* 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. GREAT. [00:00:01] UH, [CALL TO ORDER] I HAVEN'T DONE THIS IN A WHILE. UH, GOOD MORNING, Y'ALL. I'M SO HAPPY TO BE AT THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE MEETING. UM, IT'S A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING, SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE AT, AT NINE OH, AND I'M KICKING IT OFF AT 9:02 AM ON, ON THIS FRIDAY. UM, THE FIRST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS, IS, IS A, IS TO CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER, AND I'M CALLING IT TO ORDER AT 9:02 AM UH, WITH A QUORUM OF THREE PRESENT AND MYSELF, COUNCIL, UH, VICE CHAIR FUENTEZ, AND COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL. UH, AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBER VELASQUEZ IS UNFORTUNATELY UNABLE TO ATTEND TODAY. UH, THE FIRST ITEM IS PUBLIC COMMUNICATION. UH, AND I DON'T BELIEVE WE HAVE ANY SPEAKERS. THAT IS CORRECT, SIR. NO SPEAKERS. AMAZING. WE'RE ALREADY DONE WITH ITEM, UH, THE FIRST, UH, THE FIRST, UH, THE FIRST ITEM, I GUESS. UM, [1. Approve the minutes of the March 20, 2026, meeting and the December 1, 2025, special called meeting of the Economic Opportunity Committee.] WELL, NO, THE FIRST ITEMS APPROVING THE MINUTES FOR THE MARCH 20TH, 2026 MEETING. UH, AND, UM, SO SORRY, I HAVEN'T DONE THIS IN A WHILE. OUR FIRST ITEM TO APPROVE THE MINUTES, THE MARCH, 2026 ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE MEETING, AND THE DECEMBER 1ST, 2025 SPECIAL CALLED MEETING OF THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE. UH, DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM NUMBER ONE MADE BY, UM, BY CHAIR FUENTES? UH, SECONDED BY, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL. UM, ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. AND THAT'S UNANIMOUS. UM, WOW. WE'RE, WE'RE GOING THROUGH THIS. UH, ITEM NUMBER TWO, [2. Approve the corrected minutes of the May 16, 2025, meeting of the Economic Opportunity Committee.] UH, IS TO APPROVE THE CORRECTED MINUTES OF THE MAY 16TH, 2025 MEETING OF THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE. UH, DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO PROVIDE ITEM NUMBER ONE, UM, UM, MOTION BY, UM, VICE CHAIR FUENTES SECOND, UM, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL. UM, ALSO, ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ALSO UNANIMOUS. WOW. WE ARE, WE'RE EATING THIS UP. UM, ITEM NUMBER [3. Briefing regarding Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment’s response to Resolution No. 20250306-029, which directed the City Manager to update the Art in Public Places ordinances, and the upcoming amendments to City Code Chapter 7-2 (Art in Public Places). [Morgan Messick, Assistant Director, Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment]] THREE IS A BRIEFING ON ART, UH, AUSTIN ARTS, CULTURE, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT. RESPONSE RESOLUTION NUMBER 2 0 2 5 0 3 0 6 0 2 9, WHICH DIRECTED THE CITY MANAGER TO UPDATE THE ART IN PUBLIC PLACES, ORDINANCES, AND THE UPCOMING AMENDMENTS, CITY CODE CHAPTER SEVEN DASH TWO, WHICH IS ART IN PUBLIC PLACES. AND WE HAVE A PRESENTATION BY MORGAN MESSICK, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN ARTS CULTURE, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS ANGELA, MEANS I'M, WE ALSO ARE JOINED BY DIRECTOR MEANS. YES. YES. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF THE ARTS CULTURAL MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT DEPARTMENT. I HAVE A TEAM OF FOLKS, UH, HERE, INCLUDING ASSISTANT DIRECTOR MORGAN MESSICK, WHO'S GONNA WALK THROUGH THE PRESENTATION. BUT WE HAVE WONDERFUL, UH, A IPP TEAM WHO'S BEEN WORKING WITH SEVERAL CITY DEPARTMENTS, SEVERAL OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS OVER THE LAST YEAR, UH, TO COME FORWARD WITH OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ART AND PUBLIC PLACES RESOLUTION. UH, WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO ASSISTANT DIRECTOR MORGAN MESSICK. GOOD MORNING COUNCIL MEMBERS. UM, MORGAN MESSICK, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR ACME, UH, ALSO A D TWO RESIDENT. SO LOVELY TO SEE COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES BACK. SO WE WILL JUST WALK YOU THROUGH THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF OF HOW OUR TEAM HAS BEEN RESPONDING TO RESOLUTION NUMBER 20 25 0 3 0 6 DASH 29. SO THE DIRECTIVES THAT WE WERE RECEIVED FROM COUNCIL BACK IN MARCH OF 2025 WERE GROUPED INTO THREE DIFFERENT AREAS. WE WERE DIRECTED TO MAKE POLICY UPDATES FOR OUR ORDINANCE. WE WERE DIRECTED TO LOOK AT PROGRAMMATIC UPDATES FOR OUR ORDINANCE AND ALSO COMMUNICATION UPDATES. SO THE POLICY UPDATES WE WERE DIRECTED TO INCLUDED LOOKING AT 2% ALLOCATION OF FUNDING FROM PARTNERSHIPS TO BE DEDICATED TO ART IN PUBLIC PLACES, TO ENCOURAGE 2% OF OTHER PRIVATE DEVELOPMENTS TO ALLOW FLEXIBLE, UH, FLEXIBLE USE OF FUNDS FOR ARTWORK, CARE, RELOCATION AND REINSTALLATION. AND SOME OF THAT WAS AROUND, UM, A DIRECT IMPACT FROM THE DEACCESSION THAT WE EXPERIENCE AT THE AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER. ADDITIONALLY, WE ARE DIRECTED TO LOOK AT ART PLACEMENT, FLEXIBILITY AND CURATORIAL SERVICES FOR MAJOR PROJECTS. FOR THE PROGRAM UPDATES, WE ARE ASKED TO ADDRESS OBSTACLES, TO LOCAL PARTICIPATION, TO CLEARLY EXPLAIN THE RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES TO ARTISTS AND TO BUILD SUPPORT FOR ARTISTS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY AND FOR COMMUNICATIONS, WE ARE DIRECTED TO ENGAGE STAKEHOLDERS AND SPECIFICALLY THOSE WHO HAD EXPERIENCED THE REMOVAL OF THEIR ARTWORK IN OUR COLLECTION. AND WE WERE ASKED TO JUST GENERALLY LOOK AT ALL OF THE ASSOCIATED PROGRAMS, POLICIES, PROCESSES FOR OUR PROGRAM TO LOOK FOR IMPROVEMENTS. SO, SO STARTING WITH THE ENGAGEMENT PROCESS THAT BEGAN A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, WE LOOKED AT TWO DIFFERENT GROUPS. WE HAD OUR EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS