEY GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL, ALL THE WAY TO WHEN THEY'RE ACTUALLY ELIGIBLE TO APPLY, BECAUSE THAT IS A SIGNIFICANT GAP, UH, THAT WE DO SEE.

SO BEING ABLE TO IDENTIFY THESE ALTERNATIVE METHODS WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING PEOPLE HERE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.

UM, AND, AND STAFFING OBVIOUSLY, AGAIN, IS ONE OF THE, THE BIGGEST COMPONENTS OF ALL OF THIS.

IT'S THE LARGEST EXPENSE THAT THE DEPARTMENT FACES, BUT IT IS ALSO THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE.

AND I THINK A PART OF THAT CONVERSATION AND HAS BEEN ONGOING IS WAYS THAT THE DEPARTMENT CAN CONTINUE TO TRY TO OVERCOME THE SHORTAGES THAT WE HAVE.

AND TECHNOLOGY IS AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF ALL OF THAT, RIGHT? THERE'S A LOT OF VARIOUS, UH, TECH TYPES OF TECHNOLOGY THAT ARE OUT THERE, THAT ARE AVAILABLE, THAT CAN BE USED, THAT CAN BE USED WITHIN THE EXPECTATIONS AND THE CONSTRAINTS THAT AUSTIN HAS.

UH, THAT MAKES US UNIQUE FROM OTHER AREAS PER SE.

SO BEING ABLE TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND IDENTIFY WAYS THAT MAY EVEN BE MORE COST EFFECTIVE AND UTILIZING TECHNOLOGY VERSUS AREAS WHERE WE MAY BE RELIANT UPON PHYSICAL BODIES IN PATROL CARS IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT ASPECT.

UM, THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE'VE SEEN IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY, BUT BEING ABLE TO EXPLORE THOSE PROGRAMS AND STAND THEM UP ARE WAYS THAT WE CAN HELP ADDRESS SOME OF THE COST EFFICIENCIES WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENTS SO THAT WAY WE CAN USE SOME OF THOSE RESOURCES POTENTIALLY IN OTHER AREAS.

SO IT ALSO HAS POTENTIAL EFFECTS WHEN IT COMES TO OVERTIME AND ALL THESE OTHER RELIANCE THAT, THAT WE HAVE, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO FINANCES.

SO, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT, I I, I DON'T WANNA DIVE TOO IN DEPTH.

I'M KIND OF DEFER A LITTLE BIT TO SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT MAY COME UP AS WELL.

ON ALL THE, THE NITTY GRITTY PARTS OF OUR BUDGET, THERE'S VERY ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF IT, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT MAKE UP WHAT DRIVES THE DEPARTMENT AND A LOT OF THESE NUMBERS

[00:40:01]

THAT YOU SEE.

BUT I THINK THE TWO BIGGEST AREAS THAT ARE HAVING VERY SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ARE, OBVIOUSLY IT'S PATROL AND IT'S UNITS THAT ARE ABLE TO BE PROACTIVE, THAT PROACTIVE ACTIVITY, BEING ABLE TO REALLOCATE RESOURCES AND TO HAVE THEM DOING FOCUSED ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS.

KIND OF LIKE WHEN, UH, CHIEF ROGERS JUST TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THESE PROSTITUTION, UH, THINGS THAT GO ON RELATED TO MAJOR EVENTS, HAVING PROACTIVE UNITS OUT THERE THAT ARE NOT JUST CALL DRIVEN ARE WHAT HELP US ADDRESS SOME OF THESE MORE HOTSPOT AREAS.

WHEN YOU COMPARE AUSTIN TO OTHER CITIES LIKE FORT WORTH, WHICH IS SIMILAR IN POPULATION, WE DO SEE THAT OUR CRIME RATES IN GENERAL, NOT IN ALL CATEGORIES, BUT IN GENERAL TEND TO BE HIGHER.

BUT, YOU KNOW, OUR STAFFING LEVELS ARE ALSO LOWER.

NOW, SOME OF THE FACTORS THAT I THROW IN THERE THAT I DON'T THINK MAKE US A DIRECT COMPARISON IS WE DO TEND TO HAVE MORE SPECIAL EVENTS THAN WHAT FORT WORTH DOES.

THEY STILL HAVE PLENTY, BUT SOME OF OUR ENVIRONMENT HERE IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, WHERE US BEING ABLE TO HAVE OFFICERS DEDICATED TOWARDS SOME OF THESE MORE PROACTIVE, UH, OPERATIONS OR EVEN JUST MORE DIRECTIVE PATROLS IS VERY BENEFICIAL TO CRIME OVERALL.

AND A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT AUSTIN HAS PRIORITIZED OVER THE YEAR THAT MAKE IT A VERY UNIQUE CITY.

YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE AREAS THAT I DO THINK IS ALWAYS WORTH HIGHLIGHTING IS, UH, OUR HOMICIDE UNIT, THEY ARE A, A VERY, NOT JUST A VERY EFFECTIVE, BUT A PHENOMENAL UNIT FULL OF INVESTIGATORS AND PART OF OUR INVESTIGATIVE BUREAU.

BUT WHEN YOU COMPARE US TO FORT WORTH, OUR HOMICIDE RATE IS LOWER.

AND A BIG PART OF THAT IS THE UNIT, THE WAY THEY OPERATE, AND WHERE A LOT OF THEIR FOCUS IS.

AND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S AGAIN, WHERE TECHNOLOGY COMES INTO SOME OF THOSE COMPONENTS TO MAKING THEM VERY EFFECTIVE IN WAYS THAT THEY CAN HELP BRIDGE THESE GAPS THAT MAY EXIST WITHIN RESOURCES.

SO THE, THE BIGGEST PRIORITY, OBVIOUSLY, IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO TRY TO CONTINUE TO BUILD BACK OUR DEPARTMENT TO, UH, PREVIOUS LEVELS AND TO GROW AS OUR CITY CONTINUES TO GROW.

THE POSITIVE HIGHLIGHTS THAT WE HAVE SEEN IS, AGAIN, WHILE STAFFING IS OBVIOUSLY THE LARGEST, UH, COMPONENT OF THE BUDGET, LOSING EXPERIENCE IS VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE.

AND SO WE HAVE SEEN IN RECENT YEARS THAT OUR ATTRITION RATE FROM THE DEPARTMENT, NOT JUST THE ACADEMY, BUT FROM THE DEPARTMENT ITSELF, HAS GONE DOWN DRAMATICALLY.

IT'S BEEN CUT OVER IN HALF, UH, OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS TO WHERE WE HAD ONCE UPON A TIME 160, A LITTLE OVER 160 PEOPLE LEAVE IN A SINGLE YEAR AND OVER 140 RETIREMENTS TO WHERE NOW WE'RE SEEING WE MAY LOSE 70 PEOPLE IN A YEAR.

SO WE'RE SEEING VERY POSITIVE INDICATIONS WHERE OUR ATTRITION RATE HAS DROPPED.

SO A LOT OF THE BUDGET FOCUS AS WE BUILD INTO THIS YEAR IS, I BELIEVE, CONTINUES TO BE FOCUSED ON BUILDING OUR DEPARTMENT BACK TO WHERE WE CAN MEET A LOT OF THE SPECIALIZED NEEDS THAT AUSTIN HAS AND A LOT OF THE EXPECTATIONS THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS ON IT.

SO, UM, I KIND OF LEAVE IT ALL THERE, THERE IN A NUTSHELL, IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT'S PARTICULAR YOU'D LIKE ME TO ADDRESS SPECIFICALLY, I'M VERY HAPPY TO DO THAT.

BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK JUST FROM A HOLISTIC PERSPECTIVE, STAFFING IS STILL ONE OF THE NUMBER ONE ISSUES THAT OUR DEPARTMENT FACES.

IT'S STILL OVERCOMING AND WORKING ON THOSE VERY DILIGENTLY, BUT IT'S STILL ONE OF THE NUMBER ONE ISSUES THAT WE FACE.

THANK YOU, SIR.

QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSIONERS? COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT.

UM, HI.

THANK YOU FOR THAT, UH, PRESENTATION.

UM, I, I WOULD JUST LOVE AN EXAMPLE BECAUSE I, I CAN'T, NOTHING COMES TO MIND FOR ME ABOUT WHAT THE TECHNOLOGICAL TOOLS THAT HOMICIDE USES, UM, THAT WOULD PARTICULARLY BE A FALSE FORCE MULTIPLIER FOR THEM.

I MEAN, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WE HAVE FAR MORE HOMICIDE DETECTIVES THAN ANY OTHER KIND OF DETECTIVE, WHICH IS ANOTHER BIG ELEMENT OF THEIR SUCCESS.

SURE.

THE SHEER NUMBER OF, UH, I MEAN THE NUMBER OF DETECTIVES, YES, THERE ARE CERTAINLY OTHER INVESTIGATIVE UNITS THAN DEAL WITH A HIGHER VOLUME OF CASES THAN THAN HOMICIDE, BUT THEY ARE A, A VERY WELL STAFFED, UH, INVESTIGATIVE DIVISION.

AND, AND YOU ARE CORRECT IN THAT THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY FOR INVESTIGATIONS LOOKS VERY DIFFERENT THAN IT DOES FOR THE MOST PART FOR PATROL, RIGHT? BUT INVESTIGATION STILL USES A LOT OF THESE, UM, YOU KNOW, HOMICIDE CAN AS WELL AS OUR, UM, UH, VEHICULAR HOMICIDE UNIT BOTH USE DRONES FOR, UH, RECONSTRUCTION, WHEREAS IT MAY BE A HIGH DEMAND ON CRIME SCENE TO TRY TO TAKE A THOUSAND PHOTOS AND STITCH THEM TOGETHER TO PUT A SCENE, UH, YOU KNOW, TO MAKE A, AN OVERALL PICTURE OF A SCENE VERSUS BEING ABLE TO USE DRONES.

YOU CAN TAKE A MUCH MORE WIDE VIEW, A MORE COMPLETE PICTURE IN A MUCH SHORTER AMOUNT OF TIME THROUGH THE USE OF A DRONE VERSUS, YOU KNOW, PICTURES AND SOFTWARE AND ALL THAT OTHER KIND OF STUFF.

SO DRONES ARE VERY EFFECTIVE WHEN IT COMES TO NOT ONLY POTENTIALLY PATROL USE, BUT ALSO OTHER,

[00:45:01]

UM, YOU KNOW, SWAT APPLICATIONS OR OTHER HIGH PRIORITY CALLS.

BUT THEN ALSO THEY ARE APPLICABLE FOR INVESTIGATIONS AS WELL.

AND SOME OF THESE TECHNOLOGIES, AGAIN, DRONES CAN BE USED, UH, NOT JUST FOR POLICING, BUT MORE FROM A PUBLIC SAFETY PERSPECTIVE WHERE YOU HAVE OTHER ENTITIES SUCH AS FIRE THAT CAN POTENTIALLY USE, UH, THESE TYPES OF TECHNOLOGY, UH, TO SIZE UP A FIRE SCENE.

OTHER ENTITIES, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT MAY BE GOING ON IN GREEN BELTS, WEREN'T TRYING TO LOCATE PEOPLE WHO MAY BE IN NEED OF RESCUE OR THINGS LIKE THAT.

LIKE THERE'S A LOT OF WAYS IN WHICH THE TECHNOLOGY CAN BE USED AS A FORCE MULTIPLIER, BUT AGAIN, TO YOUR POINT, IT DOES LOOK DIFFERENT FOR PATROL VERSUS INVESTIGATIONS.

STILL USEFUL, BUT DIFFERENT.

THAT WAS VERY HELPFUL.

ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER RUAN? THIS IS PROBABLY A DIFFICULT QUESTION TO ANSWER, BUT I THINK IS IS SOMETHING THAT AT LEAST JUST GET IN OUR MINDS.

UH, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THE IMPROVEMENTS IN STAFFING ARE POSITIVE AND I THINK GETTING MORE FOLKS OUT AND ALL THE CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN MOVING THAT DIRECTION, WE WANT TO SEE, MAINTAIN THAT MOMENTUM, UNDERSTANDING THAT WE'RE LIKELY TO HAVE BUDGET CONSTRAINTS.

DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE OF, UM, WHAT WOULD BE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT SHOULD BE HIGHLIGHTED AS PRIORITIES THAT ARE MAYBE MORE COST EFFECTIVE? 'CAUSE THE ANSWER UNFORTUNATELY CAN'T BE THAT WE CAN DO AT ALL.

BUT IF YOU'RE KIND OF NOT TRYING TO LOOK AT LIKE WHAT HAVE BEEN THE MOST SUCCESSFUL INITIATIVES, UM, IN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE MAINTAIN TO CONTINUE WITH THAT MOMENTUM, ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT? UH, I'LL, I'LL DEFER BACK AGAIN TO A DEGREE ON, ON TECH, ON TECHNOLOGY, BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE PRIMARY AREAS WHERE I THINK YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE GREATEST COST SAVINGS THAT MITIGATE YOUR NEED FOR THE RELIANCE ON THE MOST EXPENSIVE COMPONENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY IN AND OF ITSELF, RIGHT? AS WELL AS THESE ARE TOOLS THAT OFFICERS ARE VERY EAGER TO BE ABLE TO USE TO ACCOMPLISH WHAT THEY'RE BEING ASKED TO.

UM, YOU KNOW, THE ABILITY TO PARTNER WITH OTHER BUSINESSES, UH, IS ALWAYS BENEFICIAL.

EXPANDING PROGRAMS WHERE YOU HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE MORE ENGAGED IN UNDERSTANDING HOW THEY CAN HELP BOOST OUR ABILITY TO VERIFY INFORMATION, OUR ABILITY TO REACH OUT WITH BUSINESS OWNERS, TO IDENTIFY ISSUES, TO BUILD UP.

