* 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. [00:00:03] WELCOME AUSTIN [Austin D8 Candidate Panel on September 21, 2026. ] VOTERS AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR THIS YEAR'S AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE FORUM FOR DISTRICT EIGHT. I'M PAM BIXBY. I'M A VOLUNTEER WITH THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS AND AUSTIN AREA, AND I'LL BE YOUR MODERATOR TONIGHT. THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF AUSTIN, UH, IS A NON-PROFIT, NON-PARTISAN ORGANIZATION. WE DON'T SUPPORT OR OPPOSE CANDIDATES OR POLITICAL PARTIES. WHAT WE DO DO IS HELP PEOPLE REGISTER TO VOTE, UNDERSTAND THE VOTING PROCESS, AND FIND RELIABLE INFORMATION ABOUT CANDIDATES AND BALLOT ISSUES. OUR PROGRAMS INCLUDE VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVES OUR FIRST VOTE PROGRAM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, OUR PRINTED AND ONLINE VOTER'S, GUIDES AND FORUMS LIKE THIS ONE. OUR PURPOSE TODAY IS TO HELP YOU MAKE YOUR OWN INFORMED CHOICES. THANK YOU TO OUR CANDIDATES FOR PARTICIPATING AND TO EVERYONE IN OUR AUDIENCE FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LEARN ABOUT THE PEOPLE SEEKING TO REPRESENT YOU. CITY COUNCIL DECISIONS AFFECT SO MUCH OF OUR DAILY LIVES. TONIGHT, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO HEAR DIRECTLY FROM THE CANDIDATES ABOUT THE PRIORITIES AND THEIR APPROACHES TO THE, TO THE ISSUES THAT FACE ALL OF US. BEFORE WE, WE BEGIN, I'D LIKE TO REVIEW THE RULES, THE FORMAT, AND THE TIMING. FIRST AND FOREMOST, CANDIDATES ARE EXPECTED TO BE RESPECTFUL. PERSONAL ATTACKS ON OPPONENTS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED, AND WE WILL TURN OFF MICS, . UM, EACH CANDIDATE WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES FOR OPENING STATEMENTS. UH, I WILL THEN ASK A SERIES OF QUESTIONS ON TOPICS SUCH AS HOUSING AND GROWTH, PUBLIC SAFETY, TRANSPORTATION, AND OTHER CONCERNS THAT AFFECT ALL OF YOU. UH, EACH CANDIDATE WILL THEN HAVE 90 SECONDS TO RESPOND TO EACH OF THESE QUESTIONS. SINCE THERE'S ONLY TWO CANDIDATES, WE'RE GIVING THEM A LITTLE BIT EXTRA TIME TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. TONIGHT, WE'LL ROTATE THE ORDER SO EACH PERSON GETS A CHANCE TO, TO SPEAK FIRST. DURING EACH 92ND RESPONSE. OUR TIMER WILL SIGNAL AT THE 15 SECOND MARK WITH THE YELLOW CARD. AND AGAIN, WHEN TIME IS UP, CANDIDATES, PLEASE KEEP AN EYE ON THE TIMER AND STOP WHEN YOUR TIME ENDS. FOLLOWING THE QUESTION PERIOD, EACH CANDIDATE WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES FOR A CLOSING STATEMENT. THIS IS THE FINAL OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE WHY YOU BELIEVE VOTERS SHOULD CHOOSE YOU TO SERVE ON THE CITY COUNCIL. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR KEEPING HELPING US KEEP THIS FORUM RESPECTFUL, FOCUSED, AND USEFUL TO VOTERS. AND NOW WE'LL BEGIN WITH OUR CANDIDATE INTRODUCTIONS. UM, THANK YOU MR. BOWEN AND MR. SHE, MS. SHIIA, UH, CANDIDATE BOWEN. YOU HAVE YOUR TWO MINUTES. OKAY. OKAY. THERE WE GO. ALRIGHT, THANKS. THANK YOU. UM, JEFFREY BOWEN, UH, BEEN THE RESIDENT OF AUSTIN, UH, THIS DISTRICT BEFORE IT WAS A DISTRICT FOR 37 YEARS. UM, 15 YEAR ADVOCATE FOR THE NEIGHBORHOODS PRESIDENT OF AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOODS COUNCIL AT THIS CURRENT TIME, UM, I'M ALSO, UH, THE CHAIR FOR THE BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTS FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN. UM, I VOTED AGAINST PROP Q 'CAUSE I DIDN'T WANNA SEE A 20% TAX INCREASE, PERMANENT TAX INCREASE. I ALSO HAVE BEEN WANTING AN AUDIT SINCE 2024. NOW WE'RE FINALLY GETTING TO SEE ONE, HOPEFULLY I BELIEVE IN TRANSPARENCY AND I BELIEVE IN ALSO IN PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. AND I ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IS BETWEEN WANTS AND NEEDS. UM, 'CAUSE I SEE THAT'S A FACT THAT, UH, WE'RE NOT TOUCHING ON ANYMORE. SO GLAD TO BE HERE TONIGHT. I'M GLAD TO SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE THAT I KNOW. AND, UM, I GUESS WE'RE READY TO, WE'RE READY TO GET, GET THIS THING STARTED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. CANDIDATE SHIA. HELLO EVERYBODY. THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH FOR COMING. MY NAME IS SELENA SHIA. I'M RUNNING FOR AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT EIGHT. I'M A COMMANDER FOR AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY EMS. UM, I'M ALSO AN ICU NURSE AND I WAS PRESIDENT OF THE EMS UNION FOR SIX YEARS. AND WHY I'M RUNNING FOR CITY COUNCIL IS BECAUSE WHEN I WAS PRESIDENT OF THE EMS UNION, I REPRESENTED OVER 600 OF OUR EMTS AND PARAMEDICS. UM, AND ONE THING THAT I HEARD OVER AND OVER, ESPECIALLY FROM OUR NEW CADETS, IS THAT THEY SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD TO LIVE IN AUSTIN. AND I ALSO HEARD THAT FROM FELLOW NURSES, UM, FROM TEACHERS, FROM OTHER FIRST RESPONDERS. AND SO WE HAVE TO MAKE IT SO THAT THE PEOPLE WHO SERVE AND LOVE OUR COMMUNITY CAN ALSO AFFORD TO BE A PART OF IT. ALSO, PUBLIC SAFETY IS 70% OF THE BUDGET, AND YET WE HAVE ZERO PEOPLE ON CITY COUNCIL THAT HAVE PUBLIC SAFETY EXPERIENCE. I'M RUNNING BECAUSE I'M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT OUR WILDFIRE RISK. AUSTIN IS THE FIFTH HIGHEST RISK FOR WILDFIRE IN THE COUNTRY, AND I'M ALSO REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT OUR LONG-TERM WATER SUPPLY. I HAVE EXPERIENCE WORKING DIRECTLY WITH FOLKS WHO ARE HOMELESS, WORKING WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, AND ALSO PEOPLE DEALING WITH DRUG ISSUES. AND WE NEED SOMEBODY ON COUNCIL THAT HAS DIRECT EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH INDIVIDUALS THAT NEED OUR HELP AND THAT WE ARE DEALING WITH AUSTIN THE MOST CRITICAL ISSUES, UM, TO HAVE SOMEBODY WHO HAS [00:05:01] THIS DIRECT EXPERIENCE AND ALSO HAS EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH POLICY ON THESE ISSUES. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, LET'S GET INTO THE QUESTIONS. WE'LL START WITH CANDIDATE BOWEN. UM, AND FORGIVE ME FOR THE, THE LENGTH OF SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS. WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE GAVE ENOUGH CONTEXT SO THAT YOU, UH, COULD ANSWER FULLY. THE FIRST QUESTION RELATES TO HOUSING AND GROWTH. AUSTIN'S AFFORDABLE HOUSING GOALS DEPEND ON CONTRIBUTIONS FROM EVERY DISTRICT. ACCORDING TO THE AUSTIN STRATEGIC HOUSING BLUEPRINT SCORECARD, WHICH TRACKS 10 YEAR GOALS FROM 2018 TO 2028, DISTRICT EIGHT HAS BUILT ONLY 23% OF ITS TARGETED 722 INCOME RESTRICTED UNITS. THE LATEST VERSION I COULD FIND WAS 2024, SO THAT NUMBER MIGHT BE A LITTLE OFF. WHAT ROLE SHOULD DISTRICT EIGHT PLAY IN HELPING AUSTIN MEET ITS HOUSING NEEDS WHILE RESPECTING NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS? OKAY, WELL, WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT, UM, WE WERE ASKED THIS QUESTION JUST THE OTHER DAY, AND PART OF IT IS THAT THE COST OF OUR LAND HERE IN THIS SIDE OF THE, THIS SIDE OF THE DISTRICT, OR ACTUALLY IN THIS SIDE OF THE CITY, UM, WE ACTUALLY HAVE SOME DIFFERENT BUILDING CONSTRAINTS THAN SOME OF THE OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY DO. 