AND OUR INTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS. SO FOR THE EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS, WE LOOKED AT ENGAGING WITH OUR ART AND PUBLIC PLACES, PANEL, WORKING GROUP, AND THE ARTS COMMISSION. SO OUR, UH, PANEL WORKING GROUP IS AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF THE ARTS COMMISSION. SO WE REPORT TO THEM MONTHLY. UH, WE COME TO THEM TO APPROVE GUIDELINES, WE REVIEW ALL OF OUR PROJECTS WITH THEM, AND THEY ARE BUILT DIRECTLY [00:05:01] INTO THE PROCESS. ADDITIONALLY, WE WORKED WITH THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY ARTS PROFESSIONALS WHO WORK IN DESIGN, ARCHITECTURE AND VISUAL ARTS FIELDS TO INFORM SOME OF THE ENHANCEMENTS THAT WE BRING TODAY. ADDITIONALLY, WE WORKED WITH TARGETED FOCUS GROUPS AND ONE-ON-ONE CONVERSATIONS, BOTH WITH ARTISTS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED DEACCESSION REMOVALS AND RELOCATION OF ARTWORKS, AS WELL AS ART CURATORS, FABRICATORS, AND DEVELOPERS WHO WORK IN PUBLIC ART. A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE ARE THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE PROJECTS THAT BRING THIS WORK TO REALITY. AND FOR OUR INTERNAL ENGAGEMENT, WE WORKED WITH A 17 DEPARTMENT CROSS DEPARTMENT WORKING GROUP. SO WE CONVENED PEOPLE FROM 17 DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS TO LOOK AT RECOMMENDED CHANGES, TO IDENTIFY OTHER AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY AND TO DISCUSS PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS. ADDITIONALLY, WE WORKED WITH COUNCIL OFFICES AND THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, UM, MEETING DIRECTLY QUITE OFTEN WITH MAYOR WATSON'S TEAM, UH, MAYOR PRO, TIM VELAS TEAM, AND OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS, INCLUDING ALTER CADRE AND ELLIS. SOME OF THE KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THESE ENGAGEMENTS LED TO IMPROVEMENTS AROUND PROGRAM CLARITY AND COMMUNICATIONS, UM, BOTH WITHIN THE CITY AND HOW WE TALK PUBLICLY. WE WORKED ON DEFINING ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES MORE CLEARLY. WE DISCUSSED WHERE TO FIND RESOURCES, CREATING SIMPLIFIED FLOW CHARTS AND CREATING INFORMATION SESSIONS. SO ALL OF THIS IS GONNA LEAD TO A BETTER PROGRAM FOR THE ENTIRE CITY. MOVING ON TO HOW WE, UH, ADDRESS THE DIRECTIVES AROUND PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS, WE WERE DIRECTED TO INCLUDE P THREE CAPITAL PROJECTS WHILE MAINTAINING EXEMPTIONS RELATED TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING COSTS, WHERE APPLICABLE AND PROVIDING A PROCESS FOR ALTERNATIVE COMPLIANCE THAT MEETS OR EXCEEDS THE CITY STANDARDS. SO WE WORKED REALLY CLOSELY WITH AUSTIN FINANCIAL SERVICES, UM, AND THEY EXPLAINED TO US THAT THIS DIRECTIVE OF HOW CITY COUNCIL REFER TO A P THREE PROJECT IS MORE ACCURATELY DESCRIBED INTERNALLY AS AN ALTERNATE DELIVERY MODEL THAT UTILIZES THE PUBLIC FACILITIES CORPORATION. SO USING THAT INFORMATION AND WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS IN FINANCE, WE CREATED AN ORDINANCE UPDATE REQUIRING CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT UTILIZE THAT ALTERNATE DELIVERY MODEL, UH, THAT THEY INCLUDE THE USE OF THE PUBLIC FACILITIES CORPORATION. THEY WILL ALLOCATE 2% OF THE PROJECT COSTS, BUT STILL EXEMPTING THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING REQUIREMENTS. SO THAT WAS A SUCCESS IN WORKING WITH OUR TEAM TO IDENTIFY THAT. ADDITIONALLY, WE CREATED POLICY UPDATES TO INCORPORATE CLEAR DEFINITIONS SUCH AS HOW DO WE DEFINE THE PUBLIC FACILITIES CORPORATION? SO THAT WAS NEW FOR OUR GUIDELINES. UH, WE ALSO ALLOW ALTERNATE DELIVERY MODELS TO UTILIZE ART IN PUBLIC PLACES, PRE-QUALIFIED ARTIST POOL TO ENSURE FASTER DELIVERY METHODS. SOMETIMES A CHALLENGE OF WORKING WITH ART IN PUBLIC PLACES IS INTEGRATING OUR PROJECTS INTO THE WORK MORE EFFECTIVELY. AND SO WE HAVE A PRE-QUALIFIED ARTIST POOL, WHICH WE RELAUNCH, WHERE WE HAVE A LIST OF ARTISTS TO CHOOSE FROM, FROM MANY DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES AND TYPES. ADDITIONALLY, WE DEVELOPED A DECISION TREE TO COLLABORATE WITH AUSTIN FINANCIAL SERVICES REDEVELOPMENT TEAM TO ENSURE WE HAVE ART AND PUBLIC PLACES INCLUSION IN THOSE ALTERNATE DELIVERY PROJECTS. WE LOOKED AT PRIVATE DEVELOPMENTS AND WE WERE DIRECTED TO INCLUDE A REVIEW OF PUBLIC ART REQUIREMENTS AND OTHER PRIVATE DEVELOPMENTS, REGULATIONS AND PROGRAMS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENTS OR PUDS DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS AND CULTURAL DISTRICT. WE WORKED, UH, ON ORDINANCE UPDATES THAT ENCOURAGE PRIVATE DEVELOPMENTS TO INCORPORATE THE PUBLIC ART COMPONENT. AND WE PROVIDE AN OPTION TO INCORPORATE PUBLIC ART, EITHER IN THE CONSTRUCTION OR BY DONATING MONEY TO WHAT WE CALL, UH, WHAT WE ARE NOW CALLING THE PUBLIC ART ACCOUNT, SORT OF A HOLDING ACCOUNT WHERE WE, UH, CAN COLLECT MONEY FOR PROJECTS. ADDITIONALLY, WE WORKED ON POLICY UPDATES TO INCORPORATE CLEAR DEFINITIONS AGAIN, SO THAT WE ARE ALL USING THE SAME LANGUAGE, AND WE ALLOW PRIVATE DEVELOPMENTS ALSO TO UTILIZE THE A IPP PRE-QUALIFIED ARTIST POOL. WE PARTNERED WITH INTERNAL CITY STAKEHOLDERS TO DEFINE TERMS AND HOW TO INCORPORATE PUBLIC ART AS A BENEFIT WHEN WORKING WITH A PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT, WE LOOKED AT HOW TO CREATE FUNDING FOR MAINTENANCE, WHICH HAS BEEN HISTORICALLY A PROBLEM, UM, IN OUR PROGRAM AND IS A PROBLEM SHARED BY MANY PEER CITIES. SO SOME OF THE IMPROVEMENTS WE CREATED ALLOW FLEXIBILITY FOR THE USE OF FUNDS FOR MAINTENANCE, RELOCATION, CONSERVATION, STORAGE, DEACCESSION, AND REINSTALLATION OF ARTWORK. SOME OF THE ORDINANCE AND POLICY UPDATES INCLUDE EXPANDED LANGUAGE TO ALLOW UNUSED PROJECT ALLOCATIONS THAT DON'T HAVE LEGAL RESTRICTIONS TO BE PULLED, UM, TO BE STEWARDED FOR THE COLLECTION, WE WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE BOND DOLLARS THAT ARE ALLOCATED FOR CIP ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR MAINTENANCE. SO WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THOSE PROJECTS. WE'RE CREATING A FRAMEWORK [00:10:01] FOR OTHER PROJECTS FUNDED IN A DIFFERENT WAY. ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE EXPANDED LANGUAGE TO ALLOW UP TO 5% FOR REPAIR AND IMPROVEMENTS OF EXISTING PUBLIC ART, AGAIN, FOR PROJECTS THAT DON'T HAVE LEGAL, UH, FUNDING RESTRICTIONS SUCH AS BOND DOLLARS. AND LASTLY, WE WORK TO CLARIFY THE SPONSOR DEPARTMENT'S ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE BLUE BOX HERE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, A BIG PART OF THE CONVERSATION WAS CENTERED AROUND WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE FROM ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AND SORT OF MAJOR ARTWORK, REPAIRS AND RESTORATIONS. SO WE CREATED CLEAR DEFINITIONS AND DELINEATED RESPONSIBILITY. ROUTINE MAINTENANCE INCLUDES THINGS LIKE RINSING, DUSTING, LANDSCAPING, AND CARE OF THE, THE LAND AROUND THE ARTWORK. AND THAT WILL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SPONSOR DEPARTMENT. MAJOR ARTWORK, REPAIRS, AND RESTORATION, WHICH IS THINGS THAT MIGHT BE STRUCTURAL, WILL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ART IN PUBLIC PLACES. UM, WE'RE WORKING ON ALL OF THE DIFFERENT FUNDING SOURCES THAT CAN SUPPORT THAT. BUT IN THIS FISCAL YEAR BUDGET CYCLE, WE RECEIVED $90,000 FOR ARTWORK, MAINTENANCE, AND REPAIR. AND WE HAVE BUILT A TIERED, UH, PLAN OUTLINING DEFERRED MAINTENANCE BASED ON THE HIGHEST NEED THAT OUR TEAM WILL BE WORKING ON THIS YEAR. ART PLACEMENT FLEXIBILITY. SO WE HAVE BUILT IN LANGUAGE TO ALLOW FOR GREATER FLEXIBILITY FOR THE USE OF FUNDS IN NEARBY VICINITY OF PROJECTS, AND THIS WILL HELP IMPROVE PUBLIC VISIBILITY AND ENGAGEMENT. SO ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WE HAVE WHEN THE CITY IS CREATING ASSETS OR WORKING ON CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS IS HOW ACCESSIBLE IS THAT WORK TO THE PUBLIC. SO AS WE LOOK AT WHERE TO PUT THE ARTWORK, WE WANNA ENSURE THAT THE PUBLIC GETS BENEFIT FROM THAT. SOME OF THE ORDINANCE UPDATES WE CREATED EXPAND LANGUAGE FOR ARTWORK TO BE PLACED ACROSS THE CITY ON A CITY OWNED PROPERTY, INCLUDING LONG-TERM EASEMENTS. WE ALSO CREATED POLICY CLARIFICATIONS THAT WILL ALLOW IN THE FUTURE FOR FUNDING FROM BOND PROPOSITIONS TO BE DISTRIBUTED AS ART PROJECTS ACROSS AUSTIN. THIS IS A MODEL WE SAW IN MANY OTHER CITIES. WE LACK THE FRAMEWORK FOR THIS CURRENTLY, BUT WE ARE WORKING WITH PARTNERS TO BUILD THE FRAMEWORK AND THEN LATER TO CREATE A MECHANISM WHERE THAT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE IN FUTURE BOND ELECTIONS, NOT THE UPCOMING ONE. ADDITIONALLY, WE WORKED WITH AUSTIN WATER, UM, TO REMOVE THEIR FACILITY CAP OF $300,000. AND WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW WE'RE HANDLING THAT. WE WERE DIRECTED TO LOOK AT CURATORIAL SERVICES, AND WE HAVE HAD MANY CONVERSATIONS WITH COUNCIL STAFF AROUND, UM, HOW THIS HAS SHAPED UP AND WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS ARE MOVING FORWARD, THE WAY THAT WE ARE BEST ABLE TO ADDRESS CURATORIAL SERVICES. WE TOOK THE APPROACH TO CREATE, UM, WHAT WE'RE CALLING CURATORIAL SERVICES THAT ARE TOOLS, PRESERVING CONTINUITY OF PROJECT GOALS AND INCLUSION IN PUBLIC ART. WE BUILT TOOLS LIKE THE, UH, A US PUBLIC ART MASTER PLAN, AND THIS IS LOOKING AT A CAMPUS-WIDE PUBLIC ART PROJECT IN TOTALITY INSTEAD OF APPROACHING IT AS INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS. AND SO WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CURATE THAT AS A COHESIVE PROJECT AND EXPERIENCE FOR BOTH TOURISTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS ALIKE WHO ARE PASSING THROUGH THE AIRPORT. THIS MODEL CAN BE SEEN AT THE AIRPORT, AT THE NORTHEAST SERVICE CENTER, AS WELL AS THE CONVENTION CENTER. SO THAT'S ONE WAY WE'RE APPROACHING IT. ANOTHER WAY THAT WE ARE ALLOWING FOR CURATORIAL SERVICES IS, UM, DEFINING A IPP MAJOR PROJECTS BASED ON THE CONSIDERATION OF SIZE AND BUDGET TO CREATE MULTI ARTIST OPPORTUNITIES TO BETTER IMPROVE COMMUNITY IMPACT. WE'RE ALSO GONNA CREATE A TIERED APPROACH FOR CAPACITY BUILDING TO ENSURE AUSTIN'S LOCAL TALENT ARE A PART OF THOSE PROJECTS. SO THE WAY THAT WE'RE APPROACHING THIS IS KIND OF MORE STRATEGIC PLANNING AND INCORPORATING A COHESIVE VISION. WE HAVE HEARD FROM COUNCIL STAFF THAT THE HOPE WAS TO LEAN MORE INTO OPPORTUNITIES LOOKING TOWARDS, FOR EXAMPLE, THE TEXAS LANDMARKS PROJECT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS. AND SO THE WAY THAT THEY DO CURATORIAL SERVICES IS THEY HIRE A CURATOR AND THAT PERSON CURATES. AND SO WE ARE COMMITTED TO LOOKING AT HOW WE MIGHT DO THAT, BUT WE ALSO WANNA BE, UM, RESPONSIVE AND CONSIDERATE OF OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, WHICH IS CENTRAL TO THE PUBLIC ART PROGRAM. SO WE'RE LOOKING INTO THAT. AND NEXT YEAR WE ARE BUILDING OUT A PUBLIC ART MASTER PLAN. AND THIS WILL BE ONE OF THE CONSIDERATIONS THAT WE LOOK AT. ADDITIONALLY, FOR PROGRAMMATIC AND COMMUNICATION IMPROVEMENTS, WE HAVE WORKED TO ENCOURAGE LOCAL PARTICIPATION BY RELAUNCHING THE PRE-QUALIFIED PUBLIC ARTIST POOL, DOING CAPACITY BUILDING PUBLIC ART PROJECTS, CREATING ARTIST MENTORSHIP WORKSHOPS, AND EVALUATING TWO ENTRY-LEVEL PROGRAMS THAT WE MANAGE CALLED LAUNCHPAD AND TEMPO. THOSE ARE REALLY GREAT ENTRY POINTS. IF YOU'VE NEVER DONE A PUBLIC ART PROJECT, THIS HELPS YOU GET EXPERIENCE, MEET OTHER PUBLIC, UM, PUBLIC ART ARTISTS, AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT PROCESS LOOKS LIKE. ADDITIONALLY, [00:15:01] WE HAVE WORKED ON CONTRACT CLARITY AND COMMUNICATION. SO WE HAVE NEW STANDARDIZED PRE-EXECUTION ARTIST NOTICE, WHICH OUTLINE ALL OF THE RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES, AS WELL AS INFORMATION AROUND DEACCESSION AND THE RELOCATION PROCESS, SHOULD IT COME UP IN THE LIFESPAN OF THE ARTWORK. WE ALSO HAVE NEW CONTRACT EXHIBIT ARTWORK OWNERSHIP. UM, WE HAVE NEW STANDARDIZED CONTRACT REVIEWS, CLEAR DOCUMENTATION ON THE LIFESPAN OF AN ARTWORK AND NEW CONTRACT EXPECTATIONS IN OUR ART CALL OUTREACH FOR ARTISTS RESOURCES, BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PROPERTY PROJECTS. WE HAVE CREATED ARTISTS WORKSHOPS. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS. WE HAVE CREATED CENTRAL WEB WEBPAGES WITH RESOURCES. WE HAVE CONTRACT EXAMPLES AVAILABLE ONLINE SO PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING TOWARDS. AND WE HAVE CREATED A BETTER ARTIST RECOGNITION, UH, PLATFORM BY CREATING PLAQUE TEMPLATES THAT GO ALONG WITH ALL THE ART PIECES. WE ALSO HAVE ARTIST BUSINESS CLASSES THAT WE SUPPORT OR CO-HOST. SO THIS HAS BEEN HELPED US BE RESPONSIVE, UM, TO THE BARRIERS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED BY THIS COUNCIL AND MEMBERS IN THE COMMUNITY. AND MOST OF THESE ARE ALREADY IN EFFECT TODAY IN PROJECTS THAT ARE ONGOING. IN ADDITION TO THE DIRECTIVES, WE IDENTIFIED OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADDITIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES AS WE WERE REVIEWING THE ORDINANCE AND THE ASSOCIATED POLICIES AND PROGRAMS AS WELL. SO BACK TO THE AUSTIN WATER CAP REMOVAL, WE HAVE WORKED REALLY CLOSELY WITH OUR PARTNERS AT AUSTIN WATER TO EXPLORE AN ALTERNATIVE FUNDING APPROACH. AND SO THE REASON THIS IS A BENEFIT BOTH TO AUSTIN WATER AND FOR US, IS THAT IT CREATES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR AUSTIN WATER TO PLAN MORE EFFECTIVELY FOR THEIR INVESTMENTS. AND IT CREATES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO HAVE AN ALTERNATIVE FUNDING STREAM. SO WE ARE WORKING WITH THEM TO HAVE A SET ASIDE ANNUALLY THAT WILL GO INTO THE PUBLIC ART ACCOUNT, AND WE'LL USE THAT FOR THINGS LIKE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR, UM, AND OTHER PROJECT FUNDS THAT ARE NEEDED FOR ADDITIONAL PROJECTS. ADDITIONALLY, AUSTIN WATER'S WORKING WITH US TO MAKE A COMMITMENT ON MAJOR PROJECTS THAT COME FORWARD TO STILL HAVE A PUBLIC ART COMPONENT. ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES THEY FACE IS THAT SOMETHING LIKE A WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLAN IS NOT ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC. AND WHILE IT'S EXPENSIVE AND THERE CAN BE A BIG SET ASIDE FOR PUBLIC ART, AGAIN, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IT'S ACCESSIBLE BY THE COMMUNITY, ACCESSIBLE BY THE TOURISTS. AND SO THEY HAVE MADE A COMMITMENT TO WORK WITH US ON WHAT MAKES SENSE ON THOSE LARGE SCALE PROJECTS AND HOW THEY CAN INVEST. SO THEY'RE INVESTING IN TWO SEPARATE WAYS IN ART AND PUBLIC PLACES. WE HAVE ADDITIONALLY WORKED ON GOVERNANCE CLARIFICATION. SO WE HAVE CREATED A PROCESS FOR DEPARTMENTS THAT WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST AN EXEMPTION FOR THE ENTIRE PERCENTAGE, UM, SO MAYBE A REDUCED PERCENTAGE OR EXEMPT THE PROJECT ALTOGETHER. OUR GOAL IS TO JUST HAVE A DOCUMENTED PROCESS FOR WHEN WE WOULD LIKE TO SPEND LESS AND WHAT THE PARAMETERS ARE AROUND THAT SO THAT WE CAN AGREE AS A CITY THAT THAT MAKES SENSE. SO THE PROCESS FOR THAT WILL BE THAT THE CITY MANAGER OR HIS DESIGNEE WILL REVIEW AND AGREE WITH THE EXEMPTION REQUESTS. THEN THOSE REQUESTS WILL MOVE FORWARD TO THE ARTS COMMISSION FOR REVIEW. AND FINALLY, THE CITY COUNCIL MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR CLARIFICATION, AGAIN, HAS BEEN A HUGE PART OF THIS PROCESS. WE HAVE A LOT OF SUCCESS AROUND, UH, DEFINING THE ROUTINE MAINTENANCE VERSUS THOSE MAJOR REPAIRS. WE HAVE LANGUAGE CLARIFICATIONS AROUND PARKLAND. UM, SO EVERYTHING IN RED HERE THAT YOU SEE HAS BEEN ADDED TO HOW WE TALK ABOUT PARKLAND AND PARKLAND DEDICATION AND THE ORDINANCE. SO YOU WILL SEE AN UPDATE IN THE ORDINANCE SAYS, IN CALCULATING THE CONSTRUCTION COST OF A PROJECT TO ACQUIRE OR DEVELOP DEDICATED PARKLAND, UM, THE REAL PROPERTY ACQUISITION ACQUISITION COST IS NOT DEDUCTED. SO THIS JUST INFORMS WHICH PROJECTS ARE ELIGIBLE WHEN WE ACQUIRE PARKLAND. LASTLY, THE BIGGEST CONVERSATION THAT WE HAVE HAD, BOTH EXTERNALLY AND INTERNALLY WITH OUR PARTNERS, HAS BEEN LOOKING AT CLARIFYING WHAT OUR CURRENT PRACTICES ARE FOR CALCULATING THE 2% FOR PUBLIC ART AND WHAT WE MIGHT DO TO BRING MORE CLARITY BOTH INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY AS WE MOVE FORWARD IN THIS PROCESS. IN 2002, WHICH WAS THE LAST UPDATE OF THE ART AND PUBLIC PLACES ORDINANCE, THE LANGUAGE CURRENTLY READS CONSTRUCTION COST AS A DEFINITION MEANS THE COST OF A PROJECT TO THE CITY. IN LOOKING AT OUR PEER CITY RESEARCH AND THE BENCHMARKING WORK THAT WE DID, WE SAW THAT THE MOST COMMON, UH, PHRASE USED TO CALCULATE PROJECT COST IS CAPITAL PROJECT COST. SO WE ARE MAKING A SHIFT TO THAT TO SAY CAPITAL PROJECT COST MEANS THE COST OF A PROJECT TO THE CITY. THIS REMOVE SOME OF THE, UM, CONFUSION AROUND CONSTRUCTION COST, WHICH IS AN INDUSTRY TERM IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY. OUR ORDINANCE WAS DEFINING THAT PHRASE DIFFERENTLY THAN THE INDUSTRY WAS DEFINING THAT PHRASE, WHICH CREATED A LOT OF GRAY AREA. SO UPDATING THIS LANGUAGE IS GONNA HELP BRING CLARITY FOR US AS WE WORK IN THE CALCULATION AND FOR THE COMMUNITY ON EXACTLY WHAT DEDUCTIONS ARE ALLOWABLE. THIS SLIDE [00:20:01] IS JUST A WORKFLOW FOR HOW THE CITY MANAGER REVIEWS THOSE REQUESTS FOR EXEMPTIONS. SO THE WORKFLOW WILL START WITH A SPONSOR DEPARTMENT IDENTIFYING A NEED FOR A PERCENTAGE CHANGE. UM, THEN THEY WILL WORK WITH US. THEY WILL MAKE THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE CITY MANAGER SHOULD THE CMO APPROVE THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS. IT WILL GO TO THE ART AND PUBLIC PLACES PANEL FOR CONSIDERATION. AND THEN RECOMMENDATIONS WILL BE PRESENTED TO THE ARTS COMMISSION, UH, BASED ON THE PANEL'S OPINION FOR CONSIDERATION. AND THEN WE'LL FINALLY MOVE FORWARD TO CITY COUNCIL AS AN RCA. THIS CHART OUTLINES EVERY VERSION OF THE ORDINANCE THAT WE HAVE HAD. SO OUR ORDINANCE ORIGINATED IN 1985, AND IN THE LEFT HAND SIDE, YOU CAN SEE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ORDINANCE. AS IT STARTED IN THE YEAR 2002, OUR COMMUNITY LED AN UPDATE TO INFORM SOME CHANGES TO THIS ORDINANCE. ONE OF THE MAJOR CHANGES WAS UPDATING THE PERCENT