A LOT OF THESE PROGRAMS WHERE YOU'RE ADDRESSING THINGS AT MORE LOCALIZED LEVELS ARE ALWAYS POSITIVE PROGRAMS. HISTORICALLY, LIKE THERE'S BEEN ENTITIES SUCH AS OUR DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES THAT ARE PARTS OF THAT, A LARGE COMPONENT OF THEIR ATTENTION RIGHT NOW IS DEDICATED TOWARDS HOMELESSNESS.

AND VERSUS WHERE PRIOR TO A LOT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THESE ISSUES, IT WAS MORE FOCUSED AROUND BEING ABLE TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH SAY, LIKE APARTMENT COMPLEXES OR BUSINESSES TO ADDRESS A LOT OF THOSE ISSUES.

SO OUR DEPARTMENT IS STILL, A LOT OF DEMANDS ARE PLACED UPON IT TO ADDRESS THESE OTHER, OTHER CONCERNS WHERE OTHER AGENCIES ARE WORKING ON IT WITHIN THE CITY, BUT IT'S ALSO A DEMAND ON THE DEPARTMENT'S RESOURCES.

AND I, I KNOW THERE'S ACTUALLY, UH, THERE'S BEEN ONE HEARING ALREADY, THERE'S ANOTHER HEARING COMING UP, UH, AT THE STATE LEGISLATURE.

AN ISSUE THAT WE WORKED HAND IN HAND WITH THE DEPARTMENT, WITH THE CITY, WITH EVERYONE ACROSS PUBLIC SAFETY DURING 2025 FOR THE LAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION WAS ALSO TRYING TO FIND ALTERNATIVE WAYS OF DEALING WITH MENTAL HEALTH AND TRYING TO FIND A WAY OF GETTING LAW ENFORCEMENT OUT OF THE MIDDLE OF THAT CONVERSATION AND TREATING IT MORE LIKE AN ACTUAL PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE.

UM, WE'VE STILL NAVIGATING SOME CHALLENGES AT THE LEGISLATURE WITH THAT ONE, BUT THAT'S STILL A SIGNIFICANT PERCENTAGE OF CALLS THAT WE HAVE WHERE THE MORE WE CAN ALLEVIATE SOME OF THAT IS WHERE YOU FREE UP OFFICER'S TIME TO BE DEDICATED TOWARDS EMERGENCIES THAT ONLY LAW ENFORCEMENT CAN HANDLE.

SO THOSE ARE, THAT PROBABLY DOESN'T ANSWER EXACTLY WHAT YOU WERE GOING FOR, BUT TO A DEGREE, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF WAYS THAT CAN BE BENEFICIAL.

THE OTHER AREAS WHERE THE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN LOOKING AT, AND I BELIEVE THERE ARE, UH, AT LEAST A HANDFUL OF INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE GOING THROUGH THIS RIGHT NOW, IS TRYING TO FIND, UH, ALTERNATIVE WAYS THAT ARE, THERE ARE CALLS THAT MAY NOT NECESSARILY REQUIRE LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTION, NO INVESTIGATION OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, THAT IS NEEDED, UH, TO DIVERT THOSE AWAY, ALMOST LIKE WE USED TO DO TO A DEGREE WITH 3 1 1, WHERE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE CAN MAKE SIMPLY MAKE REPORTS.

I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S SUPER HELPFUL AND ESPECIALLY THINKING OF, YOU KNOW, STATE LEGISLATIVE AND WHERE WE CAN COME TOGETHER ON THOSE ASPECTS.

SO THANK YOU.

YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

VICE CHAIR RAMIREZ.

YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO PICK UP ON THAT THREAD AND SAY HURAY HURRAH FOR CIVILIANIZING MORE FUNCTIONS, UM, THAT, UM, POLICE OFFICERS, UM, FILL THEIR DAYS WITH SO THAT THEY CAN FOCUS ON THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE TRAINED FOR.

UM, UH, AND TO THAT END, UM, UM, MR. BOLA, DO YOU, ASIDE FROM MENTAL HEALTH CALLS, ARE THERE ANY OTHER, AND THE UNHOUSED CALLS THAT YOU, YOU KNOW, DEAL DEALING WITH OUR UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS, UM, WHAT WOULD BE THE NEXT SORT OF, UM, WHAT WE HAVE THE HARDEST TIME UNDERSTANDING IS WHAT VOLUME OF CALLS YOU GUYS, UM, DEAL WITH MOST, UM, OUTSIDE OF THOSE TWO THINGS, UM, THAT YOU THINK WOULD BE HELPFUL, UM, WITH REGARDS TO POTENTIALLY BRINGING IN DIFFERENT PROFESSIONAL STAFF TO HELP? SURE.

I MEAN, THOSE ARE OBVIOUSLY TWO OF THE BIGGEST CATEGORIES, AND IT'S GOING TO VARY SLIGHTLY DEPENDING UPON THE SECTOR IN THE AREA OF THE CITY WHERE THAT MAY COME IN.

ONE OF

[00:50:01]

UM, BUT THEN OTHER SECTORS THAT HAVE, UH, A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF HIGHWAYS OR ROADWAYS WHERE YOU SEE LARGE AMOUNTS OF CRASHES ARE OTHER WAYS WHERE DISCUSSIONS HAVE HAD, HAVE TAKEN PLACE ABOUT BEING ABLE TO HAVE INDIVIDUALS.

I MEAN, T DOT OPERATES A HERO PROGRAM THAT SIMPLY DEALS WITH BLOCKING FOR VEHICLES THAT ARE STALLED FOR HELPING THEM CHANGE TIRES, GET GAS, THINGS LIKE THAT.

WHILE THAT IS CERTAINLY NOT THE LARGEST COMPONENT OF CALLS THAT WE DEAL WITH, IT'S NOT A INSIGNIFICANT NUMBER.

AND SO YOU STILL HAVE OPPORTUNITIES WHERE THERE'S, THERE'S OBVIOUSLY NO POTENTIAL OR AN IMMEDIATE LAW ENFORCEMENT NEED WHEN IT COMES TO SOMEONE'S VEHICLE WHO'S STALLED ON THE ROAD, RIGHT? THERE'S THE ABILITY FOR SOMEONE TO GO TO THAT SCENE, MUCH LIKE HERO DOES, TO TRY TO EVALUATE, HELP SOMEBODY SEE IF THEY CAN JUST GET ON DOWN THE ROAD.

IF THEY NOTICE THAT SOMEBODY'S INTOXICATED, IF THEY NOTICE THAT THERE WAS A CRASH THAT OCCURRED, THEY STILL CAN CONTACT LAW ENFORCEMENT SO THAT WE CAN GO TAKE THE APPROPRIATE ENFORCEMENT ACTION.

BUT THAT'S KIND OF WHERE YOU RUN INTO SOME OF THE CHALLENGES IS THAT THINGS, A LOT OF TIMES THINGS ON THE SURFACE MAY APPEAR TO BE NON-LAW ENFORCEMENT RELATED, BUT CAN TAKE A TURN TO BE, UH, A, A, A CRIMINAL COMPONENT THAT WE HAVE TO ADDRESS.

SO IT'S JUST FIGURING OUT WHAT'S APPROPRIATE AND, AND THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF RISK THAT'S WILLING TO BE ACCEPTED FOR SOME OF THESE CALLS.

SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE EXAMPLES OF PROBABLY THE NEXT OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT AND SOME ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN ON.

UH, BUT AGAIN, IT'S, IT, YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL ON HOW ALL OF THAT TAKES PLACE BECAUSE THERE ARE CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT INVESTIGATIVE PROCESSES AREN'T IMPEDED OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE.

SO POTENTIALLY TRAFFIC BEING THE LARGE, THE NEXT.

W IN PARTICULAR, NOT TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT BECAUSE YOU CAN'T, LIKE TRAFFIC STOPS LIKE THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT ONE'S NOT, THAT ONE STILL REMAINS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT, UH, IS THE ONLY ONES THAT HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DO THAT.

BUT WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT TRAFFIC, UH, HAZARDS, WE CALL THEM, OR POTENTIALLY MINOR, UH, MINOR ISSUES WHERE SOMEONE STALLED ON THE ROAD, THOSE ARE EXAMPLES YES.

THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BE DIVERTED.

ALRIGHT, THANK YOU MS. BULLOCK.

THERE'S NO FURTHER QUESTIONS.

WE CAN CLOSE THIS ITEM AMOUNT.

AS WE ALL KNOW,

[4. Discussion regarding citywide efforts to support vulnerable residents during extreme heat this summer. Presented by Jim Redick, Director, Austin Emergency Management, Greg McCormack, Program Manager II, Homeless Strategies and Operations Marc Coudert, Climate Resilience and Adaptation Manager, Climate Action and Resilience, and Ana Urueta, Emergency Management Manager, Austin Public Health. ]

WE'RE, THERE'S A CURRENT HEAT WAVE GOING ON IN THE COUNTRY AND WE'RE NOT IMMUNE TO IT.

SO IN THAT VEIN, WE'RE GONNA BE, UM, DISCUSSING THE CITYWIDE EFFORTS TO SUPPORT OUR VULNERABLE RESIDENTS DURING THIS EXTREME HEAT.

UM, WE HAVE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS HERE.

WE HAVE AUSTIN ENERGY MANAGEMENT, HOMELESS STRATEGY AND OPERATIONS, CLIMATE ACTION RESILIENCE, AND, UM, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MANAGER.

SO THANK YOU AND WELCOME.

GOOD AFTERNOON.

WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO BE HERE.

SO THANK YOU FOR THE TIME AND, UH, WE'VE BEEN WORKING TOGETHER FOR A LONG TIME, SO WE'RE HAPPY TO BE HERE.

AND YOU'RE RIGHT, I JUST CHECKED IT IS 98 DEGREES RIGHT NOW, IT FEELS LIKE 105.

SO AS LONG AS YOU STAY HERE IN THE AIR CONDITIONING, YOU SHOULD BE OKAY.

JUST TAKE YOUR TIME.

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, WE JOKE ABOUT HEAT, BUT IT IS SUPER DANGEROUS.

AND IF YOU LOOK AT NATIONALLY, MORE PEOPLE DIE OF HEAT THAN ANY OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS COMBINED.

SO WE WANNA ENSURE THAT WHEN WE THINK ABOUT HEAT, WE'RE THINKING ABOUT WHO'S IMPACTED, WHO'S MOST VULNERABLE, AND THEN HOW CAN WE AS A CITY COME TOGETHER AND MAKE, BE PREPARED.

I'M ALSO ASSUMING THAT IS THE CLICKER.

OH, THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT.

SO, UH, MY NAME IS MARK DER.

I'M WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN CLIMATE ACTION AND RESILIENCE.

I'M GONNA START IT OFF AND THEN I'M GONNA PASS IT OFF TO TOO FAR.

UH, JIM HERE WHO WILL INTRODUCE HIMSELF, UH, WITH O WITH EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, FOLLOWED BY ANA WITH PUBLIC HEALTH, AND THEN CHRISTOPHER WITH HOMELAND STRATEGY AND AND OPERATIONS.

AND THEN IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, WE'RE HAPPY TO FOLLOW UP.

UM, I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THE HEAT RESILIENCE PLAYBOOK.

UH, THE CITY DOES HAVE A LOT OF STRATEGIES ACROSS ALL OUR DEPARTMENTS THAT THINK ABOUT HEAT AND HOW DO WE MITIGATE HEAT FOR OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, BUT ALSO OUR ASSETS AND OPERATIONS.

SO WE PULLED THIS TOGETHER BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES WHEN WE WERE TALKING TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS, THEY'LL COME TO US AND SAY, WHAT IS THE CITY DOING AROUND HEAT? SO WHAT WE REALIZED IS THAT ABSOLUTELY A HUNDRED PERCENT PEOPLE ARE DEFINITELY IMPACTED BY HEAT, BUT ALSO A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS ARE IMPACTED BY HEAT, RANGING FROM ENERGY CAUSED TO HEALTH TO TREES AND VEGETATION, WATER SUPPLIES, RECREATION, ET CETERA.

BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT HE DOESN'T IMPACT EVERYBODY, UH, EQUALLY THAT THOSE WHO ARE IN CERTAIN AREAS OF TOWN WITH LESS TREE CANOPY, MORE MORE IMPERVIOUS COVER TEND TO EXPERIENCE HOTTER TEMPERATURES IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS AND SAY IN PEOPLE WITH MORE TREES AND LESS IMPERVIOUS COVER.

SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT HEAT,

[00:55:01]

THAT IT DOESN'T IMPACT EVERYBODY EQUALLY, THAT SOME ARE MORE IMPACTED THAN OTHERS, EITHER BASED ON WHERE THEY LIVE OR WHAT RESOURCES THEY MIGHT HAVE.

SO WHAT IS THE HEAT RESILIENCE PLAYBOOK? WHY DO WE HAVE IT? WELL, WE ARE DEFINITELY SEEING A DECREASE IN TEMPERATURES.

BACK IN THE 1970S, WE'D AVERAGE ABOUT 12 DAYS OVER A HUNDRED.

NOW WE AVERAGE ABOUT 30 DAYS OVER A HUNDRED.

IN 2023 WE HAD 80 DAYS OVER 140 DAYS, OVER 105.

SO WE'RE DEFINITELY SEEING THOSE TEMPERATURES RISE, AND IT IS SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO TALK ABOUT.

COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE ASKING US, COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE ASKING US QUESTIONS ABOUT IT, AND WE KNOW THAT THE CITIES ALREADY DOING A LOT AND WE NEED TO BE COMMUNICATING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

NOT ONLY ARE WE DOING A LOT, BUT THERE'S ALSO A LOT OF RESOURCES OUT THERE FOR PEOPLE TO BE SAFE.