'CAUSE WE, WE BUILD ON ROCK. UH, ALSO THE FACT THAT IF YOU LOOK AROUND, WE HAVE QUITE A BIT OF GREEN SPACE, AND WITH ALL THAT GREEN SPACE MEANS WE'VE, WE'RE RESTRICTED ON HOW MUCH WE CAN ACTUALLY OPEN BACK UP BECAUSE OF THE AB AQUIFER. UM, WE DO HAVE SOME AREAS THAT ARE TRYING TO BE BUILT. UH, THERE'S AN AREA THAT HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH, WITH THE NEIGHBORS IN, UH, CIRCLE C CALLED TRACK ONE 10 THAT THEY'RE WANTING TO ADD, UM, A THOUSAND HIGH-END UNITS, UM, THAT NEIGHBORHOOD IS ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOMETHING IN MISSING MIDDLE, BUT THEY CAN'T BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THE DEVELOPER WANTS TO DO. SO AS FOR THE 23% GOES BACK TO WHAT OUR BUILDING COSTS ARE, THE CITY DOES NOT HAVE ANY CONTROL OVER THE COST OF LABOR OR THE COST OF MATERIALS, BUT THEY DO HAVE SOME CONTROL OVER THE COST OF PERMITTING. SO I BELIEVE THAT WE COULD DO MORE IN OUR AREA IF WE STARTED WORKING ON SOME OF THE PERMITTING ISSUES. UM, OUR GROWTH IS GETTING, UM, IT SLOWED DOWN A LITTLE BIT BASED UPON ALL THE APARTMENTS THAT WE HAD BUILT DURING THAT TIMEFRAME WHEN WE HAD, UM, THE LOW INTEREST RATES. AND, UM, BUT THAT IS AN EFFORT THAT WE REALLY NEED TO LOOK AT AS TO HOW IT IMPACTS THE REST OF THIS AREA DOWN HERE. THANK YOU. CANDIDATE SHIA. WHEN I TALK TO PEOPLE IN DISTRICT EIGHT, A LOT OF THEM ARE YOUNG PARENTS, UM, HAVE KIDS THAT GO TO BOWIE HAVE GO TO COVINGTON, UM, OUR DIFFERENT LOCAL SCHOOLS. UM, AND WHAT THEY TELL ME IS THAT THEY CAN'T KEEP, UH, THE STAFF THERE BECAUSE OF HOW EXPENSIVE IT IS. SO WE ABSOLUTELY NEED MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN DISTRICT EIGHT. UM, CITY COUNCIL JUST CHANGED IT SO THAT DEVELOPMENTS LARGE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENTS DON'T HAVE TO DO AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON SITE, BUT CAN ACTUALLY PUT THE MONEY INTO A FUND. SO WHAT I WANNA MAKE SURE IS THAT THAT FUND IS ALSO DISTRIBUTED TO PLACES LIKE DISTRICT EIGHT, SO THAT WE HAVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR OUR TEACHERS AND OTHER PEOPLE, UM, WHO ARE TRYING TO SERVE, ESPECIALLY AREAS OF DISTRICT EIGHT. WE HAVE A LOT OF PUBLIC LAND THAT WE COULD BUILD ON. UM, THERE'S SOME LAND IN TRAVIS COUNTRY. WE ALSO KNOW PINNACLE CAMPUS, UM, HAS BEEN VACANT FOR ALMOST A DECADE. UM, AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT HAVING AFFORDABLE SENIOR HOUSING AND OTHER TYPES OF THINGS. UM, AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE WHAT THE BEST USE AND HOW WE COULD SERVE THE MOST AMOUNT OF PEOPLE USING PINNACLE CAMPUS AND OTHER PUBLIC LAND IN, IN SOUTHWEST AUSTIN. THANK YOU. UM, THIS, UH, UH, CANDIDATE BOWEN TOUCHED ON THIS, BUT I HAVE A SPECIFIC QUESTION ABOUT CIRCLE C'S. TRACK ONE 10. UH, SO A PROPOSAL FOR THE CIRCLE C TRACK ONE 10 NEAR MOPAC AND SH 45 COULD BRING A THOUSAND NEW APARTMENTS TO ONE OF THE AREA'S LAST LARGE UNDEVELOPED PROPERTIES. THE CITY HAS SUPPORTED HIGHER DENSITY HOUSING AT THIS LOCATION WHILE NEARBY RESIDENTS HAVE RAISED CONCERNS ABOUT TRAFFIC AT THE, THE NEARBY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS INFRASTRUCTURE CAPACITY AND CHANGES TO A LONGSTANDING DEVELOPER AGREEMENT. WHAT FACTORS SHOULD THE CITY CON CITY COUNCIL CONSIDER WHEN DECIDING WHETHER AND UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS THIS PARTICULAR DEVELOPMENT SHOULD MOVE FORWARD? YES, THIS IS A HUGE ISSUE FOR CIRCLE C. UM, AND I HAVE BEEN ATTENDING THE PROTECT CIRCLE C MEETINGS. I KNOW A LOT OF THE ORGANIZERS THERE AND WORKING WITH THEM. UM, I EVEN HELPED WORK WITH, UM, THE STATE REP AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY HAVE A, HAD A LETTER TO SHOW THAT IT DIDN'T ACTUALLY FALL UNDER SB EIGHT 40, UM, WHICH ACTUALLY GAVE THEM SOME NEGOTIATING AND LEVERAGE POWER, WHICH HAD THEM ACTUALLY CHANGE THE DOLL GREEN ACCESS. I ABSOLUTELY BELIEVE THERE SHOULD ABSOLUTELY BE NO INTER NEIGHBORHOOD ACCESS. THOSE ROADS ARE NOT BUILT FOR AN ADDITIONAL 4,000 CAR TRIPS A DAY. UM, WHEN I TALK TO DIFFERENT CIRCLE C RESIDENTS, THE, THEY'RE, TO ME, THEY ARE LESS CONCERNED WITH THE NUMBER OF UNITS AND MORE CONCERNED WITH THE ACCESS BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE MOVED TO THAT PART OF AUSTIN SO THAT THEIR KIDS CAN BIKE TO KIKER AND IT WOULD BE RIGHT ALONG THE ROUTE TO KIKER. UM, WHEN I LOOK AT THAT [00:10:01] TRACT OF LAND, I ALSO SEE THERE ARE SOME BUSINESSES. THERE'S ALSO ST. AUGUSTINE, UM, THERE IS ALSO THE FACT THAT TRACK ONE 10 IS RIGHT OFF OF MOPAC. UM, AND SO I'VE ALSO BEEN TALKING TO SOME FOLKS AT C-T-R-M-A, UM, AND ALSO TDOT ABOUT CAN WE BUILD A BRIDGE ACROSS, ARE THERE SOME OTHER REALLY CREATIVE IDEAS LIKE PUTTING US, PUTTING THAT AREA BACK INTO THE A SMP AND BUILDING OUT SOUTH BAY SO THAT IT GOES DIRECTLY TO MOPAC INSTEAD OF ALLOWING CUTS THROUGH OUR NEIGHBORHOOD? THANK YOU. CANDIDATE BOWEN? WELL, I'VE ACTUALLY BEEN AT EVERY ONE OF THEIR MEETINGS, UM, UM, NOT SEEING A LOT OF OTHER, UH, INDIVIDUALS THERE, BUT, UH, BEEN WORKING WITH THE, THE, THOSE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THAT AREA. UM, YES, THERE'S PART OF THIS TO WHERE THERE WAS A LOT OF CONFUSION AND THE FACT THAT THOSE RESIDENTS WERE NOT GETTING ANY INFORMATION FROM THEIR CURRENT CITY COUNCIL MEMBER AND THINGS THAT WAS DONE, UH, WAY IN THE BEGINNING, UH, WITH THEIR BOARD. UH, THERE WERE ROADS THAT WERE DROPPED OUTTA THE A SMP, WHICH WHEN MANY OF US AND A COUPLE OF US THAT ARE IN THIS ROOM RIGHT NOW, WERE OUT TRYING TO GET INFORMATION ON THE A SMP, WHY IT GOT DROPPED. THAT'S STILL BEING INVESTIGATED AT THIS POINT, BUT AT THIS TIME, THE DEVELOPER IS IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO CHANGE THEIR AGREEMENT AND TRYING TO GET OUT OF HAVING TO PAY FOR THE ROAD THAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE PAYING FOR. THEY'RE HALF OF THE ROAD, THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS RIGHT NOW OF WANTING TO PUT THAT BACK ON THE TAXPAYERS, AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT SHOULD BE FAIR TO THE TAXPAYER SINCE THAT WAS PART OF THEIR AGREEMENT. NOW, WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO TDO AND THE OTHER ROAD IT GOES ACROSS, THERE'S NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE WITH TDOT AT THIS POINT IN TIME UNTIL AFTER IT'S HAD THE SITE PLAN DONE. MANY OF US, IT'S BEEN IN THIS BUSINESS FOR A LONG TIME, UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO EXPLAIN IT TO RESIDENTS THAT THEY'RE BEING AWARE OF THIS AT THE FIRST TIME, THAT GETS REALLY CONFUSING WITH THEM. SO I'M REALLY WORKING WITH THEM, UH, NOT ONLY AS A NEIGHBORHOOD REP PRIMARILY TO GET THEM THE INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED. AND I'VE ACTUALLY SPOKE AT CITY COUNCIL AND AT THE ZONING COMMISSION REGARDING THIS ENTIRE PROCESS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. LET'S TALK TRANSPORTATION. UH, AND THIS QUESTION WILL GO FIRST TO, UH, CANDIDATE BOWEN WITH THE OAK HILL PARKWAY. SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE ATTENTION IS TURNING TO OTHER MAJOR TRANSPORTATION NEEDS IN SOUTHWEST AUSTIN, INCLUDING THE FUTURE OF MOPAC SOUTH. WHAT SHOULD THE CITY'S TRANSPORTATION PRIORITIES BE FOR DISTRICT EIGHT AND HOW WOULD YOU WORK WITH REGIONAL AND STATE TRANSPORTATION TRANSPORTATION AGENCIES TO ADVANCE THEM? OKAY, GREAT. UM, ACTUALLY, UH, BEING HERE AS LONG AS I'VE LIVED IN THIS AREA FOR 37 YEARS, UM, I REMEMBER WHEN WE MOVED BACK TO TEXAS, UM, AND OAK HILL WAS THE Y WAS THE SAME WAY. IT WAS WHEN I CAME THROUGH BACK IN 1973 AS A KID, WE WERE GOING TO CALIFORNIA FOR A FUNERAL, SO IT HADN'T CHANGED. WE'VE SEEN, I'VE SEEN IT CHANGE WHAT LITTLE BIT IT'S CHANGED OVER TIME. I'M ACTUALLY GLAD TO SEE THAT. I KNOW THERE WAS MANY OF MY NEIGHBORS IN THIS AREA THAT WERE LIKE, THEY WERE REALLY UPSET ABOUT THE WHY WE WERE FINALLY GETTING SOMETHING GOING. UM, IN REGARDS TO THE, THE, THE EXPANSION OF MOPAC. WE WENT TO THE, UM, TO THE MOPAC, UH, PROCESS WHERE THEY WERE WANTING ALL OF OUR INPUTS ON THAT. I ACTUALLY SIT DOWN AND PROBABLY WROTE FOR PROBABLY 30 MINUTES GOING, WE NEED TO JUST GO AHEAD AND WIDEN WHERE WE'VE ALREADY GOT, THE BRIDGES HAVE ALREADY WIDENED. WE CAN INFILL IN BETWEEN THERE INSTEAD OF HAVING TO GO BACK THROUGH AND REBUILD EVERYTHING AND PUT TOLL ROADS IN THERE, WHICH IS GOING TO BE RIGHT OVER THE ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE AREA. THERE'S MANY GROUPS, UH, SAVE OUR SPRINGS. WELL, EVEN CITY COUNCIL HAS SAID THAT THEY'RE REALLY NOT FOR THE EXPANSION OF THAT. BUT I HAVE NO PROBLEM WORKING WITH THAT, WITH AN ENGINEERING BACKGROUND AND BUILDING ROADS AND BUILDING ALL KINDS OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRYING TO MAKE SURE WHAT IS IT THAT REALLY IS GOING TO WORK FOR THE REST OF US HERE IN OAK HILL. UH, OUR TRANSPORTATION, ONE OF OUR OTHER TRANSPORTATION ISSUES IS THE LACK OF BUS SERVICE. SO I THINK IF WE INCREASE SOME OF THAT, THAT WOULD ALSO HELP US IN NOT HAVING TO DEAL WITH SOME OF THIS EXPANSION THAT WE NEED. ALSO, THANK YOU CANDIDATE GIA. WE NEED TO WORK ON EVERYTHING. UM, I WENT TO THE TOWN HALL RELATED TO MOPAC EXPANSION TO LOOK AT SOME OF THE REALLY DEVASTATING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS. ON THE OTHER HAND, WHEN I'M OUT