FOR ART CALCULATION. WE WENT FROM 1%, WHICH WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1985 TO 2%. ADDITIONALLY, THEY WENT THROUGH AND OUTLINED DEDUCTIONS AND DEFINITIONS, WHICH YOU CAN SEE DOWN AT THE BOTTOM. THE DEFINITION FROM 2002 IS CONSTRUCTION COST CALCULATION MEANS THE COST OF A PROJECT TO THE CITY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DEDUCTIONS THAT ARE OUTLINED. THE DEDUCTIONS THAT WERE OUTLINED INCLUDED DEBT DEMOLITION EQUIPMENT PERMIT FEE COSTS, AND REAL PROPERTY ACQUISITION, EXCLUDING PARKLAND. THOSE ARE SOME OF THE MAJOR CHANGES THAT WE HAVE WORKED ON. TO CLARIFY, UM, AGAIN, SHIFTING FROM CONSTRUCTION COST AS A DEFINITION IN THE ORDINANCE TO THE WORD CAPITAL PROJECT COST. SO YOU CAN SEE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE THE RED STRIKETHROUGH IS WHAT WE'RE REMOVING, AND THE GREEN IS WHAT WE ARE ADDING. SO THE UPDATED LANGUAGE WE PROPOSE IS CAPITAL PROJECT COST MEANS THE COST OF A PROJECT TO THE CITY AS DETERMINED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THESE DEDUCTIONS. AND THEN WE HAVE OUTLINED DEDUCTIONS BELOW THAT MORE ACCURATELY MEET WHAT CONSTRUCTION COST MEANS TO THE, OUR PARTNERS WHO WORK IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT. AND SO YOU WILL SEE THE, UM, THE SAME DEDUCTIONS FROM BEFORE. AND WE HAVE CLARIFIED FOR PERMIT FEE AND COST, THAT THAT ALSO INCLUDES THE INSPECTION COST. WE HAVE ALSO ADDED ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING AND ADMINISTRATIVE AND INDIRECT COST. ALL OF THESE ARE A PART OF CONSTRUCTION COST AND THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY AND WILL BE ELIGIBLE DEDUCTIONS IN THE VERSION OF OUR ORDINANCE WE'RE PROPOSING. ALONG WITH, UM, ALL OF THAT, WE HAVE ALSO CREATED ENHANCED PROCESSES TO HELP US WORK BETTER WITH OUR PARTNERS. SO SOME OF THOSE PROCESSES THAT WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT INCLUDE THE DEFINITION OF THE TYPE OF DELIVERY PROJECT WE ARE DOING WITH ART AND PUBLIC PLACES. WE HAVE TWO WAYS THAT WE APPROACH PROJECTS INDEPENDENTLY, ORALLY. AND SO WE WILL DEFINE THIS WITH OUR PARTNERS IN THE PLANNING STAGE SO THAT WE CAN BETTER WORK THROUGH THE PROCESS. AND AN EXAMPLE OF AN INDEPENDENT PROJECT WOULD BE SOMETHING IN, UH, LIKE A CORRIDOR PROJECT. WE'RE WORKING WITH TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS. THEY'RE DOING ROAD IMPROVEMENTS INDEPENDENT OF THE WORK THEY'RE DOING ON THE ROAD. WE ARE BUILDING OUT THE ART AND PUBLIC PLACES ASSETS TO GO ALONG THAT CORRIDOR. IT COULD BE A STATUE, IT COULD BE A MOSAIC, SOMETHING IN THE CORRIDOR, BUT SEPARATE FROM IT. AN INTEGRAL PROJECT IS SOMETHING LIKE WHAT WE'RE DOING AT THE CONVENTION CENTER. WE ARE ACTUALLY INTEGRATING THE ART INTO THE ARCHITECTURE OF THAT BUILDING AND WORKING HAND IN HAND, UM, WITH THEM. AS THAT PROJECT IS DEVELOPED, ART AND PUBLIC PLACES WILL ALSO BE INCLUDED IN THE PLANNING STAGE FOR ALL CIP, UM, FROM SPONSOR DEPARTMENTS. THIS IS, UM, THIS IS A HUGE WIN FOR US. SO GETTING AT THE TABLE AT THE VERY EARLY PLANNING STAGES BOTH HELPS US BETTER IDENTIFY INDEPENDENT OR INTEGRAL OPPORTUNITIES. AND IT HELPS US BETTER SHARE COSTS. SO WE WON'T HAVE TO DUPLICATE, UH, SERVICES LIKE PAYING FOR INSPECTIONS OR FEES RELATED TO THINGS LIKE LAYING, UH, FOUNDATION. UM, SO WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE COSTS. ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE ESTABLISHED THE ART AND PUBLIC PLACES CALCULATION POINT IN TIME FOR ALL PROJECTS. SO WE'RE BUILDING IN CONSISTENCY WHEN EVERY PROJECT WILL CALCULATE THE PERCENT FOR ART AT THE SAME POINT IN THE PROCESS. WE'RE ALSO GONNA POST OUR GUIDELINES ONLINE, BOTH FOR COMMUNITY CLARITY AND SO OUR PARTNERS HAVE ACCESS TO THEM ALL THE TIME. WE ARE ALSO CREATING AN INTERNAL ANNUAL REVIEW OF CIP PROJECTS. SO EVERY YEAR, UM, OUR TEAM WILL DO A SCAN OF PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN CREATED IN THE CITY TO ENSURE THAT EVERY PROJECT THAT IS ELIGIBLE FOR PUBLIC ART RECEIVED PUBLIC ART. IT OTHER PROJECT DOCUMENTATION IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDE AN UPDATED CALCULATION WORKSHEET SO THAT WE HAVE AN ACTUAL TANGIBLE DOCUMENT WE CAN BRING TO OUR PANEL TO SHOW HERE IS THE COST OF THE PROJECT TO THE CITY. HERE ARE THE DEDUCTIONS, AND HERE IS THE CALCULATION. WE ARE ALSO CREATING PROJECT CHARTERS AND AGREEMENT DOCUMENTS TO WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS SO WE HAVE A SHARED UNDERSTANDING [00:25:01] OF WHAT COLLABORATION LOOKS LIKE. AND AT THE END OF EVERY PROJECT, WE WILL DO OUR RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS TO ENSURE AND LOOK AT DID WE CAPTURE 2% FOR PUBLIC ART? AND THESE WILL ALL BE DATA POINTS TO HELP INFORM, UH, FUTURE PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS OR FUTURE CHANGES THAT WE MIGHT CONSIDER FOR THE ORDINANCE. THIS SLIDE IS JUST TAKING YOU THROUGH A LOOK AT THAT INDEPENDENT VERSUS INTEGRAL, UM, OPERATIONS THAT WE DO FOR OUR PUBLIC ART PROJECTS. THIS IS A TIMELINE SLIDE SHOWING YOU HOW, UM, WE INCORPORATE THOSE OPTIONS. SO AN INTEGRAL PROJECT MUST BEGIN IMMEDIATELY AT THE PLANNING STAGE, AGAIN FOR SOMETHING LIKE THE CONVENTION CENTER, WHEREAS INDEPENDENT PROJECTS CAN PHYSICALLY BEGIN LATER IN THE PROCESS DEPENDENT UPON HOW THOSE PROJECTS ARE GOING. THIS TIMELINE SHOWS IN THE GRAY BOXES ACROSS THE TOP. THIS IS GENERALLY THE PLANNING TO DELIVERY PROCESS FOR PROJECT MANAGERS, UM, DOING CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS. AND IN THE BLUE UNDERNEATH, YOU CAN SEE HOW OUR TIMELINE WILL NOW LINE UP EXACTLY WITH THEIR TIMELINE SO THAT THERE'S NO CRUNCH AT THE END OF THE PROJECT TO TRY TO GET THE ART IN PUBLIC PLACES KIND OF ON PACE WITH WHERE THE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IS. AS YOU ALL KNOW, THERE CAN BE A LOT OF CHANGES THROUGHOUT CONSTRUCTION. UM, DELAYS SOMETIMES BEING SPED UP. SO WE ARE TRYING TO CREATE A PROCESS THAT ALLOWS US TO BE NIMBLE WITH THAT. AND IF YOU LOOK AT THIS SLIDE, YOU CAN SEE WHAT OUR, OUR PROCESS USED TO BE. WE DIDN'T START SCOPING UNTIL UH, SORT OF MID