SO WHAT IS, WHAT IS THE HEAT RESILIENCE PLAYBOOK? IT IS ESSENTIALLY ALL THE STRATEGIES THAT WE'RE DOING ACROSS THE CITY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE REDUCING THE IMPACTS OF HEAT FOR OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

UH, IT IS A WAY TO UPLIFT ALL THOSE THINGS WE'RE DOING, BUT ALSO IT IS NOT A PLAN.

IT DOESN'T HAVE A TIMELINE, IT DOESN'T HAVE A BUDGET.

IT'S JUST A MEANS TO BASE SHOW THAT THESE ARE ALL THE THINGS WE'RE DOING, WHO IS ACTUALLY, UH, INCORPORATED INTO IT.

OBVIOUSLY THE, THE PANEL HERE ON THE TABLE HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB INCORPORATING STRATEGIES INTO THE HEAT RESILIENCE PLAYBOOK, BUT ALSO THE AIRPORT, AUSTIN ENERGY, AUSTIN WATER, EVEN SOME OTHER EXTERNAL, UH, ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS CAB METRO AND TRAVIS COUNTY.

AND WHAT WE DID IS WE LOOKED AT INTERNATIONAL BEST PRACTICES ACROSS CITIES ALL OVER THE WORLD, NOT JUST UNITED STATES, BUT ALSO LONDON, PARIS, UH, MILAN AND OTHER PLACES TO SEE WHAT ARE THE BEST PRACTICES THAT WE SHOULD BE DOING AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

ITEMIZED THOSE, BROUGHT THOSE BACK TO, TO DEPARTMENTS AND SAID, WHAT ARE WE CURRENTLY ALREADY DOING TO MITIGATE THE IMPACTS OF HEAT? AND THEN BASED ON THAT, UH, PUT TOGETHER THIS DOCUMENT THAT SORT OF REPORTS OUT THESE ARE ALL THE STRATEGIES AND THEN ALSO SOME STRATEGIES WE WANNA BE DOING IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

SO BASED ON THAT, WE CAME DOWN WITH THREE ESSENTIAL PILLARS OF STRATEGIES.

UH, THE FIRST ONE IS SUPPORT HEALTHY AND PREPARED AUSTINITES.

THAT'S WHAT WE'LL TALK ABOUT TODAY.

SECOND ONE IS PRIORITIZING COOL INVESTMENTS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

LIKE THINK ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE, LIKE HOW DO PEOPLE GET TO COOLING CENTERS, HOW DO WE THINK ABOUT COOL CORRIDORS? AND THE THIRD ONE'S SORT OF A BROADER WAY, LIKE HOW DO WE THINK ABOUT BUILDING CODES OR WHAT ARE SORT OF BROADER STRATEGIES WE CAN DO TO ENSURE THE WHOLE CITY IS PREPARED? BUT ALSO WE CAN'T BE DOING THIS, WE CAN'T DO THIS ALONE.

WE ARE IN CONTINUOUS CONTACT WITH OTHER CITIES AROUND THE GLOBE.

UH, JUST THIS WEEK WE, UH, ANNA AND I WERE TALKING TO PEOPLE IN LONDON AND PARIS WHO EXPERIENCED A HEAT WAVE ABOUT HOW WE DO THINGS AND HOW THEY DO THINGS AND HOW WE COMPARE NOTES.

BUT ALSO ON A WEEKLY BASIS, WE'RE TALKING TO CITIES ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES, RANGING FROM LOS ANGELES TO NEW YORK TO SEATTLE ABOUT HOW DO WE COMPARE NOTES, HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT WE KNOW THE BEST PRACTICES AND THAT WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE.

AND THEN ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, YOU'LL SEE THAT WE ARE ALSO WORKING WITH ORGANIZATIONS AND SOMETIMES POTENTIALLY PHILANTHROPY TO INVEST IN OUR COMMUNITIES, BE IT SHELTERS OR DRINKING FOUNTAINS.

AND THEN ALSO MOST RECENTLY, HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT OUR UNHOUSED POPULATION ARE LESS VULNERABLE TO HEAT BY HAVING THESE WORKSHOPS THAT BRING IN NOT JUST THIS GROUP, BUT ALSO ORGANIZATIONS IN DOWNTOWN WHO WORK ON, UH, PROVIDING SERVICES TO THE UNHOUSED.

SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA HAND IT OFF TO JIM.

NEXT ONE.

GOOD EVENING EVERYONE.

UH, MY NAME IS JIM REDDICK AND I HAVE THE HONOR OF SERVING AS DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.

UH, OUR ROLE WITH EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IS TO PLAN FOR ALL HAZARDS, UH, NATURAL, MANMADE AND TECHNICAL FOR REALLY EVERYONE IN, IN THE COMMUNITY.

MAKE SURE THAT OUR PLANS MEET THE NEEDS OR AT LEAST ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF, OF EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY, WHETHER THEY ARE WELL RESOURCED OR NOT.

SO WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY CAME UP TO TALK ABOUT QUOTE UNQUOTE VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, I JUMP AT THE CHANCE BECAUSE THIS IS ONE OF OUR PHILOSOPHIES IN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.

THE FACT THAT WE'RE NOT ALL IN THE SAME BOAT.

WE ARE IN THE SAME STORM, BUT DIFFERENT RESOURCES EXIST FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS.

AND SO THAT'S OUR MINDSET WHEN WE WRITE ALL OF OUR PLANS.

UM, AND AS YOU MAY RECALL, THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE, UH, I'M GONNA TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT MY DAUGHTER.

MY OLDEST DAUGHTER, KAYLA GRACE REDDICK, SHE SUFFERED, UH, A BIRTH INJURY.

UM, SHE HAS CEREBRAL PALSY, COGNITIVE DELAYS, UH, VIOLENT BEHAVIORS BECAUSE OF, UH, SOME OF HER, HER CONDITIONS, UH, AND SELF-INJURIOUS AS WELL.

AND IT WAS THROUGH HER THAT I GAINED SOMETHING AS AN EMERGENCY MANAGER THAT WE TYPICALLY DON'T SEE IN THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WORLD.

AND IT'S EMPATHY.

'CAUSE WE'VE GOTTEN TO SEE A LOT OF FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY THAT BEFORE KAYLA CAME ALONG, I HAD NO IDEA EVEN EXISTED.

THEY WERE NOT EVEN ON MY RADAR.

SO I'M WRITING PLANS, UH, BASED ON MY WORLDVIEW AT THE TIME, AND THEY DID NOT MEET, UH, OR ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF SO MANY FOLKS WHO ARE HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT IN OUR COMMUNITY.

SO, LEARNING ABOUT THE VARIOUS NEEDS, UH, VARIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES, UH, BUT ALSO HOW

[01:00:01]

RESILIENT A LOT OF FOLKS ARE THAT WE CALL VULNERABLE.

THEY JUST HAPPEN TO BE IN VULNERABLE SITUATIONS, UH, BETWEEN THAT AND ALSO PARTICIPATING IN A POVERTY SIMULATION FROM, FROM, UH, UNITED WAY, AND REALLY SEEING HOW FOLKS ARE ABLE TO TRY TO REALLY COME CLOSE TO MAKING ENDS MEET WITH VERY LIMITED RESOURCES.

THESE ARE FOLKS WHO MAY NOT BE IN OUR SOCIAL CIRCLES, UM, BUT AGAIN, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO KNOW WHO'S OUT THERE SO WE KNOW, OR WE CAN ANTICIPATE WHERE THE NEEDS ARE GONNA BE GREATEST, WHETHER WE NEED TO PRE-POSITION RESOURCES OR DEPLOY THEM IMMEDIATELY AFTER A DISASTER.

THE DATA IS OUT THERE AND THE FOLKS IN OUR COMMUNITY.

SO IT'S, IT'S, IT BEHOOVES US TO WORK WITH EVERYBODY, NOT TO PLAN FOR, BUT, UH, TO PLAN WITH, TO MAKE SURE, AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'RE MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.

UH, THOSE ARE JUST SOME OF THE SAMPLE EXAMPLES OF, OF THE RESOURCES.

THERE'S A SOCIAL VULNERABILITY IN INDEX, OBVIOUSLY, UH, WE CAN TELL WHERE THE HEAT ISLANDS ARE.

WE CAN TELL WHAT THE FOOD DESERTS ARE.

WE CAN TELL WITH, WITH EM POWER WHERE FOLKS WHO ARE RELYING ON MEDICAID, UH, AND ARE ELECTRONIC DEPENDENT, UH, WORKING WITH AUSTIN ENERGY AND AUSTIN WATER, THEIR DATABASE.

UH, THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT WE CAN REALLY USE TO MAKE DATA INFORMED DECISIONS IN OUR PLANS AS WE CHOOSE TO, AS WE TRY TO MITIGATE, PREPARE, RESPOND TO, AND RECOVER FROM ALL DIFFERENT DISASTERS.

IT'S JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE.

AND, AND ONE MORE THING IS THE WORKING POOR.

UH, THAT WAS A FANTASTIC BOOK THAT REALLY EDUCATED ME AS AN EMERGENCY MANAGER, AND I GOT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE ALICE PROGRAM, WHICH IS THE UNITED WAY TOOL.

ALICE, MEANING ASSET LIMITED, INCOME CONSTRAINED, BUT EMPLOYED, MEANING THEY DON'T MEET THE THRESHOLD FOR POVERTY.

THEY'RE JUST ABOVE IT.

SO THEY DON'T MEET SOME OF THE ASSISTANCE, UH, UH, REQUIREMENTS, UH, TO, TO RECEIVE THAT SO THEY, UH, AREN'T ABLE TO MEET ENDS MEET.

UM, AND SO THAT'S, THERE'S, THERE ARE MORE FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE POVERTY LEVEL, YOU ADD 20% OF THAT, AND THAT'S REALLY SHOWING MORE THAN NEED THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY.

SO AGAIN, WE WORK WITH AND WE DO EVERYTHING WE CAN, AND WE CONTINUE TO TRY TO FIND FOLKS WHO ARE WILLING TO WORK WITH US TO REVIEW OUR PLANS, TO EXPRESS THEIR NEEDS, THEIR CONCERNS, UM, AND ALSO LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO BE EDUCATED FROM US ON WHAT, WHAT IT REALLY TAKES TO BE PREPARED.

UM, BUT AGAIN, I THINK A LOT OF FOLKS THAT WE CONSIDER VULNERABLE ARE, ARE VERY RESILIENT.

A LOT OF 'EM PROBABLY WILL NOT LOOK TO THE GOVERNMENT FOR LIFE SAVING MEASURES.

UM, BUT THERE ARE ALSO FOLKS WHO DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES.

THOSE WHO DO HAVE RESOURCES, WE MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE INFORMATION THEY NEED TO BASE THEIR DECISIONS, UH, THOSE WHO ARE NOT WELL RESOURCED.

WE WORK WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO MAKE SURE, AGAIN, THEIR NEEDS ARE MET AND THEY GET, UH, MASLOW'S HIERARCHY AND NEEDS, RIGHT? UH, THEIR MOST BASIC LIFE SAVING, UH, UM, REQUIREMENTS, WHETHER IT'S FOOD AND SHELTER.

WE MAKE SURE THAT THOSE ARE ALL IN PLACE, UH, WHEN THE, WHEN THE STORM COMES.

UH, I ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE AWARE THAT IN OUR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS BASIC PLAN, ALL THESE THINGS, AS MUCH AS WE LEARN, WE'RE ADDING THEM TO THE PLAN.

SO WHEN WE WRITE THE MAKEUP OF A COMMUNITY, WE TRY TO ANTICIPATE ALL THESE NEEDS.

WE LOOK AT THAT.

SO WHEN OUR PLANNERS ARE IN THE EOC RESPONDING TO AN INCIDENT, THEY'RE ABLE TO APPLY THOSE ISSUES TO WHATEVER HAZARD OR THREAT THAT WE'RE FACING TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, A DA ACCESSIBILITY, OBVIOUSLY RIGHT, IS, IS LIKE THE MINIMUM STANDARD, BUT ALSO APPLYING WHATEVER THESE ISSUES ARE THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY WHERE THE HOTSPOTS ARE, UM, THEY REALLY MEET WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IN TERMS OF RESPONSE AND RECOVERY.

AND THEN FINALLY, YOU MAY RECALL LAST, UH, MEETING I, I SHARED THAT WE LOST KAYLA.

UH, SHE SUCCUMBED TO HER HER CONDITIONS, UM, A COUPLE YEARS AGO, BUT IT REALLY INSPIRED ME AND SHE LIVES IN MY HEART.

UM, AND MY COMMITMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF THE LEAST THE LAST AND LOST, UM, THOSE FOLKS WHO ARE OFTEN OVERLOOKED BUT ARE, ARE VALUABLE MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY.

UM, AND THAT IS HOW WE WILL CONTINUE TO OPERATE IN, UM, AUSTIN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

THANK YOU, DIRECTOR REDDICK.

HELLO EVERYONE.

MY NAME IS ANOM, AN EMERGENCY MANAGER WITH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH.

AND I'D LIKE TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT WITH YOU ABOUT SOME OF THE DATA THAT WE COLLECT RELATED TO HEAT AND HOW WE PLAN TO USE THAT DATA FOR OUTREACH EVENTS.

AND FOR A LOT OF THE PLANNING THAT WE DO WITH OUR PARTNERS, WE, UH, DO HEAT SURVEILLANCE EVERY SINGLE YEAR, UH, DURING THE HEAT SEASON, UH, ALL THE WAY FROM MAY THROUGH OCTOBER.

WE USED TO DO IT THROUGH SEPTEMBER, BUT IT'S GETTING HOTTER FOR LONGER.

SO, UH, WE'VE DECIDED TO DO THAT ALL THROUGH THE END OF OCTOBER.

AND WE

[01:05:01]

ACTUALLY DO THAT, UH, HEAT SURVEILLANCE FOR TRAVIS COUNTY HAS AND WILLIAMSON COUNTIES.