BLOCK WALKING, TALKING TO PEOPLE IN DISTRICT EIGHT, I DO HEAR THAT PEOPLE ARE REALLY FED UP WITH HOW CONGESTED MOPAC IS. UM, AND SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY VOICES ARE HEARD. IS IT ONE TOLL LANE OR TWO TOLL LANES? UM, IT DEFINITELY SEEMS LIKE THE TWO TOLL LANE OPTION, UM, WOULD REALLY REQUIRE MASSIVE, UH, MUCH MORE ENGINEERING THAN JUST THE ONE TOLL LANE. UM, BUT WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT TAKING AWAY HALF THE PARKING IN ZILKER PARK IN ORDER TO USE THAT, UM, AS A CONSTRUCTION YARD FOR MOPAC SOUTH. SO WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN OR THAT WE HAVE OTHER OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO GO TO ZILKER PARK. UM, SINCE RIGHT NOW WE KNOW THAT, THAT THERE'S NOT NEARLY ENOUGH PARKING THERE AS IT IS, UM, AS FAR AS PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, UM, WE NEED TO MAKE MORE FREQUENT STOPS AND ALSO WE NEED [00:15:01] TO EXPAND CAP METRO ACCESS SO THAT IT COVERS MORE PEOPLE IN DISTRICT EIGHT. UM, SINCE WE HAVE OUR LEASE SERVED BY BUSES, IF WE CAN EXPAND THE, THE RADIUS SO THAT IT COVERS UP TO TWO MILES, UM, MORE PEOPLE CAN USE CAP METRO ACCESS, AND I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS BECAUSE MY PATIENT, OUR PATIENT POPULATIONS WHO CALL 9 1 1 OFTENTIMES REALLY JUST NEEDED TO GET TO THE HEB OR THE DIALYSIS CLINIC AND WOULD RELY ON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. THANK YOU. WELL, MY NEXT QUESTION WAS ABOUT, UH, PUBLIC TRANSIT, BUT YOU BOTH KIND OF ADDRESSED THAT, SO I THINK I'LL SKIP THAT QUESTION. WELL, THAT'S ALL RIGHT. WE COULD TALK ABOUT THAT IF YOU WANT . THAT'S OKAY. MAYBE WE'LL COME BACK IF WE HAVE MORE TIME. UM, LET'S MOVE ON TO COMMUNITY HEALTH. UM, THE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH RECENTLY CONFIRMED A SECOND MEASLES CASE IN TRAVIS COUNTY THIS YEAR INVOLVING AN UNVACCINATED INFANT. THIS UNDERSCORES THE IMPORTANCE OF DISEASE SURVEILLANCE AND PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS AS A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER, WHAT ROLE DO YOU BELIEVE THE CITY SHOULD PLAY IN PROTECTING COMMUNITY HEALTH WHILE WORKING WITHIN ITS LOCAL AUTHORITY? THIS IS A GREAT QUESTION, AND I SPEND A LOT OF TIME THINKING ABOUT THIS IN EMS, UM, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WHEN WE ARE RESPONDING TO CALLS, UM, THAT IS THE LEAST EFFICIENT AND MOST LIFE THREATENING WAY TO DO IT, UM, FOR THAT REASON, UM, I WAS ACTUALLY A CAR SEAT TECHNICIAN FOR EMS, UM, BECAUSE WE SAW, UM, BACK IN THE TWO THOUSANDS, WE SAW A LOT OF CAR CRASHES WHERE KIDS WERE NOT IN, UM, CAR SEATS. AND SO WE WORKED ON A PROGRAM, GOT IT STARTED AND ACTUALLY PROVIDED FREE CAR SEATS, UM, FOR THE COMMUNITY. UM, I'VE ALSO SEEN A LOT OF DOWNSTREAM EFFECTS BECAUSE OF ROE V. WADE. WE HAVE AN UNPRECEDENTED NUMBER OF WOMEN GIVING REALLY PRETERM BIRTH, SO MUCH SO THAT EMS HAD TO HAVE A SPECIAL CLASS TO TEACH, TO REMIND PEOPLE ON HOW TO TAKE CARE OF BABIES WHEN THEY ARE THAT SMALL. UM, AND SO I ABSOLUTELY UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF, UM, PREPAREDNESS INSTEAD OF WAITING FOR THE RESULTS OF THESE POLICIES AND WOULD ABSOLUTELY FIGHT FOR THE STRONGEST PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURES. THANK YOU. CANDIDATE BON WELL UNDER, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE BUDGET, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH DOES GET A PRETTY GOOD CHUNK OF CHANGE. UM, THERE WAS, UH, I ACTUALLY ASKED DURING ONE OF THE BUDGET PROCESSES THIS PAST YEAR ABOUT WHAT WAS THE COMBINED EFFORT BETWEEN, UM, TRAVIS COUNTY CENTRAL HEALTH AND ALSO WITH, UH, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH. ARE Y'ALL ACTUALLY COORDINATING TOGETHER, UH, TO SEE WHO'S NOT OVERLAPPING AND MAKING SURE WE'RE, WE'RE USING THE FUNDS THE BEST WE CAN? UH, CURRENTLY, YOU KNOW, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH DOES HAVE, HAS A LOT OF FREE CLINICS THAT THEY HAVE. THEY DO THE IMMUNIZATIONS, THEY HAVE A REGULAR PROGRAM. THEY SEND OUT THEIR DIFFERENT BUSES TO DO IMMUNIZATIONS OUT THERE. UM, LOOKING AT THIS CROWD RIGHT HERE, I BET EVERYBODY IN HERE HAS HAD A MEASLES SHOT, AT LEAST IN THEIR, IN THEIR EARLY, EARLY YEARS. UM, YEAH, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH I CRIED THROUGH IT, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'LL HAVE TO, I HAVE TO ASK MY MOTHER ABOUT THAT. BUT, UM, WE DO HAVE THOSE FACILITIES AND I THINK WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE EMPHASIZING THAT THE, THE IMPORTANCE OF GETTING VACCINATION, I'M NOT GOING TO TELL SOMEBODY THAT HAS A, UM, THAT HAS SOME REASON THAT THEY DO NOT WANT TO BE VACCINATED. THAT'S A PERSONAL RIGHT ON THEIRS, BUT ALL YOU CAN DO IS JUST, UH, MAKE SURE THAT AT LEAST, UH, YOU'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE ARE AVAILABLE TO THE PEOPLE THAT NEED THOSE NEED THAT VACCINATION AND, UH, TO KEEP THE REST OF US ALL SAFE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY AND PREPAREDNESS. UM, RECENT CITY DATA SHOW THAT DISTRICT EIGHT CONTINUES TO EXPERIENCE SOME OF THE, SOME OF AUSTIN'S LONGEST EMERGENCY RESPONSE TIMES. WHAT STEPS WOULD YOU SUPPORT TO IMPROVE EMERGENCY RESPONSE TIMES AND ENSURE RESIDENTS HAVE TIMELY ACCESS TO POLICE, FIRE AND EMS SERVICES? OKAY. UM, I ACTUALLY DID A RIDE ALONG LAST FRIDAY. UM, IT WAS ACTUALLY A VERY EXCITING EXPERIENCE FOR ME BECAUSE I ACTUALLY GOT TO RIDE WITH THAT. AN OFFICER THAT WAS ACTUALLY RAISED IN CIRCLE C WENT TO, WENT TO BOWIE HIGH SCHOOL. UH, WE WERE TALKING THROUGHOUT THE DAY ON THE DIFFERENT, THE DIFFERENT THINGS. UM, HE WAS A LOT YOUNGER THAN I WAS AND TALKING ABOUT HOW MUCH THE CITY HAS CHANGED, UH, ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT WE TALKED ABOUT WAS THE SHORTAGE OF OFFICERS WE'RE STILL 300 PLUS 320 PLUS OFFICERS SHORT. THOSE, THOSE ARE SLOTS ALREADY ASSIGNED. THOSE ARE, THEY'RE JUST NOT FILLED. UH, I'D REALLY LIKE TO SEE THOSE OFFICERS, THOSE POSITIONS GET FILLED IN AS TIMELY FASHION AS POSSIBLE. UM, HAVING RODE AROUND IN THIS, IN THIS SECTOR, UH, I WAS AMAZED AT JUST, UM, AND ACTUALLY FOR THAT DAY, IT WAS ACTUALLY A DOUBLE SHIFT, WHICH MEANS THEY HAD TWO SHIFTS THAT ACTUALLY OVERLAPPED. SO THEY ACTUALLY HAD DOUBLE, UH, DOUBLE OFFICERS ON THE DUTY FOR THAT DAY BECAUSE THEY RUN FOUR 10 HOUR SHIFTS. UM, AND THE AMOUNT OF CALLS THAT WERE COMING IN, WERE ACTUALLY GETTING CALL, WERE GETTING TAKEN CARE OF IN A VERY TIMELY FASHION. SO I COULD REALLY SEE THAT IF THEY WERE JUST DOING ONE SHIFT, HOW THOSE START [00:20:01] STACKING UP, WHICH MEANS, WHICH WOULD GO BACK TO WE NEED TO COMPLETELY MAN UP WHAT WE HAVE OR WOMAN UP, GET AS MANY OFFICERS TO FILL THOSE POSITIONS AS POSSIBLE AND GET THIS TRAINING CADETS BACK AND, AND, AND WORKING JUST AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. THANK YOU. WE HAVE A PUBLIC SAFETY SYSTEM THAT WAS BUILT FOR CONDITIONS OVER A HUNDRED YEARS AGO, UM, THAT DO SIMPLY NOT MATCH THE NEEDS THAT WE HAVE TODAY. I'LL GIVE Y'ALL AN EXAMPLE. UM, IF SOMEBODY HERE IN THIS, UM, LIBRARY WAS HAVING A HEART ATTACK, WE WOULD SEND A $2 MILLION FIRE TRUCK AND ALSO AN AMBULANCE. UM, BUT WE KNOW THAT A FIRETRUCK, WE REALLY SHOULD RESERVE THEM FOR FIGHTING FIRES. UH, WE ALSO KNOW THAT, UM, IN THE, THAT IF SOMEBODY IS HAVING A PAPER CUT, FOR EXAMPLE, AND YOU CALL FOR AN AMBULANCE AND YOU DEMAND AN AMBULANCE, THAT WE WILL SEND THAT, AND THEN MAYBE YOUR NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR IS HAVING A STROKE. UM, AND SO WE REALLY NEED TO RETHINK HOW WE DO PUBLIC SAFETY, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE OF THE STATE ENVIRONMENT OF TAX CAPS, UM, AT 3.5%. AND SO I'VE REALLY BEEN WORKING WITH EMS, FOR EXAMPLE, ON PUSHING FORWARD COMMUNITY HEALTH PROGRAMS THAT WILL ACTUALLY SEND A COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDIC OUT. IF SOMEBODY IS COMPLAINING OF A PSYCHIATRIC CALL, IF SOMEBODY IS COMPLAINING OF A REALLY LOW LEVEL MEDICAL CALL WHERE THEY ACTUALLY PROBABLY NEED RESOURCES INSTEAD OF AN AMBULANCE. UM, AND SO WE CAN GET PEOPLE SET UP WITH MAP, WHICH IS CENTRAL HEALTH'S LOW INCOME HEALTH INSURANCE. UM, WE CAN HELP PEOPLE FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET CAP METRO ACCESS, UM, SO THAT