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[Austin Wildfire News Conference on August 5, 2026.]
PRESIDENT OF THE AUSTIN AREA OF FIREWISE ALLIANCE, AND WE'RE SO GLAD TO BE HERE TODAY AT CITY HALL.UM, THANKS TO THE SPONSORSHIP OF THE MAYOR FOR THIS EVENT.
WE CAME TOGETHER FOR A VERY IMPORTANT REASON.
ONE, WE WANTED TO SHARE WITH THE RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN, WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE CITY AND COUNTY LEVEL IN TERMS OF ALL OF OUR AGENCIES THAT ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE OUR COMMUNITY BETTER PREPARED FOR WILDFIRE.
IT'S NOT A MATTER OF IF WE'RE GONNA HAVE A FIRE, IT'S A MATTER OF WHEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE A FIRE.
WE HAVE A TREMENDOUS PARTNERSHIP HERE AT WORK BETWEEN THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE TRAVIS COUNTY EMERGENCY SERVICES DISTRICTS, AUSTIN ENERGY, AUSTIN WATER, AND SO MANY OTHER PARTNERS.
AND WE ARE AS PREPARED AS WE CAN BE GIVEN THE LEVEL OF INVESTMENT THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO US.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN, THOUGH, IS COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS.
WE NEED RESIDENTS ACROSS AUSTIN AND ACROSS TRAVIS COUNTY TO BE PREPARED FOR WILDFIRE, AND IT COULD HAPPEN THIS MONTH.
SO WHAT WE WANT PEOPLE TO DO IS GO TO WARREN CENTRAL TEXAS.ORG, SIGN UP FOR EMERGENCY ALERTS.
WE WANT PEOPLE TO HAVE A GO BAG, BE READY TO GO.
WE WANT PEOPLE TO TALK ABOUT AN EVACUATION PLAN WITH THEIR FAMILIES, AND WE WANT PEOPLE TO CALL THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT OR YOUR LOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES DISTRICT AND REQUEST A WILDFIRE RISK ASSESSMENT OF YOUR HOME.
FIREFIGHTERS WILL COME OUT, THEY'LL GIVE YOU A FREE CONFIDENTIAL ASSESSMENT OF WHAT YOU CAN DO TO IMPROVE THE SAFETY OF YOUR HOME.
THEY'LL GIVE YOU A DIY CHECKLIST OF THINGS THAT ARE LOW COST AND EASY TO DO.
YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND MAKE YOUR HOME SAFER, AND THEN WE'RE ALL GONNA BE SAFER TOGETHER, NEIGHBORHOOD BY NEIGHBORHOOD.
WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO TURN IT OVER TO THE MAYOR, MR. MAYOR.
AND, AND I, I WANNA SAY A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO FRED, AND WE HAVE PEOPLE HERE THAT, THAT ARE EXPERTS, COMMANDS ANSWER QUESTIONS, BUT THE, THE WORK THAT FRED IS DOING TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITY SAFE IS REALLY IMPORTANT, AND THAT'S WHY THE MAYOR'S OFFICE WAS SO, UH, PLEASED AND EXCITED TO ACTUALLY PARTICIPATE IN THIS.
I DO JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT HE SAYS.
FIRST OF ALL, WE LIVE IN A COMMUNITY THAT IS, UH, WE, WE, WE TEND TO THINK ABOUT COLORADO AND CALIFORNIA WHEN WE THINK ABOUT WILDFIRES, BUT THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS, IS THAT AUSTIN, TEXAS, AND CENTRAL TEXAS, TRAVIS COUNTY AND CENTRAL TEXAS IS REALLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO WILDFIRE.
AND THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE HEARD US SPEND SO MUCH TIME WANTING TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC.
AS I SAID TODAY, UH, DURING THE SYMPOSIUM, PEOPLE ASK ME FREQUENTLY, WHAT KEEPS YOU AWAKE AT NIGHTMARE? UH, WELL, A LOT OF THINGS KEEP ME AWAKE AT NIGHT, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT IS AT THE TOP OF THAT LIST IS WILDFIRE.
AND HOW DO WE BE PREPARED? AS FRED HAS ALREADY POINTED OUT, WE AS A GOVERNMENT AND IN COORDINATION WITH OTHER GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES, EVERYTHING FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS TO EMERGENCY SERVICE DISTRICTS IN OUR AREA, WE ARE IN COORDINATION ALL THE TIME.
