* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:04] YOU ARE WATCHING A MEETING OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL WITH MAYOR KIRK WATSON, MAYOR PRO, TIM CHEADLE, VELA COUNCIL MEMBERS NATASHA HARPER MADISON, VANESSA FUENTES, JOSE VELAZQUEZ, RYAN ALTER, CRYSTAL LANE, MIKE SIEGEL, PAIGE ELLIS, ZOE CADRE, MARK UCHIN, CITY ATTORNEY DEBORAH THOMAS, CITY CLERK ERICA BRADY, AND CITY MANAGER TC BROAD. NEXT, WELL, GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY. [Call to Order] IT IS AUGUST 4TH, 2026. IT'S 10 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING, AND I WILL CALL TO ORDER THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL FOR THIS MEETING OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL. WE HAVE A QUORUM OF THE CITY COUNCIL PRESENT, AND WE ARE MEETING IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, WHICH ARE LOCATED AT CITY HALL AT 3 0 1 WEST SECOND STREET IN AUSTIN, TEXAS. UH, WE HAVE TWO ITEMS ON THE AGENDA TODAY. WE'RE GOING TO GO, WE'RE GONNA GO WITH ITEM NUMBER TWO FIRST BECAUSE THAT IS AN ITEM THAT REQUIRES ACTION BY THE COUNCIL. SO WE'RE GONNA TAKE IT UP FIRST. AND, AND ACTUALLY, IN ADDITION TO REQUIRING ACTION, PART OF THE JUSTIFICATION FOR TAKING IT UP FIRST IS THAT FOR GETTING THINGS POSTED IN A TIMELY FASHION BASED UPON WHATEVER THE DECISION MIGHT BE, UM, WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO DO THAT AS QUICK, UH, AS, AS EARLY IN THE DAY AS WE CAN. AND THEN WE WILL HAVE THE PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION OF THE, UH, 20 26, 20 27 PROPOSED BUDGET. BEFORE WE DO THAT, AS I HAVE, UH, TRIED TO DO THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS, LET ME RUN THROUGH WHAT THE SCHEDULE IS WITH REGARD TO THE BUDGET. AS I INDICATED TODAY IS TUESDAY, AUGUST 4TH, WE WILL HAVE A PRESENTATION AND A DISCUSSION REGARDING THE BUDGET. WE WILL ALSO HEAR FROM SPEAKERS WHEN WE BRING UP ITEM NUMBER TWO, AND TODAY IS THE DAY THAT WE HAVE ASKED COUNCIL MEMBERS TO, UH, SHOW TO, TO POST AND BRING FORWARD POTENTIAL AMENDMENTS AND POTENTIAL IFCS. THAT WILL BE DISCUSSED ON THURSDAY, UH, AUGUST 6TH. UM, ON AUGUST 6TH, WE'LL HAVE A MEETING THAT BEGINS AT 10 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING. THERE WILL BE FOUR AGENDA ITEMS ON THAT MEETING'S AGENDA. UH, WE WILL HAVE OF COURSE, PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION OF THE BUDGET, AND THAT WILL ALSO ALLOW FOR US TO, UH, HIGHLIGHT ADMIT PROPOSED AMENDMENTS AND PROPOSED IFCS, BUT THERE WILL ALSO BE A COUNCIL ELECTION VOTE. UH, ONE WILL BE IF, IF NECESSARY, ORDERING A GENERAL BOND ELECTION. ONE WILL BE ORDERING A GENERAL ELECTION BECAUSE IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE UP FOR ELECTION THIS TIME. UM, WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL TALK ABOUT YOU. YOU JUST WANNA PASS THAT. UM, ANYWAY, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT, UH, ON THURSDAY, BUT THAT'S ANOTHER ITEM. WE HAVE THREE ITEMS THAT WE HAVE TO VOTE ON WITH REGARD TO THE BALLOT. ONE IS, UH, POTENTIAL BOND ELECTION. ONE IS THE, UH, GENERAL ELECTION, AND ONE IS ORDERING A SPECIAL ELECTION FOR PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENTS. THEN, OF COURSE, ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12TH, THURSDAY, AUGUST 13TH, AND FRIDAY, AUGUST 14TH IS WHEN WE WILL VOTE ON POTENTIAL BUDGET APPROVAL. WE WILL ALSO CONDUCT DURING THE COURSE OF THAT PUBLIC HEARINGS, THESE ARE ALL POSTED ON, THESE WILL ALL BE POSTED ON THE CLERK'S WEBSITE WITH EXACTLY HOW ANYBODY THAT WANTS TO BE HEARD, UH, WHAT THE ENVELOPE FOR TIMING IS TO SIGN UP AND WHEN THE TIMING, WHEN THE SIGNUP PERIOD WILL BE OVER. SO [2. Approve a resolution directing the City Manager to prepare an ordinance for Council consideration to order a November 2026 bond election, including recommended bond measures, proposition language, categories, and amounts for public improvements. Funding: Approval of this resolution has no immediate fiscal impact. Should City Council vote to call a 2026 bond election, fiscal impacts will be noted at that time.] WITH THAT, WE WILL GO TO, I'LL CALL UP ITEM NUMBER TWO. UNLESS THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BY COUNCIL MEMBERS, I'LL CALL UP ITEM NUMBER TWO, WHICH RELATES TO A POTENTIAL RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE MANAGER TO PREPARE AN ORDINANCE FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION TO ORDER A NOVEMBER 20, 26 BOND ELECTION. AS I INDICATED, UH, THIS REQUIRES ACTIONS BY THE COUNCIL AND IT REQUIRES A POSTING, AND SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE TAKING IT UP. FIRST. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, SO UNLESS THERE'S OBJECTION OR QUESTIONS, I WILL TURN TO THE CITY CLERK AND ASK THE CITY CLERK TO PLEASE START CALLING PEOPLE. WHEN THE CITY CLERK CALLS YOUR NAME, IF YOU WOULD, SHE'LL CALL 'EM A NAME IN, IN LISTS OR GROUPS OF 3, 4, 5, MAYBE MORE. UM, BUT SHE'LL CALL THE NAMES WHEN YOUR NAME IS CALLED. PLEASE GO AHEAD AND GET UP AND COME FORWARD, AND IF THERE'S AN EMPTY SEAT, TAKE ONE OF THE SEATS HERE AT THE DESK SO THAT WE'LL KNOW THAT YOU'RE HERE AND THAT YOU WISH TO BE HEARD. IF THERE'S NOT A SEAT AVAILABLE, BUT YOUR NAME'S BEEN HEARD, TAKE ONE OF THESE FRONT SEATS, UM, SO THAT YOU'LL BE READY AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO OPERATE EFFICIENTLY IN TERMS OF GETTING YOUR TESTIMONY IN FRONT OF THE COUNCIL. SO WITH THAT, I'LL NOW TURN IT OVER TO THE CITY CLERK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. WE HAVE A FEW REMOTE SPEAKERS FOR ITEM TWO. I'LL START WITH CHELSEA [00:05:01] BURNS. HI, CAN YOU HEAR MEYE? YES. HELLO? YES, WE CAN. OH, OKAY, GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, MY NAME IS CHELSEA BURNS AND I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT SEVEN. I'M THE VICE CHAIR OF THE BICYCLE ADVISORY COUNCIL, AND I'VE SERVED ON THE COUNCIL FOR THREE YEARS. UM, DURING THE TIME I'VE BEEN THERE, I'VE SEEN HOW MUCH AUSTIN HAS BENEFITED FROM THE CAREFUL WORK OF SKILLED PROFESSIONALS AT TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS. RECENT BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN AUSTIN HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMATIVE IN PROMOTING CRITICAL SAFETY. SO, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, THE CHANGING THE STRUCTURE OF INTERSECTIONS TO REDUCE CRASHES BETWEEN PEDESTRIANS AT OR CYCLISTS AND MOTOR VEHICLES, OR BUILDING PROTECTED BICYCLE LANES TO PROVIDE DEDICATED AND SAFE SPACE FOR DIFFERENT ROAD USERS. IN ADDITION, THEY'VE MADE THE CITY A MORE PLEASANT PLACE TO RIDE WITH TRAILS AND ROADS THAT HAVE IMPROVED SHADE AND HIGHER COMFORT LEVELS FOR A RANGE OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF RIDERS, PRIORITIZING ROUTES THAT CAN BE DESCRIBED AS ALL AGES AND ABILITIES. AND THESE IMPROVEMENTS HAVE NOT ONLY BENEFITED CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS AS THE MOST RECENT EMAIL FROM AUSTIN MOBILITY NEWS HIGHLIGHTS, TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES IN ADDITION OF PROTECTED PATHS FOR CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS HAVE ALSO REDUCED MOTOR VEHICLE CRASHES WRIT LARGE, IMPROVING OVERALL SAFETY OF THESE STREETS. THESE IMPROVEMENTS HAVE COME AT A COST. OF COURSE, I RECOGNIZE THAT THE CITY'S IN A TIGHT POSITION FINANCIALLY AND THAT AUSTIN WILL NOT BE ABLE TO HAVE THE KINDS OF MAJOR PROJECT SUPPORT IN COMING YEARS THAT WE'VE ENJOYED FROM PRIOR BOND FUNDING. THE REASON I'M CALLING TODAY IS TO ASK THE CITY TO SUPPORT A BOND THAT WOULD SPECIFICALLY PROVIDE FOR CONTINUITY OF STAFFING. MY CONCERN IS THAT WITH CUTS THAT ARE COMING WITHOUT BOND SUPPORT, WE WILL LOSE NOT ONLY PROGRESS ON, ON PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN REALLY EFFECTIVE, BUT ALSO EXPERTISE, WORKFLOWS, RELATIONSHIPS WITH DIFFERENT CONTRACTORS. UM, THOSE HAVE BEEN REALLY CRITICAL FOR MAKING THE WORK EFFICIENT AND COST EFFECTIVE AND REDUCING THE COST PER MILE FOR VARIOUS KINDS OF IMPROVEMENTS. AND I REALLY AM CONCERNED THAT IF WE DON'T FUND, UM, A BOND JUST TO KEEP SMALL MAINTENANCE MEASURES GOING, WE'RE NOT JUST GONNA PAUSE, WE'RE GONNA GO BACKWARDS IN THOSE WAYS. UM, AND SO SIMILARLY, I WOULD ALSO SUPPORT, UM, CON CONTINUITY OF PARK FUNDING. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE, UM, UM, I REALLY, HAYDEN WALKER, GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. MY NAME'S HAYDEN BLACK WALKER, AND I'M ONE OF THE 22 FOLKS Y'ALL APPOINTED TO THE BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE. THE B TEST BEGAN MEETING IN OCTOBER OF 24 TO PREPARE FOR A POTENTIAL 25 BOND, WHICH WAS THEN PUSHED NOVEMBER OF 26. WE MET FOR 20 MONTHS AND HEARD HUNDREDS OF HOURS OF PRESENTATIONS FROM CITY STAFF AT HIGHLIGHTED THE 3.9 BILLION IN CAPITAL NEEDS ACROSS THE CITY OF AUSTIN. I'M SPEAKING TODAY TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO FUND THE CIP PROJECT PROJECTS YOU'RE CONSIDERING FOR PARKS, POOLS, OPEN SPACE, LOCAL MOBILITY, TRANSPORTATION, SAFETY, AND LIBRARIES. THESE PROGRAMS ARE CRITICAL TO OUR QUALITY OF LIFE IN AUSTIN. I FIRST LEARNED OVER A DECADE AGO THAT AUSTIN FUNDS SIDEWALKS WITH ONLY BOND MONEY. AT THAT TIME, THE EXISTING LEVEL OF FUNDING WAS GOING TO TAKE 200 YEARS TO BUILD OUR SIDEWALKS THAT WERE MISSING WITH ADEQUATE FUNDING. THE CITY BUILT A SYSTEM THAT EFFECTIVELY DELIVERS SIDEWALKS AND SAFE CROSSINGS, SPENDING LOCAL MOBILITY BOND MONEY AS DIRECTED AND ON TIME. THAT EFFORT HAS CUT OUR SIDEWALK DEFICIT IN HALF, BUT WITHOUT NEW FUNDING, THESE LOCAL MOBILITY PROGRAMS FALL OFF OF FINANCIAL CLIFF IN 2027. SIDEWALKS IMPROVE SAFETY, CONNECTIVITY, ACCESS, AND COMMUNITY HEALTH. IT WOULD BE INEFFICIENT TO DISMANTLE THE SYSTEM WE'VE BUILT, THEN REINVENT THE WHEEL AGAIN AFTER 2028. GIVEN EVERYTHING I LEARNED ON BOTH THE BTF TRANSPORTATION AND PARKS WORKING GROUPS, I'M SUPPORTIVE OF THIS PACKAGE AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO VOTE TO CONTINUE FUNDING THESE CRITICAL PROGRAMS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, ADDIE WALKER. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. MY NAME IS ADDIE WALKER. I LIVE IN DISTRICT NINE. I'VE WORKED FOR SEVERAL YEARS IN ADVOCACY FOR ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND CLIMATE RESILIENCY, AND I ATTENDED THE PUBLIC MEETINGS OF THE B TIFFS, INCLUDING PRESENTATIONS FROM CITY DEPARTMENTS AND STAFF. I SUPPORT HAVING A BOND ON THE BALLOT IN NOVEMBER, AND I SUPPORT FUNDING FOR ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND FOR PARKS. THE ORIGINAL DISCUSSION AROUND THIS BOND IN 2024 WAS TO HAVE A CLIMATE BOND, RECOGNIZING THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS A REAL AND PRESENT THREAT TO OUR PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELLBEING, AND COMMITTING TO TAKE REAL STEPS TO ADDRESS THAT. DURING THE COURSE OF THE BTIS MEETINGS, OFTEN CLIMATE ACTION AND RESILIENCE COMPLETED A ROUGH ANALYSIS OF THE EMBODIED AND OPERATIONAL CARBON OF EACH PROJECT BEING CONSIDERED FOR BOND FUNDING, SIDEWALKS, URBAN TRAILS, [00:10:01] VISION ZERO BIKEWAYS, SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOLS, TRANSIT ENHANCEMENTS, AND THE ACT PLAN ALL HAVE NEGATIVE NET CARBON EMISSIONS. PARKLAND ACQUISITION AND OPEN SPACE ACQUISITION BOTH HAVE NEGATIVE NET CARBON EMISSIONS. WE ARE LIVING THE CONSEQUENCES OF CLIMATE CHANGE RIGHT NOW, AND I WOULD URGE THIS COUNCIL TO CONSIDER CLIMATE RESILIENCY AND EMISSIONS REDUCTIONS IN EVERY ACTION YOU TAKE. FUNDING FOR ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND FOR PARKS SUPPORTS EMISSIONS NEGATIVE PROJECTS THAT PROMOTE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELLBEING FOR OUR RESIDENTS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. JOSE LOYOLA. HELLO. MIC CHECK. CAN YOU HEAR ME? ALRIGHT. UH, GOOD MORNING, MAYOR COUNCIL. UH, MY NAME IS JOSE OLA. I LIVE IN DISTRICT SIX AND I AM A FATHER OF TWO YOUNG CHILDREN. MAYOR WATSON HAS CHALLENGED AUSTIN TO BECOME THE BEST PLACE IN AMERICA TO BE A KID. THAT MEANS MORE THAN CREATING WONDERFUL PLACES THAT CHILDREN CAN GO, IT MEANS GIVING THEM THE FREEDOM TO REACH THOSE PLACES, BIKE WAYS, SIDEWALKS, SAFE CROSSINGS AND NEIGHBORHOOD LED PROJECTS ARE THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF CHIL CHILDHOOD FREEDOM. THEY ALLOW CHILDREN TO WALK TO THE PARK, RIDE TO A FRIEND'S HOUSE, AND GRADUALLY GAIN INDEPENDENCE. A PARK THAT A CHILDREN CANNOT SAFELY REACH IS ONLY HALF AN INVESTMENT. AS YOU MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS BOND AND THE CITY'S BROADER CAPITAL INVESTMENTS, PLEASE PROVIDE SUSTAINED FUNDING FOR BIKEWAYS SAFE ROUTES AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERING PROGRAM. LET'S BUILD A CITY WHERE CHILDREN CAN EXPERIENCE THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS FREELY AND SAFELY, NOT ONLY FROM THE BACKSEAT OF A CAR. THANK YOU. IAN WILSON. HELLO. MIC CHECK AGAIN. YES, YOU CAN BE HEARD. HEY, THANK YOU. UH, I AM ALSO CALLING TO ECHO THE STATEMENT OF THE LAST FEW CALLERS. UH, MY NAME IS IAN WILSON, DISTRICT THREE. UM, IT IS KIND OF AMAZING THAT WE NEED TO MAKE ARGUMENTS FOR SOMETHING THAT HAS SO CLEARLY HAS, UH, SUCH A WIDE PUBLIC SUPPORT. UH, UH, NOT ONLY IS IT IS IT MAKE OUR CITY BETTER TO GET AROUND IN A WHOLE BUNCH OF WAYS, IT'S ALSO JUST THE BEST ECONOMIC DECISION FOR OUR CITY. BIKES ARE MORE AFFORDABLE FOR EVERYONE. BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE IS WAY, WAY, WAY MORE AFFORDABLE THAN EXPENSIVE BUILD OUTS OF OTHER THINGS, SO I COULD NOT MORE STRONGLY ENDORSE, UM, CONTINUED FUNDING FOR ALL BIKE RELATED INFRASTRUCTURE. THANKS, EDWIN BATISTA. HELLO. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS MOND BTA. I LIVE IN DISTRICT SEVEN. I'M HERE TO SUPPORT THE CALLING OF THE BOND ELECTION THIS NOVEMBER, AND I WANT TO TELL YOU WHY MY SUPPORT SHOULD CARRY SOME WEIGHT. I VOTED AGAINST PROP Q LAST YEAR, BUT I KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TAX RATE ELECTION AND A BOND. A TRE PRE PERMANENTLY RAISES THE RATE FOR ONGOING OPERATIONS. A BOND IS A VOTER APPROVED DEBT FOR SPECIFIC CAPITAL PROJECTS SPREAD ACROSS THE GENERATION'S. FULL BENEFIT FROM THEM. SAYING NO TO ONE AND SAYING YES TO THE OTHER IS AN INCONSISTENCY. IT'S EXACTLY THE THE DISCERNMENT YOU SHOULD WANT FROM VOTERS. SO I'M COMFORTABLE APPROVING THIS THOUGH. I'LL BE HONEST. I HAVE REAL RESERVATIONS ABOUT THE CITY'S ABILITY, ABILITY TO DELIVER ON TIME. THE, THE 2018 BOND WAS THE FIRST BOND I EVER VOTED FOR. LITTLE DID I KNOW I'D END UP DIRECTLY LIVING WITH IT. I LATER MOVED TO BURNETT ROAD WHERE THE 2018 CORRIDOR PROJECT IS IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION RIGHT NOW IN AUGUST, 2026, AND EXPECT IT TO WRAP UP SOON. EIGHT YEARS FROM THE BALLOT TO RIBBON CUTTING IS TOO LONG. THAT SAID, I IMAGINE SETTING UP THE CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES DEPARTMENT AS ITS OWN DEPARTMENT HAS HELPED EXPEDITE THE BACKLOG OF APPROVED PROJECTS, AND I'D URGE YOU TO KEEP THAT MOMENTUM AND ACCOUNTABILITY GOING. FINALLY, PARKS WITH THE RECENT CHANGES IN STATE LAW RESTRICTING HOW CITIES COLLECT PARKLAND DEDICATION, FEES, BONDS ARE NOW ONE OF THE FEW MEANINGFUL TOOLS LEFT TO FUND OUR PARK SYSTEM. OUR CROWN JEWEL VOKER STILL HAS NO COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. THE VISION PLAN WAS SHELVED ALMOST THREE YEARS AGO WHERE THE UPDATE, WHEN IT RETURNS, IT MUST BE A PLAN RESPONSIVE TO THE NEEDS OF AUSTINITES, NOT CORPORATIONS. SEND THIS TO THE VOTERS IN NOVEMBER. WE CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD DEBT AND BAD SPENDING. THANK YOU. YORGOS S HELLO ALL. UH, CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? YES. OKAY. UH, MORNING, MAYOR WATSON, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ZOE REPRESENTING D NINE FROM MY TRAP SITES NEIGHBORHOOD AND OTHERS. UH, WANNA EXPRESS HOW IMPORTANT THIS ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION BOND FUNDING IS A FATHER OF [00:15:01] A YOUNG 18 MONTH OLD. UH, WE'RE SIMPLY TRYING TO SAFELY WALK, UH, WITH MY SON TO NEARBY LITTLE SAFETY PARK AND BIKE TO OUR DAYCARE AT HILLSIDE. THE WOODLAND CROSSING HAS ALREADY RECENTLY BEEN MOVED DUE TO, UH, 35 CONSTRUCTION. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY RELYING ON SOME OF THESE ALTERNATIVE ROUTES AND, UM, WE'RE ALSO SEEING SOME TRAFFIC IMPACT DOWN ALAMEDA, UM, BECAUSE OF THE INTERSTATE CONSTRUCTION. SO, UH, THIS FUNDING, IT'S REALLY PARAMOUNT. UM, YOU KNOW, IN A FEW YEARS I WANNA BE ABLE TO SAFELY STROLL TO, UH, TRAVIS SITES ELEMENTARY, UH, WITH MY SON AND AVOID CHEWING UP IN A DROP OFF LINE. UM, I COULD SEE IN MY SON'S EYES, HE'S ENGAGED ON OUR, ON OUR TRIPS BY BIKE AND BY WALKING. UM, WE, WE ARE ONCE OUR HOUSEHOLD, IT'S REALLY HARD. UM, DON'T REALLY WANT TO KEEP HIM COOPED UP IN THE BACKSEAT. UM, AND WE DON'T ALWAYS HAVE THE CAR AVAILABLE FOR, FOR BOTH PARENTS. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE ARE SEEING A LOT OF THE CUT THROUGH TRAFFIC IN A HIGH PEDESTRIAN AREA ON ALAMEDA DRIVE, UM, AND THE PROFESSIONALS AT THE SOUTH ROUTES SOUTH, UH, SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOLS TEAM HAVE BEEN A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH DI DILIGENCE FROM THE CENTRAL ENGINEERING TEAM AND THE SUPPORT OF COUNCIL MEMBERS, THOSE STAFF. UM, SO JUST WANT TO VOICE MY, UH, MY OPINION THAT THIS FUNDING IS CRUCIAL. IT'S LIFESAVING AND, UM, I HOPE YOU SUPPORT IT. THREE CARDINAL. HELLO, COUNSEL. UM, MY NAME IS SIKA MUL. I'M IN, UH, DISTRICT NINE. UH, I'M CALLING IN TO SUPPORT THE BOND FUNDING, UH, ESPECIALLY AS IT REGARDS TO ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS. UH, AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS THAT OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS OR SO, UH, I'VE SEEN MORE AND MORE, UH, BIKE LANES, TRAILS, SIDEWALKS ACTUALLY GET BUILT AS OPPOSED TO THE CORRIDOR BONDS FROM LET'S SAY 10 YEARS AGO, WHICH, WHICH WE'RE STILL WAITING TO SEE MORE RESULTS ON. I'M SEEING THE KIND OF RESULTS OF THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT ABLE TO GET THESE PROJECTS LIKE IN THE GROUND FASTER. AND, UH, I'M SUPPORTING, YOU KNOW, SOME FUNDING TO KEEP THAT GOING SO THAT WE DON'T LOSE THE EXPERTISE OF THE STAFF AND THE, UH, DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS TO, TO KEEP THAT MOMENTUM GOING INSTEAD OF, UH, YOU KNOW, US HAVING TO STOP AND START AND THEN SUDDENLY HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER FEW YEARS TO BUILD THAT CAPACITY BACK UP. SO I REALLY HOPE THAT, UH, UH, SUPPORT THIS GOING FORWARD. THANK YOU. CLAUDIA ZAPATA. HELLO? YES, HI, THIS IS ZA. UH, I, I'M HERE TO SUPPORT NCAR MUSEUM. NCAR MUSEUM IS ONE OF THE LEADING INSTITUTIONS IN THE COUNTRY RELATED TO LATINX ART AND CULTURE. UH, I WAS AN INTERN AND I WENT AND ATTENDED THE PROGRAMMING AS A CHILD, AND NOW I'M ONE OF THE LEADING SCHOLARS IN THE COUNTRY. I HAD A PIPELINE TO THE SMITHSONIAN AND NOW I'M THE ASSOCIATE CURATOR OF LATINO ART AT THE BLANTON. I WAS ONE OF THE FIRST CURATORS AT THE MEXICAN ART AT THE MUSEUM, AND NOW ONE OF THE FIRST IN THE COUNTRY. MEXICAN GAR IS ONE OF THE INTEGRAL CULTURAL IMPACTFUL INSTITUTIONS IN THE CITY, AND IT HAS A NATIONAL PRESENCE AT ALL ACADEMIC LEVELS, AT ALL MUSEUM LEVELS. THEY'RE NATIONALLY DISCUSSED INTERNATIONALLY PARTICIPATING ENTITY IN THE DISCIPLINE OF FINE ARTS IN THE COUNTRY AND LATINO HISTORY AND AMERICAN HISTORY. THEY'RE ONE OF THE GEMS OF THE CITY AND PEOPLE COME FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND INTERNATIONALLY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT MEXICO HAS BEEN DOING, HOW TO SUSTAIN. SO, AND THE COLLECTIONS IT HOLDS IN THE PROGRAMMING IT OVERSEES. SO ANY SORT OF FUNDING TO KEEP THAT INSTITUTION GOING NEEDS TO BE SUPPORTED IN ORDER FOR AUSTIN TO BE AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE AMERICAS IN TERMS OF, OF A CONVERSATION RELATED TO LATINO ART AND CULTURE. SO I FULLY SUPPORT IT. PAMELA VANCE, CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? YES. THANK YOU. UH, MY NAME IS PAMELA HALL VANCE AND I'M HERE TO TODAY REPRESENTING THE GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER AMBASSADORS. I'M SPEAKING TO URGE YOU TO RESTORE THE 18 MILLION EXPANSION FUNDING FOR THE GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER MUSEUM CULTURAL AND GENEALOGY CENTER TO THE FINAL 2026 BOND PORTFOLIO. [00:20:01] THE REASON I'M STANDING, UH, HERE TODAY IS BECAUSE I TRUSTED THE CITY TO CARRY OUT ITS BASELINE DUE DILIGENCE AND SEE THE CARVER MUSEUM EXPANSION TO FRUITION. THAT DUTY HAS BEEN SORELY AND SYSTEMATICALLY NEGLECTED. THIS EXPANSION WAS ADVANCED BY , STRIPPED BY CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES RESTORED BY STAFF UNDER THE $750 THOUSAND, I'M SORRY, 750 MILLION SCENARIO AFTER INTENSE ADVOCACY AND EXPLICITLY ENDORSED BY THE TASK FORCE, YET IT WAS COMPLETELY OMITTED FROM THE FINAL 390 MILLION SCENARIO RECOMMENDED BY STAFF. THE PROJECT REQUIRES EXACTLY 18 MILLION TO SEE THE DESIGN TO COMPLETION STAFF USE PRO PROJECT READINESS AND OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE IMPACTS TO JUSTIFY CUTTING OF HOWEVER THE DATA REVEALS A PROFOUNDLY UNFAIR EVALUATIVE STANDARD. UH, THE CARVER MUSEUM EXPANSION SCORED OBJECTIVELY HIGHER ACROSS COMMUNITY CONSIDERATION, EFFICIENCY AND READINESS METRICS THAN MULTIPLE OTHER CIVIC PROJECTS THAT WERE RETAINED THE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE DOUBLE STANDARD. THE CARVER ASSIGNED A 1.8 MILLION ANNUAL O AND M IMPACT THAT COMPLETELY EXCLUDES ITS FIVE REQUIRED STAFF MEMBERS. MEANWHILE, PEER STANDALONE FACILITIES CARRY ALMOST IDENTICAL PROJECTIONS, BUT FULLY INCLUDE TRIPLE THE STAFF FOOTPRINT OF 12 TO 16 POSITIONS. THANK YOU. STAFF POINTS TO A LATE INU, IMANI, ANU. GOOD MORNING MAYOR AND COUNCIL. MY NAME IS IMANI ANU AND I AM HERE REPRESENTING COMMUNITY ADVOCATE FOR THE CAR MUSEUM IN AUSTIN. I HAVE BEEN A 20 YEAR, 20 PLUS YEAR RESIDENT OF AUSTIN AND HAVE LIVED MOST OF THAT TIME IN DISTRICT ONE. ALTHOUGH I'M CURRENTLY A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT FOUR. I ALSO PARTICIPATED ACTIVELY AND CONSISTENTLY IN THE BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE MEETING DURING THE SPRING OF THIS YEAR WHERE I ADVOCATED FOR THE CARVER, WHICH WAS ULTIMATELY ADDED TO THE LIST OF PROJECTS FOR A POTENTIAL BOND PACKAGE. SO I WAS SURPRISED AND DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED TO SEE THE MEMO FROM CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES TO THIS BODY DATED JULY 17TH OF THIS YEAR, WHICH EXPLICITLY EXCLUDED THE CARVER. THE CARVER MUSEUM IS IN THE PROCESS OF A DESIGN PROJECT THAT IS IN ITS FINAL STAGES. AS PAMELA VANCE INDICATED, THERE'S ONLY AN ADDITIONAL $18 MILLION TO COMPLETE THIS PROJECT, AND UNLIKE OTHERS THAT REMAIN ON THE LIST OF NAMES PROJECT THE CARVER HAS A SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER OPERATING COST FOOTPRINT. WE URGE YOU TO PLEASE ADD THE CARVER BACK TO THE LIST OF PROJECTS THAT ARE TO BE INCLUDED IN THIS BOND ISSUE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE EXPANSION OF THE CARVER HAS BEEN A FILE THAT HAS BEEN KICKED DOWN THE ROAD FOR MANY, MANY YEARS BY AUSTIN, TEXAS LEADERSHIP AND THE BLACK AND DIVERSE COMMUNITY WITHIN AUSTIN IS RELYING ON YOU TO SUPPORT THIS VERY IMPORTANT CULTURAL ARTS FACILITY IN AUSTIN, TEXAS. PLEASE DO SO BY AGREEING TO FUND THE FINAL 18 MILLION NEEDED TO CONCLUDE THIS PROJECT. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL THE REMOTE SPEAKERS I HAVE FOR NOW, SO I WILL BE TURNING TO IN-PERSON SPEAKERS. AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED, WHEN I CALL YOUR NAME, PLEASE COME DOWN AND TAKE AN OPEN SEAT. JUST BE SURE TO STATE YOUR NAME BEFORE BEGIN SPEAKING. MARTHA LANFORD. ADAM GREENFIELD. ADAM, ARE YOU HERE? IS JOHN STARK HERE? YES. AND THEN YOU'LL HAVE FOUR MINUTES AND THEN MARCEL GRAY, PLEASE, MS. LANGFORD. OKAY. GOOD MORNING TO EACH OF YOU AGAIN. I'M MARTHA LANGFORD HERE TO SPEAK. ON BEHALF OF THE GUS GARCIA SENATOR SENIORS, I WOULD LIKE TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO A STATEMENT MADE BY SUSAN ANDERSON, THE CEO OF AUSTIN AGING. SHE SAID, IF YOU ARE LONELY AND ISOLATED IN YOUR HOME, YOUR BODY'S DECLINE CAN BE COMPARED TO SMOKING 15 CIGARETTES A DAY. THAT STRUCK [00:25:01] ME AS A WATER WAKE UP CALL, BUT THEN A RATIONAL THINKER MIGHT COUNTER WITH, WELL, WHY IS THAT PERSON STAYING AT HOME? WHY AREN'T THEY TRYING TO HELP THEMSELVES? THE KEY WORD IN HER STATEMENT IS ISOLATED. SO MANY SENIOR INDIVIDUALS ARE LIMITED IN THEIR OPTIONS TO HELP THEMSELVES EVEN THOUGH THERE ALREADY EXIST. MANY PROGRAMS TO HELP SENIORS, MANY SENIORS HAVE VERY LIMITED RESOURCES SUCH AS LITTLE OR NO TRANSPORTATION, LIMITED INCOME, LIMITED AMBULATORY SKILLS OR DEVICES. LIST GOES ON AND ON. WAIT, ARE WE NOT MEMBERS OR CITIZENS OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN? DON'T WE TRY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR CITIZENS? THIS IS WHY I'M HERE TO ASK YOU TO POSITIVELY REMEMBER THAT THE GUS GARCIA WELL EXPANSION WING PROJECT IS MEANT TO INCREASE THE SERVICES TO NORTHEAST AUSTIN SENIORS THAT ARE IN SO DIRE NEED OF THESE SERVICES. WE WOULD LIKE TO, FOR YOU TO VOTE YES TO A NOVEMBER ELECTION FOR OUR BOND ISSUE, INCLUDING GUS GARCIA SENIORS, OF COURSE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING MAYOR. MAYOR PR, MAYOR PERAM, AND AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL. ADAM GREENFIELD HERE WITH SAFE STREETS AUSTIN, NICE TO BE WITH YOU AND I'M HERE TO DELIVER A VERY SIMPLE MESSAGE, UH, WHY THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND SAFETY PROGRAMS ARE A FIRST CLASS USE OF PUBLIC FUNDING AND WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO KEEP THESE PROGRAMS FUNDED AT CURRENT LEVELS. UH, IT IS CHALLENGING TO ENCAPSULATE THE ENORMITY OF WHAT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED BY OUR ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION SAFETY PROGRAMS IN THE PAST 10 YEARS. IF YOU LOOK AT THE MAP PROJECTS ALL OVER THE CITY, UM, SIDEWALKS ALONE, WALKING 20 MILES A DAY WOULD TAKE YOU ALMOST TWO WEEKS TO WALK THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE SIDEWALKS THAT HAVE HAVE BEEN BUILT JUST IN THE PAST 10 YEARS. NOT TO MENTION OVER A HUNDRED MILES OF, OF BIKE LANES, 120 SCHOOLS IMPACTED BY SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL AND SO MUCH MORE. IT TOOK THREE KEY GROUPS OF PEOPLE TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. FIRSTLY, IT TOOK A HIGHLY SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY. IN 20 16, 50 9% OF VOTERS VOTED FOR THE TRANSPORTATION BOND. THAT YEAR, 2018 IT WAS 81%. AND IN 2020 IN AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN AND AND A PANDEMIC, IT WAS 67%. THE MESSAGE FROM THE COMMUNITY IS VERY CLEAR. ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND STREET SAFETY IS NOT AN OPTIONAL NICE TO HAVE. IT IS BASIC INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE PUBLIC EXPECTS IT. THE SECOND KEY GROUP OF PEOPLE, OUR HARDWORKING AND PASSIONATE CITY OF AUSTIN STAFF, STAFF HAVE BECOME EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE IN TURNING PUBLIC DOLLARS INTO INFRASTRUCTURE AND STRETCHING OUT THOSE DOLLARS AS FAR AS THEY WILL GO TO BUILD THIS INFRASTRUCTURE WITH SIDEWALKS, THEY DO FIELD ENGINEERING, SO ACTUALLY, UH, STAFF JUST GO OUT AND BUILD THE SIDEWALKS AND ENGINEER IN THE MOMENT, UH, FOR MAXIMUM EFFICACY. THEY COORDINATE WITH STREET RESURFACING PROJECTS SO THAT THEY CAN, UH, BEST UTILIZE THAT OPPORTUNITY AND THEY'LL OFTEN TAKE THE FUNDING THAT THAT THEY GET AND LEVERAGE THEM FOR MORE DOLLARS THROUGH GRANTS. STAFF ALSO CONTINUE TO INNOVATE. UH, JUST LAST YEAR WE SAW STAFF, UH, PILOTING A NEW MACHINE THAT WILL ALLOW THEM TO POUR CONCRETE FOR MORE EFFECTIVE CONCRETE PROTECTION FOR PROTECTED BIKE LANES. UH, STAFF ARE WORKING ON MICRO CONNECTIVITY TO CONNECT DISCONNECTED STREETS TOGETHER FOR ENHANCED UH, MOBILITY THAT WAY. AND THIS IS THE KIND OF INNOVATION THAT HAPPENS WHEN WE KEEP OUR PROGRAMS FUNDED, UH, AT MAXIMUM LEVELS. AND SO THIS IS WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT NOW THAT WE BUILT THIS ORGANIZATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE THAT IS THE ENVY OF THE NATION. UH, IT IS GOOD FISCAL POLICY, IT IS GOOD GOVERNANCE TO MAINTAIN THIS ORGANIZATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE. THE THIRD KEY GROUP OF PEOPLE, A VISIONARY CITY COUNCIL. IT TAKES SOMETHING TO IMAGINE A WORLD THAT IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE ONE WE HAVE TO TODAY AND TO STICK IT OUT FOR LONG ENOUGH TO SEE THAT WORLD COME INTO FRUITION. BUT THANKS TO THIS COUNCIL, UH, PREVIOUS COUNCILS AND HOPEFULLY FUTURE COUNCILS, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENING. UH, ULTIMATELY THIS IS NOT ABOUT MILEAGE. IT'S NOT ABOUT MILES OF SIDEWALKS, MILES OF BIKE LANES, IT'S ABOUT THE IN OPPORTUNITIES THAT THIS INFRASTRUCTURE UNLOCKS. I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME I SAW CHILDREN RIDING THEIR BIKES WITHOUT AN ADULT ON SHOAL CREEK BOULEVARD IN DISTRICT SEVEN, AND I FINALLY GOT IT AT THAT POINT THAT THIS INFRASTRUCTURE OPENS OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE OF ALL [00:30:01] AGES AND ABILITIES. AND THIS IS HAPPENING COUNTLESS TIMES EACH DAY BECAUSE OF COUNCIL SUPPORT OF THIS INFRASTRUCTURE. SO THAT'S IT. IN, IN EVERY COUNCIL DISTRICT, OUR STREETS ARE GETTING BETTER AND BETTER AS OUR PARKS AND WE CERTAINLY SUPPORT A PARKS BOND TO THIS NOVEMBER. WE SHOULD FEEL VERY PROUD WHAT WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED AS A CITY IN THE PAST 10 YEARS AND LET'S KEEP DOING IT. THANK YOU. YES, PLEASE. UM, GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS MARC GRAY. I AM FROM DISTRICT THREE. I AM ALSO A DIRECTOR FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH AT YELLOW BANK PROJECT. UH, WE ARE A LOCAL NONPROFIT KNOWN FOR, UM, PROVIDING FREE BICYCLES TO AUSTIN COMMUNITY WHO DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO TRANSPORTATION. I AM HERE, UH, TODAY TO SPEAK ON BEHALF MY ORGANIZATION, BUT ALSO AS A CYCLIST. EACH YEAR OUR ORGANIZATION YELLOW BIKE PROVIDES ABOUT 1000 BICYCLES TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO ACCESS TO TRANSPORTATION, UH, TO TRANSIT DEPENDENT AND BICYCLE DEPENDENT AUSTINITES. UM, THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE ANOTHER WAY TO GET TO WORK, TO SCHOOL OR TO GET GROCERY. AND AMONG THEM, THE KIDS WHO DON'T QUALIFY FOR THE SCHOOL BUS, PEOPLE WHO RELY ON BICYCLES AS THEIR MAIN FORM OF TRANSPORTATION ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE ROAD USERS, AND THAT'S WHY CONTINUED INVESTMENT IN BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN INFRASTRUCTURE IS SO ESSENTIAL. SINCE 2020, OUR CITY, OUR CITY HAS MADE HUGE PROGRESS IN THIS AREA AND IT HAS BEEN NOTED BY PEOPLE FOR BIKES RATING AUSTIN FROM ONLY 13 TO 36 TODAY IN, IN THEIR CITY RATINGS. BUT WE'RE STILL FAR AWAY FROM THE CITY WE COULD BECOME. WE STILL HAVE GAPS IN OUR NETWORK THAT FORCE RIDERS INTO DANGEROUS TRAFFIC AND WE ARE STILL LOSING CYCLISTS ON OUR STREETS. MOST RECENTLY, OUR DEAR FRIEND PAUL AND WHO WAS ALSO A YELLOW BIKE VOLUNTEER. SO I'M ASKING YOU TODAY TO CONTINUE INVESTING IN BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN INFRASTRUCTURE THAT CAN MAKE AUSTIN A CITY WHERE EVERYONE, REGARDLESS OF HOW THEY MOVE AROUND, CAN TRAVEL SAFELY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. BARBARA. SCOTT, BARBARA, YOU HERE? IS BRIAN DOZA HERE? OKAY, Y'ALL HAVE FOUR MINUTES. WHAT ABOUT SYLVIA OROZCO? SYLVIA, ARE YOU HERE? SHE IS. OKAY. AND MINDY RADDICK. OKAY. FOUR MINUTES AS WELL. AND THEN ASHTON CUMBERBATCH AND MEGAN SCHNEIDER. IF YOUR NAME'S BEEN CALLED, PLEASE COME FORWARD. IF YOU'RE SPEAKING, PLEASE WELCOME. THANK YOU. UH, GOOD MORNING MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, MY NAME IS BARBARA SCOTT AND I'M HERE REPRESENTING, UH, THE COLONY PARK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION. THE COLONY PARK COMMUNITY HAS ADDRESSED YOU ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS TO REQUEST YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE PROPOSED LIBRARY AND AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH COMBINED FACILITY AND ITS INCLUSION IN A 2026 BOND. YOUR APPOINTED BOND TASK FORCE, CITY STAFF AND COMMUNITY CONSTITUENTS HAVE ALL INDICATED THAT THESE FACILITIES ARE GREATLY NEEDED TODAY, I WOULD LIKE TO REMIND YOU THAT OUR COMMUNITY HAS LACKED CONSISTENT ACCESS TO EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES, LICENSED CHILDCARE, AND PUBLIC HEALTH FACILITIES FOR DECADES. THERE IS NO LIBRARY EAST OF 180 3. THERE IS CURRENTLY NO PUBLIC HEALTHCARE FACILITY EAST OF HIGHWAY 180 3 SOUTH OF HIGHWAY TWO 90, NORTH OF THE COLORADO RIVER. AND EXTENDING TO THE BASTROP COUNTY LINE COMMUNITY LEADERS WORKED FOR DECADES WITH THE AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY TO ENSURE THE EASTERN CRESCENT WAS INCLUDED IN THE LIBRARY'S LONG-TERM PLANNING EFFORTS. LIKEWISE, THE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT IDENTIFIED THIS CRITICAL SERVICE GAP AS EARLY AS 2005. WE ARE ALL AWARE OF THE RECENT PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS THAT IS SPREADING THROUGHOUT OUR COUNTRY AND THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING HEALTHCARE SERVICES AVAILABLE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITIES. THEREFORE, ON BEHALF OF COLLE PARK AND THE OTHER COMMUNITIES OF THE EASTERN CRESCENT, I RESPECTFULLY IMPLORE YOU TO KEEP THE COLONY PARK LIBRARY PUBLIC HEALTH AND CHILDCARE CENTER IN THE 2026 BOND IF YOU DECIDE TO POSTPONE THE BOND ELECTION. WE TRUST THAT THE TIME, EFFORT, AND HARD WORK INVESTED BY CITY STAFF, THE APPOINTED BOND TASK FORCE AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WILL SERVE AS THE BUILDING BLOCKS FOR THE NEXT BOND ELECTION AND WILL NOT BE LOST. SINCE MULTIPLE CITY COUNCILS [00:35:01] HAVE IDENTIFIED COLONY PARK AS A PRIORITY AND THE NORTHEAST DISTRICT PLAN IS UNDERWAY, WE RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT IF THE 2026 BOND IS POSTPONED, YOU DIRECT THE CITY MANAGER TO IDENTIFY ALTERNATIVE FUNDING TO MOVE THESE FACILITIES FORWARD. THE EASTERN CRESCENT HAS WAITED LONG ENOUGH. WE ASK THAT YOU HONOR PAST COMMITMENTS AND ENSURE THESE CRITICAL INVESTMENTS BECOME A REALITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. OROZCO. HI, MY NAME IS MINDY AND I'M DONATING MY, UH, TIME TO MS. OROZCO AS WELL. WE'VE ALREADY MADE NOTE OF THAT, SO SHE HAS FOUR MINUTES. OKAY. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS SYLVIA OROZCO. I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MEXICO ART THE MUSEUM 2026 IS AN IMPORTANT YEAR, NOT ONLY BECAUSE IT IS A MUSEUM'S 43RD YEAR, BUT BECAUSE IT BRINGS THE OPPORTUNITY TO BEGIN THE COMPLETION OF THE MUSEUM IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ON THE CORNER OF FIFTH AND CONGRESS AVENUE. I'M HERE TODAY TO ASK THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL TO SUPPORT THE BOND ELECTION AND TO INCLUDE MEXICO ART THE MUSEUM FOR $19 MILLION THAT IS NEEDED TO FULLY DEVELOP AND COMPLETE THE MUSEUM BUILDING. FOR OVER FOUR DECADES, METE DEVELOPED A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN. THIS PARTNERSHIP WAS APPROVED AND ENHANCED BY THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN IN THE PAST TWO BOND ELECTIONS 2006 AND 2018. WE TOGETHER ARE BUILDING A LEGACY FOR THE GENERATIONS OF TODAY AND TOMORROW. WE THE CITY AND THE COMMUNITY, BUT WE ARE NOT THERE YET. WE NEED SUPPORT. THE FUNDING WAS APPRO THAT WAS APPROVED IN 2018, IS NO LONGER SUFFICIENT DUE TO INFLATION AND THE DELAYS DUE IN COVID AND OTHER MATTERS ME. THE MUSEUM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY HAS HAVE MADE MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS. WE TOGETHER STARTED THE DOWNTOWN DE LOS MARTHAS PARADE AND FESTIVAL THAT NOW ATTRACTS 20,000 PEOPLE ANNUALLY. IT IS AN ANNUAL TRADITION. WE TOGETHER SECURED THE BUILDING ON THE MAIN STREET OF TEXAS CONGRESS AVENUE. WE TOGETHER THROUGH AN INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT WITH THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT, ARE NOW BRINGING TO AUSTIN IN THE FALL, THE FIRST HISTORICAL PAINTING PAINTED OF TEXAS IN 1765 THAT WILL OPEN AT THE HISTORY CENTER. THANKS TO THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, WE TOGETHER HAVE UNCOVERED AND BROUGHT TO LIGHT THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AND THE MEXICAN AMERICANS IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN. THE FIFTH STREET MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL DISTRICT IS NOW OFFICIALLY DESIGNATED BY THE STATE OF TEXAS, IS NOW FOREVER AUSTIN'S. WE TOGETHER HAVE TOUCHED THE LIVES OF HUNDREDS OF ARTISTS AND INTERNS PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES AND CAREER, CAREER OPPORTUNITIES. WE TOGETHER HAVE SERVED THOUSANDS OF VISITORS IN SCHOOLS ANNUALLY. WE MEXICO THE COMMUNITY AND YOU THE CITY OF AUSTIN. THESE ARE OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THIS IS FOR AUSTIN FOR NOW AND FOR ALL THE FUTURE. AND JUST LIKE EVERY CITY WE TOGETHER WANTS AUSTIN'S DOWNTOWN TO BE THE BEST THAT WE CAN. WE TOGETHER NEED HELP TO COMPLETE THE BUILDING THAT WILL HOUSE AUSTIN'S MUSEUM THAT WILL HOUSE THE FIFTH STREET MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL DISTRICTS MUSEUM THAT WILL HOUSE THE OFFICIAL MEXICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM OF TEXAS. THE COMMUNITY, THE CITY, THE STATE ARE ANXIOUSLY WAITING FOR THIS BUILDING. WE TOGETHER ASK FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE THIS PARTNERSHIP BY SUPPORTING THE BOND ELECTION AND INCLUDING MEXICO AT THE MUSEUM. OUR CITY CANNOT WAIT ANYMORE. IT IS TIME TO COMPLETE THIS PROJECT THAT WE CREATED TOGETHER IN THE END. IT IS FOR AUSTIN. IT IS AUSTIN'S MUSEUM. WE TODAY ASK THAT WE TOGETHER SUPPORT THE BOND ELECTION AND INCLUDE MEXICO ART'S BUILDING PROJECT. THANK YOU FOR BRINGING METE TO THIS CURRENT LEVEL. BUT NOW LET'S SUPPORT THE BOND ELECTION. LET'S SUPPORT METE TO COMPLETE THE, THIS MUSEUM BUILDING IN THE CENTER OF DOWNTOWN AUSTIN FOR NOW AND GENERATIONS TO COME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MS. ROSCOE. MR. KBRA. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNSEL. UH, THANKS FOR HAVING ME THIS MORNING. MY NAME'S ASHTON CUMBERBATCH. I'M WITH ADAT A TX. WE ARE A CATALYST FOR THE ACCELERATION OF HOLISTIC, EQUITABLE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THROUGHOUT THE EASTERN CRESCENT. UH, COLONY PARK IS ONE OF THE AREAS THAT WE WORK IN. WE'VE BEEN WORKING THERE SINCE 2018. I PERSONALLY HAVE BEEN WORKING COLONY PARK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION AND THE STAKEHOLDERS THERE SINCE AROUND 2016. I'M HERE IN SUPPORT OF THE CONLEY PARK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION'S REQUEST THAT IF THERE IS A BOND IN 2026, NOVEMBER OF 2026, [00:40:01] THAT YOU INCLUDE THE, UH, ONE STOP SERVICE OF THE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, UH, LIBRARY AND OUR EARLY LEARNING CENTER. WE UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAVE SOME DIFFICULT DECISIONS TO MAKE AS FAR AS FINANCES. SO WE'RE SAYING, IF THERE IS ONE, PLEASE INCLUDE THE COLONY PARK. COLONY PARK HAS BEEN AROUND, AS YOU KNOW, FOR ALMOST MORE THAN 50 YEARS NOW. UM, BUT IT'S ALWAYS BEEN ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT HAS BEEN UNDER-RESOURCED AND UNDER SERVICED FOR YEARS. THE POOL THAT WAS OPENED UP JUST LAST YEAR WAS PROMISED 50 YEARS AGO WHEN MS. SCOTT FIRST MOVED INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. THAT'S A LONG TIME TO WAIT FOR A PROMISE ASSET. AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH HAS BEEN ASKING FOR, UH, RESOURCES IN THE COMMUNITY AND CONLEY PARK COMMUNITY FOR YEARS. RIGHT NOW. THEY OPERATE OUT OF A INADEQUATE PORTABLE BUILDING. THERE'S NO LIBRARY EAST OF 180 5, UH, OR EXCUSE ME, 180 3. THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR MANY OF THE STUDENTS IN THAT AREA AND SENIORS WHO DON'T HAVE A LIBRARY TO ACCESS COMPUTERS. UM, I'VE SPENT THE LAST TWO YEARS GIVING AWAY, UH, 600 COMPUTERS AND I'VE MET SENIORS WITH NO COMPUTERS IN THEIR HOME. YOUNG FAMILIES WITH NO COMPUTERS IN HOME STUDENTS ABOUT TO GO ATTEND HIGH SCHOOL WITH NO COMPUTER BAYLOR, NO COMPUTER, A CC WITH NO COMPUTER. THE LIBRARY CAN HELP ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE NEEDS. AND THEN LASTLY, OUR CONSULTANT NOTICED WHEN WE DID OUR REPORT SEVERAL YEARS AGO, THAT ONLY 19% OF THE NEED FOR EARLY LEARNER, EARLY LEARN, EXCUSE ME, EARLY LEARNING IS BEING MET IN COLONY PARK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL. HUNTER KAUNA, KAREN BLE, MARTY COMBS, HAYDEN BROOKS, TED SIFF. MR. STIFF, WHY DON'T WE START WITH YOU AND WE'LL JUST GO DOWN THE LINE. MS. PRI, SIR, HOWEVER YOU WANNA DO IT. MRS. , GOOD AFTERNOON OR GOOD MORNING AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT THIS IMPORTANT TOPIC. MY NAME IS KAREN RUBBLE. I'M A PROUD AUSTINITE AND ZILKER 3 51 BOARD MEMBER. I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, ASK YOU TODAY TO PLEASE PLACE THE PROPOSED BOND ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT FOR VOTER CONSIDERATION. OUR PARKS HAVE MANY NEEDS, AND I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT TWO HIGH PRIORITY PROJECTS IN SILK BECAUSE THEY DIRECTLY AFFECT PUBLIC HEALTH AND VISITOR SAFETY. THE BARTON CREEK SPILLWAY, MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS BARKING SPRINGS, IS A BELOVED COMMUNITY ASSET IS THE FREE SIDE OF BAR BARTON SPRINGS, AND IT'S WHERE PEOPLE COME TO COOL OFF. IT IS ONE OF AUSTIN'S MOST ICONIC AND HEAVILY USED PUBLIC SPACES AND SERVES RESIDENTS FROM ACROSS OUR CITY REGARDLESS OF THEIR ABILITY TO PAY. ZUCKER PARK RECEIVES APPROXIMATELY 3 MILLION VISITORS EACH YEAR, AND BARTON SPRINGS POOL WELCOMES OVER A MILLION PEOPLE PER YEAR. THAT LEVEL OF USE HAS TAKEN A TOLL ON BARKING SPRINGS, CAUSING COMPACTED SOILS, EXPOSED TREE ROOTS IN SIGNIFICANT EROSION. A PR HAS STATED THAT THEY HAVE FUNDING FOR LIGHTER TOUCH MAINTENANCE. THIS IS NO LONGER A MAINTENANCE ISSUE. IT IS A PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE. EROSION THREATENED SAFE ACCESS TO THE WATER, CREATES STRIPPING HAZARDS, DESTABILIZES THE SHORELINE AND IMPACTS WATER QUALITY. THE SECOND HIGH PRIORITY ITEM THAT I'D LIKE TO VISIT WITH YOU ABOUT IS THE PLAYGROUND ORIGINALLY INSTALLED IN 2004. IT HAS SERVED VISITORS FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS IN HIGH USE ENVIRONMENTS. COMMERCIAL PLAYGROUNDS ARE TYPICALLY REPLACED EVERY EIGHT TO 10 YEARS. AUSTIN'S CHILDREN DESERVE A DA COMPLIANT PLAY EQUIPMENT. PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BOND AND PLACE IT ON THE BALLOT THIS NOVEMBER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. I AM TED SIFF. I APPEAR BEFORE YOU TODAY PERSONALLY AND AS A BOARD MEMBER OF AUSTIN OUTSIDE A COALITION OF MORE THAN 70 BUSINESSES AND NONPROFIT MEMBERS THAT SUPPORT PLACING THE PARKS AND RECREATION AND THE LIBRARY BOND PROPOSITIONS ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT SO THAT AUSTINITES CAN VOTE FOR THEM. ADDITIONALLY, I SPEAK IN FAVOR OF THE COUNCIL CONTINUING TO FUND THE SIDEWALK SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL, [00:45:01] BIKE TRAIL AND TRANSPORTATION SAFETY PROGRAMS IN EITHER YOUR FISCAL 27 CAPITAL BUDGET OR THROUGH BONDS THAT CAN BE VOTER APPROVED. AT THE LEVEL OF FUNDING BEING PROPOSED, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A CONSERVATIVE AND FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENTS OF LONG NEEDED, UH, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS. THIS FUNDING LEVEL WILL ADDRESS CURRENT SAFETY, FUNCTIONALITY, SECURITY, AND CAPACITY NEEDS. IT WILL FUND THE REPAIR, FOR EXAMPLE, OF HVAC SYSTEMS THAT DESPERATELY NEED REPAIR. IT WILL FUND REPAIRS TO GARRISON BIG STACY WALNUT CREEK POOLS SO THAT THEY CAN STAY OPEN. IT WILL FUND LONG DELAYED PLANS AND IMPROVEMENTS TO BOMB PARK AND CTAN POOL IN DISTRICT THREE. IT WILL ALSO MAKE SURE THAT SIDEWALK TRAIL BIKE AND TRANSPORTATION SAFETY PROGRAMS STAY FUNDED SIMPLY AT THEIR CURRENT LEVEL. SO I'M ASKING YOU TO VOTE YES TO PUT THESE PROPOSITIONS ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT GIVING AUSTIN KNIGHTS THE CHOICE TO APPROVE THEM. THANKS FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU, MR. STIFF. MORNING MAYOR. COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, MY NAME IS MARTY COMBS. I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT NINE. UM, I'M HERE TO VOICE MY SUPPORT FOR THE NOVEMBER BOND MEASURE. 180 YEARS AGO, AUSTIN STARTED OUT AS A CITY THAT WAS NOT MEANT TO BE. WE ARE NOT A CENTER OF COMMERCE OR TRANSPORTATION, PUBLIC DALLAS OR HOUSTON. WE HAVE NO SPECIFIC RESOURCES SUCH AS OIL AND MINERALS. WHAT WE HAD AND STILL HAVE IS QUALITY OF LIFE. RESIDENTS AND VISITORS ARE ATTRACTED BY AUSTIN'S QUALITY OF LIFE, WHICH TURN, WHICH IN TURN ATTRACTS BUSINESSES, CI CENTERING TO THOSE RESIDENTS AND VISITORS. ALL THIS INCREASE INCREASES AUSTIN'S TAX BASE AMENITIES, WHICH IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN AUSTIN. AND THE CYCLE CONTINUES WITH NEW VISITORS, NEW RESIDENTS, NEW BUSINESSES CATERED TO THOSE RESIDENTS. HOWEVER, NOT ALL AMENITIES ARE CREATED EQUAL. SOME PROVIDE A MUCH HIGHER RETURN ON INVESTMENT. TO MENTION A FEW A MAY, 2026 STUDY BY THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND SHOWED THAT FOR EVERY DOLLAR INVESTED IN PARKS AND RECREATION RETURNED $3 IN LOCAL BENEFITS FROM REDUCED STORMWATER TREATMENT COSTS, LOWER HEALTHCARE COSTS, IMPROVE PUBLIC HEALTH OUTCOMES, CONSUMER SAVINGS ON FITNESS AND RECREATION, RISING TAX REVENUES, AND A BOOST TO PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS, BIKE LANES, PEDESTRIAN PATHS, AND HIKE AND BIKE TRAILS COST AS LITTLE AS 50,000 PER MILE TO BUILD. COMPARE THAT TO THE NEARLY 1 MILLION PER MILE COST FOR A MULTI-LANE ROAD WITH CULVERT'S, BRIDGES AND INTERSECTIONS BUILDING MULTIPLE SMALL COMMUNITY SPACES LIKE PARKLETS, ART INSTALLATIONS, DOG PARKS SPREAD AROUND THE CITY, ATTRACT VISITORS AND COSTLESS TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN THEM MUCH LARGER ONES. THESE TYPES OF PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS THROUGH THIS BOND MEASURE WILL IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR AUSTINITES, WHICH WILL CONTINUE TO ATTRACT VISITORS AND RESIDENTS TO OUR LOVELY CITY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. STEVE KNICK, MERYL FOOT, AMY DELUNA, ALEXANDRIA ANDERSON, FRANCISCO CHAVEZ, SYLVIA STINSON. PLEASE BEGIN. GOOD MORNING, COUNSEL. UM, MY NAME IS STEVE KNICK. I LIVE IN DISTRICT TWO. UM, I'M HERE TO SUPPORT THE TRANSPORTATION ASPECTS OF THIS, SPECIFICALLY VISION ZERO AND ALSO SAVE ROOTS TO SCHOOLS. UM, I COULD GIVE YOU AN ABSTRACT ARGUMENT AS TO WHY THESE ARE GOOD PROGRAMS, BUT I DECIDED TO TAKE MY TIME TO INSTEAD SHARE WITH YOU STORIES ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANS TO ACTUAL CI CITIZENS IN AUSTIN HERE. UM, MY GIRLFRIEND LIVES IN, IN DISTRICT 10 AND SHE HAS TWO YOUNG GIRLS. UH, THE OLDEST ONE IS OLIVIA, AGE 11, AND SHE HAS THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING ABLE TO B BIKE AND WALK TO SCHOOL EVERY MORNING. I GREW UP IN A RURAL AREA. I'M 40 NOW, SO IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I WAS 11, BUT I DIDN'T HAVE ANY OF THIS KIND OF INFRASTRUCTURE. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT THIS SORT OF REPRESENTS TO HER IS, IS FREEDOM. AND, YOU KNOW, 11 IS A REALLY COMPLICATED TIME WHEN YOU'RE A KID. YOU'RE JUST LEARNING HOW TO BE IN THE WORLD AND THE FACT THAT SHE HAS AN AGE APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF FREEDOM TO, UH, YOU KNOW, GO TO SCHOOL, COME BACK FROM SCHOOL, PLAY WITH HER FRIENDS IN HER NEIGHBORHOOD, IT'S LIKE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASES HER QUALITY OF LIFE. AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S A, A, A PRIVILEGE FOR A CHILD, BUT SHOULDN'T BE A PRIVILEGE. IT SHOULD BE THE RIGHT OF EVERYBODY IN AUSTIN. AND THIS IMAGE STRUCTURE REALLY, REALLY HELPS MAKE THAT KIND OF STUFF, UH, YOU KNOW, SAFE FOR THEM TO DO. UH, TWO YEARS AGO I WAS WALKING TO GO GET GROCERIES AND I WAS STRUCK BY A CAR. UH, I ROLLED UP ON THE HOOD, I CRUNCHED THEIR WINDSHIELD, UH, AND WAS THROWN TO THE PAVEMENT. UM, LUCKILY I WASN'T SUPER INJURED. THE DRIVER DROVE OFF. UM, AND HEALTHCARE IS EXPENSIVE IN THIS COUNTRY. SO I WALKED TO THE ER, UH, 'CAUSE I WAS PRETTY SURE I WAS OKAY. AND IT TURNS OUT, YOU KNOW, JUST [00:50:01] SOME MINOR SCRAPES AND BRUISES. BUT, UH, AS I WAS LEAVING THE ER, UH, THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN AND I STEPPED OFF THE CURB AND A TRUCK BLEW THROUGH THE RED LIGHT ALMOST STRIKING ME AGAIN, LITERALLY AS I WAS LEAVING THE EMERGENCY ROOM. SO, UH, THESE KINDS OF, UH, SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS FOR, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE TO HELP, NOT JUST THE YOUNG AND NOT JUST THE OLD, BUT YOU KNOW, THEY HELP ALL CITIZENS AND MAKE OUR LIFE BETTER. SO, UH, RATHER THAN THINKING ABOUT THE ABSTRACT ASPECTS OF BONDS VERSUS, YOU KNOW, TAXES AND, AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS, UH, YOU KNOW, TRY TO REMEMBER WHAT THIS MEANS TO ACTUAL CITIZENS HERE IN AUSTIN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU LEAVE , WHOEVER WANTS TO GO NEXT. OKAY. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS SYLVIA STINSON AND I'M HERE FROM DISTRICT ONE AND I'M HERE TO ADVOCATE FOR THE GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER MUSEUM CULTURAL AND GENEALOGY CENTER. OKAY, Y'ALL, I UNDERSTAND STAFF IS RECOMMENDING A DELAY OF THE BOND ELECTION UNTIL 2028, AND FOR CITY COUNCIL TO PROCEED WITH AN INTERIM FUNDING PACKAGE WITH THE AMOUNT OF UP TO $150 MILLION. IF THE BOND GOES THROUGH FOR ELECTION, I ADVOCATE THAT THE CARVER REMAINS ON THE BOND OR IS ON THE BOND. IF NOT, I AM HERE TO ADVOCATE FOR A RECOMMENDATION THAT THE CARVER BE INCLUDED IN THIS INTERIM FUNDING PACKAGE. FOR THE AMOUNT OF $18 MILLION, $18 MILLION WOULD BE A HUGE WIN FOR THE CITY. NOT ONLY IS THE 18 MILLION RECOMMENDATION SUPPORTED BY THE COMMUNITY AFTER CLOSE ANALYSIS, $18 MILLION WAS ALSO RECOMMENDED BY BTEF. ALLOCATING 18 MILLION TO THE CARVER ALSO ALIGNS WITH THE CITY'S STRATEGIC APPROACH OF EMPHASIZING PROJECT READINESS. WE'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM FUNDING THINGS THAT NEVER COMPLETE, GET LOST AND KICK DOWN THE ROAD. THE PROJECT REVIEW BOARD SCORING RELEASED EARLIER THIS YEAR IN THE JANUARY 21ST, 2026, MEMO TO THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL FROM THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, MIKE ROGERS AND CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES INTERIM DIRECTOR AT THE TIME, DOCUMENTED THAT THE CARVER HAD SOME OF THE HIGHEST SCORES HIGHER THAN MOST, AND SPECIFICALLY IN THE AREAS OF TIMELINESS, READINESS, EFFICIENCY, AND ALSO COMMUNITY CONSIDERATIONS. SO I JUST WANT US TO VALUE OUR TAXPAYER TIME, EFFORT, MONEY, THE DECADES THAT HAVE GONE INTO COMPLETING THIS PROCESS. WE JUST NEED 18 MILLION TO GET ACROSS THE FINISH LINE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YES, PLEASE. ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS AMY DE LUNA. I LIVE IN DISTRICT NINE. I'M HERE TO SPEAK ON ITEM TWO AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO INCLUDE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING. I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN AUSTIN. I'VE SEEN THIS CITY GO THROUGH SO MUCH CHANGE AND I AM IMPRESSED BY THE TRANSFORMATION OF OUR ROADWAYS WITH BIKE LANES, SIDEWALKS, AND THE INCREASE IN URBAN TRAILS. BECAUSE OF MANY OF THESE IMPROVEMENTS, I CAN NOW CYCLE MORE THAN DRIVE FOR CERTAIN TRIPS. I RIDE NINE MILES TO WORK BY E-BIKE. ABOUT TWO THIRDS OF THAT RIDE IS ON PROTECTED BIKE LANES OR ALONG THE RED LINE AND BOGGY CREEK TRAILS. THE OTHER THIRD OF THAT RIDE IS MOSTLY ON QUIET NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS. I'M SO THANKFUL TO HAVE AN OPTION TO BIKE TO WORK INSTEAD OF DRIVING. MY PARTNER IS A NON-DRIVER, SO HE HAS TO EITHER TAKE THE BUS OR RIDE A BIKE TO WORK. HE RIDES OUR E-BIKE TO WORK SEVEN AND A HALF MILES AND USES THE PROTECTED BIKE LANE ALONG SHOAL CREEK BOULEVARD. WE'RE THANKFUL THAT HE HAS THIS DEDICATED BIKE LANE TO USE FOR HIS COMMUTE. PORTIONS OF THESE ROUTES I'VE MENTIONED WERE FUNDED BY PREVIOUS MOBILITY BONDS. THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER IMPROVEMENTS ACROSS TOWN THAT I ENJOY, MAKE ME FEEL SAFER AND FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE. AND I'M SURE I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE. I THINK IT WOULD BE A MAJOR SETBACK TO OUR MODE SHIFT CLIMATE AND VISION ZERO GOALS TO NOT INCLUDE FUNDING FOR ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS. THIS YEAR WE NEED TO CONTINUE INVESTING IN ROADWAY SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS, SIDEWALKS, BIKEWAYS, URBAN TRAILS, SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL, VISION ZERO AND BUS ONLY. LANES STREETS BELONG TO EVERYONE, WHETHER THEY'RE DRIVING, RIDING A BIKE, RIDING A SCOOTER, WALKING OR TAKING THE BUS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I HAVE A REMOTE SPEAKER IN THE QUEUE. CAROLINE LUNING. I MS. LENNING, ARE YOU THERE? CAROLINE LENNING. GO BACK TO RE IN PERSON. LUKE WEBER. EDGAR HANDEL, [00:55:01] ANUSH RAZON, ARTHUR IAIR, DOROTHY BARNETT, ALYSSA VARGAS. UH, GOOD MORNING MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME'S LUKE WEBER. UH, I'M A PROUD RESIDENT OF DISTRICT NINE. I'M HERE TO SUPPORT A BOND ELECTION TO CONTINUE INVESTMENT IN TRANSPORTATION AND SAFETY PROJECTS. I WORK AT A X KIDS CLUB. WE TEACH AUSTIN CHILDREN TO RIDE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ACROSS AUSTIN TO VISIT PUBLIC PARKS, MUSEUMS AND MORE. AND RECENTLY A PARENT TOLD ME THAT EXPLORING THE CITY FROM OUTSIDE OF THEIR CAR HAS HELPED HER DAUGHTER DEVELOP A SENSE OF ADVENTURE WHERE SHE SEES THE ENTIRE CITY AS HER PLAYGROUND. HOW SPECIAL IS THAT? WE SEE EVERY DAY HOW THE ABILITY TO MOVE FREELY, SAFELY, AND JOYFULLY HELPS OUR YOUNGEST AUSTINITES CONNECT WITH ONE ANOTHER, GROW CONFIDENCE, AND ENRICH THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR COMMUNITIES. I GRADUATED FROM UT IN MAY AND EVERY ONE OF MY PEERS SAYS ONE THING. THEY WANNA LIVE IN WALKABLE CITIES AND THEY'RE WILLING TO MOVE WHEREVER THAT LIFESTYLE IS POSSIBLE. ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND STREET SAFETY IS LIFESAVING. IT'S COMMON SENSE AND IT HELPS AUSTINITES PLANT ROOTS, START FAMILIES, AND GROW RICH LIVES. PLEASE SUPPORT THE BOND ELECTION AND CONTINUE INVESTING IN THESE PROGRAMS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. PLEASE. HI COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS ARTIE IYER AND I'M HERE FROM DISTRICT NINE. I'M HERE TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF FUNDING FOR ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION. UM, SO ABOUT A YEAR AGO, I DID NOT ACTUALLY HAVE A CAR IN THE CITY. AND WHEN I WAS APARTMENT HUNTING, I COULDN'T JUST PICK A PLACE THAT I LIKED. I HAD TO CHOOSE SOMEWHERE CLOSE ENOUGH TO A GROCERY STORE SO I LITERALLY COULD HAVE ACCESS TO FOOD. UH, BECAUSE EVEN GROCERY STORES AREN'T RELIABLY WALKABLE OR BIKEABLE HERE. UH, SO THAT WAS BASICALLY LIKE, IT WASN'T EVEN LIFE A LIFESTYLE CHOICE. IT WAS PLANNING TO SURVIVE THAT GOES BEYOND GROCERIES, UH, BECAUSE WITHOUT A CAR, IT WAS REALLY HARD FOR ME TO HAVE A SOCIAL LIFE. I JUST MOVED HERE FOR A NEW JOB. I DIDN'T HAVE ANY FRIENDS, SO I COULDN'T CREATE A COMMUNITY. HERE. IT'S HARD TO KEEP UP WITH HOBBIES OR TO EXPLORE YOUR OWN CITY THAT YOU'RE A RESIDENT IN. UM, I COULDN'T EVEN FILL UP MY WEEKENDS. EVEN IF YOU LIVE SUPER CLOSE TO DOWNTOWN, I, UM, IT'S REALLY HARD TO GET AROUND UNLESS YOU HAVE A CAR, BECAUSE THE TRAINS, WHATEVER TRAIN STATIONS WE HAVE, WE DON'T EVEN HAVE ADEQUATE PARK AND RIDE ACCESS. SO WE'RE LEAVING A LOT OF LIKE POTENTIAL RIDERSHIP AND A LOT OF CAR TRIPS OFF THE ROAD. UM, YEAH, SO I, YEAH, I'M ADVOCATING FOR MORE WALKABLE AND WALKABLE CITY BIKE WAYS AND URBAN TRAILS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. OKAY, I'LL GO NEXT I GUESS. MY NAME IS DOROTHY BARNETT. I'VE LIVED IN AUSTIN SINCE 1965. I'M 80 YEARS OLD. UM, I AM A FIRM BELIEVER IN THE PARK SYSTEM. I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT THERE, UH, CONSIDERED FOR FUNDING, BUT I AM HERE TO REPRESENT MEXI ART MUSEUM AND I, UM, I FREQUENT IT. I FREQUENT ALL THE MUSEUMS IN TOWN, EVEN THE CARVER. UH, I FREQUENT THE LIBRARIES. I VOLUNTEER AT THE SOUTH AUSTIN SENIOR CITIZEN CENTER EVERY WEEK. UM, I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO MAKE THE DECISIONS YOU NEED TO MAKE TO RUN THIS CITY. I AM SO GLAD TODAY THAT I AM NOT THE DECIDER. UM, AND I KNOW THAT WE, YOU CAN'T MAKE US ALL HAPPY, BUT IT'S A TERRIBLE DECISION YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE. UM, OUR CITY NEEDS HELP, YOU KNOW, AND I WOULD EMPLOY EVERYONE THAT'S LISTENING TO THIS TO NOT THINK OF YOUR OWN LITTLE POCKET THAT YOU NEED, BUT HELP, HELP OUTSIDE OF YOUR, YOUR BOX. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND RESPECTFULLY ASK THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL TO SUPPORT AND INCLUDE THE MEXIA ART MUSEUM BUILDING PROJECT IN THE 2026 BOND ELECTION. PLEASE SUPPORT THIS AUSTIN CULTURAL LEGACY AND ANCHOR OF THE FIFTH STREET MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL DISTRICT THAT CONTRIBUTES TO OUR GREAT CITY AND COMMUNITY. UH, IT'S NEEDED. ALL OF OUR MUSEUMS ARE NEEDED. THE LIBRARY, I I WAS REALLY STRUCK BY THE, THE, THE CRESCENT NOT HAVING [01:00:01] A LIBRARY THAT'S LIKE AN INTELLECTUAL DESERT. WE TALK ABOUT FOOD DESERT, THAT'S AN INTELLECTUAL DESERT. OKAY, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS ANUS SHAZIAN AND I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT THREE. I'M HERE IN SUPPORT OF FUNDING FOR BIKE LANES, SIDEWALKS, AND TRAILS. AS SOMEONE WHO BIKES WITH MY KIDS REGULARLY, I KNOW HOW MUCH BIKE LANES AND TRAILS HAVE TRANSFORMED WHAT'S POSSIBLE FOR OUR FAMILY. JUST YESTERDAY, I BIKED MY KIDS TO THE SUBPOENA LIBRARY, UM, USING THE NEW TRAIL, CONNECTING OUR NEIGHBORHOOD TO THE LIBRARY UNDER SEVENTH STREET. THAT CONNECTION HAS MADE IT SO EASY FOR US TO WALK AND BIKE TO THE LIBRARY. WE ALSO REGULARLY USE THE TRAIL THAT SAFELY CONNECTS US TO GO VALLEY PARK AND POOL UNDER AIRPORT. THESE RECENTLY ADDED TRAILS HAVE MADE A REAL DIFFERENCE IN HOW SAFELY OUR FAMILY AND NEIGHBORS CAN REACH PARKS AND LIBRARIES. ONE OF OUR SIMPLE JOYS IS BIKING MY SON TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY, GIVING HIM A CHANCE TO START HIS DAY WITH SOME MOVEMENT AND FRESH AIR. I'VE WATCHED BIKING BUILD MY KIDS' CONFIDENCE, AND I'VE NOTICED THAT WHEN BIKING IS HOW WE GET AROUND, MY KIDS ARE A LOT MORE EXCITED TO BE OUTSIDE AND ACTIVE. EVERY ONE OF THESE BIKE TRIPS IS A CAR TRIP WE DIDN'T TAKE. TRANSPORTATION IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST SOURCES OF CLIMATE POLLUTION IN AUSTIN. SO WHEN FAMILIES LIKE MINE HAVE A SAFE WAY TO GET AROUND WITHOUT DRIVING, IT REALLY ADDS UP A WALK. A WALKABLE BIKEABLE. AUSTIN MATTERS FOR OUR QUALITY OF LIFE. MY KIDS SHOW UP TO SCHOOL WITH MORE ENERGY. OUR FAMILY SPENDS MORE TIME OUTSIDE AND OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AT ACTUALLY FEELS CONNECTED TO THE PARKS, LIBRARIES, AND THE CITY. UH, PLEASE CONTINUE TO INVEST IN THESE PROGRAMS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. CONGRATS ON THE NEW BABY TO YOU AND EDGAR. THANK YOU . YEAH, THAT FAN CLUB'S GROWING . GOOD MORNING, MAREN CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS ALYSSA VARGAS AND I'M THE ADVOCACY MANAGER FOR AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION. I'VE STOOD BEFORE YOU ON THIS ISSUE AND I'M HERE TODAY BECAUSE AUSTIN PARKS CANNOT WAIT UNTIL 2028 FOR ANOTHER BOND, NOR THEY CAN THEY MAKE DO WITH A SMALLER PROPOSED PACKAGE. THESE ARE THE POOLS, PARKS, AND GREEN SPACES THAT OUR COMMUNITIES LOVE AND DEPEND ON AND WITHOUT REAL INVESTMENT. NOW THERE ARE FOUR POOLS AT RISK OF BECOMING INOPERABLE AND PLAYGROUNDS THAT WILL GO WITHOUT THE DESPERATE NEED OF REPAIRS. THE 149 MILLION FROM THE THE 2018 PARK SPA HAS BEEN FULLY EXPENDED AND ALLOCATED BY THE AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION, PRODUCING MORE THAN 140 PROJECTS ACROSS THE CITY. TRAILS AND GREEN SPACES. OUR PARKS HAVE BEEN OPERATING ON A SIX YEAR FUNDING CYCLE AND IT HAS NOW BEEN EIGHT YEARS. OUR SYSTEM FACES A $1.8 BILLION IN UNMET NEEDS AND THEY GROW EVERY MONTH THAT WE DELAY. PARKS HAVE THE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTNER WITH PRIVATE PARTNERS LIKE AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION AND PARTNERS THAT ARE WILLING TO BRING MONEY TO THE TABLE TO MAKE EVERY BOND DOLLAR GO FURTHER. NEIGHBORS AND VOLUNTEERS HAVE EXPRESSED OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR THIS YEAR'S PARKS BOND. THE FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE DECISION WOULD BE TO INVEST IN OUR PARKS BEFORE THEY RISK FAILING THE VERY COMMUNITIES THEY RELY MOST ON, GIVE THE VOTERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO DECIDE. IN NOVEMBER. WE'VE BEEN WAITING EIGHT YEARS AND OUR PARKS CANNOT WAIT ANY LONGER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS MERYL FOOT. I WAS CALLED EARLIER AND WAS LATE. I APOLOGIZE. UH, I LIVE IN DISTRICT NINE. I'VE BEEN AN AUSTIN RESIDENT SINCE 1987 AND I'M THE FOUNDER OF THE 350 MEMBER MUELLER DOG PARK COALITION. I'M HERE TODAY TO THANK YOU, FIRST OF ALL FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS PROPOSAL TODAY. I KNOW IT'S BEEN HARD TO GET HERE AND I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN HARD TO TALK ABOUT AND HARD TO, TO MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT, AND I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT TODAY. UM, AUSTIN PARKS ARE THE LIVING, BREATHING HEART AND SOUL OF OUR CITY. WE LOVE OUR PARKS, BUT THEY ARE NOW IN DESPERATE NEED OF TENDER LOVING CARE AND FUNDING. THE LAST PARKS BOND ELECTION WAS IN 2018. THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT IS OUT OF BOND MONEY BECAUSE THEY DID WHAT WE TOLD THEM TO DO. THEY BUILT, REPAIRED, AND UPDATED OUR PARK SYSTEM, POSTPONING THIS BOND ANY FURTHER PUNISHES PART FOR DOING THEIR JOB. AND IT ALSO DAMAGES OUR PARKS AND DIMINISHES OUR ABILITY TO ENJOY THEM. THIS BOND ISN'T JUST ABOUT QUALITY OF LIFE, IT'S ABOUT PROVIDING BASIC AMENITIES. FOR EXAMPLE, ONE OF THE PROJECTS THAT I DEEPLY CARE ABOUT WILL BUILD FINALLY A BRICK AND MORTAR RESTROOM TO REPLACE THE EXISTING UNACCEPTABLE PORTA-POTTIES THAT ARE AT EVERGREEN CEMETERY EAST AUSTIN'S HISTORIC PUBLIC CEMETERY. I ALSO ASK YOU TO DIRECT PARTS STAFF TO LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVELOP MORE DOG PARKS IN EAST AUSTIN, INCLUDING A MUELLER DOG PARK ON EXISTING CITY PARKLAND. AN ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMISSION WORKING GROUP CONCLUDED THIS YEAR THAT OFF-LEASH DOGS ARE A [01:05:01] GROWING PROBLEM IN OUR CITY AND WE NEED MORE DESIGNATED OFF-LEASH SPACES FOR DOGS AND PEOPLE TO SAFELY SOCIALIZE, PLAY AND EXERCISE. THANK YOU AGAIN. AND I ASK YOU TO PLEASE LET THE VOTERS DECIDE IF WE WANNA SPEND MORE MONEY ON OUR PARKS. I THINK THE ANSWER WILL BE YES. THANK YOU. HI, MY NAME IS EDGAR HANDEL. I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT THREE. UM, I JUST WANNA ECHO A LOT OF MY WIFE'S COMMENTS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF BIKING, UH, BIKE LANES, SIDEWALKS, AND TRAILS TO OUR FAMILY. UM, BUT I ALSO WANTED TO ADD THAT, UM, SORRY. UM, DISTRACTING. UM, UH, I WANTED TO ADD THAT I THINK THAT THIS, THIS TYPE OF INVESTMENT HAS BEEN A REALLY BIG BRIGHT SPOT. I THINK FOR ME. AND I THINK A LOT OF THE PEOPLE, JUST ANECDOTALLY WHEN I WAS, UM, TRYING TO GAUGE PEOPLE'S OPINIONS ON PREVIOUS VOTES, WHETHER IT'S PROP Q OR JUST PEOPLE'S IDEA OF SPENDING IN AUSTIN, IT SEEMED VERY COMMON THAT ONE BRIGHT SPOT FOR EVERYBODY WAS THE, UM, INVESTMENTS IN SIDEWALKS, UM, BIKE LANES, TRAILS AND THAT KIND OF THING. IT REALLY SERVES AS A REALLY CONCRETE, UM, THING THAT PEOPLE CAN SEE THAT THEIR, THEIR TAX DOLLARS ARE GOING TO AND THAT RESULT IN AN IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE FOR EVERYBODY. IMPROVING SAFETY, UM, AND JUST, UH, GENERALLY MAKING PEOPLE HAPPIER. SO I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY UNFORTUNATE IF AUSTIN KIND OF LOST OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE MAKING THESE TYPES OF INVESTMENTS THAT PEOPLE CAN REALLY SEE, UM, UPFRONT AND VALUE, UM, . AND ALSO I THINK THE UNIVERSE HAS A BIT OF A SENSE OF, UH, DRAMATIC IRONY OR OF, OF LIKE DIVINE IRONY. 'CAUSE , OUR NEWEST BABY REALLY HATES BEING IN THE CAR. SO BEING ABLE TO, UH, TAKE HER AROUND IN THE OUTSIDE AND, UH, WALK AND BIKE WITH HER, SHE'S A LOT HAPPIER BEING ABLE TO SEE US AND SEE THE OUTSIDE. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE FEEL THAT BEING INSIDE OF A CAR ALL THE TIME IS KIND OF, UH, BORING, AND SAD SOMETIMES. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I GUESS OUR, OUR INFANT ALSO FEELS THAT TOO. SO FOR THE SANITY OF PEOPLE LIKE ME, MY WIFE AND OTHER PARENTS LIKE US, UH, PLEASE CONTINUE MAKING THESE INVESTMENTS SO THAT, YOU KNOW, I CAN HAVE SOME QUIET TIME WITH HAPPY BABIES. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ASHLEY BILLS, MARTHA RA, SHARON BLYTHE, CECILIA HOGAN, ZENOBIA JOSEPH, WHO GOES FIRST. WHY DON'T YOU DO IT? HI, GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS MARTHA RA METE BOARD MEMBER. UM, I SUPPORT INCLUDING METE AND THE BOND PROPOSAL. METE IS THE ONLY MUSEUM IN AUSTIN THAT PRESENTS AND PRESERVES OUR INDIGENOUS TETANO CULTURE AND AMERICAN CULTURE NOW REDUCED OUR POPULATION NOW REDUCED TO 34% IN AUSTIN AFTER MASSIVE GENTRIFICATION OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. OUR COMMUNITY IS TYPICALLY AUSTIN SMART. WHEN I ASKED ABOUT SUPPORTING KARTA AND THE BONDS RECENTLY, UM, I HEARD WHAT I HEARD INCLUDING THE MUSEUM IS AT LEAST THE AUSTIN THE CITY CAN DO WITH THE EARNINGS OF HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS IN PROPERTY TAXES ON THE EQUITY EXTRACTED FROM THE RESIDENTS DISPLACED AT RAINY AND FROM NEAR EAST AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOODS. ESPECIALLY SINCE WE ALL KNOW THOSE OF US THAT HAVE BEEN HERE A LONG TIME, THAT WE DID FAIL TIME AND TIME AGAIN TO PROVIDE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN RAINY AND ALSO EXCLUDED THE PROTECTION OF ITS HISTORIC BUILDINGS LEADING TO ITS DEVASTATION. UH, ALSO FOR DECADES, THE CITY DISPROPORTIONATELY UNDERFUNDED, UH, AND USED CDBG FUNDS, UH, TO, TO AVOID OR SAY TO FAIL IN MEXICAN AMERICAN HOME IMPROVEMENTS AND HOUSING, WHICH LED TO THE DESTRUCTION OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS IN 2022, UM, I CONDUCTED THE POM CULTURAL DISTRICT STUDY OF RAINY AND EAST AUSTIN, UH, STAKEHOLDERS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUP GROUPS ALL EXPRESSED THEN THAT AS A TRADE OFF FOR DISPLACEMENT, AS A TRADE OFF, THE CITY SHOULD AT LEAST ADEQUATELY FUND HISPANIC CULTURAL ENTITIES IN THE DISTRICT LIKE ME, PENA PALM SCHOOL AND PALM PARK ALL. WELL, THANK YOU. AND, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WHILE I CAN'T IMAGINE ANYBODY HERE DOESN'T KNOW YOU OR LOVE YOU, UM, FOR THE RECORD, WHY DON'T YOU SAY YOUR NAME, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. JUST STATE, STATE YOUR NAME, PLEASE. . OKAY. MARTHA CORTA. [01:10:01] THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, MS. BLYTH, WE'LL GO TO YOU NEXT. SHARON BLYTHE, UH, DISTRICT SIX. UM, I WAS REAL HAPPY TO HEAR THE PARKS PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT A CEMETERY FOR ONCE BESIDES ME. YES, EVERGREEN DAY, IT DOES NEED THE RESTROOMS, BUT MY CONCERN IS THE 2012 BOND WAS FOR DIFFERENT THINGS THAN WHAT PARKS PAID FOR. WHAT THEY PAID FOR WAS A VERY EXPENSIVE OAKWOOD CEMETERY CHAPEL THAT COST SOME MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WHEN THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN PUTTING IN, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE IN EVERGREEN AS WELL AS AUSTIN MEMORIAL PARK. AND THEY DID NOT DO THAT. NO ONE WAS OVERSEEING THE EXPENSE OF THAT, OF THAT BOND. SO IF YOU PASS IT, IF YOU PUT IT ON THE BALLOT AND PEOPLE PASS IT, PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE SOMEBODY OVERSEEING THE PARKS DEPARTMENT OR REALLY, REALLY WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO USE IT FOR. SECONDLY, I THINK ALL THESE BIKE BIKE PEOPLE, ADVOCACY, ADVOCACY PEOPLE, I THINK THEY'RE DELUSIONAL FOR SAYING THAT RESTRICTS ARE SAFER. SAFER, BECAUSE I HAVE NEVER SEEN A BIKER STOP AT A STOPLIGHT OR A STOP SIGN. THEY BLOW THROUGH THEM, LIKE THEY'RE NOT EVEN THERE. I'VE SEEN MANY PEOPLE ALMOST RUN INTO THEM BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT STOPPING AND BANGING BY THE LAWS OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND THEY'RE PUTTING THEIRSELVES IN DANGER. SO I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE DELUSIONAL AND THEY DON'T NEED TO HAVE THESE BIKE LANES EVERYWHERE IF THEY'RE NOT GONNA STOP AT STOPLIGHTS AND STOP SIGNS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. WHY DON'T WE GO HERE AND WE'LL GO THAT DIRECTION. HI. UM, MY NAME IS ASHLEY BILLS. I AM A LANDSCAPE DESIGNER WITH RIALTO STUDIO IN DISTRICT FOUR. UH, SO MY OPINION ON THE IMPORTANCE OF OPEN SPACE MIGHT BE A BIT BIASED, UH, BUT MY EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE LENDS CREDIBILITY WHEN I SAY PUBLIC SPACES ARE ESSENTIAL TO FOSTER A SENSE OF COMMUNITY. IN 2025, I MADE THE DECISION TO MOVE HERE FROM TENNESSEE, TEXAS IS COUSIN, BECAUSE BACK HOME I DIDN'T SEE MANY PEOPLE OUTDOORS USING PUBLIC SPACES. NOT FOR A LACK OF TRYING, WE JUST DIDN'T HAVE MANY. SO TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE OUTDOORS IN THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER, HEAT HAVING A GOOD TIME FELT REALLY SPECIAL. THESE SPACES ENCOURAGED SMALL SCALE ENTREPRENEURS, ARTISTS, MUSICIANS, BAD COMEDIANS, AND RESIDENTS JUST LIKE ME TO EMBRACE ALL OUR CITY HAS TO OFFER. AND SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE, I VOLUNTEERED WITH THE AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION TREE FOLKS, TEXAS MASTER NATURALISTS. I'VE SERVED ON THE ACME GRANT REVIEWER PANEL WHERE SOME OF THESE PARKS PITCH IMPROVEMENTS THAT I'M NOT SURE THEY'LL REALIZE BECAUSE A DOLLAR ONLY GOES SO FAR. BUT IT CALLS ME TO INTEGRATE MORE INTO THE COMMUNITIES AND PROGRAMS FILLED WITH PASSIONATE PEOPLE THAT I'VE COME TO ASSOCIATE WITH AUSTIN. AND AT THE CENTER OF ALL OF THOSE EXPERIENCES IS THE SAME THING THAT DREW ME TO AUSTIN AND LEARN FROM THIS BEAUTIFUL CITY, HER PARKS AND OPEN SPACES. SO, AS A CONSTITUENT OF DISTRICT FOUR, I'D SURELY APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT TO PUT THE FULL 2026 PARKS BOND TO A VOTE AND GIVE MY NEIGHBORS A CHANCE TO SHOW THEIR LOVE IN SUPPORTING OUR PARKS AS MUCH AS I LOVE THE CHANCE AT DESIGNING THEM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. I'M CECILIA HOGAN FROM DISTRICT TWO, AND I'M HERE TO OFFER SUPPORT FOR THE PROPOSED BAR PARK BOND PACKAGE. I, UM, THROUGH FIVE YEARS OF, I'M ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF FRIENDS OF GRAND MEADOW, OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ADOPT PARK GROUP FOR GRAND MEADOW PARK. UM, A PREVIOUSLY UNDEVELOPED PARK THAT IS 10 ACRE, BUT A 10 ACRE MEADOW IN SOUTHEAST AUSTIN. THROUGH FIVE YEARS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, INCLUDING CANVASSING AND TABLING AND HOSTING EVENTS, I'VE SPOKEN PERSONALLY TO HUNDREDS OF MY NEIGHBORS TO GATHER OPINIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR PARK TO GATHER STORIES. AND ALONG THE WAY I'VE LEARNED THAT THERE HAVE BEEN AT LEAST THREE OTHER ATTEMPTS IN 25 YEARS TO GET THIS PARK DEVELOPED. AND THESE NEIGHBORS HAVE TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD COUNTLESS HOURS OF GETTING EXCITED WITH THEIR NEIGHBORS, THINKING UP WHAT FEATURES THEY WANT IN THEIR PARK, AND THEN APPROACHING THE CITY FOR FUNDS TO HELP DEVELOP THIS PARK. AND EACH TIME THE CITY WOULD TELL THEM THAT IT WOULD BE THREE TO FIVE YEARS BEFORE THERE'S MAYBE PARK BOND FUNDS AVAILABLE TO GET THE PARK DEVELOPED. AND EACH TIME I HEAR THOSE STORY, WHAT I HEAR FROM THEM IS FEELING RATHER NEGLECTED FROM THE CITY. THEY FEEL VERY DISENFRANCHISED, AND EACH TIME THE VOLUNTEER GROUP WOULD KIND OF JUST, YOU KNOW, MOVE ALONG 'CAUSE IT DIDN'T FEEL LIKE IT WAS GONNA HAPPEN. UM, THANKFULLY, UH, THIS YEAR THE PARK IS FINALLY GETTING DEVELOPED. PHASE ONE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND WE'LL OPEN IN THE COMING WEEKS AND WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO HAVE THE FIRST FEW FEATURES IN OUR PARK. ONCE THAT'S FINISHED, WE'RE GOING TO ALSO, UH, BUILD OUR COMMUNITY GARDEN AND FOOD FORCE, MAKING IT A TRUE COMMUNITY HUB. UM, WE ARE REALLY EXCITED TO KEEP THE PROGRESS MOVING [01:15:01] AND, UH, PHASE TWO FOR OUR PARK IS INCLUDED IN THE CURRENT PROPOSED PARK BOND PACKAGE. AND WE URGE YOU TO, UM, NOT JUST FOR, FOR OUR PARK THAT'S BEEN WAITING FOR SO LONG, UM, TO VOTE FOR THE, THE PACKAGE AS IT WAS, UM, OH, I THOUGHT THIS WAS THREE MINUTES. UM, BUT THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE ALSO BEEN WAITING FOR 10 TO 20 YEARS. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK ALL OF YOU. IS YOUR NAME CALLED SIR? WAS YOUR NAME CALLED? YES, PLEASE. UM, MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME. UM, GOOD, GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS HAYDEN BROOKS. MY NAME WAS CALLED PREVIOUSLY. UM, GOOD MORNING MAYOR. MAYOR PRO TEM COUNCIL MEMBERS. I TRULY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION. UM, AS I MENTIONED, I AM HAYDEN BROOKS, A PROUD CO-FOUNDER OF ZILKER 3 51. UH, WE BRING COMMUNITY TOGETHER TO PROTECT THE ECOLOGY, HONOR THE HISTORY, AND BROADEN ACCESS TO ALL 351 ACRES OF ZILKER METROPOLITAN PARK. I'M HERE TODAY TO ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT MOVING FORWARD. THE PROPOSED 2026 BOND. IT'S CRITICAL FOR MANY REASONS AND WILL BENEFIT ALL PEOPLE ACROSS AUSTIN. ZILKER 3 51 WAS FORMED IN 2022, PURSUANT TO COUNCIL'S RECOGNITION THAT PARK NON-PROFITS ARE NEEDED FOR OUR PARKS TO THRIVE. WE'RE HERE TO PARTNER WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN ON THE FUTURE OF ZILKER PARK. AND MORE BROADLY ON THE FUTURE OF AUSTIN PARK SYSTEM. WE WANT IT TO REMAIN INCLUSIVE, WELCOMING, AND ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY. ZILKER IS AUSTIN'S CENTRAL PARK. IT SERVES RESIDENTS FROM EVERY PART OF THE CITY AND WELCOMES MILLIONS TO THE VISITORS EACH YEAR. INVESTMENTS IN ZILKER BENEFIT THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY, AND THIS BOND ALSO PROVIDES MUCH NEEDED FUNDING FOR NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS, POOLS, TRAILS, REC CENTERS, AND GREEN SPACES THROUGHOUT AUSTIN ZILKER 3 51. AND OUR MEMBERS SUPPORT AND ENDORSE THE NOVEMBER 26 BOND, WHICH INCLUDES $250 MILLION INVESTMENT IN THE AUSTIN PARK SYSTEM. THIS MATTERS BECAUSE AUSTIN PARKS HAVEN'T SEEN BOND FUNDING SINCE 20 18, 8 YEARS AGO. IN THE YEARS SINCE OUR CITY HAS GROWN DRAMATICALLY, PARK USAGE HAS GROWN, INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY, AND DEFERRED MAINTENANCE IS OVERWHELMING. THE ENTIRE PARK SYSTEM, NOT JUST ZILKER, BUT NEIGHBORHOOD AND DISTRICT PARK, CITYWIDE PARKS ARE NOT OPTIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE. THERE WERE AUSTIN FAMILIES GATHER KIDS, PLAY PEOPLE EXERCISE, AND CONNECT WITH NATURE. AND WHERE OUR GREEN SPACES ARE PROTECTED FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BOND PACKAGE AND GIVE AUSTIN PARKS A REINVESTMENT THAT'S LONG OVERDUE. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN, WE ARE STRONGER BECAUSE OF YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MICHAEL. MICHAEL TORRES, GEORGE ELMAN, CARLOS LEON VIS DELAROSA, EMILY ARAN, I, MR. LEON, IF YOU DON'T MIND, WE'LL START WITH YOU AND WE'LL WORK OUR WAY DOWN THE AISLE. OKAY, YOU GOT IT. MAYOR SOY CARLOS LEONE, FIRST AND FOREMOST FOR LETTING ME SPEAK TO THIS ITEM PREFACING THURSDAY'S. ITEM TWO BOND FOR AN EXTRA $20 MILLION FOR A PL PAID BY A PROPERTY TAX BEYOND THE ANNUAL 3.5% INCREASE. YOUR BUDGET ALREADY CONSUMES. BACKUP SAYS THAT THE MONEY WILL BE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION RENOVATION AND EXPANSION OF THE EXISTING HAMPTON AND OAK HILL BRANCH LIBRARY, AS WELL AS OTHER BRANCH LIBRARIES. YET A PL STILL HASN'T FINISHED SPENDING THE 2018 BOND MONEY ON DOING THE SAME FOR THE UNFINISHED WILLIE MAKI AND OLD QUARRY RENOVATIONS OR EVEN STARTED THE PLAN MENCHACA BRANCH IMPROVEMENTS AFTER LAST YEAR'S PROP Q FAILURE, MAYOR WATSON SAID Y'ALL NEEDED TO REBUILD PUBLIC TRUST. SO GET APLS DIRECTOR DOWN HERE ASAP TO PUBLICLY TESTIFY ABOUT ALL THIS BECAUSE SHE HAS NOT EARNED OUR TRUST. DRILL DOWN ON HER RESPONSES. FORCE HER TO DEFEND DETAILED PLANS, THEN SPLIT APLS BOND FROM PARKS AND REC SO VOTERS CAN SEPARATELY DECIDE EACH SOLICIT AND TAKE INTO ACCOUNT INDEPENDENT PUBLIC FEEDBACK AND ANALYSIS THROUGHOUT SUN SHINING TRUTH, TRANSPARENCY, AND ACCOUNTABILITY FROM START TO FINISH. THE EXACT OPPOSITE, HOW BROAD ACTS KEPT US IN THE DARK DURING THE A PL DIRECTOR SEARCH WHEN HE WRONGLY PASSED UP. TOP CANDIDATE KATHY DONNELLAN, WHOSE EXTENSIVE BACK OF HOUSE EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCE PLANNING AND COMPLETING PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS ON TIME UNDER BUDGET FOR THE SAN ANTONIO PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM, [01:20:01] MADE HER A TRUSTWORTHY ADVOCATE FOR LEADING AUSTIN'S PUBLIC LIBRARY GROWTH FROM THE FRONT WHERE SHE RIGHTLY BELONGS. CHOICES HAVE CONSEQUENCES. IN JESUS' NAME I PRAY. AMEN. THANKS, MAYOR. THANK YOU, SIR, PLEASE. MY NAME IS MICHAEL TORRES AND I SERVED AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF METE MUSEUM, UH, FOR SEVERAL YEARS. I SUPPORT THE ARTS AND CULTURE, AND I SUPPORT THE MISSION OF METE. MY CONCERN IS NOT ABOUT THE MUSEUM. MY CONCERN IS WHETHER THE CITY IS EXERCISING FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY TO THE TAXPAYERS BEFORE APPROVING ANOTHER $20 MILLION DEBT ISSUANCE. THE PROJECT'S BEEN BEFORE THE CITY FOR 20 YEARS, 2006, 5 MILLION 2018, 15 MILLION. UNTIL NOW THEY'RE ASKING TO DOUBLE THEIR INVESTMENT BEFORE MAKING ANOTHER INVESTMENT. EVERY RESPONSIBLE LENDER, INVESTOR, FIDUCIARY, REVIEWS PREVIOUS COMMITMENTS TO SEE IF THEY'VE MET THEIR COMMITMENTS. TAXPAYERS DESERVE THIS DILIGENCE. DURING MY TIME AS BOARD, WE BELIEVE WE HAD THE NECESSARY FUNDING. THE MUSEUM'S REMAINING COMMITMENT WAS 3 MILLION OF PRIVATE DONATIONS. MCKENZIE SCOTT, EX-WIFE OF JEFF BEZOS GAVE US A MILLION REDUCING OUR FUNDRAISING TARGET TO 2 MILLION. I BELIEVE WE HAD THE MOMENTUM TO COMPLETE THE FUND INSTEAD. THE MUSEUM'S COMMITMENT WAS NEVER COMPLETED. TODAY, RATHER THAN COMPLETING THE ORIGINAL PLAN, THE CITY'S BEING ASKED TO DOUBLE ITS NUMBER AS PRESIDENT. I BECAME AWARE OF GOVERNANCE ISSUES INVOLVING THE ORGANIZATION. MULTIPLE PARTIES ALLEGED HOSTILE WORK, ENVIRONMENT DISCRIMINATION, HARASSMENT, HARASS HARASSMENT, SEXISM AND MICROAGGRESSIONS. THE BOARD RETAINED OUTSIDE COUNSEL WITH HUMAN RESOURCE EXPERTISE NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED CRISIS FIRM TO INVESTIGATE THESE ISSUES, BOTH WITH FIRMS RESIGN BECAUSE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MATERIAL BREACHES NON-DISCLOSURE OF CRITICAL INFORMATION, UNPROFESSIONALISM IN CONDUCT AND CUSTOMARY WITH BUSINESS, UM, INTERACTIONS. ALL THE, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS WERE SIMILARLY DISMISSED, EVEN BLOCKING A BOARD MEETING TO REVIEW THE RECOMMENDATIONS BECAUSE I BELIEVE THIS WAS AN ISSUE TO BE INVESTED BY THE CITY. I SHARED THIS WITH ALL OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS IN 22. I NEVER HEARD BACK FROM ANYBODY. I RAISED THIS ISSUE TODAY. FOR GOVERNANCE MATTERS. I BELIEVE EVERY NONPROFIT REQUESTING SUBSTANTIAL TAX FUNDING MUST FIRST, UM, HAVE OPERATIONAL FITNESS. UM, YOU KNOW, CAN THEY RECEIVE THE MONEY, CAN THEY MANAGE IT? SECOND, CAN THEY KEEP THEIR COMMITMENTS? AND THIRD, WHAT IS THE LONG TERM SUSTAINABILITY? CONSTRUCTING THE BUILDING IS ONLY THE BEGINNING. WHO PAYS FOR IT? WHO MAINTAINS IT? WHO PAYS FOR THE REPAIRS? DURING MY YEARS ON, ON BOARD, WE KNEW THAT WE NEEDED TO HAVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. PERFORMANCE. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS EMELIA RENA. I'M AN ARTIST AND I'M A RESIDENT FROM DISTRICT FOUR AND A, A MEMBER OF KATRINA. THANK GOOD MORNING MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS, TEXAS. TODAY WE'RE HERE TO RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO DEVELOP AND BUILD EL KNOWN AS MEXICO. IT'S A CULTURAL SPACE DEDICATED TO PRESERVE, EXHIBIT AND PROMOTE THE ARTS, THE HISTORY HISTORIAN TRADITIONS OF MEXICO AND THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY THAT HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE GROWTH AND CULTURAL IDENTITY OF OUR CITY. AUSTIN HOLDS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT HISPANIC COMMUNITIES OF TEXAS. WE NEED A NEW MEXICO BECAUSE IT PRO IS. THIS PROJECT OFFERS A CENTER OF EDUCATION, CREATIVITY, AND EXPOSES THE CULTURAL, ECONOMIC AND EDUCATIONAL IMPACT FOR OUR CITY. WE FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT THIS MUSEUM WILL BE A SYMBOL OF INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, AND PRIDE FOR AUSTIN, AND WILL REFLECT THE COMMITMENT OF OUR CITY WITH RECOGNIZING ALL THE CULTURES THAT ARE PART OF THIS HISTORY. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, CONSIDERATION, AND SUPPORT. WE WAIT FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO COLLABORATE WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO MAKE THIS, UH, IMPORTANT PROJECT A REALITY. AND THIS IS A DREAM [01:25:01] FOR THE CITY, INCLUDING MYSELF. THANK YOU. IS THERE? THANK YOU SO MUCH. TWO AND A HALF MINUTES ON MY, MY STOPWATCH. WELL, I'LL, IT'S YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE TWO MINUTES. OH, ONLY TWO MINUTES, NOT FOUR. OKAY, SO YOU GOT TWO AND A HALF. WE SCREWED UP. OKAY. MY FAULT. SORRY. NO PROBLEM. YES, SIR. UH, MY NAME IS GEORGE ELLIMAN, UH, PART OF DISTRICT SEVEN. AND, UH, I DID SIGN UP AGAINST THE BOND. UH, THAT'S PRIMARILY BECAUSE, UH, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE SIZE AND THE SCOPE. IT SEEMS LIKE WE PUT A LOT OF THINGS IN THE BUDGET THAT MAYBE ARE NOT EMERGENCY TYPES OF THINGS. I TEND TO AGREE WITH THE STAFF THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE CITY IS IN A VERY PRECARIOUS PLACE FINANCIALLY, AND THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT NEED TO BE CONSIDERED WHERE WE ARE. AND I THINK I'M VERY SUPPORTIVE OF SIDEWALKS AND PARKS. I THINK WE HAVE SOME EMERGENCY THINGS THAT NEED TO BE TAKEN CARE OF THERE. BUT AS MICHAEL WAS MENTIONING, WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR ARTS AND CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS, WHICH I'M VERY SUPPORTIVE OF, AND ALSO VERY SUPPORTIVE OF ME CARTE AND THE MISSION, I'M JUST CONCERNED ABOUT THE GROWTH IN THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT'S GOING INTO THAT SPACE. AND I FEEL LIKE, UH, IT'S NOT AN EMERGENCY SITUATION. WHEREAS WE HAVE PARKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE AND SIDEWALKS THAT ARE MOST DEFINITELY AN EMERGENCY SITUATION. AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE, UH, ANY MONEY THAT IS BEING GOING INTO THIS BOND, GOING INTO THE THINGS THAT ARE MOST CRITICAL TO OUR CITY AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANDREW GONZALEZ, ZACH FADI, JENNIFER PALERO, PALERMO, UH, HOWDY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MAYOR. MY NAME IS ZACH FADDIS. I LIVE IN DISTRICT NINE. I'M PRESIDENT OF AURA AND I'M HERE TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF INCLUDING FUNDING FOR ACTIVE MOBILITY AND A BOND FOR THIS YEAR. UH, I LIVE AT 45TH AND GUADALUPE, I SPECIFICALLY CHOOSE TO LIVE THERE BECAUSE OF ALL THE PEDESTRIAN, BIKE AND TRANSIT INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE AREA. MY LIFE IS PHYSICALLY AND FINANCIALLY IMPROVED BY THIS INFRASTRUCTURE I GOT HERE TODAY BY BIKE GOING DOWN GUADALUPE. UH, IT'S NOT AWFUL, BUT IT AIN'T GREAT EITHER. UH, I'M ABLE TO DO IT BECAUSE I'M A BIT CRAZY. I DON'T MIND ME WEAVING AROUND CARS AND USING BIKE LANES WITH NO PHYSICAL SEPARATION. UH, BUT YOU SHOULDN'T NEED TO BE CRAZY TO BIKE IN AUSTIN. I WANNA TAKE MY MOTHER AND MY YOUNGER SISTER ALL OVER TOWN BY BIKE. BUT IN ORDER FOR ME TO DO THAT, I NEED Y'ALL TO CONTINUE OUR BUILD OUT OF BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE. WE AND AUSTIN LOVE TO MAKE PRETTY PLANS THAT LOOK LOVELY ON THE SHELF, BUT OFTEN FAIL TO THE HARD WORK OF IMPLE IMPLEMENTING THEM. THAT'S BEEN THE CASE WITH MUCH OF THE BOND MONEY GIVEN TO THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT FOR ROAD AND CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENTS, BUT IT'S NOT THE CASE WITH ACTIVE MOBILITY. THEY'VE BEEN SO GOOD AT DELIVERING NOTICEABLE IMPROVEMENTS ALL OVER AUSTIN, THAT THEY'RE ABOUT OUT OF MONEY. WE SHOULD NOT PENALIZE THEM FOR THEIR SUCCESS BY ALLOWING THEIR FUNDING TO DRY UP AND KNOW LOTS OF HARD CHOICES ARE GONNA NEED TO BE MADE IN THE COMING DAYS. AND YOU DON'T HAVE EASY CHOICES IN FRONT OF YOU. I HAVE FAITH. YOU'LL SEE US THROUGH. UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. UH, GLAD TO SEE COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES BACK ON THE DICE. THANK YOU SIR. MAYOR, ALL SPEAKERS FOR ITEM TWO HAVE BEEN CALLED, JUST HEARD ALL THE SPEAKERS. ITEM NUMBER TWO HAVE BEEN CALLED. SO WHAT WE'LL DO IS WE'LL GO TO ITEM NUMBER TWO AND LET ME ASK FIRST IF, UH, BEFORE WE, WHAT, WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST WE DO IS WE SEE IF STAFF HAS ANY PRESENTATION WANTS TO MAKE OR ANY COMMENTS WANTS TO MAKE. IF ANYBODY HAS QUESTIONS OF STAFF, WE CAN ASK THOSE QUESTIONS. AND THEN I'LL GET A MOTION IN A SECOND AND WE'LL HAVE DISCUSSION, UH, RELATED TO THE MOTION IN A SECOND. ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER. ROGERS READY? YES, PLEASE. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNSEL. IS YOUR MICROPHONE ON? YES. THERE YOU GO. OKAY. SO GOOD MORNING MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. ADRIANA CASTANEDA, CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES DIRECTOR, AND THIS MORNING I HAVE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER MICHAEL ROGERS WITH ME, AS WELL AS ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, UH, MARCUS, UM, TAMER. SO THIS MORNING WE'RE HERE TO HAVE A DISCUSSION ON A POTENTIAL 2026 BOMB PROGRAM. I WANTED TO START OFF WITH A TIMELINE FROM THE LAST TIME WE WERE HERE WITH CITY COUNCIL. UM, WAS BACK ON MAY 19TH AND DURING CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION WHERE STAFF PROVIDED THE FOLLOWING TWO RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL TO HOLD A 2028 BOND ELECTION, AS [01:30:01] WELL AS TO CONSIDER INTERIM FUNDING AS PART OF THE FISCAL YEAR 27 BUDGET PROCESS FOR SEVERAL BOND PROPOSITION CATEGORIES. ON MAY 28TH THROUGH THREE RESOLUTION CITY COUNCIL DIRECTED STAFF TO PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION ON PROPOSED BOND PROJECT PROPOSALS ON JULY 17TH. STAFF RESPONDED THROUGH THIS TO THIS RESOLUTION THROUGH A MEMO TO THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL LAST WEEK, ON JULY 28TH, 2026, STAFF RECEIVED ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE THROUGH THE COUNCIL MESSAGE BOARD TO PROVIDE A BOND PACKAGE FOR DISCUSSION TODAY WITH THE FOLLOWING CONSIDERATIONS TO BASE A BOND PACKAGE WITH THE 390 MILLION SCENARIO OUTLINED IN THE JULY 17TH. MEMO. ALSO TO INCLUDE AS PART OF THIS POTENTIAL 2026 BOND PROGRAM, TWO PROPOSITIONS, ONE FOR PARKS AND RECREATION AND ONE FOR LIBRARIES. WE ARE ALSO GUIDED TO REDUCE THE FUNDING FOR THE P PARKLAND ACQUISITION CATEGORY, AS WELL AS REMOVING THE HOMELESS RESOURCE CENTER AND SHELTER PROJECT. AND THAT FOR ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND ANIMAL SERVICES INVESTMENTS WOULD BE CONSIDERED THROUGH OTHER SOURCES. SO WHAT WOULD A POTENTIAL 2026 BOND PROGRAM LOOK LIKE? ON THIS SLIDE? UH, WE HAVE A $280 MILLION BOND PROGRAM WITH THE TWO PROPOSITIONS, PARKS AND RECREATION FOR $260 MILLION IN LIBRARIES FOR $20 MILLION. PARKS AND RECREATION IS BROKEN DOWN INTO, UM, SEVERAL PROJECTS, PROGRAMS INCLUDING BUILDINGS, PARKLAND IMPROVEMENTS, INFRASTRUCTURE, AQUATICS, AND ACQUISITION. ON THIS NEXT SLIDE, WE WANTED TO GO A LITTLE BIT MORE IN DETAIL. UM, BY BREAKING OUT THE PROPOSITION UNDER THE POTENTIAL PRIORITIZED 2026 BOND PROGRAM PROJECTS, WE LISTED THE PRIORITY PROJECTS, UM, IN SEVERAL DISTRICTS. FOR INSTANCE, UNDER BUILDINGS. THAT IS THE PROGRAM, SEVERAL PROJECTS SUCH AS, UM, GUS GARCIA RECREATION CENTER, DORIS MILLER AUDITORIUM. IT'S INCLUDED AS A PRIORITIZED PROJECT UNDER THE PROGRAM BUILDINGS, SPECIFICALLY UNDER THAT PROGRAM AND PRIORITIZED PROJECTS, THERE'S APPROXIMATELY $43.5 MILLION. OVERALL, THE PRIORITIZED PROJECTS TOTAL APPROXIMATELY $177.8 MILLION. WITH THAT ALSO, THE PROGRAM CATEGORIES ARE INCLUDED MORE INTENTIONALLY. FOR INSTANCE, UNDER BUILDINGS. UM, THAT FUNDING THAT BUCKET IS FOR RENOVATIONS AND REHABILITATION IN ADDITIONS OF EXISTING PARKS AND RECREATION FACILITIES FOR RECREATION AND SENIOR CENTERS, INCLUDING A DA AND SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS. UNDER THAT SPECIFIC BUCKET, THERE'S APPROXIMATELY $22 MILLION CUMULATIVELY UNDER EACH, UNDER ALL THE BUCKETS, THERE'S A TOTAL OF 8 82 $0.2 MILLION. AND CUMULATIVELY THE PROPOSITION TOTALS $260 MILLION. SO WHAT DOES THE TAX IMPACT LOOK LIKE FOR A $280 MILLION BOND PROGRAM? FOR EVERY A HUNDRED MILLION, UM, ISSUED IN DEBT, THE CURRENT ESTIMATED ANNUAL TAX IMPACT TO A TYPICAL HOMEOWNER WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY $14 WITH 10 CENTS. THEREFORE, 280 MILLION, A $280 MILLION BOND PROGRAM WOULD HAVE A TAX IMPACT, AN ANNUAL TAX IMPACT OF $39 AND 48 CENTS. WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP FOR CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER? THE APPROVAL OF AN ORDINANCE ORDERING A GENERAL OBLIGATION BY ELECTION TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 3RD, 2026. AND THAT WOULD TAKE PLACE DURING THE COUNCIL MEETING ON AUGUST 6TH, 2026. I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO A CM ROGERS. GOOD MORNING. UM, MIKE ROGERS, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER. BEFORE WE GET INTO DISCUSSING THE MERITS OF THE INDIVIDUAL BOND PROPOSAL, I WANTED TO REALLY TAKE A MOMENT, A POINT OF PRIVILEGE TO RECOGNIZE THE TREMENDOUS WORK THAT HAS, UH, BROUGHT US HERE. TO THIS POINT, I WANT TO SINCERELY THANK THE CITY STAFF AS WELL AS EVERY SINGLE MEMBER OF THE BOND ADVISORY TASK FORCE, OR BTIF FOR THE COUNTLESS HOURS THAT THEY DEDICATED TO THIS PROCESS. THIS HAS BEEN A THOUGHTFUL, TRANSPARENT, AND COLLABORATIVE EFFORT THAT REQUIRED BALANCING MANY COMPETING PRIORITIES WHEN YOU HAVE $3.9 BILLION IN CAPITAL NEEDS ACROSS THE COMMUNITY. I KNOW THE DECISIONS THAT YOU MADE WERE NOT EASY. EVERY PROJECT REPRESENTED A WORTHWHILE NEED AND EVERY RECOMMENDATION INVOLVED, THOUGHTFUL DELIBERATIONS AND AND COMPROMISE. [01:35:01] SO ON BEHALF OF THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE AND MYSELF, I WANTED TO EXPRESS MY SINCERE APPRECIATION FOR THE PROFESSIONALISM, EXPERTISE, AND COMMITMENT THAT YOU ALL HAVE HAD TO SERVE THE CITY OF AUSTIN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. DOES THAT COMPLETE THE PRESENTATION? THAT, THAT COMPLETES OUR PRESENTATION? I WANT, UH, IF MEMBERS, I'LL ASK A COUPLE QUESTIONS AND, AND IF YOU, IF YOU WANNA BE HEARD, UM, HIT YOUR, HIT YOUR BUTTON. UM, I WANNA MAKE SURE I'M CLEAR ON WHAT YOU JUST LAID OUT. WHAT YOU LAID OUT WAS A RESPONSE TO REQUESTS STAFF'S POSITION ON MAKING A RECOMMENDATION HAS BEEN FOR A 2028 BOND ELECTION. UH, HAS THAT CHANGED BECAUSE THE WAY YOU, YOU, I THOUGHT I HEARD YOU SAY SOMETHING ABOUT A RESPONSE, BUT IN ALL THE SLIDES YOU TALK ABOUT A RECOMMENDATION. SO WHAT WE PRESENTED WAS BASED ON THE DIRECTION THAT WE RECEIVED ON THE COUNCIL MESSAGE BOARD ON JULY 20TH. SO YOU'RE BEING RESPONSIVE TO THAT. WHAT IS THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION WITH REGARD TO A BOND PROPOSAL? STAFF FOR RECOMMENDATION REMAINS THE SAME AS, AS IT HAS BEEN IN EVERY PRESENTATION THAT WE HAD THAT WE, OUR OUR BELIEF WAS THAT THE 2028, UH, WOULD BE THE TIME FOR A BOND. ALRIGHT. AND WE ARE RESPONDING TO THE REQUESTS THAT HAVE COME, COME FROM. SURE. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S, THERE'S CLARITY WITH REGARD TO THAT. WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE 2018 BOND FUNDS HAVE BEEN OBLIGATED FOR AUSTIN LIBRARIES? APPROXIMATELY 89%. ALL RIGHT. CAN ANY OF THE ADDITIONAL MONEY, UM, ANY OF THE UNSPENT FUNDS BE USED FOR THE HAMPTON BRANCH, WHICH IS ON THE, UH, PROPOSAL? I BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN SPEND FUNDS, UM, JUST AS LONG AS IT IS FROM LIBRARY TO LIBRARY. YES. SO IF, IF WE WANTED TO SHIFT FUNDS TO HAMPTON BRANCH AND NOT HAVE AN ELECTION WITH REGARD TO, 'CAUSE THAT'S THE ONE LIBRARY THAT'S, THAT'S PUT ON THIS, UH, PROPOSAL. IF WE WANTED TO SHIFT FUNDS THERE, WOULD THERE BE FUNDS AVAILABLE? I WOULD LIKE TO CALL THE DIRECTOR OF, UH, LIBRARIES. UM, THEY HAVE MORE DETAIL IN TERMS OF THE STATUS OF THE PROJECT. OKAY. AND TERRELL, DIRECTOR OF AWESOME PUBLIC LIBRARY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, THE SHORT ANSWER IS YES. THE LONGER ANSWER IS THE MONEY THAT, UM, HAS BEEN OBLIGATED IN THE 2018 BOND THAT IS EARMARKED FOR PROJECTS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN STARTED YET. IT WOULD TAKE AWAY FROM THEM. SO ALL PROJECTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN EARMARKED, UM, EVEN IF THEY HAVE NOT BEEN STARTED. GOT IT. IN, IN THE THANK YOU FOR THAT. WE'RE, IT, IT APPEARS THAT WE'RE ADDING AS AN AMENDMENT TO THE BACKUP, THE WORD DESIGN TO THE DESCRIPTION UNDER LIBRARIES. UM, CAN DESIGN BE FUND FUNDED WITH CASH AS PART OF THE BUDGET PROCESS? I BELIEVE SO, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO ASK, UM, I THINK KIM IS IN THE AUDIENCE. SHE IS. I, GOOD MORNING COUNSEL. KIM LAVAR, DIRECTOR OF FINANCIAL SERVICES. UH, UTILIZING CASH FOR DESIGN SERVICES IS ABSOLUTELY AN APPROPRIATE USE OF DOLLARS. UH, ONE OF THE THINGS YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL WITH WHEN YOU'RE UTILIZING BOND DOLLARS FOR DESIGN PURPOSES IS THAT THERE ULTIMATELY WILL BE AN ASSET AT THE END OF THE DAY. UH, THAT'S WHY WE ARE VERY, VERY CAREFUL ABOUT UTILIZING DOLLARS FOR DESIGN PURPOSES ONLY. UH, MAKING SURE THAT THERE ARE PROJECTS WHERE THERE IS CONFIDENCE THAT THERE WILL BE AN ASSET AT THE END OF THE DAY BECAUSE THE DESIGN ENGINEERING PLANS DO NOT TECHNICALLY COUNT AS AN ASSET ACCORDING TO ACCOUNTING STANDARDS. BUT IF WE, BACK TO MY QUESTION. IF WHAT WE WANTED TO DO WAS UTILIZE IN THE BUDGET PROCESS, UTILIZE CASH OR EVEN SOME OTHER DEBT STRUCTURE TO GET, TO GET TO THAT CASH, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO DO DESIGN. YES. WE, WE ABSOLUTELY, UH, WHATEVER THERE IS CASH, UH, AVAILABLE, UM, FOR INITIAL DESIGN WORK, WE DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THAT. UH, IT PROVIDES MUCH GREATER FLEXIBILITY IN, IN, IN YOUR USES IN THE PROGRAMMING. ALL RIGHT. UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT. MAYBE [01:40:01] I'VE JUST BEEN AROUND THIS A WHILE AND, AND SO, BUT I'VE NOT, I DON'T RECALL, UM, HAVING A SITUATION WHERE WE WENT TO THE VOTERS ON A SINGLE ITEM, A SINGLE FACILITY, AN INDIVIDUAL FACILITY CONSTRUCTION, UH, ON A CITYWIDE BOND VOTE. AND MAYBE THAT'S HAPPENED IN THE PAST AND I JUST DON'T REMEMBER IT. BUT IN THIS CASE, WITH REGARD TO LIBRARIES, WE'RE, WE'RE ONLY, ALL THE PROPOSAL THAT THAT YOU'VE PRESENTED ONLY HAS ONE LIBRARY ON IT, IS THAT RIGHT? YES. WERE THERE, AND I THINK I KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS, BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE, 'CAUSE WE HEARD, UM, TESTIMONY TODAY ABOUT COLONY PARK AND WE KNOW, UH, FROM A MESSAGE BOARD POST AND, AND A PROPOSED AMENDMENT, UH, TO THIS, THAT THERE WAS AT LEAST ONE OTHER BRANCH LIBRARY THAT WAS ALSO CONSIDERED. UM, WERE THERE OTHER BRANCHES? WERE THERE OTHER AREAS THAT WERE RECOMMENDED FOR LIBRARY FACILITY CONSTRUCTION? OTHER THAN THIS ONE? YES, SIR. UM, COLONY PARK HAMPTON AT OAK HILL, UH, RENOVATION AND EXPANSION AND REGIONAL LAND ACQUISITION. OKAY. NAME ALL AND MILLWOOD BRANCH, UM, RENOVATION. SO TWO EXPANSION, UH, PROJECTS, BUT THIS PROPOSAL JUST LISTS THE ONE, UM, OF THE PROJECTS THAT ARE LISTED ON, ON THE, THE PROPOSAL, WHICH ONES WERE NOT A PART OF THE, UH, BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR COUNCIL, THIS IS MARCUS HAMMER, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES. SO IN SHORT, ALL PROJECTS WERE INCLUSIVE THAT ARE ON THE LIST THAT WERE THROUGH THE BOND DEVELOP? ALL OF THEM. ALL OF, YES, SIR. OKAY, GOOD. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL FOLLOWED BY THE MAYOR PRO. TIM. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, I HAD A, I GUESS FINANCIAL QUESTION. I DON'T KNOW IF, UH, DIRECTOR TIS WOULD ASK IT, ANSWER IT. UM, UH, GOING TO THE SLIDE ABOUT THE TAX IMPACT, UM, I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT THIS SLIDE, UM, REPRESENTS THE TAX IMPACT IF ALL OF THE PROPOSED DEBT WAS SOLD IN ONE YEAR, IS THAT RIGHT? CORRECT. OKAY. BUT, UH, IF THIS DEBT WAS SPREAD OUT OVER SIX YEARS SO THAT IT WAS ROUGHLY $50 MILLION OR LESS ANNUALLY, IT WOULD BE ABOUT A $7 TAX IMPACT PER YEAR? CORRECT. AND ISN'T IT TRUE THAT THE CITY RETIRES MORE THAN $50 MILLION IN DEBT EACH YEAR? UH, THE AMOUNT OF DEBT THAT RETIRE, IT, IT, IT FLUCTUATES. UH, RIGHT NOW, UH, BASED ON AUTHORIZED BUT ON ISSUED, WE WOULD PEAK IN ISSUANCE, UM, WITH NO ADDITIONAL, UM, UM, DEBT REQUIREMENTS. WE WOULD BE, WE'D PEAK IN ABOUT 20 30, 20 31. AND AT THAT POINT IS WHEN YOU WOULD START TO SEE THE CURVE, UH, DECLINE, UH, RELATIVE TO HOW MUCH WE HAVE REMAINING TO PAY OFF. UH, RIGHT NOW WE JUST HAVE SUCH A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF AUTHORIZED PUT AN ISSUE TO STILL TO ISSUE THAT THERE JUST ISN'T THAT, THAT DROP OFF. SO WITH THIS ADDITIONAL, UH, TWO 80 AS PROPOSED, UM, IT WOULD EXTEND THAT, UM, ISSUANCE CURVE OUT, UH, WITHOUT HAVING, LIKE DOING A SIMPLE JUST DIVIDE BY SIX. THAT IS BASED ON THE INFORMATION WE HAVE ABOUT AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW, THAT IS A, A REASONABLE, UM, APPROACH. UH, BUT WHAT WE DO DO IS, UH, WITH OUR ISSU OUR ISSUANCE IS BASED ON ACTUAL SPENDING. UH, SO DEPENDING ON HOW MANY DOLLARS ARE GOING OUT IN THAT FISCAL YEAR, THAT'S WHAT, WHAT WE FOLLOW UP WITH, UM, AND SPENT FOR OUR NEXT GEO SALE. UH, SO IT'S, IT'S, WITHOUT HAVING A CLEAR SPENDING PLAN FOR THIS TWO 80, IT'S HARD TO GIVE YOU AN EXACT NUMBER. SO JUST THAT SIMPLE DIVIDE BY SIX IS THE BEST WE CAN DO AT THIS POINT. NO THANKS DIRECTOR. I GUESS THE POINT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE IS THAT EACH YEAR WE RETIRE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF DEBT, RIGHT? AND THERE'S A RANGE AND SOMETIMES WE, WE EXTINGUISH OVER A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS OF DEBT, CLOSE TO $200 MILLION OF DEBT, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. IS THAT CORRECT? UM, IT, GIVE ME A MOMENT TO PULL THAT. I, I'M, I'M GUESSING THAT, UH, MY TREASURER IS HOPEFULLY SHE'S WATCHING RIGHT NOW AND SHE CAN GIVE ME THAT NUMBER ON THE FLY. UM, BUT LEMME JUST PUT IT A DIFFERENT WAY. SORRY, DIRECTOR. UM, THIS WON'T NECESSARILY INCREASE THE DEBT RATE AT ALL, RIGHT? BECAUSE AT THE SAME TIME THAT WE MIGHT BE ISSUING DEBT TO PAY FOR NEW PROJECTS OR RETIRING DEBT FOR COMPLETED PROJECTS. AND SO IT'S UP TO FINANCIAL SERVICES TO SOME EXTENT TO MANAGE THE ISSUANCE AND RETIREMENT RATE. AND Y'ALL COULD MANAGE IN A WAY THAT THIS DOESN'T IMPACT TAXPAYERS AT ALL IN TERMS OF INCREASING THE DEBT RATE ON A PROPERTY TAX BILL. THAT'S NOT CORRECT. OKAY. UM, BECAUSE OF OUR AUTHORIZED BUT UN ISSSUED, UM, THE, THE TAX [01:45:01] RATE WILL HAVE, THE DEBT SERVICE PORTION OF THE TAX RATE WILL HAVE TO CONTINUE TO INCREASE, UM, REGARDLESS. SO THIS, YEAH. REGARDLESS OF WHETHER WE DO THIS THOUGH, YEAH. BUT THIS, THIS WOULD ALSO DO THE SAME, UM, BECAUSE WE ARE SIMPLY JUST NOT RETIRING AS MUCH DEBT AS WE ARE ADDING AT THIS POINT. THAT DYNAMIC SHIFTS WITHOUT THE, THE WHAT'S BEING CONSIDERED TODAY, THAT DYNAMIC SHIFTS IN ABOUT 20 30, 20 31, WHICH IS WHEN WE ARE RETIRING MORE THAN IS BEING ADDED. SO AT THIS POINT, THIS AND ALL OF OUR AUTHORIZED, WHAT AN ISSUE, WHAT WOULD RESULT IN ADDITIONAL, UH, IMPACT ON THE TAX RATE. BUT I THINK YOU'RE, YOU'RE LUMPING THIS IN WITH THE DEBT THAT'S ALREADY BEEN KIND OF VOTER APPROVED, RIGHT? OR OR AUTHORIZED BY COUNSEL. AND SO YOU DON'T KNOW THAT THIS WILL ACTUALLY INCREASE THE DEBT RATE MORE THAN WHAT IT'S ALREADY GONNA GO UP? Y IT, IT WOULD, WE DO KNOW THAT. OKAY. WE DO KNOW THAT MANAGER AND, AND THANK YOU KIM, AND I KNOW OUR CFO WANTS TO SPEAK. AND, AND COUNCILMAN, I JUST WANT TO JUST MAKE CLEAR AND JUST UNDERSCORE THE POINT. I THINK AS YOU CAN REFLECT ON PRIOR PRESENTATIONS THAT WE'VE MADE, PARTICULARLY THE ONE FOCUSED ON THE DEBT AND, AND WHAT WE WOULD SAY, I THINK THE 20 30 31 KIND OF AS KIM MENTIONED, UH, THAT WAS ONE OF THE DRIVING REASONS WHY STAFF WAS RECOMMENDING THAT THE BOND PROGRAM BE DELAYED UNTIL 2028. SO THAT WE WOULD ACTUALLY CREST WITH OUR DEBT SIDE OF THINGS AND THEN BEGIN TO GO DOWN. AND THAT DEBT FROM THE 2028, UH, PARTICULARLY IN HOW WE PROGRESSED WITH PROJECTS, WOULDN'T ACTUALLY HIT AND OR BE ISSUED UNTIL AFTER 2030. SO THEREFORE THEN IT WOULD BEGIN AGAIN TO DO THE TRADE OFF THAT I THINK THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. AND SO AGAIN, I THINK STAFF HAS SHARED THAT AND I THINK THEY'RE TRYING TO DO THAT WITH THE QUESTIONS BEING ASKED. BUT THAT'S THE FUNDAMENTAL REASON WHY STAFF IS PRETTY MUCH HELD, I GUESS CONSISTENT WITH OUR RECOMMENDATION. 'CAUSE IT'S NOT ABOUT THE PROJECTS, WHICH THEY'RE ALL WORTHY AS, UH, A CM ROGERS SAID THERE ARE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF NEED OUT THERE. THE ISSUE IS REALLY, UH, THE COST CURVE, UH, JUXTAPOSED TO EVEN THE OPERATING SIDE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO BALANCE WHEN IT COMES TO, UH, THE OVERALL TAX IMPACT. OKAY. THANK YOU MANAGER. AND THEN I GUESS I'LL JUST, UH, CONCLUDE. UM, I MEAN TO SUM UP IT'S GONNA, THE DEBT RATE IS GONNA GO UP A LITTLE BIT, BUT THE IMPACT OF THIS PROJECT WILL BE ROUGHLY $7 ANNUALLY FOR A TYPICAL HOMEOWNER. AND I JUST WANNA FOLLOW UP WITH CFO AND YOU KNOW, EARLIER WE HEARD SOME TESTIMONY THAT THE CITY'S IN AN EMERGENCY FINANCIAL SITUATION. AND I JUST WANNA ASK YOU, UH, WHAT'S OUR CURRENT CREDIT RATING AS A CITY? OUR CREDIT RATING IS, CREDIT RATING IS AAA AND THAT'S THE HIGHEST YOU CAN RECEIVE. THAT'S PRETTY GOOD, RIGHT? THE HIGHEST YOU CAN RECEIVE. ARE THERE ANY TEXAS CITIES WITH A HIGHER CREDIT RATING? UM, THERE'S NO OTHER TEXAS, NO OTHER LARGE TEXAS CITY THAT'S AAA RATED BY ALL THREE RATING AGENCIES. THERE ARE A COUPLE THAT ARE AAA RATED BY ONE, BUT NOT ALL THREE. SO CURRENTLY AUSTIN IS THE HIGHEST RATED BIG CITY IN TEXAS? YES, SIR. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, I DID HAVE A RESPONSE TO YOU SINCE HE ASKED THE QUESTION. I DID HAVE THAT INFORMATION ABOUT, UM, OUR DEBT RETIREMENT SCHEDULES. I MEAN, UM, I HAVE ALL THE DETAILS, BUT BIG PICTURE, WE'RE CURRENTLY SERVICING 2.4 BILLION IN GENERAL OBLIGATION DEBT. UM, THE NET EFFECT OF RETIREMENT AND PROJECTED SALES BASED UPON WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH A NEW BOND ELECTION IS BY 2031, WE WOULD PEAK OUT AT $3.4 BILLION. SO WE ARE RETIRING, LIKE DIRECTOR OLIVER MENTIONED, BUT WE ARE ALSO ISSUING BONDS AS WE CONTINUE TO DELIVER ON THOSE PREVIOUS BOND ELECTIONS. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER MAYOR PRO TEM, FOLLOWED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS. UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, MAYOR. UH, FIRST I WANTED TO, AS AS MANY OF THE SPEAKERS DID GIVE, UH, PROPS TO, UM, CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES AND, UH, TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS, UH, ON SO MANY OF THE ACTIVE, UH, TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS THAT HAVE GONE OUT THE DOOR OVER THE LAST FIVE, SIX YEARS. UH, I, I DON'T NEED TO REITERATE ALL OF THE, THE COMMENTS, BUT I MEAN, WE'RE REALLY SEEING A TRANSFORMATION, UH, OF OUR, UH, CITY. UH, RECENTLY I, YESTERDAY I DROVE DOWN, UH, DESSA AND CAMERON AND SAW ALL OF THE, UH, IMPROVEMENTS THERE. UH, AND IT'S REALLY IMPRESSIVE AND IT'S A, IT'S A DIFFERENT CITY THAN IT WAS, YOU KNOW, 15 YEARS AGO IN TERMS OF, UH, BICYCLE ACCESS IN TERMS OF THE, THE QUALITY KIND OF SIDEWALKS THAT, THAT WE'RE PUTTING IN. YOU KNOW, ON THAT, THAT 10 FOOT, I THINK IT'S A 10 FOOT SIDEWALK ON, UH, ROMBERG, UH, RIGHT THERE, RUNNING BETWEEN WEBB MIDDLE SCHOOL AND GUS GARCIA IS JUST TREMENDOUS. AND, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT PROTECTED, UH, HYBRID, UH, BEACON BETWEEN, UH, THE PARK AND THE MIDDLE SCHOOL, JUST THOSE KINDS OF IN INVESTMENTS AND IMPROVEMENTS ARE, ARE, ARE JUST TREMENDOUS. UM, I WAS JUST THINKING, I MEAN, BURN IT, UH, LAMAR THOSE, UH, LAMAR SIDEWALKS ARE GOING IN RIGHT NOW. I, I SAW 'EM WORKING ON, IN CAMERON, THE WISHBONE BRIDGE, [01:50:01] THE WATERLOO GREEN WAY, UH, PHENOMENAL LIST OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS, ALL EXTREMELY POPULAR. UH, UH, I WAS NOT ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE WISHBONE BRIDGE, UH, INAUGURATION, BUT FOLKS TOLD ME THAT THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF, UH, PEOPLE THERE. THAT'S GREAT. AND, UH, EVERYBODY, I MEAN PEOPLE WHEN THEY NOT FROM AUSTIN, WHEN THEY SEE THAT, ARE IMMEDIATELY LIKE, OH MY GOD, THIS IS JUST A TREMENDOUS PROJECT. THEY WERE THERE TO SEE COUNCIL MEMBER VELASQUEZ RUN ACROSS THE BRIDGE. . IT'S TRUE. YEAH. THE, THE BRIDGE IS NICE, BUT WHAT YOU REALLY NEEDED TO SEE. YEAH, LIKE I CAN, WE GOTTA GET THE VIDEO ON THAT. AND, AND I, I WANT TO PUT THAT IN CONTRAST, UH, WITH, UH, ONE OF OUR, OUR, OUR PEER CITIES HOUSTON, WHICH IS, UH, UH, REPORTEDLY TEARING OUT BY LANES ON KEY ARTERIES. UH, I, I, I JUST THINK THERE'S, THERE'S SUCH A STARK DIFFERENCE IN THE WAY THAT AUSTIN IS APPROACHING TRANSPORTATION AND THE WAY THAT OTHER CITIES ARE SUPPORTING TRANSPORTATION. AND I JUST THINK, AGAIN, I JUST WANT TO GIVE PROPS TO, TO THE TRANSPORTATION STAFF AND CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES FOR DOING JUST A, A, A TREMENDOUS, UH, UH, JOB, UH, UH, ON THAT AND, AND JUST IMPROVING OUR, OUR QUALITY OF LIFE. UM, UH, WITH ALL THAT SAID, I KNOW THAT THE, THE, THE TRANSPORTATION WE'RE, WE'RE NOT CONSIDERING THE TRANSPORTATION BOND. AND I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF ADDRESS IT REAL QUICKLY. 'CAUSE, UH, AND, AND HONESTLY, IF, IF, IF TRANSPORTATION, OR I GUESS CDS ALSO, UH, THERE ARE, THERE ARE LOTS OF TRANSPORTATION BONDS PENDING, I, I BELIEVE TO BE ISSUED FOR A HANDFUL OF LARGELY MAJOR KIND OF ROAD PROJECTS. BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION FUNDS WE'RE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SIDEWALKS IN PARTICULAR ARE, ARE RUNNING LOW AT THIS POINT. IS THAT, COULD YOU, UH, COMMENT ON THAT A BIT? YES. JUST GIVE US ONE SECOND. OKAY. DO YOU HAVE IT? AND WHILE YOU'RE DOING THAT, I ALSO GOTTA GIVE PROJECT PROPS TO THE, THE BOND ADVISORY. UH, THE, THEY DID A LOT OF REALLY GOOD WORK, UH, AND, AND WERE LARGELY DRAWING FROM WHAT THEY IDENTIFIED. UH, AND AGAIN, I KNOW THAT WAS, UH, UH, A LOT OF MEETINGS AND A LOT OF DISCUSSION. BUT AGAIN, UH, THE, MY APPOINTEES AND, AND ALL OF THE APPOINTEES JUST, UH, I THINK THEY DID AN EXCELLENT JOB VETTING THIS OVER LIKE A TWO YEAR PERIOD. SO, YEAH. SO SOME OF THOSE AREAS INCLUDE, UM, BIKEWAYS AND SIDEWALKS, AS YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, AS WELL AS TRANSPORTATION SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS. MM-HMM . AND SO THAT WOULD LARGELY BE, SO SIDEWALKS, WERE ESSENTIALLY AFTER THIS YEAR, WERE GONNA BE ESSENTIALLY OUT OF CAPITAL MONEY, WE'RE HITTING THE 90%. YES. OKAY. AND THEN, UH, THE, THE, THE, THAT WOULD BE KIND OF THE, THE, THE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS, THAT'S KIND OF THE VISION ZERO TREATMENTS THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING ON VARIOUS INTERSECTIONS THAT, THAT'S ALSO RUNNING LOW. YES. AND, UM, SAFETY ROUTES TO SCHOOL. ALRIGHT. AND, AND, AND I, LAST YEAR, IF, IF, IF MY MEMORY SERVES, WE APPROPRIATED $10 MILLION IN COS TO THE SIDEWALK, UH, TO SIDEWALKS TO CONTINUE THE, THE BUILD OUT. UH, AND YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT THE CREWS OUT THERE JUST KNOCKING THIS WORK OUT AT ABOUT A 20 ISH MILLION DOLLAR A YEAR PACE OF, OF, OF SIDEWALK, UH, IMPROVEMENTS. UH, AND I, I APPRECIATE THE DISCUSSION THAT WE'VE HAD AROUND THE, THE BOND CYCLE AND THAT SIX YEAR BOND CYCLE RIGHT NOW, THOUGH, I FEEL LIKE OUR TRANSPORTATION NEEDS ARE MORE KIND OF IMMEDIATE. UH, AND I JUST WANTED TO TO MENTION THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE TRANSPORTATION STUFF ON HERE. I DO FULLY INTEND TO, UH, PROPOSE, UH, THE ISSUANCE OF COS TO CONTINUE OUR, OUR WORK WHERE WE ARE LACKING RIGHT NOW. AND MY SENSE IS THAT, THAT THE VISION ZERO, UM, THE SIDEWALKS, UH, AND THE BIKEWAYS WOULD BE THE AREAS THAT COULD USE SOME CO MONEY. THAT'S NOT A CONVERSATION FOR TODAY, BUT I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT. 