THEY CAN GET RELIABLE RIDES TO DIALYSIS, UM, HOW THAT THEY CAN GET, UH, FREE HEALTH INSURANCE SO THAT THEY CAN AFFORD THEIR MEDICATIONS. UM, THERE IS SO MUCH THAT WE CAN DO TO PROVIDE A MUCH BETTER EFFICIENT SERVICE THAT WILL THEN ALSO REALLY IMPROVE OUR RESPONSE TIMES. BUT ALSO WE HAVE VASTLY UNDERFUNDED FIRE AND EMS AS WELL. UH, FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS, I'VE BEEN FIGHTING FOR MORE AMBULANCES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. FORGIVE THIS LONG QUESTION, BUT THIS IS, UH, SOMETHING A MATTER BEFORE THE COUNCIL RIGHT NOW. SO I WANTED TO PROVIDE A LOT OF CONTEXT. IN AUGUST, THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED STEPS TOWARD MOVING NINE ONE ONE CALL TAKING OUT OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND CREATING AN INDEPENDENT EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT FOR BACKGROUND TRAINED CIVILIAN CALL TAKERS OR THE PEOPLE WHO GET THE CRITICAL INFORMATION FROM THE CALLER AND CREATE AN INCIDENT IN THE SYSTEM THAT GETS SENT TO DISPATCH AND THEN ONTO THE APPROPRIATE FIRST RESPONDER, AS I'M SURE YOU KNOW. UM, BUT TOMORROW THE COUNCIL WILL HEAR FROM CONSULTANTS WHO STUDY THE SYSTEM AND RECOMMEND KEEPING NINE ONE ONE CALL TAKING WITHIN A PD WHILE MAKING SIGNIFICANT OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS. IF YOU WERE, IF YOU WERE PARTICIPATING IN TOMORROW'S DISCUSSION, WHAT QUESTIONS WOULD YOU ASK BEFORE DECIDING WHETHER AUSTIN SHOULD KEEP THE CIVILIAN NINE ONE ONE CALL TAKERS WITHIN A PD OR CREATE A NEW DEPARTMENT? THERE'S SO MUCH TO THIS QUESTION. I REALLY WON'T BE ABLE TO DO IT JUSTICE IN JUST 90 SECONDS. UM, THESE 9 1 1 SYSTEMS ARE LEGACY SYSTEMS. THEY ARE VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TO TINKER WITH. I KNOW BECAUSE IN EMS, WE'VE TRIED TO ADJUST SOME OF OUR DISPATCHING, UM, AND IT IS VERY, VERY HARD TO DO. UM, I ALSO KNOW THAT IN ALL THREE DEPARTMENTS, OUR COMMUNICATIONS REALLY IS AN AFTERTHOUGHT. UM, THE DEPARTMENTS LOVE TO FOCUS ON THE AMBULANCES, ON THE FIRE TRUCKS ON OUR PATROL, UM, AND SO OUR COMMUNICATIONS DOES NEED MORE ATTENTION. THAT'S WHY WE HAD REALLY LONG RESPONSE TIMES YEARS AGO IN A PD BECAUSE WE JUST WEREN'T PAYING ATTENTION TO OUR COMMUNICATIONS. AND I'VE TALKED TO A LOT OF DISPATCHERS. I'VE TALKED TO FOLKS THAT HAVE CALLED 9 1 1. IT IS TRUE THAT A LOT OF TIMES WE ARE NOT GETTING AN APPROPRIATE MENTAL HEALTH RESPONSE, EVEN WHEN THE CALL CLEARLY WARRANTED IT. AND SO WE KNOW THAT SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE SO THAT WE ARE SENDING THE RIGHT RESOURCE TO THE CALL. UM, I THINK IT'S REALLY COMPLICATED, AND I FEEL LIKE THE WHOLE PROCESS WAS PRETTY RUSHED. UM, THIS IS ALSO JUST THE FIRST STEP. IT WOULD NOT ACTUALLY TAKE ALL OF THE CALL TAKERS AND DISPATCHERS FROM POLICE INTO A DIFFERENT DEPARTMENT. IT WOULD JUST TAKE THE VERY FIRST LEVEL. UM, AND SO I, I, I WANNA MAKE SURE EVERYBODY HAS ACCURATE INFORMATION, UM, AND THAT WE'RE HAVING MUCH LONGER CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THIS BECAUSE THE CONSEQUENCES ARE LAPSES IN PICKING UP CALLS AND OTHER THINGS. UM, THAT COULD BE LIFE AND DEATH. GREAT. THANK YOU. CANDIDATE BOWEN? UH, WELL, I WAS ACTUALLY IN COUNSEL THAT DAY THAT THEY ACTUALLY BROUGHT THIS UP. AND, UM, ALL THREE OF THE CHIEFS, UH, EMS FIRE AND POLICE ALL SAID THAT THEY WERE AGAINST THIS. UH, THEY ACTUALLY, THE CITY MANAGER ACTUALLY, UH, WROTE A LETTER THAT TALKED ABOUT THE PRELIMINARY REPORT, WHICH WAS TALKING ABOUT, OKAY, WE WERE ALREADY IN THE TOP ONE, UH, 0.5 OR LESS THAN, LESS THAN ONE HALF OF 1% IN THE TOP, UH, 9 1 1 OR TYPE RESPONSE AREAS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. UM, THAT PRELIMINARY REPORT GAVE US A, A GOOD SIGNAL OF WHAT WAS COMING OUT. NOW THE REPORT IS OUT. IT ACTUALLY CAME OUT LAST WEEK. IT'S A HUNDRED PAGES LONG, AND IT SAID THE SAME THING THAT WE ARE AT THE TOP OF THE, OF THE HEAP [00:25:01] WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO OUR RESPONSE, OUR, OUR RESPONSES WITH OUR, UH, CALL SYSTEM. SO, UM, I WAS ACTUALLY, I, I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE GOING TO MOVE THIS. UH, IT DIDN'T MAKE ANY SENSE. UH, AND I STILL DON'T THINK, AND I WOULD STILL BE TOMORROW. UM, I'M NOT GONNA GET TO GO TO WORK SESSION OR TO VOICE MY OPINION ON THAT. BUT AT THIS POINT IN TIME, I DON'T SEE US HAVING TO SPEND AND MOVE THAT TYPE OF ISSUE OUT OF WHERE IT IS AT THIS POINT IN TIME. IF IT'S WORKING, LET'S TWEAK THE THINGS THAT ARE NOT WORKING, BUT WE'VE ALREADY GOT A VERY GOOD FOUNDATION. UM, IF OUR, IF OUR CHIEFS OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS SAY THAT IT'S WORKING FOR THEM AND IT'S WORKING GREAT, THEN LET'S TWEAK WHAT WE NEED TO TWEAK AND MOVE ON FROM THERE. THANK YOU. OKAY. ONE LAST EMERGENCY QUESTION. UM, MANY SOUTHWEST AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOODS ARE LOCATED IN WHAT IS CALLED THE WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE, WHERE HOMES AND OTHER DEVELOPMENT INTERMINGLE WITH UNDEVELOPED VEGETATION. THIS LEADS TO AN INCREASE IN WILDFIRE RISK AS AUSTIN UPDATES ITS COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN. WHAT SHOULD THE CITY PRIORITIZE TO REDUCE WILDFIRE RISK AND IMPROVE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS IN THIS, IN THE DISTRICT? WELL, I'VE BEEN ACTUALLY DOING PROJECTS UNDER WWE FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS NOW, UH, AND HAVE, BECAUSE OF WORKING IN THE BUILDING INDUSTRY, I'VE SEEN A LOT OF THE CHANGES COMING OUT AND THE CHANGES IN THE CODE. I ACTUALLY ATTENDED THE WWE MEETING THAT THEY HAD, UH, ABOUT A WEEK AND A HALF AGO. AND THERE WAS A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH WHAT, WHAT ONE CODE IS SAYING VERSUS WHAT THE OTHER CODE IS SAYING, AND IT'S CAUSING A LOT OF CONFLICTS AND IT'S CAUSING A LOT OF CONCERN. UM, ONE OF THE RECENT, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I REALLY WISH WE WOULD DO IS WITH OUR NEW STUFF, WITH THE, WITH THE PROGRAM AS IT'S COMING OUT, IS BEGIN TO START EDUCATING PEOPLE MORE ON WHAT ALL IS INVOLVED. UM, I'M A LICENSED INSURANCE ADJUSTER WITH THE STATE OF TEXAS, AND ANYTIME THAT WE HAVE THESE ISSUES, UM, INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE WATCHING EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING ON, AND IT IMPACTS US WITH OUR RATES. SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PROPERLY, UH, PROPERLY PERSONNEL ON OUR TRUCKS, BUT WE ALSO NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH CAN THEY DO FOR THEMSELVES, UH, BY REMOVING, SAY, LIKE WOOD FENCES. WHEN YOU'RE IN THAT AREA, 60% OF AUSTIN IS IN A WOOEY AREA OF SOME TYPE, WHICH MEANS AT ANY POINT IN TIME WHEN THE WOODS CATCH ON FIRE, THERE COULD BE AN ISSUE AT YOUR OWN HOUSE. THAT'S THE EAST SIDE, THE WEST SIDE, COMPLETELY ALL OVER THE ENTIRE CITY. UM, EDUCATION WILL HELP A WHOLE LOT AND MAKING SURE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT ALL IS INVOLVED AND WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO FIRE AND OUR RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO US. THANK YOU. CANDIDATE SHIA, FIREWISE LINES. THEY DO REALLY WONDERFUL WORK. I'VE TALKED TO DIFFERENT FOLKS INVOLVED THERE. I THINK EVERY COMMUNITY IN THE WWE CODE, UM, SHOULD BE A PART OF A FIREWISE GROUP. UM, I ALSO KNOW THAT WE ACTUALLY REDUCE THE NUMBER OF CALLS OF MEDICAL CALLS THAT OUR FIREFIGHTERS GO ON, AND SO THEY DO HAVE MORE TIME DURING THE DAY. I'D LOVE TO SEE THEM TAKE A REALLY ACTIVE PART, NOT JUST THEIR WILD LAND FIRE DIVISION, BUT ALSO ALL FIREFIGHTERS IN CLEARING SOME OF THE BRUSH THAT BECOMES REALLY BIG VEGETATION FUEL FOR WILDFIRES. UM, I ALSO WANT TO WORK WITH OUR CONTRACTORS, UM, WHO BUILD OUR HOMES IN AUSTIN, BECAUSE IF WE LET THEM KNOW ABOUT THE WEI CODE, ABOUT DIFFERENT PREVENTATIVE MEASURES THAT THEY CAN TAKE, UM, THAT IS THE CHEAPEST TIME FOR US TO REDUCE OUR WILDFIRE RISK. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. LET'S MOVE ON TO, UM, FISCAL STEWARDSHIP. UH, CANDIDATE SHIA AUSTIN RECENTLY ADOPTED A BUDGET THAT INCLUDED DIFFICULT TRADE-OFFS AND DEFERRED SOME CAPITAL PROJECTS TO A BOND PROPOSAL THAT VOTERS WILL CONSIDER THIS FALL. THAT BOND INCLUDES INVESTMENTS IN SEVERAL DISTRICT EIGHT FACILITIES, INCLUDING $20 MILLION FOR THIS VERY LIBRARY AND IMPROVEMENTS AT ZILKER CIRCLE C AND ANA PARKS. THE BOND WOULD ALSO INCREASE PROPERTY TAXES AS THE DEBT IS ISSUED. DO YOU SUPPORT THE BOND PROPOSAL AND HOW DO YOU WEIGH THESE INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS AGAINST CONCERNS ABOUT AFFORDABILITY? I DO SUPPORT THESE BOND MEASURES. I WOULD'VE LIKED TO SEE US, UM, HAVE SOMETHING FOR SOCIAL SERVICES, BECAUSE I REALLY SEE THE DEVASTATING EFFECT THAT CUTTING A LOT OF THOSE PROGRAMS IS GOING TO HAVE. UM, BECAUSE THESE ARE THE BONDS UP FOR CONSIDERATION. UM, I DO SUPPORT THEM, UM, NOT JUST BECAUSE OF THE INVESTMENTS IN DISTRICT EIGHT WITH THIS LIBRARY, WHICH IS THE ONLY PUBLIC FACILITY IN DISTRICT EIGHT, UM, BUT ALSO BECAUSE SOME OF OUR POOLS ARE IN DESPERATE NEED OF REMEDIATION. UM, AND TO ME THAT IS A PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE, ESPECIALLY WITH HOW HOT OUR SUMMERS HAVE BEEN. UM, THERE ARE ALSO A LOT OF SIDEWALKS IN DISTRICT EIGHT THAT GET IMPROVEMENT. UM, I'VE ALSO BEEN CONCERNED WITH SOME OF THE PUBLIC LAND THAT THE CITY OWNS THAT WE HAVEN'T DEVELOPED INTO PARKS, UM, THAT DOES BECOME A WILDFIRE RISK. SO, UM, I'M GRATEFUL FOR THOSE TYPES OF INVESTMENTS AS WELL. UM, I KNOW IT DOES ADD TO THE TAX BURDEN. I BELIEVE IT'S $6 A YEAR. UM, AND I THINK THAT DISTRICT EIGHT, UM, WOULD BE HAPPY TO HAVE [00:30:01] SIDEWALKS ON SCENIC BROOK, UM, TO GET SOME OF THESE POOLS ACTUALLY FIXED, AND ALSO TO HAVE MUCH MORE PUBLIC SPACE, UM, AT THIS LIBRARY. THANK YOU. CANDIDATE BOWEN. OKAY. WE GOT A CHAIN. WE HAVE A SHUFFLE IN FRONT OF US. MM-HMM . SO THERE WE GO FROM HERE. UM, WHEN IT COMES TO THIS BONDS ONE, ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT I'VE HAD FOR LIVING HERE FOR 37 YEARS, UH, IT'S AMAZING TO SEE HOW DISTRICT EIGHT HAS BEEN LEFT OUT IN MANY CASES. UM, IN THIS CASE, RIGHT NOW WITH THIS BOND, I HAVE TO WEIGH THE, THE FACT OF WHAT IS IT GOING TO DO AFFORDABILITY WISE, UH, JUST FOR THE PARKS PART ALONE, IT WAS AN EXTRA EIGHT AND A QUARTER CENTS PER THOUSAND DOLLARS OF VALUE ON THE HOUSE. HOW MUCH OF THAT IS ACTUALLY GOING TO BE AFFORDABLE? WHAT IS THE IMPACTS ON THAT? BUT I ALSO LOOK AT, EVEN WHEN IT COMES TO THE PARKS, IS WE'VE, WE'RE $700 MILLION IN DEFERRED MAINTENANCE. I'M, I'M HAVING A HARD TIME WANTING TO SAY YES, I WANT THE BOND WHEN WE HAVEN'T HAD A LOT OF ACCOUNTABILITY FROM OUR PARKS, OUR, OUR, OUR PARKS, PEOPLE THAT MAINTAIN IT. UH, I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT BECOME MORE ADDRESSED SO I KNOW HOW OUR MONEY'S ACTUALLY BEING SPENT. AND I WOULD IMAGINE MOST OF THE PEOPLE HERE WILL ALSO, AS FOR THE LIBRARY, THIS LIBRARY HERE WAS RENOVATED ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO. UM, THERE ARE PARTS OF TOWN THAT DON'T EVEN HAVE A LIBRARY, SO I'M STILL ON THE VERGE RIGHT NOW ON THIS OF WHETHER I WANT TO, UH, SUPPORT THIS BOND FOR THIS LIBRARY ONLY BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN THROUGH A RECENT RENOVATION. YES, WE'RE SHORT, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH, UH, PUBLIC FACILITIES HERE, BUT THERE ARE PARTS OF TOWN THAT DON'T HAVE A LIBRARY AT ALL, AND I'D LIKE TO SEE A LITTLE MORE EQUAL DISTRIBUTION ACROSS THE BOARD. THANK YOU. DISTRICT EIGHT INCLUDES NEIGHBORHOODS WITH A WIDE RANGE OF PERSPECTIVES ON GROWTH, TRANSPORTATION, AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES. TO NAME A FEW, HOW WOULD YOU ENSURE THAT RESIDENTS HAVE MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN DECISIONS BEFORE THEY ARE MADE? THIS IS, UH, THIS IS A HOT TOPIC FOR ME BECAUSE, UH, UH, BEING INVOLVED WITH THE NEIGHBORHOODS FOR THE LAST 15 YEARS AND KNOWING THE LACK OF, UM, THE LACK OF OUTREACH FROM THE CURRENT COUNCIL MEMBER OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS COMING UP, WE'VE HAD VERY LITTLE OUTPUT. WE'VE HAD VERY LITTLE ENGAGEMENT WHATSOEVER. UH, I'M INVOLVED WITH OAN AS ONE OF THEIR BOARD MEMBERS, UH, ALSO WITH A NC, AND WE'VE CONSTANTLY HAD THE SAME ISSUE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WILL DO IS THAT WE WILL BE HAVING NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS, UH, MINIMUM IS EVERY QUARTER SIMILAR TO WHAT LIKE MARK UCHIN DOES FOR HIS, BUT THOSE WILL BE OPEN. WE WANT TO BE LISTENING, BUT ALSO, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT GOING IN, I WANNA KNOW WHAT PROJECTS ARE ON THE BOOKS FOR, FOR DISTRICT EIGHT SO THAT THE NEIGHBORHOODS CAN FIND OUT, OH, WE'RE GONNA WORK ON THIS ROAD. OH, WE'RE NOT GONNA DO THIS. INSTEAD OF THEM FINDING OUT AT THE LAST MINUTE, IT'S GONNA BE A, IT'S GONNA BE A PORTION TO WHERE WE'RE NOT ONLY GONNA SHARE INFORMATION, WE'RE GONNA PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT PROJECTS ARE HAPPENING IN THOSE AREAS, AND SO THAT THOSE PEOPLE CAN BE READY TO, TO UNDERSTAND THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN THAT AND LISTENING TO THEM AND ACTUALLY RESPONDING TO THEIR NEEDS AND THEIR QUESTIONS. WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO FIX EVERYTHING, BUT AT LEAST BE THERE TO LISTEN AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THEIR CONCERNS ARE AND TAKE THOSE BACK TO DO WHAT WE CAN TO HELP THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WE'VE BEEN SO NEGLECTING. THANK YOU. CANDIDATE SHIA. I BELIEVE WE NEED MONTHLY TOWN HALLS. UM, I KNOW THAT A LOT OF OTHER DISTRICTS, THEY HOLD EVERY OTHER MONTH COMMUNITY FAIRS WITH TOWN HALLS. I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. UM, I'D ALSO LIKE US TO SEE MORE TOWN HALLS ON BIG ISSUES. OUR COMMUNITY CLEARLY WANTS IT. UM, IN DISTRICT 10, THEY HOSTED A TOWN HALL ON THE 3M CAMPUS, UM, WHERE THEY'RE CONSIDERING BRINGING A DATA CENTER ON THERE, AND THERE WERE ALMOST 400 PEOPLE THAT ATTENDED THAT TOWN HALL. WHEN WE DID THE, WHEN THERE WAS THE, UH, MOPAC TOWN HALL, THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WANTING TO LEARN MORE AND TALK ABOUT THE ISSUES. UM, AND I WOULD'VE LOVED TO SEE A TOWN HALL ON THE TRACK ONE 10 IN CIRCLE C AS WELL, UM, BECAUSE IT'S BEEN UP TO, UM, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, UM, FIGHTING AGAINST THE HOA, UM, UH, FIGHTING AMONGST EACH OTHER WITHOUT STRONG LEADERSHIP. AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE WENT TO DISTRICT BASED LEADERSHIP IS SO THAT WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT CAN FEEL REALLY RESPONSIBLE, UM, FOR THE BIG ISSUES IN THEIR DISTRICT. THANK YOU. LET'S MOVE ON TO SOME KIND OF BROAD CITYWIDE QUESTIONS. UM, AUSTIN HAS INVESTED SIGNIFICANT RESOURCES IN SHELTER, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING OUTREACH, AND OTHER RESPONSES TO PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. YET IT REMAINS ONE OF THE CITY'S MOST VISIBLE CHALLENGES. WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE AUSTIN SHOULD DO DIFFERENTLY OR DO MORE OF TO REDUCE HOMELESSNESS? HOMELESSNESS IS PROBABLY 20% OF EM S'S CALLS. UM, IT IS A LARGE PORTION. UM, AND UNFORTUNATELY WHEN WE GET [00:35:01] THERE, UM, SOMETIMES POLICE ARE THERE, UH, WE'RE TALKING IN THE IT'S JAIL OR HOSPITAL, AND BOTH OF THOSE SOLUTIONS ARE TERRIBLE SOLUTIONS IN BOTH CASES, YOU GET LET OUT VERY QUICKLY. UM, AND SO WHAT I'VE PROPOSED IS WHAT I CALL EMS RESPITE, WHICH IS IF SOMEBODY WE KNOW IS NOT GONNA GET ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL, IF THEY'RE MEDICALLY CLEAR, BUT CLEARLY HAVING SOME MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE, UM, IF THEY HAVE ARE HAVING, OR IF THEY'RE HAVING AN OVERDOSE OR SOME KIND OF DRUG ISSUE, WE CAN TAKE 'EM TO THE SOBERING CENTER. BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE A SIMILAR TYPE OF RESOURCE FOR FOLKS THAT ARE HAVING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES OR CLEARLY NEEDING SOME KIND OF SUPPORT. WE HONESTLY SEE A LOT OF MENTAL HEALTH CALLS JUST BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO SLEEP IN DAYS. UM, THE CITY IS PROPOSING THIS POLICY CALLED NO WRONG DOOR, WHICH EMS IS TAKING A MUCH LARGER ROLE IN. UM, AND WE HAVE A LOT OF, WE ACTUALLY HAVE PUBLIC LAND RIGHT BY DEL SETON, UM, THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE SHOULD DO WITH IT. AND WHAT I'D REALLY LIKE US TO SEE IS REALLY EXPAND OUR MENTAL HEALTH BEDS IN THIS COMMUNITY. UM, THE