HOWEVER, WE CAN'T DO IT ALONE.
PREPAREDNESS REQUIRES US ACTING AFFIRMATIVELY ON THE FRONT END OF THINGS, AND THAT MEANS EACH OF US INDIVIDUALLY, NOT JUST THE GOVERNMENT.
SO AS FRED POINTED OUT, UH, WE WANT EVERYBODY TO SIGN UP FOR WARREN, WARN, WARREN CENTRAL TEXAS.ORG.
THAT WAY YOU CAN GET NOTIFICATIONS.
BUT WE ALSO WANT PEOPLE TO GO, UH, TO THE WEBSITES AND, AND FIND THE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT THEY CAN GET THEMSELVES PREPARED.
AS HE POINTS OUT, YOU CAN, YOU CAN GET PEOPLE TO COME OUT, PROFESSIONALS TO COME OUT AND SHOW YOU WHAT YOU NEED TO DO AT YOUR HOMES TO THE, THE PHRASE IS, HARDEN YOUR HOMES SO THAT YOU ARE PROTECTING THEM FROM POTENTIAL WILDFIRE.
BUT IN ADDITION, YOU NEED TO BE READY TO GO.
THE PHRASE WE USE IS READY, SET, GO.
AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS HAVING A KIT, KNOWING WHAT YOU, WHAT YOUR POTENTIAL EVACUATION ROUTES ARE, THINGS OF THAT NATURE, SO THAT YOU'LL BE, YOU'LL BE PREPARED IN CASE THERE IS, GOD FORBID, A WILDFIRE THAT THREATENS YOUR HOME.
SO WITH THAT, UH, I'M, I'M GOING TO OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS AND LET Y'ALL ASK QUESTIONS, UH, AND, AND, UM, SEE IF WE CAN'T GET MORE INFORMATION OUT TO THE PUBLIC.
MAYOR, CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH WHAT'S GOING ON HERE TODAY WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT ENTITIES? YEAH, I'M GONNA HAVE FRED DO IT.
UH, SO WHAT WE DID WAS WE INVITED KEY AGENCY LEADERS FROM AUSTIN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, CHIEF REDDICK, ELISE MARTIN, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER OF AUSTIN ENERGY CHIEF DAVID SCRAN.
HE'S THE CHIEF OF THE WILDFIRE DIVISION FOR THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT.
WE ALSO HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM AUSTIN WATER, THE WILDLAND CONSERVATION MANAGER.
WE'VE GOT SOMEBODY FROM THE INTERNATIONAL CODE COUNCIL.
WE'VE GOT A REPRESENTATIVE FROM A LEADING TECHNOLOGY PROVIDER, PANO AI.
AND SO WHAT WE WANTED TO DO WAS BRING ALL THESE LEADERS TOGETHER SO THAT THEY COULD SHARE WITH THE
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AUSTIN PUBLIC WHAT'S HAPPENING, WHAT ARE THEY ALL DOING IN COORDINATION WITH EACH OTHER TO MAKE THE COMMUNITY SAFER.AND YET THERE'S A LIMIT THERE.
THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH THE PUBLIC AGENCIES CAN DO.
THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH THAT WE CAN DO WITH TECHNOLOGY.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN IS THE INDIVIDUAL ACTION THAT EVERY HOMEOWNER NEEDS TO TAKE TO MAKE THEIR HOME SAFER.
WE JUST HEARD ONE PANELIST SAY, WE NEED TO HAVE PEOPLE START THINKING ABOUT HOMES LIKE THEIR FUEL.
AND AT THE SAME TIME, A HOME IS GENERALLY THE MOST IMPORTANT INVESTMENT ANYBODY IS EVER GONNA MAKE IN THEIR LIFETIME, AND THEY'VE GOT ALL THEIR SAVINGS WRAPPED UP IN IT.
YOU WANNA TAKE SOME BASIC EASY ACTIONS IN ORDER TO MAKE YOUR HOME SAFER AND PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT.
AND THEN WE ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT BY PROTECTING EACH AND EVERY INDIVIDUAL HOME, WE'LL BREAK THE CHAIN OF IGNITION.
IF ONE HOME CATCHES FIRE, IF THE OTHER HOMES ARE SAFE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, THEY'RE NOT GONNA CATCH FIRE.