CONSTRUCTION PROCESS. AND AT THE END WE WOULD OFTEN SEE KIND OF A CRUNCHED PROCESS FOR US TO TRY TO DELIVER ON TIME FOR THE RIBBON CUTTING FOR THE PROJECT CELEBRATIONS AND FOR OTHER NEEDS TO OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. SO WE'RE GOING FOR THIS ONE. THIS IS BETTER. THIS IS NOT GOOD . ALRIGHT, THIS IS JUST A GLIMPSE AT OUR RECOMMENDATION ON CALCULATION WORKSHEET. UM, OVER THE REST OF THE YEAR, AFTER WE GET THE ORDINANCE ACROSS THE FINISH LINE WITH COUNCIL, WE WILL BE FINALIZING WHAT THESE TEMPLATES LOOK LIKE. BUT THE GOAL OF THIS EXAMPLE IS TO CREATE A SIMPLE SPREADSHEET THAT'S DIGESTIBLE FOR US, FOR OUR PARTNERS AND FOR PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND HERE, HERE'S WHERE THE PROJECT COST STARTS AND HERE'S HOW WE GET TO THE ALLOCATION FOR ART AND PUBLIC PLACES. ADDITIONALLY, ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, YOU CAN SEE THE WORKFLOW FOR WHEN WE RECOMMEND THE, UM, ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ART AND PUBLIC PLACES CALCULATION. SO WE BELIEVE THE 2%, UM, FORECAST SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED AT THE DESIGN KICKOFF. AND AS WE GET THROUGH THE DESIGN PROCESS, WE WOULD LIKE TO CONFIRM THE 2% ALLOCATION AROUND 90% DESIGN. 'CAUSE BY THAT TIME, WE HAVE A BETTER ESTIMATE OF THE TOTAL COST INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT. AND THEN YOU CAN SEE AT THE END, UM, IN RED, WE, THAT'S WHEN WE WILL DO THE AUDIT COMPLIANCE TO DO A RETROSPECTIVE AND LOOK BACK AND SAY, DID WE MEET 2% FOR PUBLIC ART ON THIS PROJECT? ALL RIGHT, SO GETTING TO THE FINISH LINE. WE'RE HAPPY TO BE HERE TODAY. UM, OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS WE HAVE BEEN MEETING WITH COUNCIL OFFICES. SOME OF YOUR OFFICES WE HAVE MET WITH TO UM, JUST GIVE BRIEFINGS TO RECAP ON WHAT WE HEARD AND WHERE WE'RE GOING. WE ARE HERE TODAY AT THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE AND CURRENTLY WE HAVE THE ORDINANCE SLATED TO COME TO CITY COUNCIL AS AN RCA ON OCTOBER 22ND. AFTER WE GET THE, UM, ORDINANCE ACROSS THE FINISH LINE, OUR PLAN IS TO FINALIZE THE GUIDELINES. UM, SO THE ORDINANCE IS WHAT WE DO FOR THE PROGRAM AND THE GUIDELINES ARE AN INTERNAL DOCUMENT THAT GUIDE HOW WE ACCOMPLISH THAT, LIKE HOW WE DO THE WORK. SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS ON THAT, AND THAT WILL BE FINALIZED. ONCE THE ORDINANCE IS FINALIZED, THEN WE WILL TAKE THOSE GUIDELINES TO THE PANEL INTO THE ARTS COMMISSION, UM, RE RESPECTIVELY IN NOVEMBER, DEPENDENT UPON WHETHER THE ORDINANCE PASSES THROUGH COUNCIL. WE WILL ALSO CONTINUE WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS ON THOSE PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE OUTLINED, INCLUDING COORDINATION WITH AUSTIN CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES AND OTHER SPONSOR DEPARTMENTS. WE WILL GET THAT CALCULATION FORMULA STANDARDIZE ALONG WITH OUR OTHER TEMPLATES, AND WE WILL KICK OFF ENSURING THAT ART AND PUBLIC PLACES IS INCLUDED IN THE PLANNING STAGES. THERE'S NO THANK YOU SLIDE. THANK YOU, . GREAT. WELL, SO APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION AND ALL THE WORK THAT Y'ALL HAVE BEEN DOING ON, ON ALL OF THIS. UM, I I WANTED TO OPEN IT UP FOR ANY QUESTIONS FROM MY COLLEAGUES, UH, VICE CHAIR FUENTES. YES, THANK YOU. VERY INFORMATIVE AND I'M REALLY THRILLED TO SEE SO MUCH PROGRESS BEING MADE ON UPDATING OUR PROCESSES AND ENSURING THAT, UM, WE HAVE A HOLISTIC VIEW OF WHERE WE HAVE OUR ART. I MEAN, I THINK YOU BRING UP A REALLY GOOD POINT ABOUT THE ART BEING ACCESSIBLE TO OUR COMMUNITY AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT VERSUS HAVING ART AT OUR, YOU KNOW, RENOVATED [00:30:01] WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT. YOU KNOW, WE MUCH PREFER HAVING THAT WHERE IT'S, UM, GONNA BE MORE FREQUENTED BY THE PUBLIC. SO THAT TO ME MAKES A WHOLE LOT OF SENSE. UM, YOU MENTIONED THE PROCESS FOR EXEMPTIONS OF, YOU KNOW, A TIME WHERE A PROJECT MAY NOT HAVE THAT ALLOCATION FOR A IPP. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT LIKE, PREVIOUS EXAMPLES WHEN THERE HAS BEEN EXEMPTION? LIKE WHAT TYPE OF PROJECTS WOULD WARRANT AN EXEMPTION? I MIGHT HAVE TO ASK MY TEAM FOR EXAMPLES, BUT I CAN GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT MIGHT CAUSE THAT. UM, WE KNOW THE COST FOR CONSTRUCTION IS IN FLUX, RIGHT? THERE ARE OFTENTIMES WHERE THERE'S ESCALATING COSTS. SO WHEN WE START A PROJECT WHICH CAN SPAN YEARS, THERE CAN BE A DRASTIC CHANGE IN THE COST OF DELIVERING THAT PROJECT, RIGHT? WE SEE, UM, OUR DEPARTMENTS COME BACK TO COUNCIL ALL THE TIME TO, TO AUTHORIZE CHANGE ORDERS, TO INCREASE THE COST THERE. SO WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT A MAJOR PROJECT THAT MIGHT BE FUNDED IN MULTIPLE WAYS, INCLUDING BOND FUNDS, GRANT FUNDS, OR THESE OTHER ITEMS, THERE MIGHT BE AN OPPORTUNITY UP TOP TO SAY, WE WANNA COMMIT TO PUBLIC ART AND HERE'S WHAT WE THINK IS A REASONABLE COMMITMENT TO ENSURE WE CAN DELIVER THIS PROJECT ON TIME AND UNDER BUDGET. UM, THE DOCUMENTATION PIECE IS REALLY FOR THE COMMUNITY. SO OUR GOAL IS TO JUST BUILD IN THE TRANSPARENCY OF WHEN THAT HAPPENS, WHEN THAT DECISION IS MADE. WE JUST WANNA BE CLEAR ABOUT THE WHY. 