WE TRACK EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISITS, MORTALITY, MORTALITY DATA, AND EMS CALLS RELATED TO HEAT.

UM, SO WE KNOW THAT HEAT CAN IMPACT EVERYBODY, UM, BUT SOME MORE THAN OTHERS.

AND THE, THESE SURVEILLANCE REPORTS REALLY ALLOW US TO UNDERSTAND WHO IN OUR COMMUNITY IS BEING IMPACTED THE MOST.

AND WE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH OUR PARTNERS TO HELP, UM, ALLOCATE RESOURCES AND, AND HELP PRIORITIZE WHERE WE NEED TO BE CONDUCTING OUTREACH.

UM, ON THE GRAPH IN FRONT OF YOU, YOU CAN SEE THE GREEN LIGHT.

IT'S KIND OF HARD TO SEE, BUT IT, WHAT WE TRACK IS, OR WHAT WE CAN SEE ON THERE, IS THE HEAT INDEX.

UM, AND THEN IN PURPLE ARE THE EMS CALLS AND THE HOSPITAL VISITS IN GRAY AND THE MAX TEMPERATURE LIGHT GRAY.

SO WE TEND TO SEE AN INCREASE, AS YOU WOULD EXPECT, WITH HOTTER DAYS AND INCREASE IN HEAT RELATED ILLNESS.

UM, ONE IMPORTANT DATA POINT THAT WE SEE YEAR AFTER YEAR IS EVERY TIME WE SEE OUR FIRST DAY THAT REACHES 100 DEGREE HEAT INDEX, WE ALSO SEE A, A SPIKE IN THE NUMBER OF HEAT RELATED ILLNESS.

AND IT'S USUALLY BECAUSE PEOPLE FORGET HOW HOT IT IS AND HOW IT IMPACTS THEIR BODIES.

AND THEN, UH, AS YOU PROGRESS THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER, UH, IT SEEMS LIKE PEOPLE BECOME A LITTLE BIT MORE ACCLIMATED AND THE HEAT RELATED ILLNESS NUMBERS LOWER A BIT.

UM, AND MARK TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE SAW IN 2023 THAT YEAR.

WE DID SEE 1,595 HEAT RELATED ILLNESS AND 30 HEAT RELATED DEATHS.

UM, FORTUNATELY LAST YEAR WE DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING, UH, QUITE AS HIGH.

WE ONLY SAW ONE DAY OF HEAT.

IT WAS A HEAT SLASH OR A HEAT WARNING DAY.

AND, UH, LESS THAN 10 DEATHS.

UNFORTUNATELY, THIS DOESN'T, THIS ISN'T INDICATIVE OF WHAT YOU, WE COULD SEE THIS YEAR.

UH, WITH CLIMATE CHANGE.

IT'S VERY UNPREDICTABLE, WHAT, WHAT COULD HAPPEN.

AND SO WE HOPE TO NEVER SEE 2023 AGAIN, BUT WE'RE PREPARING FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT EVERY YEAR.

UH, AND ANOTHER NOTE, AS WE COMPARE NOTES AND TALK WITH OTHER, UM, CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND WITH OTHER COUNTRIES, UM, WE'RE TRYING TO LEARN ABOUT PEST PRACTICES.

SO ONE OF THE BEST PRACTICES THAT WE GAINED FROM PHOENIX IS AT THE BEGINNING OF EVERY SUMMER SEASON, THEY DO KINDA LIKE A KICKOFF EVENT, UH, AN OUTREACH EVENT TO TRY TO REMIND THE COMMUNITY, HEY, THESE ARE THE, THE RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO YOU WHEN IT, WHEN IT COMES TO HEAT.

AND, UM, SO WE KICKED OFF KEEP AUSTIN COOL DAY THIS YEAR, A PILOT EVENT, WHICH WE WOULD LIKE TO DO EVERY YEAR NOW.

UM, AND WE SELECTED LOCATIONS BASED ON WHERE WE SEE THE HIGHEST RISK DUE TO HEAT, INCLUDING DOVE SPRINGS, CONNIE GUERRERO, SENIOR CENTER IN GUS GARCIA, OUR STAFF AND, UH, SOME COMMUNITY PARTNERS, UH, PROVIDED SOME RESOURCES TO OUR COMMUNITY, INCLUDING COOLING KITS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, EDUCATION ABOUT COOLING CENTERS AND RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO THEM.

WE ALSO KICKED OFF A SURVEY TO HELP US UNDERSTAND THE, HOW PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE'S AWARENESS OF COOLING CENTERS.

THE SURVEYS ACTUALLY LIVE ALL THROUGH THE END OF AUGUST, AND, UH, WE ARE DOING THIS BECAUSE THERE ARE COOLING CENTERS ALL THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY, BUT WE KNOW THAT THEY'RE UNDERUTILIZED.

AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO SEEK AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IS, WHAT IS IT ABOUT THEM THAT, WHY ARE THEY UNDERUTILIZED? IS IT THAT PEOPLE JUST SIMPLY DON'T KNOW ABOUT THEM? IS IT THAT THERE'S NOTHING THERE THAT INTERESTS THEM OTHER THAN IT BEING AIR CONDITIONED? UM, ARE THEY NOT ACCESSIBLE? AND SO, IDEALLY THROUGH THIS SURVEY, WE'LL BE ABLE TO CREATE A SPACE THAT'S MORE ACCESSIBLE TO OUR COMMUNITY AND HELP GAIN AWARENESS ABOUT THIS IMPORTANT RESOURCE THAT EXISTS.

WE'RE ALSO DOING A LOT OF HEAT STREET OUTREACH.

UH, ONE EXAMPLES IS THROUGH A C 40 GRANT.

UH, AND IT'S SPECIFICALLY FOR SURVEY.

IT'S A SUR SPECIFICALLY FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.

UH, THERE'S TWO PARTS TO IT.

THE FIRST PART, WHICH IS ALREADY INCLUDED, UH, WAS A $25 GIFT CARD OFFERED TO FOLKS, AND THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO COMPLETE A SURVEY THAT WILL THEN INFORM US ON HOW THEY DEAL WITH HEAT AND WHAT KIND OF RESOURCES THEY FIND USEFUL, UH, TO DEAL WITH HEAT.

UH, WE STARTED THAT IN COORDINATION WITH URBAN ALCHEMY.

UH, BUT AFTER THE CONTRACT WAS NOT RENEWED, WE CONTINUED WITH SUNRISE DAY CENTER AND DOING THIS IN COORDINATION WITH AUSTIN OR FOLKS AT AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE IN CLIMATE ACTION AND RESILIENCE.

WE'RE NOW AT THE SECOND PART OF THAT OUTREACH, AND, OH, SORRY, BEFORE I GET TO THAT, LET ME TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE SURVEY RESULTS, WHICH IS THE INTENTION OF, UH, THE SURVEY WAS TO REALLY HELP INFORM THE SECOND PART OF HOW WE WOULD USE THE REMAINDER OF THE FUNDS THROUGH THAT GRANT.

AND WE FOUND THAT 19% OF PEOPLE, UH, STATED THAT THEY GET WATER ACCESS THROUGH COOLING CENTERS.

UH, 38% OF PEOPLE PREFER WATER, UH, AS A RESOURCE, BUT SPECIFICALLY FROZEN WATER.

THEY, UH, 42% OF PEOPLE GET HEAT AND WA HEAT AND WEATHER INFO THROUGH WORD OF MOUTH.

THIS INFORMATION IS JUST REALLY HELPFUL FOR US TO THEN DETERMINE WHAT KIND OF RESOURCES TO PROVIDE TO FOLKS.

SO THE SECOND PART OF THIS, UM, GRANT

[01:10:01]

THAT WE'RE USING, UH, WE'RE DOING SOME STREET OUTREACH WITH SUNRISE HOMELESS NAVIGATION CENTER, UH, WHERE WE'RE GOING OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND SPECIFICALLY USING THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THEY HAVE FROM BEING A DAY CENTER THAT DEALS WITH PROVIDING SERVICES TO THE UNHOUSED.

AND, UH, WE'RE PROVIDING RESOURCES TO THEM.

WE'RE ALSO PARTNERING WITH OUR MEDICAL RESERVE COURSE, SO THEY CAN ALSO PROVIDE MEDICAL RESOURCES IF, IF THERE'S ANY IMMEDIATE MEDICAL NEED THAT ARISES, THEY CAN HELP WITH THAT.

UM, WE ALREADY DID OUR FIRST EVENT ON JUNE 30TH, UM, AND WE HAVE SOME, UH, THREE ADDITIONAL EVENTS COMING UP.

AND THE IDEA REALLY WITH THIS IS THAT WE CAN DEVELOP A FRAMEWORK THAT WE CAN THEN SHARE WITH OTHER, UH, SERVICE PROVIDERS IN THE COMMUNITY THAT CAN CONTINUE TO DO STREET OUTREACH WITH THE FOCUS OF HEAT.

SO, UM, REALLY ENSURING THAT THE FOLKS DOING THE OUTREACH, UNDERSTAND HOW TO DISCUSS HEAT RELATED ILLNESS, WHAT SIGNS TO LOOK OUT FOR, AND THEN ALSO PROVIDE THAT FROZEN WATER AND WHATEVER OTHER RESOURCES WE CAN MAKE AVAILABLE TO OUR COMMUNITY.

UM, EXCUSE ME.

UH, CHRIS ANDERSON.

I'M THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR AT AUSTIN STRATEGIES AND OPERATIONS.

THANK YOU, ANA, AND THANK YOU, JIM.

AND MARK.

UM, WE WORK TOGETHER ON ALL KINDS OF WEATHER EMERGENCY.

THIS SAME GROUP REALLY GETS TOGETHER, UM, FOR THE WINTER AS WELL.

SO WE WORK WITH ANA AND JIM WHEN IT COMES TO, UM, COLD WEATHER SEASON.

AND SO WE HAVE A REALLY GOOD, UM, RELATIONSHIPS, AND THIS WAS REALLY FUN TO WORK WITH MARK ON THIS, UM, TO BE ABLE TO SEE, YOU KNOW, SEE HOW WE COULD, UM, UH, WORK ON, UM, DELIVERING THE MOST NEEDED RESOURCES TO THE PEOPLE AND THAT WE SERVE IN OUR DEPARTMENT, WHICH ARE PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, WHO, UM, ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED BY, UH, EXTREME HEAT THAT COMES IN OUR COMMUNITY.

AND SOME OF THE REASONS ARE IS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, LIKE JIM WAS ALLUDING TO THE, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE INVISIBLE, BUT ALSO IN THE HIGHEST NEED.

UM, AND WE TALK, WE TALK A LOT ABOUT VISIBLE HOMELESSNESS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY, BUT THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE THAT WE DON'T SEE, AND THEY DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THOSE RESOURCES BECAUSE THEY ARE STAYING IN A CAR.

THEY ARE CAMPING DEEP IN THE WOODS, NOT NECESSARILY E YOU KNOW, EASILY ACCESSIBLE.

SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR OUR DEPARTMENT TO BE A ABLE TO OUT THERE AND COMMUNICATE AND DELIVER THOSE RESOURCES TO FOLKS.

SO HOW DO WE DO IT? SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO IS WE WORK WITH EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND PUBLIC HEALTH AND MONITORING THE WEATHER AND COORDINATING WITH THOSE DEPARTMENTS.

AND WE HAVE A TEXT ALERT SYSTEM, WHICH WE USE, AND THAT WE COORDINATE WITH EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ABOUT HOW TO DEPLOY THESE TEXT MESSAGES TO OUR, UM, MAINTAINED, UH, CONTACT LISTS THAT ARE PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS THAT HAVE SIGNED UP FOR THIS.

AND WE WILL SEND WEATHER ALERTS.

WE DO IT FOR FLOOD ADVISORY AS WELL.

SO WHEN WE HAVE FLOOD SEASONS, WE DO IT FOR COLD WEATHER SHELTER ACTIVATION, AND IT'S A REALLY, UH, IT'S A REALLY WELL USED AND WELL CURATED RESOURCE THAT WE PARTNER WITH OTHER HOMELESS SERVICE PROVIDERS.

UM, OUR STREET COMMUNITY OUTREACH TEAM GOES OUT AND PROVIDES BOTTLES OF WATER.

UM, THEY HAVE ALREADY STARTED DOING THIS BASICALLY SINCE MAY.

UM, SO ONCE THE WEATHER JUMPS UP, WE, WE START BEING PROACTIVE.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE CONCERNED, AND IT'S ONE OF OUR TARGETED, UM, GOALS FOR STREET COMMUNITY OUTREACH, IS TRYING TO DIVERT PEOPLE FROM MORE SERIOUS MEDICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH CRISES THAT MAY HAPPEN BECAUSE OF DETERIORATING CONDITIONS THAT HAPPEN AT CAMPSITES.

UM, DETERIORATING PHYSICAL CONDITIONS OR UNADDRESSED MEDICAL COMPLEXITIES.

SO THAT'S WHAT OUR STREET AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH TEAMS GO OUT THERE.

THEY ARE BRINGING THOSE NEEDED RESOURCES LIKE WATER.

UM, IT'S ALSO GREAT ENGAGEMENT TECHNIQUE TO SORT OF BE ABLE TO GET PEOPLE ENGAGED TO HEAR ABOUT OTHER SERVICES IF YOU'RE PROVIDED MUCH NEEDED BASIC NEEDS RESOURCES AS WELL.

UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS, UH, WHEN URBAN ALCHEMY LOST THE CONTRACT TO OPERATE, UM, THE SHELTER, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS LOST WHEN THAT HAPPENED WAS WE CLOSED DOWN A NAVIGATION CENTER THAT WAS CALLED THE OASIS THAT WAS THERE.

UM, AND THAT WAS A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE COULD GO IN DURING THE DAY TO GET WATER.