'CAUSE I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE ACTIVE, UH, TRANSPORTATION STUFF. UM, AND ANOTHER QUICK QUESTION FOR ANIMAL SERVICES ACTUALLY, UH, ON THE, THE, THE $3 MILLION THEIR CAPITAL NEEDS TOO. AGAIN, I KNOW THAT'S NOT, UH, CURRENTLY KIND OF ON THE, THE, THE, THE PROPOSAL THAT'S BEFORE US, BUT I DID JUST WANNA UNDERSTAND THAT $3 MILLION AND GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. MY NAME'S MONICA DANGLER. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES. UM, AND YOU WANTED TO KNOW HOW THE $3 MILLION WOULD BE SPENT? YES, PLEASE. YEAH, THAT WOULD BE FOR, UM, DESIGN OF EXPANSION OF THE CAMPUS, UM, AS WELL AS FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS. OKAY. SO THIS IS, THIS IS FOR BASICALLY DESIGN. UH, AND, AND WHEN WOULD THE MONEY FOR THE, WHEN ARE WE THINKING THE, THE FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS WOULD ACTUALLY BE FUNDED AND, AND BUILT? SO WE WOULD HOPE TO, UM, BE PART OF, UH, 2028, UH, POTENTIAL BOND FOR CONSTRUCTION. GOT IT. SO WE WANT TO KIND OF GET AHEAD OF THE CURVE WITH $3 MILLION IN KIND [01:55:01] OF ENGINEERING DESIGN SO THAT WHEN THE, AGAIN, ASSUMING THAT THERE'S A SUCCESSFUL BOND IN 2028, WE'RE READY TO BUILD AND IMPROVE THE, UH, THE ANIMAL SERVICES, HUH? CORRECT. OKAY. UH, UH, VERY MUCH, UH, APPRECIATE THAT. UH, AND, UH, THE, ARE ARE, ARE ANIMAL SERVICES ELIGIBLE FOR CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION ARE AGAIN, FOR THE, THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE, UH, THOSE TYPES OF IMPROVEMENTS? I BELIEVE SO. NO, THE ANSWER IS YES, SIR. AT VINO CFO MM-HMM . AND I'M SORRY, WHAT WAS THE ANSWER WAS YES. THE ANSWER IS YES. THE ANSWER IS YES. OKAY. UH, I WAS UNCLEAR ON THAT. UH, AND, AND TO THE EXTENT, AGAIN, I I WOULD HATE TO, I I WANT TO GET THAT $3 MILLION IN DESIGN AND ENGINEERING AND, AND PUT ANIMAL SERVICES IN A POSITION TO IMPROVE THEIR FACILITIES, BUT WITH SUCH A SMALL AMOUNT TO PUT ON A BOND, UH, THAT'S MY ONLY, UH, CONCERN WITH, UH, WITH THE NUMBER. UH, I'M HAPPY TO, TO THE EXTENT THAT IT, IT DOESN'T MAKE IT ONTO THIS BOND, UH, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO, TO, YOU KNOW, FIND A, A ALTERNATIVE OF FUNDING. BUT I, I DO AGREE THAT WE, WE NEED TO GET THOSE, UH, IN THE PIPELINE SO THAT WE ARE ABLE TO, UH, IMPROVE OUR FACILITY AND, AND MAKE SURE THAT THAT, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, OPEN INTAKE ULTIMATELY WOULD BE THE, THE, THE GOAL. UH, AND, AND WE ARE NOT GONNA GET THERE UNLESS WE MAKE SOME IMPROVEMENTS TO OUR FACILITY. I KNOW WE CAN'T BUILD OUR WAY OUT OF, OUT OF THE, THE CAPACITY PROBLEM, BUT WE PROBABLY DO NEED SOME MORE CAPACITY, RIGHT? CORRECT. YEAH. YEAH. AND ANIMAL SERVICES IS, UM, YOU KNOW, IN UH, FAVOR OF, UH, LOOKING FOR ALTERNATE FUNDING SOURCES, UH, WITH THE HELP OF, UH, CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE. GOT IT. WELL, AGAIN, THEN, JUST TO THE EXTENT, UH, THE, UH, TO THE EXTENT THAT THE, UH, MONEY IS NOT PART OF THE BOND, UH, I, I DO WANNA WORK TO FIND THAT $3 MILLION AND, AND GET IT INTO THE, UH, UH, MAKE SURE THAT, THAT Y'ALL KIND OF GET THAT, UH, JUMPSTART ON THAT FACILITY. UH, AND I ALSO JUST WANTED TO ASK ABOUT, UH, URBAN TRAILS, UH, TOO, UH, I UNDERSTAND. WHAT IS THE SITUATION WITH CAPITAL MONEY FOR URBAN TRAILS? I'M GONNA CALL RICHARD TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC ARTS. THANK YOU. MORNING MAYOR AND COUNCIL. RICHARD MENDOZA, DIRECTOR FOR TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS. URBAN TRAILS COUNCIL MEMBER, IN TERMS OF ITS SPEND IS A LITTLE BIT SLOWER THAN THE SIDEWALKS AND THE OTHER ACTIVE MOBILITIES. AND, UH, PRIMARILY FOR CONSIDERATIONS WE'RE LEVERAGING AND BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING FEDERALIZED, UH, EARMARKED MONIES TO STRETCH THOSE BOND DOLLARS FURTHER. AND OF COURSE, WHEN YOU FEDERALIZE PROJECTS, YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH A NUMBER OF MORE STEPS, COORDINATION WITH TDOT ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES. UM, BUT WE CURRENTLY HAVE ALL OUR URBAN TRAILS MONIES IDENTIFIED FOR THE TIER ONE IMPROVEMENTS THAT WERE FUNDED OUT OF THE 2016 AND I BELIEVE 2021 PROGRAMS, 2018, WE GOT A SMALL AMOUNT TO PURCHASE THE RIGHT OF WAY FOR BS AND SPUR THAT'S BEEN PURCHASED. SO ALL THE 2018 URBAN TRAILS HAVE BEEN EXPECTED. GOT IT. AND THROUGH OUR CONVERSATIONS OFFLINE, WE WERE, UM, I KNOW THAT SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE TALK ABOUT HOW WE WANT TO GET MONEY OUT THE DOOR, BUT SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO HOLD IT BECAUSE WE'RE WAITING FOR A FEDERAL MATCH. UH, AND, AND I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE $5 MILLION IS SITTING IN THE KITTY AND EVERYONE'S LIKE, SPEND IT, SPEND IT, IT'S 'CAUSE THAT'S GONNA LEVERAGE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE 10, $15 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDS. SO I JUST WANNA HIGHLIGHT THAT WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHY DON'T WE GET THAT MONEY OUT THE DOOR? SOMETIMES IT'S, IT'S STRATEGICALLY WAITING FOR A PARTNER MONEY DOWN THE ROAD. I, I, I JUST WANTED TO, IS IS THAT ACCURATE? YES, SIR. THAT'S VERY ACCURATE FOR A NUMBER OF THE TRAILS. AND WE DO ENJOY THIS COMMUNITY DOES ENJOY, UH, TREMENDOUS SUPPORT FROM OUR FEDERAL, UH, LEGISLATION FOR IDENTIFYING THOSE FEDERAL FUNDS. YEAH. AND AGAIN, THANKS TO BOTH CONGRESSMAN DAWKIN AND CONGRESSMAN CASSAR FOR THEIR WORK IN IDENTIFYING EARMARKS FOR, UH, ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION. THANK YOU MAYOR. THANK YOU MAYOR PRO. TIM COUNCIL. COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS. AND IF ANYBODY ELSE WANTS TO SPEAK, UM, LET ME KNOW. A MINUTE AGO I HIT THE WRONG BUTTON AND ERASED EVERYBODY SO I MAY NOT, THAT WAS NOT PURPOSEFUL. IT WAS NOT PURPOSEFUL COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS. NO, I'M CALLING ON YOU. I'M CALLING ON YOU. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, I WANTED TO SPEAK BRIEFLY TO THE CONVERSATION AROUND THE HAMPTON BRANCH LIBRARY 'CAUSE THAT'S ONE THAT IS HUGELY IMPORTANT TO SOUTHWEST AUSTIN. IT IS OUR ONLY PUBLIC FACING CITY BUILDING OUTSIDE OF ZILKER PARK. UM, THERE'S A HUNDRED THOUSAND CONSTITUENTS THAT LIVE IN SOUTHWEST AUSTIN AND IT IS, I BELIEVE, THE SECOND MOST CIRCULATED LIBRARY IN THE ENTIRE LIBRARY NETWORK. I AM VERY MINDFUL THAT HAVING ONLY ONE LIBRARY HERE FOR VOTERS TO DECIDE [02:00:01] ON, UM, WOULD DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, MAKE PEOPLE THINK ABOUT THE LIBRARIES IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS AND WHAT OTHER INVESTMENTS ARE ON THE LIST. UM, I KNOW THAT COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON HAS TALKED ABOUT THE COLONY PARK BRANCH LIBRARY NUMEROUS TIMES AND WE'VE SEEN FROM THE ADVOCATES THAT COME AND, AND TALK ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT COLONY PARK IS TO DISTRICT ONE. UM, I'M FULLY SUPPORTIVE OF ADDING IN OTHER IMPROVEMENTS AND, AND DESIGNS TO MAKE SURE THAT COLONY PARK CAN UH, TRULY REALIZE THE IMPACT AND INVESTMENT THAT IS SO WELL NEEDED AND DESERVED IN THAT PART OF TOWN. SO I'M CERTAINLY SUPPORTIVE OF THAT. UM, WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF CITY BUILDINGS IN SOUTHWEST AUSTIN, AND SO THE ONLY WAY THAT WE'RE REALLY GONNA GET THESE DETAILED AND PRIORITIZED INVESTMENTS IS TO SPECIFICALLY NAME WHERE IT IS THAT WE'RE GONNA INVEST THOSE DOLLARS. UM, I HAVE BEEN A GOOD TEAM PLAYER FOR A LOT OF OTHER BOND PROPOSALS AND AS, UM, WE SEE DRAINAGE ISSUES WITH OTHER SORTS OF TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS THROUGH PREVIOUS BONDS. THE ONES IN SOUTHWEST AUSTIN, WERE THE FIRST ONES ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK. AND SO I'M FIRMLY COMMITTED TO MAKING SURE THAT THE DOLLARS THAT ARE GOING INTO THE CITY BUDGET THAT VOTERS ARE DECIDING WHETHER OR NOT THEY WANT TO APPROVE, ARE REINVESTED IN THE PARTS OF TOWN THAT DON'T ALWAYS GET THAT LEVEL OF INVESTMENT. UM, BUT I'M PERFECTLY HAPPY TO HAVE A DISTRICT EIGHT AND DISTRICT ONE LIBRARY INVESTMENTS WITHIN THIS BOND PACKAGE 'CAUSE I THINK THAT'S A REALLY GOOD PARTNERSHIP AS COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON AND I HAVE HAD OVER THE YEARS, UM, WE HAVE SEEN A LOT OVER THE TIME THAT WE'VE BEEN SWORN IN AND, UM, REALLY WORKED ON A LOT OF DETAILED PROJECTS TOGETHER AND WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE SUPPORT EACH OTHER THROUGH ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT CONVERSATIONS. AND I WILL SAY AS FAR AS PARKS IMPROVEMENTS, THERE'S NOT A DAY THAT I AM OUT TALKING WITH NEIGHBORS THAT SOMEONE TELLS ME, YOU KNOW WHAT? I THINK THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS INVESTING TOO MANY DOLLARS INTO OUR PARK SPACES. IT IS THE ONE DEPARTMENT THAT YEAR OVER YEAR PEOPLE SAY THERE'S NOT ENOUGH INVESTMENT IN OUR PARK SYSTEMS. AND AS THE YEARS GO BY, PEOPLE WATCH THEIR CHILDREN GROW UP AND WE MIGHT MISS OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO GO TO RECREATIONAL PROGRAMMING AND PLAY ON THE SWING SETS AND GO TO OUR POOLS AND ALL OF THE THINGS THAT ACTUALLY MAKE A, A CHILDHOOD REALLY, REALLY GOOD IN AUSTIN, TEXAS AND MAKE PEOPLE WANT TO BUILD A LIFE HERE AND GROW THEIR FAMILIES HERE. UM, I DON'T THINK WE CAN INVEST ENOUGH IN OUR PARKS, WHETHER THAT'S ACQUISITION RECREATION CENTERS, SUMMER PROGRAMMING OR, OR OTHER SORTS OF INVESTMENTS, UM, HAVE ALWAYS BEEN FULLY SUPPORTIVE OF THEM AND WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO ENHANCE WHAT IS ALREADY A GREAT PARK SYSTEM RIGHT NOW. AND I WILL SAY AS FAR AS, UM, BEING ABLE TO HAVE SOME IMPROVEMENTS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE IN DISTRICT EIGHT, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT THE NEEDS OF THE ZILKER METRO PARK, WHICH IS MANY WOULD SAY THE CROWN JEWEL OF AUSTIN, TEXAS PARK SYSTEM, BUT IT DEFINITELY GETS BEATEN UP A BIT AS PEOPLE LIKE TO ENJOY THE SPACE AND, UM, UTILIZE EVERYTHING GREAT THAT IT HAS TO OFFER. AND SO I KNOW DEALING WITH SOME EROSION CONTROL ISSUES, ESPECIALLY AROUND BARKING SPRINGS, IS, IS GONNA BE REALLY IMPORTANT. UM, THERE'S A VISION PLAN THAT COUNCIL ADOPTED IN 2009 THAT SPECIFICALLY CALLS OUT WHERE WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT TREES ARE REPLANTED AND THAT WE HAVE THESE EROSION CONTROL ISSUES DEALT WITH SO MANY, MANY YEARS HAVE GONE BY. AND I THINK GENERALLY WHAT I HEAR IS THAT WE NEED TO UP OUR INVESTMENT IN OUR PARK SYSTEM AND OUR LIBRARIES AND REALLY MAKE SURE THAT FAMILIES HAVE ACCESS TO THE, THE SERVICES THAT THEY ROUTINELY ASK US AS COUNCIL MEMBERS TO DELIVER ON. AND I'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT. THANK YOU. WHOOP. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER. COUNCIL MEMBER UCHIN FOLLOWED BY COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL. THANK YOU MAYOR. COLLEAGUES, I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW, BUT I DO WANNA ADD A FEW THINGS TO OUR BOND CONVERSATION AND I DO WANT TO THANK CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES AND A CM ROGERS FOR HUSTLING TO PUT TOGETHER A LOT OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR US OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS AND BEING VERY MINDFUL AND CONSIDERATE FOR THE PITFALLS AND OPPORTUNITIES OF THOSE OPTIONS. SO THANK YOU ALL. UH, BUT I WANT TO APPRECIATE THE MOVEMENT ON THE BOND PROPOSAL THAT'S HAPPENED UP UNTIL NOW, WHICH FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN IS REDUCING THE SCOPE, LOWERING THE COST, AND PRIMARILY FOCUSING ON PARKS. I'D LIKE TO BELIEVE THERE IS A BROAD UNDERSTANDING THAT OUR PARKS HAVE THE DEEPEST NEED AND MOST URGENT NEEDS RIGHT NOW. UH, AND SO I CONSIDER ALL OF THESE POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS. THAT SAID, I'M ALSO CONCERNED THAT THE CONVERSATION HAS SHIFTED TO HOW CAN WE COBBLE TOGETHER, UH, THE BARE MINIMUM OF VOTES THAT WE NEED TO PASS A BOND BY FOCUSING ON CERTAIN DISTRICT PRIORITIES RATHER THAN KEEPING A FOCUS ON THE BIG PICTURE, UH, AND OUR ENERGY ON CONSIDERATION FOR WHAT'S BEST FOR THE ENTIRE CITY AND, AND FUTURE AUSTINITES. AND ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT I KNOW I'VE TALKED TO SOME OF Y'ALL ABOUT IN THIS CONVERSATION IS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A PATHWAY TO RETURNING TO A SIX YEAR BOND CYCLE. I KNOW THIS IS A PRIORITY THAT OUR PROFESSIONAL STAFF ALSO AGREES IS IMPORTANT. UH, AND I THINK THAT'S BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT MOST CITIES AND COUNTIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAVE A FIVE TO SIX [02:05:01] YEAR PLANNING PROCESS THAT COMPORTS PRETTY NEATLY TO A FIVE TO SIX YEAR BOND CYCLE. AND YET FOR ALMOST TWO DECADES WE'VE ASKED VOTERS FOR BONDS EVERY OTHER YEAR. AND I THINK THAT THAT APPROACH HAS PROBABLY HURT OUR ABILITY TO DELIVER PROJECTS. I THINK IT'S FATIGUED AND UNDERMINED CONFIDENCE WITH VOTERS AND IT MEANS THAT EVERY TWO YEARS THERE'S A PRETTY MESSY PROCESS IF IT COULD EVEN CALLED THAT WHERE ADVOCATES AND RESIDENTS ARGUE OVER WHICH PRIORITIES GET FUNDED AND WHEN WITH COUNCIL AND STAFF CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT PROCESS. AND SO I, I'D LIKE TO THINK THAT AN OMNIBUS BOND PROCESS WE BROADLY AGREE ON A BOND SCHEDULE WE FOLLOW, WOULD ADDRESS A LOT OF THOSE ISSUES. I'M ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT OUR BOND OPTIONS, ALL OF WHICH ARE FRAUGHT FOR DIFFERENT REASONS, RIGHT? THE BRIDGE OPTION THAT STAFF HAS PREPARED FOR US IS A, DEFINITELY A MORE ECONOMICAL APPROACH. UM, BUT I'M ALSO NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT CONFIDENT THAT EVERYTHING IN THERE MEETS THE LEGAL CRITERIA OF WHAT'S EITHER EMERGENCY OR AN UNFORESEEN SITUATION. UH, IT DOES REPRESENT STILL FOR ME THE SAFEST OPTION TO ADDRESS OUR MOST URGENT PARK ISSUES. YOU KNOW, THE BROKEN HVAC SYSTEMS, THE BUSTED ROOFS OF THINGS THAT COULD KEEP OUR CAR, OUR PARK FACILITIES LITERALLY INOPERABLE. UH, AND THAT'S BECAUSE FLOATING A BOND THAT COULD FAIL AS WE'VE BEEN TOLD BY STAFF, HAS SIGNIFICANT CONSEQUENCES. ALSO, IF VOTERS REJECT THAT SPENDING, WE CAN'T SPEND OUR OWN DOLLARS IN DEBT TO MAKE THOSE NEEDED REPAIRS FOR THREE YEARS. AND IN THIS MOMENT WHERE I THINK WE'D ALL AGREE THAT THERE ARE AT LEAST SOME PUBLIC TRUST ISSUES WHERE WE'VE GOT A BILLION DOLLARS OF UNSPENT BOND DOLLARS THAT WE'RE ONLY GONNA HIT THE 90% THRESHOLD AT SOME POINT NEXT YEAR WHEN WE SAW PROP Q FAILED THE SISU LAST YEAR. I THINK THAT'S A REAL RISK WE HAVE TO CONSIDER. WE'RE GONNA BE STUCK WITH THOSE BUSES, HVAC SYSTEMS AND ROOFS. UH, AND AND SO FAR UP UNTIL THIS MOST RECENT BOMB PROPOSAL, I'VE BEEN UNWILLING TO TAKE THAT RISK. WE HAD, AS Y'ALL KNOW, SOME OF US HAVE TALKED ABOUT, WE HAD OUR BUDGET TOWN HALL LAST NIGHT, AND ONE THING I MENTIONED TO RESIDENTS IS THAT THE DEBT PORTION OF THEIR PROPERTY TAX BILL IS ALREADY GROWING FASTER THAN IT EVER HAS. AND FOR ALL I KNOW IN THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF AUSTIN, IT'S GROWN NEARLY 30% IN JUST THE LAST TWO YEARS. AND THAT'S 'CAUSE OF WORK WE'RE ALREADY DOING RIGHT? TO INVEST IN OUR AIRPORT, OUR CONVENTION CENTER, A LOT OF AUSTIN WATER LOST ENERGY PROJECTS, CAP AND STITCH AND SO ON. SO ADDING THAT BURDEN IN THIS MOMENT WHERE PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING TO AFFORD TO LIVE HERE FOR ME IS A TOUGH CALL. I ALSO WANNA MENTION A COUPLE OF DATA POINTS FROM THE SURVEY THAT WE SHARED LAST NIGHT AT THE TOWN HALL AND KEEP IN MIND UNSCIENTIFIC SURVEY, BUT WE HAD LIKE TWICE AS MANY PEOPLE RESPOND TO IT AS WE DID LAST YEAR. ALMOST 700 RESPONSES. AND UH, OF THOSE I THINK LIKE 82% WERE FROM DISTRICT 10. WE SAW 80% OF PEOPLE SURVEY SUGGEST THAT THEY EITHER DIDN'T WANNA BOND RIGHT NOW OR WANTED TO SPEND THE MAJORITY OF OUR UNSPENT BOND DOLLARS BEFORE WE PASSED THE NEW BOND. UH, AND THE OTHER DATA POINT I THOUGHT WAS INTERESTING THAT WE'RE SHARING WITH Y'ALL IS THAT 60% OF PEOPLE SAID THAT IT DIDN'T MATTER THAT MUCH THAT WE SP SPREAD THE BOND DOLLARS EQUITABLY ACROSS THE CITY. AND SO I THINK FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE RECOGNIZE THAT SOME PROJECTS IN SOME PARTS OF TOWN HAVE A DEEPER NEED THAN OTHERS. SO BROADLY, THE THING I REALLY WANNA OFFER TO Y'ALL IS, UM, THAT I COULD, I COULD BE TALKING AND SUPPORTING A BOND PROPOSAL IF THERE ARE, IF WE CAN FIGURE OUT A WAY TO COLLECTIVELY AGREE TO THREE THINGS. ONE IS TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE GET BACK TO THAT SIX YEAR BOND CYCLE. AND I'M NOT SURE I'VE SEEN THAT PATHWAY YET, BUT SPECIFICALLY I THINK THERE'S A, A WAY THAT IF WE AGREED THAT THIS PARKS BOND WAS AN EIGHT YEAR BOND. UH, AND THAT MEANS WE'D HAVE A BOND ELECTION IN TWO YEARS FROM NOW IN 2028 WITH EVERYTHING BUT PARKS ON IT. THAT MEANS WE COULD GET ALIGNED IN 2034, UH, AND THAT WOULD MEAN, AGAIN, A BROAD AGREEMENT. THERE'S NO BOND ELECTION WE'RE GONNA SUPPORT IN 2030 AND 2032. SECOND, IS THERE BE A COMMITMENT THAT WE FOCUS ON THE ONLY, THE MOST URGENT ITEMS IN THIS PACKAGE. AND FRANKLY, I CAN'T SAY I SPENT ENOUGH TIME WITH WHAT'S BEEN ADDED TO THIS PACKAGE IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS TO BE ABLE TO VALIDATE THAT IF WE MOVE FORWARD. I THINK THERE JUST NEEDS TO BE BROAD CLARITY FROM EVERYBODY HERE, THAT WE PRIORITIZE MOST URGENT PARK PROJECTS ACROSS THE CITY. AND THAT ALSO MEANS, UH, AGAIN, JUST THE SORT OF DISCIPLINE COMMITMENT TO CONTINUE TO HOLD THE LINE ON THE SCOPE OF THIS BOND THAT ALTHOUGH WE'VE MOVED DIRECT, YOU KNOW, I THINK IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION SINCE WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT A 700 PLUS MILLION DOLLARS BOND AND THEN A $390 MILLION BOND, UH, SINCE THIS PARTICULAR PROPOSAL HAS BEEN ROLLED OUT, IT LOOKS LIKE THERE MAY STILL BE A TRAJECTORY TO ADD AND SPEND MORE RATHER THAN TIGHTEN OUR BELTS. SO THE PART OF THE COMMITMENT I'M ACTUALLY WORRIED ABOUT THE MOST [02:10:01] IS THAT FIRST ONE BECAUSE JUST, YOU KNOW, OUR CULTURE AND, AND INERTIA FROM THE LAST, YOU KNOW, ALMOST TWO DECADES SEEMS LIKE IT WOULD BE HARD TO RETURN TO A SIX YEAR BOND CYCLE. UH, TODAY WE'VE HEARD PEOPLE FROM ALL QUARTERS SPEAKING AND ASKING FOR A NUMBER OF REALLY IMPORTANT PRIORITIES, AND I'D LIKE TO REINFORCE THAT THE ADVOCACY HERE IS GOOD AND IT'S HELPFUL, AND I'VE BEEN AN ADVOCATE MYSELF. BUT WHAT ISN'T HELPFUL IS WHEN WE FEEL A PRESSURE SO INTENSE THAT WE START TO HAVE AD HOC BONDS EVERY TWO YEARS. I DON'T THINK THAT'S GONNA STOP UNLESS WE HAVE, UH, SOMEHOW INCREDIBLY STRONG PUBLIC COMMITMENT TO MAKE SYSTEMIC CHANGES FOR HOW WE APPROACH BONDS. AND THAT'S WHAT I'D LIKE TO CHALLENGE OURSELVES AND OUR STAFF TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN RESOLVE THAT BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD WITH PASSING A BOND. AND THERE'S ONE LAST THING, UH, THAT I'M GONNA ASK Y'ALL TO CONSIDER, WHICH IS, UH, YOU KNOW, AS I'VE TALKED ABOUT LAST WEEK, LAST TWO WEEKS, IN THE PROCESS OF ROLLING OUT A TWO AND A HALF PERCENT BUDGET PROPOSAL HAS 55 CUTS, ONE ENHANCEMENT. THAT PROPOSAL WOULD REDUCE THE TAX BURDEN ABOUT $50 A YEAR, WHICH COULD OFFSET A BOND THAT COST ALMOST THE SAME AMOUNT. SO UNDER, UNDER THAT CIRCUMSTANCE, I COULD SEE MYSELF SUPPORTING THE BOND AS WELL. THE DETAILS OF THAT PROPOSAL, UH, SHOULD BE OUT LATER TODAY IF POSSIBLE. OF COURSE, IT DEPENDS ON HOW LONG WE TAKE WITH THIS MEETING, SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING IT UP AND HAVING THAT DISCUSSION WHEN POSSIBLE. THANK Y'ALL. COUNCILMAN DUCHEN, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS. UM, WHAT, I MAY HAVE FILED THIS UP, BUT WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO IS MAKE SURE WE HAD QUESTIONS AND THEN GET A MOTION AND A SECOND AND THEN HAVE DISCUSSION AND PEOPLE COULD SPEAK. UM, SO WE CAN DO IT HOWEVER YOU WANT, BUT IF, IF YOU WANNA SPEAK NOW, THAT'S FINE AS WELL. BUT IF YOU, IF YOU WANNA SPEAK AFTER WE GET A MOTION IN A SECOND AND MAYBE EVEN GO TO THE, THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT, UM, AND GET, AND SEE WHERE THAT GOES, THEN WE CAN DO IT THAT WAY AS WELL. COUNCIL MEMBER LANE, I HAVE COMMENTS. UM, YOU WANNA SPEAK AS PART OF THE DISCUSSION OR DO YOU WANNA GO AHEAD NOW? I'LL GO NOW. ALL RIGHT. SO I, I FIRST WANT TO EXPRESS MY VERY HIGH STRONG GRATITUDE TO OUR CITY STAFF FOR THEIR COLLABORATION AND CONSIDERATION OF THE VERY REAL AND LONG STANDING NEEDS IN DISTRICT SIX, AND ALSO OF THE NEED TO BE VERY COGNIZANT OF WHAT WE ARE ABLE TO DELIVER IN A TIMELY FASHION, WHAT PROGRAM, WHAT NEEDS HAVE BEEN LONGSTANDING AND, AND REALLY NEED TO BE ADDRESSED. AND SO, LOOKING AT THIS BOTH CITYWIDE AND FROM DISTRICT SIX, I JUST AM VERY GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE WORK THAT HAS GONE INTO BRINGING THIS ADDITIONAL PROJECT LIST TO US. UM, I KNOW IT HASN'T BEEN EASY, IT ALSO HASN'T BEEN EASY FOR US, UM, BUT IT'S NOT ALWAYS EASY TO CONFRONT CHALLENGES AND EVERYONE HAS BEEN VERY GRACIOUS AS OF ADVOCATED FOR MY NEEDS, FOR MY DISTRICT NEEDS, AND WE'VE ALL ADVOCATED FOR OUR CITY'S NEEDS. UM, I WANNA THANK COUNCIL MEMBER VEO FOR HIS COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS AS IT RELATES TO TRANSPORTATION. I ALSO VERY MUCH VALUE THESE AREAS AND, AND I'M HAPPY TO HAVE THAT INFORMATION ELEVATED. UM, I WILL BE FOCUSING ON THE PARKS AND RECREATION LIBRARIES, UM, PROPOSAL THAT'S BEFORE US. SO, AS YOU'RE ALL AWARE, THE FIRST VERSION OF THE BOND PACKAGE ONLY ALLOCATED 1.7% OF THE DOLLARS TO DISTRICT SIX. AND I PUSHED BACK HARD. IT WAS A HARD NO BECAUSE WE LIVE WITH THE HISTORICAL UNDERINVESTMENT IN DISTRICT SIX EVERY DAY. BUT WITH THIS UPDATED PROPOSITION, UM, BREAKOUT, I AM VERY HAPPY TO BRING SOMETHING TO, TO BE IN FAVOR OF BRINGING SOMETHING TO DISTRICT SIX VOTERS SO THAT THEY CAN DECIDE ON, UM, VOTING YES OR NO ON THIS FUTURE IN WHICH TARGETED INVESTMENTS WILL IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE IN A MEANINGFUL WAY. IN DISTRICT SIX, I DON'T THINK WE'VE SEEN A BOND PACKAGE THAT WOULD DELIVER THIS SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE FAR NORTH AND NORTHWESTERN CORNER OF AUSTIN SINCE MOST OF THE AREA WAS ANNEXED. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT. UM, I'VE ALSO, UM, MADE IT QUITE CLEAR DURING MY TIME ON THE DIOCESE THAT I BELIEVE THAT WHAT DISTRICT SOAKS VOTERS WANT AS IT RELATES TO THE CITY ENDS AND WHAT MANY, MANY OF THE VOTERS IN THE CITY WANT AS A WHOLE IS CHANGE. THEY DO NOT WANT BUSINESS AS USUAL. THEY WANT TO SEE THAT WE ARE CHANGING HOW WE ARE DOING THINGS. DOES THAT MEAN THAT WE WILL ACTUALLY DELIVER IN A TIMELY FASHION? ABSOLUTELY. IT MEANS THAT, IT ALSO MEANS THAT WHEN THERE ARE PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN SO LONGSTANDING THAT, UM, TO GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF A FRONTAGE ROAD OF A MIDDLE SCHOOL, UM, THAT JUST GOT A CROSSWALK FROM THE ONE SIDEWALK TO BE ABLE TO CROSS THE VERY BUSY STREET TO THAT MIDDLE SCHOOL SAFELY THIS YEAR, IT'S BEEN NEEDED SINCE ANNEXATION, AND I APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH. WE HAVE SEEN SMALL CHANGE [02:15:01] ON THE GROUND IN DISTRICT SIX, AND WITH THIS PROPOSITION, I SEE MORE MEANINGFUL CHANGE THAT I NEED. I THINK MY VOTERS NEED THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE ON A BALLOT. SO I ALSO BELIEVE THAT IN THE COURSE OF ALL OF THESE VARIOUS PROPOSITIONS AND THE LEVEL OF REVIEW AND THE DISCUSSION, WE HAVE A VERY VETTED LIST OF PROJECTS HERE. AND SO, AND THE DOLLAR AMOUNT KEEPS GOING DOWN AND THE PROJECTS THAT ARE THERE, AS I SAID, I FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE WITH HOW VETTED THEY ARE AND HOW THE FOCUS THAT WE ARE PUTTING ON BEING ABLE TO DELIVER. UM, SO WITH THAT, I WANNA HIGHLIGHT JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT, THAT DO IMPACT MY DISTRICT AND THAT I AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT. UM, I'LL START WITH SAYING LIBRARIES SO IMPORTANT AND, UM, THE DISTRICT SIX HAS ONE LIBRARY AND THE 2023 AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY COMPREHENSIVE LIBRARY STRATEGIC AND FACILITIES PLAN SET OF THE SPICEWOOD SPRINGS BRANCH THAT IN 2022 IT HAD THE HIGHEST VISITOR ACCOUNT, HIGHEST CIRCULATION AND HIGHEST HOLD FULFILLMENT RATE OF ANY LIBRARY BRANCH IN THE, IN THE SYSTEM. IT ALSO BOASTED THE SECOND HIGHEST NUMBER OF WIFI SESSIONS AND WAS RANGE NUMBER SIX ON LIBRARY COMPUTER SESSIONS. STAFF REPORT THAT STORY TIMES ARE SO POPULAR THAT THE BRANCH HAS AT TIMES HAD TO ISSUE TICKETS DESPITE THE SPEED WITH WHICH PHYSICAL MATERIALS ARE CHECKED OUT OF THIS BRANCH. STAFF REPORT THAT ITEMS ARE RETURNED EVEN FASTER. THEY OFTEN FIND THEMSELVES WITH MORE ITEMS THAN WILL FIT ON THEIR SHELVES, RESULTING IN FREQUENT WEEDING AND APPEALS TO OTHER BRANCHES FOR SHELF SPACE. THE LONE COMMUNITY ROOM, THIS IS, THIS IS THE LONE COMMUNITY. THIS IS MY OBSERVATION RIGHT HERE. I WAS JUST READING DIRECTLY FROM THAT REPORT. MY OBSERVATION HERE, THE LONE COMMUNITY ROOM IN THIS LIBRARY IS IN USE FOR STAFF PROGRAMMING DURING MOST OF THE BRANCHES HOURS OF OPERATIONS. UM, AND IT'S NEEDED PROGRAMMING THAT THE LIBRARY DOESN'T HAVE OTHER SPACE AVAILABLE TO HANDLE. GOING BACK TO TELLING YOU EXACTLY WHAT'S IN THIS REPORT. STAFF ALSO REPORT THAT THE BRANCH STRUGGLES TO PROVIDE ENOUGH SEATING TO MEET DEMAND, INCLUDING SPACE FOR CUSTOMERS TO STUDY AND COLLABORATE TOGETHER IN PLACES TO READ AND WORK QUIETLY. STAFF SURVEY RESPONDENTS ALSO MENTIONED A DESIRE TO HAVE MORE PROGRAMMABLE AND USABLE OUTDOOR SPACE. THE FINAL RECOMMENDATION IS THAT THIS LIBRARY SHOULD BE REPLACED AT THE SIZE OF AT LEAST 30,000 SQUARE FEET IN ORDER TO MEET CURRENT NEEDS AND PREPARE FOR RAPID COMMUNITY GROWTH IN NORTHWEST AUSTIN WILLIAMSON COUNTY. PART OF AUSTIN HAS BEEN EXTREMELY HIGH GROWING. UM, AND YET, AND THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE HISTORICAL UNDER INVESTMENT, YET SPICEWOOD SPRINGS LIBRARY IS NOT IN THE LIBRARY LONG RANGE PLAN FOR EXPANSION, REPLACEMENT OR SUPPLEMENTATION. I'M OKAY WITH THAT. I DON'T NEED TO SEE OUR LIBRARY AND THIS LIST OF PROGRAMS. BUT THE REASON THAT I AM OKAY WITH IT IS GOES BACK TO THIS ISSUE OF HAVE WE HAD A THOROUGH VETTING OF WHAT WE ARE BRINGING TO THE TABLE AND WE CONSISTENTLY HAVE A CALL FOR COMMUNITY CONVENING SPACES AND MANY OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT ARE OFTEN HANDLED THROUGH A LIBRARY, BUT WE DON'T, WE DON'T HAVE . LET'S SEE, , WHAT, WHAT WE FIND IN THIS PROPOSAL THAT'S NEW IS, AND I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS, THE INITIATION OF A RECREATION CENTER IN DISTRICT SIX. UM, THE LACK OF CONVENING SPACES IS SOMETHING THAT I HEAR ABOUT FROM CONSTITUENTS FREQUENTLY. AS RECENTLY AS AN EMAIL RECEIVED YESTERDAY, WHILE WE DO HAVE THE PICK FAIR COMMUNITY CENTER, IT IS LESS THAN 2,500 SQUARE FEET. IT HOUSES ONE MICRO GYM AND A SECOND ROOM, WHICH IS NOT ENOUGH SPACE TO OFFER A EVEN A SINGLE SENIOR ACTIVITY AROUND. WE CANNOT HOST SENIOR LUNCHES. THERE IS NO KITCHEN. THE SPACE IS NOT BIG ENOUGH TO HOST A PUBLIC MEETING LIKE A BUDGET TOWN HALL, AND THE ONLY OTHER CITY ON FACILITY IS THAT ONE ROOM IN THE LIBRARY. AND SO LIBRARIES ARE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT AND OUR CITY RELIES ON THEM FOR SO MANY THINGS. I'M OKAY WITHOUT HAVING THE LIBRARY IN HERE. EVEN IF WE DO GO TO AN EIGHT YEAR CYCLE TILL WE'LL HEAR THE NEXT, BECAUSE THE NEED TO FOR SPACE TO BRING OUR COMMUNITY TOGETHER AND FOR OUR CITY GOVERNMENT TO BE ABLE TO INTERACT WITH OUR COMMUNITY IS SO STRONG. AND THIS, THIS ALLOCATION WILL HELP US MOVE IN THAT DIRECTION AND TAKE SOME OF THE PRESSURE OFF OF THIS LIBRARY. SO BRAVO FOR BRINGING THAT IN. I'M ALSO SO GRATEFUL TO SEE ST. EDWARDS GREENBELT AND PARK IN THIS BOND. THE ORIGINAL TRAIL HAD PARKED TO ACCESS BULL CREEK FROM OLD SPICEWOOD SPRINGS ROAD HAS DETERIORATED VERY BADLY. SHATTERED CAR WINDOWS ARE ALL OVER THE PARKING LOT. UM, THE PARKING LOT ITSELF HAS BEEN SHOCKINGLY NEGLECTED AND THERE ISN'T EVEN A COVERED TRASH CAN ALONG THE STRETCH OF THREE MILES IN EACH DIRECTION OF MOSTLY WILDLANDS. NOT A SINGLE PUBLIC TRASH CAN, NOT A SINGLE PUBLIC BATHROOM. UM, [02:20:01] THIS AREA, WHAT HAS BEEN IN USE AS A FOR RECREATION AND A NATURAL BEAUTY AND GEM IN OUR CITY FOR OVER A HUNDRED YEARS. AND SO SEEING THE INVESTMENT NEEDED TO BRING IT UP TO EQUALITY THAT IS AT ALL COMMENSURATE WITH THE OTHER LIVE, OTHER PARTS THAT WE SEE IS, IS JUST VERY MUCH, UM, VERY MUCH APPRECIATED. I AM GOING TO WRAP UP, NEVER FEAR . UM, UM, ALSO VERY HAPPY TO SEE THE CITY BRINGING SOME FUNDING TO THE TABLE. UM, AS IT RELATES TO SPRINGWOOD PARK, UM, IT IS GREAT IN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF WILLIAMSON COUNTY REPRESENTATIVE BUSEY WHO SECURED US A MILLION DOLLARS TO HAVE THE CITY BRINGING MONEY FOR THIS BUSY, BUSY CITY PARK. UM, THANK YOU ALL. I WILL SAY JUST AS UNEQUIVOCALLY AS I PREVIOUSLY SAID THAT I WAS A HARD, NO, I WILL SAY UNEQUIVOCALLY THAT THIS PROPOSAL WITH ITS VETTING AND WITH ITS RECOGNITION OF VERY SIGNIFICANT NEEDS THAT NEED INVESTMENT, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT I COULD VOTE NO ON THIS BECAUSE MY DISTRICT NEEDS TO SEE THAT THIS CITY IS BRINGING CHANGE AND THEY NEED TO FEEL IT AND SEE IT NOW. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND THAT, THAT WILL BE MY SOLE COMMENT. THANKS FOR LETTING ME GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER. COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER, I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS. ONE IS THE, THE MORATORIUM QUESTION. IF A PROPOSITION FAILS, COUNCILOR UCHIN MENTIONED THREE YEARS. I WASN'T SURE IF IT WAS THREE YEARS OR TWO YEARS. I, HE VERY WELL MIGHT BE RIGHT. I JUST WANNA CLARIFY. IT IS, UH, THE MORE TIME IS FOR, UM, IF A BOND PROPOSITION FAILS, YOU CANNOT UTILIZE NON APPROVED ACT AND THE THREE YEARS FOLLOW. WE ALSO HAVE OUTSIDE COUNSEL. OKAY, VERY GOOD. I I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY. THERE WAS THREE, NOT TWO. OKAY. UH, MY SECOND QUESTION IS THE, THE TIMING OF HOW OUR, OUR REIMBURSEMENT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WILL SOMETIMES EITHER USE COMMERCIAL PAPER OR OTHER CASH FUNDING AND THEN GO TO REIMBURSEMENT. SO IF WE ASSUME THAT THE BOND PASSES IN NOVEMBER OF THIS YEAR, WHEN WILL BE THE FIRST YEAR IN WHICH UTILIZATION OF THE BOND WILL ACTUALLY HIT PROPERTY TAX PAYERS? LET ME, I'M, I'M LIVING IN BASICALLY THREE DIFFERENT FISCAL YEARS RIGHT NOW. GIMME A SECOND. . UM, IT WOULD BE FISCAL YEAR 28 WHEN IT, YOU WOULD SEE THE IMPACT BECAUSE, UH, WITH THE, UM, IF, IF IT GOES TO THE VOTERS, IF THE, THE PROPOSITION ARE APPROVED, THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT STEPS THAT HAVE TO OCCUR BEFORE THEM. BY THE TIME WE ACTUALLY APPROPRIATE THE DOLLARS, IT WOULD BE AROUND JANUARY OF 27 SPENDING COULD IMMEDIATELY BEGIN. WE WOULD THEN INCORPORATE ANY ANTICIPATED SPENDING THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THAT FISCAL YEAR AS PART OF THE BOND SALE, THE GEO BOND SALE THAT WOULD TAKE PLACE IN AUGUST, SEPTEMBER TIMEFRAME. SO THEN THOSE DEBT SERVICE REQUIREMENTS WOULD BE PART OF THE FY 28 PROPOSED BUDGET. OKAY. SO THE, THE FIRST AMOUNT THAT WILL SHOW UP TO A TAXPAYER WILL BE NEXT FISCAL YEAR FOR WHATEVER WE SPEND JANUARY THROUGH JULY, AUGUST-ISH. CORRECT. OKAY. AND THEN ON THE MORATORIUM QUESTION, WE CAN'T USE NON-VOTER APPROVED DEBT. IS THERE ANY LIMITATION IN GOING BACK TO THE VOTERS FOR THE SAME THING WITHIN THAT THREE YEAR PERIOD? RIGHT NOW, THERE IS NOT, UH, THERE WAS A BILL INTRODUCED LAST SESSION TO ADD THAT INTO THE MIX, BUT IT DID NOT MOVE FORWARD, SO. OKAY. THANK THAT'S IT. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER. UM, I'VE GOT A COUPLE QUESTIONS BASED UPON THESE AND THEN WE'LL GO TO A MOTION. UM, BUT THERE'S BEEN SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT WE PASSED THIS TODAY AND THEN ON OTHER ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN, SOME PEOPLE HAVE TALKED ABOUT WE MIGHT ISSUE COS UH, BUT THAT IMPACTS COS IMPACT OUR DEBT CAPACITY JUST AS THE, THESE BONDS, IF THEY PASS, IMPACT OUR DEBT CAPACITY. THAT IS CORRECT. WHETHER IT'S VOTER APPROVED, PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT BONDS OR NON VOTER APPROVED CERTIFICATES OBLIGATION, IT STILL IMPACTS THE DEBT SERVICE PORTION OF OUR TAX RATE. AND THAT MEANS IT WOULD ALSO ADD TO, UH, THE, THE PROPERTY TAX BILL ON THE DEBT PORTION OF THE PROPERTY TAX BILL. CORRECT. UH, IT WOULD ALSO HAVE THE SAME IMPACT AS THE COS WOULD'VE THE SAME IMPACT AS IF THIS PASSES ON THE CAPACITY WE WOULD HAVE IN 2028 IF WE WANT TO HAVE ANOTHER BOND ELECTION. CORRECT. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. [02:25:01] UM, MEMBERS WITH THAT I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO GO FORWARD WITH THE PROPOSAL AND I'LL RECOGNIZE COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL, UH, DO YOU WANNA MAKE THE MOTION OR YOU WANT, DID I DO IT SATISFACTORILY? THAT'S FINE, THANK YOU, MAYOR. YEAH. THE, THE, THE MOTION IS THE PROJECTS EXPLAINED IN THE VERSION TWO ATTACHED TO BACKUP. THAT'S RIGHT FROM ADVANCE TO THURSDAY'S MEETING TO CALL AN ELECTION. THANK YOU. AND, AND IT'S SECONDED BY THE MAYOR PRO TEM. UH, WE'LL NOW GO TO, UH, I'M GONNA RECOGNIZE COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON. UH, WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND ON THE TABLE. COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON HAS A PROPOSED AMENDMENT THAT SHE POSTED ON THE MESSAGE BOARD AND IT HAS BEEN PASSED OUT TO EVERYONE. IT IS LABELED COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, AUGUST 4TH, 2026, COUNCIL MEETING. ITEM 2 20 26 BOND ELECTION. AND SHE MOVES. IT IS GONNA BE A MOTION TO, TO AMEND THE REVISED BACKUP VERSION ONE, PAGE TWO, AND I'LL RECOGNIZE COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON. THANK YOU MR. MAYOR. I APPRECIATE IT. UM, UH, ACTUALLY, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS, UH, DID A REALLY GREAT JOB OF PREFACING MY AMENDMENT ALREADY. UM, YOU GUYS HAVE HEARD US TALK ABOUT COLONY PARK OVER THE YEARS, THE, THE BEAUTY AND THE BRILLIANCE AND THE LACK AND, AND, UH, FRANKLY, UH, DISINVESTMENT IN THE COMMUNITY. AND SO AS WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING THE IMPORTANCE OF LIBRARIES IN OUR COMMUNITIES TODAY, I'D LIKE TO AMEND, UH, I'D LIKE TO MAKE THE FOLLOWING AMENDMENT. UM, SO THE LANGUAGE IS FUNDING THE DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION RENOVATION AND EXPANSION OF THE EXISTING HAMPTON OAK BRANCH, UM, LIBRARY WITH THE ADDITION OF AND COLONY PARK BRANCH LIBRARY. UM, I'M SORRY, IT'S SECOND. THE MOTION TO AMEND. THIS ITEM IS MADE BY COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, THE SECOND BY COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS. COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU MR. MAYOR. UH, COLLEAGUES, I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION OF THE MOTION TODAY. I WON'T BELABOR THE DISCUSSION. YOU GUYS HAVE HEARD ME TALK ABOUT COLONY PARK FOR 7.3 QUARTER YEARS, UM, AND WE BEGAN THIS WHOLE DISCUSSION ABOUT BONDS, YOU KNOW, WITH A UNIVERSE OF POTENTIAL PROJECTS AND A LARGE NUMBER. AND, UH, THROUGH THE DILIGENT SERVICE AND EFFORT OF OUR STAFF AND, YOU KNOW, OUR STAFFS, UM, WE HAVE WHITTLED AWAY AT THOSE NUMBERS AND GOTTEN TO VIRTUALLY UNDER 300 MILLION TO COUNCIL MEMBER UCHIN POINT. IT LOOKS LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE MAY CREEP OVER AT SOME POINT, BUT RIGHT NOW I'M LOOKING AT A PROPOSAL THAT I CAN BE SUPPORTIVE OF. I, I'D JUST LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT FOR FAR TOO LONG, COLONY PARK AND FAR EAST AUSTIN COMMUNITIES HAVE LACKED REAL ESSENTIAL PUBLIC ASSETS. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE ENTER THESE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF BONDS, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK TO MY MOM ABOUT BONDS THE OTHER DAY. SHE SAYS, UM, WHAT IS IT EXACTLY? UM, AND I JUST GAVE HER A REAL WORLD, REAL WORLD EXAMPLE. I SAID, MOM, YOU KNOW, 19TH STREET, BAPTIST STREET BAPTIST CHURCHES RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM PECAN SPRINGS ELEMENTARY. I WAS ABLE TO SAY, DO YOU REMEMBER THAT BIG BOARD THAT WAS AT PECAN SPRINGS ELEMENTARY THAT SAID, BOND DOLLARS BEING EXPENDED COMING SOON. YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY MOVED THE KIDS OVER TO THE PORTABLES, SHE SAID, YEAH, I GET IT. YOU KNOW, UM, BUT I WAS WATCHING THE NEWS. FIRST OF ALL, DON'T WATCH THE NEWS. UM, , JUST ASK ME, MOM. BUT ALSO, UM, I THINK FAR TOO OFTEN, MY MOM'S A VOTER. I THINK FAR TOO OFTEN WE FIND OURSELVES, UM, IN A POSITION WHERE THE CONVERSATION WE'RE HAVING AND WHAT OUR CONSTITUENTS ARE HEARING ARE INCONGRUENT. UH, I WOULD ENCOURAGE US AS AN ENTITY, THE CITY, TO JUST BE MORE DILIGENT ABOUT MAKING CERTAIN THAT EVERYBODY'S ENGAGED IN THE SAME CONVERSATION. IT DOESN'T DO US ANY GOOD IF WE'RE SPEAKING FRENCH AND THEY'RE SPEAKING RUSSIAN. SO I, I ENCOURAGE US MOVING FORWARD AS WE HAVE THESE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT BONDS, BECAUSE THEY ARE SO DEEPLY ROOTED IN A COMMUNITY'S ABILITY TO FUND ITSELF AND A COMMUNITY'S, UH, ABILITY TO INVEST IN ITSELF. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES THAT'S THE ONLY WAY, THAT'S THE ONLY PATH FORWARD. A SINGLE MUNICIPALITY CAN NEVER PROVIDE ALL NEEDS, ALL ASSETS, AND ALL AMENITIES FOR COMMUNITIES EVER. IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN. UM, WE HAVE TO INVEST IN OURSELVES. AND SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY MOVING FORWARD TO SUPPORT THIS AMENDMENT, AND I HOPE MY COLLEAGUES WILL JOIN ME. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. THANK YOU MEMBERS. THE VOTE IS ON THE MOTION TO AMEND THE MAIN MOTION, WHICH IS, IS RELATED TO THE HAVING A, A SENDING FORWARD TO FOR THURSDAY, A PROPOSED BOND PROPOSITION. THE MOTION TO AMEND MADE BY HARPER MADISON, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON HAS BEEN MADE AND SECONDED. YOU'RE SPEAKING ON THE MOTION? YES, THE MOTION TO AMEND. OKAY. COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I KNOW THAT I SPOKE TO THIS EARLIER, BUT JUST REALLY APPRECIATE COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON'S LEADERSHIP ON THIS. AND I THINK THAT COLONY PARK IN AND OF ITSELF HAS BEEN A REALLY PRIME EXAMPLE OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE CITY AND THE NEIGHBORS AND THE ADVOCATES WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE SOMETHING REALLY BIG AND VISIONARY. [02:30:01] SO I'M REALLY HAPPY THAT THESE LIBRARIES WILL GET TO BE DISCUSSED TOGETHER AND, UM, THAT IT WILL INCLUDE AN EXTRA 15 MILLION FOR THE LIBRARY'S BUCKET, BRINGING IT TO 35 MILLION. I THINK A LOT OF GOOD CAN COME FROM THIS. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER. ALL RIGHT. MEMBERS THAT WILL TAKE US, UH, TO A VOTE ON THE MOTION TO AMEND. UM, IS THERE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THE MOTION TO AMEND TO AMEND HEARING NONE? UH, THE MOTION TO AMEND THE MAIN MOTION IS, UH, WITHOUT OBJECTION IS ADOPTED UNLESS SOMEBODY WISHES TO BE SHOWN AS VOTING. NO. COUNCIL MEMBER UCHIN. I'LL VOTE NO ON THIS. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. COUNCIL MEMBER UCHIN WILL BE SHOWN VOTING NO ON THE MOTION TO AMEND THAT WILL NOW TAKE US BACK TO THE MAIN MOTION AND COUNCIL MEMBER VELASQUEZ, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED TO SPEAK ON THE MAIN MOTION AS AMENDED. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. I JUST WANTED TO START BY SAYING THAT I ABSOLUTELY LOVE OUR PARKS. THEY'RE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKE AUSTIN SPECIAL AND I STRONGLY SUPPORT INVESTING IN THEM. IN DISTRICT THREE, WE'RE PROUD TO HAVE, UH, TO BE HOME TO SOME OF THE MOST ICONIC PARKS. ROY G. GUERRERO, CHICANO PARK, OSA, PAN AM, MABEL DAVIS AND THE BLUNT CREEK NATURE PRESERVE. THESE SPACES MATTER. THEY BUILD COMMUNITY, PRESERVE CULTURE, AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE. BUT LEADERSHIP IS ALSO ABOUT, ABOUT RECOGNIZING THE MOMENT WE'RE IN. HAVING ANOTHER 10 OR $20 EXPENSE MAY NOT MEAN MUCH TO SOME, BUT FOR OTHERS IT MEANS PUTTING SOMETHING BACK ON THE SHELF AT THE GROCERY STORE. IT MEANS DELAYING A PRESCRIPTION AND HOPING THAT THE CAR DOESN'T NEED REPAIRS. I GREW UP IN THAT STRUGGLE, AND I KNOW THE FEAR AND TRAUMA THAT FINANCIAL UNCERTAINTY CREATES, AND THAT RINGS ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR OUR SENIORS THAT ARE ON FIXED INCOMES. THIS IS ABOUT MORE THAN JUST FINANCIAL METRICS. PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING. IT'S ABOUT RECOGNIZING THAT OUR RESIDENTS ARE ALREADY CARRYING ENOUGH. IT'S ABOUT WEIGHING THE COST VERSUS THE BENEFITS. AND I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO ASK VOTERS FOR MORE WHILE WE'RE FIGHTING TOOTH AND NAIL WITHIN OUR CURRENT BUDGET TO PRESERVE SOCIAL SERVICES, THE SAME SOCIAL SERVICES THAT THESE FAMILIES RELY ON EVERY DAY. THAT'S WHY I SUPPORT DELAYING A BOND ELECTION UNTIL 2028. THIS HAS BEEN A VERY AND EXTREMELY DIFFICULT DECISION FOR ME BECAUSE AS A BORN AND RAISED EAST AUSTINITE, I HAVE LIVED AUSTIN'S TRADITION OF DISINVESTMENT IN THE NEEDS OF THE EASTERN CRESCENT. BUT FOR ME, THIS IS ABOUT, THIS IS THE RESPONSIBLE PATH FORWARD. I LOOK TO CONTINUING WORK WITH THE CONTINU, TO WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY, AND WITH MY COLLEAGUES ON A POTENTIAL 2028 BOND, WE CAN CONTINUE INVESTING IN AUSTIN'S FUTURE WHILE RECOGNIZING THAT NOT EVERYONE CAN AS EASILY ABSORB THE IMPACT OF THE DECISIONS WE MAKE. THAT'S THE BALANCE I BELIEVE OUR RESIDENTS EXPECT FROM US, AND THAT'S THE, UH, RESPONSIBILITY I INTEND TO UPHOLD. AND I WILL BE, I WILL NOT BE SUPPORTING. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER. COUNCILMAN ELLIS, DID YOU WISH TO SPEAK AGAIN? OKAY. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED. THANKS, MAYOR. I'LL JUST MOTIVATE THE MOTION HERE. UM, I, FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA THANK AGAIN A CM ROGERS DIRECTOR, CASTANEDA, AND ALL YOUR TEAMS FOR ALL OF YOUR, YOUR WORK ON THIS AND ALSO YOUR FLEXIBILITY, RESPONDING TO ALL THE DIFFERENT COUNCIL DIRECTIONS. AND I THINK THIS PROPOSAL IS LASER FOCUSED ON SOME OF THE GREATEST AREAS OF NEED FOR OUR CAPITAL PROGRAMS. THE MAIN PROPOSAL HERE IS TO FUND PARKS IMPROVEMENTS, WHICH IS ESSENTIAL FOR A CITY OF OUR SIZE THAT HAS GROWN SO MUCH IN RECENT YEARS AND HASN'T SEEN A PARKS BOND PROGRAM SINCE 2018. THE PACKAGE IN FRONT OF US HAS BEEN UPDATED TO ENSURE FAIRNESS ACROSS COUNCIL DISTRICTS, AND THAT WAS NECESSARY BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL PROPOSAL WAS A COMPREHENSIVE BOND MEASURE THAT INCLUDED MANY DIFFERENT PROGRAMMATIC ELEMENTS. UH, WE'RE EMPHASIZING MAJOR INVESTMENTS IN CITY PARKS AND RECREATION BUILDINGS, INCLUDING, FOR EXAMPLE, THE GUS GARCIA SENIOR CENTER IN DISTRICT FOUR, WHICH WOULD FUND A SENIOR WING EDITION. THAT WOULD BE A PLACE WHERE SENIORS COULD MAKE USE OF EDUCATIONAL ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS. UH, FOLKS, WE, WE'VE HEARD FROM DOZENS AND DOZEN PEOPLE WHO USE GUS GARCIA, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE A DEDICATED SPACE THERE. AND THIS WOULD CREATE A PERMANENT DEDICATED SPACE FOR SENIORS FROM NORTH AND AND EAST AUSTIN, AND IT'LL BE TRANSFORMATIONAL FOR THESE COMMUNITIES. WE'RE ALSO PRIORITIZING INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS FOR PLAY, SCAPES, TRAILS, ATHLETIC FIELDS AND FACILITIES, INCLUDING THE ONION CREEK ALL ABILITIES PLAYGROUND, WHICH IS AN AMAZING, INNOVATIVE AND TRANSFORMATIONAL RECREATIONAL SPACE. WE'VE GOT MAJOR PARKLAND IMPROVEMENTS, INCLUDING THE WALTER E. LONG METRO PARK AND ESSENTIAL INVESTMENTS IN RENOVATING AND REPLACING CITY POOLS, INCLUDING GARRISON MUNICIPAL POOL, BIG STACEY NEIGHBORHOOD POOL, WALNUT CREEK MUNICIPAL POOL, AND CTON NEIGHBORHOOD POOL. WE ALL KNOW HOW BELOVED AUSTIN'S POOLS ARE FOR THIS COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY IN THESE HOT, HOT SUMMERS. AND THIS INVESTMENT MAKES SURE WE HAVE ACCESS TO WATER RECREATION FOR YEARS TO COME. AND FINALLY, THE BOND DOES FUND NEW PARK ACQUISITION, WHICH IS NEEDED IN THE RECENTLY ADDED AREAS OF THE CITY AND ALSO IN SOME OF OUR RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS THAT DON'T MEET THE GOAL OF HAVING A PARK WITHIN A 10 MINUTE WALK. [02:35:01] THIS BOND PROPOSAL IS SMALL ENOUGH THAT IT DOESN'T REQUIRE A MAJOR BURDEN ON TAXPAYERS. IT'S FAR LESS THAN THE AMOUNT OF DEBT WE RETIRE EACH YEAR, AND THE PROGRAM IS BALANCED ACROSS THE CITY, AND THAT'S THANKS TO EVERYONE HERE WHO ADVOCATED FOR YOUR CONSTITUENTS. AND AS TO THE AFFORDABILITY REQUIREMENT OR THE AFFORDABILITY ARGUMENT, CITY PARKS AND RECREATIONAL FACILITIES OFFER SOME OF THE BEST OPPORTUNITIES FOR HEALTHY ACTIVITY AT NO COST OR VERY LOW COST. HAVING MORE POOL ACCESS AND SUMMERS IS GOOD FOR COST BURDEN RESIDENTS, SO IS HAVING MORE PARKS, MORE PLAY STRUCTURES, MORE URBAN TRAILS, BETTER SENIOR CENTERS, AND FOR LIBRARIES TOO THAT SHOULD SPEAK FOR ITSELF. THESE ARE CENTERS OF LEARNING PLACES FOR COMMUNITY GATHERING, AND YES, ALSO A PUBLIC PROGRAM THAT IS AVAILABLE TO ALL REGARDLESS OF WEALTH. MY WIFE STILL TELLS ME STORIES ABOUT HOW EVERY SUMMER HER PARENTS JUST TOLD HER GO TO THE LIBRARY AS THEIR SUMMER CAMP, AND I KNOW SHE WAS NOT ALONE IN THAT EXPERIENCE. PARKS AND LIBRARIES ARE GOOD FOR ALL OF US, AND SO I HOPE THAT WE WILL PLACE THIS PROPOSED PARKS AND LIBRARY BOND MEASURES ON THE BALLOT, UH, IN NOVEMBER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER. UM, I'M GOING TO, I DON'T HAVE ANYBODY ELSE, SO I'M GONNA SPEAK AND THEN I'LL RECOGNIZE THE SOMEBODY. HAVE YOU PUNCHED YOUR BUTTON? NOPE, NOT YET. OKAY, THEN I'LL RECOGNIZE YOU. COUNCILMAN FUENTES. I JUST WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT TO APPRECIATE THE LEADERSHIP FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS. I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR, YOUR FIERCE ADVOCACY FOR YOUR DISTRICT, AND YOU'VE BEEN LONG TIME CHAMPION CHAMPIONING EQUITABLE INVESTMENT FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN IN ALL PARTS OF OUR CITY. SO I'M PARTICULARLY PLEASED TO SEE THE HAMPTON LIBRARY, UM, BEFORE US TODAY. AND I KNOW THAT IS DUE IN LARGE PART TO YOUR HARD WORK, UM, WITH YOUR COMMUNITY. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON IT. AND ALSO JUST EQUALLY EXCITED FOR COLONY PARK TO SEE THAT LIBRARY EDITION, UM, AND PUBLIC HEALTH FACILITY. A MAYOR, YOU ASKED EARLIER IF WE'VE EVER HAD A PROPOSITION THAT WAS A SINGULAR BUILDING. UM, WE DID HAVE ONE IN 2018 THAT WAS A DOVE SPRINGS PUBLIC HEALTH FACILITY, AND THAT HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLE ADDITION FOR MY COMMUNITY. IT HAS A CHILDCARE FACILITY THAT ALREADY HAS, UH, A WAIT LIST FOR IT. SO JUST WANNA RECOGNIZE THE POTENTIAL WE HAVE HERE BEFORE US. AND I KNOW THESE TWO PROPOSALS, UM, COME IN LARGE PART FROM BOTH OF Y'ALL'S LEADERSHIP. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES, UH, I DON'T HAVE ANYBODY ELSE SIGNED UP. SO WHAT I'LL DO IS I'LL SPEAK AND THEN I'LL RECOGNIZE THE MAYOR PRO. TIM IS THE MAKER OF THE SECOND ON THAT MOTION TO CLOSE BEFORE WE TAKE A VOTE. UM, I, HOW, HOW WE REACH OUR GOALS MATTER, AND THAT'S TRUE EVEN WHEN THE END RESULT, THE GOAL HAS MERIT. AND OVER THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS, HANG ON, I SET A TIME ON Y'ALL. I MIGHT AS WELL SET A TIME ON ME, HUH UH, ALTHOUGH I CAN'T IMAGINE I'M GONNA MAKE IT, BUT WE'LL SEE. . UH, OVER THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS, I'VE WORKED WITH COUNCIL SUPPORT TO STRENGTHEN THE PUBLIC'S TRUST IN HOW THIS GOVERNMENT MAKES ITS FINANCIAL DECISIONS. WE CREATED A BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE. RATHER THAN RUSHING TO AN ELECTION, WE ADOPTED STRONGER FINANCIAL POLICIES FOR OUR OFFICES. WE STRENGTHENED OUR FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK AND ADOPTED A DECISION TREE TO DISCIPLINE OUR DECISION MAKING. WE EXPANDED OVERSIGHT OF NONPROFIT CONTRACTS AND PROCUREMENT. AND JUST LAST WEEK, WE APPROVED THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE INDEPENDENT EFFICIENCY ASSESSMENT IN OUR CITY'S HISTORY. THOSE AREN'T ISOLATED ACTIONS. THEY ARE ALL PART OF THE SAME COMMITMENT. TRUST ISN'T CREATED BY PROMISES. IT'S CREATED BY DISCIPLINE. IT'S CREATED BY RESPONSIBILITY, FAILED DISCIPLINE, AND FAILURE TO RESPONSIBLY FOLLOW POLICY. FINANCIAL POLICY IS WHY WE ARE TODAY IN THIS DIFFICULT POSITION. THERE'S TALK OF PEOPLE WANTING CHANGE. ONE OF THE THINGS I BELIEVE THE PEOPLE WANT TO SEE CHANGED IS HOW THIS GOVERNMENT PROVIDES DISCIPLINE WHEN IT COMES TO FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. I'VE SAID FROM THE BEGINNING THAT THIS DISCUSSION HAS NEVER BEEN ABOUT WHETHER AUSTIN NEEDS MORE PARKS. IT DOES. IT HAS NEVER BEEN ABOUT WHETHER OUR CULTURAL CENTERS OR LIBRARIES MATTER BECAUSE THEY DO. IT HAS NEVER BEEN ABOUT WHETHER THERE ARE WORTHY PROJECTS WAITING FOR INVESTMENT. THERE ARE, THE QUESTION HAS ALWAYS BEEN SOMETHING DIFFERENT. CAN WE ASK TAXPAYERS TO APPROVE NEW DEBT BEFORE WE'VE HONORED THE FINANCIAL POLICIES WE ADOPTED TO PROTECT THEM? CAN WE ABANDON THE VERY PROCESS WE CREATED BECAUSE THE ANSWER IT PRODUCED ISN'T THE ONE SOME HOPED FOR. IS THIS THE RIGHT [02:40:01] TIME TO INCREASE COSTS TO OUR CONSTITUENTS? I DON'T BELIEVE IT IS THAT TIME TO NEGATIVELY IMPACT AFFORDABILITY OR THAT WE SHOULD ABANDON A PROCESS CREATED TO INCREASE TRUST. WE DIDN'T CREATE THE BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE TO RATIFY A PREDETERMINED OUTCOME. WE CREATED IT TO INFORM ONE. WE DIDN'T ADOPT FINANCIAL POLICIES BECAUSE THEY WOULD ALWAYS BE EASY TO FOLLOW. WE ADOPTED THEM BECAUSE THERE WOULD INEVITABLY BE MOMENTS WHEN FOLLOWING THEM WOULD BE POLITICALLY DIFFICULT. THAT'S WHEN POLICIES MATTER MOST. ANOTHER PROCESS SAFEGUARD FOR ASSURING THAT WE HAVE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY INCLUDES FOLLOWING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF OUR PROFESSIONAL STAFF. LATELY, THE CONVERSATION HAS SHIFTED. INSTEAD OF ASKING WHAT THE PROCESS PRODUCED, WE'VE BEGUN ASKING WHAT PROJECTS CAN BE ADDED TO ASSEMBLE ENOUGH VOTES ON COUNCIL. INSTEAD OF LISTENING TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE PROFESSIONAL STAFF ABOUT THE BEST FINANCIAL APPROACHES, WE'VE STARTED ASKING STAFF TO CREATE WAYS TO SATISFY SPECIFIC DISTRICTS. INSTEAD OF EVALUATING PROPOSALS THROUGH ESTABLISHED CRITERIA, WE'RE HEARING NEW ARGUMENTS APPEAR ABOUT AFTER THE PROCESS HAS LARGELY CONCLUDED. THAT'S NOT THE PROCESS WE ESTABLISHED AND IT SHOULDN'T BECOME THE WAY AUSTIN MAKES MAJOR FINANCIAL DECISIONS. SOME DESCRIBE THESE LATEST ADDITIONS AS EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE EQUITY. EQUITY IS OF COURSE, AN IMPORTANT VALUE, BUT EQUITY ISN'T CREATED SIMPLY BY SAYING THE WORD, AND IT'S NOT CREATED BY SINGLING OUT DISTRICTS. FOR EARMARKS. EQUITY REQUIRES TRANSPARENT CRITERIA AND NOT JUST GEOGRAPHIC CRITERIA. IT INCLUDES THE TYPES OF PROJECTS THAT PEOPLE WANT OR NEED. THINGS LIKE WE'VE HEARD ABOUT MESA CARTE, THE CARVER MUSEUM AND OTHERS. EQUITY REQUIRES TRANSPARENT CRITERIA AND EQUITY REQUIRES CONSISTENT APPLICATION, A PROCESS THAT CAN BE EXPLAINED AND DEFENDED. OTHERWISE, IT RISK BECOMING SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY. SOMETHING LIKE WARD POLITICS. I'VE ALSO HEARD SUGGESTIONS THAT WAITING SOMEHOW MEANS WE'RE AGAINST INVESTMENT. THAT'S A FALSE CHOICE. RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT ISN'T OPPOSED TO INVESTMENT. RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT PROTECTS INVESTMENT BY MAKING SURE IT HAPPENS IN THE RIGHT WAY AND AT THE RIGHT TIME. THAT'S STEWARDSHIP. RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT DOESN'T ASK TAXPAYERS ONLY ONE QUESTION, IS THIS WORTHWHILE? OF COURSE, PARKS ARE WORTHWHILE. OF COURSE, COMMUNITY INVESTMENTS ARE WORTHWHILE, BUT THAT'S NOT THE ONLY QUESTION. RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT ALSO ASK, IS THIS THE RIGHT TIME? IS THIS THE RIGHT WAY TO PAY FOR IT? THOSE AREN'T OBSTACLES TO PROGRESS. THEY ARE QUESTIONS THAT MAKE PROGRESS. SUSTAINABLE GOVERNMENT ISN'T DEFINED BY THE SIZE OF ITS AMBITIONS. IT'S DEFINED BY ITS ABILITY TO ACHIEVE THOSE AMBITIONS RESPONSIBLY. AND LEADERSHIP ISN'T MEASURED ONLY BY HOW OFTEN WE SAY YES OR WHAT WE GET FOR OUR SPECIFIC INTERESTS. SOMETIMES LEADERSHIP REQUIRES THE DISCIPLINE TO SAY, NOT YET, BECAUSE PRESERVING PUBLIC TRUST TODAY MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO ACCOMPLISH EVEN GREATER THINGS TO TOMORROW. THAT'S THE KIND OF GOVERNMENT THAT I BELIEVE AUSTIN DESERVES. WE'RE ASKING THE VOTERS TO TRUST US. WE'VE DONE REAL WORK TO CREATE GREATER TRUST. EVERY SAFEGUARD WE CREATED OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS WAS DESIGNED FOR EXACTLY THIS MOMENT. FINANCIAL POLICIES, THE DECISION TREE, THE BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE, PROFESSIONAL STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS. THEY WEREN'T DESIGNED TO HELP US WHEN EVERYONE AGREED, THEY WERE DESIGNED TO GUIDE US WHEN THERE WAS PRESSURE TO DO SOMETHING ELSE. GOOD GOVERNMENT IS DISCIPLINED GOVERNMENT, NOT RIGID, NOT IDEOLOGICAL, BUT DISCIPLINED. IT FOLLOWS THE PROCESS. IT CREATES, IT DOESN'T CHANGE THE RULES BECAUSE THEY'RE INCONVENIENT. IT EARNS TRUST BY DEMONSTRATING THAT ITS PRINCIPLES ACTUALLY GOVERN ITS DECISIONS. WE HAVE SPENT MONTHS BUILDING A PROCESS DESIGNED TO EARN THE PUBLIC'S CONFIDENCE. [02:45:02] WE SHOULDN'T ABANDON THAT PROCESS BECAUSE IT BECOMES INCONVENIENT. WE SHOULDN'T WEAKEN THE TRUST WE'VE WORKED SO HARD TO REBUILD. AND THAT IS WHY I'LL VOTE NO TODAY. NOT BECAUSE I'M AGAINST PARKS, NOT BECAUSE I'M AGAINST INVESTMENT, BUT BECAUSE I'M FOR DISCIPLINED GOVERNMENT. AND DISCIPLINED GOVERNMENT IS HOW PUBLIC TRUST IS EARNED. MAYOR PRO TEM, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I JUST WANTED TO CLOSE BY HIGHLIGHTING THE, IN PUTTING THE PROJECTS TOGETHER FOR THE BOND. UH, WE'VE BEEN VERY CONSCIOUS OF, UH, OPERATIONAL COSTS AND OPERATIONAL NEEDS. AND I JUST WONDERED SOMETHING LIKE THE GARRISON POOL, UH, IMPROVEMENTS, UH, AND PARTICULARLY THE POOL INVESTMENTS. A LOT OF THOSE, THE HVAC, UH, DISCUSSIONS, A LOT OF THOSE ARE LONG TERM, UH, WILL REDUCE, UH, OPERATING EXPENSES FOR A LOT OF THESE FACILITIES. SO I THINK IN TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, CAPITAL AND, AND, AND OPERATING, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN LET YOUR FACILITIES AGE AND, AND NOT INVEST IN THEM. UH, BUT THAT'S GONNA DRIVE UP YOUR MAINTENANCE COSTS. UH, AND WITH, UH, WITH, UH, THE CHOICES THAT WE'RE FACING IN TERMS OF THE THREE AND A HALF PERCENT PROPERTY TAX CAP, UH, WHEN, AND OUR CAPITAL INVESTMENTS, INVESTMENTS IN CAPITAL CAN OFTENTIMES REDUCE LONG-TERM OPERATING EXPENSES. SO I THINK THAT'S JUST AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF THIS. WE, WE, THE LONGER WE GO WITHOUT INVESTING IN OUR FACILITIES, THE LARGER, THE GREATER THE OPERATING EXPENSES. UH, AND TO ME THAT'S NOT GOOD GOVERNANCE. UH, WE'VE GOT TO, UH, INVEST IN OUR FACILITIES TO MAKE SURE, UH, THAT WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, NEWER, UH, WELL RUN, UH, EFFICIENT, UH, FACILITIES AND NOT AGING FACILITIES THAT REQUIRE LOTS OF REPAIRS AND, AND MAINTENANCE. SO I JUST, I KNOW WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT THAT A LOT AND THAT'S BEEN KIND OF UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE OF THE CONVERSATION THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING. BUT WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY NOT ADDING A LOT OF OPERATIONAL EXPENSE ON THIS BOND WE'RE IN, INVESTING IN, IN, IN MORE KIND OF HARD ASSETS AND IN POTENTIALLY OPERATION REDUCING, UH, ITEMS. SO I JUST WANTED TO END WITH THAT. THANK YOU MAYOR. THANK YOU. MEMBER TIM. UM, MEMBERS, WE WILL NOW TAKE A VOTE ON THE MAIN MOTION, A MADE BY COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL, SECONDED BY THE MAYOR PRO TIM AS AMENDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON'S AMENDMENT. THE VOTE IS NOW ON THE MAIN MOTION, AND WHAT I'LL DO IS I'LL, I'LL ASK FOR A SHOW OF HANDS SO THAT I MAKE SURE I DON'T MISS ANYBODY. THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION, THE MAIN MOTION AS AMENDED, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THOSE OPPOSED, RAISE YOUR HAND SOMEHOW. UM, OH, COUNCILOR WALTER, HOW'D YOU VOTE? FOUR? THERE BEING EIGHT VOTES IN FAVOR AND THREE VOTES IN OPPOSITION. COUNCIL MEMBERS, UCHIN, THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBER VELAZQUEZ, THE MOTION PASSES AS AMENDED. SO WE'LL SEE. UH, THEY WILL BE ON THE AGENDA FOR THURSDAY TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT WE PUT IT ON THE BALLOT. UH, THANKS EVERYBODY. THANKS FOR A GOOD DISCUSSION. MEMBERS, UNLESS THERE'S OBJECTION, WHAT I WOULD RECOMMEND WE DO IS WE RECESS UNTIL ONE 15. WE RECESS UNTIL ONE 15 WHEN WE'LL COME BACK AND TAKE UP ITEM NUMBER ONE WITHOUT OBJECTION. THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL IS IN RECESS UNTIL ONE 15. IT IS 1247. THANKS EVERYBODY. COUNCIL, BACK TO ORDER. IT'S ONE 16. UH, WE HAVE BEEN IN A BRIEF RECESS AND WE WILL NOW GO [1. Presentation and discussion of the City Manager’s Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Proposed Budget.] TO ITEM NUMBER ONE, WHICH IS A PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION OF THE CITY MANAGER'S FISCAL YEAR 20 26, 20 27, PROPOSED BUDGET, UM, MEMBERS. THE WAY, UH, I SUGGEST WE DO THIS IS WE HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC THAT HAS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM. AND THEN WE, UH, GO TO ANY PRESENTATION AND THERE IS A PRESENTATION THAT HAS BEEN PREPARED. UM, AND THEN WE WILL GO TO, UH, QUESTIONS FROM COUNSEL. SO I'LL TURN TO THE CITY CLERK. WE'LL START WITH REMOTE SPEAKERS. MONICA GUZMAN. MONICA, ARE YOU THERE? YES. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YES. OKAY. THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M MONICA GUSMAN, DISTRICT FOUR RESIDENT SPEAKING IN OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSED FISCAL 27 BUDGET, ESPECIALLY THE PROPOSED 25 MILLION FOR THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT OR A PD CURRENT [02:50:01] AND PREVIOUS COUNSEL HAS GIVEN A PVA BLANK TEXT, CONTINUOUSLY PADDING A RECORD HIGH BUDGET BY DRAINING VITAL RESOURCES FOR PROGRAMS AND SERVICES THAT TRULY, TRULY KEEP US SAFE. INSTEAD OF ADDING TO AN ALREADY BLOATED BUDGET, USE A PROPOSED 11 MILLION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONTRACT, REALLOCATE 30.5 MILLION IN A BD VACANCY SAVINGS TO FUND OVERTIME, RETIREMENT RECRUITMENT, ET CETERA, IN THEIR FISCAL 27 BUDGET, AND USE THE REMAINING PROPOSED 14 MILLION TO INVEST IN THE COMMUNITY'S HEALTH AND SAFETY BY FUNDING 3 MILLION FOR THE FAMILY STABILIZATION GRANT TO ECONOMICALLY STABILIZE ABOUT 225 HOUSEHOLDS DURING THIS TIME OF INCREASED COST OF LIVING EXPENSES, 570,000 FOR LEGAL REPRESENTATION SERVICES, AND 250,000 FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR IMMIGRANT SUPPORT DURING THIS HEINOUS POLITICAL CLIMATE RESULTING IN MANY HIDING IN THEIR HOMES INSTEAD OF GOING TO WORK SCHOOL AND ENJOYING LIFE AND FUNDING OTHER BASIC AND CRITICAL NEEDS DETAILS IN THE COMMUNITY INVESTMENT BUDGET COALITION, FISCAL 27 RECOMMENDATIONS. I URGE YOU DO NOT CONTINUE TO FUND AD'S, HISTORY OF VIOLENCE AS EVIDENCE WITH THE DEATH OF ANTHONY WILLIAMS II, ALEX GONZALEZ, JUNIOR, AND MANY OTHERS. THANK YOU. IMANI. ANU. IMANI, ARE YOU THERE? AYANA HOUSTON? HELLO? YES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. OKAY. UM, OH, HI. YES, MY NAME'S IYANA HOUSTON. I AM THE DIRECTOR OF HOUSTON PROGRAMMING FOR THE SICKLE CELL ASSOCIATION OF TEXAS, MARK THOMAS FOUNDATION. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, I AM A SICKLE CELL WARRIOR MYSELF. UM, I HAVE FIRSTHAND ON, UM, HOW THE MARK THOMAS FOUNDATION, UM, HAS SUPPORTED AND ADVOCATED AND EDUCATED, UM, THE SICKLE CELL COMMUNITY AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UM, AS A WHOLE. THE MARK THOMAS FOUNDATION IS AN ORGANIZATION, UM, IS THE ONLY ORGANIZATION WITH THESE SERVICES, UM, FOR THE SICKLE CELL COMMUNITY. UM, WE HAVE SEVERAL FAMILIES THAT ARE AFFECTED AND WILL BE AFFECTED BY THIS BUDGET. CUT IS, UM, PAST I AM SPEAKING AGAINST, UM, ITEM ONE. UM, I FIRST FOUND THE FOUNDATION ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO AS A UT STUDENT, AND IT HELPED ME FIND A ER AND A HEMATOLOGIST TO HELP ME MANAGE MY DISEASE, UM, WITHOUT MY PARENTS. IF IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT I WAS LIVING WITH A CHRONIC DISEASE BY MYSELF, THEY OFFERED SUPPORT GROUPS, WHICH WAS A TREMENDOUS HELP WITH PEER-TO-PEER, UM, SUPPORT, WHICH WAS UNMATCHED FINDING SOMEONE THAT UNDERSTOOD MY DISEASE AND HOW I CAN HELP IMPROVE MY LIFE EXPECTANCY WITH THAT KNOWLEDGE AND ADVOCACY, UH, PIECE. UM, PLEASE RECONSIDER THE BUDGET CUT AS LIVES DEPEND ON IT. THANK YOU. AND, UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THAT'S ALL THE REMOTE SPEAKERS I HAVE AT THIS TIME, SO I'LL MOVE TO YOU IN PERSON, STARTING WITH PAUL SECORD, LINDA MEDINA LOPEZ, ALEXANDRIA ANDERSON, SUSAN RO SYLVIA STINSON. IF YOUR NAME'S BEEN CALLED, PLEASE GO AHEAD AND COME DOWN AND SIT IN AN EMPTY CHAIR AND STATE YOUR NAME BEFORE YOU BEGIN SPEAKING. OKAY. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR WATSON AND MEMBERS OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS LINDA MEDINA LOPEZ AND I'M THE PROUD EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GU MADRE, A YOUTH ORGANIZATION, YOUTH SERVING NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION. TODAY I AM ASKING YOU TO PROTECT THE CITY'S $56,000 INVESTMENT OF GU MADRE. WHILE $56,000 MAY SEEM LIKE A SMALL LINE ITEM IN THE MULTIMILLION DOLLAR DOLLAR BUDGET, FOR US, IT MEANS YOU'RE CUTTING PATHWAYS TO COLLEGE AND ECONOMIC MOBILITY. THIS FUNDING IS AN INVESTMENT WITH LONG-TERM RETURNS AT A TIME WHEN SO MANY FAMILIES ARE FACING UNCERTAINTY BY REDUCING SUPPORT FOR PREVENTION AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS. SINCE THE WRONG MESSAGE, OMI MADRE HAS BEEN A LONGSTANDING PARTNER WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, CONSISTENTLY MEETING CONTRACT GOALS EVERY YEAR, SUBMITTING STRONG REPORTS, AND HAVE BEEN RECEIVING [02:55:01] NOTHING BUT POSITIVE FEEDBACK FROM CITY STAFF. WE ARE BEING ELIMINATED FOR NEUROLOGICAL OR APPARENT REASON, AND OTHER NONPROFITS SIMILAR TO OURS HAVE MAINTAINED THEIR FUNDING. OUT OF 155 NONPROFITS WE'RE ONE OF THE 24 BEING ELIMINATED. TRANSPARENCY MATTERS. THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS ALL ABOUT INVESTING IN OUR YOUTH AND BUILDING COMMUNITY. GOME MADRE HAS BEEN DOING THAT FOR 34 YEARS. WE SIMPLY ASK THAT THE CITY CONTINUE INVESTING ALONGSIDE US. THE PROPOSED REDUCTION UNDERMINES AUSTIN'S SCHOOL FOR EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND ECONOMIC MOBILITY. I RESPECTFULLY ASK YOU TO PRESERVE GO MADRES FUNDING IN ORDER TO CONTINUE BUILDING A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR A TX. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO THE NEXT GEN FOR THE NEXT GENERATION. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. SPARROW. SUSAN PITARO, DISTRICT EIGHT. UM, THE FIRST I WANNA MAKE ONE BRIEF COMMENT, THEN I WANT TO TALK ABOUT BUSINESSES, BUT IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, CONSTITUTIONALLY, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS CANNOT GIVE A GIFT. SO IF YOU ARE MAKING CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOCIAL SERVICE OR NONPROFIT AGENCIES AND THEY ARE NOT PERFORMING, I THINK IT'S A QUESTION. IS THAT A GIFT? PLEASE LOOK AT THAT. YOU DON'T REALLY NEED SOMEONE COMING UP AND SUING THE COUNCIL OVER THAT. WHAT I REALLY WANTED TO TALK ABOUT IS SMALL BUSINESSES BECAUSE WHEN IN FACT A PERSON'S TAXES GO UP AND YOU OWN A A SMALL BUSINESS, YOU KNOW, THE PERSON'S HOME TAXES GO UP, BUT THEN THEY GO TO THEIR BUSINESS AND THAT TAX GOES UP AS WELL. AND SO NOW THEY'VE GOT A DOUBLE PUSH ON THEM AND THEY HAVE TO MAKE A CHOICE OF DO THEY CUT PEOPLE, RAISE THEIR PRICES, HOW DO THEY GET TO PAY THIS? AND THEN THE, THE PRODUCTS THAT THEY USE ARE PROBABLY ALSO FROM A COMPANY THAT'S GOT INCREASED TAXES. SO THE, THE IMPACT OF THESE TAX CREDITS ARE KIND OF CIRCULAR. AND THAT IS, THEY ARE, THEY'RE VERY IMPACTFUL IN A NEGATIVE WAY AND I'M AFRAID WE HAVE GOTTEN THAT WAY. AND THE OTHER THING WITH SMALL BUSINESSES, WE'VE SEEN THAT, WE'VE SEEN, UM, RESTAURANTS WHO'VE BEEN HERE FOR YEARS SAYING THEY CAN'T STAY HERE ANYMORE. AND YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S A REAL LOSS TO AUSTIN, THESE LOCAL BUSINESSES AND WHAT ARE THEY SAYING, WE CAN'T PAY THE TAXES. IF YOU HAVE TO PAY TAXES, WHICH EVERYONE DOES. THIS IS A SERIOUS TAX INCREASE AND I ENCOURAGE YOU TO KEEP IT AS LOW AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. LINDA WADE, RICHARD BONDY, SYLVIA OROZCO, LISA BARDEN, RICHARD GREEN. WELCOME EVERYONE. MS. OROZCO, DO YOU WANNA START? GO AHEAD. OH, ME. OH, THANK YOU. AND WE'LL WORK DOWN THAT WAY FROM YOUR SIDE OF THE DICE. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS SYLVIA ROCOM. I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ME ARTHA MUSEUM. TODAY I AM SPEAKING TO URGE YOU NOT TO ELIMINATE MEXICAN ART'S MUSEUM'S EDUCATION PROGRAMS THAT IS FUNDED, FUNDED UNDER AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH. LAST FRIDAY WE RECEIVED A LETTER THAT OUR SOCIAL SERVICE AGREEMENT OF FOR COMMUNITY ARTS AND SCREEN IT PROGRAM IS PROPOSED FOR ELIMINATION, ELIMINATING FUNDING. AND THIS PROGRAM WILL LEAVE THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS IN TITLE ONE SCHOOLS ACROSS AUSTIN WITHOUT VITAL EDUCATION, ART EDUCATION. THESE INCLUDE SCREEN IT A MUSEUM AWARD-WINNING PROGRAM THAT WHERE STUDENTS CREATE AND PRINT DESIGNS ON TOTE BAGS AND T-SHIRTS, EL MURALS IN THE SCHOOLS WHERE STUDENTS AND PAINT MURALS IN THE SCHOOLS. AMAR, WHICH PROVIDES WORKSHOPS IN SUMMER CAMPS THROUGH THESE THREE PROGRAMS. MEXICAN ART SERVES 2066 YOUTH UNDER THE CURRENT CONTRACT AT 13 TITLE ONE SCHOOLS LOCATED IN DISTRICT 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, AND NINE AND IS PROJECTED TO SERVE 177% OF THE CONTRACT GOALS. MEXICO HAS SERVED OVER 10,000 YOUTH IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS. WHAT DOES THIS ELIMINATION MEAN? IT MEANS THOUSANDS OF THE TITLE ONE STUDENTS WILL NO LONGER RECEIVE THESE SERVICES. FOUR TO SIX ART EDUCATORS WILL NO LONGER HAVE EMPLOYMENT EDUCATION STAFF MEMBERS AT THE MUSEUM WILL BE IMPACTED THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, CHILDREN AND FAMILIES HAVE BENEFITING SUPPORTING VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAMS LIKE THESE KEEP OUR STUDENTS SAFE IN CLASS AND DETERRED FROM ENGAGING IN DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR. THE AUSTIN'S YOUTHS DESERVES A CHANCE TO ENGAGE IN POSITIVE CONSTRUCTIVE ACTIVITIES. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND RESPECT RESPECTIVELY. ASK THAT THE CITY COUNCIL NOT TO ELIMINATE MEXICO ART MUSEUM ART EDUCATION PROGRAM, COMMUNITY ARTS AND SCREEN IT PROGRAM. CURRENTLY FUNDED [03:00:01] UNDER SOCIAL SERVICE AGREEMENT AND THE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH MAAM. MA'AM. GOOD AFTERNOON MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. I'M LINDA THOMAS WADE, CEO AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE SICKLE CELL TEXAS MARK THOMAS FOUNDATION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF OUR ORGANIZATION. BECAUSE OF THE CITY'S INVESTMENT, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO LEVERAGE THOSE DOLLARS TO SECURE ADDITIONAL STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDING, MULTIPLYING THE IMPACT OF YOUR INVESTMENT TODAY. I RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT THE ADDITIONAL 4.7 MILLION IDENTIFIED LAST WEEK BE USED TO RESTORE THE PROPOSED SOCIAL SERVICE CUTS. SPECIFICALLY I ASK THAT YOU MAINTAIN LEVEL FUNDING OF 350,000 FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027 FOR SICKLE CELL PROGRAMS AND SERVICES. THIS IS ESPECIALLY CRITICAL FOLLOWING THE 10% REDUCTION IN FUNDING WE RECEIVED LAST YEAR. FURTHER REDUCING OUR FUNDING WOULD DIRECTLY IMPACT OUR ABILITY TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY. WE ALREADY OPERATE WITH LIMITED RESOURCES AND ADDITIONAL CUTS WOULD MEAN REDUCING ESSENTIAL PROGRAMS AND LOSING THREE EXPERIENCED STAFF MEMBERS. OUR FOUNDATION IS THE ONLY FOUNDATION IN AUSTIN DEDICATED EXCLUSIVELY TO SERVING FAMILIES LIVING WITH SICKLE CELL DISEASE AND TRAIT. WE PROVIDE ADVOCACY, TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE, LIMITED FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, CERTIFIED CASE MANAGEMENT, COMMUNITY EDUCATION, YOUTH PROGRAMS, AND SO MUCH MORE. AND THESE ARE THE SERVICES THAT FILL CRITICAL GAPS IN IN OUR COMMUNITY SAFETY NET SYSTEM. OUR CRUCIAL SERVICES ALSO HELP TO MITIGATE EMS USAGE AND ER VISITS WHICH ASSIST IN RELIEVING THE FINANCIAL BURDEN PLACED ON THE MEDICAL SYSTEMS APPROXIMATELY ONE IN 12 AFRICAN AMERICANS AND ONE IN 36 HISPANICS CARRY SICKLE CELL TRAIT, MEANING THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES IN OUR COMMUNITY ARE IMPACTED. I RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT YOU RESTORE OUR FUNDING AND MAINTAIN LEVEL FUNDING OF 30 350,000 FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027. THANK YOU SO MUCH AND GOD BLESS. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. MY NAME IS RICHARD BONDY. I SERVE AS CHAIR OF THE COMMISSION ON AGING AND DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY ADVOCACY AT MEALS ON WHEELS, CENTRAL TEXAS. I SEE FIRSTHAND HOW IMPORTANT THESE PROGRAMS ARE TO HELPING OLDER ADULTS AGE SAFELY IN OUR COMMUNITY. I URGE YOU TO RESTORE THE PROPOSED 73,000 REDUCTION TO THE CONGREGATE MEAL PROGRAM. CONGREGATE MEALS PROVIDE FAR MORE THAN NUTRITION. THEY BRING OLDER ADULTS TOGETHER FOR A SHARED MEAL, SOCIAL CONNECTION, WELLNESS CHECKS, AND INFORMATION ABOUT OTHER SERVICES. THEY HELP PEOPLE STAY HEALTHY AND CONTINUE LIVING INDEPENDENTLY IN THEIR OWN HOMES. BOTH MEALS ON WHEELS, CONGREGATE AND HOME DELIVERED MEAL PROGRAMS WORK TOGETHER TO HELP HIGH RISK OLDER ADULTS REMAIN STABLE. THESE PROGRAMS HELP PREVENT CRISES BEFORE THEY HAPPEN. RELIABLE NUTRITION, REGULAR CONTACT AND SUPPORTIVE SERVICES REDUCE MEDICAL EMERGENCIES, HOSPITALIZATIONS, AND HELP OLDER ADULTS REMAIN IN THEIR HOMES. THEY ALSO HELP PREVENT HOMELESSNESS BEFORE IT BEGINS. THE CITY IS ALREADY INVESTING IN SENIOR PROGRAMMING AT ITS RECREATION CENTERS. THE CONGREGATE MEAL PROGRAM MAKES THAT INVESTMENT FAR MORE EFFECTIVE BY BRINGING OLDER ADULTS THROUGH THE DOOR. MEALS BECOME THE GATEWAY TO EXERCISE, HEALTH, EDUCATION, SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT, AND WELLNESS CHECKS. CUTTING THE MEAL FUNDING DIMINISHES THE VALUE OF THE CITY'S BROADER INVESTMENT. I RESPECTFULLY ASK YOU TO RESTORE THE 73,000 IN CONGREGATE FUNDING. PLEASE DON'T LET A RELATIVELY SMALL BUDGET REDUCTION CREATE A MUCH LARGER IMPACT ON AUSTIN'S OLDER ADULTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MR. BONDY, SIR. ALL RIGHT. UH, GOOD MORNING MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, MY NAME IS RICHARD GREEN. I'M A MUSEUM EDUCATOR, ARTIST AND DISTRICT EIGHT RESIDENT. I AM AGAINST THE CURRENT PROPOSED REDUCTIONS OF SOCIAL SERVICE FUNDING AS THEY, UH, EXIST TODAY. I AM THE PROGRAM MANAGER OF ME. THE MUSEUM'S CONTRACT UNDER THE OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND ONE OF THE 24 PROGRAMS PROPOSED TO BE ENTIRELY ELIMINATED IN THE BUDGET REDUCTIONS WE CURRENTLY PROVIDE IN-SCHOOL PROGRAMS, AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS, AND SUMMER CAMPS ACROSS TRAVIS COUNTY THAT TEACH OUR EDUCATION, MINDFULNESS PRACTICES AND ENGAGEMENT THAT ACTIVELY PREVENTS VIOLENCE AND DELINQUENCY. WE HAVE A PROGRAM HAPPENING AT THIS VERY MOMENT AT AUSTIN SAN LIBRARY CALLED WEST STRESS, THE WHICH IS OUR STYLE WHERE YOUTH ARE LEARNING SEWING TECHNIQUES, THE HISTORY OF GARMENT MAKING AND HOW CRAFT SKILLS SUPPORT INDIVIDUALITY AND A SENSE OF COMMUNITY. [03:05:01] THIS CULMINATES IN A FASHION SHOW WHERE YOUTH ARE THE STARS AND THEY GET TO WEAR THEIR PIECES DOWN THE RUNWAY. I CANNOT BE THERE RIGHT NOW TO SUPPORT THESE YOUTH BECAUSE I HAVE TO BE HERE ADVOCATING FOR THE THOUSANDS OF KIDS WE SERVE EVERY YEAR AND THE TEACHING ARTISTS THAT WE EMPLOY. IF THE MUSEUM IS ELIMINATED FROM FUNDING, THIS WILL BE THE LAST YEAR OF CAMP FOR THESE KIDS. ANYWHERE FROM FOUR TO SIX TEACHING ARTISTS WOULD LOSE A STREAM OF INCOME AND TWO OF WHICH HAVE JOINED ME TODAY WHEN WE MET WITH STUDY STAFF REGARDING THE PROPOSED ELIMINATION. NO METRICS OR REASONING WERE PROVIDED BEYOND STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT AND WE ARE ON TRACK TO MEET 177% OF OUR GOAL THIS YEAR, WHICH IS SERVING OVER 2,400 YOUTH AND 10,000 IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS. I STRONGLY SUPPORT THE EFFORTS OUTLINED IN COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES AND CO-SPONSORS MOTION AMENDMENT, UH, LAST THURSDAY AS WELL, OR ON THE BOARD LAST THURSDAY. AND YESTERDAY'S MESSAGE BOARD POST FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE PROGRAMS DESERVE TRANSPARENCY AND, UH, CLEAR REASONINGS FOR REDUCTIONS. NEVERTHELESS, ELIMINATIONS, I IMPLORE YOU TO FULL LEASE AND TRANSPARENTLY SUPPORT SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS AND THE YOUTH OF AUSTIN AND FUTURE GENERATIONS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH SIR. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS LISA BARDEN. I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT FOUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF KEEP AUSTIN FED, SERVING ALL OF YOUR DISTRICTS AND A MEMBER OF ONE VOICE CENTRAL TEXAS. I WANNA START BY THANKING THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES AND THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO HAVE SUPPORTED AMENDMENTS TO THE BUDGET TO RESTORE FUNDING SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTS. ONE VOICE SUPPORTS ACCOUNTABILITY AND ADVOCATES FOR THE FULL RESTOR RESTORATION OF SOCIAL SERVICE FUNDING. HAVING READ THROUGH YESTERDAY'S DETAILED RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE CONTRACT REDUCTIONS IN ELIMINATIONS, I AGREE WITH MAYOR WATSON THAT FIRST THERE ISN'T A CLEAR EXPLANATION FOR THE DECISIONS AND SECOND STAFF FLAGS REAL HARM IN CUTTING, ELIMINATING SEVERAL OF THESE PROGRAMS, UNIQUE SERVICES WITH NO ALTERNATIVE PROVIDER PROGRAMS THAT THE CITY FUNDS ENTIRELY AND FAMILIES WHO WOULD LOSE SUPPORT MID SERVICE. AND I AGREE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER'S REPLY THAT ACCOUNTABILITY MATTERS AND I THINK ALL NONPROFIT LEADERS CAN AGREE WITH MAYOR PRO. TIM'S SUGGESTION THAT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT A STABLE LEVEL OF FUNDING IS. SO BOTH THE CITY AND OUR NONPROFIT PARTNERS DON'T ENDURE THE UNCERTAINTY, STRESS, AND TIME INVOLVED BUDGET AFTER BUDGET KEEP AUSTIN FED DOES NOT RECEIVE CITY FUNDING. SO I'M NOT HERE TO PROTECT MY ORGANIZATION'S BUDGET. I'M HERE BECAUSE I SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE SOCIAL SAFETY NET IS WEAKENED. WHEN FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS OF ALL AGES LOSE ACCESS TO CRITICAL RESOURCES, MORE PEOPLE EXPERIENCE HARDSHIP AND ORGANIZATIONS LIKE OURS ARE ASKED TO DO MORE WITH THE SAME LIMITED RESOURCES. THE PROPOSED BUDGET ALREADY MAKES SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS IN HOUSING. THE QUESTION BEFORE COUNCIL IS NOT WHETHER HOUSING MATTERS. IT IS WHETHER AUSTIN CAN PRESERVE THESE ESSENTIAL SOCIAL SERVICES THAT HELP PEOPLE OBTAIN AND REMAIN SUCCESSFULLY HOUSED HOUSING AND WRAPAROUND SERVICES OR COMPLIMENTARY INVESTMENTS, NOT COM NOT COMPETING PRIORITIES. THIS IS NOT A CHOICE BETWEEN HOUSING AND SOCIAL SERVICES. AUSTIN NEEDS BOTH. TODAY I URGE YOU TO FULLY RESTORE THE SOCIAL SERVICE FUNDING AND GIVE THE STAFF PROPER TIME TO REVIEW EACH CONTRACT WITH, TO QUOTE COUNCIL MEMBER LANE TRANSPARENCY COLLABORATION AND A COMMITMENT TO STRENGTHEN RATHER THAN DIMINISH THE SERVICES OUR COMMUNITY RELIES ON. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. HENRY VAN DEPU, PHILLIP FITZGERALD, SAVANNAH LEE, SHARON BLYTHE. GOOD MORNING MAYOR. MAYOR, PRO TEM AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS SAVANNAH LEE. I'M WITH EQUITY ACTION AND I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT ONE. I'M HERE IN SUPPORT OF THE COMMUNITY INVESTMENT BUDGET. WE'RE GRATEFUL TO SEE THE INTENTION OF MANY COUNCIL MEMBERS TO RESTORE THE CUTS TO SO SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTS. AVOIDING CUTS IS THE FIRST STEP IN ENSURING THAT THIS BUDGET CYCLE IS ONE THAT TRULY INVESTS IN THE FAMILIES WHO NEED US MOST. I WANTED TO TAKE MY TIME TODAY TO TOUCH ON SOMETHING WITHIN THE CIB THAT STILL NEEDS INVESTMENT. THE CIB ASKS THAT THE CITY ESTABLISH A JOINT E EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT TO ENSURE THAT WHEN FOLKS IN AUSTIN CALL FOR HELP, THEY CAN GET THE RIGHT RESPONSE THE FIRST TIME WHEN SOMEONE CALLS 9 1 1, 1 OF THE MOST IMPORTANT DECISIONS HAPPENS BEFORE ANYONE ARRIVES WHO GETS SENT. RIGHT NOW, THAT INITIAL CALL TAKING SYSTEM OPERATES UNDER A PD, WHICH CAN MAKE POLICE RESPONSE THE DEFAULT. EVEN WHEN SOMEONE IS EXPERIENCING A MENTAL HEALTH OR A MEDICAL CRISIS. NOT ONLY IS THIS DANGEROUS FOR THE PEOPLE INVOLVED, BUT IT DRAINS POLICE RESOURCES. WE KNOW THE SYSTEM IS NOT WORKING THE WAY THAT IT SHOULD. THE CITY'S OWN 2018 AUDIT FOUND THAT PEOPLE EXPERIENCING MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS IN AUSTIN FACE A HIGHER RISK OF FATAL POLICE ENCOUNTERS AND THAT APDS POLICIES AND TRAINING DID NOT CONSISTENTLY MEET BEST PRACTICES AND THAT POLICE WERE OFTEN DISPATCHED TO CALLS THAT WERE NON-CRIMINAL AND BETTER SUITED FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS. AUSTIN'S ALREADY BUILT ALTERNATIVES THAT CAN PROVIDE THE RIGHT RESPONSE, BUT THESE ALTERNATIVES ARE ONLY AS EFFECTIVE AS THE SYSTEM THAT CONNECTS THEM, THE PEOPLE TO THEM. [03:10:01] IF A PERSON IN CRISIS CALLS 9 1 1, THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE TO USE THE PERFECT WORDS OR KNOW EXACTLY WHAT KIND OF HELP THEY NEED TO GET THE APPROPRIATE RESPONSE. THAT'S WHY WE'RE ASKING COUNSEL TO AMEND THIS BUDGET, TO ESTABLISH A JOINT EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT AND MOVE CIVILIAN NINE ONE ONE CALL TAKERS OUT OF A PD AND INTO THE DEPARTMENT WITH CONSISTENT SPECIALIZED TRAINING ACROSS EMERGENCY RESPONSE SYSTEMS. THIS ENSURES THAT OUR POLICE EMS FIRE AND MENTAL HEALTH RESPONSE ARE ALL SENT OUT ACCURATELY AND IN TIME. IF WE'RE SERIOUS ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE OUR FIRST RESPONSE IS THE RIGHT RESPONSE ARE DUE TO INCLUDE THIS INVESTMENT, THIS BUDGET CYCLE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MYRA PIZANO. ROBIN SCHNEIDER, PETER HUNT. PETER, ARE YOU HERE? YES, MA'AM. IS JENNIFER PALERMO HERE? I BELIEVE SHE HAD TO LEAVE. OKAY, WELL THEN JUST TWO MINUTES, PETER AND THEN OPIA. JOSEPH, GO FIRST. HELLO, ROBIN SCHNEIDER, RESIDENT OF DISTRICT THREE. UM, FIRST I WANTED TO, UH, THANK UH, COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES AND AND OTHERS TO, FOR YOUR EFFORTS TO RESTORE SOCIAL SERVICE FUNDING GIVEN THE ADDITIONAL PROPERTY TAX REVENUE THE CITY IT CAN NOW, UH, USE FOR THAT. UM, I WANNA ECHO, UH, WHAT THE PREVIOUS SPEAKER SAVANNAH LEE SAID IN TERMS OF MOVING THE UM, 9 1 1 OUT OF A PD AND PUTTING THAT, UH, HAVING A JOINT COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT, HOPEFULLY IT CAN ADDRESS SOME OF THE, UM, ISSUES THAT WE'RE HAVING GEOGRAPHICALLY AS WELL THAT COUNCIL MEMBER LANE HAS HAS TAUGHT, UH, SPOKEN UP ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE CAN DO BETTER, UH, BY MOVING 9 1 1 OUT OF A PD. UH, OTHER CITIES HAVE SHOWN THE WAY AND WE SHOULD LEARN FROM THEIR EXPERIENCE IN SAN FRANCISCO. THE STREET, UH, CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM, UH, FOUND THAT CRISIS TEAMS CAN RESOLVE THE MAJORITY OF THEIR CALLS WITHOUT THE USE OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. ARRESTS, UH, ARE DOWN. UH, USE OF FORCE IS VERY RARE. UH, PEOPLE IN CRISIS ARE CONNECTED TO THE CARE THEY NEED RATHER THAN INTO THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM AND THE POLICE ARE THEN FREED UP TO DO WHAT THEY REALLY SHOULD BE RESPONDING TO. UH, AND SO I THINK IT'S A WIN-WIN ALL AROUND IF WE, UH, HAVE THE, UH, APPROPRIATE RESPONSES 'CAUSE DISPATCH IS BASICALLY DESTINY. SO, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO SOME OF THESE CALLS, AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN HONOR, UM, PEOPLE WHOSE LIVES HAVE BEEN TRAGICALLY TAKEN, UM, BY DOING SOMETHING REALLY POSITIVE, UH, DURING THIS BUSINESS, UH, THIS BUDGET CYCLE AND, UH, MAKE OUR 9 1 1 1 SYSTEM SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE DON'T HAVE TO BE AFRAID OF. YEAH. AFTERNOON COUNCIL. MY NAME'S PETER HUNT. I'M FROM DISTRICT 10. UH, I FIRST WANNA SAY I'M HERE IN SUPPORT OF THE COMMUNITY INVESTMENT BUDGET AS PLENTY HAVE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN BEFORE ME AND WILL BE AFTER ME. AND I WANT TO ECHO WHAT SOME OF THE PREVIOUS SPEAKERS HAVE SAID SAYING THAT I THINK IT'S A GOOD THING THAT COUNCIL IS LOOKING TO MOVE THE NINE ONE ONE CALL CENTER OUT OF A PD. I'LL BE HERE TO SPEAK MORE ABOUT THAT ON THURSDAY. UH, I WANTED TO, FOR COUNSEL AND FOR THE RECORD, SPEAK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE POLICE BUDGET AND HOW THAT RELATES TO THESE ISSUES. UM, BECAUSE I THINK THAT THERE HAS BEEN A LITTLE BIT OF CONFUSION ABOUT WHAT EXACTLY IS CONTRACTUALLY REQUIRED IN RELATION TO WHAT HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO POLICE IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET. AND I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD TO HAVE SOME CLARITY ABOUT THAT. UM, NOW THE PROPOSED BUDGET WOULD ALLOCATE AN ADDITIONAL $25 MILLION TO POLICE, UH, SOME PORTION OF WHICH IS CONTRACTUALLY REQUIRED BY THE 2024 POLICE CONTRACT. UM, ONE OF THE REQUESTS OF THE CIB HAS BEEN TO KEEP THE POLICE BUDGET FLAT. THE WAY TO DO THAT IS NOT BY RENEGING ON ANY CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS, BUT INSTEAD LOOKING FOR OTHER PARTS OF THE POLICE BUDGET THAT COULD BE TAKEN OUT OR REDUCED TO OFFSET THAT. NOW, I KNOW AT LAST NIGHT'S, UH, DISTRICT 10, UH, TOWN HALL COUNCIL MEMBER UCHIN IDENTIFIED ABOUT A MILLION AT LEAST THAT HE HAD ALREADY SEEN COULD BE REMOVED. OFFSET. PART OF THAT, AND I'M SURE THERE'S MORE WITH THE LEVEL OF ATTENTION THAT HAS BEEN PAID TO, UH, SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTS GOING FIVE, $10,000 AT A TIME. I'M SURE THAT SIMILAR AMOUNTS OF PROPORTIONAL SAVINGS COULD BE FOUND IN THE POLICE BUDGET, LOOKING AT OVER $500 MILLION THERE IF THAT SAME KIND OF ATTENTION WAS PAID. WHEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT BUDGETS, WE TALK ABOUT THEM BEING REFLECTIONS OF OUR VALUES. THEY'RE REFLECTIONS OF OUR VALUES, NOT JUST IN WHERE THE MONEY IS, BUT WHERE THE ATTENTION IS PAID TO FIND THAT MONEY. AND I ENCOURAGE COUNSEL TO DO THAT KIND OF WORK, TO KEEP THE POLICE BUDGET FLAT, AND TO LOOK FOR THINGS TO OFFSET THE CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS FROM THE PREVIOUS POLICE CONTRACT. [03:15:01] THANK YOU. YOU'RE READY. THANK YOU. HI, MY NAME IS MYRA ROSE AND ME AND MY HUSBAND JARED JORDAN, LIVE AND WORK IN AUSTIN, TEXAS AS MURALISTS ARE TEACHERS AND AGENTS OF CHANGE, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, CHILDREN OF GOD. WE'VE WORKED ALONGSIDE MANY ORGANIZATIONS, TEACHERS, MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, AND MANY STUDENTS. STUDENTS WHO ARE IMPACTED BY THE LAWS, POLICIES, AND PROPOSITIONS MADE IN THE ROOMS THAT WE STAND IN TODAY. SO MUCH TO SAY THE SO LITTLE TIME, THE WORDS THAT ARE WRITTEN IN OUR HEARTS WERE SPOKEN TO US FROM MOUTHS THAT AREN'T OUR OWN. I DON'T LIKE COMING TO SCHOOL, BUT PAINTING THIS MURAL MAKES BEING HERE WORTH IT. THIS MURAL HELPS ME TO DISCOVER A NEW VERSION OF MYSELF. TEACHERS ONLY SEE ME AS A TROUBLEMAKER, AS A PERSON WHO HAS SO MANY PROBLEMS. THIS GIVES ME A PURPOSE TO SHOW THEM THAT I'M NOT A BAD KID, TO SHOW THEM THAT I COULD DO GOOD. I JUST NEEDED A CHANCE FOR SOMEONE TO BELIEVE IN ME. THIS SCHOOL IS ALWAYS FILLED WITH DRAMA, BUT THIS MURAL AND THE THINGS THAT ARE PAINTED IN IT GIVE US A REASON TO HAVE HOPE TO BE HEARD. WHEN WE DON'T ALWAYS GET A CHANCE TO SPEAK WHAT WE TRULY FEEL TO TELL OUR STORY, TO BRING LIGHT TO A DARK PLACE. WILL YOU ALL COME BACK TO SEE US AGAIN? I HOPE YOU DO. 'CAUSE WE'LL STILL BE HERE. THESE ARE THE WORDS SPOKEN TO US BY THE KIDS WHO ARE PART OF THE METAL MOODLE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM, FACILITATED BY THE MEXICAN ART, THE MUSEUM, SPECIFICALLY LBJ HIGH SCHOOL, BURNETT MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND ES MIDDLE SCHOOL. LASTLY, I WOULD LIKE TO FINISH WITH THE WORDS OF A PROJECT WE'RE NOW STARTING. THE GREATEST STORY EVER WRITTEN IS THE ONE WHICH YOU IN IT, BUT IT'S YOUR CHOICE TO DETERMINE WHICH SIDE OF HISTORY YOU WANNA BE A PART OF, YOUR CHOICE TO DETERMINE THE FUTURE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, WHAT'S YOUR NEXT MOVE? THANK YOU, CARLOS LEON, KAREN GONZALEZ, ANDREW HAIRSTON. MR. LEON, WE'LL START WITH YOU WHENEVER YOU'RE READY. YOU GOT IT. MAYOR SOY CARLOS LEON, FIRST AND FOREMOST FOR LETTING ME SPEAK TO APLS. PROJECTED FUNDING BROAD ACTS IS TELLING YOU TO GIVE A PL ABOUT $11,000 MORE FROM THE GENERAL FUND THAN LAST YEAR WRONGLY REWARDING THEIR ONGOING INSUBORDINATION AGAINST YOU UNDER HANNAH TERRELL, WHO ADDED MILLWOOD BRANCH NOT IN HER WRITTEN BOND PROPOSAL WHILE ANSWERING MAYOR WATSON'S. ITEM TWO QUESTION THIS MORNING, SINCE AUGUST, 2023, APLS LIBRARY USED TWO B THREE 15 D ONE IN 15 T TWO HAVE NOT COMPLIED WITH YOUR SUPERSEDING RULES FOR PUBLIC USE OF CITY PROPERTIES OR PARAMOUNT CONSTITUTIONAL LAW. IN ADDITION, THEIR INTENTIONAL WRONGDOING APPEARS TO HAVE CAPTURED YOUR LIBRARY COMMISSION WHO IS SUPPOSED TO ACCOMMODATE YOU NOT A PL. AT THE JULY 25 MEETING WAS A SERIOUS VIOLATION OF THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT, THE INTENTIONALLY LOCKED CLOSED DOOR PREVENTING US MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC FROM ACCESSING THE FOURTH FLOOR CONFERENCE ROOM MEETING LOCATION IN NEW CENTRAL LIBRARY. I HAD TO BANG ON THE GLASS TO BE LET IN. THAT DOOR REMAINED LOCKED AFTER I TOLD LIBRARY COMMISSION TO UNLOCK IT, TO FOLLOW THE LAW ON RECORD DURING MY PUBLIC COMMENT, WHICH I LATER COMMUNICATED TO DEPUTY CITY CLERK HALL AND CITY ATTORNEY THOMAS APLS RULES FOR THE BUT NOT FOR ME. DOUBLE STANDARD BULL CRAP MUST NOT BE TOLERATED BECAUSE THEY MUST NOT BE ABOVE THE LAW. AN ANTI-CONSTITUTIONAL LAWLESS SOCIETY ENDANGER US ALL. MAYOR WATSON IS RIGHT. BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST IS NOT JUST ABOUT FINANCIAL DISCIPLINE, BUT ADMINISTRATIVE ADHERENCE, THEREFORE, RIGHTLY PUNISH A PL BY REDUCING THEIR FUNDING, REPURPOSE THAT SAVINGS TOWARD REVIVING ONE OF THE LAW ABIDING RESULTS PRODUCING SOCIAL PROGRAMS TESTIFYING HERE TODAY THAT BROADEN ACTS IS TELLING YOU TO DEFUND. IN JESUS' NAME I PRAY, AMEN. DO WHAT'S RIGHT. THANK YOU, MAYOR WATSON. THANK YOU, SIR. YES. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS KAREN GONZALEZ. TODAY I THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TODAY. I'M HERE RESPECTFULLY ASKING YOU TO VOTE NO ON THE PROPOSED SOCIAL SERVICE BUDGET CUTS IN THE CITY MANAGER'S BUDGET, SPECIFICALLY TO ADVOCATE TO RESTORE MADRE CITY OF AUSTIN FUNDING. I COME BEFORE YOU WEARING SEVERAL HATS, AND EACH ONE ALLOWS ME TO SPEAK TO THE IMPACT THIS ORGANIZATION HAS HAD, NOT JUST ON ME, BUT ON THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS AND FAMILIES ACROSS AUSTIN. TODAY I STAND BEFORE YOU AS THE BOARD CHAIR OF KMI MADRE. DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT THIS [03:20:01] FUNDING LAWS WOULD MEAN FOR THE STUDENTS AND FAMILIES WE SERVE. THIS FUNDING PROVIDES FAR MORE THAN PROGRAMMING. IT PROVIDES MENTORSHIP, OPPORTUNITY, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, OF SAFE SPACE. I ALSO COME BEFORE YOU AS A FORMER STAFF MEMBER, WHERE I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING STUDENTS WHO WERE BRAVE ENOUGH TO ASK FOR SUPPORT AND SHOWING THEM THAT COLLEGE IN A BRIGHTER FUTURE WAS POSSIBLE. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, I STAND BEFORE YOU TODAY AS A GO MAD ALUM. WHEN I WAS A STUDENT AT PERUS MIDDLE SCHOOL, WHICH CLOSER I'M GR CLOSURE, I AM GRIEVING, MY COUNSELOR SAW THAT I WAS STRUGGLING AND REFERRED MY MOTHER AND ME TO OMI MADRE. LOOKING BACK, WE KNOW THAT THAT REFERRAL CHANGED THE COURSE OF OUR LIVES. A CRISIS WAS AVOIDED BECAUSE WE FOUND SAFETY SUPPORT IN A COMMUNITY THAT BELIEVED IN ME BEFORE I BELIEVED IN MYSELF. THAT BELIEF CARRIED ME THROUGH COLLEGE, INSPIRED ME TO EARN A MASTER'S DEGREE AND LED ME TO DEDICATE MY CAREER AS A SOCIAL WORKER SERVING COMMUNITIES ACROSS TEXAS. TODAY, LIFE HAS COME FULL CIRCLE. IN JUST A FEW WEEKS, MY DAUGHTER WILL BEGIN SIXTH GRADE, AND WE RECENTLY COMPLETED HER COM MADRE APPLICATION SO SHE CAN RECEIVE THE SAME GIFT MY MOTHER AND I RECEIVED. WHEN YOU INVEST IN COM MADRE, YOU AREN'T JUST INVESTING IN ONE STUDENT OR ONE FAMILY, YOU'RE INVESTING IN GENERATIONS. I'M STANDING BEFORE YOU TODAY BECAUSE SOMEONE INVESTED IN ME AND MY FAMILY, AND I BELIEVE THAT OUR CURRENT STUDENTS AND THOSE TO COME DESERVE THE SAME. THANK YOU. YES, GOOD AFTERNOON, ALL. MY NAME IS ANDREW HAIRSTON. I'M A DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST AND CIVIL RIGHTS LAWYER WHO LIVES IN DISTRICT ONE. I CURRENTLY SERVE AS ONE OF THE CO-CHAIRS OF THE AUSTIN DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA. AND I COMMEND OUR MEMBERS FOR OFFERING THEIR PERSPECTIVES ON THE POLICE BUDGET. OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS, I PERSONALLY WAS IN MINNEAPOLIS ON THE DAY THAT THE NEWS OF ANTON NEIL WILLIAMS SECONDS MURDER, ENTERING THE PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS. I WAS IN GEORGE FLOYD SQUARE SEEING A TIME THIS ZONE THAT HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED OVER THE PAST SIX YEARS WHERE PEOPLE CAN RECEIVE FREE CLOTHES, HAVE COMMUNITY MEMBER MEETINGS, AND GENERALLY EXCHANGE, UH, WITH ONE ANOTHER IN A PUBLIC SPACE. UH, WE RECOGNIZE IN THIS BLACK AUGUST THE STRUGGLES OF BLACK FOLKS ACROSS AMERICAN HISTORY, WHETHER OUR COMRADES GEORGE JACKSON, DR. ANGELA Y. DAVIS, OR KWAME TORE, WHO ARE FIGHTING AGAINST THE PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX AND THE EVER EXPANDING POLICING INFRASTRUCTURE OF AMERICA. AND WE RECOGNIZE THAT REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENS TODAY OR LATER ON IN THIS BUDGET PROCESS, THAT THAT RESILIENCE AND THAT PERSISTENCE WILL ENDURE. THAT WE CERTAINLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO NOT ADD A SINGLE CENT TO THE POLICE BUDGET MORE THAN WHAT YOU'RE LEGALLY REQUIRED TO DO IN THIS MOMENT. AND TO SHIFT 9 1 1 OUT OF THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT'S CONTROL, BUT THAT LONG HISTORY OF STRUGGLE AND RESILIENCE OF BLACK FOLKS WILL PERSIST AND WE WILL INDEED ACHIEVE A BETTER WORLD EVENTUALLY BECAUSE OF THE SACRIFICES OF OUR FOREBEARERS, MY CONTEMPORARIES, AND THOSE WHO WILL LABOR IN THE FUTURE. SO I OFFER THAT PERSPECTIVE AND, UH, BETTER WORLD AWAITS US ALL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. ALL SPEAKERS FOR THIS ITEM HAVE BEEN CALLED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MEMBERS, AS YOU'VE HEARD, ALL OF THE SPEAKERS ON ITEM NUMBER ONE HAVE BEEN CALLED. SO I'LL, UH, LOOK TO CITY STAFF TO COME FORWARD AND, AND MAKE A PRESENTATION. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. CARRIE LANG, DIRECTOR OF BUDGET AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE. WE'LL JUST WALK THROUGH A COUPLE OF SLIDES BEFORE WE GET GOING ON DISCUSSION FOR, UH, TODAY'S WORK SESSION. WE WOULD LIKE TO GIVE AN UPDATE, ADDITIONAL UPDATE ON A TYPICAL RATE PAYER, AS WELL AS TALK THROUGH SOME OF THE BUDGET REDUCTIONS THAT HAVE HAPPENED OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. HAVE FURTHER DISCUSSION ON SOCIAL SERVICE GRANTS, A BRIEF UPDATE ON THE HOUSING, UH, DEPARTMENT, LOCAL [03:25:01] HOUSING VOUCHERS IN PARTICULAR, AND A UPDATE ON, UM, THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN PLAN SPENDING FOR THE FORECAST PERIOD AND NEXT FISCAL YEAR. THIS IS THE TIMELINE THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT. WE HAVE TODAY'S WORK SESSION AND THEN ONE ON, UM, THE SIX WHERE COUNCIL WILL TALK THROUGH THEIR AMENDMENTS FOR, UM, BUDGET ADOPTION NEXT WEEK. ERIC NELSON, ERIC NELSON, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF BUDGET AND ORGAN ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE. UH, FOLLOWING UP ON THE PROPERTY TAX REVENUE UPDATE THAT WE PRESENTED LAST THURSDAY WHEN WE, WHEN WE RECEIVED THE CERTIFICATION, WE ALSO REQUEST THE UPDATED, UH, PROPERTY TAX ROLE SO WE CAN RECALCULATE THE VALUE OF OUR TYPICAL HOMESTEAD PROPERTY. AS OF THE CERTIFIED ROLE, THE MEDIAN ASSESSED VALUE OF A HOMESTEAD THAT DOES NOT RECEIVE THE SENIOR OR DISABLED HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION IS $471,603. THIS IS A DECLINE FROM THE PROPOSED BUDGET ESTIMATE OF 4 84 9 0 7, WHICH WAS DERIVED FROM THE NOTICE PROPERTY TAX ROLL RELEASE THIS SPRING. UH, NEARLY HALF OF THESE HOMESTEAD PROTESTED THEIR INITIAL NOTICE VALUE ACHIEVING A AVERAGE REDUCTIONS OF MORE THAN $70,000 OR 9.6%, APPLYING THE OFFICIALLY CALCULATED VOTER APPROVAL RATE AND THE GENERAL HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION TO THIS NEW TYPICAL HOMEOWNER VALUE. AND THAT'S AN ANNUAL PROPERTY TAX BILL OF ABOUT $2,188 PER YEAR, OR $182 AND 34 CENTS PER MONTH, WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF 5.5% OVER THE PRIOR YEAR. LOOKING AT THE TOTAL BASKET OF RATES, FEES, AND TAXES PAID BY OUR TYPICAL HOMEOWNER INCLUSIVE OF THIS CERTIFIED PROPERTY TAX NUMBER, THE TOTAL MONTHLY BILL WOULD NOW INCREASE BY $23 AND 82 CENTS PER MONTH, OR 5%, WHICH IS DOWN FROM THE 6.1% PROJECTED AS OF THE PROPOSED BUDGET. SO NOW I WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT THROUGH SOME OF THE FISCAL YEAR 26 AND 27 REDUCTIONS. UM, AS YOU ALL KNOW, BALANCING THE BUDGET EACH YEAR IS AN INTERPLAY OF AVAILABLE REVENUE AND DEPARTMENT REDUCTIONS OR REALLOCATIONS. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL POINTS MADE OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THE REDUCTIONS TAKEN, UM, FROM CITY DEPARTMENTS TO HELP BALANCE THE BUDGET, PARTICULARLY IN RELATION TO THE PROPOSED REDUCTION TO SOCIAL SERVICE GRANTS. THIS SLIDES TO DEMONSTRATE THE LEVELS AND AMOUNTS OF REDUCTIONS TAKEN OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS TO OUR GENERAL FUND SUPPORT SERVICES AND INTERNAL SERVICES DEPARTMENTS IN OUR EFFORT TO ENSURE A BALANCED BUDGET WHILE CONTINUING TO INVEST IN THE SERVICES THAT THE CITY DELIVERS. NOTED THAT THE SAVINGS LISTING LISTED FOR BOTH SUPPORT SERVICES AND INTERNAL SERVICES REPRESENTS THE FULL SAVINGS FOR THOSE DEPARTMENTS. THE GENERAL FUND, UH, PROPORTIONATE SHARE OF, SO SUPPORT SERVICES SAVINGS IS ABOUT 50%, BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE INTERNAL SERVICES FUNDS, THAT SAVINGS TO THE GENERAL FUND CAN RANGE FROM 8% TO 40% BASED ON THE SERVICE THAT IS PROVIDED. GOING INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL, UM, OF THE REDUCTIONS MADE TO THE GENERAL FUND AFTER OVER THE PAST TWO BUDGET CYCLES, 11 OF THE 13 GENERAL FUND DEPARTMENTS HAVE SOME LEVEL OF REDUCTION OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, RESULTING IN $19.5 MILLION IN FISCAL YEAR 26 AND $5.3 MILLION IN MILLION DOLLARS IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET. THAT IS SEPARATE FROM THE S UH, SOCIAL SERVICE GRANTS REDUCTIONS OF THAT $8 MILLION, THE SOCIAL SERVICE GRANTS INVESTMENTS, IF YOU LOOK AT FISCAL YEAR 26, IT, UM, DID NOT REDUCE IN FISCAL YEAR 26 AS PART OF THE THE 26 BUDGET. YOU ALL MAY REMEMBER THERE WAS A $14.1 MILLION ONE-TIME FUNDING THAT WAS TRANSFERRED IN FROM RESERVES TO SUSTAIN THOSE CONTRACTS DURING THE BUDGET AMENDMENT PROCESS. FUNDING WITHIN THE SOCIAL SERVICE GRANTS WAS REALLOCATED. HOWEVER, THE, THE CITY'S FULL INVESTMENT REMAINED AT THE 74 MILLION. THOSE REALLOCATIONS DID RESULT INTO SEVERAL CONTRACTS WITHIN OUR SOCIAL SERVICE GRANTS, HAVING, UH, 10% REDUCTIONS AS ACROSS THE BOARD'S RETU REDUCTIONS WERE TAKEN TO REALLOCATE THOSE DOLLARS TO OTHER PRIORITIES. LOOKING MORE CLOSELY AT OUR SOCIAL SERVICE GRANT FUNDING. THIS SLIDE WALKS THROUGH THE PAST, UM, SIX FISCAL YEARS AND SHOWING THE INCREASED INVESTMENT IN SOCIAL SERVICE GRANTS OVER THE LAST SIX BUDGET CYCLES WITH A GROWING INVESTMENT OF ABOUT 10.9, UM, COMP COMPOUND AVERAGE ANNUAL GROWTH RATE. [03:30:01] THE GROWTH IN SOCIAL SERVICE INVESTMENTS HAS OUTPACED DEPARTMENTAL GROWTH WITH RANGES BETWEEN 3.9% IN MUNICIPAL COURT TO 8.5% GROWTH FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND HOMELESS STRATEGIES AND OPERATIONS COMBINED. OF NOTE, AS YOU LOOK AT THIS CHART HERE, THE GREEN PORTION OF THE INVESTMENT REPRESENTS THE CITY OWNED SHELTERS PRIOR TO FISCAL YEAR 27 PROPOSED. UM, THESE INVESTMENTS WERE CATEGORIZED AS SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTS OR GRANTS IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET. THE INVESTMENT IS NOT REDUCING, HOWEVER, IT IS TRANSITIONING TO DEPARTMENT OPERATING BUDGETS TO MORE ACCURATELY REFLECT THE NATURE OF THESE CONTRACTS COMPARED TO THE INVESTMENTS IN THE SOCIAL SERVICE GRANTS. THIS ALSO DOES NOT REPRESENT THE OTHER INVESTMENTS ACROSS THE CITY, INCLUDING INVESTMENTS IN LOCAL HOUSING VOUCHERS, WHICH WE'LL TALK ABOUT IN A BIT, AS WELL AS RENTAL ASSISTANCE. AND THE SOBERING CENTER, IF YOU ALL WILL REMEMBER, WE MOVE THAT TO ONE TIME FUNDING, UM, FOR FISCAL YEAR 27. AND THEN I WANT TO WALK A LITTLE BIT THROUGH THE CONVERSATION THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING ABOUT THE SOCIAL SERVICE EVALUATION PROCESS. WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING THESE INVESTMENTS DURING, UM, WE BEGAN DISCUSSING IT DURING THE FISCAL YEAR 26 PROCESS, PRIMARILY DUE TO THE CONTINUED CONSTRAINTS THE CITY HAS ON REVENUE GROWTH COMPARED TO EXPENDITURE GROWTH. AS WE BEGAN THE DETAILS OF THIS WORK AT THE BEGINNING OF THE, OF THE CALENDAR YEAR, WE DID, WE RECEIVED DIRECTION FROM THE COUNCIL THROUGH A RESOLUTION. THEY ASKED STAFF TO CREATE A RUBRIC TO ASSESS AND PRIORITIZE WHICH OF THESE CITY'S EXISTING SOCIAL SERVICE GRANTS SHOULD BE FULLY FUNDED, PARTIALLY FUNDED OR ELIMINATED, WEIGHING SEVERAL FACTORS, UM, TO, TO REVIEW THIS. AND WE CREATED A RUBRIC AND SHARED WITH THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE IN MAY AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS OF CONVERSATION AND ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY VENDORS, PARTNERS, AND DEPARTMENTAL SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS, IN REVIEWING THE FOCUS AREAS AND CONTRACTS, THERE WERE 14 CONTRACTS THAT WERE EXEMPTED BASED ON THE DIRECT IMPACT TO CITY OPERATIONS, LIKE THE SHELTERS OR THE CITIES OR REGIONALS GRANT FUNDING THAT REQUIRES LOCAL INVESTMENT TO CONTINUE RECEIVING FEDERAL FUNDING. DEPARTMENT PARTNERS THEN TOOK THE RUBRIC AND LOOKED AT, UM, UH, COMPLETED A STRATEGIC REVIEW OF THE CONTRACTS BASED ON THE FOUNDATION OF THE RUBRIC, AND INCLUDING THE FACTORS OF, UM, REVIEWING WHETHER THERE'S DUPLICATION OPPORTUNITY FOR CONSOLIDATION PERFORMANCE, THE DEGREE OF STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, WHETHER OR NOT THEY WERE CLOSELY ALIGNED OR NOT ALIGNED TO THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND HISTORICAL SPENDING, HISTORICAL UNDERSPENDING TO REACH THEIR TARGETS. I THINK I WANNA FOCUS ON THE RUBRICS JUST A LITTLE BIT AND JUST WALK THROUGH THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES. UM, THIS RUBRIC LOOKED AT FIVE MAJOR AREAS, AS WAS INCLUDED IN, UM, SOME OF THE DIRECTION. AND THE, THIS WAS THE GUIDING PRINCIPLE TO IDENTIFY THE LEVEL OF PRIORITY FOR THE FOCUS AREA. THE CONTRACT ANALYSIS INCLUDED, UM, THE CONTRACT ANALYSIS BY STAFF THEN INCLUDED THOSE FIVE OTHER AREAS THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER, THE CITY'S AUDIT, THE CITY AUDITOR'S RECENT REPORT ON SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTS, ALTHOUGH FOCUSED ON CONTRACT MANAGEMENT OF THOSE CONTRACTS, IDENTIFIED PERFORMANCE AS A KEY CONCERN IN SEVERAL OF THE CONTRACTS REVIEW. AS SUCH, BECAUSE OF THE TIMING AND THE, THE DYNAMIC OF THESE CONVERSATIONS, THE FOCUS OF THE CONVERSATIONS HAS SHIFTED TO PERFORMANCE. BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO NAVIGATE THROUGH THE FULL REVIEW INTENDED. IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE GOAL OF THE TEAM TO CONTINUE THIS WORK BEYOND THE CURRENT REVIEW, IDENTIFYING THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF INVESTMENTS FOR SOCIAL SERVICE GRANTS. AS WE CONTINUE TO GRAPPLE WITH THE CONSTRAINED FISCAL REALITIES OF THE CITY. WE ARE COMMITTED TO CONTINUING THE WORK THAT ALIGNS THE CITY COUNCIL'S DIRECTION TO IMPLEMENT CONTINUED OUTREACH, BUILD UPON THE CREATIVE RUBRIC, AND REFINING THE ANALYSIS WHERE NEEDED TO RESTRUCTURE THE CITY'S SOCIAL SERVICE FRAMEWORK TO A LEVEL THAT IS SUSTAINABLE AND ADDRESSES THE PRIORITIES OF THIS COMMUNITY. AND THE, AND THE COUNCIL, THE CITY MANAGER HAS ARTICULATED A GOAL AND VISION TO RESTORE STRUCTURAL BALANCE TO THE GENERAL FUND. THE REVIEW OF THIS FRAMEWORK CANNOT BE COMPLETED IN ISOLATION. THE SOCIAL SERVICES INVESTMENTS SHOULD ALIGN WITH THE CITY'S INVESTMENTS AND CORE SERVICES SUCH AS OUR PARKS, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, LIBRARIES, AND PUBLIC SAFETY. THE GOAL IS TO INVEST IN OUR CORE FUNCTIONS, ENSURING THAT WE CAN ACHIEVE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY IN THE GENERAL FUND. THINKING THROUGH OUR HOUSING, LOCAL HOUSING VOUCHER INVESTMENTS. THERE'S BEEN SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT, UM, THE FUNDING AND THE, THE REQUEST FOR THE $7.8 MILLION. UM, AND THIS [03:35:01] SLIDE REALLY FOCUSES ON, UM, THE PROPERTIES THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THOSE INVESTMENTS. UM, THE CITY'S INVESTMENT IN LOCAL HOUSING VOUCHERS IS KEY TO THE SUCCESS AND SUSTAINABILITY OF THE CITY'S INVESTMENTS AND PROPERTIES AND ARE INSTRUMENTAL IN THE FULL SOCIAL SERVICE FRAMEWORK. THE OVERALL INVESTMENT REQUIRED IS A $7.8 MILLION FOR THESE SEVEN PROPERTIES. UM, AND THIS IS THROUGH THE CITY AND IS AN ONGOING INVESTMENT, UH, NEED. THE COST AS YOU SEE HERE, IS THE AVERAGE COST PER UNIT FOR THE 374, UH, UNITS THAT ARE CURRENTLY ONLINE. SPEAKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR CAPITAL BUDGET, I THINK THERE WERE SOME QUESTIONS OR ASKED TO LOOK AT OUR CAPITAL SPEND OVER THIS, UH, FISCAL YEAR OVER THE FIVE YEAR FORECAST. UM, AND SO IF YOU LOOK AT OUR, UM, SPENDING PLAN FOR, UM, THIS 2027 PLANNED YEAR THROUGH FISCAL YEAR 20 20, 20 31, YOU'LL SEE THAT THERE'S A $4.25 BILLION PLANNED SPENDING FOR, UM, THIS COMING FISCAL YEAR. OUR ENTERPRISE DEPARTMENTS ARE ABOUT 80% OF THAT SPENDING. THE, THE LARGE PROJECTS THAT YOU ALL ARE AWARE OF, UM, AUSTIN ENERGY, UM, AVIATION AUSTIN WATER PIBS ARE $252 MILLION. AND THAT INCLUDES THE EXISTING BOND PROGRAMS. AND THEN THE OTHERS INCLUDE THE EXPANSION OF THE CONVENTION CENTER AND, UM, SMALLER OTHER, UH, FUNDING SOURCES SUCH AS GRANTS OR LOANS. YOU'LL SEE THIS TAPERING DOWN OF OUR CAPITAL SPEND PLAN THROUGH THIS, UH, FORECAST PERIOD, PRIMARILY AS THE REDUCTION OF, UM, OR THE COMPLETION OF THE CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION PROJECT. THERE'S CONTINUED INVESTMENT IN THE DARK GREEN THAT YOU'LL SEE OF THE CONTINUED WORK AT AVIATION. AND THEN THE LIGHTER GREEN AND DARK BLUE REPRESENTS THE WORK OF OUR AUSTIN WATER DEPARTMENT AND AUSTIN ENERGY RESPECTIVELY. THESE NEXT TWO SLIDES WALK THROUGH THE, UM, INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENT SPEND PLANS SHOWING THE INDIVIDUAL SPENDING PLANS FOR FISCAL YEAR 27, AS WELL AS THE, UM, COMBINED SPENDING PLANS FOR 28 THROUGH 31 AND THE TOTAL FOR EACH OF THESE YEARS. AGAIN, THIS, THIS SECOND SLIDE ALSO WALKS THROUGH THE SPENDING PLAN FOR THE DEPARTMENTS. UM, I THINK THERE WERE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT PARKS AND RECREATION. I KNOW THERE WAS JUST A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE SPENDING PLAN SPENDING FOR THESE DEPARTMENTS. AND SO I JUST WANTED TO SHOW THE SUMMARY OF THE, UH, INTENDED SPEND SPEND BASED ON CURRENT FUNDING, UM, THAT WAS INCLUDED IN THE FISCAL YEAR 27 PROPOSED BUDGET. AND WITH THAT, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. UH, MEMBERS, IF YOU WANT TO BE RECOGNIZED, PLEASE, UM, MAKE SURE I KNOW ABOUT IT. LET ME, UH, START WITH A, A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS, A MAYBE LESS QUESTIONS AND MEMBERS, AS I POSTED ON THE MESSAGE BOARD, I'M, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT HOW WE GOT WHERE WE ARE ON SOCIAL SERVICES AND, UM, HOW IT'S BEING PERCEIVED PUBLICLY. AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE AS A POLICYMAKING BODY TAKE THE TIME AND ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS TO GET US WHERE WE WE MIGHT WANT TO BE AS A POLICY MAKING BODY. UM, AND, AND THE MS. LANG DIRECT LANG, I WANNA MAKE SURE THE, THE INITIAL ESTIMATE FOR NECESSARY CUTS TO SOCIAL SERVICES THAT STAFF IDENTIFIED LAST FALL BEGAN AT $16.8 MILLION. IS THAT RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT. AND, AND NOW WE'RE ULTIMATELY DOWN TO 5.3 MILLION BECAUSE STAFF DECIDED TO IMPLEMENT THE 16.8 MILLION IN CUTS OVER TWO YEARS, UM, AND SET ASIDE ANOTHER 2.9 MILLION FOR THE SOBERING CENTER IN, IN THE RESERVES. IS THAT CORRECT? SO I'D KIND OF LIKE TO BACK UP AND TALK ABOUT THE ORIGINAL 16.8 MILLION IN REDUCTIONS BECAUSE EVERYTHING AFTER THAT HAS BEEN A RESULT OF THE MANAGER SETTING THAT AMOUNT AS A GOAL FOR, FOR WHATEVER REASON IT WAS SET AS A GOAL, IT BECAME THE GOAL AND, AND FOR WHATEVER REASON, ITEMS THAT WERE SET THERE TO BE REDUCED, THAT BECAME THE GOAL THAT THAT SERVED AS THE BASIS OF THE PROPOSED BUDGET, RIGHT? YES, SIR. SO, UM, TO ME, UH, TRYING TO ANALYZE THIS BUDGET AND TRYING TO ANALYZE THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY, SOME OF THE RATIONALE FOR THE CUTS FEELS LIKE IT'S, IT'S PRETTY SIMPLE AND IT'S TO MEET A $5.3 MILLION GOAL IN THIS YEAR AND ULTIMATELY A $16.8 MILLION GOAL. 'CAUSE OF COURSE, WE'RE GONNA BE BACK HERE NEXT YEAR DOING THE SAME THING. ISN'T THAT RIGHT? [03:40:02] YES. UM, SO MEMBERS, AS I, AS I PUT OUT ON THE MESSAGE BOARD, I WOULD PREFER FOR US TO HAVE A BETTER FOUNDATION, WHAT I BELIEVE WILL BE A BETTER FOUNDATION FOR DECISION MAKING ON THESE SERVICES BASED UPON SOME MECHANISM FOR PRO PROCESS THAT WILL GIVE US A MORE THOROUGH ANALYSIS, UM, OF THE WORLD OF NEED THAT IS IN THE COMMUNITY, UH, AND MAKING SURE WE HAVE CLEAR GOALS THAT ARE SET SO THAT WHEN IT COMES TO PERFORMANCE REVIEWS, WHEN IT COMES TO THINGS LIKE STRATEGIC PLAN, A STRATEGIC, UM, WHAT'S THE, WHAT STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT IS THE NEW WORD OF THE, OF THE WEEK, UM, THAT WE ARE, WE ARE ACTUALLY INTO SOME FORM OF STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT. UM, AS I POINTED OUT ON THE MESSAGE BOARD, UH, ONE OF THE CONCERNS I HAD, WE, WE, WE ALL RECEIVED A, A, A MEMO THAT WAS OVER A HUNDRED PAGES LONG, UH, A AT SEVEN O'CLOCK ON FRIDAY, AND THAT'S 12 DAYS BEFORE WE HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION ABOUT SOCIAL SERVICES. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT BUGGED ME ABOUT THAT MEMO, AND I SAT THROUGH IT AND I ACTUALLY STARTED COUNTING, UM, IN SOME INSTANCES THE PHRASE STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT MEANT IT GOT A REDUCTION OR IT WAS THE JUSTIFICATION FOR A REDUCTION. AND IN SOME INSTANCES, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT WAS THERE WAS NO REDUCTION. SO IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO TELL. SO THE QUESTION, FIRST QUESTION I HAVE IS, WHOSE STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT? SO AS PART OF THE RESOLUTION, THERE WAS, UM, SOME DIRECTION TO LOOK AT THE CITY'S STRATEGIC PLAN AND THE COMMUNITY, UM, HEALTH INVESTMENT, UM, PLAN TO IDENTIFY WHETHER OR NOT THESE CONTRACTS ALIGN WITH THE CURRENT CONTRACTS, ALIGN WITH THOSE PLANS. AND I THINK THE INSTRUCTIONS WERE ALSO TO, UM, LOOK AT OTHER PLANS THAT THE CITY HAD PUT IN PLACE. AND SO WHEN WE SAY STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, IT'S BASED ON LOOKING AT THE CITYWIDE STRATEGIC PLAN AND THE OTHER PLANS THAT HAVE BEEN PUT IN PLACE ACROSS THE CITY. AND THEN WE'RE LOOKING AT WHICH, WHICH CONTRACTS ARE CLOSER, INVEST ARE CLOSER, CLOSER ALIGNED TO THOSE PLANS AND FURTHER ALIGNED TO THOSE PLANS. AND SO I RECOGNIZED THAT THERE WAS SOME, UM, MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT WHAT WE MEANT BY STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT. AND THE, THE GOAL THAT THE STAFF WAS TRYING TO, UM, ARTICULATE WAS IF A CONTRACT WAS MAINTAINED, THEN IT WAS CLOSER TO THAT STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT. IF A CONTRACT WAS REDUCED, THEN IT WAS FURTHER FROM THAT STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT. OKAY. UM, BUT YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHY NOW, UM, EIGHT DAYS BEFORE WE HAVE TO VOTE, IT MAKES IT EVEN MORE DIFFICULT BECAUSE OF HOW THAT PROCESS PLAYED OUT. YES, SIR. AND, AND, AND THE OTHER THING THAT, THAT I SAW WE ALL SAW IN, IN THE OVER A HUNDRED PAGE MEMO WAS THAT IN SOME INSTANCES, PERFORMANCE SERVED AS A JUSTIFICATION FOR A REDUCTION. NOW, I MUST ADMIT, AND, AND I, I'M NOW TOLD I DID IT WRONGLY, BUT I ADMIT I THOUGHT THAT THAT WAS SOMEHOW BASED UPON THE AUDIT, WHICH I THINK, FRANKLY I PROBABLY AM REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COMMUNITY, UM, IN IN THAT REGARDS, THE COMMUNITY THOUGHT THAT, THAT, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PERFORMANCE, WE WERE PROBABLY TALKING ABOUT THE AUDIT, BUT I'M TOLD THAT THAT'S NOT THE CASE. THAT IS A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION THAT WAS DONE SPECIFICALLY BY STAFF. IS THAT RIGHT? THAT IS CORRECT. UM, PERFORMANCE WAS ONE OF THE, UH, FACTORS THAT STAFF REVIEWED IN THE, UM, REVIEW OF ALL THE CONTRACTS. AND SO IF, IF YOU REMEMBER, WE STARTED WITH THE, UM, THE CREATION OF THE RUBRIC TO IDENTIFY THE FOCUS AREAS, AND THEN STAFF WENT DOWN INTO THE INDIVIDUAL CONTRACTS AND REVIEWED IT, AND PERFORMANCE WAS ONE OF THE INDICATORS FOR THAT REVIEW. SO WHILE NOW WE'VE GOT STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, WHATEVER THAT MIGHT BE, AND WE'VE GOT PERFORMANCE, WHOEVER MAKES THAT DETERMINATION OF WHAT IT MIGHT BE AS THE REASONS FOR REDUCTIONS. THE LOGIC OF MY MESSAGE BOARD POST, I THINK IS THE SAME. WE AS A COUNCIL AND AN AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE, AND THE COUNCIL WANTED AN AUDIT BECAUSE WE FELT VERY STRONGLY THAT WE WANTED TO BE SURE THAT THE SERVICES WERE BEING PROVIDED SERVICES THAT WE SAID WE WANTED AND WERE PART OF OUR STRATEGY OF HOW TO, TO GOVERN AS A, AS A COUNCIL, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THOSE SERVICES WERE ACTUALLY BEING PROVIDED NOT TO USE IT AS A DEFACTO WAY TO DO AWAY WITH [03:45:01] THE SERVICES. AND THERE HASN'T BEEN, IN MY VIEW, A, A CLEAN, IF YOU WILL, DESCRIPTION OF WHY WE ARE NOW SAYING WE WANT TO UTILIZE PERFORMANCE OR STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT. AGAIN, WHATEVER THOSE MIGHT MEAN TO DO AWAY WITH THE ACTUAL SERVICES, WE MAY WANT THOSE SERVICES. NOW WHAT MAY HAPPEN IS WE LOOK AT PERFORMANCE AND WE SAY, WELL, YOU'RE, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. THEIR PERFORMANCE WAS, WAS WRONG. KIRK'S KIDS, FOR EXAMPLE, WHICH IS NOT A NON FOR NONPROFIT BY THE WAY, BUT UM, BUT WOULD BE A GOOD ONE. KIRK'S KIDS ISN'T PERFORMING THE WAY IT OUGHT TO PERFORM, BUT WE STILL THINK THOSE KIDS NEED TO BE FED. SO CAN WE TAKE THAT MONEY AND PUT IT WITH CHEETOS CHILDREN AND MAKE IT WORK THAT WAY? UM, BUT YOU, SO YOU GET MY POINT. I DON'T THINK WE, OR SO WHAT I'VE RECOMMENDED, AND I'LL JUST GO TO MY RECOMMENDATION. WHAT I'VE RECOMMENDED IS THAT WE DO A ONE-TIME APPROPRIATION FOR THE, AND, AND IN MY CASE, I FOCUSED ON CHILDREN. I FOCUSED ON CHILDREN, BUT I THINK IT APPLIES ACROSS THE BOARD. AND THAT IS, WE SAY WE'RE GONNA MAKE AN APPROPRIATION OF THIS ADDITIONAL MONEY, AND IT WILL BE THEN WHAT WE'RE GOING, IT'S JUST, IT'S A ONE TIME APPROPRI APPROPRIATION. IT'S A ONE IN ONE FELL SWOOP. AND THEN WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IS WE'RE GOING TO ASK THAT THE EVALUATIONS OF THE CONTRACTS COME BACK. WE ACTUALLY EVALUATE THOSE CONTRACTS. WE USE THE AUDIT, WE USE WHATEVER PERFORMANCE STANDARDS ARE APPROPRIATE, BUT IF IT COMES BACK AND WE, AND WE FIND THAT THAT'S NOT A CONTRACT WE WANT TO CONTINUE, WE MAKE THE DECISION ABOUT WHETHER IT'S A SERVICE WE WANT TO CONTINUE, AND THEN THE NEXT, THAT'S STEP ONE AND STEP TWO. AND STEP THREE IS WE LOOK AT OVERALL OUR SOCIAL SERVICE SPEND OVER THE NEXT YEAR SO THAT WHEN WE COME BACK NEXT YEAR AND WE'RE FACED WITH THIS KIND OF BUDGET, WE DO IT IN SUCH A WAY THAT WE'RE MAKING A FULL DETERMINATION ABOUT WHAT WE WANT TO, AS PART OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN, SEE OUR SOCIAL SERVICES BE. NOW THAT DOES TWO THINGS AT LEAST. ONE IS IT'S NOT A BLANKET REAUTHORIZATION, IT IS ALSO NOT A BLANKET REDUCTION OR CUTS. IT IS A MORE, IN MY VIEW, MORE METHODICAL, THOUGHTFUL APPROACH TO GET TO THE POINT THAT WE, THAT I THINK IS THE SENSE OF THE COUNCIL AND THE SENSE OF THE COMMUNITY, UH, BEFORE WE, WE HAVE A BLANKET REDUCTION. THIS THING'S GONNA START CHIMING HERE IN A SECOND. SO I'M GONNA SHUT UP. I WANTED TO DO IT. UM, AND I'LL PASS IT TO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL, FOLLOWED BY COUNCIL MEMBER CADRE, THEN COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I'M REALLY GLAD YOU MADE THAT POINT THAT, UM, EVEN IF THE PARTICULAR VENDORS AND LIVING UP TO THEIR CONTRACT DOESN'T MEAN WE WANNA DEFUND THAT PROGRAMMATIC AREA, RIGHT? WE WANNA FUND MENTAL HEALTH AND THEN RELY ON STAFF TO HAVE THE RIGHT MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS RIGHT. WHO ARE LIVING UP TO THAT PROMISE. THAT'S EXACTLY, THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. UM, SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT POINT. UM, UH, DIRECTOR LANG WANTED TO SEE IF I COULD FOLLOW UP ON A COUPLE QUESTIONS. UM, I DON'T MEAN TO TO PRESS Y'ALL. I KNOW YOUR TEAM IS ABSOLUTELY SWAMPED WITH WORK, BUT WE ARE RUNNING UP AGAINST THESE DEADLINES TO FILE AMENDMENTS. AND SO I WANTED TO FOLLOW UP, UM, I GUESS PREVIOUSLY A THURSDAY, I, I HAD SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE, UH, POLICE DEPARTMENT FUNDING LI LINE ITEM FOR THE BLUE SANTA WAREHOUSE. AND, UM, I THINK Y'ALL WERE GONNA START RESEARCHING, UH, THE, THE COSTS, UH, FOR THAT PROGRAM. UH, I'M WONDERING IF YOU HAVE THAT NOW? WE DO. WE'RE PULLING IT UP. THANK YOU MA'AM. WHILE WE'RE LOOKING IT UP, DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION? I GOT A COUPLE. THANK YOU. UM, UH, I GUESS LAST TUESDAY WE WERE ASKING FOR A COST BREAKDOWN OF THE HEM, THE, UH, HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM. UH, WE WOULD LIKE THE COST BREAKDOWN ACROSS DEPARTMENTS FOR THAT PROGRAM. DO WE HAVE THOSE NUMBERS? I THOUGHT THAT WAS ANSWERED IN THE CBQ, BUT LET ME CHECK WITH THE TEAM. I THOUGHT WE HAD THAT ANSWERED. OKAY. TAKE THAT ONE. DIRECTOR GRAY'S GONNA TAKE THAT ONE. FANTASTIC. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR. HEY, COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID GRAY, DIRECTOR FOR AUSTIN HOME STRATEGIES AND OPERATIONS. I'M GONNA PULL UP THE INFORMATION FOR YOU. WE, WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO GO TO YOUR NEXT QUESTION, BUT I'M GONNA STAY HERE UNTIL WE GET YOU THAT ANSWER, BUT WE DO HAVE THE ANSWER. I JUST HAVE TO PULL IT UP. OKAY. UH, THIRD BUCKET. UM, I WANTED TO ASK SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE HOUSING VOUCHERS PROGRAM. I DON'T KNOW IF THE THESE SHOULD BE [03:50:01] DIRECTED TO, UH, BUDGET OR TO HOUSING. COULD BE, COULD BE ONE OR BOTH. OKAY. UM, I, LOOKING AT THE PRESENTATION HERE AND, UH, I GUESS IT'S, IS IT PAGE 14? UM, I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THE DIFFERENT PROPERTIES LISTED. WHICH OF THESE ARE CITY OWNED? A HFC PROPERTIES OF THE SEVEN DELAINE, DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN HOUSING COUNCIL MEMBER YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT? OF THE SEVEN? YES MA'AM. ALL OF THOSE SEVEN WITH THE EXCEPTION, WELL, NOT ALL THE SEVEN, BUT SIX OF THOSE. THE SEVENTH BEING KATIE LOFTS IS NOT OWNED BY A HFC. THANK YOU. AND, UH, DIRECTOR, DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENT MFI LEVELS AT THESE PROPERTIES? DO WE HAVE ACCESS TO THAT INFORMATION TODAY? DO NOT. ALL RIGHT. I'M GONNA HAVE MY HOUSING OFFICER COME UP. THANK YOU. WE NEED SOME MORE CHAIRS OVER THERE. YEAH. GOOD AFTERNOON. NICOLE JOCELYN, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OFFICER FOR AUSTIN HOUSING. I DO NOT HAVE THE BREAKDOWN IN FRONT OF ME OF THE MFI LEVELS. GENERALLY THEY'RE MOSTLY 30% AND 50% MFI UNITS. THERE ARE TWO PROPERTIES ON HERE, KAREN POINT, CAMERON, AND SPARROW THAT ARE NOT SOLELY PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING. SO THEY HAVE A MIX OF PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING RESIDENTS AND THEN OTHER RESIDENTS THAT ARE SERVED BY THE LITECH PROGRAM. THANK YOU. AND DO YOU KNOW THE KIND OF BREAKDOWN OF, OF UNIT SIZE, YOU KNOW, SINGLE OCCUPANCY VERSUS THREE BEDROOM, ET CETERA? THESE ARE ALL EFFICIENCY UNITS. OKAY. GREAT. AND THEN LAST QUESTION IN THIS KIND OF STRAND HERE, UM, AFTER FISCAL YEAR 27 IS STAFF IS UNABLE TO FIND, I GUESS, THE ADDITIONAL MILLION DOLLARS FOR HOUSING VOUCHERS. HOW WOULD WE ACCOUNT FOR THE IMPACTED UNITS THAT DON'T RECEIVE FUNDING? IF UNITS THAT ARE SUPPORTED BY THE LOCAL HOUSING VOUCHER PROGRAM TODAY ARE NOT SUPPORTED THROUGH THE, THE REST OF THEIR HOUSING ASSISTANCE PAYMENT CONTRACT, THOSE PROPERTIES WILL NOT BE COLLECTING THAT RENT FOR THOSE UNITS. AND THOSE PROPERTIES WILL LIKELY BE DEFAULTING ON LOANS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE TO THOSE DEVELOPMENTS AND THEIR OBLIGATIONS UNDER THOSE LOANS TO BE SERVING PEOPLE EX EXITING HOMELESSNESS. OKAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT CONTEXT. UM, DIRECTOR BACK TO YOU OR DR. DIRECTOR GRAY IS READY. SORRY SIR, GO AHEAD. HEY, COUNCIL MEMBER. SO THE TOTAL COST FOR THAT HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT MANAGEMENT OPERATION FOR THAT REPORTING PERIOD OF MAY 11TH TO JUNE 5TH WAS $719,361. OF THAT 62% WAS STAFF COST. UH, AND THAT STAFF COST LIVES IN SEPARATE DEPARTMENTS. IF I COULD OUTLINE THAT FOR YOU NOW, OR WE CAN, UH, SEND YOUR STAFF THE CBQ. UH, WE CAN TAKE A MINUTE MORE ON THIS ONE IF YOU WANNA JUST DO THE HIGH LEVEL SUMMARIES FOR THE CATEGORIES. SURE. SO IN TERMS OF OVERALL COST, UH, FOR AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY, IT WAS $147,000. AUSTIN POLICE $127,000. TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS, $102,000 WATERSHED PROTECTION, $182,000, HOMELESS STRATEGIES AND OPERATIONS, $127,000 PARKS AND RECREATION, $20,000 AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, $12,000. THANKS SO MUCH, DIRECTOR. UH, THAT'S ALL FOR THAT CATEGORY OF QUESTIONS. THANK YOU, SIR. UM, ARE WE READY? UM, LU SANTA? YEP. UH, THE $1.2 MILLION NEW ALLOCATION FOR POLICE AT THE GROVE IS SPLIT BETWEEN THE POLICE EQUIPMENT DIVISION AND THE OFFICE OF THE COMMUNITY LIAISON. IT'S ABOUT 50 50 AND ALSO IT'S SPLIT ABOUT 50 50 FOR BOTH OF THOSE UNITS IN TERMS OF WAREHOUSE SPACE VERSUS OFFICE SPACE. AND THEN WITHIN THE OFFICE OF COMMUNITY LIAISON, THEY HAVE SALT AUTISM AWARENESS, BLUE SANTA NATIONAL NIGHT OUT, AFRICAN AMERICAN QUALITY OF LIFE, ASIAN AMERICAN QUALITY OF LIFE, AND LGBTQ PLUS QUALITY OF LIFE. SO WHEN YOU NET ALL THAT OUT, THE AMOUNT THAT'S ACTUALLY BEING USED FOR THE BLUE SANTA STORAGE IS, IS A SMALL PROPORTION OF THAT 1.2 MILLION FRACTION OF A FRACTION. DO WE HAVE A SENSE OF HOW MUCH TOTAL FUNDING GOES INTO BLUE SANTA? LIKE, UH, OR IS IT THE, IS THE THE WAREHOUSE COST, THE ONLY COST? ARE THERE OTHER COSTS THAT ARE BUDGETED FOR THIS PROGRAM? I BELIEVE THERE'S STAFF, BUT THEY DO THOSE OTHER PROGRAMS AS WELL. SO IT'S PROPORTIONATE AMOUNT, SO IT, THE STAFF COVER AS BLUE SANTA AS WELL AS THE OTHER, UH, INITIATIVES THAT ERIC JUST MENTIONED. OKAY, GREAT. THANK YOU. UH, I DID HAVE A QUICK AUSTIN WATER QUESTION. IF, UM, IF OUR GENERAL MANAGER OR ANY, OH, SORRY. I'M SORRY. NOT AUSTIN WATER. I MISSPOKE. UH, DIRECTOR, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY, UH, MY APOLOGIES. AND THEN, UM, DIRECTOR GRAY, UH, IF [03:55:01] YOU HAVE THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION, UM, THOSE INCREASES YOU MENTIONED, ARE THOSE ALL AN INCREASE FROM THE PRIOR POLICIES OR WERE ANY OF THOSE EXPENDITURES ALREADY BUDGETED IS A FOLLOW-UP QUESTION I HAD, BUT, UM, THANK YOU JIM RILEY. UM, SO THIS IS ABOUT THE RATE CHANGES. UM, WE'RE IN VOLUME TWO OF THE BUDGET. OH MY GOD, I HAVE SCREWED UP MY NOTES HERE. UM, I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ASKING ABOUT AUSTIN WATER AFTER ALL. SO, UM, EVERYBODY YOU'RE SEEING THE, UH, THE UGLY SIDE OF THE BUDGET PROCESS HERE, UH, STAFF IS SMARTER THAN THE COUNCIL MEMBER. UM, DIRECTOR GRAY, DO YOU HAVE A FOLLOW UP ON, ON MY QUESTION, PLEASE? YES, SIR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER. SO THE BULK OF THOSE COSTS, ABOUT 62% OF THOSE COSTS WERE FOR STAFF SALARIES. SO THAT WAS ALREADY IN THE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGETS. THE OTHER COSTS WERE FOR, UH, DISPOSAL FEES, UH, CLEANING CREWS THAT WE CONTRACT WITH, ET CETERA. UH, AND THOSE COSTS WERE ALSO ALREADY BUDGETED FOR IN THOSE DEPARTMENTS BUDGETS. UH, SO THE MONEY WAS ALLOCATED, WE JUST SHIFTED IT FROM THE OLD WAY THAT WE USED TO DO THE ENCAMPMENT MANAGEMENT WORK INTO THE NEW PROCESS. OKAY. THANKS AGAIN, SIR. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU, SIR. UH, DIRECTOR ROLSON, UM, WITH MY MAIN REMAINING, UH, MINUTE AND A HALF OR SO, UM, FOR THE RATE CHANGES ON PAGE 4 1 2, VOLUME TWO OF THE BUDGET, WE SEE A 56% INCREASE IN FEE FOR THE LOWEST TIER OF THE CONSUMER OR CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. UM, WOULD YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN THE INCREASE AND HOW THIS MIGHT IMPACT CUSTOMERS ENROLLED IN THE CAP? YES, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. SO OUR, UH, RATES ARE DESIGNED TO MAINTAIN A, UH, ABOUT A 49% DISCOUNT FOR OUR CAP CUSTOMERS. UM, AND AS WE ARE MAKING OUR ADJUSTMENTS, UM, ACROSS THE BOARD, THE, UM, THE CAP LOWEST RATE WILL GO FROM $1 AND 37 CENTS, UM, TO $2 AND 14 CENTS. AND THAT, THAT IS A 56% INCREASE. BUT IT IS, UM, IT IS THAT, UM, UH, THAT 1 37 TO $2 AND 14 CENTS INCREASE. THANK YOU. AND, UM, HOW DOES THIS IN INCRE INCREASED FEE IMPACT? HOW FAR CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE DOLLARS WILL GO IN TERMS OF SUPPORTING THESE CUSTOMERS? JOSEPH GONZALEZ, DEPUTY DIRECTOR AUSTIN WATER. UM, AS, AS SHEA MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PROPOSED RATE UPDATES WOULD PROVIDE A 49% DISCOUNT FOR, FOR CAP CUSTOMERS. UH, IN, IN THE CURRENT YEAR, THAT DISCOUNT IS, UH, ABOUT 52%. UH, BUT WITH THE RECENT ENROLLMENT GROWTH FOR, FOR OUR CAP CUSTOMER PROGRAMS, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE ACTUALLY AT A DEFICIT IN TERMS OF OUR COMMUNITY COMMUNITY BENEFIT CHARGE REVENUES THAT WE USE TO FUND THOSE DISCOUNTS. UH, SO WE MOVED THE DISCOUNT DOWN TO 49%, UH, TO, TO, UH, GET TO A CLOSER ALIGNMENT BETWEEN THE REVENUES THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO FUND THE PROGRAM AND THE, THE CURRENT ENROLLMENT LEVELS. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER, I'M SORRY. COUNCIL MEMBER CADRE. COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER. COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES. UM, I JUST HAD A QUICK QUESTION. I, UM, CAME ACROSS, UM, SOME GREAT WORK THAT COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON AND COUNCIL MEMBER ALISON ALTER HAD DONE BACK IN 2022. BEFORE MY TIME ON COUNCIL, THEY HAD REQUESTED AN AUDIT AND THE AUDIT CAME BACK. UM, THIS IS OBVIOUSLY FROM, FROM 2022, THAT CRASHES INVOLVING CITY OWNED VEHICLES COST THE CITY $8.4 MILLION. AND THEN IN THAT AUDIT, IT SHOWED THAT THERE WAS 1,855 CRASHES. IT RESULTED IN $8.4 MILLION IN REPAIRS AND REPLACEMENTS. AND THAT 47% OF THOSE, UM, THEY FOUND OUT WAS THE FAULT OF THE CITY. AND, AND, AND I THINK THE, THE BIGGEST THING THAT'S COME OUT IN RECENT TIMES IS A, UM, AND, AND THERE WAS AN ARTICLE THAT CAME OUT IN, I THINK KXN, UM, ABOUT A, UH, A FORMER A PD OFFICER WHO WAS TEXTING AND DRIVING AND, AND HIT TWO FOLKS WHO WERE SERIOUSLY, UH, HARMED. SO, YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY THE CITY, CITY IS AT FAULT AT TIMES OF THAT, UM, $4.8 MILLION. OF THAT 8.4 WAS WHEN, WHEN VEHICLES WERE COMPLETELY TOTALED. UM, AND I KNOW THAT IN, IN THE ARTICLE HAD MENTIONED THE CITY TRIES TO OFFSET SOME OF THIS COST BY AUCTIONING OFF TOTALED VEHICLES. ANY MONEY GENERATED FROM A, UH, AUCTIONS IS TRANSFERRED TO THE CITY'S GENERAL FUND AND ENTERPRISE DEPARTMENTS. ACCORDING TO THE AUDIT, THE CITY'S FLEET MANAGEMENT DOES NOT BUDGET FOR, FOR REPLACING TOTAL VEHICLES EXCEPT, UH, FOR, FOR POLICE VEHICLES. AND IN FISCAL YEAR 22, THEY BUDGETED FOR 10 RESERVE VEHICLES FOR A PD AT A COST OF APPROXIMATELY HALF A MILLION DOLLARS. SO MY QUESTION, AND, AND I COULDN'T FIND THIS, SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHY I WANTED TO ASK IN FISCAL YEAR 27, WHAT'S THAT NUMBER, [04:00:05] MR. MAY, MAY I, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT WAS AN AUDIT. I THINK IT WAS A SPECIAL REPORT, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY. SPECIAL REPORT. YEAH. SO THEY'RE NOT LOOKING THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER. MM-HMM . I'M LOOKING FOR THE FLEET DIRECTOR. YEAH, I SEE IT. SHE'S WORKING HER WAY DOWN HERE. DIRECTOR WALLS IS ON HER WAY. OKAY. JENNIFER WALLS, UM, DIRECTOR OF FLEET MOBILITY SERVICES. I HAVE RICK HARLAND HERE, OUR DEPUTY WHO MANAGES THE ACCIDENT PROGRAM. WE SHOULD HAVE THAT NUMBER FOR YOU. TRYING TO PULL THIS NUMBER AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. SURE. UH, RICK HARLAND, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, ABOUT 20 RESERVE VEHICLES ARE WHAT WE'RE SETTING ASIDE FOR A PD THIS YEAR FOR, FOR FISCAL YEAR 27. AND WHAT'S THE COST ON THAT? UH, THERE, STANDBY. I WILL TELL YOU DIDN'T HAVE THAT NUMBER RIGHT OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD. SURE. COUNCIL MEMBER, AS HE'S LOOKING FOR THAT DETAIL. DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION? WELL, I GUESS MY FOLLOW UP QUESTION WOULD BE FROM, IT WAS 10, 10 VEHICLES IN FISCAL YEAR 22. NOW IT'S 20. IS IS THERE A REASONING THAT IT'S JUMPED UP? IT'S DOUBLED. SO WE, WE BUILD A RESERVE FLEET FOR A PD MM-HMM . BASED ON THE NUMBER OF TOTAL VEHICLES THAT THEY HAVE IN THE CURRENT YEAR OR IN THE PRIOR YEAR. SURE. SO WE'RE FORECASTING THE AMOUNT OF VEHICLES THAT WOULD POTENTIALLY BE TOTALED AND BUILDING UP THAT RESERVE FLEET. AS, YOU KNOW, THE LEAD TIME AND KIND OF COMPLEXITY OF A, A POLICE PURSUIT VEHICLE, I, NOTHING THAT YOU CAN GO BUY ON THE STREETS, SO YOU'VE GOTTA KIND OF PLAN AHEAD FOR THESE SORTS OF THINGS. SO WE'VE LOOKED AT ACCIDENTS IN THE PRIOR YEAR AND FY 25 FORECASTED OUT 20, UH, THE TOTAL NUMBER, THE TOTAL DOLLAR AMOUNT IN FY 27 IS, UH, $3.5 MILLION. 3.5 MILLION. OKAY. GREAT. THANK YOU. THANKS. COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER, COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES AND COUNCIL MEMBER LANG. THANK YOU. I JUST, I, I WANNA START WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, I PUT ON THE MESSAGE BOARD LAST NIGHT, AND I KNOW WE HAD THIS DISCUSSION A LITTLE BIT WHENEVER IT WAS, WE MET LAST, UH, AS A BODY ABOUT WHAT SHOULD WE DO WITH THE ADDITIONAL REVENUE WITH THE CERTIFIED ROLES, UH, THE 4.7 MILLION AND STAFF MADE A RECOMMENDATION TO USE THOSE FUNDS FOR THE HOUSING, LOCAL HOUSING VOUCHERS. UH, AND I THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE A REALLY WISE WAY FOR US TO TRY TO, OR TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE STABILITY TO THAT PROGRAM. IT DOESN'T FORECLOSE OUR ABILITY TO ALSO MAKE, UM, THE SAME LEVEL OF INVESTMENTS IN THE SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTS. BUT WE, EVERY BUDGET WE SHOW UP, WE HAVE FIVE CRISES, WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT, RIGHT, HOW ARE WE GONNA FUND THE VOUCHERS? HOW ARE WE GONNA FUND RENTAL ASSISTANCE? HOW ARE WE GONNA FUND SOCIAL SERVICES? HOW ARE WE GONNA FUND THIS OR THAT? AND WE ARE FACING NEXT BUDGET IF WE KEEP THINGS AS THEY ARE. ONCE AGAIN, ANOTHER QUESTION ABOUT SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTS, BUT ALSO THIS $5.7 MILLION QUESTION MARK OF THE LOCAL HOUSING VOUCHERS. AND IF INSTEAD WE TAKE THIS 4.7 AND WE DEDICATE IT TO THAT, IT DRAMATICALLY CLOSES THAT GAP TO JUST BE A $1 MILLION QUESTION MARK. THAT'S MUCH MORE MANAGEABLE. BUT WE'LL ALSO EQUALLY FREE UP DOLLARS BOTH IN THE HOUSING TRUST FUND AND IN THE HOPE FUND, THIS OF THE SIMILAR AMOUNT THAT WE CAN DEDICATE TO THE SOCIAL SERVICES THAT HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED MANY TIMES. UM, AND SO I, I THINK IF WE CAN TAKE AT LEAST ONE CRISIS OFF THE TABLE, IT WOULD BE REALLY PRUDENT OF US TO DO SO AND FOLLOW THAT RECOMMENDATION. AND I THINK IT WOULD ALSO ALLOW FOR US TO FEED INTO, OR TO, TO BETTER BE ABLE TO, TO GO THROUGH THE SOCIAL SERVICE RESET THAT I KNOW THE MANAGER IS WORKING ON, AND THEN THROUGH THAT PROCESS, BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THIS WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE FUNDED FROM THE HOUSING TRUST FUND, OR THIS WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE FUNDED FROM THE HOPE FUND. [04:05:01] UH, THERE ARE A LOT OF THOSE THINGS THAT, THAT WE CAN DO. SO, UM, I I WOULD JUST ASK FOR OPEN CONSIDERATION OF THAT. I DON'T THINK IT FORECLOSES ANY OF THE DESIRES OF THIS BODY TO CON TO MAKE THE RESTORATIONS, UH, TO SOCIAL SERVICES TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY. UH, AND I WANT TO JUST GET STAFF'S CLARIFICATION OR REITERATION. DID I, IS THERE ANYTHING I SAID THAT DOESN'T LINE UP? OR IF, CAN YOU JUST GIVE US A VERY CLEAR EXPLANATION OF WHY YOU MADE THAT RECOMMENDATION? YES, SIR. UM, AS WE WERE LOOKING AT THE 4.7 MILLION, WHEN WE FOUND OUT THAT THAT AMOUNT WAS AVAILABLE, I, I THINK I'VE HOPEFULLY TRIED TO ARTICULATE, UM, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE FUNDING THE, THE THINGS THAT THE CITY HAS TO DO, THE THINGS THAT ARE OUR OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENT. UM, AND WE LOOK AS THOUGH AT THOSE LOCAL HOUSING VOUCHERS, BASED ON THE THINGS THAT, UH, DIRECTOR, DEAN, AND HER TEAM HAS SAID IS SOMETHING THAT THE CITY HAS TO DO. SO THE RECOMMENDATION WAS TO FUND THE HOUSING VOUCHERS THROUGH THE GENERAL FUND AT THE 4.7 MILLION, WHICH WOULD ALLOW FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING AVAILABLE IN THE HOUSING TRUST FUND. WE COULD, UM, THEN TRANSFER ABOUT 2.3 MILLION FROM THE HOPE FUND INTO THE HOUSING TRUST FUND TO SUPPORT EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE. AND THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR ADDITIONAL DOLLARS IN THE HOPE FUND TO BE USED FOR, UM, THE SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTS. THAT, THAT WAS THE DESIRE OF THE COUNCIL. I THINK WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT IT LAST THURSDAY, WE DIDN'T SPECIFICALLY SAY FOR SOCIAL SERVICE GRANTS, UM, WE WERE LOOKING AT, UM, TRYING TO ALLOW FOR SOME FLEXIBILITY FOR ANY OF THE THINGS THAT WERE, UM, PRIORITY FOR COUNCIL. BUT THERE ARE SOME, UM, ITEMS THAT ARE CURRENTLY FUNDED THROUGH THE SOCIAL SERVICE GRANTS THAT COULD BE FUNDED, UM, PARTIALLY IN THE HOUSING TRUST FUND AND PARTIALLY IN THE HOPE FUND. OKAY. BUT THE NET RESULT WOULD BE STILL, BECAUSE YOU'RE JUST, IT IS HOW YOU ALLOCATE THOSE DOLLARS. WE WOULD HAVE TWO AND A HALF MILLION POTENTIALLY OF THE HOUSING TRUST FUND, TWO AND A QUARTER OUT OF THE HOPE FUND. SO STILL THAT 4.7 ISH AVAILABLE FOR SOCIAL SERVICE GRANTS, UH, WHEN ONCE YOU'D MADE THOSE ALLOCATIONS, YES, THERE WOULD BE, UM, BETWEEN, AND I'LL HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE EXACT DETAILS, BUT I WILL BE BETWEEN TWO AND A HALF AND 4 MILLION AVAILABLE. HOWEVER, I, I THINK, UM, SPEAKING TO SOME OF YOUR, UM, AS A COUNCIL'S THOUGHTS AND CONCERNS, I THINK THERE ARE SOME, UM, CHANGES AND VARIATIONS THAT THE COUNT THAT THE STAFF WOULD RECOMMEND AS FAR AS IF THERE ARE SPECIFIC CONTRACTS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD RECOMMEND ELIMINATING REGARDLESS OF IF IT WAS 5 MILLION AVAILABLE OR 3 MILLION AVAILABLE. RIGHT. AND SO I THINK WE WOULD LOOK AT ALL OF THOSE ELEMENTS AND VARIABLES TO MAKE A FINAL RECOMMENDATION. RIGHT. AND, AND THAT I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND, AND FEEDS INTO WHAT THE MAYOR WAS TALKING ABOUT EARLIER, I DO THINK WE COULD MAKE THAT SINGLE ALLOCATION OUT OF THOSE FUNDING SOURCES TO, WHETHER IT'S A, A SUBSET OR THE LARGER SET AS I KNOW THE MAYOR PRO TEM HAS, UH, ALSO VOICED HAVE THAT ALLOCATION, THE, THE CONTRACTS WITHIN THAT BE REVIEWED TO SEE WHICH ONES ARE PERFORMING, WHICH ONES ARE NOT, WHICH ONES ARE THE HIGHEST PRIORITY, HOW CAN WE MAKE THESE DOLLARS, GET THE SERVICES TO THE PEOPLE AND IN A HIGH QUALITY WAY. UM, BUT I, I JUST, I THINK THAT WOULD BE A, A, A BETTER WAY LONG TERM FOR US TO DO THIS. AND SO I JUST WANNA KIND OF, TO PUT THAT ON THE TABLE AS THIS CONVERSATION MOVES FORWARD. I DO WANT TO GET ONE CLARIFICATION, AND YOU MIGHT'VE SAID THIS, BUT FORGIVE ME, I I GOT LOST IN WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE SOCIAL SERVICE GRANT FUNDING. SLIDE 10, THE, THE 68.8 MILLION. IN YOUR NOTES, IT SAYS IT DOES INCLUDE CITY OWNED SHELTERS, BUT THEN THE NEXT BULLET SAYS THAT IT DOESN'T INCLUDE THE MARSHALING YARD, WHICH IS A CITY OWNED SHELTER. SO I YOU'RE CONFUSED. I'M VERY CONFUSED. I'VE CONFUSED YOU. OKAY, LET ME CLARIFY. UM, LAST YEAR WHEN WE, UM, ADDED THE $5 MILLION, UM, OF REVENUE THAT WAS, UH, RECEIVED AFTER CERTIFICATION SIMILAR TO THE 4.7, WE ADDED THOSE DOLLARS IN, BUT WE ADDED INTO THE OPERATING BUDGET OF HSO. [04:10:01] AND SO THE 68.8 DOES NOT INCLUDE THAT, THAT NOW 8 MILLION, BECAUSE THE 3 MILLION WE ADDED IN FISCAL YEAR 27 IS THE FULL AMOUNT THAT IS IN OPERATING. AND IT REFLECTS THE CHANGES THAT 19.4 THAT WE'RE MOVING OVER TO OPERATING AS WELL. BUT IN TERMS OF LOOKING AT THE PREVIOUS YEARS, WE DO HAVE SOME SHELTER OPERATIONS, LIKE LET'S JUST SAY THE 68 IN FISCAL YEAR 25 OR THE 74 IN FISCAL YEAR 26. DO THOSE INCLUDE SOME SHELTER OPERATIONS? ALL OF THOSE INCLUDE SHELTER OPERATIONS BECAUSE OF, WE, THE METHODOLOGY WAS THAT WAS PART OF THE SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTS. SO APPLES TO APPLES FISCAL YEAR 27, WE WOULD ADD TO THE 68.8, THE 8 MILLION AT A MINIMUM FOR THE MARSHALING YARD. 'CAUSE THAT IS HOW WE'VE ACCOUNTED FOR IT PREVIOUSLY. YES. OKAY. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I HAVE THE NUMBERS ALL CORRECTLY. UM, I WILL JUST SAY, KIND OF CLOSING OUT, I, I HAVE HAD SOME OF THE SAME FRUSTRATIONS THAT, UH, THE MAYOR TALKED ABOUT A LITTLE BIT AGO. I DON'T THINK THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS, AND RIGHTFULLY SO, HOW WE DON'T KNOW WHICH CONTRACTS ARE PERFORMING AND WHICH ONES AREN'T. AND I THINK IT DOES US A DISSERVICE AND, AND DOES NOT LEND CREDIBILITY TO OUR ABILITY TO SAY, WHICH ARE THE, YOU KNOW, THE LOWEST PERFORMING CONTRACTS AND HOW CAN WE MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THOSE DOLLARS EITHER REALLOCATED TO CHEETOS CHILDREN OR TO ANOTHER PRIORITY. AND I GET THAT IT'S COMPLICATED AND I GET THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF EXTERNAL FACTORS, BUT YOU KNOW, EVERY EVERYBODY IN, IN THEIR DAILY LIFE, WHETHER THE JOB THEY'RE IN, YOU KNOW, THEIR, THEIR JOB GETS MEASURED SOMEHOW. AND FOR US TO NOT BE ABLE TO KIND OF PUT THAT MEASUREMENT ON THE TABLE, UH, HAS BEEN A FRUSTRATION FOR ME. AND I THINK, UM, THE GENERAL PUBLIC HAS NOT REALLY UNDERSTOOD HOW, WE DON'T JUST KNOW WHAT'S THE BOTTOM OF THE LIST AND WHAT'S THE TOP OF THE LIST. SO I KNOW WE'RE TRYING TO DO A BROADER LOOK AT THIS NEXT YEAR, AND I AM CONFIDENT THAT, THAT THAT IS GONNA BE PART OF THAT BROADER LOOK. UM, BUT I DO WANT TO JUST KIND OF LEND VOICE TO SOME OF THAT FRUSTRATION THAT THAT'S OUT THERE AND RECOGNIZE THAT THERE THERE COULD BE MORE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE AND WE JUST DON'T. AND, AND THAT'S THE REALITY. WE HAVE A WEEK LEFT TO, TO FIGURE IT OUT. SO I APPRECIATE THE, THE TIME I CAUGHT IT WITH ONE SECOND LEFT. IT DIDN'T, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES, COUNCIL MEMBER LANE AND COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON. THANK YOU. UM, COLLEAGUES JUST WANNA PICK UP THAT THREAD IN SAYING THAT NOW THERE'S A SUPER MAJORITY OF US ON THE DIOCESE WHO'VE EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR RESTORING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE CUTS MADE TO SOCIAL SERVICES. SO I'M REALLY PLEASED TO SEE US UNITED IN IN THAT EFFORT. I THINK, UM, SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT HAVE BEEN OUTLINED HERE BY MY COLLEAGUES, I JUST WANNA REITERATE AND AND EMPHASIZE IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WERE JUST GIVEN THE MEMO THAT GAVE US MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ON THE RUBRIC THAT WE WANTED TO HAVE IMPLEMENTED IN ADVANCE OF THESE CUTS. AND JUST HAVING A WEEKS OUT TIMEFRAME TO CONSIDER THEM TO DIG DEEP ON THEM JUST ISN'T ENOUGH FOR ME TO FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THESE CUTS. UH, IT'S ALSO PART OF THE REASON WHY I, ALONG WITH MY COLLEAGUES, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS SIEGEL, HARPER, MADISON AND CADRE HAVE BROUGHT FOR, BROUGHT FORTH AN AMENDMENT SEEKING TO RESTORE 4.7 MILLION OF THOSE CUTS TO SOCIAL SERVICES. AND IT IS VERY MUCH IN LINE TO WHAT THE MAYOR AND HIS EFFORT HAS OUTLINED IN CREATING A PROCESS IN WHICH WE HOLD THE FUNDING TO FUND THE SERVICES AS WE MAKE TIME AND SPACE DIG THROUGH THE INDIVIDUAL CONTRACTS, OR ACTUALLY LESS SO ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL CONTRACTS, BUT MORE OF THE SERVICE ITSELF, RIGHT? THAT IS WHAT OUR INTENTION IS, IS PRESERVING THE SOCIAL SAFETY NET OVERALL AND, AND HAVING, AND GIVING US TIME AND SPACE TO HAVE MORE CONVERSATIONS AS TO, OKAY, WHAT IS THE APPROPRIATE FUNDING LEVEL FOR THE SOCIAL SAFETY NET OVERALL, WE JUST HAVEN'T HAD THE TIME FOR US TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION YET. ONE APPROACH, UH, COUNCIL ALTER THAT YOU'VE OUTLINED HERE AND HAVING THE MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION OF THE FUNDS GOING FIRST TO THE HOUSING TRUST FUND. A QUESTION I HAVE IS THAT BY GOING ABOUT IT THAT WAY, IS THAT IT, IT WOULDN'T ALLOW US TO FUND SOCIAL SERVICES IN A MORE COMPREHENSIVE WAY. IN FACT, MY UNDERSTANDING BY HAVING THOSE FUNDS GOING FIRST TO THE HOUSING TRUST FUND AND THE HOPE FUND, THAT THOSE ARE MORE RESTRICTIVE. SO WE WOULD ONLY BE ABLE TO FUND . SO THE DOLLARS IN THE HOUSING TRUST FUND IS MORE RESTRICTIVE. IT CAN, UM, SUPPORT HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS. AND SO THERE IS, YOU KNOW, UM, THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS FUNDS THAT ARE [04:15:01] RESTRICTED TO THOSE PRIMARY SOURCES. UM, AND, BUT THEN THE HOPE FUND, UM, IS GENERAL REVENUE AND THAT THERE IS NO FORMAL RESTRICTION ON THOSE. THERE IS THE CITY'S ORDINANCE TO FOCUS ON HOMELESSNESS AND, UM, HOUSING RELATED THINGS WITH THE HOPE FUND, BUT THERE ARE THINGS SUCH AS BASIC NEEDS AND OR, UM, SOME LEVELS OF THE, THE CHILD AND YOUTH AREA THAT COULD BE WITHIN THAT HOPE FUND AS WELL. SO THERE IS SOME FLEXIBILITY THERE. UM, AND ONE OF THE, UM, HEARING THE CONVERSATION AS WE WORK THROUGH WHAT THE UPDATED RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE, IT MAY BE TO MOVE SOME MORE OF THE HOMELESSNESS IN, UM, HOMELESSNESS FUNDING INTO THE HOUSING TRUST FUND TO FREE UP ABILITY IN OTHER AREAS. SO WE'LL LOOK AT THAT IN DETAIL AS WE, UM, GET OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. OKAY. YEAH, IF, IF WE COULD HAVE A BREAKDOWN OF HOW MUCH FUNDING WOULD BE, WOULD CORRELATE WITH HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING RELATED INITIATIVES THAT COULD FALL UNDER THE HOUSING TRUST FUND AND THE HOPE FUND, I THINK THAT'D BE HELPFUL FOR US AS WE HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS FURTHER, UM, FURTHER THIS WEEK. UH, ONE OTHER, OR A COUPLE QUESTIONS I HAVE JUST TO KIND OF TAKE IT A STEP BACK HERE, UM, OF THE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE TARGETING THE $16.8 MILLION REDUCTION OVERALL TO THE SAFETY NET, UM, OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS. CAN YOU SHARE A LITTLE BIT MORE AS TO HOW STAFF GOT TO THAT RECOMMENDED LEVEL OF 16.8 MILLION AND BEFORE CARRIE PROBABLY GIVES YOU THE MORE DAZZLING DETAIL. I KIND OF WANNA BACK UP. AND SO THE, THE PREMISE OF ALL OF THAT, IF YOU MIGHT RECALL, UH, IN 2026 BEFORE I THINK WE MOVED TO THE PROP QTRE ASSESSMENT WAS THE LEVEL OF THE STRUCTURAL IMBALANCE OF THE CITY'S OVERALL BUDGET LAST YEAR WHEN WE STARTED AT $30 MILLION AND THE FACT THAT, UH, WHEN WE LOOKED AT WHAT WE NEEDED TO PAY FOR, WHETHER IT WAS OUR ONGOING SERVICES AND OUR CORE FUNCTIONS AND THE SOCIAL SERVICE ASPECTS OF, UH, WHAT WE HAD UNDERTAKEN, UH, I MADE THE RECOMMENDATION, UH, I BELIEVE IT WAS LAST YEAR, UH, TO ACTUALLY SPEND ONE TIME DOLLARS OUT OF OUR RESERVES TO FUND THE SOCIAL SERVICE, UM, ELEMENTS OF OUR BUDGET AT THAT LEVEL, BECAUSE I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE IT WAS FAIR, UH, TO GIVE ONE AND A HALF MONTHS NOTICE WHETHER TO COUNCIL OR TO THE NONPROFITS, UH, BEFORE WE WERE GOING TO PROPOSE SUCH LARGE REDUCTIONS. AND SO, UH, I THINK I SAID AT THAT TIME, UH, THAT WE WOULD THEN BEGIN TO UNDERTAKE AND ASSESS HOW WE WENT ABOUT, UH, RESETTING, UH, OUR OVERALL SPEND. UH, AND THEN I THINK THAT LED TO IFCS THAT FURTHER ASKED US TO DO MORE AND GO OUT AND DO OUTREACH AS WELL AS COME UP WITH THE RUBRIC, I THINK AS CARRIE DESCRIBED. AND SO, UH, THERE WAS ACTUALLY A ONE YEAR HEAD START, UH, AND WE ARE WHERE WE ARE TODAY, AND IT SEEMS AS THOUGH, UH, WE'RE CHALLENGED. BUT EVEN THE ISSUE OF THE AMENDED BUDGET WHEN PROP Q FAILED AND OUR APPROACH AS IT RELATES TO ACROSS THE BOARD RELATED REDUCTIONS, UH, WERE NOT FUN OR EASY. UH, AND I THINK EVEN THE TIMING AND NOTICE WAS DIFFICULT FOR SOME OF OUR NONPROFITS. AND SO, UH, I THINK THERE'S BEEN, AT LEAST THE STARTING POINT WAS THERE WAS A $14 MILLION ISSUE THAT WE COULDN'T CONTINUE TO DO WITHOUT REDUCING OTHER CITY CORE SERVICES THAT I PUT ON THE TABLE FOR US TO RECALIBRATE, DETERMINE, AS I THINK HAS BEEN DISCUSSED HERE, THE LEVELS AND AREAS AND THE, THE, THE ACTUAL RESULTS ORIENTED FROM HOMELESSNESS TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TO VIOLENCE INTERRUPTION TO EDUCATION, AND CHILDREN DETERMINING WHAT THOSE LEVELS OF FUNDING SHOULD BE IN THOSE AREAS. THAT'S THE WORK I THINK WE WERE TRYING TO DO TO GET SETTLED ON THAT. AND SO THAT NUMBER IS REALLY JUST PREDICATED ON WHAT THE GULF WAS FOR, WHAT WE NEEDED TO FIND A WAY TO FIND ADDITIONAL REVENUES FOR. AND SO THAT WAS THE STARTING POINT. CHOSE TO PHASE THAT OVER TWO YEARS TO SMOOTH IT OUT AND EVEN IT OUT. UH, AND THAT'S KIND OF WHAT GOT US TO THE 16.8 WAS REALLY FINDING A LEVEL AND A SUSTAINABLE LEVEL THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO SUPPORT. AND YOU SAW THE REVENUE OR THE EXPENSE GROWTH OVER THE YEARS WHERE WE'VE ACTUALLY INCREASED THAT AMOUNT BY $28 MILLION, AND THAT'S GREAT. UH, BUT THAT IN SOME CASES COMES AT THE EXPENSE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE NOT ABLE TO DO IN DEPARTMENTS, UH, THAT NEED RESOURCES, UH, TO DO THE THINGS THAT I THINK PEOPLE EXPECT US TO DO. SO KERRY, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE GOT ANY MORE SPECIFICS. I THINK THAT WAS GREAT. WELL, AND, AND JUST TO, TO MAKE SURE I'M, I'M UNDERSTANDING HERE, SO THE 16.8 MILLION WAS LARGELY IN PART DUE TO ADDRESSING THE STRUCTURAL IMBALANCE OF [04:20:01] THE BUDGET, WHICH WAS THEN AT A 16.8 MILLION. AM I RIGHT IN UNDERSTANDING THOUGH, THAT IN THIS PAST YEAR YOU'VE IDENTIFIED OVER 20 MILLION IN, IN COST SAVINGS, NOT INCLUDING THE SOCIAL SERVICE CUTS, RIGHT? IF YOU SLIDE EIGHT. YES. SO IN BALANCING FISCAL YEAR 26, WE DID REDUCTIONS ACROSS SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS, UM, AND THAT WE, WE COMPLETED THOSE 19 OR SO MILLION DOLLARS OF, OF REDUCTIONS, AND WE TRANSFERRED IN THE 14.1 MILLION OF REVENUE OF, UH, OF, UM, RESERVES TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT US AS SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTS. IN FISCAL YEAR 27, PROPOSED, THERE ARE ADDITIONAL REDUCTIONS TO, UM, GENERAL FUND AND SUPPORT SERVICES DEPARTMENTS TO HELP US BALANCE. SO EVERY YEAR, UM, FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, WE'VE LOOKED AT REDUCTION OPTIONS AS WELL AS, UM, REALLOCATION OPTIONS TO KIND OF GET US TO THAT POINT. I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS, UM, THE MANAGER ASKED IF I HAD A LITTLE MORE DETAIL, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK WE LOSE, I WANNA MAKE SURE WE KEEP, UM, SIGHT OF IS AS WE DO THE PLANNED YEAR, THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE, UM, TALK ABOUT WILL NOT BE CONTINUED. SO LAST YEAR WE SAID, WE DON'T THINK WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO A 3% WAGE INCREASE FOR EMPLOYEES MM-HMM . AND WE HEARD FROM COUNCIL, WE HAD THE CONVERSATION, WE SAW HOW REVENUE WAS COMING IN, AND WE MADE THOSE ADJUSTMENTS. AND SO THE PLAN YEAR IS ASSUMING THAT OUR REVENUE PROJECTIONS COME IN THE WAY THAT WE PROJECT. AND AS WE GET DIFFERENT INFORMATION AND, AND NEWER INFORMATION ABOUT THAT, WE CAN ADJUST THE SPEND ACCORDINGLY. I THINK THE OVERALL GOAL IS TO, UM, TO THE MANAGER'S POINT, MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE IN A PLACE WHERE WE ARE STRUCTURALLY BALANCED YEAR OVER YEAR, AND NOT HAVING A SITUATION WHERE WE ARE SAYING, YEAH, WE'RE BALANCED FOR TWO YEARS, BUT WE HAVE A DEFICIT IN YEAR THREE THROUGH FIVE. THE GOAL IS TO GET TO A POINT WHERE WE CAN MAINTAIN THE, UM, WORK THAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO DO AS A CITY, BOTH INTERNALLY FOR OUR DEPARTMENTS AND WHATEVER THE LEVEL OF INVESTMENT THAT WE SHOULD HAVE FOR OUR, OUR, UM, EXTERNAL PARTNERS AS WELL. RIGHT? YES. AND, AND I CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THAT, AND I, AND I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE, I MEAN, THERE HAS BEEN TREMENDOUS EFFORTS IN COST REDUCTIONS ACROSS THE DEPARTMENTS, AND I SEE THAT THROUGH THE PRESENTATIONS WE'VE HAD IN THE WEEKS LEADING UP TO TODAY. I THINK THOUGH, IT BEGS THE QUESTION OF IF WE FOUND 19 MILLION IN COST REDUCTIONS ACROSS THE DEPARTMENTS THIS YEAR, YOU KNOW, TO WHAT EXTENT DO WE NEED TO BE MOVING TOWARDS THAT $16.8 MILLION GOAL LINE AND CUTTING OUR SOCIAL SAFETY NET, GIVEN HOW INCREDIBLE YOU ALL HAVE BEEN IN FINDING SAVINGS OTHERWISE. SO THAT, THAT'S WHY I WANT US TO, TO HOPEFULLY, WELL, I WOULD HOPE LOVE FOR US TO PRESERVE OUR SOCIAL SAFETY NET AT THE FULL AMOUNT, WHICH WOULD BE 5.4 MILLION, BUT THE AMENDMENT WE ARE PROVIDING AND OFFERING COLLEAGUES AT A 4.7 MILLION. SO THERE WILL BE REDUCTIONS OF, WELL, THE CONTRACTS THAT WERE ON THE MEMO, HOW MANY, OR WHAT IS THE TOTAL AMOUNT FOR THE CONTRACTS THAT WERE LISTED AS ELIMINATION OR ELIMINATED? DO WE KNOW THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF THE ELIMINATED CONTRACTS? GIVE ME ONE SECOND. I THINK WE DO HAVE THAT AMOUNT. OKAY. AND THEN, UM, I'M RUNNING OUTTA TIME HERE, BUT THE LAST QUESTION I'LL ASK YOU IS, FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, ALL OF THE SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTS WILL BE RES SOLICITED NEXT YEAR. I THINK PART OF THE GOAL HAS BEEN TO DO A RESET OF THE FOUR FRAMEWORK. AND SO AS WE CONTINUE TO TALK TO COUNCIL AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THE AREAS OF PRIORITY ARE AND THE FUNDING LEVELS OF PRIORITY, THEN WE WOULD LOOK AT DOING A FOUR RESET AND RES SOLICITING ALL OF THE CONTRACTS. SO, SO COLLEAGUES, IF WE KNOW THAT ALL OF THE CONTRACTS ARE GONNA BE RES SOLICITED NEXT YEAR, I REALLY THINK IT'S TI THIS IS AN OPPORTUNE TIME FOR US TO PRESERVE THE SOCIAL SAFETY NET WITH THE $4.7 MILLION THAT WE HAVE TO GIVE US TIME TO HAVE THAT EVALUATION OF THE RUBRIC. IS IT WORKING AS WE INTENDED? DO WE NEED TO TWEAK IT? YOU KNOW, WHAT SERVICES DO WE WANT TO CONTINUE FUNDING AND AT WHAT LEVEL? AND GIVE STAFF AND THE COMMUNITY TIME TO PROCESS THAT. ALL OF THESE CONTRACTS, ALL OF THE SERVICES WILL BE RES SOLICITED NEXT YEAR. THANK YOU. AND TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, COUNCIL MEMBER, THE, UM, TOTAL ELIMINATED AMOUNT WAS 2.2, 2.1 MILLION OKAY. IN THE, IN THE, UM, STAFF PROPOSAL. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. THANKS. COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBER LANE, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, COUNCIL MEMBER UCHIN. SO I WANTED TO THANK YOU, MAYOR, FOR YOUR REMARKS OPENING OUR DISCUSSION ON THIS AGENDA ITEM. YOUR SUGGESTIONS, I THINK, HAVE MOVED US FORWARD IN IMPORTANT WAYS, BOTH ON THE MESSAGE BOARD AND HERE TODAY. UM, ALSO REALLY APPRECIATED COUNCIL MEMBER ALTERS AND COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES REMARKS, AS WELL AS, OF COURSE THE VERY HARD WORK OF OUR STAFF. UM, I JUST HAVE TWO QUESTIONS. [04:25:02] UM, THE FIRST ONE RELATES TO AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT. AS AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT STAFF COME UP. I WANT TO DAYLIGHT THAT THE INTEGRAL CARE CONTRACT FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE IS PROPOSED TO BE REDUCED BY OVER 50%. THE EXPLANATION GIVEN IN THE STAFF MEMO IS THAT THE AGREEMENT IS BEING RIGHT-SIZED FOR THEIR NEW LOCATION. HOWEVER, A SMALLER LOCATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE OVERALL NEED FOR THIS SERVICE HAS ALSO CONSOLIDATED. CAN YOU SPEAK TO HOW THE CITY IS MITIGATING THE IMPACT OF THIS REDUCTION ON THE POPULATION IT SERVES? UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. MY NAME IS LAURA MARTINEZ, UH, BUSINESS PROCESS CONSULTANT WITH AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT. WITH THE REDUCTIONS IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET AS IT IS, THE SERVICE LEVELS WOULD BE REDUCED. SO UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES, IF THE FUNDING REMAINED IN OUR BUDGET, WE WOULD LOOK FOR WAYS TO MITIGATE THOSE REDUCTIONS, UM, THROUGH OTHER COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND SERVICES. UM, AS IT IS RIGHT NOW, ARE OUR CASE MANAGERS WOULD JUST TRY TO LOOK FOR WAYS TO NAVIGATE WITH OTHER EXISTING COMMUNITY RESOURCES. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THAT INFORMATION. UM, I'M GLAD TO HAVE ASKED. UM, THE OTHER, MY OTHER QUESTION RELATES TO AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH. IT WAS REALLY CONCERNING TO SEE REDUCTIONS FOR THE ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER, COMMUNITY HEALTH NAVIGATORS, INCLUDING NAVIGATORS FOR SENIORS. WE HAVE HEARD FROM ASIAN FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES THAT THE A A RC IS A CRITICAL RESOURCE HUB FOR THE COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY THOSE NEEDING NAVIGATION ASSISTANCE WHO HAVE LANGUAGE OR OTHER ACCESSIBILITY NEEDS. AND THE RATIONALE. IT ALSO STATES THAT THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM PROVIDING THESE SERVICES. WHAT DOES A REDUCTION IN THESE SERVICES LOOK LIKE FOR THOSE WHO USE THEM? AND WILL IT IMPACT AVAILABILITY FOR NEW PARTICIPANTS? THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU SAID THAT REALLY QUICKLY. I'M SORRY. CAN YOU SURE. JUST REPEAT THE LAST PART OF YOUR QUESTION AGAIN. YEAH, YEAH. SO I ENDED WITH, UM, TWO QUESTIONS. SO THE FIRST QUESTION WAS, UM, WELL, I'LL JUST START HERE. WE HAVE HEARD FROM ASIAN FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES THAT THE A A RC IS A CRITICAL RESOURCE HUB FOR THE COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY THOSE NEEDING NAVIGATION ASSISTANCE WHO HAVE LANGUAGE OR OTHER ACCESSIBILITY NEEDS. IN THE RATIONALE, IT ALSO STATES THAT THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM PROVIDING THESE SERVICES. SO WHAT DOES A REDUCTION IN THESE SERVICES LOOK LIKE FOR THOSE WHO NOW USE THEM? AND WILL IT IMPACT AVAILABILITY FOR NEW PARTICIPANTS? THANK YOU, ADRIAN STIRRUP, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH. UM, THE SHORT ANSWER IS THAT THERE, YES, THERE WILL BE A REDUCTION IN SERVICES. UM, MY HOPE IS THAT THE DEPARTMENT WILL BE ABLE TO WORK WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO SEE HOW WE CAN LEVERAGE REMAINING RESOURCES. UM, THE CITY, THE PUBLIC HEALTH DOES, HAS A VER A VERY ROBUST PROGRAM THAT SERVES THAT COMMUNITY. IT CANNOT DO WHAT ACHI DOES. I, I WILL SAY THAT, BUT HOW WE WORK TOGETHER IN THIS TIME WILL BE IMPORTANT. HOW WE CAN LEVERAGE WHAT WE DO AS A DEPARTMENT FOR WHATEVER IS REMAINING WITH ACHI WILL BE IMPORTANT. UM, AND SO THAT IS THE STRATEGY TODAY. BUT THE, THE SHORT ANSWER IS YES, THAT THERE WILL BE A REDUCTION IN SERVICES. SO I'M JUST GONNA GO AHEAD AND DAYLIGHT MY CONCERN WITH THAT BECAUSE, UM, I APPRECIATE VERY MUCH THAT YOU HAVE, UM, A ROBUST, UH, OFFERING FOR THE ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY. BUT, UM, I DO NOTE THAT A LOT OF THOSE RESOURCES ARE DEDICATED IN OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY, WHEREAS DISTRICT SIX HAS THE LARGEST CONCENTRATION OF ASIANS IN THE CITY. AND I CERTAINLY HAVE PERSONALLY EXPERIENCED THE CHALLENGES OF CONNECTING WITH TO SERVICES. AND ALSO NOTE THE PROCLIVITY WITHIN THE ASIAN COMMUNITIES TO REALLY NEED TO FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THE PROVIDER AS UNDERSTANDING THEIR OWN COMMUNITY'S NEEDS. MUCH LIKE ANY COMMUNITY FEELS THAT WAY. HOWEVER, WE DON'T HAVE VERY MANY RESOURCES THAT ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT ASSURANCE. AND SO THAT DOES RAISE A CONCERN FOR ME. UM, THE ELIMINATION OF SERVICES THAT I DON'T THINK ARE ADEQUATELY PROVIDED FROM ANOTHER MEANS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER. COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, FOLLOWED BY COUNCIL MEMBER UCHIN. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. I, I WANNA THANK COUNCIL MEMBER CADRE FOR REMINDING ME ABOUT THAT, UM, REPORT THAT COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER, AND I ASKED FOR, UM, A LITTLE BIT OF RATIONALE THERE. THERE WAS, UM, A SERIES OF ACCIDENTS THAT HAD OCCURRED AT THE TIME, AND I REMEMBERED, UM, IN THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT, IF YOU WRECK A FIRE TRUCK, THEY WILL NEVER LET YOU FORGET IT. ONE BY WAY OF A PUNITIVE APPROACH THROUGH LEADERSHIP. AND THEN FRANKLY, YOUR PEERS DON'T LET YOU FORGET THAT YOU WRECKED A FIRE TRUCK. AND I JUST WONDERED IF THERE WAS THE SAME LEVEL OF PEER ACCOUNTABILITY AND PUNITIVE ACTION IN OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT. SO I WANTED TO KNOW HOW MANY POLICE CARS WERE GETTING WRECKED, AND YOU GUYS GOTTA SEE THIS GRAPH. IT WAS WILDLY DISPROPORTIONATE. HOW MANY PD CARS WERE GETTING WRECKED? AND THEN I DID A LITTLE DIGGER, UH, DEEPER DIGGING. I'M THINKING, WELL, YOU KNOW, THEY ARE PURSUING SUSPECTS, RIGHT? THAT WASN'T WHERE MOST OF THE CARS ARE GETTING WRECKED. AND SO, CHIEF, I WANNA ASK YOU A QUESTION ABOUT, UM, PROCESS AND PROTOCOL [04:30:01] THERE. SINCE YOU GOT HERE. I KNOW YOU'VE DONE A REALLY EXTRAORDINARY JOB WITH, YOU KNOW, KIND OF TIGHTENING UP THE SHIP AND GETTING YOUR STAFF MOVING IN THE DIRECTION, YOU KNOW, FOLLOWING YOUR, YOUR LEADERSHIP. AND I'M JUST CURIOUS TO KNOW IF THAT REPORT BROUGHT ABOUT ANY SORT OF PROTOCOL PRACTICE CHANGES. AND SO WHAT REPORT IS THIS? I'M SORRY, MA'AM. SO I ASKED FOR A SPECIAL REPORT FROM OUR AUDITOR ABOUT FLEET, UM, ACCIDENTS, BUT PRIMARILY LIKE WHO'S WRECKING THE MOST CARS? AND IT WAS BY AND LARGE PD. UM, AND I'M JUST CURIOUS TO KNOW IF THAT REPORT PRODUCED ANY CHANGES IN THE DEPARTMENT. WE JUST HEARD THAT, HOW MUCH DID HE SAY? $3.1 MILLION SET ASIDE? YEAH, I FLEET UP FROM 1 MILLION MM-HMM . AND THEN, LIKE I SAID, JUST THINKING COMPARATIVELY WITH OUR EMERGENCY SERVICES DEPARTMENTS, UH, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND EMS, THEY'RE BEGGING FOR MORE VEHICLES. YOU GUYS HAVE $3.1 MILLION WORTH OF THEM SET ASIDE ALREADY JUST BASED ON PREVIOUS BEHAVIOR. SO I'M JUST CURIOUS TO KNOW IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN IMPLEMENTED THAT WILL PROTECT THOSE ASSETS. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. UM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE TOO, THAT AS OF A, AS A CITY SERVICE, WE ARE THE ONLY 24 7 FUNCTIONING CITY SERVICE WHO IS ROAMING THE STREETS OF AUSTIN. UM, SO WE ARE ON THE ROAD A LOT MORE THAN FIRE WHO IS RESPONDING TO CALLS, YOU KNOW, THEMSELVES. SO, UM, I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT CONTEXT, BUT ALSO, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY DISCIPLINE IS PROGRESSIVE. UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT, UM, CATEGORIES FOR, UM, NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS THAT YOU'RE AT FAULT, IT'S ABSOLUTELY PROGRESSIVE. BUT WE CURRENTLY HAVE A PROBLEM SOLVING PROJECT THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH, UM, UH, DR. UH, TAMARA HAROLD AND, UH, COMMANDER, UM, UH, JEREMY, UM, COMPTON, WHO WAS, UH, CURRENTLY OR WAS FORMERLY OVER INTERNAL INVESTIGATIONS, AND JUST NOTING THAT WE HAD A HIGH NUMBER OF, UM, OFFICERS THAT WERE INVOLVED IN ACCIDENTS. AND SO NOW WE'RE, WE'RE DOING A PROBLEM SOLVING PROJECT ON HOW WE CAN TAKE THAT NUMBER, UM, DRASTICALLY DOWN. SO WE ARE WORKING ON THAT. I'D BE REALLY CURIOUS TO SEE THAT. YEP. AND JUST, UH, IN, IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT BEHAVIORALLY, YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, IN ADDITION TO LIKE JUST YOUR PEERS MAKING FUN OF YOU FOR WRECKING VEHICLES, I KNOW THAT'S THE COMPARISON FOR ME. UM, BUT I'M A LAY PERSON. UH, BEHAVIORALLY, WHAT, WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE THERE? YEAH, I THINK IT, IT, THERE ARE MANY LIEUTENANTS AND, AND COMMANDERS THAT WILL PUT OFFICERS ON WALKING BEATS IF THEY HAVE HAD AUTO ACCIDENTS. SO CERTAINLY WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT, AT WHAT DISCIPLINE IS AND, AND, AND AS IT PROGRESSES, UM, IN THE NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS SOMEONE'S HAVING, UH, TAKING THAT APPROACH OF IF YOU DRIVE WITH A PARTNER, YOU'RE NOT DRIVING THE CAR, WE'RE GONNA, YOU KNOW, GET YOU DRIVER'S TRAINING. AND WE HAVE THAT AT THE ACADEMY WHERE THEY COME OUT AND GET THAT EXTRA DRIVING ATTENTION THAT THEY MAY NEED. BUT ALSO THERE'S ABSOLUTELY P PEER PRESSURE. YOU DON'T WANT TO TOTAL A CAR OR, UM, YOU KNOW, WRECK A CAR BECAUSE THAT IT DOES, IT TAKES THAT CAR OUT OF SERVICE. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THESE SECTORS FEEL THAT. AND SO THERE'S ABSOLUTELY PEER PRESSURE WITHIN THE, THE SECTORS FOR THAT. AND, YOU KNOW, FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS TOO. ABSOLUTELY. IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 1000003.1, THAT'S $2.1 MILLION THAT, YOU KNOW, COULD HAVE GONE BACK INTO THE GENERAL'S LY, RIGHT? AND SO I'M EXCITED, AND, AND WE'LL BRING THAT THROUGH THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE, UM, THAT PROBLEM SOLVING PROJECT ON HOW WE'RE DOING. AND, AND CERTAINLY WITH THE GOAL OF REDUCING THAT NUMBER OF, UM, OF THOSE AC OF THOSE ACCIDENTS. I APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN. OH, I'M SORRY. VAN. CFO, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A QUICK CORRECTION. IT WAS MENTIONED THAT THE 20 VEHICLE RESERVE FLEET WAS A $3.1 MILLION COST. THAT THE CORRECT NUMBER IS $1.6 MILLION. THANK YOU. THAT IS 80 DIFFERENT, THIS VEHICLE'S ABOUT 80,000. ABOUT 80,000 EACH FOR THE VEHICLES. UM, 20 OF THEM IS 1.6 MILLION. THANK YOU, ED, I APPRECIATE THAT. CHIEF, I HAD, I DID HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION OR COMMENT MAYBE. UM, UM, SO, AND THIS IS, SO COUNCIL MEMBER CADRE AND I ARE WORKING ON AN ITEM. WE'VE HAD AN UPTICK IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITY, BURGLARIES, VANDALISM, ET CETERA, AND OUR KIND OF SHARED MAINOR ROAD CORRIDOR AND SOME OF WHAT OUR CONSTITUENTS ARE HEARING, UM, YOU KNOW, BACK IN THE DAY, IT DOESN'T HAPPEN ANYMORE. AND AGAIN, I ATTRIBUTE THIS TO YOUR LEADERSHIP BACK IN THE DAY, UM, PATROL OFFICERS WOULD SAY THINGS LIKE, WELL, IF RESPONSE TIMES ARE NOT TO YOUR SATISFACTION, GO TALK TO COUNSEL. THEY DID IT. YOU KNOW, AND THAT STOPPED YOU AND I HAD A, A CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT, AND I THINK OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS PROBABLY TALKED TO YOU ABOUT HEARING A LOT OF THAT FROM OUR CONSTITUENTS. IT STOPPED. I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYBODY SAY THAT ANYMORE. BUT WHAT WE'RE HEARING FROM THESE CONSTITUENTS THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH ON MENA ROAD IS WE'RE NOT RESPONDING TO MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT BURGLARIES BECAUSE WE'VE ALL BEEN PULLED AWAY FOR CAMP CLEANUPS FOR HOMELESS. EXACTLY. IN WHICH CASE, IF WE'RE HEARING THAT REPEATEDLY, IT'S BEING SAID REPEATEDLY, I JUST WANNA MAKE CERTAIN THAT THAT IS NOT IN FACT THE CASE AND ON THE RECORD FOR OUR CONSTITUENTS WHO ARE ASKING THAT [04:35:01] QUESTION. THAT IS ABSOLUTELY. IS THAT THE REASON WHY THAT IS ABSOLUTELY NOT THE CASE. THEY'RE NOT BEING RESPONDED TO. NO. AND IF, IF, IF THAT IS HAPPENING, THEY'RE NOT BEING RESPONDED TO, PLEASE GIVE THEM MY PHONE NUMBER AND I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO TALK TO THEM. BUT THAT CLEANUP HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT. I DIDN'T THINK SO. AND I APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANKS. COUNCIL MEMBER. COUNCIL MEMBER UCHIN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I, UH, I WANNA MAKE A BRIEF COMMENT ON THE SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACT SINCE THAT'S WHAT'S DONE. MADE A LOT OF OUR DISCUSSION THIS AFTERNOON AT OUR TOWN HALL LAST NIGHT. WE SHARED A COUPLE OF SLIDES FROM STAFF BACK IN FEBRUARY WHEN THEY WERE GIVING US INFORMATION ABOUT THE WORK THEY WERE DOING IN THIS SPACE. AND IT SHOWED A COMPARISON OF OUR FUNDING APPROACH HERE IN AUSTIN AGAINST OUR BIG TEXAS CITIES. IT SHOWED US, I THINK, AGAINST PORTLAND AND DENVER. AND MY SENSE WAS THAT STAFF'S CONCLUSION WAS, IN MANY WAYS, AND I THINK THEY ACTUALLY HAVE ON THE SLIDE IN MANY WAYS, WE'RE AN OUTLIER. WE APPEAR TO OVERLY ON THE CITY TO ADDRESS SOCIAL SERVICES CHALLENGES. WHEREAS A LOT OF OTHER PLACES THAT THEY LOOKED AT HAVE MUCH MORE DIVERSE FUNDING DISTRIBUTIONS, RIGHT? THEY'RE LOOKING AT GRANTS, THEY'RE LOOKING AT PHILANTHROPY, THEY'RE LOOKING AT COUNTY, STATE, REGIONAL BODIES AND OTHER HELP. AND MY HOPE IS THAT WHATEVER HAPPENS WITH THIS PROCESS, UH, WE CAN CONTINUE TO HAVE THIS DISCUSSION AND EXPLORE THESE OTHER OPTIONS GOING FORWARD. 'CAUSE I WANNA REINFORCE THAT AT LEAST WHERE I'M SITTING MATHEMATICALLY, IT'S NOT POSSIBLE TO HAVE A CITY THAT'S SOLELY ADDITIVE WHEN IT COMES TO THE BUDGET WITH NO OTHER CONSIDERATIONS. I THINK THE END RESULT IS OF THAT APPROACH IS WHERE WE ARE TODAY, WHERE WE'VE GOT SYSTEMIC DEFICITS AND WE GOTTA MAKE LOUSY CHOICES. UM, SO WE NEED A PROCESS, AS OTHERS HAVE TALKED ABOUT, FOR EVALUATING THE WORK, FOR REINVESTING IN WHAT DOES WORK, AND MAKING CHANGES TO WHAT WE DISCOVER. UNDERPERFORMS IS DUPLICATIVE OR HAS LOCAL SUBSTITUTES WE CAN RELY ON. UH, AND THAT MEANS LOOKING AT ANY LINE ITEMS THAT WE WANT TO PRIORITIZE, INCLUDING SOCIAL SERVICES, IF WE'RE GONNA GO, UH, PRIORITIZE THEM, WE'VE GOTTA GO LOOK ELSEWHERE THEN IN THE BUDGET FOR WHAT WE CAN TRIM THAT MIGHT JUST BE COLLECTIVELY A LOWER PRIORITY. AND THAT'S WHY I WANT TO TALK ABOUT TRAVEL RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT WE TALKED ABOUT LAST YEAR AND GOT SOME INFORMATION FROM STAFF. AND I'VE GOT A FEW QUESTIONS. AND WHILE I'M ASKING FOR MANAGEMENT SERVICES AND PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, TO COME UP, MAYBE HR ALSO, UH, I WANTED TO SAY IT'S, IT'S ODD TO ME THAT WE ARE HAVING TO MAKE THESE TOUGH CALLS WITH SOCIAL SERVICES CONTRACTS AT THE SAME TIME WHERE OUR TRAVEL BUDGET SEEMS TO REMAIN THE SAME EVEN AFTER, UH, MYSELF AND COUNCILOR ALTER SENT A MEMO A FEW MONTHS AGO TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE BETTER MANAGE COST HERE? HOW DO WE GET BETTER REPORTING? HOW DO WE GET BETTER EXPLANATIONS FOR HOW TRAVEL IS BEING EXPENSED? AND SO FOR THE DEPARTMENTS, I'D LIKE TO FIGURE OUT, UH, FOR THINGS THAT ARE BUDGETED FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, FOR RECERTIFICATION, FOR CONTINUE EDUCATION, MAYBE THINGS I'M NOT THINKING OF THAT WE SPEND ON TRAVEL. I I NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT STEPS WE'RE TAKING TO CONFIRM THAT THESE ACTIVITIES COULD NOT BE COMPLETED VIRTUALLY OR DELAYED UNTIL THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR. AND IF SO, OR ANY OF THESE OUTCOMES OR DETERMINATIONS DOCUMENTED SOMEWHERE THAT WE CAN LOOK AT. WHICH IS ONE THING I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER AND I REQUESTED IN THAT MEMO. UM, AND I'M ALSO GONNA POINT OUT A LOT OF TRAVEL INCREASES THAT ARE HAPPENING IN SOME PLACES IN THE CITY ARE OFFSET BY SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN POLICE, FIRE PARKS AND LIBRARIES WHO MAYBE THEY GOT OUR MEMO, BUT IT'S JUST STRANGE TO ME THAT CORE CITY SERVICES HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REDUCE TRAVEL LA'S, BUT SUPPORT DEPARTMENTS APPEAR TO BE INCREASING THEIR SPENDS. UH, MANAGEMENT SERVICES IN PARTICULAR WENT FROM $107,000 TWO YEARS AGO TO, UH, ABOUT HALF A MILLION DOLLARS IS WHAT'S EXPECTED TO BE SPENT BY THE END OF THIS YEAR IF I READ THE TRAVEL INFORMATION CORRECTLY AND INCREASING ANOTHER $86,000 IN THE FISCAL YEAR 27 BUDGET. SO I'M CURIOUS, ONE, HOW ARE WE GONNA, FROM WHAT I CAN TELL, THEY'RE GONNA SPEND $284,000 IN THE NEXT TWO MONTHS TO GET TO THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR. IF THEY, IF THEY, IF THEIR BUDGET HOLDS TRUE, OR EVEN IF IT DOESN'T, IT LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE STILL ADDING ONTO THAT BUDGET ANOTHER ALMOST A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS NEXT YEAR. AND I'M SEEING THAT ACROSS THE BOARD IN A LOT OF PLACES IN PUBLIC HEALTH AND ANIMAL SERVICES. THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE, HR HAD A FOUR X INCREASE OVER TWO YEARS. UM, FACILITIES AT THE LARGEST ONE, A 55 TIMES INCREASE IN TWO YEARS FROM $5,000 TO ALMOST, UH, $84,000. SO HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH TRAVEL. SO TRAVEL HAPPENS WITH VARIOUS CITY DEPARTMENTS BECAUSE OF TRAINING REQUIREMENTS. UM, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED SPECIFICALLY, UM, THE MANAGEMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT, WHICH IS MADE UP OF EIGHT DIFFERENT OFFICES. AND, [04:40:01] UM, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THOSE OFFICES, TRAIN, UM, TRAVEL, UM, I'LL START WITH, UM, A PO OR POLICE OVERSIGHT. THEY HAVE A PLANNED SPIN FOR THEIR COMMUNITY POLICE REVIEW COMMISSIONERS TO ATTEND ANNUAL CONFERENCES. UM, THERE IS TRAVEL WITHIN THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE FOR, UM, SEVERAL TRAININGS, INCLUDING, UM, THE ICMA CONFERENCE AS WELL AS, UM, AS OUR WORK IN THE, UH, GFOA OR GE GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION. UM, THERE IS TRAVEL ACROSS FINANCIAL SERVICES SIMILARLY FOR GOVERNMENT OFFICERS, FINANCIAL OFFICERS ASSOCIATIONS, UM, SOME REDEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES RELATED TRAVEL AND, UM, PUBLIC HEALTH AND MANY OF THE GENERAL FUND DEPARTMENTS. SO LET ME START WITH, UM, THE PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS, THEIR TRAVEL IN IS INCLUSIVE OF RECRUITMENT NEEDS, UM, AS THEY GO OFF TO RECRUIT FOR THE SWORN, UM, FOR THEIR SWORN POTENTIAL CADETS. PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, HAS AN ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH CONFERENCE, UM, AND A, A NUMBER OF, UM, HEALTH RELATED CONFERENCES AND GRANTS MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION CONFERENCES. AND SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT TRAVEL FOR STAFF, IT'S USUALLY TO DO SOME LEVEL OF CONTINUED EDUCATION AND OR, UM, CONDUCT CITY BUSINESS. AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE TRAVEL PER, UM, MANY OF THESE OFFICES OR DEPARTMENTS, IT'S A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS OR LESS. AND SO IF A DEPARTMENT KNOWS THAT THERE'S A PLANNED CONFERENCE OR A PLANNED TRAINING ACTIVITY, THEY MAY REALLOCATE DOLLARS FROM OTHER OBJECT CODES IN ORDER TO FUND THAT TRAVEL FOR A YEAR AND THEN, AND THEN ALLOCATED BACK TO ANOTHER OBJECT CODE NEED IN THE FOLLOWING YEAR. AND SOME OF THAT NUANCE BACK AND FORTH, YOU'LL SEE YEAR OVER YEAR FROM DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, UM, FOR PLANNED OR SCHEDULED TRAVEL. WELL, I APPRECIATE THAT ANSWER. I'M JUST STRUGGLING WITH THE IDEA THAT, UM, THERE ARE, AT LEAST AMONG SOME DEPARTMENTS, LARGE INCREASES HAPPENING IN THE LAST TWO YEARS. AT THE SAME TIME WE'VE HAD DEFICITS. AND WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE CHOICE THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, CUTTING SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTS OR OTHER, OTHER CUTS THAT I KNOW HAVE A, UH, YOU KNOW, AN INTENSE HUMAN CONSEQUENCE VERSUS GOING ON A CONFERENCE, IT'S HARD FOR ME TO PERSONALLY RECONCILE THAT WITHOUT BETTER UNDERSTANDING, AT THE VERY LEAST, WHICH IS THE POINT OF THAT MEMO, WHAT SPECIFICALLY WE'RE ACCOMPLISHING WITH THAT TRAVEL. SO, UM, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, I NEED TO, I THINK, BETTER UNDERSTAND BEYOND THIS CONVERSATION, AND WE'LL PROBABLY BE INCLUDING IN THE, UH, PROPOSAL WE TRY AND LAY OUT LATER TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, MEMBERS, THAT'S ALL THE PEOPLE I HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. LET ME, UM, KINDA WRAP THIS DISCUSSION UP IF I CAN. WHAT, WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT TODAY IS OUR HOPE, OUR PRAYER, OUR GREATEST WISHES ARE THAT BY THE END OF BUSINESS TODAY, PEOPLE WILL HAVE PUT FORWARD THEIR PROPOSED AMENDMENTS OR PROPOSED IFCS FOR CLARITY PURPOSES. WHAT I'M GOING TO DO IS PROBABLY PUT UP A COUPLE OF AMENDMENTS THAT, UH, AND I JUST WANT TO DAY LIGHT IT. 'CAUSE I, BASED UPON THE DISCUSSION WE'VE HAD HERE, MY PLAN HAD BEEN TO PUT UP A PROPOSED AMENDMENT THAT AS I, AS Y'ALL KNOW, I FOCUSED ON CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES AS PART OF THAT. I'LL PUT UP TWO, I'LL PUT UP ONE THAT WAY, AND THEN I'M GONNA PUT UP ONE WITH THE FULL, FULL 4.7 THAT DE DELINEATES THE PROCESS THAT I'VE TALKED ABOUT BOTH MESSAGE BOARD AND HERE TODAY. SO THAT WHEN THERE'S, WHEN WE HAVE MORE, UH, OPEN DISCUSSION ABOUT WHERE WE ARE ON THOSE KINDS OF THINGS, WE CAN, WE CAN CONSIDER THAT. UM, AND IT ALSO CREATES TWO TARGETS FOR POTENTIAL AMENDMENTS TO THE AMENDMENT, RIGHT, FOR, FOR TRANSPARENCY PURPOSES. IF, IF, IF SOMEBODY WANTS THE 4.7 OR IF SOME BODIES WANT THE 4.7, BUT THERE'S SOME WAY I'M SAYING SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IN THAT, UH, THEN THIS WILL GIVE A BETTER TARGET FOR, FOR THAT. THE, AGAIN, IT WILL NOT BE A BLANKET RESTORATION. IT WILL NOT, IT WILL NOT USE THE 4.7 FOR A BLANKET RESTORATION. LIKEWISE, IT WILL NOT USE A, UM, A BLANKET ACCEPTANCE OF THE REDUCTIONS IN THE WAY THEY'VE BEEN DONE. IT WILL CREATE IT, IT WILL SET UP THE PROCESS THAT I'VE TRIED TO OUTLINE. UM, I WANT TO UNDERSTAND MORE THE ISSUE OF STRUCTURAL STABILITY THAT HAS BEEN EXPLAINED TO ME BEFORE. UM, AND, AND [04:45:01] COUNCIL MEMBER ALDER ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT, WITH REGARD TO THE DE THE DESIRE FOR STRUCTURAL STABILITY IN THE, UH, IN THE VOUCHER PROGRAM, THE HOUSING VOUCHER PROGRAM, AND IN THE HOPE AND THE LAST PART OF YOUR ANSWER TO HIM ABOUT THE UTILIZATION OF MONEY TO GET YOU TO THE STRUCTURAL STABILITY. BUT THAT THEN WOULD NOT CATEGORICALLY LIMIT THE USE OF THAT MONEY FOR THE, THE REVIEW OF CONTRACTS TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT WE, WE WANT TO CONTINUE THO THOSE, THOSE SERVICES, UH, AS THE, AS COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES, UH, EMPHASIZED IN, IN HER COMMENTS, IF, IF, IF WE CAN GET TO A POINT WHERE WE CAN HAVE A, AN AMENDMENT THAT A ACHIEVES STAFF'S GOAL OF STRUCTURAL STABILITY THERE, BUT AT THE SAME TIME ALLOWS FOR THE ONE, THE, THE ONE ALLOCATION THAT THEN ALLOWS FOR THE REVIEW OF THE CONTRACTS. I'D LIKE TO SEE IF WE CAN ACHIEVE THAT. DON'T KNOW THAT WE CAN, BUT COUNSEL, I'LL JUST, I'LL JUST SAY OUT LOUD THAT I'LL WORK ON THAT AS WELL TO SEE IF WE CAN GET TO A, A GOOD POINT IN THAT REGARD. ANY QUESTION? YEAH, COUNCILMAN WALTER? JUST A PROCESS QUESTION. IFCS LIKE ALL IFCS FOR THREE OR FOUR CO-SPONSORS, YES. AMENDMENTS NONE TECHNICALLY REQUIRED THAT THAT'S AND THEN SOME DESIRED. YEAH, WELL, LOOK, LOOK, LET, LET WHAT, UH, YEAH, NO JOKE. UM, IFCS OR IFCS. SO IF, IF IT'S GONNA BE AN IFC, IT OUGHT TO FOLLOW OUR PROCESS. AND, AND, AND GOODNESS GRACIOUS NOTES, I'VE BEEN KEY ON PROCESS HERE TODAY. UM, SO, UH, IT OUGHT, IT OUGHT TO FOLLOW OUR PROCESS. AND, AND THAT MEANS FOUR, UH, AT LEAST FOUR CO-SPONSORS ON BUDGET AMENDMENTS. THE WAY WE HAVE DONE THAT TRADITIONALLY IS WE'VE LAID 'EM OUT AS INDIVIDUALS AND THEN WORKED TO GET TO THROUGH THE SUB QUORUMS TO GET TO, UH, UH, A, A RECOMMENDATION. WE'RE DOING A LOT OF TALKING ABOUT WHAT IS PROBABLY GONNA BE THE, THE, THE PREDOMINANT PROMINENT APPROACH, UH, WITH REGARD AT LEAST TO THE, TO SOCIAL SERVICES. WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST WE DO IS LAY THAT OUT TODAY, THE AMENDMENT AS WE'VE INDICATED WE HOPE TO DO, AND THEN ON THURSDAY WE WILL GET A GOOD CLEAR FEELING FOR Y'ALL. LOOK AT IT, LOOK, LOOK AT THESE THINGS, AND GET A GOOD, CLEAR FEELING FOR WHAT THE AMENDMENTS TO THE AMENDMENTS MIGHT LOOK LIKE. SO THAT ENDS UP BASICALLY BEING SPONSORED BY MORE THAN JUST ONE PERSON. HOW DOES STAFF WANT US TO HANDLE PAY FORCE? LIKE IF WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT'S A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, DO WE NEED TO IDENTIFY THE FUNDING SOURCE? OR ARE WE PUTTING THAT OUT THERE AND LETTING YOU COME BACK TO US WITH PAY FOR OPTIONS? THE WAY WE DID THE, I KNOW YOU ASKED THAT TO STAFF, BUT, BUT THE WAY WE DID BEST WITH THAT LAST TIME WAS BY US NOT COMING IN AND SAYING, HERE'S THE AMENDMENT AND HERE'S WHERE THE, HERE'S WHERE IT ALL OUGHT TO COME FROM. IT WAS, I, I THINK IT'S PROBABLY GOOD TO MAKE SUGGESTIONS TO STAFF, BUT ULTIMATELY IT, IT JUST WORKED BETTER WHEN WE SAID, HERE'S WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR. IF THERE'S A CONSENSUS THAT THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE ALL TOGETHER ON FOR STAFF TO TELL US WHERE IT COMES FROM. BUT I'LL LET STAFF ANSWER THAT QUESTION. THAT'S CORRECT. UM, MAYOR, I THINK AS WE, AS WE START RECEIVING YOUR, UM, YOUR AMENDMENTS, MY TEAM IS READY TO WORK WITH YOU ALL TO IDENTIFY WHERE THAT FUNDING SOURCE IS. AND SO IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR OR YOU'RE NOT SURE, UM, JUST PUT WHAT THE REQUESTED AMENDMENT IS AND, AND THE TEAM WILL WORK THROUGH, UM, POTENTIAL WASTE TO FUND THEM. OKAY. VERY GOOD. GOOD. GREAT. OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? COUNCIL MEMBER LANE? SO I JUST WANTED TO WAIT TILL WE'RE DONE WITH SOCIAL SERVICES, UM, TO MAKE A COMMENT RELATED TO ANOTHER IOC THAT I INTEND TO BRING. ARE WE GOOD? SURE. ALTHOUGH I'M ONLY DOING THAT BECAUSE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT SOCIAL SERVICES TODAY. WE'RE LAY OUT THE IFCS AND THEN WE'LL DISCUSS THOSE ON THURSDAYS. BUT, BUT YOU'RE, YOU'RE WELCOME TO LAY IT OUT TODAY TOO. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE THAT. UM, SO IT WILL COME AS NO SURPRISE THAT I, I WANNA BRING ATTENTION AND AWARENESS TO OUR EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATION AND THE NEED FOR AN OFFICE OF JOINT EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS. WHILE 9 1 1 RESPONSE HAS IMPROVED IN THE BULK OF OUR CITY CENTER, THE OUTLYING AREAS STILL EXPERIENCE LONGER RESPONSE TIMES. ONE EXAMPLE I HEARD ABOUT FROM A CONSTITUENT INVOLVED A CAR ACCIDENT THAT OCCURRED ON FM SIX 20 NEAR A JURISDICTIONAL BOUNDARY. THE PERSON CALLED 9 1 1 AND WAS TRANSFERRED BETWEEN TRAVIS AND WILLIAMSON COUNTIES MORE THAN ONCE. THE [04:50:01] PERSON SAW A POLICE CAR GO BY WHILE HE WAS ON THE PHONE AND TRIED TO WAVE THEM DOWN, STILL COULDN'T GET ANYONE TO COME RENDER AID AND TAKE HIS REPORT. WHEN THINGS LIKE THIS HAPPEN, THE RESPONSE TIME CLOCK DOESN'T GET STARTED UNTIL THE CALL IS ROUTED CORRECTLY. IT DOESN'T ACCOUNT FOR THE TIME IT TAKES TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THE CALL SHOULD BE ROUTED, WHICH WOULD BE OKAY IF THAT WERE AN INCIDENTAL AMOUNT OF TIME. HOWEVER, OUR EXPERIENCE IS THAT IT OFTEN ISN'T AND THAT THIS CONTINUES TO BE, UH, A, A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM IN MY DISTRICT. WE LEARNED IN THE LAST WORK SESSION THAT OUR CURRENT EMERGENCY RESPONSE CENTER DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH ROUND ROCK ISD POLICE DEPARTMENT. ALMOST HALF OF ROUND ROCK ISDS CAMPUSES HAVE AUSTIN ADDRESSES, AND ALMOST 95% OF MY DISTRICT IS SERVED BY ROUND ROCK ISD, AND I CAN STATE THAT ROUND. A ISD HAS ATTEMPTED TO INITIATE MOUS AND OTHER FORMS OF COLLABORATION. I'VE SAT ON THE ROUND ARK ISD SAFETY AND SECURITY COMMITTEE FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS. I'M THE ONLY REPRESENTATION FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN ON THAT COMMITTEE. UM, THIS IS AN OBVIOUS GAP THAT THE OFFICE OF JOINT EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS COULD FILL IN SERVICE OF THE SAFETY OF OUR CHILDREN. CURRENTLY, EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS FALLS UNDER THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE. WHILE I KNOW THAT A PD IS CONCERNED WITH RESPONSE TIMES, IT'S NOT THEIR SOLE FOCUS. A PD LEADERSHIP HAS MANY OTHER PRIORITIES, WHICH UNDERSTANDABLY TAKE UP THE MAJORITY OF THEIR ATTENTION. HIRING A CIVILIAN DIRECTOR WHO WILL EVENTUALLY MANAGE OUR CIVILIAN CALL TAKERS WILL SET THE STAGE FOR A FUTURE DEPARTMENT THAT IS TRULY FOCUSED ON NOTHING BUT MAKING 9 1 1 WORK BETTER. WE HAVE ALREADY, AS A CITY, MADE ENORMOUS IMPROVEMENTS IN HOW 9 1 1 WORKS. WE CERTAINLY DON'T WANNA SACRIFICE THAT IMPROVEMENT. HOWEVER, WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO HAVE THOSE IMPROVEMENTS ACTUALLY REACH ALL OF OUR CITY. I KNOW WE CAN'T SOLVE THESE PROBLEMS OVERNIGHT, BUT THESE STEPS CAN ENSURE THAT WE HAVE A DEDICATED TEAM WITH CALL CENTER EXPERIENCE WORKING ON OUR RESPONSE TIME ISSUES SO THAT WE CAN BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH NEIGHBORING JURISDICTIONS AND IN TRULY IMPROVE RESPONSE TIMES CITYWIDE IN THE PROCESS BECOMING MORE EFFECTIVE. THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME LAY IT OUT. YOU'LL SEE AN IFC COME. UM, I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE ALL THE INPUT THAT HAS, UM, GONE INTO THIS EFFORT OVER THE LAST MORE THAN A YEAR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, FOR THE PUBLIC, UH, WE WERE JUST DISCUSSING THAT TODAY AT THE END OF BUSINESS, WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT, UH, COUNCIL WILL HAVE IFCS PROPOSED IFCS AND PROPOSED BUDGET AMENDMENTS SO THAT WE WILL, UH, BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THOSE ON THURSDAY, THURSDAY, AUGUST 6TH AT 10:00 AM WE WILL HAVE A, A COUNCIL MEETING. UH, WE WILL HAVE THE DISCUSSION, AS I JUST INDICATED, OF PROPOSED AMENDMENTS AND IFCS. WE WILL ALSO HAVE, UH, DISCUSSION AND, UH, ORDERING OF A GENERAL BOND ELECTION, UH, IF THAT'S THE VOTE FROM ON, BECAUSE BASED ON THE VOTES THAT WE HAD TODAY, ORDERING A GENERAL ELECTION AND ORDERING A SPECIAL ELECTION FOR CHARTER AMENDMENTS. THEN ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12TH THROUGH FRIDAY, AUGUST 14TH, WE WILL HAVE PUBLIC HEARING AND WE WILL HAVE THE, UH, VOTES ON THE BUDGET APPROVAL. UH, THAT BY THE WAY, THOSE ON THOSE DAYS, AUGUST 12TH, AUGUST 13TH, AND AUGUST 14TH, THAT THOSE MEETINGS START AT 10 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING. COUNSEL, THERE'S NO OTHER BUSINESS TO COME BEFORE THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL AT THIS MEETING OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL. SO WITH WITHOUT OBJECTION, WE ARE ADJOURNED AT 3:21 PM THANKS EVERYBODY. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.