SO IT'S KIND OF LIKE WHEN YOU HAVE A KID WHO'S GOT A COLD, YOU'RE GONNA ASK THEM TO GO TO BED AND BE QUARANTINED IN THEIR BEDROOM SO THAT THEY DON'T GET THE OTHER KIDS SICK.
WE WANT TO THINK ABOUT THAT HOME BY HOME, NEIGHBORHOOD BY NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND THAT'S THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT WAY THAT WE CAN MAKE OUR COMMUNITIES SAFER IS INDIVIDUAL ACTION.
BUT IF FOLKS DON'T TAKE THAT ACTION, WE'RE KIND OF, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA HIT THE CEILING IN TERMS OF OUR CAPABILITIES.
IT'S THE X FACTOR IN TERMS OF HOW WE'RE GONNA BE READY FOR A FIRE.
AND ALL I WOULD ADD TO IT IS THAT WE ARE AT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
WE ARE VERY SERIOUS ABOUT MAKING SURE PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THEY NEED TO DO IN ORDER TO PROTECT THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES PROTECT THEIR HOMES.
AND THIS IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF US TAKING AN ACTION TO DO THAT.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT FRED JUST SAID THAT THAT RESONATES WITH ME IS HOW YOU PROTECT THE INDIVIDUAL HOME SO THAT YOUR HOME MAY BE SAVED.
BUT THERE'S A, THERE'S ALSO KIND OF A FLIP SIDE TO THE COIN OF THAT.
SOMETIMES YOU, YOU MAY THINK YOUR HOME IS NOT AT RISK BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT WHERE THE FLAMES ACTUALLY ARE, BUT THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THAT MOST IGNITIONS CAN COME FROM EMBERS TRAVELING UP TO A MILE.
AND IF YOUR HOME HAS BEEN PROTECTED, IF IT'S BEEN HARDENED BY HAVING SOMEBODY COME OUT AND TELL YOU FOR FREE AND TELL YOU HOW THEY, YOU CAN PROTECT YOUR HOME, THEN YOU MAY ACTUALLY PREVENT THAT HOME FROM CATCHING FIRE AT SOME POINT.
SO IT'S THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT WE'RE HERE TODAY TO CONTINUE TO EMPHASIZE HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS, BUT ALSO TO PROVIDE THE EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS.
YOU MADE A BRIEF FOLLOW UP ON THAT.
WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF WILDFIRES AROUND THE COUNTRY, UM, OF COURSE NEAR SPOKANE.
RIGHT NOW I'M THINKING ABOUT LOS ANGELES, ESPECIALLY LAST YEAR.
ANY LESSONS LEARNED FROM THOSE? DOES THAT, DOES THE RECENT FIRES CHANGE HOW YOU, YOU APPROACH AND HOW YOU PREPARE IT? IT ACTUALLY WE'RE PREPARING ALL THE TIME, RIGHT? I MEAN, WE WE'RE DOING SOMETHING ALL THE TIME, BUT YEAH, WE LEARN FROM ANY, ANY, ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS OF, I, I POINTED OUT TODAY EARLIER THAT THE BIGGEST EXAMPLE OF SOME OF OUR LEARNING EXPERIENCE IN CENTRAL TEXAS OCCURRED BACK WHEN WE HAD THE, THE COMPLEX, THE BASTROP COMPLEX FIRE.
AND, UM, OUT OF THAT, THERE WAS A, A RENEWED, UH, COMMITMENT TO HOW WE GO ABOUT COORDINATION, MULTI-AGENCY COORDINATION.
UH, WE ALSO, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED IS THE AUSTIN FIREFIGHTERS ARE ALL NOW ALL TRAINED IN, IN WILDFIRE.
SO THAT, THAT WE HAVE SOMETHING PRETTY UNIQUE THAT'S NOT, THAT'S, THAT IS A UNIQUE THING TO HAVE A LARGE FIRE DEPARTMENT LIKE AUSTIN, WHERE EVERY FIREFIGHTER IS TRAINED IN WILD IN, IN WILDFIRE.
WE ALSO, UH, LEARNED, UH, FROM EVERY TIME WE HAVE SOMETHING BREAK OUT THAT'S A FIRE, WE, WE GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD AND WE LOOK AT IT AS, AS A PART OF A WAY OF WHAT DID WE LEARN FROM THAT, THAT HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE DO SOMETHING BETTER THE NEXT TIME? BUT OF COURSE, AS WE LOOK AROUND THE COUNTRY, WE, WE LEARN FROM BEST PRACTICES.