UM, VERY FORTUNATELY, A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, WE REOPENED THE RESOURCE HUB, WHICH WAS THE PLACE IS FORMERLY CALLED THE OASIS THAT IS AT THE, UM, LOCATED AT THE ARCH.

IT IS NOW BEING RUN BY A NONPROFIT CALLED THE SO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION.

AND THEY ARE OPEN 7:00 AM TO 7:00 PM CURRENTLY MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

AND THEY ARE IS A PLACE PEOPLE CAN GO TO GET WATER TO COOL OFF, TO GET OUT OF THE HEAT IS THAT IS ONE OF THE CHALLENGES FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE UNSHELTERED HOME, WHERE DO THEY GO DURING THE DAY? WE ADVERTISE AND WE PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, THE LOCATIONS OF COOLING CENTERS, BUT FOR A LOT OF FOLKS THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE STILL ARE REASONS WHY PEOPLE AREN'T UTILIZING THE COOLING CENTERS.

UM, AND THE WAY THAT WE'D LIKE TO FIND OUT ARCH IS ALSO SERVING AS A COOLING CENTER RIGHT NOW, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ONE OF THE THINGS WE RE REALIZED WITH THE JULY 4TH HOLIDAY IS

[01:15:01]

THAT SO MANY OF THE CITIES BUILDINGS THAT ARE COOLING CENTERS WE'RE CLOSED ON JULY 4TH.

SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WERE OTHER LOCATIONS AS WELL.

SO ARCH WAS OPEN AS A COOLING CENTER FROM 8:00 AM TO 8:00 PM AND, AND IT HAS BEEN FOR SEVEN DAYS A WEEK FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE SUMMER.

ALSO WORKING WITH OUR, UM, PARTNERS AT PARTS AND REC AND LIBRARIES TO, AS THOSE HAVE SERVED AS COOLING CENTERS, UM, FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS DURING THEIR REGULAR OPERATION HOURS.

AND ALSO TRAINING CENTER, WHICH IS ONE OF THE NONPROFIT SERVICE PROVIDERS IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT HAS, UM, THAT SERVES AS A NAVIGATION CENTER.

THEY HAVE FOR THE SUMMER, EXTENDED THEIR HOURS TO OPERATE LATER IN THE DAY.

TYPICALLY, THEY ARE A 8:00 AM TO 1:00 PM OPERATION, BUT THEY CHANGE THEIR HOURS FROM 7:00 PM UM, TO BE OPEN UNTIL 7:00 PM TO PROVIDE A PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO GO DURING THE DAY, UM, MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.

AND AGAIN, IT HAS WATER, UH, A PLACE TO COOL DOWN SHOWERS, AND THEN THAT ACCESS TO OTHER RESOURCES LIKE CASE MANAGEMENT, GETTING ID DOCUMENTS AND THINGS THAT CAN ULTIMATELY HELP A PERSON.

UM, AND SO WHY WE'RE REALLY FOCUSED ON THIS IS BECAUSE WE KNOW FROM OUR DATA OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE SERVE THAT ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, THEY TYPICALLY ARE OLDER ADULTS.

THEY TYPICALLY HAVE, UM, MANY OF THEM HAVE CHRONIC DISEASES THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO MANAGE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE IN UNSHELTERED CONDITIONS, UM, LIKE EXTREME HEAT AND, UM, THE, THEY TYPICALLY DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO, UM, UM, GET THOSE, HAVE THOSE NEEDS IMMEDIATELY MET, UM, WITHOUT SOME SORT OF COMMUNITY SERVICE, UM, AVAILABLE.

BUT, UM, WANT TO, THAT'S IT FOR US.

SO I'LL PASS IT BACK TO MARK HERE.

YEAH, GREAT JOB.

UH, WE WILL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS YOU MIGHT HAVE.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

UH, MR. REDDICK, AS A FATHER TO A FATHER, MY DEEPEST CONDOLENCES, I CAN SEE THAT YOUR DAUGHTER IS LIVING THROUGH YOU AND YOUR WORK, AND THE FACT THAT YOU'RE HUMANIZING THESE ISSUES IS PARAMOUNT TO NOT ONLY ADDRESSING THEM, BUT HOPEFULLY OVERCOMING THEM.

UM, I FEEL IF WE ALL REALIZE THAT WE ARE ON THE SAME GIANT ROCK HURDLING THROUGH SPACE, THE EARTH WOULD BE HOPEFULLY A BETTER AND DIFFERENT PLACE.

SO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WORK COMMISSIONERS.

QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, COMMISSIONER SIERRA VILLE? A BRIEF QUESTION ON THE LAST SEGMENT OF THE PRESENTATION, THERE WAS A MENTION OF, UM, AN OLDER POPULATION OF FOLKS THAT ARE ON THE STREET.

I'M CURIOUS IF YOU HAVE ANY DATA OR ANY INTUITION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THAT POPULATION IS GROWING OLDER WITH TIME, OR IF THAT'S A POPULATION THAT WE'VE ALWAYS HAD A CONCENTRATION OF, OF ELDER ADULTS.

SO ECHO MAINTAINS THIS SORT OF THE HMIS DATA, WHICH IS THE DATA, UM, THAT HAS ALL OF THE DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION, UH, ABOUT, AND THERE'S OUR, UM, COC LEADS.

SO BASICALLY THE LEAD ORGANIZING AGENCY FOR HOMELESS SERVICES.

THEY'RE THE OWNERS OF THAT DATA.

I DON'T WANT TO OVERGENERALIZE, BUT YES, THERE HAS BEEN MORE OLDER ADULTS, UH, GROWING IN THIS.

WE'RE ALSO SEEING IT ON THE OTHER SIDE TOO, WHERE THERE ARE MORE YOUNGER PEOPLE ENTERING HOMELESSNESS.

SO IT'S KIND OF A DECAYING OF THE MIDDLE AND IT'S MORE EXTREMES.

SO, UM, I, I WOULD SAY THAT IS TRUE.

YES, I DON'T HAVE THE SPECIFIC NUMBERS IN FRONT OF ME, BUT WE COULD PROVIDE THAT.

AMOUNT OF IMPERVIOUS COVER AND LEAST AMOUNT OF TREE CANOPY EXCEPT FOR DOVE SPRINGS.

COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT PRESENTATION.

AS YOU ALL PROBABLY KNOW, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION REALLY WORRIES ABOUT EVERY SUMMER.

UM, AND, UH, AND I ACTUALLY HAVE LIKE A GAZILLION QUESTIONS, BUT I'M REALLY GONNA TRY TO NARROW IT IN.

UM, MY UNDERSTANDING, BECAUSE I WORK IN ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH IS THAT, UM, AT LEAST FOR NATIONWIDE DATA, THE, UH, DEMOGRAPHICS OF WHO ENDS UP IN THE ER WITH CATASTROPHIC HEAT ILLNESS IS DISPROPORTIONATELY MALE, DISPROPORTIONATELY PEOPLE OF COLOR AND DISPROPORTIONATELY MIDDLE AGED.

UM, WHICH FROM MY PERSPECTIVE TELLS ME THAT THEY'RE CONSTRUCTION, THEY'RE OUTDOOR WORKERS, THEY'RE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS, THEY'RE LANDSCAPERS, UM, THEY'RE POOL MAINTENANCE FOLKS.

UM, AND I'M WONDERING, UH, WHAT RELATIONSHIPS Y'ALL HAVE WITH PARTNER AGENCIES, UH, TO REACH THIS COMMUNITY AND, AND SORT OF WHAT'S BEEN DONE, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY, UM, ARE INFORMED WITH, YOU KNOW, THE BEST TOOLS TO KEEP THEMSELVES SAFE.

CONSIDERING THE CITY AS A PROHIBIT OR THE CITY, THE STATE HAS PROHIBITED US FROM HAVING LOCAL ORDINANCES THAT MANDATE, UH, HEAT BREAKS AND, AND ACCESS TO WATER.

THAT IS A, A FANTASTIC QUESTION.

I, I WILL SAY THAT WHEN WE FIRST STARTED THIS WORK JUST A COUPLE YEARS AGO, WE MOSTLY FOCUSED ON THE EASTERN CRESCENT BECAUSE THIS IS THE AREA THAT SORT OF SHOWED UP AS THE HIGHEST

[01:20:01]

UM, BUT THEN IN WORKING WITH THOSE COMMUNITIES, WE REALIZED THAT OUR CENSUS DATA REALLY LEFT OUT A HUGE POPULATION, AND THAT IS THE CORE POPULATION OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE DOWNTOWN WHO ARE UNHOUSED.

UM, WE HAVE MM-HMM .

WE ARE STARTING A CONVERSATION RIGHT NOW ABOUT OUR OWN STAFF WITHIN THE CITY.

WE DO HAVE PROTOCOLS ACROSS DEPARTMENTS TO ENSURE THAT OUR OWN STAFF WHO WORK OUTSIDE ARE SAFE, BUT THEY VARY IN DEGREE OF SOPHISTICATION AND, UH, AND IMPACT.

AND WE'RE NOW LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN ACTUALLY STREAMLINE IT.

THE SECOND PIECE, WHICH WE HAVEN'T LOGGED TALKED ABOUT YET, BUT WE COULD, IS OUR OWN CONTRACTS WHEN WE DO CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS TO ENSURE THAT THOSE NOT JUST MEET OSHA, BUT ACTUALLY POTENTIALLY HAVE MORE, UH, MORE MECHANISMS TO ENSURE THAT PEOPLE ARE SAFE.

WE HAVE NOT HAD A CONVERSATION YET ABOUT PRIVATE, UH, LOCATIONS AND ENSURING THAT THEY'RE, UH, IN COMPLIANCE WITH OSHA THAT DOES GET INTO A, A STATE DISCUSSION.

UM, YEAH, I I, IF IT'S OKAY FOR ME TO, UM, FOLLOW UP, UM, NOT THAT Y'ALL ARE NECESSARILY IN A POSITION TO TAKE MY ADVICE ON THIS, BUT BECAUSE I WORK WITH PHYSICIANS, UM, I ACTUALLY KNOW THE DOCTOR WHO PUT TOGETHER THE, UH, SORT OF HEAP HEAP PRECAUTION, PRO PROTECTION AND OVERSIGHT PLAN FOR THE CITY OF WACO THAT WAS REALLY SUCCESSFUL IN DROPPING THEIR HEAT MORTALITY TO ZERO OVER A COUPLE OF YEARS.

UM, SHE'S WITH AN ORGANIZATION CALLED CONCENTRA, UM, AND THEY DO THESE, UM, EMPLOYER BASED PROGRAMS THAT INCORPORATE, UM, YOU KNOW, HEALTHCARE ACCESS AND REGULAR VISITS FOR FOLKS WHO HAVE SPECIAL VULNERABILITIES LIKE HEART CONDITIONS, UM, THAT MAKE THEM MORE LIKELY TO HAVE HEAT ILLNESS.

UM, BUT YOU KNOW, WHAT I'M, I'M MOST CONCERNED ABOUT IS THE VAST MAJORITY OF CONSTRUCTION WORKERS IN, IN AUSTIN, UM, AND, AND LANDSCAPERS WHO, UM, SOMETIMES WORK FOR BIG EMPLOYERS, BUT YOU KNOW, IN SOME CASES ARE IN REALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR ROLES, REALLY DISCONNECTED PARTS OF THE ECONOMY.

UM, AND WHETHER OR NOT YOU ALL COULD, WOULD CONSIDER WORKING WITH ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE WORKERS' DEFENSE FUND, UM, OR OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT, UM, ARE BETTER CONNECTED TO THIS COMMUNITY, UM, BECAUSE I SUSPECT THEY ARE DRIVING OUR ER NUMBERS.

SO, UH, WE AGREE, WE SEE THE SAME NUMBERS ON OUR SIDE OF 75% OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IMPACTED BY HEAT DO TEND TO BE MALE, AND BETWEEN THE AGE OF THE 20 AND 40.

UH, AND, AND YEAH, IF YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, WE'D BE HAPPY TO LOOK AT IT.

ARE YOU THE, OKAY, I WOULD QUESTION, QUESTION FOR YOU.

ARE YOU THE CONTACT TO DAVID HONAH? ARE WE I AM.

I'M THE ONE WHO SENT YOU OUT HIS PRESENTATION.

, I'M SORRY, I SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED THAT AT FIRST, WE, WE DID, MY ORGANIZATION DID, UM, A STATEWIDE HEAT SUMMIT.

MM-HMM.

UM, IN APRIL.

AND DAVID HONAH FROM PHOENIX WAS ONE OF THE PRESENTERS.

UM, YEAH.

SO, AND, UH, YEAH, I'D BE HAPPY TO FOLLOW UP IN ANY WAY I CAN.

SO AT ONE POINT I MENTIONED THAT WE TALKED TO A LOT OF CITIES.

I, I KNOW DAVID HONAH FROM BEFORE, HE WAS THE CHIEF E OFFICER FOR PHOENIX BECAUSE WE ALL TALK TO EACH OTHER.

SO I CAN TEXT HIM RIGHT NOW IF YOU'D LIKE JUST TO SAY THAT WE TALKED .

NO, HE DOESN'T GET IN TOUCH WITH ME THAT MUCH, BUT I MEAN, I PAY ATTENTION TO PHOENIX BECAUSE THEY'VE DONE MM-HMM .

SOME THINGS THAT I, I SUSPECT WE HAVEN'T DONE, INCLUDING DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE THEIR, UM, TRACKING OF HEAT DEATHS, UM, BY DOING A BETTER JOB OF CAPTURING THEM, WHICH I'M SURE Y'ALL KNOW, WE, WE, WE AREN'T GETTING MOST OF THEM.

EXACTLY.

UM, AND ALSO THEIR COOLING CENTERS ARE OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY.