'CAUSE WE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S A NUANCE GOING INTO CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS AND WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, RIGHT? AND WE DON'T SEE THAT AS OUR PARTNERS WANTING TO DO LESS PUBLIC ART. WE SEE THAT AS OUR PARTNERS LOOKING FOR CREATIVE WAYS TO SPEND BOTH TAX DOLLARS AND GRANT DOLLARS TO DELIVER THE MOST FOR OUR COMMUNITY AS POSSIBLE. SO IT'S NOT NECESSARILY AN EXEMPTION ON THE 2% COMMITMENT, IT'S MORE OF, I GUESS, AN EXEMPTION OF WHEN YOU DEFINE THAT 2% IN THE PROCESS. THAT COULD BE, YEAH. SO IF THEY ESTIMATE THE COST UP TOP, BUT THEN A YEAR DOWN THE LINE, UM, THERE'S A HUGE CHANGE IN THE COST OF THE PROJECT. PERHAPS NOT RECALCULATING IN 2% TO THAT CHANGE ORDER. IT'S REALLY JUST ABOUT DOCUMENTING THE COMMITMENT AND THE WHY AROUND IT. UM, SO IT'S, IT'S KIND OF, IT DEPENDS ON THE PROJECT, BUT WE'RE CREATING THE OPTION THERE FOR TRANSPARENCY AND WE'RE CREATING THE OPTION SO THAT OUR PARTNERS DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY'RE STUCK IN A BOX WHEN THEY'RE TRYING TO DELIVER PROJECTS. GOTCHA. OKAY. AND UH, THE OTHER QUESTION I HAD WAS AROUND, OH GOSH, WHAT WAS IT? UM, , IT JUST ESCAPED ME. UM, OH, THE CHANGING THE DEFINITION OF CONSTRUCTION COSTS VERSUS CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION COSTS, YOU'RE ALSO EXPANDING AS TO WHAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED PART OF THOSE COSTS. IS THAT RIGHT? BY ADDING THE ENGINEERING AND YEAH, WE ARE OUTLINING THE DEDUCTIONS. UM, SO THE, THE ISSUES THAT WE SAW THERE WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT PROJECTS IS USING THE PHRASE CONSTRUCTION COST. IN THE INDUSTRY OF CONSTRUCTION, THERE IS A LIST OF ITEMS ALREADY ASSOCIATED WITH THAT, LIKE WHAT THEY CONSIDER CONSTRUCTION COSTS. AND SO WE ARE RIGHT SIZING IN THE DEDUCTIONS THAT WE SEE IN OUR ORDINANCE WHAT CONSTRUCTION COST IS CONSIDERED. SO HISTORICALLY, OUR DEPARTMENTS AND OUR PARTNERS HAVE BEEN DEDUCTING ALL OF THOSE ITEMS AND WE'RE JUST RIGHT SIZING THE TRANSPARENCY AROUND WHAT ARE THE ELIGIBLE DEDUCTIONS THAT WE ALLOW OUR PARTNERS TO TAKE. OKAY. AND BY EXPANDING THE DEFINITION OF ALLOWABLE DEDUCTIONS MM-HMM . WHAT, HOW MUCH, LIKE WHAT IS THE FISCAL IMPACT OF IT? UM, OUR UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE FISCAL IMPACT SHOULD BE MINIMAL OR NOT AT ALL BECAUSE THOSE DEDUCTIONS WERE ALREADY BEING TAKEN OFF OF PREVIOUS PROJECTS. WE'RE JUST CREATING A HIGHER LEVEL OF TRANSPARENCY AROUND WHAT EXACTLY ARE WE DEDUCTING. AND OUR GOAL IS TO BUILD A LITTLE BIT OF TRUST WITH OUR COMMUNITY BY HAVING THAT CALCULATION WORKSHEET SO THEY CAN ACTUALLY SEE ALL OF THOSE DEDUCTIONS LINED OUT AND THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH THEM, UM, TO KIND OF REMOVE SOME OF THE BUREAUCRACY AND SMOKE AND MIRRORS AROUND HOW DO WE GET TO THAT 2%. GOTCHA. OKAY. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. ANY QUESTIONS? UM, OKAY. WELL I WILL I GUESS WRAP US UP ON THIS, BUT I JUST WANTED TO THANK Y'ALL ONCE AGAIN FOR THIS PRESENTATION AND FOR THE UPDATE, UH, VIA THE RESOLUTION THAT WAS PASSED. UH, I JUST HAD TWO QUESTIONS. ONE OF THEM HAD TO DO WITH JUST A REMINDER OF OUR, OUR PEER CITY PROCESS. COULD YOU REMIND US WHAT THAT PROCESS LOOKS LIKE? WHAT'S YOUR QUESTION? HOW MANY PEER CITIES AND INFORMATION AROUND THE PEER CITIES? YEAH. YES. YEAH, JUST OF COURSE A REMINDER OF THE PROCESS. UM, WE LOOKED AT 17 DIFFERENT PEER CITIES FOR THIS PROJECT. UM, OUR, UM, ART AND PUBLIC PLACES COORDINATOR, SENIOR REBECCA RINDI LED THIS WORK. SHE HAS PERSONALLY WORKED IN THREE OR FOUR DIFFERENT MAJOR CITIES, LA, SEATTLE, SAN ANTONIO. SO SHE HAS A LOT OF CONNECTIONS AND DID THIS WORK. SO WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE 17 PEER CITIES, WE HAD A LIST OF ITEMS THAT WE WORK CURIOUS ABOUT HOW DO WE STACK UP? ONE OF THEM INCLUDED THE LANGUAGE THAT'S USED, CAPITAL PROJECT COSTS, CONSTRUCTION COSTS, OTHER WORDS THAT ARE USED. [00:35:01] UM, THE MAJORITY OF OUR PARTNER CITIES ARE USING CAPITAL PROJECT COSTS. SO THAT DID HELP INFORM THE SHIFT THAT WE MADE THERE. ADDITIONALLY, WE LOOKED AT THE PERCENT FOR ART AND WHETHER OR NOT THEY ALLOW DEDUCTIONS IN THEIR ORDINANCE. UM, WHAT WE FOUND IS 2% FOR AUSTIN IS ON THE HIGHER END OF DEDUCT OF PERCENT FOR ART ACROSS THE COUNTRY. SO WE ARE ON THE HIGHER END, HOWEVER, ONLY FOUR CITIES ALLOW DEDUCTIONS AT ALL ON THE PERCENT THAT THEY CALCULATE. SO WE ARE, UM, AMONG THE MINORITY FOR ALLOWING DEDUCTIONS. AND WHAT I WILL SAY IS OUR GOAL WHEN LOOKING AT THE PEER CITIES WAS TO HAVE A TOUCH POINT, A REFERENCE POINT. AND IT WAS ONLY ONE OF MANY WAYS THAT WE LOOKED AT THE CHANGES THAT WE, UH, PUT FORWARD. SO WE WORKED WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS, WE WORKED IN OUR CITY, SO OUR GOAL WASN'T NECESSARILY TO ALIGN WITH OTHER CITIES 'CAUSE THERE'S NO MONOLITH WHEN WE TALK ABOUT BEST PRACTICES, THESE 17 CITIES ARE DOING THINGS WILDLY DIFFERENTLY. THEIR BOND PROCESS WORKS WILDLY DIFFERENTLY IN THESE COMMUNITIES. SO IT WAS REALLY GOOD TOUCH POINT FOR US. UM, BUT WE FOUND THAT WE STACK UP, WE LEAN HIGHER IN SOME AREAS AND THERE ARE OTHER PLACES WHERE WE FEEL LIKE WE COULD DO IT BETTER, BUT WE NEED MORE DATA TO INFORM THAT. GOT IT. SO, SO OUTTA CURIOSITY, WHY ARE WE ALLOWING DEDUCTIONS? SO THE DEDUCTIONS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ALLOWED. SO IN 1985 WHEN WE ESTABLISHED THE ORDINANCE, THERE WAS A LIST OF DEDUCTIONS IN 2002, WHICH WAS A COMMUNITY LED PROCESS. THERE WERE STILL DEDUCTIONS. SO WHEN WE APPROACHED THIS UPDATE, WE DIDN'T GET A DIRECTIVE FROM COUNCIL SPECIFICALLY TO LOOK AT WHETHER OR NOT DEDUCTIONS WERE ALLOWABLE. SO WE DIDN'T CONSIDER THAT AS AN OUTCOME OF THIS PROCESS. WHAT WE DID LOOK AT IS MAKING SURE OUR COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDS WHAT THE DEDUCTIONS ARE, BUT I WILL SAY LIKE, LIKE I MENTIONED, FOUR OF 17 CITIES ALLOW DEDUCTIONS. SO IT'S NOT EXACTLY WHAT EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING, BUT A LOT OF THOSE CITIES ARE USING A LOWER PERCENTAGE AS WELL. THEY MIGHT SAY 1% CAPITAL PROJECT COSTS WITH NO DEDUCTIONS, WHEREAS WE SAY 2% AND HERE ARE THE DEDUCTIONS THAT COME OFF THE TOP FOR THAT. GOT IT. AND THEN HAS IN, HAS INCREASING THE PERCENTAGE OF THE ALLOCATION, GIVEN THE UPDATED DEFINITION, HAS THAT BEEN EXPLORED BY STAFF? WE HAVE NOT SPECIFICALLY LOOKED AT THAT, LIKE INCREASING 2% TO GO HIGHER. YEAH. UM, WE DID NOT LOOK AT THAT SPECIFICALLY, BUT THAT WOULD CERTAINLY RESULTS IN MORE FUNDING FOR PUBLIC ART IF WE WERE TO GO THAT DIRECTION. IS THAT SOMETHING YOU GUYS ARE OPEN, UH, LOOKING AT TO, WE ARE ALWAYS OPEN TO INCREASING FUNDING FOR PUBLIC ART. GREAT. GREAT. A QUICK FOLLOW UP. OKAY. UM, I I, I, I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION, BUT I'LL, I'LL LEAVE THAT TO, TO THE END 'CAUSE I FEEL LIKE IT'S A GOOD WAY TO FINISH THIS. SO