OTHER THING I REALLY WANNA TALK ABOUT IS A WAY THAT WE CAN REDUCE OUR HOMELESS POPULATION IN AUSTIN. UM, THERE'S THIS FACILITY, AND I'M TRYING TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THIS. I WORKED WITH GINA HINO HOSA ON THIS. THERE'S A FACILITY RIGHT OUT RIGHT IN DELL VALLEY CALLED THE AUSTIN TRANSITION CENTER, WHICH IS A PLACE AFTER YOU LEAVE A STATE JAIL. UM, THEN YOU GO THERE FOR AS LONG AS YOU NEED, AND THEN YOU GET RELEASED INTO GENERAL POPULATION. AND WE SEE PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE STATE BECOME HOMELESS IN AUSTIN. AND SO I'D REALLY LIKE TO WORK WITH THAT FACILITY. THANK YOU. CANDIDATE BOEING. COULD YOU REPEAT THAT QUESTION ONE MORE TIME, PLEASE? SURE. UM, AUSTIN HAS INVESTED SIGNIFICANT RESOURCES IN SHELTER, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING OUTREACH, AND OTHER RESPONSES TO PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. YET IT REMAINS ONE OF THE CITY'S MOST VISIBLE CHALLENGES. WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE AUSTIN SHOULD DO DIFFERENTLY OR DO MORE OF TO REDUCE HOMELESSNESS? YOU KNOW, I, I HEAR THIS FROM DIFFERENT PEOPLE AT TIMES THAT, UH, I THINK PART OF IT IS THEY NEED TO CHANGE THE NAME OF PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, BECAUSE SOME OF THAT CONTEXT IS ARE THEY HERE PERMANENTLY? ARE WE SUPPORTING THEM PERMANENTLY? WE, I THINK THAT WOULD HELP US A LOT IN GETTING PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS THE FUNCTION OF THAT ACTUAL, UH, OUTREACH PROGRAM. UM, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE ACTUALLY THE NUMBERS AND, AND PART OF MY, RIGHT AROUND THE OTHER DAY, UH, IT WAS AMAZING THAT THE OFFICER COULD PULL UP A DIFFERENT INDIVIDUAL WHEN WE SAW WHERE THEY TYPICALLY HUNG OUT, AND THERE WERE PEOPLE THAT HAD BEEN, UH, HOMELESS FOR 30 YEARS, SOME OF 'EM BEEN IN 20 YEARS. AT WHAT POINT IS IT THAT WE'RE GOING TO START GOING, HOW MANY TIMES DO WE TOUCH THIS PERSON AND FIGURE OUT THAT'S NOT WORKING FOR THEM? THEY'RE GOING TO DO THIS, AND WE NEED TO START WORKING WITH PEOPLE THAT ARE JUST ON THE CUSP OF THOSE THAT CAN ACTUALLY BE, UH, A, A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE COULD BE MADE WITH JUST HELPING THOSE PEOPLE THAT MAY JUST BE VERY, JUST RIGHT THERE ON THE EDGE. UM, WE NEED TO KIND OF CONCENTRATE ON WHAT AREAS, UH, WE'RE GETTING THE BEST BANG FOR OUR BUCK ON. WHEN IT COMES RIGHT DOWN TO IT, WHAT ARE THE PERFORMANCE OUTPUTS THAT WE'RE WANTING, HOW MANY PEOPLE WE ACTUALLY PULLING OFF OF THE STREET VERSUS JUST CONTINUING TO KEEP THE SAME ONES OUT THERE AND TAKING UP SOME OF THE RESOURCES, BUT BE VERY CAUTIOUS OF WHAT, OF HOW WE'RE DOING THAT ENTIRE PROCESS. SO WE, I THINK WE JUST NEED TO REEVALUATE SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING. THANK YOU. UM, ANOTHER LARGE CITYWIDE QUESTION. IN AUGUST, THE CITY COUNCIL BEGAN TAKING STEPS TO DEVELOP NEW RULES FOR LARGE SCALE DATA CENTERS BECAUSE OF CONCERNS ABOUT THEIR POTENTIAL DEMANDS ON ELECTRICITY, WATER, AND OTHER CITY RESOURCES. WHAT PRINCIPLES SHOULD GUIDE THE CITY'S DECISIONS ABOUT WHETHER AND UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS THESE FACILITIES SHOULD BE ALLOWED IN AUSTIN? YEAH. WELL, UM, UM, COMING FROM THE COMMERCIAL BUSINESS, UH, SPENT QUITE A TIME, QUITE A BIT OF TIME IN THE COMMERCIAL BUSINESS, UH, DEALING WITH AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS IN SOME REGARDS AND BUILDING SOME OF THOSE, I THINK WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING SOME GOOD, CLEAR INFORMATION. UH, MOST AIR CONDITION, COMMERCIAL AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS I WORKED ON IN THE PAST, WE ALL HAD CLOSED LOOP SYSTEMS. THERE'S A LOT OF MISNOMERS ON SOME OF THIS. UM, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING CLEAR, CONCISE INFORMATION. UM, I THINK ACTUALLY WHEN THE CITY IS GOING THROUGH THIS ENTIRE PROCESS, THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT GONNA HAVE ANYTHING COME OUT UNTIL NEXT YEAR THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT TRYING TO DEVELOP A CODE ON THIS ENTIRE PROCESS ALSO. SO WE NEED TO BE EDUCATED AS TO WHAT ARE THE OVERALL IMPACTS. LABOR'S ALREADY TALKING ABOUT WHAT THE IMPACT IS FOR THEM, UH, BECAUSE HOW MANY JOBS IS IT GOING TO ELIMINATE? IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO THIS, IS THE CITY GOING TO START LOOKING AT, UM, WHAT SIZE UNITS WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO HAVE, HOW MANY, HOW MANY MEGAWATTS THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO DRAW? WHAT IS THE WATER REQUIREMENTS? ALL, THERE'S ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT ISSUES. IT'S SO WE NEED TO LOOK AND MAKE SURE WE'RE MAKING GREAT AND GOOD DECISIONS. AND HOW IS IT IMPACTING NOT ONLY THE COMMUNITY, BUT THE SUPPORT FOR THE COMMUNITY? UH, THE MAYOR ACTUALLY DID A PROGRAM WHERE HE SAID ANYBODY THAT CAME TO TOWN WAS [00:40:01] SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO, ANY BIG CORPORATION, WHATEVER THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE BACK, THAT NEEDS TO BE AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT PORTION OF THAT. ALSO, WHAT ARE THEY GIVING BACK IN THIS ENTIRE PROCESS THAT NEEDS TO BE IMPORTANT? THANK YOU. CANDIDATE SHIA. I KNOW AI DATA CENTERS IS A VERY SEXY TOPIC IN THE NEWS RIGHT NOW. UM, BUT I'M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT ALL OF OUR LARGE INDUSTRIAL USERS. UM, I WORKED EMS DURING THE ICE STORMS, AND I SAW A LOT OF PLACES THAT HAD THEIR POWER ON WHILE COMMUNITIES LOST THEIR POWER. AND SO I WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ALL OF THESE USERS THAT USE A LOT OF ENERGY AND WATER, EVEN WITH THE CLOSED LOOP WATER SYSTEMS. THE REASON WHY THEY KEEP IT CLOSED IS BECAUSE THEY PUT ANTIFREEZE IN THEIR SYSTEMS. AND SO, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF CONCERN ABOUT IF THERE IS A LEAK, UM, OR SOME OTHER ISSUE, UM, IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY OF THOSE SYSTEMS AS WELL. UM, I DO NOT SUPPORT, UM, THE HYPERSCALE DATA CENTERS IN AUSTIN, AND I HOPE THAT THAT'S WHAT CITY COUNCIL IS TRYING TO BAN. UM, AND THEN WE CAN HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW MUCH, UM, POWER, UH, AND WATER USAGE, UM, WE SHOULD HAVE. I'M, I AM REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE DOG SIDE ISSUE BECAUSE, UM, THE DEVELOPERS HAVE SAID THAT THEY COULD PUT A DATA CENTER RIGHT ON THE COLORADO RIVER, AND WE KNOW THAT TESLA, WHICH HAS BEEN ON THE COLORADO RIVER, HAS ALREADY POLLUTED. UM, AND SO I DON'T TRUST NECESSARILY NEW FACTORIES, UM, OR, UM, HAVING DATA CENTERS RIGHT ON OUR RIVERS. THANK YOU. UM, WE OPENED UP, UH, OUR, THE QUESTIONS TO CITIZENS TO SEND IN, UM, SEND IN SOME QUESTIONS, AND I WANTED TO TOUCH ON A FEW OF THOSE THAT CAME IN IN THE, IN RECENT DAYS. UM, WE GOT SEVERAL QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE AUSTIN ANIMAL SHELTER. SO, UH, CANDIDATE, SHEILA, LET ME ASK YOU THIS FIRST. THE AUSTIN ANIMAL SHELTER HAS FACED ONGOING CHALLENGES WITH OVERCROWDING AND STAFFING THAT HAVE LED TO RESTRICTIONS ON ANIMAL INTAKE. WHAT STEPS, IF ANY, SHOULD CITY COUNCIL TAKE TO ENSURE THE SHELTER HAS THE RESOURCES AND THE CAPACITY TO MEET THE COMMUNITY'S ANIMAL SERVICES NEEDS? YEAH, I'VE TALKED A LOT TO THE DIFFERENT ADVOCATES, AND I THINK ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT WE CAN DO, UM, IS IT'S REALLY HARD TO ACTUALLY MATCH WITH A PET AT AUSTIN WITH, WITH, THROUGH OUR SYSTEM. UM, IT'S NOT USER-FRIENDLY. WE BUILT OUR OWN SYSTEM. I THINK THERE ARE MUCH MORE USER-FRIENDLY SYSTEMS THAT WE CAN USE TO ACTUALLY MATCH PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING FOR SHELTER ANIMALS, UM, WITH THOSE SHELTER ANIMALS. UM, IT'S VERY HARD TO SEARCH BY BREED, BY SIZE, ET CETERA. UM, AND SO THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY WANT TO ADOPT PETS, UM, IN THESE SHELTERS, UM, BUT JUST CANNOT WORK WITH THE SYSTEM TO DO THAT. UM, THE OTHER THING IS, UM, THERE IS A FUND THAT'S KIND OF SET ASIDE THAT THE, THE SHELTER, UH, DIRECTOR GETS TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH COUNCIL SHOULD HAVE MORE CONTROL. OVER THAT LAST YEAR, THEY WANTED TO BUILD AN ASTROTURF, UM, PUPPY PLAYGROUND, AND THAT IS CERTAINLY NOT A PRIORITY FOR THE COMMUNITY, AND I THINK THE COMMUNITY SHOULD HAVE MORE INPUT THROUGH THEIR CITY COUNCIL. THANK YOU CANDIDATE BOWEN. UM, WELL, THE SHELTER ISSUE IS, WELL, FOR THOSE OF US THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND HERE FOR A LONG TIME, I MEAN, UH, ONE OF OUR, UM, WELL, ALL OF OUR PETS HAVE ACTUALLY COME FROM THE SHELTER. SO OUR ENGAGEMENT WITH THEM HAS BEEN VERY LIMITED. AND ONCE WE'VE HAD THE PETS AND NOW THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE WELL UP IN AGE ACTUALLY, WE'VE, UH, WE'RE ACTUALLY DOG SETTING AND CAT SETTING FOR MY DAUGHTER RIGHT NOW. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE SEEN OVER TIME IS THAT DID WE EVER GET THROUGH THE AUDIT THAT WENT THROUGH THAT? WHERE THEY ACTUALLY WENT THROUGH THIS, THE, THE SHELTER OVER THERE, AND THEY WERE TRYING TO CHANGE THE MANAGER ROUTE? HOW IS THAT PROCESS WORKING? ARE WE GETTING THROUGH, WE'RE GETTING THAT PROCESS TAKEN CARE OF TO WHERE IS IT PICKING BACK UP? ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, I FIND IT IT'S INTERESTING IS THAT SOMEBODY CAN COME IN AND, AND TAKE, TAKE AN ANIMAL OUTTA THE SHELTER, AND THEN YOU MAY SEE THAT ANIMAL COME BACK SIX MONTHS OR WHATEVER THE CASE IS. WHY ARE WE NOT TAKING, UH, IN THE FACT THAT THAT PERSON MAY HAVE TAKEN AN ANIMAL? ARE WE DOCUMENTING IT? WHY DID THEY BRING THE ANIMAL BACK? SHOULD THAT PERSON BE ALLOWED TO HAVE ANOTHER ONE? UNTIL WE FIGURE OUT, IS IT JUST, UH, BECAUSE IT'S NOW OUTTA THE PUPPY OR THE KITTEN STAGE, UH, WE NEED TO REALLY LOOK AT HOW ARE THEIR SYSTEMS ACTUALLY WORKING BECAUSE THE SAME, UH, THE SAME LADY WAS TALKING TO ME ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE ABOUT THE MONEY THAT WAS, THAT WAS DONATED AND WHO'S GOT CONTROL OVER THAT. UM, THERE'S A LOT OF ISSUES AT THE SHELTER. I KNOW THAT THEY'RE MAXED OUT RIGHT NOW. THEY NEED MORE ROOM, AND IT IS AN ISSUE. THANK YOU. UH, ANOTHER CONCERNED CITIZEN SENT IN THIS QUESTION. AUSTIN HAS DEBATED THE USE OF SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READERS, WHICH LAW ENFORCEMENT SAYS CAN HELP INVESTIGATE CRIMES, BUT WHICH HAVE ALSO RAISED CONCERNS ABOUT PRIVACY, DATA SECURITY, AND ACCESS BY OUTSIDE AGENCIES. WHAT PRINCIPLES SHOULD GUIDE THE CITY'S USE OF SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY FOR PUBLIC SAFETY? WELL, THIS PROBLEM HERE, UM, RIGHT NOW [00:45:01] WE GOT THE FLOCKS THAT ARE EVERYBODY'S, UH, SHUTTING OFF THOSE TYPE OF THINGS. UM, RECENTLY THE CITY WAS GOING THROUGH AND, UH, DECIDED TO DO THIS BILLBOARD PROGRAM THAT THEY, UH, DECIDED TO, UH, GET A CONTRACT, UH, IN WHICHEVER WERE GONNA PUT ALL THESE BULLETIN BOARDS DOWNTOWN. THEY WERE LIKE 80 INCH BIG TV SCREENS. WELL, THOSE PARTICULAR SCREENS ACTUALLY HAD CAMERAS IN 'EM IN A WAY BECAUSE THEY ALSO DID WIFI. THEY WERE A WAY OF BEING ABLE TO TRACK PEOPLE. UM, I SPOKE ON THIS ISSUE AND THE CITY, UH, CITY COUNCIL WAS ALL FOR IT. YET THEY DIDN'T WANT TO DO ANY, UH, THEY WANTED TO GET RID OF THE CAMERAS THAT WERE IN THE PARK FOR SAFETY PURPOSES. AND I JUST FLAT ASKED HIM, I SAID, SO WHEN YOU'RE GETTING MONEY BACK IN THIS FIRST YEAR ON THIS, UH, PROGRAM THAT YOU WROTE A CONTRACT FOR THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE AN ORDINANCE FOR THAT WE'RE HERE DISCUSSING BECAUSE YOU'RE GETTING $2 MILLION A YEAR ON THIS, THAT'S OKAY, BUT YOU DON'T WANT TO KEEP THE ONES IN THE PARK. I'M HAVING A LOT OF CONFUSION OVER WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT. ARE WE GOING TO BE ABLE TO KEEP, MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE SAFE IN THE PARKS WHERE PEOPLE ARE NOT GETTING BROKEN INTO, OR WE'RE USING THAT INFORMATION FOR PROSECUTION OR, OR WHATEVER, WHATEVER NEEDS TO BE DONE THERE. UM, THE MISUSE OF IT NEEDS TO BE MONITORED. THE MISUSE NEEDS TO BE, UH, TREATED EXACTLY THAT WAY, AND PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE, UH, THERE SHOULD BE REPRIMANDS OR WHATEVER THE CASE IS, OR LOSING THEIR JOB IF THEY'RE MISUSING THIS TYPE OF DATA. IT IS, UH, IT IS AN INTERESTING SITUATION BY THE STRETCH. THANK YOU CANDIDATE SHIA. I DON'T SUPPORT FLOCK OR AXON. UH, WHEN CITY COUNCIL WAS LOOKING AT THOSE CONTRACTS YEARS AGO, THEY COULD NOT GET RID OF THE FINE PRINT THAT SAID THAT FLOCK CONTROLS ALL THE DATA. UM, THEY WILL DO WHAT THEY WANT WITH THE DATA NO MATTER WHAT. AND SO UNTIL THAT CHANGES, THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO WAY THAT WE SHOULD HAVE THEM, UM, AND ALSO BE ABLE TO PROTECT OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES. UM, AND OF COURSE WE KNOW THAT THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF ABUSE, UM, IN THE SYSTEMS JUST LOCALLY. UM, SO I DON'T SUPPORT THEM FOR THAT REASON EITHER. THANK YOU. UM, ONE LAST QUESTION, OR MAYBE TWO BEFORE YOUR CLOSING STATEMENTS. FEDERAL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT HAS INCREASED IN AUSTIN SOMETIMES CREATING TENSION BETWEEN FEDERAL ENFORCEMENT PRIORITIES AND THE POLICIES OR PRIORITIES OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT. WHAT ROLE SHOULD THE CITY PLAY IN RESPONDING TO ICE ACTIVITIES WHILE OPERATING WITHIN THE LIMITS OF LOCAL AUTHORITY? YEAH, THIS IS OBVIOUSLY SUCH A PRESSING ISSUE WITH WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY. UM, I BOTH WENT TO, UM, 45TH AND LAMAR WHERE SOME FOLKS WERE GATHERING AND ALSO TO THE SCENE, UM, AND HAVE ALSO TALKED TO SOME OF OUR PARAMEDICS AND, UM, UH, PEOPLE IN THE HOSPITAL, UM, JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT THEY WITNESSED. UM, AND I ALSO KNOW FROM MY EXPERIENCE, ESPECIALLY DEALING WITH IMMIGRATION, UM, WE, I'VE HAD MANY PATIENTS WHO CLEARLY NEEDED TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL, BUT ABSOLUTELY REFUSED TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANT TO DEAL WITH, UM, THE QUESTIONS THAT THE HOSPITALS ARE SUPPOSED TO ASK ABOUT IF YOU'RE A LEGAL RESIDENT OR NOT. UM, AND I'VE HAD PEOPLE THAT GOT REALLY, REALLY SICK BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANNA GO TO THE HOSPITAL. UM, AND SO WE'RE ALMOST, UH, VERY CLOSE TO DYING BY THE TIME THEY, SOME, A FAMILY MEMBER FINALLY CALLED 9 1 1. UM, SO THESE ARE REALLY, REALLY SERIOUS ISSUES. UM, AND NOT JUST THE ONES THAT KIND OF LIGHT A FIRE AND, AND REMIND EVERYBODY ABOUT HOW HORRIBLE IT IS. UM, I'VE ALSO HAD ISSUES WHERE I'VE SHOWED UP ON SCENE, UM, AND IT WAS ICE WHO HAD, UM, CLIPPED A CAR AND THEN SPED OFF AND JUST TOLD THEM THAT THEY WERE LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND THEN WE HAD TO BACKTRACK AND FIGURE OUT WHO ACTUALLY THEY WERE. UM, SO IT'S A VERY, VERY TENUOUS AND BAD SITUATION THAT WE HAVE. UM, I'M GRATEFUL THAT OUR, UM, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND ALSO, UH, POLICE CHIEF LISA DAVIS, UM, ARE ASKING FOR, UM, A FULL, UM, UH, AND TRANSPARENT, UM, EXAMINATION INTO WHAT HAPPENED, UM, AND ALSO, UM, WORKING WITH OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES TO MAKE SURE WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY. THANK YOU CANDIDATE BOWEN. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I FIND OVER THIS ENTIRE PROCESS NOW, NOW I'VE LIVED ALL OVER THE WORLD. I'VE LIVED IN SEVERAL THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES AND, UM, SOME OTHER PLACES. SO I, I GET TO SEE, UM, IMMIGRATION FROM KIND OF A TWO-SIDED COIN BEING LIVING IN THESE COUNTRIES TO WHERE, UH, YOU WERE NOT ABLE TO DO THAT. AND THEN ALSO BEING IN THE BUILDING TRADES INDUSTRY HERE OF HAVING GUYS THAT HAVE HAD THEIR GREEN CARDS COMING HERE. ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT I HAVE WITH THIS ENTIRE PROCESS THAT'S RECENTLY HAPPENED IS WE HAVE PUBLIC OFFICIALS GETTING OUT IN FRONT OF SOMETHING WHEN WE DON'T EVEN HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION YET, AND THEN THAT GETS PEOPLE ALL SPUN UP BECAUSE THE RUMORS START FLYING. WE REALLY NEED TO BE VERY CAUTIOUS ABOUT HOW YOU'RE RESPONDING TO WHAT YOU'RE SEEING VERSUS WHAT'S ACTUALLY, UNTIL WE EVEN GET ALL OF THE REPORTS ON THIS, UM, IT IS A DELICATE SITUATION BASED UPON, UH, THE GOVERNORS WE HAVE. UH, WE HAVE A STATE LAW THAT SAYS WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE HELPING TO, TO, UM, DEAL WITH THIS. YOU'VE [00:50:01] GOT THE FEDERAL LAWS THAT ARE IN, IN THIS PROCESS. UH, WE REALLY NEED TO GET OUR IMMIGRATION SYSTEM, UH, WE NEED TO GET IT FIXED. UM, WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO HAVE, UM, ISSUES THAT IMPACT ALL OF US IN SOME FORM, SOME FASHION, UH, JUST BASED UPON OUR PERSONAL FEELINGS ON IT. WE NEED TO LOOK AT WHAT LAWS ARE THERE AND WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MAKING WISE CHOICES IN HOW WE TREAT THIS ENTIRE SITUATION. THANK YOU. UH, CANDIDATE BOWEN, IF YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL DURING YOUR FIRST TERM, WHAT IS ONE MEASURABLE IMPROVEMENT YOU HOPE DISTRICT EIGHT RESIDENTS WOULD SEE FOUR YEARS FROM NOW? I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE THE AMOUNT OF HOMELESS OUT OF OUR, OUT OF OUR GREEN BELTS. UM, IT IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL AND A SAFETY ISSUE. UM, AT ANY POINT, IF YOU LOOK OVER AT GAINES RANCH WHERE WE HAVE, UH, WE'RE THE RAINS ARE FIXING TO COME, THEY'VE GOT PLENTY OF, OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES OVER THERE. ALL OF THAT OVERFLOWS AND ENDS UP DOWN IN BARTON CREEK. IT ENDS UP IN OUR WATERSHED. UM, IT'S ALSO, IT'S A TENDER BOX JUST READY TO ONE MATCH AND THERE COULD BE THOUSANDS OF US OUT OF A HOUSE OR IN DANGER. SO I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO SAY AT THE END OF FOUR YEARS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO GET ALL OF THE HOMELESS OUT OF THE WOODS AND MAKING SURE THAT THIS WAS, UH, IN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT AND ALSO A SAFE PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO LIVE, UH, SO THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE RISK OF WILDFIRES. AND, UM, THAT WOULD BE ONE OF THE MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT I WOULD LOVE TO GET ACCOMPLISHED. THANK YOU. CANDIDATE SHIA. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE OUR RESPONSE TIMES IMPROVED IN DISTRICT EIGHT AND ALSO SEE UNDER 10% SHORT STAFFING FOR OUR PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES. RIGHT NOW WE'RE AT BETWEEN FIRE IS OKAY WITH, UM, THEIR STAFFING, BUT WITH BETWEEN EMS AND POLICE WE'RE BETWEEN 17 AND 19% SHORT STAFFED. GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, THAT COMPLETES THE QUESTION PORTION OF OUR FORUM. SO, UM, WE HAVE TWO MINUTES A PIECE FOR YOU TO GIVE YOUR FINAL, UH, PITCH TO VOTERS. AND WE'LL START WITH CANDIDATE SHIA. WHEN I WAS PRESIDENT OF THE EMS UNION, I WOULD ENCOURAGE ALL FIRST TIME CANDIDATES TO DO A WRITE OUT WITH POLICE FIRE EMS. AND SO I'M SO GLAD FOR THOSE WHO TAKE US UP ON THAT. UM, BUT I HAVE LIVED AND BREATHED THIS FOR 15 YEARS, BEING A PARAMEDIC FOR 15 YEARS, AN ICU NURSE FOR 10 YEARS. AND I'D LIKE TO JUST SHARE ONE EXAMPLE ABOUT HOW MY EXPERIENCE HAS INFORMED POLICY THAT I'VE WORKED ON. UM, AFTER UVALDE, UM, TRAGIC, HORRIFIC MASS SHOOTING, UM, PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES IN AUSTIN, WE TALKED AMONG OURSELVES ABOUT HOW CAN WE MAKE SURE THIS WOULDN'T HAPPEN IN AUSTIN. AND WE REALLY FOCUS ON A MODEL CALLED THE RESCUE TASK FORCE, UM, WHICH PUTS POLICE FIRE IN EMS TOGETHER WORKING ON REALLY TIGHT-KNIT UNITS TOGETHER. UM, AND SO I HELPED GET THAT FUNDED. UM, AND SO FAST FORWARD FIVE YEARS LATER, UM, THIS TEAM HAS BEEN OPERATING REALLY EFFICIENTLY. WE'VE ACTUALLY SEEN NEGATIVE RESPONSE TIMES, WHICH IS THE TEAMS ARE ALREADY ON SCENE BEFORE THE CALL CAN GET FULLY TRIAGED OUT. UM, I WAS, UH, ON DUTY THE NIGHT OF BUFORD'S. UM, AND MY DISTRICT IS THE SECOND INTO DOWNTOWN. UM, AND SO WHEN THE CALL CAME OUT, UM, UM, I GOT DISPATCHED TO THE CALL, UM, AND I WAS THE TRIAGE COMMANDER ON SCENE. SO I WAS AT BUFORD'S AND I WAS PUTTING 18 OF THOSE PATIENTS INTO DIFFERENT AMBULANCES, UM, AND TELLING THEM WHICH HOSPITALS TO GO TO IN THE AREA. UM, AND EMS HAD A 53 SECOND RESPONSE TIME. AND THAT 53 SECONDS IS BASED ON THE RTF MODEL IS BASED ON CA ME, WHICH IS ANOTHER PROGRAM THAT I WORKED ON GETTING FUNDED, UM, AND ALSO HAVING DOWNTOWN PARAMEDICS STATIONED ON THE WEEKEND NIGHTS. UM, AND SO I KNOW BECAUSE I SAW THOSE PATIENTS IN THOSE AMBULANCES, UM, THAT MORE PEOPLE WOULD HAVE DIED IF NOT FOR THAT 53 SECOND RESPONSE TIME. SO WHEN I AM ELECTED, I WILL FOCUS ON POLICIES THAT ACTUALLY SAVE PEOPLE'S LIVES. THANK YOU SO MUCH, YOUR TWO MINUTES CANDIDATE, BOWEN. OKAY, THANKS A LOT. UM, APPRECIATE EVERYBODY COMING OUT TONIGHT. UM, ALL OF YOU OUT THERE ON TV LAND TOO, SO, UM, FOR LIVING HERE FOR AS LONG AS WE HAVE. UM, WE NEVER THOUGHT WE WERE GONNA BE HERE THIS LONG. UH, WHEN WE GOT TO COME BACK TO TEXAS WHILE STATIONED AT BERGSTROM, UH, WE FIGURED FOUR TO FIVE YEARS, 37 YEARS LATER, HERE WE ARE. UM, I'VE SEEN THIS ENTIRE TOWN GROW AMAZINGLY. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I CONTINUE TO SEE THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE PROCESS OF, OF WORKING WITH NEIGHBORHOODS, GOING TO CITY COUNCIL, SPEAKING, UH, EVEN BEING ON THE BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTS, IS THAT OVER THAT TIMEFRAME, WE HEAR PEOPLE TALK ABOUT AFFORDABILITY. WE HEAR THEM TALK ABOUT, UH, WHAT CAN WE DO TO MAKE THINGS EASIER? OUR BUDGETS HAVE GONE CRAZY. [00:55:01] IT'S BECOME MORE AND MORE UNAFFORDABLE IN THIS TOWN. THE SAME THINGS THAT WAS TALKED ABOUT 12 YEARS AGO ARE CONTINUING TO HAPPEN NOW. SO ARE WE BETTER OFF NOW THAN WE WERE 10 YEARS AGO OR 12 YEARS AGO? IT'S JUST COSTING US MORE MONEY AT THIS POINT. I'M JUST LOOKING AT THIS FROM THE STANDPOINT OF GOING, AT WHAT POINT DO WE FINALLY START MAKING SOME DIFFERENCES AND CHANGES? UM, I GET, I GET A LOT OF QUESTIONS ALL THE TIME AS TO WHAT AM I? WELL, I'M A PERSON THAT CARES. I'M NOT A D, I'M NOT AN R. I'M SOMEBODY THAT LOOKS AT EACH INDIVIDUAL ISSUE AND HOW IT AFFECTS ME AND MY FAMILY, LIKE MANY OF YOU DO OUT HERE THAT'S SITTING IN THIS ROOM. WE NEED TO BE COGNIZANT OF THOSE TYPE OF THINGS FOR THE ENTIRE CITY AND WITHIN DISTRICT, UH, DISTRICT EIGHT ALSO. SO WE NEED TO WORK WITH WHAT, WHAT WE'VE GOT, BUT WE NEED A STRONG VOICE. AND THAT STRONG VOICE COMES FROM YOU, THE RESIDENTS IN DISTRICT A AND ALSO THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE CITY. UM, WE'LL BE LISTENERS. WE'LL ALSO BE RESPONSIVE AND, UM, APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS COMING OUT TONIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH CANDIDATES, UM, FOR YOUR THOUGHTFUL RESPONSES TO OUR QUESTIONS. WE APPRECIATE YOUR WILLINGNESS TO COME OUT TONIGHT. UM, AND JUST TO, UH, SPEAK DIRECTLY TO THE AUDIENCE, DEMOCRACY WORKS BEST WHEN CITIZENS TAKE PART, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU ALL COMING OUT TONIGHT. UM, TO TAKE THE TIME TO UNDERSTAND THESE ISSUES, LEARN ABOUT THE CANDIDATES SO THAT YOU CAN MAKE AN INFORMED CHOICE IN NOVEMBER BY BEING HERE TONIGHT. YOU'VE TAKEN IMPOR, YOU'VE TAKEN AN IMPORTANT PART OF THAT PROCESS. UM, FOR THOSE WHO COULD NOT BE HERE TONIGHT, THE RECORDINGS WILL BE POSTED AFTERWARD ON THE ATT XN YOUTUBE CHANNEL, AND YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION ON ALL THE RACES AND MEASURES THAT ARE ON YOUR BALLOT AT VOTE FOUR ONE ONE.ORG, WHICH IS THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS. UM, UH, FORUM FOR YOU CAN JUST DROP IN YOUR ADDRESS AND YOU'LL GET YOUR, YOUR BALLOT, ALL OF YOUR ISSUES THAT YOU'LL BE VOTED ON, YOUR, YOU'LL BE VOTING ON. AND I WANTED TO REMIND EVERYBODY THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER TO VOTE IS MONDAY, OCTOBER 5TH. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY 18 YEAR OLDS IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD OR SOMEONE WHO JUST MOVED AND NEEDS TO UPDATE THEIR ADDRESS, PLEASE GET THEM TO DO THAT BEFORE OCTOBER 5TH. THE LAST DAY TO APPLY FOR A BALLOT BY MAIL IS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23RD. BUT WE ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE IF YOU WANT A BALLOT BY MAIL, REQUEST IT EARLY. UM, EARLY VOTING RUNS FROM OCTOBER 39, 19TH TO 30TH, AND ELECTION DAY, OF COURSE IS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU AT THE POLLS ON BEHALF OF THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF OF THE AUSTIN AREA, THANK YOU FOR BEING AN ENGAGED VOTER. * 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.