SO, YOU KNOW, FOR VULNERABLE LOW INCOME FOLKS WHO DON'T HAVE RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION AND FOR UNHOUSED FOLKS, I SUSPECT THAT A BIG REASON FOR THE UNDER UTILIZATION IS THAT A LOT OF OUR COOLING CENTERS, THEY CLOSE AT FIVE OR SIX IN THE EVENING.

THEY AREN'T OPEN ON SUNDAYS.

'CAUSE THE LIBRARIES AREN'T OFTEN OPEN ON SUNDAYS.

AND SO IT'S, IT'S REALLY A PATCHWORK QUILT THAT HAS A LOT OF LIKE MOTH HOLES IN IT IN TERMS OF THEIR ABILITY TO ACTUALLY STAY SAFE.

EXACTLY.

AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE DOING THE SURVEY, WHICH, WHICH IS LIVE RIGHT NOW.

THEY USE THE SYSTEM SYNDROMIC SURVEILLANCE, UH, TO SEE THE IN, UH, THE INTAKE OF HOSPITAL RELATED VISITS.

YOU GUYS HAVE DONE SURVEYS BEFORE .

SO ANYWAY, I THINK YOU, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT, AND NEVERMIND GO, I'M SORRY.

I'LL STOP.

COMMISSIONER RUAN ACTUALLY QUESTION AFTER THAT.

UNDER THE HEAT SURVEILLANCE DATA, WELL, THE EXERTIONAL HEAT ILLNESS IS OBVIOUSLY AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT.

I THINK WHAT WE TRADITIONALLY TRACK, DO YOU ALL LOOK AT EXCESS MORTALITY THAT MAY NOT BE SPECIFICALLY CODED TO A HEAT ILLNESS, YOU KNOW, INCREASE IN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AMONG ELDERLY PEOPLE JUST FROM HEAT STRESS, WHICH WE'RE INCREASINGLY RECOGNIZING AS PROBABLY A BIGGER CONTRIBUTION OF MORTALITY THAN WE TRADITIONALLY THINK OF.

IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU ARE, ARE TRACKING DURING THESE TIMES? I CAN'T CONFIDENTLY ANSWER THAT QUESTION.

I'D HAVE TO TALK WITH ONE OF OUR EPIDEMIOLOGISTS THAT DOES THE TRACKING.

I KNOW THAT WE QUERY FOR HEAT RELATED ILLNESS, BUT THERE'S ALSO A COMBINATION OF OTHER THINGS THAT THEY LOOK AT WHENEVER THEY, UM,

[01:25:01]

SO I CAN GET THAT INFORMATION GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT.

YEAH, I, WE'D BE INTERESTED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT JUST OVERALL EXCESS MORTALITY DURING, DURING HEAT WAVES BECAUSE IT'S, IF WE'RE NOT TRACKING THAT, I SUSPECT WE MIGHT FIND SOME, UM, INTERESTING AND USEFUL INFORMATION.

AND A FOLLOW UP QUESTION, ARE YOU GUYS DOING GEOLOCATION TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT AREAS IN WHICH YOU HAVE EXCESS SPIKES AND THEN TO TRY TO INTERVENE IN THOSE SPECIFIC AREAS? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT THE SYSTEM IS ABLE TO DO? YES, WE'RE ABLE TO SEE.

SO IT'S A LITTLE COMPLICATED BECAUSE WE SEE THE ZIP CODE OF WHERE THE PERSON LIVES, BUT NOT WHERE IT HAPPENED.

SO SHELTERS IS A STEP, OBVIOUSLY NOT ALWAYS THE, THE FIRST ONE.

UM, I KNOW THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO WORK WITH EMS ON TO SEE WHAT THEY'RE SEEING FROM THEIR SIDE, UM, AS FAR AS, UH, P RELATED ILLNESS RELATED CALLS.

UH, BUT YEAH, IT'S, IT'S BEEN AN ISSUE IN THE PAST EVEN, UM, WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE, UH, THAT WE'RE SEEING COME TO THE HOSPITAL WITH HEAT RELATED ILLNESS ARE UNHOUSED.

A LOT OF THE TIMES THERE'S A ZIP CODE THAT'S ASSOCIATED WITH AN ADDRESS.

IT DOESN'T REALLY SPECIFY IF THEY'RE UNHOUSED.

UM, SO THERE'S SOME GAPS IN THE DATA.

UM, I HAD TWO QUESTIONS.

ONE OF THEM IS SHORTER AND THE FIRST IS A LITTLE BIT LONGER.

THE FIRST IS JUST WITH REGARDS, UM, TO GEOGRAPHY.

AND THAT'S JUST SOUTH AUSTIN IN PARTICULAR.

UM, THE MANCHACA PUBLIC LIBRARY, WHICH IS ONE OF ONE OF OUR REGIONAL LIBRARIES, ONE OF THE FEW LIBRARIES THAT'S OPEN ON SUNDAY, THE ONLY ONE IN ALL OF SOUTH AUSTIN THAT IS OPEN ON SUNDAY WILL BE CLOSING FOR RENOVATIONS IN A FEW MONTHS.

UM, WHICH MEANS THAT THERE WILL BE NO PLACE ON SUNDAY ON A REGULAR BASIS TO COOL OFF EITHER IN THE WINTER OR DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I'VE VERY MUCH HAD ON THE MIND AS A REGULAR PATRON OF THAT LIBRARY THAT, UM, KNOWS HOW HEAVILY IT IS RELIED UPON BY OUR UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS.

SO I'M JUST GONNA SAY THAT OUT LOUD AND HOPING THAT YOU GUYS CAN WORK ON A PLAN OR A, AN ALTERNATE FACILITY THAT CAN BE USED IN THAT LARGE AREA BECAUSE IT'S NOT VERY WALKABLE AND IT WILL BE CLOSED FOR A VERY LONG TIME FOR RENOVATIONS.

UM, MY SECOND QUESTION, UM, IS A LITTLE BIT, UM, TOUGHER TO, I THINK IT'S, IT'S A BIGGER QUESTION AND IT HAS TO DO WITH OUR UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS AGAIN, UM, AND SWEEPS, UM, AND WHAT POLICIES HSO AND THE CITY HAVE IN PLACE WITH REGARDS TO SWEEPS THAT ARE CURRENTLY HAPPENING, UM, DURING THESE HOT MONTHS AND DURING WEATHER EMERGENCIES, BOTH AS WE APPROACH THEM, HAVE THEM AND RECOVER FROM THEM.

UM, THESE SWEEPS ARE SWEEPING UP MEDICATIONS, VITAL DOCUMENTS, SHELTER THAT, UM, OUR IN-HOUSE NEIGHBORS USE FOR SHADE.

UM, AND SO I JUST WANNA HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT POLICIES AROUND THESE SWEEPS AND AS THEY RELATE TO HEAT EMERGENCIES, UM, AND WHAT WE CAN DO BETTER.

I, UM, SO THE ONE WE'VE, WE PRESENTED OUR UPDATED AT, UM, COUNCIL WORK SESSION ABOUT, UM, SIX WEEKS AGO, WE PRESENTED AN UPDATED ENCAMPMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN THAT HAS, UH, THE CHANGE OF OPERATIONS THAT HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE HAS, OR AUSTIN HOMELESS STRATEGIES AND OPERATIONS IS MADE RELATED TO HOW, UM, THE CITY, UM, DEALS WITH THE ABATEMENT OF ENCAMPMENTS SO LONG.

THE, THE SHORT AND SWEET VERSION OF WHAT THAT IS, IS THAT WE, WE BASICALLY OFFER A PROLONGED OUTREACH PERIOD BEFORE ANY NOTICE IS GIVEN AND BEFORE ANY ENFORCEMENT ACTION IS DONE.

SO THE REASON THAT WE ARE DOING THAT WITH A PROLONGED OUTREACH IS BECAUSE ONE, WE WANT TO OFFER PEOPLE ACCESS TO SHELTER AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE HAS A MEANINGFUL, UM, UH, OPPORTUNITY TO GO INTO SHELTER IF THAT'S SOMETHING THEY WOULD LIKE TO DO.

BECAUSE OUR PREFERENCE IS THAT PEOPLE WOULD NOT CAMP BECAUSE OF THE DANGERS THAT ARE RELATED TO HEAT AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS.

UM, WE UNDERSTAND THAT NOT EVERYONE'S GONNA ACCEPT THAT REFERRAL ON THE FIRST TIME.

IT'S A PROCESS OF BUILDING TRUST, UM, WITH A COMMUNITY THAT HAS, UM, A RATIONAL, YOU KNOW, UH, BELIEF TO, YOU KNOW, TO, FOR, FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE TO BE ABLE TO, OR TO WANT TO STAY IN THEIR ENCAMPMENTS.

FOR THEM IT'S A PLACE THEY FEEL SAFE.

SO WE UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT WE WANT PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE MEANINGFUL, UM, OPPORTUNITIES TO GO INTO SHELTER OR ACCEPT REFERRALS FOR OTHER KINDS OF SERVICES THAT WILL HELP PEOPLE GET INTO WHAT OUR REAL GOAL IS, WHICH IS LONG-TERM HOUSING.

[01:30:01]

SO WE HAVE A PROLONGED OUTREACH PERIOD TO DO THAT.

UM, WE JUST PRESENTED, UH, I THINK IT WAS POSTED TODAY, BUT THERE'S A MEMO THAT HAS A SUMMARY OF OUR FIRST, UM, MONTH OF THE NEW ENCAMPMENT OPERATIONS.

ONE OF THE TOP LINE FIGURES I COULD SHARE FROM THAT WAS WE HAD ESSENTIALLY ENGAGED 88 PEOPLE IN THE FIRST MONTH OF THIS NEW OPERATIONS PLAN.

SO WE'RE WORKING ON ENGAGING A SMALLER NUMBER OF PEOPLE AT, UH, A TIME AS OPPOSED TO DOING LARGE SWATHS OF ENCAMPMENT MANAGEMENT.

WE WANT TO FOCUS ON THE SPECIFIC FEW AREAS LONGER, BUILD THE RELATIONSHIP, AND THEN TRY TO GET PEOPLE INTO SERVICES.

UM, SO WE HAD 50% ACCEPTANCE RATE OF EITHER SHELTER OR SERVICES FROM THE, THE FIRST MONTH.

I THINK THAT'S, UM, AND THE BASELINE COMPARISON WOULD BE FROM THE OPERATION THAT WE DID IN OCTOBER WHERE WE HAD ABOUT A 15 TO 20% ACCEPTANCE RATE OF SHELTER OR SERVICES.

SO HAVING A LONGER OUTREACH PERIOD I THINK WILL BRING, UM, MORE MEANINGFUL RESULTS FOR PEOPLE ACCEPTING SERVICES OR GOING INTO SHELTER, WHICH I THINK WILL HAVE THE BEST EFFECT WHEN DEALING WITH, UM, THE RISK AND DANGERS OF EXTREME HEAT.

IS THAT, UM, HELPFUL ANSWER? YEAH.

UM, IT IS.

SO, UM, ARE THESE LONGER OUTREACH PERIODS ALREADY HAPPENING IN EVERY INSTANCE WHERE THERE ARE SWEEPS DONE? YES.

AND THEN, UM, AND THEN ALSO, AND I'M, I'M ASKING THIS BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE YOUR ANSWER IMPLIED, AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, THERE ARE ONLY BEING SWEEPS DONE IF THERE ARE BEDS AVAILABLE FOR THOSE PEOPLE IN THAT ENCAMPMENT.

IS THAT CORRECT? WE, DURING THE ENTIRE CHANGE IN OPERATIONS, WE HAVE NOT HAD ONE DAY WHERE WE'VE BEEN OUT OF BEDS.

WE'VE ALWAYS HAD BEDS AVAILABLE.

SO GO TO A CAMP.

SO IF YOU GO TO A CAMP AND THERE ARE 30 PEOPLE LIVING IN THAT CAMP AND YOU'RE DOING OUTREACH ABOUT AN, UM, UPCOMING SUITE, THAT MEANS THAT YOU HAVE 30 BEDS AVAILABLE FOR THEM TO GO TO.

WE HAVE NOT RUN OUT OF ANY BEDS.

NOW.

THERE ARE D OR D INDIVIDUALS HAVE DIFFERENT PREFERENCES FOR DIFFERENT SHELTERS.

A LOT OF IT IS GEOGRAPHIC.

SOME FOLKS, IF THEY'RE LOCUSTS OF THEIR WORLD IS IN SOUTH AUSTIN, THEY DON'T WANT TO GO STAY AT THE BRIDGE SHELTER IN NORTH AUSTIN.

UM, OTHER FOLKS ARE WARY OF DOWNTOWN.

SOME FOLKS PREFER THE RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION THAT COMES FROM BEING DOWNTOWN.

SO IT REALLY IS ABOUT, WE'RE TRYING TO MATCH PREFERENCES WHEN WE CAN.

AND SO NOT ALWAYS WHEN SOMEONE'S PREFERENCE IS ALIGNED THAT WE, UH, ARE ABLE TO MATCH THEM.

IN THAT CASE, WE TRY TO THEN, UM, HAVE PEOPLE OR, OR HAVE INDIVIDUALS IF WE CAN STAY IN PLACE WHILE A BED, BECAUSE IT IS THE BED, UM, BED BOARD UPDATES DAILY, SO WE WILL HAVE AVAILABILITY, MAYBE NOT ON MONDAY, BUT ON FRIDAY WE WILL.

SO THAT IS, WE TRY TO MATCH AS BEST WE CAN, BUT I CAN SAY THAT DURING THIS ENTIRE TIME, WE HAVE NOT HAD A DAY WHERE THERE WERE ZERO BEDS AVAILABLE IN OUR COMMUNITY.

I'M, I'M, I'M, I'M ASKING BECAUSE THAT IS, THAT, THAT HAS NOT BEEN MY UNDERSTANDING FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

AND IF THAT, THAT IS A CHANGE, THAT IS A POSITIVE CHANGE, AND I'M HAPPY TO HEAR THAT.