I'LL GIVE IT BACK TO YEAH, SURE. I JUST PICKING BACK OFF OF YOUR QUESTION, CHAIR CADRE IS, CAN UM, CAN Y'ALL FOLLOW UP WITH MY TEAM? I JUST WANNA GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE FISCAL DIFFERENCE. I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE LAYING OUT THAT IN PRACTICALITY WE'VE BEEN, THE CITY HAS BEEN OPERATING WITH THOSE DEDUCTIONS. SO WHAT IS THE AVERAGE COMMITMENT THEN, UH, ON AN, ON AN ART PROJECT OR ON A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT? WHAT IS THE ART COMMITMENT VERSUS, UM, YOU KNOW, IF WE WENT UP A PERCENTAGE, UM, IF WE INTERPRETED THE 2% TO INCLUDE ALL COSTS, LIKE WHAT IS THE FINANCIAL DIFFERENCE? I'M TRYING TO GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. WE'LL BE HAPPY TO WORK ON, UM, SOME DATA. GREAT. WELL, I APPRECIATE, UH, THAT VICE CHAIR. UM, MY, MY LAST QUESTION'S MORE OF A, MORE OF A REQUEST. UH, WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE FOR, UH, FOR Y'ALL TO, IF WE COULD HAVE AN EXHIBIT IN THE BACKUP FROM WHEN THE ADAM COMES TO COUNCIL THAT LAYS OUT THE DATA FOR OUR A IPP PROJECTS REGARDING WHAT WAS INCLUDED OR NOT IN THE CALCULATIONS FOR HISTORICAL PROJECTS? UH, YES. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. UH, WOULD IT BE OKAY IF WE WORKED WITH YOUR STAFF TO IDENTIFY I WOULD LOVE THAT. SOME PROJECTS. I WOULD LOVE THAT. THAT MIGHT BE OF INTEREST. YEAH, SURE. OKAY. WE'LL, WE'LL ABSOLUTELY. NATALIE'S RIGHT THERE. SHE'S BEHIND THE, SHE'S HI NATALIE, DUCKING HER HEAD NOW, UM, BEFORE WE WRAP UP, UH, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR WOULD LIKE TO WAVE A LITTLE BIT. SURE. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE SOME TIME THIS MORNING. I KNOW YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, UM, SOME OF THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF FUNDING STREAMS AND DIFFERENT TECHNICAL COMPONENTS OF THIS. I THOUGHT I MIGHT JUST SPEAK MORE BROADLY TO THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC ART IN OVERALL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. SO MOSTLY WHAT I WANT TO MESSAGE TO YOU ALL TODAY IS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS MOVING AWAY FROM A FINANCIAL MODEL AND MORE TO A PLACEMAKING MODEL. AND WE CAN DO AS MUCH OR MORE WITH RECRUITING BIG COMPANIES OR RECRUITING THE KINDS OF BUSINESSES WE WANT WHEN WE CONTINUE TO CREATE THE KINDS OF PLACES THAT PEOPLE WANT TO BE IN. SO IN THE PART OF MY ONBOARDING, I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH, UM, BOTH THESE LADIES ABOUT SOME OF THOSE CONCEPTS HERE AND I WAS PERSONALLY REALLY ENERGIZED BY THAT CONVERSATION. SO PUBLIC ART IS SOMETHING, UM, THAT I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND WE'RE LOOKING ON HOW TO BUILD THAT INTO OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY ALONG WITH A WHOLE LOT OF [00:40:01] OTHER THINGS THAT WE DO IN OUR CIP AND, AND OTHER PLACEMAKING OPPORTUNITIES. SO IN MY EXPERIENCE AROUND THE COUNTRY, FUNDING MODELS CAN BE WILDLY DIFFERENT CITY TO CITY DEPENDING ON THE IMPORTANCE THE CITY PLACES ON THAT PARTICULAR THING. BUT I, I WANT TO DEFINITELY LEAVE YOU ALL UNDERSTANDING THAT PUBLIC ART PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE IN OUR, UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY GOING FORWARD. AGAIN, ALONG WITH A LOT OF OTHER, UH, PLACEMAKING TYPES OF THINGS, NEW STREETS, SCAPES, CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT IN PUBLIC SPACES, THAT SORT OF THING. SO, UM, YOU'LL SEE MORE OF THAT COMING THROUGH WHEN WE BRING OUR NEW ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT POLICY THROUGH, ALONG WITH THINGS AROUND ARTS AND CULTURE. BUT, UH, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH ACME ON ALL THAT STUFF. GREAT. SORRY, YOU HAVE A COMMENT? YEAH, YEAH. THANK YOU DIRECTOR. I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU KIND OF SHARING THE, THE SHIFT IN THE ETHOS FOR OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AS A CITY. YOU KNOW, SHIFTING TOWARDS FROM A FINANCIAL TO MORE OF A PLACEMAKING MODEL. I THINK THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE FOR WHERE WE'RE AT AS AS A COMMUNITY OVERALL. UH, AND I JUST WANNA HIGHLIGHT TO MY COLLEAGUES, UM, UH, DIRECTOR CUMMINS AND I WERE ABLE TO DO A SNEAK PEEK TOUR OF CODA LAND, WHICH OPENS THIS WEEKEND OFFICIALLY. IT'S AN INCREDIBLE AMUSEMENT PARK FOR OUR AREA AND EMBEDDED WITHIN THE AMUSEMENT PARK IS SOME REALLY INCREDIBLE ART AND SCULPTURES. AND I THINK IT'S A REALLY GREAT WAY TO SHOW THAT AS AUSTINITE, WE VALUE PUBLIC ART AND IT SHOWS UP NOT JUST IN OUR CITY FUNDED PROJECTS, BUT ALSO IN, YOU KNOW, OUR AMENITIES THAT THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS OFFERING AS WELL. SORRY. THANK YOU. UM, WELL I APPRECIATE Y'ALL ONCE AGAIN AND THANKS FOR COMING DOWN TO ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE MEETING. UM, AND THEN WE'RE AT ITEM NUMBER FOUR. [4. Identify items to discuss at future meetings.] WHICH ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS FUTURE ITEMS. UH, DO WE HAVE ANY FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION? OH, THERE YOU GO BY. SURE. YES. UM, GETTING AN UPDATE. I THINK THIS JUST GOT SHELVED TO THE NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING. UH, YOU HAVE TO REMIND US WHEN THAT IS. UM, BUT THE ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK UPDATE, UM, THAT WAS ONE. AND THEN GETTING A BRIEFING FROM THE DECA ALLIANCE, WHICH IS OUR MINORITY CHAMBERS. I THINK THEY HAVE, UM, BEEN DOING SOME REALLY GOOD WORK AND THEY WOULD LIKE AN OPPORTUNITY OR I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE THEM FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO UPDATE US ON THE WORK THAT, UH, THE MINORITY CHAMBERS HAVE BEEN DOING. GREAT. GREAT. UM, WELL WITH THAT, WITH NO, UH, FURTHER BUSINESS, UM, AND IT IS TEN FOUR, UH, SORRY, 9 45. UH, THE MEETING OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE IS ADJOURNED AT 9:45 AM THANK Y'ALL. * 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.