WOULD YOU SAY IN CENTRAL TEXAS, THERE HAVE BEEN FEWER WILDFIRES THIS YEAR COMPARED TO A FEW
SO IN CENTRAL TEXAS RIGHT NOW, THERE HAVE BEEN FEWER WILDFIRES, I THINK THAT THAN WE, WE'VE HAD A FAIRLY RAINY SEASON.
UM, THAT DOESN'T MEAN IN TEXAS OVERALL THAT THERE HAVEN'T BEEN MORE WILDFIRES.
AND, UH, AS THE MAYOR AND, AND AS THIS SYMPOSIUM HAS SHOWED IS WILDFIRE IS EVERYBODY'S PROBLEM.
IT TAKES A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF COORDINATION AMONG NUMBERS OF AGENCIES, UH, LOCAL, REGIONAL, AND STATE.
AND, UH, AUSTIN'S PART OF THE TEXAS INTEREST RATE FIRE MUTUAL AID SYSTEM, WHICH MEANS THAT WE DEPLOY RESOURCES TO, UH, VARIOUS PLACES THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
SO WE'VE, WE'VE SENT NUMBERS OF OUR FIREFIGHTERS TO FIGHT WILDFIRES IN THE PANHANDLE AND SO FORTH THIS YEAR.
UM, AND ALL OF THAT'S BECAUSE IF WE HAVE A BIG LARGE EVENT HERE WITHIN TEXAS, WE'RE GONNA BE CALLING THOSE RESOURCES FROM OTHER CITIES, OTHER COUNTIES, UM, AND FROM THE TEXAS A AND M STATE FOREST SERVICE, UH, TO HELP US FIGHT
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THAT WILDFIRE AS WELL.AND THAT, THAT'S A COUPLE REALLY IMPORTANT THINGS THAT COME OUTTA THAT, THAT, THAT STATEMENT.
UH, ONE THING IS THAT, THAT THERE'S THE WEATHER, THE, THE WET WEATHER THAT WE'VE HAD, UM, IS A TWO-EDGED SWORD.
UH, IT HAS HELPED REDUCE THE NUMBER OF POTENTIALLY HAS, IT'S HELPED REDUCE, I MEAN, YOU WOULD NEVER KNOW, RIGHT? BUT, BUT PERHAPS, AND PROBABLY HAS REDUCED THE NUMBER OF WILDFIRES THIS YEAR.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IT DOES IS IT CAUSES THINGS TO GROW.
AND SO WE HAVE A LOT OF GROWTH, WHICH INCREASES THE FUEL SO THAT IF SOMETHING DOES HAPPEN WHERE WE HAVE A WILDFIRE NOW, WE MAY HAVE MORE OF AN ISSUE AS A RESULT OF THAT.
THE OTHER THING I WANNA POINT OUT THAT WAS JUST SAID IS REALLY AN IMPORTANT THING.
WE, THE MUTUAL AID IS SOMETHING YOU SEE, UH, FREQUENTLY, AND IT'S ACTUALLY ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT WE, IF WE'RE NOT HAVING WILDFIRES IN AUSTIN, PEOPLE ARE GOING AND HELPING IN OTHER PLACES.
AND THAT ADDS TO THEIR TRAINING SO THAT SOMETHING DOES HAPPEN IN CENTRAL TEXAS.
THEY'RE GETTING ADDITIONAL TRAINING.
AND, UH, AS I HAVE TALKED TO FIREFIGHTERS, INCLUDING FIREFIGHTERS, THAT IF, IF YOU'LL REMEMBER, THERE WAS THE GILLESPIE COUNTY FIRE.
I HAD REASON TO BE OUT THERE DURING THAT AND, AND TALKED TO AUSTIN FIREFIGHTERS THAT WERE THERE.
THEY REALLY APPRECIATE GETTING THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT AS PART OF MUTUAL AID.
FIRST OF ALL, THEY LIKE HELPING PEOPLE THAT, THAT'S JUST KIND OF AT THE CORE WHY, THAT'S WHY PEOPLE, UH, YOU GOTTA REALLY WANT TO HELP PEOPLE TO BE RUNNING TOWARD A FIRE AND THAT THEY LIKE, THEY LIKE TO DO THAT.