BUT THAT IS, THAT IS NOT WHAT I THOUGHT WAS HAPPENING, UM, WITH REGARDS TO THAT AVAILABILITY.

UM, AND THEN THE, AND BECAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE'S BELONGINGS THAT ARE DISAPPEARING WHEN THESE SWEEPS HAPPEN.

UM, AND SO, UM, I I GUESS MY, MY QUESTION TO, TO YOU AND JUST MY CHALLENGE TO YOU IS IF THERE ARE IMPROVEMENTS THAT CAN BE DONE TO THE PROCEDURES AND, AND SOME OF THIS PRE SWEEP OUTREACH, UM, TO ENSURE THAT PEOPLE CAN HOLD ONTO THEIR BELONGINGS MM-HMM .

IF THEY CHOOSE, DO NOT MOVE FORWARD WITH A SHELTER.

'CAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE LOSING MEDICATIONS, THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE LOSING WATER BOTTLES.

UM, THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE LOSING SHELTER, THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE LOSING VITAL DOCUMENTS.

ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE THINGS THAT THE CITY AND VARIOUS, UM, NONPROFITS SPEND LOTS OF MONEY, ENERGY AND RESOURCES TO HELP, UM, OUR AND HOW NEIGHBORS GET THEIR HANDS ON AND WHEN THEY GET SWEPT UP, UM, ALL THAT STUFF GOES AWAY.

AND ALL OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS HAVE TO HELP ALL OVER AGAIN TO, TO RESECURE ALL OF THESE THINGS.

HAVING YOUR SEIZURE MEDICATION, NOT HAVING WHATEVER IT IS, UM, COULD, COULD, COULD MEAN LIFE OR DEATH.

UM, AND IN THE MIDDLE OF A HEAT EMERGENCY, UM, NOT HAVING YOUR MEDICATIONS, NOT HAVING YOUR HEART MEDICATION, NOT

[01:35:01]

WE COMPLETELY AGREE.

AND THAT'S WHY WE MAKE ALL EFFORTS TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE SHARED IN THE, THE MEMO THAT WAS JUST PUBLISHED TODAY WAS THAT WE DID NOT HAVE ANY REPORTED INCIDENTS OF THAT HAPPENING IN THIS FIRST 30 DAYS OF THE NEW BASELINE OPERATIONS.

SO WE HAVE HEARD WHAT YOU'VE SAID ABOUT IN THE PAST, AND THAT'S WHY WE MADE THOSE CHANGES TO MAKE SURE THERE WAS MORE ADVANCED COMMUNICATION AND NOTICE POSTING A SIGNAGE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE IT AS PLAIN AS POSSIBLE WHEN, YOU KNOW, UH, ENCAMPMENT ABATEMENT IS HAPPENING.

SO PEOPLE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS FOR THEMSELVES AND, UH, MAKE THE DECISION THAT'S BEST FOR THEM.

I HAVE A CURIOSITY QUESTION.

YOU TALKED ABOUT SPEAKING TO EUROPEAN CITIES ABOUT, UM, LIKE HOW THEY DEAL WITH HEAT WAVES AND IF YOU LOOK AT ANY OF THE WORLD CUP COVERAGE, EUROPEAN CITIZENS ARE DISCOVERING AC IN AMERICA, LIKE A CAVEMAN DID FIRE.

LIKE HOW DOES THAT, UM, HOW DO THEY DEAL WITH HEAT WHEN IT KIND OF SEEMS LIKE THEY DON'T HAVE THE SAME LIKE, RESOURCES THAT WE DO, AND HOW CAN THAT TRANSLATE TO US? UH, NOT WELL? UM, YEAH, I MEAN, I MEAN, THINK ABOUT LONDON AND PARIS LIKE IT WAS, THINK OF SEATTLE WHERE IT'S ALWAYS BEEN HISTORICALLY COOL.

AND ALSO THINK OF LONDON AND PARIS AS BEING REALLY DENSE CITIES WITH VERY LITTLE GREEN SPACE.

SO WHEN THEY GET HEAT, THEY GET A LOT OF HEAT AND BUILDINGS THAT AREN'T DESIGNED FOR IT.

BUT ALSO, AND THIS IS OFF TOPIC, BUT THE HEAT WEIGHT OF 2003 IN PARIS, I THINK THEY LOST 10,000 PEOPLE BECAUSE IT HAPPENED IN AUGUST WHEN EVERYBODY GOES ON VACATION, EXCEPT FOR THE PEOPLE DON'T GO ON VACATION OR THE ELDERLY.

AND THEY STAYED BEHIND AND THAT'S WHEN THEY HAD MOST OF A, OF IMPACT.

SO THEY'RE CONTACTING US AND WE'RE SHARING NOTES ABOUT LIKE, HOW DO WE DO OUTREACH TO SENIORS? HOW DO WE DO OUTREACH TO KIDS? THEY'RE A LOT MORE FOCUSED ON SHADE IN THEIR CITIES BECAUSE THEY HAVE SO FEW LITTLE PUBLIC SPACES.

AND THEN PLANTING MORE TREES IN THOSE SPACES AS WELL.

WHILE WE ARE THINKING MORE LIKE, HEY, WE HAVE THESE BIG CORRIDORS AND BIG ROADS, HOW DO WE GET PEOPLE AROUND? SO, VERY DIFFERENT LANDSCAPES, BUT VERY SIMILAR IMPACTS TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT.

UM, I JUST HAD A QUICK FOLLOW UP ON WHAT COMMISSIONER RUTAN MENTIONED ABOUT EXCESS HEAT DEATHS.

UM, I, I MEAN, I, I ASSUME YOU ALL MIGHT ALREADY BE AWARE OF THIS DATA, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS FROM RESEARCH THAT, UM, FOR EVERY ACTUAL HEAT DEATH THAT GETS COUNTED IN THE UNITED STATES, THERE ARE BETWEEN SIX AND 10 UNCOUNTED HEAT DEATHS.

SO, UM, LOOKING AT THE EXCESS HEAT DEATH NUMBERS AND WORKING WITH THE MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE, THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND THE MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE TO DO A BETTER JOB OF COUNTING OUR HEAT DEATHS, I I THINK IT MIGHT GIVE YOU ALL MORE RESOURCES TO WORK ON THIS ISSUE BECAUSE I THINK THAT THE CITY COUNCIL IS PROBABLY NOT AWARE OF EXACTLY, UM, HOW MANY ELDERLY FOLKS WE LOSE EVERY SUMMER, AND HOW MANY FOLKS WHO GET COUNTED AS JUST HAVING HAD A HEART ATTACK WHO WOULDN'T HAVE HAD A HEART ATTACK IF THEY HADN'T BEEN EXPOSED TO EXTREME HEAT.

UM, THANK YOU.

YEAH, THANK YOU FOR THAT.

I, UH, WE DO GET, UH, DATA FROM THE MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE, AND I KNOW THAT, UM, SINCE I BELIEVE 2023, THERE WAS A SHIFT IN HOW THEY COUNTED DEATHS.

UH, THERE WAS AN INCREASE BECAUSE THEY STARTED LOOKING AT THE DIFFERENT FACTORS AND SEEING THE CONNECTION TO HEAT AND, AND ACTUALLY NOTING THAT.

UM, BUT I THINK THAT THERE'S DEFINITELY ALWAYS OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A, A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE NUMBER OF DEATHS THAT WE'RE SEEING.

AND IT IS TRUE THAT IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S, UH, UNDER COUNTED.

UM, SO YES.

WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER TO FIGURE OUT BEST WAYS TO GATHER DATA.

AND JUST, SORRY, ONE MORE THING RELATED TO THAT, UM, OF INTEREST, IF, IF IT'S OF INTEREST, WE, UH, DEVELOP A YEARLY HEAT REPORT.

SO NOT ONLY DO WE DO THE HEAT MONITORING AND, UH, HEAT REPORTS THAT ARE DISSEMINATED WEEKLY, THAT WILL TRANSITIONING TO A, WE'LL BE TRANSITIONING TO A LIVE DASHBOARD, UH, WITHIN THE NEXT MONTH.

UH, BUT WE ALSO AT THE END OF EACH HEAT SEASON DEVELOP A HEAT RELATED ILLNESS REPORT THAT SUMMARIZES WHAT WE SAW FOR THE YEAR, AND THAT'S AVAILABLE ONLINE.

UM, I CAN SHARE PREVIOUS YEARS.

I THINK RIGHT NOW THE ONLY ONE THAT YOU CAN LOOK UP IS 2025.

UH, BUT WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS SINCE 2011.

UH, AND THOSE REPORTS ARE THERE, ARE AVAILABLE IF UPON REQUEST.

WELL, IF THERE'S NO FURTHER QUESTIONS, WE CAN MOVE ON.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME FOR COMING DOWN.

UM, SEEING THAT WE HAVE A COUPLE

ALRIGHT, MOVING ON TO THE NEXT ITEM.

[5. Discussion regarding the process for requesting future agenda items. ]

[01:40:01]

NEW COMMISSIONERS AND I'M NEW TO THE CHAIR.

UM, WE'RE GONNA GO, WE'RE GONNA DISCUSS THE PROCESS REGARDING, UH, REQUESTING FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. UM, VICE CHAIR RAMIREZ AND I HAD A CALL ABOUT THIS, AND IF SHE CAN FILL IN ON ANY GAPS THAT I WILL HAVE, BECAUSE I'M TRYING TO GET MY HANDS AROUND THIS, UM, THAT WOULD BE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED.

CURRENTLY, THE, THE PROCESS FOR REQUESTING FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS AS WE GET THE COMMISSIONER REQUESTING THE ITEM AND THEN GETTING, UM, ALL THE DATA NECESSARY TO PRESENT, GETTING WITH THE LIAISON TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY LIKE CITY DEPARTMENT PEOPLE WE NEED TO CONTACT.

AND, UM, KINDA LIKE THE HARDEST PART THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IS THE SCHEDULING OF SAID ITEMS AND ALSO GETTING LIKE A SECOND, UH, TO MOVE THAT ITEM FORWARD AGAIN.

UM, VICE CHAIR RAMIREZ, IF I'M MISSING SOMETHING, PLEASE UH, STEP IN.

I DON'T, I DON'T THINK YOU'RE MISSING ANYTHING.

UM, I THINK, UM, I'LL JUST CHAT, ADD ON THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE WAY WE'VE HAD AGENDA ITEMS WORK OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, UM, IF I REMOVE MYSELF FROM THE EQUATION, UM, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S VERY, UH, SUSTAINABLE WAY, UM, TO MOVE FORWARD FOR THE COMMISSION.

UM, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S FAIR TO EXPECT ONE PERSON TO DO AS MUCH AGENDA ITEM WRANGLING AS I TOOK ON.

UM, AND I WAS HAP HAPPY TO TAKE ON.

UM, I I, I REGARDED IT AS A LEARNING OPPORTUNITY AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT I WAS REALLY EXCITED TO DO, BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S A REASONABLE ASK OF ANY ONE PERSON.

UM, AND SO WITH THAT IN MIND, UM, IS WHY I HAD, UM, SORT OF TALKED AND ASKED IF WE SHOULD TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW TO MOVE FORWARD AND JUST KIND OF LEVEL SET WITH REGARDS TO EXPECTATIONS FROM BOTH LONGSTANDING COMMISSIONERS AND NEW COMMISSIONERS ABOUT HOW TO MOVE FORWARD IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY FOR CHAIR GUAN , UM, WAS REALLY WHAT, UM, UH, I THINK BROUGHT ON THE AGENDA ITEM.

WE DO HAVE AS PART OF OUR RULES AND PROCEDURES.

UM, AN AGENDA ITEM REQUEST FORM, IT IS ON OUR WEBSITE.

UM, FOR ANY OF YOU THAT HAVE REQUESTED AGENDA ITEMS, UM, KNOW THAT I POINT YOU TO THIS, UM, THIS FORM WHEN I NEED MORE INFORMATION, WHEN I NEED HELP WRAPPING MY HEAD AROUND THINGS, UM, I THINK WE CAN RELY ON THIS FORM A LITTLE BIT MORE HEAVILY, UM, SO THAT WE CAN GET AGENDA ITEMS OUTLINED AND SO THAT WE CAN ARM BOTH CHAIR UDAN AND CHELSEA WITH EVERYTHING THAT THEY NEED, UM, TO PURSUE SCHEDULING OF AGENDA ITEMS TO REACH OUT TO CITY DEPARTMENTS TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ASKING ALL THE RIGHT QUESTIONS.

UM, AND TO, UM, HELP COMMISSIONERS TOO, I THINK UNDERSTAND WHAT ROLE THEY PLAY IN HELPING US CRAFT AGENDA ITEMS. AND SO IT'S JUST KIND OF A SAYING LOTS OF THINGS OUT LOUD IN HOPES OF LEVEL SETTING, I THINK.

AND, UH, LOOKING AT THE QUESTIONNAIRE, I THINK IT'S ONLY SEVEN QUICK QUESTIONS AND IT'S, UM, AGAIN, IT WOULD HELP ME A LOT IN MY FIRST YEAR AS CHAIR AND THEN AGAIN HELPING TO THAT SUSTAINABILITY OF LOOKING BEYOND, UM, NELLY, MYSELF, WHOEVER GOES ON, MAKE IT SUSTAINABLE.

SO, UM, COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT, UM, YEAH, I JUST, I JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT, UM, I FOUND IT REALLY EASY TO FILL OUT THE AGENDA REQUEST FORM.

UM, IT, YOU KNOW, IT USUALLY ONLY TAKES ME ABOUT FIVE MINUTES AND, UM, AND I THINK IT REALLY HELPS, UM, WHOEVER THE CHAIR AND UM, AND OUR STAFF ARE, KNOW WHO TO REACH OUT TO FOR A PARTICULAR QUESTION, ESPECIALLY IF THE PERSON REQUESTING ALREADY HAS A PRETTY GOOD IDEA OF THAT.