BUT THE OTHER PART OF IT IS IT GETS THEM ADDITIONAL TRAINING THAT WE'RE ABLE TO USE HERE LOCALLY.
IF YOU CAN QUANTIFY, UM, WHERE, WHERE DO WE STAND ON POWER LINES? HOW DO, AROUND THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, USUALLY WE THINK ABOUT 'EM IN THE WINTER WHEN ICE GETS ON THEM AND THEY FALL DOWN.
BUT AS WE FOUND OUT IN BASTROP, THEY CAN START FIRES.
SO LISA MARTIN, AUSTIN ENERGY, AND, UH, THANKS FOR BRINGING THE FOCUS TO, UH, THE ELECTRIC INFRASTRUCTURE, WHICH IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF WILDFIRE MITIGATION.
UM, WILDFIRE RISK IS, IS A LARGE ONE AND SOMETHING THAT WE TAKE VERY SERIOUSLY AT AUSTIN ENERGY AND OUR ELECTRIC SYSTEM RESILIENCY PLAN, AS LONG AS WELL AS OUR UTILITY WILDFIRE MITIGATION PLAN WORKS TO HARDEN THOSE LINES, MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE MORE FIRE RESISTANT SO THAT THEY'RE NOT SUSCEPTIBLE TO A FIRE THAT'S COMING THEIR WAY.
BUT WE ALSO HAVE TECHNOLOGY AND INFRASTRUCTURE THAT HELPS US TO, UH, TURN OFF THE POWER IF ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, TO MAKE AT A MOMENT'S NOTICE REMOTELY FROM OUR CONTROL CENTER TO MAKE SURE THAT THE AREA IS SAFE SO THAT RESPONDERS CAN GET IN AND TAKE CARE OF THE ISSUES THEY NEED TO TAKE CARE OF AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
ONE LAST THING I'LL SAY IS THAT WE ALSO HAVE A SERIES OF, OF, UM, PANO CAMERAS OR TECHNOLOGY THAT, UH, ARE WAY HIGH IN THE AIR, GAIN A LANDSCAPE VIEW OF OUR ENTIRE SERVICE AREA TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN DETECT SMOKE PRETTY EARLY, AND, UM, GIVE I IMMEDIATE NOTICES AND EXACT LOCATIONS TO NOT ONLY AUSTIN ENERGY, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THE OTHER ELECT, UH, ENERGY, UH, EXCUSE ME, EMERGENCY SERVICE DISTRICTS FOR A QUICK RESPONSE AND AWARENESS.
SO A, A MYRIAD OF SUPPORTING EFFORTS HAPPENING, UH, IN COORDINATION WITH OUR FELLOW DEPARTMENTS.
I ALSO WANNA GET YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE BOND PROPOSAL.
THAT COULD BE ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT.
UM, I, I, UH, I VOTED NO YESTERDAY.
WELL, TOMORROW WE WILL HAVE THE, THE FINAL OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE ON WHETHER TO PUT A BOND PROPOSAL ON THE BALLOT.
UM, I HAVE, UH, FROM THE VERY BEGINNING INDICATED THAT I DID NOT THINK THIS YEAR WAS THE YEAR WE OUGHT TO HAVE A BOND ELECTION.
I, I FEEL THAT WAY FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS.
ONE IS, UH, AND, AND MANY HAVE HEARD ME SAY THIS, THAT FOR ABOUT A DECADE, FOR ABOUT A DECADE, AUSTIN, UM, HAD ELECTIONS MORE FREQUENTLY THAN WHAT OUR FINANCIAL POLICIES CALLED FOR.
AND THAT HAS ACTUALLY CREATED PART OF THE DIFFICULT SITUATION WE FIND OURSELVES IN, WHICH IS THAT THERE ARE SOME, SOME DEPARTMENTS, SOME AREAS THAT WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A BOND ELECTION BECAUSE IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE THEY, THEY, THEY GOT, THEY GOT THE MAJORITY OF THEIR WORK DONE.
UH, BUT OUR OVERALL DEBT POLICY, OUR OVERALL FINANCIAL POLICY WOULDN'T DICTATE WE GO, UH, FURTHER ON THAT.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I DID, UH, WAS TO TRY TO BRING SOME DISCIPLINE TO THAT PROCESS BY MOVING FORWARD ON A, A, A FRAMEWORK, A DECISION TREE, IF YOU WILL.
WELL, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT OCCURRED IN THAT WAS, IN MY VIEW, A WATERING DOWN OF OUR FINANCIAL POLICIES.
SO THAT IT WOULD BE A, YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE AN ELECTION AND STILL BE WITHIN OUR FINANCIAL POLICIES, BUT I DON'T, I DON'T CONSIDER CHANGING THE FINANCIAL POLICY SO THAT IT MEETS WHAT YOUR DESIRE IS.
THE SAME THING AS FOLLOWING THE FINANCIAL POLICY.
WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE WOULD BE WITHIN OUR FINANCIAL POLICIES, UH, IF WE WAIT TILL 2028.
I THINK GOOD GOVERNMENT IS DISCIPLINED GOVERNMENT.
AND I THINK THAT THERE WILL ALWAYS
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BE A REASON TO GO FORWARD ON SOMETHING THERE.WE WILL ALWAYS HAVE AN EXCUSE TO GO FORWARD.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT, UH, THIS DEBATE SHOULD NOT BE, SHOULD NOT BE JUST ONE QUESTION OF IS THIS PROGRAM IS THIS PROJECT THAT WE WANT WORTHWHILE? IT'S PROBABLY WORTHWHILE.
PARKS ARE WORTHWHILE, I BELIEVE IN PARKS AND I BELIEVE IN OUR PARK SYSTEM, CULTURAL FACILITIES AND OUR LIBRARIES ARE IMPORTANT, BUT THAT'S NOT THE ONLY QUESTION WE OUGHT TO ASK.
WE OUGHT TO ALSO ASK, NOT ONLY IS IT WORTHWHILE, BUT IS THIS THE RIGHT TIME? AND ARE WE CREATING TRUST AND CONFIDENCE IN THE PUBLIC THAT THEY CAN TRUST US TO FOLLOW OUR FINANCIAL POLICIES? AND THEN THE LAST THING I'LL SAY ABOUT THIS IS I THINK THE VOTERS SAID TO US IN NOVEMBER OF LAST YEAR, WHEN THEY SOUNDLY REJECTED THE TAX RATIFICATION ELECTION, THEY WANT US TO PAY BETTER ATTENTION TO THE ROLE THAT GOVERNMENT IS PLAYING IN THE AFFORDABILITY OF OUR CITY.
AND, UM, I DON'T THINK THINGS HAVE GOTTEN BETTER SINCE LAST NOVEMBER WHEN IT COMES TO AFFORDABILITY.
IF YOU NOW ARE PAYING $4 OR ROUGHLY $4, 3, 3 50 TO $4 A GALLON FOR GASOLINE, UH, YOU KNOW WHAT A PINCH IT IS.
I THINK AFFORDABILITY REMAINS AN ISSUE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
I PUT AFFORDABILITY FIRST, AND ESPECIALLY AS WE LOOK AT A BUDGET THAT HAD BUILT INTO IT A THREE AND A, A, A TAX RATE INCREASE THAT WILL ALLOW FOR THREE AND A HALF PERCENT MORE REVENUE.
AND YOU LOOK AT RATES FOR WATER AND RATES FOR ENERGY, UH, YOU LOOK AT ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT THINGS AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT YOU SAY, LET'S HAVE A BOND ELECTION.
I DON'T THINK THIS IS THE RIGHT TIME TO DO THAT.
OTHER QUESTIONS? WELL, I WANNA SAY AGAIN, HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE FRED AND, AND THE EFFORT THAT HAS GONE IN TO MAKING THIS, UH, SYMPOSIUM AND THIS OPPORTUNITY TO REVEAL HOW MUCH WE CARE ABOUT THIS AND DO IT IN A WAY WHERE PEOPLE ACTUALLY GET THE KIND OF INFORMATION THEY NEED TO PROTECT THEMSELVES AND PROTECT THEIR FAMILIES AND THEIR HOMES.
I JUST CAN'T SAY THANK YOU ENOUGH.
IT'S JUST, IT'S REALLY WELL DONE.
AND I WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO ALL OF Y'ALL, UH, FOR HELPING MAKE SURE WE GET THIS INFORMATION OUT.
YOU APPRECIATE, LISA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING HEAD OUT.