UM, AND I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT I THINK IT WOULD BE COOL IN THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS TO HAVE AN UPDATE ON, UM, THE LICENSE PLATE READER, UM, ISSUES IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

AND I WOULD BE HAPPY TO FILL OUT A REQUEST FORM, HOPEFULLY EVEN BY THE END OF TODAY.

UM, AND SEND IT IN.

YEAH, I DID JUST DISTRIBUTE AN EMAIL WITH THE LINK TO WHERE IT IS EXACTLY FOR REFERENCE, BUT YOU'RE RIGHT, IT IS, UM, AND WE CAN LOOK AT, I CAN ASK ABOUT CHANGING THE LOCATION ACTUALLY, JUST LIKE A LINK TO LIKE THE, JUST THAT ONE PAGE AS A OH, GOTCHA.

LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.

AND FOR COMMISSIONERS VERY NEWER IT, YOU CAN FIND IT, AND MAYBE THIS IS SOMETHING WE SHOULD ACTUALLY CHANGE THE LOCATION ON IT, UM, BECAUSE IT'S UNDER DOCUMENTS ON OUR WEBSITE, BUT IT'S A SUBSET OF RULES AND PROCEDURES, IT'S NOT A STANDALONE ITEM, SO I DUNNO IF IT'S EASY TO HAVE I TO HAVE THAT CHANGED TO MAKE IT EASIER.

BUT IF YOU GUYS ARE LOOKING FOR IT, UH, IT'S, IT'S THE DOCUMENTS, RULES AND PROCEDURE, AND THEN IT'S AT THE VERY END OF LIKE A SEVEN PAGE DOCUMENT IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR IT THERE.

[01:45:01]

MM-HMM .

UH, THE LINK IS, UH, TO THE, TO THE WHAT? YEAH, TO THE FULL DOCUMENT.

SO THE, THE LAST PAGE IN THAT DOCUMENT IS LINKED IS WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO? YEAH.

CORRECT.

ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, WE CAN MOVE ON.

UM, I JUST HAD ONE LAST THING, WHICH, WHICH IS JUST TO SAY THAT, UM, AND THIS IS I THINK MY FAULT BECAUSE WE WOULD USUALLY RUN OUT OF TIME AND I WOULD RAIL THROUGH, UM, OUR AGENDA.

I LIKE OUR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS PORTION, BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL IF WE SECURED SECONDS FOR OUR AGENDA ITEMS DURING OUR MEETINGS, UM, BECAUSE I THINK IT QUICKLY IDENTIFIES THE TEAM THAT WILL BE WORKING ON SOMETHING TOGETHER.

UM, SO JUST A SUGGESTION.

YES, THANK YOU FOR THAT.

EXCELLENT.

ON, ON THAT NOTE, ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO SECOND THE ALPER OR THE, THE FLOCK ITEM, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

I, I THINK I HAVE THAT AS A STANDING REQUEST ON MY, ON MY OWN, SO I'M HAPPY TO SECOND IT.

OH, EXCELLENT.

ALSO DEFERS THE VICE CHAIR ARM AS THE UPDATE FROM THE COLLECTIVE SITE, UH, SEX CRIME RESPONSE MODEL WORKING GROUP.

GREAT.

UM, THANK YOU NELLY FOR ALL, FOR ALL THE HELP ON THAT.

UM, MOVING ON, I, I THINK THIS

[6. Update from Collective Sex Crime Response Model Working Group. ]

UM, THERE IS IN YOUR BACKUP, UM, JUST THE STATUS UPDATE FROM Q1 OF 2026.

UM, WE HEARD FROM THE COLLECTIVE SEX CRIMES RESPONSE UNIT, UM, WORKING GROUP AND ALL THE VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS JUST A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO.

UM, AS YOU ALL ARE PROBABLY AWARE OR MAYBE ARE NOT AWARE SINCE THEN, SAFE HAS, UM, TERMINATED THEIR CONTRACT TO PROVIDE FORENSIC EXAMS. BUT BRAVE ALLIANCE, WHO WAS ALSO AT OUR MEETING FOR THE FIRST TIME, HAS STEPPED IN, HAS, UM, MET THAT CAPACITY.

AND I BELIEVE ALL PARTIES ARE WORKING, YOU KNOW, IT THROUGH THAT TRANSITION MUCH BETTER THAN EXPECTED.

IT IS VERY MUCH A TRANSITION STILL.

UM, BUT UM, ALL OF THAT IS IN PROCESS.

UM, I JUST WANTED, I JUST USED THIS AS A REFERENCE POINT SO THAT YOU GUYS HAVE ACCESS, UM, AND THE COMMUNITY HAS ACCESS TO THE QUARTERLY PERFORMANCE SUMMARY WHERE WE ARE WITH REGARDS TO OVERALL COMPLETION OF ALL ITEMS IN SCOPE, OVERALL PROJECT STATUS, WHAT'S LEFT, UM, TO DO.

AND, UM, AND THEN AT THE END OF THIS, UM, THERE IS ALWAYS A REFERENCE TO CHALLENGES, CHALLENGES AND RISKS, UM, THAT THE PROJECT, UM, IS FACING AT THE TIME.

OF COURSE, BUDGET DEPENDENCE, SCOPE ITEMS ARE ALWAYS A HUGE THING.

UM, THERE'S THE LETTER FROM THE FORENSIC, UM, FROM THE SART THAT WE ENDORSED AT OUR MEETING TWO MEETINGS AGO, I THINK, UM, THAT WE WROTE A RECOMMENDATION IN SUPPORT OF, AND OF COURSE AN APPENDIX WITH A COMPLETE LIST OF ALL OF THE ITEMS THAT ARE IN SCOPE, UM, INCLUDING, UM, AND, AND THEIR STATUS.

UM, I, I WILL JUST BRING UP THAT THE, MY BIGGEST POINT OF CONCERN CONSTANTLY WITH REGARD TO THIS ENTIRE ENDEAVOR AND THIS HUGE PROJECT, WHICH HAS BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL, IS THE TRAINING CURRICULUM COMPONENT OF IT, WHICH, YOU KNOW, JUST SEEMS TO BE GETTING PUSHED OUT FARTHER AND FARTHER AND FARTHER.

UM, IT'S ALL BELIEVING TO 2027 NOW.

SO I'M HOPING THAT WE'LL HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT WHEN WE HEAR FROM EVERYONE IN, UM, IN A FEW MONTHS.

AND THAT'S IT.

THE, UH, APPROVAL OF RECOMMENDATION, I WOULD LEAVE THIS, UH, COMMISSIONER RUTAN'S, UM, RECOMMENDATION TO COUNSEL REGARDING FUNDING OF THE SOBERING CENTER.

VICE CHAIR.

ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THAT? OKAY.

UH, MOVING ALONG TO

[7. Approve a recommendation to Council regarding continued funding of The Sobering Center. ]

UM, SURE.

SO HOPEFULLY EVERYBODY'S HAD A CHANCE TO, UM, LOOKS OVER.

IT'S THE, THIS IS FAIRLY BRIEF, BUT IT WAS FAIRLY OBVIOUS AFTER THE PRESENTATION, AT LEAST OBVIOUS TO ME AFTER THE PRESENTATION AT OUR LAST MEETING.

THE BENEFITS THAT WE GET AS A COMMUNITY FROM THE SOBERING CENTER AND ALSO SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THEY'VE HAD WITH NOT HAVING A BUDGET REQUEST, BUT THEN ULTIMATELY GETTING IT MET, BUT HAVING TO GO THROUGH SOME PROCESS.

SO THIS IS JUST A RECOMMENDATION THAT WE ASK TO INCLUDE THE STABLE FUNDING, UM, AT THE $3 MILLION, WHICH IS WHAT THEY HAD LAST YEAR.

SO NOT AN INCREASE JUST TO HAVE STABLE FUNDING, WHICH IS ULTIMATELY WHAT THEY HAVE USUALLY RECEIVED AND HAVE BEEN

[01:50:01]

IN THE PAST, ALSO TOLD THAT THEY WOULD BE RECEIVING.

AND THE SECOND, UH, RESOLVE, AS YOU GUYS WILL NOTE ON THERE, IS JUST RECOMMENDING THAT, UM, THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE AND THE CITY COUNCIL WORK TO FIGURE OUT SOME WAYS TO SUPPORT HAVING CONSISTENT FUNDING OPTIONS SO THAT THERE'S NOT A, UM, A, A BACK AND FORTH THAT THEY'RE HAVING TO DEAL WITH AND THEY CAN FOCUS ON PROVIDING SERVICES TO, UM, THE HEALTH OF FOLKS HERE IN AUSTIN.

UH, I HAVE MOTION TO APPROVE THE RECOMMENDATION IF I GET A SECOND.

SECOND.

ALL IN FAVOR? IT'S UNANIMOUS.

UH, RECOMMENDATION APPROVED.

THANK COMMISSIONER KIM.

AND THEN

[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ]

FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, YOU HAVE AUSTIN FIRE, UM, DOING THEIR QUARTERLY REPORT NEXT MONTH AS WELL AS AUSTIN EQUITY INCLUSION, UM, DOING THEIR HUMAN RIGHTS IMPACT REVIEW REPORT AS WELL.

UH, HOPEFULLY IF WE GET COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT'S, UH, FLOCK CAMERA INITIATIVE ON THERE, WE CAN SPEAK TO THAT AS WELL.

UH, DOES ANYONE HAVE ANYTHING ELSE THAT WE SHOULD DISCUSS AT THIS MOMENT? AM I RAMIREZ? YOU ON MUTE? I AM HOPING .

UM, THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I'VE SUCCESSFULLY GOTTEN ON THE AGENDA IN IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS JUST BECAUSE THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING MORE PRESSING.

BUT I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT PERFORMANCE MEASURES.

UM, THERE ARE ALWAYS PERFORMANCE MEASURES THAT ARE ADOPTED AS PART OF THE CITY BUDGET.

IT'S NOT AS, UM, AS WIDELY TALKED ABOUT AS THE DOLLAR PORTION OF THE BUDGET, BUT AT THE VERY END OF EACH BUDGET THERE ARE PERFORMANCE METRICS AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR EACH OF THE DEPARTMENTS THAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MEETING.

AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THERE IS SOME MOVEMENT OF THOSE PERFORMANCE MEASURES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM THE DEPARTMENTS ON THOSE, UM, AND HOW THEY'RE STACKING UP AGAINST THEIR PERFORMANCE MEASURES.

VICE CHAIR RAMIREZ.

WELL, IF THERE IS NOTHING ELSE, I WILL, UM, CHAIR, JUST A QUESTION.

IS THERE A ONGOING SOURCE? AND I KNOW WHEN I WAS VICE CHAIR THERE'S A RUNNING DOCUMENT THAT UM, WE USE TO KIND OF TRACK ALL THE VARIOUS FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT WE CAN ALL HAVE ACCESS TO TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THIS AS A RUNNING DISCUSSION? I KNOW THERE'S THE ISSUES WITH IN TERMS OF LIKE A WALKING QUORUM IF WE HAVE TOO MANY FOLKS, BUT RIGHT.

FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, UNDERSTOOD FROM MY CONVERSATION WITH VICE RAMIREZ, WE CAN'T SHARE IT.

UM, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG.

UM, SO I DON'T THINK WE CAN SHARE A WORKING DOCUMENT LIKE THE ONE THAT YOU AND I SHARE.

UM, BUT UM, CHELSEA, WOULD WE BE ABLE TO MAYBE ONCE A MONTH CIRCULATE A LIST OF ITEMS VIA EMAIL TO EVERYONE JUST SO THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT, LIKE A STAT, A KIND OF STATUS THE WAY I DO WITH THE MM-HMM THE WAY WE'VE DONE THE, UM, THE CHIEFS OF STAFF? I BELIEVE IT'S, IF IT'S JUST A, UM, IF IT'S A ONE-WAY COMMUNICATION WHERE IT'S JUST ME SENDING OUT EVERYONE ELSE BCC'D, I DON'T SEE AN ISSUE.

BUT LET ME GO AHEAD AND GET BACK TO YOU ALL ON THAT BECAUSE IF WE ARE THE, THAT'D BE VERY HELPFUL.

LIKE, LIKE THERE'S SEVERAL THINGS, UM, LIKE THAT DIDN'T BRING UP NOW FOR THE FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 'CAUSE THEY'VE ALREADY BEEN DISCUSSED AT LIKE FUTURE MEETINGS AND, AND I THINK YES, WE ASSUMING THAT THOSE ARE ON THE LIST, BUT IT COULD BE HELPFUL FOR FOLKS TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT TO, TO JUST SEE IF, IF POSSIBLE, IF, IF ALLOWED.

UNDERSTOOD.

YEAH, I'LL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU ON THAT.

YEAH, MAYBE PERHAPS WE COULD CIRCULATE THAT ONCE THIS SOMETHING SIMILAR TO WHAT WE SIM UH, UH, DISTRIBUTE TO THE CHIEFS OF STAFF AHEAD OF OUR, UM, MONTHLY MEETING JUST SO THAT EVERYONE ELSE KNOWS.

AND MAYBE AS PART OF OUR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, COULD WE BRING THAT LIST, UM, SO THAT WE CAN DISCUSS OUTSTANDING ITEMS. QUESTION IF THAT IS, UM, I'LL, I'LL WRITE THAT DOWN AND YEAH, I'LL GET BACK TO YOU ALL WHILE WITH THE RESPONSE.

THANKS FOR BRINGING THAT UP, COMMISSIONER CAN.

NO FURTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM ANYONE.

ALL RIGHT, WELL I ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 5 55.

UH, THE USA PLAYS BELGIUM TONIGHT.

FOR THOSE THAT ARE INTERESTED, GO USA.